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Mike Iaconelli Grabs Lead In Lake Erie Open

SANDUSKY, Ohio — Mike Iaconelli admittedly had a terrible season on the Bassmaster Elite Series. He finished 44th in Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points, well outside of qualifying for the 2014 Bassmaster Classic. Making it to the Classic is the gauge by which all Elite Series pros measure their season — if you’re within the Top 32 or so positions, you’ve done your job. Anything else is subpar.

Going into this third and final Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open on Lake Erie, Iaconelli saw his best shot at a Classic berth given his experience and prowess on Northern fisheries. The New Jersey pro made the most of his last best chance Thursday by sacking a 23-pound, 15-ounce limit of smallmouth to jump into the lead. His bag was anchored by a 5-12 brute.

“This tournament is a double whammy for me. I’ve had success at almost every level of the sport, but a win at this level is something I’ve never gotten,” Iaconelli said on stage. “It’s special to me because I cut my teeth at this level, and the second part of it is that Classic berth. I’ve had a pretty miserable Elite Series season, but you’ve just got to keep your head up and keep fishing, and you can usually get yourself out of a bad run. Hopefully, this is the end of my bad streak.”

Iaconelli made a long run into Lake Erie during Thursday’s opening round. There, he battled high winds and waves all day. However, there’s a good chance that Friday’s competition day will be cancelled due to weather, shortening the tournament by a day. If the field does fish in rough weather Friday, Iaconelli will have to alter his plan because his spot is very vulnerable to north winds.

“This is a tough position to be in, since I’m not currently in the Classic. I’ve had two good Northern Opens already, so it’d be great to come out here and get that berth, but also to win the tournament. That’s just as important,” he said. “Winning an Open is something I want to do before I’m done with my career. It’s very important to me, whether it’s a three-day tournament or a shortened one. A win is a win.”

Iaconelli said he had an OK practice, and today’s weight was a welcome surprise.

“I think I figured out a couple of key baits and spots, and I’m just trying to run that,” he said. “The hardest thing out here for everyone is the waves and weather. When you get around them, they’ll bite. It’s getting to them and getting back that can be the hardest part.”

Behind Iaconelli is Hunter Shryock of Newcomerstown, Ohio, brother of Elite Series pro Fletcher Shryock. Despite being a novice, Hunter has proved to be a quick study. Last year, he bought Fletcher’s Ranger boat and began fishing tournaments, meaning he has a little more than a year’s worth of competition experience. He caught 22-10 today.

“I got in an area, and I thought I had 17 or 18 pounds, so it really surprised me when I put ’em on the scales,” Shryock said. “I haven’t seen it this good all week, so I doubt I’ll go back and it be on fire again, but I’ll definitely be there.”

Tactically, Shryock credited standard Lake Erie techniques — a drop shot rig and tube — for his catch.

In third place is Kyle Kempkers of Hamilton, Mich., with 22-8. In fourth is Elite Series pro Derek Remitz of Grant, Ala., with 22-6, and in fifth place is Dave Lefebre of Erie, Pa., with 22-3.

Leading the co-angler division is Jeff Cutler of Minersville, Pa., who amassed an impressive 14-9 in his three-fish limit. His pro partner Joe Sancho of New Windsor, N.Y., is in sixth place with 21-15.

“Basically, it was typical Erie stuff. I was drop shotting a Poor Boys Bait Co. Erie Darter, and I didn’t get a lot of bites, but they were the right ones,” Cutler said. “You’ve got to land every one that bites, and I managed to fish pretty clean today.”

Behind Cutler is Larry Thomas of Michigan with 14-2, and in third place is Andre Sokolowski of Canada with 14-0. In fourth place is Mike Kiester of Michigan with 13-12. Rounding out the Top 5 is Paul Marchaza of Ohio with 13-9.

Leading the Carhartt Big Bass competition is co-angler Cory Krawczyh of Angola, N.Y., with a true trophy smallmouth that weighed 6-8.

