AnglersChannel

Rick Baker wins the Oakley Big Bass on Smith Mtn with a solid 6.33 Lb winning fish

761 Anglers turned out for the mid season point of this years Oakly Big Bass Trail on Smith Mtn Lake in Va. Rain was somewhat of a factor Sat but Sunday turned out well especially for angler Rick Baker, who brought in this 6.33 Lb BF below for the big win. UP NEXT:Table Rock in May-congrats to all who fished and cashed a check this past weekend!

Rick Baker and his $30,000 catch on Smith Mtn!

Leaders

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	RICK BAKER	6.33
2	DWAIN BEVER	6.25
3	CHUCK CREGGER	6.21
4	GEOFF HILL	6.03
5	JACOB ROTHGEB	6.01
6	DWAIN BEVER	5.86
7	SCOTT STILTNER	5.77
7	BILLY GAYLE	5.77
9	JACOB PERKINS	5.73
10	JAY NICELY	5.72

by AnglersChannel

Shawn Gordon wins TBF title; Living the Dream Package

Shawn Gordon receives a congratulatory handshake from Forrest Wood.

ROGERS, Ark. (April 25, 2015) â€“ Shawn Gordon of Russellville, Arkansas, weighed a five-bass limit on the Walmart FLW Tour stage totaling 18 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win the TBF National Championship on Grand Lake with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 50 pounds, 2 ounces. For his victory, Gordon earned the $100,000 â€œLiving The Dreamâ€ prize package and a new Ranger Z518 boat.

â€œAll of the feelings are a lot to take in right now,â€ said Gordon. â€œThis win means I can fish in the Forrest Wood Cup, which is really special.

â€œThe first two days of the tournament I targeted shallow pockets of the lake. I also explored rocks as long as they werenâ€™t too deep,â€ said Gordon. â€œI found a lot of fish firing along rocky points. Iâ€™d focus on those areas for about two hours and then make a run to another one of my four or five spots. After that Iâ€™d head down the lake and sight-fish to finish out the day.â€

Gordon said he used an unnamed off-white-colored square-bill crankbait in the pockets and along the points, and switched to a green pumpkin-colored YUM Christie Craw for sight-fishing.

Gordon said he followed a similar pattern today, but wasnâ€™t able to sight-fish due to the weather.

â€œI started in the same pockets and caught one on the crankbait, but ended up losing two. The wind was blowing like crazy where I was targeting so I couldnâ€™t go sight-fishing. Instead I stuck to three flat points next to the creek channel where the bass were pulled up eating shad.â€

Gordon said he caught around 23 keepers over the course of the three-day tournament.

â€œSince I wasnâ€™t able to sight fish on the final day, the key for me was finding those fish along those three points,â€ Gordon said. â€œLuckily, they were right where I needed them to be.â€

The top seven boaters on Grand Lake were:

1st: Shawn Gordon, Russellville, Ark., 15 bass, 50-2, $100,000 Living the Dream package + Ranger Z518 Boat

2nd: Sam Heckman, Fountain, Colo., 14 bass, 45-10, $1,500 + BFL All-American Package

3rd: Brian LaClair, Denton, Md., 15 bass, 40-9, $1,500 + BFL All-American Package

4th: Mark Lundgren, Cocoa, Fla., 12 bass, 36-14, $1,500 + BFL All-American Package

5th: Curtis Richardson, Belleville, Ontario, 13 bass, 34-0, $1,500 + BFL All-American Package

6th: Nicholas Smyers, Franksville, Wis., 11 bass, 27-4, $1,500 + BFL All-American Package

7th: Mark Maderos, Maple Valley, Wash., nine bass, 25-14, $1,500 + BFL All-American Package

Complete results will be posted at BassFederation.com.

Overall there were 25 bass weighing 70 pounds, 10 ounces caught by boaters Saturday. Three of the final seven boaters weighed in five-bass limits.

Gilbert Gagner of Highgate Springs, Vt., won the co-angler championship and â€œLiving The Dreamâ€ co-angler prize package, with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 43 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top seven co-anglers on Grand Lake were:

1st: Gilbert Gagner, Highgate Springs, Vt., 15 bass, 43-4, â€œLiving The Dreamâ€ package + $2,500

2nd: Wes Logan, Springville, Ala., 12 bass, 39-11, $750 + BFL All-American Package

3rd: Phillip Duracz, Chesterton, Ind., 10 bass, 27-9, $750 + BFL All-American Package

4th: Steven Wiseman, Bryans Road, Md., 10 bass, 23-4, $750 + BFL All-American Package

5th: Johnny Babb, Holdenville, Okla., 10 bass, 23-3, $750 + BFL All-American Package

6th: Will Treadwell, Buford, Ga., 10 bass, 22-11, $750 + BFL All-American Package

7th: Brian Merlini, Maple Valley, Wash., eight bass, 19-14, $750 + BFL All-American Package

Overall there were 13 bass weighing 32 pounds, 14 ounces caught by co-anglers Saturday. Only one of the final seven co-anglers weighed in five-bass limits.

by AnglersChannel

Bandys High School Wins 2015 Tbf/flw High School Fishing National Championship On Grand Lake

Teaser image:

Kristopher Queen and Tyler Black of Bandy's High School

The duo of Kristopher Queen and Tyler Black of Bandys High School in Catawba, North Carolina, brought five bass to the Walmart FLW Tour scale Sunday weighing 17 pounds, 15 ounces, to win the 2015 FLW/TBF High School Fishing National Championship on Grand Lake. The win earned the team the title of National Champions and a $5,000 scholarship for each of the anglers to a school of their choosing.

â€œItâ€™s unbelievable to have won this tournament,â€ said Queen, now a freshman at Bethel University who qualified as a senior while attending Bandys High School. â€œWe won our state tournament and regional tournament last year, and then carried a little luck to the national championship.â€

â€œWeâ€™ve worked hard for this all year and it paid off,â€ said Black, a junior at Bandys High.

The duo said they won the tournament by targeting docks in 4 to 8 feet of water using a green-pumpkin Yamamoto Senko Worm.

The top five teams on Grand Lake finished:

1^st: Kristopher Queen and Tyler Black, both of Bandys High School, Catawba, N.C., 10 bass, 35-1

2^nd: Trevor Yates, Little Axe High School, Norman, Okla., and Jacob Keenum, Meeker High School, Meeker, Okla. 10 bass, 30-11

3^rd: Jake Lee and Corey Brooks, both of Karns High School, Knoxville, Tenn., nine bass, 25-9

4^th: Zeke Gossett, Hazel Green High School, Hazel Green, Ala., and Ryan Shields, Pell City High School, Pell City, Ala., five bass, 16-3

5^th: Chase Myers, Central Arkansas Christian, North Little Rock, Ark., and Cole Swede, Cabot High School, Cabot, Ark., eight bass, 17-8

Rounding out the top 10 teams were:

6^th: Colorado Student Angler Federation â€“ Josh Cundiff and Bradley Czosnyka, three bass, 7-13

7^th: New Jersey Student Angler Federation â€“ Matt Christopulos and Kyle Hamack, three bass, 6-15

8^th: Kansas Student Angler Federation â€“ Cameron Pappan and Dayne McNutt, two bass, 5-10

9^th: Michigan Student Angler Federation â€“ Chase Serafin and Anthony Gilmore, one bass, 2-8

10^th: Tennessee Student Angler Federation â€“ Saxton Long and Triston Crowder, zero bass, 0-0

Complete results will be posted at HighSchoolFishing.org.

The 2015 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 9-12. The top 10 percent from each TBF/FLW state championship field advanced to a High School Fishing conference championship tournament along with the top three teams from each of the seven TBF/FLW High School Fishing Opens held last season. The top 10 percent of each conference championship field then advanced to the High School Fishing National Championship, coinciding with the TBF National Championship on Grand Lake and the Walmart FLW Tour at Beaver Lake. The High School Fishing national champions each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.

In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the worldâ€™s largest high school bass tournament, the 2015 High School Fishing World Finals, held on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama, on July 8-11. At the 2014 World Finals more than $40,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded. Visit HighSchoolFishing.org for details.

by AnglersChannel

It's Arey Again At Flw Tour On Beaver Lake

Quaker State pro Matt Arey has been crowned the new “Mr. Beaver Lake.” After winning this same event in 2014, the Shelby, North Carolina, native caught a five-bass limit Sunday weighing 17 pounds, 13 ounces – the largest stringer weighed in the four-day tournament – to win the Walmart FLW Tour at Beaver Lake presented by Rayovac. Arey’s four-day total of 20 bass weighing 55 pounds, 6 ounces earned him the top prize of $125,000.

Arey became the third angler to win multiple events at Beaver Lake in the 17 visits the Walmart FLW Tour has made to the White River impoundment, as FLW Tour pro Clark Wendlandt won there in 1999 and 2001 while former pro Andre Moore won in 2002 and 2005. Arey became the first to win in consecutive years.

“This is an incredible feeling,” said Arey, who has won $250,000 on Beaver Lake in just the past 379 days. “To win two years in a row here is just unthinkable. Experience is everything as a professional angler. The more I do this, the more comfortable and confident I am becoming.”

Arey displayed that confidence Sunday when he dramatically boated his largest fish of the day, an estimated five-pounder. As he casted out and retrieved his swimbait, he noticed the huge fish following his bait all the way to the boat. Out of line, Arey had no choice but to kneel low and drag his bait along the side of the boat. The big bass hit, and Arey immediately boat-swung the fish in a dramatic fashion.

“First, that normally doesn’t happen,” Arey said. “But, back in the day when I was a rookie, I would have stayed standing and just kept winding my bait and the fish would have went back under the dock. Instead, I was able to keep my composure, knelt down and got the fish to bite and in the boat. It’s experience. You just have to block everything else out and fish against the fish.”

Arey credited two key baits for the majority of his catch this week – a hand-poured homemade swimbait rigged on a 7/0 Gamakatsu EWG Monster hook and a wacky-rigged Lunkerhunt Lunker Stick.

“Each day I would start in Prairie Creek and work my way six to eight miles up the river,” Arey said. “On the third day I went all the way to the Rocky Branch and Van Hollow areas and caught some key bed fish that really saved my tournament.

“Momentum is huge in this sport, and I really hope that I can carry some of it over into our next event in two weeks on Lake Eufaula.”

The top 10 pros finished the tournament:

1^st: Quaker State pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., 20 bass, 55-6

2^nd: Tracy Adams, Wilkesboro, N.C., 20 bass, 49-12

3^rd: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 20 bass, 48-10

4^th: Rayovac pro Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 20 bass, 48-10

5^th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 20 bass, 46-13

6^th: John Cox, Debary, Fla., 18 bass, 46-4

7^th: Peter Thliveros, Saint Augustine, Fla., 20 bass, 44-8

8^th Livingston Lures pro Stetson Blaylock, Benton, Ark., 19 bass, 44-4

9^th: Vic Vatalaro, Kent, Ohio, 20 bass, 43-11

10^th: Mike Surman, Boca Raton, Fla., 20 bass, 43-7

A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 47 bass weighing 110 pounds, 3 ounces caught by pros Sunday. Eight professionals weighed in five-bass limits.

Luke Dunkin of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, won the co-angler division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 18 pounds, 2 ounces, followed by Todd Lee of Jasper, Alabama, who finished in second place for the second consecutive tournament with 10 bass weighing 17 pounds, 15 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 2015 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2015 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 20-23 on Lake Ouachita and is hosted by Visit Hot Springs. The Forrest Wood Cup Champion could win as much as $500,000 – professional bass-fishing’s richest prize.

Coverage of the Beaver Lake tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) October 12 from 7 p.m.-8 p.m. ET. when Season 20 of “FLW” returns this fall. 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 stop on Beaver Lake presented by Evinrude was hosted by the Rogers Convention & Visitors Bureau. It was the third of six regular-season events in the FLW Tour’s 2015 season. The fourth Walmart FLW Tour event of 2015 will be held at Lake Eufaula, May 14-17 in Eufaula, Alabama, and is presented by Quaker State. The event will be hosted by the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce. Boats will launch from Lakepoint Resort State Park Marina in Eufaula. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.

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.

by AnglersChannel

John Proctor Leads South Carolina Team To Victory In B.a.s.s. Nation Southern Divisional On Pee Dee River

GEORGETOWN, S.C. — Familiar water and tidal fishing knowledge paid off for South Carolina’s John Proctor, the overall winner Friday of the Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Southern Divisional held on the Pee Dee River Basin.

Proctor’s winning weight totaled 34 pounds, 11 ounces in a tournament separated by mere ounces all three days. Kentucky’s Mark Pierce finished second with 30-4, followed by Alabama’s Kyle Glasgow with 26-2.

Proctor’s win centers around a fishing tale that is actually real. He fished during practice with a hookless soft plastic jerkbait to avoid spooking spawning bass. Oddly, one fish took the bait and refused to shake free.

“She jumped out of the water, I got a good look and knew I had to go back the next day,” he said.

Proctor, a member of the Conway Bassmasters, went sleepless on competition eve for good reason. He couldn’t wait to go back and try his luck to catch the bass. He returned and caught the fish, weighing 7 pounds, 9 ounces.

That bass proved vital to the win and then some. Proctor received a bonus for catching the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass of the tournament.

Proctor targeted a dike protecting a marina all three days. He said the draw for the spawning females was a hard, sandy bottom created when the marina was dredged.

“That’s local knowledge, and the fish use those areas to spawn,” he said. “There is also deeper water in the harbor bordered by the firm bottom.”

Proctor gained new knowledge even though he is considered a local expert. He discovered the best success for spawning happens on a rising tide.

“The spawning females stay longer because high tide keeps the beds underwater,” he observed. “They are more aggressive and willing to bite.”

Another lesson learned is what happens during a falling tide.

“You can find the beds easier because they are nearly out of the water,” he said.

That’s how he located the bass anchoring the win. During practice he did not see the bed, although he returned later in the day to find it.

Proctor targeted spawning bass for another reason. He claims the recent new moon sparked a major migration. Waves of bass moved from the river channel into the shallow basin.

“That gave me a lot of confidence,” he said. “I felt like when the fishing slowed it would improve when another wave moved shallow to spawn.”

To catch his winning weight, Proctor relied on a rotation of three lures. Those were a weightless Senko, a shaky head and a Zoom Baby Brush Hog. He made casts to the spawning beds to coax fish off the beds.

The contestants qualified from local bass clubs and state championships. As the top angler from South Carolina, Proctor advances to the Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Championship to be held this fall. The following high finishers from the following states will join him: Mark Pierce, Tennessee; Roger Thomas, North Carolina; Lance Freeman, Kentucky; Kyle Glasgow Jr., Alabama; Wayne Black, Florida; and Brad Durden, Georgia.

The tournament included a competition between states as well. Each team had 14 anglers with their cumulative weight counting toward the total. South Carolina won with 288 pounds, 9 ounces. Alabama took second place with 242-11, followed by Georgia with 227-12. Florida followed with 219-1 and North Carolina placed fifth with 218-10. Tennessee finished with 213-10 and Kentucky claimed seventh place with 199-9.

South Carolina received a Triton 189 TrX rigged with a Mercury outboard, Lowrance electronics and a MotorGuide trolling motor. The complete package is valued at $33,340.

State championship high school teams competed alongside the adults to hone their skills. The cumulative weight caught was added to the overall score of the state team. Carter McNeil and Tucker Smith represented Abbeville High School to win the title for South Carolina. The team’s overall weight was 17-11.
2015 B.A.S.S. Nation Southern Divisional 4/22-4/24
Pee Dee River Basin, Georgetown SC.
(ANGLER) Standings Day 3

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

1. John Proctor Conway, SC (SC) 15 34-11 0
2. Mark Pierce Radcliff, KY (TN) 15 30-04 0
3. Kyle Glasgow Jr Guin, AL (AL) 14 26-02 0
4. Eric Silverstrim Indian Mound, TN (TN) 15 25-09 0
5. Wayne Black San Mateo, FL (FL) 14 25-06 0
6. Brad Durden Atlanta, GA (GA) 13 25-03 0
7. Chad Mcmurrian Perry, GA (GA) 15 25-03 0
8. Hayes Hudson Conway, SC (SC) 14 24-11 0
9. Marty Giddens Alpine, AL (AL) 14 24-08 0
10. Jackie Stanford Gaffney, SC (SC) 15 24-03 0
11. Lee Byrd Pell City, AL (AL) 14 24-00 0
12. Drew Cook Midway, FL (FL) 13 23-15 0
13. Bryan Gunter Ninety Six, SC (SC) 15 23-15 0
14. Jeffrey Allison Jr. Gaffney, SC (SC) 15 23-12 0
15. Lance Freeman Eddyville, KY (KY) 15 23-08 0
16. Lee Cannon Conway, SC (SC) 15 23-02 0
17. Brian Colson Lake Mary, FL (FL) 10 22-11 0
18. William Grantham Mobile, AL (AL) 15 22-07 0
19. Chris Jones Conway, SC (SC) 15 22-06 0
20. Kim Neal Easley, SC (SC) 15 22-01 0
21. Roger Thomas Snow Hill, NC (NC) 14 21-06 0
22. Carson Orellana Mooresville, NC (NC) 13 20-09 0
23. Carl Logan Winder, GA (GA) 13 20-06 0
24. Mike Prance Palatka, FL (FL) 11 20-04 0
25. Rickey Boggs Shephersville, KY (KY) 14 19-07 0
26. Mark Swink Shelby, NC (NC) 11 19-04 0
27. Stan Gunter Saluda, SC (SC) 13 19-03 0
28. Steve Ingram Tallassee, AL (AL) 11 18-12 0
29. Colby Wells Pace, FL (AL) 11 18-00 0
30. Mark Blevins Palatka, FL (FL) 13 17-15 0
31. Brad Smith Brownsville, TN (TN) 12 17-12 0
32. SC-McNeil & Smith Abbeville, SC (SC) 10 17-11 0
33. Randall Blackmon Berry, AL (AL) 13 17-06 0
34. Gary Twelkemeier Cartersville, GA (GA) 12 17-05 0
35. James Gazaway Whitesburg, GA (GA) 14 17-05 0
36. Alan Blumenthal Hendersonville, TN (TN) 11 17-04 0
37. John Roth Lawrenceburg, IN (KY) 13 16-11 0
38. Tim Hennemann Florence, KY (KY) 12 16-03 0
39. GA-Garrett & Mims DOUGLASVILLE, GA (GA) 10 16-02 0
40. Phil Bain Youngsville, NC (NC) 9 16-00 0
41. William Palmer Floyds Knobs, IN (KY) 7 15-15 0
42. Tim Carini Shirley, NY (GA) 11 15-15 0
43. Scott Hamrick Denver, NC (NC) 11 15-12 0
44. Grayson Smith Clarksville, TN (TN) 12 15-07 0
45. Joshua Lanaville Goldsboro, NC (NC) 11 15-05 0
46. David Swain Wilson, NC (NC) 11 15-05 0
47. Don Hogue Cropwell, AL (AL) 11 15-04 0
48. Steven Thames High Springs, FL (FL) 11 15-04 0
49. Jim Keith Newberry, FL (FL) 11 15-03 0
50. Scott Holmes Moody, AL (AL) 14 14-15 0
51. Scott Jones Louisville, KY (KY) 14 14-13 0
52. Greg Marcum Willisburg, KY (KY) 11 14-09 0
53. Rob Digh Denver, NC (NC) 10 14-07 0
54. Barry Hooper Monticello, GA (GA) 12 14-07 0
55. Jason Holland Gastonia, NC (SC) 13 14-07 0
56. Brendan Smith Roswell, GA (GA) 11 14-05 0
57. Eric Holder Canton, GA (GA) 10 14-03 0
58. Jerry Craig Hiddenite, NC (NC) 11 14-02 0
59. Donald Odor Butler, KY (KY) 10 14-01 0
60. Jason Brennan Roswell, GA (GA) 11 14-01 0
61. Mark Johnson Georgetown, SC (SC) 9 13-14 0
62. Raymond Trudeau Saint Cloud, FL (FL) 10 13-13 0
63. Michael Moore Dover, TN (TN) 11 13-13 0
64. Tom Walsh Eustis, FL (FL) 11 13-12 0
65. Joseph Kirbo II Defuniak Springs, FL (F 11 13-12 0
66. Eric Quaglio Lexington, KY (KY) 9 13-12 0
67. Jimmy Miller Eclectic, AL (AL) 10 13-09 0
68. Matthew Marinelli Lake Mary, FL (FL) 7 13-03 0
69. AL-Shirley & Barnes Northport, AL (AL) 9 12-14 0
70. Scott Brison Clarksville, TN (TN) 9 12-14 0
71. Rick Shannon Woodlawn, TN (TN) 10 12-11 0
72. NC-Camut & Barnes Apex, NC (NC) 10 12-08 0
73. Robert Carter Pamplico, SC (SC) 9 12-05 0
74. Kirt Pequignot Clarksville, TN (TN) 9 12-04 0
75. KY- Nick Denham Louisville, KY (KY) 8 12-01 0
76. Adam Richardson Nashville, NC (NC) 11 11-15 0
77. Greg Hoskinson Louisville, KY (KY) 8 11-11 0
78. Chuck Camp Shelby, NC (NC) 9 11-09 0
79. Drew Sanford Springfield, MO (AL) 8 11-08 0
80. Houston Smith Clarksville, TN (TN) 9 11-07 0
81. Leon Olson Champmansboro, TN (TN) 9 11-05 0
82. Chuck Murray Louisburg, NC (NC) 10 11-04 0
83. Jack White Vance, AL (AL) 6 10-10 0
84. TN-Sands & Watson Cleveland, TN (TN) 7 10-09 0
85. Jeff Narron Sims, NC (NC) 7 10-08 0
86. Gregory Weber Louisville, KY (KY) 9 10-03 0
87. Angelo Koundourakis Bainbridge, GA (GA) 6 10-01 0
88. Mike Morris White, GA (GA) 8 09-06 0
89. David Roddy Inman, SC (SC) 6 08-15 0
90. Mickey Lewis Huntington, TN (TN) 7 08-12 0
91. Richard Cooper Clayton, NC (NC) 5 08-12 0
92. FL-Tomlinson & Cook Ocala, FL (FL) 7 08-05 0
93. David Pettis Tifton, GA (GA) 7 07-13 0
94. Jonathan Edwards Lawrenceburg, TN (AL) 6 07-11 0
95. Stephen Noble Newport, KY (KY) 6 07-10 0
96. Jeff Giarrizzo Clarksville, TN (TN) 6 07-06 0
97. Dan Fay Orlando, FL (FL) 6 07-05 0
98. Dean Favorite Paris, KY (KY) 6 07-01 0
99. Nick Manfredo Beverly Hills, FL (FL) 5 06-10 0
100. Mike Hoover Jackson, TN (TN) 5 06-05 0
101. Ryan Rakestraw Lithia Springs, GA (GA) 5 06-01 0
102. Hank Golden Tallassee, AL (AL) 4 05-01 0
103. Brian Epps Abbeville, SC (SC) 3 03-05 0
104. John Roth Moores Hill, IN (KY) 2 02-00 0
105. Joe Collins Longwood, FL (FL) 1 01-11 0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 52 369 566-01
2 39 354 501-08
3 42 362 542-05
----------------------------------
133 1085 1609-14

TEAM STANDINGS Day 3
----------------------------------
State Lbs-Oz
1 SOUTH CAROLINA 288-09
2 ALABAMA 242-11
3 GEORGIA 227-12
4 FLORIDA 219-01
5 NORTH CAROLINA 218-10
6 TENNESSEE 213-10
7 KENTUCKY 199-09

INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Day 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

GEORGIA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Brad Durden Atlanta, GA 13 25-03 0
2 Chad Mcmurrian Perry, GA 15 25-03 0
3 Carl Logan Winder, GA 13 20-06 0
4 Gary Twelkemeier Cartersville, GA 12 17-05 0
5 James Gazaway Whitesburg, GA 14 17-05 0
6 GA-Garrett & Mims DOUGLASVILLE, GA 10 16-02 0
7 Tim Carini Shirley, NY 11 15-15 0
8 Barry Hooper Monticello, GA 12 14-07 0
9 Brendan Smith Roswell, GA 11 14-05 0
10 Eric Holder Canton, GA 10 14-03 0
11 Jason Brennan Roswell, GA 11 14-01 0
12 Angelo Koundourakis Bainbridge, GA 6 10-01 0
13 Mike Morris White, GA 8 09-06 0
14 David Pettis Tifton, GA 7 07-13 0
15 Ryan Rakestraw Lithia Springs, GA 5 06-01 0

SOUTH CAROLINA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 John Proctor Conway, SC 15 34-11 0
2 Hayes Hudson Conway, SC 14 24-11 0
3 Jackie Stanford Gaffney, SC 15 24-03 0
4 Bryan Gunter Ninety Six, SC 15 23-15 0
5 Jeffrey Allison Jr. Gaffney, SC 15 23-12 0
6 Lee Cannon Conway, SC 15 23-02 0
7 Chris Jones Conway, SC 15 22-06 0
8 Kim Neal Easley, SC 15 22-01 0
9 Stan Gunter Saluda, SC 13 19-03 0
10 SC-McNeil & Smith Abbeville, SC 10 17-11 0
11 Jason Holland Gastonia, NC 13 14-07 0
12 Mark Johnson Georgetown, SC 9 13-14 0
13 Robert Carter Pamplico, SC 9 12-05 0
14 David Roddy Inman, SC 6 08-15 0
15 Brian Epps Abbeville, SC 3 03-05 0

FLORIDA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Wayne Black San Mateo, FL 14 25-06 0
2 Drew Cook Midway, FL 13 23-15 0
3 Brian Colson Lake Mary, FL 10 22-11 0
4 Mike Prance Palatka, FL 11 20-04 0
5 Mark Blevins Palatka, FL 13 17-15 0
6 Steven Thames High Springs, FL 11 15-04 0
7 Jim Keith Newberry, FL 11 15-03 0
8 Raymond Trudeau Saint Cloud, FL 10 13-13 0
9 Tom Walsh Eustis, FL 11 13-12 0
10 Joseph Kirbo II Defuniak Springs, FL 11 13-12 0
11 Matthew Marinelli Lake Mary, FL 7 13-03 0
12 FL-Tomlinson & Cook Ocala, FL 7 08-05 0
13 Dan Fay Orlando, FL 6 07-05 0
14 Nick Manfredo Beverly Hills, FL 5 06-10 0
15 Joe Collins Longwood, FL 1 01-11 0

ALABAMA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Kyle Glasgow Jr Guin, AL 14 26-02 0
2 Marty Giddens Alpine, AL 14 24-08 0
3 Lee Byrd Pell City, AL 14 24-00 0
4 William Grantham Mobile, AL 15 22-07 0
5 Steve Ingram Tallassee, AL 11 18-12 0
6 Colby Wells Pace, FL 11 18-00 0
7 Randall Blackmon Berry, AL 13 17-06 0
8 Don Hogue Cropwell, AL 11 15-04 0
9 Scott Holmes Moody, AL 14 14-15 0
10 Jimmy Miller Eclectic, AL 10 13-09 0
11 AL-Shirley & Barnes Northport, AL 9 12-14 0
12 Drew Sanford Springfield, MO 8 11-08 0
13 Jack White Vance, AL 6 10-10 0
14 Jonathan Edwards Lawrenceburg, TN 6 07-11 0
15 Hank Golden Tallassee, AL 4 05-01 0

NORTH CAROLINA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Roger Thomas Snow Hill, NC 14 21-06 0
2 Carson Orellana Mooresville, NC 13 20-09 0
3 Mark Swink Shelby, NC 11 19-04 0
4 Phil Bain Youngsville, NC 9 16-00 0
5 Scott Hamrick Denver, NC 11 15-12 0
6 Joshua Lanaville Goldsboro, NC 11 15-05 0
7 David Swain Wilson, NC 11 15-05 0
8 Rob Digh Denver, NC 10 14-07 0
9 Jerry Craig Hiddenite, NC 11 14-02 0
10 NC-Camut & Barnes Apex, NC 10 12-08 0
11 Adam Richardson Nashville, NC 11 11-15 0
12 Chuck Camp Shelby, NC 9 11-09 0
13 Chuck Murray Louisburg, NC 10 11-04 0
14 Jeff Narron Sims, NC 7 10-08 0
15 Richard Cooper Clayton, NC 5 08-12 0

KENTUCKY
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Lance Freeman Eddyville, KY 15 23-08 0
2 Rickey Boggs Shephersville, KY 14 19-07 0
3 John Roth Lawrenceburg, IN 13 16-11 0
4 Tim Hennemann Florence, KY 12 16-03 0
5 William Palmer Floyds Knobs, IN 7 15-15 0
6 Scott Jones Louisville, KY 14 14-13 0
7 Greg Marcum Willisburg, KY 11 14-09 0
8 Donald Odor Butler, KY 10 14-01 0
9 Eric Quaglio Lexington, KY 9 13-12 0
10 KY- Nick Denham Louisville, KY 8 12-01 0
11 Greg Hoskinson Louisville, KY 8 11-11 0
12 Gregory Weber Louisville, KY 9 10-03 0
13 Stephen Noble Newport, KY 6 07-10 0
14 Dean Favorite Paris, KY 6 07-01 0
15 John Roth Moores Hill, IN 2 02-00 0

TENNESSEE
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Mark Pierce Radcliff, KY 15 30-04 0
2 Eric Silverstrim Indian Mound, TN 15 25-09 0
3 Brad Smith Brownsville, TN 12 17-12 0
4 Alan Blumenthal Hendersonville, TN 11 17-04 0
5 Grayson Smith Clarksville, TN 12 15-07 0
6 Michael Moore Dover, TN 11 13-13 0
7 Scott Brison Clarksville, TN 9 12-14 0
8 Rick Shannon Woodlawn, TN 10 12-11 0
9 Kirt Pequignot Clarksville, TN 9 12-04 0
10 Houston Smith Clarksville, TN 9 11-07 0
11 Leon Olson Champmansboro, TN 9 11-05 0
12 TN-Sands & Watson Cleveland, TN 7 10-09 0
13 Mickey Lewis Huntington, TN 7 08-12 0
14 Jeff Giarrizzo Clarksville, TN 6 07-06 0
15 Mike Hoover Jackson, TN 5 06-05 0

by AnglersChannel

Mark Pierce Holds Narrow Lead At Nation Divisional On South Carolina's Pee Dee River Basin

GEORGETOWN, S.C. — Only ounces separate Mark Pierce from second-place angler John Proctor going into the final round of the Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Southern Divisional underway on the Pee Dee River Basin.

Ounces might separate the leader today and the winner tomorrow. However, include pounds in the equation of who will be declared the overall champion.

Pierce, of Kentucky, has the lead with 22 pounds, 13 ounces. Just 12 ounces behind is Day 1 leader Proctor, of South Carolina. Three pounds behind Proctor is fifth-place angler Hayes Hudson with 19-4. Take away the 4-11 big bass caught today by Pierce, and you have a wide-open race.

Pierce earned earned a $250 bonus as the Livingston Lures Leader Award on Day 2.

Proctor, of nearby Conway, S.C., has the edge with experience on this challenging tidal fishery. Pierce, of Radcliff, Ky., is applying a practical approach to his strategy.

“I never fished a tidal river before this tournament,” said the Montgomery Bass Club member. “What I discovered is a lot of black, stained water that I’m not accustomed to fishing.”

By the process of elimination and intuition, he found something different.

“The tide does not affect where I am fishing,” he added. “And it has plenty of current with 2 feet of visibility.”

Even familiar conditions require a persistent presentation for Pierce, who is fishing for the Tennessee team.

“I’m having to grind it out because the fish are so spread out,” he said.

Even so, consistency is on his side. That is a plus in this tournament with narrow weight margins across the scoreboard. Yesterday Pierce weighed 11-7 compared to his catch weighing 11-6 today.

With the scores so close and much at stake, Pierce declined to disclose his location and lures. The same applied to runner-up Proctor, although he abandoned a bed-fishing pattern in favor of expanding his fishing area.

That’s a good idea on a tournament fishery with six river systems available to the competition. The Pee Dee River Basin includes the Sampit, Great Pee Dee, Waccamaw, Black, Santee and Little Pee Dee rivers. The area covers 232 river miles.

South Carolina widened its lead in the competition between states. The team’s cumulative weight is 187-11. Alabama is second with 164-5 and Georgia has 157-7 for third place. Tennessee is fourth with 147-6.

The winning state team is awarded a Triton 189 TrX rigged with a Mercury outboard, Lowrance electronics and a MotorGuide trolling motor. The complete package is valued at $33,340.

The contestants from seven states qualified from local bass clubs and state championships to at the Nation Southern Divisional. Each team has 14 members. Two of them are high school students taking part in another competition also concluding tomorrow.

State championship high school teams are competing alongside the adults to hone their skills. Cumulative weight caught is added to the overall score of the state team. The winning team receives $500, with $250 going to the runner-up.

Leading the high school rankings is Jake Mims and Jace Garrett of Alexander High School. The Georgia anglers caught 8-9 to take the lead. Caden Watson and Cole Sams of Tennessee are second with 7-15. The anglers represent Marion County High School.

Each adult angler winning his state here advances to the Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Championship in the fall.

Takeoff for the final day, Friday, of the Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Southern Divisional will take place at Carroll Ashmore Campbell Marine Complex in Georgetown at 6:30 a.m. The weigh-in will occur at the same location at 2:30 p.m.

Visit Bassmaster.com for live daily coverage of the 2015 Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Southern Divisional.

The tournament host is Georgetown County.

