Sutherland Hangs On To Win The Big Bass Tour On Chickamauga With An 8.98Lb Bass!!!
2016 Lake Chickamauga, TN
Leaders
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROCKY SUTHERLAND | 8.98 |
| 2 | MIKE JOHNSON | 8.79 |
| 3 | LUCAS LOVELACE | 8.51 |
| 4 | BRANDON MATTHEWS | 8.19 |
| 5 | LARRY NELMS | 8.16 |
| 6 | LANCE GRAY | 8.00 |
| 7 | TOMMY DAILEY | 7.96 |
| 8 | MATT JENKINS | 7.85 |
| 9 | JUSTIN SNEED | 7.57 |
| 10 | DEREK MCCULLOUGH | 7.46 |
Saturday 8-9
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LANCE GRAY | 8.00 |
| 2 | JOE WILSON | 6.25 |
| 3 | BRAD RICKMAN | 6.03 |
| 4 | COLTON MORTON | 5.96 |
| 5 | JON MANTOOTH | 5.41 |
| 6 | MATT JENKINS | 5.22 |
| 7 | HOUSTON SHAVER | 5.14 |
| 8 | TAYLOR BATES | 5.06 |
| 9 | JUSTIN DEXTER | 4.98 |
| 10 | CHARLES FRADY | 4.68 |
Saturday 9-10
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MARION TIPTON | 6.70 |
| 2 | JUSTIN SNEED | 6.19 |
| 3 | TREVOR BATES | 5.88 |
| 4 | JON MANTOOTH | 5.33 |
| 5 | STEVE COOKE | 5.25 |
| 6 | DAVID CRAFT | 5.18 |
| 7 | GAVIN SMITH | 5.12 |
| 8 | CHRIS GARREN | 5.11 |
| 9 | MEL RINEHART | 5.07 |
| 9 | ZACH MANNING | 5.07 |
Saturday 10-11
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BRANDON MATTHEWS | 8.19 |
| 2 | CHRIS HICKMAN | 6.55 |
| 3 | BRUCE SUMMERS | 5.91 |
| 4 | BLAKE JAMES | 5.45 |
| 5 | GREG SHAVER | 5.31 |
| 6 | DAVID CRAFT | 5.19 |
| 6 | GAVIN SMITH | 5.19 |
| 8 | STONEY JOHNSON | 4.88 |
| 9 | CHAD REEL | 4.79 |
| 10 | ERIC SWANSON | 4.49 |
Saturday 11-12
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LARRY NELMS | 8.16 |
| 2 | MATT JENKINS | 7.85 |
| 3 | HAYDEN NEWBERRY | 5.27 |
| 4 | KENNETH PAYNE | 4.89 |
| 5 | MICHAEL JAMES | 4.75 |
| 6 | BEN BEASLEY | 4.73 |
| 7 | RYAN WILLIS | 4.66 |
| 8 | BRIAN HATFIELD | 4.61 |
| 9 | JON MANTOOTH | 4.46 |
| 10 | ERIC POWERS | 4.28 |
Saturday 12-1
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JUSTIN SNEED | 7.57 |
| 2 | WILL DILLARD | 7.43 |
| 3 | BRAD HOUCHINS | 7.34 |
| 4 | ANDREW MARTIN | 5.40 |
| 5 | SCOTT LEFFEW | 5.19 |
| 6 | LEWIS KINSLER | 5.11 |
| 7 | ROCKY SUTHERLAND | 4.93 |
| 8 | CHRIS WILLIS | 4.67 |
| 9 | ANDY MARTIN | 4.66 |
| 10 | BRADLEY STONE | 4.48 |
Saturday 1-2
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RANDY MILLER | 7.37 |
| 2 | DON LAMB | 7.18 |
| 3 | DAVY CHASTAIN | 6.30 |
| 4 | JUSTIN SNEED | 6.04 |
| 5 | BRAD ALLEN | 5.99 |
| 6 | CHRIS MCCLEESE | 5.70 |
| 7 | LARRY REID | 5.68 |
| 8 | TIM KENNEDY | 5.58 |
| 9 | TIM MORGAN | 5.24 |
| 10 | GREG LAMB | 5.11 |
Saturday 2-3
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROCKY SUTHERLAND | 8.98 |
| 2 | RON WILLERSON | 6.53 |
| 3 | RONNIE MINTON | 6.32 |
| 4 | TIM KENNEDY | 6.06 |
| 5 | WILLIAM FULLER | 5.72 |
| 6 | NICK WELCH | 5.66 |
| 7 | JOSH SINGLETON | 5.25 |
| 8 | STEVE BROWN | 5.16 |
| 9 | CLARENCE MULLEN | 5.09 |
| 10 | GREG LAMB | 5.02 |
Sunday 8-9
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LUCAS LOVELACE | 8.51 |
| 2 | ROCKY SUTHERLAND | 5.87 |
| 3 | JOHN MANTOOTH | 5.80 |
| 4 | WALT BRYSIAK | 5.60 |
| 5 | HARLEY SWAFFORD | 5.14 |
| 6 | MICHAEL JAMES | 4.62 |
| 7 | CHUCK SCOTT | 4.29 |
| 8 | SEAN COLEMAN | 4.20 |
| 9 | DWAYNE SWANSON | 4.10 |
| 10 | BUTCH ZADLOW | 3.87 |
Sunday 9-10
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TOMMY DAILEY | 7.96 |
| 2 | BRAD FULLINGTON | 6.70 |
| 3 | JIMMY WILLIAMSON | 5.68 |
| 4 | BLAKE MORROW | 5.16 |
| 5 | TIM WAMPLER | 5.03 |
| 6 | DENNIS POLLAND | 4.85 |
| 7 | WES DECKER | 4.50 |
| 8 | TERRY WILLIAMS | 4.32 |
| 9 | JACK WAMPLER | 4.27 |
| 10 | HARLEY SWAFFORD | 3.84 |
Sunday 10-11
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | STEVE WEIST | 7.36 |
| 2 | ERIC HENDERSON | 6.20 |
| 3 | CHUCK KELTCH | 5.81 |
| 4 | JACK WAMPLER | 5.59 |
| 5 | DAVID POWELL | 5.42 |
| 6 | LEVON IVEY | 5.14 |
| 7 | GREG BALL | 5.12 |
| 8 | HAROLD DOTSON | 4.77 |
| 9 | SCOTT LEFFEW | 4.70 |
| 10 | ROBERT PERKINS | 4.64 |
Sunday 11-12
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LARRY NELMS | 6.59 |
| 2 | SHANNON SNEED | 6.15 |
| 3 | BRENT TRAVIS | 5.45 |
| 4 | BRIAN HATFIELD | 5.14 |
| 5 | ROBBIE MCGILL | 4.79 |
| 6 | LEE BRADFORD | 4.73 |
| 7 | ADAM BISHOP | 4.72 |
| 8 | DAVID CRAFT | 4.70 |
| 9 | ADAM GRIM | 4.60 |
| 10 | DONNIE DURHAM | 4.49 |
Sunday 12-1
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MIKE JOHNSON | 8.79 |
| 2 | BILL SHIPLEY | 5.76 |
| 3 | TREVOR BATES | 5.75 |
| 4 | RODNEY ALLEN | 5.65 |
| 5 | BRIAN BULTLER | 5.37 |
| 6 | BRUCE SUMMERS | 4.83 |
| 7 | CHARLES FRADY | 4.68 |
| 8 | SHAWN STRADER | 4.67 |
| 9 | LEE BRADFORD | 4.66 |
| 10 | CHRIS MCCLEESE | 4.55 |
Sunday 1-2
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BLAKE BOWEN | 6.92 |
| 2 | JAKE DEBIN | 6.27 |
| 3 | CLAY SMITH | 5.79 |
| 4 | TREVOR BATES | 5.47 |
| 5 | JIM NEECE JR | 5.18 |
| 6 | HADEN LAMB | 5.01 |
| 7 | CHRIS HICKMAN | 4.98 |
| 8 | DARRELL BEATY | 4.70 |
| 9 | TRACY GAY | 4.46 |
| 10 | CHRIS COUCH | 4.33 |
Sunday 2-3
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DEREK MCCULLOUGH | 7.46 |
| 2 | BRAD ALLEN | 5.46 |
| 3 | JONATHAN LOVELACE | 5.44 |
| 4 | JAYLON SHUFFLER | 5.38 |
| 5 | BILL FRESHOUR | 5.28 |
| 6 | JACOB GANN | 5.17 |
| 7 | CASEY MULLEN | 5.03 |
| 8 | RYAN WILLIS | 4.72 |
| 9 | ROBBIE MILLS | 4.71 |
| 10 | CHRIS RECTOR | 4.64 |
Mollohan Wins 2 Day Aft D-96 Championship With Over 23 Pounds On Clarks Hill!
AFT D-96 Tournament Results
Clarks Hill Lake – May 21-22, 2016
Division 96 2016 Season 2-Day Championship
Group picture from left to right; 1st place Matt Mollohan of Lexington, SC / 2nd place Phillip Anderson of Saluda, SC. / 3rd place and day two big fish winner Gene Parker of Asheville, NC / 4th place and day one big fish winner Mike Dimatteo of Spartanburg, SC / 5th place Steve Christie of Gray Court, SC.
First place, Matt Mollohan of Lexington, SC caught a 10 fish limit weighing 23.64 pounds. Matt has always been consistent but all year has finished just out of the money at our 1-day qualifiers. That consistency on both days gave him the biggest win for this Division 96 season. Matt took home $1124 for first place and the day one first place option.
Phillip Anderson of Saluda, SC was second with 10 fish weighing 21.02 pounds fishing the upper part of the lake. Phillip caught his fish on day one by fishing a frog over grass. On day two he flipped brush piles in 8 to 10 feet of water with soft plastics. Both days he fished the upper part of the lake. For second place, option pot and big fish Phillip won $666.
Phillip Anderson also finished first in the points race for the Division 96 Angler of the Year. He accumulated an almost perfect 1194 points to win by a 20 point margin. Phillip is already a past AFT National Champion and will be a threat to win the AOY Event during this 2016 AFT National Championship to be held on Lake Eufaula in October.
Gene Parker of Asheville, NC finished in third place with 8 fish weighing 20.68 pounds. Gene caught his fish by fishing the middle part of the lake with flukes, soft plastics and crank baits. The tournament big fish for day two of 5.90 pounds came on the crank bait. Gene was in 16thplace after day one and came in with 16.46 pounds on day two for this 3rd place finish. He admitted that he had so much confidence on day one that he threw back two 12 inch fish sure that he would catch bigger fish. That decision really cost him as he only weighed 3 fish on day one. Gene took home $377 for third place, day two big fish and the option pot.
Our ALX Rod Big Fish Winner for the 2016 season is John Stevenson of Orangeburg, SC. John caught his 7.65 pound largemouth on Lake Murray in the February 28th tournament. John has his pick of any ALX IKOS Series rod.
Day one started out with a misty rain and 63 degrees. The day turned out to be a very pleasant 80 degrees and partly cloudy. Day two was clear and started at 57 degrees and ended a little windy and at 78 degrees. Water temps were in the mid 70’s. The lake was clear but stained in the creeks and about one and half feet from full pool. The rain earlier this week did not muddy or affect the level for this tournament.
Here’s how we finished:
Place
Angler
Day 1
Day 2
# Fish
Total Wt.
Big Fish
Option Pot
Payback
Points
1
Matt Mollohan
12.44
11.2
10
23.64
Day 1 1st
$1,124
398
2
Phillip Anderson
9.23
11.79
10
21.02
Day 2 2nd
$666
396
3
Gene Parker
4.22
16.46
8
20.68
5.9
Day 2 1st/BF
$377
394
4
Mike Dimatteo
11.18
8.55
10
19.73
5.72
Day 1 BF
$95
392
5
Steve Christie
5.99
11.32
8
17.31
3.51
390
6
Don Kneece
9.99
7.24
10
17.23
Day 1 2nd
$50
388
7
Allen Murray
10.83
5.41
10
16.24
386
8
Phil Morris
7.37
8.58
10
15.95
384
9
Rodney Cromer
9.65
5.88
10
15.53
3.8
382
10
Carlton Price
7.44
4.58
9
12.02
380
11
Jay Treon
5.49
5.88
10
11.37
378
12
Dale Hart
4.14
5.03
8
9.17
376
13
Joe Toth
6.8
2.18
5
8.98
4.85
374
14
Pat Vance
5.25
1
6
6.25
372
15
Evan Weaver
5.43
0
3
5.43
370
16
Eddie Temples
4.96
0
4
4.96
368
17
Andy Lake
4.58
0
5
4.58
366
18
Stanley Harkins
0.95
0
1
0.95
364
19
Lou Engel
0
0
0
0
100
Money
Matt Mollohan – 1st place plaque $1044 / Day One 1st place option $80 Total - $1124
Phillip Anderson – 2nd place plaque $616 / Day Two 2nd place option $50 Total - $666
Gene Parker – 3rd place plaque $202 / Day Two Big Fish Trophy $95 / Day Two 1st place option $80 - $377
Mike Dimatteo – 4th place – Day One Big Fish Trophy $95 / Parker Spinnerbait
Steve Christie – 5th place – ALX Rods Hat
Don Kneece – Day One 2nd place option $50
ALX Rod Big Fish Winner for 2016
John Stevenson – 7.65 lbs. Lake Murray, February 28, 2015
ALX Rods Big Fish Award for the 2015 Season (New ALX IKOS Series Rod for Season Big Fish Winner www.alxrods.com )
Local Sponsors:
Our local sponsors will be providing products or money for products for the anglers fishing Division 96 tournaments. Please give them your support by looking to them first when considering your purchases. They are supporting you!
Kneece Investigations, LLC Saluda, SC www.kneeceinvestigations.com (864-445-3713) (one stop for both your Investigative and Surveillance Equipment needs)
ALX Rods Aiken, SC www.alxrods.com (803-645-5392) Email: [email protected] (ALX Rods are available locally at The Tackle Shop (Martinez, GA), Palmetto State Armory(Fernandina Road in Columbia, SC & also store in Mt. Pleasant, SC), Wacky Riggers(Salisbury, NC), Calyx Outdoors (Piedmont, SC) Grady’s Great Outdoors (Anderson, SC), Lake Hartwell Outdoor Center (Anderson, SC) and direct at www.alxrods.com )
Gene Parker’s Spinnerbaits Asheville, NC - the baits that Gene Parker used to win the 2011 ABA National Championship on Lake Murray, SC www.parkerbaittechnology.com (828-691-2277)
Results and news on www.aba-sc.com and see your photos on ‘facebook’ at D-96 American Fishing Tour
Upcoming ABA Tournaments:
D-96 May 28, 2016 Bring A Youth Greenwood Greenwood State Park
D-26 May 29, 2016 Clarks Hill Wildwood Park
SC Couples June 4, 2016 Greenwood One Stop Marina
Ram Open Series June 11, 2016 Hartwell Green Pond
D-26 June 26, 2016 Clarks Hill Wildwood Park
D-96 July 10, 2016 Murray Dreher Island State Park (1st of 2017 Season)
D-26 Aug. 14, 2016 Clarks Hill Wildwood Park
D-96 Aug. 21, 2016 Greenwood Greenwood State Park (2017)
D-26 Sept. 10-11, 2016 Clarks Hill Wildwood State Park (Div. 2-Day)
D-96 Sept. 18, 2016 Murray Dreher Island State Park (2017)
D-96 Oct. 2, 2016 Clarks Hill Dorn Facility (2017)
D-96 Nov. 6, 2016 Greenwood Greenwood State Park (2017)
D-96 Dec. 4, 2016 Russell Hwy 72 Ramp
AFT 2016 National Championship October 16-21, 2016 Lake Eufaula out of Lake Point Resort State Park, Eufaula, Al
Meet Matthew Taylor - One Of The Stories Behind The Wolfson Childrens' Hospital Bass Tournament
The 27th Annual Wolfson tournament drew 466 boats for a reason. The tourney supports a childrens' hospital that saves lives and improves quality of life for thousands of kids in the region. Meet one outstanding example: Matthew Taylor. Though he has cerebral palsey, Matt runs full marathons and is days away from graduating with the rest of his high school class. These days he is also giving back to the hospital in his own way.
Mckee And Rogers Win Big Wolfson Childrens' Hospital Tourney On St Johns River!
A fog delay, a long run and 465 other boats were among the obstacles that Butch McKee and Glenn Rogers Jr had to deal with before they even set about the business of boxing a few wild river bass. In the end they won the 27th annual Wolfson tournament and $10,000 with 25.26 pounds. How did they do it? Hear them tell it here:
Erisckson & Port Win Cashion Rods Fall Lake Open With Over 25 Pound Limit!
CASHION FISHING RODS 'FALLS LAKE OPEN' Results
Falls Lake~~May 21, 2016 Ledge Rock Wildlife RampMatt Cashion, owner of Cashion Fishing Rods, sponsored the 'Falls Lake Open, with 30 teams showing up, even with the weather forecast calling for heavy rains in the am. The day started off in the low 60's and afternoon temps around 79. It did rain hard from about 5am to 6am then quit for the day!! The winds were 0 to 12 mph for the most of the day and the water level was right at normal pool. Water temps averaged 72 degrees and the
water clarity was fairly good. 120 bass were weighed in for a total weight of 378 pounds for an average of 3.15lbs. each. The fish have pretty much spawned out and are starting to work their way back to deeper water. It was really a pretty day for bass fishing with a lot of 4 and 5 pounders caught!!!Chadd Eriksen & Cullen Ports weighed in 5 bass at 25.03 lbs to take 1st Place, 1st Place TWT & Big Fish Award(7.40 lbs.) plus awarded with 2 Cashion Custom Rods & Trophies for a grand total of $2,350 in cash and prizes!
1st Place Team..Eriksen on left..Ports on right...
Losing to 1st Place by only .23 of a pound was the 2nd Place team of Robyn Cook & Owen Penhollow with 5 bass weighing 24.80 lbs. They also won the 2nd place Big Fish Award (6.46 lbs.) and 2 Cashion Custom Rods. Their best finish ever with PBC taking home a total of $1,250 in cash and prizes. 3rd Place money and 2 Cashion Rods went to the team of Matt Harrison & Angela Bishop with 5 bass weighing 20.97 lbs. netting them $900 in cash and prizes!!Most bass were caught with crankbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, WLS Shakey Heads and Carolina Rigs. Most were caught in 10' or less waters. The topwater bite should be picking up with the summer temps coming in.
I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors. Our next tournament will be the 2016 Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Final Qualifier #7, Saturday June 4th also at Falls Lake out of Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp. This is also an open event for anyone not wanting to fish for the Championship.
Our next Invitational tournament will be the 1st ever PBC Metal Mania Invitational on Falls Lake, June 11th, for aluminum boats with 115 hp or less motors only!! Info on this event can be found at: http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2016MetalManiaMainPage.htmlAll the information on all our tournaments can be found at: http://piedmontbassclassics.com/
Full results:
1st Place...Chadd Eriksen & Cullen Ports of Wake Forest...5 bass...25.03 lbs...$1,080
2nd Place...Robyn Cook & Owen Penhollow of Raleigh & Durham...5 bass...24.80 lbs...$630
3rd Place...Matt Harrison & Angela Bishop of Franklinton...5 bass...20.97 lbs...$450
4th Place...Chris & David Huffine of Raleigh & Wake Forest...5 bass...19.09 lbs...$330
5th Place...Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks of Fuquay Varina & Apex...5 bass...18.95 lbs...$270
6th Place...Zach Blalock & Kyle Albers of Winterville & Durham...5 bass...18.58 lbs...$2401st Place Big Fish: 1st Place Team above...7.40 lbs...$420
2nd Place Big Fish: 2nd Place Team above...6.46 lbs...$1801st Place TWT: 1st Place Team above: 25.03 lbs...$420
2nd Place TWT: 5th Place Team above: 18.95 lbs...$180
We are almost ready to end our Spring events and look forward to starting up the
Cashion Rods 'End of Year' Trail which begins July 9th at Kerr Lake. All the info for this trail can be found on the PBC web page at:
http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2016EndOfYearMainPage.html
Enter early to get the best starting positions.
Pitts & Ingle Win Alabama Bass Trail North Division Neely Henry Event!
Lee Pitts and Steve Ingle win Alabama Bass Trail Neely Henry Lake
Damien Willis and Mark Steward Finish in Runner up Position
Gadsden, Ala. May 21, 2016 – Every time that the Alabama Bass Trail North Division visits Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, the sheer numbers of fish weighed-in can be astounding. While Alabama is known for its Tennessee and Coosa River fisheries, Neely Henry is just beginning to show how good it can be.
For noted area guide, Lee Pitts and his partner Steve Ingle, Neely Henry showed out a little bit better than the other 145 teams that launched into the cool morning air out of Coosa Landing in downtown Gadsden. The Weiss lake crappie guide and his partner posted a five bass limit weighing 18.12-pounds to earn the title of ABT Neely Henry Champion and a berth into the 2016 Alabama Bass Trail Championship in October on Lake Eufaula.
The team said that everything kind of fell into their laps, but they were unsure if they had done enough. “We ran downriver and started fishing about four miles from the takeoff initially,” they said. “We had a limit by 6:20, and were able to cull up a few times until about 1:00, but, we still felt like we were one fish short of a winning sack; we are truly surprised by this finish.”
The pair reported using a 4.5-inch Gene Larew Lures Mega Ring Tube on a 3/8-ounce tungsten weight and a Bill Norman Lures Deep Little N to catch their fish. “Most of the fish were caught flipping and pitching the green pumpkin, chartreuse dipped and Pumpkin Seed Candy colored tubes on a 7’3” heavy action Lew’s Performance TP1 Speed Stick and 6.4:1 BB-1 reel spooled with 17-pound-test Gamma monofilament, they said. “We caught a few on the Deep Little N, but mostly we flipped the tube to the water willow grass and around docks in the mid lake area, all the way to Canoe Creek.”
