Cbc High Rock Wrap Up With Director Brett Collins

CBC Tournament Director Brett Collins re-caps what turned out to be a fantastic day on High Rock with lots of quality and the first ever back to back winners in the history of the CBC!!


Cbc High Rock Champs One On One-Duncan And Woody Take Home $14,000 In Cash!

Unbelievable tournament for CBC CHamps Donnie Woody and Dale Duncan-they join us and break down what they did Sat to lock up their second consecutive win for the first time ever on the CBC Series!


Donnie Woody And Dale Duncan Win Cbc On High Rock-First Ever Back To Back Champs-Take Home $14,000-Full Results And Pics Here!

Big Sat on High Rock for the CBC and Donnie Woody and Dale Duncan!! 174 boats launched and after all fish were weighed CBC  paid out $45,800 to to the top 29 places.  We had our furst "back to back" CBC winners ever as Donnie Woody and Dale Duncan of Marion, NC bring home $28,000 in 2 weeks!
The Skeeter Bean Team was on hand serving up free BBQ sandwiches all afternoon!  Great tournaout and another great CBC Event!  The next CBC Event is our 3rd SC Division tournament on the Sampit River in Georgetown, SC -followed by our final NC Division event on the April 30th at Lake Hickory! Tremendous season so far for all involved and again, congrats to the first ever BACK TO BACK winners in the history of the CBC-way to go Donnie and Dale!
CBC HR CHamps Dale Duncan and Donnie Woody
2nd place team of Chris Wagner and Chase Deal2nd place team of Chris Wagner and Chase Deal
3rd place and BF winners Chris Corriher and Randy Christie!3rd place and BF winners Chris Corriher and Randy Christie!
Find the BF here......wont take long!Find the BF here......wont take long!
Crowd Shot of Weigh-in on High RockCrowd Shot of Weigh-in on High Rock
Here are the full results from Sat on the ROCK!
Place Team Name Team # #Fish Net Weight Big Fish Points Skeeter Bonus Winnings
1 Dale Duncan - Donnie Woody 34 5 22.620 5.550 310 $4,000 $14,000
2 Chris Wagner - Chase Deal 6 5 22.520 6.160 309 $3,000 $8,000
3 Chris Corriher - Randy Christy 154 5 22.400 6.670 308 $1,000 - BF $4,500
4 Jeremi Beatty - Clint Benbow 53 5 20.750 5.740 307 $2,500
5 Brendon Schneider - Kyle James 50 5 20.480 0.000 306 $2,000
6 Robert Mixon - Robert Lambert 35 5 19.810 0.000 305 $1,250
7 CJ Johnston - Matt Stanley 4 5 19.760 0.000 304 $1,100
8 James Ball - Kyle Whisnant 147 5 19.600 5.330 303 $1,000
9 Scott Faulkner - TONY BREWER 118 5 19.040 0.000 302 $900
10 Scott Henley - Neil McDonald 64 5 17.740 6.530 301 $2,000 $2,800
11 Steve Sink - Tony Foster 51 5 17.290 0.000 300 $1,000 $1,625
12 Jason Quinn - Tony Colacurcio 26 5 17.280 0.000 299 $575
13 Greg Sims - Michael Huffman 97 4 16.920 5.880 298 $550
14 Bernie Davis - bobby snyder 32 5 16.840 0.000 297 $525
15 Dennis Hensley - Steve Yoder 1 5 16.830 0.000 296 $475
16 Roger Hoover - Scott Hamrick 108 5 16.770 0.000 295 $450
17 Jeff Hager - darrel hager 124 4 16.640 6.380 294 $400
18 Thomas Vickers - Brian Huskins 146 5 16.570 0.000 293 $350
19 Thomas Simmerson - Doug Young 55 5 16.540 6.380 292 $325
20 Thomas Hardwick - Tommy Williams 21 4 16.440 6.530 291 $300
21 David Wright - Jeff Coble 99 5 16.350 0.000 290 $290
22 Tim Hawley - Joe Hamilton 152 5 16.280 0.000 289 $275
23 Roger Pope - Michael Smith 37 5 16.090 0.000 288 $260
24 Derick Livingston - Jonathan Spivey 23 5 16.070 0.000 287 $250
25 James Wall - Jimmy Wall 73 5 16.030 0.000 286 $240
26 Patrick Tierney - Maurice Freeze 100 5 15.970 5.350 285 $230
27 byron brush - Byron Brush Sr. 78 5 15.950 0.000 284 $220
28 Billy Scoggins - Eddie Parker 98 5 15.940 0.000 283 $210
29 Terry Trivet - Derek Tolley 171 5 15.670 0.000 282 $200
30 Jordan Jones - David Brookshire 8 5 15.660 0.000 281
31 Donald Poteat - JOHN ALLEN 10 4 15.630 5.360 280
31 Chris Graham - Ricky Byrd 151 5 15.620 0.000 280
33 Eric Moser - Travis O'Quinn 153 5 15.620 0.000 278
34 Jacob Moore - Thomas Moore 57 5 15.580 0.000 277
35 Chris Albright - Mike Graham 164 5 15.320 0.000 276
36 Jimmy Cummings - Dean Collins 86 5 15.100 5.770 275
37 Sonny Beam - Eric Weir 106 5 14.980 0.000 274
38 Scott Griffin - Jerry Goble 148 4 14.870 0.000 273
39 Jerry Craig - Bobby Latuch 117 5 14.850 5.400 272
40 Derek Cummings - Victor Lynch 126 5 14.820 0.000 271
41 Nathan Webber - Hunter Harwell 22 5 14.810 0.000 270
42 Keith Speece - Wendell Ireland 93 5 14.790 0.000 269
43 Jason Wilson - Kelly Logan 76 5 14.670 0.000 268
44 Daniel Ruppe - Jacob Reome 5 5 14.530 0.000 267
45 Matt Markland - Tracy Markland 170 4 14.220 0.000 266
46 Bryan Lewis - Butch Zadlo 102 5 13.910 0.000 265
47 Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughtie 90 5 13.870 0.000 264
48 Travus Lovell - James Roten 29 5 13.750 4.020 263
49 Ronnie White - Gerald Ritchie 128 5 13.700 0.000 262
50 Rob Digh - Chuck Camps 25 5 13.660 0.000 261
51 Brett McLean - Mac McLean 18 5 13.400 0.000 260
52 Eddie Smith - Michael Carson 116 5 13.350 0.000 259
53 Israel Gibson - Grant McPeters 17 5 13.260 0.000 258
54 Tyler Beam - Eric Self 113 4 13.240 0.000 257
55 Greg Osborne - Wyatt Blevins 119 5 13.190 0.000 256
56 Brian Tidwell - Michael Tidwell 130 5 12.990 0.000 255
57 Kevin Toler - Rodney Lambert 174 5 12.810 0.000 254
58 Mark Lamb - Robert Griswold 70 4 12.760 0.000 253
59 Dan Funderburk - Rod Cozart 69 5 12.730 0.000 252
60 Brian Travis - Ashley Brotherton 39 4 12.660 0.000 251
61 Anthony Monaco - Justin McBrayer 7 3 12.640 5.070 250
62 Graham Rushing - Artie Phillips 121 4 12.620 0.000 249
63 Eric Jeter - Darren Jeter 103 5 12.480 0.000 248
64 Tim Gaines - Mike Bryant 11 4 12.240 0.000 247
65 David Blanton - William Blanton 75 5 12.230 0.000 246
66 Alfred Keisling, Sr - Chad Poteat 63 5 11.910 0.000 245
67 Kevin Chandler - Bradley Chandler 13 5 11.900 0.000 244
68 Wayne Ingram - Chris Brown 115 5 11.780 0.000 243
69 Todd Walters - Jason Threadgill 38 5 11.750 0.000 242
70 Brent White - Cody Andrews 112 5 11.700 0.000 241
71 GEORGE HIRAPETIAN - ARAM HIRAPETIAN 138 5 11.640 0.000 240
72 Steve Addington - Matt Stout 45 5 11.460 0.000 239
73 Larry Horton - Ricky Shrewsbury 110 3 11.420 0.000 238
73 Adam Fillmore - Chris Carnes 145 3 11.420 0.000 238
75 Scott Sellers - Randy Childers 94 4 11.320 0.000 236
76 Chris Myatt - Jim Bramhall 136 3 11.310 0.000 235
77 Randall Wallace - Andrew Wallace 85 3 11.200 6.630 234
78 Tanner Stirewalt - Logan Phillips 127 5 11.070 0.000 233
79 Alton Rockett - Randy Huffman 66 4 10.860 0.000 232
80 Adam Greer - Shae jones 137 3 10.750 5.720 231
81 John Robeson - Jimmy Tatum 14 3 10.600 5.710 230
82 Steven Austin - Roger Wood 156 3 9.200 0.000 229
83 Marcus Leech - Tim Chapman 3 4 9.160 0.000 228
84 Nick Miller - Brandon Brickweg 20 2 8.780 6.600 227
85 Larry LeHew - Greg Deal 61 2 8.560 5.410 226
86 Ronald Farrow - Roger Farrow 142 3 8.400 0.000 225
87 Dusty Taylor - Keaton Hawks 163 4 8.370 0.000 224
88 Ronnie Britt - Chris McDuffie 150 4 8.340 0.000 223
89 Allen Robbins - Jerry Robbins 84 4 8.000 0.000 222
90 Ryan Bentley - greg berst 166 3 7.990 0.000 221
91 Buddy Black - Russell Kiser 114 3 7.390 0.000 220
92 Mike Clark - Chris Anderson 135 2 7.330 5.910 219
93 James Carriker - Brad Smith 24 3 6.890 0.000 218
94 Jordan Wright - Chris Casey 12 4 6.660 0.000 217
95 Phil Hennessee - Jon Digh 132 2 5.310 0.000 216
96 todd sosebee - steve postell 83 2 5.150 0.000 215
97 joe floyd - Phil Brown 19 1 5.110 5.110 214
98 Allen Snyder - Darren Gay 44 3 4.980 0.000 213
99 Tyler Hoopaugh - Chris Hoopaugh 109 2 4.270 0.000 212
100 Bryan Welch - Mark Inman 159 1 4.160 4.160 211
101 Dale Surrett - Lee Endicott 62 2 3.730 0.000 210
102 Mark Swink - austin petty 162 1 3.650 3.650 209
103 Fred Kauffman - Sam Gladden 158 1 2.460 0.000 208
104 Dan English - David Gibson 161 1 1.340 1.340 207
105 Michael Webster - Guy Eaker 2 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Joel Ketcham - scott ketcham 9 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Duke Denison - Jamie Denison 15 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Andy Brode - Scott Wyatt 16 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Craig Chambers - Keith Ogden 27 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Nick Beaver - Roger Beaver 28 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Brent Berry - Steve Shaw 30 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Scott Plattenberger - Bryan plattenberger 31 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Mike Seawright - John parker 33 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 James Clements - Rick Carson 36 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Will Petty - Barry Bost 40 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Darrell Parks - Thomas Johnson 41 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Jason Dew - Thomas Elliott 42 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Rodney Bell - Tommy Jones 43 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Chris Dover - Robert Fowler 46 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Phillip Hedrick - Jack Vanderford 47 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Mikey Bowlby 48 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Thomas Waterhouse - Justin Goodyear 49 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Corey Shaylor - Brandon Kersnowski 52 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Thomas Gavin - Mike Sprouse 54 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Marvin Godard - Robert Adams 56 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Robin Parker - brandon gibson 58 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Neil Sheehan - Travis Young 59 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Shawn Crosby - robert brooks 60 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Phillip Frady - Dirk Porter 65 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Reggie Guffey - Tommy Chapman 67 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Mason Boyd - Rick Falls 68 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Michael Cribb - Roger Cribb 71 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Louie Hull - Chuck Montgomery 72 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Grayson Barber - Rick Reid 74 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Adam Ridings - Michael Ridings 77 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Mike Ray - Orlando Giles 79 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Reginald Pickett - Larry Kirk 80 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Perry Wycuff - Josh Wycuff 81 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Steven Gawthrop - KENNETH MARTIN 82 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Danny Mason - Lionel Mason 87 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Thomas Richmond - Fredera Dibb Wylie 88 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Richard Greene - Jimmy Holland 89 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Gary Rose - Jerry Collins 91 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Wayne Skipworth - Don Sprinkle 92 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Dempsey Carter - Ted Mobley 95 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Jason Lowman - Cody Lail 96 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Drew Stankwytch - Brandon Childress 101 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 James Martin - Cliff Kirby 104 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Trip Emerson - Kevin Hyler 105 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Doug Easton - Pete Bejte 107 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Paul Guthrie - Robert Church 111 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Jeff Queen - Carroll Queen 120 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Brandon Williams - Christian Shoda 122 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Brandon Sykes - Jeff McQuaige 123 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Gene Sparks - Shannon Stowe 125 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 billy marshall - keith davis 129 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Parks Jones - Daniel Hill 131 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Jeff Jennings - Pierce Jennings 133 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Mike Steele - Joshua Sanders 134 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Craig Rozema - Ricky Parrish 139 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Robert Walser - Mack Lowe 140 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Randy Weddington - Ronnie Smith 141 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Darrell Fisher - William Gregory 143 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Ricky Self - Ben Stanton 144 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Tom McCombs - curtis lail 149 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Thomas Ludwick - Thomas File 155 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Derrick Compton - Justin Reid 157 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Todd Sumner - Robert Parrish 160 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Dennis Reedy - Jeffrey Thomas 165 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Joshua Queen - Mike Queen 167 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Greg Whittington - Danny Hucks 168 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 David Clanton - Brent Sanders 169 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Tyler Dover - Billy Dover 172 0 0.000 0.000 206
105 Robert. ( Mitch) Drew - Butch Drew 173 0 0.000 0.000 206

Castledine Stays On Top, Leads Top 10 Into Final Day Of Flw Costa Event On Dardanelle

Most days, Todd Castledine does not like fishing slowly. Today, he made an exception because deceleration was the key to a solid effort that kept him atop the Costa FLW Series Central Division tournament presented by Mercury on Lake Dardanelle with a two-day total of 38 pounds, 1 ounce.

After sacking up a day-one limit of 22-3, the event’s second-largest bag (behind Jeff Fitts’ day-two catch, 23-15), Castledine added 15-14 and retained the lead he set a day earlier with an expanded margin of 4 pounds, 5 ounces.

Considering that he did this with only four fish on day two, Castledine was clearly in the right neighborhood. He’s not keen on sharing that address just yet, but he did stress that slowing down proved essential on a day when falling water levels and lower temperatures had the fish in a funky mood.

“I’m usually pretty good about figuring out how to do something different, but when it got tough in practice I never really could,” Castledine says. “Today, James Watson and I were in the same area, and he kinda put me on a little deal. He basically told me to slow down a lot more. We both hate slowing down, but that helped out.”

Castledine is fishing offshoots of a larger bay where deeper, clear water runs close to shallow cover, such as brush, laydowns and points. He believes his areas were hosting fish in all stages of the spawn.

“I think it was half-and-half, prespawn and spawning fish, and I think there were a couple that were spawned out,” Castledine adds. “I think the ones that were on beds got picked off, and the prespawners got hard to catch today.”

Keeping his cards low on the bait specifics, Castledine admits he used a mix of reaction baits and pitching presentations. Casting distance played a key role in some of the scenarios he fished.

Bites were few and far between, but he had his shot at No. 5.

“I’ve been throwing fluorocarbon, and I threw into some cover where I never should have thrown fluorocarbon, and I broke one off,” he says. “I had four other bites [that he missed], but they’re still in there, and I think they’ll hit tomorrow.”

Castledine had his area to himself on day one and saw a little more company today. Yet, he found several opportunities.

“I was worried about the fishing pressure from other people being in there,” he says. “But I had some other bites in there, and I’m excited about fishing tomorrow. It’s going to be interesting.”

 

Complete results

 

Top 10 Pros

1. Todd Castledine – Nacogdoches, Texas – 38-01 (9)

2. Zach King – Clarksville, Ark. – 33-12 (10)

3. Greg Jones – Wentzville, Mo. – 33-10 (10)

4. Daniel Kweekul – Bryant, Ark. – 33-01 (10)

5. Christopher Jones – Bokoshe, Okla. – 32-01 (10)

6. Jeff Fitts – Keystone Heights, Fla. – 31-06 (8)

7. Teddy Bogard – Pine Bluff, Ark. – 31-05 (10)

8. Joe McClary – Kirkwood, Mo. – 29-15 (10)

9. Brandon Hunter – Benton, Ky. – 28-07 (9)

10. Evan Barnes – Hot Springs, Ark. – 28-04 (10)

 

Watson Takes Over Co-angler Lead

Flexibility and adjustment were the key ingredients in Michael Watson’s recipe for success. After catching a limit that weighed 11 pounds, 7 ounces today, the Chicago co-angler moved into the top spot with a total of 21-14.

“Everything I caught my fish on yesterday did not carry over today,” Watson says. “I definitely changed a lot of stuff and adjusted throughout the day as the bite changed. I caught some decent fish, culled one time and came in with a decent weight.”

Watson says that he and his pro stayed around similar shallow cover all day, but narrowing down a couple of specifics on fish positioning helped his cause.

“I was able to change some lure presentations based on the mood of the fish,” he explains. “Some fish wanted something slow; some wanted something moving.

“There’s a lot of pressure on the fish, so I was just trying to throw something different the fish haven’t seen.”

Remaining mum on bait specifics, Watson says that he caught fish on three different baits.

“I caught my best fish in the morning, another after that; then I caught a couple more midday and two more at the end of the day to fill out my limit,” he said.

 

Top 10 Co-anglers

1. Michael Watson – Chicago, Ill. – 21-14 (8)

2. Rob Crane – Fairview Heights, Ill. – 20-06 (7)

3. Roger Olson Jr. – Eagle River, Wis. – 19-05 (6)

4. Drew Sagely – Rogers, Ark. – 19-00 (6)

5. Kyle Landers – Benton, Ark. – 18-11 (8)

6. Rusty Reinoehl – Robinson, Ill. – 18-04 (7)

7. Alan Bernicky – Joliet, Ill. – 17-15 (6)

8. Sawyer Grace – Russellville, Ark. – 17-04 (5)

9. Ricky Watkins – Springdale, Ark. – 16-04 (6)

10. Kevin Raposo – Doniphan, Mo. – 15-09 (4)

 


Elite Sophomore Lee Claims Lead In Smith Lake Bass Open Event

Jordan Lee Claims First-Day Lead In Smith Lake Open

JASPER, Ala. — Jordan Lee was so certain the big largemouth bass he’d found in practice Tuesday wouldn’t be there today that he’d didn’t even look for it until 1:30 p.m. on Day 1 of the Bass Pro Shops Southern Open at Smith Lake.

It’s a good thing he looked. That 7-pound, 13-ounce bass anchored Jordan’s first-place 20-pound, 10-ounce bag, and took big bass honors as well.

Due to the strong thunderstorms that cancelled the tournament’s scheduled first day yesterday, raised the lake level about a foot and dirtied the water, there were plenty of reasons for Lee to doubt the big female would still be on the spawning bed where he’d first spotted her during practice.

“I couldn’t see her today, but I knew right where she’d been sitting,” Lee said. “I made three or four flips in there before she bit.

“That big one made my day. You don’t catch many of those in Smith Lake.”

Lee, who lives in Grant, Ala., but grew up in nearby Cullman, admits he isn’t as familiar with Smith Lake as he should be. He’s spent much more time on Lake Guntersville.

“I’ve kicked myself for not coming here more often,” Lee said. “I really don’t know this lake as well as I should.”

But you wouldn’t guess that by looking at Friday’s leaderboard. Bill Day II of Frankfort, Ky., and Jessie Wiggins of Cullman, Ala., are tied for second place with 18-15. Like Lee, Day’s bag was anchored by another big largemouth, a 7-12.

Day had the perfect illustration for how much Smith Lake changed after the storms moved through the area Thursday, and how much the anglers had to change with it.

“I was using 8-pound-test line during practice, and I was using 25-pound test today,” Day said. “That tells you how different it is. Tomorrow I may go back to 8-pound. Things are changing really fast, so I’m just going to start all over again.”

The remainder of the top five includes Allen Brooks of Canton, Ga., fourth with 18-3, and Mark Rose of West Memphis, Ark., fifth with 17-7.

Smith Lake’s abundant spotted bass population showed up in a big way. Of the 179 pro anglers competing, 164 caught limits, mostly all spots.

On the co-angler side, only 10 ounces separates first and fifth place. Don Harvey of Franklin, Tenn., leads with a three-bass limit weighing 10-7, followed by Skeeter Miller of Whittier, N.C., with 10-4; Brandon Bolton of West Point, Miss., with 10-3; Luke Patterson of Middleburg, Ky., with 10-0; and Rodney Tapp of Inman, S.C., with 9-13.

There were 149 three -bass limits caught in the co-angler competition. Don Harvey of Franklin, Tenn., and Randy Futch of Dunnellon, Fla., tied for big bass honors, each with a 4-5.

Due to the cancellation of fishing on Thursday, this will be a two-day tournament that will conclude with the full field fishing again Saturday. Champions in both divisions will be crowned at the completion of the Smith Lake Dam Site Access weigh-in, which begins at 2:30 p.m. CDT.

 

Castledaine Leads Flw Costa Event With 22.3Lbs On Day 1 On Dardanelles

Day one of the Costa FLW Series Central Division opener on Lake Dardanelle saw two storms blow across this Arkansas River impoundment. One took the form of towering clouds laden with rain and bristled with lightning. The other came at the hands of a tall Texan named Todd Castledine, who sacked up a limit catch that weighed 22 pounds, 3 ounces to take the day-one lead in the tournament, which is presented by Mercury and hosted by Russellville Advertising & Promotions.

An accomplished sight-fisherman, Castledine never tapped into his renowned bed-spotting skills. Given the warming weather and rising water level – complements of a more severe storm system on Wednesday – Castledine surmises that he was likely around fish in prespawn and spawning stages, along with some recently done postspawners.

He didn’t spend any time “looking at them,” but Castledine says he felt comfortable putting himself in an area with fish coming and going.

“I probably had a combination of all three [prespawn, spawn and postspawn],” says Castledine, whose only Costa FLW Series win came in 2011 on Toledo Bend. “My last one, I think, was guarding fry.”

The morning began calm and partly sunny, but soon saw that thunderstorm make a brief, but intense cameo. Flat, sunny conditions followed, but by early afternoon the light late-morning breeze had grown into a lake-churning bluster that made the return to weigh-in interesting for many anglers.

None of this seemed to rattle Castledine’s day.

“It really started right off the bat this morning and continued through the end of the day,” he says. “I literally caught one in the first 10 minutes and the last 10 minutes.

Now, the only talent surpassing Castledine’s sight-fishing skill is his uncanny ability to speak at great length about a subject without revealing much factual detail. Having said that, we were able to wrest away a few summary points.

First, Castledine targeted backwater areas with the usual mix of grass and wood.

“I think I was just in the right areas that held them, and I just stayed with it,” he says. “There really wasn’t any rhyme or reason. I just put my head down and ground through the day.”

He found one bait that delivered all his bites but employed multiple presentations depending on scenario specifics. Staying off his fish and making long casts seemed to be the key technique point.

Notwithstanding his diligence and performance, Castledine gave a nod of gratitude to fate, which smiled during key moments.

“My fifth fish … I was reeling in the bait, it came up over a limb on a bush, and a big one came up and ate it,” he recalls. “Then I went to some new water and went behind a bunch of people and got my biggest fish. The fish got hung up in a bush, and it was a giant ordeal. But I got her, and she wasn’t even fully hooked.”

Castledine says his highlight-reel moment was nothing short of a gimme.

“My last fish came at the end of the day,” he says. “I had about 30 other boats around me, and I look over and see a fish swimming through the grass. I flipped over there and she ate it. That was my last cull. It was just one of those days when it all went my way for once.”

 

Complete results

 

Top 10 Pros

1. Todd Castledine – Nacogdoches, Texas – 22 pounds, 3 ounces

2. Greg Jones – Wentzville, Mo. – 19 pounds, 1 ounce

3. Troy Gibson – Mountain Home, Ark. – 18 pounds, 3 ounces

4. David Ryan – Levasy, Mo. – 18 pounds

5. Daniel Kweekul – Bryant, Ark. – 16 pounds, 7 ounces

6. Brien Vaughn – Branson West, Mo. – 16 pounds, 5 ounces

7. Todd Schmitz – Goshen, Ind. – 15 pounds, 12 ounces

8. Brent Algeo – Ozark, Mo. – 15 pounds, 8 ounces

9. Marshall Thompson – Paducah, Ky. – 15 pounds, 6 ounces

10. Cody Hahner – Wausau, Wis. – 15 pounds, 4 ounces

10. Chip Hawkins – Little Rock, Ark. – 15 pounds, 4 ounces

 

Olson Builds Big Co-angler Lead

Roger Olson Jr. of Eagle River, Wis., built a nice lead in the co-angler division by sacking up 16 pounds, 6 ounces and outpacing his closest competitor by nearly 3 1/2 pounds. Paired with fourth-place pro David Ryan, Olson found himself with abundant targets and did his best to make the most of what he encountered.

“There was so much area to fish that you couldn’t cover it all, so with the type of stuff we were fishing, you just had to pay attention to where your pro was putting his bait and follow up with different baits,” says Olson, who has three previous top-10 finishes in the Central Division. “I think the fish are so used to seeing the same types of bait silhouettes that I’m throwing something totally different than anyone else.”

Olson kept the bait details vague, but he says he’s fishing a flipping rig with an atypical soft-plastic trailer.

“That bait has worked for me everywhere I’ve gone in this region this time of year,” Olson says.

Given the murky influence of recent rains and today’s wind, a darkly-colored bait was essential. Also important: lightening up the rig.

“Weight size was important today,” he says. “You want to keep it in their strike zone longer so they can see it before it hits the bottom.”

 

Top 10 Co-anglers

1. Roger Olson Jr. – Eagle River, Wis. – 16 pounds, 6 ounces

2. Rob Crane – Fairview Heights, Ill. – 12 pounds, 15 ounces

3. Rusty Reinoehl – Robinson, Ill. – 12 pounds, 4 ounces

4. Taylor Ramey – Brandon, Ms. – 11 pounds, 7 ounces

5. Kevin Raposo – Doniphan, Mo. – 11 pounds, 1 ounce

6. Michael Watson – Chicago, Ill. – 10 pounds, 7 ounces

7. Zachary Pickle – Southlake, Texas – 9 pounds, 14 ounces

8. Charles Radford – Sullivan, Mo. – 9 pounds, 6 ounces

8. Derrick Wright – Carl Junction, Mo. – 9 pounds, 6 ounces

10. Doug Sagely – Rogers, Ark. – 9 pounds, 3 ounces

Complete Pro Results:

