Pro Who Knows Predicts Rayovac Flw Series Will Be Won In The Chickahominy
2003 Forrest Wood Cup winner David Dudley
The Rayovac FLW Series tournament out of Osborne boat Landing on the James River this week will be won in the Chickahominy River, a tributary of the James, predicted a professional angler who knows a thing or two about winning a James River tournament.
However, said David Dudley, winner of the 2003 Forrest Wood Cup on the James, if he were fishing the Rayovac Series he'd be heading to the backs of the creeks and looking for grass, wood and other types of cover.
.”A lot of them will go to the Chickahominy and I think it will be won on the Chickahominy, for sure,” said Dudley who pocketed a $500,000 paycheck for winning what was then called the Jacobs Cup. “But, if I were fishing the tournament, I'd go as far back in the creeks off the James as I could go and fish any type of cover I could find.”
Those fishing the Chickahominy will have several excellent ways to catch fish this week, Dudley said, because there are a lot of lily pads, isolated docks, trees, wood piles and other structures that hold bass.
“There will be a real strong topwater bite with frogs over those lily pads in the Chickahominy. This time of year topwater frogging comes in really strong,” he said. “Of course when you have lily pads and grass frogs are always going to be a player.”
Flipping will also play a major role, he said. “You can flip in those areas, too, and you can flip the wood cover with your bait of choice.”
Dudley, who won an unprecedented $1.2 million in two tournaments in 2003, including $700,000 in the Ranger M1 tournament that year, is back home in Lynchburg, Va., after finishing 15th in the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray in South Carolina. He led the Cup the first day with 17 pounds 14 ounces, but only caught three fish the second day and one the third day, and did not advance to the 10-man championship round on Sunday.
Rayovac FLW Series
Aug 21-23, 2014
James River
Osborne Landing
Palaniuk At It Again Up North - Bassmaster Elite Series On Cayuga Lake
Last August, the pro angler from Rathdrum, Idaho, won a Bassmaster Elite Series event on the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York. At age 25, he pocketed the $100,000 prize and achieved his goal qualifying for the 2014 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GroPro.
Thursday, just as focused on ensuring he’ll get into the 2015 Classic, Palaniuk led the 106-angler Elite field in the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake out of Union Springs, N.Y., where, once gain, the first prize is $100,000 and an automatic qualification for the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing.
Palaniuk brought in 20 pounds, 10 ounces, enough to stay 3 ounces ahead of the pack in the first of four rounds.
“It was a magical day,” Palaniuk said. “I caught fish pretty early. I think I had a limit within the first 45 minutes, and slowly culled up from there. Every move I made, I seemed to catch a good one.”
The 26-year-old does not have one challenger behind him in second place, but two. In a tournament peppered with ties throughout the leaderboard, Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark., and Mike Kernan of Wylie, Texas, were neck-and-neck at 20-7 for second place.
Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., claimed fourth place by himself at 20-5. It was more than good enough to help him in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race, and an important move in keeping the lead he took over from Davis about two weeks ago.
Fifth place was yet another tie at 20-4. The co-owners of the spot were Jacob Powroznik, the pro from Port Haywood, Va., who won the fourth event of the 2014 Elite season; and Casey Scanlon of Lenexa, Kan.
Less than 2 pounds separated 12th place from first. There were 18 two-way ties and two three-way ties.
The standings weren’t the only things that were tight in the tournament. Many of the pros were bunched up Thursday on the most productive areas of Cayuga Lake, sometimes fishing within casting distance from one another.
Palaniuk said he has something going on his own. And he wasn’t in the least forthcoming about how he was catching bass.
“I’m keeping that locked down for now, “said Palaniuk, who said he had never before fished Cayuga Lake. Palaniuk said he learned from his Monday-Wednesday practice sessions.
“I had a couple patterns going (in practice) and those all came together for me to make for a really good day,” he said.
Davis attributed his good day to staying focused and keeping it simple.
“I went to a group of fish I felt were the best quality fish I found in practice, and they were hard to catch, but I had a limit by 8:30,” he said. “I feel good about going forward, even though another one of the leaders and I are sharing fish.”
Davis called the bass of Cayuga “fickle.”
“You can be right dead-on them at the wrong time and you will not get a bite,” he said.
Kernan built his 20-7 on top of a 6 pound, 2 ounce largemouth he boated early.
“I was fishing in the crowd this morning, throwing something a little different. I went there for keepers, mainly, because I wanted to flip the rest of the day (for larger bass). The second fish was that 6-2. I ended up catching four keepers there.”
Kernan did turn to his flipping plan. He was able to replace three of those early keepers with heavier bass. In the afternoon, heading to the check-in point with a solid limit, he noted he was a few minutes early, so he put down his trolling motor for one more go at the bass. In three casts, he landed a 3-pounder, and he was able to cull up again.
Besides a win, the goal of all pros at Cayuga is to earn enough points to be one of 50 who qualify for the $900,000 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship, Sept. 18-21 on Bays de Noc out of Escanaba, Mich. That’s where they’ll have a chance at securing a Bassmaster Classic berth if they didn’t earn one by winning an event.
Palaniuk came to Cayuga ranked 33rd in points. His goal was at least a Top 50, he said.
“I really wanted to make the Classic on points. But now maybe I can go for another trophy,” he said.
When the Michigan event wraps up the Elite season, the 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year will be crowned and handed $100,000 of the $900,000 total purse.
Davis’ stellar Day 1 put the brakes on his downhill slide in the AOY points standings. Davis had led the AOY race for five consecutive events until the Delaware River event ended on Aug. 10, when he fell to seventh place. After Thursday catching more than 20 pounds, he was in third place in points.
“I let Angler of the Year get by me in those last two events, so whatever I do here will be nice,” Davis said. “It’s hard to play catch-up.”
Although points are posted after each day’s competition, AOY standings are not official until the end of the tournament.
Powroznik brought the largest bass of the day to the scales. A 6-6, the largemouth put him in the lead for Cayuga’s Carhartt Big Bass bonus of up to $1,500. Palaniuk set the bar for the event’s Berkley Heavyweight big-bag award of $500.
Fishing fans can catch the tournament as it continues Friday through Sunday at Frontenac Park, 26 Chapel St., Union Springs, N.Y. The pros will leave the docks beginning at 6:15 a.m. Start time for the weigh-ins each day is 3:15 p.m.
Also at Frontenac Park is the Bassmaster Elite Series Expo, which features Elite sponsor products and services. Running concurrently with the Expo is the Fish Cayuga Festival with food and merchandise vendors.
Highlights of the Expo include the screening of the newest Costa GeoBASS film preceding Saturday’s weigh-in; free demo boat rides beginning right after the morning launch in Triton, Skeeter and Nitro boats powered by Mercury or Yamaha engines; the Berkley Experience trailer; and games and prizes offered by Carhartt, Toyota, Minn Kota, Shimano and many others.
All Bassmaster events are free.
2014 A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite Series at Cayuga Lake 8/21-8/24
Cayuga Lake, Union Springs NY.
Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts
1. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 5 20-10 100
Day 1: 5 20-10
2. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 5 20-07 99
Day 1: 5 20-07
2. Mike Kernan Wylie, TX 5 20-07 99
Day 1: 5 20-07
4. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 20-05 97
Day 1: 5 20-05
5. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 5 20-04 96
Day 1: 5 20-04
5. Casey Scanlon Lanexa, KS 5 20-04 96
Day 1: 5 20-04
7. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 5 20-02 94
Day 1: 5 20-02
8. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 5 19-12 93
Day 1: 5 19-12
9. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 5 19-06 92
Day 1: 5 19-06
10. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 5 19-01 91
Day 1: 5 19-01
11. Nate Wellman Newaygo, MI 5 18-15 90
Day 1: 5 18-15
12. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 18-11 89
Day 1: 5 18-11
12. David Walker Sevierville, TN 5 18-11 89
Day 1: 5 18-11
14. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 5 18-09 87
Day 1: 5 18-09
15. James Elam Tulsa, OK 5 18-04 86
Day 1: 5 18-04
16. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 5 17-12 85
Day 1: 5 17-12
16. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 5 17-12 85
Day 1: 5 17-12
18. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 5 17-03 83
Day 1: 5 17-03
18. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 17-03 83
Day 1: 5 17-03
20. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 5 17-01 81
Day 1: 5 17-01
21. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 5 17-00 80
Day 1: 5 17-00
22. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 16-12 79
Day 1: 5 16-12
23. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 16-05 78
Day 1: 5 16-05
24. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 5 16-03 77
Day 1: 5 16-03
25. Randy Howell Springville, AL 5 16-02 76
Day 1: 5 16-02
26. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 16-01 75
Day 1: 5 16-01
26. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 5 16-01 75
Day 1: 5 16-01
28. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 5 15-12 73
Day 1: 5 15-12
28. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 5 15-12 73
Day 1: 5 15-12
30. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 5 15-12 71
Day 1: 5 15-12
31. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 15-11 70
Day 1: 5 15-11
32. Kevin Hawk Guntersville, AL 5 15-10 69
Day 1: 5 15-10
33. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 15-08 68
Day 1: 5 15-08
34. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 15-01 67
Day 1: 5 15-01
35. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 5 14-14 66
Day 1: 5 14-14
36. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 5 14-12 65
Day 1: 5 14-12
37. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 5 14-10 64
Day 1: 5 14-10
37. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 5 14-10 64
Day 1: 5 14-10
39. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 5 14-07 62
Day 1: 5 14-07
39. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 5 14-07 62
Day 1: 5 14-07
41. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 5 14-06 60
Day 1: 5 14-06
41. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 5 14-06 60
Day 1: 5 14-06
43. Zell Rowland Montgomery, TX 5 14-05 58
Day 1: 5 14-05
44. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 5 14-04 57
Day 1: 5 14-04
44. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 5 14-04 57
Day 1: 5 14-04
46. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, IL 5 14-02 55
Day 1: 5 14-02
47. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 5 14-01 54
Day 1: 5 14-01
48. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 5 14-00 53
Day 1: 5 14-00
48. Randall Tharp Port Saint Joe, FL 5 14-00 53
Day 1: 5 14-00
50. Tracy Adams Wilkesboro, NC 5 13-15 51
Day 1: 5 13-15
50. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 13-15 51
Day 1: 5 13-15
52. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 5 13-11 49
Day 1: 5 13-11
53. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 13-10 48
Day 1: 5 13-10
54. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 5 13-09 47
Day 1: 5 13-09
55. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 5 13-08 46
Day 1: 5 13-08
56. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 5 13-07 45
Day 1: 5 13-07
56. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 13-07 45
Day 1: 5 13-07
58. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 13-04 43
Day 1: 5 13-04
58. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 5 13-04 43
Day 1: 5 13-04
58. Jeremy Starks Scott Depot, WV 5 13-04 43
Day 1: 5 13-04
61. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 5 13-03 40
Day 1: 5 13-03
62. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 12-15 39
Day 1: 5 12-15
62. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 12-15 39
Day 1: 5 12-15
64. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 5 12-14 37
Day 1: 5 12-14
64. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 5 12-14 37
Day 1: 5 12-14
64. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 5 12-14 37
Day 1: 5 12-14
67. Chad Pipkens Holt, MI 5 12-12 34
Day 1: 5 12-12
68. Michael Simonton Fremont, OH 5 12-11 33
Day 1: 5 12-11
69. Joseph Sancho New Windsor, NY 5 12-08 32
Day 1: 5 12-08
70. Jared Miller Norman, OK 5 12-06 31
Day 1: 5 12-06
71. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 5 12-03 30
Day 1: 5 12-03
72. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 5 12-02 29
Day 1: 5 12-02
73. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 5 12-01 28
Day 1: 5 12-01
74. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 5 11-13 27
Day 1: 5 11-13
75. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 5 11-12 26
Day 1: 5 11-12
75. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 11-12 26
Day 1: 5 11-12
77. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 5 11-11 24
Day 1: 5 11-11
77. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 5 11-11 24
Day 1: 5 11-11
79. David Smith Del City, OK 5 11-09 22
Day 1: 5 11-09
80. Glenn Browne Ocala, FL 5 11-02 21
Day 1: 5 11-02
81. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 5 11-01 20
Day 1: 5 11-01
82. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 10-13 19
Day 1: 5 10-13
83. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 5 10-11 18
Day 1: 5 10-11
83. Jamie Horton Centerville, AL 5 10-11 18
Day 1: 5 10-11
85. Byron Velvick Boenre, TX 5 10-10 16
Day 1: 5 10-10
86. Pete Ponds Madison, MS 5 10-06 15
Day 1: 5 10-06
87. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 5 10-05 14
Day 1: 5 10-05
88. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 5 10-04 13
Day 1: 5 10-04
89. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 5 10-03 12
Day 1: 5 10-03
90. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 5 09-15 11
Day 1: 5 09-15
91. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 5 09-12 10
Day 1: 5 09-12
92. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 5 09-08 9
Day 1: 5 09-08
93. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 5 09-00 8
Day 1: 5 09-00
94. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 08-15 7
Day 1: 5 08-15
95. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 5 08-12 6
Day 1: 5 08-12
96. Trevor Romans Plano, TX 5 08-08 5
Day 1: 5 08-08
97. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 5 08-07 4
Day 1: 5 08-07
98. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, OK 5 08-05 3
Day 1: 5 08-05
99. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 4 08-02 2
Day 1: 4 08-02
100. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 5 08-01 1
Day 1: 5 08-01
101. Grant Goldbeck Boerne, TX 2 07-05 0
Day 1: 2 07-05
102. Kelly Jordon Palestine, TX 4 06-05 0
Day 1: 4 06-05
103. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 2 06-04 0
Day 1: 2 06-04
104. Boo Woods Oneida, KY 4 05-12 0
Day 1: 4 05-12
105. Joel Baker Talala, OK 3 05-11 0
Day 1: 3 05-11
106. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 2 04-11 0
Day 1: 2 04-11
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 99 516 1442-12
----------------------------------
99 516 1442-12
2015 Elite Series To Feature A Western Swing - Rest Of The Schedule Remains A Mystery For Now
Elite Series anglers will visit the premier desert lake, in terms of bass fishing, in the country - Havasu.
The 2015 Bassmaster Elite Series will feature a pair of tournaments in the Western United States as the world’s greatest bass fishermen test their skills on the Sacramento River out of Sacramento, Calif., April 30-May 3, and Lake Havasu out of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., May 7-10. Both rank in the Top 20 of Bassmaster’s 100 Best Bass Lakes, and it will be the first time since 2010 that the Elites have traveled so far west.
The two Western destinations represent the third and fourth stops of the 2015 Elite season, and both fisheries have been the sites of successful Bassmaster events in the past. B.A.S.S. held the first of eight events on the Sacramento River and California Delta in 1997. In 2007 and 2010, the Elite Series visited the Delta out of Stockton, Calif. Defending Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year (AOY) Aaron Martens won the first, and eight-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier John Crews took the second. The Delta currently ranks 13th on Bassmaster’s list of the 100 Best Bass Lakes.
“It is a pleasure to welcome the Bassmaster Elite Series to Sacramento and our beautiful river,” said Mike Sophia, director of the Sacramento Sports Commission. “Sacramento plays host to the top sports events in the country, from the USGA to USA Track and Field and NCAA events. Bringing the best anglers in the world here and highlighting the natural beauty of our destination will show all we have to offer to anglers and visitors alike.”
Coming in at No. 20 is Lake Havasu, generally considered the best desert lake in the country and a fishery that offers both largemouth and smallmouth bass. The event will be the Elite Series’ first trip to the lake and B.A.S.S.’s first stop there in more than a decade. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Cliff Pirch of Payson, Ariz., finished second in the 2003 Bassmaster Western Open at Lake Havasu, and Elite Series angler John Murray of Phoenix was eighth.
“We can all be proud that our prime fishery will be put in front of fishing fanatics all over the world,” said Doug Traub, president/CEO of the Lake Havasu City Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We expect that the entire town will be packed with fans who are here to see the Top 100 anglers in the world compete for a series-wide top prize of $100,000. We also thank all of our partners who came together to bring this world-class event to Lake Havasu for the first time. It’s taken nearly two years of effort to bring the Bassmaster Elite Series back to the Western U.S.”
“We’re thrilled to bring our premier anglers and events back to the West,” said Bruce Akin, CEO of B.A.S.S. “The West offers outstanding angling, beautiful venues and first-class hospitality. The Elite Series is a national tournament circuit, and bringing it to California and Arizona gives us the opportunity to test our anglers while serving our fans and stakeholders in the area. These will be great events!
“The many thousands of B.A.S.S. members and other fans in the region will be able to see the very best anglers in the world compete on a first-rate fishery unlike any they’ve fished on since the Elite Series was launched.”
“It’s always great to travel to a new venue because we draw huge crowds,” said Trip Weldon, B.A.S.S. tournament director. “Lake Havasu is a very unique spot in the country, and the fishing has really improved from what it was years ago. Our anglers are looking forward to competing out West again,” Weldon said.
There will be six other events in the 2015 Elite season plus a Toyota Bassmaster AOY Championship tournament that will crown the sport’s best angler of 2015 and send dozens of other top anglers to the 2016 Bassmaster Classic. The dates and locations of the remaining events will be announced in early September.
2015 Cup headed for Lake Ouachita/Hot Springs, Ark.
Gagliardi talks about winning Forrest Wood Cup
Anthony Gagliardi talks with Vance McCullough about his Forrest Wood Cup victory - what it means, how he did it.
Gagliardi needs to get a 'REAL job'
Does Forrest Wood Cup Champion Anthony Gagliardi need to get a 'real job'? Apparently, a couple of his neighbors think so. In this humorous clip Gagliardi talks about the rough start to his final day in the 2014 Cup. By the way, he might want to take a victory lap around Lake Murray with that giant cardboard check - worth $500,000.
Gagliardi wins Forrest Wood Cup at home!
Anthony Gagliardi began the 2014 FLW Tour season by being disqualified from the tournament on Okeechobee. Almost nobody, including Gagliardi, thought he had a realistic shot at making the Forrest Wood Cup - to be held on his home waters, Lake Murray - with zero points to show for the first event.
“I came home after that first tournament and looked at the lake and got the sickest feeling in my gut,” said Gagliardi.
Today he had knots in his stomach for a different reason. He was competing on the final day for the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup title in his backyard after all.
“I don’t feel anything right now,” exhaled a physically and emotionally exhausted Gagliardi as he sat in front of his trophy at the post-weigh in press conference.
Gagliardi’s comeback has made for one of the most remarkable stories ever in tournament bass fishing. Even while fishing this week he never took a lead until today’s final weigh in at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC was nearly over.
Gagliardi overtook Scott Canterbury by one ounce and then held off Brent Ehrler by 7 ounces. The weigh in featured 5 lead changes. The top 5 pros were separated by 11 ounces. This was one of the most hotly contested Cups in history.
Topwater tactics ruled on Murray. Bass wanted lures up and moving. Buzzbaits and toads were popular choices. Casey Ashley used a Pop-R extensively. Brent Ehrler reached out to schooling bass with a Lucky Craft 115 Gunfish when he wasn’t tossing a fluke.
Fluke style baits were commonly employed on the shallow herring bite that materialized down lake during the tournament. Under a cloudy start on day 3, Ehrler used a double rig with a pair of Yamamoto D Shads on 14 lb. Sunline fluorocarbon leaders and 30 lb. braid main line.
The other viable option was shallow wood, especially up the river and creek arms. Steve Kennedy ran to where rapids form in the Big Saluda River and tossed a toad for bass that weighed up to 5 pounds. Gagliardi caught most of his biggest bass pitching a 10-inch Texas rigged worm to isolated laydowns and brush upriver.
In a tournament that featured a different leader each day, Gagliardi saved his best for last and found that, despite a disastrous start to the season, it’s good to be home.
Your Final Top 10:
1 ANTHONY GAGLIARDI PROSPERITY, SC 51-2 (19) $500,000
2 SCOTT CANTERBURY SPRINGVILLE, AL 51-1 (19) $60,000
3 BRENT EHRLER REDLANDS, CA 50-11 (20) $50,000
4 CASEY ASHLEY DONALDS, SC 50-7 (20) $40,000
5 STEVE KENNEDY AUBURN, AL 50-7 (20) $35,000
6 MATT HERREN ASHVILLE, AL 48-0 (20) $30,500
7 BRYAN THRIFT SHELBY, NC 44-6 (18) $26,000
8 MICHAEL WOOLEY COLLIERVILLE, TN 43-4 (16) $24,000
9 SCOTT MARTIN CLEWISTON, FL 35-13 (16) $22,000
10 JACOB WHEELER INDIANAPOLIS, IN 33-7 (13) $20,000
Check out the NEW Evinrude G2!
Mr. Mack puts the NEW Evinrude G2 to the test on Lake Murray as Vance McCullough takes a break from following the action at the Forrest Wood Cup and takes his turn in the Evinrude-powered Ranger 520! What makes the G2 special? Check it out for yourself!
Casey Ashley manages boat traffic, talks about competing at home
Casey Ashley has a huge following due to his popularity in his home neck of the woods. He talks about trying to win the Forrest Wood Cup in front of the home crowd, and how he plans to get it done. From the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray!
Ehrler leads heading into final day of 2014 Forrest Wood Cup
“I’m in a position to win. I’m also in a position to stumble,” said Brent Ehrler after taking the lead on Day3 of the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray.
Two pounds, ten ounces separate the top 5 anglers as we head into the final day of competition.
Ehrler is catching many of his fish early in the day. He feels that bite might be a bit fragile. “I was hoping Thrift would be in the lead so all the boats would follow him,” joked Ehrler. “I’m not sure how all the traffic will affect my early bite.”
Thrift said he would be fine with the lead. “I’d rather have the lead any day. It’s so tight between 6 or 7 guys. Somebody is going to have to catch a big bag. The way the lake is fishing right now, the guy in 10th could catch 18 pounds and it’s not out of the question to think all of the leaders could stumble. It makes it fun for everybody,” chuckled Thrift.