They reported catching as many as 40 bass, and making key culls up until 1 o’clock in the afternoon. They weighed-in in the second flight and had to wait five more flights to learn they had claimed the $10,000 first place prize. “We’re really happy to have won,” they said. “We’re just so lucky to be here, everything kind of went our way.”
Damien Willis and Mark Steward began the morning tossing a Booyah Padcrasher frog into “Coosa River Grass” (water willow) to catch a pair of key largemouth, then filled in the rest with a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver and a homemade jig tipped with an Excite Baits Craw the flipped into the same kind of grass. “We really are okay with how things turned out,” they said. “We really did the best we could have based on how our practice went; this is a good outcome, we’re pleased with it.” Their 17.66-pound limit earned them the $5,000 runner up prize.
The leaders of the Northern Division Angler of the Year race John Canada and Brian Roy continued their strong year and finished third earning $4,000 for their day.
The Mountain Dew Big Bass of the tournament was a 5.61-pound largemouth caught by Jeff Cannon and Shawn Brock. That fish anchored their 14.62-pound total which earned them 17th place and a total of $1,000 including the $500 bonus from Mountain Dew for catching the largest bass of the day.
The top 10 in the standings are below – the complete standings can be found at:http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/nhl-results/
| Place | Name | Weight | Big Fish | Winnings |
| 1 | Lee Pitts/Steve Ingle | 18.12 | 4.46 | $10,000 |
| 2 | Damien Willis/Mark Steward | 17.66 | $5,000 | |
| 3 | Jonathan Canada/Brian Roy | 17.65 | $4,000 | |
| 4 | Bradley Jones/Andy Kilgore | 16.78 | $3,000 | |
| 5 | Hank Hayes/Lee Hurley | 15.77 | $2,000 | |
| 6 | Josh Butler/Jeb Tate | 15.71 | $1,000 | |
| 7 | Terry Pryor/Terrell Mann | 15.69 | $900 | |
| 8 | Phillip Dukes/Bailey Dukes | 15.68 | 5.53 | $800 |
| 9 | Josh Bragg/Joe Hartley | 15.66 | $700 | |
| 10 | Cliff Williams/Jamie Loyd | 15.51 | $600 |
Next on the slate for the Northern Division is Weiss Lake in Centre, Ala. on June 18, 2016.
The sponsors of the 2016 Alabama Bass Trail include; Bill Penney Toyota, Phoenix Bass Boats, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, SCA Performance, Mt. Dew, Boat US, T-H Marine Supplies, AllState, TVA, Alabama Power, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Lew’s Fishing, Frogg Toggs, Crossed Industries, Alabama Foundation Specialist, Costa, YETI, Leer, E3 Apparel.
For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
David Mullins Of East Tn Claims First Bass Victory With Southern Open Win!
Mullins Earns First Win At Southern Open On Douglas Lake
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — After consecutive runner-up finishes at Douglas Lake, David Mullins now knows what it feels like to be a champion. Mullins stayed in first place all three days to win the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open.
Mullins had a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to give him a three-day total of 62-12. Scott Canterbury of Springville, Ala., was second with 56-10, and Britt Myers of Lake Wylie, S.C., finished third with 52-2.
Mullins, who competes on the Bassmaster Elite Series, lives in Mount Carmel, Tenn., and has extensive knowledge of Douglas Lake. He finished second in Bassmaster Open tournaments here in 2013 and 2014 before taking the title Saturday.
“It’s a little bit of sweet redemption,” Mullins said. “I didn’t lose the last two. Somebody just caught ’em better than me. It feels good to come out on top.”
Mullins took the lead Thursday with 21-5, and built his margin to more than 7 pounds by weighing in 22-2 on Friday. Canterbury was the only angler in the Top 12 who managed a 20-pound bag Saturday. His five-bass limit weighed 21-7, but that still left Mullins with a 6-pound margin of victory.
“Every time I have a good finish here, I never catch ’em off the same place two days in a row,” Mullins said. “I think that’s the biggest key to fishing Douglas Lake — having enough places where you know they live, so you can keep moving and have a good rotation. The places I fished today, I haven’t fished all week. I just ran history.”
In recent years, there have been two constant factors in a winning formula at Douglas: concentrating on deep schools of bass and catching more than 20 pounds per day. Mullins followed that pattern. His shallowest bass came in 8- to 12-foot depths and his deepest came from almost 30 feet.
Mullins' primary lures were Strike King 10XD and 6XD crankbaits in Tennessee shad and green gizzard shad colors. He also caught a key bass Saturday on a Scottsboro Tackle Company 6-inch swimbait in a shad pattern that was specially made for Mullins at Douglas.
“I picked it up this morning and caught one on my first cast,” he said. “I didn’t have a fish until about 9:15. And that one was one of my best of the day.”
Mullins didn’t fish the other two Southern Opens, so he will not receive an automatic qualifying spot in the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic.
“We’ve been going so hard on the Elite Series, I’m tired as it is,” he said. “Scheduling and the extra money it was going to cost to fish those other two Opens is why I didn’t do it. But I’m not even thinking about that now. I don’t regret it one bit.”
For the victory, Mullins won a package valued at $45,000, which includes a Skeeter ZX200 boat and, Yamaha VF200LA outboard motor, Minn Kota Fortrex trolling motor and a pair of Lowrance HDS 7 graphing units.
Matt Justice of Fair Play, S.C., won the co-angler division with a three-day total of 29-6. Don Bible II of Knoxville, Tenn., finished second with 26-13, and Rodney Tapp of Inman, S.C., was third with 26-7.
Justice is a 22-year-old recent graduate of Greenville Technical College. He lives on Lake Hartwell. Justice wants to fish professionally, and he said Saturday’s victory will enable him to do that next year. The co-angler prize, valued at $30,000, includes a Triton 179 TrX boat powered by a Mercury 115 ELPT outboard motor, outfitted with Triton standard equipment.
Elite Series angler Brandon Card, who finished seventh on the pro side, was Justice’s partner Saturday.
“Brandon was completely selfless,” Justice said. “He’s as nice as they come. When he found out I was in contention, he was like, ‘Throw right here at this waypoint. Throw right there where I just cast.’ As a co-angler, you don’t hear that a lot. He’s the reason I won, I think.”
Justice used a variety of baits over the course of the three days, but he said a Strike King 8XD crankbait in green gizzard shad produced most of his weight.
“I’d burn it as fast as I could,” Justice said. “I was using a reel with an 8.3:1 gear ratio. I think that made the difference in being able to reel it faster than anybody through a school and get a reaction bite.”
Wiggins earned the $750 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award on the pro side for his 6-15 largemouth caught on Friday. Ledell Wade Jr., Clarksville, Tenn., weighed in an 5-9 bass to earn the $250 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award on the co-angler side.
Mullins received the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $250 for finishing as the top pro on Day 2. Finishing as the Day 2 leader on the co-angler side, Rodney Tapp of Inman, S.C., received a Livingston Lures gift pack worth $250.
Myers of Lake Wylie, S.C., also earner the A.R.E. Top Angler Award of $500 for being the highest-finishing angler using A.R.E. products.
Canterbury of Springville, Ala., earned the Power-Pole Captain's Cash award of $500.
Mullins, Only Angler To Catch 20 Pounds, Takes Lead In Final Southern Open
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Elite Series Angler Bill Lowen Aligns With Remington Arms
May 19, 2016 - Today the Remington Arms Company announced its sponsorship of Bassmaster Elite Series angler Bill Lowen of Brookville, Indiana.
Bill Lowen is known to the bass fishing world as a steady competitor who more-often-than-not brings back a solid catch each day he goes out. As evidence, Lowen has finished “in the money” a remarkable 70% of the time in Bassmaster Elite Series competition, earning him the moniker “Dollar Bill” Lowen.
Lowen is also known on tour as one of the more well-rounded outdoorsmen, adept at hunting whitetail deer, turkeys, and waterfowl. Even when the Bassmaster competition schedule allows for only one or two mornings chasing turkeys Lowen has a solid string of successfully-filled tags annually near his Midwest home. He is quick to point to out that much of that acumen is attributed to being a fourth-generation hunter, all of whom were Remington men.
“My great grandfather, grandfather, and father passed on a love for the outdoors and taught me the basics of hunting and fishing,” said Lowen. “I’m grateful to them for teaching me and setting the stage for me to make a living and provide for my family in the outdoors. As soon as Nevaeh [daughter] and Fischer [son] are old enough they will make the fifth generation.”
Competitive bass fishing is a relatively young sport (Lowen recently finished fourth in the 46th annual Bassmaster Classic) so to be associated with Remington who is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2016 is both an honor and responsibility for Lowen. “I’ve worked with Buck Knives for eight years and that company started in 1902. The fact that Remington was founded in 1816 speaks volumes about the character and quality of the company right there.”
In honor of that 200 year anniversary Remington is running a sweepstakes encouraging the submission of stories and photos about Remington Country. For more information visit http://200sweepstakes.remington.com.
“For 200 years, Remington has walked side-by-side with the American sportsman in pursuit of the outdoors and upholding the traditions we all cherish. The lifestyle of hunting and fishing and being connected to nature is a lifestyle rooted more deeply in our hearts every year. In this vein, we are proud to support Bill, who exemplifies Remington’s love and support of friends, family and the outdoor lifestyle,” said Jordan Davis, VP New Business Development & Channel Development at Remington.
ABOUT REMINGTON
Remington Arms Company, LLC, (“Remington”) headquartered in Madison, N.C., designs, produces and sells sporting goods products for the hunting and shooting sports markets, as well as solutions to the military, government and law enforcement markets. Founded in 1816 in upstate New York, the Company is the nation's oldest continuously operating manufacturer with its original Ilion, New York plant still in operation today. Remington is a privately-held manufacturer of firearms and ammunition products and one of the largest domestic producers of shotguns and rifles. The Remington Family of Companies has 12 locations across 9 states employing over 3,500 people and distributes its products throughout the U.S. and in over 55 foreign countries.
More information about the Company can be found at www.remington.com.
More information about Bill Lowen is available at www.BillLowen.com & www.Facebook.com/TurtleLowen.
Elite Series Pro Mark Menendez Talks About What He Does To Ensure His Catch Stays Alive And Well All Day Long!
Elite Series Pro Mark Menedez is a veteran of the sport and he has seen a lot of stuff come and go. Mark has been using the VT2 Livewell Vent System from New Pro Products for over two years now and this is what he has to say about it.
For More info check them out here at Sportsmans Warehouse and give your fishing the edge!
2016 Toyota Texas Bass Classic (Now Called Toyota Texas Fest) Set To Kick Off Thursday
The shindig formerly known as the TTBC is now simply called Toyota (‘cause that’s the big sponsor) Texas (‘cause that’s the place where it’s happening) Fest (which covers all the goings-on including music, food, games AND a bass fishing tournament).
Apparently, the fishing part is still known as the Toyota Texas Bass Classic, as the winner will be crowned ‘the 2016 TTBC champion’, according to the last paragraph of the attached press release.
Anyway, it’s a big tournament featuring an All-Star field vetted through the major Tours – FLW and Bassmaster Elite Series.
They’re fishing Lake Ray Roberts. Details here:
Top 38 anglers in the world to compete at Lake Ray Roberts
Frisco, TX (April 7, 2016) – As part of the 2016 Toyota Texas Fest presented by JBL (TTF), the Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC) will feature 36 of the world’s best professional anglers from May 20 – 22, 2016 at Lake Ray Roberts in Denton, TX. The field for the tenth anniversary of TTBC is highlighted by defending champion Brent Ehrler and 2016 Bassmaster Classic champion Edwin Evers.
The field is made up of the top 15 anglers from the 2015 Angler of the Year (AOY) points from both the FLW Tour and Bassmaster Elite Series as well as eight exemptions. Other notable anglers include 2015 Bassmaster Angler of the Year Aaron Martens, 2015 FLW Angler of the Year Scott Martin and Keith Combs, three-time TTBC champion.
“Over the past nine years the priority of the TTBC has been to promote fishing, outdoor recreation and the conservation efforts of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department,” said Lenny Francoeur, tournament director. “Each year we host the world’s best anglers on Texas’ premier fisheries, and we are excited to see these anglers take on Lake Ray Roberts, one of the Texas’ top fisheries.”
The overall field is highlighted by a combined 16 Angler of the Year titles, including eight Bassmaster AOYs and eight FLW Tour AOYs; 19 major championship titles, including eight TTBCs, six Bassmaster Classics, and five Forrest Wood Cups; 179 tour wins and over $60 million in career earnings. The field will also include exemptions Randy Howell, Mike Iaconelli, Kelly Jordon, Terry Scroggins, Gerald Swindle and 2015 TTBC champion Brent Ehrler.
“Winning the Toyota Texas Bass Classic last year was one of the biggest achievements in my career,” said Ehrler. “The TTBC is the most difficult event to qualify for in professional bass fishing, and to raise the trophy on the final day, you had to have beaten the most elite group of anglers on the planet. I am excited to get back to Texas and defend my title on Lake Ray Roberts in May.”
Along with the coveted title of TTBC champion, the anglers will be competing for two additional awards. The angler who catches the single heaviest fish from any of the three days of competition will win the Toyota Tundra Big Bass Award and a new 2016 Toyota Tundra. The LEER Heavy Weight Award, a new LEER truck cap, will be given to the angler with the heaviest single-day weight from any one of the three days of the tournament.
Full Field:
Tracy Adams - Wilkesboro, North Carolina - FLW Tour
Adrian Avena - Vineland, New Jersey - FLW Tour
Jason Christie- Park Hill, Oklahoma - Bassmaster Elite Series
Luke Clausen - Spokane, Washington - FLW Tour
Brandon Cobb - Greenwood, South Carolina - FLW Tour
Keith Combs - Huntington, Texas - Bassmaster Elite Series
John Cox - Debary, Florida - FLW Tour
Brent Ehrler - Redlands, California - 2015 TTBC champion
Edwin Evers - Talala, Oklahoma - Bassmaster Elite Series
Shinichi Fukae - Palestine, Texas - FLW Tour
Anthony Gagliardi - Prosperity, South Carolina - FLW Tour
Greg Hackney - Gonzales, Louisiana - Bassmaster Elite Series
Matthew Herren - Ashville, Alabama - Bassmaster Elite Series
Randy Howell - Guntersville, Alabama - Exemption
Mike Iaconelli - Pittsgrove, New Jersey - Exemption
Alton Jones - Lorena, Texas - Bassmaster Elite Series
Kelly Jordon - Flint, Texas - Exemption
Jordan Lee - Vinemont, Alabama - Bassmaster Elite Series
Dave Lefebre - Erie, Pennsylvania - FLW Tour
Bill Lowen - Brookville, Indiana - Bassmaster Elite Series
Justin Lucas - Guntersville, Alabama - Bassmaster Elite Series
Aaron Martens - Leeds, Alabama - Bassmaster Elite Series
Scott Martin - Clewiston, Florida - FLW Tour
Cody Meyer - Auburn, California - FLW Tour
Ish Monroe - Hughson, California - FLW Tour
Andy Morgan - Dayton, Tennessee - FLW Tour
Larry Nixon - Bee Branch, Arkansas - FLW Tour
Brandon Palaniuk - Hayden, Idaho - Bassmaster Elite Series
Jacob Powroznik - Port Haywood, Virginia - Bassmaster Elite Series
Dean Roja - Lake Havasu City, Arizona - Bassmaster Elite Series
Terry Scroggins - San Mateo, Florida - Exemption
Brian Snowden - Reeds Spring, Missouri - Exemption
Gerald Swindle - Warrior, Alabama - Exemption
Peter Thliveros - St. Augustine, Florida - FLW Tour
Bryan Thrift - Shelby, North Carolina - FLW Tour
Kevin VanDam - Kalamazoo, Michigan - Exemption
Greg Vinson - Wetumpka, Alabama - Bassmaster Elite Series
Chris Zaldain - San Jose, California - Bassmaster Elite Series
- See more at: http://www.toyotatexasfest.com/2016/04/07/toyota-texas-bass-classic-announces-2016-field/#sthash.QoVfVaxq.dpuf
Mid May Weekend Wrap And Upcoming Tournament Previews With Ac Pro Staffer Rob Digh
AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh says the new pattern as we move torward summer and especially this coming weekend is a BIG SWIMBAIT and SPOON in the 15-20 foot range. We also look back at KVD's big win on Toledo Bend-Click here for the full report!!
Bledsoe & Elliot Win Peidmont Spring Bass Tournament On Kerr With Over 18 Pound Limit
PIEDMONT BASS CLASSICS $10,000 SPRING TEAM BASS TRAIL
QUALIFIER #6 RESULTS
Saturday May 14th, 2016 ~ Kerr Lake ~ New Nutbush State Park RampThe 2016 Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Qualifier #6 at Kerr
Lake produced another great turnout for the PBC Trails even though the water level was 306+!!
The weather started out great with air temps about 57 degrees in the am on up to 82 in the pm.
Water temps averaged 73. Winds were quiet in the am and blowing up to about 10 in the pm.
A great total of 74 teams participated with most all of them weighing in fish. The bite at Kerr
was tough with weather patterns coming thru the area, some cold fresh water rains, rising water
levels and cold fronts. It's just up & down. We did have quite a few 13+ bags and some nice
4 to 5 pounders seen.
Stump Bledsoe & Glenn Elliott finished 1st Place weighing in 5 bass at 18.96 lbs. and along
with winning the 1st Place TWT, 2nd place big fish (4.61) and with a check coming from Skeeter
Boats Real Money Program , their winnings will top out at $4,218!!!
1st Place Team...Bledsoe on left...Elliott on right
Ricky Petty & Billy Cobb took 2nd place with 5 fish weighing 16.28 lbs. and they also won
2nd Place TWT for a total of $1,430. The 1st Place Big Fish (5.10 lbs.) was caught by the
team of Will Bennett & Kyle Ash netting them total winnings of $1,022. 3rd Place went to
the team of Jason Kopp & Dan Jenkins! They netted 5 for 15.12 lbs. and took home $575.
269 fish were weighed in for a total of 612 pounds for an average of 2.28 lbs. each. Most ofthe fish were caught on WLS whacky worms, spinnerbaits and creature baits in 1 to 6 feet
of water. The bass are still bedding in the shallower water. The water level at Kerr should
be back to normal soon.
I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail.
Our next tournament is the Cashion Fishing Rods 'Falls Lake Open', Saturday May 21st at
Falls Lake out of Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp. All the info can be found at this link:
http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2016CashionRodsOpen.html
Following that will be the Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Final
Qualifier #7, Saturday June 4th at Falls Lake out of Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp. Click on
this link for all the info:
http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2016PBCSpringTeamTrailMain.html
All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/Now here are the full results:
1st Place: .......Glenn Elliott & Stump Bledsoe of Fayetteville & Hope Mills...5 bass...18.96 lbs...$1,310
2nd Place: ......Ricky Petty & Billy Cobb of Gibsonville & Brown Summit...5 bass...16.28 lbs...$800
3rd Place: ......Jason Kopp & Dan Jenkins of Greensboro & Burlington...5 bass...15.12 lbs...$575
4th Place: ......Eddy Glascock & Billy Dunn of Scottsburg, VA & South Boston, VA...5 bass...14.86 lbs...$520
5th Place: ......Rick Sossaman & Doug Stallings of Oak Ridge & Stem...5 bass...14.69 lbs...$463
6th Place: ......Tyler Kick & Allan White of Cary & Clayton...5 bass...14.59 lbs...$407
7th Place: ......Johnny Wilder & Mike Harris of Butner & Oxford...5 bass...14.49 lbs...$351
8th Place: .......Keith Deal & Ricky Kenworthy of Holly Springs & Cary...5 bass...14.25 lbs...$295
9th Place: .......Bobby Houser & Randy Leonard of Raleigh & Wendell...5 bass...13.82 lbs...$246
10th Place: ......Doug Parker & James Sutton of Angier & Roseboro...5 bass...13.61 lbs...$230
11th Place: ......Chris Inscoe & Wayne Stevens of Clayton & Raleigh...5 bass...13.42 lbs...$190
12th Place: ......Dan Jackson & John Yager of Manson & Apex...5 bass...13.33 lbs...$170
13th Place: ......Mark Herndon & Jay Garrard of Bahama & Durham...5 bass...13.21 lbs...$129
14th Place: ......Tony Fofi & Dave Murdock of Spring Lake & Sanford...12.94 lbs...$119
15th Place: ......Brian Welch & Mark Inman of Greensboro...5 bass...12.87 lbs...$1151st Place Big Fish..Will Bennett & Kyle Ash of Raleigh & Greenville...5.10 lbs...$1,022
2nd Place Big Fish..1st Place Team above...4.61 lbs...$438
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...18.96 lbs...$1,470
2nd Place TWT..2nd Place Team above: 16.28 lbs...$630
Contact Information:
Phil McCarson...Tournament Director---922 Valetta Rd.---Durham, NC 27712
Home: 919-471-1571 Cell: 919-971-5042
email: [email protected] website: http://piedmontbassclassics.com/
Shuster & Gerhart Pull Out A Very Close Win On Lbj At Bass Champs With Over 22 Pounds!
