AnglersChannel

Cabela's Big Bass Bash Heads to Kentucky Lake and Paris, Tennessee

Kentucky Lake is rich in fishing and tournament history, and this weekend it'll serve as a crucial battleground for the Cabela's School of the Year race as several teams' duel for the most prestigious title in college bass fishing. With points on the line, anything can change the game as they hit the water in the second stop of the Association of Collegiate Anglers series.

The ACA Cabela's Big Bass Bash runs from April 4th to 6th and it's sure to have a big impact on the final standings of the rankings. Nine of the top ten schools in the country are represented in the field and it's expected that this event will be key in who will be in top position as the season heads into its final stops in May and June.

With fishing expected to be on fire this weekend at Kentucky Lake, for the college anglers fishing in this one of a kind event, it's anybody's guess as to what it will take to place in the top positions in this Big Bass event. An event that will feature over 180 of the top college bass anglers in the nation not only vying for points, but also for over $20,000.00 in prizes.

Competition takes place April 5th and 6th, with the onsite registration, dinner, and activities to be held Friday, April 4th, 2014. Daily weigh-ins will be held at Paris Landing at 9:00AM, 11:00AM, 1:00PM, and 3:00PM.

Event Schedule:

Friday, April 4th

Final Practice day Safe Light - 3 pm

*Must be off the water by 3pm*

~Registration Paris Landing State Park

16055 Hwy 79 N

Buchanan, Tennessee 38222

~Angler Registration & Dinner 5 - 7 pm

~Welcome from Sponsors 7-7:15pm ~Pre-tournament Meeting 7:15 pm

Saturday, April 5th

Day 1: Safe Light to 3:00 pm

3:00 PM Weigh-In Begins for final session of Day 1

Sunday, April 6th

Day 2: Safe Light to 3:00 pm

3:00PM Weigh-In Begins for final session of
Day 2

Awards Presentation Immediately Following Weigh-In

Collegiate fishing fans, family members, and friends of competitors can follow the action by visiting CollegiateBassChampionship.com and Facebook.com/CollegiateBassChampionship. Televised coverage will be seen on NBC Sports Outdoors and the Pursuit Channel and other networks during the year.

Complete School of the Year Points Standings

by AnglersChannel

Collins Bass for Cash heads to Albemarle Sound for Event #2

Tournament event #2 for the Collins Inc. – Bass For Cash Series will take place this Saturday, April 5th, on the Albemarle Sound out of Pembroke Creek at Bayside Marina. You can visit the “Schedule” tab at our site for a map to the ramp location.

Â§ Morning registration is planned to begin on-site at 4:30 AM. Cash or check is the only form of payment accepted.

Â§ 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.

Â§ A livewell check will be conducted as you are launching your boats near the ramp.

Â§ Blast Off Will Begin At Safe Light – Approximately 6:45 AM.

Â§ Please be checked in, have your livewells checked, and your boat in the water well in advance of the start of the event.

Â§ 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.

Â§ Five (5) fish limit per boat. Minimum size for this event will be 14” in length. Reminder, no courtesy measurements allowed.

Â§ Complimentary food items and door prizes will be available during afternoon weigh-in, so stick around if you can.

Â§ Bayside Marina will have their restaurant open for breakfast beginning at 4:30 AM.

Â§ There is a $5 per boat ramp fee that will be collected by the tournament staff as you check in at the registration tent.

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: http://anglersites.com/collins/files/2014/01/Collins-Tournament-Trail-2014-Rules.pdf

by AnglersChannel

Texas Team Trail heads to Texoma

NORMAN, Okla. (April 1, 2014) – The Texas Team Trail presented by Cabela’s will host its third event of the 2014 tournament season on Saturday, April 12, at Lake Texoma. This marks the first visit to Lake Texoma for the Texas Team Trail.

Registration for the event is already underway – anglers can secure an opportunity to pre-fish Friday, April 11, by completing their registration online or via phone prior to midnight on Thursday, April 10. All anglers that pre-register will also be entered into a drawing for a Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor. In addition, anglers that opt to register online at www.texasteamtrail.com will be entered into a drawing for a Mustang Survival inflatable PFD.

The Texoma event is the third of four 2014 qualifying events that guarantee a fully rigged, 18-foot boat, motor, trailer package as first-place prize. The winning anglers at Lake Texoma will walk away with a brand-new Triton 18XS powered by an Evinrude 150 HO, valued at $27,500.

In addition to the payout, the event offers anglers an unprecedented opportunity in terms of sponsor bonuses and television coverage. The budget-friendly $250 entry fee, plus multiple contingency programs and a guaranteed, over-100% payback at every event provides tremendous value to the weekend angler.

On-site registration is set for Friday, April 11, from 4-7 p.m. at Highport Marina (120 Texoma Harbor Dr., Pottsboro, TX 75076). At least one team member must attend, as boat numbers will be assigned during this time. The tournament will launch Saturday, April 12, at safe light from Highport Marina and the weigh-in will begin at the same location at 3 p.m. Only anglers that launch their boat at Highport Marina will be allowed to load their boats on trailers prior to weighing fish. A full map of the tournament’s off-limits areas, which includes the entire Highport Marina cove, can be found online at www.texasteamtrail.com/tournaments.

Anglers with questions or anyone interested in more details on the event are encouraged to visit www.texasteamtrail.com or call 210-281-1752 or 210-788-4143.

Along with title-sponsor Cabela’s, Texas Team Trail has also welcomed Lucas OilÂ®, Ranger Boats, Stratos Boats, Triton Boats, EvinrudeÂ®, Minn KotaÂ®, Talon, RAM Trucks, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Amphibia, iON, Garmin, General Tire, SuperClean, Valley Fashion, Mustang Survival, Artic Ice and Protect the Harvest as official partners.

2014 TXTT scheduled events:

April 12 – Lake Texoma
May 3 – Lake Livingston

Championship – June 7-8 – Toledo Bend Lake

by AnglersChannel

Boats Unlimited Nc Team Tournament Trail Qualifier #3 Results - Shearon Harris - Mar 29, 2014

1st Place: Mark & Micheal Cummings of Pembroke...5 bass...22.08 lbs

Even with a forecast of rough weather coming in, the Boats Unlimited NC Team Tournament Bass Trail
qualifier #3 at Shearon Harris went off without a hitch with 69 teams competing!It was about 54 degrees that morning and around 68 that afternoon with very light winds. Water temps ranged from 50 to 55 depending on the area fished. We did have rain off an on but never a big downpour. The winds gusted a few times but were light for most of the day. In other words, we got lucky even with a little fog trying to hold things up! Actually a great day for fishing but evidently the front coming thru put a halt to a good bite!

Mark & Michael Cummings, of Pembroke, figured out enough strategy to catch 5 bass weighing 22.08 lbs.
The Cummings team won $1,280 for 1st, TWT 1st place of $1,155 and the Boats Unlimited NC 1st Place Bonus
of $750 for a grand total of $3,185.
The team of Chris & H.T. Eakins took 2nd with 5 bass weighing 20.59 lbs winning $775. Big fish for the day
was a huge 10.66 pounder caught by the team of Drew Johnson & Gill Young worth $966 and 2nd place big fish weighing 8.85 lbs. went to the team of Jesse & Josh Wise winning them $414.
110 fish were weighed in for a total of 352 pounds. Again the slot limit on bass at Harris took it's toll on guys that caught many fish but were not able to weigh them in. This slot limit is not fair to anglers that practice and spend time and money to fish and get better. People that control the rules should at least give waivers to
tournament trails that have a good 'Catch and Release' program. That's just my 2 cents. We had numerous fish over 7 lbs. and all the fish looked healthy. Hot baits for the day were shakey heads, crankbaits and jerk baits.

Big Fish Winners Drew Johnson & Gill Young - 10.66 lbs!I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. The next Boats
Unlimited NC Team Tournament Bass Trail tournament will be at Falls Lake on April 12th, out of Ledge Rock
Wildlife Ramp. A Pig-Pickin' for all participating anglers is planned for this event sponsored by 'The Prop Doc' www.propdocnc.com in Zebulon (919-632-9928) one of our newest sponsors!
All the information on our tournaments can be found at www.piedmontbassclassics.com

Now here are the full results:

1st Place: Mark & Micheal Cummings of Pembroke...5 bass...22.08 lbs...$1,280
2nd Place: Chris & H.T. Eakins of Selma & Angier...5 bass...20.59 lbs...$775
3rd Place: Mike Dinterman & Timothy Snead of Oxford & Creedmoor...4 bass...18.77 lbs...$555
4th Place: Mike Stephenson & Chad Jones of Bahama & Durham...3 bass...13.80 lbs...$500
5th Place: Kevin Woodall & William Tobias of Angier...4 bass...12.63 lbs...$440
6th Place: Corey Linton & Mark Peck of Pikeville...3 bass...12.37 lbs...$388
7th Place: Michael & Chris Hinson of Creswell & Chadburn...5 bass...11.96 lbs...$331
8th Place: Jesse & Josh Wise of Erwin & Raleigh...2 bass...11.08 lbs...$270
9th Place: Drew Johnson & Gill Young of Clayton & Wendell...1 bass...10.66 lbs...$220
10th Place: Tony Fofi & Dave Murdock of Spring Lake & Sanford...3 bass...10.58 lbs...$220
11th Place: Alan Parker & Brandon McLeod of Linden & Spring Lake...3 bass...10.31 lbs...$163
12th Place: Chase & Gary Johnson of Four Oaks...2 bass...10.19 lbs...$163
12th Place: Dennis Reedy & Jeffrey Thomas of Siler City & Broadway...5 bass...10.16 lbs...$115
14th Place: Bryce McClenney & Michael Christie of Cary & Fuquay Varina...5 bass...10.01 lbs...$100

1st Place Big Fish..9th Place Team above...10.66 lbs...$966
2nd Place Big Fish..8th Place Team above...8.85 lbs...$414

1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...22.08 lbs...$1,155
2nd Place TWT..3rd Place Team above: 18.77 lbs...$495

Boats Unlimited Skeeter Boat Owner Bonus: Dennis Reedy of Siler City...$250
Tow Boats US Award: Mike Stephenson of Bahama: $50
B oats Unlimited 1st Place Bonus : 1st Place Team Above...$750

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

by AnglersChannel

Kevin Ashley wins the Oakley Big Bass on Clarks Hill Lake-Top 10 results here!

Kevin Ashley won the Oakley Big Bass this past weekend on Clarks Hill Lake with a solid 8.99 Lb keeper that held on to help him wiin the $35,000 Boat/Motor/Trailer pkg from Oakly. These weights indicate one thing: Clarks Hill is BACK! After several off years, this lake is back up not only lake level wise but also quality wise. There is some grass here now-and these weights prove it!

Overall Leaders

Rank	Angler	Weight
1	KEVIN ASHLEY	8.99
2	CHRIS RODWELL	8.82
3	WAYNE CULBRETH	8.72
4	COREY BROCK	8.71
5	DANNY COLLIER	8.30
6	CHRIS RODWELL	8.29
7	DANIEL MOORE	8.14
8	DAVID CARVER	8.05
9	CARLTON FULCHER	7.98
10	JASON SMITH	7.97

by AnglersChannel

Palmore & Crisman Take 1st CATT Gaston Mar 29

We’re off and running with the 2014 CATT Gaston/Kerr Trail with 36 teams entering Saturday blasting off out of Eaton Ferry/Morning Star. All the Gaston/Kerr Qualifiers tournaments fall under the CATT GOLD format and as you can see the payback is awesome! We split up the BONUS $ and spread it around so make plans and come on out to see us. CATT pays back 100% of your entry with a portion deducted from each Qualifier going into the Final Fund. You can see all the money totals at the bottom of the results. As you can see 1^st place took home almost $2,000.00 with the BONUS $ added in with 36 teams. If we have 60 teams 1^st with the BONUS $ would be in the $3,000.00.

Also CATT offers these contingency programs….Skeeter Real Money, Triton Gold, Stratos 2x, Phoenix First Flight, Bass Cat Quest and Legend Advantage Awards.

The next Gaston/Kerr is April 26 on Gaston with the 3^rd Qualifier the next day. Both require an entry fee as they are separate events. Both will launch out of Eaton Ferry. Make plans and come on out!

If you would like to view more pictures from this and other CATT Trails around the Carolinas visit our Facebook page. C.A.T.T.

Remember guys you have to enter 2 Gaston/Kerr Qualifiers as a team (both partners) to be eligible to enter the Gaston/Kerr 2-day Final May 24^th at Lake Gaston with a 1^st Place GUARANTEE of $3,500.00 …and by only entering 1 2014 NC CATT event you will be eligible to enter the 2014 CATT NC Championship on Kerr June 21. Last year we had 115 teams enter the Kerr event so make plans to come out. 1^st Place last year at Kerr took home over $13,500.00!

JT Palmore & Bobby Crimson are the big winners this past Saturday at Lake Gaston! They weighed in a limit of bass weighing 19.90 lbs taking 1^st Place & 1^st Place BONUS $. They also weighed a 6.08 lb largemouth good enough to take 2^nd BF. All total they took home $1,955.00!

Keith Joyce & Mark Robertson finished in 2^nd with another solid limit at 19.81 lbs. They also claimed the 2^nd BONUS $ pushing their total winnings up to $910.00.

3^rdPlace and 3^rd Place BONUS $ went to Ryan Harrell and Marty Bunch with 5 bass weighing 18.91 lbs. They collected a total of $530.00.

Out Gaston Point Winners from this past year, Chuck Murray and Randy Groves finished 4^th with 5 bass weighing 18.72 lbs and also claimed a share of 4^th Place BONUS $. They received $300.00.

Billy Bledsoe & Brian McDonald also weighed 18.72 lbs and finished 4^th plus they weighed the BF of the day at 6.69 lbs. They took home a total of $545.00.

Reggie Norfleet and Scott Dupree earned $155.00 for their 6^th Place finish with 18.59 lbs.

Last money paying place worth $125.00 went to Tim Wiltfong and Phil Bain with 16.77 lbs.

8^th Place team with 15.67 lbs was Ray Cooke and Gene Woodard and they received 2 - $20 Gift Cards from Drugco.

Next up on the Gaston/Kerr schedule is April 26^th on Lake Gaston launching out of Eaton Ferry

Brett Collins

Carolina Anglers Team Trail LLC

by AnglersChannel

Cannon works main lake cuts to win BFL on Martin

Teaser image:

Logan wins co-angler title

Jeff Cannon of Douglasville, Ga., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 1 ounce on Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League Bama Division tournament of 2014 on Lake Martin. For his victory, Cannon earned $3,718.

“I caught them on a jig in the backs of pockets in a little cut on the main lake,” said Cannon. “I think they were pulling back there and getting ready to bed. Every time I would catch a little buck bass there would be a big one too.

“I think I caught about 30 fish,” added Cannon. “In practice I wasn’t there ten minutes and I caught one about 6 pounds. During the tournament I caught all my big ones in about an hour.

“It felt good to win,” finished Cannon. “I’ve been knocking on the door for a while and it feels good.”

Cannon said he caught all of his fish on a brown jig with a NetBait Paca Craw with the tail dipped in chartreuse dye.

Rounding out the top 10 pros were:

2nd: Larry Walters, Tuscaloosa, Ala., five bass, 16-11, $1,859

3rd: Scott Daughtry, Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 15-4, $1,238

4th: Robbie Pritchard, Dadeville, Ala., five bass, 14-7, $867

5th: Kelley Jaye, Dadeville, Ala., five bass, 13-10, $744 + $300 Evinrude Bonus

6th: Paul Anthony, Dawson, Ga., five bass, 13-7, $682

7th: Felton Langley, Lafayette, Ala., five bass, 13-1, $620

8th: Stephen Ingram, Tallassee, Ala., five bass, 12-9, $558

9th: Terry Stevens, Marianna, Fla., five bass, 11-15, $496

10th: Nick Turner, Clanton, Ala., five bass, 11-12, $434

Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.

Doug Logan of Springville, Ala., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 12 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win $1,859 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

2nd: Ty Story, Prattville, Ala., five bass, 11-15, $929

3rd: Jeff Huddleston, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 11-1, $619

4th: Robert Volinic, Peachtree City, Ga., five bass, 10-13, $434

5th: Matthew Hurst, Pleasant Grove, Ala., five bass, 10-4, $372

6th: Wayne Haynes, Ohatchee, Ala., five bass, 10-0, $325

6th: Tony Moore, Roanoke, Ala., five bass, 10-0, $325

8th: Joe Wikoff, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 9-14, $279

9th: Dylan Taylor, Auburn, Ala., five bass, 9-9, $248

10th: Hulan Mattox, Alexander City, Ala., five bass, 9-8, $217

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 2-4 Regional Championship on the St. John’s River in Palatka, Fla. 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.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

by AnglersChannel

Thrift Wins Flw Tour Event On Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Bryan Thrift hoists the hardware. photo by Garrick Dixon

Chevy pro Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C., brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 17 pounds even to overtake Walmart pro Mark Rose and win the Walmart FLW Tour at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Chevy. Thriftâ€™s four-day total of 20 bass weighing 73 pounds, 3 ounces earned him the top cash award of $125,000 in the event that featured 176 of the worldâ€™s best bass-fishing anglers competing in the four-day competition. The tournament will be nationally televised on NBC Sports Network in June.

Rose, the tournament leader after days two and three, brought five bass to the scale weighing 11 pounds, 1 ounce. His four-day total of 70 pounds, 2 ounces earned him a 2nd-place finish, worth $30,500.

â€œThe first morning of the tournament I decided that I needed to fish slow and steady,â€ said Thrift, who earned the third Walmart FLW Tour victory of his career. â€œI had been catching a lot of fish on moving baits â€“ crankbaits and ChatterBaits. I got up to my area on the morning of day one and two hours in I hadnâ€™t had a bite. I knew something had changed. I started to slow down and pick everything apart.â€

Thrift said that he fished an area that was about five miles long up the Angelina River. He estimated that he covered new water for about 3 hours each day of the tournament, targeting cypress trees and grass patches.

â€œToday I really focused on 10 particular trees,â€ Thrift said. â€œI would put my Power-Poles down on those trees and flip very slowly, every two inches, all the way around that tree. I was spending 15 to 20 minutes on each tree.â€

Thrift said that his key bait this week was a Texas-rigged Damiki Knock Out with a 5/16-ounce weight and 20-pound-test P-Line fluorocarbon line. He flipped the Knock Out in both green-pumpkin and junebug colors. Thrift also said that he caught two or three key fish Sunday morning on a Z-Man Original ChatterBait.

â€œI hadnâ€™t caught any fish on a ChatterBait until today,â€ Thrift said. â€œI caught two 3-pounders on it this morning and it calmed me enough that I could pick that Knock Out up and fish slow like I needed to.

â€œFinishing in 107th at Lake Hartwell left a bad taste in my mouth,â€ Thrift went on to say. â€œI never figured anything out and it seemed like every decision that I made was the exact opposite of what I should have been doing. After finishing 3rd at the Rayovac Series event two weeks ago at Santee Cooper and now winning here, I hope Iâ€™ve righted my ship and can get back on a streak of good finishes.â€

The top 10 pros finished the tournament in:

1^st: Chevy pro Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 20 bass, 73-3, $125,000

2^nd: Walmart pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., 20 bass, 70-2, $30,500

3^rd: Greg Hackney, Gonzales, La., 20 bass, 67-13, $25,000

4^th: Jason Meninger, Gainesville, Ga., 20 bass, 66-13, $20,000

5^th: John Cox, Debary, Fla., 18 bass, 61-2, $19,000

6^th: Steve Kennedy, Auburn, Ala., 18 bass, 60-11, $18,000

7^th: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., 19 bass, 59-13, $17,000

8^th: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 20 bass, 57-2, $16,000

9^th: Tony Davis, Williston, Fla., 16 bass, 56-15, $15,000

10^th: Rick Cotten, Guntersville, Ala., 20 bass, 56-11, $14,000

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

Overall there were 42 bass weighing 109 pounds even caught by pros Sunday. Six of the final 10 pros caught five-bass limits.

Eric Self of Lawndale, N.C., won the co-angler division and $20,000 Saturday with a three-day total of 13 bass weighing 33 pounds, 11 ounces, followed by Kerry Barnett of Waldron, Ark., in second place with 11 bass weighing 33 pounds, 8 ounces worth $7,500.

Pros competed for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. The top 35 anglers in the point standings from the six events on the 2014 Walmart FLW Tour will qualify. The 2014 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Columbia, S.C., Aug. 14-17 on Lake Murray and is hosted by Capital City Lake Murray Country. Anglers could win as much as $500,000 â€“ professional bass-fishingâ€™s richest prize.

The FLW Tour stop on Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Chevy was hosted by the Lufkin Convention and Visitors Bureau. It was the third of six events in the Walmart FLW Tourâ€™s 2014 season. The next Walmart FLW Tour event will be held at Beaver Lake April 10-13 in Rogers, Ark., and is presented by Rayovac. The event will be hosted by the Rogers Convention and Visitors Bureau, and boats will launch from Prairie Creek Park Marina in Rogers. For a complete schedule, visit FLWOutdoors.com.

Coverage of the Sam Rayburn Reservoir tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network when â€œFLWâ€ airs June 7 from 11 a.m.-12 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.

by AnglersChannel

Unofficial Record Weight of 34.32 Lbs wins the CBC on Lake Wateree-Pictures and full results here!

What an amazing Tournament on Wateree Yesterday. What we believe has to be an unoffical record weight at Watereee with 34.42 LBs, take a look at the smiles on the faces of Gary Michaud and Doc McDanial after not only catching 5 hogs, but taking home $11,000 for the day!!

CBC Lake Wateree Champs with their 34.32 Lbs....ALL SMILES!

CBC Lake Wateree Champs with their 34.32 Lbs....ALL SMILES!

CBC Wateree Champs before their $11,000 Check!

CBC Wateree Champs before their $11,000 Check!

