Ranger Boats Pro Jason Lambert Leads The Final 10 Into Championship Sunday On Kentucky Lake!

TENNESSEE’S LAMBERT TAKES LEAD AT WALMART FLW TOUR ON KENTUCKY LAKE PRESENTED BY MERCURY MARINE

Ledge-Fishing Shootout Sets Stage for Dramatic Championship Sunday

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (June 11, 2016) – The Walmart FLW Tour at Kentucky Lake presented by Mercury Marine will come down to a nail-biting finish Sunday – six anglers known for their Tennessee River prowess competing alongside four of the most versatile fisherman in the country. The event that started with 162 of the best bass-fishing anglers in the country has now been trimmed to 10 as the anglers compete for the title of Kentucky Lake champion and the top prize of $125,000.

Jason Lambert of Pickwick Dam, Tennessee, who started the day in second place, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 25 pounds, 5 ounces – the largest limit of the tournament – to take the lead with a three-day total of 68-2.

Local pro Brandon Hunter of Benton, Kentucky, (66-10) sits in second, with Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, (63-2) in third. Day Two leader Terry Bolton of Paducah, Kentucky, (61-11) fell to fourth after bringing in a limit weighing 16-14, and Walmart pro Mark Rose of West Memphis, Arkansas, (58-8) rounds out the top five.

With just 6-7 separating Lambert from fourth place angler Terry Bolton, the tournament has turned into an old fashioned Kentucky Lake ledge-fishing shootout.

“Today was as good of a day that I could ask for,” said Lambert, who finished in second place when the FLW Tour last visited Kentucky Lake in 2014. “This lake is really turning on more every day. I got a good start early – I caught a five-pounder and a couple of fours, and it seemed that every stop that I made for the next couple of hours I was upgrading. I probably caught 30 to 40 fish today, the most fish that I’ve caught any day of this tournament. More fish are coming to the ledges and there is less fishing pressure now.”

Lambert said that he had started the tournament with 14 rods on the deck of his boat, but had narrowed it down to just eight today. When he broke off his drop-shot rig today, he said that he didn’t re-tie, opting to remove it from his arsenal.

“There are getting to be less and less rods on my front deck,” Lambert said. “I’m keyed in on three baits, and I’ve been cycling through them. I’ll hit them from different angles and change how I line things up, but I’m really dialed down to three.

“If we can get some wind or a breeze to get the water moving around a little bit, I think we can wreck them tomorrow,” Lambert continued. “The lake has really opened up now with only 10 of us fishing, so the opportunity of getting more places to fish and bouncing around are going to be a lot better.

“I’ve been coming up here fishing for a long time and had a lot of success on this lake,” Lambert went on to say. “I’ve had a couple of second place finishes, a couple of thirds and quite a few top-10s. But, I’ve never gotten the win. It’d be special to win $125,000 anywhere, but it would really be nice to win up here and I would love to pull it off tomorrow.”

The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition on Kentucky Lake are:

1st: Jason Lambert, Pickwick Dam, Tenn., 15 bass, 68-2

2nd: Brandon Hunter, Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 66-10

3rd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 63-2

4th: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., 15 bass, 61-11

5th: Walmart pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., 15 bass, 58-8

6th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 55-4

7th: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., 15 bass, 54-13

8th: Jacob Wheeler, Indianapolis, Ind., 15 bass, 54-0

9th: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 15 bass, 53-14

10th: Brad Knight, Lancing, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-10

Finishing in 11th through 20th are:

11th: Ramie Colson Jr., Cadiz, Ky., 15 bass, 53-10, $12,000

12th: Quaker State pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 51-11, $12,000

13th: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 15 bass, 51-10, $12,000

14th: Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn., 14 bass, 51-1, $12,000

15th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 50-14, $12,000

16th: Jim Jones, Big Bend, Wis., 15 bass, 48-10, $12,000

17th: Yamamoto Baits pro Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas, 15 bass, 48-0, $12,000

18th: Todd Hollowell, Fishers, Ind., 13 bass, 46-2, $12,000

19th: TH-Marine pro Luke Dunkin, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., 15 bass, 44-12, $12,000

20th: Pete Ponds, Madison, Miss., 15 bass, 43-11, $12,000

Final results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 98 bass weighing 331 pounds even caught by pros Saturday. Nineteen of the final 20 pros weighed in five-bass limits.

Mark Horton of Nicholasville, Kentucky, won the co-angler division and $25,000 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 8 ounces, followed by Kevin King of Blountville, Tennessee, who finished in second place with 10 bass weighing 32 pounds, 6 ounces worth $7,500.

In addition to casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and up to $25,000 cash in the co-angler division, anglers are also competing for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2016 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 4-7 on Wheeler Lake.

Anglers will take off for the final day of competition from Kentucky Dam State Park located at 7792 U.S. Highway 641 N. in Gilbertsville at 6:30 a.m. CDT Sunday. Sunday’s final weigh-in will also be held at the State Park, beginning at 4 p.m.

Fans will also be treated to the FLW Expo Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at Kentucky Dam State Park before the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes a 100-yard Lew’s Casting Lane, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.

Coverage of the Kentucky Lake tournament will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Sept. 28 from 1 p.m.-2 p.m. EST. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.

The Walmart FLW Tour at Kentucky Lake presented by Mercury Marine is hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

About FLW

FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Periscope: @FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Lawyer Goes Wire-To-Wire To Win Bfl All-American!

MISSOURI’S LAWYER LEADS WIRE-TO-WIRE, WINS BFL ALL-AMERICAN TOURNAMENT ON LAKE BARKLEY

Alabama’s Smith wins co-angler title

CADIZ, Ky. (June 11, 2016) – Jeremy Lawyer of Sarcoxie, Missouri, brought a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces to the scale Saturday to win the 2016 BFL All-American on Lake Barkley. Lawyer’s three-day cumulative weight of 15 bass totaling 50-12 gave him a 6-pound, 2-ounce edge over second-place finisher Todd Walters of Kernersville, North Carolina, in the internationally-televised event which hosted the nation’s top weekend anglers.

Ive fished many BFL events and have never won, so I guess if you’re going to come out on top, this is the event to do it at,” said Lawyer, who qualified for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup – the world championship of bass fishing – with his win Saturday. “I’ve had so much support from friends and family this week. I’m happy for myself, but I’m also glad I could pull through for everyone that was counting on me. I’m just tickled to death right now.”

Lawyer said he needed one bait to catch his limit today – a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Mag Finesse Worm.

“I started out the morning on a bluff in the mouth of the Little River and caught my biggest fish – a 5-pounder – at 8 a.m.,” said Lawyer. “That catch really set the pace for the day. Within an hour or two I boated a keeper around the Highway 68 bridge off of a rocky point. I ran back to the Little River bluff at 11 a.m., and was able to nab two more keepers – a 3- and 4-pounder. At that point I started doing the math to figure out how much weight the other competitors would need to catch me.”

In addition to the Zoom Mag Finesse Worm, Lawyer said a Herring-colored Bandit Lures 200 Series Crankbait and a green-pumpkin-blue Zoom Brush Hog were also key baits this week.

“By 2 p.m., I still didn’t have a fifth keeper,” said Lawyer. “With 12 minutes left to fish, I returned to the bluff end and caught a 4-pounder. I think it was all of the boat traffic that got the area so active. The crawdads were stirred up and the fish were chasing them, and the wake from the boats were pushing the fish up onto the bank to where I could catch them. This was one of those tournaments where everything went my way. I’m going to enjoy this feeling for as long as I can.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 15 bass, 50-12, $100,000 + $20,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd: Todd Walters, Kernersville, N.C., 15 bass, 44-10, $20,000

3rd: Clabion Johns, Covington, Ga., 15 bass, 43-3, $15,000 + $8,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

4th: John Vanore, Mullica Hill, N.J., 15 bass, 40-7, $14,000 + $7,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

5th: Kyle Weisenburger, Ottawa, Ohio, 15 bass, 40-5, $13,000

6th: Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., 14 bass, 39-5, $12,000

7th: Mike Devere, Berea, Ky., 13 bass, 38-9, $11,000 + $4,500 Ranger Cup Bonus

8th: Nelson Walker, Manning, S.C., 14 bass, 38-1, $10,000 + $4,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

9th: Thomas Helton, Charleston, Tenn., 14 bass, 36-2, $9,000 + $3,500 Ranger Cup Bonus

10th: Jim Eakin, Clarksville, Tenn., 11 bass, 28-10, $13,000 + $3,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Wesley Smith of Vinemont, Alabama, won the co-angler division and $50,000 with a three-day total of 11 bass weighing 26 pounds, 4 ounces, followed by Mike Allen of Crystal Springs, Mississippi, in second place with eight bass weighing 25-4, worth $15,000.

The top 10 co-anglers are:

1st: Wesley Smith, Vinemont, Ala., 11 bass, 26-14, $50,000

2nd: Mike Allen, Crystal Springs, Miss., eight bass, 25-4, $15,000

3rd: Adam Wood, Guyton, Ga., nine bass, 24-3, $6,000

4th: Marvin Reese, Gwynn Oak, Md., 10 bass, 23-11, $5,000

5th: John Wilkerson, Nashville, Tenn., nine bass, 23-5, $4,500

6th: John Duarte, Middle River, Md., nine bass, 21-8, $4,000

7th: Randy Smith, Fayetteville, Ga., eight bass, 21-4, $3,500

8th: Bill Haunert, Blue Ash, Ohio, seven bass, 15-9, $3,000

9th: Jesse Parks, Avondale, Ariz., six bass, 14-8, $2,500

10th: Jamie Eynard, Holts Summit, Mo., five bass, 12-15, $2,000

Hosted by Cadiz-Trigg County Tourism, the BFL All-American featured the top 49 boaters and top 49 co-anglers from across the 24-division BFL circuit and the TBF National Championship casting for cash prizes of up to $120,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division, plus an opportunity to compete for the Forrest Wood Cup Aug. 4-7 on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and 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 winners in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

Coverage of the 2016 BFL All-American will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Oct. 5 from 1 p.m.-2 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 a full schedule of events, complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

by AnglersChannel

Rapala Pro Terry Bolton Moves To The Lead As The Top 20 Fish Saturday With Their Eyes On Championship Sunday!

PADUCAH’S BOLTON TAKES LEAD AT WALMART FLW TOUR ON KENTUCKY LAKE PRESENTED BY MERCURY MARINE

Nicholasville’s Horton Wins Co-angler Title, $25,000

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (June 10, 2016) – Terry Bolton of Paducah, Kentucky, brought a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 12 ounces to the scale Friday to take the lead after Day Two of the Walmart FLW Tour at Kentucky Lake presented by Mercury Marine. Bolton will bring a 2-pound advantage into day three of the four-day competition that features 162 of the top bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.

In second place is Tennessee River-Ace Jason Lambert of Pickwick Dam, Tennessee, who weighed in a tournament-best five-bass limit totaling 24-4 Friday for a two-day cumulative total of 10 bass worth 42-13. The field is trimmed to the top 20 on Saturday, with only the top 10 anglers fishing on final day Sunday.

“I think I’ve finally gotten a little wiser than I used to be,” said Bolton, an 11-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier who has 30 previous top-10 finishes in FLW competition on Kentucky Lake. “Two years ago when the Tour came here, I finished in 90th place – the worst finish that I have ever had in a June event. I’ve always prided myself on Kentucky Lake, and that one hurt my feelings. Last summer I spent a lot of time out here trying to rethink the way I do things. I’m getting older, and my old school methods were not working as well as they once did.

“I’m really proud of what I caught today, because I’d rather be off fishing some other way in a place all to myself,” Bolton continued. “You can’t be that way anymore, you have to fish behind people now. That’s why Randy (Haynes) and Mark (Rose) are so good – they’re accustomed to fishing around people. It took me several years, but I’m trying to get over it. I even invited Bryan Thrift in this week – I’m being a friendly guy.”

Bolton said that he hit five or six different areas throughout the day Friday, cycling through five or six different lures.

“I’m catching them in 20 to 27 feet of water,” he said. “I’m looking for little clusters of fish. The schools are broke up right now from the fishing pressure and the lack of current and they really moved around a lot today.

“I think I’ve got a little bit figured out, but the way fishing is right now you just don’t know what you’re going to catch,” Bolton went on to say. “I’ve just got to keep moving and find the fish and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

The top 20 pros that made the Buck Knives Cut and will fish Saturday on Kentucky Lake are:

1st: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 44-13

2nd: Jason Lambert, Pickwick Dam, Tenn., 10 bass, 42-13

3rd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 42-6

4th: Brandon Hunter, Benton, Ky., 10 bass, 41-14

5th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 39-14

6th: Todd Hollowell, Fishers, Ind., 10 bass, 38-10

7th: Brad Knight, Lancing, Tenn., 10 bass, 38-6

8th: Walmart pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., 10 bass, 38-2

9th: Jacob Wheeler, Indianapolis, Ind., 10 bass, 37-2

10th: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 10 bass, 36-9

11th: Jim Jones, Big Bend, Wis., 10 bass, 36-6

12th: Quaker State pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 35-7

13th: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 10 bass, 35-3

14th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-0

15th: Jayme Rampey, Indianapolis, Ind., 10 bass, 34-15

16th: Yamamoto Baits pro Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas, 10 bass, 34-14

17th: Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn., nine bass, 34-8

18th: Ramie Colson Jr., Cadiz, Ky., 10 bass, 34-5

19th: Luke Dunkin, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., 10 bass, 33-15

20th: Pete Ponds, Madison, Miss., 10 bass, 33-9

Final results for the rest of the field can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Jones earned the Big Bass Award on the pro side Friday, weighing a 8-pound, 14-ounce largemouth to win the $500 prize.

Overall there were 653 bass weighing 1,990 pounds, 3 ounces caught by 154 pros Friday. The catch included 121 five-bass limits.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st: Mark Horton, Nicholasville, Ky., 10 bass, 33-8, $25,000

2nd: Kevin King, Blountville, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-6, $7,500

3rd: Nathan Harbison, Madera, Calif., 10 bass, 31-12, $5,000

4th: Maurice Cobb, Kuttawa, Ky., nine bass, 29-12, $4,000

5th: Joe McClary, Kirkwood, Mo., nine bass, 29-6, $3,000

6th: Keith Honeycutt, Temple, Texas, eight bass, 29-2, $2,500

7th: Rex Jaeger, Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 28-15, $2,000

8th: Stephen Crawley, Bush, La., 10 bass, 28-15, $1,800

9th: Logan Thomas, Calvert City, Ky., 10 bass, 28-9, $1,700

10th: Jerry Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., 10 bass, 27-15, $1,600

Bronk McDaniel of Alexandria, Louisiana, caught Friday’s Big Bass in the co-angler division, a bass weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces to win the $250 prize.

Overall there were 473 bass weighing 1,183 pounds, 11 ounces caught by co-anglers Friday. The catch included 59 five-bass limits.

Anglers will take off from Kentucky Dam State Park located at 7792 U.S. Highway 641 N. in Gilbertsville at 6:30 a.m. CDT each day of competition. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will also be held at the State Park, but will begin at 4 p.m.

Fans will be treated to the FLW Expo Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at Kentucky Dam State Park before the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes a 100-yard Lew’s Casting Lane, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.

Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at Kentucky Dam State Park Saturday, June 11, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to area youth 18 years of age and younger and Special Olympics athletes. Event goodie bags will be awarded to the first 50 participants who sign up. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. All bait is donated by the DMF Bait Company.

The Walmart FLW Tour at Kentucky Lake presented by Mercury Marine is hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

About FLW

by AnglersChannel

Lawyer Extends Lead Heading Into Final Day Of The Bfl All- American

MISSOURI’S LAWYER EXTENDS LEAD AT BFL ALL-AMERICAN TOURNAMENT ON LAKE BARKLEY

Georgia’s Wood tops co-anglers

Link to photo of Day Two leader Jeremy Lawyer

CADIZ, Ky. (June 10, 2016) – Jeremy Lawyer of Sarcoxie, Missouri, extended his lead on Day Two of the BFL All-American on Lake Barkley with a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds, 12 ounces, good for a two-day cumulative of 10 bass weighing 33-2. The tournament now heads into the final day of competition with the boater and co-angler fields being cut to the final 10 in the three-day event. Lawyer will enter the final day with a 4-pound, 5-ounce lead over second-place angler Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tennessee, who has a two-day catch of 10 bass totaling 28-13.

Hosted by Cadiz-Trigg County Tourism, the BFL All-American features the top 49 boaters and top 49 co-anglers from across the 24-division BFL circuit and the TBF National Championship casting for cash prizes of up to $120,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division, plus an opportunity to compete for the Forrest Wood CupAug. 4-7 on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama.

“I can’t express how it feels to be going into the final day of this tournament leading the field,” said Lawyer, who finished second at the All-American last year. “I’m happy that I backed up what I caught yesterday with another five today. I’ve got my head in the right spot.

“I can’t put my finger on what made them bite,” Lawyer continued. “I only stopped at around 25 areas compared to the 50 I hit yesterday, and only made it half way to Dover (Tennessee). I thought it would pay off to fish slower, but I didn’t get any more bites.”

Lawyer said that his limit came from a wide variety of cover and structure.

“It’s still all about timing out there,” said Lawyer. “My first bite wasn’t until 10:30 a.m., but it turned out to be the biggest of the day – a 5-pounder. After that I ran around and hit some main-river stuff and caught a small keeper flipping shallow wood. There weren’t any other fish around it, though. I caught another keeper on a shallow crankbait before fishing stuff I thought the current would have an influence on, but it didn’t produce anything. Near the end of the day I nabbed my fifth keeper on a stretch that I stopped at by chance. I was lucky to have a limit.”

Looking ahead to the final day, the Missouri pro said he’s ready to give it his best effort.

“I’m going all in,” said Lawyer. “I’m going to throw all the cards in the middle and not leave any stone unturned. All I need is some more bites in the morning and I should be good. I’ll probably be using five rods and will do what I can do to get five bass in the boat by the end of the day.”

The top 10 boaters advancing to the final day of competition on Lake Barkley are:

1st: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 10 bass, 33-2

2nd: Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-13

3rd: Kyle Weisenburger, Ottawa, Ohio, 10 bass, 28-9

4th: Clabion Johns, Covington, Ga., 10 bass, 27-10

5th: Todd Walters, Kernersville, N.C., 10 bass, 27-9

6th: John Vanore, Mullica Hill, N.J., 10 bass, 27-3

7th: Nelson Walker, Manning, S.C., 10 bass, 26-15

8th: Jim Eakin, Clarksville, Tenn., 10 bass, 26-14

9th: Mike Devere, Berea, Ky., nine bass, 26-13

9th: Thomas Helton, Charleston, Tenn., 10 bass, 26-13

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Adam Wood of Guyton, Georgia, leads the co-angler division with a two-day total of seven bass weighing 20 pounds even, followed by Mike Allen of Crystal Springs, Mississippi, in second place with six bass weighing 18-6.

The top 10 co-anglers are:

1st: Adam Wood, Guyton, Ga., seven bass, 20-0

2nd: Mike Allen, Crystal Springs, Miss., six bass, 18-6

3rd: John Duarte, Middle River, Md., seven bass, 16-7

4th: Wesley Smith, Vinemont, Ala., seven bass, 16-5

4th: Randy Smith, Fayetteville, Ga., six bass, 16-5

6th: Marvin Reese, Gwynn Oak, Md., seven bass, 15-14

7th: Bill Haunert, Blue Ash, Ohio, six bass, 13-13

8th: Jamie Eynard, Holts Summit, Mo., five bass, 12-15

9th: John Wilkerson, Nashville, Tenn., four bass, 12-3

10th: Jesse Parks, Avondale, Ariz., five bass, 11-14

Anglers will take off from the Lake Barkley State Resort Park Marina located at 4200 State Park Road in Cadiz at 7 a.m. CDT Saturday morning. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held in conjunction with the FLW Tour weigh-in at Kentucky Dam Village State Park, located at 7792 U.S. Highway 641 N. in Gilbertsville, Kentucky, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

About Fishing League Worldwide (FLW)

by AnglersChannel

Ashley Back On Top As Pros Take A Break At Bassfest On Lake Texoma

Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., takes the lead on the third day of the GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest presented by Choctaw Casino and Resort, bringing 17 pounds, 5 ounces to the scales on Friday for a three-day total weight of 51-15. Photo by Seigo Saito/Bassm

Long rods, heavy fluorocarbon line and lightly weighted lures dominate as anglers continue to pitch into thick bushes and other flooded cover.

Casey Ashley retook the lead today but Gerald Swindle is becoming a story in his own right as he attacks Greg Hackney's lead in the Angler of the Year race. Swindle downplayed the AOY race,"I try not to even look at the points at this time of the year. We've got a long way to go." He did say he is having a good week, making adjustments - and they all seem to be the right ones.

How strong is Hackney right now? Randall Tharp had this to say about him, "Hackney's not gonna slip up. That guy is making us work for it. This is my 3rd top 12 (this season) and I'm still 100 points behind him."

Kevin VanDam said "A guy like Greg Hackney can read those bushes and he knows where the fish should be. It's an art, just like sight fishing or anything else and I'm not a master at it." KVD hinted he'd be happy with a Top 20 finish because this event doesn't suit his strength. Even KVD is interested in watching what Hackney can do on the final day.

Water leve isl dropping, but fish are still in the bushes. Will that change while the pros have Saturday off to participate in BASSFest?

Hackney doesn't seem to think so. "I really like the day off. I'm gonna sleep in and come out here and enjoy BASSFest. I don't think (the day off) can hurt (his pattern)."

Despite the attention on Hackney, Ashley is actually in the lead again. He feels the fishing a bit of a hit-and-miss deal. "It's random. Any flip can be a 7-pounder." "Random, - that's the word I keep hearing," said tourney emcee Dave Mercer.

Rick Clunn, in 4th place, shared his thoughts on that subject, "It's not random at all." He had one of the best practices he's ever had. He dialed-in on the bite and is doing fine now. A lot of us are rooting for Clunn to make the Classic on Conroe this year. He has a great shot at it.

The official word from B.A.S.S.:

DURANT, Okla. — Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., bounced back to reclaim the lead today after bringing 17 pounds, 5 ounces to the scale during the semi-final round of GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest presented by Choctaw Casino and Resort at Lake Texoma.

Ashley’s limit of bass bumped his three-day total to 51-15, which is more than 3 pounds ahead of Gerald Swindle of Warrior, Ala., who now sits in second.

“The morning hours are very important to producing a solid limit,” Ashley said. “Once the sun gets high, the fish seem more reluctant to bite. It’s flat-out challenging to cull up during the afternoon.”

Even after three days of competition and several official practice days, the 2015 Bassmaster Classic champion said that he still isn’t locked in on a specific pattern, but the fishing remains good in his area.

“During most tournaments you can often predict when and where the fish will bite, but here it’s not that way at all. The fish are setting up in submerged bushes that are typically on dry land. When one does bite, it’s very random compared to how and where the last fish did.”

Ashley said that covering water and keeping his lure in the brush is the best way to find and catch active fish.

Swindle caught 16 pounds today pushing this total weight to 48-5, and he attributes his success to fishing ultra slow and giving the brush-hugging bass several opportunities to see and eat his presentation.

“I missed a lot of fish today. They were biting it, but not fully eating it, which makes it hard to get a good hookset,” Swindle said. “I personally believe that the receding water makes the bass uncomfortable, which results in half-hearted bites. I am catching good fish, though, and with a weather change in the forecast, I bet it gets even better on Sunday”

Each day of competition, Swindle has improved his placement in the daily standings. The only way to better today’s finish is to win on Sunday, and in order for that to happen, he thinks at least 19 pounds will be required.

Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., weighed in a five-bass limit for 12-7 and fell two spots to third place today. He is currently 4 pounds, 13 ounces out of the lead.

“I didn’t get the big bites today, but to be honest I’m very happy with how things have gone so far,” Hackney said. “I came here to finish strong and improve on my Angler of the Year standings, and now I’ve got a shot at winning this thing.

“I’m glad we have a day off, which I believe will help me and the fishing. There is a pending weather system pushing through by the end of the weekend, and I think that will help what I’ve got going on.”

Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Fla., caught a bass that weighed in at 7-6, which is the derby’s new Phoenix Boats Big Bass. If a bigger bass isn’t caught during Championship Sunday, Tharp will take home a $1,500 bonus.

Rounding out the Top 10 are Rick Clunn (44-0), Chad Morgenthaler (43-8), Brandon Card (43-1), Randall Tharp (42-9), Bradley Roy (42-3), Ott DeFoe (41-10) and Keith Poche (41-6).

Following today’s weigh-in, the field will be cut to the Top 12 anglers who will compete on Sunday for the $100,000 first-place prize and a berth to the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.

Takeoff will be held Sunday morning at Dam Site Park in Denison, Texas, at 6:15 a.m. CT, and weigh-in will take place at 3:45 p.m. at Choctaw Casino in Durant, Okla.

There will be no fishing on Saturday, as Bassmaster University will take place at Choctaw Casino & Resort in Durant, Okla., in the same location as daily weigh-ins. Gates open at 10 a.m., and it’s completely free to the public. Bassmaster fans will have opportunities to visit sponsor booths, attend pro seminars, ask their favorite anglers questions and even gather autographs.

