Kemp takes opening-round lead at Bassmaster Open on Buggs Island Reservoir
Powell Kemp of Scotland Neck, N.C., is leading after Day 1 of the 2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Buggs Island Reservoir with 19 pounds, 8 ounces.
Photo by Andy Crawford/B.A.S.S.
May 3, 2023
CLARKSVILLE, Va. — Powell Kemp said the best thing he did this week was take a big eraser to his practice findings and fish what was in front of him. Doing so rewarded the local pro with a five-bass limit of 19 pounds, 8 ounces that leads Day 1 of the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Buggs Island.
With recent rains raising the lake’s water level and a cold front bringing big winds and a sharp temperature drop, anglers largely found unsettled bass and a Roanoke River reservoir whipped into a navigational nightmare. Nevertheless, the pro from Scotland Neck, N.C., said his historical insight served him well.
“When I practiced late Friday and all day Saturday, the lake was at 301 (a foot above normal pool) and I said ‘This isn’t going to be right.’ I actually fished a tournament on Lake Gaston Sunday,” Kemp said. “I didn’t even practice because the lake came up a foot, and I said ‘It’s going to change every day.’
“I knew what I did Friday and Saturday was junk. Any bites I had those days — just throw it out.”
As Kemp notes, knowing what to do during the dramatic change in conditions gave him a significant advantage over anglers trying to figure out the lake’s evolving complexion.
“The lake did exactly what it needed for a local to have an advantage because I’ve seen so much over 20 years of fishing here,” he said. “It was just run here, run there.
“A lot of guys had three days of practice in their minds, but I’ve seen it so much I knew you can’t do what you were doing.”
Kemp, who holds a 3-pound margin over Tennessee pro Brad Knight, said the 15- to 20-mph winds certainly limited his mobility. But while he wasn’t able to run as much water as he’d planned, the curtailment likely aided his cause.
“As rough as it was today, I had to bear down on one area,” Kemp said. “I couldn’t run and gun like I’m used to, but maybe that worked to my advantage.”
Kemp said he caught his bass by throwing a spinnerbait and flipping bushes.
“I was just fishing and keeping them honest because they move so much on this lake,” he said. “Some of them moved farther back than they were in practice. It was really random today. There were some on the points, some on the sides (of creeks) and some in the backs.
“There was no rhyme or reason. It was just a blessing; one of those days you dream about. The Lord blessed me.”
Knowing he’d have to grind through a lean day, Kemp said he was delighted to jumpstart his morning with a 5-13, which leads the Phoenix Boats Big Bass standings.
“The lake is fishing really tough and she was the first bite I got this morning,” Kemp said. “That really settled me down.”
Kemp said he started his day by looking for a shad spawn but to no avail. During his search, he saw a smaller fish swirl and miss his bait. Assuming it was the male from a spawning pair, he targeted the point of attack and connected with a big female.
“I threw to the gum tree just to the right and she came out and ate it,” he said. “Overall, it was still a bite every hour to an hour and a half. It wasn’t (on fire) like the lake should be doing.
“I just think the lake is in a transition, the shad aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do. I think what bass are left (up shallow) are spawning.”
Kemp’s day ended with another stroke of good fortune. With a bass of about 2 1/4 pounds in his bag and 2 1/2 hours left to fish, he started to make a move but had trouble getting his boat on plane.
Pulling into a creek with calm water, Kemp jumped on plane but he could tell something was not right with his engine. With a good run between his position and the check-in point, he decided to return early to make sure he made it.
“I came back to the creek (where the check-in site was located) and while I was just fishing around, I caught one about 3 1/4 to cull out my 2 1/4,” he recalled. “It was really slow to get bit and the lake was fishing tough, but it was an amazing day. Everything went perfectly.”
Knight, a former Forrest Wood Cup winner who hails from Lancing, Tenn., is in second place with 16-8. Coming off a South Texas turkey hunt, he got minimal practice time and, same as Powell, Knight believes that worked to his benefit.
“I rode around on Tuesday and I knew the lake had come up and it was going to be flooded bushes. That fits my strengths — I like to fish shallow,” Knight said. “From there, it was just a matter of adapting to the conditions.”
Knight said he started with about 12 baits on his deck, but whittled that selection down to about half. His top producers were a swim jig, a bladed jig, a spinnerbait and flipping rigs.
“A lot of people call it junk fishing, but to me, it’s reading the bank; knowing when to pick up one bait or another,” Knight said. “I have a lot of experience fishing this way (on the Tennessee River) when things are changing. It was just taking that experience and applying it here.”
Jacob Thompkins of Myrtle Beach, S.C., is third with 16-6. Flipping bushes with a Strike King Rage Bug and throwing a spinnerbait produced his bites.
“I came here a month and a half ago for pre-practice and I caught a 4-pounder while (Garmin) LiveScoping them on some stumps just off the bank,” Thompkins said. “I caught my biggest one today doing that.
“I watched him eat the spinnerbait on LiveScope and barely got him in the boat before the hook popped out. So, I got lucky on that one.”
Alex Watts of Salem, Va., leads the co-angler division with 10-13. Anchoring his bag with a 4-7, Watts holds a 10-ounce lead over David Deciucis of Chester, Va.
Watts caught his big bass on a wacky rig. Later in the day, when he fished more windward areas, a spinnerbait worked best.
Larry Kempler of Bluemont, Va., and George Myers of Franklinton, N.C., are tied for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead among co-anglers, each with a 5-2.
Thursday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. ET from Occoneechee State Park. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 2:30 p.m.
The St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Buggs Island Reservoir is being hosted by Mecklenburg County, Va., Tourism.
2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Buggs Island 5/3-5/5
Buggs Island Reservoir, Clarksville VA.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Powell Kemp Scotland Neck, NC 5 19-08 200
Day 1: 5 19-08
2. Brad Knight Lancing, TN 5 16-08 199
Day 1: 5 16-08
3. Jacob Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 16-06 198
Day 1: 5 16-06
4. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 5 15-15 197
Day 1: 5 15-15
5. Clay Samples South Boston, VA 5 15-14 196
Day 1: 5 15-14
6. Reese Hudson Broomall, PA 5 15-07 195
Day 1: 5 15-07
7. Scout Echols Monticello, AR 5 14-14 194
Day 1: 5 14-14
8. Evan Barnes Dardanelle, AR 5 14-11 193
Day 1: 5 14-11
8. Casey Scanlon Eldon, MO 5 14-11 193
Day 1: 5 14-11
10. Cody Detweiler Guntersville, AL 5 14-07 191
Day 1: 5 14-07
11. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 5 14-03 190
Day 1: 5 14-03
11. Brandon McMillan Clewiston, FL 5 14-03 190
Day 1: 5 14-03
11. Clark Reehm Elm Grove, LA 5 14-03 190
Day 1: 5 14-03
14. Buck Mallory Lawton, MI 5 14-00 187
Day 1: 5 14-00
15. John Garrett Union City, TN 5 13-14 186
Day 1: 5 13-14
16. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 13-12 185
Day 1: 5 13-12
16. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 13-12 185
Day 1: 5 13-12
18. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 5 13-11 183
Day 1: 5 13-11
18. Jordan Sanderlin Kill Devil Hills, NC 5 13-11 183
Day 1: 5 13-11
20. Rich Ortiz Fort Ann, NY 5 13-10 181
Day 1: 5 13-10
20. Andrew Upshaw Hemphill, TX 5 13-10 181
Day 1: 5 13-10
22. Jason Meninger Yulee, FL 5 13-06 179
Day 1: 5 13-06
23. Greg Bohannan Bentonville, AR 5 13-05 178
Day 1: 5 13-05
24. Destin DeMarion Harborcreek, PA 5 13-04 177
Day 1: 5 13-04
24. Brad Leuthner Victoria, MN 5 13-04 177
Day 1: 5 13-04
24. Matt Pangrac Shawnee, OK 5 13-04 177
Day 1: 5 13-04
27. Tim Frederick Leesburg, FL 5 13-03 174
Day 1: 5 13-03
27. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 5 13-03 174
Day 1: 5 13-03
29. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 5 13-01 172
Day 1: 5 13-01
30. Chris Keeble Lenoir City, TN 5 13-00 171
Day 1: 5 13-00
30. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 5 13-00 171
Day 1: 5 13-00
32. Bo Thomas Edwardsburg, MI 5 12-15 169
Day 1: 5 12-15
33. Adam Rasmussen Sturgeon Bay, WI 5 12-14 168
Day 1: 5 12-14
34. Andrew Hargrove Moody, TX 5 12-13 167
Day 1: 5 12-13
35. Jack Dice Lynchburg, VA 5 12-12 166
Day 1: 5 12-12
35. Allan Nail Sand Springs, OK 5 12-12 166
Day 1: 5 12-12
35. Casey Smith Victor, NY 5 12-12 166
Day 1: 5 12-12
38. Alex Heintze Denham Springs, LA 5 12-11 163
Day 1: 5 12-11
38. Jake Maddux Birmingham, AL 5 12-11 163
Day 1: 5 12-11
40. Chris Beaudrie Princeton, KY 5 12-10 161
Day 1: 5 12-10
41. Jeff Mcbeth New Phila, OH 5 12-08 160
Day 1: 5 12-08
42. Kyle Austin Ridgeville, SC 5 12-07 159
Day 1: 5 12-07
42. Cody Stahl Barnsville, GA 5 12-07 159
Day 1: 5 12-07
44. Jamie Bruce Kenora Ontario CANADA 5 12-05 157
Day 1: 5 12-05
44. Alex Murray Lake Charles, LA 5 12-05 157
Day 1: 5 12-05
46. Blake Sylvester Plaquemine, LA 5 12-04 155
Day 1: 5 12-04
47. Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 5 12-03 154
Day 1: 5 12-03
48. Ryan Broughman Corapeake, NC 5 12-02 153
Day 1: 5 12-02
49. Jeff Coble Manson, NC 5 11-15 152
Day 1: 5 11-15
49. Griffin Phillips Mount Olive, AL 5 11-15 152
Day 1: 5 11-15
51. Wil Dieffenbauch III Hundred, WV 5 11-14 150
Day 1: 5 11-14
52. Logan Johnson Jasper, AL 5 11-13 149
Day 1: 5 11-13
53. Denny Fiedler Wabasha, MN 5 11-12 148
Day 1: 5 11-12
53. Scott Isaacs Ladonia, TX 5 11-12 148
Day 1: 5 11-12
55. Hunter Sales Blaine, TN 5 11-09 146
Day 1: 5 11-09
56. Andrew Mlotek Indianapolis, IN 5 11-08 145
Day 1: 5 11-08
56. Whitney Stephens Waverly, OH 5 11-08 145
Day 1: 5 11-08
56. Jack York Emory, TX 5 11-08 145
Day 1: 5 11-08
59. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 5 11-07 142
Day 1: 5 11-07
59. Ben Milliken New Caney, TX 5 11-07 142
Day 1: 5 11-07
61. Brandon Tallhamer Parkersburg, WV 5 11-06 140
Day 1: 5 11-06
61. Jimmy Washam Stantonville, TN 5 11-06 140
Day 1: 5 11-06
63. Shawn Hammack Gasburg, VA 5 11-05 138
Day 1: 5 11-05
63. Joey Nania Cropwell, AL 5 11-05 138
Day 1: 5 11-05
63. David Williams Newton, NC 5 11-05 138
Day 1: 5 11-05
66. Blake Smith Lakeland, FL 5 11-04 135
Day 1: 5 11-04
67. Logan Anderson Catawba, NC 5 11-03 134
Day 1: 5 11-03
67. Rob Digh Denver, NC 5 11-03 134
Day 1: 5 11-03
69. Jonathan Bowling Harriman, TN 5 11-02 132
Day 1: 5 11-02
69. Robert Gee Knoxville, TN 5 11-02 132
Day 1: 5 11-02
71. Justin Kimmel Athens, GA 5 11-01 130
Day 1: 5 11-01
72. Keith Tuma Brainerd, MN 5 11-01 129
Day 1: 5 11-01
73. Logan Shaddix Cummings, GA 5 11-00 128
Day 1: 5 11-00
74. Shayne Berlo Mclean, VA 5 10-15 127
Day 1: 5 10-15
74. Chris Blanchette Edisto Island, SC 5 10-15 127
Day 1: 5 10-15
74. Tyler Lubbat Wheeling, IL 5 10-15 127
Day 1: 5 10-15
77. Paul Browning Pecos, TX 5 10-14 124
Day 1: 5 10-14
77. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 5 10-14 124
Day 1: 5 10-14
79. Matt Henry Milledgeville, GA 4 10-14 122
Day 1: 4 10-14
80. Jason Carpenter Castle Pines, CO 5 10-12 121
Day 1: 5 10-12
80. Timmy Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 10-12 121
Day 1: 5 10-12
82. Brock Belik Orchard, NE 5 10-11 119
Day 1: 5 10-11
82. Taylor Watkins Clinton, TN 5 10-11 119
Day 1: 5 10-11
84. Mike Mayo Athens, TX 5 10-10 117
Day 1: 5 10-10
84. Danny Ramsey Trinidad, TX 5 10-10 117
Day 1: 5 10-10
84. JT Russell Mc Calla, AL 5 10-10 117
Day 1: 5 10-10
84. Jeff Salmon Mechanicsville, VA 5 10-10 117
Day 1: 5 10-10
88. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 4 10-10 113
Day 1: 4 10-10
89. Darrell Davis Dover, FL 5 10-08 112
Day 1: 5 10-08
89. Billy McDonald Greenwood, IN 5 10-08 112
Day 1: 5 10-08
89. Danny McGarry Newcastle CANADA 5 10-08 112
Day 1: 5 10-08
89. Chancy Walters West Des Moines, IA 5 10-08 112
Day 1: 5 10-08
93. Johnathan Crossland Chapin, SC 5 10-07 108
Day 1: 5 10-07
93. Brian Post Janesville, WI 5 10-07 108
Day 1: 5 10-07
95. Trey Swindle Cleveland, AL 5 10-06 106
Day 1: 5 10-06
96. Bailey Boutries Springfield, MO 5 10-05 105
Day 1: 5 10-05
96. Chase Clarke Virginia Beach, VA 5 10-05 105
Day 1: 5 10-05
96. Austin Cranford Norman, OK 5 10-05 105
Day 1: 5 10-05
96. Kyle Goltz Cornell, WI 5 10-05 105
Day 1: 5 10-05
96. Jason Lambert Savannah, TN 5 10-05 105
Day 1: 5 10-05
101. John Murray Spring City, TN 3 10-05 100
Day 1: 3 10-05
102. Brent Anderson Kingston Springs, TN 5 10-04 99
Day 1: 5 10-04
102. Ish Monroe Oakdale, CA 5 10-04 99
Day 1: 5 10-04
104. Chris Brummett Lynch Station, VA 5 10-02 97
Day 1: 5 10-02
105. Craig Chambers Midland, NC 5 10-01 96
Day 1: 5 10-01
105. Woo Daves Spring Grove, VA 5 10-01 96
Day 1: 5 10-01
105. Jim Dillard West Monroe, LA 5 10-01 96
Day 1: 5 10-01
105. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 5 10-01 96
Day 1: 5 10-01
109. Stacey Jefferson Conway, SC 5 10-00 92
Day 1: 5 10-00
109. Evan Kung Pickering Ontario CANAD 5 10-00 92
Day 1: 5 10-00
109. Derek Lehtonen Woodruff, SC 5 10-00 92
Day 1: 5 10-00
109. Jaxon Sullivan Reagan, TN 5 10-00 92
Day 1: 5 10-00
113. Mike Surman Boca Raton, FL 5 10-00 88
Day 1: 5 10-00
114. Jacob Bigelow Cecil, WI 5 09-14 87
Day 1: 5 09-14
115. Hugh Cosculluela Spring, TX 5 09-12 86
Day 1: 5 09-12
115. Chris Dover Blacksburg, SC 5 09-12 86
Day 1: 5 09-12
115. Chad Warren Sand Springs, OK 5 09-12 86
Day 1: 5 09-12
118. Bryan Bickell Newcastle CANADA 4 09-12 83
Day 1: 4 09-12
119. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 5 09-11 82
Day 1: 5 09-11
120. Joey Hanna Corsicana, TX 4 09-11 81
Day 1: 4 09-11
121. David Perdue Wirtz, VA 5 09-10 80
Day 1: 5 09-10
121. Tyler Williams Belgrade, ME 5 09-10 80
Day 1: 5 09-10
123. Kayden Tanner Tolar, TX 5 09-09 78
Day 1: 5 09-09
124. Josh Bragg Fayetteville, GA 5 09-07 77
Day 1: 5 09-07
124. Wesley Cashwell Roanoke Rapids, NC 5 09-07 77
Day 1: 5 09-07
124. Steve Morella Townshend, VT 5 09-07 77
Day 1: 5 09-07
127. Christian Shoda Homosassa, FL 4 09-07 74
Day 1: 4 09-07
128. Bronk Mcdaniel Alexandria, LA 5 09-06 73
Day 1: 5 09-06
129. Sterling Bougher Mannford, OK 5 09-05 72
Day 1: 5 09-05
129. Brett Cannon Willis, TX 5 09-05 72
Day 1: 5 09-05
129. Jonathan Dietz Corry, PA 5 09-05 72
Day 1: 5 09-05
129. Takayuki Koike Otsu-City JAPAN 5 09-05 72
Day 1: 5 09-05
133. Chris Hellebuyck White Lake, MI 5 09-04 68
Day 1: 5 09-04
133. Louis Monetti Brielle, NJ 5 09-04 68
Day 1: 5 09-04
133. Marc Schilling Carrollton, TX 5 09-04 68
Day 1: 5 09-04
136. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 09-03 65
Day 1: 5 09-03
137. Jeremy Bogard Wilkesboro, NC 5 09-02 64
Day 1: 5 09-02
137. Douglas Reed Bridgeton, NJ 5 09-02 64
Day 1: 5 09-02
139. Bobby Lanham Eddyville, KY 5 09-01 62
Day 1: 5 09-01
140. Tyrel Faber Pagosa Springs, CO 5 09-00 61
Day 1: 5 09-00
141. Steven Camp Mechanicsvlle, VA 5 08-14 60
Day 1: 5 08-14
141. Teb Jones Yalaha, MS 5 08-14 60
Day 1: 5 08-14
143. Miles Burghoff Dayton, TN 5 08-13 58
Day 1: 5 08-13
144. Rick Hamer Charleston, WV 5 08-12 57
Day 1: 5 08-12
145. Jason Abram Piney Flats, TN 5 08-11 56
Day 1: 5 08-11
146. Daisuke Kita Ostu Shiga JAPAN 4 08-11 55
Day 1: 4 08-11
147. Scott Kerslake Okeechobee, FL 5 08-10 54
Day 1: 5 08-10
148. Burke Hutcheson Hillsborough, NC 5 08-09 53
Day 1: 5 08-09
148. Rick Mitchell Naples, FL 5 08-09 53
Day 1: 5 08-09
148. Jack Tindel III Orange, TX 5 08-09 53
Day 1: 5 08-09
151. Andrew Harp Linden, TX 5 08-08 50
Day 1: 5 08-08
152. Lucas Bogosian Harrington Park, NJ 5 08-06 49
Day 1: 5 08-06
152. Josh Hubbard Dunnellon, FL 5 08-06 49
Day 1: 5 08-06
154. Jeffrey Davis Jr Raleigh, NC 4 08-06 47
Day 1: 4 08-06
154. Jimmy Steed Zapata, TX 4 08-06 47
Day 1: 4 08-06
156. Kyle Gelles Pingree, ID 5 08-04 45
Day 1: 5 08-04
156. Jacob Pyles Nolensville, TN 5 08-04 45
Day 1: 5 08-04
158. Tom Frink Southside, AL 5 08-03 43
Day 1: 5 08-03
158. Sam George Athens, AL 5 08-03 43
Day 1: 5 08-03
160. Christiana Bradley Goldvein, VA 5 08-02 41
Day 1: 5 08-02
160. Tommy Williams Shepherdsville, KY 5 08-02 41
Day 1: 5 08-02
162. Zeke Gossett Pell City, AL 5 08-01 39
Day 1: 5 08-01
163. John Conway Jr Henrico, VA 5 08-00 38
Day 1: 5 08-00
163. Zach Goutremout Chaumont, NY 5 08-00 38
Day 1: 5 08-00
163. Lucas Murphy West Columbia, MI 5 08-00 38
Day 1: 5 08-00
166. Kurt Mitchell Milford, DE 5 07-15 35
Day 1: 5 07-15
167. Matt Messer Warfield, KY 5 07-12 34
Day 1: 5 07-12
168. Jerry Gallogly Jr North Tazewell, VA 5 07-11 33
Day 1: 5 07-11
169. Chris Merritt Chester , VA 5 07-10 32
Day 1: 5 07-10
170. Steve Tennison Lexington, OK 4 07-05 31
Day 1: 4 07-05
171. Andrew George Poplar Branch, NC 4 07-03 30
Day 1: 4 07-03
172. Seiji Kato Outsu Shiga JAPAN 3 07-02 29
Day 1: 3 07-02
172. Angela Mayo Maiden, NC 3 07-02 29
Day 1: 3 07-02
174. Paul Bouvier Kingston CANADA 3 07-01 27
Day 1: 3 07-01
175. John Watts Jr Flushing, MI 4 06-15 26
Day 1: 4 06-15
176. Chris Kingree Inverness, FL 3 06-15 25
Day 1: 3 06-15
176. Trevor McKinney Benton, IL 3 06-15 25
Day 1: 3 06-15
178. B.J. Usie Bourg, LA 3 06-14 23
Day 1: 3 06-14
179. Tripp Noojin Bryant, AL 4 06-13 22
Day 1: 4 06-13
180. Brian Mullaney Ijamsville, MD 4 06-09 21
Day 1: 4 06-09
181. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 3 06-07 20
Day 1: 3 06-07
182. Pete Gluszek Mount Laurel, NJ 4 06-06 19
Day 1: 4 06-06
182. Scott Hamrick Denver, NC 4 06-06 19
Day 1: 4 06-06
184. Bart Stanisz Austin, TX 3 06-06 17
Day 1: 3 06-06
185. Shaine Campbell Brookeland, TX 3 06-05 16
Day 1: 3 06-05
185. Brayden Rakes Winston Salem, NC 3 06-05 16
Day 1: 3 06-05
187. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 3 06-03 14
Day 1: 3 06-03
187. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 3 06-03 14
Day 1: 3 06-03
189. Cameron Smith Wareham, MA 4 06-01 12
Day 1: 4 06-01
190. Michael Rowe Providence Forge, VA 4 05-15 11
Day 1: 4 05-15
191. Kenji Yamada Hixson, TN 3 05-13 10
Day 1: 3 05-13
192. Steve Sennikoff Edgewood, TX 4 05-09 9
Day 1: 4 05-09
193. Rick Hawkins Roanoke, VA 3 05-07 8
Day 1: 3 05-07
194. Ryan Clark Whitby Ontario CANADA 3 05-03 7
Day 1: 3 05-03
194. Caiden Sinclair Logan, AL 3 05-03 7
Day 1: 3 05-03
196. Cole Drummond Effingham, SC 3 05-00 5
Day 1: 3 05-00
197. Phil Killian Solomon, AZ 3 04-09 4
Day 1: 3 04-09
197. Kenny Mittelstaedt Minnetonka, MN 3 04-09 4
Day 1: 3 04-09
199. Keith Brumfield Vicksburg, MS 2 04-06 2
Day 1: 2 04-06
200. Nikki Jo Hatten Clanton, AL 2 04-03 1
Day 1: 2 04-03
201. Lafe Messer Warfield, KY 2 04-01 0
Day 1: 2 04-01
202. A.J. Menssen Bloomington, IL 2 04-00 0
Day 1: 2 04-00
203. Jon Canada Helena, AL 2 03-12 0
Day 1: 2 03-12
203. David Wootton Collierville, TN 2 03-12 0
Day 1: 2 03-12
205. Joe Labarbera Montrose, PA 2 03-08 0
Day 1: 2 03-08
206. Clayton Barnes Clanton, AL 2 03-05 0
Day 1: 2 03-05
207. Willy Dennison Willoughby Hills, OH 1 03-05 0
Day 1: 1 03-05
208. Chris Whitson Louisville, TN 2 03-03 0
Day 1: 2 03-03
209. Tony Dumitras Winston, GA 2 03-02 0
Day 1: 2 03-02
210. Paul Tabisz Whitmore Lake, MI 1 03-01 0
Day 1: 1 03-01
211. Chris Dillow Waynesboro, VA 2 03-00 0
Day 1: 2 03-00
212. Lance Owen Greer, SC 1 02-05 0
Day 1: 1 02-05
213. Jerry Riddle Jr Summit, MS 1 02-02 0
Day 1: 1 02-02
214. Mark Dimarzio McDonald, PA 1 01-12 0
Day 1: 1 01-12
214. Jason Tibbetts Centreville, VA 1 01-12 0
Day 1: 1 01-12
216. Allen Brooks Canton, GA 1 01-11 0
Day 1: 1 01-11
217. Flash Butts Roanoke Rapids, NC 1 01-08 0
Day 1: 1 01-08
218. Julius Mazy Phoenix, AZ 1 01-07 0
Day 1: 1 01-07
219. George Lambeth Thomasville, NC 1 01-06 0
Day 1: 1 01-06
220. Clemente Gutierrez Woodbridge, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
220. Matt Mollohan Batesburg, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
220. Daniel Valois Gomez Caracas FL VENEZUELA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
220. Brady Vernon Sterrett, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 160 964 2096-08
----------------------------------
160 964 2096-08
2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Buggs Island 5/3-5/5
Buggs Island Reservoir, Clarksville VA.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Alex Watts Salem, VA 3 10-13 200
Day 1: 3 10-13
2. David Deciucis CHESTER, VA 3 10-03 199
Day 1: 3 10-03
3. David Waack Cary, NC 3 08-00 198
Day 1: 3 08-00
4. Bird Jones Loxahatchee, FL 3 07-07 197
Day 1: 3 07-07
5. Jerry Bono Lexington, NC 3 07-03 196
Day 1: 3 07-03
6. Burley Langford Jr. South Chesterfield, VA 3 07-02 195
Day 1: 3 07-02
6. Alicia Raytrowsky Delaware CANADA 3 07-02 195
Day 1: 3 07-02
6. Perry See Rochester, MN 3 07-02 195
Day 1: 3 07-02
9. Joshua Geyer Loganton, PA 3 07-01 192
Day 1: 3 07-01
9. Kyle Richardt Weymouth, MA 3 07-01 192
Day 1: 3 07-01
11. Larry Kempler Bluemont, VA 2 07-00 190
Day 1: 2 07-00
12. Mark Aaron Gastonia, NC 3 06-11 189
Day 1: 3 06-11
12. Steven Robbins Piketon, OH 3 06-11 189
Day 1: 3 06-11
14. Jesse Jodon St Michael , PA 3 06-10 187
Day 1: 3 06-10
14. David Slaybaugh Colonial Heights, VA 3 06-10 187
Day 1: 3 06-10
16. Tyler Smith Portage, MI 3 06-09 185
Day 1: 3 06-09
17. George Myers Franklinton, NC 2 06-09 184
Day 1: 2 06-09
18. William Cross Brodnax, VA 3 06-07 183
Day 1: 3 06-07
19. John Rico Daisytown, PA 3 06-05 182
Day 1: 3 06-05
20. Dylan Mayo Athens, TX 2 06-05 181
Day 1: 2 06-05
21. Tommy Wood Sippy Downs AUSTRALIA 3 06-04 180
Day 1: 3 06-04
22. Bobby Davis Jr South Prince, VA 2 06-04 179
Day 1: 2 06-04
22. EJ Thomas Roanoke, VA 2 06-04 179
Day 1: 2 06-04
24. Michael Leach Shenandoah, TX 3 06-02 177
Day 1: 3 06-02
25. Dan Murphy Epping, NH 2 06-01 176
Day 1: 2 06-01
26. Floyd Willis Grayson, KY 3 06-00 175
Day 1: 3 06-00
27. Bob Bauer China Grove, NC 3 05-15 174
Day 1: 3 05-15
28. Jonathan Ceaser Maidens, VA 3 05-14 173
Day 1: 3 05-14
29. Levi Allgeier Bardstown, KY 2 05-13 172
Day 1: 2 05-13
30. Joe Lineberry Ramseaur,, NC 3 05-12 171
Day 1: 3 05-12
31. Timothy Mayhew Danville, VA 3 05-10 170
Day 1: 3 05-10
31. Carter Wijangco Naperville, IL 3 05-10 170
Day 1: 3 05-10
33. Melvin Bowling Shenandoah, VA 3 05-08 168
Day 1: 3 05-08
34. Bryce Bason Mill Hall, PA 3 05-07 167
Day 1: 3 05-07
34. John Higginbotham Slaughter, LA 3 05-07 167
Day 1: 3 05-07
36. Scott Spencer Raleigh, NC 2 05-06 165
Day 1: 2 05-06
37. Ricky Fulk Shenandoah, VA 3 05-05 164
Day 1: 3 05-05
37. Travis Turcotte Pembroke CANADA 3 05-05 164
Day 1: 3 05-05
37. Mark Whitman Burlington, NC 3 05-05 164
Day 1: 3 05-05
40. Bobby Barrett Youngsville, NC 3 05-04 161
Day 1: 3 05-04
40. RD Roulston Little Rock, AR 3 05-04 161
Day 1: 3 05-04
42. Phil Jarmon Apex, NC 3 05-03 159
Day 1: 3 05-03
42. Chad Stahl Barnesville, GA 3 05-03 159
Day 1: 3 05-03
44. Alton Rockett Newton, NC 3 05-02 157
Day 1: 3 05-02
44. James Tilley Aylett, VA 3 05-02 157
Day 1: 3 05-02
46. Gary Haraguchi Murfreesboro, TN 3 05-01 155
Day 1: 3 05-01
46. Steve Powers Crestview, FL 3 05-01 155
Day 1: 3 05-01
46. John Sanderlin Chesapeake, VA 3 05-01 155
Day 1: 3 05-01
49. Jc Condrey Saxe, VA 3 05-00 152
Day 1: 3 05-00
49. Joe Sodora Garfield, NJ 3 05-00 152
Day 1: 3 05-00
51. Jimmy Brumfield Madison, MS 3 04-15 150
Day 1: 3 04-15
52. Avery Williams Murrells Inlt, SC 2 04-14 149
Day 1: 2 04-14
53. Todd Long Midlothian, VA 2 04-13 148
Day 1: 2 04-13
53. Mike Toney Blacksburg, VA 2 04-13 148
Day 1: 2 04-13
55. Lynn Hoeffer Chesapeake, VA 2 04-12 146
Day 1: 2 04-12
55. Zach Pringle Newton, NC 2 04-12 146
Day 1: 2 04-12
57. Ronald Young New Braunfels, TX 3 04-11 144
Day 1: 3 04-11
58. Bobby Barton Hardy, VA 3 04-09 143
Day 1: 3 04-09
58. Ricky Meyers Fredericksburg, VA 3 04-09 143
Day 1: 3 04-09
58. Ryan Patterson Scott Township, PA 3 04-09 143
Day 1: 3 04-09
61. James Whitehead Hayes, VA 2 04-09 140
Day 1: 2 04-09
62. Chad Boyer Elizabethtown, PA 2 04-06 139
Day 1: 2 04-06
62. Russell Davidson, Jr Lynchburg, VA 2 04-06 139
Day 1: 2 04-06
64. Nick Melcher Gypsum, CO 3 04-05 137
Day 1: 3 04-05
65. Paul Worthington Benson, NC 3 04-04 136
Day 1: 3 04-04
66. Lou Britos Disputanta, VA 2 04-04 135
Day 1: 2 04-04
67. Jimmy Batts Raleigh, NC 2 04-02 134
Day 1: 2 04-02
68. Tyrone Adams Fredericksburg, VA 2 04-01 133
Day 1: 2 04-01
69. Kevin Mallow Kansas, OK 2 04-00 132
Day 1: 2 04-00
69. Joshua Torres Port Tobacco, MD 2 04-00 132
Day 1: 2 04-00
71. Rick Sweadner Woodsboro, MD 2 03-15 130
Day 1: 2 03-15
72. Kalin Blount Timberlake, NC 2 03-14 129
Day 1: 2 03-14