1	Gary Michaud - Doc McDaniel	500027	CBC SC	128	5	5	34.32	9.93	34.32	1	34.32	$10,000	310	$1000 Big Fish
2	Donald Hinson - Jay Keith	500138	CBC SC	127	5	5	25.2		25.2	2	25.2		309
3	Beau Dixon - Andy Sease	500052	CBC SC	97	5	5	23.26		23.26	3	23.26		308
4	Daniel howell - Russell Anderson	500076	CBC SC	20	5	5	23.17	5.67	23.17	4	23.17		307
5	Chad Sinclair - Caleb Conner	500028	CBC SC	101	5	5	22.7		22.7	5	22.7		306
6	Patrick Tierney - Todd Auten	500108	CBC SC	124	5	5	22.69		22.69	6	22.69		305
7	Andy Wicker - Steve Wicker	500140	CBC SC	39	5	5	21.87		21.87	7	21.87		304
8	Shane Cantley - DJ Mcearchern	500125	CBC SC	94	5	5	21.44		21.44	8	21.44		303
9	Joey Outlaw - Ray Dowey	500139	CBC SC	30	5	5	21.37	7	21.37	9	21.37		302
10	Ronald Farrow - Roger Farrow	500002	CBC SC	143	5	5	21.21		21.21	10	21.21		301
10	Jerry Freezon - Jason Miles	500134	CBC SC	111	5	5	21.21		21.21	10	21.21		300
12	Alan Fletcher - Danny Johnson	500022	CBC SC	99	5	5	20.94		20.94	12	20.94		299
13	Jason Hadden - Norm Attaway	500068	CBC SC	142	5	5	20.87		20.87	13	20.87		298
14	Mark Healon - Tony Truett	500128	CBC SC	113	5	5	20.6		20.6	14	20.6		297
15	Ronnie McCoy - Jason McCoy	500123	CBC SC	82	5	5	20.38	7.02	20.38	15	20.38		296
16	Eddie Smith - Michael Carson	500001	CBC SC	132	5	5	20.25		20.25	16	20.25		295
17	Jeff Douglas - Bill Clowney	500129	CBC SC	34	5	5	20.13	4.91	20.13	17	20.13		294
18	Thomas Vickers - Brian Huskins	500017	CBC SC	15	5	5	19.67		19.67	18	19.67		293
19	Greg Atkinson - Ron Catoe	500132	CBC SC	137	5	5	19.49		19.49	19	19.49		292
20	Barry Holloman - Joey Bramlet	500045	CBC SC	32	5	5	19.37		19.37	20	19.37		291
21	Kenny Brice - Horace Morris	500102	CBC SC	119	5	5	19.34		19.34	21	19.34		290
22	Daniel Hill - James Bond	500075	CBC SC	80	5	5	19.33		19.33	22	19.33		289
23	Kevin Chandler - Terry James	500101	CBC SC	144	5	5	19.32		19.32	23	19.32		288
24	Wayne King - Max Terry	500008	CBC SC	27	5	5	19.05		19.05	24	19.05		287
25	Shane Lineberger - Anthony John	500116	CBC SC	88	5	5	18.81		18.81	25	18.81		286
26	Eric Grigg - Marc Grigg	500122	CBC SC	48	5	5	18.62		18.62	26	18.62		285
27	Gene Parker - Stanley Harkins	500113	CBC SC	14	4	4	18.6	6.19	18.6	27	18.6		284
28	Ken McFarland - Darryl Watson	500005	CBC SC	71	5	5	18.59		18.59	28	18.59		283
29	Mike King - Mike Traynum	500036	CBC SC	117	5	5	18.42		18.42	29	18.42		282
30	Mike Stephens - Hunter Hicks	500079	CBC SC	147	5	5	18.23		18.23	30	18.23		281
31	Kyle McElveen - Cleve Yarboroug	500010	CBC SC	81	4	4	17.62		17.62	31	17.62		280
32	Ronnie Mueller - Wayne Frierson	500100	CBC SC	58	5	5	17.59		17.59	32	17.59		279
33	Tony Jackson - Clint Jackson	500136	CBC SC	56	5	5	17.5		17.5	33	17.5		278
34	Thad Driggers - Robert Carter	500110	CBC SC	92	5	5	17.47		17.47	34	17.47		277
35	Josh McGregor - Randall Drigger	500080	CBC SC	109	5	5	16.96		16.96	35	16.96		276
36	Reggie OBrien - Pat O'Brien	500084	CBC SC	75	5	5	16.22		16.22	36	16.22		275
37	David F. Canupp - David L. Canu	500006	CBC SC	55	3	3	16.12	5.99	16.12	37	16.12		274
38	Ed Matthews - Earl Purcell	500020	CBC SC	140	4	4	16.09		16.09	38	16.09		273
39	Travis Parrish - Sean Hall	500058	CBC SC	69	5	5	16.06		16.06	39	16.06		272
40	Andy Owens -	500141	CBC SC	114	5	5	15.98		15.98	40	15.98		271
41	Roger Medlock - Todd Lawrence	500054	CBC SC	1	5	5	15.96	5.11	15.96	41	15.96		270
42	Ferris Jennings - Larry Michale	500004	CBC SC	10	5	5	15.95	6.22	15.95	42	15.95		269
43	Roger Pope - Michael Smith	500025	CBC SC	24	5	5	15.77		15.77	43	15.77		268
44	Larry Avins - Joe Avin	500051	CBC SC	108	5	5	15.69		15.69	44	15.69		267
44	John Sturkie - Calvin Hewitt	500063	CBC SC	148	5	5	15.69		15.69	44	15.69		266
46	Chris Boehme - Tom Hucks	500033	CBC SC	100	5	5	15.6		15.6	46	15.6		265
47	Nathan Burgess - Brent Riley	500057	CBC SC	138	5	5	15.59		15.59	47	15.59		264
48	Jim Wagers - Pete Sherbert	500146	CBC SC	134	4	4	15.54		15.54	48	15.54		263
49	David Williams - Gerald William	500072	CBC SC	98	5	5	15.51		15.51	49	15.51		262
50	John Paul George - Eric Weir	500130	CBC SC	54	5	5	15.41		15.41	50	15.41		261
51	Toby Keisler - Joel Watts	500135	CBC SC	95	4	4	15.29		15.29	51	15.29		260
52	Gene Webster - Mike Seawright	500106	CBC SC	51	5	5	15.23		15.23	52	15.23		259
53	Johnny Player - Robert Hall	500009	CBC SC	74	5	5	15.22		15.22	53	15.22		258
54	Pat Clark - Dillon Price	500131	CBC SC	5	3	3	15.21	5.81	15.21	54	15.21		257
55	Jimmy McFarland -	500096	CBC SC	60	4	4	15.2	5.89	15.2	55	15.2		256
56	Brian Hall - Doug Stallings	500062	CBC SC	123	4	4	15.2		15.2	56	15.2		255
57	Bobby Stanfill - Chip Grice	500115	CBC SC	35	4	4	15.01		15.01	57	15.01		254
58	Johnny Houser - Deron Donohoo	500069	CBC SC	122	5	5	14.95		14.95	58	14.95		253
59	David Kneece - Terry Thomas	500120	CBC SC	139	4	4	14.94		14.94	59	14.94		252
60	Rob Thames - Daniel O'Brien	500060	CBC SC	91	4	4	14.59		14.59	60	14.59		251
61	Mack Kitchens - Chad Gainey	500029	CBC SC	61	4	4	14.54		14.54	61	14.54		250
62	Randy Hall - David Wray	500065	CBC SC	129	4	4	14.53		14.53	62	14.53		249
63	Keith Gray - Shawn Gray	500055	CBC SC	4	5	5	14.52		14.52	63	14.52		248
64	Thomas Richmond - Artie Phillip	500037	CBC SC	93	4	4	13.86		13.86	64	13.86		247
65	Clark Gibbs - Freddie Gibbs	500064	CBC SC	23	4	4	13.63		13.63	65	13.63		246
66	Charlie Sansbury - Kevin Banks	500121	CBC SC	68	4	4	13.61		13.61	66	13.61		245
67	Jeff Reynolds - Lee Royson	500015	CBC SC	59	4	4	13.38		13.38	67	13.38		244
68	Lyn Langston - Daniel Jordan	500083	CBC SC	21	4	4	13.3		13.3	68	13.3		243
69	Tommy Williams - Thomas Hardwic	500097	CBC SC	18	4	4	13.02	6.31	13.02	69	13.02		242
70	Stan Gunter - Will Smith	500105	CBC SC	76	3	3	12.92		12.92	70	12.92		241
71	Ron Brown - Bobby Brown	500042	CBC SC	116	5	5	12.77		12.77	71	12.77		240
72	Andrew Boykin - Chris Anderson	500067	CBC SC	7	5	5	12.37		12.37	72	12.37		239
73	Tracy Hewitt - Pete Brantley	500094	CBC SC	145	3	3	12.18		12.18	73	12.18		238
74	Neil Huffstetler - Ben Lee	500050	CBC SC	38	4	4	11.71		11.71	74	11.71		237
75	Lee Sawyer - Cole Winn	500073	CBC SC	8	3	3	11.6		11.6	75	11.6		236
76	Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughti	500114	CBC SC	87	4	4	11.45		11.45	76	11.45		235
77	Coy Watts - David Hutcherson	500021	CBC SC	25	2	2	10.78	6.49	10.78	77	10.78		234
78	Chris Wells - Mike Hatfield	500145	CBC SC	130	4	4	10.64		10.64	78	10.64		233
79	John Branstetter - Troy Buffing	500074	CBC SC	103	2	2	10.45	7.48	10.45	79	10.45		232
80	Johnny Johnson - Ron Carson	500091	CBC SC	73	2	2	9.9		9.9	80	9.9		231
81	Ryan West - Jeff Green	500030	CBC SC	6	4	4	9.42		9.42	81	9.42		230
82	William Blanton - David Blanton	500003	CBC SC	72	3	3	8.5		8.5	82	8.5		229
83	Philip Burns - Todd Burns	500032	CBC SC	79	2	2	8.46	6.8	8.46	83	8.46		228
84	Russ Padgett - Meredith Havird	500016	CBC SC	49	3	3	8.32		8.32	84	8.32		227
85	Austin Johnson - Andrew McClint	500071	CBC SC	104	2	2	8.05		8.05	85	8.05		226
86	Frederick Clements - Dusty Rhoa	500124	CBC SC	16	2	2	7.88		7.88	86	7.88		225
87	Todd Walters - Patrick Walters	500035	CBC SC	118	3	3	7.48		7.48	87	7.48		224
88	Mack Cook - Patrick Cook	500024	CBC SC	3	3	3	7.41		7.41	88	7.41		223
89	Michael Yochem - Charles Granth	500117	CBC SC	45	2	2	7.34		7.34	89	7.34		222
90	Maurice Freeze - Ricky Poplin	500142	CBC SC	22	3	3	7.33		7.33	90	7.33		221
91	John English - Victoria English	500053	CBC SC	17	2	2	7.26		7.26	91	7.26		220
92	Kevin Fulmer - Mark Richardson	500043	CBC SC	96	2	2	6.87		6.87	92	6.87		219
93	Glenn Altman - Larry Parker	500066	CBC SC	115	3	3	6.57		6.57	93	6.57		218
94	Rick McLean - Robert Ross	500014	CBC SC	28	2	2	6.25		6.25	94	6.25		217
95	Ryan Sprayberry - David Spraybe	500095	CBC SC	84	2	2	6.22		6.22	95	6.22		216
96	William Young - James Mizell	500034	CBC SC	106	2	2	5.45		5.45	96	5.45		215
96	Larry Moss - JB Wicker	500041	CBC SC	44	3	3	5.45		5.45	96	5.45		214
98	Chuck Howard - Ken Ellis	500086	CBC SC	62	2	2	4.96		4.96	98	4.96		213
99	Bradford Beavers - Dwight Beave	500077	CBC SC	65	2	2	4.39		4.39	99	4.39		212
100	Keith Porter - Jason Threatt	500040	CBC SC	63	1	1	4.31	4.31	4.31	100	4.31		211
101	Joseph Toth - Daniel Grassi	500126	CBC SC	37	1	1	3.93	3.93	3.93	101	3.93		210
102	Brad Petway - Keith Hawley	500104	CBC SC	105	1	1	3.31	3.31	3.31	102	3.31		209
103	Shane Suddeth - Fred Moore	500107	CBC SC	57	1	1	3.05	3.05	3.05	103	3.05		208
104	Kevin Rake - Terry Morris	500088	CBC SC	50	1	1	2.69	2.69	2.69	104	2.69		207
105	David Wiggins - Alex Zipperian	500092	CBC SC	70	1	1	1.61	1.61	1.61	105	1.61		206
106	Rodney Cromer -	500007	CBC SC	33	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Jay Adams - Bobby Carroll	500011	CBC SC	47	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	David Few - Tracy Schiff	500012	CBC SC	31	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Michael Murphy - Kevin Sanders	500013	CBC SC	52	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	John Gutierrez - Rodney Tapp	500018	CBC SC	110	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Daniel Cook - Donnie Levister	500019	CBC SC	146	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Bo Chappell -	500023	CBC SC	85	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Darren Sigmon - Brian Huffman	500026	CBC SC	102	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Glenn Gentry - Tommy Purvis	500031	CBC SC	13	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Carl Williams - Eddie Williams	500038	CBC SC	135	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Jim Sims - Casey Logan	500039	CBC SC	11	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Derrick Compton - Dustin Compto	500044	CBC SC	42	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Robert Guest - David Heatherly	500046	CBC SC	131	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Thomas King - Clayton King	500047	CBC SC	41	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Clay Lowder - Clayton Lowder	500048	CBC SC	141	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Chris Dover - Chad Lail	500049	CBC SC	43	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Randy Mathis - Jody Jones	500056	CBC SC	40	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Robert Fowler - John Parker	500059	CBC SC	26	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Bernie Dreher - Les Westbury	500061	CBC SC	107	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Greg Rikard - Eddie Herlong	500070	CBC SC	9	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Chris Langley - Greg Sigmon	500078	CBC SC	36	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Brent Waynick - Rodney Jordan	500081	CBC SC	112	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Dan Daugherty - Mark Inman	500082	CBC SC	133	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Mark Swez - Lamar Williamson	500085	CBC SC	125	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Todd Garner - Shane Hartman	500087	CBC SC	64	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Amin Jaber - Brian Nichols	500089	CBC SC	89	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Charles Keith - Chase Menasco	500090	CBC SC	66	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Jeremy Johnson - Harry Johnson	500093	CBC SC	78	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Tracy pope - Jeff Segee	500098	CBC SC	136	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Johnathan Crossland - Phillip M	500099	CBC SC	12	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Billy Martin - Brian Scruggs	500103	CBC SC	46	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Mike Allman -	500109	CBC SC	67	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Jimmy Stroud - Kirk Crump	500111	CBC SC	121	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Jerry Montjoy - Brett Mitchell	500112	CBC SC	90	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Perry Wycuff - Dan Lowe	500118	CBC SC	77	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Joe Braxton - Robert Braxton	500119	CBC SC	83	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Dane Odom - Ross Burns	500127	CBC SC	86	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Miles Hair - Terry Tolar	500133	CBC SC	126	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	David Etheridge - Butch William	500137	CBC SC	2	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	David Love - Corey Love	500143	CBC SC	29	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Carl Smith - Jonathan Dailey	500144	CBC SC	53	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Craig Chambers - Kieth Ogden	500147	CBC SC	120	0	0	0		0	106	0		205
106	Shannon Jordan - Shawn Jordan	500148	CBC SC	19	0	0	0		0	106	0		205

by AnglersChannel

University Of Wisconsin Teams Sweep Top Spots In Carhartt College Regional

Mark Hugus and Cody Hahner of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point took the first-round lead Friday in the 2014 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Midwestern Regional Championship on Lake of the Ozarks and never looked back. The pair claimed the win Saturday with a two-day total of 32 pounds, 13 ounces and a comfortable 5-pound, 9-ounce winning margin.

The runner-up team of Cody Lincoln and Jason Hawksford, also of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, ended the tournament with a total of 27-4.

Although the Top 14 teams earned the right to move on to the Carhartt College Series National Championship, qualifying was never the focus for Hugus and Hahner.

“We came here to win,” said Hahner. “We finished second at our tournament last weekend, and that hurt.”

When Hugus and Hahner hit the water for practice at the Missouri lake, their main focus was finding big bass. The bigger bites were spaced out during practice so the duo searched for different fishing areas during the competition days, as well. They also concentrated on a few areas where they had previously caught multiple fish.

“We basically looked for transition banks in pockets,” said Hugus. These “transition banks” consisted of larger rock turning to chunk rock. There, Hugus and Hahner fished MegaBass 110 jerkbaits to trigger bites from prespawn bass that were moving toward more shallow water.

Their win can be credited to covering water and not letting lost fish demoralize them. On Friday, Hugus and Hahner lost a 3-pounder and another bass weighing more than 5 pounds early in the morning. Knowing that their main window of opportunity would come later in the day as the water warmed up, they were able to shake off the lost fish and focus on the next bite.

Day 2 began much the same way with Hugus losing the team’s second keeper bite of the morning, a solid 4-pounder.

“We just kept our heads down and kept fishing,” said Hugus.

That mindset paid off as Hugus and Hahner hit a flurry around noon when they boated most of their 13-3 catch on Saturday during a 30-minute span.

Lincoln and Hawksford, who finished in second, also held the second-place position on Day 1.

Kansas State University’s Quinn Fowler and Dylan McKee finished third with 26-3.

Ryan Gilbert and Jacob Cllisch of the University of Wisconsin-Plattville caught the Carhartt Big Bass for the event, a 7-1 largemouth that Gilbert weighed in on Friday. The prize was a $500 Carhartt gift card.

Hugus and Hahner took the Livingston Lures Leader Award of a $500 gift card with a two-day total of 32-13. The two also won the Bass Pro Nitro Big Bag award with their first-day catch of 19-10 and received a $250 Bass Pro Shops gift card.

The Top 14 teams advance to the Carhartt College Series National Championship to be held later this year.

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

Carhartt Bassmaster College Series - Midwest
3/28/2014 - 3/29/2014
Lake of the Ozarks - Public Boat Ramp #2 - Osage Beach, Mo.

STANDINGS BOATER DAY 2
Today's Activity Accumulative
Name College # Fish # Live Lbs - Oz # Fish # Live Lbs - Oz

1 Mark Hugus - Cody Hahner Wisconsin, Stevens Point 5 5 13- 3 10 10 32-13
2 Cody Lincoln - Jason Hawksford Wisconsin, Stevens Point 4 4 11- 3 9 9 27- 4
3 Quinn Fowler - Dylan McKee Kansas State University 5 5 18-12 8 8 26- 3
4 Matt Feiten - Brian Kirt Wisconsin, Stevens Point 4 4 9- 2 9 9 23-10
5 Ryan Gilbert - Jacob Cllisch University of Wisconsin, Plattville 5 5 10-13 8 8 23- 9
6 Ben Verhoef - Tommy Hebson University of Missouri 5 5 13-15 9 9 23- 5
7 Jackson Grabeel - Joseph Reilly Western Illinois University 3 3 8-14 8 8 23- 3
8 Zachary Wiggers - Justin Bruno Grand Valley State University 4 4 14- 7 6 6 20- 4
9 Bryce Wegman - Carlos Thomas Illinois State University 4 4 12- 2 5 5 18- 1
10 Ben Kroeger - Ryan Leach University of Nebraska - Omaha 5 5 13- 0 7 7 17- 8
11 Chris Burgan - Austin Felix University of Minnesota 2 2 8- 4 5 5 16-13
12 Lance Freeman - Seth Brock Murray State University 2 2 3- 8 7 7 16- 9
13 Garrett Cates - Graham Howard Kansas State University 4 4 12- 5 5 5 16- 5
14 Dan Martin - Tyler McCune Eastern Illinois University 2 2 6-14 4 4 15-15
15 Cody Sieben - Dan Schult Murray State University 3 3 7- 2 7 7 15- 2
16 Tyler Nekolny - Samuel Haines Kansas State University 5 5 15- 1 5 5 15- 1
17 Kyle Alsop - Taylor Bivins Kansas State University 2 2 4- 1 7 7 14-11
18 Ben McCullough - Howie Lee University of Missouri 1 1 3- 1 5 5 13- 6
19 Matt Smith - Jarett Svihlik University of Dubuque 4 4 8- 7 6 5 12- 9
20 Nathen Kozlowski - Lance Maldonado Kansas State University 2 2 4- 6 5 5 12- 5
21 Daniel Fuhrig - Michael Fink University of Missouri 2 2 7-12 4 4 12- 4
22 Justin Berger - Cody Santel Murray State University 2 2 4-14 4 4 12- 3
23 Kyle Gates - Katie Edgar St Ambrose University 3 3 6-15 4 4 11-14
24 Michaela Anderson - Bryan Billeadeau University of St Thomas 0 0 0- 0 5 5 10-15
25 Dustin Genrich - Nathan Hettinga University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse 2 2 4-15 4 4 10-10
26 Sean Mulholland - Everett Ridderbos University of Nebraska 3 3 7-15 4 4 10- 2
27 Keaton Williams - Max Mercer University of Iowa 3 3 8- 4 4 4 9-12
28 Andrew Schoenekase - Darren Smith U. of Central Missouri 1 1 5- 8 2 2 9-12
29 William McCabe - Jon Bash University of Nebraska 2 2 4- 0 4 4 8-13
30 Caleb Shoemaker - Sam Wheeler Western Illinois University 2 2 6- 6 3 3 8- 8
31 Sam Starr - Alex Fulkerson Kansas State University 1 1 2-11 4 4 8- 8
32 Kyle Casper - Tyler Hillen Wisconsin, Stevens Point 1 1 2-10 4 4 8- 6
33 Noah Kruzitski - Nicklas Kushnerik Wisconsin, Stevens Point 1 1 3- 2 3 3 8- 6
34 Luke Stoner - Joey Disomma University of Illinois 2 2 4- 4 4 4 8- 2
35 Levi Warner - Konner Kearney University of Wisconsin 1 1 3-11 3 3 8- 1
36 Kody Mattson - Harrison Barton Winona State University 2 2 4- 2 4 4 8- 0
37 Travis Wilson - Brian Lafferty Western Illinois University 3 3 7-11 3 3 7-11
38 Logan Thomas - Ryan Kirkpatrick Murray State University 1 1 2- 0 2 2 7- 8
39 Cade Laufenberg - Wyatt Stout Winona State University 2 2 4-10 3 3 6-12
40 Christian Ponzetti - Adam Hubbs University of Missouri 2 2 4- 9 3 3 6-12
41 Steve Nebel - Jared Mataczynski University of Wisconsin, Whitewater 1 1 1-12 3 3 6-11
42 Jake Crawford - Garrett Price Lake Superior State University 1 1 2- 9 2 2 6-11
43 Aaron Schiller - Andrew Gullickson Wisconsin, Stevens Point 3 3 6-10 3 3 6-10
44 Justin Brown - Brody Layher Northern Michigan University 2 2 6- 5 2 2 6- 5
45 Ted Johnson - Jody Derks Wisconsin, Stevens Point 0 0 0- 0 3 3 6- 4
46 Cass Waddle - Tom Scroppo Western Illinois University 2 2 4- 2 3 3 6- 4
47 Jordan Meddaugh - Samuel Hempel Wisconsin, Stevens Point 1 1 3-10 2 2 6- 4
48 Tucker Oliver - Tyler Cooper University of Missouri 1 1 3-11 2 2 5-15
49 Yu Han - Qiurun Chen University of Illinois 1 1 2- 9 2 2 5-13
50 Marshall Sandretto - Eric Logisz Milwaukee School of Engineering 1 1 2- 4 2 2 5-11
51 Derrick Hoffman - Brody McWilliams Indiana University 1 1 4- 9 2 2 5- 9
52 Jason Shaw - Mathew Cardani Murray State University 1 1 3- 6 2 2 5- 8
53 Scott Sullivan - Chad Siegfried U. of Central Missouri 0 0 0- 0 2 2 5- 4
54 Richard Rappley - Craig Wise Western Illinois University 2 2 5- 0 2 2 5- 0
55 Mitchell Armstrong - Mathew Siebert U. of Central Missouri 1 1 3- 0 2 2 4-14
56 Charlie Sterrett - Brock Phillips University of Illinois 0 0 0- 0 2 2 4- 5
57 Reid Miller - Matt Pasma University of Wisconsin, Stout 1 1 3-14 1 1 3-14
58 Nick Dion - Nate Sleight Lake Superior State University 0 0 0- 0 2 2 3- 8
59 Stephen Farley - Jordan Smith Southern Illinois University of Carbonda 0 0 0- 0 1 1 3- 3
60 Mark Krutzfield - Tony Mehrl University of Iowa 0 0 0- 0 1 1 3- 0
61 Curtis Borawski - Thomas Platt University of Illinois 1 1 2- 0 1 1 2- 0
62 Josh Pagel - Tanner Blaschka University of Wisconsin 0 0 0- 0 1 1 1-15
62 Kyle Vowels - Zachary Woodbury Western Illinois University 1 1 1-15 1 1 1-15
64 Pat Bowers - Sig Finley University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse 1 1 1-14 1 1 1-14
65 Carl Hanson - Vanessa Hanrahan University of Wisconsin, Stout 1 1 1-13 1 1 1-13
66 Jake Ansami - Trevor Epping Wisconsin, Stevens Point 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0
66 Nick Carter - Leo Dedering Wisconsin, Stevens Point 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0
66 Ethan Dhuyvetter - Dan Towsley Kansas State University 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0
66 Brett Fickle - Layne Woods U. of Central Missouri 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0
66 Justin Graben - Randal Argo Murray State 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0
66 Brady Gregor - Clayton Moles Southwest Baptist Universty 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0
66 Andrew Nordbye - Andrew Almohtadi Northwest Missouri State University 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0
66 Austin Paytash - Nicholas Welu Wisconsin, Stevens Point 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0
66 Matthew Trickler - Blaise Weaver University of Nebraska 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0
66 Tyler Zimmerman - Andrew Mlotek University of Wisconsin, Whitewater 0 0 0- 0 0 0 0- 0
BIG BASSTOTALS
Day Name City,State Lbs-OzDay # Fish # Live Lbs-Oz # Limits
1 Ryan Gilbert Sterling, IL 7- 11 122 121 328- 3 7
2 Tyler Nekolny Manhattan, KS 5-152 130 130 355- 6 6

by AnglersChannel

University Of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Takes Top Spot On Lake Of The Ozarks

Mark Hugus and Cody Hahner of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point brought in 19-10 of Lake of the Ozarks bass to take the Day 1 lead in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Midwestern Regional.

After a long, cold day, the scales settled for Hugus and Hahner just shy of the 20-pound mark. Most anglers at takeoff predicted close to 20 pounds to be the bar to reach. With water temps in the lower 40s, the common consensus was a slow bite but a big bite.

The slow bite showed up with the most productive baits being a jerkbait and a jig. Anglers had to slow down because of the cold water and fish their jerkbaits with 5- to 10-second pauses in their cadence.

The big bite showed up for most of the field as well, but the numbers weren’t there. Most anglers only caught one or two fish while trying to fill their limits, but those fish averaged 4 to 5 pounds.

Hugus and Hahner were the only team that came close to putting together a limit of those 4- to 5-pounders.

“We had one little one around 2 1/2 (pounds), but other than that we had all solid fish,” Hahner said .

Like most of the anglers on Day 1, Hugus and Hahner caught their fish primarily on a jerkbait with the majority of their bites coming after 1 o’clock.

“At about 1 o’clock we had three fish in the boat,” Hahner said. “We knew we had to make something happen.”

After a gut instinct led to an adjustment, Hugus and Haher caught a 5-pounder and a 6-pounder propelling them into the Day 1 lead.

The team of Cody Lincoln and Jason Hawksford and the team of Matt Feiten and Brian Kirt, second and third place respectively, both also of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, round out the Top 3 after Day 1.

Ryan Gilbert and Jacob Cllisch of the University of Wisconsin-Plattville caught the Day 1 Carhartt Big Bass weighing 7-1.

Hugus’ and Hahner’s 19-10 bag took the Nitro Bass Pro Big Bag honors for Day 1.

The Top 14 teams after Day 2 will advance to the Carhartt College Series National Championship to be held later this year.

Anglers will takeoff from Lake of the Ozarks State Park at 7:30 a.m. for Day 2 of competition. Follow all the action at Bassmaster.com and tune in to watch the live weigh-in on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CT.

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.

