AnglersChannel

Lay Lake Bass Fishing On Fire For Airport Marine Classic This Saturday

“We drew from the six different lakes we held the series on this year – Jordan Lake, Lake Mitchell, Lake Logan-Martin, the Alabama River, Cooter's Pond (Alabama River) and Lay Lake – and Lay Lake was the last one we drew out,” Gerald said.

The reason he couldn't be happier is that Lay Lake has been on fire.

“The lake has been giving up some big bags recently. In our last tournament down there (July 27) we had six bags over 20 pounds. I think the Classic will be a shootout.”

Not only are lots of quality fish being caught, he noted, some of them are just outstanding.

“We held the Airport Marine Midweek EZ Solo Trail Classic on Lay Lake two weeks ago and Terry Jinks won it with 20 pounds, 2 ounces. Plus, he had the biggest fish ever recorded for Lay Lake at 11.46 pounds. He caught that fish at 5:30 a.m. on a buzzbait.”

Jink's lake record bass is also the largest bass ever caught during a tournament in the State of Alabama.

“I think the fish will be caught both shallow and deep in the classic,” Gerald said. “ If the weather heats up a little bit and the sun comes out, it might make the big fish bite a little better. Lately, the water temperature has got down to about 80 degrees.”

Gerald said anglers in the Classic can launch anywhere on the lake, but they have to make their first cast at 6 o'clock. They have to be at Beeswax Landing for the weigh-in by 3 p.m.

“We had a really good turnout for the meeting and with 70-something boats we expect to have a good tournament Saturday,” he said. Everybody will get qualified for the manufacturer's bonuses – Triton, Ranger and Stratos – so if you win you will be shooting for some big bucks. We are guaranteeing $8,000 for first place and with the bonuses the winner could take home between $15,000 and $18,000.”

He added that plans are in the works to make the bonus money more accessible to more anglers next year, but details have not been worked out yet.

Gerald congratulated Bob Blackerby and Michael Brasher for winning the points championship this year. They get $1,000 in store credits and will have their entry fees paid for 2014, which amounts to $1,500 to $2,000, he said.

As soon as the Classic is over, he noted, he will launch his annual Fall Trail.

“I should have the schedule out by next Saturday and we'll kick the Fall Trail off in September,” Gerald said.

Airport Marine Tournament Trail Classic

Sat, Aug 24, 2013

Lay Lake

Launch anywhere on lake

Weigh-in at Beeswax Landing

Call Flynn Gerald 205-678-9666

www.airportmarinetrails.com

by AnglersChannel

Rigid Signs Multi-Year Deal With B.a.s.s., Will Act As Supporting Sponsor

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Fishing fans and anglers following the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series could not have helped but notice the colorful Rigid Industries’ LED Lighting products on several pros’ bass boats, trailers and tow vehicles, or the glow of Rigid’s display truck and boat.
They’ll be seeing even more of those can’t-miss, marine-grade-tough LED lights. B.A.S.S. and Rigid Industries have signed a multiyear agreement for Rigid to be an Official Supporting Sponsor of multiple Bassmaster circuits.

The sponsorship includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster Wild Card and the grass-roots B.A.S.S. Nation regional tournaments.
“Rigid Industries LED Lighting marine products are designed for the bass angler and help with safety on the water, while other Rigid light applications are ideal for the trailer and trucks,” said Dave Davis, director of sales for Rigid Industries. “We are ecstatic to align with B.A.S.S. as a Supporting Sponsor. We’re excited about the activation of our Skeeter-Yamaha rig stocked with more than 20 lights, and the new Rigid-stocked Toyota Tundra, which can be seen at all the upcoming Bassmaster Elite Series tournaments along with a few select other events.”

“We welcomed Rigid early this season as an Elite Series event title sponsor, so we already feel like Rigid is one of our old partners,” said Bruce Akin, CEO of B.A.S.S. “Rigid, a leader in many other industries, recognized the value of being involved with the sport and industry of bass fishing. We’re pleased Rigid chose a Bassmaster Supporting Sponsorship as its next step.”

Rigid is introducing a new contingency program for Bassmaster pros. Starting with the 2014 Bassmaster Elite Series, the Rigid Industries Big Fish Lights Jackpot program will award $250 to the pro who has the heaviest five-fish limit weighing more than 25 pounds at an event. If no pro exceeds the 25-pound, five-fish limit in an event, the $250 will carry over to the next tournament day until the 25-pound mark is broken. Anglers must have Rigid Industries LED lights on both their tow vehicle and boat to qualify for the award.

"The Rigid Industries Big Fish Lights Jackpot is a great way for an angler to win some extra cash. Who knows how big the jackpot will grow before its broken,” said Chris Brown, marine manager for Rigid Industries.

The sponsorship agreement’s term is 2014-2015. Meanwhile, Rigid will be displaying its LED-lighted Skeeter-Yamaha rig and Toyota Tundra at the regular-season Elite Series finale — the Aug. 22-25 Plano Championship Chase out of Detroit, Mich. — plus at several other Bassmaster events remaining in the 2013 season.

Rigid also will be reaching consumers through the B.A.S.S.-owned print properties, Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times, as well as through the TV show, The Bassmasters.

Rigid was the title sponsor of the second event of the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series season. The Rigid Industries Falcon Slam on Falcon Lake out of Zapata, Texas, was Rigid’s debut in bass tournament activation.

Prior to that, Rigid had recently signed Elite pro Brandon Palaniuk. The young pro from Idaho went on to win the Aug. 8-11 Evan Williams Bourbon Showdown at St. Lawrence River out of Waddington, N.Y. Palaniuk runs a rig and tow vehicle equipped with Rigid lights; his truck alone has 50 of them. Rigid now sponsors several other Elite pros, including the Elite rookie from Arizona, Josh Bertrand, who finished in eighth place at the Showdown.

A new lineup of Rigid marine products for the bass industry includes the Wake Flame SL Underwater LED Lights series. The lights illuminate the water surrounding a boat with red, white, blue and green LED options. Another product line is Back Up Light Kits in the SR-M and SR-M Flush Mount, and SR-Q and SR-Q Flush Mount models. Replacing factory reverse lights, the kits increase the amount of usable light. They mount with a single-bolt system or a flush mount version to maintain that factory installed look.

by AnglersChannel

Gililand Named To Head B.a.s.s. Conservation Program

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Gene Gilliland, a widely respected bass biologist and conservation advocate from Oklahoma, has been named B.A.S.S. National Conservation Director. Gilliland replaces Noreen Clough, the longtime conservation director who retired earlier this month.

