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:
|
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 |
Myers Wins Nail-Biter Elite Series Tournament On Winyah Bay!
What an excitig finish for the Elites at Winyah Bay! Carolina's own Britt Myers won by 4 ounces! Myers tallied 56 pounds 3 ounces across 4 challenging days of tidewater bassing that included a couple of cold fronts and a couple-hundred miles of boat travel each day.
Brett Hite turned-in 55 pounds, 15 ounces to take runner-up honors.
Kelly Jordon placed 3rd but was still within a pound of the champ with 55-3.
Jordon fished a little closer to the take off ramp but the extra hour of fishing time wasn't enough to put him past Myers who made the long run gamble all week and fished the waters of the Cooper River near Charleston, some two hours distant.
Davy Hite, who ran aground in thick mud and missed the Day 2 weigh in, was on hand to give commentary today on Bassmaster.com. He noted that, while cold fronts don't affect river bass so much, the tides were not much help this week. "This place would fish 100% better if we had a low tide right in the middle of the day," said Hite as he watched Keith Combs fish among flooded trees in the Pee Dee River.
Then again, the tight weights made the final weigh in exciting.
Here are the story and official results from B.A.S.S.:
GEORGETOWN, S.C. — For the fourth day in a row, Britt Myers of Lake Wylie, S.C., made a long run to the Cooper River near Charleston, S.C., knowing that he needed to make all the right moves to claim the championship title.
Due to a strong cold front that shut the fishing down, Myers was forced to scrap his original game plan and try something new. The adjustment proved to be the right decision, which produced 9 pounds, 5 ounces of bass, and a four-day total of 56-3 during Championship Sunday at the Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay presented by GoRVing.
Myers had only three fish by late Sunday morning, and he knew a change in presentation was necessary if he were to remain in contention for the title.
“I thought that I had blown it,” Myers said. “The water got slick and the fishing slowed to a grinding halt, making me wonder what it was going to take to find two more fish. In my mind, I was scrambling to salvage fifth place, and that’s a tough position to be in.”
Near the end of his day, Myers had a bass try to eat a Chatterbait, but he wasn’t able to set the hook in time. He switched to a Zoom Super Fluke in a pearl pattern; a decision he made the evening before in case the Chatterbait pattern dried up.
“After switching to the Super Fluke, I caught a 10- to 11-incher almost immediately,” Myers said. “I felt that was a sign, so I stuck with it and caught several other small fish during the last hour, but I was able to fill out my limit and cull up one time before heading in.”
Myers knew that most of the anglers would fish conservatively and avoid the long boat rides to the Santee and Cooper rivers, which is where the biggest limits of bass were produced during all four days.
“I went all in on this tournament,” he said. “I knew before I ever got here that I would be making a near two-hour run to access the Cooper River. I felt that after the recent historical floods on the Santee River, the fishing would be difficult there. Honestly, I was pretty surprised at how well Kelly Jordon did on the Santee.”
Myers was fishing an abandoned rice field with irrigation drains that were filled with hydrilla and stumps creating an ideal situation to catch bass during all phases of the spawn.
“When the tide wasn’t perfect, I fished stumps looking for spawning bass,” he explained. “When the tide picked up, I fished the current breaks near the hydrilla points and near logs and laydowns. There were times when I could almost call my shot.”
Myers got his start fishing with South Carolina bass clubs, and B.A.S.S. Nation tournaments, and anglers from those same clubs helped him become more familiar with the Winyah Bay fishery.
“To me, that’s a fine representation of South Carolina bass fishermen,” Myers said. “I’m beyond proud to win this event in my home state, it’s just hard to accurately describe what I’m feeling right now.”
Brett Hite of Phoenix, Ariz., caught only two fish on Sunday that weighed 5-13. His four-day total was 55-15, which was good enough for a second-place finish just a mere 4 ounces behind Britt Myers.
“The bite was tough today, and looking back there were definitely a few things I could have done differently,” Hite said. “But, I didn’t loose any fish. I fished a good, clean tournament; I just didn’t get enough bites today.”
Hite was sure to point out that the Georgetown hospitality was fantastic, and the fans made the event very enjoyable.
The remainder of the Top 12 was as follows: Kelly Jordon, 55-3; Brent Chapman, 47-11; Randy Howell, 47-11; Keith Combs, 46-13; Gerald Swindle, 46-7; Jacob Powroznik, 46-2; Boyd Duckett, 45-5; Chris Zaldain, 43-9; John Hunter Jr., 40-14; and Mark Menendez, 39-2.
Chapman was awarded $1,000 for the leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race at the end of the event.
Myers 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.
He also earned the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $500 for leading on the second day.
Myers won the Toyota Bonus Bucks of $3,000 for being the highest-placing eligible entrant in the program. The second-highest-placing eligible entrant, Chapman, received $2,000.
The Big Bass Award of $1,500 was presented to John Murray for weighing in the overall biggest bass of the event — a 8-9 bass.
Myers 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 Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay presented by Go RVing 4/7-4/10
Winyah Bay, Georgetown SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 20 56-03 110 $101,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 21-07 Day 3: 5 08-15 Day 4: 5 09-05
2. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 17 55-15 109 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 19-11 Day 3: 5 18-00 Day 4: 2 05-13
3. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 15 55-03 108 $20,000.00
Day 1: 1 08-05 Day 2: 5 24-07 Day 3: 5 16-04 Day 4: 4 06-03
4. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 19 47-11 107 $16,000.00
Day 1: 4 07-01 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 5 16-09 Day 4: 5 09-04
5. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 20 47-11 106 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 09-01 Day 3: 5 16-05 Day 4: 5 11-10
6. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 20 46-13 105 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 5 10-05 Day 4: 5 10-07
7. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 20 46-07 104 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 11-09 Day 3: 5 12-15 Day 4: 5 11-10
8. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 20 46-02 103 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 12-03 Day 3: 5 15-09 Day 4: 5 08-09
9. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 20 45-05 102 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 5 13-13 Day 4: 5 10-00
10. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 20 43-09 101 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 12-06 Day 3: 5 13-11 Day 4: 5 08-09
11. John Hunter Jr Shelbyville, KY 13 40-14 100 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 06-10 Day 2: 3 12-01 Day 3: 5 22-03 Day 4: 0 00-00
12. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 18 39-02 99 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 11-10 Day 3: 5 13-05 Day 4: 3 03-06
BIG BASS OF TOURNAMENT
John Murray Spring City, TN 08-09 $1,500.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 58 400 780-05
2 75 470 978-09
3 41 235 535-15
4 8 49 94-12
----------------------------------
182 1154 2389-09
Zack Birge Battles Back For Costa Win On Grand Lake!