2013 BPS Bassmaster Northern Open Lake Erie/Sandusky  9/12-9/14
Lake Erie, Sandusky, Ohio
(BOATER) Standings Day 1

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts

1.  Michael Iaconelli      Pitts Grove, NJ          5  23-15  123
Day 1: 5   23-15
2.  Hunter Shryock         Newcomerstown, OH        5  22-10  122
Day 1: 5   22-10
3.  Kyle Kempkers          Hamilton, MI             5  22-08  121
Day 1: 5   22-08
4.  Derek Remitz           Grant, AL                5  22-06  120
Day 1: 5   22-06
5.  David Lefebre          Erie, PA                 5  22-03  119
Day 1: 5   22-03
6.  Joseph Sancho          New Windsor, NY          5  21-15  118
Day 1: 5   21-15
7.  Charlie Hartley        Grove City, OH           5  21-09  117
Day 1: 5   21-09
8.  Joe Balog              Harrison Township, MI    5  21-06  116
Day 1: 5   21-06
8.  Cj Shaver              Westerville, OH          5  21-06  116
Day 1: 5   21-06
10. Wayne Hauser           Mooresville, NC          5  21-03  114
Day 1: 5   21-03
11. Gary Greenwood         Irwin, PA                5  21-01  113
Day 1: 5   21-01
12. Stephen Mui            Bartlett, IL             5  20-14  112
Day 1: 5   20-14
13. David Cooke            Mooresville, NC          5  20-12  111
Day 1: 5   20-12
13. Danny Jones            North East, PA           5  20-12  111
Day 1: 5   20-12
15. James Jacobus          Johnstown, OH            5  20-07  109
Day 1: 5   20-07
16. Randy Howell           Springville, AL          5  20-04  108
Day 1: 5   20-04
16. Steve York             Bronson, MI              5  20-04  108
Day 1: 5   20-04
18. Ray Brazier            Lawrenceburg, TN         5  20-03  106
Day 1: 5   20-03
18. Jacob Powroznik        Prince Grove, VA         5  20-03  106
Day 1: 5   20-03
20. Al Farace              Cockeysville, MD         5  20-01  104
Day 1: 5   20-01
21. Justin Lucas           Guntersville, AL         5  20-00  103
Day 1: 5   20-00
22. Chris Mcreynolds       Louisville, TN           5  19-15  102
Day 1: 5   19-15
23. Paul Mazzitelli        Pittston, PA             5  19-15  101
Day 1: 5   19-15
24. Eddie Levin            Westerville, OH          5  19-11  100
Day 1: 5   19-11
25. Timmy Horton           Muscle Shoals, AL        5  19-09   99
Day 1: 5   19-09
26. Fletcher Shryock       New Philadelphia, OH     5  19-06   98
Day 1: 5   19-06
27. Kevin Hawk             Guntersville, AL         5  19-01   97
Day 1: 5   19-01
28. Kurt Dove              Del Rio, TX              5  19-00   96
Day 1: 5   19-00
29. Chip Porche            Bixby, OK                5  18-14   95
Day 1: 5   18-14
30. Chris Daves            Hopewell, VA             5  18-13   94
Day 1: 5   18-13
30. Philip Holwerda        Ada, MI                  5  18-13   94
Day 1: 5   18-13
30. Joe Nicholson          Cleveland, OH            5  18-13   94
Day 1: 5   18-13
33. Jason Root             Fostoria, OH             5  18-11   91
Day 1: 5   18-11
34. Steve Tosh             Turlock, CA              5  18-10   90
Day 1: 5   18-10
35. Timothy Laizer         South Hadley, MA         5  18-09   89
Day 1: 5   18-09
36. Tom Stark              Angola, IN               5  18-08   88
Day 1: 5   18-08
37. Blaine Bucy            Weirton, WV              5  18-05   87
Day 1: 5   18-05
37. Chris King             South Amherst, OH        5  18-05   87
Day 1: 5   18-05
39. Scott Siller           Milwaukee, WI            5  18-04   85
Day 1: 5   18-04
40. Zachary Maisch         Lima, OH                 5  18-03   84
Day 1: 5   18-03
41. Sean D Caswell         Highland, NY             5  18-01   83
Day 1: 5   18-01
42. Kip Bodkin             Berlin Heights, OH       5  18-00   82
Day 1: 5   18-00
42. Chad Pipkens           Holt, MI                 5  18-00   82
Day 1: 5   18-00
44. William Pioch          Beckley, WV              5  17-13   80
Day 1: 5   17-13
45. Jeff Hippert           Hamburg, NY              5  17-10   79
Day 1: 5   17-10
46. Ken Golubjatnikov      Pittsford, NY            5  17-08   78
Day 1: 5   17-08
47. Larry Freeman          Waynesburg, PA           5  17-08   77
Day 1: 5   17-08
48. Timothy Macknair       Rices Landing, PA        5  17-07   76
Day 1: 5   17-07
49. Chris Zaldain          San Jose, CA             5  17-05   75
Day 1: 5   17-05
50. Patrick Pierce         Jacksonville, FL         5  17-03   74
Day 1: 5   17-03
50. Matt Vermilyea         Perrysburg, OH           5  17-03   74
Day 1: 5   17-03
50. Boo Woods              Oneida, KY               5  17-03   74
Day 1: 5   17-03
53. Brian Schram           Saint Clair Shores, MI   5  17-01   71
Day 1: 5   17-01
54. John Figi              Bloomington, MN          5  17-00   70
Day 1: 5   17-00
54. Rob Thivener           Delaware, OH             5  17-00   70
Day 1: 5   17-00
56. Rocky Rhodes           Grampian, PA             5  16-15   68
Day 1: 5   16-15
57. Tracy Adams            Wilkesboro, NC           5  16-13   67
Day 1: 5   16-13
57. Whitney Stephens       Waverly, OH              5  16-13   67
Day 1: 5   16-13
59. John Pelletier         Castleton, NY            5  16-09   65
Day 1: 5   16-09
60. Rick Taylor            West Olive, MI           5  16-08   64
Day 1: 5   16-08
61. RC Cooper              Nashua, NH               5  16-05   63
Day 1: 5   16-05
62. Masahiro Yanase        Knoxville TN JAPAN       5  16-03   62
Day 1: 5   16-03
63. John Malzahn           Sparrow Bush, NY         5  15-15   61
Day 1: 5   15-15
64. Paul A Molan           Chardon, OH              5  15-14   60
Day 1: 5   15-14
65. Gregory Dipalma        Millville, NJ            5  15-13   59
Day 1: 5   15-13
66. Jeff Barth             Marshfield, WI           5  15-12   58
Day 1: 5   15-12
66. Jacob Wheeler          Indianapolis, IN         5  15-12   58
Day 1: 5   15-12
68. Charlie Evans          Gilbertsville, KY        5  15-09   56
Day 1: 5   15-09
69. Tom Kemos              Oconomowoc, WI           5  15-07   55
Day 1: 5   15-07
69. Greg Pugh              Cullman, AL              5  15-07   55
Day 1: 5   15-07
71. Scott Canterbury       Springville, AL          5  15-04   53
Day 1: 5   15-04
72. Chris Noffsinger       Interlochen, MI          4  15-01   52
Day 1: 4   15-01
73. Art Ferguson III       Saint Clair Shores, MI   5  14-12   51
Day 1: 5   14-12
74. Mark Hicks             Glouster, OH             5  14-11   50
Day 1: 5   14-11
75. Kyle A. Fox            Lakeland, FL             5  14-05   49
Day 1: 5   14-05
76. Bill Chapman           Salt Rock, WV            5  14-02   48
Day 1: 5   14-02
77. Paul Pagnato           Reston, VA               5  14-01   47
Day 1: 5   14-01
78. William M Schwartz     Sheffield Village, OH    5  13-15   46
Day 1: 5   13-15
79. Matt Greenblatt        Port St Lucie, FL        5  13-15   45
Day 1: 5   13-15
79. James Plessinger       Williamsburg, VA         5  13-15   45
Day 1: 5   13-15
81. Jonathan Carter        South Portland, ME       5  13-13   43
Day 1: 5   13-13
82. Rob Collins            Morrow, OH               5  13-08   42
Day 1: 5   13-08
83. Jeff Kuhar             Bridgeport, OH           5  13-07   41
Day 1: 5   13-07
84. David Smith            Del City, OK             5  13-05   40
Day 1: 5   13-05
85. Seth Feider            Bloomington, MN          4  13-05   39
Day 1: 4   13-05
86. Skip Johnson           Wales, MI                4  13-03   38
Day 1: 4   13-03
87. Luke Clausen           Otis Orchards, WA        4  12-10   37
Day 1: 4   12-10
88. Drew Benton            Panama City, FL          4  12-03   36
Day 1: 4   12-03
89. Gary Krammes           Pottsville, PA           4  12-01   35
Day 1: 4   12-01
90. Greg Gutierrez         Red Bluff, CA            5  11-15   34
Day 1: 5   11-15
91. David Gonzales         Dennison, OH             5  11-13   33
Day 1: 5   11-13
92. Wil Hardy II           Harlem, GA               4  11-12   32
Day 1: 4   11-12
93. Jeff Salmon            Chester, VA              5  11-07   31
Day 1: 5   11-07
94. Brian Metry            Grosse Pointe Farms, MI  4  11-04   30
Day 1: 4   11-04
95. Jonathon VanDam        Kalamazoo, MI            3  11-04   29
Day 1: 3   11-04
96. David Dudley           Dublin, OH               4  11-01   28
Day 1: 4   11-01
97. Stephen Longobardi     Northford, CT            4  10-13   27
Day 1: 4   10-13
98. Steven C Schmidt       Madison, NE              3  10-08   26
Day 1: 3   10-08
99. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland AUSTRALIA     3  10-07   25
Day 1: 3   10-07
100. William Kemp           Scotland Neck, NC        4  10-01   24
Day 1: 4   10-01
101. Boyd Duckett           Demopolis, AL            3  09-13   23
Day 1: 3   09-13
102. Mike Elsea             Mooresville, IN          2  09-13   22
Day 1: 2   09-13
103. Jamey Caldwell         Carthage, NC             3  09-09   21
Day 1: 3   09-09
104. Todd Sterner           Mechanicsburg, PA        3  09-05   20
Day 1: 3   09-05
105. James Mcmullen         Quakertown, PA           3  09-03   19
Day 1: 3   09-03
106. Larry Draughn          Fairborn, OH             4  08-05   18
Day 1: 4   08-05
107. Emery L Peine          Newton, NJ               3  08-03   17
Day 1: 3   08-03
108. Josh Douglas           Chattanooga, TN          3  07-10   16
Day 1: 3   07-10
109. Jesse Schultz          New Albany, IN           2  06-11   15
Day 1: 2   06-11
110. Don Warren             Chesterfield, VA         2  05-08   14
Day 1: 2   05-08
111. Darin Doll             Jacobus, PA              1  04-12   13
Day 1: 1   04-12
112. Adam Thiede            Ashland, OH              1  04-07   12
Day 1: 1   04-07
113. Randy Elliott          Bowie, MD                1  04-02   11
Day 1: 1   04-02
114. Israel Mills           Lester, WV               1  03-14   10
Day 1: 1   03-14
115. William Lortz          Rochester, NY            1  03-11    9
Day 1: 1   03-11
116. Wade Curtiss           Meadow Vista, CA         1  02-06    8
Day 1: 1   02-06
117. Trait L Crist          Fort Worth, TX           0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
117. Jason Dudek            Excelsior, MN            0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
117. Pete Gluszek           Mount Laurel, NJ         0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
117. Joe Lucarelli          Center Harbor, NH        0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
117. Kelly Pratt            Williamsburg, VA         0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
117. Steve Schubert         Rayland, OH              0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
117. Michael Simonton       Fremont, OH              0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1        86       517      1799-13
----------------------------------
86       517      1799-13

2013 BPS Bassmaster Northern Open Lake Erie/Sandusky  9/12-9/14
Lake Erie, Sandusky, Ohio
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 1

