Big Bass Catches Expected When Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest Comes To Sam Rayburn
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Mitchell & McCollum win Neely Henry ABT Event, Become First North Team to Win 2 Events in Same Season!
by Dan O’Sullivan
May 13, 2017 – Gadsden, Ala. – One thing the field of anglers can expect when they make their annual trek to Neely Henry Lake is that they are going to have the opportunity to catch a large number of bass. The Coosa River fishery located in Gadsden, Ala. was the fourth stop of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Northern Division schedule, and it didn’t disappoint.
While the field was recording one five fish limit after another, the team of Mitch Mitchell and Candler McCollum did it just a little bit better, and in the process recorded a little bit of ABT history in the process. By bringing a 16.64-pound limit – which included the 5.72-pound big bass of the event – to the scales, Mitchell and McCollum won the event and became only the second team in ABT history to win two events in the same season.
The former college anglers, who won the first event of the 2017 season at Wheeler Lake, ran downstream from Coosa Landing and spent their day flipping sparse grass on the main lake with Sweet Beavers on 1/2-ounce tungsten weights and a swim jig with Paca Craw trailer; which caught the big fish, to claim victory and the $10,000 first prize.
The pair did not expect this kind of result. “We’re actually a little shocked right now,” they said. “We had a 14-inch fish in our bag that we couldn’t cull, and with this field, you typically have to have five quality fish to win; we can’t believe it, but are so happy to have it turn out the way it did.”
The win actually gains the pair one point in the Northern Division Angler of the Year standings over Jack and Kathy Womack, who finished the Neely Henry event in second place. The husband and wife team from Trussville produced a strong, 16.13-pound limit, and led the event for much of the weigh-in. They earned $5,000 for their day’s performance.
Despite the runner-up finish, they expressed the fact that they were very happy with the finish. “We came here with the goal of getting a top three plaque,” they said. “So even though we fell just short of a win, we still achieved our goal and are happy with the finish.” They also reported fishing main lake grass with 1/2-ounce chartreuse and white Booyah spinnerbaits and swimming a 3/8-ounce white swim jig and Rage Craw trailer to produce their weight.
The team of Jason Yelverton and Richard Walker finished third with 15.72 pounds, earning $4,000 in the process. They were followed by Duane Smith and Jarrid Traylor in fourth with 15.01 pounds, earning $3,000, and Lee and Logan Hurley weighed 14.64 pounds to round out the top five and take home $2,000.
The top 10 standings are below, for complete standings go to http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/nhl-results/
| Place | Team | Weight | Big Fish | Winnings |
| 1 | Mitch Mitchell / Candler McCollum | 16.64 | 5.72 | $10,000 |
| 2 | Jack Womack / Kathy Womack | 16.13 | 5.03 | $5,000 |
| 3 | Jason Yelverton / Richard Walker | 15.72 | $4,000 | |
| 4 | Duane Smith / Jarrid Traylor | 15.01 | 4.91 | $3,000 |
| 5 | Lee Hurley / Logan Hurley | 14.64 | $2,000 | |
| 6 | Lisa Johnson / Mike Johnson | 14.63 | 4.55 | $1,500 |
| 7 | Nolen Spencer / Jonathon Reese | 14.33 | 4.54 | $1,100 |
| 8 | Clay Madison / Kyle Patterson | 14.26 | 4.25 | $1,100 |
| 9 | Charlie Cummings / Greg Pugh | 14.1 | $1,100 | |
| 10 | Brandon Staggs / Jerry Wright | 13.92 | $1,100 |
The sponsors of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail include; Bill Penney Toyota, Phoenix Bass Boats, GP8 Oxygen Water, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, SCA Performance, T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, AFTCO, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Lew’s Fishing, Crossed Industries, YETI, E3 Apparel, TVA and Alabama Power.
For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visitwww.alabamabasstrail.org.
Bryan College Bass Team Takes Top Spot In Bassmaster Eastern Regional on Cherokee
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Lee & Hummel take the Win in the American Bass Anglers Military Team Tournament on Lake Hartwell!
Jonathan Lee & Travis Hummel had another solid day on Lake Hartwell. The pair brought in 12.34 pounds today to make for a three-day total of 39.21 pounds, less than a pound ahead of the Day Two leaders Kevin & Kyle Oleen. Their win was worth $4000 while winning an additional $720 for Day Two Big Bass. Additionally, the team is eligible for $7000 in Triton Gold cash, as well as, contingency cash from Mercury and T-H Marine Atlas Awards. “During practice, we were losing fish. We changed out our hooks to KVD 2X Short Mustad Triple Grip trebles on the Strike King 2.5 square bills we were using in Sexy Shad color, targeting shallow points. Tuesday was a great practice day and we came off of the water by 9:00 AM to keep from burning through our fish. We were blessed, we had a great time, and we’re glad we won,” said Lee.
Kevin & Kyle Oleen finished the event in second place with a three-day total of 38.64 pounds winning $1100. “We caught our fish on a Carolina rig, Zara Spooks, and a few on a swimbait. I lost a 3-4 pounder on a Spook this morning and I knew that would hurt. Yesterday, I had a fish blow up on my Spook and cut the line. While the Spook was laying on top of the water, another bass hit it and took it down. I tied on another Spook and about 30 minutes later, it floated to the surface,” said Kevin Oleen.
The team of Mitchell Oldnettle & Len Lindahl ended the week in third place with a three-day total of 35.78 pounds. Third place was worth $700, along with $720 for the Day One Big Bass. “No one is going to believe this. We are from Florida and we typically fish grass and lily pads. We found 25 yards of grass in this lake and caught all of our fish out of that grass on a frog,” said Oldnettle.
Day Three Big Bass belonged to the team of George Kunkle & and Clifton Holt. Their 4.80 pound bass was worth $720.
Final results can be found at this link.
This event has been hosted by Visit Anderson and Anderson County.
The annual ABA Military Team Bass Tournament is an exclusive event for current and former service men and women of our armed forces. Teams from 14 different states came from across the country to compete for bragging rights and cash payouts on Lake Hartwell this week.
The 2018 event will be held on May 8-11, 2018 at Old Hickory Lake and is hosted by the Sumner County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
American Bass Anglers, Inc. is supported by Ram Trucks, Triton Boats, Mercury Outboards, Carlisle Tires, GEICO, Berkley, Abu Garcia, T-H Marine, Livingston Lures, Best Western Hotels, Maui Jim, Power Pole, LiT Coolers, Simms, Garmin, and Divide-It. American Bass Anglers, Inc. can be contacted at (256) 232-0406 or by visiting americanbassanglers.com.
General Tire Offering Up To $70
- Promotion Runs May 15-June 15, 2017
Fort Mill, S.C. (May 15, 2017) - The warmer spring temperatures get us thinking of road trips and summer vacations. General Tire wants to put money back in drivers' pockets that can be used to help fund those trips when they purchase a qualifying set of four new General Tires. The promotion starts today and runs through June 15.
A total of 19 different tire lines, including the new ultra-high performance all-season G-MAX AS-05, qualify for the promotion. Tires eligible for a $70 prepaid VISA card include: GRABBER, GRABBER X3, GRABBER AT2, GRABBER HTS60, GRABBER UHP, G-MAX AS-05, G-MAX AS-03. Tires eligible for a $50 prepaid VISA car include: AltiMAX ARCTIC12, AltiMAX ARCTIC, AltiMAX HP, AltiMAX RT, AltiMAX RT43, AMERITRAC, AMERITRAC TR, GRABBER AW, GRABBER HP, GRABBER TR, GRABBER ARCTIC LT, GRABBER ARCTIC. A wide variety of passenger, light truck, SUV and CUV fitments are covered with these eligible tires.
To get all the details related to the promotion, driver over to GeneralTire.com/promotions. Join our social media conversations on Twitter @generaltire, on Instagram @general_tire and on Facebook.com/GeneralTire.
SCHLANDER WINS COSTA FLW SERIES WESTERN DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON CALIFORNIA DELTA PRESENTED BY POWER-POLE
California Angler Tops Pro Field, Takes Home $81,668 including New Ranger Boat
BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. (May 13, 2017) – Boater Hunter Schlander of Modesto, California, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win the Costa FLW Series Western Division tournament on the California Delta presented by Power-Pole. Schlander’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 57 pounds, 1 ounce was enough to earn him $81,668, including a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
“I feel like I’m on top of the world right now – this is incredible,” said Schlander, who earned his first career-win in FLW Series competition. “Most of my fish this week were postspawn. They wanted to be in some grass and some current.”
Schlander said he had two primary patterns each day of the event. In the mornings, he worked a Delta Craw-colored Lucky Craft Silent Fat BDS Crankbait along riprap-filled banks, and in the afternoons he flipped a Yamamoto Senko worm near tule points.
“I had three banks where riprap would run down to the bottom and meet the hydrilla 5 to 6 feet offshore,” said Schlander. “I positioned my boat between the two and ran a crankbait as close as I could to the grass, in anywhere from 4 to 6 feet of water. Right where the two intersected on the bottom was where I wanted the crankbait – it’s what seemed to produce the most bites.”
Schlander said his first stretch of bank was mid-lake, while his other two were farther south as he followed the outgoing tide.
“Once the tide fell out, I couldn’t put my boat in the shallow water, so I headed back north to some tule island points,” said Schlander. “The points were near Franks Tract (Recreation Area), and I was just able to slow down with a Watermelon Red-colored Senko to catch my fish.”
Schlander said the Lucky Craft crankbait and the Yamamoto Senko were the only two lures that produced for him during the tournament.
“I probably caught 60 keepers this week, and only had two rods on my deck,” said Schlander.
The top 10 pros on California Delta finished:
1st: Hunter Schlander, Modesto, Calif., 15 bass, 57-1, $36,668 + Ranger Z518C w/ 200-hp Evinrude outboard
2nd: Robert Lee, Angels Camp, Calif., 15 bass, 50-2, $14,409
3rd: Beau Joudrey, Oakley, Calif., 15 bass, 49-3, $11,000
4th: Stephen Tosh Jr., Turlock, Calif., 15 bass, 45-11, $9,267
5th: Joe Uribe Jr., Surprise, Ariz., 15 bass, 45-4, $8,250
6th: Justin Kerr, Simi Valley, Calif., 15 bass, 44-3, $7,334
7th: Andy Scholz, Reno, Nev., 15 bass, 42-7, $6,675
8th: Patrick Whitaker, Gilbert, Ariz., 15 bass, 42-7, $5,500
9th: Dane Mitchell, Brookeland, Texas, 15 bass, 41-0, $4,584
10th: Shane Peirson, Roseville, Calif., 13 bass, 35-9, $3,667
A complete list of results will be posted at FLWFishing.com.
Scholz caught a 9-pound, 12-ounce bass Thursday – the biggest of the tournament in the Pro Division. For his catch, Scholz earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $258.
Jordan Pinasco of Galt, California, won the Co-angler Division and a Ranger Z175 with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard motor. Pinasco earned his win with a three-day total catch of 15 bass weighing 40 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on California Delta finished:
1st: Jordan Pinasco, Galt, Calif., 15 bass, 40-4, Ranger Z175 w/ a 90-hp Evinrude outboard motor
2nd: Blake Dyer, Moraga, Calif., 15 bass, 34-12, $4,621
3rd: Conrad DeMecs, Scottsdale, Ariz., 15 bass, 34-8, $3,827
4th: Carl Limbrick Jr., Bonita, Calif., 15 bass, 33-2, $3,200
5th: Jack Farage, Discovery Bay, Calif., 15 bass, 33-0, $2,743
6th: Aaron Agner, Redding, Calif., 14 bass, 32-10, $2,286
7th: Keith Adams, Redding, Calif., 15 bass, 28-10, $1,829
8th: Bill Oshinn, Granite Bay, Calif., 10 bass, 25-6, $1,600
9th: Neil Sterud II, Antioch, Calif., 11 bass, 24-6, $1,541
10th: Raymond Tak, Los Angeles, Calif., 10 bass, 22-10, $1,143
DeMecs caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Friday, a fish weighing 9 pounds, 3 ounces that earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $170.
The Costa FLW Series on the California Delta presented by Power-Pole was hosted by Russo's Marina and Sugar Barge RV Resort & Marina. It was the second Western Division tournament of the 2017 season. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be a Central Division tournament, held June 8-10 on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
FLW TOUR BRINGS WORLD’S TOP BASS ANGLERS TO LA CROSSE FOR TOURNAMENT ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER PRESENTED BY EVINRUDE
LA CROSSE, Wis. (May 4, 2017) – The FLW Tour, the most competitive circuit in professional bass fishing, is set to compete on the Mississippi River May 18-21 in an event presented by Evinrude, when 322 of the world’s most decorated bass pros and co-anglers will be casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the Pro Division and up to $25,000 cash in the Co-angler Division. The event, which is hosted by Explore La Crosse, is the sixth stop of 2017 – the Tour’s 22nd season.
FLW Tour anglers will launch in Pool No. 8, and have the option to lock upriver to Pool No. 7 or downriver to Pool No. 9. These three impoundments provide an ample amount and variety of cover for bass to reside. Vast swaths of vegetation, wing dams, rock jetties, backwater pools and shallow laydowns will all be targeted by anglers.
“I’m hoping the weather warms up a little as the tournament approaches,” said Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, a 14-year Tour veteran and six-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier. “If it does, it’s going to be on fire and they’re really going to catch them. The bass are getting ready to spawn, but this cold snap we’ve had has kind of shut them down. It’s going to all come down to the temperature for this event.
“If the weather warms, both smallmouth and largemouth bass are going to be very active,” Monsoor continued. “They’ll be able to catch both species together in the same spot, which is going to surprise some of the competitors. There are several great backwater lakes in all three pools. Each of them has the potential to produce what’s needed to win this tournament – that’s how good they are.”
Monsoor said the dominant cover for largemouth bass will likely be wood, while smallmouths should converge near rock.
“I’m going to utilize a jig because you can catch both species with it,” said Monsoor. “The rest of the field will be running a variety of lures including ChatterBaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, frogs, worms – they’re going to use just about everything. Whatever technique each angler specializes in, they’re going to catch them doing it.”
Monsoor said anglers will likely need a four-day cumulative weight surpassing the 60-pound mark to take home top honors.
“It could take more weight to win, but it will depend on how consistent the guys can be,” said Monsoor. “It’s anybody’s game – believe me. These guys are going to come up here and find bass that have never been fished. They’re going to look at things different than everyone else, and someone’s going to find spots that are new and unique. It’s going to be a fun tournament.”
Competitors will take off at 6:30 a.m. CDT each day from Veterans Freedom Park, located at 1 Clinton St., in La Crosse. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins, May 18-19, will be held at Veterans Freedom Park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, May 20-21, will also be held at Veterans Freedom Park, but will begin at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, fans are encouraged to come out and experience the free Family Fishing Expo at Veterans Freedom Park from noon to 4 p.m. The Family Fun Expo is a unique opportunity for fishing fans of all ages to engage with their favorite anglers, enjoy a variety of games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Youth are also invited to participate in the free FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby at Copeland Park, located at 1130 Copeland Park Drive in La Crosse, on Saturday, May 20, from 9-11 a.m. The event, hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, is free and open to area youth (18 years of age and younger) and Special Olympics athletes (all ages). Rods and reels are available for the first 50 participants to use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one.
As part of the FLW Tour’s community outreach initiative, FLW Tour professionals will visit children and patients at Gundersen Health Systems located at 1900 South Ave., in La Crosse, Wednesday, May 17, from 8:30-10:30 a.m. Professional anglers will interact with guests, snap photos, sign autographs for patients and staff, and share fishing stories before the tournament kicks off Thursday.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field competes in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 20 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world-championship of professional bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at Mississippi River presented by Evinrude is more than $800,000, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Mississippi River presented by Evinrude will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Aug. 2 from 12 p.m.-1 p.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
Joudry Leads Day 1 at FLW Costa WestErn
May 11, 2017 by David A. Brown
In terms of water level, more was definitely better for Beau Joudrey, who caught a five-fish limit that weighed 22 pounds to earn the lead on day one of the Costa FLW Series Western Division event on the California Delta, which is presented by Power-Pole and hosted by Russo’s Marina and Sugar Barge RV Resort and Marina.
The pro from Oakley, Calif., took advantage of the day’s tidal schedule, which saw a high tide early and then an outgoing cycle for most of the fishing day. While a high tide challenges sight-fishing efforts by obscuring visibility, for Joudrey it meant more cooperative quarry.
“The high water made the fish comfortable,” he says. “They were bed fish; they were just in deeper water. They were really relaxed, and I was able to slow down and pick apart the areas.”
Essentially blind-casting known bedding areas, Joudrey caught his fish by flipping Texas-rigged plastics, working finesse baits and walking a frog. The common thread amid his different presentations was speed.
“I mainly fished tules, and you had to have some hard bottom mixed with grass pockets,” he says. “Everything had to go really slow and methodically. You’d Power-Pole down every 6 to 8 feet and pick apart the cover.”
Joudrey found that leeward shorelines were an absolute must.
“I picked areas where I knew if it was windy, it wouldn’t matter, so I fished out of the wind for the most part,” he says. “Most of my fish came early, and then I scrambled around, but if I was in the wind, I couldn’t get bit.
“About 11 o’clock, I culled one time with maybe a 4-pounder, and then that was it. That one was a bed fish, so I sight-fished one bass.”
Joudrey fished the middle to south Delta, largely by default – a decision that bore out its wisdom with big results.
“I live out here, and I didn’t get to pre-fish at all during the week, so I just ran old stuff,” he says.
TOP 10 PROS
1. Beau Joudrey – Oakley, Calif. – 22-0 (5)
2. Robert Lee – Angels Camp, Calif. – 21-1 (5)
3. Ishama Monroe – Hughson, Calif. – 20-6 (5)
4. Patrick Whitaker – Gilbert, Ariz. – 20-1 (5)
5. Lester Hawkins – Pagosa Springs, Colo. – 19-15 (5)
6. Hunter Schlander – Modesto, Calif. – 19-3 (5)
7. Andy Scholz – Reno, Nev. – 18-15 (5)
8. Shane Peirson – Roseville, Calif. – 18-0 (5)
9. Bink Desaro – Meridian, Idaho – 17-15 (5)
10. Nick Nourot – Benicia, Calif. – 17-13 (5)
Complete results
Neil Sterud II
STERUD SECURES CO-ANGLER LEAD
Neil Sterud II of Antioch, Calif., caught a limit of 15 pounds, 11 ounces to lead the co-angler division. Edging out second-place angler Carl Limbrick Jr. by an ounce, Sterud says fishing the right water was key, and that meant leeward edges free of the soupy green algae draping a lot of the Delta grass.
“We got in behind the wind and looked for water that wasn’t so slimy,” he says.
Sterud caught his fish on a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senko.
“We [he and pro partner Marco Valdez] fished tule pockets,” Sterud says. “We did good before noon, but we struggled after 12 o’clock. The higher outgoing tide was more productive because the fish moved off the bank, dropped out and then they were more accessible to us.”
Tags: california-delta flw-series david-a-brown headline-story 2017-05-11-california-delta
FLW Pro Andrew Upshaw wins T-H Marine BFL on Toledo Bend
DeRidder’s Greer Claims Co-angler Title
ZWOLLE, La. (May 8, 2017) – FLW Tour pro Andrew Upshaw of Tulsa, Oklahoma, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Cowboy Division tournament presented by Navionics on Toledo Bend Lake Saturday after bringing five bass totaling 30 pounds, 15 ounces to the scale. For his win, Upshaw took home $5,257.