“In addition to his extensive experience in fisheries management, Gene has been a leader in the B.A.S.S. Nation, an outdoor journalist, an avid tournament angler and a tireless proponent of youth fishing,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “He is a charter member of B.A.S.S., and he has been involved in the B.A.S.S. Nation Conservation program for two decades.

“America’s bass fishermen are fortunate that Gene has accepted our invitation to fill this vital role.”

Gilliland is currently assistant chief of the Fisheries Division of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. He will retire from the department on Dec. 31, 2013, and join B.A.S.S. immediately afterward. Gilliland began work with ODWC in 1982 as a fishery biologist, later rising to regional supervisor and then assistant chief of fisheries in 2010.

Gilliland said he relishes the opportunity to have a positive influence on bass fishing and on its resources.

“Everyone, from the novice angler to the dedicated B.A.S.S. member to the professional at the Bassmaster Elite Series level, has a stake — an obligation — to protect our aquatic resources,” Gilliland said. “Our challenge is to educate them, then motivate them to take action that will make a difference.”

As national conservation director, Gilliland will represent America’s bass anglers on national boards and councils involved in resource conservation. In addition, he will oversee the efforts of the 47 B.A.S.S. Nation conservation directors and work to make conservation principles relevant to every B.A.S.S. member. He will also be responsible for maintaining and improving fish care practices on each of the Bassmaster tournament circuits. Gilliland has assisted in fish care at the Bassmaster Classic each year since 1994, including the 2013 Classic in Tulsa, Okla., when 100 percent of the bass weighed in were released alive in Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees.

Gilliland credits Clough as a valuable mentor. “She worked with the B.A.S.S. Nation conservation directors and developed a vision for the conservation program’s future.  Personally, she helped me better understand how to navigate government bureaucracy and get things done to improve fishing,” he said. “B.A.S.S. Conservation works with partners on so many levels — local, state, regional and national — to address the threats that our freshwater resources face.  One of our biggest challenges will be helping the general public understand that what is good for the fish is good for them, too.”

Gilliland has a B.S. degree in Wildlife and Fisheries from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in Fisheries Biology from Oklahoma State University. He is a coauthor, along with Hal Schramm, of “Keeping Bass Alive, a Guidebook for Tournament Anglers and Organizers.” He is a regular contributor to the “Bass Biology” column inB.A.S.S. Times magazine and has been published in numerous other outdoor publications.

An avid tournament angler since high school, he joined the North Oklahoma City Bassmasters in 1993 and served as the club’s president from 1999 until 2010. He was Oklahoma B.A.S.S. Nation conservation director from 2005 to 2010 and was named Conservation Director of the Year in 2009. He helped incorporate the CastingKids program into boat and tackle show programs in Oklahoma, he helped organize the Oklahoma City Junior Bassmasters club in 2005 and served as the state’s B.A.S.S. Nation youth director in 2007 and 2008.

Gilliland joined B.A.S.S. in 1969 because of its focus on friendly competition, youth fishing and protecting the resource.

“I want to continue the conservation legacy that Ray Scott and the B.A.S.S. conservation directors before me have established,” he said. “B.A.S.S. Conservation has always been a voice for anglers, fighting to preserve and enhance aquatic resources for the future of fishing. I want to make sure that our voice is still heard loud and clear.”

by AnglersChannel

Tim Jones Wins Division 9 Championship On Clarks Hill

Tim Jones of North Augusta did not catch a 2-day limit at the Clarks Hill two day American Bass Anglers Bassmaster Weekend Series Division 9 divisional championship tournament this past weekend, but it didn't stop him from winning the event by more than two pounds. Jones' 22.11 total weight was aided by a 7.10 lb lunker on day two that he said was nothing more than a lucky catch. "My partner threw a frog out there and the fish blew up on the frog and he snatched the frog from here and I threw the Super Fluke in there and caught her," said Jones, who pocketed over $2700.

Jones spent both tournament days fishing shakey-heads, Zoom Ol' Monster worms, and flukes like the one he said helped him get lucky. Jones wasn't about to complain about getting lucky though. After struggling on his home lake through day one, bringing only 4 fish to the weigh-in and starting day two in sixth place, Jones was happy to get a little luck.

Leesville's Sean Anderson finished second, and had the opposite kind of luck as Jones. Leading at the end of day one by over a pound, Anderson caught only two fish on Sunday, but still beat out four anglers with two-day limits (10 fish) for second place and $1362. Anderson had 16.62 lbs on day one, and finished with 19.71. He also took home $160 for Big Fish, an 8.38-pounder he caught on day one.

Brian Gunn of Savannah took third place with 19.34 with his 10 fish limit, winning $907. Andy Wicker of Pomaria finished fourth with 17.81 lbs. He won $650 and finished as the overall points leader for Division 9. Most anglers in this tournament did considerably better on one day or the other, which most attributed to the drastic change in weather--constantly raining on day one, then a mix of sun and clouds, and no rain on day two--but Wicker seemed unaffected by the change and was without a doubt the most consistent angler over the two-day period. Wicker caught 5 fish weighing 8.65 lbs on day one, followed by 9.18 on day two. Ron Brown of Charleston took fifth place with 16.31 lbs for his 10 fish and won $440.

In the co-angler division, Buddy Walden of Leesville won with 13.19 lbs for his six-fish limit and won $1276. Sammy Freeman of Irmo finished second and was the only angler in the top 5 with only 4 fish. Freeman pocketed $639 in winnings, but said finishing ahead of his son, fellow co-angler Samuel "CJ" Freeman, who finished 18th, was his biggest victory of the weekend.

Travis Malphrus of Ridgeland took third with 6 fish weighing 9.85, followed by Michael Norris of Myrtle Beach, whose two-day limit totaled 9.08 lbs. Cleveland Georgia's Robert Gambrell rounded out the top 5 with five fish weighing 8.67 lbs, winning $460. Wicker's brother Dan McGlohorn of Pomaria took sixth place, and was the only angler with three fish to finish in the money. McGlohorn's trio weighed 6.84 and put over $200 in his hand.

The Big Fish award on the co-angler side went to Eddy Morgan for his 5.29-pounder, which was Morgan's lone keeper of the weekend, earning him $75. 

by AnglersChannel

Evinrude Pro Jacob Wheeler Continues to Improve as Field Slips Heading Into Final Day of 2013 Cup

Could we be getting ready to crown our first-ever repeat champion at the Forrest Wood Cup?