Also on Saturday, the Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team has been invited to participate in a special tournament Saturday on Lake McGee. Each All-American angler will be paired with an Elite Series pro for the one-day derby with weigh-in at Choctaw Casino Resort beginning at 2:30 p.m.
2016 GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest presented by Choctaw Casino and Resort 6/8-6/12
Lake Texoma, Durant OK.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3

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

1. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 15 51-15 110
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 5 17-05
2. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 15 48-05 109
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 17-10 Day 3: 5 16-00
3. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 15 48-03 108 $500.00
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 20-02 Day 3: 5 12-07
4. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 15 44-00 107
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 15-06 Day 3: 5 14-10
5. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 14 43-08 106
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 4 11-02 Day 3: 5 13-00
6. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 15 43-01 105
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 10-08 Day 3: 5 16-09
7. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 15 42-09 104
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 12-02 Day 3: 5 16-01
8. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 15 42-03 103
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 18-12 Day 3: 5 13-08
9. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 15 41-10 102
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 12-00 Day 3: 5 11-05
10. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 15 41-06 101
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 12-15 Day 3: 5 12-07
11. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 15 41-04 100
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 14-12
12. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 15 40-12 99
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 15-08 Day 3: 5 12-06
13. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 15 40-12 98 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 14-04
14. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 15 40-11 97 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 13-05
15. David Walker Sevierville, TN 15 40-07 96 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 11-00 Day 3: 5 12-15
16. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 15 39-14 95 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 5 14-07
17. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 15 39-10 94 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 5 15-06
18. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 14 39-09 93 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 4 10-02 Day 3: 5 15-07
19. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 15 39-05 92 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 12-00 Day 3: 5 13-05
20. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 15 38-12 91 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 11-08 Day 3: 5 13-07
21. David Williams Newton, NC 15 38-00 90 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 15-00
22. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 15 37-13 89 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 09-13 Day 3: 5 12-07
23. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 15 37-12 88 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 10-08 Day 3: 5 08-12
24. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 14 37-08 87 $11,000.00
Day 1: 4 10-03 Day 2: 5 14-08 Day 3: 5 12-13
25. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 15 37-07 86 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 12-09
26. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 15 36-05 85 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 09-11 Day 3: 5 10-11
27. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 15 36-02 84 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 10-08 Day 3: 5 10-03
28. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 15 35-08 83 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 07-08 Day 3: 5 11-11
29. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 15 35-03 82 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 08-13
30. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 15 35-01 81 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 09-07
31. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 15 35-01 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 10-10 Day 3: 5 11-04
32. Ken Iyobe Tokoname Aichi JAPAN 14 34-11 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 4 09-14
33. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 15 34-10 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 10-10 Day 3: 5 12-05
34. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 13 34-08 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 4 14-15 Day 3: 4 09-04
35. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 13 34-02 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 3 09-11 Day 3: 5 11-03
36. John Murray Spring City, TN 15 33-13 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 10-08 Day 3: 5 11-05
37. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 15 33-12 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 10-00 Day 3: 5 11-06
38. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 13 33-06 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 3 04-13
39. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 14 33-04 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 11-14 Day 3: 4 09-12
40. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 13 33-03 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 3 11-04 Day 3: 5 08-07
41. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 15 33-01 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 5 10-04
42. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 11 32-15 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 12-08 Day 3: 1 02-04
43. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 13 32-07 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 3 08-09 Day 3: 5 08-12
44. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 14 30-04 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 4 07-03
45. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 13 29-11 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 3 06-01
46. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 14 28-14 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 11-13 Day 3: 4 06-08
47. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 12 27-05 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 11-01 Day 3: 2 02-10
48. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 12 26-15 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 09-07 Day 3: 2 03-04
49. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 11 24-14 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 11-01 Day 3: 1 01-03
50. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 11 24-08 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 1 01-06
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 91 508 1176-04
2 79 490 1151-06
3 38 223 544-04
----------------------------------
208 1221 2871-14

by AnglersChannel

Jimmy Holland & Richard Green Weigh In 5 Bass For 25.37 To Best 87 Teams In Piedmont Bass Classic Spring Qualifier On Falls Lake

87 teams arrived for the 2016 Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Final Qualifier #7 at Falls
Lake to compete or complete! Many had to fish this one to qualify for the Championship June 18th at Jordan.
The weather started out great with air temps about 72 degrees in the am on up to 92 in the pm. We got hit with a
big thunderstorm right after noon and another around 1:30pm. The rain did stop just in time for the 3 pm weighin.
Water temps averaged 82. Winds were quiet all day except during the storms. It's post spawn now for the most
part and bass will fall back to deeper water for the remainder of the hot weather. Anglers should still get a good
top water bite early am and towards dark however.

Jimmy Holland & Richard Green beat the heat and the field weighing in 5 bass at 25.37 lbs. and along with
winning the TWT and with a check coming from Skeeter Boats Easy Money, their winnings should top out at
$4,200!!!

William Small & Bryan Perry took 2nd place with 5 fish weighing 25.30 lbs. They also won 2nd Place TWT and
2nd Place Big Fish (7.52 lbs.) for a whopping total of $2,116. Jaimie Fajardo & Josh Hooks won 3rd place with 5
weighing 25.29 lbs. and took home $665. Only 8 100th's of a pound separated the top 3 teams! Now that's close.
1st Place Big Fish (8.64 lbs.) was caught by the 10th Place Team of Matt Harrison & Rock Goss. They collected
$1,452 for their efforts!

256 fish were weighed in for a total of 834 pounds for an average of 3.36 lbs. each. Most of the fish were caught on
WLS shaky heads, T-rigs, wacky worms and crankbaits in 6 to 12 feet of water. Now is the time to learn how to
structure fish deep, if you don't know how to, so your summer bite will be more productive.

I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. Our next tournament is
Saturday June 11th, the Piedmont Bass Classics Metal Mania Invitational for gas powered aluminum (metal)
boats with 115hp or less motors at Falls Lake out of Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp. All the info can be found at this
link:  http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2016MetalManiaMainPage.html
Following that will be the Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Championship for qualified
teams only, Saturday June 18th at Jordan Lake.
All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/

Now here are the full results:

1st Place: ......Jimmy Holland & Richard Greene of Fayetteville & Laurinburd...5 bass...25.37 lbs...$1,450
2nd Place: ......William Small & Bryan Perry of Wake Forest & Roxboro...5 bass...25.30 lbs...$850
3rd Place: ......Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks of Fuquay Varina & Apex...5 bass...25.29 lbs...$665
4th Place: ......Max Newell & Tyler Faggart of Greensboro & Durham...5 bass...24.86 lbs...$605
5th Place: ......Robert Bristow & Alan Thomerson of Franklinton...5 bass...22.76 lbs...$533
6th Place: ......Dan Glosson & Phillip Eakes of Rougemont & Bahama...5 bass...21.98 lbs...$462
7th Place: ......Mike Dinterman & Vern Fleming of Oxford & Raleigh...5 bass...21.91 lbs...$397
8th Place: .......Ricky Petty & Billy Cobb of Gibsonville & Brown Summit...5 bass...21.57 lbs...$323
9th Place: .......Johnny Wilder & Mike Harris of Butner & Oxford...5 bass...21.07 lbs...$282
10th Place: ......Matt Harrison & Rock Goss of Franklinton & Creedmoor...5 bass...20.98 lbs...$248
11th Place: ......Todd Massey & Tim Parker of Chapel Hill & New Hill...5 bass...20.75 lbs...$212
12th Place: ......Danny & Matthew Nifong of Lexington & Raleigh...5 bass...20.16 lbs...$202
13th Place: ......Terry & Hunter Collins of Sanford...5 bass...19.08 lbs...$187
14th Place: ......Ben Cannon & Chad Craven of Apex & Willow Springs...5 bass...18.55 lbs...$143
15th Place: ......Tyler Kick & Allen White of Cary & Clayton...5 bass...18.48 lbs...$138
16th Place: ......David Hall & Dane Salinger of Raleigh & Wake Forest...5 bass...17.99 lbs...$134
17th Place: ......Geno McCree & Rodney Hilber of Durham & Hillsborough...5 bass...17.21 lbs...$129

1st Place Big Fish..10th Place Team above...8.64 lbs...$1,204
2nd Place Big Fish..2nd  Place Team above...7.52 lbs...$516
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...25.37 lbs...$1,750
2nd Place TWT..2nd Place Team above: 25.30 lbs...$750

Tow Boats US Award: Jaime Fajardo of Fuquay Varina: $50

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

by AnglersChannel

Jeremy Lawyer Leads Day 1 Of The Bfl All-American By Over A Pound Heading Into Day 2

MISSOURI’S LAWYER TAKES DAY ONE LEAD AT BFL ALL-AMERICAN TOURNAMENT ON LAKE BARKLEY

Mississippi’s Allen paces co-anglers

CADIZ, Ky. (June 9, 2016) – Jeremy Lawyer of Sarcoxie, Missouri, took the early lead at the BFL All-American on Lake Barkley with a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 6 ounces. Lawyer will begin Day Two of the three-day competition with a 1-pound, 2-ounce lead over second-place angler Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tennessee, who weighed in five bass totaling 17 pounds, 4 ounces.

“I really thought I was going to catch them out there in a couple of key areas, but it was a grind,” said Lawyer, who punched his ticket to the event via his fourth place finish at a BFL regional championship on Kentucky Lake last season. “We’re all rotating through a lot of different cover out there.”

Lawyer said he ran to nearly 50 different areas between the takeoff ramp and the Dover, Tennessee-region throughout the day, targeting fish that were setting up with the current.

“I had a limit by 10:30 a.m.,” said Lawyer. “Of the eight keepers I caught, two of the better ones came from back-to-back casts in an area that I stopped at on a whim. The rest came from different spots. It’s really going to be about timing this week. You’ve got to stop when there’s a fish there, you can’t sit in one place.”

Lawyer said he caught his bass by throwing and dragging multiple different reaction baits.

“I’ve got 10 rods on my deck, each rigged different,” said Lawyer. “Sometimes I get tired of throwing the same thing. I’m not afraid to pick up something new, it helps my confidence.”

Lawyer said he plans to follow a similar route tomorrow, with some new areas mixed in.

“I’m going to make that same milk run,” said Lawyer. “I caught a couple up shallow today, so I’m probably going to try and do that again, too. I’m not going to play it safe, that’s for sure. I’m going to go out there swinging.”

The top 10 boaters after Day One on Lake Barkley are:

1st: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., five bass, 18-6

2nd: Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 17-4

3rd: John Vanore, Mullica Hill, N.J., five bass, 15-14

4th: John Duvall, Madison, Ga., five bass, 15-13

5th: Andre Dickneite, Freeburg, Mo., five bass, 15-11

6th: Kyle Weisenburger, Ottawa, Ohio, five bass, 15-9

7th: Todd Walters, Kernersville, N.C., five bass, 15-1

8th: Jim Eakin, Clarksville, Tenn., five bass, 14-6

9th: Thomas Helton, Charleston, Tenn., five bass, 14-4

10th: Mike Devere, Berea, Ky., five bass, 14-2

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Mike Allen of Crystal Springs, Mississippi, leads the co-angler division with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 5 ounces, followed by Bill Haunert of Blue Ash, Ohio, in second place with five bass weighing 11-12.

The top 10 co-anglers are:

1st: Mike Allen, Crystal Springs, Miss., five bass, 16-5

2nd: Bill Haunert, Blue Ash, Ohio, five bass, 11-12

3rd: Adam Wood, Guyton, Ga., four bass, 10-11

4th: Jesse Parks, Avondale, Ariz., four bass, 9-13

5th: Matt Webb, Newnan, Ga., three bass, 9-6

6th: Wesley Smith, Vinemont, Ala., four bass, 8-15

7th: Randy Smith, Fayetteville, Ga., three bass, 8-8

8th: March Glenn, Decatur, Ga., two bass, 7-10

9th: Steven Dowty, Claremore, Okla., three bass, 7-4

10th: Charles Knowles, Canton, Miss., two bass, 6-9

Anglers will take off from the Lake Barkley State Resort Park Marina located at 4200 State Park Road in Cadiz at 7 a.m. CDT each morning. Weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Friday. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held in conjunction with the FLW Tour weigh-in at Kentucky Dam Village State Park, located at 7792 U.S. Highway 641 N. in Gilbertsville, Kentucky, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

About Fishing League Worldwide (FLW)

by AnglersChannel

Knight Lights Em' Up On Day 1 Of The Flw Tour Event On Kentucky Lake!

TENNESSEE’S KNIGHT LEADS DAY ONE OF WALMART FLW TOUR ON KENTUCKY LAKE PRESENTED BY MERCURY MARINE

Kentucky’s Horton Leads Co-Anglers

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (June 9, 2016) – After winning the Forrest Wood Cup last season, pro angler Brad Knight has been in a bit of a slump. In the four regular-season events held since, Knight has had an average finish of 79th place and cashed just one paycheck. This week at the Walmart FLW Tour at Kentucky Lake presented by Mercury Marine, Knight looks to be breaking out of that slump.

Knight, of Lancing, Tennessee, caught five largemouth that weighed 23 pounds, 6 ounces to take the lead on Day One, ahead of Yamamoto Baits pro Shinichi Fukae of Palestine, Texas, (23-3) in second place and third-place angler Randy Haynes of Counce, Tennessee, (22-15) in the four-day event that features 162 of the top bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.

“I was covering a lot of water today; not fishing a bunch of big schools, but catching a few here and there,” said Knight, who has two previous top-10 finishes on Kentucky Lake in FLW competition. “I had around 20 stops that I fished and I caught 25 to 30 keepers, cranking with a Strike King plug, working as hard as I can.

“I caught the big one in the last two hours of the day,” Knight said. “I hate to call it luck, so I’ll call it good fortune from working hard.”

Knight was in the first flight of boats to check in Thursday, and was hopeful that his long day of fishing when the flights flip on Friday would be similar.

“The places that have 40 to 50 bass on them will have five boats already on them, and that’s what I’m trying to avoid,” Knight said. “I hope I can go out there tomorrow and catch a quick limit and relax. I don’t really know when the bites are going to come, you just have to hope at the end of the day you’ll have five good ones.”

With upper-90-degree temperatures being forecast over the next few days, Knight is looking forward to the heat.

“When I’ve got sweat running down my back, dripping off of my elbows and my arms are hurting because I’m winding a plug as hard as I can go, I’m happy,” Knight said. ”This is the Tennessee River and I grew up fishing here. I’m pretty comfortable here.”

The top 10 pros after Day One on Kentucky Lake are:

1st: Brad Knight, Lancing, Tenn., five bass, 23-6

2nd: Yamamoto Baits pro Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas, five bass, 23-3

3rd: Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn., five bass, 22-15

4th: Brandon Hunter, Benton, Ky., five bass, 22-11

5th: Walmart pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., five bass, 22-10

6th: Quaker State pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 22-6

7th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 22-5

7th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 22-5

9th: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 22-1

10th: Ramie Colson Jr., Cadiz, Ky., five bass, 21-6

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Knight also weighed in an 8-pound, 9-ounce largemouth to win the Big Bass Award on the pro side Thursday and the $500 prize.

Overall there were 729 bass weighing 2,101 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 159 pros Thursday. The catch included 127 five-bass limits.

Mark Horton of Nicholasville, Kentucky, leads the co-angler division with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 5 ounces, followed by Joe McClary of Kirkwood, Missouri, in second place with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 co-anglers after Day One on Kentucky Lake are:

1st: Mark Horton, Nicholasville, Ky., five bass, 21-5

2nd: Joe McClary, Kirkwood, Mo., five bass, 21-1

3rd: Spencer Howerton, Melbourne Beach, Fla., five bass, 19-14

4th: Jay Clary, Slaughters, Ky., five bass, 19-5

5th: Maurice Cobb, Kuttawa, Ky., five bass, 18-11

6th: Rex Jaeger, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 18-7

7th: Nick Loeffelman Jr., Valles Mines, Mo., five bass, 18-2

8th: Dave Lauer, McConnelsville, Ohio, five bass, 16-14

9th: Otto Hecht, Stafford, Va., five bass, 16-12

10th: Mark Myers, Cedar Falls, Iowa, five bass, 16-9

Horton also earned the Big Bass Award on the co-angler side Thursday with a bass weighing 7 pounds, 10 ounces to win the $250 prize.

Overall there were 534 bass weighing 1,377 pounds, 11 ounces caught by 147 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 64 five-bass limits.

Anglers will take off from Kentucky Dam State Park located at 7792 U.S. Highway 641 N. in Gilbertsville at 6:30 a.m. CDT each day of competition. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the State Park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will also be held at the State Park, but will begin at 4 p.m.

The Walmart FLW Tour at Pickwick Lake presented by Mercury Marine is hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

About FLW

# # #

by AnglersChannel

Hackney Takes Over Bassfest On Lake Texoma

Today Casey Ashley turned-in 14 pounds, 9 ounces of Lake Texoma bass to follow his 20-pound, 2-ounce start on Day 1. He fell a notch to 2nd as Greg Hackney put 20-2 on the scale which, combined with his first day's effort of 15-10, gave him the lead with 35-12 in total weight so far.

Gerald Swindle, Brandon Palaniuk and a cast of stars follow. And Rick Clunn is making noise yet again on this year's Elite Series campaign. He is currently in 7th place.

Brandon Coulter was the last man in the Top 50 cut with 22 pounds, 5 ounces over two days of fishing in chocolate milk.

Bradley Roy had the day's big bass at 7 pounds-even.

What follows is the official press release from B.A.S.S.:

DURANT, Okla. — “You live by the sword, you die by the sword.”
Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., uttered those words immediately after he weighed in a 20-pound, 2-ounce limit to take the lead Thursday during the GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest presented by Choctaw Casino and Resort at Lake Texoma.

Hackney’s two-day combined weight of 35-12 bumped Wednesday’s leader Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., into second place by 1 pound, 2 ounces.

“Yesterday I fished a pattern that produced some solid fish, and today it was more of the same thing — they were just bigger,” Hackney said. “The bite has been pretty unpredictable, but I’ve been able to narrow it down to one bait. It’s risky business relying on one presentation, because it could pay off big and win me this tournament, or it could end up costing me.”

Hackney came into this event leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, and he said it was his objective to strengthen that lead by staying consistent on the water.

“I’m a long ways from winning Angler of the Year, but I knew that a good finish here would put me one step closer,” said Hackney, the 2014 Bassmaster Angler of the Year. “I’m not concerning myself with anything other than tomorrow. If I can stay on the pattern and put together another solid limit, then I’ll start thinking about winning the derby. Right now, I’m just thankful for another great day.”

While Hackney increased on his previous day’s weight, Ashley dropped a few pounds with 14-9 for a two-day total of 34-10.

“I caught the right fish early in the day, but things really slowed down during the afternoon, and opportunities to upgrade were hard to come by,” Ashley said.

“Not much has changed since yesterday, but the pattern I’m fishing is largely dependent upon bass that are hanging out in the flooded bushes. With the receding water, the bass might be beginning to move out, but I’m confident my pattern will still produce tomorrow — I guess we’ll see.”

Also making a strong case for the 2016 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title is Gerald Swindle from Warrior, Ala. After today’s weigh-in, he is 30 points behind Hackney. Of course, that may change by the end of the tournament, but you can bet Swindle is focusing on a strong finish.

“I’ve made a asserted effort to slow down this year,” Swindle said after he brought 17-10 to the scale for a two-day total of 32-5.

“I drive slower, I fish slower aiming to be more thorough and catch every fish possible. I caught a lot more bass yesterday because I was moving faster and covering more water. But, my limit today was bigger and I fished slower. That just proves to me how important it is to make every cast count.”

Thursday’s Phoenix Boats Big Bass was caught by Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Ky., and weighed 7 pounds even. If nobody catches a bigger bass during BASSfest, Roy will receive a $1,500 bonus.

Hackney also earned the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $500 for being the second-day leader.

Rounding out the Top 10 are Brandon Palaniuk (30-11), Chad Morgenthaler (30-8), Ott DeFoe (30-5), Rick Clunn (29-6), Edwin Evers (29-0), Keith Poche (28-15) and Bradley Roy (28-11).

Following today’s weigh-in, the field will be cut to the Top 50 anglers for Friday’s semi-final round. Takeoff will be held at Dam Site Park in Denison, Texas, at 6:15 a.m. CT, while the weigh-in will take place at 3:45 p.m. at Choctaw Casino and Resort in Durant, Okla.

There will be no fishing on Saturday, as Bassmaster University will take place at Choctaw Casino and Resort in Durant, Okla., in the same location as daily weigh-ins.

Gates open at 10 a.m., and it’s completely free to the public. Bassmaster fans will have opportunities to visit sponsor booths, attend pro seminars, ask their favorite anglers questions and even gather autographs.

Bassmaster Elite Series competition will resume on Championship Sunday, as the remaining Top 12 anglers battle for the $100,000 grand prize and a berth to the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.

2016 GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest presented by Choctaw Casino and Resort 6/8-6/12
Lake Texoma, Durant OK.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

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

1. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 35-12 110 $500.00
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 20-02
2. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 10 34-10 109
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 14-09
3. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 10 32-05 108
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 17-10
4. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 10 30-11 107
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 12-08
5. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 9 30-08 106
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 4 11-02
6. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 10 30-05 105
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 12-00
7. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 10 29-06 104
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 15-06
8. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 10 29-00 103
Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 10-08
9. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 10 28-15 102
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 12-15
10. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 10 28-11 101
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 18-12
11. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 28-09 100
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 17-00
12. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 10 28-06 99
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 15-08
13. David Walker Sevierville, TN 10 27-08 98
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 11-00
14. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 10 27-06 97
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 12-11
15. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 10 26-08 96
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 10-08
16. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 10 26-08 95
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 11-15
17. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 10 26-08 94
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 12-02
18. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 10 26-08 93
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 14-02
19. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 10 26-06 92
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 14-02
20. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 10 26-00 91
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 12-00
21. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 10 25-15 90
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 10-08
22. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 10 25-10 89
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 16-05
23. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 10 25-10 88
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 09-11
24. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 25-07 87
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 12-04
25. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 25-06 86
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 09-13
26. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 10 25-05 85
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 11-08
27. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 9 25-04 84
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 4 14-15
28. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 10 24-14 83
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 15-15
29. Ken Iyobe Tokoname Aichi JAPAN 10 24-13 82
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 13-03
30. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 8 24-12 81
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 3 11-04
31. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 9 24-11 80
Day 1: 4 10-03 Day 2: 5 14-08
32. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 24-11 79
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 11-01
33. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 10 24-04 78
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 13-03
34. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 9 24-02 77
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 4 10-02
35. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 10 23-13 76
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 07-08
36. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 10 23-13 75
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 10-10
37. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 8 23-11 74
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 3 08-09
38. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 10 23-11 73
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 09-07
39. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 10 23-11 72
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 11-01
40. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 10 23-10 71
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 12-04
41. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 10 23-08 70
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 11-14
42. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 10 23-02 69
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 14-03
43. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 10 23-01 68
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 12-11
44. David Williams Newton, NC 10 23-00 67
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 5 14-03
45. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 8 22-15 66
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 3 09-11
46. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 10 22-13 65
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 13-03
47. John Murray Spring City, TN 10 22-08 64
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 10-08
48. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 10 22-06 63
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 10-00
49. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 10 22-06 62
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 11-13
50. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 10 22-05 61
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 10-10
51. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 8 22-01 60
Day 1: 4 09-12 Day 2: 4 12-05
52. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 10 22-01 59
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 12-04
53. James Elam Tulsa, OK 10 21-15 58
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 10-08
54. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 10 21-13 57
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 08-12
55. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 10 21-12 56
Day 1: 5 06-01 Day 2: 5 15-11
56. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 10 21-05 55
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 11-05
57. Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 8 21-04 54
Day 1: 3 05-09 Day 2: 5 15-11
58. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 10 21-03 53
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 10-10
59. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 10 21-01 52
Day 1: 5 06-13 Day 2: 5 14-04
60. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 10 21-01 51
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 11-08
61. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 10 20-15 50
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 10-10
62. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 9 20-13 49
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 4 10-07
63. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 9 20-11 48
Day 1: 4 09-14 Day 2: 5 10-13
64. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 9 20-10 47
Day 1: 4 09-09 Day 2: 5 11-01
65. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 9 20-09 46
Day 1: 4 08-03 Day 2: 5 12-06
66. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 10 20-09 45
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 08-08
67. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 10 20-09 44
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 10-14
68. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 10 20-09 43
Day 1: 5 09-14 Day 2: 5 10-11
69. Casey Scanlon Rocky Mount, MO 10 20-06 42
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 08-12
70. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 10 20-06 41
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 09-02
71. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 9 20-04 40
Day 1: 5 09-08 Day 2: 4 10-12
72. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 10 20-03 39
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 10-01
73. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 10 20-01 38
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 12-06
74. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 10 19-14 37
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 11-07
75. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 10 19-12 36
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 10-11
76. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 10 19-11 35
Day 1: 5 06-04 Day 2: 5 13-07
77. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 10 19-11 34
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 09-05
78. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 10 19-07 33
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 11-00
79. John Hunter Jr Shelbyville, KY 10 19-01 32
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 09-00
80. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 19-00 31
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 08-07
81. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 10 18-03 30
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 06-08
82. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 6 17-15 29
Day 1: 3 09-13 Day 2: 3 08-02
83. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 10 17-15 28
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 5 08-08
84. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 10 17-15 27
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 08-14
85. Billy McCaghren Jr Mayflower, AR 8 17-14 26
Day 1: 3 06-05 Day 2: 5 11-09
86. Koby Kreiger Bokeelia, FL 8 17-13 25
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 3 07-11
87. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 10 17-10 24
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 07-01
88. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 9 17-09 23
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 4 07-02
89. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 8 17-07 22
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 3 05-05
90. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 10 17-03 21
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 5 08-00
91. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 7 16-12 20
Day 1: 2 02-12 Day 2: 5 14-00
92. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 8 16-05 19
Day 1: 4 06-12 Day 2: 4 09-09
93. Jay Brainard Enid, OK 9 15-12 18
Day 1: 5 06-15 Day 2: 4 08-13
94. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 9 15-07 17
Day 1: 5 08-05 Day 2: 4 07-02
95. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 7 15-01 16
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 2 04-11
96. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 14-04 15
Day 1: 4 12-00 Day 2: 1 02-04
97. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 8 13-15 14
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 3 04-10
98. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 7 13-05 13
Day 1: 4 05-07 Day 2: 3 07-14
99. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 9 13-02 12
Day 1: 5 06-14 Day 2: 4 06-04
100. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 9 13-01 11
Day 1: 5 07-10 Day 2: 4 05-07
101. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 7 12-15 10
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 2 02-08
102. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 6 12-15 9
Day 1: 2 05-00 Day 2: 4 07-15
103. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 7 11-12 8
Day 1: 2 02-14 Day 2: 5 08-14
104. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 7 11-05 7
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 2 02-08
105. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 9 10-10 6
Day 1: 5 04-09 Day 2: 4 06-01
106. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 08-13 5
Day 1: 1 01-13 Day 2: 4 07-00
107. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 4 08-09 4
Day 1: 3 06-02 Day 2: 1 02-07
108. Fabian Rodriguez Ocean City, DE 5 06-03 3
Day 1: 2 03-01 Day 2: 3 03-02
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 91 508 1176-04
2 79 490 1151-06
----------------------------------
170 998 2327-10

by AnglersChannel

Ashley Off To Hot Start As Muddy Waters Roll Through Lake Texoma At Bassfest

Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., takes the lead on the first day of the GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest presented by Choctaw Casino and Resort at Lake Texoma, bringing 20 pounds, 1 ounce to the scales on Wednesday. Photo by Seigo Saito/Bassmaster

With Lake Texoma 9 feet above normal Elite pros have been posting pictures of places they plan to fish - you know, parking lots, picnic tables, typical flood condition stuff.

The water looks like coffee with a heavy dose of cream. The upside may be that more fans elect to enjoy the lakeside attractions associated with BASSFest instead of taking to the water as spectators because many area ramps are out of operation, including the one B.A.S.S. had planned to use - East Burns Run. Instead the 108 pros will launch each competition day from the Spillway Ramp near Denison Dam where fans are welcome but parking is limited.

On Saturday the anglers will participate in Bassmaster University and other activities before resuming competition in Sunday's final championship round.

