Should Professional 'misunderstanings' Be Aired On 'net; Tv?
That’s not to say that they don’t enjoy the competition, strategy and an exciting finish, but the tension and drama that comes along with high speed, high stakes racing certainly helps to sell the sport.
Think of a passionate baseball player busting a bat across his knee after striking out. Good sportsmanship? No. But . . .
What about a football player spiking a ball in the end zone. That’s fierce passion and people relate to that.
Tournament bass fishing features independent American (and International) sportsmen who zip across the water at 70-to-80-miles-per-hour attempting to beat competitors to their fish. There’s big money at stake. And pride. Lots of pride.
So why do some in the tournament industry insist on portraying tournament competition in the same light as a Sunday afternoon church picnic? Do they think anybody is going to watch just because there is going to not be drama?
I consider good sports-reporting to be a form of story-telling. It’s literature. And conflict, as they say, is the essence of literature.
With that in mind, what do we make of the rather public flap between Randall Tharp and Matt Herren during the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on Norfork Lake last week?
With up-to-the-minute blog posts and Bass Live and other photo and video content, on-water happenings have become hard to hide. Again, why would anyone want to hide the good, the bad, or the ugly? It’s all real. These men are independent contractors and are, as such, responsible for their own actions. Show the action. Make no apologies. We, the fans, want to see and hear it.
If there had been video of Ish Monroe and Keith Poche fighting outside the lock on Lake Toho last year would that not have gone viral way beyond our usual bass tournament audience? “Oh bother, I’m not watching that video because there is too much action,” said no sports fan ever!
Am I wrong?
By the way, if you have not seen the video on Bassmaster.com of Tharp and Herren, check it out. Spoiler alert: they worked out their differences afterward as true professionals do.
Th Marine Acquires Tonka Customs Llc Electronics Mounts.
Huntsville, AL – May 7, 2016 — T-H Marine Supplies, Inc., of Huntsville, Alabama, announces the acquisition of the assets of Tonka Customs, LLC of Mound, Minnesota. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Tonka Customs was founded by Josh Douglas and Andy Young. It manufactured the WAVE TAMER bow sonar mounts.
T-H Marine’s president, Jeff Huntley, stated “We are excited about our acquisition of the assets of Tonka Customs to grow our presence in boat electronic mounts. Over the past couple years, several of our pro-staff told us about a bow sonar mount that they considered “awesome”. It was extremely strong, mounted to the deck in sturdy manner, and was available in a variety of colors. After hearing about it over and over, we checked it out and they were right. The Tonka Customs WAVE TAMER is one of the original “Bridge”-type bow mounts. It is built with a heavy duty aluminum construction and is the only bridge mount available in a variety of color options. We are proud to have acquired this original bridge mount design and glad to have this high quality product in our offering.”
Huntley also said, “We are excited to announce that Josh and Andy will continue to promote the WAVE TAMER, and all of our TH Marine products, as members of the TH Marine pro-staff. Both of these guys are incredible anglers. Josh fishes all three divisions of the BASS Opens and is one of the top smallmouth guides in Minnesota. In addition, Andy is a FLW Tour angler, BASS Open winner and a former BASS Classic qualifier. Their extensive on-the-water experience lead them to develop one of the original “Bridge”-type mounts. We are excited that they will be a part of the TH Marine Team.”
Josh Douglas, co-founder of Tonka Customs stated, “The fact we’re able to turn our mount over to a industry powerhouse like TH Marine and still get the opportunity to promote our product as well as all the other great boating accessories in the TH Marine lineup, is an opportunity we couldn’t allow to slide by. Andy and I worked very hard to earn the reputation that our bridge mount has built and are excited to pass it off to such a reputable company who’ll surely take it to the next level. I fish a lot of big water while tournament fishing and guiding and know first hand how efficiently the Wave Tamer protects my Lowrance units in the harshest conditions imaginable and allows me to be able to simply concentrate on that next bite.”
Andy Young, co-founder of Tonka Customs stated, “I’m excited to see a project we worked so hard developing take the next step with a company like TH Marine. I built this mount with my own two hands, I know personally what this mount can do. We designed and built it to hold up to the worst elements and am more than excited to continue to promote the Wave Tamer, as well as all their other great products while pulling my Ranger boat all across the country competing on the FLW Tour.”
T-H Marine’s Huntley also stated, “T-H Marine continues to seek quality brands and products to add to our portfolio. This is our fourth company acquisition in the past three years along with many product license acquisitions. We have awesome momentum in bringing exciting and innovative products to market for the boating and fishing consumer. We are not letting that slow down. The acquisition of the Tonka Customs assets, along with our KVD Kong Extreme Electronics Mount, makes TH Marine a leader in marine electronic mounting technology.”
T-H Marine is celebrating its 40th Anniversary of business and has grown to be one of the largest manufacturers of boating and fishing accessories in the U.S. T-H Marine provides parts to every boat manufacturer in the country and distributes them thru virtually every major distributor and retailer of boating and fishing products. To learn more about T-H Marine, please visit www.thmarine.com .
Gross Leads Wire-To-Wire, Wins Flw Pickwick Stop By Just Over 3 Pounds!
GROSS LEADS WIRE-TO-WIRE, WINS WALMART FLW TOUR ON PICKWICK LAKE PRESENTED BY QUAKER STATE
Georgia rookie wins by 3-pound, 1-ounce margin, Wins $100,000
FLORENCE, Ala. (May 8, 2016) – Just six months ago pro Buddy Gross of Ringgold, Georgia, was an accomplished Costa FLW Series angler that daydreamed of competing against the best anglers in the world on the Walmart FLW Tour.
After a great season at the AAA-level, Gross qualified for priority entry into the 2016 FLW Tour. After the incredible week that Gross has had at the Walmart FLW Tour at Pickwick Lake presented by Quaker State, it’s safe to say that Gross has proven that he can compete with the best.
With a four-day total of 17 bass weighing 74 pounds, 5 ounces, Gross won by a 3-pound, 1-ounce margin, despite starting Sunday with a near 15-pound lead. Gross weighed just two bass totaling 4-14, but it was still enough to best 162 of the best bass-fishing anglers in the world and earn him $100,000.
“Today has been the biggest roller coaster of my life,” said Gross. “It was a long ride back to weigh in today – I really thought I was coming back for a second-place finish. Michael (Neal) is a true competitor and is the best fisherman that I know, and I knew that I had to catch at least 10 pounds to feel safe. Thank the Lord that I caught two, and it worked out like it did.”
Gross said that he caught the majority of his fish during the first three days of competition on a 200-yard bar running off of the bottom of an island. He found the fish keying in on eelgrass, and was catching them in 8 to 10 feet of water.
“I found the eelgrass on my Lowrance unit and I could see the fish setting up on it on my graph. I caught all of my fish there this week, except for the two today. There was no wind and no current today and that hurt, but I think I just ran out of fish. I had to scramble to catch the two that I did.”
Gross’ key bait throughout the week was a 1-ounce white Hog Farmer hair jig, but he also mentioned a Fringe Tackle Swimbait, a spinnerbait and a Tennessee River Tackle Tremor scrounger with a Zoom Magnum Fluke as baits that produced for him.
“The hair jig was by far the best bait for me in this event,” Gross said.
“Last year after I qualified through the Costa Series I really questioned whether I should take the risk, and if I could compete on the FLW Tour,” Gross went on to say. “It took every last dime that I had to come out here and compete this year, but my wife was behind me 100-percent and she said go. This win gives my family and I security and that is truly what means the most to me.”
The top 10 pros finished the tournament:
1st: Buddy Gross, Ringgold, Ga., 17 bass, 74-5, $100,000
2nd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 20 bass, 71-4, $30,000
3rd: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., 19 bass, 65-1, $25,000
4th: Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala., 19 bass, 64-14, $20,000
5th: Mike Surman, Boca Raton, Fla., 19 bass, 63-11, $19,000
6th: Barry Wilson, Birmingham, Ala., 20 bass, 57-13, $18,000
7th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 20 bass, 56-2, $17,000
8th: Travis Fox, Rogers, Ark., 17 bass, 56-0, $16,000
9th: Stephen Patek, Dallas, Texas, 18 bass, 50-3, $15,000
10th: Lew’s pro Peter Thliveros, Saint Augustine, Fla., 18 bass, 49-7, $14,000
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 41 bass weighing 124 pounds, 7 ounces caught by pros Sunday. Five of the final 10 pros weighed in five-bass limits.
Keith Diffey of Elk Grove, California, won the co-angler division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of seven bass weighing 25 pounds, 7 ounces, followed by Tyler Meredith of Oliver Springs, Tennessee, who finished in second place with nine bass, also weighing 25-7, worth $7,500. Diffey won via tiebreaker – the heaviest one-day catch between the two anglers – with his 13-2 limit weighed on Friday.
In addition to casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and up to $25,000 cash in the co-angler division, anglers are also competing for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2016 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 4-7 on Wheeler Lake.
Coverage of the Pickwick Lake tournament will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) September 21 from 1 p.m.-2 p.m. EST. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
The Walmart FLW Tour at Pickwick Lake was presented by Quaker State and hosted by Florence/Lauderdale Tourism. The next event for FLW Tour anglers will be the Walmart FLW Tour at Kentucky Lake presented by Mercury.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Periscope: @FLWFishing.
Gross Pads Lead Heading Into Championship Sunday On Pickwick Lake
GROSS PADS LEAD ON DAY THREE OF WALMART FLW TOUR ON PICKWICK LAKE PRESENTED BY QUAKER STATE
Georgia Rookie to start Final Day with 14-pound, 11-ounce Advantage
FLORENCE, Ala. (May 7, 2016) – Georgia pro Buddy Gross, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 22 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to extend his lead to more than 14 pounds after day three of the Walmart FLW Tour at Pickwick Lake presented by Quaker State. Gross’ three-day total of 69-7 make him the No. 1 seed on championship Sunday as the field is now cut to 10 in the four-day tournament that features 163 of the world’s best anglers competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
In second place is Gross’ travel partner on Tour, Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, who weighed in five bass totaling 16-14 Saturday for a three-day cumulative weight of 15 bass worth 54-12.
“For years I’ve watched many of the anglers in this field catch fish on television, so to be heading into day four with the lead is a dream come true. The lord has truly blessed me at this event,” said Gross, who has one previous career victory in FLW competition – a 2010 Bass Fishing League (BFL) win on Lake Guntersville.
Gross said he started off his day at the same 200-yard stretch he’s been working all week – a mid-lake ridge littered with shells beds and grass clumps where shad are spawning. Similar to his first two days on the water, he said he was able to catch two bass fairly quickly Saturday.
“I got two in the boat with a hair jig before the FLW camera boats even found me,” said Gross. “Within 30 minutes I caught another two, including a 5- or 6-pounder. All of my big fish have been coming from sitting on the outside of the bar and throwing over it into the ditch.
“Around 10:30 a.m. I went offshore a little bit and threw a Tennessee River Tackle Tremor with a Zoom Magnum Fluke and caught three more. I was able to cull twice and was feeling pretty good.”
Gross said he stopped fishing within five minutes of his last catch on the Tremor and spent the remainder of his day looking for new structure to fish on the final day of competition.
“I roamed around and looked for new stuff, and I feel good about tomorrow,” Gross went on to say. “I think I’ll go to the ledges earlier, especially if I can get two good ones at the ridge. It’ll depend on the wind. It’s picked up the last few afternoons and kept me in, but if it dies down tomorrow I think I can finally finish on the ledges.”
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition on Pickwick Lake are:
1st: Buddy Gross, Ringgold, Ga., 15 bass, 69-7
2nd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 54-12
3rd: Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala., 15 bass, 51-5
4th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., 14 bass, 47-1
5th: Barry Wilson, Birmingham, Ala., 15 bass, 44-9
6th: Travis Fox, Rogers, Ark., 14 bass, 43-12
7th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 15 bass, 43-12
8th: Mike Surman, Boca Raton, Fla., 14 bass, 43-11
9th: Lew’s pro Peter Thliveros, Saint Augustine, Fla., 15 bass, 43-1
10th: Stephen Patek, Dallas, Texas, 14 bass, 42-15
Finishing in 11th through 20th are:
11th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 42-15, $12,000
12th: Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., 15 bass, 42-13, $12,000
13th: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 13 bass, 42-12, $12,000
14th: Keystone Light pro Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 15 bass, 41-1, $12,000
15th: Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 13 bass, 40-11, $12,000
16th: Livingston Lures pro Stetson Blaylock, Benton, Ark., 15 bass, 40-6, $12,000
17th: Jay Kendrick, Grant, Ala., 13 bass, 37-15, $12,000
18th: Rick Cotten, Guntersville, Ala., nine bass, 35-4, $12,000
19th: Walmart pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., 12 bass, $12,000
20th: Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-9, $12,000
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 81 bass weighing 226 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 19 pros Saturday. The catch included 12 five-bass limits.
Pro Randy Haynes of Counce, Tennessee, who started the day in 9th place, had his day three weight disqualified for violation of FLW Tour rule No. 13 regarding methods of returning to check-in. After mechanical failure Haynes received a ride to check-in from an ineligible boat. FLW Tour rules state that anglers who have equipment failure can only receive a tow in, or a ride in from another tournament competitor. Haynes finished in 20th place with 10 bass weighing 31-9, good for $12,000.
Keith Diffey of Elk Grove, California, won the co-angler division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of seven bass weighing 25 pounds, 7 ounces, followed by Tyler Meredith of Oliver Springs, Tennessee, who finished in second place with nine bass, also weighing 25-7, worth $7,500. Diffey won via tiebreaker – the heaviest one-day catch between the two anglers – with his 13-2 limit weighed on Friday.
In FLW Tour competition, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2016 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 4-7 and is hosted by the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Anglers will take off from McFarland Park located at 200 Jim Spain Drive in Florence at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, the final day of competition. Sunday’s final weigh-in will be held at McFarland Park beginning at 4 p.m.
Fans will also be treated to the FLW Expo on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at McFarland Park prior to the final weigh-in. The Expo includes a 100-yard Lew’s Casting Lane, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.
Coverage of the Pickwick Lake tournament will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) September 21 from 1 p.m.-2 p.m. EST. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
The Walmart FLW Tour at Pickwick Lake is presented by Quaker State and is hosted by Florence/Lauderdale Tourism.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
About FLW
Gross Still Leads On Pickwick, Opens Up The Gap Heading Into Day 3
GROSS EXTENDS LEAD AT WALMART FLW TOUR ON PICKWICK LAKE PRESENTED BY QUAKER STATE
California’s Diffey Wins Co-angler Title, $20,000
FLORENCE, Ala. (May 6, 2016) – Georgia pro Buddy Gross, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 21 pounds, 3 ounces Friday to extend his lead after day two of the Walmart FLW Tour at Pickwick Lake presented by Quaker State. Gross now brings an 8-pound, 13-ounce lead into day three of the four-day tournament that features 163 of the world’s best anglers competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
In second place is Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, who weighed in five bass totaling 14-14 Friday for a two-day cumulative total of 10 bass worth 37-14. The field is now trimmed to the top 20 on Saturday, with only the top 10 anglers fishing on the final day Sunday.
“I’m running a half-mile stretch at the end of a huge mid-lake flat where bass are heading out from the spawn towards the main river,” said Gross, who is fishing in just his fourth event as a professional on the FLW Tour. “Just about every bass I’ve caught in this event has been postspawn.”
Gross said his fish are congregating on shell beds and in isolated, clumpy grass.
“There’s a shad spawn going on in the morning and I think I’m catching the tail-end of it when I get to my area,” said Gross. “Yesterday, I caught four shortly after I arrived, but today I only was able to get two and had to grind out the other three. I lost a big one midday today which definitely would’ve helped me out. Hopefully there will be five more there tomorrow.
“I’m just worried about running out, that’s my problem right now,” continued Gross. “All seven of my bites today happened before 10:30 a.m. There isn’t much action after 11. I’ve wasted an afternoon for two days now, so tomorrow I’m going to have to go find something else to fish.”
Gross said he’s used one lure to catch the majority of his bass.
“One of my sponsors makes the bait I’m throwing and it’s doing well,” said Gross. “It’s a single-hook bait and I’m not losing many fish.”
The Georgia rookie said he plans on dissecting the same stretch on day three before hitting ledges in the afternoon.
“I’ll be out there looking for another school,” said Gross. “I’m going to head towards the river and just throw anything that will produce a good fish.”
The top 20 pros that made the Buck Knives Cut and will fish Saturday on Pickwick Lake are:
1st: Buddy Gross, Ringgold, Ga., 10 bass, 46-11
2nd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 37-14
3rd: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., nine bass, 36-7
4th: Travis Fox, Rogers, Ark., 10 bass, 34-8
5th: Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala., 10 bass, 34-2
6th: Rick Cotten, Guntersville, Ala., eight bass, 33-7
7th: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 10 bass, 32-15
8th: Keystone Light pro Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 10 bass, 31-15
9th: Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-9
10th: Barry Wilson, Birmingham, Ala., 10 bass, 31-8
11th: Walmart pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., 10 bass, 30-10
12th: Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., 10 bass, 30-9
13th: Lew’s pro Peter Thliveros, Saint Augustine, Fla., 10 bass, 30-3
14th: Mike Surman, Boca Raton, Fla., 10 bass, 29-14
15th: Stephen Patek, Dallas, Texas, 10 bass, 29-12
16th: Livingston Lures pro Stetson Blaylock, Benton, Ark., 10 bass, 29-11
17th: Jay Kendrick, Grant, Ala., 10 bass, 29-7
18th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 10 bass, 29-6
19th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-15
20th: Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., eight bass, 28-11
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Monsoor earned the Big Bass Award on the pro side Friday, weighing a 9-pound, 13-ounce largemouth to win the $500 prize.
Overall there were 617 bass weighing 1,591 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 157 pros Friday. The catch included 84 five-bass limits.
Keith Diffey of Elk Grove, California, won the co-angler division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of seven bass weighing 25 pounds, 7 ounces, followed by Tyler Meredith of Oliver Springs, Tennessee, who finished in second place with nine bass, also weighing 25-7, worth $7,500. Diffey won via tiebreaker – the heaviest one-day catch between the two anglers – with his 13-2 limit weighed on Friday.
“I spent the week fishing shallow grass and ledges,” said Diffey, who was fishing in his first ever event as a co-angler on the FLW Tour. “I caught my biggest fish on day one with a Margarita Mutilator-colored Roboworm rigged on a drop-shot, and with a shaky-head jig with a split-tailed creature bait on day two. I rotated in Keitech Swimbaits as well.”
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Keith Diffey, Elk Grove, Calif., seven bass, 25-7 $20,000
2nd: Tyler Meredith, Oliver Springs, Tenn., nine bass, 25-7, $7,500
3rd: David Redington, Sulphur Springs, Texas, seven bass, 23-15 $5,000
4th: Tim Beale, Hernando, Miss., eight bass, 23-2 $4,000
5th: Chad Parks, Bartlett, Tenn., nine bass, 23-0, $3,000
6th: Josh Smith, Hamilton, Ohio, eight bass, 20-4 $2,500
7th: Troy O'Rourke, Natchitoches, La., five bass, 19-6, $2,500
8th: Billy Hines, Vacaville, Calif., seven bass, 19-2, $1,800
9th: Butch Whiteaker, Alpharetta, Ga., seven bass, 19-1, $1,700
10th: John Tutor, Saltillo, Miss., six bass, 18-12, $1,600
O’Rourke earned the Big Bass Award on the co-angler side Friday with a fish weighing 7 pounds, 4 ounces to win the $250 prize.
Overall there were 283 bass weighing 703 pounds, 3 ounces caught by 118 co-anglers Friday. The catch included 10 five-bass limits.
In FLW Tour competition, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2016 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 4-7 and is hosted by the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Anglers will take off from McFarland Park located at 200 Jim Spain Drive in Florence at 6:30 a.m. each day of competition. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will be held at McFarland Park beginning at 4 p.m.
Fans will also be treated to the FLW Expo on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at McFarland Park prior to the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes a 100-yard Lew’s Casting Lane, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.
Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at McFarland Park on Saturday from 9:30-11:30 a.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to area youth 15 years of age and younger and Special Olympics athletes. Event goodie bags will be awarded to the first 50 participants who sign up. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. All bait is donated by the DMF Bait Company.
Elite Series Rookie Luke Clausen's Lake Wheeler Disqualification Upheld By Bass Appeals Panel
Clausen Disqualification From Lake Wheeler Tournament Upheld
The disqualification of Luke Clausen of Otis Orchards, Wash., from the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament at Wheeler Lake, Alabama, last week, has been upheld by an appeals panel.
Clausen was disqualified from the event on the third day of competition for violating Elite Series Rule C3, which outlines a number of restrictions on practicing and obtaining information during off-limits periods, among others. At the time, he was in seventh place and had qualified to compete on Championship Sunday.
Clausen quickly appealed the disqualification decision when it was announced.
Under a new rule for this year, Clausen was allowed to continue competing while the decision was being appealed. According to the rule (C23), the 13th-place angler, Cliff Crochet of Pierre Part, La., was permitted to compete on Sunday, as well, with the understanding that, should Clausen win the appeal, Crochet’s catch, ranking and winnings would revert to his Day 3 totals.