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| Weights were stacked tight for top teams as Bass ChampsÂ’ Central Region anglers wrapped up their season on Lake LBJ May 14, 2016. Luck was in the air as the thunderstorms marching ever closer throughout the day held off until the afternoon, but then the bottom fell out and the rain came with a passion. One hundred seventy nine boats hit the lake for a portion of the $53,180 total purse being paid out in cash and prizes. Top teams were separated by mere ounces, with David Shuster and Charles Gerhart staying just ahead of the pack to win over $20,000!
It was the final event for the Central Region, and Bass Champs was paying back 102% to the top twenty four teams. The morning started out calm and cool, but the thunderstorms in the forecast were on their way. As luck would have it, the rain didn’t start until just before 3pm, but when it came it was a downpour! 1st place winners David Shuster of Georgetown, TX and Charles Gerhart of Salado, TX brought in the winning sack of 22.21 pounds. “Our day started out well,” Shuster recalled. “We drew boat #3, so we were able to get to our first spot ahead of everyone.” They had chosen an area with a grass break line and rock that eased out to 9’ deep. “We were using jigs and Carolina rigs, and had about twenty pounds in the boat by 9am. After that the bite slowed down there, so we moved to try different spots.” Keeping an eye on the fish in their livewell, they could see that a few of their bigger fish were starting to struggle. “Another competitor nearby let us know that we could bring our bigger ones on in to weigh then go back out fishing. One had already died, and two others were not doing well in the livewell, so we went ahead and weighed three of them so they could get the care they needed to be released.” After weighing those three, they went back out to try to cull their last two fish. “We got lucky and were able to cull up a couple of pounds.” Their total weight was 23.21 pounds, but had a one pound penalty for their dead fish. “We really thought that one was going to cost us the win. Several more good sacks came in, and it was close! We were sweating it until the weigh in was over.” When it was all said and done, their weight stayed just ahead of the pack to win the tournament. Bass Champs presented them the guaranteed 1st place $20,000 check then Sure-Life added another $200 to their winnings for using the product in their livewell. “We have been fishing with Bass Champs for ten years or so. We did manage Anglers of the Year around 2007, but this is our very first win. There are so many really good fishermen in this, it is really tough! We’d like to thank the team that let us know we could go ahead and weigh in part of our catch. Bass Champs and their whole staff and crew are wonderful and put on great tournaments. We enjoy fishing every one of them, that’s why we keep fishing with them! We would also like to thank God for blessing us today, and our wives for putting up with us so long. Only two ounces behind were the 2nd place winners Darrell Wuensche of Thrall, TX and Donnie O’Neal of Pflugerville, TX with 22.08 lbs. “Our day started out really slow,” Darrell recalled. “We finally put our first keeper, a swimmer, in the boat around 9am. After that we lost one that would have been around three pounds.” They started moving to different spots, all with shallow grass looking for the fish they needed. “We caught our second keeper on a frog, and kept with that pattern the rest of the day. We were working it really fast. By around 10:30am we had a limit, then about 20 minutes later I caught our biggest fish, around 6-1/2 pounds. It was the only cull we made.” They continued catching fish, but didn’t catch anything else to cull with. “The rain was on the way, so we checked in a little early to try to beat it. We barely did, and it started coming down hard!” Donnie recalled coming to the scales with their sack of fish. Chad informed them they would need to beat 22.21 pounds to take the lead. “When we put our fish on the scales, it jumped to 24 pounds. My heart started beating really hard. When they finally locked in, our weight was so close, but under the leaders. It was so close!” They won $4,000 for their day and would like to thank EVS Metal for taking good care of them, along with Power Tackle Rods, JKB Construction Co., Humminbird, MinnKota, Grande Bass Trophy Hunter Baits, Hog Farmer Bait Co., Lew’s and Undercover Sportsman. The weights continued to be extremely tight, as Jason Buchanan and Terry Kircus of Burnet, TX were merely just over an ounce behind 2nd place, taking 3rd with 21.97 lbs. They also caught the Big Bass of the day anchoring their win weighing 10.67 lbs! “Our day started out slow,” Terry reported. “When we got to our first spot, there were already four or five boats in the area. They were all fishing shallow. We almost left, but decided to stay there and just fish deeper.” They were fishing in 12’-15’, and it was an hour and a half before they got their first bite. “When they started biting, they were biting good!” It was 10am when Jason caught their third fish of the day. “He was using a Berkley 10” Power Worm, and he knew it was a ‘decent’ fish when he got the bite. There were still several boats around us at that point. When she came up, everyone saw it. He fought her for a while, but finally got her in.” That fish weighed in at 10.67 pounds! “We caught two more shortly after that, but then gave up our spot to go ahead and bring the big one in. When we went back out, we headed to another spot and were able to cull three times. We lost a few. We had the fish to win the tournament.” They won $3,000 for 3rd place, $500 for Big Bass, then being the highest finishing team in a qualified Skeeter boat, Skeeter doubled their winnings with another $3,500 check. Their winnings didn’t stop there! They also received the Under Armor, Costa Del Mar, Abu Garcia and Biobor bonuses! “We’d really like to thank our wives for letting us fish as much as we do. They give us a lot of support.” 4th place winners Chad Maxwell and Nick Boatright of Liberty Hill, TX took home $2,000 for their 21.83 lb sack and won the Lowrance GEN3 bonus too. Congratulations to Charles Whited and Bill Polkinghorn for winning the Central Region Angler of the Year Race. They will be featured on the 2017 season of the Bass Champs Television Show. Here are the final points totals for the Central Region. 732 pts Charles Whited & Bill Polkinghorn The remaining events open to anyone who would like to fish are: Also mark your calendars and plan to fish these upcoming Bass Champs hosted events: “The 2nd Annual TX Shootout is coming up next month on Sam Rayburn. With a guaranteed 1st place purse of $50,000 it is the world’s richest one day team event, and you don’t want to miss it!” Chad Potts announced. “I’d like to thank everyone for fishing with us – it’s been a great season. Hope to see you at our other events, and look forward to seeing the qualifiers at the championship. Good luck everyone!” The 2016 Championship will be a two day event, October 8-9, 2016. Over $200,000 in cash and prizes is guaranteed to be awarded, including a Skeeter FX 20 powered by a Yamaha 250 SHO for the 1st place winners, and a Skeeter ZX 225 powered by a Yamaha 225 SHO for the 2nd place team. The top 40 teams will receive checks, and the location will be announced after all regular season events for all regions have completed.
Payback details, rules, and additional information is available on http://www.basschamps.com |
Keyser & Carpenter Stay Close And Take Home The Win In The ABT South Derby On Alabama River
Jason Keyser & Kevin Carpenter Take home the win in the Alabama River Stop of the ABT South Division. Points Leaders Jon Canada and Bo Hunter take home second and extend their points lead. Take a look and hear how they boys caught em'!
Correct Craft Acquires Seaark Boats
CORRECT CRAFT ENTERS ALUMINUM FISHING BOAT MARKET
Acquires SeaArk Boats
ORLANDO, FL (May 16, 2016) – Today Correct Craft announced it is entering the aluminum fishing boat market with the acquisition of SeaArk Boats.
SeaArk – the industry’s premier aluminum fishing boat – is the quality leader in their segment with both outstanding product and customer service reputations. Correct Craft announced it plans to continue manufacturing SeaArk at its facility in Monticello, Arkansas.
SeaArk Boats’ prior owner and member of its founding family, Robin McClendon stated, “After fifty-eight years in the marine industry, it is a bitter-sweet decision for the McClendon family to exit the recreational boat building business, but we believe that we have found the right owner in Correct Craft. SeaArk Boats is successful today because of the many dedicated and talented team members who have worked hard to help our company thrive. I am very grateful to have worked alongside these people and I know that our team members, as well as our legacy, are in good hands with the Correct Craft team!”
Correct Craft’s President and CEO Bill Yeargin stated, “SeaArk Boats is an outstanding company with a strong brand, great reputation, and exceptional team; we could not be happier to have them joining the Correct Craft family.” Yeargin added, “The McClendon family have done a wonderful job for decades and we are honored that they would trust their brand, legacy, and employees to Correct Craft. We are thrilled to work together with the SeaArk team in Monticello to continue to grow the company.”
About SeaArk Boats: With over 58 years of experience in boat building, SeaArk Boats (owned by Correct Craft) is the industry’s premier aluminum fishing boat known for outstanding product quality and excellent customer service. Mostly known for heavy-duty aluminum boats built specifically for cat-fishing, SeaArk also builds bass- and crappie-fishing boats, jon boats, duck boats, and bay boats, offering a wide variety of tunnel and jet tunnel hulls. For more information visit www.seaarkboats.com.
About Correct Craft: Celebrating 91 years of excellence in the marine industry, Correct Craft is a Florida-based company with global operations. The Correct Craft family includes Nautique, Centurion, Supreme, Bass Cat, Yar-Craft, and SeaArk boat companies, Pleasurecraft Marine Engine Group, and Aktion Parks. For more information please visit www.correctcraft.com.
Jason Kyser And Kevin Carpenter Win Alabama Bass Trail On The Alabama River
Jason Kyser and Kevin Carpenter win Alabama Bass Trail Alabama River – Miller’s Ferry
AOY Leaders Canada and Hunter Runner’s Up
Camden, Ala. May 15, 2016 – There are days in life when everything looks bleak, and then there are days that seem to bring a little light into a person’s life. For the Alabama Bass Trail Southern Division team of Kevin Carpenter and Jason Kyser, the Miller’s Ferry event was one of those days.
Carpenter and Kyser managed to produce a strong limit of Alabama River largemouth bass to earn the victory, the top prize and an automatic berth into the 2016 Alabama Bass Trail Championship at Lake Eufaula in October.
All of their success came despite the fact that the pair had very limited practice time due to Kyser’s son having surgery. “We only were able to get a little time on the water because of the surgery,” they said. “We came here to fish and enjoy the day, but it worked out better than we could have ever hoped.”
The team used a combination of spinnerbaits and Flipping baits to post 19.13 pounds to earn the victory and the $10,000 winner’s purse. “We caught several fish in the morning on a white and chartreuse spinnerbait, then turned to Flippin’,” they reported. “We used black and blue jigs and Punch Hubs to flip the grass and culled a few times in the afternoon. In light of everything, it feels really good to be standing here at the end of the day knowing we won; we didn’t expect to have a day like this.”
Canada and Hunter continued the yearlong roll that has them in the Angler of the Year driver’s seat with only one event remaining on the schedule. Altogether, they have not finished worse than 13th for the season and they now have a 54 point lead in the Southern Division points standings.
The pair finished in second place at Miller’s Ferry with 18.19 pounds to earn second place for the day as well as the $5,000 prize for the position. “We never really got more than a couple miles from
the takeoff here at Roland Cooper State Park,” they reported. “We went to our first and second stops and there were already boats in them so we moved to our third spot, and found them biting a swim jig in a shad spawn; we did that all day, and culled a couple of times; we’re pretty happy with the result.”
The third place team of Cory Ingram and Kenneth Moore produced 17.35 pounds of bass to earn the $4,000 prize and Kyle Welcher and Chris Haynes caught the Mountain Dew Big Bass of the tournament, a 6.27-pound bruiser that anchored their fifth place weight of 16.86 pounds; they earned $2,000 plus the $500 bonus for the Mountain Dew Big Bass.
The final event of the 2016 ABT Southern Division schedule is set for Lake Jordan in Wetumpka on June 4.
The top 10 in the standings are below – the complete standings can be found at:http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/ar-results/
| Place | Name | Weight | Big Fish | Winnings | |
| 1 | Jason Kyser/Kevin Carpenter | 19.13 | 5.63 | $10,000 | |
| 2 | Jon Canada/Bo Hunter | 18.19 | $5,000 | ||
| 3 | Cory Ingram/Kenneth Moore | 17.35 | 4.45 | $4,000 | |
| 4 | Steven Morris/Matt Vanzant | 17.07 | $3,000 | ||
| 5 | Kyle Welcher/Chris Haynes | 16.86 | 6.27 | $2,000 | |
| 6 | Nicholas Turner/Joe Lay | 15.88 | 6.18 | $1,000 | |
| 7 | Rex Chambers/Brent Crow | 15.56 | $900 | ||
| 8 | Ryan Ingram/Jay Grogan | 15.46 | 3.8 | $800 | |
| 9 | Scott Luster/Jerry Cook | 14.97 | $700 | ||
| 10 | Keith Dees/Tommy Walley | 14.72 | $600 | ||
Next on the slate for the Southern Division is Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Ala. on May 21, 2016.
The sponsors of the 2016 Alabama Bass Trail include; Bill Penney Toyota, Phoenix Bass Boats, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, SCA Performance, Mt. Dew, Boat US, T-H Marine Supplies, AllState, TVA, Alabama Power, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Lew’s Fishing, Frogg Toggs, Crossed Industries, Alabama Foundation Specialist, Costa, YETI, Leer, E3 Apparel.
For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
David Deal Wins The Big Bass Tour On Lake Norman This Weekend With A 6.06 Fish That Won Him A 35K Boat-Motor-Trailer Pkg!
David Deal held on in a tight finish to win the BBT Lake Norman event with 6.06 Lbs.....windy conditions kept everyone at bay with lots of 3's and 4's and 5's but not many 6's. Congrats to David and onto Chickamauga for the next event!
David Deal and his 30k winning fish!
2016 Lake Norman, NC
Leaders
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DAVID DEAL | 6.06 |
| 2 | ROBERT STILTNER | 6.06 |
| 3 | GARY BAILEY | 5.81 |
| 4 | ALAN SANFORD | 5.80 |
| 5 | CHRIS WAGNER | 5.37 |
| 6 | ROGER ADAMS | 5.33 |
| 7 | ROGER POPE | 5.29 |
| 8 | RON WILLIS | 5.27 |
| 9 | SAMUEL GLADDEN | 5.01 |
| 10 | BRENT WHITE | 4.87 |
Saturday 8-9
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GARY BAILEY | 5.81 |
| 2 | ZAC BLALOCK | 4.49 |
| 3 | KENNY BEARD | 3.48 |
| 4 | REGGIE BARTELL | 3.47 |
| 5 | MARK PARKER | 3.38 |
| 6 | KEN WOOD | 3.30 |
| 7 | CLAY MCPHERSON | 3.17 |
| 8 | MICHAEL SMITH | 3.16 |
| 9 | JAMES SWAIM | 3.12 |
| 10 | RON WILLIS | 3.04 |
Saturday 9-10
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALAN SANFORD | 5.80 |
| 2 | KEVIN HOLLIDAY | 4.67 |
| 3 | BRIAN ANDERSON | 4.20 |
| 4 | BRIAN C ANDERSON | 3.58 |
| 5 | RICHARD DARNELL | 3.20 |
| 6 | JAMES CARUSO | 3.16 |
| 6 | MARK KONZER | 3.16 |
| 8 | PERRY WYCUFF | 2.93 |
| 9 | SAMUEL GLADDEN | 2.90 |
| 10 | JACOB HOYLE | 2.83 |
Saturday 10-11
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROGER POPE | 5.29 |
| 2 | JOHN JACKSON | 3.80 |
| 3 | BRIAN C ANDERSON | 3.58 |
| 4 | ROBERT KERR | 3.53 |
| 5 | DAVID COOKE | 3.37 |
| 6 | JIM JORDAN | 3.31 |
| 7 | TONY PIERSON | 3.20 |
| 8 | DANNY SPURRIER | 3.19 |
| 9 | JOSHUA QUEEN | 3.16 |
| 10 | TROY ARMSTRONG | 3.13 |
Saturday 11-12
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SAMUEL GLADDEN | 5.01 |
| 2 | BRON HEMPHILL | 4.72 |
| 3 | MATT STOUT | 4.59 |
| 4 | TIM CHAPMAN | 3.92 |
| 5 | WESLEY TROTTER | 3.63 |
| 6 | TREVOR GANN | 3.24 |
| 7 | JOHN L MCKENZIE | 3.20 |
| 8 | WALT GULLEDGE | 3.15 |
| 8 | JEFF GREEN | 3.15 |
| 10 | BRIAN MORGAN | 3.14 |
Saturday 12-1
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROBERT MARTIN | 4.85 |
| 2 | JOHN PARKER | 3.91 |
| 3 | ROBBIE MILLS | 3.86 |
| 4 | DARRYL BROWN | 3.55 |
| 5 | ROY WINKLER | 3.53 |
| 6 | TOM ELLIOTT | 3.52 |
| 7 | BUCKY HELMS | 3.44 |
| 7 | BRANDON CHILDRESS | 3.44 |
| 9 | MATT STOUT | 3.16 |
| 10 | DENNIS PETHEL | 3.11 |
Saturday 1-2
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MICHAEL ECKARD | 3.73 |
| 2 | BUTCH ZADLO | 3.71 |
| 3 | JOHN PARKER | 3.46 |
| 4 | JOHN MARTIN | 3.33 |
| 5 | CLINT MCCORKLE | 3.31 |
| 6 | BRAYDEN RAKES | 3.27 |
| 7 | JEREMY JOYNER | 3.26 |
| 8 | DON SPRINKLE | 3.04 |
| 9 | JEFF JENNINGS | 3.03 |
| 10 | JEFF JOHNSON | 2.99 |
Saturday 2-3
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JACK CALDWELL | 4.31 |
| 2 | MELINDA HAMILTON | 3.77 |
| 3 | ANDY HENSLEY | 3.73 |
| 4 | DENNY HAMES | 3.63 |
| 5 | DAVE STEVENS | 3.37 |
| 6 | JOHN ALLEN | 3.27 |
| 7 | KELLY LOGAN | 3.19 |
| 8 | MIKE WHITE | 3.08 |
| 9 | ANDREW LONG | 3.01 |
| 10 | ALAN SANFORD | 2.99 |
Sunday 8-9
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DAVID DEAL | 6.06 |
| 2 | STEVEN RUMMAGE JR | 4.70 |
| 3 | KONNER WEST | 4.64 |
| 4 | RICHARD WINGATE | 4.13 |
| 5 | MARSHALL PARKER | 3.70 |
| 6 | KELLY LOGAN | 3.59 |
| 7 | BRANDON BRANCH | 3.52 |
| 8 | DANNY BULLMAN | 3.33 |
| 9 | MARVIN SLATER | 3.20 |
| 10 | RUSSELL HOYLE | 3.18 |
Sunday 9-10
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROBERT STILTNER | 6.06 |
| 2 | DON SPRINKLE | 3.74 |
| 3 | MARK HUFFAKER | 3.66 |
| 4 | MICAHEL SMITH | 3.44 |
| 5 | ALAN SANFORD | 3.33 |
| 6 | JAMES CARUSO | 3.24 |
| 7 | CHAD MIDKIFF | 3.16 |
| 8 | WALT GULLEDGE | 3.00 |
| 9 | STEVE RUMMAGE SR | 2.91 |
| 10 | JOHN GARRISON | 2.88 |
Sunday 10-11
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHRIS WAGNER | 5.37 |
| 2 | RON WILLIS | 5.27 |
| 3 | JAKE FRYE | 3.69 |
| 4 | LOUIE HULL | 3.41 |
| 5 | ORLANDO GILES | 3.37 |
| 6 | RALPH HOLLIFIELD JR | 3.30 |
| 6 | CHRIS CURTIS | 3.30 |
| 8 | RICKY WRIGHT | 3.29 |
| 9 | EARL PROCTOR | 3.10 |
| 10 | DAVID FORTENBERRY | 2.94 |
Sunday 11-12
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROGER ADAMS | 5.33 |
| 2 | BARRY BOST | 4.71 |
| 3 | MILTON YANCEY | 4.13 |
| 4 | COLE BLYTHE | 4.03 |
| 5 | BOBBY OSBORNE | 4.00 |
| 6 | JOHN JACKSON | 3.58 |
| 7 | KENNETH KANIPE | 3.19 |
| 8 | CURTIS BROWN | 3.10 |
| 9 | STEVE RUMMAGE SR | 3.07 |
| 10 | DANIEL CALHOUN | 2.91 |
Sunday 12-1
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BRENT WHITE | 4.87 |
| 2 | MARSHALL PARKER | 4.21 |
| 3 | KELLY OWENS-SPEAR | 4.04 |
| 4 | MARK LEECH | 3.94 |
| 5 | JOHN JACKSON | 3.46 |
| 6 | DYLAN HARTMAN | 3.30 |
| 7 | JAMES LOCKLEAR | 3.14 |
| 8 | TREVOR WOOD | 3.00 |
| 9 | MATT BENGE | 2.93 |
| 10 | TIM CHAPMAN | 2.89 |
Sunday 1-2
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KEVIN TOLER | 3.84 |
| 2 | ROGER POPE | 3.70 |
| 3 | BRANDON BRANCH | 3.55 |
| 4 | TYLER BEAM | 3.51 |
| 5 | SAM WEISENSEL | 3.46 |
| 6 | GRADY CHEEK | 3.40 |
| 7 | LEN SWAIM | 3.39 |
| 8 | ROBBIE MILLS | 3.32 |
| 9 | LARRY SILVERS | 3.27 |
| 10 | MARK BROWN | 3.26 |
Sunday 2-3
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TANNER INGLE | 3.85 |
| 2 | MARK BOND | 3.63 |
| 3 | GRADY CHEEK | 3.45 |
| 4 | MARK CARPENTER | 3.44 |
| 5 | SAM NOEL | 3.35 |
| 6 | ROB MIDDLETON | 3.28 |
| 7 | MARK WINGATE | 3.23 |
| 8 | JAKE FRYE | 3.19 |
| 9 | PAUL KISER | 3.17 |
| 10 | JASON WILSON | 3.07 |
Johnny Mayer And Chris Epting Win The Cbc On Murray With 23 Lbs And Take Home 8K!!
Samuel Freeman & Scott Farmer took 2nd with a limit weighing 20.54 lbs and received $2,500.00. They also collected the 1st SKEETER Bonus worth another $4,000.00. They took home a total of $6,500.00.