A sign in the store at Dreher Island state park nailed it. The hand-written fishing report read: “Bass – slow to fair. Topwaters early. Worms along the bank.”
As details emerge, we’re learning that this simple plan of attack has led many of our top pros into the final 10 cut.
Clearly, topwater lures are drawing most of the big bites. “I wish I had picked up the buzzbait and never put it down,” said reigning Angler of the Year, Andy Morgan. Morgan brought 3-12 to the scale and fell out of the cut.
“Stay positive. Stay focused. Fish Clean. And get blessed to catch a big fish.” That, says Scott Canterbury, is the game plan tomorrow. Most pros would agree.
Canterbury wrestled the lead from local favorite Casey Ashley only to give it up by 1 ounce when local pro Anthony Gagliardi weighed-in.
Gagliardi was soon overtaken by semi-local Bryan Thrift of Shelby, NC.
Then somebody from way out of the neighborhood took the lead – Brent Ehrler brought 13-05 for a 3-day total weight of 39-01.
It’s a tight race and local knowledge is going a long way, but Ehrler has been the most consistent man so far. His 13-05 today matches his 13-05 from Thursday. He sandwiched a 12-07 effort in between those two limits. It makes him hard to bet against tomorrow, but Ehrler only holds a lead of 3 ounces over Thrift.
While Ehrler’s weights have been steadier, Thrift has been consistent in his approach to the tournament. Today his results were better than on Friday. “I did the same thing today. I just got my topwater bites to hook up and got them all in the boat today. Yesterday I had the same amount of bites. Today they ate it good. I had a couple more big ones follow it that never tried to bite it. I’m going to go out tomorrow and do the same thing. The only chance I’ve got to win this tournament is I’ve got to catch all 5 of my fish on topwater. If I’ve got to go to my little limit spot, the best I’m going to do on it is 10 pounds. I’ve got to get 5 on that topwater.”
Gagliardi has been starting with a topwater bite down lake each morning and then he has caught a key fish each day, including a pair of 5-pounders, from isolated shallow brush on the other end of the lake to bump his weight up – an apparent departure from the ‘big bass on topwater’ rule espoused by most successful pros this week.
“I’ve not caught a lot of numbers of fish but the thing I’ve caught more fish on is definitely the topwater bite out over that deeper water and that’s not where my bigger fish have come from, but at the same time, that’s where bigger fish can come from,” said Gagliardi. “Maybe my numbers game turns into my big fish pattern tomorrow.”
Gagliardi has options afforded him by his years of experience on Lake Murray and his experiences here this week. “There are a couple of different directions I could go and what’s crazy is they are bipolar opposites,” said Gagliardi. “I could start on one end of the lake and feel comfortable or I think I could start on the other and feel just as comfortable. The weather will probably play some role in the decision I make as to what I do tomorrow.”
Ashley is banking on the shallow topwater action. “I’m starting off the day catching them shallow. I’m catching most of my fish on topwater. That’s how you’re going to catch a big one here. That’s how it will be won.”
Your Top 10 looks like this:
1 BRENT EHRLER REDLANDS, CA 13-5 (5) 12-7 (5) 25-12 (10) 13-5 (5) 0-0 (0) 39-1 (15)
2 BRYAN THRIFT SHELBY, NC 14-9 (5) 10-7 (5) 25-0 (10) 13-14 (5) 0-0 (0) 38-14 (15)
3 ANTHONY GAGLIARDI PROSPERITY, SC 13-2 (5) 10-3 (4) 23-5 (9) 13-15 (5) 0-0 (0) 37-4 (14)
4 SCOTT CANTERBURY SPRINGVILLE, AL 10-0 (4) 11-3 (5) 21-3 (9) 16-0 (5) 0-0 (0) 37-3 (14)
5 CASEY ASHLEY DONALDS, SC 9-0 (5) 11-14 (5) 20-14 (10) 15-9 (5) 0-0 (0) 36-7 (15)
6 MATT HERREN ASHVILLE, AL 10-4 (5) 10-14 (5) 21-2 (10) 11-15 (5) 0-0 (0) 33-1 (15)
7 MICHAEL WOOLEY COLLIERVILLE, TN 9-8 (4) 14-12 (5) 24-4 (9) 8-9 (3) 0-0 (0) 32-13 (12)
8 SCOTT MARTIN CLEWISTON, FL 13-6 (5) 7-8 (5) 20-14 (10) 11-9 (5) 0-0 (0) 32-7 (15)
9 JACOB WHEELER INDIANAPOLIS, IN 12-5 (5) 11-13 (4) 24-2 (9) 7-2 (3) 0-0 (0) 31-4 (12)
10 STEVE KENNEDY AUBURN, AL 9-13 (5) 9-15 (5) 19-12 (10) 10-9 (5) 0-0 (0) 30-5 (15)
Day 2 Notes From The 2014 Forrest Wood Cup
His uncle, David Dudley had 17-14 yesterday. He added only 6 pounds and an ounce today and fell to 6th with 23-15. But Dudley and Jarabeck have kept it in the family so far with the tourney’s two heaviest sacks.
Brent Ehrler moved into 2nd with 12-07 today (25-12 total).
Bryan Thrift slipped just a notch from 2nd to 3rd today with 10-07 (25-00 total).
Michael Wooley made a big move into 4th with 14-12 (24-04 total).
Jacob Wheeler rounds out the Top 5 after an 11-pound, 13-ounce day that brings his total weight to 24-02.
Gone is the 3-pound, 5-ounce stranglehold that Dudley had on the field. Now ounces separate contestants. The Top 20 cut separated 25 of them from competition altogether. Dan Morehead was the last man in with a 15-13 total. Randall Tharp was the first out with 15-11.
Some guys are fishing shallow. Some are fishing deep. Most are mixing it up a bit.
Tharp was in the shallow camp. “I wish I was fishing tomorrow because it got real easy today,” said Tharp. “I was in 2 feet of water and then I caught about 7 fish in 6 inches of water during hottest part of the day.”
Wooley went the other way, “My shallowest fish came from 23 feet of water. My deepest was in 40 feet.”
With a jam-packed leader board and so many fishing styles in play, this is shaping up to be an interesting derby. Y’all stay tuned!
Co-angler Champ Crowned:
Bryan New of Belmont, NC won the co-angler division with a 2-day total weight of 15-14. New was consistent with daily weights of 7-9 and 8-5. He enjoyed a winning margin of 3 pounds, 6 ounces over Jason Johnson of Gainesville, GA. New won $50,000.
Dearal Rodgers and Mathew Cashion welcome you to Forrest Wood Cup expo and Sportsman's Warehouse booth!
Check out the deals going on at the Forrest Wood Cup expo - especially at the Sportsman's Warehouse booth!
Dudley Opens With Big Lead On Day 1 Of 2014 Forrest Wood Cup!
“The fish are in 1-to-30 feet of water and I have no idea where my next bite is coming from,” said Brent Ehrler backstage after weighing 13-05 – a very respectable limit that put him in the Top 10 after the first day of the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray.
Ehrler’s sentiments sum-up the nature of the mid-August bite on a lake known for producing eye-popping bags of bass in spring.
Most pundits figured that 13 pounds-per-day would make a winner out of a man this week. Indeed, there were only 3 sacks better than 14 pounds brought to the scales today.
David Dudley leads all pros with 17 pounds, 14 ounces.
Bryan thrift and Cody Meyer are tied for 2nd with 14-09 apiece. The juxtaposition of Meyer and Thrift illustrates the variety of techniques in play among the3 scattered bass population: West Coast deep water master Meyer caught 2 fish on a drop shot, two on swimbaits and one on a top water. Thrift, of Shelby North Carolina, stayed in his comfort zone. Tomorrow he may fish even shallower.
Dudley mixed it up shallow and deep.
Most guys are moving to new water tomorrow. Fish aren’t replenishing here this time of year as they do in spring. Andy Morgan (in 8th with 12-10) joked with Thrift that he would trade spots with him on day 2. In all seriousness, that is likely to happen.
Witnesses put local favorite Anthony Gagliardi down by the dam today. He had 13-02, good for 7th place.
Everybody is chasing Dudley now. A lead of 3 pounds, 5 ounces is huge in a tourney where the next 9 spots are separated by 3 pounds, 1 ounce.
But this is a 4-day event and things are bound to change.
Morgan said he will certainly head down the lake tomorrow. “I should have moved this afternoon,” noted the newly-crowned 2014 FLW Tour Angler of the Year. “I could have improved my weight if I had. I will definitely move to new water tomorrow.” AnglersChannel.com Insider Vance McCullough spent over 5 hours filming Morgan today. The back-to-back AOY Champ beat the bark off the dead willow trees in Little Saluda River. Three years of high water has killed the willows. Grass carp have eradicated the grass – and the fishing that was so productive in 2008 when Fred Roumbanis won a Bassmaster Elite Series tourney up there. Morgan managed in a limit in what many locals consider to be dead water. Watch for that footage on an upcoming episode of The Progressive Bass Wrap Up Show!
And stay with us at anglersChannel.com and our Facebook page as we bring you the action from Lake Murray, site of this year’s Forrest Wood Cup!
Your Day 1 Top 10:
| 1 | DAVID DUDLEY | 17-14 (5) | 17-14 (5) | - | ||
| 2 | CODY MEYER | 14-09 (5) | 14-09 (5) | 3-05 | ||
| 3 | BRYAN THRIFT | 14-09 (5) | 14-09 (5) | 3-05 | ||
| 4 | BRAD KNIGHT | 13-07 (5) | 13-07 (5) | 4-07 | ||
| 5 | SCOTT MARTIN | 13-06 (5) | 13-06 (5) | 4-08 | ||
| 6 | BRENT EHRLER | 13-05 (5) | 13-05 (5) | 4-09 | ||
| 7 | ANTHONY GAGLIARDI | 13-02 (5) | 13-02 (5) | 4-12 | ||
| 8 | ANDY MORGAN | 12-10 (5) | 12-10 (5) | 5-04 | ||
| 9 | JACOB WHEELER | 12-05 (5) | 12-05 (5) | 5-09 | ||
| 10 | BARRY WILSON | 11-08 (5) | 11-08 (5) | 6-06 |
Local Tournament Veteran Says It Will Take Multiple Tactics To Win The Forrest Wood Cup On Lake Murray
Michael Bennett won the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup
Like Michael Bennett did in the Forrest Wood Cup on the same weekend in August in 2008 whoever wins the 2014 FLW Championship on South Carolina's Lake Murray this week will probably have to “junk it up,” according to veteran local tournament angler Doug Lown of Newberry.
In winning the $1 million first prize in 2008 Bennett said he spent the first day of the tournament fishing deep, shallow and everywhere in between to bring in a limit weighing 11 pounds, 15 ounces. Then he moved shallow and began casting to whatever cover he could find – laydowns, willow trees, riprap, seawalls, any “junk” that might hold a fish – until he zeroed in on docks and found the key to winning the tournament.
And, that, said Lown, is what anglers will have to do this week because no one type of cover, no one spot and no one pattern can be expected to produce fish all four days, or even throughout any of the days.
While Lake Murray boasts a national reputation as a “bass factory” because of all the record weights recorded in big-time tournaments over the years, August is one of the toughest – if not the toughest – months of the year to fish, Lown said.
“Usually the water temperatures this time of year get pretty high and the fish are stressed. They are right in the middle of their summer pattern and they feed a lot nocturnally this time of year because of all the summer boat traffic on the lake.”
Bennett won the 2008 Cup primarily fishing a shallow pattern, concentrating on docks near grass, and Lown believes the championship will also be won this week fishing shallow – primarily.
“We've had some rain this summer and the lake is not stained, but it's not real clear like it has been in the past. That has pushed the fish a little more shallow and they are feeding a lot on bluegills, which are a lot bigger bait for them than the bait they find out deep.
“I think the better quality fish will be caught shallow and the tournament will be won shallow, in water less than five feet deep,” he said. “A lot of fish should be caught around rocky points, possibly next to deeper water, and around water willows in the backs of the creeks,” he said.
“But if the weather gets hot later this week and they start pulling water at the dam that could hurt the shallow bite. The other option would be fishing deep on the bottom, but I don't think the fish will be found very deep – probably 10 to 20 or 25 feet deep”
The problem is none of these patterns can be expected to carry through the entire tournament, Lown said.
“The problem is being able to do something to produce fish for four days. The bite is inconsistent. In practice you will think you are on something and then the wheels will just fall off. Murray is a hard lake to fish this time of year.”
Two other factors likely will play a major role in the outcome of the tournament, Lown added.
“There is a full moon this week which might pull some bait up and the anglers will be able to find some decent suspended fish. Then you have to wonder how they are going to pull water after all this rain and how that will affect the shallow bite.”
In 2008, Bennett averaged 13 pounds a day, weighing in a four-day total of 52 pounds, 4 ounces, for 19 bass. Lown believes it will take somewhere around that 13-pound average to win the Cup on Lake Murray this week.
The upshot is that whoever wins is probably going to just have to go “junk fishing,” and do a little bit of everything to produce a decent limit each day.
2014 FLW Forest Wood Cup
Aug 14-17, 2014
Lake Murray – Columbia, SC
Dreher Island State Park
Bernie Schultz introduces the Storm Arashi WAKE CRANK from Tackle X!
Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Bernie Schultz shows us the NEW Storm Arashi Wake Crank at Tackle X on famous Lake X.
Vance McCullough previews the upcoming 2014 Forrest Wood Cup!
AnglersChannel.com Insider Vance McCullough talks about patterns that are expected to come into play and anglers who may nail them at the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray later this week.
ABA 100% Plus Team Tour registration is now open:
We are hope you are ready for a new Era in Team Bass Tournaments as we launch the 100% Plus Team Tour. The first of its kind with 100% plus payback at every event this season.
Registration is now open. To save yourself time and to speed up the process we highly recommend you register online at the following locations.
Alabama Events Registration Links.
The easiest way to sign up is paying for all 5 events in a division at one time or paying the non-refundable non-transferable deposit for all events. Using this option takes much less time as there is less to fill out and it locks in your boat number for all 5 events.
Alabama Package Registration - registering or paying deposit for all 5 events
https://www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=ALTeamPackage
3/14 Guntersville https://www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=738
4/18 Wheeler Lake https://www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=739
6/20 Guntersville Lake https://www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=740
7/18 Guntersville Lake https://www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=741
8/29 Guntersville Lake https://www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=742
TN/KY Division Registration Links:
TN/KY Package Registration - registering or paying deposit for all 5 events
https://www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=TNKYTeamPackage
3/28 Kentucky Lake: https://www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=743
4/25 Kentucky Lake: https://www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=744
6/27 Kentucky Lake: https://www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=745
7/25 Kentucky Lake: https://www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=746
8/22 Kentucky Lake: https://www.americanbassanglers.com/proddetail.php?prod=747
As you have questions please visit our FAQ page on www.americanbassanglers.com/TeamTourFAQ.php or call us at (256)232-0406 and email any questions to [email protected]
It’s going to be an exciting year on the 100% Plus Team Tour and look forward to seeing you on the tour!
Visit www.americanbassanglers.com for more information about the 100% Plus Team Tour and on Facebook American Bass Anglers where we have online contest every Monday!!
Ike Wins One For The Home Crowd On Delaware River
Moments before, he had told the crowd exactly what he was feeling as he won the Bassmaster Elite on the Delaware River.
“I won today, but not for me. I won for you guys,” said Iaconelli, Philly-born and raised in New Jersey.
Suddenly, “Going Ike” took on a new meaning.
When the fishing goes very right and when the fishing goes horribly wrong, Iaconelli is famous for his, um, unrepressed vocal and physical expression. Now, “Going Ike” also means achieving the win of any pro angler’s dreams.
Sunday, Ike nailed what few anglers have been able to: win a Bassmaster Elite Series event on home water. He topped that by whipping the field by no less than 8 pounds.
His winning total was 47 pounds, 14 ounces — a respectable weight for any midsummer tournament, and, as Iaconelli pointed out, proof that the Delaware River is a fishery worth any bass angler’s time.
Now living in Pittsgrove, N.J., Iaconelli recovered from a start at 21st place to lead for two days running before triumphing on the fourth and final competition day on the Delaware River, where he learned as a kid what bass fishing was all about.
His prize was $100,000 and an instant qualification for the 2015 world championship, the Bassmaster Classic.
“This is a great feeling to know the Classic is sewn up. Having a Classic berth is a very important thing,” said Iaconelli, who would have had an uphill climb to clinch an entry into the world championship through points earned at each event.
Iaconelli won by having spots to hit at low, mid and high tides.
“That was absolutely key. Every day I was able to rotate when the tides changed to those areas,” he said.
His low-tides spots were on what he called “main river hard stuff’: mostly industrial docks on the main river adjacent to large flats.
“When that water got low, there was no water for those fish to live on the flats, so they all get sucked into that ‘hard stuff’ in deeper water,” he said.
His prime midtide spot was a barge at the mouth of Timber Creek, near where he grew up in New Jersey.
“Every incoming tide, that place lights up because current washes through the barge,” he said.
His hottest ace was having spots to go to during high tides. The best were big concrete drains that bring water in and out of tidal ponds. The drains, only accessible to a caster in high water, have iron grates, but the bass slip between the bars in search of the ponds’ forage, Iaconelli said.
“That was key, because often (high tide) is wasted time for a lot of guys,” he said. “The bass live there. A lot of my fish came actually from inside the metal grates. These are unpressured fish; a lot of people don’t know they’re there.”
Iaconelli, the only angler in the event to turn in four five-bass limits, said he caught 80 percent of his bass — all largemouth — on two lures. One was a 1/2-ounce, small-profile finesse jig, a prototype he’s helping design for Missile Jigs, a new expansion of fellow pro John Crews’ Missile Baits. The color was brown-purple.
“On this river, over the years, small-profile baits do a lot better (job),” he said.
He tipped the jig with a high-action Berkley Chigger Chunk in green pumpkin.
His other key bait was a Berkley Havoc Pit Boss in “Okeechobee craw” — green pumpkin and blue metalflake. The setup on the Pit Boss was a 3/8-ounce VMC tungsten weight and a 5/0 VMC flipping hook.
Iaconelli said the other 20 percent of his catch came on a shaky head rig of a Havoc Bottom Hopper in the junebug color on a 3/16-ounce VMC jighead and a white Molix Lover vibration jig.
“I rotated between all of those baits,” he said.
After leading for two days, the final round started out stumping Iaconelli.
“I made a decision to start on the main river to fish those flats in the low water, and never had a bite,” he said.
He made the call to go into the creeks, where he figured the low water would drive the bass to certain accessible targets.
“I dropped my trolling motor, made two casts, and caught a 3 1/2-pounder,” he said. “Really key. I thought that was the precursor (to more action), but an hour later I hadn’t had another bite.”
He returned to the main river. The first dock he pulled up to yielded a 2 1/2-pounder.
“So I said, ‘They’re telling me to stay on the main river.’ I never had another bite on the main river,” he said. “It was that kind of day, when I scrapped (what I was doing) and started again.”
He gambled and went into a creek near a bridge, where the Molix Lover produced his third bite and keeper.
“I looked at my tide sheet, and it said ‘1:48, outgoing tide.’ I switched to my drains and caught two more keepers in my last hours of fishing.”
Iaconelli now has eight Bassmaster wins on his pro resume, which includes another Elite trophy on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville in 2006. He is the only angler in competition history to have claimed three significant titles of the sport: B.A.S.S. Nation Championship (1999), Bassmaster Classic (2003) and Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year (2006).
The 2012 Classic champion, Chris Lane of Guntersville, Ala., finished in second place with 39-14 to Iaconelli’s’ 47-14. Lane landed the largest bass of the day, a 3-14.
Third, fourth and fifth places were taken by Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla. (39-1); Kevin Short of Mayflower, Ark. (39-0); and Shaw Grigsby of Gainesville, Fla. (36-15).
Elite pros competed for points as well as cash on the Delaware River — a path into the Classic and the only road to the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year crown.
In the points standings, Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., uprooted the leader over six consecutive events on the 2014 Elite trail, Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark. Davis fell to seventh place. Aaron Martens, the 2013 AOY, became Hackney’s strongest challenger, only one tick behind.
Bonuses that Elite pros earned at the Delaware River event were:
* Toyota Bonus Bucks award of $3,000 to the highest eligible finisher: Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla. (third place).
* Toyota Bonus Bucks award of $2,000 to the second-highest eligible finisher: John Crews of Salem, Va. (11th place).
* Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Bonus of $1,000 to the leader in the Elite Series points race: Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La.
* Berkley Heavyweight Award of $500 for the best five-fish limit: Boyd Duckett for his Day 1 bag of 16-14.
* Carhartt Big Bass bonus of $1,000: Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., for his 4-6 on Day 3.
* Power-Pole Captain’s Cash award of $1,000 to the highest finisher equipped with a Power-Pole anchoring system : Iaconelli.
* Livingston Lures Leader Award of $500 for being the Day 2 leader: Iaconelli.
* A.R.E. Truck Caps’ Top Angler Award of $750: Bill Lowen of Brookville, Ind.
* Rigid Industries Jackpot: Not awarded. Rigid offers a daily prize of $250 to anglers registered for the program who produce a 25-pound or heavier bag. Unclaimed daily awards roll over into the next tournament day of the season. The jackpot now stands at $1,500.
The hosts of the event were Philadelphia Sports Congress, Visit Pennsylvania and Mid-Atlantic Youth Anglers & Outdoors Program. The local media partners are 6ABC TV and 92.5 XTU radio.
The Delaware River event will be featured on The Bassmasters on ESPN2 on Aug. 24 and 31 from 8 to 9 a.m. ET.
The next stop for the Elite Series is Aug. 21-24 at Cayuga Lake out of Union Springs, N.Y. The event, the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite Series at Cayuga Lake, will be the final full-field event of the season. The Top 50 pros in the points standings after the New York event will qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series AOY Championship, Sept. 18-21 at Bays de Noc in Escanaba, Mich., when the 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year will be crowned.
