Coastal Carolina Claims Bassmaster College National Championship On Home Waters
Andrew Vereen and Connor Cartmell of Coastal Carolina University have won the 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship on Winyah Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops with a three-day total of 40 pounds, 2 ounces.
Photo by Dalton Tumblin/B.A.S.S.
September 4, 2022
GEORGETOWN, S.C. — When it was announced the Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops would be held on Winyah Bay, Murrells Inlet native Andrew Vereen and his Coastal Carolina partner Connor Cartmell knew they had to qualify for the prestigious tournament.
With a three-day total of 40 pounds, 2 ounces, Vereen and Cartmell made their goal a reality and earned the National Championship victory on home waters. They hoisted their trophies in front of a raucous crowd filled with hundreds of their supporters in downtown Georgetown, just a few miles from where Vereen grew up, as well as the school they attend.
“When I was 14, I remember watching it on TV and thinking it would be so cool to win that,” Vereen said. “We go to so many tournaments and see the trophies and only one team wins them. To win a National Championship feels like a million bucks.”
Not only did the Coastal Carolina duo win $5,000 and two Humminbird Helix 10 units, they also secured their spot in the College Classic Bracket. The Top 3 teams from the National Championship will compete in the Bracket with date and location to be announced soon.
“We have traveled so far to get to this point,” Cartmell said. “People thought we were crazy driving to Michigan, to Arkansas and even to Lake Norman. Driving all these miles. ‘Why are you spending so much money to go catch a bass?’ This is why.”
After landing in second after Day 1 with 14-6, Vereen and Cartmell took the lead on the second day with 15-1 before finishing the tournament with 10-11, enough to give them a 2-5 advantage over Jackson Swisher and Seth Slanker from Florida Gateway College.
After falling short at Saginaw Bay, Vereen and Cartmell qualified for the National Championship at the Wild Card event at Logan Martin in June with an eighth-place finish.
“When we qualified in Alabama it was the best drive home,” Vereen said. “All I have been thinking about is this tournament for the whole summer. I’ve been saving money so I can pay for gas and everything. For it to come together like it did, it is crazy.”
Vereen and Cartmell focused their efforts way up the Santee River, a very shallow part of the river with current that flows from the dam at Lake Marion that only got shallower as the tide receded. In that area, they targeted several types of wood cover, but mostly big laydowns that stuck out in the water.
“The bigger bites we had, the logs were probably 20 to 40 feet long and 3 to 5 feet wide. Some were in 3 feet of water, including our biggest fish, and some were in 6 or 7 feet of water. As long as we could see the logs, we were getting bit.”
Gizzard shad, current and a plethora of structure created the perfect ingredients for the CCU duo. Big topwater walking baits were the best producers, but they mixed in a popper, a prop bait and a jig as the tournament progressed.
“The fish had nowhere else to go,” Vereen explained. “Water flows down from Lake Marion and right now they aren’t turning water loose, which is good. It keeps it steady so the fish are willing to bite a little better. That river is full of nothing but rock, timber and wood when you get that far up and that is all we are fishing. The easiest thing to throw is a big topwater and sometimes they will flat out crush it.”
The biggest bass they saw all week, particularly Sunday, never bit.
“Three times today we had a small school follow a fish (we hooked) out,” Cartmell said. “He caught one that was pushing 2 pounds and there were four or five others with it that were over 5 or 6 pounds. You can see them roaming at times. Today I saw two over 8 pounds just cruising the bank.”
With bags of 11-15, 16-2 and 9-12, Swisher and Slanker finished with 37-13 total. While they may not have won the event, the Florida Gateway College team secured their ticket to the College Classic Bracket with their second-place finish.
“It is an amazing opportunity and another toward to going to the Bassmaster Classic,” Slanker said. “I have dreamed about that since I started bass fishing. I couldn’t be more thankful and blessed to be here.”
Last year, Swisher had an opportunity at qualifying for the Classic via an Opens win, but fell just short of that goal. Now, he will get a second chance.
“It is a supercool thing,” he said. “I was close last year and I blew my shot. It feels nice to get another shot at it. You don’t get this opportunity very often.”
Swisher and Slanker fished a specific creek in the Santee River that they shared with Hayden Gaddis and Ben Cully of Carson-Newman University, who finished sixth. Once they got there, they put the trolling motor on high and didn’t pick it up until they left for weigh-in.
With cypress trees and laydowns all around, a buzzbait and a Senko were their best producers.
“Today, Seth picked up a prop bait and gave us a 2-pounder in the last five casts which really made a big difference,” Swisher said.
Tyler Christy and Trey Schroeder from McKendree University were the only team in the Top 10 fishing the Sampit River and it paid off with a three-day total of 36-4 and a third-place finish.
They were one of the most consistent teams, landing 12-14 on Day 1, 12-0 on the second day and then 11-6 on Championship Sunday. Christy made the College Bracket his first season and now will get another opportunity.