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts

1.  Jeff Cutler            Minersville, PA          3  14-09  123
Day 1: 3   14-09
2.  Larry Thomas           Lambertville, MI         3  14-02  122
Day 1: 3   14-02
3.  Andrew Sokolowski      Brechin CANADA           3  14-00  121
Day 1: 3   14-00
4.  Mike Kiester           Davisburg, MI            3  13-12  120
Day 1: 3   13-12
5.  Paul Marchaza          Mentor, OH               3  13-09  119
Day 1: 3   13-09
6.  Jason Conrad           Stoutsville, OH          3  13-04  118
Day 1: 3   13-04
6.  Mike Fedio             Fenton, MI               3  13-04  118
Day 1: 3   13-04
8.  Gary Haraguchi         Redding, CA              3  13-00  116
Day 1: 3   13-00
9.  Mike Johnson           Athens, AL               3  12-15  115
Day 1: 3   12-15
10. Cory Krawczyk          Angola, NY               3  12-12  114
Day 1: 3   12-12
11. Jerry Britt            Barhamsville, VA         3  12-09  113
Day 1: 3   12-09
11. Don Roberts            Bellville, OH            3  12-09  113
Day 1: 3   12-09
13. Destin Demarion        Grove City, PA           3  12-07  111
Day 1: 3   12-07
14. Mark Babcock           Warwick, NY              3  12-06  110
Day 1: 3   12-06
15. Olin Jensen            Del Rio, TX              3  12-06  109
Day 1: 3   12-06
16. Nick Habuda            Belle River CANADA       3  12-05  108
Day 1: 3   12-05
17. John Terry             Lexington, OH            3  12-01  107
Day 1: 3   12-01
18. Rick Scherer           Sheboygan Falls, WI      3  12-00  106
Day 1: 3   12-00
19. Keith Nelski           Muskegon, MI             3  11-13  105
Day 1: 3   11-13
20. Beau Bickford          Findlay, OH              3  11-12  104
Day 1: 3   11-12
21. Del Smith              Castalia, OH             3  11-12  103
Day 1: 3   11-12
22. Cody Andrews           Elkin, NC                3  11-11  102
Day 1: 3   11-11
22. Joshua Barr            Copley, OH               3  11-11  102
Day 1: 3   11-11
22. Joe Bedra              Lake Orion, MI           3  11-11  102
Day 1: 3   11-11
22. Melvin Mcmullen        South Charleston, OH     3  11-11  102
Day 1: 3   11-11
22. Robert Pelletier       NASSAU, NY               3  11-11  102
Day 1: 3   11-11
22. Chris Van Vliet        Cleveland, OH            3  11-11  102
Day 1: 3   11-11
28. Erik Jacques           Harrison Township, MI    3  11-10   96
Day 1: 3   11-10
29. Dan Minor              Norwalk, OH              3  11-09   95
Day 1: 3   11-09
30. Gregory Raudenbush     Pottsville, PA           3  11-08   94
Day 1: 3   11-08
31. Josh Hoshour           Ephrata, PA              3  11-07   93
Day 1: 3   11-07
32. John Watts             Flushing, MI             3  11-06   92
Day 1: 3   11-06
33. Gary J Sterkel         Cleveland, OH            3  11-05   91
Day 1: 3   11-05
34. David Adams            Schererville, IN         3  11-04   90
Day 1: 3   11-04
34. Russell Chargualaf     Mc Cordsville, IN        3  11-04   90
Day 1: 3   11-04
36. Clay Powers            Portsmouth, VA           3  11-03   88
Day 1: 3   11-03
36. Stephen Schneider      Selden, NY               3  11-03   88
Day 1: 3   11-03
36. Tim White              Vicksburg, MI            3  11-03   88
Day 1: 3   11-03
39. Jon Zera               Newington, CT            3  11-01   85
Day 1: 3   11-01
40. Michael McCoy          Mentor On The Lake, OH   3  11-00   84
Day 1: 3   11-00
40. Jonathan Shoemaker     Elyria, OH               3  11-00   84
Day 1: 3   11-00
42. Greg Mansfield         Savage, MN               3  11-00   82
Day 1: 3   11-00
43. Ashley Bishop          Chesapeake, VA           3  10-15   81
Day 1: 3   10-15
44. Andrew J Lemle         Whitehouse, OH           3  10-14   80
Day 1: 3   10-14
45. Doug Caldwell          Kane, PA                 3  10-13   79
Day 1: 3   10-13
45. Jeff Domonkos          Middlebrg Hts, OH        3  10-13   79
Day 1: 3   10-13
47. Bob Schinker           Galena, OH               3  10-13   77
Day 1: 3   10-13
48. Chris Buttigieg        Fort Erie CANADA         3  10-12   76
Day 1: 3   10-12
49. Steve L Haley          Columbus, OH             3  10-11   75
Day 1: 3   10-11
50. Brian Mailot           Columbus, OH             3  10-10   74
Day 1: 3   10-10
51. Gary Walker            Amesbury, MA             3  10-10   73
Day 1: 3   10-10
52. Dirk Hayward           Huntington, IN           3  10-08   72
Day 1: 3   10-08
52. Mike Sopocy            Glenview, IL             3  10-08   72
Day 1: 3   10-08
54. Joshua Winter          Nevis, MN                3  10-07   70
Day 1: 3   10-07
55. Jason Wilkins          Weston, OH               3  10-06   69
Day 1: 3   10-06
56. William Beal           Lenox, MI                3  10-05   68
Day 1: 3   10-05
56. Mark Wilfong           Ann Arbor, MI            3  10-05   68
Day 1: 3   10-05
58. Tina Chang             Milwaukee, WI            3  10-04   66
Day 1: 3   10-04
58. Jason Hickman          Orient, OH               3  10-04   66
Day 1: 3   10-04
58. Brook Pauley           Morgantown, WV           3  10-04   66
Day 1: 3   10-04
61. Nick Leonard           Cincinnati, OH           3  10-03   63
Day 1: 3   10-03
62. Peter Barello          Staten Island, NY        3  10-02   62
Day 1: 3   10-02
63. Dave Davenport         Milford, OH              3  10-01   61
Day 1: 3   10-01
63. James Fleming          Warsaw, IN               3  10-01   61
Day 1: 3   10-01
65. Jay Clingenpeel        Washington, PA           3  09-15   59
Day 1: 3   09-15
66. Rob Grabow             Clarksburg, WV           3  09-14   58
Day 1: 3   09-14
67. Marcus Barr            Hillsboro, OH            3  09-13   57
Day 1: 3   09-13
67. Mark Saunders          Wellington, OH           3  09-13   57
Day 1: 3   09-13
69. Jon Witt               Kalamazoo, MI            3  09-09   55
Day 1: 3   09-09
70. Brian Kich             Berea, OH                3  09-07   54
Day 1: 3   09-07
71. John Walker            Sidney, OH               3  09-06   53
Day 1: 3   09-06
72. Roy Moon               Gloucester, VA           3  09-01   52
Day 1: 3   09-01
73. Martin D Lamb          Clinton, IA              3  09-00   51
Day 1: 3   09-00
74. Barry Brandt Jr.       Yorktown, VA             3  08-15   50
Day 1: 3   08-15
75. Aaron Anders           Guelph Ontario CANADA    3  08-13   49
Day 1: 3   08-13
76. Christopher Herzog     Liberty TWP, OH          3  08-10   48
Day 1: 3   08-10
77. Gary Hall              Delbarton, WV            3  08-05   47
Day 1: 3   08-05
78. Dave Wedertz           Kenton, OH               2  08-05   46
Day 1: 2   08-05
79. Jeff Jerome            Mcpherson, KS            2  08-03   45
Day 1: 2   08-03
80. Ryan Wiedle            Bellevue, OH             3  07-11   44
Day 1: 3   07-11
81. Robert Rieder          West Milford, NJ         3  07-09   43
Day 1: 3   07-09
82. Owen M Atchison        Findlay, OH              3  07-06   42
Day 1: 3   07-06
83. David Kercher          Cleveland, OH            2  07-06   41
Day 1: 2   07-06
84. Jayson Saliba          Windsor CANADA           2  07-02   40
Day 1: 2   07-02
85. Robert Scaggs          Waverly, OH              2  07-01   39
Day 1: 2   07-01
86. Rocky Koehn Lofts      Plainwell, MI            3  06-14   38
Day 1: 3   06-14
87. Jarvis Ellis           Albany, GA               2  06-14   37
Day 1: 2   06-14
88. Vince Denina           Willis, TX               3  06-13   36
Day 1: 3   06-13
89. Dirk Daniel            Rutledge, TN             2  06-11   35
Day 1: 2   06-11
89. George A Guerra        South Holland, IL        2  06-11   35
Day 1: 2   06-11
91. George Fiorille        Moravia, NY              2  06-10   33
Day 1: 2   06-10
92. Miles Bracali          Waterford, MI            2  06-06   32
Day 1: 2   06-06
93. Bob Snyder             Marion, IN               2  06-05   31
Day 1: 2   06-05
94. Sody Soderquist        South Haven, MI          2  06-00   30
Day 1: 2   06-00
95. Kyle Labarge           Tupper Lake, NY          2  05-06   29
Day 1: 2   05-06
96. Chainsaw Hudgins       Warren, MI               2  04-15   28
Day 1: 2   04-15
97. Scott Walker           Morristown, IN           2  04-12   27
Day 1: 2   04-12
98. Joe Stois              Fairview Park, OH        2  04-11   26
Day 1: 2   04-11
99. Jerry Adamski          Chicago, IL              2  04-10   25
Day 1: 2   04-10
100. Joe Burchill           Boston, MA               1  04-08   24
Day 1: 1   04-08
101. Carroll Blevins        Jonesboro, GA            2  04-07   23
Day 1: 2   04-07
101. Mike Hauer             Niagara Falls CANADA     2  04-07   23
Day 1: 2   04-07
103. Kevin Imer             Sunbury, OH              1  04-05   21
Day 1: 1   04-05
104. Todd Adamitis          Glen Carbon, IL          1  04-04   20
Day 1: 1   04-04
105. Charles L Gabbeart     Plymouth, MI             1  04-00   19
Day 1: 1   04-00
106. Jeff Brady             Lagrange, KY             1  03-02   18
Day 1: 1   03-02
107. James F Brown          Chase City, VA           1  03-00   17
Day 1: 1   03-00
108. Daniel Guerra          Madison, WI              1  02-02   16
Day 1: 1   02-02
109. Jj Earhart             Green Springs, OH        1  01-15   15
Day 1: 1   01-15
110. Curtis Hall            Lenore, WV               1  01-07   14
Day 1: 1   01-07
111. Jack T Dale            Wayland, MI              0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
111. Billy Dehart           Burlingame, CA           0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
111. Scott Deitrich         Berrysburg, PA           0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
111. Scott Johnson          Nashville, OH            0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
111. Marc Letourneau        Brome CANADA             0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
111. Paul Long              Sunbury, OH              0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
111. Tony Mitchell          Plainwell, MI            0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
111. Ron Norris             Portage, MI              0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
111. Dusty Shepherd         Angola, IN               0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
111. Todd Shiers            Conway, NH               0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
111. Marvin Stith           Piscataway, NJ           0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
111. Phil Thalheimer        Raleigh, NC              0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1        82       293      1041-04
----------------------------------
82       293      1041-04