2014 Bassmaster Elite Series at Delaware River 8/7-8/10
Delaware River, Philadelphia PA.
Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ 20 47-14 100 $101,500.00
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 15-01 Day 3: 5 12-13 Day 4: 5 10-14
2. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 18 39-14 99 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 3 07-00 Day 3: 5 09-07 Day 4: 5 12-14
3. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 18 39-01 98 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 3 07-12 Day 3: 5 10-11 Day 4: 5 10-14
4. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 19 39-00 97 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 10-01 Day 3: 4 06-09 Day 4: 5 11-00
5. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 16 36-15 96 $14,000.00
Day 1: 3 04-02 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 4 09-00 Day 4: 4 08-14
6. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 19 34-11 95 $14,500.00
Day 1: 4 07-09 Day 2: 5 06-12 Day 3: 5 13-03 Day 4: 5 07-03
7. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 18 34-00 94 $13,750.00
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 10-12 Day 3: 5 08-10 Day 4: 3 03-09
8. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 13 33-07 93 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 3 06-07 Day 3: 1 01-12 Day 4: 4 08-06
9. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 16 32-08 92 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 09-13 Day 3: 5 08-14 Day 4: 1 02-14
10. Byron Velvick Boenre, TX 14 31-08 91 $11,500.00
Day 1: 4 10-05 Day 2: 5 07-15 Day 3: 3 08-02 Day 4: 2 05-02
11. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 15 31-05 90 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 11-14 Day 3: 2 03-09 Day 4: 3 06-01
12. Chad Pipkens Holt, MI 17 30-09 89 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 4 07-02 Day 3: 5 08-00 Day 4: 3 04-03
CARHARTT BIG BASS
Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 04-06 $1,000.00
BERKLEY HEAVYWEIGHT
Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 16-14 $500.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 23 302 590-07
2 16 273 516-09
3 12 128 239-15
4 5 45 91-14
----------------------------------
56 748 1438-13
Cashion Fishing Rods 'End Of Year' Trail Qualifier #3 Results - Aug 9, 2014 - Kerr Lake
It was raining when I arrived at check in (5am) and it didn't quit until the 26 teams came in at 2pm to weigh in!! Figures!! The predicted weather conditions did hurt the turnout and it also hurt the bite for most of the teams. Only 5 teams caught a limit but we did have one of the biggest bass caught at Kerr in several years brought in. Everyone came in soaked to the bone! Tough bunch!
Air temps ranged from 69 in the am and around 75 in the afternoon. The winds were pretty much light to variable, maybe 8 mph at times. Water temps averaged 82 degrees. Most of the fish were caught in shallow water on Pop R's, Flukes, Carolina Rigs and Shakey Heads.
Robert Perkins & Brandon Gray squeezed out 5 bass weighing a total of 15.21 lbs. taking 1st Place worth $832 and 1st TWT, bringing their total winnings to $1,217.
The 2nd Place Team of Larry & Mark Inman arrived with 5 bass weighing 13.92 lbs. They also won the 2nd Place TWT & 2nd Place Big Fish to take home a total of $799. The 5th place team of Robert Bristow & Alan Thomerson only had 3 bass, but one weighed in at 7.05 pounds which is the largest we've seen at Kerr since the bass recovered from a gill disease a year or so ago. The big one helped them take home $551 in earnings! 1st place Team Member Brandon Gray won the Tow Boats US Member Award of $50.
Only 46 bass were weighed in for a total of 107 pounds. This averaged 2.3 lbs. a fish and they were nice and healthy looking. We also had a 14 pound striper caught & released Saturday...Nice!
I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support these trails. Our next tournament will be the Cashion Fishing Rods 'End of Year' Team Tournament Bass Fishing Trail Qualifier #4, Saturday, August 23rd at Falls Lake out of Ledge Rock Wildlife Ramp.
All the information on our tournaments can be found at http://piedmontbassclassics.com/
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Robert Perkins & Brandon Gray of Rougemont & Bullock...5 bass...15.21 lbs...$832
2nd Place: Larry & Mark Inman of Greensboro...5 bass...13.92 lbs...$478
3rd Place: Joe Langley & Brian Fritts of Benson & Raleigh...5 bass...12.90 lbs...$333
4th Place: Chad Emory & Jeremy Martin of Durham & Rougemont...5 bass...11.63 lbs...$250
5th Place: Robert Bristow & Alan Thomerson of Franklinton...3 bass...10.30 lbs...$187
1st Place Big Fish: 5th Place Team above...7.05 lbs...$364
2nd Place Big Fish: 2nd Place Team above...4.05 lbs...$156
1st Place TWT: 1st Place Team above: 15.21 lbs...$385
2nd Place TWT: 2nd Place Team above: 13.92 lbs...$165
Tow Boats US Award: Brandon Gray of Bullock: $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/
After Dq At Big O Gagliardi Defies Odds To Reach Forrest Wood Cup On Lake Murray
FLW Tour Pro Anthony Gagliardi
When the 2014 FLW Tour schedule was announced Anthony Gagliardi was elated. The Forrest Wood Cup – the Tour's season-ending championship – was returning to Lake Murray, Gagliardi's home lake.
He would get a shot at redemption this August. The last time the Cup was held on Lake Murray in central South Carolina – just two years after winning his first FLW Tour qualifier on the lake and demolishing tournament records in the process – Gagliardi finished a disappointing 48th.
“That was not a real reflection of the opportunities I had. I should have done better,” said Gagliardi, who was the FLW Tour's Angler of the Year in 2006. “I had chances to do better.”
Gagliardi was on fish, possibly enough fish to win, in the 2008 Cup, but he made a fatal mistake. He had no backup plan and his fish disappeared due to a drastic change in the weather on the second day of the tournament. After weighing a limit at over 10 pounds the first day, he managed only two bass the second day, giving him a two-day total of seven fish at 12 pounds, 6 ounces, far short of what was needed to make the cut to the second round.
“If I had made it past the second day I think I could have done pretty good, but I did not have anything to fall back on,” he said.
So, as soon as the schedule came out, he began planning his year with the goal of making it back to the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray.
Then disaster struck.
“About a week before I was going to leave to go down to Okeechobee for the first tournament of the season, I realized what had happened.”
“What” had happened was that Gagliardi, an icon of honesty in the pro fishing ranks, realized he had violated a practice rule, a change that was just installed for the 2014 season.
While practicing on Okeechobee he fished one day with a friend from South Carolina who was practicing for a Rayovac tournament on the lake in January. That would have been legal in previous years, but the rules change required prior approval to fish with a contestant in another tournament series.
Although he knew the rules, Gagliardi said he did not think about it when he and the other angler decided to fish together on day when the other angler's planned practice partner could not get to the lake. However, he soon realized his own mistake and did the honorable thing. He called Bill Taylor, director of tournament relations, and reported the violation.
There is no slap on the hand when a serious rule is violated in FLW Outdoors tournaments. Taylor had no choice but to disqualify Gagliardi for the Okeechobee tournament. That meant he would start the season with a big 0, a hard hole to dig out of.
“It just devastated me,” Gagliardi said. “I just knew my season was gone before it ever got going.”
But, being the pro that he is Gagliardi knew he had to try. He had to fish hard all year if he had any chance to get back into contention for the Cup on Lake Murray.
Then fortune smiled.
At the second tournament of the year on Lake Hartwell, Gagliardi finished 7th. It was just the boost he needed to get things going again.
“That kind of got everything started,” he said. “I got a lot of points to begin with and realized I had a shot to make the Cup. After that one tournament was pretty much my goal. As long as I had a shot going into the next one that was all I could ask for.”
The Hartwell tournament gave him a little breathing room. He followed that with a 30th place at Same Rayburn and then 13th at Beaver Lake. The Forrest Wood Cup at Lake Murray was in sight, but he was not there yet.
“My last two tournaments were not great, but I did not have a really bad tournament this year,” Gagliardi said. “All in all, it was a fantastic year, considering all the pressure I put on myself.”
He finished 46th at Pickwick in early June, then 48th at Kentucky Lake in late June.
Although the Chevy pro did not make the cut at Kentucky Lake, he learned he had slipped into the Cup by the slightest of margins when total points for the year were calculated.
“I was next to the last guy in. One point or maybe two less and I would have been out,” he said.
This time around Gagliardi does not intend to squander his chances on Lake Murray. He began planning a year ago to hedge his bets in case he made the Cup.
“I don't have a lot of experience on Lake Murray this time of year. It's hot and there is not a lot of fun fishing going on,” Gagliardi said. “But last summer I did fish a little bit in preparation for this event. I did not fish all that hard. I just wanted to get an idea of what things might be like, just to stay in tune with the lake.”
This time, he said, he will have several different things to fall back on if he begins to struggle. The lake is up higher than normal this time of year, Gagliardi said, which means there will be some bass caught shallow.
“I'm not going to say I have the fish figured out. It's a tough lake this time of year,” he said.
“There are not a lot of places where you can catch a bunch of fish on one spot. I think you will be able to pick up a fish and a fish there. Michael Bennett won it in 2008 by junk fishing and I think it will be won junk fishing this time.”
In his blog on the FLW website, fellow pro Dave Lefebre of Pennsylvania wrote about his friend, Gagliardi's year:
“Statistically, Gagliardi has been one of the most consistent fishermen on the FLW Tour for several years, but what he accomplished this year is simply incredible, especially when you consider the circumstances involved,” wrote Lefebre who did not qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup, the first championship he has missed after making 11 straight.
“In this game it’s all about attitude and believing, and Gagliardi’s achievement is an inspiration to me, and one I think should motivate all of us who fish tournaments. It seemed impossible, but he overcame the odds and accomplished something that is clearly one of the most incredible feats this sport has ever seen, especially with only five tournaments to work with.”
Knowing he can fish this next week has filled Gagliardi with both relief and determination.
“The main thing for me is just having the chance to fish in the Forrest Wood Cup after almost blowing it at the beginning,” Gagliardi said. “I'm just so glad to say that I am going to be there.”
2014 FLW Forest Wood Cup
Aug 14-17, 2014
Lake Murray – Columbia, SC
Dreher Island State Park
Homestanding Ike Now Leads By 6 In Elite Series Tourney On Delaware River
This week on the Delaware River, Michael Iaconelli has been the prince of tides. Judging by the mass of fans pulling for him at the Bassmaster Elite Series event out of the City of Brotherly Love, he’s also the fishing prince of Philadelphia.
Saturday in the third of four rounds, Iaconelli not only repeated his Friday lead, he also banked 6 pounds, 9 ounces against his nearest challenger by reading and adjusting to the tides.
Iaconelli’s leading three-day total was 37-0. Bill Lowen of Brookville, Ind., and Scott Rook of Little Rock, Ark. — both “river rats” who have tapped into their knowledge of current and river habitat to attack the Delaware — are Iaconelli’s lurking challengers.
Lowen took second place Saturday with 30-7. Rook had 29-10.
Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., popped up from 17th place into fourth with a strong 10-11 catch on Saturday, bringing him to 28-3. Likewise for Shaw Grigsby of Gainesville, Fla.: He posted 9-0, enough to pull up from ninth place to round out the Top 5 at 28-1.
First-day leader Boyd Duckett dropped to 12th place after producing 1-12 Saturday. With the field pared to the Top 12 for Sunday’s last round, the pro from Guntersville, Ala., was the last man inside the cutline at 25-1.
Born in Philadelphia, and now living in Pittsgrove, N.J., Iaconelli’s first hurdle of Saturday’s competition was making the right call to deal with the morning’s blowout tide — one significantly lower than normal low tide, thanks to the ongoing so-called “super moon.”
“I saw more stuff exposed than I’ve seen in days,” he said. “I couldn’t even get to the area I wanted to get to. The water was a foot, foot and a half lower than normal at low tide.”
It took him about 30 minutes to figure out how to adjust, Iaconelli said.
“Thirty minutes here is a long time,” he said. “But I made a change, (based on) my history here of knowing what to do at blowout tides. Then I got into a morning flurry between 7:30 and 8:30.”
The flurry was seven keeper largemouth bass. He said he knew when to abandon his spot as the tide rose and muddied the water. He then ran north to a known community hole.
“But I never had a bite,” he said.
Knowing he needed to get back to a hot spot at exactly the right time, he headed south. Again, he was spot-on in his timing, and boated several more keepers.
Over the eight hours of competition, he said he landed 11 keeper bites, culling several times to build his 12-13 five-bass limit.
Fishing the Delaware River since he was kid, Iaconelli said he’s learned that adjustments are always necessary on the Delaware, and that his knowledge of the Delaware has been key to his success.
“I feel when I pull up to an area, I feel like I know what it needs to have as far as being a low tide, a midtide or a high tide spot, and what the current is doing,” said Iaconelli, the only angler in competition history to have claimed three significant titles of the sport: B.A.S.S. Nation Championship (1999), Bassmaster Classic (2003) and Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year (2006). Including the Classic, Iaconelli has had seven Bassmaster wins in his pro career.
Lowen also had to change his game with the tide.
“I’ve been catching most of my fish on the incoming tide. Today I didn’t get it, so I had to relearn the area on the outgoing tide,” he said.
Lowen’s adjustments were subtle. He stuck to the same area that’s produced limits for him three days running, keying on wood cover.
“I had to learn where the ‘new’ spot was on those same pieces of wood,” he said.
Lowen got seven keeper bites, and he capitalized on all but one for a Saturday catch of 8-10.
Rook, like Lowen, has produced three limits of largemouth all three days of the competition. He is working a large creek, running three to four miles of it.
Even at 7-6 behind Iaconelli, Rook wasn’t discouraged.
“Seven or eight pounds may look insurmountable, but actually it’s not,” said Rook, who brought in 8-14 Saturday. “He can have a bad day. I know that quality fish are in the river; I just haven’t got to them yet. Maybe tomorrow.”
The dozen finalists will compete Sunday for a first prize of $100,000 and an instant qualification for the 2015 world championship, the Bassmaster Classic.
Elite pros also are competing for points on the Delaware River — the other path into the Classic and the only road to the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year crown.
After three days on the Delaware, Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., had uprooted the points leader over six consecutive events on the 2014 Elite trail, Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark. Davis fell to seventh place. Aaron Martens, the 2013 AOY, became Hackney’s strongest challenger, only one tick behind. (Points are awarded only after the conclusion of an event.)
As the Delaware River event leader, Iaconelli has improved his points standings considerably. That, he said, gives him a shot at a Classic berth.
“I’d love to win here,” Iaconelli said, “but my goal coming into this event was a Top 20. A Top 20 here, a Top 20 at Cayuga, I make the Classic.”
Cayuga Lake in New York, set for Aug. 21-24 is the site of the final full-field event of the season.
The largest bass of the day was a 4-6 by Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., who made it into the finals at seventh place. Reese became the top contender for the event’s Carhartt Big Bass award of up to $1,500.
Duckett’s first-day weight of 16-14 continued to lead the Berkley Heavyweight competition for a bonus prize of $500.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett appeared at the event on Saturday to welcome the Bassmaster Elite Series to Philadelphia, a first-time stop for the tour.
“Bassmaster could be anywhere, but they chose the city of Philadelphia,” Corbett said.
The 12 anglers who qualified for Championship Sunday will begin the final round at 6:15 a.m. They’ll take off from the Frankford Arsenal Boat Launch (5701 Tacony St.), then weigh-in at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing (211 S. Columbus Blvd.) beginning at 3:15 p.m.
2014 Bassmaster Elite Series at Delaware River 8/7-8/10
Delaware River, Philadelphia PA.
Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ 15 37-00 100 $500.00
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 15-01 Day 3: 5 12-13
2. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 15 30-07 99
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 10-12 Day 3: 5 08-10
3. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 15 29-10 98
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 09-13 Day 3: 5 08-14
4. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 13 28-03 97
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 3 07-12 Day 3: 5 10-11
5. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 12 28-01 96
Day 1: 3 04-02 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 4 09-00
6. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 14 28-00 95
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 10-01 Day 3: 4 06-09
7. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 14 27-08 94
Day 1: 4 07-09 Day 2: 5 06-12 Day 3: 5 13-03
8. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 13 27-00 93
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 3 07-00 Day 3: 5 09-07
9. Chad Pipkens Holt, MI 14 26-06 92
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 4 07-02 Day 3: 5 08-00
10. Byron Velvick Boenre, TX 12 26-06 91
Day 1: 4 10-05 Day 2: 5 07-15 Day 3: 3 08-02
11. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 12 25-04 90
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 11-14 Day 3: 2 03-09
12. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 9 25-01 89
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 3 06-07 Day 3: 1 01-12
13. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 13 24-09 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 06-09 Day 2: 4 08-13 Day 3: 5 09-03
14. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 10 24-08 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 06-10 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 3 05-15
15. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 11 24-02 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 10-04 Day 3: 1 01-12
16. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 11 24-01 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 09-12 Day 2: 2 03-11 Day 3: 5 10-10
17. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 13 23-12 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 3 04-01 Day 3: 5 08-06
18. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 11 23-04 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 06-11 Day 2: 3 06-04 Day 3: 5 10-05
19. James Elam Tulsa, OK 12 23-00 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 4 06-05 Day 3: 3 04-15
20. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 9 21-14 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 04-01 Day 2: 3 08-06 Day 3: 4 09-07
21. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 10 21-08 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 08-10 Day 2: 5 11-11 Day 3: 1 01-03
22. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 12 21-01 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 07-04 Day 2: 3 05-03 Day 3: 5 08-10
23. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 11 20-13 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 08-15 Day 2: 5 09-03 Day 3: 2 02-11
24. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 10 19-13 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 04-01 Day 2: 5 10-11 Day 3: 3 05-01
25. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 13 19-13 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 06-14 Day 3: 3 03-11
26. Zell Rowland Montgomery, TX 11 19-12 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 05-03 Day 2: 5 09-13 Day 3: 3 04-12
27. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 9 19-09 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 09-14 Day 2: 4 08-11 Day 3: 1 01-00
28. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 8 19-02 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 07-12 Day 2: 3 07-09 Day 3: 2 03-13
29. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 11 19-02 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 05-14 Day 2: 4 07-05 Day 3: 3 05-15
30. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 10 18-01 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 07-15 Day 2: 5 07-01 Day 3: 2 03-01
31. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 9 17-07 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 2 02-10 Day 3: 2 04-09
32. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 11 17-00 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-00 Day 2: 4 06-01 Day 3: 2 02-15
33. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 10 16-07 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 05-13 Day 2: 4 06-06 Day 3: 3 04-04
34. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 9 16-06 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 4 07-09 Day 3: 0 00-00
35. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 9 16-05 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 07-06 Day 2: 4 07-10 Day 3: 1 01-05
36. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 7 15-09 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 09-03 Day 2: 1 01-13 Day 3: 2 04-09
37. Kevin Hawk Guntersville, AL 9 14-14 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 3 04-00 Day 3: 1 01-15
38. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 9 14-11 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-02 Day 2: 3 05-05 Day 3: 1 02-04
39. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 8 14-10 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 06-04 Day 2: 2 05-07 Day 3: 3 02-15
40. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 6 14-04 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 09-06 Day 2: 2 04-14 Day 3: 0 00-00
41. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 8 14-03 60 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 07-08 Day 2: 2 03-10 Day 3: 2 03-01
42. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 7 14-02 59 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 1 01-13 Day 3: 1 02-09
43. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 7 14-00 58 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 2 04-14 Day 3: 0 00-00
44. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 7 14-00 57 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 06-14 Day 2: 3 07-02 Day 3: 0 00-00
45. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 8 13-15 56 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 07-03 Day 2: 3 04-13 Day 3: 1 01-15
46. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 13-14 55 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 09-03 Day 2: 2 04-11 Day 3: 0 00-00
47. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 8 13-10 54 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 06-07 Day 2: 4 05-10 Day 3: 1 01-09
48. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 7 13-07 53 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 04-00 Day 2: 4 07-15 Day 3: 1 01-08
49. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 6 13-06 52 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 05-02 Day 2: 3 06-01 Day 3: 1 02-03
50. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 6 12-13 51 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 08-01 Day 2: 2 03-06 Day 3: 1 01-06
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 23 302 590-07
2 16 273 516-09
3 12 128 239-15
----------------------------------
51 703 1346-15
Ike Takes Elite Series Lead In Front Of Home Crowd At Delaware River!
It was as if the boisterous Ike fans felt their voices could pull their hometown guy up from 21st place, almost 8 pounds behind first-day leader Boyd Duckett after the initial round Thursday.
But “Ike,” as it turned out, was able to get up all by himself. He turned in 15-1, the biggest sack of bass to meet the scales Friday, and deftly slipped the lead away from Duckett, albeit by only 14 ounces.
Duckett gave Iaconelli’s rocket ride from 21st place a boost by posting 6-7, relegating Duckett to second place. Iaconelli had 24-3 on the board to Duckett’s 23-5.
But Duckett, who’s from Guntersville, Ala., and Iaconelli, now living in Pittsgrove, N.J., have plenty of competition left before either can claim the Elite event’s first prize of $100,000 and an instant 2015 Bassmaster Classic qualification.
Morizo Shimizu of Osaka, Japan, is one prime threat. He produced 10-4 for a two-day total of 22-6. That put him in third place and 1 pound, 13 ounces behind Iaconelli.
And 2-6 behind Iaconelli was Bill Lowen of Brookville, Ind. His two-day weight hit 21-13, the result of a rarity so far in the competition: close weights (11-1 and 10-12) over two days of tackling the tough Delaware River system. Lowen climbed from seventh place into fourth place. He had the day’s largest bass, a 4-0 largemouth.
Fifth place was occupied by John Crews of Salem, Va., at 21-11, just 2 ounces behind Lowen.
The field of 106 Elite Series pros was cut to 50 for Saturday’s third round. Only the Top 12 after Saturday will advance to Championship Sunday.
Iaconelli, whose family crossed the Delaware to live in New Jersey when he was 6 years old, cut his fishing teeth on the river. Such a history almost hurt him this week when he chose to make a long run north on Thursday to reach a known and productive community hole.
The payback on the time spent up north was only one bass. More crucial, he almost missed the windows that open to anglers as the tide changes.