“I was fishing deep, in 20 to 24 feet of water, in areas near Three Mile Bridge,” said Upshaw, a former FLW College Fishing standout who is a six-year veteran of the FLW Tour. “I targeted stump rows using an 8-inch (Gene Larew) Tattletail Worm with a (Gene Larew) 7/16-ounce Hardhead.
“I’d find four or five stumps in a row along a breakline,” Upshaw continued. “The best stumps were right where it dropped from 20 to 24 feet. Once you find them relating to a specific depth on Toledo Bend that’s where they will be all over the lake.”
Upshaw said he preferred two colors for his Tattletail worm – green pumpkin and Red Bug Lite.
“I’d hit the Hardhead against the stump, and then let it sit there with a tight line,” said Upshaw. “Then the line would go slack or you would feel a bite. Most of the time it would go slack because they’d swim off with it.”
Upshaw said he caught most of his fish throughout the event on the Tattletail worm.
“I cranked one, but 90-percent of what I caught came on the worm,” said Upshaw. “With the dead-slick calm conditions, it was the perfect day for worm fishing.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 30-15, $5,257
2nd: Thomas McMillan, Choudrant, La., five bass, 23-6, $2,628
3rd: Gary Caruso, Baton Rouge, La., five bass, 22-14, $1,685
4th: Darold Gleason, Many, La., five bass, 22-8, $1,180
5th: Matthew McArdle, Humble, Texas, 17-7, $1,011
6th: Jarred Williams, Bunkie, La., five bass, 16-7, $927
7th: Brett Hortman, West Monroe, La., three bass, 16-3, $1,623
8th: Tommy Mackey, Bryan, Texas, five bass, 16-1, $758
9th: Ken Smith, Dallas, Texas, five bass, 14-11, $674
10th: Billy Guinn, Shreveport, La., five bass, 14-10, $890
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Hortman caught a gigantic bass weighing 10 pounds, 12 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $780.
Michael Greer Jr. of DeRidder, Louisiana, won the Co-angler Division and $2,728 Saturday after bringing a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 9 ounces to the scale.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Michael Greer Jr., DeRidder, La., five bass, 16-9, $2,728
2nd: Doug Estep, Baton Rouge, La., five bass, 12-11, $1,054
2nd: Charles Dellard, Burleson, Texas, two bass, 12-11, $1,494
4th: Mat Downey, Kountze, Texas, five bass, 11-4, $590
5th: Adam Boyd, Humble, Texas, five bass, 10-13, $506
6th: Robert Royal, Vidor, Texas, five bass, 10-4, $464
7th: Russell Lewis, Pineville, La., five bass, 10-0, $400
7th: Jerry Wade Jr., Kingwood, Texas, four bass, 10-0, $400
9th: Justin Shelton, Seven Points, Texas, four bass, 9-13, $337
10th: Johnathan Fontenot, Iowa, La., two bass, 9-5, $295
Dellard caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 4 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $390.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on the Red River in Bossier City, Louisiana. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Toyota Texas Fest On Sam Rayburn Expected To Become Instant Favorite For Fishing Fans
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YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING WESTERN CONFERENCE HEADS TO CALIFORNIA DELTA
BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. (May 3, 2017) – YETI FLW College Fishing is heading to the California Delta May 13 for the second of three regular-season stops in the Western Conference. A full field of college fishing clubs will be competing for the top award of a $2,000 club scholarship and a berth into the 2018 College Fishing National Championship.
“Usually you can go out this time of year and have no problem catching five fish, but the weather has everything late this year and the Delta has been fishing a little tough lately,” said Costa FLW Series pro Mark Lassagne of San Ramon, California, who guides on the Delta and also publishes the acclaimed Bass Angler Magazine. “However, it’s the Delta and the potential is always there to catch a 30-pound limit.”
Lassagne said that if he was a college angler fishing in this tournament that he would target protected areas around Frank’s Tract or Little Mandeville.
“High tide will be around 8 or 9 a.m., and you’ll want to find an area where the fish can’t go any further – the rock walls,” Lassagne said. “Look for slow current areas by rock walls with a lot of weeds, and throw in between the rocks and the weeds. Jigs, drop-shot rigs and Yamamoto Senkos will all be strong. If the fish are active you can throw a squarebill, spinnerbait or ChatterBait as well. We call it the ‘slop’ – the section between the rocks and the weeds.
“They are going to see fish in all three phases of the spawn,” Lassagne went on to say. “There are a few key areas where they are biting really well, and the key for these college teams will be to figure out what those fish want, that day.”
Anglers will take off from Russo’s Marina, located at 3995 Willow Road in Bethel Island, at 6:30 a.m. PDT Saturday. Weigh-in will be held at the Marina beginning at 1 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.
Schools are allowed to register up until the morning of the tournament. Entries may be made either by phone or at CollegeFishing.com.
Schools registered to compete in the California Delta tournament, which is hosted by Russo’s Marina and Sugar Barge RV Resort, include:
California Polytechnic State University – Clayton Lauchland, Lodi, Calif., and Christopher Leclair, Santa Clarita, Calif.
California Polytechnic State University-Pomona – Nick Rinauro, San Jose, Calif., and Alec Pitts, Santa Rosa, Calif.
California State University-Chico – Tyler Firebaugh, Danville, Calif., and Chad Sweitzer, Chico, Calif.
California State University-Chico – Jakob Conlan and Frank Tomasello, both of Morgan Hill, Calif.
California State University-Chico – Travis Strain and Sean Huber, both of Chico, Calif.
Grand Canyon University – Joseph Dwyer, Scottsdale, Ariz., and Cody Blood, Galt, Ariz.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
EICHMANN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MOUNTAIN DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE CUMBERLAND
Tyner’s Vickers Nabs Co-angler Title
BURNSIDE, Ky. (May 8, 2017) – Pat Eichmann of Nancy, Kentucky, brought in 19 pounds, 3 ounces of Lake Cumberland bass Saturday to take top honors at the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division event. For his five bass, Eichmann took home $5,889.
Eichmann said he spent his day targeting smallmouth that were spawning in a main-lake creek arm.
“I fished a pocket that had about a mile and a half of shoreline,” said Eichmann, who notched his first career victory in FLW competition. “They were all over, even on the straight stretches of bank. It was a good little area. The water wasn’t too stained, and the bass were 15 to 25 feet down.
“I used a swimbait and caught them from flooded timber,” continued Eichmann. “Males were guarding the nests and females were just starting to feed on shad and other baitfish after they had bedded.”
Eichmann said he used a BassTrix Paddle Tail Swimbait to craft the majority of his limit.
“I also weighed one off of a watermelon-red (Zoom Magnum) Finesse Worm with a ¼-ounce shaky-head,” said Eichamann. “They seemed to bite all day, and I ended up putting 25 to 30 keepers in the boat.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Pat Eichmann, Nancy, Ky., five bass, 19-3, $3,889 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd James Copeland, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 15-15, $1,944
3rd: Tony Eckler, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 15-11, $1,297
4th: Michael Morrison, Georgetown, Ky., five bass, 14-12, $907
5th: Thomas Coomer, Florence, Ky., five bass, 14-10, $978
6th: Tyler Gregory, Stearns, Ky., five bass, 14-7, $1,238
7th: Tyler Prewitt, Lancaster, Ky., five bass, 14-1, $615
7th: Mark Morgan, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 14-1, $615
9th: Brian Wilson, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 14-0, $919
10th: Billy Hall, Florence, Ky., five bass, 13-3, $454
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Gregory caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 11 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $525.
Shane Vickers of Tyner, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $1,944 Saturday after bringing a five-bass limit totaling 11 pounds, 5 ounces to the scale.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Shane Vickers, Tyner, Ky., five bass, 11-5, $1,944
2nd: Doug Adkins, Gray Hawk, Ky., five bass, 10-6, $972
3rd: Clay Reece, Irvine, Ky., three bass, 9-6, $649
4th: Tim Sadler, Nicholasville, Ky., five bass, 8-13, $454
5th: Tim Kellam, Crittenden, Ky., three bass, 8-2, $634
5th: Jarrod Conn, Burgin, Ky., four bass, 8-2, $372
7th: Ralph Feldman, Lancaster, Ky., four bass, 7-14, $324
8th: Joshua Mounce, Somerset, Ky., four bass, 7-13, $292
9th: Jacob Parmley, Science Hill, Ky., four bass, 7-8, $243
9th: Kenny Botts, Alvaton, Ky., four bass, 7-8, $243
Kellam caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $262.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
WATTS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL MISSISSIPPI DIVISION EVENT ON PICKWICK LAKE
Greenville’s Wilson Takes Co-angler Title
IUKA, Miss. (May 8, 2017) – Charles Watts of Corinth, Mississippi, brought a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 6 ounces to the scale Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mississippi Division tournament presented by Mud Hole Custom Tackle on Pickwick Lake. Watts pocketed $5,181 for his efforts.
Watts said he threw a jig along bluff walls near the takeoff ramp to get his day started. He was able to put three keepers in the boat before moving to locations between Indian Creek and Yellow Creek.
“I had four areas that I liked – two humps and two flats,” said Watts, who earned his first career-victory in FLW competition. “I sat in 25 feet of water and fished in anywhere from 15 to 18 feet. I would focus on one area for about 45 minutes and then move on. They ate well in each when we’d first pull up then they’d die off.”
Watts said he used one lure to catch his fish – a Strike King 6XD Crankbait in Sexy Blue Back Herring and Sexy Shad colors. He said he caught approximately 15 keepers throughout the tournament.
“I think the fish were relating to the drops and rock on the bottom – they’ll stack on them,” said Watts. “It’s a basic early-Summer pattern when they first get off the spawning beds.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Charles Watts, Corinth, Miss., five bass, 20-6, $5,181
2nd: David Allen, Florence, Ala., five bass, 19-4, $2,076
2nd: Roger Stegall, Iuka, Miss., five bass, 19-4, $2,836
4th: Alan Langford, Tupelo, Miss., five bass, 18-7, $1,162
5th: Cody Harrison, Florence, Ala., five bass, 17-4, $1,096
6th: Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., five bass, 17-3, $913
7th: Connor Martin, Marion, Ark., five bass, 16-14, $830
8th: Larry Materia, Somerville, Tenn., five bass, 16-5, $705
8th: Danny Walden, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 16-5, $705
10th: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 16-2, $581
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Stegall caught a bass weighing 7 pounds, 4 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $760.
Anthony Wilson of Greenville, Mississippi, won the Co-angler Division and $2,870 Saturday after bringing four bass totaling 18 pounds, 12 ounces to the scale.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Anthony Wilson, Greenville, Miss., four bass, 18-12, $2,870
2nd: Joseph Breeden, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 16-14, $1,245
3rd: Michael Smotherman, Savannah, Tenn., five bass, 15-9, $829
4th: Daniel Stover, Hernando, Miss., five bass, 13-13, $781
5th: Drew Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 13-5, $498
6th: Tim Beale, Hernando, Miss., five bass, 13-2, $457
7th: Farley Fondren, Maben, Miss., five bass, 12-13, $415
8th: Ryan LeCompte, Picayune, Miss., five bass, 12-10, $424
9th: Andrew Garvin, Hamilton, Miss., five bass, 12-4, $332
10th: Mike Allen, Crystal Springs, Miss., five bass, 11-15, $291
Wilson also caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 8 pounds, 2 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $380.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on the Red River in Bossier City, Louisiana. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
DIXON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL SHENANDOAH DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON POTOMAC RIVER
Virginia’s Wright Grabs Co-angler Title
MARBURY, Md. (May 8, 2017) – Aaron Dixon of Bel Alton, Maryland, brought five bass totaling 21 pounds, 9 ounces to the scale Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Shenandoah Division tournament on the Potomac River. For his limit, Dixon earned $3,901.
“I primarily fished north of the takeoff ramp in a protected cove,” said Dixon, who earned his first career-victory in BFL competition. “I worked up and down the bank and was able to target bass in all three phases of the spawn.”
Dixon said the fact that bass were in all three phases was what made his 100- to 150-yard stretch of shoreline unique. He said that spawning bass were 4 feet down on pea gravel, and that pre- and postspawn bass were 6 to 10 feet deep in grass.
“I made long casts using a black and blue-colored (Yamamoto Baits) Senko and was able to hit both depths on the retrieve,” said Dixon. “The key factor was the protection in the cove and the deep water. With the extra-high tide, the bass that were there didn’t have to move – they just stayed in the grass.”
After the bite slowed around 10:30 a.m., Dixon said he encountered problems with his engine mounts and was forced to return early to the takeoff ramp.
“We really only got to fish for four hours because of the mounts,” said Dixon. “Luckily I already had enough in my livewell to win it.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Aaron Dixon, Bel Alton, Md., five bass, 21-9, $3,901
2nd: Frank Ippoliti, Mercersburg, Pa., five bass, 19-3, $1,733
3rd: Richard Haber, Linthicum, Md., five bass, 18-4, $982
3rd: Todd Harris, Clemmons, N.C., five bass, 18-4, $1,182
5th: Brian Tucci, Surfside Beach, S.C., five bass, 17-4, $693
6th: Timothy McFaul, Egg Harbor Township, N.J., five bass, 16-14, $635
7th: Todd Langford, Great Falls, Va., five bass, 16-9, $578
8th: Joseph Thompson, Coatesville, Pa., five bass, 16-3, $520
9th: Otis Darnell, Linden, Va., five bass, 16-0, $462
10th: Brian LaClair, Denton, Md., five bass, 15-11, $404
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Dixon also caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 14 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $435.
Craig Wright of Rustburg, Virginia, won the Co-angler Division and $1,833 Saturday after bringing a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 10 ounces to the scale.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Craig Wright, Rustburg, Va., five bass, 17-10, $1,833
2nd: Carl Whipple, Manassas, Va., five bass, 17-4, $916
3rd: Daniel Moon Jr., Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 16-12, $577
4th: Travis Garrett, Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 15-6, $404
5th: Timothy Kinder, Manassas, Va., five bass, 14-9, $347
6th: Tom Carpenter, Alexandria, Va., five bass, 14-7, $318
7th: John Castro, Lorton, Va., five bass, 13-15, $289
8th: Moo Bae, West Friendship, Md., five bass, 13-12, $260
9th: Bill Naron, Beaverdam, Va., five bass, 13-8, $231
10th: Howard Williams, District Heights, Md., five bass, 13-6, $192
10th: Jeff Mellott, Warfordsburg, Pa., five bass, 13-6, $192
Elliot Pilson of Stuart, Virginia, caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 6 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $217.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Alabama Bass Trail Announces 2018 Schedule, Payout & More!
Decatur, Ala. – The Alabama Bass Trail (ABT) is pleased to unveil the 2018 tournament schedule and among the key changes is a new open tournament that allows anglers to try the trail without committing to five weekends. Returning for the fifth season, the team-style tournament series is held on eleven of the lakes of the Alabama Bass Trail beginning February 17, 2018, with the championship tournament to be held on October 26-27, 2018. The new ABT Open Tournament makes its debut September 8, 2018, on Smith Lake.
“It is hard to believe we are announcing the schedule for the fifth season,” said ABT Program Director Kay Donaldson. “The success of the tournament series relies a great deal on the host cities that bid for our events. Arranging the tournament schedule is similar to a jigsaw puzzle at times, and in some cases, you have multiple cities bidding for hosting rights on one lake. We have to consider available hotel space, meeting space, boat ramp access, prime fishing time on each lake and weather. We are excited about the 2018 season and we look forward to another great year on the trail.”
Sanctioned by BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society), the ABT Tournament Series contains two divisions, North and South, and each division is made up of five tournaments on five different lakes. The maximum number of boats for each tournament is 225. Teams must fish in all five tournaments in their respective division; no single entries will be allowed.
North Division:
- February 17, 2018
Pickwick Lake hosted by Florence-Lauderdale Tourism - March 10, 2018
Lake Guntersville hosted by Marshall County CVB - April 21, 2018
Wheeler Lake hosted by Decatur-Morgan County CVB - May 12, 2018
Weiss Lake hosted by Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce - June 9, 2018
Logan Martin Lake hosted by Pell City Chamber of Commerce
South Division:
- February 24, 2018
Lay Lake hosted by Shelby County Commission - March 24, 2018
Lake Martin hosted by Alexander City Chamber of Commerce - April 7, 2018
Lake Eufaula hosted by Eufaula-Barbour Chamber of Commerce - May 5, 2018
Lake Jordan hosted by City of Wetumpka - June 23, 2018
Alabama River/Cooter’s Pond hosted by City of Prattville Parks and Recreation
Hosted by the Gadsden Parks and Recreation Department, the championship tournament is set for October 26-27, 2018, on Neely Henry Lake. “We are proud to partner with the City of Gadsden to bring the Alabama Bass Trail Championship to Gadsden and Neely Henry Lake. Tournament fishing is hard work and we’ll do our best to give the anglers the best tournament we can,” said Hugh A. Stump III, executive director of Greater Gadsden Area Tourism.
The championship event will include up to 185 boats. The 185 boats are comprised of the 10 divisional tournament winning teams, top 75 teams in points from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective divisions, along with the top 10 student boats, top five college teams and the top five couples teams collectively from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective division.
Each tournament features a $10,000 guaranteed first place prize and pays 40 places, totaling more than $47,000. The winning team of the championship walks away with a fully rigged bass boat valued at $45,000, and there is a $5,000 bonus cash prize for Angler of the Year and $2,500 for runner-up Angler of the Year. According to Donaldson, more than $566,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded when the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series wraps up its season in 2018.
2018 Payout Schedule:
| First place | $10,000 |
| Second place | $5,000 |
| Third place | $4,000 |
| Fourth place | $3,000 |
| Fifth place | $2,000 |
| Sixth place | $1,500 |
| Seventh place | $1,100 |
| Eighth place | $1,100 |
| Ninth place | $1,100 |
| Tenth place | $1,100 |
| 11th – 20th (each) | $750 |
| 21st – 40th (each) | $500 |
Anglers who fished all five events in their respective divisions in 2017 will be given a priority entry period from August 1 to August 14, 2017, to register online at www.alabamabasstrail.org. Registration will be open to the public on August 15, 2017. The entry fee per division is $1,300 per team, which includes registration for all five tournaments in the respective division. Each team may choose to pay a $500 nonrefundable deposit to hold the team’s spot. The balance of $800 must be paid by January 16, 2018.
New for 2018, the ABT Open Tournament is set for September 8, 2018, on Smith Lake. Hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County, the one-day tournament allows teams to compete in a single tournament instead of the tournament series, which has a five-weekend commitment. It has a $15,000 guaranteed first place prize and a total cash payout of more than $70,000. The maximum number of amateur boats is 250 and the entry fee is $300 per team. In addition to the amateur teams for the first time, Bassmaster Elite Series and FLW Tour Pro Anglers are invited to participate. The professional teams are competing for a $7,500 winner-takes-all prize for highest finisher in the tournament. The maximum number of pro teams is 25 and the entry fee is $300. “We are super excited to invite these professional anglers to fish an Alabama Bass Trail event. A good number of them follow our trail and I think we will have a good turn out of the top anglers on each professional tour,” said Donaldson. Registration for the ABT Open begins on January 22, 2018.
“We are excited to introduce the first Alabama Bass Trail Open Tournament,” said Donaldson. “One of the comments we hear often is how much anglers would like to fish with us, but they just can’t commit to five weekends. This gives them the opportunity to fish our event and experience the quality of the event, and hopefully when they can commit to fishing a trail, they will choose the Alabama Bass Trail. The Chamber of Commerce of Walker County and their volunteers have been great to work with during previous events, providing great hospitality to our teams, and we are extremely excited to bring this new event to Smith Lake and Walker County.”