by AnglersChannel

Fowler Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Regional On Lake Hartwell

FLIPPIN, Ark. (September 12, 2013) - Anglers from the University of Louisiana-Monroe and Tennessee Tech University will participate in an all-expense-paid competition at a private lake owned by legendary Ranger Boats Pro Jimmy Houston on September 21st, made possible by their participation in the Ranger Cup University program. The collegiate anglers will fish from brand-new, fully rigged Ranger RT 188C aluminum boats during the made-for-TV competition, which will air nationally on NBC Sports Network's Americana Outdoors.  The grand prize package includes over $2,000 in cash and prizes awarded to the winning team.

Paul Clark and Brett Preuett, both collegiate anglers from the University of Louisiana-Monroe qualified for the event by being the highest-finishing Ranger Cup University participants in the FLW College Fishing National Championship. Joe Slagle and Cliff Dye, collegiate anglers from Tennessee Tech University, claimed the highest place of finish for a Ranger Cup University-qualified team at the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship which is the season ending event of the

Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Series.

Modeled after the most lucrative contingency rewards in the industry, Ranger Cup, Ranger Cup University is the first program of its kind exclusively for collegiate anglers and is open to those fishing in either FLW- or Cabela's Collegiate Series-affiliated competitions. Signup is free, regardless of which brand of boat they own. To remain qualified in the program, anglers need only adhere to clothing and logo requirements. And as part of the Ranger Cup University program, participants will be able to receive specially discounted tournament gear through Gemini Custom Apparel, with no artwork or set-up fees. Ranger Cup University anglers can purchase fully customized tournament jerseys for as low as $48.

Collegiate anglers must register each year to remain eligible in the program.  2014 registration will be online and available soon.  For more information on Ranger Cup University, including details on program guidelines and benefits, go online to RangerBoats.com (www.rangerboats.com)

by AnglersChannel

Hite Leads as Final Day of 31st US Open Gets Underway

Las Vegas, Nev. - September 10, 2013 - When it comes to winning bass fishing tournaments, having a level of consistency is recommended. To win a WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury U.S. Open; consistency is almost mandatory.

In an event that is frequently billed as one of the toughest bass fishing events in the world, the angler who is able to produce consistent limits full of two-pound bass is one who will be rewarded.   That game plan stands in contradiction to those anglers who throw caution to the wind and look for one big fish then try to fill in around it; especially on Lake Mead in the summer.

Such was the case on day two of the U.S. Open of Bass Fishing on Lake Mead, as a group of anglers began to separate themselves from the field by producing steady limits.

Carrying the mantle of consistency the most was Phoenix, Ariz. pro Brett Hite; a veteran of many U.S. Opens and an FLW Tour Champion, produced a 10.25-pound limit today to bring his total weight to 21.06 pounds to take the lead on day two.  In search of his first WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury

Rusty Brown, shown here with Day Two AAA Andrew Martin, is in Second place - photo by Dan O'Sullivan

U.S. Open title, Hite holds a .62-pound lead over Tustin, Calif. pro Rusty Brown who produced a limit weighing 10.17 pounds today to bring his total to 20.44 pounds, and second place.

Joe Uribe Jr., of Lake Forest, Calif. was the exception to the consistency rule today. He upgraded his day one weight by nearly three pounds with an 11.46-pound limit that brought him from 18th place to third with a total of 20.39 pounds. Their efforts, along with the close proximity of weights throughout the rest in the top five and beyond set up what is sure to be an exciting final day tomorrow.

Hite said that he strategized himself for consistency. "You really have to try and produce limits that are going to give you the chance to win a tournament here at Lake Mead, and those are consistent limits," said Hite. "I try to get a couple of those better bites in the morning and then fill it in with keepers as the days go on. I had three fish today that were excellent quality and two that were solid keepers."

Hite also said that he feels like he can continue his search for consistency, and hopes to have a little increase tomorrow. "I feel like I am doing something that will help me catch fish behind others, and I'm getting the right bites," said Hite. "That being said, I'd love to catch 12 pounds tomorrow and feel great about my chances."

Brown also planned on trying to be steady. "I felt like if I could catch 10 pounds a day I would be in position to win," he said. "I was able to move around a little bit more yesterday, but had to slow down and work the areas a little slower today, and feel like if I stay with my strengths tomorrow I'll have a good chance."

Uribe said that he figured out something that helped him increase his position on day two. "I really

Joe Uribe Jr. Moved into Third place by catching the Day's Heaviest Stringer  - photo by Dan O'Sullivan

slowed down today and fished on the bottom," he said. "I practiced with a reaction bait, but the fish haven't moved up in these cloudy conditions, so I put a spinning rod in my hands and stayed with that all day; in fact, I need to go to the tackle store and buy some more worms because I'm running really low after today."

The AAA leader Scott Palumbo, also from Phoenix, Ariz. proved that the consistency game worked by taking part in producing a 10.17-pound limit today to move from sixth place to the lead with 20.98 pounds. He holds a scant half-pound lead over Robert Jeannotte from Henderson, Nev. who upped his total to 20.47 pounds, and finished in second place for the second day in a row.

The full fields of both the Pro and the AAA anglers will compete on Wednesday for the chance to be crowned the 2013 WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury U.S. Open Champion.

Complete Standings are below.

The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury U.S. Open takeoff will continue tomorrow at Callville Bay Marina beginning at 5:45AM, with weigh-in starting at 2:00PM. Following the event's conclusion tomorrow, a champion will be crowned at Boulder Station Casino the final evening of the event.

The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open See What's Out There Live Webcasts presented by Costa Sunglasses will continue following tournament take off with hourly updates at 8:00AM, 9:00AM, 10:00AM and 11:00AM each day, followed by weigh-in coverage beginning at 2:00PM and finally a 6:30PM post game show; all show times are Pacific Standard Time. .

