OneWater Marine Inc. Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Ocean Bio-Chem, Inc.
|
|
|
|
AC Insider Podcast - LeBoom Part 2!
This week Chris & David welcome in back-to-back Pro Circuit Winner Nick LeBrun to the show to talk about his back-to-back wins, only the 3rd MLF Angler to achieve such a feat! They talk about the Jamnes River, the upcoming Champlain event next month and options Nick may have when the year is over. All this and more right here!
Consistency Gives Virginia’s Largen Lead In Bassmaster Kayak Angler Of The Year Race
After a win at the 2022 Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series at Harris Chain powered by TourneyX and two other Top 10 finishes, Justin Largen of Roanoke, Va., is leading the Old Town Bassmaster Kayak Series Angler of the Year race with one event left in the season.
Photo by Mark Cisneros/B.A.S.S.
June 21, 2022
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — With a fifth-place finish at the Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series at Lewis Smith Lake powered by TourneyX, Justin Largen of Roanoke, Va., grabbed the lead in the Old Town Bassmaster Kayak Series Angler of the Year standings with 972 points. Largen logged his third Top 10 finish of the year at Smith Lake, adding to a season that includes a victory at the Harris Chain of Lakes and an eighth-place showing at Grand Lake.
“Going into Grand and into Smith, they weren’t places I have fished before, and I didn’t have a ton of confidence, but my goal was to be competitive and stay relevant,” Largen said. “Don’t have a bomb and take myself out of it. To be leading it feels great.”
Largen is followed closely by West Virginia’s Larry Edwards (967 points) and Arkansas angler Garrett Morgan (950), who led the AOY standings through the season’s first three events.
After lackluster tournaments before the start of the Bassmaster Kayak Series season, Largen arrived at Texas’ Lake Fork in February to freezing, low-water conditions but figured out a pattern that helped him grind out an 18th-place finish.
“Fork was really a turning point for me,” he said. “It was tough fishing, and the first day I had one bass and was 66th out of 150. The second day I decided I needed to get bites and picked up a spinning rod. I had seen a turtle at some point on Day 1 near the surface and didn’t think a whole lot of it. But later that night I started thinking that the surface water was a little warmer and that the fish might be holding shallower. I was dragging a Carolina rig and maybe I was dragging it underneath them. So on the second day, all I did was fish a wacky-rigged Missile (Baits) 48 worm on 6-pound line, and it was like a different lake. I had 95 inches.”
Largen then went to Florida and won at the Harris Chain, giving him his first national-level victory in a field of anglers he greatly respects.
“When I saw B.A.S.S. was doing an Angler of the Year, I signed up for all of them right away,” he said. “The win was huge for me. It was my first win at a national level, and there were a bunch of big names fishing. It was a huge confidence boost.”
Growing up on the Potomac River, Largen has grown into a power fisherman and would try to force a power bite during tough days. But this season, Largen has been more willing to pick up a spinning rod and finesse fish more, an attitude change that has made all the difference this season.
“That was something I noticed last year I wasn’t doing a lot of. I might bring a spinning rod or two, but I would try and force the power fishing,” he said. “This year, I have kept a spinning rod in my hand when it has been tough or the fish have had a lot of pressure. A lot of the lakes we’ve fished have been really pressured, and I have caught a lot of fish with that spinning rod.”
Largen added that a simpler approach has also helped his confidence.
“I’m not taking quite as much gear,” he said. “I own a ton of stuff, but I found the more things you take the more weight is in the boat. In addition to cluttering the boat, it clutters my head. Just having the Missile line of plastics and jigs, I can eliminate a lot of extra stuff, and if I’m not getting bit, I need to change techniques and think about the rate of fall.”
The Old Town Bassmaster Kayak Series Angler of the Year will be decided by an angler’s four best finishes. The worst finish for each angler who fished all five regular-season tournaments will be dropped.
With this format, there is still plenty to be decided.
The 2022 season wraps up Oct. 8-9 at the Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series at Pickwick Lake powered by TourneyX.
Cox hasn’t caught a bass deeper than 4-feet this season
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Calendar year 2022 is nearly half over, 6 of 9 Bassmaster Elite Series events are in the books, John Cox sits second in the Progressive Elite Series Angler of the year race, and yet he still hasn’t caught a bass deeper than 4-feet all year, and does not utilize forward facing sonar.
“No, I swear, I can’t think of a single bass I’ve weighed-in all year that I caught deeper than about 4-feet,” chuckled the always happy Florida pro. “And I’ve caught most of those fish on these three lures,” says Cox, holding his three key players up for a fast photo.
Swim Jig – “This bait can be sort of a cleanup hitter a lot of days. I like to throw the ¼ ounce and trim it with a Berkley Shape 108 craw to keep it compact,” says Cox, a longtime Toyota Bonus Bucks participant.
Jerk Shad – “I started throwing a soft jerkbait when I was a kid because my mom and I saw them at the tackle store, and she said I should buy it because it looked like a real baitfish. Still to this day, it’s one of the Top 3 lures I throw. It caught me a lot of fish this year at Santee Cooper and the St. Johns,” he reflects.
Berkley General – “If I’m picking the true season MVP so far, it’s the 5” General. This bait is the reason I get to fish professionally, instead of paving and patching highways like I used to. It’s so versatile that I’ve literally built my pro career on it. I can Wacky rig it, Texas rig it, or Neko rig it – and always have super high confidence that I can catch keepers with it,” says Cox.
Certainly, all three baits match his penchant for staying super shallow, but what about the last three remaining Elite Series events that include two enormous fisheries in the St. Lawrence River and Lake Oahe that are sure to be dominated by drop shots, deeper water, and forward-facing sonar?
“I haven’t used forward facing sonar all year. I rigged it on my boat at St. Clair in 2020 and I could see the fish swimming away from me. That kind of freaked me out, so I stopped using it and actually lead most of that event fishing around seawalls and docks,” smiles Cox. “And last summer on the St. Lawrence I won the opening rounds in an MLF event with 54 bass that totaled 175-pounds, but I caught all those super-shallow too.”
Cox admits it scares him to think about changing his game. And who can blame him? Few pros challenge for more wins than he does, and his seemingly constant place in the Top 10 of Angler of the Year race takes the logic out of leaving the shallows.
To punctuate his approach, perhaps no quote better defines his mindset than when he explains why he chose the three lures you see him holding here.
“I can cover all depth ranges with these three lures. You know, from 0 to 4-feet!” he concluded with sincerity and a laugh.
Fitzpatrick Victorious at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on the Wolf River Chain of Lakes
WINNECONNE, Wis. (June 20, 2022) – Boater Brian Fitzpatrick of La Crosse, Wisconsin, caught five bass Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Wolf River Chain of Lakes . The tournament was the third event for the Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division. Fitzpatrick earned $3,963 for his victory.
“I started off catching a few pretty quick,” Fitzpatrick said. “You know, just putting some in the boat. That always helps out mentally. I was just running around, hitting a bunch of areas and fishing fast.”
Fitzpatrick said he employed a swim jig and a buzzbait to cover water quickly and boated 20 to 25 bass during the course of the day, 15 of which were keepers.
“Around mid-day I got rid of a couple of 14-inchers I had and knew I had a little more than 15 pounds, so I knew I might have a shot at winning,” Fitzpatrick said. “I really felt like I needed to upgrade one more fish, though. I knew it would be close.”
It turns out Fitzpatrick, who calls the Mississippi River his home water, did not need to upgrade his weight, and the tournament trophy was his.
“This feels great,” Fitzpatrick said. “It feels a little bit better getting a win here than it does on my home water.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
2nd: Andrew Behnke, Fond Du Lac, Wis., five bass, 15-2, $1,981
3rd: Kyle Meyer, Blaine, Minn., five bass, 14-14, $1,322
4th: Kory Rose, Waterloo, Iowa, five bass, 14-2, $925
5th: Nick Trim, Galesville, Wis., five bass, 13-15, $1,293 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
6th: Jeremy Nokken, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 13-12, $727
7th: Jeff Ritter, Prairie Du Chien, Wis., five bass, 13-9, $627
7th: Hunter Litchfield, Macomb, Ill., five bass, 13-9, $827
9th: Mike Feldermann, Galena, Ill., five bass, 13-7, $528
10th: Brandon Gann, Sparta, Wis., five bass, 13-4, $462
Alex Standerfer of New London, Wisconsin, caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 5 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – to earn the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $535.
Devan Jenkins of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $1,921 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 1 ounce.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
2nd: John Sordahl, Holmen, Wis., five bass, 11-12, $960
3rd: Ron Mairet, Columbus Junction, Iowa, five bass, 11-0, $641
4th: Chad Plaskey, West Bend, Wis., five bass, 10-14, $448
5th: Brady Rufenacht, Lavalle, Wis., four bass, 10-8, $384
6th: Kevin Anderson, Ettrick, Wis., five bass, 10-6, $352
7th: Matthew Vang, Milwaukee, Wis., five bass, 10-5, $320
8th: Zachary Burns, Campbellsport, Wis., four bass, 9-5, $288
9th: Carter Wijangco, Naperville, Ill., four bass, 8-15, $256
10th: Cody Oberfoell, Marion, Iowa, three bass, 8-7, $224
After three events, Jeff Ritter of Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, leads the Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 720 points, while Chad Plaskey of West Bend, Wisconsin, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 722 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete 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 fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.
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.
Harbin Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Clarks Hill Lake
APPLING, Ga. (June 20, 2022) – Boater Kameron Harbin of Abbeville, South Carolina, caught five bass Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Clarks Hill Lake . The tournament was the fourth event for the Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division. Harbin earned $11,856, which includes a $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
“I found one area of the lake that I ran and had some very quality bites,” Harbin said. “I caught a 2-pounder right off the bat and then followed that up 30 minutes later with a 5-pounder. I just kept picking them off one by one all day long and caught my last good fish about noon.”
Harbin said he fished from the middle of Clarks Hill toward the upper end. He targeted shallow ditches in the backs of creeks with a Berkley J-Walker and a Berkley PowerBait Bottom Hopper Worm fished on a shaky head rig.
After catching 20 keepers during the tournament, Harbin said he felt confident in his weigh bag for the most part, but had a 2-pound fish he wanted to upgrade.
“I had a 5-pounder on that ended up spitting the bait out, and I thought, ‘That’s going to be the one that costs me the win,’” Harbin said. “I just didn’t think I had it won.
“I’ve had a lot of experience at Clarks Hill and fished it for many years,” Harbin added. “I’ve been close before in BFL competition and have finished second, so to finally get one wrapped up in a win feels really good.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
2nd: Donald Miller, Harlem, Ga., five bass, 20-6, $1,913
3rd: Tucker Veronee, Gilbert, S.C., five bass, 18-9, $1,141
4th: Joshua Rockefeller, Harlem, Ga., five bass, 17-2, $799
5th: Randall Clark, Hephzibah, Ga., five bass, 15-7, $685
6th: Wesley Story, Clarks Hill, S.C., five bass, 15-3, $628
7th: Tyler Walls, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 15-0, $771
8th: Joshua Weaver, Monroe, Ga., five bass, 14-8, $514
9th: D.J. Hadden, Appling, Ga., five bass, 13-1, $457
10th: Danny Kirk, Midville, Ga., five bass, 13-0, $400
Harbin also caught a largemouth weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – to earn the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $430.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
2nd: Brennan Gunther, Mount Pleasant, S.C., five bass, 10-11, $956
3rd: Cameron Mullis, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 9-13, $571
4th: James Akins, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 9-12, $400
5th: Kevin Henderson, Honea Path, S.C., five bass, 9-10, $343
6th: Matthew Guffey, Simpsonville, S.C., five bass, 8-14, $314
7th: Hunter Bailey, North Augusta, S.C., five bass, 8-0, $285
8th: Arthur Harris, York, S.C., four bass, 7-12, $257
9th: Joey Alexander, Salem, N.C., five bass, 7-11, $228
10th: Heath Pieczynski, Forsyth, Ga., three bass, 7-8, $200
After four events, Jason Burroughs of Hodges, South Carolina, leads the Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 976 points, while Jacob Barfield of Conway, South Carolina, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 948 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 13-15 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will compete 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 fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.
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.
Boggs Claims First at Bass Fishing League Event on Old Hickory Lake
GALLATIN, Tenn. (June 20, 2022) – Boater Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tennessee, caught five bass Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Old Hickory Lake Presented by Lithium Pros . The tournament, hosted by Sumner County Tourism, was the fourth event for the Bass Fishing League Music City Division. Boggs earned $5,315 for his victory.
“I concentrated my efforts on the upper end of Old Hickory and targeted grass, wood and docks – basically anything that offered shade during the sunny day,” Boggs said.
Boggs said he flipped a tube in one to three feet of water to boat 15 bass, including 12 keepers during the course of the tournament.
“Each win is always a surprise,” said Boggs, who now has nine Phoenix Bass Fishing League wins. “I’m very grateful to God and very humbled by the win. I’ve set a goal to get 10 BFL wins, and I’m fired up to do it.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
2nd: Dylan Wright, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 16-3, $2,157
3rd: Tim Messer, Hendersonville, Tenn., five bass, 14-12, $1,939 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th: Mike Todd, Summertown, Tenn., five bass, 14-9, $1,007
5th: James Crague, Hendersonville, Tenn., five bass, 14-1, $863
6th: William Merrick, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 13-14, $1,291
7th: Corey Steakley, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 13-11, $719
8th: Ben Ballou, Dickson, Tenn., five bass, 13-10, $647
9th: Christopher Noel Jr., Hendersonville, Tenn., five bass, 13-9, $575
10th: Daniel Johnson, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 13-8, $503
Justin Saling of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, caught a largemouth weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce, the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division, to earn the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $610.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
2nd: Jeremy Nash, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 9-9, $1,079
3rd: Rocky Williams, Portland, Tenn., four bass, 9-0, $1,017
4th: Shane Overly, Brentwood, Tenn., four bass, 8-15, $503
5th: Eric Eden, Hartsville, Tenn., three bass, 8-11, $431
6th: Daniel McLaughlin, Hermitage, Tenn., five bass, 8-10, $396
7th: Arturo Mariscal, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 8-9, $324
7th: David Womack, Gallatin, Tenn., five bass, 8-9, $324
7th: Jackson Viall, Gallatin, Tenn., five bass, 8-9, $324
10th: Bill Kissinger, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 8-8, $252
After four events, William Merrick of Juliet, Tennessee, leads the Bass Fishing League Music City Division Outdoors Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 925 points, while Grant Frazier of Manchester, Tennessee, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 958 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 13-15 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will compete 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 fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.
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.
McKinney Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Shelbyville
SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (June 20, 2022) – Boater Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Illinois, caught five bass Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Shelbyville . The tournament was the second event for the Bass Fishing League Illini Division. McKinney earned $4,889 for his victory.
“The first 30 minutes on a rock bite you can always catch one or two keepers as a safety net during the tournament,” McKinney said. “So we fished that way, and I actually ended up catching one of my big ones – a 4-pounder. That was a surprise.
“I’ve had a problem the last few times I’ve fished getting a big bite,” McKinney added. “When I finally got it right off the bat, I thought, ‘I need to start taking some more risks.’ I felt pretty confident I could catch a limit just junk fishing.”
McKinney said he switched to more of an offshore tactic that focused on edges and sides of points and different targets many anglers might overlook.
“Everybody out there has their ‘milk run’, and everybody runs their same points,” McKinney said. “Sometimes something a little different doesn’t hurt much.”
McKinney said he employed the use of a Freedom Baits Jig in natural colors with a dyed tail as well as a shaky head rig with plum-colored baits instead of more conventional natural colors.
“I fished my confidence colors,” McKinney said. “If you don’t have confidence in your bait, it’s just not going to happen.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
2nd: Jeremy Mull, Pawnee, Ill., five bass, 14-2, $2,144
3rd: John Wright, Windsor, Ill., five bass, 12-3, $1,297
4th: Todd Blakeman, Chatham, Ill., five bass, 11-12, $1,557
5th: Larry Diveley, Saint Jacob, Ill., five bass, 11-9, $778
6th: Micah Mulvany, Salem, Ill., five bass, 10-9, $713
7th: Travis Boley, Weldon, Ill., five bass, 10-3, $615
7th: Matt Weber, Glen Carbon, Ill., five bass, 10-3, $615
9th: Terry Holsapple, Greenup, Ill., five bass, 10-0, $486
9th: Kyle Dowdy, El Paso, Ill., five bass, 10-0, $486
Michael Black of Toledo, Illinois, caught a largemouth weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces, the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division, to earn the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $525.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
2nd: Joe Andres, Effingham, Ill., four bass, 12-15, $972
3rd: Shaun Avery, Plainfield, Ill., five bass, 12-2, $949
4th: Aaron Arning, Walnut Hill, Ill., five bass, 11-14, $454
5th: Drew Williams, Homer, Ill., five bass, 11-3, $539
6th: Jojo Johnson, Benton, Ill., four bass, 10-15, $356
7th: Matt Chumbler, Carbondale, Ill., five bass, 9-14, $324
8th: Eugene Kim, Lindenhurst, Ill., four bass, 9-7, $292
9th: Tom Lyskawka, Arlington Heights, Ill., five bass, 8-13, $259
10th: Tad Cain, La Place, Ill., two bass, 7-14, $427
After two events, Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Illinois, leads the Bass Fishing League Illini Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 495 points, while Aaron Wehmeyer of Bloomington, Illinois, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 496 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 13-15 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Boaters will compete 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 fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.
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.
Felton Tops Field at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Truman
Siebert Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
WARSAW, Mo. (June 20, 2022) – Boater Derek Felton of Willard, Missouri, caught five bass Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Truman . The tournament was the fourth event for the Bass Fishing League Ozark Division. Felton earned $13,488 for his victory.
“We made a long run up the lake to Thibault Point and started out flipping bushes and caught a couple of keepers,” said Felton while recounting his first tournament experience on Lake Truman. “Then the sun got up, and we decided to run back down the lake and fished some pockets I’d found in practice.”
Felton said the first pocket he stopped at produced a couple of 3-pound bass, and the next stop resulted in a 4-pounder.
“After that, I just slowly upgraded one at a time throughout the day,” Felton said. “I probably caught 20 to 25 fish during the day flipping bushes in three feet of water with a Jewel Baits Pro Spider Jig. Nine of those were keepers.”
Felton said he didn’t feel comfortable with the limit he had in the livewell at the end of the day, but Felton’s tournament had a surprise ending.
“I felt like I would end up in the top 10,” Felton said. “But I had more weight than I expected. This win feels amazing.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
2nd: Jonathan Pimentel, Camdenton, Mo., five bass, 15-8, $3,244
3rd: Dillon Statler, Kimberling City, Mo., five bass, 14-4, $2,709
4th: Tom Alsop, Overland Park, Kansas, five bass, 13-13, $1,281
5th: Jacob Welch, Jefferson City, Mo., five bass, 13-12, $1,098
6th: Wesley Myers, Raytown, Mo., five bass, 13-10, $1,006
7th: Samuel Louw, Story City, Iowa, five bass, 13-8, $915
8th: Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., five bass, 13-7, $777
8th: Michael Stetich, Ankeny, Iowa, five bass, 13-7, $777
10th: Dennis Young, Olathe, Kan., five bass, 13-6, $640
2nd: Stanislav Sedletskii, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 11-11, $1,364
3rd: Will Billeter, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 11-7, $911
4th: Grant Larkins, Farmington, Mo., three bass, 11-5, $837
5th: Josh Hood, Dupo, Ill., five bass, 10-14, $546
6th: Jeremy Fiedler, Sullivan, Mo., five bass, 10-10, $477
6th: Chris McClellan, Desoto, Mo., five bass, 10-10, $577
8th: J.D. Smith, Carthage, Mo., four bass, 10-4, $409
9th: Joe Dietz, O’Fallon, Mo., five bass, 9-12, $364
10th: Caleb Welch, Bolivar, Mo., four bass, 8-12, $302
10th: Kelby Humble, Rogersville, Mo., four bass, 8-12, $302
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete 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 fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.
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.
Trey Wade Bradley Parnell win $10,000 in final ABT on Lake Eufaula with 19.71
By Jason Duran
Eufaula, ALA- The South Division of the Alabama Bass Trail wrapped up its regular season with its final stop at Lake Eufaula where 225 teams fished for a 1st place prize of $10,000. This tournament also closed out the Angler of the Year Race. Teams finishing in the top 9 in AOY qualified to fish the B.A.S.S. Team Championship, and the top 75 teams qualified for the ABT Championship. On a very hot June day at Lake Eufaula the team of Trey Wade and Bradley Parnell weighed in 19.71 pounds for first place.
Tray Wade and Bradley Parnell, a first-year team on the ABT, found a school of fish in practice that was “in a mid-depth range. We wanted to fish away from the boat traffic and away from other anglers. When we found these fish in practice, they were a little smaller- about 1.5 to 2 pounds. Our goal was to go out today and catch those fish and make the ABT Championship. We started our morning up shallow and caught a couple of small fish on buzz baits. When the sun got up, we made the move to our practice area.” The team described this area as “a channel swing with wood.” They fished this area with med-shallow diving Bandit 200 series in a couple different colors including: spatter back, sexy shad and a mistake. With this win they collected a $10,000 pay day and punched their ticket to the ABT Championship.
Noah and Cole Godwin finished in second place with 19.18 pounds and $5000. This team has been very successful on the ABT in recent years with two wins and another top 5 finish. They made the run-down river to target fish both shallow and deep. They caught them early, had a limit of 15-pounds in the first 10 minutes, and culled up to their final weight in the next thirty minutes. The team “never really got the big bite.” They found the fish last weekend in “practice on a main river ledge that looked like there were 50 fish in there. We caught a couple 3 and 4-pound fish. We found a few more schools in practice, but our main spot seemed to have the best fish, so we ran straight there this morning.” The team caught fish almost every cast to start the morning on a 6 Sense Crush crank bait, Nichols Lures Ben Parker Mag spoon and a Big Bite baits B2 worm. “This lake has always gotten us, but this time we put in more idle time in until we found schools- that was the key to our success.” Noah and Cole finished 16th AOY and qualified for the ABT Championship.
Josh Chapple and Paul Davis finished in 3rd place with 18.83 pounds and cashed a $4,000 check. The team spent the day fishing offshore. “Practice was tough; it was hard to locate fish this week. Today we made about 30 stops fishing from take-off all the way down to White Oak Creek. This morning we had two really good fish catches that helped us. Those two fish were the biggest we got all week, and it really was a lot of luck. We caught fish on a bunch of different baits like a Strike King Sexy Shad 6xD and a big red worm like everyone throws here.” The team finished 3rd in AOY and qualified for the B.A.S.S. Team Championship and the ABT Championship.
Brain Stiffler and Wesley Gore finished today with 1054 AOY points moving them from 2nd to 1st place. With those points they also claim the ABT overall AOY since they finished with more points than the North Division AOY Team of Wesley Sams/Jordan Wiggins with 1037. The top 9 teams in the South Division are listed below. They all qualify to fish the B.A.S.S. Team Championship.
PLACE ANGLERS POINTS
1 Brian Stiffler/Wesley Gore 1054
2 Chris Rutland/Coby Carden 1050
3 Josh Chapple/Paul Davis 1030
4 Rob Lee/Steve Winslett 1025
5 Foster Bradley/Nick Harris 1003
6 Adam Bain/Kris Colley 986
7 Jeston Anderson/Scott Saucer 941
8 Joey Davidson /Tullis Lanier 937
9 Frank Bradfield/Tyler Morgan 936
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.
LeBoom! Louisiana Pro Nick LeBrun Goes Back-to-Back, Wins MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 on the James River
Louisiana Pro Catches 17-9 Five-Bass Limit on Championship Sunday to Become Third Angler to Ever Win Back-to-Back Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Events
RICHMOND, Va. (June 19, 2022) – After weighing in his first four fish on Sunday afternoon, Bossier City, Louisiana’s Nick LeBrun was feeling the pressure at the Toyota Stop 5 on the James River Presented by PowerStop Brakes in Richmond, Virginia. Pro Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas , one of the hottest bass anglers on the planet, had just weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 5 ounces and was atop the leaderboard with only LeBrun left to weigh in. LeBrun’s first four keepers weighed a total of 12 pounds, 5 ounces – his last fish had to weigh at least four pounds to have a chance at catching Ebare and earning back-to-back Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me wins.
“Let’s see that fifth keeper,” said longtime Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit emcee Chris Jones.
“How about a nice James River 5-pounder,” LeBrun yelled, pulling out a beautiful kicker fish that weighed 5 pounds, 4 ounces – more than enough to earn LeBrun his second career Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit victory, and the $100,000 top prize.
LeBrun became just the third angler in MLF history to ever win back-to-back Pro Circuit events after this victory and his win last month at the Pro Circuit event at Lake Guntersville. Pro Brett Hite of Phoenix, Arizona, was the first angler to accomplish the feat in 2008, winning back-to-back events at an FLW Tour (now Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit) event on Lake Toho and then an FLW Tour event on the California Delta just two weeks later. General Tire pro Mark Rose also accomplished the feat in 2017, winning back-to-back FLW Tour events on Lake Guntersville and Lake Travis.
“This was the most stressful tournament I’ve ever fished,” an emotional LeBrun said on stage after learning he had won. “I was running a long way every day and put over 450 miles in this week, and the running isn’t easy. It’s treacherous, especially when you’ve never been here before. I probably ran across areas I shouldn’t have and then once you get to your area, you are constantly looking at the tide and planning your strategy and timing for each area. My brain is fried right now.”
LeBrun’s key area this week was in the Chickahominy River. He said that of the more than 81 career events he has fished, he had never relied on his Power-Poles as much as he had this week. He targeted docks and cypress trees with an unnamed bluegill-colored squarebill crankbait and a wacky-rigged 5-inch junebug-colored V&M Chopstick with a 1/0 Hayabusa WRM201 hook.
“I rotated between a few different crankbaits, but the key was changing out the stock hooks to No. 2 Hayabusa TBL930 trebles with the NRB coating,” LeBrun said. “I was deflecting the bait off the trees to get them to react, and that hook was critical to keeping them buttoned up.”
His wacky-rigged Chopstick provided a finesse alternative when the fish weren’t interested in the squarebill.
“I’d lob it in there and let it sit and then barely shake it,” LeBrun said. “The rod would load up when they’d swim off with it. That was key this week for me to get the win. I set up on the spot today, caught four small ones and then the big ones started biting it pretty good. I caught a 5-pound fish and went to the other side of the dock and caught a 4-pounder; it was a special day, today.”
With two wins and more than $200,000 in winnings in just the last four weeks, LeBrun now sits in 10th place in the Bally Bet Angler of the Year race and looks to be well in the driver’s seat to qualify for the Tackle Warehouse TITLE, the Pro Circuit Championship.
“I’ve had a blessed year,” the Louisiana pro went on to say. “To add my name to the list of anglers that have won back-to-back – those are some awesome names to be mentioned with. The James River will always be a very special place to me.”
The top 10 pros at the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 on the James River finished:
1st: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., five bass, 17-9, $100,000
2nd: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 16-5, $30,000
3rd: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 15-14, $25,000
4th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 15-11, $20,000
5th: Braxton Setzer, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 14-7, $19,000
6th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 13-0, $18,000
7th: Cole Hewett, Orange Park, Fla., five bass, 12-14, $17,000
8th: Robby Lefere, Jackson, Mich., five bass, 10-14, $16,000
9th: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 9-7, $15,000
10th: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 8-9, $14,000
For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 50 bass weighing 134 pounds, 10 ounces caught by the final 10 pros Sunday. All of the final 10 pros weighed in a five-bass limit.
With five of six regular-season events now wrapped up in the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me season, Hayden, Alabama’s Josh Butler currently leads the Bally Bet Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 896 pounds, while reigning AOY Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, sits right behind him in second place with 882 points. Berkley pro Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Alabama, and Florence, Italy’s Jacopo Gallelli are both tied for third with 863 points, while Columbus, Mississippi’s Mitch Crane rounds out the top five with 857 points.