2015 B.A.S.S. Nation Southern Divisional 4/22-4/24
Pee Dee River Basin, Georgetown SC.
(ANGLER) Standings Day 2

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

1. Mark Pierce Radcliff, KY (TN) 10 22-13 0
2. John Proctor Conway, SC (SC) 10 22-01 0
3. Kyle Glasgow Jr Guin, AL (AL) 10 20-05 0
4. Drew Cook Midway, FL (FL) 10 19-15 0
5. Hayes Hudson Conway, SC (SC) 10 19-04 0
6. Brad Durden Atlanta, GA (GA) 9 18-11 0
7. Bryan Gunter Ninety Six, SC (SC) 10 18-05 0
8. Marty Giddens Alpine, AL (AL) 10 18-03 0
9. Chad Mcmurrian Perry, GA (GA) 10 17-15 0
10. Wayne Black San Mateo, FL (FL) 9 17-03 0
11. Jeffrey Allison Jr. Gaffney, SC (SC) 10 16-13 0
12. Steve Ingram Tallassee, AL (AL) 10 16-12 0
13. William Grantham Mobile, AL (AL) 10 16-05 0
14. William Palmer Floyds Knobs, IN (KY) 7 15-15 0
15. Jackie Stanford Gaffney, SC (SC) 10 15-08 0
16. Eric Silverstrim Indian Mound, TN (TN) 10 15-07 0
17. Carson Orellana Mooresville, NC (NC) 10 15-03 0
18. Kim Neal Easley, SC (SC) 10 15-02 0
19. Gary Twelkemeier Cartersville, GA (GA) 10 14-15 0
20. Brian Colson Lake Mary, FL (FL) 7 14-13 0
21. Lee Byrd Pell City, AL (AL) 9 14-12 0
22. Chris Jones Conway, SC (SC) 10 14-12 0
23. Lance Freeman Eddyville, KY (KY) 10 14-07 0
24. Lee Cannon Conway, SC (SC) 10 14-06 0
25. Roger Thomas Snow Hill, NC (NC) 9 14-00 0
26. Mike Prance Palatka, FL (FL) 7 13-11 0
27. Jim Keith Newberry, FL (FL) 10 13-11 0
28. Rickey Boggs Shephersville, KY (KY) 10 13-11 0
29. Eric Holder Canton, GA (GA) 9 13-00 0
30. Randall Blackmon Berry, AL (AL) 9 12-08 0
31. Mark Blevins Palatka, FL (FL) 9 12-08 0
32. Stan Gunter Saluda, SC (SC) 8 12-04 0
33. James Gazaway Whitesburg, GA (GA) 10 12-02 0
34. Michael Moore Dover, TN (TN) 10 12-00 0
35. Mark Swink Shelby, NC (NC) 6 11-15 0
36. Brad Smith Brownsville, TN (TN) 9 11-15 0
37. Rob Digh Denver, NC (NC) 9 11-14 0
38. Tom Walsh Eustis, FL (FL) 9 11-07 0
39. Carl Logan Winder, GA (GA) 8 11-05 0
40. Kirt Pequignot Clarksville, TN (TN) 8 11-03 0
41. Steven Thames High Springs, FL (FL) 8 11-01 0
42. Scott Brison Clarksville, TN (TN) 8 11-00 0
43. Tim Carini Shirley, NY (GA) 8 10-15 0
44. David Swain Wilson, NC (NC) 8 10-07 0
45. Drew Sanford Springfield, MO (AL) 7 10-05 0
46. Barry Hooper Monticello, GA (GA) 8 10-03 0
47. Scott Jones Louisville, KY (KY) 9 10-03 0
48. Angelo Koundourakis Bainbridge, GA (GA) 6 10-01 0
49. John Roth Lawrenceburg, IN (KY) 8 10-00 0
50. Brendan Smith Roswell, GA (GA) 8 09-13 0
51. Rick Shannon Woodlawn, TN (TN) 8 09-12 0
52. Jimmy Miller Eclectic, AL (AL) 7 09-11 0
53. Jeff Narron Sims, NC (NC) 6 09-07 0
54. Chuck Camp Shelby, NC (NC) 7 09-07 0
55. Joshua Lanaville Goldsboro, NC (NC) 7 09-04 0
56. Houston Smith Clarksville, TN (TN) 8 09-04 0
57. Scott Hamrick Denver, NC (NC) 7 09-04 0
58. Jason Holland Gastonia, NC (SC) 8 09-03 0
59. Greg Marcum Willisburg, KY (KY) 7 08-15 0
60. Joseph Kirbo II Defuniak Springs, FL (F 7 08-13 0
61. Grayson Smith Clarksville, TN (TN) 8 08-10 0
62. GA-Garrett & Mims DOUGLASVILLE, GA (GA) 5 08-09 0
63. Colby Wells Pace, FL (AL) 6 08-08 0
64. Scott Holmes Moody, AL (AL) 9 08-08 0
65. Alan Blumenthal Hendersonville, TN (TN) 6 08-07 0
66. Phil Bain Youngsville, NC (NC) 5 08-06 0
67. Tim Hennemann Florence, KY (KY) 7 08-06 0
68. Adam Richardson Nashville, NC (NC) 8 08-05 0
69. Mark Johnson Georgetown, SC (SC) 6 08-00 0
70. TN-Sands & Watson Cleveland, TN (TN) 5 07-15 0
71. Eric Quaglio Lexington, KY (KY) 4 07-15 0
72. SC-McNeil & Smith Abbeville, SC (SC) 5 07-10 0
73. Jerry Craig Hiddenite, NC (NC) 6 07-10 0
74. KY- Nick Denham Louisville, KY (KY) 5 07-09 0
75. David Roddy Inman, SC (SC) 5 07-09 0
76. Jack White Vance, AL (AL) 4 07-05 0
77. Jason Brennan Roswell, GA (GA) 6 07-03 0
78. Don Hogue Cropwell, AL (AL) 6 06-11 0
79. Jonathan Edwards Lawrenceburg, TN (AL) 5 06-10 0
80. Raymond Trudeau Saint Cloud, FL (FL) 5 06-07 0
81. Chuck Murray Louisburg, NC (NC) 6 06-07 0
82. Stephen Noble Newport, KY (KY) 5 06-06 0
83. Mike Morris White, GA (GA) 5 06-05 0
84. Mickey Lewis Huntington, TN (TN) 5 06-04 0
85. NC-Camut & Barnes Apex, NC (NC) 5 06-02 0
86. Leon Olson Champmansboro, TN (TN) 4 05-14 0
87. Robert Carter Pamplico, SC (SC) 4 05-12 0
88. Donald Odor Butler, KY (KY) 5 05-07 0
89. Gregory Weber Louisville, KY (KY) 4 05-02 0
90. Richard Cooper Clayton, NC (NC) 3 05-00 0
91. Dan Fay Orlando, FL (FL) 4 04-12 0
92. Ryan Rakestraw Lithia Springs, GA (GA) 4 04-09 0
93. AL-Shirley & Barnes Northport, AL (AL) 4 04-06 0
94. Greg Hoskinson Louisville, KY (KY) 3 04-06 0
95. Mike Hoover Jackson, TN (TN) 4 03-15 0
96. Hank Golden Tallassee, AL (AL) 3 03-08 0
97. Dean Favorite Paris, KY (KY) 3 03-08 0
98. Nick Manfredo Beverly Hills, FL (FL) 3 03-01 0
99. Jeff Giarrizzo Clarksville, TN (TN) 2 02-15 0
100. Matthew Marinelli Lake Mary, FL (FL) 2 02-13 0
101. FL-Tomlinson & Cook Ocala, FL (FL) 2 02-05 0
102. John Roth Moores Hill, IN (KY) 2 02-00 0
103. David Pettis Tifton, GA (GA) 2 01-13 0
104. Joe Collins Longwood, FL (FL) 1 01-11 0
105. Brian Epps Abbeville, SC (SC) 1 01-02 0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 52 369 566-01
2 39 354 501-08
----------------------------------
91 723 1067-09

TEAM STANDINGS Day 2
----------------------------------
State Lbs-Oz
1 SOUTH CAROLINA 187-11
2 ALABAMA 164-05
3 GEORGIA 157-07
4 TENNESSEE 147-06
5 FLORIDA 144-03
6 NORTH CAROLINA 142-11
7 KENTUCKY 123-14

INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Day 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

GEORGIA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Brad Durden Atlanta, GA 9 18-11 0
2 Chad Mcmurrian Perry, GA 10 17-15 0
3 Gary Twelkemeier Cartersville, GA 10 14-15 0
4 Eric Holder Canton, GA 9 13-00 0
5 James Gazaway Whitesburg, GA 10 12-02 0
6 Carl Logan Winder, GA 8 11-05 0
7 Tim Carini Shirley, NY 8 10-15 0
8 Barry Hooper Monticello, GA 8 10-03 0
9 Angelo Koundourakis Bainbridge, GA 6 10-01 0
10 Brendan Smith Roswell, GA 8 09-13 0
11 GA-Garrett & Mims DOUGLASVILLE, GA 5 08-09 0
12 Jason Brennan Roswell, GA 6 07-03 0
13 Mike Morris White, GA 5 06-05 0
14 Ryan Rakestraw Lithia Springs, GA 4 04-09 0
15 David Pettis Tifton, GA 2 01-13 0

SOUTH CAROLINA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 John Proctor Conway, SC 10 22-01 0
2 Hayes Hudson Conway, SC 10 19-04 0
3 Bryan Gunter Ninety Six, SC 10 18-05 0
4 Jeffrey Allison Jr. Gaffney, SC 10 16-13 0
5 Jackie Stanford Gaffney, SC 10 15-08 0
6 Kim Neal Easley, SC 10 15-02 0
7 Chris Jones Conway, SC 10 14-12 0
8 Lee Cannon Conway, SC 10 14-06 0
9 Stan Gunter Saluda, SC 8 12-04 0
10 Jason Holland Gastonia, NC 8 09-03 0
11 Mark Johnson Georgetown, SC 6 08-00 0
12 SC-McNeil & Smith Abbeville, SC 5 07-10 0
13 David Roddy Inman, SC 5 07-09 0
14 Robert Carter Pamplico, SC 4 05-12 0
15 Brian Epps Abbeville, SC 1 01-02 0

FLORIDA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Drew Cook Midway, FL 10 19-15 0
2 Wayne Black San Mateo, FL 9 17-03 0
3 Brian Colson Lake Mary, FL 7 14-13 0
4 Mike Prance Palatka, FL 7 13-11 0
5 Jim Keith Newberry, FL 10 13-11 0
6 Mark Blevins Palatka, FL 9 12-08 0
7 Tom Walsh Eustis, FL 9 11-07 0
8 Steven Thames High Springs, FL 8 11-01 0
9 Joseph Kirbo II Defuniak Springs, FL 7 08-13 0
10 Raymond Trudeau Saint Cloud, FL 5 06-07 0
11 Dan Fay Orlando, FL 4 04-12 0
12 Nick Manfredo Beverly Hills, FL 3 03-01 0
13 Matthew Marinelli Lake Mary, FL 2 02-13 0
14 FL-Tomlinson & Cook Ocala, FL 2 02-05 0
15 Joe Collins Longwood, FL 1 01-11 0

ALABAMA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Kyle Glasgow Jr Guin, AL 10 20-05 0
2 Marty Giddens Alpine, AL 10 18-03 0
3 Steve Ingram Tallassee, AL 10 16-12 0
4 William Grantham Mobile, AL 10 16-05 0
5 Lee Byrd Pell City, AL 9 14-12 0
6 Randall Blackmon Berry, AL 9 12-08 0
7 Drew Sanford Springfield, MO 7 10-05 0
8 Jimmy Miller Eclectic, AL 7 09-11 0
9 Colby Wells Pace, FL 6 08-08 0
10 Scott Holmes Moody, AL 9 08-08 0
11 Jack White Vance, AL 4 07-05 0
12 Don Hogue Cropwell, AL 6 06-11 0
13 Jonathan Edwards Lawrenceburg, TN 5 06-10 0
14 AL-Shirley & Barnes Northport, AL 4 04-06 0
15 Hank Golden Tallassee, AL 3 03-08 0

NORTH CAROLINA
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Carson Orellana Mooresville, NC 10 15-03 0
2 Roger Thomas Snow Hill, NC 9 14-00 0
3 Mark Swink Shelby, NC 6 11-15 0
4 Rob Digh Denver, NC 9 11-14 0
5 David Swain Wilson, NC 8 10-07 0
6 Jeff Narron Sims, NC 6 09-07 0
7 Chuck Camp Shelby, NC 7 09-07 0
8 Joshua Lanaville Goldsboro, NC 7 09-04 0
9 Scott Hamrick Denver, NC 7 09-04 0
10 Phil Bain Youngsville, NC 5 08-06 0
11 Adam Richardson Nashville, NC 8 08-05 0
12 Jerry Craig Hiddenite, NC 6 07-10 0
13 Chuck Murray Louisburg, NC 6 06-07 0
14 NC-Camut & Barnes Apex, NC 5 06-02 0
15 Richard Cooper Clayton, NC 3 05-00 0

KENTUCKY
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 William Palmer Floyds Knobs, IN 7 15-15 0
2 Lance Freeman Eddyville, KY 10 14-07 0
3 Rickey Boggs Shephersville, KY 10 13-11 0
4 Scott Jones Louisville, KY 9 10-03 0
5 John Roth Lawrenceburg, IN 8 10-00 0
6 Greg Marcum Willisburg, KY 7 08-15 0
7 Tim Hennemann Florence, KY 7 08-06 0
8 Eric Quaglio Lexington, KY 4 07-15 0
9 KY- Nick Denham Louisville, KY 5 07-09 0
10 Stephen Noble Newport, KY 5 06-06 0
11 Donald Odor Butler, KY 5 05-07 0
12 Gregory Weber Louisville, KY 4 05-02 0
13 Greg Hoskinson Louisville, KY 3 04-06 0
14 Dean Favorite Paris, KY 3 03-08 0
15 John Roth Moores Hill, IN 2 02-00 0

TENNESSEE
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Mark Pierce Radcliff, KY 10 22-13 0
2 Eric Silverstrim Indian Mound, TN 10 15-07 0
3 Michael Moore Dover, TN 10 12-00 0
4 Brad Smith Brownsville, TN 9 11-15 0
5 Kirt Pequignot Clarksville, TN 8 11-03 0
6 Scott Brison Clarksville, TN 8 11-00 0
7 Rick Shannon Woodlawn, TN 8 09-12 0
8 Houston Smith Clarksville, TN 8 09-04 0
9 Grayson Smith Clarksville, TN 8 08-10 0
10 Alan Blumenthal Hendersonville, TN 6 08-07 0
11 TN-Sands & Watson Cleveland, TN 5 07-15 0
12 Mickey Lewis Huntington, TN 5 06-04 0
13 Leon Olson Champmansboro, TN 4 05-14 0
14 Mike Hoover Jackson, TN 4 03-15 0
15 Jeff Giarrizzo Clarksville, TN 2 02-15 0

by AnglersChannel

CATT Old North Kerr Hatem & West Win 18.11 lbs

Earn a trip to the 2016 Bassmaster Classic! You can now do that via the CATT Trail! We will take the top finishing teams at the NC & SC CATT Championships! You can email me and I’ll send you the forms or get them from your director…mail back $10 per angler. We can send 1 team for every 25 teams entering. The 2015 Bassmaster Team Championship tournament will be held on Lake Guntersville!

The 2015 NC/VA CATT Championship is May 16-17 at Kerr Lake. A team only has to enter 1 CATT event anywhere in North Carolina or Virginia to be eligible to enter. There will not be an off limits period this year.

Check out the money these guys took home with only 47 teams entered. Remember we do not take any money from your entry fees for operating expense, which can be as much as 20% with other trails. CATT pays back 100% in cash! Prizes are added on top of the money you can win fishing the CATT Trail. If we can get 60 teams at Ledgerock 1^st place takes home $2,000.00 and that’s not including any BONUS $. This year we changed the way we pay back the BONUS $. Depending upon the number of teams in the BONUS $ we pay up to 4 places which we did at Kerr this past Saturday. Looks like it’s working out great!

Next Old North Qualifier is May 2^nd at Falls Lake launching out of Ledgerock. Both members must enter 2 Old North Qualifiers to be eligible to enter the Old North Final June 20^th at Falls.

Guys don’t forget the top 10 teams in the 2015 Old North Points will receive free entry at the Old North Final on Falls June 20^th sponsored by Outhouse Tackle. Go by and give Jerry a visit. Let’s support him as he surely is supporting whet we are doing.

www.outhousetackle.com

Ronnie Hatem & Brian West took 1^st place Saturday at Kerr with 5 bass weighing 18.11 lbs. They earned $1,740.00. Unfortunately for Ronnie & Brian they didn’t enter the BONUS $...if they had they would have taken home close to $2,400.00! Bet that won’t happen again. Ronnie and Brian had some great products in the boat by Deep Creek Lures & Illusion Baits helping them get their 1^st CATT win!

2^nd went to Cody Aman & Alex Hinkle with 5 bass weighing 17.21 lbs and they weighed in a 6.61 lb bass good enough for 1^st BF. They took home $1,147.00!

KC Choosakul & Tim Pinhollow finished in 3^rd with 5 bass weighing 17.15 lbs. They also received 1^st BONUS $ pushing their total winnings to $1,150.00!

Bradley McLaurin & Mike Marchant finished 4^th with 5 bassweighing 17.11 lbs. They took home $725.00 with the 2^nd BONUS $ added in.

Derrick Bowden & Mathew Little claimed $505.00 with their 5^th place finish by weighing in 15.05 lbs. Their total included 3^rd BONUS $.

Tim Wiltfong & Clint Daniels ended up in 6^th with 14.81 lbs. Add in the 4^th BONUS $ and they took home $360.00.

7^th Mike Riggs & Barry Spell 14.65 lbs $185.00.

8^th Kevin Hayslett & Tim Nobles 14.15 lbs $145.00

9^th Dennis & Travis Allen 14.05 lbs $125.00

2^nd BF went to Tim Parker & Tim Emory with a 5.95 lbs bass worth $140.00.

See you at Falls May 2^nd!

Brett Collins

Carolina Anglers Team Trail LLC

by AnglersChannel

Better Be A Good Poker Player To Win In Oakley Big Bass Tournament On Smith Mountain Lake

You have to be a good poker player to do well in an Oakley Big Bass Tournament, according to Chris Lucas, who knows a thing or two about bass tournaments since he directs the highly successful Anglers Choice Tournament Trail.

“It's like playing poker. You never know when to play your hand in that thing,” said Lucas, who plans to fish the Oakley big Bass Blue Ridge Classic this weekend on Smith Mountain Lake. “I've seen some hours when a 3-pound fish would win you $100 or $200 and then I've seen some hours when a 4-pounder would win you nothing.”

Lucas, who has fished the Oakley tournament on Smith Mountain Lake the past few years and collected some hourly money, described the set-up where anglers have to guess which hour to weigh their fish as a “crap shoot.”

“You have to figure out when to weigh your fish – if you have one – unless it is a real stud. They pay seven hours each day, with a total of $1,000 paid out per hour. That's a pretty good chunk of change.”

The Blue Ridge classic is coming to Smith Mountain Lake at just the right time, Lucas said.

“I am not much of a bed fishermen but I think the fish are going to be on the bed this weekend. There will be a lot of guys who will try to see what they catch.”

But that won't be the only game on the lake, he added. The winners of a recent tournament on the lake caught their fish on boat docks with a jig.

“So it's going to be probably the whole gamut of fishing this weekend – a topwater bite, some bed fishing and I am sure you should really be able to catch them on whatever you want to do.”

The Oakley Big Bass Tour has four major contingency programs. It is the anglers' responsibility to register for each program and notify the Oakley staff of his entry. Programs include : Nitro BPS: www.tournament-rewards.com; Optima: https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/experience/optima-true-blue; Talon Rewards: www.talonrewards.com; and Toyota Bonus Bucks: www.toyotafishing.com.

The Oakley Big Bass Tournament has a guaranteed purse of $36,750 with hourly paybacks. The heaviest bass each hour wins $1,000, 2^nd $500, 3^rd $300, 4^th $250, 5^th $200, 6^th $150, 7^th $125 and 8^th $100. Weigh-in times at Parkway Marina are 8-9 a.m., 9-10 a.m., 10-11 a.m., 11 a.m.-12 p.m., 12-1 p.m., 1-2 p.m., and 2-3 p.m.

Whoever catches the biggest bass of the tournament will trailer home a 2015 Nitro Z7 with a Mercury 150Hp ProXS motor, valued at $30,000.

Oakley Big Bass Tournament Trail

Apr 25 & 26, 2015

Smith Mountain Lake

Parkway Marina

Call Mark Jones 214-605-4600

www.oakleyfishing.com

by AnglersChannel

19Th Kyle Page Tournament Saturday On Lake Murray Still Helping Families

Bass fishermen love charity tournaments because they can help a good cause while trying to win some money and enjoy catching fish at the same time. That is the big reason the MSKP Kyle Page Tournament on Lake Murray will hold its 19^th edition of the tournament helping families with special needs children Saturday out of Dreher Island State Park.

Over the past 18 years, the tournament has provided financial assistance to local families to the tune of about $600,000.

The first “Kyle Page Open Team Bass Tournament” was held in 1997 to benefit the Page family, which faced mounting medical bills after Kyle was born with spina bifida, a birth defect of the spine. The tournament was a huge success raising over $10,000 for Kyle's family.

After seeing the success of the tournament and the outpouring of the community, Kyle's dad, the late Joel Page, a local bass tournament fisherman, asked to continue the tournament to raise money for other families in need of assistance to care for children with special medical needs. For nearly two decades the tournament has been a staple of the springtime tournament scene at Lake Murray.

Meantime, Kyle Page has grown up and is now a senior at Chapin High School. The 18-year-old was experiencing some major medical issues, undergoing five surgeries, including major back surgery, between the 2013 and 2014 tournaments.

“Last year was pretty rough, but I seem to be on the right path now,” Kyle said.

The entry fee is $150 per boat, with a guaranteed first place prize of $5,000. The total payout is based on the number of boats entered, but usually it runs about 15 places, Kyle said.

“We pay two big fish. The first big fish is $300 and the second big fish is $200.”

Historically, the tournament draws 150 to nearly 200 boats. As of the first of the week more than 40 teams had already registered. Brett Collins, Owner/Director of the Carolina Anglers Team Trail, LLC, will serve as weighmaster.

Drop boxes for registration forms are located at Wilson's II in Little Mountain and The Station at Dreher Island.

While the anglers are fishing, the state park takes on a family atmosphere. The Part-Timers Band with Bryan Stockman will provide music from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Activities for children include the DNR's new Boat Simulator. There will be T-shirts and insulated cups for sale, along with raffle tickets for prizes. Hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries and drinks will be available also.

MSKP Kyle Page Charity Bass Tournament

Sat, Apr 25, 2015

Lake Murray

Dreher Island State Park

Call Beth Frick at 803-945-7879 or Shelly Page at 803-345-3468

by AnglersChannel

Nefar Charity Bass Tournament On St. John's River Benefits Haven Hospice Programs

The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors Charity Bass Tournament on the St. John's River is growing to the point that parking and transportation for the fishermen has become a problem – but that's a good thing, said Mike Oglesby, the OGS Tournament Trail Tournament Director who runs the tournament.

“We promised to grow this tournament and we've done a fabulous job,” Oglesby said. “Last year we had 114 boats and this year we promised 150 boats, if not more.”

That created concern with the anglers who have been calling in to find out if there will be adequate parking, he said.

“We've established plenty of parking with different businesses and public parking areas,” Oglesby said.. We've even gone to the expense of hiring buses to transport people back and forth to the weigh-in and launch sites. We are ready for 200 to 250 boats easily.”

In the past 11 years the tournament has raised $215,296 for Haven Hospice. Since 1979, Haven Hospice has touched the lives of more than 70,000 patients and families, whether in their homes or at one of the five hospice care centers operated by Haven.

Last year, Haven Hospice provided direct care to 5,321 patients facing a life-limiting illness and supported their loved ones through the process. In addition, the hospice provided free counseling and grief support to 4,010 individuals and families.

The 12^th annual tournament will be held Saturday at the Palatka City Riverfront Amphitheatre with angler teams vying for the $3,000 guaranteed first place and the $1,000 guaranteed prize for big bass of the tournament, plus the "Average Joe" pot.

The entry fee is $120, which includes $10 for the Big Fish Payout and $10 for the “Average Joe” Pot. Payback to the field will be the remaining 80 percent of the total entry money

The “Average Joe Payout” will reward the three boats that have an average catch for that day, giving those boats down in the field the opportunity to win some money. The “Average Joe” is determined by calculating the average weight of the fish, once all the fish are weighed in. Then the average number of fish caught per boat will be calculated. The average number of fish caught multiplied by the average weight provides the “Average Joe” weight for the day.

The boat with the weight nearest that weight, without going over, is the top “Average Joe,” and will win 50 percent of the pot. The next weight will be the second “Average Joe” and will win 30 percent of the pot, while the next weight down from that will determine the third “Average Joe,” who will get 20 percent of the pot.

In addition to the fishing, there will be a Family Fun Day beginning at 11 a.m. on the riverfront with free fun activities for the family, including a kids big slide, a "Reel Kids Casting Contest" for prizes, go fishing for a live fish, a free classic car show and music. Artisans will display their crafts and food vendors will be available throughout the day.

NEFAR Charity Bass Tournament

Sat, Apr 25, 2015

St Johns River

Palatka City Docks

Call Mike Oglesbee 386-546-3614

www.nefarbass.org

by AnglersChannel

Bryan Holmes wins BFL on Lake Wateree

CAMDEN, S.C. (April 20, 2015) â€“ Bryan Holmes of Blythewood, South Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to win the third Walmart Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Wateree. For his victory, Holmes earned $3,296.

Bryan Holmes of Blythewood, South Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 12 ounces to win the South Carolina Division tournament on Lake Wateree and earn a check for $3,296. (FLW)

â€œMy co-angler and I had an awesome day,â€ Holmes said. â€œWe found our groove and just kept pushing forward.â€

Holmes said he targeted both prespawn and spawning fish using a black and yellow-colored Booyah Poppinâ€™ Pad Crasher Frog and a buzzbait along mid-lake grass flats.

â€œWe didnâ€™t have much success on the buzzbait, but the frog seemed to do well,â€ Holmes said. â€œAfter missing a bunch of fish early I switched to a Shooter Lures peanut butter and jelly-colored jig and dragged it along the edges of the grass and that seemed to work better.â€

Holmes said he expected to find more fish on the spawning beds, he quickly adapted to the strong jig bite in the shallow grass.

â€œWe had a cold rain come through a few days prior to the tournament so I think that pushed fish off the beds and back out into deeper water,â€ said Holmes. â€œI only caught one fish off of a bed.

â€œWateree Creek produced the most fish for us,â€ Holmes continued. â€œI boated nine bass all day and culled four times.â€

Holmes went on to say that finding unused water sealed the win for him at this particular tournament.

â€œA lot of anglers favor the same type of baits on Lake Wateree, so itâ€™s all about location,â€ Holmes said.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Bryan Holmes, Blythewood, S.C., five bass, 20-12, $3,296

2^nd: Carlton Thompkins, Myrtle Beach, S.C., five bass, 19-1, $1,648

3^rd: Joey Sabbagha, Chapin, S.C., five bass, 18-14, $1,099

4^th: Anthony Marks, Spartanburg, S.C., five bass, 18-11, $769

5^th: Sandy Oliver, Hartsville, S.C., five bass, 18-10, $659

6^th: John Duvall, Madison, Ga., five bass, 18-5, $576

6^th: Sean Skey, Sumter, S.C., five bass, 18-5, $576

8^th: Scott Peavy, Blythewood, S.C., five bass, 18-3, $494

9^th: Daryl Watson, Matthews, N.C., five bass, 18-0, $439

10^th: Lance Owen, Greer, S.C., five bass, 17-6, $385

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Jerry Freezon of Elgin, South Carolina, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 5 ounces, and earned the dayâ€™s Big Bass award of $405.

Lonnie Drusch of Sumter, South Carolina, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win $1,648 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Lonnie Drusch, Sumter, S.C., five bass, 17-13, $1,648

2^nd: John Wilson, Six Mile, S.C., five bass, 14-3, $824

3^rd: Jason Hueble, Whitmire, S.C., five bass, 14-0, $549

4^th: Adam Beckum, Martinez, Ga., five bass, 13-13, $385

5^th: Aaron Morris, Fountain Inn, S.C., four bass, 13-9, $330

6^th: Brian Howard, Andrews, S.C., five bass, 13-4, $302

7^th: Chris Teague, Lincolnton, N.C., five bass, 13-3, $275

8^th: Al Edwards, Blacksburg, S.C., five bass, 12-11, $247

9^th: Chad Craven, Irmo, S.C., three bass, 12-9, $220

10^th: Mike Field, Columbia, S.C., four bass, 11-2, $192

Kevin Babcock of Greenville, South Carolina, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the dayâ€™s Big Bass award of $202.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

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 compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing â€“ the Walmart BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

by AnglersChannel

Riley & Burgess Weigh 30.50 lbs CATT Santee April 18, 2015

The CATT SC Championship is May 30-31. A team only has to enter 1 CATT event anywhere in South Carolina to be eligible!

Carolina Post Frame will pay the 2015 Santee Cooper Spring Point winners a $500 BONUS! Also if you win the 2015 CATT Santee Cooper Spring Final and have purchased a CPF building of any size in the past CPF will pay you another $1,500.00 on top of your Final purse!

www.carolinapostframe.com

803-468-8272 803-468-1221

Brent Riley & Nathan Burgess took home 1st Place Saturday at Blacks Camp with 5 bass weighing 30.50 lbs! Their BF was 10.91 lbs! Kick in the BONUS $ and they took home $1,653.00!

2nd went to Brett Mitchell & Jerry Montjoy with another fat limit weighing 25.16 lbs. They collected $430.00.

Chuck Howard & Ken Ellis brought in 5 bass weighing 24.87 lbs and took home $325.00 for their 3rd Place finish.

Perry Holloway & Danny Lowery claimed 4th with a limit weighing 23.58 lbs and collected $200.00.

Joe & Joseph Buddin finished 5th with a limit weighing 23.44 lbs and earned $140.00.

Ray Walsh & Marc Deschanes claimed 6th with a limit tipping the scales at 22.64 lbs. They received $110.00.

Last Money paying place went to Randall Driggers & Josh McGregor with a limit of bass weighing 21.91 lbs.

2nd BF went to James Partee & Ken Keels with a 7.80 lb bass worth $117.00.

Next up is the last Santee Cooper Spring Qualifier May 9 at John C Land. This is a double point event. All you have to do is enter 1 Santee Qualifier to make the Final and the 2-day SC CATT Championship on Santee Cooper which is May 16-17.

Brett Collins

Carolina Anglers Team Trail LLC

by AnglersChannel

Ryan Salzman wins BFL on Guntersville with 31 pound sack!

Ryan Salzman of Huntsville, Alabama, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 31 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win the third Walmart Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Guntersville. For his victory, Salzman earned $4,948.

Ryan Salzman of Huntsville, Ala., won the April 18 Choo Choo Division event on Lake Guntersville with a massive 31-pound, 15-ounce limit to claim a $4,900 check. (FLW)

â€œI feel blessed,â€ said Salzman. â€œI never fish my two best spots during a tournament but I did on Saturday because I figured Iâ€™d need all the weight I can get.â€

In order to catch his winning stringer, Salzman said he focused on mid-lake shell beds and stumps.

â€œTen minutes into the day I caught a 7-pound fish,â€ said Salzman. â€œAbout 15 minutes later I netted another 7-pounder and from there we went to work.

â€œAround 9 a.m. I went to another spot and fired up a school and got them eating. At that point my co-angler and I were both doing well,â€ said Salzman.

The Alabama angler said he caught the majority of his fish on a R2-D2-colored True Bass Little Head 4.5 swimbait in 8 to 10 feet of water.

â€œAround 2 p.m. I stopped at a spot I found in practice and culled out a 4Â½-pounder with a 6-pounder,â€ Salzman said. â€œI knew then that I had a chance at a top-3 finish.â€

Salzman said he caught around 20 fish during the tournament.

â€œI was nervous about weigh-in because I knew someone else would be catching 30 pounds. The big ones were biting,â€ Salzman said. â€œI donâ€™t think I wouldâ€™ve won if I hadnâ€™t culled at that final spot.â€

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 31-15, $4,948

2^nd: Benjie Allen, Scottsboro, Ala., five bass, 31-6, $2,474

3^rd: Wayne Boyd, Rome, Ga., five bass, 22-3, $1,649

4^th: David Allen, Florence, Ala., five bass, 21-7, $1,155

5^th: Shane Moss, Jasper, Tenn., five bass, 21-5, $990

6^th: Freddy Palmer, Estill Springs, Tenn., five bass, 21-0, $907

7^th: Josh Butler, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 20-12, $783

7^th: Wayne Christopher, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 20-12, $783

9^th: Tyler Kiker, Alexandria, Ala., five bass, 20-9, $660

10^th: Brian Horton, Fort Payne, Ala., five bass, 18-13, $548

10^th: Cole Wade, Scottsboro, Ala., five bass, 18-13, $548

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Allen caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 15 ounces and earned the dayâ€™s Big Bass award of $755.

Randy Miller of Huntsville, Alabama, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win $2,474 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Randy Miller, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 17-15, $2,474

2^nd: Marcus Corbett, Heflin, Ala., five bass, 17-3, $1,237

3^rd: Daniel McGhee, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 16-13, $824

4^th: Wesley Smith, Vinemont, Ala., five bass, 16-5, $577

5^th: Craig Pletcher, Ringgold, Ga., five bass, 15-13, $495

6^th: Devereaux Adams, Powder Springs, Ga., five bass, 15-12, $454

7^th: Allan Garner, Estill Springs, Tenn., five bass, 15-9, $391

7^th: Jerry Nydam, Arab, Ala., five bass, 15-9, $391

9^th: Jody Evans, Toney, Ala., five bass, 15-7, $330

10^th: Devin O'Dell, Trenton, Ga., five bass, 15-5, $289

Garner caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the dayâ€™s Big Bass award of $377.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 22-24 Regional Championship on Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Alabama. 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.

by AnglersChannel

Rob Middleton takes the Oakley Big Bass on Norman with 6.63 Lbs

608 Anglers showed up for the OBB Lake Norman event..........Rob Middleton held on to win the BIG BASS of the weekend with 6.63 Lbs!! He took home a $30,000 Boat, Motor, and Trailer pkg. Great tournament and kudos to all the anglers for dealing with that Sun morning Wx!! Results are below the picture:

Leaders

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	ROB MIDDLETON	6.63
2	KELLY LOGAN	6.23
3	TROY LEHEW	6.12
4	BRYAN FORSEE	5.62
5	BRAYDEN RAKES	5.53
6	RYAN PARDUE	5.34
7	DANIEL CALHOUN	5.17
8	KEVIN HOLIDAY	5.05
9	KENT SMITH	5.00
10	CASEY HOWARD	4.95

by AnglersChannel

Joshua Morfis wins BFL on Okeechobee

Joshua Morfis of Cape Coral, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 34 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win the fourth Walmart Bass Fishing League Gator Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Okeechobee. For his victory, Morfis earned $6,336.