“We have been in this situation before,” Christy said. “Just the thought of another opportunity to get back there knowing how much I have grown as an angler in four years is something I have wanted since I made it the first time. I know I am so much better now and now I get one more shot to complete my dream.”
Using a buzzbait and a shaky head, one pocket produced most of their bass this week.
“It was almost like trout fishing,” Schroeder said. “You would pull one off a little eddy and there would be another one there two minutes later. The biggest key was putting the trolling motor on 8 and getting into skinny water and making a few fish react.”
Solomon Glenn and Ryan Thomas from the University of Montevallo won the Big Bass of the Tournament with a 7-3 largemouth they caught on Day 2.
The Top 3 teams, as well as UNC Charlotte's Louis Monetti and Michael Fugaro via their Team of the Year title, will now set their sights on the College Classic Bracket. The March Madness-style tournament will give the winner an automatic berth into the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic scheduled for March 24-26 in Knoxville, Tenn., as well as paid entry into the 2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by Mossy Oak Fishing and the use of a Toyota Tundra and a Nitro Boat.
2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship at Winyah Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops 9/2-9/4
Winyah Bay, Georgetown SC.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Andrew Vereen - Connor Cartmell Coastal Carolina University 250
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 15-01 Day 3: 5 10-11 Total: 15 40-02
2. Jackson Swisher - Seth Slanker Florida Gateway College 249
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 16-02 Day 3: 5 09-12 Total: 15 37-13
3. Tyler Christy - Trey Schroeder McKendree University 248
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 12-00 Day 3: 5 11-06 Total: 15 36-04
4. Brooks Anderson - Parker Guy Emmanuel College 247
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 16-06 Day 3: 5 09-04 Total: 15 34-09
5. Conner Dimauro - Justin Botts Bryan College 246
Day 1: 5 08-02 Day 2: 5 15-09 Day 3: 5 10-08 Total: 15 34-03
6. Hayden Gaddis - Ben Cully Carson-Newman University 245
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 5 07-14 Total: 15 33-02
7. Jake Monti - Samuel Dunson UNC Charlotte 244
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 12-03 Day 3: 5 07-11 Total: 15 32-14
8. Tommy Sendek - Grayson Morris University of Montevallo 243
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 07-08 Total: 15 32-11
9. Matthew Cummings - Levi Mullins Bethel University 242
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 13-15 Day 3: 5 08-12 Total: 15 32-00
10. Connor Jacob - Sam Smith Auburn University 241
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 10-03 Day 3: 5 09-02 Total: 15 30-10
11. James Willoughby - Jacob Pfundt University of Montevallo 240
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 07-01 Day 3: 4 04-13 Total: 14 27-13
12. Owen Januszewski - Matt Mosby Adrian College 239
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 12-03 Day 3: 1 01-10 Total: 11 23-14
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 101 558 961-03
2 84 498 874-07
3 10 55 98-15
----------------------------------
195 1111 1934-09
Scott Siller goes wire-to-wire to win on Sandusky Bay in record-breaking fashion
Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
Starting off with 26-pounds on day one and adding 20-pounds, 15-ounces on day two, Scott Siller seals his first NPFL victory on Lake Erie presented by Fishermans Central with 19-pounds, 9-ounces on the final day and a total weight of 66-pounds, 9-ounces.
“I caught a lot of fish today but it was tougher on me today as well. I was having a hard time with the wind and I could see them spook when the boat was crashing with SpotLock. I was waiting for the wind to die down and it just didn’t stop.”
To catch his fish, Siller would pitch over above the fish and slowly drift his bait through the rocky areas without spooking the fish and could get bit. Making a last-minute push to try and upgrade, with not much time left in the day, he moved to a nearby rock pile and could see fish around it.
“I pulled over and could see them on the edges and they would not bite. I finally casted on top of it and caught my biggest fish. Without that, I wouldn’t have got it done. I don’t even know what to say,” added Siller.
After leading a Bassmaster Open at Lake Champlain for two days a few years back, the memories still are on the top of his mind.
“I was thinking about Champlain last night and thinking man, I can’t close one of these out. I had a chance up there and didn’t get it done. It haunted me last night and it feels really good to close one out and get that off my mind,” Siller added.
Siller had a list of sponsors and a special shout out for the people who support and encourage him every year.
“A big thanks to Black Rifle Coffee obviously, Cashion Rods and Mercury Marine. I also want to thank T.C. for everything
Gary Adkins
A winner at Saginaw Bay in July, Gary Adkins began the day in the 2nd place spot with a two-day total of 41-pounds, 11-ounces. Adding 23-pounds, 9-ounces on day three, Adkins finished the event in the 2nd place spot and goes to the final stop in contention for the Progressive AOY race.
Taylor Watkins
Two-time NPFL champion Taylor Watkins finished in the 3rd place spot with a three-day total of 62-pounds, 13-ounces. Adding 23-pounds, 1-ounces on day three, Watkins worked an area over all three days to catch his fish and make a move up in the Progressive Angler of the Year race.
