Gunter Looking For 'sweet Spot' In Bassmaster Team Championship On Degray Lake
When Stanley Gunter and his partner set out on DeGray Lake for the second and final day of practice for the Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship they were looking for a “little sweet spot” on the side of a ledge or hump in deep water that might produce some quality bass in the tournament this week.
The inaugural Bassmaster Team Championship will be won deep on DeGray Lake, Gunter said, for one simple reason. There is just not enough shoreline to accommodate all the anglers fishing the tournament.
DeGray, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 13,800-acre lake set in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains, is the competition arena for more than 150 teams from 38 independent tournament trails across the country so everybody will be vying for an area to fish..
“It is a small lake with a lot of people on it,” said Gunter who hails from Saluda, S.C., and qualified for the Team Championship through the Carolinas Bass Challenge, which sent 22 teams to the championship.”It's really crowded. You go into a creek a half a mile long and there will be 20 boats in it. If you are fishing the banks you have to get in line to fish.”
Gunter said he found fish from 2 feet out to 40 feet in practice. There is still a lot of bait shallow, but it's hard to catch the fish on that bait because the shorelines are so crowded with boats. DeGray yields mainly catches of largemouth and spotted bass with a few smallmouths in the mix.
Adding to the problem, Gunter said, is the fact that anglers are not allowed to keep some really quality largemouth bass.
“I caught a 2 1/4-pound largemouth and had to throw it back. They have a 13-inch to 16-inch slot limit where you can keep anything over 16 inches. It's kind of tough to throw a fish like that back as tough as the fishing is.”
Gunter and teammate Will Smith of Moncks Corner, S.C., qualified as a team, but Smith had to withdraw because of illness, so Gunter is paired with Gene Parker from North Carolina who had the same issue with his regular teammate.
In the first segment of the unique, four-day tournament, two-angler teams from various B.A.S.S.-sanctioned team trails across the country will vie to become the Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Champions, a title that includes the first-place prize of a Nitro Z7 bass boat/Mercury Optimax 150 Pro XS outboard rig valued at $26,995 as well as the Livingston Leader Award of $500. The team champions will also receive a traveling trophy to take back to the team trail they represented.
Members of the Top 3 finishers in the team competition advance to the final two rounds of the tournament and will fish individually for the final qualifying spot in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic to be held Feb. 20-22 on Lake Hartwell out of Greenville, S.C.
Competitors in the Classic rounds will fish from six identically rigged Skeeter FX20 bass boats powered by Yamaha. In addition to the Classic berth, the winner will receive a Skeeter FX20/Yamaha250 outboard rig valued at $85,360, which he or she will run in the Classic.
Nothing would suit Gunter more than to qualify for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic on South Carolina's Lake Hartwell.
“I fish Hartwell pretty regular,” he said. “I know it pretty well and I”d sure love to make the Classic for that one.”
Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship
Dec 10-13, 2014
DeGray Lake
DeGray Lake Resort State Park
Get to Sportsman's Warehouse and get an X Rap Deep to keep catching in the cold!
Rapala makes some of the best jerkbaits on the market. Their X Rap Deep is just the ticket when fish bunch up offshore.
If you're still catching them shallow, great. If your fish have moved out then it's time to get to Sportsman's Warehouse or SportsmansWarehouse.com and check out the Rapala X Rap Deep jerkbait!
Remember, jerkbaiting success depends on figuring out how long to pause between jerks, so experiment and pay attention.
Good luck!
http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/Rapala-X-Rap-Deep/productDetail/Jerkbaits/prod9999006842/cat101087
Ranger walk around with President Randy Hopper and the Aluminum RT 178!!
Ranger Boats President Randy Hopper takes us on a quick walk around of the popular Ranger Aluminum RT 178 with a cut thru version that is fantastic to see...................click on the video for the full story!!
Ranger teams with Rigid
Whether you're backing the boat down a dark ramp, running down the lake under the moon, or fishing off shore after the sun is long gone, Rigid Industries LED Lighting has all the lighting options needed to be successful fishing and safe at night. Torture Tested, Angler Approved.
|
Ranger Boats Selects Rigid Industries LED Lighting as Upgrade Package Offering
Ranger Boats partners with Rigid Industries LED Lighting, to offer the total lighting package for the flagship Z500 Comanche Series
|
|
|
Lane Brothers To Duke It Out Live On B.a.s.s. Brawl Monday
It is not unusual for brothers to fight — that’s simply part of a family dynamic. However, you don’t usually get to see the two boys duke it out on a bass boat with the world watching. The next B.A.S.S. Brawl, a live fish-off aired exclusively on Bassmaster.com, will feature Bassmaster Elite Series pros Chris and Bobby Lane doing just that — jabbing each other with each fish caught until one of the siblings cries “uncle.”
On Monday, Dec. 8 at 10 a.m. EST, the two anglers will fish side by side, casting into the famed waters of Lake X near Orlando, Fla. This renowned trophy largemouth factory will turn a front-yard scuffle into a cage match, as both brothers have reputations as big-fish specialists.
Although the sibling rivalry is healthy (Chris is the youngest of three brothers and was picked on unmercifully as a child), the professional competition between the two is just as fierce. Bobby has won one Bassmaster event, has fished seven Classics and has earned more than $900,000 in B.A.S.S. earnings. Chris has won six Bassmaster events (including the 2012 Classic) and has racked up $1.6 million in B.A.S.S. earnings.
The winner of this competition will be decided by the age-old fishing contest standard of first, biggest and most fish caught.
Competition will take place in two one-hour periods, with a break between each period. The two anglers will fish from the same boat, but they will switch boats at halftime. A coin toss will determine which angler’s personal bass boat will be used first. The owner of the boat in use controls the boat and decides the fishing locations for his half of the competition.
The B.A.S.S. Brawl event will have two cameras on the water at all times. One camera will be in the boat with the anglers, and one will be capturing the action from a short distance away. For the special B.A.S.S. Brawl: Family Feud edition, the oldest Lane brother, Arnie, will serve as the camera boat driver and on-the-water commentator on all of the Lane action.
An additional live camera will stream from the Bassmaster studio, where Tommy Sanders and Elite Series pro Mike McClelland will be standing by for play-by-play commentary, analysis and color.
Six weeks ago, the first Bass Brawl took place on the Tennessee River, pitting Randy Howell against David Walker. That contest had the backdrop of the Alabama/Tennessee football game on the horizon. This Brawl will be scored in similar fashion: The first bass and the biggest bass each earn 7 points, and each additional bass of any size counts for 3 points.
To watch the B.A.S.S. Brawl live, fans can visit Bassmaster.com, or go directly to http://www.bassmaster.com/video/watch-lane-brothers-bass-brawl-live.
The Making Of A Ranger Aluminum Bass Boat In Photos
Angler’s Choice Marine Named to 2014 Boating Industry Top 100 list
MARTINSVILLE, VA (November 19, 2014) Angler’s Choice Marine has been named one of the Top 100 dealers in North America by Boating Industry, the leading trade publication for the marine industry. Owners, Sandi and Nick Loganadan, were honored during the recent Boating Industry’s Top 100 Dealers black tie event in Orlando, Florida
“Out of the thousands of boat dealers in North America, only the very best make the Top 100 list,” said Boating Industry Editor in Chief Jonathan Sweet. “These companies are the elite of the marine industry, excelling at all aspects of their business.”
The Top 100 is an annual list of dealerships that are unsurpassed in business operations, professionalism, marketing tactics, customer service and more. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the Boating Industry Top 100 program.
“What a great honor, in our 20th year of business, to be selected by Boating Industry as a Top 100 Dealer in North America,” says Sandi Loganadan. “We owe it all to our dedicated employees and loyal customers who have supported us for many years in the marine industry. I would like to say thank you to all of them.”
Family owned and operated, Angler’s Choice Marine features a full line of bass, pontoon, skiff and pleasure boats and is celebrating 20 years of serving fishing and boating enthusiasts throughout the nation. They have dealerships located in Martinsville, VA; Lexington, NC, Spindale, NC and Moneta, VA. For more information, visit them on the web at www.anglerschoicemarine.com or call 276-632-5600.
Angler’s Choice Marine Named to 2014 Boating Industry Top 100 list
MARTINSVILLE, VA (November 19, 2014) Angler’s Choice Marine has been named one of the Top 100 dealers in North America by Boating Industry, the leading trade publication for the marine industry. Owners, Sandi and Nick Loganadan, were honored during the recent Boating Industry’s Top 100 Dealers black tie event in Orlando, Florida
“Out of the thousands of boat dealers in North America, only the very best make the Top 100 list,” said Boating Industry Editor in Chief Jonathan Sweet. “These companies are the elite of the marine industry, excelling at all aspects of their business.”
The Top 100 is an annual list of dealerships that are unsurpassed in business operations, professionalism, marketing tactics, customer service and more. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the Boating Industry Top 100 program.
“What a great honor, in our 20th year of business, to be selected by Boating Industry as a Top 100 Dealer in North America,” says Sandi Loganadan. “We owe it all to our dedicated employees and loyal customers who have supported us for many years in the marine industry. I would like to say thank you to all of them.”
Family owned and operated, Angler’s Choice Marine features a full line of bass, pontoon, skiff and pleasure boats and is celebrating 20 years of serving fishing and boating enthusiasts throughout the nation. They have dealerships located in Martinsville, VA; Lexington, NC, Spindale, NC and Moneta, VA. For more information, visit them on the web at www.anglerschoicemarine.com or call 276-632-5600.
Tomahawk Fishing Shop Launches New Winter Team Trail On Lake Murray
Winter trails are popular on a lot of lakes, such as Lake Norman and Lake Wylie, but for some reason there is usually a lull in tournament activity on Lake Murray during December and into January. But now that void has been filled.
A new fishing center in downtown Columbia, the Tomahawk Fishing Shop in Five Points, has launched the Tomahawk Team Trail 2014-2015 Winter Series on Lake Murray. Participants pay a one-time membership fee each of $30, then $60 per boat for each qualifying tournament, plus an optional $10 Big Fish entry, said Gettys Brannon, a manager at Tomahawk who serves as tournament director. Teams can enter at the ramp or they can register early at the Tomahawk Fishing Shop and get 15 percent off on their next purchase.
“We have 100 percent payback at the qualifying tournaments and the winners at the championship will get $5,000,” said Brannon, who is also president of the University of South Carolina fishing team, Anglers At USC. Lew's Fishing will award a Lew's BB1 Casting Reel to the Big Fish winner at select tournaments.
The payback at qualifying tournaments is one in every six boats and each week the first three places out of the money will receive a Tomahawk Fishing Shop gift card. In addition, every team member will get a Groucho's Deli sandwich, a bag of chips and Groucho's Famous 45 Sauce at the launch of each tournament, Brannon said.
The first tournament of the winter series was held Nov. 22, with a small entry, he said, because it conflicted with the Lake Murray Carolina Anglers Team Trail Final which drew most of the local tournament anglers. The second tournament was scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 6, but was canceled due to a conflict with the Mr. Lake Murray tournament.
The next tournament will be Saturday, Dec. 13, out of Larry Koon Landing. The schedule includes: Dec. 13, Dec. 20, Jan. 3, Jan. 10, Jan. 17 and Jan. 24, with the two-day championship Jan. 30-31.
“At that first tournament, a lot of the local anglers were fishing the CATT Final, but we had some boats come 60 miles or more to fish the Tomahawk tournament, so we are looking for a better turnout Dec. 13,” Brannon said.
And, he added, the fishing on Lake Murray could be very good by then.
“The water is going to cool off and the big bass should come up and start biting. There should be a good jerkbait and Shane's Baits Alabama Rig bite and possibly a good crankbait bite,” he said. “I think the fishermen will be looking, not for quantity, but for quality. In the winter on Lake Murray if you get five fish they are not squeakers, they are quality fish. I think it will take a good weight to win it.”
The Tomahawk Fishing Shop at 613 Harden Street, Columbia, is a locally-owned fishing-themed store as well as a tackle shop.
“Being in downtown Columbia it is a little different environment from a regular tackle shop,” Brannon said. “We have a little something for just about everybody, from local art and wood carvings by local artists to all types of locally-produced apparel. We even have ice cream sandwiches and later we will also have boiled peanuts.”
Brannon said the shop also targets everyday anglers as well as serious tournament anglers.
“We carry local and regional brands such as ALX Rods in Aiken, Greenfish Tackle in Augusta and Local Boy Outfitters, an apparel brand in Columbia.”
Tomahawk Team Trail Winter Series
Saturday, Dec. 6
Lake Murray
Larry Koon Landing
http://TomahawkFishingShop.com
Call: Gettys Brannon, (864)490-7864
Chuck Chapel Tournament Provides Christmas To The Underprivileged
The memory of the late Chuck Chapel, a well-known and admired August, Ga., marine dealer, lives on in the eyes of hundreds of children who have a Christmas each year that would not have been possible otherwise.
Proceeds from the annual Chuck Chapel Memorial Tournament on Clarks Hill Lake go to the Angel Tree at Journey Community Church in Evans, Ga., said Jon Hair, co-owner of The Tackle Shop which sponsors the tournament.
“We've given Christmas to around 400 families in the past four years,” Hair said. “We have give between $1,700 and $2,000 every year to the Angel Tree, which provides Christmas to underprivileged families.”
Hair said the annual tournament was started to honor the local marine dealer who died unexpectedly of a heart attack several years ago.
“Chuck Chapel owned Lakeside Marine and we decided to honor him by holding a tournament that gives to the Angel tree program,” he said.
Hair said the 5th Annual Chuck Chapel Memorial Tournament will be held Saturday out of Wildwood Park, with $5,000 guaranteed to the winner.
“We have several different sponsors who provide the money for first place and we pay one place for every 10 boats, and our payout is very good right down the line,” he said. “We generally get 80 boats or so and if we do that is $8,000 to be split between 10 places.”