A three-member panel consisting of two tournament anglers not competing in the Elite Series and a B.A.S.S. employee not associated with the tournament department heard the appeal Friday afternoon and upheld the disqualification.
With the appeals panel’s ruling, Clausen’s total catch of 59-9, initially good enough for eighth place, is erased, dropping him to 108th in the tournament. Crochet, who finished seventh with 59-10, will remain in that position, and each angler below seventh will move up one position.
Official, updated standings, points and payouts will be posted on Bassmaster.com on Saturday.
Rookie Grosse Leads Day 1 Of Flw Event On Pickwick Lake By 2-1/2 Pounds!
GEORGIA ROOKIE GROSS LEADS DAY ONE OF WALMART FLW TOUR ON PICKWICK LAKE PRESENTED BY QUAKER STATE
Mississippi’s Beale Leads Co-Anglers
Link to photo of pro leader Buddy Gross
FLORENCE, Ala. (May 5, 2016) – Rookie pro Buddy Gross of Ringgold, Georgia, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 25 pounds, 8 ounces, to take the early lead after day one of the Walmart FLW Tour at Pickwick Lake presented by Quaker State. He will hold a 2½-pound advantage over second place pro Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, (23-0) to start day two in the four-day event that features 163 of the world’s best bass-fishing anglers competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
“My home lakes are Chickamauga and Guntersville and it’s the same kind of deal here as it is at home,” said Gross, who rooms with Neal while traveling on Tour. “I’m catching them at their first stop as they’re coming off the spawn. I had six keeper bites today.
“They’re pretty close to the grass,” Gross continued. “I’m catching them in 8 to 15 feet. The grass is growing in 8 foot. I pull up on the grass, and then back out. I’ve got two good places that I fished in the same general area today, but the wind got bad and I know that they got dirtied so I’m not sure what’s going to happen tomorrow.”
Gross wasn’t ready to mention his specific baits or technique just yet but said that he thinks he has keyed in on something different that he is doing different from his competitors.
“I can’t talk about it just yet, but there is a key thing that I’m doing,” Gross said. “I did find a few other areas that looked good, but I couldn’t get close to them today because of the wind. These fish have moved a long ways since practice; I’m hoping I can connect with them again tomorrow.”
Twenty-four anglers had their day one weights disqualified and four were penalized for violating FLW Tour Rule No. 15 regarding late check-ins. The anglers had locked up into Lake Wilson to fish, which is legal, but were unable to get back through the lock on time after an issue with a barge that was locking through. Rule No. 15 states that contestants who are not at the check-in area at the appointed time will be penalized 1 pound per minute, deducted from the total weight. Any contestant more than 15 minutes late will lose credit for that day’s weight.
The top 10 pros after day one on Pickwick Lake are:
1st: Buddy Gross, Ringgold, Ga., five bass, 25-8
2nd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 23-0
3rd: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., five bass, 21-10
4th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., five bass, 21-5
5th: Travis Fox, Rogers, Ark., five bass, 20-12
6th: Rick Cotten, Guntersville, Ala., four bass, 18-14
7th: Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., five bass, 18-9
8th: Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala., five bass, 18-3
9th: Keith Amerson, Selmer, Tenn., five bass, 17-11
10th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., five bass, 17-7
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Cotten weighed in an 8-pound, 14 ounce largemouth to win the Big Bass Award on the pro side Thursday and the $500 prize.
Overall there were 560 bass weighing 1,392 pounds, 4 ounces caught by 136 pros Thursday. The catch included 81 five-bass limits.
Tim Beale of Hernando, Mississippi, leads the co-angler division with four bass weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces, followed by Mike Comeau of Jericho, Vt., in second place with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 2 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers after day one on Pickwick Lake are:
1st: Tim Beale, Hernando, Miss., four bass, 15-4
2nd: Mike Comeau, Jericho, Vt., five bass, 14-2
3rd: Tyler Meredith, Oliver Springs, Tenn., five bass, 12-13
4th: Keith Diffey, Elk Grove, Calif., four bass, 12-5
5th: David Redington, Sulphur Springs, Texas, four bass, 12-1
6th: Chad Randles, Elkhorn, Neb., five bass, 11-15
7th: Johnny Douglas, Liberty, Ky., five bass, 11-5
8th: Benjie Allen, Scottsboro, Ala., three bass, 10-15
9th: Anthony Goggins, Auburn, Ala., four bass, 10-13
10th: Josh Smith, Hamilton, Ohio, four bass, 10-4
Troy O’Rourke of Natchitoches, Louisiana, earned the Big Bass Award on the co-angler side Thursday with a bass weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces to win the $250 prize.
Overall there were 241 bass weighing 531 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 106 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included six five-bass limits.
In addition to casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and up to $25,000 cash in the co-angler division, anglers are also competing for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2016 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 4-7 on Wheeler Lake.
Anglers will take off from McFarland Park located at 200 Jim Spain Drive in Florence at 6:30 a.m. each day of competition Friday’s weigh-in will be held at McFarland Park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will also be held at McFarland Park, but will begin at 4 p.m.
Omori's Strategy Carries Him Past Lefebre - A Look Inside 2 Elite Brains At Work
The talk had centered on how Wheeler wasn’t fishing so well and how important it would be to save enough fish to last 4 days.
Lefebre had a big, productive area to himself. It included secondary points and spawning pockets. He expected lots of company but – to his disbelief - nobody else showed up. He had found the type of place where a guy could hunker down and win an Elite Series tourney.
He set a pace of 3 pounds-per-bass, thinking that would be enough to carry him the distance without culling through a bunch of fish he thought would become valuable during late rounds of the tournament. As each day rolled by, more and bigger fish kept coming to him on their way to the beds. When 20-pound sacks showed up at the scale Lefebre quickly adjusted his estimate to 4-pounds-per-fish. He led the 2nd and 3rd rounds.
Had he pounded-out that type of weight before resting his area the first day, he would have maintained his lead until the very end.
As it turned out Takahiro Omori hoisted the blue trophy.
Tak had post-spawn fish piling up on his spot and he just hammered them with a swimbait. He weighed the heaviest daily bag on 3, out of the 4, competition days. According to bass fishing stats guru Ken Duke, that has only happened twice before in Elite Series history – when Ish Monroe and Brandon Palaniuk did it in back-to-back events in 2012.
Takahiro never let off.
Considering the strength of competition at our sport’s highest level, pros seldom have the advantage of ‘laying-up’ or saving fish anymore. That used to be a big part of the strategy. Now I’m not sure if it is more important than ever, or if it has simply become irrelevant in an era when there’s always somebody stomping on the gas from start to finish.
Randall Tharp And Costa Sunglasses, The One Thing, Or Three Things He Has To Have In His Boat.
Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Randall Tharp relies on his Costa Sunglasses day in and day out to protect his eyes and to get the most out of his day fishing. Watch as Randall Explains why the benefits of three different lenses helps him be a better angler. Check out Costa Sunglasses and pick up a pair or three here!
Sigmon And Huffman Win The Cbc On Hickory With 18.17 Lbs-Take Home $14,000 Cash! Full Results Here!
Eric Self and Tyler Beam finished in 3rd place with 17.15lbs and were the 2nd highest finishing Skeeter/Yamaha which boosted their total winnings to $6,500!
Chris Dover and Robert Fowler finished 6th with 16.45lbs, but they had a 7.47lb monster in their Skeeter livewell that earned them the $1,000 Big Fish prize, and with the 3rd place Skeeter Bonus, they pushed their payday to a whopping $4,250!!
Mitch Cook and Todd Huffman finished in 10th place for an $800 check, but thankfully, they were in Mitch's Skeeter which gave them the 4th Place Skeeter Bonus and $1,800 in total winnings!
| Place | Team Name | Team # | Fish Weighed | Net Weight | Big Fish | Points | SKEETER BONUS | Total Winnings |
| 1 | Darren Sigmon - Brian Huffman | 156 | 5 | 18.17 | 310 | $4,000 | $14,000 | |
| 2 | Derek Cummings - Victor Lynch | 9 | 5 | 17.84 | 4.74 | 309 | $5,000 | |
| 3 | Eric Self - Tyler Beam | 169 | 5 | 17.15 | 308 | $3,000 | $6,500 | |
| 4 | Alfred Keisling, Sr - Chad Poteat | 125 | 5 | 16.88 | 307 | $2,500 | ||
| 5 | Robert Mixon - Robert Lambert | 64 | 5 | 16.67 | 306 | $2,000 | ||
| 6 | Chris Dover - Robert Fowler | 10 | 5 | 16.45 | 7.47 | 305 | $2,000 +$1,000 BF | $4,250 |
| 7 | Nick Beaver - Roger Beaver | 118 | 4 | 16.30 | 304 | $1,100 | ||
| 8 | Jerry Craig - Bobby Latuch | 7 | 5 | 16.29 | 303 | $1,000 | ||
| 9 | Jeremi Beatty - Clint Benbow | 137 | 5 | 16.15 | 302 | $900 | ||
| 10 | Mitchell Cook - Todd Huffman | 95 | 5 | 15.86 | 301 | $1,000 | $1,800 | |
| 11 | Brett McLean - Mac McLean | 119 | 5 | 15.73 | 300 | $625 | ||
| 12 | Vince Parker - Mark Parker | 92 | 5 | 15.72 | 299 | $575 | ||
| 13 | Dustin Compton - Jonathan strickland | 58 | 5 | 15.51 | 298 | $550 | ||
| 14 | Larry Denton - Chris Guest | 4 | 5 | 15.46 | 297 | $525 | ||
| 15 | Charles Sipe - Kelly Johnson | 49 | 5 | 15.25 | 296 | $475 | ||
| 16 | Scott Henley - Neil McDonald | 99 | 5 | 15.24 | 295 | $450 | ||
| 17 | byron brush - Byron Brush Sr. | 94 | 5 | 15.11 | 294 | $400 | ||
| 18 | Marcus Leech - Tim Chapman | 62 | 5 | 15.05 | 293 | $350 | ||
| 19 | David Winters - Russell Winters | 84 | 5 | 14.99 | 292 | $325 | ||
| 20 | Matt Queen - Robin Cairco | 76 | 5 | 14.89 | 291 | $300 | ||
| 21 | CJ Johnston - Matt Stanley | 108 | 5 | 14.84 | 290 | $290 | ||
| 22 | Mike Seawright - John parker | 155 | 5 | 14.48 | 289 | $275 | ||
| 23 | todd sosebee - steve postell | 115 | 5 | 14.26 | 288 | $260 | ||
| 24 | Doug Easton - Pete Bejte | 77 | 5 | 14.24 | 287 | $250 | ||
| 25 | Klaus Hadschin - Jerry Hadschin | 150 | 5 | 14.18 | 286 | $240 | ||
| 26 | Travis Young - Neil Sheehan | 114 | 5 | 14.11 | 285 | $230 | ||
| 27 | Kyle McElveen - Cleve Yarborough | 32 | 5 | 14.09 | 284 | $220 | ||
| 28 | Scott Sellers - Randy Childers | 82 | 5 | 13.50 | 283 | $210 | ||
| 29 | Tom McCombs - curtis lail | 34 | 4 | 13.49 | 282 | |||
| 30 | Reggie Guffey - Tommy Chapman | 127 | 5 | 13.21 | 281 | |||
| 31 | David Wright - Jeff Coble | 166 | 5 | 13.19 | 280 | |||
| 32 | Tim Gaines - Mike Bryant | 87 | 5 | 13.18 | 279 | |||
| 33 | Darrell Parks - Thomas Johnson | 136 | 5 | 13.13 | 278 | |||
| 34 | Steve Addington - Matt Stout | 50 | 5 | 13.11 | 277 | |||
| 34 | Mike Stephens - cody young | 97 | 5 | 13.11 | 277 | |||
| 36 | Daniel Ruppe - Jacob Reome | 54 | 5 | 12.86 | 275 | |||
| 37 | Dan Funderburk - Rod Cozart | 52 | 5 | 12.85 | 274 | |||
| 38 | Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughtie | 151 | 5 | 12.75 | 273 | |||
| 39 | David Fortenberry - Jessie Towery | 40 | 5 | 12.59 | 272 | |||
| 40 | Chris Martin - Mike Greene | 165 | 5 | 12.55 | 271 | |||
| 41 | Carl Williams - Eddie Williams | 39 | 5 | 12.47 | 270 | |||
| 42 | Nathan Royal - David Brookshire | 93 | 4 | 12.42 | 269 | |||
| 43 | Derick Livingston - Jonathan Spivey | 83 | 5 | 12.34 | 268 | |||
| 44 | Doug Punch - Rocky Franklin | 113 | 5 | 12.18 | 267 | |||
| 45 | Kelly Ruff - Travis Ruff | 11 | 5 | 12.04 | 266 | |||
| 46 | Nathan White - Glen Eaves | 134 | 5 | 11.96 | 265 | |||
| 47 | Jason Eaker - Allen Eaker | 20 | 5 | 11.94 | 264 | |||
| 48 | William Harris - Stanton Harris | 29 | 4 | 11.88 | 5.35 | 263 | ||
| 49 | Jarrad Poarch - Keith Berry | 28 | 5 | 11.86 | 2.98 | 262 | ||
| 50 | Wayne Ingram - Chris Brown | 48 | 5 | 11.83 | 261 | |||
| 51 | Jordan Wright - Chris Casey | 69 | 5 | 11.61 | 260 | |||
| 52 | Mark Swink - austin petty | 26 | 5 | 11.48 | 259 | |||
| 53 | Eric Jeter - Darren Jeter | 51 | 5 | 11.47 | 258 | |||
| 54 | Chris Graham - Ricky Byrd | 157 | 5 | 11.40 | 257 | |||
| 55 | Stephen Griggs - Rodney Sorrell | 122 | 5 | 11.35 | 256 | |||
| 56 | Joshua Queen - Mike Queen | 103 | 4 | 11.27 | 255 | |||
| 56 | Robin Collins - Ronnie White | 152 | 5 | 11.27 | 255 | |||
| 58 | Terry Herman - thomas wike | 173 | 5 | 11.12 | 253 | |||
| 59 | Nathan Webber - Hunter Harwell | 3 | 5 | 11.04 | 252 | |||
| 60 | Rodney Bell - Tommy Jones | 66 | 5 | 10.86 | 251 | |||
| 61 | Robert Bauguess - Rodney Morrow | 27 | 5 | 10.83 | 250 | |||
| 62 | Phil Hennessee - Jon Digh | 98 | 5 | 10.81 | 249 | |||
| 63 | william patterson - Chris Tinsley | 23 | 5 | 10.68 | 248 | |||
| 64 | Eddie Smith - Michael Carson | 46 | 5 | 10.53 | 247 | |||
| 64 | Keith Porter - Tony Price | 104 | 5 | 10.53 | 247 | |||
| 66 | John Elliott - Scott Tate | 71 | 5 | 10.48 | 245 | |||
| 67 | Jason Wilson - Kelly Logan | 132 | 5 | 10.44 | 244 | |||
| 68 | Aric Dwyer - Robert Anderson | 53 | 5 | 10.40 | 243 | |||
| 69 | Dennis Hensley - Steve Yoder | 33 | 5 | 10.28 | 242 | |||
| 70 | Phillip Hedrick - Jack Vanderford | 59 | 5 | 10.20 | 241 | |||
| 71 | Bryan Welch - Mark Inman | 22 | 5 | 9.99 | 240 | |||
| 72 | Don Sprinkle - Wayne Skipworth | 18 | 5 | 9.94 | 239 | |||
| 73 | Dale Surrett - Lee Endicott | 56 | 5 | 9.87 | 238 | |||
| 73 | Johnny Guffey - Wesley Bell | 167 | 5 | 9.87 | 238 | |||
| 75 | Mitch Burgin - Larry Houser | 91 | 4 | 9.71 | 236 | |||
| 76 | James Carriker - Brad Smith | 161 | 4 | 9.64 | 235 | |||
| 77 | Kevin Chandler - Bradley Chandler | 63 | 4 | 9.61 | 234 | |||
| 78 | James Wall - Jimmy Wall | 148 | 5 | 9.59 | 233 | |||
| 79 | Steve Sink - Tony Foster | 24 | 5 | 9.44 | 232 | |||
| 80 | Adam Ridings - Michael Ridings | 79 | 3 | 9.43 | 231 | |||
| 80 | Nolan Eller - Josh Huffman | 105 | 5 | 9.43 | 231 | |||
| 82 | Roger Adams - Josh Adams | 45 | 3 | 9.21 | 229 | |||
| 82 | Paul Guthrie - Robert Church | 117 | 5 | 9.21 | 229 | |||
| 84 | Thomas Gavin - Mike Sprouse | 153 | 5 | 9.16 | 227 | |||
| 85 | Thomas Simmerson - Doug Young | 6 | 3 | 9.12 | 5.7 | 226 | ||
| 86 | Patrick Tierney - Moe Freeze | 89 | 5 | 8.92 | 225 | |||
| 87 | Thomas Ludwick - Thomas File | 138 | 5 | 8.90 | 224 | |||
| 88 | Chris Wagner - Chase Deal | 80 | 5 | 8.83 | 223 | |||
| 89 | Tim Hollar - Bob Killian | 44 | 5 | 8.68 | 222 | |||
| 89 | Travus Lovell - James Roten | 55 | 5 | 8.68 | 222 | |||
| 91 | greg berst - Ryan Bentley | 168 | 5 | 8.48 | 220 | |||
| 92 | Steve Dyer - Derek Lilley | 37 | 3 | 8.47 | 219 | |||
| 93 | Israel Gibson - Grant McPeters | 106 | 4 | 8.45 | 218 | |||
| 94 | Anthony Monaco - Justin McBrayer | 72 | 5 | 8.06 | 217 | |||
| 95 | Bill Grier - Robby Byrum | 70 | 4 | 8.05 | 216 | |||
| 96 | Keith Speece - Wendell Ireland | 17 | 3 | 7.92 | 215 | |||
| 97 | Randall Wallace - Andrew Wallace | 170 | 4 | 7.55 | 214 | |||
| 98 | Chris Ellis - Mathew Frazier | 61 | 3 | 7.53 | 213 | |||
| 99 | Sheldon Hipps - Wayne Hauser | 60 | 4 | 7.44 | 212 | |||
| 100 | Allen Robbins - Jerry Robbins | 25 | 2 | 7.23 | 5.94 | 211 | ||
| 101 | Shawn Crosby - robert brooks | 163 | 4 | 7.02 | 210 | |||
| 102 | Billy Scoggins - Eddie Parker | 14 | 4 | 6.85 | 209 | |||
| 103 | bobby snyder - Bernie Davis | 100 | 2 | 6.64 | 5.27 | 208 | ||
| 104 | Larry LeHew - Greg Deal | 36 | 4 | 6.63 | 207 | |||
| 105 | Dale Duncan - Donnie Woody | 129 | 3 | 6.08 | 206 | |||
| 106 | Jason Lowman - Cody Lail | 88 | 2 | 5.57 | 205 | |||
| 107 | Fred Kauffman - Sam Gladden | 73 | 3 | 5.41 | 204 | |||
| 108 | Justin Stoltzfus - david schuette | 65 | 3 | 5.01 | 203 | |||
| 109 | Dan English - David Gibson | 143 | 1 | 3.59 | 202 | |||
| 110 | Larry Horton - Ricky Shrewsbury | 13 | 2 | 3.42 | 201 | |||
| 111 | John Robeson - Jimmy Tatum | 110 | 1 | 3.28 | 200 | |||
| 112 | Mike Clark - Chris Anderson | 47 | 1 | 1.97 | 1.97 | 199 | ||
| 113 | Thomas Hardwick - Tommy Williams | 90 | 1 | 1.95 | 198 | |||
| 114 | William Blanton - David Blanton | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 115 | James Martin - Cliff Kirby | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 116 | Nick Miller - Brandon Brickweg | 5 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 117 | Butch Zadlo - Bryan Lewis | 8 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 118 | Jeff Hager - darrel hager | 12 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 119 | Donald Poteat - JOHN ALLEN | 15 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 120 | Brent Berry - Steve Shaw | 16 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 121 | Adam Waters - Dylan Fulk | 19 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 122 | Jeff Queen - Carroll Queen | 21 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 123 | Greg Bragg - Christopher Terry | 30 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 124 | Dennis Cable - Tim Harrison | 31 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 125 | Todd Garner - Shane Hartman | 35 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 126 | Richard Robinson lll - Robert Chavis | 38 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 127 | joe floyd - Phil Brown | 41 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 128 | GEORGE HIRAPETIAN - ARAM HIRAPETIAN | 42 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 129 | Brian King | 43 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 130 | Mason Boyd - TIMOTHY SISK | 57 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 131 | Chris Corriher - Randy Christy | 67 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 132 | Milton Yancey - Larry Yancey | 68 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 133 | Ricky Self - Ben Stanton | 74 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 134 | Kevin Toler - Rodney Lambert | 75 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 135 | Bron Hemphill - Nathan Dellinger | 78 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 136 | Dwight Dellinger - Doug Dellinger | 81 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 137 | Greg Whittington - Danny Hucks | 85 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 138 | Michael Smith - Roger Pope | 86 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 139 | Tyler Hoopaugh - Chris Hoopaugh | 96 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 140 | MICHAEL HALL - MIKE HALL | 101 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 141 | Brendon Schneider - Kyle James | 102 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 142 | Chuck Morton - Michael Riggs | 107 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 143 | Tyler Dover - Billy Dover | 109 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 144 | Darrell Fisher - William Gregory | 111 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 145 | Mike Scott - Chris Johnson | 112 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 146 | Mikey Bowlby | 116 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 147 | Cody Shuffler - Bryce Owen | 120 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 148 | Dusty Taylor - Keaton Hawks | 121 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 149 | Robert Walser - Mack Lowe | 123 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 150 | Jason Quinn - Tony Colacurcio | 124 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 151 | Justin Reid - Derrick Compton | 126 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 152 | Louie Hull - Chuck Montgomery | 128 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 153 | Jacob Moore - Thomas Moore | 130 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 154 | Greg Sims - Michael Huffman | 131 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 155 | Brandon Sykes - Jeff McQuaige | 133 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 156 | Duke Denison - Jamie Denison | 135 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 157 | Paul Brittain - Robert Kendrick | 139 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 158 | Phillip Frady - Dirk Porter | 140 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 159 | Bob Bolick - Rick Hedrick | 141 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 160 | Tony Davis - Tim Bowman | 142 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 161 | Dale Luckey - John Brown | 144 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 162 | Terry Trivet - Derek Tolley | 145 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 163 | Michael Cribb - Roger Cribb | 146 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 164 | Brandon Williams - Christian Shoda | 147 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 165 | Brian Travis - Ashley Brotherton | 149 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 166 | Mike Ray - Orlando Giles | 154 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 167 | Timothy Stewart - chris stewart | 158 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 168 | Kyle Whisnant - James Ball | 159 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 169 | Roger Hoover - Scott Hamrick | 160 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 170 | Alton Rockett - Randy Huffman | 162 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 171 | Brock Taylor - Brent Long | 164 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 172 | Tim Hawley - Joe Hamilton | 171 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 | |||
| 173 | Adam Greer - Shae jones | 172 | 0 | 0.00 | 197 |
David Griswold Captures The Win In The Aft Division 96 Event On Lake Greenwood!