Zack Birge of Blanchard, Okla., lives several hours from Grand Lake, but he still considers it somewhat of a home lake. So when he weighed in 12 pounds, 10 ounces on day one of the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division event presented by Evinrude and hosted by the City of Grove to start in a paltry 78th place, he was dejected.
“I’m not going to lie, I was pretty down on myself that first day,” Birge recalls. “That’s not what I was expecting, especially here on Grand.”
Birge makes no bones about it. On day one, he was fishing mostly within Wolf Creek where hundreds of fish get released at the Wolf Creek Park boat ramp. The thought of so many fish snubbing him the first day burned him up. Things had gotten personal between Birge and the bass in Wolf Creek. So on day two, he ran the exact same water with the same exact baits with the intentions of getting even with those bass, just to prove to himself he wasn’t wrong about day one.
And get even he did. On day two, Birge weighed in 21 pounds and blasted into 8th place to make the top-10 cut. Going into the final day, he was 5-1/2 pounds behind the leader. On day three, he once again made his same rotation around Wolf Creek cranking points and drains to sack up 18 pounds, 3 ounces and win by a pound and a half.
“I have no idea how I just pulled that off,” Birge said moments after being handed the trophy. “This is unreal.”
For his win, Birge took home $40,000 in cash.
For three days Birge says he cranked two crankbaits: a 6th Sense Crush 50X, which runs 4 to 6 feet deep, and a Crush Mini 25X, which runs 2 to 4 feet deep – both lures were in a bluegill color. He cranked them on 10-pound test Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon.
Birge cranked in and around the multitude of points in the Wolf Creek area. Though he caught a few on the points themselves, he said more of the better fish actually came from the small drains that run in between the points.
“I would position my boat out on the points and cast as far as I could back into the drains, paralleling the sides of the points. I wanted to bring the crankbait down the side of the drain, hitting that key 2- to 6-foot zone. A lot of those points were gravel on top, but turned to chunkier rock as they fell off the sides into the drains – that was the primary strike zone I was trying to hit. My crankbait would grind the bottom – gravel and chunk rock – the entire time.”
As to why the quality fish bit so much better on days two and three as opposed to day one, Birge says he has no answers.
“I literally fished the same baits in the same spots all three days,” he says. “The only thing I did different on that second day was sort of reverse my rotation of spots, which might have made a difference, I really don’t know.”
For Birge, this tournament is a testament to perseverance.
“Absolutely never give up after a bad day,” Birge says. “Anything can happen, especially on a lake like Grand. Just a few weeks ago Edwin Evers caught 29 pounds here on the last day to win the Bassmaster Classic. Those are the kinds of things you have to keep in mind after a bad day.”
B. Hite Takes Over Lead, Jordon Lurks Close Behind As Elite Tourney On Winyah Bay Enters Final Day
Third lead change in as many days at the Elite tourney on Winyah Bay.
First day leader Carl Jocumsen collected his $10,000 paycheck today. He missed the Top 12 cut so his work here is done.
Day 2 leader Britt Myers slipped to 3rd today. He says a late discovery today will put him position to take the title tomorrow.
Kelly Jordon, riding the momentum of yesterday's giant sack (biggest of the tournament so far at 24-7) hangs in 2nd, only a pound and two ounces off the lead.
That lead is now held by Brett Hite who brought 18 pounds to the scale and says that, with an adjustment or two, he can get the job done again tomorrow in the same stretch of water that has gotten him this far over 3 days of competition.
And how about Elite Series rookie John Hunter! With 22-3 today the Shelbyville, KY angler rocketed into 4th from back in the pack. Easily the biggest mover of the day. If he can do that again in tomorrow's finale . . .
. . . well, this is certainly shaping up to be the exciting contest we hoped it would be!
One thing we can say is that this fishery didn't give-out after the first day. So many times we see the heaviest weights in the first round and then, after the pros have hammered a lake, weights start to decline. Yesterday was better than Thursday and if the entire field had fished again today who knows what would have happened. Hunter's 22-pound sack may be a good indication.
With only 12 pros left to venture forth tomorrow, mathematically, you wouldn't expect another oddly heavy sack, but this Coastal Carolina fishery is the type of place where guys can spread out and manage their fish in what they can call their 'own' piece of water for the week. That makes a huge difference because, as Alton Jones explained during the last Elite Series stop on the St Johns River, when you share an area you have to beat it for all you can or the other guy will. When you have something to yourself you can manage it to produce steady limits of fish for multiple days instead of burning it all at once. Rick Clunn has repeatedly pointed out in recent years that weather is no longer the biggest factor in fishing success. Angling pressure is.
That elbow room may be the single biggest reason we may see another 20-pound sack tomorrow. Stay tuned!
Elite Series rookie John Hunter whacked 'em today. photo by Shaye Baker/B.A.S.S.
Here's the official story and weights from B.A.S.S.:
GEORGETOWN, S.C. — Despite a powerful cold front accompanied by strong northerly winds, many of the Top 51 anglers still made the long grueling run to the Cooper River near Charleston, S.C., to catch their fish.
Saturday was a shootout between the Top 3 anglers, which ended with the third lead change in as many days.
Brett Hite of Phoenix, Ariz., successfully plucked 18 pounds of largemouth bass from the same area he has been fishing the past two days. Hite will leave the docks on Championship Sunday with a three-day weight of 50-2, looking for the second victory of his career at the Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay presented by GoRVing.
So far, the biggest concern has been the long boat rides to access the bass-rich waters of the Cooper River. However, the attention has now shifted to rapidly dropping tides and a large cold front that will likely impact Sunday’s fishing.
“I’ve been focusing my efforts on the same school of bass for the past three days, and I expect the fishing to be just as good for one more day,” Hite said. “But, I’ll have to adapt tomorrow after this front pushes through. I’ve been catching good numbers of fish each day, but with the dropping tide, I had shallower water to deal with, which positioned the schools of bass near certain pieces of structure.”
Hite, who holds a slim lead over Texas angler Kelly Jordon (49-0), has been catching his limit of bass early enough during the day to head back to the launch ahead of time.
“The long boat rides have been going smoothly, but when you’re in contention to win a tournament like this, it’s smart to play it safe whenever you can,” he said. “It’s going to be much colder in the morning, but typically, tidal-river bass aren’t as affected by weather conditions — I hope that holds true. I will likely have to make some adjustments tomorrow, but I’m confident I’ll be able to stay on the school.”