Entry fee is $110, which includes $10 for the Big Fish Pot. Registration is 5-7 p.m. Tuesday at The Tackle Shop, 4009 Columbia Road.
Hair and Will Hardy, a professional angler on the FLW Tour, opened The Tackle Shop in January 2013 to sell the custom lures made by their lure company, Greenfish Lures, along with other fishing tackle.
“We make custom tackle – spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, jigs, Shakey Heads. We make specialty lures for fishing around here, like our Square Rubber Jig, and we hand-tie swim jigs like our Skipping Jig,” Hair said.
5th Annual Chuck Chapel Memorial Team Tournament
Sat, Dec 6, 2014
Clarks Hill Lake
Wildwood Park
Call Jon Hair at The Tackle Shop, (706) 432-8225
Alabama Rig Could Be Dominant In Third Lake Wylie Catt Saturday
BRANDON WILLIAMS & DEREK LILLEY WON THE NOV 29 CATT TOURNAMENT ON WYLIE
Look for the Alabama Rig to play a major role in the third Carolina Anglers Team Trail Fall Tournament Saturday on Lake Wylie.
“The fish are suspended over and under the bait and all they are doing on Wylie is the Alabama Rig,” said Brett Collins, CATT owner. “The jerkbait is working, too, along with the Shakey Head.”
Collins said it took 28 pounds to win an open tournament on Wylie Saturday before last – “unheard of on Wylie” – so look for some quality sacks to be weighed in Saturday.
“The past three years the fish have bit better when it was cold. With all the rain last week there is no doubt the lake is stained to muddy in parts. The South Fork should be warm and hold some shallow fish,” Collins said.
The tournament Saturday will be a CATT Gold Tournament, he noted. CATT Gold tournaments pay back one in every five teams entered and the paybacks are greater than in regular qualifiers.
“Next year the Santee and Lake Murray Spring Trails will be all CATT Gold,” Collins announced. He also announced a major sponsorship boost for the entire CATT Trail.
“And next year, Lews Rods, Academy Sports and Skeeter Boats will sponsor the CATT Trail , and that means Skeeter bonus money for qualifying anglers.”
The Lake Wylie Fall Trail will continue after Saturday with the 4th qualifier Dec. 13 and the Final Dec. 20. Hunt Fish Paddle will award a $100 gift certificate to the Lake Wylie Fall Points Champions and $100 in cash to the second place points winners.
Collins also announced he will probably extend his new Catfish Trail to Santee Cooper next year because of the popularity of the Lake Wateree Catfish Trail – Carolina CATT – being held out of Lake Wateree State Park.
In the second Carolina CATT tournament held Nov. 29 Benji Brown, Jerry Donohue and Riley Brown, who also won Youth Big Fish, weighed in 86.05 pounds for three fish to win $515.
“I've never seen such big catfish,” Collins said. “The catfish trail is a whole different ballgame. They can fish four in a boat and they bring their families and fish.”
Collins said he had been contacted about expanding the catfish trail to Lake Wylie and other Yadkin River lakes.
Carolina Anglers Team Trail Fall Qualifier No. 3
Saturday, Dec. 6
Lake Wylie
Buster Boyd Bridge
http://www.catttrail.com/2014-CATT-Schedule-Fall.html
Call: (803) 413-7521
T-H Marine to Sponsor MLF Select Series
T-H Marine has signed-on as a sponsor of Major League Fishing's Select Series for 2015. Having just re-upped with American Bass Anglers as well, the manufacturer of boating products has launched an aggressive marketing campaign for the coming year. Details follow:
T-H Marine, one of the largest and most versatile marine parts suppliers in the world, has become a Major League Fishing GEICO Selects sponsor, the league announced today.
T-H Marine, a Huntsville, Alabama-based manufacturer, produces thousands of supplies and accessories for boats of every category.
“T-H Marine is one of the great companies in the boating and fishing industries. Their products are tremendous, and their reach is global. T-H Marine is a great fit for Major League Fishing, and we believe we will be an equally great fit for them. We couldn’t be more pleased to enter into this partnership,” said Major League Fishing General Manager Jim Wilburn.
T-H Marine President and CEO Jeff Huntley called Major League Fishing the “hottest thing on television.”
“In our industry, this is the show that people are watching, and we are absolutely pumped to be part of Major League Fishing,” Huntley said. “We’re really excited about the high level of visibility that Major League Fishing offers, and that includes how our products are presented on the shows.”
Major League Fishing is a partnership between Outdoor Channel, America’s Leader in Outdoor TV, and 48 of the world’s best anglers. On its Cup and Select series events, the league features made-for-television competition events that utilize a format that allows anglers to weigh all the “scorable bass” they catch. Bass are immediately weighed after they are caught, then they are released back into the water. Anglers know where they rank in the standings at all times via real-time leader boards. The competitors are not allowed to practice before events.
Major League Fishing introduced the GEICO Select series in 2014. Two events were filmed in 2014 and will air on Outdoor Channel beginning in January 2015. The first event, the Bass Pro Shops Summit Select, presented by BACAS, is now available on Extended Cast, which is Major League Fishing’s two-hours-plus, web-based offering.
These highly popular Extended Cast productions can be found by visiting Major League Fishing’s Internet site: www.majorleaguefishing.com.
T-H Marine Continues Sponsorship of ABA
T-H Marine, a leading manufacturer of 1,000s of boat parts and accessories has renewed its sponsorship of the American Bass Anglers. The multi-year agreement will have T-H Marine sponsor and represented at all of the Weekend Bass Series, American Fishing Tour, 100% Plus Team Trail, American Couples Series, The Ray Scott Championship and the Annual Military Team Bass Anglers Tournament.
“T-H Marine has long been a leader in premium and innovative products used daily by both recreational boaters and anglers. While they make 1,000s of boating parts and accessories, most anglers know T-H Marine best for their fish care systems and products, performance products and safety systems. T-H Marine offers special rewards for anglers that use their products through the Atlas Award program. We are proud to have T-H Marine as a partner and for their continued support of the weekend bass angler. ,” said Morris Sheehan, President of American Bass Anglers, Inc.
As part of this sponsorship T-H Marine will be offering a bonus program ̶ Atlas Awards ̶ for anglers who win events and own and use T-H Marine accessories on their boats. Anglers can learn more about the program and sign up at WWW.THMARINE.COM/ATLASAWARDS. T-H Marine will also be sponsoring the Lucky Dog award in the 100% Plus Team trail. The first team out of the money at all 100% Plus Team Trail events will receive the Lucky Dog award a special T-H Marine prize package. To further fish care, T-H Marine will also sponsor weigh bags with mesh inserts at all Weekend Series and 100% Plus Team Trail events.
“We are really excited to continue our partnership with American Bass Anglers. They are the largest tournament trail out there for the weekend angler and they run their tournaments the way the fishermen want. Those weekend anglers are the ultimate end users of our products – including ATLAS™ hydraulic jack plates, HOT FOOT™ throttles, and the OXYGENATOR™ livewell oxygen system. We are happy to that our sponsorship of American Bass Anglers we will be supporting the lifestyle and the bass tournaments the weekend bass angler loves to compete in,” said Jeff Huntley, President, T-H Marine.
To learn more about T-H Marine and their products visit WWW.THMARINE.COM and to learn more about Atlas Awards visit WWW.THMARINE.COM/ATLASAWARDS .
Shimano/b.a.s.s Youth Conservation Initiative Accepting Proposals For Grant Assistance
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Fish habitat enhancement projects aren’t what they used to be. They’re better, thanks in part to the Shimano/B.A.S.S. Youth Conservation Initiative, which encourages involvement by B.A.S.S.-affiliated clubs in projects that get youth groups involved in conserving and restoring fisheries habitat.
The Shimano/B.A.S.S. Youth Conservation Initiative is now accepting project proposals from state chapters and B.A.S.S. Nation clubs through Jan. 15, 2015, for grant assistance. B.A.S.S. Nation conservation directors can submit proposals for projects involving youth members of Junior Bassmaster clubs, high school or college fishing teams, Scout troops, Boys or Girls Clubs, FFA or 4-H, church youth groups and school science clubs, for a few examples.
One of the three projects financed during the first year of the Shimano/B.A.S.S Youth Conservation Initiative was an effort by the Georgia B.A.S.S. Nation to revive West Point Lake’s sagging largemouth fishery.
In August, about 40 volunteers from Georgia B.A.S.S. Nation clubs, six high schools and the University of West Georgia planted 2,000 water willows at West Point Lake on the Chattahoochee River. The hope is that this vegetation will help young largemouth survive an expanding population of smaller, but more aggressive, spotted bass.
“Largemouth bass spend much of their first year in less than 5 feet of water,” said Tony Beck, Georgia B.A.S.S. Nation conservation director. “If they are spending that time on a bare bank with no habitat, the chances of them surviving go way down. But if they can spend that time in a water willow grassbed, they have a good chance of surviving to 6 to 8 inches and recruiting into the population.”
Additionally, the Lake Oconee Bassmasters grew the willows from cuttings taken from plants that they helped establish in Lake Oconee six years ago. Then club members and high school anglers spent two days cutting and potting.
“It takes about three months from the time the cuttings are potted to the time that they are ready to be planted,” Beck said. “During that time, a lot of hours are spent keeping them alive. I would say we have well over 300 man hours of work in this project.”
While Shimano will fund the grants, B.A.S.S. will administer them evenly among the six B.A.S.S. Nation regions.
“Through Shimano’s incredible generosity and commitment to conservation and youth, we will again this year be able to provide one grant per B.A.S.S. Nation division, if we get suitable applicants,” said Gene Gilliland, B.A.S.S. conservation director.
“Proposals that show the best integration of B.A.S.S. members, partnering with youth groups, other organizations or agencies and leveraging matching funds or donated materials will receive the highest consideration,” he added.
To apply, fill out an application using the link http://www.bassmaster.com/sites/default/files/imce/2015_shimano_bass_youth_grant_application.pdf, and return it to Gilliland at [email protected].
Proposals will be judged by a panel that includes Gilliland; Jon Stewart, B.A.S.S. Nation director; Shimano Director of Environmental Affairs Phil Morlock; and other representatives from Shimano. The awards will be announced at the 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic in Greenville, S.C.
“We are encouraging the B.A.S.S. chapters to work with fishery management agencies and local fishing tackle retailers to identify the conservation needs in their areas,” Morlock said. “Fish habitat improvement can involve a wide variety of efforts both in and adjacent to the water, and projects that benefit multiple gamefish species and/or forage fish are key to improving fishing.
“When young anglers can see first hand the positive results of ‘hands on’ habitat improvement, they develop an appreciation for why we enjoy such a wealth of quality fishing and how anglers volunteer to make a significant contribution to conservation,” he added.
Other projects financed the first year included enhancement of habitat on urban fishing ponds in Connecticut and establishment of aquatic vegetation and installation of fish attractors in New Mexico’s Elephant Butte Reservoir.
“The New Mexico project really typifies what we hope to achieve with this program,” Gilliland said. “They’re thinking along the lines of improving an entire reservoir, not just putting in fish attractors. They’re using both plants and artificial habitat. They’re working with local high schools, the Bureau of Reclamation, Game and Fish, state parks and other organizations.”
In Connecticut, meanwhile, the Mohawk Valley BassCasters, assisted by the Lightning Junior Bassmaster Club, placed “spider block” cover in Echo Lake. The Connecticut B.A.S.S. Nation is using that initial project to provide a video guide and installation plan for other clubs to follow.
“This was the first of our Community Lake enhancement projects, and we wanted to be sure that we have a very detailed plan for other clubs to follow to make these projects easy, fun and meaningful,” said Dean Rustic, Connecticut B.A.S.S. Nation conservation director.
Mr. Lake Murray Tournament 'only Game In Town' First Saturday In December
While December is normally a down time for bass tournaments, Rich Gerken is hoping a lot of tournament anglers around the South Carolina Midlands will be looking for some action and enter the 5thAnnual Mr. Lake Murray Bass Tournament Saturday, Dec. 6.
“We've never fished a bass tournament this late in the year,” said Gerken, president of The Bass Federation of South Carolina which is holding the tournament, “but we are optimistic about it.”
Gerken said the Mr. Lake Murray tournament was held the third week of September the previous four years, but this year all the launch sites on the lake were booked in September and then right on through the fall. Dec. 6 was the earliest date available at Dreher Island State Park.
But he expects a good turnout and hopes the later date will result in an even bigger turnout for the annual tournament.
“In the past we've never quite made 100 boats; we've usually had about 60 or 70 boats entered,” he said. “But, if we get to 100 boats we will pay $5,000 to first place.”
Interest appears to be up this year, he noted, thanks to some local radio promotions.
“We've got a lot of calls and that is a good sign,” he said. “We are about the only thing happening this time of year so we are not competing with anybody.”
Entry fee is $140 in advance or $150 at the ramp the morning of the tournament. Gerken said the tournament payback will go to 20 percent of the field, one spot for every five boats.
Fishing could be good or it could be tough, he said.
“There was a little mid-week tournament this past week and it took 16 pounds to win it. We hop we will find the fish feeding up for the winter by tournament time. We've not had that real cold spell yet.”
Gerken said the tournament is held each year as a fundraiser for TBFSC and as a membership drive for the organization.
“It's an open tournament so we are hoping to draw some new members in out of it,” he said. “Guys will have to make a decision on tournament day between deer hunting and bass fishing.”
5th Annual Mr Lake Murray Bass Tournament
Sat, Dec 6, 2014
Lake Murray
Dreher Island State Park
Call 201-772-6401
Anglers In Action Bass Challenge Offers Break From Thanksgiving On Saturday
The thing about Thanksgiving is that a person can only eat so much turkey before he just has to do something else.