Alabama Bass Trail Tournament sponsors include Bill Penney Toyota; the Alabama Tourism Department; Phoenix Bass Boats, Inc.; Academy Sports & Outdoors; Garmin; Wind Creek Hospitality-Montgomery; Wind Creek Hospitality-Wetumpka; T-H Marine Supplies, Inc.; Wedowee Marine; Alabama Power Company; Tennessee Valley Authority; Lews Fishing; FishNeelyHenry.com; Power-Pole; YETI; Hydrowave; Crossed Industries, Inc.; and AFTCO, Inc. Pond MD will manage fish care and Southern Stream Live will be the live-streaming company.
For more information, call Donaldson at 855.934.7425 or visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
ABOUT ALABAMA BASS TRAIL
The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association. Its mission is to promote Alabama as a year-round fishing destination, to preserve natural resources for generations to come, and to educate high school and college-aged students to be good stewards of natural resources. The 13 bass fishing lakes consist of Lake Guntersville, Wheeler Lake, Pickwick Lake, Lewis Smith Lake, Neely Henry Lake, Weiss Lake, Lake Martin, Lay Lake, Logan Martin Lake, Lake Jordan, Alabama River, Lake Eufaula, and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. For more information, visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
David Winters Wins ABA RAM Trucks Open Event on Lake Wylie with over 14 pounds!
David Winters of Rock Hill, South Carolina won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series North Carolina Division tournament held 5/06/2017 on Lake Wylie.
Running out of South Point landing in Belmont, North Carolina David weighed in five bass for 14.90 pounds. He anchored his catch with a bass that weighed 3.65 pounds. For the Boater Division victory, Winters took home a check for $5000.00.
"I started out shallow and caught 25-30 fish within the first hour. I then went deeper and caught another 25-30 throughout the day. I figure I culled about 9 times. I caught some of my early fish on a spinnerbait, but most of my fish came on a Brian’s Bee’s ditch digger. I especially want to thank K9 fishing for making such a great fishing line. All of my reels are only spooled up with K9 line." Said Winters.
In second for the boaters, Reid McGinn of Fort Mill, South Carolina weighed in a five bass limit weighing 14.10 pounds. He anchored his catch with a 3.19 pound largemouth. He collected $600.00 for the effort.
"I caught my fish today on spinnerbaits and crankbaits mostly early. Later in the day I slowed down and covered a lot of water. I culled up 3-4 times." said McGinn.
Maurice Freeze of Concord, North Carolina took third for the boaters with five bass weighing 13.88 pounds. His limit earned him $475.00
"I caught most of my fish early on a spinnerbait said Freeze. I found them suspended in 10-12 feet of water around poles. I culled up about 4 times. Later in the day it got really tough but I was able to cull up one more time." Said Freeze.
Finishing fourth, Adam Fillmore of Lake Wylie, South Carolina weighed in a five bass limit weighing 13.05 pounds.
Rounding out the top five Charles Bowman II of Kernersville, North Carolina weighed in a five bass limit weighing 12.79 pounds.
Richard Bradford of Hoffman, North Carolina weighed in the big bass on the boater side. Richard collected $400.00 for a bass that weighed in at 5.18 pounds. Also because Richard caught his fish on an ABU Garcia reel he was presented a new ABU Garcia Revo SX spinning reel valued at $160.00.
For his top 10 finish Scott Hamrick of Denver, North Carolina won $500.00 for being a Triton Gold member.
In the Co-Angler Division, Ronnie Brown of Cherryville, North Carolina won with three bass weighing 8.15 pounds. He sealed his victory with a 3.25 pound kicker to pocket a check for $900.00. Also Brown Pocketed an additional $145.00 for weighing in the biggest bass on the co angler side.
"I caught all of my fish today on a three bladed spinnerbait. I probably caught around 15 fish today mostly early. I was able to cull up for the final time about five minutes before weigh in." Said Brown.
Taking second for the co-anglers, James Salloum of Waxhaw, North Carolina weighed in a co angler limit of three bass weighing in at 7.11 pounds. He anchored his catch with a bass that weighed in at 2.66 pounds. Salloum collected $400.00 for his catch.
"I caught a total of four fish today. They all came on a beaver and a crankbait." Said Salloum.
Placing third on the co angler side was Anthony Goins of Denton, North Carolina. Goins weighed in three bass that weighed 7.10 pounds. Goins collected $300.00 for his catch.
"This was my first tournament. I was paired up with the winning boater and he gave me a couple of baits to try. I caught three fish today and two of them I caught late in the day on a spinnerbait in 20-25 feet of water." Said Goins.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Martin Rushing of Midland, North Carolina weighed in three bass weighing 7.02 pounds.
Rounding out the top five, John Harris of Lexington North Carolina weighed in three bass weighing 6.74 pounds.
Slated for June 3rd 2017 the next North Carolina Divisional tournament will be on High Rock Lake out of Tamarac Marina in Salisbury, North Carolina. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, slated for the Red River in Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana in April 2018.
For more information on this tournament, call Rodney Michael, tournament manager, at 256-497-0967 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com .
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Freddy Adkins Weighs 22 Pound plus Limit to Win T-H Marine BFL LBL Event on Kentucky Lake!
Brandenburg’s Dowell Grabs Co-angler Title
CADIZ, Ky. (May 8, 2017) – Freddy Adkins of East Bernstadt, Kentucky, brought a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 12 ounces to the scale Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) LBL Division tournament on Kentucky and Barkley lakes. For his efforts, Adkins took home $6,559.
“I used a 1-ounce chartreuse and white-colored Booyah spinnerbait to catch my fish,” said Adkins, who logged his first career win as a boater in BFL competition. “The water was up 2 to 4 feet and the fish were at the original shoreline, so I stayed out a little a deeper. I threw to shore and worked it back slow.
“The ticket was bumping it on the bottom,” continued Adkins. “Sometimes shad would hit the blade and that’s a good sign. If you’re around shad, you’re around the fish. I kept doing the same thing all day and it worked out.”
Adkins said he worked back and forth along a 200-yard stretch in Little River, and was able to put 10 keepers in the boat throughout the event.
“I think the No. 6 willow blade matched the shad, while the No. 3 provided a little extra flash,” said Adkins. “Also, the water was the perfect color and I had just the right amount of wind – it was the right combination.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Freddy Adkins, East Bernstadt, Ky., five bass, 22-12, $4,559 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Andrew Suggs, Cunningham, Tenn., five bass, 20-10, $2,804
3rd: Eric Snow, Clarksville, Ind., five bass, 19-6, $1,552
4th: Robert Linton, Cadiz, Ky., five bass, 19-0, $1,017
5th: Daniel Fink, Benton, Ky., five bass, 18-5, $872
6th: Randy Stone, Dexter, Ky., five bass, 17-11, $799
7th: Leon Stone, Dexter, Mo., five bass, 16-13, $726
8th: Tom Hill, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 16-12, $654
9th: David Carroll, Manitou, Ky., five bass, 16-6, $581
10th: Keith Monson, Burgin, Ky., five bass, 16-0, $509
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Suggs caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $625.
Ryan Dowell of Brandenburg, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $2,179 Saturday after bringing four bass totaling 15 pounds, 8 ounces to the scale.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Ryan Dowell, Brandenburg, Ky., four bass, 15-8, $2,179
2nd: Jesse Gustafson, Gilbertsville, Ky., five bass, 15-2, $1,090
3rd: James Wathen, Louisville, Ky., five bass, 14-9, $925
4th: Mark Johnson, Lebanon, Tenn., four bass, 14-7, $509
5th: David Dieling, Eddyville, Ky., five bass, 12-8, $436
6th: Nathaniel Wasson, Clarksville, Tenn., three bass, 12-0, $400
7th: Austin Schrecker, Owensboro, Ky., four bass, 11-15, $363
8th: Stevie Guffey, Tompkinsville, Ky., four bass, 11-11, $327
9th: Taylor Genz, Indian Mound, Tenn., three bass, 11-8, $291
10th: Kevin Lamb, Gallatin, Tenn., four bass, 11-3, $254
Daniel Pope Jr. of Cincinnati, Ohio, caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $312.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the Barren River in Scottsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
CALIFORNIA DELTA READIES FOR COSTA FLW SERIES WESTERN DIVISION EVENT PRESENTED BY POWER-POLE
BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. (May 3, 2017) – As many as 400 pros and co-anglers are set to compete in the Costa FLW Series Western Division event at the California Delta, May 11-13. The tournament, which is presented by Power-Pole, is the second of three regular-season events scheduled in the Western Division. Pros will be competing for a top award of up to $40,000 in cash and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
“Everything is running a little late on the Delta this year,” said Costa FLW Series pro Mark Lassagne of San Ramon, California, who finished 15th on the Delta when the Series visited in 2016. “Three weeks ago, it got really warm and the fish were moving up and had started spawning. Then a bunch of nasty weather came in and it cooled off. It’s starting to warm up again, but we are 100-percent going to see fish in all three phases of the spawn in this event.
“The weather is going to be the huge factor,” Lassagne continued. “If the wind doesn’t blow and it’s clear, this is going to be a really good sight-fishing tournament. It could be a good topwater time. Drop-shotting Yamamoto Senkos and Roboworms are always strong. ChatterBaits could definitely come into play. Swimming a jig, spinnerbaits, squarebill crankbaits – it’s changing day-to-day.”
Lassagne said that although the Delta has more than 1100 miles of shore line to fish, the lake is fishing somewhat smaller than normal. He expects areas like Frank’s Tract, Mildred Island and Mandeville Island to be extremely popular for tournament anglers.
“There is always the possibility of seeing a 30-pound bag,” Lassagne said. “I think someone is going to catch 30 pounds on the first day, then back it up with 15 pounds on Day Two and another 15 to 18 pounds on Day 3. My guess is that it will take right around 60 pounds to win this event.”
Anglers will take off from Russo’s Marina, located at 3995 Willow Road in Bethel Island, at 6 a.m. PDT each day. Weigh-ins will be held at the park each day beginning at 2 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. The event is hosted by Russo’s Marina and the Sugar Barge RV Resort & Marina.
In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At the California Delta, pros will fish for as much as $40,000 and a Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard, and an additional $5,000 if Ranger Cup qualified.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
BRUCE ANDERSON AND RANDY KEATING WEIGH IN OVER 30 POUNDS ON RAY ROBERTS AND TAKE HOME $10,000
| Pl | ANGLER 1 | ANGLER 2 | FISH | BIG BASS | WT | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BRUCE ANDERSON | RANDY KEATING | 5 | 30.28 | $10,000 | |
| 2 | GREG CHAPMAN | PAUL DELGADO | 5 | 27.42 | $2,250 | |
| 3 | DON MEEK | ERIC MEEK | 5 | 26.27 | $1,000 | |
| 4 | ZACH PARKER | HEATH MOODY | 5 | 25.02 | $800 | |
| 5 | ZEB STRICKLAND | BARRETT MCCLENDON | 5 | 23.46 | $625 | |
| 6 | KEITH IVY | TIM KISOR | 5 | 22.33 | $500 | |
| 7 | DAN JEZEK | JOHN JEZEK | 5 | 22.31 | $425 | |
| 8 | JOE ROME | JOEL MCBRIDE | 5 | 21.65 | $350 | |
| 9 | CODY MCBEE | KODY WEGER | 5 | 9.01 | 21.63 | $325 + $1020 Big Bass + $500 BIOBOR Bonus |
| 10 | KEVIN BRYANT | COY GREATHOUSE | 5 | 19.95 | $300 | |
| 11 | BYRON ALBRECHT | CHARLES REAGAN | 5 | 19.04 | $300 | |
| 12 | DON BROWN | DAN WILSON | 5 | 18.7 | ||
| 13 | BRAD SHUFLIN | WILLIAM NELMS | 5 | 18.13 | ||
| 14 | CODY MORRISON | STEPHEN MORRISON | 5 | 17.61 | ||
| 15 | BRAD HARDT | BRANDON GREENBERG | 5 | 17.54 | ||
| 16 | SHAWN TEMPLE | TRENT MENEES | 5 | 17.27 | ||
| 17 | RUSTY THOMAS | TOM MOCNY | 5 | 16.99 | ||
| 18 | JJ KILLOUGH | LJ CASTILLO | 5 | 16.85 | ||
| 19 | MARK CHILD | ANDY SALLEE | 5 | 16.4 | ||
| 20 | LEE YOWELL | DUSTIN SPURGIN | 5 | 15.99 | ||
| 21 | ROB WILSON | ROB MEDDERS | 5 | 15.89 | ||
| 22 | ADAM PELS | CHRIS PELS | 5 | 15.75 | ||
| 23 | PETE HERNANDEZ | CHRIS STEWART | 4 | 15.51 | ||
| 24 | MARK BENNETT | CASEY BENNETT | 5 | 15.37 | ||
| 25 | BILLY WALDSCHMIDT | JAY DAVIS | 5 | 15.22 | ||
| 26 | JASON GREER | BENNIE MILES | 5 | 14.96 | ||
| 27 | JASON BRUNETT | STEVEN DANIELS | 4 | 14.86 | ||
| 28 | BOBBY FINTA | CHRIS DERRICK | 5 | 14.84 | ||
| 29 | JEFF WHITE | RUSSELL CHAMBERS | 5 | 14.56 | ||
| 30 | JASON RIEDEL | 5 | 14.53 | |||
| 31 | DEREK THOMPSON | BRIT LEQUIEU | 5 | 14.48 | ||
| 32 | LOUIE ADAMS III | LOUIE ADAMS JR | 5 | 14.02 | ||
| 33 | GLEN STOGSDILL | MAYGAN STOGSDILL(Y) | 5 | 13.9 | ||
| 34 | KODY HAVERCAMP | LUKE ANDERSON | 4 | 13.53 | ||
| 35 | MATT GRAY | JOSH ARCHER | 5 | 12.9 | ||
| 36 | JIM BAILEY | KEITH VANECEK | 4 | 11.96 | ||
| 37 | JIMMY HARRISON | JIMMY HARRISON | 4 | 11.94 | ||
| 38 | RICKY YOST | RICHARD YOST | 3 | 11.79 | ||
| 39 | TODD CASTLEDINE | RUSSEL CECIL | 5 | 11.51 | ||
| 40 | RYAN BERGMAN | KEVIN CROUSE | 4 | 11.46 | ||
| 41 | AUSTIN PURDOM | BRANDON ROCHELL | 3 | 11.11 | ||
| 42 | NEIL DEMPSEY | RYAN DEMPSEY | 5 | 10.85 | ||
| 43 | JUSTIN STALEY | AARON MCKINNEY | 5 | 10.74 | ||
| 44 | JIM HARCROW | WILL HARCROW | 5 | 10.68 | ||
| 45 | MICHAEL EDGETT | 3 | 10.09 | |||
| 46 | TIM H. WILCOXSON | TIM P. WILCOXSON | 4 | 10.06 | ||
| 47 | JAMES FULP | 2 | 9.36 | |||
| 48 | LLOYD WALKER | TIM CLINE | 3 | 9.32 | ||
| 49 | DAVID ROSENQUIST | KELLY LANGHORNE | 3 | 9.23 | ||
| 50 | KEITH WHITE | CHRIS MCCALL | 5 | 9.14 | ||
| 51 | KEVIN DESHANE | RICK DUSEK | 5 | 8.92 | ||
| 52 | RYAN COHLMEYER | DARREN HEAVNER | 4 | 8.81 | ||
| 53 | STEPHEN PATEK | BRYLEY DOUCET | 2 | 8.39 | ||
| 54 | DARIN HADDOCK | GUY MORSE | 4 | 8.36 | ||
| 55 | STEVE CERMAK | MIKE REILING | 3 | 8.25 | ||
| 56 | KEVIN HATHAWAY | MATT MOORE | 2 | 8.01 | ||
| 57 | JEFF DAWSON | JEREMY COLLINS | 3 | 7.78 | ||
| 58 | JEFF PITRUCHA | DALE READ | 3 | 7.74 | ||
| 59 | TOMMY DURHAM | MIKE DURHAM | 2 | 7.03 | ||
| 60 | JOHNNY MATTHEWS | RONALD SISK | 3 | 7.02 | ||
| 61 | BILL COX | JASON MOORE | 2 | 6.81 | ||
| 62 | KEVIN DRITSCHLER | TYLER DRITSCHLER | 3 | 6.76 | ||
| 63 | TATE OAKLEY | MICA MAHAN | 2 | 5.37 | ||
| 64 | PETER HART | PETE HART | 1 | 4.75 | ||
| 65 | JASON TRUITT | JOHNNY RAY | 2 | 4.61 | ||
| 66 | GRANT GOODNER | JAMES GOODNER | 1 | 2.02 | ||
| 67 | GAVIN ROME | 1 | 1.51 | |||
| 68 | MICHAEL WORLEY | THERON CALDWELL | ||||
| 68 | JOSH BLACKBURN | SHAWN MEAD | ||||
| 68 | KURT KLOSOWSKI | MARK MAYBEN | ||||
| 68 | CHRIS MCLAIN | JEFF VAN WHY | ||||
| 68 | DUSTY ATKINSON | HUGH KILMAN | ||||
| 68 | STEVEN RUTLEDGE | LEVI SMITHERS | ||||
| 68 | TIM PURKS | JORDAN GRANT | ||||
| 68 | DAVID HOWARD | ADAM COWHERD | ||||
| 68 | NATHAN SPRABARY | TORY SWEATMAN | ||||
| 68 | MIKE GRANT | JACOB GRANT | ||||
| 68 | CHARLES GRAHAM | GREG VINES | ||||
| 68 | GAVIN BUTLER | GREG GILLUM | ||||
| 68 | JOHNNY UNERFUSSER | RON SAUCEMAN | ||||
| 68 | LARRY BENCH | HI HILLBURN | ||||
| 68 | JAMES MOORE | MARK MITCHELL | ||||
| 68 | JON JOHNSON | JERRY DAVID | ||||
| 68 | LANDON GLASS | MANDI GLASS | ||||
| 68 | JASON DERRICK | RYAN WARREN | ||||
| 68 | RICKY DONITHAN | CORY HART | ||||
| 68 | KENNETH MOORE | GARRETT THOMAS | ||||
| 68 | ROBERT NULL | CHAD NULL | ||||
| 68 | MICHAEL BOYDSTON | ADAM BOYDSTON | ||||
| 68 | KYLE BRUNK | MILTON ADAMS | ||||
| 68 | DAVID CARLOCK | PAUL VAUGHAN | ||||
| 68 | KYLE JUD | TREY EPICH | ||||
| 68 | JASON DUNNING | ROBERT STRIPLING | ||||
| 68 | DEAN SKINNER | MARTI WILLIAMS | ||||
| 68 | PERCY BREWER | |||||
| 68 | CHRIS WRIGHT | |||||
| 68 | WARREN KEPKE | RICH LEWIS | ||||
| 68 | GREG LESCHBER | DAVID DRIVER | ||||
| 68 | DAVE SMITH | DAN COBB | ||||
| 68 | KY MARTIN | E.K. WATTS | ||||
| 68 | KYLE NITSCHKE | JASON BONDS | ||||
| 68 | BLAYNE CUPP | BILLY RAMSEY |
Shell Rotella Brand Steps Up To Premier-Level Sponsorship Of B.A.S.S.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2017
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Shell Rotella brand of heavy-duty diesel engine oils has signed on as a premier sponsor of B.A.S.S. and 2017 Bassmaster tournament circuits, B.A.S.S. announced today.
