POTOMAC RIVER SET FOR FLW TOUR REGULAR-SEASON FINALE PRESENTED BY COSTA DEL MAR
Angler of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Forrest Wood Cup Field to all be Decided
MARBURY, Md. (June 1, 2017) – The seventh and final regular-season event of the 22nd season of the FLW Tour, the most competitive circuit in professional bass fishing, is coming to Marbury June 15-18 for the FLW Tour at the Potomac River presented by Costa Del Mar. Hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners, the tournament will feature 320 pros and co-anglers 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.
The FLW Tour last visited the Potomac River in 2015, when pro Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, took top honors with a four-day cumulative weight of 60 pounds even. This year, local pro Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Maryland, said he expects a lot more weight to come from the tidal fishery.
“I believe the weights will be substantially higher than when the Tour visited in 2015,” said Schmitt, who has 20 career top-10 finishes on the Potomac River in FLW competition. “The grass has really improved over the last two years and there’s a lot food in the system for these fish. The bass haven’t had to expend a lot of energy and have gotten big in a short amount of time.”
Schmitt said areas like Chicamuxen Creek, Wades Bay, Aquia Creek and Nanjemoy Creek will be popular because they tend to harbor the cleanest water.
“I think a lot of competitors will work their way into shallow, protected bays and cull through a ton of fish,” said Schmitt. “They’ll have to try to find that 4-pounder that sets them apart from the rest of the field – they’re out there.”
Schmitt said an assortment of baits including soft-plastic worms, jigs, frogs, stickbaits and swimbaits will be featured in this event. The Maryland veteran predicted the winner will need as much as 80 pounds of bass over four days to secure the win, a major increase in weight from just two years ago.
“If we don’t get any heavy rainfall or flooding prior to the event, I think we’re going to be in for a pleasant surprise,” said Schmitt. “This fishery can definitely produce 20 pound limits a day right now.”
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. EDT each day from Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road, in Marbury. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins, June 15-16, will be held at Smallwood State Park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, June 17-18, will also be held at Smallwood State Park, but will begin at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, fans are invited to come out and experience the free FLW Expo at Smallwood State Park from noon to 4 p.m. The FLW Expo is a great opportunity for fishing fans of all ages to meet-and-greet with top FLW Tour anglers, enjoy games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Youth are also invited to participate in the free FLW Foundation Unified Fishing Derby at Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury, on Saturday, June 17, from 9-11 a.m. The event, hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, is free and open to area youth (18 years of age and younger) and Special Olympics athletes (all ages). Rods and reels are available for the first 50 participants to use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field competes in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 20 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world-championship of professional bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at the Potomac River presented by Costa Del Mar is more than $800,000, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at the Potomac River presented by Costa Del Mar will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Sept. 20 from 12 p.m.-1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
MING WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MISSISSIPPI DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON COLUMBUS POOL
Carriere’s Stegall Grabs Co-angler Title
COLUMBUS, Miss. (June 12, 2017) – Timmy Ming of Louisville, Mississippi, weighed five bass Saturday totaling 13 pounds, 3 ounces to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mississippi Division tournament on the Columbus Pool. Ming took home $6,037 for his win.
“I locked from the Columbus Pool down to Aliceville and started my day on a 100-yard stretch right outside of the lock,” said Ming, who earned his first career-victory in BFL competition. “There was some riprap with grass growing on it and bass were feeding on crawfish. I put together a limit there by 9:30 (a.m.)”
Ming said he used a Putty Black-colored Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Frog to catch his initial limit. After 9:30 a.m., he said he continued his day in an area he refers to as Pratt Creek.
“Pratt Creek is an old river run with four or five old lakes off of it,” said Ming. “I sat at the mouth of one of the lakes where there’s a flat littered with stumps. Bass were schooling on shad as they moved out of the lake and into the river. I used a (Lucky Craft LC Silent) square-billed crankbait to catch one that I ended up weighing in.”
At noon, Ming said he locked back into the Columbus Pool and made his way up Tibbee Creek. He said he switched to a Red Shad-colored Berkley Havoc Ike’s Devil Spear to finish out his day.
“The flat I hit was a lot like the previous area in Pratt Creek, but there were grass mats around the stumps,” said Ming. “I caught one more that culled, and then brought in what I had.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Timmy Ming, Louisville, Miss., five bass, 13-3, $4,037 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Chris Quaintance, Muscle Shoals, Ala., three bass, 11-8, $2,019
3rd: Taylor Ramey, Purvis, Miss., five bass, 11-6, $1,545
4th: Tim Jaynes, Ethelsville, Ala., five bass, 11-5, $942
5th: Wayne Foreman, Magnolia, Miss., five bass, 10-9, $807
6th: Randy Craft, Seminary, Miss., five bass, 8-13, $840
7th: Sawyer Woods, Caledonia, Miss., four bass, 8-7, $673
8th: Jamie Long, Okolona, Miss., three bass, 8-3, $606
9th: Charles Watts, Corinth, Miss., four bass, 8-1, $538
10th: Steve Jones, Moss Point, Miss., four bass, 8-0, $471
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Gary Wright of Booneville, Mississippi, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $545.
Jack Stegall of Carriere, Mississippi, won the Co-angler Division and $2,019 Saturday after weighing three bass totaling 4 pounds, 11 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Jack Stegall, Carriere, Miss., three bass, 4-11, $2,019
2nd: Dylan Wooten, Vicksburg, Miss., two bass, 4-9, $842
2nd: Daniel Sullivan, Guntown, Miss., one bass, 4-9, $1,114
4th: Christian Sullivan, Florence, Miss., two bass, 4-8, $471
5th: Chris Dye, Hickory Flat, Miss., one bass, 4-3, $604
6th: Joseph Breeden, Brandon, Miss., two bass, 4-0, $370
7th: Robert Keifer, Brandon, Miss., two bass, 3-11, $336
8th: Jesse Steadham, Byram, Miss., two bass, 3-10, $303
9th: Jimmy Tisdale, Ellisville, Miss., two bass, 3-9, $269
10th: Lance Jackson, Starkville, Miss., two bass, 3-6, $273
10th: Kenneth Amos, Greenville, Miss., one bass, 3-6, $223
Daniel Sullivan’s bass was the largest caught in the Co-angler Division and earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $272.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the Red River in Bossier City, Louisiana. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
John Simons wins ABA RAM Trucks Open Oklahoma Division in Eufaula with over 14 pounds!
John Simonof of Jacksonville, AR won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Oklahoma Division tournament held June 10th on Lake Eufaula. Originally, scheduled for Lake Fort Gibson, the tournament was moved to Lake Eufaula OK due to the enormous amount of rain Oklahoma recently received. Lake Eufaula was three feet above normal pool and many areas were extremely muddy.
Running out of Peters Point in Eufaula Cove, Oklahoma, John caught five bass weighing 14.60 lbs. For the Boater Division victory, Simonof took home a check for $5,000 plus more than $7,000 in contingency bonuses.
“We made a long run in the morning and I started with a solid 3+ lb keeper at the first stop” Simonof said. “A mid-morning flurry gave me a solid limit and I continued to catch fish but only culled once. We left them biting late morning because I knew we had a long run across some big water and the wind started blowing; I knew it was going to be a long rough ride. We fished several places closer to the ramp but the areas were muddied up or blown out due to the strong winds. I caught all my fish in 2-4 feet of water on a homemade bladed jig poured on an Owner hook with a V&M baits Baby Swamp Hog trailer thrown on a Temple Fork Outfitters 7’ 3” heavy action rod and 20lb Hi-Seas Quattro fluorocarbon line.”
In second place on the boaters’ side was Luke Palmer from Coalgate, OK. Palmer came across the scales with five fish weighing down at 13.35 pounds to lock him in to carry home a check for $1250.
“I burned a LOT OF GAS today. I went from one end of this lake to the other. I was targeting spots where I could flip a Jig because that’s what I do here. I covered a lot of water trying to stay in that 4-ft. range. My last keeper came at 2:57 and I had to burn more gas to get in by 3:15. It was worth it though.” explained Palmer.
Mark Teply out of Midwest City, OK came in just behind the second-place finisher with a weight of 12.16 pounds held down by an anchor fish of 3.69 pounds. His 3rd place finish earned him a check of $900.
“The fishing was tough for everyone. You had to grind it out to get the quality bites for sure. The lake is dropping right now which always makes for a tough bite. This event was especially difficult for me with the loss of my good friend Jimbo the other day, so this one’s for him.” Teply said.
Finishing in fourth, Justin Phillips of Cucotah, OK hauled in five for 12.10 pounds. Closing in the top five boaters is Lee Sanders of Stillwater, OK with five fish weighing a total of 11.72 pounds.
The biggest bass for the boaters was caught by Kellen Davis of Spigler, OK. Fishing with the Ram Open Series for the first time, Davis landed a 5.30-pound fish to land him a check for $660.
In the Co-Angler Division, Stan Forrester out of Westville, OK locked in first place well over the competition with a three-fish limit weighing 10.09-pounds. Anchored with a 3.90-pound kicker, Forrester took home a check for $1200.
“We started out on a spot not too far from here but nothing turned up so we made a run down to the damn. I caught my first keeper down there on a crankbait. Nothing else happened so we made another run back up the lake, I caught another keeper there. Later in the day we went back to the damn and I finished out my limit and culled twice to bring in what I had.” Forrester said.
Coming in second place on the Co-Angler side is Shane Cashman out of Henryetta, OK. Cashman locked in his placement with a three-fish bag weighing a total of 6.87 pounds with a 2.99-pound anchor. Cashman was unavailable for interview at the end of the event, but received a check of $275 for his efforts.
Steve Roberts of Broken Arrow, OK came in third place for the day after bringing in three fishing weighing 6.76 pounds. Roberts took home a check of $225 for his third-place success.
Roberts also managed to haul in the biggest bass for the co-anglers by snagging a 4.47-pound fish around 2:00 in the afternoon. That big bass won him an additional $180 check.
“It was a grind today. I only had 2 keepers. We caught a lot of fish today but I bet I threw 5 or 6 back that were short. We made a pretty good run up the lake and were up there when the wind picked up so it was a rough ride back.” Roberts stated.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Patrick Weir from Broken Arrow, OK brought in three bass for 6.75. Dick Hindman of Sapulpa, OK finished in fifth place with two bass at 6.48 pounds.
Slated for August 12th, the next divisional tournament will be held on Grand Lake out of Wolf Creek near Grove, OK. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Bossier City, LA.
For more information on this tournament, call Chris Wayand, tournament manager, at 256-230-5627 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com .
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
ANDERSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MOUNTAIN TOURNAMENT ON BARREN RIVER
Bowling Green’s Clark Takes Co-angler Title
SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. (June 12, 2017) – Brent Anderson of Kingston Springs, Tennessee, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division tournament on the Barren River Saturday with five bass totaling 18 pounds, 10 ounces. For his win, Anderson took home $4,252.
Anderson said he split his day between two different schools of bass – one in Skaggs Creek and the other on the main river. He said both schools were stationed in 14 to 18 feet of water, and that they were the only two he fished all day.
“I was the only one who even attempted to fish the first school in Skaggs Creek,” said Anderson, who earned his seventh career-victory in BFL competition. “They were located near a side of a point where the creek channel swung in and touched the side of it. I ended up catching most of my weight there using a 1-ounce (white) Tennessee River Tackle hair jig that had feathers tied in it.”
Anderson said he spent a little more than three hours in Skaggs Creek before moving on to his main-river area, another channel swing that bent away from the bank and ran down the side of a skinny point.
“The fish weren’t biting the hair jig so I switched to an 8-inch, chrome-colored (Nichols) Magnum Spoon,” said Anderson. “I was able to catch two good ones fairly quickly.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., five bass, 18-10, $4,252
2nd: Casey O'Donnell, Langston, Ala., five bass, 15-0, $1,598
2nd: Brian Wilson, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 15-0, $1,898
4th: Ryan Coleman, Utica, Ky., five bass, 14-5, $838
5th: Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 14-0, $718
6th: Rusty Smith, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 13-10, $659
7th: Gary Isgrigg, Mount Washington, Ky., five bass, 12-15, $599
8th: Michael Morrison, Georgetown, Ky., five bass, 12-12, $539
9th: John Daniel, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 12-11, $479
10th: Jason Cooper, Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 12-4, $419
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Anderson also caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 10 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $460.
Pete Clark of Bowling Green, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $1,796 Saturday after weighing five bass totaling 14 pounds, 2 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Pete Clark, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 14-2, $1,796
2nd: Blake Miller, Saint Albans, W. Va., five bass, 9-14, $1,098
3rd: Ray Hardwick, Burnside, Ky., three bass, 9-12, $598
4th: Jason Hackett, Bowling Green, Ky., four bass, 8-2, $419
5th: Dustin Jones, Stanford, Ky., three bass, 7-15, $359
6th: Todd Stopher, London, Ky., four bass, 7-10, $314
6th: Billy Hughes, Eubank, Ky., three bass, 7-10, $544
8th: Jeff Pergram, Richmond, Ky., four bass, 7-9, $269
9th: Taylor Wisniewski, Lexington, Ky., four bass, 7-4, $289
10th: Donnie Durbin, Somerset, Ky., three bass, 7-1, $210
Hughes caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 7 ounces – which earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $230.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Bassmaster Team Championship Headed Back To Arkansas In December
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Chris Adams drops over 21 pounds on the scale to win ABA Ram Trucks NY Open on Champlain!
Chris M Adams of Rutland, Vermont won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series New York tournament, held June 10th on Lake Champlain.
Running out of Dock Street Launch in Plattsburgh, New York, Adams caught a five bass limit weighing 21.82 pounds. He anchored his bag with a 4.88-pound kicker. For the Boater Division victory, Adams took home a check for $5000.
“I fished on the bottom with tubes, drop shot and plastics. I caught most of my fish site fishing. I caught my best one on a white swim bait about 2 pm. I caught fish all day.” Said Adams.
In second for the boaters, JJ Judd of St Albans, Vermont. He landed a five-bass tournament limit going 20.13 pounds with a 4.43-pound kicker. Judd collected $1630 for the effort.
Judd said “I site fished for bedding fish. I went and got my five biggest fish first. Then I went largemouth fishing. I used a variety of baits and colors.”
Stephen J Estes of Auburn, NH took third for the boaters with five bass going 19.65 pounds. He anchored his catch with a 4.43-pound kicker to earn $1090.
“In the morning, I threw shallow with jerk baits in a chartreuse shad. Later I went a little deeper with brush hogs in green pumpkin. The fish were both pre-spawn and spawning.” Said Estes.
Finishing fourth, Jason Stoddard of St Albans, Vermont landed a five-bass limit for 19.47 pounds including a 3.78-pound kicker.
Bryan Labelle of Hinesburg, Vermont rounded out the top five boaters with five bass at 18.93 pounds topped by a 4.15-pound kicker.
The biggest bass for the boaters was caught by: Christian Mazzola of Walnutport, PA that weighed 4.96 and he pocketed $820 for his catch.
In the Co-Angler Division, William Hines of Indiana, PA won with three bass going 11.94 pounds. He sealed his victory with a 4.92-pound kicker to pocket a check for $1400.
“I’m not keeping any secrets, I caught all my fish in the morning. I used a top water bait from Livingston Lures, it was a Pro Sizzle Jr. in citrus sparkle. But I did get my best one on a Gajo Shad swim bait.” Said Hines.
Taking second for the co-anglers, David E Blankenship of Plattsburgh, NY. He brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 11.22 pounds including a 4.80-pound kicker. He collected $500 for the effort.
“In the morning, I used a top water. Then I used a Carolina rig with a Senco. My best one came on a shad colored swim bait with a ¼ oz. weight and he hit it on the fall.” Said Blankenship.
Jim Cousineau of Westfield, MA placed third among the co-anglers with three bass going 10.40 pounds. He anchored his catch with a 4.19-pound kicker to earn $350.
“I caught all of my fish on a spinnerbait. I used a white on white 3/8 oz. war eagle spinner bait and cast it to schooling fish. I caught fish all day.” Said Cousineau.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Kevin Zimmerman of Lewisburg, PA with three bass for 10.15 pounds including a 3.99-pound kicker.
Tom E Melanson of Waltham, MA finished in fifth place with three bass at 10.09 pounds topped by a 4.44-pound kicker.
The biggest bass for the co-anglers was caught by David Santos of Windsor Locks, CT that weighed 5.18. David pocketed $230 for his catch.
Slated for July 1st, the next divisional tournament will be held on Cayuga Lake out of Frontenac Park near Union Springs, NY. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana in April 2018.
For more information on this tournament, call tournament manager Jeff Randall, at 256-777-6152 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com .
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Mustang Survival Celebrates 50 Years of Commitment to the Ultimate Experience on the Water
Brand reflects on five decades of innovative products keeping people dry and safe in and around the water
Burnaby, BC – Mustang Survival®, the North American brand known for innovative solutions for the most demanding marine environments, celebrates fifty years of keeping people dry and safe in and around the water. From humble beginnings that focused on Pacific Northwest mariners, Mustang Survival has grown to a brand now used by military teams, water rescue professionals, and recreational users around the world. Synonymous with safety, Mustang Survival gear is made for the experts who save lives for a living but has been made accessible for the everyday water enthusiast. Not a brand to rest on its laurels, Mustang Survival is focused on entering new markets and bringing five decades of innovation and know-how to its pioneering new gear.
“As a brand, we want to pay homage to the amazing work the team has accomplished in the past half century. Mustang Survival serves customers and consumers who truly rely on our products to not only do their job safely, but to assist them in keeping the public safe as well,” states Jason Leggatt, Mustang Survival’s general manager. “The fifty years of knowledge we’ve accumulated has positioned the brand as the point of authority in float and dry, and we will bring even more innovative technical solutions to market over the next fifty years. We’re just getting started.”
Established in 1967 on the invention of the Floater Coat by founder Irv Davies, Mustang Survival’s factory was located in the historic Gastown district of Vancouver, BC, Canada. In 1977, the company further advanced flotation and hypothermia performance with the introduction of the ThermoFloat Coat and its patented “beavertail” design. Throughout the 80s and 90s, Mustang Survival continued its growth and officially expanded into the U.S. and international markets.
“With seven employees, Irv Davies and his son, Dwight, started the Mustang Survival company with just three sewing machines at the original factory in Gastown. We have remained committed to the Vancouver, BC, community and now we have 230 total employees, and a dedicated office and manufacturing space in Burnaby,” states Jason Leggatt. “Sustaining a presence in BC means we’re a strong contributor to the local economy but it has also provided the brand a unique opportunity to have R&D, design and manufacturing all in one place, enabling purposeful-design.”
20 years ago Mustang Survival entered the inflatable PFD (personal flotation device) market and very quickly became one of the most well-known names in the industry. Today, Mustang Survival’s PFDs can be found on the boats of both Coast Guard teams and family pontoons – and every boat in between. Having pioneered the standards for inflatable life jackets, Mustang Survival has been awarded multiple military contracts for special operations requirements, and last year launched the award-winning EP Ocean Racing Collection.
With international distribution and recognition, and diverse gear that speaks to multiple categories, Mustang Survival receives survival stories and thank you messages from around the world. These “SAVES” stories are shared internally and provide continuous inspiration to the next generation of Mustang Survival associates to innovate and manufacture the best possible equipment, push boundaries, and to further enhance user experience on, and around, the water.
For more information, visit www.mustangsurvival.com.
About Mustang Survival
Through constant innovation and inspired technical solutions, Mustang Survival strives to bolster performance, encourage exploration and inspire adventure in the marine environment. We are committed to the protection and enhancement of those who push themselves to extremes. Mustang Survival is part of The Safariland Group family of brands. For more information, visit www.mustangsurvival.com.