Kevin Fulmer & Tim Sox weighed up a limit at 16.99 lbs good enough for 5th and 2nd SKEETER Bonus worth a total of $3,750.00.
Brad Smith & Joey Spradley finished 7th with 16.07 lbs and took home the 3rd SKEETER Bonus. They earned $2,450.00!
Derrick & Dustin Compton took 9th with 5 bass weighing 15.53 lbs and collected the 4th SKEETER Bonus good for $1,325.00. Derrick & Dustin also won the SC Points and will receive another $1,000.00 at the CBC Classic on Lake Norman in October.
Happy Anglers Mayor and Epting with their 8k winning stringer!
| Place | Team Name | Team# | # Fish | Net Weight | BF | Points | Winnings | Skeeter Bonus | Total Winnings |
| 1 | Chris Epting - Johnny Mayer | 4 | 5 | 23.00 | 5.74 | 620 | $8,000.00 | $8,000.00 | |
| 2 | Samuel Freeman - Scott Farmer | 10 | 5 | 20.54 | 4.35 | 618 | $2,500.00 | $4,000.00 | $6,500.00 |
| 3 | Thomas Vickers - Brian Huskins | 50 | 5 | 20.45 | 6.93 | 616 | $1,500.00 | $1,000.00 | |
| 4 | Sean Anderson - George Berry | 32 | 5 | 17.99 | 0 | 614 | $1,000.00 | $1,000.00 | |
| 5 | Kevin Fulmer - Tim Sox | 19 | 5 | 16.99 | 0 | 612 | $750.00 | $3,000.00 | $3,750.00 |
| 6 | Greg Davis - Dennis Parks | 14 | 5 | 16.30 | 6.39 | 610 | $625.00 | $625.00 | |
| 7 | Brad Smith - Joey Spradley | 8 | 5 | 16.07 | 0 | 608 | $450.00 | $2,000.00 | $2,450.00 |
| 8 | Wendell Causey - Josh Gardner | 18 | 5 | 15.86 | 0 | 606 | $400.00 | $400.00 | |
| 9 | Derrick Compton - Dustin Compton | 74 | 5 | 15.53 | 0 | 604 | $325.00 | $1,000.00 | $1,325.00 |
| 10 | Daniel Cook - Carl Smith | 6 | 5 | 14.27 | 0 | 602 | $300.00 | $300.00 | |
| 11 | Kenny Drew - Robert. ( Mitch) Drew | 75 | 5 | 13.97 | 0 | 600 | $275.00 | $275.00 | |
| 12 | Brian McDonald - billy bledsoe | 56 | 5 | 13.81 | 5.59 | 598 | $250.00 | $250.00 | |
| 13 | Clay Riddle - Dave Franklin | 42 | 5 | 13.74 | 0 | 596 | $225.00 | $225.00 | |
| 14 | Kevin Rake - Terry Morris | 60 | 5 | 13.19 | 0 | 594 | $200.00 | $200.00 | |
| 15 | Mack Cook - Patrick Cook | 72 | 5 | 13.08 | 0 | 592 | |||
| 16 | Johnathan Crossland - David Crossland | 59 | 5 | 12.75 | 0 | 590 | |||
| 17 | Tommy Floyd - Randy Welch | 43 | 5 | 12.65 | 5.06 | 588 | |||
| 18 | Evan Weaver | 46 | 5 | 12.56 | 0 | 586 | |||
| 19 | Audie Brantley - Hunter Ciccio | 70 | 5 | 12.43 | 0 | 584 | |||
| 20 | Wayne Marlow - Scott Peavy | 7 | 5 | 12.34 | 0 | 582 | |||
| 21 | Daryl Watson - Ken McFarland | 48 | 5 | 12.31 | 0 | 580 | |||
| 22 | Sandy Oliver - William Gainey | 53 | 5 | 12.16 | 0 | 578 | |||
| 23 | Matthew Arms - Zach Blair | 35 | 4 | 12.00 | 4.76 | 576 | |||
| 24 | Dennis Reedy - Jeffrey Thomas | 61 | 5 | 11.88 | 0 | 574 | |||
| 25 | Joel Watts - Les Westberry | 55 | 5 | 11.67 | 5.23 | 572 | |||
| 26 | Michael McCaslin - Wade Amick | 83 | 5 | 11.62 | 0 | 570 | |||
| 27 | White Knoll HS - Hite/Jadin | 89 | 5 | 11.59 | 2.75 | ||||
| 28 | John Sturkie - Blake Strickland | 84 | 5 | 11.55 | 0 | 568 | |||
| 29 | Terry Thomas - David Kneece | 81 | 4 | 11.34 | 0 | 566 | |||
| 30 | Chad Sinclair - Caleb Conner | 25 | 5 | 11.33 | 0 | 564 | |||
| 31 | Stan Gunter - Bradley Gunter | 1 | 5 | 11.06 | 0 | 562 | |||
| 32 | Chad Gainey - Mack Kitchens | 5 | 5 | 10.70 | 0 | 560 | |||
| 33 | Toby Keisler - TJ Keisler | 23 | 5 | 10.23 | 2.59 | 558 | |||
| 34 | Ross Burns - Jeremiah Jensen | 15 | 5 | 10.08 | 0 | 556 | |||
| 35 | Larry Moss - Michelle McLain | 9 | 5 | 9.97 | 0 | 554 | |||
| 36 | Alan Richardson - Timmy Squires | 62 | 5 | 9.82 | 0 | 552 | |||
| 37 | Southside HS- Brault/Locklair | 90 | 5 | 9.74 | 2.16 | ||||
| 38 | Kenny Hawk - William Bostic | 77 | 5 | 9.52 | 0 | 550 | |||
| 39 | Matthew Goheen - Hunter Spivey | 45 | 4 | 9.51 | 0 | 548 | |||
| 40 | Will Smith - Bill Holmes | 73 | 4 | 9.35 | 0 | 546 | |||
| 41 | Troy Lytle | 30 | 5 | 9.34 | 0 | 544 | |||
| 42 | Josh Wilson - Sam Lambert | 41 | 4 | 9.19 | 0 | 542 | |||
| 43 | Sammie Grier - David Strickland | 17 | 4 | 8.09 | 0 | 540 | |||
| 44 | Tommy Williams - Thomas Hardwick | 26 | 5 | 8.04 | 0 | 538 | |||
| 45 | Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughtie | 66 | 2 | 7.49 | 0 | 536 | |||
| 46 | Ron Brown - Bobby Brown | 52 | 4 | 7.07 | 0 | 534 | |||
| 47 | South Florence HS - Drummond/Lynch | 91 | 3 | 7.05 | 3.21 | ||||
| 48 | Bill Grier - Robby Byrum | 39 | 4 | 6.4 | 0 | 532 | |||
| 49 | Chad Cook - tony cook | 71 | 2 | 5.87 | 0 | 530 | |||
| 50 | Union HS - Vaughn/Franklin | 92 | 3 | 5.83 | 0 | ||||
| 51 | Union HS - Davis/Lawson | 86 | 2 | 5.73 | 2.96 | ||||
| 52 | Jamie Ethridge - kevin driggers | 63 | 3 | 5.33 | 0 | 528 | |||
| 53 | Russ Padgett - Meredith Havird | 13 | 2 | 4.01 | 0 | 526 | |||
| 54 | Gregg Kessler - Gregg Kessler II | 40 | 2 | 3.08 | 0 | 524 | |||
| 55 | South Florence HS - Floyd/Gibbons | 88 | 1 | 2.00 | 0 | ||||
| 56 | Harold Turner - Justin Cromer | 12 | 1 | 1.51 | 1.51 | 522 | |||
| 57 | Winkey Watford - scotty mixon | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Bradford Beavers - Dwight Beavers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Thomas King - Clayton King | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Matt Mollohan - Jerry Mills | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | britt long - Daniel Howell | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Juddie Revels - David Oxendine | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | MICHAEL HALL - MIKE HALL | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Bill Clowney - Matthew Hook | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Travis Parrish - Justin Hallman | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | John Haas | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Roger Farr - Clyde Livingston | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Wendell Ireland - Jeff Glover | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Ricky Bellamy - Karen Bellamy | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Nathan Burgess - Brent Riley | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | terry goheen | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Brad Petway - Jeff Douglas | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Ronnie McCoy - Jason McCoy | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Jason Burroughs - Keith Ashley | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Kiel Kelly - Chuck Whittaker | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Johnny Houser - Ben Lee | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Scott Martin - Cole Winn | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Robert Ross - Lee Morris | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Wayne King - Jason Morse | 57 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Greg Hendrick - Ted Urquhart | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Scott Kessler - Josh Alford | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Jeff Bush - Dan Parris | 65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Ed Matthews | 67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | grady allen - Calvin Hewitt | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Alan Roberts - Davey Thomas | 69 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Glenn Altman - Larry Parker | 76 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Mike Edge - Casey Warren | 78 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Carlton Thompkins - Joel Barfield | 79 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Rusty Bullard - Eric Martin | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 | |||
| 57 | Tony Postell - Frank Sabo | 82 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 520 |
Campbell & Robinson Claim Texas Team Trail Championship With Over 42 Pounds!!!
"It feels good to make the right adjustments, especially being in the same situation," Cecil added. "Last year we just got beat by two big bags. It was nice to not leave it in anyone else's hands t
Van Dam Closes Strong To Win 21St Bassmaster Title In Elite Series Tourney On Toledo Bend
"This was the most challenging tournament I’ve ever won,” said VanDam.
It's been a few years since he's hoisted a Bassmaster trophy, but maybe now we can put to rest some of the crazy questions about whether the insanely talented and hard-working angler has still got it. After all, this is his 21st career Bassmaster win. Name a guy who has equalled that number. Go ahead. I'll wait.
Lane was crazy good on Toledo Bend too. Van Dam just 'blew the curve' for everybody.
Lane tallied 88-07 and was over 5 pounds ahead of Ish Monroe who placed 3rd. Only in today's final round did Lane fail to sack 20 pounds - and he only missed that mark by ounces. He did it all the fun way too, with topwater lures.
The wildest part is the guys all say the lake was off this week.
I need to take a trip to Toledo Bend.
Here's the official story from B.A.S.S.:
MANY, La. — Superstar professional angler Kevin VanDam often deals with a different set of circumstances than the average angler on the Bassmaster Elite Series.
With such a sparkling resume, many fans’ expectations for VanDam are much higher. With such a recognizable name and face, the number of people who want to catch a glimpse of him doing his thing on the water is sometimes off the charts.
Because of all that, many people have wondered aloud these past five years if VanDam would ever win another major tournament. But he was never one of them — and now, he’s silenced all of his doubters.
VanDam slammed the door on a wire-to-wire victory at the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend with 21 pounds, 6 ounces of bass on Championship Sunday. The big bag gave him a four-day total of 96-2 and his record 21st victory in a B.A.S.S. event.
“This was the most challenging tournament I’ve ever won,” said VanDam, who raised his career earnings with B.A.S.S. to just over $5.9 million with Sunday’s $100,000 payday. “The first two days were pretty good, but the last two days were really, really tough.
“It’s normally not hard fishing here. But with the pressure out there this week, trying to be there at the right time when the conditions were right, it was tough.”
VanDam caught 29-5 Thursday and 20-11 Friday to lead the field into Saturday’s semifinal round with 50-0. But with the weekend, the lake became more crowded — and at times, VanDam had as many 50 boats following him from spot to spot.
He got only five bites Saturday. But they were the right five, and his bag of 24-12 gave him a lead of more than 5 pounds going into Sunday. During the final round, he slowly put together another big limit of 21-6 and put himself beyond the reach of Alabama angler Chris Lane, who finished second with 88-7.
KVD’s go-to baits for the week were big, deep-diving crankbaits from Strike King — the 6XD, 8XD and 10XD.
“If you want to be successful out here, you have to be really confident in your lures and techniques,” VanDam said. “I didn’t stop and fish a worm or a Carolina rig or a jig. I knew to catch big fish I just needed to grind it out.
“They love the 10XD on this lake.”
VanDam said the big bass on Toledo Bend prefer the larger profile of the 10XD, and he tried to present the bait in colors that matched the lake’s forage base.
He used the sexy blueback herring color pattern quite a bit, but it was the bar fish pattern that often worked best. He said that pattern matched the lake’s forage base perfectly, because many big largemouth at Toledo Bend feed heavily on bar fish, which are also known as yellow bass.
Many anglers shy away from using a crankbait as large as the 10XD because it requires special equipment and can be quite a workout in hot, muggy conditions. But VanDam had all of the right tools for the job.
“I designed a rod with the guys at Quantum,” VanDam said. “It’s a 7-11 composite rod — a Tour KVD cranking rod, heavy action. I had it matched with an Exo 200 reel, which has a really wide spool and a 5.3:1 gear ratio. I was throwing it with 17-pound Bass Pro Shops XPS fluorocarbon.
“Having that big reel with that line, I made some 80-yard casts this week.”
The setup allowed VanDam to target bass that were often holding on or near the bottom in more than 20 feet of water. The size of the lure provided a unique presentation in crowded waters.
“I didn’t see any locals out there fishing the 10XD at all,” he said. “They were all dragging worms or something like that. These fish eat bigger food, and you’ve got to throw something that matches that.”
Lane caught his fish all week long, using two topwater baits — a Zara Spook and a Whopper Plopper — around flooded grass and cypress trees. Lane finished just ahead of Ish Monroe (83-4), Keith Combs (82-11) and Paul Mueller (81-12).
“I went out knowing I probably needed to catch 30 pounds today, and I just didn’t get those kinds of bites,” Lane said. “But it was a great week for me. I had a blast on Toledo Bend.”
The win was VanDam’s first since the 2011 Bassmaster Classic on the Louisiana Delta. Prior to this week, he had never finished higher than 19th in a B.A.S.S. event on Toledo Bend.
When he missed the Classic in 2015, some believed his career might have peaked. But he said he knew all along he just needed to keep casting.
“I didn’t need any kind of career rejuvenation personally, but I think a lot of people have been wondering ‘What’s wrong with KVD?’ for a while,” VanDam said. “In my mind, there was nothing wrong. It just cycles. If you’re going to have bad luck, it’s also going to cycle back around to where you have good luck.
“That’s what happened to me this week. I made good decisions, and everything worked out.”
Greg Hackney was awarded $1,000 for the leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race at the end of the event.
Lane also earned the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash award of $1,000 for being the highest-placing angler who is registered and eligible and uses a client-approved product on his boat.
VanDam earned the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $500 for leading on the second day.
Keith Combs won the Toyota Bonus Bucks of $3,000 for being the highest-placing eligible entrant in the program. The second-highest-placing eligible entrant, Hank Cherry, received $2,000.
The Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award of $1,500 was presented to Stephen Browning for weighing in the overall biggest bass of the event — a 9-5 bass caught on Friday.
Lane earned the A.R.E. Top Angler Award of $1,000 for being the highest placing angler using A.R.E. products.
Dick Cepek Rolling Forward Award of $1,000 will be presented to the angler who makes the largest gain in Toyota Angler of the Year points from tournament to tournament.
2016 A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend 5/12-5/15
Toledo Bend Reservoir, Many LA.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 20 96-02 110 $100,500.00
Day 1: 5 29-05 Day 2: 5 20-11 Day 3: 5 24-12 Day 4: 5 21-06
2. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 20 88-07 109 $27,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-14 Day 2: 5 23-15 Day 3: 5 21-03 Day 4: 5 19-07
3. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 20 83-04 108 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 24-10 Day 3: 5 22-04 Day 4: 5 17-07
4. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 20 82-11 107 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 5 16-04 Day 3: 5 20-07 Day 4: 5 24-13
5. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 20 81-12 106 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 22-12 Day 3: 5 19-01 Day 4: 5 22-02
6. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 20 81-02 105 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 24-07 Day 2: 5 19-15 Day 3: 5 18-12 Day 4: 5 18-00
7. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 20 79-14 104 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 18-03 Day 3: 5 17-04 Day 4: 5 25-07
8. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 20 78-11 103 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 23-04 Day 3: 5 16-09 Day 4: 5 21-03
9. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 20 75-09 102 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 21-01 Day 3: 5 18-02 Day 4: 5 17-15
10. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 20 71-01 101 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5 22-11 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 17-12 Day 4: 5 14-05
11. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 20 67-14 100 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 20-10 Day 2: 5 22-06 Day 3: 5 14-01 Day 4: 5 10-13
12. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 20 65-13 99 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 20-07 Day 3: 5 16-13 Day 4: 5 10-00
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 09-05 $1,500.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 99 517 1556-06
2 96 511 1513-01
3 45 238 731-13
4 12 60 222-14
----------------------------------
252 1326 4024-02
Van Dam Maintains Blistering Pace; Leads Pros Into Final Day Of Elite Series Tourney On Toled Bend
Kevin Van Dam nearly matched his 25-pounds-per-day average that he established over the first 2 days of the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on Toledo Bend Reservoir. With 24 pounds, 12 ounces today he has a 3-day total weight of 74-12.
There are some great anglers behind him and they will have to perform great tomorrow if they hope to catch the man often referred to as 'The Greatest Angler of All Time'.
Again today Van Dam rode a giant bass into the lead. He had big bass honors the first day with an 8-plus-pounder. Yesterday he had a 7-7 that wasn't close to be being the biggest of the day, but it boosted his weight significantly. He caught the biggest bass today at 8-11.
How is Van Dam catching the big ones? The Strike King 10XD crankbait is involved.
So dominating is Van Dam's performance that he has a 20-pound, 5-ounce cushion over Brett Hite who is in 12th place - the last man in the cut to fish on Sunday.
Chris Lane is charging hard but he needs to make up 5 pounds, 12 ounces on the leader while holding off 10 other talented anglers.
He's doing most of his damage with a topwater plug (see pictures below).
In his excellent photo blog on Bassmaster.com Ronnie Moore shows us how Chris Lane is hanging on for a white knuckle ride as he chases Kevin Van Dam on Toledo Bend . . .
and how he's doing in the process.
Ish Monroe is little more than 3 pounds behind Lane. They don't call Ish 'The Big Bass Specialist' for nothing. He'll swing hard tomorrow and hope the leaders stumble.
Here's the press release from B.A.S.S.:
MANY, La. — Kevin VanDam continued his charge toward a possible wire-to-wire victory in the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend with a Saturday catch of 24 pounds, 12 ounces that pushed his four-day total to 74-12.
But he said to make no mistake: The fishing has definitely gotten tougher.
“It was one of the toughest days I’ve ever had on the water — absolutely brutal,” said VanDam, who is vying for his record 21st career B.A.S.S. victory. “I only caught five fish all day, and the last one came very late.”
As other anglers in the Top 5 started fast, VanDam only had one fish that weighed just under 5 pounds by 10:30 a.m. But then he worked the same deep-diving crankbait magic he worked the first two days, landing a giant largemouth that tipped the scales at 8-11.
It was 2 p.m. before he landed his third and fourth keepers — one that weighed 2-plus pounds and one that weighed just over 3. Then just when he seemed destined to come in one shy of a five-bass limit, he caught a 5-pounder on his final stop with only minutes remaining.
The superstar pro from Kalamazoo, Mich., said he wasn’t really sure what made the fishing so much slower than it was on Thursday and Friday.
“I don’t know if it was pressure or if it was because there was no current and no wind,” he said. “There were a lot of people fishing, and I saw a lot of them out there who watched me yesterday.”
The fans have been out in force for this week’s tournament, which is taking place on a fishery that was ranked No. 1 on the most recent list of America’s Top 100 Bass Lakes by Bassmaster magazine. While he appreciates the fanfare, VanDam said it can make things tougher sometimes.
“It’s pretty hard to duplicate water when I have as many people around me as I do,” he said. “Somebody told me I had 40 boats following me at one time. So it’s pretty noisy out there.”
“I know I’m fishing the way I need to fish to catch a really big sack. So we’ll see what the weather does and just see what happens.”
VanDam almost doubled his lead over second-place angler Chris Lane, but Lane seems to be on a solid big-fish pattern as well.
The veteran Alabama pro, who has won seven career B.A.S.S. events, caught a good limit early Saturday and slowly upgraded throughout the day to bring in 21-3. He used a couple of different topwater baits from start to finish.
“I had a pretty bag early, but I knew I still had three fish that I needed to cull out,” Lane said. “I ran some new water today, fishing some stuff that I was just checking. There was some stuff I wanted to fish on one side of the lake before I ran to the other side.”
Lane caught his early limit on a walking bait and then switched to a buzzing lure later in the day. He said he stuck with the second bait because it usually gets better as the day goes along.
“The bite for that bait really doesn’t start until around 10:30,” Lane said. “To me, when you’re topwater fishing, the biggest ones you’ll catch will usually be around 1 o’clock when the sun gets as high as it will get.
“I’m fishing topwater all day long.”
With a gap of 5-12 to make up, Lane said he’ll need to catch 6-pounders Sunday instead of the 4-pounders that have been so common for him this week.
“The mountain just got a little higher because of what Kevin caught today,” he said. “I’m just going to put the hammer down and try to bust a giant bag and make him earn it.”
California pro Ish Monroe (65-13) moved into third place, while North Carolina pro Hank Cherry, Jr. (63-2) dropped one place into fourth.
The other anglers who made the Top 12 cut to fish on Championship Sunday were as follows: Paul Mueller (59-10), Keith Combs (57-14), Tommy Biffle (57-10), Andy Montgomery (57-8), Stephen Browning (57-1), Edwin Evers (56-12), Morizo Shimizu (55-13) and Brett Hite (54-7).