The agreement includes the most prestigious bass tournament circuits in the nation, including the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, the Bassmaster Elite Series, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series, the Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan, the Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship, the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops and the Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
“Shell Rotella is very excited about the expanded association with B.A.S.S. and the opportunity to work closely with an organization that is committed to bass fishing and outdoor recreation,” said David Waterman, North America marketing manager for Shell Rotella. “Our relationship with B.A.S.S. and bass fishing fans has grown over the past few years and we look forward to our expanded role as a premier sponsor through TV, onsite events and Shell Rotella activations.”
“In addition to being a great partner over the last two years, Shell Rotella was a tremendous help in making our recent Bassmaster Classic in Houston — in their hometown — such a huge success,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “We’re so pleased to have Shell Rotella, which is noted for its high quality heavy duty diesel engine oils, as our newest premier sponsor. Their support for the sport of bass fishing demonstrates their commitment to outdoor recreation.”
Also part of the deal are sponsorship of the “Garage” studio of The Bassmasters TV show on ESPN2 and title sponsorship of the Shell Rotella Bassmaster Get Hooked On Fishing presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors conducted during the recent Bassmaster Classic in Houston.
Shell Rotella will also be able to participate in activation programs at Elite Series and other events through its popular Rotella Road Show trailer and the Rotella T6 BBQ Grill. The interactive design of the Shell Rotella Road Show trailer includes a number of interesting displays starting with how engine oil protects your engine. A demonstration area shows how engine oils may affect fuel efficiency, wear protection, engine cleanliness and prevent acid corrosion. Engine parts show examples of how low viscosity CK-4 and FA-4 prototype engine oils protected against engine wear.
The Rotella T6 BBQ Grill proved to be a fan-favorite addition to Elite Series events in 2016, when Shell Rotella was a supporting sponsor. The 20-foot barbecue trailer includes a grill and a smoker, and cooking is done by the Shell Rotella BBQ team. The Shell Rotella-sponsored world champion cooking team has won more than 30 barbecue and cooking awards.
As a service to fishing fans, information about upcoming Bassmaster events will be posted on Facebook (@ShellRotella), Twitter (@ShellRotella) and Instagram (@ShellRotellaT).
About Shell ROTELLA® Heavy Duty Engine Oil
The Shell ROTELLA® brand is committed to making sure that hard working individuals can count on Shell ROTELLA® engine oils to help keep their trucks and equipment operating properly. The Shell ROTELLA® heavy duty engine oil product portfolio is led by three premium heavy duty engine oils that are part of a tiered, easy to understand ladder of protection. They include Shell ROTELLA® T6 Full Synthetic, Shell ROTELLA® T5 Synthetic Blend Technology and Shell ROTELLA® T Triple Protection® Heavy Duty Engine Oils. Shell ROTELLA® is the No. 1 heavy-duty motor oil brand preferred and used among owner operator truck drivers.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation presented by Magellan, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
MANSON WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL BUCKEYE DIVISION OPENER PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS ON GRAND LAKE
Kettering’s Crider Grabs Co-angler Title
CELINA, Ohio (May 8, 2017) – Scott Manson of Covington, Ohio, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Buckeye Division opener presented by Navionics on Grand Lake Saturday after weighing five bass totaling 12 pounds, 9 ounces. Manson pocketed $4,472 for his win.
“I started in the back of a mid-lake creek,” said Manson, who earned his second career-win on BFL competition. “The front of it was muddy, so I made my way back about a half-mile to some halfway-decent water. I threw to rocky banks while my boat sat in 5 to 6 feet of water and caught three keepers on a jig.”
Manson said he used a D&L Tackle Advantage Jig with a Zoom Super Chunk Jr. to catch his fish.
“I worked it back out into a couple of feet of water where the original shoreline was,” said Manson. “The water was high and there was some river weed in it, and that’s where they were biting. They were back there to spawn, but were waiting for the water to warm up.”
Manson said spent the remainder of his day running the entire length of the lake looking for the same type of rock banks.
“I only caught six keepers all day,” said Manson. “The other channels I went into had to have halfway-clean water. That was the main factor.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Scott Manson, Covington, Ohio, five bass, 12-9, $4,472
2nd: Jay Jeffries, Celina, Ohio, four bass, 8-8, $2,236
3rd: Ken Garbe, Wyoming, Ohio, four bass, 8-6, $1,492
4th: Dave Fricke, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 6-13, $968
4th: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, three bass, 6-13, $968
6th: Jeremy Tenwalde, Fort Jennings, Ohio, three bass, 6-6, $820
7th: Edward Backs, Troy, Ohio, three bass, 6-5, $745
8th: Ronald Nutter, Saint Louisville, Ohio, three bass, 6-0, $871
9th: Brandon Houston, Burlington, Ky., two bass, 5-6, $596
10th: Tom Uber, Columbus, Ohio, two bass, 5-0, $522
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Douglas Lyon of Cincinnati, Ohio, caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 11 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $650.
Billy Crider Jr. of Kettering, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division and $2,236 Saturday after bringing four bass totaling 9 pounds even to the scale.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Billy Crider Jr., Kettering, Ohio, four bass, 9-0, $2,236
2nd: Ron Weisenburger, Continental, Ohio, two bass, 4-0, $1,118
3rd: Roy Lester, Hamilton, Ohio, one bass, 3-9, $1,070
4th: Steve Sorrell, Beavercreek, Ohio, one bass, 3-7, $522
5th: J.R. Selke, Waynesville, Ohio, one bass, 3-6, $447
6th: Remington Throckmorton, Otway, Ohio, one bass, 3-0, $410
7th: John Long, New Bremen, Ohio, one bass, 2-14, $354
7th: Eric Kramer, Celina, Ohio, two bass, 2-14, $354
9th: Andrew Gilliland, McArthur, Ohio, two bass, 2-12, $398
10th: Dennis Hughes, Bethel, Ohio, two bass, 2-11, $261
Lester’s 3-pound, 9-ounce bass was the largest caught among Co-angler Division anglers. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $325.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the Barren River in Scottsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Bucky Helms Holds on with a 5.89 Largemouth to Win the Lake Norman Big Bass Tour Event!!
Full Results:
2017 Lake Norman, NC
Leaders
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BUCKY HELMS | 5.89 |
| 2 | JOHN BROWN | 5.58 |
| 3 | CARSON ORELLANA | 5.43 |
| 4 | MARK BROWN | 5.33 |
| 5 | RUSSELL MCGEE | 5.27 |
| 6 | KELLY JOHNSON | 5.09 |
| 7 | CHAD MIDKIFF | 5.05 |
| 8 | VINCE PARKER | 5.02 |
| 9 | MERLE DAVIS | 4.97 |
| 10 | LUKE NICKERT | 4.92 |
Saturday 8-9
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MARK NAYLOR | 4.30 |
| 2 | MARK GUINN | 4.25 |
| 3 | MIKE SEAWRIGHT | 4.01 |
| 4 | BRENT WHITE | 3.73 |
| 5 | JEREMY DELLINGER | 3.29 |
| 6 | PHIL SUMMERVILLE | 3.26 |
| 7 | DAVID BROWN | 2.90 |
| 8 | ROY HOYLE | 2.85 |
| 9 | DYLAN SMITH | 2.81 |
| 10 | BRIAN MORGAN | 2.80 |
Saturday 9-10
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CARSON ORELLANA | 5.43 |
| 2 | BRAYDEN RAKES | 4.00 |
| 3 | JOHN OXENDINE | 3.87 |
| 4 | CHESTER CARSWELL | 3.85 |
| 5 | TERRY WIKE | 3.39 |
| 6 | LEE SLATER | 2.98 |
| 7 | RICK FALLS | 2.90 |
| 8 | JAMES ACKER | 2.86 |
| 9 | ROB WRIGHT | 2.80 |
| 10 | COLE HUSKINS | 2.78 |
| 10 | SCOTT HAMMONS | 2.78 |
Saturday 10-11
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DUSTIN LOFTIN | 4.80 |
| 2 | LEE SAFERIGHT | 3.63 |
| 3 | BOO WHITAKER | 3.36 |
| 4 | GREGG KELLER | 3.24 |
| 5 | ROY BURGESS | 3.04 |
| 6 | MIKE CORBISHLEY | 2.80 |
| 7 | AUSTIN SCHROEDER | 2.63 |
| 8 | CHARLEY SIPE | 2.62 |
| 9 | BUTCH ZADLO | 2.59 |
| 10 | CARSON CAMPBELL | 2.54 |
Saturday 11-12
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MARK BROWN | 5.33 |
| 2 | KYLE WHISNANT | 4.57 |
| 3 | KENNETH WIGNER | 4.12 |
| 4 | JEFF THERRELL | 3.74 |
| 5 | JOSH MILLER | 3.63 |
| 6 | BRENT ROBERTSON | 3.57 |
| 7 | RICKY WRIGHT | 3.26 |
| 8 | LOUIS KEELS | 3.18 |
| 9 | GRAYSON WHICKER | 3.01 |
| 10 | CRAIG RYCROFT | 2.97 |
Saturday 12-1
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BUCKY HELMS | 5.89 |
| 2 | RUSSELL MCGEE | 5.27 |
| 3 | NORMAN WOLFRAM | 4.25 |
| 4 | CHAD MIDKIFF | 3.76 |
| 5 | BRAD MYERS | 3.57 |
| 6 | JEREMY DELLINGER | 3.21 |
| 7 | JACOB MOORE | 3.17 |
| 8 | JUSTIN HILL | 3.16 |
| 8 | JOSH HUFFMAN | 3.16 |
| 10 | TROY ARMSTRONG | 3.15 |
Saturday 1-2
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHAD MIDKIFF | 5.05 |
| 2 | MERLE DAVIS | 4.97 |
| 3 | KELLY JOHNSON | 4.12 |
| 4 | TODD TREECE | 4.07 |
| 5 | CLINT MCCORKLE | 3.98 |
| 6 | KYLE WHISNANT | 3.62 |
| 7 | PAT TIERNEY | 3.50 |
| 8 | TROY ARMSTRONG | 3.44 |
| 9 | CHER TOU THAO | 3.34 |
| 10 | MITCHELL SISK | 3.29 |
Saturday 2-3
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KELLY JOHNSON | 5.09 |
| 2 | VINCE PARKER | 5.02 |
| 3 | EARNEST CRENSHAW | 3.95 |
| 4 | BRON HEMPHILL | 3.87 |
| 5 | CHAD MIDKIFF | 3.63 |
| 6 | CHARLES MCGEE | 3.31 |
| 7 | BRENT WHITE | 3.27 |
| 7 | RUSSELL HOYLE | 3.27 |
| 9 | ART MCLAREN | 3.08 |
| 10 | LARRY WHITTINGTON | 3.07 |
Sunday 8-9
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LUKE NICKERT | 4.92 |
| 2 | ROGER POPE | 4.27 |
| 3 | CHRISTOPHER SPENCER | 3.77 |
| 4 | TONY COATS | 3.55 |
| 5 | DREW BLOWER | 3.36 |
| 6 | AUSTIN NEARY | 3.33 |
| 7 | AUSTIN WIKE | 3.28 |
| 8 | RYAN PRESLAR | 3.02 |
| 9 | WALT GULLEDGE | 3.00 |
| 9 | DENNIS CAUDLE | 3.00 |
Sunday 9-10
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JOHN BROWN | 5.58 |
| 2 | JASON MERCHANT | 3.57 |
| 3 | STEVE BLYTHE | 3.47 |
| 4 | JEFF GREEN | 3.29 |
| 5 | GRAYSON WHICKER | 3.10 |
| 6 | JOHN THIBODEAU | 3.03 |
| 7 | MITCHELL SISK | 3.01 |
| 8 | ERIC BLAND | 2.98 |
| 9 | JASON JONES | 2.96 |
| 10 | ALAN SANFORD | 2.89 |
Sunday 10-11
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BOO WHITAKER | 4.83 |
| 2 | BRIAN ANDERSON | 4.30 |
| 3 | BRIAN MORGAN | 3.47 |
| 4 | BILLY WILLOUGHBY | 3.39 |
| 4 | RICHARD GAWTHROP | 3.39 |
| 6 | RALPH HOLLIFIELD JR | 3.32 |
| 7 | RICHARD DARNELL | 3.25 |
| 8 | TRAVIS BARE | 3.02 |
| 9 | JOHN THIBODEAU | 2.92 |
| 10 | TIM PARDUE | 2.88 |
Sunday 11-12
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NATHAN WHITE | 3.70 |
| 2 | BRIAN MORGAN | 3.55 |
| 3 | LEE MARTIN | 3.45 |
| 4 | TY SWANK | 3.36 |
| 5 | JORDAN YAWN | 3.19 |
| 6 | BRYCE DANIELSON | 3.15 |
| 6 | DALE BURRIS | 3.15 |
| 8 | MAURICE WALLACE | 3.09 |
| 9 | STEVE ADDINGTON | 3.08 |
| 10 | DARRYL BROWN | 2.99 |
Sunday 12-1
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JOSH BENGE | 4.32 |
| 2 | ETHAN LYON | 3.29 |
| 3 | NATHAN SCRONCE | 3.17 |
| 4 | WILLIAM STILLER | 3.00 |
| 5 | MIKE CLARK | 2.98 |
| 6 | MITCHELL SISK | 2.86 |
| 7 | CHESTER CARSWELL | 2.80 |
| 8 | VINCE PARKER | 2.79 |
| 9 | ERIC STANBERY | 2.77 |
| 10 | MARSHALL PARKER | 2.73 |
Sunday 1-2
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BRAYDEN RAKES | 4.66 |
| 2 | DENNIS CAUDLE | 3.88 |
| 3 | CHRIS CARNES | 3.59 |
| 4 | CHASE DEAL | 3.27 |
| 5 | SHANE BIERS | 3.21 |
| 6 | EARNEST CRENSHAW | 2.98 |
| 7 | CHRIS ELLIS | 2.92 |
| 8 | NOLAN ELLER | 2.87 |
| 9 | BRON HEMPHILL | 2.81 |
| 10 | LUCAS GWYN | 2.76 |
Sunday 2-3
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VINCE PARKER | 3.85 |
| 2 | JAMES BALL | 3.79 |
| 3 | ROBERT KENDRICK | 3.43 |
| 4 | CHRIS ANDERSON | 3.30 |
| 5 | ALSTON WINGATE | 3.29 |
| 6 | ROBERT TRUEBLOOD | 3.16 |
| 7 | NORMAN WOLFRAM | 3.15 |
| 8 | MATT HOLDER | 3.08 |
| 9 | JOSH DONEGAN | 2.90 |
| 10 | AMOS GAINEY | 2.81 |
Browning & Browning Win Final Regular Season Arkansas Bass Team Trail Tournament of the Season
From Arkansas Bass Team Trail Tournament Director James Arnold
Lake Ouachita,May 6
This was the final regular season event,what a way to end the season ?
It's rained,the water is over 3' high,the wind has blown for days,its tournament day,high bright skies,little to no wind equals tough fishing but someone always figures the fish out.
Paul & Joseph Browning top 154 teams by catching 16.89,their fish were caught flipping jigs & dragging big football jigs.
Wayne Dixon & Jared Allen slide into 2nd place with a total of 16.73,catching their fish flipping soft plastics in the mud.
Rounding out 3rd was Fred Martin & Tyrone Philips,they caught their 16.37 on "ugly" swim baits according to Fred.
Brian & Dennis Bean win the AOY Title,these guys catch fish everywhere,everyday,you can never count them out.
Video from Saturdays Weigh-In:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqDZ6e9AZ8M&feature=youtu.be
We have 6 teams that have qualified to participate in the Bassmaster Team Championship,the date & location has not been announced as of yet,we will make an announcement as soon as we get get the word.
Here are the 6 qualifiers,
1 Brian & Dennis Bean
2 Fred Martin & Tyrone Phillips
3 Mark McDonnel & Quincy Houchin
4 Billy Holt & Billy Holt jr
5 Rusty Ledbetter & Rusty Manning
6 Wayne Dixon & Jared Allen
Remember guys,if any of the Top 6 choose not to go,we will move on to the next team in line,so be prepared !
ABTT CHAMPIONSHIP ; Arkansas River,North Little Rock ,presented by North Little Rock Visitors Bureau
Official Practice September 28-29
Tournament September 30-October 1
AOY / Championship Banquet September 29,7;00 PM @ the RV park @ NLR boat landing (Verizon)
Championship 1st place,Bass Cat Caracal,Mercury 225 Pro XS valued @ $58,010
Qualification;Everyone that has participated in (4) tournaments in 2017
We will have a list put together in a few day (after a little break)
This has been an amazing year for ABTT,we have set & broken attendance records all year,we ended up averaging 158 teams thru our regular season events,surpassing the 143 team record.
This is a credit to you,the anglers,having a positive outlook & a passion to be better !
Also,nothing could happen without great sponsors,a very big deal this year was Bass Cat Boats coming on board,we can't thank them enough ! The Crain Team,their always there,anytime,anywhere! Costa,the best "glasses in the world & a pretty good girl working for them ! T / H Marine,Frogg Toggs,Pro Guide Batteries,Bob's Machine Shop,Southern Reel Outfitters,BubbaChest,Phenix Rods,Luck E Strike Lures.
I can't say enough about a few others,if your interested in a Bass Cat Boat,we have 4 dealers in Arkansas,one of them is close to you & I recommend everyone of them,,,
Gwinn's Boat Repair & Sales
H2O Sportz & Marine
Horizon
Bull Shoals Boat Dock
I have a hard telling someone where to buy a boat,I've only gotten to know the guys at Bull Shoals & Horizon this year but I've seen & heard great things !
Gwinn's Boat Repair & Sales,I've known Danny & Dana for a long time,there's no better people around,they have always been there for ABTT ! Anything that we ever want to do,their part of it !
H2O Sportz,,,Amanda & I go back a long time,I can't say enough about her ! She is always on top of things to keep you fishing & always a great supporter of ABTT
FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEART,The Staff of ABTT would like to Congratulate all the winners & say Thank You to all the participants !
Another Thank You to all of the ABTT Staff,Rusty,Lauren,Gayle,Kris,Shea,Tami,Maddie,Kinley,Cliff,Kathy,Jaylyn !
If I missed anyone,,,which I'm sure that I did,,,I'm sorry !!!!!
ALABAMA’S WEIDLER WINS COSTA FLW SERIES SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE CHICKAMAUGA
Bessemer Angler Bests 196-boat Field to Earn First Career Victory, $48,200
DAYTON, Tenn. (May 6, 2017) – Alabama angler William Weidler of Bessemer, brought a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 3 ounces to the scale Saturday to win the Costa FLW Series Southeastern Division finale on Lake Chickamauga presented by Lowrance. Weidler’s two-day total of 10 bass weighing 45 pounds, 2 ounces, was enough to earn him the win by a 1-pound, 7-ounce margin and a check for $48,200.
Normally a three-day event, the tournament was shortened to two days of competition after Thursday, Day One, was canceled due to strong winds and dangerous conditions. The tournament resumed Friday and Saturday with the full field fishing each day. The pro and co-angler winners were determined by the cumulative weight of two days of competition instead of three.
“I think I’m still in shock,” said Weidler, who was fishing in just his third career Costa FLW Series event. “I wasn’t even entered in this tournament and I just decided to get in on Tuesday, this week. To come up here and get the win… I am blown away.”