Group picture from left to right; 1st place David Griswold of Woodruff, SC / 2nd place and Big Fish Winner Don Kneece of Saluda, SC. / 3rd place Jerry Allen of Waterloo, SC / 4th place Daniel Howell of Star, SC / 5th place Jay Treon of Greenwood, SC. (Also a photo of Don Kneece with the tournament big fish.)
First place, David Griswold of Woodruff, SC, was fishing the middle part of the lake and caught his fish on docks with jerkbaits and flipping soft plastics. David’s 5 fish weighing 17.67 pounds with a kicker fish of 5.29 pounds won first place and first place option for a total of $637.
Don Kneece of Saluda, SC was second with 5 fish weighing 13.68 pounds fishing the upper part of the lake. He caught his fish on jerkbaits and top water. Don caught all his fish early from schooling fish. His big fish (tournament big fish) weighing 5.64 pounds was caught on the jerkbait. For second place, second place in the option pot and big fish Don won $478.
Jerry Allen of Waterloo, SC finished in third place with 5 fish weighing 12.04 pounds. Jerry took home $101 for third place.
Only 9 anglers out of the 19 fishing weighed in fish today. Anglers reported catching a lot of short fish and fishing docks seemed to be the pattern fished by many.
Our day started out raining with passing thunderstorms. The rain kept coming and going until about 10:30am. From that point it was cloudy to mostly cloudy for the remainder of the day. Wind was out of the SW at 10 to 15mph. We started at 66 degrees and were at 84 degrees for the 3pm weigh-in. Water temps were in the mid 70’s. The lake was clear but stained in the creeks and almost at full pool.
Here’s how we finished:
1 – David Griswold, Woodruff, SC – 5 fish 17.67 lbs. 199 pts.
2 – Don Kneece, Saluda, SC - 5 fish 13.68 lbs. BF 5.64 lbs. 198 pts.
3 – Jerry Allen, Waterloo, SC – 5 fish 12.04 lbs. 197 pts.
4 – Daniel Howell, Star, SC – 5 fish 10.28 lbs. 196 pts.
5 – Jay Treon, Greenwood, SC – 5 fish 17.10 lbs. 195 pts.
6 – Matt Mollohan, Lexington, SC – 5 fish 8.90 lbs. 194 pts.
7 – Stanley Harkins, Fletcher, NC – 2 fish 3.96 lbs. 193 pts.
8 – Cody Conner, Saluda, SC – 2 fish 3.70 lbs. 192 pts.
9 – Ed Matthews, Columbia, SC – 1 fish 3.37 lbs. 191 pts.
10 anglers did not weigh in fish - 50 pts.
Money
David Griswold – 1st place plaque $522 / 1st place option $115 Total - $637
Don Kneece – 2nd place plaque $308 / 2nd place option $75 / BF plaque $95 Total - $478
Jerry Allen – 3rd place plaque - $101
Daniel Howell – 4th place – Parker Spinnerbait
Jay Treon – 5th place – ALX Rods Hat
ALX Rod Big Fish Leader for 2016
John Stevenson – 7.65 lbs. Lake Murray, February 28, 2015
ALX Rods Big Fish Award for the 2015 Season (New ALX IKOS Series Rod for Season Big Fish Winner www.alxrods.com )
Local Sponsors:
Our local sponsors will be providing products or money for products for the anglers fishing Division 96 tournaments. Please give them your support by looking to them first when considering your purchases. They are supporting you!
Kneece Investigations, LLC Saluda, SC www.kneeceinvestigations.com (864-445-3713) (one stop for both your Investigative and Surveillance Equipment needs)
ALX Rods Aiken, SC www.alxrods.com (803-645-5392) Email: contact@alxrods.com (ALX Rods are available locally at The Tackle Shop (Martinez, GA), Palmetto State Armory (Fernandina Road in Columbia, SC & also store in Mt. Pleasant, SC), Wacky Riggers (Salisbury, NC), Calyx Outdoors (Piedmont, SC) Grady’s Great Outdoors (Anderson, SC), Lake Hartwell Outdoor Center (Anderson, SC) and direct at www.alxrods.com )
Gene Parker’s Spinnerbaits Asheville, NC - the baits that Gene Parker used to win the 2011 ABA National Championship on Lake Murray, SC www.parkerbaittechnology.com (828-691-2277)
Results and news on www.aba-sc.com and see your photos on ‘facebook’ at D-96 American Fishing Tour
Upcoming ABA Tournaments:
D-25 May 14-15, 2016 Hartwell Green Pond 2-Day
SC Couples May 21, 2016 Russell Russell State Park
D-96 May 21-22, 2016 Clarks Hill Dorn Facility 2-Day
D-96 May 28, 2016 Bring A Youth Greenwood Greenwood State Park
D-26 May 29, 2016 Clarks Hill Wildwood Park
SC Couples June 4, 2016 Greenwood One Stop Marina
Ram Open Series June 11, 2016 Hartwell Green Pond
D-26 June 26, 2016 Clarks Hill Wildwood Park
D-96 July 10, 2016 Murray Dreher Island State Park (1st of 2017 Season)
D-26 Aug. 14, 2016 Clarks Hill Wildwood Park
D-96 Aug. 21, 2016 Greenwood Greenwood State Park (2017)
D-26 Sept. 10-11, 2016 Clarks Hill Wildwood State Park (Div. 2-Day)
D-96 Sept. 18, 2016 Murray Dreher Island State Park (2017)
D-96 Oct. 2, 2016 Clarks Hill Dorn Facility (2017)
D-96 Nov. 6, 2016 Greenwood Greenwood State Park (2017)
D-96 Dec. 4, 2016 Russell Hwy 72 Ramp
AFT 2016 National Championship October 16-21, 2016 Lake Eufaula out of Lake Point Resort State Park, Eufaula, Al
Tim Mann, Troy Ray Win Big Nefar Tourney On St Johns River With 24.59 Pounds
Mann and Ray weighed-in 24.59 pounds of bass.
The NEFAR tourney indicates that fishing is good on the river right now. It also hints that we'll see big numbers of boats and bass at the Wolfson tourney in mid-May.
More details to come.
Rare Baker's Dozen Fish Final Day Of Elite Series On Wheeler
It's interesting that Dave Lefebre is sponsored by '13 Fishing' because he leads the Elites into a final round that features 13, not the standard 12, anglers.
At the close of Day 3, Saturday, Luke Clausen was disqualified under Bassmaster Elite Series Rule C3 which pertains to 'practice and competition' and has 5 subrules attached to it.
Citing his rights under Rule C23, Clausen appealed his disqualification and was thus allowed to fish today with the understanding that his efforts will be null and void if the DQ is upheld.
Similarly, Cliff Crochet, in 13th place yesterday, was also permitted to fish today with the understanding that if Clausen wins his case, Crochet's day will have just amounted to fun fishing and nothing more - except additional exposure for himself and his sponsors which is certainly a big benefit.
A decision is supposed to be handed-down at the conclusion of today's activities.
Either way, Crochet is having blast throwing topwater frogs as he has all week.
Weigh in should be interesting, if a bit awkward.
Team 13 Fishing & Rapala Angler Dave Lefebre Maintains Lead In Wheeler Lake Elite Series Event!!
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Lefebre Jumps Out To A Commanding Lead After Day 2 Of The Elite Series Event On Lake Wheeler
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Elite Series Day 1 Interviews
Some are happy and some are sad. More sad than happy right now as the guys who caught them caught them and the guys who didnt are left scratching their heads. Hear a little of both in the Day 1 Elite Series Wrap up with Justin Lucas, Brandon Palaniuk and Brandon Lester from Wheeler Lake.
The Crews Missile Jumps Out To The Early Lead In The 4Th Elite Series Stop Of The Bass Season
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Elite Series Day 1 Morning Interviews
Words like "Worst Ever", "Dead Sea", "Terrible" and some we can't mention were used to describe the status of the fishing on lake Wheeler this week. Listen as 4 Elite Series hammers tell us how they feel about day 1 then head over to Bassmaster.com and check the blog to see how they are really doing!
Anglers Channel On The Water With Flw Cup Champ Brad Knight
FLW Cup Champ Brad Knight likes to simplify things in the spring to help you get more bites. Hit Play and see how he keeps it simple and light to catch more and bigger fish in the spring.
Ferguson And Stewart Win The White Pine Marine Tt On Douglas-Results And Pic Here!
The second tournament for White Pine Marine Trail was Saturday April 23rd on Douglas Lake. We had another good turnout with 100 boats. The day was a sunny day with temps reaching near 80 degrees. The fishing was as good as the weather with fish in all stages of the spawn they were caught shallow and deep. The team of Bobby Ferguson and Marty Stewart brought to the scales 23.48 pounds to win and they also had big largemouth for tourney of 6.95lb. This veteran team was quoted that they fished post spawn deep fish. The win, big fish, and highest Lowrance money netted them $3800.00 dollars. We look forward to our next event which is on Cherokee lake at the Dam May 21st blast off will be 6:30 am. You may sign up at White Pine Marine that entire week and parking will be tight at the ramp. Thanks to all our great sponsors like Nitro/tracker Marine, Mercury, Jefferson county and Morristown chambers for all their support. Please see website for list of all sponsors.
Thanks Director Richard McMaster
Benton, Avena And A Talented Cast Of Young Pros Vie For Bassmaster Roy Title
I watched Bo Jackson and Michael Jordan (yes, THAT Michael Jordan when he tried his hand at hardball) play against our Suns. Neither could hit a curve ball at the time. Bo figured it out.
Observing the sport of angling from the front lines, I have had the privilege of watching young anglers learn to hit tournament curveballs - weather changes, disappearing schools, depleted shallow water areas and boat pressure.
A couple of years ago I fished the co-angler division at an FLW Tour tourney on Okeechobee. Now, in no way do I mean to compare the FLW Tour to minor league ball. The Tour represents a most professional sports league. The comparison lies in the fact that it afforded me a front row seat to watch some strong young talent that is now showing up as front runners in the Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year race. Heck, a couple of the young guys are making noise in the Angler of the Year race.
At that one tournament I met Adrian Avena in a grocery store parking lot and fished with Drew Benton on 2nd day of the first FLW Tour event of his rookie season on that trail. Benton won the tournament. What I remember most though is that he dug in his tackle bag and handed me a lure like the one he was catching them on. Before he had finished out his limit. It was a homemade bladed jig. He also figured out why I wasn’t catching them like he was. He explained exactly how the fish were positioned and why.
Drew Benton was dialed-in.
I enjoyed the show and developed an admiration for the way this young man went about his business. And the way he treated me.
While Avena is a Jersey Boy and Benton hails from Panama City, Florida, they share some outstanding character traits. Traits that make it easy to understand the considerable success they have achieved so early in their careers.
Benton currently 9th in AOY points and leads the ROY race with 258 points. Avena is 28th with 217. We’re 3 tournaments into the 2016 season, and a lot can still happen; will happen, but Benton and Avena have separated from a talented pack of rookies. The race should be tight and guys like Brock Mosely and John Hunter will give chase.
And I believe that years from now we will look back on this Rookie of the Year race as the start of some big Bassmaster tournament angling careers.
Countdown To Blastoff With Ac Pro Staffer Rob Digh-High Stakes All Over This Coming Weekend!
AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh joins us again to preview what looks to be a fantastic weekend on the water! Final CBC NC Qualifier on Hickory as well as numberous others throughout the region! Patterns are changing now, and we dive into what that means for that first cast..
Weekend Wrap Up With Ac Pro Staffer Rob Digh-Local Angler Wins The Big Bass On Smith Mtn!
AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh helps us re-cap what was a great weekend on the water! Thousands of $$ won accross the region and we cover it all! Bass Pro's Big Bass on Smith Mtn, the Elites on Bull Shoals, CBC on Winyah Bay, and much, much more!!
Jennings And Patterson Win The Collins Bass For Cash Youth Series On Gaston With An Impressive 16.04 Lbs-Full Results And Pics!
Jennings & Patterson Take Lake Gaston Youth Educational Series Win
Fifteen youth teams made their way to Lake Gaston for event number two on the Youth Educational Series schedule. After coming off a second place finish at Jordan Lake last month in the season opener, Logan Jennings and Alden Patterson came out swinging and secured the top spot with 16.04 lbs. The two anglers were each rewarded with matching trophies, Outdoor Accessories Unlimited prize packages (tackle storage containers, spinner baits, crankbaits, and bullet weights), Z-Man Elaztech soft plastics, and Penetration Hooks.
In only their first season as an established high school team, the duo of Dylan Valousky & Timothy Estep boosted their schools momentum with a second place finish after bringing 15.31 lbs of Lake Gaston bass to the scales, including the event lunker at 6.42 lbs. For their runner up finish, the two anglers were each rewarded with matching trophies, Outdoor Accessories Unlimited prize packages (tackle storage containers, crankbaits, and bullet weights), Z-Man Elaztech soft plastics, and Penetration Hooks. The lunker awards consisted of a dedicated lunker trophy, a Z-Man hoodie, and a $50 Ranger Wear gift card.
After winning the season opener, Tyler Dunn & Mathew Shrewsbury settled for the third position in this event with their catch of 12.75 lbs. For their efforts, the two anglers were awarded with Outdoor Accessories Unlimited prize packages (tackle storage containers, crankbaits, and bullet weights), Z-Man Elaztech soft plastics, and Penetration Hooks.
Christian and Seth Bonar filled the fourth position with their five fish limit weighing in at 11.59 lbs which earned the duo Outdoor Accessories Unlimited prize packages (tackle storage containers and bullet weights), Z-Man Elaztech soft plastics, and Penetration Hooks.
Rounding out the top five was the team of Landon and Camden Inscoe with their catch of 6.88 lbs. Each were awarded Z-Man Elaztech soft plastics, and Penetration Hooks.
Door prizes such as Solar Bat Sunglasses, Ranger Boats gift cards, Z-Man soft plastics and apparel, and Penetration Hooks were provided during the afternoon weigh-in.
Thanks to the help of Stevens Sausage, food items were provided during the afternoon weigh-in for all of the youth anglers and their boat captains.
We were excited to partner with the Virginia Student Angler Federation for this event. The Virginia SAF program used this tournament as a regular season points event for their state series. Additional great trophy awards were presented to the top three teams by the Virginia TBF/SAF youth director, Jerry Wright. A special thanks goes out to Jerry for his assistance in this event.
Wilbur Westbrook & Mike Lanier Win The Collins Bass For Cash Series On Gaston With 22.87-Full Results And Pics Here!
Westbrook & Lanier Win Bass For Cash Series Event On Gaston
Sixty teams converged onto Lake Gaston for event number two of the Collins Inc. – Bass For Cash Series. Wilbur Westbrook & Mike Lanier took the top spot with a five fish limit weighing in at 22.87 lbs, granting the duo a $1282.00 pay day. As a registered member of the Ranger Cup program, Westbrook earns another $500 from Ranger Boats. Also, by meeting the Collins Cup program guidelines, Westbrook & Lanier have earned a pre-paid entry into a future BFCS event of their choice. The pair only had six total bites for the entire day, but it was obviously the quality bites that they were looking for.
Randy Broughman & Bobby Kinsey secured the second position with their five fish limit that weighed 21.76 lbs and handed the tandem a $765.00 pay check.
Raymond Jones and Braxton Chase filled the third position with their catch of 18.67 lbs, earning the duo $608.00 for their efforts. Jones also netted another $300.00 check and a $100 Outdoor Accessories Unlimited Gift Card for landing the event lunker weighing in at 6.73 lbs.
Coming home in the fourth position was the team of Buster Seabolt and Scott Mooneyham with a catch of 16.86 lbs, earning the tandem $495.00 for the day.
Filling the fifth position was pairing of Joey Dawson & Bo Grosvenor with their catch of 16.60 lbs worth $427.00.
Ron and Ronnie Clark settled in the sixth position with 15.35 lbs and gained $315.00 while Danny Moss earned $248.00 for his catch of 15.24 lbs, landing him in the seventh spot.
Rounding out the final two check earning positions for the day was the eighth place team of Gene Griffin and Mike Whitehurst with their catch of 15.09 lbs worth $225.00 and the ninth place team of Chuck Murray & Randy Groves with 15.07 lbs, giving the duo $135.00 for the day.
Walker & Mason Win Alabama Bass Trail Event With 22.27Lbs - Hear How The Top 3 Caught Their Fish.
Alabama Bass Trail had their 3rd Northern Event on Pickwick Lake this past weekend. Watch and see how the top 3 teams caught their fish!
Flw Bfl Recap - Northeast, Buckeye, Gator, Savannah River, Music City Events From April 23, 2016
PITTSBURGH’S STASIAK WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE NORTHEAST DIVISION OPENER ON POTOMAC RIVER
Maurer wins co-angler title
MARBURY, Md. (April 25, 2016) – Matt Stasiak of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the first FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Northeast Division tournament of 2016 on the Potomac River. For his victory, Stasiak took home $7,498.
Stasiak said he spent his day focusing on a spawning area in Piscataway Creek. He said the bass were actively feeding on perch, which ended up being a crucial part of his pattern.
“I started out throwing a green-pumpkin Zoom Brush Hog,†said Stasiak, who earned his first win in FLW competition. “I was fan casting and dragging it. In tidal waters, sometimes you can’t see the beds, so dragging is the best option.â€
Around midday, Stasiak said he switched to using a green-pumpkin and orange-colored Z-Man ChatterBait.
“When the tide was moving, the bass were active and really wanted the ChatterBait,†said Stasiak. “At high-tide, I ran it slow over the top of grass. If it got caught, I’d pop it, let it fall, then keep reeling. At low tide, I kept my rod tip up as there was only about a foot of water where I was throwing.â€
Stasiak went on to say that he was able to catch 15 keepers throughout the event.
“A lot of people were throwing white Chatterbaits out there, but I don’t think they were dialed in on the shad,†said Stasiak. “I had a lot of perch bites up near my boat which made me choose the green-pumpkin and orange. That’s what got me the better bites.â€
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Matt Stasiak, Pittsburgh, Pa., five bass, 19-13, $5,498 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Al Fiorille, Mount Airy, Md., five bass, 19-6, $2,249
3rd: Ryan Ingalls, Fairfax, Va., five bass, 18-7, $1,498
4th: Michael Durbak, Woodbourne, N.Y., five bass, 18-0, $975
4th: Ernie Freeman, Broad Run, Va., five bass, 18-0, $975
6th: Grae Buck, Harleysville, Pa., five bass, 17-15, $825
7th: Joseph Thompson, Coatesville, Pa., five bass, 17-14, $750
8th: Mark Schafer, Williamstown, N.J., five bass, 17-11, $675
9th: Bruce Ring, Front Royal, Va., five bass, 17-10, $600
10th: Anthony Ebel, Davidsonville, Md., five bass, 17-7, $525
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Brian Christy of Media, Pennsylvania, caught a 6-pound, 9-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $645.