At first blush the Red River doesn’t look like the type of fishery that would turn out enough weight for an angler to make a four-and-a-half-pound comeback on the final day. Also, as the fish have been buzzed, frogged, flipped and shakeyed into a tizzy, weights should continue to fall. And they have.

For everybody except defending Cup champion Evinrude Pro Jacob Wheeler.

Wheeler’s weights have increased every day to a high of 14-4 (today’s heaviest sack). Across the board weights have come down even for the three pros who, tonight, stand between Wheeler and a piece of hardware that will carry a piece of fishing immortality if he becomes the first to ever hoist it twice - back-to-back years - by the age of 22.

About tomorrow Wheeler said “I’m ready to go! Ready to get my tackle prepared, get my mind into it. I made good decisions today. I feel like I understand what the weather is doing, what the fish are doing and how to catch them.”

He’ll fly on his gut “You’ve got to fish by the seat of your pants here. Things change so much. You have to change with them.”

Chevy Pro Bryan Thrift rides a 4 ounce lead over Randall Tharp. All of Thrift’s fish that weighed over 4 pounds have come from one point in Pool 5. He plans to stop there in the morning. He also plans to spend some time in Pool 4. “I fished there for 25 minutes today, caught a two-pounder and came back,” said Thrift.

Thrift said two-pounders are the reason he will invest the time it takes to lock into Pool 4. Then he hopes his big fish point is good for another kicker.

Thrift has caught all of his big bass, including the 7-9 whopper, on a Damiki finesse worm and 1/8 oz. shakey head on 10-pound fluorocarbon.

EverStart Pro Randall Tharp has been catching a small limit each day before heading back to a spot near the take-off point in Port Lake to upgrade with a frog. Today, instead of a pair of 4-pounders his big fish area kicked out 2-pounders. It’s not the type of place that’s likely to reload with fish as it is simply a pad-choked drain in the back of the lake which harbors mostly resident fish. Can Tharp find some fresh fishing holes tomorrow?

Chevy Pro Larry Nixon has occupied 3^rd place since the tournament began. He is 3-08 off the lead with 35-14 after bringing 8-5 to the scale today.

Walmart Pro Mark Rose, in 5^th, has also seen his weight slip slightly each day. He is exactly 5 pounds behind Thrift with 34-6.

by AnglersChannel

More Outstanding Summer Fishing On Guntersville Expected For Snag Proof Open

“The fishing this summer has been just outstanding, with bigger fish being weighed in than any summer I have been here,” Shay said. “I can't believe how good the fishing has been from last summer to this summer.”

Shay said he attributes the huge increase in fishing success to lower-than-normal water temperatures.

“The water temperature is around 83 degrees and typically this time of year it's around 90 degrees. We've only had a couple of days of 90-degree weather in July and August combined so far, just one or two days a week. There has been a lot of cloudiness and some days the temperatures have been dropping down into the 60s. Everything combined has been keeping the water temperatures down and it's just been beautiful for the fish.”

So beautiful, he said, that just about any tactic favored by an angler has been successful this summer.

“There are so many guys doing so many different things – and it is all working. Everybody's favorite way to fish is successful.”

Their favorite fishing methods will have to be modified somewhat, however, for the Snag Proof Open Saturday, Shay said.

“It's strictly a frog tournament and they can only fish with Snag Proof Frogs. They can use the frog almost any way, just as long as it's Snag Proof. They can Texas rig it, Carolina rig it, drop-shot it and, of course, use it on topwater,” he said.

“If I were fishing the tournament myself, I'd have some rigged up that would go down under so I could fish some of the deeper grass, as well as having some rigged up for topwater fishing, too.”

Shay said the fish are not in a real summer pattern.

“It tends to get a little tough in the summer. They seem to be roaming the grass lines now. They are still eating shad. It's not quite a summer pattern, but we'll take it.”

He said Saturday's tournament will have a three-fish limit and bass of all three species found in Guntersville – largemouths, smallmouth and spotted bass – all must be at least 15 inches long.

“The entry fee is $180 per boat, one or two anglers, and big fish is included in the entry fee,” he said. “First place will pay $10,000 based on a 150-boat field and the payback will go to 20 percent of the field. The payback for big fish will be 100 percent, paid to multiple species.”

Registration for the tournament will be held 3-6 p.m. Friday at the Bait, Tackle and Grill at Goose Pond, with the meeting from 6 to 7 p.m.

Snag Proof Open

Sat, Aug 10, 2013

Lake Guntersville

Goose Pond Colony

Call Jamie Shay 256-599-0132

www.snagproof.com

by AnglersChannel

Even Bigger Weights Than July Expected For Chattanooga Bass Tournament Saturday

And during all that the fishing in most lakes has been just fantastic.

For instance, in July Lakes Chickamauga and Nickajack experienced dangerous flooding, yet the Chattanooga Bass Association’s two tournaments that month recorded exceptional catches.

Josh and Jeff Reed won The Heatherly Brothers Const. Open (night) tournament July 27 with a 5-fish limit that weighed 27.11 pounds – almost a 5 1/2-pound average. Two weeks earlier, on July 13, Rogne and George Brown took first place in the Pepsi Open with five that weighed a whopping 32,56 pounds – a 6 1/2-pound average that included the tournament's overall big fish, a 8.70-pound largemouth.

And, said Chattanooga Bass Association Vice President Allen Lewis, with the lake having settled back down somewhat, the weights in Saturday's could be even more impressive.

“The biggest effect the flooding had in July was in deep water,” Lewis said. “The water levels came up and pushed the fish into the shallow pockets so the shallow water fishing dominated both the day and night tournaments.”

But now the deep water fishing has improved considerably and there is lots of grass just beneath the surface of the water, he noted, and that could have a major impact on fishing success Saturday.

“The deep water fishing will make a much bigger showing and it will take more weight to win Saturday and in the night tournament August 24,” Lewis said. “This is my own opinion, but I'm looking at 30 to 33 pounds for the win in both the day and night tournaments.”

The Brown team's win in July pushed Rogne Brown to second place in the points standings, just 19 points back of Adam Dysart and Jamie Copenhaver. An excellent structure fisherman, he now may well be the odds-on favorite to win another Chattanooga Bass points title, Lewis said. Brown won the points championship in 2008 and 2009 and missed a third title by just one point in 2012.