Weidler said that he made the decision to enter the tournament after a strong 6th place finish in the B.A.S.S. Open event just one week prior.
“After my finish last week, I figured I might just have a chance. I’m a shallow-water fisherman – I caught all of my fish this week swimming a jig in 18 inches of water or less,” Weidler said. “I caught around 35 keepers on Friday and around 30 today. I was fishing transition areas, spawning bays and bluegill beds.”
Weidler said that his most productive area this week was just five minutes from the launch ramp – near the lower end of the island at the mouth of the Hiwassee River. He said that every fish that he caught came on the jig, a black and blue-colored ½-ounce Dirty Jigs No-Jack Swim Jig with an H&H Lures Swamp Frog.
“The frog comes black with white feet, but I dye the feet blue to match the black and blue of the swimjig,” Weidler said.
“The key for me this week was just having patience,” Weidler went on to say. “Around 1 (p.m.) today I didn’t have much weight in the livewell and I started hearing the little voices in my head. But the sun came out and it warmed up, and then some clouds moved in and it got a little overcast. I just knew that they were going to start biting, and they did. I was fishing a bluegill bed and I ended up culling everything in my livewell. It was a magical spot.”
The top 10 pros on Lake Chickamauga were:
1st: William Weidler, Bessemer, Ala., 10 bass, 45-2, $48,200
2nd: Barry Wilson, Birmingham, Ala., 10 bass, 43-11, $19,500
3rd: Brian Merriman, Falkville, Ala., 10 bass, 43-4, $14,000
4th: Taylor Ashley, Warrior, Ala., 10 bass, 42-12, $12,200
5th: Brent Butler, Vonore, Tenn., 10 bass, 41-1, $11,000
6th: Tim Frederick, Leesburg, Fla., 10 bass, 40-14, $9,000
7th: Joe Thompson, Clayton, Ga., 10 bass, 40-11, $8,100
8th: Wes Logan, Springville, Ala., 10 bass, 40-2, $6,800
9th: Hensley Powell, Whitwell, Tenn., 10 bass, 39-0, $5,800
10th: Anthony Ford, New Smyrna, Fla., 10 bass, 38-2, $4,400
A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Mike Miller of Trinity, North Carolina, caught a bass weighing 9 pounds, 15 ounces Friday – the biggest of the tournament in the Pro Division. For his catch, Miller earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $300.
Also decided Saturday, pro Buddy Gross of Chickamauga, Georgia wrapped up the Costa FLW Series Strike King Angler of the Year Title in the Southeastern Division. With finishes of 8th place at Lake Okeechobee, 1st place at Lake Seminole and a 36th place showing at Lake Chickamauga, Gross accumulated a total of 708 points to take home the title and the $2,000 prize package.
Chase Whisenhunt of Trussville, Alabama, won the Co-angler Division and a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard motor. Whisenhunt earned his win with a two-day total of eight bass weighing 28 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Chickamauga were:
1st: Chase Whisenhunt, Trussville, Ala., eight bass, 28-7, $28,100
2nd: James Wegmann, Fruitland Park, Fla., eight bass, 27-8, $6,050
3rd: James Stowers, Narrows, Va., 10 bass, 26-6, $4,800
4th: Mark Guhne, Hixson, Tenn., 10 bass, 25-10, $3,900
5th: Nick Cupps, Chattanooga, Tenn., nine bass, 25-1, $3,400
6th: Craig Rozema, Simpsonville, S.C., eight bass, 24-13, $2,900
7th: Bruce Griffin, Jasper, Ala., 10 bass, 24-11, $2,400
8th: Zac Smith, Cleveland, Ala., seven bass, 24-9, $1,950
9th: Eddie Walker, Pinson, Ala., eight bass, 24-1, $1,580
10th: Ray Puckett, Wetumpka, Ala., six bass, 23-14, $1,530
Puckett caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Saturday, a massive largemouth weighing 10 pounds, 7 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $200.
Co-angler Craig Rozema of Simpsonville, South Carolina won the Costa FLW Series Strike King Co-angler of the Year Title in the Southeastern Division. With finishes of 42nd place at Lake Okeechobee, 2nd place at Lake Seminole and a 6th place finish at Lake Chickamauga, Rozema accumulated a total of 703 points to take home the title and the $800 prize package.
The Costa FLW Series on Lake Chickamauga was hosted by the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council. It was the third and final regular-season Southeastern Division tournament of 2017. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be a Western Division event, held May 11-13, on the California Delta in Bethel Island, California. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Ford drops 26-14 Limit to Lead Weather Shortened FLW Costa Event on Chickamauga
May 5, 2017 by Richard Simms
Anthony Ford from New Smyrna, Fla., came to the weigh-in stand with the biggest bag of fish Friday in the Costa FLW Series Southeastern Division finale presented by Lowrance on Lake Chickamauga. Ford's limit of five bass weighed 26 pounds, 14 ounces, besting second-place angler Mike Miller from Trinity, N.C., who had 25 pounds even.
Friday was day one of competition, although it was supposed to be day two. Thursday fishing was canceled due to predicted high winds.
Ford admitted he was tired and a little stressed when he came off the weigh-in stand.
"I'm beat up a little bit, yeah," he says. "Just nervous from catching big fish and trying to get them back here."
A stiff south wind against a strong current created some hefty swells on the main channel of Lake Chickamauga, creating challenges for the offshore anglers.
Ford says he was concentrating in 10 to 12 feet of water, but he’s holding other details of his pattern close to the vest for Saturday's final day of competition.
With temperatures in the 50s, drizzling rain and stiff wind, Ford did say he thinks the weather helped his bite.
"I had not caught them that good in practice, so it must have helped," Ford says. "I only caught one short and didn't lose any or miss any fish I know of."
This week is Ford's first time on Lake Chickamauga, and he’s enjoying the experience.
"I've caught them shallow and deep on this trip," he says. "Of course, I fish Okeechobee a lot, so if you get over 8 feet it's deep for me."
This tournament is the final regular-season event of 2017 scheduled in the Southeastern Division. Pros are competing for a top award of up to $50,000 in cash and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-hp Evinrude outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-hp Evinrude outboard and an additional $1,250 if Ranger Cup qualified. The top 40 pros and co-anglers in the final point standings in each U.S. division advance to the 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship, provided they fished all three qualifiers in a division.
Currently, Buddy Gross from Chickamauga, Ga., leads the standings for the Strike King Angler of the Year in the Southeastern Division with 493 points. Gross was in eighth place following Friday's weigh-in, so he should be able to remain in contention for AOY. However, Randy Haynes, currently with 471 points, came in fourth place Friday and could be challenging Gross depending on Saturday.
A total of 394 anglers – boaters and co-anglers – are registered in the Lake Chickamauga event.
With one day of the event cancelled there will not be a cut to the top 10 for the final day. The full field will fish on Saturday. With other good-sized Saturday tournaments on Lake Chickamauga, some anglers are concerned about crowds and competition.
Boats will take off from the Dayton Boat Dock, located at 175 Lakeshore St. in Dayton, beginning at 6:45 a.m. ET. Weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. The event is hosted by the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council.
Top 10 Pros
1. Anthony Ford – New Smyrna, Fla. – 26-14 (5)
2. Mike Miller – Trinity, N.C. – 25-0 (5)
3. Chad Prough – Chipley, Fla. – 23-13 (5)
4. Randy Haynes – Counce, Tenn. – 23-12 (5)
5. Andy Morgan – Dayton, Tenn. – 23-7 (5)
6. William Weidler – Bessemer, Ala. – 22-15 (5)
7. Clay Batson – Fernandina Beach, Fla. – 22-14 (5)
8. Buddy Gross – Chickamauga, Ga. – 22-11 (5)
9. Jared McMillan – Belle Glade, Fla. – 22-10 (5)
10. Barry Wilson – Birmingham, Ala. – 22-10 (5)
Whisenhunt on Top Among Co-anglers
Chase Whisenhunt from Trussville, Ala., came in first on the co-angler side with 21 pounds, 14 ounces.
Whisenhunt gave much of the credit to his boater, pro angler Milo Salgado.
"We were offshore just casting points, with jigs mostly. My boater was awesome," says Whisenhunt. "He taught me a lot of stuff."
Salgado, from Artemus, Ky., is in 37th place on the pro side. He’s happy for Whisenhunt and believes the wind actually helped his co-angler on Friday.
"We threw the same [lure], but I was trying not to hit the bank with the boat. I tried to stay a little far from the bank, so he was actually in position to make better casts," says Salgado.
Whisenhunt has fished only five FLW events and has never made his way to the winner's circle.
"I'm pretty nervous, but I'm just going to go out there and fish [on Saturday]," he says. "If it happens it happens, and if not it’s just not that time."
Top 10 Co-anglers
1. Chase Whisenhunt – Trussville, Ala. – 21-14 (5)
2. Jason Sturgill – Pennington Gap, Va. – 19-3 (5)
3. Samuel Lemons – Vonore, Tenn. – 18-15 (5)
4. James Wegmann – Fruitland Park, Fla. – 18-13 (5)
5. Scott Kirsch – Edgewater, Fla. – 17-6 (5)
6. Alan Woodford – Winslow, Ind. – 16-9 (5)
7. Nick Cupps – Chattanooga, Tenn. – 16-1 (5)
8. Tony Prince – Pulaski, Tenn. – 15-12 (5)
9. Zac Smith – Cleveland, Ala. – 15-9 (3)
10. Randy Miller – Athens, Ala. – 15-2 (3)
College Student Wins ‘Fish With Gerald Swindle’ Sweepstakes
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SOUTH FLORENCE HIGH SCHOOL WINS TBF HIGH SCHOOL FISHING SOUTH CAROLINA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP AT LAKE MURRAY
PROSPERITY, S.C. (May 3, 2017) – The South Florence High School duo of Tommy Floyd of Coward, South Carolina, and James Gibbons of Timmonsville, South Carolina, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 3 ounces, to win the 2017 TBF High School Fishing South Carolina State Championship tournament on Lake Murray in Prosperity, South Carolina. The win advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.
A field of 53 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Dreher Island State Park in Prosperity. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top five teams on Lake Murray that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: South Florence High School – Tommy Floyd, Coward, S.C., and James Gibbons, Timmonsville, S.C., (five bass, 19-3)
2nd: Union County High School – Hunter Enlow, Union, S.C., and Creed Fowler, Jonesville, S.C., (five bass, 14-15)
3rd: Woodruff High School – Nick Collier and Austin Lanford, both of Woodruff, S.C., (five bass, 12-11)
4th: North Augusta High School – Kyler McKie and Michael Burch, both of North Augusta, S.C., (three bass, 11-12)
5th: Woodruff High School – Justin Greene and Caleb Ownby, both of Woodruff, S.C., (five bass, 11-11)
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
5th: Spring Hill High School – Grant Tomlin, Chapin, S.C., and Wes Grindstaff, Irmo, S.C., (three bass, 10-14)
5th: Woodruff High School – Cole Gore, Enoree, S.C., and Clayton Caldwell, Woodruff, S.C., (five bass, 10-12)
5th: Gilbert High School – J.T. Vining and Tucker Veronee, both of Gilbert, S.C., (four bass, 10-5)
9th: South Florence High School – Cole Drummond, Effingham, S.C., and Piercen Lynch, Timmonsville, S.C., (four bass, 9-1)
10th: Woodmont High School, Piedmont, S.C. – Austin Davis and Auston Bennett, (five bass, 7-13)
Complete results from the event have been posted at HighSchoolFishing.org.
Photos from the event can be found at the TBF High School Fishing Facebook page at Facebook.com/hsfishing.
The 2017 TBF High School Fishing South Carolina State Championship was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the state of Florida. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2017 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2016 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
DUCE RODS ANNOUNCES ELEMENT SERIES RODS. Company to change DELTA Series to ELEMENT Series
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Lafayette, La. May 1, 2017 – Lafayette, Louisiana based company DUCE Rods is announcing a name change in of their popular product line up. Our DELTA Series Rods were introduced last year at ICAST to great reviews. Recently, we found out another fishing rod company uses “DELTA” in their name and have decided to change our name so we do not create any brand confusion.
While changing the name is not ideal, this decision is based on making sure DUCE Rods continues to grow in the future. We pride ourselves on providing a great product while making sure we continue to offer the customer service our customers have grown to expect. We take responsibility for this name oversight and extend our apologies if it has created any confusion. This is why we have changes the name the series to ELEMENT.
The ELEMENT series will feature 12 popular inshore and freshwater actions. Sporting a black and blue look they will feature multi modulus lightweight graphite blanks, custom engraved cork split grips, titanium guides, and our Spiral Wrapped Technology. This series will have a $210 MSRP.
For more information or check out our products contact Rob Lever at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
About DUCE Rods LLC Made with the industry’s best components, the DUCE Spiral Rods are a game changing technology. Made with the industry’s best components, the spiraling eyelet design reduces torque and give you better control of your catch. Designed with passion for the passionate fisherman, our unique line up of rods will leave you wondering why you ever stayed in line in the first place. Visit DUCE Rods online at http://ducerods.com and on Facebook.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF BALTIMORE COUNTY WINS YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING NORTHERN CONFERENCE OPENER ON SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE
BEDFORD, Va. (May 1, 2017) – The Community College of Baltimore County duo of Michael Duarte and Matthew Iman, both of Baltimore, Maryland, won the YETI FLW College Fishing Northern Conference opener on Smith Mountain Lake Saturday after weighing a five bass-limit totaling 17 pounds, 13 ounces. The win earned their club a $2,000 scholarship and advanced the team to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
s“A win like this means a lot for our club,” said Iman, a sophomore majoring in nursing. “I think it will help us get the word out, and maybe even get more people to be involved. Michael (Duarte) and I just love to fish. We make a great team.”
Iman said the two started off the event by catching their biggest fish – a 6½-pounder – with a topwater bait off of a secondary point on the bend of a pocket. Around 10:30 a.m., they made their way up the Roanoke River.
“We stumbled upon some bedding fish when we pulled into one of our areas way up the Roanoke,” said Duarte, a freshman majoring in business and marketing. “The first one I caught was suspended under a dock. When they suspend under docks back home, that tells me they’re getting ready to pull up or are already spawning. We went along the shoreline and saw more fish spawning between the docks. They were stacked in there. We worked along a 100- to 200-yard stretch until 1 p.m., caught a limit, and culled once.”
Duarte said they used a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senko to catch their fish, and rotated in a drop-shot rig with a Strike King Dream Shot when they wanted to place bait right on the spawning bed.
“The biggest key was hiding behind docks so the bass couldn’t see us,” said Duarte. “We would pull up, and if we didn’t get a certain bass to bite, we’d leave and come back to it after 15 minutes.”
The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2018 College Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Community College Baltimore County – Michael Duarte and Matthew Iman, both of Baltimore, Md., five bass, 17-13, $2,000
2nd: Liberty University – Brian Travers, West Jefferson, N.C., and Caleb Unger, Fry Fork, Va., five bass, 17-5, $1,000
3rd: Adrian College – Jarrett Martin and Zachary Graham, both of Gallipolis, Ohio, five bass, 16-5, $900
4th: The Apprentice School – Hunter Atkins, Carrsville, Va., and Kitt Moger, Suffolk, Va., five bass, 15-14, $500
5th: Adrian College – Caleb Taylor, Zionsville, Ind., and Nickolas Marsh, Commerce Township, Mich., five bass, 14-15, $700
6th: Schoolcraft College – Clayton Hatton, South Lyon, Mich., and Anthony Gilmore, Livonia, Mich., five bass, 14-14
7th: West Virginia University – Nolan Minor, Charlottesville, Va., and Casey Lanier, Sanford, N.C., five bass, 14-12
8th: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – Elliott Roberson, Claudville, Va., and Ross Adams, Stuart, Va. five bass, 14-10
9th: Liberty University – Landon Riggleman, Lynchburg, Va., and Ethan Pitts, Gibsonia, Pa., five bass, 14-10
10th: Radford University – Zack Lemaster, Bedford, Va., and Matthew Cooley, Chesterfield, Va., five bass, 14-8
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
This YETI FLW College Fishing Northern Conference opener at Smith Mountain Lake was the first regular-season qualifying tournament of 2017 and was hosted by Visit Bedford. The next event for Northern Conference anglers is an event scheduled for July 22 on Chautauqua Lake in Chautauqua, New York.
YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments, along with an additional qualifier for every 10 teams over 100 that compete, along with the top 20 teams from the annual YETI FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
BASS PRO SHOPS PARTNERS WITH FLW TO BECOME TITLE SPONSOR OF HIGH SCHOOL FISHING OPENS
Multi-Year Partnership Will Engage Kids in Nationwide Fishing Tournaments
MINNEAPOLIS (May 4, 2017) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, and Bass Pro Shops, a leading national retailer of outdoor gear and apparel, announced today a partnership supporting nationwide high school fishing tournaments in an effort to promote both organizations and grow the sport. Effective immediately, Bass Pro Shops will assume title sponsorship of the FLW High School Fishing Opens.
"FLW and Bass Pro Shops share the same passionate audience," said FLW President of Marketing Trish Blake. "Both organizations excel within the outdoors industry. By forming this partnership, we are able to leverage each other's strengths and build upon the synergies between us."
The 2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Opens is a 24-event series featuring tournaments for High School Fishing anglers around the country. The tournaments are free to enter, and the top 10 percent of teams in each event advance directly to the High School Fishing National Championship, held June 27-July 1 on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama. Qualifiers in tournaments held after June 10 will advance to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship.
“Bass Pro Shops is deeply committed to helping young people connect with nature through fishing and outdoor recreation,” said noted conservationist and Bass Pro Shops founder/CEO Johnny Morris. “We are very proud to support Fishing League Worldwide and their efforts to grow the sport of fishing with anglers of all ages.”
Per terms of the agreement, Bass Pro Shops will receive exposure at more than 274 FLW-sanctioned bass fishing tournaments and Expos, and through multiple FLW media channels, which include FLWFishing.com and FLW Bass Fishing magazine. Bass Pro Shops gift cards will be featured each month in the FLW Monthly Member Giveaways, and the brand will headline exclusive content across FLW’s social media outlets, which are viewed by hundreds of thousands of outdoor enthusiasts.
In addition to the High School Fishing events, Bass Pro Shops will also be the presenting sponsor of multiple YETI FLW College Fishing tournaments. Select tournaments across all circuits will have registration and/or weigh-in hosted at Bass Pro Shops store locations, and FLW will be showcased in the annual Bass Pro Shops Gone Fishing events planned for summer.
Visit FLWFishing.com for more details or to find out how to start a club at your school.
2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Opens:
May 6 Wisconsin Open & Iowa State Championship Mississippi River @ La Crosse
May 13 Missouri Open Truman Lake
May 14 California Open & State Championship California Delta
May 20 Virginia Open & State Championship Claytor Lake
June 3 Minnesota Open Mississippi River
June 10 Michigan Open & State Championship Detroit River
Sept. 9 Louisiana Open Ouachita River
Sept. 16 Maryland Open Potomac River
Sept. 23 Pennsylvania Open Raystown Lake
Sept. 30 Indiana Open Lake Monroe
Oct. 7 Illinois Open Lake Springfield
Oct.14 New York Open Oneida Lake
Oct. 21 Oklahoma Open Grand Lake
Oct. 28 Ohio Open Caesar Creek
Nov. 4 Kentucky Open Lake Cumberland
Nov. 18 Tennessee Open Norris Lake
Dec. 2 Georgia Open Lake Lanier
Dec. 9 Florida Open St. Johns River
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
FIND THE TRIGGERS FOR BED FISH
By David A. Brown
Like most who cover this great sport, I often field questions as to the personality and character of the pro anglers with whom I’m fortunate to occasionally work. The usual inquiry: “What’s he like?”