Before the tournament, he planned to sample Erie before possibly making the move to St. Clair on day two. Despite only four bass on day one, his two-day total of 39-pounds, 12-ounces was enough for him to commit to his area on Erie and for the most part, he had it to himself.
“I spent the whole event on that little area and this morning on angler moved in and caught a five pounder and a four pounder. Around noon another guy came in for a little while. I caught them the same way all three days and I couldn’t have done it without the clean install by Bass Boat Electronics.”
Without livescope, Watkins is sure he wouldn’t have caught half the fish he did, and he was casting a variety of baits around on a dropshot and moving around. A dead fish on the final day cost him some weight but overall, the Tennessee angler made a move in the Progressive AOY race with one event left in Florida.
Sheldon Collings
Adding 21-pounds, 14-ounces to his day one weight of 20-pounds, 8-ounces and day two weight of 18-pounds, 6-ounces, Sheldon Collings caught a three-day total of 60-pounds, 12-ounces to finish at Sandusky in the 4thplace spot.
Coming into the event, Collings knew what he needed to do and first thing on Sunday he caught a four pounder off a boulder and spent the rest of practice looking for similar things.
“I graphed around deeper than 30 foot and marked everything I found. I was fishing a Strike King Z2 on a dropshot and looking at them on Livescope,” said Collings. “I have never done good on smallmouth and to come here and do better than I thought and get a top five feels great.
Dan Blackert
Dan Blackert finished in the 5th place spot with a three-day total of 60-pounds, 4-ounces and added 20-pounds, 12-ounces on day three to wrap up a solid showing on his home waters.
“That second day with only four fish hurt me this week but overall, I had a great time. I want to thank Waikem Auto Family, AFTCO, Big Bite Baits and of course Fishermans Central.”
Trent Palmer
With his biggest bag of the week on day three, Trent Palmer added 20-pounds, 15-ounces to his weight to finish the event in the 6th place spot with a three-day total of 59-pounds, 3-ounces.
Rest of the Best:
Louis Fernandes 58-14
Taylor Umland 58-8
Justin Kimmel 57-4
Patrick Walters 56-9
Local Knowledge Helps Coastal Carolina Take The Lead In Bassmaster College National Championship
Andrew Vereen and Connor Cartmell of the Coastal Carolina University are leading after Day 2 of the 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship on Winyah Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops with a two-day total of 29 pounds, 7 ounces.
Photo by Dalton Tumblin/B.A.S.S.
September 3, 2022
Local Knowledge Helps Coastal Carolina Take The Lead In Bassmaster College National Championship
GEORGETOWN, S.C. — When Andrew Vereen and Connor Cartmell walked on stage on Day 2 of the Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, they were met with a cheering section so loud it echoed throughout Front Street in downtown Georgetown.
Vereen and Cartmell rewarded their family, friends and supporters with a 15-pound, 1-ounce bag of largemouth that lifted the Coastal Carolina University duo to the lead with a two-day total of 29-7. Entering the day in second with 14-6, Vereen and Cartmell now hold a 1-6 advantage over Jackson Swisher and Seth Slanker from Florida Gateway College.
“It feels good to have a crowd that knows who we are and is rooting for us,” Vereen said.
Vereen grew up just up the road from Georgetown in Murrells Inlet and has fished the Winyah Bay system his entire life. But he recognized that home-field advantage only does so much when so many quality anglers are in town.
“The local advantage is there for knowing the area better than others,” Vereen said. “As far as fishing goes, you have to put your head down and fish. Any of these boys can catch them. They are all good fishermen. But we do have an advantage in the fact I know how to get around.”
That navigation advantage has played a huge role so far, as they are getting back into tight areas on low tide in the Santee River. They were faced with the same tide situation as Day 1, which makes for an interesting run in the morning.
“We pretty much had the same tide we had yesterday but today it fell out a little lower,” Vereen said. “We have a sketchy run getting to where we are going. I’m a little nervous. If we get up there we are good, but if we take a lower unit off we will be (in trouble).”
While they had their limit by 11:30 a.m. Friday, it was the total opposite on Day 2. They got their biggest bite of the day early in the morning, but that fish never made it in the boat. After that, they adjusted to the conditions and recovered from their early-morning stumble.
“First thing this morning was a struggle. We lost one that was over 6 pounds, maybe 7,” Cartmell said. “We put one in the boat that was 12 inches and we started catching more fish and went from there after 11:30. We filled out a limit around 1 p.m. It was the complete opposite of yesterday because we didn’t catch one after 11 yesterday.”
One bait did the job on the first day in one stretch of the river, but Saturday the CCU duo threw a rotation of baits that included a shaky head and a big topwater bait. Clouds and a little bit of rain moved through the area as well, which Cartmell believes helped the cause.
“Yesterday it was one stretch. Today we caught two or three fish off of it and on the way back we junk fished,” Cartmell added. “We fished what looked good and laydowns that were off the bank 40 or 50 yards. You can barely see them sticking out of the water or submerged in the water.