The four-day MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 on the James River Presented by PowerStop Brakes was hosted by Richmond Region Tourism in cooperation with the Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority. The event will premiere on the CBS Sports Network in early September.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 154 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advanced to Saturday, then only the top 10 pros based on cumulative weight from the first three days continued competition on Championship Sunday, where weights were zeroed and the winner was determined by the heaviest weight from the final day of competition.
The Toyota Stop 5 on the James River Presented by PowerStop Brakes was the fifth of six regular-season MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me events in 2022. The sixth and final regular-season event for Pro Circuit anglers will be the Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X, July 29- Aug. 1 in Plattsburgh, New York.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2022 TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York on Aug. 16-21, and is hosted by the Town of Massena.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, 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 Pro Circuit on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
LeBrun Surges Ahead to Pace Final 10 Pros at MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 on the James River
Louisiana Pro Brings 16-6 to the Scale to Vault to Top of Leaderboard, Day 2 Leader Grae Buck Falls to 11th and Misses Final Day Cut
RICHMOND, Va. (June 18, 2022) – Fresh off the first Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit victory of his career last month at Lake Guntersville, pro Nick LeBrun certainly has momentum on his side. After starting Saturday in 10th place, the Bossier City, Louisiana, pro brought a five-bass limit to the stage weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces, to vault to the top of the leaderboard and lead the final 10 anglers that now advance to Championship Sunday at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 on the James River Presented by PowerStop Brakes in Richmond, Virginia. The four-day event, hosted by Richmond Region Tourism in cooperation with the Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority, features a field of 154 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals competing for a total purse of more than $850,000.
Green Lane, Pennsylvania’s Grae Buck, who led the event for the first two days of competition, struggled on Saturday and only managed to scratch up a 8-pound, 14-ounce limit. Buck narrowly missed the Championship Sunday cut, finishing the event in 11th place and earning $11,000.
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition on the James River are:
1st: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 15 bass, 47-11
2nd: Braxton Setzer, Wetumpka, Ala., 15 bass, 46-14
3rd: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., 15 bass, 46-9
4th: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 15 bass, 46-7
5th: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 46-3
6th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 46-1
7th: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 15 bass, 45-14
8th: Robby Lefere, Jackson, Mich., 15 bass, 45-13
9th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 15 bass, 45-10
10th: Cole Hewett, Orange Park, Fla., 15 bass, 45-9
Competition will resume Sunday morning with the Championship Round. Weights are zeroed, and the angler that catches the heaviest five bass will take home top prize of up to $135,000
“Today started off great,” said LeBrun, who entered this event ranked No. 24 in the Angler of the Year race and season earnings of $126,000. “I made the 45-minute run down to the Chickahominy, and there wasn’t anyone near my spot. I got in there, got set up, Power-Poled down, made one cast with a crankbait and caught a 2½- and a 3½-pounder at the same time – each fish had one of the Hayabusa TBL930 hooks – and that was a really good way to start the day.
“I’ve never caught two fish on one cast in a tournament before,” LeBrun continued. “Normally when that happens, they’re little peanuts, but those were two good fish so that was very cool.”
LeBrun said that his main area that he has been catching fish in is a current seam, throwing a V&M Chopstick. He thinks it is replenishing each day with quality, fresh “tournament” fish.
“It seems to be a hang-up spot,” LeBrun said. “I really don’t know where they’re coming from, but I think it is replenishing and when you get there at daylight, they’re fresh. But, I haven’t hit it past 10:30 (a.m.) each day. I’ve only been hitting it once or twice, and then I’ve been getting off it and trying to conserve. I’m excited to get back out there tomorrow, because I can sit there and not worry about being conservative and catch every fish that is there. I haven’t caught a 4-pounder there, yet, but there are definitely some 3-pounders there and we’re going to give it all we’ve got.”
With LeBrun’s victory last month at Lake Guntersville, LeBrun now has the opportunity to add his name to a small list of anglers that have won back-to-back events. General Tire pro Mark Rose and Phoenix, Arizona’s Brett Hite are the only two pros that have ever won back-to-back pro-level events in MLF history before.
“To go back-to-back would be mind-blowing,” the Louisiana pro went on to say. “I can’t even imagine. I think the weights might go down just a little bit, but if a guy can catch 16 to 17 pounds tomorrow, he’ll have a real good shot at it. This is such a fun place to fish, and it’s an honor to just make the top 10 with this group of guys on this tour. Tomorrow we’re going to go out and catch every single one that we can, and I’m excited to see what happens.”
Finishing in 11th through 50th are:
11th: Grae Buck, Green Lane, Pa., 15 bass, 45-3, $11,000
12th: Jeff Reynolds, Calera, Okla., 15 bass, 45-0, $11,000
13th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 44-9, $11,000
14th: Jacopo Gallelli, Florence, Italy, 15 bass, 44-5, $11,000
15th: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., 15 bass, 44-1, $11,000
16th: Kyle Weisenburger, Columbus Grove, Ohio, 15 bass, 43-1, $11,000
17th: Cody Pike, Powhatan, Va., 15 bass, 42-7, $11,000
18th: Barron Adams, Mineral Bluff, Ga., 15 bass, 42-5, $11,000
19th: Clabion Johns, Social Circle, Ga., 15 bass, 41-12, $11,000
20th: Tyler Woolcott, Port Orange, Fla., 15 bass, 41-9, $11,000
21st: Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., 15 bass, 41-4, $10,500
22nd: Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 15 bass, 40-15, $10,500
23rd: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 15 bass, 40-14, $10,500
24th: Phillip Dutra, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 40-8, $10,500
25th: Josh Butler, Hayden, Ala., 15 bass, 40-6, $10,500
26th: Chad Grigsby, Maple Grove, Minn., 15 bass, 40-3, $10,500
27th: Josh Bragg, Fayetteville, Ga., 15 bass, 40-1, $10,500
28th: Evan Barnes, Dardanelle, Ark., 15 bass, 40-1, $10,500
29th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 15 bass, 40-1, $10,500
30th: Stephen Albertson, Stuart, Fla., 15 bass, 40-0, $10,500
31st: Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., 15 bass, 39-9, $10,000
32nd: Tyler Stewart, Dubach, La., 15 bass, 39-8, $10,000
33rd: Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 15 bass, 39-8, $10,000
34th: Jason Lieblong, Conway, Ark., 15 bass, 39-1, $10,000
35th: Tai Au, Glendale, Ariz., 15 bass, 38-15, $10,000
36th: Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, 15 bass, 38-14, $10,000
37th: Joey Cifuentes, Clinton, Ark., 15 bass, 38-14, $10,000
38th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 38-12, $10,000
39th: Chris Groh, Spring Grove, Ill., 15 bass, 38-3, $10,000
40th: Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 15 bass, 37-7, $10,000
41st: Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 15 bass, 37-5, $10,000
42nd: Jason Vance, Battle Ground, Ind., 15 bass, 37-4, $10,000
43rd: Grant Galloway, Houlka, Miss., 15 bass, 36-12, $10,000
44th: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 15 bass, 36-2, $10,000
45th: Miles Howe, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., 15 bass, 36-1, $10,000
46th: Cal Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 12 bass, 34-12, $10,000
47th: J. Todd Tucker, Moultrie, Ga., 15 bass, 34-9, $10,000
48th: Richard Lowitzki, Hampshire, Ill., 13 bass, 34-2, $10,000
49th: Jim Moynagh, Shakopee, Minn., 15 bass, 33-3, $10,000
50th: Cole Harris, Raleigh, N.C., 12 bass, 33-0, $10,000
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 242 bass weighing 573 pounds, 8 ounces caught by the 50 pros Saturday. The catch included 47 five-bass limits.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 154 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. Only the top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advanced to Saturday. Now, the top 10 pros based on cumulative weight from the first three days will continue competition on Championship Sunday. Weights are reset to zero, and the 10 pros will compete in a one-day shootout for the grand prize of up to $135,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 on the James River Presented by PowerStop Brakes marks the fifth of six regular-season Pro Circuit events in 2022.Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2022 TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York on Aug. 16-21, and is hosted by the Town of Massena.
The final 10 anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. ET each day from the Osborne Landing, located at 9530 Osborne Turnpike in Richmond. Sunday’s Championship weigh-in will also be held at the landing beginning at 2:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to attend the morning take off and Championship weigh-ins, and also follow the live on-the-water action all four days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
As part of the event, on Sunday, June 19, from Noon to 4 p.m., fans are invited out to the Major League Fishing Festival at the Osborne Landing. Hosted by Richmond Region Tourism, the event will feature fans meeting and getting autographs from their favorite pro anglers that compete on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit. Children are welcome to visit the Kids Zone to meet Skye & Marshall from PAW Patrol, fish for live fish in the Kids Fishing Pond, show off their artistic skills at the coloring stations, and more. Vendor booths from MLF sponsors, food, prizes and giveaways, including a FREE Abu Garcia rod and reel combo for the first 50 high school or middle school anglers, are available to festival goers. One lucky attendee will play for a brand new 2022 Toyota Tundra in the Bully Dog Pick ‘Til You Win game, with runner up prizes of a new 70-inch 4K UHD Smart TV or a Bully Dog Performance Tuner. For more information on the Major League Fishing Festival, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com/Attend.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on Championship Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 on the James River Presented by PowerStop Brakes will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the CBS Sports Network in early September.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, 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 Pro Circuit on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Patient Smith And Mize Win Bassmaster College Series Wild Card On Logan Martin
Lucas Smith and Dalton Mize of Jacksonville State University have won the 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series Wild Card on Logan Martin Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops with a two-day total of 28 pounds, 2 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
June 18, 2022
LINCOLN, Ala. — Lucas Smith and Dalton Mize patiently waited for their moments of opportunity and executed a flawless game plan to win the Strike King Bassmaster College Series Wild Card on Logan Martin Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops with a two-day total of 28 pounds, 2 ounces.
After placing sixth on Day 1 with 12-13, Smith and Mize added 15-5 — the event’s second-heaviest bag, behind Day 1 leaders Jonathon Garbacz and Kevin Dunahoo of the University of North Georgia, who weighed 15-7 in the first round.
Turning in two limits of spotted bass, Smith and Mize earned a first-place prize of $1,294 and a berth in the Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at South Carolina’s Winyah Bay, Sept. 2-4.
“This means the world to us because I know how many great fishermen are in this event,” Smith said. “We’ve had a lackluster year, so this is incredible.”
Mize said he and his partner knew the bite windows would come later in the day. Having faced a similar scenario on Day 1, they knew success would require tenacity and a big-picture vision.
“Both days started off really slow; yesterday we didn’t have a fish until 11 o’clock and today we had one 2-pounder at 11,” Mize said. “It was just a grind out there.”
Currently current: The winners were waiting for Alabama Power to start generating current, as the increased water flow dependably positioned bass and put them in a feeding mood. They filled the day’s earlier hours by fishing shallow cover.
“We had a few key laydowns that we would fish with 1/8-ounce shaky heads and redbug-color Zoom Trick Worms,” Mize said.
Smith said their best laydowns were positioned on the main river. The fish, he said, seemed to be holding in the cover prior to the current starting.
“We had a few offshore schools that were really close to the Lincoln area and that’s what helped us make the key culls,” Mize said. “There were a few different schools and the depth really varied. It was from 6 to 8 feet and some were deeper than 15 feet, but 15 seemed to be that key area.”
The winners caught their offshore bass on shad colored Rapala DT14 crankbaits. Smith said their 12-pound monofilament was a key element, as it allowed them to get their crankbaits down quickly.
Once the offshore bite started, Smith and Mize got their work done in short order.
“Yesterday was more of a grind than today; we didn’t have a limit until nearly weigh-in time,” Smith said. “Today we found one of those magical schools around 11:30 and caught 20 to 30 fish off of it.
“We really thought we needed a bag in the 17- to 18-pound range today. We left some fish out there yesterday to have a bag like we had today, but we didn’t think that it was possible with what we caught today.”
Second place: Tommy Sendek and Cal Culpepper of the University of Montevallo (Ala.) finished second with 26-8. A Day 1 bag of 12-14 put Sendek and Culpepper in fifth place and today they added 13-10.
“We had dialed in what brushpiles we wanted to hit today. We took into consideration it’s Saturday on the Coosa River and knew we were going to have some boat traffic,” Sendek said. “The brushpiles had to be big and fresh — recently dropped in 8 to 15 feet.
“We knew we were going to have to catch them early because that boat traffic and the wind was going to affect our bite. We got off to a good start and dialing in what brushpiles we wanted to fish made us more efficient.”
Culpepper said he and Sendek caught their fish on Texas-rigged Zoom Mag II and a 1/2-ounce Arkie jig with a big skirt and a big trailer.
“I know a lot of guys were talking about how they couldn’t get bit on those baits — and it was a tough bite; we only caught seven keepers each day,” Culpepper said. “I think what separated us was that we committed to it. We knew if we got five bites on them, they’d be a little better quality.”
Third place: Victor Alford and Logan East of Bryan College took third with 25-2. Their daily weights were 12-5 and 12-13.
Running upriver, the anglers targeted current breaks and rock drop-offs and caught their fish on 5-inch Zoom Swimmers in the blueback herring color. They also fished 1/2-ounce Berkley football head jigs with Strike King Rage Craw trailers in summer craw.
“We were sitting on the backside of current and stroking a swimbait,” East said. “Sometimes we’d miss a bite and we’d stroke it a few more times and they’d take it.
“There was a 10- to 15-minute deal and we had our limit and that was it. On Day 1 we had our limit about 10 to 15 minutes after takeoff. Today, it was about 25 minutes because we had a later flight.”
2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series Wild Card at Logan Martin Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops 6/17-6/18
Logan Martin Lake, Lincoln AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Lucas Smith - Dalton Mize Jacksonville State University 250
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 15-05 Total: 10 28-02
2. Tommy Sendek - Cal Culpepper University of Montevallo 249
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 13-10 Total: 10 26-08
3. Victor Alford - Logan East Bryan College 248
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 12-13 Total: 10 25-02
4. Ryan Branch - Kopeland Rosser University of Montevallo 247
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 10-10 Total: 10 24-05
5. Grayson Morris - Cade Holcomb University of Montevallo 246
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 12-05 Total: 10 23-14
6. Parker Greer - Andrew Shadle Baylor University 245
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 09-05 Total: 10 23-08
7. Hunter Keller - Wesley Smith Catawba Valley Community College 244
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 12-11 Total: 10 23-08
8. Andrew Vereen - Connor Cartmell Coastal Carolina University 243
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 12-10 Total: 10 23-01
9. Lane Bailey - Justin Eggers Catawba Valley Community College 242
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 11-07 Total: 10 22-12
10. Logan Parks - Tucker Smith Auburn University 241
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 08-09 Total: 10 22-11
11. James Willoughby - Jacob Pfundt University of Montevallo 240
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 12-07 Total: 10 22-07
12. Cody Griffith - Drew Jennings Auburn University 239
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 11-05 Total: 10 22-07
13. Cy Casey - Tanner Hadden Emmanuel College 238
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 10-06 Total: 10 22-00
14. Colton White - Jack Alexander University Montevallo 237
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 09-04 Total: 10 20-11
15. Drew Traffanstedt - Dakendrick Patterson University of Montevallo 236
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 10-05 Total: 10 20-10
16. Vince Maffei - Andrew Ready Webber International University 235
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 10-15 Total: 10 20-09
17. Cole Zagrzebski - Logan Paul Western Michigan University 234
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 5 11-09 Total: 10 20-03
18. Tyler Cain - Cole Dodson University of Montevallo 233
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 09-10 Total: 10 20-01
19. James Romig - Colton Morris Florida Gateway College 232
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 09-01 Total: 10 19-14
20. Brody Robison - Carson Miller University of Montevallo 231
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 10-01 Total: 10 19-13
21. Cole Thompson - John Heacock University of North Alabama 230
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 09-13 Total: 10 19-03
22. Clent Blackwood - Bryar Chambers Wallace State Community College 229
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 4 07-07 Total: 9 19-02
23. Cole Holloway - Taylor Mcmullen Emmanuel College 228
Day 1: 2 06-04 Day 2: 5 12-08 Total: 7 18-12
24. Caleb Bridges - Jacob Davidson Bryan College 227
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 06-14 Total: 10 18-12
25. Reese Melven - Hunter Waldrop University of South Carolina 226
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 3 07-13 Total: 8 18-12
26. Clayton Primrose - Fisher Davis Etbu 225
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 4 07-00 Total: 9 18-05
27. Brady Duncan - Stevie Mills Carson-Newman University 224
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 07-08 Total: 10 18-02
28. Dawson Cowden - Nathan Coffman Lousiana State University- Shrev 223
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 09-00 Total: 10 17-14
29. Caleb Barrow - Reese Kingston Brewton Parker College 222
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 3 06-03 Total: 8 17-13
30. Hayden Marbut - Garrett Warren Auburn University 221
Day 1: 4 05-02 Day 2: 5 12-09 Total: 9 17-11
31. Cole Rankin - Storm Cline Carson-Newman University 220
Day 1: 5 06-15 Day 2: 5 10-09 Total: 10 17-08
32. Cameron Tullis - Brett Jolley East Texas Baptist University 219
Day 1: 5 08-05 Day 2: 5 08-13 Total: 10 17-02
33. Jordan Brewer - Conner Crosby Auburn University 218
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 5 09-03 Total: 10 17-01
34. Tyler Campbell - Brandon Martin Emmanuel College 217
Day 1: 4 05-10 Day 2: 5 11-06 Total: 9 17-00
35. Brenton Godwin - Hunter Odom University of Montevallo 216
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 07-01 Total: 10 16-14
36. Wes Kinard - Dillan Olvera Shelton State Community College 215
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 4 07-05 Total: 9 16-14
37. Tommy Dunaway - Seth Jones Florida Gateway College 214
Day 1: 3 07-04 Day 2: 5 09-08 Total: 8 16-12
38. Jonathon Garbacz - Kevin Dunahoo University of North Georgia 213
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 1 01-03 Total: 6 16-10
39. Branden Burrill - Jaret Bailey Western Michigan University 212
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 08-02 Total: 10 16-09
40. Hunter Jones - Dayton Scott Columbia State Community College 211
Day 1: 5 08-05 Day 2: 4 07-13 Total: 9 16-02
41. Gabe Brown - Alex Cooke University of South Carolina 210
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 08-04 Total: 10 15-15
42. Spencer Black - Grant Harris Catawba Valley Community College 209
Day 1: 4 09-14 Day 2: 4 05-14 Total: 8 15-12
43. Jase Smith - Reed Rambo Georgia College and State Univer 208
Day 1: 4 05-13 Day 2: 3 09-14 Total: 7 15-11
44. Zach Williams - James Broderick Mississippi State University 207
Day 1: 5 05-14 Day 2: 5 09-07 Total: 10 15-05
45. Jack Dice - Jeramy Evans Liberty University 206
Day 1: 3 04-13 Day 2: 5 09-14 Total: 8 14-11
46. Evan Sutton - Maxwell Trotter McKendree University 205
Day 1: 4 08-04 Day 2: 4 06-07 Total: 8 14-11
47. Allen Powe - Jonathan Combs Georgetown College 204
Day 1: 5 06-13 Day 2: 5 07-08 Total: 10 14-05
48. Kaden Proffitt - Cason Ragsdale East Texas Baptist University 203
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 2 03-15 Total: 7 14-00
49. Matthew Wilson - Southern union state community c 202
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 1 02-01 Total: 6 13-15
50. Gus McLarry - Jared West Texas A and M Commerce 201
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 2 02-14 Total: 7 13-10
51. Jameson Jenkins - Cameron Loveless Texas A&M 200
Day 1: 5 07-06 Day 2: 4 06-01 Total: 9 13-07
52. Jacob Frazier - Austin Smith Carson-Newman University 199
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 3 04-04 Total: 8 13-05
53. Brayden Nichols - Ty Gentry LSU Shreveport 198
Day 1: 3 04-13 Day 2: 5 08-08 Total: 8 13-05
54. Dawson Andrews - Wyatt Ensminger Southeastern Louisiana Universit 197
Day 1: 3 07-01 Day 2: 3 05-10 Total: 6 12-11
55. Carson Palmer - Chase Hastings Carson-Newman University 196
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 2 02-15 Total: 7 12-10
56. Garrison Forrester - Preston Hatz Auburn University 195
Day 1: 4 06-01 Day 2: 5 06-06 Total: 9 12-07
57. Conner Johnson - Tyler Greenlee Georgetown College 194
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 2 03-00 Total: 7 12-04
58. Jake Kimbrough - Chandler Pruett Blue Mountain College 193
Day 1: 1 04-06 Day 2: 5 07-00 Total: 6 11-06
59. Carson Maddux - Auburn University 192
Day 1: 1 01-14 Day 2: 4 08-15 Total: 5 10-13
60. Mason Bohland - Brady Metzger Purdue University 191
Day 1: 2 02-11 Day 2: 5 08-00 Total: 7 10-11
61. Cole Taylor - Hunter Temples Lander University 190
Day 1: 4 05-15 Day 2: 2 04-08 Total: 6 10-07
62. Cody Monlezun - Atlan Pfluger Texas A&M 189
Day 1: 4 06-07 Day 2: 2 03-01 Total: 6 09-08
63. Corey Yaden - Hunter Richie Brewton Parker college 188
Day 1: 1 02-04 Day 2: 4 07-01 Total: 5 09-05
64. Kaden Liles - Benson Dowler University of North Alabama 187
Day 1: 4 06-09 Day 2: 1 02-11 Total: 5 09-04
65. Carter Koza - Lee Koza Carson Newman University 186
Day 1: 4 06-12 Day 2: 2 02-05 Total: 6 09-01
66. Hagan Marlin - Tanner English University of Montevallo 185
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 08-15
67. Garrett Huddleston - Riley Voltz Auburn University 184
Day 1: 4 05-11 Day 2: 2 03-02 Total: 6 08-13
68. Zane O'Domirok - Brandon Sales 183
Day 1: 5 08-11 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 08-11
69. Tristen Dubbs - Colin Pflederer Grace College 182
Day 1: 3 05-07 Day 2: 2 03-04 Total: 5 08-11
70. Henry Mcpherson - University Of Alabama 181
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 08-09
71. Lane Collier - Cody Lunsford University of North Georgia 180
Day 1: 3 03-14 Day 2: 2 04-05 Total: 5 08-03
72. Jim Mcpherson - Mississippi State University 179
Day 1: 1 01-03 Day 2: 2 06-11 Total: 3 07-14
73. Hunter Enlow - Lander University 178
Day 1: 3 06-10 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 06-10
74. Micah Goosby - Joseph Taylor Mississippi State University 177
Day 1: 2 02-07 Day 2: 2 04-00 Total: 4 06-07
75. Matthew German - Adam Hollingsworth University Of Alabama 176
Day 1: 2 03-00 Day 2: 2 02-10 Total: 4 05-10
76. Spencer Brister - Roeh Burton Lamar State College Orange 175
Day 1: 4 05-08 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 4 05-08
77. Charlie Pennington - Carson Peevy The University of Alabama 174
Day 1: 4 05-03 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 4 05-03
78. Cade Fortenberry - Nicholls State University 173
Day 1: 2 03-07 Day 2: 1 01-09 Total: 3 05-00
79. Lucas Bowers - Luke Willis University of South Carolina 172
Day 1: 2 04-12 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 04-12
80. Jonathan Goforth - James Bonnell Auburn University 171
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 2 02-08 Total: 3 04-10
81. Mary Goode - Nicholas Watson Brewton-Parker College 170
Day 1: 2 04-04 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 04-04
82. William Vega - Will Emmert Sam Houston State University 169
Day 1: 2 04-03 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 04-03
83. Ryan Bradway - Hunter Jordan Western Michigan University 168
Day 1: 2 04-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 04-00
84. Hayden Fuhr - Lander University 167
Day 1: 3 03-11 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 03-11
85. Isaac Warta - Middle Tennessee State Universit 166
Day 1: 2 03-09 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 03-09
86. Davian Smith - Jordan Turner University of Montevallo 165
Day 1: 3 02-01 Day 2: 1 01-02 Total: 4 03-03
87. Nate Triplett - Cy Lambert University of North Alabama 164
Day 1: 1 03-02 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 03-02
88. Hunter Jenkins - Dallas Baptist University 163
Day 1: 1 03-01 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 03-01
89. Logan Hicks - Preston Parker Shelton State Community College 162
Day 1: 2 02-14 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 02-14
90. K.D. Sizemore - Bryce Quick Auburn University 161
Day 1: 1 01-08 Day 2: 1 01-04 Total: 2 02-12
91. Trevor Johnston - Josh Kerr Texas AM University 160
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-11 Total: 1 02-11
92. Elijah Walker - Hunter Hillanbrand AUBURN 159
Day 1: 2 02-10 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 02-10
93. Jacob Butts - Mark Kershaw Erskine College 158
Day 1: 3 02-05 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 02-05
94. Mason Phillpotts - Grand Valley State University 157
Day 1: 1 01-07 Day 2: 1 00-13 Total: 2 02-04
95. Matthew Roberts - Alice Lloyd College 156
Day 1: 1 01-06 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 01-06
96. Brendon Brones - Ethan Tant Lamar State College Orange 155
Day 1: 1 01-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 01-00
97. Garrett Walters - Reese Walters University of Alabama 154
Day 1: 1 00-11 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 00-11
98. Syon Barnes - Jacksonville State University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
98. Chase Davis - Camden Keeton CACC 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
98. Drew Deloney - University of Alabama 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
98. Trey Dickert - University of Montevallo 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
98. Dale Hansard - Seth Elkins Jacksonville State University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
98. Ryan Michek - University of Wisconsin Plattevi 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
98. John Ortman - Emmanuel College 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
98. Walker Sahagun - University of North Alabama 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 49 363 702-05
2 41 292 572-04
----------------------------------
90 655 1274-09
Buck Extends Lead at MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 on the James River
Pennsylvania Pro Steady with Limit Weighing 15-2, Gallelli and Neal Both Vault into Top Five with 18-9 Limits
RICHMOND, Va. (June 17, 2022) – Pro Grae Buck of Green Lane, Pennsylvania, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Friday weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces, to extend his lead after Day 2 at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 on the James River Presented by PowerStop Brakes in Richmond, Virginia. The four-day event, hosted by Richmond Region Tourism in cooperation with the Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority, features a field of 154 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals competing for a top award of up to $135,000.
Buck’s two-day total of 10 bass weighing 36-5 gives him a two-pound advantage over second-place pro, Florence, Italy’s Jacopo Gallelli, who brought an 18-pound, 9-ounce limit to the scale for a two-day total of 34-5. Pro Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, slipped to third with 10 bass totaling 33-7, and reigning Pro Circuit Angler of the Year Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee , jumped into fourth place with 10 bass weighing 33 pounds even. The 73-year-old La Crosse, Wisconsin, pro Tom Monsoor, rounds out the top five with 10 bass totaling 32-15.
“I ran the gameplan, the same as I did yesterday. But, with the tide being 45 minutes different, I had to wait a little bit longer today for those fish to set up and get right,” Buck said. “Once they did, I caught a big one that was almost 6 pounds, just throwing a Z-Man Bang Stick out and letting it flutter in the current.”
After that, Buck said he bounced around to a couple of different areas, plucking a couple of keepers off of two little drains located on a big flat, and a couple more from the duck blinds that he had fished on Day 1.
“I also ran up to the top of the Chickahominy, which I didn’t have an opportunity to do yesterday because I had a short day,” Buck said. “I wanted to do a little more exploring to see what was going on up there. What I found was decent. I had the opportunity at one real big one that just came off. It was good, though, because it was good information for Day 4, and it’s just going to keep getting longer and longer that I have to wait at my best spot.”
Buck mentioned a Neko-rigged California Craw-colored Z-Man Bang Stick as being a key bait for him this week, but also said he was catching fish on a Z-Man Jack Hammer and an unnamed swimjig.