Around the Lake of the Ozarks that “something else” is the 7th Annual Anglers in Action Big Bass Challenge Saturday.
“Guys look forward to fishing the tournament the Saturday after Thanksgiving every year,” said Charlie Terrell, one of the founding owners of Anglers in Action. “By then they have had enough turkey and they want to get out and do a little fishing.”
Terrell said Anglers in Action was started in the fall of 2007 as a team circuit with qualifying tournaments leading to a championship. The Big Bass Challenge is a different format from regular tournaments, he explained. If a minimum of 100 boats are entered, the tournament pays 15 places on the total weight side, plus 15 spots on the Big Bass side.
“When we first started it was kind of hard for some guys to catch onto. Everybody weighs total fish in a tournament, but you also want to weigh your big bass every time because we pay 15 spots there, too.”
Terrell said teams pay a $200 entry fee, with $2,500 guaranteed for first place and $2,500 for Big Bass. Second place pays $1,200 on down to $200 for 15th place in both categories.
“We are expecting 100 to 125 boats for the tournament,” Terrell said. “It's 38 degrees here now, but it's supposed to warm up a little bit for the weekend. It's supposed to be around 50 degrees Saturday and Sunday.”
While fishing could be a little tough, Terrell noted that it took nearly 40 pounds to win a two-day tournament on the lake this past weekend. He predicted the winner Saturday will have around 20 to 21 pounds.
“I've not fished the lake in a while, but they are phasing in to staging up for the winter so that is why it's a little tough right now. They are catching them on the right banks on buzzbaits, topwater baits, Wiggle Warts and spinnerbaits. Jerkbaits are just starting to come on and when the water cools off the jerkbait and Alabama Rig will come into effect,” Terrell said.
7th Annual Anglers in Action Bass Challenge
Sat, Nov 29, 2014
Lake of the Ozarks
PB2 Ramp
Call 1-866-515-0102
www.midwestfishtournaments.com
Sportsman's Warehouse Randy Hodge not the ideal camera guy!
Sportsman's Warehouse store manager Randy Hodge being very difficult to work with this year!!
Happy Thanksgiving from Sportsman's Warehouse! Come check us out for these great gift ideas!
Sportsman's Warehouse Camping dept manager Steve Smith talks about some great gift ideas that you can use for this Holiday that you probably have not thought of!!
A Little Inshore Action
AnglersChannel.com Insider Vance McCullough took to the marsh with Mack of Grosse Savanne Lodge and Mike Eutsler of Lew's to do some inshore salwater fishing and test Lew's NEW inshore rods and reels spooled with their NEW Lew's Speed Line braid and fluoro. Mack put an Xpress bay boat through some very shallow water to reach the redfish and fill the K2 Cooler. Big drum and redfish were the catch of the day but the scenery and good company made the trip extra special. Check it out!
Montgomery To Spend December Learning The Lake He Lived On During College For The Bassmaster Classic
Even though he graduated from Clemson University which sits on the shores of Lake Hartwell and his apartment was right beside the lake, when he was not in class Andy Montgomery spent most of his fishing time on nearby Lake Keowee.
“Looking back that probably was not the smart thing to do,” said Montgomery who will be one of the pros competing in the Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell in February. “I did not spend much time on Hartwell so I don't have a lot of experience on the lake.”
In fact Montgomery has fished only one major tournament on the lake and that one did not end well for him. In early March Montgomery was able to weigh in only seven fish the first two days of the FLW Tour tournament on the lake and finished 108th with just over 14 pounds.
“That was pretty much my experience on Hartwell,” said Montgomery who graduated from Clemson with an engineering degree but decided to pursue a career in fishing instead. “But the Classic should be totally different. The FLW was in March and the fish were already thinking about spawning. Unless we have a really big warming trend it probably will be wintertime fishing in the Classic.”
The Classic will be held Feb. 20-22, with 56 anglers vying for the title of Bassmaster Classic champion and a share of the $1 million purse. Fifty-five of those qualifiers have been determined. The remaining slot will be filled during the Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship to be held on Lake DeGray, Ark., Dec. 9-13.
Since Montgomery is already in and he does not have to fish it, by the time of the Bassmaster Team Championship he hopes to have spent some quality days on Lake Hartwell, learning where the fish hang out.
“I'll probably go up there in the next week or so and I'll try to get to the lake two or three times a week. It's about an hour and a half from my house so I can drive it in one day pretty easily,” said Mongtomgery who lives in Blacksburg, S.C.
Montgomery had a fairly solid year on the Bassmaster Elite circuit, with four top 30 finishes, including an 11th place in the first tournament of the year on Lake Seminole in mid-March.
“I started out really strong, then I had a lull in the middle of the season and I had one really bad tournament,” he said. That was the fourth tournament of the year when he finished 101st at Toledo Bend in early May. Going into the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship
at Bays de Noc near Escanaba, Mich., in mid-September, Montgomery knew he had to have a strong finish in order to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic.
Montgomery not only finished strong at Bays de Noc, he finished strong for the year and was ranked 35th in the final Angler of the Year standings. The top 39 qualified for the Classic.
But he was not done yet. Although he did not need to fish the Bassmaster Southern Opens, Montgomery entered the final Southern Open on nearby Lake Norman in early October, and won the tournament, boosting his yearly win money by more than $46,000.
Montgomery finished 26th in the only other Bassmaster Classic he has qualified for, the 2011 Classic on the Louisiana Delta, and he hopes to make a much stronger showing in his second chance at pro fishing's top title this February.
Old And New Waters On Nation Schedule For 2015
Some familiar bass fishing waters and some never visited by B.A.S.S. tournaments will play host to competitors in the 2015 Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation divisionals.
California’s Clear Lake and Mississippi’s Ross Barnett Reservoir are often top choices on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail. But the Pee Dee River Basin in South Carolina and Minnesota’s Vermilion Lake will be hosting B.A.S.S. events for the first time.
Anglers who have qualified for the divisionals will have the great fortune to compete on these lakes, and the top competitor from each state will advance to the 2015 Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.
“It’s really exciting to get to go to new places for the B.A.S.S. Nation divisionals,” said Jon Stewart, director of the B.A.S.S. Nation. “It’s one of the many things that make the Nation unique.
“You never know what might happen on these new waters, and I’m ready to get 2015 started to see what the year will bring,” Stewart added.
The first divisional of the season is the 2015 Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Western Divisional, April 8-10, on California’s famed Clear Lake. B.A.S.S. has visited this lake — one of the oldest natural lakes in North America — 11 times, including a divisional here just two years ago.
The Western Divisional in 2013 also took place in early April, and Washington’s Jeremy Percifield won the three-day event with a hefty 67 pounds, 6 ounces. The biggest bass of the tournament, caught by Idaho’s Denton Crofts, was 10 pounds, 9 ounces — a weight competitors will definitely strive to find in April 2015.
The last time the Bassmaster Elite Series competed on Clear Lake, Byron Velvick almost hit the 100-pound mark over a four-day tournament, ending with 98 pounds, 6 ounces.
The second divisional of the season is 2,893 miles east of Clear Lake only two weeks later. The Southern Divisional will take place on the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin in Georgetown, S.C., April 22-24. The watershed is North Carolina’s second-largest. If anglers aren’t familiar with fishing in the basin, they’re certainly familiar with the surrounding water bodies, Lake Norman and High Rock Lake, sites of several Bassmaster Tournament Trail events, including three Bassmaster Classics on High Rock.
Next up is Ross Barnett Reservoir in Ridgeland, Miss., for the Central Divisional, June 10-12. Barnett hosted a Bassmaster Classic in 1978, which Bobby Murray won with 37 pounds, 9 ounces over three days for the October event. Just three months prior to the 2015 divisional, the pros from the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Opens presented by Allstate will compete on Ross Barnett, as well.
The following week, June 17-19, the B.A.S.S. Nation divisionals move 906 miles northeast to Fairmont, W.Va., for the Mid-Atlantic Divisional on the Monongahela River. The Mon has hosted a B.A.S.S. event once — kind of. The northern end of the river is part of the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pa., site of the 2005 Bassmaster Classic. It was a tough tournament, which Kevin VanDam won with only 12 pounds, 15 ounces over three days.
As summer closes, competitors in the Northern Divisional will convene in Minnesota on Vermilion Lake, one of the most scenic lakes in the United States. The 39,000-acre lake could produce mixed bags for the anglers when they visit the fishery Aug. 26-28.
The Connecticut River in Hartford, Conn., ends the season at the 2015 Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Eastern Divisional, Sept. 18-20. The B.A.S.S. Nation previously held a divisional tournament on the river in 2007. In addition a Bassmaster Top 100 tournament was held there in 1994 during the same week of September. Veteran pro Roland Martin won that one with 49 pounds, 11 ounces over four days.
Each state sends a team of its top anglers to its respective divisional. The top angler from each state advances to the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, which will be held in October or November at a site yet to be selected.
Oakley Big Bass Announces 2015 Tournament Schedule
Oakley Big Bass announces the 2015 Tournament schedule here on Anglerschannel.com! Go to the Tournaments page and click on list of trails for the full schedule and all registration info. Here is a snapshot of where they are heading next year
Hank Parker, Lew's promote Family Fun of Fishing!
Hank Parker and Lew's, 2 names that have been highly regarded in the fishing community for decades, are joining to promote the family fun of fishing. What follows is the official press release:
Two legendary names in fishing, Lew's and Hank Parker, have teamed in a promotional agreement for 2015 to carry the family fun of fishing message into millions of American households across the county.
|
| Hank Parker enters his 29th season as host of Hank Parker Outdoors Magazine television show in 2015, also the year he begins a promotional agreement with Lew's. (Click to view/download for hi-res image) |
"Hank Parker's Outdoor Magazine" will celebrate its 29th consecutive year on television when its 2015 season begins on Dec. 29. The Lew's brand got its start in the 1950s, but has been on a rapid resurgence in popularity ever since new ownership in 2009 has steadily introduced an all-new lineup of rods, reels, combos and accessories.
"Lew's and Hank Parker's images and brands have closely paralleled one another over the past three decades, meaning we take our fishing seriously but have a lot of fun in doing it," said Lew's CEO Lynn Reeves. "While the sport will always be about the sheer pleasure of spending time together on the water with family and friends, it's the avid fishing enthusiasts like Hank that help inspire and educate all ages to get involved in the activity. Our goal is to introduce more people to fishing."
Parker, who was once introduced during a CBS Morning Show appearance as the "rod-n-reel" answer to legendary pro basketball player Michael Jordan in "popularity and talent," had success first as a bass tournament angler and champion before turning his popularity into a full-time career as an outdoor show TV host.
"Knowing the get-it-right product sincerity and passion behind industry veterans, Lew's partners, Lynn Reeves and Gary Remensnyder like I do, I couldn't be more thankful to have this opportunity to be part of their team," Parker said. "Like our television show, they have something for all ages, skills and levels of fishing enthusiasts. We're a great match and I'm pumped to get the new season started with Lew's."
 |
|
When Hank Parker won his first of two Bassmaster Classic titles
in 1979, Lew's was also becoming popular in the market with its
Speed Spool and Speed Sticks. Since new ownership in 2009, Lew's
has introduced an all new lineup of rods, reels and accessories.
|
Lew's plans for Parker include in-show product use, 30-second commercials, Lew's billboard exposures and having him serve as a spokesperson for the company's fast-growing American Hero program.
Lew's launched its American Hero initiative out of genuine respect for America's military veterans and with a sincere promise to never forget them. The Lew's American Hero baitcast combo, retailing for around $89.99, was named "Best of Show" in the combo category at the 2014 ICAST fishing tackle trade show.
American Hero is more than just rods, reels and combos though. It was developed to help organizations that that use fishing as part of their programs to help veterans return to life after military service. The Lew's program has already provided fishing gear support to several such groups, including FOCUS Marines Foundation, Reel American Heroes Foundation, Operation HOOAH, Kentucky Pro Bass Warrior Foundation and more.
"Hank is as sincere as we are in his thank you to our American veterans. He'll be making that quite clear on episodes of his television show and during public appearances across the country, including at the 2015 Bassmaster Classic and FLW Cup championship bass events," added Reeves.
"Hank Parker's Outdoor Magazine" airs multiple days and times during the first and second quarters on the Outdoor Channel and Pursuit Channel. Check local television listings for exact show dates and times.
For more information on Lew's products, pros and American Hero program, visit www.Lews.com.
Russ Lane on the Buckeye Spot Remover-Great VIDEO!
Very good description of the Spot Remover from Pro Russ Lane...............check this out
Severe Cold Front Causes Major Fishing Change For Ray Scott Championship On Wheeler
Professional Angler Jimmy Mason
It wasn't much of a surprise. Everybody knew it was coming. But nobody in the 2014 American Bass Anglers Ray Scott Championship on Lake Wheeler was able to practice for the conditions they faced in the first morning launch Wednesday.
Official practice Sunday-Tuesday for the 166 anglers – 83 boaters and 93 non-boaters – was held in typical fall conditions: cool nights followed by daytime temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s.
But all that changed Tuesday night when a severe winter cold front moved in heralded by high winds. Local fishing guide Jimmy Mason sounded prophetic Monday when he said the fishing would be very interesting this week.
“I look for the water temperature to drop as much as 5 degrees by the end of the week. Anglers that have been catching chasing fish and shallow fish will be in trouble. The wind is going to blow, too, making it hard for the run and gun guys.”
The cold front rode in on high winds blowing 15 to 20 mph, said Evan Boutwell, ABA National Marketing Director, dropping the temperature overnight from a balmy 70 degrees Tuesday to a chilly 34 at launch time. The wind chill dropped the effect of the temperature drop below freezing.
The first place boater in the newly-named Ray Scott Championship will win $100,000 cash and the first place co-angler will get a check for $50,000, Boutwell said.