As for Wednesday's opener, Casey Ashley shined brightest. Check out the official story and standings:

DURANT, Okla. — Flooded shorelines and muddy water didn’t stop some Bassmaster Elite Series pros from finding big bass during the GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest presented by Choctaw Casino and Resort at Lake Texoma.

After a very difficult and unproductive practice, Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., “just went fishing,” and put together the day’s heaviest five-fish limit of bass that weighed 20 pounds, 1 ounce. His lead eclipsed Chad Morgenthaler of Coulterville, Ill., who is in second place by only 11 ounces with a total of 19-6.

Ashley’s limit included the tournament’s current Phoenix Boats Big Bass that tipped the scales at 6-15. If the 2015 Classic champion can hold the big-fish lead for the duration of BASSfest, he’ll earn a $1,500 bonus.

“I had no idea I was going to catch them that good today,” Ashley said. “The first bite of the day was my big one, and when you start things out with that kind of momentum, it really helps you to settle in and make good decisions for the rest of the day.”

The South Carolinian is unsure if he can replicate today’s success on Thursday, but he’s sure going to try.

“All I can do is just put the trolling motor down, keep my head down and go,” he said. “I’ve found that there really isn’t a good way to predict where the bites will come from. Covering water quickly and making accurate casts seems to be the key to finding the big fish, and I’m going to do my best to make it happen again tomorrow. “

Unlike Ashley’s unproductive practice, Morgenthaler located his fish earlier in the week.

“I started my day on what I felt was my best spot, but it didn’t turn out that way. I relocated to another spot that I found during practice and caught a limit pretty quickly. Being able to make some key upgrades as the day went on really helped me put together a solid limit,” Morgenthaler said.

He said that he caught a lot of fish today, and will be starting Thursday off with “comfortable confidence.”

He thinks the receding water should improve his pattern, but the lake is changing by the hour and he knows that he’ll have to adapt quickly to stay on the bass.

As of 5 p.m. CT, Texoma was measured at 625.48 feet (above sea level) with normal full pool measuring at 619 feet. The reservoir’s current release rate is 41,900 cubic feet per second, which has created quite a riffle below the dam. That means the lake level will be steadily decreasing. Those who adapt the quickest will likely finish the strongest.

Local favorite and 2016 Bassmaster Classic champion Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., will begin Thursday’s second round of competition in third place after weighing in 18-8.

“Today was a grind. It looks good on paper, but I only had five bites all day long,” Evers said. “Practice was crucial to how and where I fished today, but with the water going down I’ll have to adjust throughout the day — and I think I can do that. ”

The full field of 108 anglers will resume competition on Thursday, vying for a Top 50 spot, which is where the field will be cut for Friday’s semi-final round. Takeoff will be held at Dam Site Park in Denison, Texas, at 6:15 a.m. CT, while the weigh-in will take place at Choctaw Casino in Durant, Okla.

There will be no fishing on Saturday, as Bassmaster University will take place at Choctaw Casino and Resort in Durant, Okla., the same location as daily weigh-ins. Gates open at 10 a.m., and it’s completely free to the public. Bassmaster fans will have opportunities to visit sponsor booths, attend seminars, ask their favorite pros questions and even gather autographs.

Competition will crescendo on Championship Sunday, as the remaining Top 12 anglers battle for the $100,000 grand prize and a berth to the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.

2016 GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest presented by Choctaw Casino and Resort 6/8-6/12
Lake Texoma, Durant OK.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts

1. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 5 20-01 110
Day 1: 5 20-01
2. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 5 19-06 109
Day 1: 5 19-06
3. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 5 18-08 108
Day 1: 5 18-08
4. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 5 18-05 107
Day 1: 5 18-05
5. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 18-03 106
Day 1: 5 18-03
6. David Walker Sevierville, TN 5 16-08 105
Day 1: 5 16-08
7. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 16-05 104
Day 1: 5 16-05
8. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 5 16-00 103
Day 1: 5 16-00
8. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 5 16-00 103
Day 1: 5 16-00
10. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 15-15 101
Day 1: 5 15-15
11. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 15-10 100
Day 1: 5 15-10
12. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 15-09 99
Day 1: 5 15-09
13. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 5 15-07 98
Day 1: 5 15-07
14. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 5 15-02 97
Day 1: 5 15-02
15. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 14-11 96
Day 1: 5 14-11
15. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 5 14-11 96
Day 1: 5 14-11
17. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 5 14-09 94
Day 1: 5 14-09
18. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 5 14-06 93
Day 1: 5 14-06
19. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 5 14-04 92
Day 1: 5 14-04
20. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 14-00 91
Day 1: 5 14-00
20. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 5 14-00 91
Day 1: 5 14-00
20. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 14-00 91
Day 1: 5 14-00
23. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 5 13-13 88
Day 1: 5 13-13
24. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 13-10 87
Day 1: 5 13-10
25. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 5 13-08 86
Day 1: 5 13-08
26. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 5 13-04 85
Day 1: 5 13-04
27. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 13-03 84
Day 1: 5 13-03
27. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 5 13-03 84
Day 1: 5 13-03
29. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 5 13-01 82
Day 1: 5 13-01
30. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 5 12-14 81
Day 1: 5 12-14
31. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 5 12-10 80
Day 1: 5 12-10
32. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 5 12-06 79
Day 1: 5 12-06
32. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 5 12-06 79
Day 1: 5 12-06
34. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 5 12-04 77
Day 1: 5 12-04
35. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 5 12-02 76
Day 1: 5 12-02
36. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 12-01 75
Day 1: 5 12-01
37. John Murray Spring City, TN 5 12-00 74
Day 1: 5 12-00
38. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 4 12-00 73
Day 1: 4 12-00
39. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 5 11-11 72
Day 1: 5 11-11
39. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 5 11-11 72
Day 1: 5 11-11
41. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 5 11-10 70
Day 1: 5 11-10
41. Ken Iyobe Tokoname Aichi JAPAN 5 11-10 70
Day 1: 5 11-10
43. Casey Scanlon Rocky Mount, MO 5 11-10 68
Day 1: 5 11-10
44. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 11-09 67
Day 1: 5 11-09
45. James Elam Tulsa, OK 5 11-07 66
Day 1: 5 11-07
46. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 5 11-06 65
Day 1: 5 11-06
47. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 5 11-04 64
Day 1: 5 11-04
48. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 5 11-01 63
Day 1: 5 11-01
49. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 5 10-09 62
Day 1: 5 10-09
49. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 5 10-09 62
Day 1: 5 10-09
49. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 10-09 62
Day 1: 5 10-09
49. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 10-09 62
Day 1: 5 10-09
53. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 5 10-07 58
Day 1: 5 10-07
53. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 10-07 58
Day 1: 5 10-07
55. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 5 10-06 56
Day 1: 5 10-06
55. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 5 10-06 56
Day 1: 5 10-06
57. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 5 10-06 54
Day 1: 5 10-06
58. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 5 10-06 53
Day 1: 5 10-06
59. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 5 10-05 52
Day 1: 5 10-05
59. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 5 10-05 52
Day 1: 5 10-05
61. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 4 10-03 50
Day 1: 4 10-03
62. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 5 10-02 49
Day 1: 5 10-02
62. Koby Kreiger Bokeelia, FL 5 10-02 49
Day 1: 5 10-02
64. John Hunter Jr Shelbyville, KY 5 10-01 47
Day 1: 5 10-01
65. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 10-00 46
Day 1: 5 10-00
66. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 5 09-15 45
Day 1: 5 09-15
67. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 09-14 44
Day 1: 5 09-14
68. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 4 09-14 43
Day 1: 4 09-14
69. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 5 09-13 42
Day 1: 5 09-13
70. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 3 09-13 41
Day 1: 3 09-13
71. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 4 09-12 40
Day 1: 4 09-12
72. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 5 09-11 39
Day 1: 5 09-11
73. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 5 09-10 38
Day 1: 5 09-10
74. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 5 09-09 37
Day 1: 5 09-09
75. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 4 09-09 36
Day 1: 4 09-09
76. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 5 09-08 35
Day 1: 5 09-08
77. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 5 09-07 34
Day 1: 5 09-07
78. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 5 09-05 33
Day 1: 5 09-05
78. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 5 09-05 33
Day 1: 5 09-05
80. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 5 09-03 31
Day 1: 5 09-03
81. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 09-01 30
Day 1: 5 09-01
81. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 5 09-01 30
Day 1: 5 09-01
83. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 5 08-15 28
Day 1: 5 08-15
84. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 5 08-15 27
Day 1: 5 08-15
85. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 5 08-13 26
Day 1: 5 08-13
85. David Williams Newton, NC 5 08-13 26
Day 1: 5 08-13
87. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 5 08-07 24
Day 1: 5 08-07
88. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 08-07 23
Day 1: 5 08-07
89. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 5 08-05 22
Day 1: 5 08-05
90. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 4 08-03 21
Day 1: 4 08-03
91. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 5 07-11 20
Day 1: 5 07-11
92. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 5 07-10 19
Day 1: 5 07-10
93. Jay Brainard Enid, OK 5 06-15 18
Day 1: 5 06-15
94. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 5 06-14 17
Day 1: 5 06-14
95. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 06-13 16
Day 1: 5 06-13
96. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 4 06-12 15
Day 1: 4 06-12
97. Billy McCaghren Jr Mayflower, AR 3 06-05 14
Day 1: 3 06-05
98. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 5 06-04 13
Day 1: 5 06-04
99. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 3 06-02 12
Day 1: 3 06-02
100. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 5 06-01 11
Day 1: 5 06-01
101. Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 3 05-09 10
Day 1: 3 05-09
102. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 4 05-07 9
Day 1: 4 05-07
103. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 2 05-00 8
Day 1: 2 05-00
104. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 5 04-09 7
Day 1: 5 04-09
105. Fabian Rodriguez Ocean City, DE 2 03-01 6
Day 1: 2 03-01
106. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 2 02-14 5
Day 1: 2 02-14
107. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 2 02-12 4
Day 1: 2 02-12
108. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 1 01-13 3
Day 1: 1 01-13
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 91 508 1176-04
----------------------------------
91 508 1176-04

by AnglersChannel

Grimm Wins Bfl Volunteer Division Event By Over 2 Pounds On Cherokee Lake!

CHURCH HILL’S GRIMM WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE VOLUNTEER DIVISION EVENT ON CHEROKEE LAKE

Ball wins co-angler title

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (June 6, 2016) – Brant Grimm of Church Hill, Tennessee, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 15 ounces, Saturday to win the fourth FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Volunteer Division tournament of 2016 on Cherokee Lake. For his victory, Grimm took home $6,159.

“I spent my day on the Holston River fishing shallow bars and flats where the bass were pulling up to feed on shad,” said Grimm, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “I only had six bites all day, but I caught a 6-pounder within my first 20 casts. That fish really anchored my limit.”

Grimm said he needed only one 50-yard stretch to catch his winning bass.

“After the 6-pounder, all of my bites were about an hour apart,” said Grimm. “On my final cast I was able to make a small cull, which helped, but it was really that early big bass that sealed the deal for me.”

Grimm said he used one bait during the tournament – a shad-colored swimbait from Foolin’ Bass Custom Baits.

“They poured it to my exact size and color specifications and it really made a difference,” said Grimm. “It was a pretty straightforward day out there. Everything came together and it worked out.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Brant Grimm, Church Hill, Tenn., five bass, 17-15, $4,159 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd: Michael Cantrell, Philadelphia, Tenn., five bass, 15-9, $1,840

3rd: Jimmy Taylor, Clinton, Tenn., five bass, 15-0, $1,225

4th: Bill Humbard, New Market, Tenn., five bass, 14-11, $859

5th: Archie Wilson Jr., Corryton, Tenn., five bass, 14-10, $736

6th: Hermilo Salgado, Artemus, Ky., five bass, 14-2, $675

7th: Ken Vicchio, Bluff City, Tenn., four bass, 13-10, $913

8th: Burton Bryan, Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 13-5, $552

9th: Derrick Snavely, Rogersville, Tenn., five bass, 13-2, $491

10th: Tim Smiley, White Pine, Tenn., five bass, 12-15, $407

10th: Shawn Strader, Rockwood, Tenn., five bass, 12-15, $407

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Grimm also caught a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $480.

Ty Ball of Rogersville, Tennessee, weighed in five bass totaling 11 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $1,757.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Ty Ball, Rogersville, Tenn., five bass, 11-2, $1,757

2nd: Henry Bryan, Sevierville, Tenn., four bass, 10-3, $879

3rd: Kibbee McCoy, Morristown, Tenn., three bass, 9-12, $585

4th: Matt Brown, Harriman, Tenn., five bass, 9-8, $410

5th: Wes Ratcliff, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 9-5, $351

6th: Jimmy Crum, Afton, Tenn., four bass, 8-5, $322

7th: Kenneth Lodwick, Dandridge, Tenn., four bass, 8-4, $293

8th: Bill Freshour, Strawplains, Tenn., four bass, 7-14, $264

9th: Gary Johns, Sharps Chapel, Tenn., three bass, 7-12, $234

10th: James Morrow, Murphy, N.C., three bass, 7-9, $205

Jeff Boone of Mount Washington, Kentucky, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 6 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $225.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 6-8 Regional Championship on Kerr Lake in Henderson, North Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

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

by AnglersChannel

Howard Wins Bfl South Carolina Division Event On Lake Wateree By 9 Ounces!

ELLOREE’S HOWARD WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE SOUTH CAROLINA DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE WATEREE

Hunt wins co-angler title

CAMDEN, S.C. (June 6, 2016) – Chuck Howard of Elloree, South Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the fourth FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) South Carolina Division tournament of 2016 on Lake Wateree. For his victory, Howard took home $5,718.

Howard said he started out his day running a swimjig through mid-lake grass. He said he fished a long stretch, dialing in on specific spots he knew fish were congregating.

“I swam a black and blue-colored Dirty Jigs Swim Jig through the grass and caught a limit before 9 a.m.,” said Howard, who earned his second win in BFL competition. “After the sun came up and the air got hot, I started pitching a worm around docks.”

The South Carolina angler said he hit more than 50 docks using a Junebug-colored Zoom Trick Worm.

“I probably brought in 10 keepers over the course of the day,” said Howard. “They all came in less than 3 feet of water. I ended up weighing in three on the Trick Worm and two on the swimjig.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Chuck Howard, Elloree, S.C., five bass, 17-11, $3,718 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd: Ronnie McCoy, Lamar, S.C., five bass, 17-2, $1,709

3rd: Charles Story, Evans, Ga., five bass, 16-13, $1,138

4th: Steve Phillips, Lugoff, S.C., five bass, 16-5, $798

5th: James Buchanan, Monroe, N.C., five bass, 15-11, $684

6th: Wendell Causey Jr., Irmo, S.C., five bass, 15-9, $627

7th: Tom Rubbo, Lexington, S.C., five bass, 15-6, $570

8th: Brett Collins, Ridgeway, S.C., five bass, 14-4, $513

9th: Dustin Henson, Landrum, S.C., five bass, 13-10, $456

10th: Steve Thornhill, Pineville, S.C., five bass, 13-3, $399

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Joey Sabbagha of Prosperity, South Carolina, caught a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $420.

David Hunt of Camden, South Carolina, weighed in five bass totaling 17 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $1,709.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: David Hunt, Camden, S.C., five bass, 17-11, $1,709

2nd: Ronald Harrell, Mitchell, Ga., five bass, 12-9, $1,065

3rd: Ezell Mullinax Jr., Gaffney, S.C., five bass, 11-14, $570

4th: Ron Figueroa, Appling, Ga., five bass, 11-5, $399

5th: Adam Fincher, Roebuck, S.C., four bass, 10-11, $342

6th: Jonathan Stokes, Camden, S.C., four bass, 10-4, $313

7th: Jack Daniel Hoy, Hollywood, S.C., four bass, 10-3, $285

8th: Michael Thomas, York, S.C., four bass, 10-1, $256

9th: Mitchell Pare, Guyton, Ga., four bass, 9-12, $228

10th: Shawn Bailey, Starr, S.C., four bass, 9-4, $199

Harrell caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $210.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 13-15 Regional Championship on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

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

by AnglersChannel

Smith Wins Bfl Mississippi Event On Ross Barnett With Over 20 Pounds!

PETAL’S SMITH WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MISSISSIPPI DIVISION EVENT ON ROSS BARNETT RESERVOIR PRESENTED BY POWER-POLE

White wins co-angler title

FLOWOOD, Miss. (June 6, 2016) – Timmy Smith of Petal, Mississippi, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mississippi Division tournament on Ross Barnett Reservoir presented by Power-Pole. For his victory, Smith took home $5,103.

Smith said he began his day fishing an assortment of brush piles on a hump near the dam. He said he positioned his boat in approximately 15 feet of water while he casted into 7-foot ranges.

“It was one of those areas where you can sit all day and not catch anything, or you can get some good, quality bites fairly quickly,” said Smith, who earned the first win of his FLW career. “In three hours, I caught three good-sized fish – two on a Carolina-rigged, Plum Apple-colored Zoom Ol’ Monster Worm and one on a custom green-pumpkin-colored jig rigged with a green-pumpkin Strike King Rage Craw.”

Smith said he followed a similar pattern throughout the day at nearby humps, ledges and points. He said he rotated between the two baits and boated an additional 12 keepers.

“We hopped around to about four or five more areas to finish out the day,” said Smith. “We caught a lot in terms of numbers, but only those first three had some size to them. I still had a great time out there.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Timmy Smith, Petal, Miss., five bass, 20-4, $5,103

2nd: Larry Rochelle, Canton, Miss., five bass, 19-8, $2,232

3rd: Ed Dunnaway, Flowood, Miss., five bass, 16-9, $1,489

4th: Casey O'Donnell, Scottsboro, Ala., five bass, 16-0, $1,041

5th: Shannon Denson, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 15-12, $893

6th: Bradley Burns, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 15-5, $818

7th: Teddy Cranford, Seminary, Miss., five bass, 14-11, $744

8th: Ray King, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 14-5, $669

9th: Brandon Wilcher, Canton, Miss., five bass, 14-1, $595

10th: Mike Norsworthy, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 13-14, $521

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Smith also caught a 7-pound, 9-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $640.

Tim White of West Point, Mississippi, weighed in five bass totaling 16 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,232.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: Tim White, West Point, Miss., five bass, 16-9, $2,232

2nd: Cody Martin, Killen, Ala., five bass, 15-10, $1,116

3rd: Bobby McDill, Raleigh, Miss., five bass, 12-4, $1,063

4th: Jordan Fowlkes, Collierville, Tenn., five bass, 11-3, $521

5th: Anthony Thomas, Jackson, Miss., five bass, 11-0, $446

6th: Bernard Crump, Jackson, Miss., three bass, 10-1, $409

7th: Alan Dutton, Meridian, Miss., five bass, 10-0, $372

8th: Jesse Steadham, Byram, Miss., four bass, 9-12, $335

9th: Mitchell Bond, Collins, Miss., five bass, 9-9, $298

10th: Curtis Powell, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 9-2, $260

McDill caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $320.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 27-29 Regional Championship on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Arkansas. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

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

by AnglersChannel

Brown Wins Bfl Shenandoah Division Event On James River!

CHARLOTTESVILLE’S BROWN WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE SHENANDOAH DIVISION EVENT ON JAMES RIVER PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

Williams wins co-angler title

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (June 6, 2016) – Derek Brown of Charlottesville, Virginia, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Shenandoah Division tournament on the James and Chickahominy rivers presented by Navionics. For his victory, Brown took home $4,729.

“I spent the majority of the tournament in Herring Creek,” said Brown, who earned his second win in FLW competition. “I trolled along a 50-yard stretch all day, back and forth.”

Brown said he mainly targeted bass near lily pads and wood, catching most of his fish from the latter.

“In the morning I used a black and white-colored Lobina Lures Rico topwater bait with the incoming tide,” said Brown. “When the tide changed around 10 a.m., the bite changed. After that I began locating bass with the Rico and catching them on a shaky-head rig with a junebug-colored Zoom Trick Worm.

“I caught seven keepers and ended up with three of my limit-fish on the Rico and two on the Trick Worm,” said Brown. “It was a great day of fishing.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Derek Brown, Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 18-4, $4,729

2nd: David Keisel, Chesapeake, Va., five bass, 15-11, $2,364

3rd: Brian Stack, Nanjemoy, Md., five bass, 15-5, $1,576

4th: David Deciucis, Chester, Va., five bass, 15-3, $1,024

5th: Brett Meyn, Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 15-3, $1,729

6th: Rick McFaul, Phoenix, Md., five bass, 14-5, $867

7th: Ed Loughran, Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 14-2, $788

8th: Wayne Vaughan, Chester, Va., five bass, 13-12, $709

9th: Richard Owen, Chester, Va., five bass, 13-10, $631

10th: Kelly Pratt, Williamsburg, Va., five bass, 13-9, $524

10th: Shawn Hammack, Gasburg, Va., five bass, 13-9, $524

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Meyn caught an 8-pound, 9-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $705.

David Williams of Fredericksburg, Virginia, weighed in five bass totaling 13 pounds, 7 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,364.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 13-7, $2,364

2nd: Austin Burdette, Lindside, W. Va., five bass, 12-3, $1,182

3rd: Braxton Moore, Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 12-0, $788

4th: Ryan Johnson, Elkridge, Md., five bass, 11-13, $552

5th: Dean Gibbs, Richmond, Va., five bass, 11-11, $473

6th: Mike Gardner, South Hill, Va., five bass, 11-4, $433

7th: Tevinn Rollins, Newport News, Va., five bass, 10-12, $394

8th: Gary Peters, Surveyor, W. Va., five bass, 10-6, $355

9th: Randy Ruffin, Norfolk, Va., five bass, 10-3, $315

10th: Zachary Whitt, Newport News, Va., five bass, 9-14, $276

Jim Petrous of Stafford, Virginia, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 2 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $352.

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

by AnglersChannel

Flw & Ranger Pro Mark Rose Wins Bass Southern Open Angler Of The Year!

FLIPPIN, Ark. (June 8, 2016) - Ranger Boats Pro Mark Rose won the Bassmaster Southern Open Angler of the Year title. The angler's 579 points accrued from competing in the three Southern Open events gave him the title and qualifies Rose for the 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series.

Rose started strong at the first Southern Open event on Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Florida. His third-place finish put him in a good position in the Angler of the Year standings. Rose's followed up with a 15th-place finish on Smith Lake in Alabama and ended the Southern Open trial with a sixth-place finish on Douglas Lake in Tennessee.

In addition to fishing the Bassmaster Southern Open, Rose is competing in the Bassmaster Northern Opens, FLW Tour and MLF. The invitation to fish the Bassmaster Elite Series opens the door for Rose to broaden his territory and open up new possibilities.

"I like to have my feet in a little bit of everything," said Rose. "I really like fishing all three trails."

Rose has had a long-standing relationship with Ranger Boats. Since his college years and throughout his 17-year professional career, Rose has always driven a Ranger boat.

"I had always heard about the prestige of Ranger Boats," said Rose. "So, when my father bought me my first boat, we actually went to Flippin. I have never made a cast out of another glass boat."

Rose cites dependability as one of the most important qualities of Ranger Boats.

"Confidence build success in my book," said Rose. "I've got so much confidence in the reliability of a Ranger boat. Never in 17 years of fishing has my Ranger let me down. When you are fishing for angler of the year and championships, reliability is huge."

by AnglersChannel

Polaris Jumps On Board With Flw

FLW REVS UP SPONSORSHIP TEAM WITH POLARIS

MINNEAPOLIS (June 6, 2016) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament fishing organization, announced today a sponsorship agreement with Polaris Industries Inc., a leading powersports manufacturer. The partnership will offer the Minnesota-based brand the opportunity to directly connect with the millions of outdoor and fishing fanatics that FLW reaches through their tournaments and promotional platforms.

Per the agreement, Polaris will receive exposure across multiple FLW media platforms including its website, social media outlets, FLW Bass Fishing magazine, and the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show. "FLW" is broadcast in high-definition (HD) to more than 559 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. In addition to traditional media platforms, the global powersports brand will receive prominent display across all 235 FLW-sanctioned tournaments.

“FLW members, anglers and fans are known as being extremely brand loyal, outdoor-focused consumers and we are excited that Polaris has joined our sponsorship lineup to tap into their buying power. We look forward to building a mutually beneficial partnership,” said FLW President of Marketing Trish Blake.

For millions of people around the world, Polaris has become synonymous with adventure and passion, for both work and play. For more than 60 years, Polaris has been manufacturing high-quality, breakthrough products—whether it’s launching the snowmobile industry, reinventing off-road categories year after year, developing the first purpose-built military vehicles or introducing a radical 3-wheel moto-roadster. For more information about Polaris and their products, visit http://www.polaris.com.

About FLW

About Polaris

Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) is a global powersports leader with annual 2015 sales of $4.7 billion. Polaris fuels the passion of riders, workers and outdoor enthusiasts with our RANGERÂ®, RZRÂ® and Polaris GENERAL™ side-by-side off-road vehicles; our SPORTSMANÂ® and Polaris ACEÂ® all-terrain off-road vehicles; VictoryÂ® and Indian MotorcycleÂ® midsize and heavyweight motorcycles; SlingshotÂ® moto-roadsters; and Polaris RMKÂ®, INDYÂ®, SwitchbackÂ® and RUSHÂ® snowmobiles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with parts, garments and accessories sold under multiple recognizable brands, and has a growing presence in adjacent markets globally with products including military and commercial off-road vehicles, quadricycles, and electric vehicles. www.polaris.com

by AnglersChannel

Big Bass Earns Power-Pole Award At Boat Us Collegiate Fishing Championship

Big Bass Earns

Power-Pole Award at the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Presented by Cabela's

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Presented by Cabela's is known for its big payouts, and when the event is held on a big bass factory such as Pickwick Lake, this event is also known for its big bags of fish. University of Dubuque's Austin Brimeyer was able to cash in on both aspects as he brought in the biggest bass of the event to the scales on Day 2.

Weighing in at 9.06lbs, Brimeyer's Pickwick Lake giant won him a wealth of prizes, including a brand new Power Pole Sportsman's Series.

"I set the hook and actually hit my partner with the rod, so I ran to the back of the boat to try and regain some line tension and then he jumped and I yelled 'it's a giant!' right before he made one last dive under the boat and my partner netted him," said Brimeyer. "I knew that the big bass prize was a Power Pole and right when we caught it, we knew we had a good chance of breaking the Day 1 Big Bass lead and win it."

"College bass fishing holds the next generation of Professional bass anglers," said Curt Hill, Advertising Manager of Power-Pole. "We support the on many tours and do our part to keep them excited about the sport. At this time in their life they will be making the decision to make fishing their new found career path. With the support we gave a Power-Pole Pro 2 eight foot for the overall big bass of the 2016 Boat US Collegiate Championship. I could just see the excitement in Austin Brimeyer when he weighed in a 9 pound 4 ounce bass. Congratulations to him and a great tournament."