Joshua Morfis of Cape Coral, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 34 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win the Gator Division tournament on Lake Okeechobee and a check for $6,300. (FLW)

“It feels great to win a tournament,” said Morfis. “I love fishing on Lake Okeechobee and to see all of my hard work finally pay off is really nice.”

Morfis said that he headed 35 miles south to his first spot where he targeted fish that were moving in shallow to spawn.

“I flipped the Kissimmee grass and bulrushes where the fish were sitting in 4 to 5 feet of water,” Morfis said. “I used a green pumpkin-colored Gambler Otter with a black and blue-colored Eco Pro Honey Badger Punch Skirt.

“On my third cast I caught a 9-pound fish,” Morfis continued. “After that the bite slowed down.”

After filling out his five-bass limit with smaller fish, Morfis said that he knew he’d need more weight to win. He decided to make a move to his second spot where he stuck an 8-pounder shortly after arriving.

“Five minutes after the 8-pounder, I caught a 7-pound fish and then a 6-pounder just ten minutes later,” Morfis said. “I got eight big bites in the second spot and put seven of them in the boat.”

Morfis went on to say he caught approximately 25 to 30 fish during the course of the tournament.

“The key for me was stumbling on those prespawn fish while searching for the postspawn fish,” Morfis said. “I knew my two spots I targeted had the potential to produce a top-10 finish so I put my hat down, grinded it out and it worked out for me.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st: Joshua Morfis, Cape Coral, Fla., five bass, 34-14, $5,336 + $1,000 Mercury Bonus

2^nd: Donny Bass, Naples, Fla., five bass, 28-3, $2,668

3^rd: Justin Morgan, Okeechobee, Fla., five bass, 25-9, $1,780

4^th: Greg Hughes, Inverness, Fla., five bass, 23-15, $1,245

5^th: Terry Oliver, Belleview, Fla., five bass, 21-9, $1,067

6^th: Anthony Ford, New Smyrna, Fla., five bass, 21-2, $978

7^th: Buck Durrance, Okeechobee, Fla., five bass, 21-1, $844

7^th: Jeremy Hobson, Plant City, Fla., five bass, 21-1, $844

9^th: Mark Lundgren, Cocoa, Fla., five bass, 20-7, $712

10^th: Bruce Carter, Okeechobee, Fla., five bass, 20-4, $591

10^th: Fred George, Okeechobee, Fla., five bass, 20-4, $591

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Hunter Abowd of Clewiston, Florida, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division – a monster weighing 11 pounds, 10 ounces – and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $840.

Jessey Rudolph of Deltona, Florida, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win $2,668 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st: Jessey Rudolph, Deltona, Fla., five bass, 21-8, $2,668

2^nd: Phillip Ford, Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 17-10, $1,334

3^rd: Scott Kirsch, Edgewater, Fla., five bass, 17-3, $888

4^th: Jose Luis Gallardo, Belle Glade, Fla., five bass, 15-12, $623

5^th: Nick Ahearn, Tampa, Fla., five bass, 15-9, $534

6^th: Albert Winter, Boca Raton, Fla., five bass, 15-2, $489

7^th: Robert Branagh, Palm Bay, Fla., five bass, 15-1, $422

7^th: Brian Cole, Sebastian, Fla., five bass, 15-1, $422

9^th: Jeff Peterson, Lake Worth, Fla., five bass, 14-7, $356

10^th: Joshua Kelting, Port Saint Lucie, Fla., five bass, 14-5, $311

Ahearn caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $420.

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 compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

by AnglersChannel

Hallman wins Rayovac tourney on Grand Lake

Bradley Hallman of Norman, Oklahoma, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win the Rayovac FLW Series Central Division event on Grand Lake presented by Power-Pole with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 65 pounds, 15 ounces. For his victory, Hallman earned $40,000.

â€œI had an absolute great week this week,â€ said Hallman, who earned his second win in FLW competition, first at the Rayovac FLW Series level. â€œMy wife and kids made it out to the weigh-in today to watch me and this whole experience has just been really special.

â€œI was sight fishing all week. I came back home after the Rayovac tournament on Sam Rayburn last weekend and jumped into a local tournament. So many fish were on beds, so I knew that would be huge player in this tournament. I spent my entire practice just looking for fish on beds and if I found one that looked four pounds or better, Iâ€™d mark it.â€

The strategy definitely paid off for Hallman, as the local started the tournament on Thursday morning with 107 different marks to target. He caught six keepers on day one, then 10 on day two by Texas-rigging an unnamed white tube or a green-pumpkin Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw with Â¼-ounce weight and 20-pound test fluorocarbon line.

â€œToday it was raining pretty good and I knew that it would make it really tough to sight fish, but I really felt like I could catch them on a Zara Spook,â€ Hallman said. â€œI have a ton of confidence in that bait. As soon as I picked it up and started throwing it this morning I caught a four-pounder, and I kept getting bit. Two of the fish that I weighed in came on a white Spook and I think that decision really turned out to be the key to my win.â€

As the rain cleared and the sun came out Saturday, Hallman actually had his most productive day on the water, catching 15 total keepers. He said that he targeted beds from Duck Creek and Browning Creek down to the dam.

â€œI caught fish all week long and it feels really good to finish it,â€ Hallman went on to say. â€œI do have to give special credit to two very good friends of mine â€“ Steve Williams and Larry Bryant. They have done so much for me on this pond and I would not be here today without their guidance. I would say that 90-percent of what I know as an angler, I learned from them. What a week this has been.â€

The top 10 pros on Grand Lake were:

1^st: Bradley Hallman, Norman, Okla., 15 bass, 65-15, $40,000

2^nd: Jonathan Henry, Grant, Ala., 15 bass, 60-11, $15,500

3^rd: Quaker State pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 59-6, $12,000

4^th: Todd Castledine, Nacogdoches, Texas, 15 bass, 58-13, $10,000

5^th: Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla., 15 bass, 57-6, $9,000

6^th: Robbie Dodson, Harrison, Ark., 15 bass, 56-7, $8,000

7^th: James Watson, Springfield, Mo., 15 bass, 52-12, $7,000

8^th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 15 bass, 52-9, $6,000

9^th: Dylan Hays, Sheridan, Ark., 15 bass, 51-1, $5,000

10^th: Brandon Perkins, Counce, Tenn., 15 bass, 50-9, $4,000

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Tommy Brown of Louisville, Tenn., caught the Bridgford Big Bass of the tournament in the pro division Thursday â€“ a fish weighing 6 pounds, 8 ounces that earned him the dayâ€™s Big Bass award of $300.

Kyle Triplett of Washington, Mo., won the co-angler division and a Ranger Z117C with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor, with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 39 pounds, 6 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers on Grand Lake were:

1^st: Kyle Triplett, Washington, Mo., 15 bass, 39-6, Ranger Z117C with a 90-horsepower outboard

2^nd: Steven Meador, Bella Vista, Ark., 15 bass, 38-5, $5,000

3^rd: Matt Krekovich, Granite City, Ill., 14 bass, 35-4, $4,000

4^th: Lance Baker, Huxley, Iowa, 14 bass, 33-8, $3,500

5^th: Jeffery Smith, Knob Noster, Mo., 14 bass, 32-1, $3,000

6^th: Erick Fernengel, Lake Waukomis, Mo., 11 bass, 29-9, $2,500

7^th: Jason Sandidge, Centerton, Ark., 11 bass, 26-2, $2,000

8^th: Clint Williams, Fayetteville, Ark., 11 bass, 25-11, $1,750

9^th: Randy Baskins, Owasso, Okla., 11 bass, 25-0, $1,500

10^th: Richie Riddle, Columbus, Ind., 11 bass, 23-15, $1,250

The Rayovac FLW Series consists of five divisions â€“ Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable points in each division that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the no-entry-fee Rayovac FLW Series Championship. The 2015 Rayovac FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 29-31 on the Ohio River in Paducah, Kentucky.

The Rayovac FLW Series on Grand Lake was hosted by the Grand Lake Association. It was the first of three Central Division tournaments in 2015. The next Rayovac FLW Series tournament will be a Texas Division event, held April 30-May 2, on Lake Texoma in Pottsboro, Texas. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.

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

by AnglersChannel

Dustin Connell Closes On Bassmaster Open Title On Alabama River

The final day of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open presented by Allstate was the first not to be pelted by incessant rain. Although the weather was pleasant, the Alabama River’s rising water had the 12 anglers who made Saturday’s cut scrambling.

Dustin Connell of Clanton, Ala., who held the lead Thursday and Friday, pulled off an impressive victory today with an 18-pound, 6-ounce limit, the heaviest of the final round. It brought his winning total to 55-1.

Connell also bagged the biggest limit of the tournament on Thursday, which weighed 22-3.

“I had adversity all week,” Connell said. “I don’t know how I adjusted.”

On Thursday Connell locked downriver to Millers Ferry. He fished the ends of the lock walls and rocky banks below the dam to boat his big limit. Connell locked down to Millers Ferry again Friday morning, but the water level had risen 4 feet overnight and his bass would not cooperate.

The adjustments Connell made that afternoon were the most critical of the tournament for him. He locked back upriver with five small bass and culled them for a 14-8 limit by cranking rocky creek mouths.

Connell chose not to lock down to Millers Ferry today. He fished “community water” that had been pounded by his competitors Thursday and Friday. The bass pounced on Connell’s spinnerbait. All the bass that he brought to the scale during the event were Coosa River spots.

Not one to get stuck on a single lure, Connell showed the bass a wide variety of baits. His most productive lures were a 3/4-ounce chartreuse Strike King spinnerbait sporting tandem chartreuse willowleaf blades, a 1/2-ounce Strike King jig and a Spro Fat Popa crankbait. A Keitech swimbait rigged on 1/2-ounce jig also produced two key bass for Connell Thursday.

The downside to Connell’s victory is that he will not receive an invitation to fish the 2016 Bassmaster Classic. He did not compete in the first Bassmaster Southern Open in January at Florida’s Lake Tohopekaliga. Any angler who wins a Bassmaster Open tournament must fish all three of the events in that division to qualify for the Classic.

Connell was awarded a Triton 19TrX rigged with a Mercury 200 Pro XS.

Florida angler Jeremy Prouty claimed second place and $18,443 with a three-day total of 47-1. He concentrated mainly on two small underwater current breaks that he found with his depthfinder.

One current break was a large, submerged stump 8 feet deep. A small ditch had been washed out behind the stump. It was an ideal ambush location for spotted bass. A 1/2-ounce jig and a 1/4-ounce Gambler Giggy Head jig with a finesse worm produced equal numbers of bass for Prouty.

Prouty states that he had to make the “perfect cast” upstream so his baits would wash into the sweet spots behind the current breaks where the bass were feeding.

Third place went to Clent Davis of Montevallo, Ala., for bringing 46-8 to the official Bassmaster scale. Davis locked downriver to Millers Ferry on all three days of the tournament. He relied mainly on a 1/8-ounce Nichols Screwball Shaky Head jig dressed with a 6.5-inch Mr. Twister Poc'it Shake'R worm.

“The water came up every day but the bass didn’t come up with it,” Davis said.

On Thursday Davis caught his bass 2 feet deep. Friday, they were 6 feet deep. Today, they were 10 to 12 feet deep.

The 6-14 largemouth that Davis caught Thursday prevailed as the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass, which added $750 to Davis’ winnings.

North Carolinian David Blanton earned the co-angler victory with 20-4, winning by only 4 ounces. His primary bait was a Texas rigged, 5-inch Zoom Mag Finesse worm with a 1/8-ounce tungsten bullet sinker.

Blanton earned a Triton 179 TrX with a Mercury 115 Pro XS engine.

The $250 Bass Pro Shops Big Bass award on the co-angler side went to North Carolina’s Taylor Schneider for a 6-5 lunker.
2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open - Alabama River Presented by Allstate 4/16-4/18
Alabama River, Prattville AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3

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

1. Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 15 55-01 200 $48,015.00
Day 1: 5 22-03 Day 2: 5 14-08 Day 3: 5 18-06
2. Jp Prouty Jacksonville, FL 15 47-01 199 $18,443.00
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 14-07 Day 3: 5 15-04
3. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 15 46-08 198 $15,082.00
Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 14-05
4. Brandon McMillan Clewiston, FL 15 46-07 197 $12,376.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 14-12
5. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 15 44-04 196 $10,799.00
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 13-01 Day 3: 5 12-14
6. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 15 44-01 195 $9,221.00
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 12-13 Day 3: 5 17-08
7. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 15 43-09 194 $7,765.00
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 17-04 Day 3: 5 09-08
8. Jordan Lee Vinemont, AL 15 41-01 193 $6,188.00
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 13-01 Day 3: 5 12-10
9. Michael Neal Dayton, TN 15 41-01 192 $4,611.00
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 13-15 Day 3: 5 12-02
10. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 15 38-07 191 $4,247.00
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 15-14 Day 3: 5 11-13
11. David Perdue Wirtz, VA 13 36-04 190 $3,883.00
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 3 08-04
12. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 12 32-00 189 $3,640.00
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 2 02-01
BASS PRO SHOPS BIG BASS
Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 06-14 $750.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 116 729 1454-12
2 99 655 1272-15
3 10 55 149-07
----------------------------------
225 1439 2877-02

2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open - Alabama River Presented by Allstate 4/16-4/18
Alabama River, Prattville AL.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3

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

1. David Blanton Wilmington, NC 8 20-04 200 $25,000.00
Day 1: 3 07-03 Day 2: 3 07-05 Day 3: 2 05-12
2. Chris Moody Brooks, GA 7 20-00 199 $5,945.00
Day 1: 2 04-03 Day 2: 3 10-07 Day 3: 2 05-06
3. Steve Callins Deatsville, AL 9 19-07 198 $4,489.00
Day 1: 3 08-02 Day 2: 3 07-08 Day 3: 3 03-13
4. Jim Keith Newberry, FL 9 19-06 197 $3,033.00
Day 1: 3 05-09 Day 2: 3 08-12 Day 3: 3 05-01
5. Mark Bartosch Clarksville, TN 7 19-02 196 $2,791.00
Day 1: 3 08-06 Day 2: 3 06-12 Day 3: 1 04-00
6. Larry Beauboeuf Bossier City, LA 9 18-09 195 $2,669.00
Day 1: 3 08-13 Day 2: 3 05-08 Day 3: 3 04-04
7. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 9 18-03 194 $2,548.00
Day 1: 3 07-02 Day 2: 3 07-07 Day 3: 3 03-10
8. Scott Byrd Ocklawaha, FL 8 17-10 193 $2,427.00
Day 1: 3 09-02 Day 2: 3 05-05 Day 3: 2 03-03
9. Ronald Young Winter Haven, FL 8 17-02 192 $2,305.00
Day 1: 3 05-11 Day 2: 3 08-08 Day 3: 2 02-15
10. Matthew Olley Crestview, FL 7 16-10 191 $2,063.00
Day 1: 3 05-06 Day 2: 3 10-05 Day 3: 1 00-15
11. Jason Rice Swannanoa, NC 7 16-01 190 $1,820.00
Day 1: 3 07-03 Day 2: 3 08-01 Day 3: 1 00-13
12. Teb Jones Hattiesburg, MS 7 15-04 189 $1,699.00
Day 1: 3 05-15 Day 2: 3 08-08 Day 3: 1 00-13
BASS PRO SHOPS BIG BASS
Taylor Schneider Matthews, NC 06-05 $250.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 92 381 666-12
2 77 326 610-15
3 4 24 40-09
----------------------------------
173 731 1318-04

by AnglersChannel

Liberty University Holds Lead On Day Two Of Flw College Fishing National Championship On Lake Murray

Teaser image:

The Liberty University team of Travis Rulle of Denver, N.C., and Caleb Eppler of Sachse, Texas, held onto the lead after day two of the 2015 FLW College Fishing National Championship presented by the Lowrance Insight Genesis College Cup Friday with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces for a two day total weight of 36-1. The Flames duo will begin the final day of competition with a narrow 5-ounce lead in this three-day event, hosted by the Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board, that features 45 of the top college bass fishing clubs from across the nation competing for a top award of a Ranger Z117 with a 90-horsepower outboard and entry into the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.

â€œNot a lot changed for us today,â€ said Travis Rulle, a junior majoring in Business Management and Finance. â€œWe had less wind so we had to make some adjustments, but for the most part the fishing was pretty similar to yesterday. One significant difference was the amount of pressure on the lake from the locals.

â€œWe are still fishing 1 to 10 feet of water and adapting to the spot conditions â€“ the same large area we identified during practice. We are hoping we wonâ€™t have quite as much competition in the area since we are down to 10 teams, but you never know what the locals are going to do.â€

The team is starting to feel the pressure now that they lost their 3-pound cushion and the hometown U.S.C. Gamecock team is just five ounces behind, but feel confident in the area they are fishing and believe they can bring home the win tomorrow.

â€œIâ€™m always nervous,â€ said Caleb Eppler, a graduated senior in Exercise Science. â€œThere is a brand new Ranger Boat up for grabs and it would be sweet to bring that home not to mention the opportunity to fish in the Forrest Wood Cup. Just the thought â€“ wow!

â€œWe really need to give a shout out to two local anglers named Sammy and Jesse. They were fishing a small local tournament today and were sitting in one of our spots. As soon as we pulled up they recognized us and without us having to ask they gave up the spot and wished us luck. It was true Southern generosity that we are extremely grateful for.â€

The team is hoping the wind will pick up tomorrow and the sun comes out to help activate the bait fish. They indicated that they did see a couple of blue herring blow-ups but not near as many as yesterday. They are still not throwing the umbrella rig but said they might have to pick one up tomorrow due to the success most of the other teams are having with it in the tournament.

The top 10 teams after day two on Lake Murray are:

1st: Liberty University â€“ Travis Rulle, Denver, N.C., and Caleb Eppler, Sachse, Texas (10 bass, 36-6)

2nd: University of South Carolina â€“ Patrick Walters, Summerville, S.C., and Gettys Brannon, Columbia, S.C. (10 bass, 36-1)

3rd: Oregon State University â€“ Chase Cochran, Corvallis, Ore., and Ryan Sparks, Gearhart, Ore. (10 bass, 36-0)

4th: Colorado Mesa University â€“ Kennedy Kinkade and Josh Worth, both of Grand Junction, Colo. (10 bass, 35-9)

5th: Auburn University â€“ Ben Curry, Hayden, Ala., and Timmy Ward, Sylacauga, Ala. (10 bass, 34-14)

6th: Eastern Kentucky University â€“ Kyle Raymer, Brandenburg, Ky., and Ethan Snyder, Vine Grove, Ky. (10 bass, 33-10)

7th: Tennessee Technological University â€“ Joe Ellis, Harriman, Tenn., and Matthew Townson, Chattanooga, Tenn. (10 bass, 33-5)

8th: Lamar University â€“ Cameron Lafleur, Orangefield, Texas and Justin Royal, Vidor, Texas (10 bass, 31-9)

9th: Murray State University â€“ Justin Graben, Murray, Ky., and Dan Schult, Millstadt, Ill. (10 bass, 31-1)

10th: Lamar University â€“ Brandon Simoneaux, Bridge City, Texas, and Josh Bowie, Port Neches, Texas (10 bass, 29-14)

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 193 bass weighing 531 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 45 college teams Friday. The catch included 34 five-bass limits.

The FLW College Fishing National Championship awards the top team a $30,000 prize package, including a Ranger Z117 with a 90-horsepower engine and an entry into the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup. The team member fishing as a pro in the Forrest Wood Cup also receives the use of a wrapped Ranger Boat. All prize money earned in the Forrest Wood Cup goes directly to the individual who earns it. The Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, will be held August 20-23 on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and will offer the collegiate anglers the opportunity to compete for a top award of $500,000 â€“ professional bass fishingâ€™s richest prize..

Anglers will take off from SCE&G North Recreation Area at Dreher Shoals Dam located at 2101 N. Lake Drive, in Columbia at 7 a.m. Saturday. Saturdayâ€™s final weigh-in will be held adjacent to Carolina Stadium at Williams and Wheat Streets in Columbia beginning at 4 p.m. (or immediately following the end of the University of South Carolina baseball game). Takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.

FLW will also be hosting the College Fishing Expo on Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Expo will take place adjacent to the Carolina Stadium. Activities include a sports zone, tailgate games and sponsor giveaways.

Coverage of the 2015 FLW College Fishing National Championship will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) November 16 from 7 p.m.-8 p.m. EST when Season 20 of â€œFLWâ€ returns this fall. 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.

College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.

by AnglersChannel

Dustin Connell Still Leads Bassmaster Open On Alabama River

The anglers competing on Day 2 of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open presented by Allstate did more flip-flopping than the bass they were catching from the Alabama River.

The constantly changing water level, current flow and water clarity forced many anglers to switch locations, change tactics or do both. The fishermen who made the right adjustments flipped up in the standings. Those who didn’t, flopped down.

Local angler Jamie Horton, an Alabama River bass wizard, was in second place Thursday with 19 pounds, 5 ounces. Friday, he brought in a 5-13 limit and fell short of making the Top 12 cut that will fish tomorrow’s final round.

Day 1 tournament leader Dustin Connell, another Alabama River bass ace, nearly flopped, as well. Friday, he had only two bass for 3 pounds with half his fishing time spent. His water had risen 4 feet and had gotten muddy, which shut off his bass bite.

Undaunted, Connell raced to another pool and switched tactics to pull together a 14-8 limit. His two-day total of 36-11 allowed him to stay in first place and receive the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $250.

“Tomorrow I’m not going to the pool where I caught my fish the first day,” Connell said.

That would appear to be quite a gamble, given that Connell caught more than 22 pounds there on Thursday. However, he believes he has a good shot at another 20-pound limit elsewhere on the final day.

Flopping also wasn’t an issue for Bassmaster Elite Series pro Russ Lane of Prattville, Ala. Lane knows the intricacies of the Alabama River as well as anyone, and it shows.

Yesterday Lane sacked a mixed bag of three largemouth and two spotted bass for 16-13, which landed him in seventh place. His 17-4 limit today consisted of five spotted bass, good enough to hoist him to second place.

It took Lane two hours Thursday to boat his first limit of bass. Friday, it took him only 12 minutes.

“The current was stronger today than yesterday,” Lane said. “That had my bass more stacked up.”

Lane is fishing three key places and is confident they will reload with bass for tomorrow’s final day.

Given the unique challenges the Alabama River presents to bass tournament anglers, it’s no surprise that Clent Davis, another Alabama angler, is in third place with 32-3. Davis is targeting spotted bass, but he caught one largemouth Thursday that weighed 6-14. It earned the big bass award for the day.

“Yesterday I caught 40 bass,” Davis said. “My water came up 4 feet today. I didn’t figure out the right adjustment until 10 o’clock.”

If Davis can figure things out earlier in the morning Saturday, he might be the last man standing at the final weigh-in, which will take place at the Bass Pro Shops in Prattville, Ala., at 3 p.m. CT.

Florida angler Matthew Olley leads the co-angler side of the tournament with 15-11 and received the Livingston Lures Leader Award of the co-angler side of $250 in Livingston gifts. Olley is just 1 ounce ahead of Alabama’s Steve Callins, who is 6 ounces ahead of North Carolina’s Jason Rice.

The 6-14 largemouth that Davis caught on Thursday is leading the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass, which is worth $750.

The Bass Pro Shops Big Bass on the co-angler side weighed 6-5 and was caught by North Carolina’s Taylor Schneider. That trophy bass earned Schneider $250.

Kazunori Okuma won the $250 Allstate Good Hands, Great Day award for climbing the most places from Day 1 to Day 2. His 16-5 limit on Day 2 rocketed him from 121st place to 26th place.

Kenneth Moore won the Allstate Good Hands, Great Day co-angler award of $150 for leapfrogging from 142nd place to 17th place.

2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open - Alabama River Presented by Allstate 4/16-4/18
Alabama River, Prattville AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2

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

1. Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 10 36-11 200 $250.00
Day 1: 5 22-03 Day 2: 5 14-08
2. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 10 34-01 199
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 17-04
3. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 10 32-03 198
Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 5 14-02
4. Jp Prouty Jacksonville, FL 10 31-13 197
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 14-07
5. Brandon McMillan Clewiston, FL 10 31-11 196
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 16-15
6. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 10 31-06 195
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 13-01
7. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 10 29-15 194
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 16-05
8. Michael Neal Dayton, TN 10 28-15 193
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 13-15
9. Jordan Lee Vinemont, AL 10 28-07 192
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 13-01
10. David Perdue Wirtz, VA 10 28-00 191
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 14-13
11. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 10 26-10 190
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 15-14
12. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 10 26-09 189
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 12-13
13. Trevor Fitzgerald Belleview, FL 10 26-05 188 $3,033.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 14-15
14. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 10 26-05 187 $3,033.00
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 11-08
15. John Cox Debary, FL 10 25-12 186 $3,033.00
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 14-12
16. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 7 25-09 185 $3,033.00
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 2 07-12
17. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 10 25-09 184 $3,033.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 11-08
18. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 10 25-04 183 $3,033.00
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 13-03
19. Clabion Johns Jr Covington, GA 10 25-03 182 $3,033.00
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 10-09
20. Jamie Horton Centerville, AL 10 25-02 181 $3,033.00
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 05-13
21. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 10 25-00 180 $3,033.00
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 5 15-09
22. Ed Loughran Mechanicsville, VA 10 24-07 179 $3,033.00
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 10-00
23. Jimmy Johnson La Crosse, WI 10 24-04 178 $3,033.00
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 14-05
24. Patrick Pierce Jacksonville, FL 10 24-04 177 $3,033.00
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 12-00
25. Guy Eaker Sr. Cherryville, NC 10 24-01 176 $3,033.00
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 11-09
26. Kazunori Okuma Moriyama-Shi Shiga JAPA 10 22-12 175 $2,919.00
Day 1: 5 06-07 Day 2: 5 16-05
27. Matt Lee Auburn , AL 10 22-11 174 $2,669.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 08-14
28. Scott Canterbury Springville, AL 10 22-09 173 $2,669.00
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 07-09
29. Brent Bonadona Port Allen, LA 10 22-07 172 $2,669.00
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 10-00
30. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 9 22-02 171 $2,669.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 4 08-13
31. Vu Au Tucson, AZ 10 22-00 170 $2,305.00
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 09-05
32. Gerald Spohrer Gonzales, LA 10 21-15 169 $2,305.00
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 07-10
33. Woo Daves Spring Grove, VA 10 21-09 168 $2,305.00
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 11-10
34. Scott Luster Prattville, AL 10 21-07 167 $2,305.00
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 09-12
35. David Kilgore Jasper, AL 10 21-07 166 $2,305.00
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 10-11
36. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 10 21-05 165 $1,941.00
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 10-06
37. Blake Nick Adger, AL 10 21-03 164 $1,941.00
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 10-03
38. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 10 20-10 163 $1,941.00
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 07-08
39. Jim Dillard West Monroe, LA 9 20-08 162 $1,941.00
Day 1: 4 09-10 Day 2: 5 10-14
40. Craig Chambers Charlotte, NC 10 20-08 161 $1,941.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 10-04
41. Shawn Carnahan Gilbert, AZ 10 20-07 160
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 09-03
42. Kazuki Kitajima Orlando, FL 9 20-06 159
Day 1: 4 09-09 Day 2: 5 10-13
43. Kyle Fox Lakeland, FL 9 20-02 158
Day 1: 4 10-00 Day 2: 5 10-02
44. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 10 19-13 157
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 10-08
45. Tim Arnold Cullman, AL 10 19-12 156
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 08-09
46. David Hudson Jasper, AL 10 19-12 155
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 08-12
47. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 10 19-10 154
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 08-09
48. Alton Jones Jr. Lorena, TX 10 19-04 153
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 08-14
49. JT Kenney Palm Bay, FL 10 19-03 152
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 10-03
50. Clayton Batts Warner Robins, GA 10 19-00 151
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 09-01
51. Dylan Fulk Concord, NC 10 18-14 150
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 08-11
52. Jade Keeton Killen, AL 9 18-13 149
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 4 09-01
53. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 10 18-12 148
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 5 11-04
54. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 9 18-10 147
Day 1: 4 06-14 Day 2: 5 11-12
55. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 18-10 146
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 08-05
56. Kevin Hawk Guntersville, AL 10 18-10 145
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 08-07
57. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 10 18-09 144
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 09-10
58. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 10 18-08 143
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 05-14
59. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 7 18-04 142
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 2 02-15
60. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 10 18-02 141
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 08-01
61. Jesse Tacoronte Orlando, FL 10 18-00 140
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 08-04
62. Rick Shannon Woodlawn, TN 10 17-15 139
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 07-11
63. Shin Fukae Palestine, TX 10 17-14 138
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 07-13
64. David Williams Maiden, NC 10 17-13 137
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 06-08
65. Wade Leblanc Gonzales, LA 10 17-12 136
Day 1: 5 07-02 Day 2: 5 10-10
66. Andrew Slegona Jr Walker Valley, NY 10 17-12 135
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 07-07
67. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 10 17-11 134
Day 1: 5 05-13 Day 2: 5 11-14
68. Sandy Melvin Boca Grande, FL 10 17-11 133
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 08-05
69. Joey Nania Cropwell, AL 10 17-09 132
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 07-07
70. Kent Biggs Morristown, TN 10 17-09 131
Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 5 09-01
71. Darrell Davis Dover, FL 10 17-03 130
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 07-14
72. Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 10 17-01 129
Day 1: 5 08-05 Day 2: 5 08-12
73. Jamey Caldwell Carthage, NC 9 17-00 128
Day 1: 4 05-07 Day 2: 5 11-09
74. Earnie Jones Jr Columbia, SC 9 17-00 127
Day 1: 4 11-05 Day 2: 5 05-11
75. Kenta Kimura Livingston, TX 10 17-00 126
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 08-02
76. Darren Gallaher Hixson, TN 8 16-13 125
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 3 04-07
77. William Hensley Chattaroy, WV 6 16-13 124
Day 1: 2 04-11 Day 2: 4 12-02
78. Jayme Rampey Liberty, SC 10 16-11 123
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 5 08-13
79. Cody Detweiler Orlando, FL 10 16-10 122
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 06-11
80. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 5 16-04 121
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 16-04
81. Patrick Bone Cleveland, GA 10 16-04 120
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 07-03
82. Ryan Worthington Middleburg, FL 9 16-03 119
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 4 05-10
83. Danny Lavoie Franklin, GA 9 16-02 118
Day 1: 4 05-12 Day 2: 5 10-06
84. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 9 16-00 117
Day 1: 4 08-04 Day 2: 5 07-12
85. Stan Gunter Saluda, SC 7 15-14 116
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 2 05-11
86. Mike Blalock Carnesville, GA 10 15-14 115
Day 1: 5 07-02 Day 2: 5 08-12
87. Tim Frederick Leesburg, FL 10 15-13 114
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 06-12
88. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 5 15-11 113
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 15-11
89. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 9 15-10 112
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 4 06-00
90. Randall Cnota Panama City, FL 9 15-10 111
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 4 06-04
91. Michael Johnson Talking Rock, GA 6 15-09 110
Day 1: 4 06-13 Day 2: 2 08-12
92. Rob Jordan Flowery Branch, GA 10 15-09 109
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 08-00
93. Eric Conant Lakeland, FL 9 15-07 108
Day 1: 4 06-11 Day 2: 5 08-12
94. Roland Martin Naples, FL 9 15-03 107
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 4 05-03
95. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 10 15-02 106
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 07-07
96. Brent Chitty Moultrie, GA 9 14-14 105
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 4 05-10
97. Lane Wright Loganville, GA 8 14-14 104
Day 1: 3 06-03 Day 2: 5 08-11
98. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 10 14-11 103
Day 1: 5 07-07 Day 2: 5 07-04
99. Steve Sennikoff Forney, TX 7 14-10 102
Day 1: 3 03-12 Day 2: 4 10-14
100. Jeff Cloud Lubbock, TX 9 14-08 101
Day 1: 5 08-03 Day 2: 4 06-05
101. Arnie Lane Lakeland, FL 10 14-04 100
Day 1: 5 07-10 Day 2: 5 06-10
102. Scotty Taylor Prattville, AL 6 14-03 99
Day 1: 4 11-14 Day 2: 2 02-05
103. Marty Nester Mount Airy, NC 7 14-03 98
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 2 06-11
104. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 8 14-01 97
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 3 04-02
105. Shane Powell Midland City, AL 10 14-00 96
Day 1: 5 07-05 Day 2: 5 06-11
106. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, IL 8 13-14 95
Day 1: 4 05-07 Day 2: 4 08-07
107. Terry Segraves Kissimmee, FL 10 13-13 94
Day 1: 5 06-11 Day 2: 5 07-02
108. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 10 13-12 93
Day 1: 5 06-11 Day 2: 5 07-01
109. Bradley Enfinger Colquitt, GA 10 13-10 92
Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 5 05-02
110. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 9 13-09 91
Day 1: 4 04-00 Day 2: 5 09-09
111. Gerald Sensabaugh Gray, TN 7 13-08 90
Day 1: 2 02-00 Day 2: 5 11-08
112. Jimmie Murphy Ocala, FL 8 13-02 89
Day 1: 3 02-13 Day 2: 5 10-05
113. Todd Murray Prarrieville, LA 9 13-02 88
Day 1: 5 07-04 Day 2: 4 05-14
114. David Walker Sevierville, TN 8 13-01 87
Day 1: 3 03-01 Day 2: 5 10-00
115. William Shipes Williston, SC 7 12-11 86
Day 1: 5 05-09 Day 2: 2 07-02
116. Garrett Rocamora Lithia, FL 9 12-09 85
Day 1: 5 08-01 Day 2: 4 04-08
117. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 9 12-09 84
Day 1: 5 07-00 Day 2: 4 05-09
118. Chase Brooks Iraan, TX 9 12-09 83
Day 1: 5 06-11 Day 2: 4 05-14
119. Mike Jackson San Mateo, FL 8 12-08 82
Day 1: 3 04-03 Day 2: 5 08-05
120. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 7 12-07 81
Day 1: 2 04-07 Day 2: 5 08-00
121. Jimmy Mason Rogersville, AL 9 12-07 80
Day 1: 5 07-15 Day 2: 4 04-08
122. Joshua Cook Clarksville, TN 6 11-14 79
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 1 01-04
123. Jeff Holland Winter Springs, FL 7 11-09 78
Day 1: 5 06-08 Day 2: 2 05-01
124. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 9 11-08 77
Day 1: 5 07-00 Day 2: 4 04-08
125. Brooks Forsyth Hester, LA 8 11-08 76
Day 1: 5 05-14 Day 2: 3 05-10
126. Sean Brehm Eddyville, KY 7 11-06 75
Day 1: 2 02-11 Day 2: 5 08-11
127. Matt Henry Milledgeville, GA 8 10-14 74
Day 1: 5 07-13 Day 2: 3 03-01
128. Alan Ives Welaka, FL 4 10-13 73
Day 1: 4 10-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
129. Darrell Pons Gainesville, FL 7 10-11 72
Day 1: 5 07-00 Day 2: 2 03-11
130. Jeffrey Brooks Boca Raton, FL 5 10-08 71
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
131. Sam George Athens, AL 5 10-05 70
Day 1: 3 06-03 Day 2: 2 04-02
132. Jim Garrett Tyrone, GA 7 10-04 69
Day 1: 5 08-00 Day 2: 2 02-04
133. Trait Crist Fort Worth, TX 5 10-03 68
Day 1: 1 03-14 Day 2: 4 06-05
134. Stephen Rogers Prattville, AL 5 10-02 67
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Duane Pittman Prairieville, LA 8 10-01 66
Day 1: 4 04-14 Day 2: 4 05-03
136. Byron Kenney Jr Griffin , GA 6 09-05 65
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 1 00-12
137. Red Flowers Deland, FL 5 09-04 64
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
138. Donna Bilbrey Crossville, TN 4 09-02 63
Day 1: 2 01-14 Day 2: 2 07-04
139. William Blanton Fayetteville, NC 7 08-15 62
Day 1: 2 02-15 Day 2: 5 06-00
140. Thomas Jones Gainesville, FL 7 08-13 61
Day 1: 3 03-10 Day 2: 4 05-03
141. Paul Gettys Due West, SC 7 08-09 60
Day 1: 5 06-02 Day 2: 2 02-07
142. Kendall Newson Lagrange, GA 6 08-05 59
Day 1: 4 04-11 Day 2: 2 03-10
143. Ronnie Green Sebring, FL 6 08-03 58
Day 1: 4 04-13 Day 2: 2 03-06
144. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 5 08-00 57
Day 1: 2 03-07 Day 2: 3 04-09
145. Jon Englund Farwell, MN 5 08-00 56
Day 1: 2 04-08 Day 2: 3 03-08
146. Bob Behrle Hoover, AL 5 07-13 55
Day 1: 5 07-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
146. Timmy Reneau Del Rio, TX 5 07-13 55
Day 1: 5 07-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. John Brazzell Ocoee, FL 7 07-12 53
Day 1: 2 02-08 Day 2: 5 05-04
149. Randy Elliott Bowie, MD 4 07-11 52
Day 1: 2 02-03 Day 2: 2 05-08
150. Bud Morin Jr Saint Cloud, FL 4 07-10 51
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 4 07-10
151. Bruce Whitmire Channelview, TX 6 07-08 50
Day 1: 2 02-09 Day 2: 4 04-15
152. Wil Hardy II Harlem, GA 5 07-07 49
Day 1: 5 07-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
153. Colby Flinn Linden, TN 5 07-04 48
Day 1: 5 07-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
154. Derek Yasinski Senoia, GA 3 07-01 47
Day 1: 3 07-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
155. Larry Garner Cottondale, AL 6 06-13 46
Day 1: 3 03-11 Day 2: 3 03-02
156. John Marshall Easley, SC 6 06-08 45
Day 1: 5 05-07 Day 2: 1 01-01
157. Gary Clouse La Vergne, TN 5 06-07 44
Day 1: 4 05-08 Day 2: 1 00-15
158. Warren Barnes Jr Rockmart, GA 3 06-06 43
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 06-06
159. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 05-14 42
Day 1: 5 05-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
160. Ken Bearden Lagrange, GA 5 05-07 41
Day 1: 3 03-00 Day 2: 2 02-07
161. Tim Foster Louisville, KY 3 05-06 40
Day 1: 3 05-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
162. Chris Cline Stafford, VA 4 05-04 39
Day 1: 1 01-04 Day 2: 3 04-00
163. James Bailey Warrenton, VA 3 04-15 38
Day 1: 2 03-11 Day 2: 1 01-04
164. Randy Morrison Piedmont, SC 3 04-11 37
Day 1: 2 02-14 Day 2: 1 01-13
165. Gerry Brousseau Naples, FL 4 04-05 36
Day 1: 1 01-01 Day 2: 3 03-04
166. Eric Silverstrim Indian Mound, TN 2 03-15 35
Day 1: 2 03-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
167. Donald Herwick III Springboro, OH 3 03-07 34
Day 1: 2 02-00 Day 2: 1 01-07
168. Rich Howes Oviedo, FL 1 03-01 33
Day 1: 1 03-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
169. Joe Clements Saint Cloud, FL 2 02-14 32
Day 1: 2 02-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
170. Clay Dyer Fayetteville, TN 2 02-03 31
Day 1: 1 01-03 Day 2: 1 01-00
171. Brad Knight Lancing, TN 2 01-12 30
Day 1: 2 01-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
172. Jason Patterson Bluffton, IN 1 01-12 29
Day 1: 1 01-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
173. Jimmy Hayes Fayetteville, NC 2 01-09 28
Day 1: 2 01-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
174. Richard Langley Danielsville, GA 1 01-06 27
Day 1: 1 01-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
175. Bill Walls Spring, TX 1 00-12 26
Day 1: 1 00-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
176. Anthony Ford New Smyrna, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
176. Mike Kernan Wylie, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
176. Toby Lillard Clarksville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
176. Russell Ludwig IV Auburn, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
176. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
176. Van Soles Haines City, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
176. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 116 729 1454-12
2 99 655 1272-15
----------------------------------
215 1384 2727-11