PLACE ANGLER CITY/STATE DAY 1
1 TODD CASTLEDINE NACOGDOCHES, TX 22 - 3 (5)
2 GREG JONES WENTZVILLE, MO 19 - 1 (5)
3 TROY GIBSON MOUNTAIN HOME, AR 18 - 3 (5)
4 DAVID RYAN LEVASY, MO 18 - 0 (5)
5 DANIEL KWEEKUL BRYANT, AR 16 - 7 (5)
6 BRIEN VAUGHN BRANSON WEST, MO 16 - 5 (5)
7 TODD SCHMITZ GOSHEN, IN 15 - 12 (5)
8 BRENT ALGEO OZARK, MO 15 - 8 (5)
9 MARSHALL THOMPSON PADUCAH, KY 15 - 6 (5)
10 CODY HAHNER WAUSAU, WI 15 - 4 (5)
11 CHIP HAWKINS LITTLE ROCK, AR 15 - 4 (5)
12 BRANDON HUNTER BENTON, KY 15 - 3 (5)
13 KERRY MILNER BONO, AR 15 - 2 (5)
14 JASON VANCE BATTLE GROUND, IN 15 - 1 (5)
15 DION HIBDON SUNRISE BEACH, MO 14 - 15 (5)
16 STEVE FLOYD LEESBURG, OH 14 - 9 (5)
17 TOM REDINGTON ROYSE CITY, TX 14 - 6 (5)
18 ZACH KING CLARKSVILLE, AR 14 - 6 (5)
19 TEDDY BOGARD PINE BLUFF, AR 14 - 4 (5)
20 JOEY CIFUENTES CLINTON, AR 14 - 3 (4)
21 BILL TERVIN POCOLA, OK 14 - 3 (5)
22 DEREK JENKEL PINCKNEYVILLE, IL 14 - 3 (5)
23 SPENCER SHUFFIELD HOT SPRINGS, AR 14 - 3 (5)
24 DAYTON TAYLOR BEEBE, AR 14 - 2 (4)
25 JOE MCCLARY KIRKWOOD, MO 14 - 1 (5)
26 MARCUS SYKORA OSAGE BEACH, MO 13 - 13 (5)
27 ZACK BULL ARLINGTON, TN 13 - 11 (3)
28 CHARLES WILLIAMS CLARKSVILLE, AR 13 - 10 (5)
29 DAN MARTIN ELMHURST, IL 13 - 7 (5)
30 CHRISTOPHER JONES BOKOSHE, OK 13 - 5 (5)
31 WADE HUDGENS LONGVIEW, TX 13 - 4 (5)
32 KENT PRIEL NORTH PLATTE, NE 13 - 0 (4)
33 MICHAEL STETICH ANKENY, IA 13 - 0 (5)
34 CHRIS MIRANDA RUSSELLVILLE, AR 12 - 15 (5)
35 JOSH RAY ALEXANDER, AR 12 - 12 (5)
36 SHAWN KOWAL LINN CREEK, MO 12 - 9 (5)
37 JEREMY LAWYER SARCOXIE, MO 12 - 9 (5)
38 GREG BOHANNAN BENTONVILLE, AR 12 - 7 (5)
39 RICK ELLIS CABOT, AR 12 - 6 (5)
40 JIM DILLARD WEST MONROE, LA 12 - 5 (5)
41 DOUG HENZLIK LEAWOOD, KS 12 - 4 (5)
42 SPENCER GRACE DARDANELLE, AR 12 - 3 (5)
43 ROBERT SPARKS HEFLIN, LA 12 - 1 (5)
44 MARK TUCKER KIRKWOOD, MO 11 - 12 (4)
45 KAREY DICKERSON DAHLONEGA, GA 11 - 10 (5)
46 B J MILLER ADAMS, NE 11 - 10 (5)
47 MIKE FOREE OSAGE BEACH, MO 11 - 10 (3)
48 KEVIN RUH ONALASKA, WI 11 - 9 (3)
49 LARRY JONES CALHOUN, LA 11 - 9 (5)
50 DAN MOREHEAD PADUCAH, KY 11 - 5 (5)
51 LADD SHANNON ATKIN, AR 11 - 5 (3)
52 MARK MCDONNEL AUSTIN, AR 11 - 5 (4)
53 NICKHOLIS HAMMOND WEST LAFAYETTE, IN 11 - 4 (4)
54 KEVIN SHORT MAYFLOWER, AR 11 - 2 (3)
55 BRANDON LEE RATCLIFF, AR 11 - 1 (5)
56 STACEY KING REEDS SPRING, MO 10 - 15 (5)
57 RICK BOWEN JACKSON, TN 10 - 14 (4)
58 TOM SILBER LABADIE, MO 10 - 13 (3)
59 SHAWN HEMKEN WALSHVILLE, IL 10 - 13 (5)
60 JEFF RITTER PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, WI 10 - 3 (5)
61 THOMAS O'BRYANT CEDAR GROVE, TN 10 - 2 (5)
62 ROBERT CASE POINT, TX 10 - 1 (4)
63 KYLE PRSKALO HOBART, IN 9 - 15 (5)
64 EVAN BARNES HOT SPRINGS, AR 9 - 13 (5)
65 AARON MIZE CLARKSVILLE, AR 9 - 9 (3)
66 JEFFERY SMITH KNOB NOSTER, MO 9 - 9 (5)
67 JAMES TAYLOR HUMBOLDT, TN 9 - 9 (3)
68 JOE GERARD CONCORDIA, KS 9 - 9 (3)
69 AARON SMITH RUSH, KY 9 - 9 (2)
70 JOHN GOSS ALMA, AR 9 - 7 (4)
71 CURT MCGUIRE PARIS, TN 9 - 6 (3)
72 BRAD PORTER BLUFORD, IL 9 - 5 (5)
73 DUSTIN BLEVINS HARRISON, AR 9 - 3 (5)
74 DYLAN HAYS SHERIDAN, AR 9 - 2 (5)
75 DON BERRY SHELL KNOB, MO 9 - 2 (2)
76 DARREN HAHNE OTTAWA, IL 9 - 1 (4)
77 CORY STECKLER ROCKY MOUNT, MO 9 - 0 (3)
78 PAUL HELTON RUSSELLVILLE, AR 8 - 15 (4)
79 ZACK BIRGE BLANCHARD, OK 8 - 12 (5)
80 PEYTON COLEMAN PADUCAH, KY 8 - 11 (4)
81 ERIC SCHULTZ MINNETONKA, MN 8 - 10 (3)
82 LAWSON HIBDON VERSAILLES, MO 8 - 5 (3)
83 JOEL DOUGLAS BLUE EYE, MO 8 - 3 (4)
84 BRENDON DELANEY HIGHLAND, IL 8 - 3 (3)
85 ALLEN ARMOUR CUMMING, GA 8 - 1 (3)
86 LARRY STOAFER LEAVENWORTH, KS 8 - 0 (2)
87 RICHARD ISON NORTH VERNON, IN 7 - 11 (3)
88 SHANNON PIERCE PINE BLUFF, AR 7 - 10 (4)
89 MIKE PICKETT BRANDENBURG, KY 7 - 8 (4)
90 JEROD HAWKES SABINAL, TX 7 - 7 (3)
91 JEFF FITTS KEYSTONE HEIGHTS, FL 7 - 7 (3)
92 NICK ABER PIEDMONT, OK 7 - 7 (3)
93 RONNY WEBB DYERSBURG, TN 7 - 2 (3)
94 KEN YOUNG SAINT LOUIS, MO 7 - 0 (2)
95 CODY HARRISON FLORENCE, AL 6 - 14 (3)
96 MARK LADD GREENWOOD, AR 6 - 13 (3)
97 CODY KELLEY CONWAY, AR 6 - 12 (2)
98 JAKE DEEDS EL DORADO, AR 6 - 8 (3)
99 JOSH HILTON CLARKSVILLE, AR 6 - 6 (3)
100 BRIAN THOMPSON SPRINGFIELD, MO 6 - 3 (3)
101 RICH DALBEY GREENVILLE, TX 6 - 2 (3)
102 ROBBIE DODSON HARRISON, AR 6 - 1 (3)
103 JOSH MCDANIEL MOUNT VERNON, IA 5 - 15 (3)
104 RANDALL CLARK LITTLE ROCK, AR 5 - 15 (3)
105 LARRY CALDWELL SAINT PETERS, MO 5 - 14 (3)
106 RICHARD MATHEWS JR LEES SUMMIT, MO 5 - 10 (2)
107 WESLEY ROGERS MAMMOTH SPRING, AR 5 - 10 (2)
108 DAVID DOVE STEENS, MS 5 - 8 (1)
109 BILL MCDONALD GREENWOOD, IN 5 - 5 (3)
110 JAY LAMB CEDAR RAPIDS, IA 5 - 2 (2)
111 KENNETH GRAEBER BENNINGTON, NE 5 - 1 (3)
112 ROB CLOWERS SWEETWATER, TN 5 - 1 (2)
113 JAMES WATSON NIXA, MO 5 - 0 (2)
114 JIM YOUNG HOUSE SPRINGS, MO 5 - 0 (2)
115 DUSTIN EVANS EADS, TN 4 - 13 (1)
116 BARRY GOEN MARTHASVILLE, MO 4 - 13 (1)
117 TRAVIS FOX ROGERS, AR 4 - 13 (2)
118 DONOVAN HENSLEY NIXA, MO 4 - 12 (2)
119 HUNTER BAUGHMAN JUDSONIA, AR 4 - 10 (1)
120 BRAD FULLER FESTUS, MO 4 - 7 (2)
121 RANDALL MACIEJEWSKI UNION, MO 4 - 5 (1)
122 JIM LITTLE CORINTH, MS 4 - 3 (1)
123 BARRY ALDRIDGE STURKIE, AR 4 - 2 (1)
124 DAVID WOOTTON COLLIERVILLE, TN 4 - 2 (2)
125 PAYDEN HIBDON SUNRISE BEACH, MO 3 - 14 (1)
126 MICHAEL BLACK TOLEDO, IL 3 - 11 (1)
127 HILTON JONES WESTFIELD, IL 3 - 11 (2)
128 CODY DAVIS GREERS FERRY, AR 3 - 11 (2)
129 GRADEN HANSEN LEES SUMMIT, MO 3 - 10 (2)
130 BYRON KENNEY GRIFFIN, GA 3 - 7 (2)
131 MICHAEL DELVISCO DANDRIDGE, TN 3 - 5 (1)
132 JOHN (JACK) MORRIS JR ROBINSON, IL 3 - 4 (1)
133 SCOTT SUGGS ALEXANDER, AR 3 - 3 (1)
134 AUSTIN BROWN BENTON, KY 3 - 2 (1)
135 NICK HAMRA CHESTERFIELD, MO 2 - 13 (1)
136 JEFF KEENE VINITA, OK 2 - 12 (2)
137 RON CHERKAS GRIMES, IA 2 - 11 (2)
138 CHRIS GABLE EDDYVILLE, KY 2 - 9 (1)
139 ERIC OLLIVERSON LAMPE, MO 2 - 9 (1)
140 GREG VOSS JEFFERSON CITY, MO 2 - 8 (1)
141 DOYLE ISOM JR BOURBON, MO 2 - 7 (1)
142 GREG SAPP ROGERS, AR 2 - 6 (1)
143 CHUCK LOERZEL YORKVILLE, IL 2 - 6 (1)
144 GARY ISGRIGG MT. WASHINGTON, KY 2 - 5 (1)
145 DUSTIN HUGGINS RUSSELLVILLE, AR 2 - 4 (1)
146 KEVIN WHITE HENDERSON, TN 2 - 3 (1)
147 FRANK RAMSEY CARY, IL 2 - 0 (1)
148 SAM ROSEFSKY MORRIS, IL 2 - 0 (1)
149 CASEY GALLAGHER PULASKI, WI 1 - 15 (1)
150 HOYT TIDWELL WEST POINT, TN 1 - 14 (1)
151 KAORU O'BRYAN CRESTWOOD, KY 1 - 14 (1)
152 ADAM GUNDERSON HENNEPIN, IL 1 - 13 (1)
153 CHRIS HART BOZEMAN, MT 1 - 13 (1)
154 MIKE GABEL WOODRIDGE, IL 1 - 13 (1)
155 PETER WENNERS GALENA, MO 1 - 13 (1)
156 JAMES STRICKLIN JR FORT SMITH, AR 1 - 12 (1)
157 RODNEY DEGRIE BROOKLYN, MI 1 - 12 (1)
158 WESLEY ANDERSON MOSCOW, TN 1 - 12 (1)
159 BRIAN DOSSEY OKMULGEE, OK 1 - 12 (1)
160 GREG SANDERS JACKSON, TN 1 - 10 (1)
161 MATTHEW WILSON GENOA, WV 1 - 9 (1)
162 TIM BROGAN ARPIN, WI 1 - 8 (1)
163 TIM WEBB OLPE, KS
164 GARY RIFFLE PARIS, TX
165 MICHAEL SOPOCY EVANSTON, IL
166 PRESTON HAVENS MOUNTAIN HOME, AR
167 JASON BAGGETT MANSFIELD, AR
168 CODY BURKE BRYANT, AR
169 JIM EAKIN CLARKSVILLE, TN
170 MIKE BAYSINGER MARTHASVILLE, MO
171 DONALD AMSDEN LAFAYETTE, IN
172 GARY MARTIN AVA, MO
173 JASON HULL BELLEVILLE, WI
174 JEREMIAH JORDAN DOVER, AR
175 TERRY FITZPATRICK WAUKON, IA
176 YENG THAO WAUSAU, WI
177 JASON LIEBLONG CONWAY, AR
178 DARIUS KOHL RAYMOND, NE
179 BRADLEY SMITH SAINT JACOB, IL
180 MIKE BOYLES KIMBERLING CITY, MO
181 KURT LANDVERSICHT NICHOLASVILLE, KY
182 CLINT ROYSE THE COLONY, TX
183 DOUGLAS R. JOHNSON PONCA CITY, OK
184 TOM MURPHY RICHLAND, MO
185 DENNY MALONE SPRINGFIELD, MO
186 DREW PORTO FAYETTEVILLE, AR
187 ERHARDT TULGESTKA POSEN, MI
188 GREG DULANEY SCOTTSBURG, IN
189 JENNIFER DEGRIE BROOKLYN, MI
190 ROBERT KENYON CORDOVA, TN

Wise & Ivey Win Goodyear Bass Club Event On Falls Lake With 25.01Lbs!

The second stop on the 2016 Goodyear Bass Club Trail was at Falls Lake today, 3/29/2016. We had another good turnout with 22 boats, if you are looking for a trail to fish during the week check us out. We appreciate the support from everyone and our trail is growing.

With that said its safe to say most of us had a awesome day on the water and there was some great bags brought to the scales.

Our next tournament is April 12th at Jordan Lake, we will be launching out of Ebenezer Boat Ramp. Safe Light to 3pm!

We pay out 3 places but these are the top 5, The results are as follows:

1st Place (Pictured Above)
Jesse Wise and Ashely Ivey
5 Fish
25.01lbs

& BIG FISH

7.73lbs

2nd Place
Rick Ohlson & Bill Manning
5 Fish
24.29lbs

3rd Place
Tim Shabram & Steve Belch
5 Fish
21.99lbs

4th Place
Jonathan Phillips & Curtis Vaughn
5 Fish
19.27lbs

5th Place
Josh Whitford & Ed Wentland
5 Fish
17.40lbs

 


Phillips And Vaughn Smash Em' At Jordan Lake With 29+ To Win The First Collns Bass For Cash Series Of 2016

 

Phillips & Vaughn Win BFCS Season Opener

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Jonathan Phillips and Curtis Vaughn took home the top spot in the first event of 2016 for the Collins Inc. – Bass For Cash Series with a massive five fish limit of 29.99 lbs anchored by an 8.24 lb kicker.  The duo netted $906.00 for their efforts.

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Randy Broughman and Bobby Kinsey secured the second position with their limit of fish weighing in at 22.52 lbs, including the eventual lunker for the event at 8.56 lbs, granting the tandem $523.00 for the second spot and an additional $155.00 in cash / $100 gift certificate from Outdoor Accessories Unlimited for their lunker catch.

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Ronald and Ronnie Clark finished the day in the third position with their catch of 22.18 lbs and earned $349.00.  Steve Vann and Richard Lewis filled the fourth spot with 19.58 lbs and picked up $279.00 for their catch.  Rounding out the final paying position was the team of Charlie Creech and Jamie Rose with their catch of 18.40 lbs earning the tandem $267.00 for their efforts.

Thanks to Ranger Boats and Amsoil representative Josh Lanaville for the daily door prizes at this event.

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Thanks to Stevens Sausage for their efforts in providing the food items served during the afternoon weigh-in period.

Complete Results

Random Event Photos

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Weekend Wrap Up With Ac Pro Staffer Rob Digh-Clarks Hill Weights Highlighted Easter Weekend!

Another solid Tournament weekend in the books as AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh breaks down why some of thes lakes are starting to wake up and really produce good quality fish!!


Bassmaster Team Championship Heads To Kentucky Lake Nov. 30-Dec. 3Rd 2016

Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship Set For Kentucky Lake

PARIS, Tenn. –– Kentucky Lake, site of the 2015 Zippo BASSfest presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps, has been selected to host another special B.A.S.S. competition — the 2016 Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship.

Top anglers from participating team tournament trails across the country will have a chance to win a national team title and a berth in the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro when they compete in the third annual team championship tournament Nov. 30-Dec. 3, at Kentucky Lake.

“Team tournament fishing is growing rapidly across the nation, and we’re glad to offer a championship that enables the most outstanding pairs of anglers from throughout the country to prove their skills in a test of the best bass teams,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “Kentucky Lake is a great tournament lake that is popular with the Bassmaster Elite Series pros, and these grass-roots bass anglers will love it, too.”

The Henry County Alliance will host the championship at Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tenn. The daily takeoffs and weigh-ins will be held at Paris Landing State Park. Takeoffs will be at 6:45 a.m. ET, and weigh-ins will be at 2:45 p.m. ET each day.

“Henry County is excited to host the 2016 Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship at Paris Landing on beautiful Kentucky Lake,” said David Hamilton, CEO of Henry County Alliance. “Kentucky Lake is considered one of the top lakes for bass fishing and will provide the perfect setting for the anglers to compete for the championship.”

The four-day tournament will qualify one angler for the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic. The top two-angler team will also be crowned as the national champion of the event.

Teams across the nation qualify for the championship through various independently operated team trails sanctioned by B.A.S.S. (A list of sanctioned trails is available at Bassmaster.com.)

The team portion of the competition, Nov. 30-Dec. 1, pits the two-angler teams against one another to determine the national team champion. On Dec. 2-3, the six anglers from the Top 3 teams will compete individually in the Bassmaster Team Championship Classic Fish-Off. The winner of the individual competition earns a bid to the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing” the following year.

In last year’s championship at Lake Guntersville, Alabama, teammates Chris Risner and Timothy Eaton from Michigan were crowned the best duo in bass fishing and advanced to the Classic Fish-Off. However, Thomas Martens of Lago Vista, Texas, won the fish-off and qualified for the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro that was held on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees out of Tulsa, Okla.

“Last year’s tournament was a huge success with nearly 200 anglers competing,” said Jon Stewart, director of the B.A.S.S. Nation. Stewart expects this year’s event will be just as large.

“Kentucky Lake is a perfect location for the Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship,” he said. “We will have teams competing from Maine to California and Minnesota to Texas, and the central location of the lake is ideal. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s one of the best bass lakes in the country and ranked No. 12 on Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes.”

The team championship will mark 12th time for B.A.S.S. to conduct a professional Bassmaster tournament on Kentucky Lake, a 160,000-acre impoundment of the Tennessee River that straddles the border between Tennessee and Kentucky.

For more information on how a team trail can be sanctioned for the Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship, contact Stewart at [email protected].


South Carolina College Anglers Win Flw Championship, Qualify For 2016 Ranger Cup Event

FLIPPIN, ARK. (March 28, 2016) -University of South Carolina's Hampton Anderson and Chris Blanchette became the first team to qualify for the 2016 Ranger Cup University Team of the Year Challenge after winning the FLW College Fishing National Championship on March 19. The anglers' swing-for-the-fence approach on Lake Keowee paid dividends with the team bringing in a three-day total of 38 pounds, 15 ounces.

The team won a $30,000 prize package, including a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower outboard engineplus an automatic berth for Anderson to compete in the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama. Anderson secured the Forrest Wood Cup slot after winning a fish-off against Blanchette and will compete for the $300,000 first-place prize, Aug. 4-7.
As a Ranger Cup University-qualified team, Anderson and Blanchette added $2,000 contingency money to their winner's purse and qualified to compete for the 2016 Ranger Cup University Team of the Year Challenge. The University of South Carolina teammates will be matched against the Ranger Cup-qualified team with the highest place of finish in the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship in a made-for-TV fish off that will be televised nationally on "Americana Outdoors." Both teams will receive a grand-prize package that includes travel, lodging and meals, as well as the opportunity to compete for cash and prizes from fully rigged Ranger boats.

"It will definitely be a good time. Whoever wins the BoatUS will be great fishermen too so I imagine we will put on a pretty good show," said Anderson of the upcoming Ranger Cup University Challenge. "I didn't have any plans to turn pro, but these opportunities are going to make me explore my prospects to turn pro. We'll see how I do in the Forrest Wood Cup. I can't wait."
Modeled after the Ranger Cup, the most lucrative contingency rewards in the industry, Ranger Cup University is the first program designed exclusively for collegiate anglers and is open to those fishing in either FLW- or BoatUS-affiliated competitions. Signup is free, regardless of which brand of boat the anglers own. To remain qualified in the program, anglers need only adhere to clothing and logo requirements. As part of the Ranger Cup University program, participants will be able to receive specially discounted tournament gear through Gemini Custom Apparel, with no artwork or set-up fees. Through this partnership, Ranger Cup University anglers can purchase fully customized tournament jerseys for as low as $48.
For complete program guidelines and details on Ranger Cup University, including payout, clothing requirements and informational videos, go online to www.rangerboats.com/staticPages/includes/RangerCupUniversity.cfm.

Kvd Wins Major League Fishing Summit Cup!!!

From Zero to Hero

La Crosse, Wisconsin. (Mar. 28, 2016) – Kevin VanDam once again shows why he is arguably the greatest angler of all time.

This past weekend while competing in Major League Fishing’s General Tire Summit Cup in La Crosse Wisconsin, Kevin catapulted from dead last to first in turn capturing his second Summit Cup Championship

Despite being down by almost 28 pounds, KVD employed his newest weapon the KVD J300 Deep Jerkbait in Crystal Shad and changed the game.

 

 

 

 

He preceded to catch 40 fish for a total of 74 pounds 9 ounces to win the event over second place finisher, and fellow Strike King teammate, Todd Faircloth.

 

Strike King's Greg Hackney also finished the event in 4th place. Here is a link to video shot from Kevin's boat. http://www.majorleaguefishing.com/video_list.aspx?et=8715&id=19753&pid=6eFMJC%2fH4nA_37F8PEf&cat=99

 

For more information on Strike King products, please visit www.strikeking.com or your preferred fishing tackle retailer.

For more information on Major League Fishing, Please visit

www.majorleaguefishing.com with more ALL-NEW Major League Fishing episodes each week at 2pm et on Outdoor Channel till the end of June.

 

Photos Courtesy of Major League Fishing


Lowe & Hollifield Win Fishers Of Men Tournament On Clarks Hill With 21.47Lbs!!!

God is so good and has allowed our division to grow very rapidly and that is awesome.  We actually outgrew our events host property but the folks at PlumBranch Baptist were so kind that they actually came out to Abbeville First Baptist and helped to serve.  Thanks so much to Abbeville First Baptist Church as they hosted not only 88 Team series teams but an additional 12 teams fishing the legacy event.  Because of you we will see 5 folks in heaven as we had 5 folks raise their hands to receive Christ.  This is what its all about guys the fishing is secondary.  Bryan Holder pastor of The Mill Church in Pickens SC brought our message.  Speaking on we are Barabus a lot of folks clearly were able to understand the Easter message in a whole new light.  (Thanks Bryan you are a great FOM Chaplain and a better friend, Love you bro.)

Where here are the results:

1  Matt Lowe / Mark Hollifield  5  21.47   $5,612.50
2  Kim Neal / dam Neal  5   6.29    20.71  $1,867.50
3  Howard Bouknight / Mike Bouknight 5  19.80  $1,000.00
4  Chris Rodwell / Jon Hair 5   5.12   19.31  $494.00
5  Jason Maxwell / Chip Pearson 5   7.12  18.69  $860.00
6  Phillip Anderson / Andy Lake 5  18.57  $395.00
7  Mark Vaughn / Clark Richardson 5  18.09  $346.00
8  Perry Mattress / Dennie Johnson 5 7.12 17.46  $541.00
9  Chad Griffin / Jason McClendon 5 6.40  17.42  $297.00
10 Jerry Kotal / Daryl McClellon 5 5.50 17.14  $297.00

Well the weather was awful with the rain and the fog but it surely turned the stripers on.  Everyone I talked to that caught them spoke about how many stripers they had to cull through to catch the good large mouths.  Congrats to all the winners above as you guys earned it.  I also appreciate everyone making the trip down to Clarks Hill and pray that the new teams that have come on board will join us for the last two events.  I would love to send 80-90 teams to the regional on Lake Keowee in Sept..  It local for us and one of should win that puppy go to national win it going to the BASS championship and hopefully a shot to BASS master classic.  Somebody has to win it why not you.

A huge thank you goes out to each of you for selling the gun raffle tickets last year and you can see what it has done for our division.  That is credit to God, and you guys no one else.  We have the plans in place for next year and next year we could be guaranteed for 7-10K and event and be able to pay the top 10 in points hundreds if we have your help.   Enough about that will give you more details at the Super tournament in May.

Lastly wanted to update you on Hartwell next month.  WE MAY HAVE A CHURCH ISSUE FOR THE EVENT.  PLEASE KEEP UP WITH THE WEBSITE AND WE WILL UPDATE IT.  WE ARE LOOKING FOR A CHURCH IN THE ANDERSON AREA THAT CAN FEED THIS HUGE CROWD AND HOST OVER 200 PEOPLE.  IT WILL HAPPEN AS WE HAVE SOME FEELERS OUT NOW BUT BE IN PRAYER ABOUT THAT.  I WILL POST UP THE ANSWER AS SOON AS I HAVE IT.  GOD IS GOOD AND ALREADY KNOWS WHERE WE WILL BE.  THE FEEDING IS THE HARD PART.

Fishers of Men would like to thank all of our fine sponsors; BassCat Boats, Mercury, Stren, Pflueger,
Strike King Lure Company, Farm to Feet, Marshall’s Marine, Kings Home, Power-Pole, Raymarine,Duckett Fishing, Buckeye Lures, T&H Maine, Gator Guards, Solar Bat, Kistler Rods, HydroWave, Enigma,Jacobs Glass, Rayjus Sportswear and Rejuvenade.

Once again thanks so much to all of our sponsors and our SC Upstate sponsors as well that include : Palmetto Boat Center, Gradys Great outdoors, CandL Services, Rainbow Baits, Rhodes blade runners, Anderson county parks and recreation, Lowrance, Enigma Fishing

Praise God for drawing 5 more souls to him on Friday night!  As Bryan Holder (one of our FOM Chaplains) shared the truth with our teams, God revealed the truth of who we are and how simple it is to surrender to him for eternal salvation!!


Power Pole Continues Bass Sponsorship As A Supporting Sponsor

Power-Pole Continues Supporting Sponsor Role With B.A.S.S.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — JL Marine Systems, Inc., the Florida-based manufacturer of the Power-Pole® brand of shallow water anchors, has inked a deal to sponsor B.A.S.S. tournaments for 2016.

The deal with B.A.S.S. entitles the Power-Pole brand to serve as a supporting sponsor of the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens, B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series and Costa Bassmaster High School Series. JL Marine Systems has been a supporting sponsor of Bassmaster tournaments since 2011.

“Power-Pole shallow water anchors, is proud to continue its sponsorship with B.A.S.S.,” said Robert Shamblin, vice president of JL Marine Systems, which is based in Tampa, Fla. “The combination of tournaments, television shows, magazines and website together with the best anglers in the world provides a fantastic platform for us to showcase our products,”

“B.A.S.S. has enjoyed a longtime relationship with Power-Pole shallow water anchors” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “They continue to work with us to grow the sport, and we value their partnership as much as our members value their products.”

JL Marine Systems will offer contingency and rebate programs to all Bassmaster anglers at the various levels of B.A.S.S. competition. The company will continue its popular Power-Pole Captain’s Cash contingency program for Bassmaster Elite Series, Opens and College Series competitors. The contingency program will also be available for the anglers competing in the B.A.S.S. Nation Regionals and the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.

Anglers who sign up for the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash program can collect bonus money if they are the highest finisher in any of these B.A.S.S. events and they own a Power-Pole anchor. The Captain’s Cash rewards for each B.A.S.S. event are $1,000 for the Elite Series, $500 for the Opens and B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, and $250 for the College Series and B.A.S.S. Nation Regionals.

JL Marine is also offering to all Bassmaster College Series and High School Series anglers a rebate program for the entire line of Power-Pole anchors. B.A.S.S. Nation adult and high school anglers who qualify for their state team to compete in the B.A.S.S. Nation Regionals will also be eligible for the Power-Pole pro staff program. “Once they sign up for the program, they are eligible for our pro staff pricing,” Shamblin said.

Power-Pole is also conducting a “Win A Power-Pole Of Your Choice” drawing this season. Fishing fans are invited to sign up for the contest at the Power-Pole booth at Bassmaster Elite Series events throughout the season.

Among Power-Pole’s newest innovations, introduced at this year’s Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods, was a new lithium battery pack for the Micro Anchor, the all-electric anchor system designed for small craft such as fishing kayaks. Also highlighted in the booth was the complete line of Power-Pole brand anchors (Blade, Signature Series, Pro Series II, Sportsman II and Micro Anchor) ranging from 4- to 10-foot models and Power-Pole Drift Paddles.
For more information on Power-Pole brand products, visit www.power-pole.com.

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

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


Lowrance Signs Multiyear Agreement To Continue Bassmaster Sponsorship

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Lowrance, a world leader in marine electronics and GPS navigational systems, and B.A.S.S. will continue their long-standing relationship after striking a deal on a multiyear sponsorship agreement.

Lowrance has signed on to continue as a supporting sponsor of the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, B.A.S.S. Nation events and the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series for 2016-2018. For the first time, Lowrance will also be a supporting sponsor of the Costa Bassmaster High School Series, the fast-growing circuit that gives high school anglers a chance to qualify for a national championship and compete for scholarship money.

“As one of the first sponsors in B.A.S.S. history, Lowrance is honored to continue this tradition, as we expand our support for the growing high school division, which represents the future of fishing,” said Gordon Sprouse, marketing director of Navico Americas, owner of the Lowrance brand.

“Through Lowrance innovation, we will continue to provide cutting edge solutions –– like StructureScan® 3D –– that continue to make Lowrance the No. 1 brand on the Elite Series tournament trail,” Sprouse said. “We will also continue with our rewarding Insight Genesis College Cup program for B.A.S.S. college anglers, while expanding a similar program for high school teams, called Varsity Rewards –– all designed to improve our country’s lake maps by awarding prizes in exchange for sonar logs that are converted into high-definition lake maps.”

Lowrance has been a marine electronics leader since it invented the first consumer sonar device, “The Little Green Box,” in 1957. The company introduced its first GPS receivers in 1991, and in 1995 Lowrance created GlobalMap 2000 — the world’s first LCD product to offer integrated GPS, mapping and sonar capabilities.

“It’s great for B.A.S.S. to continue our longstanding relationship with Lowrance,” said Bruce Akin, CEO of B.A.S.S. “They’re a leader in the electronics industry, and have worked side-by-side with B.A.S.S. to help grow the sport of fishing through the years.”

Lowrance highlighted its flagship HDS Gen 3 fishfinder/chartplotter series with Lowrance StructureScan® 3D sonar imaging and introduced two new series of electronics at its booth in the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods, March 4-6 in Tulsa, Okla. The HDS Gen 3 models are multifunction displays that allow users to network their boat’s entire electronics system and fully control trolling motor and outboard motor steering with Lowrance SmartSteer™. Also spotlighted at the booth were the new Lowrance Elite Ti Series, a family of touch-screen fishfinder/chartplotter stand-alone multifunction units, and the Lowrance HOOK Series, a value line of fishfinders, chartplotters and combos equipped with the essential features at a sensible price.

Lowrance also showcased the new Mercury Marine VesselView® Link, a small module that connects a Mercury engine data directly with Lowrance HDS displays, scheduled for availability this summer.

About Lowrance
The Lowrance brand (www.lowrance.com) is entirely owned by Navico Inc. (www.navico.com). An international corporation, Navico is currently the world’s largest marine electronics company and is the parent company to leading marine electronics brands: Lowrance, Simrad and B & G.

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

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

 


Butch Trimmer & Don Boivin Took Their First Ever Win With Pbc Weighing In 5 Bass At 28.24 Lbs

PIEDMONT BASS CLASSICS $10,000 SPRING TEAM BASS TRAIL QUALIFIER #2 RESULTS
Saturday March 19th, 2016 ~ Jordan Lake ~ Farrington Point Wildlife Ramp

The 2016 Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Qualifier #2 at Jordan Lake produced another
great turnout for the PBC Trails!!  The weather turned out great with air temps about 49 degrees in the am on up
to 54 in the pm. The predicted rain held off except for one little sprinkle. Water temps ranged from 62 to 67.
Winds were quiet in the am and blowing up to about 8 in the pm. A whopping total of 80 teams participated with
nearly all of them weighing in fish. Jordan will only get better in the next few weeks. Spring fishing is just about to
explode!!

Butch Trimmer & Don Boivin took their first ever win with PBC weighing in 5 bass at 28.24 lbs. for a total of
$1,344 in winnings. The team found a hot hole with 67 degree water early on and it was loaded with some nice bass
which were busting top water lures at that location!

1st Place Team...Boivin on left...Trimmer on right

 
Seth Ellis & Jamey Caldwell took 2nd place with 5 fish weighing 27.47 lbs. They also won 1st Place TWT, 1st
Place Big Fish (8.44 lbs.) and the Tow Boats US Membership Award for a grand total of $3,633.

 

2nd Place Team...Ellis on left...Caldwell not pictured

 

 

3rd Place Team,
Tony Fofi & Dave Murdock, had 5 weighing 26.81 lbs. and along with 2nd Place TWT, they took home $1,345!!
The 2nd Place Big Fish (8.20 lbs.) was caught by the team of Johnny Wilder & Mike Harris netting them $474.

290 fish were weighed in for a total of 1,079 pounds for an average of 3.72 lbs. each. Most of the fish were caught
on WLS shaky heads, crankbaits, Bass Alarm Buzz Baits, Shanes A-rigs, Sharp Shooter jigs and jerk baits in 8
foot of water or less. Water temps are very important now and bass are starting to bed in the shallower water.

I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. Our next tournament is
Saturday March 26th, the Piedmont Bass Classics Easter Open at Falls Lake out of Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp.
All the info can be found at this link:
http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2016EasterOpenShootut.html
Following that will be the Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Qualifier #3, Saturday April
2nd also at Falls Lake.
All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/

 

Now here are the full results:

1st Place: ......Butch Trimmer & Don Boivin of Fayetteville...5 bass...28.24 lbs...$1,344
2nd Place: ......Seth Ellis & Jamey Caldwell of Sanford & Carthage...5 bass...27.47 lbs...$832
3rd Place: ......Tony Fofi & Dave Murdock of Spring Lake & Sanford...5 bass...26.81 lbs...$640
4th Place: ......Bobby Matthews & Mitch Hargrove of Durham & Dunn...5 bass...25.42 lbs...$576
5th Place: ......Eric Bland & John Anton of Tarboro & Chapel Hill...5 bass...23.84 lbs...$512
6th Place: ......Kevin Woodall & William Tobias of Angier...5 bass...23.83 lbs...$448
7th Place: ......Chris & H.T. Eakins of Selma & Angier...5 bass...23.49 lbs...$384
8th Place: ......Mark Herndon & Jay Garrard of Bahama & Durham...5 bass...23.46 lbs...$320
9th Place: ......Larry Hipps & Dean Larson of Cary & Wendell...5 bass...22.77 lbs...$270
10th Place: ......Mark Sherrer & Chris Wood of Raleigh...5 bass...22.46 lbs...$234
11th Place: ......Keith Deal & Ricky Kenworthy of Holly Springs & Cary...5 bass...22.25 lbs...$205
12th Place: ......Rick Sossoman & Doug Stallings of Oak Ridge & Stem...5 bass...21.80 lbs...$160
13th Place: ......Bobby Houser & Randy Leonard of Raleigh & Wendell...5 bass...21.34 lbs...$135
14th Place: ......Ron Szaro & Bobby Gregory of Clayton & Fuquay-Varina...5 bass...21.07 lbs...$125
15th Place: ......Keith & Alden Patterson of Mebane...5 bass...20.73 lbs...$115
16th Place: ......Todd Durham & Mark Beck...5 bass...20.34 lbs...$100

1st Place Big Fish..2nd Place Team above...8.44 lbs...$1,106
2nd Place Big Fish..Johnny Wilder & Mike Harris of Stem & Oxford...8.20 lbs...$474
1st Place TWT..2nd Place Team above...27.47 lbs...$1,645
2nd Place TWT..3rd Place Team above: 26.81 lbs...$705

Tow Boats US Award: Seth Ellis of Sanford : $50

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

The Shimano/b.a.s.s. Youth Conservation Initiative Funds B.a.s.s. Nation Projects In 2016

The Shimano/B.A.S.S. Youth Conservation Initiative Funds B.A.S.S. Nation Projects In 2016

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — B.A.S.S. Nation clubs in New Mexico and Florida will be the beneficiaries of the 2016 Shimano/B.A.S.S. Youth Conservation Initiative grants announced at the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Banquet during the recent Bassmaster Classic in Tulsa, Okla.