72. Sergio Render Crockett, VA 2 03-14 129
Day 1: 2 03-14
74. William House Lynchburg, OH 2 03-13 127
Day 1: 2 03-13
74. Sakae Ushio Tonawanda, NY 2 03-13 127
Day 1: 2 03-13
76. Brian Langford Chesterfield, VA 2 03-11 125
Day 1: 2 03-11
76. Matt Leicester Hertford, NC 2 03-11 125
Day 1: 2 03-11
78. Richard Slomba Dundalk, MD 2 03-09 123
Day 1: 2 03-09
79. Mike Trivette Blackstone, VA 2 03-08 122
Day 1: 2 03-08
80. Craig Ferguson Emporia, VA 2 03-07 121
Day 1: 2 03-07
81. Marty Tanner Tolar, TX 2 03-06 120
Day 1: 2 03-06
82. Ben Dacey Powhatan, VA 2 03-05 119
Day 1: 2 03-05
82. Dean Gibbs North Chesterfield, VA 2 03-05 119
Day 1: 2 03-05
84. Benjamin Fisher Elizabeth City, NC 2 03-03 117
Day 1: 2 03-03
85. Chris Donavant Yorktown, VA 2 03-01 116
Day 1: 2 03-01
86. Mikki Sprenkle Linden, NC 2 03-00 115
Day 1: 2 03-00
87. Ernest McIntyre Jr Fayetteville, NC 2 02-15 114
Day 1: 2 02-15
88. Curtis Vick Boydton, VA 1 02-15 113
Day 1: 1 02-15
89. Wayne Morris Somerdale, NJ 2 02-14 112
Day 1: 2 02-14
90. Brandt Thompson North Chesterfield, VA 2 02-13 111
Day 1: 2 02-13
91. Michael Andrews Sandston, VA 2 02-12 110
Day 1: 2 02-12
92. Ty Kenyon Dodgeville, WI 2 02-11 109
Day 1: 2 02-11
93. Michael Morris Hubert, NC 1 02-09 108
Day 1: 1 02-09
94. David Chamberlain Hampton, VA 1 02-07 107
Day 1: 1 02-07
95. Harvey Reece Chesterfield, VA 2 02-05 106
Day 1: 2 02-05
96. Bill Butler Chester, VA 1 02-05 105
Day 1: 1 02-05
97. David Camp Sterling, OH 1 02-04 104
Day 1: 1 02-04
97. Rick Cheatham Carterville, IL 1 02-04 104
Day 1: 1 02-04
97. Kristofer Goin Farmville, VA 1 02-04 104
Day 1: 1 02-04
97. Joe Tucker Osceola, MO 1 02-04 104
Day 1: 1 02-04
101. Johnnie Garrett Union City, TN 1 02-02 100
Day 1: 1 02-02
102. Randy Goss Stem, NC 1 02-01 99
Day 1: 1 02-01
103. Laz Durham Dumfries, VA 1 01-15 98
Day 1: 1 01-15
103. Zach Huey Pittsboro, NC 1 01-15 98
Day 1: 1 01-15
103. Shane Jones Virginia Beach, VA 1 01-15 98
Day 1: 1 01-15
103. Kenneth Ott Manahawkin, NJ 1 01-15 98
Day 1: 1 01-15
107. Satoshi Egawa Fort Lee, NJ 1 01-14 94
Day 1: 1 01-14
107. Joey Price Powhatan, VA 1 01-14 94
Day 1: 1 01-14
107. James Stowers Narrows, VA 1 01-14 94
Day 1: 1 01-14
107. Bill Turonis Jr Kill Devil Hills, NC 1 01-14 94
Day 1: 1 01-14
111. Jarred Hall Richmond, VA 1 01-13 90
Day 1: 1 01-13
111. Tom McDermott Madison, NC 1 01-13 90
Day 1: 1 01-13
111. Devon Norwood Kitson Montclair , NJ 1 01-13 90
Day 1: 1 01-13
114. Dallas Blount Timberlake, NC 1 01-12 87
Day 1: 1 01-12
114. Tyler Caldwell Portsmouth, VA 1 01-12 87
Day 1: 1 01-12
114. AJ Jones Lutz, FL 1 01-12 87
Day 1: 1 01-12
114. Calvin Landsberg Raleigh, NC 1 01-12 87
Day 1: 1 01-12
114. Michael Rustin Henrico, VA 1 01-12 87
Day 1: 1 01-12
119. Charles Bowman II Kernersville, NC 1 01-11 82
Day 1: 1 01-11
119. Seth Gabri Madrid, NY 1 01-11 82
Day 1: 1 01-11
119. Anthony Glassco Powhatan, VA 1 01-11 82
Day 1: 1 01-11
119. David Wilson Brodnax, VA 1 01-11 82
Day 1: 1 01-11
123. Carl Enos Bracey, VA 1 01-10 78
Day 1: 1 01-10
123. Dan Glosson Rougemont, NC 1 01-10 78
Day 1: 1 01-10
123. Clancy Hefferly Taylors, SC 1 01-10 78
Day 1: 1 01-10
123. Mark Ludwig Chesterfield, VA 1 01-10 78
Day 1: 1 01-10
123. Jason Tinsley Pamplin, VA 1 01-10 78
Day 1: 1 01-10
123. Wesley Watson Huntington, WV 1 01-10 78
Day 1: 1 01-10
123. Michael Williams Mechanicsvlle, VA 1 01-10 78
Day 1: 1 01-10
130. Percy Settle Pittsboro, NC 1 01-09 71
Day 1: 1 01-09
130. Jacob Stephens Lynchburg, VA 1 01-09 71
Day 1: 1 01-09
130. David Wright Ft. Meade, MD 1 01-09 71
Day 1: 1 01-09
133. Josh Hollins Chapel Hill, NC 1 01-08 68
Day 1: 1 01-08
134. Kevin Hensley Clarksville, VA 1 01-07 67
Day 1: 1 01-07
134. James Roten West Jefferson, NC 1 01-07 67
Day 1: 1 01-07
136. Eugene Hall Glen Allen, VA 1 01-06 65
Day 1: 1 01-06
136. William Stallings Midlothian, VA 1 01-06 65
Day 1: 1 01-06
138. David Booth Erin, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Alex Brogan Fishers, IN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Kenneth L Brown Leesburg, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Robert Bruguiere Roseland, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Travis Chilcot Denver, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Michael Crocker Pasadena, MD 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Thomas Crosswhite Hartwell, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Darrell Curl Winston Salem, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Lucas Dewson Keewatin CANADA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Justin Dodson Chesterfield, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Kevin Gonyea Franklinton, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Gary Hall Wardville, OK 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Bob Harper Lombard, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Blake Herrmann Bremo Bluff, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Brian Howard Franklinton, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Gary Huff Semora, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. John Lewis Centreville, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Tony Long Moseley, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Ryan Nash Blackstone, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Will Nutting Granger, IN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Jamie Olive Sanford, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Paul Rush New Martinsville, WV 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Randy Tallhamer Brandenton, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
138. Donald West II Apex, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
162. Brandon Smith Knightdale, NC 0 -1-00 0
Day 1: 0 -01-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 49 278 554-12
----------------------------------
49 278 554-12
Phoenix Boats Renews and Expands Major League Fishing Sponsorship
Leading Boat Manufacturer to Remain Exclusive Bass Boat Sponsor of MLF5
BENTON, Ky. (May 3, 2023) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, and Phoenix Boats, a leading boat manufacturer known for innovation and performance, announced today a renewed and expanded multi-year partnership.
Per terms of the agreement, Phoenix Boats will remain the exclusive bass boat sponsor of MLF5, including the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series, Phoenix Bass Fishing League, Abu Garcia College Fishing and MLF High School Fishing circuits. Phoenix Boats will continue as the title sponsor of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League and the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Championship. Additionally, Phoenix Boats has become the presenting sponsor of the Toyota Series.
“We, at Phoenix Boats, are proud to continue our relationship with Major League Fishing with this multi-year agreement,” said Teresa Johnson, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Phoenix Boats. “With both of our organizations focused on customer relationships, industry innovation and a steadfast commitment to the sport of bass fishing, this partnership will allow our sport to continue expanding from the grassroots level and allow us to continue to invest in the sport of tournament bass fishing and its growth.”
Gary Clouse, Co-Founder and President/CEO of Phoenix Boats added, “When I fished my first BFL in 1981, I realized Major League Fishing’s investment in the sport of tournament bass fishing and its anglers. Since then, I have fished numerous MLF5 events and their dedication has only become more apparent as they continue to grow the organization and platform. We are excited to continue our long-term commitment with Major League Fishing by remaining the exclusive bass boat sponsor of the MLF5.”
The lucrative Phoenix MLF Bonus contingency program will continue to offer additional tournament rewards of up to $35,000 for qualified Phoenix Boat owners that win an MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational or a Toyota Series event and up to $7,000 for qualified Phoenix Boat owners that win a Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event. The highest-finishing Phoenix Boat owner in Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League events will receive a bonus if a qualified Phoenix Boat owner does not win the event. Phoenix Boat owners must be registered and qualified in the Phoenix MLF Bonus program prior to the start of the event.
“We are proud to extend our partnership with Phoenix Boats and are excited to continue working with their outstanding team in the coming years,” said Kathy Fennel, MLF Executive Vice President and General Manager. “Together we have seen incredible growth in the sport of bass-fishing and a deepening passion for MLF competition and are looking forward to building on this mutually beneficial partnership to continue expanding the sport.”
Phoenix Boats began their partnership with MLF in 2020. The brand will continue to receive increased exposure through multiple MLF outlets, including television and livestream broadcasts, the MLF website and social media outlets and onsite activation opportunities and signage at all MLF5 events.
For more information about MLF, their tournaments and sponsors, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. To learn more about Phoenix Boats, their performance, quality and design, visit PhoenixBassBoats.com.
X2Power Batteries Introduces Seven Kayak Anglers to the 2023 Pro Team
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Why buzzbaits make Swindle smile
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Bass fishing’s funniest man, Gerald Swindle, doesn’t draw smiley faces on all his tackle boxes, but he inked one on his buzzbait box for several good reasons.
Along with skipping a jig around docks, no lure brings Swindle more joy than a buzzbait. He’s cashed a ton of tournament paychecks using the classic topwater, and perhaps as much as anything, they’re a sentimental connection to many weekday evening jackpot tournaments when thoughts of fishing for a living first became a heartfelt dream.
“Growin up, buzzbaits were a way for me and Johnny McCombs to win jackpots on Smith Lake in my early 20s when I was trying to figure out a way to stop framing houses in the Alabama heat for a living,” reflects the much-loved Team Toyota angler.
Three decades later, with $2 Million dollars in prize money and two Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles to his credit, it’s been a long time since Swindle swung a framing hammer. However, his in-depth love of tinkering with buzzbaits to catch bass is as strong as ever, and he graciously offers 30 years of wisdom about these bite-generating topwaters.
They’re not all created equal
Swindle’s shade tree mechanic mentality figured out years ago the key to reducing lost bites on a buzzbait was to set a sharper angle on the wire as it exits the lead head, in turn, forcing the hook to ride lower in the water column for better hook-ups.
As a result, the buzzbait he’s about to launch with Buckeye Lures features an exceptionally heavy wire, that’s bent at a better angle than most buzzbaits to reduce lost fish. Plus, the heavier wire creates more friction where it makes contact with the blade for a louder fish-attracting squeak.
Not too heavy, not too fast
“One of the biggest mistakes people make with buzzbaits is they try to fish them way too fast. The goal is to retrieve them just fast enough to keep them on the surface, and the two keys to achieving that are using a ¼ or 3/8-ounce bait, not a ½ ounce, and don’t use a fast retrieve reel. I don’t like anything faster than my 6.6:1 Inception reels from 13 Fishing,” emphasizes Swindle.
His rod is a 7’ 4” medium heavy action, also from 13 Fishing, and his go-to line for buzzbaits is 18-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon. He avoids braided line on his buzzers at all costs, because braided line pulls the bait away from the bite way too fast in his opinion.
Postspawn is primetime for buzzbaits
Depending on what latitude you call home, obviously, the phases of the spawn occur at different dates on the calendar, but one thing’s for certain, soon after fish are done spawning is a fantastic time for buzzbaits.
“Whether you’re getting fry-guarding males to eat it, or a big old hungry female laying around a dock resting up after she spawns, there aren’t many lures that allow you to cover more water and generate more bites during the early postspawn than a buzzbait,” says Swindle.
And he should know, it’s been 26 years since he buzzed his way out of the house framing business.
Stay Humble
Major League Fishing Heavy Hitters winner Alton Jones Jr talks about how he conquered Caney Creek Reservoir and Bussey Brake and took home the championship belt.
MLF Toyota Series at Lake Eufaula Presented by Chewalla Creek Marina Set to Visit Eufaula
EUFAULA, Ala. (May 2, 2023) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats is set to return to Eufaula, Alabama, next week, May 11-13, for the Toyota Series at Lake Eufaula Presented by Chewalla Creek Marina. Hosted by the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce, the three-day tournament is the third and final regular-season event in the Toyota Series Southern Division.
“We had an early spring, so a lot of fish spawned early,” said Bass Pro Tour pro Randy Howell of Guntersville, Alabama. “But it’s been a cooler latter part of spring, so I think that’s kept some fish still in the shallows. But for the most part, there are a lot of fish already offshore and I think deep offshore cranking and big worms will probably dominate this tournament.”
Howell said that if he was competing in this event that he would have a 1-2 punch of baits ready to go.
“Usually at Eufaula, in April and May, there is typically a shad spawn going on early in the morning,” Howell said. “For the first two hours of the day, I’d be throwing a white Lunker Lures HD swimjig around the shallow grass. And a spinnerbait, and maybe even a buzzbait or topwater stuff. I’d be pushing that in the first hour.
“Then, after that sun comes up, I’d head out to the depths and be looking at brush piles and ledges and things like that,” Howell continued. “I’d throw a big Livingston Deep Impact crankbait. Another bait that’s always good on Eufauls – big worms. A big Yamamoto Kut Tail worm, a big Senko – they always seem to do really well there.”
Howell predicted that the winner is going to weigh in a big limit on the first day of competition and then back it up with a couple of solid days.
“A big bag this time of year is going to be 25 pounds,” Howell went on to say. “I think we’ll probably see a big bag on the first day. But putting that together for three full days is the hard part. I think 64 pounds for three days will win this tournament.”
After two regular-season events in the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Southern Division, Jessie Mizell of Myakka City, Florida, leads the Southern Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 510 points, while Alan Hults of Gautier, Mississippi, who has already won the Central Division Co-angler of the Year, also leads the Strike King Co-angler Southern Division AOY race with 509 points.
Anglers will launch each day at 6 a.m. CT from Lakepoint Resort State Park, located at 104 Lakepoint Drive in Eufaula. Weigh-ins will also be held at the State Park and will begin at 2 p.m.Fans are welcome to attend and encouraged to follow the event online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
In Toyota Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and scaling down for every boat below 160. With a 160-boat field, pros fish for a top prize of $40,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of $65,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard (valued at $33,500) plus $5,000 cash.
The 2023 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST V. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2023 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 2-4 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, and is hosted by ExploreBranson.com.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Toyota Series include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Black Rifle Coffee Company, E3, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Gill, Grundéns, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Next Gen Lithium, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Toyota Series updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Orecchio Wins Northeast Division Opener at Phoenix Bass Fishing League at Chesapeake Bay
Sweeney Takes Strike King Co-Angler Division
NORTHEAST, Md. (May 2, 2023) – Boater Jason Orecchio of Andover, New Jersey, weighed in five bass totaling 20 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Chesapeake Bay. The tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Northeast Division. Orecchio earned $4,119 for his victory.
“It feels nice to get the win,” Orrechio said. “I was fishing up the Susquhanna River, targeting smallmouth. I found them mainly in the rocks, in 5 to 10 feet of water.
“The key bait for me today was a green-pumpkin-colored Keitech (swimbait) on a drop-shot rig,” Orrechio went on to say.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Jason Orecchio, Andover, N.J., five bass, 20-4, $4,119
2nd: Michael Sentore, Gloucester City, N.J., five bass, 18-11, $2,059
3rd: Steven Dimatteo, Lancaster, Pa., four bass, 16-12, $1,374
4th: Alex Korol, Fairpoint, N.Y., five bass, 15-11, $961
5th: Christopher Sperling, Cato, N.Y., five bass, 14-12, $824
6th: Rick McFaul, Phoenix, Md., five bass, 14-5, $755
7th: Peter Yanni, Gaithersburg, Md., four bass, 13-9, $1,186 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
8th: Conor Cahill, Swedesboro, N.J., four bass, 12-10, $618
9th: Michael Gardner, Townsend, Del., four bass, 12-6, $549
10th: Dave Williams, Jackson, N.J., five bass, 11-11, $480
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
John Welsh of Slatington, Pennsylvania, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $565.
Ryan Sweeney of Secane, Pennsylvania, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $2,059 Saturday, after bringing four bass to the scale that totaled 16 pounds, 1 ounce.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Ryan Sweeney, Secane, Pa., four bass, 16-1, $2,059
2nd: Kenny Ibberson, Lindwold, N.J., four bass, 14-14, $1,312
3rd: Andre Wynn, Windsor Mill, Md., five bass, 13-3, $687
4th: John Alexander, Mount Airy, Md., four bass, 12-15, $480
5th: John Chacosky, Media, Pa,, four bass, 12-4, $562
6th: Kevin Collins, Morristown, N.J., four bass, 11-5, $378
7th: Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., three bass, 11-3, $326
7th: Harry Moore, Clarington, Ohio, four bass, 11-3, $326
9th: Matt Hummel, Dillsburg, Pa., three bass, 9-7, $275
10th: Anthony Ell, Stanhope, N.J., three bass, 9-1, $240
Ibberson earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $282, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional tournament on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2023 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Pike County High School Wins MLF High School Fishing Open Tournament on Lake Guntersville
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (May 2, 2023) – The Pike County High School team of Joe Haren of Molena, Georgia, and Cohen Smith of Williamson, Georgia, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 3 ounces, to win the MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama.
A field of 70 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which was hosted Marshall County Tourism & Sports. In MLF High School Fishing competition, the top 10% of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top seven teams that advanced to the 2023 High School Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Pike County High School, Zebulon, Ga. – Joe Haren and Cohen Smith, five bass, 20-3
2nd: Albert P Brewer High School, Somerville, Ala. – Murphy Childer and Ryder Colee, five bass, 18-3
3rd: South Forsyth High School, Cumming, Ga. – Fisher Edwards and Christian Wehman, five bass, 17-6
4th: Trion High School, Trion, Ga. – Rayne Melton and Ethan Willingham, five bass, 16-12
5th: Alabama Bass Academy – Fisher Anaya and Lake Johnson, five bass, 15-12
6th: Kaneland High School, Maple Park, Ill. – J.D. McBroom and Carter Pjesky, five bass, 15-8
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
7th: North Paulding High School, Dallas, Ga. – Caden O’Neal and Matthew Wright, five bass, 15-6
8th: Alabama Bass Academy – Caleb Edwards and Jackson Rollins, five bass, 15-3
9th: Salem Community High School, Salem, Ill. – Seth Bailey and Brogan Gregg, five bass, 14-15
10th: American Christian Academy – Cole McAusland and Lawson Sudduth, five bass, 14-12
Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
MLF High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and TBF Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10% of teams at each Open event, along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships, will advance to the 2023 High School Fishing National Championship. The 2023 MLF High School Fishing National Championship will be held on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, June 20-24, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse.
The High School Fishing National Champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2023 MLF Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Black Rifle Coffee Company, E3, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Grundens, Lawless Lures, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
University of Missouri Wins MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Tournament on Lake Guntersville
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (May 2, 2023) – The University of Missouri duo of Cale McCandless of Wentzville, Missouri, and Mitchell Post of Columbia, Missouri, won the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Lake Guntersville Presented by Crock-O-Gator on Friday with a five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces. The victory earned the Tiger’s bass club $2,000 and a qualification into the 2024 MLF College Fishing National Championship.
“What an experience this has been,” a happy McCandless said on-stage after being crowned champions. “We were on the waiting list, and we got a call on Tuesday asking if we wanted to get in. We sent it, drove down here to Alabama, and had no idea that this was going to turn out this way.”
“I don’t fish grass – we don’t even know what grass it,” McCandless continued. “We just fished our strengths and sat on the same spots out deep for 5 to 6 hours.”
The duo said they caught all of their fish on a 6th Sense C20 crankbait and a Cellar Baits swimbait on the deep grassline edges.
“We didn’t have a lot of bites, but they were all big bites,” Post said. “It was an amazing day.”
The 10 teams at the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Lake Guntersville Presented by Crock-O-Gator finished:
1st: University of Missouri – Cale McCandless, Wentzville, Mo., and Mitchell Post, Columbia, Mo., five bass, 21-15, $2,000
2nd: Bethel University – Hunter Fillmore, Waynesville, Ohio, and Dylan Fogarty, Mechanicsburg, Pa., five bass, 21-5, $1,000
3rd: Auburn University – Hayden Marbut, Birmingham, Ala., and Tucker Smith, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 20-15, $700
4th: Carson-Newman University – Caz Anderson, Haysville, N.C., and Will Harris, Athens, Tenn., five bass, 20-15, $600
5th: University of North Alabama – Nathan Reynolds, Nashville, Tenn., and Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 20-2, $500
6th: Louisiana State University-Shreveport – Brayden Nichols, Blanchard, La., and William Tew, Bossier City, La., five bass, 20-0
7th: Auburn University – Jordan Brewer, Roswell, Ga., and Sam Harvey, Auburn, Ala., five bass, 19-13
8th: University of Tennessee – Jackson Paden, Knoxville, Tenn., and Chad Sentell, Cottontown, Tenn., five bass, 19-7
9th: University of Montevallo – Aaron Cherry, Dothan, Ala., and Hudson Choquette, Headland, Ala., five bass, 19-6
10th: King University – Tyler Altizer, Abingdon, Va., and Dylan Thomson, Shady Valley, Tenn., five bass, 19-4
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Lake Guntersville Presented by Crock-O-Gator was hosted by Marshall County Tourism & Sports. The next event for College Fishing anglers will be the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI on Lake Champlain, June 25 in Plattsburgh, New York.