2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open - Alabama River Presented by Allstate 4/16-4/18
Alabama River, Prattville AL.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 2

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

1. Matthew Olley Crestview, FL 6 15-11 200
Day 1: 3 05-06 Day 2: 3 10-05
2. Steve Callins Deatsville, AL 6 15-10 199
Day 1: 3 08-02 Day 2: 3 07-08
3. Jason Rice Swannanoa, NC 6 15-04 198
Day 1: 3 07-03 Day 2: 3 08-01
4. Mark Bartosch Clarksville, TN 6 15-02 197
Day 1: 3 08-06 Day 2: 3 06-12
5. Chris Moody Brooks, GA 5 14-10 196
Day 1: 2 04-03 Day 2: 3 10-07
6. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 6 14-09 195
Day 1: 3 07-02 Day 2: 3 07-07
7. David Blanton Wilmington, NC 6 14-08 194
Day 1: 3 07-03 Day 2: 3 07-05
8. Scott Byrd Ocklawaha, FL 6 14-07 193
Day 1: 3 09-02 Day 2: 3 05-05
9. Teb Jones Hattiesburg, MS 6 14-07 192
Day 1: 3 05-15 Day 2: 3 08-08
10. Larry Beauboeuf Bossier City, LA 6 14-05 191
Day 1: 3 08-13 Day 2: 3 05-08
11. Jim Keith Newberry, FL 6 14-05 190
Day 1: 3 05-09 Day 2: 3 08-12
12. Ronald Young Winter Haven, FL 6 14-03 189
Day 1: 3 05-11 Day 2: 3 08-08
13. Taylor Schneider Matthews, NC 6 14-01 188 $1,456.00
Day 1: 3 09-15 Day 2: 3 04-02
14. Marlon Crowder Tampa, FL 6 13-09 187 $1,335.00
Day 1: 3 07-08 Day 2: 3 06-01
15. Radney Atchison Prattville, AL 6 13-06 186 $1,213.00
Day 1: 3 07-09 Day 2: 3 05-13
16. John Armour Kissimmee, FL 6 13-05 185 $1,092.00
Day 1: 3 07-07 Day 2: 3 05-14
17. Kenneth Moore Red Oak, TX 4 13-03 184 $999.00
Day 1: 1 01-04 Day 2: 3 11-15
18. Steven Johnson Prattville, AL 5 12-14 183 $728.00
Day 1: 3 06-11 Day 2: 2 06-03
19. Brian Dotson Middleburg, FL 6 12-11 182 $728.00
Day 1: 3 07-14 Day 2: 3 04-13
20. Tyler Boyle Sterrett, AL 6 12-09 181 $607.00
Day 1: 3 06-06 Day 2: 3 06-03
21. Christopher Murphy Warrenton, VA 6 12-06 180 $516.00
Day 1: 3 05-07 Day 2: 3 06-15
22. Don Ramsey Orlando, FL 5 12-05 179 $516.00
Day 1: 3 09-06 Day 2: 2 02-15
23. Larry Mullikin Lauderhill, FL 6 12-05 178 $516.00
Day 1: 3 04-10 Day 2: 3 07-11
24. Doug Workman Cleveland, GA 5 12-02 177 $516.00
Day 1: 2 01-14 Day 2: 3 10-04
25. Carlton Tipp Jr Grand Bay, AL 6 11-13 176 $516.00
Day 1: 3 04-06 Day 2: 3 07-07
26. Travis Kelehan Broussard, LA 6 11-09 175 $516.00
Day 1: 3 07-11 Day 2: 3 03-14
27. David Glenn Auburndale, FL 5 11-09 174 $516.00
Day 1: 3 07-04 Day 2: 2 04-05
28. Mandel Pettus Sound Beach, NY 6 11-06 173 $516.00
Day 1: 3 07-13 Day 2: 3 03-09
29. Steve Thrash Prattville, AL 5 11-06 172 $516.00
Day 1: 2 04-02 Day 2: 3 07-04
30. William Wood Sylacauga, AL 6 11-05 171 $516.00
Day 1: 3 06-04 Day 2: 3 05-01
31. Lane Guy Sylacauga, AL 4 11-03 170 $516.00
Day 1: 3 08-06 Day 2: 1 02-13
32. Russell McGuairt Round Rock, TX 6 11-02 169 $516.00
Day 1: 3 07-14 Day 2: 3 03-04
33. Joe Koch Kewaskum, WI 6 11-01 168 $516.00
Day 1: 3 04-04 Day 2: 3 06-13
34. John Moon Brookeland, TX 5 10-14 167 $516.00
Day 1: 3 03-03 Day 2: 2 07-11
35. Angelo Padilla Deland, FL 5 10-12 166 $516.00
Day 1: 2 02-11 Day 2: 3 08-01
36. Phil Thalheimer Raleigh, NC 5 10-11 165 $516.00
Day 1: 3 07-07 Day 2: 2 03-04
37. Kain Shelton Dayton, TN 6 10-11 164 $516.00
Day 1: 3 03-09 Day 2: 3 07-02
38. Steven Roosen Charlotte, NC 4 10-10 163 $516.00
Day 1: 3 08-13 Day 2: 1 01-13
39. Kenny Sammons Pinetta, FL 5 10-10 162 $516.00
Day 1: 3 07-04 Day 2: 2 03-06
40. Daniel Parks Greer, SC 5 10-10 161 $516.00
Day 1: 2 03-07 Day 2: 3 07-03
41. Mike Spears Jasper, AL 6 10-09 160
Day 1: 3 04-13 Day 2: 3 05-12
42. Kevin Booty Dequincy, LA 4 10-05 159
Day 1: 1 02-01 Day 2: 3 08-04
43. Bailey Boutries Daphne, AL 5 10-02 158
Day 1: 2 02-07 Day 2: 3 07-11
44. Ty Story Prattville, AL 5 10-00 157
Day 1: 2 02-12 Day 2: 3 07-04
45. Benjie Seaborn Guin, AL 6 09-11 156
Day 1: 3 05-06 Day 2: 3 04-05
46. Colton Hinson Hohenwald, TN 6 09-10 155
Day 1: 3 04-11 Day 2: 3 04-15
47. David Eden Adams, TN 4 09-09 154
Day 1: 3 07-14 Day 2: 1 01-11
48. Kevin Murphy Orange Beach, AL 6 09-09 153
Day 1: 3 06-02 Day 2: 3 03-07
49. BJ Garrett Montgomery, AL 6 09-08 152
Day 1: 3 03-01 Day 2: 3 06-07
50. Linda Higginbotham Palm Coast, FL 6 09-08 151
Day 1: 3 05-09 Day 2: 3 03-15
51. Craig Cavanna Spring Hill, FL 4 09-07 150
Day 1: 2 04-01 Day 2: 2 05-06
52. Bobby Poncev Boca Raton, FL 4 09-06 149
Day 1: 3 06-10 Day 2: 1 02-12
53. Gerald Robbins Jr. Asheboro, NC 5 09-06 148
Day 1: 3 05-10 Day 2: 2 03-12
54. Dalton Darnell Deatsville, AL 6 09-06 0
Day 1: 3 04-02 Day 2: 3 05-04
55. Grant Bennett Athens, AL 6 09-05 146
Day 1: 3 05-13 Day 2: 3 03-08
56. Greg Mauldin Archdale, NC 6 09-05 145
Day 1: 3 04-10 Day 2: 3 04-11
57. Gary Henry Conyers, GA 6 09-03 144
Day 1: 3 03-11 Day 2: 3 05-08
58. Stephen Sennikoff Jr. Forney, TX 4 09-02 143
Day 1: 3 08-04 Day 2: 1 00-14
59. Dan Green Prattville, AL 5 09-01 0
Day 1: 3 06-11 Day 2: 2 02-06
60. Joel Mayfield Perkinston, MS 6 09-00 141
Day 1: 3 03-11 Day 2: 3 05-05
61. Justin Swindle Kimberly, AL 6 09-00 140
Day 1: 3 05-02 Day 2: 3 03-14
62. Jamie Higdon Calera, AL 5 08-15 139
Day 1: 3 04-05 Day 2: 2 04-10
63. Fredrick Requarth Dayton, OH 5 08-13 138
Day 1: 3 04-10 Day 2: 2 04-03
64. Mitchell Cardell Griffin, GA 5 08-13 137
Day 1: 3 04-06 Day 2: 2 04-07
65. Anthony Johnson Lincolnton, NC 5 08-11 136
Day 1: 2 02-02 Day 2: 3 06-09
66. David Bourque Gonzales, LA 5 08-09 135
Day 1: 2 03-04 Day 2: 3 05-05
67. Don Johnson Deatsville, AL 5 08-08 134
Day 1: 2 04-13 Day 2: 3 03-11
68. Eulon Lee Jr. Montgomery, AL 4 08-07 133
Day 1: 3 07-06 Day 2: 1 01-01
69. Walley Grant Melrose , FL 5 08-06 132
Day 1: 2 02-04 Day 2: 3 06-02
70. Shawn Hendrix Sharpsburg, GA 5 08-04 131
Day 1: 3 04-12 Day 2: 2 03-08
71. Rick Harris Jr San Angelo, TX 5 08-02 130
Day 1: 3 04-06 Day 2: 2 03-12
72. JJ Polak Covington, GA 4 07-15 129
Day 1: 3 06-14 Day 2: 1 01-01
73. Will Major Port Allen, LA 6 07-15 128
Day 1: 3 03-01 Day 2: 3 04-14
74. David Barrett Scottsburg, IN 5 07-15 127
Day 1: 2 04-06 Day 2: 3 03-09
75. Allen Robbins III Asheboro, NC 6 07-13 126
Day 1: 3 03-13 Day 2: 3 04-00
76. Brad Gandee Mcdonough, GA 6 07-12 125
Day 1: 3 03-03 Day 2: 3 04-09
77. Jason Mccormick Knoxville, TN 5 07-10 124
Day 1: 3 03-05 Day 2: 2 04-05
78. Ralph Logan Hemphill, TX 5 07-09 123
Day 1: 2 02-01 Day 2: 3 05-08
79. Robert Hatfield Morehead, KY 5 07-09 122
Day 1: 3 03-15 Day 2: 2 03-10
80. Wayne Murphy Monroe, GA 5 07-08 121
Day 1: 3 05-02 Day 2: 2 02-06
81. Travis Dehart Greenville, SC 5 07-08 120
Day 1: 2 02-10 Day 2: 3 04-14
82. James Hatch Gainesville, FL 5 07-08 119
Day 1: 2 03-09 Day 2: 3 03-15
83. Tim White Vicksburg, MI 4 07-06 118
Day 1: 2 02-04 Day 2: 2 05-02
84. Dwayne Boyce Covington, GA 5 07-06 117
Day 1: 3 04-00 Day 2: 2 03-06
85. Andy Leslie Prattville, AL 4 07-06 116
Day 1: 1 03-08 Day 2: 3 03-14
86. Robbie Anderson Crystal River, FL 5 07-05 115
Day 1: 3 05-07 Day 2: 2 01-14
87. Tommy Gunn Jr Cusseta, AL 6 07-05 114
Day 1: 3 03-02 Day 2: 3 04-03
88. Matthew Alter Tyndall Afb, FL 3 07-04 113
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 07-04
89. Joe Moore Kissimmee, FL 4 07-03 112
Day 1: 1 01-05 Day 2: 3 05-14
90. Paul Hanley Sanford, FL 4 07-01 111
Day 1: 3 05-12 Day 2: 1 01-05
91. Ryan Wilson Byhalia, MS 4 07-01 110
Day 1: 2 05-05 Day 2: 2 01-12
92. Scott Giddens Douglasville, GA 3 07-00 109
Day 1: 2 03-03 Day 2: 1 03-13
93. William Turner Deatsville, AL 3 06-15 108
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 06-15
94. Chuck Cunningham Wellford, SC 6 06-14 107
Day 1: 3 03-06 Day 2: 3 03-08
95. Meredith Havird Chappells, SC 4 06-13 106
Day 1: 1 00-15 Day 2: 3 05-14
96. Paul Spellman Fredericksburg, VA 3 06-11 105
Day 1: 3 06-11 Day 2: 0 00-00
97. Joshua Bauer Random Lake, WI 3 06-10 104
Day 1: 1 00-13 Day 2: 2 05-13
98. Jay West Canton, GA 5 06-09 103
Day 1: 2 01-14 Day 2: 3 04-11
99. Alan Engberg Greenville, AL 6 06-08 102
Day 1: 3 03-02 Day 2: 3 03-06
100. Billy Wilson Deatsville, AL 4 06-06 101
Day 1: 2 04-11 Day 2: 2 01-11
101. Steve Lipham Opelika, AL 4 06-03 100
Day 1: 3 03-14 Day 2: 1 02-05
102. John Bomar Hahira, GA 3 06-01 99
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 06-01
102. Raymond Loupe Baton Rouge, LA 3 06-01 99
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 06-01
104. Ken Sharkey Spring Lake, MI 3 06-01 97
Day 1: 2 04-02 Day 2: 1 01-15
105. Mike Wisnewski Melbourne, FL 3 06-00 96
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 06-00
106. Scott Kerslake Okeechobee, FL 4 06-00 95
Day 1: 1 00-15 Day 2: 3 05-01
107. Keith Jones Newport News, VA 4 06-00 94
Day 1: 3 04-15 Day 2: 1 01-01
108. Darrell Hille Springfield, TN 4 05-15 93
Day 1: 3 04-12 Day 2: 1 01-03
109. Jonathan Barnette Jasper, AL 3 05-15 92
Day 1: 1 03-13 Day 2: 2 02-02
110. Paul Palmer Madisonville, TN 4 05-14 91
Day 1: 1 01-03 Day 2: 3 04-11
111. Scap Cicero Wetumpka, AL 4 05-11 90
Day 1: 3 04-11 Day 2: 1 01-00
112. Judy Reneau Del Rio, TX 3 05-10 89
Day 1: 3 05-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
113. Ryan Simmons Crestview, FL 4 05-07 88
Day 1: 3 03-14 Day 2: 1 01-09
114. Wesley Sullivan III Dawsonville, GA 5 05-07 87
Day 1: 3 03-07 Day 2: 2 02-00
115. Scott Mcdaniel Bonaire, GA 4 05-06 86
Day 1: 1 01-03 Day 2: 3 04-03
116. Josh Walden Hartwell, GA 3 05-06 85
Day 1: 1 01-04 Day 2: 2 04-02
117. Glenn Deal Headland, AL 3 05-04 84
Day 1: 3 05-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
118. Eugene Stinson Dry Branch, GA 5 05-04 83
Day 1: 3 03-11 Day 2: 2 01-09
119. Luke Koch Campbellsport, WI 3 05-03 82
Day 1: 3 05-03 Day 2: 0 00-00
120. Todd Gordon Horton, AL 4 05-03 81
Day 1: 3 03-14 Day 2: 1 01-05
121. Jeremy Doyle Tuscaloosa, AL 3 05-01 80
Day 1: 3 05-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
122. Jeremy Goodwyn Bowling Green, FL 4 05-01 79
Day 1: 3 03-07 Day 2: 1 01-10
123. James Topmiller III Orlando, FL 4 05-01 78
Day 1: 2 02-06 Day 2: 2 02-11
124. David Abbott Loudon, TN 1 05-00 77
Day 1: 1 05-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
125. Bill Bonner Wetumpka, AL 3 04-15 76
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 04-15
126. Mark Bell Pewee Valley, KY 3 04-14 75
Day 1: 3 04-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
126. Terry Law Tavares, FL 3 04-14 75
Day 1: 3 04-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
128. Steven Crafton Clarksville, TN 4 04-12 73
Day 1: 3 03-11 Day 2: 1 01-01
129. Chad Christensen Alpine, UT 4 04-10 72
Day 1: 1 01-04 Day 2: 3 03-06
130. Jenny Sander Byron, GA 4 04-09 71
Day 1: 1 01-02 Day 2: 3 03-07
131. Douglas Davis Jr Chipley, FL 4 04-07 70
Day 1: 1 00-14 Day 2: 3 03-09
132. Joel Parsons Weaverville, NC 2 04-07 69
Day 1: 1 03-06 Day 2: 1 01-01
133. Cameron Mercer Deatsville, AL 2 04-07 68
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 1 02-08
134. Bill Hutchison Jr. Bessemer, AL 2 04-02 67
Day 1: 2 04-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Bill Capps Auburn, AL 1 03-14 66
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-14
136. Ryan Crawley Troy, AL 4 03-14 65
Day 1: 3 02-12 Day 2: 1 01-02
137. Kevin Etienne Orange Park, FL 4 03-12 64
Day 1: 2 01-14 Day 2: 2 01-14
138. Jalen Conner Tuscaloosa, AL 3 03-11 63
Day 1: 3 03-11 Day 2: 0 00-00
139. Sam Fish Alexander City, AL 3 03-09 62
Day 1: 3 03-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
140. Gerald Williams Maiden, NC 3 03-08 61
Day 1: 3 03-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
141. Charles Crumpton Ocklawaha, FL 3 03-05 60
Day 1: 2 02-02 Day 2: 1 01-03
142. Mike Birge Florala, AL 2 03-03 59
Day 1: 2 03-03 Day 2: 0 00-00
143. Ike Taylor Westerville, OH 2 03-02 58
Day 1: 2 03-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
144. Miguel Rodriguez Deland, FL 2 03-00 57
Day 1: 2 03-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
145. Tomas Gomez Kissimmee, FL 1 03-00 56
Day 1: 1 03-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
146. Brady Vernon Birmingham, AL 3 02-15 55
Day 1: 3 02-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
147. Freddy Pearson Gainesville, FL 2 02-15 54
Day 1: 2 02-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Roy Kelly Petal, MS 2 02-14 53
Day 1: 2 02-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
149. Johnny Pace Charlestown, IN 3 02-14 52
Day 1: 2 01-13 Day 2: 1 01-01
150. Stephen Britt Columbia, SC 2 02-10 51
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 02-10
151. Barry Maner Trinity, AL 2 02-10 50
Day 1: 1 01-05 Day 2: 1 01-05
152. Ben Potaracke La Crosse, WI 2 02-08 49
Day 1: 2 02-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
152. Zack Thaggard Auburn, AL 2 02-08 49
Day 1: 2 02-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
154. Aaron Richardson Destin, FL 1 02-05 47
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
155. Trent Penuel Ocala, FL 2 02-05 46
Day 1: 1 01-00 Day 2: 1 01-05
156. Daniel Douglas Birmingham, AL 2 02-04 45
Day 1: 2 02-04
157. Chris Guillory Carencro, LA 2 02-03 44
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 02-03
157. Nathan Mills Ocklawaha, FL 2 02-03 44
Day 1: 2 02-03 Day 2: 0 00-00
159. Ben Milam Trussville, AL 2 02-03 42
Day 1: 1 01-05 Day 2: 1 00-14
160. Jeff Vernon Birmingham, AL 1 01-15 41
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
161. Greg Crumpton Ocala, FL 2 01-15 40
Day 1: 1 01-00 Day 2: 1 00-15
162. Barry Brunges Gainesville, FL 1 01-14 39
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-14
163. Paul Knight Troy, AL 2 01-14 38
Day 1: 1 01-00 Day 2: 1 00-14
164. Collin Reaves Hartselle, AL 1 01-12 37
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-12
165. Hoyt Tidwell Westpoint, TN 2 01-11 36
Day 1: 2 01-11 Day 2: 0 00-00
166. Jarrod Anderson New Iberia, LA 1 01-04 35
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-04
166. Justin Defoe Cullman, AL 1 01-04 35
Day 1: 1 01-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
166. Ryan Hermecz Calera, AL 1 01-04 35
Day 1: 1 01-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
169. John Searles Jr. Middleburg, FL 1 01-01 32
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-01
169. Bradley Sears Covington, GA 1 01-01 32
Day 1: 1 01-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
171. Kenneth Shumate Elkin, NC 1 01-00 30
Day 1: 1 01-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
172. William Beekman Diamond Point, NY 1 00-12 29
Day 1: 1 00-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
172. Shane Byrom Newnan, GA 1 00-12 29
Day 1: 1 00-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
174. Blaine Freeman Dadeville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
174. BJ Hannah Dyersburg, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
174. Mickey Keene Sr. Prattville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
174. Justin Kelley Jasper, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
174. Mark Moretz Chesapeake, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
174. Tommy Pegues Pike Road, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
174. Adam Sumner Mount Dora, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
174. Triston Waddle Radford, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
174. Herbie Way Jr. Alexandria, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 92 381 666-12
2 77 326 610-15
----------------------------------
169 707 1277-11

by AnglersChannel

Van Soles latest pro to drop out of FLW Tour; Joe Gerard to step in

Walmart FLW Tour pro Van Soles of Haines City, Florida, informed FLW of his decision Friday to withdraw from the remaining four regular-season FLW Tour events in the 2015 season. Joe Gerard of Concordia, Kansas, a 12-year veteran of the Rayovac FLW Series, has agreed to replace Soles on Tour and will fish the remaining four events this season. The full tournament field will remain at 154.

In addition to competing for the top prize of $125,000 at each FLW Tour event, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2015 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 20-23 on Lake Ouachita and is hosted by Visit Hot Springs. The Forrest Wood Cup Champion could win as much as $500,000 – professional bass-fishing’s richest prize.

by AnglersChannel

David Williams Re-Caps Bassmaster Elite Series Event #2 On Guntersville

Thanks to Elite Series and Local Pro David Williams for this report!

When I arrived for practice most of the water temps were in the low 60s and with warmer weather in the forcast I focused most of my efforts to looking shallow! I came up with 3 pretty good patterns that worked well. I could catch them pretty consistent with a spinnerbait on any rocks. I also could catch a few big fish every day around wood on top water. I also found a few pockets that were loaded with bedding fish. Day 1 of the event water temps had already climbed to near 70! I caught a couple fish early on the spinnerbait then I made a big mistake and didn't settle down and fish and I ran around way too much! I was very fortunate to catch a 6 pounder on top water with about 30 min to go on day 1 which gave me 15.8 pounds and had me down around 60th place. On day 2 I knew I had a lot of ground to make up so I commited to one creek and just kept the trolling motor down and fished hard all day! I caught a limit quick on a spinnerbait and a swim jig then I went to a pocket where I found a bunch of bedding fish and I caught about 20 fish just blind bed fishing but all were the same size 2 1/2 -3 pounds. I caught them I on a green pumpkin brush hog. I just never could get one of the big females that I had seen in this area. I ran out of time and weighed in another limit that went 14.2 pounds and fell all the way to 91st. Place with 29.10 total. Not the way I had wanted it to go but when you are fishing the best lake in the country you cannot settle for 3 pound class fish. Learned a lot this week hope to do better in Ca.

by AnglersChannel

Dustin Connell Leads Bassmaster Open On Alabama River

Tearful stories about big fish being lost are common at any bass tournament. But woeful tales were legion on Thursday at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open #2 presented by Allstate on the Alabama River.

Even anglers that caught heavy limits lamented that they lost big bass that would have allowed them to cull up in weight. This is due mainly to the notoriously hard fighting Coosa River spotted bass that teem in the Alabama River where the second of three 2015 Southern Opens is taking place this week.

Tournament leader Dustin Connell, a local Alabama angler, avoided the lost bass jinx. His 22 pounds, 3 ounces of spotted bass was the only limit to top 20 pounds.

Connell is a hot stick that regularly fattens his bank account by fishing tournaments in this area of Alabama. He culled through 10 bass today to catch his impressive limit.

“I did about what I expected to do today,” Connell said. “I feel good about tomorrow.”

If Connell follows up with more limits that exceed 20 pounds, he is likely to run away with this one. However, he said that there are other competitors fishing his water. Also, that the water “dirtied up more today, and the bite might change tomorrow.”

The other anglers fishing on the pro side of this event are hoping that happens.

Alabama’s Jamie Horton had a tough practice, catching limits in the 11- to 12-pound class. That might get a small check here, but it won’t get a sniff at the Top 12 cut to fish Saturday.

Today Horton lugged a bulging sack to the scales. It held five fat spotted bass that totaled 19 pounds, 5 ounces. The largest of these weighed 4 pounds, 15 ounces. That is a seriously big spotted bass.

Horton’s outboard never had a chance to cool down today. He said he fished 60 different places to land the seven bass that he boated. Why did Horton catch bigger spotted bass today than in practice?

“I stayed away from my better stuff in practice,” he said.

Although Horton is looking forward to fishing tomorrow, he said that the water had “muddied up a lot today.” He’s not sure if that will negatively impact his fishing.

Drew Benton, a Florida angler, chose to concentrate on largemouth bass. His day got off to a bad start when his rear running light was accidentally knocked off by another competitor’s boat prior to takeoff. B.A.S.S. rules state that both running lights must be on before any boat is allowed to take off in the morning.

Benton believes the glitch may have cost him a few good bass because he is on a morning bite. Despite the late start, Benton boated an 18-pound, 5-ounce limit by 9:30 a.m. Then he left his fish and looked for productive water elsewhere.

North Carolina’s Taylor Schneider leads the co-angler side of the tournament with a three-bass limit that weighed 9 pounds, 15 ounces. All of his bass were largemouth. The heaviest, 6 pounds, 5 ounces, was the big bass of the day for the co-anglers.

“I caught the big one in the first 15 minutes,” Schneider said. “I was about to jump out of the boat when that bass jumped.”

Take off for Day 2 Friday will be at 6 a.m. CT at Cooters Pond. The weigh-in Friday will take place at the same location at 2 p.m. CT.

The final weigh-in Saturday will take place at Bass Pro Shops in Prattville, Ala., at 3 p.m. CT.