Brimeyer added that "It's awesome to win a Power Pole for catching one fish. Now I'm thinking about buying another one to match it. I've been saving for one, and now I won one, so I might as well go ahead with the second one!" exclaimed Brimeyer. "The prizes were awesome for the Big Bass award, and all throughout the week. We're looking forward to going to all of the events next year too. It definitely wouldn't be near as exciting without all the sponsors commitment to the anglers, so we really appreciate everything they do for us.

Along with his new Power Pole, Brimeyer won two Abu Garcia rod and reel combos and a pack of Arctic Ice.

To see the complete results from the 2016 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Presented by Cabela's, click here: Complete Results

For more information about the Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, please visit www.CollegiateBassChampionship.com

by AnglersChannel

Vicious Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

Vicious CELEBRATES 10-Year ANNIVersary

Innovation Will Be Key in Brand’s Future

PELL CITY, AL – Vicious was born at ICAST in 2006. The idea was to launch with branded fishing line and then grow the product offering over time through partnerships with industry products looking for a brand identity. Not that it hasn’t come with challenges, but the brand today is well represented in several industry categories and poised to take the next step in fulfilling this dream.

The brand has always benefited from a desirable name, logo and icon -- even outside the industry. This logo was destined to represent premium products and going forward, it will do just that. At ICAST 2016, Vicious will be represented on many products that are looking to re-define their respective categories from the unmatched lens technology in Vicious Vision to the patent-pending Bait Dye and the ground-breaking technology in our soon-to-be-released premium braid. From this point forward, if it says Vicious, you can believe it’s going to be a top-notch, quality product.

“I’ve worked with some big brands in my life, but I’ve never seen a brand that naturally attracts attention like Vicious. We are often stopped to get explanations on our icon, Vic. I’ll never forget when we were sitting in a meeting with executives from a large partner and one of them says, ‘Pardon my French, but your logo is badass!’ It’s not the first time we’ve heard it, but it certainly validated our belief in the brand’s potential,” exclaimed Greg Meunier, Vicious VP of Sales & Marketing.

Meunier added, “We feel it’s time for the Vicious brand to live up to this potential. We’re actively searching for partners and products that offer new technology or premium attributes and are looking forward to what this new brand direction can deliver.”

About Vicious

Vicious is inspired by avid outdoorsman to deliver premium fishing line, LED lights, baits, eyewear, apparel and other quality products. Today's angler deserves quality, durability and reliability in their gear and Vicious delivers all of it with an attitude. Vicious headquarters is located in Pell City, AL. For more information regarding Vicious and how to become part of the Vicious family of products, email Greg at [email protected], visit GetVicious.com or call 866-645-0024.

by AnglersChannel

Norris And Norris Win Bass Champs Final On Lake Tawakoni

Father & Son Norris take the final win for 2016 at Bass Champs on Tawakoni

By: By Patty Lenderman

Water, water everywhere as Bass Champs North Region anglers hit Lake Tawakoni for the final open team event of the season June 4, 2016. It was the final push in the Anglers of the Year race as well as fishing for a portion of this 99% payback event, with over $56,000 in prize money to be won. Father and son Ronnie and Jeff Norris reeled in the only sack over 20 pounds to win over $20,000!

There were 192 teams in this final event, with trailering allowed due to the high lake levels. Other than some occasional sprinkles, the weather wasnÂ’t the main challenge for these teams Â– it was finding the bass as they were on the move in the newly flooded areas. Fishing was tough, as teams bringing in just over six pounds were winning checks!

1st place winners Ronnie Norris of Mabank, TX and his son Jeff Norris of Decatur went into this event with no particular plan. Â“A few weeks before the tournament, we had caught a few fish in a shallow spot with flooded trees,Â” Jeff explained. Â“We started our day fishing frogs and caught a couple of keepers right off the bat. The bite just went dead on us for several hours, and we went to another spot using beaver baits. ThatÂ’s when I caught our kicker (6.35 lbs). We just kept at it, and finally caught two more to make a limit. ThatÂ’s all the keepers we put in the boat!Â” Everyone was allowed to fish until 3pm, and they weighed in by 3:20. Â“We watched as everyone else brought in their sacks Â– it was nerve racking until the scales closed!Â” When the scales did finally officially close, they had won the tournament by more than a six pound margin! Â“WeÂ’ve been fishing with Bass Champs for a really long time. WeÂ’ve won several checks, but this is our first 1st place win!Â” Bass Champs presented them the guaranteed 1st place $20,000 check, then they also won the Power Pole Captains Cash. Â“Dad and I have been fishing together since IÂ’ve been walking. Winning this with him is really great.Â”

Darryl Roach of Benbrook, TX and Vince Repola of Fort Worth reeled in a 2nd place win with their 15.34 lb limit. Â“We started in a spot we found in practice,Â” Darryl began. Â“The fish were biting right away and we had five in the livewell by 6:55am.Â” They were fishing a marina cove with frogs for their bite in a grassy area about 2Â’ deep. Â“Once that bite slowed down, we started flipping the grass. Between 11-2:30 we didnÂ’t catch anything, and only caught one after that to cull up two ounces. All total we caught about 9 or 10 keepers throughout the day, and only caught 2 or 3 short fish.Â” Their catch was worth a 2nd place check for $4,500 plus they also received the SportsmanÂ’s Auto Network bonus. Â“IÂ’d like to thank my partner Vince. This is our second year fishing with Bass Champs. We were lucky enough to win Anglers of the Year our first year with them. Jeff, Chad and the whole Bass Champs crew are really great. I have my own bass tournament trail, and Jeff and Chad have been so helpful with advice to help me succeed. They have the BEST tournament trail and I love fishing with them!Â”

3rd place was won by Jerry olds of Arlington, TX and Jason May of Grand Prairie with 13.38 lbs. Bass Champs presented the team a check for $3,500.

Rounding out the top five were 4th place Lee Livesay from Gladewater and Warren Sprague of Willis Point, TX with 12.18 lbs, winning $2,400 plus the Lowrance Gen3 Bonus. Steve Trimble of Dallas and Dakota Trimble took a 5th place win with 11.63 lbs for a $2,000 check.

It took 6.43 lbs to be in the money in 27 places paid. Zach Parker and Heath Moody caught the last $600 check in the line-up. Fun N Sun awarded the first out-of-the-money bonus to Craig and Steve Anderson for their 6.39 lb sack.

The Big Bass of the tournament weighed in at 6.38 lbs, brought in by Dale and Sean Gossett. It was their only keeper of the day, winning a $500 check plus the DELO, Abu Garcia, BioBor and UnderArmour bonuses.

Now that all four North Region events are in the books and the points tallied, the Angler of the Year award goes to the team of Drew Sloan and Terry Hawkins. It was a close finish, as they had a total of 975 points, staying just ahead of Trevor Romans and Matt McMillan with 972 points. Congratulations for achieving this prestigious title for the 2016 Bass Champs North Region!

The 2016 Championship will be a two day event, October 8-9, 2016. Over $200,000 in cash and prizes is guaranteed to be awarded, including a Skeeter FX 20 powered by a Yamaha 250 SHO for the 1st place winners, and a Skeeter ZX 225 powered by a Yamaha 225 SHO for the 2nd place team. The top 40 teams will receive checks, and the event will take place on the Sabine River in Orange, Texas.

Â“All of us at Bass Champs would like to thank everyone for fishing with us this year. It has been a great season, and we really appreciate your part in making Bass Champs the biggest and the best in Texas! WeÂ’d like to wish all of the championship qualifiers good luck at the Team Championship in October!Â”

Also mark your calendars and plan to fish these upcoming Bass Champs hosted events:
June 10 - Skeeter OwnerÂ’s Tournament, Lake Fork
June 26 Â– TX Shootout, Sam Rayburn
Oct 15-16 Â– 11th Annual Berkley Big Bass, Lake Fork

Â“The 2nd Annual TX Shootout is coming up in just a few weeks on Sam Rayburn. With a guaranteed 1st place purse of $50,000 it is the worlds richest one day team event, and you donÂ’t want to miss it!Â” - Chad Potts, Bass Champs President

Place

JEFF NORRIS
DECATUR , TX

RONNIE NORRIS
MABANK , TX

6.35

21.94

$20,000.00 + Power Pole Captains Cash

DARRYL ROACH
BENBROOK , TX

VINCE REPOLA
FORT WORTH , TX

15.34

$4,500.00 + Sportsmans Auto Network

JERRY OLDS
ARLINGTON , TX

JASON MAY
GRAND PRARIE , TX

13.38

$3,500.00

LEE LIVESAY
GLADEWATER , TX

WARREN SPRAGUE
WILLS POINT , TX

12.18

$2,400.00 + Lowrance Gen3 Bonus

STEVE TRIMBLE
DALLAS , TX

DAKOTA TRIMBLE
COMBINE , TX

11.63

$2,000.00

GIB COATS
FORT WORTH , TX

BILL WILCOX
BURLESON , TX

11.36

$1,500.00 + $1,500 Skeeter Bonus Cash

DAN PHIFER
GRAPEVINE , TX

RICHIE SLACK
COPPELL , TX

10.47

$1,300.00

JASON RIEDEL
WEATHERFORD , TX

DANIEL HERRING
WATUAGA , TX

10.45

$1,200.00

RANDY STEELE
SULPHUR SPRINGS , TX

DON OVERSTREET
SULPHUR SPRING , TX

10.37

$1,100.00

JOSH STAPLETON
ARLINGTON , TX

CHARLIE PRIDDY
ARLINGTON , TX

10.36

$1,040.00

JACOB KINARD
FORNEY , TX

GARY KINARD
FORNEY , TX

10.21

$1,030.00

BRYON HARRISON
QUINLAN , TX

DIRK SMITH
FARMERSVILLE , TX

9.35

$1,020.00

AARON WALKER
MT VERNON , TX

STEVEN STROMAN
SCROGGINS , TX

6.24

8.60

$1,010.00

TIM WILCOXSON
EDGEWOOD , TX

JERAMY MARINELLI
ROYSE CITY , TX

8.42

$1,000.00

ARCHIE HAYLEY
MT VERNON , TX

MARC MITCHELL
SULPHUR SPRINGS , TX

8.31

$900.00

JD GREEN
TYLER , TX

DAVID MURPHEY
FRANKSTON , TX

7.89

$800.00

JOHN ADAMS
FRISCO , TX

RICK CLARK
TERRELL , TX

7.62

$750.00

LEE BATSON
HEATH , TX

JASON GREER
HEATH , TX

7.53

$700.00

JOSEPH HURLEY
SAN ANTONIO , TX

BOB NASH JR

7.36

$650.00

ANTHONY JONES
IRVING , TX

ED MELTON
HOUSTON , TX

6.82

$650.00

KENT SKOGLUND
TIOGA , TX

KYLE SKOGLUND
SANGER , TX

6.77

$600.00

KEITH CARNEY
ARLINGTON , TX

KEVIN CARNEY
ARLINGTON , TX

6.75

$600.00

TONY CLIMER
MESQUITE , TX

TOMMY CLIMER JR
MESQUITE , TX

6.71

$600.00 + $600 Sportsmans Auto Network

JOHN CARTER
MABANK , TX

6.61

$600.00

JOE ROME
FLOWER MOUND , TX

ELI DEAL
HASLET , TX

6.46

$600.00

ZACH PARKER
DENTON , TX

HEATH MOODY
SOUTHLAKE , TX

5.19

6.43

$600.00

CRAIG ANDERSON
QUINLAN , TX

STEVE ANDERSON
GREENVILLE , TX

6.39

Fun n Sun Bonus

DALE GOSSETT
GREENVILLE , TX

SEAN GOSSETT
EMORY , TX

6.38

$500.00 Big Bass+DELO+AbuGarcia+BioBor+UA

SCOTT BARNETT
MANSFIELD , TX

SHANNON MCCALEB
FORT WORTH , TX

6.26

CHARLIE YOWELL
ENNIS , TX

LEE YOWELL
ENNIS , TX

6.18

NOLAN JACKSON
QUINLAN , TX

DOUG WHITLEY
QUINLAN , TX

5.88

STAN LAWING
POETRY , TX

JD LAUGHERY
ROCKWALL , TX

5.79

ZACH HUGHES
FRISCO , TX

JOSH PRIEST
ALBA , TX

5.59

SHAWN TEMPLE
KRUGERVILLE , TX

MARC SCHILLING
CARROLLTON , TX

5.57

DALE BOREN
FORT WORTH , TX

RICK SCOTT
BREMOND , TX

5.42

CHRIS FORD
ROCKWALL , TX

BILLY DEATON
BURLESON , TX

5.27

MIKE BURNS
LUCAS , TX

BEN BURNS
LUCAS , TX

5.16

ROB BURNS
PLANO , TX

JAMES CURGUS
FRISCO , TX

5.00

DREW SLOAN
SCURRY , TX

TERRY HAWKINS
CORSICANA , TX

4.76

SCOTT ISAACS
LADONIA , TX

PHILLIP CROMBIE
ATHENS , TX

4.68

KEITH MCMILLAN
QUINLAN , TX

TOBY TUBBS
QUINLAN , TX

4.62

JOHNNY UNDERFUSSER
DENISON , TX

LARRY BENCH
DENISON , TX

4.52

KEITH WHITE
BEDFORD , TX

TRAVIS WHITE
ARLINGTON , TX

4.44

AUSTIN BUCK
LEWISVILLE , TX

JEFF STEVENS
FLOWER MOUND , TX

4.37

TOMMY MARTIN
GREENVILLE , TX

RANDY TURNER
GREENVILLE , TX

4.02

MARK CHILD
MANSFIELD , TX

ANDY SALLEE
CLEBURNE , TX

3.98

BRADY MATASKA
PETROLIA , TX

LYLE KROGSTAD
WICHITA FALLS , TX

3.96

KENNETH LADUKE
ROCKWALL , TX

DANNY WEEMS
COMO , TX

3.90

BRAD DRAKE
IRVING , TX

DUSTIN HOLMES
COPPELL

3.76

RYAN AUTERY
DALLAS , TX

3.72

Payback details, rules, and additional information is available on http://www.basschamps.com

by AnglersChannel

Mabelvale's Houchin Wins Flw Bass Fishing League Arkie Division Event

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (June 6, 2016) – Quincy Houchin of Mabelvale, Arkansas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Arkie Division tournament on Lake Ouachita presented by Power-Pole. For his victory, Houchin took home $3,386.

Houchin said he spent his day targeting grass, wood and bushes in two areas within the mid- and upper-lake regions of Ouachita.

“I followed a fairly basic pattern for this event,” said Houchin, who logged his second BFL win of the 2016 season. “I caught my limit on three baits - a white Heddon Zara Spook, a leopard-colored Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Frog 65 and a perch-colored 6th Sense Lures jig.”

Houchin said the Spook was the most productive of the three and that he caught the majority of his fish before 10 a.m.

“There wasn’t any deciding factor that forced me to switch baits,” said Houchin. “I basically followed my instinct when it came to the rotation.”

The Arkansas angler said he managed to catch seven keepers over the course of the event.

“I didn’t have a kicker, but I did lose a big one,” said Houchin. “Luckily, it didn’t push me out of the lead.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Quincy Houchin, Mabelvale, Ark., five bass, 15-13, $3,386

2nd: Adam Wright, Benton, Ark., five bass, 13-4, $1,693

3rd: Kevin Brown, Malvern, Ark., five bass, 12-13, $959

3rd: Cody Glaze, Bald Knob, Ark., five bass, 12-13, $959

5th: Derek Sandlin, Mount Ida, Ark., five bass, 11-15, $677

6th: Keith Green, Arkadelphia, Ark., five bass, 11-14, $621

7th: Dennis Bean, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 10-14, $536

7th: Dicky Newberry, Houston, Texas, five bass, 10-14, $536

9th: Drew Dawson, Pocahontas, Ark., five bass, 10-12, $451

10th: Jeremiah Kindy, Benton, Ark., five bass, 10-11, $395

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Greg Carpenter of Royal, Arkansas, caught a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $425.

David Tierney of Fayetteville, Arkansas, weighed in five bass totaling 12 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $1,693.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: David Tierney, Fayetteville, Ark., five bass, 12-2, $1,693

2nd: Bruce Thompson, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 12-1, $846

3rd: Jason Scoggins, Benton, Ark., five bass, 10-5, $564

4th: Don Billiot, Bryant, Ark., five bass, 9-8, $395

5th: Rick Cole, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 9-0, $339

6th: Michael King, Delaplaine, Ark., four bass, 8-5, $310

7th: Colton Garrett, Jonesboro, Ark., four bass, 7-15, $282

8th: Kevin Clark, Malvern, Ark., five bass, 7-13, $254

9th: Chance Stone, Nashville, Ark., five bass. 7-12, $226

10th: Johnny Crider, Fulton, Ark., four bass, 7-6, $198

Weston Beck of Searcy, Arkansas, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 1 ounce and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $212.

by AnglersChannel

Alabama Bass Trail South Finale On Lake Jordan - Top 3 Finisher Interviews

The Alabama Bass trail South Division wrapped up thier 2016 Season Saturday on Lake Jordan with Jon Canada and Bo Huunter sneaking out the win and taking the AOY points race for the South. Rex Chambers and Brent Crow gave it all they had and made Jon and Bo beat them for the win and the AOY. Mobile Delta boys Robbie Robinson and Jeston Anderson rounded out the top 3 and earned thier way into the Bassmaster Team Championship. Check it out!

by AnglersChannel

Bass Emcee And Facts Of Fishing Host Joins Costa Sunglass Team

Costa Partners with Renowned Bass Fishing Icon Dave Mercer

Daytona Beach, Fla. – June 06, 2016 – Costa recently announced its new partnership with Facts of Fishing TV show host and Bassmaster Elite Series tournament emcee Dave Mercer. Mercer, who is well known and loved within the bass fishing community, is often referred to as the unofficial voice of professional bass fishing, as his addictive energy and comedic presence has garnered a cult-like following of fishing fans young and old.

In addition to hosting his own television show, Mercer is a sought-after seminar speaker, has a record-selling DVD series, and uses his active social media presence to engage and inspire anglers around the world. A native of Canada, Dave started tournament fishing at 13 years old.

“Dave has this natural ability to connect bass fishing fans everywhere, from a young person just starting out, to the most seasoned Elite Series pro angler,” said Melinda Hays, bass fishing community manager. “He’s a great ambassador not just for the Costa sunglasses brand, but for sport fishing as a whole.”

“Aside from the fact that Costa makes incredible sunglasses for fishing, I appreciate how they've truly invested and are committed to making the sport better,” said Mercer. “When you have a brand like Costa that was created by anglers, for anglers, they're in a position to uniquely understand what’s needed for top performance out on the water – and the quality of their sunglasses certainly reflects their dedication to the fishing industry.”

Follow Costa’s bass fishing community on Instagram @CostaBassFishing to see the latest with Costa’s bass pro team news and updates.

by AnglersChannel

Canada & Hunter Win Abt South Division Event On Jordan Lake And Clinch South Aoy!

John Canada and Bo Hunter win Alabama Bass Trail Jordan Lake
Pair Clinches Angler of the Year Title with Second Win of the Season

Wetumpka, Ala. June 4, 2016 – There are times when anglers get on a roll and it seems like nothing can get in their way. Those times are unique, and they are very special, and the 2016 Alabama Bass Trail South Division season featured a season like that for John Canada and Bo Hunter.

The pair of anglers entered the last event of the season at Jordan Lake in the lead for the Angler of the Year title, and while many teams wilt under the pressure of finalizing that title; they seized it by winning the event and putting an exclamation point on the year.

Canada and Hunter were in a late flight, and were one of the last few boats to weigh-in. When they did, they bested the 144 boat field with a total weight of 18.37 pounds and took home the winner’s prize purse of $10,000.

The pair reported running upriver towards the Lake Mitchell Dam trying to work on fish that were reacting to the slight amount of current that Alabama Power ran through the dams. “We got within about four miles of the dam and fished topwaters, Flukes and finesse jigs,” said Hunter. “We only caught 10 or 15 fish, but we were fortunate enough to catch the right ones.”

They started their morning targeting wooden cover that topped out at the river with walking topwater baits and soft jerkbaits, then turned their attention to deeper water rocks with finesse jigs tipped with Reaction Innovations Sweet Beavers. “We needed a little more subtle appearance in the clear water,” said Hunter. “I think the fish were getting too good a look at it, so we had to scale down.”

The team of Brent Crow and Rex Chambers finished the day in the runner up position in both the tournament and the Angler of the Year chase. They relied heavily on a topwater pattern and a pair of big worms on jig heads. “We had a hunch early that we could get a few on a shad patterned walking topwater bait, so we tried that and had a limit really early,” they said. “After that we turned to magnum Shaky Heads paired with Zoom Trick Worms, V&M Chopstick and 6.5-inch Strike King KVD Finesse Worms.”

Crow and Chambers earned the $5,000 prize for second place as well as the $1,000 bonus for being the highest finishers who purchased their Phoenix Boat from Freedom Marine in Albertville.

Third place went to the team of Jeston Anderson and Robbie Robertson, the former ABT South Division Anglers of the Year earned $4,000 for their finish. The $500, Mountain Dew Big Bass of the day went to the team of Tony Hogan and Vernon Ward, their 4.95-pound largemouth helped them finish in 12th place.

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

Place	Name	Weight	Big Fish	Winnings
1	Jon Canada/Bo Hunter	18.37	3.88	$10,000
2	Rex Chambers/Brent Crow	18.01	4.62	$5,000
3	Jeston Anderson/Robert Robinson	17.53	3.87	$4,000
4	Radney Atchison/Joe Wikoff	17.38	4.79	$3,000
5	Keith Dees/Tommy Walley	16.19		$2,000
6	Victor Harper/Jeff Gilliam	16.06	4.01	$1,000
7	Andy Leslie/Grant Bennett	15.89		$900
8	Shaye Baker/Ben Weldon	15.58	4.19	$800
9	Chris Rutland/Coby Carden	15.29		$700
10	Ken Walters/Ernie Faulkner	15.22	4.85	$600

As far as the Angler of the Year title, Canada and Hunter finished the season with 1111 points, and a winning margin of 55 points over Crow and Chambers. Their year included a 13th place finish to open the season at Lake Martin, then followed with a pair of first and second place finishes for the remaining four tournaments of the year.

Hunter said that the Angler of the Year title signifies the achievement of a goal and a lot of work. “This is a field that has the best anglers in the state, and it means a lot to be here at this point,” he said. “I guess the best word I can use to describe it is proud; it was a lot of work to be able to be here, and I’m really proud to be able to say I’m the Angler of the Year of a tour this strong.”

That concludes the season for the 2016 Alabama Bass Trail Southern Division. The next event for the division qualifiers will be the 2016 Alabama Bass Trail Championship at Lake Eufaula October 7 – 8, 2016. For complete South Division standings, see them here – http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/south-division-standings/

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

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

by AnglersChannel

Hamilton Nails Down Central Open Win On The Arkansas River!

Skylar Hamilton of Dandridge, Tenn., wins the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open #1 held on the Arkansas River out of Muskogee, Okla. Hamilton brought 12 pounds, 6 ounces to Saturday's weigh-in, giving him a three-day total of 45-6.

Photo by James Overstreet/Bassmaster

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 4, 2016

Hamilton Hammers Down Central Open Win

MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Tennessee angler Skylar Hamilton won the pro division of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open on the Arkansas River by the slimmest margin possible.

The 21-year-old Douglas Lake guide bested Hattiesburg, Miss., angler Teb Jones by 1 ounce to win his first Open and qualify for the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic contingent upon his fishing the remaining two Central Opens.

Hamilton’s winning total of 45 pounds, 6 ounces earned him the grand prize of a $45,000 Triton 19TRX/Mercury 200 Pro XS rig and $8,277 in cash.

After catching a 19-pound, 4-ounce limit Friday, Hamilton found the fishing tougher in his primary area today.

“I did the same thing as I did (Friday), but the weather was a lot different this morning,” he said. “We had some storms roll through.”

His primary spot was a backwater area where he flipped to reeds. The area featured baby blackbirds falling in the water and a mayfly hatch, which triggered bluegill into eating the insects and bass feeding on the sunfish, he related.

“My fish were still there today, but they were smaller,” Hamilton said. “I don’t know if I wore them out, but there was another guy in there with me. We planned on fishing there together and everything worked out well.”

Hamilton managed to catch a small limit there by about 10 a.m. and then left for his second spot close to the Three Forks Harbor, where he fished around current breaks.

“I would just flip into those eddies that I knew had fish in them because they had nowhere else to go,” Hamilton said. “They weren’t going to be out there swimming around in that current.”

He was able to cull out some fish at that stop and finished the day with a 12-6 limit.

The Tennessee angler spent all three days flipping a Texas rigged Berkley Havoc Pit Boss in the Okeechobee craw color with a 1/4-ounce weight and a 4/0 Gamakatsu Heavy Cover Flipping Hook.

Runner-up Jones did “the exact same thing” as he did the two previous days to catch his 13-9 limit today.

“I fished eddies and slack water around gravel bars and upstream and downstream of islands,” said Jones, who finished the week with 45-5.

His main lures included a Strike King Shadalicious hollow body swimbait on a 1/2-ounce jighead, a V&M swim jig with a plastic craw trailer and Texas-rigged V&M Baby Swamp Hog.

“All of my big fish this week came on the swimbait and the rest came about equally on the swim jig and the Swamp Hog.”

Finishing in the Top 5 of the pro division were Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla., third with 45-3; Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., fourth, 43-5; and Lee Livesay, Longview, Texas, fifth, 42-6.

Fishing in his first Open, Joe Nance of Pearland, Texas, won the co-angler division and the top prize of a $30,000 Triton 179 TRX/Mercury 115ELPT Four Stroke package with a three-day total of 21-3. The 58-year-old retired Houston firefighter caught some of his bass on a spinnerbait but the majority bit a Texas rigged black-and-blue Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver that he flipped to reeds and shallow bushes.

The Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award of $750 went to Mark Goines of Shady Point, Okla., with a 6-1 largemouth. Vernon Sliver of Boutte, La., weighed in 5-12 largemouth to earn the Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award on the co-angler side worth $250.

Hamilton also received the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $250 for finishing as the top pro on Day 2. Finishing as the Day 2 leader on the co-angler side, Robert Fortner, Conway, Ark., received a Livingston Lures gift pack worth $250.

Hamilton earned the A.R.E. Top Angler Award of $500 for being the highest-finishing angler using A.R.E. products.

Gerald Spohrer of Gonzales, La., earned the Power-Pole Captain's Cash award of $500.