Mustang Survival. Saving lives since 1967.
About The Safariland Group
The Safariland Group is a leading global provider of a broad range of safety and survivability products designed for the public safety, military, professional and outdoor markets. The Safariland Group offers a number of recognized brand names in these markets including Safariland®, Med-Eng®, ABA®, Second Chance®, VIEVU®, Mustang Survival®, Bianchi®, Break Free®, Protech® Tactical, Defense Technology®, Hatch®, Monadnock®, Identicator® and NIK®. The Safariland Group's mission, "Together, We Save Lives", is inherent in the lifesaving and protective products it delivers. The Safariland Group is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. The Safariland Group is a trade name of Safariland, LLC.
JACKSBORO’S FAULKNER WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL TOURNAMENT ON CHEROKEE LAKE
White Pine’s Pridemore Claims Co-angler Title
MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (June 12, 2017) – Jack Faulkner II of Jacksboro, Tennessee, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Volunteer Division tournament on Cherokee Lake Saturday with a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 5 ounces. For his win, Faulkner took home $3,289.
“I didn’t have anything in the boat until 9 (a.m.),” said Faulkner, who logged his third career-victory in BFL competition. “After that, I caught three on a bone-colored Heddon Zara Spook, all from grassy points.”
Faulkner said all of his key areas were mid-lake, within a mile of the takeoff ramp.
“Around noon, I started fishing a 10-inch, green pumpkin Yamamoto straight-tailed worm and caught three more,” said Faulkner. “They came deeper from the points, but they needed to have some rocks.”
Faulkner said his two largest fish were caught using the worm between noon and 1 p.m.
“I only had six keepers all day, but they were the right size,” said Faulkner.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jack Faulkner II, Jacksboro, Tenn., five bass, 15-5, $3,289
2nd: Craig Powers, Rockwood, Tenn., five bass, 14-10, $1,644
3rd: James Nuckols Jr., Rockwood, Tenn., five bass, 14-1, $1,097
4th: Hermilo Salgado, Artemus, Ky., five bass, 13-8, $967
5th: Jeremy Swanson, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 13-6, $658
6th: Eddie Richards, Corbin, Ky., five bass, 13-1, $603
7th: Bill Humbard, New Market, Tenn., five bass, 12-6, $548
8th: Michael Cantrell, Philadelphia, Tenn., five bass, 12-1, $493
9th: Larry Neal, Piney Flats, Tenn., five bass, 11-13, $438
10th: Ken Vicchio, Bluff City, Tenn., five bass, 11-12, $684
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
George Brock of Mooresburg, Tennessee, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $395.
Travis Pridemore of White Pine, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $1,644 Saturday after weighing four bass totaling 11 pounds, 9 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Travis Pridemore, White Pine, Tenn., four bass, 11-9, $1,644
2nd: Josh Smith, Corbin, Ky., five bass, 9-14, $822
3rd: Jason Moorman, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 9-12, $549
4th: Doug Austin, Bristol, Va., five bass, 9-11, $384
5th: Brandon Hartgrove, Hiltons, Va., three bass, 9-4, $526
6th: Joey Boling, Walland, Tenn., four bass, 8-13, $301
7th: John Coker, Knoxville, Tenn., four bass, 8-12, $474
8th: Audie Aultman, Knoxville, Tenn., two bass, 7-5, $247
9th: Jason Khym, Maryville, Tenn., three bass, 7-3, $219
10th: David Blakely, Kingsport, Tenn., three bass, 7-2, $242
Hartgrove caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 14 ounces – which earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $197.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the James River in Williamsburg, Virginia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL WINS BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING MICHIGAN OPEN ON RIVER RAISIN
MONROE, Mich. (June 12, 2017) – The Roosevelt High School duo of Nicolas Biundo and Joey Deichelbohrer, both of Wyandotte, Michigan, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces to win the 2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Michigan Open tournament on the River Raisin. The win advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.
According to post-tournament reports, the Roosevelt High duo caught their fish using a Ned rig in 13 feet of water.
A field of 32 teams competed in the no-entry fee, tournament which launched from Hellenberg Park in Monroe. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top three teams on the River Raisin that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship was:
1st: Roosevelt High School, Wyandotte, Mich. – Nicolas Biundo and Joey Deichelbohrer, both of Wyandotte, Mich., five bass, 15-2
2nd: Hartland High School, Hartland, Mich. – Zach Manneback, Howell, Mich., and Gunner Wilson, Fenton, Mich., five bass, 14-15
3rd: Lumen Christi Catholic High School, Jackson, Mich. – Robert Lefere, Jackson, Mich., and Barry Kennedy, Clark Lake, Mich., five bass, 13-15
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
4th: Coloma High School, Coloma, Mich. – Ryley Watson and Matthew Davis, both of Coloma, Mich., five bass, 13-13
5th: Blissfield High School, Blissfield, Mich. – Olivia Sheely, Brooklyn, Mich., and Garrett Brenke, Riga, Mich., five bass, 11-10
6th: Fenton High School, Fenton, Mich. – Peyton Stapp, Linden, Mich., and Beau Turnblom, Fenton, Mich., five bass, 11-7
7th: Fenton High School, Fenton, Mich. – Brennan Schroder and Kayden Van Houten, both of Fenton, Mich., five bass, 11-6
8th: Roosevelt High School, Wyandotte, Mich. – Michael Burns and Brandon Fraser, both of Wyandotte, Mich., five bass, 10-14
9th: Lumen Christi Catholic High School, Jackson, Mich – Branden Barton, Clark Lake, Mich., and Connor Girard, Jackson, Mich., four bass, 10-14
10th: Blissfield High School, Blissfield, Mich. – Chase Collyer, Riga, Mich., and Gabe Wheeler, Blissfield, Mich., five bass, 10-10
Complete results from the event and photos of the top five teams can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Michigan Open was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2017 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2016 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
BELL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL PIEDMONT DIVISION ON HIGH ROCK LAKE
Wells and Howerton Tie For Co-angler Title
SALISBURY, N.C. (June 12, 2017) – Local angler Rodney Bell of Salisbury, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Piedmont Division tournament on High Rock Lake presented by Navionics. For his win, Bell netted $6,963.
“I spent the day in Flat Swamp Creek,” said Bell, who earned his fourth career-win in BFL competition. “I caught four of my seven keepers of out of some bushes, and the other three from docks. The water was pretty high, so I had to take the cover off of my motor to get under a bridge and access the areas I fished.”
Bell said he caught six fish on a D&L Lures Flipping Jig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Super Chunk Jr. trailer, and one on a War Eagle spinnerbait.
“The bushes were in the back of the creek and I caught my four early, within the first two hours,” said Bell. “Later on, after the bite died, I switched to docks. I was still in Flat Swamp, just closer to the mouth. The sun got up high and positioned bass under the docks in the shade and that’s where I caught them from.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Rodney Bell, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 19-11, $4,963 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: James Funk, Portsmouth, Va., five bass, 18-13, $2,381
3rd: David Wright, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 16-10, $2,295
4th: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 16-6, $1,111
5th: Shawn Hammack, Gasburg, Va., four bass, 15-1, $913
5th: Scott Henley, Randleman, N.C., five bass, 15-1, $913
7th: Kevin Chandler, New London, N.C., five bass, 14-15, $894
8th: Jackson Pleasant, Raleigh, N.C., four bass, 14-2, $714
9th: Michael Belter, Reidsville, N.C., five bass, 14-0, $635
10th: Bryan Elrod, Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 13-6, $556
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Wright caught a bass weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $710.
Robert Wells of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, and James Howerton of Danville, Virginia, tied for the Co-angler Division title after each weighing bass totaling 9 pounds, 14 ounces. For their efforts, each angler was awarded $1,786.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Robert Wells, Kill Devil Hills, N.C., three bass, 9-14, $1,786
1st: James Howerton, Danville, Va., four bass, 9-14, $1,786
3rd: Chip Crews, Trinity, N.C., three bass, 9-9, $791
4th: Greg Deal, China Grove, N.C., four bass, 8-5, $556
5th: Robert Tysinger, Coats, N.C., two bass, 8-3, $676
6th: Mark Davis, Bear Creek, N.C., three bass, 7-11, $487
7th: Chris Napier, Virginia Beach, Va., two bass, 7-7, $752
8th: Scott Spencer, Raleigh, N.C., four bass, 7-0, $357
9th: Anthony Rife, Max Meadows, Va., three bass, 6-15, $318
10th: Alden Patterson, Mebane, N.C., two bass, 6-13, $278
Napier caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $355.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the James River in Williamsburg, Virginia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
STEVENS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL BULLDOG TOURNAMENT ON LAKE SINCLAIR
Pelham’s Griffin Grabs Co-angler Title
EATONTON, Ga. (June 12, 2017) – Garrett Stevens of McDonough, Georgia, weighed five bass Saturday totaling 16 pounds, 11 ounces to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bulldog Division tournament on Lake Sinclair. For his victory, Stevens was awarded $4,009.
“I caught every one of my fish on a (June Bug-colored) Zoom Magnum Shakey Head Worm,” said Stevens, who earned the win in his first career tournament as a boater after competing as a Co-angler for three and a half seasons. “I targeted docks in less than 5 feet of water, especially ones that may have had some brush or were near depth changes. I probably fished 30 to 50 of them, but only a couple held really good fish.”
Stevens said his docks were located on the Oconee River, and that he caught 10 to 12 keepers throughout the day.
“I only had one fish come from under a dock, and the rest came from the sides or front,” said Stevens. “I flipped the worm, let it hit the bottom and then I would hop it a couple of times. Soon, you couldn’t feel the weight of the worm anymore, and the line would just start moving.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Garrett Stevens, McDonough, Ga., five bass, 16-11, $4,009
2nd: Buster Slocumb, Juliette, Ga., five bass, 13-2, $2,005
3rd: David Milsaps, Ranger, Ga., five bass, 12-12, $1,536
4th: Stephen Jones, Macon, Ga., five bass, 12-11, $1,035
5th: Tony Couch, Buckhead, Ga., five bass, 12-9, $802
6th: Kyle Welcher, Opelika, Ala., five bass, 12-4, $735
7th: Kim Carver, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 12-0, $668
8th: Dylan Peppers, Good Hope, Ga., five bass, 11-11, $601
9th: Tyler Morgan, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 11-5, $535
10th: Kip Carter, Social Circle, Ga., five bass, 11-1, $468
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Scott Huff of Madison, Georgia, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 10 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $550.
James Griffin of Pelham, Georgia, won the Co-angler Division and $2,005 Saturday after weighing four bass totaling 9 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: James Griffin, Pelham, Ga., four bass, 9-6, $2,005
2nd: Dustin Rhoades, Eatonton, Ga., four bass, 8-12, $1,002
3rd: Mark Denney, Bonaire, Ga., five bass, 8-2, $868
4th: Matthew O’Connell, Brooks, Ga., five bass, 7-12, $468
5th: Andrew Nickeson, Valdosta, Ga., two bass, 7-9, $676
6th: Jason Yawn, La Grange, Ga., five bass, 7-7, $401
6th: Ken Smith, Lula, Ga., four bass, 7-7, $401
8th: Ronald Harris, Jefferson, Ga., five bass, 7-6, $301
9th: Jerry Bryant, Douglas, Ga., five bass, 7-4, $267
10th: Robert Holliday, Greensboro, Ga., five bass, 6-12, $234
Nickeson caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $275.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Bledsoe & Elliott win Anglers Choice Marine Event on Kerr Lake with over 17 pounds!
Congratulations to the top three finishers in the ACM Team Tournament Trail at Kerr Lake --
1st Place STUMP BLEDSOE & GLENN ELLIOTT with 5 fish limit weighing 17.92 lbs.
2nd Place JASON HOUCHINS & DANNY HOUCHINS weighing in 5 fish at 17.63 lbs.
3rd Place JEFF COBLE & DAVID WRIGHT with a 5 fish limit of 17.21 lbs.
Photo Courtesy of Brian Carter / Basscast.com
Darien Craig and Houston Calvert Win 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Lake Guntersville
Mitch Mitchell and Candler McCollum Claim North Division and Overall AOY Title
by Dan O’Sullivan
June 10, 2017 – Guntersville, Ala. – While takeoff of the final event of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Northern Division schedule was happening, there were a lot of questions to be answered. Not only would there be a tournament winning team, but also, the Northern Division and overall Alabama Bass Trail Anglers of the Year would be decided.
While those are always dominant questions, Lake Guntersville was the source of a lot of head scratching as well. Normally one of the most anticipated stops of the year, Guntersville has been giving anglers fits as the fish have taken on a new and unpredictable role, thanks to changing conditions on the fishery.
While there have been some befuddled teams, Lake Guntersville showed what it is capable of as the team of Darien Craig and Houston Calvert produced a 30.45-pound limit to narrowly eke out a win over the team of Hadley Coan and Scott Keeling, who weighed an equally impressive 30.06 pounds.
Craig and Calvert were amazed and shocked at their day; Craig especially. The young angler had been a part of the promotional film crew at ABT for the first two years of the trail before deciding to turn his attention to competing. “I’d seen this a bunch of times while filming where anglers wouldn’t know what to say when they won, and now we can relate,” said Craig. “We’re standing here right now with my team partner, having weighed the biggest bag of our lives, and we won by doing it – this is unbelievable.”
The pair reported running upstream to the Waterfront Bay area and fishing a rockpile in 10-foot of water with brown 1/2-ounce Buckeye Football Head Mop Jigs tipped with matching Rage Craws, and Texas Rigged big worms in green pumpkin with the tail dipped chartreuse. Their final six-pound cull fish came on a light line wacky rigged red bug Zoom Finesse worm around 12:30 in the afternoon.
All of the fish came by making the same cast over and over again. “There was a specific angle of cast that we had to make to in order to get the bigger bites,” they said. “We did everything we could to try and duplicate that cast over and over again, and everything just worked out, it hasn’t sunk in yet, this is unbelievable. Their efforts resulted in an automatic berth into the 2017 ABT Championship at Logan Martin in October and a $10,000 payday.
Finishing second, with an equally impressive performance was the team of Hadley Coan and Scott Keeling. Coan threw 1/2-ounce Guntersville Craw colored Mean Mouth Jigs with a green pumpkin Rage Craw as a trailer and Keeling tossed 6th Sense Cloud 9 Series C15 and C20 crankbaits to shallow offshore structure.
They offered congratulations to the winners while understandably being in shock with the results. “Any time you put a 30-pound bag on the scales, you think you have a really good shot at winning, so we are a little disappointed at that,” they said. “Darien and Houston did a really good job, and had a great day. Congratulations to them, but we’re also a little bit stunned at the moment.” 
The pair took home $5,000 for their efforts, plus the Big Bass bonus of $500 for their 7.56-pound largemouth, an ABT Apparel bonus as other contingency awards.
Brian and Dakota Briggs claimed third with a 21.05-pound limit good for $4,000. They were followed in fourth place by Chase Dorsett and Brandon Smith, who earned $3,000 with 21.02 pounds. The teams of Daniel Puckett and Creig Poole and Rex Chambers and Eric Johnson finished tied for fifth place with 19.94 pounds; they split the fifth and sixth place prize money, each earning $1750.
The top 10 standings are below, for complete standings go to http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/lg-results/
| Place | ANGLERS | Weight | Big Fish | Winnings |
| 1 | Darien Craig / Houston Calvert | 30.45 | 6.61 | $10,000 |
| 2 | Hadley Coan / Scott Keeling | 30.06 | 7.56 | $5,000 |
| 3 | Brian Briggs / Dakota Briggs | 21.05 | 5.84 | $4,000 |
| 4 | Chase Dorsett / Brandon Smith | 21.02 | 6.80 | $3,000 |
| 5 | Daniel Puckett / Creig Poole | 19.94 | 7.45 | $1,750 |
| 5 | Rex Chambers / Eric Johnson | 19.94 | $1,750 | |
| 7 | Mark McCaig / Tim Hurst | 19.88 | $1,100 | |
| 8 | Donny Beck / Tony Harvey | 19.65 | $1,100 | |
| 9 | Charlie Cummings / Greg Pugh | 19.26 | $1,100 | |
| 10 | Jason Whisonant / Wayne Whisonant | 19.19 | $1,100 |
The team of Mitch Mitchell and Candler McCollum wrapped up the Noethern Division and overall Anglers of the Year title after a spectacular year. They pair won two events on the season; the season opener at Wheeler Lake and the fourth event on the schedule at Neely Henry, and earned a 27 point win in their division, and a 42 point margin in the overall.
The result had been their goal all along. “We set this as our goal when the schedule came out last year,” they reported. “We felt like the whole schedule really fit us and we thought we could challenge for it. That being said, this is a really tough field, and to do things this way is something we would have never imagined; it feels really good to be able to say we accomplished this goal.”
For complete season’s standings, visit this link; http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/north-division-standings/.
The sponsors of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail include; Bill Penney Toyota, Phoenix Bass Boats, GP8 Oxygen Water, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, SCA Performance, T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, AFTCO, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Lew’s Fishing, Crossed Industries, YETI, E3 Apparel, TVA and Alabama Power.
For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
Wallace State Wins Bassmaster College Series Wild Card Title - Punches Ticket to National Championship
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LAMBERT GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE, WINS COSTA FLW SERIES CENTRAL DIVISION EVENT ON KENTUCKY LAKE
Tennessee Pro Bests 210-boat Field to Earn Fifth Career Victory, $97,200
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (June 10, 2017) – Pro Jason Lambert of Michie, Tennessee, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to lead wire-to-wire and win the Costa FLW Series Central Division event on Kentucky Lake presented by Lowrance. Lambert’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 71 pounds, 10 ounces, was enough to earn him the win by a 7-ounce margin and the first place prize package worth $97,200, including a new Ranger Z521C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
“After the Tour season that I’ve had, this feels pretty damn good,” said Lambert, who earned his fifth career victory in FLW competition – second on Kentucky Lake. “When I won the Tour event here last year I was fishing down south, but this year I caught most of my fish north of Kenlake (marina).”
Lambert, fittingly proclaimed the ‘Ledge Hammer’ on the cover of this month’s FLW Bass Fishing magazine, said that he had 25 to 28 schools of fish located out deep on the ledges coming in to the event. He said that he only could get to 15 of the schools during the tournament, but it turned out to be more than enough.
“The first day I caught all of my fish on just three different schools,” Lambert said. “I didn’t have a ‘mega-school’, but I rotated through the areas that I did have. It was tough to get on stuff today – there was a lot of local traffic. That’s pretty standard for a lake that is fishing as well as Kentucky Lake is, though.”
Lambert said that he caught close to 40 keepers on each of the first two days of competition, but only managed a dozen Saturday. He estimated that of the 15 fish that he weighed in this week, eight came via a 6th Sense Lures C25 crankbait, five came on a HogFarmer Hog Wobbler jig head with a Castaic Baits Jerky J and two came on a Gene Larew TattleTail worm, in green-pumpkin.
“The key was absolutely locating those schools of fish with my electronics,” Lambert went on to say. “Having several different schools marked and ready to go gave me the confidence to fish for the win this week.”
The top 10 pros on Kentucky Lake were:
1st: Jason Lambert, Michie, Tenn., 15 bass, 71-10, $97,200
2nd: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 15 bass, 71-3, $21,600
3rd: Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn., 15 bass, 68-4, $15,000
4th: Micah Frazier, Newnan, Ga., 15 bass, 65-2, $13,300
5th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., 15 bass, 64-12, $12,000
6th: Old Spice pro Greg Bohannan, Bentonville, Ark., 15 bass, 64-10, $9,500
7th: Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas, 15 bass, 64-4, $8,200
8th: Jeff Defew, Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 64-2, $7,200
9th: Austin Brown, Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 63-2, $6,200
10th: Brandon Hunter, Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 61-5, $4,600
A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Micah Frazier of Newnan, Georgia, caught a bass weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces Friday – the biggest of the tournament in the Pro Division. For his catch, Frazier earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $300.