After Saturday's tournament the remaining schedule includes the last night tournament August 24, with regular tournaments Sept. 14 and Oct. 12 before the Classic Nov. 2-3.

Chattanooga Bass Association

Sat, Aug 10, 2013

Chickamauga Lake

Chester Frost Park

Call Justin Medley 423-667-5054

www.cbatournament.com

by AnglersChannel

NEW Team Evan Williams to Feature John Crews, Hank Cherry

Evan Williams Bourbon has found a friendly following in the bass fishing community. The second-largest selling Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, nationally as well as globally, is also one of the top non-endemic sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series.

The company recently decided to revamp its pro staff. The new Team Evan Williams will consist of Elite Series veteran John Crews and Rookie of the Year front runner Hank Cherry.

Crews, currently ranked among the top 20 anglers in the world, is a seven- time Bassmaster Classic qualifier and has placed 3rd in two Elite Series events so far this year.  He has 17 top ten Elite Series finishes over a 13 year Bassmaster career.

Cherry served notice at this year’s Bassmaster Classic that he is a competitor to be reckoned with. Narrowly missing victory at Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees when a big bass pulled free of his jerkbait, Cherry has all but sealed Rookie of the Year in a class that includes standout pro Jason Christie, the odds-on favorite at said Classic on Grand Lake.

The brand will also have a presence at all other events on the Bassmaster Elite Series and at the consumer exposition shows that accompany all of the fishing tournaments, including next year’s Bassmaster Classic in Birmingham, AL in February.

“Evan Williams has for a number of years made a significant investment in Bassmaster,” stated Susan Wahl, Senior Brand Manager at Heaven Hill.  “The consumer demographics are very positive towards Bourbon and it engenders real brand loyalty, especially for a non-endemic sponsor such as us.  We are pleased to be adding John Crews and Hank Cherry as members of Team Evan Williams and anticipate them appearing often on the weigh-in stage in their Evan Williams logoed uniforms.”

And here’s a cool road trip idea for you this autumn:

To further the brand’s consumer awareness and take advantage of the huge increase in Bourbon tourism and interest in the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, Heaven Hill is opening the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience this fall. Featuring an immersive visitor experience that takes guests back to Evan Williams’ distillery on the banks of the Ohio, which was established over 200 years ago just across Louisville’s Main Street from where the facility will be located, the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience will include an artisanal distillery and guided tours and tastings.

John Crews joins Team Evan Williams.

by AnglersChannel

Nummy, Frink Of Aum Win 2013 Bassmaster Carhartt College National Championship

YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. — Winning the title in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship on Georgia’s Lake Chatuge, Auburn University at Montgomery’s Tom Frink gets to go out on top, and Jacob Nummy gets to see his creation rise to the highest possible high. AUM tallied a three-day total of 43-3, winning by 6-11.

Four years ago, Nummy started the AUM Anglers club with the hopes of one day bringing recognition to the school’s fishing team, and today AUM is king of the college heap.

If the pair hadn’t won, this would have been Frink’s final tournament as a collegiate angler, but now AUM has earned an invitation to the Carhartt Bassmaster College Bracket Championship set to be held this September. One angler from the Top 4 teams in that tournament will earn a berth in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic.
“I don’t really have words for how this feels right now. There are a lot of good fishermen here, and I feel for them because I know how it feels to lose,” Nummy said. “We had some key bites and things go right that second day, but none of this would have been possible without the good Lord. This is going to do wonders for our program and recruiting.”
“The immense highs and lows are what make this sport what it is: amazing,” Frink said. “I feel speechless as to how to describe the feeling, but I don’t think it’s sunk in yet, either. We’ve been so close in so many tournaments, but to finally pull it off and win is amazing.”

Frink said a rough first day set them on the right course.

“That first day is what saved us,” he explained. “Things didn’t go how we thought they would, and we learned that we had to hunker down and throw the rat. I have to give Jacob a lot of credit, too, for having the discipline not to get up front and have us be shoulder to shoulder because those fish are so spooky. To have two guys up there would have scared off more fish. You also need a lot of room to sling it.”

Both Nummy and Frink admitted that today presented them with the toughest fishing conditions they’d seen yet. Their El Raton rat wakebait produced a single fish, but it was a 5-6, the biggest bass of the day.

“The rat produced one today, and it was our biggest, and I felt like that one would give us the win or put us close,” Nummy said. “Big fish are so rare and so special.”

“I went home to California before this tournament and found a couple baits that I wanted to throw, and that was one of them,” Frink said. “I didn’t throw it much in practice because I didn’t want the fish to see it too much or for it to get damaged.”

Frink used the El Raton mostly on main-lake laydowns and shallow clay or rock banks where largemouth were loitering. Four hours into the day, the duo had just one fish in the livewell, so they began to scramble in order to eke out a limit, which proved necessary for their win. They hit docks and marinas with drop shot rigs to add four more fish to their livewell.

Local favorites Matthew Peeler and Brad Rutherford of Young Harris College took the runner-up spot and will also compete in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Bracket Championship later this year. They had 36-8 over three days.

In third place is the team of Jordan Lee and Shane Powell of Auburn University, who wound up with 35-15. The final team to earn a berth in the Bracket Championship is that of Nick Barr and Jarred Walker of Eastern Washington University with 34-8. Auburn’s Matt Lee and Chris Seals were the team that finished fifth today with 32-7 and did not qualify for the Classic bracket event.

Winners of the $500 Carhartt Big Bass are Florida State’s Charles Fee and Cody Spears for the 5-15, weighed in on Day 1. The $250 Bass Pro Shops/Nitro Boats Big Bag goes to Tom Frink and Jacob Nummy for their 20-15 sack, weighed in on Day 2. The Yamaha Hat Bonus goes to Frink and Nummy, as well, for wearing a Yamaha hat across the stage on Day 3. The highest-finishing team each day earned $500 daily, hence AUM’s $1,000 prize. Young Harris’ Peeler and Rutherford won $500 on Day 1.

Winning the tournament’s Livingston Lures Leader award of $500 in Livingston Lures products for being in the lead on Day 2 were the AUM champs, Frink and Nummy.