Hite’s weights have been going up each day, but yesterday Jordon swung for the fences and weighed the heaviest five-bass limit of the tournament with 24-7. Jordon’s Friday limit, plus today’s 16-4, has put him in position to win on Sunday.
“I gambled yesterday, and it paid off,” Jordon said. “I slept great last night, and I’m going to sleep well again tonight. It helps to know exactly where I’m going tomorrow, and how I will be fishing. It’s just going to depend on whether or not the right bass eat or not.”
Jordon said the bite was different today. He caught a couple solid fish, but lost several others that would have helped his total Saturday.
“The fish were short striking my lures, which made it difficult to get a solid hook set and keep the bass on the line,” he said. “I blame the cold front for that, and I’ll adjust accordingly tomorrow.”
After leading on Friday, Britt Myers of Lake Wylie, S.C., slipped into third place today with 8-15, pushing his three-day total to 46-14. Myers explained that while he didn’t do as well as he had hoped, he’s still in contention for the title.
“To be honest, today’s small limit of bass might be the best 8 pounds, 15 ounces I’ve ever weighed. Especially if it turns into a victory tomorrow,” Myers said. “The fish I’ve been catching are still in the same basic location, but they’ve relocated to accommodate the shrinking tide, and I think I figured out where at the end of the day.”
Sunday’s field will be cut to the Top 12 anglers who will compete for top honors and the $100,000 payday. Behind Hite, Jordon and Myers, the remainder of the field will be as follows: John Hunter Jr., 40-14; Brent Chapman, 38-7; Jacob Powroznik, 37-9; Keith Combs, 36-6; Randy Howell, 36-1; Mark Menendez, 35-12; Boyd Duckett, 35-5; Chris Zaldain, 35-0; and Gerald Swindle, 34-13.
Take-off on Championship Sunday will be held at 7a.m. ET at the Carroll Ashmore Campbell Marine Complex with the final weigh-in scheduled at the same location at 3:30 p.m.
2016 Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay presented by Go RVing 4/7-4/10
Winyah Bay, Georgetown SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 15 50-02 110
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 19-11 Day 3: 5 18-00
2. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 11 49-00 109
Day 1: 1 08-05 Day 2: 5 24-07 Day 3: 5 16-04
3. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 15 46-14 108 $500.00
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 21-07 Day 3: 5 08-15
4. John Hunter Jr Shelbyville, KY 13 40-14 107
Day 1: 5 06-10 Day 2: 3 12-01 Day 3: 5 22-03
5. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 14 38-07 106
Day 1: 4 07-01 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 5 16-09
6. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 15 37-09 105
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 12-03 Day 3: 5 15-09
7. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 15 36-06 104
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 5 10-05
8. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 15 36-01 103
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 09-01 Day 3: 5 16-05
9. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 15 35-12 102
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 11-10 Day 3: 5 13-05
10. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 15 35-05 101
Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 5 13-13
11. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 15 35-00 100
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 12-06 Day 3: 5 13-11
12. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 15 34-13 99
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 11-09 Day 3: 5 12-15
13. James Elam Tulsa, OK 12 34-06 98 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 02-09 Day 2: 5 16-02 Day 3: 5 15-11
14. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 15 34-00 97 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 09-14 Day 3: 5 14-14
15. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 15 33-15 96 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 08-03 Day 3: 5 13-07
16. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 15 33-09 95 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 11-13 Day 3: 5 08-01
17. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 15 33-07 94 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 5 11-03 Day 3: 5 12-13
18. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 15 32-15 93 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 10-10 Day 3: 5 10-10
19. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 15 32-14 92 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 5 11-05 Day 3: 5 12-15
20. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 15 32-08 91 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 10-10 Day 3: 5 14-05
21. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 15 32-00 90 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 13-01 Day 3: 5 10-08
22. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 15 31-05 89 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 06-02 Day 3: 5 10-13
23. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 14 31-03 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 06-10 Day 2: 5 12-14 Day 3: 5 11-11
24. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 15 30-13 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 11-03 Day 3: 5 10-09
25. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 12 30-02 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 10-11 Day 2: 4 08-01 Day 3: 4 11-06
26. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 15 29-13 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-00 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 5 10-15
27. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 13 29-02 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 08-10 Day 3: 3 07-08
28. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 12 28-15 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 07-14 Day 2: 5 10-02 Day 3: 4 10-15
29. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 15 28-12 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 5 09-05 Day 3: 5 10-13
30. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 15 28-12 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 10-10 Day 3: 5 09-02
31. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 14 28-06 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 08-11 Day 2: 5 08-06 Day 3: 5 11-05
32. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 15 28-05 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 08-04 Day 3: 5 08-11
33. David Williams Newton, NC 15 28-02 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-02 Day 2: 5 10-12 Day 3: 5 09-04
34. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 15 27-14 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-01 Day 2: 5 10-02 Day 3: 5 10-11
35. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 15 27-13 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-05 Day 2: 5 09-10 Day 3: 5 09-14
36. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 11 27-10 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 1 01-08 Day 3: 5 06-07
37. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 15 27-05 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 5 10-01 Day 3: 5 08-08
38. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 14 27-04 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 10-00 Day 3: 4 06-10
39. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 15 27-00 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 09-04 Day 3: 5 07-10
40. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 14 26-14 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 08-11 Day 2: 5 09-10 Day 3: 5 08-09
41. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 13 26-03 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 08-04 Day 2: 5 09-12 Day 3: 5 08-03
42. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 15 26-01 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 5 10-00 Day 3: 5 07-07
43. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 15 25-14 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 09-05 Day 3: 5 08-14
44. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 12 25-05 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 4 11-01 Day 3: 3 04-07
45. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 15 24-14 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 08-11 Day 3: 5 06-15
46. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 14 24-10 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 09-03 Day 3: 4 06-02
47. Casey Scanlon Rocky Mount, MO 15 24-08 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 5 08-10 Day 3: 5 07-06
48. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 11 23-12 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 11-05 Day 3: 1 01-14
49. Matt Reed Jr Madisonville, TX 8 22-13 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 1 03-09 Day 2: 5 14-12 Day 3: 2 04-08
50. Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 13 22-10 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 08-05 Day 3: 3 04-03
51. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 12 22-09 60 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 08-13 Day 3: 2 03-09
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 58 400 780-05
2 75 470 978-09
3 41 235 535-15
----------------------------------
174 1105 2294-13
Wolfe Takes over lead in the Southwestern Costa event, Birge jumps from 47th to 8th with monster bag!
There was a lot of flip-flopping happening on the leaderboard on day two of the Costa FLW Series on Grand Lake presented by Evinrude and hosted by the City of Grove.