“I don’t know where I’m going to start tomorrow, because it will now be two hours until it gets right. I’m very tempted to not go to that ditch right away, because I don’t want to waste time,” Buck said. “But it’s a gamble, because if someone else pulls in there and then I can’t get on it, that would be an issue. But if I can catch them somewhere else in the morning, that would really be valuable information for Championship Sunday. So, I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow and I’m really going to have to come up with a good gameplan tonight.”
The top 50 pros that made the cut after Day 2 and will fish Saturday on the James River are:
1st: Grae Buck, Green Lane, Pa., 10 bass, 36-5
2nd: Jacopo Gallelli, Florence, Italy, 10 bass, 34-5
3rd: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 10 bass, 33-7
4th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 33-0
5th: Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 32-15
6th: Cole Hewett, Orange Park, Fla., 10 bass, 32-11
7th: Tyler Woolcott, Port Orange, Fla., 10 bass, 32-3
8th: Jeff Reynolds, Calera, Okla., 10 bass, 31-8
9th: Stephen Albertson, Stuart, Fla., 10 bass, 31-5
10th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 10 bass, 31-5
11th: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 10 bass, 31-2
12th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 31-1
13th: Josh Butler, Hayden, Ala., 10 bass, 30-8
14th: Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, 10 bass, 30-3
15th: Josh Bragg, Fayetteville, Ga., 10 bass, 30-3
16th: Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., 10 bass, 30-1
17th: Barron Adams, Mineral Bluff, Ga., 10 bass, 30-0
18th: Tyler Stewart, Dubach, La., 10 bass, 30-0
19th: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., 10 bass, 29-14
20th: Cody Pike, Powhatan, Va., 10 bass, 29-13
21st: Jason Vance, Battle Ground, Ind., 10 bass, 29-10
22nd: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 29-7
23rd: Braxton Setzer, Wetumpka, Ala., 10 bass, 29-5
24th: Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 10 bass, 29-1
25th: Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., 10 bass, 28-14
26th: Chris Groh, Spring Grove, Ill., 10 bass, 28-13
27th: Cal Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 28-13
28th: Chad Grigsby, Maple Grove, Minn., 10 bass, 28-12
29th: Richard Lowitzki, Hampshire, Ill., 10 bass, 28-11
30th: Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 10 bass, 28-11
31st: Robby Lefere, Jackson, Mich., 10 bass, 28-10
32nd: Cole Harris, Raleigh, N.C., five bass, 28-5
33rd: Miles Howe, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., 10 bass, 28-3
34th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 28-3
35th: Jason Lieblong, Conway, Ark., 10 bass, 28-2
36th: Evan Barnes, Dardanelle, Ark., 10 bass, 28-2
37th: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., 10 bass, 28-1
38th: Clabion Johns, Social Circle, Ga., 10 bass, 28-0
39th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 27-8
40th: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 10 bass, 27-5
41st: Kyle Weisenburger, Columbus Grove, Ohio, 10 bass, 27-3
42nd: Jim Moynagh, Shakopee, Minn., 10 bass, 27-1
43rd: Tai Au, Glendale, Ariz., 10 bass, 27-1
44th: Grant Galloway, Houlka, Miss., 10 bass, 27-1
45th: Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 10 bass, 26-13
46th: Phillip Dutra, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 26-12
47th: Joey Cifuentes, Clinton, Ark., 10 bass, 26-11
48th: J. Todd Tucker, Moultrie, Ga., 10 bass, 26-11
49th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 10 bass, 26-5
50th: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 10 bass, 26-4
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Brett Hite earned Friday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award with a beautiful largemouth bass that weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces.
Overall, there were 745 bass weighing 1,722 pounds, 2 ounces caught by 152 pros Friday. The catch included 144 five-bass limits.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 on the James River Presented by PowerStop Brakes marks the fifth of six regular-season Pro Circuit events in 2022 and offers competitors a total purse of more than $850,000.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 154 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. Now, only the top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros, based on cumulative weight from the first three days, will continue competition on Championship Sunday. Weights are reset to zero, and anglers will compete in a one-day shootout for the grand prize of up to $135,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2022 TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York on Aug. 16-21, and is hosted by the Town of Massena.
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. ET each day from the Osborne Landing, located at 9530 Osborne Turnpike in Richmond. Weigh-ins will also be held at the landing daily beginning at 2:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to attend the morning take offs and afternoon weigh-ins, and also follow the live on-the-water action all four days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
As part of the event, on Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19, from Noon to 4 p.m., fans are invited out to the Major League Fishing Festival at the Osborne Landing. Hosted by Richmond Region Tourism, the event will feature fans meeting and getting autographs from their favorite pro anglers that compete on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit. Children are welcome to visit the Kids Zone to meet Skye & Marshall from PAW Patrol, fish for live fish in the Kids Fishing Pond, show off their artistic skills at the coloring stations, and more. Vendor booths from MLF sponsors, food, prizes and giveaways, including a FREE Abu Garcia rod and reel combo for the first 50 high school or middle school anglers, are available to festival goers. On Saturday and Sunday, one lucky attendee will play for a brand new 2022 Toyota Tundra in the Bully Dog Pick ‘Til You Win game, with runner up prizes of a new 70-inch 4K UHD Smart TV or a Bully Dog Performance Tuner. For more information on the Major League Fishing Festival, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com/Attend.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all four days of competition from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 on the James River Presented by PowerStop Brakes will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the CBS Sports Network in early September.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, 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 Pro Circuit on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Garbacz, Dunahoo Lead Bassmaster College Series Wild Card On Logan Martin
Jonathon Garbacz and Kevin Dunahoo of the University of North Georgia are leading after Day 1 of the 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series Wild Card on Logan Martin Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops with 15 pounds, 7 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
June 17, 2022
LINCOLN, Ala. — On a fishery known for its spotted bass population, University of North Georgia’s Jonathon Garbacz and Kevin Dunahoo focused on largemouth and caught a limit of 15 pounds, 7 ounces to lead Day 1 of the Strike King Bassmaster College Series Wild Card on Logan Martin Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops.
“We knew coming in that 10 big largemouth would win,” Garbacz said. “So that’s what we’re going for.”
One of 105 teams in the event, Garbacz and Dunahoo head into Saturday’s championship round with a lead of 1-4 over Baylor University’s Parker Greer and Andrew Shadle.
Dealing with extreme heat, the leaders pointed to mental toughness as a key element of their performance. Air temperatures pushed into the low to mid-90s and water temperatures weren’t far behind.
“In the morning, the water temperature was about 86, and later in the day, it got up to about 92,” Garbacz said. “You just have to keep your head in the game. The heat is going to throw you off, but you just have to keep your concentration and find the pattern.”
Noting that they believe they’ve found something unique, the leaders kept the details thin. However, Garbacz said he and Dunahoo are working a game plan based more on quality than quantity.
“We found a pretty good pattern that we can run pretty much up and down the lake, but we’re thinking it’s more of an area type thing,” Garbacz said. “It’s about maximizing your bites because we’re not getting a ton. You have to capitalize on every single bite because you never know when it’s going to be a big one.”
Dunahoo said their day involved a variety of different habitat features. Flexibility, he said, played a significant role in the outcome.
“We moved our way throughout the day and adapted,” Dunahoo said. “We did the same thing in practice; we have not (fished the same way all week) and I expect we probably won’t be able to do the same thing tomorrow.”
Dunahoo said he and Garbacz hit approximately 60 spots to get what they had. Locking up their weight by 11:30 a.m., they fished a combination of finesse and reaction baits.
The latter, Garbacz said, required pinpoint accuracy.
“These fish are going to eat, but you have to put it right in front of them,” Garbacz said.
Dunahoo said he and his partner will likely follow a similarly flexible script on Saturday.
“We don’t have any new water we know we’re going to fish, so we’re either going to be running the same (areas) or getting on the graph tonight and searching for new water.”
Turning in a limit of 14-3, Greer and Shadle anchored their bag with a 4-2. As Greer explained, their day saw them visiting a broad range of habitats.
“This has been a junk-fishing tournament; we’re fishing everything from docks to ledges,” Greer said. “We started this morning in some current throwing a glidebait where we caught some good ones in practice.
“We left that area with two fish and started swimming a jig. I actually flipped to a fish I could see — that 4-2 largemouth. It was in a little cut with thousands of gizzard shad. That fish actually spit up three large gizzard shad in the livewell.”
After catching a 3 1/2-pound spotted bass off a sunken boat in the middle of a cove, Greer said he and Shadle wrapped up their day fishing ledges — a pattern that yielded two final culls.
In addition to the glidebait, Greer and Shadle caught fish on a football jig, a drop shot and upsized shaky heads.
“We’re from Texas, we like to throw big stuff, so we upsized to a 1/2- and 3/4-ounce shaky head with a 6th Sense Magnum Trick Worm,” Greer said.
Tucker Smith and Logan Parks of Auburn University are in third place with 14-2. Spending most of their time offshore, the duo endured a plodding pace but their diligence was rewarded with an afternoon kicker.
“The day started off slow and we hit a few places but didn’t catch much,” Smith said. “We just started running and gunning a bunch of places that we like to hit up here.
“We landed on a good place and Logan caught one (that weighed 6-2) at the end of the day and that really helped out a lot.”
Parks said his big fish culled out a 1 1/4-pounder.
Working 40 to 50 different spots, the Auburn anglers caught fish on a variety of structure in 12 to 17 feet. Reaction baits and slower presentations produced fish, but the latter did most of the work.
“The fish are just moving out there, everybody’s pounding on them and they’re getting kind of finicky,” Smith said. “You have to fish slower.”
Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 5:30 a.m. CT at Lincoln’s Landing. The weigh-in will be held at the Landing at 1:30 p.m.
The teams are vying for a spot in the Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops scheduled for Sept. 2-4 at South Carolina’s Winyah Bay.
2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series Wild Card at Logan Martin Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops 6/17-6/18
Logan Martin Lake, Lincoln AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Jonathon Garbacz - Kevin Dunahoo University of North Georgia 250
Day 1: 5 15-07 Total: 5 15-07
2. Parker Greer - Andrew Shadle Baylor University 249
Day 1: 5 14-03 Total: 5 14-03
3. Logan Parks - Tucker Smith Auburn University 248
Day 1: 5 14-02 Total: 5 14-02
4. Ryan Branch - Kopeland Rosser University of Montevallo 247
Day 1: 5 13-11 Total: 5 13-11
5. Tommy Sendek - Cal Culpepper University of Montevallo 246
Day 1: 5 12-14 Total: 5 12-14
6. Lucas Smith - Dalton Mize Jacksonville State University 245
Day 1: 5 12-13 Total: 5 12-13
7. Victor Alford - Logan East Bryan College 244
Day 1: 5 12-05 Total: 5 12-05
8. Caleb Bridges - Jacob Davidson Bryan College 243
Day 1: 5 11-14 Total: 5 11-14
9. Matthew Wilson - Southern union state community c 242
Day 1: 5 11-14 Total: 5 11-14
10. Clent Blackwood - Bryar Chambers Wallace State Community College 241
Day 1: 5 11-11 Total: 5 11-11
11. Caleb Barrow - Reese Kingston Brewton Parker College 240
Day 1: 5 11-10 Total: 5 11-10
12. Cy Casey - Tanner Hadden Emmanuel College 239
Day 1: 5 11-10 Total: 5 11-10
13. Grayson Morris - Cade Holcomb University of Montevallo 238
Day 1: 5 11-09 Total: 5 11-09
14. Colton White - Jack Alexander University Montevallo 237
Day 1: 5 11-07 Total: 5 11-07
15. Clayton Primrose - Fisher Davis ETBU 236
Day 1: 5 11-05 Total: 5 11-05
16. Lane Bailey - Justin Eggers Catawba Valley Community College 235
Day 1: 5 11-05 Total: 5 11-05
17. Cody Griffith - Drew Jennings Auburn University 234
Day 1: 5 11-02 Total: 5 11-02
18. Reese Melven - Hunter Waldrop University of South Carolina 233
Day 1: 5 10-15 Total: 5 10-15
19. Hunter Keller - Wesley Smith Catawba Valley Community College 232
Day 1: 5 10-13 Total: 5 10-13
19. James Romig - Colton Morris Florida Gateway College 232
Day 1: 5 10-13 Total: 5 10-13
21. Gus McLarry - Jared West Texas A and M Commerce 230
Day 1: 5 10-12 Total: 5 10-12
22. Brady Duncan - Stevie Mills Carson-Newman University 229
Day 1: 5 10-10 Total: 5 10-10
23. Tyler Cain - Cole Dodson University of Montevallo 228
Day 1: 5 10-07 Total: 5 10-07
23. Andrew Vereen - Connor Cartmell Coastal Carolina University 228
Day 1: 5 10-07 Total: 5 10-07
25. Drew Traffanstedt - Dakendrick Patterson University of Montevallo 226
Day 1: 5 10-05 Total: 5 10-05
26. Kaden Proffitt - Cason Ragsdale East Texas Baptist University 225
Day 1: 5 10-01 Total: 5 10-01
27. James Willoughby - Jacob Pfundt University of Montevallo 224
Day 1: 5 10-00 Total: 5 10-00
28. Spencer Black - Grant Harris Catawba Valley Community College 223
Day 1: 4 09-14 Total: 4 09-14
29. Brenton Godwin - Hunter Odom University of Montevallo 222
Day 1: 5 09-13 Total: 5 09-13
30. Brody Robison - Carson Miller University of Montevallo 221
Day 1: 5 09-12 Total: 5 09-12
31. Carson Palmer - Chase Hastings Carson-Newman University 220
Day 1: 5 09-11 Total: 5 09-11
32. Vince Maffei - Andrew Ready Webber International University 219
Day 1: 5 09-10 Total: 5 09-10
33. Wes Kinard - Dillan Olvera Shelton State Community College 218
Day 1: 5 09-09 Total: 5 09-09
34. Cole Thompson - John Heacock University of North Alabama 217
Day 1: 5 09-06 Total: 5 09-06
35. Conner Johnson - Tyler Greenlee Georgetown College 216
Day 1: 5 09-04 Total: 5 09-04
36. Jacob Frazier - Austin Smith Carson-Newman University 215
Day 1: 5 09-01 Total: 5 09-01
37. Hagan Marlin - Tanner English University of Montevallo 214
Day 1: 5 08-15 Total: 5 08-15
38. Dawson Cowden - Nathan Coffman Louisiana State University- Shrev 213
Day 1: 5 08-14 Total: 5 08-14
39. Zane O'Domirok - Brandon Sales 212
Day 1: 5 08-11 Total: 5 08-11
40. Cole Zagrzebski - Logan Paul Western Michigan University 211
Day 1: 5 08-10 Total: 5 08-10
41. Henry Mcpherson - University Of Alabama 210
Day 1: 5 08-09 Total: 5 08-09
42. Branden Burrill - Jaret Bailey Western Michigan University 209
Day 1: 5 08-07 Total: 5 08-07
43. Hunter Jones - Dayton Scott Columbia State Community College 208
Day 1: 5 08-05 Total: 5 08-05
44. Cameron Tullis - Brett Jolley East Texas Baptist University 207
Day 1: 5 08-05 Total: 5 08-05
45. Evan Sutton - Maxwell Trotter McKendree University 206
Day 1: 4 08-04 Total: 4 08-04
46. Jordan Brewer - Conner Crosby Auburn University 205
Day 1: 5 07-14 Total: 5 07-14
47. Gabe Brown - Alex Cooke University of South Carolina 204
Day 1: 5 07-11 Total: 5 07-11
48. Jameson Jenkins - Cameron Loveless Texas A&M 203
Day 1: 5 07-06 Total: 5 07-06
49. Tommy Dunaway - Seth Jones Florida Gateway College 202
Day 1: 3 07-04 Total: 3 07-04
50. Dawson Andrews - Wyatt Ensminger Southeastern Louisiana Universit 201
Day 1: 3 07-01 Total: 3 07-01
51. Cole Rankin - Storm Cline Carson-Newman University 200
Day 1: 5 06-15 Total: 5 06-15
52. Allen Powe - Jonathan Combs Georgetown College 199
Day 1: 5 06-13 Total: 5 06-13
53. Carter Koza - Lee Koza Carson Newman University 198
Day 1: 4 06-12 Total: 4 06-12
54. Hunter Enlow - Lander University 197
Day 1: 3 06-10 Total: 3 06-10
55. Kaden Liles - Benson Dowler University of North Alabama 196
Day 1: 4 06-09 Total: 4 06-09
56. Cody Monlezun - Atlan Pfluger Texas A&M 195
Day 1: 4 06-07 Total: 4 06-07
57. Cole Holloway - Taylor Mcmullen Emmanuel College 194
Day 1: 2 06-04 Total: 2 06-04
58. Garrison Forrester - Preston Hatz Auburn University 193
Day 1: 4 06-01 Total: 4 06-01
59. Cole Taylor - Hunter Temples Lander University 192
Day 1: 4 05-15 Total: 4 05-15
60. Zach Williams - James Broderick Mississippi State University 191
Day 1: 5 05-14 Total: 5 05-14
61. Jase Smith - Reed Rambo Georgia College and State Univer 190
Day 1: 4 05-13 Total: 4 05-13
62. Garrett Huddleston - Riley Voltz Auburn University 189
Day 1: 4 05-11 Total: 4 05-11
63. Tyler Campbell - Brandon Martin Emmanuel College 188
Day 1: 4 05-10 Total: 4 05-10
64. Spencer Brister - Roeh Burton Lamar State College Orange 187
Day 1: 4 05-08 Total: 4 05-08
65. Tristen Dubbs - Colin Pflederer Grace College 186
Day 1: 3 05-07 Total: 3 05-07
66. Charlie Pennington - Carson Peevy The University of Alabama 185
Day 1: 4 05-03 Total: 4 05-03
67. Hayden Marbut - Garrett Warren Auburn University 184
Day 1: 4 05-02 Total: 4 05-02
68. Jack Dice - Jeramy Evans Liberty University 183
Day 1: 3 04-13 Total: 3 04-13
68. Brayden Nichols - Ty Gentry LSU Shreveport 183
Day 1: 3 04-13 Total: 3 04-13
70. Lucas Bowers - Luke Willis University of South Carolina 181
Day 1: 2 04-12 Total: 2 04-12
71. Jake Kimbrough - Chandler Pruett Blue Mountain College 180
Day 1: 1 04-06 Total: 1 04-06
72. Mary Goode - Nicholas Watson Brewton-Parker College 179
Day 1: 2 04-04 Total: 2 04-04
73. William Vega - Will Emmert Sam Houston State University 178
Day 1: 2 04-03 Total: 2 04-03
74. Ryan Bradway - Hunter Jordan Western Michigan University 177
Day 1: 2 04-00 Total: 2 04-00
75. Lane Collier - Cody Lunsford University of North Georgia 176
Day 1: 3 03-14 Total: 3 03-14
76. Hayden Fuhr - Lander University 175
Day 1: 3 03-11 Total: 3 03-11
77. Isaac Warta - Middle Tennessee State Universit 174
Day 1: 2 03-09 Total: 2 03-09
78. Cade Fortenberry - Nicholls State University 173
Day 1: 2 03-07 Total: 2 03-07
79. Nate Triplett - Cy Lambert University of North Alabama 172
Day 1: 1 03-02 Total: 1 03-02
80. Hunter Jenkins - Dallas Baptist University 171
Day 1: 1 03-01 Total: 1 03-01
81. Matthew German - Adam Hollingsworth University Of Alabama 170
Day 1: 2 03-00 Total: 2 03-00
82. Logan Hicks - Preston Parker Shelton State Community College 169
Day 1: 2 02-14 Total: 2 02-14
83. Mason Bohland - Brady Metzger Purdue University 168
Day 1: 2 02-11 Total: 2 02-11
84. Elijah Walker - Hunter Hillanbrand AUBURN 167
Day 1: 2 02-10 Total: 2 02-10
85. Micah Goosby - Joseph Taylor Mississippi State University 166
Day 1: 2 02-07 Total: 2 02-07
86. Jacob Butts - Mark Kershaw Erskine College 165
Day 1: 3 02-05 Total: 3 02-05
87. Corey Yaden - Hunter Richie Brewton Parker college 164
Day 1: 1 02-04 Total: 1 02-04
88. Jonathan Goforth - James Bonnell Auburn University 163
Day 1: 1 02-02 Total: 1 02-02
89. Davian Smith - Jordan Turner University of Montevallo 162
Day 1: 3 02-01 Total: 3 02-01
90. Carson Maddux - Auburn University 161
Day 1: 1 01-14 Total: 1 01-14
91. K.D. Sizemore - Bryce Quick Auburn University 160
Day 1: 1 01-08 Total: 1 01-08
92. Mason Phillpotts - Grand Valley State University 159
Day 1: 1 01-07 Total: 1 01-07
93. Matthew Roberts - Alice Lloyd College 158
Day 1: 1 01-06 Total: 1 01-06
94. Jim McPherson - Mississippi State University 157
Day 1: 1 01-03 Total: 1 01-03
95. Brendon Brones - Ethan Tant Lamar State College Orange 156
Day 1: 1 01-00 Total: 1 01-00
96. Garrett Walters - Reese Walters University of Alabama 155
Day 1: 1 00-11 Total: 1 00-11
97. Syon Barnes - Jacksonville State University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
97. Chase Davis - Camden Keeton CACC 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
97. Drew Deloney - University of Alabama 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
97. Trey Dickert - University of Montevallo 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
97. Dale Hansard - Seth Elkins Jacksonville State University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
97. Trevor Johnston - Josh Kerr Texas AM University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
97. Ryan Michek - University of Wisconsin Plattevi 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
97. John Ortman - Emmanuel College 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
97. Walker Sahagun - University of North Alabama 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 49 363 702-05
----------------------------------
49 363 702-05
Grae Buck Plays the Tide for Early Lead at MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 on the James River
Pennsylvania Pro Weighs Five-Bass Limit Totaling 21-3 To Lead on Day 1 of Four-Day Tournament
RICHMOND, Va. (June 16, 2022) – The James River showed out on Thursday. After 154 of the top professional bass-fishing anglers in the world launched this morning at the Toyota Stop 5 on the James River Presented by PowerStop Brakes, 153 of those pros returned to the weigh-in scale this afternoon with a five-bass limit. And the lone pro that didn’t catch a limit still managed to bring four bass to the scale.
After the final fish had been tallied, Green Lane, Pennsylvania pro Grae Buck, who has two top-25 finishes already this season, jumped out to the early lead with a five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 3 ounces. He’ll bring a slim 4-ounce lead into Day 2 over Brookeland, Texas’ Dakota Ebare, who weighed a limit totaling 20-15. Chris Groh of Spring Grove, Illinois , sits just 8 ounces behind Ebare in third place with five bass for 20-7. Weights are stacked – just over 5 pounds separates 1st from 20th – and with three days left in the competition it is still anyone’s event.
“I found two different areas (in practice) that had fish in it, but I never caught quality like this by any means,” Buck said. “Once I finally settled in today I got to see what was actually there and I caught them pretty consistently.”
Buck said that he caught around 15 keepers on Thursday, with a nice 6-pound, 6-ouncer coming right around noon.
“The tide definitely played a role in where I was starting and where I was fishing at,” Buck said. “I’m hoping I can go out there again and catch a bunch of fish. I got that big one in the afternoon. I had to go looking for it – it wasn’t in the same spot where I caught a limit. Hopefully I can get another big one like that tomorrow. Those big bites really go far.”
Buck mentioned that there were numerous other competitors fishing in the same areas.
“There are a lot of people fishing there, but hopefully we can all work around the area together and catch them.”
Although second-place pro Dakota Ebare is much more used to fishing in southern states like Texas and Louisiana, he said that felt comfortable with how the James River was setting up for him.
"It felt a little like home in how it sets up," Ebare said. "The tide swings are much bigger here than they are in Louisiana, but once I figured out where I needed to be and how the fish were setting up, I settled in and knew exactly what to look for. I was at the right place at the right time today and was able to start running the tide, which is the key to all tidal waters. It doesn't matter what you are doing as much as where you're doing it.
"It was an all-around good day, and I'm thankful because I know you don't get a big one like that every day," he went on to say. "I was happy I could catch some more solid fish to go with it, so I didn't waste it. Historically on the James River, from what I've seen in past tournament results, consistency is the big thing, so I'm going into tomorrow as if I'm back to zero. On tidal fisheries, you can have 10 pounds as easily as you can have 20 because it's all about timing."
The tide also played a big role in how third-place pro Chris Groh of Spring Grove, Illinois, caught his fish.
"It started slow, I started where I had some really, really good bites in practice, but the tide wasn’t quite right," Groh said. "I slid to where the tide was better and was able to get my first limit, but it only weighed 7 pounds. I knew when the tide went slack; they wouldn't bite, so I left. When the tide came back in, I went over the same spots I was catching small fish and they were all good ones.
Groh revealed that he caught all of his fish Thursday on a white Berkley Powerbait Buzz'n Speed Toad paired with a Berkley Fusion19 weighted frog hook.
"I went and checked some other spots for tomorrow and caught some that I probably shouldn't have," Groh said. "I feel confident that I'll catch fish tomorrow. It just might not be 20 pounds again."
The top 20 pros after Day 1 on the James River are:
1st: Grae Buck, Green Lane, Pa., five bass, 21-3
2nd: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 20-15
3rd: Chris Groh, Spring Grove, Ill., five bass, 20-7
4th: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., five bass, 19-3
5th: Tyler Woolcott, Port Orange, Fla., five bass, 19-2
6th: Jason Lieblong, Conway, Ark., five bass, 18-13
7th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 18-6
7th: Josh Butler, Hayden, Ala., five bass, 18-6
9th: Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 18-3
10th: Barron Adams, Mineral Bluff, Ga., five bass, 18-0
11th: Cole Harris, Raleigh, N.C., five bass, 17-15
12th: Stephen Albertson, Stuart, Fla., five bass, 17-14
13th: Phillip Dutra, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 17-12
13th: Miles Howe, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., five bass, 17-12
15th: Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, five bass, 17-6
16th: Tyler Stewart, Dubach, La., five bass, 17-3
17th: Josh Bragg, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 16-11
18th: Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 16-8
18th: Robby Lefere, Jackson, Mich., five bass, 16-8
20th: Jim Moynagh, Shakopee, Minn., five bass, 16-0
A full list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Ebare weighed in the heaviest fish, Thursday – a largemouth that totaled 7 pounds, 14 ounces – to win the $1,000 Berkley Big Bass bonus.
Overall, there were 769 bass weighing 1,935 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 154 pros Thursday. The catch included 153 five-bass limits.
The four-day tournament, hosted by Richmond Region Tourism in cooperation with the Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority, features a field of 154 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals competing for a top award of up to $135,000. The tournament marks the fifth of six regular-season Pro Circuit events in 2022 and offers competitors a total purse of more than $850,000.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 154 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight will advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros, based on cumulative weight from the first three days, will continue competition on Championship Sunday, where weights will be zeroed and anglers will compete in a one-day shootout for the grand prize of up to $135,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2022 TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York on Aug. 16-21, and is hosted by the Town of Massena.
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. ET each day from the Osborne Landing, located at 9530 Osborne Turnpike in Richmond. Weigh-ins will also be held at the landing daily beginning at 2:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to attend the morning take offs and afternoon weigh-ins, and also follow the live on-the-water action all four days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
As part of the event, on Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19, from Noon to 4 p.m., fans are invited out to the Major League Fishing Festival at the Osborne Landing. Hosted by Richmond Region Tourism, the event will feature fans meeting and getting autographs from their favorite pro anglers that compete on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit. Children are welcome to visit the Kids Zone to meet Skye & Marshall from PAW Patrol, fish for live fish in the Kids Fishing Pond, show off their artistic skills at the coloring stations, and more. Vendor booths from MLF sponsors, food, prizes and giveaways, including a FREE Abu Garcia rod and reel combo for the first 50 high school or middle school anglers, are available to festival goers. On Saturday and Sunday, one lucky attendee will play for a brand new 2022 Toyota Tundra in the Bully Dog Pick ‘Til You Win game, with runner up prizes of a new 70-inch 4K UHD Smart TV or a Bully Dog Performance Tuner. For more information on the Major League Fishing Festival, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com/Attend.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all four days of competition from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 on the James River Presented by PowerStop Brakes will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the CBS Sports Network in early September.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, 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 Pro Circuit on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
St. Lawrence River Set To Host B.A.S.S. Nation Northeast Regional
Waddington, N.Y., will host the 2022 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Northeast Regional at St. Lawrence River June 22-24.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
June 16, 2022
St. Lawrence River Set To Host B.A.S.S. Nation Northeast Regional
WADDINGTON, N.Y. — When anglers arrive in New York for the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Northeast Regional at St. Lawrence River June 22-24, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by Mossy Oak Fishing champion Cooper Gallant anticipates the bass will be in all stages of the spawn.