Grayson Smith of Clarksville, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard motor. Smith earned his win with a three-day total catch of 15 bass weighing 54 pounds, 3 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on Kentucky Lake were:
1st: Grayson Smith, Clarksville, Tenn., 15 bass, 54-3, $28,700
2nd: Joe Thompson, Clayton, Ga., 15 bass, 52-2, $6,500
3rd: Tommy Sikes, Quitman, Texas, 15 bass, 51-6, $5,200
4th: Mark Howard, Mesquite, Texas, 15 bass, 51-5, $4,150
5th: Roger Olson Jr., Eagle River, Wis., 15 bass, 50-4, $3,600
6th: Malvin Steger, Millersville, Mo., 15 bass, 48-12, $3,100
7th: Christopher Lemon, Mooresville, Ind., 15 bass, 47-15, $2,600
8th: Robbie Bartoszek, Hampshire, Tenn., 15 bass, 47-9, $2,050
9th: Rob Crane, Fairview Heights, Ill., 12 bass, 41-14, $1,620
10th: Adam Lock, Metropolis, Ill., 13 bass, 41-10, $1,370
Jojo Walsh of Lyles, Tennessee, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday, a largemouth weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $200.
The Costa FLW Series on Kentucky Lake presented by Lowrance was hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau. It was the second of three Central Division tournaments in 2017. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be the Northern Division opener, held June 22-24, on Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, New York. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Lambert Still Leads, Floyd on the Move in Costa Event
June 9, 2017 by David A. Brown
Perseverance and persistence are terms commonly bantered about in tournament circles, but Jason Lambert truly exemplified these traits by overcoming a potentially crushing limitation to maintain his lead on day two of the Costa FLW Series Central Division event presented by Lowrance on Kentucky and Barkley lakes. Sacking up a 24-pound limit, Lambert enters the final round with 49 pounds, 2 ounces total and a 2-ounce lead over second-place pro Cole Floyd.
With less current compounding the impacts of the previous round of intense fishing pressure, Lambert says that today was already shaping up to be a tougher go than day one, when he caught a limit of 25-2. Suffice it to say, he really did not need a major equipment malfunction.
“I had some electrical issues today. I don’t know if it’s my charger, but I haven’t had a trolling motor battery since 10:30,” he says. “We had a little breeze later in the morning and a little bit of current, so you could actually do some drifting. You could get on some straight ledges. I actually culled two times this afternoon by just lining up the boat in the current and letting it go.”
Though drifting is clearly not his preferred technique for fishing the main-lake ledges he was targeting, Lambert says his success hinged on recognizing what triggered bites and then repeating what worked.
“A lot of it is presentation. It’s not any particular presentation, but once you get bit, it’s important to duplicate that presentation,” he says. “It was hard because I couldn’t keep that boat where it needed to be. You just kind of have to take what’s dealt to you and realize that everybody has problems. To catch 24 pounds today with the problem — I’m happy.”
Lambert caught his fish on a crankbait, swimbait and hair jig and had his limit by about 8:15 a.m. He enjoyed a flurry around 10:30, which allowed him to cull three times. From there, he hit a dry spell that lasted until 2 p.m., when he finally caught another fish for an upgrade.
“It was in spurts again today, just like yesterday,” Lambert adds.
Of note is that Lambert opened his day on a school he had not previously seen. Intense graphing during practice prepared him with multiple school options, but this new school was a welcome surprise.
“I found these fish farther down from another place I had been catching them,” he says.
One of the spots he fished on day one yielded several keepers, including a 6-pound, 2-ounce kicker that anchored his effort and pushed him to the top of the pack. Balancing the elation, Lambert points to a couple of disappointments.
“The bad thing was, I had one that big come off this morning,” he says. “It’s a tough break, especially when you don’t do anything wrong.
“I’m not seeing some of the other schools that I was expecting show up. I had one that I was counting on disappear. I hope I get a clean day tomorrow and don’t lose any. If I get that, I think I have a legitimate shot.”
Top 10 pros
1. Jason Lambert – Michie, Tenn. – 49-2 (10)
2. Cole Floyd – Leesburg, Ohio – 49-0 (10)
3. Micah Frazier – Newnan, Ga. – 48-14 (10)
4. Tom Redington – Royse City, Texas – 45-2 (10)
5. Clent Davis – Montevallo, Ala. – 44-9 (10)
6. Jeff Defew – Benton, Ky. – 44-7 (10)
7. Greg Bohannan – Bentonville, Ark. – 43-15 (10)
8. Brandon Hunter – Benton, Ky. – 43-14 (10)
9. Randy Haynes – Counce, Tenn. – 42-14 (10)
10. Austin Brown – Benton, Ky. – 42-5 (10)
Top 10 co-anglers
1. Rob Crane – Fairview Heights, Ill. – 37-1 (10)
2. Furman (Joe) Thompson – Clayton, Ga. – 35-9 (10)
3. Robbie Bartoszek – Hampshire, Tenn. – 35-4 (10)
4. Roger Olson Jr. – Eagle River, Wis. – 34-12 (10)
5. Adam Lock – Metropolis, Ill. – 34-8 (10)
6. Christopher Lemon – Mooresville, Ind. – 33-12 (10)
7. Mark Howard – Mesquite, Texas – 33-11 (10)
8. Tommy Sikes – Quitman, Texas – 33-3 (10)
9. Malvin Steger – Millersville, Mo. – 33-0 (10)
10. Grayson Smith – Clarksville, Tenn. – 32-14 (10)
Jamie Hartman - Elite Rookie Doing Things His Way.
Jaime Hartman has been shining like a Hollywood star in his rookie season on the Bassmaster Elite Series. Despite the face time on TV, internet and in print media, though, Hartman is a blue-collar guy. That’s how he’s attained such success so quickly.
A former truck driver, the 44-year-old Hartman has lived on the road since before he rang-in the new year. He spends the time scouting lakes. That’s why he looks like anything but a rookie when he blasts off against the best in the business.
“In mid-December, I pretty much packed up everything that I own, got rid of my place, put everything in storage and left. I went out on the road and I tried to hit as many of those lakes as I could before cutoff and before our first event. When we went back to them I was familiar with them. I did a bunch of graphing, a bunch of looking around, some fishing. But I would spend a week-and-a-half, two weeks in some of these places learning them. That’s all I did.
“I pretty much put my eggs in that basket because if I wasn’t cashing checks and I ran out of money then I was in big trouble. I knew if I didn’t go and do that, then I was not going to keep up with those guys. They just have too much experience on those waters. And I’d never seen them.”
When Hartman qualified for the Elites via the Northern Opens, he was free to chase the dream that many of us share with him. “I’ve got no wife, never been married, no kids. Nothing holding me down. That’s why I’m able to do what I do.”
Hartman’s dad lives in New York. His mom lives in North Carolina. Both are supportive of his career move. “They love it, absolutely love it. My mom was at the Cherokee event. If I did make day 3 at Ross Barnett she was going to be there, but I didn’t so . . .”
The freedom to immerse himself in the sport has been a factor in Hartman’s success. “This season I’ve really had the time to do it and dedicate myself to it and I think putting all that extra time into the way I do things has helped tremendously. It’s a full-time job now.”
Hartman’s hard work has yielded results that surprised even him. “I was trying to stay above water. I have expectations of myself, I push myself pretty hard to do well. My thing was ‘make sure you cash checks’.
“Did I think I was going to have a 2nd, a 3rd and a 6th this quick? No. Absolutely not.
“I guess the way I’m doing things is kind of working. I’ve had a few hiccups along the way when I should have cashed a check but didn’t, but I’ve made up for it too. It’s coming together.”
Hartman’s preparation gave him extra confidence. “I felt comfortable right off the bat. It’s like ‘you know what? These guys put their pants on just like I do every morning’. They have the experience but I still have the fundamentals just like they do.”
Hartman ranks his Elite Series debut as his biggest moment in fishing so far. He was 10 ounces short of taking the trophy from Jacob Wheeler as he left the other 107 pros in his rearview. “I was very fortunate to be doing I was familiar with and like to do. I was very comfortable. I had no nerves doing it. It wasn’t like I was concerned about whether I was going to catch a fish, it was a just a question of what I was going to catch. It was fun doing a bunch of dropshoting. And I was so familiar with doing that Damiki Rig deal. It carried me through that tournament. I just didn’t get those lucky bites at the end but finishing 2nd was a huge achievement for me.”
As do most competitive anglers, Hartman prepared before he prepared, using all available technology. “Sit down on the graph, pull up the lake and just scroll through and look at it. Between that and the internet and Google Earth and all that stuff I can give myself a pretty good heads-up before I get there.”
So before he ‘gets there’ and afterward, where does Hartman sleep between tournaments? “I just got back to New York today,” said Hartman 3 days after the Elite tourney on Lake Dardanelle. “I’m staying with a buddy. He’s got an extra place at his house and he’s like ‘dude, just take it. Don’t worry, come and go as you please. Just do what you’ve got to do.”
Where ever he’s gone this year Hartman has found the welcome mat rolled out for him. “I’ve made friends along the way already. People have just offered up their homes like ‘hey, come stay with me’ you know. Mostly through Facebook and also through other acquaintances like ‘hey I got a buddy of mine who has a house down by that lake and he’d love to have you.
“Since I’ve left, any lake that I’ve gone to, I have yet to pay for a hotel.
“I’ve been that fortunate to make friends along the way like that. That’s absolutely huge.”
Hartman knows his strengths as an angler. “I like to fish offshore.”
He also sees the hole in his game. “It seems I struggle when I get into a shallow fishing deal. That bit me at Ross Barnett, it bit me at Rayburn, bit me in Florida. I know what I’ve got to work on. But I practiced those places to be offshore. I’d done a lot of graphing. But I’m not familiar with fish movement in the South. In January and February we have rock hard water in New York. I’m learning.”
Hartman has shown keen decision-making abilities already. “At Toledo Bend, 70% of the time I practiced for that offshore bite and when I got there it wasn’t happening. They hadn’t made it out there yet. There were still fish spawning. My back up was secondary points, mouths of creeks, stuff like that where a little bit of grass was growing, and I basically made the best of it.”
Hartman’s back up plan at T-Bend was good for a 3rd place finish, just 4 ounces shy of taking the runner-up spot for a 2nd time.
That willingness to fish based on current conditions as they exist, not as he’d like them to be, has been the biggest development in Hartman’s character so far this year. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is to keep an open mind. I get stubborn sometimes and I want to catch them the way I want to catch them. Between Florida and Ross Barnett I feel like I really screwed up because I kept a closed mind. I refused to do a few things that I should have been doing.
“I hate chunking and winding. I hate throwing a spinnerbait. I hate throwing out and reeling it back in and hoping a fish bites it. I want to make that fish bite what I’m throwing. I love throwing plastics, jigs, that kind of stuff. But I guess I have to do some of that (chunk and wind) sometimes.
“I have to keep an open mind. Don’t be so stubborn. You have to change at some of these fisheries."
Hartman, who calls Lake Oneida his home water, is excited about the upcoming northern leg of the Elite Series. He will likely find chances to throw a dropshot – his favorite technique. It should come as little surprise that he had just come off the water from a scouting trip on the St Lawrence River when I spoke with him.
“The river is 3 feet high and they’re predicting it’s only going to drop 3-to-6 inches by the middle of July. We’re looking at a different fishery now so I’m getting up there, taking a look at all the water it’s opened up for shallow fishing and deeper fishing. I’m trying to relearn it right now. I’m getting a jump on it.
Smallmouth is going to win. Largemouth aren’t going to win it. There are going to be some deals where they’re getting into backwaters and catching largemouth, for sure, but the smallmouth are still there and the smallmouth are going to win, hands down I mean, gosh, the fish that I saw swimming around today – they’re just tanks. Somebody may make a top 12 with largemouth. They’re not going to win.
“Of course, I say that now . . . “ chuckled Hartman.
But then, Hartman has gotten used to having the last laugh already. And now we’re going to his neck of the woods.
Lambert Leads Ledge-Fest in Costa Series Central Event
June 8, 2017 by David A. Brown
There’s a reason his image appears with the title “The Ledge Hammer” on the current issue of FLW Bass Fishing magazine, and Jason Lambert justified that distinction by sacking up 25 pounds, 2 ounces to lead day one of the Costa FLW Series Central Division event presented by Lowrance on Kentucky and Barkley lakes.
Currently, the sister reservoirs in western Kentucky and Tennessee are in full-on ledge mode, and Lambert is among the sport’s best at targeting ledge bass. He says his action started almost immediately, and he had a limit in the livewell within the first half-hour. But while the early quantity provided a good foundation, his better quality was yet to come.
“I caught like 17 to 18 pounds really fast, but I think I only weighed in one of those fish,” Lambert says. “I got on two little tears this afternoon in two different places. I culled one about one o’clock, and then I caught two big ones about two o’clock. My bites were early and late with a lot of dead time in between.”
To fill the dead time Lambert ran from spot to spot, graphing bottom and evaluating each school.
“You just keep looking and looking and looking until you find the one that looks right,” he says. “I stopped three or four times on stuff that looked okay, and then, finally, this afternoon I found one that looked right and they bit.”
While 23 pros and five co-anglers caught bags of 20-plus pounds, day one was no cakewalk. Several top anglers reported that it was difficult to get their schools to fire. In multiple cases it was an all-day grind to get a limit.
Two key elements likely impacted the game. One was a mild cold front that knocked a few degrees off the daytime highs and delivered high-pressure conditions. The other was the level of water flow. Recent rains have raised the lake level to about a foot above normal summer pool. In an effort to bring it back down to that 359-foot normal level, dam operators are pulling a lot of water through the system.
“We have a ton of current right now, and the fish are harder to see in all that current because they hold tighter to the bottom,” Lambert says. “It’s about the organization of the fish; they have to be organized. If you see them scattered here and there, they’re harder to catch. As long as they’re together and kind of grouped up, there’s a chance you can make them eat.”
Usually during this time of year anglers can expect a fairly predictable spike in fish activity during certain periods, as the Tennessee Valley Authority increases the lake’s discharge to pull more water through the hydroelectric generators to meet daily energy demands during summer’s peak usage season. But with nearly round-the-clock current, fish aren’t positioning and feeding as regularly.
“Typically, the lulls happen midmorning, like 8 to 10 a.m., but we’ve had so much rain that the water’s running 24 hours a day,” Lambert says. “So it’s a matter of timing on a particular school.”
Lambert says he caught his fish on a variety of moving baits, including crankbaits, swimbaits and hair jigs. He hit 20 to 25 spots today, but his weight came from three of those spots.
Top 10 pros
1. Jason Lambert – Michie Tenn. – 25-2 (5)
2. Tom Redington – Royse City, Texas – 24-7 (5)
2. Cole Floyd – Leesburg, Ohio – 24-7 (5)
4. Randy Haynes – Counce, Tenn. – 24-6 (5)
5. Brandon Hunter – Benton, Ky. – 23-12 (5)
6. Fred Roumbanis – London, Ark. – 23-6 (5)
7. Greg Bohannan – Bentonville, Ark. – 22-5 (5)
8. Todd Castledine – Nacogdoches, Texas – 22-5 (5)
9. Spencer Grace – Dardanelle, Ark. – 21-15 (5)
10. Buddy Gross – Chickamauga, Ga. – 21-10 (5)
Walsh waltzes into co-angler lead
JoJo Walsh would like to have told us an engaging tale of prudent decisions and a game plan realized, but he’s really just happy to have the leading limit of 23 pounds, 5 ounces. Noting that his day involved nothing spectacular, the Lyles, Tenn., co-angler carries a lead of 1 pound, 8 ounces into day two.
“I had an awesome boater [Phillip Bates], and he got me around the fish,” Walsh says. “Some days you’re the windshield, and some days you’re the bug. Today, I was the windshield.
“It was just a lucky day. I don’t know of anything I was doing differently than he [Bates] was. We were throwing the same baits at some point throughout the day, and I was getting the bites.”
Walsh says the day actually did not set up to favor him, as his boater often had the front of the boat pointed at the spot, which prevented Walsh from casting in the ideal direction. Nevertheless, the ledge game often leaves a co-angler with significant peripheral opportunity.
“We were moving around, and it didn’t matter where I threw, it seemed like I was getting bit,” Walsh says.
Walsh, who caught his fish on undisclosed dragging baits and on each of his seven rods, says he and Bates made a long run this morning, which cut a good chunk of time off his fishing day both in the morning and afternoon. Yet, Walsh had what he needed well before the return trip.
“I didn’t catch a fish after noon,” Walsh says. “I had a limit by 8:30 or 9. I culled a few times after that, and the big fish bit around noon. That was the last fish I caught.”
Top 10 co-anglers
1. JoJo Walsh – Lyles, Tenn. – 23-5 (5)
2. Mark Howard – Mesquite, Texas – 21-13 (5)
3. Dan Basham – Taylorsville, Ky. – 21-6 (5)
4. Chad Biddle – Shelbyville, Ky. – 20-10 (5)
5. Brandon Taylor – Russellville, Ky. – 20-3 (5)
6. Marion Yahn – Bell City, Mo. – 19-9 (5)
7. Robbie Bartoszek – Hampshire, Tenn. – 18-12 (5)
8. Tommy Sikes – Quitman, Texas – 18-6 (5)
9. Rob Crane – Fairview Heights, Ill. – 18-1 (5)
10. Malvin Steger – Millersville, Mo. – 18-1 (5)
Big Show’s Baits - The Ditto Fire Craw
Story and Photos/Video Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Backstory:
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Terry “Big Show” Scroggins is well known for his tinkering tendencies on bass fishing lures. What many people may not know, however, is that Scroggins pours many of the soft plastics he uses throughout the year on the Elite Series in his garage in San Mateo, Florida.
Scroggins has accumulated dozens of molds over the years, several of which are old, out of production soft plastics that have a place in the folklore of bass fishing. One such soft plastic is the Ditto Fire Claw.
History:
The Fire Claw was created by Bobby Ditto (*) of Ditto Manufacturing and was originally produced in the early 1980s. Ditto Manufacturing offered both a 3-inch and a 4-inch version of this craw imitating bait and they quickly became popular in the Southeast, specifically in the vegetation rich fisheries of Florida.
“The Fire Claw has probably won more money in the state of Florida than any other flipping bait,” Scroggins said. “I know I personally cashed more than a few checks with it, but when ‘punching’ with a heavy weight became popular the Fire Claw really shined for all anglers.”
As Ditto’s lures grew in popularity, Ditto Manufacturing was purchased by Peter Allen in the early 1990s. Allen went on to open Allen Lures and continued to sell some great soft plastics until around 2003. Since then, the Fire Claw has been out of official production.
Coincidentally, Allen Lures was shutting down around the same time Scroggins used the Fire Claw to win his first ever Tour level event on Lake Okeechobee. Scroggins employed a technique he has since become known for, punching thick vegetation with a 1.5-ounce weight. Scroggins still gives that Okeechobee victory credit for launching his professional fishing career.
“About three or four years ago I got the opportunity to purchase some original Fire Claw molds at an auction,” Scroggins recalled. “I was able to get a pile of the original Ditto Manufacturing and Allen Lures molds for a reasonable price. I had no intentions of buying them at the time, but when I saw what lures the molds made, I filled the bed of my Tundra full! I did some research on pouring soft plastics and now I am able to make some of my all-time favorite baits in my own garage.”