“We Power-Pole down or Spot-Lock down and throw over it and work that sucker as slow as we can. Let it sit and that's when they eat it.”
Winning on his home waters would mean the world to Vereen, but he said they will need their area to reload a little bit.
“It would mean the world. All I want is that trophy,” he said. “I am nervous for tomorrow. We are kind of running out of fish. We are going to have to grind to get five of the right fish. All we can do is go fishing.”
Swisher and Slanker have used their history on the St. Johns River in Florida this week, catching 11-15 on Day 1 and 16-2 Saturday to climb into second place with a two-day total of 28-1.
“We know how to run the tide,” Swisher said. “I haven’t seen it act how it has acted the last couple days. I don’t know if it is because of the wind or what it is, but we haven’t had a slack tide. It is falling and then all of sudden it will rise. Back home, there is a solid 45 minutes of dead time.”
After a quick start to the morning, Swisher and Slanker suffered a lull before getting back on track.
“We had a 3-pounder as our first fish and then a 2 1/2 and then we went through a slow spell where we only caught some shorts,” Swisher said. “About 10 a.m., we started wearing them out and then in the last 20 minutes I caught a 4 1/2-pounder and that put us where we needed to be.”
The Florida anglers have found several areas of river that are largely untouched by the competition, areas they say most anglers wouldn’t take their boats. Having unpressured fish has been a huge part of their success this week.
Slanker said they ran the same program as they did Friday. But before the big bass today, they hadn’t had a true big bite this week. A buzzbait and a Senko have been their two key baits this week and he is hoping Sunday they will get another big bite that will lift them to victory.
Brooks Anderson and Parker Guy of Emmanuel College are in third with a two-day total 25-5, thanks mostly to their 16-6 Day 2 performance. After attempting their first-day pattern to start the morning, the duo received one key bite mid-morning that keyed them in.
“It really turned our day around,” Anderson said. “It clued us into what we needed to do. From there we put three really good fish in the boat. We had a couple more opportunities but we are hopeful for tomorrow.”
Solomon Glenn and Ryan Thomas from the University of Montevallo claimed the Big Bass of the Tournament with a 7-3 largemouth that anchored the Big Bag of the Tournament at 16-14.
The Top 12 anglers will return to Winyah Bay Sunday to compete for the National Championship title as well as a spot in the College Classic Bracket. Takeoff will begin at 6:30 a.m. ET from Carroll A. Campbell Marine Complex and weigh-in will begin around 2:30 p.m. in downtown Georgetown. Weigh-in coverage will be carried on Bassmaster.com.
The Top 3 teams will join the Bassmaster College Team of the Year to qualify for the Bracket and a chance to compete in the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville.
2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship at Winyah Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops 9/2-9/4
Winyah Bay, Georgetown SC.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Andrew Vereen - Connor Cartmell Coastal Carolina University 250
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 15-01 Total: 10 29-07
2. Jackson Swisher - Seth Slanker Florida Gateway College 249
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 16-02 Total: 10 28-01
3. Brooks Anderson - Parker Guy Emmanuel College 248
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 16-06 Total: 10 25-05
4. Hayden Gaddis - Ben Cully Carson-Newman University 247
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 13-09 Total: 10 25-04
5. Jake Monti - Samuel Dunson UNC Charlotte 246
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 12-03 Total: 10 25-03
6. Tommy Sendek - Grayson Morris University of Montevallo 245
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 12-11 Total: 10 25-03
7. Tyler Christy - Trey Schroeder McKendree University 244
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 12-00 Total: 10 24-14
8. Conner Dimauro - Justin Botts Bryan College 243
Day 1: 5 08-02 Day 2: 5 15-09 Total: 10 23-11
9. Matthew Cummings - Levi Mullins Bethel University 242
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 13-15 Total: 10 23-04
10. James Willoughby - Jacob Pfundt University of Montevallo 241
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 07-01 Total: 10 23-00
11. Owen Januszewski - Matt Mosby Adrian College 240
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 12-03 Total: 10 22-04
12. Connor Jacob - Sam Smith Auburn University 239
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 10-03 Total: 10 21-08
13. Adrian Urso - Corbin Templon Murray State University 238