“In addition we will pay their entry fees and expense money to fish in either the Rayovac Series or the B.A.S.S. Opens in 2015, if they choose to move up to either of those ranks,” Boutwell added.
The championship will feature two of the icons in professional bass fishing this week as special guests. Scott, the founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, will attend the Championship's Outdoors Expo at Ingalls Harbor Pavilion Friday and Saturday, while legendary angler Bill Dance is appearing Wednesday and Thursday. The Expo features more than 40 vendors, many of which are sponsors of the American Bass Anglers trails.
Weigh-ins are being held at Ingalls Harbor the first three days of the tournament, but will move to the Pavilion on Saturday for the final weigh-in of the top 25 anglers fishing that day.
Boutwell also announced that the ABA Championship is only part way through a major transition. The first part was incorporating Scott into the title and the second part will be a timing move over the next year and a half.
“We underwent a major transition this year with the name change and the launch of the Outdoors Expo. The second transition will be making this championship a spring event,” Boutwell said, noting that the next stop for the championship will be Lake Hartwell out of Anderson, S.C.
“The anglers who qualify in 2015 will fish at Lake Hartwell in April of 2016,” he said, adding that there will be no 2015 championship as the transition is completed next year.
2014 Ray Scott ABA Championship
Nov 12-15, 2014
Wheeler Lake
Ingalls Harbor
Call (256) 232-0406 for information
Rayovac Champion Says, 'do What I Did' To Win The Ray Scott Championship
FLW Rayovac Series Champion Zack Birge
Zack Birge, winner of the Rayovac FLW Series Championship on Wheeler Lake Nov. 1, says the best way for an angler to win the Ray Scott Weekend Bass Series Championship on Wheeler next week is to duplicate what he did – and keep duplicating it.
If he were fishing the Ray Scott tournament, Birge said he would do just exactly what he did in the Rayovac Championship, but that he would probably be looking for fish a little further back in the creeks.
Birge caught all the fish he weighed on two big spinnerbaits – a 3/4-ounce Santone Lures spinnerbait and the other a 1/2-ounce River2Sea Ish Monroe Bling Spinnerbait – that he cast along big log jams on shallow sandbars near deep water channels.
“I was just slow rolling it around log jams and any king of log cover,” he said. “They pulled current in the morning and I was able to get some good bites. On the last day, I was also slow-rolling my spinnerbait on the bottom. You had to really crawl it along. If you thought you were reeling slow enough, you had to slow down.”
Birge caught a three-day total of 15 bass that weighed 47 pounds even, earning the top prize of $50,000, plus a berth in the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup.
“If I were fishing the Ray Scott Championship, I would shoot for 64-66 pounds for the four days,” he said. “I think that should be right there for the guy who wins it.”
When he got to Wheeler for practice before the Rayovac Championship he had never been on the lake before.
“I just started at one end and worked my way to the other, just looking and keying on any little thing. Luckily, I found one wad of fish that stayed with me for all three days.”
During practice he threw a square-bill crankbait and caught a lot of fish on it, but not the quality he felt he needed to win.
“I also threw a big jerkbait in practice and caught a few good fish, but they were too far in between to count on it in the tournament,” he said. “However, that may change with this colder weather. I think there might be a little chance of snow by next week and if it does get colder they might be eating that jerkbait better.”
And, he added, another twist that he did not use in the Rayovac Championship could be a major key for the Ray Scott Weekend Bass Championship.
“I don't know if they will be allowed to throw the Alabama Rig, but if they do that might be a game changer,” he said. “Don't be afraid to throw outside the box lures – big spinnerbaits, big lures.”
Birge said he would go into the Ray Scott Championship with the same mindset he had in the Rayovac Championship.
“The fish ought to be biting even better than than they were at the Rayovac,” he said. “And if things did not work out I would still do what I did then, just duplicate it in different areas.”
Cold Snap Could Help The Bite On Lake Norman For The Monster Bass Tournament
The opening tournament of the Carolina Monster Bass Winter Trail on Lake Norman last Saturday has the misfortune of being scheduled at the same time as the 2015 Carolina's Bass Challenge Classic, which meant that a lot of anglers who might have fished the Monster Bass tournament were otherwise occupied.
“We had 12 boats Saturday, but a lot of guys were fishing the CBC Classic, but we are hoping to pick up a lot more boats this Saturday,” said Randy Coleman, tournament director.
Coleman said the fishing all-around was pretty tough last Saturday.
“Everybody who fished brought in limits but they were small limits. It took right at 12 pounds to win and the guys who won caught their fish on jigs. Hopefully, when this weather cools off and cools the water down the bite will pick up. I think the high Sunday is going to be 40-something degrees.”
Anglers pay a $20 membership fee and teams pay a $75 entry fee per tournament, which includes $10 for Big Fish. However, the membership fee is waived if the angler bought or buys his boat from Denver Marine.
The tournament series has other bonus money for anglers who qualify, Coleman said.
“If you win while fishing out of a Denver Marine Ranger Boat, no matter what year, you will get bonus money. You'll also get some bonus money if you are fishing out of a boat other than a Ranger if you bought it from Denver Marine.”
The Ranger Cup is available for anyone in a Ranger Boat 10 years old or newer that was bought from Denver Marine as long as there are 20 or more boats entered in a tournament.
And Monster Bass Bucks are available for Rangers up to 10 years old purchased from Denver marine – with a 20-boat minimum. The boats must have a Team Denver Marine windshield sticker and bass displayed for both bonus programs.
There is even a special lure program, Coleman said. An angler who wins with a Shane Finesse Rigg by local luremaker Shane Lehew will earn up to $100 in a regular season tournament and $250 in the year-end championship.
Even the less than lucky anglers have something to shoot for, he added. The team with the lowest weight for a 5-fish limit will win $75 provided by Key Properties.
But, perhaps the biggest bonus is the chance to win an entry into the highly popular Jim Ledbetter Cancer Tournament on Lake Norman next March. The top 10 in points in the Monster Bass series will receive a free entry to the Ledbetter Tournament, plus all the boats will be entered in a drawing for an entry into the Ledbetter Tournament.
The winner of the Jim Ledbetter Cancer Tournament will take home a 2015 Ranger Boat, provided by Denver Marine, Ranger Boats and Evinrude.
The schedule for the Carolina Monster Bass Winter Trail is Nov. 8, 15 and 22, Dec. 6 and 13, Jan. 3 and 10, with the Championship Jan. 24, all out of Midway Marina on Lake Norman.
Carolina Monster Bass Winter Trail
Sat, Nov 15, 2014
Lake Norman
Midway Marina
Call Randy Coleman at 704-616-3449
http://denverrecreationalmarine.com/tournaments,schedule
Doug Miller tells the story behind Grosse Savanne Lodge
As the secret gets out, folks want to know more about Grosse Savanne Lodge near Lake Charles, LA; its history and what it has to offer. Doug Miller shares the story with Vance McCullough - and YOU!
North Johnston Youth team wins on Buckhorn Reserviour
North Johnston Team Wins Local Youth Event
Fourteen teams showed up for the Buckhorn Reservoir – High School Team Tournament, hosted by the Clayton High bass club. The open event, consisting of two high school anglers and one adult boat captain, included teams from Clayton, North Johnston, South Johnston, Corinth Holders, and Hunt high schools. A first of it’s kind for the area, the tournament event allowed these young fishermen a chance to test their bass angling skills against fellow high school competitors while learning valuable lessons and techniques from their adult boat captains. Valuable prizes and trophies were handed out to the top four teams.
Using a combination of lipless crank baits and jigs for their pattern, North Johnston anglers, Tyler Little and Chase Crocker stole the show with a massive weight of 21.30 pounds for their five fish catch. Crocker also landed the lunker for the event with a bass tipping the scales at 7.64 pounds. Little and Crocker were awarded matching first place trophies and each received a rod & reel combo for their finish. Crocker added an additional trophy to his collection for the lunker award.
Clayton anglers, Zach Greene and Mason Medlin, settled into the second position with their overall catch of 13.09 pounds. Greene and Medlin were rewarded for their efforts with matching second place trophies and tackle bags.
Ethan Howard and Chris Chavez, another team from the Clayton High club, filled the third position with their catch of 9.81 pounds earning the two anglers a pair of tackle bags of their own.
Landing in the fourth position with 8.45 pounds was the Clayton High tandem of Cameron Reynolds and Rodney Rowe. Reynolds and Rowe also earned a pair of tackle bags for their finish.
Trophy prizes were donated by The Trophy Connection of Wilson, NC. First place through third place product awards were donated by Outdoor Accessories Unlimited of Kenly, NC.
Additional Positions
| 5th Place | Josh Tutt / Josepth Wittington – (Clayton) | 7.61 lbs |
| 6th Place | Braxton Chase / Camden Hogg – (Corinth Holders) | 5.23 lbs |
| 7th Place | Tyler Parker / Cobi Taylor – (Corinth Holders) | 5.07 lbs |
| 8th Place | Quinton Carwell / JT Palazzolo – (Clayton) | 4.52 lbs |
| 9th Place | Lewis Baker / Ashton Skinner – (Hunt) | 4.21 lbs |
| 10th Place | Chase Stanley / Dale McGee – (South Johnston) | 3.62 lbs |
| 11th Place | Garrett Boyette / Estevan Gutierrez – (Corinth Holders) | 2.09 lbs |
| 12th Place | Camdyn Coblentz / Andrew Coblentz – (Clayton) | 1.37 lbs |
| 13th Place (Tie) | Austin Himmel / Zac Jones – (Corinth Holders) | N/S |
| 13th Place (Tie) | John Lerena / Roman Fontaine – (Clayton) | N/S |
Food items and door prizes greeted the participants during the afternoon weigh-in session. Every participating angler received four bags of soft plastic lures, compliments of Culprit lures. Random drawings granted prizes from Ranger Boats, Outdoor Accessories Unlimited, Culprit lures, and Five County Bassmasters club members.
Collins Inc. – Bass For Cash Series provided all weigh-in equipment and scoring.
Cbc 2Nd Place Team Roger Medlock And Todd Lawrence On Stage
Big weekend for the 2nd place team of Roger Medlock and Todd Lawrence.........they hauled in 25.36 and came oh so close to winning that $42,000 Boat-Motor-trailer pkg. As is, they still walked away with $8000 in their pocket-not bad for 2nd place!!
2014 CBC Champions Scott Sellers and Randy Childers win with 26.76-pics and top 10 Results here!
Congratulations to all our winners and thank all the anglers who came out a fished with us this weekend. Another great year in the books and thanks to you all we are even more upbeat about 2015!
Below are our top 10 finishes and their two day weights.............here are some pictures as well.
Here is the TOP 10:
1- Randy Childers - Scott Sellars 25.76lbs
2- Roger Medlock - Todd Lawrence 25.36lbs
3- Steve Shaw - Matt Haywood 24.49lbs
4- Lee Hoilman - Brent Barry 24.39lbs
5- Thomas Hardwick - Tommy Williams 24.36lbs
6- Roger Hoover - Scott Hamrick 24.29lbs
7- Milton Yancey - Larry Yancey 23.90lbs
8- Jason Wilson - Kelly Logan 23.70lbs
9- Mitchell Cook - Todd Huffman 23.57lbs
10 - Robert Walser - Mack Lowe 23.36lbs
BF Tim Chapman - Marcus Leech 6.15lbs
Full Results are attached at bottom....
2014 CBC Champions Scott Sellers and Randy Childers
Scott Sellers holds up some of the winning HAUL
Nice Quality BF for Norman Sat afternoon!
Robby Byrum with some of his stringer Sat Afternoon
2014 Cbc Champions Scott Sellers And Randy Childers On Stage After Their 25.76 Lb Two Day Haul
Scott Sellers and Randy Childers win the 2014 CBC Championship and talk about their 2 days on Lake Norman..........they go home with a $42,000 Boat, Motor, and Trailer Pkg---Congrats guys!
2014 Cbc Championship Wrap Up With Mc And Elite Series Pro Mark Menendez
After 2 very difficult days of fishing, we finally have some Champions, but before we hear their story, we talk to the man that weighed everyone in! Elite Series Pro Mark Menendez takes us through the differences between Fri and Sat as well as how Norman fishes this time of year!