The 2023 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI features college teams from across the country competing in nine regular-season tournaments. The top 12 percent of teams from each regular-season tournament advance to the 2024 Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Black Rifle Coffee Company, E3, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Grundens, Lawless Lures, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular College Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Burroughs Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League at Lake Hartwell
Jeter Earns Strike King Co-Angler Win
ANDERSON, S.C. (May 1, 2023) – Boater Jason Burroughs of Hodges, South Carolina, caught a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 6 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hartwell . The tournament, hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau, was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Savannah River Division. Burroughs earned $12,346 for his victory, including the $7,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for winning the tournament while competing in a Phoenix boat.
“This feels great,” said Burroughs, who earned his sixth career victory in MLF competition. “I have won a few of these BFL events before, but you never know when the next one is going to come. You can very easily have a 3-, 4-, 5-year window where you don’t win one, so I’m always very thankful to win one.
“I’m very pleased with how my day went,” Burroughs continued. “I fished from Andersonville to the dam, targeting the herring bite and fishing all main-lake points. I made probably 60 stops, just point to point to point to point.”
Burroughs credited three baits as being the key for him on Saturday.
“I caught some fish on a swimbait and some other key fish on a Buckeye Lures shaky-head and a Mule Skinner Baits trick worm.
“I was fortunate enough to the right bites,” Burroughs went on to say. “Everybody caught fish – there were a bunch of fish caught. But I had two 4½-pounders that went a long way.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Jason Burroughs, Hodges, S.C., five bass, 19-6, $12,346 (includes $7000 Phoenix Bonus)
2nd: Lane Clark, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 18-13, $1,963
3rd: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 18-9, $,1309
4th: Chase Stewart, Ware Shoals, S.C., five bass, 17-10, $916
5th: Buddy Benson, Dahlonega, Ga., five bass, 17-4, $785
6th: Paul Marks, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 16-11, $720
7th: Adam Rice, Belton, S.C., five bass, 16-9, $621
7th: Tallis Morrison, Royston, Ga., five bass, 16-9, $621
9th: Anthony Moore, Colbert, Ga., five bass, 16-7, $523
10th: Justin Raines, Easley, S.C., five bass, 16-2, $458
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Tim Eplee Sr. of Hendersonville, North Carolina, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $530.
Darren Jeter of Chandler, North Carolina, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $2,228 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 15 ounces, just 1 ounce more than the second-place finisher.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Darren Jeter, Chandler, N.C., five bass, 13-5, $2,228
2nd: Shawn Malcom, Monroe, Ga., five bass, 13-14, $981
3rd: William Chris Bensel, Abbeville, S.C., five bass, 13-8, $1,005
4th: Jamison Bagwell, Chesnee, S.C., five bass, 13-1, $458
5th: Wesley Mullins, Guyton, Ga., five bass, 12-13, $393
6th: Harold Addison II, Columbia, S.C., five bass, 11-1, $560
7th: Kevin Henderson, Honea Path, S.C., five bass, 10-14, $310
7th: Justin Lemaster, Royston, Ga., five bass, 10-14, $310
9th: Ronnie Cutshall, Piedmont, S.C., five bass, 10-5, $262
10th: Johnny Hancox, West Union, S.C., five bass, 10-3, $229
Jeter also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $265, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 8 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After four events, Paul Marks of Cumming, Georgia, leads the BFL Savannah River Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 987 points, while Michael Miller of Greenville, South Carolina, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 952 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2023 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Sullivan Earns Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Eufaula
Dominguez Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division Title
EUFAULA, Okla. (May 2, 2023) – Boater Bradley Sullivan of Shawnee, Oklahoma, caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 6 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Eufaula. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Okie Division. Sullivan earned $5,014 for his victory.
“I started out the day and I ran up north to Porum,” Sullivan said. “It was a long run, and it was pretty rough out there.
It was a super slow day for me,” Sullivan continued. “I caught a couple early on a jerkbait, and then I just had to slow down and drag. I had to slow way, way down. I was watching them on my (Garmin) LiveScope and those fish were not reacting to anything. I had to fish incredibly slow.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Bradley Sullivan, Shawnee, Okla., five bass, 17-6, $5,014
2nd: Chris Jones, Bokoshe, Okla., five bass, 15-9, $2,507
3rd: Chris Torkleson, Sand Springs, Okla., five bass, 15-8, $1,670
4th: Fred Fiedler, Fort Gibson, Okla., five bass, 15-7, $1170
5th: Lance Williams, Billings, Mo., five bass, 15-5, $961
5th: Dale Andrews, Jay, Okla., five bass, 15-5, $961
7th: Brad Ragsdale, Fairland, Okla., five bass, 15-2, $836
8th: Phillip Lunceford, Stigler, Okla., five bass, 15-1, $752
9th: Dalton Ross, Centerton, Ark., five bass, 14-15, $1,433
9th: Justin Lillie, Edmond, Okla., five bass, 14-13, $1,085 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Ross caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 12 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $765.
Blake Dominguez of Edmond, Oklahoma, won the Strike King co-angler division a total of $2,458 Saturday, after bringing four bass to the scale that weighed 12 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Blake Dominguez, Edmond, Okla., four bass, 12-10, $2,458
2nd: Tom Fink, Tulsa, Okla., three bass, 11-1, $1,229
3rd: Jon Ray, Owasso, Okla., four bass, 10-8, $817
4th: Arturo Baquera, Noble, Okla., five bass, 10-4, $723
5th: Chase Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., three bass, 9-12, $492
6th: Jim Kopff, Old Monroe, Mo., four bass, 9-5, $451
7th: Jason Brown, Miami, Okla., four bass, 9-0, $410
8th: Dylan Johnson, Miami, Okla., five bass, 8-11, $369
9th: Rick Blosser, Tulsa, Okla., three bass, 8-2, $328
10th: Joe Tucker, Osceloa, Mo., four bass, 8-1, $687
Steve Logan of Hugo, Oklahoma, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $375, catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Chris Jones of Bokoshe, Oklahoma, leads the BFL Okie Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 726 points, while Wes Ledbetter of Coweta, Oklahoma, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 705 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional tournament on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2023 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Barber Bests Field at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Ross Barnett Reservoir
Rasberry Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division Title
EUFAULA, Okla. (May 2, 2023) – Boater Joel Barber of Brandon, Mississippi, caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Ross Barnett Reservoir. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Mississippi Division. Barber earned $3,426 for his victory.
“I caught one probably 5 (pounds) and one 4 – both spawned out and skinny as a rail,” Barber said. “I caught them on a frog, fishing extremely slow. I didn’t catch a lot of fish, I only culled twice. But overall, it was a very good day and I really enjoyed it.”
Barber said that his two big fish came on the frog, but he also added a couple of keepers on a ChatterBait. He fished offshore, in just 3 to 4 feet of water targeting points in an area that had a couple of creeks flowing into it.
“I was throwing a (Heddon Zara) Spook and a big buzzbait, trying to get the big bite,” Barber said. “My co-angler probably caught 10 or 12 and he had a good shot at winning, but he couldn’t keep them on. They were jumping on him and he just missed them. I’m grateful that I was able to get the right ones in the boat.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Joel Barber, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 16-13, $3,426
2nd: Taurian Parks, Clinton, Miss., five bass, 16-3, $1,713
3rd: Alfred Williams, Jackson, Miss., five bass, 16-1, $1,141
4th: Jared Smith, Petal, Miss., five bass, 14-14, $799
5th: Doug Taylor, Booneville, Miss., five bass, 13-13, $685
6th: Christian Rushing, Wiggins, Miss., five bass, 13-9, $628
7th: Mike Jones, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 13-4, $542
7th: Todd Reed, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 13-4, $542
9th: Clint Pegg, Caledonia, Miss., five bass, 13-3, $1,927 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
10th: Mark Gwin, Tupelo, Miss., five bass, 12-15, $400
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Anthony Reid of Kenner, Louisiana, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces, to earn the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $430.
Anthony Rasberry of New Albany, Mississippi, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,909 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that weighed 13 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Anthony Rasberry, New Albany, Miss., five bass, 13-6, $1,909
2nd: Louis Stevens, Grenada, Miss., five bass, 13-1, $855
3rd: Troy Ladner, Bay Saint Louis, Miss., five bass, 11-14, $770
4th: Mitchell Bond, Collins, Miss., five bass, 11-11, $399
5th: Corey Carson, Blue Mountain, Miss., five bass, 11-3, $342
6th: Hunter Averett, Carriere, Miss., three bass, 11-1, $523
7th: Ryan Lecompte, Picayune, Miss., three bass, 9-12, $285
8th: Shawn Gaar, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 9-11, $256
9th: Shane Long, Pontotoc, Miss., three bass, 8-10, $228
10th: Buddy French, Monticello, Miss., four bass, 8-8, $199
Averett earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $210, catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Taurian Parks of Clinton, Mississippi, leads the BFL Mississippi Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 729 points, while Hunter Averett of Carriere, Mississippi, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 724 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Oklahoma. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2023 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Brown Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Center Hill Lake
Catalin Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division Title
SPARTA, Tenn. (May 2, 2023) – Boater Rodney Brown of Gainesboro, Tennessee, caught a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Center Hill Lake. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Music City Division. Brown earned $3,794 for his victory.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Rodney Brown, Gainesboro, Tenn., five bass, 15-14, $3,794
2nd: Josh Tramel, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 15-6, $1,897
3rd: Josh Womack, Gallatin, Tenn., five bass, 15-4, $1,265
4th: Jay Melton, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 15-1, $885
5th: Joey Mallicoat, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 14-8, $1,697 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
5th: Cody Mackie, McMinnville, Tenn., five bass, 14-8, $927
7th: Jeremy Walker, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 14-7, $632
8th: Zach Youngblood, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 14-0, $569
9th: Matt Underhill, Lascassas, Tenn., five bass, 13-10, $474
9th: Christian Nash, Allons, Tenn., five bass, 13-10, $474
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Braxton Campbell of McMinnville, Tennessee, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $495.
Pop Catalin of Cookeville, Tennessee, won the Strike King co-angler division a total of $1,605 Saturday, after bringing five bass each to the scale that weighed 16 pounds, 3 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Pop Catalin, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 16-3, $1,859
2nd: Robert Russell, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 13-3, $1,129
3rd: Richard Payne, Elkton, Ky., five bass, 12-12, $619
4th: Andrew Rogers, Bristol, Tenn., four bass, 11-6, $434
5th: John Carman, Berea, Ky., five bass, 10-13, $372
6th: Austin Mitchell, Antioch, Tenn., four bass, 9-15, $341
7th: Rocky Williams, Portland, Tenn., five bass, 9-10, $310
8th: Adam Radovic, Brecksville, Ohio, four bass, 8-5, $279
9th: Kenny Botts, Alvaton, Ky., three bass, 8-3, $490
10th: Kenny Manning, Westmoreland, Tenn., three bass, 8-2, $217
Botts earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $242, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 1 ounce – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Gavin Cloutier of Jonesboro, Tennessee, leads the BFL Music City Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 715 points, while Rocky Williams of Portland, Tennessee, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 730 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2023 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Rutland and Carden Secure Win Number Five at Lake Eufaula
By Jason Duran
Lake Eufaula was stop number three of five for the Alabama Bass Trail South Division. Lake Eufaula is known as the Big Bass Capital of the world. In the weeks leading up to this event teams were reporting tough fishing conditions. The fish for the most part were in a post spawn pattern. Lake levels were fluctuating and falling leading up to tournament morning. The team of Chris Rutland and Coby Carden came out on top with 20.63 pounds on a very stingy Lake Eufaula.
When it comes to raising up the ABT First place trophies and big checks, Rutland and Carden are no strangers. This win makes ABT number five for the pair. With this win it makes them the ABT winningest team in history. They were previously tied with another team with four wins. They have four wins on Lay Lake and one win on Lake Eufaula. The team shared “we have been close a couple times at winning on other lakes thanLay Lake but today was a good win.”
Chris shared, “We thought it would take 18-19 pounds to week Colby practiced for three days and found a good shad spawn. We had a late number boat draw and we were worried that the shad spawn would be over by the time we got there. Typically, it only lasts a little while.” The team continued, “This morning we started in the shad spawn area, and we caught two good onesthere.” Chris spent two and a half days just idling brush pilesmarking them and looking. We found lots of brush piles we had about a dozen that were new, big and green. The piles were in about 10-foot of water After we left the shad spawn area, we rotated those for about four hours caught about six fish doing that and weighed in four of those. We used a SPRO Frog, it is probably the best shad spawn bait on a grass lake like this.Fishing in the brush piles we used a William Davis Spinner bait and a William Davis Jig teamed up with 65-pound braid and 20-pound fluorocarbon line.” The team weighed in 20.63-Pounds for first place and collected a $10,000 pay day. This win also secures their spot in ABT Championship and moves them up to 5th place in the AOY Standings.
The second-place team of Blake Davenport and Zach Lightseycaught 19.39 Pounds. Blake shared “I started practicing on Wednesday found a shad spawn that we were kind of hoping would work for us, as the week went on it started to dissipate. So, I went to try and find some fish in the brush piles and spent two days and it didn’t work out either. On friday we went up into the back of a creek and found an area that had some good grass that seemed to be holding fish. We started fishing and we shook some off we knew we had a decent chance to catch 16-18 pounds. However, today that area really exceeded our expectations.” The team continues “today we spent the whole day in that area using a SPRO black popping frog and Crusher Lures black and blue swimming a jig.” They described this areaas “a channel swing on the main creek in about 3 feet of water with grass. The stretch took aid a bout an hour to fish though. With the water dropping it really helped us by pulling the fish out of the grass a little. This concentrated them more in the areawe were fishing. We just fished the same area over and over and the fish kept reloading every time we went through. We caught over 20 fish running that pattern today.” Their second-placefinish earned them a $5000 payday in this event.
Joey Davidson and Tullis Lanier finished in third-place with 19.25 pounds. They began Monday practicing separately for this event. They both had the opposite experience in practice. “We spent a lot of time flipping the shallow grass up the lake. The lake is way down and with the water continuing to fall it scared us. We didn’t know if the fish we found would still be there, but we got lucky, and they were. The used a unnamed creature bait in black and blue and caught around 20 fish all day. “We caught two big fish today doing the shad spawn shad spawn. We have not caught any fish all week on the shad spawn but today was when it counted.” A third-place finish earned them a $4,000 paycheck and some valuable AOY points moving them into 20thplace.
The top five standings are below for a complete list of standings please visit:
https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/lake-eufaula/results/
Download and listen to the ABT Podcast on your favorite Podcast app by searching for “Alabama Bass Trail Podcast.” The Podcast is released each week on Tuesday.
For Live coverage from this event and others visit https://www.youtube.com/@alabamabasstrailtv
TXTT Coming to Richland Chambers THIS WEEKEND!
Fuel The Fun This Summer
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Three Teams Advance from General Tire Team Series Builders First Source Qualifier
Team Fox Rent A Car (DeFoe-Poche-Jordon), Team Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff (Thrift-Scroggins-Gagliardi) and Team Builders First Source (Sprague-Tharp-Crochet) Advance to Team Series Championship
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (May 1, 2023) – The final episode of the Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Team Series Builders First Source Qualifier Presented by Berkley premiered Saturday, and three teams have now advanced to the Bass Pro Shops Championship Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches to compete for the $300,000 top prize. The first episode of the General Tire Team Series Bass Pro Shops Championship Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches will premiere this Saturday, May 6 on the Outdoor Channel at 2p-4p ET.
Team Fox Rent A Car (Ott DeFoe, Keith Poche and Kelly Jordon) advanced in Match 1 with 110 bass weighing 204 pounds, 1 ounce, as team captain Ott DeFoe led the way with 95-13 along with Keith Poche’s 64-11 and Kelly Jordon’s 43-9.
In Match 2, Team Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff & Pouches (Bryan Thrift, Terry Scroggins and Anthony Gagliardi) dominated to earn the victory by a margin of 42 pounds. Thrift was the top performer for Team Smokey Mountain, as the reigning REDCREST Champion caught 23 bass over the two days weighing 44 pounds, 4 ounces to pace his team.
In the third and final match, which premiered on Outdoor Channel this past weekend, Team Builders First Source (Jeff Sprague, Randall Tharp and Cliff Crochet) won a nailbiter over Team Ferguson. The Team Builders First Source squad weighed in 66 bass totaling 137 pounds, 12 ounces, edging Team Ferguson by just 1 pound, 13 ounces – the narrowest margin of victory this season on the General Tire Team Series.
The final results from Match 1 at the Builders First Source Qualifier Presented by Berkley in College Station, Texas, were:
1st: Team Fox Rent A Car, 110 bass, 204-1
Ott DeFoe, 46 bass, 95-13
Keith Poche, 39 bass, 64-11
Kelly Jordon, 25 bass, 43-9
2nd: Team Knighten Industries, 90 bass, 169-11
Casey Ashley, 26 bass, 57-14
Dean Rojas, 31 bass, 56-14
Takahiro Omori, 33 bass, 54-15
3rd: Team Kubota, 61 bass, 123-13
Cody Meyer, 21 bass, 42-7
Andy Montgomery, 21 bass, 41-15
James Watson, 19 bass, 39-7
The final results from Match 2 at the Builders First Source Qualifier Presented by Berkley in College Station, Texas, were:
1st: Team Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff & Pouches, 58 bass, 108-6
Bryan Thrift, 23 bass, 44-4
Terry Scroggins, 20 bass, 37-0
Anthony Gagliardi, 15 bass, 27-2
2nd: Team Crockett Creek, 34 bass, 65-13
Dustin Connell, 16 bass, 33-3
Cole Floyd, 10 bass, 19-5
Fred Roumbanis, eight bass, 13-5
3rd: Team B&W Trailer Hitches, 22 bass, 40-8
Russ Lane, eight bass, 13-15
Michael Neal, nine bass, 13-7
Paul Elias, five bass, 13-2
The final results from Match 3 at the Builders First Source Qualifier Presented by Berkley in College Station, Texas, were:
1st: Team Builders First Source, 66 bass, 137-12
Jeff Sprague, 35 bass, 67-1
Randall Tharp, 23 bass, 46-2
Cliff Crochet, eight bass, 24-9
2nd: Team Ferguson, 74 bass, 135-15
Mark Rose, 34 bass, 62-15
Jordan Lee, 23 bass, 44-14
Luke Clausen, 17 bass, 28-2
3rd: Team Star brite, 58 bass, 89-0
Bobby Lane, 22 bass, 34-7
Chris Lane, 22 bass, 32-9
Jimmy Washam, 14 bass, 22-0
Complete results along with photos from the events can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, for the entire week, there were 573 bass weighing 1,074 pounds, 15 ounces caught by the nine teams during three matches in the Builders First Source Qualifier Presented by Berkley in College Station, Texas.
The 2023 MLF General Tire Team Series Builders First Source Qualifier Presented by Berkley aired on the Outdoor Channel as six, two-hour original episodes each Saturday afternoon, debuting on March 25, 2023, and running through April 29, 2023.
The next General Tire Team Series event will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Saturday, May 6– the General Tire Team Series Bass Pro Shops Championship Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches. For a complete schedule of General Tire Team Series events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Builders First Source Qualifier Presented by Berkley was shot over six days in November and featured nine teams of three anglers visiting College Station to compete on private lakes in the area on each day of competition. The fisheries were unknown to the anglers – they did not learn where they were competing until they arrived at the launch ramp each morning of competition.
All six episodes of the General Tire Team Series Builders First Source Qualifier Presented by Berkley from College Station, Texas, are now available for viewing on the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) streaming app. The full television schedule can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Proud sponsors of the MLF General Tire Team Series include: B&W Hitches, Barbasol, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Builders FirstSource, C-MAP, Crockett Creek Beef Jerky, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Ferguson, General Tire, Knighten Industries, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Optima Batteries, Phoenix Boats, Power-Pole, Rapala Baits, Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff, Star brite, T-H Marine, Toyota, USAA, and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the MLF General Tire Team Series events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Lambert & Hollingshead win over $20,000 on Ray Roberts. Toledo Bend this weekend
Place Boat Truck Angler 1 Angler 2 Fish Big Bass Wt. Prize Amt. 1 BRANDEN HOLLINGSHEAD
AZLE , TXJEREMY LAMBERT
DECATUR , TX5 7.95 23.98
$20,700.00 with Garmin and Sure-Life Bonus 2 CRAIG DOWIS
DALLAS , TXTOMMY YATES
SCURRY , TX5 0 20.69
$4000.00 3 NICK BROWN
LINDALE , TXBYRON CHAVES
MINEOLA , TX5 0 20.63
$3250.00 4 DREW SLOAN
SCURRY , TXNOLAN JACKSON
ROYSE CITY , TX5 0 19.28
$2200.00 5 RYAN AUTERY
TERRELL , TXJAMIE WILLABY
CADDO MILLS , TX5 0 19.27
$2000.00 6 DON MCFARLIN
GORDENVILLE , TXJAMES FENNELL
GORDONVILLE , TX4 0 18.84
$1500.00 7 JUSTIN KELLEY
JOSHUA , TXRAY BOSQUEZ JR
FORT WORTH , TX5 0 18.79
$4,900.00 w/ Skeeter Bonus Cash , Fun n Sun Bonus 8 JD LAUGHERY
ROCKWALL , TXCOLTON LAUGHERY
ROCKWALL , TX5 0 18.40
$2,300.00 w/ Skeeter Bonus Cash 9 ZACHARY WYMER
HURST , TXDAVID WYMER
HALTOM CITY , TX4 0 18.09
$1200.00 10 KEITH TRIMBLE
TRINIDAD , TXTOM KRESSLEY
SHERMAN , TX5 0 17.83
$1100.00 11 BRYON HARRISON
QUINLAN , TXDIRK SMITH
CADDO MILLS , TX5 0 17.66
$1090.00 12 RANDY TURNER
GREENVILLE , TXTREY TURNER
ROYSE CITY , TX4 0 17.49
$1075.00 12 CODY MCBEE
DENTON , TXSTEVEN SCHOFIELD
DENTON , TX5 0 17.49
$1075.00 14 SCOTT BARNETT
MANSFIELD , TXSHANNON MCCALEB
JOSHUA , TX5 0 17.20
$1060.00 15 KEITH CARNEY
ARLINGTON , TXKEVIN CARNEY
ARLINGTON , TX4 8.09 16.75
$6,150.00 with James Wood Motors Bonus 16 KENNETH MOORE
RED OAK , TXCOLTON MOORE
MIDLOTHIAN , TX5 0 16.37
$1040.00 17 TIM CLINE
SHERMAN , TXRED MCPEEK
YANTIS , TX5 0 16.15
$1030.00 18 MICHAEL GROSSMAN
DALLAS , TXJAY KENDRICK
FORT WORTH , TX4 8.16 15.72
$1020.00 19 TREVOR ROMANS
CELINA , TXMATT MCMILLAN
FORT WORTH , TX5 0 15.52
$1,510.00 w/ Skeeter Bonus Cash 20 BRIAN HALL
BRONTE , TXSTEVE ELDRED JR
YANTIS , TX4 0 15.36
$1000.00 21 MARK BIONDI JR
BURLESON , TXMARK BIONDI SR
BURLESON , TX5 0 14.89
$1000.00 22 KEITH CULLUM
CORINTH , TXLANCE CULLUM
CORINTH , TX4 0 14.77
$950.00 23 CHRIS TILTON
WYLIE , TX5 0 14.73
$900.00 24 DAVID BURNHAM SR
TROPHY CLUB , TXSTEVE SANNER
EULESS , TX3 0 14.64
$900.00 25 GENE DEVORE
SHERMAN , TXTIMOTHY SMEAL
FORT WORTH , TX5 0 14.55
$900.00 26 BEAU SULLIVAN
ALEDO , TXJOE SWANEY
GAINESVILLE , TX5 0 14.27
$450.00 26 TERRY PEACOCK
ROYSE CITY , TXSCOTT DEAN
TERRELL , TX5 0 14.27
$450.00 28 MIKE BURNS
LUCAS , TXROB BURNS
PLANO , TX5 0 14.19
$100 Fun n Sun First Out Bonus 29 CLINT CLOPTON
LEWISVILLE , TXRANDALE DAVIS
SANGER , TX3 5.92 13.90
30 COREY WALDROP
FT WORTH , TXCRAIG WALDROP
BENBROOK , TX3 0 13.77
31 RICHARD OSBORN
CARROLLTON , TXCHRIS MCLAIN
SANGER , TX5 0 13.15
32 MARK SPURGIN
MCKINNEY , TXTYLER HOLMES
RICHARDSON , TX3 0 13.11
33 DENNIS HASTINGS
FLOWER MOUND , TXRONNIE SIMS
LEWISVILLE , TX5 0 13.02
34 ARCHIE HAYLEY
MT VERNON , TXGAGE IVEY
WINNSBORO , TX5 0 12.51
35 DUSTY FRANK
WAXAHACHIE , TXCOLLYN EASTHAM
RED OAK , TX5 0 12.38
36 SCOT MCDONALD
CELINA , TXKEITH KRZEMINSKI
AUBREY , TX4 0 12.31
37 KEVIN KOLB
GAINESVILLE , TXDAVID CAHAL
LONGVIEW , TX4 0 11.86
38 RYAN MULKEY
LEWISVILLE , TXROBERT MULKEY
LEWISVILLE , TX4 0 11.61
39 MATT MORTON
DALLAS , TXMICHAEL BURNSIDE
ANNA , TX4 0 11.52
40 NATHAN SPRABARY
SANGER , TXBILLY YOUNG
SANGER , TX3 0 11.46
41 VIRGIL KUYKENDALL
KEMP , TXDON KUYKENDALL
GUN BARRREL CITY , TX5 0 11.42
42 DON STAPLETON
YANTIS , TXHADEN SICKLES
SULPHUR SPRINGS , TX2 0 11.41
43 TRENT MENEES
NORTHLAKE , TXTERRY BOLLOM
FRISCO , TX4 0 11.06
44 ANDY HOWARD
MEXIA , TXJEFF LOONEY
TEAGUE , TX5 0 11.00
45 COLE TEMPLE
GRAPEVINE , TXSHAWN TEMPLE
KRUGERVILLE , TX3 0 10.96
46 KEITH BRYAN
DECATUR , TXBRIAN CLARK
HALTOM CITY , TX5 0 10.60
47 CHRIS SEMCHENKO
GARLAND , TXCHRISTOPHER DAGLEY
DENTON , TX3 0 10.59
48 KYLE SKOGLUND
DECATUR , TXKENT SKOGLUND
TIOGA , TX3 0 10.57
49 JOSH KEITHLEY
FORT WORTH , TXJUSTIN KEITHLEY
ARLINGTON , TX3 0 10.21
50 ALLEN SHELTON
FARMERS BRANCH , TXJOHN MCCALMONT
ROCKWALL , TX3 0 10.15
Palmer slams the door on Bassmaster Elite Series win at Santee Cooper Lakes
Luke Palmer of Coalgate, Okla., has won the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes with a four-day total of 96 pounds, 14 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
April 30, 2023
CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — At the Championship Sunday takeoff, an ominous weather forecast told of a coming storm. By day’s end, it was clear Luke Palmer was the storm.
Turning in an absolutely crushing final-round performance, the fifth-year pro from Coalgate, Okla., posted a four-day total of 96 pounds, 14 ounces to win the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes.