The day one leaders in first and second took a tumble and fell out of the top-10. In all, five anglers dropped out of the top-10 from day one and five new ones moved in to take their spots.
Yesterday’s top spots were taken up by locals, but today Wisconsin’s Jesse Wolfe moved into the lead. Wolfe brought in four bass for 19 pounds, 13 ounces on day one. Today he brought in a five bass limit, but they weighed less than his four bass from yesterday: 19 pounds, 7 ounces. Nevertheless, consistency is king in multi-day tournaments and Wolfe now leads with 39 pounds, 4 ounces.
Fishing extremely slow with a Super K jig has been the key for Wolfe to this point.
“It’s fishing fast, but slow is the best way I can put it,†Wolfe says. “I’ll cover water quickly, but when I get to the right kind of bank with the right kind of features, I’ll really slow down and pick it apart. The bites are few and far between: only four yesterday and six today. But they are the quality I’m looking for.â€
Out of nine fish over the last two days, Wolfe has weighed in three over 6 pounds.
Wolfe added that his “extra two bites†today were the result of settling down and really focusing his effort in one general area.
“I lost my morning to running around too much yesterday,†he says. “I tried to run up river and get something going up there and it didn’t work out. So I came back down and settled down in one area in the afternoon. Today I went straight there and just settled in and went to work. I’ll spend as much as 30 minutes fishing one stretch if I feel it’s a good place. Patience is a big part of it.â€
Wolfe will now carry a 2-pound, 5-ounce lead into the final day.
Meador leads co-anglers
In the Co-angler Division, Steven Meador of Bella Vista, Ark., leads with a two-day total of 27 pounds, 9 ounces.
Similar to the pro leader, Meador is fishing a jig and his bites are few, but his quality makes up for it. He has been one fish short of a limit the last two days, but yesterday his four-fish catch included a 5-pounder and today he weighed in a 6-pound, 11-ounce Grand Lake gorilla.
Myers Is Steady And Spectacular; Takes Lead As Jordon Pursues With Huge Sack At Elite Series On Winyah Bay!
Britt Myers, also of South Carolina, had another stellar day on Winyah Bay. Actually, he made another run to catch his fish in the Cooper River a coupe of hours south of the take off point. But the reward was a sack that weighed 21-7 and when added to the 16-8 he started with yesterday gives him a total weight of 37-15 and a healthy cushion of over 5 pounds on the rest of the field.
Myers wasn't the only angler to bust the 20-pound mark today. Kelly Jordon stunned everyone with a 24-pound, 7-ounce bag.
If not for a light limit (8-5) yesterday, Jordon could be in command at the midway point of this tourney. As it is he has 32-12 and is ounces ahead of Brett Hite (32-2).
Keith Combs is 4th with 26-1 and Randall Tharp is 5th with 25-8.
As noted by a chagrinned angler who chose to fish closeby, it seems there are two different tournaments going on given the disparity of weights in favor of those making the long, risky run to Cooper River.
First day leader Carl Jocumsen fell to 16th as he brought in a lone bass weighing a pound and a half. He has a total of 21-3. He broke off a few small fish today. Those small fish are like gold in a tight tournament such as we are watching this week. He fished hard and pushed until he absolutely had to begin the long return trip. The run didn't pay off for him today, but he was upbeat about the job ahead as he will get to take another crack at this fishery tomorrow.
Only the top 51 anglers will get that opportunity. It took a 2-day total of 17 pounds to do so.
Of his day Myers said, "First cast of the day - I pulled up ou there and got my waypoint and made a long cast and I looked at y camera guy, he was getting everything ready, and when I did I thought I had some hydrilla on (his lure) but when I pulled back it pulled back and that was the big fish - first cast of the day.
"Most people say that's bad luck but I'll take it," grinned Myers.
He added that, "Today things went good. I had a time when I could read the tides, I could call my shots."
But that long run reared its uugly head. "On the way back, we're running 100 miles, and I slung an ear on a prop. I hit something, actually, and damaged my prop. I beached it really hard. The tide had me stuck against the bank, my shoes were stuck in the mud and I was panicking. But I got it loose and made it back."
When asked if this is the week when he'll win an Elite Series tourney, Myers said, "If it is, it is. I'll have a great time either way."
The official release and weights from B.A.S.S.:
GEORGETOWN, S.C. — Britt Myers fully understands the amount of risk that comes with making a near two-hour boat run to access his fishing spots, but today it paid off in a big way.
Myers of Lake Wylie, S.C., brought in a heavy five-bass limit that weighed 21 pounds, 7 ounces, which catapulted him into the lead with a two-day total of 37-15 during the Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay presented by GoRVing.
After a weather delay on Thursday, Friday’s take-off was on time and preceded a beautiful spring day that produced some impressive bass.
Kelly Jordon of Flint, Texas, weighed the heaviest limit of the tournament so far with 24-7 pushing his two-day total to 32-12. Brett Hite of Phoenix, Ariz., is in third with 32-2, while Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas, is holding down fourth place with 26-1. Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Fla., round out the Top 5 with 25-8.
With two days remaining, Myers won’t divulge specific details yet, but he is confident that the right bass will still be where he’s fishing for at least one more day.
“After a good day on Thursday, I really zeroed in on a specific area that was holding a lot of big bass,” Myers said. “I found this spot during practice, but I wasn’t really sure of the fish quality because I avoided setting the hook hoping the same fish would bite again once the tournament began.”
Myers was targeting bass in deep and shallow water, bass that were spawning and bass that were just roaming. But the tide impacted which particular group of fish he focused on, and when he targeted them.
“Today it was all about the timing,” he said. “When the tide was perfect, the biggest fish would eat, which I figured out on Thursday. I capitalized on what I learned today, and I really think I can put myself into position to do it again tomorrow — and hopefully on Sunday for the win.”
Myers believes that if he can catch 13 to 14 pounds each of the final two days, he should be able to claim the championship. However, after Jordon brought in 24-7 during Friday’s weigh-in, it’s hard to predict what might happen.
Jordon had the kind of day that a tournament bass fisherman dreams about.
“I’m the type of angler who swings for the fence at every event,” Jordon said. “It’s cost me big time in the past, but today it definitely paid off. So much of the success in this sport hinges on simple decisions, and I learned something valuable yesterday that made me think I could replicate it again today.”
On Thursday, Jordan weighed only one big bass for 8-5, which revealed what he thought might be a workable pattern. That gut feeling helped put the Texas angler in second place leading into Saturday’s semi-final round.