2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open - Alabama River Presented by Allstate 4/16-4/18
Alabama River, Prattville AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1

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

1. Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 5 22-03 200
Day 1: 5 22-03
2. Jamie Horton Centerville, AL 5 19-05 199
Day 1: 5 19-05
3. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 5 18-05 198
Day 1: 5 18-05
4. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 5 18-01 197
Day 1: 5 18-01
5. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 5 17-13 196
Day 1: 5 17-13
6. Jp Prouty Jacksonville, FL 5 17-06 195
Day 1: 5 17-06
7. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 5 16-13 194
Day 1: 5 16-13
8. Jordan Lee Vinemont, AL 5 15-06 193
Day 1: 5 15-06
9. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 5 15-05 192
Day 1: 5 15-05
10. Scott Canterbury Springville, AL 5 15-00 191
Day 1: 5 15-00
10. Michael Neal Dayton, TN 5 15-00 191
Day 1: 5 15-00
12. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 5 14-13 189
Day 1: 5 14-13
13. Brandon McMillan Clewiston, FL 5 14-12 188
Day 1: 5 14-12
14. Clabion Johns Jr Covington, GA 5 14-10 187
Day 1: 5 14-10
15. Ed Loughran Mechanicsville, VA 5 14-07 186
Day 1: 5 14-07
16. Gerald Spohrer Gonzales, LA 5 14-05 185
Day 1: 5 14-05
17. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 14-01 184
Day 1: 5 14-01
18. Matt Lee Auburn , AL 5 13-13 183
Day 1: 5 13-13
19. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 5 13-12 182
Day 1: 5 13-12
20. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 5 13-10 181
Day 1: 5 13-10
21. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 5 13-05 180
Day 1: 5 13-05
22. David Perdue Wirtz, VA 5 13-03 179
Day 1: 5 13-03
23. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 5 13-02 178
Day 1: 5 13-02
24. Vu Au Tucson, AZ 5 12-11 177
Day 1: 5 12-11
25. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 5 12-10 176
Day 1: 5 12-10
26. Guy Eaker Sr. Cherryville, NC 5 12-08 175
Day 1: 5 12-08
27. Brent Bonadona Port Allen, LA 5 12-07 174
Day 1: 5 12-07
28. Darren Gallaher Hixson, TN 5 12-06 173
Day 1: 5 12-06
29. Patrick Pierce Jacksonville, FL 5 12-04 172
Day 1: 5 12-04
30. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 5 12-01 171
Day 1: 5 12-01
31. Scotty Taylor Prattville, AL 4 11-14 170
Day 1: 4 11-14
32. Scott Luster Prattville, AL 5 11-11 169
Day 1: 5 11-11
33. Trevor Fitzgerald Belleview, FL 5 11-06 168
Day 1: 5 11-06
34. David Williams Maiden, NC 5 11-05 167
Day 1: 5 11-05
35. Earnie Jones Jr Columbia, SC 4 11-05 166
Day 1: 4 11-05
36. Shawn Carnahan Gilbert, AZ 5 11-04 165
Day 1: 5 11-04
37. Tim Arnold Cullman, AL 5 11-03 164
Day 1: 5 11-03
38. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 5 11-01 163
Day 1: 5 11-01
39. David Hudson Jasper, AL 5 11-00 162
Day 1: 5 11-00
39. Blake Nick Adger, AL 5 11-00 162
Day 1: 5 11-00
41. John Cox Debary, FL 5 11-00 160
Day 1: 5 11-00
42. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 10-15 159
Day 1: 5 10-15
43. Alan Ives Welaka, FL 4 10-13 158
Day 1: 4 10-13
44. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 10-12 157
Day 1: 5 10-12
44. David Kilgore Jasper, AL 5 10-12 157
Day 1: 5 10-12
46. Joshua Cook Clarksville, TN 5 10-10 155
Day 1: 5 10-10
47. Ryan Worthington Middleburg, FL 5 10-09 154
Day 1: 5 10-09
48. Jeffrey Brooks Boca Raton, FL 5 10-08 153
Day 1: 5 10-08
49. Alton Jones Jr. Lorena, TX 5 10-06 152
Day 1: 5 10-06
50. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 10-05 151
Day 1: 5 10-05
50. Andrew Slegona Jr Walker Valley, NY 5 10-05 151
Day 1: 5 10-05
52. Craig Chambers Charlotte, NC 5 10-04 149
Day 1: 5 10-04
52. Rick Shannon Woodlawn, TN 5 10-04 149
Day 1: 5 10-04
54. Dylan Fulk Concord, NC 5 10-03 147
Day 1: 5 10-03
54. Stan Gunter Saluda, SC 5 10-03 147
Day 1: 5 10-03
54. Kevin Hawk Guntersville, AL 5 10-03 147
Day 1: 5 10-03
57. Joey Nania Cropwell, AL 5 10-02 144
Day 1: 5 10-02
57. Stephen Rogers Prattville, AL 5 10-02 144
Day 1: 5 10-02
59. Shin Fukae Palestine, TX 5 10-01 142
Day 1: 5 10-01
59. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 5 10-01 142
Day 1: 5 10-01
61. Roland Martin Naples, FL 5 10-00 140
Day 1: 5 10-00
62. Kyle Fox Lakeland, FL 4 10-00 139
Day 1: 4 10-00
63. Clayton Batts Warner Robins, GA 5 09-15 138
Day 1: 5 09-15
63. Woo Daves Spring Grove, VA 5 09-15 138
Day 1: 5 09-15
63. Cody Detweiler Orlando, FL 5 09-15 138
Day 1: 5 09-15
63. Jimmy Johnson La Crosse, WI 5 09-15 138
Day 1: 5 09-15
67. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 5 09-15 134
Day 1: 5 09-15
68. Jade Keeton Killen, AL 5 09-12 133
Day 1: 5 09-12
68. Jesse Tacoronte Orlando, FL 5 09-12 133
Day 1: 5 09-12
70. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 5 09-10 131
Day 1: 5 09-10
71. Jim Dillard West Monroe, LA 4 09-10 130
Day 1: 4 09-10
72. Kazuki Kitajima Orlando, FL 4 09-09 129
Day 1: 4 09-09
73. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 5 09-07 128
Day 1: 5 09-07
74. Randall Cnota Panama City, FL 5 09-06 127
Day 1: 5 09-06
74. Sandy Melvin Boca Grande, FL 5 09-06 127
Day 1: 5 09-06
76. Darrell Davis Dover, FL 5 09-05 125
Day 1: 5 09-05
76. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 5 09-05 125
Day 1: 5 09-05
78. Red Flowers Deland, FL 5 09-04 123
Day 1: 5 09-04
79. Brent Chitty Moultrie, GA 5 09-04 122
Day 1: 5 09-04
80. Patrick Bone Cleveland, GA 5 09-01 121
Day 1: 5 09-01
80. Tim Frederick Leesburg, FL 5 09-01 121
Day 1: 5 09-01
82. JT Kenney Palm Bay, FL 5 09-00 119
Day 1: 5 09-00
83. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 08-15 118
Day 1: 5 08-15
84. Kenta Kimura Livingston, TX 5 08-14 117
Day 1: 5 08-14
85. Byron Kenney Jr Griffin , GA 5 08-09 116
Day 1: 5 08-09
86. Kent Biggs Morristown, TN 5 08-08 115
Day 1: 5 08-08
86. Bradley Enfinger Colquitt, GA 5 08-08 115
Day 1: 5 08-08
88. Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 5 08-05 113
Day 1: 5 08-05
89. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 4 08-04 112
Day 1: 4 08-04
90. Jeff Cloud Lubbock, TX 5 08-03 111
Day 1: 5 08-03
91. Garrett Rocamora Lithia, FL 5 08-01 110
Day 1: 5 08-01
92. Jim Garrett Tyrone, GA 5 08-00 109
Day 1: 5 08-00
93. Jimmy Mason Rogersville, AL 5 07-15 108
Day 1: 5 07-15
94. Jayme Rampey Liberty, SC 5 07-14 107
Day 1: 5 07-14
95. Bob Behrle Hoover, AL 5 07-13 106
Day 1: 5 07-13
95. Matt Henry Milledgeville, GA 5 07-13 106
Day 1: 5 07-13
95. Timmy Reneau Del Rio, TX 5 07-13 106
Day 1: 5 07-13
98. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 5 07-11 103
Day 1: 5 07-11
99. Arnie Lane Lakeland, FL 5 07-10 102
Day 1: 5 07-10
100. Rob Jordan Flowery Branch, GA 5 07-09 101
Day 1: 5 07-09
101. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 5 07-08 100
Day 1: 5 07-08
101. Marty Nester Mount Airy, NC 5 07-08 100
Day 1: 5 07-08
103. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 07-07 98
Day 1: 5 07-07
103. Wil Hardy II Harlem, GA 5 07-07 98
Day 1: 5 07-07
105. Shane Powell Midland City, AL 5 07-05 96
Day 1: 5 07-05
106. Colby Flinn Linden, TN 5 07-04 95
Day 1: 5 07-04
106. Todd Murray Prarrieville, LA 5 07-04 95
Day 1: 5 07-04
108. Mike Blalock Carnesville, GA 5 07-02 93
Day 1: 5 07-02
108. Wade Leblanc Gonzales, LA 5 07-02 93
Day 1: 5 07-02
110. Derek Yasinski Senoia, GA 3 07-01 91
Day 1: 3 07-01
111. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 5 07-00 90
Day 1: 5 07-00
111. Darrell Pons Gainesville, FL 5 07-00 90
Day 1: 5 07-00
111. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 07-00 90
Day 1: 5 07-00
114. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 4 06-14 87
Day 1: 4 06-14
115. Michael Johnson Talking Rock, GA 4 06-13 86
Day 1: 4 06-13
116. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 5 06-11 85
Day 1: 5 06-11
116. Chase Brooks Iraan, TX 5 06-11 85
Day 1: 5 06-11
116. Terry Segraves Kissimmee, FL 5 06-11 85
Day 1: 5 06-11
119. Eric Conant Lakeland, FL 4 06-11 82
Day 1: 4 06-11
120. Jeff Holland Winter Springs, FL 5 06-08 81
Day 1: 5 06-08
121. Kazunori Okuma Moriyama-Shi Shiga JAPA 5 06-07 80
Day 1: 5 06-07
122. Sam George Athens, AL 3 06-03 79
Day 1: 3 06-03
122. Lane Wright Loganville, GA 3 06-03 79
Day 1: 3 06-03
124. Paul Gettys Due West, SC 5 06-02 77
Day 1: 5 06-02
125. Brooks Forsyth Hester, LA 5 05-14 76
Day 1: 5 05-14
125. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 05-14 76
Day 1: 5 05-14
127. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 5 05-13 74
Day 1: 5 05-13
128. Danny Lavoie Franklin, GA 4 05-12 73
Day 1: 4 05-12
129. William Shipes Williston, SC 5 05-09 72
Day 1: 5 05-09
130. Gary Clouse La Vergne, TN 4 05-08 71
Day 1: 4 05-08
131. John Marshall Easley, SC 5 05-07 70
Day 1: 5 05-07
132. Jamey Caldwell Carthage, NC 4 05-07 69
Day 1: 4 05-07
132. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, IL 4 05-07 69
Day 1: 4 05-07
134. Tim Foster Louisville, KY 3 05-06 67
Day 1: 3 05-06
135. Duane Pittman Prairieville, LA 4 04-14 66
Day 1: 4 04-14
136. Ronnie Green Sebring, FL 4 04-13 65
Day 1: 4 04-13
137. Kendall Newson Lagrange, GA 4 04-11 64
Day 1: 4 04-11
138. William Hensley Chattaroy, WV 2 04-11 63
Day 1: 2 04-11
139. Jon Englund Farwell, MN 2 04-08 62
Day 1: 2 04-08
140. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 2 04-07 61
Day 1: 2 04-07
141. Mike Jackson San Mateo, FL 3 04-03 60
Day 1: 3 04-03
142. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 4 04-00 59
Day 1: 4 04-00
143. Eric Silverstrim Indian Mound, TN 2 03-15 58
Day 1: 2 03-15
144. Trait Crist Fort Worth, TX 1 03-14 57
Day 1: 1 03-14
145. Steve Sennikoff Forney, TX 3 03-12 56
Day 1: 3 03-12
146. Larry Garner Cottondale, AL 3 03-11 55
Day 1: 3 03-11
147. James Bailey Warrenton, VA 2 03-11 54
Day 1: 2 03-11
148. Thomas Jones Gainesville, FL 3 03-10 53
Day 1: 3 03-10
149. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 2 03-07 52
Day 1: 2 03-07
150. David Walker Sevierville, TN 3 03-01 51
Day 1: 3 03-01
151. Rich Howes Oviedo, FL 1 03-01 50
Day 1: 1 03-01
152. Ken Bearden Lagrange, GA 3 03-00 49
Day 1: 3 03-00
153. William Blanton Fayetteville, NC 2 02-15 48
Day 1: 2 02-15
154. Joe Clements Saint Cloud, FL 2 02-14 47
Day 1: 2 02-14
154. Randy Morrison Piedmont, SC 2 02-14 47
Day 1: 2 02-14
156. Jimmie Murphy Ocala, FL 3 02-13 45
Day 1: 3 02-13
157. Sean Brehm Eddyville, KY 2 02-11 44
Day 1: 2 02-11
158. Bruce Whitmire Channelview, TX 2 02-09 43
Day 1: 2 02-09
159. John Brazzell Ocoee, FL 2 02-08 42
Day 1: 2 02-08
160. Randy Elliott Bowie, MD 2 02-03 41
Day 1: 2 02-03
161. Donald Herwick III Springboro, OH 2 02-00 40
Day 1: 2 02-00
161. Gerald Sensabaugh Gray, TN 2 02-00 40
Day 1: 2 02-00
163. Donna Bilbrey Crossville, TN 2 01-14 38
Day 1: 2 01-14
164. Brad Knight Lancing, TN 2 01-12 37
Day 1: 2 01-12
165. Jason Patterson Bluffton, IN 1 01-12 36
Day 1: 1 01-12
166. Jimmy Hayes Fayetteville, NC 2 01-09 35
Day 1: 2 01-09
167. Richard Langley Danielsville, GA 1 01-06 34
Day 1: 1 01-06
168. Chris Cline Stafford, VA 1 01-04 33
Day 1: 1 01-04
169. Clay Dyer Fayetteville, TN 1 01-03 32
Day 1: 1 01-03
170. Gerry Brousseau Naples, FL 1 01-01 31
Day 1: 1 01-01
171. Bill Walls Spring, TX 1 00-12 30
Day 1: 1 00-12
172. Warren Barnes Jr Rockmart, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
172. Anthony Ford New Smyrna, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
172. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
172. Mike Kernan Wylie, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
172. Toby Lillard Clarksville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
172. Russell Ludwig IV Auburn, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
172. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
172. Bud Morin Jr Saint Cloud, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
172. Van Soles Haines City, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
172. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
172. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 116 729 1454-12
----------------------------------
116 729 1454-12

2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open - Alabama River Presented by Allstate 4/16-4/18
Alabama River, Prattville AL.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 1

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

1. Taylor Schneider Matthews, NC 3 09-15 200
Day 1: 3 09-15
2. Don Ramsey Orlando, FL 3 09-06 199
Day 1: 3 09-06
3. Scott Byrd Ocklawaha, FL 3 09-02 198
Day 1: 3 09-02
4. Larry Beauboeuf Bossier City, LA 3 08-13 197
Day 1: 3 08-13
4. Steven Roosen Charlotte, NC 3 08-13 197
Day 1: 3 08-13
6. Mark Bartosch Clarksville, TN 3 08-06 195
Day 1: 3 08-06
6. Lane Guy Sylacauga, AL 3 08-06 195
Day 1: 3 08-06
8. Stephen Sennikoff Jr. Forney, TX 3 08-04 193
Day 1: 3 08-04
9. Steve Callins Deatsville, AL 3 08-02 192
Day 1: 3 08-02
10. Brian Dotson Middleburg, FL 3 07-14 191
Day 1: 3 07-14
10. David Eden Adams, TN 3 07-14 191
Day 1: 3 07-14
10. Russell McGuairt Round Rock, TX 3 07-14 191
Day 1: 3 07-14
13. Mandel Pettus Sound Beach, NY 3 07-13 188
Day 1: 3 07-13
14. Travis Kelehan Broussard, LA 3 07-11 187
Day 1: 3 07-11
15. Radney Atchison Prattville, AL 3 07-09 186
Day 1: 3 07-09
16. Marlon Crowder Tampa, FL 3 07-08 185
Day 1: 3 07-08
17. John Armour Kissimmee, FL 3 07-07 184
Day 1: 3 07-07
17. Phil Thalheimer Raleigh, NC 3 07-07 184
Day 1: 3 07-07
19. Eulon Lee Jr. Montgomery, AL 3 07-06 182
Day 1: 3 07-06
20. David Glenn Auburndale, FL 3 07-04 181
Day 1: 3 07-04
20. Kenny Sammons Pinetta, FL 3 07-04 181
Day 1: 3 07-04
22. David Blanton Wilmington, NC 3 07-03 179
Day 1: 3 07-03
22. Jason Rice Swannanoa, NC 3 07-03 179
Day 1: 3 07-03
24. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 3 07-02 177
Day 1: 3 07-02
25. JJ Polak Covington, GA 3 06-14 176
Day 1: 3 06-14
26. Dan Green Prattville, AL 3 06-11 0
Day 1: 3 06-11
26. Steven Johnson Prattville, AL 3 06-11 174
Day 1: 3 06-11
26. Paul Spellman Fredericksburg, VA 3 06-11 174
Day 1: 3 06-11
29. Bobby Poncev Boca Raton, FL 3 06-10 172
Day 1: 3 06-10
30. Tyler Boyle Sterrett, AL 3 06-06 171
Day 1: 3 06-06
31. William Wood Sylacauga, AL 3 06-04 170
Day 1: 3 06-04
32. Kevin Murphy Orange Beach, AL 3 06-02 169
Day 1: 3 06-02
33. Teb Jones Hattiesburg, MS 3 05-15 168
Day 1: 3 05-15
34. Grant Bennett Athens, AL 3 05-13 167
Day 1: 3 05-13
35. Paul Hanley Sanford, FL 3 05-12 166
Day 1: 3 05-12
36. Ronald Young Winter Haven, FL 3 05-11 165
Day 1: 3 05-11
37. Judy Reneau Del Rio, TX 3 05-10 164
Day 1: 3 05-10
37. Gerald Robbins Jr. Asheboro, NC 3 05-10 164
Day 1: 3 05-10
39. Linda Higginbotham Palm Coast, FL 3 05-09 162
Day 1: 3 05-09
39. Jim Keith Newberry, FL 3 05-09 162
Day 1: 3 05-09
41. Robbie Anderson Crystal River, FL 3 05-07 160
Day 1: 3 05-07
41. Christopher Murphy Warrenton, VA 3 05-07 160
Day 1: 3 05-07
43. Matthew Olley Crestview, FL 3 05-06 158
Day 1: 3 05-06
43. Benjie Seaborn Guin, AL 3 05-06 158
Day 1: 3 05-06
45. Ryan Wilson Byhalia, MS 2 05-05 156
Day 1: 2 05-05
46. Glenn Deal Headland, AL 3 05-04 155
Day 1: 3 05-04
47. Luke Koch Campbellsport, WI 3 05-03 154
Day 1: 3 05-03
48. Wayne Murphy Monroe, GA 3 05-02 153
Day 1: 3 05-02
49. Justin Swindle Kimberly, AL 3 05-02 152
Day 1: 3 05-02
50. Jeremy Doyle Tuscaloosa, AL 3 05-01 151
Day 1: 3 05-01
51. David Abbott Loudon, TN 1 05-00 150
Day 1: 1 05-00
52. Keith Jones Newport News, VA 3 04-15 149
Day 1: 3 04-15
53. Mark Bell Pewee Valley, KY 3 04-14 148
Day 1: 3 04-14
53. Terry Law Tavares, FL 3 04-14 148
Day 1: 3 04-14
55. Mike Spears Jasper, AL 3 04-13 146
Day 1: 3 04-13
56. Don Johnson Deatsville, AL 2 04-13 145
Day 1: 2 04-13
57. Shawn Hendrix Sharpsburg, GA 3 04-12 144
Day 1: 3 04-12
57. Darrell Hille Springfield, TN 3 04-12 144
Day 1: 3 04-12
59. Scap Cicero Wetumpka, AL 3 04-11 142
Day 1: 3 04-11
59. Colton Hinson Hohenwald, TN 3 04-11 142
Day 1: 3 04-11
61. Billy Wilson Deatsville, AL 2 04-11 140
Day 1: 2 04-11
62. Greg Mauldin Archdale, NC 3 04-10 139
Day 1: 3 04-10
62. Larry Mullikin Lauderhill, FL 3 04-10 139
Day 1: 3 04-10
62. Fredrick Requarth Dayton, OH 3 04-10 139
Day 1: 3 04-10
65. Mitchell Cardell Griffin, GA 3 04-06 136
Day 1: 3 04-06
65. Rick Harris Jr San Angelo, TX 3 04-06 136
Day 1: 3 04-06
67. Carlton Tipp Jr Grand Bay, AL 3 04-06 134
Day 1: 3 04-06
68. David Barrett Scottsburg, IN 2 04-06 133
Day 1: 2 04-06
69. Jamie Higdon Calera, AL 3 04-05 132
Day 1: 3 04-05
70. Joe Koch Kewaskum, WI 3 04-04 131
Day 1: 3 04-04
71. Chris Moody Brooks, GA 2 04-03 130
Day 1: 2 04-03
72. Dalton Darnell Deatsville, AL 3 04-02 0
Day 1: 3 04-02
73. Bill Hutchison Jr. Bessemer, AL 2 04-02 128
Day 1: 2 04-02
73. Ken Sharkey Spring Lake, MI 2 04-02 128
Day 1: 2 04-02
73. Steve Thrash Prattville, AL 2 04-02 128
Day 1: 2 04-02
76. Craig Cavanna Spring Hill, FL 2 04-01 125
Day 1: 2 04-01
77. Dwayne Boyce Covington, GA 3 04-00 124
Day 1: 3 04-00
78. Robert Hatfield Morehead, KY 3 03-15 123
Day 1: 3 03-15
79. Todd Gordon Horton, AL 3 03-14 122
Day 1: 3 03-14
79. Steve Lipham Opelika, AL 3 03-14 122
Day 1: 3 03-14
79. Ryan Simmons Crestview, FL 3 03-14 122
Day 1: 3 03-14
82. Allen Robbins III Asheboro, NC 3 03-13 119
Day 1: 3 03-13
83. Jonathan Barnette Jasper, AL 1 03-13 118
Day 1: 1 03-13
84. Jalen Conner Tuscaloosa, AL 3 03-11 117
Day 1: 3 03-11
84. Steven Crafton Clarksville, TN 3 03-11 117
Day 1: 3 03-11
84. Gary Henry Conyers, GA 3 03-11 117
Day 1: 3 03-11
84. Joel Mayfield Perkinston, MS 3 03-11 117
Day 1: 3 03-11
84. Eugene Stinson Dry Branch, GA 3 03-11 117
Day 1: 3 03-11
89. Sam Fish Alexander City, AL 3 03-09 112
Day 1: 3 03-09
89. Kain Shelton Dayton, TN 3 03-09 112
Day 1: 3 03-09
91. James Hatch Gainesville, FL 2 03-09 110
Day 1: 2 03-09
92. Gerald Williams Maiden, NC 3 03-08 109
Day 1: 3 03-08
93. Andy Leslie Prattville, AL 1 03-08 108
Day 1: 1 03-08
94. Wesley Sullivan III Dawsonville, GA 3 03-07 107
Day 1: 3 03-07
95. Jeremy Goodwyn Bowling Green, FL 3 03-07 106
Day 1: 3 03-07
96. Daniel Parks Greer, SC 2 03-07 105
Day 1: 2 03-07
97. Chuck Cunningham Wellford, SC 3 03-06 104
Day 1: 3 03-06
98. Joel Parsons Weaverville, NC 1 03-06 103
Day 1: 1 03-06
99. Jason Mccormick Knoxville, TN 3 03-05 102
Day 1: 3 03-05
100. David Bourque Gonzales, LA 2 03-04 101
Day 1: 2 03-04
101. Brad Gandee Mcdonough, GA 3 03-03 100
Day 1: 3 03-03
101. John Moon Brookeland, TX 3 03-03 100
Day 1: 3 03-03
103. Mike Birge Florala, AL 2 03-03 98
Day 1: 2 03-03
103. Scott Giddens Douglasville, GA 2 03-03 98
Day 1: 2 03-03
105. Alan Engberg Greenville, AL 3 03-02 96
Day 1: 3 03-02
105. Tommy Gunn Jr Cusseta, AL 3 03-02 96
Day 1: 3 03-02
107. Ike Taylor Westerville, OH 2 03-02 94
Day 1: 2 03-02
108. BJ Garrett Montgomery, AL 3 03-01 93
Day 1: 3 03-01
108. Will Major Port Allen, LA 3 03-01 93
Day 1: 3 03-01
110. Miguel Rodriguez Deland, FL 2 03-00 91
Day 1: 2 03-00
111. Tomas Gomez Kissimmee, FL 1 03-00 90
Day 1: 1 03-00
112. Brady Vernon Birmingham, AL 3 02-15 89
Day 1: 3 02-15
113. Freddy Pearson Gainesville, FL 2 02-15 88
Day 1: 2 02-15
114. Roy Kelly Petal, MS 2 02-14 87
Day 1: 2 02-14
115. Ryan Crawley Troy, AL 3 02-12 86
Day 1: 3 02-12
116. Ty Story Prattville, AL 2 02-12 85
Day 1: 2 02-12
117. Angelo Padilla Deland, FL 2 02-11 84
Day 1: 2 02-11
118. Travis Dehart Greenville, SC 2 02-10 83
Day 1: 2 02-10
119. Ben Potaracke La Crosse, WI 2 02-08 82
Day 1: 2 02-08
119. Zack Thaggard Auburn, AL 2 02-08 82
Day 1: 2 02-08
121. Bailey Boutries Daphne, AL 2 02-07 80
Day 1: 2 02-07
122. James Topmiller III Orlando, FL 2 02-06 79
Day 1: 2 02-06
123. Aaron Richardson Destin, FL 1 02-05 78
Day 1: 1 02-05
124. Daniel Douglas Birmingham, AL 2 02-04 77
Day 1: 2 02-04
124. Walley Grant Melrose , FL 2 02-04 77
Day 1: 2 02-04
124. Tim White Vicksburg, MI 2 02-04 77
Day 1: 2 02-04
127. Nathan Mills Ocklawaha, FL 2 02-03 74
Day 1: 2 02-03
128. Charles Crumpton Ocklawaha, FL 2 02-02 73
Day 1: 2 02-02
128. Anthony Johnson Lincolnton, NC 2 02-02 73
Day 1: 2 02-02
130. Ralph Logan Hemphill, TX 2 02-01 71
Day 1: 2 02-01
131. Kevin Booty Dequincy, LA 1 02-01 70
Day 1: 1 02-01
132. Cameron Mercer Deatsville, AL 1 01-15 69
Day 1: 1 01-15
132. Jeff Vernon Birmingham, AL 1 01-15 69
Day 1: 1 01-15
134. Kevin Etienne Orange Park, FL 2 01-14 67
Day 1: 2 01-14
134. Jay West Canton, GA 2 01-14 67
Day 1: 2 01-14
134. Doug Workman Cleveland, GA 2 01-14 67
Day 1: 2 01-14
137. Johnny Pace Charlestown, IN 2 01-13 64
Day 1: 2 01-13
138. Hoyt Tidwell Westpoint, TN 2 01-11 63
Day 1: 2 01-11
139. Barry Maner Trinity, AL 1 01-05 62
Day 1: 1 01-05
139. Ben Milam Trussville, AL 1 01-05 62
Day 1: 1 01-05
139. Joe Moore Kissimmee, FL 1 01-05 62
Day 1: 1 01-05
142. Chad Christensen Alpine, UT 1 01-04 59
Day 1: 1 01-04
142. Justin Defoe Cullman, AL 1 01-04 59
Day 1: 1 01-04
142. Ryan Hermecz Calera, AL 1 01-04 59
Day 1: 1 01-04
142. Kenneth Moore Red Oak, TX 1 01-04 59
Day 1: 1 01-04
142. Josh Walden Hartwell, GA 1 01-04 59
Day 1: 1 01-04
147. Scott Mcdaniel Bonaire, GA 1 01-03 54
Day 1: 1 01-03
147. Paul Palmer Madisonville, TN 1 01-03 54
Day 1: 1 01-03
149. Jenny Sander Byron, GA 1 01-02 52
Day 1: 1 01-02
150. Bradley Sears Covington, GA 1 01-01 51
Day 1: 1 01-01
151. Greg Crumpton Ocala, FL 1 01-00 50
Day 1: 1 01-00
151. Paul Knight Troy, AL 1 01-00 50
Day 1: 1 01-00
151. Trent Penuel Ocala, FL 1 01-00 50
Day 1: 1 01-00
151. Kenneth Shumate Elkin, NC 1 01-00 50
Day 1: 1 01-00
155. Meredith Havird Chappells, SC 1 00-15 46
Day 1: 1 00-15
155. Scott Kerslake Okeechobee, FL 1 00-15 46
Day 1: 1 00-15
157. Douglas Davis Jr Chipley, FL 1 00-14 44
Day 1: 1 00-14
158. Joshua Bauer Random Lake, WI 1 00-13 43
Day 1: 1 00-13
159. William Beekman Diamond Point, NY 1 00-12 42
Day 1: 1 00-12
159. Shane Byrom Newnan, GA 1 00-12 42
Day 1: 1 00-12
161. Matthew Alter Tyndall Afb, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Jarrod Anderson New Iberia, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. John Bomar Hahira, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Bill Bonner Wetumpka, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Stephen Britt Columbia, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Barry Brunges Gainesville, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Bill Capps Auburn, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Blaine Freeman Dadeville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Chris Guillory Carencro, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. BJ Hannah Dyersburg, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Mickey Keene Sr. Prattville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Justin Kelley Jasper, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Raymond Loupe Baton Rouge, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Mark Moretz Chesapeake, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Tommy Pegues Pike Road, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Collin Reaves Hartselle, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. John Searles Jr. Middleburg, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Adam Sumner Mount Dora, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. William Turner Deatsville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Triston Waddle Radford, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Herbie Way Jr. Alexandria, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
161. Mike Wisnewski Melbourne, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 92 381 666-12
----------------------------------
92 381 666-12

by AnglersChannel

Liberty University Leads Flw College Fishing National Championship On Lake Murray

The Liberty University team of Travis Rulle of Denver, North Carolina, and Caleb Eppler of Sachse, Texas, took the lead after day one of 2015 FLW College Fishing National Championship presented by the Lowrance Insight Genesis College Cup Thursday with five bass weighing 22 pounds, 2 ounces. The Flames duo will begin day two with a 3-pound, 3-ounce lead in the three-day event, hosted by the Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board, that features 45 of the top college bass fishing clubs from across the nation competing for a top award of a Ranger Z117 with a 90-horsepower outboard and entry into the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.

“We did a good job working as a team,” said Travis Rulle, a junior majoring in Business Management and Finance. “We both caught a lot of fish but I was fortunate enough to catch the big one.

“We came into this event with a good game plan and a lot of preparation, we just hope it comes to fruition.”

The kicker fish that Rulle spoke of weighed in at 7 pounds, 9 ounces and allowed the team to cull for about 4 pounds. The early bite was key for them – they had a limit by 8:30 a.m. and it was about 9:00 a.m. when they caught the anchor for their sack.

“I wasn’t just holding the net,” said Caleb Eppler, a graduated senior in Exercise Science. “Travis just smoked me on the big one. We really didn’t think the bite would be on today with this cold front that rolled in, but everyone was catching fish, not just us. The weather is probably going to be our biggest challenge at this point but we have a plan for every condition.”

The team said they were running a couple of patterns that mainly consisted of fishing shallow. All of the fish came in 3 to 10 feet of water. Not wanting to give-up too many specifics they indicated they were fishing the main lake and a few creeks. When asked for a bait that they did not throw they replied a frog and an umbrella rig. They also added that they were probably the only team not throwing an umbrella rig.

The top 10 teams after day one on Lake Murray are:

1st: Liberty University – Travis Rulle, Denver, N.C., and Caleb Eppler, Sachse, Texas (five bass, 22-2)

2nd: Eastern Kentucky University – Kyle Raymer, Brandenburg, Ky., and Ethan Snyder, Vine Grove, Ky. (five bass, 18-15)

3rd: Colorado Mesa University – Kennedy Kinkade and Josh Worth, both of Grand Junction, Colo. (five bass, 18-10)

4th: Winona State University – Wyatt Stout, Winona, Minn., and Cade Laufenberg, Stoddard, Wis. (five bass, 17-8)

5th: Auburn University – Ben Curry, Hayden, Ala., and Timmy Ward, Sylacauga, Ala. (five bass, 17-8)

6th: University of South Carolina – Patrick Walters, Summerville, S.C., and Gettys Brannon, Columbia, S.C. (five bass, 17-6)

7th: University of Louisiana-Monroe – Blake Alford and Tyler Stewart, both West Monroe, La. (five bass, 17-4)

8th: Lamar University – Quinton Evans, Orange, Texas, and Colby Ogden, Kountze, Texas (five bass, 17-2)

9th: Tennessee Technological University – Matt Allen, Bloomington Springs, Tenn., and Zach Youngblood,, Silver Point, Tenn. (five bass, 16-11)

10th: Lamar University – Cameron Lafleur, Orangefield, Texas and Justin Royal, Vidor, Texas (five bass, 16-8)

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 198 bass weighing 542 pounds, 6 ounces caught by 45 college teams Thursday. The catch included 34 five-bass limits.

The FLW College Fishing National Championship awards the top team a $30,000 prize package, including a Ranger Z117 with a 90-horsepower engine and an entry into the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup. The team member fishing as a pro in the Forrest Wood Cup also receives the use of a wrapped Ranger Boat and Ram Trucks Tow Vehicle. All prize money earned in the Forrest Wood Cup goes directly to the individual who earns it. The Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, will be held August 20-23 on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and will offer the collegiate anglers the opportunity to compete for a top award of $500,000 – professional bass fishing’s richest prize..

Anglers will take off from SCE&G North Recreation Area at Dreher Shoals Dam located at 2101 N. Lake Drive, in Columbia at 7 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Weigh-ins will be held adjacent to Carolina Stadium at Williams and Wheat Streets in Columbia beginning at 5 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday (or immediately following the end of the University of South Carolina baseball game). Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

FLW will also be hosting the College Fishing Expo April 16-18, which runs from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The Expo will take place adjacent to the Carolina Stadium. Activities include a sports zone, tailgate games, sponsor giveaways and a Ranger boat simulator.

Coverage of the 2015 FLW College Fishing National Championship will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) November 16 from 7 p.m.-8 p.m. EST when Season 20 of “FLW” returns this fall. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.

by AnglersChannel

Luke Clausen Joins 'team Dirty'

Dirty Jigs has announced that FLW Tour pro Luke Clausen has joined “Team Dirty”, the national pro staff for Dirty Jigs Tackle. Luke will work to promote the line of flipping, pitching, football and swim jigs along with new products set to be released in the near future.

Clausen is the only angler in FLW history to win the Forrest Wood Cup his rookie season and he is one of only five anglers to have won both the Forrest Wood Cup and the Bassmaster Classic. Also in 2006, Clausen became the youngest angler to reach the one million dollar career earnings mark.

“Dirty Jigs have been a part of my arsenal since I discovered them several years ago. They are the only jig out there with the attention to detail that I require to fish at the highest level. From the colors offered to the quality of the all of the products, Dirty Jigs are the best on the market,” added Clausen.