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

Carhartt Bassmaster College Series - Midwest                 
3/28/2014 - 3/29/2014  Lake of the Ozarks - Public Boat Ramp #2 - Osage Beach, MO
STANDINGS                                          BOATER DAY 1


Name
School
#Fish
# Live
Lbs-Oz

1. Mark Hugus - Cody Hahner
Wisconsin, Stevens Point
5
5
19-10

2. Cody Lincoln - Jason Hawksford
Wisconsin, Stevens Point
5
5
16- 1

3. Matt Feiten - Brian Kirt
Wisconsin, Stevens Point
5
5
14- 8

4. Jackson Grabeel - Joseph Reilly
Western Illinois University
5
5
14- 5

5. Lance Freeman - Seth Brock
Murray State University
5
5
13- 1

6. Ryan Gilbert - Jacob Cllisch
University of Wisconsin, Plattville
3
3
12-12

7. Michaela Anderson - Bryan Billeadeau
University of St Thomas
5
5
10-15

8. Kyle Alsop - Taylor Bivins
Kansas State University
5
5
10-10

9. Ben McCullough - Howie Lee
University of Missouri
4
4
10- 5

10. Ben Verhoef - Tommy Hebson
University of Missouri
4
4
9- 6

11. Dan Martin - Tyler McCune
Eastern Illinois University
2
2
9- 1

12. Chris Burgan - Austin Felix
University of Minnesota
3
3
8- 9

13. Cody Sieben - Dan Schult
Murray State University
4
4
8- 0

14. Nathen Kozlowski - Lance Maldonado
Kansas State University
3
3
7-15

15. Quinn Fowler - Dylan McKee
Kansas State University
3
3
7- 7

16. Justin Berger - Cody Santel
Murray State University
2
2
7- 5

17. Ted Johnson - Jody Derks
Wisconsin, Stevens Point
3
3
6- 4

18. Bryce Wegman - Carlos Thomas
Illinois State University
1
1
5-15

19. Sam Starr - Alex Fulkerson
Kansas State University
3
3
5-13

20. Zachary Wiggers - Justin Bruno
Grand Valley State University
2
2
5-13

21. Kyle Casper - Tyler Hillen
Wisconsin, Stevens Point
3
3
5-12

22. Dustin Genrich - Nathan Hettinga
University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse
2
2
5-11

23. Logan Thomas - Ryan Kirkpatrick
Murray State University
1
1
5- 8

24. Noah Kruzitski - Nicklas Kushnerik
Wisconsin, Stevens Point
2
2
5- 4

24. Scott Sullivan - Chad Siegfried
U. of Central Missouri
2
2
5- 4

26. Steve Nebel - Jared Mataczynski
University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
2
2
4-15

27. Kyle Gates - Katie Edgar
St Ambrose University
1
1
4-15

28. William McCabe - Jon Bash
University of Nebraska
2
2
4-13

29. Daniel Fuhrig - Michael Fink
University of Missouri
2
2
4- 8

29. Ben Kroeger - Ryan Leach
University of Nebraska - Omaha
2
2
4- 8

31. Levi Warner - Konner Kearney
University of Wisconsin
2
2
4- 6

32. Charlie Sterrett - Brock Phillips
University of Illinois
2
2
4- 5

33. Andrew Schoenekase - Darren Smith
U. of Central Missouri
1
1
4- 4

34. Matt Smith - Jarett Svihlik
University of Dubuque
2
1
4- 2

35. Jake Crawford - Garrett Price
Lake Superior State University
1
1
4- 2

36. Garrett Cates - Graham Howard
Kansas State University
1
1
4- 0

37. Kody Mattson - Harrison Barton
Winona State University
2
2
3-14

37. Luke Stoner - Joey Disomma
University of Illinois
2
2
3-14

39. Nick Dion - Nate Sleight
Lake Superior State University
2
2
3- 8

40. Marshall Sandretto - Eric Logisz
Milwaukee School of Engineering
1
1
3- 7

41. Yu Han - Qiurun Chen
University of Illinois
1
1
3- 4

42. Stephen Farley - Jordan Smith
Southern Illinois University of Carbonda
1
1
3- 3

43. Mark Krutzfield - Tony Mehrl
University of Iowa
1
1
3- 0

44. Jordan Meddaugh - Samuel Hempel
Wisconsin, Stevens Point
1
1
2-10

45. Tucker Oliver - Tyler Cooper
University of Missouri
1
1
2- 4

46. Sean Mulholland - Everett Ridderbos
University of Nebraska
1
1
2- 3

46. Christian Ponzetti - Adam Hubbs
University of Missouri
1
1
2- 3

48. Cade Laufenberg - Wyatt Stout
Winona State University
1
1
2- 2

48. Jason Shaw - Mathew Cardani
Murray State University
1
1
2- 2

48. Caleb Shoemaker - Sam Wheeler
Western Illinois University
1
1
2- 2

48. Cass Waddle - Tom Scroppo
Western Illinois University
1
1
2- 2

52. Josh Pagel - Tanner Blaschka
University of Wisconsin
1
1
1-15

53 Mitchell Armstrong - Mathew Siebert
U. of Central Missouri
1
1
1-14

54 .Keaton Williams - Max Mercer
University of Iowa
1
1
1- 8

55. Derrick Hoffman - Brody McWilliams
Indiana University
1
1
1- 0

56. Jake Ansami - Trevor Epping
Wisconsin, Stevens Point
0
0
0- 0

56. Curtis Borawski - Thomas Platt
University of Illinois
0
0
0- 0

56. Pat Bowers - Sig Finley
University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse
0
0
0- 0

56 .Justin Brown - Brody Layher
Northern Michigan University
0
0
0- 0

56. Nick Carter - Leo Dedering
Wisconsin, Stevens Point
0
0
0- 0

56. Ethan Dhuyvetter - Dan Towsley
Kansas State University
0
0
0- 0

56. Brett Fickle - Layne Woods
U. of Central Missouri
0
0
0- 0

56. Justin Graben - Randal Argo
Murray State
0
0
0- 0

56. Brady Gregor - Clayton Moles
Southwest Baptist Universty
0
0
0- 0

56. Carl Hanson - Vanessa Hanrahan
University of Wisconsin, Stout
0
0
0- 0

56. Reid Miller - Matt Pasma
University of Wisconsin, Stout
0
0
0- 0

56. Tyler Nekolny - Samuel Haines
Kansas State University
0
0
0- 0

56. Andrew Nordbye - Andrew Almohtadi
Northwest Missouri State University
0
0
0- 0

56. Austin Paytash - Nicholas Welu
Wisconsin, Stevens Point
0
0
0- 0

56. Richard Rappley - Craig Wise
Western Illinois University
0
0
0- 0

56. Aaron Schiller - Andrew Gullickson
Wisconsin, Stevens Point
0
0
0- 0

56. Matthew Trickler - Blaise Weaver
University of Nebraska
0
0
0- 0

56. Kyle Vowels - Zachary Woodbury
Western Illinois University
0
0
0- 0

56. Travis Wilson - Brian Lafferty
Western Illinois University
0
0
0- 0

56. Tyler Zimmerman - Andrew Mlotek
University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
0
0
0- 0







BIG BASS  Day              Name             City,State  Lbs-Oz

1         Ryan Gilbert     Sterling, IL     7- 1
TOTALS    Day              # Fish           # Live  Lbs-Oz    # Limits

1         122              121              328- 3  7

2         0                0                0- 0    0

by AnglersChannel

Rose Grabs Lead At Flw Tour On Sam Rayburn

This 9-pound kicker propelled Strike King Pro Mark Rose into the Day 2 lead. photo by Garrick Dixon

Louisianaâ€™s Crawley Paces Co-Anglers

Seasoned veteran Walmart pro Mark Rose of West Memphis, Ark., brought a five-bass limit to the scale on Friday weighing 19 pounds, 2 ounces to snatch the lead after day two of the Walmart FLW Tour at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Chevy. Anchored by a monster 9-pound Sam Rayburn largemouth, Rose now has a two-day total of 10 bass worth 43 pounds even. He will hold a narrow 1-pound, 9 ounce lead going into day three of the four-day event, presented by the Lufkin Convention and Visitors Bureau, that features 176 of the worldâ€™s best bass-fishing anglers competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.

â€œI really struggled today,â€ said Rose, who has earned more than $1.75 million dollars in FLW competition. â€œMost of the 19 pounds that I weighed in was the big 9-pounder. I didnâ€™t catch but seven fish all day today, and one was a little 12-inch spotted bass.

â€œIâ€™m fishing the outside and inside edges of grass lines,â€ Rose continued. â€œWhen the weather is calm and sunny like today, they get buried up in the grass. Iâ€™m going to do the same thing tomorrow, but Iâ€™m going to pray for some clouds and wind.â€

Rose said that he was fishing around 15 different areas throwing a lot of plastics, crankbaits and a Strike King Red-Eye Shad. He said that most of the fish that he is catching are post-spawn.

â€œMost of my fish that Iâ€™m weighing in are post-spawn,â€ the Arkansas pro said. â€œBut, it seems like every day Iâ€™m weighing in one big pre-spawner. Even in practice I would catch one big pre-spawn bass each day.

â€œIâ€™m pretty committed to this pattern,â€ said Rose. â€œI may just have to adapt a little better and get in the grass and figure out how to catch them.â€

The top 20 pros that will fish Saturday on Sam Rayburn are:

1st: Walmart pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., 10 bass, 43-0

2nd: Jason Meninger, Gainesville, Ga., 10 bass, 41-7

3rd: Steve Kennedy, Auburn, Ala., 10 bass, 40-10

4th: Chevy pro Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 39-10

5th: Rick Cotten, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 37-14

6th: Greg Hackney, Gonzales, La., 10 bass, 36-11

7th: John Cox, Debary, Fla., 10 bass, 36-10

8th: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 10 bass, 34-10

9th: Jonathan Newton, Rogersville, Ala., nine bass, 34-7

10th: Tony Davis, Williston, Fla., nine bass, 33-7

11th: Cheez-It pro Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas, five bass, 33-3

12th: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., 10 bass, 33-1

13th: Castrol pro Mike Surman, Boca Raton, Fla., 10 bass, 33-0

14th: Shad Schenck, Waynetown, Ind., 10 bass, 32-2

15th: Austin Terry, San Angelo, Texas, 10 bass, 31-11

16th: Rob Kilby, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 31-7

17th: Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 31-4

18th: Brad Knight, Wartburg, Tenn., 10 bass, 30-0

19th: Richard Peek, Centre, Ala., 10 bass, 29-15

20th: Gary Yamamoto, Palestine, Texas, 10 bass, 29-13

For a full list of results visit FLWOutdoors.com.

Rose also won the FLW Big Bass Award and $500 on Friday on the pro side with a brute weighing 9 pounds even.

Overall there were 741 bass weighing 1,744 pounds, 13 ounces caught by 173 pros Friday. The catch included 114 five-bass limits.

Pro Shawn Murphy of Nicholasville, Ky., was assessed a 2-pound penalty Friday for a violation of FLW Tour rule No. 8. Murphy finished the tournament in 35th place and earned $10,000.

Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. The top 35 anglers in the point standings from the six events on the 2014 Walmart FLW Tour will qualify. The 2014 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Columbia, S.C., Aug. 14-17 on Lake Murray and is hosted by Capital City Lake Murray Country. Anglers could win as much as $500,000 â€“ professional bass-fishingâ€™s richest prize.

Stephen Crawley of Bush, La., leads the co-angler division with 10 bass weighing 26-6 followed by Eric Self of Lawndale, N.C., in second place with eight bass weighing 26-4.

The top 20 co-anglers fishing Saturday are:

1st: Stephen Crawley, Bush, La., 10 bass, 26-6

2nd: Eric Self, Lawndale, N.C., eight bass, 26-4

3rd: Nick Loeffelman Jr., Valles Mines, Mo., 10 bass, 25-11

4th: Billy Billeaud, Lafayette, La., eight bass, 25-2

5th: Bryan Partak, Marseilles, Ill., seven bass, 25-0

6th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 10 bass, 23-13

7th: Glenn Day, Cumming, Ga., 10 bass, 23-1

8th: Gary Runyon, Decatur, Tenn., nine bass, 22-13

9th: Spiro Agouros, Ontario, Canada, 10 bass, 22-12

10th: Kerry Barnett, Waldron, Ark., 10 bass, 22-11

11th: Michael Stricklin, Vidalia, La., eight bass, 21-13

12th: Jason Johnson, Gainesville, Ga., nine bass, 21-1

13th: Kyle Monti, Okeechobee, Fla., nine bass, 20-14

14th: Billy Dehart, Burlingame, Calif., 10 bass, 20-12

15th: Rob Hicks, Lula, Ga., six bass, 20-9

16th: Dennis Cameron, Travelers Rest, S.C., eight bass, 20-8

17th: Forrest Smith, Pickerington, Ohio, eight bass, 20-7

18th: Perry Dawson, Spring City, Tenn., seven bass, 20-6

19th: J.R. Wright, Truckee, Calif., nine bass, 20-5

20th: Chuck Kavros, Grass Valley, Calif., 10 bass, 20-4

For a full list of results visit FLWOutdoors.com.

Partak caught Fridayâ€™s FLW Big Bass in the co-angler division weighing 10 pounds, 2 ounces to win $250.

Overall there were 520 bass weighing 1,076 pounds, 14 ounces caught by co-anglers Friday. The catch included 52 five-bass limits.

Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $25,000 this week plus valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart. The top 35 co-anglers in the point standings from the six events on the 2014 Walmart FLW Tour will qualify.

Anglers will take off from Cassels-Boykin County Park located at FM Road 3123 (off State Highway 147) in Zavalla, Texas, at 7 a.m. on Saturday. On Sunday the top 10 anglers will take off at 7:30 a.m. Saturday and Sundayâ€™s final weigh-ins will be held at the Walmart located at 2500 Daniel McCall Drive in Lufkin beginning at 4 p.m.

Fans will also be treated to the FLW Expo at Walmart on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. prior to the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and fans can learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public. Also on Sunday, country music star Michael Ray will perform a free live concert on the Walmart weigh-in stage at 3 p.m.

by AnglersChannel

Montgomery Hoping Table Rock More Hospitable For Elite Tournament Than In The Past

Bassmaster Elite Series and FLW Tour Pro Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, SC

Andy Montgomery was driving the 15 hours from Palatka, Fla., to Lufkin, Texas, Sunday, halfway through a six-tournament marathon that he hopes will land him in the Forrest Wood Cup on South Carolina's famed bass factory, Lake Murray, this August.

“I'm fishing six tournaments in six weeks. I just finished fishing three and am on my way to the next three,” Montgomery said.

He is also trying to fish his way into the 2015 Bassmaster Classic on South Carolina's Lake Hartwell next February, but the lure of fishing the FLW Championship just a couple of hours drive from his home in Blacksburg, S.C., was too much to turn down, Montgomery said.

Besides, he added, he kind of has a score to settle with the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray.

“The last time the Cup was on Lake Murray in 2008 I finished 13^th. I felt like I had a really good chance to win it, but I just did not get the big bites I needed the second day of the tournament,” he said. “I caught a lot of keepers, but just did not get that big bite. But my co-angler won the tournament and he got several big bites, so I know I was around the fish to win it.”

So he was headed to Sam Rayburn Lake in his quest for the Cup on Lake Murray and from there he will drive north this weekend to Table Rock Lake in Missouri to try to boost his chances for qualifying for the Lake Hartwell Bassmaster Classic next February. Montgomery, who is riding a wave of success in B.A.S.S. so far this year – 11^th on Lake Seminole two weeks ago and 25^th on the St. John's River last week – hopes Table Rock is more kind to him this time than it has been in the past.

“I have had some really good practices on Table Rock, but that lake has been a thorn in my side. I just could not get them in the boat in a tournament,” he said. “The lake changes from day to day. I'd have almost too good a practice and get locked in on certain ares or things and it would change, so I've got to have an open mind every day of the tournament this time.”

His best outing on Table Rock was in a PAA tournament last September when he placed 45^th. His record in two FLW tournaments on the lake was forgettable.

“It's a clear lake and the wind means everything there. If the wind changes directions it will really mess you up. The fish move a lot, too. When they come up they move pretty fast and you just have to stay with them.”

Montgomery said the tournament probably will be won by cranking a Wiggle Wart or throwing a jerkbait.

“There is every type of rock there, so you are always fishing some type of rocky bank. You have to figure out what type of rock the fish are on.”

Adding to the mystery of the bass fishery in the lake is the exceptionally cold winter, he said.

“It's been cold and there was a lot snow, which means there is a lot of snow run-off that makes the lake really cold. Everything seems to be behind this year.”

Six tournaments in six weeks. “It's been rough,” Montgomery said, “but that's just part of the deal.”

A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite Series

Apr 3-6, 2014

Table Rock Lake

www.bassmaster.com

by AnglersChannel

Rodgers On A Mission To Get To The Forrest Wood Cup In Flw Tournament On Sam Rayburn

Dearal Rodgers with a nice fish at Chickamauga

With a 15^th place finish on Lake Hartwell two weeks ago, Dearal Rodgers took a big step towards his goal of qualifying for the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup on South Carolina's Lake Murray this August.He'd like to take another big step towards the Lake Murray championship this week on Texas' Lake Sam Rayburn in the third FLW Tour tournament of the year.

But, no matter how his season goes, whatever steps he makes in tournaments pale in comparison to the steps he has taken since a work-related 20-foot fall to a concrete floor six months ago. Rodgers, who owns an environmental business in Camden, S.C., with his wife, when he is not fishing bass tournaments, was doing an asbestos inspection in an old shop building in Spartanburg, S.C., on Friday, Sept. 13, when the roof caved in.

“To fall 20 feet to concrete and to be able to walk and not be paralyzed is a miracle,” said Rodgers who has worked hard to regain his strength and stamina. Knowing it would take a completely healthy angler to fish the pro side of the Tour, Rodgers decided to return to the Co-Angler side for 2014 while he worked on his recovery.

His goal is to get back to the Forrest Wood Cup, which he won as a Co-Angler in 2010 and make a much better showing on Lake Murray than he did in the Cup in 2008 when he placed a distant 73^rd on the lake less than an hour from his home.

“It's a tough tournament, but somebody has got to win it,” he said. “It would be nice to fish for my home state and represent everyone in South Carolina.”

He and fellow co-angler Jeff Rikard of Leesville, S.C., made the 15-hour drive to Rayburn Sunday, leaving South Carolina at 4 a.m. after competing in the South Carolina Division BFL tournament on Saturday at Santee Cooper where Rodgers placed 31^stas a boater and Rikard 32^nd as a co-angler.

After practicing all day Monday on Rayburn with pro angler Brandon Coulter, Rodgers said he was feeling fine, although a little sleepy from the rigors of the long weekend.

“I've been taking a nap every now and then while Brandon was driving the boat,” he said. “But I feel I can make all the casts I want to. I don't feel handicapped in that regard anymore.”

In between catnaps, Rodgers said the fishing was a little tough following a cold snap Sunday night, but he had started to figure few things out on his first trip ever to Rayburn.

“There is a lot of grass in the lake, so I plan to throw two baits that I can cast a long way and cover a lot of water, probably a Rat-L-Trap and a Chatterbait. I'll also throw a little Speed Worm or a Little Craw,” he said.

“I think a lot of people will catch limits, so I am going to have to figure out how to get bigger bites fishing behind somebody who is doing well. I figure it's going to take 12 to 15 pounds a day on the co-angler side.”

Rodgers said there are a lot of small fish in the lake, but also some good-sized ones to go after.

“This is a legendary lake, so it's going to be fun.”

Rodgers, who won the FLW Tour Co-Angler of the Year Award in 2009 and the FLW Tour's Forrest Wood Cup as a Co-Angler in 2010 is fishing the FLW Tour as a co-angler in 2014. He is also available for guided bass fishing trips on Lake Wateree and other lakes in South Carolina. For information on the tournament fishing career of Dearal Rodgers or to inquire about a guided bass fishing trip on Lake Wateree or other South Carolina lakes, check out his website: www.dearalrodgers.com.

FLW Tour Major

Mar 27-30, 2014

Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Cassels-Boykin Park

www.flwoutdoors.com

by AnglersChannel

Wicker Team Will Do 'basic Spring Fishing 101' In Cbc-Sc Tournament On Lake Wateree

It was a classic case of you can't be in two – or in this particular case, three – places at one time.

Andy Wicker and his dad, Steve, make a pretty formidable fishing team in local South Carolina bass tournaments, but so far this year they have had a hard time getting on track in the South Carolina Division of the Carolinas Bass Challenge.

They fished the first CBC-SC tournament in early February but did not weigh a fish, and then they missed the second tournament on Lake Wylie because of a conflict with a wedding.

They hoped to practice on Lake Wateree last weekend for the third CBC-SC tournament this Saturday, but that rule about being in more than one place at a time got in the way.

Steve fished the Walmart BFL on Santee Cooper last Saturday, placing 16^th. Andy, who is leading the points in the Weekend Bass Series, finished third in the WBS tournament on Lake Russell – his second 3^rd place in the two tournaments held so far this year.

So, because the Carolinas Bass Challenge puts tournament lakes off-limits for a week starting the Sunday before a tournament, they did not get to practice on Lake Wateree.

“I am no local expert on Wateree,” said Andy, who hails from Pomaria, S.C., halfway between Lake Murray and Lake Monticello and grew up bass fishing both lakes with his dad. “But, we have fished it before. I caught some decent fish there in a Weekend Series tournament last year.”

The Wicker Team, he said, will probably do Basic Spring Fishing 101 at Wateree Saturday.

“Wateree definitely sets up for shallow water fishing. You've got that grass to fish and it's an awesome dock lake, too,” he said.

“That's a spinnerbait lake and every spring some big fish are caught there on a spinnerbait. Grass, docks and spinnerbaits all go together,” he said. “We might also throw an Alabama Rig and try to catch a couple of big fish.”

Carolinas Bass Challenge - South Carolina Division

Sat, Mar 29, 2014

Lake Wateree

Clearwater Cove Marina

Call Brett Collins 803-413-7521

www.carolinasbasschallenge.com

by AnglersChannel

Sportsmans Warehouse Pre Spawn Showcase!

With fishing action as good as its been in years, we had to grab some great pre-spawn lures to share with everyone at SPORTSMAN'S WAREHOUSE in Columbia, SC with fishing Manager Craig Baird!

by AnglersChannel

Cotten Claims Lead At Flw Tour On Rayburn

Professional angler Rick Cotten of Guntersville, Ala., brought a five-bass limit to the scale Thursday weighing 25 pounds, 15 ounces to take the lead after day one of the Walmart FLW Tour at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Chevy. Cotten now holds a 1-pound, 4-ounce lead over second-place pro Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, S.C., who brought five bass weighing 24-11 to the scales, heading into day two of the four-day event that features 176 of the worldâ€™s best bass-fishing anglers competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.

This was a total surprise for me based on my practice,â€ said Cotten, a third-year pro who has one previous top-10 finish in FLW Tour competition. â€œI caught a lot of fish in practice but my best five were only going about 16 pounds. These are not the same fish that I was catching in practice. They just randomly moved in.â€

Cotten said that he spent the entire day in one area, which he described as a grass line that was a couple of acres long.

I had several different areas that I was ready to fish, but I didnâ€™t run them today because of the weather,â€ Cotten said. â€œSo I stayed in one spot and it paid off. Those fish arenâ€™t holding to anything, so who knows if Iâ€™ll be able to catch them tomorrow. There is no hard structure there. The fish are just holding to the grass line.

Im going back to that same spot tomorrow and plan on camping out all day,â€ Cotten continued. â€œIâ€™m working it very thoroughly and fishing very slow. I feel like these are pre-spawn fish.â€

Cotten said that he caught seven keepers throughout the entire day, and although he was not ready to divulge his baits of choice he did say that all of his fish came on just two baits.

I used to live in Houston and I got to fish on this lake quite a bit,â€ Cotten went on to say. â€œItâ€™s really fun getting to come back here and I canâ€™t wait to go fishing again tomorrow.â€

The top 10 pros after day one at Sam Rayburn Reservoir are:

1st: Rick Cotten, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 25-15

2nd: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., five bass, 24-11

3rd: Walmart pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., five bass, 23-14

4th: Ryan Davidson, Huntington, W.Va., five bass, 21-6

5th: Steve Kennedy, Auburn, Ala., five bass, 18-14

6th: Chevy pro Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 18-12

7th: Brandon Cobb, Greenwood, S.C., five bass, 18-8

8th: Ramie Colson Jr., Cadiz, Ky., five bass, 17-12

9th: Cheez-It pro Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas, five bass, 17-9

9th: Lendell Martin Jr., Nacogdoches, Texas, five bass, 17-9

For a full list of results visit FLWOutdoors.com.

Chevy pro Jay Yelas of Corvallis, Ore., won the Big Bass Award on the pro side Thursday with a fish weighing 8 pounds, 13 ounces to win $500.

Overall there were 729 bass weighing 1,815 pounds, 6 ounces caught by 173 pros Thursday. The catch included 105 five-bass limits.

Tim Beale of Hernando, Miss., and Eric Self of Lawndale, N.C., tied for the lead in the co-angler division after each brought five bass to the scale weighing 18 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers are:

1st: Tim Beale, Hernando, Miss., five bass, 18-4

1st: Eric Self, Lawndale, N.C., five bass, 18-4

3rd: Nick Thliveros, St. Augustine, Fla., five bass, 16-3

4th: Stephen Crawley, Bush, La., five bass, 15-4

5th: Jake Gipson, Niceville, Fla., three bass, 13-10

6th: Joey Romano, Denham Springs, La., five bass, 13-8

7th: Jeff Gengler, Fort Collins, Colo., four bass, 13-2

8th: Forrest Smith, Pickerington, Ohio, four bass, 12-14

9th: Kyle Monti, Okeechobee, Fla., four bass, 12-12

10th: Casey Oâ€™Donnell, Bradenton, Fla., five bass, 12-11

For a full list of results visit FLWOutdoors.com.

Beale also caught Thursdayâ€™s Big Bass in the co-angler division weighing 8-9 to win $250.

Overall there were 465 bass weighing 997 pounds, 2 ounces caught by co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 29 five-bass limits.

Anglers will take off from Cassels-Boykin County Park located at FM Road 3123 (off State Highway 147) in Zavalla, Texas., at 7 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the final day of competition, the top 10 anglers will take off at 7:30 a.m. Fridayâ€™s weigh-in will be held at Cassels-Boykin County Park beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sundayâ€™s final weigh-ins will be held at the Walmart located at 2500 Daniel McCall Drive in Lufkin beginning at 4 p.m.

by AnglersChannel

Record Spot Caught on Cypress Springs Lake in Texas Bass Couples East Region-Full Results here!

Be sure and check out the new Lake Cypress Spring lake record Spotted Bass caught by Jason Robertson. Jason caught a great Spotted Bass that broke the current lake record. His Spotted Bass weighted 3.40# on my scale and ended up at 3.30# on certified scales. She was 17# long and had a 13.5" girth. Congratulations to Jason on the new Lake Record Spotted Bass.

Topping the competition this month is the team of Joe & Suzie Moss from Palestine. Joe & Suzie bought a fine limit of bass to the scales weighing 20.18#. Great fishing in post cold front conditions!

Our second place team this month is Mike Davis & Debbie Mathis from Diana. Mike & Debbie had a great limit of bass weighing 16.49#. Debbie also won Ladies Big Bass honors with a fine fishing weighing 3.75#. Way to go you two, that's some good team work right there.

Third place honors go to Michael & Destiny Moss from Palestine. Michael & Destiny have been doing some fantastic fishing the last few months. They caught a nice limit hitting the scales at 15.41#.

In fourth place is Team Stroman from Mt. Vernon. Mike & Sharon put together a nice pattern that got them a nice limit weighing 15.19#Good fishing you two!

Rounding out the top 5 this month is the team of Robert & Melissa Kilgore from Longview. Robert & Melissa brought a nice limit to the scales weighing 14.31#.

Our "first place out of the money" winners this month goes to Bill & Sally Butts from Longview. Bill & Sally had a limit weighing 14.1#. They were awarded the Santone Lures $50.00 gift certificate.

2nd place out of the money goes to Marc & Kelly Mayo from Tyler. Marc & Kelly weighed in a limit @ 13.81# and received a Dobyns Rods gift certificate.

Big Bass honors went to Tommie Deese this month with a bass weighing 5.91#.

We had a total of 107 bass weighed in for a total weight of 278.33#. That's a 2.60# average per bass which isn't too bad considering the weather conditions. Congratulations to everyone!

We have a tight race underway for Team Of The Year Honors, with the top 4 teams running within a few points of each other. Should be an interesting race to the finish this year.

Thanks to all our sponsors for their support this year. Nicholls Marine is our plaque sponsor for this year. Dobyns Rods, Santone Lures, Maple Lake Lure Co., Reel Remedy, Reel Time Rods & Easy Step Systems. A big thanks to John & Casey Maxfield, Joe & Kelly Sherwood & Terry & Sheila Barnson for their generous donation of door prizes this year. We appreciate the support more than you know!