The tournament will conclude Sunday, with take-off scheduled for 6:15 a.m. CT from Cypress Bend Park. The weigh-in will begin back at the park at 3:15 p.m., with the winning angler earning $100,000.
2016 A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend 5/12-5/15
Toledo Bend Reservoir, Many LA.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 15 74-12 110 $500.00
Day 1: 5 29-05 Day 2: 5 20-11 Day 3: 5 24-12
2. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 15 69-00 109
Day 1: 5 23-14 Day 2: 5 23-15 Day 3: 5 21-03
3. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 15 65-13 108
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 24-10 Day 3: 5 22-04
4. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 15 63-02 107
Day 1: 5 24-07 Day 2: 5 19-15 Day 3: 5 18-12
5. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 15 59-10 106
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 22-12 Day 3: 5 19-01
6. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 15 57-14 105
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 5 16-04 Day 3: 5 20-07
7. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 15 57-10 104
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 21-01 Day 3: 5 18-02
8. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 15 57-08 103
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 23-04 Day 3: 5 16-09
9. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 15 57-01 102
Day 1: 5 20-10 Day 2: 5 22-06 Day 3: 5 14-01
10. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 15 56-12 101
Day 1: 5 22-11 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 17-12
11. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 15 55-13 100
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 20-07 Day 3: 5 16-13
12. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 15 54-07 99
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 18-03 Day 3: 5 17-04
13. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 15 53-10 98 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 18-03 Day 3: 5 15-12
14. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 15 52-11 97 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 18-02
15. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 15 51-12 96 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 23-00 Day 3: 5 14-14
16. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 15 51-06 95 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 22-02 Day 3: 5 11-02
17. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 15 51-03 94 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 16-12 Day 3: 5 17-07
18. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 15 50-09 93 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 21-15 Day 3: 5 13-13
19. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 15 50-05 92 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 14-09
20. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 15 50-03 91 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-00 Day 2: 5 12-01 Day 3: 5 18-02
21. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 15 50-00 90 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 21-08 Day 3: 5 13-08
22. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 15 49-13 89 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-09 Day 2: 5 14-14 Day 3: 5 12-06
23. John Murray Spring City, TN 15 49-04 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 17-04 Day 3: 5 15-10
24. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 15 49-03 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 17-07 Day 3: 5 12-12
25. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 15 49-02 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 21-07 Day 3: 5 15-03
26. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 15 48-12 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 15-05 Day 3: 5 16-10
27. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 15 46-14 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 16-08 Day 3: 5 15-12
28. James Elam Tulsa, OK 15 46-11 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 12-08 Day 3: 5 15-11
29. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 15 46-11 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 17-12 Day 3: 5 13-11
30. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 15 46-09 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 12-09 Day 3: 5 17-06
31. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 15 46-01 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 15-12 Day 3: 5 15-10
32. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 15 45-15 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 5 13-01 Day 3: 5 11-00
33. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 15 45-13 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 11-12 Day 3: 5 17-03
34. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 15 45-12 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 5 16-05
35. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 15 45-09 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 21-02 Day 3: 5 13-15
36. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 15 45-01 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 13-14 Day 3: 5 11-10
37. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 15 44-15 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 13-07
38. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 15 44-10 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 18-05 Day 3: 5 12-03
39. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 14 44-06 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 13-02 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 5 15-13
40. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 15 43-12 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 5 11-04 Day 3: 5 11-05
41. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 15 43-07 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 12-14
42. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 15 43-03 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-02 Day 2: 5 12-01 Day 3: 5 11-00
43. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 15 42-12 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 17-06 Day 3: 5 10-11
44. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 15 42-08 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 12-06 Day 3: 5 13-08
45. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 14 42-01 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 4 10-02
46. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 15 42-00 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 14-14 Day 3: 5 12-00
47. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 13 39-13 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 3 10-07
48. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 14 38-11 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 18-02 Day 3: 4 09-02
49. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 12 33-11 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 18-00 Day 3: 2 04-04
50. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 6 29-07 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 24-10 Day 2: 1 04-13 Day 3: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 99 517 1556-06
2 96 511 1513-01
3 45 238 731-13
----------------------------------
240 1266 3801-04
Van Dam Slams 50 Pounds Of Toledo Bend Bass In 2 Days To Lead Bassmaster Elite Series Tourney
The Bassmaster Elite Series event on Toledo Bend Reservoir is halfway done and Kevin Van Dam is halfway to the Century Mark. With more than 20 pounds again today he ran his total weight to an even 50 pounds.
He's making it look easy. It's not.
KVD caught a 7-pound, 7-ounce specimen on a Strike King 10XD crankbait. He took a treble hook in the hand to catch her. Van Dam hints that he may be running out of fish. "That 7-pounder saved my day." The wind switched out of the north and "I couldn't get a bite for the first two hours."
You can fish any way you like on T-bend and the anglers are doing just that - catching them shallow and deep. There was some debate as to whether the shallow bite was starting to die, but today was tougher for most everybody regardless of where they fished. Blame it on a front that brought north winds on the heels of a calm Thursday and two days of gusty south winds during practice.
Local Pro Todd Faircloth stumbled and fell out of the cut. He admited, "I think I should have spent more of my time fishing shallow." Guys are always more honest when they are done fishing than when they are still competng, therfore, I put a lot of stock in Faircloth's assesment of the shallow bite.
As they say about sled dog teams, the scenery only changes for the lead dogs. For the rest, it can be quite ugly. So for guys not in the lead, how ugly was it today? "It looked like Hillary Clinton wearing flip flops up in the Piggly Wiggly," said Tour funny man Gerald Swindle. Brian Snowden had it even worse. "The best part of my day was standing in line with Gerald Swindle."
"If you'd have told me I could go shallow and not catch a limit, you'd have had my truck and boat cause I'd have made that bet" said Rick Clunn.
Clunn came to the stage with 1 fish today.
He caught them yesterday on topwaters and said all of his spots are good for one or two fish, seldom any more than that. He did catch a 7-pounder, a 6 and a 4 off one spot yesterday and said that was unusual, though welcome.
Clunn did make the cut, due to his 24-pound, 10-ounce Day 1 sack, but he'll only fish until 2 o'clock tomorrow at which time Tournament Director Tripp Weldon will weigh Clunn's fish so he can hop a flight home to attend his son's graduation.
Elite Series Rookie Brock Mosely caught a bunch of big fish while practicing a month ago out deep. He commited to the deep approach this week. It was good for all the 2-pounders he could stand to catch. That failed to get him into the cut. He never even practiced up shallow and now he looks at that decision as a mistake.
I'm starting to think the shallow bite is the way to go.
Here's the official word from B.A.S.S.:
MANY, La. — The biggest thing Kevin VanDam has caught so far this week has been himself.
But there could be far bigger catches ahead of him if he remains on his current path at the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend.
VanDam had to have a treble hook removed from his hand during Friday’s second round after landing his biggest fish of the day. But it didn’t stop him from catching five bass that weighed 20 pounds, 11 ounces and helped him hold onto the tournament lead with a two-day total of 50-0.
“The fish had just one hook in its mouth, and those Mustad treble hooks are really sharp,” VanDam said. “The fish kind of shook as I was trying to take the hook out, and it jerked one of those trebles right in my hand. I had a crankbait with one hook connected to my hand and the other connected to a big bass.”
Freelance photographer and experienced saltwater angler Garrick Dixon was nearby, and he performed a quick hook removal for VanDam. Once the angler was free of his own bait, he turned his attention back to a day that was rapidly improving.
After a slow start, he quickly put together a limit that weighed better than 18 pounds. Then he managed a couple of culls to get to 20-11 — and he did it all despite a strong wind that gave him fits much of the day.
“I knew it was just a matter of running enough places,” VanDam said. “If you fish long enough here, you’re going to get them.
“I really only had the one big bite today, but it was a good one.”
VanDam will begin the semifinal round with a solid chance at securing his 21st career victory and the $100,000 check that goes with it.
He is followed closely by Alabamian Chris Lane (47-13), North Carolina pro Hank Cherry, Jr. (44-6), Californian Ish Monroe (43-9) and Arkansas pro Stephen Browning (43-0).
Lane, who has struggled at times this year, said he had hoped to catch a good limit early by targeting schooling fish. But when those fish wouldn’t cooperate, he made a long run and put together a catch of 23-15 doing something different.
Earlier this season, Lane complained that his “loonies,” were off, meaning he wasn’t making the best decisions on the water. But now he’s within striking distance of his first Elite Series win since the 2015 season-opening event on the Sabine River — another Louisiana fishery.
“I’m having a blast, and I’ve got a full head of confidence,” Lane said. “My loonies are starting to come back now.
“Feeling confident helps you make those early adjustments, and it helps you to grind it right to the end. I caught a good fish late (Thursday), and I caught a 4 1/2-pounder late today.”
Cherry began Friday’s round in third place and held onto that spot with a catch of 19-15 that gave him a two-day total of 44-6. He said he’s been fishing for bass that are still spawning, even as the weather in central Louisiana has turned hot.
“It was still slow this morning, just like it was the first morning,” Cherry said. “But once I got to where I thought the fish would be, they were there.
“I think all of the fish I’m catching are spawning. If you miss one, you can just about count on going back to that spot and getting bit again.”
Monroe had the heaviest bag Friday with 24-10 — and he didn’t hesitate to detail how he caught his fish.
“It’s no secret what I do,” Monroe said. “I love to frog and flip. This week, I’m throwing a River2Sea Tommy Biffle Jig that has a really big, wide-gap hook. I’m backing that up with a Missile Baits D Bomb Destroyer, and it gives the bait a big profile that these big fish down here love.”
Toledo Bend Reservoir is noted for producing big largemouth bass — so much that it topped the most recent list of America’s Top 100 Bass Lakes by Bassmaster Magazine.
The biggest bass of the week so far was caught Friday by Arkansas angler Stephen Browning. At 9-5, the fish took the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass and will earn Browning $1,500 if no one tops the mark the rest of the way.
VanDam also earned the Livingston Lures Leader award of $500 for leading the second day of the event.
The tournament will resume Saturday with the Top 50 remaining pros leaving Cypress Bend Park at 6:15 a.m. CT. The weigh-in will be held back at the park at 3:15 p.m., with only the Top 12 pros advancing to Championship Sunday.
2016 A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend 5/12-5/15
Toledo Bend Reservoir, Many LA.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts
1. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 50-00 110
Day 1: 5 29-05 Day 2: 5 20-11
2. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 10 47-13 109
Day 1: 5 23-14 Day 2: 5 23-15
3. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 10 44-06 108
Day 1: 5 24-07 Day 2: 5 19-15
4. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 10 43-09 107
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 24-10
5. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 10 43-00 106
Day 1: 5 20-10 Day 2: 5 22-06
6. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 10 40-15 105
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 23-04
7. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 10 40-09 104
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 22-12
8. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 10 40-04 103
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 22-02
9. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 10 39-08 102
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 21-01
10. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 10 39-00 101
Day 1: 5 22-11 Day 2: 5 16-05
11. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 10 39-00 100
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 20-07
12. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 10 37-14 99
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 18-03
13. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 10 37-07 98
Day 1: 5 22-09 Day 2: 5 14-14
14. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 37-07 97
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 5 16-04
15. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 10 37-03 96
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 18-03
16. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 10 36-14 95
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 23-00
17. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 10 36-12 94
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 21-15
18. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 10 36-08 93
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 21-08
19. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 10 36-07 92
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 17-07
20. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 10 35-12 91
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 16-15
21. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 10 34-15 90
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 5 13-01
22. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 10 34-09 89
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 16-15
23. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 33-15 88
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 21-07
24. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 10 33-12 87
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 16-12
25. John Murray Spring City, TN 10 33-10 86
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 17-04
26. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 33-07 85
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 13-14
27. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 10 33-00 84
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 17-12
28. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 10 32-07 83
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 5 11-04
29. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 10 32-07 82
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 18-05
30. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 10 32-03 81
Day 1: 5 20-02 Day 2: 5 12-01
31. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 32-02 80
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 15-05
32. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 10 32-01 79
Day 1: 5 20-00 Day 2: 5 12-01
33. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 32-01 78
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 17-06
34. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 10 31-15 77
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 14-10
35. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 31-10 76
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 21-02
36. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 10 31-08 75
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 15-13
37. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 10 31-02 74
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 16-08
38. James Elam Tulsa, OK 10 31-00 73
Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 12-08
39. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 10 30-09 72
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 15-13
40. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 10 30-07 71
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 15-12
41. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 10 30-00 70
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 14-14
42. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 10 29-09 69
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 18-02
43. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 6 29-07 68
Day 1: 5 24-10 Day 2: 1 04-13
44. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 10 29-07 67
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 18-00
45. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 10 29-07 66
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 13-00
46. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 10 29-06 65
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 12-04
47. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 10 29-03 64
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 12-09
48. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 10 29-00 63
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 12-06
49. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 10 28-10 62
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 11-12
50. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 9 28-09 61
Day 1: 4 13-02 Day 2: 5 15-07
51. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 10 28-06 60
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 16-08
52. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 10 28-04 59
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 15-01
53. John Hunter Jr Shelbyville, KY 10 28-04 58
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 14-11
54. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 10 27-08 57
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 10-06
55. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 10 27-08 56
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 11-04
56. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 27-07 55
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 13-14
57. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 10 27-04 54
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 13-11
58. Koby Kreiger Bokeelia, FL 10 27-02 53
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 08-15
59. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 8 27-00 52
Day 1: 3 11-04 Day 2: 5 15-12
60. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 10 26-14 51
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 12-01
61. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 10 26-14 50
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 12-06
62. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 10 26-12 49
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 09-11
63. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 26-12 48
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 13-02
64. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 10 26-11 47
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 14-04
65. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 10 26-09 46
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 12-06
66. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 10 26-08 45
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 10-09
67. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 10 26-05 44
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 13-15
68. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 10 26-03 43
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 13-03
69. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 10 25-12 42
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 08-09
70. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 8 25-10 41
Day 1: 3 05-00 Day 2: 5 20-10
71. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 10 25-09 40
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 15-07
72. Billy McCaghren Jr Mayflower, AR 10 25-09 39
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 10-10
73. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 10 25-09 38
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 11-05
74. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 10 25-08 37
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 13-02
75. Casey Scanlon Rocky Mount, MO 8 25-00 36
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 3 08-07
76. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 10 24-13 35
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 13-07
77. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 10 24-05 34
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 10-12
78. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 9 24-02 33
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 4 10-09
79. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 10 24-01 32
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 12-12
80. Jay Brainard Enid, OK 10 24-00 31
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 09-15
81. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 8 23-11 30
Day 1: 3 05-07 Day 2: 5 18-04
82. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 10 23-09 29
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 12-01
83. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 10 22-12 28
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 5 13-09
84. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 8 22-11 27
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 3 13-06
85. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 10 22-08 26
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 12-02
86. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 10 22-08 25
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 10-10
87. Ken Iyobe Tokoname Aichi JAPAN 10 22-06 24
Day 1: 5 08-11 Day 2: 5 13-11
88. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 10 21-15 23
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 09-07
89. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 10 21-11 22
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 09-12
90. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 9 21-10 21
Day 1: 4 08-13 Day 2: 5 12-13
91. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 10 21-08 20
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 07-13
92. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 10 21-08 19
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 11-00
93. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 10 21-07 18
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 10-03
94. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 10 21-02 17
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 5 11-15
95. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 7 20-14 16
Day 1: 2 03-06 Day 2: 5 17-08
96. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 10 20-06 15
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 10-06
97. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 10 19-07 14
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 10-05
98. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 8 19-05 13
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 3 05-10
99. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 10 19-02 12
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 09-02
100. David Walker Sevierville, TN 10 18-13 11
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 08-05
101. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 8 18-05 10
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 3 05-12
102. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 7 18-02 9
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 2 05-06
103. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 10 17-11 8
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 5 09-13
104. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 8 16-13 7
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 3 06-10
105. David Williams Newton, NC 7 16-02 6
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 2 07-05
106. Fabian Rodriguez Ocean City, DE 4 13-15 5
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 3 12-00
107. Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 5 07-14 4
Day 1: 1 01-06 Day 2: 4 06-08
108. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 1 02-01 3
Day 1: 1 02-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 99 517 1556-06
2 96 511 1513-01
----------------------------------
195 1028 3069-07
As The Weather Warms Up So Does The Water And Fish Care Becomes More And More Important!
As the weather warms up so does the water, and fish care becomes more and more important! Jimmy Mason with TH Marine talks about thier product called G-Juice and why you should never leave the ramp without it! Check ou the video and make sure you have some before you head out this weekend! Click here to buy!
Van Dam Dominates Day 1, Clunn And Cherry Close Behind At Bassmaster Elite Series On Toledo Bend
Of course, given the numbers of big bass swimming along the Texas/Louisiana border, a guy could get well in a hurry tomorrow and jump up from the middle of the pack. Kevin Van Dam rode an 8-pound, 5-ounce fish to the top of the board today.
Then again, with his 29-pound, 5-ounce haul today Van Dam could have left the 8-5 in the lake and he'd still be in the Top 10 - even without a 5th fish!
And look who's trailing him - Rick Clunn. Clunn is back at it after his win to open the 2016 Elite Series season on Florida's St Johns River. Today he sacked 24-10.
Hank Cherry is also north of 24 pounds and is in 3rd.
Van Dam and Clunn both have their sights set on the 2017 Bassmaster Classic. They have won 4 Classic titles each which has them tied for the lead in that category. Combined, they have won about 18% of all Classics - that's almost 1 in 5. And Clunn began his guiding career on Lake Conroe, the sight of the upcoming Classic.
But Toledo Bend is where Clunn fished his first-ever bass tournament. And that's where we are this week.
And it's going to be one heck of a show!
Following is the official word and standings from B.A.S.S.:
MANY, La. — Kevin VanDam wanted badly to fish offshore during the three-day practice period for the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend.
But a steady 20-mph wind just wouldn’t allow it.
The winds died Thursday as the tournament began, and fishing fans in central Louisiana got to see why VanDam was so anxious to move away from the banks.
The pro fishing superstar from Kalamazoo, Mich., brought in a five-bass limit that weighed 29 pounds, 5 ounces to top the leaderboard on a day when 12 anglers caught at least 20 pounds. He leads a star-studded Top 5 that includes 69-year-old Missouri legend Rick Clunn (24-10), North Carolina pro Hank Cherry, Jr. (24- 7), 2012 GEICO Bassmaster Classic winner Chris Lane (23-14) and reigning Classic champion Edwin Evers (22-11).
“I started on the shallow pattern and caught a good limit early, and that gave me the confidence to go and fish deep,” said VanDam, who has four Classic titles on his resume. “I didn’t get to fish deep in practice the way I like to because of all the wind. So I fished a lot of places today that I hadn’t fished at all this week.
“You just can’t physically fish out there when it’s blowing 20 — if you want to fish off the bank.”
VanDam, who also had the big bass of the day with an 8-5 largemouth, said he was keying on areas that had big numbers of white bass and yellow bass. Both, he said, are good signs that hungry largemouth will be nearby.
“There are a lot of yellow bass — they call them ‘bar fish’ here — and a lot of the big largemouth eat those,” VanDam said. “Those yellow bass and the white bass are all following shad just like the largemouth.
“I caught a lot of white bass — and when you’re doing that, you know there will always be largemouth in the area.”
Clunn, who also has four Classic wins, already wowed the pro fishing community back in March when he won the season-opening Elite Series event on the St. Johns River in Florida. That win made him the oldest angler to ever win a B.A.S.S. event.
On Thursday, he moved into position to equal that feat with a bag of 24-10 that was bolstered by one magic area.
“I have one spot that’s always been good for me,” Clunn said. “It’s only good for one to three fish a day, but they’re always big fish. You can fish there all day long, and that’s all you’re going to get.”
The spot produced three big fish Thursday — a 7-pounder, a 6-pounder and a 4-pounder. When asked how long the spot has been good for him, Clunn responded, “How old is the lake?”
“I think I’ve been fishing that spot since 1974,” he said. “A lot of people won’t fish it because it’s only good for one or two. They pull up there, and if they don’t get a bite pretty soon, they’re moving on.”
Clunn is just 3 ounces ahead of Cherry, who brought in 24-7 despite some bad luck early.
“I weighed in one 3-pound fish, and I hated to do that,” Cherry said. “I lost a 4 1/2-pounder and a 7-pounder this morning. So I could have weighed in close to 30 pounds.”
Cherry said his unfortunate near misses might have been the result of him being “too wired up” because he knew he was on good fish.
“I knew I was going to get a lot of bites,” he said. “I didn’t know how big they were going to be, but I knew I was around a lot of fish.
“The fish are still there, because I know I left some.”
In all, 99 of the 108 Elite Series anglers weighed in five-bass limits today, validating Toledo Bend’s ranking as the No. 1 bass fishery in the country, according to Bassmaster Magazine’s current 100 Best Bass Lakes list.
If no one catches a bass as heavy as VanDam’s 8-5 largemouth through the end of the event Sunday, he will win the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award, worth $1,500.
The tournament will resume Friday, with take-off scheduled for 6:15 a.m. CT at Cypress Bend Park. The weigh-in will be held back at the park at 3:15 p.m., with the field being trimmed to the Top 50 for Saturday’s semifinal round.