“It threw me off 20 to 30 to 40 minutes all day. I felt like I was chasing the tide,” he said.
His correction for Friday’s round was perfect.
“Today, I went right to where I thought was the best spot on that tide, and I caught them,” Iaconelli said. “I knew, as soon as I saw the water coming back up, it was over, and I left. I didn’t get married to it.”
He then ran to another spot, one he knew would produce as the water level rose.
“I stopped, and I caught one. And that’s what happened all day,” he said, explaining how he moved from place to place as the tide and current suggested to him the next best bet, and then the next.
He hooked into 15 keeper largemouth bass within three windows opened by those tidal conditions, he said. One bass he lost before he could get it in the boat. But the other 14 bass were culled to five bass at 15-1, including a 3-12, his largest of Friday.
“With the slow start yesterday, there was a little bit of anxiousness going out today,” Iaconelli said. “I knew today was an important day, (that I needed to) get back on track.”
And his reaction to the crowd of Philly and Jersey supporters?
“That’s an amazing feeling,” he said. “A good feeling.”
Iaconelli is not only a hometown favorite in the Delaware River tournament, he also has an enviable career record. He stands as the only angler in competition history to have won the trifecta of the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship (1999), Bassmaster Classic (2003) and Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year (2006). Counting the Classic, he has seven Bassmaster tournament wins on his pro resume.
Duckett, the 2007 Classic champ, came back to the dock Friday with three bass, two shy of his limit.
“I lost two fish,” he said. “I actually had three quality, big-fish bites on the same deal I was doing yesterday.”
With only one good-sized bass in the box, Duckett abandoned his “deal” — a big-bass pattern — as the clock ticked.
“With about an hour and a half left, I scrambled up two dinks to go with it (his sole bass),” he said.
Shimizu, who weighed a five-bass limit of 10-4, said he camped in one area and waited for tidal conditions to be just right. He had faith that the bass lived there, he said. It was the same area that worked for him the first day, but the bass came from different spots.
“I’m figuring out the tides,” he said through a translator.
Iaconelli won the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $500 for heading up the field on Day 2.
Brandon Card’s 4-3 of Day 1 held on as the top contender for the event’s Carhartt Big Bass award of up to $1,500.
Duckett’s first-day weight of 16-14 continued to lead the Berkley Heavyweight competition, which carries an award of $500.
The 50 pros who survived Friday’s cut will begin the semifinal round at 6:15 a.m. Saturday. They’ll take off from the Frankford Arsenal Boat Launch (5701 Tacony St.), then weigh-in at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing (211 S. Columbus Blvd.) beginning at 3:15 p.m.
Fans are invited to watch the takeoff and weigh-ins. There’s no admission charge to attend.
Other free Bassmaster activities on Saturday and Sunday at Penn’s Landing include boat rides in new Nitro, Triton and Skeeter rigs powered by Mercury and Yamaha engines. Fans can sign up for the demo rides at the Nitro, Triton and Yamaha booths.
The Bassmaster Elite Expo, which features local exhibits as well as those of Elite Series sponsors, will open Saturday at noon, and again at noon on Sunday. Free Expo activities include the screening of the newest Costa GeoBASS film preceding the Saturday weigh-in.
Fans can stay after the Saturday weigh-in for a free RaeLynn and Chase Bryant concert presented by 92.5 XTU radio.
The hosts of the event are Philadelphia Sports Congress, Visit Pennsylvania and Mid-Atlantic Youth Anglers & Outdoors Program. The local media partners are 6ABC TV and 92.5 XTU.
The Delaware River event will be featured on The Bassmasters on ESPN2 on Aug. 24 and 31 from 8 to 9 a.m. ET.
2014 Bassmaster Elite Series at Delaware River 8/7-8/10
Delaware River, Philadelphia PA.
Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ 10 24-03 100 $500.00
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 15-01
2. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 8 23-05 99
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 3 06-07
3. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 10 22-06 98
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 10-04
4. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 21-13 97
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 10-12
5. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 21-11 96
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 11-14
6. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 10 21-07 95
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 10-01
7. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 10 20-12 94
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 09-13
8. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 9 20-05 93
Day 1: 4 08-10 Day 2: 5 11-11
9. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 8 19-01 92
Day 1: 3 04-02 Day 2: 5 14-15
10. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 7 18-09 91
Day 1: 2 06-10 Day 2: 5 11-15
11. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 8 18-09 90
Day 1: 4 09-14 Day 2: 4 08-11
12. Chad Pipkens Holt, MI 9 18-06 89
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 4 07-02
13. Byron Velvick Boenre, TX 9 18-04 88
Day 1: 4 10-05 Day 2: 5 07-15
14. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 9 18-02 87
Day 1: 4 08-15 Day 2: 5 09-03
15. James Elam Tulsa, OK 9 18-01 86
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 4 06-05
16. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 8 17-09 85
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 3 07-00
17. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 8 17-08 84
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 3 07-12
18. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 9 16-06 83
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 4 07-09
19. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 10 16-02 82
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 06-14
20. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 8 15-06 81
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 3 04-01
21. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 8 15-06 80
Day 1: 4 06-09 Day 2: 4 08-13
22. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 6 15-05 79
Day 1: 3 07-12 Day 2: 3 07-09
23. Zell Rowland Montgomery, TX 8 15-00 78
Day 1: 3 05-03 Day 2: 5 09-13
24. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 8 15-00 77
Day 1: 3 07-15 Day 2: 5 07-01
25. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 8 15-00 76
Day 1: 4 07-06 Day 2: 4 07-10
26. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 7 14-12 75
Day 1: 2 04-01 Day 2: 5 10-11
27. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 9 14-05 74
Day 1: 4 07-09 Day 2: 5 06-12
28. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 6 14-04 73
Day 1: 4 09-06 Day 2: 2 04-14
29. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 9 14-01 72
Day 1: 5 08-00 Day 2: 4 06-01
30. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 7 14-00 71
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 2 04-14
31. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 7 14-00 70
Day 1: 4 06-14 Day 2: 3 07-02
32. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 13-14 69
Day 1: 3 09-03 Day 2: 2 04-11
33. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 6 13-07 68
Day 1: 4 09-12 Day 2: 2 03-11
34. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 8 13-03 67
Day 1: 4 05-14 Day 2: 4 07-05
35. Kevin Hawk Guntersville, AL 8 12-15 66
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 3 04-00
36. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 6 12-15 65
Day 1: 3 06-11 Day 2: 3 06-04
37. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 7 12-14 64
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 2 02-10
38. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 12-07 63
Day 1: 2 04-01 Day 2: 3 08-06
39. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 7 12-07 62
Day 1: 4 07-04 Day 2: 3 05-03
40. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 8 12-07 61
Day 1: 5 07-02 Day 2: 3 05-05
41. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 7 12-03 60
Day 1: 3 05-13 Day 2: 4 06-06
42. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 7 12-01 59
Day 1: 3 06-07 Day 2: 4 05-10
43. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 7 12-00 58
Day 1: 4 07-03 Day 2: 3 04-13
44. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 6 11-15 57
Day 1: 2 04-00 Day 2: 4 07-15
45. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 11-11 56
Day 1: 3 06-04 Day 2: 2 05-07
46. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 6 11-09 55
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 1 01-13
47. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 5 11-07 54
Day 1: 3 08-01 Day 2: 2 03-06
48. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 5 11-03 53
Day 1: 2 05-02 Day 2: 3 06-01
49. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 6 11-02 52
Day 1: 4 07-08 Day 2: 2 03-10
50. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 5 11-00 51
Day 1: 4 09-03 Day 2: 1 01-13
51. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 6 10-08 50
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 1 01-15
52. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 6 10-06 49
Day 1: 2 03-08 Day 2: 4 06-14
53. Mike Kernan Wylie, TX 6 10-01 48
Day 1: 4 06-04 Day 2: 2 03-13
54. Boo Woods Oneida, KY 6 10-00 47
Day 1: 3 03-02 Day 2: 3 06-14
55. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 4 09-10 46
Day 1: 3 07-05 Day 2: 1 02-05
56. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 7 08-13 45
Day 1: 4 04-08 Day 2: 3 04-05
57. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 4 08-12 44
Day 1: 2 06-14 Day 2: 2 01-14
58. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 5 08-09 43
Day 1: 3 03-10 Day 2: 2 04-15
59. Tracy Adams Wilkesboro, NC 4 08-06 42
Day 1: 3 04-13 Day 2: 1 03-09
60. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 5 08-04 41
Day 1: 2 04-00 Day 2: 3 04-04
61. Joel Baker Talala, OK 5 08-01 40
Day 1: 2 02-11 Day 2: 3 05-06
62. Randall Tharp Port Saint Joe, FL 5 07-14 39
Day 1: 2 04-01 Day 2: 3 03-13
63. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 5 07-10 38
Day 1: 1 01-03 Day 2: 4 06-07
64. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 5 07-06 37
Day 1: 5 07-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
65. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 5 07-05 36
Day 1: 2 02-07 Day 2: 3 04-14
66. Jamie Horton Centerville, AL 4 07-04 35
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 4 07-04
67. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 4 07-04 34
Day 1: 1 01-12 Day 2: 3 05-08
68. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 5 07-04 33
Day 1: 2 02-10 Day 2: 3 04-10
69. Pete Ponds Madison, MS 3 07-01 32
Day 1: 1 01-08 Day 2: 2 05-09
70. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 5 07-01 31
Day 1: 2 02-06 Day 2: 3 04-11
71. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 4 07-00 30
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 3 04-10
72. Jeremy Starks Scott Depot, WV 3 06-15 29
Day 1: 1 02-15 Day 2: 2 04-00
73. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 3 06-14 28
Day 1: 3 06-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 4 06-14 27
Day 1: 3 05-08 Day 2: 1 01-06
75. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, IL 4 06-11 26
Day 1: 2 03-09 Day 2: 2 03-02
76. Randy Howell Springville, AL 5 06-08 25
Day 1: 5 06-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
77. Casey Scanlon Lanexa, KS 3 06-07 24
Day 1: 1 02-01 Day 2: 2 04-06
78. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 5 06-06 23
Day 1: 4 05-06 Day 2: 1 01-00
79. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 3 06-00 22
Day 1: 2 03-03 Day 2: 1 02-13
80. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 3 05-09 21
Day 1: 2 03-12 Day 2: 1 01-13
81. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 4 05-09 20
Day 1: 2 02-15 Day 2: 2 02-10
82. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 3 05-06 19
Day 1: 2 03-12 Day 2: 1 01-10
83. Nate Wellman Newaygo, MI 4 05-04 18
Day 1: 3 04-04 Day 2: 1 01-00
84. Glenn Browne Ocala, FL 3 05-00 17
Day 1: 1 01-08 Day 2: 2 03-08
85. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 3 05-00 16
Day 1: 1 02-00 Day 2: 2 03-00
86. Kelly Jordon Palestine, TX 4 04-15 15
Day 1: 1 01-05 Day 2: 3 03-10
87. Trevor Romans Plano, TX 2 04-15 14
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 1 02-10
88. Joseph Sancho New Windsor, NY 4 04-14 13
Day 1: 1 01-06 Day 2: 3 03-08
89. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 3 04-06 12
Day 1: 2 02-10 Day 2: 1 01-12
90. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, OK 2 04-05 11
Day 1: 2 04-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
91. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 3 04-05 10
Day 1: 2 02-05 Day 2: 1 02-00
92. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 3 04-04 9
Day 1: 1 01-08 Day 2: 2 02-12
93. Grant Goldbeck Boerne, TX 2 04-01 8
Day 1: 1 02-15 Day 2: 1 01-02
94. Jared Miller Norman, OK 3 04-00 7
Day 1: 2 04-00 Day 2: 1 00-00
95. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 3 03-11 6
Day 1: 1 01-03 Day 2: 2 02-08
96. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 2 03-09 5
Day 1: 1 01-06 Day 2: 1 02-03
97. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 1 03-06 4
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-06
98. Michael Simonton Fremont, OH 2 03-00 3
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 03-00
99. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 2 02-13 2
Day 1: 1 01-01 Day 2: 1 01-12
100. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 1 02-11 1
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 0 00-00
101. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 1 02-06 0
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
102. David Walker Sevierville, TN 1 02-02 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
103. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 1 01-12 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-12
104. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 1 01-01 0
Day 1: 1 01-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
105. David Smith Del City, OK 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
105. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 23 302 590-07
2 16 273 516-09
----------------------------------
39 575 1107-00
2014 FLW CUP Preivew with AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh
AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh says there is no doubt this years FLW CUP on LAKE MURRAY will be won shallow.....click on the video for full story!
Duckett Leads Elites After First Day On Delaware River
Oh, boy, do they. Boyd Duckett showed how those bass can be caught when the four-day Bassmaster Elite Series event on the Delaware River kicked off Thursday out of Philadelphia for the first time in Bassmaster history.
Bringing in a limit of five largemouth bass that weighed 16 pounds, 14 ounces — a respectable total anywhere during midsummer — Duckett of Guntersville, Ala., led the field of 106 pros, each after the event’s first prize of $100,000 and an instant qualification for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic.
Duckett — the 2007 Bassmaster Classic champion — posted a hefty lead over Morizo Shimizu of Osaka, Japan, who took second place with 12-2.
Third place after one day was claimed by James Elam of Tulsa, Okla., with 11-12. Kevin Short of Mayflower, Ark., had 11-6 for fourth place. Fred Roumbanis of Bixby, Okla., had 11-5 for fifth place.
Those five pros on top of the leaderboard all weighed five-fish limits, unlike many others in the field.
Knowing well after two and a half days of practice time that Delaware River bass were going to present one of the Elite season’s biggest challenges, Duckett made a key decision: go for the big bass during the river’s just-right tidal conditions, taking the chance that he would not end up with five in the box.
“I found a couple of deals that work a little better to get a bigger bite,” he said. “I’m throwing bigger baits. There’s no guarantee you’ll get five bites in a day here. At least if you get them, I want them to be bigger ones.”
Duckett said that toward the end of the day, he had a limit, but the smallest, a 2-pounder, was bugging him.
“I was like, ‘Oh, if I could just cull this one.’ Then finally I got my sixth bite, and it was a 3 1/2. I knew I had about all the river was going to put out for the day,” he said.
The five he weighed looked like cookie-cutter bass. The largest was 3-13.
Duckett said he’s working the main river as well as backwater areas, always trying to follow the tides.
Shimizu said he caught four of his five bass within one midmorning hour. When the action shut down, he moved to one of his secondary spots, but nothing worked for him there. He returned to the place that gave up the quartet. And there he landed his fifth largemouth of the day.
It was a stellar day after a very slow practice, he said.
“I say, ‘Never give up,’” he said, repeating what is not only a Michael Iaconelli mantra, but what has been Shimizu’s slogan for 15 or 16 years, he said.
Elam, with 11-12 worth of largemouth for third place, said he was learning how to work with the massive tide swing of the Delaware. The water drops 7 feet at low tide.
“I saw one place today in the morning (at low tide), where I caught a fish later. I thought I could pull up at high tide there and get bit,” he said. “I spent my practice time trying to figure out how to run the tides and the windows when the fish would be biting.”
The largest bass of the day, a 4-3, was caught by Brandon Card of Caryville, Tenn., making him the frontrunner for the event’s Carhartt Big Bass award of up to $1,500.
Duckett leads the event’s competition for the Berkley Heavyweight award of $500 for the tournament’s largest bag of bass.
Philadelphia native son Iaconelli produced a limit of bass that weighed 9-2. It was good for 21st place. Now living in Pittsgrove, N.J., the Elite pro received a resounding vote of confidence from the crowd: “Ike, Ike, Ike, Ike,” they chanted.
Another hometown notable took the stage Thursday: Mayor Michael Nutter made an appearance to welcome the Elite Series to Philadelphia.
The full field will return to the river Friday for the second round. They’ll take off from the Frankford Arsenal Boat Launch (5701 Tacony St.) at 6:15 a.m., and then weigh their catches on stage at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing (211 S. Columbus Blvd.) beginning at 3:15 p.m.
Fans are invited to watch the takeoff and weigh-ins all week through Sunday. There’s no admission charge to attend.
Other free Bassmaster activities at Penn’s Landing include boat rides Friday, Saturday and Sunday in new Nitro, Triton and Skeeter rigs powered by Mercury and Yamaha engines. Fans can sign up for the demo rides at the Nitro, Triton and Yamaha booths.
The Bassmaster Elite Expo, which features local exhibits as well as those of Elite Series sponsors, will open Saturday at noon, and again at noon on Sunday. Free Expo activities include the screening of the newest Costa GeoBASS film on Saturday preceding the weigh-in.
2014 Bassmaster Elite Series at Delaware River 8/7-8/10
Delaware River, Philadelphia PA.
Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts
1. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 5 16-14 100
Day 1: 5 16-14
2. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 5 12-02 99
Day 1: 5 12-02
3. James Elam Tulsa, OK 5 11-12 98
Day 1: 5 11-12
4. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 5 11-06 97
Day 1: 5 11-06
5. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 5 11-05 96
Day 1: 5 11-05
6. Chad Pipkens Holt, MI 5 11-04 95
Day 1: 5 11-04
7. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 11-01 94
Day 1: 5 11-01
8. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 5 10-15 93
Day 1: 5 10-15
9. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 5 10-09 92
Day 1: 5 10-09
10. Byron Velvick Boenre, TX 4 10-05 91
Day 1: 4 10-05
11. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 5 10-04 90
Day 1: 5 10-04
12. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 4 09-14 89
Day 1: 4 09-14
13. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 09-13 88
Day 1: 5 09-13
14. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 09-12 87
Day 1: 5 09-12
14. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 5 09-12 87
Day 1: 5 09-12
16. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 4 09-12 85
Day 1: 4 09-12
17. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 4 09-06 84
Day 1: 4 09-06
18. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 5 09-04 83
Day 1: 5 09-04
19. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 4 09-03 82
Day 1: 4 09-03
20. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 3 09-03 81
Day 1: 3 09-03
21. Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ 5 09-02 80
Day 1: 5 09-02
21. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 5 09-02 80
Day 1: 5 09-02
23. Kevin Hawk Guntersville, AL 5 08-15 78
Day 1: 5 08-15
24. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 4 08-15 77
Day 1: 4 08-15
25. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 08-13 76
Day 1: 5 08-13
26. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 4 08-10 75
Day 1: 4 08-10
27. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 5 08-09 74
Day 1: 5 08-09
28. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 3 08-01 73
Day 1: 3 08-01
29. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 08-00 72
Day 1: 5 08-00
30. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 3 07-15 71
Day 1: 3 07-15
31. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 3 07-12 70
Day 1: 3 07-12
32. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 4 07-09 69
Day 1: 4 07-09
33. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 4 07-08 68
Day 1: 4 07-08
34. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 5 07-06 67
Day 1: 5 07-06
35. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 4 07-06 66
Day 1: 4 07-06
36. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 3 07-05 65
Day 1: 3 07-05
37. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 4 07-04 64
Day 1: 4 07-04
38. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 4 07-03 63
Day 1: 4 07-03
39. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 5 07-02 62
Day 1: 5 07-02
40. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 4 06-14 61
Day 1: 4 06-14
41. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 3 06-14 60
Day 1: 3 06-14
42. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 2 06-14 59
Day 1: 2 06-14
43. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 3 06-11 58
Day 1: 3 06-11
44. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 2 06-10 57
Day 1: 2 06-10
45. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 4 06-09 56
Day 1: 4 06-09
46. Randy Howell Springville, AL 5 06-08 55
Day 1: 5 06-08
47. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 3 06-07 54
Day 1: 3 06-07
48. Mike Kernan Wylie, TX 4 06-04 53
Day 1: 4 06-04
49. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 3 06-04 52
Day 1: 3 06-04
50. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 4 05-14 51
Day 1: 4 05-14
51. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 3 05-13 50
Day 1: 3 05-13
52. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 3 05-08 49
Day 1: 3 05-08
53. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 4 05-06 48
Day 1: 4 05-06
54. Zell Rowland Montgomery, TX 3 05-03 47
Day 1: 3 05-03
55. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 2 05-02 46
Day 1: 2 05-02
56. Tracy Adams Wilkesboro, NC 3 04-13 45
Day 1: 3 04-13
57. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 4 04-08 44
Day 1: 4 04-08
58. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, OK 2 04-05 43
Day 1: 2 04-05
59. Nate Wellman Newaygo, MI 3 04-04 42
Day 1: 3 04-04
60. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 3 04-02 41
Day 1: 3 04-02
61. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 2 04-01 40
Day 1: 2 04-01
61. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 2 04-01 40
Day 1: 2 04-01
61. Randall Tharp Port Saint Joe, FL 2 04-01 40
Day 1: 2 04-01
64. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 2 04-00 37
Day 1: 2 04-00
64. Jared Miller Norman, OK 2 04-00 37
Day 1: 2 04-00
64. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 2 04-00 37
Day 1: 2 04-00
67. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 2 03-12 34
Day 1: 2 03-12
67. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 2 03-12 34
Day 1: 2 03-12
69. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 3 03-10 32
Day 1: 3 03-10
70. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, IL 2 03-09 31
Day 1: 2 03-09
71. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 2 03-08 30
Day 1: 2 03-08
72. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 2 03-03 29
Day 1: 2 03-03
73. Boo Woods Oneida, KY 3 03-02 28
Day 1: 3 03-02
74. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 2 02-15 27
Day 1: 2 02-15
75. Grant Goldbeck Boerne, TX 1 02-15 26
Day 1: 1 02-15
75. Jeremy Starks Scott Depot, WV 1 02-15 26
Day 1: 1 02-15
77. Joel Baker Talala, OK 2 02-11 24
Day 1: 2 02-11
78. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 1 02-11 23
Day 1: 1 02-11
79. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 2 02-10 22
Day 1: 2 02-10
79. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 2 02-10 22
Day 1: 2 02-10
81. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 2 02-07 20
Day 1: 2 02-07
82. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 2 02-06 19
Day 1: 2 02-06
83. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 1 02-06 18
Day 1: 1 02-06
83. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 1 02-06 18
Day 1: 1 02-06
85. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 2 02-05 16
Day 1: 2 02-05
86. Trevor Romans Plano, TX 1 02-05 15
Day 1: 1 02-05
87. David Walker Sevierville, TN 1 02-02 14
Day 1: 1 02-02
88. Casey Scanlon Lanexa, KS 1 02-01 13
Day 1: 1 02-01
89. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 1 02-00 12
Day 1: 1 02-00
90. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 1 01-12 11
Day 1: 1 01-12
91. Glenn Browne Ocala, FL 1 01-08 10
Day 1: 1 01-08
91. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 1 01-08 10
Day 1: 1 01-08
91. Pete Ponds Madison, MS 1 01-08 10
Day 1: 1 01-08
94. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 1 01-06 7
Day 1: 1 01-06
94. Joseph Sancho New Windsor, NY 1 01-06 7
Day 1: 1 01-06
96. Kelly Jordon Palestine, TX 1 01-05 5
Day 1: 1 01-05
97. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 1 01-03 4
Day 1: 1 01-03
97. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 1 01-03 4
Day 1: 1 01-03
99. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 1 01-01 2
Day 1: 1 01-01
99. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 1 01-01 2
Day 1: 1 01-01
101. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
101. Jamie Horton Centerville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
101. Michael Simonton Fremont, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
101. David Smith Del City, OK 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
101. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
101. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 23 302 590-07
----------------------------------
23 302 590-07
Grass Getting Right Just In Time For Snag Proof Open On Lake Guntersville
The grass is getting greener in Lake Guntersville just in time for the 10th annual Snag Proof Open out of Goose Pond Colony.