Thanks to everyone that helped at the weigh-in this tournament. Your helping hand is greatly appreciated.

Thanks to Tommy & Pam Busbee who make it all possible and are such a joy to work with. Without their hard work and support, the TBC wouldn't be what it is today.

It's hard to believe that the tournament season is 1/2 over. Seems like time is flying by this year. Next months tournament will be held on beautiful Lake 'O' the Pines. Tournament Headquarters will be at Johnson Creek Park. I will let everyone know where and when registration & live well checks will be.

Thanks to all the couples fishing with us this year. 2014 is a record breaking year for us. We now currently have 40 teams signed up with the East Region and we are averaging a little over 30 teams fishing each tournament so far this year. Thanks again for the support!

Until next month......be safe out there.

1st Place: Joe & Suzie Moss 20.18#

1st Place Team of Joe and Suzie Moss

Second Place: Mike Davis & Debbie Mathis 16.49#

2nd Place Team of Mike Davis and Debbie Mathis

Third Place: Michael & Destiny Moss 15.41#

3rd place team of Michael and Destiny Moss

New Spot Record of 3.30 on Cypress Lake caught by Jason Robertson!

Fourth Place: Mike & Sharon Stroman 15.19#

Fifth Place: Robert & Melissa Kilgore 14.31#

Ladies Big Bass: Debbie Mathis 3.75#

Big Bass: Tommie Deese 5.91#

New Cypress Springs Lake Record Spotted Bass caught by Jason Robertson. 3.30# on certified scales.

by AnglersChannel

Piedmont Bass Classics Spring Mini Trail Qualifier #3 Results - Mayo Reservoir - Mar 22, 2014

Teaser image:

1st Place: Steve Upchurch & Jeff Hodges...5 bass...17.51 lbs

The Piedmont Bass Classics Team Bass Spring Mini Trail qualifier #3 results showed that Mayo Reservoir is
still a good producing lake even with the cold water conditions! 26 teams vied for the 1st place money on a right pretty day for fishing.

It was a little chilly that morning at 44 degree s but ended up being a nice and comfortable 70 degrees at
weighin. The forecast was for 7 mph winds but it ended up being a pretty steady 15 gusting to 20 at times. Water
temps averaged 50 degrees. The prespawn bass seemed to be in fairly shallow 3-6 foot stained water mostly
near the points. Most of the fish were caught on Rat-L-Traps and crankbaits.

Jeff Hodges & Steve Upchurch caught 5 healthy bass weighing a total of 17.51 lbs. taking 1st Place. They also
won 1st Place TWT for a total of $1,011 in winnings. 2nd Place went to Randy Fisher & Donnie Lowe with 5
bass weighing 15.83 lbs. They also won the Big Fish award (5.62 lbs.) and took home a total of $649. Tim Goss
won the Tow Boats US bonus of $50.

75 bass were weighed in for a total of 217 pounds. This averaged right at 3 lbs. a fish and they were nice and
healthy looking. Mayo is a good small lake fishery!

I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support these trails. Our next
tournament will be the 2014 Boats Unlimited Team Tournament Bass Trail Qualifier #3, Saturday, Mar. 29th at
Shearon Harris out of Cross Point Landing Wildlife Ramp. Coming up Saturday April 5th will be the Tobacco
Bass Invitational at Kerr Lake out of Flemingtown Landing Wildlife Ramp.

All the information on our tournaments can be found at www.piedmontbassclassics.com

Now here are the full results:

1st Place: Steve Upchurch & Jeff Hodges of Raleigh & Pittsboro...5 bass...17.51 lbs...$675
2nd Place: Randy Fisher & Donnie Lowe of Hillsborough & Mebane...5 bass...15.83 lbs...$389
3rd Place: Keith Deal & Ricky Kenworth of Holly Springs & Cary...5 bass...15.43 lbs...$270
4th Place: Lynn Fox & Wesly Ross of Gibsonville & Reidsville...5 bass...15.03 lbs...$203
5th Place: Rodney Bowen & Barney Compton of Timberlake & Leasburg...5 bass...14.93 lbs...$153

1st Place Big Fish: 2nd Place Team above...5.62 lbs...$260

1st Place TWT: 1st Place Team above: 17.51 lbs...$336
2nd Place TWT: 3rd Place Team above: 15.43 lbs...$144

Tow Boats US Award: Tim Goss of Franklinton: $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: www.piedmontbassclassics.com

by AnglersChannel

Weekend Wrap Up with AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh

AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh joins us to look back at one of the better weekends we've seen in years across the region. Now there is a reason for all these great weights, and Rob shares that with us. Click here for more!

by AnglersChannel

Curtis Vaughn and Mike Sipple haul in 32.13 Lbs on Falls for the NC Div Opener for AC Marine

55 teams turned out for the NC Div Opener for the Anglers Choice Marine TT on Falls Lake. WOW! What an impressive haul these guys had with 1st and 2nd place both over 30 Lbs! BF was 10.34 and overall the weights were tremendous. Here are some great pic's of the winners as well as the 10+ LB BF. Full results are attached at the bottom:

1st Place Team of Vaughn and Sipple hold up their 32+ Lb Winning Sack!

1st Place Team of Vaughn and Sipple hold up their 32+ Lb Winning Sack!

2nd place team of Chris Richey and George Bost with 31+ Lbs!

3rd Place team of Fisher and Hunt with their 26.49 LB Sack!

3rd Place team of Fisher and Hunt with their 26.49 LB Sack!

BF Winner Lee Williams holds up his 10.34 LB Toad!

BF Winner Lee Williams holds up his 10.34 LB Toad!

by AnglersChannel

Stanley Wins Bfl On Percy Priest Lake

Matt Stanley of Alexandria, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League Music City Division tournament of 2014 on Percy Priest Lake. For his victory, Stanley earned $3,386.

Stanley earned his second career BFL victory on a day when he caught the tournament Big Fish and estimated that he caught four separate limits that would each have weighed at least 13 pounds.

“I practiced on Wednesday and Friday and had over 20 pounds both days,” said Stanley.

“I was fishing in the mid-lake area and I was targeting the colder water because the warmer water had all of the other tournament boats in it. When I would fish in the warmer water I would catch 2- and 3-pounders, but I was catching 4-pounders in the colder water.

“On the day of the tournament I had 18 pounds by about 8:30 a.m.,” continued Stanley. “I lost a 6-pounder at about 1 o’clock, so I could have weighed in around 25 pounds. I had a pretty good day.

“I caught my big fish, a 7-pounder, off of a spot that I didn’t even fish in practice. I looked at it and thought it just looked too good to not have fish. It seemed like every time I caught a big fish, it was a loner. If I ever caught more than one 2- or 3-pounder, I would leave that spot.”

Stanley said that he used jigs, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jerkbaits on rock banks to tally his impressive catch.

Rounding out the top 10 pros were:

2nd: Josh Tramel, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 17-11, $1,693

3rd: Scott Lefevers, Hermitage, Tenn., five bass, 17-2, $1,129

4th: Scott Towry, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., five bass, 16-12, $790

5th: William Merrick, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 16-9, $677

6th: Rodney Clawson, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 15-13, $621

7th: Eric Blankendaal, Madison, Tenn., five bass, 15-3, $564

8th: Thomas O’Bryant, Cedar Grove, Tenn., four bass, 14-10, $508

9th: Noel Smith, Ashland City, Tenn., five bass, 14-9, $451

10th: Bryan Montgomery, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 14-0, $395

Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.

Darryl Humphrey of Murfreesboro, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win $1,693 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

2nd: John Wilkerson, Nashville, Tenn., four bass, 15-10, $846

3rd: Chris Tarpley, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 12-15, $564

4th: Jerry Armstrong, Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 12-4, $395

5th: Craig Allen, Kingston Springs, Tenn., five bass, 11-14, $339

6th: Brandon Adcock, McMinnville, Tenn., four bass, 11-6, $310

7th: Daniel Crockett, Old Hickory, Tenn., four bass, 11-5, $282

8th: Matt Wooten, West Point, Miss., four bass, 11-3, $254

9th: Tildon Drake, Jasper, Ala., four bass, 9-6, $212

9th: Matt Farrar, Hermitage, Tenn., two bass, 9-6, $212

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 9-11 Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. 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.

by AnglersChannel

Cecil Finds Bedding Bass During Competition Rounds to Win Rayovac on Toledo Bend

Russell Cecil of Willis, Texas, weighed five bass totaling 15 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win the Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division event presented by Frabill on Toledo Bend Reservoir with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 61 pounds, 9 ounces. For his victory, Cecil earned $33,000 and a new Ranger Z518 with a 200 horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

“I’m as excited as I’ve ever been to win one of these because I sure didn’t think I pulled it off today,” said Cecil, who earned his fifth career victory in FLW competition. “I thought I only had about 14 pounds. I made a strategic decision this morning that I would catch five and not stop until I caught a big one. I caught five keepers and fished for three big ones, but I didn’t catch any of them. Sitting there after Clark (Reehm) had weighed his fish, I thought I had lost it.”

Cecil fished for spawning bass the entire tournament, and underperformed his expectations on days one and three.

“I won this tournament on the first day. At noon I had no fish, and I was like ‘what am I going do to save myself.’ I had a little pocket that I was going to save that I didn’t think anyone else would be fishing. I didn’t go there, but I ran to another place and ended up catching a 2-pounder and a 7-pounder there. Then, with five minutes to go, I ran to my little pocket, caught two 3-pounders and got my limit. I could have easily weighed only three fish for 10 pounds.

“I don’t have a lot of experience on Toledo Bend in the spring,” continued the Texas pro. “I have a whole lot more summer experience here. These fish were coming to the bank really hard and this was not an event where you could find them in practice and then go catch them. All of the fish that I caught I found during tournament hours. It was very mentally taxing. But, I kind of like tournaments like this. I hate it when it turns into a boat race and everyone knows where the same fish are.”

Cecil said that he caught almost all of his fish on a Texas-rigged Big Bite Baits WarMouth and credited his Costa Del Mar sunglasses for his ability to see fish that others didn’t in the crowded pockets.

The top 10 pros on Toledo Bend were:

1st: Russell Cecil, Willis, Texas, 15 bass, 61-9, $33,000 + Ranger Z518 with 200-horsepower outboard

2nd: Clark Reehm, Huntington, Texas, 15 bass, 61-2, $12,778

3rd: Todd Castledine, Nacogdoches, Texas, 15 bass, 58-0, $9,901

4th: Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., 15 bass, 57-13, $8,251

5th: Ronnie Wagner, Houston, Texas, 15 bass, 55-8, $7,426

6th: Nick Lebrun, Tyler, Texas, 15 bass, 52-13, $6,600

7th: Troy Broussard, Beaumont, Texas, 15 bass, 51-14, $5,775

8th: Lendell Martin Jr., Nacogdoches, Texas, 15 bass, 51-4, $4,950

9th: Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats pro Jim Tutt, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 49-5, $4,125

10th: Ricky Guy, Humble, Texas, 12 bass, 42-1, $3,300

Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.

Corey Stanley of Orange, Texas caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division Thursday – a 10-pound, 3-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s Rayovac FLW Series Big Bass award of $222.

Ronnie Ray Jr. of McKinney, Texas, won the co-angler division and a Ranger Z117C with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 32 pounds, 9 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers on Toledo Bend were:

1st: Ronnie Ray Jr., McKinney, Texas, 15 bass, 32-9, Ranger Z117C with 90-horsepower outboard

2nd: Mike Power, Conroe, Texas, nine bass, 31-7, $4,163

3rd: Jeff Kitchens, Henderson, Texas, 10 bass, 29-11, $3,330

4th: Kerry Barnett, Waldron, Ark., nine bass, 25-3, $2,914

5th: Ryan Bailey, Humble, Texas, eight bass, 24-3, $2,497

6th: Travis Kelehan, Broussard, La., eight bass, 23-8, $2,081

7th: Clint Lipham, Conroe, Texas, nine bass, 22-3, $1,665

8th: John Martin, Buna, Texas, six bass, 21-12, $1,457

9th: Dan Wilson, Pilot Point, Texas, eight bass, 20-6, $1,249

10th: Neil Herline, Silsbee, Texas, eight bass, 18-6, $1,041

Mack McCoy of Ringgold, La. caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division Friday – an 8-pound, 7-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s Rayovac FLW Series Big Bass award of $148.

The Rayovac FLW Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable points in each division that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the no-entry-fee Rayovac FLW Series Championship. The 2014 Rayovac FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 30-Nov. 1 on Wheeler Lake in Rogersville, Ala.

The final Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division tournament of 2014 will be held October 2-4, at Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Lufkin, Texas.

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

by AnglersChannel

Costas Wins B F L On Santee Cooper

Lex Costas of Daniel Island, S.C., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 32 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win the first Walmart Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division tournament of 2014 on Santee Cooper. For his victory, Costas earned $3,255.

Costas, a former guide on Santee Cooper, used his local knowledge to bring in the massive limit that would have topped any single day catch in the Rayovac FLW Series event held just one week before.

“I never thought I would catch 32 pounds,” said Costas. “You always hope to of course, and it was certainly nice to do.”

Costas said that he fished an area with current to start the day, and caught part of his limit there with a white bucktail jig. He said he finished his limit and culled a few times by targeting other pre-spawn areas in 6 to 12 feet of water with Yamamoto Senkos and a medium-diving crankbait.

“I caught fish in five different places,” explained Costas. “We just bounced around and picked up one fish here and two fish there. Other than our first stop we didn’t catch more than two fish anywhere.

“It felt great,” said Costas of his win. “I’ve come close quite a few times. I’m happy to finally get one under my belt.”

Rounding out the top 10 pros were:

2nd: Kyle Giella, Irmo, S.C., five bass, 22-9, $1,628

3rd: Ken Ellis, Bowman, S.C., five bass, 19-13, $1,084

4th: Ron Brown, Mount Pleasant, S.C., five bass, 19-5, $760

5th: Anthony Colacurcio, Mount Pleasant, S.C., five bass, 18-9, $651

6th: Freddie Gamble Jr., Sumter, S.C., three bass, 18-8, $597

7th: Mark Curry, Conway, S.C., five bass, 17-12, $543

8th: Thomas Rubbo, Lexington, S.C., five bass, 17-3, $488

9th: Greg Rikard, Leesville, S.C., five bass, 16-8, $434

10th: Norm Attaway, Clearwater, S.C., five bass, 13-11, $380

Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.

Lonnie Drusch of Sumter, S.C., weighed in a four bass totaling 15 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win $1,628 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

2nd: Carluss King, Galivants Ferry, S.C., three bass, 12-13, $814

3rd: Jack Daniel Hoy, Hollywood, S.C., five bass, 11-6, $542

4th: Mike Field, Columbia, S.C., two bass, 9-2, $380

5th: John King, Santee, S.C., three bass, 9-0, $326

6th: Tom Patten, Brandon, Vt., two bass, 7-8, $298

7th: Gregory Littles, Columbia, S.C., two bass, 5-14, $257

7th: Dale Webber, Kernersville, N.C., two bass, 5-14, $257

9th: Michael Petras, Summerville, S.C., two bass, 5-13, $217

10th: Jamie Amerson, Savannah, Ga., three bass, 5-11, $190

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 2-4 Regional Championship on the James River in Richmond, Va. 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.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. The 2014 BFL All-American is being held June 5-7 on Wilson Lake in Florence, Ala. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

by AnglersChannel

Scott Threadgill and Dwayne Saunders win the CBC on Norman-Take home $13k-Full results here!

A record crowd showed up for the 1st NC Div event of the 2014 CBC Season with 203 teams blasting off from Blythe Landing Sat morning. The fishing on Norman has been hot, and the weigh-in did not disappoint! There were more limits brought in Sat afternoon than we have ever seen on Norman. Large spots were the norm in the 2-2.5 Lb range along with a very high quality BF of 5.80 Lbs caught by the winning team. The Blanton father son team won the Skeeter bonus money, so finishing in 8th place allowed them to go home with $6300!! Congrats to all the anglers who came out and made this one heck of a tournament! Here are some great pic's and full results below:

CBC Norman Champs hold up their $13,000 Stringer!

CBC Norman Champs hold up their $13,000 Stringer!

CBC 2nd Place team of Greg Osborne and Wyatt Blevins

CBC 2nd Place team of Greg Osborne and Wyatt Blevins

CBC 3rd Place Team of Jeff and KJ Queen place near the top-Again!

CBC 3rd Place Team of Jeff and KJ Queen place near the top-Again!

AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh Holds up some of his stringer after finishing in 11th place

AC Pro Staffer Rob Digh Holds up some of his stringer after finishing in 11th place

Will Blanton Holds up his Skeeter Bonus CHeck with Al Odom

Will Blanton Holds up his Skeeter Bonus CHeck with Al Odom

Place	Team Name	Team #	Fish Weighed	Net Weight	Big Fish	Points	Winnings	$$ Each
1	Scott Threadgill - Dwayne Saund	45	5	18.740	5.800	310	$12,000	6,000.00
2	Greg Osborne - Wyatt Blevins	128	5	17.830	0.000	309	$5,000	2,500.00
3	Jeff Queen - Kristopher KJ Quee	159	5	15.500	0.000	308	$3,500	1,750.00
4	Dale Surrett - Brian Morgan	199	5	15.310	0.000	307	$2,500	1,250.00
5	Thomas Hardwick - Tommy William	191	5	14.630	0.000	306	$2,000	1,000.00
6	Larry Yancey - Milton Yancey	58	5	14.620	0.000	305	$1,750	875.00
7	Darren Sigmon - Brian Huffman	143	5	14.540	0.000	304	$1,500	750.00
8	William Blanton - David Blanton	187	5	14.430	0.000	303	$1,300	650.00
9	Todd Sumner - Robert Parrish	195	5	14.230	5.470	302	$1,100	550.00
10	Terry Wike - Greg Deal	93	5	14.130	0.000	301	$1,000	500.00
11	Robert Stilner - Rob Digh	139	5	13.930	0.000	300	$900	450.00
12	Nathan Webber - Paul Rigsbee	163	5	13.890	0.000	299	$850	425.00
13	Nick Miller - Brandon Brickweg	106	5	13.500	0.000	298	$700	350.00
14	Gene Webster - Mike Seawright	65	5	13.490	0.000	297	$560	280.00
15	Brian Gallimore - Brian Mays	203	5	13.430	0.000	296	$520	260.00
16	Marvin Godard - Robert Adams	193	5	13.420	0.000	295	$475	237.50
17	Scott Sellers - Randy Childers	49	5	13.330	0.000	294	$450	225.00
18	John McBride - Shaun Hall	100	5	13.310	0.000	293	$400	200.00
19	Chris Corriher - Randy Christy	72	5	13.240	0.000	292	$350	175.00
20	Chuck Camp - Mark Swink	180	5	13.200	0.000	291	$340	170.00
21	Dwight Dellinger - Doug Delling	53	5	13.140	0.000	290	$325	162.50
22	Kevin Toler - Rodney Lambert	48	5	13.020	0.000	289	$315	157.50
23	Roy Barrow - Jerry Bullaboy	71	5	12.980	0.000	288	$300	150.00
24	tony woodard - scott smith	114	5	12.890	0.000	287	$290	145.00
25	Doug Punch - tim bumgarner	12	5	12.810	3.690	286	$280	140.00
26	Joshua Queen - Mike Queen	30	5	12.790	0.000	285	$275	137.50
27	JESSIE TOWERY - Dwayne towery	196	5	12.700	0.000	284	$260	130.00
28	Jason Threadgill - Todd Walters	120	5	12.610	0.000	283	$250	125.00
29	Lester Elton - Chris Martin	121	5	12.310	0.000	282	$240	120.00
30	Dale Luckey - John Brown	147	5	12.260	0.000	281	$235	117.50
31	Buddy Black - Timothy Borders	55	5	12.250	0.000	280	$225	112.50
32	Robert Porter - Chris Dellinger	54	5	12.180	0.000	279	$205	102.50
32	Dennis Allen - Travis Allen	149	5	12.180	0.000	279	$205	102.50
34	tracy brown - Duane Marlowe	82	5	12.170	0.000	277
35	Brent Kukowski - Patrick Carter	28	5	12.160	0.000	276
36	Keith Speece - Wendell Ireland	29	5	12.160	5.640	275
37	Larry LeHew - Adam Waters	98	5	12.140	0.000	275
38	Mike Stephens - Hunter Hicks	164	5	12.110	0.000	274
39	Russell Hoyle - Jerry Pruitt	141	5	12.040	0.000	273
40	Stephen Griggs - Rodney Sorrell	95	5	12.010	0.000	272
41	joel ketcham - Steve Dyer	2	5	11.650	0.000	271
42	Jason Wilson - Kelly Logan	158	5	11.630	0.000	270
43	Christian Shoda - Josh Sherwood	184	5	11.620	0.000	269
44	Steven Austin - Roger Wood	115	5	11.590	0.000	268
45	Bron Hemphill - Nathan Dellinge	56	5	11.570	0.000	267
46	Doug Easton - Pete Bejte	138	5	11.560	0.000	266
47	Charles Sipe - Charlie Sipe	35	5	11.440	0.000	265
48	William Harris - Stanton Harris	43	5	11.290	0.000	264
49	David Williams - Gerald William	181	5	11.240	0.000	263
50	Charles Stroud - Danny Bullman	86	5	11.130	0.000	262
51	Bobby Lateuch - Jerry Craig	148	5	11.090	0.000	261
52	michael bryant - Eric Rothrock	182	5	11.070	0.000	260
53	Dale Duncan - Donnie Woody	188	5	11.050	0.000	259
54	george lambeth - ron wolfarth	47	5	11.040	0.000	258
55	Thomas Richmond - Artie Phillip	41	5	11.010	0.000	257
56	Aric Dwyer - zack bolick	142	5	10.960	0.000	256
57	Chris Graham - Ricky Byrd	46	5	10.880	0.000	255
58	Roger Hoover - Scott Hamrick	75	5	10.870	0.000	254
59	Vince Parker - Mark Parker	162	5	10.860	0.000	253
60	Patrick Tierney - Todd Auten	130	5	10.850	0.000	252
61	Brent Berry - Lee Hoilman	11	5	10.840	3.880	251
62	Steve Addington - Scott Beattie	31	5	10.830	0.000	250
63	Tony Foster - Steve Sink	174	5	10.720	0.000	249
64	Wayne Hauser - Alfred Keisling	194	5	10.660	0.000	248
65	Todd Garner - Chad Taylor	38	5	10.640	0.000	247
66	Morris Ruff - Travis Ruff	151	5	10.640	0.000	246
67	Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughti	3	5	10.530	0.000	245
68	Bill Grier - Robby Byrum	189	5	10.430	0.000	244
69	Stephen McLeod - John Russell	132	5	10.370	0.000	243
70	Gary Love - Ricky Todd	36	5	10.340	0.000	242
71	Alan Johnston - Thomas Anderson	133	5	10.320	0.000	241
72	Chuck Morton - Chuck Collins	66	5	10.290	0.000	240
73	Danny Mason - Lionel Mason	134	5	10.290	0.000	239
74	sheldon hipps - Ronnie Kobos	76	5	10.270	0.000	238
75	Harold Drew - Jackie Reilly	20	5	10.200	0.000	237
76	Tracy Schiff - Eric Grigg	61	5	10.170	0.000	236
77	Shane Lineberger - Jerry Linebe	42	5	10.160	0.000	235
78	Brian Triplett - Stacey Richard	81	5	10.130	0.000	234
79	Brandon Chandler - Scott Alliso	83	5	10.100	0.000	233
80	Dave Snyder - david snyder	123	5	10.050	0.000	232
81	Shannon Stowe - Brian Stowe	80	5	9.980	0.000	231
82	Randy Gray - Drew Stankwytch	169	5	9.870	0.000	230
83	Jason Eaker - Allen Eaker	7	5	9.810	0.000	229
84	Thomas Vickers - Brian Huskins	171	5	9.710	0.000	228
85	marcus Leech - Tim Chapman	34	5	9.680	0.000	227
86	robert mixon - Mark Green	77	5	9.540	0.000	226
87	Steve Godfrey - Steve Harwood	140	5	9.440	0.000	225
88	Larry Horton - Steve Arnold	166	5	9.370	0.000	224
89	Mike Scott - Chris Johnson	178	5	9.370	0.000	223
90	Reginald Pickett - Larry Kirk	27	5	9.330	0.000	222
91	Michael Bellassai - Jake Hart	25	5	9.320	0.000	221
92	Reggie Guffey - Tommy Chapman	74	5	9.240	0.000	220
93	Tommy Lambert - Matthew Walters	109	5	9.040	0.000	219
94	Mark Beck - todd durham	165	5	9.040	0.000	218
95	Josh Huffman - Nolan Eller	112	5	9.030	0.000	217
96	Jeff Coble - David Wright	124	5	9.020	0.000	216
97	Mark Mitchell - Mike Kirkley	39	3	9.000	0.000	215
98	Jason Lowman - Paul Brittain	155	4	8.990	0.000	214
99	Charlie Hanshaw - Jeffrey Hansh	51	5	8.960	0.000	213
100	Darrell Fisher - William Gregor	176	5	8.950	0.000	212
101	Rick Dunstan - Cliff Kirby	167	5	8.930	0.000	211
102	Nathan White - Chris Guest	5	5	8.910	0.000	210
103	Josh Stepp - Aaron Curry	103	5	8.910	0.000	209
104	Mason Boyd - christopher terry	13	5	8.890	0.000	208
105	Phillip Frady - Dirk Porter	87	5	8.850	0.000	207
106	brandon gardner - william cordt	172	5	8.830	0.000	206
107	John Drew - David Horton	107	5	8.760	0.000	205
108	Wayne Ingram - Bobby Gill	127	4	8.760	0.000	204
109	Chris Albright - Jarrett Albrig	63	5	8.740	0.000	203
110	Brian Travis - Ashley Brotherto	15	5	8.620	0.000	202
111	marty williams - howard bean	89	5	8.490	0.000	201
112	Bobby Snyder - Tim Cline	116	5	8.360	0.000	200
113	Don Sprinkle - Wayne Skipworth	168	5	8.050	0.000	199
114	Gene Parker - Stanley Harkins	18	5	8.040	0.000	198
115	Eddie Davis - Rob Fitch	186	5	7.850	0.000	197
116	Mitch Drew - Kenny Drew	125	5	7.840	0.000	196
117	Brad Petway - Keith Hawley	177	5	7.700	0.000	195
118	Mike Branch - Brian Branch	118	4	7.680	0.000	194
119	Chandler Revels - Joe Lowery	185	5	7.610	0.000	193
120	Bryan LeFever - Wayne Sharpe	145	5	7.590	0.000	192
121	Mike Brehm - Craig Rozema	44	5	7.580	0.000	191
122	Scott Henley - Dean Minor	154	4	7.440	0.000	190
123	Chris Richey - George Bost	90	5	7.220	0.000	189
124	Roger Adams - josh adams	64	5	7.190	0.000	188
125	Paul Guthrie - Danny Hucks	4	5	6.950	0.000	187
126	Danny Nifong - Matthew Nifong	84	3	6.810	0.000	186
127	Jimmy Cummings - Jesse Smith	40	4	6.450	0.000	185
128	Dennis Cable - Tim Harrison	68	4	6.310	0.000	184
129	Chris Vallance -	8	4	6.100	0.000	183
130	Phil Hennessee - Rob Johnson	50	4	6.080	0.000	182
131	Billy Gunter - Bernie Davis	1	2	6.030	0.000	181
132	Jimmy Carswell - Bobby Carswell	110	4	5.670	0.000	180
133	Jeff Tant - Doug Parrish	19	2	5.470	0.000	179
134	Chris McDuffie - Greg Creech	9	3	5.430	0.000	178
135	James Hobbs - Dustin Calloway	57	3	5.050	0.000	177
136	Randy Randolph - Allen Willis	6	2	5.010	3.200	176
137	Mike Allman - Keith Porter	17	2	4.990	3.300	175
138	Rob Ross - Rory Saliger	157	3	4.970	0.000	174
139	David Pless - Keith Revis	105	2	4.920	0.000	173
140	Gary Cline - Terry Wien	117	3	4.560	0.000	172
141	Gene Sparks - Thomas Glavin	60	3	4.430	0.000	171
142	Jason Dancy - alan mcglamery	136	3	4.370	0.000	170
143	Michael Walters - Joseph Floyd	32	2	4.350	0.000	169
144	Robert Branch - Stuart Parker	201	2	4.080	0.000	168
145	Michael Hofmann - Patrick Mcgir	102	2	4.070	0.000	167
146	Christopher Allard - Scottie Sm	104	2	3.470	0.000	166
147	Adam Ridings - Chris Beaird	88	2	3.320	0.000	165
148	Tyler Hoopaugh - Chris Hoopaugh	16	2	3.190	0.000	164
149	brad anderson - brian king	146	1	1.800	0.000	163
150	Noah Steere - Tim Spencer	24	1	1.620	0.000	162
151	Trip Emerson - Caleb Unger	14	1	1.430	0.000	161
152	Levi Meeks - Steven Crockford	21	1	1.410	0.000	160
153	William Hardy - michael boeke	129	1	1.360	0.000	159
154	Matt Stout -	10	0	0.000	0.000	158
155	Louie Hull - Chuck Montgomery	22	0	0.000	0.000	157
156	Chris Ellis - Justin Shropshire	23	0	0.000	0.000	156
157	Wendell Gaddy - Pam Gaddy	26	0	0.000	0.000	155
158	Butch Zadlo - Bryan Lewis	33	0	0.000	0.000	154
159	Matthew Benge - Charles Hobbs	37	0	0.000	0.000	153
160	Travus Lovell - Joshua Lyalls	52	0	0.000	0.000	152
161	David Clanton - Derek Lilley	59	0	0.000	0.000	151
162	dennis hensley - Steve Yoder	62	0	0.000	0.000	150
163	Greg Whittington - Robert Churc	67	0	0.000	0.000	149
164	Bryce Owen - Jonathan Phillips	69	0	0.000	0.000	148
165	W C Reed - Judy Reed	70	0	0.000	0.000	147
166	mike clark - orlando giles	73	0	0.000	0.000	146
167	Rodney Morrow - Steve Jordan	78	0	0.000	0.000	145
168	Ronald Farrow - Roger Farrow	79	0	0.000	0.000	144
169	Craig Chambers - Keith Ogden	85	0	0.000	0.000	143
170	Chuck Daymude - Graham Rushing	91	0	0.000	0.000	142
171	Billy Scoggins - Eddie Parker	92	0	0.000	0.000	141
172	Greg Sims - Michael Huffman	94	0	0.000	0.000	140
173	Hau Tran -	96	0	0.000	0.000	139
174	dylan bailey - Brian Bailey	97	0	0.000	0.000	138
175	Mike Nishimoto - Ben McKinney25	99	0	0.000	0.000	137
176	Roger Pope - Michael Smith	101	0	0.000	0.000	136
177	Duke Denison - Jamie Denison	108	0	0.000	0.000	135
178	Ben Warner - Richard Hurt	111	0	0.000	0.000	134
179	Miles Hair - Terry Tolar	113	0	0.000	0.000	133
180	ronnie wilson - Josh Gardner	119	0	0.000	0.000	132
181	Steve Shaw - Ken Fender	122	0	0.000	0.000	131
182	Mitchell Cook - Todd Huffman	126	0	0.000	0.000	130
183	Dempsey Carter - Ted Mobley	131	0	0.000	0.000	129
184	Brent White - cody andrews	135	0	0.000	0.000	128
185	Jason Amato - Charlie Christenb	137	0	0.000	0.000	127
186	george fleming - tannar blanks	144	0	0.000	0.000	126
187	Alton Rockett - Brandon Earls	150	0	0.000	0.000	125
188	Reid Mcginn - Brandon Williams	152	0	0.000	0.000	124
189	Ben Parker - Jimmy Drumm	153	0	0.000	0.000	123
190	Donald Poteat - Johnny Allen	156	0	0.000	0.000	122
191	Eddie Smith - Michael Carson	160	0	0.000	0.000	121
192	Eric Jeter - Darron Jeter	161	0	0.000	0.000	120
193	Mike Ray - Chris Anderson	170	0	0.000	0.000	119
194	Chris Wagner - Chase Deal	173	0	0.000	0.000	118
195	Zach McGlamery - jerry mcglamer	175	0	0.000	0.000	117
196	Shawn Crosby - Linda Patterson	179	0	0.000	0.000	116
197	Brayden Rakes - Chris Cox	183	0	0.000	0.000	115
198	Jim Witherspoon - Jerry Goble	190	0	0.000	0.000	114
199	Max Long - Jason Long	192	0	0.000	0.000	113
200	Will Petty - Barry Bost	197	0	0.000	0.000	112
201	Earl Proctor - David Fortenberr	198	0	0.000	0.000	111
202	Corey Patton - Kyle Whisnant	200	0	0.000	0.000	110
203	Lewis Thomasson - Matt Haywood	202	0	0.000	0.000	109