“Shimano has once again shown its commitment to the B.A.S.S. Nation and to educating youth on the value and need for conservation,” said Gene Gilliland, B.A.S.S. Conservation Director.

“Through the Shimano grant program, we will be providing funds to do some really great projects that benefit fishery resources and provide opportunities for young anglers to get hands-on conservation experience.”

The Albuquerque, N.M., Hawg Hunters Bass Club plans to construct a fishing pier on Escondida Lake Park pond in Socorro, N.M., allowing disabled anglers better access to the pond.

Mesilla Valley High School and New Mexico State University fishing team anglers will help build the pier that will be adjacent to many recently installed fish-attracting habitat structures that are placed close to shore. Adult mentors from the Albuquerque club, the Socorro Valley Bass club, New Mexico B.A.S.S. Nation, New Mexico Game & Fish Department and the Disabled American Veterans will assist the youth members in the project.

A pair of projects will receive funding to renovate donated pontoon boats and turn them into live-release vessels that will be used for tournament fish releases and as barges to help with the installation of artificial habitat structures.

The New Mexico B.A.S.S. Nation and the Lakeland Junior Bassmasters from Florida will each refurbish old pontoon boats by reinforcing the pontoon tubes and decking, overhauling outboard motors and adding fiberglass holding tanks with aeration systems. Junior club members, high school and college anglers will be trained in state-of-the-art fish care protocols and will help tournament officials in their states with weigh-ins and live release operations.

Shimano pioneered the first live-release boats more than 30 years ago and continues to support their use in all Bassmaster tournament circuits.

Grant proposals were judged by Gilliland, B.A.S.S. Nation staff and by representatives from Shimano.

“We received 10 proposals this year from Nation clubs in nine states, and it is always difficult to pick our winners,” explained Gilliland. “These three top proposals showed the best use of B.A.S.S. members, youth organizations and made significant use of matching funds and donated materials.”

The Shimano/B.A.S.S. Youth Conservation Initiative, unveiled in 2014, has provided almost $36,000 in funding for projects to restore fisheries habitat through the introduction of native aquatic plants, install artificial habitat structures, develop urban fishing opportunities and battle invasive species that threaten aquatic resources.

About Shimano
Shimano American Corporation is the U.S. subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Shimano, Inc., a worldwide leader in the manufacturing of fishing tackle, and is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. Along with its new fishing division operations in Ladson, S.C. where it also has a distribution center, the firm also has sales, service and distribution operations in Peterborough, Ontario, manufactures its PowerPro braided fishing line in Grand Junction, Colo., G.Loomis fishing rods in Woodland, Wash. Shimano also handles the sales, marketing and distribution of Jackall Lures in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, please visit www.shimano.com.

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

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


Plano Signs On As Title Sponsor For Mississippi River Elite Event Sept. 8-11, 2016

Plano Signs On As Title Sponsor For Mississippi River Elite Event

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Tackle storage magnate Plano Molding Co., Inc., has secured the title sponsorship of the 2016 Bassmaster Elite Series season finale.

The final event of the regular Elite Series season will take place Sept. 8-11 on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis.

“We’re pleased to partner with Plano Molding Co. on our finale Elite event,” said Bruce Akin, CEO of B.A.S.S. “B.A.S.S. appreciates their dedication to equip anglers at every level with the tools they need for tackle management to make the most out of their fishing experience.”

“Plano is excited to again have the opportunity to join B.A.S.S. as a title sponsor of the Elite Series event in La Crosse, Wis.,” said Ben Rand, Plano Molding Co. director of marketing. “The Elite Series continues to be best in class, and brings the most talented anglers from across the country. Our partnership with B.A.S.S. allows us the opportunity to keep Plano front of mind for our passionate and valued customers throughout the year.”

The La Crosse tournament will be the third time for the city to host a Bassmaster Elite Series event. During the June 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series River Rumble, Texan Todd Faircloth caught 20 Mississippi River bass weighing 62 pounds, 4 ounces to win the tournament. The river also produced two more 60-pound totals as Mississippi’s Cliff Pace finished second with 61 pounds and Terry Butcher of Oklahoma took third with 60-11.

Catching more than 60 pounds was also the benchmark for the June 2013 River Rumble at La Crosse. Oklahoman Tommy Biffle clinched the victory by catching 20 bass totaling 64-2 while Aaron Martens of Alabama took second with 61-11. The average bass weight for the previous two La Crosse events was 2.61 pounds for 2012 and 2.46 pounds for 2013.

As part of the title sponsorship deal, Plano exhibited its products at the 2016 Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods March 4-6 at Tulsa, Okla., and will also display them during the Elite Series season finale at La Crosse. Highlighted in Plano’s booth at the Classic and Elite event was the company’s cornerstone StowAway boxes and two new products — the A-Series QuickTop and M-Series tackle bags.

The A-Series QuickTop is equipped with a molded see-through ABS lid atop a soft tackle bag that includes four Plano StowAway 3600 or 3700 utility boxes. The new M-Series consists of two tackle bags, a Hydro-Flo Tackle Bag with the Hydro-Flo Base that allows water to drain out of the bag’s bottom for drying or rinsing lures, and a Messenger Bag featuring eight exterior pockets, a molded insert for storing a 3600 box and inside storage for up to nine StowAway boxes.

Plano Molding is a Plano Synergy Holdings, Inc. brand. The company revolutionized the tackle storage business in 1952 by creating the first molded plastic tackle box. In addition to Plano Molding, Plano Synergy brands include Ameristep, Avian-X, Barnett Crossbows, Caboodles, Creative Options, Evolved, Flextone, Frabill, GroundEFX, Halo Optics, Wildgame Innovations and Zink Calls. Information about all of Plano’s products is available at www.planomolding.com.

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

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


22 Year Old, Gary Green Wins Mega-Bass Derby On Lake Fork With A 10.02Lb Stud!

By: Patty Lenderman
Skeeter Bass Champs hosted their annual Mega Bass tournament, presented by the SportsmanÂ’s Auto Network on Lake Fork March 21, 2016 - the largest one day Bass tournament in the world that keeps getting bigger. Over 1900 anglers from over 30 states and more than $200,000 paid back in cash and prizes in single day for amateur anglers only. Twenty two year old Gary Green of Glenwood, Arkansas caught the biggest bass of the day - a double digit sow, taking home $15,000 cash AND a new Skeeter Boat!

The day began on a very cold morning, and as the tournament progressed so did the wind. Some tried to hold and fish their spots in the wind while others vied for protected coves. Lake Fork is a slot lake, so anglers can only weigh fish less than 16” long or over 24”. All others in-between those measurements must be released immediately and not weighed in. The big ones were biting, and several bass over the slot were caught giving those lucky anglers a big payday!

The first weigh hour was 8am. Bob Roberts of Longview, TX won the first $15,000 check with his 9.35 pound sow. “I just got lucky,” Roberts exclaimed. “I got on the lake at 6:45am, went to my spot and got set up.” His spot was in the middle of an open field, having a slight hump and sparse grass. “I threw a Carolina rigged watermelon candy Zoom trick worm in about 5’ of water.” He made a long cast, and within the first 10 minutes of fishing he got the bite. “When I was working it back to the boat, it felt like it got hung up. Then it started swimming off!” Bob was fishing by himself in this tournament, his wife and partner Bobbie could not make it. He wrangled his big sow safely to the boat on his own and brought it in to weigh and win the first hour. “I’d rather be lucky than good – and today I got lucky!” Bob has fished every Mega Bass event Bass Champs hosts, and the Skeeter Owner tournament and the Berkley Big Bass events. “Bass Champs puts on great events, and I like fishing all of them!”

The 9am hour was won by Rockwall, TX angler Jonathan Ham. His day started off fast and furious as well. “I was fishing a dock with a swim jig. She bit within about the first 6 minutes of fishing!” His big fish tipped the scales at 8.65 pounds, giving him a $15,000 payday! Terry Long of Bridgeport, TX added to his $500 hourly check, weighing in a 2.08 lb. bass, by winning the Crossed Industries bonus for another $3,000!

The 10am hour was the only hour of the day where only ‘unders’ were weighed. The top bass that hour weighed in at 2.35 pounds, caught by Jim Holmes of Prosper, TX for a $15,000 paycheck. “It was very windy and very cold,” Prosper began. “I just went fishing and caught a few fish.” Jim decided to fish flats in 12’ of water with Texas rigged watermelon red baby brush hogs. “They bit well first thing in the morning. I caught a few slot fish, then a weigher. I kept fishing for a few more hours, then came on in to weigh it.” Great decision – he won the hour with the only under the slot fish of the day! “I’m going to give my wife $5,000 of it and then figure out what I want to do with the rest.” Jim would like to thank Sartins Marine and Breaking Bass Swim Baits for their support.

The 11am hour saw not only big bass but an even weight winner as well. Scott Morton of Nacogdoches, TX caught a sow that weighed 8.26 lbs to win 1st place of the hour and $15,000. “My dear friend Josh Jamison talked me into fishing this tournament, he had fished a few of the Mega Bass tournaments before,” Morton explained. “I have never fished a tournament before and this was my first time on Lake Fork.” They headed to the bridge, and anchored. “We just started fishing. I was dragging a 12” worm on a 7/0 hook. I really didn’t expect to catch anything, but I figured if you’re going to go for big bass, you’ve got to use a big bait.” The wind and waves allowed them to fish a slow drift, dragging the anchor along. “I drug my worm for about 150 yards, then it felt like it had hung up on a stick or something. I tugged to get it loose, and it tugged back!” Scott split the winnings with his fishing partner, but dedicated the event to his grandmother. “Her name is Irene Harold, and we just lost her this past week. She was 77 years old. I know she was with me and smiling on me today.”

Juan Hernandez of Gilmer, TX took 2nd place overall in this hour for $1,000, and also won and additional $500 for weighing a 3.00 even weight bass.

The biggest fish of the day, a double digit mega bass was weighed in during the noon hour. Gary Green of Glenwood, Arkansas made the long trip to fish the event and it paid off big. “I decided to just go fishing, and hope to get a bite.” He was fishing shallow water banks, 5’-6’ deep in a cove with a floating worm. “I was fishing with my brother and my dad. She bit around 9am, and I knew it was a big fish as soon as I set the hook!” Waiting a couple of hours before weighing in the big sow, once the scales locked in she was 10.02 lbs, the biggest fish caught in the tournament! Bass Champs presented him with a $15,000 check AND a new Skeeter ZX200 powered by Yamaha and equipped with Lowrance, Power Pole and Minn Kota. “I’d like to thank God first and foremost overall,” Gary stated. “I’d also like to thank my family.”

With only two weigh in hours remaining, two bass over the slot were tallied during the 1:00 hour. Jerry “Benton” Hall of Lewisville, TX had the biggest one weighing 9.71 pounds for the $15,000 check. “It was cold – very cold – and windy,” Benton recalled. “The start time for the tournament was 6:30am, but I decided to wait until 7:00.” Once he got on the water, he headed to the back of a creek. “I was looking for pre-spawn areas. I found where this creek intersected with a point, and had a 15’-20’ drop-off.” He tied on a deep diving crank bait. Fishing along the creek channel, he threw to water 5’ deep at a secondary point at the edge of the drop off when she bit. Fishing with his lifelong buddy Mark Smith, together they got the fish in and secured in the livewell. “It was my first fish of the day – I just got lucky. The weather deteriorated pretty quick after that.” Staying back at the holding tanks along with the tournament winner, Benton waited until the 1:00 hour to weigh. “This is my biggest fish ever! I really enjoy fishing this event. It’s the right time of year, has a great payout, and is always well run by the Bass Champs crew. I hope to continue fishing it for many years to come!”

Jerry Archer of Poetry, TX took 2nd place that hour with his big catch weighing in at 8.67 pounds.

The final hour also had to big fish over the slot weighed in, and was won by Larry Ladnier of Rockwall Texas with his 9.55 lb. sow. “My partner Steve Foushee and I headed to a spot quite a ways from the weigh in. We were fishing points and flats in 2’ to 12’ as out of the wind as we could.” Larry had a Texas rigged Berkley Power Worm tied on, using a Lew’s rod & reel combo. “I caught a lot of slot fish and unders, but nothing to weigh in. Steve caught a lot of slot fish as well.” That all changed when Larry set the hook at 2:10. “She was BIG! We were pretty far from the weigh in, so as soon as we got her locked down, we battened down the hatches and headed in. We only made it with five minutes to spare!” David Sorrels of Linden, TX was sitting in the $15,000 seat with his 9.06 pound catch just waiting on the clock to run out and the scales to close. Larry bumped him into the 2nd place seat to win top spot of the last hour. “I really needed this – I just retired from Bass Pro Shops at the end of January!” He would like to thank his partner Steve as well as his wife for her support.

Biobor sponsored several bonus checks each hour, and when it was all said and done over $200,000 in cash and prizes was paid out in this richest one day hourly bass tournament in the world.

“We’d like to congratulate all of the winners and thank everyone for making the journey, and for some a really long journey to come fish the Mega Bass event with us, presented by the Sportsman’s Auto Network. It was a great day, and a lot of big fish were weighed in. This annual event just keeps getting bigger and better every year. We hope everyone had a lot of fun and plan on fishing again next year!” – Chad Potts, Bass Champs President.

There are more upcoming opportunities to win some big money with Bass Champs! There are still several Bass Champs tournaments remaining in the team trails, with some specialty events coming up as well.
June 10 – Skeeter Owners Tournament, Lake Fork
June 26 – TX Shootout, Sam Rayburn - $50,000 for 1st place!
October 15 – 11th Annual Berkley Big Bass, Lake Fork

DonÂ’t miss out! Sign up today. For more information click to www.BassChamps.com or call 817-439-3274

 

Angler City State Weight Prize Amount
GARY GREEN Glenwood AR 10.02
Skeeter ZX 200 Yamaha Lowrance PowerPole MinnKota
PLUS $15,000 CASH
JERRY HALL Lewisville TX 9.71
$15,000.00
LARRY LADNIER Rockwall TX 9.55
$15,000.00
BOB ROBERTS Longview TX 9.35
$15,000.00
JONATHON HAM Rockwall TX 8.65
$15,000.00
SCOTT MORTON Nacogdoches TX 8.26
$15,000.00
JIM HOLMES Prosper TX 2.35
$15,000.00
DAVID SORRELLS Linden TX 9.06
$1,000.00
JERRY ARCHER Poetry TX 8.67
$1,000.00
JUAN HERNANDEZ Gilmer TX 3.00
$1,000.00+ $500 Even Bonus Weight
STEPHEN FATHERREE Alba TX 2.81
$1,000.00
CURT CULBERTSON Fort Worth TX 2.65
$1,000.00
TONY SISK Diana TX 2.54
$1,000.00
TERRY MACDONALD Lawton OK 2.28
$1,000.00
CARL DENNIS Mesquite TX 2.60
$900.00
BLAINE COVINGTON Fort Worth TX 2.58
$900.00
NATHAN BATCHELOR Mt Pleasant TX 2.48
$900.00
CHRIS UNRUH Lakin KS 2.34
$900.00
CLIFTON BIRMINGHAM Gloster LA 2.33
$900.00
COLIN THOMPSON Huntsville TX 2.32
$900.00
ROBERT STOVER Clifton TX 2.26
$900.00
LANDON MARKUM Paradise TX 2.55
$800.00
HAYDEN DECKER Huntsville TX 2.31
$800.00
COREY STOKES Weatherford TX 2.30
$800.00
BENSON MOORE Forney TX 2.28
$800.00
JEFF COLE North Lake TX 2.25
$800.00
BRENT JOHNSON Dike TX 2.24
$800.00
BRANDON JENNIGES North Richland Hills TX 2.26
$750.00
LEE RICE Victoria TX 2.26
$750.00
ROBERT ORDWAY Yantis TX 2.51
$700.00
MICHAEL BABBITT Channelview TX 2.30
$700.00
DARRELL CAMPBELL Trophy Club TX 2.27
$700.00
RONNIE KECK Willis TX 2.24
$700.00
JAMES MARTIN JR Troup TX 2.18
$700.00
CHARLES JAMES Cooper TX 2.21
$600.00
GARY ALLEN Nacogdoches TX 2.21
$600.00
DAVID HARRIS Mesquite TX 2.24
$500.00
ABIGAIL SISK Diana TX 2.24
$500.00
LAROYCE MCDANIEL Sulphur Springs TX 2.21
$500.00
TERRY LONG Bridgeport TX 2.08
$500.00+ $3000 Crossed Industries Bonus
JOHN BYLER Southlake TX 2.38
$425.00
JOSH BUSBY Emory TX 2.38
$425.00
WILLIAM MAGGS Roanoke TX 2.17
$425.00
GERALD BARBOUR East Tawakoni TX 2.17
$425.00
TERRY MACDONALD Lawton OK 2.20
$350.00
JORDAN CRAFT Muddy IL 2.20
$350.00
AARON WILKERSON Sulphur Springs TX 2.17
$325.00
DENNIS PAULK Abilene TX 2.17
$325.00
ROBERT JOHNSON Allen TX 2.11
$325.00

Benton Makes 12 Cut, Sharpens Decison-Making Skills At Bassmaster Elite Series On St Johns

Drew Benton fished his first Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on the St Johns River out of Palatka this past week. Having won an FLW Tour event on Okeechobee before, the young pro from Panama City, Florida knows how to close out a tourney, especially in his home state where he loves to sight fish, as he did around Lake George during the Elite derby.

Benton made the Top 12 cut and fished the final round against anglers such as Greg Hackney, the legendary Rick Clunn who won this tourney, and St Johns River stalwarts Terry 'Big Show' Scroggins and Cliff Prince.

In the face of this competition Benton weighed 3 limits in excess of 20 pounds over 4 days. Only a stumble on Day 2, when he stepped to the scale with a little over 12 pounds, kept him off the winning pace of slightly more than 80 pounds.

He knows where he messed up. "I fished used water," said Benton of his 2nd day decision. "I tried to catch them where I caught them the first day. They had been beaten up too badly. There were no big fish left."

Other top finishers, including runner-up Hackney, commented on the need to fish new water each day.

It was a tough lesson but one that will benefit Benton as he chases the 2016 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year Award. For now, he leads that race.


Logan Johnson & Jeremy Christian Win Abt North On Guntersville - Top 2 And Big Fish Interviews Here!

Former University of Alabama Fishing Team Teammates Squeek out the win in a close Alabama Bass Trail event on Lake Guntersville. Check it out, exclusively, here!


Matlock And Mcfarlin Win Ttt Event On Richland Chambers With 25.15 Pounds!

CORSICANA, Texas - After nearly ideal conditions at the first two Texas Team Trail events of the 2016 season, Mother Nature delivered a high pressure cold front just in time for stop No. 3 at the Richland Chambers Reservoir. With temperatures barely reaching 60 degrees and a brisk north wind gusting up to 30 mph, bass fishing was more of a chore than a pleasure. As the old adage says, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Dennis Matlock and Don McFarlin got going early, taking advantage of a small feeding window to put 25 pounds in the boat. Despite not getting a bite for the last five hours of the tournament, the two won by nearly a 3-pound margin.
"Last night we talked about the cold front and what it would do to the frog bite, which was how we were catching them in practice," said Matlock. "So we decided to switch to a Craw Worm and a Brush Hog."
The two started in a pocket on the south end of the lake where they had located a few spawning bass.
"We went to one spot where we knew a good one was located on bed. Within five minutes, we caught our biggest fish of the day - a 5.56. So we fished around some and then went back thinking there might be another male on the same spot. But we caught another female that went about 5 pounds. Then I caught a 3-pounder fishing behind someone. After a few minutes, we went over to a flat and caught two more to give us our five. Finally, Don caught another 5-pounder that culled a 3-pounder. That was at 9:35 this morning and it was our last bite of the day."
Matlock explained that there were several other boats in the area, but none were using soft plastics.
"The guys all around us were throwing frogs, because that's what they were biting. Starting with the plastics was a huge factor. We made the right choice at the right time; it was just a picture perfect day for us."
As the north wind strengthened throughout the day, the water on the south end turned muddier and muddier and the fish shut down. Matlock and McFarlin did their damage just in the nick of time.
"They were on beds, but we weren't sight-fishing," added Matlock. "A couple of them were pretty much spawned out. The fish were shallow, I mean real shallow - like 12 or 14 inches. We were fishing these shorter weeds - throwing into the pockets."
Both the Craw Worm and the Brush Hog were Zoom baits. Both were also Texas-rigged with 3/16-ounce weights.
"A combination of starting with plastics and downsizing weights was the key. We were catching them while everyone else was still trying to figure it out. We were just one step ahead today."
For an official weight of 25.15 pounds, Matlock and McFarlin earned a Triton 189 TRX with a 150-horsepower Mercury outboard. Combined with $2,040 of Anglers Advantage cash, their total prize package was $30,535.
"I haven't won a tournament since 2001, so it's been a while," said Matlock. "I had two back surgeries last summer and I'm doing better now than I have in like eight years. I guess you could say it's a bit of a comeback."
Millender and Cannon runners up
Second-place finishers Randy Millender and Ricky Cannon stuck with their sight-fishing program on the north end throughout the day. Instead of throwing their baits at specific fish, they would fan-cast the area near nests.
"We only had about three spots we were wanting to fish," said Millender. "Fortunately, they were on the north side and out of the wind. We started in the back of a creek we know. There was one boat where we wanted to go, so we tried another spot first. Eventually, they left so we went in there and caught a few."
Millender and Cannon received only eight bites all day. They caught everything that bit, with six of those fish being keepers. Their final weight for five bass was 22.65 pounds.
"They weren't on the beds. The wind was so strong today that it stained up. The high pressure moved them a bit too. They didn't move too far - like 5 or 10 feet off. We never saw any bass at all today. We just knew the fish were in there and were committed. So we'd fan-cast the area.
"We caught everything on tubes and creature baits in 2 feet or less," added Millender. "We used the Lake Fork Baby Fork Creature in black neon and Bass Pro Shops tubes in black neon."
With four minutes left in the tournament, Cannon caught a 5-plus that culled out a 2-pounder. For second place, the two earned a total paycheck of $6,646.
"It's always great to get a check against these guys; I'll take second anytime."
Stevens and Clark third
Jeff Stevens and Brian Clark took third place with a 22.59-pound stringer, earning $4,450. They caught their fish on a variety of baits including a frog, a swim jig, a craw and a tube.
"Every fish we caught was on a bed, but we couldn't see them," said Stevens. "We started on a fish we knew and right away it blew up on our frog, but missed it. While my partner is trying to get her to bite, a different fish, a 4 1/2-pounder comes and eats my frog. But we never got the other fish to bite."
After catching another small keeper, the two left the area and ran across to another pocket. There they caught two more keeper bass - one on the Spro frog and one on the homemade swim jig.
"Those fish couldn't have been in more than 12 inches of water, maybe 10. The water is falling fast. The places we fished, some of them looked too shallow for there to be a bass there."
After checking several other areas only to discover they were blown out, Stevens and Clark went back to their primary area.
"Just as I was crossing the pocket to head to the other side I saw the thickest clump of willows.  So I pitched in there and as soon as the Chigger Craw hit the bottom I felt the thump. She got all wrapped up and I thought I lost her. Nine out of 10 times you do lose that fish. But we landed her; it was our fifth fish with probably 30 minutes left in the day."
With only 5 minutes left, Clark caught a 4 3/4-pounder that culled out the 14-incher. It was their only cull of the tournament.
"We closed out the day with two fish that made a big difference. Usually in springtime tournaments, especially with cold fronts, they bite best in the afternoon. So we always tell ourselves, let's be on the best water in the middle of the day."
Stevens credited lure variety and speed as the key to their presentation.
"Literally we switched rods out every three to four casts. Some of those fish had six or seven boats go across them today. A lot of people were throwing Senkos and fishing slow. We were triggering more of a reaction strike, especially with the swim jig. We were making longer casts and then reeling it so fast they didn't have time to think about it. We both like to fish fast and fish shallow."
Setina-Walker fourth, Sullivan-Wilkinson fifth
For the second consecutive tournament, Joe Setina and Aaron Walker took fourth place. At Richland Chambers, the two weighed 20.15 pounds and earned $3,466. Behind them was Timothy Temple and Tyler Bradfield, who caught 18.61 pounds and won $1,545. Both teams brought five-bass limits to the scale.
Big Bass
Big fish honors went to Neal Childers and Ben Fuller, who caught an 8.30-pound largemouth. That fish alone earned them $1,030.
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 teams at the 2016 Texas Team Trail event on Richland Chambers:
6th: Joseph Goodrum and Rick Witten, 17.19
7th: David Curtis and Mark Mueck, 17.02
8th: Caleb Young and Jason Rogers, 16.77
9th: James Martin Sr. and Terry Stevens, 16.26
10th: Chad Adkins and Clint Abernathy, 15.25
Up next:
The fourth qualifier of the 2016 Texas Team Trail season is slated for April 16 on Lake Texoma.

Bobby Stanfill Of Greenwood, Sc Wins The Aba D-96 Event On Clarks Hill Lake

Group picture from left to right; 1st place and Big Fish Winner Bobby Stanfill of Greenwood, SC / 2nd place Mike Strickland of Watkinsville, Ga. / 3rd place Phillip Anderson of Saluda, SC / 4th place Don Kneece of Saluda, SC / 5th place Chad Brounkowski of Greenwood, SC / 6th Place Larry Moss of Prosperity, SC.

First place, Bobby Stanfill of Greenwood, SC, was fishing the upper part of the lake. He caught his fish on jigs and spinnerbaits in shallow water.The tournament big fish came on the spinnerbait and weighed 5.89 pounds. Bobby’s 5 fish weighing 23.47 pounds won first place and first place option and the big fish pot for a total of $995.

Mike Strickland of Watkinsville, Ga. finished in second place fishing the upper part of the lake as well. He caught his fish on lipless crankbaits and a topwater bait. Steve’s 5 fish weighing 21.03 pounds won second place and second place option for a total of $529.

Phillip Anderson of Saluda, SC finished in third place with 5 fish weighing 18.77 pounds. His fish came on a jig fishing for bedding fish on the upper part of the lake. Phillip took home $167 for third place.

Don Kneece of Saluda, SC took fourth place flipping brush shallow on the upper part of the lake. He also fished the upper part of the lake weighing 5 fish at 17.59 pounds. Don won $130 for fourth place.

Chad Brounkowski of Greenwood, SC fished in fifth place with 5 fish weighing 16.78 pounds for $94.

The day was cloudy with a NNE wind at 5 to 10mph for most of the day. We started at 48 degrees and were at 55 degrees for the 3pm weigh-in. Water temps were in the low 60’s. The lake was clear but stained in the creeks and almost at full pool.

Here’s how we finished:

1 – Bobby Stanfill, Greenwood, SC – 5 fish 23.47 lbs. BF 5.89 lbs. 200 pts.

2 – Mike Strickland, Watkinsville, Ga. - 5 fish 21.03 lbs. 199 pts.

3 – Phillip Anderson, Saluda, SC – 5 fish 18.77 lbs. 198 pts.

4 – Don Kneece, Saluda, SC – 5 fish 17.59 lbs. 197 pts.

5 – Chad Brounkowski, Greenwood, SC – 5 fish 16.78 lbs. 196 pts.

6 – Larry Moss, Prosperity, SC – 5 fish 15.65 lbs. 195 pts.

7 – Paul Tickerhoof, Appling, Ga. – 5 fish 13.64 lbs. 194 pts.

8 – Evan Weaver, Lexington, SC – 5 fish 13.25 lbs. 193 pts.

9 – Larry Gaines, Ft. Walton Beach, FL – 5 fish 12.74 lbs. 192 pts.

10 – Gene Parker, Asheville, NC – 5 fish 12.70 lbs. 191 pts.

11 – Eddie Temples, Saluda, SC – 5 fish 12.60 lbs. 190 pts.

12 – David Griswold, Woodruff, SC - 5 fish 12.45 lbs. 189 pts.

13 – Steve Christie, Gray Court, SC – 5 fish 11.40 lbs. 188 pts.

14 -  Pat Vance, Sumter, SC – 5 fish 11.09 lbs. 187 pts.

15 – Carlton Price, Leesville, SC – 5 fish 10.17 lbs. 186 pts.

16 – N. Werly Bray, Lexington, SC – 5 fish 9.73 lbs. 185 pts.

17 – Allen Murray, Reidsville, Ga. – 5 fish 9.46 lbs. 184 pts.

18 – Jay Treon, Greenwood, SC - 5 fish 9.35 lbs. 183 pts.

19 – Richard Presnell, Westminster, SC – 5 fish 9.04 lbs. 182 pts.

20 – Ed Matthews, Columbia. SC – 4 fish 7.64 lbs. 181 pts.

21 – Arthur McBride, Thomson, Ga. – 5 fish 7.10 lbs. 180 pts.

22 – Lou Engel, Ninety Six, SC – 3 fish 4.24 lbs. 179 pts.

23 – Bill Pinion, Fair Play, SC – 3 fish 3.71 lbs.

8 anglers did not weigh in fish - 50 pts.

Money

Bobby Stanfill – 1st place plaque $695 / 1st place option $145 / Big Fish plaque $155. Total - $995

Mike Strickland – 2nd place plaque $434 / 2nd place option $95. Total - $529

Phillip Anderson – 3rd place plaque - $167

Don Kneece – 4th place - $130

Chad Brounkowski – 5th place - $94

Larry Moss – 6th place ALX Rods Hat

Paul Tickerhoof – 7th place Parker Spinnerbait

ALX Rod Big Fish Leader for 2016

John Stevenson – 7.65 lbs. Lake Murray, February 28, 2015

ALX Rods Big Fish Award for the 2015 Season (New ALX IKOS Series Rod for Season Big Fish Winner www.alxrods.com )

Local Sponsors:

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

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

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

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

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

Upcoming ABA Tournaments:

D-94  Apr. 2, 2016               Savannah River   Stokes Bluff

D-25  Apr. 3, 2016               Russell               Hwy 72 Ramp

D-96  Apr. 10, 2016             Murray              Dreher Island State Park

D-26  Apr. 17, 2016             Clarks Hill           Wildwood Park

D-25  Apr. 24, 2016             Clarks Hill           Dorn Facility

D-96 May 1, 2016                Greenwood         Greenwood State Park

D-25  May 14-15, 2016         Hartwell             Green Pond 2-Day

D-96  May 21-22, 2016         Clarks Hill           Dorn Facility 2-Day

D-26  May 29, 2016             Clarks Hill           Wildwood Park

Weekend Bass Series - 2016 Ray Scott Championship – April 6-10, 2016 – Lake Hartwell, Green Pond Landing, Anderson, SC


Logan Johnson And Jeremy Christian Win 2016 Alabama Bass Trail Lake Gunterville

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Guntersville, Ala. March 12, 2016 – The more than 300 angler field of the Alabama Bass Trail Northern Division had looked forward to this day since the schedule was announced; Lake Guntersville, the home of bass fishing history, perhaps the most prestigious and recognized fishery in the country.

Guntersville is known for giant bags of bass and heavy individual fish, and since the appearance of Guntersville on the schedule is smack dab in the middle of the expected prespawn period, expectations were for a high weight event.  Despite the expectations, Mother Nature threw a curveball, and brought a cold front to town after two weeks of warm conditions, thus the fishing cooled slightly as well.

The one thing that you can guarantee, no matter how tough things are, is that somebody is going to figure them out, and somebody will always find a way to excel, no matter the conditions.  The team that performed the best at the second event on the 2016 Alabama Bass Trail schedule was Logan Johnson and Jeremy Christian.