CBC Championship Day 1 Leaders Berry and Hoilman cautiously Optimistic for Day 2
153 Teams turned out today for Day 1 of the CBC Championship on Lake Norman. Only $82,000 worth of cash and prizes (Skeeter Boat Pkg), so when Brent Berry and Lee Hoilman completed Day 1 with 15.40 Lbs and a 1 Lb lead they were more than pleased. Going against the type of field that they are, there was no overconfidence about Day 2.............really more nerves knowing that Sat would probably be more difficult to find fish with much less wind forecast. Mark Menendez MC'd the weigh-in and had everyone done by 4:45. Sat looks to be a great weather day for spectators, so come on out to Blythe Landing and enjoy one of the biggest regional events of the year. Full Day 1 results-standings and pictures below:
CBC Day 1 Leaders Brent Berry and Lee Hoilman
| Team Members | Big Fish | Total Weight |
| Lee Hoilman - Brent Berry | 5.970 | 15.400 |
| Marcus Leech - Tim Chapman | 6.150 | 14.510 |
| Steve Shaw - Matt Haywood | 0.000 | 14.470 |
| Nathan Webber - Paul Rigsbee | 0.000 | 14.120 |
| Milton Yancey - Larry Yancey | 3.470 | 13.570 |
| Patrick Tierney - Todd Auten | 4.000 | 13.320 |
| Thomas Hardwick - Tommy Williams | 0.000 | 13.240 |
| Roger Hoover - Scott Hamrick | 3.180 | 12.980 |
| Doug Easton - Pete Bejte | 0.000 | 12.780 |
| Hunter Hicks - Mike Stephens | 2.740 | 12.570 |
| Roger Medlock - Todd Lawrence | 0.000 | 12.140 |
| Scott Threadgill - Dwayne Saunders | 0.000 | 12.030 |
| Lyn Langston - Daniel Jordan | 2.620 | 11.960 |
| Bill Grier - Robby Byrum | 0.000 | 11.950 |
| Robert Walser - Mack Lowe | 0.000 | 11.760 |
| Darren Sigmon - Brian Huffman | 0.000 | 11.690 |
| Corey Patton - Kyle Whisnant | 0.000 | 11.680 |
| David Few - Tracy Schiff | 0.000 | 11.680 |
| Louie Hull - Chuck Montgomery | 0.000 | 11.630 |
| Roger Pope - Michael Smith | 0.000 | 11.540 |
| Nick Miller - Brandon Brickweg | 0.000 | 11.530 |
| Scott Sellers - Randy Childers | 0.000 | 11.440 |
| Aric Dwyer - Zack Bolick | 0.000 | 11.430 |
| Lester Elton - Chris Martin | 0.000 | 11.360 |
| Barry Bost - Will Petty | 0.000 | 11.340 |
| Joshua Queen - Mike Queen | 0.000 | 11.300 |
| Russell Hoyle - Jerry Pruitt | 4.870 | 11.220 |
| Jason Wilson - Kelly Logan | 0.000 | 11.070 |
| Kiel Kelly - Chuck Whittaker | 0.000 | 10.990 |
| Tony Jackson - Clint Jackson | 0.000 | 10.970 |
| Chris Wagner - Chase Deal | 0.000 | 10.930 |
| Steve Addington - Scott Beattie | 0.000 | 10.920 |
| Randy Mathis - Jody Jones | 0.000 | 10.900 |
| Ronnie Britt - Jim Britt | 0.000 | 10.790 |
| Bron Hemphill - Nathan Dellinger | 0.000 | 10.760 |
| Reggie Guffey - Tommy Chapman | 0.000 | 10.750 |
| Billy Scoggins - Eddie Parker | 0.000 | 10.740 |
| Brian Travis - Ashley Brotherton | 0.000 | 10.700 |
| Jim Witherspoon - Jerry Goble | 0.000 | 10.680 |
| Jerry Lineberger - Shane Lineberger | 0.000 | 10.660 |
| Thomas King - Clayton King | 0.000 | 10.620 |
| Ronnie McCoy - Jason McCoy | 0.000 | 10.540 |
| David Clanton - Derek Lilley | 0.000 | 10.480 |
| Stacey Richards - Brian Triplett | 0.000 | 10.420 |
| Kevin Toler - Rodney Lambert | 0.000 | 10.370 |
| Phillip Frady - Dirk Porter | 0.000 | 10.360 |
| Dave Snyder - David Snyder | 0.000 | 10.300 |
| Greg Deal - Terry Wike | 0.000 | 10.200 |
| Ron Wolfarth - George Lambeth | 0.000 | 10.190 |
| Coy Watts - David Hutcherson | 0.000 | 10.130 |
| Rick Carson - Jason Turner | 0.000 | 10.090 |
| Randall Soles - Jason Dew | 0.000 | 10.010 |
| Charlie Hanshaw - Jeffrey Hanshaw | 0.000 | 9.970 |
| John Sturkie - Calvin Hewitt | 0.000 | 9.940 |
| Mitchell Cook - Todd Huffman | 2.510 | 9.920 |
| John Drew - David Horton | 3.030 | 9.820 |
| Jeff Queen - Kristopher KJ Queen | 0.000 | 9.690 |
| Brandon Sykes - Jack Boyce | 0.000 | 9.680 |
| Jerry Craig - Bobby Lateuch | 0.000 | 9.680 |
| Johnny Houser - Deron Donohoo | 0.000 | 9.600 |
| Mark Swink - Chuck Camp | 0.000 | 9.580 |
| Lee Sawyer - Cole Winn | 0.000 | 9.570 |
| Harold Drew - Jackie Reilly | 0.000 | 9.550 |
| Jeff Coble - David Wright | 0.000 | 9.550 |
| Brandon Williams - Reid Mcginn | 0.000 | 9.540 |
| Kevin Fulmer - Mark Richardson | 2.470 | 9.530 |
| Brent Kukowski - Patrick Carter | 0.000 | 9.530 |
| Jay Keith - Donald Hinson | 0.000 | 9.500 |
| Jimmy Carswell - Bobby Carswell | 0.000 | 9.490 |
| Steve Sink - Tony Foster | 0.000 | 9.490 |
| Marvin Godard - Robert Adams | 0.000 | 9.490 |
| Greg Sims - Michael Huffman | 0.000 | 9.460 |
| Eric Bozeman - Clint Proudfoot | 0.000 | 9.440 |
| Todd Sumner - Robert Parrish | 0.000 | 9.420 |
| Eric Jeter - Darren Jeter | 0.000 | 9.370 |
| Brad Nappier - Nathan Luke | 0.000 | 9.350 |
| Bobby Snyder - Tim Cline | 0.000 | 9.350 |
| Tony Woodard - Scott Smith | 0.000 | 9.340 |
| Donald Poteat - Johnny Allen | 0.000 | 9.310 |
| Steve Harwood - Steve Godfrey | 0.000 | 9.280 |
| Danny Nifong - Wiley Jr Nifong | 0.000 | 9.220 |
| Randy Gray - Dave Whitehead | 0.000 | 9.200 |
| Eric Grigg - Marc Grigg | 2.170 | 9.170 |
| Shane Suddeth - Fred Moore | 0.000 | 9.130 |
| Chris Ellis - Justin Shropshire | 0.000 | 9.050 |
| Robert Fowler - John Parker | 0.000 | 8.960 |
| Dempsey Carter - Ted Mobley | 0.000 | 8.890 |
| Rick Dunstan - Cliff Kirby | 2.010 | 8.880 |
| Wayne Skipworth - Don Sprinkle | 0.000 | 8.860 |
| Todd Walters - Jason Threadgill | 0.000 | 8.860 |
| Greg Osborne - Wyatt Blevins | 0.000 | 8.860 |
| Ferris Jennings - Larry Michalec | 0.000 | 8.770 |
| Mark Beck - Todd Durham | 0.000 | 8.770 |
| Larry LeHew - Adam Waters | 0.000 | 8.730 |
| Ronald Farrow - Roger Farrow | 0.000 | 8.730 |
| Eddie Smith - Michael Carson | 0.000 | 8.690 |
| Carl Williams - Eddie Williams | 0.000 | 8.670 |
| Jimmy Cummings - Jesse Smith | 0.000 | 8.430 |
| Gene Parker - Stanley Harkins | 0.000 | 8.350 |
| Chris Richey - George Bost | 0.000 | 8.320 |
| David Shields - Chip Crews | 0.000 | 8.260 |
| Chad Poteat - Shaun Hunter | 0.000 | 8.200 |
| Bernie Dreher - Les Westbury | 0.000 | 8.180 |
| Shannon Stowe - Brian Stowe | 3.430 | 8.180 |
| Robert Guest - David Heatherly | 0.000 | 8.120 |
| Michael Murphy - Kevin Sanders | 2.450 | 8.090 |
| Keith Speece - Wendell Ireland | 0.000 | 8.050 |
| Gary Michaud - Doc McDaniel | 0.000 | 7.870 |
| Gary Cline - Terry Wien | 0.000 | 7.860 |
| Reginald Pickett - Larry Kirk | 0.000 | 7.780 |
| James Wall - Jimmy Wall | 0.000 | 7.760 |
| Roger Adams - Josh Adams | 0.000 | 7.640 |
| Billy Shelton - Mark Inman | 0.000 | 7.560 |
| Chris McDuffie - Greg Creech | 0.000 | 7.480 |
| Mike Branch - Brian Branch | 0.000 | 7.430 |
| Larry Hipps - Jesse Spell | 0.000 | 7.400 |
| Reggie OBrien - Pat O'Brien | 0.000 | 7.230 |
| Danny Mason - Lionel Mason | 0.000 | 7.140 |
| Mike Scott - Chris Johnson | 0.000 | 7.090 |
| Derrick Compton - Dustin Compton | 0.000 | 7.020 |
| Adam Ridings - Chris Beaird | 0.000 | 6.990 |
| Rodney Cromer | 0.000 | 6.900 |
| William Young Jr. - James Mizell | 0.000 | 6.860 |
| David Blanton - William Blanton | 0.000 | 6.450 |
| Dale Luckey - John Brown | 0.000 | 6.450 |
| Scott Henley - Dean Minor | 0.000 | 6.420 |
| Tyler Hoopaugh - Chris Hoopaugh | 0.000 | 6.190 |
| Thomas Vickers - Brian Huskins | 0.000 | 6.000 |
| Clay Riddle - Eddie Bundrick | 0.000 | 5.630 |
| Jimmy Drumm - Ben Parker | 0.000 | 5.270 |
| Dwight Dellinger - Doug Dellinger | 0.000 | 4.960 |
| Robert Porter - Chris Dellinger | 0.000 | 4.490 |
| Wesley Cashwell - Shane Doughtie | 0.000 | 4.410 |
| Mike Clark - Orlando Giles | 0.000 | 4.400 |
| James Hobbs - Dustin Calloway | 0.000 | 4.040 |
| Gary Love - Ricky Todd | 0.000 | 3.630 |
| Glenn Altman - Larry Parker | 0.000 | 3.560 |
| Thomas Gavin - Gene Sparks | 0.000 | 2.910 |
| Charles Sipe - Charlie Sipe | 0.000 | 2.590 |
| Ernest Stephens - Richard Greene | 0.000 | 2.290 |
| Bryan Welch - Troy Searcy | 0.000 | 1.360 |
| Jason Eaker - Allen Eaker | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Mason Boyd - Christopher Terry | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Mack Cook - Patrick Cook | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Alan Fletcher - Danny Johnson | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Jason Miles - Jerry Freezon | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Robin Collins - Ronnie White | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Larry Moss - JB Wicker | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Perry Wycuff - Dan Lowe | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Dennis Reedy - Jeffrey Thomas | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| David Williams - Gerald Williams | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Chris Dover - Chad Lail | 0.000 | 0.000 |
2014 Carolina's Bass Challenge Championship Preview
Carolina's Bass Challenge tournament director Brett Collins takes a few minutes this afternoon to preview the biggest event of the year for this very successful trail. Over 80k worth of CASH AND PRIZES on the line for the top anglers..........watch and listen to what Brett thinks will win on Norman this weekend-
Morgan and Goble win the 2014 Special Olympics Tournament on Norman-Full results here!
Thanks to everyone for helping us with another successful year and it looks like it's the best ever with all the numbers not in yet we're at $28,000.00 raised and still climbing.
Here is a copy of the results.