Ken Maurer of Herndon, Pennsylvania, weighed in five bass totaling 19 pounds, 7 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,249.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Ken Maurer, Herndon, Pa., five bass, 19-7, $2,249
2nd: Griffen Hurt, Bound Brook, N.J., five bass, 18-1, $1,125
3rd: Kenneth Henderson, Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 17-11, $752
4th: Robert Parmer Jr., Linden, Pa., five bass, 17-9, $525
5th: Dennis Jones, La Plata, Md., five bass, 16-13, $450
6th: Brandon Esterly, Fleetwood, Pa., five bass, 16-11, $412
7th: Richard Pace, Frederick, Md., five bass, 16-3, $375
8th: Bill Naron, Beaverdam, Va., five bass, 15-13, $318
8th: Wyatt Morris, Little Falls, N.Y., five bass, 15-13, $318
10th: Damon Reid, Bowie, Md., five bass, 15-7, $262
Ron Terlop of Cleveland, Ohio, 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 $322.
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.
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.
MAPLEWOOD’S GINTER WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE BUCKEYE DIVISION OPENER ON GRAND LAKE
Knapmeyer wins co-angler title
CELINA, Ohio (April 25, 2016) – Gary Ginter of Maplewood, Ohio, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday to win the first FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Buckeye Division tournament of 2016 on Grand Lake. For his victory, Ginter took home $5,905.
“I started out my day on the south side of the lake fishing canals that I had marked in practice,†said Ginter, who earned his third win in FLW competition. “I had to adjust my pattern a bit due to boat traffic and ended up at my backup spot targeting wood and caught a few fish fairly quick.â€
Ginter said he flipped the wood using a custom black soft-plastic creature bait.
“I moved it slow with short hops,†said Ginter. “It resembles a Zoom Brush Hog and it got me through the seven areas I hit throughout my day.â€
At 12:30 p.m., Ginter said he had four fish in the boat and decided to finish the event running his bait along rocks.
“After the sun came out, I filled my limit and culled when I could,†said Ginter. “I ended up with nine keepers. Basically I paid attention to what others were doing and did the opposite.â€
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Gary Ginter, Maplewood, Ohio, five bass, 13-1, $5,905
2nd: Todd Hahn, Heath, Ohio, five bass, 12-0, $2,453
3rd: Scott Tangeman, Chickasaw, Ohio, five bass, 11-4, $2,375
4th: Kenneth Pincombe, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 10-15, $1,063
4th: Dan Moran, London, Ohio, five bass, 10-15, $1,063
6th: Brad Baldwin, Waynesville, Ohio, five bass, 10-14, $899
7th: Miles Johnson, Kettering, Ohio, five bass, 10-4, $1,118
8th: Cody Seeger, Lewistown, Ohio, five bass, 10-3, $695
8th: Ray Philhower, Milford, Ohio, four bass, 10-3, $695
10th: Bob Abrams, Williamsburg, Ohio, four bass, 10-0, $572
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Tangeman caught a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $740.
Brandon Knapmeyer of Union, Kentucky, weighed in four bass totaling 8 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,436.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Brandon Knapmeyer, Union, Ky., four bass, 8-2, $2,436
2nd: John Long, New Bremen, Ohio, four bass, 8-1, $1,016
2nd: Dennis Sepeck, Bethel, Ohio, three bass, 8-1, $1,016
4th: Brett Warrick, Westerville, Ohio, five bass, 7-9, $568
5th: Mark Henderson, Martinsville, Ohio, four bass, 7-3, $487
6th: Jacob Bierman, Cincinnati, Ohio, four bass, 6-15, $447
7th: Owen Warner, Fairborn, Ohio, three bass, 6-9, $406
8th: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, three bass, 5-12, $345
8th: Brent Jones, Okeana, Ohio, three bass, 5-12, $345
10th: William Miller, Perry, Ohio, one bass, 5-11, $651
Miller caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $367.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 13-15 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. 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.
SARASOTA’S MIZELL WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE GATOR DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE PRESENTED BY MINN KOTA
Mut wins co-angler title
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (April 25, 2016) – Jessie Mizell of Sarasota, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 25 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Gator Division tournament on Lake Okeechobee presented by Minn Kota. For his victory, Mizell took home $5,336.
Mizell said he targeted bass that were feeding on bluegill in a lagoon along a 100-yard stretch near Harney Pond.
“When I heard the bluegill popping, I would head into the pads,†said Mizell, who earned the win in his first-ever event with FLW. “The water was clean on the outside of the hydrilla line, but that morning there was a southwest wind that blew in some dirty water so I decided to focus on the back side of the pads.
“I used a green-pumpkin Z-Man ChatterBait rigged with a Gambler Little EZ to catch my limit for the day,†Mizell continued. “I rolled it as slow as I could and just kept pecking at them. It was a grind, but I knew the fish were in there.â€
Mizell said he made a midday adjustment which helped him catch nearly 12 keepers.
“In the morning, I lost a lot of fish,†said Mizell. “I was pulling the bait aside when they swiped at it and it scared them off. But after a while, I figured them out. I noticed they would eat it after I stopped cranking to let it drop, so that’s what I did throughout the rest of the day and it worked.â€
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jessie Mizell, Sarasota, Fla., five bass, 25-11, $5,336
2nd: Kail Stevens, Boynton Beach, Fla., five bass, 24-5, $2,668
3rd: Raymond Trudeau, Saint Cloud, Fla., five bass, 23-7, $1,780
4th: Jared Dial, Winter Haven, Fla., five bass, 23-6, $1,245
5th: Steve Yeatts, Palm Springs, Fla., five bass, 22-10, $1,487
6th: Richard Held, Lake Worth, Fla., five bass, 19-14, $978
7th: Mike Keyso Jr., North Port, Fla., five bass, 19-11, $889
8th: Victor Knight, Lehigh Acres, Fla., five bass, 19-9, $800
9th: Gary Milicevic, Labelle, Fla., five bass, 19-6, $712
10th: Roger Crafton, Boca Grande, Fla., five bass, 19-4, $623
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Yoan Alvarez of Miami, Florida, caught an 8-pound, 5-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $420.
Alex Mut of Miami, Florida, weighed in five bass totaling 22 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,668.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Alex Mut, Miami, Fla., five bass, 22-11, $2,668
2nd: Walter Sargent, Boynton Beach, Fla., five bass, 19-2, $1,334
3rd: Christopher Kelley, Port Saint Lucie, Fla., five bass, 17-1, $888
4th: Michael Chadwick, La Belle, Fla., five bass, 14-9, $623
5th: Terry Chapman, Brooksville, Fla., five bass, 13-15, $534
6th: Robert Turcotte, Naples, Fla., five bass, 13-7, $489
7th: Matthew Wolfe Jr., Casstown, Ohio, five bass, 13-6, $445
8th: David Bozeman, Ocala, Fla., five bass, 13-5, $400
9th: General Johnson, Fort Myers, Fla., four bass, 13-3, $356
10th: Greg Smith, Naples, Fla., five bass, 13-1, $311
William Brown of Davie, Florida, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 4 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $420.
EASTANOLLEE’S MORROW WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE SAVANNAH RIVER DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE HARTWELL PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS
Rogers wins co-angler title
ANDERSON, S.C. (April 25, 2016) – Pro angler Troy Morrow of Eastanollee, Georgia, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Savannah River Division tournament on Lake Hartwell presented by Navionics. For his victory, Morrow took home $7,684.
“My original intention was to head up the river and look for bedding fish, but when I arrived at my area they were gone,†said Morrow, a four-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier. “I had to adjust on the fly.â€
“I flipped a tree laydown using a plum-apple-colored Zoom Lizard and had some success,†said Morrow. “I found that there was also a flipping bite near smaller bushes. There were a bunch of bucks in them. At some larger willow bushes, I caught one that I eventually weighed in.â€
Around 1 p.m., Morrow said he ran south to a pocket where he ended up catching the heaviest bass of the tournament.
“I saw a big female in there and threw the Lizard, but she wasn’t biting,†said Morrow. “I left her alone for awhile, then went back, pitched in a green-pumpkin Lizard, and she bit.â€
Morrow said his final two limit fish came on a Zoom swimbait off of docks on a nearby main-lake flat.
“Even though I wasn’t able to go with my original pattern, I was still able to patch things up,†said Morrow. “It was an interesting day out there.â€
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., five bass, 17-11, $5,684 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Derek Champion, Tryon, N.C., five bass, 17-5, $2,059
3rd: Matthew Roesch, Toccoa, Ga., five bass, 16-10, $1,374
4th: Randy Childers, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 15-9, $961
5th: Greg Glouse, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 15-1, $824
6th: Mike Bouknight, Greenwood, S.C., five bass, 14-12, $755
7th: Eddie Whiten Jr., Pickens, S.C., five bass, 14-3, $652
8th: Chris Baxter, Winder, Ga., five bass, 14-3, $952
9th: David Wright, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 14-2, $514
9th: Michael Brehm, Rock Hill, S.C., five bass, 14-2, $514
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Morrow also caught a 7-pound, 6-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $565.
Jody Rogers Sr. of Clarkesville, Georgia, weighed in five bass totaling 12 pounds, 6 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,059.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Jody Rogers Sr., Clarkesville, Ga., five bass, 12-6, $2,059
2nd: Christopher Chavis, Rincon, Ga., five bass, 12-0, $1,030
3rd: Barry Myers, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 11-13, $687
4th: Bill Hawkins, Piedmont, S.C., five bass, 11-3, $480
5th: Bobby Smith, Asheville, N.C., five bass, 10-10, $412
6th: Lesley Childers, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 10-9, $378
7th: Stewart Uldrick, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 10-5, $326
7th: Tony Holbrooks, Franklin, N.C., five bass, 10-5, $326
9th: Keith Lewis, Franklin, N.C., five bass, 10-2, $275
10th: Stephen Burress, Mills River, N.C., five bass, 9-14, $240
Ethan Monk of Long Creek, South Carolina, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 9 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $282.
MOUNT JULIET’S MERRICK WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MUSIC CITY DIVISION EVENT ON PERCY PRIEST PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS
Foutz wins co-angler title
SMYRNA, Tenn. (April 25, 2016) – William Merrick of Mount Juliet, Tennessee, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Music City Division tournament on Percy Priest presented by Navionics. For his victory, Merrick took home $3,648.
“I spent my day on the south end of the lake throwing a large swimbait,†said Merrick, who earned his second win in FLW competition. “I slow-rolled it out deep for both pre- and postspawn bass in about 20 different spots. I preferred spawning banks that had a specific mix of rock and gravel.â€
Merrick said he used a 7-inch, trout-colored Osprey Swimbait and caught nearly 13 keepers on a fairly consistent basis.
“It’s a lot larger than most swimbaits used in this part of the country,†said Merrick. “It was definitely something the fish weren’t accustomed to seeing.â€
Merrick said his limit consisted of three postspawn smallmouth and two prespawn largemouth bass.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: William Merrick, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 18-4, $3,648
2nd: Chris Fondren, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 16-9, $1,324
3rd: Jeff Lokken, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 15-14, $882
4th: Brandon Edel, Hendersonville, Tenn., five bass, 13-10, $903
5th: Billy Hinson, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 13-6, $530
6th: Jeremy Ethridge, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 12-14, $463
7th: Charlie Crisp Jr., Catlettsburg, Ky., five bass, 12-14, $463
8th: Josh Tramel, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 12-5, $397
9th: Adam Militana, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 12-3, $353
10th: Brandon Maynard , Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 12-2, $309
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Edel caught a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $285.
Jacob Foutz of Charleston, Tennessee, weighed in five bass totaling 11 pounds, 10 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $1,324.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Jacob Foutz, Charleston, Tenn., five bass, 11-10, $1,324
2nd: Jim Fontaine, Smyrna, Tenn., five bass, 10-12, $804
3rd: Jason McCanless, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 10-10, $440
4th: Michael Birdwell, Granville, Tenn., five bass, 10-4, $309
5th: Greg Whittaker, Monterey, Tenn. five bass, 10-2, $265
6th: Brandon Russell, Murfreesboro, Tenn., four bass, 8-14, $243
7th: Larry Anderson, Hillsboro, Ohio, three bass, 8-5, $221
8th: Jake Short, Lebanon, Tenn., four bass, 8-3, $199
9th: Alex Hester, Crossville, Tenn., four bass, 7-11, $177
10th: Brennon Binkley, Franklin, Tenn., three bass, 7-10, $154
Fontaine caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 3 pounds, 14 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $142.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
5.99-Pound Bass Wins Jeff Johnson A New Fully Rigged 30K Boat-Motor-Trailer Pkg!!
Leaders
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JEFF JOHNSON | 5.99 |
| 2 | DREW CARTER | 5.87 |
| 3 | DANIEL JENKINS | 5.75 |
| 4 | BRYAN LEWIS | 5.43 |
| 5 | REGGIE DELLINGER | 5.38 |
| 6 | DWAIN BEVER | 5.35 |
| 7 | GRANVIL GRIFFIN | 5.29 |
| 8 | BURT LANE | 5.22 |
| 9 | TIMMY HOLLAND | 5.21 |
| 10 | RICH FERRIS | 5.13 |
Saturday 8-9
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | REGGIE DELLINGER | 5.38 |
| 2 | GRANVIL GRIFFIN | 5.29 |
| 3 | RONNIE DAUGHTRY | 4.95 |
| 4 | PERRY GORDON | 4.48 |
| 5 | ROBERT HOYT | 4.40 |
| 6 | MATT HALL | 4.35 |
| 7 | DAMIEN MACMAHON | 3.89 |
| 8 | JESSE CATES | 3.61 |
| 9 | WAYNE MYERS | 3.58 |
| 10 | STEPHEN JONES | 3.38 |
Saturday 9-10
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DREW CARTER | 5.87 |
| 2 | RICH FERRIS | 5.13 |
| 3 | ED PERDUE | 4.70 |
| 4 | CHRIS MARTIN | 4.37 |
| 5 | MATT HALL | 4.20 |
| 6 | TIM GOFF | 3.78 |
| 7 | KEVIN LANKFORD | 3.76 |
| 8 | DENNIS HOLLAND | 3.75 |
| 9 | KENNETH WALTHER | 3.72 |
| 10 | TYLER DUKE | 3.60 |
Saturday 10-11
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BRYAN LEWIS | 5.43 |
| 2 | DWAIN BEVER | 5.35 |
| 3 | JACOB PERKINS | 5.04 |
| 4 | JASON JENNINGS | 4.88 |
| 5 | ZACH MABRY | 4.75 |
| 6 | SABIAN STARGARDT | 4.64 |
| 7 | RICK TILLEY JR | 4.11 |
| 8 | LONNIE GIVENS | 3.92 |
| 9 | BRADLEY STARR | 3.79 |
| 9 | SHAWN HAMMACK | 3.79 |
Saturday 11-12
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JEFF JOHNSON | 5.99 |
| 2 | ROBERT HOYT | 4.91 |
| 3 | DWAIN BEVER | 4.83 |
| 4 | JOSH AKERS | 4.54 |
| 5 | MATT HALL | 4.49 |
| 6 | WILL BOWLING | 4.26 |
| 7 | BILLY ORR | 4.02 |
| 8 | JOEL SCHOTT | 3.79 |
| 9 | NATHAN WARD | 3.74 |
| 10 | LUKE NICHOLS | 3.69 |
Saturday 12-1
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JOSH ALBERT | 4.79 |
| 2 | JOHN WARNER | 4.54 |
| 3 | JASON OBRYANT | 3.98 |
| 4 | RICK LASWSON | 3.97 |
| 5 | BEN REYNOLDS | 3.93 |
| 6 | LANDON SIGGERS | 3.91 |
| 7 | SCOTT GIFFORD | 3.89 |
| 8 | BRAYDEN RAKES | 3.82 |
| 9 | GREG REED | 3.81 |
| 10 | KEITH JENKINS | 3.64 |
Saturday 1-2
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MATT HEPLER | 4.77 |
| 2 | WESLEY BENNETT | 4.49 |
| 3 | ZACH MABRY | 4.33 |
| 4 | JIMMY LANKFORD | 4.23 |
| 5 | JUSTIN WITTEN | 4.11 |
| 6 | EDWARD FOUST | 4.07 |
| 7 | GREGG BASHAM | 3.96 |
| 8 | JAMES KEENEY | 3.93 |
| 9 | LUKE NICHOLS | 3.66 |
| 10 | MARK CLINGENPEEL | 3.63 |
Saturday 2-3
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BURT LANE | 5.22 |
| 2 | LANDON SIGGERS | 4.20 |
| 3 | GREGG BASHAM | 3.99 |
| 4 | JAMES PENLEY | 3.81 |
| 4 | MATT STOUT | 3.81 |
| 6 | TIMMY JACKSON | 3.77 |
| 7 | TONY LESTER | 3.67 |
| 8 | CRAIG BLANKENSHIP | 3.66 |
| 9 | RONNIE DAUGHTRY | 3.62 |
| 10 | JOE FRAME | 3.59 |
Sunday 8-9
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DANIEL JENKINS | 5.75 |
| 2 | TIMMY HOLLAND | 5.21 |
| 3 | CHRIS HENDRICK | 4.46 |
| 4 | RYAN PARNELL | 4.45 |
| 5 | KELLY JOHNSON | 4.33 |
| 6 | JACOB BUMGARNER | 4.13 |
| 7 | MARK EDWARDS | 3.78 |
| 8 | RONNIE ROSE | 3.75 |
| 9 | BURT LANE | 3.61 |
| 10 | DONNY THOMPSON | 3.58 |
Sunday 9-10
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DONNIE SHEEFEY JR | 4.54 |
| 2 | TIM LOVE | 4.51 |
| 3 | JOE YOUNG | 4.11 |
| 4 | JERRY ALDHIZER | 3.72 |
| 5 | SHAWN HOLLAND | 3.57 |
| 6 | RYAN MEYERS | 3.54 |
| 7 | TIM BOOTHE | 3.39 |
| 8 | THEO HAGERMAN | 3.13 |
| 8 | TRAVIS SNYDER | 3.13 |
| 10 | CHRIS HENDRICK | 3.04 |
Sunday 10-11
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BEN REYNOLDS | 4.64 |
| 2 | DELBERT CRUM | 3.98 |
| 3 | DONALD SHEFFEY JR | 3.57 |
| 4 | ERIC GOSS | 3.39 |
| 4 | MICHAEL PIKE | 3.39 |
| 6 | JAMES LAWSON | 3.35 |
| 7 | TOM RUSSELL | 3.29 |
| 8 | DAVID BELEW | 3.21 |
| 9 | REGGIE DELLINGER | 3.19 |
| 10 | BRIAN PEAK | 3.09 |
Sunday 11-12
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHRIS ADDISON | 4.65 |
| 2 | BEN REYNOLDS | 4.47 |
| 3 | JAMES BUGG | 4.39 |
| 4 | BARRY WYATT | 4.06 |
| 5 | BARRY WRIGHT | 3.91 |
| 6 | JOEL SCHOTT | 3.75 |
| 7 | PAUL MAYHEW | 3.62 |
| 8 | TRAVIS SNYDER | 3.60 |
| 9 | COURTNEY HALL | 3.19 |
| 10 | ROBERT SHEETS | 3.17 |
Sunday 12-1
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JEFF JOHNSON | 4.41 |
| 2 | TRAVIS KIRK | 4.26 |
| 3 | PAUL MAJORS | 4.19 |
| 3 | TYLER BOOTHE | 4.19 |
| 5 | BEN REYNOLDS | 4.01 |
| 6 | RAY KEATTS | 3.96 |
| 7 | LARRY WITT | 3.78 |
| 8 | RANDY ANDERSON | 3.58 |
| 8 | BOBBY RAKES | 3.58 |
| 10 | MICHAEL EAVEY | 3.52 |
Sunday 1-2
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MARK ERRICO | 4.47 |
| 2 | TIM SHANK | 4.08 |
| 3 | AARON RYGAS | 4.05 |
| 4 | CORY WEST | 4.01 |
| 5 | AARON LUCAS | 3.95 |
| 6 | BEN REYNOLDS | 3.93 |
| 7 | JAMES MYERS | 3.76 |
| 8 | MARK EDWARDS | 3.73 |
| 9 | JEFF JOHNSON | 3.69 |
| 9 | JAMES PENLEY | 3.69 |
Sunday 2-3
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHARLES WHITMAN | 4.23 |
| 2 | DAMIEN MACMAHON | 4.15 |
| 3 | DONALD SHEFFEY JR | 4.08 |
| 4 | MICHAEL EPPERLEY | 4.04 |
| 5 | BROCK ANDERSON | 3.96 |
| 6 | JEFF JOHNSON | 3.93 |
| 7 | MARK CLINGENPEEL | 3.78 |
| 8 | JODY THOMPSON | 3.70 |
| 9 | LUKE NICHOLS | 3.64 |
| 10 | TOM WHITMORE | 3.54 |
Team Of Ramirez And Ramirez Win The Lake Falcon Basschamps Event With Over 31 Pounds!!!!
| By: Patty Lenderman |
|
Oh, what a phenomenal day of fishing on Falcon for 142 teams vying for a portion of nearly $42,000 in payback at Skeeter Bass Champs! The father & son team Albert Ramirez Sr & Jr from Laredo, TX championed them all weighing in over 30 pounds of bass taking home $20,000 in winnings.