“I am going to fish the same pattern again tomorrow,” he said. “But, it’s hard to say whether the same caliber fish will bite or not. Because this fishery is so expansive, once you decide where you’re going to fish, you’re pretty much committed. I’m going to gamble and see if I can do it again.”
Hite said that the Winyah Bay area reminded him of the California Delta, which is one of his favorite fisheries.
“I was confident that this event would play out much like a tournament on the California Delta, but you really can’t be sure until you catch some fish,” Hite said. “I found an area that had very similar characteristics to what I’d look for out West, and it’s holding a big school of nice fish.”
Hite is confident that his pattern will hold up for a couple more days. He is one of the many anglers who are making a long run to access prime waters, which naturally comes with risk of travel delays.
“So far the traveling aspect of this tournament has been a breeze, which really keeps me confident in making good decisions and staying on the right fish,” he said. “That kind of confidence doesn’t come easy, but it helps tremendously. I’m excited to see how Saturday shapes up.”
After Saturday’s semi-final round, the Top 12 anglers will advance to Championship Sunday for a shot at the $100,000 prize.
Myers also earned the Livingston Lures Leader award of $500 for leading the second day of the event.
Daily take-offs are scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at the Carroll Ashmore Campbell Marine Complex, with weigh-ins scheduled at the same location at 3:30 p.m.
2016 Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay presented by Go RVing 4/7-4/10
Winyah Bay, Georgetown SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 10 37-15 110
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 21-07
2. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 6 32-12 109
Day 1: 1 08-05 Day 2: 5 24-07
3. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 10 32-02 108
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 19-11
4. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 26-01 107
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 12-04
5. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 10 25-08 106
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 11-13
6. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 22-07 105
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 11-10
7. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 10 22-05 104
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 10-10
8. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 10 22-00 103
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 12-03
9. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 9 21-14 102
Day 1: 4 07-01 Day 2: 5 14-13
10. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 10 21-14 101
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 11-09
11. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 10 21-14 100
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 11-05
12. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 10 21-10 99
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 08-10
13. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 10 21-08 98
Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 5 14-05
14. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 21-08 97
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 13-01
15. Chris Zaldain Laughlin, NV 10 21-05 96
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 12-06
16. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 6 21-03 95
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 1 01-08
17. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 9 20-14 94
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 4 11-01
18. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 10 20-10 93
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 5 11-03
19. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 10 20-10 92
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 10-00
20. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 10 20-08 91
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 06-02
21. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 10 20-08 90
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 08-03
22. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 10 20-04 89
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 11-03
23. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 10 19-15 88
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 5 11-05
24. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 10 19-12 87
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 09-01
25. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 10 19-10 86
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 08-04
26. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 10 19-10 85
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 10-10
27. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 9 19-08 84
Day 1: 4 06-10 Day 2: 5 12-14
28. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 10 19-06 83
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 09-04
29. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 10 19-02 82
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 09-14
30. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 10 19-00 81
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 08-13
31. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 10 18-14 80
Day 1: 5 08-00 Day 2: 5 10-14
32. David Williams Newton, NC 10 18-14 79
Day 1: 5 08-02 Day 2: 5 10-12
33. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 10 18-13 78
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 5 10-01
34. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 8 18-12 77
Day 1: 4 10-11 Day 2: 4 08-01
35. James Elam Tulsa, OK 7 18-11 76
Day 1: 2 02-09 Day 2: 5 16-02
36. John Hunter Jr Shelbyville, KY 8 18-11 75
Day 1: 5 06-10 Day 2: 3 12-01
37. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 10 18-10 74
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 5 10-00
38. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 10 18-08 73
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 09-03
39. Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 10 18-07 72
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 08-05
40. Matt Reed Jr Madisonville, TX 6 18-05 71
Day 1: 1 03-09 Day 2: 5 14-12
41. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 9 18-05 70
Day 1: 4 08-11 Day 2: 5 09-10
42. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 10 18-03 69
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 10-10
43. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 8 18-00 68
Day 1: 3 07-14 Day 2: 5 10-02
44. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 8 18-00 67
Day 1: 3 08-04 Day 2: 5 09-12
45. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 17-15 66
Day 1: 5 08-05 Day 2: 5 09-10
46. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 17-15 65
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 5 09-05
47. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 10 17-15 64
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 08-11
48. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 17-03 63
Day 1: 5 07-01 Day 2: 5 10-02
49. Casey Scanlon Rocky Mount, MO 10 17-02 62
Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 5 08-10
50. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 9 17-01 61
Day 1: 4 08-11 Day 2: 5 08-06
51. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 17-00 60
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 09-05
52. John Murray Spring City, TN 6 17-00 59
Day 1: 1 08-09 Day 2: 5 08-07
53. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 10 16-12 58
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 09-01
54. Billy McCaghren Jr Mayflower, AR 10 16-11 57
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 5 08-13
55. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 10 16-11 56
Day 1: 5 08-04 Day 2: 5 08-07
56. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 10 16-10 55
Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 5 09-07
57. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 7 16-07 54
Day 1: 2 03-09 Day 2: 5 12-14
58. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 9 16-07 53
Day 1: 4 06-02 Day 2: 5 10-05
59. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 10 16-07 52
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 07-03
60. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 10 16-06 51
Day 1: 5 07-07 Day 2: 5 08-15
61. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 16-05 50
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 16-05
62. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 9 16-04 49