TV coverage of the Championship will air in August on ESPNU in two parts. The first will be Sunday, Aug. 11, noon to 1 p.m. ET. The second part will air Sunday, Aug. 18 in the same time slot. They will be preceded by an Aug. 4 show from noon to 1 p.m. ET that recaps how the anglers qualified for the Championship through the five Regional Conference events.

by AnglersChannel

Bianchi Takes Bassmaster Open Title On Oneida Lake

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — On Day 2 of the Bass Pros Shops Bassmaster Northern Open on Oneida Lake, New York pro Jim Bianchi landed the largest limit of the tournament, 19 pounds 4 ounces, to build a lead of more than 2 pounds over his closest competitor. Today he added 17-7 to his total, once again the largest single catch of the day, and extended his lead over a hard-charging Tracy Adams by a pound to earn the victory in only his second Open entry. For the victory, Bianchi won a prize package that included cash and a Skeeter ZX200 powered by a Yamaha VF200LA outboard, packaged with a dual-axle trailer, a Minn Kota trolling motor and Humminbird electronics. He did not fish the first Northern Open of the year at Virginia’s James River, so his victory this week will not earn him a spot in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic. While he will not compete in the Classic next February, Bianchi nevertheless called this the biggest win of his fishing career, nothing that, “This never gets old.”

Despite his extensive experience on Oneida, he said that the lake fished quite differently than normal, with neither of his typical largemouth or smallmouth patterns working out in practice. Fortunately, his backup plan worked even better.

 “After practice, I knew I had the potential to do it,” he said. “I felt good about what I had found.”

What he had found was a group of relatively shallow spots in the grass that held heavy concentrations of largemouth. While he weighed in a few smallmouth, he said that approximately 90 percent of the resident bass were largemouth, and it was the green fish that led him to victory. The spot where he caught most of his Day 2 weight clued him in to what the fish were feeding on.

 “I found something pretty cool,” he said. “I knew that area had some big fish, but it wasn’t until I caught a few that I figured out why. I brought up some fish that had weeds with them, and in the weeds there were hundreds of microscopic crawfish. Either the bass there were eating their parents, or else the baitfish were there eating them.”

Regardless of what drew the bass to the diminutive prey, Bianchi relied on a one-two punch of presentations to keep them active — a  traditional flipping jig and a finesse plastic on a drop shot rig.

 “They would bite in spurts,” he said. “For a while they’d eat a jig, and then they wouldn’t eat it right. They’d just mouth it. Usually that meant you had to finesse them. Other times you could snap it and get them to react.”

 He didn’t need all of his 17-7 final weight to outlast Adams, but from the water Bianchi, didn’t know that. Late in the day he made a strategic adjustment he’d been planning on all week.

 “There was one area that I’d saved all (through the) tournament,” he explained. “I knew that around 12 or 1 o’clock, the smallmouth usually get going, so I went over there around 12:30.”

 In short order, he culled three of the fish in his livewell with a 4-pound smallmouth, a 4 1/2-pound largemouth and a 3-pound smallmouth.

“Without those three, I knew I wouldn’t have a shot,” he said. “With those three, I had it nailed.”

 Adams, a former Bassmaster Open winner and two-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, relied on one 50 foot by 50 foot spot in a large grassbed to reel in three consecutive limits that totaled 49-4. Even though it was an area where he expected to catch mostly smallmouth, like Bianchi, most of the fish he weighed in at this event were largemouth.

“I had what I had in 45 minutes today,” he said. “It was all in one little, little area. If I got outside of it, I didn’t get a bite. All of the grass around it looked exactly the same, so I still don’t know why they were there.”

 Adams said he was fortunate to catch his fish early, because “once the wind started blowing, it laid the grass down, and you couldn’t buy a bite.” Most of his fish were caught flipping a Zoom Speed Craw.

Virginia pro Jacob Powroznik, who was tied with Adams in third place entering the final day of competition, held onto that spot today on the strength of his second consecutive 15-15 limit. He primarily targeted schooling smallmouth and reported catching nearly 60 of them today. He said that the key to catching the bigger ones was to let his umbrella rig ride lower in the water column.

“When they’re busting the surface, they’re harder to catch,” he said. “If you fish it up near the top, you might catch some that are 2 or 2 ½ pounds, but if you let it go to the bottom before you start reeling, you can catch 3-pounders.”

 Jamey Caldwell of North Carolina caught 15-12 to move up a spot into fourth place. Mike Morrin of New York, who entered the day in second place, dropped three places to round out the Top 5.

Co-angler Tom Hill of Kentucky, fishing behind Powroznik today, jumped from third place to first to claim the co-angler crown. His three, three-fish limits totaled 27-12 and enabled him to outlast second-place co-angler Chris Hall by 8 ounces in a tightly-packed amateur field. In addition to fishing with Powroznik, he fished with winner Jim Bianchi on Day 1 and with Kenny Garippa of Pennsylvania on Day 2, which was when Garippa weighed in 19-3.

 Hill will take home a Nitro Z-7, powered by a Mercury 150 HP Optimax outboard, and equipped with a single-axle trailer, Minn Kota trolling motor and Lowrance electronics.

The Carhartt Big Bass award of $500 for the largest single bass caught at the tournament was awarded to Kenny Garippa on the pro side for the 5-6 largemouth he caught on Day 2. Hill won the award on the co-angler side with a 4-11 largemouth, also caught on Day 2 from the back of Garippa’s boat.

The Luck-E-Strike Heavyweight Award on the pro side, consisting of a $250 Bass Pro Shops gift card, went to Bianchi for the 19-4 limit he weighed in on Friday. On the co-angler side, former Open winner Brian Kelly earned the same amount for his three-fish 10-15 Day 1 limit, caught while fishing with New York pro Noah Raymond.

The Livingston Lures Leader award of $250 was presented to Bianchi for leading the pro side after Day 2 of competition. Ken Woods of Kentucky won the corresponding honor on the co-angler side and received a Livingston Lures gift pack valued at $250.

by AnglersChannel

Auburn U At Montgomery's Nummy And Frink Take Charge With Huge Sack At Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship!

YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. — Tom Frink has got a secret, and he unleashed it on the field at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship today en route to amassing an eye-popping 20-pound, 15-ounce five-fish limit with partner Jacob Nummy. His secret is in the form of the bait, and he might be the only angler in north Georgia who has one.

Frink kept his secret lure close to his vest, but will reveal it after the conclusion of the event tomorrow, after the Top 5 teams have weighed in. Frink and Nummy, both seniors at Auburn University at Montgomery, currently are enjoying a 3-pound, 2-ounce lead with a two-day total of 31-3.