Well, when asked about Bassmaster Elite Series pro Mike Iaconelli, one word consistently leaves my lips: Passionate.
Passionate about every aspect of the game, from the competition, to the promotion and marketing, to the behind-the-scenes media work. The guy the fishing world knows as “Ike” truly cares about the industry that rewarded him with a 2003 Bassmaster Classic trophy.
Big part of that passion — teaching; Ike loves figuring out how to make fish bite and then sharing that knowledge with folks who’d like to do the same. It’s not enough the he’s learned how to catch fish in any scenario, he wants others to enjoy the same.
I saw both parts of this premise during a recent media gathering hosted by Dynamic Sponsorships, during which a handful of Elite and College Series anglers representing Toyota, Quantum and Carhartt gave us a glimpse into their tackle trays and wheel houses. Iaconelli and I covered several topics, but it was a completely random occurrence that spawned a teachable moment effervescing with infectious angling passion.
We had tucked into a little pocket off a secondary point to shoot a few casting pics, but on our departure, Iaconelli couldn’t resist easing around the back edge and peeking at the shallows. Sure enough, back by the drain, he found a buck bass guarding a nest.
We were pretty much done with the work stuff, so he grabbed a rod and made a few pitches. The fish kept moving in and out of a dark area and with the dim overcast conditions yielding minimal light penetration, he struggled to maintain visual contact.
But when you hear a guy like Mike Iaconellis whisper: “Okay, I see what you’re doing,” you get your camera ready. Essentially, by watching the fish — at times, perched atop his trolling motor mount — he identified the fish’s line of movement and set up his presentations accordingly.
Iaconelli wasn’t immediately successful, as the fish played hard-to-get. But, as you’ll see in the accompanying video, he was able to interpret responses to his various presentation strategies, deduce the necessary adjustments and eventually close the deal.
That made Ike happy.
From beneath that flat bill Toyota cap, unfiltered intensity radiated from the face of a guy who just digs this stuff. Iaconelli did a great job of breaking down what he calls the “triggers” that made this bass bite. Speed and color were the keys here, but taking a holistic view of whatever scenario you face and then picking apart each element typically reveals the magic formula.
Notably, the same principle applies well beyond bed fishing. Maybe it’s bringing your squarebill past the other side of a stump, or skipping the opposite side of the dock, or pitching to the upcurrent edge of a laydown after working the downcurrent side.
In any case, banish complacency, put on your thinking cap and explore every variable at your disposal. In just about every case, fate rewards diligence — often with a bent rod.
JACKSONVILLE’S BRAGG WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE BAMA DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE EUFAULA PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS
Georgia’s Walden Claims Co-angler Title
EUFAULA, Ala. (May 1, 2017) – Josh Bragg of Jacksonville, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 13 ounces to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bama Division tournament presented by Navionics on Lake Eufaula. Bragg pocketed $4,266 for his efforts.
Bragg said he spent his day fishing main-lake ledges between the takeoff ramp and Cheneyhatchee Creek. He said he rotated through about 20 brush piles as the day progressed.
“I started out on some shallow ledges, in 3 to 6 feet of water, throwing a crankbait,” said Bragg, who earned his first career-win in FLW competition. “Some shad were spawning and the fish were up feeding on them, so I hit as much as I could until the spawn slowed down.”
Bragg utilized both Sexy Shad- and Citrus-colored Strike King 5XD Crankbaits, which he cited as his most productive lure of the tournament. He also threw a Carolina-rigged green pumpkin-colored Zoom Brush Hog and a Texas-rigged plum-colored Zoom ‘Ol Monster Worm. He said he ended up catching 15 keepers throughout the event.
“After the wind picked up I started throwing the Carolina rig and the worm,” said Bragg. “The fish were ready to feed. It was one of those deals where if you pulled up and didn’t get a bite in ten minutes, you might as well move on to the next one. My Lowrance electronics and Minn Kota Ultrex trolling motor were what really got me the win. The Spot-Lock feature on the Ultrex allowed me to focus on fishing rather than battling the wind.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Josh Bragg, Jacksonville, Ala., five bass, 22-13, $4,266
2nd: Bryan Brown, Cataula, Ga., five bass, 17-14, $2,083
3rd: Cole Burdeshaw, Newville, Ala., five bass, 17-11, $1,256
4th: Mark Stillwell, Salem, Ala., five bass, 17-5, $879
5th: Ken Greene, Lumpkin, Ga., five bass, 16-7, $753
6th: Winston Steen, Wellington, Ala., five bass, 16-6, $790
7th: Robert Pelt II, Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 16-2, $628
8th: Jade Keeton, Florence, Ala., five bass, 16-0, $565
9th: Mike Cavender, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 14-13, $470
9th: Michael Smith, Andalusia, Ala., five bass, 14-13, $470
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Bragg also caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $500.
Emory Walden of Newnan, Georgia, won the Co-angler Division and $2,333 Saturday after bringing a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 1 ounce to the scale.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Emory Walden, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 18-1, $2,333
2nd: Keith Lynch, River Falls, Ala., four bass, 10-8, $992
3rd: Heath Martin, Fyffe, Ala., five bass, 10-2, $627
4th: James Wooddell, Columbus, Ohio, three bass, 9-4, $439
5th: Justin Girdner, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 8-13, $377
6th: Ferlin Weeks, Trinity, Ala., four bass, 8-10, $345
7th: Thomas Gore, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 8-7, $314
8th: Kevin Johnson, Grady, Ala., three bass, 8-3, $282
9th: Arthur Lee Matthews III, Marietta, Ga., four bass, 7-14, $251
10th: Lew Moore, Roanoke, Ala., four bass, 7-13, $220
Walden also caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 8 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $250.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
MONTEAGLE’S ROLLINS WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MUSIC CITY DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON TIMS FORD RESERVOIR
Alabama’s Davenport Grabs Co-angler Title
WINCHESTER, Tenn. (May 1, 2017) – Greg Rollins of Monteagle, Tennessee, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Music City Division tournament on Tims Ford Reservoir after weighing five bass Saturday totaling 15 pounds, 15 ounces. Rollins pocketed $3,426 for his win.
According to post-tournament reports, Rollins targeted postspawn smallmouth bass on both ends of the lake, keying on pea gravel with a Carolina rig.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Greg Rollins, Monteagle, Tenn., five bass, 15-15, $3,426
2nd: Tony Eckler, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 15-14, $1,427
2nd: Hunter Bouldin, McMinnville, Tenn., five bass, 15-14, $1,427
4th: Brent Sain, Manchester, Tenn., five bass, 15-1, $999
5th: Bill Darby, Fayetteville, Tenn., five bass, 14-13, $685
6th: William Merrick, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 13-13, $628
7th: Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 13-12, $671
8th: Jerry Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 13-2, $514
9th: Matt Stanley, Alexandria, Tenn., five bass, 12-15, $457
10th: Kenneth Smith, Tullahoma, Tenn., five bass, 12-8, $400
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Timothy Minton of Smiths Grove, Kentucky, caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 4 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $215.
John Davenport of Huntsville, Alabama, won the Co-angler Division and $1,873 Saturday after bringing a five-bass limit totaling 12 pounds even to the scale.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: John Davenport, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 12-0, $1,873
2nd: Bill Bruce, Hendersonville, Tenn., five bass, 11-3, $834
3rd: Larry Goss, Hartsville, Tenn., four bass, 8-11, $558
4th: Brice McMaster, Antioch, Tenn., three bass, 7-9, $389
5th: Craig Allen, Kingston Springs, Tenn., three bass, 7-4, $334
6th: Robert Harris, McEwen, Tenn., three bass, 7-0, $306
7th: Corey Poss, Smithville, Tenn., three bass, 6-13, $278
8th: John Wilkerson, Nashville, Tenn., three bass, 6-8, $450
9th: Gaylon Calahan, Winchester, Tenn., three bass, 6-2, $222
10th: Josh Bates, Pulaski, Tenn., three bass, 6-0, $245
Davenport also caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $205.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
MINNESOTA’S LAUFENBERG WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE GREAT LAKES DIVISION OPENER PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Illinois’ Overton Takes Co-angler Title
LA CROSSE, Wis. (May 1, 2017) – Cade Laufenberg of Winona, Minnesota, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division opener presented by Navionics on the Mississippi River Saturday after weighing five bass totaling 22 pounds, 3 ounces. For his victory, Laufenberg took home $6,016.
Laufenberg said he split his day between two areas he had found in practice – one on the north end of Pool No. 8, and the other on the south end. He said he put around 20 pounds of bass in the boat on the lower end within 30 minutes, including a 3-pounder on his first cast.
“I was fishing a wing dam near a spawning area,” said Laufenberg, a former standout YETI FLW College Fishing angler who now has four career-victories in FLW competition. “There was a special spot in there that you had to pinpoint with your cast. It was about as big as my boat deck. There was some sand that created a current seam and I was focusing right where the current met the slackwater.
“The location was crucial,” continued Laufenberg. “Any fish that were in that spawning area were pulled out because of a cold front that had passed through.”
Laufenberg said he caught everything he weighed in on a 5-inch Pearly Shad-colored Big Bite Baits Suicide Shad swimbait on a 1/8-ounce Gamakatsu Superline Swimbait Head. He said he caught 30 to 40 bass throughout his day, and that his limit that he brought to the scale consisted entirely of smallmouth.
“I finished out the event in the mouth of a small spawning pocket on the north end where two points came together,” said Laufenberg. “The fish were positioned right between them. I just rolled the swimbait through and ended up culling out three more fish. It was incredible.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Cade Laufenberg, Winona, Minn., five bass, 22-3, $6,016
2nd: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 18-6, $2,523
3rd: Fernando Lobato, Sparta, Wis., five bass, 16-2, $1,682
4th: Nathan Huss, Elkhart Lake, Wis., five bass, 15-15, $1,177
5th: Ron Taylor, Chicago, Ill., five bass, 15-10, $1,009
6th: Kevin Ruh, Onalaska, Wis., five bass, 15-9, $1,025
7th: Dan Mohn, Lansing, Iowa, five bass, 15-8, $841
8th: Jim Caulum, Rockland, Wis., five bass, 15-4, $757
9th: Travis Brueggen, Cashton, Wis., five bass, 15-3, $673
10th: Bob Oines, Galesville, Wis., five bass, 15-2, $889
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Laufenberg also caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $770.
Shawn Overton of Coal Valley, Illinois, won the Co-angler Division and $2,623 Saturday after bringing a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 1 ounce to the scale.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Shawn Overton, Coal Valley, Ill., five bass, 15-1, $2,623
2nd: Donald Roscovius, Tomah, Wis., five bass, 13-15, $1,262
3rd: Bryan Bergman, Monona, Wis., five bass, 13-14, $891
4th: Chad Smith, Davenport, Iowa, four bass, 12-8, $589
5th: Jared Greninger, Byron, Ill., four bass, 12-6, $697
6th: Rollie Truehl, DeForest, Wis., five bass, 11-9, $463
7th: Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., five bass, 11-6, $399
7th: John Pliwko, Plover, Wis., four bass, 11-6, $399
9th: Tim Willihnganz, Madison, Wis., five bass, 11-5, $336
10th: Josh Mohn, Lansing, Iowa, five bass, 11-4, $294
Tom Zenanko of Prior Lake, Minnesota, caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $192.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the Barren River in Scottsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
DAY ONE OF COSTA FLW SERIES EVENT ON LAKE CHICKAMAUGA CANCELED DUE TO STRONG WINDS
DAYTON, Tenn. (May 3, 2017) – Day One of the Costa FLW Series event on Lake Chickamauga presented by Lowrance, scheduled to start Thursday, has been canceled due to strong winds.
The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for the Dayton region, forecasting 15- to 30 mile-per-hour winds with gusts over 50 miles-per-hour. There is also a small craft advisory in effect for Lake Chickamauga.
The tournament will resume Friday and Saturday with the full field fishing each day. The pro and co-angler winners will be determined by the cumulative weight of two days of competition instead of three.
The full field will take off from the Dayton Boat Dock, located at 175 Lakeshore St. in Dayton at 6:30 a.m. EDT Friday and Saturday. Weigh-ins will be held at the marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. each day. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. The event is hosted by the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council.
In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At Lake Chickamauga, pros will fish for as much as $50,000 and a Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard and an additional $1,250 if Ranger Cup qualified.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
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Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff - SE Preview May 6-7, 2017
Sportsmans Warehouse Fishing Associate CJ Freeman gives us a heads up preview of several of the tournaments happening in the SE this weekend and what he expects them to be won on.
Carhartt Countdown to Blastoff - Scott Gordon and the BIG BASS TOUR!
Back for the 8th Year in a row, the Big Bass Tour hits Lake Norman this weekend with 70 Daily payouts and hourly winners and the Grand Prize of a new Nitro Z19 and Mercury Marine Package! Here Emcee Scott Gordon tells us more about it.
HydroWave Renews Partnership with the ACA and Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series
The Association of Collegiate Anglers has announced that HydroWave, makers of the electronic fish attractor, has renewed its partnership and sponsorship with the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series.
HydroWave, manufactured in Huntsville, Alabama by TH Marine has had a long standing relationship with college anglers in providing an electronic device that helps imitate the natural, audible underwater sounds of baitfish and fish-feeding activities. The first HydroWave was created with the help of numerous top-level professionals in bass fishing, including Jeff Kriet and Kevin VanDam. Built on fishing science, the HydroWave sends out reverberations to a predatory fish’s lateral line, sounds that help to trigger a fish’s feeding instinct.
"T-H Marine and our HydroWave brand are excited to continue our support of Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. Our HydroWave electronic feeding stimulator is used by virtually all of the fishing pros, along with our other brands. These Collegiate fishing enthusiasts are our fishing sport's future and our brands' future as well. We are happy to help them pursue their dreams!" said Jeff Huntley, President of TH Marine.
Since the Original HydroWave, HydroWave has branched out from just the bass fishing world to now include walleye, catfish, crappie and inshore saltwater fishing. They have also created the HydroWave Mini, which is a portable version of the full-size unit.
“We are excited to have HydroWave continuing their support of the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. The HydroWave is a product that you find on many of our anglers’ boats, as well as top pros everywhere, and their support of college fishing is great to see,” said Wade Middleton, Director of ACA and President of CarecoTV.
Collegiate anglers this year will have a unique opportunity to work with HydroWave to purchase their electronic fish attractor units as part of a discount purchase program created jointly between the Association of Collegiate Anglers and HydroWave. For more information on that program, collegiate anglers are urged to contact [email protected] or go online at http://www.collegiatebasschampionship.com and visit the Discount and Incentives page.
As part of their support of the ACA events this year, HydroWave will be on-site during the 2017 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Cabela’s, as well at several ACA events during the 2018 season, where college anglers will have a chance to visit with staff from HydroWave personally. HydroWave units are available in major retailers, and hundreds of independent stores throughout the country. To find out more visit Hydrowave.com.
How Dustin Connell Conquered "The Rez"
Vance McCullough / Photos Courtesy of BASS
At 1:55 Monday afternoon Dustin Connell laid down his rod and decided it was over.
He had done all he could and now it was time to find out if the Bassmaster Elite Series rookie would win his first big blue trophy in his first season on Tour.
As he idled along a rock jetty, a postfrontal sun strobed across Ross Barnett Reservoir’s rippled surface just as doubt flashed across the young man’s mind.
“I didn’t think I had it won. I really didn’t. I thought I had left the door open.
“If you do your best, absolutely the best you can do . . . and I thought I fell short still.
“It was a weird feeling. I kept my cool all day long and I made that last cast and I said, ‘that’s it’. I pulled my trolling motor up. I started idling back. And I just let loose of all my emotions. I couldn’t hold back anymore.”
When he reached the weigh in stage Connell saw that the last angler sitting between him and a career-defining moment was Kevin VanDam who occupied the ‘hot seat’ as the current leader.
If Connell was to take the title, he was going to have to earn it against the most feared competitor in bass tournament history.
“My goal for that day - I said, ‘I need to catch 13 pounds’. Somehow, some way I caught 12 pounds, 15 ounces. That was what I needed.”
The day’s effort ran Connell’s 4-day total winning weight to 64-13 and gave him a margin of 2-03 over VanDam.
How does that feel?
“I can’t explain it man,” says Connell. “It’s starting to sink in. I drove home last night and I was just tired. I went to bed and I woke up this morning and went, ‘wow, did this whole week really just happen?’. I don’t know how to explain it except, it’s surreal. It’s one of those deals that you dream of your whole life and when it finally happens it’s almost bittersweet. You can’t believe it at all.”
The week did really happen. 108 other Elite Series pros remember the challenges it brought. So does Connell. “Thursday was the best day of fishing. The weights were high, the fish were biting. That was before they got really beat up.
“Then you had the wind blowing 30-to-40 miles an hour for two days. Not only did that affect the fishing, it affected the navigating. It’s stressful knowing you’ve got to leave 45 minutes early just to get back in time and it’s only, like, a 20-minute run. It cut my fishing time. Then you’re worrying about your boat and trying to get back safe. Mentally, it was tough.”
Late Saturday evening there was speculation that, due to dangerous weather, Sunday’s finale would be postponed until Monday. Connell, with a lead of about 6 pounds, had the most to lose if heavy rains muddied his fishing spots up the river. And the upper reaches of the lake would be the first places to feel the change.
Championship Sunday indeed became Championship Monday.
But the delay benefited Connell in a couple of ways. Though there were 4 tornado warnings and a lot of lightning in the area, only about an inch of rain fell into the watershed. His area was largely unchanged.
“The only thing I was worried about was that water rising and getting muddy. But it didn’t do it as bad as I thought. The front came in though and slowed things down. I was getting 3 or 4 bites an hour and then the front came in and I got, like, 1 bite every 2 hours the final day.”
The biggest difference maker, though, was the rest Connell was able to catch up on. “I didn’t realize how tired I was until Sunday rolled around and I woke up at 6:00 and I was like, ‘oh man, I’m so tired’. I got a little rest that day and I was ready to go on Monday.”
Though he’s 26-years-old and in good shape, Connell’s exhaustion is understandable. “I’ve been on the water for about 24 days straight. I’m still tired. I was on the lake for 7 days straight, for which I’m very, very happy now.”
Connell shared with AnglersChannel.com in a recent interview that he very much likes to get away from the crowd. It was key to his win this past week on ‘The Rez’.
“The biggest thing that helped me was I didn’t have any company. I had the whole river to myself. I could run up the river, catch a couple and then save some fish. I didn’t really hammer down on them. I didn’t have any competition. You don’t see that often.
“But that’s how you win. You’ve got to separate yourself. If you can ever connect and do that . . . I mean, sometimes you make that run and it’s a long drive back if you don’t catch one, but when you do connect like that, it can payoff big time.”
As for his pattern: “I was fishing any kind of matted up stuff on the main river. It didn’t matter what it was. If it was a log jam, or trash mats or grass mats piled up in trees. Trees were a big factor. I was fishing trees that had mats pushed up in them. That’s just what those big fish live in on those river banks. I’m sure a lot of them live on stumps and stuff like that, but they want to get underneath something.”
He whacked them on a swim jig during Thursday’s opening round. That changed on Friday when Connell found ‘the pattern within the pattern’.
“I kind of got dialed-in after Friday; after I started catching them flipping. I found out that a lot of them were directly in the middle of those mats, in the middle of the tree in the shade. Eventually, I just went around flipping right in the middle of them. That was a big deal for me.”