Why the Fire Claw is special:
The Fire Claw is great for flipping grass mats and other heavy cover because it is so compact. When you look at the 3-inch model Scroggins pours, it looks so small you’d think a bass would ignore it. But as Scroggins has demonstrated, when it’s punched through a mat with a 1.5-ounce weight, it gets the fishes attention! According to Scroggins, the Fire Claw also has the right density to be a stellar flipping bait.
“The density of the Fire Claw is key,” Scroggins said. “The bait itself is very soft, but it is tough enough that it doesn’t tear up easily after repeated pitches and flips through heavy cover. Meaning I go through fewer of them throughout the day and I don’t have to fool with fixing the hook and profile every other cast.”
Of course, another reason Scroggins believes the Fire Claw is so effective, is because they are no longer in production, with the exception of the few hundred lures Scroggins pours in his garage each year.
How Scroggins fishes the Fire Claw:
For Scroggins, the Fire Claw is predominately used for punching heavy cover, specifically matted vegetation. He Texas rigs the Fire Claw using a 4/0 or 5/0 Heavy Cover flipping hook, under a 1-ounce to 2-ounce Tungsten sinker.
Since he focuses his efforts on the thickest of cover, a stout 7+ foot flipping stick, 65-lb Hi-Seas braided line, and a fast 7:1:1 Lew’s reel is the ideal rod and reel combination Scroggins prefers.
*= https://www.bassmaster.com/news/legendary-lure-maker-bobby-ditto-dead-75
3 Lures Gerald Swindle Chooses for the Start of Summer
Story & Photo Courtesy of Alan McGuckin/Dynamic Sponsorships
Gerald Swindle tells stories of days prior to turning pro 20 years ago when he’d frame houses in the unmerciful hot Alabama sun, then throw down the hammer he hated late in the day just in time to go chase summer largemouth in evening jackpot tournaments.
Two remarkable Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles later, and $2 Million in career winnings since his house-framing days, Swindle still drops the hammer on summer largemouth, and he graciously shares his picks for three lures he leans on most for the start of summer.
Deep Diving Crankbait – By ‘deep’ Swindle is talking about a diving plug like a Strike King 6XD or Rapala DT16 that will touch bottom in 10 to 15 feet of water before bass get to the mega-depths of mid to late summer.
“You’re trying to locate where those first groups of fish are setting-up after the spawn, and a plug that will get down to 15-feet is not only a great fish catcher – but also a great ‘fish finder’ – plus it’s a lure you can cover a lot of water with,” says Swindle.
Swindle cranks with a 5.3:1 Quantum Smoke HD reel that is geared low enough to tow these larger crankbaits, and it also has a larger spool for plenty of line capacity for the long casts he desires to make with 12-pound fluorocarbon. His rod choice is a highly-affordable new $99 7-foot long medium action stick he just designed for Quantum called a G-Force.
Buckeye Ballin’ Out jig – “This is a lure I’ve made a lot of money on, and I really like it when the bass first finish spawning because it seems like they’re a little finicky after they’ve been pressured up shallow for the past three months. And they’re more likely to bite a smaller bait like this,” reasons Swindle.
Swindle uses these little round-headed jigs in weights of 3/8 to ½ ounce with skirt colors typically involving several strands of brown. His favorite trailer is a Zoom Z Craw Junior in shades of green pumpkin. His line choice is 16-pound Sunline fluorocarbon.
“I also like this little jig for its versatility,” says Swindle. “I can throw it to the edge of a grass line, drag it across a hard rocky bottom, or skip it around a shaded dock, and always feel like I’ve got a good chance of getting a bite.”
Zoom Magnum Trick Worm – A lot of anglers know that summer and oversized Texas-rigged worms go together like beaches and sunscreen, but Swindle puts a new spin on this time-proven offering by choosing Zoom’s oversized straight tail worm instead of a ribbontail. And instead of Texas-rigging it, he uses a football-style head.
“Buckeye Lures makes ½ to ¾ ounce jig head that’s made for a big worm like that, and unlike a Texas rig, that football head with that straight tail worm won’t twist your line,” explains Swindle.
“It’s a little different than the Texas-rigged worms guys have been throwing since before I was born, and it seems like when the bite gets a little tough you can drag it real slow to maintain contact with the bottom to get a few extra bites,” he says.
He uses somewhat lighter 12 to 14 pound fluorocarbon to help it get down to that 10 to 15’ zone he says is the foundation to framing-up early summer success.
PIEDMONT BASS CLASSICS $10,000 SPRING TEAM BASS TRAIL QUALIFIER #7 RESULTS
Saturday June 3rd, 2017 ~ Falls Lake ~ Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp
The 2017 Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Final Qualifier #7 at Falls Lake
produced another great turnout for the PBC Trails!! The weather started out great with air temps about 62
degrees in the am on up to 84 in the pm. Water temps averaged 85. Winds were very light and variable all
day. A whopping total of 82 teams participated with most all of them weighing in fish. The bite at Falls is
really good at this time with a shallow bite in the am and when the sun comes out...fish deeper. The fish are
hungry after the spawn.
Falls Lake veterans Roy Gardner & George Pearce topped the big field weighing in 5 bass at 29.76 lbs. and
along with winning the TWT their winnings topped out at $2,880!!! The team found a honey hole early in the
week and it was loaded with some nice bass that nibbled on their large swimbaits this day!!
Sam & Matthew Jones had their best finish of the year taking 2nd place with 5 fish weighing 26.62 lbs. for a
total of $850 in winnings. 3rd Place was won by the team of Todd Massey & Tim Parker with 26.22 lbs. They
also won the 2nd Place TWT for a grand total of $1,300 The 1st Place Big Fish (9.36 lbs.) was caught by the
7th place team of Brad Crabtree & Jared Thaxton netting them total winnings of $1,510. The money was
spread around good today.
273 fish were weighed in for a total of 891 pounds for an average of 3.27 lbs. each. Most of the fish were
caught on WLS shaky heads, large swim baits, carolina rigs, trick worm rigs, topwater frogs, Carolina
Crankbaits, spinnerbaits & chatterbaits in 15 of water or less. The early morning topwater bite was good
and when the sun popped up, the fish went deeper and deep fished baits worked best then. The water was
about normal level and the surface temps averaged 86 degrees. The bass have pretty much finished
spawning and are very hungry at this time trying to get their strength back from having them little fry!!
Summertime fishing is here!!
I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. Our next
tournament will be the Cashion Fishing Rods 2017 Spring Team Tournament Bass Trail Championship, June
10th also at Falls Lake out of Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp. This event will be for qualified teams only. All
the info can be found at this link: http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2017CashionSpringTrail.html
And finally ending our Spring events will be the 2017 Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass
Trail Championship for qualified teams only at Kerr Lake out of Flemingtown Landing Wildlife Ramp. All
the info can be found at this link: http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2017PBC10KSpringTrailMainPage.html
All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Rob Gardner & George Pearce of Durham...5 bass...29.76 lbs...$1,375
2nd Place: Sam & Matthew Jones of Clayton...5 bass...26.62 lbs...$850
3rd Place: Todd Massey & Tim Parker of Chapel Hill & New Hill...5 bass...26.22 lbs...$655
4th Place: Corey Linton & Marc Peck of Pikeville...5 bass...25.87 lbs...$590
5th Place: Bill Goodrich & Mark Beck of Pittsboro & Thomasville...5 bass...24.93 lbs...$520
6th Place: Dennis & Crystal Allen of Four Oakes...5 bass...21.73 lbs...$455
7th Place: Jared Thaxton & Brad Crabtree of Creedmoor...5 bass...21.40 lbs...$390
8th Place: K.C. Choosakul & Tim Penhollow of Sanford & Meban...5 bass...20.84 lbs...$325
9th Place: Ted Boyette & John Parrish of Kenly...5 bass...20.38 lbs...$270
10th Place: David Walton & Justin Young of Raleigh...5 bass...20.30 lbs...$250
11th Place: Stump Bledsoe & Glenn Elliott of Hope Mills & Fayetteville...5 bass...19.81 lbs...$210
12th Place: Billy Bledsoe & Brian McDonald of Grays Creek & Hope Mills...5 bass...19.15lbs...$175
13th Place: Robert Bristow & Alan Thomerson of Franklinton...5 bass...17.75 lbs...$150
14th Place: Todd Sumner & Rich Szczerbala of Southern Pines & Apex...5 bass...17.69 lbs...$130
15th Place: Matt Harrison & Rock Goss of Franklinton & Creedmoor...5 bass...17.42 lbs...$115
16th Place: Bubba Haywood & David Frye of Durham...5 bass...17.26 lbs...$100
1st Place Big Fish..7th Place Team above...9.36 lbs...$1,120
2nd Place Big Fish..11th Place Team above...7.76 lbs...$480
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...29.76 lbs...$1,505
2nd Place TWT..3rd Place Team above: 26.22 lbs...$645
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.c
Kennedy - Was Motivated to Win
Story by Vance McCullough / Photo Credit BASS/James Overstreet
Steve Kennedy nearly won the 2017 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Conroe. Failure to do so sparked a bit of a fire under the veteran pro who, over the years, had won a pair tourneys on the FLW Tour and a couple more on the Elite Series.
“I won’t say it gave me any momentum because at the last two tournaments I didn’t do all that well, but I’ve been motivated to win,” said Kennedy.
“I felt like I blew it at the Classic, big time the first day, and it hurt to get beat from behind as well as I did on the final day for sure. It’s certainly motivation. Being 72nd in points was motivation to maybe get out there and practice more than I normally would.”
There’s a good reason Kennedy hasn’t practiced as much or as long as he’d like. After winning the Elite Series tourney on Lake Dardanelle on Monday, he revealed that he has been battling a thyroid issue for 2 or 3 years. More on that in a bit.
As for his win, it was all about the area.
“I’m still shocked that nobody else was there.”
Sheer distance kept most guys from finding it. “It was a good 50-something miles from the ramp. You had to be committed just to get up there. I don’t how many of our guys even got close to it.”
Kennedy found a sand pit pond that became connected to the main river because the water level on the upper end of the lake was 10-to-12 feet higher than normal. He floated his boat where back hoes and trucks belong. The narrow entrance was well hidden.
In the last 20 minutes of the last practice day he shook off what felt like 2 solid fish in the pit’s willow bushes.
Kennedy did not commit to the pond until midway through the first competition day when his Plan A spot fizzled. It had given him 3 keepers. He needed 2 more and he knew where they lived.
“I figured I’d run up there, catch those 2 and figure out what to do from there. I got up there and just about every pitch was a two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half-pounder. It seemed like every time I pitched it in there it went ‘thump’.”
The pond was a half-mile long and featured depths to 30 feet surrounded by overhanging, vine-tangled trees and, in the center of the pit, a small stand of mostly-submerged willows that grew along a high spot in a road bed.
That was the sweet spot.
Kennedy managed his fish well, never spending more than half of a day in the pond until the final round when he knew he needed a big bite to make a move on leader Mark Davis. “I was debating whether to go fish my other stuff or not. Luckily I didn’t because I caught that giant late in the day off all by itself. That was the difference maker, no doubt about it.”
The big bass ‘doing its own thing’. “Most of my fish came off willows. All my big fish had come from back on the other end of the pond, almost a half mile away. But this one wasn’t in a tree. It was on a blunt, rounded, nothing point. There was no wood there, no willows.
“I was already looking for the next tree to flip to and I’m like ‘where did my bait go? Something’s not right’. Then I remember seeing it swimming out to the side. And I was shocked the fish was as big as it was.”
Flash flood warnings woke the Russellville, AR region at 2:30 AM the morning of the final day. Rising water scattered fish toward the bank and away from the offshore spots that had been the centerpieces of most pros game plans.
To look at Kennedy’s sand pit as a microcosm of Lake Dardanelle, it is easy to understand why he only caught 1 keeper the final day off of what had been his key spot in the pond. He reported that most of his final day bites came from stuff that he described as “not key spots”. It seems that fish in the pond had scattered with the rising water.
A brush hog, a beaver and a frog played supporting roles but the big bass came on the jig – a white one during the morning shad spawn and a green pumpkin model during the afternoon.
The weight of the jigs, ¾ oz., was critical for generating the fast rate of fall that triggered bites.
Kennedy used 7’6” heavy action out-of-production Kistler rods and old Shimano Curado reels loaded with 65-lb. braid to which he tethered a 25-lb. fluoro leader. He uses the FG knot to join the two lines and says it has made a huge difference.
“Two years ago I wasn’t doing that. If I had all the fish back that I have broken off over the years I’d be a rich man. Now I don’t worry about breaking off.”
Equipment aside, it was the specific technique – what he did with the lure – that made the difference for Kennedy. He calls it the Crazy Ivan. He chuckles in typical Steve Kennedy fashion as he explains. “VanDam is the best because he’s learned how to make them react. It’s all about making those fish react. In the movie ‘The Hunt For Red October’ they do a maneuver called the Crazy Ivan where, if they’ve got somebody following them, at a certain time they’re going to turn to one side to see what’s following them and whatever’s behind them has either got to give up its position or not.
“So when I’m swimming that jig up high and fast that fish is tracking that bait down there deep underneath the bait. He’s not necessarily going to come up there and eat it as fast as its going along, but when you kill it, it changes direction right in the fish’s face and he’s either got to open his mouth or give up his position – give up any chance of eating it.”
A guy almost has to have a piece of water to himself in order to win an Elite Series tournament. Fishing behind others is bad enough. Even with the solitude he enjoyed this week Kennedy noted that he still had to mop up behind a strong Elite Series pro – himself.
‘It’s extremely hard to fish behind yourself.
“Had somebody else come in there they would have seen it differently, keyed on different stuff. I tried to manage them the first couple of days but I burned them pretty good. It is extremely hard to go back through an area that you’ve already fished with the same bait and expect to catch fish that didn’t bite it the first time.”
Kennedy said that a change in color or lure speed may help an angler pick up fish they missed the first time through. But even as we talked, as he rode home with his wife, Julia and the kids and the trophy - rode home a champion - he continued to brainstorm the things he should have done. “I flipped a black and blue beaver but I never did flip a black and blue jig.
“I should have gone through there with a black and blue jig just to see. It may only be one fish but it could be a 5-pounder. I could have thrown a Senko. There’s more fish there than what I caught.”
About Kennedy’s medical condition, after the weigh in he figured it was time to talk about it publicly. “Everybody was asking me ‘how does it feels to win?’ and to put that into perspective I felt like I needed to share what I’ve been going through for the last two or three years. What I have is called a Hurthle Cell Adenoma.”
Medical web site KnowCancer.com says this about the condition: “Like all adenomas, Hurthle cell adenomas are benign, but they have the potential to become carcinomas, which are malignant.”
Kennedy says, “What I have may or may not cause me trouble going forward. It’s not like I’m going through any chemo or any of that. The big struggle for me has been, we only took about half my thyroid and 90% of the people who do that don’t have to take anything to replace their hormones. I am having to take thyroid replacement hormones which is not an exact science.
“I didn’t take a pill for 6 months after surgery which had a huge impact on me. I knew something was wrong. I go 6 months and they reassess me; go another 6 months and they reassess me, so at this point I feel like we’re pretty close. We’re probably going to do another adjustment next week.
“But at this point at least I don’t feel like I have to take a nap at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.
“And before I had surgery, I had the reputation for not practicing as much. I always talked about not wanting to wear myself out, getting enough rest, I was probably not keeping up before that. My numbers were in the low normal range. And I’m still having some issues that make me think something’s not right.”
At least for a week on a fickle Lake Dardanelle that confounded 108 other of the world’s best bass pros, everything was right for Steve Kennedy.
KENTUCKY LAKE READIES FOR COSTA FLW SERIES CENTRAL DIVISION EVENT PRESENTED BY LOWRANCE
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (May 31, 2017) – As many as 400 pros and co-anglers are set to compete in the Costa FLW Series Central Division event at Kentucky Lake, June 8-10. The tournament, which is presented by Lowrance, is the second of three regular-season events scheduled in the FLW Series Central Division. Pros will be competing for a top award of up to $50,000 in cash and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
“If the weather stays right, this tournament is going to be a smash fest,” said FLW Tour pro Jason Lambert of Michie, Tennessee, who has six career top-10 finishes on Kentucky Lake – including an FLW Tour win in June 2016. “I’ve been fishing out on Pickwick for the past week filming an episode of The Bass Doctor, and the fish aren’t everywhere yet, but they’re close.
“Pickwick and Kentucky fish so similarly – usually what is happening on one lake is happening on the other,” Lambert continued. “We caught about 60 keepers with our best five weighing right around 24 pounds. There were a lot of fresh fish that had just moved out. With another eight days of warm weather, it should be on fire.”
Lambert said that believes that the winner of the event will likely have multiple different areas to run to.
“The fish are still moving, and there are a lot smaller schools that are coming and going,” Lambert said. “I think the person that wins will win with fish that they find during the tournament, not practice. The key will be having enough places to run to.”
Lambert said that he will be throwing his normal summertime Tennessee River baits – a Castaic Jerky J swimbait and a big 6th Sense Lures crankbait.
“I expect it to take at least 75 pounds over three days to win,” Lambert went on to say.
Anglers will take off from the Kentucky Dam State Park, located at 7792 U.S. Highway 641 N., in Gilbertsville, at 6:30 a.m. CDT each day. Weigh-ins will be held at the State Park each day beginning at 2:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. The event is hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau.
In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At Kentucky Lake pros will fish for as much as $50,000 and a Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard, and an additional $5,000 if Ranger Cup qualified.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Steve Sink Wins North Carolina American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Event on High Rock Lake!
Steve Sink of Winston Salem, North Carolina won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series North Carolina Division tournament held 06/03/2017 on High Rock Lake.
Running out of Tamarac Marina, Steve weighed in five bass for 21.19 pounds. He anchored his catch with a bass that weighed 6.03 pounds. For the Boater Division victory, Sink took home a check for $5000.00. Sink collected an additional $470.00 for weighing in the largest bass for the boaters.
“I caught probably 10-12 keepers today. I caught a couple shallow and then I moved out to catch the rest. I caught most of them on a Carolina rigged worm.” Said Sink.
In second for the boaters, Travis Williams of Salisbury, North Carolina weighed in a five bass limit weighing 18.11 pounds. He anchored his limit with a bass that weighed in at 5.32 pounds. He collected $800.00 for the effort.
“I caught about seven keepers today. I caught a couple off of docks, a couple off of points and I caught a 5 pounder off a creek channel bend with a jig within the last hour.” Said Williams.
Louis “Skip” Kraft of Salisbury, North Carolina took third place with a five bass limit weighing in at 15.82 pounds. He anchored his catch with a bass that weighed 5.87 pounds. Kraft collected $600.00
“I Caught about 7-8 fish today. All of my fish came on a Bizz bait Sassy stick on a jig head.” Said Kraft.
Finishing fourth, Terry Wike of China Grove, North Carolina weighed in a five bass limit weighing 15.04 pounds.
Rounding out the top five Ladd Whicker of Winston Salem, North Carolina weighed in a five bass limit weighing 10.14 pounds.
In the Co-Angler Division, Ed Douthit of Mooresville, North Carolina won with three bass weighing 11.67 pounds. Douthit sealed his victory with a 5.05 pound kicker to pocket a check for $1200.00
“I want to thank my boater today for pointing out specific areas I should cast to. I caught 8 fish today all on a worm.” Said Douthit.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Martin Rushing of Midland, North Carolina weighed in a co angler limit of three bass weighing 9.73 pounds. He anchored his catch with a bass that weighed in at 6.56 pounds. Martin collected $500.00 for his catch. For weighing in the biggest bass for the co anglers Rushing collected an additional $205.00.