“A couple of weeks ago we had a cold front, but now we are back to summertime,” said Jamie Shay at The Bait, Tackle & Grill at Goose Pond, headquarters for the Snag Proof tournament Saturday. “The grass is topping off. The last two weeks it has changed drastically and it's looking good now.”
As the grass grows on one of the best frog lakes in the country the fishing, especially topwater frog fishing, keeps getting better and better, Shay said.
“We've already had a frog tournament, an inaugural team frog tournament some guys started up, two weeks ago with a 50-boat turnout. That was a little early for a frog tournament, but the fishing was pretty good, and there have been some guys cashing checks frog fishing in tournaments, too.”
Shay said the Snag Proof tournament features a $10,000 first place prize if 150 boats are entered – and he believes Saturday's tournament will reach that mark or better.
“We've averaged about 150 boats every year of the tournament here. We had 168 boats last year so we think it will be pretty close to that again.”
The $180 entry fee includes big fish and there will be multiple big fish payouts. The tournament will pay back to 20 percent of the field.
Registration will be held 3 to 6 p.m. Friday at The Bait, Tackle & Grill at Goose Pond, with a short meeting to follow at 6 p.m., Shay said.
“If anglers can't make it to the Friday registration, we will be taking registrations Saturday morning before the tournament,” he said.
Only Snag Proof Frogs will be allowed in the tournament and they must be fished topwater. Modifications by adding rattles or bbs, trimming skirts, painting and changing hooks are permitted. No trailers of any kind will be allowed.
Winners will be determined by the heaviest three fish.
Snag Proof Open Guntersville
Sat, Aug 9, 2014
Lake Guntersville
Goose Pond Colony
Call Jamie Shay 256-599-0132
Email: [email protected]
Rainy Weather, Good Fishing Forecast For End Of Year Tournament Saturday On Kerr
Anglers in the Piedmont Bass Classics End of the Year Trail tournament on Kerr Lake Saturday better make sure they have their rain suits handy.
“It looks like it will be kind of wet,” said tournament director Phil McCarson. “We've been kind of lucky all year, but Saturday looks like a washout.”
McCarson said the temperature at Kerr is like everywhere else in the Southeast right now – hot. But by Saturday that could change drastically.
“They are calling for a big high pressure front coming in from the north Friday evening into Saturday, with showers and thunderstorms. The wind is going to change and come out of the East-Northeast at about 5 to 10 miles per hour.”
It should not be terribly stormy, he said, but it will be wet.
“I don't know how that pressure change will affect the fishing. If it moves on out at midday I don't know if the fish will be deep or shallow. You might be having a good shallow bite flipping docks and stuff and then you might back off and do real good with crankbaits.”
McCarson said that with a good cloud cover, depending on oxygen levels shallow, there should be a good shallow bite down to about 10 feet. Another factor is the surface temperature. Kerr is running around 75 degrees on the surface, while most of the lakes around North Carolina are up in the 80s.
“It's hard to say what the bass will be doing, but Kerr is a good fishery and winning weights up there are running around 18 pounds for five fish. I'd be surprised if the winning weight went over that,” he said.
“The fish at Kerr are not as big as most of the fish in the other lakes around here because of a bass disease they had a few years ago. That is supposed to be over now and the fish are looking healthier and getting up a little bigger in size, but you don't seen many fish over 4 1/2 to 5 pounds right now.”
McCarson said Saturday's tournament will be the third of eight qualifiers leading to the championship.
The Cashion Fishing Rods 'End of Year' Team Tournament Bass Fishing Trail schedule includes Aug. 23, Falls, Ledge Rock; Sept. 13, Jordan, Farrington Point (Right Side); Sept. 27, Mayo, Triple Springs; Oct. 11, Shearon Harris, Cross Point Landing; and Oct. 25, Falls, Ledge Rock; with the championship Nov. 1, also on Falls, out of Ledge Rock.
McCarson said he combined the previous summer and fall trails into the Cashion Fishing Rods 'End of Year' trail to give the fishermen a break in entries.
“Because of the economy, we combined the two and called it the 'End of the Year' Trail. It starts in July , which gives me time and gives the anglers a break. They don't have to fish through the fall so there is not so much pressure on them – and it gives me a break, too. I get to stay home a visit my grandkids occasionally,” he said with a laugh.
He's hoping for a field of 30 to 40 boats at Kerr on Saturday.
“That would not be too bad for this time of year,” he said. “I hope we have a good catch. It's a good lake to fish.”
Piedmont Bass Classics End of year Team Trail
Sat, Aug 9, 2014
Kerr / Buggs Island Lake
Flemingtown Landing
Call Phil McCarson 919-971-5042
Jason Williamson and Buckeye Lures Double Bladed Buzzbait!!
Buckeye Lures Pro Staffer Jason Williamson demo's why this Buckeye Lures Double Bladed Buzzbait is the absolute BOMB for topwater success this time of year!!
Jason Williamson and the Magnum Spot Remover from Buckeye Lures
Buckeye Lures Pro Jason Williamson gives us the inside scoop on the Magnum Spot Remover and how its a MUST HAVE in anyone's tackle box!
Ten-Year-Old Angler Enjoys Cartoons And Beating The Pants Off Igfa Records
You likely saw Captain Wes Winters and his merry men. A now retired Westhampton, New York commercial maritime pilot, Captain Winters often treated his crew to bluewater trolling while moving freight athwart the Seven Seas. He tells stories of container-ship-caught mahi-mahi being “fixed up” in the galley and sailfish hooked off the coast of Miami.
But when asked about his greatest fishing moment, Grandpa Winters immediately turns to his granddaughter’s ongoing quest to establish and smash International Game Fish Association (IGFA) records.
In Winters’ eyes, 10-year-old Julia Grace Ketner is quite the catch. Ketner was four years old when she found a picture of a girl holding a plaque in grandpa’s IGFA quarterly publication. She turned to her mentor and said, “I can do that.” And so began a now decade-long and -lasting commitment to setting and besting IGFA records.
Under the tutelage of Grandpa Winters, Ketner has literally been putting on clinics. To date, she owns 24 approved IGFA world records — ten of which were caught on St. Croix rods. She also has 28 pending world records — 25 of those on St. Croix rods. In addition to this impressive resume of ‘Small Fry’ category successes, are three female line-class records.
Julia Ketner demonstrating she can do it with a flyrod, too.
Although young Ketner’s records are cast wide, from saltwater to freshwater, she has clear favorites; the fishing phenom names mahi-mahi, white marlin and locally-grown pickerel as her top species to tangle with.
What drives Ketner besides her documented achievements? “It’s fun. It’s exciting to fight a big fish,” she says with a glow. That’s a feeling that obviously doesn’t discriminate against age or dull with graying. And to the Captain’s delight, she also chases fins to “fish with Grandpa and spend time together.” That, in fact, is the essence of it all.
St. Croix Rod first became aware of the motivated lassie at an IGFA function where V.P. of Product Management and part-owner Dave Schluter met Grandpa Winters and Ketner. The rodsmith was so enamored by the girl and her pursuit that he fashioned Ketner a custom Avid Pearl embossed with her name. She fishes the Pearl proudly and sets records with it to this day.
Notwithstanding Ketner’s beyond-her-years competitive spirit, she does have a normal-kid side. The 6th grader giggles at Sponge Bob Square Pants and loves playing with her sister, Abby.
By the way, 8-year-old Abby already owns one IGFA record and has another pending.
Like granddaughters, like grandpa.
___ LINK to the story ___
Julia being presented with her 2013 Female Small Fry award at the 11th Annual IGFA World Record Achievement Awards banquet.
Bobby Barrack talks about new TFIT video at ICAST!
Frog Master Bobby Barrack wants to turn YOU into a frog-fishing champ! He tells us about his NEW 2-hour HD video - Turning Frogs Into Toads (TFIT) from the floor of the 2014 ICAST show in Orlando. To catch a preview of the video, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=72YOJVQWX_A&list=UUgubT7HhLhyOGYKJhXITXYA
Collins Bass For Cash Looking Fwd To 2015 After A Great 2014!
Hello to all of our Bass For Cash Series competitors. We’ve had some great success so far this season within our tournament trail events. Our attendance has increased this season as compared to last. For only a second year tournament series, we are proud to have the numbers that we are receiving at each event. We know this tournament trail would not be a success without the anglers that make up the fields at each tournament event. We appreciate your support, the kind words that many of you have spoken of our events, and most importantly the camaraderie and friendships that have grown over the past two years.
As our tournament season starts to wind down, many of you will lay down your rods and lures and replace those items with arrows and ammo. We wish you well in your continued fall outdoor adventures. But, before you close the garage door on your boat, be sure to put it away in good condition and ready to go for next season.
As a means of showing appreciation for the success of the Collins Inc. dealership and the business that many of you have conducted at their location, Collins Inc. would like to offer some special deals on service work, whether it be a need for a repair, preventative maintenance, or that accessory you’ve had your eye on. Give them a call if they can be of assistance to you.
End of Summer Service Special
- Have your engine serviced between July 30th and September 15th and receive 10% off parts and Labor!!
- All Yamaha Oil and Lube 10% off!!
- Buy any Depth Finder, GPS, Stereo, VHF Radio, Power Pole, Talon or other qualifying add-on and get $20 per hour discount on Labor!!
- Some OEM Parts may not qualify, call Collins Parts and Service with questions!!
- For those of you that competed in one of our tournament events this season, simply confirm your tournament attendance with our staff and receive a complimentary boat wash at the time of your service!!
Once again, thank you for your support in the Collins Inc. – Bass For Cash Series tournament trail.
Jeff Narron
Tournament Director
Collins Inc. – Bass For Cash Series
Brett Preuett Wins College Series Bracket; Is Classic Bound
If you look at all the setbacks that Brett Preuett suffered throughout the course of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Classic Bracket, you’d be as shocked as he was that he made it past the first day. Before today, he lost fish, missed fish, had a giant treble hook buried in his skull and nearly fell into Lake Chatuge chasing a rod that he eventually lost. But, today everything that could’ve gone his way went his way.
“Today is the best day of my life by far, everything just sort of happened for me,” he said. “I had fish hooked with just one hook and landed them, and I got everything in the boat. It was meant to be.
“It’s been a long week. I’ve had hooks in my head, and there have been some long days on the water, but it’s all been worth it,” he said. “We’ve been here for nine or 10 days fishing, and you definitely have to earn it to get here. Every year, every pro is fishing for the chance to compete in the Bassmaster Classic, so to get that opportunity to go is great.”
Next year’s Classic is on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell, a body of water that Preuett is unfamiliar with. But, he plans to be ready.
“I guarantee that I’ll put in the work to do good,” he said.
Preuett relied on a trio of topwater baits for his catch during the Classic Bracket, including a Lucky Craft Sammy, a Triton Mike Bucca Baits Bull Shad and an Academy H2O Express prop bait. He also caught a few fish on a drop shot rig and Fish Head Spin the first two days of the bracket.
“I was just waiting each day for the schooling to start,” he said. “I had so many hit it and blow up on it and not get hooked, and some that came off each day, but not today. The big ones that ate the bait today got to the boat. With the Lord’s blessing, I fished clean today for the first time.”
Besides the berth in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell, Preuett also won the use of a 2015 Toyota Tundra for a year, a Nitro Z8 with a 250-horsepower Mercury Optimax ProXS, as well as $7,500 from Carhartt to be used as an entry fee for the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens division of his choosing.
“I want to thank everybody, my family, Jackson (Blackett) and my friends for all the texts and phone calls I’ve gotten,” he said. “They’re the drive that keeps me going. I won’t ever quit, and I want to make it as a professional fisherman. It’s awesome to be able to win for everyone.”
For Preuett to win, Bethel University’s Zach Parker had to lose. Parker was the most consistent angler in the field, weighing in close to 10 pounds each day. However, since the weights did not accumulate in the bracket, his multi-day totals couldn’t carry him to the win. Every fish that Parker weighed in ate a drop shot rigged Roboworm in prizm shad. He saw nearly all of them on his depthfinder.
“Lowrance electronics are so good that you could see everything that’s down there,” he said. “Each day, as a team, we were one of the most consistent, and I carried that into the bracket. I was so blessed this week. So much of the stuff that happened this week would not have happened if I hadn’t been guided that way.
“Things might not have turned out the way I wanted them to today, but the Lord’s blessed me with this great opportunity, and I’m going to make the best out of it.”
Yesterday Parker said on stage that the lake is changing, and he was correct. The bigger pelagic fish were more active and aggressive today, which played to Preuett’s favor.
“When I left the dock this morning, I said that I didn’t want to have any regrets, and I don’t,” he said. “I started the day with four keepers including one good one, and I wasn’t fishing for those schooling fish, so I couldn’t just go out and try to find them fresh today. I had to stick with what had been working for me. Those schoolers just turned on, and I knew that if he got them on the boat, he’d have a big stringer.
Although today marks the end of his collegiate fishing career, Parker plans on taking on the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens circuits to make a go at a career.
“I want to thank everyone who’s been there for me through all of this, especially my family, friends, Matt (Roberts) and my sponsors, Triton, Mercury, Strike King and T-H Marine,” Parker said.
Preuett Vs. Parker For Classic Berth
“I tried to make a long cast in a hurry, but left too much line out and snagged myself in the neck. It hit so hard that it straightened out the split rings,” he said. “But, I wouldn’t stop fishing for anything. If I had a toe cut off I’d probably try to keep fishing because I love it so much.”
It’s that drive that’s gotten Preuett this far, put a limit weighing 9-5 in his boat today, and got him past the bad luck he endured today, but his fiercest competition comes tomorrow.
“I’ve got to catch ’em much better than I did today; it’s going to be a battle,” he said. “I know that B.A.S.S. made (the championship and bracket) this hard for a reason; it’s got to be tough to make it to the Classic. Zach’s a great fisherman, so it should be tight tomorrow.”
Preuett said that the most difficult obstacle for him to overcome tomorrow is execution.
“I’ve got to capitalize on my bites and put fish in the boat,” he said. “That’s been hurting me, and I know Zach’s going to catch ’em tomorrow, so I’m going to have get each bite into the boat.
“Everything’s on the line, and I know I’m on the right fish to win this thing, so that makes me feel better,” he said. “No matter what, I know everyone’s proud of me, but I do want to win for all the people sending thanks and prayers, and I just want to come through for everybody.”
Preuett sent Manning packing today, but Manning says that he’ll be back since he still has several years of eligibility left. Manning weighed two fish for 4-11 today.
“I didn’t lose a fish today and put every one that bit in boat. Two were short, and I did everything I could. I fished quite a bit of new water today because I thought I figured something out yesterday, but apparently I didn’t,” he said. “But, the whole experience has been awesome. This has been one of the toughest lakes I’ve fished on, and the first couple of days me and my partner whacked ’em, but the last few days have been hard.”
Opposite of Preuett’s bad luck has been Bethel University’s Zach Parker. He’s not lost a fish for several days, and everything has gone his way so far. His 5-fish limit of 9-9 bested Tennessee Tech angler Robert Giarla’s single fish that weighed 1-5.
“I only got six keeper bites, and I think I’m going to change some stuff up tomorrow,” Parker said. “I saw some stuff today that I think will help me tomorrow if I can adjust to it. The lake is changing a lot, and I think it’s changing right now, so I’ve got to make some adjustments to keep it going.”
His early morning spot has been key the last two days, and the hole seems to keep replenishing overnight. His biggest decision tomorrow will be whether or not he stays the course and start there, or take a new approach to an ever-toughening Chatuge.
“I didn’t let up today, I fished hard all day and everything just fell into place,” he said. “The Lord blessed me with my fish, and hopefully tomorrow will be another good day.”
He stressed that zigging when Chatuge zigs is paramount.
“Tomorrow, the most important thing will be making adjustments. I had two fish over 3 pounds blow up on my topwater and that hasn’t happened all week, so even not catching those fish tells me that if I get bit, it’s going to be a bigger one.
“You can’t be worried about anything. You’ve just got to go out there and fish your best. It’s whoever can figure those fish out that day,” he said. “This afternoon, having those fish blow up gave me some confidence in throwing that topwater tomorrow.”
Unlike Parker’s inexhaustible honey hole, Giarla seined shallow water but came up short.
“This has been a dream come true, because I never thought I’d ever get here, so to have it happen is amazing. Hopefully my run here gives Tennessee Tech’s fishing team some credibility and maybe even a new sponsor,” he said.
Like Preuett, Giarla had a good run of bad luck today, but couldn’t recover.
“I had two fish spit the bait, one of ’em I never connected with, and basically everything that could’ve gone wrong today went wrong,” he said. “I had five keeper bites, and when you don’t connect this happens. But, I’m not holding my head down one bit. This has been awesome.”
Like Manning, Giarla has a few years of eligibility left and plans on making a return next year.
The conclusion of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Classic Bracket is tomorrow, where either Preuett or Parker will be crowned bracket champ and earn a Classic berth.
Top 4 Anglers Advance To Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Classic Bracket Semifinal
The Top 4 college anglers move on to the second day of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Classic Bracket. From left to right: Bentley Manning of Tennessee Tech, Zach Parker of Bethel University, Brett Preuett of University of Louisiana Monroe and Robert Giarla of Tennessee Tech.
The Top 4 teams from the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship set out on Lake Chatuge today in a head-to-head bracket-style competition, which pitted anglers one-on-one. The competitors were Zach Parker, Bethel University, versus Jackson Blackett of the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM), Brett Preuett of ULM versus Matt Roberts of Bethel University, Jake Whitaker of University of North Carolina (UNC)-Charlotte versus Tennessee Tech’s Robert Giarla and Bentley Manning against Andrew Helms of UNC-Charlotte.
Anglers across the board reported tougher-than-usual fishing conditions, many citing the warmer weather, and more importantly, the pressure that the fishery has received for the past seven days as reasons for a declining bite. All 83 teams practiced for three days then endured the three-day championship, which could be considered ample fishing pressure. Now, these last four anglers must find a way to make Chatuge’s bait-conditioned fish eat again tomorrow.
The matchups and results:
Robert Giarla (Tennessee Tech), 5-4 vs. Jake Whitaker (UNC-Charlotte), 2-3
Despite being completely unfamiliar with Chatuge’s deep, clear water, Florida native and Tennessee Tech student Robert Giarla managed to best Jake Whitaker, who had just claimed the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship title with teammate Andrew Helms.
“Today was really a grind, and just like (Whitaker), I fished shallow. I was born and raised in West Palm Beach (Fla.), which has shallow, muddy water with grass everywhere, so I just went and fished how I was comfortable, shallow, and it paid off,†Giarla said. “I’m going to get a game plan going for tomorrow and give it everything that I’ve got.
“Advancing feels awesome. I feel like I’m in the Final Four of the NCAA basketball bracket,†he said. “Words can’t describe it. I’m going to do the same thing again tomorrow, but if it’s different, I’ll switch it up. It doesn’t matter who I’m fishing against, I’m just going to stick to my own game.â€
Monday, Giarla will take on Parker of Bethel University.
Zach Parker (Bethel), 10-13 vs. Jackson Blackett (ULM), 0-0
Jackson Blackett had some difficulties with his electronics early on, which left him scrambling to find the spots that he marked in practice. He didn’t weigh in a keeper-length fish today. Parker, on the other hand, was the only angler who managed to bring a limit to the scales and bested the whole field.
“This is awesome, things just kind of fell into place,†Parker said. “I fished a ton of new stuff today. The spot I caught the largemouth at, I don’t know why I stopped there, but I did. I was really looking for a new spot for tomorrow because our stuff is getting kind of beat down.
“I can tell a difference between practice and now, in terms of how many fish are still out there. I had to go run new stuff, and I even spent an hour scanning, not even fishing,†he said. “But, all in all, tomorrow is a totally different day, and I plan on making the same rotation as I did today.â€
Parker will face Tennessee Tech’s Giarla Monday.
Brett Preuett (ULM), 7-1 vs. Matt Roberts (Bethel), 2-5
Brett Preuett had the second highest total weight today, weighing four fish while his opponent Matt Roberts scored a single bass, leaving him shy of advancing to the semifinal. Despite the tough bite, Preuett managed to keep his head in the game
“Fishing’s in my blood, and no matter how hard things get, I’ll always keep after it,†he said. “This has been an incredible experience that I’ll never forget, regardless of what happens.