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 10-11 Total: 10 21-02
14. Solomon Glenn - Ryan Thomas University of Montervallo 237
Day 1: 3 03-14 Day 2: 5 16-14 Total: 8 20-12
15. Ryan Franks - Jason Reding Kent State University 236
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 09-00 Total: 10 20-12
16. Brayden Mercer - Corey Morris East Texas Baptist University 235
Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 5 13-08 Total: 10 20-11
17. Zack Barrera - Bryson Osteen Florida Gateway College 234
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 08-13 Total: 10 20-11
18. Peyton Harris - Dalton Head University of Montevallo 233
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 10-12 Total: 10 20-09
19. Tyler Cory - Scott Sledge University of Montevallo 232
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 10-11 Total: 10 20-08
20. Kaden Proffitt - Cason Ragsdale East Texas Baptist University 231
Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 5 13-04 Total: 10 20-07
21. Chase Sansom - Tyler Drown Marshall University 230
Day 1: 5 06-04 Day 2: 5 13-14 Total: 10 20-02
22. Luke Morgan - Kyle Knoll Southern Union State Community C 229
Day 1: 5 06-15 Day 2: 5 12-11 Total: 10 19-10
23. Victor Alford - Logan East Bryan College 228
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 09-05 Total: 10 19-08
24. Chase Hubble - Brent May Florida Gateway College 227
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 09-15 Total: 10 19-08
25. Conner Giles - Christian Wright Bryan College 226
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 08-02 Total: 10 19-05
26. Cole Lamb - Tristan Weaver Arkansas Tech University 225
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 05-11 Total: 10 19-04
27. Hunter Baird - Cole Breeden Drury University 224
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 10-03 Total: 10 19-04
28. Drew Traffanstedt - Dakendrick Patterson University of Montevallo 223
Day 1: 5 09-14 Day 2: 5 09-02 Total: 10 19-00
29. Logan Parks - Tucker Smith Auburn University 222
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 11-02 Total: 10 18-13
30. Ryan Feehan - Spence Francis Virginia Tech University 221
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 08-06 Total: 10 18-12
31. Tyler Anderson - Britt Myers Lander University 220
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 09-11 Total: 10 18-09
32. Jackson Ebbers - Hunter Suchsland University of Nebraska-Lincoln 219
Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 5 10-00 Total: 10 18-08
33. Avery Hammock - Garrett Smith Erskine College 218
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 5 08-13 Total: 10 18-04
34. Carson Maddux - Robert Cruvellier Auburn University 217
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 3 05-09 Total: 8 18-01
35. Michael Postlewait - Andrew Rickman Dallas Baptist University 216
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 5 08-14 Total: 10 18-01
36. Matthew Davis - Adrian College 215
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 08-04 Total: 10 17-13
37. Blake Richards - James Gillis Clarkson University 214
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 4 04-15 Total: 9 17-09
38. Jacob Welch - Lee Lambrecht Drury University 213
Day 1: 3 10-11 Day 2: 5 06-14 Total: 8 17-09
39. Parker Greer - Andrew Shadle Baylor University 212
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 07-02 Total: 10 17-09
40. Will Harkins - Mitchell Grimsley Young Harris College 211
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 08-05 Total: 10 17-07
41. Lucas Smith - Dalton Mize Jacksonville State University 210
Day 1: 5 08-03 Day 2: 5 09-02 Total: 10 17-05
42. Tj Davis - Austin Callovini Greenville University 209
Day 1: 5 07-13 Day 2: 5 09-03 Total: 10 17-00
43. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson Minnesota State - Mankato 208
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 07-09 Total: 10 16-15
44. Luke Glasgow - James Ikerd Mississippi State University 207
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 06-10 Total: 10 16-09
45. Lafe Messer - Matt Messer Kentucky Christian University 206
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 5 09-01 Total: 10 16-09
46. Jack Dice - Liberty University 205
Day 1: 5 08-04 Day 2: 5 08-04 Total: 10 16-08
47. Hunter MCClaskey - Landon Lawson King University 204
Day 1: 5 08-04 Day 2: 5 08-00 Total: 10 16-04
48. Braden Perry - Aidan England Carson-Newman University 203
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 06-15 Total: 10 16-01
49. Griffin Fernandes - Hayden Scott Adrian College 202
Day 1: 5 06-12 Day 2: 5 09-03 Total: 10 15-15
50. Hunter Keller - Wesley Smith Catawba Valley Community College 201
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 08-05 Total: 10 15-14
51. Easton Fothergill - Nick Dumke University of Montevallo 200
Day 1: 5 05-10 Day 2: 5 10-02 Total: 10 15-12