“I think you are going to be able to do a lot of things,” the Canadian pro said. “You are going to be able to catch fish shallow that are roaming. You are going to be able to catch fish deep, and you are going to be able to catch some fish off the bed. I think it is going to be pretty wide open.”
Coined “smallmouth Disneyland” by Elite Series angler Taku Ito during his victory last season, the St. Lawrence River has been the backdrop for many Bassmaster events, including multiple Elites, Opens and the 2021 College Series National Championship won by Adrian College’s Griffin Fernandes and Hayden Scott.
Gallant pushed hard for an Opens win on the famed fishery last year but ultimately placed fourth as Elite Series pro Cory Johnston took the title.
With the tournament going out of Waddington, anglers will have access to the New York side of the river and will not be able to access Lake Ontario. Boaters will also only be able to bring four bass to the scales, while co-anglers will be allowed three.
Smallmouth will be the dominant species, and they will likely be in several different areas.
Boulders, rockpiles and sand flats around spawning flats will be key areas that attract prespawn smallmouth. Meanwhile, the smallmouth that have locked onto bed will be around big boulders and rocks in protected areas, flats with hard bottom and boulders away from the current and wind.
For anglers trying to catch spawners, a flogger will come in handy.
“It’s no different than a largemouth spawning on an isolated patch of lily pads,” Gallant said. “They will get on isolated boulders and have a bed next to the boulder and they will also spawn on chunk rock and things like that.”
As the smallmouth move off the bed, they make their way back to deeper water through the same areas they used in the prespawn period.
“Depending on how far along they are in the postspawn, they could be deeper or shallower,” he said. “But year-round, smallmouth love rock and you just have to find which areas of the river they are living in and if they are postspawn; you have to figure out where they are going next and how far along they are.”
Gallant expects drop shots, spybaits, jerkbaits, tubes and Marabou hair jigs to play a major role.
While there are plenty of largemouth in the fishery, Gallant said it is difficult to win a multiday event with only largemouth.
Anglers will launch from Whittaker Park starting at 6 a.m. ET and return for weigh-in starting at 2 p.m. Around 240 anglers representing 11 state teams from across the Northeast and the province of Ontario will compete on the St. Lawrence River. The top boater and co-angler from each state at the end of the tournament will punch their tickets to the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, which will be held Nov. 9-11 on Pickwick Lake.
The event is being hosted by the Village of Waddington and St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce. This tournament is supported by a Market New York grant from I LOVE NY/New York State’s Division of Tourism awarded as part of the Regional Economic Development Council initiative.
Bassmaster Fishing 2022 Video Game Reveals Retro Cosmetic Pack Season Pass
A new Retro Cosmetic Pack Season Pass launches today for Bassmaster Fishing 2022, the video game.
June 16, 2022
Bassmaster Fishing 2022 Video Game Reveals Retro Cosmetic Pack Season Pass
Bassmaster Fishing 2022 - BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Retro Cosmetic Pack Season Pass for Bassmaster Fishing 2022, the video game, launched today with the fun Synthwave Cosmetic Pack. Dovetail Games, a developer and publisher of sports simulation games, will also be dropping two additional cosmetic packs — Pixel Pro and Throwback B.A.S.S. — later this summer as part of the season pass.
With the Synthwave Cosmetic Pack, players can light up the lake like it’s the 1980s and take bass fishing to an electrifying new level. Anglers can trick out their boats with brand-new emissive light strips, which may not help attract bass but will be sure to attract the attention of other anglers. The pack also gives players a selection of new clothing to choose from, as well as unlockable in-game fluorescent glasses that players can earn by completing new Mastery Challenges.
Retro Cosmetic Pack Season Pass owners can look forward to the release of the Pixel Pro Pack in July, a new cosmetic pack perfect for retro game enthusiasts. The Pixel Pro Pack will bring players’ favorite in-game Bassmaster Elite Series anglers into the exciting world of pixels and will feature new pixel art-style clothing and a boat wrap.
To wrap up the Season Pass, Dovetail Games will release the Throwback B.A.S.S. Pack in August, which will bring an old-school B.A.S.S. look to the game. The pack introduces vintage Bassmaster designs and badge patches spanning the groovy ’70s, radical ’80s and extreme ’90s.
Bassmaster Fishing 2022, the video game, was released on Oct. 28, 2021 in North America and Europe on the PS5™, PS4™, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One/Xbox One X, Windows PC via Steam and Xbox Game Pass. For regular updates on additional content, please visit Bassmasterthegame.com.
Potomac River Set to Host First Event for Toyota Series Northern Division
MARBURY, Md. (June 15, 2022) – The Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Northern Division will kick off its 2022 season next week in Marbury, Maryland, June 23-25, with the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at the Potomac River. Hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners, the three-day tournament is the first event of the season for the Toyota Series Northern Division anglers and will feature the region’s best bass-fishing pros and Strike King co-anglers casting for a top prize of up to $75,000.
Pro Cody Pike of Powhatan, Virginia said he expects the fish to be biting and to see a great post-spawn event.
“June is typically a really good month on the Potomac River because the bass get to feeding and haven’t been completely pressured where they won’t bite anything,” Pike said. “They should be moving out to the grass off the bank and there will be some bass guarding fry, so if a guy can find some good milfoil off the bank in about 2- to 4-foot of water, it’s liable to hold a good group of fish.”
Pike said he believes the three most popular baits during the event will be ChatterBaits, swimjigs and senkos.
“They’ve been catching them really good on the Potomac this year and have been pulling in a lot of 15 to 16-pound bags still, which is good,” Pike said. “There will definitely be a lot of 13 to 14-pound bags, but the key will be to break that mark a couple days in a row to do well in this event. I would expect 17 to 18 pounds per day to win this tournament.”
Pike, who fished in both the Eastern and Northern Divisions of the Toyota Series for several years before qualifying to fish the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit in 2021, said it’s a great stepping-stone for anglers who are wanting to advance to the next level of professional bass fishing.
“You don’t have to travel too far from home, and it’s a great arena to play in and have the opportunity to advance further, especially if you are looking to only fish regional events,” Pike concluded.
Anglers will take off daily at 6 a.m. ET from Smallwood State Park located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park and will begin at 2 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action 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 BIG5 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 2022 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions and finish in the top 25 – or the top 12 from the Wild Card division – will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 cash. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2022 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Championship will be held Nov. 3-5 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, and is hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Outlaw Ordinance, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF Toyota Series on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube .
Lester takes a blue trophy to the beach
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
If you know Brandon Lester, you know Sundays hold a special place in his heart, and that he treasures time at the beach nearly as much as bass fishing. So, Sunday June 5, 2022 played out like a script written in his deepest hopes and dreams.
Just after a spiritually rich sunrise at Pickwick Lake, he caught the majority of his tournament-winning weight, held up the coveted blue Elite Series trophy later that afternoon, then headed straight to the white sandy beaches of Northwest Florida he treasures with the people he loves the most.
“A buddy of mine towed my boat back home for me while I finished interviews at Pickwick. And as soon as I was done taking care of sponsors and media, we literally drove straight from the weigh-in area at Pickwick to Navarre Beach, Florida. And that blue trophy became the centerpiece on the counter of the beach condo the rest of the week,” grins Lester.
From swimming in the turquoise waters of Roatan Island east of Belize, to a huge cobia on the end of his line jumping to avoid being eaten by an 8-foot shark near Orange Beach, Lester’s made some great memories around saltwater, and much like that special Sunday celebration at Pickwick, he saw all those moments through Costa’s quality lenses.
“I’ve worn Costas my entire career, and I wore them Championship Sunday at Pickwick when a lifelong dream came true. I actually keep several different pairs of Costas in my boat featuring different lens colors to best match whatever weather we’re dealing with. But when somebody asks me to help them choose just one great all around lens color, I usually tell them green mirror https://www.costadelmar.com/en-us/sunglasses/6S9006-97963498159 -- that’s what I wore on Championship Sunday at Pickwick,” he says.
As a result of his loyalty to Costa, Lester will collect a healthy cash bonus because he registered for Costa’s Compete + Conserve program.
Just as rewarding, he has chosen the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, one of Compete + Conserve’s conservation partners, to receive a $500 donation in his name for the protection and conservation of our fisheries – quite the perfect punctuation to a dream-like Sunday that ended with a blue trophy and sugar white sand.
To learn more and get registered, please visit https://www.costacompeteandconserve.com/
Phoenix Fantasy Fishing Presented by Abu Garcia: Pick the Top 10 Anglers and Instantly Win a Toyota Tundra and Phoenix Boat Loaded with Abu Garcia Gear
FREE Fantasy Fishing Contest Gives Players Opportunity to Win Package, Including New Phoenix 818 Pro Boat and 2022 Toyota Tundra
TULSA, Okla. (June 15, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today a new Fantasy Fishing contest that will run through the remaining Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and Bass Pro Tour events in the 2022 season. Any Fantasy Fishing player that chooses the top 10 anglers correctly (the 10 anglers on their fantasy team all make the Championship round), will automatically win a new 2022 Toyota Tundra Limited truck, a Phoenix 818 Pro boat, loaded with Abu Garcia gear – a prize package worth $100,000.
To enter the contest, fans can simply visit FantasyFishing.com and create their team of 10 anglers for each remaining free-to-play Fantasy Fishing game. Anglers earn points based on how many pounds of bass their anglers catch during the event.
Remaining 2022 MLF Phoenix Fantasy Fishing Events:
- June 16-19 - Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 at the James River (Richmond, Va.)
- Presented by PowerStop Brakes
- July 29-Aug. 1 - Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain (Plattsburgh, N.Y.)
- Presented by Wiley X
- Aug. 6-11 - Bass Pro Tour Stage Six at Cayuga Lake (Union Springs, N.Y.)
- Presented by Googan Baits
- Aug. 16-21 - Tackle Warehouse TITLE at the St. Lawrence River (Massena, N.Y.)
- Presented by Mercury
- Sept. 10-15 - Bass Pro Tour Stage Seven at Mille Lacs Lake (Onamia, Minn.)
- Presented by Johnson Outdoors
The contest will end on Sept. 10, 2022, the start of the final Bass Pro Tour event of the season. Full contest rules can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com/promorules.
In addition to playing for the Toyota Tundra and Phoenix Boat prize package, fans can also create and join private leagues to compete against friends and family, then watch the live streams and SCORETRACKER® leaderboard to watch their team racking up the points.
Fantasy Fishing players also are competing for an all-expense-paid fishing trip with Bass Pro Tour angler Justin Lucas to the season-long winner on the Bass Pro Tour, an all-expense-paid fishing trip with REDCREST 2022 Champion Bobby Lane to the season-long winner on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, and new Abu Garcia rod and reel combos to the overall top 25 point-scorers in each Bass Pro Tour and Pro Circuit event.
Proud sponsors of MLF Fantasy Fishing include: Abu Garcia, Bally Bet, Fenwick, Mercury Marine, Phoenix Boats and Toyota.
For complete details and updated information about MLF Fantasy Fishing, visit FantasyFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
AC Insider Podcast - Mr. Consistency
On this Dads Day edition of the AC Insider Podcast, Chris & The boys welcome in Pickwick Elite Series Champ Brandon Lester to the show to talk about his win, his family and the legacy he hopes to leave on this sport. Listen, Did you know that he has finished in the top 30 in over 50% of his tournamtents with BASS? Now you do. Check it out!
2nd Annual High School Bass Fishing Teams Conference
It’s that time of the year again, and the STL Bass Fishing Alliance’s 2nd Annual Regional High School Bass Fishing Conference is scheduled for December 10th, 2022 at Vianney High School here in St. Louis.
We would like to inquire if your company would be interested in our Sponsorship to help raise funds or participate in donorship of items for our raffle or giveaways for the participating students. During our first Conference, we had approximately 75 students from various High School Fishing Teams from the St. Louis Metro area. This number is expected to double with the inclusion of Central Illinois High Schools, with the maximum number of attendees set at 150 students.
Last year, businesses like yours, contributed resources for the raffles and gift bags which were presented to all attending students. In addition to prizes and handouts, due to the generous donations, we were able to furnish all attendees with free lunch, snacks and beverages throughout the day.
Please join us this year by supporting this program through your needed sponsorship. All sponsors receive recognition before, during and after the event through banners on Conference Day, as well as internet postings. New this year, will be booth spaces for a limited number of booths. These will be available on a First Come, First Served basis.
We would like to thank past sponsorship participants for their support in making that Conference such a huge success and welcome your participation again this year and new supporters that come onboard. These young High School anglers are the future of fishing and are responsible for the industry growth!!
Should you require additional information or have additional questions, please feel free to contact either of the Event Coordinators listed below via cell phone or emails listed. An address is supplied for those wishing to provide donated items.
We want to personally thank you for helping make this 2nd Annual Conference the success we hope it will be!!
Rod Magrew/Event Coordinator/STL Bass Fishing Alliance LLC/636-262-0763/[email protected]
Pat Bowden/Event Coordinator/STL Bass Fishing Alliance LLC/ 314-322-3525/[email protected]
13th Annual High School Fishing National Championship and World Finals Event Set for Florence, Alabama
Prestigious High School Fishing National Championship to Offer Millions in Scholarships and Prizes
FLORENCE, Ala. (June 14, 2022) – The premier High School Fishing event in the world is slated to be held next week, June 22-25, in Florence, Alabama on Pickwick and Wilson Lakes. The 13th Annual High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship dual event is expecting another record field for this event. Teams from most U.S. States and multiple foreign countries, including Canada, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, are expected to compete for a share of the richest prize pool in all of bass fishing – the total amount of scholarships and prizes offered up for grabs at this event is an eye-popping $3 million dollars, according to the TBF Student Angler Federation (SAF).
“On behalf of the Florence-Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, we are excited to host the High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship again in 2022,” stated Tyler Dolan, Manager of Group and Sports Sales for the Florence-Lauderdale CVB. “This is an event that our community is always looking forward to. We can’t wait to seethe young anglers on Pickwick Lake and in the Shoals soon.”
The student anglers pay no entry fee to compete in this one-of-a-kind dual event. The World Finals portion is the largest of all national High School events, and where the bulk of the prizes and scholarships are awarded. It is also the most difficult to win. The World Finals is open to any SAF member in the world, so all anglers attending will be competing in the World Finals. At the same time, on the dual-stage, the top 10% of High School teams from all SAF sanctioned events – including Major League Fishing High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open tournaments – in the last year are qualified to compete in the National Championship event, with its own set of prizes and scholarships that will top $500,000. The National Championship qualified teams are entered into both events and have a chance at both prize pools all in one trip.
Each High School team consists of three people to a boat – two High School Fishing anglers and their adult boat captain or coach. Altogether, the 2022 High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship are estimated to bring roughly 3,000 people connected to Florence, Alabama, for this week-long event.
“We are excited to be heading back to Florence, Alabama,” stated The Bass Federation’s President and CEO, Robert Cartlidge. “Florence ‘fits’ this event as it has a great facility, a great fishery, and many things for the families to do while in the area. And the anglers love it.
“From the start, neither the TBF /SAF, nor our partners in fishing at MLF – who were among the first to join our SAF movement and grow it side by side with us – require any entry fees for our regular High School events,
Cartlidge continued. “Nor do we pay cash to kids at High School events. It is always prizes and scholarships. The result has been the explosion we currently see in High School Fishing participation nationwide, and it all adds up to a good wholesome experience for the kids and their families, which is what we all want.”
Student anglers will launch each day at 5:30 a.m. CT from McFarland Park, located at 200 Jim Spain Drive in Florence. Weigh-ins will also be held at McFarland Park, beginning at 1:30 p.m.each day. Fans are welcome to attend and encouraged to follow the event live online through weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at HighSchoolFishing.org.
In addition to the college scholarships and prizes offered, the High School Fishing National Champions will also advance to the 2022 MLF Toyota Series Championship, held Nov. 3-5 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, to compete as co-anglers and a shot at the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit HighSchoolFishing.org. For regular High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow High School Fishing on Facebook and on MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Black Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Neely Henry Lake
GADSDEN, Ala. (June 13, 2022) – Boater Lee Black of Danville, Alabama, caught five bass Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 6 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Neely Henry Lake . The tournament, hosted by the City of Gadsden, was the fourth event for the Bass Fishing League Bama Division. Black earned $4,315 for his victory.
“I started off and ran about 40 minutes to my first place, and it was kind of slow for the first two hours,” Black said. “I had four fish in the livewell, and one that weighed 3½ pounds. Then, about noon, the bigger fish started biting and I caught three 4-pounders.”
Black said he focused on an upriver section of Neely Henry and caught 10 bass, including eight keepers, during the course of the day. He said a vibrating jig accounted for most of his keeper fish. He added that two of his biggest fish came while flipping a Z-Man Palmetto BugZ creature bait.
“I have fished a lot of BFL events and have finished second and third, but never have won one,” Black said. “It feels good to finally get one.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Lee Black, Danville, Ala., five bass, 15-6, $4,315
2nd: Kris Colley, Ragland, Ala., five bass, 15-0, $2,767
3rd: Wes Logan, Springville, Ala., five bass, 14-15, $1,439
4th: Scott Chatham, Kingston, Ga., five bass, 13-7, $1,007
5th: Mark McCaig, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 13-5, $1,563 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
6th: Taylor Parker, Lake View, Ala., five bass, 12-8, $1,441
7th: Jason Nixon, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 12-3, $683
7th: Bradley Jones, Aragon, Ga., five bass, 12-3, $683
9th: Beau Gregory, Tallassee, Ala., four bass, 11-14, $575
10th: David Wesson, Southside, Ala., five bass, 11-12, $503
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Colley had a largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 11 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $610.
Mike Langdale of Sycamore, Georgia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,657 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 11 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
1st: Mike Langdale, Sycamore, Ga., five bass, 11-6, $2,657
2nd: Kade Kitchens, Southside, Ala., five bass, 10-8, $1,079
3rd: Johnny Suratt, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., five bass, 10-5, $717
4th: William Maddox, Trussville, Ala., five bass, 9-13, $503
5th: Jon Huffine, Powder Springs, Ga., five bass, 9-8, $413
5th: Rodney Thompson, Highland Home, Ala., five bass, 9-8, $413
7th: Justin Nalley, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 9-2, $360
8th: Cameron Petras, Biloxi, Miss., five bass, 9-1, $324
9th: Daniel Buswell Jr., Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 8-13, $288
10th: Michael Corbett, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 8-9, $252
Marrell Deering of Rome, Georgia, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $305.
After four events, Robbie Robinson of Mobile, Alabama, leads the Bass Fishing League Bama Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 961 points, while Mike Langdale of Sycamore, Georgia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 979 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 13-15 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will compete 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 fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.
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.
Defew Claims Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Kentucky-Barkley Lakes
Elmore Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (June 13, 2022) – Boater Jeff Defew of Benton, Kentucky, caught five bass Saturday weighing 21 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Kentucky-Barkley Lakes. The tournament, hosted by Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau, was the third event for the Bass Fishing League LBL Division. Defew earned $5,428 for his victory.
“We’ve got a lot of really good fishermen in this area, and a lot of people come in and fish Kentucky Lake,” Defew said. “It’s very competitive. It’s a dream to win one of these trophies. I’ve always wanted one.
“It just feels awesome,” Defew went on to say. “I own a body shop and work 50 hours a week, and I fish on weekends and after work. So, for an ordinary guy to win one of these against guys who get to fish a lot feels really good.”
Defew, who said he considers himself a “north end” fisherman on Kentucky Lake, said he focused on fishing from Kenlake Resort State Park to the dam during the event. Defew said he caught eight to 10 keepers during the course of the day. The bass fell for a Berkley Power Worm, as well as a jig and a Strike King 10XD crankbait.
“Kentucky Lake is as competitive as any other body of water out there,” Defew said. “Our lake has changed, but it’s definitely getting better. Even on its worst day it’s still a lot better than a lot of lakes you can go to.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jeff Defew, Benton, Ky., five bass, 21-10, $5,428
2nd: Dan Morehead, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 17-4, $3,049
3rd: Sam Boss, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 16-0, $1,478
4th: David Seaton, Springville, Tenn., five bass, 15-13, $1,033
5th: Keith Amerson, Bethel Springs, Tenn., five bass, 15-5, $886
6th: Drew Lynch, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 15-1, $812
7th: Gary Singleton, Dickson, Tenn., five bass, 14-15, $738
8th: Larry Bailey, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 14-11, $864
9th: Bobby Wade, Mayfield, Ky., five bass, 14-7, $590
10th: Stu Moyer, Hardin, Ky., five bass, 14-1, $491
10th: Kasey Alexander, Dawson Springs, Ky., five bass, 14-1, $491
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Dan Morehead of Paducah, Kentucky, had a largemouth that weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $635.
Jim Elmore of Independence, Ky., won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,314 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
1st: Jim Elmore, Independence, Ky., five bass, 15-13, $2,314
2nd: Drake Horn, Murphysboro, Ill., five bass, 14-10, $1,424
3rd: William Walsh, Bon Aqua, Tenn., five bass, 12-1, $738
4th: Ed Daniell, West Frankfort, Ill., five bass, 11-15, $667
5th: Jay Fields, Breese, Ill., five bass, 10-14, $443
6th: Barry Gunter, Trafalger, Ind., four bass, 10-3, $406
7th: Ronald Franks, Hermitage, Tenn., four bass, 9-14, $369
8th: Shane Ross, Pembroke, Ky., three bass, 8-15, $332
9th: Stan Evans, Newburgh, Ind., four bass, 8-11, $276
9th: Chanler Fleetwood, Vallonia, Ind., three bass, 8-11, $276
Drake Horn of Murphysboro, Illinois, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 14 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $317.
After three events, Billy Schroeder of Paducah, Kentucky, leads the Bass Fishing League LBL Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 694 points, while Ed Daniell of West Frankfort, Illinois, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 723 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 13-15 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will compete 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 fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.
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.
Mellott Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on the Potomac River
Allen Takes Strike King Co-Angler Division
MARBURY, Md. (June 13, 2022) – Boater Jeff Mellott of Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania, caught five bass Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Potomac River. The tournament, hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners, was the second event for the Bass Fishing League Northeast Division. Mellott earned $3,842 for his victory.
“In practice it was pretty obvious that an outgoing tide was going to be key, and the tide lined up really good for the tournament for me,” Mellott said. “I started out flipping pads in Mattawoman Creek and got a couple of fish out of the pads. Once the tide was pretty much out, I transitioned over to some grass and finished up my limit.”
Mellot said he used a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Brush Hog, pegged with a 3/8-ounce weight to flip pads. He switched to a ¼-ounce weight when he targeted the grass. Mellot said he caught 12 bass during the course of the day, nine of which were keepers.
“I had a 20-pound bag by 9 o’clock, and I was pretty sure something special was going on,” Mellott said. “But you never know on the Potomac, and somebody can always bust one of those 24- or 25-pound bags. I’ve seen it happen. Nothing’s ever in the bag when it’s the Potomac.
“This is my first year fishing as a boater, and to get a win is pretty special,” Mellott added. “I’ve had a couple as a co-angler, but to get one as a boater is something special.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jeff Mellott, Warfordsburg, Pa., five bass, 20-4, $3,842
2nd: John Hauserman, Ellicott City, Md., five bass, 18-2, $1,921
3rd: Chris Jackson, Jeffersonton, Va., five bass, 17-13, $1,282
4th: Charlie Reed Jr., Gloucester, Va., five bass, 17-6, $1,032
4th: Peter Webster, Alexandria, Va., five bass, 17-6, $832
6th: Lenny Baird, Stafford, Va., five bass, 16-13, $1,404
7th: Joe Wilkerson, Vienna, Va., five bass, 16-10, $640
8th: David Houchens, Bowie, Md., five bass, 16-9, $576
9th: Darryl Esterly, Fleetwood, Pa., five bass, 16-6, $512
10th: Ernie Freeman, Broad Run, Va., five bass, 16-5, $948 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Alex Pirowski of Occoquan, Virginia, had a largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 8 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $510.
Keith Allen of Midland, Virginia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,021 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 16 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
1st: Keith Allen, Midland, Va., five bass, 16-8, $2,021
2nd: Troy Mills, Lewistown, Pa., five bass, 15-2, $1,160
3rd: Chris Hurley, Carlisle, Pa., five bass, 15-1, $641
4th: Richard Jensen, Virginia Beach, Va., five bass, 14-15, $448
5th: Paul Kimball, Glastonbury, Conn., five bass, 14-14, $384
6th: Calvin Bush, Mifflinburg, Pa., five bass, 14-11, $352
7th: Shawn Minch, five bass, 14-8, $320
8th: Scott Minch, Feasterville, Pa., five bass, 14-7, $288
9th: James Pesilo, five bass, 14-4, $256
10th: Josh Escobar, Bethany, Conn., five bass, 14-3, $213
10th: Nate Barker, Newmanstown, Pa., five bass, 14-3, $213
Richard Allen caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 2 ounces, to earn the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $255.
After two events, Michael Duarte of Baltimore, Maryland, leads the Bass Fishing League Northeast Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 486 points, while Richard Jensen of Virginia Beach, Virginia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 494 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the James River in Richmond, Virginia. Boaters will compete 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 fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.
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.
Cavender and Georgia’s Durham Tie for Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Eufaula
Armstrong Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
EUFAULA, Ala. (June 13, 2022) – Boaters Mike Cavender of Phenix City, Alabama, and Joe Durham of Albany, Georgia, both caught five bass Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces, to tie for the win at the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Eufaula . The tournament was the fourth event for the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division. Cavender and Durham each earned $3,514 for their victory.
“The first place I stopped at I caught two of the fish I weighed in,” Durham said. “Things went well the rest of the day, and I made some weight upgrades and filled out my limit.”
Durham said he caught 20 fish during the day – all keepers – by fishing ledges from Kiwiki Creek to the causeway with a Picasso Aaron Martens Heavy Cover Shock Blade Pro vibrating jig, a Duo Realis Crankbait G87 15A and a locally produced bladed jig that produced his biggest fish of the day.
“I’ve fished this lake for a long time, and this feels great,” Durham said.
Cavender, an offshore fisherman who said he has fished Eufaula for 27 years, said his experience on the body of water finally paid off at the event. He said he targeted 16 schools of fish in 10 to 20 feet of water around mid-lake and further north.
Cavender said he started the day targeting fish in 10 feet that he had marked under early cloud cover, and then transitioned to deeper water as the day progressed. His bait of choice was a chartreuse shad-colored Strike King Pro Model 5XD Crankbait.
“On my first cast I caught a 4-pounder,” Cavender said. “My second cast gave me a 3½-pounder. So I was happy.”
Cavender’s streak of quality fish continued, and he said he had a limit of 17 pounds in the first 30 minutes of the competition.
“I was just praying I could catch a 5-pounder and a 4-pounder and get 15 pounds total,” Cavender said. “I had no idea I was going to catch five 4-pounders.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Mike Cavender, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 19-14, $3,514
1st: Joe Durham, Albany, Ga., five bass, 19-14, $3,514
3rd: Matthew O’Connell, Brooks, Ga., five bass, 18-3, $2,362 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th: Baylor Ronemus, Tiger, Ga., five bass, 17-9, $1,093
5th: Payton Morgan, Woodstock, Ga., five bass, 16-0, $937
6th: Bobby Padgett, Lagrange, Ga., five bass, 15-3, $820
6th: Buddy Benson, Dawsonville, Ga., five bass, 15-3, $820
8th: Ethan Greene, Eufaula, Ala., five bass, 14-14, $703
9th: Chandler Ray, Georgetown, Ga., five bass, 14-11, $625
10th: Will Harkins, Blairsville, Ga., five bass, 14-10, $547
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Blake Layfield of Sparks, Georgia, had a largemouth that weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $690.