2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops

2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, GoPro, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats

2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Shell Rotella, Shimano, A.R.E. Truck Caps, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rapala

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

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

-30-

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

2016 2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open Arkansas River 6/2-6/4
Arkansas River, Muskogee OK.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3

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

1. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 15 45-06 200 $54,027.00
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 19-04 Day 3: 5 12-06
2. Teb Jones Hattiesburg, MS 15 45-05 199 $19,659.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 13-09
3. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 15 45-03 198 $14,744.00
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 14-15
4. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 15 43-05 197 $13,192.00
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 12-01 Day 3: 5 17-00
5. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 14 42-06 196 $11,511.00
Day 1: 4 09-07 Day 2: 5 20-14 Day 3: 5 12-01
6. Justin Margraves Diana, TX 15 42-03 195 $9,829.00
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 16-02 Day 3: 5 14-09
7. Chris Babin Raceland, LA 15 41-06 194 $8,277.00
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 12-09 Day 3: 5 15-02
8. David Gillham Heath, TX 13 40-00 193 $6,596.00
Day 1: 4 11-07 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 4 11-12
9. Gerald Spohrer Gonzales, LA 15 39-08 192 $5,415.00
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 10-13 Day 3: 5 13-12
10. Chris Jones Bokoshe, OK 14 38-03 191 $4,527.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 12-02 Day 3: 4 09-14
11. Blake Betz Baton Rouge, LA 15 38-01 190 $4,139.00
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 5 11-02
12. Wade Leblanc Gonzales, LA 15 36-02 189 $3,880.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 14-12 Day 3: 5 09-01
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Mark Goines Shady Point, OK 06-01 $750.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 62 625 1459-02
2 47 509 1269-01
3 10 58 155-03
----------------------------------
119 1192 2883-06

2016 2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open Arkansas River 6/2-6/4
Arkansas River, Muskogee OK.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3

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

1. Joe Nance Pearland, TX 8 21-03 200 $30,000.00
Day 1: 3 06-13 Day 2: 2 05-06 Day 3: 3 09-00
2. Robert Fortner Conway, AR 7 20-15 199 $6,337.00
Day 1: 3 06-05 Day 2: 3 09-15 Day 3: 1 04-11
3. Mark Cowart Kearney, MO 8 20-05 198 $4,785.00
Day 1: 3 06-02 Day 2: 2 06-13 Day 3: 3 07-06
4. Glen Webb Broken Bow, OK 9 18-05 197 $3,233.00
Day 1: 3 06-12 Day 2: 3 05-13 Day 3: 3 05-12
5. Raymond Loupe Baton Rouge, LA 8 16-12 196 $2,975.00
Day 1: 3 06-06 Day 2: 3 06-11 Day 3: 2 03-11
6. Adam Boyd Humble, TX 6 16-03 195 $2,845.00
Day 1: 2 05-02 Day 2: 3 08-02 Day 3: 1 02-15
7. Matthew Mcardle Houston, TX 7 15-11 194 $2,716.00
Day 1: 3 08-01 Day 2: 2 04-09 Day 3: 2 03-01
8. Larry Beauboeuf Bossier City, LA 6 15-03 193 $2,587.00
Day 1: 3 07-09 Day 2: 3 07-10 Day 3: 0 00-00
9. Dustin Duvall Denham Springs, LA 6 14-11 192 $2,457.00
Day 1: 3 07-02 Day 2: 2 04-08 Day 3: 1 03-01
10. Keegan Stroud Fredericksburg, TX 6 14-05 191 $2,199.00
Day 1: 3 07-09 Day 2: 2 05-00 Day 3: 1 01-12
11. Jess Robertson Houma, LA 5 13-01 190 $1,940.00
Day 1: 3 07-03 Day 2: 1 04-03 Day 3: 1 01-11
12. Domonick Poullard Houston, TX 5 12-02 189 $1,811.00
Day 1: 3 06-01 Day 2: 2 06-01 Day 3: 0 00-00
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Vernon Silver Boutte, LA 05-12 $250.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 38 249 549-13
2 23 173 427-09
3 3 18 43-00
----------------------------------
64 440 1020-06

by AnglersChannel

Scott Mcgehee Of Mississippi Leads After Day 1 Of The Bass Central Open On The Arkansas River.

Scott McGehee of Madison, Miss., took the lead on Day 1 of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open #1 held on the Arkansas River out of Muskogee, Okla. McGehee brought 16 pounds, 7 ounces to the scales at Thursday's weigh-in.

Photo by James Overstreet/Bassmaster

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 2, 2016

McGehee Sticks Close To Take Lead On Arkansas River

MUSKOGEE, Okla. — While several contenders made long runs and played the lock game, Scott McGehee stayed close to take the lead today in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open on the Arkansas River.

“I might have burned 3 gallons of gas,” said the 55-year-old McGehee. “I am just not a lock guy. There is too much risk for too little reward.” The Madison, Miss., angler stayed around the Three Forks Harbor area and caught a five-fish limit weighing 16 pounds, 7 ounces to move into first place of the pro division.

During practice this week, Mcgehee and his traveling buddies, Teb Jones and Darold Gleason, worked an area that produced for all three anglers. “I pulled in there and caught them real quick this morning,” said Mcgehee, who owns a moving and storage company. “I had a limit by about 8:45 and I only upgraded once since then.”

Mcgehee said he was a “little bit” surprised by the quality of fish he caught today. “I know I can catch 9 or 10 pounds tomorrow, but I don’t think I can catch that big of a stringer again,” he said. “But these river fish replenish, so it should be pretty good.”

The Mississippi angler has been fishing Bassmaster events since 1996 but he has never won an Open. He has been in this spot before. He recalls leading an Open on Texas’ Sam Rayburn Reservoir in 2002 for two days but fell short on the final day.

Local favorite Chris Jones is in position to win his second Open on the Arkansas River as he finished the day in second place with 16-3. The Bokoshe, Okla., angler won the 2013 Central Open on his home waters and has won several local events in the month of June. Two weeks ago, he won a BFL tournament with 18 pounds, and he and his dad weighed in 18 pounds in a buddy tournament last week.

Jones said he is fishing the same pattern that has worked for him the last couple of weeks. He is lock through to other pools on the Arkansas River, making a round-trip run of about 140 miles. “I only have about three hours of fishing time,” said Jones, who was still catching fish when he left his area today. “I am hitting specific spots that are all the same kind of stuff. I am just running as many spots as I can hit in a day.”

Other anglers placing in the top five of the pro division are Teb Jones, Hattiesburg, Miss., third place, 15-15; Lucas Ragusa, Gonzales, La., fourth, 15-14; and Brandon Lee, Ratcliff, Ark., 15-10.

Sulphur, La., angler Brian Murphy fished to perfection today as he got four bites and caught four bass to take over the lead in the co-angler division with a three–fish limit weighing 8-11. The 25-year-old college graduate has never fished the river before but Murphy said he got to “somewhat” fish his strengths. “It was kind of a junk fishing day,” he said.

Hosting the three-day event is the Muskogee Chamber of Commerce. Friday’s launch, weigh-in and the final day launch will be held at the Three Forks Harbor at 5201 Three Forks Rd. The final day weigh-in will shift to the Bass Pro Shops at 101 Bass Pro Drive in Broken Arrow.

by AnglersChannel

Flw Renews Kellogs Partnership For 2017 Season

KELLOGG’SÂ® RENEWS PARTNERSHIP WITH FLW, JOINS NATIONAL FISHING AND BOATING WEEK EXPOS

MINNEAPOLIS (June 2, 2016) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced Thursday a sponsorship agreement with the Kellogg Company to showcase the PringlesÂ® and Rice Krispies TreatsÂ® brands. FLW and the Kellogg Company share a rich history, partnering for more than 12 seasons and showcasing numerous Kellogg brands to millions of fishing and outdoor enthusiasts.

“We’re proud to continue our partnership with the Kellogg Company,” said Trish Blake, FLW president of marketing. “Their commitment to the outdoors and the sport of fishing is unquestionable.”

Kellogg’s will receive prominent exposure at the National Fishing and Boating Week #ReelFun Fishing events being held at more than 1,000 Walmart stores around the country, June 3-5. FLW and its partners will kick-off National Fishing and Boating Week with a two-hour expo at local Walmart stores that will be packed with games, giveaways and fishing tips to help families make the most of their time on the water. Attendees will also receive a free digital subscription to FLW Bass Fishing magazine and a free protective fishing license holder just for stopping by. A complete list of Walmart stores hosting National Fishing and Boating Week expos can be found at TakeMeFishing.org/ReelFun.

“The Kellogg Company is excited and proud to renew our partnership with Fishing League Worldwide,” said Joe Mueller, vice president, Snacks Walmart Team. “Our association with FLW over the years has generated significant exposure for many of our brands and we are confident that the partnership will continue to be mutually beneficial for both parties. We look forward to another fantastic season, on and off the water.”

More than 100 years ago, W.K. Kellogg founded the Kellogg Company through his belief in nutrition and dedication to well-being. Motivated by a passion for people, quality and innovation, he created the first-ever breakfast cereal and then shaped an entire industry. Kellogg soon became a household name; his signature, a trusted mark. Today, W.K. Kellogg’s legacy continues to inspire and enrich the world through foods and brands that matter.

by AnglersChannel

Classic Champion Edwin Evers Partners With Optima Batteries For Healing Heroes In Action Tour

Classic Champion Edwin Evers Partners With OPTIMA Batteries For Healing Heroes In Action Tour

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic champion Edwin Evers is teaming up once again with OPTIMA Batteries and a new partner, B.A.S.S., with live coverage on Bassmaster.com, to give deserving Purple Heart veterans a once-in-a-lifetime fishing experience in the OPTIMA Batteries Healing Heroes in Action Tour presented by General Tire.

Now in its second year, the Healing Heroes in Action Tour supports the Wounded Warriors in Action Foundation, a national non-profit organization dedicated to serving the nation’s combat-wounded Purple Heart veterans through outdoor sporting activities.

“After a successful inaugural year, we’re honored to again bring these incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experiences to veterans and fans nationwide in a way only OPTIMA Batteries can,” said Cam Douglass, director of marketing for OPTIMA Batteries. “The addition of new partners and sponsors, as well as our longstanding relationship with Edwin, only help extend the impact this program has on the lives of deserving veterans as well as the foundation.”

The tour is set to raise funds through a Facebook auction on Evers’ page, where fans can bid for a chance to fish against Evers and a Purple Heart veteran in one of four events across America. All money raised goes directly to the Wounded Warriors in Action Foundation.

The 2015 tour raised more than $12,000 for the Foundation through five local events, but new partnerships with B.A.S.S. and presenting sponsor General Tire bring the tour to a national audience via livestream and extended coverage on Bassmaster.com.

“B.A.S.S. is truly honored to partner with OPTIMA Batteries and Edwin on the Healing Heroes in Action Tour,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “We have been blown away by our live audience, so this is the perfect platform to make the program and its efforts more accessible to fans.”

The first event is set to kick off June 13 on Lake Texoma in Durant, Okla., after the conclusion of the GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest, and continue with three more events coinciding with Evers’ travels on the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament trail. Bidding for the first event begins Wednesday, June 1 and concludes June 8.

“A day out on the water fishing with Edwin is a one-of-a-kind experience we’re grateful to be able to offer to our veterans,” said John J. McDaniel, founder of Wounded Warriors in Action Foundation. “Through this initiative and the camaraderie Edwin brings to the events, we are not only honoring the service of these veterans, but also promoting healing and wellness.”

Evers added, “I’m honored to support veterans through this program. It’s an opportunity to give back just a little bit to the people who give so much. The B.A.S.S. audience will be able to join us on the water this year through the live coverage, and I hope the show offers some teaching components and a few laughs!”

For more information on the OPTIMA Batteries and the Healing Heroes in Action Tour, visit OPTIMABatteries.com. To place your bid to fish against Evers at the first event on June 13, visit Facebook.com/EdwinEversFishing. To find out more about the WWIA, please visit wwiaf.org.

The complete 2016 schedule is as follows:

June 13 on Lake Texoma in Durant, Okla.
June 27 on Cayuga Lake in Union Springs, N.Y.
July 26 on the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Ark. (Live coverage on Bassmaster.com)
August 15 on the Potomac River in Charles County, Md. (Live coverage on Bassmaster.com)

by AnglersChannel

Stone And Ashley Take Home 9K In Fishers Of Men Sc Low Country Event. Anders Brothers Clinch Aoy.

The Fishers of Men South Carolina Low Country had their final regular season event over the weekend. Congrats to the Anders Brothers on taking home the regular season points race and Angler of the Year Title, earning them a birth in the National Championship.

The Hartwell event results are below.

Our winners took home 9000.00 with the 2K bonus from Palmetto Boat Center. They even left $ on the table with the power pole bonus they could have had as well as the First Flight money which would have put them on the over 10k mark for a local 85 boat event. Not a bad payday. The rest of our top five are below, congrats to all:

1st Ben Stone and Danny Ashley-----------19.88lbs and took home $9000.00

2nd Heath Olgesby and Cain Waller--------18.38lbs and took home $2,175.00

3rd Chad Griffin and Jason McClendon----15.86lbs and took home $1405.00

4th Tom Cloer and Michael Brewer---------15.84lbs and took home $1172.00

5th Neal Shade and Michael Miller---------15.83lbs and took home $382.00

All the results are posted now as well as some pictures. All of the pictures can be seen at our facebook page. Also guys if you want to continue to see this type of payout please buy 6 raffle tickets for the 30 days of guns at a bare minimum. If we see every team sale 60 we would be pushing a 10K guarantee for first but that all boils down to our trail owners, YOU. Do a little kingdom work it may be your family member that shows up to go fishing and meets Jesus.

by AnglersChannel

Randall Tharp Talks Chatterbaits And His Set Up To Catch More Fish With This Unique Bait

Elite Series Pro Randall Tharp likes Grass, Bass and Chatterbaits. Today Randall talks about his set-up that helps him catch more and bigger fish on this unique lure. Check it out!

by AnglersChannel

Cecil & Castledaine Win 2016 Texas Team Trail Lucas Oil Team Of The Year

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (May 31, 2016) - Russell Cecil, of Willis, Texas, and Todd Castledine of Nacogdoches, Texas, won the Texas Team Trail Lucas Oil Team of the Year Award for a second time following a strong 2016 season. The anglers became the first ever two-time winners and will receive custom rings and paid entry fees for the 2017 TXTT season, courtesy of Lucas Oil.

The TXTT Team of the Year is awarded to the team with the most points accrued throughout the TXTT season, which includes four regular-season events and a championship event. During the 2016 season, Cecil and Castledine fished in all four regular-season events and the championship, racking up 1261 total points and winning over $10,000 over the course of the season.

"Todd and I have been fishing together since the Texas Team Trail started," said Cecil. "We fish well together and have lots of trust in one another. If something isn't working, we are not afraid to change the way we are fishing, we put egos aside to catch fish."

Although the duo did not have a win this season, they did have a third-place finish and a strong showing in the championship, which awards double points. Going into the championship, the team sat in second place in the standings. The team's 10th-place finish at the championship event pushed them past the leading team.

"The championship event on Lake Ray Roberts was huge for us," said Cecil. "With the double point structure, our top-10 finish pushed us into first and sealed the title."

The Texas Team Trail is designed for working men and women across the state Texas with budget-friendly entry fees and 100 percent payback.

"The Texas Tournament Trail is structured well and give anglers more chances to win money," said Cecil. "The payouts are good, the attendance is great, and the way the tournaments are moved around the state provides a level playing field for everybody. I really enjoy fishing the Texas Tournament Trail and am excited about next year."

For additional information, anglers are encouraged to call 210-788-4143 or check out the TXTT website at www.texasteamtrail.com. Site visitors can register for events, review the television schedule, get official Texas Team Trail gear, view results and learn more about what's in store for 2017.

Texas Team Trail events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of these well-respected brands: Cabela's, Ranger Boats, Lucas Oil, Evinrude, RAM, Mercury, Minn Kota, Triton Boats, Power-Pole, Amphibia, Arctic Ice, Stratos Boats, Lowrance, Navionics, Protect the Harvest, BoatU.S., General Tire, SuperClean, Garmin, Valley Fashions, T-H Marine, Atlas, G-Juice, Powertex Group.

by AnglersChannel

Gregory And Deakins Wins 2Nd Annual Woodland Derby On Guntersville With 3 Fish For 20.92Lbs!!!!!

2016 Foodland Bass Team Tournament Results

Place	Team	Fish*	Big Fish	Weight
1	Bryan Gregory / Marshall Deakins	3/3	8.00 (1st)	20.92
2	Justin Aaron / Terry Prior	3/3	7.58	20.77
3	Ryan Salzman / Phillip Hand	3/3		20
4	Brian Shook / Randy Tolbert	3/3	7.85	19.16
5	Tracy Robinson / Michael Carter	3/3		18.36
6	Lake Blasingame / Triston Crowd	3/3		18.31
7	Allen Bass / Randy Blankensopp	3/2	6.39	17.86
8	Rickey Campbell / Trey Swindle	3/3		17.49
9	Jesse Rigsby / Scott Rigsby	3/3		16.96
10	Michael Stevens Jr. / Paul Arnold	3/3		16.8
11	Rick Thompson / Steven Dabbs	3/3	7.1	16.56
12	Teresa Figg / Lee Bolt	3/3	6.21	16.53
13	Douglas Webster / Larry Melvin	3/3	7.62	16.12
14	Stanley Mccoy / Scott Kneeling	3/3		15.62
15	Sam Long / Brent Turner	3/3		15.4
16	Blake Hall / Hadley Coan	3/2		15.24
17	Danny Latty / Johnny Harper	3/3		14.95
18	Scott Jernigan / Andy Jernigan	3/3		14.78
19	William Taylor / Nathaniel Curry	3/3		14.62
20	Ben Waldrop / Dennis Mcgouirk	3/3	6.19	14.6
21	Wayne Shrader / Jason Atkins	3/3		14.31
22	Bryon Luman / Keith Miller	3/3		14.23
23	Lonnie Cochran / Jason Mcmillan	3/3		14.19
24	Gene Brooks / Jeff Todd	3/3		14.14
25	Jerry Perkins / Greg Mize	3/3		14.12
26	Shane Moss / Westin Moss	3/3	5.81	14.1
27	Cody Hammontree / Keith Baker	3/3		14.04
28	Scotty Wooden / Heath Thrash	3/3	7.91 (2nd)	13.96
29	Bryon Franklin / Josh Butler	3/3		13.92
30	Steve Green / Rickey Mcbride	3/3		13.77
31	Danny Jenkins / Scott Crutcher	3/3	5.8	13.76
32	Jim Shavers / Mitch Smith	3/3		13.1
33	Kenneth Chambers / Jason Grape	3/3		12.87
34	Keith Vann / Randy Hobbs	3/3		12.62
35	Donnie West / Brandon West	3/3	4.99	12.51
36	Robert Lane / Cal Lane	3/3	5.56	12.4
37	Cody Vaughn / Brian Franks	3/3	4.31	12.31
38	Gil Summerlin / Willie Staten	3/3		12.22
39	Ronald Slawson / Shaun Slawson	3/3		11.99
40	Randall Burnham / Jennifer Ward	3/3		11.98

41	James Luna / Shawn Newby	3/3		11.95
42	Bobby Joe Gregory / Joe Kersey	3/3	5.52	11.86
43	Jeff Horton / Allen Horton	3/3		11.85
44	Stanley Morris / Preston Morris	3/3		11.61
45	Brian Morris / Chad Morris	3/3		11.49
46	David Nixon / Delano Green	3/3		11.48
47	Tim Cornelius / Eric Phillips	3/3		11.42
48	Jeremy Holden / Charles Fallin	3/3		11.36
49	Rick Moody / Ed Gettys	3/3		11.32
50	Tom Mclemore / Ray Langston	3/3		11.23
T51	Mike Bearden / Jon Paul Brown	3/3		11.19
T51	Rick Dixon / Tim Mccoy	3/3		11.19
53	Trey Sorrells / Billy Adamson	3/3		11
54	Josh Johnson / Jason Nelson	3/3		10.98
55	Allen Braham / Austin Archer	3/3		10.9
56	Kevin Stubblefield / Scott Randle	3/3		10.86
57	Allen Venn / Carey Cranford	3/3		10.53
58	Danny Buckner / Virginia Buckne	3/3		10.45
59	Mark Cates / Pat Kelly	3/3		10.33
60	Phil Fontana / Harold Wilson	3/3		10.29
61	Jason Dabbs / Shane Dick	3/3		10.19
62	Gene Branham / James Stoler	3/3		10
63	Brandon Nolin / Marty Colley	3/3		9.98
64	Danny Moss / Sean Lee	3/3		9.87
65	William Spicer / Chris Marler	3/3		9.85
66	William Grisham / Ricky Story	3/3		9.8
67	Terry Lowden / Michael Lowden	3/3		9.64
68	Stephen Estes / Nicole Marquis	3/3		9.58
T69	Shawn Fisher / Kim Striker	3/3		9.48
T69	William Lampkin / Tyler Lampkin	3/3	5.37	9.48
T69	Hubert Wooten / Grayson Kelly	3/3		9.48
72	Bobby Colquitt / Jeff Hilburn	3/3		9.45
73	Randy Townson / Terry Story	3/3		9.42
74	Rodney Allison / Van Dobbs	3/3		9.26
75	Alan Smart / Andrew Smart	3/3		9.24
76	Jason Cooper / Johnny Patternso	3/3		9.14
77	Wesley Brown / James Klingbeil	3/3		8.9
78	Rayford Bethune / Jordan Bethun	3/3		8.87
79	David White / Hannah Peoples	2/2	6.52	8.79
80	Alvin Smith / Mike Wilson	3/3		8.62
81	Betty Stahl / Raleigh Stahl	3/3		8.6
82	Chris Cooper / Kenton Spicer	3/3		8.59
83	Randy Waddell / Mickey Hunt	3/3		8.53
84	Greg Coots / James Vanpelt	3/3		8.49
85	Alan Mcroberts / Scott Allison	3/3		8.28
86	Phillip Dukes / Bailey Dukes	3/3		8.16
T87	Robin Hulsey / James Scott	3/3		8.07
T87	Danny Long / Barry Holbert	2/2		8.07
89	John Davenport / Jeff Gray	3/3		8.04
90	Phillip Naramore / Ricky Raney	3/3		8.02
91	Bronson Jones / Mark Gore	3/3		7.95
92	Deon Smith / Todd Hathcock	3/3		7.92
93	Scott Gibbs / Nelson Walker	3/3		7.88
94	Tommy Bothwell / Lane Odom	3/3		7.85
95	John Nydam / Mike Brown	3/3		7.81
96	Bobby Gregory / Cannon Talton	3/3		7.72
97	Michael Crank / Bob Prichert	3/3		7.55
98	Keith Blocker / Lisa Blocker	3/3		7.22
99	Tony Blackwell / Tony Randles	3/3		7.14
100	Danny Self / David Bailey	3/3		7.11
101	Jacob Gibbs / Richard Robertson	3/3		7.02
102	Roy Brown / Franklin Markley	3/3		6.91
103	Terry Tucker / Jeff Canon	3/3		6.9
104	Bradley Johnson / Matt Irons	3/3		6.89
105	Paul Mccormick / Brian Bearden	3/3		6.15
106	Michelle Norrod / Austin Daniel	3/3		5.89
T107	Amy Cuellar / Todd Vance	3/3	2.49	5.88
T107	David Watson / Brad Sullivan	3/3		5.88
109	Alan Barrett / Chris Howell	3/3		5.33
110	Kenny Hughes / James Ashley	2/2		5

by AnglersChannel

War Damn Eagle!!!!! Auburn University Wins The 2016 Boatus Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship

Auburn University Schools Competition to Win the 2016 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Presented by Cabela's

Louisiana State University at Shreveport and Bethel University Take Second and Third Respectively

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Day 2 of the 2016 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Presented by Cabela's brought high winds, scattered schools of bass, and among many other things, a National Championship title for Auburn University. The Auburn University team of Cole Burdeshaw and Mitchell Jennings weighed in a Day 2 total of 22.65lbs for a two day total weight of 44.21lbs - which is almost a six pound lead over the second place team of James Kimbrough and Devine Deramus of Louisiana State University at Shreveport, and a seven pound lead over the third place team of Evan Owrey and John Garrett of Bethel University.

After spending a successful day out on the ledges of Pickwick Lake on Day 1, the Burdeshaw and Jennings kept to the same pattern on Day 2 and found even bigger bass. The two kept a deep diving crankbait in the water from wire to wire throughout this event, with the exception of one key fish.

"We threw a 10XD the whole time and it just wore us out, but it was working so we kept at it," said Burdeshaw. "[Mitchell] actually caught our only fish that wasn't on the 10XD in kind of a fluke mistake."

Jennings added that "I was actually starting to cramp up from cranking that 10XD so fast for so long so I decided to make a few casts with a wacky rig and caught our biggest fish of the day on it."

The Auburn team fished next to one of their main competitors and threats on the water, Louisiana State University at Shreveport, but unlike some may think, each team caught fish and remembered that sportsmanship can lead you a long ways.

"We fished next to LSU for probably a total of two and a half to three hours, and it was all really easy and actually really fun on everyone's part, I think," said Jennings.

"These guys were the nicest guys we have ever fished next to," said Burdeshaw. "We were both courteous to each other and gave each other space and we still all caught good fish so it just goes to show that when people are courteous on the water, good things can happen. It's crazy to think how nice they were to us and both of us were at the top of the leaderboard, so I'm just really happy that it worked out well for all of us."

Auburn University has had a very large bass club for many years now, but Jennings believes that adding a National Championship to the team's resume will only lead to bigger and better things ahead.

"Our club is really big so we have a lot of people to share this victory with. This is the biggest title in college fishing, so it is such an honor to win this Championship and something we'll be proud of forever."

Louisiana State University at Shreveport Seizes Second

Fishing close to Auburn University throughout most of Day 2, Louisiana State University at Shreveport had a similar pattern pegged on the upper end of Pickwick Lake. After taking the thirty five minute ride to their first spot, Kimbrough and Deramus picked up an assortment of baits that led them to bring in a two day total of 38.58lbs.

"We had five schools total that we fished today with a big crankbait, a flutter spoon, a jigging spoon, and a drop shot," said Kimbrough. "One of the keys to catching them off the ledges is something that we talked about with Auburn on the water, and that's if you idled over your schools of fish first to see if they were still there then you wouldn't get them to bite. You just had to pull up on your waypoint and in the first ten casts; you'd know if the fish were there or not."

Kimbrough and Deramus had mutual feelings about fishing side by side with Auburn in the fact that though you may have found a spot in practice, others most likely have found it too, and sharing spots can still lead to success.