“You can tell the pressure is getting to the fish, because I used to be able to go down a stretch of docks and catch a few, and I don’t think neither me nor Jason caught one off of our best spot,†he said. “I knew it was going to be tough, so I tried to get a limit with some schooling fish and missed a few, but I think I’ll just have to see what tomorrow brings and kind of roll with the day as it progresses.â€
Preuett will face Tennessee Tech’s Manning Monday.
Bentley Manning (Tennessee Tech), 1-4 vs. Andrew Helms (UNC-Charlotte), 0-0
With Whitaker suffering a defeat at the hands of Giarla, and Helms failing to catch a keeper fish, the National Championship winners have been eliminated from the bracket competition. However, as he drove his Nitro Z-7 back to the dock, Tennessee Tech’s Bentley Manning was certain that he was going home, since he could only muster a single bass today.
“It was ridiculously tough today, and I only figured something out about 30 minutes before weigh-in, and I caught that fish about 10 minutes before I had to come in,†Manning said. “Until 2:15, I only had three bites. Then I figured something out, got 10 bites in 30 minutes but could only land the one; I looked like a fool out there. Since I could only catch the one, I figured I was going home.â€
Manning takes on Preuett of ULM in Monday’s semifinal.
The Final Four anglers will launch Monday at 6:45 a.m. ET from The Ridges Resort and Marina where they will fish until 2:45 p.m. and then weigh in to determine which two anglers will go head-to-head in the final for a berth in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic, set to be held next February on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell.
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Fukae Wins Bassmaster Open On Champlain
Shinichi Fukae of Palestine, Texas, wins the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open #2 presented by Allstate held on Lake Champlain out of Plattsburgh, N.Y. Fukae brought 18 pounds, 13 ounces to the Saturday's weigh-in giving him a three-day total weight of 56 pounds, 13 ounces.
Lake Champlain has been good to touring pro Shinichi Fukae.
The Palestine, Texas, pro earned his first B.A.S.S. victory at Champlain today by taking first place in the pro division of the Bass Pro Shops Northern Open presented by Allstate with a three-day catch of 56 pounds, 13 ounces. He earned the top prize of a Nitro Z9 bass boat/ Mercury 225 Pro XS outboard rig worth $40,000 and $7,595 in cash.
He caught all of his fish on two baits — a Gamakatsu shad-shaped worm on a drop shot rig and a 4-inch Senko attached to a 3/16-ounce wacky rigged jighead. The drop shot rig worked best for smallmouth while the wacky rig coaxed bites from quality largemouth. Fukae noted the drop shot is his key bait whenever he fishes Lake Champlain because he can “catch so many fish on it.”
The Texas pro disclosed he had both deep and shallow patterns working during this event. “I caught the big largemouth in shallow water — not too shallow though — (about 10 feet),” he said. “I had three or four key spots where I was fishing shallow and then deep back-and-forth. When I fished shallow too much they wouldn’t bite, so I would leave for a couple of hours and then come back there.“ The deep pattern produced smallmouth for him each day.
The victory fulfills Fukae’s dream of fishing a Bassmaster Classic since he will earn a berth in the 2015 Classic to be held on Lake Hartwell in Greenville, S.C., if he competes in the final Northern Open. “I’ll be happy when I fish the Bassmaster Classic,” Fukae said.
Latham, N.Y., angler Sean Wilkes caught the heaviest bag of the tournament today to climb into second place with 54-15. He caught his limit of largemouth today flipping a black-and-blue 1/2-ounce jig in shallow grass.
“That was my Plan D. My first plan was to fish a grassbed that had fish all over it, but when I got down there I wasn’t catching them,” he said. “I found out that one of the locals had ripped apart the grass before I got there. So I went to Plan B and that didn’t work out. Plan C didn’t work out either. Plan D was actually my kicker plan.”
The other Top 5 pro division finishers included Mike Iaconelli, Pittsgrove, N.J., in third, 53-8; Sam George, Athens, Ala., fourth, 52-3; Micah Frazier, Newnan, Ga., fifth, 52-0.
James Schneider of Watervliet, N.Y., won the co-angler top prize of a $25,000 Triton 17 Pro bass boat/Yamaha F115LA outboard with a three-day total of nine bass weighing 32-1. He caught all of his fish the first two days on a Li’l Hustler spinnerbait, but today he had to mix up his presentations with the spinnerbait and a tube bait.
Scott Siller, Milwaukee, Wis., and RC Cooper, Nashua, N.H., tied for the Carhartt Big Bass of $500 as both anglers caught 5-15 largemouth.
The Livingston Lures Leader Award of $250 for finishing as the top pro on Day 2 was given to Scott Siller. The Day 2 leader on the co-angler side, James Schneider, received a Livingston Lures gift pack worth $250.
Anglers in both divisions who advance the most places up the leaderboard from Day 1 to Day 2 receive the “Allstate Good Hands, Great Day” award. Pro division angler Chris Zaldain received $250 by jumping 68 places from 107th to 39th. Co-angler Marvin Stith Jr., earned $150 by climbing 72 places from 115th to 43rd.
The Toyota Bonus Bucks paid $1,500 to Mike Iaconelli, who was the highest placing eligible pro angler entrant for the award.
2014 BPS Bassmaster Northern Open 7/31-8/2
Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh NY.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Shin Fukae Palestine TX JAPAN 15 56-13 200 $48,095.00
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 19-03 Day 3: 5 18-13
2. Sean Wilkes Latham, NY 15 54-15 199 $18,037.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 17-15 Day 3: 5 21-01
3. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 15 53-08 198 $13,528.00
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 17-09 Day 3: 5 16-09
4. Sam George Athens, AL 15 52-03 197 $12,104.00
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 18-11 Day 3: 5 16-09
5. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 15 52-00 196 $10,561.00
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 18-00 Day 3: 5 17-12
6. Jordan Lee Vinemont, AL 15 51-11 195 $9,019.00
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 16-11 Day 3: 5 17-03
7. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, NC 15 50-15 194 $7,595.00
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 19-12 Day 3: 5 13-13
8. Scott Siller Milwaukee, WI 13 50-13 193 $6,552.00
Day 1: 5 20-00 Day 2: 5 19-02 Day 3: 3 11-11
9. Chris Daves Hopewell, VA 15 48-10 192 $4,509.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 18-05 Day 3: 5 13-02
10. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 15 48-02 191 $4,153.00
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 17-01 Day 3: 5 14-00
11. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 15 47-06 190 $3,797.00
Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 18-11 Day 3: 5 11-04
12. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 15 45-08 189 $3,560.00
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 17-11 Day 3: 5 11-05
CARHARTT BIG BASS
Scott Siller Milwaukee, WI 05-15 $250.00
RC Cooper Nashua, NH 05-15 $250.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 138 776 2040-13
2 133 742 2072-02
3 11 58 183-02
----------------------------------
282 1576 4296-01
2014 BPS Bassmaster Northern Open 7/31-8/2
Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh NY.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. James Schneider Watervliet, NY 9 32-01 200 $25,000.00
Day 1: 3 10-15 Day 2: 3 09-14 Day 3: 3 11-04
2. Rob Jordan Suwanee, GA 9 31-08 199 $5,815.00
Day 1: 3 10-05 Day 2: 3 09-03 Day 3: 3 12-00
3. Matt Madlener Lake Villa, IL 9 30-15 198 $4,391.00
Day 1: 3 09-04 Day 2: 3 11-01 Day 3: 3 10-10
4. Joey Bedra Lake Orion, MI 9 29-12 197 $2,967.00
Day 1: 3 07-15 Day 2: 3 11-08 Day 3: 3 10-05
5. Richard Janitschek Ledgewood, NJ 9 29-06 196 $2,729.00
Day 1: 3 09-13 Day 2: 3 10-05 Day 3: 3 09-04
6. Alex Peric Wheeling, IL 9 29-02 195 $2,611.00
Day 1: 3 08-15 Day 2: 3 09-15 Day 3: 3 10-04
7. Peter Jerrom Pipersville, PA 9 28-11 194 $2,492.00
Day 1: 3 08-14 Day 2: 3 10-01 Day 3: 3 09-12
8. Shawn Parenteau Kingston, NH 9 28-09 193 $2,373.00
Day 1: 3 11-09 Day 2: 3 08-04 Day 3: 3 08-12
9. JP Kimbrough Bossier City, LA 9 27-15 192 $2,255.00
Day 1: 3 10-05 Day 2: 3 09-06 Day 3: 3 08-04
10. Chris Molineaux Hope Valley, RI 9 27-09 191 $2,017.00
Day 1: 3 09-11 Day 2: 3 10-08 Day 3: 3 07-06
11. Shawn Gokey Milton, VT 9 25-11 190 $1,780.00
Day 1: 3 10-02 Day 2: 3 09-09 Day 3: 3 06-00
12. Chad Valentine Rome, NY 7 22-09 189 $1,661.00
Day 1: 3 09-09 Day 2: 3 10-05 Day 3: 1 02-11
CARHARTT BIG BASS
Matthew Jones Delmar, NY 04-08 $0.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 126 435 1072-13
2 128 421 1094-10
3 11 34 106-08
----------------------------------
265 890 2273-15
Siller Still Leads on Champlain
The Milwaukee, Wis., angler bagged a 19-pound, 2-ounce limit today to retain the lead in the pro division with 39-2. “Yesterday was a really awesome day after the weigh-in to be on the top of a Bassmaster leaderboard,” Siller said. “It was like a birthday all day long, so I almost didn’t want today to come around.”
Now he is glad today did come around because he kept the lead and is in position to win his first Bassmaster event. “It was a tough day,” he said. “I had a couple of fish I wished I could have culled out.”
The 44-year-old police officer caught a two keeper bass early on a jig, but when he couldn’t get any more bites, Siller switched to a square bill crankbait. On the second cast, he caught a 5-pounder. “I stuck with that for a while, and then went back to the jig; I just mixed it up a bit to try to figure out what would trigger the fish to bite,” he said.
Siller didn’t throw the square bill in practice but he felt like it was a good option to get some bites after the fish stopped hitting the jig Friday. “I am not a big crankbait fisherman, but the conditions and the cover and structure I was fishing pointed toward a crankbait,” he said.
For the second straight day, Siller had his limit in his first hour of fishing. “But I had one that was over 5 and the other four were under 3 pounds,” he said. “Two of them were around the 2-pound mark, and I culled both of them out with some decent fish.”
Fishing pressure has been nil in Seller’s area, but he did have some observers around today. “There is a club tournament tomorrow in that area, and I probably had about half a dozen bass boats that were watching me fish for most of the day,” he said. “I went to three of four areas, and they followed me everywhere I went. So I don’t know if they were watching as spectators or if I am going to have company tomorrow.”
Touring pro Shin Fukae moved into second place with 38 pounds. The Palestine, Texas, angler fished for largemouth again today and caught a small limit in the morning. He later added two 4-pounders while rotating between three spots. “Most of my fish though came from one spot,” he said.
Rounding out the Top 5 in the pro division are Dave Wolak, Wake Forest, N.C., in third place with 37-2; Mike Iaconelli, Pittsgrove, N.J., fourth, 36-15; and Aaron Martens, Leeds, Ala., fifth, 36-2.
Watervliet, N.Y., angler James Schneider moved into the co-angler lead with 20-13. The 49-year-old orthopedic surgeon said he has fished Champlain about 20 times. “I am very familiar with what the bass want to eat here,” said Schneider, who disclosed he has caught all of his smallmouth both days on Li’l Hustler spinnerbaits.
Rick Clunn's RC Flat - A flat sided crank that casts accurately, even on windiest of days
Cassville, MO - Luck-E-Strike is pleased to introduce the newest lure from four-time Bassmaster Classic champion Rick Clunn - the RC2 Flat crankbait. This remarkable bait features a square bill with a flat side body that makes it an alternative to traditional square bills.
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"The RC2 Flat continues in the Rick Clunn tradition of premium square bill crankbaits with all the water displacement and deflection as its cousin, the RC2 Square Bill," says Bobby Dennis, Luck-E-Strike's sales manager. This lure is able to be accurately thrown into the wind, leading to a more effective fishing experience."
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First Time for Greenblat, Second Chance for Gagliardi at Upcoming FORREST WOOD CUP
The Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing, will return to Lake Murray and the Columbia, S.C. area Aug. 14-17 to crown bass fishing’s top angler of 2014. Hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism, the tournament will feature 45 of the world’s best bass pros and co-anglers casting for the sport’s biggest awards – $500,000 cash in the pro division and $50,000 cash in the co-angler division.
Local angler Matt Greenblatt of Port St. Lucie, Fla., will be one of the 45 anglers competing in the championship event. Fishing against 179 of the best anglers in the world on the Walmart FLW Tour, Greenblatt finished the season ranked No. 33 in the Kellogg’s Angler of the Year race and qualified for the first Forrest Wood Cup appearance of his career.
One of the anglers competing against Greenblatt is Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi, who lives on Lake Murray and is considered an early favorite.
“The most exciting thing about this tournament is that it’s being held in my backyard,” said Gagliardi. “I disappointed myself the last time that the Cup was held here in 2008 and I didn’t think that I would ever have this opportunity again. To get another chance to possibly win $500,000 in front of my hometown crowd is a dream come true.”
Gagliardi said that he expects this tournament to play out very similar to the last time the Forrest Wood Cup was held on Lake Murray and that the tournament could be won with a variety of different tactics, allowing competitors to fish to their strengths.
“Some guys will be catching fish shallow, some guys will be catching them out deep,” Gagliardi said. “I think that the majority of the field will most likely be fishing a combination of both. There will be a lot of junk fishing going on. You can look at the results from the last time and get a really good idea of how this one will play out.”
The 2008 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray was won by California pro Michael Bennett, who “junk-fished” for the first two days of competition, moving down the bank casting to “junk” – lay-downs, trees, grass, docks or anything else that could hold fish. Bennett then moved shallow for the final two days of competition and fished a topwater frog around docks with grass to seal his win and earn the title of Forrest Wood Cup champion.
“I think that if a guy can catch 11 pounds a day, he’ll make it through to the weekend top-20 cut,” Gagliardi said. “I think the winner is going to have a four-day total right around 60 pounds.”
Fishing fans that can’t make the trek to South Carolina can still follow along with all of the tournament action at ForrestWoodCup.com. Live on-the-water tweets, updates and videos will be posted throughout the four days of competition as well as a live streaming video feed of the weigh-in held at 5 p.m. each day.
Coverage of the Forrest Wood Cup will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC when “FLW” airs Oct. 5 from 2-3 p.m. ET. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show is hosted by Jason Harper and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
North Alabama Team Leads Collegiate Championship, Dedicate It To Dad
But Dave Gullette, Michael’s father and biggest fan, died in January, right after Michael qualified for the championship.
“We’re dedicating this tournament to him,” Michael said.
“We came here to win it for him,” Martin said.
Gullette and Martin weighed in 14 pounds, 15 ounces today, putting the University of North Alabama (UNA) team 9 ounces ahead of the second-place Bethel University team of Zach Parker and Matt Roberts.
“I grew up fishing with my dad in Illinois,” said Gullette, who headed south to go to college because UNA was the only school that had both the major he wanted, culinary arts, and a bass fishing team.
And he’s really glad he made that move.
“If it weren’t for this UNA team, I wouldn’t still be in school,” Gullette said. “These last few months have been so tough, but these guys have been there for me. They’ve been really supportive.”
His teammates even gave him a custom rod inscribed with “In memory of Dave Gullette.”
“That rod is always with me, whether I’m using it or not,” Gullette added.
Gullette and Martin still have quite a ways to go before they can proclaim a win, especially with less than a pound of cushion between them and their nearest competitors.
“It’s going to take everything we’ve got and everything we know to bring it home,” Gullette said.
“Today has been so tough,” Martin said. “We only had eight bites all day. I was here last year for the championship, and I got my heart broken. We lost so many fish.”
This time, Martin is determined to have a solid tournament, and he’s off to a good start. “We’re running three different patterns,” Martin said. “Two of them worked today. Tomorrow, it just depends on the weather.”
What’s helped them so far is that they are specifically avoiding what so many other teams are doing — using the wooden rat that last year’s winners, Tom Frink and Jacob Nummy of Auburn University at Montgomery, employed to catch 15 pounds a day here.
As for Friday, they’ve got brushpiles all over the lake that they are planning to hit. “I’ve got 120 more of them waypointed from last year,” Martin said. “You can never have enough brushpiles.”
Gullette and Martin were working with less practice than most of the other anglers. They got into town over the weekend, but they had to come off the water before noon on two of the three practice days because the boat’s motor overheated, and they had to get it repaired.
Yet they still did better on practice time than a couple of others. Jake Gipson of the University of Alabama team only arrived the night before the championship began because he was taking the bar exam. And Jacob Wall and Kyle Schneider of University of Oregon arrived mere hours before the tournament began.
“We’ve been up for 38 hours because of flying in late on some messed up travel plans,” said Schneider.
The Oregon anglers got only a 20-minute nap before going on the water. “We did manage to get a fish in the last 10 minutes,” said a red-eyed Schneider. “It was on one of the most delirious casts of my life!”
Wall and Schneider’s one fish weighed 2-3, only slightly higher than the average 2-pound bass brought to the scales on Day 1. About one-third of the field managed to catch a five-fish limit, and 12 teams zeroed.
The biggest fish caught was 6 pounds, 7 ounces — and there were two of them. The leaders, Martin and Gullette, caught one of them, and Garrett Cates and Graham Howard of Kansas State University caught the other. The two teams are tied for Carhartt Big Bass honors, which are awarded to the team that catches the biggest bass of the tournament. Martin and Gullette are also in the lead for Bass Pro Nitro Big Bag honors for their 14-15 sack Thursday. If that holds up, the teammates win a $250 Bass Pro Shops gift card.
Day 1 set the stage for the championship, but Day 2 will be a big day for anglers who have a lot of ground to make up. To make the cut for Day 3, the team has to be in the Top 5. The Top 5 teams will compete for the championship trophy, and then the Top 4 teams advance to the 2014 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series College Bracket, Aug. 2-5, also on Chatuge Reservoir. In that event, the anglers will fish individually, and the winner earns a berth in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic.
Competition resumes Friday at 6:30 a.m. ET at The Ridges Marina & Resort in Hiawassee, Ga., for takeoff. The Day 2 weigh-in will be held at Young Harris College at 3 p.m. ET. Stay tuned to Bassmaster.com for updates.
2014 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Carhartt
2014 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Quantum, Yamaha
2014 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Supporting Partners: Booyah, Diet Mountain Dew, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Motorguide, Plano, Power-Pole, Rigid Industries, Shimano
2014 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Proud Partner: Mustang Survival
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series presented by Allstate, B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro.
-30-
Media Contact: Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, [email protected], or Helen Northcutt, 205-313-0944, [email protected].
|
Siller Leads Windy, Wavy Day 1 At Bassmaster Open On Champlain
The 44-year-old police officer from Milwaukee, Wis., also experienced a rough ride on wind-swept Champlain, which reminded him of fishing back home. “It reminded me of Lake Erie,” he said. “It was terrible. We got soaking wet.”
Siller noted Champlain fishes similar to his home waters of Sturgeon Bay, so he was able to fish his strengths. He found some areas in practice that were holding smallmouth bass, but he could never catch any brown bass more than 3 pounds.
“I really didn’t have a very good practice,” he said. “I had a couple of areas where I caught some big fish (largemouth), and I went in there today and within an hour and a half I had about 20 pounds.”
After culling out a keeper, Siller left the area and looked for some spots to help his partner catch some fish. Siller noted that he didn’t see any other competitors in his primary area, so he plans on making the long run again tomorrow.
The Wisconsin angler is competing in his sixth B.A.S.S. event, and his previous highest finish was a 22nd-place effort last year in a Northern Open at Lake Erie.
Challenging Siller is Bassmaster Elite Series pro Mike Iaconelli, who moved into second place with a 19-6 limit. Iaconelli has plenty of history on Champlain, having fished club tournaments here in the early 1990s and winning his first professional tournament, a Bassmaster Top 150 event, in 1999. “That was a pretty special thing, so I would like to win here again,” he said.
The wind changed the lake level in the area Iaconelli was fishing, so he had to make some adjustments. “It was a slower day than what happened in practice,” he said. “My (lake) level rose today and the fish got scattered.”
“I am concentrating on largemouth, but I am catching a few smallmouth mixed in,” he said. “I went out of my way in practice this week to strictly fish for largemouth.” The touring pro from Pittsgrove, N.J., knows smallmouth tend to roam this time of year on Champlain, so he is sticking with a more reliable largemouth pattern.
The rest of the Top 5 in the pro division includes Ryan Cooper, Nashua, N.H., in third place with 19-1; Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas, in fourth with 18-13; and Rick Nitkiewicz, Pittsburgh, Pa. in fifth with 18-11.
Fishing for only the second time on Champlain, Shawn Parenteau of Kingston, N.H., caught a three-fish limit weighing 11-2 to take the lead in the co-angler division. “I was drop shotting and catching all smallmouth,” said the 39-year-old Parenteau, who caught his limit by 8 a.m.