2016 A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend 5/12-5/15
Toledo Bend Reservoir, Many LA.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts
1. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 29-05 110
Day 1: 5 29-05
2. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 24-10 109
Day 1: 5 24-10
3. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 5 24-07 108
Day 1: 5 24-07
4. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 5 23-14 107
Day 1: 5 23-14
5. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 5 22-11 106
Day 1: 5 22-11
6. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 5 22-09 105
Day 1: 5 22-09
7. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 5 21-14 104
Day 1: 5 21-14
8. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 21-03 103
Day 1: 5 21-03
8. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 5 21-03 103
Day 1: 5 21-03
10. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 5 20-10 101
Day 1: 5 20-10
11. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 5 20-02 100
Day 1: 5 20-02
12. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 20-00 99
Day 1: 5 20-00
13. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 5 19-11 98
Day 1: 5 19-11
14. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 19-09 97
Day 1: 5 19-09
15. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 19-00 96
Day 1: 5 19-00
15. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 5 19-00 96
Day 1: 5 19-00
17. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 5 18-15 94
Day 1: 5 18-15
18. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 5 18-13 93
Day 1: 5 18-13
19. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 5 18-09 92
Day 1: 5 18-09
20. James Elam Tulsa, OK 5 18-08 91
Day 1: 5 18-08
21. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 5 18-07 90
Day 1: 5 18-07
22. Koby Kreiger Bokeelia, FL 5 18-03 89
Day 1: 5 18-03
23. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 5 18-02 88
Day 1: 5 18-02
24. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 17-13 87
Day 1: 5 17-13
25. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 5 17-11 86
Day 1: 5 17-11
26. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 5 17-10 85
Day 1: 5 17-10
27. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 5 17-05 84
Day 1: 5 17-05
28. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 5 17-03 83
Day 1: 5 17-03
29. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 5 17-02 82
Day 1: 5 17-02
29. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 17-02 82
Day 1: 5 17-02
31. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 5 17-01 80
Day 1: 5 17-01
32. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 5 17-00 79
Day 1: 5 17-00
33. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 5 16-14 78
Day 1: 5 16-14
34. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 16-13 77
Day 1: 5 16-13
35. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 5 16-10 76
Day 1: 5 16-10
35. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 5 16-10 76
Day 1: 5 16-10
37. Casey Scanlon Rocky Mount, MO 5 16-09 74
Day 1: 5 16-09
38. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 5 16-07 73
Day 1: 5 16-07
39. John Murray Spring City, TN 5 16-06 72
Day 1: 5 16-06
40. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 5 16-04 71
Day 1: 5 16-04
41. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 5 15-15 70
Day 1: 5 15-15
42. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 5 15-11 69
Day 1: 5 15-11
43. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 15-04 68
Day 1: 5 15-04
44. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 5 15-02 67
Day 1: 5 15-02
45. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 15-00 66
Day 1: 5 15-00
46. Billy McCaghren Jr Mayflower, AR 5 14-15 65
Day 1: 5 14-15
47. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 5 14-13 64
Day 1: 5 14-13
48. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 14-13 63
Day 1: 5 14-13
49. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 5 14-12 62
Day 1: 5 14-12
50. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 14-11 61
Day 1: 5 14-11
50. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 5 14-11 61
Day 1: 5 14-11
52. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 5 14-10 59
Day 1: 5 14-10
53. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 5 14-08 58
Day 1: 5 14-08
54. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 5 14-04 57
Day 1: 5 14-04
55. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 5 14-03 56
Day 1: 5 14-03
56. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 5 14-02 55
Day 1: 5 14-02
57. Jay Brainard Enid, OK 5 14-01 54
Day 1: 5 14-01
58. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 5 13-14 53
Day 1: 5 13-14
59. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 13-11 52
Day 1: 5 13-11
59. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 5 13-11 52
Day 1: 5 13-11
61. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 13-10 50
Day 1: 5 13-10
62. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 13-09 49
Day 1: 5 13-09
62. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 5 13-09 49
Day 1: 5 13-09
62. John Hunter Jr Shelbyville, KY 5 13-09 49
Day 1: 5 13-09
62. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 5 13-09 49
Day 1: 5 13-09
66. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 5 13-09 45
Day 1: 5 13-09
67. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 5 13-03 44
Day 1: 5 13-03
68. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 4 13-02 43
Day 1: 4 13-02
69. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 5 13-00 42
Day 1: 5 13-00
70. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 5 12-12 41
Day 1: 5 12-12
71. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 12-09 40
Day 1: 5 12-09
72. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 5 12-08 39
Day 1: 5 12-08
72. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 12-08 39
Day 1: 5 12-08
74. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 5 12-07 37
Day 1: 5 12-07
75. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 12-06 36
Day 1: 5 12-06
75. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 5 12-06 36
Day 1: 5 12-06
77. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 5 11-15 34
Day 1: 5 11-15
78. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 5 11-14 33
Day 1: 5 11-14
78. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 5 11-14 33
Day 1: 5 11-14
80. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 5 11-08 31
Day 1: 5 11-08
81. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 5 11-07 30
Day 1: 5 11-07
82. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 5 11-07 29
Day 1: 5 11-07
83. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 5 11-06 28
Day 1: 5 11-06
84. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 5 11-05 27
Day 1: 5 11-05
85. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 11-04 26
Day 1: 5 11-04
86. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 3 11-04 25
Day 1: 3 11-04
87. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 10-08 24
Day 1: 5 10-08
87. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 10-08 24
Day 1: 5 10-08
87. David Walker Sevierville, TN 5 10-08 24
Day 1: 5 10-08
90. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 5 10-06 21
Day 1: 5 10-06
91. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 10-03 20
Day 1: 5 10-03
92. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 5 10-02 19
Day 1: 5 10-02
93. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 10-00 18
Day 1: 5 10-00
93. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 5 10-00 18
Day 1: 5 10-00
95. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 5 09-05 16
Day 1: 5 09-05
96. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 5 09-03 15
Day 1: 5 09-03
96. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 5 09-03 15
Day 1: 5 09-03
98. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 5 09-02 13
Day 1: 5 09-02
99. David Williams Newton, NC 5 08-13 12
Day 1: 5 08-13
100. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 4 08-13 11
Day 1: 4 08-13
101. Ken Iyobe Tokoname Aichi JAPAN 5 08-11 10
Day 1: 5 08-11
102. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 5 07-14 9
Day 1: 5 07-14
103. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 3 05-07 8
Day 1: 3 05-07
104. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 3 05-00 7
Day 1: 3 05-00
105. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 2 03-06 6
Day 1: 2 03-06
106. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 1 02-01 5
Day 1: 1 02-01
107. Fabian Rodriguez Ocean City, DE 1 01-15 4
Day 1: 1 01-15
108. Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 1 01-06 3
Day 1: 1 01-06
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 99 517 1556-06
----------------------------------
99 517 1556-06
Looking Forward To Hammer Fest As Elites Take To T-Bend!
We've had an eventful season so far on the 2016 Bassmaster Elite Series.
Now we turn our attention to what should be a down-South hammer fest on Toledo Bend. 108 Elite Series pros will spread out over the 185,000 acre monster that straddles a good portion of the Texas/Louisiana border.
There’s abundant grass and herds of post-spawn bass that have holed-up along its edges. They are said to be in water as deep as 32 feet but the magic zone should be 8-to-10. Topwater bites can produce those big fish that will put a guy in contention but most believe that bite will die soon after sunrise. Swimbaits and big old Texas-rigged worms should play a huge role this week.
Toledo Bend was ranked by Bassmaster Magazine as the Number 1 fishery in America this year. But there’s a fly in the ointment this week: high, muddy water due to recent flooding in the region.
Some locals say the bass have had ample time to adjust to these conditions and the pros should be able to catch them just fine.
Some folks who should know said they would set the over/under for 4-day winning weight at 90 pounds.
Stay with us at AnglersChannel.com as the story unfolds this week during the Bassmaster Elite Series on Toledo Bend Reservoir!
Ray Roberts Ready For Texas Team Trail Championship!
considered small by tournament standards. However, it's chock-full of bass - particularly big bucketmouths. Last spring, a recreational angler landed a largemouth that weighed 15.18 pounds, a new lake record. Catching a five-bass limit isn't always easy, but the abundance of kickers is impressive. Typically, tournaments can get crowded as anglers jockey for the best bank cover or the prime offshore structure.
Zoom Brings Back An Original With An Awesome New Twist!
ZOOM BRINGS BACK AN ORIGINAL, WITH A TWIST
Zoom Bait Company announces the reintroduction of the Original Zoom Worm, a finesse worm that dates back 40 years. Except now, it will come in hand-poured triple laminate patterns instead of the conventional injection colors that originally comprised its lineup.
This release comes a year after Zoom brought out the “Z-3” triple laminates in the Swamp Crawler product, another finesse-oriented worm. Anglers across the country have clamored for additional products to be released in this lineup, and the subtle 6-inch Original - with its flat tail, slight egg sack and lightly-ribbed body - seemed a likely choice to fulfill the needs of dropshotters. Like its predecessor, it combines the best attributes of hand-poured worms with affordability and Zoom’s legendary quality control.
The new version will be just as tantalizing as the original, but the build process will be more like that of traditional “garage pours,” a labor-intensive, multi-step effort that produces a softer body and a wider range of color options. Up until now, this has been difficult to replicate in a mass production setting. Nevertheless, its shape will remain true to the original upon which the Zoom brand was built.
The Z-3 Original Zoom Worm will initially be available in three colors – Prizm Shad, Sexy Shad and Morning Dawn – to match your local forage and water color. It will soon be available at leading tackle stores and online retailers.
For more information about Zoom Bait Company, go to www.zoombait.com
Should Professional 'misunderstanings' Be Aired On 'net; Tv?
That’s not to say that they don’t enjoy the competition, strategy and an exciting finish, but the tension and drama that comes along with high speed, high stakes racing certainly helps to sell the sport.
Think of a passionate baseball player busting a bat across his knee after striking out. Good sportsmanship? No. But . . .
What about a football player spiking a ball in the end zone. That’s fierce passion and people relate to that.
Tournament bass fishing features independent American (and International) sportsmen who zip across the water at 70-to-80-miles-per-hour attempting to beat competitors to their fish. There’s big money at stake. And pride. Lots of pride.
So why do some in the tournament industry insist on portraying tournament competition in the same light as a Sunday afternoon church picnic? Do they think anybody is going to watch just because there is going to not be drama?
I consider good sports-reporting to be a form of story-telling. It’s literature. And conflict, as they say, is the essence of literature.
With that in mind, what do we make of the rather public flap between Randall Tharp and Matt Herren during the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on Norfork Lake last week?
With up-to-the-minute blog posts and Bass Live and other photo and video content, on-water happenings have become hard to hide. Again, why would anyone want to hide the good, the bad, or the ugly? It’s all real. These men are independent contractors and are, as such, responsible for their own actions. Show the action. Make no apologies. We, the fans, want to see and hear it.
If there had been video of Ish Monroe and Keith Poche fighting outside the lock on Lake Toho last year would that not have gone viral way beyond our usual bass tournament audience? “Oh bother, I’m not watching that video because there is too much action,” said no sports fan ever!
Am I wrong?
By the way, if you have not seen the video on Bassmaster.com of Tharp and Herren, check it out. Spoiler alert: they worked out their differences afterward as true professionals do.
Th Marine Acquires Tonka Customs Llc Electronics Mounts.
Huntsville, AL – May 7, 2016 — T-H Marine Supplies, Inc., of Huntsville, Alabama, announces the acquisition of the assets of Tonka Customs, LLC of Mound, Minnesota. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Tonka Customs was founded by Josh Douglas and Andy Young. It manufactured the WAVE TAMER bow sonar mounts.
T-H Marine’s president, Jeff Huntley, stated “We are excited about our acquisition of the assets of Tonka Customs to grow our presence in boat electronic mounts. Over the past couple years, several of our pro-staff told us about a bow sonar mount that they considered “awesome”. It was extremely strong, mounted to the deck in sturdy manner, and was available in a variety of colors. After hearing about it over and over, we checked it out and they were right. The Tonka Customs WAVE TAMER is one of the original “Bridge”-type bow mounts. It is built with a heavy duty aluminum construction and is the only bridge mount available in a variety of color options. We are proud to have acquired this original bridge mount design and glad to have this high quality product in our offering.”
Huntley also said, “We are excited to announce that Josh and Andy will continue to promote the WAVE TAMER, and all of our TH Marine products, as members of the TH Marine pro-staff. Both of these guys are incredible anglers. Josh fishes all three divisions of the BASS Opens and is one of the top smallmouth guides in Minnesota. In addition, Andy is a FLW Tour angler, BASS Open winner and a former BASS Classic qualifier. Their extensive on-the-water experience lead them to develop one of the original “Bridge”-type mounts. We are excited that they will be a part of the TH Marine Team.”
Josh Douglas, co-founder of Tonka Customs stated, “The fact we’re able to turn our mount over to a industry powerhouse like TH Marine and still get the opportunity to promote our product as well as all the other great boating accessories in the TH Marine lineup, is an opportunity we couldn’t allow to slide by. Andy and I worked very hard to earn the reputation that our bridge mount has built and are excited to pass it off to such a reputable company who’ll surely take it to the next level. I fish a lot of big water while tournament fishing and guiding and know first hand how efficiently the Wave Tamer protects my Lowrance units in the harshest conditions imaginable and allows me to be able to simply concentrate on that next bite.”
Andy Young, co-founder of Tonka Customs stated, “I’m excited to see a project we worked so hard developing take the next step with a company like TH Marine. I built this mount with my own two hands, I know personally what this mount can do. We designed and built it to hold up to the worst elements and am more than excited to continue to promote the Wave Tamer, as well as all their other great products while pulling my Ranger boat all across the country competing on the FLW Tour.”
T-H Marine’s Huntley also stated, “T-H Marine continues to seek quality brands and products to add to our portfolio. This is our fourth company acquisition in the past three years along with many product license acquisitions. We have awesome momentum in bringing exciting and innovative products to market for the boating and fishing consumer. We are not letting that slow down. The acquisition of the Tonka Customs assets, along with our KVD Kong Extreme Electronics Mount, makes TH Marine a leader in marine electronic mounting technology.”
T-H Marine is celebrating its 40th Anniversary of business and has grown to be one of the largest manufacturers of boating and fishing accessories in the U.S. T-H Marine provides parts to every boat manufacturer in the country and distributes them thru virtually every major distributor and retailer of boating and fishing products. To learn more about T-H Marine, please visit www.thmarine.com .
Gross Leads Wire-To-Wire, Wins Flw Pickwick Stop By Just Over 3 Pounds!
GROSS LEADS WIRE-TO-WIRE, WINS WALMART FLW TOUR ON PICKWICK LAKE PRESENTED BY QUAKER STATE
Georgia rookie wins by 3-pound, 1-ounce margin, Wins $100,000
FLORENCE, Ala. (May 8, 2016) – Just six months ago pro Buddy Gross of Ringgold, Georgia, was an accomplished Costa FLW Series angler that daydreamed of competing against the best anglers in the world on the Walmart FLW Tour.
After a great season at the AAA-level, Gross qualified for priority entry into the 2016 FLW Tour. After the incredible week that Gross has had at the Walmart FLW Tour at Pickwick Lake presented by Quaker State, it’s safe to say that Gross has proven that he can compete with the best.
With a four-day total of 17 bass weighing 74 pounds, 5 ounces, Gross won by a 3-pound, 1-ounce margin, despite starting Sunday with a near 15-pound lead. Gross weighed just two bass totaling 4-14, but it was still enough to best 162 of the best bass-fishing anglers in the world and earn him $100,000.
“Today has been the biggest roller coaster of my life,” said Gross. “It was a long ride back to weigh in today – I really thought I was coming back for a second-place finish. Michael (Neal) is a true competitor and is the best fisherman that I know, and I knew that I had to catch at least 10 pounds to feel safe. Thank the Lord that I caught two, and it worked out like it did.”
Gross said that he caught the majority of his fish during the first three days of competition on a 200-yard bar running off of the bottom of an island. He found the fish keying in on eelgrass, and was catching them in 8 to 10 feet of water.
“I found the eelgrass on my Lowrance unit and I could see the fish setting up on it on my graph. I caught all of my fish there this week, except for the two today. There was no wind and no current today and that hurt, but I think I just ran out of fish. I had to scramble to catch the two that I did.”
Gross’ key bait throughout the week was a 1-ounce white Hog Farmer hair jig, but he also mentioned a Fringe Tackle Swimbait, a spinnerbait and a Tennessee River Tackle Tremor scrounger with a Zoom Magnum Fluke as baits that produced for him.
“The hair jig was by far the best bait for me in this event,” Gross said.
“Last year after I qualified through the Costa Series I really questioned whether I should take the risk, and if I could compete on the FLW Tour,” Gross went on to say. “It took every last dime that I had to come out here and compete this year, but my wife was behind me 100-percent and she said go. This win gives my family and I security and that is truly what means the most to me.”
The top 10 pros finished the tournament:
1st: Buddy Gross, Ringgold, Ga., 17 bass, 74-5, $100,000
2nd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 20 bass, 71-4, $30,000
3rd: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., 19 bass, 65-1, $25,000
4th: Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala., 19 bass, 64-14, $20,000
5th: Mike Surman, Boca Raton, Fla., 19 bass, 63-11, $19,000
6th: Barry Wilson, Birmingham, Ala., 20 bass, 57-13, $18,000
7th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 20 bass, 56-2, $17,000
8th: Travis Fox, Rogers, Ark., 17 bass, 56-0, $16,000
9th: Stephen Patek, Dallas, Texas, 18 bass, 50-3, $15,000
10th: Lew’s pro Peter Thliveros, Saint Augustine, Fla., 18 bass, 49-7, $14,000
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 41 bass weighing 124 pounds, 7 ounces caught by pros Sunday. Five of the final 10 pros weighed in five-bass limits.
Keith Diffey of Elk Grove, California, won the co-angler division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of seven bass weighing 25 pounds, 7 ounces, followed by Tyler Meredith of Oliver Springs, Tennessee, who finished in second place with nine bass, also weighing 25-7, worth $7,500. Diffey won via tiebreaker – the heaviest one-day catch between the two anglers – with his 13-2 limit weighed on Friday.
In addition to casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and up to $25,000 cash in the co-angler division, anglers are also competing for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2016 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 4-7 on Wheeler Lake.
Coverage of the Pickwick Lake tournament will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) September 21 from 1 p.m.-2 p.m. EST. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
The Walmart FLW Tour at Pickwick Lake was presented by Quaker State and hosted by Florence/Lauderdale Tourism. The next event for FLW Tour anglers will be the Walmart FLW Tour at Kentucky Lake presented by Mercury.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Periscope: @FLWFishing.
Gross Pads Lead Heading Into Championship Sunday On Pickwick Lake
GROSS PADS LEAD ON DAY THREE OF WALMART FLW TOUR ON PICKWICK LAKE PRESENTED BY QUAKER STATE
Georgia Rookie to start Final Day with 14-pound, 11-ounce Advantage
FLORENCE, Ala. (May 7, 2016) – Georgia pro Buddy Gross, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 22 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to extend his lead to more than 14 pounds after day three of the Walmart FLW Tour at Pickwick Lake presented by Quaker State. Gross’ three-day total of 69-7 make him the No. 1 seed on championship Sunday as the field is now cut to 10 in the four-day tournament that features 163 of the world’s best anglers competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
In second place is Gross’ travel partner on Tour, Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, who weighed in five bass totaling 16-14 Saturday for a three-day cumulative weight of 15 bass worth 54-12.
“For years I’ve watched many of the anglers in this field catch fish on television, so to be heading into day four with the lead is a dream come true. The lord has truly blessed me at this event,” said Gross, who has one previous career victory in FLW competition – a 2010 Bass Fishing League (BFL) win on Lake Guntersville.
Gross said he started off his day at the same 200-yard stretch he’s been working all week – a mid-lake ridge littered with shells beds and grass clumps where shad are spawning. Similar to his first two days on the water, he said he was able to catch two bass fairly quickly Saturday.
“I got two in the boat with a hair jig before the FLW camera boats even found me,” said Gross. “Within 30 minutes I caught another two, including a 5- or 6-pounder. All of my big fish have been coming from sitting on the outside of the bar and throwing over it into the ditch.
“Around 10:30 a.m. I went offshore a little bit and threw a Tennessee River Tackle Tremor with a Zoom Magnum Fluke and caught three more. I was able to cull twice and was feeling pretty good.”
Gross said he stopped fishing within five minutes of his last catch on the Tremor and spent the remainder of his day looking for new structure to fish on the final day of competition.
“I roamed around and looked for new stuff, and I feel good about tomorrow,” Gross went on to say. “I think I’ll go to the ledges earlier, especially if I can get two good ones at the ridge. It’ll depend on the wind. It’s picked up the last few afternoons and kept me in, but if it dies down tomorrow I think I can finally finish on the ledges.”
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition on Pickwick Lake are:
1st: Buddy Gross, Ringgold, Ga., 15 bass, 69-7
2nd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 54-12
3rd: Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala., 15 bass, 51-5
4th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., 14 bass, 47-1
5th: Barry Wilson, Birmingham, Ala., 15 bass, 44-9
6th: Travis Fox, Rogers, Ark., 14 bass, 43-12
7th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 15 bass, 43-12
8th: Mike Surman, Boca Raton, Fla., 14 bass, 43-11
9th: Lew’s pro Peter Thliveros, Saint Augustine, Fla., 15 bass, 43-1
10th: Stephen Patek, Dallas, Texas, 14 bass, 42-15
Finishing in 11th through 20th are:
11th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 42-15, $12,000
12th: Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., 15 bass, 42-13, $12,000
13th: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 13 bass, 42-12, $12,000
14th: Keystone Light pro Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 15 bass, 41-1, $12,000
15th: Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 13 bass, 40-11, $12,000
16th: Livingston Lures pro Stetson Blaylock, Benton, Ark., 15 bass, 40-6, $12,000
17th: Jay Kendrick, Grant, Ala., 13 bass, 37-15, $12,000
18th: Rick Cotten, Guntersville, Ala., nine bass, 35-4, $12,000
19th: Walmart pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., 12 bass, $12,000
20th: Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-9, $12,000
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 81 bass weighing 226 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 19 pros Saturday. The catch included 12 five-bass limits.