Day 1: 4 06-06 Day 2: 5 09-14
63. Ken Iyobe Tokoname Aichi JAPAN 9 15-14 48
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 4 07-07
64. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 6 15-13 47
Day 1: 3 05-05 Day 2: 3 10-08
65. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 8 15-12 46
Day 1: 3 07-03 Day 2: 5 08-09
66. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 8 15-09 45
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 3 06-05
67. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 10 15-08 44
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 07-13
68. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 7 15-03 43
Day 1: 2 03-11 Day 2: 5 11-08
69. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 9 15-00 42
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 4 06-06
70. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 7 14-15 41
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 2 05-04
71. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 10 14-13 40
Day 1: 5 07-07 Day 2: 5 07-06
72. David Walker Sevierville, TN 7 14-05 39
Day 1: 2 03-11 Day 2: 5 10-10
73. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 9 14-05 38
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 4 04-14
74. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 8 13-13 37
Day 1: 4 05-14 Day 2: 4 07-15
75. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 7 13-06 36
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 2 03-11
76. Fabian Rodriguez Ocean City, DE 4 13-04 35
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 4 13-04
77. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 7 13-01 34
Day 1: 2 02-13 Day 2: 5 10-04
78. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 8 12-14 33
Day 1: 3 04-05 Day 2: 5 08-09
79. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 5 12-09 32
Day 1: 2 06-11 Day 2: 3 05-14
80. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 6 12-05 31
Day 1: 1 01-06 Day 2: 5 10-15
81. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 7 12-05 30
Day 1: 2 04-01 Day 2: 5 08-04
82. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 5 12-03 29
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 12-03
83. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 5 12-02 28
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 12-02
84. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 8 12-02 27
Day 1: 5 08-00 Day 2: 3 04-02
85. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 8 11-15 26
Day 1: 4 06-06 Day 2: 4 05-09
86. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 8 11-08 25
Day 1: 4 06-02 Day 2: 4 05-06
87. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 7 11-07 24
Day 1: 2 01-03 Day 2: 5 10-04
88. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 6 11-04 23
Day 1: 2 03-11 Day 2: 4 07-09
89. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 5 10-11 22
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 10-11
90. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 7 10-10 21
Day 1: 2 02-15 Day 2: 5 07-11
91. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 6 10-10 20
Day 1: 3 05-04 Day 2: 3 05-06
92. Matt Lee Guntersville, AL 6 10-06 19
Day 1: 2 04-11 Day 2: 4 05-11
93. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 6 09-12 18
Day 1: 4 06-10 Day 2: 2 03-02
94. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 7 09-11 17
Day 1: 4 06-01 Day 2: 3 03-10
95. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 5 09-08 16
Day 1: 1 01-13 Day 2: 4 07-11
96. Jay Brainard Enid, OK 5 09-07 15
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
97. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 6 09-01 14
Day 1: 3 03-15 Day 2: 3 05-02
98. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 5 08-14 13
Day 1: 1 03-06 Day 2: 4 05-08
99. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 6 08-09 12
Day 1: 2 03-05 Day 2: 4 05-04
100. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 5 08-08 11
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 08-08
101. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 6 08-04 10
Day 1: 1 01-09 Day 2: 5 06-11
102. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 6 08-04 9
Day 1: 2 03-00 Day 2: 4 05-04
103. Koby Kreiger Bokeelia, FL 3 07-10 8
Day 1: 3 07-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
104. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 5 07-07 7
Day 1: 5 07-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
105. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 3 07-04 6
Day 1: 2 05-03 Day 2: 1 02-01
106. Matt Vermilyea Perrysburg, OH 5 06-10 5
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 06-10
107. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 4 04-04 4
Day 1: 2 02-02 Day 2: 2 02-02
108. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 1 02-06 3
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
109. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 1 01-08 2
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-08
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 58 400 780-05
2 75 470 978-09
----------------------------------
133 870 1758-14
Bassmaster High School All-State Qualifiers - Class Of 2016 Chosen
New Class Of Bassmaster High School All-State Qualifiers Chosen
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — High school students from across the country have been named to the 2016 class of Bassmaster High School All-State anglers. Students are selected for the honor based on their competition success, academics, leadership and community service.
To be considered for the Bassmaster High School All-State Fishing Team, a student must have been nominated by a parent, coach, teacher or other school official. Students currently enrolled in grades 10-12 with a current-year grade point average of 2.5 or higher are eligible.
“The All-State program not only measures an angler’s fishing accomplishments, but also his or her success in studies and extracurricular activities,” said Hank Weldon, senior manager of the B.A.S.S. High School program. “The students selected are very accomplished on and off the water. They are all very deserving of this award, and we’re proud to have them represent this year’s All-State teams.”
B.A.S.S. received more than 220 nominations from across the nation. From these, judges selected 64 student anglers from 36 states to make the All-State Fishing Teams.
A second panel of judges will narrow the field to select the 12 members of the 2016 Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team. Criteria include success in high school fishing tournaments, involvement in conservation efforts and other community service activities.
The 12 finalists will compete in a one-day Bassmaster All-American High School Bass Tournament held during the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest event, a fan-favorite festival that will be held on Lake Texoma out of Durant, Okla.
Elite Series anglers will serve as teammates and “coaches” of the student anglers in the tournament. The high school standouts will be honored on the main BASSfest stage at the weigh-in. All will be profiled in Bassmaster Magazine, read monthly by 4.3 million people, as well as on Bassmaster.com.
Below is the list of the 64 All-State anglers, in order by state:
Parker Davis, Morris, Ala.
Hunter Penney, Boaz, Ala.
Nathan Cummings, Peoria, Ariz.
Julius Mazy, Phoenix, Ariz.
Josh Dugger, Pottsville, Ark.
Jake Dugger, Pottsville, Ark.
Mateo Antonio Gomez, Elk Grove, Calif.
Luke Johns, Folsom, Calif.
Colton Colwell, Windsor, Colo.
Morgan Fitzgerald, Salida, Colo.
Amber Horelick, Uncasville, Conn.
Russell Paul Butler, Dover, Fla.
Jacob Eaton, Fort Myers, Fla.
Clayton Childs, Bishop, Ga.
Cody Stahl, Griffin, Ga.
Trevor McKinney, Benton, Ill.
Dailus Richardson, Benton, Ill.
Blake Albertson, Bloomington, Ind.
Jordan Mullis, Bloomington, Ind.
Isaiah Minton, Marion, Iowa
Clay Torson, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Thomas Heinen, Topeka, Kan.
Connor Nimrod, De Soto, Kan.
Mason Moore, Waynesburg, Ky.
Matthew Roberts, Slemp, Ky.
Logan Chaney, Lafayette, La.
Wesley Holt, Otis, La.
Thomas Behen, Biddeford, Maine
Joe McClosky, Swanton, Md.
Tyler Wallace, New Market, Md.
Max McQuaide, Tyngsborough, Mass.
Noah Peterson, Brainerd, Minn.
Matt Stearns, Lakeville, Minn.
Isaac Duncan, Summit, Miss.
Fisher Young, Smithville, Miss.
Dalton Combs, Ozark, Mo.
Trey Schroeder, St. Louis, Mo.
Jackson Ebbers, Cambridge, Neb.
Jeremy Bates, Chichester, N.H.
Trevor Topken, Allendale, N.J.
Julian Sosa-Carver, Mesilla Park, N.M.
Michael Arndt, Syracuse, N.Y.
Matthew Arndy, Syracuse, N.Y.
Hunter Hammermueller, Sanford, N.C.
Ethan Howard, Lucama, N.C.
Jake Biram, Tulsa, Okla.
Jacob Keenom, Meeker, Okla.
Logan Degree, Redmond, Ore.
Zachary Bezak, Brookville, Pa.
Nicholas Fulks, Canonsburg, Pa.