by AnglersChannel

Chris Lane Wins Bassmaster Elite Series On St Johns River!

When everything is in sync and his timing feels perfect, Chris Lane says he experiences a sensation like a clock ticking inside of him. He yells “Pow!” when he boats a big bass.

Over the four-day Bassmaster Elite Series event on the St. Johns River system, Lane heard the tick-tock, and his word of triumph exploded repeatedly from his lips.

Starting Sunday’s final round with a 12 1/2-pound lead, the tournament was Lane’s to win or lose.

Lane not only stayed in stride the final day by catching 15 pounds, but he also he walked off with the victory in high style: His winning margin was 14 pounds, 4 ounces over the second-place finisher, Dean Rojas.

Lane amassed 90-13 over the four days of competition. He added a sixth Bassmaster victory to his resume that includes being the 2012 Bassmaster Classic champion and a 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series winner.

A Florida native now living in Guntersville, Ala., Lane’s win in Palatka, Fla., was like coming home for the victory parade. Fans flocked to him for autographs, and several photographers shot a family photo of so many people, they almost fell out of the cameras’ viewfinder.

“To win here in Florida is something special for me. This (the trophy) is for my family who got up at 3 o’clock and drove all the way from Guntersville,” Lane said.

All four days of competition Lane fished on Dexter, a lake of the St. Johns River system peppered with lily pad patches with an average depth of about 7 feet and about a mile long.

He decided on Dexter during practice for the event because he’d fished it before. His instinct was proved right when huge bass began to hit his lure so hard, they were sawing tough lily pad stems in half, he said.

Even when he was in 15th place on the first day, Lane did not question his decision to stick with Dexter. The conditions there were perfect — higher water and lower temperature than normal for March.

His reward for keeping faith in his instincts came on Day 2. He produced the event’s largest catch of 37-9, plus the lead by almost 9 pounds. Day 3 with 19-9, he stretched that margin to an incredible 12 pounds, 8 ounces, the second-largest lead in Elite history.

On Sunday, he returned to Dexter. If the lunkers were still there, he didn’t find them.

“I knew things were getting a little slow because there are only so many lily pads to fish, and once you take two or three fish off a pad, you’re not going to go back there and catch another one,” he said. “It was getting thin. I had to buckle down today and grind hard.”

Lane either cast into Dexter’s pads or punched a jig into the vegetation, targeting largemouth bass that were prespawners and postspawners, he said.

Which pads held bass, he said, “was just something you learn from fishing in Florida. You can’t explain it, but you know when you see it. And in practice I tried to find a patch I could get not just one, but eight bites out of.”

Casting to pads was his choice over sight fishing in eel grass, a pattern employed by many in the 108-angler Elite field.

Lane said he considered his winning lures to be a Luck-E-Strike ribbontail worm in black-and-blue, and a prototype soft stickbait being developed by Luck-E-Strike. He rigged both with a 1/8-ounce Reins weight. His jig, he said, was homemade, black-and-blue and rigged with a 3/4-ounce weight and 65-pound line.

Trailing Lane by 14-4 was Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Rojas was happy with his second-place finish at 76-9 because he’d been in 20th place after Day 1, then climbed to 11th, then ninth before ending in the runner-up position after weighing a five-bass limit of 21-10, his best of the event.

By finishing in third place with 75-4, Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark., retained his early lead in the race for Toyota Angler of the Year, an award he’s won three times. Taking fourth place at St. Johns with 74-7 was the 2012 Elite winner on the same fishery, Alton Jones of Lorena, Texas. Fifth place was by Davy Hite of Ninety Six, S.C., with 73-3.

Bonuses that Elite pros earned at the St. Johns event were:

* Toyota Bonus Bucks award of $3,000 to the highest finisher eligible for the bonus: Davy Hite. This Bonus Bucks award at the previous Elite event was won by Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, S.C.

* Toyota Bonus Bucks award of $2,000 to the second-highest finisher eligible for the bonus: David Walker. This Bonus Bucks award at the previous Elite event was won by Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla.

* Toyota’s $1,000 bonus to the leader in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race: Mark Davis

* Berkley Heavyweight Award of $500 for the best five-fish limit: Chris Lane for his 37-9 on Day 2.

* Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament worth $1,000 plus another $500 for wearing Carhartt apparel: Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., for his 10-10 on Day 2.

* Power-Pole Captain’s Cash award of $1,000 to the winner: Chris Lane.

* Rigid Industries Jackpot award of $250 daily to the angler eligible for the bonus who brought in 25 pounds or more in one day: Day 2, Chris Lane for his 37-9 on Day 2, $250 plus Day 1’s unclaimed $250. The unclaimed $500 from days 3 and 4 roll over into the next Elite event’s Rigid Industries Jackpot.

* Livingston Lures Leader Award of $500 for heading up the leaderboard on the second day: Chris Lane.

ESPN2 will air coverage of the St. Johns River event on The Bassmasters, Sunday, April 6, at 8 a.m. ET. A reair is scheduled for Sunday, April 13, also at 8 a.m. ET. Fans can catch the episode again on The Outdoor Channel on May 19.

Next up for the Elite Series is the April 3-6 A.R.E Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Table Rock Lake out of Branson, Mo.

St. Johns Event Local Host: Putnam County Chamber of Commerce.

2014 Bassmaster Elite Series St. John River 3/20-3/23
St. Johns River, Palatka FL.
Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown              No./lbs-oz Pts   Total $$$
1. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL        20 90-13 100 $102,000.00
Day 1: 5   18-11     Day 2: 5   37-09     Day 3: 5   19-09     Day 4: 5   15-00
2. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ    20 76-09   99 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5   17-15     Day 2: 5   19-07     Day 3: 5   17-09     Day 4: 5   21-10
3. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR           20 75-04   98 $21,000.00
Day 1: 5   18-03     Day 2: 5   26-07     Day 3: 5   16-13     Day 4: 5   13-13
4. Alton Jones Lorena, TX              20 74-07   97 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5   18-01     Day 2: 5   21-11     Day 3: 5   19-08     Day 4: 5   15-03
5. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC          20 73-03   96 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5   24-01     Day 2: 5   14-07     Day 3: 5   24-13     Day 4: 5   09-14
6. David Walker Sevierville, TN         20 71-13   95 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   20-01     Day 3: 5   19-11     Day 4: 5   17-10
7. Randy Howell Springville, AL         20 71-12   94 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5   27-03     Day 2: 5   20-02     Day 3: 5   11-09     Day 4: 5   12-14
8. Keith Combs Huntington, TX          20 70-03   93 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-12     Day 2: 5   28-02     Day 3: 5   17-11     Day 4: 5   09-10
9. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL        20 69-10   92 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5   19-12     Day 2: 5   24-15     Day 3: 5   13-04     Day 4: 5   11-11
10. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX              20 68-09   91 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5   12-11     Day 2: 5   21-02     Day 3: 5   21-00     Day 4: 5   13-12
11. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC               19 65-00   90 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5   17-14     Day 2: 5   16-11     Day 3: 5   19-14     Day 4: 4   10-09
12. Paul Elias Laurel, MS              20 63-13   89 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5   19-05     Day 2: 5   24-14     Day 3: 5   13-04     Day 4: 5   06-06

CARHARTT BIG BASS
Greg Hackney             Gonzales, LA        10-10      $1,000.00
BERKLEY HEAVYWEIGHT
Chris Lane               Guntersville, AL    37-09        $500.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1        97       521      1440-06
2        99       515      1514-05
3        46       243       705-06
4        11        59       158-00
----------------------------------
253      1338      3818-01

by AnglersChannel

Cbc Lake Norman Wrap Up With Director Brett Collins.....wateree Up Next!!

CBC Tournament Director Brett Collins talks about a record setting turnout (203 Teams) as well as the fantastic fishing that these anglers were able to experience on Norman Sat. With Wateree up next weekend, don't look for much to change expect bigger limits!!

by AnglersChannel

Scott Threadgill And Dwayne Saunders Win The Cbc On Lake Norman And Take Home $13,000!!

Scott Threadgill and Dwayne Saunders talk about their great day, 18.74 LB sack, BF (5.80), and the $13,000 they took home with Tournament Director Brett Collins!!

by AnglersChannel

Excitement Building For First Anglers Choice Nc Division Tournament Sunday On Falls Lake

Jerame Edwards & Butch McMurray won the VA Division opener on Smith Mountain

Two weeks ago Chris Lucas did not know what to expect for the first Anglers Choice Marine Team Tournament of the year on Virginia's Smith Mountain Lake. A brutal winter storm hit the day before and there was a real question of how many teams would even be able to get to the lake.

But, despite the cold, snow and ice, 187 boats showed up for the first Virginia Division tournament of the year – and, despite the winter chill, the bass were hungry.

“We probably would have had 250 boats if a lot of our boats had not been snowed in,” Lucas said. “But the tournament went really well and it took a pretty good weight to win it. There were a lot of big fish weighed in – a couple over 7 pounds, a lot of 6-pounders and plenty of 4- and 5-pounders.”

Despite the winter storm, the day of the tournament at Smith Mountain it was 65 degrees and gorgeous, Lucas said.

“But that morning the ramp was iced and we had to put salt on it. But by the afternoon, they were putting on sunscreen because they were getting sunburned,” he added.

Now, with the first North Carolina Division tournament scheduled this Sunday on Falls Lake, Lucas has questions about how it will turn out, but he is encouraged by the response seen so far from anglers in both North Carolina and Virginia.

“A lot of our Virginia boats are going to Falls and we are getting a lot of calls from the Raleigh area, too,” he said. “I don't know that we will have 187 boats, but I think we are going to have a pretty good sized tournament to kick off the Carolina side of the series this year. A lot of folks we have not seen before are coming to fish.”

As for the fishing, Lucas said he had no idea about what the bass are doing this first weekend of spring in Falls, but some of the fishermen have reported being very excited about fishing the lake.

“I had one guy call me and tell me he got a map of Falls. Some of the deepest water he found was about 20 feet, but there was a whole bunch of stuff down there to fish around, so I think it will be pretty good fishing.”

Beginning last year the Anglers Choice Team series was split into two divisions, one for Virginia and one for North Carolina, with four qualifiers in each division.

“What's unique is that you can get four qualifiers in two weekends on Buggs Island,” Lucas said. “Make two trips and you have two qualifiers to fish for a boat. Then through the course of the season fish two more and qualify for the whole shooting match. You can fish six of the eight qualifiers in just four weekends the way the schedule is set up.”

The double qualifier weekends are April 5 and 6 and June 7 and 8, with anglers able to fish the Virginia Division qualifier on Saturday and the North Carolina Division qualifier on Sunday both weekends.

“Our anglers really like this opportunity because fishing a trail is an investment and it helps cut down on expenses for the fishermen,” Lucas said.

“The other aspect of out trail this year is that we are going to have two separate Classics, with a Ranger Boat for the winners on the Virginia side and a Triton for the winners on the North Carolina side. So, with the opportunity to fish both Classics, guys have two chances to win a boat.”

And, he added, about 80 teams so far have registered for the Bassmaster Trail to fish for the opportunity to qualify for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic.

The Virginia Division schedule runs March 8, Smith Mountain Lake; April 5, Kerr Reservoir; May 10, Smith Mountain Lake; June 7, Kerr Reservoir; with the Virginia Classic Oct. 4-5 on Smith Mountain Lake. The North Carolina Division runs March 23 on Falls Lake, April 6 on Kerr Reservoir; May 24 on High Rock; June 8 on Kerr Reservoir; with the North Carolina Classic Oct. 25-26 on High Rock.

“Anglers should note that this first North Carolina tournament is a Sunday event and we will be launching out of Ledge Rock. We had another ramp scheduled earlier, but some folks from down that way called and advised that it was not conducive to our tournament, so we had to switch to Ledge Rock,” Lucas said.

Anglers Choice Marine Team Trail NC Division

Sun, Mar 23, 2014

Falls Lake

Ledge Rock

Call Chris Lucas 276-358-0844

www.anglerschoicemarine.com

by AnglersChannel

Spring May Not Be Quite Soon Enough For Carolinas Bass Challenge Tournament On Lake Norman

Spring finally arrived in the Carolinas Thursday, bringing sunshine and warmer temperatures – a welcome relief from the winter chill, dark skies and precipitation that have prevailed for months.

But the relief from the weather rigors of winter might not have come soon enough to bust the bass out of their winter doldrums in time for the first Carolina Bass Challenge North Carolina Division tournament of 2014 Saturday on Lake Norman.

“I can't believe the water temperature has moved up a lot this week,” said veteran angler Jeff Coble of Manson, N.C. “The fish are wanting to move up and start spawning, but the water temperature just won't let them, so I figure the fish will still be in pre-spawn this weekend.”

Fellow veteran angler David Wright of Lexington, N.C., agreed.

“I don't know if the next couple of days of warmer weather will be enough,” Wright said. “I just don't know how much it's going to warm things up.”

For the past month the weather has teased the bass and the fishermen, Wright noted. The occasional warmer, drier day, seemed to portend the arrival of spring and the start of spawning activity, but then there would be another wintry blast to knock things back. But, Wright noted, the trend has been towards conditions getting right for spring.

“It seems like every time it warms up a little another front comes through and cools things down, but just not quite as much as it was. If we get 60-degree water we will see spawning or fish trying to spawn,” he said.

Wright would seem to have a leg up on other anglers since he fished an American Bass Anglers tournament on Norman last weekend, placing 4^th with five bass that weighed 13.48 pounds. However, in the short time since that weigh-in the lake has experienced another bone-chilling cold front, followed by the sunny arrival of spring on Thursday.

With the lake off limits the week before the tournament, both anglers agreed there is very little to go on as far as having a set fishing strategy for Saturday.

“Nobody is going to have any up-to-the-minute information. You are just going to have to guess right when you get on the lake Saturday morning,”Coble said.

“You will just have to go out there and start fishing and see what's happening,” Wright added.

More than 170 two-man teams are expected to fish for more than $40,000 in cash and prizes Saturday, according to Al Odom, tournament administrator.

“First Place will be $10,000 with the highest finishing Skeeter/Yamaha owner taking home $5,000,” Odom said. “The Big Fish winner will take home $1,000. CBC pays one place for every 6 teams entered and features a 100 percent-plus payout.”

Carolinas Bass Challenge - NC Division

Sat, Mar 22, 2014

Lake Norman

Blythe Landing

Call Brett Collins 803-413-7521

www.carolinasbasschallenge.com

by AnglersChannel

Low Water Means Largemouths Should Prevail In Alabama Bass Trail North Division Tournament On Pickwick

Very low water levels means the Alabama Bass Trail North Division tournament on Pickwick Lake Saturday likely will be a largemouth bass tournament, according to veteran tournament angler Rex Chambers.

“The water is down probably three feet from what it usually is, with lots of rock showing,” Chambers said. “They have not run any water since Monday and they probably will not run any this week since we have not got any rain. That is going to put the current-dependent people in a little bind.”

Chambers said that this is the time of year when a lot of anglers like to get in the current and the area called “the Horseshoe” right below the dam and catch big smallmouth with an occasional big largemouth. But with less current to target smallmouth bass in the tournament should be dominated by largemouth bass, he added.

“With the water low and them not pulling any water, the smallmouth are not turned on,” Chambers said. “I am sure there will be some smallmouth weighed in, but the largemouths are on the move and they are shallow. They are ready to spawn as soon as the water temperature warms up.”

That means anglers will have to shift their focus to areas downstream that harbor largemouths, he noted.
“I think about 75 percent of the field will be running mid-river, trying to find some grass to pull some largemouths out of,” he said. “Anybody who finds the right patch of grass will be the ones who come out on top.”

Chambers said half the field likely will be throwing rattle baits in the grass and some will be casting jerkbaits.

“Once those Pickwick largemouths get on the move they get on a jerkbait bite,” he noted.

Chambers and his partner Kevin McMahan are fishing both divisions of the New Alabama Bass Trail. “I live halfway between Smith Lake and Guntersville. I am about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes from just about every lake in North Alabama,” said Chambers, who, with McMahan, finished 13^th in the first North Division Tournament on Guntersville in early February.

“We really expected to win it, but all the ice and cold weather kind of changed our bite, so we will take that 13^th place and go on to Pickwick and see if we can do a little better,” he said.

The Alabama Bass Trail, which launched this year, could be even more attractive in its second year, 2015, Program Director Kay Donaldson said.

“We think we will see a big increase next year. We are about 70 percent done in having all those dates confirmed and we hope to release the 2015 dates this May. We are looking for more interest from anglers in Florida and South Georgia and we think getting the dates out early this year will help people get prepared for next year.

Registration is available online at www.alabamabasstrail.org up to the Wednesday preceding each tournament. The entry fee per tournament is $250 per team.

The schedule includes: North Division – Feb. 1, Lake Guntersville; March 22, Pickwick Lake; April 5, Neely Henry Lake; May 31, Wheeler Lake; June 21, Logan Martin Lake. South Division – March 1, Mobile-Tensaw River Delta; March 15, Lake Eufaula; April 19, Lake Jordan; May 10, Alabama River (Millers Ferry); June 7, Lay Lake.

Each tournament has a guaranteed first prize of $10,000, plus $23,000 to the top 20 places and $500 to big fish. There are also numerous bonus packages available to winning and placing anglers.

The Top 50 teams for both the Northern and Southern Divisions will advance to the 2014 ABT Team Championship Oct. 10-11 at Smith Lake in Jasper. Plus, the top 25 student boats overall will be in the final event. To be eligible for the championship, teams must enter all five qualifying events in their respective division.

The grand prize for the no-entry fee championship is a fully-rigged Phoenix 619 Pro Bass Boat with a 150-horsepower Mercury Outboard, valued at $40,000. Adding to that excitement level is an opportunity to advance to the Bassmasters Team Championship and possibly earn a berth in the Bassmaster Classic.

“We are looking at an estimated $420,000 total in prizes for the series,” Donaldson said. “We think the anglers are going to really enjoy it because they will have the opportunity to advance to our championship and from there the opportunity to go to the BASS Team Championship.”

Alabama Bass Trail - North Division

Sat, Mar 22, 2014

Pickwick Lake

McFarland Park

Call Kay Donaldson 855-934-7425

www.alabamabasstrail.org

by AnglersChannel

Pickwick Lake to Host Second Stop of Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series’ Northern Division Mar 22, 2014

Decatur, Ala. (March 18, 2014) – On March 22, 2014, the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series is bringing the second stop of the Northern Division to the waters of Pickwick Lake where a guaranteed first place prize of $10,000 is up for grabs!

Hosted by the Florence-Lauderdale Tourism Board, the tournament has attracted 400 amateur anglers from across the southeastern United States and is expected to generate an approximate $500,000 economic impact for the Florence area and Lauderdale County.

Takeoff is set for approximately 7 a.m. and weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. at the boat ramp in McFarland Park in Florence, AL. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. Registration and briefing will take place at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 21. According to Alabama Bass Trail’s Program Director Kay Donaldson, the tournament is expected to pump an estimated $500,000 into the local economy of the host city through revenue generated by anglers and their family members dining, shopping, and overnighting in local hotels and motels.

Sanctioned by BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society), the tournament trail features two divisions: Northern and Southern. Each division is made up of five tournaments on five different lakes. Maximum number of boats is 200 and each tournament will have a $10,000 guaranteed first place prize and will pay 20 places.

Northern Division:

Lake Guntersville February 1, 2014 hosted by Marshall County CVB

Pickwick Lake March 22, 2014 hosted by Florence-Lauderdale Tourism

Neely Henry Lake April 5, 2014 hosted by City of Gadsden Parks & Recreation

Wheeler Lake May 31, 2014 hosted by Decatur-Morgan County CVB

Logan Martin Lake June 21, 2014

Southern Division:

Mobile-Tensaw Delta March 1, 2014 hosted by North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce

Lake Eufaula March 15, 2014 hosted by Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce

Lake Jordan April 19, 2014 hosted by Wetumpka Chamber of Commerce

Alabama River (Millers Ferry) May 10, 2014 hosted by Wilcox County Chamber and the City of Monroeville

Lay Lake June 7 hosted by Shelby County Commission

The championship is a 125 boat, two-day event. The 125 boats are comprised of the top 50 teams in points from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective divisions, along with the top 25 student boats collectively from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective division. Hosted by Chamber of Commerce of Walker County, the championship tournament is set for October 10-11, 2014 on Lewis Smith Lake.