Pro Randy Haynes of Counce, Tennessee, who started the day in 9th place, had his day three weight disqualified for violation of FLW Tour rule No. 13 regarding methods of returning to check-in. After mechanical failure Haynes received a ride to check-in from an ineligible boat. FLW Tour rules state that anglers who have equipment failure can only receive a tow in, or a ride in from another tournament competitor. Haynes finished in 20th place with 10 bass weighing 31-9, good for $12,000.
Keith Diffey of Elk Grove, California, won the co-angler division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of seven bass weighing 25 pounds, 7 ounces, followed by Tyler Meredith of Oliver Springs, Tennessee, who finished in second place with nine bass, also weighing 25-7, worth $7,500. Diffey won via tiebreaker – the heaviest one-day catch between the two anglers – with his 13-2 limit weighed on Friday.
In FLW Tour competition, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2016 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 4-7 and is hosted by the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Anglers will take off from McFarland Park located at 200 Jim Spain Drive in Florence at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, the final day of competition. Sunday’s final weigh-in will be held at McFarland Park beginning at 4 p.m.
Fans will also be treated to the FLW Expo on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at McFarland Park prior to the final weigh-in. The Expo includes a 100-yard Lew’s Casting Lane, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.
Coverage of the Pickwick Lake tournament will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) September 21 from 1 p.m.-2 p.m. EST. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
The Walmart FLW Tour at Pickwick Lake is presented by Quaker State and is hosted by Florence/Lauderdale Tourism.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
About FLW
Gross Still Leads On Pickwick, Opens Up The Gap Heading Into Day 3
GROSS EXTENDS LEAD AT WALMART FLW TOUR ON PICKWICK LAKE PRESENTED BY QUAKER STATE
California’s Diffey Wins Co-angler Title, $20,000
FLORENCE, Ala. (May 6, 2016) – Georgia pro Buddy Gross, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 21 pounds, 3 ounces Friday to extend his lead after day two of the Walmart FLW Tour at Pickwick Lake presented by Quaker State. Gross now brings an 8-pound, 13-ounce lead into day three of the four-day tournament that features 163 of the world’s best anglers competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
In second place is Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, who weighed in five bass totaling 14-14 Friday for a two-day cumulative total of 10 bass worth 37-14. The field is now trimmed to the top 20 on Saturday, with only the top 10 anglers fishing on the final day Sunday.
“I’m running a half-mile stretch at the end of a huge mid-lake flat where bass are heading out from the spawn towards the main river,” said Gross, who is fishing in just his fourth event as a professional on the FLW Tour. “Just about every bass I’ve caught in this event has been postspawn.”
Gross said his fish are congregating on shell beds and in isolated, clumpy grass.
“There’s a shad spawn going on in the morning and I think I’m catching the tail-end of it when I get to my area,” said Gross. “Yesterday, I caught four shortly after I arrived, but today I only was able to get two and had to grind out the other three. I lost a big one midday today which definitely would’ve helped me out. Hopefully there will be five more there tomorrow.
“I’m just worried about running out, that’s my problem right now,” continued Gross. “All seven of my bites today happened before 10:30 a.m. There isn’t much action after 11. I’ve wasted an afternoon for two days now, so tomorrow I’m going to have to go find something else to fish.”
Gross said he’s used one lure to catch the majority of his bass.
“One of my sponsors makes the bait I’m throwing and it’s doing well,” said Gross. “It’s a single-hook bait and I’m not losing many fish.”
The Georgia rookie said he plans on dissecting the same stretch on day three before hitting ledges in the afternoon.
“I’ll be out there looking for another school,” said Gross. “I’m going to head towards the river and just throw anything that will produce a good fish.”
The top 20 pros that made the Buck Knives Cut and will fish Saturday on Pickwick Lake are:
1st: Buddy Gross, Ringgold, Ga., 10 bass, 46-11
2nd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 37-14
3rd: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., nine bass, 36-7
4th: Travis Fox, Rogers, Ark., 10 bass, 34-8
5th: Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala., 10 bass, 34-2
6th: Rick Cotten, Guntersville, Ala., eight bass, 33-7
7th: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 10 bass, 32-15
8th: Keystone Light pro Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 10 bass, 31-15
9th: Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-9
10th: Barry Wilson, Birmingham, Ala., 10 bass, 31-8
11th: Walmart pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., 10 bass, 30-10
12th: Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., 10 bass, 30-9
13th: Lew’s pro Peter Thliveros, Saint Augustine, Fla., 10 bass, 30-3
14th: Mike Surman, Boca Raton, Fla., 10 bass, 29-14
15th: Stephen Patek, Dallas, Texas, 10 bass, 29-12
16th: Livingston Lures pro Stetson Blaylock, Benton, Ark., 10 bass, 29-11
17th: Jay Kendrick, Grant, Ala., 10 bass, 29-7
18th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 10 bass, 29-6
19th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-15
20th: Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., eight bass, 28-11
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Monsoor earned the Big Bass Award on the pro side Friday, weighing a 9-pound, 13-ounce largemouth to win the $500 prize.
Overall there were 617 bass weighing 1,591 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 157 pros Friday. The catch included 84 five-bass limits.
Keith Diffey of Elk Grove, California, won the co-angler division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of seven bass weighing 25 pounds, 7 ounces, followed by Tyler Meredith of Oliver Springs, Tennessee, who finished in second place with nine bass, also weighing 25-7, worth $7,500. Diffey won via tiebreaker – the heaviest one-day catch between the two anglers – with his 13-2 limit weighed on Friday.
“I spent the week fishing shallow grass and ledges,” said Diffey, who was fishing in his first ever event as a co-angler on the FLW Tour. “I caught my biggest fish on day one with a Margarita Mutilator-colored Roboworm rigged on a drop-shot, and with a shaky-head jig with a split-tailed creature bait on day two. I rotated in Keitech Swimbaits as well.”
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Keith Diffey, Elk Grove, Calif., seven bass, 25-7 $20,000
2nd: Tyler Meredith, Oliver Springs, Tenn., nine bass, 25-7, $7,500
3rd: David Redington, Sulphur Springs, Texas, seven bass, 23-15 $5,000
4th: Tim Beale, Hernando, Miss., eight bass, 23-2 $4,000
5th: Chad Parks, Bartlett, Tenn., nine bass, 23-0, $3,000
6th: Josh Smith, Hamilton, Ohio, eight bass, 20-4 $2,500
7th: Troy O'Rourke, Natchitoches, La., five bass, 19-6, $2,500
8th: Billy Hines, Vacaville, Calif., seven bass, 19-2, $1,800
9th: Butch Whiteaker, Alpharetta, Ga., seven bass, 19-1, $1,700
10th: John Tutor, Saltillo, Miss., six bass, 18-12, $1,600
O’Rourke earned the Big Bass Award on the co-angler side Friday with a fish weighing 7 pounds, 4 ounces to win the $250 prize.
Overall there were 283 bass weighing 703 pounds, 3 ounces caught by 118 co-anglers Friday. The catch included 10 five-bass limits.
In FLW Tour competition, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2016 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 4-7 and is hosted by the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Anglers will take off from McFarland Park located at 200 Jim Spain Drive in Florence at 6:30 a.m. each day of competition. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will be held at McFarland Park beginning at 4 p.m.
Fans will also be treated to the FLW Expo on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at McFarland Park prior to the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes a 100-yard Lew’s Casting Lane, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.
Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at McFarland Park on Saturday from 9:30-11:30 a.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to area youth 15 years of age and younger and Special Olympics athletes. Event goodie bags will be awarded to the first 50 participants who sign up. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. All bait is donated by the DMF Bait Company.
Elite Series Rookie Luke Clausen's Lake Wheeler Disqualification Upheld By Bass Appeals Panel
Clausen Disqualification From Lake Wheeler Tournament Upheld
The disqualification of Luke Clausen of Otis Orchards, Wash., from the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament at Wheeler Lake, Alabama, last week, has been upheld by an appeals panel.
Clausen was disqualified from the event on the third day of competition for violating Elite Series Rule C3, which outlines a number of restrictions on practicing and obtaining information during off-limits periods, among others. At the time, he was in seventh place and had qualified to compete on Championship Sunday.
Clausen quickly appealed the disqualification decision when it was announced.
Under a new rule for this year, Clausen was allowed to continue competing while the decision was being appealed. According to the rule (C23), the 13th-place angler, Cliff Crochet of Pierre Part, La., was permitted to compete on Sunday, as well, with the understanding that, should Clausen win the appeal, Crochet’s catch, ranking and winnings would revert to his Day 3 totals.
A three-member panel consisting of two tournament anglers not competing in the Elite Series and a B.A.S.S. employee not associated with the tournament department heard the appeal Friday afternoon and upheld the disqualification.
With the appeals panel’s ruling, Clausen’s total catch of 59-9, initially good enough for eighth place, is erased, dropping him to 108th in the tournament. Crochet, who finished seventh with 59-10, will remain in that position, and each angler below seventh will move up one position.
Official, updated standings, points and payouts will be posted on Bassmaster.com on Saturday.
Rookie Grosse Leads Day 1 Of Flw Event On Pickwick Lake By 2-1/2 Pounds!
GEORGIA ROOKIE GROSS LEADS DAY ONE OF WALMART FLW TOUR ON PICKWICK LAKE PRESENTED BY QUAKER STATE
Mississippi’s Beale Leads Co-Anglers
Link to photo of pro leader Buddy Gross
FLORENCE, Ala. (May 5, 2016) – Rookie pro Buddy Gross of Ringgold, Georgia, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 25 pounds, 8 ounces, to take the early lead after day one of the Walmart FLW Tour at Pickwick Lake presented by Quaker State. He will hold a 2½-pound advantage over second place pro Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, (23-0) to start day two in the four-day event that features 163 of the world’s best bass-fishing anglers competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
“My home lakes are Chickamauga and Guntersville and it’s the same kind of deal here as it is at home,” said Gross, who rooms with Neal while traveling on Tour. “I’m catching them at their first stop as they’re coming off the spawn. I had six keeper bites today.
“They’re pretty close to the grass,” Gross continued. “I’m catching them in 8 to 15 feet. The grass is growing in 8 foot. I pull up on the grass, and then back out. I’ve got two good places that I fished in the same general area today, but the wind got bad and I know that they got dirtied so I’m not sure what’s going to happen tomorrow.”
Gross wasn’t ready to mention his specific baits or technique just yet but said that he thinks he has keyed in on something different that he is doing different from his competitors.
“I can’t talk about it just yet, but there is a key thing that I’m doing,” Gross said. “I did find a few other areas that looked good, but I couldn’t get close to them today because of the wind. These fish have moved a long ways since practice; I’m hoping I can connect with them again tomorrow.”
Twenty-four anglers had their day one weights disqualified and four were penalized for violating FLW Tour Rule No. 15 regarding late check-ins. The anglers had locked up into Lake Wilson to fish, which is legal, but were unable to get back through the lock on time after an issue with a barge that was locking through. Rule No. 15 states that contestants who are not at the check-in area at the appointed time will be penalized 1 pound per minute, deducted from the total weight. Any contestant more than 15 minutes late will lose credit for that day’s weight.
The top 10 pros after day one on Pickwick Lake are:
1st: Buddy Gross, Ringgold, Ga., five bass, 25-8
2nd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 23-0
3rd: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., five bass, 21-10
4th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., five bass, 21-5
5th: Travis Fox, Rogers, Ark., five bass, 20-12
6th: Rick Cotten, Guntersville, Ala., four bass, 18-14
7th: Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., five bass, 18-9
8th: Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala., five bass, 18-3
9th: Keith Amerson, Selmer, Tenn., five bass, 17-11
10th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., five bass, 17-7
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Cotten weighed in an 8-pound, 14 ounce largemouth to win the Big Bass Award on the pro side Thursday and the $500 prize.
Overall there were 560 bass weighing 1,392 pounds, 4 ounces caught by 136 pros Thursday. The catch included 81 five-bass limits.
Tim Beale of Hernando, Mississippi, leads the co-angler division with four bass weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces, followed by Mike Comeau of Jericho, Vt., in second place with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 2 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers after day one on Pickwick Lake are:
1st: Tim Beale, Hernando, Miss., four bass, 15-4
2nd: Mike Comeau, Jericho, Vt., five bass, 14-2
3rd: Tyler Meredith, Oliver Springs, Tenn., five bass, 12-13
4th: Keith Diffey, Elk Grove, Calif., four bass, 12-5
5th: David Redington, Sulphur Springs, Texas, four bass, 12-1
6th: Chad Randles, Elkhorn, Neb., five bass, 11-15
7th: Johnny Douglas, Liberty, Ky., five bass, 11-5
8th: Benjie Allen, Scottsboro, Ala., three bass, 10-15
9th: Anthony Goggins, Auburn, Ala., four bass, 10-13
10th: Josh Smith, Hamilton, Ohio, four bass, 10-4
Troy O’Rourke of Natchitoches, Louisiana, earned the Big Bass Award on the co-angler side Thursday with a bass weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces to win the $250 prize.
Overall there were 241 bass weighing 531 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 106 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included six five-bass limits.
In addition to casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and up to $25,000 cash in the co-angler division, anglers are also competing for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2016 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 4-7 on Wheeler Lake.
Anglers will take off from McFarland Park located at 200 Jim Spain Drive in Florence at 6:30 a.m. each day of competition Friday’s weigh-in will be held at McFarland Park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will also be held at McFarland Park, but will begin at 4 p.m.
Omori's Strategy Carries Him Past Lefebre - A Look Inside 2 Elite Brains At Work
The talk had centered on how Wheeler wasn’t fishing so well and how important it would be to save enough fish to last 4 days.
Lefebre had a big, productive area to himself. It included secondary points and spawning pockets. He expected lots of company but – to his disbelief - nobody else showed up. He had found the type of place where a guy could hunker down and win an Elite Series tourney.
He set a pace of 3 pounds-per-bass, thinking that would be enough to carry him the distance without culling through a bunch of fish he thought would become valuable during late rounds of the tournament. As each day rolled by, more and bigger fish kept coming to him on their way to the beds. When 20-pound sacks showed up at the scale Lefebre quickly adjusted his estimate to 4-pounds-per-fish. He led the 2nd and 3rd rounds.
Had he pounded-out that type of weight before resting his area the first day, he would have maintained his lead until the very end.
As it turned out Takahiro Omori hoisted the blue trophy.
Tak had post-spawn fish piling up on his spot and he just hammered them with a swimbait. He weighed the heaviest daily bag on 3, out of the 4, competition days. According to bass fishing stats guru Ken Duke, that has only happened twice before in Elite Series history – when Ish Monroe and Brandon Palaniuk did it in back-to-back events in 2012.
Takahiro never let off.
Considering the strength of competition at our sport’s highest level, pros seldom have the advantage of ‘laying-up’ or saving fish anymore. That used to be a big part of the strategy. Now I’m not sure if it is more important than ever, or if it has simply become irrelevant in an era when there’s always somebody stomping on the gas from start to finish.
Randall Tharp And Costa Sunglasses, The One Thing, Or Three Things He Has To Have In His Boat.
Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Randall Tharp relies on his Costa Sunglasses day in and day out to protect his eyes and to get the most out of his day fishing. Watch as Randall Explains why the benefits of three different lenses helps him be a better angler. Check out Costa Sunglasses and pick up a pair or three here!
Sigmon And Huffman Win The Cbc On Hickory With 18.17 Lbs-Take Home $14,000 Cash! Full Results Here!
Eric Self and Tyler Beam finished in 3rd place with 17.15lbs and were the 2nd highest finishing Skeeter/Yamaha which boosted their total winnings to $6,500!
Chris Dover and Robert Fowler finished 6th with 16.45lbs, but they had a 7.47lb monster in their Skeeter livewell that earned them the $1,000 Big Fish prize, and with the 3rd place Skeeter Bonus, they pushed their payday to a whopping $4,250!!
Mitch Cook and Todd Huffman finished in 10th place for an $800 check, but thankfully, they were in Mitch's Skeeter which gave them the 4th Place Skeeter Bonus and $1,800 in total winnings!