Also for weighing in the biggest bass of the tournament Rushing was presented a Revo SX spinning reel valued at $160.00 for catching the 6.56 pound largemouth on an ABU Garcia reel.
“I probably caught 20 fish today. I caught them on a worm and a crankbait.” Said Rushing.
Placing third on the co angler side was Hunter Harwell of Hickory, North Carolina. Harwell weighed in three bass that weighed 7.86 pounds. He collected $350.00 for the effort.
“I caught four fish today culling once. All of my fish came on a worm.” Said Harwell.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Jerry Pruitt of Vale, North Carolina weighed in three bass weighing 7.78 pounds.
Rounding out the top five, Lawrence Dickerson of Durham, North Carolina weighed in three bass weighing 7.36 pounds.
Slated for 10/07-10/08/2017 the next tournament for the North Carolina Division will be the area championship on Lake Hartwell. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Shreveport-Bossier Louisiana in April 2018.
For more information on this tournament, call Rodney Michael, tournament manager, at 256-497-0967 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com .
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
PLAINVIEW-ELGIN-MILLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL WIN BASS PRO SHOPS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING MINNESOTA OPEN ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT WABASHA
WABASHA, Minn. (June 6, 2017) – The Plainview-Elgin-Millville High School duo of Jack Mulholland of Elgin, and Jared Haugen of Plainview, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 17 pounds even to win the 2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Minnesota Open tournament on the Mississippi River. The win advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.
According to post-tournament reports, the Bulldog duo caught their fish fishing extremely slow with a wacky-rigged green-pumpkin worm in the Lake Pepin area.
A field of 44 teams competed in the no-entry fee, tournament which launched from Izaak Walton Park in Wabasha. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top four teams on the Mississippi River that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship was:
1st: Plainview-Elgin-Millville High School, Plainview, Minn. – Jack Mulholland, Elgin, Minn., and Jared Haugen, Plainview, Minn., five bass, 17-0
2nd: Lakeville Area Public Schools, Lakeville, Minn. – Joe Gorman, Farmington, Minn., and Nehemiah Glenn, Lakeville, Minn., five bass, 15-9
3rd: Stevens Point Area Senior High School, Stevens Point, Wis. – Cole Zagrzebski and Alec Borchardt, both of Stevens Point, Wis., five bass, 15-2
4th: Roseville Area High School, Roseville, Minn. – Zack Schiller and Jack Wallish, both of Roseville, Minn., five bass, 13-2
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
5th: Stevens Point Area Senior High School, Stevens Point, Wis. – Daniel Cook and Colton Raschka, both of Plover, Wis., five bass, 12-14
6th: Minnetonka High School, Minnetonka, Minn. – Jak Kamrowski, Deephaven, Minn., and Tim Lagerback, Chanhassen, Minn., five bass, 12-12
7th: Lakeville Area Public Schools, Lakeville, Minn. – Blake Zimmel and Benjy Duvick, both of Lakeville, Minn., five bass, 12-11
8th: Eagan High School, Eagan, Minn. – Brian Linder and Nathan Thompson, both of Eagan, Minn., five bass, 12-10
9th: Burlington Catholic Central High School, Burlington, Wis. – Matthew McDonald and Bailey Bleser, both of Burlington, Wis., five bass, 12-9
10th: Caledonia High School, Caledonia, Minn. – Donnie Lakey, Brownsville, Minn., and Levi Schmidt, Caldeonia, Minn., five bass, 12-7
Complete results from the event and photos of the top five teams can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Minnesota Open was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2017 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2016 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
Millender & Keaton win final team event at Bass Champs on Tawakoni
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EDDY & RONNY MAYNARD WIN ON BELTON WITH 21.28 POUNDS AND TAKE HOME $10,000 in TTZ Win!
| Pl | ANGLER 1 | ANGLER 2 | FISH | BIG BASS | WT | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RONNY MAYNARD | EDDY MAYNARD | 5 | 21.28 | $10,000 + $500 Skeeter Bonus | |
| 2 | BRYAN FINCH | DANNY LEONARD | 5 | 4.95 | 18.38 | $5,000 |
| 3 | TERRY KIRCUS | JASON BUCHANAN | 5 | 17.87 | $3,500 | |
| 4 | GERALD POBORIL | DAVID STIDHAM | 5 | 6.34 | 17.60 | $2,000 |
| 5 | PAUL LAM | JASON DERRICK | 5 | 17.49 | $1,500 | |
| 6 | ERIC WASHBURN | ZANE WASHBURN | 5 | 17.39 | $1,250 | |
| 7 | MARK RIBERA | ANTHONY RIBERA | 5 | 16.90 | $1,000 | |
| 8 | DUSTIN BARFIELD | NATHAN MATTHEWS | 5 | 6.76 | 16.74 | $900 |
| 9 | BRYAN KING | JOHNNY WIERZBICKI | 5 | 6.73 | 16.23 | $800 |
| 10 | JAMES VALCHAR | MICHAEL HARRIS(Y) | 5 | 16.05 | $700 | |
| 11 | PAYMON HABIB | JUSTIN FISHER | 5 | 15.41 | $625 | |
| 12 | TERRY HALL | LYNN PIERCE | 5 | 5.43 | 15.18 | $550 |
| 13 | DAMON ROSS | DONNIE ROSS | 5 | 14.68 | $500 | |
| 14 | TIM DIXON | KENNETH CUMMINS | 5 | 14.50 | $450 | |
| 15 | JAMES MOORE | GROVER CHAMBLISS | 5 | 4.03 | 14.25 | $400 |
| 16 | TRAVIS MCCOLLOUGH | BOBBY WILSON | 5 | 14.11 | $375 | |
| 17 | DEAN GOLMAN | JAYSON KISSELBURG | 5 | 13.97 | $350 | |
| 18 | BJ CAROTHERS | TOMMY WELLS JR | 5 | 13.83 | $350 | |
| 19 | ADAM GLAZENER | TY BUTLER | 5 | 13.75 | $350 | |
| 20 | MARK BENNETT | CASEY BENNETT | 5 | 13.70 | ||
| 21 | DALE READ | JAKE READ | 5 | 13.65 | ||
| 21 | BRYAN RICHARDS | MAT KEVIL | 5 | 13.65 | ||
| 23 | JAMES OLSON | BOBBY THRASHER | 5 | 13.56 | ||
| 24 | LORNE DORNAK | JAMES LYNN | 5 | 13.42 | ||
| 25 | DANIEL BARNES | ADRIAN BARNES | 5 | 13.39 | ||
| 26 | DAVID SAPPINGTON | CLIFTON WATTERS | 5 | 13.30 | ||
| 27 | CHRIS SABINA | BOB SABINA | 5 | 13.26 | ||
| 28 | DANNY HUGHES | DARRELL PRCIN | 5 | 13.14 | ||
| 29 | JOE BRAY | BRANDON BRAY | 5 | 12.82 | ||
| 30 | DANIEL KURTZ | DANIEL WILLIS | 5 | 12.81 | ||
| 31 | GREG GILLUM | DAVID ROYAL GILLUM(Y) | 5 | 12.80 | ||
| 32 | JUSTIN MATHEWS | CARLOS DELAFUENTE | 5 | 12.78 | ||
| 33 | BILL STEARNS | EDDIE RHODES | 5 | 12.77 | ||
| 34 | DARRELL WUENSCHE | DONNIE O'NEAL | 5 | 12.73 | ||
| 35 | BRANDON DICKENSON | BRENT BROUSSARD | 5 | 12.67 | ||
| 36 | ANIBAL GUZMAN | GARY JOHNSON | 5 | 12.55 | ||
| 37 | BILLY MCCRARY II | TODD IVINS | 5 | 12.51 | ||
| 38 | TULLY WILLIAMS | JOE ANDERSON | 5 | 12.44 | ||
| 39 | MIKE CEARLEY | DERON MUELLER | 5 | 12.40 | ||
| 39 | DAVID MCGUFFEY | CHARLES HICE | 5 | 12.40 | ||
| 41 | SCOTT ROSS | GLENN RUCKEL | 5 | 12.38 | ||
| 42 | ROBERT MILLER | JACKY ROBERTS | 5 | 12.14 | ||
| 43 | COLBY JOHLE | ADRIAN HUTKA | 5 | 12.13 | ||
| 44 | STAN KAMINSKI | CODY BAILEY | 5 | 12.08 | ||
| 45 | JARAD GOHLKE | RONNY ANTHONY | 5 | 11.92 | ||
| 46 | WES BENNETT | STEVEN NIETO | 4 | 11.87 | ||
| 47 | CHRIS BAKER | ALAN GREEN | 5 | 11.86 | ||
| 48 | RANDY GROUNDS | LEE BEUERSHAUSEN | 5 | 11.73 | ||
| 49 | DAN CLAWSON | BILL HARMAN | 5 | 5.57 | 11.72 | |
| 50 | TREY GROCE | JOE BILL HALE | 5 | 11.64 | ||
| 51 | JOE LOOZE | DYLAN LOOZE | 5 | 11.44 | ||
| 52 | DAVID LINDLEY | JUSTIN PRISOCK | 5 | 11.41 | ||
| 53 | CHRIS BAILEY | CASEY GARCIA | 5 | 11.32 | ||
| 54 | NORM WILSON JR | NORM WILSON SR | 4 | 11.28 | ||
| 55 | BRET STAFFORD | SHANE STAFFORD | 5 | 11.26 | ||
| 56 | JAMES SEYMOUR | JOHN HALLEY | 5 | 11.19 | ||
| 57 | SHAWN TAMEZ | CRAIG CORDOVA | 5 | 11.18 | ||
| 58 | DEAN JONES | MATT RUSSELL | 5 | 11.08 | ||
| 58 | BOBBY AMIDON | MICHAEL ROBERTS | 5 | 11.08 | ||
| 58 | JAMES WHITE | WAYNE ALBERTHAL | 5 | 11.08 | ||
| 61 | JAMES HESTER | JOE CONTRERAS | 5 | 11.05 | ||
| 61 | CALEB WESTBROOK | WES JOHANNESSEN | 5 | 11.05 | ||
| 63 | JUSTIN HUMMEL | LEONARD DEBRASKA | 5 | 11.04 | ||
| 64 | CHARLES WHITED | RICK SCOTT | 5 | 10.90 | ||
| 65 | CORD ZAHN | BRANDON MCQUEEN | 5 | 10.69 | ||
| 66 | CHARLES YOUNG | JEFFERY MARKERT | 5 | 10.67 | ||
| 67 | LEONARD PHILLIP | HUNTER ARTHUR | 4 | 10.65 | ||
| 68 | JASON WILLIAMS | ANTHONY SKOUBY | 5 | 10.47 | ||
| 69 | JUSTIN MAY | KEVIN THRESS | 5 | 10.40 | ||
| 70 | RODNEY THOMPSON | BILLY CONWAY | 5 | 10.26 | ||
| 71 | BRIAN MATER | PHIL WARREN | 5 | 10.19 | ||
| 72 | GERALD MUELLER | PAT MURPHY | 5 | 10.16 | ||
| 73 | FRED CATES | TEARLE CATES | 5 | 10.15 | ||
| 74 | JAKE MASSEY | JAKE SADLER | 4 | 10.01 | ||
| 75 | HERMAN GEORGE | CODY BARCHENGER | 5 | 9.81 | ||
| 76 | BARRY MOTT | MATT HILL | 5 | 9.80 | ||
| 77 | TERRY ROBERTS | JAMES COTTINGHAM | 5 | 9.72 | ||
| 78 | MARIO GONZALES | DAVID CALLAHAN | 5 | 9.51 | ||
| 79 | BRYAN COTTER | DAVID TOWNSEND | 4 | 9.49 | ||
| 80 | TONY ACEVEDO | RYAN WORMLEY | 5 | 9.45 | ||
| 81 | BILL GUZMAN | 5 | 9.40 | |||
| 82 | CONNER ISELT | ANDREW ZIEGLER | 5 | 9.24 | ||
| 83 | JARED SANDERS | MICHAEL WALDROP | 5 | 9.10 | ||
| 84 | GARY RIGGS | 5 | 9.04 | |||
| 85 | RONNIE MATHIS | DON SCHUETZE | 5 | 8.92 | ||
| 86 | RANDALL CHRISTIAN | RONALD CHRISTIAN | 5 | 8.74 | ||
| 87 | STEVE VAN MEETEREN | CINDY VAN MEETEREN | 3 | 8.70 | ||
| 88 | GARY FRIEDEL | JACOB FROESE(Y) | 5 | 8.60 | ||
| 89 | GARY RAESZ | ANDY RIBERA | 4 | 8.42 | ||
| 90 | RICK BARNDS | MATT STEELE | 5 | 8.41 | ||
| 91 | GARRETT KOSLAN | ERIC CRUMLEY | 5 | 8.40 | ||
| 92 | CHRIS WOEHL | CARTER WOEHL(Y) | 4 | 8.30 | ||
| 93 | BILL LEE | MICHELLE LEE | 3 | 8.29 | ||
| 94 | MARK LEATHERMAN | WADE MEHAFFEY | 4 | 8.28 | ||
| 95 | CLAYTON FRENCH | KELLY HUDSON | 5 | 8.20 | ||
| 96 | GARY BROOKS | LYNNE BROOKS | 2 | 6.77 | 8.14 | $1850 Big Bass + $500 BIOBOR Bonus |
| 97 | BRET MIRICK | JOE BARROW | 3 | 8.10 | ||
| 98 | JOSEPH MAUGHON | TAYLER LAFLOWER | 4 | 8.09 | ||
| 99 | DON GORDON | JAMES ROBERTS | 5 | 8.05 | ||
| 100 | DUSTIN LAM | KAEL WASHBURN | 5 | 8.00 | ||
| 101 | RANDY SEIGMUND | WESLEY SEIGMUND | 3 | 7.97 | ||
| 102 | RODNEY QUINN | JAMES KEETAN | 4 | 7.94 | ||
| 103 | ANTHONY CHARLES GARCIA | ERIC GARCIA | 4 | 7.89 | ||
| 104 | WENDELL RAMSEY SR | WENDELL RAMSEY III(Y) | 4 | 7.87 | ||
| 105 | DARREL ROUTON | JACK CULBREATH | 5 | 7.83 | ||
| 106 | RUBEN RIBERA | LINO GUTIERREZ | 7.80 | |||
| 107 | ALLEN GASS | JASON STAFFORD | 5 | 7.30 | ||
| 108 | HUNTER VETTER | WILL CURLEE | 3 | 7.10 | ||
| 109 | BILLY FREEMAN | ED COLE | 5 | 6.82 | ||
| 110 | KEN CHAMBERS | BILL BLISARD | 4 | 6.60 | ||
| 111 | GREG SHEPPERD | GARRETT SHEPPERD | 3 | 6.53 | ||
| 112 | MICKEY SANDERS | ROGER MEEK | 3 | 6.17 | ||
| 113 | JERRY ROYS | STEVEN STUBBLEFIELD | 3 | 5.70 | ||
| 114 | JOEY KIRKLAND | LUPE CONTRERAS | 3 | 5.59 | ||
| 115 | DUSTIN TRIMUAR | GARY SHARP | 3 | 5.36 | ||
| 116 | JOE RUTHERFORD | ANDREW RUTHERFORD | 1 | 5.08 | 5.08 | |
| 117 | DENNIS BOWERS | NATHAN BOWERS(Y) | 3 | 4.99 | ||
| 118 | STEPHEN MALINA | TRAVIS PROFFITT | 2 | 4.43 | ||
| 119 | MATT BLACK | PRESTON FRANKE | 3 | 4.28 | ||
| 120 | ANDY WHITEHEAD | SHANE KUEHN | 2 | 4.00 | ||
| 121 | TONY THOMPSON | BOBBY RODRIGUEZ | 1 | 3.53 | ||
| 122 | CHRIS BERTELSON | THOMAS HOWE | 2 | 3.19 | ||
| 123 | STEVEN ALBERTHAL | JOHNNA ALBERTHAL | 1 | 1.76 | ||
| 124 | JARRETT LATTA | BRIAN LOWRANCE | ||||
| 124 | KRIS WILSON | HAROLD MOORE | ||||
| 124 | BRANDON KITCHENS | GEORGE ESCAMILLA | ||||
| 124 | PATRICK STARNES | SCOTT BAILEY | ||||
| 124 | RALPH ANDERSON | KERRY GAGE | ||||
| 124 | KELVIN MILAM | DAVID LANDRY | ||||
| 124 | SCOTT OLSON | ROSS WRIGHT | ||||
| 124 | RONNIE TROWER | MICHAEL LAFLEUR | ||||
| 124 | ROB TROUTT | BOB PRESCOTT | ||||
| 124 | CRAIG UROFSKY | LARRY KATTNER | ||||
| 124 | MICHAEL PROVENZANO | TIM MABRAY | ||||
| 124 | JACOB BRYANT | KYLE HEPP | ||||
| 124 | PAUL LUNA | LOGAN DRAKE(Y) | ||||
| 124 | MATT CANNON | JARED SIEGELER | ||||
| 124 | JAMES VEIL | JEREMY SPAULDING | ||||
| 124 | BILLY FORD | |||||
| 124 | JOHNNIE HAIRE | RANDY HAIRE | ||||
| 124 | JEFFREY HUNTER | JASPER HUNTER(Y) | ||||
| 124 | KYLE TATUM | DAVID SIMONO | ||||
| 124 | KYLE GOAD | KELLY GOAD | ||||
| 124 | BRENT SMITH | TAMMY SMITH | ||||
| 124 | BRYAN REECE | BRADLEY REECE | ||||
| 124 | PAT GRIMM | JACK MORSE | ||||
| 124 | DAVID SCHWERTNER | DAVID RIDLEY III | ||||
| 124 | DAVID CARLOCK | PAUL SHERRILL III | ||||
| 124 | BRIAN BRANDON | KAYDEN TANNER(Y) | ||||
| 124 | STEVE SHEPHERD | BEVERLY SHEPHERD | ||||
| 124 | JOHN MILLS | DAVID ACHILLES | ||||
| 124 | JAY STIDHAM | |||||
| 124 | BRIAN BUSTILLOZ | |||||
| 124 | JASON GARZA | WALTER KILPATRICK | ||||
| 124 | ROBBIE THORSTEINSON | DAVID REID | ||||
| 124 | JESSE FRY | SCOTT LANDON | ||||
| 124 | DAVID DOUGLASS | TOMMY MILLS | ||||
| 124 | CRAIG BULLOCK | DAVID BARATZ | ||||
| 124 | JACOB LONG | ANDER MEINE | ||||
| 124 | KEITH HEINRICH | BRENT TREDEMEYER | ||||
| 124 | RONALD SISK | |||||
| 124 | JOHN RILEY | JOHN BOURLAND | ||||
| 124 | JAMES CANTWELL | RANDEL CANTWELL | ||||
| 124 | CHRIS CONNER | JUSTIN POSTELL | ||||
| 124 | LYNNWOOD PIERCE | DONNIE WEBER | ||||
| 124 | CHUCK BROOKE | STACEY MOORE | ||||
| 124 | ADAM CLARK | JOSH LASSETER | ||||
| 124 | TONY FERDINANDO | RANDY VAUGHAN | ||||
| 124 | ROLAND LOERA | JASON DUNBAR | ||||
| 124 | MARCUS SAMANIEGO | KELLY MAULDIN | ||||
| 124 | RYAN WARREN | FRANK ELLIS | ||||
| 124 | MARK MAYNARD | MICHAEL BUTLER | ||||
| 124 | CHRISTOPHER WASHINGTON | |||||
| 124 | DREW GRESHAM | BEAU REED | ||||
| 124 | RICHIE LAND | KEN WILKINS | ||||
| 124 | MIKE GROUNDS | BOB BURTNER | ||||
| 124 | MARK BULLOCK | MARK NORDSTROM | ||||
| 124 | RODNEY HYATT | ALBERT HUDSON | ||||
| 124 | SHAE SEALE | LARRY HOLYBEE | ||||
| 124 | CHARLES DORTCH | STEVEN HILL | ||||
| 124 | DEAN ALEXANDER | TOM MARTENS | ||||
| 124 | JOHN-MICHAEL DUNAWAY | DEREK TAYLOR | ||||
| 124 | BRYAN HUTCHINSON | JEFF HUTCHINSON | ||||
| 124 | JAMES SCOGIN | ERIC SWEENEY | ||||
| 124 | MIKE HARMAN | RICK SCHEEN | ||||
| 124 | LANDON GLASS | MANDI GLASS |
Kennedy comes from behind to claim Elite Series Victory
Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., wins the 2017 GoPro Bassmaster Elite at Lake Dardanelle presented by Econo Lodge held out of Russellville, Ark., on Monday, with a four-day total weight of 63 pounds, 12 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
June 5, 2017
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., wasn’t dominating the event until he weighed 16 pounds, 9 ounces of bass during the final weigh-in to take home $100,000 and the third championship of his career at the GoPro Bassmaster Elite at Lake Dardanelle presented by Econo Lodge.