“We are excited to have someone join our team with the years of experience and tournament success that Luke has. He is a perfect complement to join fellow FLW Tour pro Scott Canterbury and Matt Allen of Tactical Bassin’. We have multiple "Signature Series” baits in the works for each of them that will expand our offerings and develop new product types that we do not currently offer,” stated Curtis Demerath, owner of Dirty Jigs.

Dirty Jigs Tackle has been in operation for over a decade and is well-known among bass anglers for their swim jigs. They offer a complete line of jigs in sixteen different styles with a combined total of over 130 skirt color options. For more information, visit dirtyjigstackle.com.

by AnglersChannel

Countdown to Blastoff with AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh-Tons of Tournaments this weekend!!

AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh, just back from his 15th place finish at the Rayovac Series on Sam Rayburn, talks tons of tournaments....including what to throw and look for this weekend at the Oakley Big Bass, AC Marine TT on Kerr, and the BASS Southern Open on the Alabama River!!

by AnglersChannel

Brad McLaurin wins the Goodyear Bass Tournament on Kerr with 18.47-Full results and pics here!

The Kerr Lake tournament for the Goodyear Bass Club Trail is in the books. There was some periods of rain, but otherwise the weather was great and the bite was hot.
All 11 teams that showed up had limits of fish! Thanks for your participation, tell a friend, see you all at the next tournament on Jordan Lake, May 12th. We pay out 3 places, but all are listed here, the results are below these pics:

Bill McLaurin is holding up the trophys after the big win!

Bill McLaurin is holding up the trophys after the big win!

2nd place team of Bill Pankey and Bill Faircloth

2nd place team of Bill Pankey and Bill Faircloth

3rd place team of James Clark and David Blanton

3rd place team of James Clark and David Blanton

1st Place & Big Fish of 4.67lbs
Brad McLaurin
5 Fish
18.47lbs

2nd Place
Billy Pankey & Bill Faircloth
5 Fish
16.05lbs

3rd Place
James Clark & David Blanton
5 Fish
15.83lbs

4th Place
Steve Belch & Tim Shabram
5 Fish
14.89lbs

5th Place
Ed Wentland & Josh Whitford
5 Fish
14.39lbs

6th Place
Jody Blue & Adam Jackson
5 Fish
13.79lbs

7th Place
David Sullivan & Gus Rostan
5 Fish
12.14lbs

8th Place
Bill Gainey & Gary Loes
5 Fish
11.54lbs

9th Place
John Heath & B.Lee
5 Fish
11.13lbs

10th Place
Kay Choosakul & Keith Barker
5 Fish
11.12lbs

11th Place
James & Steven Bass
5 Fish
10.99lbs

by AnglersChannel

Gamecock Team Will Be Fishing For All Of South Carolina In College Fishing National Championship On Lake Murray

Patrick Walters and Gettys Brannon will be fishing for the FLW College Fishing National Championship on Lake Murray this weekend. Photo Credit: Leiding Walters

Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, S.C., won the Forrest Wood Cup on South Carolina's Lake Murray last August. Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., won the Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell which lies on the South Carolina-Georgia border in February.

Now Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C. and Gettys Brannon of Columbia, S.C. would love nothing more than to complete the Palmetto State trifecta and win the third bass fishing national title – the FLW College Fishing National Championship – on Lake Murray this week.

As the only collegiate team from South Carolina to qualify for the national championship, Walters and Brannon said they feel like they are not only representing the University of South Carolina where they fish for the Anglers@USC team, they are actually representing the entire state this week.

“This is a big opportunity for us, to represent South Carolina in this championship,” said Brannon. “There were 800 college teams and only 50 made it, 10 from each region.”

Brannon and Walters finished 5^th in the FLW college tournament on Lake Guntersville in Alabama last May and then had to finish in the top 10 in the Southeastern Conference Invitational on Tennessee's Lake Chickamauga last October to make it to the championship.

“We finished 9^th at Chickamauga and we feel good going into the championship on Lake Murray,” Brannon said.

Both he and Walters say the home lake can be an advantage – or a curse.

“Being the only team from South Carolina, I feel that gives us a small home team advantage,” Walters said, “but the way the fish are biting right now it's anybody's game. This will not be a game for secrets; anybody can get lucky and stumble on them.”

The main reason it can help, Brannon said, is in the two days of practice before the tournament begins Thursday.

“The good thing about having the lake in our backyard is knowing the lake,” Brannon said. “We'll spend the practice days burning a lot of gas and eliminating places we won't fish during the tournament.”

Brannon said the fish are in all three phases right now. Some are pre-spawn, some are spawning and some are already post-spawn. Walters said the fish are biting all the way from the rivers at the upper end of the lake down to the dam at the lower end so it should not be too crowded during the tournament – at least on Thursday and Friday.

“We should have the lake to ourselves Thursday and Friday, but I know of several local tournaments going out of Dreher Island on Saturday, so we will have to deal with that local pressure on the last day,” he said.

Both said consistency will be a major factor for whoever wins.

“There are a bunch of bedding fish right now, so somebody is going to get lucky and stumble on some big bedding fish,” Walters said. “The thing is to do that all three days.”

“Patrick and I are hitting on all cylinders right now,” Brannon said. “We bounce ideas off of each other and we have good chemistry. It will take a lot of teamwork to win this tournament.”

With that confidence and trust in each other, they feel confident heading into the tournament, he said.

“If we get out there, take our time and do what we normally do we should be fine,” said Walters.

And both said there will be a lot of fish caught in the championship, which should make the weigh-ins held in conjunction with the South Carolina-Vanderbilt baseball games exciting. Weigh-in will be held adjacent to Carolina Stadium at Williams and Wheat Streets in Columbia beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday (or immediately following the end of the baseball game).

Brannon and Walters will throw out the first pitch for Thursday's game.

Visit the USC Bass Fishing Team's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/uofscbassfishing and follow them on Twitter https://twitter.com/anglersusc @anglersusc

FLW College Fishing Series National Championship

Apr 16-18, 2015

Lake Murray

SCE&G North Recreation Area at Dreher Shoals

www.flwoutdoors.com

by AnglersChannel

Bass Heading To The Beds Just In Time For Anglers Choice Double-Header On Kerr

Kerr reservoir is primed for some of the best bass fishing of the season just in time for the Angler Choice Invitational Team Trail double-header tournament this weekend, said tournament director Chris Lucas.

“I fished down there last weekend and you could catch fish however you wanted to fish,” Lucas said. “The key was the guys who could find a good kicker to go with their limit.”

Lucas weighed in 29.19 pounds to take 4^th place in the Bass Federation National Championship. It took over 30 pounds for both days to win, he said.

“There were 111 boats and the first day they weighed 495 fish, which means every team but two had fish and most those teams had a limit. There were a lot of fish caught and brought to the weigh-in.”

And Lucas, said, if you think that was good it should be even better this weekend for the Anglers Choice double-tournament weekend.

“I think the fish are going on the beds and the sight fishermen will have a ball,” he said. “Some fish were caught on the beds this past weekend, but I don't think the big wave was up yet.”

Lucas said the water is almost out of the bushes, but there is enough water on the bushes that the fish are in 1-foot depths.

“If they are there you can catch them, so there will be plenty of targets to throw at unless they pull water a foot or two by the weekend.”

Topwater will be good, spinnerbaits will be good if the wind is blowing, and flipping will be good, he said, so anglers can fish to their strengths this weekend.

The Kerr weekend will be the midpoint of the of the 2015 season under the new single-division, two classics format.

“When we joined the B.A.S.S. Toyota Team Championship Series we were only recognized as one trail by them,” Lucas explained. “Basically, we had to have one points system, so we don't call it the North Carolina Division and Virginia Division anymore. The guys who fish on Saturday and the guys who fish on Sunday, all the points go to the same standings.”

And this is a critical weekend for the standings, he added.

“Things are heating up for the B.A.S.S. Team Championship race. The points are going to be tight and we have a boatload of people coming to fish.”

Lucas said the schedule is set up so there are two tournaments in Virginia, which are held on Smith Mountain Lake, and two tournaments in the Carolinas where the dealerships are located – in Lexington and Spindale – one on High Rock and one on Lake Hickory.”

The other tournaments are held on the border, with two double-tournament weekends on Kerr Reservoir, he noted.

“An angler can make one trip, fish Saturday and Sunday and get two qualifiers in while saving money. That Kerr tournament weekend will be our biggest draw of the year,” Lucas said. “And if you plan on launching at Occoneechee, come early so we can get the boats out at 7 o'clock.”

The remaining Anglers Choice Tournament schedule includes: April 18 and 19, Kerr Reservoir; May 2, Smith Mountain Lake; May 23, Lake Hickory; June 6 and 7, Kerr Reservoir; with the Ranger Classic Oct. 3-4 on Kerr Lake and the Triton Classic Oct. 17-18 on High Rock Lake.

Anglers Choice Invitational Team Trail

Apr 18 & 19, 2015

Kerr / Buggs Island Lake

Occoneechee State Park Ramp #1

Call Chris Lucas 276-358-0844

www.anglerschoicemarine.com

by AnglersChannel

Rains Make The Alabama River Muddy For B.a.s.s. Southern Open

B.A.S.S. pro Todd Auten of Lake Wylie, S.C., spent the first half of this week “feeling my way around” the Alabama River out of Cooter's Pond in preparation for the second Bassmaster Southern Open which starts Thursday.

“There are not a whole lot of maps available for this place so I am basically eliminating water and trying to find some areas that I think will hold enough fish to last a couple of days,” Auten said. “You run into the little coves and there are a lot of stumps so I am kind of feeling my way around.”

Auten said the water is a lot dirtier than usual and the river has more color than he has seen there before.

“Some of the backwater is really muddy. I usually like that, but the fish have not been biting real good in it,” he said.

“I think there are some largemouths spawning, but most are post-spawn as far as I can tell. For the spotted bass I don't know yet. You can't see the bottom anywhere, but I do get a lot of short strikes – like maybe the fish is on the bed.”

Auten said crowding can add to the problems during the tournament.

“I don't know how many boats we will have, but it will probably be about 200, and this place gets pretty crowded pretty quick. The bad thing is you can be in an area and it can be the right area, but so many people may have been through there and beat it up ahead of you.”

The main thing will be to keep an open mind and take advantage of opportunities if they appear, he said.

“If you get a couple of bites in an area there probably are a few more fish in there,” he noted. “They've had a lot of rain and the water is muddied up so the fish are not biting real good, but there is a lot of current, though, so they ought to be cranked up somewhere. Maybe I've just been fishing in the wrong place.”

His two previous trips to the Alabama River have been at different times of the year, so those experiences won't provide much help for a post-spawn springtime tournament. He finished 46^th in the 2005 Open Championship in early December 2005, but the year before he finished 4^th in the Bassmaster Elite 50 on the Alabama River.

Auten placed third in the first Southern Open on Lake Kissimmee in mid-January. If he maintains his ranking through the three-tournament Southern Open season he would qualify to move back up to the B.A.S.S. Elite Series. A win in the Alabama River or in the series final at Lake Seminole in October would earn him a ticket to the 2016 Bassmaster Classic.

Bassmaster Southern Open

Apr 16-18, 2015

Alabama River

Cooters Pond

www.bassmaster.com

by AnglersChannel

Torbett And Webb Win The Chattanooga Bass Assoc Tournament On Chickamauga With 29.89 Lbs-Full Results Here!

Teaser image:

14 bags over 20 at the most recent CBA Tournament on Lake Chickamauga..................this lake has been and will continue to be our pick for the best lake in the country for producing the most quality bags week in and week out over the last 24 months. It's simply amazing!!

CHATTANOOGA BASS ASSOCIATION
2015 OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Diesel & Off-Road Technologies April Open
April 11, 2015
Denali Rods:Big Fish of theTournament
LARGEMOUTH 10.25
Rogne Brown and Cary Dotson
2nd Big Fish 9.23
Oscar Torbett and Jerry Webb
Soddy Custom Tackle BIG FISH of the Season Leaders
Matt Gowan and Matt Howell 11.53
PLACE	NAME		WEIGHT	POINTS	DIV
1	Oscar Torbett	Jerry Webb	29.89	100
2	Damon Taylor	Justin Medley	29.21	99
3	Rogne Brown	Cary Dotson	28.31	98
4	Dillon Falardeau	Patrick Hoskins	27.53	97	COLLEGE
5	Jon Mantooth	Matt Jenkins	25.59	96
6	Mike Varner	Mark Heatherly	25.08	95
7	John Powell	Matt Powell	22.94	94
8	Brent Hayes	David Hix	22.49	93
9	Greg McGraw	Heath Dalrymple	21.74	92
10	Chris Peters	Ryan Wilkes	21.19	91
11	Tom Kizzah III	Tom Kizzah Jr	20.97	90
12	Chuck James	Brad James	20.85	89
13	Jayme Copenhaver	Adam Dysart	20.72	88
14	Jim McClanahan	Derek McCulough	20.18	87
15	Robby Crosslin	Greg Worsham	19.52	86	NEW
16	Haden Lamb	Trevor Porter	19.10	85
17	Dusty Elrod	Thomas Henshaw	19.06	84
18	Josh Woffard	Bruce Woffard	18.94	83
19	Taylor Massigill	Trent Huie	18.83	WC	WHITE
20	Brian Wilson	Tom Brindle	18.06	82
21	Jared McMillon	JB McMillon	17.99	81
22	Shane Frazier	Dallas George	17.87	80
23	Blake Lee	James Burkhart	17.19	79	COLLEGE
24	David Stokes	Tim Johnson	17.10	78	NEW
25	Galen James	Tony Townsend	17.01	77
26	Chris Coffey	Nicholas Pratt	16.96	76
27	Tyler Bain	Larry Erwin	16.28	75
28	Gabe Yeargan	Sam Morgan	16.25	74	NEW
29	Brad Ferguson	Teddy Owensby	15.59	73
30	Jamie Hatcher	Rick Camp	15.43	72
31	Dennis Steele	Gary Hutton	15.36	71
32	Mark Varady	Mark Keith	15.12	70
33	Derek Hicks	Roger Hicks	15.06	69
34	Ron Willerson	Eric Cabrera	14.77	68
35	Justin Whaley	Kevin Miller	14.70	WC	WHITE
36	Gary Davenport	Harold Coffman	14.60	67	NEW
37	Jim Cofer	Matt Wendorf	14.46	66
38	Ted Pullian	Jon Delashmitt	14.06	65
39	Greg Lamb	Buddy Gross	14.05	64
40	Paul Johnson	Robert McDougal	13.98	63
41	Wayne Bice	Garfield Hale	13.97	62	NEW
42	Kevin Keith	Eddie Amos	13.88	WC	WHITE
43	Barry Wingo	Jeff Hineman	13.80	61
44	Baron Adams	Trevor Prince	13.39	60
45	Steve Rodgers	Bob Anthony	12.95	59
46	Steve Kite	Daniel Lewis	12.67	58
47	Blake McElhaney	Jimmy Reynolds	12.53	57
48	Brian Spangler	Tracy Penny	12.43	56
49	Gary Hughes	Billy Campbell	11.98	55	SENIOR
50	Todd Smith	Tim Smith	11.19	54
51	Alan Hyde	Mike Hyde	10.15	53
52	Mark Riggs	Robert Moore	9.54	52
53	Bobby Ogle	Alan Ogle	9.36	51
54	Tim Traffanstendt	Austin Traffanstendt	9.35	50	YOUTH
55	Glenn Civale		9.15	49
56	Lance Nunley	Thomas Wilson	8.89	48
57	Lee Haas	Harold Beavers	8.83	47
58	John Gudel	John Green	8.58	46
59	Matt Harvey	David Williams	8.44	45
60	Mike Collake	James Collake	7.94	44	NEW
61	Dusty Mullins	Corey Johnson	7.75	43	NEW
62	Andy Lusk	Shaun Lusk	7.24	42
63	Matt Gowan	Matt Howell	7.16	41
64	Wade Kilgore	Jim Pitts	7.01	40
65	Stan Dickert	Gene Cote	6.45	39	SENIOR
66	Nathan Bell	Tom Helton	6.37	38	YOUTH
67	Keith Ellis	Roger Kendrick	6.20	37
68	Rocky Sutherland	Harley Sutherland	5.75	36	YOUTH
69	Marvin Ervin	William Ervin	5.69	WC	WHITE
70	Jeff Reed	Tim Vandagriff	5.40	35
71	Randy Pippin	Greg Henry	3.87	34
72	Robbie Moore		3.80	33	COLLEGE
73	Victor Rowe	Tim Harrison	3.66	32
74	Mark Hooper	Mike Day	3.21	31	NEW
75	Jim Kester	Jim Kester Jr	2.65	30
76	Chris Gilmore	Matt Ritchy	2.46	29
77	David Craft	Stoney Johnson	2.24	28	NEW
78	Brian Pierce	Joel Smith	DNW	WC	WHITE
78	Steven Harrison	Gene Brooks	DNW	WC	WHITE
78	Anthony Correll	Logan Kokaszka	DNW	10
78	Billy Joe Wheat	Blake Wheat	DNW	10	YOUTH
78	Brian Hatfield	Cindy Hatfield	DNW	10	NEW
78	Bryan Newberry	Jeff Knight	DNW	10
78	Carter Day	Scotty Gilley	DNW	10
78	Chris Talley	Derek Blevins	DNW	10	NEW
78	Clark Akins	Jason Akins	DNW	10
78	Cory Nichols	John Oxford	DNW	10
78	Darren Nunley	Hensley Powell	DNW	WC	WHITE
78	David Crider	Zach Crider	DNW	10
78	David Jarvis	Brent Jarvis	DNW	10	YOUTH
78	David Olinger	Casey Hitchcock	DNW	WC	WHITE
78	Don Lamb	Eddie Wilson	DNW	10	SENIOR
78	Heath Morton	Jamie Powell	DNW	10	WHITE
78	Herb Hall	Rober Gibson	DNW	10	COLLEGE
78	Justin Sneed	David Allen	DNW	10
78	Matt Dixon	Nick Chuba	DNW	10
78	Michael Hendrick	Tyler Rowland	DNW	WC	WHITE
78	Mike Looney	Chris Grant	DNW	10
78	Mike Walker	Alex Walker	DNW	10	YOUTH
78	Mitch Oliver	Andy Parkinson	DNW	10	NEW
78	Robert Simpson	Danny Daniels	DNW	10	SENIOR
78	Shane Carter	Landon Carter	DNW	10	YOUTH
78	Steve Barnes	Spencer Smith	DNW	10
78	Taylor Sweeten	Tim Belcher	DNW	10	NEW
78	Wyatt Beavers	Hunter Nelson	DNW	10	COLLEGE

by AnglersChannel

Welborn and Sams win the ABT on Lewis Smith with 18.93 Lbs-pics and top 10 here!

Jasper, Ala. â€“ April 11, 2015 â€“ If there is one lake in the State of Alabama that stands alone a different type of fishery, it is Lewis Smith Lake. While the majority of the waterways in Alabama are stained water, power fishing havens, Smith Lake is a finesse anglerâ€™s dream. With clear water, plentiful spotted bass and the somewhat recent introduction of blue back herring into the lake, Smith Lake can be a challenge.

To those who know how to contend with its componentry, Smith Lake can be one of the best fisheries for catching numbers of healthy bass. When the Alabama Bass Trail Northern Division made its third stop of the 2015 season, the talk of large numbers of bass being caught was plentiful.

But, finding the kind of fish that could win a tournament on Smith Lake was an entirely different story. While catching two pounders is common; locating the three and a half to four pound fish that typically win this time of the year was key.

The team of John Welborn and Wesley Sams did that just slightly better than the rest. In what turned out to be an extremely close affair, Welborn and Sams came to the stage as one of the last teams to weigh-in, and managed to place five near clone spotted bass on the scales to take the win with 18.93 pounds. The pair reported moving around a lot to fill their bag.

â€œWe covered much of the lake today running a milk run of places that spotted bass will spawn on the lake,â€ they said. â€œWe targeted spawning areas as deep as 12 feet, and managed to get the kind of bites we needed to win. We knew it was going to be close, but weâ€™re very happy with the results.â€

The winning team said that they caught 50 to 75 fish throughout the day, but at nearly noon, they didnâ€™t have much for weight. â€œWe started getting our better bites later in the day as the sun came up better,â€ they reported. â€œWe used 1/4-ounce Shaky Heads and six-inch green pumpkin finesse worms to catch them; we just had to get the lure in the right places. Welborn and Sams took home the $10,000 winnerâ€™s purse for their efforts.

For the longest time, it looked like the second place team of Brent Crow and James Morgan would be the team holding that check. They weighed their 18.65-pound limit early in the weigh-in, and stood as leaders until they were unseated by Welborn and Sams with less than 10 team left to weigh-in.

They reported fishing the Rock Creek area of the lake, and using the same technique as the winners. â€œAll of our fish were deeper spawning fish,â€ said Crow and Morgan. â€œWe thought we would catch only spotted bass on the Shaky Head, but we had a couple of good largemouth in there too. We thought we had a good chance to win, but those guys are good, and it just didnâ€™t go our way today; we feel pretty good about second place.â€ They received $5,000 for their second place finish.

The team of Charlie Cummings and Greg Pugh finished third with 18.29 pounds, and earned $4,000. The team of Sam Moody and Ray Battles finished in 20th place with 15.55 pounds, but their limit included the Mountain Dew Big Bass of the tournament. Their 5.18-pound largemouth earned them an additional $500 bonus.

The top 10 in the standings were as follows below. For complete standings visit the results page at http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/lsl-results/

The sponsors of the 2015 Alabama Bass Trail include : Bill Penney Toyota, the Alabama Tourism Department, Phoenix Bass Boats, Inc., Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, T-H Marine Supplies, Inc., Alabama Power Company, Buffalo Rock, Inc., Jet-Pep, Inc., Tennessee Valley Authority, and Frogg Toggs, Inc., HydroWaveTM, Alabama Foundation Specialist, Boat U.S., LEER, Vicious Fishing, E3 Sports, Inc., Costa Del Mar, Frogg Toggs, Inc., Power-Pole, Window World and Yeti Coolers. The event was presented locally by Chamber of Commerce of Walker County.


Place	Name	Fish	Weight	Penalty	Big Fish	points	Winnings
1	John Welborn/Wesley Sams	5/0	18.93	0.00	0.00	225	10000
2	Brent Crow/James Morgan	5/0	18.65	0.00	4.61	224	5000
3	Charlie Cummings/Greg Pugh	5/0	18.29	0.00	0.00	223	4000
4	Randall Wear/Ken Crossley	5/0	17.76	0.00	4.93	222	3000
5	Jeremy Tomlin/Greg Tomlin	5/0	17.31	0.00	0.00	221	2000
6	Brandon Gibson/Andy Chappell	5/0	17.23	0.00	5.01	220	1000
7	Benjie Seaborn/Johnathon Seaborn	5/0	17.22	0.00	0.00	219	900
8	Jeff Shelton/Tim Arnold	5/0	16.94	0.00	0.00	218	800
9	Dale Greer/Barry Johnson	5/0	16.58	0.00	0.00	217	700
10	Jonlee Sasser/Bradley Nix	5/0	16.44	0.00	0.00	216	600

This entry was posted in News, News & Events, Tournament Recap, Tournament Series. Bookmark the permalink.

by AnglersChannel

Tate and McPeters win the B&S Classic on Lake James with 21.85 Lbs-Full results and pics here!

B&S Outdoors Classic Lake James Champs Scott Tate and Graham McPeters

B&S Outdoors Classic Lake James Champs Scott Tate and Graham McPeters

Team B&S Outdoors Lake James Classic- April 11 - (26 Boats)

1. Scott Tate & Graham McPeters-5 Fish-21.85lbs - $320

2. John & Dennis Elliot-5 Fish-16.00lbs - $210

3. Brian & Lisa Smith-5 Fish-14.20lbs - $110

4. Dustin McCurry & Rob McCombs-5 Fish-13.90lbs

5. Brian King-5 Fish-13.80lbs

6. Anthony & Scott Killough-5 Fish-13.45lbs

7. Bill & Billy Willoughbly-5 Fish-13.10lbs

8. Donnie Woody-5 Fish-12.70lbs

9. Willie Davis & Billy Wright-5 Fish-11.90lbs

10. Allen Wyatt & David Whitson-5 Fish-9.90lbs

11. Travis Sercy & John Proctor-4 Fish-8.40lbs

12. Brandon Thompson & Chad Stevens-4 Fish-7.50lbs

13. Maurice Parent & Connie Hedrick-5 Fish-7.40lbs

14. Eddie & Cameron Lowdermilk-4 Fish-6.95lbs

15. Jordan Phillips & Eli Lawson-5 Fish-6.30lbs

16. Collene Brittain & Alex Brittain-5 Fish-1.45lbs

17. Mark Potter-0.00lbs-

17. Danny & Dennis Killough-0.00lbs-

17. Paul Huskins & Nathan Davis-0.00-

17. Steve Hice-0.00lbs-

17. Scott Campbell & Adam Michaels-0.00lbs-

17. Roger Huffman-0.00-

17. Marty Newton-0.00lbs-

17. Ken & Jason Stamey-0.00lbs-

17. Brandon Mason & Mike Lawson-0.00lbs-

17. Robbie Stamey & Jake Baker-0.00lbs-

Big Fish Winner=Scott Tate & Graham McPeters (4.95LBS) - $260

Next Tournament Will Be At Lake Rhodhiss at Castle Bridge May 23

by AnglersChannel

Mark Abbott and Jimmy Wilder crush the CBC at Satnee with 28.35 and take home $10,000-Full results and pics here!!

Mark Abbott and Jimmy Wilder topped the 143 boat field with 28.35lbs of bass. Tournament Payout gave them a total PayDay $10,000.

Cole Winn and Scott Martincaught a monster 11.00lb Bass earning them a $1,000 Big Fish bonus

CBC Santee Champs Mark Abbott and Jimmy Wilder

CBC Santee Champs Mark Abbott and Jimmy Wilder

CBC Santee 2nd Place team of Clark and Freddie Gibbs

CBC Santee 2nd Place team of Clark and Freddie Gibbs

CBC Santee 3rd Place Team of Greg Rikard and Eddile Herlong

CBC Santee 3rd Place Team of Greg Rikard and Eddile Herlong

CBC Santee BF Team of Cole Winn and Scott Martin with an 11 LB Monster!!

CBC Santee BF Team of Cole Winn and Scott Martin with an 11 LB Monster!!

Place	Team Name	Team #	Fish Weighed	Net Weight	Big Fish	Points	Winnings
1	Mark Abbott - Jimmy Wilder	74	5	28.350	0.000	310	$10,000
2	Clark Gibbs - Freddie Gibbs	80	5	25.280	7.610	309	$4,250
3	Greg Rikard - Eddie Herlong	44	5	25.030	6.980	308	$2,600
4	Joey Bramlett - Barry Holloman	115	5	24.780	5.300	307	$2,000
5	John Johnston - Mark Cercopely	35	5	24.680	6.640	306	$1,250
6	Cole Winn - Scott Martin	105	5	24.650	11.000	305	$2,000*
*Includes $1,000 Big Fish Bonus
7	Thad Driggers - Lyn Langston	92	5	24.640	8.080	304	$800
8	Thomas King - Clayton King	19	5	23.860	6.170	303	$3,250*
*Includes Top Finishing Skeeter $2500 Bonus
9	Ray Winans - Craig Matthews	7	5	23.600	7.040	302	$700
10	Josh McGregor - Randall Driggers	84	5	23.300	6.910	301	$650
11	Wayne King - Bo Chappell	142	5	23.190	6.660	300	$535
12	Will Dickens - Brad Schindledecker	40	5	23.070	7.310	299	$475
13	Johnny Houser - Deron Donohoo	59	5	22.680	6.770	298	$445
14	Alan Richardson - Timmy Squires	96	5	22.600	7.120	297	$420
15	Lonnie Marchant - Jeffrey Hutto	93	5	22.570	0.000	296	$385
16	Chuck Howard - Ken Ellis	64	5	22.410	6.240	295	$360
17	Eric Bozeman - Clint Proudfoot	62	5	21.920	5.940	294	$330
18	Ryan Bowles - Jason Barrett	32	5	21.040	0.000	293	$315
19	Mark Hutson - Gary Elsey	117	5	21.020	0.000	292	$300
20	Nathan Burgess - Brent Riley	114	5	20.890	7.740	291	$290
21	Mack Cook - Patrick Cook	66	5	20.470	0.000	290	$270
22	Jason Quinn - Tony Colacurcio	126	5	20.350	0.000	289	$250
23	Joseph Buddin - Joe Buddin	86	5	20.240	0.000	288	$225
24	Emmett McCauley - Cory Barr	123	5	20.220	0.000	287
25	Rusty Bullard - Eric Martin	82	5	19.500	0.000	286	$1.500*
*Includes Second Finishing Skeeter $1500 Bonus
26	Mike Watson - Craig McFadden	50	5	19.250	0.000	285	$1,000*
*Includes Third Finishing Skeeter $1000 Bonus
27	Michael Earnhardt - Mike Earnhardt	16	5	19.200	5.860	284
28	John Branstetter - Troy Buffington	98	5	18.770	0.000	283
29	Stan Gunter - Will Smith	15	5	18.380	6.650	282
30	Brett Mitchell - Jerry Montjoy	77	5	18.030	0.000	281
31	Mike Edge - Casey Warren	71	5	17.790	0.000	280
32	Wayne Frierson - Ronnie Mueller	106	5	17.520	0.000	279
33	John Sturkie - Calvin Hewitt	76	5	17.380	0.000	278
34	Justin Purnell - Ricky Lee	48	5	17.290	6.540	277
35	Sean Anderson - George Berry	101	5	17.220	0.000	276
36	Joe Avin - Larry Avins	89	5	17.200	0.000	275
37	Chris McDuffie - Greg Creech	90	5	17.110	7.240	274
38	Mark Gallup - Jonathan Gowdy	97	5	16.910	7.000	273
39	Dave Murdock - Tony Fofi	57	5	16.890	5.480	272
40	Bobby Purvis - Ross Burns	37	5	16.860	6.150	271
41	Reid Mcginn - Andy Wicker	13	5	16.830	0.000	270
42	Steve Harmon - Bryan cook	137	5	16.730	0.000	269
43	Jeff Murray - Derrick Murray	12	5	16.460	0.000	268
44	Robert Wood - John Lundean	9	5	16.410	0.000	267
45	Gary Elenbark - George Elenbark	130	5	16.300	0.000	266
46	Jimmy Bass - Jayson Baird	70	5	16.150	0.000	265
47	Ron Brown - Bobby Brown	25	5	16.040	4.460	264
48	Chris Marshall - Josh Gardner	111	5	15.920	0.000	263
49	Mack Altman - Mike Altman	39	5	15.870	0.000	262
50	Albert Pieper - Wade Grooms	132	5	15.810	0.000	261
51	Daryl Watson - Ken McFarland	63	5	15.740	0.000	260
52	Thomas Bancroft - Clay Kolb	24	5	15.420	0.000	259
53	Robert Guest - David Heatherly	20	4	15.310	6.370	258
54	Bradford Beavers - Dwight Beavers	61	5	15.300	0.000	257
55	Kevin Rake - Terry Morris	51	5	15.210	5.570	256
56	Jamie Thames - Barry Thames	29	5	15.190	0.000	255
57	John Gutierrez - Josh Robbins	100	4	15.180	0.000	254
58	Brent Waynick - Max Terry	34	5	15.120	0.000	253
59	heath moore - Micah Bennett	128	5	14.790	0.000	252
60	Chris Blackmon - David Linville	73	5	14.700	0.000	251
61	Jamie Partee - Ken Keels	8	5	14.550	5.300	250
62	Johnny Player - Robert Hall	52	5	14.240	0.000	249
63	Daniel Howell - Russell Anderson	94	5	14.190	0.000	248
64	Gary Michaud - Doc McDaniel	49	5	14.110	0.000	247
65	Will Duncan - Danny Allen	47	5	14.040	0.000	246
66	dustin henson - John Gibson	116	3	13.810	6.830	245
67	Wayne Marlow - Randall Miller	21	5	13.720	0.000	244
68	Hunter Hicks - Bobby Rice	41	5	13.620	0.000	243
69	Jason Smith - Steve Blankenship	27	5	13.530	0.000	242
70	Kiel Kelly - Chuck Whittaker	87	5	13.240	0.000	241
71	Gene Gibbs - Keith Wilson	4	5	13.100	0.000	240
72	Todd Walters - Patrick Walters	81	3	12.920	0.000	239
73	Ferris Jennings - Andy Rutledge	22	5	12.560	0.000	238
74	Chad Sinclair - Caleb Conner	85	4	12.500	0.000	237
75	Kenneth Clark - David Kelly	127	5	11.970	0.000	236
76	Roger Medlock - Todd Lawrence	55	5	11.810	6.610	235
77	Sandy Oliver - Shannon Bryson	33	5	11.250	0.000	234
78	Roger Farr - David Farr	118	5	11.190	0.000	233
79	Al Odom - Dane Odom	104	5	10.880	0.000	232
80	David Arnold - Billy Collins	6	5	10.680	0.000	231
81	William Thompson	134	3	10.660	7.350	230
82	Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughtie	102	3	10.520	0.000	229
83	Jimmy McFarland - Calvin Griggs	79	3	8.280	0.000	228
84	Jeff Rikard - Tim Harmon	1	4	7.980	0.000	227
85	Glenn Altman - Larry Parker	60	3	7.700	0.000	226
86	Matt Judy - Gentry Manning	95	4	7.550	0.000	225
87	Audie Brantley - Hunter Ciccio	5	2	7.380	0.000	224
88	Mike King - Mike Kirby	28	3	7.080	0.000	223
89	Walter Capps - Jim Stroud	72	3	6.630	0.000	222
90	Daniel Hill - James Bond	121	2	6.410	0.000	221
91	Craig Jurgonski - Rich Moses	45	2	5.640	0.000	220
92	Russ Padgett - Meredith Havird	56	1	4.720	0.000	219
93	Coy Watts - David Hutcherson	113	2	4.530	0.000	218
94	Dale Meder - Wendy Meder	75	1	4.490	0.000	217
95	Tommy Floyd - Randy Welch	68	1	1.510	0.000	216
96	Bobby Wade - Pete Sherbert	2	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	danny houck - Eddie Rogers	3	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Shawn Jordan - Shannon Jordan	10	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Zeke Lynam - Jason Morse	11	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Juddie Revels - David Oxendine	14	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Thomas Hardwick - Tommy Williams	17	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Todd Olds - Wade Harmon	18	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Jason Miles - Jerry Freezon	23	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Carlton Thompkins - Timmy Thompkins	26	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Jeff cantey - Henry Mcfadden	30	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Charles Keith - jerome evans	31	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Larry McKissick - Jay McKissick	36	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Andrew Boykin - Billy Gainey	38	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Billy McIntosh - Rick McLean	42	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Ronnie McCoy - Jason McCoy	43	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Todd Gambrell - Chad Cook	46	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Miles Hair - Terry Tolar	53	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Sam Hopkins - Paul Hopkins	54	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	michael collins - Allan Collins	58	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Clint Jackson - Heath Rhinehart	65	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Jonathan Brindel - David Grooms	67	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Rodney Jordan - Jason Carlton	69	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Donnie Levister - Ryan Williams	78	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Tim Jones - Chris Bennett	83	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Jimmy Counts - Gary Angel	88	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Jonathan Sims - Jason Mitchum	91	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Chad Hamm - David Carver	99	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Kevin Brock - Bubba Dennis	103	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Alan Fletcher - Danny Johnson	107	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	David Teel - Chris Ramsey	108	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Joel Watts - Rob Kyzer	109	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Justin Harvey - Steve Gilstrap	110	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Johnathan Crossland - David Crossland	112	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	greg butts	119	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Chris Epting - Johnny Mayer	120	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Brad Nappier - Nathan Luke	122	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Jay Keith - Donald Hinson	124	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Shane Abbott - Brian Jones	125	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Ray Walsh - Marc Deschenes	129	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Toby Keisler - TJ Keisler	131	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Chris Heath - Steve Debord	133	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Robbie Carroll - Bryan Carroll	135	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Bunn Tyson - Thomas Hoffmeyer	136	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Kenny Brice - Chad Crosby	138	0	0.000	6.240	215
96	Marty Quesada - Steven Story	139	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Bud Moss - David Prince	140	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	Kyle Janney - Tripp Poplin	141	0	0.000	0.000	215
96	David Few	143	0	0.000	0.000	215

by AnglersChannel

Ike Holds Lead, Reese Closes Gap At Bassmaster Elite Series Tourney On Guntersville

Michael Iaconelli’s ever-evolving game plan for the Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville took another drastic turn during Saturday’s third round.