The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open presented by Costa Sunglasses Webcasts can be accessed by visiting www.wonbass.com, or directly at the event page of the 2013 The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open See What's Out There page presented by Costa Sunglasses

The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open Live Webcast is presented by Costa Sunglasses, the event is also brought to you by Nitro Boats, Mercury Outboards, Costa Sunglasses, Bass Pro Shops, Adoption Awareness, Big Hammer, Bridgford Foods, Cousins Tackle, Daiwa, Frog Toggs, Fuji, Global Fish Mounts, Lobina Lures, Lowrance, Mustang Survival, Optimum Baits, Plano Molding, Pro Boats, Pro Mar, Seaguar, Snug Top, SPRO, St.Croix Rods, Star Tron, YoZuri and Zip Baits

2013 WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury U.S. Open
Day Two Pro Standings

by AnglersChannel

Fans Have Selected Final 4 Pros To Round Out Field Of 14 At Bassmaster Toyota All Star Week

The fans have spoken. Bassmaster’s Toyota All Star Week will feature 8 Elite series pros who qualified through on-water exploits, along with 4 more selected by voters. Brandon Palaniuk led all Elite Series pros in fan votes.

Mike Iaconelli, Gerald Swindle and Skeet Reese were also voted-in by the Bassmaster fan base.

They join Cliff Pace of Petal, Miss., who earned a postseason spot as the 2013 Bassmaster Classic champ, and Hank Cherry of Maiden, N.C., who, as the 2013 Rookie of the Year, also qualified.

The other anglers in the field are the pros who ranked as the Top 8 in Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points: Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala.; Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla.; Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich.; Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla.; Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas; Alton Jones of Lorena, Texas; John Crews of Salem, Va.; and Chris Zaldain of San Jose, Calif.

by AnglersChannel

More In-Depth Coverage of US Open Day 1 from Lake Mead, Nevada

While the weather remained calm throughout the day, the fishing was reportedly tough for much of the field. However, someone is always bound to figure out the pieces to the puzzle to stand ahead of the pack. Today was no different, as Todd Herman, a second time U.S. Open pro, took a strong position atop the leaderboard with 13.22 pounds that included the second largest bass of the day on the pro side.

Michael Caruso - U.S. open Day One Second place - photo by Brad Schweit / WON Bass

Standing only a pound and a half behind Herman is young Peoria, Ariz. pro Michael Caruso, who proved his ability to produce big bites on Lake Mead in last year's event; and did so once again today with a 5.08 pounder that was the biggest bass of the day on both sides of the field. his big fish  anchored an 11.77-pound limit that puts him in good position to contend for the win.

Looming closely in third place is past U.S. Open Champion Gary Dobyns of Yuba City, Calif. who proved why he is one of the best professional anglers in the business with a solid 11.36-pound limit of bass that included a pair of solid kickers; one a 2.52 pounder caught by Dobyns, and a 3.79 produced by his AAA partner Michael Bidak.

Herman said that he has found one particular pattern that was able to produce for him in a variety of locations. "I caught all of my fish on one lure in four different areas today," the Gilbert, Ariz. pro said. "I was the last boat out today, so when I got to what I had hoped would be my starting spot, there were several boats there, so I went to my backup plan, and had it all to myself."

Herman also said that he has been on the same pattern for the past eight days during practice, and as a result, he feels comfortable; as comfortable as he can be. "I feel like I can catch fish in clean water, or behind other boats with what I'm doing," he said. "So, I feel like I can do well tomorrow; especially being the first boat out, but we'll just have to see what happens from here."

Caruso said that today was a grind, but he was able to use the same lure he used to catch one of the

Gary Dobyns and Michael Bidak - U.S. Open Day One Third Place - photo by Brad Schweit / WON Bass

biggest event at last year's event, to catch his big one today. "I really had a difficult day today; it wasn't a good day for me," he said. "I covered a lot of water, burned 31 gallons of fuel, scraped up some keepers and managed to get the one big bite. Hopefully I can put things together tomorrow, and this lake really allows you to do many different things, we'll just have to see what happens."

Dobyns said that he had to adjust from what he was doing in practice. "I had two good days, and two horrible days, and then the bite changed today again," he said. "I really picked up baits that I really like to fish and junk fished my way to a good limit today; it's nice to be in a position to make a run at this event again."

Mike Hyland, a AAA from Lompoc, Calif. was paired with Herman for the day, and took the day one lead on the AAA side with 13.22 pounds. Second place on the AAA side is Robert Jeannotte with 11.77, and Bidak is third with 11.36 pounds. The big bass for the day on the AAA side was caught by Kevin Gross of Claremont, Calif. his 4.46 punder earned him big bass money on the first day of the event.

Complete Standings are below.

The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury U.S. Open takeoff will continue tomorrow at Callville Bay Marina on Monday, beginning at 5:45AM, with weigh-in starting at 2:00PM. Following the event's conclusion on Wednesday, a champion will be crowned at Boulder Station Casino the final evening of the event.

The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open See What's Out There Live Webcasts presented by Costa Sunglasses will begin with a pregame show from the Boulder Station Casino after the Sponsor Showcase and mandatory partner pairing meeting; the live pregame show will begin Sunday Night at 5:30PM.

Daily event coverage will begin following tournament take off with hourly updates at 8:00AM, 9:00AM, 10:00AM and 11:00AM each day, followed by weigh-in coverage beginning at 2:00PM and finally a 6:30PM post game show; all show times are Pacific Standard Time. .

The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open presented by Costa Sunglasses Webcasts can be accessed by visiting www.wonbass.com, or directly at the event page of the 2013 The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open See What's Out There page presented by Costa Sunglasses

The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open Live Webcast is presented by Costa Sunglasses, the event is also brought to you by Nitro Boats, Mercury Outboards, Costa Sunglasses, Bass Pro Shops, Adoption Awareness, Big Hammer, Bridgford Foods, Cousins Tackle, Daiwa, Frog Toggs, Fuji, Global Fish Mounts, Lobina Lures, Lowrance, Mustang Survival, Optimum Baits, Plano Molding, Pro Boats, Pro Mar, Seaguar, Snug Top, SPRO, St.Croix Rods, Star Tron, YoZuri and Zip Baits

2013 WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury U.S. Open
Day One Pro Standings

by AnglersChannel

More On Carruth, George And Their $5,000 Pay Day At Toyota Bonus Bucks Tourney!

DECATUR, Ala. — It was a twist of fate that brought the winning team of the Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament to the stage at Alabama’s Wheeler Lake on Sunday. Jimmy Carruth of Athens, Ala., was supposed to compete in the event with his friend and fishing partner, Greg Buie.

But due to a twisted back, Buie gave his spot on Carruth’s boat to one of his friends, Sam George, and Carruth and George — strangers until a week ago — were the anglers holding a $5,000 winning check on the Bassmaster stage.

“I hope his back stays messed up,” said Carruth in jest, “because he’s never fishing with Sam again.”

George got the credit for all 18 pounds, 10 ounces weighed in Sunday.

“The first place we went, I caught a small fish on a worm,” said Carruth of a 1 1/2-pounder he boated early this morning. “But for the rest of the day, I basically played net man. And I was very proud to hold the net.”

The pair hit several spots, all of them downriver on ledges. They found success when they were fishing deep, down to 35 feet.

“Finding fish that were active and feeding on big balls of bait was key,” said George, 18, a student at Calhoun Community College. “We saw other anglers fishing deep, but we were fishing deeper.”

The balls of baitfish were a blob the size of the screen on their Lowrance unit, explained Carruth, a senior instructor at the local nuclear plant. “And you could just see the bass streaking through the balls.”

The fish most of the competitors brought in were no match for the 3- and 4-pounders Carruth and George caught. The average bass that came across the stage was 1 3/4 pounds. And one of them may have even set a record for the smallest weight ever recorded on the Bassmaster stage — a 7-ouncer caught by Troy Mims of Georgia.

More than one-third of the field caught limits, so catching wasn’t really the problem. “We caught a bunch of fish,” said Shane Jewell of Tennessee. “It was just hard to get any big ones.” Jewell’s sentiments were echoed at the dock and across the stage by multiple competitors.

George and Carruth, on the other hand, only got seven bites. “The fishing was so tough, we could only fish reaction baits,” said George, who relied on a Strike King 10XD crankbait and a large swimbait.

“I used a really quick stop-start retrieve,” said George. “My arms hurt. I feel like I threw 300 pitches today.” George launched his baits 60 to 70 yards on each cast. Both he and Carruth used 7 1/2- to 8-foot rods to get the distance and 8-pound-test fluorocarbon to help get the lure deeper.

George fished an iRod Fred’s Crank Launcher rod with an Abu Garcia Revo Wrench reel. His teammate used a Dobyns Champions rod with a Shimano Core reel.