Palmer started the event strong with a Day 1 limit of 21-3 that put him in 10th place and followed with a second-round bag of 23-9 that moved him up to third. After adding 26-3 on Semifinal Saturday, Palmer slammed the door on the victory with a massive limit of 25-15 on Championship Sunday.
He earned his first blue trophy and the $100,000 first-place prize, besting second-place angler Mark Menendez (82-11) by a whopping margin of 14-3.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to hear you say that,” Palmer told Bassmaster Emcee Dave Mercer after his ‘Elite Series Champion’ announcement. “I was so close to doing it last year, to finally get it done — I wanted to break 100 pounds, but I’ll take 96-14.”
Notably, Palmer’s winning margin was the sixth-largest in Bassmaster history. The victory, Palmer said, provided an important shot of confidence.
“This is special,” said Palmer, who finished fourth in the 2022 Elite on Santee Cooper. “You work your whole life and you start second guessing yourself and you wonder ‘Am I good enough to do it?’ I was good one time and one time is better than no time.”
Anchoring his final bag with a 7-5 Santee Cooper stud, Palmer was the only angler to catch a limit every day of the event. The final day would bring significant limitations, but Palmer outpaced the impediments.
After three relatively calm days, Championship Sunday dawned damp from overnight/early morning showers. The mid- to late morning period saw a mix of sun and threatening clouds, with a daunting weather system unleashing substantial rain and strong winds from about noon through the end of the fishing day.
Fortunately, Palmer got all of his work done early. According to BassTrakk’s unofficial standings, he had his weight at 10:05.
Spending all four days on Lake Marion’s southwest side, Palmer’s main technique was old school — big rod, heavy line and flipping to cypress trees. In the early going, he threw a bladed jig with a Gene Larew Long John Minnow through the eelgrass, but switching techniques late on the first day ignited his run to the top.
“It took me until 1:30 of Day 1 to realize what was happening,” Palmer said. “It had warmed up; we finally got some sun. It seems those fish were staging out in that eelgrass (during practice) to go up and spawn on those trees.
“When that sun came out and it warmed up, those fish went ahead and moved to the trees.”
Arming himself with a 7-foot-3 heavy action Falcon Amistad rod with a high-speed reel spooled with 20-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon, Palmer flipped a YUM Wooly Bug and a YUM Bad Mamma, both Texas-rigged with a 3/16- or 5/16-ounce Rougarou Tungsten weight, depending on depth.
With thousands of cypress trees spread throughout Marion, Palmer focused on the ones closest to deep water. Knowing the tournament fell at the tail end of the Santee Cooper spawn, he fished the zone most likely to host the late spawners.
Palmer said his Power-Poles allowed him to hold in perfect position, while his Humminbird MEGA Live forward-facing sonar provided a clear picture of what each tree held. Finding the particular “sweet spot” on each tree he fished was the key to triggering bites from territorial bass.
Menendez, the tenured pro from Paducah, Ky., got off to a good start with a sixth-place limit of 21-14. A Day 2 stumble left him with only four fish for 9-7 and dropped him to 34th place.
Menendez rebounded on Semifinal Saturday by weighing 27-13 — the event’s second-heaviest bag. That pushed Menendez up from 34th place to fourth. He gained two more spots with a final-round limit of 23-9.
“I knew Day 2 would come back to haunt me,” Menendez said. “Anytime you don’t fill a limit, it generally does. I’m really kicking myself because I fished right over those fish on Day 2. I wanted to make sure I made the 50 cut so I could fish Day 3 and I fished too fast.
“I got back to my area on Day 3 and I slowed down. It was just a slow process. You’d male lots of casts and all of a sudden, you’d get a bite and you were off to the races. Sometimes you’d catch a whopper, sometimes it was a double whopper.”
Menendez caught some of his bass on a Strike King 4.0 squarebill, but he did most of his work with a Texas-rigged Strike King Rage Cut-R-Worm in the junebug color. Proximity was key, as Menendez said he had to hit the base of a tree to trigger a bite.
Drew Cook of Cairo, Ga., finished third with 74-9. The 2022 Santee Cooper Elite winner, he turned in daily limits that weighed 21-13, 17-12, 23-4 and 11-12.
Despite this year’s event falling considerably later in the season, Cook remained committed to the sight-fishing techniques that delivered his first Elite win. He caught his bass on a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog and the Big Bite Baits Quarantine Craw that he designed — both Texas rigged.
“I can’t complain at all,” he said. “I’ve done exactly what I’ve wanted to do in the last two events (including a seventh place at last week’s Elite at Lake Murray).
“Today, with the weather like it was, I made the decision to stay in Taw Caw Creek (where daily takeoffs occurred). I had seven bites today and caught four.”
Brandon Cobb of Greenwood, S.C., took home an additional $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program while ninth-place finisher Jacob Powroznik of North Prince George, Va., earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Menendez earned an additional $2,500 as the highest-placing entrant and Cook claimed an additional $1,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
Palmer earned the $1,000 daily bonus for catching the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day with his 7-5, while David Gaston of Sylacauga, Ala., earned Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week — an honor that pays $2,000 — with the 8-5 he caught on Day 1.
Matt Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., won the $2,000 VMC Monster Bag of the Week with his 28-1 limit from Thursday’s opening round.
Veteran pro Clifford Pirch of Payson, Ariz., won the $1,000 BassTrakk contingency award for the most accurate weight reporting.
After three events, Cobb leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 387 points. Cook is in second with 369 points, followed by Tyler Rivet of Raceland, La., with 349, Carl Jocumsen of Queensland, Australia, with 335 and Kyle Welcher of Opelika, Ala., with 333.
Bryant Smith of Roseville, Calif., leads the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings with 300 points.
2023 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes 4/27-4/30
Santee Cooper Lakes, Clarendon County SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 20 96-14 104 $101,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 5 23-09 Day 3: 5 26-03 Day 4: 5 25-15
2. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 19 82-11 103 $35,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 4 09-07 Day 3: 5 27-13 Day 4: 5 23-09
3. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 19 74-09 102 $30,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 17-12 Day 3: 5 23-04 Day 4: 4 11-12
4. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 18 74-07 101 $27,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 24-15 Day 3: 5 21-08 Day 4: 3 07-00
5. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 17 68-15 100 $20,000.00
Day 1: 4 21-14 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 5 21-11 Day 4: 3 11-01
6. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 16 67-02 99 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 25-10 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 4 15-08 Day 4: 2 10-01
7. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 15 60-13 98 $18,000.00
Day 1: 5 26-15 Day 2: 3 09-10 Day 3: 4 18-00 Day 4: 3 06-04
8. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 15 58-09 97 $17,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 22-03 Day 3: 3 12-01 Day 4: 2 06-07
9. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 15 55-10 96 $16,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 20-12 Day 3: 5 16-14 Day 4: 0 00-00
10. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 12 54-04 95 $17,000.00
Day 1: 5 28-01 Day 2: 5 21-13 Day 3: 2 04-06 Day 4: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 08-05 $1,000.00
2 Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 07-11 $1,000.00
3 Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 07-10 $1,000.00
4 Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 07-05 $1,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 08-05 $2,000.00
VMC MONSTER BAG
Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 28-01 $2,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 72 450 1465-12
2 54 413 1295-04
3 27 203 646-13
4 2 27 102-01
----------------------------------
155 1093 3509-14
Palmer powers into lead at Bassmaster Elite Series event on Santee Cooper Lakes
Luke Palmer of Coalgate, Okla., is leading after Day 3 of the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes with a three-day total of 70 pounds, 15 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
April 29, 2023
CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — Building on the momentum he established through a Friday adjustment, Luke Palmer stepped on the gas to sack up a Semifinal Saturday limit of 26 pounds, 3 ounces. He took over the lead at the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes with a three-day total of 70-15.
A fifth-year Elite from Coalgate, Okla., Palmer holds a lead of 3-8 over South Carolina’s Brandon Cobb (67-7) heading into Championship Sunday with a $100,000 first-place prize on the line.
“It has been a week; things have finally gone right,” said Palmer, who finished fourth at last year’s Elite at Santee Cooper. “I’ve never led one. It dang sure feels good, I’m not gonna lie about that.”
Palmer placed 10th during Thursday’s opening round with 21-3 and then moved into third with a Friday limit of 23-9.
Friday’s round saw Palmer abandon a bladed jig in favor of flipping a Texas-rigged YUM Wooly Bug with a 3/16- to 5/16-ounce weight. On Saturday, he did most of his work with that bait, along with a YUM Bad Mamma on the same rig.
“Even when you’re struggling, it’s one flip away here,” Palmer said. “I’ve gotten to put those Falcon Rods to work. I’ve gotten to do it my way and I’ve gotten to enjoy it.”
Fishing the southwest side of Lake Marion, Palmer was mainly looking for spawning bass around cypress trees skirted with eelgrass. Gaps between a tree and grass were the most consistent, but Day 2 showed him the need for specificity.
“You gotta find the sweet spot,” he said. “When you find that sweet spot, it’s over. My biggest one this morning, I spent 25 minutes on her. I finally figured out the spot and the angle and once I did, it took me five minutes to catch her.”
Palmer said Sunday’s game plan could find him running new water, with the idea that the fish he caught Saturday were spawners.
“The trees I’m fishing are kind of sporadic,” he said. “I caught one of my fish today off a tree I’ve never fished in my life, and I’ve fished here for four years. I think I need to move around more tomorrow and come across new pairs (of spawning fish). I didn’t move around enough today.”
After two days of mostly dimmer skies and breezy conditions, Day 3 brought a sunny, calm complexion that seemed to favor Palmer’s plan. Despite the ideal setup, Palmer said a slow period prompted him to throw a jerkbait and a drop shot with a YUM Finesse Worm.
“I caught three or four fish (on those baits), so that was crucial for me — one of them was a big one,” Palmer said. “I had a big one come up on the jerkbait and if I could have caught her, it would have been (a big help). Hopefully, that fish is there tomorrow.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s forecast for thunderstorms and strong winds, Palmer believes his positioning could protect him. Nevertheless, he’s prepared to make a key adjustment to overcome any weather interference.
“We’ll see how it’s going to pan out tomorrow with the wind that’s forecast,” Palmer said. “I might just throw a heavier weight so I can crack ‘em harder.”
Cobb remained in second place after adding 21-8 to his previous two bags that went 21-0 and 24-15.
Having earned Top 10 finishes in the previous three Elite Series events — including a third place at the season opener on Lake Okeechobee — and placing 20th at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota, Cobb is riding an unparalleled wave of momentum.
“This is my 10th year of professional fishing and I’ve never had a start like this,” he said. “Everything is going right and when you get on a streak, you have to keep riding it. I’m enjoying every minute.”
Cobb is committed to throwing a wacky-rigged green pumpkin Zoom Fluke Stick around cypress trees. Same as Day 2, he said he only got eight bites, but he’s obviously around the right quality.
“Every day, I think I’m out of fish and then I end up getting two or three big bites,” Cobb said. “I get to go again tomorrow, so hopefully there are at least five big bites to catch because it’s going to take a big bag to win.”
Drew Cook of Cairo, Ga., who won last year’s event, is third with 62-13. He’s had daily weights of 21-13, 17-12 and 23-4. Anchoring his Day 3 bag with a 7-pounder, Cook has spent most of his time sight fishing — the same way he won in 2022.
When Bassmaster Emcee Dave Mercer asked Cook if he believed the general consensus that the Santee Cooper sight-fishing game was virtually done, Cook’s response was emphatic.
“It ain’t over until I say it’s over!” Cook quipped. “There are five left out there — I know, but they’re few and far between.
“I did a whole lot of trolling today and don’t have a whole lot to go to tomorrow. I was fortunate enough to find a 5- and a 7-pounder today. I love this place.”
Cook, the 2019 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year, caught his bass by flipping a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog and the Big Bite Baits Quarantine Craw that he designed.
Paul Mueller of Naugatuck, Conn., earned the $1,000 daily bonus for catching the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day with his 7-10. David Gaston of Sylacauga, Ala., leads the race for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week — an honor that pays $2,000 — with the 8-5 he caught on Day 1.
Matt Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., had his toughest day of the week with only two bass that weighed 4-6, falling from first place to ninth. But he still leads the race for VMC Monster Bag of the Week with his 28-1 limit from Thursday’s opening round.
Cobb leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 389 points. Cook is in second with 369 points, followed by Tyler Rivet of Raceland, La., with 349, Carl Jocumsen of Queensland, Australia, with 335 and Kyle Welcher of Opelika, Ala., with 333.
Gaston leads the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings with 299 points.
The Top 10 remaining anglers will take off at 7 a.m. ET Sunday from John C. Land III Sport Fishing Facility. The weigh-in will be held at the facility at 3 p.m. FS1 will broadcast live with the tournament leaders from 8-11 a.m. Live coverage will transition to Bassmaster.com afterward.
2023 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes 4/27-4/30
Santee Cooper Lakes, Clarendon County SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 15 70-15 104
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 5 23-09 Day 3: 5 26-03
2. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 15 67-07 103 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 24-15 Day 3: 5 21-08
3. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 15 62-13 102
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 17-12 Day 3: 5 23-04
4. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 14 59-02 101
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 4 09-07 Day 3: 5 27-13
5. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 14 57-14 100
Day 1: 4 21-14 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 5 21-11
6. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 14 57-01 99 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 25-10 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 4 15-08
7. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 15 55-10 98
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 20-12 Day 3: 5 16-14
8. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 12 54-09 97
Day 1: 5 26-15 Day 2: 3 09-10 Day 3: 4 18-00
9. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 12 54-04 96
Day 1: 5 28-01 Day 2: 5 21-13 Day 3: 2 04-06
10. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 13 52-02 95
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 22-03 Day 3: 3 12-01
11. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 15 52-00 94 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 18-13 Day 3: 5 19-02
12. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 14 51-11 93 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 4 15-02
13. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 14 51-01 92 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 09-06 Day 2: 5 22-05 Day 3: 5 19-06
14. Darold Gleason Many, LA 15 49-15 91 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-08 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 15-02
15. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 14 49-08 90 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 20-05 Day 3: 4 15-02
16. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 13 48-13 89 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 3 15-10 Day 3: 5 14-06
17. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 15 48-12 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 19-00 Day 3: 5 09-05
18. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 15 47-07 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 13-11 Day 3: 5 16-00
19. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 15 47-06 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 20-09 Day 3: 5 17-04
20. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Aichi JAPAN 15 45-14 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 15-06 Day 3: 5 11-02
21. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 13 45-06 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 3 14-08
22. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 14 45-05 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 4 14-07 Day 3: 5 13-03
23. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 14 45-02 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 4 09-13
24. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 14 45-02 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 4 15-03 Day 3: 5 14-07
25. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 15 45-01 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 09-12 Day 3: 5 17-03
26. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 15 45-01 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 5 10-05
27. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 12 45-00 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 23-05 Day 3: 2 05-08
28. John Cox DeBary, FL 15 45-00 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 10-15 Day 3: 5 14-09
29. Jason Christie Dry Creek, OK 13 44-15 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 22-07 Day 3: 3 10-15
30. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 14 44-15 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 17-10 Day 3: 4 11-12
31. Cooper Gallant Bowmanville Ontario CAN 15 44-10 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 20-14 Day 3: 5 10-12
32. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 15 44-09 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 17-01 Day 3: 5 15-03
33. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 15 44-03 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 16-09 Day 3: 5 15-15
34. Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ 15 43-14 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 5 15-03
35. Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 15 43-08 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 14-00 Day 3: 5 13-03
36. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 13 43-07 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 3 13-02
37. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 15 43-02 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 16-07 Day 3: 5 15-03
38. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 13 42-09 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-11 Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 3 06-04
39. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 15 42-07 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 11-02 Day 3: 5 12-04
40. Seth Feider New Market, MN 14 42-07 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 4 14-06 Day 3: 5 13-10
41. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 13 42-03 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-00 Day 2: 4 12-09 Day 3: 4 06-10
42. Jeff Gustafson Kenora, Ontario CANADA 14 41-11 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 4 10-13
43. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 12 40-06 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 4 14-11 Day 3: 3 07-11
44. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 12 39-08 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 12-04 Day 2: 5 19-11 Day 3: 3 07-09
45. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 12 38-06 60 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 2 03-08
46. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 13 36-07 59 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 3 04-09
47. Cole Sands Calhoun, TN 13 35-07 58 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 11-03 Day 3: 3 06-07
48. Kyle Norsetter Cottage Grove, WI 8 35-00 57 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 24-13 Day 2: 2 07-07 Day 3: 1 02-12
49. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 12 33-08 56 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 16-09 Day 3: 2 04-13
50. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 9 32-12 55 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 18-01 Day 2: 5 14-11 Day 3: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 08-05 $1,000.00
2 Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 07-11 $1,000.00
3 Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 07-10 $1,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 72 450 1465-12
2 54 413 1295-04
3 27 203 646-13
----------------------------------
153 1066 3407-13
Alton Jones Jr. Wins Major League Fishing’s 2023 General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops to Earn $100K, Thrift Catches $100K Big Bass
Two Years After Father Wins Event, Jr. Catches 19 Bass Weighing 81 Pounds, 15 Ounces to Dominate Championship Round and Win $100,000 Top Prize, Thrift Lands 9-6 Largemouth to Earn $100,000 Big Bass Bonus
MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (April 29, 2023) – It’s safe to say that the Jones’ love the Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops all-star event. Two years ago, at Heavy Hitters 2021, Alton Jones, Sr., of Lorena, Texas , put on a sight-fishing clinic at North Carolina’s Shearon Harris Reservoir to earn the Heavy Hitters title belt and the top payout of $100,000. At Heavy Hitters 2022, his son Alton Jones, Jr., didn’t win the title belt, but he was the big winner at the event, as the Waco, Texas pro weighed the biggest bass in both the Knockout and Championship Rounds to earn the $50,000 and $100,000 Big Bass Bonuses and walk away from the event with $165,000 in winnings.
On Saturday, Alton Jr. got his title belt.
Jones weighed in 19 scorable bass Saturday weighing 81 pounds, 15 ounces – a whopping 59 pounds higher than his closest competitor – to run away with the 2023 title and win the General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops.
The victory was the second major MLF win of the younger Jones’ career.
“Man, what a day,” Jones said in his post-game interview. “Everything went right. I felt really good about my chances when I got to Bussey, flipping the willows with a white Geecrack Bellows Shad. I had one little stretch of cypress trees that I really wanted to fish. After spending the first period in another area I decided to roll over there and fish it.
“I was going to fish that one stretch for just a little bit, but then I caught one,” Jones continued. “Then I caught a short, and then lost one. I kept making these marks for myself as I’m moving down the bank – I’m going to fish 10 more trees and if I don’t get a bite, I’m out – and then I’d catch one. Then another one. After the fifth or sixth bite I figured okay, maybe I’m not going to be leaving this today. And we didn’t.”
Jones boated 19 scorable bass – for comparison, the other nine competitors only caught 21 bass combined. The key techniques for Jones was flipping the Geecrack Bellows Shad and also throwing a spinnerbait with the Bellow Shad as a trailer.
“I did several things today, but the main staple – every bass I caught today came in some way, shape, or form on the Geecrack Bellows Shad,” Jones said. “I was flipping it in the willows, and when I got around those cypress trees I was throwing it on the back of a spinnerbait as a trailer. I caught them on my signature series Kistler Chungus rod – it’s just appropriate, catching chungus’ on the Chungus. I used 20-pound Gamma (fluorocarbon line).
“What a week,” Jones went on to say. “It was such a grind, so difficult just to make it to Bussey Brake. To trick those bass on Caney to get here, then catching them the way I like to catch them. On my own bait, on my own rod. This week has just been a magical, magical experience.”
Also adding to his trophy case this week, and his bank account, is reigning MLF REDCREST Champion Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina. Although Thrift boated just one scorable bass Saturday, it was the right one. Thrift caught a 9-pound, 6-once giant in Period 2 flipping a jig to win the Heavy Hitters $100,000 Championship Round Berkley Big Bass.
“I had one bite all day long, and it was for 100 grand,” Thrift said in his post-game interview. “Wow, that is just unreal. I caught it flipping, and I’m not a very good flipper. I don’t like flipping at all. So I have to give credit to my equipment. I was flipping a 7-foot, 6-inch (Original) Hydrilla (Grass Flippin’) rod from Fitzgerald Fishing with a Fitzgerald Fishing VLD10 reel. I was throwing 25-pound P-Line (Tactical) 100% fluorocarbon line, flipping a ¾ ounce weight with a punch skirt to get that one big bite. And it worked out. We didn’t get many bites, but we got the right one.”
The top 10 pros from the General Tire Heavy Hitters Championship Round on Bussey Brake finished:
1st: Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, 19 bass, 81-15, $100,000
2nd: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 22-15, $50,000
3rd: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., four bass, 15-0, $20,000
4th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., three bass, 13-9, $68,000
5th: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., two bass, 11-2, $15,000
6th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., two bass, 10-11, $14,500
7th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., one bass, 9-6, $113,500
8th: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., two bass, 7-3, $12,500
9th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., one bass, 3-10, $36,000
10th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., one bass, 3-2, $8,000
Full results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 40 scorable bass weighing 178 pounds, 9 ounces caught by the final 10 pros in Saturday’s Championship Round. A bass had to weigh at least 3 pounds to be deemed scorable in the Championship Round.
The six-day General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops all-star event was hosted by Discover Monroe-West Monroe and the Louisiana Office of Tourism and showcased the top 30 pros that qualified via the Bass Pro Tour competing in a no-entry fee tournament for a purse of more than $500,000, including numerous massive Big Bass Bonuses and a payout of $100,000 to the winner.
Different from Bass Pro Tour regular-season events, General Tire Heavy Hitters featured anglers competing using the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format in which anglers catch as many scorable bass and as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. A bass must have met the 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, and at least 3 pounds to be deemed scorable in the Championship Round.
Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2023 Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Aug. 5 and running each Saturday through Sept. 9 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Event include: Abu Garcia, B&W Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Builders First Source, Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, NITRO Boats, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Plano, Power-Pole, Shore Lunch, StarBrite, Sqwincher, T-H Marine, Toyota, United States Airforce, Yellowstone Bourbon, and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Iaconelli Reinvigorated
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
After enduring one of the worst seasons of his professional fishing career in 2022, Team Toyota pro Mike Iaconelli came into this year with a different mindset for the Bassmaster Elite Series. After reflecting on last year’s challenges with his wife Becky, Iaconelli set a simple but difficult goal of making every top 50 cut of the 2023 Elite Series season.
We’re now four tournaments into the season and so far, Iaconelli has accomplished his lofty goal. He’s earned a paycheck and fished every semifinal Saturday of Elite Series competition, which has Ike firmly in the top ten of the Angler of the Year standings and perhaps more importantly, he’s having fun.
“I think last year I was trying to overachieve,” Iaconelli said. “I was trying to win every event instead of just finding groups of fish in practice and focusing on consistency, which has been a huge strength throughout my career. This year I’ve recalibrated all that and man, it feels great.”
Iaconelli spent a lot of time analyzing his efforts last year during the offseason and came to two conclusions. He feels he was putting too much pressure on himself and secondly, he admits he may have gotten too complacent when it came to the work he was putting in off the water for each tournament.
Both elements have a way of stripping the fun out of tournament fishing and complicating the delicate mental side of this sport that is crucial in the outcome of not only every event, but every single day on the water.
“Last year was my return to the Elite Series and I was excited,” Iaconelli reflected. “I wanted to show out and put myself in position to win each tournament but that backfired for my fishing style. Subconsciously I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. On top of that, I was trying to fall back on history instead of breaking things down and fishing the moment. I got complacent. I think that probably comes with age, but it absolutely didn’t work for me. This year I’ve gotten back to basics.”
Iaconelli has spent a few days pre-practicing every fishery on the schedule this year before they went off-limits to competitors. He credits this extra effort for a lot of success earlier in his career but is something didn’t do at all in 2022. In Ike’s defense, he has a lot more responsibilities at this point in his life than he did in his twenties and thirties.
He’s a father and a husband, runs the Ike Live podcast, The Ike Foundation, and the Bass University with Becky and team, is extremely active for his sponsors, and he’s built a larger-than-life persona on social media that requires a lot of time to maintain. It’s hard to blame the Yamaha Outboards pro for spending a little less time grinding like he did in his youth.
The stark contrast between 2022 and 2023 for Iaconelli is a great example for anglers of all levels to take time to evaluate your efforts on the water. Celebrate the good, but you can’t avoid the bad and don’t be afraid to make a change if you feel like you aren’t fishing to your full potential. Above all, make sure you enjoy yourself.
“I got into this because I love it and I feel like I’m fifteen years old every time I catch a fish,” Iaconelli smiled. “When fishing doesn’t feel fun, there is a serious problem and that’s where I was last year. It’s a rut that’s easy to fall into when you expect too much out of yourself. So, learn from me… don’t do that! Focus on having fun, fish the moment, and let the result happen instead of trying to force it.”
Iaconelli’s bounce back this season has been super impressive but not shocking if you’ve followed his career closely. His work ethic and passion for fishing are unique even amongst his peers and helped him reach the pinnacle of the sport when he began his professional fishing journey. Now that he is reinvigorated it is no surprise to see Ike consistently finish near the top of the leaderboard, where he belongs.
Major League Fishing Pros, Experts and Local Celebrities Rally for Fish Habitat Restoration at Lake Claiborne
MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (April 29, 2023) –Bass Pro Tour anglers Dakota Ebare, Gary Klein and Kevin VanDam spent their off day from the General Tires Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops Tuesday building MossBack Fish Habitat artificial structure on Louisiana’s Lake Claiborne as part of the Minn Kota Habitat Restoration Project supported by Humminbird.
The anglers joined District 1 and 2 officers from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fish (LDWF) for the project, along with the Claiborne Parish Watershed District Commission (CPWDC), Duck Dynasty star John Godwin and Steven Bardin, director of the MLF Fisheries Management Division in partnership with Berkley Labs.
“Being a part of this project and seeing everyone’s commitment to improving Louisiana fisheries is exciting, especially for me growing up in the state,” Ebare said.
Lake Claiborne is one of the deeper reservoirs in Louisiana. It covers 6,400 acres and is limited in habitat to sparse vegetation and older timber. Over the past several years, the CPWDC and LDWF have been collaborating on improving the habitat, largemouth bass genetics and forage in the reservoir.
Since 2018, the CPWDC has funded the stocking of 80,000 Florida-strain largemouth bass fingerlings annually. They’ve also stocked 20,000 bluegill sunfish for forage. In 2022, they hosted a “Reef Rodeo,” providing 200 unused Christmas trees to local anglers to create brush piles. In 2023, CPWDC began collecting fin samples to assess genetics of their bass population and implemented a Lunker Bass Free Replica program for any angler who catches a fish over 10 pounds, certifies it and releases it.
The Minn Kota Habitat Restoration project supported by Humminbird provided the LDWF and CPWDC an opportunity to improve habitat on a larger scale with products that will not decay. The group built over 80 structures provided by MossBack, including 14 40-inch Conservation Cubes, 23 20-inch Root Wads, 25 60-inch Trophy Tree XL units, 18 Safe Haven XL units, and 15 John Godwin Crappie Towers. The structures were deployed in groups of three to five units in water depths from 6 to 12 feet.