52. Jake Peck - Beau Browning Drury University 199
Day 1: 5 07-02 Day 2: 5 08-10 Total: 10 15-12
53. Brady Rufenacht - Nick Redlin University of Wisconsin- Plattev 198
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 5 06-14 Total: 10 15-11
54. Jeremy Dellinger - Adam Seagle Erskine College 197
Day 1: 5 07-06 Day 2: 5 08-05 Total: 10 15-11
55. Kyle Simmons - Brett Halstead Kansas State University 196
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 08-01 Total: 10 15-10
56. Matthew Zdrazil - Easton Lindus Emmanuel College 195
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 2 02-11 Total: 7 15-09
57. Wyatt Pearman - Dustin Bauer Campbellsville University 194
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 05-15 Total: 10 15-09
58. Keaton Smith - Matthew Bradham Campbellsville University 193
Day 1: 4 06-00 Day 2: 4 09-06 Total: 8 15-06
59. Robert Gee - Chad Sentell University of Tennessee 192
Day 1: 5 08-02 Day 2: 5 07-02 Total: 10 15-04
60. Chase Clarke - Peyton McCord Auburn University 191
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 07-09 Total: 10 15-04
61. Eli Stevenson - Hunter Palmer Bryan College 190
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 07-08 Total: 10 15-03
62. Drew Gill - Jonah Potts Wabash Valley College 189
Day 1: 5 05-10 Day 2: 5 09-08 Total: 10 15-02
63. Logan Bozeman - Andrew Fryer Southern Union State Community C 188
Day 1: 5 06-01 Day 2: 5 08-14 Total: 10 14-15
64. Kyle Hopping - Jaxson Freeman McKendree University 187
Day 1: 5 05-15 Day 2: 5 08-15 Total: 10 14-14
65. Russel Buffa - Jenson Kay Adrian College 186
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 2 03-07 Total: 7 14-13
66. Tanner Barclay - Lloyd Laconsay Auburn University 185
Day 1: 5 07-01 Day 2: 3 07-10 Total: 8 14-11
67. Zach Malinowski - Kevin Langlands Grand Valley State University 184
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 2 02-15 Total: 7 14-08
68. Tyler Pendergrass - Benson Dowler University of North Alabama 183
Day 1: 5 06-07 Day 2: 5 07-15 Total: 10 14-06
69. Jackson Paden - Joseph Bissing University of Tennessee 182
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 4 06-06 Total: 9 14-04
70. Joshua DeKoning - Dalton Mollenkopf Adrian College 181
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 4 06-12 Total: 9 14-04
71. Noah Campbell - Troy Harris Georgia College 180
Day 1: 5 07-07 Day 2: 5 06-13 Total: 10 14-04
72. Camden Trautlein - Bryce Dallas UW-Stout 179
Day 1: 5 06-09 Day 2: 5 07-10 Total: 10 14-03
73. Cody Griffith - Drew Jennings Auburn University 178
Day 1: 5 08-01 Day 2: 4 06-00 Total: 9 14-01
74. Brody Robison - Jack Alexander University of Montevallo 177
Day 1: 5 07-15 Day 2: 5 06-01 Total: 10 14-00
75. Ryan Park - Murray State University 176
Day 1: 5 07-13 Day 2: 5 06-03 Total: 10 14-00
76. Jayce Garrison - Mason Hoke Sam Houston State University 175
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 06-06 Total: 10 13-15
77. Michael Fugaro - Louis Monetti UNC Charlotte 174
Day 1: 5 06-03 Day 2: 5 07-11 Total: 10 13-14
78. Hayden O'barr - Tyler Lubbat University of Alabama 173
Day 1: 3 07-15 Day 2: 5 05-13 Total: 8 13-12
79. Camden Lewis - TJ Edwards Jr Blue Mountain College 172
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 06-01 Total: 10 13-12
80. Cordell Beckmann - Mark Burnham Greenville University 171
Day 1: 5 06-11 Day 2: 5 07-00 Total: 10 13-11
81. Colton White - Chance Schwartz University of Montevallo 170
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 5 05-12 Total: 10 13-10
82. Brady Duncan - Stevie Mills Carson-Newman University 169
Day 1: 4 07-08 Day 2: 5 06-01 Total: 9 13-09
83. Jordan Pennington - Weston Hollar University of Montevallo 168
Day 1: 5 06-12 Day 2: 5 06-13 Total: 10 13-09
84. Lane Lassiter - Tyler Finley University of North Alabama 167
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 3 03-09 Total: 8 13-04
85. Lane Bailey - Justin Eggers Catawba Valley Community College 166
Day 1: 5 06-11 Day 2: 5 06-09 Total: 10 13-04
86. Cy Casey - Tanner Hadden Emmanuel College 165
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 3 02-11 Total: 8 13-03
87. Kopeland Rosser - Ryan Branch University of Montevallo 164
Day 1: 5 07-13 Day 2: 4 05-05 Total: 9 13-02
88. Connor Hicks - Austin Wadzinski University of Tennessee 163
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 2 03-14 Total: 7 13-01
89. Cole Hopson - Callaway Robinson Georgia College 162
Day 1: 4 04-03 Day 2: 5 08-12 Total: 9 12-15
90. Reece Martin - Mark Harris Dallas Baptist University 161
Day 1: 5 06-12 Day 2: 5 06-03 Total: 10 12-15
91. Harmon Marien - Bailey Bleser McKendree University 160
Day 1: 5 06-00 Day 2: 5 06-12 Total: 10 12-12
92. Chase Milholen - Cody Gregory Bethel University 159
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 1 01-15 Total: 6 12-11
93. Bradley Martin - Jack Baron University of Montevallo 158