The pair posted a solid Lake Guntersville limit that weighed 26.87 pounds to take their first Alabama Bass Trail win.  “We never would have thought that 26 pounds would be enough to win here at Guntersville,” said the pair.  “But, now that were here, it really is special to win an event like this, this is a strong field, and it means a lot to be standing here as winners.”

The pair reported that they fished in the Brown’s Creek area, and that they threw mostly 1/2-ounce Chatterbaits paired with a Keitech swimbait as a trailer around grass clumps.  Their big fish, a 7.55 pound largemouth was caught by Christian on a special run, 1/2-ounce Guntersville Shad colored Excalibur Xr50 One Knocker lipless crankbait.

“This is the biggest win I’ve ever had, and I’m really excited about it,” said Christian.  “I know this is the most money Logan has won at a single event too, so this is really something we’re bot pretty happy about.”

Craig Grubbs and Matt Ferguson didn’t make things easy on the winners.  The pair reported running to the midlake area to target grass clumps with lipless crankbaits as well.  They reported using Royal Shad colored 1/2-ounce Strike King Red Eye Shad lipless crankbaits near the Waterfront area to produce a 26.45-pound limit to take home second place and $5,000; they had their weight by 9:30.

“We didn’t think 26 pounds would win, but when you catch that much weight early, you think you’ve got a shot,” they said.  “We want to win one of these ABT events so badly, but when you catch a big bag, and somebody beats you, all you can do is tip your cap and tell them congratulations; we had a good day, and are pleased with the results overall.”

The team of Waylon Hancock and Timothy Little finished third with 24.90 pounds and took home $4,000.  The $500 Mountain Dew Big Bass of the tournament was an 8.11-pound largemouth caught by the team of Michael and Cameron Naron. The fish helped them weigh 19.63 pounds to finish in ninth place and brought their total earnings to $1200.

The top 10 in the standings are below – the complete standings can be found at:http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/lg-results/

 

Place Name Weight Big Fish Winnings
1 Logan Johnson/Jeremy Christian 26.87 7.55 $10,000
2 Craig Grubbs/Matt Ferguson 26.45 7.49 $5,000
3 Waylon Hancock/Timothy Little 24.90 6.43 $4,000
4 Damien Willis/Mark Steward 23.42 $3,000
5 Erick Sommers/Tommy Pegues 22.75 5.89 $2,000
6 Jamie Smith/Michael Rains 20.95 $1,000
7 Rex Chambers/Ryan Salzman 20.32 $900
8 Deron Patrick/Cory Freeman 20.05 $800
9 Michael Naron/Cameron Naron 19.63 8.11 $700
10 Linda Sands/Betty Stahl 19.59 7.1 $600

Next on the slate for the Southern Division is Pickwick Lake on April 23, 2016.

The sponsors of the 2016 Alabama Bass Trail include; Bill Penney Toyota, Phoenix Bass Boats, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, SCA Performance, Mt. Dew, Boat US, T-H Marine Supplies, AllState, TVA, Alabama Power, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Lew’s Fishing, Frogg Toggs, Crossed Industries, Alabama Foundation Specialist, Costa, YETI, Leer, E3 Apparel.

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


Legendary Rick Clunn Finishes Strong On St. Johns River, Becomes Oldest B.a.s.s. Winner At 69

PALATKA, Fla.  — On Nov. 5, 1976, Missouri angler Rick Clunn claimed his first B.A.S.S. victory in the Bassmaster Classic on Lake Guntersville.

It was his first giant step toward becoming a true legend in the sport of professional fishing.

On Sunday, he won for the 15th time on the B.A.S.S. circuit — and in many ways, this step might have gone even further toward cementing his legacy.

Clunn, who will turn 70 in July, caught five bass that weighed 19 pounds during Sunday’s championship round and won the Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels easily with a four-day weight of 81-15. The win was bolstered by a monumental catch of 31-7 during Saturday’s semifinal round.

“I was certainly feeling some pressure after having such a big weight yesterday,” said Clunn, who finished 4 pounds ahead of second-place finisher Greg Hackney (77-15). “Through the years, you just learn to hide it better. Having my son (River) here helped a lot.”

After catching 16-11 and 14-13 the first two days, Clunn was in 31st place and seemed a longshot to make Sunday’s Top 12 championship cut. But the incredible catch of 31-7, which ranked as the third-best five-bass limit of his career, gave him the lead going into the final round with 62-15.

Though he had varied results during the four-day event, he said he used the same bait almost the whole time — a homemade bladed jig with a green skirt and a white Luck-E-Strike swimbait for a trailer. He said he calls the bait the “Trickster 2,” and he believed it would work after watching some local anglers fishing with live shiners earlier in the week.

“I actually watched shiner fishermen in Crescent Lake flipping shiners up under a dock, and they were catching fish,” Clunn said. “I saw that, and I tied on a big Luck-E-Strike swimbait. I flipped it up under a dock and caught about a 6-pounder. That got me on the shad-type baits.”

Though much of the field was sight fishing for bedding bass around the fishery’s grass-covered shorelines, Clunn chose a different approach. He used the bladed jig around the same type of cover in Lake George, enticing bites from fish he couldn’t see.

The key to his magical day Saturday was an hour’s worth of wind and rain that he said seemed to make the fish bite better.

He fished his bait on 65-pound braid with a 7-foot-6 Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris CarbonLite rod — and he didn’t hesitate to manhandle big bass when they bit his homemade lure.

“I put a little bit different hook on my bait and a different split ring, so it’s better suited for handling big fish,” Clunn said. “When you’re fishing for big fish, it’s important to use the right equipment. I was swinging 6-pounders in the boat this week.”

For the first half of the tournament, it looked like it was Hackney’s tournament to lose.

The Louisiana pro caught 21-5 on Day 1 and grabbed the lead with a Day 2 catch of 18-1 that pushed his two-day mark to 39-6. He was still leading on Day 3 until Clunn — the last angler to weigh in — brought in his big bag.

“In a lot of ways, I think what Rick Clunn did on Saturday took the pressure off me,” said Hackney, who spent the week fishing for bedding bass with a topwater prop lure, a jig and a drop-shot rig. “If I had gone out today in the lead, I would have been a nervous wreck.

“But I knew all I could do today was catch what I could catch — and I’m thrilled with the week I had.”

Hackney was one of several pros — all of those who fished on Sunday and many who didn’t — who crowded around the weigh-in platform to watch Clunn make history.

The 69-year-old angler became the oldest to win a B.A.S.S. event, surpassing Shorty Evans, who won the Kentucky Invitational on Kentucky Lake in 1978 at age 65. Clunn also became the oldest to win a Bassmaster Elite Series event, moving past Denny Brauer who won on the Arkansas River in 2011 at age 62.

With his first win coming 39 years ago, Clunn also easily set the record for longest gap between his first victory and his most recent.

“I know I got a lot of support online last night from the over-60 crowd, and that sure means a lot,” said Clunn, who has four Bassmaster Classic titles and more than 400 total B.A.S.S. events on his resume. “Thank goodness there are lots of Baby Boomers. I may have the biggest fan base of all.”

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

Marty Robinson 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.

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

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

Dick Cepek Rolling Forward Award of $1,000 will be presented to the angler who makes the largest gain in Toyota Angler of the Year points from tournament to tournament and will be determined after the Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay.

The Big Bass Award of $1,500 was presented to Cliff Prince for weighing in the overall biggest bass of the event — a 10-8 bass.

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

The local host for the event is the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce.

2016 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Toyota, Berkley, GoPro

2016 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rapala, Shell Rotella, Shimano, Academy Sports + Outdoors, A.R.E. Truck Caps, Carhartt

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), 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, B.A.S.S. Nation, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.

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Media Contact: Helen White, 205-313-0944[email protected] or Dave Precht, 205-313-0931[email protected].

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2016 Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels 3/17-3/20
St. Johns River, Palatka  FL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                 20  81-15  110 $101,000.00
Day 1: 5   16-11     Day 2: 5   14-13     Day 3: 5   31-07     Day 4: 5   19-00
2.  Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA            20  77-15  109  $25,500.00
Day 1: 5   21-05     Day 2: 5   18-01     Day 3: 5   17-09     Day 4: 5   21-00
3.  Marty Robinson         Lyman, SC               20  76-05  108  $22,000.00
Day 1: 5   18-09     Day 2: 5   19-12     Day 3: 5   16-07     Day 4: 5   21-09
4.  Drew Benton            Panama City, FL         20  75-06  107  $15,000.00
Day 1: 5   22-15     Day 2: 5   09-14     Day 3: 5   20-11     Day 4: 5   21-14
5.  Brent Chapman          Lake Quivira, KS        20  74-02  106  $14,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   17-15     Day 3: 5   23-09     Day 4: 5   19-05
6.  Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL             20  73-06  105  $15,000.00
Day 1: 5   10-12     Day 2: 5   23-01     Day 3: 5   21-03     Day 4: 5   18-06
7.  Terry Scroggins        San Mateo, FL           20  73-03  104  $13,000.00
Day 1: 5   16-14     Day 2: 5   21-10     Day 3: 5   16-11     Day 4: 5   18-00
8.  Jason Christie         Park Hill, OK           20  67-12  103  $12,500.00
Day 1: 5   16-06     Day 2: 5   14-11     Day 3: 5   23-03     Day 4: 5   13-08
9.  Jordan Lee             Grant, AL               20  67-03  102  $12,000.00
Day 1: 5   20-15     Day 2: 5   17-08     Day 3: 5   12-11     Day 4: 5   16-01
10. Davy Hite              Ninety Six, SC          20  62-11  101  $11,500.00
Day 1: 5   15-02     Day 2: 5   20-13     Day 3: 5   18-14     Day 4: 5   07-14
11. Randall Tharp          Port St. Joe, FL        20  62-01  100  $11,000.00
Day 1: 5   22-10     Day 2: 5   12-08     Day 3: 5   14-10     Day 4: 5   12-05
12. Justin Lucas           Guntersville, AL        17  59-07   99  $10,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-13     Day 2: 5   22-13     Day 3: 5   19-09     Day 4: 2   03-04
BIG BASS OF TOURNAMENT
Cliff Prince             Palatka, FL         10-08      $1,500.00

 


Mud Hole Tackle Pro John Cox Hangs On For Hartwell Win!!

 

John Cox of Debary, Fla., loves fishing ponds. As a kid, he cut his teeth fishing ponds. The first bass club Cox ever joined was a johnboat-only-club that fished on small ponds. The first aluminum boat Cox owned had a blown outboard on it that he could not afford to get fixed. But that didn’t bother him one bit. After all, he just wanted to put the boat in on ponds where he could use the trolling motor to fish around the banks.

Maybe that helps explain why Cox has mostly run aluminum boats on the Walmart FLW Tour. It might also help explain why Cox usually seeks out smaller, limited access backwaters connected to lakes during Tour events.

“These big lakes confuse me,” Cox laughs. “I feel much more comfortable fishing in smaller backwaters off of a main lake or river.”

Today, Cox utilized just such a secluded backwater to come from second place and win the Walmart FLW Tour presented by Evinrude and hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau at Lake Hartwell. His final-day weight of 16 pounds, 2 ounces was enough to nudge past Clark Wendlandt at the finish line by a mere 7 ounces. In four days, Cox accrued 67 pounds, 6 ounces to win the $100,000 payday.

Hoist it high!

This is the second time Cox has accessed an obscure area for a Tour win. His first Tour win was in 2011 at the Red River when he pushed his aluminum boat through a culvert into a backwater area to reach unpressured fish.

This week at Hartwell, Cox saved a small backwater area located far up the Seneca River in the hopes sparking off a final-day rally to win – and his plan worked.

“I’ve fished this place in other FLW Tour tournaments here at Hartwell,” Cox reveals. “It’s a small pond off the main river that is cut off by a sandbar. It’s a cool little pond, but it’s only big enough for a one-day catch. In low water it’s harder to get into because of the sandbar but with water high like it is now, it’s not a problem to access.”

Cox fished the pond in other Tour events during the qualifying days and it earned him a check. This year he decided to reverse his strategy and save the pond for the final day, if he made it that far.

“I went and checked it practice this year and had three good bites,” he says. “I decided right then to just save it as back up because there were plenty of bedding fish down the lake to catch for the first couple of days.”

During the first three days, Cox relied on his savvy sight-fishing skills to climb atop the leaderboard. On day two, he caught a 20-pound, 5-ounce bag that put him in the lead. That hefty limit was anchored by two brutes – one weighing 6-11 – that came from skipping a wacky rig around docks.

He fell to second behind Wendlandt on day three and sat just 1-pound, 5-ounces off the lead.

With deteriorating weather conditions for sight-fishing on day four, Cox felt the time was right to make the run up the river and get into a place he felt the most comfortable – a pond.

 

Cox knew he had made the right decision when his first fish of the day was 5-pounder that struck his bait twice. The first time, he had the fish on, but the hook flexed enough for the fish to wiggle free. He returned to the fish a bit later and caught her on the first cast. At that point he knew he had a chance to stage a comeback and retake the lead.

For the rest of the day Cox circled the pond just like he used to do back in his johnboat-only days. His primary weapon in the pond was a 3/8-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait (black and blue) with a Strike King Menace Grub trailer. In all, the pond produced about 8 keepers, including the 5-pounder, three 3-pounders and a 2 pounder – just enough to overtake Wendlandt.

During the first three days, Cox used wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senkos and Zoom Trick Worms (watermelon and green pumpkin) in the mid portion of the lake to skip docks and sight fish. The wacky rigs were fished on 10-pound test braid tied to 10-pound test leader and skipped with a SJ842-MHX spinning rod.

“That rod is a 7-foot, medium action and is perfect for skipping wacky rigs,” Cox says. “It has plenty of tip to skip and enough power to pull fish away from cover. It’s the rod I used to catch most of my weight the first three days.”

With his win, Cox now also leads the FLW Tour Angler of the Year race with 389 points.

John Cox has a lot to smile about.

 

 

Top 10 pros

1. John Cox – DeBary, Fla. – 67-6 (20) – $100,000

2. Clark Wendlandt – Leander, Texas – 66-15 (20) – $30,000

3. Jamie Horton – Centerville, Ala. – 62-9 (20) – $25,200

4. Jeff Gustafson – Keewatin, Ontario – 59-14 (20) – $20,500

5. Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C. – 59-8 (20) – $19,100

6. Darrel Robertson – Jay, Okla. – 59-3 (20) – $18,000

7. Larry Nixon – Bee Branch, Ark. – 57-14 (20) – $17,000

8. Cory Johnston – Cavan, Ontario – 56-5 (20) – $16,000

9. Peter Thliveros – Saint Augustine, Fla. – 55-0 (20) – $15,000

10. Powell Kemp – Scotland Neck, N.C. – 54-10 (20) – $14,000

Full results

Top 10 baits


Duncan And Woody Win Biggest Cbc Ever On Norman With 19.57 Lbs-Take Home $14,000 Cash-Full Results And Pics Here!

In what turned out to be a fantastic day for fishing on Lake Norman, records fell at the second 2016 NC Qualifyer with an unbelievable 229 boats blasting off for the $56,800 that was on the line in a RECORD PAYOUT. Dale Duncan and Donnie Woody stood alone in the winnners circle with 5 fish that weighed an impressive 19.57 Lbs, including a BF of 4.4 Lbs. Most anglers thought, including our own Rob Digh, that 16-17 Lbs would take win. But Sat turned out different with a cold front moving through during the day and turning the bite on big time. There were 21 bags over 14 Lbs, and when you have a BF that 6.09 on Norman, its been a good day. The Champs also were the highest placing Skeeter team and earned that additional $4000 to give them a grand total of $14,000 for their efforts. Here are some pics and full results below that. Congrats to the anglers, the CBC for their record turnout, and the cooks who fed 458 folks during the weigh-in!!

CBC Norman Champs Dale Duncan and Donnie Woody

CBC Norman Champs Dale Duncan and Donnie Woody

 

Maurice Freeze and partner hold up their stringerMaurice Freeze and partner hold up their stringer

 

CBC Norman BF held by John Allen-6.09 LBS!!

CBC Norman BF held by John Allen-6.09 LBS!!

 

Another Solid Sack at Norman Sat!Another Solid Sack at Norman Sat!

 

Great team effort here-impressive haul!!Great team effort here-impressive haul!!

 

Place Team Name Team # Fish       Weighed Net             Weight Big Fish Points Winnings Skeeter BONUS Total Winnings
1 Dale Duncan - Donnie Woody 79 5 19.570 4.440 310 $10,000 $4,000 $14,000
2 Adam Waters - Dylan Fulk 229 5 19.110 5.920 309 $5,000 $5,000
3 Craig Chambers - Keith Ogden 196 5 18.940 5.480 308 $3,500 $3,500
4 Jacob Moore - Thomas Moore 146 5 18.270 5.130 307 $2,500 $2,500
5 William Harris - Stanton Harris 101 5 17.010 0.000 306 $2,000 $2,000
6 Stephen Griggs - Rodney Sorrell 206 5 16.720 5.110 305 $1,800 $1,800
7 Grayson Barber - Rick Reid 28 5 16.700 5.270 304 $1,700 $1,700
8 Patrick Tierney - Moe Freeze 45 5 15.910 4.030 303 $1,500 $1,500
8 Israel Gibson - Grant McPeters 83 5 15.910 0.000 303 $1,500 $1,500
8 Larry LeHew - Greg Deal 186 5 15.910 4.610 303 $1,500 $1,500
11 Donald Poteat - JOHN ALLEN 135 5 15.890 6.090 300 $1,300 $3,000 Skeeter + $1,000 BF $5,300
12 Kevin Chandler - Bradley Chandler 88 5 15.870 5.740 299 $1,200 $1,200
13 Alfred Keisling, Sr - Robert Stilner 183 5 15.850 0.000 298 $1,100 $1,100
14 Tommy Williams - Thomas Hardwick 166 5 15.770 0.000 297 $1,000 $2,000 $3,000
15 Joshua Queen - Mike Queen 58 5 15.620 5.740 296 $900 $900
16 kenneth shumate - deloris shumate 100 5 15.060 5.120 295 $800 $800
17 Chris Graham - Ricky Byrd 19 5 15.010 0.000 294 $700 $700
18 Mike Seawright - John parker 4 5 14.800 0.000 293 $600 $600
19 Mike Clark - Chris Anderson 47 5 14.720 5.070 292 $550 $550
20 GEORGE HIRAPETIAN - ARAM HIRAPETIAN 204 5 14.570 5.170 291 $525 $1,000 $1,525
21 cole blythe - John Auten 5 5 14.260 0.000 290 $500 $500
22 Matt Queen - Anthony Johnson 155 5 13.990 0.000 289 $470 $470
23 Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughtie 197 5 13.940 0.000 288 $450 $450
24 Nathan Royal - David Brookshire 50 5 13.840 5.090 287 $422.50 $423
24 Wayne Ingram - Chris Brown 119 5 13.840 0.000 287 $422.50 $423
26 Roger Hoover - Scott Hamrick 211 5 13.830 0.000 285 $400 $400
27 Jason Wilson - Kelly Logan 158 5 13.790 0.000 284 $380 $380
28 Brian Tidwell - Michael Tidwell 51 5 13.780 0.000 283 $360 $360
29 Jeremi Beatty - Clint Benbow 121 5 13.750 0.000 282 $340 $340
30 Butch Zadlo - Bryan Lewis 39 5 13.730 5.890 281 $315 $315
30 Adam Greer - Shae jones 98 5 13.730 0.000 281 $315 $315
32 Robert Bauguess - Rodney Morrow 85 5 13.710 0.000 279 $300 $300
33 Darrell Fisher - William Gregory 118 5 13.620 0.000 278 $280 $280
34 Derek Cummings - Victor Lynch 11 5 13.590 0.000 277 $260 $260
35 Greg Osborne - Wyatt Blevins 126 5 13.320 0.000 276 $250 $250
36 Adam Ridings - Michael Ridings 70 5 13.270 0.000 275 $240 $240
37 Sonny Beam - Eric Weir 103 5 13.250 0.000 274 $220 $220
38 Rob Digh - Chuck Camps 60 5 13.210 0.000 273 $200 $200
39 Kevin Toler - Rodney Lambert 2 5 13.080 0.000 272
40 Adam Fillmore - Chris Carnes 14 5 13.060 0.000 271
41 Brock Taylor - Brent Long 9 5 12.960 0.000 270
42 Brett McLean - Mac McLean 115 5 12.890 0.000 269
43 James Carriker - Brad Smith 64 5 12.610 0.000 268
44 Ronald Farrow - Roger Farrow 16 5 12.580 3.850 267
45 Mike Stephens - cody young 117 5 12.550 0.000 266
46 Scott Henley - Neil McDonald 36 5 12.540 0.000 265
47 Travis Young - Neil Sheehan 3 5 12.520 0.000 264
48 Marvin Godard - Robert Adams 219 5 12.490 0.000 263
49 David Wright - Jeff Coble 91 5 12.480 0.000 262
50 Bryan Welch - Mark Inman 95 5 12.360 0.000 261
51 Chris Wagner - Chase Deal 52 5 12.330 0.000 260
52 Steve Dyer - Derek Lilley 12 5 12.320 0.000 259
53 Jeff Johnson - Casey Howard 10 5 12.300 0.000 258
54 Vince Parker - Mark Parker 173 5 12.130 0.000 257
55 David Fortenberry - Jessie Towery 205 5 12.100 0.000 256
56 Jonathan strickland - Dustin Compton 54 5 12.080 5.450 255
57 Scott Sellers - Randy Childers 108 5 12.070 0.000 254
58 Brian Morgan - Josea Goble 63 5 12.060 0.000 253
59 Louie Hull - Chuck Montgomery 23 5 11.910 0.000 252
60 Jerry Craig - Bobby Latuch 163 5 11.820 0.000 251
61 Tyler Beam - Eric Self 43 5 11.760 0.000 250
61 Brandon Williams - Christian Shoda 190 5 11.760 0.000 250
63 Michael Huffman - Greg Sims 25 5 11.720 0.000 248
64 Darren Sigmon - Brian Huffman 170 5 11.710 0.000 247
65 Eddie Smith - Michael Carson 75 5 11.680 0.000 246
66 Fred Kauffman - Sam Gladden 86 5 11.670 0.000 245
67 Johnny Guffey - Wesley Bell 125 5 11.620 0.000 244
68 Danny Mason - Lionel Mason 169 5 11.610 0.000 243
69 Robert Walser - Mack Lowe 109 5 11.580 0.000 242
69 Don Sprinkle - Wayne Skipworth 191 5 11.580 0.000 242
71 Michael Smith - Roger Pope 122 5 11.500 0.000 240
72 Brent White - Cody Andrews 44 5 11.490 0.000 239
73 Steve Sink - Tony Foster 152 5 11.440 0.000 238
74 Mason Boyd - Rick Falls 177 5 11.430 0.000 237
74 Buddy Black - Russell Kiser 181 5 11.430 0.000 237
76 Nathan Webber - Hunter Harwell 157 5 11.410 0.000 235
77 William Blanton - David Blanton 129 5 11.340 4.220 234
77 Derick Livingston - Jonathan Spivey 161 5 11.340 0.000 234
79 greg berst - Ryan Bentley 228 5 11.330 0.000 232
80 Reggie Guffey - Tommy Chapman 165 5 11.310 0.000 231
81 Dusty Taylor - Keaton Hawks 8 5 11.240 0.000 230
81 Dwight Dellinger - Doug Dellinger 120 5 11.240 0.000 230
83 Tyler Hoopaugh - Chris Hoopaugh 77 5 11.190 0.000 228
84 Dan Funderburk - Rod Cozart 156 5 11.160 0.000 227
85 Bill Grier - Robby Byrum 6 5 11.080 4.330 226
86 Chris Dover - Robert Fowler 72 5 11.060 0.000 225
87 Allen Eaker - Jason Eaker 80 5 11.010 0.000 224
88 Barry Bost - Will Petty 127 5 11.000 0.000 223
88 Nathan White - Glen Eaves 202 5 11.000 0.000 223
90 Jimmy Cummings - Dean Collins 133 5 10.990 0.000 221
91 Alton Rockett - Randy Huffman 26 5 10.980 0.000 220
91 Dan English - David Gibson 212 5 10.980 0.000 220
93 Jason Quinn - Tony Colacurcio 89 5 10.970 0.000 218
93 Thomas Richmond - max price 104 5 10.970 0.000 218
95 Donnie Ott - Chris Vallance 224 5 10.940 0.000 216
96 Kenny Seagle - rodney adams 35 5 10.930 0.000 215
96 Marcus Leech - Tim Chapman 78 5 10.930 0.000 215
98 Mitch Burgin - Larry Houser 147 5 10.920 0.000 213
98 Charles Sipe - Kelly Johnson 174 5 10.920 0.000 213
100 Greg Bragg - Christopher Terry 84 5 10.910 0.000 211
101 Rodney Bell - Tommy Jones 128 5 10.750 0.000 210
102 Keith Speece - Wendell Ireland 132 5 10.710 0.000 209
103 Todd Walters - Jason Threadgill 48 5 10.700 0.000 208
104 Mark Swink - austin petty 22 5 10.670 0.000 207
105 Wayne Hauser - Sheldon Hipps 131 5 10.660 0.000 206
106 Mike Ray - Orlando Giles 215 5 10.580 0.000 205
107 Dennis Cable - Tim Harrison 31 5 10.540 0.000 204
108 Tom McCombs - curtis lail 71 5 10.500 0.000 203
109 Thomas Gavin - Mike Sprouse 194 5 10.440 0.000 202
109 Todd Garner - Shane Hartman 223 5 10.440 0.000 202
111 Thomas Vickers - Brian Huskins 216 5 10.430 0.000 200
112 Robert Mixon - Robert Lambert 107 5 10.410 0.000 199
113 Robin Collins - Ronnie White 97 5 10.390 0.000 198
114 Greg Whittington - Danny Hucks 139 5 10.340 0.000 197
115 Corey Shaylor - Brandon Kersnowski 67 5 10.290 3.830 196
116 Randall Wallace - Andrew Wallace 134 5 10.280 0.000 195
117 Graham Rushing - Artie Phillips 94 5 10.270 0.000 194
118 Derek Tolley - Terry Trivet 142 5 10.240 0.000 193
119 Anthony Monaco - Justin McBrayer 110 5 10.180 0.000 192
120 Mike Steele - Joshua Sanders 168 5 10.150 0.000 191
121 Eric Moser - Travis O'Quinn 193 5 10.090 0.000 190
122 Jason Dew - Thomas Elliott 214 5 10.040 0.000 189
123 bobby snyder - Bernie Davis 18 5 9.970 0.000 188
123 Allen Snyder - Darren Gay 116 5 9.970 0.000 188
125 todd sosebee - steve postell 7 5 9.940 0.000 186
125 Tony Nelson 99 5 9.940 0.000 186
127 Drew Stankwytch - Brandon Childress 187 5 9.870 0.000 184
128 Chris Martin - Mike Greene 159 5 9.860 0.000 183
129 Michael Cribb - Roger Cribb 65 5 9.770 0.000 182
130 Doug Punch - Rocky Franklin 153 5 9.640 0.000 181
131 Shawn Crosby - robert brooks 73 5 9.610 0.000 180
132 Perry Wycuff - Josh Wycuff 180 5 9.550 0.000 179
133 Eric Jeter - Darren Jeter 140 5 9.520 0.000 178
134 Tanner Stirewalt - Logan Phillips 213 5 9.520 0.000 177
135 Brian Travis - Ashley Brotherton 17 5 9.510 0.000 176
136 Tim Hollar - Bob Killian 42 5 9.490 0.000 175
137 John Johnikin - Leonard Johnikin 130 5 9.480 0.000 174
138 Tony Davis - Tim Bowman 162 5 9.370 0.000 173
139 Kyle Whisnant - James Ball 113 5 9.340 0.000 172
140 Mitchell Cook - Todd Huffman 81 5 9.320 0.000 171
141 Jason Gilfillan - Brian Whitworth 32 5 9.310 0.000 170
142 Klaus Hadschin - Jerry Hadschin 66 5 9.300 0.000 169
143 Phillip Hedrick - Jack Vanderford 220 5 9.280 0.000 168
144 Russell Hoyle - Jerry Pruitt 69 5 9.200 0.000 167
144 Jason Lowman - Cody Lail 171 5 9.200 0.000 167
146 Robin Parker - brandon gibson 106 5 9.180 0.000 165
147 Dale Surrett - Lee Endicott 15 5 9.070 0.000 164
148 Mark Lamb - Robert Griswold 112 5 9.040 0.000 163
149 Chris Richey - George Bost 226 5 8.970 0.000 162
150 Justin Reid - Derrick Compton 218 5 8.960 0.000 161
151 Shaun Hall - Kenneth Hall 90 5 8.940 0.000 160
152 william patterson - Chris Tinsley 217 5 8.930 0.000 159
153 Thomas Ludwick - Thomas File 198 5 8.910 0.000 158
154 James Wall - Jimmy Wall 176 5 8.880 0.000 157
155 Reginald Pickett - Larry Kirk 29 5 8.780 0.000 156
156 Allen Robbins - Jerry Robbins 96 5 8.770 0.000 155
157 Brandon Sykes - Jeff McQuaige 172 5 8.750 0.000 154
158 Phil Hennessee - Jon Digh 144 5 8.660 0.000 153
159 Dale Luckey - John Brown 150 5 8.650 0.000 152
159 Larry Horton - Ricky Shrewsbury 227 5 8.650 0.000 152
161 Thomas Johnson - Darrell Parks 225 5 8.610 0.000 150
162 Tracy Brown - Dennis Kennedy 49 5 8.600 0.000 149
163 Nolan Eller - Josh Huffman 41 5 8.530 0.000 148
163 Bryce Danielson - Tyler Austin 111 5 8.530 0.000 148
163 Matt Markland - Tracy Markland 167 4 8.530 0.000 148
166 Scott Plattenberger - Bryan plattenberger 138 5 8.520 0.000 145
167 Brandon Graham - alex palomba 209 5 8.460 0.000 144
168 Andy Brode - Scott Wyatt 93 5 8.380 0.000 143
169 Denny Parunak - Tony Blevins 124 5 8.330 0.000 142
170 Dempsey Carter - Ted Mobley 178 5 8.280 0.000 141
171 Richard Greene - Jimmy Holland 203 5 8.270 0.000 140
172 Chris Ellis - Mathew Frazier 61 5 8.230 0.000 139
173 Gary Rose - Jerry Collins 59 5 8.140 0.000 138
173 Paul Guthrie - Robert Church 185 5 8.140 0.000 138
175 Chris Boehme - Alan Rae 141 5 8.130 0.000 136
176 Mikey Bowlby 160 5 8.100 0.000 135
177 Billy Scoggins - Eddie Parker 13 5 8.050 0.000 134
178 Terry Herman - thomas wike 179 5 8.000 0.000 133
179 Brian King 1 4 7.950 4.080 132
180 Trip Emerson - Kevin Hyler 189 5 7.900 0.000 131
181 Duke Denison 37 4 7.790 0.000 130
182 Daniel Ruppe - Jacob Reome 87 5 7.690 0.000 129
183 Jim Bramhall - Jim Stevens 221 5 7.670 0.000 128
184 scott mcginnis - kyle inman 30 5 7.450 0.000 127
185 Cody Norman - Michael Norman 82 5 7.390 0.000 126
186 Gene Sparks - Shannon Stowe 164 4 7.120 0.000 125
187 Ted Newman - John Noonkester 175 5 6.920 0.000 124
188 Dwight Martinez - Randall Soles 40 3 4.120 0.000 123
189 byron brush - Byron Brush Sr. 20 0 0.000 0.000 122
190 Ricky Self - Ben Stanton 21 0 0.000 0.000 121
191 Randy Weddington - Ronnie Smith 24 0 0.000 0.000 120
192 Travis Ruff - Kelly Ruff 27 0 0.000 0.000 119
193 Michael Webster - Guy Eaker 33 0 0.000 0.000 118
194 James Martin - Cliff Kirby 34 0 0.000 0.000 117
195 Nick Miller - Brandon Brickweg 38 0 0.000 0.000 116
196 Tim Gaines - Mike Bryant 46 0 0.000 0.000 115
197 anthony lutz - anthony Lutz 53 0 0.000 0.000 114
198 Scott Griffin - Jerry Goble 55 0 0.000 0.000 113
199 Steven Austin - Roger Wood 56 0 0.000 0.000 112
200 Keith Berry - Jarrad Poarch 57 0 0.000 0.000 111
201 Remington Austin - Larry Austin 62 0 0.000 0.000 110
202 Brent Berry - Steve Shaw 68 0 0.000 0.000 109
203 Bron Hemphill - Nathan Dellinger 74 0 0.000 0.000 108
204 Mike Scott - Chris Johnson 76 0 0.000 0.000 107
205 Jimmy Propst - Caleb Propst 92 0 0.000 0.000 106
206 Milton Yancey - Larry Yancey 102 0 0.000 0.000 105
207 Larry Denton - Chris Guest 105 0 0.000 0.000 104
208 Ronald Jennings 114 0 0.000 0.000 103
209 Phillip Frady - Dirk Porter 123 0 0.000 0.000 102
210 James Clements - Rick Carson 136 0 0.000 0.000 101
211 Randy Christy - Chris Corriher 137 0 0.000 0.000 100
212 Roger Adams - Josh Adams 143 0 0.000 0.000 99
213 Jordan Wright - Chris Casey 145 0 0.000 0.000 98
214 Brandon Chandler - Austin Chandler 148 0 0.000 0.000 97
215 David Clanton - Brent Sanders 149 0 0.000 0.000 96
216 Craig Rozema - Ricky Parrish 151 0 0.000 0.000 95
217 Phil Brown - joe floyd 154 0 0.000 0.000 94
218 Chuck Morton - Michael Riggs 182 0 0.000 0.000 93
219 Travus Lovell - James Roten 184 0 0.000 0.000 92
220 John Robeson - Jimmy Tatum 188 0 0.000 0.000 91
221 Todd Sumner - Robert Parrish 192 0 0.000 0.000 90
222 Doug Easton - Pete Bejte 195 0 0.000 0.000 89
223 Carl Williams - Eddie Williams 199 0 0.000 0.000 88
224 David Winters - Russell Winters 200 0 0.000 0.000 87
225 Aric Dwyer - Robert Anderson 201 0 0.000 0.000 86
226 Bryce Danielson - Tyler Austin 207 0 0.000 0.000 85
227 Tim Hawley - Joe Hamilton 208 0 0.000 0.000 84
228 Bob Bolick - Rick Hedrick 210 0 0.000 0.000 83
229 Steve Addington - Matt Stout 222 0 0.000 0.000 82

 


Cox Takes Over On Hartwell, Leads Top 20 Out On Day 3

The Walmart FLW Tour sightfest continued on day two at Lake Hartwell which is presented by Evinrude and hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau. Once again, brilliant blue skies with a few clouds and no wind graced the field and to hear the anglers tell it, there are still plenty of fish moving up – by the hour.