April 23rd was the third event for the South Region, and the fishing was incredible, seeing 32 sacks at the scales breaching the twenty pound mark. The morning started out overcast and calm, with increasing winds later in the morning. Falcon was pumping out the big ones, and the race for Big Bass was intense as ten brutes in the eight pound range were registered. It took a double digit sow to win as the largest bass in the tournament, tipping the scales at 10.67 pounds brought in by David Meyer and Rusty Reedy. Winners Albert Ramirez Sr & Jr are not new to the tournament scene, but are enjoying their first season with Bass Champs. According to Albert Sr, “I have been fishing tournaments for many years, from club tournaments to a few circuits. I am from Texas, but have been living in Arizona for several years and have been looking forward to getting back to Texas and being able to fish in these Bass Champs tournaments!” The duo has fished Falcon many times, and very familiar with the lake. “We have been having luck working shallow rock humps, so decided to keep with that pattern for the tournament.” They had ten spots picked out and chose shallow running square billed crank baits to go after them. “It was one of those days where we just couldn’t do anything wrong! We caught lots of fish, probably around 80, but Jr caught most of them.” These rocky humps were all in the middle of the lake, away from the shoreline. “Two of our spots had better fish on them.” Albert Jr anchored their stringer with one just under eight pounds to give them a final weight of 31.97 pounds to win the tournament. Bass Champs presented the team with the guaranteed 1st place check for $20,000 for their win. “Bass Champs tournaments are very well run. Very smooth and professional. We’re glad we finally get to fish with them!” Nearly breaching the 30 pound mark were the 2nd place winners Mike Fleming of New Braunfels, TX and Brian Fleming Jr of San Antonio. They chose two spots, both main lake rock ledges around 10’ deep for their creel. “We caught a small limit pretty quick at our first area, then moved to our second spot and started catching better fish.” Using Xcite baits and Reflex jigs on Dobyns rods, the bite was on hot and heavy. “We had all the fish we weighed in by 9:45,” Brian continued. “One of our fish ended up dying, and we didn’t want to lose any more so we went ahead and weighed in around 1:00.” The team had a sack of solid fish that tipped the scales to 29.48 pounds. This team has been fishing Bass Champs since the South Region was formed, and has enjoyed several top five finishes and cashed in many times for their efforts. This round they won 2nd place and a check for $2,500! The top weights were tight, but another father and son team reeled in a 3rd place win with 29.17 pounds. Arlen Hauschild of Seguin, TX and his son Christopher of Canyon Lake decided to concentrate their efforts in Pierce Cove and Big Tigers for their success. “We started out in Pierce Cove, using an Ol’ Monster worm in watermelon candy.” They positioned their boat in shallow water, throwing out to depths of 17’-18’. “The morning started out overcast, and fish were biting good for us. We had to fight the wind a little later in the morning, but caught most of our fish between 9 – 11:00.” Their biggest catch tipped the scales to 8.86 pounds, anchoring their 3rd place win and a check for $1,750. “We’ve been fishing with Bass Champs for about 10 years now, and have won second place twice and now third place twice. We are very blessed!” The team would like to thank Seguin Insurance Agency and their wives for their support. “And the Good Lord Jesus Christ for blessing us!” Rounding out the top five were 4th place finishers Kevin Clifford and Jared Gonzales of Laredo, TX with 26.49 pounds winning $1,200 and 5th place Mark Pena of Zapata, TX with Ronald Lewis of Gonzales with 24.98 taking home $1,050 plus the Lowrance Gen 3 Bonus. Of all the big bass caught, David Meyer of Jourdanton, TX and Rusty Reedy of Spring Branch caught the biggest weighing 10.67 lbs, taking home $500 for that catch and anchoring their 10th place finish for another $1,000. They won even more with the Delo bonus, Abu Garcia Revo and Under Armor bonuses. Travis McGuire and Tyler Holmes added to their winnings with the Skeeter Cash bonus being the highest finishing team in a qualified Skeeter boat. There is only one event to go for the South Region teams, and the race for Anglers of the Year. The team with the most accumulated points after all four events will win this prestigious title, and their entry fees will be waived for that region in the 2017 season. The top five teams with one to go are: The final South Region tournament will be on Amistad May 21st. All Bass Champs events are open to anyone who would like to fish for a chance to win big! The remaining 2016 opportunities are: Also mark your calendars and plan to fish these upcoming Bass Champs hosted events: For more information, visit www.BassChamps.com or call 817-439-3274 Complete Results Here:
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Mason And Walker Win The Alabama Bass Trail On Pickwick-Full Story And Results Here!
Florence, Ala. April 23, 2016 – When the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series was launched three seasons ago, one of the teams that many people across the country would have bet on to be atop that standings was that of Jimmy Mason and Lance Walker.
It took a little while, but those names are atop the leaderboard following the 2016 Alabama Bass Trail event at Pickwick Lake.
Mason, who is a successful guide on the Tennessee and Coosa River systems, has competed nationally, and his partner Walker, who is known for his ability throughout the area, etched their name on the ABT trophy on Pickwick Lake in surprising fashion. The pair caught a 22.27-pound limit of postspawn bass, and made the strategic decision to come in early to save additional stress on the fish and avoid penalty for deceased fish. Surprisingly, that weight held up through the entire weigh-in; and the pair earned their first ABT victory.
“I’m a little surprised that this weight held up for the win,” said Mason. “I really didn’t think that it would, but I am really happy that it did. Lance and I have wanted to win one of these since it was announced; it really is a great feeling.”
The pair used a strategy that revolved around an early shad spawn, then moved deeper. “We caught a 15-pound-limit of smallmouth early on a Tin Foil colored YUM Pulse swimbait,” Walker said. “Then, we looked out on sand bars for bigger largemouth with paddletail swimbaits and crankbaits. We came across a school that had just made their move out; it really was a blessed day.”
Mason said that they used a two swimbait, two crankbait approach with Walker throwing his on his Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifer gear, and Mason choosing to throw his swimbaits on his 7’3” Lew’s Custom Speed Stick Football Jig rod and BB1 Pro Series reel, while his chartreuse and blue Fat Free Shad crankbaits were thrown on a 7’6” Lew’s David Fritts Ultimate cranking rod with a 5.1:1 BB1 reel; all spooled with Vicious Fluorocarbon.
The pair earned $10,000 for their victory, along with the $1,000 Freedom Marine bonus, a T-H Marine Atlas bonus as well the Phoenix Boats First Flight bonus that will likely bring their total earnings to over $20,000 for the day.
The father / son team of Kenneth and Preston Grover finished the day in second place with 20.80 pounds. They had planned on fishing soft plastics until the younger Grover noticed shad following his swim jig, so they turned to fishing shad imitating lures. When Preston caught a 7.66-pound largemouth, they knew they were on the way. “I was really excited to catch that fish, and have a good day,” said the 15-year-old Grover. “I had a lot of fun fishing with my dad today;” it was really exciting.”
For the elder Grover, it meant event more. “I was really proud of my son, because he put the big fish and two others in our bag today,” he said. “I know we finished second, but I really feel like I am the real winner to get to do this with him.” The pair earned $5,000 for their efforts.
The team of Brandon Staggs and Jerry Wright finished third with 19.77 pounds, earning $4,000 and Packie Lawrence and Rickey Campbell caught the Mountain Dew Big Bass of the tournament, an 8.47-pound largemouth that earned them the $500 bonus; they finished the event in 31st place.
The top 10 in the standings are below – the complete standings can be found at: http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/pl-results/
| Place | Name | Weight | Big Fish | Winnings |
| 1 | Jimmy Mason/Lance Walker | 22.27 | 4.56 | $10,000 |
| 2 | Kenneth Grover/Preston Grover | 20.80 | 7.66 | $5,000 |
| 3 | Brandon Staggs/Jerry Wright | 19.77 | 5.31 | $4,000 |
| 4 | Danny Shell/Anthony Land | 19.36 | 6.45 | $3,000 |
| 5 | Hadley Coan/Scott Keeling | 18.66 | $2,000 | |
| 6 | Gary Fuller/Jack Gumbert | 18.26 | $1,000 | |
| 7 | Sam Moody/Ray Battles | 17.82 | $900 | |
| 8 | Michael Stevens jr/Paul Arnold | 17.72 | $800 | |
| 9 | Josh Bragg/Joe Hartley | 17.33 | $700 | |
| 10 | Brent Crow/James Morgan | 16.86 | $600 |
Next on the slate for the Southern Division is Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Ala. on May 21, 2016.
Michael Murphy & Kevin Sanders Take 1St At Cbc On Winyah Bay With 16.04 Lbs Worth $8,000.00!
Michael Murphy & Kevin Sanders take 1st at Winyah Bay with 16.04 lbs worth $8,000.00!
John Proctor & Lee Cannon finished 3rd and earned 1st Skeeter Bonus! Total winnings $5,250.00!
Chris McDuffie & Greg Creech claimed 5th with 13.42 lbs and received 2nd Skeeter Bonus. They took home $3,400.00!
Reid McDowell & Jess White claimed 6th and 3rd Skeeter Bonus with 12.37 lbs totaling up to $2,300.00!
Ed Owens & Chris Jones finished 23rd with 9.89 lbs and took home 4th Skeeter Bonus worth $1,000.00!
This was a grind it out event that needed every minute from start to finish. Here is a pic of the champs with full results below that:
Happy Anglers Murphy and Sanders with their $8000 stringer!
| Place | Team | Team # | # Fish | Weight | BF | Points | Winnings | Bonus | Winnings |
| 1 | Michael Murphy - Kevin Sanders | 41 | 5 | 16.04 | 0 | 310 | $8,000.00 | $8,000.00 | |
| 2 | Scott McClellan - Kenneth Mathews | 47 | 5 | 15.17 | 0 | 309 | $2,000.00 | $2,000.00 | |
| 3 | John Proctor - Lee Cannon | 17 | 5 | 14.97 | 0 | 308 | $1,250.00 | $4,000.00 | $5,250.00 |
| 4 | Ross Burns - Jeremiah Jensen | 62 | 5 | 13.65 | 0 | 306 | $500.00 | $500.00 | |
| 5 | Chris McDuffie - Greg Creech | 54 | 5 | 13.42 | 0 | 305 | $400.00 | $3,000.00 | $3,400.00 |
| 6 | Reid McDowell - JESS WHITE | 44 | 5 | 12.37 | 0 | 304 | $300.00 | $2,000.00 | $2,300.00 |
| 7 | Harold Turner - Griffin Craine | 10 | 5 | 12.23 | 4.54 | 303 | $275.00 | $275.00 | |
| 8 | Ricky Bellamy - Trevor Gore | 20 | 5 | 11.82 | 6.71 | 302 | $250.00 | $250.00 | |
| 9 | Nick Gant - Timmy Williamson | 48 | 5 | 11.72 | 0 | 301 | $225.00 | $225.00 | |
| 10 | Alan Richardson - Timmy Squires | 11 | 5 | 11.7 | 0 | 300 | $200.00 | $200.00 | |
| 11 | Mark Abbott - Jimmy Wilder | 56 | 5 | 11.69 | 0 | 299 | |||
| 12 | Will Duncan - Danny Allen | 63 | 4 | 11.41 | 7.01 | 298 | $1,000.00 | $1,000.00 | |
| 13 | Will Stephenson - Justin Salis | 50 | 5 | 11.37 | 0 | 297 | |||
| 14 | Juddie Revels - David Oxendine | 59 | 5 | 11.13 | 5.61 | 296 | |||
| 15 | Matthew Goheen - Hunter Spivey | 3 | 5 | 11.05 | 0 | 295 | |||
| 16 | Wayne Marlow - Scott Peavy | 71 | 5 | 10.56 | 0 | 294 | |||
| 17 | Jason Goude - tim gamble | 28 | 5 | 10.54 | 0 | 293 | |||
| 18 | Mark Gallup - Jonathan Gowdy | 5 | 5 | 10.51 | 0 | 292 | |||
| 19 | Ronald Terwilliger - Mac Cooper | 32 | 5 | 10.21 | 0 | 291 | |||
| 19 | Nathan Burgess - Brent Riley | 60 | 5 | 10.21 | 0 | 291 | |||
| 21 | JASON JOHNSON - Ron Cannon | 42 | 5 | 10.03 | 0 | 289 | |||
| 22 | Brian Howard - Bill Lawshe | 36 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 288 | |||
| 23 | Ed Owens - Chris Jones | 21 | 5 | 9.89 | 0 | 287 | $1,000.00 | $1,000.00 | |
| 24 | Sammie Grier - David Strickland | 49 | 5 | 9.84 | 0 | 286 | |||
| 25 | Mack Cook - Patrick Cook | 53 | 5 | 9.75 | 0 | 285 | |||
| 26 | Ryan Thompson - Sheldon Banks | 70 | 5 | 9.62 | 0 | 284 | |||
| 27 | levon matthews - william fredrick | 27 | 5 | 9.3 | 0 | 283 | |||
| 28 | Geoffrey Payne - Noah Payne | 12 | 5 | 9.24 | 2.14 | 282 | |||
| 29 | Bill Grier - Robby Byrum | 18 | 5 | 9.19 | 0 | 281 | |||
| 30 | Coy Watts - David Hutcherson | 34 | 5 | 9.14 | 0 | 280 | |||
| 31 | Tommy Williams - Thomas Hardwick | 29 | 5 | 9.12 | 0 | 279 | |||
| 32 | Donald McLaud - Ray Inman | 51 | 5 | 9.06 | 0 | 278 | |||
| 33 | Gary Pope - Kevin Alford | 25 | 5 | 8.91 | 0 | 277 | |||
| 34 | Bradley Gunter - Stan Gunter | 1 | 5 | 8.72 | 2.28 | 276 | |||
| 34 | Greg Hendrick - Ted Urquhart | 4 | 5 | 8.72 | 0 | 276 | |||
| 34 | Bradford Beavers - Dwight Beavers | 67 | 5 | 8.72 | 0 | 276 | |||
| 37 | Wayne King - Bo Chappell | 23 | 5 | 8.7 | 0 | 273 | |||
| 38 | Ronnie Britt - Jim Britt | 38 | 5 | 8.66 | 0 | 272 | |||
| 39 | Alex Cribb - Winston Martin | 57 | 5 | 8.52 | 0 | 271 | |||
| 40 | Todd Walters - Patrick Walters | 64 | 4 | 8.3 | 0 | 270 | |||
| 41 | Anthony Lee - Jason Owens | 24 | 5 | 8.08 | 0 | 269 | |||
| 42 | James Robison - Carluss King | 69 | 5 | 8.05 | 0 | 268 | |||
| 43 | Derrick Compton - Dustin Compton | 66 | 5 | 8.03 | 0 | 267 | |||
| 44 | Jamie Ethridge - kevin driggers | 61 | 5 | 7.88 | 0 | 266 | |||
| 45 | randall miller - Mack Altman | 2 | 5 | 7.84 | 5.84 | 307 | |||
| 46 | Kenny Hawk - William Bostic | 8 | 5 | 7.68 | 0 | 265 | |||
| 47 | Jason Farrand - Dason Lasek | 46 | 5 | 7.65 | 0 | 264 | |||
| 48 | Russ Padgett - Meredith Havird | 35 | 3 | 7.38 | 5.11 | 263 | |||
| 49 | Chris Shumate - Chris Platts | 19 | 5 | 6.41 | 1.68 | 262 | |||
| 50 | Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughtie | 58 | 3 | 5.98 | 0 | 261 | |||
| 51 | Gregg Kessler - Gregg Kessler II | 22 | 5 | 5.83 | 0 | 260 | |||
| 52 | Winkey Watford - scotty mixon | 6 | 3 | 5.76 | 0 | 259 | |||
| 53 | Jonathan Brindel - David Grooms | 31 | 2 | 4.71 | 0 | 258 | |||
| 54 | Mike Phipps - Robert Clarke | 7 | 2 | 4.2 | 2.43 | 257 | |||
| 55 | Ron Brown - Bobby Brown | 40 | 2 | 3.97 | 0 | 256 | |||
| 56 | Gary Atkinson - Troy Buffington | 26 | 3 | 3.63 | 1.24 | 255 | |||
| 57 | Brian McDonald - billy bledsoe | 30 | 2 | 3.35 | 0 | 254 | |||
| 58 | terry goheen | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 253 | |||
| 58 | grady allen - Calvin Hewitt | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 253 | |||
| 58 | Jonathan Singletary - Anthony Amerson | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 253 | |||
| 58 | Josh Wilson - Sam Lambert | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 253 | |||
| 58 | Clint Proudfoot - Eric Bozeman | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 253 | |||
| 58 | Chad Cook - tony cook | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 253 | |||
| 58 | Van Turbeville - Jonathan Hammond | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 253 | |||
| 58 | Robert Wood - John Lundeen | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 253 | |||
| 58 | Kevin Powell - Jimmy McCants | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 253 | |||
| 58 | Carlton Thompkins - Joel Barfield | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 253 | |||
| 58 | Josh Alford - Will Prosser | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 253 | |||
| 58 | Chris Labuz - James Labuz | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 253 | |||
| 58 | Nicholas Turner - Trevor West | 65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 253 | |||
| 58 | Brian Tyler - Frederick Clements | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 253 |
Tharp Takes First Elite Series Title Amid 'complex' Tournament Format On Bull Shoals And Norfork Lake
The former Forrest Wood Cup Champion said he wanted to test himself against the best competition the Elite Series had to offer. Tharp has passed the test.
He did so today by overtaking a pair of Californians, one who has also mounted the highest summits of our sport - Skeet Reese, along with an aspiring young pro who has shown flashes of things to come - Chris Zaldain.
Reese and Zaldain nodded to their Western roots by trying to make the swimbait bite work. At times it did. When fish just followed the swimmers, Zaldain said he relied on a drop shot to put bass in the box.
It was a solid game plan that almost panned-out for the Golden State anglers.
But in the waning seconds of the 4-day tournament held on two different fisheries, Tharp snatched a big bass, and victory, from Norfork Lake.
"I had 15 seconds before I needed to head in," said Tharp, "I made one last cast to a bluff bank. My line started moving off. That was the biggest bass that I just held up (as he crossed the weigh in stage) and I caught her on the last cast."
The kicker pushed Tharp's final weight to 16-2 (biggest bag of the day) and ran his total to 61-10 for the week. He won by a margin of 2 pounds, 2 ounces. That last fished weighed more than that and was, therefore, the key to his win.
It was classic Tharp. The guy just has a knack for finding those oversized bass that take a sack of fish from being 'good' to being of the 'winning' class. Lure choice may be part of the reason for his ability to boat the big girls - he fishes a jig. A lot.
And so he did this week. "I designed the jig I used," said Tharp of the 4x4 Jig that he pitched on his signature series Halo rod.
Tharp said he focussed on 3 creeks in each lake. He concetrated his efforts on bluff banks along channel swings. Some of the fish may have been spawning and others were simply eating but Tharp caught them all in less than 5 feet of water. "The biggest ones came from less than 1 foot," added the shallow water master. He covered "tons of water" with jigs weighing 5/8 or 1/2 oz.
Tharp said he'll miss the first day of practice on Monday for the coming Elite Series tourney on Wheeler Lake which begins this Thursday, but the man - who gets his mail in Florida these days - has spent decades living and fishing in Alabama so he should be able to catch up quickly. Tonight he and his wife are hanging out and resting up. "I'm gonna enjoy this trophy. I'm gonna enjoy this town. I'm gonna enjoy you guys," said Tharp to a happy audience.
Tharp concentrated his efforts on bluff banks. photo courtesy B.A.S.S.
What follows is the official word from B.A.S.S.:
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. — The tournament format was complicated.
It was one event on two lakes over the course of four days.
But through all of the shifting and changing, Florida pro Randall Tharp decided to keep things simple — and that stay-the-course approach ultimately led to a victory in the Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork.
Tharp used a 4x4 Jig — the Randall Tharp Signature series that he designed for the company — in the golden craw color pattern with a green pumpkin Zoom Big Salty Chunk to catch his fish all four days.
His final total of 61 pounds, 10 ounces was more than 2 pounds better than that of second-place finisher Skeet Reese (59-8). Chris Zaldain (58-12), Matt Herren (58-10) and Bill Lowen (58- 5) made up the rest of the Top 5.
“When I got here, I wanted to find one pattern that would work on both lakes,” Tharp said. “Both of these lakes are Ozark Lakes, and they’re very, very similar. That’s the game plan I wanted to have. It just took me three days of practice to figure it out.”
Tharp said he discovered the key to winning on the third day of practice and really dialed it on the fourth and final practice day, which he spent at Norfork.
On the first day of the tournament, he caught 15-8 on Norfork to put himself in fifth place. He didn’t fare quite as well on the second day of the event at Bull Shoals, catching only 13-12. But he made a slight adjustment the next day on Bull Shoals — and that may have been the key to his winning the tournament.