The pair started with an early flurry of spotted bass caught on drop shot rigs, but each fish they put in the well was a candidate for culling, as Frink and Nummy saw it. They hadn’t let their secret bait out yet.

“It was nice having some OK spots first thing, but they weren’t anything that would help us get into the Top 5,” Frink said. “It helped us to get comfortable, but then we went fishing for largemouth, and it became a bit of a grind in the afternoon.”

Frink’s bait was so much the key to their day that Nummy flipped to downed trees from the back of the boat as the pair passed them, allowing Frink room to sling his bait.

“It was mainly me getting out of his way so he could put that bait in the right spot,” Nummy said. “I think me just hanging back and letting him do his thing with that bait is what helped us a lot.”

With conditions changing as fast as they did today, the duo feels like they may have to learn Chatuge all over again tomorrow. Seldom have the days been the same on Chatuge since they began practice seven days ago.

“I’d like to say tomorrow that we can do it again, but on this lake there really aren’t any givens. You’ve got to go out there and start casting to get a feel for what’s going on,” Frink said. “It could be big largemouth again, or it could be spots.”

“We’ve got a bunch of holes to hit, but if the heads (big largemouth) aren’t there, that might be a problem. To win it, we’re gonna need heads,” Nummy said.

Surging into second place after Day 2 is the Auburn team of Jordan Lee and Shane Powell. They sacked 14-12 today for a total of 28-1.

“We struggled early on in the day, but the afternoon bite turned on for us,” Lee said.

Powell said that timing was key for them.

“We went back to two or three of our best spots and started catching them,” Powell said. “We had hit them two or three times earlier in the day, and they weren’t there, but at the end of the day they started biting for whatever reason. Then, at our very last stop, they started schooling right at the boat, and we caught two more doing that. That last hour the whole lake turned on, and we culled three or four of our fish.

“It’d be awesome to make it to that bracket (to determine which collegiate angler will fish in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic) because I’m with (2013 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series champion) Matt (Lee) a lot, and I’ve seen what it’s done for him and his family. We’re pretty excited to have this chance.”

In third place are Day 1 leaders Nick Barr and Jarred Walker of Eastern Washington University, who only managed 6-0 today, but had staying power thanks to the strength of their Day 1 bag of 19-4. The pair had to contend with increased boat traffic due to their success. Plenty of anglers saw where Barr and Walker were fishing and used the same spots today.

“We went to hit our first spot, and there was a boat on it. There were boats on our five best spots today when we got there,” Barr said. “These fish are smart. If you’re not the first boat there to drop on ’em, you won’t get bit. We watched big fish all day just sit there and ignore our bait.”

In fourth place are the local favorites of Brad Peeler and Matthew Rutherford of Young Harris College with 23-15, and in fifth place is the other Auburn University team, made up of Matt Lee and Chris Seals with 22-14.

Only these Top 5 teams will compete tomorrow to determine which Top 4 teams will go on to the Carhartt Bassmaster College Bracket Championship, where the winner will earn a berth in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic set to be held next February on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville.

The Carhartt Big Bass honors still lie with Florida State University’s Cody Spears and Charles Fee for their 5-13 caught yesterday.

Winning the tournament’s Livingston Lures Leader award of $500 in Livingston Lures products for being in the lead on Day 2 are Frink and Nummy of AUM.

Anglers will launch Saturday at 6:30 a.m. ET at The Ridges Marina, 3499 U.S. Hwy 76, Hiawassee, Ga. The weigh-in for the final day of competition will be held at 3 p.m. at Young Harris College, 1 College St., Young Harris, Ga.

TV coverage of the Championship will air in August on ESPNU in two parts. The first will be Sunday, Aug. 11, noon to 1 p.m. ET. The second part will air Sunday, Aug. 18 in the same time slot. They will be preceded by an Aug. 4 show from noon to 1 p.m. ET that recaps how the anglers qualified for the Championship through the five Regional Conference events.

Follow the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/CollegeBass and on Twitter using hashtag #collegebass. Follow the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bass and on Twitter using hashtag #collegebass.

by AnglersChannel

Bianchi Takes Lead St Bassmaster Open On Oneida

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – At the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open, New York pro Jim Bianchi hit his largemouth bass spots hard on Day 1 to amass a catch of 15 pounds, 12 ounces. He thought he may have burned them up, but on Day 2, he had more than 19 pounds of Oneida Lake green fish in the livewell by 9:30 a.m. and was able to relax the rest of the day.

On the strength of his big limit, Bianchi vaulted into the lead, slightly more than 2 pounds ahead of second-place angler Mike Morrin, also from New York. Moving down one spot was North Carolina pro Tracy Adams, who is tied with Virginian Jacob Powroznik for third at 32-07, just a half pound behind Morin. The first day leader Chris Daves fell to sixth place.

The rest of the Top 12 group is tightly packed, with 12th place angler James Niggemeyer less than 5 pounds out of the lead, and less than 3 pounds out of second. Any of them could make a move on the victory tomorrow, but on a close scoreboard, Bianchi’s lead looks huge.

“I laid off them big time today,” Bianchi said. “I let them rest a lot. For 65 percent of the day, I sat and ate sandwiches.” One was egg salad, one was chicken salad, but by his own description both were “gas station specials.” Tomorrow he likely won’t have the luxury of stopping to eat as he looks to fend off the other 11 members of a strong Top 12.

Bianchi started with a limit of smallmouth this morning, quickly culled all of them with largemouth, and then sat near his best spot the rest of the day to ensure that no other competitor stumbled onto it. He said that he has saved several areas, but the one he has relied upon so far clearly has the best quality.

“I should have the area alone tomorrow,” Bianchi said.

Morrin caught a mix of smallmouth and largemouth, the five best of which weighed 16-08, just an ounce better than his first day catch. He said that his “brown fish kind of fizzled out a bit after three hours,” so he turned to the largemouth bite. Two members of his five-fish limit were largemouth. This is the first Bassmaster Opens that he’s fished, but he’s certainly not an Oneida rookie. He’s notched numerous Top 10 spots here on other circuits, and in 2008, he spent “every weekend here from June through October.”

Like Bianchi, Adams weighed in five largemouth today, but he wasn’t necessarily happy about it. Yesterday his key area produced a mix of both species, and he believes that the resident smallmouths were just a little bit fatter, “4 or 5 ounces more on average,” he said. He’s not sure what he’ll do tomorrow to generate the type of bag he’ll need to make a run at the victory. “I just haven’t had any real big bites — nothing over about 4 pounds — and I’m only getting one of those each day.”