Daniel Clark, Travelers Rest, S.C.
Jacob Smith, Marietta, S.C.
Bailey Fain, Lenoir City, Tenn.
Austin Winter, Lenoir City, Tenn.
Joe Beebee, The Woodlands, Texas
Keegan Stroud, Fredericksburg, Texas
Max Bellinghiri, South Hero, Vt.
Rudd Rexford, Grand Isle, Vt.
Robert Kolby, Rhoadesvilles, Va.
Cullen Lamm-Hoover, Chesterfield, Va.
Grace Caldwell, Berkeley Springs, W.Va.
Brad Knotts, Berkeley Springs, W.Va.
Bailey Bleser, Burlington, Wis.
Steve Niemi Jr., Scandinavia, Wis.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, B.A.S.S. Nation, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.
Toyota Texas Bass Classic Announces 2016 Angler Field For May Tournament
Frisco, TX (April 7, 2016) – As part of the 2016 Toyota Texas Fest presented by JBL (TTF), the Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC) will feature 36 of the world’s best professional anglers from May 20 – 22, 2016 at Lake Ray Roberts in Denton, TX. The field for the tenth anniversary of TTBC is highlighted by defending champion Brent Ehrler and 2016 Bassmaster Classic champion Edwin Evers.
The field is made up of the top 15 anglers from the 2015 Angler of the Year (AOY) points from both the FLW Tour and Bassmaster Elite Series as well as six exemptions. Other notable anglers include 2015 Bassmaster Angler of the Year Aaron Martens, 2015 FLW Angler of the Year Scott Martin and Keith Combs, three-time TTBC champion.
“Over the past nine years the priority of the TTBC has been to promote fishing, outdoor recreation and the conservation efforts of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department,” said Lenny Francoeur, tournament director. “Each year we host the world’s best anglers on Texas’ premier fisheries, and we are excited to see these anglers take on Lake Ray Roberts, one of the Texas’ top fisheries.”
The overall field is highlighted by a combined 16 Angler of the Year titles, including eight Bassmaster AOYs and eight FLW Tour AOYs; 19 major championship titles, including eight TTBCs, six Bassmaster Classics, and five Forrest Wood Cups; 179 tour wins and over $60 million in career earnings. The field will also include exemptions Randy Howell, Mike Iaconelli, Kelly Jordon, Terry Scroggins, Gerald Swindle and 2015 TTBC champion Brent Ehrler.
“Winning the Toyota Texas Bass Classic last year was one of the biggest achievements in my career,” said Ehrler. “The TTBC is the most difficult event to qualify for in professional bass fishing, and to raise the trophy on the final day, you had to have beaten the most elite group of anglers on the planet. I am excited to get back to Texas and defend my title on Lake Ray Roberts in May.”
Along with the coveted title of TTBC champion, the anglers will be competing for two additional awards. The angler who catches the single heaviest fish from any of the three days of competition will win the Toyota Tundra Big Bass Award and a new 2016 Toyota Tundra. The LEER Heavy Weight Award, a new LEER truck cap, will be given to the angler with the heaviest single-day weight from any one of the three days of the tournament.
2016 Toyota Texas Bass Classic - Final Field
Name Hometown Qualified Through
Tracy Adams Wilkesboro, North Carolina FLW Tour
Adrian Avena Vineland, New Jersey FLW Tour
Jason Christie Park Hill, Oklahoma Bassmaster Elite Series
Luke Clausen Spokane, Washington FLW Tour
Keith Combs Huntington, Texas Bassmaster Elite Series
John Cox Debary, Florida FLW Tour
Brent Ehrler Redlands, California 2015 TTBC champion
Edwin Evers Talala, Oklahoma Bassmaster Elite Series
Shinichi Fukae Palestine, Texas FLW Tour
Anthony Gagliardi Prosperity, South Carolina FLW Tour
Greg Hackney Gonzales, Louisiana Bassmaster Elite Series
Matthew Herren Ashville, Alabama Bassmaster Elite Series
Randy Howell Guntersville, Alabama Exemption
Mike Iaconelli Pittsgrove, New Jersey Exemption
Alton Jones Lorena, Texas Bassmaster Elite Series
Kelly Jordon Flint, Texas Exemption
Jordan Lee Vinemont, Alabama Bassmaster Elite Series
Dave Lefebre Erie, Pennsylvania FLW Tour
Bill Lowen Brookville, Indiana Bassmaster Elite Series
Justin Lucas Guntersville, Alabama Bassmaster Elite Series
Aaron Martens Leeds, Alabama Bassmaster Elite Series
Scott Martin Clewiston, Florida FLW Tour
Cody Meyer Auburn, California FLW Tour
Ish Monroe Hughson, California FLW Tour
Andy Morgan Dayton, Tennessee FLW Tour
Larry Nixon Bee Branch, Arkansas FLW Tour
Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, Idaho Bassmaster Elite Series
Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, Virginia Bassmaster Elite Series
Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, Arizona Bassmaster Elite Series
Terry Scroggins San Mateo, Florida Exemption
Wesley Strader Spring City, Tennessee FLW Tour
Gerald Swindle Warrior, Alabama Exemption
Peter Thliveros St. Augustine, Florida FLW Tour
Bryan Thrift Shelby, North Carolina FLW Tour
Greg Vinson Wetumpka, Alabama Bassmaster Elite Series
Chris Zaldain San Jose, California Bassmaster Elite Series
CONTACT:
Kevin Wyman, Event Coordinator
(713) 580-3682 or kevin.wyman@octagon.com
Lenny Francoeur, Event Director
(704) 746-4754 or lenny.francoeur@octagon.com
About the Event: The Toyota Texas Fest is a three-day outdoor festival that will take place May 20-22, 2016, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The mission of the event is to raise awareness and funding for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. One of the festival’s main events is the Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC), which is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2016. TTBC is a world-class bass fishing tournament featuring the top 36 bass anglers competing on Lake Ray Roberts (Denton, Texas). Additionally, the festival will include exceptional entertainment and a wide variety of outdoor programming for the entire family. Activities include games and interactive displays at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Adventures Area and an outdoor consumer expo featuring the latest products and services from event partners. Throughout each day, country music’s biggest stars including Lee Brice, Kip Moore, Big & Rich with Cowboy Troy and more, will entertain thousands of fans.
Our Cause: Proceeds benefit the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. For more information click here to visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife web site. www.tpwd.state.tx.us
Current sponsors: Toyota, JBL by Harman, Bass Pro Shops, NITRO Boats, GEICO, Anheuser-Busch, Embassy Suites Dallas Frisco Hotel Convention Center & Spa, Frisco Convention & Visitors Bureau.