“I used a 1/2-ounce and a 5/8-ounce version of the jig this week, but the majority of the fish I weighed in came on the bigger one,” Tharp said. “I had one fish in the boat Saturday, and I just kept thinking they wanted something quicker. That’s why I went to the bigger jig.”
Tharp’s Saturday catch of 16-4 pushed him into the lead going into Sunday’s finale on Norfork. He landed 16-2 Sunday to stay ahead of a Top 12 that was separated by only 4 pounds coming into the day.
“Just about everything I caught all week came from 5 feet of water of less,” he said. “The whole stringer that I weighed in today probably came from 2 feet or less.”
Though bass were spawning on both lakes, Tharp said he wasn’t sight fishing for bedding fish.
“I was just looking for crevices in rocks — shady places,” he said. “I was looking for isolated stuff that was different, whether it was a stump or a laydown or whatever.
“If there was a whole bunch of cover, it usually wasn’t all that good. I just keyed on little turns or isolated boulders — stuff that stood out.”
Tharp was already a three-time winner on the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens circuit, but Sunday marked his first time to raise the coveted blue trophy awarded to winners on the Bassmaster Elite Series. The $103,000 he received for first place pushed his career earnings with B.A.S.S. to $493,457.
Last year’s Elite Series season was one of the toughest of Tharp’s professional career. He earned checks in only two of the eight regular-season events and failed to qualify for the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship or the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.
But so far this season, he’s made up for all that went wrong.
Tharp finished 11th in the 2016 Elite Series opener on the St. Johns River in his home state of Florida and 16th in the second tournament of the season earlier this month on South Carolina’s Winyah Bay. His victory Sunday vaulted him into first place in the Angler of the Year standings.
“Before last year, two bad tournaments in a row was the longest bad stretch I’d ever had,” Tharp said. “For some reason, I just couldn’t put two good days together.
“Maybe I got all of my bad days out of the way, because I have yet to have one this year.”
Tharp was awarded $1,000 for the leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race at the end of the event.
Tharp also earned the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash award of $1,000 for being the highest-placing angler who is registered and eligible and uses a client-approved product on his boat.
Lowen and Zaldain earned the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $500 for both leading on the second day.
Tharp won the Toyota Bonus Bucks of $3,000 for being the highest-placing eligible entrant in the program. The second-highest-placing eligible entrant, Powroznik, received $2,000.
The Big Bass Award of $1,500 was presented to Herren for weighing in the overall biggest bass of the event — a 6-1 largemouth bass.
Tharp also earned the A.R.E. Top Angler Award of $1,000 for being the highest placing angler using A.R.E. products.
Dick Cepek Rolling Forward Award of $1,000 will be presented to the angler who makes the largest gain in Toyota Angler of the Year points from tournament to tournament.
2016 Bassmaster Elite at Lake Norfork - Bull Shoals 4/21-4/24
Lake Norfork/Bull Shoals, Mountain Home AR.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 20 61-10 110 $103,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 13-12 Day 3: 5 16-04 Day 4: 5 16-02
2. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 20 59-08 109 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 12-07 Day 3: 5 19-02 Day 4: 5 14-11
3. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 20 58-12 108 $20,250.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 14-12 Day 3: 5 14-04 Day 4: 5 13-10
4. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 20 58-10 107 $15,750.00
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 11-06 Day 3: 5 15-05 Day 4: 5 14-15
5. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 20 58-05 106 $14,250.00
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 17-04 Day 3: 5 12-12 Day 4: 5 14-11
6. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 20 56-10 105 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 15-08 Day 3: 5 16-04 Day 4: 5 12-05
7. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 20 55-09 104 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 5 14-12 Day 4: 5 13-08
8. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 20 53-09 103 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 11-15 Day 4: 5 11-11
9. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 20 53-01 102 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 14-08 Day 4: 5 10-14
10. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 20 52-07 101 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 14-08 Day 3: 5 16-01 Day 4: 5 09-08
11. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 19 51-13 100 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 15-10 Day 4: 4 08-10
12. Koby Kreiger Bokeelia, FL 20 51-05 99 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 13-13 Day 3: 5 16-07 Day 4: 5 08-09
BIG BASS OF TOURNAMENT
Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 06-01 $750.00
Matt Herren Ashville, AL 06-01 $750.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 88 500 1125-13
2 94 506 1327-05
3 40 229 624-10
4 11 59 149-02
----------------------------------
233 1294 3226-14
Tharp Grabs Lead As Bassmaster Elite Series Event Shifts Back To Norfork Lake
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. — Randall Tharp suffered through one of the toughest seasons of his professional career in 2015, but it seems to have given him some extra motivation for this year’s campaign.
Tharp opened the 2016 Bassmaster Elite Series season with back-to-back Top 20 finishes — and now, he has caught enough fish at this week’s Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork to move himself into position to claim his first Elite Series win.
He brought in five bass Saturday from Bull Shoals Lake that weighed 16 pounds, 4 ounces and moved from fifth place to the top of the standings with a three-day total of 45-8. The tournament, which began Thursday on Norfork Lake and moved to Bull Shoals Friday and Saturday, will shift back to Norfork for Sunday’s championship round with Tharp leading the remaining Top 12 anglers.
“I started in the same place today where I lost a big one (Friday), and I never had a bite,†said Tharp, who has three Bassmaster Open victories but none on the Elite Series. “Where I pulled my trolling motor up (Friday), I just decided to keep on going. I kept the trolling motor down until 11 o’clock, and that’s how I caught most of what I had.
“It was new water — a lot shallower than what I had been fishing — and I just fished everything in front of me.â€
Tharp said he was struggling early, but a slight change in technique helped.
“I had one fish in the boat, and I just felt like they wanted something quicker,†Tharp said. “So I tied a heavier jig on, and that’s when it just started clicking.
“I had a really good day. I don’t know how many 2 1/2-pounders I culled.â€
Tharp seemed excited about moving back to Norfork after starting the event on that fishery with 15-8 Thursday.
“I’ve already respooled and done everything I need to do,†he said. “I’ll get a couple of spare jigs in case I break one off in the rocks. But other than that, I’m ready to go fishing.â€
Tharp’s total is only 6 ounces better than that of second-place angler Chris Zaldain. The California pro turned in a third-straight solid catch Saturday, weighing in 14-4 and pushing his three-day total to 45-2.
Zaldain used a drop shot rig to target spawning bass that were protecting beds.
“I was flipping a drop shot with a 6-inch hand-poured worm all day long,†Zaldain said. “The beauty of it is that it represents a bluegill. On the full moon in April, you know bass hate bluegill being around their beds.
“With it being on a drop shot, it’s suspended right there in front of their face.â€
Around midday Saturday, Zaldain had five fish that weighed only about 8 pounds. But he made an adjustment that helped him almost double that weight.
“The key moment today was realizing the water had dropped a couple of more inches, and the back area that had been productive for me just wasn’t working anymore,†he said. “Around 10:30, I started working out more toward the main river where the bushes got deeper.
“The further out I went, the bigger the fish got.â€
After a big opening-round catch of 16-2 on Norfork that he said could have been even bigger, Zaldain focused these last two days at Bull Shoals on simply surviving. Now that he knows he’s headed back to Norfork, he believes it could be a special day.
“I just wanted to put the clutch in and hang tight on Bull Shoals,†he said. “Catches of 14 and 14 are respectable, so mission accomplished.
“I downshifted a little bit on Bull Shoals, but we’ll be pedal-to-the-metal tomorrow.â€
The remainder of the Top 12 is as follows: Skeet Reese (44-13), Jacob Powroznik (44-5), Matt Herren (43-11), Bill Lowen (43-10), Brandon Palaniuk (43-3), Brian Snowden (42-15), Koby Kreiger (42-12), Mike McClelland (42-3), Steve Kennedy (42-1) and Adrian Avena (41-14).
The tournament will conclude Sunday, with takeoff scheduled for 6:15 a.m. from Lake Norfork Marina. The weigh-in will begin at 3:45 p.m. on the campus of Arkansas State University in Mountain Home.
The winning angler will receive $100,000.
2016 Bassmaster Elite at Lake Norfork - Bull Shoals 4/21-4/24
Lake Norfork/Bull Shoals, Mountain Home AR.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 15 45-08 110
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 13-12 Day 3: 5 16-04
2. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 15 45-02 109 $250.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 14-12 Day 3: 5 14-04
3. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 15 44-13 108
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 12-07 Day 3: 5 19-02
4. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 15 44-05 107
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 15-08 Day 3: 5 16-04
5. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 15 43-11 106
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 11-06 Day 3: 5 15-05
6. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 15 43-10 105 $250.00
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 17-04 Day 3: 5 12-12
7. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 15 43-03 104
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 15-10
8. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 15 42-15 103
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 14-08 Day 3: 5 16-01
9. Koby Kreiger Bokeelia, FL 15 42-12 102
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 13-13 Day 3: 5 16-07
10. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 15 42-03 101
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 14-08
11. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 15 42-01 100
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 5 14-12
12. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 15 41-14 99
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 11-15
13. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 15 41-13 98 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 5 14-01
14. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 15 40-08 97 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 13-14 Day 3: 5 16-07
15. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 15 40-06 96 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 14-08 Day 3: 5 14-01
16. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 15 40-05 95 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 13-06 Day 3: 5 15-10
17. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 15 40-02 94 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 5 14-05
18. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 15 40-02 93 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 14-00
19. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 15 39-15 92 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 12-12 Day 3: 5 14-06
20. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 15 39-13 91 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 13-06 Day 3: 5 14-08
21. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 15 39-11 90 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 13-01
22. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 15 39-08 89 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 5 14-00
23. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 14 39-07 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 08-00 Day 2: 5 18-07 Day 3: 5 13-00
24. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 15 39-07 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 13-08 Day 3: 5 14-09
25. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 15 39-07 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 14-00 Day 3: 5 14-07
26. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 15 39-07 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 13-10 Day 3: 5 13-11
27. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 15 39-06 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 11-11 Day 3: 5 14-14
28. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 15 39-04 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 12-01 Day 3: 5 14-12
29. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 15 38-10 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 13-11 Day 3: 5 13-04
30. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 15 38-09 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 13-12 Day 3: 5 12-03
31. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 15 38-07 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 13-13 Day 3: 5 09-12
32. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 15 38-07 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 12-12
33. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 15 37-07 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 11-05
34. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 15 37-03 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 12-12 Day 3: 5 13-06
35. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 14 37-03 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 12-03 Day 3: 4 13-01
36. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 15 37-02 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 5 11-14
37. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 15 37-02 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 14-00 Day 3: 5 11-12
38. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 15 36-15 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-14 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 5 12-12
39. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 15 36-13 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 14-01 Day 3: 5 11-15
40. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 14 36-05 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 4 09-13
41. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 15 35-12 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 13-13 Day 3: 5 11-10
42. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 14 35-08 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 4 10-13
43. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 15 33-15 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 13-04 Day 3: 5 09-10
44. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 14 33-05 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 14-00 Day 3: 4 09-00
45. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 12 32-03 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 16-00 Day 3: 2 04-14
46. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 12 32-00 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 2 03-07
47. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 14 31-13 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 13-04 Day 3: 4 07-13
48. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 10 30-10 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 0 00-00
49. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 13 29-15 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 14-07 Day 3: 3 05-09
50. James Elam Tulsa, OK 12 29-03 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 12-06 Day 3: 2 05-01
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 88 500 1125-13
2 94 506 1327-05
3 40 229 624-10
----------------------------------
222 1235 3077-12
Lowen, Zaldain Tied For Lead After Two Rounds On Bull Shoals/norfork In Third Elite Stop
|
Herren Leads Day 1 Of Unique Elite Series Tourney On Bull Shoals And Norfork Lakes
Mark Menendez, Greg Hackney and Drew Benton are fishing well again this week. Well, at least so far. Let's see how the back-and-forth between the two lakes affects them starting tomorrow.
Following is the official word from B.A.S.S.:
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. — Matt Herren came into this week’s Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork, with a free-wheeling attitude.
“My motto for the week is just to fly by the seat of my pants,” Herren said. “Since we’re fishing two different lakes, I figure that’s all you can really do.”
So far, the strategy has worked very well.
Herren caught five bass Thursday on Norfork Lake that weighed 17 pounds and took the lead in the first-of-its-kind, two-lake Elite Series event. His catch was bolstered by a 6-pound, 1-ounce largemouth that bit during the final minutes.
In an unusual format, the 108 Bassmaster Elite Series anglers will divide their time between two nearby Ozarks lakes near Mountain Home. After competing today on Norfork, the full field moves to Bull Shoals for Friday’s round, after which the field is cut to 50 anglers, who will again compete on Bull Shoals. The Top 12 anglers after Saturday will return to Norfork for the final round.
Herren feels confident now as the tournament shifts to Bull Shoals Lake for the next two rounds before coming back for Championship Sunday on Norfork.
“I just had a really fortunate day,” Herren said. “I got on something early and had a good limit of fish. But with about 15 minutes left in my day, I caught a 6-1. It was kind of an out-of-the-blue fish, but I’ll take it.”
Herren was already off to a good start, with five bass that he estimated would have weighed about 14 pounds. But with the day winding down — and the next two rounds scheduled for a different lake 20 miles away — he desperately wanted to add a kicker fish.
So he decided to make a quick stop on the only place he’d seen a big bass in practice.
“I listened to that little voice that said, ‘Go do it,’” Herren joked. “I pulled in there, and it happened ‘bam’ — just that fast.”
The big fish helped Herren separate slightly from a Top 5 that includes Kentucky pro Mark Menendez with 16-12, Californian Chris Zaldain with 16-2, Alabamian Keith Poche with 15-13 and Florida pro Randall Tharp with 15-8.
Menendez said it was an early 4-pounder that sparked his good first round.
“I got a good bite this morning, and it slowed me down,” he said. “I just got really thorough in an area and managed to get three of those better-quality bites during the day.
“I caught a 4 1/4-pounder late in the day that culled a 2-pounder, and that helped a whole bunch.”
Although he said he’s all for fishing new venues, Menendez made it clear that he’s not a fan of the split format. He believes there will be an element of luck involved for whoever lands in the winner’s spot Sunday.
“I could find the winners on Norfork, not catch them at Bull Shoals, and fall completely out,” he said. “That’s an element we’ve never had to deal with.
“I’m looking at this as four separate tournaments. Each day is a one-day event, and I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth.”
On the flip side, Zaldain said the format really suits the “run-and-gun” style of fishing he prefers. He had no fear of pressuring the fish hard at Norfork on Day 1, knowing his best spots will have two days to rest before he returns.
“I fished all new water today and established a pattern with a bait I have a lot of confidence in,” Zaldain said. “It’s a winding-type bait, and I literally had a look at over 20 pounds today. I had a lot of big ones come up and push it out of the way.
“I’m really, really looking forward to getting back out there on Day 4 — hopefully.”
The tournament will continue Friday and Saturday, with take-offs at 6:15 a.m. CT from Bull Shoals Boat Dock. Sunday’s take-off will be at 6:15 a.m. from Lake Norfork Marina.
Daily weigh-ins will be held at 3:45 p.m. on the campus of Arkansas State University in Mountain Home.
2016 Bassmaster Elite at Lake Norfork - Bull Shoals 4/21-4/24
Lake Norfork/Bull Shoals, Mountain Home AR.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 17-00 110
Day 1: 5 17-00
2. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 16-12 109
Day 1: 5 16-12
3. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 5 16-02 108
Day 1: 5 16-02
4. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 5 15-13 107
Day 1: 5 15-13
5. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 5 15-08 106
Day 1: 5 15-08
6. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 14-14 105
Day 1: 5 14-14
7. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 14-12 104
Day 1: 5 14-12
8. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 5 14-00 103
Day 1: 5 14-00
9. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 5 13-13 102
Day 1: 5 13-13
10. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 13-12 101
Day 1: 5 13-12
11. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 13-10 100
Day 1: 5 13-10
12. David Walker Sevierville, TN 5 13-07 99
Day 1: 5 13-07
13. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 5 13-05 98
Day 1: 5 13-05
14. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 5 13-04 97
Day 1: 5 13-04
15. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 5 12-14 96
Day 1: 5 12-14
16. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 5 12-13 95
Day 1: 5 12-13
16. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 5 12-13 95
Day 1: 5 12-13
18. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 5 12-10 93
Day 1: 5 12-10
18. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 5 12-10 93
Day 1: 5 12-10
20. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 5 12-09 91
Day 1: 5 12-09
21. Koby Kreiger Bokeelia, FL 5 12-08 90
Day 1: 5 12-08
22. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 5 12-07 89
Day 1: 5 12-07
23. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 12-06 88
Day 1: 5 12-06
24. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 5 12-02 87
Day 1: 5 12-02
25. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 5 12-00 86
Day 1: 5 12-00
26. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 5 11-15 85
Day 1: 5 11-15
26. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 5 11-15 85
Day 1: 5 11-15
26. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 5 11-15 85
Day 1: 5 11-15
26. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 5 11-15 85
Day 1: 5 11-15
26. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 5 11-15 85
Day 1: 5 11-15
31. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 5 11-13 80
Day 1: 5 11-13
31. Casey Scanlon Rocky Mount, MO 5 11-13 80
Day 1: 5 11-13
33. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 5 11-12 78
Day 1: 5 11-12
33. James Elam Tulsa, OK 5 11-12 78
Day 1: 5 11-12
33. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 11-12 78
Day 1: 5 11-12
36. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 5 11-11 75
Day 1: 5 11-11
37. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 5 11-10 74
Day 1: 5 11-10
38. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 5 11-09 73
Day 1: 5 11-09
38. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 5 11-09 73
Day 1: 5 11-09
40. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 5 11-08 71
Day 1: 5 11-08
41. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 5 11-06 70
Day 1: 5 11-06
41. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 5 11-06 70
Day 1: 5 11-06
43. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 11-05 68
Day 1: 5 11-05
43. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 5 11-05 68
Day 1: 5 11-05
43. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 11-05 68
Day 1: 5 11-05
43. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 5 11-05 68
Day 1: 5 11-05
47. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 11-05 64
Day 1: 5 11-05
48. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 11-04 63
Day 1: 5 11-04
49. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 5 11-01 62
Day 1: 5 11-01
49. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 11-01 62
Day 1: 5 11-01
49. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 11-01 62
Day 1: 5 11-01
52. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 5 11-00 59
Day 1: 5 11-00
53. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 5 10-13 58
Day 1: 5 10-13
54. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 5 10-12 57
Day 1: 5 10-12
54. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 5 10-12 57
Day 1: 5 10-12
54. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 5 10-12 57
Day 1: 5 10-12
57. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 10-11 54
Day 1: 5 10-11
58. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 5 10-09 53
Day 1: 5 10-09
58. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 10-09 53
Day 1: 5 10-09
60. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 10-08 51
Day 1: 5 10-08
60. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 10-08 51
Day 1: 5 10-08
62. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 5 10-07 49
Day 1: 5 10-07
62. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 5 10-07 49
Day 1: 5 10-07
64. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 10-06 47
Day 1: 5 10-06
65. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 5 10-05 46
Day 1: 5 10-05
65. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 10-05 46
Day 1: 5 10-05
67. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 5 10-04 44
Day 1: 5 10-04
68. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 5 10-03 43
Day 1: 5 10-03
69. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 5 10-02 42
Day 1: 5 10-02
70. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 5 09-15 41
Day 1: 5 09-15
70. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 5 09-15 41
Day 1: 5 09-15
72. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 5 09-14 39
Day 1: 5 09-14
72. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 09-14 39
Day 1: 5 09-14
74. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 5 09-13 37
Day 1: 5 09-13
74. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 09-13 37
Day 1: 5 09-13
76. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 5 09-12 35
Day 1: 5 09-12
77. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 5 09-11 34
Day 1: 5 09-11
78. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 5 09-10 33
Day 1: 5 09-10
79. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 09-09 32
Day 1: 5 09-09
80. John Murray Spring City, TN 5 09-06 31
Day 1: 5 09-06
81. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 5 09-00 30
Day 1: 5 09-00
82. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 08-15 29
Day 1: 5 08-15
83. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 5 08-13 28
Day 1: 5 08-13
84. John Hunter Jr Shelbyville, KY 5 08-13 27
Day 1: 5 08-13
85. Jay Brainard Enid, OK 5 08-11 26
Day 1: 5 08-11
86. Billy McCaghren Jr Mayflower, AR 4 08-08 25
Day 1: 4 08-08
87. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 5 08-02 24
Day 1: 5 08-02
88. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 4 08-02 23
Day 1: 4 08-02
89. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 4 08-00 22
Day 1: 4 08-00
90. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 4 07-15 21
Day 1: 4 07-15
91. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 5 07-05 20
Day 1: 5 07-05
92. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 4 07-03 19
Day 1: 4 07-03
93. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 5 07-00 18
Day 1: 5 07-00
94. Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 4 07-00 17
Day 1: 4 07-00
95. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 3 06-12 16
Day 1: 3 06-12
96. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 4 06-11 15
Day 1: 4 06-11
97. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 3 06-09 14
Day 1: 3 06-09
98. David Williams Newton, NC 4 06-04 13
Day 1: 4 06-04
99. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 3 06-04 12
Day 1: 3 06-04
100. Fabian Rodriguez Ocean City, DE 3 06-01 11
Day 1: 3 06-01
101. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 3 05-06 10
Day 1: 3 05-06
102. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 3 05-04 9
Day 1: 3 05-04
103. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 2 05-04 8
Day 1: 2 05-04
104. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 2 04-15 7
Day 1: 2 04-15
105. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 2 04-05 6
Day 1: 2 04-05
106. Ken Iyobe Tokoname Aichi JAPAN 2 03-15 5
Day 1: 2 03-15
107. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 1 02-04 4
Day 1: 1 02-04
108. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 1 01-15 3
Day 1: 1 01-15
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 88 500 1125-13
----------------------------------
88 500 1125-13
Sportsmans Warehouse Product Spotlight - Strike King Swinging Sugar Buzz
This Weeks Sportsmans Warehouse Product Spotlight features the Strike King Lure Company Swinging Sugar Buzz. The Sugar Buzz is a unique head clacking, hook swinging bait that will attract big fish and keep them buttoned up all the way back to the boat. Check it out here!