Day 1: 5 05-15 Day 2: 5 06-12 Total: 10 12-11
94. John Harrell - Camden Romero Hinds Community College 157
Day 1: 5 06-14 Day 2: 5 05-12 Total: 10 12-10
95. John Mark Berry - Blake Bullock Blue Mountain College 156
Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 4 05-05 Total: 9 12-08
96. Troy Gibson - Jake Novotny University of Louisville 155
Day 1: 4 05-02 Day 2: 5 06-08 Total: 9 11-10
97. Chase Carey - Dylan Akins Emmanuel College 154
Day 1: 5 05-00 Day 2: 5 06-06 Total: 10 11-06
98. Matthew Benson - Nathanael Wright Emmanuel College 153
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 1 01-01 Total: 6 11-00
99. Hunter Greer - Austin Speer Northwestern State University 152
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 1 01-01 Total: 6 10-00
100. Broxson Daigle - Aaron Hawkins Texas A&M University 151
Day 1: 5 05-03 Day 2: 5 04-13 Total: 10 10-00
101. Mitch Johnson - Gunner Whitaker Kentucky Christian University 150
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 09-09
102. Colton Hill - Trey Budach McKendree University 149
Day 1: 5 05-10 Day 2: 3 03-09 Total: 8 09-03
103. Colin Wolinski - Garrett Weiss Missouri State University 148
Day 1: 5 05-07 Day 2: 4 03-12 Total: 9 09-03
104. Jackson Denny - Colton Parrott University of South Carolina 147
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 08-15
105. Sam Hanggi - Sam Hoesley Auburn University 146
Day 1: 2 03-05 Day 2: 4 05-05 Total: 6 08-10
106. Koltyn Harbin - Baylor Howell Bethel University 145
Day 1: 2 02-00 Day 2: 5 06-08 Total: 7 08-08
107. Andrew Ready - Vince Maffei Webber International University 144
Day 1: 5 06-10 Day 2: 1 01-12 Total: 6 08-06
108. Lilly Smith - Anderson Jones Lander University 143
Day 1: 4 04-14 Day 2: 2 03-05 Total: 6 08-03
109. Cal Culpepper - Aaron Cherry University of Montevallo 142
Day 1: 2 02-04 Day 2: 5 05-07 Total: 7 07-11
110. Kobe Thompson - Adrian College 141
Day 1: 2 02-12 Day 2: 3 04-15 Total: 5 07-11
111. Dakota Posey - Trent Buchholz Lamar State College Orange 140
Day 1: 5 04-05 Day 2: 2 03-05 Total: 7 07-10
112. Brock Bila - Dylan Chambers Drury University 139
Day 1: 5 07-07 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 07-07
113. Jack Tindel - Brett Fregia Lamar State College Orange 138
Day 1: 2 02-11 Day 2: 3 04-08 Total: 5 07-03
114. Zach Mcnary - Eric Hanover Grand Valley State University 137
Day 1: 2 02-11 Day 2: 2 04-06 Total: 4 07-01
115. Sid Wallace - Braedon Metzgar Texas A&M University 136
Day 1: 2 02-08 Day 2: 2 04-07 Total: 4 06-15
116. TJ McKenzie - Seth Jenkins Emmanuel College 135
Day 1: 2 04-03 Day 2: 1 01-09 Total: 3 05-12
117. Logan Anderson - Tyler Little North Carolina State University 134
Day 1: 5 05-06 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 05-06
118. Evan Thomas - Joey Williams Liberty University 133
Day 1: 4 05-01 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 4 05-01
119. Kaleb Brown - Chad Mrazek Lander University 132
Day 1: 2 03-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 03-00
120. Garrett Thompson - Corey Pyles West Virginia University 131
Day 1: 2 02-08 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 02-08
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 101 558 961-03
2 84 498 874-07
----------------------------------
185 1056 1835-10
Old Reel, Fresh Line for Jack Dice
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Jack Dice is one of just a handful of anglers competing in the Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship on Winyah Bay solo this week. The Liberty University graduate is no stranger to making the best out of situations most wouldn’t consider ideal. Whether that’s fishing against the country’s best college teams alone, last minute troubleshooting on his infamous old Ranger, or using well-worn equipment.
Dice doesn’t mind doing things his own way, as he proved last year when he won a Bassmaster College Series event fishing by himself on Lake Cumberland. And he thinks of the wear and tear on tournament tested equipment like the Lew’s LFS Speed Spool he’s holding in this picture quite fondly.
“This is one of my favorite reels, so when we got a text from Bassmaster encouraging us to bring any Lew’s reels to the meeting for an extra spool of line I knew I had to bring this one. Battle scars and all,” Dice said with a smile.
The College Series title Strike King handed out a spool of Contra Fluorocarbon Line to every angler competing during Wednesday’s Pro Night, and if you brought a Lew’s reel you earned yourself an extra spool of line.
“I actually won this reel in a raffle at a BFL four or five years ago,” Dice recalled. “Raffles are not my jam, maybe it’s the Christian in me and it feels too close to gambling or something, but I can honestly say I have never entered a tournament raffle since. But it felt meant to be at the time and this reel has turned out to be a workhorse for me.”