Other competitors had success with jigs, shaky heads and frogs.

Behind George and Carruth was the father-son team of Brian and Roger Parker of Mississippi. They rotated four times to six spots to catch 17-15 and take second place.

The Bass Pro Shops Big Bass prize of $1,000 went to Paul Ham and Sean Alvarez of South Carolina. The pair brought in a 5-pound, 1-ounce beauty that fell to a shaky head.

Several Bassmaster Elite Series pros were on hand to meet with the competitors in the Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament.

“This is the coolest thing ever,” said Terry Scroggins, a veteran on tour. “I wish I could have done this before I turned pro.”

“I’ve been fishing tournaments since I was 14,” said four-time Bassmaster Classic champ Kevin VanDam, “and I’ve never been asked to compete in a tournament without having to pay an entry fee and then had the red carpet rolled out for me. This is a great event, and Toyota is a great product. It’s awesome to get to be here and watch these guys go across this stage.”

This tournament is the second annual event of its kind, and several of the competitors fished last year. Even more said they’d be back next year. The no-entry-fee tournament was open to all anglers who are members of the Toyota Bonus Bucks program and who own or lease a 2009 or newer Toyota Tundra, Tacoma, Sequoia, 4Runner or FJ Cruiser.

Winners Jimmy Carruth and Sam George took home a check for $5,000, and the payout went down to 30th place. Carruth said he’s on his eighth Toyota. “It’s a great vehicle, and I’ve got all the confidence in the world in it.”

See more coverage of the event here. Learn more about the Toyota Bonus Bucks program here.

by AnglersChannel

Long on Top at Table Rock PAA Event

The third stop of the 2013 Bass Pro Shops PAA Tournament Series got underway on beautiful, balmy Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri today. The field of 65 pros and their co-anglers had mixed results with 34 out of 65 pros bringing 5-fish limits to the scales today. Overall, fish were scattered with some fish shallow on the banks, some deep, some schooling on the surface at times, while many others were bunched up and suspended from 10 to 20+ feet down in the water column near docks, brushpiles or other underwater structure.

For many anglers, plenty of fish were showing up on their advanced electronics although coaxing them to bite proved challenging. Quite a few fell short of Table Rock’s 15” keeper limit for black, brown and spotted bass, and immediately released.

Shane Long

A feared local angler hero took his place atop the leaderboard. Thirty-eight year old Shane Long of Willard, Missouri leads Day 1 with a 17.53 pound five bass limit anchored by a 6.20 hog. Long won the Bass Prop Shops PAA Series event on Table Rock Lake in October 2010. So he’s in a familiar place here – first place.

“It was a good day,” said a satisfied Long. “I got lucky and had a six-pounder bite. The others were just nice quality keepers; all good 16- to 17-inch fish, and then I had one big’un which made the difference.”

Long said he’s just hunting and pecking away at them. “I’ve got a lot of brushpiles and I catch a good quality bite out of one every once in a while. I’m just making the rounds and cycling through them all. I’m going to do the same thing tomorrow. I think I’ve got what I’m doing pegged down, but the king-maker is that one big bite that’s just so elusive. Hopefully I’ll get lucky and maybe I’ll get that big bite again tomorrow. We’ll see what happens,” said Shane Long.

James Watson

In second with 15.98 pounds, James Watson from Waynesville, Missouri had a great day today. Watson credited his success to having good batteries because he put his trolling motor on nearly full blast to run  as much water as possible, running and gunning all day.

Watson felt good to have gotten a big bag under his belt today. He hopes tomorrow he can catch at least 11 or 12 pounds and stay in the hunt.

“I’m going to run all new water tomorrow. My fish are few and far between. What I’m doing requires that I’ve got to run vast amounts of new water every day,” said Watson.

Fred Roumbanis

In third place with 14.55 pounds, Fred Roumbanis of Bixby Oklahoma said, “I got lucky and hit a school of smallmouth this morning that I was able to limit out on. After that, I was able to relax and slow down. I just kept running around and caught fish here and there for the duration. It was the best day I have ever had on Table Rock.”

“Can I go back out tomorrow and back it up? I’m not sure,” admitted Fred. “I’m reading a certain style of bank and I’m just running around looking for more of that same thing. I feel good about it, but then again, I could only catch 10 pounds tomorrow.”

Stacey King

Stacey King of Reed Springs, Missouri is in fourth place. His 14.53 pound limit included a 5.30 beauty.

“Fishing was pretty hard actually, and I really wouldn’t have had such a good stringer if I hadn’t caught that one big one, but that’s the way it works out. I got lucky and got him,” said a thankful King.

“I’m fishing fairly close (to the launch site) and I’m fishing deep structure primarily. I’m trying to catch shallow fish early in the morning, and then I’m fishing deep structure the rest of the day. I caught six keepers today, and I think I can get some bites tomorrow. We’ll just have to go out and see what happens. I’m going to change a few areas. I’ve got a lot more places I’m going to fish. I’ve fished here all my life, so I know the lake very well and I’m going to change up on some areas but other than that I’ll fish the same way as today. The lures and technique will be the same,” explained King.

Jeff Hager

In fifth with 13.64 on Day 1, Jeff Hager of Alexis, NC said, “I got a lot of bites today, probably about 8-9 keeper bites (and I also missed 4-5 keepers) plus I probably caught 15 to 18 short fish. I caught a lot of fish today and had a lot of fun. I was pretty much flipping and swimming a jig all day.”

The full field fishes Days 1 & 2 while just the top 15 fish the final Day 3. The top 15 in the PAA Tournament Series Angler of Year standings at end of this event qualify for the 2013 Toyota Texas Bass Classic world championship on Lake Conroe in Conroe, TX in October 2013.

The top 15 at the end of Day 1 are:

In 11th, pro Doc Seger of Kimberling City, MO had the biggest bass of Day 1, weighing 6.71 lbs. He’s in the running to win a Humminbird 898 c SI unit (valued at $1,500) which will be awarded to the pro who weighs the overall biggest bass of the event.
For a full list of pro results visit www.FishPAA.com

Co-Angler Results

Wataru Iwahori of Palestine, TX leads the co-angler competition with 3 fish weighing 8.36 lbs. Iwahori credited Game & Fish/Sportsman Magazine pro Tim Carini with putting the pair on good fish all day. Iwahori said he used a relatively new 6-3/4” Gary Yamamoto Pro Senko on a shakey jig to coax tight-lipped suspended bass into the boat.  He’s followed by Brandon Durr of Republic, MO in second place with 2 fish weighing 6.74 lbs.

Durr also earned the Daily Big Bass award of $250 for weighing the biggest bass (4.72 lbs) on the co-angler side.

For a full list of co-angler results visit www.FishPAA.com

Day 2 & Final Day 3 Activities

Come see the pros and co-anglers take off Friday and Saturday mornings at 6:30 am at the State Park Marina, 380 State Park Drive, Branson (near the dam).

Stop by to watch the pros weigh-in at the State Park Marina on Friday at 3:00 pm.

Co-angler competition concludes and co-angler awards will be bestowed at the State Park Marina after the Day 2 weigh-in.

Just the top 15 pros fish on Saturday and the final weigh-in and awards will be at the Bass Pro Shops at Branson Landing by the fountain on Saturday at 4:30 pm.
Also on Saturday from 12:30-3:30 pm, stop by to meet and greet the pros prior to final weigh-in at Bass Pro Shops at Branson Landing.

by AnglersChannel

More on Elite Series Rookie of the Year Hank Cherry

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Nobody touches Hank Cherry’s favorite hat. It’s old and ragged — frayed and fragrant with odors of fish, dog slobber and sweat — but it’s always, always in the North Carolina pro’s blue and black Livingston Lures-wrapped Skeeter.

That good luck touchstone seems to be working for Cherry, who wrapped up his first Bassmaster Elite Series season with the 2013 Rookie of the Year award. Accumulating 507 points for the season put Cherry in 14th place in the Toyota Angler of the Year race. He secured a berth in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic and finished 40 points ahead of his closest rookie competitor, Clifford Pirch of Payson, Ariz., who finished 30th in AOY points.

“We both had really good years,” Cherry said. “If it had been the other way around, I would have been happy for him.”

Despite the well wishes he has for Pirch, Cherry has had his eye on the ROY trophy, and more, for some time.