Bradley Roy And Mud Hole Custom Tackle Partner Up To Help High School Anglers
Mud Hole Custom Tackle and its premium brand of rod blanks, MHX, are sponsoring the seven-year Bassmaster Elite Series veteran and becoming the presenting sponsor of the annual Bradley Roy High School Open.
Over the past two years Roy had fished some night tournaments with MHX rods lent to him by a local rod builder. He liked them so much he was planning to purchase some for the 2016 season. He had also seen fellow Elite Series competitor Brandon Lester using the rods over the past two seasons. Like many, he was curious about what exactly a “MB 904 from Mud Hole Custom Tackle” really was.
Roy got more than he bargained for when Lester invited him to a small rod building class in Tennessee this past January. “I was intrigued as we fitted the first reel seat and then hooked after we sat down and put the first guides on,” said Roy. “Brandon made it look so easy and I picked it up quickly in that very first rod building session I’ve been building them back at the house ever since and am up over 20 rods built now.”
Roy’s fishing has already benefited from this new skill set (he’s 5th in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings after two events) but the real winners in this partnership may end up being high school students and coaches. For years Roy has been personally involved with high school teams in Kentucky, spending time teaching them techniques and fishing strategy. He has spoken at the B.A.S.S. High School National Championship multiple times and in 2016 will host the fourth annual Bradley Roy High School Open in Kentucky (October 1st).
Thanks to Mud Hole’s commitment to education Roy will be passing along the skill of rod building to the next generation. He is offering classes to high school coaches and students beginning early this summer in central Kentucky.
“The response to the classes has been solid,” said Bradley. “Teams see this as a way to get a new fishing rod, learn a new skill, and then down the road as a way to raise money selling custom rods.“
Mud Hole has long been known for educating fishermen on the many benefits of custom rod building. The company holds up to 48 rod building classes annually across the country. And this collaboration with Roy is not their first foray into high schools either. Hundreds of classes are taught as part of 4H programs annually as numerous school districts have rod building as part of the school’s curriculum, thanks to Mud Hole’s resources and efforts.
Mud Hole President Tom McNamara was impressed when he learned about Roy’s track record of working with high schoolers. “We love how Bradley is doing his part to give back to high school anglers. We want to help provide the tools those anglers and schools need for education and fund-raising. Learning this new skill will teach them about entrepreneurship, persistence, camaraderie, teamwork, and on and on.”
Mud Hole has created the Bradley Roy Student Rod Building Kits and made them available exclusively by contacting Roy. For more information on the kits or to learn more about scheduling classes high school coaches can reach out to Bradley through his website at www.BradleyRoy.com.
About Mud Hole Custom Tackle
Mud Hole Custom Tackle, Inc. (www.MudHole.com) is the world’s largest supplier of tackle crafting goods – rod building, fly tying and lure building. It has become the “go-to” and trusted supplier of hobbyists, small manufacturers and large OEM’s worldwide by offering superior shopping experience, rapid delivery and stellar customer service.
With more than 45,000 SKU’s representing $15 million of inventory fully stocked onsite in Mud Hole’s 15,000 square-foot office & distribution center, Mud Hole earns the loyalty of fishing enthusiasts and novice rod builders, fly tyers and lure builders alike.
About Bradley Roy
Most widely-known for being the youngest angler to ever qualify for the B.A.S.S.’s highest level (age 18 in 2009) the now 25 year-old Roy has fished the Bassmaster Elite Series for seven years. His annual high school tournament is open to Kentucky anglers and he will again be speaking at the B.A.S.S. High School National Championship held August 1-6 on Kentucky’s Green River. For more information on rod building classes and discounted rod building kits for students and instructors visit www.BradleyRoy.com and click High School Fishing.
Gray & Perkins Win Anglers Choice Team Tournament On Kerr Lake With 18.70Lbs - 4.17.16
Brandon Gray and robert Perkins win Sundays Anglers Choice team tournament by just over a pound with 18.47 pound limit!
Congrats Guys!!
Richey And Bost Win Anglers Choice Team Event On Kerr Lake With Over 21 Pounds!!!
Chris Richey and George Bost take the first place trophies and checks in Saturdays Anglers Choice Marine event on Kerr Lake. Winning by over 2 pounds with 21.97lbs in a 5 fish limit. Congrats guys!
Complete Results below:
Quaker State Pro Scott Canterbury Claims Victory In Third Flw Tour Event On Beaver Lake
In his rookie season in 2008 there was Lewis Smith Lake where he finished runner-up by a pound and a half.
In 2012, another pound and a half deficit cost him a win at Beaver Lake.
At Toho in 2015 he missed winning by 11 ounces.
But perhaps none of his close calls were more painful than the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup where he missed a $500,000 payday by a single ounce. The fishing world could only watch in dismay as video footage showed Canterbury having the winning fish hooked and it coming off halfway to the boat.
For nine years as a pro angler, Canterbury’s career has been littered with crushing close calls and heartbreaking bass.
Today, Canterbury can shelve all those stories; he won’t need them anymore. Today, Scott Canterbury became an FLW Tour winner at the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Jack Link’s on Beaver Lake.
By checking in limits weighing 12-14, 18-3, 14-6 and 17-0, Canterbury won with a four-day total of 62 pounds, 7 ounces. In the end, he beat runner-up Darrel Robertson by 1 pound, 3 ounces.
“This feels awesome,” Canterbury said moments after winning. “This is what I’ve always wanted. I mean the money is great, but that trophy, I’ll always have that. I’ll spend the money, but I’ll have the trophy forever.”
Canterbury spent his winning week up in the river portion of Beaver Lake, fishing cuts and pockets where bass were moving in to spawn.
He covered water quickly pitching a jig to anything and everything a fish might use to stage or bed around, including laydowns, rock outcroppings, crevices and shelves. When he got in a target rich area, he would slow down and become more thorough in his approach.
“I tried to cover mostly new water every day,” Canterbury says. “I did have a few places where I repeated each day, but for the most part I wanted to be fishing where I hadn’t been. Any of those cuts and pockets up the river were fair game.”
To reel in the win Canterbury used a trio of jigs. One was a 3/8-ounce Dirty Jigs Luke Clausen Signature Series Casting Jig(Canterbury craw) teamed with a NetBait Paca Slim (green pumpkin). The other two were 1/2- and 5/8-ounce Dirty Jigs Scott Canterbury Signature Series Flippin’ Jigs (Canterbury craw and chocolate thunder) trimmed with various chunks and trailers including a NetBait Paca Chunk. He fished the casting jig on 15-pound P-Line Ultimate Fluorocarbon and the other two on 20- and 25-pound test.
As many others in the top 10 noted, during the tournament the bass transitioned from a prespawn phase to a spawning phase. Canterbury found the same thing occurring with his fish and switched jigs accordingly.
“The first two day, the fish were down deeper in that 5- to 8-foot zone,” Canterbury details. “That’s when the compact pitching jig was best. But the last two days they seemed to have moved up shallower on the laydowns and on little ledges and shelves in the rock to bed. I really think it turned into a full blown spawn – and that’s when the bulkier flipping jig seemed to be better.”
Canterbury earned $125,000 for his win. And this story is now the one he will have to tell for many years to come.
Top 10 pros
1. Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury – Springville, Ala. – 62-7 (20) – $125,000
2. Darrel Robertson – Jay, Okla. – 61-4 (20) – $30,700
3. Keystone Light pro Jeff Sprague – Point, Texas – 60-13 (20) – $25,000
4. Scott Martin – Clewiston, Fla. – 59-8 (20) – $20,100
5. JT Kenney – Palm Bay, Fla. – 57-15 (20) – $19,500
6. Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan – Dayton, Tenn. – 57-12 (20) – $18,000
7. Quaker State pro Matt Arey – Shelby, N.C. – 55-1 (20) – $17,000
8. Chris Whitson – Louisville, Tenn. – 53-4 (20) – $16,000
9. Stetson Blaylock – Benton, Ark. – 51-4 (20) – $15,000
10. Andrew Upshaw – Sapulpa, Okla. – 51-1 (20) – $14,000
Jeff Jerome And Darrell Copeland Use Shad Spawn To Their Advantage To Win Texas Team Trail On Lake Texoma
Canterbury Leads Tightly-Packed Field Heading Into Final Round Of Flw Tour On Beaver Lake
'Change' is the word at the FLW Tour on Beaver Lake. The lead has changed again, most of the top guys are frequently changing locations to run new water, and it seems that the most productive patterns are changing as well.
Bryan Scmitt may have missed the Top 10 cut but he certainly figured out a key ingredient to success on Beaver Lake. "This is the kind of place where you need to fish new water each day." Schmitt placed 14th with 39-5 over his 3 days on the lake. He'll leave with a nice check and valuable points.
Jeff Sprague fared better. With a 3-day total weight of 44 pounds he is currently 3rd and will fish in Sunday's final round. His 15-8 was one of the better bags today. "I've got one thing going away and another thing coming to me," said Sprague of his pattern options. "I feel like I am ahead of the fish."
That makes Sprague a dangerous man tomorrow as a mere 4 ounces seperate places 2-through-4 and Scott Canterbury has a lead of just a pound and four ounces on the field.
Canterbury knows that a pound doesn't go as far as it once did on the new and improved Beaver Lake. "You've gotta average better than 3 pounds (per fish) now to do well at Beaver Lake." The conservation efforts are paying off in Arkansas.
Evidence of the stronger fishery lies in Canterbury's 45-7 total weight. Eighteen of today's twenty anglers caught a limit. Canterburry's weighed 14-6.
"I'm running new water," said Canterbury. "I dont know if my fish are replenishing. I've been down to the dam. I've been up the White River."
Canterbury's 'fish finder' this week is not his electronics. It's his Typhoon sunglasses. "I've caught a few off the bed. I've also caught a bunch just pitching to shallow wood that I can see."
Darrel Robertson slipped off the lead by the slightest margin. It could have been much worse for the Oklahoma pro. "With 45 minutes to go I had about an 8-pound stringer. I was practicing my exit speach. In the last 10 minutes I caught my 2 biggets fish that I had."
Robertson hopes he can capitalize tomorrow off what he figured out in those last 10 minutes today. Those fish bumped his weight to 13-1 for the day. He's in striking distance, having backed off just a notch into 2nd. He has 44 pounds, 3 ounces to his credit.
Andy Morgan is in 4th with 43-15. That will have the top 3 guys looking in the rear view mirror. And as they say, objects in those things are closer than they appear to be. Morgan was today's biggest mover with 16 pounds, 3 ounces - the day's heaviest sack.
Reigning Angler of the Year Scott Martin is currently 5th with 43-3. With 15-12 today he made a big move. Sitting just 2-2 out of the lead he threatens to make another tomorrow.
Jimmy Houston took the stage to Toby Keith's 'I Ain't As Good As I Once Was' and then explained, "I shook off a 2-pounder and a 4-and-a-half. I weighed-in a 1-pound spot (among the other fish in his 10-pound limit) and I'm gonna finnish 12th. I'll be at the Fun Zone tomorrow. Whoever finishes in 8th place, youre welcome," giggled Houston as he lamented his lost opportunities.
Houston had a good week just throwing a chartreuse/whte Booyah spinnerbait.
Here's the official word and standings from FLW Outdoors:
The Walmart FLW Tour at Beaver Lake presented by Jack Link’s is setting up for a dramatic final day on Sunday – all of the anglers that made the top-10 cut are in striking distance and have a legitimate shot to win the tournament, and the top prize of $125,000.
Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury of Springville, Alabama, who started the day in second place, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 14 pounds, 6 ounces to take the lead with a three-day total of 45-7.
Day two leader Darrel Robertson of Jay, Oklahoma, (44-3) fell to second after bringing in a limit weighing 13-1. Keystone Light pro Jeff Sprague (44-0), Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan (43-15) and reigning FLW Angler of the Year Scott Martin (43-5) round out the top five.
With just 4-15 separating leader Canterbury from 10th place angler Andrew Upshaw (40-8) the tournament is still very much up for grabs.
“I’m excited, but I know that it’s not like I’ve got this tournament in the bag,†said Canterbury, who is seeking the first FLW Tour win of his career after six previous second- or third-place finishes. “I’ve got the best in the world right behind me – ‘Mr. Beaver Lake’ Matt Arey, the G.O.A.T. Andy Morgan right on my tail, and Jeff Sprague has caught them every day. I’m going to have to go out and catch five good ones tomorrow.
“I only caught 14 pounds today and if I do that tomorrow, I won’t win,†Canterbury continued. “I have to catch at least 15 pounds, otherwise I won’t have a shot at this. This lake is as healthy as it has ever been and is fishing really good.â€
Canterbury said that he has caught all of his fish this week pitching a jig, and he is catching 8 or 9 keepers each day. He has been running mostly new water throughout the tournament, returning only to a few choice locations.
“I’ve been to this lake so many times that I just know little stretches that I like to fish. I’ve been fishing down almost to the dam and I’ve been up the White River and all over this place. Four of the five fish that I weighed in today came in places that I hadn’t fished before. I have caught a fish every day off of one rock, and I caught a 3-pounder there today, so I’m going back to it but other than that I’m not repeating a lot.
“I don’t know yet what I’m going to do tomorrow,†Canterbury went on to say. “At Beaver Lake, you have to fish the conditions each day. I’ve been in this spot before and I know how quickly this lake can change. I’m just going to go fishing and try to have some fun.â€
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition on Beaver Lake are:
1st: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 15 bass, 45-7
2nd: Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla., 15 bass, 44-3
3rd: Keystone Light pro Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 15 bass, 44-0
4th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 43-15
5th: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 43-5
6th: Chris Whitson, Louisville, Tennessee, 15 bass, 43-0
7th: Quaker State pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 42-2
8th: Livingston Lures pro Stetson Blaylock, Benton, Ark., 15 bass, 41-4
9th: J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 15 bass, 41-0
10th: Andrew Upshaw, Sapulpa, Okla., 15 bass, 40-8
Finishing in 11th through 20th are:
11th: Jeff Gustafson, Keewatin, Ontario, 15 bass, 40-5, $12,000
12th: Quaker State pro Jimmy Houston, Cookson, Okla., 15 bass, 40-1, $12,000
13th: John Cox, Debary, Fla., 15 bass, 39-6, $12,000
14th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 15 bass, 39-5, $12,000
15th: Jacob Wheeler, Indianapolis, Ind., 15 bass, 39-2, $12,000
16th: Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., 14 bass, 37-6, $12,000
17th: Brandon Cobb, Greenwood, S.C., 15 bass, 36-13, $12,000
18th: Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn., 14 bass, 36-12, $12,000
19th: Power-Pole pro Darrell Davis, Dover, Fla., 14 bass, 35-13, $12,000
20th: Kerry Milner, Bono, Ark., 15 bass, 35-3, $12,000
Final results for the rest of the field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 98 bass weighing 247 pounds, 5 ounces caught by pros Saturday. Eighteen of the final 20 pros weighed in five-bass limits.
Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Arkansas, won the co-angler division and $25,000 Friday with a two-day total of nine bass weighing 25 pounds, 12 ounces, followed by Mike Devere of Berea, Kentucky, who finished in second place with 10 bass weighing 23 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 from the Prairie Creek Park Marina located at 9300 N. Park Road in Rogers at 6:30 a.m. Sunday, the final day of competition. Sunday’s final weigh-in will be held at Walmart, located at 2110 W. Walnut St., in Rogers beginning at 4 p.m.
Fans will also be treated to the FLW Expo on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at Walmart prior to the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes a 100-yard Lew’s Casting Lane, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.
Coverage of the Beaver Lake tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) September 14 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 Beaver Lake presented by Jack Link’s is hosted by Visit Rogers.
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.
Robertson Takes Lead At Halfway Point Of Flw Tour Event On Beaver Lake
Last year when the FLW Tour visited Beaver Lake, Oklahoma pro Darrel Robertson was in second place as the tournament progressed into the third day of competition. Robertson struggled on day three and didn’t advance to championship Sunday. Friday, at the Walmart FLW Tour at Beaver Lake presented by Jack Link’s, Robertson earned a shot at redemption.
After catching 14 pounds, 14 ounces Thursday, good for 12th place, Robertson added four largemouth and one spotted bass weighing 16-4 Friday and vaulted into the lead with a two-day total of 31-2.
Right behind Robertson looms the entire Quaker State pro fishing team – Scott Canterbury of Springville, Alabama, (31-1) in second, Jimmy Houston of Cookson, Oklahoma, (30-0) in third and Matt Arey of Shelby, North Carolina, (29-14) in fourth. Arey has won this tournament in the FLW Tour’s last two visits.
The field is now cut to 20 as the tournament heads into day three of the four-day event that featured 166 of the best bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
“I felt like I had a little bit better of a day yesterday because the quality of my fish were better, but today I caught two big ones,†said Robertson, who won the world championship of bass fishing, the Forrest Wood Cup, in 1999. “One was a 5½-, one was a 4½- and the rest were 2-pounders. Yesterday, I weighed in 14-14 and they were all alike.
“The Good Lord has blessed me, though,†Robertson continued. “I’ve had bites that I probably should not have caught – the 5½-pounder today came out of a bunch of trees, on very light line. I have a plan for tomorrow and I’m confident that I can go out and catch 8 or 10 pounds. If I could have done that last year, I would have been fishing on that fourth and final day.â€
Robertson said that he was fishing slow, throwing a Yamamoto Senko worm.
“I have two areas that I have been fishing. I caught three bass yesterday out of some muddy water, but when I pulled in there today there was 20 boats already in there. I left and decided to fish the clear water and that is where I caught all of my fish today. The area isn’t very big, but there are a lot of fish there. I’ll be ready to go tomorrow.â€
The top 20 pros that made the Buck Knives Cut and will fish Saturday on Beaver Lake are:
1st: Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla., 10 bass, 31-2
2nd: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 10 bass, 31-1
3rd: Quaker State pro Jimmy Houston, Cookson, Okla., 10 bass, 30-0
4th: Quaker State pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 29-14
5th: Keystone Light pro Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 10 bass, 28-8
6th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 10 bass, 28-5
7th: Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., 10 bass, 27-15
8th: J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 10 bass, 27-11
9th: Livingston Lures pro Stetson Blaylock, Benton, Ark., 10 bass, 27-11
10th: Jeff Gustafson, Keewatin, Ontario, 10 bass, 27-11
11th: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 27-9
12th: Chris Whitson, Louisville, Tennessee, 10 bass, 27-6
13th: John Cox, Debary, Fla., 10 bass, 27-5
14th: Andrew Upshaw, Sapulpa, Okla., 10 bass, 27-5
15th: Jacob Wheeler, Indianapolis, Ind., 10 bass, 27-3
16th: Kerry Milner, Bono, Ark., 10 bass, 27-3
17th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 27-2
18th: Brandon Cobb, Greenwood, S.C., 10 bass, 27-1
19th: Power-Pole pro Darrell Davis, Dover, Fla., 10 bass, 26-13
20th: Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn., nine bass, 26-12
Final results for the rest of the field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Robertson earned the Big Bass Award on the pro side Friday, weighing a 5-pound, 8-ounce largemouth to win the $500 prize.
Overall there were 739 bass weighing 1,596 pounds, 2 ounces caught by 164 pros Friday. The catch included 122 five-bass limits.
Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Arkansas, won the co-angler division and $25,000 Friday with a two-day total of nine bass weighing 25 pounds, 12 ounces, followed by Mike Devere of Berea, Kentucky, who finished in second place with 10 bass weighing 23 pounds, 6 ounces worth $7,500.