A big bass late in the day on Monday that weighed 5-10 anchored his five-bass limit and pushed his four-day winning weight to 63-12. The last time Kennedy topped a Bassmaster Elite Series field was in 2011 at Georgia’s West Point Lake.
“I’ve been so close so many times before, and I’ve usually lost tournaments because of a missed bite, or losing a fish before I could get it inside the boat,” Kennedy said. “It sure feels good to win one, especially after nearly winning this year’s Classic on Conroe.”
Kennedy won $50,000 for an impressive second-place finish at the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods in March on Lake Conroe in Texas.
The 48-year-old veteran made a 100-mile round trip each day to fish a small backwater just below the Ozark Dam on the Arkansas River.
“I found that spot during practice, and since the water is over 20 feet high right now, I was able to get my Bass Cat into the small pond-like area,” he said. “Once I got in there, I was impressed with the amount of life that was present. There were gar surfacing everywhere, shad flicking and bass feeding, which told me it was worth a visit each day.”
On Friday’s opening round of competition, he made the run to the dam and caught 16-10, which had him quietly in ninth place. Saturday morning he went to the same location, caught 14-3 and moved up the leaderboard into fifth place.
“On Sunday I caught 16-6, which had me in third place and I knew I had a real shot,” he said. “After I caught that big fish today I felt like I had it locked up, but Mark Davis kept it too close for comfort.”
Davis of Mount Ida, Ark., led the event on both Saturday and Sunday, but could only manage 13-10 on the final day and finished second, only 1-10 behind Kennedy.
Most of the fish that Kennedy brought to the scales this week were caught on a 3/4-ounce D&L Advantage flipping jig with a white plastic trailer.
“I used the exact same program at the Classic back in March,” he said. “There was still a bit of a shad spawn going on this week, and by swimming the jig through the willows, stopping it and letting it fall along the edge of the weeds, the bass would absolutely smoke it. I also caught several fish on a green pumpkin swim jig, and a few on topwater.”
With Kennedy’s wife and children there to congratulate his victory, he was elated.
“It’s been a while,” he said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform and do well, and when I don’t succeed I take it hard. It means a lot to my family and me to bring home one of those coveted blue trophies.”
Other top finishers included Kevin VanDam, third with 60-11; Mark Menendez, who won here in 2009, fourth with 57-9; and Dean Rojas, fifth with 56-7.
Ott DeFoe, who finished 15th at Dardanelle with 41-12, has a slight lead over Jacob Wheeler and Brandon Palaniuk for Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year with three more regular season tournaments remaining in the Elite Series. He was awarded $1,000 for leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race at the end of the event.
David Mullins of Mount Carmel, Tenn., claimed the $1,500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award for a 6-pound, 8-ounce largemouth he caught during Friday’s opening round.
Davis won the Livingston Lures Day 2 Leader Award of $500 for leading the tournament on Saturday’s second day of competition.
Jamie Hartman of Newport, N.Y., won the Toyota Bonus Bucks Award of $3,000 for being the highest-placing eligible entrant in the program. The second-highest-placing eligible entrant, Cliff Pace of Petal, Miss., received $2,000.
Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., earned the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash Award of $1,000 for being the highest-placing angler who is registered and eligible and uses a client-approved product on his boat.
The event was hosted by the Russellville Advertising and Promotion Commission.
2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Nitro Boats, Mercury, Minn Kota, Power-Pole, Shell Rotella, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird
2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: T-H Marine, Shimano, Advance Auto Parts, Livingston Lures, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
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Media Contact: JamieDay Matthews, 205-313-0945, [email protected] or Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, [email protected]
2017 GoPro Bassmaster Elite at Lake Dardanelle presented by Econo Lodge 6/2-6/5
Lake Dardanelle, Russellville AR.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 20 63-12 110 $100,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 16-06 Day 4: 5 16-09
2. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 20 62-02 109 $25,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 19-04 Day 3: 5 14-15 Day 4: 5 13-10
3. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 20 60-11 108 $21,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 12-08 Day 3: 5 12-00 Day 4: 5 17-00
4. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 20 57-09 107 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 15-05 Day 4: 5 14-13
5. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 20 56-07 106 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 14-01 Day 3: 5 15-00 Day 4: 5 10-10
6. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 19 55-04 105 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 14-04 Day 3: 5 16-06 Day 4: 4 07-05
7. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 20 54-00 104 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 12-09 Day 3: 5 13-12 Day 4: 5 11-08
8. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 19 53-12 103 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 16-08 Day 3: 5 12-05 Day 4: 4 11-06
9. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 18 53-03 102 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 15-13 Day 4: 3 08-05
10. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 19 52-11 101 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 5 18-14 Day 4: 4 06-14
11. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 18 51-04 100 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 14-07 Day 3: 5 12-15 Day 4: 3 08-12
12. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 18 49-09 99 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 15-01 Day 3: 5 14-03 Day 4: 3 06-07
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 06-08 $1,500.00
Pate and Rowe dominate TXTT Championship out deep
KSU’S ALSOP WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FISH-OFF ON WILSON LAKE, ENTRY TO FORREST WOOD CUP
FLORENCE, Ala. (June 3, 2017) – For just the second time in YETI FLW College Fishing history, the National Championship winners Travis Blenn and Kyle Alsop from Kansas State University faced off Saturday in a one-day fish-off on Wilson Lake in North Alabama to decide which team member would represent their school at the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.
After the scales settled and the final fish had been weighed, Alsop won the Forrest Wood Cup qualification with a five-bass limit totaling 10 pounds, 5 ounces. Blenn weighed a five-bass limit totaling 7 pounds, 7 ounces, giving Alsop the win and advancing him to compete against the best anglers in the world on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina at the Forrest Wood Cup.
“This has been such an unbelievable experience this week,” said Alsop, a recent KSU mechanical engineering graduate who resides in Overland Park, Kansas. “I can’t believe that I’m going to fish in the Forrest Wood Cup. I might get my tail whipped, but I’m going to have fun doing it.”
Anderson is guaranteed at least a $10,000 paycheck, as that amount is awarded to the last-place finisher at the Forrest Wood Cup. The angler that wins the Forrest Wood Cup will earn $300,000 – professional bass fishing’s most lucrative prize.
“I can’t wait to sit down and start looking at some maps and doing a little research,” Alsop said. “I’m going to treat it like every other tournament I guess, but we’ll see what happens. Our old teammate on the fishing team Ryan Patterson won a national championship there in 2012, so I’m definitely going to talk to him for some advice. I cannot wait until August.”
The final standings after the one-day fish-off on Wilson Lake were:
1st: Kansas State University – Kyle Alsop, Overland Park, Kan., five bass, 10-5, Entry into 2017 Forrest Wood Cup
2nd: Kansas State University – Travis Blenn, Westmoreland, Kan., five bass, 7-7
Full results and standings for the 2017 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2017 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship, hosted by the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Bureau, featured 139 of the top college bass fishing clubs from across the nation competing for a $30,000 prize package, including a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard and entry into the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup. The Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, will be held Aug. 11-13 on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, and will offer Alsop the opportunity to compete for a top award of $300,000.
Television coverage of the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 4 from Noon -1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
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TEXAS’ MABANK HIGH SCHOOL WINS TBF/FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON WHEELER LAKE
FLORENCE, Ala. (June 3, 2017) – The Mabank High School duo of Justin Shelton of Seven Points, Texas, and Dakota Pfoh, of Eustace, Texas, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 7 ounces to win the 2017 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Wheeler Lake in Florence, Alabama. The win earned the team trophies, the title of national champions and each angler a $5,000 scholarship to their college of choice.
A field of 13 teams competed in the event, which launched from Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville. The Mabank High School duo won by an 8-pound, 2-ounce margin over second place Harmony High School from St. Cloud, Florida, who weighed in five bass totaling 9-5. Mabank’s 17-7 limit was greater than any limit weighed in by the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship teams that fished Wheeler for three days prior to the high school event.
The key to Mabank’s win was one key area on the main lake of Wheeler that was loaded with bait. They camped on the spot all day long.
“We found one place in practice and kind of left it alone,” says Shelton. “We went in there today and wore ’em out.”
The spot was located near some large barge tie-offs. A ledge sloped up to a shell bed that was about 5 feet deep on top. Above the shell bed was a 2-foot-deep island. Pfoh and Shelton positioned above the shell bed and cast out, dragging jigs back up the slope. They also circled the island, which produced a key fish but also gave the shell bed time to replenish. Each time they fished through the main spot again produced another keeper.
Their jigs were either black and blue or green-pumpkin and rigged with matching Strike King Rage Craw trailers. While the jig bite was key, according to Pfoh the team also caught a couple of fish on a Strike King 5XD crankbait and a Bass Pro Shops Speed Shad swimbait, Texas-rigged with a screw-in weight, which they worked through some grass.
Both anglers graduated in 2016 – the year they qualified for this championship. Shelton is attending community college and working, while focusing on his fishing. Pfoh is angling for a fishing career as well. Both hope to land on a YETI FLW College Fishing club
The top 10 teams on Wheeler Lake finished:
1st: Mabank High School, Mabank, Texas – Dakota Pfoh, Seven Points, Texas, and Justin Shelton, Eustace, Texas, five bass, 17-7, $10,000 Scholarship
2nd: Harmony High School, St. Cloud, Fla. – Cole Thompson and Nick Cora, both of St. Cloud, Fla., five bass, 9-5
3rd: Lawrenceburg Tigers, Lawrenceburg, Ind. – Hunter Schneider, Milin, Ind., and William Halbig, Aurora, Ind., five bass, 7-13
4th: South Florence High School, Florence, S.C. – Cole Drummond, Effingham, S.C., and Piercen Lynch, Timmonsville, S.C., five bass, 7-4
5th: Mortimer Jordan High School, Kimberly, Ala. – Parker Davis, Morris, Ala., and Aaron Stephens, Kimberly, Ala., five bass, 7-4
6th: Phoenix HS Bassmasters, Phoenix, Ariz. – Taj White, Glendale, Ariz., and Nathan Cummings, Peoria, Ariz., three bass, 7-4
7th: Corbin High School, Corbin, Ky. – Marcus Davis and Noah Metzger, both of Corbin, Ky., five bass, 7-0
8th: Peru Senior High School, Peru, N.Y. – Perry Marvin and Alexandre Lawliss, both of Peru, N.Y., three bass, 3-14
9th: Creek Wood High School, Charlotte, Tenn. – Daniel Cheshire and Steven Mills, both of White Bluff, Tenn., two bass, 3-8
10th: Alfred M. Barbe High School, Lake Charles, La. – Colby Robinson and Nick Nocilla, both of Lake Charles, La., four bass, 3-1
Complete results for the remaining teams and photos from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2017 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship was a two-person (team) no-entry fee event for students in grades 7-12. The tournament featured the top anglers from the 2016 TBF/FLW High School Fishing Conference Championship events. An additional High School Fishing National Championship will be held this year, June 27-July 1 on Pickwick Lake, for teams that qualified during the 2017 season. Going forward, a yearly championship will be held following the preceding school year.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
DALLAS HODGES JOINS BASS CAT AND YAR-CRAFT AS VP OF SALES & MARKETING
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Nick Harris and Keith Phillips Win 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Lay Lake
Coby Carden and Chris Rutland Claim South Division AOY Title
by Dan O’Sullivan
June 3, 2017 – Columbiana, Ala. – It seems as though every time there is a bass tournament these days, nature is going to throw the anglers for a loop. Whether it was and unseasonably warm and mild winter or heavier than normal spring and early summer rains, the conditions have been “different” this year.
That scenario was once again the case as the final event of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Southern Division schedule kicked off at Lay Lake the morning of June 3. The whole Coosa River chain had seen high dirty water thanks to torrential rains the past two weeks, and while Alabama Power worked to make room for more, the water at Lay Lake had been fluctuating.
While Lay Lake had stabilized, it was a little lower than normal for the year, and anglers were adjusting, but the overall bite was a little tough, and random compared to what it normally is. The one thing many of the teams were excited about was the tail end of a shad spawn that was making the morning bite critical.
Then the fog rolled in. As takeoff approached, the field found the Beeswax Creek launch area socked in with a thick fog that resulted in a half hour fog delay for safety, and the whole complexion of the event changed in an instant.
In the end, the team that made the right adjustments were Nick Harris and Keith Phillips. The local anglers from Alabaster and Calera, started the morning looking for shallow largemouth that were feeding on bream, but adjusted to offshore brushpiles to catch just enough to seal the victory. The pair came to the scales with a five fish limit that weighed 17.63 pounds and earned the $10,000 first prize.
The pair was not sure that they would end up in the catbird seat when they returning to weigh-in. “We knew the delay was going to make it a tighter tournament, they said. “But we really thought we were one fish short of having enough to win; we’re pleased and surprised to be standing here right now.”
They reported fishing “anything and everything shallow” early, but when that didn’t work, they went to a series of brushpiles to catch the bulk of their weight. “We caught four of our fish deep on a DT10 crankbait and a Texas Rigged Zoom Magnum Trick Worm, but were one fish short of our limit at 1:30,” they said. “We went back to the shallows and caught the final fish Flipping grass with a big weight and a Sweet Beaver at 1:45; that was the end of our day.”
They reported adding a hint of orange to a Sexy Shad color on the crankbait to mimic the bluegill, the Magnum Trick Worm was Red Bug color and the Sweet Beaver was Juicy. They also reported catching fewer than 10 keeper bass for the day.
At the beginning of the season, teams in the Alabama Bass Trail are allowed to name an alternate angler to be used in case of an emergency, and in the case of Terry Stevens and Mike McCartney, they selected well. With McCartney unable to make the final event of the season due to a family event, they called on their alternate, Mark McCaig – a previous ABT North Division winner – to fill in. Stevens and McCaig collaborated to finish second in the final event of the season with 17.44 pounds.
They reported throwing All Terrain swim jigs and Flipping Big Bite Baits Dean Rojas Fighting Frogs combinations of water willow and Coontail grass in the middle section of the lake. “Things went well today, we only lost one fish in that grass, and put everything else in the boat,” they said. “We’re pleased with how it turned out.” They earned $5,000 for their efforts on the day.
Barry Isbell and Bobby Freeman produced a 15.81-pound limit to finish the event in third place, earning $4,000 in the process. They were followed by Stanley Fairchild and Derrick Percival with 15.57 pounds in fourth, which earned them $3,000 and Mike McCullers and Jason Shockley rounded out the top five with 15.30, worth a $2,000 payday.
The team of Jeff and Howard Richey caught a 5.61-pound largemouth, which was enough to earn the Big Bass prize of $500. The fish anchored their 13.12-pound limit, which was good enough for 19th place; theyr earned a total of $1,000 for their day.
The top 10 standings are below, for complete standings go to http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/ll-results/.
| Place | Anglers | Weight | Big Fish | Winnings |
| 1 | Nick Harris / Keith Phillips | 17.63 | 4.60 | $10,000 |
| 2 | Terry Stevens / Mark McCaig | 17.44 | $5,000 | |
| 3 | Barry Isbell / Bobby Freeman | 15.81 | 4.00 | $4,000 |
| 4 | Stanley Fairchild / Derrick Percival | 15.57 | 5.56 | $3,000 |
| 5 | Mike McCullers / Jason Shockley | 15.30 | $2,000 | |
| 6 | Rob Lee / Steve Winslett | 15.12 | $1,500 | |
| 7 | Jeff Tapley / Paul Tarpley | 15.07 | $1,100 | |
| 8 | Keith Mayfield / Daryl Adams | 14.73 | $1,100 | |
| 9 | Mark Mott / Matt Salter | 14.71 | 4.58 | $1,100 |
| 10 | Samuel Fish / Michael Smith | 14.55 | 5.48 | $1,100 |
Wrapping up the regular season, Coby Carden and Chris Rutland – who have won two previous ABT event on Lay Lake – produced 13.07 pounds, which helped them finish the event in 21st place. That finish was enough to earn them the title of South Division Anglers of the Year. Despite their record of excellence ABT competition, this is their first AOY win.
Rutland said the pair was thrilled with the result. “Coby and I have fished the ABT all four years and one of our major goals was to win the AOY award. We have finished in the top three or four in points the previous three seasons. So, to win this year is a huge deal to us and really means a lot,” he said. “It is especially gratifying to do so with a full field of 225 teams. We really enjoyed the schedule this year and greatly appreciate all of the hard work put in by Kay, Clay and their staff to make the ABT the best team tournament trail in our state.”
For complete season’s standings, visit this link; http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/south-division-standings/
The sponsors of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail include; Bill Penney Toyota, Phoenix Bass Boats, GP8 Oxygen Water, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, SCA Performance, T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, AFTCO, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Lew’s Fishing, Crossed Industries, YETI, E3 Apparel, TVA and Alabama Power.
For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
DEAKINS LEADS WIRE-TO-WIRE, WINS T-H MARINE BFL ALL-AMERICAN TOURNAMENT ON PICKWICK LAKE
Marshall Deakins tops Boater Division, wins $125,000 and invitation to Forrest Wood Cup
FLORENCE, Ala. (June 3, 2017) – Marshall Deakins of Dunlap, Tennessee, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win the 34th annual T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American on Pickwick Lake. Deakins’ three-day cumulative catch of 15 bass weighing 60 pounds, 6 ounces was enough to earn him $125,000 and a berth into the world championship of bass fishing – the Forrest Wood Cup.
“This is the biggest win of my career by far,” said Deakins, who had five prior wins at the BFL level in FLW competition. “I didn’t think I had a shot at winning at this tournament, even with my 10-pound lead going into the final day. I figured somebody would catch them better – but it worked out.”
Deakins’ primary areas this week were located between the Natchez Trace Bridge and Kogers Island. His first – which produced the majority of his fish – was a ledge just downriver from the Natchez Trace Bridge that had a large rock pile protruding from it. Deakins said he took advantage of the current to make the spot work for him.
“I couldn’t catch fish there unless the current was really strong to wash my jig up over the rocks,” said Deakins. “Yesterday there was a lot of current and I could fish the jig over it, but today it got hung up.”
Deakins’ second area was a shell bar on top of a main-river ledge, just upriver from Kogers Island.