Several leaders said they found new fish today and others have even commented they have watched fish swim up and lock down right in front of their eyes.

Though the weatherman continues to threaten with rain over the weekend, pros are in a state of bed-fishing bliss, with leaders claiming they plan to sight-fish right on into the weekend.

With sight fishing in full effect, it’s no wonder that the lead spot has been overtaken by John “Eagle Eye” Cox, an angler known for his sight-fishing savvy on the FLW Tour. Today Cox weighed in 20 pounds, 5 ounces for a two-day total of 37 pounds, 1 ounce.

While Cox did sight fish quite a bit today, he did admit that his two biggest fish came from, “just fishing” while looking for beds. One of those big ones registered 6-pounds, 11 ounces on the scales.

“I pulled up to fish for a 3-pounder on bed, looked over at the nearest dock, and thought, ‘that dock looks pretty good;’ I cast over there and caught that big one off the dock. I guarantee you, it was the female spawning with the 3-pounder on the bed.”

Cox reported catching 10 keepers on the day and he weighed in all largemouths. Of the ones he weighed in, the three smallest ones were sight-fish and the two biggest came while “just fishing.”

The 6-11 was his second fish of the day, which provided him the luxury of saving many of the ones he found today for tomorrow.

“I found a bunch of news ones today that wouldn’t really help me,” Cox says. “I probably have 10 fish located for tomorrow. And even if the weather turns nasty, I’m still going to fish for them. I know exactly where they are and I’m not so sure I couldn’t just fish around in those areas and catch more on some other lures.”

 

Top 10 pros

1. John Cox – DeBary, Fla. – 37-1 (10)

2. Darrel Robertson – Jay, Okla. – 34-13 (10)

3. Larry Nixon – Bee Branch, Ark. – 33-13 (10)

4. Capt. Blake Smith – Lakeland, Fla. – 33-6 (10)

5. Clark Wendlandt – Leander, Texas – 33-0 (10)

6. Peter Thliveros – Saint Augustine, Fla. – 32-2 (10)

7. Anthony Gagliardi – Prosperity, S.C. – 31-10 (10)

8. Jamie Horton – Centerville, Ala. – 31-4 (10)

9. Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C. – 31-2 (10)

10. Scott Martin – Clewiston, Fla. – 30-13 (10)

Full results

Kavros earns co-angler crown

Top 5 patterns from day 2 


Hackney Leads As The Board Shuffled And Many Fell Behind.

As is often the case in sight fishing derbies, the second round of the Bassmaster Elite Series event on Florida’s St Johns River was a much tougher day at the office for most of the 110 competing pros.

The biggest factor? The low-hanging fruit got picked on Day1.

Randall Tharp shed some light on the subject. “Yesterday I was in an area where there were thousands of fish. It seemed like every white spot had a fish on it.  Today I went to the same area and didn’t see a fish.” Tharp rallied late to cull up to his weight of 12-8 today, which gave him a total of 35-2 and put him safely in the cut at 14th place.

“They went through ‘em like a vacuum cleaner yesterday,”  said Jacob Powroznik of the eel grass laden spawning flats that ring Lake George. He did not rebound well enough to make the cut.

As fortunes changed Day 1 leader Brandon Lester fell to 6th with a 14-2 limit but with a total weight of 37-15 he is only a pound and 7 ounces off the lead.

How do you succeed in Florida tournaments? Drew Benton of Panama City put it into perspective: “I went looking for a big one and never found it. Tomorrow I’ll go see if I can find another one.” Without those big ‘uns you end up with 9-14 as Drew did today instead of the 22-15 he weighed yesterday.

Benton fell from 2nd to 24th but with 32-13 he is just a big bite away from taking the lead when action resumes Saturday morning.

Speaking of the lead, it now belongs to Greg Hackney with 39-6 (18-1 today).

Terry Scroggins holds down 2nd place with 38-8 (21-10 today).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jordan Lee (below) is 3rd with 38-7 (17-8 today). Marty Robinson put 19-12 on the scale and ran his total to 38-5 – good for 4th.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brent Ehrler is in the 5th  position with 38-3 following an 18-pound, 11-ounce performance today.

Hometown angler Scroggins is known for his hospitality when Palatka hosts Elite Series tourneys. He’ll cook for his buddies off the water. On the water, however, he’ll take their money. ‘Big Show’ weighed 21-10 today (38-8 total) to place 2nd for the time being. “I’ve been running south each day to catch a limit and then running north. There’s a small window when I can see ‘em (on the heavily tide-influenced north end) and its getting shorter every day.”

After Hackney took the lead from Scroggins he was quick and quite as he exited the stage. Those guys that won’t talk usually have something special going on. We’ll keep an eye on the Hack Attack this weekend.

Many anglers suffered slow starts. Even some of the successful guys went fishless until 10 or 11 o’clock. A lot of guys caught - and in some cases missed - the biggest bass of the day in the closing hour.

Edwin Evers says he missed a couple of opportunities to get quality fish in the boat but he managed to get another giant in the boat today to go along with one from yesterday. The fat girl boosted his total weight to 33-7 (13-2 today) and put him in the 19th spot. The reigning Classic Champ will be looking gun down several competitors and make Sunday’s Top 12 round.

There was definitely a strong late bite and the guys who capitalized on it now sit atop the standings.

Lee caught a 4-pounder and a 6-plus-pounder in the last hour and took a temporary lead before settling into 3rd.

Chris Zaldain climbed into the cut (42nd place) on the strength of a late-breaking pattern. He laments what could have been. “If I would’ve had 20 more minutes,” pleaded Zaldain who said he was throwing a Vision 110 jerkbait in the fastest current he could find. And hooking up with big bass.

By contrast, Justin Lucas caught a big bag today. He filled his limit early and never looked back. The 22-13 effort gave him a total weight of 36-10 and put him in 9th place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best showing of the day came as local favorite Cliff Prince rallied the crowd to their feet. He found a bona fide giant weighing 10 pounds, 8 ounces to anchor a 23-pound, 1-ounce sack. “It finally came together. I should’ve had a giant bag but I messed up a couple of them up.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prince said that in past Elite Series tourneys on his home water he has lost a few monsters. Today he brought one back to Palatka. It was a great rebound from his start of only 10-12 yesterday. With a total weight of 33-13 Prince will launch in 18th place tomorrow.

SOME RANDOM NOTES:

Topwaters are producing big bites.

Later flights caught ‘em better.

Clunn is looking for postspawn fish. Not sure he’ll be a threat to win, but he does have the momentum coming to him as the sight bite slows and big females leave beds. Clunn begins tomorrow in 31st place, 7 pounds, 14 ounces off the lead.

Shaw Grigsby did 19-2 today to make the cut. On a day when the bed bite got tougher he made a comeback. Does this spell trouble for the rest of the field? He’s tied with fellow Florida veteran Bernie Schultz at 31-11 for 28th place. Look out the Sunshine State veterans!

Ken Iyobe is an underrated sight fisherman. He has his own TV show in Japan. He proved he can find them in Florida. Made the cut.

 

 

2016 Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels 3/17-3/20
St. Johns River, Palatka  FL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA            10  39-06  110
Day 1: 5   21-05     Day 2: 5   18-01
2.  Terry Scroggins        San Mateo, FL           10  38-08  109
Day 1: 5   16-14     Day 2: 5   21-10
3.  Jordan Lee             Grant, AL               10  38-07  108
Day 1: 5   20-15     Day 2: 5   17-08
4.  Marty Robinson         Lyman, SC               10  38-05  107
Day 1: 5   18-09     Day 2: 5   19-12
5.  Brent Ehrler           Newport Beach, CA       10  38-03  106
Day 1: 5   19-08     Day 2: 5   18-11
6.  Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        10  37-15  105
Day 1: 5   23-13     Day 2: 5   14-02
7.  Bradley Roy            Lancaster, KY           10  37-02  104
Day 1: 5   18-05     Day 2: 5   18-13
8.  Billy McCaghren Jr     Mayflower, AR           10  37-01  103
Day 1: 5   20-01     Day 2: 5   17-00
9.  Justin Lucas           Guntersville, AL        10  36-10  102
Day 1: 5   13-13     Day 2: 5   22-13
10. Michael Iaconelli      Pitts Grove, NJ         10  36-05  101
Day 1: 5   19-00     Day 2: 5   17-05
11. Davy Hite              Ninety Six, SC          10  35-15  100
Day 1: 5   15-02     Day 2: 5   20-13
12. Ken Iyobe              Tokoname  Aichi JAPAN   10  35-14   99
Day 1: 5   17-08     Day 2: 5   18-06
13. Skeet Reese            Auburn, CA              10  35-05   98
Day 1: 5   18-11     Day 2: 5   16-10
14. Randall Tharp          Port St. Joe, FL        10  35-02   97
Day 1: 5   22-10     Day 2: 5   12-08
15. Gerald Swindle         Warrior, AL             10  34-08   96
Day 1: 5   15-07     Day 2: 5   19-01
16. Chad Pipkens           Lansing, MI             10  34-05   95
Day 1: 5   18-04     Day 2: 5   16-01
17. Britt Myers            Lake Wylie, SC          10  33-15   94
Day 1: 5   18-14     Day 2: 5   15-01
18. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL             10  33-13   93
Day 1: 5   10-12     Day 2: 5   23-01
19. Edwin Evers            Talala, OK              10  33-07   92
Day 1: 5   20-05     Day 2: 5   13-02
20. Jason Williamson       Wagener, SC             10  33-04   91
Day 1: 5   21-10     Day 2: 5   11-10
21. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ              10  33-03   90
Day 1: 5   16-09     Day 2: 5   16-10
22. Jared Lintner          Arroyo Grande, CA       10  33-01   89
Day 1: 5   17-02     Day 2: 5   15-15
23. Mike McClelland        Bella Vista, AR         10  32-15   88
Day 1: 5   19-15     Day 2: 5   13-00
24. Drew Benton            Panama City, FL         10  32-13   87
Day 1: 5   22-15     Day 2: 5   09-14
25. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          10  32-05   86
Day 1: 5   18-03     Day 2: 5   14-02
26. Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, MO        10  32-01   85
Day 1: 5   13-00     Day 2: 5   19-01
27. Hank Cherry Jr         Maiden, NC              10  32-00   84
Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   17-09
28. Shaw Grigsby Jr.       Gainesville, FL         10  31-11   83
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   19-02
29. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL         10  31-11   82
Day 1: 5   12-12     Day 2: 5   18-15
30. Luke Clausen           Otis Orchards, WA       10  31-08   81
Day 1: 5   19-13     Day 2: 5   11-11
31. Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                 10  31-08   80
Day 1: 5   16-11     Day 2: 5   14-13
32. Cliff Pace             Petal, MS               10  31-07   79
Day 1: 5   21-10     Day 2: 5   09-13
33. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA               10  31-07   78
Day 1: 5   19-08     Day 2: 5   11-15
34. Brent Chapman          Lake Quivira, KS        10  31-04   77
Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   17-15
35. Ish Monroe             Hughson, CA             10  31-03   76
Day 1: 5   17-10     Day 2: 5   13-09
36. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, ID            10  31-03   75
Day 1: 5   15-01     Day 2: 5   16-02
37. Jason Christie         Park Hill, OK           10  31-01   74
Day 1: 5   16-06     Day 2: 5   14-11
38. Takahiro Omori         Emory, TX               10  30-14   73
Day 1: 5   15-08     Day 2: 5   15-06
39. Seth Feider            Bloomington, MN         10  30-11   72
Day 1: 5   17-05     Day 2: 5   13-06
40. Todd Faircloth         Jasper, TX              10  30-06   71
Day 1: 5   15-04     Day 2: 5   15-02
41. Alton Jones            Lorena, TX              10  30-00   70
Day 1: 5   19-02     Day 2: 5   10-14
42. Chris Zaldain          Laughlin, NV            10  29-14   69
Day 1: 5   13-03     Day 2: 5   16-11
43. Andy Montgomery        Blacksburg, SC          10  29-12   68
Day 1: 5   14-13     Day 2: 5   14-15
44. Kevin VanDam           Kalamazoo, MI           10  29-10   67
Day 1: 5   20-09     Day 2: 5   09-01
45. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY             10  29-04   66
Day 1: 5   21-06     Day 2: 5   07-14
46. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX          10  29-02   65
Day 1: 5   19-14     Day 2: 5   09-04
47. Greg Vinson            Wetumpka, AL            10  29-02   64
Day 1: 5   17-03     Day 2: 5   11-15
48. Dean Rojas             Lake Havasu City, AZ    10  29-01   63
Day 1: 5   21-00     Day 2: 5   08-01
49. Cliff Crochet          Pierre Part, LA          8  29-00   62
Day 1: 5   22-14     Day 2: 3   06-02
50. Randy Howell           Guntersville, AL        10  28-12   61
Day 1: 5   20-01     Day 2: 5   08-11
51. Stephen Browning       Hot Springs, AR         10  28-12   60
Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 5   14-13
52. Aaron Martens          Leeds, AL               10  28-06   59
Day 1: 5   14-06     Day 2: 5   14-00
53. Brett Hite             Phoenix, AZ             10  28-05   58
Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   12-05
54. Koby Kreiger           Bokeelia, FL            10  28-05   57
Day 1: 5   15-13     Day 2: 5   12-08
55. Jay Brainard           Enid, OK                10  28-00   56
Day 1: 5   18-00     Day 2: 5   10-00
56. Dennis Tietje          Roanoke, LA             10  28-00   55
Day 1: 5   14-15     Day 2: 5   13-01
57. Micah Frazier          Newnan, GA              10  27-03   54
Day 1: 5   15-11     Day 2: 5   11-08
58. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN           10  26-15   53
Day 1: 5   14-06     Day 2: 5   12-09
59. Scott Rook             Little Rock, AR         10  26-10   52
Day 1: 5   11-04     Day 2: 5   15-06
60. Josh Bertrand          Gilbert, AZ             10  26-07   51
Day 1: 5   19-07     Day 2: 5   07-00
61. Randy Allen            Shreveport, LA           9  26-07   50
Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 4   07-15
62. Boyd Duckett           Guntersville, AL        10  26-03   49
Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 5   12-04
63. Fletcher Shryock       New Philadelphia, OH     9  26-01   48
Day 1: 5   16-04     Day 2: 4   09-13
64. Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL           10  25-11   47
Day 1: 5   11-15     Day 2: 5   13-12
65. Ott DeFoe              Knoxville, TN           10  25-10   46
Day 1: 5   17-04     Day 2: 5   08-06
66. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL              10  25-10   45
Day 1: 5   11-12     Day 2: 5   13-14
67. Kelly Jordon           Flint, TX               10  25-08   44
Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   11-01
68. Bobby Lane Jr.         Lakeland, FL            10  25-03   43
Day 1: 5   15-08     Day 2: 5   09-11
69. Fabian Rodriguez       Ocean City, DE          10  25-02   42
Day 1: 5   08-06     Day 2: 5   16-12
70. Jeff Kriet             Ardmore, OK             10  25-01   41
Day 1: 5   12-12     Day 2: 5   12-05
71. Chris Lane             Guntersville, AL        10  25-00   40
Day 1: 5   14-09     Day 2: 5   10-07
72. James Niggemeyer       Van, TX                 10  24-11   39
Day 1: 5   15-09     Day 2: 5   09-02
73. Chad Grigsby           Maple Grove, MN         10  24-10   38
Day 1: 5   16-11     Day 2: 5   07-15
74. Casey Scanlon          Rocky Mount, MO          9  24-10   37
Day 1: 5   14-09     Day 2: 4   10-01
75. Jonathon VanDam        Kalamazoo, MI            9  24-09   36
Day 1: 5   16-05     Day 2: 4   08-04
76. Brett Preuett          Monroe, LA              10  24-03   35
Day 1: 5   10-13     Day 2: 5   13-06
77. Casey Ashley           Donalds, SC             10  23-15   34
Day 1: 5   13-02     Day 2: 5   10-13
78. Jacob Powroznik        Port Haywood, VA        10  23-07   33
Day 1: 5   14-02     Day 2: 5   09-05
79. David Walker           Sevierville, TN         10  22-15   32
Day 1: 5   12-12     Day 2: 5   10-03
80. David Williams         Newton, NC              10  22-14   31
Day 1: 5   09-07     Day 2: 5   13-07
81. Kotaro Kiriyama        Moody, AL               10  22-13   30
Day 1: 5   11-14     Day 2: 5   10-15
82. Tim Horton             Muscle Shoals, AL       10  22-11   29
Day 1: 5   14-04     Day 2: 5   08-07
83. Matt Vermilyea         Perrysburg, OH           9  22-11   28
Day 1: 5   13-12     Day 2: 4   08-15
84. James Elam             Tulsa, OK               10  22-11   27
Day 1: 5   09-01     Day 2: 5   13-10
85. Fred Roumbanis         Bixby, OK               10  22-11   26
Day 1: 5   10-12     Day 2: 5   11-15
86. Matt Lee               Guntersville, AL        10  22-10   25
Day 1: 5   14-06     Day 2: 5   08-04
87. Matt Herren            Ashville, AL            10  22-10   24
Day 1: 5   10-04     Day 2: 5   12-06
88. Adrian Avena           Vineland, NJ            10  22-09   23
Day 1: 5   12-05     Day 2: 5   10-04
89. Gary Klein             Weatherford, TX         10  22-03   22
Day 1: 5   14-02     Day 2: 5   08-01
90. Morizo Shimizu         Suita, Osaka JAPAN      10  22-02   21
Day 1: 5   13-01     Day 2: 5   09-01
91. Paul Elias             Laurel, MS              10  20-15   20
Day 1: 5   09-12     Day 2: 5   11-03
92. Chad Morgenthaler      Reeds Spring, MO        10  20-02   19
Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   06-13
93. Matt Reed Jr           Madisonville, TX        10  20-02   18
Day 1: 5   08-11     Day 2: 5   11-07
94. John Hunter Jr         Shelbyville, KY         10  20-02   17
Day 1: 5   10-14     Day 2: 5   09-04
95. Mark Davis             Mount Ida, AR           10  19-15   16
Day 1: 5   11-11     Day 2: 5   08-04
96. Dave Lefebre           Erie, PA                10  19-14   15
Day 1: 5   13-00     Day 2: 5   06-14
97. Clent Davis            Montevallo, AL           9  19-04   14
Day 1: 5   10-00     Day 2: 4   09-04
98. Shane Lineberger       Lincolnton, NC           8  19-01   13
Day 1: 5   08-00     Day 2: 3   11-01
99. J Todd Tucker          Moultrie, GA            10  19-00   12
Day 1: 5   07-06     Day 2: 5   11-10
100. Keith Poche            Pike Road, AL           10  18-14   11
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   06-05
101. Brandon Card           Caryville, TN            9  18-09   10
Day 1: 5   12-08     Day 2: 4   06-01
102. Yusuke Miyazaki        Forney, TX              10  18-09    9
Day 1: 5   10-13     Day 2: 5   07-12
103. Byron Velvick          Boenre, TX              10  18-09    8
Day 1: 5   08-15     Day 2: 5   09-10
104. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland TX AUSTRALIA  8  18-06    7
Day 1: 5   10-11     Day 2: 3   07-11
105. Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS        10  17-13    6
Day 1: 5   10-10     Day 2: 5   07-03
106. Russ Lane              Prattville, AL          10  17-00    5
Day 1: 5   11-04     Day 2: 5   05-12
107. Tommy Biffle           Wagoner, OK              7  11-10    4
Day 1: 5   08-09     Day 2: 2   03-01
108. John Murray            Spring City, TN          5  11-08    3
Day 1: 5   11-08     Day 2: 0   00-00
109. Brandon Coulter        Knoxville, TN            6  11-01    2
Day 1: 5   08-13     Day 2: 1   02-04
110. Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT            2  04-06    1
Day 1: 2   04-06     Day 2: 0   00-00
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Elite Rookie Jay Brainard Feels He Is Where He Is Supposed To Be.

Brainard, Where he feels he’s supposed to be.

When 28-year-old, Elite Series Rookie Jay Brainard launched his boat on the opening day of the 2016 Elite Series, he claimed to feel no butterflies.  “Its just another tournament day, another launch. The nervous part hit later on when I caught my first fish, That’s when I started to get a little shaky.”

 

Brainard, the 2015 Central Open Points Champion was ready to go once his Crossed Industries wrapped Bass Cat Eyra finally hit the water. “For Rookies, when you find out you have qualified for the Elites, the time crunch to get everything done, sponsorships, vehicles, boat, motor, gear etc. is so tight.” “I was a nervous wreck just trying to get down here (St. Johns) for official practice.” Brainard said. “Once we launched and got going I was good. I was ready to go.”

 

From Enid, Oklahoma, the former Bull Fighter admitted to having a horrible practice. “I spent a lot of time down here prior to the cut-off and the conditions changed so much in that time that my official practice here this week was not great. When I pulled out of the campground on day one I decided I was just going fishing and do what I do best.”

 

A big fan of sight fishing, Brainard relied on a few areas he had seen some fish in practice but didn’t want to fish in the crowd. “That’s not what I wanted to do, but I pulled into an area where I had found a few and that’s when I saw that 6-1/2 pounder laying on the bed.” Excited about the opportunity at a good limit, Brainard went to work on the fish. “I made few flips to the fish with a soft plastic and then she finally bit. That’s when the nerves kicked in.”

Photo courtesy of BASS

Photo courtesy of BASS

Weighing in a limit worth 18 pounds on his first day on the job, good enough for 30th place, has Brainard excited for what today holds. “(Thursday) felt good. It felt good to be back in my office so to speak. I was able to settle down and do a few different things and it just made me more comfortable with what lies ahead.

Photo Courtesy of BASS

Photo Courtesy of BASS

Brainard's title sponsor this year is newly formed Crossed Industries. Crossed is bringing the automotive side to the fishing side to help anglers do more to their towing vehicles as well as their boats.  “it’s a really neat deal (crossed) and I am very thankful and very blessed to be associated with some of the top names in the industry, Strike King Lure Company, Bass Cat Boats, Mercury Marine, 13 Fishing, to name a few. They are like family to me.” “Working with those caliber folks and being on the Elite Series, I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be.” Brainard concluded.

 

Follow along all day here on AnglersChannel.com as the Elite Series Cut day is underway on the St Johns river. The field will be cut down to the top 50 after todays weigh-in.


Lester Leads Tight Field Heading Into Day 2 Of The Slugfest On The St. Johns River.

Lester Leads Tight Field on First Day of 2016 Bassmaster Elite Series

Brandon Lester brought 23 pounds, 13 ounces of St Johns River bass to the scale in Palatka, Fla. to take the Day 1 lead at the first Elite series derby of 2016.

Lester’s lead of less than a pound is substantial in light of the tight weights that dominate the leader board. His competitors follow with 3 sacks of better than 22 pounds, 5 more that are heavier than 21 and another 5 that are north of the 20 pound mark. After that the weights remain packed down the 110 man field. Ties, even 3-way ties, are numerous.

 

 

Lester, who weighed in the days first 9-pound class fish actually found the fish late on the final practice day. “I originally thought that fish was around 6 to 6-1/2 pounds when I found her yesterday (Wednesday) Then when I hooked her today and got her in the boat I realized I was way off.”

Elite Series rookie Drew Benton of Panama City, Fla. is 2nd with 22-15.  Benton fishing his first tournament on the St. Johns River was pretty excited about his day and his chances tomorrow. “The weather will dictate a lot of what I do tomorrow. I need to go out and catch all I can early and then see what the rest of the weekend holds. The clouds don’t bother me as much as the wind, I’m looking at them like most of the field and would like for the wind to stay down.”

Veteran pro Cliff Crochet is sitting in 3rd with 22-14 and is “feeling good.” Says Crochet. “Its great to get out of the gate on a good start, everyone is at zero and the hardest thing to do is climb out of a hole, so I am glad to kick this year off to a good start.” Crochet added, “Its like being in a tie game and hitting a 3-pointer, its exciting, unlike being down by 20 points and hitting a 3-pointer, that ain’t exciting…”

Crochet will be one to watch as he told us he was not fishing in the crowds, but had his own little deal going. “I’m looking for certain things and certain areas and then I go to work, I’m covering water..”

Veteran Randall Tharp had 22-10. Good enough for 4th place.

Cliff Pace and Jason Williamson (what did we say about those ties) round out the top 5 with 21-10 apiece.

Newly-crowned Classic Champ Edwin Evers had the day’s biggest bass at 9 pounds, 13 ounces. She anchors a 20-5 sack that is good for 12th place. They say momentum is a big deal in the sport of bass fishing. Evers is giving some credibility to that assertion.

Nobody zeroed today. Only one angler failed to catch a 5-fish limit. The river is fishing extremely well and we should be in for a show this week!

Of course, this means that everybody still has a shot at this thing. The guys who find a couple of the big girls tomorrow will be fishing on Saturday. There will be movement in the standings by this time tomorrow.

As for technique, it looks as though the majority were sight fishing, with a few guys doing something else, but for all intent and purpose, this is a hunting derby. Lake George was crowded and, due to warm weather, anglers weren’t the only ones out there. Jet skiers and airboaters paraded around and over the spawning flats.

 

Lester foud the big one today, Can he do it again tomorrow? Who will join him on Sunday after the cut is made?

We will find out tomorrow! Check back here at Anglerschannel.com


Robertson Leads The Field With Over 20 Pounds - Top 30 Are Stacked Tight. Kavros Leads Co-Anglers!

During the official practice period for Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Evinrude and hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau on Lake Hartwell, a huge springtime warm-up graced the Southeast. For three days in a row, sunny slick conditions warmed Hartwell’s waters to the peak spawning temperatures for bass. All during practice anglers trolled the banks looking at fish that had just moved up from deep water and were just starting to make beds.

Today the pros finally got to mash the gas and see exactly what Hartwell could produce. On a scale of 1 to 10 for sight-fishing conditions, today ranked a 10 plus with bright blue sunny skies and not a breath of wind. Anglers were not confined to just pockets or coves for sight-fishing; they could have sight-fished on main-lake shoals if they wanted.

The result was a weigh-in dominated by bass that were being looked at when they were caught. Hartwell showed out with multiple 15-pound bags. In fact, 27 limits topped the scales at 15 pounds or better on the pro side. The top 20-cut after day one stands at 15 pounds, 10 ounces.

In all there was only one bag that cracked the 20-pound mark. That limit belonged to Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla., who brought in 20 pounds, 6 ounces.

Robertson did his share of peeping today, but his three biggest bass actually came off docks.

Ironically, Robertson had every intention of going far north and fishing the stained water after his practice period. But when he got an early boat draw last night, he decided to go pluck a few bedders from the clear water first because he knew he would be the first one to them.

“Several years ago I got burned on this lake trying to sight-fish,” Robertson recalls. “I had a bunch of fish found, but I had a late boat number, and by the time I got down there, everything had been picked off. So initially, I had not planned to go to the clear water today. But once I got an early draw, I decided to go check a few I had found on beds, and they were still there.”

Robertson sight-fished a limit for about 12 pounds, but was able to upgrade by replacing three of them with big bruisers that were sunning under docks.

“All week I’ve seen fish cruising around and floating up real high under docks,” Robertson says. “I got really blessed today and caught three big ones that way. Two of them came from under the same dock.”

If you’re wondering why Robertson is so vocal about exactly how he caught his leading limit, it’s because he does not even plan to go do it again tomorrow. He says his plan since practice has been to utilize different parts of the lake each day, and he is going to stick with it by going somewhere totally different tomorrow.

“I’m going way up one of the rivers tomorrow,” Robertson reveals. “I don’t think I could even catch 15 pounds tomorrow where I was today. I was real blessed today in that clear water, and I’m not going to push my luck so I’m going 180 degrees the other way.”

 

Complete results 

 

Kavros takes co-angler lead with 12-14

Never say Chuck Kavros doesn’t heed what he’s been taught.

The co-angler from Grass Valley, Calif., practiced with Cody Meyer for the Hartwell event – an experience Kavros dubbed “going to the 'Cody Meyer School of Fishing.'”

“I learned a lot from him,” says Kavros, whose 12-14 bag leads by 2 ounces over Neil Farlow. “The biggest lesson was that if I did this one thing all day I’d catch a lot of fish, and some of them would be good ones.”

The student did his teacher proud, sticking with one key technique that he wanted to keep quiet. Kavros had a limit by 10 a.m., but the bite got tough for him and his pro, Mike Surman, until 1:30 p.m. In the final hour, Kavros was able to cull three key fish to get to his leading weight.

Complete results 


Lester Jumps Out To Slim Lead In St Johns River Slugfest! (Bass Report)

Early Big Fish Lifts Lester Into Lead In Elite Series Opener On The St. Johns River

PALATKA, Fla. — During the final round of practice for the Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Tennessee angler Brandon Lester found a giant largemouth bass on a spawning bed.

He was so excited about the fish that he texted some of his family members and told them to pay attention to Bassmaster.com when the tournament began, because he thought he could make something special happen early.

Hopefully they took it to heart.

Lester went straight to the big fish Thursday morning — and caught it on his fourth cast — to set the tone for a fantastic day of sight fishing. The bass, which weighed 9 pounds, 3 ounces, anchored a five-fish limit that tipped the scales at 23-13 and gave Lester the opening-round lead.

“Honestly, I thought the fish was about a 6 1/2- or 7-pounder,” said Lester, who is seeking his first B.A.S.S. win. “Once they get over 7 pounds, when they’re sitting in the water, it’s hard to tell.”