Noah Armstrong of Fayetteville, Georgia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,688 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 20 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
1st: Noah Armstrong, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 20-7, $2,688
2nd: Alan Ray, Georgetown, Ga., five bass, 14-13, $1,172
3rd: Thai-Son-Le, Macon, Ga., five bass, 13-9, $781
4th: Timothy Stone, Conyers, Ga., five bass, 11-6, $547
5th: Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., four bass, 11-3, $719
6th: Jeff Cook, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 11-1, $430
7th: William Mercer, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 10-10, $391
8th: Zach Lineberry, Dothan, Ala., five bass, 9-15, $351
9th: Chris Davies, Milner, Ga., five bass, 9-14, $312
10th: Jeffrey Payne, Danville, Ga., five bass, 9-13, $273
Armstrong also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $345.
After four events, Kip Carter of Eatonton, Georgia, leads the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 969 points, while Donald Peppers of Good Hope, Georgia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 946 points.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 6-8 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Murray in Prosperity, South Carolina. Boaters will compete 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 fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.
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.
VanDam’s generosity may lead to more 10-pounders at Grand Lake
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
If you catch a 10-pound bass from Oklahoma’s iconic Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees a few years from now, Kevin VanDam is probably the first person you should thank.
VanDam, a Michigan native, and the man most consider the greatest tournament bass angler of all time, generously gave $5,000 to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife for the purchase of several thousand fingerling bass containing “F1” genetics.
The fingerlings feature a cross between cold weather tolerant native largemouth genes, and Florida strain bass genes known for their fast and weighty growth, and as of June 2, 2022 there are 31,000 of the fingerlings now swimming in Grand.
“Grand Lake has always been special to me. I have two major wins on Grand, and I’ve always felt really at home there. So, during MLF’s REDCREST event on Grand this spring, Sherry and I wanted to do something special as a gift from the Kevin VanDam Foundation to give back to that particular fishery,” explains VanDam.
However, much like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a group effort to raise trophy-size largemouth bass. And the fact so many private donors were inspired by VanDam’s donation and matched his efforts financially to help increase the number of fingerlings purchased is impressive.
Groups like the Swank Family Foundation, Whiskey Point at Grand Lake, Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Foundation, Southstone Construction, Flying Squirrel Farms and others combined to join VanDam’s generosity, and quickly raised around $40,000 total for the purchase of nearly 100,000 F1 genetic fingerling largemouth over the next few years.
“The goal is not to add more fish to Grand Lake, because Grand already has a highly abundant largemouth population. So, our stocking rate is only going to be around two fish per acre,” says Brad Johnston, ODWC Fisheries Biologist.
By the numbers, while two fingerlings per acre may not seem like a lot, depending on how water levels and natural predation affect this particular group of fingerlings, statistics prove around 20,000 of these Florida-strain fish will likely be swimming as fast-growing adults in Grand Lake a few years from now.
“The goal of this project is to stock fish with the potential to reach 8 to 10-pounds more frequently than we historically see caught at Grand,” adds Johnston, who is tremendously grateful for the wave of generosity VanDam began.
The bottom line is the bottom line. It costs money to grow fish, especially larger fingerlings of the F1 genetic variety.
And even though a ‘trial run’ at nearby Lake Eucha proves F1 are handling the colder climate of Northeastern Oklahoma and beginning to flourish, that doesn’t mean agencies such as the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife can afford to raise the hundreds of thousands of fingerlings necessary to make an impact on a much larger reservoir like Grand.
“Kevin and Sherry VanDam’s donation got the ball rolling. Others generously matched their donation, and collectively they allowed us to keep going with our F1 stocking program on Grand. To have an angler of Kevin VanDam’s caliber choose to help us like he did deserves a huge thank you,” concludes biologist Johnston in grateful fashion.
Jerry Hartline Robbin Vaughn win ABT Lake Guntersville with 24.57
by Jason Duran
Scottsboro, Ala June 11- Lake Guntersville was the final stop for the Alabama Bass Trail North Division’s regular season. With this being the final event of the season, teams were not just competing to claim the $10,000 first place prize in this event. They also competed throughout the season to accumulate AOY points hoping to finish in the top 75 to qualify for the ABT championship. Teams in the top 9 will qualify to fish the Bassmaster Team Championship, and the team with the highest overall points will be crowned AOY for the north division. With 22 teams catching over 19 pounds and the first-place team of Jerry Hartline and Robbin Vaughn weighing in 24.57 pounds, Lake Guntersville continues to be one of the top lakes in the country.
Jerry and Robbin were boat number 218 to start the day and knew the places they wanted to fish down river would probably be occupied by the rest of the field before they were able to get there. They decided to make a short idle over to the point just past take off and start fishing which would give them the opportunity to fish without having to share water with other teams. They went to work fishing in the grass using a buzzbait and a ChatterBait looking for the early morning bite. “We caught a keeper fairly quick and had a blow up on the buzzbait, so we followed up with the ChatterBait and caught a 5-pounder. We missed another 5-pounder right after. We could have weighed in over 26-pounds today, but we missed those. We started working our way down the lake after a lull in the action fishing some areas that we found in practice. Those areas weren’t productive for us, so we decided to try an area about 200 yards down lake, and it was there that we caught our biggest fish of the day (7.35 pounds) on a homemade ‘Parker Jolly senko.’ There was another lull after that making it almost noon until we got our limit. The key for us was using our mapping to find areas that looked good to us where we didn’t have to share the water with other teams. We are from Smith Lake where we flip boat docks a lot, so we decided if we could flip boat docks, we could flip grass.” The team caught about 20 fish throughout the day primarily using the Jolly Senko in green pumpkin fished weightless and rigged wacky style and an Evergreen Jackhammer in a chartreuse and shad pattern. With this win Jerry and Robin automatically qualify for the ABT Championship. Before this event they were well out of the top 100, so they were excited to get the win and the $10,000 first place.
The team of Dean Nelson and Clyde Hunt finished in 2nd place with 22.74 pounds and collected $5,000. In practice they spent a lot of time in Roseberry Creek. Late Friday they tried an area down river and quickly caught better quality fish, so they decided to start there. Taking off as boat 105 they hoped nobody would be on their spot when they arrived. The area they located was in the back of Seibold creak near the Marina. “Our home lake is Weiss Lake, and it doesn’t have as much grass as Guntersville. We fish the grass, but we don’t like to fish it as much. So, we located an area with a little less grass, and we were able to fish it better.” They fished a Dirty Jigs in black, blue and green pumpkin flipping boat docks around the marina along the grass edge. “There were lot of other teams scattered around in the area, but none of them were fishing in our area. We fished the jig by making long casts twitching it back to the boat. Because we aren’t used to fishing the grass, the fish can sneak up. When you’re working the bait back to the boat, sometimes it feels like a wet sock- that’s the bite! You got to be sharp and ready to catch these fish.”
Lance Whitaker and Jeremy Briscoe live on the lake in Browns Creek, so they were able to spend some time practicing a few weeks ago and a couple hours on Friday locating fish. They located a few spots south between take off and the 431 bridge. The plan was to make a run to those spots and fish. They started out boat number 19, and as they drove south, each time they passed a spot, they found it was already being fished by other local fishermen. Continuing the run, they ended up in their home creek and decided to fish. Rotating through baits like NetBait Mini Kickin’, a 12-inch Texas rigged worm, a jig and spinnerbait, they caught a limit of about 17-pounds by 5:45. Catching three more quality fish, they culled up to 22.56 pounds and didn’t catch any other quality fish after 10:45. The team finished 5th earlier this year at Weiss Lake and finished the year 41 in points qualifying for the ABT Championship. With this 3rd place finish, they collected a $4,000 pay day.
Wesley Sams and Jordan Wiggins were crowned Anglers of the Year for the North Division earning them another trip to the Bassmaster Team Championship this year on Lake Hartwell and another shot at the Bassmaster Classic. Last year Jordan qualified and fished the Bassmaster Classic. They are excited about fishing Lake Hartwell because it sets up much like Smith Lake where they call home. The top 9 teams from each ABT Division qualify for the Bassmaster Team Championship. The North qualifiers are listed below:
Top 9 Teams AOY North Division
1 Wesley Sams/Jordan Wiggins 1037
2 Gregory Lamb/David Powell 999
3 Mitch Mitchell/Candler Mccollum 955
4 Benjie Seaborn/Johnathan Seaborn 954
5 Justin Lane/Luke Mason 952
6 Nolen Spencer/Jonathon Reese 951
7 Greg Tomlin/Jeremy Tomlin 936
8 Damien Willis/Tyler Kiker 927
9 Craig Grubbs/Matt Ferguson 913
The top five standings are below for a complete list of standings please visit:
https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/lake-guntersville/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.
KLEIN AND MATHEWS CELEBRATE SUMMER WITH A RECORD-BREAKING WIN ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE
CLEWISTON, FL – When South Florida heats up and the water temperature creeps into the mid to upper 80’s, anglers start talking about the Dog Days of Summer. But on Saturday, Lake Okeechobee decided the start of summer needed more of a celebration than a hibernation. With a record-breaking event, it was Hawg Day Afternoon.
Qualifier number two of the Roland Martin Marine Center Series on June 11, 2022 presented by HUK fired up early with the eager team of James Klein and Craig Mathews bringing a limit to the stage 2-hours before the official weigh-in was to begin. With a concern for fish care, they gambled on leaving the rest of the 165 teams on the water and put their bag on the scales. What?! Yeah, 37 pounds, 4 ounces. Yeah, that’s just 5 fish. Yeah, that’s a new RMMC Series record.
“We were culling 5 pounders,” Mathews said. “We probably caught 50 fish today. Biggest bag we’ve ever caught.”
“We were fishing Fire House Baits stick bait in dark with a blue tip,” Klein said. “Quarter ounce weight just working the bottom.”
The record limit not only led to the winning check of $6,300, but also netted the team top Mercury Contingency, Top Huk Winner and 2nd big bass for one big payday.
In second place with a total weight of 28.87 pounds was the father and son team of Alex Terescenko Sr. & Jr.
“I was targeting bluegill beds and ran into some spawning fish as well,” Terescenko Jr said. “We caught fish from first light to lines up. And it’s definitely a blessing to fish with my father.”
Their bait of choice was ¾ oz. HawgTech with a Gambler Mega Daddy. All on the 7’6” Scenko Sticks Reed Beater. The second place fish earned the team $3,150.
Rounding out the top three was the team of Hoinig and Wieteha with a total weight of 28.5 pounds anchored by a 7.99 pounder on Gambler Goat Swimjig with an EZ Swimmer. They also caught a few on a frog to cap off the catch and net the team $1,600 for the third place finish.
Not only did the day produce the record-breaking winning weight but the top 24 teams brought in 20 pound plus bags with well over half the field weighing in 5 fish limits. Just take a look at the gallery. It’s a non-stop parade of monster bags. Dog Days of Summer? Hardly. This big-bass party is just getting started.
As the highest paying team tournament trail in Florida, the payouts continued deep into the 165 team field for the second qualifier of the 2022 season.
The U.S. Sugar Big Bass of 9.12 pounds earned Brad Gibson $500. Co-Winner James Klein brought in the 2nd Big Bass of 8.98 pounds and earned him $100 Gambler Bucks. As the highest finishing anglers to cross the stage in HUK Gear the champions also received an additional $250 and another $250 as the highest finishing Mercury powered team. Sharon Harris received $100 from Mary Ann Martin as the highest fishing Female Angler. The highest finishing Mercury Youth Angler earned Dalton McKinstry $100. Gilbert Chevrolet presented the team of Rick Wilhelm and Dell Hatfield $250 as the highest finishing Gilbert Chevrolet owner. And with 5 bass weighing just 5.78 pounds, the team of John Tavano and Ernie Johnson turned the smallest limit into $300 from AV Inspection – again 😄
That’s how you welcome Summer on Lake Okeechobee. A record-breaking second act that is leading up to the biggest season yet and a Championship finale in December like never before. Make sure you don’t miss out and register your team early for the next qualifier on October 8, 2022. Be safe and have a great summer!
Midland High Claims Another Victory At Bassmaster High School Series Event On Saginaw Bay
Brady Pinwar and Alec Albrecht of Midland High School have won the Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Series at Saginaw Bay presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors with a total of 21 pounds, 9 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
June 11, 2022
BAY CITY, Mich. — Despite giant waves and heavy winds that prevented them from effectively fishing their preferred areas, Brady Pinwar and Alec Albrecht from Midland High School became repeat champions on Saginaw Bay by catching 21 pounds, 9 ounces to win the 2022 Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors.
“Once B.A.S.S. announced they were coming here for another high school tournament, instantly we were both pumped and were like, ‘We have to go back-to-back.’ We have some good history out here and got it done,” Pinwar said.
Pinwar and Albrecht were followed by Fenton High School anglers Mitch Straffon and Hank Sturm with 20-7 and the Freeland High School duo of Brayden Ruckman and Nate Helmreich with 20-6, both teams that finished inside the Top 3 during the 2021 event.
While Saginaw Bay serves as their home lake, Albrecht said winning last year’s tournament helped their mental game this year.
“We came into this tournament knowing we had it in us and knowing the same spots stuck around,” he said. “We just believed in ourselves.”
Using an area similar to the one that produced 23-4 during their victory a year ago, Pinwar and Albrecht targeted spawning flats where they could see the smallmouth set up on bed. A late boat draw Friday night was just the beginning of a number of obstacles they had to overcome to win as the wind kicked up earlier than expected, making sight fishing extremely difficult.
“The waves and the wind were not on our side at all,” Albrecht said. “We were sitting in 5-footers all day trying to catch fish. We stumbled across a few later in the day and then finally on one of our last casts we caught the biggest one.”
“There wasn’t a lot of sun out either,” Pinwar added. “It was obviously hard to see them. For the first half of the day, we were blind casting to try and catch some cruisers. They were either pre- or postspawn.”
The morning was not as productive as they hoped, as they only landed three keepers by noon. Around that time, however, the sun came out and they were able to see a couple of bass on beds.
“We went up to one bed and there were two fish on it, and we caught them on back-to-back casts,” Pinwar said. “Then we went to one of the big ones we had marked. We caught it at the last minute and went in and got it done.”
All of their bass were caught on a drop-shot rig.
Straffon and Strum wanted to head out to the big water and catch smallmouth as well, but when they completed the idle up the Saginaw River and evaluated the conditions on Saginaw Bay, they turned back and pivoted to the largemouth bite.
“I wasn’t too happy with it, but at the end of the day our safety matters the most,” said Straffon, a member of the 2021 Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors. “We knew we had a few fish back here. We didn’t know it would be that much. We put our heads down all day and flipped.”
Using two different colored jigs, they targeted a stretch of main-river bank lined with rocks and laydowns. Most of their bass were located next to the bank while a couple bit as they brought their jigs closer to the drop-off.
“We knew a lot of these fish were super pressured,” Strum said. “We both picked up a jig. We really moved slowly and they would pick it up and swim off the drop.”
Dallas Taylor and Hayden Thomas from Stilwell High School caught the Big Bass of the tournament, a 4-13 largemouth.
Saginaw Bay was the final regular-season event of the year, and now qualified teams will set their sights on Lake Hartwell for the 2022 Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors Aug. 11-13.
2022 Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Series at Saginaw Bay presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors 6/11-6/12
Saginaw Bay, Bay City MI.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Brady Pinwar - Alec Albrecht Midland High School 0
Day 1: 5 21-09 Total: 5 21-09
2. Mitch Straffon - Hank Sturm Fenton High School 0
Day 1: 5 20-07 Total: 5 20-07
3. Brayden Ruckman - Nate Helmreich Freeland High School 0
Day 1: 5 20-06 Total: 5 20-06
4. Reece Keeney - Bryce Moder Northeast Wisconsin Bass 0
Day 1: 5 19-09 Total: 5 19-09
5. Derek Davis - Connor Jaco Mt.Pleasant Bass Team 0
Day 1: 5 18-09 Total: 5 18-09
6. Mason Snider - Dalton Benson Mount Juliet Fishing 0
Day 1: 5 18-09 Total: 5 18-09
7. Presley Lannom - Morgan Lannom Mt Juliet Fishing 0
Day 1: 5 17-12 Total: 5 17-12
8. Cole Jimkoski - Jack Sprague Freeland High School 0
Day 1: 5 17-11 Total: 5 17-11
9. Max Himmel - Tyler Morris Catholic High School of Baton Ro 0
Day 1: 5 17-10 Total: 5 17-10
9. Ryan Kahut - Noah Varitek Michigan A1 Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 17-10 Total: 5 17-10
11. Andrew Haney - Kenneth Young Martin County High School 0
Day 1: 5 16-11 Total: 5 16-11
12. Carter Pjesky - JD McBroom Kaneland High School 0
Day 1: 5 16-08 Total: 5 16-08
13. Dallas Taylor - Hayden Thomas Stilwell High School 0
Day 1: 5 16-05 Total: 5 16-05
14. Austin Benson - Brendan Brown Mount Juliet 0
Day 1: 5 16-02 Total: 5 16-02
15. Trey Richardson - Reid Luckett Free State Bass 0
Day 1: 5 15-14 Total: 5 15-14
16. Lainey Judson - Ella Winchell Terre Haute North HS 0
Day 1: 5 15-11 Total: 5 15-11
17. Kyle Johnson - Carson Kellogg Black Swamp Youth Bass Club 0
Day 1: 5 15-03 Total: 5 15-03
17. Reece Nixon - John Stark Soddy Daisy High School 0
Day 1: 5 15-03 Total: 5 15-03
19. Adam Dionne - Zach Waters Eastside Elites 0
Day 1: 5 15-02 Total: 5 15-02
19. Jerrod Haney - Tanner Young Martin County High School 0
Day 1: 5 15-02 Total: 5 15-02
21. Alex Bowen - Aaron Mills Cardinal Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 5 14-11 Total: 5 14-11
22. Kyle Chouinard - Caleb Cook East side Elites Bass Team 0
Day 1: 5 14-05 Total: 5 14-05
22. Luke Somerville - Leland Fox Gaylord High School 0
Day 1: 5 14-05 Total: 5 14-05
24. Cole Berry - Graham Palmer Terre Haute North High School 0
Day 1: 5 14-04 Total: 5 14-04
25. Tyler Williams - Blaise Gatrell Terre Haute North HS 0
Day 1: 5 13-15 Total: 5 13-15
26. Tristan Fawley - Van Price Carlson High School 0
Day 1: 5 13-14 Total: 5 13-14
27. Nick Seitz - Brock Vogel 419 fishing 0
Day 1: 5 13-12 Total: 5 13-12
28. Lainie Holbert - Sarah Swindle Riverside Bass Team 0
Day 1: 5 13-03 Total: 5 13-03
29. Jake Brown - Preston Kolisek Loretto Mustangs Bass Club 0
Day 1: 5 13-02 Total: 5 13-02
29. Colten Dickerson - Gabe Aldrich Fishhawx 0
Day 1: 5 13-02 Total: 5 13-02
29. Jack Swihart - Rylan Hamlin Jackson Fishing 0
Day 1: 5 13-02 Total: 5 13-02
32. Nathan Frank - Alex Balla Howell high school 0
Day 1: 5 12-11 Total: 5 12-11
33. Benjamin Hester - Mason Caldwell Rhea County High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-09 Total: 5 12-09
34. Ryan Rang - Ben Rickard Lakeland High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-08 Total: 5 12-08
35. Christian Misciagna - Logan Wood Oneida Lake HS Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 5 12-07 Total: 5 12-07
36. Luke Bailey - Luke Barriger Meridian Early College High Scho 0
Day 1: 5 12-06 Total: 5 12-06
36. Brett Mouw - Logan Kinsella The Hill Toppers 0
Day 1: 5 12-06 Total: 5 12-06
36. Nathan Reynolds - Luke Malik Backwoods Bassin 0
Day 1: 5 12-06 Total: 5 12-06
39. Wyatt Carr - Jamie Neel Reeths-Puffer High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-04 Total: 5 12-04
39. Gus Dietrich - Max Phillpotts Powers Catholic High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-04 Total: 5 12-04
41. Alex Herter - Barret Vanmarter Howell High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-02 Total: 5 12-02
41. Andrew Lithgow - Pavel Everest Stevenson highschool 0
Day 1: 5 12-02 Total: 5 12-02
43. Tanner Wolf - Kaleb Casler Dewitt High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-01 Total: 5 12-01
44. Cade Calkins - Brayden Vallie Fruitport High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-00 Total: 5 12-00
45. Harry Richter - Jacob Piniatoglou Saline High School 0
Day 1: 5 11-14 Total: 5 11-14
46. Nick Fashho - Lucas Fashho Eastside Elites 0
Day 1: 5 11-13 Total: 5 11-13
47. Burke Aidan - Caleb Horn Martin County High School 0
Day 1: 5 11-12 Total: 5 11-12
48. William Cothran - Taedem Ashworth Mt. Pleasant High School 0
Day 1: 5 11-09 Total: 5 11-09
48. Luke Lowery - Connor Rumohr Howell High School 0
Day 1: 5 11-09 Total: 5 11-09
48. Gavyn Rapp - Israel Limon Black Swamp Youth Bass Club 0
Day 1: 5 11-09 Total: 5 11-09
48. Ryan Seitz - Brady Osborn Southeastern Bass Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 11-09 Total: 5 11-09
52. Dalton Polega - Sarah Hable Freeland High School 0
Day 1: 5 11-06 Total: 5 11-06
53. C.J. Stanley - Colton Parten Rhea County Eagle Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 11-02 Total: 5 11-02
54. Stone Grove - Wyatt Hamilton Creek Wood High School 0
Day 1: 5 11-01 Total: 5 11-01
55. Corey Parsley - Weston Jude Martin County High School 0
Day 1: 5 10-14 Total: 5 10-14
56. Avery Shoemaker - Samuel Shoemaker Buford High School 0
Day 1: 4 10-13 Total: 4 10-13
57. Camden Judson - Will Gorrell Terre Haute North HS 0
Day 1: 5 10-12 Total: 5 10-12
58. Hunter Kellogg - Tim Fulk Renegades Bass Club 0
Day 1: 5 10-08 Total: 5 10-08
59. Connor Dobrinski - Gage Brouwer Zeeland Fishhawx 0
Day 1: 5 10-06 Total: 5 10-06
60. Riley Spytma - Trent Van Dam Reeths-Puffer High School 0
Day 1: 5 10-04 Total: 5 10-04
61. Henry Fox - Grady Schultz Fruitport High School 0
Day 1: 5 10-02 Total: 5 10-02
62. Evan Ludlow - Mackenzie Taylor Fruitport High School 0
Day 1: 5 10-02 Total: 5 10-02
63. Dylan Mcgee - Caleb Kidder Licking Valley 0
Day 1: 4 09-09 Total: 4 09-09
64. Aaron King - Waupaca Junior Bass Busters 0
Day 1: 5 09-07 Total: 5 09-07
65. Kayden Waller - Andrew Schoenemann Mt. Juliet high school 0
Day 1: 3 09-03 Total: 3 09-03
66. Carson Aarup - Kyle Smith Downeast Fishing 0
Day 1: 5 08-12 Total: 5 08-12
67. William Hoskins - Joshua Vanderpool Wilson Christian Academy 0
Day 1: 3 08-12 Total: 3 08-12
68. Jack Miner - Colin Hull Detroit Catholic Central 0
Day 1: 3 08-10 Total: 3 08-10
69. Annie Lassiter - Madison Pendergraph warren county pioneer anglers 0
Day 1: 4 08-08 Total: 4 08-08
70. Remington Barkley - Carlie Mitchell Hartland 0
Day 1: 4 08-06 Total: 4 08-06
71. Connor Wallace - Sophia Balla Howell High School 0
Day 1: 3 08-05 Total: 3 08-05
72. Thomas Hinshaw - Northville High School 0
Day 1: 3 07-00 Total: 3 07-00
73. Cason Mcnutt - Mt Juliet High School 0
Day 1: 3 05-12 Total: 3 05-12
74. Kolby Angell - Evan Powell Iowa youth fishing league 0
Day 1: 3 05-08 Total: 3 05-08
75. Connor Racine - Drew Brzys Dexter Highschool 0
Day 1: 2 05-07 Total: 2 05-07
76. Alex Standerfer - Collin Mcglin New London High School 0
Day 1: 3 05-02 Total: 3 05-02
77. Nathaniel Terbush - Dima Griffiths Dexter High School 0
Day 1: 2 05-02 Total: 2 05-02
78. Brendan Shinn - Owen Silverson Dexter High School 0
Day 1: 3 04-10 Total: 3 04-10
79. Jacob Policka - Collin Jolman Fruitport High School 0
Day 1: 3 04-09 Total: 3 04-09
80. Peter Duffy - Bryce Formsma GR Bass boys Northview 0
Day 1: 2 04-08 Total: 2 04-08
81. Matthew Wenzell - Nathaniel Wenzell Midland High 0
Day 1: 3 04-07 Total: 3 04-07
82. Jack Hay - Jakob Stamper howell high school 0
Day 1: 2 04-07 Total: 2 04-07
83. Marco Wolf - Jake Maiberger Howell 0
Day 1: 1 04-01 Total: 1 04-01
84. Paxton Giem - Nolan Little Boyne City High School 0
Day 1: 2 03-15 Total: 2 03-15
85. Blake Marcum - William Copley Louisa Bass Club High School 0
Day 1: 1 03-13 Total: 1 03-13
86. Colin Oldfield - Mario Manzardo Lakeland 0
Day 1: 2 03-06 Total: 2 03-06
87. Jeffrey Mansfield - Garrett Schultz Howell High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-14 Total: 1 02-14
88. Mitch Porter - Chase Aaron White Lake Lakeland 0
Day 1: 1 02-11 Total: 1 02-11
89. Miller Pomper - Louie Alpers Benzie Central 0
Day 1: 1 02-04 Total: 1 02-04
90. Alex Decia - Jaylee Lesniak Howell High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Total: 1 02-01
91. Cayden Geurts - Andon Harwood Freeland High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-00 Total: 1 02-00
92. Chase Quillin - Hunter Alviar Reeths-Puffer High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-08 Total: 1 01-08
93. Cougar Fagan - Caden Adams Michigan bass bandits 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
93. Josh Garbarino - Nathan Akahoshi Livonia 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
93. Clay George - Wayland Adkisson BGA Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
93. Colter Mahabir - Matthew Swanson Midland High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
93. Miles Smith - Casen Rogers Central Lafourche High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
93. Logan Ware - Jack Romatz Midland High 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BIG BASS OF TOURN
Dallas Taylor Stilwell, OK 04-13 $0.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 63 384 1023-00
----------------------------------
63 384 1023-00
Linder And Thompson Come From Behind For Bassmaster College Series Win On Saginaw Bay
Brian Linder and Nathan Thompson of Minnesota State-Mankato have won the 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Saginaw Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops with a two-day total of 44 pounds, 3 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
June 10, 2022
BAY CITY, Mich. — Since the fifth grade, Nathan Thompson and Brian Linder have been fishing tournaments together but had never been able to seal the deal on a major victory.
That changed Friday when the Minnesota State-Mankato duo claimed the title at the Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Saginaw Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops with a two-day total of 44 pounds, 3 ounces. The Mille Lacs natives landed in second place with 21-1 on Day 1 before sacking 23-2 on the final day, the biggest bag of the tournament.
“We got close so many times and with this being our last tournament, it means the world to me,” Thompson said.
After falling 9 ounces short at this same event in 2021, Linder and Thompson entered this week with redemption on their minds and beat the reigning champions, Tucker Smith and Logan Parks from Auburn University, by over a pound.