Adams professed to be astounded by the 19-04 that Bianchi weighed in: “I didn’t know there were five that big in here that if you put them all together they’d weigh 19 pounds,” he said. In order to add a second Bassmaster Opens trophy to his mantle, he said he’ll have to get lucky and the two pros ahead of him will have to stumble.

Powroznik was the only member of the Top 4 who didn’t bring a largemouth to the weigh-in. He’s primarily chasing schooling smallmouth, and said that the decision to look for brown over green seemed elementary.

“I’ve researched the last couple of big tournaments up here, and it seems that smallmouths are the dominant fish most of the time,” he said. “I also thought that they’d be more consistent.” Powroznik is rotating among six schools of bronzebacks that he pinned down by careful idling and use of his electronics, and he said that once he gets them fired up, the fishing is relatively easy.

“This morning I had 14 or 15 pounds in about 10 minutes,” he recalled. “It was fast and furious. I’m catching them on a dropshot, a tube and a swimbait, but the truth is that if you get it in front of them, they’re going to bite.

For leading the field after the second day of competition, Bianchi received the $250 Livingston Lures Leader Award.

Kenny Woods of Oneida, Ky., leads the co-angler side of the tournament with two three-bass limits that totaled 19-07 and received a Livingston Lures gift pack valued at $250 for being in first place after Day 2. He fished with veteran pro Gary Yamamoto yesterday and Elite Series rookie Chip Porche today. Brian Kelly, who won a Southern Open on Lake Toho six months ago, trails Woods by a mere 2 ounces.

Pennsylvania pro Kenny Garippa weighed in a 5 pound, 6 ounce largemouth today, the Carhartt Big Bass on the pro side of the tournament so far. After struggling with Oneida’s smallmouth over the last month, including yesterday when he weighed in only two for 4-1, Garippa turned his attention to largemouth today and caught a 19-03 limit on a Texas rigged Senko

If Garippa’s big largemouth holds up as the Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament after tomorrow’s weigh-in, he will receive an additional $500. If the 4-11 bass weighed in by co-angler Tom Hill of Lexington, Ky., withstands the attempts of tomorrow’s Top 12 co-anglers to topple it, he too will bank $500 for the Carhartt Big Bass award.

Anglers will launch on Saturday at 5:45 a.m. ET from Oneida Shores Park at 9400 Bartell Road, Brewerton, NY 13029. The final day weigh-in will be held at 3:15 p.m. ET at Bass Pro Shops, 1579 Clark St. Rd., Auburn, NY 13022.

by AnglersChannel

Chris Daves Leads Bassmaster Northern Open On Oneida

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – As the full field bucked big waves on Oneida Lake today, Virginia pro Chris Daves bucked the conventional wisdom that it’s necessary to pursue both largemouth and smallmouth to win here and claimed the first day lead at the second 2013 Northern Open . His limit of five smallmouth weighed 17 pounds, 2 ounces, leaving him 1 ounce ahead of North Carolina pro Tracy Adams.

“I don’t have anything to even catch a largemouth in my boat,” Daves said. “I’m not saying that I’ll win, but you can definitely win with all smallmouth here. I think the largemouth bite will fall off.”

He’s pursuing his quarry in two ways: on isolated grass clumps and when they’re schooling. Because it was so rough today, he couldn’t focus on birds to find schooling bass, but instead used his depthfinder to locate the bait they were pursuing. At the first stop of the day his front graph went out, so he spent the rest of the day moving his console unit back and forth from the bow to the dash.

While the former tour pro has fished around the country in a wide variety of circumstances, he’s known for being a tidal water expert. That may be where he has the most advantage, but “I Love New York” should be somewhere on his jersey. Of the 10 Top 10 finishes he’s logged in 97 career B.A.S.S. events, four have been on waters in or adjoining the Empire State – he placed ninth at Cayuga Lake last year, fourth at Lake Champlain in 2006, third at Oneida Lake in 2005 and 10th on Lake Erie (out of Ohio) in 2006.

Clearly the affinity for smallmouth fishing runs in the family. Daves’ father, Woo, who won the 2000 Classic on the back of Lake Michigan bronzebacks, is currently just 18 ounces back in ninth place with 16-0.

“I clued him in … again,” the leader joked. “We’re doing the same thing.”

This is of course an individual event, but if it were a team tournament, the two members of the Daves family would be 9 ounces behind Adams (2nd, 17-01) and veteran Connecticut pro Terry Baksay (3rd, 16-10), longtime traveling partners and close friends. Like the younger Daves, each of them has qualified for two Bassmaster Classics and would love to close out a win this week to increase that number to three.

Adams was the first angler to weigh in today, and when he held up two largemouth, it seemed he might’ve committed to a shallow grass bite all day. Then he revealed that his other three fish were smallmouth, and that all of them came from the same spot.

“I don’t know why there were a couple of largemouth in there,” he said. He’s fishing approximately 12 feet deep in the middle of a 50-acre grassbed, but the key spot is approximately the size of two bass boats.

“I started on it, and they didn’t bite,” he recalled. “I came back around 8 o’clock, and it was on. I have no idea if it will hold up.”

While Adams reported that other anglers were respectful of his key stretch, he and his close friend Baksay are within sight of one another.

“I can see him, and he can see me,” Baksay said. “We’re about a half mile apart.”

Unlike his roommate, though, the Connecticut angler caught nothing but smallmouth today.

“I’m not going to mess with green fish when I can catch brown ones,” Baksay said. “Are you kidding?” He caught a 3-12 on his last cast of the day to cull up past the six other members of the tournament’s 16-plus pound club. The last member of that group was the elder Daves, who seemed to have a variety of sports other than bass fishing on his mind today. On stage he thanked his local rabbit hunting partners and expressed an interest in going to the races at the dirt track tomorrow night, whether he makes the cut or not. Backstage he credited some of his success to the substantial amount of time he spends flounder fishing.

“When you fish for flounder, you have to stay on the contours,” he said. “Smallmouth are basically breakline fish, so any time you can find something like a little point that just juts out, that’s where you’ll probably catch them.”