When anglers find fish on spawning beds one day, it’s usually a safe bet they’ll still be there the next. So Lester went prepared to fish for the giant bass Thursday morning with a heavy rod, strong braided line and a big lure.

After seeing that the big female fish wasn’t interested in heavy tackle, he switched to a lighter spinning rig in hopes of catching the smaller male bass that was guarding the bed.

But things didn’t work out like he planned.

“I picked my spinning rod up with a little wacky rig,” Lester said. “The male grabbed it, and I missed him twice. I pitched back in there, and the bait started swimming off again. When I set the hook, it was the big fish.”

That left Lester to battle a gigantic bass on a lighter rod with 12-pound-test line — in a tournament where landing nets aren’t allowed.

“It was chaos for a minute,” he said. “But it worked out OK.”

With much of the field sight fishing for bedding bass, it could be difficult for anglers to duplicate their Day 1 results when Friday’s second round begins. Many of the fish that were located during practice were caught Thursday, and it’s hard to say for sure if more will move up during the tournament.

Still, Lester said he feels good about his prospects — and he doesn’t believe the approaching cold front will have much of an effect on the spawning cycle.

“We’re coming up on the full moon, so hopefully that’ll overtake the cold front,” he said. “The water is 76 degrees, so it should be warm enough that the cold front won’t drop it down — at least not enough to run the fish off the beds.”

Elite Series newcomer Drew Benton of Panama City, Fla., is second with 22-15, and Cliff Crochet of Pierre Part, La., is third with 22-14. Crochet suffered a 4-ounce penalty for weighing in a dead fish.

If the weather does turn nasty with wind and rain, Benton said it could actually work in his favor.

“A lot of the guys who can catch them when it’s slick and sunny are kind of struggling a little bit,” Benton said. “But when it’s cloudy and windy, that’s kind of when I excel. I’ve got young eyes, and I can see them a little bit better."

Benton conceded, however, that the bedding fish could grow scarce after Friday’s second round.

“I spent the last half of the day marking some fish, and I plan to go out Friday and catch as much weight as I can,” he said. “Then I’ll just kind of scramble around the last two days.

“That’s the thing about sight fishing tournaments — you’ve kind of got to burn them and look for new fish as the week goes on.”

Despite the dead-fish penalty, Crochet had one of the better days he’s had in recent memory. After earning only one check on the Elite Series in 2015, he’s within striking distance of his first career win with B.A.S.S.

“About halfway through last year, I could tell things just weren’t going right,” Crochet said. “I’ve been waiting for a day like this pretty much since the end of the 2014 season.

“It’s been a long time coming.”

 

2016 Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels 3/17-3/20
St. Johns River, Palatka  FL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN         5  23-13    0
Day 1: 5   23-13     Day 2: 0   00-00
2.  Drew Benton            Panama City, FL          5  22-15    0
Day 1: 5   22-15     Day 2: 0   00-00
3.  Cliff Crochet          Pierre Part, LA          5  22-14    0
Day 1: 5   22-14     Day 2: 0   00-00
4.  Randall Tharp          Port St. Joe, FL         5  22-10    0
Day 1: 5   22-10     Day 2: 0   00-00
5.  Cliff Pace             Petal, MS                5  21-10    0
Day 1: 5   21-10     Day 2: 0   00-00
5.  Jason Williamson       Wagener, SC              5  21-10    0
Day 1: 5   21-10     Day 2: 0   00-00
7.  Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY              5  21-06    0
Day 1: 5   21-06     Day 2: 0   00-00
8.  Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA             5  21-05    0
Day 1: 5   21-05     Day 2: 0   00-00
9.  Dean Rojas             Lake Havasu City, AZ     5  21-00    0
Day 1: 5   21-00     Day 2: 0   00-00
10. Jordan Lee             Grant, AL                5  20-15    0
Day 1: 5   20-15     Day 2: 0   00-00
11. Kevin VanDam           Kalamazoo, MI            5  20-09    0
Day 1: 5   20-09     Day 2: 0   00-00
12. Edwin Evers            Talala, OK               5  20-05    0
Day 1: 5   20-05     Day 2: 0   00-00
13. Randy Howell           Guntersville, AL         5  20-01    0
Day 1: 5   20-01     Day 2: 0   00-00
13. Billy McCaghren Jr     Mayflower, AR            5  20-01    0
Day 1: 5   20-01     Day 2: 0   00-00
15. Mike McClelland        Bella Vista, AR          5  19-15    0
Day 1: 5   19-15     Day 2: 0   00-00
16. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX           5  19-14    0
Day 1: 5   19-14     Day 2: 0   00-00
17. Luke Clausen           Otis Orchards, WA        5  19-13    0
Day 1: 5   19-13     Day 2: 0   00-00
18. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA                5  19-08    0
Day 1: 5   19-08     Day 2: 0   00-00
18. Brent Ehrler           Newport Beach, CA        5  19-08    0
Day 1: 5   19-08     Day 2: 0   00-00
20. Josh Bertrand          Gilbert, AZ              5  19-07    0
Day 1: 5   19-07     Day 2: 0   00-00
21. Alton Jones            Lorena, TX               5  19-02    0
Day 1: 5   19-02     Day 2: 0   00-00
22. Michael Iaconelli      Pitts Grove, NJ          5  19-00    0
Day 1: 5   19-00     Day 2: 0   00-00
23. Britt Myers            Lake Wylie, SC           5  18-14    0
Day 1: 5   18-14     Day 2: 0   00-00
24. Skeet Reese            Auburn, CA               5  18-11    0
Day 1: 5   18-11     Day 2: 0   00-00
25. Marty Robinson         Lyman, SC                5  18-09    0
Day 1: 5   18-09     Day 2: 0   00-00
26. Randy Allen            Shreveport, LA           5  18-08    0
Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 0   00-00
27. Bradley Roy            Lancaster, KY            5  18-05    0
Day 1: 5   18-05     Day 2: 0   00-00
28. Chad Pipkens           Lansing, MI              5  18-04    0
Day 1: 5   18-04     Day 2: 0   00-00
29. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN           5  18-03    0
Day 1: 5   18-03     Day 2: 0   00-00
30. Jay Brainard           Enid, OK                 5  18-00    0
Day 1: 5   18-00     Day 2: 0   00-00
31. Ish Monroe             Hughson, CA              5  17-10    0
Day 1: 5   17-10     Day 2: 0   00-00
32. Ken Iyobe              Tokoname  Aichi JAPAN    5  17-08    0
Day 1: 5   17-08     Day 2: 0   00-00
33. Seth Feider            Bloomington, MN          5  17-05    0
Day 1: 5   17-05     Day 2: 0   00-00
34. Ott DeFoe              Knoxville, TN            5  17-04    0
Day 1: 5   17-04     Day 2: 0   00-00
35. Greg Vinson            Wetumpka, AL             5  17-03    0
Day 1: 5   17-03     Day 2: 0   00-00
36. Jared Lintner          Arroyo Grande, CA        5  17-02    0
Day 1: 5   17-02     Day 2: 0   00-00
37. Terry Scroggins        San Mateo, FL            5  16-14    0
Day 1: 5   16-14     Day 2: 0   00-00
38. Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                  5  16-11    0
Day 1: 5   16-11     Day 2: 0   00-00
38. Chad Grigsby           Maple Grove, MN          5  16-11    0
Day 1: 5   16-11     Day 2: 0   00-00
40. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ               5  16-09    0
Day 1: 5   16-09     Day 2: 0   00-00
41. Jason Christie         Park Hill, OK            5  16-06    0
Day 1: 5   16-06     Day 2: 0   00-00
42. Jonathon VanDam        Kalamazoo, MI            5  16-05    0
Day 1: 5   16-05     Day 2: 0   00-00
43. Fletcher Shryock       New Philadelphia, OH     5  16-04    0
Day 1: 5   16-04     Day 2: 0   00-00
44. Brett Hite             Phoenix, AZ              5  16-00    0
Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 0   00-00
45. Koby Kreiger           Bokeelia, FL             5  15-13    0
Day 1: 5   15-13     Day 2: 0   00-00
46. Micah Frazier          Newnan, GA               5  15-11    0
Day 1: 5   15-11     Day 2: 0   00-00
47. James Niggemeyer       Van, TX                  5  15-09    0
Day 1: 5   15-09     Day 2: 0   00-00
48. Bobby Lane Jr.         Lakeland, FL             5  15-08    0
Day 1: 5   15-08     Day 2: 0   00-00
49. Takahiro Omori         Emory, TX                5  15-08    0
Day 1: 5   15-08     Day 2: 0   00-00
50. Gerald Swindle         Warrior, AL              5  15-07    0
Day 1: 5   15-07     Day 2: 0   00-00
51. Todd Faircloth         Jasper, TX               5  15-04    0
Day 1: 5   15-04     Day 2: 0   00-00
52. Davy Hite              Ninety Six, SC           5  15-02    0
Day 1: 5   15-02     Day 2: 0   00-00
53. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, ID             5  15-01    0
Day 1: 5   15-01     Day 2: 0   00-00
54. Dennis Tietje          Roanoke, LA              5  14-15    0
Day 1: 5   14-15     Day 2: 0   00-00
55. Andy Montgomery        Blacksburg, SC           5  14-13    0
Day 1: 5   14-13     Day 2: 0   00-00
56. Chris Lane             Guntersville, AL         5  14-09    0
Day 1: 5   14-09     Day 2: 0   00-00
57. Casey Scanlon          Rocky Mount, MO          5  14-09    0
Day 1: 5   14-09     Day 2: 0   00-00
58. Hank Cherry Jr         Maiden, NC               5  14-07    0
Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 0   00-00
58. Kelly Jordon           Flint, TX                5  14-07    0
Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 0   00-00
60. Matt Lee               Guntersville, AL         5  14-06    0
Day 1: 5   14-06     Day 2: 0   00-00
60. Aaron Martens          Leeds, AL                5  14-06    0
Day 1: 5   14-06     Day 2: 0   00-00
60. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN            5  14-06    0
Day 1: 5   14-06     Day 2: 0   00-00
63. Tim Horton             Muscle Shoals, AL        5  14-04    0
Day 1: 5   14-04     Day 2: 0   00-00
64. Gary Klein             Weatherford, TX          5  14-02    0
Day 1: 5   14-02     Day 2: 0   00-00
64. Jacob Powroznik        Port Haywood, VA         5  14-02    0
Day 1: 5   14-02     Day 2: 0   00-00
66. Stephen Browning       Hot Springs, AR          5  13-15    0
Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 0   00-00
66. Boyd Duckett           Guntersville, AL         5  13-15    0
Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 0   00-00
68. Justin Lucas           Guntersville, AL         5  13-13    0
Day 1: 5   13-13     Day 2: 0   00-00
69. Matt Vermilyea         Perrysburg, OH           5  13-12    0
Day 1: 5   13-12     Day 2: 0   00-00
70. Brent Chapman          Lake Quivira, KS         5  13-05    0
Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 0   00-00
70. Chad Morgenthaler      Reeds Spring, MO         5  13-05    0
Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 0   00-00
72. Chris Zaldain          Laughlin, NV             5  13-03    0
Day 1: 5   13-03     Day 2: 0   00-00
73. Casey Ashley           Donalds, SC              5  13-02    0
Day 1: 5   13-02     Day 2: 0   00-00
74. Morizo Shimizu         Suita, Osaka JAPAN       5  13-01    0
Day 1: 5   13-01     Day 2: 0   00-00
75. Dave Lefebre           Erie, PA                 5  13-00    0
Day 1: 5   13-00     Day 2: 0   00-00
75. Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, MO         5  13-00    0
Day 1: 5   13-00     Day 2: 0   00-00
77. Jeff Kriet             Ardmore, OK              5  12-12    0
Day 1: 5   12-12     Day 2: 0   00-00
77. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL          5  12-12    0
Day 1: 5   12-12     Day 2: 0   00-00
79. David Walker           Sevierville, TN          5  12-12    0
Day 1: 5   12-12     Day 2: 0   00-00
80. Shaw Grigsby Jr.       Gainesville, FL          5  12-09    0
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 0   00-00
80. Keith Poche            Pike Road, AL            5  12-09    0
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 0   00-00
82. Brandon Card           Caryville, TN            5  12-08    0
Day 1: 5   12-08     Day 2: 0   00-00
83. Adrian Avena           Vineland, NJ             5  12-05    0
Day 1: 5   12-05     Day 2: 0   00-00
84. Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL            5  11-15    0
Day 1: 5   11-15     Day 2: 0   00-00
85. Kotaro Kiriyama        Moody, AL                5  11-14    0
Day 1: 5   11-14     Day 2: 0   00-00
86. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL               5  11-12    0
Day 1: 5   11-12     Day 2: 0   00-00
87. Mark Davis             Mount Ida, AR            5  11-11    0
Day 1: 5   11-11     Day 2: 0   00-00
88. John Murray            Spring City, TN          5  11-08    0
Day 1: 5   11-08     Day 2: 0   00-00
89. Russ Lane              Prattville, AL           5  11-04    0
Day 1: 5   11-04     Day 2: 0   00-00
89. Scott Rook             Little Rock, AR          5  11-04    0
Day 1: 5   11-04     Day 2: 0   00-00
91. John Hunter Jr         Shelbyville, KY          5  10-14    0
Day 1: 5   10-14     Day 2: 0   00-00
92. Brett Preuett          Monroe, LA               5  10-13    0
Day 1: 5   10-13     Day 2: 0   00-00
93. Yusuke Miyazaki        Forney, TX               5  10-13    0
Day 1: 5   10-13     Day 2: 0   00-00
94. Fred Roumbanis         Bixby, OK                5  10-12    0
Day 1: 5   10-12     Day 2: 0   00-00
95. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL              5  10-12    0
Day 1: 5   10-12     Day 2: 0   00-00
96. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland TX AUSTRALIA  5  10-11    0
Day 1: 5   10-11     Day 2: 0   00-00
97. Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS         5  10-10    0
Day 1: 5   10-10     Day 2: 0   00-00
98. Matt Herren            Ashville, AL             5  10-04    0
Day 1: 5   10-04     Day 2: 0   00-00
99. Clent Davis            Montevallo, AL           5  10-00    0
Day 1: 5   10-00     Day 2: 0   00-00
100. Paul Elias             Laurel, MS               5  09-12    0
Day 1: 5   09-12     Day 2: 0   00-00
101. David Williams         Newton, NC               5  09-07    0
Day 1: 5   09-07     Day 2: 0   00-00
102. James Elam             Tulsa, OK                5  09-01    0
Day 1: 5   09-01     Day 2: 0   00-00
103. Byron Velvick          Boenre, TX               5  08-15    0
Day 1: 5   08-15     Day 2: 0   00-00
104. Brandon Coulter        Knoxville, TN            5  08-13    0
Day 1: 5   08-13     Day 2: 0   00-00
105. Matt Reed Jr           Madisonville, TX         5  08-11    0
Day 1: 5   08-11     Day 2: 0   00-00
106. Tommy Biffle           Wagoner, OK              5  08-09    0
Day 1: 5   08-09     Day 2: 0   00-00
107. Fabian Rodriguez       Ocean City, DE           5  08-06    0
Day 1: 5   08-06     Day 2: 0   00-00
108. Shane Lineberger       Lincolnton, NC           5  08-00    0
Day 1: 5   08-00     Day 2: 0   00-00
109. J Todd Tucker          Moultrie, GA             5  07-06    0
Day 1: 5   07-06     Day 2: 0   00-00
110. Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT            2  04-06    0
Day 1: 2   04-06     Day 2: 0   00-00
-------------------------------------------------------


Flw Or Bass - Which To Fish And Which To Watch.......

March 17, 2016….. Its Thursday Morning and I’m a fan. 

Fan of the Bassmaster Elite Series.

Fan of the FLW Tour.

I have good friends who fish on both sides of this proverbial ball and I cheer for them all.

The second stop of the FLW Tour kicked off today on Lake Hartwell in South Carolina. 

451 miles south, the first stop of the 2016 Season for the Bassmaster Elites kicks off today as well, but on the St. Johns River in Palatka, FL.

Yes, I admit while I am typing this, I have two browser windows open on my computer.

One is on the FLW Twitter page, watching for updates. The other on Bassmaster.com and the Basstrakk page and live blog.

I love the fact I can watch these pages, the videos posted and all the info that is now what we know as Bass fishing on the internet.

Reports are already coming in on who has a limit, who caught a fish off a dock and who is doing what, where, when, why and how.

 

I’m a fan first.

 

What I am not crazy about is having to choose. Choose between FLW and BASS on the same weeks.

Granted, I make my living in the fishing industry but I don’t have to catch 5 fish a day to do it. I’m no where near the caliber of these guys and never tried to be. I like where I sit and what I do.

What bothers me though are the good friends of mine who have worked so hard to qualify for one tour or the other and then with a conflict in schedules they have to choose.

Here or there. FLW or BASS.

These guys make their living fishing in tournaments. FLW, BASS, Opens, Costas, BASS Nation, BFL’s. Yes, it’s a hard way to make a living, but for them, it works.

A good friend of mine is a rookie on the Elite Tour this year. He came over from the FLW side where he was very successful. “CB, If I could fish both trails I would. Yeah, it’s a lot of money in entry fees and so forth, but the reward is greater if I have a good year. I would rather have that option, I would rather fish as much as I can.”

This year the Elite guys will fish 9 tournaments and the FLW guys 6. To some that’s a bunch, to others its not enough. The FLW Tour will be done and finished by late July. (They did add two events AFTER the cup) The Elite Series a couple months later.

“We have 6 tournaments on the FLW Tour to qualify for the cup.” One FLW buddy told me, “You can’t dig yourself a hole and expect to climb out of it.”

The Elite guys have a a few more events to qualify for the end of the year AOY Event and ultimately the Classic but for the guys who have fished both tours in the past and done well, that option is no longer.

For the guys who want to fish both sides I feel for them.

Last year we saw several “Two Tour Pro’s” cross the Classic and FLW Cup Stages. Several had career years on both tours.

My opinion is, if you can afford it and you can make the travel work, more power to you.

Many of them are gone for extended lengths of time and the more they fish the more they can earn. Sponsor money, contingency money, bonuses, you name it. The exposure for sponsors is huge when fishing multiple trails and more events each year. Thus making them more appealing to sponsors.

I hate it for these guys, for my buddies.

I wish the schedules had worked out differently.

I wish my buddies had the option to fish both sides and make a career on both tours.

I guess I get it.

But,  I guess I don’t.

 

As Fans, I hope we have the bandwidth to keep up with both weigh-ins today live on-line.

For my buddies fishing, I wish big limits all 4 days, on both tours.

 

For FLW and BASS, I wish we could all just get along.

 

I would love to hear your comments and opinions on this. Please feel free to comment below.


Countdown To Blastoff With Ac Pro Staffer Rob Digh-Abt, Cbc, Flw Tour, Elites, And More This Weekend!

AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh shares his thoughts on what could be an incredible weekend around our region with big Tournaments, and we mean BIG, almost everywhere! Find out our take on what it will take at each Lake right here!!


Just As We Catch Our Breath From The Classic, Elite Series Kicks Off On The St. Johns River!

Just as we catch our breath following a whirlwind Classic that saw Edwin Evers take the title with a record-breaking final day catch, 111 Bassmaster pros get set to take on Florida’s St John’s River in the 2016 Elite Series opener.

Evers won an Elite Series tourney out of Palatka in 2011. Hot off his Classic win, he returns now with momentum, in general, and past knowledge of the river working in his favor.

Launching from Palatka City Docks the pros will fan out along a vast stretch of mile-wide tidal river which connects numerous lakes and features enormous eelgrass flats. Countless docks and laydown logs dot the banks. Shell bars squat, unseen, along channel markers and offshore ledges. But it is the grass that will likely hold the winning fish.

 

Chris Lane won the most recent Elite Series tourney, held here in 2014, by flipping pads south of Astor.

This week the eel grass should predominate as the favorite form of cover for top tournament finishers. Multitudes of big bass spawn in the grass flats of Lake George. They use the same cover farther north on the river as weather warms. Normally, this time of year residential canals are the best bet for those heading down river (which is north on the ‘backwards-flowing’ St Johns) but temperatures have risen so suddenly over the past week that main river grass flats may be in play, especially for those who would rather key on pre-spawn bass by blind casting instead trying to sight fish.

Anglers can head as far north as time will allow and expect to catch solid sacks of fish. This may alleviate crowding in historically popular places such as the west side of George. Were the weather still cold, we’d see many more pros packed into those areas well south of Palatka.

The canals all along the river are excellent places to find bedding bass. Shad too should be spawning in the backs of these cuts and a white/chartreuse Chatterbait is a great tool before the sun rises high enough to shut off that particular bite. When that bites does die it is time to scan for beds.

When Evers won here a few years ago the ‘nail in the coffin’ for his competitors came as he located a giant in very shallow water hidden behind a stand of reeds on Crescent Lake. Hot off his Classic win Evers should be fishing relaxed and making decisions with confidence this week.

While Lane flipped for the win during the last visit, he was also catching bedding bass in the process. He just wasn’t looking right at them because they were spawning on roots of lily pads beneath a tangle of gator vines – a major reason his fish hung around even after the area had been sprayed by authorities seeking to kill the vegetation back. Brandon Palaniuk found the same fish but bailed after seeing the spray boat. Lane then had the winning fish all to himself which is a rare occurrence in Florida but seemingly a necessity on the big river.

It will be interesting to see how things play out this time. Who will find the best overlooked spot?

For certain, the eventual winner this week will be focusing on bass that are in some stage of the spawning process. If he elects to run north, he will also have to take tidal fluctuations into account. An extra foot or two of water can hide beds that were visible at low tide. Conversely, when the water drops out aggressive fish get spooky, even downright unapproachable at times.

On the other hand, by running south anglers can minimize the effects of the twice-daily ebb and flow. Add to that the fact that Lake George will give up the greatest number of kicker fish across the entire tournament field and it is easy to understand why crowds form on the picturesque lake. Three pound buck bass have been known to attack a push pole as it touches down in their nest. While watching pros from a distance of well over 100 yards, I’ve seen numerous 6-to-10-pound females pull up on sandy spots near our own boat. At times big fish seem to be everywhere.

George will be a popular place, as will Lakes Woodruff and Crescent. All have produced wins here. The dark horse location is the north end of the river.

The dark horse technique would be winding a spinnerbait, Chatterbait or Rat-L-Trap along eel grass edges.

If playing Fantasy Fishing, go with guys who have a track record here. For all the variables involved, the big river is remarkably consistent over the years. Specific spots that produced decades ago still do so at the same time of year even now. This means that guys who’ve been before can sometimes actually do well by ‘fishing on history’ – commonly thought to be a big no-no by tournament pros. After all, how else do you pare down a 310-mile-long river that flows backward?

 

Stay Tuned for more coverage each day from the Elite Series Opener on the St. Johns River, Here at AnglersChannel.com


Interviews With The Top 3 Teams From Abt's Second Stop In The South Division On Lay Lake

The Second stop on the Alabama Bass Trails South Division on Lay Lake showed out with the Top 3 teams having over 21lbs and the winners dropping a 25.29 limit on the scales. Watch as the the Top 3 clue us in on what they were doing and how they caught their fish.


Thibodeaux And Bacon Top A Field Of 307 Teams To Win On Sam Rayburn At Bass Champs

 

Thibodeaux and Bacon top a field of 307 teams to win on Sam Rayburn at Bass Champs
By: Patty Lenderman
Thibodeaux and Bacon top a field of 307 teams to win on Sam Rayburn at Bass Champs

Skeeter Bass Champs East Region held their third tournament of the year at Sam Rayburn on March 12, 2016. Challenging conditions on and off the lake did not daunt 307 teams to fish for a portion of the total purse worth more than $83,000. Richard Bacon of Basile, LA and Shannon Thibodeaux of Diboll, TX topped the field taking home over $20,000.

Just days prior to the tournament, Texas had been inundated with record setting flooding rains. While many lakes in Texas have been closed due to the high water, Rayburn is in good shape less than two feet over full pool at tournament time. On tournament day, the water was still rising at a rate of ¾” per hour. Initial take-off was delayed by an hour due to heavy fog. Isolated thunderstorms made their way across the lake around midday, soaking anglers as they searched for the fish they needed to garner a check. By afternoon, the rains were gone and the sun was a welcome sight to wrap up the day. The scales stayed open until 6pm giving all flights time to weigh in.

“With only one event to go, we also offered a $500 bonus drawing for everyone who elected not to weigh in their fish to help with conservation,” Chad Potts, Bass Champs President announced. “With this many teams, we have our staff down by the water letting everyone coming in what weight it is taking to be in the money. Unless they are in the running for Anglers of the Year with only one event to go, they can elect not to weigh their catch and putting their fish through the stress of the weigh in process, and still have a chance to win $500.”

As teams brought their fish in, a wide variety of catch methods were reported. Many flipped jigs in newly flooded areas, others went deeper with Carolina rigs. Weightless soft plastics were also working for some, among other lures.

Cody Conkle & Ty Tomplait started the Big Bass race with their 7.83 lb kicker. Then Danny Bennett and Chad Hoke took over the Big Bass lead with their 8.00 lb sow. Kevin Walker Jr with Jeff Bridges caught an 8.70, then the biggest of them all was weighed in when Chad and Brent Kemp brought in a giant weighing 9.82 lbs.

In the meantime, the 20+ pound sacks started trickling in. Martin Elshout and Mark Price brought in the first weighing 20.40 lbs. Before the scales closed, their weight would be beat three times giving them a 4th place overall finish.

When it was all said and done, Richard Bacon and Shannon Thibodeaux took the win with 21.39 pounds. “We flipped bushes all day in about 6’ of water,” the team explained. They used black & blue jigs catching about 12 keepers throughout the day. “We figured it would take about 28 pounds to win. Would have never thought we won it!” They were presented with the $20,000 check for 1st place plus another $400 from Power pole and $250 for the Lowrance GEN3 bonus.

Nick Lebrun from Bossier City, LA and Clint Lipham of Conroe, TX won 2nd place with their 20.63 lb limit. “We fished shallow water in the bushes all day and just covered a lot of water. We know the lake well, and had five areas picked out. Three of them were primary areas and produced a lot of bites. We had about 15 pounds in the boat by 9am, and 18 pounds by noon. Our last cull was at 4:00.” Bass Champs presented the team $6,500 for their 2nd place win, and they would like to thank H & W Marine, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha, Bass Pro Shops, Elite Tungsten, V&M Baits, Quantum and Balangee Sports.

3rd place was won by Trenton Vardeman of Huntington, TX and Cole Stewart of Hemphill. They had a 20.63 lb sack and found their fish in water up to 20’ deep. “We started fishing in the deeper water, then headed to shallow water and flipped. We just went back and forth throughout the day.” It was a winning tactic, paying the team $5,000 for their day.

The Big Bass of the day was brought in by Chad and Brent Kemp. “We flipped hay grass and bushes all day in the mid lake area. We caught our big one at 11:00.” Their big fish weighed in at 9.82 lbs, winning a check for $1,000. It helped to anchor their 10th place overall win for another check for $1,600. They were also the highest finishing team in a qualified Skeeter boat, doubling their money with another check for $2,600 then they won the Costa Cash for another $200. What a day!

All total 40 teams were paid, the last $600 check going to the team of Chris Huebel of Nederland, TX and Kurt Estes of Orange, TX with 16.52 lbs.

The top five teams in the Anglers of the Year race for the East Region with only one event to go are:
903 pts Martin Elshout & Mark Price
878 pts Kris Wilson & Charles Bebber
874 pts Ralph Dear & Colt Dear
858 pts John Canerday & Trey Morgan
843 pts Philip Crelia & TJ Goodwin

The East Region will wrap up their season May 7th on Toledo Bend at Cypress Bend. In the meantime, Bass Champs staff and crew are headed to Lake Fork for the world’s richest one day hourly bass tournament, the Sportsmans Auto Network Mega Bass event. “We are guaranteeing a payout of $20,000 EVERY hour, regardless of entries!” stated Potts. “The angler who catches the biggest bass of the day will also win a Skeeter ZX 200 powered by Yamaha.” And the entry fee? Only $160!

Place Boat Angler 1 Angler 2 Fish Big Bass Wt. Prize Amt.
1 RICHARD BACON
BASILE , LA
SHANNON THIBODEAUX
DIBOLL , TX
5 0 21.39
$20000.00 + $400 Power Pole+$250 Lowrance GEN3
2 NICK LEBRUN
BOSSIER CITY , LA
CLINT LIPHAM
CONROE , TX
5 0 20.63
$6500.00
3 TRENTON VARDEMAN
HUNTINGTON , TX
COLE STEWART
HEMPHILL , TX
5 0 20.48
$5000.00
4 MARTIN ELSHOUT
ABITA SPRINGS , LA
MARK PRICE
RUSTON , LA
5 0 20.40
$4000.00
5 KEITH JENSCHKE
NATCHITOCHES , LA
JOHN HRAPMANN
NATCHITOCHES , LA
5 0 20.32
$3000.00
6 PHILLIP CRELIA
CENTER , TX
TJ GOODWYN
CENTER , TX
5 0 20.17
$2500.00
7 JOHN CANERDAY
CALVIN , LA
TREY MORGAN
GOLDONNA , LA
5 0 19.93
$2000.00
8 KEVIN WALKER JR
BUNA , TX
JEFF BRIDGES
LUMBERTON , TX
5 8.70 19.79
$1800.00
9 RICKY MADOLE
MANY , LA
RONNIE MADOLE
SHREVEPORT , LA
5 0 19.66
$1700.00
10 CHAD KEMP
BRIDGE CITY , TX
BRENT KEMP
ORANGE , TX
5 9.82 19.54
$1600.00 + $1000.00 Big Bass + $2600 Skeeter Bonus+$200 Costa Cash
11 MATTHEW MCARDLE
HOUSTON , TX
JOSH BENSEMA
WILLIS , TX
5 0 19.52
$1500.00
12 RUSTY HARVEY
LUMBERTON , TX
CHRIS HARVEY
JASPER , TX
5 0 19.50
$1400.00
13 JOSHUA MOORE
GRAND LANE , LA
MATT MORRIS
STONEWALL , LA
5 0 19.08
$1300.00
14 RICH DALBEY
GREENVILLE , TX
ROBERT CASE JR
POINT , TX
5 0 19.05
$1200.00
15 KELLEY FRIX
TEXARKANA , TX
JOSHUA GUY
TEXARKANA , TX
5 0 18.90
$1100.00
16 RALPH DEAR
BUNA , TX
COLT DEAR
BUNA , TX
5 0 18.85
$1090.00
17 KRIS WILSON
MONTGOMERY , TX
CHARLES BEBBER
WILLIS , TX
5 0 18.81
$1080.00
18 BRENT BROUSSARD
ROSENBERG , TX
JASON BONDS
LUFKIN , TX
5 0 18.76
$1070.00
19 COLE GARRETT
WINNFIELD , LA
GREG UZEE
TEMPLE , TX
5 0 18.70
$1060.00
20 JESSE MOODY
APPLE SPRINGS , TX
BRANDON MOODY
APPLE SPRINGS , TX
5 0 18.46
$1050.00
21 ED MELTON
HOUSTON , TX
ANTHONY JONES
IRVING , TX
5 0 18.42
$1035.00
21 RUSTY CLARK
SAM RAYBURN , TX
CORY RAMBO
ORANGE , TX
5 0 18.42
$1035.00
23 WALTER LAND
CLEVELAND , TX
JOHN VILES
CLEVELAND , TX
5 0 18.17
$1020.00
24 COLE BREWER
LEESVILLE , LA
JEFF BREWER
LEESVILLE , LA
5 0 18.12
$1010.00
25 JONATHAN SIMON
ORANGE , TX
CADE DURIO
LAKE CHARLES , LA
5 0 18.09
$1000.00
26 BLAKE SCHROEDER
WHITEHOUSE , TX
EASTON HEIGLEY
BROOKELAND , TX
5 0 17.79
$1000.00
27 JERRY WILLIAMS II
SILSBEE , TX
DAVID GORE
KOUNTZE , TX
5 0 17.75
$1000.00
28 JASON LAWSON
CORRIGAN , TX
JAY LAWSON
CORRIGAN , TX
5 0 17.60
$1000.00
29 TOMMY HILL JR
KOUNTZE , TX
BUBBA FRAZIER
PINELAND , TX
5 0 17.59
$1000.00
30 DOUG MCCAIN
LAKE CHARLES , LA
MASON MCCAIN
LAKE CHARLES , LA
5 0 17.44
$1000.00
31 RODNEY SAMMONS
BUNA , TX
PHILIP HANKS
BUNA , TX
5 0 17.39
$900.00
32 DALTON MEARS
PORT ARTHUR , TX
VINCE DARDER
COLMESNEIL , TX
5 0 17.16
$800.00
33 DANNY BENNETT
HUNTSVILLE , TX
CHAD HOKE
MONTGOMERY , TX
5 8.00 17.15
$700.00
34 GLEN FREEMAN
CONVERSE , LA
JEFF RICE
BOSSIER CITY , LA
5 0 17.14
$650.00
35 QUINTEN MOUSER
ATLANTA , TX
JAMES MCCASLAND
ATLANTA , TX
5 0 16.97
$600.00
35 AUSTIN BROUSSARD
PORT NECHES , TX
MARSHALL HUGHES
PORT NECHES , TX
5 0 16.97
$600.00
37 BRIAN SCHOTT
LONGVIEW , TX
SCOTT GILL
DERIDDER , LA
5 0 16.81
$600.00
38 ZACHARY GAGNARD
NEED INFO
RICKY CRUZ
NATCHEL , LA
5 0 16.77
$600.00
39 DOBY DEAR
LUFKIN , TX
DONALD STRINGER
HUNTINGTON , TX
5 0 16.68
$600.00
40 CHRIS HUEBEL
NEDERLAND , TX
KURT ESTES
ORANGE , TX
5 0 16.52
$600.00
41 DEREK MUNDY
BROADDUS , TX
SHANNON CRYER
ZAVALLA , TX
5 0 16.47
42 JASON MCRAE
HENDERSON , TX
TRAVIS MARTIN
HENDERSON , TX
5 0 16.37
43 TREY SMITH III
ORANGE , TX
HUNTER GOTHIA
BRIDGE CITY , TX
5 0 16.31
44 ADRIAN JAMES
WINNFIELD , LA
JUSTIN DURBIN
WINNFIELD , LA
5 0 16.30
45 BILLY GRAVES
MONTGOMERY , LA
REGNALD BERRY
MONTGOMERY , TX
5 0 16.12
46 ROBERT BEAN
DAISETTA , TX
RODNEY LEE
ORANGE , TX
5 0 16.04
47 CHRIS CLEMENS
LUFKIN , TX
DALLAS COLE
LEESVILLE , LA
5 0 15.98
48 BRANDON THRASH
DOWNSVILLE , LA
CHRISTOPHER PATTON
CHOUDRANT , LA
5 0 15.74
49 MATTHEW DELANEY
POLLOCK , LA
WILLIAM WALKER
JENA , LA
5 0 15.72
50 JARET LATTA
CEDAR PARK , TX
BRIAN LOWRANCE
NACOGDOCHES , TX
5 0 15.59

 

 


Baty & Wholey Take Top Honors In Goodyear Bass Club Opener On Shearon Harris Lake

The 1st tournament on the #GoodyearBassClub 2016 schedule is in the books. I want to thank everyone of the  25 boats that attended, especially all the new guest that attended we are glad to have you. We look forward to our numbers continuing to grow.