Cifuentes said that the nine bass that he weighed came on three different lures – a 1/2-ounce pro’s choice-colored War Eagle Spinnerbait, a 3/8-ounce Missouri craw-colored Jewel Bait Football Jig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Fat Albert Twin Tail Grub and a green-pumpkin Jewel Baits Squirrel Head Jig.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Joey Cifuentes, Clinton, Ark., nine bass, 25-12, $25,350
2nd: Mike Devere, Berea, Ky., 10 bass, 23-6, $7,500
3rd: Jerry Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., 10 bass, 18-10, $5,000
4th: David Larson, Mound, Minn., eight bass, 17-10, $4,000
5th: Tim Cales, Sandstone, W. Va., 10 bass, 17-8, $3,000
6th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., eight bass, 17-1, $2,500
7th: Jason Sandidge, Centerton, Ark., six bass, 16-0, $2,000
8th: Jaime Luengo, Mexico City, Mexico, seven bass, 15-14, $1,800
9th: David Hudson, Jasper, Ala., eight bass, 15-13, $1,700
10th: Rocky Hopkins, Fayetteville, Ark., six bass, 15-7, $1,600
Cifuentes also caught Friday’s Big Bass in the co-angler division, a bass weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces to win the $250 prize.
Overall there were 412 bass weighing 663 pounds, 10 ounces caught by co-anglers Friday. The catch included 36 five-bass limits.
In addition to casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and up to $25,000 cash in the co-angler division, anglers are also competing for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2016 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 4-7 on Wheeler Lake.
Anglers will take off from the Prairie Creek Park Marina located at 9300 N. Park Road in Rogers at 6:30 a.m. each day of competition. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will be held at Walmart, located at 2110 W. Walnut St., in Rogers beginning at 4 p.m.
Fans will also be treated to the FLW Expo on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at Walmart prior to the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes a 100-yard Lew’s Casting Lane, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.
Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) Bentonville Community Lake, located at 2805 West Oak St., in Rogers on Saturday, April 16, from 9-11 a.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to area youth 15 years of age and younger and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. All bait is provided by the DMF Bait Company.
Coverage of the Beaver Lake tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) September 14 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 Beaver Lake presented by Jack Link’s is being hosted by Visit Rogers.
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.
Kenney Lands 18 Pound Limit, Takes Lead In Day 1 Of Flw Event On Beaver Lake
After landing it, he kneeled down in the boat and punched the water with his fist in an act of “punching Beaver Lake back.”
For most of his FLW Tour career, Beaver Lake has been JT Kenney’s nemesis. One year he zeroed in this event, failing to catch a single keeper in two days of competition.
“Yeah, that’s what the punch in the water was for,” Kenney laughs. “When I got that big one in the boat it was like years of misery delivered back with one punch. I’m sure it didn’t hurt the lake too bad, but it made me feel better.”
Kenney’s big bass claimed the big bass honors for the day and helped put him the lead on day one with 18 pounds, 5 ounces.
He boated about 10 keepers on the day and weighed in all largemouths for his creel. He also was up front about borrowing a page out of the notebook of two previous Beaver Lake champions.
“Because this place is so difficult for me, I always pick Andy Morgan and Bryan Thrift’s brains about fishing here,” Kenney says. “And one thing those two guys are masters at here is never fishing the same place twice. If they catch a fish somewhere, that’s it. They don’t return.”
“I applied some of that today,” Kenney continues. “I never fished a place where I caught a fish in practice – I purposely avoided them. Now I fished some of the same kind of stuff that fit the pattern, but never a place I caught one in practice. And when I caught one today, I picked up and moved.”
Kenney revealed that he caught his fish cranking a 6th Sense crankbait, but was not specific about the model just yet. He added that the stained water throughout so much of the lake is giving him a wide berth to run his pattern.
“I probably utilized 12 to 14 miles of the lake today,” Kenney says. “Since that water is stained all the way down the lake, it added a lot of potential water to work with.”
Kenney also said he is not committed to just the cranking pattern.
“Tomorrow I might scratch this plan and go to the clear water to fish for smallmouth,” he says. “From what I’ve learned from my buddies, that’s the key to doing well here. You got to be willing to throw it all out the window and start over tomorrow. And Beaver Lake might punch me back and I might catch not catch a thing. But I think that’s the kind of gamble I’ve got to make.”
Top 10 pros
1. JT Kenney – Palm Bay, Fla. – 18-5 (5)
2. Jimmy Houston – Cookson, Okla. – 17-13 (5)
3. Kurt Mitchell – Milford, Del. – 17-8 (5)
4. Buddy Gross – Ringgold, Ga. – 16-11 (5)
5. Rex Huff – Corbin, Ky. – 16-1 (5)
6. Darrell Davis – Dover, Fla. – 15-9 (5)
6. Scott Martin – Clewiston, Fla. – 15-9 (5)
8. Keystone Light pro Jeff Sprague – Point, Texas – 15-6 (5)
9. Larry Nixon – Bee Branch, Ark. – 15-2 (5)
10. Walmart pro David Dudley – Lynchburg, Va. – 15-1 (5)
Sandidge nabs co-angler lead
Jason Sandidge from nearby Centerton, Ark., leads the co-angler field with 13 pounds, 14 ounces.
Fishing with Hello Kitty pro Shirley Crain up the river, he caught a quick limit early on with a shaky head. The two moved to a mid-lake area near Prairie Creek later in the day. Sandidge culled four of his keepers there by targeting prespawn fish with a 7/16-ounce custom-made jig.
For day two, Sandidge is paired with the third place pro Kurt Mitchell.
“His co-angler only had two today,” says Sandidge. “If I can catch five I may have a shot. But, it’s Beaver Lake, I’ll take what I can get.”
Top 10 co-anglers
1. Jason Sandridge – Centerton, Ark. – 13-14 (5)
2. David P Larson – Mound, Minn. – 12-15 (5)
3. Mike Devere – Berea, Ky. – 12-9 (5)
4. Teddy Holt – Centerton , Ark. – 12-0 (5)
5. Benjie Seaborn – Guin, Ala. – 11-0 (5)
6. Jeff Campbell – Fayetteville, Ark. – 10-12 (5)
7. Rocky Hopkins – Fayetteville, Ark. – 10-5 (4)
7. Mark Horton – Nicholasville, Ky. – 10-5 (5)
9. Jerry Reagan – Byrdstown, Tenn. – 9-12 (5)
10. Barry Mohon – Beechmont, Ky. – 9-9 (5)
Houston Lands 2017 Bassmaster Classic On Lake Conroe!
HOUSTON — The world championship of bass fishing — the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro — will be held in Houston for the first time in the event’s 47-year history, B.A.S.S. and the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, the event hosts, revealed today.
The announcement was made during a press conference in Houston’s Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros and where 52 of the world’s best bass anglers will weigh their fish during the March 24-26, 2017, event.
“We are thrilled to bring the biggest event in bass fishing to the biggest city in the biggest state,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “Of the 500,000 members of B.A.S.S. worldwide, nearly 45,000 — more than any other state — call Texas home. We’re glad to be able to hold the Classic near them.”
“We are truly excited to further our relationship with the sport of bass fishing and the Bassmaster Classic,” said Ted Ward, GEICO vice president of marketing. “This event continues to serve as a great platform to interact with their loyal fans and build brand awareness for GEICO's expanding product lines.”
The fishing competition will take place on Lake Conroe, a 21,000-acre impoundment of the San Jacinto River in Montgomery and Walker counties noted for producing big largemouth bass.
Also during Bassmaster Classic Week in Houston, the nation’s leading fishing tackle and boat manufacturers will take part in the annual Bassmaster Classic Outdoor Expo, to be held March 24-26 in the George R. Brown Convention Center. In recent years, tackle and lure companies have been using the Classic Expo as the venue to introduce their newest products to bass fishing fans. The 2017 Expo will cover more than 300,000 square feet, the largest in Bassmaster Classic history.
“This is a huge win for the region and is a perfect example of how our events staff constantly works in collaboration with a variety of partners, as well as creatively, to bring these type of sporting events to town,” said Janis Burke, Chief Executive Officer of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority. “Who would have guessed that a fishing tournament weigh-in could be done that many miles away from the fishing lake and inside a MLB Stadium? But, it makes perfect sense and has been a wonderful display of teamwork by many entities. We expect this to be the largest and best event ever held in the Bassmaster Classic’s history.”
The 2017 event will mark only the second time for the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing” to be held in Texas. Television fishing show host Hank Parker won the 1979 Classic on Lake Texoma on the Texas-Oklahoma border. Conroe has never hosted a Bassmaster Elite Series event; however, many of the stars of the Elite Series are familiar with the lake. It was the site of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic from 2009-2013.
In addition, superstar pro Rick Clunn, a four-time Classic Champion, worked as a bass guide on Conroe during the early years of his 42-year career in professional fishing. He is off to a strong start toward qualifying for what would be his 33rd Classic — he won the season opener of the Elite Series in March on Florida’s St. Johns River. Clunn will be 70 years old when the 2017 Classic gets under way.
“Lake Conroe is a bass-fishing gem, and we’re proud to show it off to the bass world,” said Harold Hutcheson, executive director of the Conroe Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Our lake ranks seventh in the state in the number of Toyota ShareLunker entries (open to bass weighing 13 or more pounds), and it’s a popular place for recreational anglers and professionals alike. We look forward to hosting some of the world’s best anglers next year.”
The Classic champion will earn $300,000, part of the more than $1 million in prize money to be paid out to the anglers.
Akin expects the event next year to draw some of the largest crowds in tournament history. More than 107,000 people attended one or more venues during this year’s Classic in Tulsa, Okla., and on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees. The event has averaged more than 102,000 in attendance over the past five years.
Officials at host cities during that time have reported an economic impact from the event ranging from $22 million to nearly $24 million.
More than 250 media representatives from throughout the United States and several foreign countries are credentialed to cover the event each year, and The Weather Channel regularly broadcasts live from the takeoff each morning. Several thousand fishing fans are expected to brave chilly morning temperatures to watch the takeoff next year at Lake Conroe.
Fans who don’t make it to the lake will be tuning in to live coverage of the competition through “Bassmaster Classic Live,” a cutting-edge program that streams live, on-the-water fishing action through the B.A.S.S. website, Bassmaster.com. More than 400,000 video plays of Classic Live were recorded this year, resulting in nearly 12 million minutes viewed.
The 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic is being hosted locally by the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, and the fishing action on Lake Conroe is presented by the Conroe Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Sportsmans Warehouse Product Spotlight - Missile Baits Shockwave
This weeks Sportsmans Warehouse Product Spotlight features the Missile Baits Shockwave. A neat little 4" swimbait can be fished a number of different ways to help you entice more strikes and catch more fish! Check em out at Sportsmanswarehouse.com
Gear You Need - Gear Review - Ardent Apex Elite Baitcaster Reel
It seems like every major reel manufacturer is making a bait casting reel from the $100 to $250 range and promising so little for the price. I recently had the chance to try out the Ardent Apex Elite bait casting reel and I felt like this reel was molded to fit the palms of my hands. Weighing in at 6 ounces with a high strength aluminum frame and 12+1 ball bearings - This reel packs a punch!
Equipped with a big carbon fiber handle that lets you muscle the fish out of any cover. Trust me, my best day out in the water was with this guy. I caught each fish so effortlessly, it was like I was Denny Brauer himself! A pro with a gorgeous blue trim reel that may even get the attention of a beautiful fisher-woman. A man can dream, right?
Because this reel is so smooth, I had to reteach myself how to cast a bait caster… Which to me I don’t see as a bad thing, as I was a little rusty and a little practice never hurt anyone. With some quick adjustments and thumb pressure, all was good.
I cannot stress enough how light this reel is. It is excellent for a full day of fishing, which is great for us, bad for anyone who needs us that day! You can cast this reel a hundred times in one sitting and your arm will feel like you’ve been throwing a feather each time.
Sleek design, a nice carbon fiber handle, a price tag of only $149 with a 3 year warranty - What are you waiting for, my friend?! This reel is the only reel you will ever want and need - I promise you will not be disappointed.
Ardent Apex Elite Features:
High Strength Aluminum frame
-Deep V 6061 T6 machined aluminum spool
-Carbon Fiber swept back handle
-EVA grip knobs on handle
-270 Degree Mag Brake system
-Swept back forge aluminum star drag
-Backed by a 3-Year Warranty
Koslan & Crumbly Take Lake Travis Win With 11.4Lb Kicker In Bass Champs Central Derby
| 11.48 lb kicker anchors the win for Koslan and Crumley on Lake Travis at Bass Champs, winning over $20,000 |
| By: Patty Lenderman |
|
Skeeter Bass Champs Central Region held their third event of the season on Lake Travis April 9, 2016. Amazing catches were seen as 184 teams vied for a portion of over $51,000 being paid back in this tournament. Garrett Koslan of Austin, TX and Eric Crumley of Leander caught the limit they needed to win over $20,000 that included an incredible double digit kicker!
Lake Travis is a beautiful canyon lake approximately 75 miles long near Austin, TX that has been around 50 feet low for several years until recent rains brought the lake to full pool. With all of the newly flooded areas and vegetation, fish were on the move and anglers on their heels trying to find their new areas. Tournament day had an array of weather patterns from calm and cloudy to rain and hail, but the catch was on as evidenced at the scales. Winners Garret Koslan and Eric Crumley found a double digit bass weighing in at 11.38 lbs anchoring their win. A bass this size is nearly unheard of on Travis, making this an even more incredible day. “Our morning started out slow,” Eric explained. They started out on main lake points and small pockets using flukes. “We caught a small limit pretty quick, then we moved out into deeper water with Carolina rigs and fished slower. The better ones started biting after 9am.” Slowly, they began culling their small swimmers with bigger fish. Around 11am, Garret was throwing a Carolina rigged baby brush hog. He thought it got hung on the bottom, then it started coming up! “When that fish broke the top of the water, it got pretty crazy in our boat,” Eric recalled. “It took a few tries to get it in the net, but once we did we ran right in to weigh it in.” The scales locked in at 11.38 lbs, a big fish for any water body but particularly notable for Lake Travis. After getting that fish weighed and cared for, the team went back out to finish their day. “We went back out, and were able to cull the rest of our swimmers for bigger fish, but our day was done by 1:00.” Adding the rest of their final creel to their weight, they had 21.47 pounds to win 1st place and the guaranteed check for $20,000. Having the Big Bass of the tournament, they won another $500 for that catch. Then DELO, BioBor and AllStar added to their winnings with their bonuses as well. “I’d like to thank my wife for putting up with me,” Eric said, “and I’d like to thank Garrett for not freaking out too bad and catching that fish!” 2nd place was won by Tony Ferdinando of Spicewood, TX and Shane Logan of Buda, having a limit of bass weighing in at 18.96 pounds. “Tony did all the hard work for this tournament,” Shane explained. “He did all of the pre-fishing and caught all of the fish we weighed in today.” The duo started out on main lake points using topwater baits. Tony caught their kicker with that method that weighed around six pounds. “As the day progressed, we moved out to deep transition areas close to main lake points using a combination of Texas rigs, jigs and swim jigs.” They worked for their limit, taking until noon to wrap up their initial limit. “We didn’t cull our smallest fish until around 3:30.” When it was all said and done, their limit locked in at 18.96 pounds to win 2nd place and a check for $4,000. “I’d like to thank my partner Tony. He’s a really good partner and very knowledgeable. 90% of the credit definitely goes to him.” Shane and Tony have been partners in Bass Champs for the past ten years or so. Shane had to miss a few seasons of fishing due to deployment in the Army, but now that he is working with the Travis County Sheriffs department is happy to be competing in these events again. “Don’t let Shane fool you,” Tony added. “He is the one who usually goes after and gets our kicker fish in our tournaments. He’s good. I just got lucky this time!” Three seemed to be the lucky number for the 3rd place winners, Craig Cordova of Austin, TX and Shawn Tamez of New Braunfels. Fishing in their third tournament with Bass Champs, this team decided to head to the south end of the lake for their catch. “We had been having some luck on the south end of the lake, so we started out their using topwater baits,” Craig explained. They started their day with a 5 ½ pound catch on topwaters, then switched to wacky worms for the rest of their fish. “We experienced an array of weather patterns. The morning started out fairly calm, but it transitioned to wind, rain, then sunny skies.” They were targeting creek mouths in 10’-15’ of water. “We caught a lot of small fish, and it took nearly all day to put a decent limit together. We were culling by ounces!” Their final five fish weighed in at 17.73 pounds to win 3rd place in the tournament and a check for $3,000. “We really had a great time fishing this Bass Champs event. Everything just came together in our favor this time! I’d like to thank my great fishing partner Shawn.” The top 25 teams received winning checks, and the last $600 went to Fred Cates Sr and Fred Cates Jr for their 12.99 lb limit. Sponsor incentives paid off for 9th place winners Ray Tomasits and Cary Laudadio. Skeeter doubled their $1,040 winnings then they also won the Lowrance GEN3 bonus! With only one event to go, the Angler of the Year race is about to be determined. The top five teams are: The final event for the Central Region will be May 14 at LBJ. In the meantime, Bass Champs staff and crew are headed to Lake Falcon on April 23rd for the third South Region event. The annual Skeeter Owner’s tournament is getting closer! Mark your calendars to fish Lake Fork on June 10-12 for this great Skeeter Owner appreciation event. |
Alabama Bass Trail Top 3 Interviews From The Mobile Delta
The Mobile Delta was a challenge for most Alabama Bass Trail teams. Many just wanted to "survive" with some points and move on to the Alabama River while others had their mind on redemption. Top 3 finishing teams talk to us about thier strategy and what paid off for them. Check it out!
Jon Canada & Bo Hunter Win The Alabama Bass Trail South Div. On Mobile Delta
With the river system being over its banks and the current moving at a pace that would make most marathon runners proud to attain, the field of 140 teams found the conditions difficult and potentially worrisome. However, as usually happens with anglers of this caliber, the field figured a way to make quality bass bite.
The pair that did it best on this warm spring day in Southern Alabama was the team of John Canada and Bo Hunter; who have become regular participants in the ABT check collection line. Despite the fact that they had little experience on the Mobile / Tensaw River Delta, the pair produced 16.66 pounds of spotted bass to take home the victory.
“I honestly don’t really know what to say right now, I’m actually a little surprised,” said Hunter on behalf of the team. “I’ve literally spent two days practicing this place, and was just hoping to catch enough to stay solid in the points; this is a nice surprise.
The pair reported running more than 60 miles to the tailrace of the Claiborne Dam intending to target spotted bass with moving baits. When they arrived, there were competitors from their event, as well as other anglers already there fishing the majority of spots they wanted to. “We decided to make a move downstream about four or five miles and try something else,” they said. “We ended up finding better quality spotted bass where current and wood met; and we caught them on a variety of 1/2-ounce jigs and chunk style trailers.”
Canada and Hunter said they use several different styles and colors of jigs, and caught as many as 25 bass getting to their winning weight. Their efforts earned them the $10,000 winner’s purse as well as the $250 Alabama Bass Trail Gear bonus for wearing ABT logo gear during the day. It also catapulted them into the lead in the Southern Division standings by a 20 point margin of Jeremy Headley and Anthony Goggins.
For the second year in a row, Coby Carden and Chris Rutland finished in the runner up position at this venue, however, while they said that they would like to get over the hump, it was better than they had expected after practice. “Finishing second here again is kind of like taking your sister to the prom two years in a row, but it’s better than we had thought it would be,” said Rutland on behalf of the team. “We fished for two days with very little to show for it down river, and decided we’d go upriver to fish for spotted bass.”
The pair went to a stretch that Rutland had caught two quality spotted bass on the only other practice day they had, and caught three on a homemade jig on a shallow hard bottomed bar, and then four other fish in heavy current with a 1-ounce Davis Bait Company spinnerbait and a SPRO Fat Papa 70 crankbait. They weigh 13.86 pounds and earned the $5,000 prize for second place. “I feel good about it,” said Rutland. “It really turned out to be a better event than it could have been; it was a good day.”
Rex Chambers and Brent Crow finished third in the event with 13.38 pounds and earned the $4,000 prize for that spot, as well as the $1,000 bonus for being the highest finishing Freedom Marine / Phoenix Boats customer in the event.
Wayne Cox and Jimmy Harrison finished the event in fourth place with 12.79 pounds. Their limit was anchored by a 5.61-pound largemouth that earned the Mountain Dew Big Bass of the tournament bonus. That $500 prize brought their total earnings to $3,500 for the event.
The top 10 in the standings are below – the complete standings can be found at:http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/mtrd-results/
| Place | Name | Weight | Big Fish | Winnings |
| 1 | Jon Canada/Bo Hunter | 16.66 | $10,000 | |
| 2 | Chris Rutland/Coby Carden | 13.86 | 4.05 | $5,000 |
| 3 | Rex Chambers/Brent Crow | 13.38 | $4,000 | |
| 4 | Wayne Cox/Jimmy Harrison | 12.79 | 5.61 | $3,000 |
| 5 | Hunter Mckinley/Micah Easterling | 12.29 | $2,000 | |
| 6 | Scott Ashley/Taylor Ashley | 11.50 | $1,000 | |
| 7 | J.t. Hodges/Donald Conway | 11.17 | 5.26 | $900 |
| 8 | Larry Bullock/Roger Caldwell | 10.73 | 4.3 | $800 |
| 9 | Samuel Fish/Justin Hamner | 10.71 | $700 | |
| 10 | Jimmy Cook/Randall Sims | 10.19 | $600 |