“It is a dream come true. I have been working hard at this my whole life. I never gave up. This is my last college tournament ever and it is a blessing to be able to go home with a win.” Linder said. “We were hungry coming into this tournament. We went off of what we found last year and we wanted to make sure we had enough for the win.”
When they arrived in Bangor Charter Township for practice, Linder and Thompson anticipated the smallmouth would be locked on beds in shallow water. But during practice, they discovered that was not the case and they quickly pivoted to the prespawn and postspawn bass.
They utilized two different areas on Saginaw Bay that featured isolated boulders on a sand flat in 6 to 12 feet of water. While they could see the boulders in the water, Linder said if they got too close they would spook the smallmouth. Using their Humminbird 360 sonar, they could locate the boulders while staying far enough away from the target.
Heavy winds kept the Minnesota anglers from making the run to one of those areas on Day 1, but with the wind subsiding during the morning on Day 2, they ventured out to that area and were able to catch their bass before the wind cranked back up.
“The area we fished today we only prefished for two hours,” Linder said. “Our guts were just telling us this morning that we had to go there. We gambled and it paid off.”
An Outkast Feider Fly, a Ned rig with an Outkast Perfect Ned head and a drop shot were responsible for most of their bites this week.
A Magic Boulder: Although they caught over 21 pounds on Day 1, Linder and Thompson only caught six keeper bass. On Day 2, they found the bass were more active in the morning and the quality was better.
“Today we caught our fish off of one big boulder about the size of the boat,” Linder said. “There were fish everywhere this morning and it was an awesome day.”
The duo caught three fish almost immediately on that one boulder. After giving it a short break, they returned and filled out their limit before moving to a different rock and making two important culls.
“In this area, there were multiple boulders and in practice there were fish on every single one,” Thompson said. “But today it seemed like they condensed to one or two of them. Then we culled twice at a different boulder 200 yards away.”
National Championship Bound: Before the victory, it had been a down year for Linder and Thompson. They entered this event 31st in the Bassmaster Team of the Year standings and had not notched a National Championship qualification.
But with the win, the duo earned a berth to the 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Winyah Bay Sept. 2-4, guaranteeing one more event together before their College Series career ends.
Second Place: Tucker Smith and Logan Parks’ bid for a repeat at Saginaw Bay fell just short after they weighed 19-12 on Day 2 to land in second place with a two-day total of 42-11. After a fast start on Day 1 that included a 22-15 bag, the Auburn duo suffered a slow start on Day 2 and had to bounce around to find a limit.
“It has been an awesome week,” Parks said. “We caught a lot of fish and a lot of really big fish. We didn’t really know what we were going to find when we came back up here. We ran into them and had a pretty good event.”
They caught most of their fish on a Berkley MaxScent Flatworm on a 3/8-ounce drop-shot rig.
The strong winds that blew across Saginaw Bay on Thursday subsided some on Championship Friday, something Smith said hurt their quality.
“We caught big ones all day yesterday. I think smallmouth like the nasty weather,” Smith said. “I think that’s when the big ones usually bite. Today we went out there and started on our hole and didn’t catch a fish. We had to go up shallow to catch some. We ended up going back out deep later in the day when it got windier and ended up catching some key fish.”
Fishing areas they used to win in 2021, Smith and Parks targeted prespawn and postspawn smallmouth on rock structures in 10 to 14 feet of water. On Day 2, they were forced to move shallower and catch some bass that were set up to spawn.
Third Place: After weighing a 20-14 bag of largemouth on Day 1, the Lamar State College Orange duo of Dakota Posey and Trent Buchholz doubled down on green fish and sacked 21-7 to land in third place and qualify for their first National Championship.
“We had one big marsh area and it produced enough for us. And for some reason, we had it all to ourselves for two days. It was a big blessing,” Posey said.
Using a spinnerbait and a flapping-style frog, Posey and Buchholz stayed in the Saginaw River and targeted grassy areas that looked similar to waters in East Texas. On Day 2, the frog played more than the spinnerbait and they landed around 100 total bass.
“Yesterday we had 20 pounds in two hours and left,” Buchholz said. “Today it was a little slower. It got hot and dead calm. We stopped throwing the spinnerbait and picked up a frog and it was instant. We worked our way up to 21 pounds. It was a numbers game, we had to work through them and get to the bigger ones.”
Final Thoughts: Just like last year, Saginaw Bay showed out as one of the hidden fisheries in the country. Anglers this week landed 4,750 pounds of bass total during the two-day event with 312 total limits amongst the 189-boat field.
While winds and some thunderstorms forced teams to leave spots in the big water early, smallmouth bags were impressive while those who stayed closer to fish for largemouth caught plenty of numbers as well as quality.
In total, there were nine bags over 20 pounds with multiple 19-pound bags as well.
022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Saginaw Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops 6/9-6/10
Saginaw Bay, Bay City MI.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson Minnesota State - Mankato 250
Day 1: 5 21-01 Day 2: 5 23-02 Total: 10 44-03
2. Logan Parks - Tucker Smith Auburn University 249
Day 1: 5 22-15 Day 2: 5 19-12 Total: 10 42-11
3. Dakota Posey - Trent Buchholz Lamar State College Orange 248
Day 1: 5 20-14 Day 2: 5 21-07 Total: 10 42-05
4. Easton Fothergill - Nick Dumke University of Montevallo 247
Day 1: 5 20-09 Day 2: 5 21-02 Total: 10 41-11
5. Justin Botts - Conner Dimauro Bryan college 246
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 5 20-12 Total: 10 38-11
6. Brooks Anderson - Parker Guy Emmanuel College 245
Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 19-09 Total: 10 38-10
7. Owen Januszewski - Matt Mosby Adrian College 244
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 17-14 Total: 10 37-11
8. Chase Carey - Dylan Akins Emmanuel College 243
Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 19-14 Total: 10 37-06
9. Sam Hanggi - Sam Hoesley Auburn University 242
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 17-09 Total: 10 37-03
10. Cason Ragsdale - Kaden Proffitt East Texas Baptist University 241
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 20-15 Total: 10 37-02
11. Louis Monetti - Michael Fugaro UNC Charlotte 240
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 19-05 Total: 10 36-10
12. Tyler Christy - Trey Schroeder McKendree University 239
Day 1: 5 19-15 Day 2: 5 16-10 Total: 10 36-09
13. Mitchell Gunn - Kyle Kunst Grand Valley State University 238
Day 1: 5 19-04 Day 2: 5 17-01 Total: 10 36-05
14. Connor Jacob - Sam Smith Auburn University 237
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 16-06 Total: 10 35-06
15. Robert Gee - Chad Sentell University of Tennessee 236
Day 1: 5 18-14 Day 2: 5 15-15 Total: 10 34-13
16. Adrian Urso - Corbin Templon Murray State University 235
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 17-03 Total: 10 34-07
17. Ryan Park - Samuel Niemeyer Murray State University 234
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 17-10 Total: 10 34-04
18. Landon Lawson - Hunter MCClaskey King University 233
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 17-15 Total: 10 34-01
19. Lafe Messer - Matt Messer Kentucky Christian University 232
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 14-12 Total: 10 33-11
20. Ryan Thomas - Solomon Glenn University of Montevallo 231
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 19-07 Total: 10 33-08
21. Weston Hollar - Jordan Pennington University of Montevallo 230
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 16-10 Total: 10 33-08
22. Troy Gibson - Jake Novotny University of Louisville 229
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 18-09 Total: 10 33-00
23. Tyler Cory - Scott Sledge University of Montevallo 228
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 16-00 Total: 10 32-12
24. Connor Hicks - Austin Wadzinski University of Tennessee 227
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 16-05 Total: 10 32-12
25. Dustin Bauer - Wyatt Pearman Campbellsville University 226
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 16-07 Total: 10 32-07
26. Jack York - Jacob Miller stephen f austin state universit 225
Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 14-13 Total: 10 32-05
27. Jack Baron - Bradley Martin University of Montevallo 224
Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 13-14 Total: 10 32-04
28. Ryan Franks - Jason Reding Kent State University 223
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 17-14 Total: 10 32-02
29. Zach Mcnary - Eric Hanover Grand Valley State University 222
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 13-04 Total: 10 31-11
30. Russel Buffa - Jenson Kay Adrian College 221
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 14-12 Total: 10 31-09
31. Easton Lindus - Matthew Zdrazil Emmanuel College 220
Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 12-01 Total: 10 31-08
32. Caz Anderson - William Harris Carson-Newman University 219
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 16-09 Total: 10 31-07
33. Cody Ross - Ethan Thurston East Texas Baptist University 218
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 15-05 Total: 10 31-06
34. Tim Herrmann - Austin Goins Bryan College 217
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 14-06 Total: 10 31-05
35. Drew Traffanstedt - Dakendrick Patterson University of Montevallo 216
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 15-00 Total: 10 31-01
36. Haydan Quesenberry - James Cobbs Auburn University 215
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 14-10 Total: 10 31-00
37. Chase Mundhenke - Blake Milligan Auburn University 214
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 19-00 Total: 10 30-12
38. Derek Rodriguez Jr. - Nick Owens Adrian College 213
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 15-05 Total: 10 30-12
39. Spencer Black - Caleb Lonca Catawba Valley Community College 212
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 15-13 Total: 10 30-06
40. Eion Patterson - Brennan Kenison UNC Charlotte 211
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 11-06 Total: 10 30-05
41. Walker Brown - Cole Thompson University of North Alabama 210
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 16-04 Total: 10 30-03
42. Isaac Carlson - Blaine Mattingly Campbellsville University 209
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 15-08 Total: 10 30-02
43. Griffin Fernandes - Hayden Scott Adrian College 208
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 13-06 Total: 10 29-12
44. Storm Cline - Ely Dennison Carson-Newman University 207
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 15-07 Total: 10 29-12
45. Kobe Thompson - Mathias Dahline Adrian College 206
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 17-03 Total: 10 29-08
46. Cameron Dials - Jonathan Fraley Kentucky Christian University 205
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 18-10 Total: 10 29-07
47. Jordan McCaleb - Chase Clarke Auburn University 204
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 14-04 Total: 10 29-07
48. Jacob Highley - Autumn Belcher Kentucky Christian University 203
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 14-01 Total: 10 29-06
49. Britt Myers - Tyler Anderson Lander University 202
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 15-02 Total: 10 29-06
50. Drew Gill - Jonah Potts Wabash Valley College 201
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 14-06 Total: 10 29-06
51. Alex Richmond - Riley Bowen Grand Valley State University 200
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 13-08 Total: 10 29-05
52. Ethan Vanden Busch - Luke Loewe University of Minnesota 199
Day 1: 4 10-14 Day 2: 5 18-03 Total: 9 29-01
53. Hunter Bailey - JR Young Jr Jacksonville State University 198
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 17-05 Total: 10 29-01
54. Parker Domschke - Lane Stephens McKendree University 197
Day 1: 5 18-14 Day 2: 5 10-01 Total: 10 28-15
55. Colby Kerr - Jonathan Fitch Kentucky Christian University 196
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 15-15 Total: 10 28-15
56. Calvin Landsberg - Tyler Lubbat University of Alabama 195
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 15-03 Total: 10 28-15
57. Blair Erickson - Charlie Wright University of Montevallo 194
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 16-06 Total: 10 28-14
58. JD Clarke - Hunter Muncrief Stephen F Austin State Universit 193
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 14-07 Total: 10 28-14
59. Jake Monti - Samuel Dunson UNC Charlotte 192
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 13-09 Total: 10 28-10
60. Troy Harris - Jase Smith Georgia College 191
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 13-07 Total: 10 28-09
61. Ty Mundhenke - Bennett Slinkard Auburn University 190
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 14-07 Total: 10 28-09
62. Walter Trulock - Paden Chrisman Mississippi State University 189
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 12-14 Total: 10 28-08
63. Will Oberman - Lane Pohlman Campbellsville University 188
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 13-03 Total: 10 28-08
64. Harmon Marien - Bailey Bleser McKendree University 187
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 10-00 Total: 10 28-07
65. Brantley Anders - Will Rooker Kentucky Christian University 186
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 13-00 Total: 10 28-07
66. Coleman Bingham - Braden Leffew Bethel University 185
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 14-14 Total: 10 28-06
67. Joseph Bissing - Jackson Paden University of Tennessee 184
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 12-10 Total: 10 28-05
68. Michael Zawicki - Carson Tucker UW Whitewater 183
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 15-13 Total: 10 28-04
69. Logan Hawkins - Evan Waggener Campbellsville University 182
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 13-13 Total: 10 28-04
70. Joshua DeKoning - Dalton Mollenkopf Adrian College 181
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 14-01 Total: 10 28-04
71. Nate Triplett - Cy Lambert University of North Alabama 180
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 14-02 Total: 10 28-04
72. Cole Holloway - Taylor Mcmullen Emmanuel College 179
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 13-09 Total: 10 28-00
73. Stevie Mills - Brady Duncan Carson-Newman University 178
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 15-04 Total: 10 27-13
74. Drew Fromm - Hunter Capehart Wabash Valley College 177
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 11-06 Total: 10 27-12
75. Cameron Tullis - Brett Jolley East Texas Baptist University 176
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 13-04 Total: 10 27-11
76. Matthew Davis - Sam Shoemaker Adrian College 175
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 14-02 Total: 10 27-11
77. Garrett Thompson - Ethan Perry West Virginia University 174
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 13-12 Total: 10 27-10
78. Clay Henderson - Brant Rowland Drury University 173
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 14-14 Total: 10 27-08
79. Nick Staub - Lake Norsworthy Blue Mountain College 172
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 14-11 Total: 10 27-05
80. Max Pierlott - Mike Pierlott UNC Charlotte 171
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 11-14 Total: 10 27-02
81. Caleb Dachenhaus - Elliot Wielgopolski Adrian College 170
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 13-07 Total: 10 27-02
82. Riley Lawson - Chris Baker Kentucky Christian University 169
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 14-02 Total: 10 27-00
83. Kyle Bahr - Trey Dickert University of Montevallo 168
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 12-11 Total: 10 26-15
84. Trevor Easter - Reagan Nelson Tarleton State University 167
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 13-10 Total: 10 26-15
85. Hunter Palmer - Eli Stevenson bryan college 166
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 16-00 Total: 10 26-14
86. Victor Alford - Logan East bryan college 165
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 12-14 Total: 10 26-14
87. Sam Schmitz - Walker Sahagun University of North Alabama 164
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 13-14 Total: 10 26-14
88. Hunter Fillmore - Dylan Fogarty Bethel University 163
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 13-15 Total: 10 26-12
89. Tyler Finley - Lane Lassiter University of North Alabama 162
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 15-10 Total: 10 26-11
89. Gunner Whitaker - Mitch Johnson Kentucky Christian University 162
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 11-01 Total: 10 26-11
91. Conner Giles - Christian Wright Bryan College 160
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 12-05 Total: 10 26-11
92. Dalton Coleman - Joe Bob Burchett Kentucky Christian University 159
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 13-06 Total: 10 26-11
93. Layton Brown - Parker Brown Dallas Baptist University 158
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 12-15 Total: 10 26-10
94. Cole Breeden - Zachary Ward Drury University 157
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 13-00 Total: 10 26-10
94. Seth Elkins - Dale Hansard Jacksonville State University 157
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 13-00 Total: 10 26-10
96. Landon Brown - Maycee Lyons Morehead State University 155
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 14-07 Total: 10 26-09
97. Justin Latham - Karsten Raney campbellsville university 154
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 14-03 Total: 10 26-09
98. Morgan Miracle - Clay Oberman Campbellsville University 153
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 11-07 Total: 10 26-08
99. Gavin Clevenger - Chase Hastings Carson-Newman University 152
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 12-09 Total: 10 26-08
100. Cole Zagrzebski - Kurt Antonowitsch Western Michigan University 151
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 13-05 Total: 10 26-08
101. Cody Griffith - Drew Jennings Auburn University 150
Day 1: 4 10-07 Day 2: 5 15-12 Total: 9 26-03
102. Brycen Hendriks - Gavin Ange UNC Charlotte 149
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 12-07 Total: 10 26-03
103. Hayden Gaddis - Ben Cully Carson-Newman University 148
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 13-02 Total: 10 26-03
104. Andrew Fisher - Elijah Kirk Bryan College 147
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 11-12 Total: 10 26-02
105. Jacob Witkowski - Hunter Jenkins Dallas Baptist Univesity 146
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 10 26-00
106. Kyle Knoll - Luke Morgan Southern Union State Community C 145
Day 1: 4 09-00 Day 2: 5 16-15 Total: 9 25-15
107. Bailey Rene - John Phipps Indiana University Southeast 144
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 12-08 Total: 10 25-14
108. Luke Byerly - Parker Kaye University of Tennessee Knoxvill 143
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 11-04 Total: 10 25-13
109. Garrett Huddleston - Riley Voltz Auburn University 142
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 11-12 Total: 10 25-12
110. Hunter Enlow - Lander University 141
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 12-13 Total: 10 25-11
111. Wesley Smith - Grant Harris Catawba Valley Community College 140
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 12-04 Total: 10 25-10
112. Hunter Keller - Carson Eckard Catawba Valley Community College 139
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 13-15 Total: 10 25-08
113. Beau Browning - Jake Peck Drury University 138
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 11-07 Total: 10 25-07
114. Aaron Cherry - Cal Culpepper University of Montevallo 137
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 12-03 Total: 10 25-06
115. JJ Kocevar - Christian Turner Kent State University 136
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 11-07 Total: 10 25-05
116. Braden Perry - Austin Smith Carson-Newman University 135
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 12-12 Total: 10 25-04
117. Bo Thomas - Mason Vernia Western Michigan University 134
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 4 10-06 Total: 9 25-03
118. Bryant Marsh - Tyler Hill Blue Mountain College 133
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 12-13 Total: 10 25-03
119. Logan Dillon - Spencer Maxwell Southwest Mississippi Community 132
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 11-05 Total: 10 25-02
120. Chase Sansom - Tyler Drown Marshall University 131
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 12-12 Total: 10 25-02
121. Blayner Leeman - Noah Hurford Kentucky Christian University 130
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 10-14 Total: 10 25-01
122. Reed Kochan - Nate Boenning University of Wisconsin Stevens 129
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 12-01 Total: 10 25-01
123. Connor Cartmell - Andrew Vereen Coastal Carolina University 128
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 12-04 Total: 10 25-01
124. Shane Nelson - Aaron Jagdfeld Adrian College 127
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 13-00 Total: 10 25-00
125. Joseph Woods - Anthony Cicero Iv Bethel University 126
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 13-06 Total: 10 24-12
126. Rob Lindsey - Mason Cizek Bryan College 125
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 12-14 Total: 10 24-11
127. Blair Cox - Zach Adamec Missouri State University 124
Day 1: 4 10-12 Day 2: 5 13-12 Total: 9 24-08
128. Kopeland Rosser - Brenton Godwin University of Montevallo 123
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 11-04 Total: 10 24-07
129. Tanner Maness - Chandler Ellis Lander University 122
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 4 11-14 Total: 9 24-07
130. Ben Brockwell - Justice Gayhart Kentucky Christian University 121
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 11-13 Total: 10 24-01
131. Grant Dohle - Wyatt Montle Missouri State University 120
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 12-02 Total: 10 24-01
132. Dawson Burton - Kentucky Christian University 119
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 4 09-00 Total: 9 23-10
133. Carter Ball - Austin Tapley Adrian College 118
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 12-01 Total: 10 23-07
134. Jaxson Freeman - Kyle Hopping McKendree 117
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 12-09 Total: 10 23-06
135. Andrew Rickman - Michael Postlewait Dallas Baptist University 116
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 11-06 Total: 10 23-06
136. Patrick Henry - Jared Minor Ohio State University 115
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 11-14 Total: 10 23-05
137. Colton Hill - Trey Budach mckendree university 114
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 10-03 Total: 10 23-00
137. Clayton Primrose - Fisher Davis Etbu 114
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 10-03 Total: 10 23-00
139. Zachary Bowen - Harrison Terry Bethel University 112
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 10-06 Total: 10 22-15
140. Alec Berens - Joseph Bruener Mckendree University 111
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 10-08 Total: 10 22-15
141. Wil Rigdon - Cade Hayford Campbellsville University 110
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 11-11 Total: 10 22-08
142. Jared Muzyka - Sean Prendergast University of Massachusetts - Am 109
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 11-13 Total: 10 22-07
143. Matthew Cummings - Levi Mullins Bethel University 108
Day 1: 2 05-07 Day 2: 5 16-06 Total: 7 21-13
144. Carter Koza - Lee Koza Carson Newman University 107
Day 1: 4 08-11 Day 2: 4 13-02 Total: 8 21-13
145. Nathan Smith - Cabe Mackey Catawba Valley Community College 106
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 08-15 Total: 10 21-09
146. Matthew Benson - Nathanael Wright Emmanuel College 105
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 11-00 Total: 10 21-08
147. Adam Troyer - Andrew Yazdi Indiana University 104
Day 1: 4 09-12 Day 2: 5 11-11 Total: 9 21-07
148. Jordan Smallwood - Luke Henderson Campbellsville University 103
Day 1: 4 10-02 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 9 21-05
149. Isaac Irvin - Mason Gross wabash valley college 102
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 08-03 Total: 10 21-01
150. Jacob Welch - Brycen Soliday Drury University 101
Day 1: 5 09-14 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 10 21-01
151. Parker Lambert - Koby Horn Lander university 100
Day 1: 4 10-10 Day 2: 5 10-06 Total: 9 21-00
152. Jake Kimbrough - Chandler Pruett Blue Mountain College 99
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 11-06 Total: 10 20-15
153. Braden Cox - Joel Berelsman Ohio State 98
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 10-11 Total: 10 20-11
154. Fisher Overton - Rudy Worley Blue Mountain College 97
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 4 07-07 Total: 9 19-11
155. Mason Phillpotts - Max Schweikert Grand Valley State University 96
Day 1: 3 06-13 Day 2: 4 12-07 Total: 7 19-04
156. Jackson Stephens - Maxwell Trotter Mckendree University 95
Day 1: 2 04-12 Day 2: 5 14-07 Total: 7 19-03
157. Teddy Peznola - Thomas Mingle University of Tennessee 94
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 3 06-14 Total: 8 18-10
158. Lucas Oliver - Nathan Dellinger Catawba Valley Community College 93
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 2 03-13 Total: 7 18-02
159. Camden Lewis - TJ Edwards Jr Blue Mountain College 92
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 2 04-05 Total: 7 17-12
160. David Hendel - Ian Mcgregor Ohio State University 91
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 2 05-10 Total: 7 17-03
161. Cameron Smith - Jacob Blackburn Ohio State University 90
Day 1: 2 04-02 Day 2: 5 12-13 Total: 7 16-15
162. Blake Bullock - Blue Mountain College 89
Day 1: 4 08-12 Day 2: 4 07-15 Total: 8 16-11
163. Tommy Sendek - Andrew Howell University of Montevallo 88
Day 1: 4 10-00 Day 2: 2 05-04 Total: 6 15-04
164. Jacob Conyers - Spencer Pergrem Morehead State University 87
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 2 04-13 Total: 7 14-09
165. Turner Hart - Summer Dees Bryan College 86
Day 1: 5 07-05 Day 2: 4 07-03 Total: 9 14-08
166. Ben Rehm - Jarrod Pritchett UW Stevens Point 85
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 14-07
167. Jacob Lambert - Cole Rankin Carson-Newman University 84
Day 1: 2 03-09 Day 2: 5 10-14 Total: 7 14-07
168. Lane Bailey - Justin Eggers Catawba Valley Community College 83
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 14-01 Total: 5 14-01
168. Ethan Troutman - Tyler Thompson Univerisity of Louisville 83
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 14-01
170. Bryar Chambers - Clent Blackwood Wallace State Community College 81
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 5 11-08 Total: 6 13-14
171. Reece Martin - Mark Harris Dallas Baptist University 80
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 13-11
172. Matthew Roberts - Alice Lloyd College 79
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 13-07
173. Matthew Bischoff - Nicholas Donald Bowling Green State University 78
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 1 02-01 Total: 6 13-06
174. Cody Prichard - Kris Kautz University of Dubuque 77
Day 1: 3 07-05 Day 2: 3 05-13 Total: 6 13-02
175. Andrew Thompson - Jacob Swanson Montevallo 76
Day 1: 4 08-13 Day 2: 2 03-12 Total: 6 12-09
176. Ben Rand - Mason Grossbauer Davenport University 75
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 12-08 Total: 5 12-08
177. Spencer Knight - Brandon Oakes Ohio State 74
Day 1: 1 02-12 Day 2: 4 09-08 Total: 5 12-04
178. Steve Kinard - Jimmy Mitchum Lander University 73
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 4 09-00 Total: 5 11-11
179. Andy Clark - Jack Simpson Western Michigan University 72
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 11-05
180. Alex Strunk - Jamesen Simion Bowling Green State University 71
Day 1: 4 10-02 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 4 10-02
181. Keegan Barber - John Smegner Missouri State University 70
Day 1: 3 06-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 06-15
182. Cole Taylor - Hunter Temples Lander 69
Day 1: 2 04-01 Day 2: 1 02-10 Total: 3 06-11
183. Brock Bila - Dylan Chambers Drury University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
183. Jacob Butts - Mark Kershaw Erskine College 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
183. Robert Cruvellier - Carson Maddux Auburn University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
183. Drake Hemby - Ewing Minor Carson-Newman University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
183. Seth Jenkins - TJ McKenzie Emmanuel College 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
183. Tomas Matual - Grant Olsen McKendree University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
183. Nolan Yeager - Riley Aebi Stephen F. Austin State Universi 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 157 855 2420-08
2 155 835 2330-02
----------------------------------
312 1690 4750-10
Alabama’s Ryan Salzman Earns First MLF Bass Pro Tour Win at General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake
Mercury Pro Weighs in 13 Bass Totaling 24 Pounds, 3 Ounces to Earn First Bass Pro Tour Win and Top Award of $100,000
SPRING CITY, Tenn. (June 9, 2022) – It was a fight to the finish during Thursday’s Championship Round among the very best anglers in the sport, but when time ran out it was Mercury pro Ryan Salzman of Huntsville, Alabama, whose name sat at the top of the SCORETRACKER® at the General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft in Spring City, Tennessee. The Bass Pro Tour newcomer weighed 13 bass totaling 24 pounds, 3 ounces, to earn his first Bass Pro Tour win – as well as his first major career win – and take home the big red trophy and the top award of $100,000.
“Right now, I’m just putting all my trust in God, and that’s the only way I can rise up to this moment, because it’s too big for me,” Salzman said in the final moments as the clock ticked down. “Words just can’t describe how I feel even being in contention to win this event, especially going up against some of the greatest anglers in the world. Fishing against my childhood heroes, it’s just amazing.”
Moments later, time expired and Salzman was announced the General Tire Stage Five Champion on Watts Bar Lake.
“I never in my life thought I would win this event,” Salzman said excitedly, amid cheers from fans and followers who surrounded him on the water. “I knew the winning fish were in this area, but I didn’t know if they would bite today. I’ve lost several fish this week, even lost 2 or 3 today that would have given me more of a cushion at the end of the day, but I’m just speechless and so thankful for this opportunity.”
Thursday marked the first time the Alabama pro has qualified for the Championship Round on the MLF Bass Pro Tour since joining the tour in February and culminated in a moment he said he will never forget.
“First and foremost, I have to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Salzman said. “I’ve been a mess the last few years but have made a lot of life changes and attitude changes, so to go from where I was 3-4 years ago, to where I am today, there just isn’t anything that He can’t do.”
Salzman said he found his winning area above the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Watts Bar Dam during practice and knew it had potential, but as the tournament progressed, he realized the bass were only schooling and feeding during certain time windows.
“This has been a week of highs and lows and the way my tournament began, I didn’t think this win was a possibility,” Salzman said. “I found this spot above the dam on the first day, with hundreds of bass schooling and stacked up against this wall. I knew there were enough fish here to win the event, I just had to figure out how to catch them.”