Our next tournament will be at:

March 29th
Falls Lake
Upper Barton Boat Ramp
Safe Light to 3pm

Harris fished well yesterday and alot of fish were caught, but as goes with fishing at Harris alot of the fish caught were slot-fish.

The results are as follows:

1st Place
Chip Baty and Jim Wholey (pictured above)
5 Fish
16.23lbs
*Also won Big Fish with a 9.08lb bass*

 2nd Place
Donnie Haney and Leonard Faircloth
3 Fish
13.19lbs

3rd Place
Mitch Hargrove and Tommy Stewart
4 Fish
11.16lbs


Bfl Results From Saturday 3/12 - Ozark, Volunteer And Music City Divisions. Upcoming Schedule

BFL Results from Saturday 3/12:

 

Marcua Sykora weighed a limit worth 24.15lbs to win the Ozark Division BFL on Lake of the Ozarks

Derrick Snavely of Rogersville, TN wins the Volunteer BFL Opener on Norris Lake with 16.10lbs

Roberts Regan of Byrdstown took home top honors in the Musuc City BFL opener on Dale Hollow with 20.10 lbs. 

Congratulations to all the anglers and winners this past weekend. 

3/19 BFL Schedule

 

 Shenandoah Division #1 - Smith Lake

 

Bama Division #1 - Lake Martin

 

Okie Division #1 - Grand Lake

 

Mountain Division #1 - Dale Hollow

 

For information on other tournamenrts in your area, Click the Tournament Tracker Link below.

Tournament Tracker


Goggins And Headley Drop Over 25Lbs On The Scales To Win Alabama Bass Trail Lay Lake Stop

 

Goggins and Headley Weigh in 25.29 Limit to win the ABT South Division Stop #2.

 

 

Columbiana, Ala. March 12, 2016 – While it may not have the legendary big weight reputation of Lake Guntersville, Lay Lake, the historic Coosa River bass fishery in Central Alabama showed just how good it can be despite favorable conditions taking a turn the day before the second Alabama Bass Trail Southern Division event of the 2016 season.

Warm, stable conditions had been the norm for the week leading up to the March 12, 2016 event, but as can happen, things took a turn as the final practice day wore on and into the day of the event.  Despite the fact that the conditions brought fresh, dirty water into the system, and the need to open the floodgates on the dams to deal with runoff, the team of Jeremy Headley and Anthony Goggins managed to bring a 25.29-pound limit of Lay lake largemouth to the scales and take home the trophy.

Headley and Goggins banked on the fact that they had located numbers of large females that had moved into lower lake spawning areas, and the fact that they knew how to adjust to the falling water levels.  “We focused on the areas that we knew held big spawning females shallow, and adjusted to where we thought they may have moved to with the conditions,” said the team.  “We found them with moving baits in practice, and once the pressure hit, and the water started falling, we started looking in the grass beds just outside those areas; it took us a little while, but we connected with them again.”

While they did not have a keeper in the livewell by midmorning, they rotated through creeks and pockets on the lower end of the lake until they started getting bites.  “I was throwing a crankbait in the front of the boat and would get a movement or a missed strike and Anthony would flip a black and blue Beaver behind me,” said Headley.  “Most of the fish we weighed today came on the Beaver, but the crankbait helped us locate which grassbeds held active fish.”

The pair earned $10,000 for their efforts and the win allowed them to climb to second place in the Southern Division Angler of the Year standings.

The team of John Canada and Bo Hunter used a dual strategy to finish second in the event.  The pair went to the bottom of the lake to try and get a big largemouth bite or two early, then ran upriver to target heavy spotted bass as the current turned on.  “We knew we had a couple hours before they turned the current on, so we down lake and tried for a couple big bites early,” said Canada.  “I got a couple good ones on a black and blue swim jig early, then we ran up to the tailraces so Bo could do his magic with a swimbait; our plan worked.”

Canada and Hunter brought a mixed bag to the scales that weighed 22.82 pounds.  Their performance earned them second place and a check for $5,000.

The team of Keith Youngblood and Ty Youngblood weighed 13.31 pounds for the day  finishing 45th, their limit was bolstered by the Mountain Dew Big Bass of the tournament, an 8.08-pound largemouth. They earned the $500 Mt. Dew Big Bass award.

 

Final Results:

 

Place Team Weight Big Fish Points Winnings
1 Jeremy Headley/Anthony Goggins 25.29 7.58 225 $10,000
2 Jon Canada/Bo Hunter 22.82 0 224 $5,000
3 Clay Harris/Bradley Dean 21.26 8.04 223 $4,000
4 Dustin Connell/James Connell 21.18 0 222 $3,000
5 Buck Mcdonald/Larry Mcdonald 19.6 0 221 $2,000
6 Caiden Sinclair / Philip Jones 18.93 0 220 $1,000
7 Erick Sommers/Tommy Pegues 18.76 0 219 $900
8 Jeff Richey/Howard Richey 17.99 0 218 $800
9 Chad Schroeder/Charles Phillips 17.85 5.12 217 $700
10 Jeston Anderson/Robert Robinson 17.71 5.67 216 $600
11 Foster Bradley/Britt Lemley 17.6 0 215 $500
12 Kyle Welcher/Chris Haynes 17.11 0 214 $500
13 Cecil Williams/Jerry Davis 16.98 0 213 $500
14 Derrick Millirons/Ronald Terry 16.91 0 212 $500
15 John Pollard/Dallas Weldon 16.45 0 211 $500
16 Chris Payne/James rawhide Smith 16.35 0 210 $500
17 Marty Sumners/Simon Morrow 16.16 7.05 209 $500
18 Paul Jones/Blake Stephens 16 0 208 $500
19 Ryan Ingram/Jay Grogan 15.96 0 207 $500
20 Andy Leslie/Grant Bennett 15.91 0 206 $500
21 William Davis/Will Davis 15.81 0 205 $500
22 Rex Chambers/Brent Crow 15.8 0 204 $500
23 Radney Atchison/Joe Wikoff 15.74 0 203 $500
24 Charles Beach/Chuck Beach jr 15.61 0 202 $500
25 Mj Vihnanek/Murphy Klumpp 15.6 0 201 $500
26 Steve Schoffstall/Mike Parrot 15.57 0 200 $500
27 Mike Hardin/Michael Hardin 15.37 0 199 $500
28 David Caylor/Robbie Pelt 15.32 0 198 $500
29 Heath Greene/Ethan Greene 15.13 0 197 $500
30 RJ Thompson/Ryan Kelley 15.06 0 196 $500
31 Shelby Kinney/L. j. Mccollough 15.05 0 195 $500
32 Nicholas Turner/Joe Lay 15.02 0 194 $500
33 Chris Rutland/Coby Carden 14.88 0 193 $500
34 Rickie Knight/Randall Carter 14.78 0 192 $500
35 Keith Dees/Tommy Walley 14.6 0 191 $500
36 Marty Gidens/Kim Giddens 14.58 0 190 $500
37 Jeff Hale/Steve Sanders 14.46 0 189 $500
38 Bill Granberry/Chuck Graham 14.39 0 188 $500
39 Larry Bullock/Roger Caldwell 14.3 0 187 $500
40 Dale Westmoreland/Lance Youngblood 14.28 0 186 $500
41 Samuel Fish/Justin Hamner 14.16 0 185 $0
42 Mitchell Hall/Gabe Aldridge 14.06 0 184 $0
43 Dale Rogers/Bobby Cox 13.94 0 183 $0
44 Glen Whitley/Terry Fuller 13.83 0 182 $0
45 Keith Youngblood/Ty Youngblood 13.31 8.08 181 $0
46 Derrick Roberts/Jacob Eiland 13.25 0 180 $0
47 Barry Isbell/Jeff Schatz 13.14 0 179 $0
48 Ronnie Mask/Comer Mask 13.11 0 178 $0
49 Jimmy Sims/Bobby Lowery 13.06 0 177 $0
49 Jason Krasnosky/Jeff Pfeiffer 13.06 0 177 $0
51 Robbie Pritchard/Lynn Pritchard 13.04 0 175 $0
52 Matt Mcsweeney/Rod Mcsweeney 12.84 0 174 $0
53 Steven Ingram/ 12.83 0 173 $0
54 Scott Ashley/Taylor Ashley 12.66 0 172 $0
55 Tony Boyett/Brian Metcalf 12.49 0 171 $0
56 Steven Morris/Matt Vanzant 12.38 0 170 $0
57 Adam Bain/Kris Colley 12.3 0 169 $0
58 Ken Sessions/Greg Sessions 12.22 0 168 $0
59 Eli Malloy/Jason Windham 12.13 0 167 $0
60 Kenny Smith/James Purvis 12.02 0 166 $0
61 Blake Harper/Logan Shaddix 12.01 0 165 $0
61 Chris Pitts/Robert Mclain jr 12.01 0 165 $0
63 Nolan Brannan/Patrick Martin 11.9 0 163 $0
64 Jimmy Miller/Chris Miller 11.86 0 162 $0
65 Ken Walters/Ernie Faulkner 11.85 0 161 $0
66 Greg Griggers/Barry Landrum 11.73 0 160 $0
67 Jimmy Butler/Lewis Hill 11.72 0 159 $0
68 Tullis Lanier/Bill Spratlin 11.58 0 158 $0
69 Steve Thrash/Stan Hallman 11.29 0 157 $0
70 Jacob Rackard/John Ramer 11.22 0 156 $0
71 Victor Harper/Jeff Gilliam 11.13 0 155 $0
72 Michael Smedley/Jeremy Nichols 10.98 0 154 $0
73 Lowell Everett/Lawrence Curd 10.96 0 153 $0
74 Justin Marsh/Robbie Stanley 10.94 0 152 $0
75 Rusty Mask/Cody Farr 10.87 0 151 $0
76 Keith Kirkley/Jeff Kirkley 10.85 0 150 $0
77 Brian Jones/Barry Jones 10.78 0 149 $0
78 Deandrae Kimbrough/Orlando Harris 10.75 0 148 $0
79 Wes Jarvis/Scott Brown 10.74 0 147 $0
80 John Causey/Mike Brownfield 10.71 0 146 $0
81 Colby Wells/Kevin Wells 10.63 0 145 $0
82 Scott Montgomery/Les Bratcher 10.6 0 144 $0
83 Alan Brown/Frank Henry 10.58 0 143 $0
84 Jack Womack/Allen Yarborough 10.52 0 142 $0
85 David Horton/Ed Kernells 10.5 0 141 $0
85 Rob Kyle/David Shiver 10.5 0 141 $0
87 Kevin Dees/Jim Smith 10.43 0 139 $0
88 Scott Luster/Jerry Cook 10.39 0 138 $0
89 Richard Howell/Wayne Mcdade 10.33 0 137 $0
90 Danny Pollard/George Breland 10.18 0 136 $0
91 Hunter Mckinley/Micah Easterling 10.16 0 135 $0
92 Wayne Miller/Rick Haynie 10.12 0 134 $0
93 David Sherrill/Johnny Skipper 9.86 0 133 $0
94 David Pair/David Noakes 9.81 0 132 $0
95 Ronnie Ray/Alton Stillwell 9.6 0 131 $0
95 Thomas Brewbaker/Shawn Callahan 9.6 0 131 $0
97 Derek Pearson/Cody Harrell 9.58 0 129 $0
98 James Oswalt/Linda Oswalt 9.57 0 128 $0
99 Shane Horton/Brandon Horton 9.5 0 127 $0
100 Chris Minor/Chase Benson 9.47 0 126 $0
101 Todd Holland/Keith Reid 9.46 0 125 $0
102 Brannon Jones/Brian Fuller 9.39 0 124 $0
103 Sam Fish/Bill Champion 9.32 5.58 123 $0
104 Jason Kyser/Kevin Carpenter 8.86 0 122 $0
105 Jimbo Deaton/Sean Key 8.6 0 121 $0
106 Alton Shiver/Gary Niles 8.55 0 120 $0
107 Dewayne Byrd/Frank Alexander 8.54 0 119 $0
108 Jay Ladner/Randy Ladner 8.51 0 118 $0
109 Taylor Lamar/Mac Lamar 8.38 0 117 $0
110 Kevin Keel/Jacob Tidwell 8.31 0 116 $0
110 Tommy Calloway/Howard Holley 8.31 0 116 $0
112 Brian Graham/Johney Weaver 8.28 0 114 $0
113 Jerry Casey/Randy Casey 8.19 0 113 $0
114 J.t. Hodges/Donald Conway 8.07 0 112 $0
115 Steve Lipham/Mitch Milner 8.05 0 111 $0
116 Pam Martin-wells/Steven Wells 7.88 0 110 $0
117 Steve Pry/John Gilley 7.87 0 109 $0
118 Tate Cartee/ 7.64 0 108 $0
119 Nate Johnson/Allen Moses 7.48 0 107 $0
120 Walter Mccartney/Richard Cornelius 7.4 0 106 $0
121 Mark Wallace/Aaron Smith 7.3 0 105 $0
122 Tony Hogan/Vernon Ward 7.27 0 104 $0
123 Russell Wilson/Dewaine Dillashaw 7.18 0 103 $0
124 Tommy Overstreet/Don Elmore 7.13 0 102 $0
125 Billy Poiroux/Todd Sharpe 7.01 0 101 $0
126 Joey Mccall/Mike Mccall 6.92 0 100 $0
127 Trey Potts/Boone Shear 6.77 0 99 $0
128 Joey Smith/Barry Mcclain 6.75 0 98 $0
129 Clemm Parker/Donald Parker 6.58 0 97 $0
130 Tim Fitzgerald/Kelly White 6.32 0 96 $0
131 Neil Stillwell/Mark Stillwell 5.97 0 95 $0
132 James Richerson/Craig Hamilton 5.8 0 94 $0
133 Dennis Mcgouirk/Vernelle Quinnie 5.18 0 93 $0
134 Danny Grissett/Tony Wilson 5.09 0 92 $0
135 Danny Green/Tommy Parker 4.38 0 91 $0
136 James Hall/Kenneth Robinson 4.21 0 90 $0
137 Chad Ray/Sean Haigler 4.06 0 89 $0
138 Jimmy Cook/Randall Sims 3.96 0 88 $0
139 Larry Breckenridge/John eddie Donaldson 3.89 0 87 $0
140 Larry Blount/Robert blount 3.76 0 86 $0
141 James Vanblake/Donnie Zundel 3.21 0 85 $0
142 Wayne Cox/Jimmy Harrison 3.1 0 84 $0
143 Lou Cobb/Ben Lundy 3.05 0 83 $0
144 David Sneed/Clint Carter 2.86 0 82 $0
145 Stephen Roberson/Kenneth Roberson 2.67 0 81 $0
146 Mark Ammons/Terry Harris 1.56 0 80 $0
147 David Stout/John Otts 1.53 0 79 $0
148 John Hayles/Don Reeve 1.47 0 78 $0
149 Gentry Gordy/Chad Smith 1.18 0 77 $0
150 Edgar Mcmichael/Dennis Robinson 0 0 67 $0
150 Tyler Pitts/Kyle Tindol 0 0 67 $0
150 Keith Ray/Jared Ray 0 0 67 $0
150 Martin Lyons/Jonathon Tutt 0 0 67 $0
150 Brian Stiffler/Ben Black 0 0 67 $0
150 Preston Anthony/Derrek Wilson 0 0 67 $0
150 Josh Herren/Jeremy Calvin 0 0 67 $0
150 Johnathan Stuckey/Doyle Taunton 0 0 67 $0
150 Cory Ingram/Kenneth Moore 0 0 67 $0
150 Josh Butler/Jeb Tate 0 0 67 $0
150 Rob Lee/Johnny Payton 0 0 67 $0
0 Shaye Baker/Ben Weldon 0 0 0 $0
0 Cole Phillips /Kye Phillips 0 0 0 $0

Scott Canterbury Hammers 32.1 to take the lead in the Santee Cooper Costa Series Event

If you were to ask Scott Canterbury why he fishes for a living, he would point to days like today, where he compiled a whopping 32-pound, 1-ounce limit to take the lead on the first day of the Costa FLW Series event on Santee Cooper presented by Minn Kota.

“It was just one of those magical days,” the Quaker State pro says. “That’s why we do this is for days like this.”

Canterbury says he wrestled all night with a decision to either go sight-fishing for bass already locked on beds or run to another place where he felt like fish were just starting to move in to begin spawning. He chose the latter, and was it ever the right choice.

Scott Canterbury

“These are not sight fish,” the Alabama pro clarifies. “I’m just fishing a couple of areas where the fish are funneling in to spawn. They might not spawn for another few days, but there’s no doubt that’s what they’re moving in there to do. I really wanted to go sight-fishing this morning because they are moving up on beds everywhere, and I love to sight-fish. I think I made the better choice, though.”

Canterbury caught nine keepers total today.

“I actually culled one while fishing my way out of one of the areas, so I think there will be some in there again tomorrow,” he adds. “No matter what, I’m committed to it now. After a bag like that, you’ve got to be.”

Canterbury carries a 2 1/2-pound lead into day two, but given the ridiculous number of fish pulling up and biting everywhere on the lake, he is in no way safe. Behind him is a crew of anglers catching big fish seemingly at will. The top-10 cut currently stands at a stout 24 pounds, 9 ounces.

Top 10 Pros

1. Scott Canterbury – Springville, Ala. – 32-01 (5)

2. Bradley Dortch – Bay Minette, Ala. – 29-09 (5)

3. Brett Mitchell – Timmonsville, S.C. – 28-02 (5)

4. Tim Malone – Gatlinburg, Tenn. – 26-05 (5)

5. Pat Fisher – Colbert, Ga. – 25-07 (5)

6. Tony Couch – Buckhead, Ga. – 25-06 (5)

7. Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C. – 25-06 (5)

8. Richard Stevens – Galatia, Ill. – 24-15 (5)

9. Joseph Kremer – Osteen, Fla. – 24-10 (5)

10. Casey O’Donnell – Scottsboro, Ala. – 24-09 (5)

Day 1 Results

Day 1 OTW Photos

 

Kyle Parks

KYLE PARKS LEADS CO-ANGLERS

Kyle Parks of Albany, Ga., leads the co-angler division of the Costa FLW Series on Santee Cooper with 24 pounds, 7 ounces.

“I only got six bites all day, but they were all big ones,” Parks says. “I pretty much caught them all on one lure: a black [Zoom] Trick Worm.”

Top 10 Co-anglers

1. Kyle Parks – Albany, Ga. – 24-07 (5)

2. Lonnie Drusch – Sumter, S.C. – 21-13 (5)

3. Todd Walters – Summerville, S.C. – 20-13 (5)

4. Randol Stone – Marianna, Fla. – 18-11 (5)

5. Gerald Bozeman – Sylvester, Ga. – 17-08 (5)

6. Michael Padgett – Leesburg, Ga. – 15-05 (4)

7. David Hudson – Jasper, Ala. – 15-02 (4)

8. Ty Solis – Albany, Ga. – 14-14 (5)

9. John Duarte – Middle River, Md. – 13-06 (3)

10. James Topmiller – Orlando, Fla. – 12-13 (3)

Day 1 Full Results:

PLACE ANGLER CITY/STATE DAY 1
1 SCOTT CANTERBURY SPRINGVILLE, AL 32 - 1 (5)
2 BRADLEY DORTCH BAY MINETTE, AL 29 - 9 (5)
3 BRETT MITCHELL TIMMONSVILLE, SC 28 - 2 (5)
4 TIM MALONE GATLINBURG, TN 26 - 5 (5)
5 PAT FISHER COLBERT, GA 25 - 7 (5)
6 TONY COUCH BUCKHEAD, GA 25 - 6 (5)
7 BRYAN THRIFT SHELBY, NC 25 - 6 (5)
8 RICHARD STEVENS GALATIA, IL 24 - 15 (5)
9 JOSEPH KREMER OSTEEN, FL 24 - 10 (5)
10 CASEY O'DONNELL SCOTTSBORO, AL 24 - 9 (5)
11 JT KENNEY PALM BAY, FL 24 - 8 (5)
12 JAY KENDRICK GRANT, AL 24 - 7 (5)
13 RONNIE MCCOY LAMAR, SC 23 - 6 (5)
14 GEORGE KAPITON INVERNESS, FL 23 - 0 (5)
15 GLENN BROWNE OCALA, FL 22 - 14 (5)
16 KENT WARE GUNTERSVILLE, AL 22 - 11 (5)
17 PRESTON CLARK EAGLE LAKE, FL 22 - 8 (5)
18 DAVID HENDRICK CHERRYVILLE, NC 22 - 7 (5)
19 DARRELL DAVIS DOVER, FL 22 - 5 (5)
20 LEE NUNNALLY MONROE, GA 22 - 5 (5)
21 TODD SMITH SUMMERVILLE, SC 22 - 5 (5)
22 MACK COOK MONCKS CORNER, SC 22 - 3 (5)
23 JUAN RUIZ WEST PALM BEACH, FL 21 - 8 (5)
24 JOSH MILLIGAN EDENTON, NC 21 - 8 (5)
25 MIKE MILLER TRINITY, NC 21 - 5 (4)
26 ALLAN GLASGOW ASHVILLE, AL 21 - 4 (5)
27 MCCOY BORJA JOHNSON CITY, TN 20 - 15 (5)
28 RON NELSON BERRIEN SPRINGS, MI 20 - 14 (5)
29 SANDY MELVIN BOCA GRANDE, FL 20 - 11 (5)
30 ZACH CRIDER TUNNEL HILL, GA 20 - 0 (5)
31 LEVI CHRISTIANSON NISSWA, MN 19 - 11 (3)
32 JOHNNY JOHNSTON SUMMERVILLE, SC 19 - 11 (5)
33 PETER CHERKAS DES MOINES, IA 19 - 10 (5)
34 JEFF FITTS KEYSTONE HEIGHTS, FL 19 - 8 (4)
35 DUSTIN SMITH MOUNT DORA, FL 19 - 5 (5)
36 ROBERT BEATTY CLERMONT, FL 19 - 4 (5)
37 WAYNE CLIFTON MONCKS CORNER, SC 19 - 1 (5)
38 JARED MCMILLAN BELLE GLADE, FL 18 - 14 (5)
39 LUCAS MCDANIEL FISHERS, IN 18 - 7 (5)
40 COREY RADOMSKI OCALA, FL 18 - 4 (5)
41 PHIL CURY JACKSONVILLE, FL 18 - 2 (5)
42 BO CHAPPELL OLANTA, SC 18 - 1 (5)
43 BRYAN COOK VANCE, SC 17 - 9 (4)
44 LAVOYD LEMMOND DECATUR, AL 17 - 9 (5)
45 CARLTON THOMPKINS MYRTLE BEACH, SC 17 - 7 (5)
46 WALTER OGLE MARYVILLE, TN 17 - 2 (4)
47 WILLIAM FLETCHER DALLAS, GA 17 - 2 (5)
48 PETER THLIVEROS SAINT AUGUSTINE, FL 17 - 2 (5)
49 DANNY KIRK BARTOW, GA 17 - 1 (5)
50 RYAN WORTHINGTON MIDDLEBURG, FL 17 - 0 (5)
51 BRENT RILEY CROSS, SC 16 - 14 (5)
52 BOB BLACKERBY CHELSEA, AL 16 - 14 (5)
53 WADE GROOMS BONNEAU, SC 16 - 14 (4)
54 CLAYTON BATTS MACON, GA 16 - 13 (5)
55 JASON ABRAM PINEY FLATS, TN 16 - 8 (5)
56 RYAN BOWLES PINEVILLE, SC 16 - 7 (5)
57 CASEY SMITH MUSELLA, GA 16 - 7 (5)
58 SCOTT PEAVY BLYTHEWOOD, SC 16 - 4 (5)
59 MARC DESCHENES SUMMERVILLE, SC 16 - 1 (5)
60 NICK PRVONOZAC WARREN, OH 16 - 0 (5)
61 JEFF CANNON DOUGLASVILLE, GA 15 - 14 (5)
62 R T KERBER AVA, NY 15 - 13 (3)
63 CHRIS HEATH NORTH AUGUSTA, SC 15 - 12 (5)
64 MARK HUTSON MONCKS CORNER, SC 15 - 10 (4)
65 TIM WILSON GAS CITY, IN 15 - 8 (5)
66 WAYNE FRIERSON MANNING, SC 15 - 8 (5)
67 ROB DIGH DENVER, NC 15 - 5 (4)
68 SVEN HILLAND SANFORD, FL 15 - 1 (5)
69 NICK THLIVEROS ST. AUGUSTINE, FL 15 - 1 (5)
70 KENNETH MEEK VINCENT, OH 14 - 15 (3)
71 TYLER SUDDARTH VALDOSTA, GA 14 - 11 (5)
72 WILL YELVERTON HAZEL GREEN, AL 14 - 11 (4)
73 CLINT BROWN BAINBRIDGE, GA 14 - 10 (5)
74 BRAD KNIGHT LANCING, TN 14 - 9 (5)
75 TRIPP POPLIN SUMTER, SC 14 - 8 (4)
76 PATRICK WALTERS SUMMERVILLE, SC 14 - 5 (5)
77 LEON WILLIAMS FAIRDALE, KY 14 - 3 (5)
78 AUSTIN MURRAY DELAND, FL 14 - 2 (5)
79 BRIAN HOLDER BELMONT, NC 14 - 1 (5)
80 JOEY ROMANO DENHAM SPRINGS, LA 13 - 14 (5)
81 SEAN SKEY SUMTER, SC 13 - 13 (4)
82 FURMAN (JOE) THOMPSON CLAYTON, GA 13 - 7 (4)
83 BRYAN NEW BELMONT, NC 13 - 7 (5)
84 SCOTT TOWRY LAWRENCEBURG, TN 13 - 6 (5)
85 DEAN BORUFF VALDOSTA, GA 13 - 5 (4)
86 SANDY OLIVER HARTSVILLE, SC 13 - 4 (2)
87 NICK GAINEY CHARLESTON, SC 13 - 2 (3)
88 BRANDON MEDLOCK LAKE PLACID, FL 13 - 0 (5)
89 SCOTT WILEY BAY MINETTE, AL 12 - 14 (5)
90 ISHAMA MONROE HUGHSON, CA 12 - 12 (5)
91 JUSTIN MORGAN OKEECHOBEE, FL 12 - 10 (4)
92 JARED THOMPSON MARVELL, AR 12 - 10 (5)
93 KEN ELLIS BOWMAN, SC 12 - 9 (5)
94 TIM EMORY CREEDMOOR, NC 12 - 8 (4)
95 WES LOGAN SPRINGVILLE, AL 12 - 7 (5)
96 SCOTT GIBBS ROME, GA 12 - 2 (4)
97 TOM HUYNH MOORHEAD, MN 12 - 2 (4)
98 CURREY HOLLEY PULASKI, TN 12 - 1 (4)
99 DANIEL LARSON ONAMIA, MN 11 - 15 (3)
100 MICHAEL CROCKER PASADENA, MD 11 - 14 (2)
101 JARED DIAL WINTER HAVEN, FL 11 - 12 (4)
102 HARRY MOORE VALLEY, AL 11 - 6 (3)
103 TODD AUTEN LAKE WYLIE, SC 11 - 6 (4)
104 BRAD CARROLL MARIETTA, GA 11 - 2 (3)
105 JIMMY BASS FLORENCE, SC 11 - 1 (5)
106 JEFFREY PRISZA WYANDOTTE, MI 11 - 0 (5)
107 BRYAN HONNERLAW MOORE HAVEN, FL 10 - 15 (4)
108 WAYNE KING SUMTER, SC 10 - 13 (2)
109 RONALD (RON) FARROW ROCK HILL, SC 10 - 12 (4)
110 JOEL GREEN MOULTON, AL 10 - 10 (3)
111 STEVE BOOGIE BROWN ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL 10 - 7 (5)
112 CECIL DOUBERLY LAKELAND, FL 10 - 5 (5)
113 DERRICK BLAKE ROCKWOOD, TN 10 - 3 (5)
114 DEARAL RODGERS CAMDEN, SC 10 - 2 (5)
115 TIM SHMIGAL AKRON, OH 9 - 12 (4)
116 STEVE THORNHILL PINEVILLE, SC 9 - 7 (5)
117 BRADFORD BEAVERS RIDGEVILLE, SC 9 - 7 (2)
118 ROYCE RAILEY CATAULA, GA 9 - 4 (4)
119 MARK HOLLOWAY MADISON, GA 9 - 4 (4)
120 RICK COTTEN GUNTERSVILLE, AL 9 - 2 (3)
121 RON BROWN MOUNT PLEASANT, SC 9 - 0 (3)
122 ANDREW LUXON RICHMOND, KY 8 - 14 (2)
123 DANNY SHELL ALBERTVILLE, AL 8 - 12 (3)
124 GARY EVERETT DALEVILLE, AL 8 - 12 (2)
125 VAL OSINSKI POMPANO BEACH, FL 8 - 9 (4)
126 THOMAS HELTON CHARLESTON, TN 8 - 9 (2)
127 TIM FREDERICK LEESBURG, FL 8 - 8 (4)
128 BRIAN DIVITO ST PETERSBURG, FL 8 - 7 (2)
129 JOHN DIAL WINTER HAVEN, FL 8 - 6 (3)
130 BARRETT MOSS SOMERSET, KY 8 - 4 (2)
131 CAMERON GAUTNEY MUSCLE SHOALS, AL 8 - 3 (3)
132 WAYNE MACKLIN FENTON, MI 7 - 11 (2)
133 JAMES BYRD FLORENCE, AL 7 - 7 (3)
134 TERRY TUCKER GADSDEN, AL 7 - 4 (3)
135 TAYLOR WATKINS ONEONTA, AL 7 - 4 (3)
136 DENNIS CAMERON TRAVELERS REST, SC 7 - 4 (2)
137 TRENT PARDUE TROY, NC 7 - 1 (1)
138 ROBERT BEHRLE HOOVER, AL 7 - 1 (3)
139 LONNIE ONEAL VALDOSTA, GA 7 - 0 (2)
140 GERRY BROUSSEAU NAPLES, FL 6 - 15 (2)
141 MICKEY MCHENRY MCDONOUGH, GA 6 - 15 (3)
142 DAVID KELLY GOOSE CREEK, SC 6 - 14 (2)
143 JOHN DUVALL MADISON, GA 6 - 13 (2)
144 KEITH PACE MONTICELLO, AR 6 - 12 (2)
145 JEFFERY FARMER JACKSONVILLE, NC 6 - 11 (3)
146 HAL CERCOPELY MANNING, SC 6 - 6 (3)
147 CHUCK HOWARD ELLOREE, SC 6 - 2 (3)
148 LEX COSTAS DANIEL ISLAND, SC 6 - 1 (3)
149 LIONEL BOTHA PALM BAY, FL 5 - 15 (1)
150 JASON LAMBERT PICKWICK DAM, TN 5 - 14 (3)
151 WILLIAM SHIPES WILLISTON, SC 5 - 13 (3)
152 BRIAN MERRIMAN FALKVILLE, AL 5 - 12 (2)
153 BRANDON JOHNSON OWINGSVILLE, KY 5 - 11 (3)
154 JOEY THIGPEN ST JOHNS, FL 5 - 8 (2)
155 BRYANT ADAM MADISON, MS 5 - 8 (1)
156 CLIFFORD DAWSON OCALA, FL 5 - 8 (3)
157 WILLIAM KISIAH SLIDELL, LA 5 - 4 (2)
158 CRAIG TAYLOR TALLAHASSEE, FL 5 - 0 (2)
159 TIM FOX MERIDAN, MS 4 - 0 (1)
160 TODD OLDS NORTH CHARLESTON, SC 3 - 13 (2)
161 ANTHONY COLACURCIO FORT MILL, SC 3 - 8 (1)
162 CHAD AARON LAWRENCEBURG, TN 3 - 6 (2)
163 BRANDON PERKINS COUNCE, TN 3 - 4 (1)
164 DANIEL WELCH NEW MARTINSVILLE, WV 3 - 2 (1)
165 SHANE POWELL MIDLAND CITY, AL 3 - 2 (1)
166 MICHEL PURVIS CANTON, GA 3 - 2 (2)
167 MICHAEL MURPHY LEXINGTON, SC 2 - 14 (1)
168 NORMAN LEE LAKE PLACID, FL 2 - 12 (1)
169 TIMMY THOMPKINS MYRTLE BEACH, SC 2 - 9 (1)
170 PAUL GETTYS DUE WEST, SC 2 - 6 (1)
171 SCOTTY ESTES HOLLY POND, AL 1 - 15 (1)
172 J.W. SMITH GOOSE CREEK, SC 1 - 15 (1)
173 KAZUNORI OKUMA SHIGA, 524-0041 JAPAN, JP 1 - 13 (1)
174 BRAD SCHWARTZ GOOSE CREEK, SC 1 - 10 (1)
175 ANTHONY FORD NEW SMYRNA, FL
176 BRIAN COLEMAN CLERMONT, FL
177 JOHN (JACK) MORRIS JR ROBINSON, IL
178 MARK KNIGHT MCDONOUGH, GA
179 BILL HUTCHISON BESSEMER, AL
180 WAYNE CHRISTOPHER HUNTSVILLE, AL
181 RICKY HALL RICHWOOD, OH
182 LINDWOOD THORNHILL PINEVILLE, SC
183 LEE HAAS HIXSON, TN
184 DANIEL HOWELL STARR, SC
185 DAVID SHEFFIELD DAVIE, FL
186 BOB MORIN SEYMOUR, TN
187 ROYCE MCALISTER BENTON, KY
188 GLENN CARTER ROCKWOOD, TN
189 STEVEN STINSON PICKERING, ON
190 BRAD HARMON RINGGOLD, GA
191 LARRY SCHROEDER CLAYTON, OH
192 CLIFTON JONES ORANGE BEACH, AL
193 TONY DUMITRAS WINSTON, GA
194 BRYAN NEWBERRY CLEVELAND, TN
195 MATTHEW PAIN SCOTTSBORO, AL
196 TAYLOR RAMEY BRANDON, MS
197 EDWARD GUICE DECATUR, AL