The exact GPS locations will be available on the CPWDC and LDWF websites in the coming weeks.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the MLF Fisheries Management Division, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com/fisheries-management. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Howell Catches $50K Big Bass and Wins Knockout Round at Major League Fishing’s General Tire Heavy Hitters
Guntersville, Alabama Pro Catches 6-Pound, 4-Ounce Largemouth to Win $50K Knockout Round Big Bass Award, Final 10 Anglers Set for Saturday’s Championship Round
MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (April 28, 2023) – Pro Randy Howell of Guntersville, Alabama, caught a 6-pound, 4-ounce largemouth Friday afternoon on Caney Creek Reservoir – the largest bass weighed on the day – to win the $50,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus at the Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops . Howell finished the day in first place with a total of eight bass weighing 29-4 and along with the top eight finishers now earns his way into Saturday’s final-day Championship Round on Bussey Brake and a shot at the $100,000 top prize, along with the $100,000 Big Bass Bonus.
The six-day all-star event, hosted by Discover Monroe-West Monroe and the Louisiana Office of Tourism, showcases the top 30 pros that qualified via the Bass Pro Tour competing in a no-entry fee tournament for a purse of more than $500,000, including numerous massive Big Bass Bonuses and a payout of $100,000 to the winner.
“Man, that was fun,” Howell said in his post-game interview. “I’ve had so many days lately that aren’t fun. Days that just don’t go right. This year at the Bass Pro Tour at Douglas Lake I was in first place after the first day, and I fell all the way to 21st place and was the first one out of the cut. All I had to do was catch one little scorable bass, and for two hours I couldn’t catch one. So, days like that are the days that frustrate you, but days like today are what make it all worth it.
“It’s been a lot of fun today – it was a sight-fishing day for us,” Howell continued. “We got one this morning, just roaming, on shad, and then the rest of the day was spent sight fishing. I think we caught everything today on the (Yamamoto) Flappin’ Hog and one on a lizard. But the Flappin’ Hog has been the deal.”
When Howell caught his 6-pound, 4-ounce Big Bass in Period 2, he had no idea that it would hold up to be the Knockout Round $50,000 Big Bass Winner.
“I was just roaming around, finding a new fish here and there,” Howell said. “I caught that 6-4 and I really didn’t have any idea that would win $50k today. Dakota (Ebare) had caught two 9s (pounders), and there had been 8s caught every day. So, to win with a 6-4 just shows you how tough the fishing was, with the conditions today. I’ve never won that much money for a big fish, before. That is incredible.
“To get the opportunity to go to Bussey Brake tomorrow is just so awesome. I probably worked harder, mentally, on this event than I ever have before, just trying to make sure I got there. And every day, I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it. I told my wife last night – I really don’t know what I’m going to do today, but I’m going to pray and trust the Lord, and hopefully just get the right feeling and go to the right place at the right time. And man, it was just a perfect day. I’m so thankful.”
With the Knockout Round now complete, the anglers that finished in 1st through 8th place advance to Saturday’s Championship Round. The Championship Round will feature Group A Qualifying Round winner Bryan Thrift, Group B Qualifying Round Winner Brent Ehrler, and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000 along with the $100,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus.
The top eight pros from the Knockout Round that advance to Saturday’s Championship Round on Bussey Brake are:
1st: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., eight bass, 29-4
2nd: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 10 bass, 28-10
3rd: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., seven bass, 23-0
4th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 17-9
5th: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., four bass, 13-13
6th: Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, four bass, 12-5
7th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., four bass, 10-15
8th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., three bass, 10-7
They’ll be joined by Qualifying Round Winners:
Group A: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C.
Group B: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif.
Eliminated from competition after the Knockout Round on Caney Creek Reservoir are:
9th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., three bass, 8-11
10th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., two bass, 6-12
11th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., two bass, 4-4
12th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., one bass, 2-12
13th: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., one bass, 2-2
14th: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., zero bass, 0-0
Full results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 54 bass weighing 170 pounds, 8 ounces caught by 13 pros on Friday, which included two six 6-pounders and three 5-pounders caught from Caney Creek Reservoir.
Berkley Big Bass Bonus Award Winners:
Qualifying Round Group A: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas (9-5), $25,000
Qualifying Round Group B: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala. (8-5), $25,000
Knockout Round: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala. (6-4), $50,000
Championship Round: TBD, $100,000
The final 10 anglers will launch at Bussey Brake on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. CT from Bonner Ferry Road, located five miles northwest of Bastrop off of Highway 593. Fans are welcome to attend the launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
On Championship Saturday, April 29, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF will welcome fans of all ages to visit the Bussey Brake boat ramp located at 5373 Boat Dock Road in Bastrop, to celebrate the top 10 and crown the 2023 General Tire Heavy Hitters Champion at the Watch Party and Trophy Presentation. The final 10 Heavy Hitters Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, and take selfies.
Different from Bass Pro Tour regular-season events, General Tire Heavy Hitters features anglers competing using the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format in which anglers catch as many scorable bass and as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. A bass must meet the 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, but for the final day Championship Round a bass must weigh at least 3 pounds to be deemed scorable.
To qualify for General Tire Heavy Hitters, the weight of an angler’s single-largest bass from each event of the seven 2022 Bass Pro Tour events was recorded. The 30 anglers with the heaviest total from those seven bass qualified to compete in this event.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on each day of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2023 Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Aug. 5 and running each Saturday through Sept. 9 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Event include: Abu Garcia, B&W Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Builders First Source, Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, NITRO Boats, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Plano, Power-Pole, Shore Lunch, StarBrite, Sqwincher, T-H Marine, Toyota, United States Airforce, Yellowstone Bourbon, and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Robertson extends lead at Bassmaster Elite Series event on Santee Cooper Lakes
Matt Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., is leading after Day 2 of the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes with a two-day total of 49 pounds, 14 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
April 28, 2023
CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — Matt Robertson was crystal clear about his goals. He’s fishing for big bites and he’s in it to win it.
Sticking to his guns, the third-year Elite from Kuttawa, Ky., powered through a dry spell Friday and retained his lead at the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes with a five-bass limit that weighed 21 pounds, 13 ounces. His leading two-day total is 49-14.
Robertson set the opening mark Thursday with the current VMC Monster Bag of the Week — a 28-1 limit.
“I feel pretty good about it,” said Robertson, who holds nearly a 4-pound lead over South Carolina pro Brandon Cobb (45-15). “I’m just going out there and fishing how I like to fish.
“I had a bad four hours on the boat today, but I don’t think I said a cuss word all day.”
Prior to his midday dry spell, Robertson kicked off his day by mirroring the game plan that anchored his opening-round effort — hitting the shad spawn in Lake Marion with a giant swimbait.
“You have options for a shad spawn, but we’re on a lake with big fish so we’re fishing for big fish this week. We’re going to try and win this thing,” Robertson said. “Yesterday, I spent about an hour and a half on the shad spawn. Today, I only spent about an hour on it.
“If I had more places to run, I’d like to spend more time on (the shad spawn), but I just don’t have that many places where the fish are shallow. There are a lot of shad spawning, but there’s not a lot of fish around them.”
After the morning pattern tapered off, Robertson ran to Lake Moultrie where he targeted a large eelgrass flat with a topwater bait. Using a fast retrieve to trigger bites, Robertson tried to pinpoint the more productive areas.
“The wind direction was a little different today, so I don’t know if (the wind) caused the dry spell,” Robertson said. “I’m learning more about the area. Some of it is the density of cover. But where I’ve been catching my big ones the last couple of days, the grass is not that dense — it’s more isolated.
“I think I’m going to have to concentrate on that more dense grass tomorrow.”
After placing 11th on Day 1 with 21 pounds, Cobb put himself within striking distance with a second-round limit of 24-15. Anchoring his Day 2 bag with a 7-11 Santee Cooper tank, Cobb said he enjoyed a special day where everything seemed to go right.
“Here’s an example of how good things have been going the last two days: That big one bit a bait that was hung on a tree,” he said. “I was popping my line to try and free my bait and the fish sucked it off the tree and I caught it.
“I’m not catching very many fish. I caught seven today and seven yesterday. It does not look tough with 21 and (nearly 25) pounds, but it’s hard to catch a limit. They’re just really, really big ones.”
Keeping with what produced on Day 1, Cobb caught his bass on a wacky-rigged Zoom Fluke Stick. Two late-day culls helped greatly.
Luke Palmer of Coalgate, Okla., who is in third with 44-12, bolstered his Day 1 limit of 21-3 with another limit that went 23-9.
Palmer attributed his success to a mental shift.
“I quit being dumb,” he grinned. “I finally went and did what I like to do. I picked up the big rod with 20-pound line and started swinging. I caught them exactly how I caught them last year. I’m using Falcon Rods and Sunline fluorocarbon, and I’m cracking them as hard as I can.
“I thought the eelgrass was going to work with the ChatterBait. I caught some big ones doing that in practice, but I haven’t been able to get it going in the tournament. When the sun comes out, those fish go to the trees.”
Finishing fourth in the 2022 Elite at Santee Cooper, Palmer caught his bass by flipping a Texas-rigged YUM Wooly Bug with a 3/16- to 5/16-ounce weight near cypress trees. He’s looking for specific scenarios that welcome the late spawners that are still pulling up.
“It has to have grass and they have to have that void between (tree and grass) just like it was last year,” Palmer said. “If there’s a void, it’s game over.
“They’re all spawners. There’s two to four fish on each tree.”
Cobb’s 7-11 largemouth earned him a $1,000 bonus as the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day. But David Gaston of Sylacauga, Ala., still holds the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week with the 8-5 he caught on Day 1.
Cobb leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 389 points. Drew Cook of Cairo, Ga., is in second with 366 points, followed by Carl Jocumsen of Queensland, Australia, with 364, Kyle Welcher of Opelika, Ala., with 360 and Tyler Rivet of Raceland, La., with 337.
Gaston leads the Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings with 300 points.
The Top 50 remaining anglers will take off at 7 a.m. Saturday from John C. Land III Sport Fishing Facility. The weigh-in will be held back at the facility at 3 p.m., with only the Top 10 anglers advancing to Championship Sunday with a chance to win the $100,000 first-place prize. FS1 will broadcast live with the tournament leaders on Saturday from 8-11 a.m. Live coverage will transition to Bassmaster.com afterward.
2023 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes 4/27-4/30
Santee Cooper Lakes, Clarendon County SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 10 49-14 104
Day 1: 5 28-01 Day 2: 5 21-13
2. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 10 45-15 103 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 24-15
3. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 10 44-12 102
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 5 23-09
4. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 10 41-09 101
Day 1: 5 25-10 Day 2: 5 15-15
5. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 40-01 100
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 22-03
6. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 10 39-09 99
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 17-12
7. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 10 39-08 98
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 23-05
8. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 10 39-07 97
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 19-00
9. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 10 38-12 96
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 20-12
10. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 8 36-09 95
Day 1: 5 26-15 Day 2: 3 09-10
11. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 10 36-09 94 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 15-10
12. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 10 36-05 93
Day 1: 5 20-11 Day 2: 5 15-10
13. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 9 36-03 92
Day 1: 4 21-14 Day 2: 5 14-05
14. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 9 35-09 91
Day 1: 5 23-00 Day 2: 4 12-09
15. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 10 35-05 90
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 15-04
16. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 10 34-14 89
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 15-04
17. Darold Gleason Many, LA 10 34-13 88
Day 1: 5 21-08 Day 2: 5 13-05
18. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Aichi JAPAN 10 34-12 87
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 15-06
19. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 34-12 86
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 17-00
20. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 8 34-07 85
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 3 15-10
21. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 34-06 84
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 20-05
22. Jason Christie Dry Creek, OK 10 34-00 83
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 22-07
23. Cooper Gallant Bowmanville Ontario CAN 10 33-14 82
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 20-14
24. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 10 33-03 81
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 17-10
25. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 10 32-14 80
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 18-13
26. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 9 32-12 79
Day 1: 4 18-01 Day 2: 5 14-11
27. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 9 32-11 78
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 4 14-11
28. Kyle Norsetter Cottage Grove, WI 7 32-04 77
Day 1: 5 24-13 Day 2: 2 07-07
29. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 9 32-02 76
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 4 14-07
30. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 9 31-15 75
Day 1: 4 12-04 Day 2: 5 19-11
31. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 10 31-14 74
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 17-03
32. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 9 31-11 73
Day 1: 4 09-06 Day 2: 5 22-05
33. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 10 31-07 72
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 13-11
34. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 9 31-05 71
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 4 09-07
35. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 10 30-14 70
Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 5 12-04
36. Jeff Gustafson Kenora, Ontario CANADA 10 30-14 69
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 15-15
37. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 9 30-11 68
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 4 15-03
38. John Cox DeBary, FL 10 30-07 67
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 10-15
39. Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 10 30-05 66
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 14-00
40. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 10 30-05 65
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 15-04
41. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 10 30-03 64
Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 11-02
42. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 10 30-02 63
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 20-09
43. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 10 29-06 62
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 17-01
44. Cole Sands Calhoun, TN 10 29-00 61
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 11-03
45. Seth Feider New Market, MN 9 28-13 60
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 4 14-06
46. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 10 28-11 59
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 16-09
47. Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ 10 28-11 58
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 13-03
48. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 10 28-04 57
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 16-09
49. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 10 27-15 56
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 16-07
50. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 10 27-14 55
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 09-12
51. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 9 27-13 54 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 4 14-11
52. Larry Nixon Bee Branch, AR 7 27-09 53 $2,500.00
Day 1: 2 12-13 Day 2: 5 14-12
53. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 7 27-03 52 $2,500.00
Day 1: 2 06-04 Day 2: 5 20-15
54. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 9 26-01 51 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 4 08-05
55. Frank Talley Temple, TX 10 26-01 50 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 15-06
56. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 9 25-10 49 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 4 12-12
57. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 9 25-03 48 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 4 08-00
58. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 10 25-03 47 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 12-14
59. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 9 25-00 46 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 4 09-14
60. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 8 25-00 45 $2,500.00
Day 1: 4 12-00 Day 2: 4 13-00
61. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 8 24-14 44 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 3 09-09
62. Keith Poche Cecil, AL 10 24-11 43 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 12-06
63. Wes Logan Springville, AL 7 24-07 42 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 2 05-10
64. Derek Hudnall Zachary, LA 8 24-00 41 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 3 07-08
65. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 9 23-12 40 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 4 11-09
66. David Williams Newton, NC 10 23-07 39 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 11-12
67. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 8 22-15 38 $2,500.00
Day 1: 3 07-01 Day 2: 5 15-14
68. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 7 22-07 37 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 2 08-06
69. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 7 21-15 36 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 2 06-05
70. Skylar Hamilton Jefferson, TN 7 21-12 35 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 2 06-11
71. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 6 21-07 34 $2,500.00
Day 1: 3 06-02 Day 2: 3 15-05
72. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 8 21-07 33 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 3 07-14
73. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 4 21-06 32 $2,500.00
Day 1: 3 14-07 Day 2: 1 06-15
74. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 8 21-05 31 $2,500.00
Day 1: 4 08-14 Day 2: 4 12-07
75. Patrick Walters Eutawville, SC 9 20-14 30 $2,500.00
Day 1: 4 08-07 Day 2: 5 12-07
76. Bryan New Saluda, SC 6 20-11 29 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 1 03-01
77. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 6 20-09 28 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 1 03-09
78. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 6 20-07 27
Day 1: 2 06-01 Day 2: 4 14-06
79. Chad Pipkens DeWitt, MI 6 20-04 26
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 1 03-01
80. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 9 20-04 25
Day 1: 4 08-04 Day 2: 5 12-00
81. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 9 20-02 24
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 4 06-05
82. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 10 19-14 23
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 09-13
83. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 9 19-12 22
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 4 06-07
84. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 8 19-10 21
Day 1: 4 11-09 Day 2: 4 08-01
85. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 9 19-08 20
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 4 08-13
86. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 8 18-03 19
Day 1: 3 07-09 Day 2: 5 10-10
87. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 5 17-14 18
Day 1: 2 07-03 Day 2: 3 10-11
88. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 8 17-13 17
Day 1: 3 05-08 Day 2: 5 12-05
89. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 7 17-04 16
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 2 04-02
90. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 6 17-03 15
Day 1: 3 08-02 Day 2: 3 09-01
91. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 7 16-14 14
Day 1: 4 10-09 Day 2: 3 06-05
92. KJ Queen Conover, NC 5 15-15 13
Day 1: 2 08-02 Day 2: 3 07-13
93. Mike Huff London, KY 7 15-11 12
Day 1: 4 09-12 Day 2: 3 05-15
94. John Soukup Sapulpa, OK 6 14-10 11
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 1 03-09
95. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 6 14-03 10
Day 1: 1 03-01 Day 2: 5 11-02
96. Bradley Hallman Edmond, OK 5 14-02 9
Day 1: 3 07-13 Day 2: 2 06-05
97. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 4 13-00 8
Day 1: 3 09-02 Day 2: 1 03-14
98. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 5 12-15 7
Day 1: 2 07-00 Day 2: 3 05-15
99. Cody Huff Ava, MO 3 12-08 6
Day 1: 2 06-00 Day 2: 1 06-08
100. Kyoya Fujita Minamitsuru, Yamanashi 3 11-10 5
Day 1: 3 11-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
101. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 10-10 4
Day 1: 2 04-15 Day 2: 3 05-11
102. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 3 08-14 3
Day 1: 1 02-12 Day 2: 2 06-02
103. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 4 06-14 2
Day 1: 1 01-02 Day 2: 3 05-12
104. David Fritts Lexington, NC 2 04-00 1
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 08-05 $1,000.00
2 Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 07-11 $1,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 72 450 1465-12
2 54 413 1295-04
----------------------------------
126 863 2761-00
Sportsman's Warehouse Opening Racine
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Ohio’s Brody Campbell Earns Win at MLF Toyota Series Central Division Finale at Lake Chickamauga
DAYTON, Tenn. (April 28, 2023) – Pro Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 17 pounds even Friday to win the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Chickamauga and earn the top payout of $52,300. Campbell’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 62-3 earned him the victory by an 11-pound, 11-ounce margin over local favorite Seth Davis of Dayton, Tennessee , who finished second with 15 bass totaling 50-8 to earn $21,000.
With more dreary conditions, the majority of the field struggled on the final day. Considering the 26-year-old Campbell already had a 9-pound, 7-ounce lead going into today, the tough bite suited him just fine. Yet, he showed he wasn’t about to leave any doubt.
Campbell brought in 17 pounds – the third-largest bag of the day – to not just protect his lead but expand it to nearly 12 pounds with 62-3 total, earning his fourth win with MLF. Though, this is by far his biggest to the tune of $52,300.
Having limited knowledge of Chickamauga coming into this event, Campbell admits he went down to the Chester Frost area and looked around on some of the biggest community holes. What he found were some key, isolated pieces of cover. Specifically, a couple of stumps on two humps in Chester Frost and an isolated grass patch on the end of an offshore bar near the mouth.
So, after starting each day fishing near takeoff for some keepers to “get his confidence up,” he’d then make the run down south to those community holes to try and upgrade. The first day’s 30 mile-per-hour winds made it hard to fish them effectively, he said, but Day 2 was a different story.
“It got calm and I did some damage,” Campbell said. “I caught both 7-pounders off those stumps using my forward-facing sonar, and that 9-pounder came off that grass patch.
“Other people were fishing those three spots because they’re so obvious, but you had to know those isolated sweet spots with small pods of fish on them. I’d just roll up there, and using forward-facing sonar, I was able to just make the right cast, especially once it got calm the last two days.”
In terms of offerings, Campbell wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary. A Carolina rig with a Strike King Rage Bug caught plenty of keepers, as did a Neko rig, but his biggest player was a drop-shot with a morning dawn-colored Roboworm Straight Tail Worm.
Considering the level of talent always present at Lake Chickamauga events, it’s hard to imagine such an obvious, straightforward game plan would win the event. Yet, with how tough the conditions were this week – high winds the first day, rain the second and third, with transitioning fish and no current – keeping it simple was exactly what Campbell needed to do. That, and weigh in a megabag on Day 2.
“These guys are some of the best anglers in the country, with so many local hammers who know this lake better than anybody,” Campbell said. “So, to come out here and beat them guys is unbelievable. It truly feels amazing.”
The top 10 pros on Lake Chickamauga finished:
1st: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 15 bass, 62-3, $52,300
2nd: Seth Davis, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 50-8, $21,000
3rd: Ethan Shaw, Carmel, Ind., 15 bass, 45-11, $14,250
4th: Donny Beck, Killen, Ala., 15 bass, 45-8, $12,250
5th: Taylor Parker, Lake View, Ala., 15 bass, 43-8, $11,450
6th: Emil Wagner, Marietta, Ga., 15 bass, 43-8, $9,125
7th: Casey Martin, Brownsboro, Ala., 15 bass, 42-9, $8,400
8th: Jade Keeton, Florence, Ala., 15 bass, 42-2, $6,900
9th: Jordan Wiggins, Cullman, Ala., 15 bass, 40-13, $5,900
10th: Greg Pugh, Cullman, Ala., 14 bass, 40-7, $4,500
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Pro Casey Martin of Brownsboro, Alabama, won the $500 Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Tuesday with a bass weighing 9 pounds, 7 ounces. On Wednesday, tournament winner Brody Campbell earned the $500 Berkley Big Bass prize with a largemouth weighing in at 9 pounds, 9 ounces.
Cooper Jett of North Shores, Michigan, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Thursday with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 36 pounds, 3 ounces. Jett took home the top co-angler prize of $34,6750, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor and $1,250 in cash.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on Lake Chickamauga finished:
1st: Cooper Jett, North Shores, Mich., 14 bass, 36-3, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd: Steve Higgins, Cleveland, Tenn., 13 bass, 31-14, $6,275
3rd: Jonathan Dagley, Wartburg, Tenn., 12 bass, 31-4, $4,900
4th: Greg Surratt, Canal Winchester, Ohio, 11 bass, 29-0, $3,950
5th: Gary Greenwood, Taylors, S.C., 10 bass, 27-9, $3,450
6th: Chris Hughes, Centerville, Tenn., nine bass, 25-15, $2,950
7th: Pop Catalin, Cookeville, Tenn., 12 bass, 25-5, $2,450
8th: Dwaine Williams, Greenup, Ky., 11 bass, 24-3, $1,975
9th: Tom Spangler, Knoxville, Tenn., nine bass, 24-1, $1,590
10th: Steven Jacques, Addison, Ala., 11 bass, 23-10, $1,350
Rickey Robertson, Jr., earned Tuesday’s $150 Berkley Big Bass award after weighing in a 7-pound, 13-ounce bass, while the Day 2 $150 award went to co-angler winner Steve Higgins, who brought a 7-pound, 3-ounce bass to the scale.
With the three regular-season events in the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Central Division now complete, pro Jordan Wiggins of Cullman, Alabama, was crowned the 2023 CentralDivision Pro Angler of the Year (AOY) and earned the $5,000 AOY bonus with a total of 722 points. Alan Hults of Gautier, Mississippi, won the 2023 Central Division Strike King Co-angler AOY race and the $2,000 AOY bonus with 752 points.
The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Chickamauga was hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council. It was the third and final regular-season event for the Toyota Series Central Division. The next event for the top 25 anglers in the Toyota Series Central Division AOY standings will be the Toyota Series Championship at Table Rock Lake, Nov. 2-4, in Branson, Missouri. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2023 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST 2024. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2023 Toyota Series Championship on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, is hosted by ExploreBranson.com.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Toyota Series include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Black Rifle Coffee Company, E3, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Gill, Grundéns, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Next Gen Lithium, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Toyota Series updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Red River hosts final regular-season tournament of Bassmaster College Series season
Louisiana's Red River will host the 2023 Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops May 4-5.
Photo by B.A.S.S.
April 28, 2023
NATCHITOCHES, La. — Talented teams from across the country will head to Louisiana for the final stop of the 2023 Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops. Teams will be competing May 4-5 on the mighty Red River, a fishery where shallow-water anglers can thrive, according to Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Logan Latuso.
Over the years the Red River has played host to some of the most iconic moments in B.A.S.S. history, with Chris Lane and Skeet Reese both notching their only victories in the Bassmaster Classic there.
More recently, the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens have made a couple of visits, with Patrick Walters and Keith Poche winning in 2018 and 2022, respectively.
The College Series will launch from Natchitoches in Pool 3, and Pools 2, 3, 4 and 5 will serve as eligible waters for the competition days. Latuso said there are a couple of differences as you move down the river to the different pools.
“Pool 5 in Shreveport is pretty much all backwaters,” he explained. “Pool 4 has less backwaters and a lot more river until you get to the bottom end. Then Pool 3 has fewer backwaters and they are far between. There aren’t as many shallow-stump backwaters (in Pool 3) as there are in Pool 5.”
At the beginning of May, bass historically will be finishing up their spawning routine and those that aren’t still on bed will be moving out of the backwater areas to the main-river flow. The river should be stable unless there is a big rain event in Oklahoma.
“You’ll have some late spawners,” Latuso said. “I feel like the biggest fish in the Red River always live in the backwaters for some reason. It doesn’t matter if it is August and 120 degrees. The first week of May, I think it could be a really good river bite.”
One of the most important aspects of this tournament will likely be a shad spawn, and Latuso believes anglers will be able to capitalize on that early in the morning.
“We had a fairly warm winter, so the shad spawn bite should be starting in the river,” he said. “You find a good shad spawn bite along the riprap, but the deal with that is they are there one day and gone the next. The shad roam in the river.”
For the main-river bite, isolated wood and logjams will hold bass as well as wing dams and sandbars. Topwater presentations — along with spinnerbaits and squarebills — are productive baits that time of the year.
“Ever since the river started flooding, there are a lot of sandbars now, and the shad will get on the sandbars and the bass will push the shad on top,” Latuso said. “They started to become a big player in the last couple of years.”
In the backwater areas, wood cover plays a big role, as well as hyacinth mats and lily pads. Latuso added that there will be a bluegill spawn happening as well.
“You have pad fields where you can throw frogs and anything you can flip and punch; a Missile Baits D Bomb or some kind of creature bait is really good,” Latuso said. “I keep it pretty simple. It is river fishing.”
The full field of 275 boats will launch from the Grand ECORE Recreational Area in Natchitoches at 6:10 a.m. CT and return for weigh-in at 2:10 p.m.Full coverage will be available on Bassmaster.com.
The Emmanuel College team of Max Heaton and his partner Brooks Anderson, a member of the 2020 Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, will look to lock-up College Team of the Year honors on the Red River. They currently have a 12-point lead over the second-place team of Hunter Fillmore and another 2020 All-American, Dylan Fogarty, from Bethel University. The two Team of the Year anglers earn an automatic berth into the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket, a head-to-head, elimination-style tournament, where they'll fish for a spot in the 2024 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota.
Following the College Series event, the Strike King Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors and the Junior Series will take the stage on May 7.
High water levels could mean good things for Bassmaster Open at Buggs Island
Buggs Island Reservoir in Clarksville, Va., will host the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series May 3-5.
Photo courtesy of Virginia DWR
April 28, 2023
CLARKSVILLE, Va. — Angling opportunity often is dictated by thresholds or marks at which bass may be inclined to change their positioning and/or behavior. That could be the case for anglers competing in the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Buggs Island Reservoir where a moderate amount of high water will likely offer the potential for expanded opportunities.