"It was awesome to fish next to Auburn today. Those guys are really cool," said Kimbrough. "Usually when people fish ledges together, people complain about who found it first and coming to close to other boats, but today they pulled up next to us and asked if they could make a few casts near us and we said absolutely. They caught three of their keepers and we caught two of ours. We didn't argue, we didn't fight, we just helped each other out and tried to catch fish and it turns out we each had a great day."

Coming from a community of shallow water anglers back in Louisiana, Kimbrough and Deramus are happy to prove that Louisiana boys are much more versatile than some may have thought.

"I'm pretty stoked about the turnout. Everyone in the top five lives on ledge lakes like Pickwick, Eufaula, and Guntersville, and we live on the Red River which is about as far from ledge fishing as it can get, so I'm really happy with our finish."

Bethel University Climbs to Third

Making a move on Day 2 from fifth, Bethel University's Evan Owrey and John Garrett ended the 2016 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Presented by Cabela's with a total of 37.13lbs for third place. Also fishing on the north end of Pickwick Lake, even further than the top two teams, Bethel fished a pattern consistent with Auburn University and Louisiana State University at Shreveport.

"We actually ended up with one day of practice so we ran a lot of spots that we knew from past experience on this lake," said Owery. "We had a few schools that were there for us, but we had quite a few scatter throughout the tournament, but really, we had two key schools that held up for us during the tournament."

Owery and Garrett ran all the way up down to the Pickwick dam, cutting the team's fishing day down by two hours, but the team believed that what they lacked in time, they would make up for through quality.

"We were throwing a big ten inch plum colored worm and a 3/4oz football jig," said Garrett. "One of the keys we figured out was to turn all our sonar off, don't scan over the fish, and make long casts to stay away from them. These were schools that were just getting out there that really hadn't been hit by anyone else yet, and really the only reason why we ran that far is because once you pass the Tennessee state line, you can usually add a pound and a half to each keeper. That's where the bigger fish seem to live."

Garrett added that the third place finish along with his teammates' twelfth place finish will provide the team with much needed Cabela's School of the Year points.

"We're happy with how it turned out, we always go for first, but we can't complain with a third place in the national championship. It means a lot for us in the Cabela's School of the Year race too, so it will definitely move us up the ranks and we really want to make a push for the title."

To see the complete results from the 2016 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Presented by Cabela's, click here: Complete Results

by AnglersChannel

Big Month Coming Up For Bass Champs Teams And All Fisherman!

With the Weather Getting Hotter, so is the fishing and June is ripe for the picking as Bass Champs is hosting three major events this coming up month. See below for deatails and make sure you are signed up and registered!!

June is a HUGE month for Bass Champs
OVER $350,000 to be awarded in the next 30 days
Click here to enter online

June 4th - Lake Tawakoni - $20,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place
(Lake is not off-limits Monday May 30th)

June 9th-12th- Skeeter Owners Tournament on Lake Fork
Over $200,000 in Cash & Prizes - Including a Skeeter FX 20 - Yamaha SHO 250 & Viking Side X Side
New $250 Berkley Bonus every hour

June 26th- TX Shootout on Rayburn
$50,000 Guaranteed for 1st Place - $10,000 Bonus for Qualified Skeeter

by AnglersChannel

Bfl All- American Makes Its Way To Lake Barkley In June

LAKE BARKLEY SET TO HOST NATION’S TOP WEEKEND ANGLERS FOR ANNUAL BFL ALL-AMERICAN

$120,000 top prize, coveted spot in 2016 Forrest Wood Cup on the line

CADIZ, Ky. (May 26, 2016) – Now in its 33rd year, the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American will visit Lake Barkley in Cadiz, Kentucky, June 9-11, and will host the nation’s top 49 boaters and top 49 co-anglers from across the 24-division BFL circuit. Anglers will cast for cash prizes of up to $120,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division, plus an opportunity to compete for bass fishing’s top prize – the Forrest Wood Cup – Aug. 4-7 on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama.

“My life goal was always to be a professional angler, and when they announced me as the All-American Champion, I knew I could do it,” said Walmart FLW Tour pro Troy Morrow of Eastanollee, Georgia, who was the 2010 All-American champion. “The prize money allowed me to head straight to the FLW Tour. Winning the All-American was a life-changing moment and was the foundation of my career.

“This year, they’re really going to catch them on Barkley,” Morrow said. “There’s going to be a strong shallow bite on both the north and south end of the lake. Individual targets like shallow brush piles, isolated stumps, logs and gravel bars are going to be the name of the game. The bream, which will be bedding, may also have a strong impact on the catch.”

Morrow said that topwater baits will likely dominate the shallow bite, while a wider variety of lures will be used offshore.

“Competitors who go after the offshore bite will be on the north end of the lake where it’s deeper,” said Morrow. “They’ll be reaching for swimbaits, big crankbaits, worms, jigs – even a big spoon. Any of those baits could do some damage. It will just depend on how much the fish have seen leading up to the event.”

The Georgia pro estimated that it will take roughly 20 pounds of bass a day to win the tournament.

“A three-day total right around 61 pounds is a good bet,” said Morrow. “There are a lot of options out there to catch quality limits and the competitors will be able to fish to their strengths.”

Anglers will take off from the Lake Barkley State Resort Park Marina located at 4200 State Park Road in Cadiz at 7 a.m. CDT each morning. Weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. on the first two days of competition. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held in conjunction with the FLW Tour weigh-in at Kentucky Dam Village State Park, located at 7792 U.S. Highway 641 N. in Gilbertsville, Kentucky, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The 2016 BFL All-American on Lake Barkley is hosted by Cadiz-Trigg County Tourism.

Coverage of the 2016 BFL All-American will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) October 5 from 1 p.m.-2 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.

by AnglersChannel

Highlights From The 2016 Wolfson Childrens' Hospital Bass Tournament!

See the big moments and the parade of big St Johns River bass from the 2016 Wolfson Childrens' Hospital Tournament! Plus, hospital CEO Mike Aubin checks-in with . . . a couple of fish. He also tells us, specifically, how Wolfson will save young lives for years to come thanks to the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised at this year's tourney.

by AnglersChannel

Texas Team Trail Announces 2017 Schedule!

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (May 23, 2016) - The Texas Team Trail (TXTT) presented by Cabela's recently unveiled the 2017 schedule, which includes stops at some of the most popular tournament bass lakes in the country.

The regular season will kick off January 28, 2017 at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Last year's Sam Rayburn event set an all-time record for registered teams at a TXTT event. The following month, the TXTT will return to Toledo Bend, which produced a 35-pound winning bag at the 2016 TXTT event on the lake.

After a three-year hiatus, TXTT will return to central Texas' Belton Lake in March. The regular season will wrap up at Lake Texoma in April. The lake is a favorite among Texas and Oklahoma anglers alike.

The two-day, entry-fee championship is scheduled for June 3-4 at Lake Livingston and will once again feature higher payout and contingency prize opportunities. The TXTT Lucas Oil Team of the Year will be decided at the championship event as well. The team that has accrued the highest amount of points from the regular-season and championship events will win custom Lucas Oil rings and paid entry fees for the 2018 TXTT season.

2017 TXTT scheduled events:

January 28 - Sam Rayburn Reservoir
February 18 - Toledo Bend
March 18 - Belton Lake
April 22 - Lake Texoma

Championship

June 3-4 - Livingston Lake

by AnglersChannel

Elite Series Pro Greg Hackney Talks About Practice For Events And Being Efficient On The Water.

Elite Series Pro and current BASS AOY Leader Greg Hackney spent a morning recently with Anglerschannel and touched a little on the way his mind works regarding practice and being efficient on the water. Take a look and see if this can help your chances in your next tournament.

by AnglersChannel

Sutherland Hangs On To Win The Big Bass Tour On Chickamauga With An 8.98Lb Bass!!!

Rocky Sutherland was the last angler to weigh-in on Saturday afternoon of the Big Bass Tour event on Lake Chickamauga and had to wait all day on Sunday hoping his 8.98lb Largemouth he crossed the scales with would hold up. Well, it did and Rocky is the new winner of a fully rigged Nitro/Mercury bass boat and tons of other prizes. Congratulations Rocky and to all the Anglers who weighed in a Lunker!

2016 Lake Chickamauga, TN

Leaders

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	ROCKY SUTHERLAND	8.98
2	MIKE JOHNSON	8.79
3	LUCAS LOVELACE	8.51
4	BRANDON MATTHEWS	8.19
5	LARRY NELMS	8.16
6	LANCE GRAY	8.00
7	TOMMY DAILEY	7.96
8	MATT JENKINS	7.85
9	JUSTIN SNEED	7.57
10	DEREK MCCULLOUGH	7.46

Saturday 8-9

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	LANCE GRAY	8.00
2	JOE WILSON	6.25
3	BRAD RICKMAN	6.03
4	COLTON MORTON	5.96
5	JON MANTOOTH	5.41
6	MATT JENKINS	5.22
7	HOUSTON SHAVER	5.14
8	TAYLOR BATES	5.06
9	JUSTIN DEXTER	4.98
10	CHARLES FRADY	4.68

Saturday 9-10

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	MARION TIPTON	6.70
2	JUSTIN SNEED	6.19
3	TREVOR BATES	5.88
4	JON MANTOOTH	5.33
5	STEVE COOKE	5.25
6	DAVID CRAFT	5.18
7	GAVIN SMITH	5.12
8	CHRIS GARREN	5.11
9	MEL RINEHART	5.07
9	ZACH MANNING	5.07

Saturday 10-11

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	BRANDON MATTHEWS	8.19
2	CHRIS HICKMAN	6.55
3	BRUCE SUMMERS	5.91
4	BLAKE JAMES	5.45
5	GREG SHAVER	5.31
6	DAVID CRAFT	5.19
6	GAVIN SMITH	5.19
8	STONEY JOHNSON	4.88
9	CHAD REEL	4.79
10	ERIC SWANSON	4.49

Saturday 11-12

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	LARRY NELMS	8.16
2	MATT JENKINS	7.85
3	HAYDEN NEWBERRY	5.27
4	KENNETH PAYNE	4.89
5	MICHAEL JAMES	4.75
6	BEN BEASLEY	4.73
7	RYAN WILLIS	4.66
8	BRIAN HATFIELD	4.61
9	JON MANTOOTH	4.46
10	ERIC POWERS	4.28

Saturday 12-1

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	JUSTIN SNEED	7.57
2	WILL DILLARD	7.43
3	BRAD HOUCHINS	7.34
4	ANDREW MARTIN	5.40
5	SCOTT LEFFEW	5.19
6	LEWIS KINSLER	5.11
7	ROCKY SUTHERLAND	4.93
8	CHRIS WILLIS	4.67
9	ANDY MARTIN	4.66
10	BRADLEY STONE	4.48

Saturday 1-2

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	RANDY MILLER	7.37
2	DON LAMB	7.18
3	DAVY CHASTAIN	6.30
4	JUSTIN SNEED	6.04
5	BRAD ALLEN	5.99
6	CHRIS MCCLEESE	5.70
7	LARRY REID	5.68
8	TIM KENNEDY	5.58
9	TIM MORGAN	5.24
10	GREG LAMB	5.11

Saturday 2-3

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	ROCKY SUTHERLAND	8.98
2	RON WILLERSON	6.53
3	RONNIE MINTON	6.32
4	TIM KENNEDY	6.06
5	WILLIAM FULLER	5.72
6	NICK WELCH	5.66
7	JOSH SINGLETON	5.25
8	STEVE BROWN	5.16
9	CLARENCE MULLEN	5.09
10	GREG LAMB	5.02

Sunday 8-9

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	LUCAS LOVELACE	8.51
2	ROCKY SUTHERLAND	5.87
3	JOHN MANTOOTH	5.80
4	WALT BRYSIAK	5.60
5	HARLEY SWAFFORD	5.14
6	MICHAEL JAMES	4.62
7	CHUCK SCOTT	4.29
8	SEAN COLEMAN	4.20
9	DWAYNE SWANSON	4.10
10	BUTCH ZADLOW	3.87

Sunday 9-10

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	TOMMY DAILEY	7.96
2	BRAD FULLINGTON	6.70
3	JIMMY WILLIAMSON	5.68
4	BLAKE MORROW	5.16
5	TIM WAMPLER	5.03
6	DENNIS POLLAND	4.85
7	WES DECKER	4.50
8	TERRY WILLIAMS	4.32
9	JACK WAMPLER	4.27
10	HARLEY SWAFFORD	3.84

Sunday 10-11

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	STEVE WEIST	7.36
2	ERIC HENDERSON	6.20
3	CHUCK KELTCH	5.81
4	JACK WAMPLER	5.59
5	DAVID POWELL	5.42
6	LEVON IVEY	5.14
7	GREG BALL	5.12
8	HAROLD DOTSON	4.77
9	SCOTT LEFFEW	4.70
10	ROBERT PERKINS	4.64

Sunday 11-12

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	LARRY NELMS	6.59
2	SHANNON SNEED	6.15
3	BRENT TRAVIS	5.45
4	BRIAN HATFIELD	5.14
5	ROBBIE MCGILL	4.79
6	LEE BRADFORD	4.73
7	ADAM BISHOP	4.72
8	DAVID CRAFT	4.70
9	ADAM GRIM	4.60
10	DONNIE DURHAM	4.49

Sunday 12-1

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	MIKE JOHNSON	8.79
2	BILL SHIPLEY	5.76
3	TREVOR BATES	5.75
4	RODNEY ALLEN	5.65
5	BRIAN BULTLER	5.37
6	BRUCE SUMMERS	4.83
7	CHARLES FRADY	4.68
8	SHAWN STRADER	4.67
9	LEE BRADFORD	4.66
10	CHRIS MCCLEESE	4.55

Sunday 1-2

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	BLAKE BOWEN	6.92
2	JAKE DEBIN	6.27
3	CLAY SMITH	5.79
4	TREVOR BATES	5.47
5	JIM NEECE JR	5.18
6	HADEN LAMB	5.01
7	CHRIS HICKMAN	4.98
8	DARRELL BEATY	4.70
9	TRACY GAY	4.46
10	CHRIS COUCH	4.33

Sunday 2-3

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	DEREK MCCULLOUGH	7.46
2	BRAD ALLEN	5.46
3	JONATHAN LOVELACE	5.44
4	JAYLON SHUFFLER	5.38
5	BILL FRESHOUR	5.28
6	JACOB GANN	5.17
7	CASEY MULLEN	5.03
8	RYAN WILLIS	4.72
9	ROBBIE MILLS	4.71
10	CHRIS RECTOR	4.64

by AnglersChannel

Mollohan Wins 2 Day Aft D-96 Championship With Over 23 Pounds On Clarks Hill!

AFT D-96 Tournament Results

Clarks Hill Lake – May 21-22, 2016

Division 96 2016 Season 2-Day Championship

Group picture from left to right; 1^st place Matt Mollohan of Lexington, SC / 2^nd place Phillip Anderson of Saluda, SC. / 3^rd place and day two big fish winner Gene Parker of Asheville, NC / 4th place and day one big fish winner Mike Dimatteo of Spartanburg, SC / 5^th place Steve Christie of Gray Court, SC.

First place, Matt Mollohan of Lexington, SC caught a 10 fish limit weighing 23.64 pounds. Matt has always been consistent but all year has finished just out of the money at our 1-day qualifiers. That consistency on both days gave him the biggest win for this Division 96 season. Matt took home $1124 for first place and the day one first place option.

Phillip Anderson of Saluda, SC was second with 10 fish weighing 21.02 pounds fishing the upper part of the lake. Phillip caught his fish on day one by fishing a frog over grass. On day two he flipped brush piles in 8 to 10 feet of water with soft plastics. Both days he fished the upper part of the lake. For second place, option pot and big fish Phillip won $666.

Phillip Anderson also finished first in the points race for the Division 96 Angler of the Year. He accumulated an almost perfect 1194 points to win by a 20 point margin. Phillip is already a past AFT National Champion and will be a threat to win the AOY Event during this 2016 AFT National Championship to be held on Lake Eufaula in October.

Gene Parker of Asheville, NC finished in third place with 8 fish weighing 20.68 pounds. Gene caught his fish by fishing the middle part of the lake with flukes, soft plastics and crank baits. The tournament big fish for day two of 5.90 pounds came on the crank bait. Gene was in 16^thplace after day one and came in with 16.46 pounds on day two for this 3^rd place finish. He admitted that he had so much confidence on day one that he threw back two 12 inch fish sure that he would catch bigger fish. That decision really cost him as he only weighed 3 fish on day one. Gene took home $377 for third place, day two big fish and the option pot.

Our ALX Rod Big Fish Winner for the 2016 season is John Stevenson of Orangeburg, SC. John caught his 7.65 pound largemouth on Lake Murray in the February 28^th tournament. John has his pick of any ALX IKOS Series rod.

Day one started out with a misty rain and 63 degrees. The day turned out to be a very pleasant 80 degrees and partly cloudy. Day two was clear and started at 57 degrees and ended a little windy and at 78 degrees. Water temps were in the mid 70’s. The lake was clear but stained in the creeks and about one and half feet from full pool. The rain earlier this week did not muddy or affect the level for this tournament.

Here’s how we finished:

Place

Angler

Day 1

Day 2

# Fish

Total Wt.

Big Fish

Option Pot

Payback

Points

1

Matt Mollohan

12.44

11.2

10

23.64

Day 1 1st

$1,124

398

2

Phillip Anderson

9.23

11.79

10

21.02

Day 2 2nd

$666

396

3

Gene Parker

4.22

16.46

8

20.68

5.9

Day 2 1st/BF

$377

394

4

Mike Dimatteo

11.18

8.55

10

19.73

5.72

Day 1 BF

$95

392

5

Steve Christie

5.99

11.32

8

17.31

3.51

390

6

Don Kneece

9.99

7.24

10

17.23

Day 1 2nd

$50

388

7

Allen Murray

10.83

5.41

10

16.24

386

8

Phil Morris

7.37

8.58

10

15.95

384

9

Rodney Cromer

9.65

5.88

10

15.53

3.8

382

10

Carlton Price

7.44

4.58

9

12.02

380

11

Jay Treon

5.49

5.88

10

11.37

378

12

Dale Hart

4.14

5.03

8

9.17

376

13

Joe Toth

6.8

2.18

5

8.98

4.85

374

14

Pat Vance

5.25

1

6

6.25

372

15

Evan Weaver

5.43

0

3

5.43

370

16

Eddie Temples

4.96

0

4

4.96

368

17

Andy Lake

4.58

0

5

4.58

366

18

Stanley Harkins

0.95

0

1

0.95

364

19

Lou Engel

0

0

0

0

100

Money

Matt Mollohan – 1^st place plaque $1044 / Day One 1^st place option $80 Total - $1124

Phillip Anderson – 2^nd place plaque $616 / Day Two 2^nd place option $50 Total - $666

Gene Parker – 3^rd place plaque $202 / Day Two Big Fish Trophy $95 / Day Two 1^st place option $80 - $377

Mike Dimatteo – 4^th place – Day One Big Fish Trophy $95 / Parker Spinnerbait

Steve Christie – 5^th place – ALX Rods Hat

Don Kneece – Day One 2^nd place option $50

ALX Rod Big Fish Winner for 2016

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

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

Local Sponsors:

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

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

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

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

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

Upcoming ABA Tournaments:

D-96 May 28, 2016 Bring A Youth Greenwood Greenwood State Park

D-26 May 29, 2016             Clarks Hill           Wildwood Park

SC Couples June 4, 2016       Greenwood         One Stop Marina

Ram Open Series June 11, 2016     Hartwell     Green Pond

D-26 June 26, 2016             Clarks Hill           Wildwood Park

D-96  July 10, 2016              Murray      Dreher Island State Park (1^st of 2017 Season)

D-26 Aug. 14, 2016             Clarks Hill           Wildwood Park

D-96 Aug. 21, 2016             Greenwood                 Greenwood State Park (2017)

D-26 Sept. 10-11, 2016       Clarks Hill           Wildwood State Park (Div. 2-Day)

D-96  Sept. 18, 2016            Murray              Dreher Island State Park (2017)

D-96  Oct. 2, 2016               Clarks Hill           Dorn Facility (2017)

D-96  Nov. 6, 2016              Greenwood         Greenwood State Park (2017)

D-96  Dec. 4, 2016               Russell                       Hwy 72 Ramp

AFT 2016 National Championship    October 16-21, 2016    Lake Eufaula out of Lake Point Resort State Park, Eufaula, Al

by AnglersChannel

Meet Matthew Taylor - One Of The Stories Behind The Wolfson Childrens' Hospital Bass Tournament

The 27th Annual Wolfson tournament drew 466 boats for a reason. The tourney supports a childrens' hospital that saves lives and improves quality of life for thousands of kids in the region. Meet one outstanding example: Matthew Taylor. Though he has cerebral palsey, Matt runs full marathons and is days away from graduating with the rest of his high school class. These days he is also giving back to the hospital in his own way.

by AnglersChannel

Mckee And Rogers Win Big Wolfson Childrens' Hospital Tourney On St Johns River!

A fog delay, a long run and 465 other boats were among the obstacles that Butch McKee and Glenn Rogers Jr had to deal with before they even set about the business of boxing a few wild river bass. In the end they won the 27th annual Wolfson tournament and $10,000 with 25.26 pounds. How did they do it? Hear them tell it here:

by AnglersChannel

Erisckson & Port Win Cashion Rods Fall Lake Open With Over 25 Pound Limit!

CASHION FISHING RODS 'FALLS LAKE OPEN' Results
Falls Lake~~May 21, 2016 Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp

Matt Cashion, owner of Cashion Fishing Rods, sponsored the 'Falls Lake Open, with 30 teams showing up, even with the weather forecast calling for heavy rains in the am. The day started off in the low 60's and afternoon temps around 79. It did rain hard from about 5am to 6am then quit for the day!! The winds were 0 to 12 mph for the most of the day and the water level was right at normal pool. Water temps averaged 72 degrees and the
water clarity was fairly good. 120 bass were weighed in for a total weight of 378 pounds for an average of 3.15lbs. each. The fish have pretty much spawned out and are starting to work their way back to deeper water. It was really a pretty day for bass fishing with a lot of 4 and 5 pounders caught!!!

Chadd Eriksen & Cullen Ports weighed in 5 bass at 25.03 lbs to take 1st Place, 1st Place TWT & Big Fish Award(7.40 lbs.) plus awarded with 2 Cashion Custom Rods & Trophies for a grand total of $2,350 in cash and prizes!

1st Place Team..Eriksen on left..Ports on right...

Losing to 1st Place by only .23 of a pound was the 2nd Place team of Robyn Cook & Owen Penhollow with 5 bass weighing 24.80 lbs. They also won the 2nd place Big Fish Award (6.46 lbs.) and 2 Cashion Custom Rods. Their best finish ever with PBC taking home a total of $1,250 in cash and prizes. 3rd Place money and 2 Cashion Rods went to the team of Matt Harrison & Angela Bishop with 5 bass weighing 20.97 lbs. netting them $900 in cash and prizes!!

Most bass were caught with crankbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, WLS Shakey Heads and Carolina Rigs. Most were caught in 10' or less waters. The topwater bite should be picking up with the summer temps coming in.

I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors. Our next tournament will be the 2016 Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Final Qualifier #7, Saturday June 4th also at Falls Lake out of Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp. This is also an open event for anyone not wanting to fish for the Championship.

Our next Invitational tournament will be the 1st ever PBC Metal Mania Invitational on Falls Lake, June 11th, for aluminum boats with 115 hp or less motors only!! Info on this event can be found at: http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2016MetalManiaMainPage.html

All the information on all our tournaments can be found at: http://piedmontbassclassics.com/

Full results:
1st Place...Chadd Eriksen & Cullen Ports of Wake Forest...5 bass...25.03 lbs...$1,080
2nd Place...Robyn Cook & Owen Penhollow of Raleigh & Durham...5 bass...24.80 lbs...$630
3rd Place...Matt Harrison & Angela Bishop of Franklinton...5 bass...20.97 lbs...$450
4th Place...Chris & David Huffine of Raleigh & Wake Forest...5 bass...19.09 lbs...$330
5th Place...Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks of Fuquay Varina & Apex...5 bass...18.95 lbs...$270
6th Place...Zach Blalock & Kyle Albers of Winterville & Durham...5 bass...18.58 lbs...$240

1st Place Big Fish: 1st Place Team above...7.40 lbs...$420
2nd Place Big Fish: 2nd Place Team above...6.46 lbs...$180

1st Place TWT: 1st Place Team above: 25.03 lbs...$420
2nd Place TWT: 5th Place Team above: 18.95 lbs...$180

We are almost ready to end our Spring events and look forward to starting up the

Cashion Rods 'End of Year' Trail which begins July 9th at Kerr Lake. All the info for this trail can be found on the PBC web page at:

http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2016EndOfYearMainPage.html

Enter early to get the best starting positions.

by AnglersChannel

Pitts & Ingle Win Alabama Bass Trail North Division Neely Henry Event!

Lee Pitts and Steve Ingle win Alabama Bass Trail Neely Henry Lake
Damien Willis and Mark Steward Finish in Runner up Position

Gadsden, Ala. May 21, 2016 – Every time that the Alabama Bass Trail North Division visits Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, the sheer numbers of fish weighed-in can be astounding. While Alabama is known for its Tennessee and Coosa River fisheries, Neely Henry is just beginning to show how good it can be.

For noted area guide, Lee Pitts and his partner Steve Ingle, Neely Henry showed out a little bit better than the other 145 teams that launched into the cool morning air out of Coosa Landing in downtown Gadsden. The Weiss lake crappie guide and his partner posted a five bass limit weighing 18.12-pounds to earn the title of ABT Neely Henry Champion and a berth into the 2016 Alabama Bass Trail Championship in October on Lake Eufaula.

The team said that everything kind of fell into their laps, but they were unsure if they had done enough. “We ran downriver and started fishing about four miles from the takeoff initially,” they said. “We had a limit by 6:20, and were able to cull up a few times until about 1:00, but, we still felt like we were one fish short of a winning sack; we are truly surprised by this finish.”

The pair reported using a 4.5-inch Gene Larew Lures Mega Ring Tube on a 3/8-ounce tungsten weight and a Bill Norman Lures Deep Little N to catch their fish. “Most of the fish were caught flipping and pitching the green pumpkin, chartreuse dipped and Pumpkin Seed Candy colored tubes on a 7’3” heavy action Lew’s Performance TP1 Speed Stick and 6.4:1 BB-1 reel spooled with 17-pound-test Gamma monofilament, they said. “We caught a few on the Deep Little N, but mostly we flipped the tube to the water willow grass and around docks in the mid lake area, all the way to Canoe Creek.”