Texas Team Trail Heads To Richland Chambers Saturday March 19Th

The Texas Team Trail (TXTT) presented by Cabela's will host its third regular-season event of the 2016 tournament season on Saturday, March 19, at Richland Chambers Reservoir. The 41,000-acre fishery is one of the youngest yet most productive lakes in Texas.

Registration for the event is already underway - anglers can secure an opportunity to pre-fish Friday, March 18, by completing their registration online or via phone prior to midnight on Thursday, March 17. Additionally, all anglers that pre-register online at www.texasteamtrail.com will be entered into a drawing for a $100 Cabela's gift card. Due to the size of the lake TXTT will be capping registration for the event at 250 teams.
The Richland Chambers event is the third regular-season event of four 2016 qualifying events that guarantee a fully rigged, 18-foot boat, motor, trailer package as first-place prize. The winning anglers at Richland Chambers will walk away with a brand-new Triton 189TRX with a 150HP Mercury valued at $28,495.
In addition to the payout, the event offers anglers an unprecedented opportunity in terms of sponsor bonuses and television coverage. The budget-friendly $250 entry fee, plus multiple contingency programs and a guaranteed, over-100 percent payback at every event provides tremendous value to the weekend angler.
On-site registration is set for Friday, March 18, from 4-6 p.m. at Oak Cove Marina (10411 South Hwy. 287, Corsicana, TX 75109). At least one team member must attend, as boat numbers will be assigned during this time. The tournament will launch Saturday, March 19, at safe light from Oak Cove and weigh-in will begin at the same location at 3 p.m.
Anglers with questions or anyone interested in more details on the event are encouraged to visit www.texasteamtrail.com or call 210-281-1752 or 210-788-4143.
Texas Team Trail events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of these well-respected brands: Cabela's, Ranger Boats, Lucas Oil, Evinrude, RAM, Mercury, Minn Kota, Triton Boats, Power-Pole, Amphibia, Arctic Ice, Stratos Boats, Lowrance, Navionics, Protect the Harvest, BoatU.S., General Tire, SuperClean, Garmin, Valley Fashions, T-H Marine, Atlas, G-Juice, Powertex Group.
2016 TXTT Remaining Events:
March 19 - Richland Chambers Reservoir (Limit 250 teams)
April 16 - Lake Texoma (Limit 250 teams)
Championship - May 14-15 - Ray Roberts Lake

Garmin Pro's Claim 2 Of The Top 10 Spots At 2016 Bassmasters Classic!

 

  

 

Garmin® anglers Jason Christie and Greg Hackney claim top-10 finishes at the world’s most prestigious bass angling event

OLATHE, Kan./March 9, 2016/Business Wire – Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN), today announced that two of its marine pro team anglers, Jason Christie and Greg Hackney, placed second and tenth respectively at the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic, commonly referred to as the world championship of fishing. Christie and Hackney, along with the other Garmin anglers, relied on Garmin’s revolutionary PanoptixTM all-seeing sonar technology, GPSMAP® combination units and LakeVü HD Ultra to be competitive at this year’s Bassmaster Classic at Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees outside Tulsa, Okla. Grand Lake is one of the 99 MaxDef lakes surveyed by Garmin and available to its customers with an unprecedented level of detail.

Christie, who had a commanding lead of nearly six pounds after the first two days, finished with a total haul of 50 pounds, 2 ounces. Hackney’s final score was 40 pounds, 9 ounces. Christie and Hackney were among the five Garmin pro team anglers fishing this year’s Classic.

“We are incredibly proud of Jason and Greg, and all of the Garmin anglers who competed in this year’s Bassmaster Classic,” said David Dunn, Garmin senior manager, marine sales and marketing. “We’ve more than doubled our team of professional anglers from last year, and it’s remarkable to see what a difference using Garmin products – particularly Panoptix – is making for them on high-profile stages like the Classic. We continue to be committed to being a top player in the freshwater fishing industry, and we’re confident there will be many more top finishes for the Garmin team this season.”

For more information about Garmin and its award-winning marine electronics, and to learn more about the entire 2016 Garmin pro team, visit garmin.com/marine.

Recently, Garmin was named Manufacturer of the Year and received the honor of being the most recognized company in the marine electronics field by the NMEA. Garmin’s portfolio includes some of the industry’s most sophisticated chartplotters and touchscreen multifunction displays, sonar technology, high-definition radar, autopilots, high-resolution charts, sailing instrumentation and other products and services that are known for innovation, reliability, and ease-of-use.

For decades, Garmin has pioneered new GPS navigation and wireless devices and applications that are designed for people who live an active lifestyle. Garmin serves five primary business units, including automotive, aviation, fitness, marine, and outdoor recreation. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at garmin.com/newsroom, contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200, or follow us at facebook.com/garmin, twitter.com/garmin, or youtube.com/garmin.

About Garmin International Inc. Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN). Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Garmin and GPSMAP are registered trademarks and Panoptix is a trademark of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.

All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

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Notice on Forward-Looking Statements:

This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on management’s current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 2015, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of such Form 10-K is available at http://www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward- looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. 


St. Croix Rods Tags Jesse Simpkins As Director Of Marketing

Park Falls, WI (March 7, 2016) – Tune in to the evening news and you can’t help but sense the doom and gloom of corporate America. Layoffs are common. What little personnel remains take on twice the duties. Pressure from top management trickles down through the workforce. Bad attitudes bloom. Business breaks.

 

Not all businesses follow the same, paved communal highway, however. Some, like Wisconsin’s St. Croix Rods, prefer to take the lighter-traveled yet well-maintained road, which ultimately leads to innovation and growth. With headquarters in small-town-USA, St. Croix is a family-owned and -run company. And the staff loves working there. Fact is, employment stints within the walls of the Park Falls, Wisconsin, facility are not measured in years, but decades.
The pride of every employee, from upper management on down, shows through in every rod St. Croix creates—that’s hundreds of thousands of rods every year. And growing.

 

And It’s because of St. Croix’s culture why a veteran of the fishing and hunting industries, Jesse Simpkins, will be joining the St. Croix team, taking on the role of Director of Marketing. With over 20-years in the outdoors marketplace under his belt, Simpkins will be officially stepping over the threshold to joined the company on February 29, 2016.

 

“A few years back I was asked to jot down the places I would most like to work if I were to start my career all over again. And, believe it or not, St. Croix was at the top of that list,” says Simpkins. “Not just because they are a family-owned business that treats everyone on staff like kin, but they are the top in rod crafting, and their name is synonymous with quality and craftsmanship.

 

“I look forward to getting to know the people inside the organization, top to bottom,” he adds. “The company is an integral part of the community of Park Falls. I am really looking forward to being a valued member of the team that delivers these quality products and drive the brand.”

 

“Jesse has a very successful track record and is highly respected in the fishing industry,” says Jeff Schluter, St. Croix’s Vice President of Brand Management. “He’s a passionate angler who intimately understands the fishing community and business. We love Jesse’s skill set and personality along with and his experience and devotion to fishing. Jesse will hit the ground running and communicate the St. Croix story.

 

“The company is growing. The creation of this position has been a long time coming and Jesse’s a great fit.”

 

 

 

 

 

#StCroixRod

 

 

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About St. Croix Rod

St. Croix Rod is a family-owned and managed manufacturer of high-performance fishing rods headquartered in Park Falls, Wisconsin with a 65-year heritage of USA manufacturing. Utilizing proprietary technologies, St. Croix controls every step of the rod-making process, from conception and design to manufacturing and inspection, in two company-owned facilities. The company offers a complete line of premium, American-made fly, spinning and casting rods under their Legend Elite®, Legend® Xtreme, Legend Tournament®, Avid Series®, Premier®, Wild River®, Tidemaster®, Imperial® and other trademarks through a global distribution network of full-service fishing tackle dealers. The company’s mid-priced Triumph®, Mojo Bass/Musky/Inshore/Surf, Eyecon® and Rio Santo series rods are designed and engineered in Park Falls, Wisconsin and built in a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Fresnillo, Mexico. Founded in 1948 to manufacture jointed bamboo fishing poles for a Minneapolis hardware store chain, St. Croix has grown to become the largest manufacturer of fishing rods in North America.


Bass Champs Results From Lake Belton: Vince Repola & Darryl Roach Top 215 Teams & Take Over $25,000 Cash/prizes

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Repola & Roach reel in 1st place on Belton and win over $25,000 at Bass Champs 

By: Patty Lenderman

 
 

Repola & Roach reel in 1st place on Belton and win over $25,000 at Bass Champs

Bass Champs Central Region had their second event of the season on Lake Belton March 5, 2016 with 215 participating teams fishing for a total pot of $66,100 in cash and prizes. Vince Repola and Darryl Roach found the only limit over 20 pounds, giving them a payday of over $25,000.

Belton Lake can be a tough lake to fish, but the conditions were perfect with a warm spring day, very few clouds and gentle breezes. Temperatures started out in the 40Â’s but warmed to the 70Â’s by the afternoon.

It had been a long time since Vince Repola of Ft. Worth and Darryl Roach of Benbrook, TX had been on the lake. “I lived on Belton for a few months, and fished it every day while I was there. It has been 11 years since I’ve been back to it before this tournament.” Remembering his old fishing days there, they had one spot picked out. “The area we wanted to fish was a rock pile on an underwater point with trees on each side. Fish seem to stay in that area year round, you just have to figure out where exactly for the given time you are there. We decided to just go fishing, and hoped to stumble across something good.” They rigged up to fish shallow water. “The first hour was uneventful. The fish were not where we expected.” Easing out to deeper water, closer to the trees, they switched to jigs and Carolina rigs. “We had to slow our fishing way down, but we found them in that deeper water.” Once they found where the fish were staged, the action became fast and furious. “We put a decent limit in the boat, but bigger ones were biting between 10:30-1:00.” Vince caught their kicker during that time weighing in at 6.27 pounds. “Darryl made our last cull around 2:00. At that point we decided to pack up and go weigh them in. They were still biting when we left!” They stayed in the same area all day, saying that they beat it up for all it was worth. They brought in the only limit over 20 pounds, having 21.13 lbs total. When all the teams finished weighing, it was worth 1st place and the guaranteed purse of $20,000! They also qualified for the Sportsmans Auto Network bonus, putting their total winnings over the $25,000 mark. “I’d like to thank my partner Darryl. We make a great team!”

2nd place winners James Olson and Bobby Thrasher, both of Gatesville, TX, also had a great day on the water. “The day went really well for us. It started by drawing boat #7, so we had a great start and we made it to our first spot before anyone else.” It was a main lake point in water ranging in depth from 6’ to 20’. The fish were biting as soon as they got there, and they had a limit in the boat within an hour! “We used Texas rigs all day. Bobby caught our big one around 1:00. She was in 7’ of water, and it was a little hairy for a while getting her in! She got up in a tree, but Bobby hung on to her and she eventually swam out and we got her in.” That catch weighed in at 7.46 pounds, anchoring their 2nd place finish and winning Big Bass of the day. “It was hard to leave that spot and come in to weigh. They were still biting when we left!” All total their weight was 19.83 lbs, and Bass Champs paid the team $5,000 for their overall finish, plus another $1,000 for Big Bass. They also won the $200 Chevron Delo bonus and the $200 Under Armour bonus. “We’ve been fishing Bass Champs for about 10 years, and this is our best finish so far. I’d like to thank God, my wife, my partner Bobby, Bass Champs for having a great circuit for us to fish, and other people that just help make our lives better.”

Brandon Feltner of Liberty Hill, TX and Chris Connor of Jonestown, TX secured a 3rd place win with 17.74 lbs. “We started out early in transition areas with depths 6’ to 20’ leading into spawning areas,” Chris explained. They were using Carolina and Alabama rigs all day, and put an initial limit together weighing around 15 pounds. “We culled little by little all day, and probably caught around four limits. We had a blast!” They ‘shot hay’ in around four spots, hitting each of them multiple times throughout the day. “We just kept a positive mental attitude all day. Brandon made our last cull of the day, exchanging a 1-1/2 pounder for a five pound bass. We lost three A-rigs, but our winnings made it worth it!” They were awarded $4,000 for their 3rd place finish, then Skeeter doubled their money being the highest finishing team in a qualified Skeeter boat! They pocketed even more winning the Lowrance GEN3 bonus as well. Brandon would like to thank his wife for her unwaivering support. “I have to say thank you to my wife as well,” Chris added. “She’s always there for me 100%, encouraging me and taking care of things while we’re away. We are going to treat both of them out to a really nice dinner and do some other things for them with our winnings as well!”

Bass Champs paid the top 28 teams, and Trey Grose & Joe Bill Hale caught the last $600 check having a limit weighing 12.13 pounds.

There are only two Central Region tournaments left in the season. The next one is April 9 at Lake Travis, and the last one will be May 14 at LBJ. In the meantime, Bass Champs staff and crew are headed to Sam Rayburn March 12 for the third East Region event. Remember – all Bass Champs tournaments are open to anyone who would like to fish for their chance to win some BIG money!

Also - The Mega Bass event is getting closer! The worldÂ’s richest one day hourly big bass event will be on Lake Fork March 20th. $20,000 will be paid out every hour of the tournament, and the angler who catches the biggest bass of the day will receive $15,000 cash AND a new Skeeter ZX200 bass boat! Up to fifteen anglers will receive a check each hour, and there are more chances to win for being the first to bring in an even weight bass of 2.50, 3.00, 7.00 or 8.00 pounds! What does it cost to enter for your chance to win this big? $160 per person. Check out all the details at www.BassChamps.com or call 817-439-3274.

 

Champs hold up their $25,000 Stringer on Lake Belton 

Champs hold up their $25,000 Stringer on Lake Belton

 

 

 


Edwin Evers Overtakes Christie To Win The 2016 Bassmasters Classic On Grand Lake!!!

Evers Overtakes Christie in Final Round of 2016 Bassmaster Classic with Huge Sack of Grand Lake Bass!

As thousands of fans waited outside the BOK Center in Tulsa to witness the final weigh in of the 2016 Bassmaster Classic, rumors swirled like the Oklahoma wind that stirred the bass fishing world today. Word was Edwin Evers had caught considerably more than the 25 pounds that the BassTrak system had credited to him. He had caught enough, it was speculated, to surpass fellow home state favorite and two-day tournament leader Jason Christie in Sunday’s final round.

Fans were in for a show.

Anglers had bemoaned the slow bite they endured under calm conditions on Friday and Saturday. Many said they welcomed the wind that was to blow hard from the south on Sunday. “It’s got to make things better,” said Evers. It did. For him.

Evers started the day about 6 pounds out of the lead and quickly caught an initial limit that weighed an estimated 18 pounds. BassTrak had him at 25 pounds for the day when it stopped updating results. In any case, he had made the most of the opportunities the whitecapped lake had afforded him.

Christie worked as best he could around a navy of bass boats. Each time he moved they followed and often pushed into the pockets he was fishing. “I have to pick a side of the pocket because there will be boats on the other every time go into one. I have to fish what I think is the best side and just know that the other side will probably be unfishable on my way out,” said Christie.

When Evers stepped to the scale the bass fishing world found out that his fish weighed an astounding 29 pounds, 3 ounces.

Christie answered with 12-09.

Evers won by over 10 pounds, 60-07 to 50-02.

Christie said he will be less bothered by the loss, and all of the various contributing factors because he didn’t come close to winning. “Had gotten beat by a pound or two, I’d probably be a little upset. Dude, I got beat down,” he said. “I’m gonna go to sleep tonight because I just got beat. Sometimes in fishing you just get beat.”

Christie admitted that his game plan started to deteriorate during last Sunday’s practice round, not just on each successive competition day. “When we got that wind and everything started warming up, it started going away. Those females are not predictable (under such conditions). They just move around. I was concerned, but I thought I could ride it out. I didn’t.”

Evers on the other hand, went to a part of the lake he would not have imagined could produce the win. When one door closed, the season veteran of the Elite Series noticed that another door had opened.

December’s flooding put the lower end of Grand Lake high and muddy. “I know that lower end really well and I wanted it to go down down there but it was just muddy. It was not anything like I needed it to be. It’s just weird how these things work out. Here I am Classic Champion on a whole complete end of the lake that you could have told me it could be won on and I’d have said ‘no, there’s no way’ but I’m sitting here next to this trophy.

Evers adjusted by going way back in the Elk River to a flat that required wind in order to produce fish because the water is crystal clear and shallow. The same flood that took the lower lake out of Ever’s game plan also deposited a lot of logs on the clear water flat that eventually gave up his winning fish.

The Elk holds a special place in Evers’ heart. “It’s my most favorite place in the world. Ever. Me and my son go camping there. But we camp way up it. That water is flowing all the time. It’s crystal clear. It’s beautiful and it hits a flat. This flat is wide but it’s shallow and that water has got to go over that flat.”

Evers caught his first day fish on a MegaBass Flat Slab, “fishing rocks in a mid-lake area. That was a dying pattern. After only catching 4 fish I thought I’d let the Classic slip through my hands.

“The 2nd day I went into what I call damage control. At 10:30 I didn’t have a bite. I ran way up the river and I started flipping my all-time confidence bait - a Zoom Z Hog - and a War Eagle spinnerbait and I had the 17 pounds the 2nd day.”

He caught all of Sunday’s fish on a small jig with a craw trailer. “I caught those fish all on a little Andy’s Custom Jig. It’s a really cool jig. Their one of the few companies that still has living round rubber – something that you have to have in that clear water situation. I caught them pretty early. Once the wind started blowing it all happened in an hour-and-a-half or two hours.”

As for technique with the 5/16-oz. jig, Evers considered water clarity. “I was making long presentations, casts or long pitches with 12 lb. Bass Pro fluorocarbon line. I’ve got a Zoom Little Critter Craw trailer. It’s just a Midwest, highland reservoir type bait. In that flat there are little veins where the current has made it just a little deeper and you’ve got those laydowns that they use as a home but the best laydowns had a little undercut right next to them to where there’s kind of a little dark spot right there where they could hide. Those fish were just sitting there, facing up in the current.”

The win is a fulfilling one, to say the least. Evers shares, “When I saw shooting stars as a kid, my dream was to win the Bassmaster Classic.”

As for his young son, after seeing Dad win the Classic, what does he want to be? A paleontologist.

 

2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro 3/4-3/6
Grand Lake O' The Cherokees, Tulsa  OK.
(ANGLER) Standings Day 3

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Edwin Evers            Talala, OK              14  60-07    0 $300,000.00
Day 1: 4   13-12     Day 2: 5   17-08     Day 3: 5   29-03
2.  Jason Christie         Park Hill, OK           14  50-02    0  $50,000.00
Day 1: 5   20-14     Day 2: 5   16-11     Day 3: 4   12-09
3.  Aaron Martens          Leeds, AL               15  46-05    0  $40,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-08     Day 2: 5   16-13     Day 3: 5   16-00
4.  Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          15  45-11    0  $30,000.00
Day 1: 5   16-09     Day 2: 5   13-15     Day 3: 5   15-03
5.  Randy Howell           Guntersville, AL        15  45-10    0  $25,000.00
Day 1: 5   17-06     Day 2: 5   11-13     Day 3: 5   16-07
6.  Todd Faircloth         Jasper, TX              15  44-15    0  $22,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-15     Day 2: 5   16-15     Day 3: 5   13-01
7.  Dean Rojas             Lake Havasu City, AZ    13  42-11    0  $21,500.00
Day 1: 5   12-07     Day 2: 3   11-14     Day 3: 5   18-06
8.  Alton Jones            Lorena, TX              14  42-08    0  $21,000.00
Day 1: 5   17-13     Day 2: 4   11-12     Day 3: 5   12-15
9.  Keith Combs            Huntington, TX          13  40-13    0  $20,500.00
Day 1: 5   12-14     Day 2: 3   11-06     Day 3: 5   16-09
10. Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA            15  40-09    0  $20,000.00
Day 1: 5   16-02     Day 2: 5   09-13     Day 3: 5   14-10
11. Bobby Lane Jr.         Lakeland, FL            12  37-15    0  $15,000.00
Day 1: 4   11-02     Day 2: 3   09-12     Day 3: 5   17-01
12. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, ID            12  37-15    0  $14,500.00
Day 1: 4   12-07     Day 2: 4   12-07     Day 3: 4   13-01
13. Brent Ehrler           Newport Beach, CA       11  37-03    0  $14,250.00
Day 1: 3   10-13     Day 2: 3   07-07     Day 3: 5   18-15
14. Micah Frazier          Newnan, GA              15  36-15    0  $14,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-02     Day 2: 5   13-10     Day 3: 5   10-03
15. James Watson           Nixa, MO                13  35-08    0  $13,750.00
Day 1: 5   13-10     Day 2: 5   14-07     Day 3: 3   07-07
16. Casey Ashley           Donalds, SC             12  33-04    0  $13,000.00
Day 1: 5   15-05     Day 2: 4   11-02     Day 3: 3   06-13
17. Boyd Duckett           Guntersville, AL        12  33-02    0  $12,900.00
Day 1: 3   08-08     Day 2: 4   10-02     Day 3: 5   14-08
18. David Walker           Sevierville, TN         12  33-00    0  $12,800.00
Day 1: 5   14-02     Day 2: 5   15-04     Day 3: 2   03-10
19. Skeet Reese            Auburn, CA              11  32-03    0  $12,700.00
Day 1: 3   12-12     Day 2: 4   10-09     Day 3: 4   08-14
20. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA               12  31-13    0  $12,600.00
Day 1: 3   07-02     Day 2: 5   16-10     Day 3: 4   08-01
21. Matt Herren            Ashville, AL            11  30-15    0  $12,400.00
Day 1: 5   16-04     Day 2: 2   05-12     Day 3: 4   08-15
22. Greg Vinson            Wetumpka, AL             9  30-03    0  $12,300.00
Day 1: 5   18-01     Day 2: 2   05-12     Day 3: 2   06-06
23. Marty Robinson         Lyman, SC               10  28-07    0  $14,700.00
Day 1: 4   14-12     Day 2: 2   04-10     Day 3: 4   09-01
24. Chris Lane             Guntersville, AL        12  27-05    0  $12,100.00
Day 1: 5   11-01     Day 2: 4   09-00     Day 3: 3   07-04
25. Ott DeFoe              Knoxville, TN           11  26-02    0  $12,000.00
Day 1: 5   11-01     Day 2: 4   08-07     Day 3: 2   06-10
BIG BASS OF TOURNAMENT
Marty Robinson           Lyman, SC           07-00      $2,500.00
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Edwin Evers Delivers Knockout Punch And Wins The 2016 Bassmaster Classic

41 year old Edwin Evers of Talala, OK in his 200th BASS event, drops 29.3 pounds on the scales to crush the competition and take home the 2016 Bassmasters Classic Crown!


Christies to Lose....

When my alarm went off at 5:00 this morning I heard the wind outside the window of the rental house on Monkey Island on the banks of Grand Lake where I have been staying this week during the Bassmasters Classic event.

My first thought was, “This will be either good for the guys or its going to totally freak some out.” On the docks this morning, Elite Series Pro David Walker confirmed the thoughts rattling around the back of my little brain. “This is Christies to lose….” Walker said.  “He’s got a good handled on things, he has a good lead but honestly, this is his tournament to lose.”

I asked a few Pro’s on Media day if they thought an angler could lead this thing wire-to-wire. Not a single one of them said yes. Greg Hackney was one of the few who mentioned the weather and the warming trend each day and each night and how this tournament was a hair away of breaking wide open.

Is Jason Christie due? There is no doubt that he is one of the hottest Bass fisherman on the planet.

No doubt.

But out of the Top Ten hitters sitting at the dock this morning the nerves of anglers in places 2 -10 were loose and relaxed.

Everyday is different, and everyday is the same, but this is bass fishing, nothing stays the same.

Weigh-in is coming, A Champ will be crowned, will it be an Oklahoma Native or will another rise from the ashes?

Stay Tuned.

 


Roger Pope Wins In A Nailbiter On Badin Against Webber For The Aba Win And $5000 Cash-Full Results And Pic Here!

73 Anglers showed up to compete for the Guaranteed $5000 first place prize on the line Sat. In what was an EXTREMELY tight finish, Roger Pope held on to just edge Nathan Webber with 20.98 vs 20.89 for Webber. Doesn't get much closer than that.................Congrats to all who fished and looking fwd to a great 2016 season. Below link is full results with pic of Roger and part of his winning stringer:

http://www.americanbassanglers.com/BWS/results/8761.pdf


Bryan Cook And Steve Harmon Smash Em' At Santee With 32.55 Lbs To Win The Cbc And Take Home $10,500!! Full Results And Pics Here

128 Teams blasted off on what everyone felt like would be one of the best tournaments of the year-ANYWHERE! Well, guess what....IT WAS! When you have 20 teams weigh-in over 20 Lbs, the fishing is ON no matter where you are. Bryan Cook and Steve Harmon brought in a WHOPPING 32.55 Lbs to win the 2nd CBC SC Div qualifying event and take home $10,500 in CASH. They earned that extra $1000 for their 9.53 LB BF that is pictured below. There were so many pics of amazing bags we can't even begin to showcase the full impact of what what caught. Congrats to all who fished and just caught fish---amazing day on one of the best fisheries in the country. Here are some great pics at the weigh-in as well as the top 10 with an attachment of total results for all. Have a great week folks! 

CBC Santee Champs Cook and Harmon Hold up their Massive 32 LB Winning Stringer

 

 

9.53 LB BF caught at Santee on Sat-WOW! 

9.53 LB BF caught at Santee on Sat-WOW!

 

Champs on the dock heading to Weigh-inChamps on the dock heading to Weigh-in

 

Hardwick and Williams hold up their 4th place stringer of 27+Hardwick and Williams hold up their 4th place stringer of 27+

 

Another great Stringer held up at Santee Sat!!Another great Stringer held up at Santee Sat!!

 

 

1 Bryan cook - Steve Harmon 125 5 32.550 9.530 310 $9,500 $1,000 Big Fish Winner
2 Craig McFadden - Mike Watson 35 5 29.600 9.160 309 $4,000 $4,000 Skeeter Bonus Winner
3 Ray Walsh - Marc Deschenes 119 5 29.320 7.770 308 $2,500
4 Thomas Hardwick - Tommy Williams 5 5 27.050 8.580 307 $1,800 $3,000 Skeeter Bonus Winner
5 Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughtie 8 5 26.240 7.260 306 $1,200 $2,000 Skeeter Bonus Winner
6 Carlton Thompkins - Joel Barfield 85 5 25.500 7.640 305 $875 $1,000 Skeeter Bonus Winner
7 randall miller - Mack Altman 53 5 25.330 8.620 304 $625
8 billy bledsoe - Brian McDonald 16 5 24.190 0.000 303 $575
9 Ronnie McCoy - Jason McCoy 124 5 23.780 7.120 302 $525
10 Brad Schwartz - Bryan Miller 4 5 23.510 7.620 301 $475