The championship is a no entry tournament and the first place prize is a fully-rigged 2015 Phoenix 619 Pro with a Mercury 150, trolling motor and electronics valued at $37,495 with an additional $40,000 in cash and prizes. The official bass boat of the Alabama Bass Trail, Phoenix Bass boats will also offer the tier one First Flight incentive plan to tournament winners in a qualifying Phoenix boat.

Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series’ sponsors include Bill Penney Toyota, the Alabama Tourism Department, Phoenix Bass Boats, Inc., Fishlife, Elite Outdoors Media, McDonalds of Alabama, and Pradco-FISHING representing BOOYAH and YUM, Dobyns Rods, Randy Jones Agency – Nationwide, T-H Marine Supplies, Inc., Alabama Power Company, Buffalo Rock, Inc., Jet-Pep, Inc., Tennessee Valley Authority, Rigid Industries, Inc., and Frogg Toggs, Inc., Go Pro, Gander Mountain, HydroWaveTM, Garmin, and Yeti Coolers.

For more information on the Alabama Bass Trail and the tournament series, call Program Director Kay Donaldson at 855.934.7425 or visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.

About Alabama Bass Trail

The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association. Its mission is to promote Alabama as a year round fishing destination, to preserve natural resources for generations to come, and to educate high school and college aged students to be good stewards of natural resources. The 11 bass fishing lakes consist of Lake Guntersville, Wheeler Lake, Pickwick Lake, Lewis Smith Lake, Neely Henry Lake, Lay Lake, Logan Martin Lake, Lake Jordan, Alabama River (Millers Ferry), Lake Eufaula, and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. For more information, visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.

by AnglersChannel

Murray State Wins Collegiate Bass Fishing Open On Lake Chickamauga

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Bethel University and Auburn University Finish 2nd and 3rd

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (March 18, 2014) -

The Association of Collegiate Anglers kicked off the 2014 Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series in style with over 260 college anglers from over 60 schools attending the Collegiate Bass Fishing Open at Lake Chickamauga near Dayton, TN. The famed fishery played host to one the most unique formats in college fishing for this event which features a combined weight format between two boats and four anglers from the same school. Each boat weighed in their heaviest three fish limits daily and then combined their weight with their other boat's weights and the heaviest combined weight over two days is be used to crown the winner.

This event also featured nine of the top ten teams in the current Cabela's School of the Year race, making it arguably the toughest field yet to date this season. Playing host to the event was Dayton, TN who rolled out the red carpet for the college anglers with a registration banquet and assistance at the event.

"When you combine the best collegiate anglers, the hottest big bass lake in the country in the most angler friendly host city in America, you can't help but have a record breaking event. We had over 100 volunteers show up to provide these anglers the same VIP treatment that we give our professional anglers and I believe they were able to see why Dayton is called the "new bass fishing capitol of the south," said Dennis Tumlin, Executive Director of Rhea Economic Development and Tourism Council. "I can't thank our volunteers and our city & county officials enough along with TWRA for creating a one of a kind angling environment here in Dayton."

The college anglers did not disappoint nor did the lake, with numerous fish over 6 pounds hitting the scales and when the final weigh in wrapped up, it was Murray State's Team of Justin Graben, Dan Schult, Justin Bergen, Cody Santel that won the event edging out Bethel University and Auburn University who finished in second and third, respectively.

The Murray State Team reported that they had a shortened practice due to classes at the school on Wednesday as well as a club meeting on Wednesday night, thus arriving at the lake late in the early morning hours on Thursday. They rested at the boat ramp for a few hours before hitting the waters on the final official practice day.

"We knew everyone would be throwing an umbrella rig and didn't want to share water with those guys. Shallow fishing is all four of our strengths and from our knowledge and experience on the river we knew there would be some good fish pushed shallow so we looked for that type of water," stated Cody Santel of Murray State Bass Club. "Our three baits for the week were a jig, chatterbait, and a 2.5 squarebill. The crankbait caught the majority of our fish, and accounted for the 6 and 7 pounder myself and Berger weighed in. The key though to the chatterbait and crankbait bite was to reel as slowly as possible through the wood."

"We have some awesome anglers on the team this season, and a lot of us have had some great finishes in the past but it feels good to finally seal the deal with a major win. Our club is as strong as it has ever been, and we have a bunch of new freshman this year who can really fish and I'm excited to see how this year will play out. Murray State is definitely going to be a team to watch out for," Santel went on to say.

The Murray State Team feels that this win will be a huge momentum builder for the rest of the Association of Collegiate Angler events as well as move them into contention for the Cabela's School of the Year Race. All the team members wanted to thank all their families and sponsors and stated that without their help the team could never send as many teams to the event as we did. We have some great sponsors that help us out, but a special thanks to Wood Forrest Bank, John at Fisherman's Headquarters, Navionics, and Mr. Campisano.

The Bethel University bass team once again started out strong at a major collegiate event and have also moved into contention for a run at the Cabela's School of the Year title. The Bethel Team of Cody Ross, Dewey Sims, Zach Parker and Matthew Roberts were in first place after day one before slipping a little bit on day two which caused them to fall to second. Bethel, last year's BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship winners, reported using umbrella rigs on channel swings in the back of creeks as their primary tactic.

"We noticed in practice that if we fished parallel to the swings we would get better bites. We also figured out that if you threw the umbrella rig on fluorocarbon you would get more quality bites," Cody Ross of the Bethel Bass Team. The team went on to thank their parents for making it all possible as well as their sponsors Lews, Strike King, Car-Hart, Triton boats, and everyone else that supports the team. They are looking forward to the Cabela's Big Bass Bash in April as Kentucky Lake has been on fire lately and that event should be a great one for all the anglers.

Rounding out the Top Ten Places:

4th Virginia Tech

5th North Carolina State University

6th North Carolina State University

7th Tennessee Tech University

8th Bethel University

9th University of Tennessee-Knoxville

10th Southwestern Oklahoma State University

For full results click here and to see our photo gallery from the Collegiate Bass Fishing Open click here.

The event, which will be televised later this year as part of the national televised series, will highlight the entire schedule of the Association of Collegiate Anglers events. It will include the most prestigious, largest, and longest running event in college fishing, the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship held on Lake Pickwick, as well as the Cabela's Collegiate Big Bass Bash held on Kentucky Lake.

by AnglersChannel

Piedmont Bass Classics Spring Mini Trail Qualifier #1 Results - Shearon Harris - Mar 16, 2014

1st Place: Jaime Fajardo & Scott Woodson of Fuquay Varina...5 bass...22.27

32 teams came out on a cold Sunday morning to fish the rescheduled Piedmont Bass Classics February 15th
snowed out Mini Trail Qualifier #1 at Shearon Harris.It was a little chilly that morning at 36 degrees and it didn't warm up until after noon and then only got up to about 56 degrees with a light rain. The wind was mostly light but did gust a few times during the day. Water temps averaged from 47 to 58. You had to find the warmer water and cast with Chatterbaits, Crankbaits, Jigs, C-Rigs & Spinnerbaits to get a hit.

Jaime Fajardo & Scott Woodson caught 5 nice bass weighing a total of 22.27 lbs taking 1st Place. They also won 1st Place TWT for a total of $1,127 in winnings. They are also with the Stratos Boats 2X program and will probably earn another $749 for fishing out of a Stratos Boat!

2nd Place went to the team of Chuck Byrd & Seth Ellis with 5 bass weighing 17.06 lbs. They also won the 2nd Place TWT and took home a total of $599. Big fish for the day weighed 8.84 lbs. and was landed by the team of David Lynch & Daniel Everwine and paid them $320!!

62 bass were weighed in for a total of 185 pounds. All the bass caught were nice and healthy looking. Harris is still a hawg hunters paradise! I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support these trails.

The next tournament, coming up Saturday March 22nd, will be the Piedmont Bass Classics Mini Trail Qualifier #3 at Mayo Reservoir. Our 2014 Boats Unlimited Team Tournament Bass Trail Qualifier #3, will be Saturday, Mar. 29th at Shearon Harris out of Cross Point Landing Wildlife Ramp.

All the information on our tournaments can be found at yahoo and bing search or

http://piedmontbassclassics.com/index.html

Now here are the full results:

1st Place: Jaime Fajardo & Scott Woodson of Fuquay Varina...5 bass...22.27 lbs...$749
2nd Place: Chuck Byrd & Seth Ellis of Sanford & Lillington...5 bass...17.06 lbs...$437
3rd Place: Chip Baty & Alan Parker of Linden...5 bass...16.33 lbs...$312
4th Place: Mike Miller & Phil Edgerton of Pittsboro & Durham...2 bass...15.44 lbs...$229
5th Place: Jerry Marshburn & Tim Parker of Sanford & New Hill...5 bass...14.01...$187
6th Place: Carl & Justin Johnson of Apex...5 bass...13.19 lbs...$166

1st Place Big Fish: David Lynch & Daniel Everwine of Siler City...8.84 lbs...$320

1st Place TWT: 1st Place Team above: 22.27 lbs...$378
2nd Place TWT: 2nd Place Team above: 17.70 lbs...$162
Tow Boats US Member Bonus: Tim Goss of Franklinton: $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: www.piedmontbassclassics.com

by AnglersChannel

Piedmont Bass Classics Hyco Lake Open Results - Mar 15, 2014

Jimmy & James Wall of Greensboro...5 bass...31.72

34 teams showed up for the 2nd annual Piedmont Bass Classics Hyco Lake Open. We had pretty good weather conditions with about 47 degrees in the morning and about 68 at weighin with winds 5 to 10 mph gusting to 17 mph during the day. Water temps ranged from 47 to 58 depending on the areas fished and most of
the water was really stained from previous rains that week.

Jimmy & James Wall, of Greensboro, took 1st place honors with 5 bass weighing a whopping 31.72 lbs. They won the 1st place money, Big Fish Award (10.43 lbs.) & the Tournament Within A Tournament for a total of $1,602. Allen Haigh & Doug Washburn weighing in 5 totalling 15.76 lbs., won 2nd place and 2nd place TWT for a grand total of $670.

97 fish were weighed in for a total weight of 228 pounds. Most fish were caught from 3 to 12 feet of water on a variety of baits including jerk baits, c-rigs, jigs, spinnerbaits & crankbaits for the most part, and the fish looked very healthy. The hot baits for the day reported to be c-rigs! I want to thank all the anglers that participated and that supported this tournament.

Our next tournament will be the Piedmont Bass Classics Team Bass Spring Mini Trail Qualifier #3 at Mayo Reservoir, Saturday March 22nd out of Triple Springs Wildlife Ramp.

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

Now here are the full results:

1st Place: Jimmy & James Wall of Greensboro...5 bass...31.72 lbs...$925
2nd Place: Allen Haigh & Doug Washburn of Prospect Hill & Bracey, VA...5 bass...15.76 lbs...$517
3rd Place: Joey & Lee Moore of Sutherlin, VA & Eden...5 bass...12.40 lbs...$408
4th Place: Marty Warren & Derek Cobb of Elon & Burlington...5 bass...12.04 lbs...$300
5th Place: Kenneth Dixon & W.F. Cox of Leasburg...5 bass...11.92 lbs...$217
6th Place: Kenny Allen & Larry Moody of Raleigh & Youngsville...5 bass...10.50 lbs...$190
7th Place: Dennis Duncan of Danville, VA...4 bass...10.31 lbs...$163

Winner Big Fish..1st Place Team above: 10.43 lbs...$320

1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above: 31.72 lbs...$357
2nd Place TWT..2nd Place Team above: 15.76 lbs...153

http://piedmontbassclassics.com/2014HycoOpenResults.html

by AnglersChannel

SMELLEY, HOLLINGSHEAD WIN TEXAS TEAM TRAIL EVENT AT LAKE RAY ROBERTS

Anglers top 217-team field, take home over $31,000 in cash and prizes!

NORMAN, Okla. (March 17, 2014) – Parker Smelley and Branden Hollingshead, both of Fort Worth, Texas, brought 28.06 pounds of bass to the scales to win the second stop of the 2014 Texas Team Trail presented by Cabela’s (TXTT) at Lake Ray Roberts on March 15. With their victory, the winning anglers took home nearly $2,000 of bonus incentives plus a new, fully rigged Stratos 189 VLO with 150-horsepower Evinrude, valued at $30,000.

With a weather front approaching the anglers took advantage of the increased bite.

“The weather fell right into what we wanted to happen,” said Smelley. “We wanted the front to come in.”

Fishing with jerkbaits, umbrella rigs and crankbaits, the anglers fished in only one location.

“We fished a secondary point and ridge,” said Smelley. “We never left, stayed in one spot all day. We felt good about our weight and figured it would take thirty pounds to win.”

In their second year fishing the TXTT, second-place finishers Chad Walkoviak and Russell Pasket, both of Anderson, Texas, weighed a five-fish limit of 28.04, just four one-hundredths of a pound behind the winners.

During pre-fishing on Friday, the team experienced a slow bite. Unaccustomed to fishing with an umbrella rig, the anglers tied one on and landed a six-pound bass in three casts.

“Neither one of use had thrown one before, but there was a tournament out here a few weeks ago that was won with one,” said Walkoviak. “My partner used an umbrella rig and within the first ten minutes we had a four-pounder. I finally picked one up around noon and as soon as I started throwing it I caught a six-pounder.”

With a good bag of fish the anglers still had a small bass to replace before heading back to the weigh-in.

“Right at the end of the day we still had a two-pounder we needed to cull,” said Walkoviak. “In the last ten minutes I caught a 7.81-pound bass. After that, we were pretty much done.”

The anglers won a total of $5,425 and plan on fishing the remaining two TXTT events and the championship at Toledo Bend.

“I like competition in general,” said Walkoviak. “I’ve been fishing tournaments since I was 14 or 15. The Texas Team Trail’s competition is pretty stout. It’s a lot different than fishing our home lake against the same people. We’re looking forward to the rest of the season.”

Rob Burns and Mike Burns took home the $3,255 third-place price and added $1,452 in Angler’s Advantage cash. T.J. Goodwyn and Phillip Crelia won the $1,085 Big Bass award for their 10.65-pound lunker. Additionally, Duck Hawkins and Victor Hawkins were winners of a free Minn Kota Talon shallow water anchor system for pre-registering for the event while Johnny King and Ginger King won a Mustang Survival inflatable PFD for registering online.

The next stop for the Texas Team Trail is Lake Texoma on April 12. Competitors who register for the Lake Texoma event by midnight of Thursday, April 10, will be allowed to pre-fish on Friday, April 11, and entered into a drawing for a free Power-Pole shallow water anchor. All participants who register online will also be entered into a drawing for a Cabela’s $100 gift card.

For additional information, anglers are encouraged to call 210-788-4143 or check out the TXTT website at www.texasteamtrail.com. Site visitors can register for events, review the television schedule, get official Texas Team Trail gear, view results and learn more about what’s in store for 2014.

For full results, please go to www.texasteamtrail.com/tournaments/events-results.

by AnglersChannel

Major League Fishing Format Now Available for Local Tournaments

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SCORETRACKER LIVE Allows Anglers Across the Country to FISH “MLF Style”

TULSA, Okla. (February 17, 2014) - Major League Fishing’s innovative every-catch-counts competition format – complete with an in-boat leader board for all competitors - is now available to local tournament anglers through an Internet-based program called MLF SCORETRACKER LIVE.

Major League Fishing Commissioner Don Rucks announced today that the league has built technology that will allow any angler with a smart phone or tablet to download and utilize the same scoring system that made MLF an instant hit on Outdoor Channel.

“This is the same scoring technology that Kevin VanDam, Skeet Reese, Mike Iaconelli, Gary Klein and all MLF anglers utilize during competition,” Rucks said.

"The one thing we’ve heard over and over, since the first round of the first Major League Fishing telecast, is that anglers around the country want to fish in their own MLF-style tournaments. They want to be able to count every scorable fish they catch, and they want to see a live leader board showing where they stand against the other anglers at any time.

"So we built the technology to make it happen,” Rucks said. “To put it simply, Major League Fishing at the club level is now here.”

When anglers utilize SCORETRACKER LIVE, real-time results will display competing anglers by name, show where they rank in comparison to other anglers in the event and offer their total weight and number of scorable bass caught. The leader board also displays the average weight of each catch and the weight of the anglers’ heaviest fish.

All information is updated instantly and will be viewable on majorleaguefishing.com via smart phone, pad, tablet and/or computer.

“I truly believe that Scoretracker Live is the most progressive idea that has happened to local tournament fishing since catch-and-release was introduced,” Rucks said.

The cost for utilizing the SCORETRACKER LIVE technology is “$5 per angler per day, and we are really pleased to be able to deliver this technology at such an affordable price,” Rucks said.

Allen Martin, a regional fisheries administrator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said he hopes that SCORETRACKER LIVE is a model for future bass tournaments.

“I like the fact that it encourages the almost immediate release of the fish and eliminates hauling fish around in a live well. That’s a lot of stress on fish, especially in the warm weather we have in Florida,” Martin said.

“Up until a couple of years ago, I wouldn’t have thought we’d ever see this format,” Martin said. “We had talked about e-tournaments and even came up with some plans. But we concluded that until local anglers see the pro anglers do it, it’s never going to happen. Now, Major League Fishing is doing it, and they’re providing the technology.”

SCORETRACKER LIVE has been tested in Florida and Oklahoma, and the software “worked flawlessly,” said Florida Bass Network representative John Mobley, who directed a tournament on the St. John’s River near Palatka, Fla.

"I gave everyone my cell phone number just in case they ran into problems, and I didn't get a call all day. That speaks for itself,” Mobley said.

"The weights were super easy to put in, the page refreshed quickly, and I really liked how it broke down the number of fish, the average weight and the biggest fish.”

For detailed information about SCORETRACKER LIVE, please visit majorleaguefishing.com

by AnglersChannel

Brett Hite Wins Bassmaster Elite Series On Lake Seminole

Brett Hite of Phoenix, Ariz., takes the victory at the Dick Cepek Tires Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole presented by Hardee's. With his win, Hite receives $100,000 and a berth in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic.. Photo by Gary Tramontina/Bassmaster

Brett Hite is 1-for-1.

Sunday, Hite won the first Bassmaster Elite Series event in which he competed, the Dick Cepek Tires Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole presented by Hardee’s.

The Phoenix, Ariz., pro’s name is now alongside Derek Remitz’s in the history books as the only Elite Series rookies who have walked away with the trophy in their debut events.

Hite’s prize was $100,000 and an automatic berth in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell in South Carolina.

“I’m pretty excited because Lake Hartwell is one of my favorite lakes,” Hite said. “Going into this season, getting to the Classic on Lake Hartwell was a goal. But I’m still going into the rest of the season by putting my head down and practicing hard and fishing hard.”

With a four-day total of 97 pounds, 10 ounces, Hite’s margin of victory was a whopping 13-0 over the runner-up, Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, who posted a total of 84-10.

Ending up in third at 80-9 was Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark. Fourth place was taken by the 2004 Classic champion, Takahiro Omori of Emory, Texas, with 78-4. Finishing fifth was Kevin Short of Mayflower, Ark., with 76-6.

To take his win, Hite targeted hefty female prespawners staging along stretches of grassy banks. With his boat positioned in 6 to 8 feet of water, he was close enough to the bank to have been able to cast and hit it. He cast to the edge of the grass.

The fact that these spots replenished daily, and that he managed the use of those spots well, were keys to his daily weights: 24-11 on Day 1, which was good for fourth place; 20-11 on Day 2, when he took the lead; 26-5 on Day 3 when he led the field again, then 25-15 on Day 4.

The icing on his final day was hooking into a 7-13.

“I set the hook, and I was thinking, ‘Man, I hope this isn’t a tree.’ Then I saw my line coming toward me. It was the biggest fish I’d caught all week, and it came at the right time. It was pretty special,” he said. “I just knew that was the dagger.”

Hite achieved his hefty final-round weight despite a short competition day. A heavy storm front approaching the lake prompted Bassmaster officials to bring the 12 finalists off the water at 1 p.m. ET instead of 3:45.

Hite’s go-to lure all four days was a Z-Man ChatterBait, a bladed swim jig, in 3/8- and 1/2-ounce sizes depending on whether the grass was low or high in the water column. He said he caught most of his bass on the green pumpkin color, but he also used black-and-blue version in the morning or to give the bass something new to look at.

His trailer was usually a 4 1/2-inch swimming Gary Yamamoto Senko trailer in either green pumpkin with a dyed chartreuse tail, or in black-and-blue.

Although technically a Bassmaster Elite Series rookie, Hite has a 13-year history of competing in major tournaments. His Sunday victory was No. 2 for him in as many months; he won in Florida last month on another circuit.

Hite’s 2015 Classic qualification is his third. He competed in the 2000 Classic, qualifying through what was then the Western Invitational series and again in 2004 through the Top 150 tour before the Elite Series was created in 2006.

“The Classic is the biggest tournament in the world,” he said. “And the time period of the Classic (February) is when I excel, during the prespawn. I’m looking forward to it.”

Bonuses earned at the Lake Seminole event include :

* Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament, worth $1,000 plus another $500 for wearing Carhartt apparel: Bernie Schultz for his 10-10 on Day 1.

* Berkley Heavyweight Award of $500 for the best five-fish limit: Shaw Grigsby for his 30-5 on Day 1.

* Toyota’s $1,000 bonus to the leader in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race: Brett Hite

* Livingston Lures Leader Award of $500 for heading up the leaderboard on the second day: Brett Hite.

* Power-Pole Captain's Cash Award of $1,000 to the highest finisher equipped with Power-Poles: Faircloth

* Rigid Industries Jackpot award of $250 daily to the angler eligible for the bonus who brought in 25 pounds or more in one day: Day 1, Kevin Short (25-9); Day 2, Justin Lucas (25-9); Day 3, Hite (26-5); and Day 4, Hite (25-15).

The local host of the Elite event was the Bainbridge-Decatur County Chamber of Commerce (http://www.bainbridgegachamber.com).

The Bassmasters TV show featuring the Lake Seminole event will air from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET, Sunday, March 20 on ESPN2. The episode will reair on ESPN2 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET on Sunday, April 13, and again on The Outdoor Channel on Monday, May 12.
2014 Bassmaster Elite Series Lake Seminole Presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels 3/13-3/16

Lake Seminole, Bainbridge, Ga.

(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4

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

1. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 20 97-10 100 $100,500.00

Day 1: 5 24-11 Day 2: 5 20-11 Day 3: 5 26-05 Day 4: 5 25-15

2. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 20 84-10 99 $25,000.00

Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 5 23-12 Day 4: 5 27-11

3. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 20 80-09 98 $20,000.00

Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 20-13 Day 3: 5 20-02 Day 4: 5 18-10

4. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 20 78-04 97 $15,000.00

Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 5 23-12 Day 4: 5 19-14

5. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 20 76-06 96 $14,000.00

Day 1: 5 25-09 Day 2: 5 17-10 Day 3: 5 17-08 Day 4: 5 15-11

6. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 19 72-11 95 $13,500.00

Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 5 29-11 Day 4: 4 12-11

7. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 18 72-00 94 $14,500.00

Day 1: 5 26-14 Day 2: 5 17-10 Day 3: 5 17-02 Day 4: 3 10-06

8. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 19 70-12 93 $13,000.00

Day 1: 5 30-05 Day 2: 5 12-05 Day 3: 5 16-09 Day 4: 4 11-09

9. Byron Velvick Boenre, TX 16 67-06 92 $12,000.00

Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 4 17-04 Day 3: 5 24-08 Day 4: 2 09-03

10. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 17 62-11 91 $11,500.00

Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 25-09 Day 3: 5 15-03 Day 4: 2 04-07

11. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 17 59-10 90 $11,000.00

Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 15-11 Day 3: 5 23-09 Day 4: 2 04-12

12. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 16 57-07 89 $10,500.00

Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 16-01 Day 3: 5 20-08 Day 4: 1 01-07

CARHARTT BIG BASS

Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 10-10 $1,000.00

BERKLEY HEAVYWEIGHT

Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 30-05 $500.00

Totals

Day #Limits #Fish Weight

1 81 479 1503-02

2 59 428 1268-11

3 35 227 760-02

4 5 43 162-04

----------------------------------

180 1177 3694-03

by AnglersChannel

Tom's Marine Team Trail Results - Cherokee - Mar 15, 2014 - Boles and Absher win!

Luke Boles and Dennis Absher won the first Tom's Marine Team Trail event of 2014 on Cherokee Lake! They brought in 5 fish that weighed an impressive 21.18 lbs and took home $2,500!

The team of Scott Seaton and Wandell Lusk came in 2nd place with 19.87 lbs. They won $1,500. Third place was Tim Wright and Jimmy Moore with 19.52 lbs. Fourth place was Mark Mellons and Mark Mellons, Sr with 19.17 lbs. And Fifth place was Jeremy Gordon and Philip Gordon with 19.07 lbs.

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS!

CLICK HERE FOR POINTS!

by AnglersChannel

Collins Bass For Cash Series Update With Director Jeff Narron

Collins Bass for Cash Tournament Director Jeff Narron joins us at their Open House Sat to get us caught up on their 2nd season and whats coming up in April. Affordable entry fee's and solid paybacks........click here for more!

by AnglersChannel

Hite Widens Lead As Bassmaster Elite Series On Lake Seminole Heads Into Final Day

Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Brett Hite of Phoenix, Ariz., maintains the lead on Day 3 of the Dick Cepek Tires Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole presented by Hardee's. Photo by Gary Tramontina/Bassmaster

The Bassmaster Elite Series season kick off on Lake Seminole wraps-up tomorrow. As usual, the tournament standings tell a tale of two tourneys. On one hand, the guys at the top of the lreaderboard brought some serious weight - 8 of the Top 12 had 20-plus pounds today. On the other hand, it took less than 12 pounds per day to cut a paycheck.

As the rest of the pack collects their pay and packs up to head to Palatka, Fla. for next week's tourney on the St Johns River, 12 men made the cut to fish for the big money tomorrow. Among them, FLW Tour veteran/Elite Series rookie Brett Hite stands apart. Way apart. As in, nearly 10 pounds apart. The hottest angler on tour brought 26-5 to the scale today and ran his 3-day total to 71-11.