“I kept the boat in 18 to 21 feet of water and I threw up to 4 to 6 feet on top of it,” said Deakins. “I weighed two from the shell bar today, and finished out my limit back at the bridge.”
Deakins’ key bait throughout the event was an October Pumpkin-colored Profound Lures football-head jig with a Rootbeer Pepper Green-colored Zoom Fat Albert Twin Tail Grub trailer. Today’s final limit was also caught with the help of a Morning Dawn-colored Roboworm on a drop-shot rig, but Deakins said the jig and its color were the most crucial factor to his strategy this week.
“I fished with (former FLW Tour pro) Lionel Botha before he competed in the 2013 All-American on Nickajack Lake, which sets up a lot like Pickwick Lake,” said Deakins. “He used that color and caught a lot on it. I’ve fished it ever since then and it works – especially early in the summer.”
The top 10 boaters on Pickwick Lake finished:
1st: Marshall Deakins, Dunlap, Tenn., 15 bass, 60-6, $125,000
2nd: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., 15 bass, 52-12, $20,200
3rd: Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., 15 bass, 48-0, $23,100
4th: Brandon Gray, Bullock, N.C., 15 bass, 46-3, $14,000
5th: Lloyd Pickett Jr., Bartlett, Tenn., 15 bass, 44-9, $19,000
6th: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., 15 bass, 43-14, $17,000
7th: William Merrick, Mount Juliet, Tenn., 15 bass, 43-3, $11,000
8th: Ronald Nutter, Saint Louisville, Ohio, 15 bass, 43-2, $10,000
9th: Brad Fowler, Townville, S.C., 14 bass, 40-2, $9,000
10th: Jeff Knight, Cleveland, Tenn., 10 bass, 34-6, $11,000
For a full list of results, visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 44 bass weighing 116 pounds, 3 ounces caught by nine boaters Saturday. The catch included eight five-bass limits.
Alex Hester of Crossville, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $50,000 Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 49 pounds even, followed by Jacob Harris of Bonne Terre, Missouri, in second place with 14 bass weighing 36-10.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Alex Hester, Crossville, Tenn., 15 bass, 49-0, $50,000
2nd: Jacob Harris, Bonne Terre, Mo., 14 bass, 36-10, $15,200
3rd: Randy Westerfield, Constantine, Mich., 11 bass, 35-3, $6,000
4th: Jim Budde, Waterloo, Ill., 13 bass, 32-10, $5,050
5th: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 12 bass, 31-1, $4,500
6th: Peter Balishin, Sharps Chapel, Tenn., 12 bass, 30-15, $4,000
7th: Dennis Taylor, Murray, Ky., 11 bass, 30-4, $3,500
8th: Jim Stone, Greenwood, Ind., 12 bass, 28-3, $3,000
9th: Pat Kendrick, Bumpass, Va., 11 bass, 28-2, $2,500
10th: Greg Ravitsky, Ashburn, Va., 10 bass, 25-3, $2,000
Overall there were 32 bass weighing 90 pounds even caught by nine co-anglers Saturday. The catch included two five-bass limits.
Hosted by the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Bureau, the BFL All-American featured 98 of the best boaters and co-anglers from across the 24-division T-H Marine BFL circuit and the TBF National Championship casting for cash prizes of up to $125,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division, plus an opportunity to compete for bass fishing’s most coveted prize – the Forrest Wood Cup – held Aug. 11-13 on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina.
Television coverage of the T-H Marine BFL All-American at Pickwick Lake will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 11 from Noon-1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For a full schedule of events, complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Davis Still On Top At Bassmaster Elite on Lake Dardanelle
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Wildcats win YETI FLW College Championship on Wheeer
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON WHEELER LAKE
Link to photo of winners Kansas State University
FLORENCE, Ala. (June 2, 2017) - The Kansas State University team of Travis Blenn of Westmoreland, Kansas, and Kyle Alsop of Overland Park, Kansas, weighed a five-bass limit Friday totaling 11 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the 2017 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship on Wheeler Lake presented by Lowrance C-Map Genesis. The Wildcat duo's three-day total of 15 bass for 44-12 gave them the win by a 1-pound, 12-ounce margin over the 2015 National Championship winners, Patrick Walters and Gettys Brannon from the University of South Carolina, who finished second with 15 bass for 43-0.
"This is the last college fishing tournament of my career," said Alsop, a recent engineering graduate. "To go out like this is just unbelievable."
"We didn't think that we had enough," said Blenn, a junior at Kansas State University. "We were lucky enough to get the big bites the last two days, but we just didn't get them today. I was sure that we needed one more. But sure enough, it was enough."
The Wildcat duo said that their key bait throughout the week was a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Brush Hog, rigged three different ways - Carolina-rigged, Texas-rigged and on a Big Bite Baits Swing Head. They said that they caught their fish out deep on ledges in Decatur, flipping docks and dragging the Brush Hog in and around brush piles in a creek.
"All week long we threw the Brush Hog," Alsop said. "Today when it slowed down we picked up a shaky-head rig with a Big Bite (Baits) Super Stick on it, but the Brush Hog was the key. We dyed the tails chartreuse."
Blenn and Alsop will now advance to compete Saturday in a one-day fish-off against each other on Wilson Lake. The two anglers will weigh in at 3:25 p.m. prior to the final weigh in of the BFL All-American championship at Pickwick Lake. The winner will advance to compete at the Forrest Wood Cup.
"No matter what happens tomorrow, me and Kyle are good enough friends that it will all be good," Blenn said. "And if by chance I do beat him tomorrow, I think he's a good enough stick to make it there on his own, eventually."
"I hope to make a career in professional fishing," Alsop went on to say. "I'm going to start working to qualify for the Tour next year and we'll see how far I can make it. Tomorrow Travis and I are just going to go out and get after them and we'll see what happens."
The top 10 teams on Wheeler Lake finished:
1st: Kansas State University - Travis Blenn, Westmoreland, Kan., and Kyle Alsop, Overland Park, Kan., 15 bass, 44-12, Ranger Z175 w/90-horsepower Evinrude Outboard, Entry into 2017 Forrest Wood Cup
2nd: University of South Carolina - Patrick Walters, Summerville, S.C., and Gettys Brannon, Gaffney, S.C., 15 bass, 43-0, $5,000
3rd: Bethel University - Evan Owrey, Jackson, Tenn., and Kristopher Queen, Catawba, N.C., 15 bass, 42-11, $4,000
4th: University of Louisiana-Monroe - Tyler Stewart and Nicholas Joiner, both of West Monroe, La., 15 bass, 38-5, $3,000
5th: East Texas Baptist University - Brett Clark, Center, Texas, and Jacob Keith, Jefferson, Texas, 15 bass, 38-3, $2,000
6th: University of Missouri - Gabriel Dubois, Mason, Ohio, and Brandon Heizer, Saint Louis, Mo., 15 bass, 37-6
7th: Slippery Rock University - Logan Pollman, Slippery Rock, Pa., and Tyler Sheppard, Hermitage, Pa., 15 bass, 34-3
8th: Murray State University - Chandler Christian, Owensboro, Ky., and Lance Freeman, Eddyville, Ky., 15 bass, 31-13
9th: Lamar University - Brandon Simoneaux, Bridge City, Texas, and Colby Ogden, Sour Lake, Texas, 12 bass, 31-2
10th: University of Oregon - Ryan Habenicht, Auburn, Calif., and Daniel Marshall, Eugene, Ore., 10 bass, 24-6
Full results and standings for the remaining field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 43 bass weighing 96 pounds, 12 ounces caught by nine college teams Friday. The catch included eight five-bass limits.
The 2017 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship, hosted by the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Bureau, featured 139 of the top college bass fishing clubs from across the nation competing for a $30,000 prize package, including a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard and entry into the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup. The Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, will be held August 11-13 on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, and will offer a collegiate angler the opportunity to compete for a top award of $300,000.
Television coverage of the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 4 from Noon -1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
About FLW
FLW is the world's largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
New Dog, Old Tricks...
By Vance McCullough
This was supposed to be a story about some of the best post-spawn lures to use in grass-filled lakes.
Yes, there are still plenty of bass just coming off beds in Florida. There are a few still coming in to spawn if you know where to look. Just this weekend we caught a couple of fish that were fat with roe and some that had empty, yet still distended bellies indicating they had recently dumped their eggs.
To support my story about catching such fish I figured I’d do a little field demonstration.
I thought I had proven my point when I caught what I call an ‘elbow bass’ – one that measures up to the bend in my elbow from the tip of the finger that we use to wave at other motorists, a distance of a little better than 18 inches. I caught a couple of others, missed an overly eager fish that blasted through a thin weed canopy.
Then I rounded a point of pine flat woods and ran into my boy, Hunter, age 14.
We had dragged our kayaks out to this small lake in the woods because, this being Memorial Day, every boat ramp in the country would be jammed with housewives trying to back boat trailers while redfaced husbands holler at them from the helms of their vessels.
There are no roads to this lake. No ramps. No embarrassed wives. It’s Jackson Kayak country.
Anyhow, my son quickly destroyed my how-to article on catching post-spawn fish.
“I saw that one you caught back there,” said Hunter. “I caught 3 on that bank over there and the smallest one was like the one you caught and it had a huge belly.”
If bass wore pants, mine would have been wearing skinny jeans. Its stomach was sunken in. That fish would have eaten anything, maybe even tofu.
So forget what I was going to say. I know nothing of catching post-spawn bass. Oh sure, I whizzed and whirled and buzzed and plopped. I caught small schoolers offshore and junkyard bass in a backwater slough I shared with a croaking gator and a mean cottonmouth snake. I caught fish where there shouldn’t have been any.
But my boy doubled me up. Two-to-one. And he had pictures to prove it. His were all tournament grade fish. He would have cashed a check in most tournaments.
I bet you’d like to know how he did it. Well, he kept things simple. He went old school. I don’t how many times that boy has beaten me with a simple Texas-rigged worm. He was just casting at anything that looked good and letting the worm do the work.
When he drifted the open water he just popped the worm through the top of the grass. Water was about 4 feet deep, grass was about 2 feet tall. He stitched that worm through it and kept an eye on his line. When it swam off he set the hook.
Solid game plan.
So that’s how you catch post-spawn bass that just came off the bed. Or, post-spawn bass that came off the bed 2 weeks ago. Or 2 months ago. Or 10 months ago.
The Texas-rigged worm: an old trick that still works, even in the hands of a new dog.
KVD Leads Elite Series Event on Dardanelle heading into Day 2
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Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff - SE Edition with Robbie Digh
AnglersChannel Pro Staffer Robbie Digh talks about the upcoming tournaments this weekend.
Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff - Jordan Lee, Dardanelle, Day 1
Dynamic Sponsorships PR Director Alan McGuckin chats it up with Classic Champ Jordan Lee as he prepares for Day 1 of the BassMasters Elite Series event on Lake Dardanelle.
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY TAKES LEAD AFTER DAY TWO OF YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON WHEELER LAKE
FLORENCE, Ala. (June 1, 2017) – The Kansas State University team of Travis Blenn of Westmoreland, Kansas, and Kyle Alsop of Overland Park, Kansas, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces to grab the lead Thursday at Day Two of the 2017 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship on Wheeler Lake presented by Lowrance C-Map Genesis. The Wildcat duo’s two-day total of 10 bass for 33-1 will give them a slim 4-ounce advantage over the second place team from Tennessee’s Bethel University heading into the third and final day of competition.
The three-day National Championship event featured 139 of the top college bass fishing clubs – now cut to 10 – from across the nation competing for a $30,000 prize package, including a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard and entry into the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup. The Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, will be held August 11-13 on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, and will offer a collegiate angler the opportunity to compete for a top award of $300,000.
“We’ve got three pretty solid patterns that are working for us,” said Alsop, a senior majoring in engineering. “We know that we can go and catch a limit of fish on the second pattern, but we’re not here to catch just a limit of fish. We’re here to win. So tomorrow we’re going to dig deep and see what happens.”
The Kansas State duo said that they did the majority of their damage Thursday fishing offshore, but not on the main river. Although they were not yet ready to divulge any specifics, they did say that they were fishing just one bait, but rigging it three different ways. Their five-bass limit that they brought to the scale Thursday consisted of four largemouth and one smallmouth.
“We caught around 15 keepers today, the same as yesterday,” said Blenn. “We spent a little bit more time up shallow yesterday, but there was a lot of little fish.”
“Consistency is everything out here,” said Alsop. “Tomorrow, we might run shallow to finish out limit, but we’re not going to spend a bunch of time on it. I really think the key to our areas are a timing deal. The fish come up and feed real quickly, then move on.
“We have two spots we’ve been kind of saving – one of them we haven’t even touched yet,” Alsop continued. “But who knows, we might pull up tomorrow and never get a bite. We’re just excited to be in the position we are and are ready to go out tomorrow and have some fun.”
The top 10 teams on Wheeler Lake that will advance to the final day of competition are:
1st: Kansas State University – Travis Blenn, Westmoreland, Kan., and Kyle Alsop, Overland Park, Kan., 10 bass, 33-1
2nd: Bethel University – Evan Owrey, Jackson, Tenn., and Kristopher Queen, Catawba, N.C., 10 bass, 32-13
3rd: University of South Carolina – Patrick Walters, Summerville, S.C., and Gettys Brannon, Gaffney, S.C., 10 bass, 29-14
4th: University of Louisiana-Monroe – Tyler Stewart and Nicholas Joiner, both of West Monroe, La., 10 bass, 25-12
5th: Lamar University – Brandon Simoneaux, Bridge City, Texas, and Colby Ogden, Sour Lake, Texas, nine bass, 25-9
6th: East Texas Baptist University – Brett Clark, Center, Texas, and Jacob Keith, Jefferson, Texas, 10 bass, 25-2
7th: Slippery Rock University – Logan Pollman, Slippery Rock, Pa., and Tyler Sheppard, Hermitage, Pa., 10 bass, 24-15
8th: University of Oregon – Ryan Habenicht, Auburn, Calif., and Daniel Marshall, Eugene, Ore., 10 bass, 24-6
9th: University of Missouri – Gabriel Dubois, Mason, Ohio, and Brandon Heizer, Saint Louis, Mo., 10 bass, 23-13
10th: Murray State University – Chandler Christian, Owensboro, Ky., and Lance Freeman, Eddyville, Ky., 10 bass, 23-12
Full results and standings for the remaining field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 478 bass weighing 869 pounds, 4 ounces caught by 114 college teams Thursday. The catch included 70 five-bass limits.
The final 10 teams will take off Friday from Joe Wheeler State Park, located at 4401 McLean Drive, in Rogersville, Alabama, at 6:30 a.m. CDT. Friday’s championship weigh-in will be held at McFarland Park, located at 200 Jim Spain Drive in Florence, at 3 p.m., prior to the Day Two weigh-in of the BFL All-American championship at Pickwick Lake.
The winning college team will advance to compete Saturday in a one-day fish-off against each other on Wilson Lake. The two anglers will weigh in at 3:25 p.m. prior to the final weigh in of the BFL All-American championship at Pickwick Lake. The winner will advance to compete at the Forrest Wood Cup. All takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Television coverage of the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 4 from Noon -1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
TENNESSEE’S DEAKINS LEADS DAY ONE OF T-H MARINE BFL ALL-AMERICAN TOURNAMENT ON PICKWICK LAKE
Kentucky’s Taylor Leads Co-anglers
FLORENCE, Ala. (June 1, 2017) – Boater Marshall Deakins of Dunlap, Tennessee, took the early lead at the 34th annual T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American on Pickwick Lake Thursday with a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 6 ounces. Deakins will begin Day Two of the three-day competition with a 2-pound, 14-ounce lead over second-place angler Mike Brueggen of La Crosse, Wisconsin, who weighed in five bass totaling 21 pounds, 8 ounces.
The BFL All-American features 98 of the best boaters and co-anglers from across the 24-division T-H Marine BFL circuit casting for cash prizes of up to $120,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division. In addition to the six-figure payout, the top boater will receive an invitation to compete for bass fishing’s most coveted prize – the Forrest Wood Cup – held Aug. 11-13 on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina.
“I’m catching them two or three different ways,” said Deakins, who qualified for the event through the BFL Choo Choo division. “I’ve caught some fish from grass, rocks and shell beds. I’ve got two or three areas that are really good, and I just kept rotating through them. The fish are in the same places that I found them in during pre-practice.”
Deakins said he used a jig to catch his fish. He said he didn’t encounter much boat traffic, and was able to put together a limit fairly quickly.
“I made a lot of stops, but my primary areas are 4 to 5 miles apart,” said Deakins. “I caught a couple of big fish at the first location, and another decent one at the second. I probably put at least 10 keepers in the boat throughout the day and culled a few times later on.”
Deakins said he believes the color of his jig is one of the most important factors in his strategy, and that he plans on following the same pattern on Day Two.
“I’ve got some more places like the areas from today that I haven’t hit yet,” said Deakins. “I can’t wait to get back out there.”
The top 10 boaters after Day One on Pickwick Lake are:
1st: Marshall Deakins, Dunlap, Tenn., five bass, 24-6
2nd: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 21-8
3rd: Ronald Nutter, Saint Louisville, Ohio, five bass, 20-7
4th: Jeff Knight, Cleveland, Tenn., five bass, 18-4
5th: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., five bass, 17-6
6th: Brandon Gray, Bullock, N.C., five bass, 17-2
7th: Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., five bass, 16-13
8th: Conrad Bolt, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 16-8
9th: Tyler Morgan, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 16-6
10th: Adam Ohms, Edwardsville, Ill., five bass, 16-3
For a full list of results, visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 205 bass weighing 594 pounds, 11 ounces caught by 47 boaters Thursday. The catch included 31 five-bass limits.
Dennis Taylor of Murray, Kentucky, leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 17 pounds, 3 ounces, followed by David Winters of Rock Hill, South Carolina, in second place with five bass weighing 16-5.
The top 10 co-anglers are:
1st: Dennis Taylor, Murray, Ky., five bass, 17-3
2nd: David Winters, Rock Hill, S.C., five bass, 16-5
3rd: Pat Kendrick, Bumpass, Va., five bass, 14-6
4th: Peter Balishin, Sharps Chapel, Tenn., five bass, 14-5
5th: Greg Ravitsky, Ashburn, Va., five bass, 13-11
6th: Jeremy New, Yorktown, Ind., five bass, 13-2
7th: Alex Hester, Crossville, Tenn., five bass, 12-15
8th: Mike Youngblood, Saint Louis, Mo., five bass, 12-13
9th: Jim Budde, Waterloo, Ill., five bass, 12-9
10th: Billy Watson, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 11-11
Overall there were 148 bass weighing 361 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 44 Co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 14 five-bass limits.
Competitors will take off from McFarland Park located at 200 Jim Spain Drive in Florence at 7 a.m. CDT each day. Weigh-ins each day will be held at McFarland Park, and will begin at 3:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The 2017 BFL All-American on Pickwick Lake is being hosted by the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Bureau.
Television coverage of the T-H Marine BFL All-American at Pickwick Lake will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 11 from Noon-1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For a full schedule of events, complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Hackney and Swindle Make Dardanelle Predictions
By Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Greg Hackney finished 3rd the last time the Bassmaster Elites were at Lake Dardanelle in May of 2014, and Swindle finished 2nd – losing by four heartbreaking ounces to winner Jason Christie.
Together, Swindle and Hackney hauled home $45,000 from that event three years ago, and both of the Quantum pros seemed optimistically focused at Thursday afternoon’s angler registration meeting where they were gracious enough to share their thoughts on what will take place this week at the muddier-than-normal Arkansas River fishery.