Thanks again and God Bless All,
Ricky Peace
Volunteer/Tournament Director
| Place | BOAT | NAME 1 | NAME 2 | BOAT MFG. | PARENT / CHILD | HUSBAND / WIFE | SENIOR / SENIOR | MOTORMATE WEIGHT GUESS | TOTAL # BASS | TOTAL # ALIVE | DEAD FISH DEDUCTION | BIG FISH | GROSS WEIGHT | NET WEIGHT |
| 1 | 105 | Brian Morgan | Josea Goble | Skeeter | 14.25 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.56 | 14.14 | 14.14 | |||
| 2 | 40 | Hank Cherry | Jacob Powroznik | Ranger | 16.42 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.35 | 14.14 | 14.14 | |||
| 3 | 81 | Ron Farrow | Roger Farrow | Stratos | 14.80 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.26 | 14.02 | 14.02 | |||
| 4 | 34 | Pat Tierney | Maurice Freeze | Ranger | 13.85 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.02 | 13.79 | 13.79 | |||
| 5 | 68 | Andy Greene | Travis Dotson | Bass Cat | 13.72 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 4.24 | 13.78 | 13.78 | |||
| 6 | 19 | Jason Wilson | Kelly Logan | Basscat | 13.47 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 4.16 | 13.55 | 13.55 | |||
| 7 | 102 | Brian Huskins | Cole Huskins | Ranger | 16.03 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.31 | 13.44 | 13.44 | |||
| 8 | 67 | Chuck Poovey | Jeff Johnson | Ranger | 14.35 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 4.28 | 12.75 | 12.75 | |||
| 9 | 95 | Marcus Leech | Zack Leech | Ranger | X | 17.12 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.01 | 12.72 | 12.72 | ||
| 10 | 69 | Louie Hull | Ryan Hull | Stratos | 14.52 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.23 | 12.35 | 12.35 | |||
| 11 | 88 | Tommy Williams | Thomas Hardwick | Triton | 14.27 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.90 | 12.18 | 12.18 | |||
| 12 | 26 | Kevin Lynch | Jerry Craig | Javlin | 14.61 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.15 | 12.17 | 12.17 | |||
| 13 | 107 | Hunter Hicks | Mike Stephens | Triton | 16.84 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.68 | 12.15 | 12.15 | |||
| 14 | 83 | Shane LeHew | Troy LeHew | Ranger | 16.37 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.47 | 12.09 | 12.09 | |||
| 15 | 49 | Jesse Smith | Patrick Houpe | Skeeter | 13.26 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.20 | 11.83 | 11.83 | |||
| 16 | 93 | Brian Travis | Ashley Brotherton | Ranger | 14.42 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 4.31 | 11.81 | 11.81 | |||
| 17 | 5 | Aric Dwyer | Zack Bolick | Stratos | 13.28 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.60 | 11.57 | 11.57 | |||
| 18 | 56 | Darren Sigmon | Brian Huffman | Skeeter | 14.66 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.57 | 11.50 | 11.50 | |||
| 19 | 18 | Steve Addington | Micahel Steele | Triton | 13.59 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.59 | 11.46 | 11.46 | |||
| 20 | 106 | Rick Stiles | Sam Gladden | Skeeter | 13.75 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.67 | 11.11 | 11.11 | |||
| 21 | 59 | Eric Winter | Tracy Adams | Nitro | 14.90 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.24 | 11.11 | 11.11 | |||
| 22 | 92 | Altan Rockett | Randy Huffman | Ranger | 15.11 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.57 | 10.98 | 10.98 | |||
| 23 | 42 | Tracy Schiff | Eric Griggs | Ranger | 13.69 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.92 | 10.94 | 10.94 | |||
| 24 | 62 | Eric Self | Ricky Self | Skeeter | 15.74 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.45 | 10.78 | 10.78 | |||
| 25 | 17 | David Lynch | Dennis Kennedy | Triton | 16.50 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.62 | 10.40 | 10.40 | |||
| 26 | 53 | Roger Hoover | Scott Hamrick | Triton | 14.18 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.18 | 10.40 | 10.40 | |||
| 27 | 100 | Nathan Webber | Dale Webber | Ranger | 14.18 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.45 | 10.36 | 10.36 | |||
| 28 | 71 | Aram Hirapetian | George Hirapetian | Skeeter | 14.28 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.87 | 10.31 | 10.31 | |||
| 29 | 8 | Scott Beattie | Terry Hartley | Ranger | 16.81 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.06 | 10.27 | 10.27 | |||
| 30 | 91 | Artie Phillips | Kevin Phillips | BassCat | 16.10 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.04 | 10.19 | 10.19 | |||
| 31 | 15 | Cody Hoyle | Rodney Tapp | Gambler | 13.85 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.93 | 10.15 | 10.15 | |||
| 32 | 77 | Bucky Helms | 0 | Skeeter | 14.75 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.19 | 10.08 | 10.08 | |||
| 33 | 54 | Doug Punch | John Franklin | Stratos | 15.43 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.92 | 10.00 | 10.00 | |||
| 34 | 82 | David Pless | Keith Revis | Triton | 12.25 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.06 | 9.93 | 9.93 | |||
| 35 | 35 | Jeff Hager | Darrell Hager | Triton | 14.85 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.92 | 9.91 | 9.91 | |||
| 36 | 14 | Stanton Harris | Preston Harris | Ranger | 15.47 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.31 | 9.86 | 9.86 | |||
| 37 | 73 | Britt Myers | Gene Webster | Bass Cat | 14.45 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.58 | 9.76 | 9.76 | |||
| 38 | 21 | Russell Hoyle | John Brown | Triton | 14.50 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.17 | 9.72 | 9.72 | |||
| 39 | 20 | Roger Pope | Eli Pope | Skeeter | X | 14.89 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.60 | 9.51 | 9.51 | ||
| 40 | 29 | Jeremy Bouldin | Maverick Canipe | Nitro | 16.72 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.21 | 9.35 | 9.35 | |||
| 41 | 76 | Tom McCombs | Stephon Carson | Skeeter | 17.89 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.01 | 9.03 | 9.03 | |||
| 42 | 45 | Jarrad Poarch | Keith Berry | Stratos | 14.72 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.24 | 8.89 | 8.89 | |||
| 43 | 104 | Alan Whitaker | John Miller | Ranger | 13.70 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 3.38 | 8.82 | 8.82 | |||
| 44 | 60 | Robbie Lane | Mark Williams | Skeeter | 15.96 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.16 | 8.72 | 8.72 | |||
| 45 | 57 | Jerry Pruitt | Dwayne Canipe | Ranger | 14.60 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.65 | 8.70 | 8.70 | |||
| 46 | 94 | Jacob Whitaker | Caleb Hartley | Skeeter | 16.07 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 1.89 | 8.58 | 8.58 | |||
| 47 | 33 | David Hayworth | Kenneth Handy | Ranger | 13.13 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.86 | 8.57 | 8.57 | |||
| 48 | 3 | David Snyder | Ed Markham | Ranger | X | 15.64 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 1.99 | 8.57 | 8.57 | ||
| 49 | 103 | Allen Moore | Joel Cerv | Stratos | 12.80 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 1.96 | 8.49 | 8.49 | |||
| 50 | 48 | Reggie Guffey Jr. | Tommy Chapman | Stratos | 15.00 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.03 | 8.48 | 8.48 | |||
| 51 | 23 | Kevin Strobel | Ted Geddis | Bass Cat | 12.61 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.21 | 8.40 | 8.40 | |||
| 52 | 79 | Soctt Tate | Dale Duncan | Triton | 14.38 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 1.94 | 8.26 | 8.26 | |||
| 53 | 31 | Travis Ruff | Kelly Ruff | Ranger | 14.91 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.07 | 8.12 | 8.12 | |||
| 54 | 75 | Chuck Culley | Christian Johnson | Stratos | 13.14 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.31 | 8.09 | 8.09 | |||
| 55 | 58 | Jason Rhodes | Jody Black | Nitro | 13.21 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 2.11 | 7.98 | 7.98 | |||
| 56 | 50 | Chad McKinney | Andy Fox | Ranger | 15.25 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 1.49 | 7.91 | 7.91 | |||
| 57 | 39 | Tom Annas | Jeff Reece | Stratos | 14.25 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 1.93 | 7.85 | 7.85 | |||
| 58 | 84 | Josh Frankos | Greg Donlin | Stratos | 13.54 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 1.57 | 7.63 | 7.63 | |||
| 59 | 25 | John Mayo | Angela Mayo | Astro | X | 11.43 | 5 | 5 | 0.00 | 1.68 | 7.17 | 7.17 | ||
| 60 | 87 | Adam Ridings | Michael Ridings | Skeeter | 14.50 | 4 | 4 | 0.00 | 1.94 | 6.46 | 6.46 | |||
| 61 | 41 | Michael Smith | Terry Ross | Stratos | 16.40 | 4 | 4 | 0.00 | 1.86 | 6.09 | 6.09 | |||
| 62 | 27 | Tim Hollar | Bob Killian | Ranger | X | 14.10 | 4 | 4 | 0.00 | 2.35 | 6.04 | 6.04 | ||
| 63 | 90 | Chris Guest | James Petty | Ranger | 13.04 | 3 | 3 | 0.00 | 3.16 | 5.86 | 5.86 | |||
| 64 | 1 | Gerald Ramsey | Conrad Pogorzelski | Sprint | 14.56 | 3 | 3 | 0.00 | 1.76 | 5.07 | 5.07 | |||
| 65 | 6 | Dewight Dellinger | Doug Dellinger | Ranger | 16.70 | 3 | 3 | 0.00 | 1.74 | 4.73 | 4.73 | |||
| 66 | 47 | Billy Willoughby | Laura Willoughby | Ranger | X | 12.50 | 3 | 3 | 0.00 | 1.67 | 4.60 | 4.60 | ||
| 67 | 2 | Curtis Carpenter | Chi Minn Lai | Tracker | 15.23 | 3 | 3 | 0.00 | 1.68 | 4.59 | 4.59 | |||
| 68 | 4 | Don Freeman | Greg Freeman | Stratos | 13.23 | 3 | 3 | 0.00 | 2.04 | 4.50 | 4.50 | |||
| 69 | 7 | Daniel Hayworth | Douglas Hayworth | Triton | 16.02 | 2 | 2 | 0.00 | 1.89 | 3.05 | 3.05 | |||
| 70 | 12 | Eddie Smith | Michael Carson | Ranger | 16.08 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 71 | 61 | Kenneth Stamey | Jerry Lineberger | Skeeter | 13.62 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 72 | 96 | Lee Endicott | Josh Morton | Nitro | 13.63 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 73 | 99 | Erich Bartsch | Derek Lilley | Stratos | 16.25 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 74 | 9 | Tracy Kale | Summer Kale | Nitro | 11.65 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 75 | 10 | Carl Myers | Charles Ramsey | Skeeter | 14.25 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 76 | 11 | Scott Heavener | John Parker | Ranger | 16.83 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 77 | 13 | Chad Midkiff | Rob Middleton | Ranger | 14.68 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 78 | 16 | Jeff Goode | Jennifer Lawley | Bass Hawk | 15.06 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 79 | 22 | Brian Walker | Alan Walker | Ranger | 16.54 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 80 | 24 | James Martin | Mitchell McCracken | Triton | 13.48 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 81 | 28 | Dean Swaim | Chris Lowrance | Ranger | 13.64 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 82 | 30 | Kelly Johnson | Casey Howard | Stratos | 14.64 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 83 | 32 | Hunter Harwell | Allen Travis | Skeeter | 15.95 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 84 | 36 | Allen Wyatt | David Whitson | Tracker | 14.83 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 85 | 37 | Vince Parker | Mark Parker | Triton | 17.02 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 86 | 38 | Jerry Goble | Kenny Hoyle | Ranger | 15.55 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 87 | 43 | Roger Logan | John Page | Triton | 19.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 88 | 44 | Darin Fabiano | Kurt Bartley | Ranger | 13.75 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 89 | 46 | John Elliott | Dennis Elliott | Legend | 16.87 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 90 | 51 | Larry Fleeman | Kevin Holiday | Triton | 14.97 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 91 | 52 | Andy Brode | Gary Brode | Tahoe | 13.13 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 92 | 55 | Dwight Beattie | Larry Hoyle | Ranger | 14.20 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 93 | 63 | Tyler Osterhout | Ethan Icard | Astro | 12.34 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 94 | 64 | Jimmy Melton | Tammy Melton | Javelin | 12.68 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 95 | 65 | Johnny Guffey | Wesley Bell | Triton | 18.24 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 96 | 66 | Barton Grant | Karen Grant | Skeeter | X | 11.13 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||||
| 97 | 70 | Jody Wright | James Dyer | Stratos | 13.79 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 98 | 72 | Michael Truesdell | Thomas Camp | Stratos | 12.90 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 99 | 74 | William Simon Patterson | Curtis Lail | Skeeter | 14.65 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 100 | 78 | Tim Harrison | Dennis Cable | Bullet | 15.36 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 101 | 80 | Matt McBee | Brian Nappior | Ranger | 13.35 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 102 | 85 | Chris Marshall | Timmy Osteen | Ranger | 13.82 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 103 | 86 | Eddie Upchurch | Chris Eads | Nitro | 13.90 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 104 | 89 | Matt Haywood | Donnie Copper | Ranger | 16.10 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 105 | 97 | Adam Fillmore | David Winter | Pheonix | 15.08 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 106 | 98 | Craig Chambers | Michael Fox | Triton | 15.56 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 107 | 101 | Milton Yancey | Larry Yancey | ProCraft | 14.06 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||
| 108 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 109 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 110 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 111 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 112 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 113 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 114 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 115 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 116 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 117 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 118 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 119 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 120 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 121 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 122 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 123 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 124 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 125 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 126 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 127 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 128 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 129 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 130 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 131 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 132 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 133 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||
| 134 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 135 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 136 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 137 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 138 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 139 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 140 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 141 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 142 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 143 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 144 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 145 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 146 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 147 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 148 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 149 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| 150 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 0.00 | ||||||
| Total | 327.00 | 327.00 | 0.00 | 182.42 | 665.81 | 665.81 |
Good Fishing Expected On Lake Norman For Cbc Classic This Weekend
Fishing should be very good for the 221 teams that have qualified to fish the Carolinas Bass Challenge Classic on Lake Norman Friday and Saturday, said tournament director Brett Collins.
“Some of the guys say they have been catching bags in the 13- to 14-pound range on various lures, mostly shallow fish.”
The CBC Classic will cap another outstanding year for the series held in North and South Carolina, Collins said.
“For the second year in a row we had over 1,200 teams fish at least one CBC event this year and we are sending 22 teams to the Bassmaster Team Championship Dec. 9-13 on DeGray Lake in Bismarck, Ark.” The winner on DeGray Lake will qualify for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic Feb. 20-22 on Lake Hartwell with weigh-ins in Greenville, S.C.
“The selection of the teams to go to the Team Championship was decided by points. If a team declined, we went on to the next one on the list,” Collins said.
Steve Sink and Tony Foster won the North Carolina Division points for the second year in a row, Collins said. After the scheduled opening tournament of the season was postponed by bad weather, Sink and Foster started the year off in a hole, finishing 63rd on Lake Norman in March, but they rebounded strong, with a 1st place at High Rock in April, 7th at Lake Hickory in May and 5th at Falls Lake in June. Fishing with Robert Mixon, Foster finished 13th in the rescheduled season opener on Lake Wylie June 14 to wrap up the points title.
Eric and Marc Grigg won the South Carolina Division points title despite notching only one top 10 finish for the year. They started off at Lake Murray in February with 36th place, then finished 8th at Lake Wylie March 1, followed by 26th at Lake Wateree March 29, 44th at Santee Cooper in April, and capped the year with a 14th place finish at Lake Hartwell in May.
“Chris Richey and George Bost won the North Carolina Championship Sept. 20, besting the field of 132 boats with 17.86 pounds at Kerr Reservoir,” Collins said. “Shane Lineberger and Anthony Johnson won the South Carolina Championship Sept 27 with 22.64 pounds in a field of 91 boats at Clarks Hill.”
Collins said both teams took home a Skeeter ZX200/200 Yamaha SHO. CBC is sponsored by Skeeter Boats, Foothills Marine in Morganton, N.C., Marshalls Marine in Lake City, S.C., and Palmetto Sports Center in Greenville, S.C.
Collins also announced the 2015 tournament schedule for the Carolinas Bass Challenge. The North Carolina Division schedule will start Feb. 14 on Lake Norman, followed by tournaments March 21 at Lake Wylie, April 4 on Jordan Lake, May 9 at Lake Hickory and June 20 at High Rock Lake. The South Carolina Division will open its schedule Feb. 7 at Lake Murray, followed by tournaments March 7 at Lake Wateree, April 11 at Santee Cooper, May 30 at Lake Hartwell and June 13 at Clarks Hill. The dates and lake for the 2015 championship will be announced in a few weeks, Collins said.