| Place | Team Name | Team # | Fish Weighed | Net Weight | Big Fish | Points | SKEETER BONUS | Total Winnings |
| 1 | Darren Sigmon - Brian Huffman | 156 | 5 | 18.17 | 310 | $4,000 | $14,000 | |
| 2 | Derek Cummings - Victor Lynch | 9 | 5 | 17.84 | 4.74 | 309 | $5,000 | |
| 3 | Eric Self - Tyler Beam | 169 | 5 | 17.15 | 308 | $3,000 | $6,500 | |
| 4 | Alfred Keisling, Sr - Chad Poteat | 125 | 5 | 16.88 | 307 | $2,500 | ||
| 5 | Robert Mixon - Robert Lambert | 64 | 5 | 16.67 | 306 | $2,000 | ||
| 6 | Chris Dover - Robert Fowler | 10 | 5 | 16.45 | 7.47 | 305 | $2,000 +$1,000 BF | $4,250 |
| 7 | Nick Beaver - Roger Beaver | 118 | 4 | 16.30 | 304 | $1,100 | ||
| 8 | Jerry Craig - Bobby Latuch | 7 | 5 | 16.29 | 303 | $1,000 | ||
| 9 | Jeremi Beatty - Clint Benbow | 137 | 5 | 16.15 | 302 | $900 | ||
| 10 | Mitchell Cook - Todd Huffman | 95 | 5 | 15.86 | 301 | $1,000 | $1,800 | |
| 11 | Brett McLean - Mac McLean | 119 | 5 | 15.73 | 300 | $625 | ||
| 12 | Vince Parker - Mark Parker | 92 | 5 | 15.72 | 299 | $575 | ||
| 13 | Dustin Compton - Jonathan strickland | 58 | 5 | 15.51 | 298 | $550 | ||
| 14 | Larry Denton - Chris Guest | 4 | 5 | 15.46 | 297 | $525 | ||
| 15 | Charles Sipe - Kelly Johnson | 49 | 5 | 15.25 | 296 | $475 | ||
| 16 | Scott Henley - Neil McDonald | 99 | 5 | 15.24 | 295 | $450 | ||
| 17 | byron brush - Byron Brush Sr. | 94 | 5 | 15.11 | 294 | $400 | ||
| 18 | Marcus Leech - Tim Chapman | 62 | 5 | 15.05 | 293 | $350 | ||
| 19 | David Winters - Russell Winters | 84 | 5 | 14.99 | 292 | $325 | ||
| 20 | Matt Queen - Robin Cairco | 76 | 5 | 14.89 | 291 | $300 | ||
| 21 | CJ Johnston - Matt Stanley | 108 | 5 | 14.84 | 290 | $290 | ||
| 22 | Mike Seawright - John parker | 155 | 5 | 14.48 | 289 | $275 | ||
| 23 | todd sosebee - steve postell | 115 | 5 | 14.26 | 288 | $260 | ||
| 24 | Doug Easton - Pete Bejte | 77 | 5 | 14.24 | 287 | $250 | ||
| 25 | Klaus Hadschin - Jerry Hadschin | 150 | 5 | 14.18 | 286 | $240 | ||
| 26 | Travis Young - Neil Sheehan | 114 | 5 | 14.11 | 285 | $230 | ||
| 27 | Kyle McElveen - Cleve Yarborough | 32 | 5 | 14.09 | 284 | $220 | ||
| 28 | Scott Sellers - Randy Childers | 82 | 5 | 13.50 | 283 | $210 | ||
| 29 | Tom McCombs - curtis lail | 34 | 4 | 13.49 | 282 | |||
| 30 | Reggie Guffey - Tommy Chapman | 127 | 5 | 13.21 | 281 | |||
| 31 | David Wright - Jeff Coble | 166 | 5 | 13.19 | 280 | |||
| 32 | Tim Gaines - Mike Bryant | 87 | 5 | 13.18 | 279 | |||
| 33 | Darrell Parks - Thomas Johnson | 136 | 5 | 13.13 | 278 | |||
| 34 | Steve Addington - Matt Stout | 50 | 5 | 13.11 | 277 | |||
| 34 | Mike Stephens - cody young | 97 | 5 | 13.11 | 277 | |||
| 36 | Daniel Ruppe - Jacob Reome | 54 | 5 | 12.86 | 275 | |||
| 37 | Dan Funderburk - Rod Cozart | 52 | 5 | 12.85 | 274 | |||
| 38 | Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughtie | 151 | 5 | 12.75 | 273 | |||
| 39 | David Fortenberry - Jessie Towery | 40 | 5 | 12.59 | 272 | |||
| 40 | Chris Martin - Mike Greene | 165 | 5 | 12.55 | 271 | |||
| 41 | Carl Williams - Eddie Williams | 39 | 5 | 12.47 | 270 | |||
| 42 | Nathan Royal - David Brookshire | 93 | 4 | 12.42 | 269 | |||
| 43 | Derick Livingston - Jonathan Spivey | 83 | 5 | 12.34 | 268 | |||
| 44 | Doug Punch - Rocky Franklin | 113 | 5 | 12.18 | 267 | |||
| 45 | Kelly Ruff - Travis Ruff | 11 | 5 | 12.04 | 266 | |||
| 46 | Nathan White - Glen Eaves | 134 | 5 | 11.96 | 265 | |||
| 47 | Jason Eaker - Allen Eaker | 20 | 5 | 11.94 | 264 | |||
| 48 | William Harris - Stanton Harris | 29 | 4 | 11.88 | 5.35 | 263 | ||
| 49 | Jarrad Poarch - Keith Berry | 28 | 5 | 11.86 | 2.98 | 262 | ||
| 50 | Wayne Ingram - Chris Brown | 48 | 5 | 11.83 | 261 | |||
| 51 | Jordan Wright - Chris Casey | 69 | 5 | 11.61 | 260 | |||
| 52 | Mark Swink - austin petty | 26 | 5 | 11.48 | 259 | |||
| 53 | Eric Jeter - Darren Jeter | 51 | 5 | 11.47 | 258 | |||
| 54 | Chris Graham - Ricky Byrd | 157 | 5 | 11.40 | 257 | |||
| 55 | Stephen Griggs - Rodney Sorrell | 122 | 5 | 11.35 | 256 | |||
| 56 | Joshua Queen - Mike Queen | 103 | 4 | 11.27 | 255 | |||
| 56 | Robin Collins - Ronnie White | 152 | 5 | 11.27 | 255 | |||
| 58 | Terry Herman - thomas wike | 173 | 5 | 11.12 | 253 | |||
| 59 | Nathan Webber - Hunter Harwell | 3 | 5 | 11.04 | 252 | |||
| 60 | Rodney Bell - Tommy Jones | 66 | 5 | 10.86 | 251 | |||
| 61 | Robert Bauguess - Rodney Morrow | 27 | 5 | 10.83 | 250 | |||
| 62 | Phil Hennessee - Jon Digh | 98 | 5 | 10.81 | 249 | |||
| 63 | william patterson - Chris Tinsley | 23 | 5 | 10.68 | 248 | |||
| 64 | Eddie Smith - Michael Carson | 46 | 5 | 10.53 | 247 | |||
| 64 | Keith Porter - Tony Price | 104 | 5 | 10.53 | 247 | |||
| 66 | John Elliott - Scott Tate | 71 | 5 | 10.48 | 245 | |||
| 67 | Jason Wilson - Kelly Logan | 132 | 5 | 10.44 | 244 | |||
| 68 | Aric Dwyer - Robert Anderson | 53 | 5 | 10.40 | 243 | |||
| 69 | Dennis Hensley - Steve Yoder | 33 | 5 | 10.28 | 242 | |||
| 70 | Phillip Hedrick - Jack Vanderford | 59 | 5 | 10.20 | 241 | |||
| 71 | Bryan Welch - Mark Inman | 22 | 5 | 9.99 | 240 | |||
| 72 | Don Sprinkle - Wayne Skipworth | 18 | 5 | 9.94 | 239 | |||
| 73 | Dale Surrett - Lee Endicott | 56 | 5 | 9.87 | 238 | |||
| 73 | Johnny Guffey - Wesley Bell | 167 | 5 | 9.87 | 238 | |||
| 75 | Mitch Burgin - Larry Houser | 91 | 4 | 9.71 | 236 | |||
| 76 | James Carriker - Brad Smith | 161 | 4 | 9.64 | 235 | |||
| 77 | Kevin Chandler - Bradley Chandler | 63 | 4 | 9.61 | 234 | |||
| 78 | James Wall - Jimmy Wall | 148 | 5 | 9.59 | 233 | |||
| 79 | Steve Sink - Tony Foster | 24 | 5 | 9.44 | 232 | |||
| 80 | Adam Ridings - Michael Ridings | 79 | 3 | 9.43 | 231 | |||
| 80 | Nolan Eller - Josh Huffman | 105 | 5 | 9.43 | 231 | |||
| 82 | Roger Adams - Josh Adams | 45 | 3 | 9.21 | 229 | |||
| 82 | Paul Guthrie - Robert Church | 117 | 5 | 9.21 | 229 | |||
| 84 | Thomas Gavin - Mike Sprouse | 153 | 5 | 9.16 | 227 | |||
| 85 | Thomas Simmerson - Doug Young | 6 | 3 | 9.12 | 5.7 | 226 | ||
| 86 | Patrick Tierney - Moe Freeze | 89 | 5 | 8.92 | 225 | |||
| 87 | Thomas Ludwick - Thomas File | 138 | 5 | 8.90 | 224 | |||
| 88 | Chris Wagner - Chase Deal | 80 | 5 | 8.83 | 223 | |||
| 89 | Tim Hollar - Bob Killian | 44 | 5 | 8.68 | 222 | |||
| 89 | Travus Lovell - James Roten | 55 | 5 | 8.68 | 222 | |||
| 91 | greg berst - Ryan Bentley | 168 | 5 | 8.48 | 220 | |||
| 92 | Steve Dyer - Derek Lilley | 37 | 3 | 8.47 | 219 | |||
| 93 | Israel Gibson - Grant McPeters | 106 | 4 | 8.45 | 218 | |||
| 94 | Anthony Monaco - Justin McBrayer | 72 | 5 | 8.06 | 217 | |||
| 95 | Bill Grier - Robby Byrum | 70 | 4 | 8.05 | 216 | |||
| 96 | Keith Speece - Wendell Ireland | 17 | 3 | 7.92 | 215 | |||
| 97 | Randall Wallace - Andrew Wallace | 170 | 4 | 7.55 | 214 | |||
| 98 | Chris Ellis - Mathew Frazier | 61 | 3 | 7.53 | 213 | |||
| 99 | Sheldon Hipps - Wayne Hauser | 60 | 4 | 7.44 | 212 | |||
| 100 | Allen Robbins - Jerry Robbins | 25 | 2 | 7.23 | 5.94 | 211 | ||
| 101 | Shawn Crosby - robert brooks | 163 | 4 | 7.02 | 210 | |||
| 102 | Billy Scoggins - Eddie Parker | 14 | 4 | 6.85 | 209 | |||
| 103 | bobby snyder - Bernie Davis | 100 | 2 | 6.64 | 5.27 | 208 | ||
| 104 | Larry LeHew - Greg Deal | 36 | 4 | 6.63 | 207 | |||
| 105 | Dale Duncan - Donnie Woody | 129 | 3 | 6.08 | 206 | |||
| 106 | Jason Lowman - Cody Lail | 88 | 2 | 5.57 | 205 | |||
| 107 | Fred Kauffman - Sam Gladden | 73 | 3 | 5.41 | 204 | |||
| 108 | Justin Stoltzfus - david schuette | 65 | 3 | 5.01 | 203 | |||
| 109 | Dan English - David Gibson | 143 | 1 | 3.59 | 202 | |||
| 110 | Larry Horton - Ricky Shrewsbury | 13 | 2 | 3.42 | 201 | |||
| 111 | John Robeson - Jimmy Tatum | 110 | 1 | 3.28 | 200 | |||
| 112 | Mike Clark - Chris Anderson | 47 | 1 | 1.97 | 1.97 | 199 | ||
| 113 | Thomas Hardwick - Tommy Williams | 90 | 1 | 1.95 | 198 | |||
| 114 | William Blanton - David Blanton | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 115 | James Martin - Cliff Kirby | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 116 | Nick Miller - Brandon Brickweg | 5 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 117 | Butch Zadlo - Bryan Lewis | 8 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 118 | Jeff Hager - darrel hager | 12 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 119 | Donald Poteat - JOHN ALLEN | 15 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 120 | Brent Berry - Steve Shaw | 16 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 121 | Adam Waters - Dylan Fulk | 19 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 122 | Jeff Queen - Carroll Queen | 21 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 123 | Greg Bragg - Christopher Terry | 30 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 124 | Dennis Cable - Tim Harrison | 31 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 125 | Todd Garner - Shane Hartman | 35 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 126 | Richard Robinson lll - Robert Chavis | 38 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 127 | joe floyd - Phil Brown | 41 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 128 | GEORGE HIRAPETIAN - ARAM HIRAPETIAN | 42 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 129 | Brian King | 43 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 130 | Mason Boyd - TIMOTHY SISK | 57 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 131 | Chris Corriher - Randy Christy | 67 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 132 | Milton Yancey - Larry Yancey | 68 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 133 | Ricky Self - Ben Stanton | 74 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 134 | Kevin Toler - Rodney Lambert | 75 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 135 | Bron Hemphill - Nathan Dellinger | 78 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 136 | Dwight Dellinger - Doug Dellinger | 81 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 137 | Greg Whittington - Danny Hucks | 85 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 138 | Michael Smith - Roger Pope | 86 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 139 | Tyler Hoopaugh - Chris Hoopaugh | 96 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 140 | MICHAEL HALL - MIKE HALL | 101 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 141 | Brendon Schneider - Kyle James | 102 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 142 | Chuck Morton - Michael Riggs | 107 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 143 | Tyler Dover - Billy Dover | 109 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 144 | Darrell Fisher - William Gregory | 111 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 145 | Mike Scott - Chris Johnson | 112 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 146 | Mikey Bowlby | 116 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 147 | Cody Shuffler - Bryce Owen | 120 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 148 | Dusty Taylor - Keaton Hawks | 121 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 149 | Robert Walser - Mack Lowe | 123 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 150 | Jason Quinn - Tony Colacurcio | 124 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 151 | Justin Reid - Derrick Compton | 126 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 152 | Louie Hull - Chuck Montgomery | 128 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 153 | Jacob Moore - Thomas Moore | 130 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 154 | Greg Sims - Michael Huffman | 131 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 155 | Brandon Sykes - Jeff McQuaige | 133 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 156 | Duke Denison - Jamie Denison | 135 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 157 | Paul Brittain - Robert Kendrick | 139 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 158 | Phillip Frady - Dirk Porter | 140 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 159 | Bob Bolick - Rick Hedrick | 141 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 160 | Tony Davis - Tim Bowman | 142 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 161 | Dale Luckey - John Brown | 144 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 162 | Terry Trivet - Derek Tolley | 145 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 163 | Michael Cribb - Roger Cribb | 146 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 164 | Brandon Williams - Christian Shoda | 147 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 165 | Brian Travis - Ashley Brotherton | 149 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 166 | Mike Ray - Orlando Giles | 154 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 167 | Timothy Stewart - chris stewart | 158 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 168 | Kyle Whisnant - James Ball | 159 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 169 | Roger Hoover - Scott Hamrick | 160 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 170 | Alton Rockett - Randy Huffman | 162 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 171 | Brock Taylor - Brent Long | 164 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 172 | Tim Hawley - Joe Hamilton | 171 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 173 | Adam Greer - Shae jones | 172 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 |
David Griswold Captures The Win In The Aft Division 96 Event On Lake Greenwood!
Group picture from left to right; 1st place David Griswold of Woodruff, SC / 2nd place and Big Fish Winner Don Kneece of Saluda, SC. / 3rd place Jerry Allen of Waterloo, SC / 4th place Daniel Howell of Star, SC / 5th place Jay Treon of Greenwood, SC. (Also a photo of Don Kneece with the tournament big fish.)
First place, David Griswold of Woodruff, SC, was fishing the middle part of the lake and caught his fish on docks with jerkbaits and flipping soft plastics. David’s 5 fish weighing 17.67 pounds with a kicker fish of 5.29 pounds won first place and first place option for a total of $637.
Don Kneece of Saluda, SC was second with 5 fish weighing 13.68 pounds fishing the upper part of the lake. He caught his fish on jerkbaits and top water. Don caught all his fish early from schooling fish. His big fish (tournament big fish) weighing 5.64 pounds was caught on the jerkbait. For second place, second place in the option pot and big fish Don won $478.
Jerry Allen of Waterloo, SC finished in third place with 5 fish weighing 12.04 pounds. Jerry took home $101 for third place.
Only 9 anglers out of the 19 fishing weighed in fish today. Anglers reported catching a lot of short fish and fishing docks seemed to be the pattern fished by many.
Our day started out raining with passing thunderstorms. The rain kept coming and going until about 10:30am. From that point it was cloudy to mostly cloudy for the remainder of the day. Wind was out of the SW at 10 to 15mph. We started at 66 degrees and were at 84 degrees for the 3pm weigh-in. Water temps were in the mid 70’s. The lake was clear but stained in the creeks and almost at full pool.
Here’s how we finished:
1 – David Griswold, Woodruff, SC – 5 fish 17.67 lbs. 199 pts.
2 – Don Kneece, Saluda, SC - 5 fish 13.68 lbs. BF 5.64 lbs. 198 pts.
3 – Jerry Allen, Waterloo, SC – 5 fish 12.04 lbs. 197 pts.
4 – Daniel Howell, Star, SC – 5 fish 10.28 lbs. 196 pts.
5 – Jay Treon, Greenwood, SC – 5 fish 17.10 lbs. 195 pts.
6 – Matt Mollohan, Lexington, SC – 5 fish 8.90 lbs. 194 pts.
7 – Stanley Harkins, Fletcher, NC – 2 fish 3.96 lbs. 193 pts.
8 – Cody Conner, Saluda, SC – 2 fish 3.70 lbs. 192 pts.
9 – Ed Matthews, Columbia, SC – 1 fish 3.37 lbs. 191 pts.
10 anglers did not weigh in fish - 50 pts.
Money
David Griswold – 1st place plaque $522 / 1st place option $115 Total - $637
Don Kneece – 2nd place plaque $308 / 2nd place option $75 / BF plaque $95 Total - $478
Jerry Allen – 3rd place plaque - $101
Daniel Howell – 4th place – Parker Spinnerbait
Jay Treon – 5th place – ALX Rods Hat
ALX Rod Big Fish Leader for 2016
John Stevenson – 7.65 lbs. Lake Murray, February 28, 2015
ALX Rods Big Fish Award for the 2015 Season (New ALX IKOS Series Rod for Season Big Fish Winner www.alxrods.com )
Local Sponsors:
Our local sponsors will be providing products or money for products for the anglers fishing Division 96 tournaments. Please give them your support by looking to them first when considering your purchases. They are supporting you!
Kneece Investigations, LLC Saluda, SC www.kneeceinvestigations.com (864-445-3713) (one stop for both your Investigative and Surveillance Equipment needs)
ALX Rods Aiken, SC www.alxrods.com (803-645-5392) Email: [email protected] (ALX Rods are available locally at The Tackle Shop (Martinez, GA), Palmetto State Armory (Fernandina Road in Columbia, SC & also store in Mt. Pleasant, SC), Wacky Riggers (Salisbury, NC), Calyx Outdoors (Piedmont, SC) Grady’s Great Outdoors (Anderson, SC), Lake Hartwell Outdoor Center (Anderson, SC) and direct at www.alxrods.com )
Gene Parker’s Spinnerbaits Asheville, NC - the baits that Gene Parker used to win the 2011 ABA National Championship on Lake Murray, SC www.parkerbaittechnology.com (828-691-2277)
Results and news on www.aba-sc.com and see your photos on ‘facebook’ at D-96 American Fishing Tour
Upcoming ABA Tournaments:
D-25 May 14-15, 2016 Hartwell Green Pond 2-Day
SC Couples May 21, 2016 Russell Russell State Park
D-96 May 21-22, 2016 Clarks Hill Dorn Facility 2-Day
D-96 May 28, 2016 Bring A Youth Greenwood Greenwood State Park
D-26 May 29, 2016 Clarks Hill Wildwood Park
SC Couples June 4, 2016 Greenwood One Stop Marina
Ram Open Series June 11, 2016 Hartwell Green Pond
D-26 June 26, 2016 Clarks Hill Wildwood Park
D-96 July 10, 2016 Murray Dreher Island State Park (1st of 2017 Season)
D-26 Aug. 14, 2016 Clarks Hill Wildwood Park
D-96 Aug. 21, 2016 Greenwood Greenwood State Park (2017)
D-26 Sept. 10-11, 2016 Clarks Hill Wildwood State Park (Div. 2-Day)
D-96 Sept. 18, 2016 Murray Dreher Island State Park (2017)
D-96 Oct. 2, 2016 Clarks Hill Dorn Facility (2017)
D-96 Nov. 6, 2016 Greenwood Greenwood State Park (2017)
D-96 Dec. 4, 2016 Russell Hwy 72 Ramp
AFT 2016 National Championship October 16-21, 2016 Lake Eufaula out of Lake Point Resort State Park, Eufaula, Al
Tim Mann, Troy Ray Win Big Nefar Tourney On St Johns River With 24.59 Pounds
Mann and Ray weighed-in 24.59 pounds of bass.
The NEFAR tourney indicates that fishing is good on the river right now. It also hints that we'll see big numbers of boats and bass at the Wolfson tourney in mid-May.
More details to come.
Rare Baker's Dozen Fish Final Day Of Elite Series On Wheeler
It's interesting that Dave Lefebre is sponsored by '13 Fishing' because he leads the Elites into a final round that features 13, not the standard 12, anglers.
At the close of Day 3, Saturday, Luke Clausen was disqualified under Bassmaster Elite Series Rule C3 which pertains to 'practice and competition' and has 5 subrules attached to it.
Citing his rights under Rule C23, Clausen appealed his disqualification and was thus allowed to fish today with the understanding that his efforts will be null and void if the DQ is upheld.
Similarly, Cliff Crochet, in 13th place yesterday, was also permitted to fish today with the understanding that if Clausen wins his case, Crochet's day will have just amounted to fun fishing and nothing more - except additional exposure for himself and his sponsors which is certainly a big benefit.
A decision is supposed to be handed-down at the conclusion of today's activities.
Either way, Crochet is having blast throwing topwater frogs as he has all week.
Weigh in should be interesting, if a bit awkward.
Team 13 Fishing & Rapala Angler Dave Lefebre Maintains Lead In Wheeler Lake Elite Series Event!!
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Lefebre Jumps Out To A Commanding Lead After Day 2 Of The Elite Series Event On Lake Wheeler
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Elite Series Day 1 Interviews
Some are happy and some are sad. More sad than happy right now as the guys who caught them caught them and the guys who didnt are left scratching their heads. Hear a little of both in the Day 1 Elite Series Wrap up with Justin Lucas, Brandon Palaniuk and Brandon Lester from Wheeler Lake.
The Crews Missile Jumps Out To The Early Lead In The 4Th Elite Series Stop Of The Bass Season
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Elite Series Day 1 Morning Interviews
Words like "Worst Ever", "Dead Sea", "Terrible" and some we can't mention were used to describe the status of the fishing on lake Wheeler this week. Listen as 4 Elite Series hammers tell us how they feel about day 1 then head over to Bassmaster.com and check the blog to see how they are really doing!
Anglers Channel On The Water With Flw Cup Champ Brad Knight
FLW Cup Champ Brad Knight likes to simplify things in the spring to help you get more bites. Hit Play and see how he keeps it simple and light to catch more and bigger fish in the spring.
Ferguson And Stewart Win The White Pine Marine Tt On Douglas-Results And Pic Here!
The second tournament for White Pine Marine Trail was Saturday April 23rd on Douglas Lake. We had another good turnout with 100 boats. The day was a sunny day with temps reaching near 80 degrees. The fishing was as good as the weather with fish in all stages of the spawn they were caught shallow and deep. The team of Bobby Ferguson and Marty Stewart brought to the scales 23.48 pounds to win and they also had big largemouth for tourney of 6.95lb. This veteran team was quoted that they fished post spawn deep fish. The win, big fish, and highest Lowrance money netted them $3800.00 dollars. We look forward to our next event which is on Cherokee lake at the Dam May 21st blast off will be 6:30 am. You may sign up at White Pine Marine that entire week and parking will be tight at the ramp. Thanks to all our great sponsors like Nitro/tracker Marine, Mercury, Jefferson county and Morristown chambers for all their support. Please see website for list of all sponsors.
Thanks Director Richard McMaster
Benton, Avena And A Talented Cast Of Young Pros Vie For Bassmaster Roy Title
I watched Bo Jackson and Michael Jordan (yes, THAT Michael Jordan when he tried his hand at hardball) play against our Suns. Neither could hit a curve ball at the time. Bo figured it out.
Observing the sport of angling from the front lines, I have had the privilege of watching young anglers learn to hit tournament curveballs - weather changes, disappearing schools, depleted shallow water areas and boat pressure.
A couple of years ago I fished the co-angler division at an FLW Tour tourney on Okeechobee. Now, in no way do I mean to compare the FLW Tour to minor league ball. The Tour represents a most professional sports league. The comparison lies in the fact that it afforded me a front row seat to watch some strong young talent that is now showing up as front runners in the Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year race. Heck, a couple of the young guys are making noise in the Angler of the Year race.
At that one tournament I met Adrian Avena in a grocery store parking lot and fished with Drew Benton on 2nd day of the first FLW Tour event of his rookie season on that trail. Benton won the tournament. What I remember most though is that he dug in his tackle bag and handed me a lure like the one he was catching them on. Before he had finished out his limit. It was a homemade bladed jig. He also figured out why I wasn’t catching them like he was. He explained exactly how the fish were positioned and why.
Drew Benton was dialed-in.
I enjoyed the show and developed an admiration for the way this young man went about his business. And the way he treated me.
While Avena is a Jersey Boy and Benton hails from Panama City, Florida, they share some outstanding character traits. Traits that make it easy to understand the considerable success they have achieved so early in their careers.
Benton currently 9th in AOY points and leads the ROY race with 258 points. Avena is 28th with 217. We’re 3 tournaments into the 2016 season, and a lot can still happen; will happen, but Benton and Avena have separated from a talented pack of rookies. The race should be tight and guys like Brock Mosely and John Hunter will give chase.
And I believe that years from now we will look back on this Rookie of the Year race as the start of some big Bassmaster tournament angling careers.
Countdown To Blastoff With Ac Pro Staffer Rob Digh-High Stakes All Over This Coming Weekend!
AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh joins us again to preview what looks to be a fantastic weekend on the water! Final CBC NC Qualifier on Hickory as well as numberous others throughout the region! Patterns are changing now, and we dive into what that means for that first cast..