Salzman hit the first obstacle during his Qualifying Round, in large part because the fish in his winning area weren’t schooling. He finished in 15th place after his first day and ended the second day in 16th place to advance to the Knockout Round – and that’s where the fun really began.
“On Wednesday, the TVA began running water through the dam, generating 30,000, 40,000 watts, stirring up the bait fish and in turn, the bass,” Salzman said. “Once they started moving the water, this spot really lit up. The majority of the fish I caught this week were right here in this spot, on a 4½-inch morning dawn-colored Roboworm with an 1/8-ounce Titan Tungsten ball weight.”
Salzman’s flurry halted to a stop about an hour and a half prior to the end of the tournament day, as the TVA turned down the generators and the bass around him stopped feeding. Not to be deterred from the win, Salzman made a quick pivot to another place on the dam, boating a 2-pounder.
“With only 25 minutes left in the day, that kicker fish made all the difference,” Salzman finished.
The Mercury pro earned the win by a slim 11-ounce margin over Academy Sports + Outdoors pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee , who finished Championship Day in second place with a total of 10 scorable bass, weighing 23-8. Although Wheeler missed the $100,000 win by mere ounces, he earned valuable points in the 2022 Bally Bet Angler of the Year (AOY) race. Wheeler, the reigning 2021 AOY winner, currently leads again with 379 points after five regular-season events, while Jordan Lee sits in second place with 341 points. Dayton, Tennessee’s Andy Morgan sits in third with 315 points. Kevin VanDam is in fourth place with 302.5 points, while Randall Tharp rounds out the top five with 302 points.
The top 10 pros at the General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft finished:
1st: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 13 bass, 24-3, $100,000
2nd: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 23-8, $45,000
3rd: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, seven bass, 16-4, $38,000
4th: Randall Tharp, Port St. Joe, Fla., seven bass, 14-12, $32,000
5th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., six bass, 13-12, $30,000
6th: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., seven bass, 12-9, $26,000
7th: Alton Jones, Sr., Lorena, Texas, four bass, 10-11, $23,000
8th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., four bass, 8-13, $21,000
9th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 8-7, $19,000
10th: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., two bass, 4-0, $16,000
Full results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 65 scorable bass weighing 136 pounds, 15 ounces caught by the final 10 pros Thursday.
Wheeler caught a largemouth weighing 4 pounds, 2 ounces on a drop-shot rig in the second period to win Thursday’s 1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award. Pro Brandon Coulter of Knoxville, Tennessee took home the $3,000 Berkley Big Bass of the tournament with his 6-7 largemouth that he caught on Day 1. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
The General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft featured anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The six-day event, hosted by Fish Dayton, the Rhea County Economic Tourism Council and Spring City, Tennessee, showcased 80 of the top professional bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a total purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.
Television coverage of the General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft will premiere at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 29 on the Discovery Channel. 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.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2023 championship.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, BallyBet, Bass Cat, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Covercraft, Favorite Fishing, Garmin, General Tire, Googan Baits, Grundéns, Guaranteed Rate, Humminbird, Lowrance, Luminox, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Nitro Performance Boats, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Power Stop, Rapala, Starbrite, Toro, Toyota, Wrangler, Yellowstone Bourbon and Zoom.
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.
Parks, Smith Take Lead In Bassmaster College Event, Vying For Repeat On Saginaw Bay
Logan Parks and Tucker Smith of Auburn University are leading after Day 1 of the 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Saginaw Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops with 22 pounds, 15 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
June 9, 2022
BAY CITY, Mich. — It’s safe to say, Logan Parks and Tucker Smith enjoy fishing Saginaw Bay.
With a Day 1 limit of smallmouth weighing 22 pounds, 15 ounces, the Auburn University duo claimed the lead at the Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Saginaw Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops. They are looking to repeat on the fishery after winning this same event last season.
Their Day 1 bag exceeded their biggest limit from last year (21-0), and the duo holds nearly a 2-pound lead over Brian Linder and Nathan Thompson from Minnesota State-Mankato.
"This is just an awesome fishery," Parks said. "They aren't everywhere but when you find them you really find them. We have a pretty special place we found last year and it is producing again."
After winning the Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year championship in 2021 as well, Parks and Smith had a tough start to this season but qualified for the National Championship at Norfork Lake. With that goal achieved, Parks added winning was the only thing on their minds this week.
After fishing exclusively for smallmouth in their best area during the 2021 event, Smith and Parks arrived at their spot today and caught over 20 pounds within 15 minutes. They made a couple of short moves, resulting in several key culls throughout the day.
"It was like three casts in a row that we had three 4-pounders," Parks said. "We caught our limit, culled once and left it after we got to 20 pounds. We ran around and fished some other stuff that was nearby that set up the same way, and we were able to cull up."
Smith said they decided early on in practice that focusing solely on smallmouth would be their best chance at achieving that goal. Those smallmouth bites have all revolved around the spawn and most of their damage was done with one bait.
"They are in all stages right now," Smith said. "I think we are catching more spawners than post-spawners where we are catching them. You can see rocks and see an occasional one swim around. But they are glued to the bottom and you just have to fish around and wait for a bite."
With more bass left in their primary area and a couple of secondary areas left to fish as well, Parks and Smith are optimistic about their chances at a repeat.
"We left them biting. There are more fish there, and we have a few places that have some fish on them that we didn't fish hard at all today," Smith said. "We are looking forward to it. Hopefully, they bite and we get some good weather and we can go catch them."
Dakota Posey and Trent Buchholz from Lamar State College Orange anchored their 20-14 third-place bag with a 5-8 largemouth, earning Big Bass of the day honors.
The full field will launch from the Independence Boat Launch at the USS Edison Battle Ship starting at 5:30 a.m. ET and will return for weigh-in beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Following the Day 2 weigh-in, 19 teams will earn a spot in the 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship at Winyah Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops Sept. 2-4.
Instinct Rods Propel Lester to Elite Series Victory
Brandon Lester Collects Second Major Championship with BLF Instinct Rods from Mustad
Miami, Florida (June 9, 2022) - Brandon Lester’s masterclass in boating tournament-winning bass was in session this past week on 50-mile-long Pickwick Lake near Counce, Tennessee. The only angler in the 91 boat field to bring over 20 pounds of bass to the scales on each of the four competition days, Lester emerged victorious on Championship Sunday with a commanding total of 86 lbs - 1 oz, which bested his nearest competitor by nearly six pounds. Along the way to his first Bassmaster Elite Series victory, Lester made every cast – and battled every bass – with a BLF Instinct Rod from Mustad in his hand.
A stellar lineup of 14 models – eight multi-purpose baitcasters, three crankbait-specific rods, and three spinning rods – the BLF Instinct series boasts Mustad’s renowned quality with insightful design specifications that Lester has refined throughout the course of his fishing career. “When the opportunity to work with Mustad on a new rod series arose, they did not give me a single guideline; they said ‘Tell us what you need and we’ll go from there,’” Lester said. “I was traveling at the time and had a layover in Houston, so I opened up the Notes on my smartphone and I laid out the groundwork for a line of rods to cover everything needed for bass fishing.”
At Pickwick Lake, Lester relied on a trio of presentations to catch the lion’s share of his bass – covering the gamut from power to finesse – all honed to championship perfection with the precision and craftsmanship of BLF Instinct rods from Mustad.
Lester caught several of his largest bass by grinding oversized crankbaits into shallow, hard-bottom spots using BLF Instinct crankbait rods. “These rods all have parabolic, moderate actions that are perfect for crankbaits and are built using graphite blanks,” remarked Lester. “I want to know what my crankbait is doing all the time, and you only get that sensitivity from graphite. The crankbait models have full-length grips with a combination of cork and a tight EVA foam to give them a really good feel in the hand.” Lester used the 7’ Medium-Heavy and the 7’6” Heavy BLF Instinct crankbait rods for all of his shallow cranking on Pickwick Lake.
Lester’s favored finesse offering was a Neko-rigged worm, featuring a #2 Mustad TitanX Wacky/Neko hook and a ⅛ oz Mustad Tungsten TitanX Nail Weight, presented with a BLF Instinct spinning rod. “I used the BLF Instinct 6’10” Medium rod – my absolute favorite spinning rod – for Neko rigging. It handles everything you’d want a spinning rod to do, including drop shots, Ned rigs, Wacky rigs, Neko rigs, and more. All of our BLF Instinct spinning rods have Fast actions, relatively short handles, are light in the hand, and are extremely sensitive. I’ve caught a lot of big fish with these rods, including a 6-13 on Day 3. They’re just awesome!”
“These are our bread-and-butter models for every bass angler. We have everything from a 6’10” Medium rod for small topwaters, all the way up to a 7’9” Extra-Heavy for punching and big swimbaits.” Lester landed his Sunday magnum on the BLF Instinct 7’4” Medium-Heavy baitcasting rod.
Lester’s Elite Series victory on Pickwick Lake was not his first championship of the year, nor the first trophy earned with help from BLF Instinct rods. In February 2022, Lester won the Bassmaster Southern Opens event held on the Kissimmee Chain in Florida. To claim that hardware in come-from-behind fashion, Lester used a BLF Instinct baitcasting rod to present a 6-inch stick worm rigged on a 4/0 Mustad Grip-Pin Big Bite hook with a Mustad Tungsten TitanX Worm Weight, as well as a BLF Instinct crankbait rod to present a 3/8-ounce bladed jig with a compact swimbait trailer. Thanks to his Bassmaster Southern Opens win, Lester – and his BLF Instinct rods from Mustad – earned a coveted spot in the 2023 Bassmaster Classic and another big check to bolster his bank account.
Mustad traces its origins to the town of Gjøvik, Norway in 1877, and is recognized as the fishing industry’s global leader in the production of premium hooks. Supported by a foundation of design and manufacturing excellence, Mustad is evolving into a comprehensive fishing platform that supplies every link in the tackle chain – including premium rods like BLF Instinct rods, which deliver the strength, sensitivity, balance, and performance that serious anglers demand. With 30 TON – IM8 Japanese Toray premium graphite blanks, ergonomic reel seats, and Fuji Aluminum Oxide guides, Mustad crafts BLF Instinct rods to exceed the expectations of every bass angler. We congratulate Brandon Lester on his first Bassmaster Elite Series championship, and look forward to following his success on the tournament trail – this season and beyond!
Bassmaster College Series Takes On Logan Martin With Last-Chance Championship Qualifier
Alabama's Logan Martin Lake will host the 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series Wild Card presented by Bass Pro Shops June 17-18.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
June 9, 2022
LINCOLN, Ala. — College anglers will have one last chance to qualify for the Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops when teams from around the country take on Alabama’s Logan Martin Lake for a Wild Card tournament June 17-18. The Wild Card gives teams waitlisted for the other four regular-season events one last chance to make it into the field for the National Championship Sept. 2-4 on South Carolina’s Winyah Bay.
Bassmaster Elite Series champion and Coosa River guru Wes Logan believes a lot of bass will be caught, but that finding a couple of 3-pounders will be the key.
“It has a lot of 1- to 2 1/2-pounders in Logan Martin,” Logan said. “It has quite a few big ones too, but they aren’t everywhere. The average total weight this time of year isn’t going to be really high, somewhere between 8 and 11 pounds. It is going to be hard to catch anything over 12 pounds.”
Located between Neely Henry and Lay Lake, the Coosa River impoundment features both spotted bass and largemouth bass. Last year’s Wild Card event was held on Lay, and while they are on the same river chain, there are several differences in how the reservoirs are set up.
“They are more different than they are similar,” Logan said. “Lay has a lot more vegetation, whereas Logan Martin is more of a rocky-type place with hard structure like docks, gravel banks and long running points. Logan Martin is a little dirtier than Lay up the river. Logan Martin is one of the biggest party lakes in the area, and late in the day you will have a lot of pontoon boats and wake boats.”
Compared to a lot of other lakes in the country, Logan Martin is relatively small, but Logan said much of the lake will play.
“Especially this time of year, you can catch fish shallow, you can fish out deep on ledges,” he said. “You can fish brushpiles, humps and roadbeds. There are a lot of fish and it will spread guys out to where they can fish their strengths.”
Logan Martin is controlled by dams on either end of the lake, presenting the opportunity to fish current-oriented bass. Depending on the moon cycle, Logan added there could be a bluegill spawn happening as well.
If summer downpours and storms roll through, Logan said anglers will be more likely to find a bigger bite using frogs, buzzbaits and spinnerbaits. A shaky head will likely come into play as well.
While it could be won with all spotted bass or all largemouth, Logan anticipates it will take a mixed bag.
“You can catch a 4-pound spot in the same place you catch a 4-pound largemouth,” he said. “The better game plan would be to target largemouth and you might happen to catch one or two really good spots to go with it.
“As a whole, there are a lot more spotted bass than largemouth. If someone can crack the code on better-quality largemouth, you may not get as many bites, but if you are fishing to win — that is what I would do.”
The full field will compete June 17-18 with daily takeoffs from Lincoln’s Landing at 5:30 a.m. CT. Weigh-ins will take place back at the landing at 1:30 p.m. Coverage can be found on Bassmaster.com.
Mark Davis Leads Final Eight to Championship Round at MLF Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake
Arkansas Pro Boats 10 Bass Weighing 25-12 to Win Knockout Round, Final 10 Anglers Set for Championship Thursday and Final-Day Shootout for $100,000
After taking over the lead mid-day, the Bass Fishing Hall of Famer and three-time Angler of the Year (AOY) winner rose to the top of a stacked field going into Thursday’s Championship Round. Among the star-studded field of pros competing in the Championship Round are fellow Bass Fishing Hall of Famer and Michigan native Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo , who won an automatic berth to the Championship Round on Monday and boasts a staggering eight AOY awards in his astounding career, along with Forrest Wood Cup champion Randall “The Honey Badger” Tharp of Port Saint Joe, Florida , who has seven major wins and more than 30 Top-10 finishes in his career. Tharp finished in second place Wednesday, with 11 bass, weighing 23 pounds, 15 ounces.
The final 10 anglers are now set, and competition will resume Thursday morning with anglers launching at 7:30 a.m. ET in the Championship Round, where weights are zeroed, and the angler that catches the most one-day weight will win the top prize of $100,000.
The six-day event, hosted by Fish Dayton, the Rhea County Economic Tourism Council and Spring City, Tennessee, showcases 80 of the top professional bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a total purse of $805,000.
The top eight pros from Wednesday’s Knockout Round that will compete in Thursday’s Championship Round on Watts Bar Lake are:
2nd: Randall Tharp, Port St. Joe, Fla., 11 bass, 23-15
3rd: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 13 bass, 23-9
4th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., nine bass, 23-9
5th: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, nine bass, 22-11
6th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 11 bass, 21-11
7th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., nine bass, 19-1
8th: Alton Jones, Sr., Lorena, Texas, eight bass, 18-0
Group A: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Group B: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn.
Full results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
“Man, what a great day,” Davis said. “I’ve had two bad tournaments, but I feel like I’m back on track now with my fishing.”
Davis spent most of his day fishing slowly and methodically, cranking and throwing a worm in the back of a creek on a big grass flat, targeting isolated hard cover.
“It’s been a fantastic day, fishing the way I like to fish,” Davis said. “A lot of the fish in this lake are suspended – and that was my back-up pattern for today – but I found a creek that’s about 10-foot-deep, where they aren’t suspended, and you can catch them just fishing stumps, trees and other hard cover.
“The last two days that I’ve fished this creek have been bright, bluebird skies with a little afternoon wind, and I caught a few five-pounders and a three-pounder, so I knew the bigger and better fish lived in here,” Davis continued. “I had a lot of other stuff I could hit today, but I was hoping with the cloud cover and the rain we had this morning, this place would really show out, so I got in here today and just slowed everything down.”
It was a winning technique that worked for the Arkansas pro, who bested 37 other anglers in the Knockout Round to end the day in the top spot.
“I know this creek has had a lot of pressure because it’s the prettiest creek on the lake,” Davis said. “Earlier in the week I was able to get them to eat a big, Texas-rigged worm, but today it took a drop-shot, finesse-fishing real slow to get them to bite, but we got it done.”
Rounding out the top 40 finishers were:
12th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., seven bass, 16-12, $10,000
13th: Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., eight bass, 15-0, $10,000
14th: Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., seven bass, 14-13, $10,000
15th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., seven bass, 14-11, $10,000
16th: Clabion Johns, Social Circle, Ga., six bass, 13-7, $10,000
17th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., six bass, 13-6, $10,000
18th: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., six bass, 12-10, $10,000
19th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., seven bass, 12-5, $10,000
20th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., six bass, 12-4, $10,000
21st: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., six bass, 12-2, $10,000
22nd: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., five bass, 12-1, $10,000
23rd: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 11-15, $10,000
24th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 11-10, $10,000
25th: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, seven bass, 11-8, $10,000
26th: Paul Elias, Laurel, Miss., five bass, 11-2, $10,000
27th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., four bass, 9-5, $10,000
28th: Dave Lefebre, Erie, Penn., five bass, 9-3, $10,000
29th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., five bass, 9-2, $10,000
30th: Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, four bass, 8-15, $10,000
31st: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., three bass, 8-13, $10,000
32nd: Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., four bass, 8-6, $10,000
33rd: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., four bass, 7-12, $10,000
34th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., four bass, 7-11, $10,000
35th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., three bass, 7-4, $10,000
36th: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., four bass, 7-0, $10,000
37th: Ish Monroe, Oakdale, Calif., one bass, 3-15, $10,000
38th: Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., one bass, 3-7, $10,000
39th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., zero bass, 0-0, $10,000
40th: Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, zero bass, 0-0, $10,000
Power-Pole pro Chris Lane of Guntersville, Alabama caught a 5-pound, 5-ounce largemouth on a jig in the first period to earn Wednesday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. After the two-day Qualifying Round, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advanced to Wednesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advanced directly to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights were zeroed, and the remaining 38 anglers competed to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. Tomorrow, in the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
The final 10 anglers competing in Thursday’s Championship Round will launch at 7:30 a.m. ETfrom the Spring City Boat Ramp, located at 417 Toestring Valley Road in Spring City, Tennessee.The General Tire Takeout will be held at the ramp, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome and encouraged to attend all launch and takeout events and to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Also, on Championship Thursday, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET, MLF will host a Celebration Event for fans of all ages, inviting fans to come out and celebrate with the professional anglers from the Bass Pro Tour as they crown the champion of the General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft. The FREE, family-friendly event will be fun for fishing fans of all ages. The first 50 middle school or high school anglers will receive a free Abu Garcia rod and reel combo valued at $100. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, take selfies and participate in tackle giveaways.
The General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2023 championship.
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. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft will premiere at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 29 on the Discovery Channel. 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 2022 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, BallyBet, Bass Cat, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Covercraft, Favorite Fishing, Garmin, General Tire, Googan Baits, Grundéns, Guaranteed Rate, Humminbird, Lowrance, Luminox, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Nitro Performance Boats, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Power Stop, Rapala, Starbrite, Toro, Toyota, Wrangler, Yellowstone Bourbon and Zoom.
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.
KVD and the TVA: Just Vibing
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
When Kevin VanDam began his illustrious professional fishing career as an over-achieving 23-year-old from Michigan he was given the nickname, “the Kalamazoo kid.” En route to racking up nearly $7 million in career winnings VanDam has since earned a plethora of monikers including “KVD, “Dr. Crankenstein”, “Captain America”, and “The G.O.A.T.”; but it might be time to add “The Tennessee River man” to the list.
The Team Toyota pro has won hundreds of thousands of dollars and pile of trophies on Tennessee River fisheries, including his first Bass Pro Tour victory nearly a year ago to the day on neighboring Lake Chickamauga. After dominating his Qualifying Rounds on Watts Bar for General Tire Stage Five, KVD finds himself with a one-in-ten chance to win yet another title on the 652-mile-long river highway that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) manages.
To be fair, VanDam has won trophies and posted top finishes from New York, to California, down to Texas, and everywhere in between. But there is no denying his incredible knack for finding and catching fish in this particular river system.
Even Wikipedia reports the TVA operates the Tennessee River system, “to provide a wide range of public benefits: year-round navigation, flood damage reduction, affordable electricity,improved water quality and water supply, recreation, and economic growth… for Kevin VanDam.”
Okay, I might have added a word or three to the end of that quote, but it’s not far off from the truth. VanDam is a threat to win anytime he competes on the TVA chain of lakes, especially in the summertime.
Q – What was the first tournament you remember competing in on the TVA Chain of Lakes?
“Lake Guntersville,” VanDam recalled. “I remember reading and hearing about the legendary Lake Guntersville so I made a trip for fun and signed up for a Bassmaster invitational in ’88 or ‘89 before my pro career began. As soon as I saw the grass in the lake it reminded me of Michigan and I felt right at home.”
Q – Have you always “vibed with” the Tennessee River System, or was it a work in progress?
“Well I got a top 50 and a check in that event,” KVD said with a laugh. “No, I always felt comfortable with the Tennessee River lakes, but I didn’t understand anything about current or ledges initially. The grass aspect always felt like home, but truly understanding how to get the most out of these fisheries has no doubt been a work in progress.”
Q – The area has received a lot of rain since you’ve been on the water, do you expect that to change your primary pattern / strategy?
“It definitely could,” VanDam said. “With all the rain we’ve received I would think the TVA is going to pull more water and increase the current in Watts Bar. I’m not fishing offshore ledges, but my main lake pattern is 100% current related. There is a chance some of my shallower areas towards the backs could be blown out with muddy water, but there is a chance the increased current flow could make my bite better, too. We’ll find out tomorrow.”
Q – You “junk fished” your way to the Championship Round, what were your key lures?
“I’ve relied on four main lures based on the conditions and type of cover in front of me,” VanDam explained. “A 4-inch Strike King Game Hawg Texas-rigged on a 4/0 KVD Grip Pin Mustad hook with a ¼-ounce weight and a 3/8-ounce shad colored Strike King Thunder Cricket have been my two biggest players. Then mixed in a 300 series KVD Jerkbait and a KVD 1.5 Squarebill when fishing rip-rap or a little bit deeper grass.”
Q – What needs to happen tomorrow for you to capture another Bass Pro Tour trophy?
“My timing needs to be on point and I need to fish clean,” VanDam said. “I’ve been fortunate to land most everything that’s bit so far and with as tough as it is, I absolutely need to continue to do so. And timing, man, I need to get a few bites and dial in to what’s changed since Monday. It’s going to be anything but easy, but if I can do those two things, I really feel like I’ll have a chance to win.”
Major League Fishing Delays Knockout Round Due to Inclement Weather
|
AC Insider Podcast - All American Champ!!!
This week Chris and the Boys welcome in your 2022 BFL ALL-American Champ Connor Cunningham to the show to talk about his Wire-to-Wire Win on Lake Hamilton and what he plans to do with over $120,000!!! Check it out!
David Walker Wins Group B Qualifying Round Win at MLF Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake
Tennessee Pro Holds off Several Hard-Charging Competitors to Advance Straight to Thursday’s Championship Round, Field of 38 Anglers Set for Wednesday’s Knockout Round
SPRING CITY, Tenn. (June 7, 2022) – Despite a 2-hour, 15-minute lightning delay, rainy conditions throughout the day and a field of stellar pros nipping at his heels, Bass Pro Shops pro David Walker of Sevierville, Tennessee, caught 11 bass weighing 23 pounds, 10-ounces Tuesday to cruise to a Group B Qualifying Round win at the General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft in Spring City, Tennessee. Walker’s two-day total of 21 bass weighing 45 pounds, 11 ounces, advances him directly to Thursday’s Championship Round – marking his first automatic berth to the Championship Round on the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour – as the competition continues for the top award of $100,000.
“I don’t know what to say,” said a speechless Walker. “You talk about a day where you just end up making the right choices, all day long – it’s just unbelievable. I caught those fish on so many different rods and baits today, but I couldn’t be happier.”
Walker began the second day of his Qualifying Round in fifth place, with a solid 22-pound, 1-ounce footing, but steadily moved up the SCORETRACKER® throughout the day . The Tennessee pro rallied to take the lead only seven minutes into the third period with a 2-pound, 3-ounce largemouth and despite hard charges by Thrift and DeFoe, who both caught scorable bass in the final period to take over the lead, Walker managed to hold onto the top spot by the end of the competition day.
“This has been a tough season, and to have a day like this – let alone two back-to-back good days – is just amazing,” Walker said. “I’ve usually got some pretty good comebacks or statements and I just don’t have anything at all today.”
Although the win looks good ‘on paper’ with the automatic advancement to the Championship Round, it was certainly a fight to the finish, with Walker catching 10 pounds in the last period alone to end the day on top.
“It’s just one of those things – in tournament fishing the highs are so high and the lows are really low, so it can be tough to try to keep everything on an even keel and not let it get to you,” Walker said. “You go out there and do the same things repeatedly, but you don’t get results like this very often, so you start to question yourself.
“One good day makes up for a whole lot of bad ones though, and we managed to put together two back-to-back good days,” Walker continued. “I am so excited about this finish.”
The remaining 38 anglers – 19 from each group – now advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round, where weights are zeroed, and the anglers compete to finish in the top eight to advance to the Championship Round on Thursday. The Championship Round will feature Group A winner Kevin VanDam, Group B winner David Walker and the top eight finishers from the Knockout Round, competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000.
The six-day event, hosted by Fish Dayton, the Rhea County Economic Tourism Council and Spring City, Tennessee, showcases 80 of the top professional bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a total purse of $805,000.
The top 20 pros in Qualifying Group B that now advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round on Watts Bar Lake are:
2nd: Clabion Johns, Social Circle, Ga., 21 bass, 39-6
3rd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 19 bass, 38-6
4th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 21 bass, 37-0
5th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., 18 bass, 34-9
6th: Ish Monroe, Oakdale, Calif., 12 bass, 32-5
7th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 17 bass, 31-9
8th: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., 14 bass, 31-0
9th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 16 bass, 30-14
10th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 14 bass, 30-8
11th: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 15 bass, 29-11
13th: Dave Lefebre, Erie, Penn., 15 bass, 28-2
14th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 13 bass, 27-7
15th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 13 bass, 26-8
16th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 12 bass, 24-2
17th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 11 bass, 23-14
18th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., nine bass, 22-5
19th: Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, nine bass, 21-15
20th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 11 bass, 21-10
Overall, there were 225 scorable bass weighing 465 pounds, 6 ounces caught by 40 pros Tuesday.
Toro pro Brent Chapman of Quivira, Kansas caught a 5-pound, 9-ounce largemouth throwing a bladed swim jig in the first period to earn the fourth $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award of the event. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. Now that the Qualifying Round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 38 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 the top prize of $100,000.
The 38 anglers competing in Wednesday’s Knockout Round will launch at 7:30 a.m. ET from the Spring City Boat Ramp, located at 417 Toestring Valley Road in Spring City, Tennessee. The General Tire Takeout will be held at the ramp, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome and encouraged to attend all launch and takeout events and to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2023 championship.
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. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft will premiere at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 29 on the Discovery Channel. 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 2022 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, BallyBet, Bass Cat, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Covercraft, Favorite Fishing, Garmin, General Tire, Googan Baits, Grundéns, Guaranteed Rate, Humminbird, Lowrance, Luminox, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Nitro Performance Boats, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Power Stop, Rapala, Starbrite, Toro, Toyota, Wrangler, Yellowstone Bourbon and Zoom.
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.
Richmond Set to Host MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 on the James River
Fifth Stop of 2022 Season to Showcase Professional Bass Anglers Competing Over Four Days for Top Prize of $135,000
RICHMOND, Va. (June 7, 2022) – The fifth event of the 2022 Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me, the sport’s premier five-fish format tournament circuit, kicks off in Richmond next week, June 16-19 with the Toyota Stop 5 on the James River Presented by PowerStop Brakes. Hosted by Richmond Region Tourism in cooperation with the Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority, the four-day tournament will feature a field of top bass-fishing anglers from around the country competing for a total purse of more than $850,000, and valuable points to qualify for the 2022 Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship.