While the large field invoked an array of potential problems and excuses before the tournament – including, but not limited to, an algae bloom, heavy crowds, strong winds and muddied areas – when the scales closed, the numbers told a different story. They caught lots of fish, as the pros always do on Oneida. The cutoff for the Top 12 was 15 pounds, 12 ounces. The drop off to 30th place only moves the needle to 14-8. Ten pounds barely even squeaked inside the Top 100. If any angler wants to make a move, he’ll likely have to add a kicker or two to his bag.

Pennsylvania pro Tony Dorman (37th, 14-0) caught the Carhartt Big Bass of the day, a 5-2 largemouth that would have bolstered anyone else’s bag significantly, turning a struggling angler into a contender, or turning a contender into a leader. “First thing this morning I planned on catching a limit of smallmouth,” Dorman said. “I pulled in and caught that big one on a spinnerbait.”

Brian Kelly of New York leads the co-angler field on the strength of a three-fish limit that weighed 10-15. Richard French (42nd, 7-15), also of New York, caught the co-angler Carhartt Big Bass of the day, which weighed 4-6.

Anglers will launch on Friday and Saturday at 5:45 a.m. ET from Oneida Shores Park at 9400 Bartell Road, Brewerton, NY 13029. The Day 2 weigh-ins will be held at the 2 p.m. ET at the same location at Oneida Shores Park. The final day weigh in will be held at 3:15 p.m. ET at Bass Pro Shops, 1579 Clark St. Rd., Auburn NY 13022.

by AnglersChannel

Long Shot Luger Makes Huge Comeback To Win B.a.s.s. Nation Mid-Atlantic Divisional On Lake Erie

Jeff Luger of Virginia weighed-in 19 pounds, 13 ounces of Lake Erie smallmouth today to charge from 21^st place to the winner’s circle on the final day of the B.A.S.S. Nation Mid-Atlantic Divisional tournament.

And because of the 4-fish limit in Pennsylvania Luger’s average weight per fish was nearly 5 pounds apiece. His sack included a 5-10 smallie that won Carhartt Big Bass honors for the tournament. Likewise, his bag of bass today was also the heaviest of the 3-day event.

 “I never thought I would have a chance at winning this,” said Lugar, 42, a production manager for M&H Plastics. “I caught 4-12 the first day, and then I had 14-11 yesterday, and I told my partner today, I needed a big bag just to try and make it from the (state) team. At 1 o’clock today, he told me I had won the whole thing. I said there was no way since I had caught 4 pounds the first day, and you can’t win a tournament with this many good fishermen and not have a limit every day. So I don’t know what to say. I am in shock right now.”

Lugar caught all of his fish the final day on a Jackall Lures Crosstail Shad and Strike King 4-inch finesse worm on a drop shot rig with 3/8- and 1/2-ounce weights.

“We went east about 10 miles and started there,” said Lugar. “I caught three fish, and the second one was a 5-pounder. We got to the next spot, and it was lights out for three or four hours. I was catching 3 1/2- and 4-pound fish. It was just one of those days. We caught walleye, drum, yellow perch, rock bass and, of course, some big smallmouth.”

Delaware won the team championship with 387 pounds, 1 ounce, while the New Jersey squad finished second with 364-8.

The Top 10 looks like this:

1.  Jeff Lugar             Mcgaheysville, VA (VA)  10  39-04  0

2.  Jason Vaughn           Bridgeville, DE (DE)    12  39-02  0

3.  Mike Moran             Ruffsdale, PA (PA)      12  38-13  0

4.  Jim Groome             Pittsgrove, NJ (NJ)     12  36-08  0

5.  John Carpenter         Marmona, NJ (NJ)        12  36-06  0

6.  Jim Short              Ocean Pines, MD (DE)    12  36-03  0

7.  Matt Becker            Finleyville, PA (PA)    12  35-03  0

8.  Chris Price            Church Hill, MD (DE)    12  34-14  0

9.  William Pioch          Beckley, WV (WV)        12  34-11  0

10. Michael Sentore        Gloucester City, NJ (NJ 12  34-11  0

11. Fabian Rodriguez       Ocean City, DE (DE)     12  34-00  0

by AnglersChannel

Pioch Takes Over on Erie

Bill Pioch took the lead in the B.A.S.S. Nation Mid-Atlantic Divisional today with a Pennsylvania 4-fish limit weighing 15-05.

          High winds on Day 1 pinned anglers down to the bay, where Pioch caught 9-08. Today he took advantage of the freedom to roam and ran his total weight to 24-13.

Today he switched game plans, from fishing for largemouth in Presque Isle Bay to targeting smallmouth out on the main body of Lake Erie.

          The retired West Virginia State Trooper relied on his electronics to locate schools of fish.  “Basically I drove around until I found the schools of fish, and then we would start fishing,” said Pioch. “It was just like playing video games.”

          Pioch found fish in 20-to-25 feet of water early in the day; 30-to-35 feet later. He estimates that he caught 20 bass. “For the suspended fish, we had to drop our lures right on their heads to get them to bite. Once we caught one or two good fish off the school, the fish would spook and move off. So we had to keep hunting.”

          Pioch owns a 10 ounce lead over Jim Groome who has 24-03. Mike Moran is 3^rd with 24-01. Next on the jam-packed leaderboard is Jason Vaughn with 24-even.

          Day 1 leader Chris Price dropped to 5^th with a total weight of 23-10.

by AnglersChannel

Price Leads Mid-Atlantic Divisional on Erie

Chris Price, a roofing contractor and two-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier from Church Hill, MD took the lead today in the B.A.S.S. Nation Mid-Atlantic Divisional on Lake Erie.

With a Pennsylvania limit of 4 fish that weighed 10-12, Price assumed a lead of 5 ounces over Matt Becker of Finleyville, PA.

Michael Sentor of New Jersey is 3rd with 10-06. Also from the Garden State, Jim Groome is 4th with 10-01. Brian La Claire of Maryland is 5th with 9-14.

Gusty winds prompted tournament officials to restrict eligible waters to those contained within Presque Isle Bay. On a hunch that such would happen, Price spent half of a practice in the bay.

“I got real lucky in practice and pulled into a spot, and the first few cast I made I put together a pattern,” said Price.

Price used a 7-inch worm to pull 18 bass from a grass edge in several feet of water. “I just happened to come across a couple of good spots real quick right out in the middle of the bay.”

The good news for Price, and many other competitors, is that his main lake stuff did not get fished today. Those spots will be fresh, provided winds lay enough for the tournament field to venture forth from the bay tomorrow, which is expected to happen.

by AnglersChannel