“I was fishing the top 2 or 3 feet of the water column right under the mat. A lot of times as I was shaking the lure, trying to get through the mat, they would come lift the mat up and I would be like, ‘there’s a big one under there!’. Finally, I’d get it in there and they’d bite and be a 4-or-5-pounder.”
Water depth beneath a given mat did not matter.
“They were just sitting right up underneath it, in that little 2-foot column up there.”
Connell also weighed-in a couple of fish the final day that he caught on a frog. “Early in the morning I’d sneak around in one or two of those pockets just trying to get a little bonus bite. After that I had all day to go catch 3 more fish. That’s what I did. And I caught one big one.”
Connell said the bass he caught were actually eating the occasional real life bull frog, some of which jumped off the mats when he approached.
They were also eating some very big shad. “I did catch one 5-and-a-quarter-pound bass and it spit up a giant shad in my livewell – like a big super shad. It might have been 10 inches long.”
Connell used stout gear to pull big river bass out of mats.
Swim jig setup: 65 lb. braid on an ALX Hammer 7 rod with a 3/8 oz. shad-colored 6th Sense Divine Swim Jig with a Net Bait Baby Paca Craw trailer.
Frog: Spro Bronze Eye on 65 lb. braid.
Flipping setup: Two rods rigged with 70 lb. Samurai Braid with ounce-and-a-half and 2 oz. weights, respectively. Black/blue/purple punch skirt, Net Bait Paca Slim in the 4-inch size in black/blue or green pumpkin/blue. “As long as it was a darker color they were going to bite it.”
FLW WILL FISH FOR KIDS CHARITY TOURNAMENT CROSSES $1 MILLION DONATION MARK TO ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
Honorary Chairperson FLW Tour pro James Watson Leads Charge To Raise More Than $60,000 in 2017 Event
Link to photo gallery from Event
ROGERS, Ark. (May 2, 2017) – Every year the FLW Tour makes an annual trek to northwest Arkansas to visit Beaver Lake. However, the action doesn’t stop after the tournament is finished. The FLW Will Fish for Kids (WFFK) Bill Kerr Memorial Charity Tournament Lake, presented by Quaker State, took place on Beaver Lake Monday following the conclusion of the Beaver Lake Tour stop.
Once the final count had been tallied, the 2017 event raised a total of $60,703 for the Dental Clinic at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Since 2005, WWFK has raised a grand total of $1,001,297 for the clinic.
“This money is going directly to our dental unit at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock,” said Elizabeth Sullivan, the Arkansas Children’s Hospital senior development officer, annual gifts. “For the pros to stick around a few extra days to help raise money for our community – it’s just special and a really great event. Everyone has so much fun and it’s for such a great cause. We’re truly excited and thankful for FLW and Walmart for this event.”
FLW Tour pro James Watson of Lampe, Missouri, was the WFFK honorary chairperson this year. Entry fees paid by pro contestants and Walmart employees, as well as corporate boat sponsorships, were collected prior to the tournament. That money was combined with funds raised at Sunday night’s banquet and silent auction and the check for more than $60,000 was delivered on-stage to Sullivan.
The fishing tournament was won by FLW Tour pro Scott Martin and David Hunter. The duo had a fantastic day on Beaver Lake, catching a five-bass limit that weighed 14 pounds, 14 ounces – larger than any limit that crossed the scale Sunday during the final day of the FLW Tour event. Though the charity tournament was not nearly as strenuous or stressful as the FLW Tour event, catching a solid limit on a muddy Beaver Lake was still quite a feat.
“We had a lot of fun today, but at the end of the day this is all for a really great cause,” said Martin, the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup champion and 2015 FLW Angler of the Year. “My hat is off to FLW and Walmart for all of the money that they raise for the Children’s Hospital. It is an honor to be a part of this. My partner David is a great fisherman and I hope we get to do this again.”
The top 10 teams finished the tournament:
1st: Scott Martin and David Hunter, five bass, 14-14, $3,000
2nd: Jeremy Thomas, five bass, 13-12, $2,000
3rd: Old Spice pro Greg Bohannan and Jason Adams, five bass, 13-7, $500
3rd: Jim Moynagh and Milton Polk, five bass, 13-7, $500
5th: Yamamoto Baits pro Larry Nixon and Jeff George, five bass, 12-14
6th: General Tire pro Mark Rose and Jim Enneking, five bass, 12-12
7th: Jason Sanders and Brian Gripe, four bass, 12-6
8th: Shane Michele and Bobby Dennis, five bass, 11-15
8th: Keith Daffron and Ronnie Davidson, five bass, 11-15
10th: Ben Fulcher and Don Herbert, five bass, 11-14
A complete list of results can be found at WillFishForKids.com.
The Will Fish for Kids charity auction and tournament was started in 1992. In 2015, the tournament was renamed to the Will Fish for Kids - Bill Kerr Memorial Charity Tournament in memory of the late Bill Kerr.
Kerr lived most of his life in Bentonville and worked for Walmart Stores Inc. for over 25 years. For the last several years Kerr had been with Outdoor Cap, Inc. He also served on the board of Igloo Corporation. Bill enjoyed fishing and was a constant and enthusiastic supporter of the Will Fish for Kids tournament and Arkansas Children's Hospital.
All the money donated through this event goes to the Dental Clinic at the Arkansas Children's Hospital. Dental problems are the number one reason for children missing school and if a child has dental problems, it has a direct effect on their overall health.
The Dental Clinic at the Arkansas Children's Hospital also provides pediatric dental care for children with significant medical and/or developmental problems.
.For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. To learn more about the Dental Clinic at the Arkansas Children's Hospital visit ARChildrens.org.
Deakins & Gregory Dominate ABA Ram 100% Tour on Guntersville with over 23 pounds!
The team of Marshall Deakins and Bryan Gregory won the Ram 100% Plus Team Tour event on April 28, 2017 at Lake Guntersville. Deakins and Gregory brought in the winning five fish limit weighing 23.31 pounds to win a new 2017 Triton Boats 17TX with a Mercury 60hp four stroke outboard, Garmin Echomap units, Motorguide trolling motor, and a host of T-H Marine products valued at $20,000. They also entered the High Stakes Option Pot and took home and additional $1,100.
“We threw spinner baits and crankbaits today. We caught our fish in the morning in about 4-6 foot of water. We found shad spawning and that is what helped us catch our fish today. After lunch time things slowed down for us,” stated Deakins.
Derek Remitz and Casey Martin finished second with 22.21 pounds, anchoring their bag with a 6.71-pound bass to take home a check for $2400.
“We caught our fish on a shad spawn around deep boat docks. We caught them using a white Zman Chatterbait with a fluke style trailer. We had our fish by 8:30 this morning,” Martin said.
In third place was James Leary and Steve Hatfield. They brought in a 21.37-pound bag with a 7.48-pound kicker and took home $1500 for their efforts. They also entered the option pot and took home an additional $600.
“We caught our fish early today, throwing spinnerbaits on shallow points. We were fishing a shad spawn in 2-5 foot of water. After that, we started throwing a Carolina Rig in 8-10 foot of water. We had our fish by 8 this morning,” Leary stated.
4 –Tony Butts & Ricky Butts - 20.63 pounds & 6.63 kicker
5 – Benjie Allen & Danny Buckner – 20.54 pounds
The Big Bass of the tournament was caught by the team of Andy Parkinson and Mitch Oliver. The bass weighed 8.64 pounds and they took home $610 for their efforts.
The team of Hensley Powell and Robbie Dickerson took home the TH Marine Prize Pack for coming in first place out of the money.
American Bass Anglers, Inc. is supported by Ram Trucks, Triton Boats, Mercury Outboards, Carlisle Tires, GEICO, Berkley, Abu Garcia, T-H Marine, Hydrowave, Livingston Lures, Best Western Hotels, Maui Jim, Power Pole, Garmin, Simms, LIT Coolers. American Bass Anglers, Inc. can be contacted at (256) 232-0406 or by visiting www.americanbassanglers.com.
Wiley wins ABA RAM Trucks Open on Sinclair with over 15 pounds!
Jason Wiley of Soperton, Ga won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series Georgia Division tournament, held April 29th on Lake Sinclair.
Running out of Little River Park in Milledgeville, GA Jason caught five bass weighing 15.64 pounds. He anchored his win with a bass weighing 4.68-pounds. For the Boater Division victory, took home a check for $5000.
“I was fishing mid-lake down. I was fishing grass and docks. I caught two off a Pop-R, one on a frog, and two on a shaky-head worm. The better bites came around the grass.” Wiley said.
In second for the boaters, Frank Kitchens III of Oxford, GA landed a five-bass tournament limit going 15.59 pounds. He collected $1250 for his catch.
“I caught all my fish flipping shallow docks mid-way up the Oconee river. I didn’t lose any fish today.” Kitchens said.
James R. Golden of Covington, GA caught five bass weighing in at 15.25 pounds including a 5.98-pound big bass. For the third-place finish, he took home a check for $900, and an additional $670 for the boater big bass. Golden also caught his big bass on an Abu Garcia Revo reel and was awarded a new Abu Garcia Revo SX spinning reel for that lunker bass.
“I caught my fish flipping shallow docks. My fish didn’t turn on until after 10:00am this morning. I caught the big bass around 10:30am on a shallow dock as well, with a Revo bait casting reel.” Golden said.
Finishing fourth, Jason Mitja of Phenix City, AL landed a five-bass limit for 13.41 pounds.
Tim Howell of Ball Ground, GA rounded out the top five boaters with five bass at 13.07 pounds.
In the Co-Angler Division, Jeffrey Payne of Danville, GA won with three bass weighing in at 7.70 pounds. For the Co-Angler Division victory, he took home a check for $1200.
“I caught one on a chatter-bait, one on a spinnerbait, and one on a shaky-head down the lake. We started out in the grass today and I want to thank my boater, Jason Mitja, for putting me around fish. I have fished eight tournaments and I’m glad to have finally won one. I really enjoyed this event.” Payne said.
Taking second for the co-anglers, Michael Mincey of Zebulon, GA brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 6.98 pounds anchored by a 4.76-pound bass. He collected $400 for the effort and an additional $185 for the big bass.
“I caught my big fish on a shallow crankbait around 10:30am around shallow cover. I threw a black and blue tackle box at them. (laughing) My boater, Tim Greene, put me on them today and he was a great guy.” Mincey said.
Ray Holloway of Eatonton, GA placed third among the co-anglers with three bass going 6.82 pounds. He earned $350 for his catch.
“I caught everything I weighed today on a 1/4oz shaky-head with a Zoom trick worm off the grass beds, not in the grass. The better fish came later in the day.” Holloway said.
In fourth place among the co-anglers, Buck Hilliard of Peachtree City, GA brought in three bass for 5.69 pounds.
Tim Adams of Powder Springs, GA finished in fifth place with three bass at 5.23 pounds. Tim Adams was also the Co-Angler Champion at the 2017 Ray Scott Championship a few weeks ago at Old Hickory in Hendersonville, TN.
Slated for June 17th, the next tournament will be held on Lake Oconee out of Sugar Creek Marina in Buckhead, GA. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2018 Ray Scott Championship, to be held on the Red River in Bossier City, LA.
For more information on this tournament, call Billy Benedetti, tournament manager, at 256-230-5632 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com .
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
Jones Wins T-H Marine BFL on Lake Gaston with over 16 pounds!
Davis Claims Co-angler Title
BRACEY, Va. (May 1, 2017) – Raymond Jones III of Statesville, North Carolina, took top honors at the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Piedmont Division tournament on Lake Gaston Saturday after bringing a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 11 ounces to the scale. For his win, Jones pocketed $7,473.
“The Piedmont Division is really strong so I’m very fortunate to come out with a win,” said Jones, who earned his first career-victory in BFL competition. “In practice I was able to find some water that wasn’t clear, but wasn’t completely muddied up either. It was mid-lake, and that’s where I ended up spending my day."
Jones said he lost three solid bass in the morning, but was able to grind out a limit by 10 a.m.
“I had a milk run that we followed until lunchtime,” said Jones. “We’d catch them in that mid-lake stained water and then leave it alone to replenish. I had plenty of bites the rest of the day, but only caught eight keepers.”
Jones said he used a homemade spinnerbait and two soft-plastics to catch his fish.
“The spinnerbait was the reaction bait,” said Jones. “I covered a lot of water with it, and then worked them over with the soft-plastics. It was a one-two punch with the soft-plastics. Sometimes I had to rotate body-style, and their colors, to trigger bites.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Raymond Jones III, Statesville, N.C., five bass, 16-11, $5,473 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: James Blankenship, Siler City, N.C., five bass, 16-10, $2,936
3rd: Jeffrey Thomas, Broadway, N.C., five bass, 16-8, $1,756
4th: Jerry Davis, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 15-5, $1,230
5th: Ryan Harrell, Roanoke Rapids, N.C., five bass, 15-0, $1,155
6th: Burley Langford, South Chesterfield, Va., five bass, 14-12, $967
7th: Chris Daves, Spring Grove, Va., five bass, 14-4, $879
8th: Ryan Powroznik, Prince George, Va., five bass, 14-3, $791
9th: Cavin Young, Prince George, Va., five bass, 14-2, $703
10th: Josh Wagy, Dewitt, Va., five bass, 13-15, $584
10th: Kenny Beale Jr., Blairs, Va., five bass, 13-15, $584
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
George Lambeth of Thomasville, North Carolina, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 12 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $830.
Michael Davis of New London, North Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $2,836 Saturday after bringing a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 7 ounces to the weigh-in stage.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Michael Davis, New London, N.C., five bass, 16-7, $2,836
2nd: David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 13-13, $1,318
3rd: Donald Talbard, Ringgold, Va., four bass, 9-12, $879
4th: Arthur Clark, Cary, N.C., three bass, 9-2, $665
5th: Hank Cooke, Emporia, Va., three bass, 9-1, $527
6th: Stephen Kocell, Waxhaw, N.C., five bass, 8-14, $483
7th: Brian Transon, Sherrills Ford, N.C., four bass, 8-9, $439
8th: Lewis Brown, Asheboro, N.C., three bass, 8-7, $395
9th: Larry Freeman Jr., La Crosse, Va., three bass, 7-10, $352
10th: Chris Teague, Lincolnton, N.C., three bass, 7-8, $308
Hubert Roman of Lexington, North Carolina, caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $415.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the James River in Williamsburg, Virginia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
YETI FLW COLLEGE FISHING SOUTHERN CONFERENCE EVENT ON FORT GIBSON LAKE RESCHEDULED DUE TO FLOODING
WAGONER, Okla. (May 1, 2017) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) announced today that the YETI FLW College Fishingtournament scheduled for Fort Gibson Lake on Saturday, May 6 has been rescheduled for Oct. 14, 2017 due to the flooding and dangerous conditions currently wreaking havoc in the Ozark region.
All previously published information regarding takeoff and weigh-in locations remains unchanged.
Anglers will take off and weigh in at Taylors Ferry North Recreation Area in Wagoner, at 7:30 a.m. CDT Saturday, Oct. 14. Weigh-in will be held at the launch ramp beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public. The event is hosted by the Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce.
Schools are allowed to register up until the morning of the tournament. Entries may be made either by phone or at FLWFishing.com.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishingand on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
The Burns brothers win big on Lake Fork at Bass Champs, catching TWO over the slot
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Bass Champs North Region teams hit Lake Fork for their third event of the season on April 29, 2017. It was a rocking weekend with a whopping 102% payback of over $65,000. Anglers faced many challenges both above and below the water, with mother nature moving in making her presence known. Mike and Rob Burns brought in the only sack weighing over 20 pounds to win over $21,000!
Lake Fork is a slot lake, where only fish measuring under 16” and fish over 24” can be retained. All bass in-between those measurements cannot be kept, and must be released immediately. It is not easy to release 5, 6 and 7-pound bass instead of adding them to your creel but the top three teams each caught kickers over the slot, anchoring their winning finishes. Brothers Mike & Rob Burns didn’t practice for the tournament, but had found some good areas during the Mega Bass tournament that they were going to go back to. “We targeted shallow water, in areas we thought there would be a shad spawn,” Mike explained. Using shad colored crank baits, they found the fish biting right away. “We caught a lot of fish first thing, several white bass as well as black bass,” he continued. They put two ‘unders’ in the boat, then Mike landed one over the slot. “We decided to try a different spot, and find more decent unders to finish our limit.” Thirty minutes later, Rob caught another bass over the slot even bigger than the one before! “We decided to go ahead and bring those two in so they could be weighed and released.” Their biggest weighed 9.11 pounds, and the weight of their two big bass was 17 pounds. After weighing those two in, they went back out to try to improve the remainder of their limit. “The bite slowed down quite a bit after that, but we stayed with the same pattern for the most part the rest of the day. We did try fishing deep some, and caught one, and we caught one on a frog as well. The rest was off that shad crank bait.” At the end of the day, adding their best three to finish their limit, their total weight was 21.17 lbs, winning the tournament by a big margin. “I’ve been fishing with Bass Champs since they first began. They run great tournaments and I really enjoy fishing with them.” Mike recalls winning the very first championship event. “I had fished the season last year with my son who is 13 years old. This year my brother and I teamed up, but my son is ready to fish it with me again next year!” Bass Champs presented them the guaranteed 1st place $20,000 purse then they won another $1,000 for Big Bass. They also won the Costa Del Mar and Sure Life Bonuses to finish their day. 2nd place winners David Horton & Preston Smith had a starting spot in mind, but when they got there it was just too windy to stay on it. “We headed to another area, a long cove with grass, that was more protected from the wind,” Preston said. “There were already seven other boats in there, but we squeezed on in and started fishing. We started catching bass immediately.” They were using a white Spro popping frog. “We probably caught seven or eight in the slot, and another three that were under first thing off.” Around 8:30, David caught a small bass on a bed. Preston threw right back in the same spot and got a big bite. “She came up out of the water enough where I could see her huge mouth. I told David to get the net! There was a lot of grass wrapped around her, so it probably helped to keep her in the water and not have too much fight.” She weighed in at 8.60 pounds! “The other boats eventually left the area. The bite stayed real good until around 11:00 then slowed way down, but we stayed in there all day.” They culled up three times before their day was done to a final weight of 15.38 lbs. Bass Champs presented them a check for $5,000 and they won the Lowrance Gen3 bonus. “Bass Champs always does a really good job with these tournaments. Bad weather was heading in during the weigh in, and their staff amped it up to keep things rolling quickly to get finished before it hit. We really enjoy fishing with them, and look forward to the next tournament!” They would like to thank a few sponsors who help them out, including Texas Name Plate, Hooper Plumbing and Dobyns Rods. Rounding out the top 10 teams: Fun & Sun awarded $100 to the first team out of the money, Cody Burdine and Bobby Pointer having 7.96 lbs. Several other teams also enjoyed more winnings from these sponsors: Jason Riedel and Daniel Herring caught the second Sportsmans Auto Network bonus reeling in another $1,000 to their winnings. Eric Elder and Tim Wilcoxon cashed in on the Skeeter Double Money bonus, adding another $1,075 to their day, as well as another $500 from the Fun N Sun Bonus. Going into the final round in the Angler of the Year race for the North Region, the top five teams are: There are still a few tournaments left to go with a couple of specialty events as well. Every tournament except the Team Championship is open to anyone who would like to fish. Sign up now for these remaining chances to win:
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LAKE CHICKAMAUGA SET TO HOST COSTA FLW SERIES SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION FINALE
DAYTON, Tenn. (April 25, 2017) – As many as 450 pros and co-anglers are set to compete May 4-6 in the Costa FLW Series Southeastern Division finale on Lake Chickamauga. The tournament, presented by Lowrance, is the final regular-season event of 2017 scheduled in the Southeastern Division. Pros will be competing for a top award of up to $50,000 in cash and a new Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
“There’s going to be a lot of bass and a lot of big limits caught in this event,” said FLW Tour pro Michael Wooley of Collierville, Tennessee, who won the FLW Tour event at Lake Chickamauga in 2015. “There should be a lot of fish heading offshore right now because the spawn is just about over. I would say it’s going to be a postspawn deal, but there could be a twist. This week we’ve had a lot of rain and we are supposed to get more.”