Competition days will be May 3-5 with daily takeoffs from Occoneechee State Park at 6:30 a.m. ET and weigh-ins each day back at the park at 2:30 p.m. Full coverage will be available on Bassmaster.com.
Also known as John H. Kerr Reservoir for the former U.S. Representative from North Carolina, who was instrumental in the project’s history, this 50,000-acre Roanoke River impoundment boasts 900 miles of shoreline stretching across three counties in Virginia and three in North Carolina. Having logged countless hours on this lake, Bassmaster Elite Series pro John Crews of Salem, Va., said he sees the scenario shaping up to favor a shallow bite.
“The lake level is at 302, which is just high enough to where the bushes will play,” Crews said. “Full pool is 300. At 301 the fish start to want to be shallow, but once you reach 302 the bushes really become a major factor in where the fish are.”
With a mix of willows, buckbrush and terrestrial trees common to the Buggs Island shallows, anglers fond of flipping, pitching and other power-fishing techniques should fare well. Tournament competitors will find bass in a mostly postspawn mode, with some holding shallow on the recently flooded cover and others following more traditional spring patterns.
“There could be a few bed fish lingering around, but there will definitely be a lot of postspawn fish shallow,” Crews said. “The shad spawn will be a major (opportunity) that guys are going to have to take advantage of to do well.
“If the water starts dropping before or during the event, a lot of those fish will pull out of the bushes and it will be a little tougher. You’ll see more offshore structure come into play. Maybe not the deep offshore structure, but the offshore stuff may become a bigger factor.”
Crews said that midrange offshore habitat could include points, brushpiles, stumps and isolated rock. Bridges are always a good bet this time of year, as they offer shady areas of funneled current where postspawn bass can lounge prior to entering their summer patterns.
“There are no interstate bridges, but there are probably a dozen bridges crossing the lake,” Crews said. “The tournament’s going out of Clarksville, Va., and there are three bridges in Clarksville, so there’s a significant amount of riprap and bridge pilings (near the takeoff site).”
A potential wildcard could be spotted bass. Often displaying roaming tendencies, especially in lakes with blueback herring, the spotted bass introduced to Buggs Island can dramatically alter the traditional largemouth fishery by offering a distinctly different pursuit. But as Crews notes, the spotted bass impact at Buggs Island currently is minimal.
“There are not enough numbers right now to focus on spots; they just mix in with the largemouth,” Crews said. “The number of blueback herring has risen. They’ve always been there but they’re starting to become more of a factor. It’s making the fish more nomadic.”
“The spots just show up here and there, so don’t be surprised to see some good ones at the weigh-ins.”
How good? Crews said local tournaments have seen spots of up to 4 pounds. By comparison, largemouth in the 5- to 6-pound range are possible, although this tournament falls during a time when many of the fish will have yet regained the weight they lost during their recent spawn.
Overall, Crews said Buggs Island is in good shape, and with the entirety of tournament waters likely in play, the lake should fish big. Crews expects a mix of flipping jigs, Texas-rigged creature baits or worms, crankbaits and frogs to dominate the shallow-cover game.
Offshore, Carolina-rigged straight worms, swimbaits, shaky heads and drop shots will see a lot of action. Stressing the importance of capitalizing on the early morning shad spawns, Crews said buzzbaits and spinnerbaits will account for much of this opportunistic success.
Forecasting the weights, Crews said the tournament could see a small number of 20-pound bags, but repeating that feat on successive days will be a Herculean task. He believes 15 pounds a day will make the final round, with a three-day winning weight in the low 50s.
“This is one of the better times of year to fish this lake because it spreads everybody out,” Crews said. “With the water high, it opens up a lot of the river stuff. It will open up more water and that’s a good thing."
More than 390 anglers will take part in the pro and co-angler divisions, including 168 pros who are competing in the Elite Qualifiers Division. EQ anglers are fishing all nine Opens in all three divisions for a chance at one of nine spots on the 2024 Bassmaster Elite Series.
Texas angler Ben Milliken leads the Opens EQ points standings with 396 points after only two events — a fifth-place finish in the season-opener at Alabama’s Lake Eufaula and a victory on Toledo Bend in April.
Ehrler Advances to Championship Round, Lucas Boats $25K Big Bass at Major League Fishing’s General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops Event on Caney Creek Reservoir
California Pro Weighs Two-Day Total of 11 Bass for 47 Pounds, 5 Ounces to Top Group B, 14 Anglers Set for Friday’s Knockout Round
MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (April 27, 2023) – Redlands, California pro Brent Ehrler caught five scorable bass totaling 27 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the Qualifying Round for Group B and advance straight to the Championship Round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops . Ehrler’s two-day total of 11 bass weighing 47 pounds, 5 ounces, earned him the win by a slim 7-ounce margin over Day 1 leader pro Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee, who finished the round in second place with 46-14.
The six-day all-star event, hosted by Discover Monroe-West Monroe and the Louisiana Office of Tourism, showcases the top 30 pros that qualified via the Bass Pro Tour competing in a no-entry fee tournament for a purse of more than $500,000, including numerous massive Big Bass Bonuses and a payout of $100,000 to the winner.
Pro Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama, finished the day in third place with a two-day total of nine bass weighing 36-11, while pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, who started day in second place, fell to fourth with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 12 ounces. Alabama pro Randy Howell rounds out the top five with nine bass weighing 33 pounds, 9 ounces.
With the Qualifying Round now complete, the anglers that finished in 2nd through 8th place from each group advance to Friday’s Knockout Round. The Knockout Round will feature 14 anglers competing to finish in the top eight. Saturday’s Championship Round will feature Group A Qualifying Round winner Bryan Thrift, Ehrler and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000 along with the $100,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus.
“Oh my goodness, what a day,” Ehrler said in his post-game interview. “I guess I just made the right decisions. I can’t believe that I was able to hold on today, though, I can’t believe Andy (Morgan) stumbled like that. He is such a good fisherman and my hat is off to him. This is not what I thought was going to happen today. I thought that if I had a good day I could go out and catch just enough to make the Knockout Round and fish here again. But man, to do what I did today and have Andy stumble, it had to take both of those things to happen. I’m truly blessed to have this happen today.”
A Yamamoto Senko has been the key bait for Ehrler so far, this week.
“The week, for me, was really all about the Yamamoto Senko,” Ehrler said. “I caught a few on a drop-shot, but most everything came on that Senko. Mainly a neko-rig, with a Gamakatsu Weedless Stinger hook that I designed specifically for throwing on a wacky rig and a neko rig. with an Ark Tungsten nail weight.
“My bread and butter for any kind of spinning stuff is my Daiwa Tatula Elite drop-shot rod,” Ehrler continued. “It’s a medium-action rod, but it’s multi-purpose – I use it for everything. I use it for a wacky rig, I use it for a shaky-head rig. I use it for a drop-shot rig. It does everything. I use it with a (Daiwa) Tatula LT 4000 reel, with 12-pound Sunline braided line and an 8-pound Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon (leader). I caught every fish that I weighed in this tournament on this setup."
Pro Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Alabama, struggled for most of the day and did not advance to the Knockout Round, but still walked away from the event a big winner. Lucas caught an 8-pound, 5-ounce largemouth in Period 3 – the largest bass of the two-day Group B Qualifying Round – and won the $25,000 Qualifying Round Group B Big Bass Bonus. Another prize of $50,000 will be awarded to the heaviest fish landed Friday in the Knockout Round, and $100,000 will be awarded for the single biggest fish in Saturday’s Championship Round.
“I’ve never been this happy missing a cut before, I can tell you that,” Lucas joked in his post-game interview. “I only caught one fish today, but it was a big one. I caught it on a drop-shot in 8 feet of water, in some standing timber. I couldn’t see it on the graph – I just threw out into the timber and picked up (my line) and she was taking off. It was a fight. She was dogging it pretty good through the wood, but the Berkley Trilene came through.
“I’ve never caught one bass that was worth that much, so this is really cool,” Lucas went on to say.
The top eight pros from Qualifying Group B that now advance to Friday’s Knockout Round on Caney Creek Reservoir are:
1st: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 11 bass, 47-5 – ADVANCES TO CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
2nd: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 14 bass, 46-14
3rd: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., nine bass, 36-11
4th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-12
5th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., nine bass, 33-9
6th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 10 bass, 31-9
7th: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., eight bass, 31-7
8th: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., six bass, 29-15
Finishing the event in 9th through 15th place are:
9th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 21-15
10th: Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, six bass, 17-14
11th: Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., four bass, 16-7
12th: Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 15-11
13th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., four bass, 12-8
14th: Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., one bass, 7-12
15th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., three bass, 7-10
Full results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 48 bass weighing 181 pounds, 9 ounces even caught by 14 pros on Thursday, which included one 8-pounder, three 7-pounders and one six 6-pounder caught from Caney Creek Reservoir.
Different from the Bass Pro Tour regular-season events, General Tire Heavy Hitters features anglers competing using the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format in which anglers catch as many scorable bass and as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. A bass must meet the 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, but for the final day Championship Round a bass must weigh at least 3 pounds to be deemed scorable.
The 15 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Monday and Wednesday – the 15 anglers in Group B on Tuesday and Thursday. Now that each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 8th place from both groups advance to Friday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Saturday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed and the remaining 14 anglers compete to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins. In addition to the tournament, Big Bass Bonuses are awarded in each round of competition with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 awarded to the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.
Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. CT. The Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, Days 1-5, will launch from Caney Creek Hooks Marina, located at 400 Spillway Road in Chatham, Louisiana. The final 10 anglers competing in the Championship Round will launch from Bonner Ferry Road, located five miles northwest of Bastrop off of Highway 593. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
On Championship Saturday, April 29, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF will welcome fans of all ages to visit the Bussey Brake boat ramp located at 5373 Boat Dock Road in Bastrop, to celebrate the top 10 and crown the 2023 General Tire Heavy Hitters Champion at the Watch Party and Trophy Presentation. The final 10 Heavy Hitters Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, and take selfies.
To qualify for General Tire Heavy Hitters, the weight of an angler’s single-largest bass from each event of the seven 2022 Bass Pro Tour events was recorded. The 30 anglers with the heaviest total from those seven bass qualified to compete in this event.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2023 Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Aug. 5 and running each Saturday through Sept. 9 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Event include: Abu Garcia, B&W Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Builders First Source, Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, NITRO Boats, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Plano, Power-Pole, Shore Lunch, StarBrite, Sqwincher, T-H Marine, Toyota, United States Airforce, Yellowstone Bourbon, and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Robertson’s postspawn focus delivers opening-round lead at Bassmaster Elite Series event on Santee Cooper Lakes
Matt Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., is leading after Day 1 of the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes with 28 pounds, 1 ounce.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
April 27, 2023
Robertson’s postspawn focus delivers opening-round lead at Bassmaster Elite Series event on Santee Cooper Lakes
CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — Capitalizing on an early start, Matt Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., caught a five-bass limit of 28 pounds, 1 ounce to lead Day 1 of the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes.
Coming off a Top 30 finish at last week’s Elite Series event at Lake Murray, Robertson heads into Friday’s second round leading rookie Bryant Smith of California by just over a pound.
Noting that he's fishing the way he likes to fish, Robertson said he focused mostly on postspawn bass. He spent time in Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie and caught bass in two different areas.
“I’m running a shad spawn early and then later in the morning, I’m going fishing for postspawners,” Robertson said. “I was done by about 10:30 or 11.”
Understandably guarded with his details, Robertson said he believes he dialed in a specific pattern that gave him the opening-round advantage. While he declined to elaborate, Robertson said his choice of habitat played a key role in his success.
“I think I’m doing something a little different from everybody, and hopefully it will hold up,” he said.
Robertson used three different baits to amass his big bag. Despite his dominant day, he said his leading limit was surprising.
“I had a bad practice,” he said. “I got a few bites in an area but I didn’t know I was going to catch what I caught today.
“I don’t know what I’m doing here,” he said. “I didn’t catch ‘em here the last time (the 2022 Elite at Santee Cooper), so I just went out there and approached it totally different from what I did last time.”
After a calm Day 1, Friday’s forecast calls for windier conditions and possible showers. Robertson said he’s unconcerned.
“I don’t care; I have something for (all conditions),” he said. “I like catching big bass, and I hope we can go out there and do it again tomorrow.”
Hailing from Roseville, Calif., Smith is in second place with 26-15. He spent his day in Lake Marion targeting cypress trees. With countless options, he was able to figure out a replicable pattern that allowed him to pick out three trees with the greatest potential.
“I think the positioning of the trees is important, but we’ll find out tomorrow,” Smith said. “There’s something about the trees that I’m looking for that’s kind of the same deal.
“I’m not really going down big lines of trees; I’m trying to pick out the right trees.”
Smith said a single finesse bait proved reliable Thursday, but he’s not sure if he can back up his Day 1 effort with another solid limit on Friday. Even if his pattern holds, he’s dealing with a lot of fishing pressure in his area, and that’s a notorious bite killer.
“I could get in a bad rotation, so I may have to fish fresh water tomorrow,” Smith said. “I don’t think what I’m fishing is going to reload that well. I just have to keep my head down and keep grinding and hopefully, I can run into five bites tomorrow.”
Smith made a big move by boating a 6-pounder around 3:10 Thursday afternoon.
“That got me going in the right direction,” Smith said. “I just got in a good rotation, pulled up on the right tree and (that fish) was there.”
Paul Mueller of Naugatuck, Conn., is in third place with 25-10. Starting the day with a game plan that included both lakes, he ended up spending all of his time in Lake Moultrie.
“I had a couple of areas where I thought I could get bit and the fish moved,” said Mueller, who holds two career Elite Series wins. “I just moved around, fished new water and I was fortunate to get the three good bites that I got off of new water — places I hadn’t practiced.
“This lake is so big, you can’t just run around. The problem is, I had bites in areas that are so spread out, you have to commit and do one thing and hopefully, it’s the right thing for the weather.”
Stating that he caught his fish on one moving bait and two finesse rigs, Mueller pointed out that he’s seen fish in prespawn, spawn and postspawn modes. This, he said, has created a challenging scenario that he believes will become even more difficult with Friday’s weather.
“I’ve got my work cut out for me tomorrow,” Mueller said. “I’m not sure what that’s going to do, but we’ll take it one bite at a time. At least I got off to a good start.”
David Gaston of Sylacauga, Ala., earned the $1,000 daily bonus for catching the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day with his 8-5 largemouth.
Brandon Cobb of Greenwood, S.C., leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 380 points. Kyle Welcher of Opelika, Ala., is in second with 369 points, followed by Drew Cook of Cairo, Ga., with 364, Carl Jocumsen of Queensland, Australia, with 364 and John Cox of DeBary, Fla., with 335.
Smith leads the Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings with 305 points.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at John C. Land III Sport Fishing Facility. The weigh-in will be held back at the facility at 3 p.m., with only the Top 50 anglers advancing to Semifinal Saturday. Bassmaster LIVE coverage starts at 8 a.m. on Bassmaster.com, Tubi and the FOX Sports digital platforms.
2023 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes 4/27-4/30
Santee Cooper Lakes, Clarendon County SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 28-01 104
Day 1: 5 28-01
2. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 5 26-15 103
Day 1: 5 26-15
3. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 25-10 102
Day 1: 5 25-10
4. Kyle Norsetter Cottage Grove, WI 5 24-13 101
Day 1: 5 24-13
5. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 5 23-00 100
Day 1: 5 23-00
6. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 21-14 99
Day 1: 5 21-14
7. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 4 21-14 98
Day 1: 4 21-14
8. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 5 21-13 97
Day 1: 5 21-13
9. Darold Gleason Many, LA 5 21-08 96
Day 1: 5 21-08
10. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 5 21-03 95
Day 1: 5 21-03
11. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 5 21-00 94
Day 1: 5 21-00
12. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 5 20-15 93 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-15
13. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 5 20-11 92
Day 1: 5 20-11
14. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 5 20-07 91
Day 1: 5 20-07
15. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 5 20-01 90
Day 1: 5 20-01
16. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 5 19-10 89
Day 1: 5 19-10
17. John Cox DeBary, FL 5 19-08 88
Day 1: 5 19-08
18. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Aichi JAPAN 5 19-06 87
Day 1: 5 19-06
19. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 5 19-01 86
Day 1: 5 19-01
20. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 5 18-13 85
Day 1: 5 18-13
20. Wes Logan Springville, AL 5 18-13 85
Day 1: 5 18-13
22. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 18-10 83
Day 1: 5 18-10
23. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 18-02 82
Day 1: 5 18-02
24. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 4 18-01 81
Day 1: 4 18-01
25. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 5 18-00 80
Day 1: 5 18-00
25. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 5 18-00 80
Day 1: 5 18-00
27. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 17-14 78
Day 1: 5 17-14
28. Cole Sands Calhoun, TN 5 17-13 77
Day 1: 5 17-13
29. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 5 17-12 76
Day 1: 5 17-12
29. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 5 17-12 76
Day 1: 5 17-12
29. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 17-12 76
Day 1: 5 17-12
32. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 5 17-11 73
Day 1: 5 17-11
33. Bryan New Saluda, SC 5 17-10 72
Day 1: 5 17-10
34. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 5 17-03 71
Day 1: 5 17-03
34. Chad Pipkens DeWitt, MI 5 17-03 71
Day 1: 5 17-03
36. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 5 17-00 69
Day 1: 5 17-00
37. Derek Hudnall Zachary, LA 5 16-08 68
Day 1: 5 16-08
38. Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 5 16-05 67
Day 1: 5 16-05
39. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 5 16-03 66
Day 1: 5 16-03
40. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 5 15-10 65
Day 1: 5 15-10
41. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 5 15-09 64
Day 1: 5 15-09
42. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 15-08 63
Day 1: 5 15-08
42. Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ 5 15-08 63
Day 1: 5 15-08
44. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 5 15-05 61
Day 1: 5 15-05
45. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 5 15-02 60
Day 1: 5 15-02
46. Skylar Hamilton Jefferson, TN 5 15-01 59
Day 1: 5 15-01
46. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 5 15-01 59
Day 1: 5 15-01
48. Jeff Gustafson Kenora, Ontario CANADA 5 14-15 57
Day 1: 5 14-15
49. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 5 14-11 56
Day 1: 5 14-11
50. Seth Feider New Market, MN 5 14-07 55
Day 1: 5 14-07
51. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 3 14-07 54
Day 1: 3 14-07
52. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 5 14-01 53
Day 1: 5 14-01
52. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 14-01 53
Day 1: 5 14-01
52. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 5 14-01 53
Day 1: 5 14-01
55. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 13-13 50
Day 1: 5 13-13
56. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 5 13-09 49
Day 1: 5 13-09
57. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 13-05 48
Day 1: 5 13-05
58. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 5 13-02 47
Day 1: 5 13-02
58. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 5 13-02 47
Day 1: 5 13-02
60. Cooper Gallant Bowmanville Ontario CAN 5 13-00 45
Day 1: 5 13-00
61. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 12-14 44
Day 1: 5 12-14
62. Larry Nixon Bee Branch, AR 2 12-13 43
Day 1: 2 12-13
63. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 5 12-05 42
Day 1: 5 12-05
63. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 5 12-05 42
Day 1: 5 12-05
63. Keith Poche Cecil, AL 5 12-05 42
Day 1: 5 12-05
66. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 4 12-04 39
Day 1: 4 12-04
67. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 5 12-03 38
Day 1: 5 12-03
68. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 12-02 37
Day 1: 5 12-02
69. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 4 12-00 36
Day 1: 4 12-00
70. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 5 11-11 35
Day 1: 5 11-11
70. David Williams Newton, NC 5 11-11 35
Day 1: 5 11-11
72. Kyoya Fujita Minamitsuru, Yamanashi 3 11-10 33
Day 1: 3 11-10
73. Jason Christie Dry Creek, OK 5 11-09 32
Day 1: 5 11-09
74. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 4 11-09 31
Day 1: 4 11-09
75. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 5 11-08 30
Day 1: 5 11-08
76. John Soukup Sapulpa, OK 5 11-01 29
Day 1: 5 11-01
77. Frank Talley Temple, TX 5 10-11 28
Day 1: 5 10-11
77. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 5 10-11 28
Day 1: 5 10-11
79. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 4 10-09 26
Day 1: 4 10-09
80. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 5 10-01 25
Day 1: 5 10-01
81. Mike Huff London, KY 4 09-12 24
Day 1: 4 09-12
82. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 5 09-09 23
Day 1: 5 09-09
83. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 4 09-06 22
Day 1: 4 09-06
84. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 3 09-02 21
Day 1: 3 09-02
85. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 4 08-14 20
Day 1: 4 08-14
86. Patrick Walters Eutawville, SC 4 08-07 19
Day 1: 4 08-07
87. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 4 08-04 18
Day 1: 4 08-04
88. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 3 08-02 17
Day 1: 3 08-02
89. KJ Queen Conover, NC 2 08-02 16
Day 1: 2 08-02
90. Bradley Hallman Edmond, OK 3 07-13 15
Day 1: 3 07-13
91. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 3 07-09 14
Day 1: 3 07-09
92. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 2 07-03 13
Day 1: 2 07-03
93. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 3 07-01 12
Day 1: 3 07-01
94. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 2 07-00 11
Day 1: 2 07-00
95. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 2 06-04 10
Day 1: 2 06-04
96. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 3 06-02 9
Day 1: 3 06-02
97. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 2 06-01 8
Day 1: 2 06-01
98. Cody Huff Ava, MO 2 06-00 7
Day 1: 2 06-00
99. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 3 05-08 6
Day 1: 3 05-08
100. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 2 04-15 5
Day 1: 2 04-15
101. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 1 03-01 4
Day 1: 1 03-01
102. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 1 02-12 3
Day 1: 1 02-12
103. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 1 01-02 2
Day 1: 1 01-02
104. David Fritts Lexington, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 08-05 $1,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 72 450 1465-12
----------------------------------
72 450 1465-12
The Ocean Pony Origin Story
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Darold Gleason had a great day one here in Clarendon County, South Carolina for the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes, weighing in 21-pounds 8-ounces of bass and finishing the opening round firmly in the top ten. His bag of fish was bolstered with the two “ocean ponies” you see him holding in the picture above.
If you don’t follow Gleason or live in the Toledo Bend area, you are probably asking yourself, ‘what the heck is an ocean pony?’ The phrase surely conjures all kinds of fantastical images for the uninitiated, but simply put an ocean pony is what Gleason affectionately calls a big bass. The former full-time fishing guide has used this term for years and it’s established a bit of a cult following.
This fact was evident today, when fishing fans who had followed BassTrakk yelled out, “let’s see some ocean ponies”, when Gleason pulled up to the dock this afternoon. At that moment it dawned on me I had never actually asked the likeable Louisiana pro where the name came from.
“The term ocean pony refers to a mythical big bass and is a name that I came up with after spending many, many hours guiding on Toledo Bend,” smiled Gleason. “I used to take a lot of Cajun folks out on guide trips and my forte is fishing offshore, so that’s usually where we’d be fishing. I’d get tons of questions like ‘bro, why are we fishing way out here in the ocean instead of fishing closer to the bank.’ Eventually, I started answering these questions by telling them we were out there searching for ocean ponies.”
Gleason’s clients and fishing buddies alike got a big kick out of the name, so it stuck. Any big bass caught in his boat, specifically while fishing offshore, was dubbed an ocean pony. This phrase followed the longtime Toyota Bonus Bucks participant during his time competing in the Bassmaster Opens and on the FLW Pro Circuit.
But much like Gleason’s fishing skills over the years, the name has evolved and grown, no longer reserved strictly for bass caught offshore. Gleason was quick to admit the two giants he caught today on Santee Cooper were not at all offshore, but they are still very much deserving of the ocean pony moniker.
“Typically, it is a big one you catch offshore but now I dub every giant bass I catch an ocean pony,” explained Gleason. “You know, I’ve learned they are nomadic creatures and will sometimes venture near cypress trees or up shallow to spawn. They are the biggest, baddest dudes in fresh water and they go wherever they want to go.”
Along with being an incredible bass angler, Gleason has a great sense of humor and loves a tongue-in-cheek conversation about the mythical ocean pony. He and his wife / sidekick Randi are as good of people as you will find and are super easy to root for. They’ve started a YouTube channel, Darold Gleason Fishing, chronicling their travels with the Bassmaster Elite Series and his never-ending hunt for ocean ponies.
While he wasn’t sure he could repeat his day one efforts tomorrow on the massive fishery of Santee Cooper, Gleason was enjoying today’s success and remaining optimistic about what tomorrow may bring. With any luck, he’ll stumble on a few more ocean ponies to bring across the weigh-in stage tomorrow.
Big Bass Tour - Berkley Lake Breakdown - Best Baits for Smith Mountain Lake
By Pete Robbins Smith Mountain Lake is such a popular stop on the Big Bass Tour that we often make it a twice-a-year occurrence, and while the fall colors and fishing can be exceptional, the springtime event just gets better and better.
Whereas it used to often take a fish in the 6-pound class to take the overall top prize, now it frequently takes one over 8 pounds, and rarely does a fish under 7 contend for the title. Indeed, last April there were two bass over 7 pounds weighed in and 5th place was 6.71 pounds. The year before, there were likewise two bass over 7 pounds, but a gargantuan 8.08 took the title. In 2018, that fish would not have won, as the boat went to Randy Fairbanks with an 8.32 pound behemoth.
While he’s often on the road for much of the spring, and spends spare moments attending to family and business interests, two-time Bassmaster Elite Series champion John Crews of nearby Salem, Virginia keeps close tabs on how and where the BBT’s are won, and how the mountain lake is fishing.
“They ‘ve been won way up the Roanoke River and also at the far lower end near the dam,” he said. “That’s the great thing about that lake, it can be really good all over.”
While later in May, and certainly as the summer progresses, the bass may move offshore, Crews still suspects that most of them are shallow.
“The biggest wave of spawners was in the past few weeks, and there’s a shad spawn starting to get going early in the morning, so a lot of the bigger fish are still very shallow. They aren’t going offshore. They’re still lingering, and I would expect that an array of baits can be used. The lake is still relatively clear, so let the weather dictate your choices. If there’s wind or overcast or rain, a big swimbait or other power fishing baits will be a factor. But at the same time, there always seem to be some big fish caught on finesse techniques like shakey heads.”
For the shad spawn, he’d look to hard cover like riprap and rock, but failing that he’d expect many of the biggest fish to set up on points and docks, the latter especially if it’s sunny.
“If you get some wind, it opens up the strike zone,” he said. “They don’t tend to hang around cover so much, so you can cover more water.”
It may be a touch too early for them, but if everything lines up Crews believes that a big topwater could be in play. “If you catch one with it, it could be a big one,” he said. “It’s always good post-spawn, just about any kind – a popper, a walking bait, or even a plopper-style bait. It’s a good way to catch a big one, but you shouldn’t expect to catch a lot of fish with it. Your best bet for numbers and if you’re hoping to get a big fish too is a dropshot or a shakey head.”