2014 BPS Bassmaster Northern Open 7/31-8/2
Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh NY.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts
1. Scott Siller Milwaukee, WI 5 20-00 200
Day 1: 5 20-00
2. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 5 19-06 199
Day 1: 5 19-06
3. RC Cooper Nashua, NH 5 19-01 198
Day 1: 5 19-01
4. Shin Fukae Palestine TX JAPAN 5 18-13 197
Day 1: 5 18-13
5. Rick Nitkiewicz Pittsburgh, PA 5 18-11 196
Day 1: 5 18-11
6. Jimmy V. Vitaro Wooster, OH 5 18-09 195
Day 1: 5 18-09
7. Jordan Lee Vinemont, AL 5 17-13 194
Day 1: 5 17-13
8. Joseph Wood Westport, MA 5 17-09 193
Day 1: 5 17-09
9. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 5 17-07 192
Day 1: 5 17-07
10. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, NC 5 17-06 191
Day 1: 5 17-06
11. Chris Daves Hopewell, VA 5 17-03 190
Day 1: 5 17-03
12. Richard McCrone Cream Ridge, NJ 5 17-02 189
Day 1: 5 17-02
13. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 5 17-01 188
Day 1: 5 17-01
14. Woo Daves Spring Grove, VA 5 17-00 187
Day 1: 5 17-00
15. Sam George Athens, AL 5 16-15 186
Day 1: 5 16-15
16. Chris Johnston Otonabee CANADA 5 16-14 185
Day 1: 5 16-14
17. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 5 16-08 184
Day 1: 5 16-08
17. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 16-08 184
Day 1: 5 16-08
17. Thomas Lavictoire West Rutland, VT 5 16-08 184
Day 1: 5 16-08
20. Sonar Burghoff Guntersville, AL 5 16-07 181
Day 1: 5 16-07
21. Mark Daniels Fairfield, CA 5 16-06 180
Day 1: 5 16-06
22. Todd Schmitz Goshen, IN 5 16-05 179
Day 1: 5 16-05
23. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 16-04 178
Day 1: 5 16-04
23. Bryan Labelle Hinesburg, VT 5 16-04 178
Day 1: 5 16-04
23. Dan Owens Byron, IL 5 16-04 178
Day 1: 5 16-04
26. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 5 16-03 175
Day 1: 5 16-03
26. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 5 16-03 175
Day 1: 5 16-03
26. Paul Pagnato Reston, VA 5 16-03 175
Day 1: 5 16-03
29. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 16-02 172
Day 1: 5 16-02
30. Joe Lucarelli Center Harbor, NH 5 16-00 171
Day 1: 5 16-00
31. Andrew Buss North Liberty, IN 5 15-15 170
Day 1: 5 15-15
31. Sean Wilkes Latham, NY 5 15-15 170
Day 1: 5 15-15
33. Matt Greenblatt Port St Lucie, FL 5 15-14 168
Day 1: 5 15-14
34. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 5 15-12 167
Day 1: 5 15-12
35. Kyle Kempkers Hamilton, MI 5 15-11 166
Day 1: 5 15-11
35. Scott Parker Candia, NH 5 15-11 166
Day 1: 5 15-11
35. Boo Woods Oneida, KY 5 15-11 166
Day 1: 5 15-11
38. Tom Belinda Williamsburg, PA 5 15-07 163
Day 1: 5 15-07
38. Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA 5 15-07 163
Day 1: 5 15-07
40. Wil Hardy II Harlem, GA 5 15-06 161
Day 1: 5 15-06
41. George Fiorille Moravia, NY 5 15-05 160
Day 1: 5 15-05
42. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 5 15-04 159
Day 1: 5 15-04
42. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 5 15-04 159
Day 1: 5 15-04
44. Steve York Bronson, MI 5 15-03 157
Day 1: 5 15-03
45. Masahiro Yanase Knoxville TN JAPAN 5 15-03 156
Day 1: 5 15-03
46. Matt Stefan Junction City, WI 5 15-02 155
Day 1: 5 15-02
46. Derek Yasinski Senoia, GA 5 15-02 155
Day 1: 5 15-02
48. Bill Byers IV Lewis Center, OH 5 15-01 153
Day 1: 5 15-01
48. Jamey Caldwell Carthage, NC 5 15-01 153
Day 1: 5 15-01
50. JT Kenney Palm Bay, FL 5 14-14 151
Day 1: 5 14-14
50. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 14-14 151
Day 1: 5 14-14
50. Michael Sentore Gloucester City, NJ 5 14-14 151
Day 1: 5 14-14
50. David Walker Sevierville, TN 5 14-14 151
Day 1: 5 14-14
54. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 5 14-13 147
Day 1: 5 14-13
55. Paco Giner Danbury, CT 5 14-11 146
Day 1: 5 14-11
56. Craig Workman Fort Worth, TX 5 14-11 145
Day 1: 5 14-11
57. Koby Kreiger Bokeelia, FL 5 14-10 144
Day 1: 5 14-10
57. Jack Rinkers Swarthmore, PA 5 14-10 144
Day 1: 5 14-10
59. Erhardt Tulgestka Posen, MI 5 14-09 142
Day 1: 5 14-09
60. Terry Baksay Easton, CT 5 14-08 141
Day 1: 5 14-08
60. Chad Pipkens Holt, MI 5 14-08 141
Day 1: 5 14-08
62. Richard Dunham Arlington Heights, IL 5 14-07 139
Day 1: 5 14-07
63. Tim Grein Winston Salem, NC 5 14-05 138
Day 1: 5 14-05
64. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 5 14-03 137
Day 1: 5 14-03
65. Powell Kemp Scotland Neck, NC 5 14-02 136
Day 1: 5 14-02
65. Patrick Pierce Jacksonville, FL 5 14-02 136
Day 1: 5 14-02
67. Philip Holwerda Ada, MI 5 14-01 134
Day 1: 5 14-01
68. Travis Manson Conshohocken, PA 5 14-00 133
Day 1: 5 14-00
68. Jesse Tacoronte Orlando, FL 5 14-00 133
Day 1: 5 14-00
70. Chris Flint Potsdam, NY 5 13-15 131
Day 1: 5 13-15
71. Blake Nick Adger, AL 5 13-13 130
Day 1: 5 13-13
72. Buck Mallory Lawton, MI 5 13-09 129
Day 1: 5 13-09
73. Ed Loughran Mechanicsville, VA 5 13-08 128
Day 1: 5 13-08
74. Ben Nielsen Lowell, MI 5 13-07 127
Day 1: 5 13-07
75. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 5 13-06 126
Day 1: 5 13-06
75. Jacob Wheeler Indianapolis, IN 5 13-06 126
Day 1: 5 13-06
77. Larry Draughn Fairborn, OH 5 13-05 124
Day 1: 5 13-05
77. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 13-05 124
Day 1: 5 13-05
79. Matt Lee Auburn , AL 5 13-03 122
Day 1: 5 13-03
80. Stephen Longobardi Northford, CT 5 13-02 121
Day 1: 5 13-02
81. Luke Clausen Otis Orchards, WA 5 13-01 120
Day 1: 5 13-01
81. Troy Morrow Eastanollee, GA 5 13-01 120
Day 1: 5 13-01
83. Gerald Sensabaugh Gray, TN 5 13-00 118
Day 1: 5 13-00
84. Troy Lindner Los Angeles, CA 5 12-15 117
Day 1: 5 12-15
84. Casey Lyon Eden, VT 5 12-15 117
Day 1: 5 12-15
86. Wade Curtiss Meadow Vista, CA 5 12-14 115
Day 1: 5 12-14
87. Rob Grabow Morgantown, WV 5 12-12 114
Day 1: 5 12-12
87. Jeff Hippert Hamburg, NY 5 12-12 114
Day 1: 5 12-12
89. Drew Sadler Richmond , KY 5 12-11 112
Day 1: 5 12-11
90. Jim Dillard West Monroe, LA 5 12-09 111
Day 1: 5 12-09
91. Shannon Jones Kimper, KY 5 12-08 110
Day 1: 5 12-08
92. Michael Murphy Lexington, SC 5 12-07 109
Day 1: 5 12-07
92. Jeremy Roberts Rutland, VT 5 12-07 109
Day 1: 5 12-07
94. James Elam Tulsa, OK 5 12-04 107
Day 1: 5 12-04
95. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 5 12-03 106
Day 1: 5 12-03
95. Kirk McMullen Greensburg, PA 5 12-03 106
Day 1: 5 12-03
95. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 5 12-03 106
Day 1: 5 12-03
98. Gene Eisenmann Frisco, TX 5 12-02 103
Day 1: 5 12-02
98. Jim Lindner Baxter, MN 5 12-02 103
Day 1: 5 12-02
100. Donald Holt Jr Perrysburg, OH 5 12-00 101
Day 1: 5 12-00
101. Bill Day Frankfort, KY 5 11-15 100
Day 1: 5 11-15
101. Mike Wolfenden Warwick, RI 5 11-15 100
Day 1: 5 11-15
103. John Hempel Brownstown, MI 5 11-13 98
Day 1: 5 11-13
104. Shaun Kruzitski Stevens Point, WI 5 11-13 97
Day 1: 5 11-13
105. Brian Cook Sandusky, OH 5 11-10 96
Day 1: 5 11-10
105. Skip Johnson Wales, MI 5 11-10 96
Day 1: 5 11-10
107. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 5 11-09 94
Day 1: 5 11-09
108. Dakota Brown Charleston, WV 5 11-08 93
Day 1: 5 11-08
109. Jimmy Kennedy Plainfield, VT 5 11-07 92
Day 1: 5 11-07
110. Carroll Blevins Jonesboro, GA 5 11-05 91
Day 1: 5 11-05
110. Jonathan Carter South Portland, ME 5 11-05 91
Day 1: 5 11-05
110. Scott Cremeans Albany, OH 5 11-05 91
Day 1: 5 11-05
113. Bmac McDonald Greenwood, IN 5 11-00 88
Day 1: 5 11-00
114. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 5 10-15 87
Day 1: 5 10-15
115. Sean Caswell Highland, NY 4 10-15 86
Day 1: 4 10-15
116. John Malzahn Sparrow Bush, NY 5 10-13 85
Day 1: 5 10-13
117. Tim Aldrich Shutesbury, MA 5 10-11 84
Day 1: 5 10-11
117. Gregory Dipalma Millville, NJ 5 10-11 84
Day 1: 5 10-11
119. Don Warren Chesterfield, VA 5 10-11 82
Day 1: 5 10-11
120. Paul Molan Chardon, OH 3 10-09 81
Day 1: 3 10-09
121. Paul Mazzitelli Pittston, PA 5 10-08 80
Day 1: 5 10-08
122. Michael Neal Dayton, TN 5 10-07 79
Day 1: 5 10-07
123. Jonathan Case Swanton, VT 5 10-05 78
Day 1: 5 10-05
124. Brian Latimer Belton, SC 5 09-15 77
Day 1: 5 09-15
124. Greg Mansfield Burnsville, MN 5 09-15 77
Day 1: 5 09-15
124. Kendall Newson Decatur, GA 5 09-15 77
Day 1: 5 09-15
127. Art Ferguson III Saint Clair Shores, MI 5 09-14 74
Day 1: 5 09-14
128. Mike Hancin North Franklin, CT 5 09-13 73
Day 1: 5 09-13
129. Josh Douglas Shakopee, MN 5 09-08 72
Day 1: 5 09-08
130. David Smith Del City, OK 5 09-06 71
Day 1: 5 09-06
131. Joshua Cook Clarksville, TN 4 09-03 70
Day 1: 4 09-03
132. Steven Pickard Fulton, NY 5 09-01 69
Day 1: 5 09-01
132. Dan Straitiff IV Nashua, NH 5 09-01 69
Day 1: 5 09-01
134. Erny Janzen St Catharines ONTARIO C 5 08-14 67
Day 1: 5 08-14
134. Franklin Janzen St Catharines Ontario C 5 08-14 67
Day 1: 5 08-14
136. Roland Martin Naples, FL 5 08-13 65
Day 1: 5 08-13
137. Todd Sterner Mechanicsburg, PA 4 08-10 64
Day 1: 4 08-10
138. Randy Elliott Bowie, MD 5 08-08 63
Day 1: 5 08-08
139. William Beal Lenox, MI 3 08-07 62
Day 1: 3 08-07
140. Jay Clingenpeel Washington, PA 3 07-15 61
Day 1: 3 07-15
141. Nassa Khanfour Ales FRANCE 3 07-14 60
Day 1: 3 07-14
142. David Morrissette South Hadley, MA 4 07-11 59
Day 1: 4 07-11
143. Tommy Robinson Westland, MI 4 07-08 58
Day 1: 4 07-08
144. Douglas Hammond South Westerlo, NY 4 07-03 57
Day 1: 4 07-03
144. Matt Vermilyea Perrysburg, OH 4 07-03 57
Day 1: 4 07-03
146. Mike Weiss Union Grove, WI 3 07-03 55
Day 1: 3 07-03
147. Shane Rees Middletown, IN 5 07-01 54
Day 1: 5 07-01
148. John Pelletier Castleton, NY 2 07-01 53
Day 1: 2 07-01
149. James Hanson Yulon, NY 3 06-11 52
Day 1: 3 06-11
150. Mark Costa Andover, ME 3 05-15 51
Day 1: 3 05-15
151. David Mizenko Wrightsville, PA 3 05-05 50
Day 1: 3 05-05
152. Roy Minnick New Lenox, IL 2 05-04 49
Day 1: 2 05-04
153. Tony Johnson Alexandria, OH 3 05-02 48
Day 1: 3 05-02
154. James Root Greene, NY 3 04-14 47
Day 1: 3 04-14
155. James Mcmullen Quakertown, PA 2 04-14 46
Day 1: 2 04-14
156. Shirley Crain Fort Smith, AR 3 04-11 45
Day 1: 3 04-11
157. Trait Crist Fort Worth, TX 3 04-10 44
Day 1: 3 04-10
158. Ron Ottinger Crystal Lake, IL 3 04-09 43
Day 1: 3 04-09
159. James Jeffries Rouses Point, NY 2 04-00 42
Day 1: 2 04-00
160. Gary Clouse La Vergne, TN 2 03-13 41
Day 1: 2 03-13
161. Pete Garnier Lindsey ONTARIO CANADA 2 02-12 40
Day 1: 2 02-12
162. Wayne Hauser Mooresville, NC 5 02-11 39
Day 1: 5 02-11
163. John Figi Bloomington, MN 5 01-10 38
Day 1: 5 01-10
164. Michael McCoy Mentor On The Lake, OH 1 01-10 37
Day 1: 1 01-10
165. Pete Gluszek Mount Laurel, NJ 5 01-09 36
Day 1: 5 01-09
166. Devon Banks Lake Orion, MI 1 01-05 35
Day 1: 1 01-05
167. Jared Shuler Marion, VA 1 01-03 34
Day 1: 1 01-03
168. Michael Caver Southfield, MI 4 00-00 33
Day 1: 4 00-00
169. Roy Brooks Hedgesville, WV 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
169. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
169. Charlie Evans Gilbertsville, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
169. Chris Gerrein Villa Hills, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
169. Mark Hicks Glouster, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
169. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
169. Emery Peine Newton, NJ 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
169. Ripnlips Smith Harrison Twp, MI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
169. Craig Townsend Westampton, NJ 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
169. Gary Walker Amesbury, MA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 138 776 2040-13
----------------------------------
138 776 2040-13
2014 BPS Bassmaster Northern Open 7/31-8/2
Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh NY.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts
1. Shawn Parenteau Kingston, NH 3 11-09 200
Day 1: 3 11-09
2. James Schneider Watervliet, NY 3 10-15 199
Day 1: 3 10-15
3. Andrew Zapf Whippany, NJ 3 10-09 198
Day 1: 3 10-09
4. Rob Jordan Suwanee, GA 3 10-05 197
Day 1: 3 10-05
4. JP Kimbrough Bossier City, LA 3 10-05 197
Day 1: 3 10-05
6. Trent Masterson Goodrich, MI 3 10-03 195
Day 1: 3 10-03
7. Shawn Gokey Milton, VT 3 10-02 194
Day 1: 3 10-02
7. PJ Mcmanamon Ruby, NY 3 10-02 194
Day 1: 3 10-02
9. Steve Williams Harrington, ME 3 10-01 192
Day 1: 3 10-01
10. Matthew Zimmer Haledon, NJ 3 10-00 191
Day 1: 3 10-00
11. Corey Horelick Uncasville, CT 3 09-15 190
Day 1: 3 09-15
12. JJ Smith Avon Lake, OH 3 09-14 189
Day 1: 3 09-14
13. Mark Fennell Lagrange, IN 3 09-13 188
Day 1: 3 09-13
13. Richard Janitschek Ledgewood, NJ 3 09-13 188
Day 1: 3 09-13
13. Thomas Rizzo Rochester, PA 3 09-13 188
Day 1: 3 09-13
16. Chris Molineaux Hope Valley, RI 3 09-11 185
Day 1: 3 09-11
17. Matthew Jones Delmar, NY 3 09-10 184
Day 1: 3 09-10
18. Bob Green Pine Grove, PA 3 09-09 183
Day 1: 3 09-09
18. Chad Valentine Rome, NY 3 09-09 183
Day 1: 3 09-09
20. Justin Lonchar Clinton, PA 3 09-06 181
Day 1: 3 09-06
20. Nick Ray Ingleside, IL 3 09-06 181
Day 1: 3 09-06
22. Gregory Hammond Amsterdam, NY 3 09-05 179
Day 1: 3 09-05
23. Matt Madlener Lake Villa, IL 3 09-04 178
Day 1: 3 09-04
24. Mark Horton Nicholasville, KY 3 09-03 177
Day 1: 3 09-03
25. Fred Ingalls Groveland, NY 3 09-02 176
Day 1: 3 09-02
25. James Papierz Woodbridge, NJ 3 09-02 176
Day 1: 3 09-02
27. Mandel Pettus Sound Beach, NY 3 09-01 174
Day 1: 3 09-01
28. Mark Bell Pewee Valley, KY 3 09-00 173
Day 1: 3 09-00
28. Michael Cooper Sellersville, PA 3 09-00 173
Day 1: 3 09-00
30. Alex Peric Wheeling, IL 3 08-15 171
Day 1: 3 08-15
31. Mark Babcock Warwick, NY 3 08-14 170
Day 1: 3 08-14
31. Michael James Indiana, PA 3 08-14 170
Day 1: 3 08-14
31. Peter Jerrom Pipersville, PA 3 08-14 170
Day 1: 3 08-14
34. Steve Hanley Schenectady, NY 3 08-13 167
Day 1: 3 08-13
34. Peter Valente North Clarendon, VT 3 08-13 167
Day 1: 3 08-13
36. Drew Dupre Clinton, CT 3 08-12 165
Day 1: 3 08-12
36. Dan Posta Poughkeepsie, NY 3 08-12 165
Day 1: 3 08-12
38. Michael Barton Endicott, NY 3 08-10 163
Day 1: 3 08-10
39. Austin Hopfensperger Appleton, WI 3 08-09 162
Day 1: 3 08-09
39. David Paul New London, CT 3 08-09 162
Day 1: 3 08-09
41. Kyle Labarge Tupper Lake, NY 3 08-09 160
Day 1: 3 08-09
42. Danny Sprague Hastings, MI 3 08-08 159
Day 1: 3 08-08
43. Brent Heyn South Hero, VT 3 08-07 158
Day 1: 3 08-07
43. Greg Linscott Jr South Hadley, MA 3 08-07 158
Day 1: 3 08-07
45. John Watts Flushing, MI 3 08-06 156
Day 1: 3 08-06
46. Steve Prange Niles, MI 3 08-05 155
Day 1: 3 08-05
47. Peter Summa Jr. Rome, NY 3 08-04 154
Day 1: 3 08-04
48. Sam Spina Jr Rome, NY 3 08-03 153
Day 1: 3 08-03
49. Brian Ruetz Toledo, OH 3 08-02 152
Day 1: 3 08-02
49. Mike Sciacca Augusta, NJ 3 08-02 152
Day 1: 3 08-02
51. Rick Kloetstra Lynden CANADA 3 08-01 150
Day 1: 3 08-01
52. Tim Hamburger Quakertown, PA 3 08-00 149
Day 1: 3 08-00
52. Steve Kaczinski Kintnersville, PA 3 08-00 149
Day 1: 3 08-00
52. Greg Mauldin Archdale, NC 3 08-00 149
Day 1: 3 08-00
55. Robert Hayes Galloway, OH 3 08-00 146
Day 1: 3 08-00
55. Jarrad Nickolite Shakopee, MN 3 08-00 146
Day 1: 3 08-00
57. Joey Bedra Lake Orion, MI 3 07-15 144
Day 1: 3 07-15
57. Tyler Morgan Pine Grove, PA 3 07-15 144
Day 1: 3 07-15
59. Kenneth Higgins Brant Lake, NY 3 07-14 142
Day 1: 3 07-14
60. Brian Stockl Glassboro, NJ 3 07-13 141
Day 1: 3 07-13
61. Jon Zera Newington, CT 2 07-13 140
Day 1: 2 07-13
62. Charles Gabbeart Plymouth, MI 3 07-12 139
Day 1: 3 07-12
62. Henry Mckee IV Haddon Heights, NJ 3 07-12 139
Day 1: 3 07-12
64. Billy Briere Mooresville, IN 3 07-11 137
Day 1: 3 07-11
64. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 3 07-11 137
Day 1: 3 07-11
64. Joseph Zapf Whippany, NJ 3 07-11 137
Day 1: 3 07-11
67. Barry Brandt Jr. Newport News, VA 3 07-09 134
Day 1: 3 07-09
67. Scott Deitrich Berrysburg, PA 3 07-09 134
Day 1: 3 07-09
67. Brook Pauley Morgantown, WV 3 07-09 134
Day 1: 3 07-09
67. Chris Van Vliet Cleveland, OH 3 07-09 134
Day 1: 3 07-09
71. Lee Rogers Swartswood, NJ 3 07-08 130
Day 1: 3 07-08
72. Cory Krawczyk Angola, NY 3 07-06 129
Day 1: 3 07-06
72. James Whelan Cadillac, MI 3 07-06 129
Day 1: 3 07-06
74. Paul Blimkie Burlington CANADA 3 07-05 127
Day 1: 3 07-05
74. Paul LaFleur Benton, AR 3 07-05 127
Day 1: 3 07-05
74. Frank Miller Nanticoke, PA 3 07-05 127
Day 1: 3 07-05
77. Bill Alexander Sylvan Beach, NY 3 07-03 124
Day 1: 3 07-03
77. Brandon Baker Eagle Mountain, UT 3 07-03 124
Day 1: 3 07-03
77. Buddy Cipoletti West Islip, NY 3 07-03 124
Day 1: 3 07-03
77. Gary McClain Chesapeake, VA 3 07-03 124
Day 1: 3 07-03
81. Kenneth Garland Hamilton, OH 3 07-01 120
Day 1: 3 07-01
82. Paul Marchaza Mentor, OH 3 07-00 119
Day 1: 3 07-00
83. Christopher Lemon Mooresville, IN 3 06-15 118
Day 1: 3 06-15
83. Christopher Liobis Branchburg, NJ 3 06-15 118
Day 1: 3 06-15
83. William Schwartz Sheffield Village, OH 3 06-15 118
Day 1: 3 06-15
86. William Mcdermott Jr. Freeland, MD 3 06-14 115
Day 1: 3 06-14
87. Joe Zellers Westminster, MD 2 06-13 114
Day 1: 2 06-13
88. Destin Demarion Grove City, PA 3 06-12 113
Day 1: 3 06-12
89. Anthony Lorefice Jr Johnson City, NY 3 06-11 112
Day 1: 3 06-11
89. Brett Rounsaville Indianapolis, IN 3 06-11 112
Day 1: 3 06-11
91. Jim Oconnell Castle Rock, CO 2 06-10 110
Day 1: 2 06-10
92. Alex Antipenko Brooklyn, NY 3 06-06 109
Day 1: 3 06-06
93. John Hutton Derry, PA 3 06-05 108
Day 1: 3 06-05
94. Chris Clarke Fairmont, WV 3 06-04 107
Day 1: 3 06-04
94. Daniel Kane Surry, ME 3 06-04 107
Day 1: 3 06-04
96. Dereck Bigford Cicero, NY 3 06-03 105
Day 1: 3 06-03
97. Doug Fowler Conover, NC 2 06-03 104
Day 1: 2 06-03
98. Andrew Fryer Grove City, OH 3 06-02 103
Day 1: 3 06-02
98. Eric Grant Elmira, NY 3 06-02 103
Day 1: 3 06-02
98. Frank McPherson Gloucester, VA 3 06-02 103
Day 1: 3 06-02
98. Keith Pease Cheektowaga, NY 3 06-02 103
Day 1: 3 06-02
98. Keith Sensenig Jane Lew, WV 3 06-02 103
Day 1: 3 06-02
98. Scott Shafer Glenville, NY 3 06-02 103
Day 1: 3 06-02
98. Buddy Valentine Westernville, NY 3 06-02 103
Day 1: 3 06-02
105. Nathan Powe Greece, NY 3 06-01 96
Day 1: 3 06-01
106. Joseph Sterner Mechanicsburg, PA 2 06-01 95
Day 1: 2 06-01
107. Stephen Schneider Selden, NY 2 06-01 94
Day 1: 2 06-01
108. Ben Merkley Port Byron, NY 3 06-00 93
Day 1: 3 06-00
109. Allen Rix Carbondale, IL 3 05-14 92
Day 1: 3 05-14
110. Akira Okuyama Forest Hills, NY 3 05-11 91
Day 1: 3 05-11
110. Anthony Roy Lancaster, KY 3 05-11 91
Day 1: 3 05-11
110. George Yund Glenmont, NY 3 05-11 91
Day 1: 3 05-11
113. Brian Winchell Warrensburg, NY 2 05-11 88
Day 1: 2 05-11
114. Marvin Stith Jr. Piscataway, NJ 3 05-10 87
Day 1: 3 05-10
115. Garrett Hysong Georgetown, PA 3 05-07 86
Day 1: 3 05-07
115. Robert Rieder West Milford, NJ 3 05-07 86
Day 1: 3 05-07
117. Todd Brisebois Granby, MA 3 05-05 84
Day 1: 3 05-05
117. Justin Busby Columbus, OH 3 05-05 84
Day 1: 3 05-05
117. Jimmy Hayes Fayetteville, NC 3 05-05 84
Day 1: 3 05-05
120. Don Sangster Mississauga CANADA 2 05-05 81
Day 1: 2 05-05
121. Eric Rumley Princeton, WV 2 05-02 80
Day 1: 2 05-02
122. Chuck Cunningham Wellford, SC 3 05-01 79
Day 1: 3 05-01
122. David Evans Memphis, NY 3 05-01 79
Day 1: 3 05-01
124. Tom Balachvili Brooklyn, NY 3 04-13 77
Day 1: 3 04-13
124. Marc Letourneau Brome CANADA 3 04-13 77
Day 1: 3 04-13
126. Mike Fedio Fenton, MI 2 04-13 75
Day 1: 2 04-13
127. Michael Naventi Lee, MA 3 04-12 74
Day 1: 3 04-12
128. Gary Whiteley Catoosa, OK 2 04-12 73
Day 1: 2 04-12
129. Tom Hill Lexington, KY 3 04-11 72
Day 1: 3 04-11