“My goal at the beginning of the year was to win Rookie of the Year,” Cherry said. “All of those guys in the rookie class are big names, and I felt like I needed to win to help boost my resume.”
That resume drew the attention of at least one new major sponsor, Evan Williams Bourbon, which was attracted to him after his impressive third place in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic, followed by fourth in the Bassmaster Elite Series West Point Lake Battle. Overall during his Rookie year, Cherry placed in the money in six of the eight events on the Elite Series tour for 2013, a noteworthy feat even for a seasoned Elite pro.
“Rubbing elbows with the talented pros fishing the Elite Series has been surreal in many ways,” Cherry said. He’s been grateful for time spent with fellow Elite pros and friends like Gerald Swindle, Terry Scroggins and Britt Myers.

“There are lots of places we go where I have zero experience, so I’m lucky I can talk fishing with them,” Cherry said. “Being part of the Elite Series is real humbling. Special is a lackluster word. It’s been everything I imagined. I’ve watched most of these guys on TV, and I’m going to dinner with them and talking fishing with them — it’s pretty unreal.”

According to Cherry, this has been his “road to redemption” year. A third place at the Classic was not his objective. In addition to the Rookie of the Year title, he planned to win Angler of the Year and the Bassmaster Classic in 2013.

“I feel like I let myself and a lot of people down when I didn’t win the Classic,” Cherry said. “This year, it’s a different lake, but it’s still a three-day tournament, cold water, clear water and there may be a jerkbait bite going on. If all those come together in a perfect storm, I’m going to be tough to beat, I’m just excited to get back.”

While weather factors and the bass bite can’t be predicted, one thing is certain. Cherry will have the lucky hat with him on Lake Guntersville because, “It never leaves the boat.”

When he’s home, Cherry enjoys taking his 3 1/2-year-old son, Christian, fishing, a sport he learned from his great grandmother and his father.

“When I got old enough to cast, I took a lot of trips to Lake Wiley,” Cherry said. “One day, I caught two 7-pounders on back-to-back casts, and I was hooked after that.”

That early start led to tournament fishing , in which he excelled.

“One day, I sat down with my wife to talk about fishing (Bassmaster) Opens,” said Cherry, who was working as a liquor brand manager for a distributing company. “We looked at the schedules, and they were decent and not too expensive. I said, ‘Let’s give it a couple of years and see what happens.’”

After two years of fishing the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Opens Series, Cherry prepared for the October 2012 Smith Lake Opens tournament, the third and final event of his second season.

“When I left for Smith Lake, I said, ‘If I qualify, this is it. If not, I come home.’ Then I won by 1 ounce,” Cherry said.
Not only did he earn enough points to qualify for the Elite Series, but the win also ensured a berth in the Classic.
He’s open about his faith, which tells him he’s chosen the right path, not only for himself but for his wife, Jaclyn, his baby daughter, Bella Grace, and his son.

“It wasn’t too long ago that I was baptized,” Cherry said. “It put me at peace. I’ve learned there’s a time and place for everything, and everything is possible in God’s time. I’m true to my family and true to my faith. You choose your own path. God gives us all the groundwork. It’s up to us to make sure we walk the right path and choose the right direction.”

With his designation as ROY, Cherry earned an instant-in for Toyota All-Star Week and Evan Williams Bourbon Championship. The competition, which will showcase the talents of 14 Elite anglers, will take place Sept. 27-29 on Michigan’s Muskegon Lake.

The postseason is one last Bassmaster tournament for the year, but for Cherry, his leap of faith in becoming a bass fishing pro is always on his mind.

“Every day, I wake and tell myself, it’s happening,” Cherry said. “I’m doing it.”

by AnglersChannel

Bienville Plantation Offers Big Bass Blast and Little Fish Tournament - Something for Everyone!

The 3rd Bienville Big Bass Blast produced another round of solid 3-fish limits. Ray Hill and Ron Ryals won this edition with 15.54 pounds. They won $2,696.40.

Jimmy Johnson (no, not the race car driver) and Trevor Corbitt lead the series in overall points after 3 events.

Entry fee for the Big Bass Blast is $450 per team and includes a day of practice. So 2 anglers can enjoy famed Bienville Plantation for two days at a discounted rate and possibky score some big cash while doing so.

For just $150 per team you can spend 2 days competing in Bienville Plantation's Little Fish Tournament. Same lakes, same fun, just throw back the big bass (after taking a picture with them of course) and weigh-in anything between 10-and-17 inches. These crumbsnatchers will be relocated to nearby lakes in order to continue to improve the average size of fish in Bienville's Lake 14.

Competition dates, times:  September 7th from 1:00 PM until 8:30 PM, and September 8th from safelight until 3:00 PM.

Bring cash to the ramp at Lake 14 on September 7th, but call now to reserve your spot as space is limited! Call 386-397-1989 or 386-365-0295. You can also email [email protected].

Everybody within striking distance of North Florida/South Georgia needs to experience the fishing at Bienville Plantation. Bring some big crankbaits, topwater plugs, structure jigs & football jigs, and your favorite flipping lures.

High water has put multiple patterns in play. Some big bass have been pulled from heavy shoreline cover including vines where squirels usually live and some thick hydrilla and hyacinth mats in parts of the lake.

Then again, there are always schools of big bass on the numerous points, bars and drops throughout Lake 14.

Good luck!

Big bass eat big bait at Bienville Plantation.

by AnglersChannel

Roumbanis Gets Good News As Classic Field Begins To Take Shape

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — With the conclusion of the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series, the majority of the 2014 Bassmaster Classic field is now set. Forty-four of the 56 eventual competitors in the “Super Bowl” of bass fishing have been identified.

The remainder of the field will be determined via three remaining Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens, the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Bassmaster Classic Bracket, the Toyota Bassmaster Weekend Series operated by American Bass Anglers and the Bassmaster Wild Card tournament.

The Wild Card — a new event in the Bassmaster lineup — will be held Dec. 7 at Lake Okeechobee, Fla. It is open to Elite Series anglers and pros who fished three or more Bassmaster Opens this year but failed to qualify through those circuits.

The 56 qualifiers will vie for first-place prize money of $500,000 at the 44th Bassmaster Classic on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville, Feb. 21-23, 2014. Birmingham, which is headquarters for B.A.S.S., will be the host city.

Though the field of competitors is not complete, it is already star-studded and rich in history. It boasts seven former Classic champions (including reigning champ Cliff Pace and four-time winner Kevin VanDam) and seven reigning and former Toyota Bassmaster Anglers of the Year (including newly crowned AOY Aaron Martens).

Texas pro Gary Klein will be fishing his 30th Classic (only the legendary Rick Clunn has qualified for more with 32), and Arkansas will be represented once again — as it has been in every previous championship — with at least one competitor. Stephen Browning and Mark Davis (winner of the 1995 Classic) both reside in the Natural State. And for the first time, three anglers born in Japan will be competing, including 2004 champion Takahiro Omori.
Six of the qualifiers will be making their Classic debuts (Josh Bertrand, Patrick Bone, Rich Howes, David Kilgore, Clifford Pirch and Chris Zaldain). More Classic rookies will certainly come from the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, the Weekend Series and the College Series Classic Bracket.

Fred Roumbanis of Bixby, Okla., is breathing a sigh of relief. He’s the last of the Elite Anglers to make the cut at this point. One or more of the next three pros in the points ranking could gain entry, depending upon who wins the three remaining Opens. According to B.A.S.S. rules, an angler who wins an Open and fishes all three Opens in a division gains a berth. If he or she does not fish the entire division, or if the winner is an Elite Series angler who is already qualified, the invitation goes to the next Elite pro on the list.

On the watch list are, in order, Jason Williamson of Aiken, S.C.; Boyd Duckett of Demopolis, Ala.; and Brandon Card of Caryville, Tenn.

Here is an alphabetical list of competitors and their hometowns:

Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C.
Josh Bertrand, Gilbert, Ariz.
Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, Okla.
Patrick Bone, Cleveland, Ga.
Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark. (contingent on his competing in two remaining Central Opens)
Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan.
Hank Cherry, Maiden, N.C.
Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla.
Keith Combs, Huntington, Texas
John Crews, Salem, Va.
Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La.
Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark.
Ott DeFoe, Knoxville, Tenn.
Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla.
Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas

Randy Howell, Springville, Ala.

Richard Howes, Oviedo, Fla.

Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas
Steve Kennedy, Auburn, Ala.
David Kilgore, Jasper, Ala.
Gary Klein, Weatherford, Texas
Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla.
Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala.
Bill Lowen, Brookville, Ind.
Aaron Martens, Leeds, Ala.
Yusuke Miyazaki, Forney, Texas
Ish Monroe, Hughson, Calif.
Rick Morris, Virginia Beach, Va.
John Murray, Phoenix, Ariz.
Takahiro Omori, Emory, Texas
Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss.
Brandon Palaniuk, Rathdrum, Idaho
Clifford Pirch, Payson, Ariz.
Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif.
Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Fred Roumbanis, Bixby, Okla.

Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla.

Morizo Shimizu, Osaka, Japan
Gerald Swindle, Warrior, Ala.
Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala.
David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn.
Chris Zaldain, San Jose, Calif.

by AnglersChannel

Elite Series Finale Settled a Lot of Questions

Chris Lane won the Bassmaster Elite Series Plano Championship Chase Sunday with a 4-day total weight of 82 pounds 4 ounces. The former Floridian, current Alabamian sacked 4 consecutive limits of smallmouth bass. His margin of victory was 5-7 over Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark.

Through the win, Lane, the 2012 Bassmaster Classic champ, got his 2014 Bassmaster Classic ticket punched — what he came into the Chase to achieve. From Guntersville, Ala., he was set on qualifying for the 2014 world championship on his home water of Lake Guntersville.

The win was also his first in the Bassmaster Elite Series and a $100,000 payday. Lane got the ball rolling around midday.

“I got that killer instinct,” he said. “I got focused in. I said, ‘I need to catch some big ones, I need to catch a good one.’ And that’s when I caught my biggest fish of the day.”

It weighed about 4 1/2 pounds, he estimated. With 17 to 18 pounds already in the livewell, he was on his way to building his day’s total to 19-11.

“Mark’s been catching 20-plus pounds a day, and I was a pound behind,” Lane said. “I figured he was going to come in with another 20, and I would need more. I knew I had to gear up and not be content.”

Lane’s winning pattern was drifting a drop shot rig with a 1/4-ounce weight in current at the Lake Huron mouth of the St. Clair River. The current held baitfish, and smallmouth bass were feeding on them.

Davis, the 1995 Classic winner who also owns three Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year trophies, led on Days 2 and 3. On Day 4, one bass shy of a five-fish limit, Davis’ weight was 13-3. He finished at 76-13 in the runner-up spot.

Davis made the dicey run to Lake Erie each day. He headed to one area that held big smallmouth bass, but not many of them. To catch them, he drop shotted a Strike King Dream Shot or a 6-inch Roboworm.

Sunday, unlike the other three days, he could not boat a fifth keeper.

“That fifth fish got off twice today,” Davis said. “I about cried. A 4 1/2 was right at the boat; I fought it forever. The other one was a 3 1/2-pounder. Those two fish would have won for me.”

But Davis pinned his failure to take the trophy on four other lost smallmouth bass. They came unbuttoned on the first day, when Lane led the full field of 99 pros. Davis said they were two 4-pounders, a 5 and one more than 6.

“You just cannot do that and win an event like this,” he said.

It wasn’t for lack of trying that Davis did not win. He made a brave run daily to his fish – a move that surprised many, as it was uncharacteristic for him.

The trip to Erie entails leaving from Harrison Township, covering much of Lake St. Clair, navigating the Detroit River, where big yachts and even bigger commercial ships produce wakes that can easily swamp a low-profile bass boat. If the wind kicks up, the waves of Erie make for a ‘sporty’ ride. The run can jar the bones, and eat away precious fishing time.

In fact, Davis said, the highlight of his second day was his safe return to the check-in point on Lake St. Clair.

Saturday’s run was again hard, but not because of high winds on Erie.

“The trip back was fine until you got to the river (Detroit River),” he said. “That river was horrendous. It was so bad, I stopped three times just to take a break and keep water on my fish. The water (in the livewell) bounces around so much, it runs out the overflow.”

Particularly hard was the stretch on the river with concrete walls that ricochet huge wakes produced by big boats. It’s called the Miracle Mile.

“I think it ought to be called the Miracle 20 Miles.” he said. “For 20 miles, it was as bad a water as you can imagine.”

The 2008 Classic champ Alton Jones of Lorena, Texas, jumped from 12th place to take third with 76-6. Jones weighed the day’s largest bag of 22-3.

2004 Classic winner, Takahiro Omori of Emory, Texas landed in 4th place with 76-0, including the day’s biggest bass at 5-11. Michigan native Nate Wellman of Newaygo rounded out the Top 5 at 75-11.

photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala. was awarded the 2013 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year trophy after the Day 3 weigh in.

“This is one of the best days of my entire career,” Martens said as he accepted the huge piece of hardware. Then, as Martens started to say he regretted that his family wasn’t with him to share in his victory, his wife and children appeared on stage.

“It just got better,” Martens grinned.

Martens began the Chase 30 ticks behind points leader Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla. Evers, who led the AOY race after five consecutive events, fell out of the Chase Friday by missing the Top 50 cut. In 54th place, unable to earn more points, Evers left the door open for Martens.

“It is what it is,” Evers said on Friday. “I’ve had a great year, something to be proud of.”

Martens, who has been through several near misses in attempts to add a twin to his first AOY trophy in 2005, was thinking about Evers.

“I feel for Edwin,” the Alabama pro said. “I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a great angler.”

Fortunately, Martens won the AOY on Saturday because, while he qualified to fish in Sunday’s final round, he didn’t weigh in. Reportedly, a broken jackplate bolt left him unable to travel back to the check-in point.

He told tournament officials that he released the five fish in his livewell, which weighed about 20 pounds.

With the regular Elite Series season coming to a close, 38 Bassmaster Classic qualifiers were set in stone.

The first cut was at place No. 29 on the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points standings.

Double-qualifiers through wins in previous events or unclaimed Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens qualifications extended the cut to 38 which means Davis, now 32nd in AOY points, qualified to fish the Classic via his improved standing in the points race. Davis entered the Chase 47th in points.

Elite pros earned other awards at the Showdown:

* 2013 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year, $100,000: Martens for amassing the highest number of points over the eight events of the regular Elite season.

*2013 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year: Hank Cherry of Maiden, N.C.

* Carhartt Big Bass of the 2013 season, $2,000 and a Carhartt Green Jacket: Matt Greenblatt of Port St. Lucie, Fla., for his 10-13 on March 22, the second day of the Rigid Industries Falcon Slam on Falcon Lake out of Zapata, Texas.

* Second-place Carhartt Big Bass of the season, $1,250: Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla., for his 6-12 on Day 1 of the West Point, Ga., event.

* Third-place Carhartt Big Bass of the season, $1,000: Kelly Jordon of Palestine, Texas, for his 6-4 on Day 1 of the Montgomery, Ala., event.

* Fourth-place Carhartt Big Bass of the season, $750: Terry Scroggins of San Mateo, Fla., for his 6-1 on Day 2 of the Orange, Texas event.

* Fifth-place Carhartt Big Bass of the season: A tie at 5-13 between Steve Kennedy of Auburn Ala., Day 3 of the Waddington, N.Y. event, and Alton Jones of Lorena, Texas, Day 3 in this week’s Detroit event; $250 each.

* Carhartt Big Bass of the Plano Championship Chase, worth $1,000 plus another $500 for wearing Carhartt apparel: Jones for his 5-13 on Day 3.

* Berkley Heavyweight Award of $500 for the best five-fish limit: Lane for his 22-15 bag of Day 3.

* Luck-E-Strike Comeback Award of $500: Lane, who moved up 19 places in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points standings, from 53rd place into 34th place.

* Power-Pole Captain’s Cash award of $1,000 to the highest finisher equipped with Power-Poles: Lane

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

About his Bassmaster Rookie of the Year title, Cherry said:

“I’m proud of it. I worked hard for it.” He won by 40 points over Cliff Pirch of Payson, Ariz.

Cherry’s solid Chase finish in 30th place helped him pass Pirch.

“I take my hat off to him; he’s a great fisherman,” said Cherry.

Cherry’s ROY award comes with an entry in the Sept. 27-29 postseason, the Toyota All-Star Week and Evan Williams Bourbon Championship on Muskegon Lake out of Muskegon, Mich.

Cherry will be up against 13 other Elite pros vying for a piece of $100,000. The postseason winner will take $50,000 of the purse.

Hank Cherry is the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year

by 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