Carolinas Bass Challenge Classic
Nov 7-8, 2014
Lake Norman
Blythe Landing
Call Brett Collins 803-413-7521
www.carolinasbasschallenge.com
Top Anglers Competing In Toho Marine Elite One-Man Trail Classic On Toho
Whether the fishing is just good or is excellent the competition level in the Toho Marine Elite One-Man Trail Classic on Lake Tohopekaliga this weekend is guaranteed to be outstanding.
“The top 30 anglers for the year are going to fish in the Classic and we have definitely got some of the best fishermen in Florida fishing our trail,” said tournament director Jimmie Murphy. Murphy said the One-Man Trail is a training ground for future pros and championship contenders.
“We call it the Elite One-Man Trail because we have a lot of anglers who fish the B.A.S.S. Southern Opens and the FLW Tour Rayovac Series,” Murphy said. “One of our anglers, Van Soles, won the Southern Open this past spring and another angler, Rick Howes, went to the Bassmaster Classic this year.”
Murphy said the trail is geared towards helping anglers hone their skills so they can advance and compete at the next levels of professional fishing.
“We are trying to teach young guys how to be good tournament sportsmen, how to get their sponsorships and how to grow with the business,” he said. “We have a lot of great fishermen in the state of Florida and we feel we have the cream of the crop fishing with us.”
Murphy said the winner this weekend will take home about $5,000 in prize money. One angler has already cashed in on the series – Chad Foster, who is the 2014 points champion.
“Chad won three tournaments this year and made close to $4,000, plus he gets his entry fees paid for next year and he will get a $900 voucher from Halo Fishing,” Murphy said.
The Classic is a two-day competition Friday and Saturday out of Red's Fish Camp in the middle of Lake Toho and Murphy said he expects the fishing to be good.
“The cold fronts have helped quite a bit so I think the flipping bite will be on again,” he said.
Murphy said he is already pointing towards next year and should have the 2015 schedule posted by next week.
“We are not going to run in January because we have a lot of guys who will be fishing the Bassmaster Southern Open, so we will start the season in February,” Murphy said. “We have a lot of guys who say they are going to fish the trail next year, so we will see what happens.”
Murphy said he is trying to grow the Elite One-Man Trial into a 60-angler field so he can offer larger paybacks and more incentives.
“Once we get to the 60-boat range we will get more sponsors and incentives will kick in from Triton, Mercury, Motor Guide and others,” he said.
Toho Marine Elite One Man Trail Classic
Nov 7-8, 2014
Lake Tohopekaliga
Red's Fish Camp
Call Jimmie Murphy at 352-789-5351
Okeechobee May Fish 'a Little Tough' For Bay Area Bassmasters Classic
Fishing is probably going to be a little tough for the Bay Area Bassmasters Classic on Lake Okeechobee this weekend, said Bay Area Bassmast President Tom Mahoney.
“I think some of the tournaments on Okeechobee the last few weeks have not had the catches they normally have this time of year,” Mahoney said. “We've got a front moving in right on top of us and the water is very high, up in the grass, so I think it's going to be a little tougher than anticipated.”
The water level is about 4 feet higher than normal, he said, which means it has flooded back in areas that have not seen any water since last summer.
“I think the fish will be up in that stuff, places where there normally is 6 inches of water that now have 3 to 4 feet of water on them,” he said. “I may be completely wrong, but I am going to try shallow and if that does not work I will be chasing them elsewhere.”
Mahoney said 35 teams have qualified to fish the Classic Saturday and Sunday and everyone who catches a fish will get a check of some size, plus they are compensated for one night's lodging since it's a two-day tournament.
“It's a two-man team format and we have husband and wife teams, father-son teams, brothers, friends fishing together, a lot of great people fishing it.”
He explained that 1st, 2nd and 3rd places will earn bonus money, but Sunday will also be a payday for almost everyone under their unique Classic payback system.
“Everybody will be fishing for the number of pounds of fish we catch,” he said. “Our Classic pot is about $10,000 and we divide that by the total number of pounds weighed in and give that back to the anglers. We pay by the pound. If you catch a fish you get a check – and for some guys that is the only check they get all year. If you don't get a check, then you get ribbed pretty good until next year.”
Jeff Crandon and Dan Richardson claimed the points title with an outstanding year on the trail, that included nine top 10s in the 10-tournament series, with three wins and three 2nds.
The Bay Area Bassmasters, Florida's largest B.A.S.S. Nation club, conducts the nation's largest B.A.S.S. Nation “Buddy Team” tournament trail to provide anglers of all levels and ages experience in tournament fishing.
“A lot of guys fish opens on their favorite body of water, but don't get to spend a lot of time there,” Mahoney said. “In the club format, ours or somebody elses, anglers can fish a wide variety of waters against other anglers and learn local ways of fishing. It is the best way to progress as a bass fisherman.”
Bay Area Bassmasters Classic
Nov 8-9
Lake Okeechobee
Roland and Mary Ann Martin's Marina
Call 813-363-5961
Bass Fishing's Best-Kept Secret Is Out Of The Bag - Miller's Lake!
PSSST! Want to know a secret?
We all know that bass fishing success depends on where you go and what you throw. Actually, if you go to the right place, it may not even matter what you throw. Just pick your favorite lure and catch bass after bass, after bass.
That’s the where the secret comes in: the other day I watched as Bassmaster Elite Series veteran Dennis Tietje and friend Tracy Salmon had multiple double-hook-ups on a variety of lures. At one point Tietje just picked up a rod and said, “This is my first cast with this new Strike King crankbait. Let’s see what happens.” He caught another bass.
Just one of the 200 largemouth bass that came over the gunnels of the Xpress bay boat that nimbly navigated the shallows of Miller’s Lake near Grosse Savanne Lodge south of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
And there’s the secret – Grosse Savanne Lodge is hardly a secret to the 2,500 guests that visited last year for some combination of waterfowl or gator hunting and fishing the adjacent private marsh. But now those who come to enjoy the fine Louisiana cuisine, classic Southern charm and accommodations can add world class bass fishing to the mix.
Miller’s Lake is 3 years old and was just unveiled to the public via a two-day trip that included a small cadre of media members. Three boats produced over 500 bass in one day. We’re talking about keeper-size fish. The lake has already turned out an 8-pounder and that first double-digit monster will likely make her appearance this coming spring. Will you be the one to catch her? You can take a shot at it. Just click for more info: http://grossesavanne.com/
Tracy Salmon lands another fiesty bass.
There’s a lot to do at this 76,000-acre corner of Sportsman’s Paradise. In fact, the season spans an entire 365 days.
Beyond consumptive use of the land Grosse Savanne offers eco tours that have produced sightings of numerous species, including the elusive yellow rail, a life bird for many bird-watchers.
While fishing I saw a buck deer that probably weighed 180 pounds and sported impressive hardware on his head swim across a bayou, jump up on the grass flat and bound off out of sight across the marsh.
We heard coyotes and dodged gators.
Our inshore guide, Mack, brought his big K2 cooler and we filled it with salt water fish. My best redfish was as long as my leg and at least as thick. Fishing with Mike Eutsler of Lew's I was able to test their new inshore baitcasting rod, reel and NEW Lew's Speed Line. (That's right, Lew's now offers line to compliment their rods and reels) All performed well against big redfish and 30-pound black drum as well as smaller croaker and quality sheepshead. The line I used was their 12-lb fluorocarbon. It cast well and held up to all the abuse those marsh critters could dish out. In fact, I had to stop the big red and turn her away from the reeds. I put a lot of heat on that line. No problem.
Author with a Louisiana redfish
The bass fishing though, that was unreal. A Lew's 7'6" flippin' stick with Speed Line fluoro got a good work out there. And a Speed Spool reel with the new 8.0-1 gear ratio option helped me keep up with the hard-charging Miller's Lake bass. Dozens of them! What an ideal place to test fishing gear.
The secret is getting out fast and the bass at Miller’s Lake are getting bigger by the day so book your trip soon.
Meanwhile, check out a little video action, via AnglersChannel.com, and dream about it until you can make your own trip a reality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1A44YjCWr-w
Keep an eye out for more video coverage from Grosse Savanne Lodge on AnglersChannel.com!
Check out the action on NEW Miller's Lake with Elite Series Veteran Dennis Tietje and Tracy Salmon!
Bassmaster Elite Series veteran Dennis Tietje entertains Tracy Salmon on 3-year-old Miller's Lake at Grosse Savanne Lodge near Lake Charles, Louisiana. The duo caught 200 bass during their day on the lake. Miller's Lake is open to guests of Grosse Savanne Lodge as one of the numerous outdoors activities available on their 76,000 acres of Sportsman's Paradise!
Maui Jim sponsors ABA Tours
American Bass Anglers (ABA) announced today that Maui Jim has signed an exclusive sponsorship agreement with American Bass Anglers. Maui Jim manufactures sunglasses designed with superior features for anglers. The company’s patented PolarizedPlus2® lens technology blocks UV rays and glare while delivering brilliant color, enhanced definition and depth perception so that every detail is crisper and cleaner.
The Maui Jim will be a Product Showcase Sponsor for the Weekend Bass Series, American Fishing Tour Championship, The American Couples Series Championship, The Military Team Bass Tournament and the 100% Plus Team Tour. Anglers will be able to test Maui Jim’s sunglasses and see for themselves how the company’s lens technology enhances the fishing experience by allowing them to better see under water and spot changes on the surface of the water.
“We pride ourselves in partnering with best in class companies; and Maui Jim is the top of the industry”, said Morris Sheehan, president of American Bass Anglers. “Every angler needs sunglasses. Maui Jim not only brings UV and glare protection, but their technology allows our anglers to see more details, on the surfaces of water and underneath the water, allowing them to more effectively locate and catch bass. Our anglers will fall in love with the exceptional vision offered by Maui Jim sunglasses. They stand behind their technology; and their warranties are the best in the industry.”
“There have been a lot of advances in sunglasses in the past few years,” said Mike Battistoni, Maui Jim’s Fishing and Marine Specialist. “Anglers need full-frame, wrapped eye protection to block the maximum amount of extraneous light and glare to better spot fish. We’ve introduced new lens and frame technologies that offer full protection while significantly reducing the weight of your sunglasses. For example, you can put on a pair of our new PureAir™ sunglasses and experience a dramatic enhancement in what you see above and below the water; but, the sunglasses are so light that you can wear them all day and forget they’re on your face. We are looking forward to showing bass anglers how our technologies work to improve their fishing experiences.”
Anglers will be able to try Maui Jim Sunglasses at the Ray Scott Championship in Decatur, AL, on Wheeler Lake November 12-15, 2014. Starting in 2015, Maui Jim will have a presence at all Weekend Bass Series, 100% Plus Team Tour events, as well as the Military Team Bass Tournament and the American Fishing Tour and Couples Series Championships.
Rayovac Championship Details
Zack Birge of Blanchard, Oklahoma, brought the second-largest stringer of the tournament to the scale Saturday – a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds even to win the Rayovac FLW Series Championship at Wheeler Lake with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 47 pounds even. For his victory, Birge took home $50,000, plus a berth in the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup.
“It was an awesome day and I’m very blessed,” said Birge, who started the day in third place, yet won by 7 pounds. “On the last day of practice I ran into some fish and it completely changed my mood and my game plan.
“I only caught 11 pounds on day one, but I knew they were there. I just didn’t get any big bites,” Birge said. “I went back Friday and had a good day, and thankfully they bit again today.”
Birge said his primary area featured big log jams on shallow sandbars with deep water channels nearby.
“It reminds me a lot of Grand Lake,” the Oklahoma angler said of his area. “Where I found my fish was absolutely identical to the places I find the fish back home.
“The first couple of days I was just throwing a spinnerbait up to the logs,” Birge continued. “They pulled current in the morning and I was able to get some good bites. Today, I was also slow-rolling my spinnerbait on the bottom. You had to really crawl it along. If you thought you were reeling slow enough, you had to slow down.”
Birge said that he averaged 8 to 12 keeper bass per day, and threw two shad-colored spinnerbaits – one a 3/4-ounce Santone Lures spinnerbait and the other a 1/2-ounce River2Sea Ish Monroe Bling Spinnerbait.
The top 10 boaters finished:
1st: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 15 bass, 47-0, $50,000
2nd: Chris Baumgardner, Gastonia, N.C., 14 bass, 40-0, $20,000 + $5,000 Ranger Cup
3rd: Casey Gallagher, Pulaski, Wis., 15 bass, 40-0, $15,000
4th: Todd Auten, Lake Wylie, S.C., 15 bass, 38-10, $12,000 + $2,000 Ranger Cup
5th: Chevy pro Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 36-9, $10,000 + $1,000 Ranger Cup
6th: Richard Peek, Centre, Ala., 14 bass, 36-7, $8,000
7th: George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., 14 bass, 34-15, $7,000
8th: Chris McCall, Brookeland, Texas, 15 bass, 34-10, $6,000
9th: Chevy pro Jay Yelas, Corvallis, Ore., 12 bass, 31-3, $5,000
10th: Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn., nine bass, 26-15, $4,500
The highest finishing boaters from each Rayovac FLW Series division that qualified for the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup were:
Central: Casey Gallagher, Pulaski, Wis.
Northern: Chris Baumgardner, Gastonia, N.C.
Southeast: Todd Auten, Lake Wylie, S.C.
Texas: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla.
Western: Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Additionally, Thrift, Peek, Kapiton, McCall and Yelas also qualified for the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup as they were the five highest finishing anglers after the division leaders were removed.
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Overall there were 40 bass weighing 98 pounds, 2 ounces caught by boaters Saturday. The catch included five five-bass limits.