For additional information, visit ToyotaTexasFest.com or call 1-866-907-0143. “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for tournament news, updates, contests and more.
Nick Aber Takes A 1-Ounce Lead Into Day 2 Of Flw Costa Series Event On Grand Lake.
At first Grand Lake was calm and then it got rough. What started as a fairly calm morning turned into a blustery northwest gale by afternoon, forcing anglers to make adjustments in the second event of the Costa FLW Series in the Southwest Division. The event is being presented by Evinrude and hosted by the City of Grove.
Things are tight atop the leaderboard with first and second place separated by only one ounce. Day one leader Nick Aber of Piedmont, Okla., brought 21 pounds, 4 ounces to set the early pace. His bag was anchored by a 6-pound, 10-ounce brute. Just behind him, Drew Barnes of Bella Vista, Okla., weighed 21-3.
Aber says he fishes Grand about 25 days a year, but today he fished a lot of new water he has never fished before.
“The fish are trying to move up and spawn and I’m trying to keep my bait up there in areas where they should be,†Aber said. “I have to hit about 20 places before I catch a good one.â€
In all, Aber caught 8 keepers on the day. He says there are plenty of small bucks up on the bank making beds, but it’s the staging females sitting out just a little deeper that he is targeting.
“The small bucks are up there in a foot and half of water just waiting on the females, but the females are not quite there just yet,†he says. “They are about 50 yards out behind the bucks, staging up and that’s kind of the pattern I’m running – little places a female might sit, waiting for things to warm up.â€
“The key for me is to cover a lot of water,†he adds. “I’m not grinding in one area. I have to hit dozens and dozens of those little transition spots and every now and then I’ll catch a good one. With these cooler nights coming I don’t think they're going to go to spawning just yet so I’m going to stick with my game plan tomorrow.â€
Myers leads co-anglers
In the co-angler Division, Robert Meyers of Broken Arrow, Okla., has taken the early lead with a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 3 ounces.
This Weeks Sportsman's Warehouse Tournament Report!!
Sportsman's Warehouse fishing manager Craig Baird showcases some great baits that are absolutley surely to be used this upcoming weekend at Tournaments all over the REGION!
Winyah Bay Is A Big Question Mark As Elite Series Pros Prepare For Challenge
On the eve of the 2nd stop along the 2016 Bassmaster Elite Series trail I am excited.
We will learn much and be entertained by our favorite Elite Series anglers as they tackle a new fishery. Even local pros have mostly only fished for redfish and flounder at this place.
The pros will strike out across Winyah Bay, an estuarine body of water on South Carolina's coast. Some may simply strike out. Reports indicate that fishing is slower than expected, but the fish are indeed running small, as expected.
But, from a fan's perspective, it will be fun to watch the pros' decisions pan out this week. Of the few known variables on this new-to-the-Elite Series venue, the Cooper River holds the biggest bass in the system. It flows from the Santee Cooper Lakes and offers clearer water due to filtration effects of hydrilla. Clear water, or at least, clean water will be a factor this week as the system is still recovering from historic flooding that occured last autumn.
Problem is, the Cooper River is two hours away from the tournament launch in Georgetown. That boat ride down the Intracoastal Waterway will not be smooth given the windy forecast. Also, anglers who practices there have not seemed to be blown away by the size of the fish they have found.
But that seems to be the big storyline this week: will the long run gamble pay off for those who try it?
Eight-to-10-pound limits can be had nearby. The Cooper offers a legit shot at 18 pounds daily.
Can a guy do that 4-straight days and not suffer a breakdown or delays?
We'll find out starting tomorrow. Stay with AnglersChannel.com for updates and analysis all week.
Bass Announces Destinations For College Wild Card And National Championship
B.A.S.S. Announces Destinations For College Wild Card And National Championship
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Locations of the final two events in the 2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series schedule — the Wild Card tournament and the national championship — have been decided, B.A.S.S. announced today.
The nation’s best college anglers who qualify for the 2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops will be competing on Green River Lake, out of Campbellsville, Ky., July 28-30.
“We are so pleased that B.A.S.S. has chosen Campbellsville for their 2016 College Series National Championship,” said Alisha Nelson, executive director of the Taylor County Tourist Commission. “This event will bring anglers and their families to our community, and we're excited to share it with them. We hope they love our community as much as we do and come back to visit.”
Campbellsville University will play host to the more than 90 teams expected to compete.
“The staff at Campbellsville University realizes the importance of tourism and the economic impact sports tourism can bring to the community,” Nelson said. “They have gone above and beyond to make this tournament happen in Campbellsville. It wouldn't have been possible for us to host a tournament of this size without a partnership with Campbellsville University.”
“We are excited to take our national championship to central Kentucky,” said Bassmaster College Series tournament manager Hank Weldon. “With the support of such a great host and school, we expect this tournament to be the premier event in college fishing.”
At the national championship, the entire field competes on the first two days. On the third day, the field is trimmed to the Top 12 teams catching the heaviest cumulative five-bass daily limits.
National championship takeoffs will be held at Green River State Park, and weigh-ins will be on the Campbellsville University campus.
Following the championship round, members of the Top 4 teams compete individually in the Carhartt College Series Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shops Aug. 4-6 on Kentucky Lake out of Paris, Tenn.
The top college angler in the Classic bracket competition earns an invitation to compete with the world’s top professional bass anglers in the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.
Teams qualify for the championship through a series of conference regional tournaments that began in February. The final qualifier is the Carhartt College Wild Card presented by Bass Pro Shops event, which will be held on Lake Murray, Oklahoma, June 8-10 in conjunction with GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest on nearby Lake Texoma.
This event gives competitors who do not qualify for the championship through their regional a second shot at making the national championship.
Lake Murray is a 5,700-acre lake near Ardmore, Okla., and lies within Oklahoma’s oldest and largest state park, Lake Murray State Park. During the first two competition days, anglers will weigh in at the park. On the final day, competitors will weigh in on the BASSfest stage, and the top teams in the final standings are invited to the 2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.
The championship, like all Carhartt Bassmaster College Series events, will be aired on the ESPNU network.
2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Carhartt
2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Presenting Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Premier Sponsors: Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, GoPro, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury
2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rapala, Shell Rotella, Shimano, ABU Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, Costa, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures
Justin Lucas Shows You The New Berkley Hardbaits!!
Elite Series Pro Justin Lucas shows us the New Hardbait Line-up from Berkley. Some neat looking stuff at a great price and you can get your hands on some at Sportsmans Warehouse or right here!!!