130. Scott Fairchild New Windsor, NY 3 04-04 71
Day 1: 3 04-04
131. Mike Rinaldi North Haledon, NJ 2 04-04 70
Day 1: 2 04-04
131. Justin Thomas Arlington, MA 2 04-04 70
Day 1: 2 04-04
133. Jeremy Seamans Dracut, MA 3 04-03 68
Day 1: 3 04-03
134. Daniel Beebe Jr Niota, TN 2 04-03 67
Day 1: 2 04-03
135. Eric Mcdonald Barkhamsted, CT 3 03-13 66
Day 1: 3 03-13
136. Bill Longstreet Falls, PA 1 03-13 65
Day 1: 1 03-13
137. Mike Drisko Leesburg, FL 3 03-11 64
Day 1: 3 03-11
138. Frank Sipple White Haven, PA 2 03-11 63
Day 1: 2 03-11
139. Bob Brody Avoca, PA 3 03-10 62
Day 1: 3 03-10
140. John Brzozowski Plymouth, PA 2 03-10 61
Day 1: 2 03-10
141. Robert Sweeney Baltimore, MD 3 03-09 60
Day 1: 3 03-09
142. Roy Moon Gloucester, VA 3 03-06 59
Day 1: 3 03-06
143. Kenny Woods Oneida, KY 2 03-06 58
Day 1: 2 03-06
144. Zachariah Dunham Stroudsburg, PA 1 03-02 57
Day 1: 1 03-02
145. Eric Kuehne Lyman, ME 2 03-01 56
Day 1: 2 03-01
146. Mark Wilfong Ann Arbor, MI 1 03-00 55
Day 1: 1 03-00
147. Charles Pruitt Detroit, MI 2 02-14 54
Day 1: 2 02-14
148. Kadin Thens Warrenton, VA 1 02-14 53
Day 1: 1 02-14
149. Michael Sweeney Mansfield, MA 2 02-08 52
Day 1: 2 02-08
150. Bean Lefebvre Malden, MA 1 02-06 51
Day 1: 1 02-06
151. Jeffrey Fink Girard, PA 1 02-04 50
Day 1: 1 02-04
152. Tina Chang Milwaukee, WI 2 02-01 49
Day 1: 2 02-01
153. Michael Pikulinski Syracuse, NY 1 01-15 48
Day 1: 1 01-15
154. Chad Levey Montour Falls, NY 1 01-14 47
Day 1: 1 01-14
155. Benjamin Wright Peru, NY 1 01-12 46
Day 1: 1 01-12
156. Bill Facompre, Jr. Woodstock, NY 1 01-10 45
Day 1: 1 01-10
157. William Beekman Diamond Point, NY 1 01-09 44
Day 1: 1 01-09
158. Ike Taylor Westerville, OH 1 01-04 43
Day 1: 1 01-04
159. Joe Pope New Kensingtn, PA 1 01-03 42
Day 1: 1 01-03
160. Robert Pelletier Nassau, NY 3 00-00 41
Day 1: 3 00-00
161. Edward Dyer Alto, MI 1 00-00 40
Day 1: 1 00-00
161. Howie Range Gouldsboro, PA 1 00-00 40
Day 1: 1 00-00
163. Lance Asbury Rural Retreat, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Gary Besmer East Islip, NY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Stephen Collins Hastings CANADA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Jeff Cutler Minersville, PA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Ryan Doherty Russell, MA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Barb Elliott Richland, NY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Bryan Humphreys Lewisburg, WV 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. William Langille Kent, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Nick Lindner Pequot Lakes, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Nathan Mapes Alburgh, VT 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Jerry Norakus Wilkes Barre, PA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. George Saliba Lakefield CANADA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Tyler South Bonita Springs, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Vic Walker Nashua, NH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Holli Woodward South Beloit, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. AJ Zitzmann Montreal QUEBEC CANADA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 126 435 1071-13
----------------------------------
126 435 1071-13
Artist Mike Savlen works live at ICAST 2014. His choice of canvas? Miss Ashley Gilbert
Donna Lee Savlen introduces her husband, Mike, as he re-creates one of his finest pieces, "A Place I'd Rather Be", on the body of professional model, Ashley Gilbert. Savlen, who served in TWO BRANCHES of the United States military, has been featured in most major fishing publications. To see his work, including "A Place I'd Rather Be" - on canvas or on Ashley - visit his Facebook page Fish Art Gallery of Mike Savlen. While he likely won't paint you, if you want to wear Savlen's art, visit SavlenSportswear.com or take a look at SavlenStudios.com.
Collins Bass for Cash kicks off at Roanoke River this Sat
Tournament event #6 for the Collins Inc. – Bass For Cash Series will take place this Saturday, August 2nd, on the Roanoke River along the Plymouth City Waterfront. You can visit the “Schedule” tab at our site for a map to the ramp location.
§ Morning registration is planned to begin on-site at approximately 4:15 AM. Cash or check is the only form of payment accepted.
§ Every team must check in at our Yamaha registration tent the morning of each event. Even if you have pre-registered, we need to know that you are in attendance and provide you with important information.
§ A livewell check will be conducted on the water at the gazebo near the registration area.
§ Blast Off Will Begin At Safe Light – Approximately 5:30 – 5:45 AM.
§ Please be checked in, have your livewells checked, and your boat in the water well in advance of the start of the event.
§ Return / Weigh-In – 3:00 PM (Be Sure To Check In With A Tournament Official). Depending on the number of total entries, we may create additional flights and return times. This information will be announced prior to blast off.
§ Five (5) fish limit per boat. Minimum size for this event will be 14” in length. Reminder, no courtesy measurements allowed.
§ Complimentary food items and door prizes will be available during afternoon weigh-in, so stick around if you can.
Off Limits Period: We would like to remind everyone of the off-limits period as specified within the tournament rules. If you feel that you have violated this rule in any way, please contact us so that we may make arrangements to have your entry fee moved over to a future event.
Please take time to read over the complete 2014 BFCS rules as tournament rules may vary from tournament trail to tournament trail. We do not want to see anyone caught off guard.
Click on this link for 2014 BFCS rules: 2014 Rules
HIPSHER WINS BFL ON KENTUCKY AND BARKLEY LAKES
Craig Hipsher of Benton, Ky., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win the fourth Walmart Bass Fishing League LBL Division tournament of 2014 on Kentucky and Barkley lakes. For his victory, Hipsher earned $3,756.
“I kind of got lucky,” said Hipsher, who has 10 career top-10 finishes on Kentucky Lake in BFL competition. “The last bite I got in practice game me a clue that the fish were chasing. The next morning when we went out my plan was to fish deep ledges with a jig and a worm. But it was cloudy and the wind was blowing and I thought the fish could be up on the shallow flats.
“So, I started on a little 4-foot deep flat in the middle of the lake and threw a ¾-ounce Accent Fishing Products spinnerbait with double willow leaf blades. By 6:40 a.m. I had caught about 19 pounds. Those spinnerbaits have a very thin wire. Every time I would catch two or three that were over 4 pounds, I would change spinnerbaits. I went through four spinnerbaits.
“My goal this season was to win the LBL division Angler of the Year title” said Hipsher. “I practiced a lot for this event and my plan was to run brush piles with a jig and a worm. But, I went with my gut and it worked. I guide on the lake and I fish about 300 days per year. Some days things just go right and when that happens you are meant to win. I was a hero for a day, but tomorrow I might blank.”
Hipsher said that he caught four of his big fish with the aforementioned spinnerbait and one of his bass in deep water on a on a Luck-E-Strike Ringleader Worm. Hipsher also made sure to credit Shiner Bock for extensively supporting his fishing career.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Terry Bolton, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 22-9, $1,878 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
3rd: David Young, Mayfield, Ky., five bass, 20-8, $1,253
4th: Robert Behrens Jr., Dyersburg, Tenn., five bass, 17-12, $813
4th: Edward Gettys, Columbia, Tenn., five bass, 17-12, $813 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
6th: Billy Schroeder, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 17-5, $689
7th: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., five bass, 16-10, $626
8th: Ronny Webb, Dyersburg, Tenn., five bass, 16-8, $563
9th: Kyle Hackemack, Georgetown, Ind., five bass, 14-1, $469
9th: Eli Torres, Festus, Mo., five bass, 14-1, $469
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Darrell Carroll of Independence, Ky., weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win $1,878 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Michael Luce, Ledbetter, Ky., five bass, 13-1, $939
3rd: John Wilkerson, Nashville, Tenn., three bass, 12-0, $627
4th: Jeff Johnston, Nashville, Tenn., four bass, 11-7, $438
5th: Jeff Scrimager, Mattoon, Ill., four bass, 9-13, $376
6th: Brennon Binkley, Nashville, Tenn., two bass, 9-3, $344
7th: Jerry Wittmer, Louisville, Ky., three bass, 8-9, $313
8th: Stan Evans, Newburgh, Ind., two bass, 7-15, $282
9th: Steve Ward, Simpsonville, Ky., two bass, 7-13, $250
10th: Kyle Radake, Cape Girardeau, Mo., three bass, 7-12, $219
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 9-11 Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee in Morristown, Tenn. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
American Bass Anglers Introduces 100% Plus Team Tour!
The 100% Plus Team Tour will offer 2 divisions for 2015, one located in North Alabama and the other in Tennessee/Kentucky. The North Alabama division will hold 5 events to be held on Guntersville and Wheeler Lake. The Tennessee/Kentucky division will hold 5 events to be held on Kentucky Lake out of Paris Tennessee and Old Hickory Lake out of Hendersonville Tennessee.
Points will be awarded at each event and the top 5 from each of the two divisions will advance directly to the Ray Scott Championship. The top 5 team captains from each division will compete as a boater and fish for first place prize valued at over $100,000. Their partners will compete as a co-angler and fish for first place prize valued at over $50,000. This allows local weekend bass anglers to fish for a new boat at every tournament and advance directly to the no-entry fee $100,000 first place Ray Scott Championship.
Entry Fee for 100% Plus Team Tour events is $250 and ABA members can fish any or all of these events. There will be no late fees and anglers will be allowed to register through 5pm CST Wednesday prior to the event by phone, mail, fax, or at www.americanbassanglers.com .
Tour’s Key Features
- 100% Plus Payout (Payout Link)
- Total Purse $60,000 based on 200 boats
- Triton Bass Boat with Mercury Outboard guaranteed first place (20,000 value)
- Entry Fee $250 per Team
- Anglers Plus Pot (Optional $100 per Team)
- No Late Fees Ever!
- Contingencies will include Triton Gold, Mercury Bonus plus Local Triton Dealer Bonuses
- Open to all ABA members in good standing
- Register through 5pm CST Wednesday of the week of the event
- Only one member must attend meeting
- Top 5 teams by points from each of the two divisions will advance directly to the Ray Scott Championship
- 20% of the field gets a check
- Off Limits Monday - Thursday the week of each event
- Official Practice Friday prior to the event
- Polygraph(s) given at every event
- No Guides or Pros will be allowed in the events
Registration will begin August 11, 2014 for both Divisions. Schedules, Rules and complete tour information will be available July 31, 2014 at www.americanbassanglers.com
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Weekend Bass Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, Military Team Bass Tournament and the 100% Plus Team Tour visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
ABA is sponsored by: Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Royal Purple, Best Western Hotels, Livingston Lures, Garmin, Carlisle Tire & Wheel, Odyssey Batteries, T-H Marine and North American Fisherman
American Bass Anglers, Inc. PO Box 475, Athens, AL 35611
Phone: (256)232-0406, Fax (256)233-2295 email: [email protected] website www.americanbassanglers.com
Mark Menendez shows the BIG NEW Strike King 8.0!
From the ICAST show in Orlando, Mark Menendez introduces the shallow-rooting counterpart to Strike King's wildly popular 10XD - the new 8.0 Squarebill. It's a chunk that hunts!
From Tackle X: Bernie Schultz introduces Rapala BX Waking Minnow
Tackle X was an invite-only event on legendary Lake X in Central Florida. Held the day before ICAST 2014 kicked off, Tackle X gave us a chance to see new products in action on the water. Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Bernie Schultz demonstrated the waking, rolling action of Rapala's NEW BX Waking Minnow.
As seen on Shark Tank TV show, Jeff Stafford tells about Shell Bobbers
Perhaps the funnest product at this year's ICAST show, the Shell Bobber was pitched by company co-founder, Jeff Stafford on the hit television show Shark Tank. Investors took notice, so have anglers and other outdoorsmen (recognize the guy on the signage in the background?). A custom-made Shell Bobber would be the best business card an angler or guide could have. Stafford offers that service too.
Late July Tournament Preview with AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh
AC Pro staffer Rob Digh joins us in looking back the Rayovac last weekend on Lake Champlaign as well as some upcoing events, especially the FLW CUP coming up on Murray-click here for more!
University Of South Carolina Team Primed For Carhartt Bassmaster College Championship
Gettys Brannon and Patrick Walters have scored a couple of significant firsts for Anglers at USC, the University of South Carolina's competitive bass fishing club, not the least of which is earning a slot in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Championship July 31-Aug. 2 on Georgia's Chatuge Reservoir.
Brannon, a junior advertising/marketing major from Gaffney, S.C., and Walters, of Summerville, S.C, who is majoring in business management, qualified for the college championship with an 18th place finish in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Wild Card tournament on Alabama's Pickwick Lake in early July. In all, 17 of the Top 20 teams qualified for the Carhartt College Series National Championship. Three of the Top 20 teams had previously qualified for the National Championship, extending the Wild Card invitations down to 20th place.
That landmark qualification for the USC club came on the heels of the first significant tournament qualification for Brannon and Walters a month earlier when they finished 5th in the FLW College Fishing Southeastern Conference event on Lake Guntersville, which earned them a spot in the FLW College Fishing Southeastern Conference Invitational on Tennessee's Lake Chickamauga Oct. 18-19.
“The Tennessee River lakes have been good to us this year,” said Brannon, who hopes their good fortune on reservoirs in that drainage system holds up in the National Championship as Lake Chatuge is a Tennessee River impoundment.
“We've never been to Lake Chatuge, so it is going to be interesting,” Brannon said. “It's a deep, clear reservoir with an abundance of spotted bass. I believe it will be won on some spots and probably a few largemouths.”
Brannon, who is president of the Anglers of USC, said he expects drop-shotting to be a primary tactic, but he and Walters have some other ideas they want to try, too.
“We've fished lakes similar to Chatuge so we'll try to put together some of those similarities with what we know about the lake itself and then with the limited 2 1/2 days of practice we'll have before the tournament,” he added.
“Chatuge is not as big as Guntersville and the fish are not as big as those in Guntersville. It's going to be a tough, really hard lake to fish, the type deal where the people will separate themselves.”
Their goal at Chatuge will be to be in the top four on the last day of competition to get a shot at registering the third major landmark for the USC Bass Club, Brannon said. On the last day the teams break down into four individual anglers who will compete for a spot in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic, which will be held on South Carolina's Lake Hartwell.
“There would be nothing better than to for our team to qualify for the chance to fish the Classic in our home state,” Brannon said. “We are one step closer. If we go to Chatuge and executive well, hopefully we will have a chance.”
Carhartt / Bassmaster College Championship
Jul 31-Aug 2, 2014
Lake Chatuge
The Ridges Marina
Arkansas-Little Rock Team Anxious To Fish Flw College Fishing Tournament On Dardanelle
Anglers in the final FLW College Fishing Southern Conference tournament of the year on Arkansas' Lake Dardanelle Saturday should be able to catch bass just about any way they like to fish, according to a college angler who fishes the lake pretty regularly in regular tournament competition.
“I've been fishing a pro-am series the last five or six years on the amateur side so I can learn from the pro anglers and a lot of the guys we have around here are pretty good. They could go pro full time if they wanted to. So, I've fished Dardanelle every year for the past five or six years and I've had a lot of success there,” said Zach Rollings, who is vice president of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock fishing club.
Rollings, who will graduate in December with a degree in business administration and general finance, said his partner, Tyler Hamby, a rising sophomore from Mabelvale, Ark.,who is fishing his first year on the team, just returned from practice fishing on Dardanelle.
“He pretty much caught them on whatever he wanted to throw. There is a lot of stuff you can do on that lake – throw a frog in the pads, throw a swim jig in the grass, go out and fish the ledges,” said Rollings who hails from Bryant, Ark.
“We just had this cold spell come in and I don't know if that will affect the fish or not. Last week it was 100 degrees and this past week it has been as low as 67 degrees, but I am expecting it to warm back up to the 90s by next week.”
The Dardanelle tournament will be the last of three qualifying tournaments in the Southern Conference this year. The top 15 teams from each regular-season tournament will qualify for one of five conference invitational tournaments. The top 10 teams from each conference invitational tournament will advance to the 2015 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
“If we do well enough in this tournament we could go to the Regional at Sam Rayburn in October – and from there possibly to the National Championship,” Rollings said, noting that there is historical precedent for his club. Although the club is small in number – it has only five or six “really passionate” members, he said – one of its teams won the Under Armor College Bass National Championship in 2008.
As for Rollings, when he graduates in December he will likely be looking for a job.
“I'd like to go pro, but I will probably keep fishing the local tournaments for a while. Maybe one day I can make a name for myself enough to make it to the pros,” he said.
FLW College Fishing – Southern Conference
Sat, Jul 26, 2014
Lake Dardanelle
Lake Dardanelle State Park
http://www.flwoutdoors.com/bassfishing/collegefishing/tournament/2014/7296/lake-dardanelle-details/