Wooley said that following a lot of rain, the river runs high and bass seek protection in creeks from the strong current. With that in mind, competitors who originally planned to fish solely offshore may need to make adjustments.
“It’s only a forecast though, so nothing is guaranteed,” said Wooley. “If we do get the rain docks will be a big player, as well as grass up the river. In grassy areas, I’d use a ChatterBait or any kind of soft-plastics. On the docks, I’d flip a jig or maybe even throw a wacky-rigged worm.”
Wooley said that areas near Chester Frost Park will be a good bet for anglers who choose to target offshore bass.
“Chester Frost Park is a really prime area for catching offshore bass,” said Wooley. “I won the Tour event near there and the dam in 2015. If I were competing, I’d throw a big swimbait – they’ll eat it up – or a (Strike King) 6XD or 10XD crankbait.”
The Tennessee pro said a three-day cumulative weight of 70 pounds should be enough to take home top honors.
Anglers will take off from the Dayton Boat Dock, located at 175 Lakeshore St. in Dayton at 6:30 a.m. EDT each day. Weigh-ins will be held at the marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. each day. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. The event is hosted by the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council.
In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At Lake Chickamauga, pros will fish for as much as $50,000 and a Ranger Z518C boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a Ranger Z175 boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude outboard and an additional $1,250 if Ranger Cup qualified.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 2-4 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Elite Series Rookie Dustin Connell Clinches First Elite Series Win on"The Rez!"
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EAST ROWAN HIGH SCHOOL WINS FLW HIGH SCHOOL FISHING NORTH CAROLINA OPEN AT HIGH ROCK LAKE
SALISBURY, N.C. (May 1, 2017) – The East Rowan High School duo of Hunter Harwood of Gold Hill, North Carolina, and Paiton File of Salisbury, North Carolina, brought three bass to the scale Saturday weighing 13 pounds even to win the 2017 FLW High School Fishing North Carolina Open tournament on High Rock Lake. The win advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.
According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their fish targeting muddy water in coves with a spinnerbait.
A field of 18 teams competed in the tough, no-entry fee, tournament which launched from Tamarac Marina and Campground in Salisbury. Nine of the 18 teams competing managed to bring a keeper bass to the scale. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top team on High Rock Lake that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship was:
1st: East Rowan High School, Salisbury, N.C. – Hunter Harwood, Gold Hill, N.C., and Paiton File, Salisbury, N.C., (three bass, 13-0)
The other teams that brought fish to the scale were:
2nd: East Rowan High School, Salisbury, N.C. – Colton Carico and Lucas Hedrick, both of Salisbury, N.C., (three bass, 12-2)
3rd: Bandys High School, Catawba, N.C. – Jacob Smith, Newton, N.C., and Logan Anderson, Catawba, N.C., (three bass, 7-3)
4th: West Rowan High School, Mount Ulla, N.C. – Lane Adkins, Cleveland, N.C., and Zeb Burns, Salisbury, N.C., (two bass, 6-11)
5th: Gilmer High School, Ellijay, Ga. – Isaac Colwell and Grant Ledford, both of Ellijay, Ga., (two bass, 5-13)
6th: West Rowan High School, Mount Ulla, N.C. – Austin Wike, China Grove, N.C., and Alex Williams, Cleveland, N.C., (two bass, 5-8)
7th: Sheets Memorial Christian School, Lexington, N.C. – Trevor Benfield, Archdale, N.C., and Austin Martinez, Lexington, N.C., (three bass, 5-2)
8th: East Rowan High School, Salisbury, N.C. – Teddy Drew, Gold Hill, N.C., and Cole Mabry, Richfield, N.C., (one bass, 3-13)
9th: Bunker Hill High School, Claremont, N.C. – Dylan Lamm and Garrett Poovey, both of Claremont, N.C., (one bass, 2-2)
Complete results from the event and photos of the top five teams can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2017 FLW High School Fishing North Carolina Open was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2017 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2016 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
Burgess & Riley weigh over 30 pound limit to win Carolinas Bass Challenge on Santee!
| Place | Team Name | Team # | Fish Weighed | Net Weight | Big Fish | Points | Winnings | Skeeter Bonus | Big Fish | Total Winnings | |
| 1 | Nathan Burgess - Brent Riley | 86 | 5 | 30.680 | 7.580 | 610 | $10,000 | $10,000 | |||
| 2 | Bryan cook - Steve Harmon | 69 | 5 | 29.520 | 7.690 | 608 | $4,675 | $4,675 | |||
| 3 | Ben Lee - Lex Costas | 35 | 5 | 24.130 | 0.000 | 606 | $3,175 | $3,175 | |||
| 4 | Clark Gibbs - Freddie Gibbs | 1 | 5 | 22.210 | 8.470 | 604 | $2,075 | $2,075 | |||
| 5 | Scott Farmer - Ross Burns | 45 | 5 | 22.000 | 0.000 | 602 | $1,575 | $1,575 | |||
| 6 | Doug Evans - Frederick Clements | 122 | 5 | 21.680 | 0.000 | 600 | $1,100 | $1,100 | |||
| 7 | J.w. Smith - Jeffery Gallick | 120 | 5 | 21.530 | 0.000 | 598 | $850 | $850 | |||
| 8 | Robert Ross - Lee Morris | 54 | 5 | 21.300 | 0.000 | 596 | $775 | $775 | |||
| 9 | jason barrett | 81 | 5 | 21.020 | 0.000 | 594 | $700 | $700 | |||
| 10 | Barry Holloman - Joey Bramlett | 101 | 5 | 20.990 | 0.000 | 592 | $650 | $4,000 | $4,650 | ||
| 11 | Terry Thomas - David Kneece | 143 | 5 | 20.820 | 0.000 | 590 | $550 | $3,000 | $3,550 | ||
| 12 | Scott Martin - Cole Winn | 78 | 5 | 19.370 | 0.000 | 588 | $475 | $475 | |||
| 13 | Mark Hutson - gary elsey | 51 | 5 | 19.220 | 0.000 | 586 | $445 | $445 | |||
| 14 | Sean Skey - Tim Harmon | 25 | 5 | 19.110 | 7.220 | 584 | $420 | $2,000 | $2,420 | ||
| 15 | Thomas Hardwick - Tommy Williams | 153 | 5 | 19.060 | 0.000 | 582 | $385 | $1,000 | $1,385 | ||
| 16 | Curt Causey - Zach Causey | 106 | 5 | 18.930 | 8.650 | 580 | $360 | $1,000 | $1,360 | ||
| 17 | Jamie Glasscock - Jim Smoak | 47 | 5 | 18.870 | 6.320 | 578 | $330 | $330 | |||
| 18 | Lonnie Jones - Jonathan Gowdy | 107 | 5 | 18.740 | 0.000 | 576 | $315 | $315 | |||
| 19 | JESS WHITE - Brian Crenshaw | 41 | 5 | 18.670 | 7.070 | 574 | $300 | $300 | |||
| 20 | Larry Moss - Michelle McLain | 66 | 5 | 18.600 | 0.000 | 572 | $290 | $290 | |||
| 21 | Alan Fletcher - Donald Hinson | 125 | 5 | 18.560 | 0.000 | 570 | $270 | $270 | |||
| 22 | Allan Collins - Marcus Deese | 85 | 5 | 18.430 | 0.000 | 568 | $250 | $250 | |||
| 23 | Brent Waynick - Emmett McCauley | 44 | 5 | 18.260 | 0.000 | 566 | $225 | $225 | |||
| 24 | Wade Grooms | 6 | 5 | 18.050 | 0.000 | 564 | $210 | $210 | |||
| 25 | Mike Phipps - Robert Clarke | 89 | 5 | 18.030 | 5.390 | 562 | $200 | $200 | |||
| 26 | brad schwartz - Brad Schwartz | 82 | 4 | 18.010 | 6.730 | 560 | |||||
| 27 | Chuck Howard - Ken Ellis | 139 | 5 | 17.770 | 0.000 | 558 | |||||
| 28 | michael fuller - Chris Morris | 4 | 5 | 17.760 | 0.000 | 556 | |||||
| 29 | Ryan Bowles - Deron Heimerdinger | 110 | 5 | 17.700 | 0.000 | 554 | |||||
| 30 | Chris Epting - Johnny Mayer | 24 | 5 | 17.630 | 0.000 | 552 | |||||
| 31 | Josh McGregor - Randall Driggers | 111 | 5 | 17.610 | 0.000 | 550 | |||||
| 32 | Stan Gunter - Josh Anderson | 108 | 5 | 17.390 | 0.000 | 548 | |||||
| 33 | Sean Anderson - George Berry | 148 | 5 | 17.210 | 0.000 | 546 | |||||
| 34 | Billy Bledsoe - Brian McDonald | 11 | 5 | 17.080 | 0.000 | 544 | |||||
| 35 | Bo Chappell - Jeffrey Borne | 150 | 5 | 16.980 | 6.900 | 542 | |||||
| 36 | Tim Hilton - Jake Mullinax | 76 | 5 | 16.530 | 5.980 | 540 | |||||
| 37 | Mike Watson - Craig McFadden | 130 | 5 | 16.270 | 0.000 | 538 | |||||
| 38 | Todd Gambrell - Brandt Tumberg | 39 | 5 | 16.150 | 0.000 | 536 | |||||
| 39 | Audie Brantley - Hunter Ciccio | 34 | 5 | 15.960 | 0.000 | 534 | |||||
| 40 | Todd Walters - Patrick Walters | 53 | 5 | 15.900 | 0.000 | 532 | |||||
| 41 | Wayne Marlow - Scott Peavy | 5 | 5 | 15.850 | 0.000 | 530 | |||||
| 42 | Mack Cook - Patrick Cook | 141 | 5 | 15.570 | 0.000 | 528 | |||||
| 43 | Joseph Buddin - Joe Buddin | 68 | 5 | 15.410 | 0.000 | 526 | |||||
| 44 | Jonathan Brindel - David Grooms | 13 | 5 | 15.360 | 5.420 | 524 | |||||
| 45 | Randall Miller - Mack Altman | 73 | 5 | 15.300 | 0.000 | 522 | |||||
| 46 | Todd Olds - Jason Riley | 65 | 5 | 15.280 | 0.000 | 520 | |||||
| 47 | Jeff Norris - jacob norris | 2 | 4 | 15.040 | 6.940 | 518 | |||||
| 48 | Jason Miles - Spencer McNeill | 10 | 5 | 14.280 | 0.000 | 516 | |||||
| 49 | Micah Bennett - Wayne Clifton | 146 | 5 | 14.020 | 0.000 | 514 | |||||
| 50 | Alan Richardson - Timmy Squires | 80 | 5 | 13.950 | 0.000 | 512 | |||||
| 51 | Jeff Faircloth - Kyle Mcmillin | 40 | 5 | 13.900 | 0.000 | 510 | |||||
| 52 | Billy Dean Jacobs - Mark Cummings | 9 | 5 | 13.710 | 0.000 | 508 | |||||
| 53 | Sandy Oliver - John Crisp | 132 | 4 | 13.510 | 7.820 | 506 | |||||
| 54 | Dwayne McVicker - Eddie Burgess | 36 | 5 | 13.410 | 0.000 | 504 | |||||
| 55 | Jimmy Leshock - Chris Baumgardner | 49 | 5 | 13.390 | 0.000 | 502 | |||||
| 56 | Mark Krengel - ron wood | 79 | 5 | 13.180 | 0.000 | 500 | |||||
| 57 | Kevin Fulmer - Clay Riddle | 90 | 5 | 13.020 | 0.000 | 498 | |||||
| 58 | Ron Brown - Bobby Brown | 116 | 5 | 12.980 | 0.000 | 496 | |||||
| 59 | Wayne Frierson - Ronnie Mueller | 131 | 5 | 12.500 | 0.000 | 494 | |||||
| 60 | Robert. ( Mitch) Drew - Kenny Drew | 26 | 5 | 12.330 | 0.000 | 492 | |||||
| 61 | Donald Poteat - Johnny Allen | 18 | 5 | 12.000 | 0.000 | 490 | |||||
| 62 | Chad Gainey - William Gainey | 61 | 5 | 11.610 | 0.000 | 488 | |||||
| 63 | John Sturkie - Blake Strickland | 57 | 5 | 11.530 | 0.000 | 486 | |||||
| 64 | Lonnie Marchant - Jeffrey Hutto | 7 | 5 | 11.370 | 0.000 | 484 | |||||
| 65 | Gary Michaud - Doc McDaniel | 50 | 5 | 11.290 | 0.000 | 482 | |||||
| 66 | Deron Donohoo - Davey Thomas | 95 | 4 | 10.970 | 0.000 | 480 | |||||
| 67 | Sammie Grier - David Strickland | 97 | 4 | 10.660 | 0.000 | 478 | |||||
| 68 | Christopher Hopkins - Hunter Hoffemeyer | 20 | 5 | 10.560 | 0.000 | 476 | |||||
| 69 | Craig Jurgonski - Jack Belt | 137 | 3 | 10.510 | 7.120 | 474 | |||||
| 70 | Juddie Revels - David Oxendine | 136 | 4 | 10.170 | 0.000 | 472 | |||||
| 71 | BRENT bartman - Ben Smith | 103 | 5 | 9.930 | 0.000 | 470 | |||||
| 72 | Wayne King - Jason Morse | 48 | 4 | 9.820 | 0.000 | 468 | |||||
| 73 | Greg Prescott - Michael Cox | 58 | 4 | 9.440 | 0.000 | 466 | |||||
| 74 | Mike Edge - Casey Warren | 59 | 4 | 9.250 | 0.000 | 464 | |||||
| 75 | Matthew Goheen - Terry Goheen | 140 | 2 | 9.190 | 7.260 | 462 | |||||
| 76 | Winkey Watford - scotty mixon | 43 | 3 | 8.800 | 0.000 | 460 | |||||
| 77 | Bryan Holmes - Mike Ware | 37 | 2 | 8.540 | 6.710 | 458 | |||||
| 78 | Robert Mclaughlin - Steve McGary | 42 | 4 | 8.240 | 0.000 | 456 | |||||
| 79 | Kiel Kelly - justin tingen | 21 | 4 | 7.870 | 0.000 | 454 | |||||
| 80 | Toby Keisler - Bill Wilson | 119 | 3 | 7.510 | 0.000 | 452 | |||||
| 81 | Andy Wicker - Steve Wicker | 8 | 4 | 7.490 | 0.000 | 450 | |||||
| 82 | Kyle Austin - jimmy austin | 29 | 1 | 6.800 | 0.000 | 448 | |||||
| 83 | Michael Murphy - Kevin Sanders | 31 | 2 | 6.560 | 0.000 | 446 | |||||
| 84 | Sam Hopkins - Craig Matthews | 100 | 3 | 6.510 | 0.000 | 444 | |||||
| 85 | Tim Slice - Mark Richardson | 98 | 1 | 6.480 | 0.000 | 442 | |||||
| 86 | Rick Akers - là rry Mckissick | 113 | 1 | 6.260 | 0.000 | 440 | |||||
| 87 | Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughtie | 138 | 1 | 5.580 | 0.000 | 438 | |||||
| 88 | gerald bennett - Ronnie Prosser | 149 | 2 | 5.520 | 0.000 | 436 | |||||
| 89 | Kevin Ashley - Brandon Temples | 32 | 1 | 4.820 | 0.000 | 434 | |||||
| 90 | Rusty Bullard - Eric Martin | 74 | 2 | 4.320 | 0.000 | 432 | |||||
| 91 | Paul Selle - Bryan Hall | 96 | 1 | 3.180 | 0.000 | 430 | |||||
| 92 | Alton Rockett - Robert Kale | 56 | 1 | 2.190 | 0.000 | 428 | |||||
| 93 | Mark Lane - Duke Bone | 3 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Mike King - Mike Traynum | 12 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Thomas King - Clayton King | 14 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Ray Walsh - Marc Deschenes | 15 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Jeff Murray - Derrick Murray | 16 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Johnny Player - Craig Hall | 17 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Butch Williams - David Etheridge | 19 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | jonathan sims - kreig Griffin | 22 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Sean Hall - Travis Parrish | 23 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | David Gilson - Jeremiah Jensen | 27 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Michael Allen - Michael Allen | 28 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | J. Weinberg - Morgan Strange | 30 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Ronnie McCoy - Jason McCoy | 33 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Steven Walker - Jimbo Powers | 38 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Marty Quesada - Steven Story | 46 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Gary Elenbark - Curtis Williams | 52 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Shane Abbott - Mark Abbott | 55 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Robert Wood - John Lundeen | 60 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Bunn Tyson - Thad Driggers | 62 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Larry Parker - Glenn Altman | 63 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Pete Brantley - Jerry Arnett | 64 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Chad Cook - tony cook | 67 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Matt Mollohan - Kyle McElveen | 70 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Perry Holloway - Danny Lowery | 71 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Shannon Jordan - Shawn Jordan | 72 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Tim Chapman - Marcus Leech | 75 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Gill Bruton - Hank Taylor | 77 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Jamie Partee - Donnie McCord | 83 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Max Terry - Walker (Son) Terry | 84 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Tim Jones - john jones | 87 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Caanan Woriax - Christian Locklear | 88 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Chris McDuffie - Greg Creech | 91 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Mike Goodman - Gary Avery | 92 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Mike Byrd - Chris Moody | 93 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Andrew Boykin - Chris Anderson | 94 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Jeff Knight - Joey Caskey | 99 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Daniel Cook - Carl Smith | 102 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Randy Hall - Vernie Haltiwanger | 104 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | CJ Johnston - Matt Stanley | 105 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Greg Davis - Dennis Parks | 109 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Harold Turner - Cameron Kaihara | 112 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Dustin Compton - Jonathan strickland | 114 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | James Bond - Chris Daugherty | 115 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Johnathan Crossland - Burgess Jordan | 117 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | jason bateman - Michael Richardson | 118 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | MATTHEW ARMS - Zach Blair | 121 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Robert Whaley - Randy Gibson | 123 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Greg Sigmon - Tracy pope | 124 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | grady allen - Calvin Hewitt | 126 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Larry Avins - Joe Avin | 127 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Brian Tyler - Chase Tyler | 128 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Eric Bozeman - Max Shuman | 129 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Gregg Kessler - Gregg Kessler II | 133 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Cecil Wolfe - Ray Winans | 134 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Fred Corn - Rick Corn | 135 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | David Arnold - Billy Collins | 142 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Casey Padgett - Lance Rodgers | 144 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Greg Willimon - Chris Tinsley | 145 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Andy Rutledge - Andy Rutledge | 147 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | Bernie Dreher - Les Westbury | 151 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 | |||||
| 93 | John Liles - Jamie Ethridge | 152 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 426 |
Williams, Roger slow down to take Texoma title
California, Arizona Qualify Teams For High School Championship
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