Strike King pro Mark Davis is the only other man to sack more than 20 pounds each day. He has been remarkably consistent with limits weighing 21-0, 20-13 and 20-02 for a total weight of 61-15.His consistency is unusual for a man who has relied on multiple patterns. Davis sight-fished the first day, but then went offshore with crankbaits the next two days.

That Hite is 9 pounds, 12 ounces ahead of Davis is testament to the strength of Hite's pattern.

Hite has stayed 'outside' and caught staging bass, culling to five fat females per day. Then he has gone looking for new areas that fit his pattern, noting that he knows the right stuff when he sees it. Hite is dialed-in and will be hard to catch.

Hite estimates that if he can get 6 or 8 bites tomorrow, and execute on them, he will have 15-to-20 pounds. He is targeting what he calls 'highways' to spawning grounds. He noted, "The fish I'm getting to bite are all big ones."

Weights tighten up quickly as Bernie Schultz is 5 ounces back of Davis, hoping to leapfrog him challenge Hite for the first Bassmaster title of his career.

Schultz is capable, as he has a solid game plan going. "Anytime you can catch a big bedding fish, that's a plus," said Schultz in reference to his 10-10 giant that came off a bed at noon on the first day and propelled him up the standings, where he has remained.

"My open water pattern is the staple for me," continued Schultz. "That's where I get my start each day. I'm fishing a grass edge about 3 feet deep with a red, 3/8 oz. Rip N Rap (lipless crankbait) a DT Fat square bill crankbait and a homemade bladed jig. The action doesn't really start until 10 or 11 o'clock and even at that, I'm only getting maybe 10 bites, or fewer, each day."

The bites Schultz is getting are the rigth ones. When the sun gets up he goes to his secondary pattern - looking at spawning bass. "I caught that big one on a Yamamoto Lizard. Green Pumpkin has been the dominant color for me this week but when a fish is dificult I switch colors to a junebug Yamamoto lizard." He said it's hard to remember but he thinks he caught the big girl on the junebug color.

Kevin Short has been right there with Schultz in the Top 5 all week and he is less than a pound behind now. Short has also fished 'out' this week as photos show him cranking near timber.

Aaron Martens stormed into the cut with 29-11 today. His Saturday weight represents nearly half of his 60-pound, 3-day total. Martens is currently in 5th place.

Shaw Grigsby rode the week's only 30-pound bag - his 30-05 day 1 effort - into the cut. He fell of with 12 pounds and change on day two but rebounded with 16-09 today and occupies 6th.

Takahiro Omori, Byron Velvick, Todd Faircloth and Charley Hartley all rallied with better-than-20-pound-bags today and will fish tomorrow.

Andy Montgomery also caught Saturday's wave of big bass momentum as he followed up his 15-11 and 15-10 limits with a 3rd day weight of 23-09 to sneak into the 12th spot of the eve of the final competition day.

Weather forecast for Bainbridge, GA tomorrow - starting out in the upper 50's, topping out in the low 70's, a southeast breeze will develop into a stiff southerly wind as cloudy morning skies bring an increased chance of rain toward mid day, culminating in thundershowers throughout weigh-in time which is 4 P.M. at the Earle May Baot Basin in Bainbridge.

If a guy played catch up with bedding bass today, he probably won't gain ground with them again tomorrow. Give the edge to the top few, who have gotten there on the strength of their offshore stuff. Still, we could be in for an exciting finish on one of America's premier bass fisheries.

2014 Bassmaster Elite Series Lake Seminole Presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels 3/13-3/16

Lake Seminole, Bainbridge, Ga.

(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3

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

1. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 15 71-11 100 $500.00

Day 1: 5 24-11 Day 2: 5 20-11 Day 3: 5 26-05

2. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 15 61-15 99

Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 20-13 Day 3: 5 20-02

3. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 15 61-10 98

Day 1: 5 26-14 Day 2: 5 17-10 Day 3: 5 17-02

4. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 15 60-11 97

Day 1: 5 25-09 Day 2: 5 17-10 Day 3: 5 17-08

5. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 15 60-00 96

Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 5 29-11

6. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 15 59-03 95

Day 1: 5 30-05 Day 2: 5 12-05 Day 3: 5 16-09

7. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 15 58-06 94

Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 5 23-12

8. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 15 58-04 93

Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 25-09 Day 3: 5 15-03

9. Byron Velvick Boenre, TX 14 58-03 92

Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 4 17-04 Day 3: 5 24-08

10. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 15 56-15 91

Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 5 23-12

11. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 15 56-00 90

Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 16-01 Day 3: 5 20-08

12. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 15 54-14 89

Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 15-11 Day 3: 5 23-09

13. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 15 53-09 88 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 21-05 Day 3: 5 17-11

14. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 15 53-06 87 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 18-05 Day 3: 5 20-12

15. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, IL 14 52-10 86 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 20-10 Day 2: 5 22-06 Day 3: 4 09-10

16. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 13 51-14 85 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 4 18-02 Day 3: 4 14-05

17. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 15 51-10 84 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 19-07 Day 3: 5 17-10

18. David Walker Sevierville, TN 15 51-09 83 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 12-05 Day 3: 5 18-00

19. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 15 50-13 82 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 18-02 Day 3: 5 15-12

20. Nate Wellman Newaygo, MI 15 50-11 81 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 21-05 Day 3: 5 14-01

21. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 15 50-01 80 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 17-09 Day 3: 5 14-02

22. Randall Tharp Port Saint Joe, FL 15 50-00 79 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 20-07 Day 3: 5 12-09

23. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 14 49-13 78 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 23-03 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 4 12-00

24. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 15 49-12 77 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 19-04

25. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 14 49-09 76 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 17-06 Day 3: 4 13-01

26. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 15 48-14 75 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 20-03 Day 2: 5 14-07 Day 3: 5 14-04

27. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 15 47-12 74 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 16-04 Day 3: 5 13-13

28. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 15 46-07 73 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 16-05

29. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 15 46-02 72 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 15-11 Day 3: 5 15-11

30. Matt Herren Trussville, AL 15 45-04 71 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 5 15-03

31. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 15 45-01 70 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 12-07 Day 3: 5 14-03

32. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 15 45-00 69 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 14-08 Day 3: 5 12-15

33. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 15 44-02 68 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 16-02

34. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 15 43-15 67 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 09-10 Day 3: 5 15-15

35. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 15 43-15 66 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 11-01 Day 3: 5 16-07

36. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 15 43-08 65 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 13-04 Day 3: 5 11-11

37. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 14 43-06 64 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 4 14-13 Day 3: 5 15-01

38. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 12 43-02 63 $10,000.00

Day 1: 2 05-00 Day 2: 5 23-15 Day 3: 5 14-03

39. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 13 42-11 62 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 13-10 Day 3: 3 11-09

40. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 14 41-00 61 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 19-13 Day 3: 4 09-00

41. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 10 40-10 60 $10,000.00

Day 1: 4 18-14 Day 2: 2 08-06 Day 3: 4 13-06

42. Mike Kernan Wylie, TX 13 40-06 59 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 16-08 Day 3: 3 09-06

43. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 13 40-02 58 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 17-15 Day 3: 3 09-11

44. Kelly Jordon Palestine, TX 12 39-12 57 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 4 17-10 Day 3: 3 06-13

45. Jeremy Starks Scott Depot, WV 13 38-12 56 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 4 12-11 Day 3: 4 10-01

46. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 14 37-10 55 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 10-11 Day 3: 4 08-07

47. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 15 37-10 54 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 14-00 Day 3: 5 08-07

48. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 12 37-00 53 $10,000.00

Day 1: 4 10-07 Day 2: 5 17-04 Day 3: 3 09-05

49. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 13 36-13 52 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 10-04 Day 3: 3 09-09

50. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 11 35-10 51 $10,000.00

Day 1: 5 23-13 Day 2: 4 06-08 Day 3: 2 05-05

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Totals

Day #Limits #Fish Weight

1 81 479 1503-02

2 59 428 1268-11

3 35 227 760-02

----------------------------------

175 1134 3531-15

by AnglersChannel

No Rookie, Hite Leads Bassmaster Elite Series On Seminole, Seeks 2Nd Tour-Level Win This Season

Brett Hite of Phoenix, Ariz., takes the lead on Day 2 of the Dick Cepek Tires Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole presented by Hardee's. Photo by Gary Tramontina/Bassmaster

Brett Hite’s first catch Friday was a 4-pounder. On his next cast, a largemouth just as big came back to the boat.

“That got things rolling and gave me a lot of confidence in what I’m doing,” said Hite, the Bassmaster Elite Series rookie who moved up from fourth place into Friday’s catbird seat in the Dick Cepek Tires Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole presented by Hardee’s.

The Phoenix, Ariz., pro ended his day with 20 pounds, 11 ounces. Added to his 24-11 already on the board, Hite had the lead in his first Elite appearance. His 45-6 total gave him a 14-ounce jump on Bernie Schultz of Gainesville, Fla.

Schultz held fast to his second-place standing achieved the first day, when a 10-pound, 10-ounce behemoth made his weigh-in bag sag. His 17-10 of Friday brought his weight to 44-8.

Kevin Short of Mayflower, Ark., owned third place — for the second consecutive day — with his 43-3 total.

A rookie like the leader, Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala. catapulted from 27th place into fourth place with the day’s largest bag, 25-9. In fifth was yet another rookie, Chad Morgenthaler of Coulterville, Ill., with 43-0.

Day 1 leader Shaw Grigsby of Gainesville, Fla., slipped to sixth place after bringing in 12-5.

Hite, unlike some pros in the field, is not banking on the bank. In this case, “the bank” means focusing on bedding bass.

“I’m targeting prespawn fish,” said Hite. “Water temperature is not really at the point where enough fish are going to the bank. I wanted to key in on the fish that are replenishing, that are going to be there day after day.”

After the two 4-pounders that set him in the right direction, Hite’s day got better.

“I ran to a secondary spot, and there were a lot more fish there than I realized. I had quite a few bites — then got out of there,” he said.

That was at about 1 o’clock. Hite backed off his fish and hunted for new water in hopes he could develop alternate plans for the two remaining competition days.

“In a four-day event, fish management is huge,” Hite said.

For Schultz, the obvious difference between his two competition days was a 10-10 lunker taken from a spawning bed on the first, but nothing near that weight on the second. His two largest bass were in the 4-pound range, he said.

Schultz said the fog delay of an hour and 20 minutes Friday morning changed his game plan. He decided to not make one of his spawning hotspots the first stop of the morning.

“Because of the delay, I went to my open-water pattern first. Then I went to sight fish, but never really saw any big fish at all,” he said.

Short also was affected by the delay.

“I think it made a lot more difference than I thought it would,” he said.

On Friday, Short said, he had caught 17 to 18 pounds by the time he made his first cast on Saturday.

He turned his slow day around when he boated a 6-3 and a 5-plus-pounder. That happened only a few minutes before he had to head back to shore and check in.

Hite won the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $500 for his second-day domination of the field.

The big fish of the day, a 7-12, was by James Niggemeyer of Van, Texas. But the 10-10 of Thursday by Schultz remains the largest so far. The big bass over four days is worth the Carhartt Big Bass bonus of up to $1,500.

Lucas won a $250 bonus from Rigid Industries for being the participating angler who achieved a 25-pound or heavier bag. The same award went to Short on Thursday.

The field was cut to the Top 50 for Saturday’s round. The pros will begin Day 3 at 7:30 a.m. from Earle May Boat Basin, 100 Boat Basin Circle, Bainbridge, Ga. The weigh-in will begin at 4 p.m. at the same location.

By Sunday, only the Top 12 will remain in the competition for a first-place prize of $100,000 and an automatic berth in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic. Pros also earn points that count toward the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year award and a Classic qualification.

Continuing through Sunday, the 11th annual Bainbridge River Town Days will offer many kids activities, plus vendors and Flames on the Flint, a barbecue cook-off. Town Days also will include many free concerts, including Chris Cagle, Saturday’s headliner.

Opening at noon Saturday and Sunday, the Bassmaster Elite Series Expo presents the products of Elite Series sponsors. The Expo includes free demo rides in Nitro, Skeeter and Triton boats powered by Mercury ProXS and Yamaha SHO engines. Saturday’s Expo also will feature the premier of GEOBASS, a new video adventure series from Costa. More GEOBASS episodes will be shown in conjunction with subsequent 2014 Elite Series events.

There’s no admission charge to any Bassmaster event, and parking is free.

The local host of the Elite event is the Bainbridge-Decatur County Chamber of Commerce (http://www.bainbridgegachamber.com).

On ESPN2 on Sunday, March 20, 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET, The Bassmasters will present a show covering the Lake Seminole event. The episode will reair on ESPN2 on Sunday, April 13, 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET, and again on The Outdoor Channel on May 12.
2014 Bassmaster Elite Series Lake Seminole Presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels 3/13-3/16

Lake Seminole, Bainbridge, Ga.

(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

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

1. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 10 45-06 100 $500.00

Day 1: 5 24-11 Day 2: 5 20-11

2. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 10 44-08 99

Day 1: 5 26-14 Day 2: 5 17-10

3. Kevin Short Mayflower, AR 10 43-03 98

Day 1: 5 25-09 Day 2: 5 17-10

4. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 10 43-01 97

Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 25-09

5. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, IL 10 43-00 96

Day 1: 5 20-10 Day 2: 5 22a-06

6. Shaw Grigsby Jr. Gainesville, FL 10 42-10 95

Day 1: 5 30-05 Day 2: 5 12-05 a

7. Mark Davis Mount Ida, AR 10 41-13 94

Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 20-13

8. Hank Cherry Jr Maiden, NC 10 37-13 93

Day 1: 5 23-03 Day 2: 5 14-10

9. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 9 37-09 92

Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 4 18-02

10. Randall Tharp Port Saint Joe, FL 10 37-07 91

Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 20-07

11. Nate Wellman Newaygo, MI 10 36-10 90

Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 21-05

12. Morizo Shimizu Osaka JAPAN 10 36-08 89

Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 17-06

13. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 35-15 88

Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 17-09

14. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, CA 10 35-14 87

Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 21-05

15. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 10 35-08 86

Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 16-01

16. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 10 35-01 85

Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 18-02

17. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 10 34-10 84

Day 1: 5 20-03 Day 2: 5 14-07

18. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 10 34-10 83

Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 14-15

19. Alton Jones Lorena, TX 10 34-00 82

Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 19-07

20. Ott DeFoe Knoxville, TN 10 33-15 81

Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 16-04

21. Byron Velvick Boenre, TX 9 33-11 80

Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 4 17-04

22. David Walker Sevierville, TN 10 33-09 79

Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 12-05

23. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 10 33-03 78

Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 12-04

24. Kelly Jordon Palestine, TX 9 32-15 77

Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 4 17-10

25. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 10 32-10 76

Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 18-05

26. Kevin VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 10 32-01 75

Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 14-08

27. Ish Monroe Hughson, CA 10 32-00 74

Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 19-13

28. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 10 31-13 73

Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 13-04

29. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 10 31-05 72

Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 15-11

30. Josh Bertrand Gilbert, AZ 10 31-02 71

Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 13-10

31. Mike Kernan Wylie, TX 10 31-00 70

Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 16-08

32. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 30-14 69

Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 12-07

33. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 10 30-08 68

Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 15-13

34. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 10 30-07 67

Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 17-15

35. Jacob Powroznik Port Haywood, VA 10 30-07 66

Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 15-11

36. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, OK 9 30-05 65

Day 1: 5 23-13 Day 2: 4 06-08

37. Aaron Martens Leeds, AL 10 30-05 64

Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 13-00

38. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 30-02 63

Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 16-15

39. Matt Herren Trussville, AL 10 30-01 62

Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 14-13

40. Davy Hite Ninety Six, SC 10 29-03 61

Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 10-11

41. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 10 29-03 60

Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 14-00

42. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 7 28-15 59

Day 1: 2 05-00 Day 2: 5 23-15

43. Jeremy Starks Scott Depot, WV 9 28-11 58

Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 4 12-11

44. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 9 28-05 57

Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 4 14-13

45. Chris Lane Guntersville, AL 10 28-00 56

Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 09-10

46. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, AL 10 28-00 55

Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 15-13

47. Tim Horton Muscle Shoals, AL 9 27-11 54

Day 1: 4 10-07 Day 2: 5 17-04

48. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 10 27-08 53

Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 11-01

49. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, GA 6 27-04 52

Day 1: 4 18-14 Day 2: 2 08-06

50. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 10 27-04 51

Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 10-04

51. Gary Klein Weatherford, TX 10 27-01 50

Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 14-05

52. Brent Chapman Lake Quivira, KS 10 27-00 49

Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 14-03

53. Mike McClelland Bella Vista, AR 8 26-09 48

Day 1: 3 07-04 Day 2: 5 19-05

54. Scott Rook Little Rock, AR 10 26-08 47

Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 11-06

55. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 9 25-07 46

Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 4 13-12

56. Brandon Card Caryville, TN 8 25-01 45

Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 3 08-07

57. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 8 24-14 44

Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 3 05-07

58. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 24-10 43

Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 10-10

59. Bobby Lane Lakeland, FL 9 24-08 42

Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 4 10-03

60. Glenn Browne Ocala, FL 10 24-02 41

Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 5 15-05

61. Casey Scanlon Shawnee Mission, KS 9 23-15 40

Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 4 10-14

62. Britt Myers Lake Wylie, SC 6 23-14 39

Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 1 04-11

63. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 8 23-11 38

Day 1: 3 09-12 Day 2: 5 13-15

64. Boo Woods Oneida, KY 9 22-14 37

Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 4 06-08

65. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 9 22-09 36

Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 4 13-09

66. Zell Rowland Montgomery, TX 10 22-04 35

Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 09-05

67. Chad Pipkens Holt, MI 10 21-15 34

Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 07-11

68. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 7 21-14 33

Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 2 06-05

69. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 9 21-13 32

Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 4 10-10

70. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 7 21-12 31

Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 2 04-11

71. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 10 21-05 30

Day 1: 5 06-01 Day 2: 5 15-04

72. BJ Haseotes Centerville, MA 10 21-03 29

Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 09-05

73. Jamie Horton Centerville, AL 7 21-02 28

Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 2 04-08

74. Matt Reed Madisonville, TX 6 21-01 27

Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 1 03-10

75. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 9 21-00 26

Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 4 07-01

76. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 8 21-00 25

Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 3 10-01

77. Derek Remitz Grant, AL 8 20-13 24

Day 1: 3 05-12 Day 2: 5 15-01

78. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 9 20-09 23

Day 1: 4 06-09 Day 2: 5 14-00

79. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 8 20-04 22

Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 3 04-05

80. John Murray Phoenix, AZ 9 20-03 21

Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 4 08-09

81. Dennis Tietje Roanoke, LA 6 20-02 20

Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 1 01-07

82. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, AL 7 19-10 19

Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 2 05-00

83. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 8 19-10 18

Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 3 07-00

84. James Elam Tulsa, OK 7 19-08 17

Day 1: 4 13-15 Day 2: 3 05-09

85. Fletcher Shryock New Philadelphia, OH 8 19-08 16

Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 3 08-05

86. Kenyon Hill Norman, OK 6 18-15 15

Day 1: 1 04-10 Day 2: 5 14-05

87. Billy McCaghren Mayflower, AR 7 18-09 14

Day 1: 3 06-11 Day 2: 4 11-14

88. Trevor Romans Plano, TX 6 18-07 13

Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 1 02-09

89. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 6 17-06 12

Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 1 02-09

90. Jared Miller Norman, OK 6 17-04 11

Day 1: 2 02-12 Day 2: 4 14-08

91. Kevin Hawk Guntersville, AL 4 17-04 10

Day 1: 2 10-05 Day 2: 2 06-15

92. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 7 17-03 9

Day 1: 2 06-03 Day 2: 5 11-00

93. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 7 17-01 8

Day 1: 4 11-00 Day 2: 3 06-01

94. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 6 16-14 7

Day 1: 4 09-01 Day 2: 2 07-13

95. Fred Roumbanis Bixby, OK 6 16-05 6

Day 1: 4 11-12 Day 2: 2 04-09

96. Tracy Adams Wilkesboro, NC 8 15-15 5

Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 3 04-06

97. Jonathon VanDam Kalamazoo, MI 6 15-02 4

Day 1: 3 06-05 Day 2: 3 08-13

98. Pete Ponds Madison, MS 4 14-12 3

Day 1: 3 07-08 Day 2: 1 07-04

99. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 7 14-10 2

Day 1: 4 07-13 Day 2: 3 06-13

100. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 7 13-04 1

Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 2 04-11

101. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, OK 4 09-10 0

Day 1: 3 07-15 Day 2: 1 01-11

102. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 09-09 0

Day 1: 2 03-04 Day 2: 3 06-05

103. Joel Baker Talala, OK 7 09-04 0

Day 1: 2 03-04 Day 2: 5 06-00

104. Michael Simonton Fremont, OH 3 08-06 0

Day 1: 2 03-15 Day 2: 1 04-07

105. David Smith Del City, OK 5 07-06 0

Day 1: 2 02-07 Day 2: 3 04-15

106. Randy Howell Springville, AL 2 06-10 0

Day 1: 2 06-10 Day 2: 0 00-00

107. Joseph Sancho New Windsor, NY 2 03-07 0

Day 1: 1 02-03 Day 2: 1 01-04

108. Grant Goldbeck Boerne, TX 4 02-00 0

Day 1: 1 02-00 Day 2: 3 00-00

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Totals

Day #Limits #Fish Weight

1 81 479 1503-02

2 59 428 1268-11

----------------------------------

140 907 2771-13

by AnglersChannel

Bassmaster Elite Series: Grigsby Leads Sightfest At Seminole

If bed fishing’s the game, Shaw Grigsby’s the name.

And that’s just how it went Thursday, the first day of the Dick Cepek Tires Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole presented by Hardee’s. Out of Bainbridge, Ga., the event is the 2014 Elite Series season opener.

Well-known for his bed fishing talents, Grigsby led the 108-pro field by 3 pounds, 7 ounces, with a 30-pound, 5-ounce day’s total.

“It was a perfect day,” said Grigsby, who caught the entire 30-plus pounds by 10 a.m., and then sat back and ate cold chicken. “One of those great days — amazing.”

Grigsby took the first step toward duplicating his 2011 season-opener victory in Florida, the ninth and most recent win of his storied Bassmaster career. Two of those titles were taken at Lake Seminole.

Grigsby’s 3-7 lead was over Bernie Schultz, who weighed 26-14. A largemouth of 10-10 was the jewel of Schultz’s bag — and the largest single bass brought to the scales Thursday.

Coincidentally, the two leaders both hail from Gainesville, Fla.

Kevin Short of Mayflower, Ark., was in third place with 25-9, trailing the leader by 4-12. Fourth place was pegged at 24-11 by Brett Hite, a 2014 Elite rookie from Phoenix, Ariz. In fifth was Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla., with 23-13.

Local favorite J Todd Tucker of Moultrie, Ga., who calls Lake Seminole his home water, ended his first day in 18th place. His Day 1 weight of 18-14 was for four bass, one short of the five-fish limit.

The first-place prize of the event is $100,000 and an automatic berth in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic. Pros also earn points that count toward the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year award and a Classic qualification.

Grigsby said his largest bass of the day were two over 7 pounds. They came from one of his several bed-fishing spots, he said, as did most of the bass he hooked into Thursday.

For the second round on Friday, Grigsby said he’d go back to his magical spot.

“I don’t know whether I’ll get a bite in that same area, but I’ve got a couple more areas to hit, and then I can always go sight-fishing to get decent little sacks,” he said.

Grigsby said he’s targeting prespawners moving up to beds, as well as fish actually on beds.

The cold front that came through Wednesday night did not affect his bite Thursday, unusual behavior for spawning fish, he said.

Schultz’s behemoth largemouth of 10-10 set the bar high for the event’s Carhartt Big Bass bonus of up to $1,500. He said he caught the bass sight fishing at about noon.

“She was on a bed with a male that weighed about 4 pounds; I caught him next,” Schultz said.

Fish came in pairs for Schultz. He caught a second couple (male and female) soon after the first two. A fifth bass soon finished his limit.

Short, unlike many in the field, was not bed fishing or sight fishing. He established a pattern during practice and stuck to it.

“You gotta love it when the plan comes together,” Short said.

Neither did Biffle try to “look at ’em.”

“I haven’t seen one on the bed. If I did happen to, I’d try for it. But I don’t like to hunt them,” said Biffle, who would describe his pattern only as “just fishing.”

The full field of 108 will return to the water at 7:30 a.m. Friday. Takeoff will be at Earle May Boat Basin, 100 Boat Basin Circle, Bainbridge. The weigh-in will begin at 4 p.m. at the same location.

Opening at noon Saturday and Sunday, the Bassmaster Elite Series Expo presents the products of Elite Series sponsors. People ages 14 and up can sign up for free demo rides in Nitro, Skeeter and Triton boats powered by Mercury ProXS and Yamaha SHO engines.

There’s no admission charge to any Bassmaster event, and parking is free.

Friday through Sunday, the 11th annual Bainbridge River Town Days will offer many kids activities, plus vendors and Flames on the Flint, a barbecue cook-off. Town Days also will include many free concerts, including Chris Cagle, Saturday’s headliner.

The local host of the Elite event is the Bainbridge-Decatur County Chamber of Commerce (http://www.bainbridgegachamber.com).