The New Jersey pro switched to a Carolina rig – a technique he calls his “next-to-least-favorite way” to fish – and managed a five-bass limit that weighed 16 pounds, 7 ounces. It pushed his three-day total to 69-8 and kept him in the lead for the third straight day.

Iaconelli’s margin dwindled, however, dropping from nearly 5 pounds as the day began to just 2-2 as he prepares to enter Sunday’s championship round. Skeet Reese of California caught 25-1 Saturday and jumped into second with 67-6, followed by Tennessean David Walker (67-4) and Oklahoma angler Jason Christie (65-7).

“My least-favorite way to catch fish is with a jiggin’ spoon,” Iaconelli said. “After that, it would be Carolina rigging. But if I had not pulled out that Carolina rig, I probably would have only weighed in about 11 pounds today.”

Iaconelli worked the same area that produced catches of 28-2 and 24-15 the first two days. But the fishing was much tougher due to strong winds that made the lake choppy and eventually caused some areas to become stained with mud.

He said he’ll have to decide before takeoff Sunday whether he’ll stick with the area that’s been so good to him or finally make a move.

“I still believe in my heart that the area I’m fishing is the winning area,” Iaconelli said. “It’s so hard to leave. My mind keeps thinking I just need to stay in there the entire day and commit. I’m going to go home and think about it tonight.”

Iaconelli did leave the area briefly Saturday to check out a spot where he had found several fish on spawning beds during practice. But after inspecting that area, he said he abandoned any thought of sight fishing the rest of the way.

“I took it off the table,” Iaconelli said. “When I ran in there today, there were dudes on the bank everywhere. So I just decided I’m not bed fishing.”

Though it helped him hang onto the lead Saturday, Iaconelli said he believes another 16-pound catch Sunday will sink his chances for a wire-to-wire victory. He thinks it’ll take 20-plus pounds, possibly even mid-20s, to finish the win.

With heavy hitters like Reese and Walker on his heels, he may be right.

Reese, who still maintains he had a dismal practice for the event, turned in his best catch so far with 25-1. Unlike most anglers, who said the wind made their days tougher, he said it actually helped him.

“I really did have a horrible practice here,” Reese said. “But one thing I learned is that what I was doing in practice sucked. So why continue to do that? I just kept adjusting and changing and trying to find something new, and I did.

“The wind blew and really helped the bite today, but it’s supposed to be slick tomorrow. I may have to change up a little bit.”

Walker continued what has been a great bounce-back event for him after finishing 107th last month at the Elite Series opener on the Sabine River. After catching 23-1 and 25-5 the first two days, he added 18-14 Saturday and slipped slightly from second to third with 67-4.

Unlike Friday, when he landed a 5-pounder on his first cast, Walker said Saturday was more of a grind. But once he slowed his approach, he caught a good limit that included a 7-pounder, and he was able to steadily cull his way to a solid catch.

Walker wasn’t nearly as happy about the wind as Reese.

“The wind was not helpful at all,” he said. “It got to a point where you had a very small range to throw in. If you tried to throw too far this way or that way, your line just got out of hand.”

The one positive to the wind, Walker said, was that it made things tough for everyone in the area he was fishing.

“One thing that gave me a huge advantage over some of the other people who were fishing around me was those Power-Poles,” Walker said, referring to his shallow-water anchoring system. “I could put them down and stay there and fish, while a lot of people were spinning around and struggling to stay put.”

Other anglers who made the Top 12 and qualified for Sunday’s championship round were Carl Jocumsen (64-8), Derek Remitz (64-8), Greg Vinson (64-3), Byron Velvick (63-10), Keith Combs (62-15), Dean Rojas (62-10), Chad Morgenthaler (60-15) and Brent Ehrler (60-9).

The pros will launch from Guntersville City Harbor at 6:15 a.m. Sunday with the final weigh-in scheduled for 3 p.m. at the same location. A $100,000 first-place prize will be on the line.

2015 Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville 4/9-4/12
Lake Guntersville, Guntersville AL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3

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

1. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 15 69-08 100 $500.00
Day 1: 5 28-02 Day 2: 5 24-15 Day 3: 5 16-07
2. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 15 67-06 99
Day 1: 5 24-15 Day 2: 5 17-06 Day 3: 5 25-01
3. David Walker Sevierville, TN 15 67-04 98
Day 1: 5 23-01 Day 2: 5 25-05 Day 3: 5 18-14
4. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 15 65-07 97
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 21-06 Day 3: 5 23-10
5. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 15 64-08 96
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 26-10 Day 3: 5 18-00
6. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 15 64-08 95
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 24-00 Day 3: 5 20-13
7. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 15 64-03 94
Day 1: 5 23-11 Day 2: 5 16-06 Day 3: 5 24-02
8. Byron Velvick Boenre, TX 15 63-10 93
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 26-06 Day 3: 5 18-07
9. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 15 62-15 92
Day 1: 5 23-00 Day 2: 5 20-06 Day 3: 5 19-09
10. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 15 62-10 91
Day 1: 5 22-02 Day 2: 5 20-02 Day 3: 5 20-06
11. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, IL 15 60-15 90
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 24-08 Day 3: 5 19-13
12. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 15 60-09 89
Day 1: 5 23-08 Day 2: 5 20-05 Day 3: 5 16-12
13. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 15 60-04 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 26-08 Day 3: 5 16-10
14. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 15 59-15 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-05 Day 2: 5 19-07 Day 3: 5 17-03
15. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 15 59-02 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 21-02 Day 3: 5 22-12
16. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 15 58-11 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 21-07 Day 3: 5 20-00
17. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 14 58-02 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 19-07 Day 2: 5 17-04 Day 3: 5 21-07
18. Matt Lee Auburn , AL 15 57-15 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-15 Day 2: 5 18-09 Day 3: 5 15-07
19. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 15 57-11 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-04 Day 2: 5 18-13 Day 3: 5 16-10
20. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 15 57-11 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 20-10 Day 3: 5 19-11
21. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 15 57-08 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 18-08 Day 3: 5 20-04
22. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 15 56-13 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 21-04 Day 3: 5 18-05
23. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 15 55-10 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 23-00 Day 3: 5 17-04
24. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 15 55-08 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-03 Day 2: 5 19-12 Day 3: 5 13-09
25. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 14 55-06 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 26-01 Day 2: 4 15-09 Day 3: 5 13-12
26. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 15 54-14 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-04 Day 2: 5 15-12 Day 3: 5 19-14
27. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 15 54-13 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 18-11 Day 3: 5 16-01
28. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 15 54-09 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-07 Day 2: 5 17-10 Day 3: 5 15-08
29. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 15 54-09 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 18-12 Day 3: 5 19-14
30. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 15 53-05 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 15-06 Day 3: 5 18-09
31. Nate Wellman Newaygo, MI 15 53-03 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 19-00 Day 3: 5 13-03
32. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 15 53-01 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 25-08 Day 2: 5 15-01 Day 3: 5 12-08
33. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 15 52-13 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 20-04 Day 3: 5 11-05
34. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 15 52-08 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 16-01 Day 3: 5 16-00
35. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 15 52-07 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-06 Day 2: 5 16-07 Day 3: 5 15-10
36. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 15 51-10 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 24-04 Day 2: 5 14-00 Day 3: 5 13-06
37. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 15 51-05 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 22-01 Day 3: 5 11-15
38. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 15 51-02 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 17-15 Day 3: 5 14-03
39. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 15 50-12 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 23-00 Day 3: 5 14-15
40. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 15 50-01 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 5 14-02
41. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 15 50-00 60 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-02 Day 2: 5 16-02 Day 3: 5 10-12
42. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 15 49-12 59 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-09 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 5 14-14
43. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 15 49-02 58 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 19-06 Day 3: 5 13-05
44. James Elam Tulsa, OK 15 48-00 57 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 16-00 Day 3: 5 13-00
45. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 15 47-06 56 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 17-05 Day 3: 5 12-04
46. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 15 46-07 55 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-04 Day 2: 5 15-09 Day 3: 5 11-10
47. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 15 46-04 54 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 10-15
48. Jordan Lee Vinemont, AL 14 44-12 53 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 18-03 Day 3: 4 08-01
49. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 12 44-00 52 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 25-08 Day 3: 2 06-11
50. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 13 44-00 51 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 22-00 Day 3: 3 05-11
51. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 13 41-00 50 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 19-07 Day 3: 3 06-00
52. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 12 40-02 49 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 2 05-09
53. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 10 35-07 48 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 17-07 Day 3: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 108 558 1930-13
2 108 557 1939-03
3 47 249 820-09
----------------------------------
263 1364 4690-09

by AnglersChannel

Hanselman Wins Second Consecutive Rayovac Flw Series Texas Division Event On Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Teaser image:

Ray Hanselman of Del Rio, Texas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win the Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Mercury with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 60 pounds, 8 ounces. For his win Hanselman earned $35,815, pushing his season winnings to more than $69,000 from just two tournaments.

â€œIâ€™m honestly shocked. Thatâ€™s about the only way to describe how I feel right now,â€ said Hanselman, who won the Texas Division opener on Lake Amistad in February. â€œYou always want to win but to take two in the same season is just incredible.â€

In order to secure his victory, Hanselman targeted small drains that led to spawning flats in the mid-lake area.

â€œIn practice I found that the majority of the fish were along the sides of the points. Not at the tip, not in the back, but right along those longer sides,â€ Hanselman said. â€œI narrowed the pattern down to three spots across the lake and decided to pursue them further in the tournament.

â€œI was looking for fish that had already spawned,â€ Hanselman continued. â€œI specifically focused on those drains, or pinch points, where theyâ€™re forced to go in and out of the beds.â€

Hanselman said that he managed to catch around 15 fish on day one using an Okeechobee Crawâ€“colored Strike King Slither Rig â€“ the same bait he used the entire tournament

â€œIt really did what the name suggests. When I was flipping it slid right into that thick cover where I needed it,â€ Hanselman said.

On days two and three, Hanselman returned to those same areas and found a similar bite.

â€œI caught almost 25 fish on day two and was able to bring in around 15 on day three,â€ Hanselman said. â€œIt was pretty exciting.â€

Hanselman went on to say that the unusually high water level on Sam Rayburn didnâ€™t affect his strategy as much as other anglers.

â€œI wanted to keep it simple. I didnâ€™t want to get lost way back in the pine trees. I was looking for fish that had already spawned at those drains and it worked.â€

The top 10 pros on Sam Rayburn Reservoir were:

1^st: Ray Hanselman, Del Rio, Texas, 15 bass, 60-8, $35,815

2^nd: Kris Wilson, Montgomery, Texas, 15 bass, 53-6, $13,878

3^rd: Jim Tutt, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 52-10, $10,745

4^th: James Stricklin Jr., Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 50-15, $8,954 + $252 Big Bass award

5^th: Denny Brauer, Del Rio, Texas, 15 bass, 50-3, $8,058

6^th: Joe Don Setina, Pittsburg, Texas, 14 bass, 49-11, $7,163

7^th: T.J. Goodwyn, Center, Texas, 15 bass, 47-10, $6,268

8^th: Ricky Guy, Humble, Texas, 13 bass, 44-5, $5,372

9^th: Randy Sitz, Prosper, Texas, 14 bass, 41-5, $4,477

10^th: Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, 12 bass, 34-3, $3,582

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Dan Wilson of Pilot Point, Texas, won the co-angler division and a Ranger Z117C with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 39 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers on Sam Rayburn Reservoir were:

1^st: Dan Wilson, Pilot Point, Texas, 15 bass, 39-4, Ranger Z117C with a 90-horsepower outboard + $5,000 Ranger Cup

2^nd: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 15 bass, 35-8, $4,500

3^rd: Clint Lipham, Conroe, Texas, 12 bass, 32-8, $3,600

4^th: Collin Cooper, Smithville, Texas, 11 bass, 31-3, $3,150

5^th: Tim Montz, Wichita Falls, Texas, 12 bass, 29-11, $2,700

6^th: Rick Parker, Kaufman, Texas, 13 bass, 28-6, $2,250

7^th: Bubba Finstad, Ranger, Texas, 10 bass, 26-3, $1,800

8^th: Mark Mowery, Longview, Texas, 11 bass, 22-14, $1,575

9^th: Denny Swartz, Broussard, La., eight bass, 21-6, $1,350

10^th: Michael Stilley, Nacogdoches, Texas, 11 bass, 21-5, $1,125

by AnglersChannel

Hanselman takes lead at Rayovac tourney on Sam Rayburn

It seems poetically fitting that Ray Hanselman will carry a 5-pound, 6-ounce lead into the final day of the Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Considering the lake denied him a trio of 5-pounders this morning, thatâ€™s some good old-fashioned redemption.

â€œNormally, you lose three fish like that and youâ€™re just torn up,â€ Hanselman says. â€œBut I tried to keep myself calm. Yesterday, before the tournament, I told myself, â€˜I know itâ€™s going to happen.â€™ I power fish a lot, and when you flip that kind of stuff, itâ€™s going to happen. I just tried to keep myself calm and just keep fishing.â€

Hanselman is the only angler to break 20 pounds both days â€“ 23 pounds, 5 ounces today and 20-9 on day one, for a total weight of 43-14. Behind "Hanselmania" is Denny Brauer, also of Del Rio, who is in second place for the second consecutive day. Day-one leader Joe Don Setina weighed in only four keepers for 11 pounds today.

Rayburn remains about 5 feet above normal level, so the flooded brush and shoreline trees remain the main deal. Some anglers are fishing for spawners, while others are targeting postspawn bass exiting the cover.

Focusing on that inner habitat, Hanselman began day two on the mid-lake spot he fished yesterday and bagged a 14-pound limit there by 11 a.m. He moved to another area and culled up with a 4-pounder. The leader says he planned to ease off with hopes of saving some fish for the final round, but then opportunity knocked.

â€œI was running back, and I saw a spot that looked just like the spot I had been fishing, but I couldnâ€™t fish there in practice because the wind had been beating on it,â€ Hanselman says. â€œToday, the wind was opposite, so I went in there and culled three more.

â€œIn practice, the wind was out of the south at 15 to 20 mph, and today it was out of the north. So a lot of those banks that were beaten up in practice are protected now.â€

Both days, Hanselman has fished spawning coves with a mix of heavy, newly flooded cover and isolated brush. Flipping and pitching Strike King plastics, heâ€™s intentionally avoiding the brush and trees with thick vines and grass mats that a lot of other anglers have reportedly been targeting.

These gnarly conglomerations of entangled cover seem to offer attractive habitat, but what fosters the fishâ€™s sense of security will often break the anglerâ€™s heart. For Hanselman, avoiding the vines has allowed him to make clean presentations.

â€œWhen youâ€™re flipping that cover, you have to maximize your flips,â€ Hanselman says. â€œYou have to make sure youâ€™re not pitching over a limb, and you try to make the cleanest pitch you can possibly make.â€

Hanselman says he further refined his program by picking out particular trees.

â€œIâ€™m catching more fish around the trees without the leaves because I think the sunlight can get to them,â€ he explains. â€œSome of them [the bass] I think are actually spawning.â€

In addition to sizing up a promising tree, Hanselman is also considering his exit strategy.

â€œI make the flip I can, but Iâ€™m conscious of where my line falls in there,â€ he says. â€œI always ask myself if I can pull a fish out of there. And if I canâ€™t Iâ€™ll reel it up and flip again.â€

Top 10 Pros

1: Ray Hanselman â€“ Del Rio, Texas â€“ 43-14 (10)

2: Denny Brauer â€“ Del Rio, Texas â€“ 38-08 (10)

3: Tj Goodwyn â€“ Center, Texas â€“ 37-00 (10)

4: Ricky Guy â€“ Humble, Texas â€“ 36-11 (10)

5: Kris Wilson â€“ Montgomery, Texas â€“ 36-10 (10)

6: Jim Tutt â€“ Longview, Texas â€“ 35-00 (10)

7: Joe Don Setina â€“ Pittsburg, Texas â€“ 34-06 (9)

8: James Stricklin Jr. â€“ Hot Springs, Ark. â€“ 32-06 (10)

9: Tommy Dickerson â€“ Orange, Texas â€“ 31-03 (10)

10: Randy Sitz â€“ Prosper, Texas â€“ 30-11 (10)

Bryan New

Bryan New, of Belmont, N.C., moved up two spots to lead the co-angler division with 25 pounds, 8 ounces. Adding 13-5 to the 12-3 he weighed on day one, New took the co-angler lead by 11 ounces. Although big bites have eluded him, heâ€™s happy to have kept the rods bent.

â€œIâ€™m just catching a lot of fish, period,â€ he says. â€œEven if thereâ€™s not a lot of big fish, that gives you confidence to fish as hard as you can because your next decision is going to be the right one.â€

Yesterday, New only had seven or eight bites, but today he had 25 or 30.

â€œYesterday, we fished a lot tighter to the flooded cover, and I wasnâ€™t able to hit new water,â€ New explains. â€œToday, the area was more open, and my pro just couldnâ€™t hit everything.â€

New says that the Charlieâ€™s Worms creature bait he was flipping made a big difference in his success. He opted not to share the specific bait, but says it differs subtly from another common bait style that many others are fishing. A slightly different body design, a softer body and intense scent additives are the key details. The bait produced bites in depths of 1 to 9 feet.

by AnglersChannel

Ike Still Leads Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Guntersville

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – After rocketing into the lead with 28 pounds, 2 ounces on the first day of the Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville, Michael Iaconelli went back out during Friday’s second round with intentions of fishing the same way.

But after a while, things just didn’t feel right. So he followed his instincts, made a quick adjustment and put together another fantastic catch, a five-bass limit weighing 24-15, to widen his lead in the event with a two-day mark of 53-1.

The remainder of the 5 saw some drastic changes on a day that was delayed one hour by thunderstorms with David Walker (48-6) moving into second, and Carl Jocumsen (46- 8), a rookie from Australia, holding down third. Byron Velvick (45-3) and Brent Ehrler (43-13) are fourth and fifth. With the lake itself undergoing changes, even more shifting could happen atop the leaderboard Saturday.

“On Thursday, I thought I knew exactly what was happening,” Iaconelli said. “After today, I believe there’s a lot more fish moving up to spawn than I thought and a lot more fish coming out for the postspawn than I thought. There are a lot of fish on the move.”

Iaconelli, who never said which lures he was using Thursday, said he switched to a crankbait when things got slow Friday. That’s when he caught two of his largest fish of the day.

“The first cast on a crankbait, I caught one that weighed almost 8 pounds,” Iaconelli said. “The next one on a crankbait was a 6-pounder. That was a key decision, because without those two fish, I probably would have only weighed in about 16 or 17 pounds.”

Several of Iaconelli’s fish had what he called “big quarter sores” on their gill plates. He believed those were identifying marks for bass that have entered the postspawn phase.

Because Guntersville has such an immense bass population, Iaconelli believes the bass don’t stay on bed as long as they do in other venues. With so many fish in transition, he said things were tough Friday – and could get tougher.

“It looked a lot better for me today than it really was,” Iaconelli said. “Yesterday, it was happening. I’d pull up to spot and just know I was going to catch them. I caught over 30 keeper bass. Today, I caught maybe nine keepers.

“I feel like I’m in the winning area, but it’s going to be really important to keep moving with the fish.”

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

Walker, who suffered through a dismal 107th-place finish in the Elite Series event last month on the Sabine River, came to Guntersville worried that another bad finish might jeopardize his chances of qualifying for the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic. But after landing 23-1 Friday and 25-5 Saturday, he easily made Saturday’s Top 53 cut and put himself within striking distance of his second Elite Series win.

“I started off with a 5-pounder on my first cast, and that’s the way to start the day,” Walker said. “After a while, I had that one good fish and just four others that would measure. But as the day went on, I’d catch another fish that was a big one and then another. My culls were going up really fast, because I started with such small ones.”

Walker, who revealed little about the technique he was using, said confidence played a major role in his Friday success.

“It was one of those days when I had the one thing you always want as a fisherman,” Walker said. “It’s not a secret spot or a secret lure. It was confidence in my choices. Almost every time I thought I needed to try something it would work. And if it didn’t work, I knew that it didn’t because when I got there it just didn’t feel right.”

The biggest catch of the day belonged to Jocumsen, who brought in 26-10 to vault himself into third with 46-8. The popular Australian pro, who is fishing only his second event as an Elite Series rookie, had 21 pounds around noon and actually upgraded his catch while scouting for Saturday.

Jocumsen said the weigh-in took place around 6 a.m. in Australia, and more than 20,000 people in his native country were likely watching live on Bassmaster.com. He said many had also been up most of the night following his progress on the web site through BASSTrakk.

“Because of BASSTrakk, they say no one’s sleeping because they’re refreshing it all through the middle of the night,” Jocumsen said, laughing. “My sponsors and my friends say they haven’t slept the last two nights.

“Everyone in Australia is so excited. It’s going to bring awareness to the sport and put bass fishing on the map a little bit in another country.”

The 53 pros surviving the cut will launch from Guntersville City Harbor at 6:15 a.m. Saturday with the weigh-in scheduled back at the park at 3 p.m. Only the Top 12 anglers after Saturday’s weigh-in will move on to Sunday’s championship round.
2015 Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville 4/9-4/12
Lake Guntersville, Guntersville AL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

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

1. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 10 53-01 100 $500.00
Day 1: 5 28-02 Day 2: 5 24-15
2. David Walker Sevierville, TN 10 48-06 99
Day 1: 5 23-01 Day 2: 5 25-05
3. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 10 46-08 98
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 26-10
4. Byron Velvick Boenre, TX 10 45-03 97
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 26-06
5. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 10 43-13 96
Day 1: 5 23-08 Day 2: 5 20-05
6. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 10 43-11 95
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 24-00
7. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 10 43-10 94
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 26-08
8. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 43-06 93
Day 1: 5 23-00 Day 2: 5 20-06
9. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 42-12 92
Day 1: 5 23-05 Day 2: 5 19-07
10. Matt Lee Auburn , AL 10 42-08 91
Day 1: 5 23-15 Day 2: 5 18-09
11. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 10 42-05 90
Day 1: 5 24-15 Day 2: 5 17-06
12. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 10 42-04 89
Day 1: 5 22-02 Day 2: 5 20-02
13. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 10 41-15 88
Day 1: 5 22-03 Day 2: 5 19-12
14. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 10 41-13 87
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 21-06
15. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 9 41-10 86
Day 1: 5 26-01 Day 2: 4 15-09
16. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 10 41-08 85
Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 20-04
17. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, IL 10 41-02 84
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 24-08
18. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 10 41-01 83
Day 1: 5 22-04 Day 2: 5 18-13
19. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 10 40-09 82
Day 1: 5 25-08 Day 2: 5 15-01
20. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 10 40-01 81
Day 1: 5 23-11 Day 2: 5 16-06
21. Nate Wellman Newaygo, MI 10 40-00 80
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 19-00
22. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 10 39-06 79
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 22-01
23. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 10 39-04 78
Day 1: 5 23-02 Day 2: 5 16-02
24. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 10 39-01 77
Day 1: 5 21-07 Day 2: 5 17-10
25. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 38-12 76
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 18-11
26. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 10 38-11 75
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 21-07
27. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 10 38-08 74
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 21-04
28. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 10 38-06 73
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 23-00
29. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 10 38-05 72
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 22-00
30. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 10 38-04 71
Day 1: 5 24-04 Day 2: 5 14-00
31. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 10 38-00 70
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 20-10
32. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 10 37-05 69
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 25-08
33. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 37-04 68
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 18-08
34. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 10 36-15 67
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 17-15
35. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 10 36-13 66
Day 1: 5 20-06 Day 2: 5 16-07
36. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 9 36-11 65
Day 1: 4 19-07 Day 2: 5 17-04
37. Jordan Lee Vinemont, AL 10 36-11 64
Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 18-03
38. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 10 36-08 63
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 16-01
39. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 10 36-06 62
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 21-02
40. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 35-15 61
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 17-03
41. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 10 35-13 60
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 23-00
42. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 10 35-13 59
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 19-06
43. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 10 35-07 58
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 17-07
44. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 35-05 57
Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 16-15
45. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 35-02 56
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 17-05
46. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 35-00 55
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 19-07
47. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 10 35-00 54
Day 1: 5 19-04 Day 2: 5 15-12
48. James Elam Tulsa, OK 10 35-00 53
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 16-00
49. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 10 34-14 52
Day 1: 5 20-09 Day 2: 5 14-05
50. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 10 34-13 51
Day 1: 5 19-04 Day 2: 5 15-09
51. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 10 34-12 50
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 15-06
52. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 10 34-11 49
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 18-12
53. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 10 34-09 48
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 15-04
54. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 10 34-07 47
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 14-14
55. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 10 34-05 46
Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 15-13
56. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 10 34-04 45
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 15-13
57. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 10 34-01 44
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 18-09
58. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 10 33-15 43
Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 14-13
59. Chad Pipkens Holt, MI 10 33-14 42
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 19-04
60. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 10 33-13 41
Day 1: 5 22-04 Day 2: 5 11-09
61. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 10 33-06 40
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 13-11
62. Zell Rowland Montgomery, TX 10 33-06 39
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 19-01
63. Randy Howell Springville, AL 10 33-00 38
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 19-00
64. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 10 33-00 37
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 18-06
65. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 10 33-00 36
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 17-07
66. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 10 32-14 35
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 19-14
67. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 10 32-13 34
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 17-15
68. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 10 32-12 33
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 16-01
69. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 10 32-09 32
Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 5 13-14
70. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 10 32-07 31
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 20-07
71. Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 10 32-04 30
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 16-12
72. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 10 32-03 29
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 16-06
73. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 10 32-02 28
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 15-09
74. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 10 31-12 27
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 17-03
75. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 10 31-09 26
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 13-15
76. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 10 31-06 25
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 18-01
77. Koby Kreiger Bokeelia, FL 10 30-15 24
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 17-06
78. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 10 30-15 23
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 16-11
79. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, OK 10 30-10 22
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 15-09
80. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 10 30-08 21
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 15-04
81. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 10 30-07 20
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 13-06
82. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 10 30-05 19
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 15-02
83. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 10 30-04 18
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 16-11
84. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 10 30-01 17
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 19-00
85. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 10 30-01 16
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 14-12
86. Ken Iyobe Tokoname Aichi JAPAN 10 30-00 15
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 16-04
87. Kevin Ledoux Choctaw, OK 6 29-15 14
Day 1: 5 24-03 Day 2: 1 05-12
88. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 9 29-11 13
Day 1: 5 20-06 Day 2: 4 09-05
89. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 10 29-11 12
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 13-15
90. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 10 29-10 11
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 13-09
91. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 10 29-10 10
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 15-08
91. David Williams Maiden, NC 10 29-10 10
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 14-02
93. Kevin Hawk Guntersville, AL 10 29-09 8
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 18-09
94. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 10 29-07 7
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 14-12
95. Mike Kernan Wylie, TX 10 29-03 6
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 15-05
96. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 28-15 5
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 13-12
97. Casey Scanlon Lanexa, KS 10 28-14 4
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 15-03
98. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 10 28-10 3
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 15-00
99. Stephen Longobardi Northford, CT 10 28-04 2
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 15-09
100. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 10 27-10 1
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 14-13
101. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 10 26-09 0
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 15-12
102. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 9 26-01 0
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 4 10-02
103. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 9 25-15 0
Day 1: 4 09-14 Day 2: 5 16-01
104. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 10 25-11 0
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 11-13
105. Joseph Sancho New Windsor, NY 10 25-11 0
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 12-01
106. Jared Miller Norman, OK 9 25-02 0
Day 1: 4 11-00 Day 2: 5 14-02
107. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 10 24-13 0
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 13-07
108. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 10 24-12 0
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 13-04
109. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 10 23-10 0
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 12-01
110. David Smith Del City, OK 10 23-06 0
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 12-08
111. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 9 23-01 0
Day 1: 4 09-14 Day 2: 5 13-03
112. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 9 22-03 0
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 4 10-01
113. Boo Woods Oneida, KY 7 20-13 0
Day 1: 2 05-11 Day 2: 5 15-02
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 108 558 1930-13
2 108 557 1939-03
----------------------------------
216 1115 3870-00

by AnglersChannel

Setina leads Brauer by ounces at Rayovac on Rayburn

Lake Sam Rayburn is higher than it has been in 15 years. A number of patterns are in play. Nearly all revolve around the flooded trees.

Spawning bass are tough to reach, but some are targeting them behind the shallow brush line. Others are fishing the deeper outside edge of the trees.

Joe Don Setina of Pittsburg, Texas didn’t catch a keeper until 11:00 this morning. After that he pieced-together a limit that weighed 23-06 to take an 8 ounce lead over Denny Brauer.

Brauer flipped today. Not news. He tore something in his shoulder. Bad news. He’ll have an MRI on Monday but for now he must fish mostly one-handed and employ an awkward sweep style hook set.

Ricky Guy holds down 3^rd with 22-13.

Jeff Cade is 4^th with 22-10.

Jim Tutt rounds out the Top 5 with 21-13.

by AnglersChannel

Ike Leads Day 1 Of Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Guntersville

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – Michael Iaconelli arrived in Alabama Sunday limping on a swollen right ankle, and he went to bed Wednesday night worried the fish he had found in practice would disappear due to rapidly rising water temperatures.

But neither issue was a problem once he hit the water Thursday morning.

Iaconelli had what he called a “magical day” in the Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville, taking the opening-round lead with five bass that weighed 28 pounds, 2 ounces. The New Jersey pro’s best single-day catch in recent memory was one of many head-turners on a day when it took 21-0 to crack the Top 20.

Kelly Jordon (26-1), Bernie Schultz (25- 8), Skeet Reese (24-15) and Kelley Jaye (24- 4) rounded out the Top 5 with eye-popping catches of their own.

“The water temperature in practice on Monday was 60 degrees,” said Iaconelli, who injured his ankle during last month’s Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River presented by STARK Cultural Venues in Texas. “By Wednesday, it was 65 to 67 degrees. That’s a huge difference, and I kind of knew those fish I found in practice were going to go away.”

Rather than going completely back to the drawing board, Iaconelli just moved with the fish.

“Today, I tried to visualize where they went,” he said. “Knowing the water went up six or seven degrees, I knew they didn’t go deeper. Everything wants to spawn right now, and I tried to visualize the route they would take.”

Iaconelli, who is often much more open with details of how he’s catching fish during tournaments than other anglers, wouldn’t say much about his techniques Thursday. He said he wasn’t sight fishing for bedding fish like many of the other top anglers, and he said he was fishing “all new water” with a “new bait.”

“I marked about 30 fish on beds during practice, and I’m not saying I won’t have to do that eventually,” said Iaconelli, who won an Elite Series event on Guntersville in 2006. “But that’s not my strength. That would be like telling Kevin VanDam (a noted power fisherman) to go out finesse fishing.”

The fact that Iaconelli is not sight fishing for spawning bass might play to his advantage if thunderstorms and heavy rains move into the region Thursday night and Friday morning as predicted. That nasty weather could cause headaches for anglers like Jordon and Schultz, who relied heavily on spawning fish during the opening round.

Jordon struggled early with a sight fishing game plan Thursday, only to see it come together rapidly after 10:30 a.m. as he culled his way up to 26-1. But he’s worried about what a nasty bout of thunderstorms could do to the fish he’s depending on.

“The thunderstorms will run the fish off the beds,” said Jordon, who finished first in a Bassmaster Tour event on Guntersville in 2006. “I mean it is what it is. But man, it sure would be more fun if they’d just hold off a little while.”

Schultz also targeted shallow spawners for a catch of 25-8 that included two bass over 6 pounds. The second 6-pounder almost didn’t make it in his boat after wrapping around his trolling motor shaft and forcing him to pull the line in by hand.