James Callaghan of DeBerry, Texas, won the co-angler division and a Ranger Z117C with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 24 pounds, 3 ounces, followed by Justin Sward of Birmingham, Alabama, in second place with 13 bass weighing 22-11, worth $9,000.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: James Callaghan, DeBerry, Texas, 15 bass, 24-3, Ranger Z117C with Evinrude or Mercury outboard
2nd: Justin Sward, Birmingham, Ala., 13 bass, 22-11, $9,000
3rd: Randy Gardner, Wetumpka, Ala., 10 bass, 20-7, $7,500
4th: Ryan Bowman, Seneca, S.C., 11 bass, 19-10, $6,000
5th: Casey Smith, Musella, Ga., 12 bass, 19-8, $5,000
6th: Carl Gillespie, Old Hickory, Tenn., nine bass, 19-5, $4,000
7th: Brett Rachal, Monroe, La., 13 bass, 18-13, $3,500
8th: Brandon Bray, Marble Falls, Texas, 11 bass, 16-2, $3,000
9th: Corey Bechtel, Macungie, Pa., nine bass, 15-8, $2,500
10th: Randy Forbes, Pleasant Plain, Ohio, seven bass, 15-3, $2,000
The highest finishing co-anglers from each Rayovac FLW Series division that qualified for the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup were:
Central: Carl Gillespie, Old Hickory, Tenn.
Northern: Ryan Bowman, Seneca, S.C.
Southeast: Justin Sward, Birmingham, Ala.
Texas: James Callaghan, De Berry, Texas
Western: Sunny Hawk, Salt Lake City, Utah
Additionally, Gardner, Smith, Rachal, Bray and Bechtel also qualified for the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup as they were the five highest finishing co-anglers after the division leaders were removed.
For a full list of results visit FLWOutdoors.com.
Birge wins Rayovac Championship
Zack Birge of Blanchard, OK won the Rayovac Championship on Wheeler Lake. He had today’s biggest bag at 19 pounds. His 3-day total weight was an even 47 pounds.
Birge won a $50,000 paycheck.
Veteran pro Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, NC totaled an even 40 pounds over 3 days. So did Casey Gallagher of Pulaski, WI.
Baumgardner was awarded 2nd place according to tie-breaker rules; Gallagher placed 3rd.
Todd Auten of Lake Wylie, SC started the day with even weight total (28 pounds). His final round weight was 10-10. With a total of 38-10 Auten finished 4th.
Chevy Pro Bryan Thrift of Shelby, NC never had an even-weight total but he finished 5th with 36-09.
Richard Peek led throughout the first 2 days. He said he thought wind had trashed his best water on the 2nd day. Apparently, he was right. His nearly-3-pound lead evaporated as Peek fell to 6th in the final standings after bringing-in 4 fish that weighed 5 pounds, 3 ounces. His total weight was 36-07.
George Kapiton of Inverness, FL was 7th with 34-15.
Chris McCall of Brookeland, TX was 8th with 34-10.
Jay Yelas of Corvallis, OR was 9th with 31-03.
Randy Haynes of Counce, TN was 10th with a total weight of 26-15.
In the Co-Angler Division:
James Callaghan of De Berry, TX won with 24-03.
Justin Sward of Birmingham, AL was runner-up with 22-11.
Randy Gardner of Wetumpka, AL was third with 20-7.
Stay tuned for details.
Peek Leads Rayovac Championship as field is cut for final round
Richard Peek of Centre, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Friday weighing 18 pounds, 5 ounces to grab the lead after day two of the Rayovac FLW Series Championship at Wheeler Lake. Peek now holds a 2-pound, 14-ounce lead heading in to the final day of the three-day event, hosted by Florence/Lauderdale Tourism, that features 140 anglers from across the country casting for a top cash award of $50,000 plus a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup qualified.
Right behind Peek in second place is veteran pro Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, North Carolina, who has a two-day weight of 10 bass worth 28-6 as the tournament heads into the third and final day of competition.
“I was pretty much a phone call away from not even coming to the tournament,” said Peek, whose wife is due to give birth to the couple’s first child this weekend. “But, I decided to come on over and I’m glad I did.
“It’s all about timing right now,” Peek, who just finished his rookie year on the Walmart FLW Tour. “Yesterday I had a good flurry at about 1 o’clock, and I caught three of the fish I weighed-in in that window. Today it happened around 10 a.m. and it was over by 11 a.m., but I caught four of my keepers in six casts.
“The places I’m keying on have a lot of laydowns and structure for them to get in,” Peek continued. “It is all close to creek channels and bends, and I think when the fish pull up to feed you catch them.
“Today, the wind got up after lunch,” Peek added. “I don’t know if I’ll even be able to fish some of my places tomorrow because the waves might be too big.”
Despite the possibility of the wind wreaking havoc with his areas, Peek said that he was optimistic that with fewer boats on the water Saturday he would be able to take advantage of more of his secondary areas to catch fish.
The top 10 boaters advancing to the final day of competition on Wheeler Lake are:
1st: Richard Peek, Centre, Ala., 10 bass, 31-4
2nd: Chris Baumgardner, Gastonia, N.C., 10 bass, 28-6
3rd: Zach Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 10 bass, 28-0
3rd: Todd Auten, Lake Wylie, S.C., 10 bass, 28-0
5th: George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., 10 bass, 27-15
6th: Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn., eight bass, 25-12
7th: Chevy pro Jay Yelas, Corvallis, Ore., 10 bass, 25-3
8th: Chris McCall, Brookeland, Texas, 10 bass, 25-0
9th: Casey Gallagher, Pulaski, Wis., 10 bass, 24-8
10th: Chevy pro Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 24-3
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Overall there were 545 bass weighing 1,105 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 140 boaters Friday. The catch included 87 five-bass limits.
Boaters are competing for a top award of $50,000 plus a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Additionally, 10 boaters will qualify for the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup – the top five tournament finishers as well as the top five finishers from each Rayovac division. The 2015 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 20-23 on Lake Ouachita. The winning angler in that event will win $500,000 – professional bass-fishing’s richest prize.
Carl Gillespie of Old Hickory, Tennessee, continues to lead the co-angler division with a two-day total of nine bass weighing 19 pounds, 5 ounces followed by James Callaghan of De Berry, Texas, who has a two-day weight of 10 bass worth 17-4 as the tournament heads into the third and final day of competition.
The top 10 co-anglers who will fish day three on Wheeler Lake are:
1st: Carl Gillespie, Old Hickory, Tenn., nine bass, 19-5
2nd: James Callaghan, De Berry, Texas, 10 bass, 17-14
3rd: Ryan Bowman, Seneca, S.C., nine bass, 16-7
4th: Casey Smith, Musella, Ga., 10 bass, 16-5
5th: Randy Gardner, Wetumpka, Ala., six bass, 15-11
6th: Corey Bechtel, Macungie, Pa., nine bass, 15-8
7th: Brett Rachal, Monroe, La., 10 bass, 15-5
8th: Randy Forbes, Pleasant Plain, Ohio, seven bass, 15-3
9th: Brandon Bray, Marble Falls, Texas, 10 bass, 15-2
10th: Justin Sward, Birmingham, Ala., 10 bass, 15-0
Full results are available at FLWOutdoors.com.
Co-anglers are casting this week for a top award of a Ranger Z117 with 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Additionally, 10 co-anglers will qualify for the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup – the top five co-angler finishers as well as the top five finishing co-anglers from each Rayovac division.
Anglers will take off from Joe Wheeler State Park located at 4601 McLean Drive in Rogersville at 7:30 a.m. Saturday. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at Walmart located at 2701 Cloverdale Road in Florence beginning at 4 p.m.
Fans will also be treated to the FLW Expo at Walmart on Saturday from 3–4 p.m. prior to the final weigh-in. The Expo includes a casting pool, interactive games and activities provided by sponsors, and fans can learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. The first 200 fans in attendance will also receive a $5 Walmart gift card courtesy of KIX 96. All activities are free and open to the public.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWOutdoors.
David Wright and Jeff Coble win the Anglers Choice Marine TT NC Div Classic-Full Results and Pictures here!
Local Anglers David Wright and Jeff Coble conquered High Rock Lake this weekend during the 2 day Classic for the NC Division of the Anglers Choice Marine Team Trail. Their 2 day total won by almost 3 Lbs, as they brought in a solid 32.92 Lbs and went home with a brand new Triton 189 TRX with a 150 Merc pkg!! 78 teams showed up to compete for this years classic..............congrats to all and full results are attached at the bottom.
Jeff Coble and David Wright all Smiles Sun Afternoon!
Jeff Coble and David Wright celebrate their big win!
2nd Place finishers Mike Layton and Scooter Lilley
Scooter Lilley displays his solid catch!
3rd Place team of Dennis Gilbert and Bobby Crisman
Day 2 Bf Winners Travis Owen and Tommy Milem
One more shot of this years Champs with the team from Anglers Choice Marine!
Tom's Marine 2014 Team Trail Classic Wrap Up With Director Richard Mcmaster
Tom's Marine Team Trail Director Richard McMaster joins us for the last time as this is the final tournament for Tom's Marine. Next year will bring a new foremat called the Tennessee Team Trail which will include more dealers and lakes for all the anglers to fish. Richard has run one of the finest team trails in the nation-here are some of his thoughts.
Tom's Marine Classic Champs Clifford Bunch and Paul Napier talk after their big 2 day win!!
What a tremendous finish for this years Tom's Marine Team Trail Classic Champions Clifford Bunch and Paul Napier...........they caught their last fish with about 7 minutes to go and won by 30/100 of a Lb! Both anglers talk about their big win and the Smallmouth factor that helped them reel in their new Ranger Boat!!
Paul Napier and Clifford Bunch win the 2014 Toms Marine TT Classic on Cherokee-Full Results here!
On a spectacular last weekend of October, Tom's Marine TT held its annual Classic with a 2 day event starting out on Douglas Lake Sat and concluding on Cherokee lake Sun. Blue bird skies and mid 70's temps made the fishing more than a little challenging, but the quality fish that were caught were fantastic. For those that don't know, Douglas and Cherokee have some of the best Smallmouth in the land (pics below). When your champions weigh-in 5 fish and 4 are large smallmouth, this is not your normal bass fishery. Paul Napier and Clifford Bunch hauled in 13+ on Sat and came back with a 14+ LB bag Sunday on Cherokee for a 27.66 Lb Total with some of the prettiest 4+ Lb Smallmouth you've ever seen. They took home a $40,000 Ranger Z119C with a 200 HP Mercury VS for their efforts! Coming in 2nd and only 1/4 Lb behind was Guy Siler and Brian Holt with 27.36, so there was no margin for error! Full results are attached and pictures below of the top 5 and some weigh-in shots. Congrats to the anglers, Tom's Marine, and director Richard McMaster on running his last weigh-in for Tom's Marine TT. Next year will bring the Tenn Team Trail with a combination of 3 dealers and more lakes. Great job by all look fwd to 2015!!
Part of the Champs Smallmouth Haul Sunday!
Tom's Marine Classic 4th place team of Michael Livesay and Robert Jones!
Tom's Marine Classic 5th place tie of Dwight and Bill Bales: and Gary Pilkenton and Tim Smiley
Lew's Expands Springfield, MO Facility
Lew's has announced plans for a new $3.5M corporate headquarters and consolidated distribution center in Springfield, Mo. A public groundbreaking ceremony for the 58,000 sq. ft. facility is scheduled for Friday, October 31, at 1 p.m., with Lew's personnel hosting the event and a number of professional anglers participating, including David Fritts, Wally Marshall and Kevin Short.
"Springfield is a growing city in the middle of the country, and it's home," said Lew's CEO Lynn Reeves. "We're close to our customers, and close to our roots. When we began looking to the future of the company, that's what really counted."
Lew's, a legendary fishing brand known for its quality rods, reels and accessories, moved to Springfield in 2009 with a change in ownership and has been on a rapid growth climb ever since under the leadership of industry veterans Reeves and Gary Remensnyder. The new facility will more than double current space and better serve present business needs and allow for future growth. At least five new jobs will result from the expansion, adding to Lew's current workforce of 26.
Chamber staff and partners at the City of Springfield have worked with Lew's executives to facilitate the expansion and help them access local property tax abatement. Local-based Morelock-Ross Builders is leading the construction.
The Lew's site is located on land north of Partnership Industrial Center, conveniently situated near the I-44 and U.S. Route 65 intersection northwest of Springfield. The address for Friday's ceremony is 3031 N. Martin Ave.
Lew's sells its fishing tackle products to a variety of independent retailers, wholesalers and major national accounts across the country, including Academy Sports, Cabela's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Gander Mountain, Mills Fleet Farm, Sportsman's Warehouse, Tackle Warehouse and Wal-Mart. The brand also continues to steadily increase its distribution in international markets.
For more information on Lew's history, products and pro staff, visit www.lews.com.
Doug Webster wins the Oakley Big Bass on Guntersville with a 7.81 LB Kicker!! Full Results here-
Congrats to Doug Webster and his $30,000 pay day on Guntersville with this 7.81 LB Monster below! Oakley Big Bass is one of the top if not the top hourly payout tournament series in the country. Here is the pic of our winner and top 10 below that:
Leaders
| Rank | Angler | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DOUG WEBSTER | 7.81 |
| 2 | ROBERT ABERNATHY SR | 7.29 |
| 2 | DANNY THOMAS | 7.29 |
| 4 | EUBA SHELNUTT | 7.24 |
| 5 | CLINT HARRISON | 6.96 |
| 5 | THERON LIVINGSTON | 6.96 |
| 7 | ROGER BRANCH | 6.94 |
| 8 | JOSH JACKSON | 6.92 |
| 9 | JESSE RIGSBY | 6.73 |
| 10 | DAVE HEATH | 6.72 |