2014 Bassmaster Elite Series Lake Seminole Presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels 3/13-3/16
Lake Seminole, Bainbridge GA.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts

1. Shaw Grigsby Jr.       Gainesville, FL          5 30-05 100
Day 1: 5   30-05
2. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL          5 26-14   99
Day 1: 5   26-14
3. Kevin Short            Mayflower, AR            5 25-09   98
Day 1: 5   25-09
4. Brett Hite             Phoenix, AZ              5 24-11   97
Day 1: 5   24-11
5. Tommy Biffle           Wagoner, OK              5 23-13   96
Day 1: 5   23-13
6. Hank Cherry Jr         Maiden, NC               5 23-03   95
Day 1: 5   23-03
7. David Walker           Sevierville, TN          5 21-04   94
Day 1: 5   21-04
8. Mark Davis             Mount Ida, AR            5 21-00   93
Day 1: 5   21-00
9. Todd Faircloth         Jasper, TX               5 20-15   92
Day 1: 5   20-15
10. Chad Morgenthaler      Coulterville, IL         5 20-10   91
Day 1: 5   20-10
11. Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, MO         5 20-03   90
Day 1: 5   20-03
12. Takahiro Omori         Emory, TX                5 19-11   89
Day 1: 5   19-11
13. Cliff Crochet          Pierre Part, LA          5 19-07   88
Day 1: 5   19-07
13. Charlie Hartley        Grove City, OH           5 19-07   88
Day 1: 5   19-07
13. James Niggemeyer       Van, TX                  5 19-07   88
Day 1: 5   19-07
16. Britt Myers            Lake Wylie, SC           5 19-03   85
Day 1: 5   19-03
17. Morizo Shimizu         Osaka JAPAN              5 19-02   84
Day 1: 5   19-02
18. J Todd Tucker          Moultrie, GA             4 18-14   83
Day 1: 4   18-14
19. Dennis Tietje          Roanoke, LA              5 18-11   82
Day 1: 5   18-11
20. Dean Rojas             Lake Havasu City, AZ     5 18-09   81
Day 1: 5   18-09
21. Davy Hite              Ninety Six, SC           5 18-08   80
Day 1: 5   18-08
22. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ               5 18-07   79
Day 1: 5   18-07
23. Chris Lane             Guntersville, AL         5 18-06   78
Day 1: 5   18-06
23. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN         5 18-06   78
Day 1: 5   18-06
25. Ott DeFoe              Knoxville, TN            5 17-11   76
Day 1: 5   17-11
26. Kevin VanDam           Kalamazoo, MI            5 17-09   75
Day 1: 5   17-09
27. Josh Bertrand          Gilbert, AZ              5 17-08   74
Day 1: 5   17-08
27. Justin Lucas           Guntersville, AL         5 17-08   74
Day 1: 5   17-08
29. Matt Reed              Madisonville, TX         5 17-07   72
Day 1: 5   17-07
30. Aaron Martens          Leeds, AL                5 17-05   71
Day 1: 5   17-05
31. Marty Robinson         Lyman, SC                5 17-01   70
Day 1: 5   17-01
32. Kurt Dove              Del Rio, TX              5 17-00   69
Day 1: 5   17-00
32. Randall Tharp          Port Saint Joe, FL       5 17-00   69
Day 1: 5   17-00
34. Gerald Swindle         Warrior, AL              5 16-15   67
Day 1: 5   16-15
35. Brandon Card           Caryville, TN            5 16-10   66
Day 1: 5   16-10
35. Jamie Horton           Centerville, AL          5 16-10   66
Day 1: 5   16-10
37. Skeet Reese            Auburn, CA               5 16-07   64
Day 1: 5   16-07
37. Byron Velvick          Boenre, TX               5 16-07   64
Day 1: 5   16-07
39. Boo Woods              Oneida, KY               5 16-06   62
Day 1: 5   16-06
40. Jeremy Starks          Scott Depot, WV          5 16-00   61
Day 1: 5   16-00
41. Yusuke Miyazaki        Forney, TX               5 15-15   60
Day 1: 5   15-15
42. Trevor Romans          Plano, TX                5 15-14   59
Day 1: 5   15-14
43. Andy Montgomery        Blacksburg, SC           5 15-10   58
Day 1: 5   15-10
44. Rick Morris            Lake Gaston, VA          5 15-09   57
Day 1: 5   15-09
45. Kelly Jordon           Palestine, TX            5 15-05   56
Day 1: 5   15-05
45. Nate Wellman           Newaygo, MI              5 15-05   56
Day 1: 5   15-05
47. Matt Herren            Trussville, AL           5 15-04   54
Day 1: 5   15-04
48. Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL            5 15-03   53
Day 1: 5   15-03
49. Scott Rook             Little Rock, AR          5 15-02   52
Day 1: 5   15-02
50. Casey Ashley           Donalds, SC              5 14-13   51
Day 1: 5   14-13
51. Jacob Powroznik        Port Haywood, VA         5 14-12   50
Day 1: 5   14-12
52. Stephen Browning       Hot Springs, AR          5 14-11   49
Day 1: 5   14-11
53. Greg Vinson            Wetumpka, AL             5 14-10   48
Day 1: 5   14-10
54. Alton Jones            Lorena, TX               5 14-09   47
Day 1: 5   14-09
54. Jared Lintner          Arroyo Grande, CA        5 14-09   47
Day 1: 5   14-09
56. Mike Kernan            Wylie, TX                5 14-08   45
Day 1: 5   14-08
57. Jason Christie         Park Hill, OK            5 14-05   44
Day 1: 5   14-05
57. Bobby Lane             Lakeland, FL             5 14-05   44
Day 1: 5   14-05
59. Chad Pipkens           Holt, MI                 5 14-04   42
Day 1: 5   14-04
60. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA                5 14-00   41
Day 1: 5   14-00
61. Michael Iaconelli      Pitts Grove, NJ          5 13-15   40
Day 1: 5   13-15
62. James Elam             Tulsa, OK                4 13-15   39
Day 1: 4   13-15
63. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL              5 13-08   38
Day 1: 5   13-08
64. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN           5 13-03   37
Day 1: 5   13-03
65. Casey Scanlon          Shawnee Mission, KS      5 13-01   36
Day 1: 5   13-01
66. Zell Rowland           Montgomery, TX           5 12-15   35
Day 1: 5   12-15
67. Brent Chapman          Lake Quivira, KS         5 12-13   34
Day 1: 5   12-13
68. Gary Klein             Weatherford, TX          5 12-12   33
Day 1: 5   12-12
69. Bradley Roy            Lancaster, KY            5 12-10   32
Day 1: 5   12-10
70. Russ Lane              Prattville, AL           5 12-08   31
Day 1: 5   12-08
71. Kotaro Kiriyama        Moody, AL                5 12-03   30
Day 1: 5   12-03
71. Ish Monroe             Hughson, CA              5 12-03   30
Day 1: 5   12-03
73. BJ Haseotes            Centerville, MA          5 11-14   28
Day 1: 5   11-14
74. Fred Roumbanis         Bixby, OK                4 11-12   27
Day 1: 4   11-12
75. Terry Scroggins        San Mateo, FL            5 11-11   26
Day 1: 5   11-11
76. John Murray            Phoenix, AZ              5 11-10   25
Day 1: 5   11-10
77. Tracy Adams            Wilkesboro, NC           5 11-09   24
Day 1: 5   11-09
78. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX           5 11-03   23
Day 1: 5   11-03
78. Fletcher Shryock       New Philadelphia, OH     5 11-03   23
Day 1: 5   11-03
80. Jason Williamson       Aiken, SC                4 11-00   21
Day 1: 4   11-00
81. Chris Zaldain          San Jose, CA             5 10-15   20
Day 1: 5   10-15
82. Tim Horton             Muscle Shoals, AL        4 10-07   19
Day 1: 4   10-07
83. Kevin Hawk             Guntersville, AL         2 10-05   18
Day 1: 2   10-05
84. Boyd Duckett           Guntersville, AL         3 09-12   17
Day 1: 3   09-12
85. Edwin Evers            Talala, OK               4 09-01   16
Day 1: 4   09-01
86. Brandon Palaniuk       Hayden, ID               5 09-00   15
Day 1: 5   09-00
87. Glenn Browne           Ocala, FL                5 08-13   14
Day 1: 5   08-13
88. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL               5 08-09   13
Day 1: 5   08-09
89. Scott Ashmore          Broken Arrow, OK         3 07-15   12
Day 1: 3   07-15
90. Keith Poche            Pike Road, AL            4 07-13   11
Day 1: 4   07-13
91. Pete Ponds             Madison, MS              3 07-08   10
Day 1: 3   07-08
92. Mike McClelland        Bella Vista, AR          3 07-04    9
Day 1: 3   07-04
93. Billy McCaghren        Mayflower, AR            3 06-11    8
Day 1: 3   06-11
94. Randy Howell           Springville, AL          2 06-10    7
Day 1: 2   06-10
95. Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                  4 06-09    6
Day 1: 4   06-09
96. Jonathon VanDam        Kalamazoo, MI            3 06-05    5
Day 1: 3   06-05
97. Paul Elias             Laurel, MS               2 06-03    4
Day 1: 2   06-03
98. Jeff Kriet             Ardmore, OK              5 06-01    3
Day 1: 5   06-01
99. Derek Remitz           Grant, AL                3 05-12    2
Day 1: 3   05-12
100. Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA             2 05-00    1
Day 1: 2   05-00
101. Kenyon Hill            Norman, OK               1 04-10    0
Day 1: 1   04-10
102. Michael Simonton       Fremont, OH              2 03-15    0
Day 1: 2   03-15
103. Joel Baker             Talala, OK               2 03-04    0
Day 1: 2   03-04
103. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN            2 03-04    0
Day 1: 2   03-04
105. Jared Miller           Norman, OK               2 02-12    0
Day 1: 2   02-12
106. David Smith            Del City, OK             2 02-07    0
Day 1: 2   02-07
107. Joseph Sancho          New Windsor, NY          1 02-03    0
Day 1: 1   02-03
108. Grant Goldbeck         Boerne, TX               1 02-00    0
Day 1: 1   02-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1        81       479      1503-02
----------------------------------
81       479      1503-02

by AnglersChannel

Elite Anglers Should Enjoy Phenomenal Sight Fishing On The St. John's River

The St. John's River is a special place for B.A.S.S. Elite angler Davy Hite. He carried his new bride, Natalie, there on their honeymoon 27 years ago.

As wonderful as that memory is, however, the place is an enigma to Hite. Although he has won eight B.A.S.S. tournaments and earned more than $1.8 million in Bassmaster competition alone, fishing success has eluded him there.

“That place has been my Achilles heel,” said Hite while practicing for the 2014 Elite Series opener this week on Lake Seminole. The series moves next week to the St. John's River for the second of eight regular tournaments on the schedule this year.

“I have not done well in the tournaments we have held there,” the Elite pro from Ninety Six, S.C., said. His record in recent St. John's River tournaments is 86^th in March of 2012 and 83^rd in March of 2011.

But, Hite added, conditions bode well for a lot of anglers to have outstanding tournaments on the river next week.

“The last time we were down there we had a mild winter and those fish were almost done spawning. There were still a lot of fish caught sight fishing then, but the spawn was almost over. But that certainly is not going to be the case this year.”

The two-time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year and 1999 Bassmaster Classic champion said he visited the St. John's River in January before the waters went off-limits for the Elite tournament and he liked what he saw then.

“We've had this crazy, cold winter, with the temperature back and forth. It happened to be cold when I was down there, so I just rode around, looking at the grass and seeing how it had changed. It seems to change from year to year.”

Hite saw some bedding bass in January – Florida bass usually spawn a lot earlier than bass further north – but because of the cold temperatures the spawning was limited to natural spring areas where the water is warmer coming out of the ground.

“I think the tournament next week will be a sight fishing tournament,” he said. “When we have been there in the past the bigger stringers have been caught predominately sight fishing and I think we are going to hit it at the prime time next week.”

Hite said a lot of 8- to 10-pound bass will be on the beds when the Elite anglers get to the St. John's River.

“Those fish can be hard to find, but they are are definitely there on the St. John's,” he said.

Bassmaster Elite Series at St. Johns River

Mar 20-23, 2014

St. Johns River

Palatka, FL

www.bassmaster.com

by AnglersChannel

Alabama Bass Trail Southern Division Growing In Entries For Lake Eufaula Saturday

Six weeks ago, in announcing the launch of the Alabama Bass Trail, Program Director Kay Donaldson proudly reported a full field of 200 boats in the Northern Division and expressed hope the Southern Division would field at least 150 boats.

The inaugural tournament in the Southern Division March 1 on the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta drew 160 boats and by the first of the week there were 162 boats already registered for the second Southern Division tournament Saturday on Lake Eufaula, and Donaldson said she expected more to register by the weekly deadline on Wednesday.

“We are looking at averaging 165 to 170 boats in the Southern Division Some anglers have already registered for the Lay Lake tournament and for the other tournaments as well. So far we have four states competing in the division.”

With the Northern Division running at capacity and the Southern Division starting to grow, Donaldson said the Alabama Bass Trail has exceeded expectations after the first tournament in each division.

“We think we will see growth in the Southern Division next year, both in payout and participation,” she said. “We are working really hard to get more anglers and more sponsors.”

The series could be even more attractive in its second year, 2015, Donaldson said.

Registration is available online at www.alabamabasstrail.org up to the Wednesday preceding each tournament. The entry fee per tournament is $250 per team.

Each tournament has a guaranteed first prize of $10,000, plus $23,000 to the top 20 places and $500 to big fish. There are also numerous bonus packages available to winning and placing anglers.

Alabama Bass Trail South Division

Sat, Mar 15, 2014

Lake Eufaula

Lakepoint Resort State Park

Call Kay Donaldson 855-934-7425

www.alabamabasstrail.org

by AnglersChannel

Tom's Marine Trail Looking To Grow With Elite Series, Classic Opportunity And New Incentives

Bobby Chambers and Justin McClain won the 2013 Classic

With the economy improving slightly, anticipation is high that fishermen will be able to fish more tournaments and that means that the already highly successful Tom's Marine Team Trial in Eastern Tennessee will grow even more, said Tournament director Richard McMaster.

“I am looking forward to to another great season,” McMaster said. “I think this is going to be a really good year. Things are starting to get a little more relaxed with the economy and fishermen are starting to come back. We probably will average 130 to 150 boats this year.”

The first tournament of the 2014 season is Saturday on Cherokee Lake and the fish are just as anxious as the anglers for springtime to get here, McMaster said.

“The fish are starting to warm up after this winter. They are starting to move up and anglers are catching a lot of fish shallow, in 2 to 8 feet of water, on crankbaits, Rat-L-Traps and Alabama Rigs. The fish are moving back into the pockets off the main channel and anglers are doing really well when the wind picks up and blows the bait back into the pockets.”

This year opens with some exciting new additions to the Tom's Marine Team Trail, McMaster said.

“We are really looking forward to the Tom's Marine Elite Series which starts this year. The top 30 boats, based on 2013 points, will qualify for the Elite Series,” he said.

There will be three tournaments, two that are qualifying tournaments, and the top 30 in points from 2013 have first choice. The entry fee for the first two will be $200 per boat. There will be no big fish only places paid and only three places per tournament.

The third tournament will be a no entry fee tournament with the top five from each of the first two tournaments competing for $2,000 reserved from the first two tournaments in a winner-take-all format. Dates for the Elite Tournaments include : March 22, Cherokee Lake, 25E; June 28, Douglas Lake at Dandridge; and Sept. 6, at a lake TBA by draw.

“I am also looking forward to having somebody fishing the Tom's Marine Team Trail having a chance of going to the Bassmaster Classic in 2015,” said McMaster. “That opportunity is exclusive only to certain trails across the United States and we were lucky through Mercury Marine to be invited to be a part of it.”

Teams can qualify for a chance to fish for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic by paying a $10 per angler membership fee. Up to three teams, based on points, could qualify to fish the Bass Team Classic Championship, where the top three teams will break up into individual boats to fish for a berth in the Bassmaster Classic.

“The nighttime tournaments have been absent for about three years, but we are bringing one back this year and the fishermen are excited about that,” McMaster said.

The night tournament will be held July 12 on Cherokee Lake with a three-fish limit. The rest of the 2014 schedule includes: March 15, Cherokee Lake, 25E Bridge; April 5, Douglas Lake, Shady Grove; April 19, Cherokee Lake, the Dam; May 24, Cherokee Lake, 25E Bridge; June 7, Douglas Lake, Shady Grove; July 12, Cherokee Lake, 25E Bridge; Sept. 13, Douglas Lake, Shady Grove; and Oct. 25-25, Douglas Lake, Shady Grove and Cherokee Lake, 25E Bridge.

The entry fee per tournament is $100, plus a $10 lunker fee.

New incentives for the Tom's Marine Team Trail in 2014 include :
– Toms Marine will pay $250 to anyone who wins out a boat purchased new from Toms Marine since 2011.

– Glow Max will pay the winner of the night tournament $250 in cash and $250 merchandise if they use Glow Max black lights in their boat. In addition, Toms Marine will pay the winner an additional $100 if the Glow Max black lights were purchased from and installed by Toms Marine.
– Linex has teamed up with Toms Marine Team Trail to sponsor a drawing for a new spray-in Linex bed liner this season. Anyone making a purchase from Linex and letting them know you are a member of Toms Marine Team Trail will be entered into this drawing to be held at the end of the 2014 regular season.

Tom's Marine Team Trail

Sat, Mar 15, 2014

Cherokee Lake

25 E Bridge Access

Call Richard McMaster 423-748-3240

[email protected]

by AnglersChannel

Talton Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division On Lake Chickamauga

John Talton of Georgetown, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 25 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division event on Lake Chickamauga. For his victory, Talton earned $3,842.

Talton indicated that he was on the north end of the lake slow rigging in 2-feet of water.

Rounding out the top 10 pros were:

2nd: Daniel Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 17-15, $1,921

3rd: Rogne Brown, Hixson, Tenn., five bass, 17-10, $1,089
3rd: Rodney James, Soddy Daisy, Tenn., five bass, 17-10, $1,089

5th: Tim Saylor, Johnson City, Tenn., five bass, 17-01, $768

6th: Shalin Lusk, Soddy Daisy, Tenn., five bass, 16-12, $672

6th: Cade Stallings, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 16-12, $672

8th: Tim Cody, Charleston, Tenn., five bass, 16-11, $576

9th: Larry Neal, Piney Flats, Tenn., three bass, 16-09, $512 + $300 Evinrude bonus

10th: Greg Lamb, Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 16-07, $448

Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.

James Headrick of Harriman, Tenn., weighed three bass totaling 16 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win the co-angler division. Headrick earned $1,921 for his victory.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

2nd: Brandon James, Newport, Tenn., four bass, 14-15, $960

3rd: Johnny Taylor, Dandridge, Tenn., three bass, 14-11, $641

4th: Bill Freshour, Strawplains, Tenn., three bass, 13-3, $448

5th: David Blankenbeckler, Maryville, Tenn., three bass, 12-7, $384

6th: Jimmy Flanagan, Kingston, Tenn., two bass, 11-12, $352

7th: Kris Marble, Macomb, Mich., four bass, 10-15, $320

8th: Scott Rowland, Flatgap, Ky., three bass, 10-9, $288

9th: Jason Meade, Knoxville, Tenn., four bass, 10-5, $256

10th: Larry Darden., Knoxville, Tenn., four bass, 9-13, $224

The next BFL Volunteer Division tournament is scheduled for April 12 on Douglas Lake in Kodak, Tenn. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 9-11 Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. 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.

by AnglersChannel

Boats Unlimited Nc Team Trail Qualifier #2 Results - Jordan Lake - Mar 8, 2014

The Boats Unlimited NC Team Tournament Bass Trail Qualifier #2 almost got postponed but after looking at
the road situation for Saturday morning we decided to go ahead with the plans!

It was a hard decision to make with all the damage in the area, especially around Hillsborough. All 74 boats arrived ok and the tournament went on as planned. We had a beautiful day with light winds. It was about 31 degrees that morning and around 70 that afternoon. Water temps ranged from 41 to 50 depending on the area fished and water was muddy in certain areas after the storm Thursday and Friday. The lake rose about 2 feet while we were there which amazed even some of our long time anglers! The fishing was very tough but we did manage a few in the nets.

Most were caught 5 to 10 feet off the banks and no rhyme or reason to which lure you used. Only 28 fish were
weighed in for a total of 104 pounds. We had numerous fish over 5 lbs. and all the fish looked healthy.

Todd Massey and Brandon Gray are on a winning streak! They only had two today for 12.15 lbs. but is was
enough to take home 1st Place, 1st Place Big Fish (7.69 lbs.), 1st Place TWT, 1st Place Tow Boats US Bonus and
1st Place Boats Unlimited NC Bonus for a whopping total of $4,268 and Massey should get his Triton Boats
Gold Bonus of $7,000 which will bring their winnings to $11,268!!

Manny Lenau and Brandon Morrissey took 2nd with 3 bass weighing 11.53 lbs winning $800. 3rd Place went
to Tony Fofi and Dave Murdock (9.38 lbs). They also won 2nd TWT and 2nd Place Big Fish (5.87 lbs.) for a
total of $1,502.

I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support this trail. Our next
tournaments will be the 2014 Piedmont Bass Classics Hyco Open, Saturday Mar.15th at Hyco Lake out of
Hyco Park Ramp...The Boats Unlimited NC Team Tournament Bass Mini Trail make-up tournament will be at
Shearon Harris, Sunday Mar. 16th, out of Cross Point Landing.

All the information on our tournaments can be found at yahoo and bing search or our website:
http://piedmontbassclassics.com/index.html

Now here are the full results:

1st Place: Todd Massey & Brandon Gray of Chapel Hill & Bullock...2 bass...12.15 lbs...$1,305
2nd Place: Manny Lenau & Brandon Morrissey of Vass & Ft. Bragg...3 bass...11.53 lbs...$800
3rd Place: Tony Fofi & Dave Murdock of Spring Lake & Sanford...2 bass...9.38 lbs...$575
4th Place: Larry Hipps & Patrick Arzonico of Cary & Raleigh...2 bass...8.01 lbs...$520
5th Place: Rodney Hilber & Kenneth Penderman of Hillsborough & Durham...2 bass...7.26 lbs...$463
6th Place: Corey Linton & Mark Peck of Pikeville...1 bass...5.52 lbs...$407
7th Place: Jim Nichols & Jeremy Martin of Chapel Hill & Rougemont...1 bass...5.07 lbs...$351
8th Place: Erik Ross & Les Walters of Fayetteville...2 bass...4.92 lbs...$295
9th Place: Tim Goss & Jeff Vincent of Franklinton & Durham...1 bass...4.68 lbs...$239
10th Place: Bubba Haywood & Steve Goodwin of Roxboro & Durham...1 bass...4.51 lbs...$239
11th Place: Mike Salguero & Steve Foster of Durham...1 bass...3.83 lbs...$183
12th Place: Jay Garrard & Mark Herndon of Durham & Bahama...1 bass...3.77 lbs...$183
13th Place: Bryce McClenney & Michael Christie of Cary & Fuquay Varina...1 bass...3.29 lbs....$130
14th Place: Phillip Johnson & Gene McCree of Durham...1 bass...3.14 lbs...$130
15th Place: Billy West & Tracy Sykes of Wendell & New Hill...1 bass...2.94 lbs...$100

1st Place Big Fish..1st Place Team above...7.69 lbs...$1,008
2nd Place Big Fish..3rd Place Team above...5.87 lbs...$432

1st Place TWT..1st Place Team above...12.15 lbs...$1,155
2nd Place TWT..3rd Place Team above: 9.38 lbs...$495

B oats Unlimited 1st Place Bonus : 1st Place Team Above...$750
Boats Unlimited Skeeter Boat Owner Bonus: Todd Sumner of Southern Pines...$250
Tow Boats US Award: Todd Massey of Chapel Hill: $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/index.html

by AnglersChannel

Gerry Benedicto and JP Talk 'Smackdown'

From the 2014 Bassmaster Classic Expo, FLW angler JP Prouty talks with Seaguar's Gerry Benedicto about the advantages of the new Smackdown braided line.

by AnglersChannel

Smith wins BFL by an ounce on Kentucky Lake

Noel Smith of Ashland City, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds even Saturday to win the first Walmart Bass Fishing League Music City Division tournament of 2014 on Kentucky Lake. For his victory, Smith earned $3,418

Rounding out the top 10 pros were:

2nd: Jeff Lokken, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 19-15, $1,709

3rd: Ryan Hollingshead, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 18-15, $1,138

4th: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., five bass, 18-14, $798

5th: Rodney Clawson, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 18-9, $684

6th: Brandon Sims, Sparta, Tenn., five bass, 18-2, $627

7th: David Gnewikow, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 17-5, $570

8th: Billy Hinson, Mount Juliet, Tenn., four bass, 16-14, $513

9th: Chris Hughes, Centerville, Tenn., four bass, 16-11, $456

10th: Roger Stegall, Iuka, Miss., five bass, 15-7, $399

Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.

Blake Whittaker of Monterey, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds even Saturday to win $1,709 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

2nd: Jody Gallimore, Almo, Ky., five bass, 17-3, $855

3rd: Steve Melton, Shelbyville, Tenn., four bass, 16-1, $570

4th: Nicholas Griffin, Dickson, Tenn., three bass, 14-7, $399

5th: Mike Todd, Cane Ridge, Tenn., five bass, 13-13, $342

6th: Monty Escue, Murfreesboro, Tenn., four bass, 12-2, $313

7th: Jim Fontaine, Smyrna, Tenn., five bass, 11-15, $285

8th: Brandon Adcock, McMinnville, Tenn., four bass, 11-13, $256

9th: Derrick Harris, Old Hickory, Tenn., three bass, 10-3, $213

9th: Blaine Wimberly, Nashville, Tenn., three bass, 10-3, $213

by AnglersChannel

Ingram Whacks Stout Sack, Wins BFL on Eufaula

Ryan Ingram of Phenix City, Ala., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 26 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday to win the first Walmart Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division tournament of 2014 on Lake Eufaula. For his victory, Ingram earned $7,610.

Rounding out the top 10 pros were:

2nd: Bobby Padgett, Lagrange, Ga., five bass, 24-3, $2,605

3rd: Ryan Horton, Palmetto, Ga., five bass, 20-3, $1,536

4th: Jay Grogan, Fort Mitchell, Ala., five bass, 19-9, $1,076

5th: Tim Rockett, Douglas, Ga., five bass, 18-0, $922

6th: Terry Tucker, Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 17-10, $845

7th: Pat Fisher, Colbert, Ga., five bass, 16-7, $768

8th: Will Barnes, Headland, Ala., five bass, 16-2, $691

9th: Ronnie Ray, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 16-0, $615

10th: Paul Anthony, Dawson, Ga., five bass, 15-13, $538

Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.

Patrick Watson of Newnan, Ga., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win $2,305 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

2nd: Darryl Johnson, Flowery Branch, Ga., four bass, 12-14, $1,152

3rd: Rob Thomas, Griffin, Ga., five bass, 12-9, $768

4th: Tyler Morgan, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 12-0, $538

5th: Clifford Avery, Bonaire, Ga., five bass, 10-10, $442

5th: Guy Jordan, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 10-10, $442

7th: Ethan Wallace, Macon, Ga., four bass, 10-9, $384

8th: Keith Reynolds, Ozark, Ala., four bass, 10-5, $346

9th: Nick Sperounis, Lawrenceville, Ga., five bass, 10-4, $307

10th: Dave Altman, Lawrenceville, Ga., five bass, 9-12, $269

by AnglersChannel

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