Q: With so much of the main river ‘blown out’ with high and muddy water, can this event be won on the main river, or do you think fishing the backwaters for the coveted blue Elite Series trophy is a must.
Hackney: I’d say it’s 50/50 to be honest with you.
Swindle: Backwater. No question.
Q: How much weight per day will you have to average in order to qualify for the Top 12 cut on Monday?
Hackney: 14 pounds per day
Swindle: 13 ½ pounds per day
Q: It’s a bit of a strange Elite Series schedule this week, because appropriately, we took time-out to honor Memorial Day on Monday. What was your best memory from the recent Memorial Day weekend?
Hackney: Family time! My wife and kids and I spent the weekend with my parents in Star City, Arkansas about two hours southeast of here.
Swindle: Just grillin and chillin with Lulu here at the campground.
Q: Name four lures you think we’ll see the Elite Series field use the most here this week.
Hackney: Square bill crankbait, a frog, a Texas-rigged plastic to pitch with, and a spinnerbait.
Swindle: A black and blue jig, a shallow 1.5 crankbait, a double Colorado bladed spinnerbait, and a Texas-rigged craw or beaver style bait to pitch with.
Q: You’ve been here several times. What do you like best about Lake Dardanelle and city of Russellville, Arkansas?
Hackney: It’s just laid back, and it’s a fishin’ town.
Swindle: Lake Dardanelle State Park here where we have the weigh-in is pretty awesome. It’s got great camping, good boat ramps, it’s peaceful, and it’s just really laid out well.
“Big Show” Scroggins’ Boat Ramp Rescue Dog
Story and Picture by Alan McGuckin
Gerald Swindle once said, “Big Show… big heart” in reference to his good buddy and Toyota teammate Terry Scroggins’ generous treatment of others. And the backstory to the four-legged friend Scroggins brought to this week’s GoPro Bassmaster Elite at Dardanelle presented by Econo Lodge proves Swindle’s theory true.
Meet “Roddie” everybody. She’s three years old, wears a pink collar, and it’s her first trip to a B.A.S.S. event among the 204 tournaments her best friend, “Big Show”, has competed in.
She loves the Florida pro for good reason. He saved her from loneliness and abandonment on a boat ramp at Florida’s Rodman Reservoir during a crappie fishing trip with 12-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Peter Thliveros.
“Pete and I went crappie fishing about three days in a row, and the dog would be alone at the boat ramp each day. Finally, Pete told me if she was still there when we came in from fishing on that third day, that I had to take her home with me,” says Scroggins.
“I told Pete he was crazy and that he could take her home instead of me. And actually, Bernie Schultz saw her too, but somehow I got nominated to be the one to take her.”
“Well, she was still there when we came in from fishing. So the first thing we did was take her to a veterinarian and have her scanned for an identity chip to make sure she didn’t belong to somebody. There was no chip – so at that point Pete pretty much made sure I provided her a permanent home,” says Scroggins.
In typical Scroggins’ fashion, a new home couldn’t just be a dog dish and a spot to sleep on the floor in the corner of his garage. Instead, after spending $800 to get her shots and spayed, he spent another $1,000 to build “Roddie” the Taj Mahal of doghouses. Even though, truth be told, most nights she sleeps with Scroggins. “I actually found out she has bad hips, so I’m spending $250 a month on medication to keep her comfortable.”
“She’s got a lotta pit bull in her, but you couldn’t make her bite you if you wanted to, and when another dog gets aggressive with her, she gets real submissive because all she wants to do is love everybody,” says Scroggins.
And as for her first long road trip to a B.A.S.S. event, “Big Show” says she handled it like a pro. “She laid in my Tundra from Florida to Arkansas and hardly moved a muscle. She did awesome.”
Watching the two interact on the boat ramp at Dardanelle was a heart-warming scene. Calm and well-behaved, Roddie followed Scroggins everywhere he went as he loaded his boat and interacted with other pros coming in from a long day on this muddied-up stretch of the Arkansas River.
The scene was a fitting one too. A boat ramp in Florida brought them together, and two years later, 954 miles from Rodman Reservoir, both were proud to be spending time at Dardanelle together.
“She doesn’t like to be left at home. She and our cows nearly knock the fence down when they see my Tundra and boat coming down the road to the house after I’ve been gone a longtime at a tournament,” grins the big-hearted pro.
Something tells me this might be Roddie’s first trip to a B.A.S.S. event – but it certainly won’t be her last.
Big Show. Big Heart.
Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff - Lake Dardanelle Practice with Terry "Big Show" Scroggins
Our Buddy Alan McGuckin caught up with Terry Scroggins after Day 3 of Practice for this weekends Elite Series Event on Lake Dardanelle. The River is high and muddy and things could get interesting come Derby Day Tomorrow. Check it out!
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA LEADS AFTER DAY ONE OF YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON WHEELER LAKE
2015 National Champs Walters and Brannon Seeking Second Team Title, Third Straight for U.S.C.
FLORENCE, Ala. (May 31, 2017) – The University of South Carolina team of Patrick Walters of Summerville, South Carolina, and Gettys Brannon of Gaffney, South Carolina, took the early lead Wednesday after Day One of the 2017 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship on Wheeler Lake presented by Lowrance C-Map Genesis. The Gamecock duo weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 3 ounces and will begin Day Two with an 8-ounce lead over the second place team from Tennessee’s Bethel University.
The three-day event features 139 of the top college bass fishing clubs from across the nation competing in an internationally-televised tournament for a $30,000 prize package, including a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard and entry into the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup. The Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, will be held August 11-13 on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, and will offer a collegiate angler the opportunity to compete for a top award of $300,000.
The University of South Carolina bass club is no stranger to the FLW College Fishing National Championship, as teams from their club have won the last two championships back-to-back. Walters and Brannon won the event on Lake Murray in 2015, then teammates Chris Blanchette and Hampton Anderson followed it up with another national championship win in 2016 on Lake Keowee. Now, Walters and Brannon are looking to make it three straight titles for the club and earn their second title as a team.
“It looks good, but nothing is coming easy,” said Brannon, a recent graduate with a degree in advertising. “We caught all of our weight by 10 (a.m.) today and then after that it was brutally slow.”
“We’re fishing offshore, and we’ve probably got about 10 to 12 spots,” said Walters, a senior majoring in business management and marketing. “Each spot gets hot at different times. I believe that there are fish on every single one of them, but you just have to time it perfectly and be there when the fish turn on.”
The duo estimated that they caught around 20 fish throughout the day, with 12 keepers. They said that they were rotating through three or four different baits, but one bait seemed to be the key for them on Wednesday.
“There are a couple of boats fishing around us, and they’re probably doing what we’re doing,” Walters said. “We’re just going to put the trolling motor down and get after it and hope that if we do it enough it will pay off.”
“This is my last college fishing tournament, so I’m just trying to enjoy it and soak it all in,” Brannon added. “I would love nothing more than to go out on top and get a chance to go back to Lake Murray to fish for the Forrest Wood Cup.”
The top 10 teams after Day One on Wheeler Lake are:
1st: University of South Carolina – Patrick Walters, Summerville, S.C., and Gettys Brannon, Gaffney, S.C., five bass, 17-3
2nd: Bethel University – Evan Owrey, Jackson, Tenn., and Kristopher Queen, Catawba, N.C., five bass, 16-11
3rd: Kansas State University – Travis Blenn, Westmoreland, Kan., and Kyle Alsop, Overland Park, Kan., five bass, 16-8
4th: University of Louisiana-Monroe – Tyler Stewart and Nicholas Joiner, both of West Monroe, La., five bass, 15-4
5th: University of Wisconsin – Jacob Anderson and Bryce Smith, both of Princeton, Wis., five bass, 14-8
6th: University of Oregon – Ryan Habenicht, Auburn, Calif., and Daniel Marshall, Eugene, Ore., five bass, 14-7
7th: East Texas Baptist University – Brett Clark, Center, Texas, and Jacob Keith, Jefferson, Texas, five bass, 14-6
8th: Murray State University – Chandler Christian, Owensboro, Ky., and Lance Freeman, Eddyville, Ky., five bass, 14-3
9th: Bryan College – Connor Cohran, Dalton, Ga., and Cole Sands, Calhoun, Tenn., five bass, 13-2
10th: Slippery Rock University – Logan Pollman, Slippery Rock, Pa., and Tyler Sheppard, Hermitage, Pa., five bass, 12-10
For a full list of results, visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 569 bass weighing 1,075 pounds, 2 ounces caught by 132 college teams Wednesday. The catch included 87 five-bass limits.
Anglers will take off Thursday and Friday from Joe Wheeler State Park, located at 4401 McLean Drive, in Rogersville, Alabama, at 6:30 a.m. CDT. Thursday’s weigh-in will be held at the State Park beginning at 2:30 p.m. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at McFarland Park, located at 200 Jim Spain Drive in Florence, at 3 p.m., prior to the Day Two weigh-in of the BFL All-American championship at Pickwick Lake.
The winning college team will advance to compete Saturday in a one-day fish-off against each other on Wilson Lake. The two anglers will weigh in at 3:25 p.m. prior to the final weigh in of the BFL All-American championship at Pickwick Lake. The winner will advance to the Forrest Wood Cup. All takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Television coverage of the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 4 from Noon -1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Taming Summer Time Patterns with Matt & Jordan Lee
By David A. Brown
Spend any time around Matt and Jordan Lee and you’ll quickly realize two resolute points: The brothers from Alabama are straight-up fish heads and they’re a couple of the bass world’s most down-to-earth dudes.
As such, they’ve already made their summer plans; and whether they’re competing in Bassmaster tournaments or floating around their Lake Guntersville home waters, the Lee brothers’ playbook can help you catch more fish this summer.
Here’s a look at what they’ll be throwing:
REACTION TRACTION
Long rods with plenty of flex, distant casts to deep fish — nothing says summer in the south like a good old-fashion reaction bite. Matt’s an ace at this game and much of his prowess comes from observation.
“When the fish are grouped up in deep water, it’s rewarding to me to finding fish on electronics; in fact, a lot of times, I don’t even make a cast unless I see fish on my graph,” he said. “Understanding what you see on the graph is important. You can tell species, but a lot of times, how they’re positioned will show what baits they’ll bite.
“Normally, if they haven’t been messed with, they look like Tic-Tacs on the bottom; it looks like you took a Sharpie pen and dotted the graph. In the summertime, largemouth bass will relate to the bottom structure. They’re on breaks, they’re above the break, they’re down the side of a ledge. Rarely, will you see them suspended out in open water before you get to a ledge.”
What to Wind: When he finds unmolested fish, Matt loves winding a Strike King 10XD through the meat. A busy holiday weekend may not offer much of this and in such times, he’ll shift to finesse baits. But when the fish amass in tight bunches, amplified feeding competition means catching them on every cast and that’s straight-up fun.
“That male ego thing kicks in and you want to channel your inner Kevin VanDam for a minute,” Matt grins. “The best way you can learn to do this is to go somewhere the fish bite this way — go to Pickwick, Kentucky Lake, Guntersville and go on a weekday when it’s not as crowded. Go somewhere you can get bites and learn this technique.”
Calling the 10XD and 6XD his “go-getters,” Matt said he fits his crankbaits with the round bend Owner ST36 trebles — as big as a No. 1 on the 10XD. Fish occasionally slap at big cranks and these beefy hooks tend to snare more of the indecisive ones.
“I try to get more bites by throwing my crankbait on a higher speed reel,” Matt said. “I think the days of throwing these baits on low-speed reels are few and far between because of how much pressure they get.
“I will throw them on a 6.6:1 with a big handle and reel it really fast. It will wear you out, but it makes a difference.”
When the crankbait bite dwindles, Matt will clean up with a Strike King Rage Swimmer swimbait on a 1/2- to 3/4-ounce swimbait head. A different profile and action than the common hollow belly swimmer seems to do a better job triggering fish.
KIND OF A DRAG
Jordan loves the reaction baits too, but he offers good advice for effectively employing the plastics.
Shaky Head: This is one of Jordan’s go-to summer baits, but we’re not necessarily talking about the light finesse stuff. There may be occasions for that too, but his typical deal is a beefier presentation with a Strike King Bull Worm — something a bass would invest the energy into eating this time of year.
“If the wind’s blowing hard or if I’m deeper in 15-25 feet, I’ll throw a 3/4-ounce head; and under that, I’ll throw a 1/2-ounce,” the reigning Bassmaster Classic champ said. “I like this bait anytime I’m fishing brush piles, shell bars or any place the fish are out deeper grouped up. It’s just a different look than a traditional Texas rig.”
Jordan’s best advice: Throw this bait on 17-pound Seaguar AbrazX fluorocarbon but don’t over-fish the bait. You just want a slow drag without the rod tip wiggling more common to smaller versions of this bait. Think football head and you’ll have this right.
“Let the worm do more than your rod tip,” Jordan says. “Instead of giving it a lot of action, it seems to work better for me when I just drag is as slowly as I can.”
Notably, Jordan prefers the 8-inch Bull Worm. He keeps 10-inchers handy for when he’s around legit toads, but day-to-day, the smaller version — which is still a sizable offering — will catch a wide range of sizes.
Wobble Heads & Texas Rigs: For a more enticing display, something that might nudge a big heat-weary fish into sucking in one easy meal, Jordan will throw a 8-inch Strike King Rage Recon worm or a 10-inch Strike King Thumper Worm. For this, he has a couple different rigging strategies.
“I’ll rig these worms on a 3/4-ounce Strike King Jointed Structure Head (articulated) because this gives it a different action,” he said. “With a traditional Texas rig, it just lays on the bottom and it doesn’t have a lot of movement. Everybody has thrown it for years and it still catches fish, but I think the Structure Head shows them something they’re not accustomed to seeing.”
Indeed, that articulated look serves him well for slowly rumbling across hard bottom where every bump and drop makes that big worm shiver and shake. At times, Jordan will balance the show with an old school Texas rig.
“I like throwing this around brush piles because you can come through stuff easier and it doesn’t hang up as much like a shaky head would,” he said. “That worm weight just slides through cover easier.
“If your lake has a lot of brush or wood, that’s when you want to throw a Texas rig more than the wobble head or shaky head. When you don’t get hung up as much, you fish more efficiently.”
KEEP IT DIVERSE
Not surprisingly, there’s a good bit of crossover between what Matt and Jordan fish during the summertime, but the key for both is preparation through diversity. As Jordan notes, he spends a lot of time searching for fish with a Carolina rig before turning to his more targeted presentations.
“When the fish get out offshore, it’s so important to have a ton of different baits, from a spinning rod rigged with a dropshot, to swimbaits, 6XD crankbaits and all the worms I mentioned,” Jordan said. “The fish always are going to want one bait better than another. You can be on a great pile of fish, but if you’re not throwing the right bait in there you might not catch a fish.
“You really won’t understand why a lot of times; there’s really not any conditions that say ‘This bait’s gonna be better.’ A lot of times, it’s just fishing and figuring out what the fish want. That’s why you need to have so many baits rigged up. When they start eating something really good, you know you have the right one.”
“Chocolate Milk” and Buffalo Gnats Challenging Elites at Dardanelle
By Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Florida pro Bobby Lane returned to the boat ramp with a fat lip after a long first day of practice for the GoPro Bassmaster Elite at Dardanelle presented by EconoLodge.
“Do not go out there without a Buff for your face and plenty of inspect repellent. I’m telling ya’ – you’d better cover yourself!” exclaimed Lane.
Lane’s swollen lower lip was the result of two different bites from hungry female buffalo gnats that gnawed on him while he tried to find clean and productive backwater on a mostly muddy, chocolate milk-looking, main river channel at Dardanelle.
Later in the evening, right at 8:00 p.m., Kevin VanDam was the next-to-last guy to load his boat at a popular ramp after a 14-hour practice day. And he too was quick to warn about buffalo gnats as he pulled his Tundra to the top of the boat ramp.
“Oh dude, they’re brutal. They fly into your ears, your nose, and behind your sunglasses,” says VanDam of the very tiny insects with cutter mouth parts prevalent in early summer around rivers and streams like the Arkansas.
Speaking of the river, conditions aren’t near as bad as many feared they might be a week ago, when considerations were being made by B.A.S.S. for a postponement, or a move to a less flooded location, but VanDam says clean water is certainly at a premium.
“I’d say 50 to 75% of the main river channel is blown out and fairly unfishable, so it’s squeezing everybody into the backwaters that are pretty clean and healthy looking for the most part,” says VanDam.
“There are guys trying to catch ‘em out a little deeper, and of course plenty are fishing shallow, but either way it’s a grind,” says Lane.
The 15 Quantum rods and reels VanDam had visible in his boat at sunset on the first day of practice proved the search for Dardanelle’s keeper-sized bass is indeed a drudgery involving a wide variety of lures.
“I actually put a couple rods away already,” grinned the Michigan pro, as he reached for his can of Repel and took one last swat at the gnats before jumping in his Tundra, and calling it a day.
Big Bass Bonanza just weeks away!
If you could fish anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
If you could fly off to Lake El Salto tomorrow morning I bet you’d stay up half the night packing tackle and gear.
Then again, Gerald Swindle just recently proclaimed that Sam Rayburn is the best lake in the USA. No passport needed.
And we’ve been whacking bass down here in Florida, especially on the St Johns River.
What about on June 23rd, 24th and 25th?
Would those dates make a difference? They would if you knew that the Simmons Bank Big Bass Bonanza is taking place on the Arkansas River on those days and that the competition – open to anybody – features $100,000 in guaranteed prize money!
That should put the Arkansas River on the top of your To-Fish List.
Imagine grinding a crankbait along the ledge where Rick Clunn scored perhaps the most memorable Bassmaster Classic win in history. It’s like taking batting practice in Fenway Park. I’ve fished the Clunn Hole before. Struck out, but it was still fun. And this summer it could net somebody the $50,000 top prize for biggest bass, overall or one of the $10,000 prizes awarded for the largest fish overall in each of the remaining four pools, or tons of other prizes including many special youth prizes.
“All high school age anglers will be eligible to win some serious fishing gear,” says tournament director Jill Thiel. “Our sponsors really stepped up to give high school anglers a chance to not only fish for the $50,000 grand prize and the multiple hourly prizes for big fish, but also the chance to upgrade their gear while they’re at it.”
Thiel says anglers grades 6th – 8th and 9th – 12th will have the chance to win one of multiple Raymarine Dragonfly 7-Pro Sonar/GPS fish finder units, Aqua-Vu Micro-II underwater cameras, Bass X fishing rods from St. Croix Rods, lure prize packs from LIVETARGET lures, BaitCloud fish attractant canisters, and a free Thickburgers every week for a year from Hardees.
The Simmons Bank Big Bass Bonanza tournament is a popular three-day tournament that spans about 300 miles of the Arkansas River, with pools and official check-in stations at Fort Smith, Dardanelle, Little Rock/North Little Rock, Pine Bluff and the Pendleton Bridge near Dumas. The Big Bass Bonanza is open to all ages, and last year, it attracted amateur anglers from around the country.
The tournament begins Friday, June 23 and runs through Sunday, June 25, with fishing starting each morning at 6. The first weigh-in is at 8 a.m., with subsequent weigh-ins at the top of each hour until 1 p.m. each day.
Entry is $80 per person each day, and the winners will be announced Sunday, June 25, at 4 p.m. at the awards event at the Riverfront RV park pavilion, North Little Rock, Arkansas.
For more information on tournament rules or to register for the Simmons Bank Big Bass Bonanza, go to: www.arkansasbigbass.com.
Bassmaster Elite Series To Ply Arkansas’ Muddy Lake Dardanelle
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