They reported catching as many as 40 bass, and making key culls up until 1 o’clock in the afternoon. They weighed-in in the second flight and had to wait five more flights to learn they had claimed the $10,000 first place prize. “We’re really happy to have won,” they said. “We’re just so lucky to be here, everything kind of went our way.”

Damien Willis and Mark Steward began the morning tossing a Booyah Padcrasher frog into “Coosa River Grass” (water willow) to catch a pair of key largemouth, then filled in the rest with a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver and a homemade jig tipped with an Excite Baits Craw the flipped into the same kind of grass. “We really are okay with how things turned out,” they said. “We really did the best we could have based on how our practice went; this is a good outcome, we’re pleased with it.” Their 17.66-pound limit earned them the $5,000 runner up prize.

The leaders of the Northern Division Angler of the Year race John Canada and Brian Roy continued their strong year and finished third earning $4,000 for their day.

The Mountain Dew Big Bass of the tournament was a 5.61-pound largemouth caught by Jeff Cannon and Shawn Brock. That fish anchored their 14.62-pound total which earned them 17th place and a total of $1,000 including the $500 bonus from Mountain Dew for catching the largest bass of the day.

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

Place	Name	Weight	Big Fish	Winnings
1	Lee Pitts/Steve Ingle	18.12	4.46	$10,000
2	Damien Willis/Mark Steward	17.66		$5,000
3	Jonathan Canada/Brian Roy	17.65		$4,000
4	Bradley Jones/Andy Kilgore	16.78		$3,000
5	Hank Hayes/Lee Hurley	15.77		$2,000
6	Josh Butler/Jeb Tate	15.71		$1,000
7	Terry Pryor/Terrell Mann	15.69		$900
8	Phillip Dukes/Bailey Dukes	15.68	5.53	$800
9	Josh Bragg/Joe Hartley	15.66		$700
10	Cliff Williams/Jamie Loyd	15.51		$600

Next on the slate for the Northern Division is Weiss Lake in Centre, Ala. on June 18, 2016.

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

by AnglersChannel

David Mullins Of East Tn Claims First Bass Victory With Southern Open Win!

Mullins Earns First Win At Southern Open On Douglas Lake

DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — After consecutive runner-up finishes at Douglas Lake, David Mullins now knows what it feels like to be a champion. Mullins stayed in first place all three days to win the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open.

Mullins had a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to give him a three-day total of 62-12. Scott Canterbury of Springville, Ala., was second with 56-10, and Britt Myers of Lake Wylie, S.C., finished third with 52-2.

Mullins, who competes on the Bassmaster Elite Series, lives in Mount Carmel, Tenn., and has extensive knowledge of Douglas Lake. He finished second in Bassmaster Open tournaments here in 2013 and 2014 before taking the title Saturday.

“It’s a little bit of sweet redemption,” Mullins said. “I didn’t lose the last two. Somebody just caught ’em better than me. It feels good to come out on top.”

Mullins took the lead Thursday with 21-5, and built his margin to more than 7 pounds by weighing in 22-2 on Friday. Canterbury was the only angler in the Top 12 who managed a 20-pound bag Saturday. His five-bass limit weighed 21-7, but that still left Mullins with a 6-pound margin of victory.

“Every time I have a good finish here, I never catch ’em off the same place two days in a row,” Mullins said. “I think that’s the biggest key to fishing Douglas Lake — having enough places where you know they live, so you can keep moving and have a good rotation. The places I fished today, I haven’t fished all week. I just ran history.”

In recent years, there have been two constant factors in a winning formula at Douglas: concentrating on deep schools of bass and catching more than 20 pounds per day. Mullins followed that pattern. His shallowest bass came in 8- to 12-foot depths and his deepest came from almost 30 feet.

Mullins' primary lures were Strike King 10XD and 6XD crankbaits in Tennessee shad and green gizzard shad colors. He also caught a key bass Saturday on a Scottsboro Tackle Company 6-inch swimbait in a shad pattern that was specially made for Mullins at Douglas.

“I picked it up this morning and caught one on my first cast,” he said. “I didn’t have a fish until about 9:15. And that one was one of my best of the day.”

Mullins didn’t fish the other two Southern Opens, so he will not receive an automatic qualifying spot in the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic.

“We’ve been going so hard on the Elite Series, I’m tired as it is,” he said. “Scheduling and the extra money it was going to cost to fish those other two Opens is why I didn’t do it. But I’m not even thinking about that now. I don’t regret it one bit.”

For the victory, Mullins won a package valued at $45,000, which includes a Skeeter ZX200 boat and, Yamaha VF200LA outboard motor, Minn Kota Fortrex trolling motor and a pair of Lowrance HDS 7 graphing units.

Matt Justice of Fair Play, S.C., won the co-angler division with a three-day total of 29-6. Don Bible II of Knoxville, Tenn., finished second with 26-13, and Rodney Tapp of Inman, S.C., was third with 26-7.

Justice is a 22-year-old recent graduate of Greenville Technical College. He lives on Lake Hartwell. Justice wants to fish professionally, and he said Saturday’s victory will enable him to do that next year. The co-angler prize, valued at $30,000, includes a Triton 179 TrX boat powered by a Mercury 115 ELPT outboard motor, outfitted with Triton standard equipment.

Elite Series angler Brandon Card, who finished seventh on the pro side, was Justice’s partner Saturday.

“Brandon was completely selfless,” Justice said. “He’s as nice as they come. When he found out I was in contention, he was like, ‘Throw right here at this waypoint. Throw right there where I just cast.’ As a co-angler, you don’t hear that a lot. He’s the reason I won, I think.”

Justice used a variety of baits over the course of the three days, but he said a Strike King 8XD crankbait in green gizzard shad produced most of his weight.

“I’d burn it as fast as I could,” Justice said. “I was using a reel with an 8.3:1 gear ratio. I think that made the difference in being able to reel it faster than anybody through a school and get a reaction bite.”

Wiggins earned the $750 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award on the pro side for his 6-15 largemouth caught on Friday. Ledell Wade Jr., Clarksville, Tenn., weighed in an 5-9 bass to earn the $250 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award on the co-angler side.

Mullins received the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $250 for finishing as the top pro on Day 2. Finishing as the Day 2 leader on the co-angler side, Rodney Tapp of Inman, S.C., received a Livingston Lures gift pack worth $250.

Myers of Lake Wylie, S.C., also earner the A.R.E. Top Angler Award of $500 for being the highest-finishing angler using A.R.E. products.

Canterbury of Springville, Ala., earned the Power-Pole Captain's Cash award of $500.

by AnglersChannel

Birch Hammers 33.8 Pounds To Take The Lead In The Final Costa Western Event

In the final Costa FLW Series Western Division event presented by Power-Pole, anglers were welcomed with frontal conditions featuring light cloud cover and strong winds by the end of day one on the California Delta. Not long after the 6 o’clock takeoff time boats were spotted running all over the vast estuary in search of spawning and postspawn bass. Mike Birch bested the other 109 pros and took a commanding lead by bringing in a 33-pound, 8-ounce limit to have him way out in front.

Complete results

At 6:10 this morning, Birch reached his starting spot. The local stick out of Oakley, Calif., aimed to catch a large fish he had marked on a bed. Using the same techniques found successful in practice, he was unable to bring in the bass right off the bat.

By 6:15, Birch threw out his practice game plan all together.

“The pattern I had going into this wasn’t working,” Birch says. “You have to fly by the seat of you pants out here.”

“The weather is changing with this whole El Nino deal and the fish don’t know what to do. They move up, they move down. You’ll catch them in 8 feet one day, then 2 feet the next.”

Shortly after making an adjustment to his game plan, Birch caught his first fish of the day flipping soft plastics. It was a heck of a way to kick things off too considering it hit the scale at 10-11 – earning him big bass honors of the day. With such a positive outlook on his new flipping pattern, Birch went on to flip about a 4-mile area. Later, when cloud cover and the wind rolled in, he switched to throwing reaction baits.

By 10:30 Birch had the weight he would ultimately bring back to the stage at Russo’s Marina, which included three giants (he added a 7- and 8-pounder).

Birch is in a big bite area and says he broke off another giant – close to 9 pounds – in the same area. In an effort to save fish for later in the week, Birch decided to leave the area shortly after filling his limit.

“I left it for tomorrow,” he says with a sly smile. “And hopefully Saturday.”

Birch welcomes the incoming front that appears to have many in the field scrambling. He thinks the increased cloud cover and wind will help his bite but isn’t predicting another blowout day with fish of that caliber.

Top 10 pros:

1. Mike Birch – Oakley, Calif. – 33-08 (5)

2. Sean Minderman – Spokane, Wash. – 22-09 (5)

3. Mike Iloski – Escondido, Calif. – 22-00 (5)

4. Jim Lyon – Reno, Nev. – 21-13 (5)

5. Jim Moulton – Merced, Calif. – 21-10 (5)

6. Jon Strelic – El Cajon, Calif. – 20-11 (5)

7. Chad Hulbert – Gilroy, Calif. – 20-10 (5)

7. Jimmy Reese – Witter Spirngs, Calif. – 20-10 (5)

9. Dane Mitchell – Lake Charles, La. – 20-08 (5)

10. Ken Mah – Elk Grove, Calif. – 19-13 (5)

Agner sets co-angler pace

Jumping out to the early lead is Aaron Agner of Redding, Calif., who sacked up 20-15 to have a comfotable, but not safe lead of 4-3. Agner is a seasoned veteran of the Western Division, yet only holds two top 10s in his career. With another repeat of today he could be well on his way to his first ever title.

Complete results

by AnglersChannel

Mullins, Only Angler To Catch 20 Pounds, Takes Lead In Final Southern Open

David Mullins of Mount Carmel, Tenn., takes the lead on Day 1 of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open #3 held on Douglas Lake out of Dandridge, Tenn. Mullins brought 21 pounds, 5 ounces to the scales at Thursday's weigh-in.

Photo by Seigo Saito/Bassmaster

Mullins, Only Angler To Catch 20 Pounds, Takes Lead In Final Southern Open

DANDRIDGE, Tenn. â€” David Mullins knows the significance of catching a 20-pounds-plus, five-bass limit at Douglas Lake. In recent history, it has taken at least 20-plus per day to win here. So Mullins was happy to have 21 pounds, 5 ounces Thursday at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open at Douglas Lake. And he was even happier to be the only angler to top 20 pounds the first day.

â€œTrust me, I know exactly what it takes to win here,â€ said Mullins. â€œIâ€™ve finished second two times in a row.â€

The 34-year-old Bassmaster Elite Series angler lives in nearby Mount Carmel, Tenn. He was second when Ott Defoe won the Northern Open with 62-5 in 2014, and Mullins was runner-up to Patrick Bone, who won the Southern Open with 65-4 in 2013.

The entire 150-boat field of pros paired with co-anglers will compete again Friday before the field is cut to the Top 12 in both divisions for Saturdayâ€™s final.

Mullins was the only pro to top 20 pounds, but his lead is slim. Kyle Glasgow Jr. of Guin, Ala., is second with 19-10; Dustin Connell of Clanton, Ala., is third with 19-7; Josh Roark of Morristown, Tenn., is fourth with 19-4; and Elite Series pro Brandon Card of Caryville, Tenn., is fifth with 19-2.

With Douglas being three feet below its normal pool level â€” a lake thatâ€™s only 35,000 acres when full â€” fished really small Thursday.

â€œI caught most of my fish on my first stop,â€ said Card, whose bag included a 5-pound, 11-ounce smallmouth. â€œAfter that I was fishing behind people all day, and it was tough. In fact, it was brutal after about 10 oâ€™clock.â€

Adjusting to the unusually low mid-May lake level appears to be the key to success. Apparently, there are two ways to do that: have a long history of fishing Douglas Lake or have no history here.

Mullins is in the first category. Although he lives closer to Cherokee Lake, he considers Douglas his home lake because he grew up fishing it.

â€œIâ€™ve got some spots to myself,â€ said Mullins. â€œItâ€™s some stuff thatâ€™s a little bit out of the way, but fish havenâ€™t been on it in 10 years. It must be the water level is right in some of those places. Some of the (traditionally) good places donâ€™t have much water on them at all.â€

Glasgow and Connell are in the second category. This marks the first tournament at Douglas for both.

â€œIâ€™ve got one place where I hope not many people know about,â€ Glasgow said. â€œItâ€™s not very obvious. But the fish didnâ€™t bite near as well for me today as they had in practice. I was expecting to just whack â€™em. I only caught about eight keepers.â€

While there are always some fish shallow here, especially this early in the year, almost every tournament at Douglas is won on a deep-water pattern. Connell committed to that. He spent most of his practice time graphing deeper bass-holding structure.

â€œThis place fishes so small, itâ€™s hard to get on places you want to fish,â€ he said. â€œI had a few sneaky holes â€” sneaky, sneaky places. I caught my biggest fish off a sneaky spot.â€

McConnell had a 5-pound, 11-ounce largemouth in his bag. Derrick Snavely of Rogersville, Tenn., weighed in the biggest bass on the pro side with a 6-pound, 5-ounce largemouth.

In the co-angler division, Rodney Tapp of Inman, S.C., leads with a three-bass limit weighing 11 pounds. Andy Simm of Piney Flats, Tenn., is second with 10-14, and Wayne Hauser of Mooresville, N.C., is third with 10-0. Simm also weighed the biggest bass among the co-anglers with a 5 1/2-pounder.

Takeoff begins at 6:15 a.m. Friday at The Point Marina, 122 Boatdock Drive in Dandridge, and the weigh-in starts at 2:15 p.m. at the same location. The weigh-in location shifts for Saturdayâ€™s Top 12 final to the Bass Pro Shops at 3629 Outdoor Sportsmanâ€™s Place in Kodak, Tenn.

2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops

2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, GoPro

2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rapala, Shell Rotella, Shimano, A.R.E. Truck Caps, Carhartt

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

-30-

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

2016 2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open Douglas Lake 5/19-5/21
Douglas Lake, Dandridge TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts

1. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 21-05 200
Day 1: 5 21-05
2. Kyle Glasgow Jr Guin, AL 5 19-10 199
Day 1: 5 19-10
3. Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 5 19-07 198
Day 1: 5 19-07
4. Josh Roark Morristown, TN 5 19-04 197
Day 1: 5 19-04
5. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 5 19-02 196
Day 1: 5 19-02
6. Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 5 18-15 195
Day 1: 5 18-15
7. Michael Murphy Lexington, SC 5 18-08 194
Day 1: 5 18-08
8. Joey Nania Cropwell, AL 5 18-06 193
Day 1: 5 18-06
9. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 5 18-03 192
Day 1: 5 18-03
10. Derrick Snavely Rogersville, TN 5 17-07 191
Day 1: 5 17-07
11. Sam George Athens, AL 5 17-06 190
Day 1: 5 17-06
12. Scott Canterbury Springville, AL 5 17-03 189
Day 1: 5 17-03
13. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 17-01 188
Day 1: 5 17-01
14. Woo Daves Spring Grove, VA 5 17-00 187
Day 1: 5 17-00
15. Matt Coughlin Dandridge, TN 5 16-12 186
Day 1: 5 16-12
16. AJ Slegona Jr Walker Valley, NY 5 16-06 185
Day 1: 5 16-06
17. Burton Bryan Sevierville, TN 5 15-14 0
Day 1: 5 15-14
18. Jade Keeton Killen, AL 5 15-12 183
Day 1: 5 15-12
19. Mark Rose West Memphis, AR 5 15-12 182
Day 1: 5 15-12
20. Jp Prouty Satellite Beach, FL 5 15-08 181
Day 1: 5 15-08
21. Seiji Kato Shiga JAPAN 5 15-07 180
Day 1: 5 15-07
22. Jacob Wheeler Indianapolis, IN 5 15-07 179
Day 1: 5 15-07
23. Wesley Strader Spring City, TN 5 14-15 178
Day 1: 5 14-15
24. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 14-13 177
Day 1: 5 14-13
24. Chris Moody Brooks, GA 5 14-13 177
Day 1: 5 14-13
26. Dow Cox Jonesborough, TN 4 14-06 175
Day 1: 4 14-06
27. Eric Panzironi Longwood, FL 5 14-02 174
Day 1: 5 14-02
28. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 5 14-01 173
Day 1: 5 14-01
29. Billy Briere Mooresville, IN 5 14-00 172
Day 1: 5 14-00
30. Guy Eaker Sr. Cherryville, NC 5 13-12 171
Day 1: 5 13-12
31. David Kilgore Jasper, AL 5 13-10 170
Day 1: 5 13-10
32. Alton Jones Jr. Lorena, TX 5 13-08 169
Day 1: 5 13-08
33. Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 5 13-06 168
Day 1: 5 13-06
34. Steve York Bronson, MI 5 13-05 167
Day 1: 5 13-05
35. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 13-04 166
Day 1: 5 13-04
36. Kyle Schutta Forest Lake, MN 5 13-03 165
Day 1: 5 13-03
36. Matt Stefan Junction City, WI 5 13-03 165
Day 1: 5 13-03
38. Arnie Lane Lakeland, FL 5 12-13 163
Day 1: 5 12-13
39. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 5 12-12 162
Day 1: 5 12-12
40. Jason Bridwell Gray, TN 5 12-10 161
Day 1: 5 12-10
40. Kendall Newson Lagrange, GA 5 12-10 161
Day 1: 5 12-10
42. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 5 12-09 159
Day 1: 5 12-09
43. Jesse Tacoronte Orlando, FL 5 12-06 158
Day 1: 5 12-06
44. James Bailey Warrenton, VA 5 12-05 157
Day 1: 5 12-05
44. Clabion Johns Jr Covington, GA 5 12-05 157
Day 1: 5 12-05
46. Clayton Batts Warner Robins, GA 5 12-04 155
Day 1: 5 12-04
46. Gary Clouse La Vergne, TN 5 12-04 155
Day 1: 5 12-04
48. Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 5 12-03 153
Day 1: 5 12-03
48. Rich Howes Oviedo, FL 5 12-03 153
Day 1: 5 12-03
48. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 5 12-03 153
Day 1: 5 12-03
51. Freddy Palmer Estill Springs, TN 5 12-02 150
Day 1: 5 12-02
52. Allen Brooks Canton, GA 5 12-00 149
Day 1: 5 12-00
52. Derek Hudnall Baton Rouge, LA 5 12-00 149
Day 1: 5 12-00
54. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 5 11-15 147
Day 1: 5 11-15
54. Jim Tomsovic Sparta, WI 5 11-15 147
Day 1: 5 11-15
56. Matt Brown Corbin, KY 5 11-14 145
Day 1: 5 11-14
56. Ronald Young Round Rock, TX 5 11-14 145
Day 1: 5 11-14
58. Parker Cann Abbeville, SC 5 11-14 143
Day 1: 5 11-14
59. Patrick Pierce Jacksonville, FL 5 11-11 142
Day 1: 5 11-11
60. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 5 11-08 141
Day 1: 5 11-08
61. Bill Day II Frankfort, KY 5 11-06 140
Day 1: 5 11-06
61. Ryan Hoover Valrico, FL 5 11-06 140
Day 1: 5 11-06
63. Sam Mccowan Cedar Bluff, VA 5 11-05 138
Day 1: 5 11-05
64. Jeff Cox Saline, MI 5 11-04 137
Day 1: 5 11-04
65. Jimmy Johnson La Crosse, WI 5 11-02 136
Day 1: 5 11-02
65. Danny Lavoie Franklin, GA 5 11-02 136
Day 1: 5 11-02
67. Jason Rice Swannanoa, NC 5 11-02 134
Day 1: 5 11-02
68. Matt Fair Ocoee, FL 5 11-00 133
Day 1: 5 11-00
68. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 5 11-00 133
Day 1: 5 11-00
70. Jason Sturgill Pennington Gap, VA 5 10-15 131
Day 1: 5 10-15
71. Brian Elder Locust Grove, GA 5 10-14 130
Day 1: 5 10-14
72. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 5 10-13 129
Day 1: 5 10-13
73. Mike Jackson San Mateo, FL 5 10-11 128
Day 1: 5 10-11
74. Jordan Card Knoxville, TN 5 10-11 127
Day 1: 5 10-11
75. Scott Luster Prattville, AL 5 10-09 126
Day 1: 5 10-09
76. Travis Dehart Greenville, SC 4 10-07 125
Day 1: 4 10-07
77. Larry Gaines Valparaiso, FL 5 10-06 124
Day 1: 5 10-06
78. Kyle Fox Lakeland, FL 5 10-04 123
Day 1: 5 10-04
79. Bradley Dortch Windermere, FL 5 10-03 122
Day 1: 5 10-03
79. Andrew Iversen Maple Plain, MN 5 10-03 122
Day 1: 5 10-03
81. Randy Elliott Bowie, MD 5 10-02 120
Day 1: 5 10-02
81. Hunter Eubanks Inman, SC 5 10-02 120
Day 1: 5 10-02
81. Doug Winchell Dandridge, TN 5 10-02 0
Day 1: 5 10-02
84. Jeffrey Brooks Boca Raton, FL 5 10-01 117
Day 1: 5 10-01
85. Cody Detweiler Orlando, FL 5 09-14 116
Day 1: 5 09-14
85. Derek Yasinski Senoia, GA 5 09-14 116
Day 1: 5 09-14
87. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 5 09-13 114
Day 1: 5 09-13
88. Tim Arnold Cullman, AL 5 09-12 113
Day 1: 5 09-12
89. Kendal Beaty Spring City, TN 5 09-11 112
Day 1: 5 09-11
89. Mike Huff Corbin, KY 5 09-11 112
Day 1: 5 09-11
91. Mccoy Borja Johnson City, TN 5 09-08 110
Day 1: 5 09-08
92. Kyle Worsham Cherokee, AL 3 09-05 109
Day 1: 3 09-05
93. Kazuki Kitajima Orlando, FL 5 09-03 108
Day 1: 5 09-03
94. Rick Shannon Woodlawn, TN 5 09-02 107
Day 1: 5 09-02
95. Grayson Smith Clarksville, TN 5 09-01 106
Day 1: 5 09-01
96. Jon Englund Farwell, MN 5 09-00 105
Day 1: 5 09-00
97. Eddie Ball Newport, TN 5 08-15 104
Day 1: 5 08-15
98. Charlie Evans Berea, KY 5 08-14 103
Day 1: 5 08-14
98. Brad Knight Lancing, TN 5 08-14 103
Day 1: 5 08-14
98. Aaron Owens Birmingham, AL 5 08-14 103
Day 1: 5 08-14
101. Steven Redmond Waynesville, NC 5 08-12 100
Day 1: 5 08-12
102. Patrick Bone Cleveland, GA 5 08-11 99
Day 1: 5 08-11
102. Brent Crow Hartselle, AL 5 08-11 99
Day 1: 5 08-11
104. Jimmy Mason Rogersville, AL 5 08-09 97
Day 1: 5 08-09
105. Roland Martin Naples, FL 5 08-08 96
Day 1: 5 08-08
105. Eric Silverstrim Indian Mound, TN 5 08-08 96
Day 1: 5 08-08
107. Timothy Foster Louisville, KY 5 08-07 94
Day 1: 5 08-07
107. Rick Pierce Mountain Home, AR 5 08-07 94
Day 1: 5 08-07
109. Greg Pugh Cullman, AL 5 08-06 92
Day 1: 5 08-06
110. William Shipes Williston, SC 5 08-05 91
Day 1: 5 08-05
111. William Hensley Chattaroy, WV 4 08-04 90
Day 1: 4 08-04
112. Ricky Shepherd Mosheim, TN 5 08-03 89
Day 1: 5 08-03
113. Chris Gerrein Villa Hills, KY 5 08-02 88
Day 1: 5 08-02
114. Cory Ownby Seymour, TN 3 07-14 87
Day 1: 3 07-14
115. Christiana Bradley Goldvein, VA 4 07-12 86
Day 1: 4 07-12
116. Gabriel Keen Caryville, TN 5 07-09 85
Day 1: 5 07-09
117. Darrell Pons Gainesville, FL 5 07-08 84
Day 1: 5 07-08
117. Gerald Sensabaugh Kingsport, TN 5 07-08 84
Day 1: 5 07-08
119. Christopher Murphy Warrenton, VA 4 07-08 82
Day 1: 4 07-08
120. Toby Lillard Clarksville, TN 5 07-04 81
Day 1: 5 07-04
121. Eric Jackson Walling, TN 4 07-04 80
Day 1: 4 07-04
122. Mark McCowan Pounding Mill, VA 2 07-03 79
Day 1: 2 07-03
123. Michael Johnson Talking Rock, GA 5 07-00 78
Day 1: 5 07-00
124. Destin DeMarion Grove City, PA 4 07-00 77
Day 1: 4 07-00
124. Sven Hilland Cape Town SOUTH AFRICA 4 07-00 77
Day 1: 4 07-00
126. Clay Dyer Fayetteville, TN 3 07-00 75
Day 1: 3 07-00
127. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 3 06-15 74
Day 1: 3 06-15
128. Dustin Neat Dunnville, KY 5 06-12 73
Day 1: 5 06-12
129. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 4 06-12 72
Day 1: 4 06-12
130. Jeff Barth Marshfield, WI 4 06-11 71
Day 1: 4 06-11
131. Ronnie Green Sebring, FL 5 06-10 70
Day 1: 5 06-10
132. Paul Pagnato Jr Reston, VA 4 06-06 69
Day 1: 4 06-06
133. Bob Morin Seymour, TN 5 06-05 68
Day 1: 5 06-05
134. Mitch Liss Saint Cloud, FL 5 06-01 67
Day 1: 5 06-01
135. Tom Huynh Moorehead, MN 3 05-12 66
Day 1: 3 05-12
136. Eulon Lee Jr. Eclectic, AL 3 05-02 65
Day 1: 3 05-02
137. Jamey Caldwell Carthage, NC 3 05-01 64
Day 1: 3 05-01
138. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 3 05-01 63
Day 1: 3 05-01
139. Bill Weidler Bessemer, AL 4 04-08 62
Day 1: 4 04-08
140. Greg Mansfield Olathe, KS 2 04-05 61
Day 1: 2 04-05
141. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 3 04-01 60
Day 1: 3 04-01
142. Preston Johnson Rice Lake, WI 4 03-15 59
Day 1: 4 03-15
143. David Perdue Wirtz, VA 2 02-09 58
Day 1: 2 02-09
144. Garrett Rocamora Lithia, FL 1 02-09 57
Day 1: 1 02-09
145. Al Farace Jr Cockeysville, MD 2 02-08 56
Day 1: 2 02-08
146. Angie Douthit Okeechobee, FL 1 01-11 55
Day 1: 1 01-11
147. Carroll Blevins Jonesboro, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
147. James Christian Dickson, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
147. Samuel Fish Calera, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
147. Che Johnson Rochester, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 118 679 1585-10
----------------------------------
118 679 1585-10

2016 2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open Douglas Lake 5/19-5/21
Douglas Lake, Dandridge TN.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 1