“We’re excited to welcome Major League Fishing organizers, anglers and fans to the Richmond Region,” said Jerrine Lee, Vice President of Sales at Richmond Region Tourism. “The James River is known for its world-class fishing and exciting outdoor activities. We know anglers will experience some incredible bass fishing during the tournament and we can’t wait to cheer them all.”
“This competition shows off a different side of Henrico’s sports amenities,” said Dennis Bickmeier, Executive Director of the Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority. “From the event’s economic impact, to the Major League Fishing Festival and children’s activities, to the heavily broadcasted weigh-ins, this prestigious tournament is a boon for our entire community. We look forward to partnering with them for many years to come.”
While the James River has seen plenty of bass tournaments on it over the years, the majority of MLF experience is limited to some Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournaments, a handful of Toyota Series events and a Forrest Wood Cup event back in 2003. Powhatan, Virginia’s Cody Pike, who will be among the pros competing in this event, knows the James River better than most in the field and though he acknowledges the tournament may hit the postspawn funk, he also knows just how good it can be.
“June is a weird month where fish are getting away from their spawning thing, but we’ll probably still have some fish spawning because they spawn later in a tidal fishery than in a lake,” Pike says. “There will be a bunch of fry guarders and the frog bite should be starting down in the Chickahominy in the pads. And there should be some postspawn fish getting out on brush, so they’ll be scattered all over from drops to brush to spawning and guarding fry.”
The Potomac River to the north has long been the Pro Circuit’s staple tidal fishery. Anglers fishing in big crowds and rarely running the tide has been what fans have become accustomed to, but Pike points out that the James is a whole different animal.
“You can catch them on high water flipping a marsh bank and three hours later you’ll be looking at the bottom where you just caught one, so timing is way more crucial on the James,” Pike said. “There’s also a whole lot more water to fish than the Potomac because the Potomac is a decent-sized body of water, but it fishes real small. On the James, you’ve got 60 or 70 miles to run that’s all good water, especially if you’re chasing the tide.
“You’ll have guys go to the Chickahominy and commit to it and not chase a tide, but if you run the tide you can catch 60 fish and likely stumble across five big ones.”
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight will advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros, based on cumulative weight from the first three days, will continue competition on Championship Sunday, where weights will be zeroed and anglers will compete in a one-day shootout for the grand prize of up to $135,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers.
After four events in the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit regular season, Arkansas pro Spencer Shuffield leads the Bally Bet Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 732 points. Hayden, Alabama’s Josh Butler sits right behind Shuffield in second place with 720 points, while Kentucky’s John Hunter sits in third with 695 points. The reigning Pro Circuit Bally Bet AOY, Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee sits in fourth place with 685 points, while Favorite Fishing pro Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pennsylvania, rounds out the top five with 677 points.
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. ET, Thursday, June 16, through Sunday, June 19, from the Osborne Landing, located at 9530 Osborne Turnpike in Richmond. Weigh-ins will also be held at the landing daily at 2:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to attend the morning take offs and afternoon weigh-ins, and also follow the live on-the-water action all four days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 8 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
As part of the event, on Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19, from Noon to 4 p.m., fans are invited out to the Major League Fishing Festival at the Osborne Landing. Hosted by Richmond Region Tourism, the event will feature fans meeting and getting autographs from their favorite pro anglers that compete on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit. Children are welcome to visit the Kids Zone to meet Skye & Marshall from PAW Patrol, fish for live fish in the Kids Fishing Pond, show off their artistic skills at the coloring stations, and more. Vendor booths from MLF sponsors, food, prizes and giveaways, including a FREE Abu Garcia rod and reel combo for the first 50 high school or middle school anglers, are available to festival goers. On Saturday and Sunday, one lucky attendee will play for a brand new 2022 Toyota Tundra in the Bully Dog Pick ‘Til You Win game, with runner up prizes of a new 70-inch 4K UHD Smart TV or a Bully Dog Performance Tuner. For more information on the Major League Fishing Festival, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com/Attend.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Toyota Stop 5 on the James River Presented by PowerStop Brakes will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the CBS Sports Network in early September.
The 2022 season culminates with the Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where the top 48 pros in the points standings, along with the 2021 TITLE Champion and 2021 Angler of the Year, will compete for a top prize of $235,000. The 2022 TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York, Aug. 16-21, and is hosted by the Town of Massena.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, 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 Pro Circuit on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Winyah Bay Lands Bassmaster College National Championship
The country's top college teams will compete on Winyah Bay Sept. 2-4 at the 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.
Photo by Dalton Tumblin/B.A.S.S.
June 7, 2022
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The country’s best college fishing teams will converge in Georgetown, S.C., for the 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, which will be held on Winyah Bay Sept. 2-4.
The Bassmaster College Series Championship will field as many as 130 teams of anglers representing universities across the nation. Qualifications are based on the teams’ finishes in four regular-season stops held on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes, Lake Norman in North Carolina, Arkansas’ Norfork Lake and Saginaw Bay in Michigan. A final Wild Card tournament on Alabama’s Logan Martin Lake gives teams waitlisted for the other events one last chance to make it into the field for Winyah Bay.
“We’re excited to offer college anglers an incredible championship tournament experience,” said Glenn Cale, B.A.S.S. Nation tournament manager — College, High School and Junior. “I am thrilled that we are able to get these young anglers onto this extraordinary tidal fishery as they compete for a national title and a chance to fish the Classic.”
Winyah Bay, which is the confluence of the Waccamaw, Pee Dee, Black and Sampit rivers in Georgetown County, has hosted two major B.A.S.S. events — Elite derbies in 2016 and 2019 — along with several B.A.S.S. Nation regional championships. The most recent Bassmaster College Series tournament on Winyah Bay in 2017 featured a pair of familiar names atop the leaderboard. Current Elite Series pros Patrick Walters and Jonathan Kelley finished first and second en route to the 2017 National Championship, where they were bested by a team that included fellow Elite angler Jacob Foutz.
“We are thrilled to welcome college anglers and their families to Georgetown County for the Bassmaster College National Championship in September,” said Beth Goodale, Georgetown County Director of Recreation & Community Services. “A number of activities and events are planned throughout the weekend so that our citizens can celebrate along with tournament participants.”
Competitors will not only be fighting for a national championship but also a berth in the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk on the Tennessee River via the College Classic Bracket tournament.
The leading anglers in the Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year points standings will be determined after the four regular-season events. The Team of the Year will punch their ticket to the College Classic Bracket event, which will be held later this year. The College Classic Bracket takes the Top 3 teams from the National Championship plus the Team of the Year and places the individual anglers in head-to-head bracket-style competition for a berth in the Classic, where they will compete for a prize purse of over $1 million.
The 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops is being hosted by Georgetown County.
Road Trip Tips with Big Show Scroggins
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Terry Scroggins, a.k.a. “Big Show” was finishing his tackle prep as rain fell Monday night during his day off from competition for General Tire Stage Five of the Bass Pro Tour. The Team Toyota pro had some old school country music playing, stayed dry and was comfortable as could be thanks to the covered garage included with his lodging choice for the week.
Watts Bar Lake is serving as the playing field for Stage Five of the Bass Pro Tour, but as soon as he saw this tournament on the schedule Big Show planned to stay at the PB Lodge; a fisherman-friendly hotel on the shores of Lake Chickamaugathat is 30-minutes down the road from this week’s take-off.
After years of competing on professional fishing tours, these anglers become professional travelers, too, and Scroggins said the best traveling tip he can offer is to be mindful of where you park your rig and lay your head down at night. Little amenities or proximity to certain necessities is super important. Whether you’re going on a tournament related fishing trip or a family vacation, nothing ruins a trip faster than subpar lodging or staying in the wrong part of town.
“For young anglers or a professional rookie working through travel logistics and picking places to stay is just as intimidating as the fishing itself,” Scroggins said. “Staying in the right part of town and getting a feel for the lay of the land around the fishery is about as crucial as knowing the best areas on the lake. Being comfortable with where you are staying and having peace of mind absolutely affects your fishing.”
It may sound dramatic but knowing the areas to stay, and the areas to avoid, undoubtedly makes a difference with your time on the water. With all the money and equipment wrapped up into modern trucks, boats, electronics, tackle, and gear; safety and security need to be your first priority. A lesson Scroggins nearly learned the hard way.
“We were fishing an FLW Tour event back in 2004 on Lake Okeechobee. Dean Rojas and I both did well and made the final day,” Scroggins recalled. “The tournament was going out of Clewiston but Rojas and I had been staying near Harney Pond. Since we made the cut and most of the field had left town, we made a late-night decision to split a room in Clewiston and be closer to take-off the following morning.
“My head had hardly hit the pillow when I hear my TH-Marine two-way alarm system on my boat go off. I rushed outside and see a guy running away from my boat. The alarm system saved us that night, but the decision to blindly book a room in an unfamiliar area nearly cost me. That experience taught me to be mindful of where I’m staying.”
More than just security, anglers should have easy access to a solid boat ramp, and proximity to decent food options, a good grocery store, and a trustworthy gas station.
Tips for finding the best places / areas to stay
Kevin VanDam has long preached the importance of “controlling the controllable” in competitive bass fishing because so much in fishing is out of our control. Where you stay is one detail traveling anglers are very much in control of.
“Everyone has heard ‘preparation is the key to success’, well that doesn’t stop at tackle prep,” Scroggins said with a smile. “Networking is everything. At this point in my career I just have to pick up the phone and call a local to the area or someone I know who has been to a lake. Take this week for example. I called Michael Neal (Dayton, TN local) last year before our derby on Chickamauga and he got me hooked up with the PB Lodge and it worked out perfect.”
Scroggins has reciprocated this favor to hundreds of anglers over the years when tournament trails come to Florida. Anglers may be tight-lipped about what they do on the water, but lodging is a different story. If you don’t have a network built yet, Big Show said you aren’t out of options.
“Do some research and call the local chamber of commerce or tourism board if the area has it,” Scroggins offered. “Ask them about lodging, they’ll be more than happy to help. Heck, if you can’t reach them call the local pizza delivery place. Strike up a conversation and ask the workers if they know the best places to stay. Any insight goes a long way.”
Worst case scenario, Scroggins said sometimes you just have tomake a trip to see firsthand for yourself. Pre-practice on the lake and drive through potential host towns. Find a hotel, campground, or Air BnB you trust, and you’ll thank yourself when it comes tournament time.
As for Scroggins, he likes to be as comfortable as the ride of his all-new 2022 Tundra with the hotel and area he chooses to stay in. He’ll happily trade a 30-minute commute to take-off in the mornings once he finds a place with the accommodations he’s looking for. Be like Big Show. Your next fishing trip will be better for it.
Major League Fishing Delays Group B Day 2 Qualifying Round Due to Inclement Weather
WHAT:
Major League Fishing (MLF) has issued a severe weather delay for the Group B Day 2 Qualifying Round at the General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft in Spring City, Tennessee due to lightning in the area.
WHEN:
Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Takeoff: Postponed until further notice.
WHERE:
Watts Bar Lake
Spring City Boat Ramp
417 Toestring Valley Road
Spring City, Tennessee
NOTES:
Follow MajorLeagueFishing.com or the MLF app for the latest updates regarding weather conditions and more information on when the tournament day will resume.
“The safety of our anglers and their families, competition officials, camera operators and MLF staff is our number one priority,” said Aaron Beshears, MLF Tournament Director. “Weather Operations is expecting lightning in the area for the next two to three hours and isolated storms are also expected throughout the day, which may incur additional delays. We will attempt to complete the 8-hour competition day, however, if extended delays occur, the cutoff time for finishing out the competition day will be 6:30 p.m.”
The six-day event, hosted by Fish Dayton, the Rhea County Economic Tourism Council and Spring City, Tennessee, showcases 80 of the top professional bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a total purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.
The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B competed on Sunday and will resume competition on Tuesday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 38 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 the top prize of $100,000.
In addition to millions of dollars in cash prizes, 2022 Bass Pro Tour anglers are vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2023 General Tire Heavy Hitters All-Star event and REDCREST 2023, the world championship of professional bass fishing.
For complete details and up-to-date tournament information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Radford University Wins MLF Wiley X College Faceoff at Smith Mountain Lake
HUDDLESTON, Va. (June 7, 2022) – The Radford University team of Ruth Caudle, Alex Moss, Kent Clark and Jackson Norton, won the Major League Fishing (MLF) Wiley X College Faceoff at Smith Mountain Lake in Huddleston, Virginia, Saturday. The Highlanders bass club boated 15 bass weighing 30 pounds, 14 ounces to win the first Wiley X College Faceoff Event of the 2022 season and earn the win by a 3-pound, 1-ounce margin over Tennessee’s King University.
The Radford University team said that they knew the catch-weigh-immediate release format was very different from the five-fish format, so they changed their gameplan from Friday in order to catch as many fish as possible. They said that they spent the morning throwing topwater baits on the rocks to catch some fish left over from the shad spawn the previous night, then they spent the rest of the day keying on stretches of docks with a drop-shot rig.
The five teams that competed in the Wiley X College Faceoff at Smith Mountain Lake finished:
1st: Radford University – Ruth Caudle, Alex Moss, Kent Clark and Jackson Norton, 15 bass, 30-14
2nd: King University – Tyler Altizer, Dylan Thomson and Jacob Lovell, 13 bass, 27-13
3rd: Western Michigan University – Mason Jones, Jack Schable, Kert Antonowitsch and Cole Zagrzebski, nine bass, 24-15
4th: Virginia Tech University – Ryan Feehan, Daniel Weber, Caden Canaday and Lynn Chitwood, 11 bass, 24-9
5th: Penn State University – Anthony Riello, Jason Zubris, Dylan Crystaloski and Jakob Sorbera, three bass, 8-7
The Wiley X College Faceoffs are single-day tournaments where competitors fish in an MLF-style catch, weigh, immediate-release team format at each event. The College Faceoff tournaments occur the Saturday following an Abu Garcia College Fishing competition, on the same body of water. The results from the College Fishing tournament the previous day determine the 20 competitors for the Wiley X College Faceoff, with the top two teams (four anglers) from the top five schools in the regular season tournament qualifying to fish in the ten-boat faceoff the following day.
The Wiley X College Faceoff tournament on Smith Mountain Lake was the first of four Faceoff events for MLF collegiate anglers in 2022. The next Faceoff event for college anglers will take place on Saturday, July 30 at the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
MLF College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top 10 teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual Abu Garcia College Fishing Open will advance to the following season’s National Championship.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, 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 College Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Kevin VanDam Surges to Group A Qualifying Round Win at MLF Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake
Kalamazoo Pro Catches Two-Day Total of 21 Bass Weighing 51 Pounds, 3 Ounces to Win Automatic Berth to Championship Round – 19 Anglers Advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round
SPRING CITY, Tenn. (June 6, 2022) – Bass Pro Shops pro Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan , caught 12 scorable bass weighing 30 pounds even to earn the win Monday and advance directly to his third Bass Pro Tour Championship Round at the General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft in Spring City, Tennessee. This will mark the first time VanDam – whose astounding career is comprised of 29 major wins and eight Angler of the Year (AOY) awards – has earned an automatic berth to the Championship Round on the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour.
VanDam’s two-day Qualifying Round total of 21 bass weighing 51 pounds, 3 ounces earned him the Group A win by a solid 10-pound, 15-ounce margin over second-place pro Takahiro Omori of Tokyo, Japan, who caught a two-day total of 18 bass totaling 40-4. Berkley pro Jordan Lee of Cullman, Alabama started in 16th place on Monday, before ending the day in third place with a two-day total of 16 bass weighing 34-13, while Tennessee pro Andy Morgan of Dayton , finished the round in fourth place with a two-day total of 13 bass weighing 34-10. Favorite Fishing pro Mark Daniels, Jr. of Tuskegee, Alabama rounded out the top five with a two-day total of 15 bass weighing 34-8.
The six-day event, hosted by Fish Dayton, the Rhea County Economic Tourism Council and Spring City, Tennessee, showcases 80 of the top professional bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a total purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.
“Things normally don’t go the way you plan them, but today was a perfect day for me,” VanDam said. “I knew I had a little ground to make up, so I decided to start in a creek to get away from the main river current and I got off to a good start.”
VanDam started the day in sixth place but moved quickly to the top spot by the end of Period 1. He began the second period with a one-pound lead over the entire field, before gaining more ground to start Period 3 with a 10-pound, 1-ounce advantage.
“I knew if I could make a run at it and be able to automatically qualify for the Championship Round, I’d be sitting in a great spot,” VanDam said. “The Knockout Rounds are one of the hardest rounds to get through on this tour because the weights zero and all the guys you are up against have been catching them for two days in a row. Anything can happen, so everything has to go well, and you’ve really got to be catching them. Being able to skip that day of competition and move on is key.”
VanDam has several big wins on Tennessee River lakes – including his 2021 Bass Pro Tour win on Lake Chickamauga – and more than 20 top-10 finishes on the TVA fisheries, so it’s no surprise to find him on top of the leaderboard midway through the event. What is surprising, however, is his technique.
“I’m junk-fishing, which is far different than I initially planned to fish on Watts Bar Lake and the Tennessee River,” said VanDam, “Fortunately I’ve been able to make it work so far.
“I expected to come here and throw crankbaits on offshore ledges – and that’s what I’d love to do, but that just didn’t happen in practice, so I’ve had to mix it up,” VanDam continued. “I’ve caught a lot of my fish flipping a Strike King KVD Perfect Plastics Game Hawg , watermelon-seed-colored with a little chartreuse on the tail, around shallow docks and shallow brush.
“I also caught some key fish on a Strike King KVD Jerkbait and skipping a Strike King Thunder Cricket around rocks and overhanging trees, just mixing it up and doing whatever fits what’s in front of me.”
VanDam said earning the automatic berth to the Championship Round is a really good feeling, especially after a tough tournament at Lake of the Ozarks last month, where he finished in 51stplace.
“I’m happy to be able to bounce back here at Watts Bar Lake after a disappointing finish at the last event,” said VanDam. “Lake of the Ozarks was a place where I had a ton of confidence and I had a great practice, but I just didn’t execute and never made it past the Qualifying Round.
“I’m really focusing on AOY points, so that event cost me a lot right there for the season,” VanDam went on to say. “In spite of that, we’re going to end up with a good finish here, regardless of how things go on Thursday, and I’m looking forward to taking a shot at the win.”
Covington, Georgia pro Jared Lintner also made a big run Monday afternoon, catching a total of 18 pounds, 8 ounces on the day to finish with a two-day total of 27-14, moving him from 25th place into 11th and securing his spot in Wednesday’s Knockout Round. Pro Paul Elias of Laurel, Mississippi caught a 2-13, followed by a 1-10 in the final hour to move from 29th place to 20th for the day and squeeze into the Top 20. Elias was only one of two anglers to move into the Top 20 during Day 2 of the Group A Qualifying Round.
“This thing took a toll on me, let me tell you,” Elias said after the round concluded. “My practice was pretty bad, and the first day of competition just crushed me, but thankfully I got on a smallmouth deal that saved me and we made it in the top 20.
“I ended up having to go to some spinning stuff and I started throwing a little 6-inch worm on a ¼-ounce drop-shot,” Elias said. “I caught a largemouth weighing 4-13 with that on Saturday, and one or two on it today, but most of my fish were caught on a wacky-rigged stickbait, and I’m just not that style of fisherman.
“I made so many mistakes today, just trying to skip that thing under stuff, but it worked out and I’m thankful to be moving on to the next round,” Elias concluded.
The top 20 anglers from Group A will now enjoy an off day, while the 40 anglers in Qualifying Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition on Tuesday. The Knockout Round, featuring 38 anglers competing to finish in the top eight, will take place Wednesday. Thursday’s Championship Round will feature VanDam, Tuesday’s Group B winner, and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000.
The top 20 pros in Qualifying Group A that now advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round on Watts Bar Lake are:
1st: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 21 bass, 51-3
2nd: Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 18 bass, 40-4
3rd: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., 16 bass, 34-13
4th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 13 bass, 34-10
5th: Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., 15 bass, 34-8
6th: Randall Tharp, Port St. Joe, Fla., 14 bass, 32-5
7th: Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., 13 bass, 32-4
8th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 15 bass, 31-11
9th: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 15 bass, 30-1
10th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 27-15
11th Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., 13 bass, 27-14
12th: Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, 12 bass, 27-11
13th: Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, 13 bass, 25-11
14th: Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., 13 bass, 25-10
15th: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 11 bass, 25-2
16th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 14 bass, 25-0
17th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 13 bass, 24-11
18th: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 10 bass, 24-3
19th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., nine bass, 24-1
20th: Paul Elias, Laurel, Miss., 10 bass, 21-9
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 177 scorable bass weighing 385 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 40 pros Monday.
Morgan caught a 5-pound, 14-ounce largemouth throwing a jig in the second period to earn the third $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award of the event. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B competed on Sunday and will resume competition on Tuesday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 38 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 the top prize of $100,000.
Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. ET from the Spring City Boat Ramp, located at 417 Toestring Valley Road in Spring City, Tennessee. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the ramp, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome and encouraged to attend all launch and takeout events and to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2023 championship.
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. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft will premiere at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 29 on the Discovery Channel. 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 2022 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, BallyBet, Bass Cat, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Covercraft, Favorite Fishing, Garmin, General Tire, Googan Baits, Grundéns, Guaranteed Rate, Humminbird, Lowrance, Luminox, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Nitro Performance Boats, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Power Stop, Rapala, Starbrite, Toro, Toyota, Wrangler, Yellowstone Bourbon and Zoom.
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.
Oakdale High School Wins MLF High School Fishing Open on the California Delta
BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. (June 6, 2022) – The Oakdale High School team of Troy Cox and Zane Ravalin, both of Oakdale, California, brought five bass to the scale Sunday weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open at the California Delta.
A field of 34 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Russo’s Marina in Bethel Island, Calif. In MLF and The Bass Federation (TBF) High School Fishing competition, the top 10% of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top three teams that advanced to the 2022 High School Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Oakdale High School, Oakdale, Calif. – Troy Cox and Zane Ravalin, both of Oakdale, Calif., five bass, 22-8
2nd: Lake County High School Fishing Club – Tyler Bryant and Joey Gentle, both of Kelseyville, Calif., five bass, 21-4
3rd: Delta Saints Bass Team – Hunter Binns and Guy Laackman, both of West Sacramento, Calif., five bass, 20-2
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
4th: Delta Teen Team – Maxwell Kaneko, Berkeley, Calif., and Sam Shimabukuro, Alameda, Calif., five bass, 20-1
5th: Lake County High School Fishing Club – Payton Lyndall, Kelseyville, Calif., and Fisher Perkins, Rocklin, Calif., five bass, 16-12
6th: Delta Saints Bass Team – Jax Soto, Courtland, Calif., and Nathan Tritt, West Sacramento, Calif., five bass, 16-10
7th: Liberty High School, Brentwood, Calif. – Adrian Guillen, Brentwood, Calif., and Josh Stanchina, five bass, 14-3
8th: Vista Del Lago High School, Folsom, Calif. – Brian Mackinnon and Bryce White, both of El Dorado Hills, Calif., five bass, 13-0
9th: Lodi High School, Lodi, Calif. – Maverick Lahman and Kyle Mann, both of Lodi, Calif., five bass, 12-14
10th: Grizzly Bass Masters – Sam Houston, Georgetown, Calif., and Clay Smith, Greenwood, Calif., five bass, 12-3
Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The next event for High School Fishing anglers will be the 2022 MLF High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick and Wilson Lakes in Florence, Alabama, June 22-25.
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 2022 High School Fishing National Championship. The 2022 MLF High School Fishing National Championship will be held on Pickwick and Wilson Lakes in Florence, Alabama, June 22-25, and is hosted by the Florence-Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The High School Fishing National Champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2022 MLF Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, 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 High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Central High School Wins MLF High School Fishing Open on Smith Mountain Lake
HUDDLESTON, Va. (June 6, 2022) – The Central High School team of Gerald Brumbaugh of Martinsburg, Pennsylvania, and Dalton Metzger of Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open at Smith Mountain Lake. For their victory, the duo now qualify to compete in the 2023 High School Fishing National Championship.
Rounding out the top five teams were:
2nd: Madison High School, Marshall, N.C. – Matthew Crawford, Marshall, N.C., and Gavin Gault, Mars Hill, N.C., five bass, 14-1
3rd: Wellsboro Area School District, Wellsboro, Pa. – Conner Kapp and Colegan Stiner, five bass, 13-12
4th: HS Potomac River Bass Masters – Elijah Ambrose and Jarren Crowder, Clearspring, Md., four bass, 12-0
5th: New Breed Bassers – Ty Crispin, Elmer, N.J., and Kyle Gilson, Cedarville, N.J., four bass, 11-10
Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open at Smith Mountain Lake was hosted by Destination Bedford. The next event for High School Fishing anglers will be the 2022 MLF High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick and Wilson Lakes in Florence, Alabama, June 22-25.
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 2022 High School Fishing National Championship. The 2022 MLF High School Fishing National Championship will be held on Pickwick and Wilson Lakes in Florence, Alabama, June 22-25, and is hosted by the Florence-Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The High School Fishing National Champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2022 MLF Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, 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 High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Simpson University Wins MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Tournament on the California Delta
BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. (June 6, 2022) – The Simpson University duo of Jayden Nezy of Page, Arizona, and Nathan Phillips of Kelseyville, California, won the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on the California Delta Friday with a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 7 ounces. The victory earned the Red Hawks’ bass club a slot in the 2023 MLF College Fishing National Championship.
“We just fished the marina all day,” Phillips said. “The game plan was to start there and get maybe a 15-pound limit, then run around that general area the rest of the day and try to cull.
“We got in there and our first fish was the big one – the 6-15 – and the next was 5½ pounds,” Phillips added. “We had four fish at 9 o’clock that weighed about 18 pounds.”
Phillips said he gave those fish a break and moved the team south to chase the tide. After an hour, Phillips returned to their starting spot to fish the outgoing tide and stayed there the rest of the day. Their last fish came at 12:30.
Phillips said the team relied on a vibrating jig fished in grass and wood on one side of the marina and pilings on the other side. Phillips said Nezy was finesse fishing out of the back of the boat while Phillips focused on parallel casts to targets. Phillips said they caught 15 fish throughout the day – 10 of wich were keepers.
“The biggest thing was getting the bait deep enough to the fish,” Phillips said. “I threw a half-ounce bait and fished it pretty slow just trying to get it down to them.”
The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2023 College Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Simpson University – Jayden Nezy of Page, Ariz., and Nathan Phillips of Kelseyville, Calif., five bass, 24-7
2nd: Simpson University – Ty Manterola, Pasco, Wash., five bass, 16-11
3rd: University of Montevallo – Adam Carrol, Carrollton, Ga., and Trey Dickert, Taylors, S.C., five bass, 15-14
4th: Simpson University – Ryan Beaty, Martinez, Calif., and James Hawkinson, Granite Bay, Calif., five bass, 13-1
5th: University of Montevallo – Briggs Alavezos, Manteca, Calif., and Brody Robison, Dawson, Ala., five bass, 13-1
6th: Sonoma State University – Ari Forman, Westlake Village, Calif., and Cody Wyatt, Rohnert Park, Calif., five bass, 12-3
7th: Fresno State – Liam Cornell, Fresno, Calif., and Brendan Holden, Clovis, Calif., five bass, 11-12
8th: Simpson University – Myles Davis, Redding, Calif., and Austin Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., five bass, 11-11
9th: Sonoma State University – Aaron King, Windsor, Calif., and Richard Maloney, Ukiah Calif., five bass, 10-3
10th: Chico State – Jack Geist, Davis, Calif., and Miles Kaneko, Berkley, Calif., five bass, 9-9
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on the California Delta was the final of three regular-season tournaments for Western Conference anglers. The next event for College Fishing anglers will be the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on the Mississippi River, July 29 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
MLF College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top 10 teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual Abu Garcia College Fishing Open will advance to the following season’s National Championship. The 2022 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship Presented by Lowrance will be held on Fort Gibson Lake in Wagoner, Oklahoma, March 29-31, and is hosted by the Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, 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 College Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