Berkley Baits for Smith Mountain Lake Early April
With the fish in various stages of the spawn and post-spawn, it pays to have a Plan A, Plan B and Plan C this week on Smith Mountain Lake. Here are some of our top Berkley choices to get the job done:
For finesse presentations – Berkley Powerbait Bottom Hopper Worm (Green Pumpkin Red Flake or Ike’s Morning Dawn) on a shakey hed
For big bass under docks – Berkley Powerbait Skippin’ Jig (GK Spring Craw) with Maxscent Meaty Chunk Trailer (Watermelon Red)
For the shad spawn – Berkley Powerbait Swim Jig (Shad) with a Power Swimmer Swimbait (Silver Flash)
For covering water – Berkley Choppo 90 or 105 (Bone or HD Threadfin Shad)
B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional heads to Arkansas River
Muskogee, Okla., will host the 2023 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional May 3-5.
Photo by James Overstreet/B.A.S.S.
April 27, 2023
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — With two phases of the spawn likely in play, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens pro Harvey Horne believes there will be plenty of quality bass caught shallow during the 2023 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional at Arkansas River May 3-5.
“It will be a great opportunity for B.A.S.S. to showcase one of the good fisheries in Oklahoma,” Horne said. “This will be right before the Open on Lake Eufaula, (Okla.). It will be a great opportunity for anglers to move on to Nationals.”
The Central Regional is the first of five Regionals that will qualify anglers for the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, details of which will be announced at a later date. The top boater and the top nonboater from each state will punch their ticket to the championship at this event.
Anglers will launch out of Three Forks Harbor each day at 6:30 a.m. CT, returning to the harbor at 2:30 p.m. for weigh-in. The full field will compete on Days 1 and 2 while Day 3 will feature the Top 16 boaters and nonboaters along with the top two boaters and nonboaters from each state if they are not already in the Top 16. Full coverage will be available on Bassmaster.com.
This section of the river has been a popular destination for the Bassmaster tournament trails over the years. The river provides a large playing field for the B.A.S.S. Nation anglers. Kerr Reservoir has been a player in years past, as well as the Canadian River area and the Neosho River closer to takeoff.
“With not as much practice time as a lot of the Open-type tournaments, I think there will be a lot of anglers going to Kerr and then a lot of anglers staying around the pool where takeoff is,” Horne said. “I think that will open the door for someone to go to one of the backwater areas and capitalize for three straight days. You are going to want to get off the main river and into those backwater areas.”
The last event on this section of the river was the 2020 Bassmaster Central Open won by Chris Jones. Horne himself won an Open here in 2018. The key to his victory was having water to himself, and he believes that if an angler can find and keep a good area mostly to himself, they will be in contention.
Other than submerged vegetation, this section of river has plenty of cover to choose from, including plentiful bank grass and laydowns as well as gravel. There are also bridge pilings that could hold fish, along with rockpiles. Largemouth will be the predominant species but spotted bass will be caught, too.
Depending on the weather, most of the bass will likely be shallow either spawning or in a postspawn phase.
“You will see a lot more fish caught shallow in that postspawn, fry-guarding mode,” Horne said. “The entire system can play instead of just a couple of small areas. I’ll look for gravel anywhere there isn’t any current. That is where the fish will want to spawn. But you can fish whatever your heart desires.”
Horne said swim jigs and spinnerbaits will come into play for postspawners while Classic bed-fishing baits will catch spawners. Some sections of river will provide sight-fishing opportunities.
Throwback Thursday - The Birth of Flippin'
New Western Technique Controlled Structure Fishing sure to sweep the country
By Terry Battisti - Bass Fishing Archives
This is the first installment of a series of articles, highlighting the technique we now know as Flippin', and the pioneers who brought it to bass fishing! Check back every Thursday for more insight into how we got here as a sport and industry.
May 19, 1974
Paso Robles, CA – A new technique, coined “Controlled Structure Fishing,” has been introduced and it’s been met with mixed reviews. The technique’s given the duo of Dee Thomas and Frank Hauck a trip to the winners' circle in five out of the last seven events. Why has it been met with mixed reviews? Some may say it’s jealousy, others say it’s a banned form of tule dippin’. Whatever you say it is, it’s been mighty successful for Thomas and Hauck, and even though they had to adjust their equipment for the latest Western Bass Fishing Association's event on Lake Nacimiento, they were able to pull off another win even after chopping 4-1/2 feet off their preferred Lew’s Hawger rods and flipping their boat halfway through the first day of the event.
BFA Headquarters - In the late spring, early summer of 1974, Thomas’ form of fishing had yet to reach outside the West. But in the West, it was creating a lot of conversation and discontent amongst anglers competing against him and his tournament partner. Most anglers that own a Flippin’ Stick know Thomas was the originator of the technique but few have heard or read about its origins. Below is an article, possibly the first article, ever written about Dee and his new method in which to target bass. The funny thing about it is Dee didn’t call it Flippin’ back then. His name for it was “Controlled Structure Fishing.”
Click Here to Enlarge the Article
If we've piqued your interest and you'd like to read ahead, check out the rest of the story at Bass Fishing Archives with the links below:
FLIPPIN’: A CONCEPT. NOT JUST A TECHNIQUE – PART ONE
FLIPPIN’: A CONCEPT. NOT JUST A TECHNIQUE – PART TWO
FLIPPIN’: A CONCEPT. NOT JUST A TECHNIQUE – PART THREE
Thrift Wins Group A, Ebare Catches $25K Big Bass Wednesday at Major League Fishing’s General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops Event on Caney Creek Reservoir
Reigning REDCREST Champion Boats Two-Day Total of 55-13 to Advance to Championship Round, Group B to Wrap Qualifying Round Thursday
MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (April 26, 2023) – After starting the day in second place, reigning REDCREST Champion Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, caught a couple of giants, Wednesday to dominate the Group A Qualifying Round and win his way directly into the Championship Round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops . Thrift caught five scorable bass weighing 25 pounds, 11 ounces to earn the Qualifying Round win and advance directly to Saturday’s final-day Championship Round.
Thrift’s two day total of 11 scorable bass weighing 55 pounds, 13 ounces earned him the victory by a 7-pound, 13-ounce margin over second-place pro Josh Bertrand of Queen Creek, Arizona, who landed 11 scorable bass, good for 48 pounds even.
Third-place angler, pro Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, who had caught a 9-pound, 5-ounce bass on Monday to take the early lead for the $25,000 Qualifying Round Group A Big Bass Bonus, broke his own mark on Wednesday with a 9-pound, 6-ounce largemouth to earn the $25,000 prize. Another $25,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus will be awarded Thursday to the heaviest bass weighed by Group B in their Qualifying Round, and prizes of $50,000 and $100,000 will be awarded on Friday and Saturday for the single biggest fish in the Knockout and Championship rounds.
The eight anglers advancing from Group A will have the day off Thursday, while the 15 anglers in Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition. The Knockout Round, featuring 14 anglers competing to finish in the top eight, will take place on Friday. Saturday’s Championship Round will feature Thrift, Thursday’s Group B winner, and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing for the top prize of $100,000 along with the $100,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus.
“I am definitely going to elect to skip over the next round and go straight to the Championship Round,” Thrift said in his post-game interview. “I am so excited for a guaranteed shot to fish for $200,000 - $100,000 for first place in the Championship Round and $100,000 for big bass, on a great big bass fishery. I know there are going to be some giants caught – last time we were there I caught a 9 (pounder). And I lost one even bigger. Randy Howell caught one almost 13 (pounds). So I can’t wait to get to Bussey (Brake) and see what happens.”
Thrift caught five fish, Wednesday, with three coming on his signature Z-Man Big-Blade ChatterBait. He added a 6-pound, 7-ouncer on a medium-diving crankbait, and his last big one – a nice 7-pound, 6-ounce bass – on a soft plastic speed worm.
“I’m throwing a ½-ounce Z-Man Jack Hammer ChatterBait,” Thrift said. “I’m throwing it on my Signature Series Frog rod from Fitzgerald Fishing, with a Fitzgerald Fishing VLD10 reel on 17-pound P-Line Tactical fluorocarbon (line). This is a great setup for making long casts, when you’re fishing grass and having to rip that bait free.
“I have a Signature Series ChatterBait rod, but I really like that rod more for skipping around docks – it has a softer tip and is a little bit shorter, so you can be more accurate with your casts. But when I’m fishing open water scenarios, like I have been this week here at Caney, the frog rod really gets the job done in that situation. I’m ready to get to Bussey Brake to see if we can catch a giant!”
One angler that caught a couple of giants in Group A was Ebare, who earned the $25,000 Qualifying Round Big Bass Bonus, Wednesday.
“I wanted the clock to slow down, because I thought I might have the opportunity to run down Thrift and advance straight to the Championship Round, but at the same time I wanted the time to fly because that’s 25 grand, man,” Ebare said in his post-game interview. “I am very, very thankful for that fish – heck, both of those fish. How cool is that, to catch a 9-5 and a 9-6 – I mean, what an unbelievable fishery. This place is phenomenal. I’m just glad to be here and I look forward to another day on Caney Creek. Maybe we can catch one even bigger Friday in the Knockout Round.”
The top eight pros from Qualifying Group A that now advance to Friday’s Knockout Round on Caney Creek Reservoir are:
1nd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 11 bass, 55-13
2th: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., 11 bass, 48-0
3th: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, nine bass, 39-11
4rd: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., eight bass, 36-12
5st: Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, 10 bass, 36-1
6th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., nine bass, 30-4
7th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., seven bass, 27-4
8th: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., nine bass, 26-12
Finishing the event in 9th through 15th place are:
9th: Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., seven bass, 26-9
10th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., five bass, 19-0
11th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., four bass, 16-12
12th: Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, four bass, 16-5
13th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., three bass, 15-10
14th: Alton Jones, Sr., Lorena, Texas, five bass, 14-3
15th: Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., one bass, 3-2
Full results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 48 bass weighing 196 pounds even caught by 14 pros on Wednesday, which included one 9-pounder, two 8-pounders, four 7-pounders and four six 6-pounders caught from Caney Creek Reservoir.
Different from the Bass Pro Tour regular-season events, General Tire Heavy Hitters features anglers competing using the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format in which anglers catch as many scorable bass and as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. A bass must meet the 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, but for the final day Championship Round a bass must weigh at least 3 pounds to be deemed scorable.
The 15 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Monday and Wednesday – the 15 anglers in Group B on Tuesday and Thursday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 8th place from both groups advance to Friday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Saturday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed and the remaining 14 anglers compete to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins. In addition to the tournament, Big Bass Bonuses are awarded in each round of competition with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 awarded to the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.
Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. CT. The Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, Days 1-5, will launch from Caney Creek Hooks Marina, located at 400 Spillway Road in Chatham, Louisiana. The final 10 anglers competing in the Championship Round will launch from Bonner Ferry Road, located five miles northwest of Bastrop off of Highway 593. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
On Championship Saturday, April 29, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF will welcome fans of all ages to visit the Bussey Brake boat ramp located at 5373 Boat Dock Road in Bastrop, to celebrate the top 10 and crown the 2023 General Tire Heavy Hitters Champion at the Watch Party and Trophy Presentation. The final 10 Heavy Hitters Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, and take selfies.
To qualify for General Tire Heavy Hitters, the weight of an angler’s single-largest bass from each event of the seven 2022 Bass Pro Tour events was recorded. The 30 anglers with the heaviest total from those seven bass qualified to compete in this event.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2023 Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Aug. 5 and running each Saturday through Sept. 9 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Event include: Abu Garcia, B&W Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Builders First Source, Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, NITRO Boats, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Plano, Power-Pole, Shore Lunch, StarBrite, Sqwincher, T-H Marine, Toyota, United States Airforce, Yellowstone Bourbon, and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Arey Aiming for Big Bass?
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
For the first fourteen years of his professional fishing career, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Matt Arey had never won big bass honors in an official tournament. The easy-going North Carolina native missed big bass by ounces a few times and caught some giant fish during practice throughout the years, but any awards for catching the biggest bass of a tournament during actual competition had always eluded him.
But this stat is now firmly in Arey’s review mirror. Arey is on a roll when it comes to catching giant largemouth, securing big bass awards in the last two Elite Series tournaments he’s fished. He caught an eight-pound one-ounce beast on day one at Lake Seminole that netted him the Phoenix Boats Big Bass prize of $1,000, and then followed that up with a seven-pound eleven-ounce behemoth that was the overall big bass of the Lake Murray event last week.
Pocketing the Team Toyota pro another $3,000 bonus and positioning him as a red-hot big bass aficionado as he prepares to begin competition for the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite on Santee Cooper, a fishery famous for its giant bass.
It makes you wonder, what’s changed? Has Arey joined the big bait bandwagon, spending his days chucking giant glide baits, foot long swimbaits, or oversized plastics to catch these hugefish?
“I haven’t changed a single thing,” the always humble Areylaughed. “It’s just kind of rolled my way the last two events, I guess. I’m definitely not out there slinging big baits more than usual. I caught the big one at Seminole off a bed with a Lunkerhunt Finesse Craw on a ¼-ounce Texas Rig, and the Murray bass ate a big pencil popper off a main lake point.
“I got pretty lucky on that fish to be honest. There were fish blowing up all over this point and I literally had a two-pounder jump over my topwater and miss it a second before the big one grabbed it. I’d guess there were 50 or 60 fish feeding on that point and the 7-11 had to be the biggest one. Usually, the big ones miss your bait and the small fish get it, so that was a pleasant surprise.”
There you have it; Arey gives zero credit to secret baits, special techniques, or superstitions for his newfound success with giant bass. He is probably being a little too modest, but Areyacknowledges the timing of the 2023 schedule for his recent big bass accomplishments.
Arey doesn’t hesitate to admit his tournament fishing style is built around consistently cashing checks, as opposed to being a hero-or-zero type of fisherman.
“Outside of the Classic, each year I fish to make checks and then see where the dust settles,” Arey said. “Shallow water power-fishing is definitely my biggest strength, so I guess it makes sense for me to get on a big bass roll when we have a schedule that lines up great fisheries with the months of March and April. I’d give timing and fishing my comfort zone as much credit as anything.”
Arey and his fellow Elite Series competitors will have ample chances of crossing paths with giant bass in skinny water once again on Santee Cooper Lakes. While practice dock-talk dictates that most of the bass in Lake Moultie and Marion are on the tail-end of the spawn, Santee Cooper is still a shallow-water angler’s paradise.
Whether Arey can keep his big bass streak alive or not, there is sure to be a parade of giant fish that comes across the Bassmaster stage at the John C. Land III Sport Fishing Facility this weekend.
Two Bassmaster championships head to historic Lake Hartwell
The best anglers from around the country will be part of the 2023 Strike King Bassmaster High School Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors and the Bassmaster Junior National Championship on the storied waters of Lake Hartwell.
Photo by Dalton Tumblin/B.A.S.S.
April 26, 2023
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The 2023 national championships for the hugely popular Bassmaster High School and Junior Series will be decided on the renowned waters of Lake Hartwell. The 2023 Bassmaster Junior National Championship for second- through eighth-grade anglers will head to Anderson, S.C., July 21-22, while the Strike King Bassmaster High School Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors will be held July 27-29.
“We are so excited to host the Bassmaster Junior and High School National Championships at Green Pond Landing and Lake Hartwell,” said Neil Paul, executive director of Visit Anderson, which is hosting the events. “The leadership of Anderson County has provided us with a facility that is second to none and the resources to be able to bring championship events to our community, and we are grateful. In addition, our Anderson County team recognizes the confidence that B.A.S.S. has in our community to provide a first-class event for the anglers, their families, sponsors of the sport and the B.A.S.S. team. We look forward to another memorable event in Anderson County!”
This will be the first year for the Junior Series National Championship to venture away from west Tennessee, while 2022 marked the first time the Bassmaster High School National Championship has been held on Lake Hartwell. Young anglers from 39 states and Ontario, Canada, qualified to compete as part of the 315-boat field. That initial event was not only a success on the water but also accounted for more than 6,100 room nights and had a total economic impact of $1.5 million for Anderson, earning recognition as a 2022 Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism (Mid-Market Division) by Sports Destination Management.
As many as 440 junior and high school teams are expected to compete. Each two-angler team is accompanied by a coach who runs the boat and can give advice on fishing techniques and patterns.
“We are thrilled to give young anglers an opportunity to tackle Hartwell — one of the most storied fisheries in Bassmaster history — as they compete for a national title,” said Glenn Cale, B.A.S.S. Nation tournament manager — College, High School and Junior. “I think people will be amazed not only by the knowledge these young anglers have of the sport, but by the size of the fish they bring to the scales. What they know and how they perform at such a young age really shows how the sport of competitive bass fishing is evolving and gives us a good idea of the kind of competition we’ll see at the higher ranks in the future.”
The Bassmaster High School Series debuted in 2013 and has grown immensely since its inception. The program emphasizes sportsmanship, academics and conservation while giving young anglers a chance to improve and test their fishing skills in competition among their peers.
The tournaments are being hosted by Visit Anderson.
Osage Beach Readies for MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Phoenix Stop 4 on Lake of the Ozarks
Field of 150 Professional Anglers to Compete for Top Prize of up to $115,000 and Qualification into REDCREST 2024
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (April 26, 2023) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, is set to return to Osage Beach, Missouri, next week, May 4-6, for the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Phoenix Stop 4 at Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Mystik Lubricants. The Invitationals feature a roster of 150 professional anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2024 – the Bass Pro Tour championship – for the chance to win up to $300,000.
Hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association, the tournament marks the fourth of six Tackle Warehouse Invitational events in 2023, offering competitors a total season purse of more than $3.9 million. In addition to the top payout of $115,000, the field is also competing for valuable points to win the coveted Invitational Angler of the Year (AOY) title. The top eight pros in the Tackle Warehouse Invitational AOY standings at the end of the season will receive an invitation to compete on the Bass Pro Tour in 2024.
"The Lake of the Ozarks is thrilled to welcome the Tackle Warehouse Invitational anglers, staff and fans to the lake,” said Lagina Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of the Tri-County Lodging Association. “We are very appreciative of our long-standing partnership with Major League Fishing and know the anglers love fishing in our little piece of paradise!"
Lake of the Ozarks is a very familiar destination for MLF and the majority of pro anglers in this tournament, as the fishery has played host to numerous MLF tournaments over the years, across all levels of competition. In the last professional MLF tournament to take place on the fishery, the Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Bass Cat in 2022, pro Jesse Wiggins targeted the plentiful boat docks with a homemade shaky-head rig to take home the top payout of $100,000. Fellow Bass Pro Tour angler James Watson of Lampe, Missouri, made it to the Knockout Round of that event, and said that he expects next week’s event to be very similar.
“It’s going to be a really good tournament – you’re going to need to catch at least 20 pounds a day to compete,” Watson said. “There should be mostly spawning and postspawn fish – there might still be a few straggler prespawn fish coming up – but there is going to be a lot of sight-fishing, a good topwater bite and lots of wacky rigs and shaky-head-type deals going on.”
Watson said that the lake is so good that it makes it hard to predict just how the winner will be fishing.
“I think the key to doing well is probably going to be sight fishing,” Watson said. “If a guy can find three or four exceptional fish on the bed during practice and have them marked for when the tournament starts, that is going to be important. Another X-Factor might be a giant glide bait or a big swimbait.
“Forward-facing sonar isn’t my style, but it will play,” Watson continued. “The lake is so wide open right now. From dam to dam, any water color, pitching a jig, throwing a spinnerbait or a squarebill up the river, the fish live from dam to dam. It’s one of the reasons why it’s such a great fishery.”
Although he will not be competing in this event, Watson said he’d be throwing numerous different baits each day.
“I’d be sight-fishing some sort of tube, and I’d have a floating worm tied on,” Watson said. “Definitely a (River2Sea) Whopper Plopper, a (River2Sea) Worldwide Buzzbait, and a Zara Spook will catch them. And if I was going up the river, I’d be throwing a ½-ounce Strike King spinnerbait with double-willow blades, and a (Strike King) Thunder Cricket.
“Like I said before, you’re going to need to catch at least 20 pounds a day to have a chance at this one,” Watson went on to say. “I predict the winner has 60 to 62 pounds over the three days.”
In MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 50 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, will advance to the final round on Championship Saturday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers.
The winner of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Phoenix Stop 4 at Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Mystik Lubricants will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2024. In addition, the season-long Invitational AOY will also earn a berth into REDCREST 2024.
Anglers will launch each day at 6:30 a.m. CT, Thursday through Saturday, from the Grand Glaize Beach Boat Ramp (Public Beach No. 2) at Lake of the Ozarks State Park, located at 711 Public Beach Road in Osage Beach, Missouri. Weigh-ins will also be held at the boat ramp daily beginning at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the live on-the-water action all three days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. CT at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Phoenix Stop 4 at Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Mystik Lubricants will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the CBS Sports Network on Saturday, October 21st.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Grundéns, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Texas Team Trail announces 2023 broadcast & streaming coverage schedule through Q2
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (April 26, 2023) – The Texas Team Trail (TXTT) is excited to announce all the ways viewers can watch its media coverage schedule this quarter. The TXTT continues to provide the most TV and streaming coverage of any team circuit in the nation. Viewers everywhere can tune in on the device of their choice to watch the exciting action and big bass catches that prove Texas to be one of the top “Big Fish” factories in the U.S.
Pursuit Channel
Mondays @ 11:00 a.m. ET
Tuesdays @ 8:30 p.m. ET & @ 11:30 p.m. ET
Fridays @ 8:30 a.m. ET
Saturdays @ 8:00 a.m. ET & @ 3:00 p.m. ET
Sundays @ 10:30 a.m. ET
Bally Sports Southwest
Saturdays @ 5:30 a.m. CT
AT&T SportsNet Southwest
Saturdays @ 4:00 p.m. ET
Sundays @ 4:00 a.m. ET
Action Channel
Tuesdays @ 6:00 p.m. ET
Fridays @ 10:30 a.m. ET
Right Now TV
Wednesday @ 4:00 p.m. ET & @ 11:30 p.m. ET
Saturday @ 3:30 a.m. ET
Sunday @ 3:30 a.m. ET & @ 4:30 p.m. ET
KTXA21 (Dallas, TX | CBS Affiliate) –
Saturdays @ 4:00 p.m. CT
Fishing fans can also tune in on the device and platform of their choice, including the Outdoor Action™ TV or Pursuit UP platforms allowing viewership on handheld devices, televisions and computers anytime or anyplace. Just a few of the platforms you can see the TXTT via a connected device include Roku, Amazon Fire, Samsung, Apple TV iOS/Android apps, Glewed TV, WebsiOutdoor Action™ TV FAST Channel via TCL Channel, Sports TV among many other platforms. These platforms allow for viewers to watch both new and old episodes as well as a variety of live coverage at select times.
The Texas Team Trail will also showcase a variety of live coverage on the new Texas Team Trail website, to include more distribution of weigh-ins and live coverage from the events as well as live leaderboards.
For more information on the Texas Team Trail, including tournament schedules, and photos and official tournament results from past events, visit texasteamtrail.com. Subscribing is also easy via the TXTT e-newsletter where you’ll be able to receive up-to-date information, registration announcements, sponsor incentives, and Outdoor TeamWorks news.
Half Past First Cast!
Half Past First Cast's Hanna and Pete Robbins join to talk about some of the international angling adventures they provide chasing big fish
Andy Morgan On Top for Group B at Major League Fishing’s General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops Event on Caney Creek Reservoir
Tennessee Pro Catches 11 Bass for 38-12 to Jump Out to 13-Pound, 2-Ounce Lead, Group A to Wrap Qualifying Round Wednesday
MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (April 25, 2023) – As numerous anglers struggled offshore with finicky bass that they could see on their Lowrance Active Target but not convince to bite, pro Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee , went old-school Tuesday to jump out to an early lead. Morgan went to the bank, flipping and pitching his way to 11 scorable largemouth weighing 38 pounds, 12 ounces, to pace the field early for Group B in the Qualifying Round of the Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops.
Pro Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama, caught the largest bass of the day during Period 3 – a 7-pound, 8-ounce largemouth that came on a weightless wacky rig. If Connell’s largemouth remains the largest bass weighed by Group B after the conclusion of the two-day Qualifying Round on Thursday, he will take home a $25,000 Big Bass Bonus. Big Bass Bonuses are awarded throughout the competition, with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 being awarded for the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.
Morgan will bring a 13-pound, 2-ounce, lead over second-place pro and reigning Bally Bet Angler of the Year (AOY) Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, into Thursday’s second day of competition in the Qualifying Round for Group B. Wheeler landed seven scorable bass totaling 25-10, while pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, California, went on a third-period flurry, catching four scorable bass weighing 19-7 in a one-hour timespan in Period 3 to finish the day in third place.
The 15 anglers in Group B will now have the day off Wednesday, while the 15 anglers in Group A will wrap up their two-day Qualifying Round. Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition on Thursday.
“I was totally blindsided, I had no idea that this would happen and today was way better than I expected,” Morgan said. “I went into this little area – I wouldn’t say totally blind, because I had a couple of bites in there during practice – but I figured that I was just going to try to start out doing some shallower fishing. And then I kept getting bit.
“It was kind of crazy honestly, I had no idea that I was going to catch them like that,” Morgan continued. “I thought I could maybe get a couple of bites to get a start, but I was really shocked that I caught as many bass as I did. Because that place is tiny. It’s like a pond. And I was just shocked nobody else was around, and I was shocked that there were no locals. It was a very nice surprise.”
Morgan said he caught his bass on two baits – mainly a Zoom Z-Craw, but he did add a couple of keepers on a Strike King Rage Bug.
“Now it’s just like, okay, I hope this lasts another day so I can hang on,” Morgan said. “I would love to win this (Qualifying) round and skip the Knockout round and go straight to the Championship (Round), but I know that’s going to be a tough road to hoe, for sure. What I’m doing is very fragile. It’s shallow, fragile, and it can’t take a lot of pressure. And I leaned on it a lot today, a really small area.
“I just don’t think there are very many big ones doing what I’m doing, but I’ll take all of the 4 pounders,” Morgan went on to say.
The standings for the 15 pros from Qualifying Group B after Day 1 on Caney Creek Reservoir are:
1st: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 11 bass, 38-12
2nd: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., seven bass, 25-10
3rd: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., four bass, 19-7
4th: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., four bass, 16-12
5th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 16-11
6th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., three bass, 16-6
7th: Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 15-11
8th: Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., three bass, 14-7
9th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., four bass, 13-10
10th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., three bass, 10-6
11th: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., two bass, 8-1
12th: Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, three bass, 7-15
13th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., two bass, 5-5
14th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., one bass, 2-5
15th: Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., zero bass, 0-0
Full results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 57 bass weighing 211 pounds, 6 ounces caught by 14 pros on Tuesday, which included two 7-pounders and six 6-pounders caught from Caney Creek Reservoir.
Different from the Bass Pro Tour regular-season events, General Tire Heavy Hitters features anglers competing using the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format in which anglers catch as many scorable bass and as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. A bass must meet the 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, but for the final day Championship Round a bass must weigh at least 3 pounds to be deemed scorable.
The 15 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Monday and Wednesday – the 15 anglers in Group B on Tuesday and Thursday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the top eight anglers from both groups advance to Thursday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round weights are zeroed, and the remaining 16 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In Saturday’s final day Championship Round, weights carry over from the Knockout Round and the highest two-day total wins. In addition to the tournament, Big Bass Bonuses are awarded in each round of competition with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 awarded to the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.
Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. CT. The Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, Days 1-5, will launch from Caney Creek Hooks Marina, located at 400 Spillway Road in Chatham, Louisiana. The final 10 anglers competing in the Championship Round will launch from Bonner Ferry Road, located five miles northwest of Bastrop off of Highway 593. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
On Championship Saturday, April 29, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF will welcome fans of all ages to visit the Bussey Brake boat ramp located at 5373 Boat Dock Road in Bastrop, to celebrate the top 10 and crown the 2023 General Tire Heavy Hitters Champion at the Watch Party and Trophy Presentation. The final 10 Heavy Hitters Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, and take selfies.
To qualify for General Tire Heavy Hitters, the weight of an angler’s single-largest bass from each event of the seven 2022 Bass Pro Tour events was recorded. The 30 anglers with the heaviest total from those seven bass qualified to compete in this event.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2023 Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Aug. 5 and running each Saturday through Sept. 9 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Event include: Abu Garcia, B&W Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Builders First Source, Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, NITRO Boats, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Plano, Power-Pole, Shore Lunch, StarBrite, Sqwincher, T-H Marine, Toyota, United States Airforce, Yellowstone Bourbon, and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Why We Go to El Salto in May and June
Why We Go to El Salto in May and June
By Pete Robbins - Half Past First Cast
I believe that the first time I ever heard of El Salto was when I was crappie fishing on the California Delta in 2003 with former Bassmaster pro, Kenyon Hill. He mentioned that he’d been to the lake several times, and had absolutely crushed the big fish. I don’t know why, but I assumed that the best time to go was during the winter months when the climate in his home state of Oklahoma was cold as it was near my home in Virginia.
“No,” he said. “We go at the end of May. That’s when the big ones get ganged up.”
I suppose I always kept that in the back of my head, because even though our first trip to the lake was in December 2009, our next one was in May of 2013, and we’ve been back every May or June since then. Actually, Hanna has been back every May or June since then. I scheduled a “work trip” with Keith Combs to Alaska in the summer of 2019 which left me without enough vacation time to go to El Salto as well, so Hanna took Keith’s wife Jennifer instead.
Friends are often surprised to hear that we go to Mexico during the warmer months. Indeed, there are several prejudices working against making such a trip. First, fishing is good just about everywhere then. The spawn is over in the deep south, but the fish are lined up on a couple of different patterns. In the far north, the seasons are just starting. Where we live in the mid-Atlantic, I consider April through June the best period to catch not just numbers of fish, but also big fish. So yes, you may be giving up a few days of exceptional fishing at home, but in all but a few instances, it’s likely to be better South of the Border. That’s because the water is at its lowest point of the year and the fish are schooled up on textbook offshore structure.
At home, on the local tidal rivers, I rarely fish deeper than 6 feet deep, so the offshore game at El Salto is a special treat. I get to throw lures like swimbaits and Strike King 10XDs and even the dreaded “ball and chain” (Carolina Rig). Even more importantly, I’m throwing them at SCHOOLS of fish, not individual specimens.
The next question is, “Isn’t it HOT?”
The truth is that it’s not more than a few degrees warmer than it is at home. The most uncomfortable part of the day is from about 10 am until you go in for lunch at 11. That’s when the temps have warmed up and the wind hasn’t started blowing. By the time you go back out in the afternoon, the wind is usually howling at a pretty good clip. Not only does that make it much more comfortable to be outside, but it also positions the fish. Many of the guides have areas where you can tie up to a tree, make a cast with the wind (be sure to have enough line on your cranking reel), and catch bass after bass after bass with the same lineup.
That mention of the siesta is another key point – it stays light LATE. When we go in December of January, it gets dark early, so if you’re going to get in a decent afternoon session you need to be out on the water by 1:30. After getting in at 11, cleaning up, and eating lunch, that doesn’t leave much time for a siesta. In June, on the other hand, there’s lots of daylight. Take a nap, cool down, and restore your energy for the long evening bite.
If you’re someone who believes that the tilapia nets have an adverse impact on the fishing (note: I am not one of those people) this is also a prime time to go because the tilapia cooperative does not operate in the summertime.
Furthermore, if you want to bring the family, this is a time when you can take the kids without having to pull them out of school. Hanna and I often try to come during Memorial Day week so we have to take one less day of vacation.
Obviously, my track record of visiting at this time of year should speak for itself, but in the interest of full disclosure, I’ll reveal a few more things:
(1) our best trips have been in May/June, but we’ve also had a couple of clunkers.
(2) if a great topwater bite is your goal, I’d recommend a different time of year. We’ve had some killer days with a Rico and a Whopper Plopper in June, but we’ve also had a couple of otherwise great trips when the surface bite was minimal.
(3) I’ve been to El Salto in October, November, December, and January as well. We’ve had mostly great trips those months, but a couple of tough ones, too. I have several friends who swear by February/March/April, months when I have not been there. I also know several trusted anglers, including TV show host Joe Thomas, who frequently go in July, when the water is still low but you start to get a few overcast days, to extend the shallow bite. My only recommendation, if you do that, would be to skew toward the first half of the month, because in the waning days, you might lose some fishing time to lightning; and
(4) If you want to see different areas every day, go when the water is higher. Because the lake is at its lowest in May and June, the total acreage is also at its smallest footprint. Your guide will likely follow a milk run of proven spots. For some, that’s a negative. For me, it’s a positive, because at some point in the day, you are going to intercept the largest school of bass of your life, and perhaps the largest single bass of your life.
The bottom line is that there’s no “best month.” Anyone who tells you that “this is the best time to catch a 10-pounder” is full of it. Those fish show up every day of the year and they’re caught in a wide variety of ways. Get there when you can, but take into account all of the other factors that make a trip feasible and great for YOU.
If you’d like to learn more about fishing in Mexico, check out our “Ultimate Guide to El Salto and Picachos.” If you’d like to book a trip, email us any time at [email protected].
Cobb collects Costa Compete + Conserve cash
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Brandon Cobb caught 81 pounds of bass in four days on largemouth-laden Lake Murray, SC to finish 6th at the Bassmaster Elite Series event, but that was good enough for a $3,000 contingency check from the Costa Compete + Conserve program that benefits serious anglers like Cobb, and a conservation group of their choosing.
Cobb wore Costa’s Reefton frames with green mirror 580P lenses to spot color changes on the bottom of Lake Murray’s plentiful points, indicating transitions from clay to rocks and deeper drop-offs that fish were relating to.
“Being able to see those transitions helped a ton this week on Murray, but the thing I’ve loved most about Costa my entire fishing career is how light their frames and lenses are on my face, not to mention all they do for our sport and conservation,” says the easy-going South Carolina pro.
Speaking of conservation, Costa Compete + Conserve winners have the option to choose between five conservation organizations to receive an allotted donation on behalf of the Costa Compete + Conserve Program. Cobb chose the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, which donates to numerous youth-oriented conservation projects that benefit local freshwater fisheries.
Compete + Conserve is not limited to pro anglers by any means, but you can’t win and support conservation if you’re not registered. To find out more and get signed-up, please visit https://www.costacompeteandconserve.com/register/
Alton Jones, Jr. Leads after Day 1 of Major League Fishing’s General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops Event on Caney Creek Reservoir
Texas Pro Catches Nine Bass Weighing 33 Pounds, 14 ounces to Lead Group A Qualifying Round after Day 1, 15 Anglers in Group B Set to Compete Tuesday
MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (April 24, 2023) – As on-the-water reporter Rob Newell stated at the end of competition Monday, it was a day of feast or famine on Day 1 of the fourth-annual Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops. The anglers at the top of the leaderboard feasted, as numerous 6-, 7- and 9-pounders were weighed in. The anglers at the bottom of the leaderboard really struggled, and some big names in the sport were left with a bit of a hole to dig out of on Wednesday.
After the final bass had been logged into SCORETRACKER, pro Alton Jones, Jr., of Waco, Texas, held the early lead after Day 1 with nine scorable bass weighing 33 pounds, 14 ounces. REDCREST 2023 Champion Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, held the lead for an extended period of time Monday, but was eclipsed by Jones in the third period. Thrift weighed in six scorable bass totaling 30 pounds, 2 ounces, to end the day in second place.
Pro Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, caught the heaviest bass of the day Monday – a beautiful largemouth that weighed 9 pounds, 5 ounces that came on a weightless wacky rig in Period 3. If Ebare’s fish remains the largest bass weighed by Group A after the conclusion of the two-day Qualifying Round on Wednesday, he will take home a $25,000 Big Bass Bonus. Big Bass Bonuses are awarded throughout the competition, with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 being awarded for the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.
The 15 anglers in Group A will now have the day off Tuesday, while the 15 anglers in Group B will begin their Day 1 Qualifying Round. Group A will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition on Wednesday.
Jones began the day as the first boat out from launch, which helped him get a prime position on the lake that was highly sought after.
“There was actually about five of us starting on one spot in about 20 feet of water,” Jones said. “I was able to catch four off that spot that got me going before I decided to move on to something else.”
That something else was moving up shallow among the boat docks on Caney Creek. With the sun shining bright and not much wind to speak of, the conditions were picture-perfect for Jones to sight-fish with a Geecrack Bellows Shad. The Texas pro had one bed fish already located from practice, but he quickly discovered a few more.
“I don’t think a lot of guys are sight-fishing right now, so it was cool to get to do that today,” Jones said. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to see as well as I did today on Wednesday, so I’m glad I was able to get some sight-fishing in today. The fish are hard to see, but the conditions allowed me to find some today.”
The standings for the 15 pros from Qualifying Group A after Day 1 on Caney Creek Reservoir are:
1st: Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, nine bass, 33-14
2nd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., six bass, 30-2
3rd: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., six bass, 25-12
4th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., six bass, 24-15
5th: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 22-9
6th: Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 18-15
7th: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., four bass, 16-1
8th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., three bass, 9-9
9th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., two bass, 8-1
10th: Alton Jones, Sr., Lorena, Texas, three bass, 7-12
11th: Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, two bass, 5-8
12th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., one bass, 4-12
13th: Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., one bass, 3-2
14th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., one bass, 2-12
15th: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., one bass, 2-6
Full results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 55 bass weighing 216 pounds, 2 ounces caught by the 15 pros on Monday, which included one 9-pounder, one 7-pounder and six 6-pounders caught from Caney Creek Reservoir.
Different from the Bass Pro Tour regular-season events, General Tire Heavy Hitters features anglers competing using the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format in which anglers catch as many scorable bass and as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. A bass must meet the 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, but for the final day Championship Round a bass must weigh at least 3 pounds to be deemed scorable.
The 15 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Monday and Wednesday – the 15 anglers in Group B on Tuesday and Thursday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the top eight anglers from both groups advance to Thursday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round weights are zeroed, and the remaining 16 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In Saturday’s final day Championship Round, weights carry over from the Knockout Round and the highest two-day total wins. In addition to the tournament, Big Bass Bonuses are awarded in each round of competition with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 awarded to the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.
Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. CT. The Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, Days 1-5, will launch from Caney Creek Hooks Marina, located at 400 Spillway Road in Chatham, Louisiana. The final 10 anglers competing in the Championship Round will launch from Bonner Ferry Road, located five miles northwest of Bastrop off of Highway 593. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
On Championship Saturday, April 29, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF will welcome fans of all ages to visit the Bussey Brake boat ramp located at 5373 Boat Dock Road in Bastrop, to celebrate the top 10 and crown the 2023 General Tire Heavy Hitters Champion at the Watch Party and Trophy Presentation. The final 10 Heavy Hitters Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, and take selfies.
To qualify for General Tire Heavy Hitters, the weight of an angler’s single-largest bass from each event of the seven 2022 Bass Pro Tour events was recorded. The 30 anglers with the heaviest total from those seven bass qualified to compete in this event.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2023 Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Aug. 5 and running each Saturday through Sept. 9 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Event include: Abu Garcia, B&W Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Builders First Source, , Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, NITRO Boats, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Plano, Power-Pole, Shore Lunch, StarBrite, Sqwincher, T-H Marine, Toyota, United States Airforce, Yellowstone Bourbon, and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Rather Outdoors partners with Fishing Chaos Digital Platform, Online Tournament Series in 2023
Columbia, SC - April 20, 2023 - Rather Outdoors and Fishing Chaos are pleased to announce their partnership for 2023, opening the door for a new series of online tournaments and improved communications platforms for anglers throughout the United States. This new digital series, the Mach Nation Summer Smash Series, will include four events in 2023, each of which will take place over the course of a month in the summer of 2023. Through a catch-photo-release entry and scoring format, competitors will have a chance to compete for thousands of dollars in product from Mach, Lew’s, Strike King, and an Old Town Sportsman AutoPilot 136 equipped with a Minn Kota trolling motor, among other prizes.
Fishing Chaos will also serve as the host for the new Team Mach Nation membership program, a free membership which aims to assemble a team of passionate anglers to participate in new product development initiatives, early access to new product launches, engagement with Mach Nation content creators and more to help drive the brand strategy in 2023 and beyond. “We are thrilled about the opportunities that the Fishing Chaos platforms provide for our brands,” said Tom Brewbaker, Senior Brand Marketing Manager for Rather Outdoors. “They are clearly on the forefront of some innovative technology with the various platforms they’ve created to help anglers better engage with the sport by removing barriers of entry and allowing anglers to get competitive juices flowing from anywhere in the U.S.”
John Calagaz, Founder and CEO of Fishing Chaos, remarked, “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Strike King, Lew’s, and Mach Nation, as we work together to revolutionize the fishing industry. By bringing a unified form of communication to pro staff and avid anglers, we are committed to providing the best experience possible for their employees and customers. And with our fun and exciting tournament platform, we’re excited to help our brands give back to the anglers and provide a platform for everyone to benefit. This partnership is a testament to our commitment to innovation and excellence, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for Fishing Chaos and our partners.”
To learn more about Team Mach Nation, visit https://app.fishingchaos.com/club/machnation
Former College Angler Bryce Boatright Earns Win in First Solo Event at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Hamilton
Jones Earns Strike King Co-Angler Division Victory
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (April 24, 2023) – Boater Bryce Boatright of Sheridan, Arkansas, brought five bass to the scale totaling 15 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hamilton. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Arkie Division.
A former MLF College Fishing angler for Henderson State University, it was Boatright’s first career MLF event as a solo boater, and he notched his first career win and earned $4,825 for his victory.
“It feels great to get this win,” Boatright said in his post-game interview. “I’ve got some history on this lake, and I’ve been wanting to get revenge here for some time. So it feels real good to win and get some vengeance.
“It was a tough day – I only got seven bites all day long,” Boatright continued. “I caught my biggest fish – a 5-pounder on a bed. I caught a 4½- pounder on a wacky worm, and I got one good bite on a buzzbait. Those were my three key baits – I sight-fished, a buzzbait and a wacky worm.”
Boatright said that he earned the victory by covering a lot of water.
“I was all over the lake – mid-lake, down-lake – I ran all over and burned a lot of gas,” he said. “The key was just being in the right place at the right time. All of my fish were coming pretty shallow – in 2- to 6-feet.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Bryce Boatright, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 15-9, $4,825
2nd: Rodney Copeland, Sallisaw, Okla., five bass, 15-6, $2,118
3rd: Russell Richmond, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 14-15, $1,913 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
4th: Kevin Brown, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 14-14, $988
5th: Nick Aber, Yukon, Okla., five bass, 13-15, $847
6th: Wayne Dixon, Morrilton, Ark., five bass, 13-13, $776
7th: Brian Bean, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 13-12, $706
8th: Chip Hawkins, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 13-6, $835
9th: Brett King, Kinta, Okla., five bass, 12-5, $565
10th: Lance Pyle, Sherwood, Ark., five bass, 11-15, $494
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Boatright’s biggest bass that weighed 4 pounds, 15 ounces, also earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $590.
Jody Jones of Harvey, Arkansas, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,413 Saturday, after bringing a five-bass limit to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Jody Jones, Harvey, Ark., five bass, 12-8, $2,413
2nd: John Hankins, Atkins, Ark., five bass, 11-2, $1,059
3rd: Alex Albert, Broken Bow, Okla., five bass, 11-1, $706
4th: Aaron Calvert, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 11-0, $494
5th: Mark Sloan, Harrison, Ark., five bass, 10-10, $424
6th: Corey Ruff, Jacksonville, Ark., five bass, 10-9, $388
7th: L. Neil Welch, Malvern, Ark., five bass, 10-7, $353
8th: Zachary O'Brien, Palestine, Ark., five bass, 10-3, $318
9th: Steve Duggan, Pearcy, Ark., five bass, 9-9, $282
10th: Mitchell Moore, Russellville, Ark., four bass, 9-8, $247
Jones also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler bonus of $295 with a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces.
After three events, Brian Bean of Hot Springs, Arkansas, leads the BFL Arkie Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 732 points, while John Hankins of Atkins, Arkansas, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 738 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Oklahoma. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2023 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Hillebrandt Earns Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake of the Pines
Matzke Claims Strike King Co-Angler Win
JEFFERSON, Texas (April 24, 2023) – Boater Ernie Hillebrandt of Lafayette, Louisiana, caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake of the Pines. The tournament was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Cowboy Division. Hillebrandt earned $4,082 for the first MLF victory of his career.
“This feels great,” Hillebrandt said in his post-game interview. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and this is my first win.
“I was fishing on the south end of Lake of the Pines, targeting spawning fish,” Hillebrandt continued. “My key bait was a watermelon-seed-colored Zoom Super Fluke. Most of my keepers came on that. But the big one came on a white (River2Sea) Whopper Plopper.
“The key to this victory was my history on the lake,” Hillebrandt went on to say.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Ernie Hillebrandt, Lafayette, La., five bass, 18-5, $4,082
2nd: Tater Reynolds, Florien, La., five bass, 17-2, $2,041
3rd: Travis Franks, Lake Charles, La., five bass, 16-7, $1,862 (includes $500 Phoenix Bonus)
4th: Nick Abshire, Sulphur, La., five bass, 16-1, $952
5th: Leon Jefferson, Baytown, Texas, three bass, 15-12, $1,796
6th: Red Ballard, Sulphur, La., five bass, 15-1, $748
7th: Arthur Johnson, Judson, Texas, five bass, 14-10, $680
8th: Ian Leybas, McAlester, Okla., five bass, 14-6, $612
9th: Trent Manuel, Iowa, La., five bass, 13-2, $544
10th: Dylan Smith, Midlothian, Texas, five bass, 13-1, $476
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Jefferson caught a largemouth that weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $560.
J.J. Matzke of League City, Texas, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $2,041 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 14 pounds, 9 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: J.J. Matzke, League City, Texas, five bass, 14-9, $2,041
2nd: Glen Dockery, Longview, Texas, five bass, 13-9, $1,301
3rd: Nic Gardner, Frisco, Texas, five bass, 12-6, $683
4th: Lawrence Tidwell, Frisco, Texas, five bass, 12-4, $476
5th: Garrett Wilson, Willis, Texas, five bass, 11-12, $408
6th: Troy Ladner, Bay Saint Louis, Miss., five bass, 10-10, $774
7th: Scott LeBlanc, Lafayette, La., five bass, 10-8, $340
8th: Steven Fisher, Nacogdoches, Texas, five bass, 10-6, $289
8th: Dustin Berry, Dayton, Texas, five bass, 10-6, $289
10th: Cole Allen, Taylor, Ark., four bass, 10-2, $388
Dockery earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $280, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 1 ounce – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After four events, Tater Reynolds of Florien, Louisiana, leads the BFL Cowboy Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 961 points, while J.J. Matzke of League City, Texas, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 980 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Oklahoma. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2023 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Cochran Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Demopolis Lake
Macks Claims Strike King Co-Angler Division Victory
DEMOPOLIS, Ala. (April 24, 2023) – Boater Adam Cochran of Gallion, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Demopolis Lake Presented by Southern Petroleum Services . The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Bama Division Presented by Mystik Lubricants. It was the first ever MLF event that Cochran has competed in, and he notched his first career win and earned $3,514 for his victory.
“This was a really fun event, and I think I just got lucky,” Cochran said. “I caught a real quick shad spawn right away in the morning on a floating worm. And then it got really tough. After 9 o’clock, pretty much nothing else bit – I think we got one more fish the rest of the day.”
Cochran politely declined to divulge much information about the areas that he targeted during the shad spawn, but did hint that it was up river.
“The floating worm was a Zoom worm, in watermelon red,” Cochran said. “I’m very appreciative that MLF put on a tournament on Demopolis Lake and I really hope that you come back again, next season.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Adam Cochran, Gallion, Ala., five bass, 16-4, $3,514
2nd: Will Ayres, Newbern, Ala., five bass, 15-9, $1,757
3rd: Kevin Williams, Demopolis, Ala., 14-2, $1,392
4th: Jason Nixon, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 13-14, $820
5th: Ken Romain, Northport, Ala., five bass, 13-11, $703
6th: Hunter Dubose, Andalusia, Ala., five bass, 12-10, $644
7th: Tommy Nichols, Fayette, Ala., five bass, 12-9, $586
8th: Robert Werner, Fairhope, Ala., five bass, 12-5, $527
9th: Ray Mitchell, Demopolis, Ala., five bass, 11-15, $469
10th: T.J. Free, Carrlllton, Ala., five bass, 11-12, $410
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Elijah Clark of Alabaster, Alabama, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 3 ounce, to earn the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $450.
Chad Macks of Robertsdale, Alabama, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,693 Saturday, after bringing a five-bass limit to the scale that totaled 11 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Chad Macks, Robertsdale, Ala., five bass, 11-6, $1,693
2nd: Scott Noles, Woodland, Ala., five bass, 11-4, $846
3rd: Ethan McDonald, Livingston, Tenn., five bass, 9-11, $776
4th: Mike Langdale, Sycamore, Ga., five bass, 8-3, $395
5th: Michael Petras, Biloxi, Miss., five bass, 7-12, $474
5th: Barry Landrum, Butler, Ala., five bass, 7-12, $324
7th: Stuart Vitollo, Vance, Ala., five bass, 7-3, $282
8th: Caleb Gwaltney, Athens, Ala., five bass, 7-1, $254
9th: Johnny Albritton, Cullman, Ala., three bass, 7-0, $212
9th: Ladarius Brackin, Newton, Ala., five bass, 7-0, $212
McDonald earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $212 with a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 1 ounce.
After three events, Christian Rich of Eufaula, Alabama, leads the BFL Bama Division Presented by Mystik Lubricants Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 716 points, while Ethan McDonald of Livingston, Tennessee, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 707 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional tournament on Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2023 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Jeremy Johnson Chucks A-Rig to Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division Opener at Lake Monroe
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (April 24, 2023) – Boater Jeremy Johnson of Austin, Indiana, weighed in four bass totaling 12 pounds even Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Monroe . The tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Hoosier Division. Johnson earned $4,498 for his victory.
“I fished at the causeway to start out, and I didn’t get bit at all. Then I ran some bushes and didn’t get bit at all, so I had to go to Plan C. I ran all the way up to the dam and threw an umbrella rig for five hours and ended up catching four big ones on the A-rig,” Johnson said.
“All of my fish came on the A-rig,” Johnson continued. “I tried flipping bushes and throwing tubes and shaky-head rigs on the causeway, but no luck there. I knew they were pulling the water a little bit, so going up the river would not be ideal. So, I did the complete opposite, and I ran all the way up to the dam. I feel like those fish there don’t get affected as much.
“I think just having multiple plans on opposite sides of the spectrum was the key. If the shallow bite doesn’t work, then go completely to the other end and launch a big bait.”
The win was Johnson’s first victory of his BFL career and also his first event as a boater after competing last season as a Strike King co-angler.
“This feels good. My brother (Jeff) has won a BFL before, and my good buddy Richard Ison has won one. So it’s good to be with them in that group.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
2nd: Mike Quinlin, Mooresville, Ind., five bass, 11-4, $3,519
3rd: Ethan Hill, Columbus, Ind., four bass, 10-3, $1,498
4th: Travis Spivey, Union, Ky., three bass, 8-3, $1,050
5th: John Melton, Corydon, Ind., four bass, 7-8, $1,100
6th: Jared Robinson, Medora, Ind., two bass, 6-14, $787
6th: Caleb Perkins, Santa Claus, Ind., one bass, 6-14, $1,432
8th: Mark Dove, North Vernon, Ind., three bass, 6-8, $675
9th: Lee Mills, Columbus, Ind., two bass, 6-4, $600
10th: Richard Hardebeck, Elwood, Ind., two bass, 6-3, $525
Perkins caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $645.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
2nd: Zion Dunaway, Campbellsburg, Ind., two bass, 5-8, $1,125
3rd: Wayne Fackler, Scottsburg, Ind., one bass, 5-2, $752
4th: Andrew Matuszak, Washington, Ind., two bass, 4-15, $525
5th: Jason Thornton, Corydon, Ind., one bass, 4-5, $450
5th: Nathaniel Hester, Indianapolis, Ind., one bass, 4-2, $412
7th: Rodney Bolte, Bloomington, Ind., one bass, 4-0, $375
8th: Joe Gorham, Indianapolis, Ind., one bass, 3-14, $337
9th: Dylan Grace, Scottsburg, Ind., one bass, 3-12, $300
10th: Mark Goodridge, Burlington, Ky., one bass, 3-10, $249
10th: Brian Liming, Dillsboro, Ind., one bass, 3-10, $249
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional tournament on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2023 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Antioch Teens Win MLF High School Fishing Open on the California Delta
OAKLEY, Calif. (April 24, 2023) – The Liberty/Heritage High School Team of Noah Nguyen and Tyler Petersen, both of Antioch, California, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the second, and final, MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open on the California Delta Presented by Tackle Warehouse event of the year in Oakley, California.
A field of 33 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Russo’s Marina in Bethel Island. In MLF High School Fishing competition, the top 10% of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top three teams that qualified for the 2023 High School Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Liberty/Heritage High School – Noah Nguyen and Tyler Peterson, both of Antioch, Calif., five bass, 17-12
2nd: Casa Roble Fundamental – Ian Peatross and Preston Schweiger, both of Citrus Heights, Calif., four bass, 17-5
3rd: Lake County High School Fishing Club – Tyler Bryant and Joey Gentle, both of Kelseyville, Calif., five bass, 16-9
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
4th: Lake County High School Fishing Club – Payton Lyndall, Kelseyville, Calif., and Kaine Navarro, Glendora, Calif., five bass, 16-6
5th: Hughson High School – Logan Dekleva and Landon Mason, both of Hughson, Calif., five bass, 14-8
6th: Delta Saints Bass Team – Jax Soto, Courtland, Calif., and Nathan Tritt, West Sacramento, Calif., five bass, 14-1
7th: Delta Saints Bass Team – Zachary Carli, Ryde, Calif., and Jake Feldheim, West Sacramento, Calif., five bass, 13-11
8th: Liberty High School – J.D. Farage, Discovery Bay, Calif., and Fisher Perkins, Rocklin, Calif., five bass, 13-7
9th: Hughson High School – Hunter Cook, Hickman, Calif., and Cooper Scarbrough, Hughson, Calif., five bass, 13-4
10th: Oakdale High School – Troy Cox and Zane Ravalin, both of Oakdale, Calif., five bass, 11-12
Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and TBF Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10% of teams at each Open event, along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships, will advance to the 2023 High School Fishing National Championship. The 2023 MLF High School Fishing National Championship will be held on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, June 20-24, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse.
The High School Fishing National Champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2023 MLF Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Black Rifle Coffee Company, E3, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Grundens, Lawless Lures, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