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts

1. Rodney Tapp Inman, SC 3 11-00 200
Day 1: 3 11-00
2. Andy Simm Piney Flats, TN 3 10-14 199
Day 1: 3 10-14
3. Wayne Hauser Mooresville, NC 3 10-00 198
Day 1: 3 10-00
4. Don Bible II Knoxville, TN 3 09-04 197
Day 1: 3 09-04
5. Gary Ownby Clinton, TN 3 09-02 196
Day 1: 3 09-02
6. Mike Isaak Caryle, IL 3 08-08 195
Day 1: 3 08-08
7. Greg Mauldin Archdale, NC 3 08-07 194
Day 1: 3 08-07
8. Chancey Hatfield Morristown, TN 3 08-06 193
Day 1: 3 08-06
9. Josh Olson Chippewa Falls, WI 3 08-05 192
Day 1: 3 08-05
9. Kenneth Underwood Columbus, MS 3 08-05 192
Day 1: 3 08-05
11. Matt Justice Fair Play, SC 3 08-03 190
Day 1: 3 08-03
12. Brandon Bolton West Point, MS 3 08-02 189
Day 1: 3 08-02
13. Teb Jones Hattiesburg, MS 3 08-00 188
Day 1: 3 08-00
14. Kent Biggs Morristown, TN 3 07-15 187
Day 1: 3 07-15
15. Charles Smith Flatwoods, KY 3 07-14 186
Day 1: 3 07-14
16. Joshua Curtis Limestone, TN 3 07-13 185
Day 1: 3 07-13
17. Stephen Davis Blacksburg, VA 3 07-06 184
Day 1: 3 07-06
17. David Stevens Eddyville, KY 3 07-06 184
Day 1: 3 07-06
19. Jenny Sander Byron, GA 3 07-03 182
Day 1: 3 07-03
20. Kenneth Lodwick Dandridge, TN 3 07-01 181
Day 1: 3 07-01
20. Ike Taylor Westerville, OH 3 07-01 181
Day 1: 3 07-01
22. Darrell Pons II Gainesville, FL 3 07-00 179
Day 1: 3 07-00
23. Joe Collins Altamonte Springs, FL 3 06-13 178
Day 1: 3 06-13
23. Brandsford Dean Spring City, TN 3 06-13 178
Day 1: 3 06-13
23. Sam Fish Alexander City, AL 3 06-13 178
Day 1: 3 06-13
26. Todd Lee Jasper, AL 3 06-12 175
Day 1: 3 06-12
27. Joey Aderhold Birmingham, AL 3 06-11 174
Day 1: 3 06-11
27. Alan Blondino Rustburg, VA 3 06-11 174
Day 1: 3 06-11
29. Daniel Beebe Jr Niota, TN 3 06-10 172
Day 1: 3 06-10
29. Charles Fochtman Moneta, VA 3 06-10 172
Day 1: 3 06-10
29. Curtis Hall II Battle Creek, MI 3 06-10 172
Day 1: 3 06-10
29. Clint Harrison II Georgetown, TN 3 06-10 172
Day 1: 3 06-10
33. Marlon Crowder Tampa, FL 3 06-08 168
Day 1: 3 06-08
33. Chuck Hennessey Knoxville, TN 3 06-08 168
Day 1: 3 06-08
33. Tim Leonard Greeneville, TN 3 06-08 168
Day 1: 3 06-08
36. Marshall Hughes Port Neches, TX 3 06-08 165
Day 1: 3 06-08
37. Pete Patterson Kingsport, TN 3 06-06 164
Day 1: 3 06-06
38. Fred Roberts Dandridge, TN 3 06-05 163
Day 1: 3 06-05
39. Gary Carroll Jonesville, VA 3 06-04 162
Day 1: 3 06-04
40. William Freshour Strawberry Plains, TN 2 06-04 161
Day 1: 2 06-04
41. James Mattingly Gravel Switch, KY 3 06-03 160
Day 1: 3 06-03
42. Gus Kneidinger Prospect, PA 3 06-02 159
Day 1: 3 06-02
43. Chuck Thurlow Auburn, AL 3 06-01 158
Day 1: 3 06-01
44. Russell Sapp III Lincoln, AL 3 06-00 157
Day 1: 3 06-00
44. Tom Stark III Angola, IN 3 06-00 157
Day 1: 3 06-00
46. Keith Jones Newport News, VA 3 05-11 155
Day 1: 3 05-11
47. Johnny Taylor Dandridge, TN 3 05-10 154
Day 1: 3 05-10
48. Darin Bledsoe Kingsport, TN 3 05-09 153
Day 1: 3 05-09
48. Zachary Smith Flatwoods, KY 3 05-09 153
Day 1: 3 05-09
50. Rodney Rice Narrows, VA 2 05-09 151
Day 1: 2 05-09
51. Scap Cicero Wetumpka, AL 3 05-08 150
Day 1: 3 05-08
51. Ian Dubee Chapel Hill, NC 3 05-08 150
Day 1: 3 05-08
53. Steven Roosen Charlotte, NC 3 05-07 148
Day 1: 3 05-07
54. Carlton Tipp Jr Grand Bay, AL 3 05-05 147
Day 1: 3 05-05
54. Jody White Gilbertsville, KY 3 05-05 147
Day 1: 3 05-05
56. Christian Thompson Lake City, FL 3 05-04 145
Day 1: 3 05-04
57. Miriam Donohoo San Mateo, FL 3 05-03 144
Day 1: 3 05-03
58. Jimmy Crum Afton, TN 3 05-02 143
Day 1: 3 05-02
59. Mike Spears Jasper, AL 3 04-15 142
Day 1: 3 04-15
60. Taylor Schneider Matthews, NC 3 04-13 141
Day 1: 3 04-13
60. Tony Sears Dahlonega, GA 3 04-13 141
Day 1: 3 04-13
62. Barry Brunges Gainesville, FL 3 04-12 139
Day 1: 3 04-12
63. Greg Strahm Decherd, TN 2 04-12 138
Day 1: 2 04-12
64. Mike May Williamson, WV 3 04-11 137
Day 1: 3 04-11
65. Chad Ullery Dandridge, TN 2 04-11 136
Day 1: 2 04-11
66. Shane Byrom Newnan, GA 3 04-10 135
Day 1: 3 04-10
67. Jeffery Williams Greeneville, TN 2 04-10 134
Day 1: 2 04-10
68. Don Ramsey Orlando, FL 3 04-08 133
Day 1: 3 04-08
68. Anthony Smith Cleveland, GA 3 04-08 133
Day 1: 3 04-08
70. Eric Rumley Princeton, WV 3 04-08 131
Day 1: 3 04-08
71. Scott Wiley Jr Bay Minette, AL 2 04-08 130
Day 1: 2 04-08
72. Joe Koch Kewaskum, WI 3 04-06 129
Day 1: 3 04-06
73. Herschel Brady Morristown, TN 3 04-05 128
Day 1: 3 04-05
74. Jonathan Hankins North Tazewell, VA 2 04-05 127
Day 1: 2 04-05
75. Chaz Carrington Virginia Beach, VA 3 04-04 126
Day 1: 3 04-04
75. Jason Yates Dandridge, TN 3 04-04 126
Day 1: 3 04-04
77. Derek Taylor Montgomery, TX 1 04-04 124
Day 1: 1 04-04
78. Vern Moss Jr Niles, MI 3 04-03 123
Day 1: 3 04-03
78. Fredrick Requarth Dayton, OH 3 04-03 123
Day 1: 3 04-03
80. Bailey Boutries Daphne, AL 3 04-02 121
Day 1: 3 04-02
81. Justin Lockee Valdese, NC 3 04-01 120
Day 1: 3 04-01
82. Jonathan Barnette Jasper, AL 2 04-01 119
Day 1: 2 04-01
83. Linda Higginbotham Palm Coast, FL 2 03-15 118
Day 1: 2 03-15
84. Matt Mattingly Gravel Switch, KY 3 03-13 117
Day 1: 3 03-13
85. Eric Moore Union, KY 3 03-11 116
Day 1: 3 03-11
86. Charles Healan Waleska, GA 3 03-10 115
Day 1: 3 03-10
87. Joshua Bauer Random Lake, WI 2 03-09 114
Day 1: 2 03-09
88. Luke Koch Campbellsport, WI 2 03-06 113
Day 1: 2 03-06
89. Brian Paffel Spooner, WI 2 03-05 112
Day 1: 2 03-05
90. Yasunobu Sakata Kawaguchi-Shi Saitama J 2 03-04 111
Day 1: 2 03-04
91. Ariel Biley Norwalk, CA 3 03-03 110
Day 1: 3 03-03
92. Barry Maner Trinity, AL 2 03-03 109
Day 1: 2 03-03
93. Brian Transon Sherrills Ford, NC 2 03-02 108
Day 1: 2 03-02
94. Larry Rossini Knoxville, TN 1 03-00 107
Day 1: 1 03-00
95. Keith Raney Tullahoma, TN 3 02-14 106
Day 1: 3 02-14
96. Gary Hall Delbarton, WV 2 02-14 105
Day 1: 2 02-14
97. Kenny Sammons Pinetta, FL 2 02-12 104
Day 1: 2 02-12
98. Steven Kellam Dry Ridge, KY 1 02-12 103
Day 1: 1 02-12
98. Jeffrey Worth Longwood, FL 1 02-12 103
Day 1: 1 02-12
100. Christopher Lemon Mooresville, IN 2 02-11 101
Day 1: 2 02-11
100. Daniel Richardson Palm Harbor, FL 2 02-11 101
Day 1: 2 02-11
102. Jason Patterson Bluffton, IN 2 02-09 99
Day 1: 2 02-09
103. Jeff Keever Decatur, GA 1 02-08 98
Day 1: 1 02-08
104. Sawyer Adams Seymour, TN 1 02-07 97
Day 1: 1 02-07
105. Robbie Anderson Crystal River, FL 1 02-06 96
Day 1: 1 02-06
106. Trevor Burnette Dandridge, TN 2 02-05 95
Day 1: 2 02-05
107. Justin Thomas Johnson City, TN 1 02-05 94
Day 1: 1 02-05
108. Tristan Dean Pounding Mill, VA 2 02-03 93
Day 1: 2 02-03
108. Daniel Phillips Lawrenceville, GA 2 02-03 93
Day 1: 2 02-03
110. Ben Grubbs III Wilmington, NC 2 02-02 91
Day 1: 2 02-02
111. Eddie Johns Anniston, AL 1 02-01 90
Day 1: 1 02-01
111. Michael Vice Rossville, IL 1 02-01 90
Day 1: 1 02-01
113. Don Crum Hurricane, WV 1 01-15 88
Day 1: 1 01-15
114. Daniel Kendrick Chatsworth, GA 2 01-13 87
Day 1: 2 01-13
115. Matthew Bierman Nashville, IL 1 01-13 86
Day 1: 1 01-13
116. Richard Arnold Owens Cross Roads, AL 1 01-12 85
Day 1: 1 01-12
116. Eddie Collins Williamson, WV 1 01-12 85
Day 1: 1 01-12
118. Dacker Combs Hazard, KY 1 01-11 83
Day 1: 1 01-11
119. Beecher Strunk Somerset, KY 1 01-09 82
Day 1: 1 01-09
120. Charles Anderson Rocky Face, GA 1 01-08 81
Day 1: 1 01-08
121. Jarrod Anderson Delcambre, LA 1 01-07 80
Day 1: 1 01-07
121. Radney Atchison Prattville, AL 1 01-07 80
Day 1: 1 01-07
121. Benny Widerman Deltona, FL 1 01-07 80
Day 1: 1 01-07
124. Adam Sumner Mount Dora, FL 1 01-06 77
Day 1: 1 01-06
125. Steven Pugh Gray, TN 1 01-04 76
Day 1: 1 01-04
126. Matt Hodgson Knoxville, TN 1 01-02 75
Day 1: 1 01-02
127. Hunter Cockram York, SC 1 01-01 74
Day 1: 1 01-01
127. Leslie Swann III Lake Placid, FL 1 01-01 74
Day 1: 1 01-01
129. Jason Lebata Schaumburg, IL 1 00-13 72
Day 1: 1 00-13
130. Mark Bartosch Clarksville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Bill Bruce Hendersonville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Daniel Cox Huntland, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Scott Crews Wetumpka, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Andrew Daniels Sevierville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Zach George Hastings, MI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Bart Harris Greeneville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Jimmy Hayes Fayetteville, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Phillip Keene Pounding Mill, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Shane Love Crooksville, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Jason Mccormick Knoxville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Skeeter Miller Whittier, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Jerry Morris Jr Charlotte, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Bob Payne Jr Dandridge, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. JJ Polak Oxford, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Matt Ramsey Piney Flats, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. John Riddling III Melrose, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Hermilo Salgado Artemus, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Clayton Stoering Waterville, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Ledell Wade Jr Clarksville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
130. Ronald Wiggins Palatka, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00

by AnglersChannel

Elite Series Angler Bill Lowen Aligns With Remington Arms

May 19, 2016 - Today the Remington Arms Company announced its sponsorship of Bassmaster Elite Series angler Bill Lowen of Brookville, Indiana.

Bill Lowen is known to the bass fishing world as a steady competitor who more-often-than-not brings back a solid catch each day he goes out. As evidence, Lowen has finished “in the money” a remarkable 70% of the time in Bassmaster Elite Series competition, earning him the moniker “Dollar Bill” Lowen.

Lowen is also known on tour as one of the more well-rounded outdoorsmen, adept at hunting whitetail deer, turkeys, and waterfowl. Even when the Bassmaster competition schedule allows for only one or two mornings chasing turkeys Lowen has a solid string of successfully-filled tags annually near his Midwest home. He is quick to point to out that much of that acumen is attributed to being a fourth-generation hunter, all of whom were Remington men.

“My great grandfather, grandfather, and father passed on a love for the outdoors and taught me the basics of hunting and fishing,” said Lowen. “I’m grateful to them for teaching me and setting the stage for me to make a living and provide for my family in the outdoors. As soon as Nevaeh [daughter] and Fischer [son] are old enough they will make the fifth generation.”

Competitive bass fishing is a relatively young sport (Lowen recently finished fourth in the 46th annual Bassmaster Classic) so to be associated with Remington who is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2016 is both an honor and responsibility for Lowen. “I’ve worked with Buck Knives for eight years and that company started in 1902. The fact that Remington was founded in 1816 speaks volumes about the character and quality of the company right there.”

In honor of that 200 year anniversary Remington is running a sweepstakes encouraging the submission of stories and photos about Remington Country. For more information visit http://200sweepstakes.remington.com.

“For 200 years, Remington has walked side-by-side with the American sportsman in pursuit of the outdoors and upholding the traditions we all cherish. The lifestyle of hunting and fishing and being connected to nature is a lifestyle rooted more deeply in our hearts every year. In this vein, we are proud to support Bill, who exemplifies Remington’s love and support of friends, family and the outdoor lifestyle,” said Jordan Davis, VP New Business Development & Channel Development at Remington.

ABOUT REMINGTON

Remington Arms Company, LLC, (“Remington”) headquartered in Madison, N.C., designs, produces and sells sporting goods products for the hunting and shooting sports markets, as well as solutions to the military, government and law enforcement markets. Founded in 1816 in upstate New York, the Company is the nation's oldest continuously operating manufacturer with its original Ilion, New York plant still in operation today. Remington is a privately-held manufacturer of firearms and ammunition products and one of the largest domestic producers of shotguns and rifles. The Remington Family of Companies has 12 locations across 9 states employing over 3,500 people and distributes its products throughout the U.S. and in over 55 foreign countries.

More information about the Company can be found at www.remington.com.

More information about Bill Lowen is available at www.BillLowen.com & www.Facebook.com/TurtleLowen.

by AnglersChannel

Elite Series Pro Mark Menendez Talks About What He Does To Ensure His Catch Stays Alive And Well All Day Long!

Elite Series Pro Mark Menedez is a veteran of the sport and he has seen a lot of stuff come and go. Mark has been using the VT2 Livewell Vent System from New Pro Products for over two years now and this is what he has to say about it.

For More info check them out here at Sportsmans Warehouse and give your fishing the edge!

by AnglersChannel

2016 Toyota Texas Bass Classic (Now Called Toyota Texas Fest) Set To Kick Off Thursday

The shindig formerly known as the TTBC is now simply called Toyota (‘cause that’s the big sponsor) Texas (‘cause that’s the place where it’s happening) Fest (which covers all the goings-on including music, food, games AND a bass fishing tournament).

Apparently, the fishing part is still known as the Toyota Texas Bass Classic, as the winner will be crowned ‘the 2016 TTBC champion’, according to the last paragraph of the attached press release.

Anyway, it’s a big tournament featuring an All-Star field vetted through the major Tours – FLW and Bassmaster Elite Series.

They’re fishing Lake Ray Roberts. Details here:

Top 38 anglers in the world to compete at Lake Ray Roberts

Frisco, TX (April 7, 2016) – As part of the 2016 Toyota Texas Fest presented by JBL (TTF), the Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC) will feature 36 of the world’s best professional anglers from May 20 – 22, 2016 at Lake Ray Roberts in Denton, TX. The field for the tenth anniversary of TTBC is highlighted by defending champion Brent Ehrler and 2016 Bassmaster Classic champion Edwin Evers.

The field is made up of the top 15 anglers from the 2015 Angler of the Year (AOY) points from both the FLW Tour and Bassmaster Elite Series as well as eight exemptions. Other notable anglers include 2015 Bassmaster Angler of the Year Aaron Martens, 2015 FLW Angler of the Year Scott Martin and Keith Combs, three-time TTBC champion.

“Over the past nine years the priority of the TTBC has been to promote fishing, outdoor recreation and the conservation efforts of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department,” said Lenny Francoeur, tournament director. “Each year we host the world’s best anglers on Texas’ premier fisheries, and we are excited to see these anglers take on Lake Ray Roberts, one of the Texas’ top fisheries.”

The overall field is highlighted by a combined 16 Angler of the Year titles, including eight Bassmaster AOYs and eight FLW Tour AOYs; 19 major championship titles, including eight TTBCs, six Bassmaster Classics, and five Forrest Wood Cups; 179 tour wins and over $60 million in career earnings. The field will also include exemptions Randy Howell, Mike Iaconelli, Kelly Jordon, Terry Scroggins, Gerald Swindle and 2015 TTBC champion Brent Ehrler.

“Winning the Toyota Texas Bass Classic last year was one of the biggest achievements in my career,” said Ehrler. “The TTBC is the most difficult event to qualify for in professional bass fishing, and to raise the trophy on the final day, you had to have beaten the most elite group of anglers on the planet. I am excited to get back to Texas and defend my title on Lake Ray Roberts in May.”

Along with the coveted title of TTBC champion, the anglers will be competing for two additional awards. The angler who catches the single heaviest fish from any of the three days of competition will win the Toyota Tundra Big Bass Award and a new 2016 Toyota Tundra. The LEER Heavy Weight Award, a new LEER truck cap, will be given to the angler with the heaviest single-day weight from any one of the three days of the tournament.

Full Field:

Tracy Adams - Wilkesboro, North Carolina - FLW Tour

Adrian Avena - Vineland, New Jersey - FLW Tour

Jason Christie- Park Hill, Oklahoma - Bassmaster Elite Series

Luke Clausen - Spokane, Washington - FLW Tour

Brandon Cobb - Greenwood, South Carolina - FLW Tour

Keith Combs - Huntington, Texas - Bassmaster Elite Series

John Cox - Debary, Florida - FLW Tour

Brent Ehrler - Redlands, California - 2015 TTBC champion

Edwin Evers - Talala, Oklahoma - Bassmaster Elite Series

Shinichi Fukae - Palestine, Texas - FLW Tour

Anthony Gagliardi - Prosperity, South Carolina - FLW Tour

Greg Hackney - Gonzales, Louisiana - Bassmaster Elite Series

Matthew Herren - Ashville, Alabama - Bassmaster Elite Series

Randy Howell - Guntersville, Alabama - Exemption

Mike Iaconelli - Pittsgrove, New Jersey - Exemption

Alton Jones - Lorena, Texas - Bassmaster Elite Series

Kelly Jordon - Flint, Texas - Exemption

Jordan Lee - Vinemont, Alabama - Bassmaster Elite Series

Dave Lefebre - Erie, Pennsylvania - FLW Tour

Bill Lowen - Brookville, Indiana - Bassmaster Elite Series

Justin Lucas - Guntersville, Alabama - Bassmaster Elite Series

Aaron Martens - Leeds, Alabama - Bassmaster Elite Series

Scott Martin - Clewiston, Florida - FLW Tour

Cody Meyer - Auburn, California - FLW Tour

Ish Monroe - Hughson, California - FLW Tour

Andy Morgan - Dayton, Tennessee - FLW Tour

Larry Nixon - Bee Branch, Arkansas - FLW Tour

Brandon Palaniuk - Hayden, Idaho - Bassmaster Elite Series

Jacob Powroznik - Port Haywood, Virginia - Bassmaster Elite Series

Dean Roja - Lake Havasu City, Arizona - Bassmaster Elite Series

Terry Scroggins - San Mateo, Florida - Exemption

Brian Snowden - Reeds Spring, Missouri - Exemption

Gerald Swindle - Warrior, Alabama - Exemption

Peter Thliveros - St. Augustine, Florida - FLW Tour

Bryan Thrift - Shelby, North Carolina - FLW Tour

Kevin VanDam - Kalamazoo, Michigan - Exemption

Greg Vinson - Wetumpka, Alabama - Bassmaster Elite Series

Chris Zaldain - San Jose, California - Bassmaster Elite Series

- See more at: http://www.toyotatexasfest.com/2016/04/07/toyota-texas-bass-classic-announces-2016-field/#sthash.QoVfVaxq.dpuf

by AnglersChannel

Mid May Weekend Wrap And Upcoming Tournament Previews With Ac Pro Staffer Rob Digh

AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh says the new pattern as we move torward summer and especially this coming weekend is a BIG SWIMBAIT and SPOON in the 15-20 foot range. We also look back at KVD's big win on Toledo Bend-Click here for the full report!!

by AnglersChannel

Bledsoe & Elliot Win Peidmont Spring Bass Tournament On Kerr With Over 18 Pound Limit

PIEDMONT BASS CLASSICS $10,000 SPRING TEAM BASS TRAIL

QUALIFIER #6 RESULTS
Saturday May 14th, 2016 ~ Kerr Lake ~ New Nutbush State Park Ramp

The 2016 Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Qualifier #6 at Kerr

Lake produced another great turnout for the PBC Trails even though the water level was 306+!!

The weather started out great with air temps about 57 degrees in the am on up to 82 in the pm.

Water temps averaged 73. Winds were quiet in the am and blowing up to about 10 in the pm.

A great total of 74 teams participated with most all of them weighing in fish. The bite at Kerr

was tough with weather patterns coming thru the area, some cold fresh water rains, rising water

levels and cold fronts. It's just up & down. We did have quite a few 13+ bags and some nice

4 to 5 pounders seen.

Stump Bledsoe & Glenn Elliott finished 1st Place weighing in 5 bass at 18.96 lbs. and along

with winning the 1st Place TWT, 2nd place big fish (4.61) and with a check coming from Skeeter

Boats Real Money Program , their winnings will top out at $4,218!!!

1st Place Team...Bledsoe on left...Elliott on right

Ricky Petty & Billy Cobb took 2nd place with 5 fish weighing 16.28 lbs. and they also won

2nd Place TWT for a total of $1,430. The 1st Place Big Fish (5.10 lbs.) was caught by the

team of Will Bennett & Kyle Ash netting them total winnings of $1,022. 3rd Place went to

the team of Jason Kopp & Dan Jenkins! They netted 5 for 15.12 lbs. and took home $575.
269 fish were weighed in for a total of 612 pounds for an average of 2.28 lbs. each. Most of

the fish were caught on WLS whacky worms, spinnerbaits and creature baits in 1 to 6 feet

of water. The bass are still bedding in the shallower water. The water level at Kerr should

be back to normal soon.

I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail.

Our next tournament is the Cashion Fishing Rods 'Falls Lake Open', Saturday May 21st at

Falls Lake out of Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp. All the info can be found at this link:

http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2016CashionRodsOpen.html

Following that will be the Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail Final

Qualifier #7, Saturday June 4th at Falls Lake out of Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp. Click on

this link for all the info:
http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2016PBCSpringTeamTrailMain.html
All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/

Now here are the full results:

1st Place: .......Glenn Elliott & Stump Bledsoe of Fayetteville & Hope Mills...5 bass...18.96 lbs...$1,310
2nd Place: ......Ricky Petty & Billy Cobb of Gibsonville & Brown Summit...5 bass...16.28 lbs...$800
3rd Place: ......Jason Kopp & Dan Jenkins of Greensboro & Burlington...5 bass...15.12 lbs...$575
4th Place: ......Eddy Glascock & Billy Dunn of Scottsburg, VA & South Boston, VA...5 bass...14.86 lbs...$520
5th Place: ......Rick Sossaman & Doug Stallings of Oak Ridge & Stem...5 bass...14.69 lbs...$463
6th Place: ......Tyler Kick & Allan White of Cary & Clayton...5 bass...14.59 lbs...$407
7th Place: ......Johnny Wilder & Mike Harris of Butner & Oxford...5 bass...14.49 lbs...$351
8th Place: .......Keith Deal & Ricky Kenworthy of Holly Springs & Cary...5 bass...14.25 lbs...$295
9th Place: .......Bobby Houser & Randy Leonard of Raleigh & Wendell...5 bass...13.82 lbs...$246
10th Place: ......Doug Parker & James Sutton of Angier & Roseboro...5 bass...13.61 lbs...$230
11th Place: ......Chris Inscoe & Wayne Stevens of Clayton & Raleigh...5 bass...13.42 lbs...$190
12th Place: ......Dan Jackson & John Yager of Manson & Apex...5 bass...13.33 lbs...$170
13th Place: ......Mark Herndon & Jay Garrard of Bahama & Durham...5 bass...13.21 lbs...$129
14th Place: ......Tony Fofi & Dave Murdock of Spring Lake & Sanford...12.94 lbs...$119
15th Place: ......Brian Welch & Mark Inman of Greensboro...5 bass...12.87 lbs...$115

1st Place Big Fish..Will Bennett & Kyle Ash of Raleigh & Greenville...5.10 lbs...$1,022
2nd Place Big Fish..1st Place Team above...4.61 lbs...$438
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...18.96 lbs...$1,470
2nd Place TWT..2nd Place Team above: 16.28 lbs...$630

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

by AnglersChannel

AnglersChannel

2016 Lake Chickamauga, TN

JOIN THE CIRCUS

Get everything Bass Fishing from Anglers Channel, straight to your inbox.

About

AC

Resources