He said stormy weather could take the all-important “sight” element out of his sight fishing.

“It’s not going to help, because you won’t be able to see the fish,” Schultz said. “With the bigger fish, you’ve got to look at them and really work them. They’re not easy. They’re just not aggressive at all.”

No one was more surprised to see Reese find his way into the Top 5 than Reese himself.

After a particularly tough practice, the popular California pro decided to do something “completely different” Thursday. It resulted in a catch of 24-15 that he said could have been even better.

“I lost two big ones today that would have been nice to have,” said Reese, winner of the 2010 Elite Series Southern Challenge on Guntersville. “But to catch almost 25 pounds after the practice I had, I’m tickled to death. I’ll go out tomorrow, put the raingear on and see what happens.”

The 113-angler field will be trimmed to the Top 53 after Friday’s round. Take-off is scheduled for 6:15 a.m. from Guntersville City Harbor, with the weigh-in scheduled back at the launch site at 3 p.m.
2015 Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville 4/9-4/12
Lake Guntersville, Guntersville AL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1

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

1. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 28-02 100
Day 1: 5 28-02
2. Kelly Jordon Flint, TX 5 26-01 99
Day 1: 5 26-01
3. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 25-08 98
Day 1: 5 25-08
4. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 5 24-15 97
Day 1: 5 24-15
5. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 5 24-04 96
Day 1: 5 24-04
6. Kevin Ledoux Choctaw, OK 5 24-03 95
Day 1: 5 24-03
7. Matt Lee Auburn , AL 5 23-15 94
Day 1: 5 23-15
8. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 5 23-11 93
Day 1: 5 23-11
9. Brent Ehrler Newport Beach, CA 5 23-08 92
Day 1: 5 23-08
10. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 23-05 91
Day 1: 5 23-05
11. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 5 23-02 90
Day 1: 5 23-02
12. David Walker Sevierville, TN 5 23-01 89
Day 1: 5 23-01
13. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 23-00 88
Day 1: 5 23-00
14. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 22-04 87
Day 1: 5 22-04
14. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 5 22-04 87
Day 1: 5 22-04
16. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 5 22-03 85
Day 1: 5 22-03
17. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 5 22-02 84
Day 1: 5 22-02
18. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 5 21-07 83
Day 1: 5 21-07
19. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 5 21-04 82
Day 1: 5 21-04
20. Nate Wellman Newaygo, MI 5 21-00 81
Day 1: 5 21-00
21. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 5 20-09 80
Day 1: 5 20-09
22. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 20-07 79
Day 1: 5 20-07
22. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 5 20-07 79
Day 1: 5 20-07
24. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 20-06 77
Day 1: 5 20-06
24. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 5 20-06 77
Day 1: 5 20-06
26. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 20-01 75
Day 1: 5 20-01
27. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 5 19-14 74
Day 1: 5 19-14
28. Cliff Pace Petal, MS 5 19-11 73
Day 1: 5 19-11
28. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 5 19-11 73
Day 1: 5 19-11
30. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 5 19-09 71
Day 1: 5 19-09
31. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 4 19-07 70
Day 1: 4 19-07
32. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 5 19-06 69
Day 1: 5 19-06
33. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 19-05 68
Day 1: 5 19-05
34. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 5 19-04 67
Day 1: 5 19-04
34. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 5 19-04 67
Day 1: 5 19-04
36. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 5 19-02 65
Day 1: 5 19-02
37. James Elam Tulsa, OK 5 19-00 64
Day 1: 5 19-00
37. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 19-00 64
Day 1: 5 19-00
39. Byron Velvick Boenre, TX 5 18-13 62
Day 1: 5 18-13
40. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 18-12 61
Day 1: 5 18-12
40. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 18-12 61
Day 1: 5 18-12
42. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 5 18-11 59
Day 1: 5 18-11
43. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 5 18-08 58
Day 1: 5 18-08
43. Jordan Lee Vinemont, AL 5 18-08 58
Day 1: 5 18-08
45. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 18-07 56
Day 1: 5 18-07
46. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 18-06 55
Day 1: 5 18-06
47. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 5 18-00 54
Day 1: 5 18-00
48. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 17-13 53
Day 1: 5 17-13
49. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 5 17-10 52
Day 1: 5 17-10
50. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 5 17-06 51
Day 1: 5 17-06
51. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 5 17-05 50
Day 1: 5 17-05
52. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 5 17-04 49
Day 1: 5 17-04
52. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 5 17-04 49
Day 1: 5 17-04
54. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 5 17-02 47
Day 1: 5 17-02
55. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 5 17-01 46
Day 1: 5 17-01
56. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 5 16-11 45
Day 1: 5 16-11
57. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, IL 5 16-10 44
Day 1: 5 16-10
58. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 5 16-09 43
Day 1: 5 16-09
59. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 5 16-07 42
Day 1: 5 16-07
60. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 5 16-05 41
Day 1: 5 16-05
61. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 5 16-01 40
Day 1: 5 16-01
62. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 15-15 39
Day 1: 5 15-15
62. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 5 15-15 39
Day 1: 5 15-15
64. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 5 15-13 37
Day 1: 5 15-13
65. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 5 15-12 36
Day 1: 5 15-12
66. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 5 15-09 35
Day 1: 5 15-09
66. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 15-09 35
Day 1: 5 15-09
68. Randy Allen Shreveport, LA 5 15-08 33
Day 1: 5 15-08
68. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 5 15-08 33
Day 1: 5 15-08
68. David Williams Maiden, NC 5 15-08 33
Day 1: 5 15-08
71. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 15-06 30
Day 1: 5 15-06
72. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 5 15-05 29
Day 1: 5 15-05
73. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 5 15-04 28
Day 1: 5 15-04
73. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 15-04 28
Day 1: 5 15-04
75. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 15-03 26
Day 1: 5 15-03
75. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 5 15-03 26
Day 1: 5 15-03
77. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, OK 5 15-01 24
Day 1: 5 15-01
78. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 5 14-14 23
Day 1: 5 14-14
79. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 5 14-11 22
Day 1: 5 14-11
80. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 5 14-10 21
Day 1: 5 14-10
80. Chad Pipkens Holt, MI 5 14-10 21
Day 1: 5 14-10
82. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 5 14-09 19
Day 1: 5 14-09
83. Zell Rowland Montgomery, TX 5 14-05 18
Day 1: 5 14-05
84. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 14-04 17
Day 1: 5 14-04
85. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 14-02 16
Day 1: 5 14-02
86. Randy Howell Springville, AL 5 14-00 15
Day 1: 5 14-00
87. Mike Kernan Wylie, TX 5 13-14 14
Day 1: 5 13-14
87. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 5 13-14 14
Day 1: 5 13-14
89. Ken Iyobe Tokoname Aichi JAPAN 5 13-12 12
Day 1: 5 13-12
90. Casey Scanlon Lanexa, KS 5 13-11 11
Day 1: 5 13-11
91. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 13-10 10
Day 1: 5 13-10
91. Joseph Sancho New Windsor, NY 5 13-10 10
Day 1: 5 13-10
93. Koby Kreiger Bokeelia, FL 5 13-09 8
Day 1: 5 13-09
93. Morizo Shimizu Suita, Osaka JAPAN 5 13-09 8
Day 1: 5 13-09
95. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 13-05 6
Day 1: 5 13-05
96. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 5 13-00 5
Day 1: 5 13-00
97. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 5 12-13 4
Day 1: 5 12-13
97. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 5 12-13 4
Day 1: 5 12-13
99. Stephen Longobardi Northford, CT 5 12-11 2
Day 1: 5 12-11
100. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 5 12-02 1
Day 1: 5 12-02
101. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 5 12-00 0
Day 1: 5 12-00
102. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 5 11-13 0
Day 1: 5 11-13
103. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 11-09 0
Day 1: 5 11-09
104. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 5 11-08 0
Day 1: 5 11-08
105. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 5 11-06 0
Day 1: 5 11-06
106. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 5 11-01 0
Day 1: 5 11-01
107. Kevin Hawk Guntersville, AL 5 11-00 0
Day 1: 5 11-00
108. Jared Miller Norman, OK 4 11-00 0
Day 1: 4 11-00
109. David Smith Del City, OK 5 10-14 0
Day 1: 5 10-14
110. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 5 10-13 0
Day 1: 5 10-13
111. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 4 09-14 0
Day 1: 4 09-14
111. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 4 09-14 0
Day 1: 4 09-14
113. Boo Woods Oneida, KY 2 05-11 0
Day 1: 2 05-11
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 108 558 1930-13
----------------------------------
108 558 1930-13

by AnglersChannel

Fun Fishing with Patrick Pierce at Bienville's hottest new lake.

As we head into a busy weekend of tournament action, here's a little fun fishing for you. StarBrite Pro Patrick Pierce took young angler, Courtney McCullough, fishing at Bienville Plantation's Thomas Lake. Patrick, Courtney, and her dad, Vance had a blast on a rainy day catching lots of bass up to 7 pounds!

by AnglersChannel

Sportsman's Warehouse HUGE Tournament Preview for this upcoming weekend!

Sportsman's Warehouse fishing Mgr Craig Baird helps us weed thru the HUGE number of Tournaments coming up this weekend-BASS on Gunerterville, ABA on Lewis Smith, and the CBC on Santee to name a few......HOLD ON!!

by AnglersChannel

Digh steps out of comfort zone in the Southeast to fish Rayovac Texas Division on Sam Rayburn

AnglersChannel.com Insider Rob Digh of Denver, NC

If a bass fisherman died and went to heaven, Sam Rayburn Lake in Texas is what heaven would look like, said Rob Digh, veteran tournament angler from Denver, N.C.

“This is the most beautiful lake you have ever seen,” he said while practicing for the FLW Rayovac Series Texas Division tournament on the lake this weekend. “But the fishing.....,” his voice trailed off.

Well, the fishing is kind of off the normal springtime pattern because Rayburn is uncharacteristically high right now, Digh said.

“The lake is five feet higher than normal and they are moving a lot of water through the lake,” he said. “Most of the fish have spawned out and they are really scattered because the water is so high.”

While Rayburn is a big structure lake, Digh said, most of the normal offshore structure is 7 to 8 feet deeper than normal for this time of year.

“Mainly, we are just flipping bushes, willows, pines –and yesterday we fished a deer stand in the water,” he said.

“There is also a lot of hay grass. The lake has not been this high in the past seven years so the banks have really grown up. It seems like there are some fish in that grass, but there are miles and miles of it,” Digh said. “You will flip a half a mile and not get anything, then you will flip and catch one. It's just hard t find a concentration of fish.”

The water temperature had been in the 70s, but is down to about 65 degrees right now, Digh said, due to a couple of cold fronts that moved across the area.

“We hope the water temperature will warm up and the fish will bite a little better for us,” he said.

“I don't know if the tournament can be won away from the banks or up on the banks. This is the first time I have been here. But in a BassCat tournament last week it took 32 pounds to win for two days, so I think 15 pounds a day will be good.”

Digh is out of his normal fishing element – he is ranked 11^th in the Rayovac FLW Series, Southeast Division after placing 55^th at Lake Okeechobee in January, but charging back up to 7^th place in the Lake Guntersville tournament last month.

“I am fishing the Texas Rayovac tournament because I have a sponsor, Just Brakes, which is headquartered in Dallas,” Digh said.

Just Brakes is an auto repair business specializing in automobile brake repairs, with 160 locations in eight states. While their specialty is brakes, ASE-certified technicians also perform routine maintenance and repairs such as oil changes, factory maintenance services, batteries, belt replacement, and fluid services.

The Sam Rayburn tournament is Digh's first venture into the Texas Rayovac Series – he did not fish the season opener on Lake Amistad in February – and he is not sure if he will fish the Texas final on Lake Texoma April 30. A lot will depend on how he fares this week on Sam Rayburn.

“I have not decided on the Texas Rayovac schedule yet,” said Digh, who also fishes the North Carolina BFLs and will fish the Anglers Choice tournament trail double-header on Kerr Reservoir next weekend, “but I will definitely fish the Southeastern Rayovac tournament on Lake Seminole next month.”

FLW Rayovac Series

Apr 9-11, 2015

Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Umphrey Family Pavilion

www.flwoutdoors.com

by AnglersChannel

Veteran Santee Cooper Angler Predicts Outstanding Weights For Cbc South Carolina Tournament

You can expect to see some hefty bags brought to the weigh-in of the Carolinas Bass Challenge – S.C. Division – tournament on the Santee Cooper Lakes Saturday, said an angler who is known for bringing hefty bags to weigh-ins on the lakes.

“I have not fished the lakes. We were fishing Lake Murray last weekend and Santee Cooper is off-limits this week before the tournament,” said veteran tournament angler Ken Ellis of Bowman.

“But, they are really catching them. It's been taking 30 pounds in tournaments all spring and I expect it to be the same Saturday.”

In fact, Ellis who teams with Chuck Howard of Elloree, predicted it will take 30 to 35 pounds to win the CBC Saturday – and probably 24-25 pounds just to get a check.

“Most of the tournaments seem to be won in the upper lake rather than the lower lake this year for some reason,” Ellis said.

“There was a big wave spawning last week so there are a lot of fish up shallow,” he said. “It will be mostly bedding fish so spawning baits like plastics will be good. A swim jig and a Senko have been doing really good and I expect a post spawn bite too. Buzzbaits and frogs should start getting good this week.”

A lot will depends on the wind, Ellis said.

“It looks like it will be cloudy and rainy so the sight fishing will be a little tough. We will probably fish trees, just pick a place based on the wind and weather.”

Although Ellis and Howard have not had a high finish in the first two tournaments – on Lake Murray in February and Lake Wateree last month – they have made a good showing in the points. But, Ellis said, they will not be in contention for the points this spring.

“We will miss a tournament because we will be fishing the CATT Championship here on Santee,” he said.

While they might not challenge for the points, don't count this duo out on Santee Cooper where they always present a formidable challenge to the rest of the field.

Carolinas Bass Challenge - SC Division

Sat, Apr 11, 2015

Santee Cooper Lakes

John C. Land III Landing

Call Brett Collins 803-413-7521

www.carolinasbasschallenge.com

by AnglersChannel

Wiggins Team Seeking Redemption In Alabama Bass Trail Tournament On Lewis Smith

Jesse and Jordan Wiggins live in Cullman, Ala., just 10 minutes from Lewis Smith Lake, and they are considered a team to beat in the Alabama Bass Trail North Division tournament Saturday on the lake.

“We've been fishing the lake for 20 years, ever since we were born,” said Jesse Wiggins.

The Wiggins brothers won the Smith Lake Park Bass Fest on the lake last October 4 with a limit that weighed 18.19 pounds. A week later they finished 3^rd in the 2014 ABT Championship on the lake.

And that third place has stuck in their craw ever since because they had a chance to win, and missed it.

“I want some redemption after that third place,” Jesse said. “We had the opportunity to put that thing away – and we did not.”

Wiggins said the bass will be in two stages for Saturday's tournament. Largemouths will be mostly post-spawn, he said, while spotted bass will be about half and half spawn and post-spawn.

“The largemouths will be in the backs of pockets in brush, on shallower docks and on flooded laydowns,” he said. “The spots will be on the bluff banks and the harder clay, sand-rock points.”

Wiggins said he will probably go with a jig, spinnerbait and crankbait for the largemouths.

“If you can find them they will be in post-spawn, so they will be feeding and you can catch them on about anything. In the FLW tournament they were catching them on a buzzbait and I am sure they were hitting a swim jig, too.

The key to the largemouths, he said, is finding the really big fish.

“You can catch smaller largemouths, but find them over 3 pounds is the hard part.”

As for spotted bass, Wiggins said a Shakey Head worm, plus jerkbaits and swimbaits will produce.

“You can't go wrong with a Shakey Head on that lake,” he noted.

The brothers' strategy in practice, he said, will be to try to find the biggest spotted bass on the beds and then try to find bigger largemouths in the backs of pockets.

“The spots on the beds are deep so you really can't see them so we will try to locate some of them,” he said. “That strategy may change when we get on the lake, but I am thinking that is our main thing for this tournament.”

While a strong showing could boost the duo higher in the points standings, Wiggins said that is not an issue for the tournament on Lewis Smith Lake.

“We are going to be fishing to win, not to make points. We know this is our best chance to win one,” he said, adding, “I know we can catch them.”

Alabama Bass Trail - North Division

Sat, Apr 11, 2015

Lewis Smith Lake

Lewis Smith Dam

Call Kay Donaldson 855-934-7425

www.alabamabasstrail.org

by AnglersChannel

15-yr-old angler lands 7-lb bass on 4-lb line!

Courtney McCullough had a career day fishing with StarBrite Pro Patrick Pierce at Bienville Plantation's newest hot spot, Thomas Lake. The 15-year-old tossed pink trick worms on 4-lb fluorocarbon line and hauled-in dozens of bass, including the biggest of the day at 7.1 pounds and another that weighed 5.75. Her biggest 5 would have easily weighed over 20.

by AnglersChannel

David Blanton and James Clark win the Goodyear Bass Club Shearon Harris Event

Teaser image:

This was a snow makeup day for the first tournament that was scheduled on 2/26/2015.

We had a good turnout with 16 boats. The bite was on, and there were 16 fish that were over 20 inches weighed in!!!

Our next tournament is at Kerr Lake, on April 14th, at Hibernia Landing from Safe Light - 3pm.

Come out and join us, and tell a friend!

1st place team of David Blanton and James Clark

1st place team of David Blanton and James Clark

2nd Place Team of Kent Brewer and Jason Dew

2nd Place Team of Kent Brewer and Jason Dew

3rd Place team of Jason Bullard and Michael Lewis

3rd Place team of Jason Bullard and Michael Lewis

7.82 Lb BF caught by Bill Faircloth and Billy Pankey

7.82 Lb BF caught by Bill Faircloth and Billy Pankey

The Results are as follows:

1st Place

David Blanton & James Clark

4 Fish

20.94lbs

2nd Place

Kent Brewer & Jason Dew

3 Fish

17.66lbs

3rd Place

Jason Bullard & Michael Lewis

3 Fish

13.79lbs

Big Fish

Bill Faircloth & Billy Pankey

7.82lbs

by AnglersChannel

CBC Jordan Lake Wrap Up with Tournament Director Brett Collins

CBC Toournament Director Brett Collins joins us after another great day for the CBC and the 103 that showed up to fish for the $8000 first place prize. 11 bags over 20 Lbs was more than impressive-up next week, SANTEE!!

by AnglersChannel

CBC Jordan Lake Champs David Wright and Jeff Coble join us after their $8000 day!!

Any time David Wright and Jeff Coble fish a tournament, there's a pretty good chance they are going to make some noise. Sat on Jordan was one of those days, as they hauled in 23.52 Lbs and took home yet another big win...here is what they had to say post weigh-in.

by AnglersChannel

Great Easter Weekend for David Wright and Jeff Coble as they win the CBC on Jordan

103 Teams showed up this Easter weekend for the CBC Tournament on Jordan Lake. As usual, there were some great limits brought in and a whopping 9 LB BF!! Jeff Coble and David Wright had 5 fish that weighed 23.52 Lbs and took home $8000. We are now at the mid-point of the season with Santee coming up next Sat. Congtrats to all the anglers who came out and Happy Easter Weekend to all. Full results are below the pictures:

CBC Jordan Champ David Wright holds up some of his teams 23.52 Lb Sack!

CBC Jordan Champ David Wright holds up some of his teams 23.52 Lb Sack!

3rd Place Angler Steve Gardner holds up some of their prize catches Sat!

3rd Place Angler Steve Gardner holds up some of their prize catches Sat!

Team Blanton raises their near 20 Lb Stringer

CBC Jordan BF Didn't dissapoint-9.20 LBS!

CBC Jordan BF Didn't dissapoint-9.20 LBS!

Another Look at this Jordan BF Beast...

Place	Team Name	Team #	Fish Weighed	Net Weight	Big Fish	Points	Winnings
1	Jeff Coble - David Wright	88	5	23.520	8.390	310	$8,000
2	Robert Osborne - Bobby Osborne	74	5	22.680	0.000	309	$3,200
3	Chuck Bolton - Steve Gardner	51	5	22.170	0.000	308	$2,000
4	brian morgan - anthony Lutz	20	5	22.090	0.000	307	$1,500
5	Don Sprinkle - Wayne Skipworth	46	5	22.050	0.000	306	$1,000
6	Derick Livingston - Jonathan Spivey	89	5	21.750	6.780	305	$800
7	Dave Murdock - Tony Fofi	32	5	21.290	0.000	304	$600
8	Todd Walters - Jason Threadgill	77	5	21.090	0.000	303	$550
9	Tommy Williams - Thomas Hardwick	4	5	20.790	0.000	302	$500
10	Steve Sink - Tony Foster	64	5	20.420	0.000	301	$450
11	john drew - mitch drew	83	5	20.110	0.000	300	$375
12	David Blanton - William Blanton	81	5	19.850	6.530	299	$350
13	Dennis Reedy - Jeffrey Thomas	75	5	19.670	6.960	298	$325
14	Brian McDonald - billy bledsoe	91	5	18.940	0.000	297	$275
15	Danny Nifong - Matthew Nifong	3	5	18.050	0.000	296	$250
16	Jeremi Beatty - Clint Benbow	43	5	17.760	0.000	295	$225
17	Roger Hoover - Scott Hamrick	8	5	16.910	0.000	294	$200
18	Stump Bledsoe - Glenn Elliott	26	5	15.650	4.650	293
19	Robert Mixon - Robert Lambert	31	4	15.190	7.330	292
20	Stephen Griggs - Rodney Sorrell	49	5	14.680	0.000	291
21	Jesse Wise - Jonathan Phillips	37	4	14.230	0.000	290
22	Brian Hall - Doug Stallings	6	3	13.990	7.270	289
23	Vinston Nettles - Ramon Stockham	80	5	13.110	0.000	288
24	Brandon McLeod - Allen Parker	100	5	12.800	0.000	287
25	Wayne Hauser - Anthony Rife	58	4	12.710	0.000	286
26	Dale Surrett - Lee Endicott	10	2	12.480	7.870	285
27	Chris McDuffie - Greg Creech	62	4	12.470	0.000	284
28	Jason Quinn - Tony Colacurcio	11	3	12.300	0.000	283
29	Michael Kinard - Tony Lambert	24	3	12.300	0.000	282
30	Troy Searcy - Lynn Fox	102	3	12.080	0.000	281
31	James Wall - Jimmy Wall	61	5	12.030	0.000	280
32	Gary Love - Ricky Todd	69	5	11.720	0.000	279
33	Scott Threadgill - Dwayne Saunders	67	5	11.670	0.000	278
34	Lee Williams - Andrew Smith	23	3	11.440	0.000	277
35	Kevin Beverley - Tyler Faggart	18	2	11.430	7.230	276
36	Denny Parunak - Tony Blevins	21	3	11.410	0.000	275
37	Steven Austin - Roger Wood	95	4	11.310	0.000	274
38	Dan Funderburk - Rod Cozart	68	3	11.260	0.000	273
39	Gordon Smith - Lawrence Schuster	98	3	11.230	0.000	272
40	Charlie Hanshaw - Jeffrey Hanshaw	7	4	11.000	0.000	271
41	Jackie Reilly - Butch Drew	57	4	10.780	0.000	270
42	Todd Sumner - Robert Parrish	54	4	10.710	0.000	269
43	George Lambeth - Ron Wolfarth	94	4	10.420	0.000	268
44	Wayne Ingram - Chris Brown	27	4	10.320	0.000	267
45	Chris Clark - Matthew Burrill	96	2	9.660	0.000	266
46	Cory Leonard - Paul Rigsbee	29	2	9.570	0.000	265
47	Jeremy Sabo - dale campo	16	3	9.550	0.000	264
48	Bryan Welch - Mark Inman	30	3	9.360	6.080	263
49	Eric Moser - Mark Beck	50	2	9.040	0.000	262
50	Thomas Gavin - Bobby Winn	15	2	9.020	9.020	261
51	Jerry Lineberger - Shane Lineberger	60	4	9.000	0.000	260
52	Graham Rushing - Artie Phillips	25	3	8.850	4.680	259
53	Brad Staley - David Farrington	47	3	8.670	0.000	258
54	Scott Henley - Dean Minor	5	1	8.390	0.000	257
55	Parks Jones - Daniel Hill	63	3	8.060	0.000	256
56	Rick Davis	9	2	7.870	6.330	255
57	Jason Wilson - Kelly Logan	35	2	7.790	0.000	254
58	John Gutierrez - Larry Mckissick	87	3	7.650	0.000	253
59	Rick Dunstan - Rich Szczerbala	103	3	7.380	0.000	252
60	Michael Webster - Guy Eaker	55	2	5.920	0.000	251
61	Jerry Cross - Bryce Owen	78	3	5.870	0.000	250
62	Brent Berry - Steve Shaw	82	2	5.420	3.840	249
63	Greg Osborne - Wyatt Blevins	86	2	5.260	0.000	248
64	Chuck Morton - Kevin Sheppard	39	2	5.230	0.000	247
65	John McClelland - Eric Schell	40	2	5.090	0.000	246
66	Tony Davis - Heath Pait	28	2	5.080	0.000	245
67	Brendon Schneider - Kyle James	41	2	3.990	0.000	244
68	Stacey Richards - Brian Triplett	99	2	3.940	0.000	243
69	Tyler Hoopaugh - Chris Hoopaugh	34	1	3.830	0.000	242
70	Robin Parker - Frank Letto	97	1	3.460	0.000	241
71	Michael Cribb - Roger Cribb	17	2	3.170	0.000	240
72	Mac McLean - Brett McLean	56	1	2.040	0.000	239
73	Keith Speece - Wendell Ireland	19	1	1.640	0.000	238
74	Adam Waters - Dylan Fulk	101	1	1.460	0.000	237
75	Mike Scott - Tommy Thompson	1	0	0.000	0.000	236
76	Scott Faulkner - TONY BREWER	2	0	0.000	0.000	235
77	Richard Greene - Kent Brewer's	12	0	0.000	0.000	234
78	Randy Carr - Joey Davis	13	0	0.000	0.000	233
79	Bill Grier - Robby Byrum	14	0	0.000	0.000	232
80	STEVE UPCHURCH - Jeff Hodges	22	0	0.000	0.000	231
81	John Martin - Christopher Allard	33	0	0.000	0.000	230
82	Barry Bost - Scottie Smith	36	0	0.000	0.000	229
83	Rich Trick - Matthew Cashion	38	0	0.000	0.000	228
84	Jim Britt - Ronnie Britt	42	0	0.000	0.000	227
85	Dwayne Hughes - Micheal Gibson	44	0	0.000	0.000	226
86	Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughtie	45	0	0.000	0.000	225
87	Duke Denison - Jamie Denison	48	0	0.000	0.000	224
88	Jimmy Cummings - Dean Collins	52	0	0.000	0.000	223
89	Randy Weddington - Ronnie Smith	53	0	0.000	0.000	222
90	Mike Branch - Brian Branch	59	0	0.000	0.000	221
91	Mike Davis - Gerald Ritchie	65	0	0.000	0.000	220
92	Robin Collins - Ronnie White	66	0	0.000	0.000	219
93	Calton Hall - Jason Suggs	70	0	0.000	0.000	218
94	Mark Lamb - Robert Griswold	71	0	0.000	0.000	217
95	Eric Self - Tyler Beam	72	0	0.000	0.000	216
96	Brandon Sykes	73	0	0.000	0.000	215
97	Reginald Pickett - Larry Kirk	76	0	0.000	0.000	214
98	Chris Albright - Wiley Jr Nifong	79	0	0.000	0.000	213
99	Marvin Godard - Trevor Holman	84	0	0.000	0.000	212
100	David Winters - Russell Winters	85	0	0.000	0.000	211
101	Stacy Metz - Douglas McLean	90	0	0.000	0.000	210
102	Dale Duncan - Donnie Woody	92	0	0.000	0.000	209
103	Tim Emory - Tim Parker	93	0	0.000	0.000	208

by AnglersChannel

Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Trail Qualifier #3 Results - Shearon Harris

Teaser image:

Well, things are starting to get back to normal weatherwise bringing a large crowd to fish the PBC Qualifer #3 at
Shearon Harris. We did get a break in the weather today, but it was still cold in the morning at 35 degrees but
pretty nice towards days end with about 55. Wind, however, was the factor today with 5 to 15 mph then some gusts
up to about 20. Water temps ranged from 55 to 59 depending on the area fished. Most of the 65 teams said the
bite was pretty shallow and many of the bass were seen in 1 to 2 foot of water in the shade of the grass beds which
means the spawn is coming soon!

      Kevin Beverly & Tyler Faggart took their first win this year with 5 bass weighing a total of 27.46 lbs. along with
1st place TWT for a total of $2,333 in winnings. Greyson Barefoot & Aaron Johnson took 2nd place with 4 fish
weighing 22.07 lbs. They also won the Big Fish Award (7.98 lbs.) and 2nd Place TWT for a grand total of $2,141.
2nd Place Big Fish (7.98 lbs.) was caught by the team of Jerry Marshburn & Chuck Byrd (7.93 lbs.) netting them
$384 in cash.
      100 fish were weighed in for a total of 355 pounds for an average of 3.56 lbs. each. There were a lot more bass
caught that could not be weighed in because of the slot limit rule on Harris. Most of the fish were caught on
plastics and jerk baits with a few on topwater.
      I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail.
     Coming up April 4th will be the C ashion Fishing Rods Spring Team Bass Mini Trail Q#3 at Shearon Harris. On
the following weekend we have a double header, the Piedmont Bass Classics $10,000 Spring Team Bass Trail
Qualifier #4 on April 11th At Falls Lake and the Qualifier #2 on April 12th at Jordan Lake which is the makeup
date for the that event that was supposed to be held on March 14th.
     All the information on our tournaments can be found http://piedmontbassclassics.com/

Now here are the full results:

1st Place: Kevin Beverly & Tyler Faggart of Raleigh...5 bass...27.46 lbs...$1,248
2nd Place: Greyson Barefoot & Aaron Johnson of Dunn...4 bass...22.07 lbs...$780
3rd Place: Ricky Petty & Billy Cobb of Gibsonville & Brown Summit...5 bass...19.56 lbs...$520
4th Place: Jaime Fajardo & Josh Hooks of Fuquay Varina & Apex...5 bass...18.79 lbs...$468
5th Place: Josh High & Thomas Elliott of Wilmington & Lake Waccamaw...4 bass...15.14 lbs...$416
6th Place: Glen Stephenson of Raleigh...3 bass...13.77 lbs...$364
7th Place: Jerry Marshburn & Chuck Byrd of Sanford...2 bass...13.58 lbs...$312
8th Place: Brad Crabtree & Jared Thaxton of Winston Salem & Creedmoor...3 bass...13.34 lbs...$260
9th Place: Vinston Nettles & Jasper of Pittsboro...3 bass...12.45 lbs...$216
10th Place: Chris & H.T. Eakins of Selma & Angier...4 bass...12.43 lbs...$200
11th Place: Bobby & David Matthews of Durham...4 bass...12.01 lbs...$162
12th Place: Justin McBrayer & Shawn Collins of Carthage...3 bass...11.43 lbs...$150
13th Place: Tony Woodard & Scott Smith of Four Oaks & Apex...2 bass...11.02 lbs...$104

1st Place Big Fish..2nd Place Team above...7.98 lbs...$$896
2nd Place Big Fish..7th Place Team above...7.93 lbs...$384
1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...27.46 lbs...$1,085
2nd Place TWT..2nd Place Team above: 22.07 lbs...$465
Tow Boats US Award: Kevin Beverly of Raleigh : $50

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

by AnglersChannel

Heavyweight Weigh-In Predicted For Carolinas Bass Challenge On Jordan Lake Saturday

Look for some heavy bags to be weighed in the Carolinas Bass Challenge North Carolina Division tournament on Jordan Lake Saturday, according to an angler who knows the lake well.

“It will definitely take 25 pounds-plus to win it,” said Dave Murdock, who lives in Sanford, N.C., just 15 minutes from the lake. “Jordan has got some whopper fish in it and there are always some 30-pound sacks weighed in the spring.”

What is phenomenal, Murdock said, is that kind of big bass bonanza carries right on into the summer.

“You can catch them in Jordan. There are 25-pound stringers weighed in the summer.”

Although Murdock and teammate Tony Fofi normally fish the CBC South Carolina Division tournaments, they plan to fish Lake Jordan Saturday because it is so close to where they live.

“I used to live in Sumter (S.C.) and have fished those South Carolina lakes for years,” Murdock said. “We decided to fish the Jordan Lake tournament because we usually do fairly well on the lake.”

Murdock obviously knows South Carolina's Lake Wateree pretty well, too. He and Fofi weighed in a five-bass limit at 25 pounds even to win the March 7 CBC-SC on Wateree, earning a $12,500 payday – $10,000 for first place plus $2,500 for the Highest Finishing Skeeter Bonus.

Although he did not get a chance to pre-practice on Jordan Lake and it is off limits the week before the tournament, Murdock said the bass are probably the same as everywhere else at this point – up shallow, either spawning or looking to spawn.

“We typically fish the backs of main lake pockets,” he said, “because we feel we have a better opportunity to catch the spawning and pre-spawn fish there.”

Murdock said he and Fofi will target sunken timber in those pockets.

“The water in Jordan raises and lowers anywhere from 3 to 20 feet in a matter of a couple of days, so there are a lot of floating logs and a lot of times they settle in the backs of the pockets and some of them end up sunken there,” he said.

“We usually give the fish a one-two punch. We both don't fish the same lure unless it is just absolutely the same thing that is catching fish,” Murdock said. “We throw different things to give them a different look, mainly plastics and jigs, with probably some spinnerbaits and a little topwater early in the morning.”

Saturday's weigh-in should be exciting with a lot of 5-pound, maybe even 6-pound, averages for a five-fish limit.

Carolinas Bass Challenge - North Carolina Division

Sat, Apr 4, 2015

Jordan Lake - NC

Farrington Access

Call Brett Collins 803-413-7521

www.carolinasbasschallenge.com

by AnglersChannel

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