Dice said he couldn’t pass up a chance at a few fresh spools of line, as fluorocarbon isn’t cheap and he was hoping to get his hands on some 17-lb flouro so he could use this reel for flipping and pitching on Winyah Bay.
“I have had this particular reel spooled up with all kinds of different line over the years, but this reel was my primary player in the first National Championship I ever fished on the Harris Chain in 2020,” Dice said. “The tournament didn’t pan out the way I hoped, but I was catching some nice fish on a squarebill out of brush piles. It was one of the coolest bites I’ve ever had leading into a tournament.”
Riding the momentum from a BFL Super Regional win on Cayuga Lake last weekend, the down-to-earth Virginia native came into the second day of competition in 51st place after weighing just over 8-lbs of tidal water bass in downtown Georgetown on day one. Dice hoped to milk a little better bag of fish out of what he found in his limited practice and improve on his position today.
“I had a fun one-hour flurry today and I learned some things that’ll hopefully make tomorrow an all-day ordeal,” Dice said of his day one efforts. “No matter what though, this is my last college fishing tournament so I’m really just trying to soak it all up and enjoy the process.”
Chicken Biscuits and Thunder Crickets
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
As nervous energy built in anticipation for the start of day two of the Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship, I noticed a Marshall University team calmly preparing for their number to be called. One dude was tying on a Thunder Cricket vibrating swim jig, and the other was about to get down on a Bojangles Chicken Biscuit.
The duo received the lure during Thursday’s gifting suite and the breakfast sandwich was courtesy of the Georgetown hosts who handed out bags of ice and fistfuls of biscuits to anglers as they launched their boats in the pre-dawn darkness. As boat number 114, Chase Sansom and Tyler Drown were all smiles this morning and not in a big hurry.
“It’s the National Championship, how could we not be smiling,” Sansom grinned. “We weighed in 6-lbs 4-ounces yesterday and know we need a bigger bag today to have a shot at fishing tomorrow. We caught our fifth keeper yesterday on one of the Thunder Crickets Strike King handed out at the banquet on Thursday, so we’re hoping we can put this one in front of some bigs today.”
Both Drown and Sansom are seniors and are fishing their 3rdNational Championship as partners this week. Drown is finishing a Civil Engineering degree and Sansom is a Marketing major. The Marshall University Bisons have enough experience and smarts to know that even with a subpar day one, they are far from out of this tournament.
“We caught over 12-lbs two different days in practice, so we know we’re around the right caliber of fish to make a comeback,” Drown explained. “We caught about the same number of fish yesterday as we had been in practice. They were just little. Today we need two big bites to go with a limit. If we can do that, we can get back into this thing.”
It was obvious Sansom and Drown had the right mindset as they prepared to make a 30-mile boat ride in a 2004 Triton to their starting spot. Smiling faces, old and oftentimes beat up equipment, and good attitudes are familiar themes of college fishing tournaments. The competitive fire to win burns hot within every angler fishing this week, but veterans of the college series know it’s just as important to enjoy every step of the way.
Whether that step is a fat five fish limit that allows them to rally up the leaderboard, or a free swim jig and a breakfast biscuit. It’s the college fishing national championship and like Sansom wisely said, there is no reason not to smile.
Montevallo Claims Day 1 Lead In Bassmaster College National Championship On Winyah Bay
James Willoughby and Jacob Pfundt of the University of Montevallo are leading after Day 1 of the 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship on Winyah Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops with 15 pounds, 15 ounces.
Photo by Dalton Tumblin/B.A.S.S.
September 2, 2022
Montevallo Claims Day 1 Lead In Bassmaster College National Championship On Winyah Bay
GEORGETOWN, S.C. — Growing up in Mississippi, James Willoughby learned very quickly how to fish the tidal waters of the Pascagoula River. So, when it was announced the Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops would be held on Winyah Bay, he thought he and his partner Jacob Pfundt would feel right at home.
Sure enough, the Montevallo duo caught 15 pounds, 15 ounces to take the lead on the first day of the prestigious tournament. They hold a 1 1/2-pound lead over Andrew Vereen and Connor Cartmell from Coastal Carolina University and over a 2-pound advantage over Cole Lamb and Tristan Weaver from Arkansas Tech.
Securing a big bag this early in the tournament takes some of the pressure off, Pfundt said.
“It takes the weight off our shoulders for sure,” the Lake Lanier native said. “I wouldn’t say we got the hardest part done with, but we aren’t working uphill at this point. I don’t think Montevallo has won a National Championship, so it would be huge to accomplish that.”
After visiting several spots without a bite, the duo continued to move around and grinded out five good bites, including two 4-pounders. Willoughby said that while he knew they were around bass in practice, he had no idea what the quality would be like.
“It had to be better than we expected,” he said. “Nobody can guess they are going to get two 4-pound bites. I knew we were around some fish, but I didn’t think they were going to be that big. I truly don’t know what we will have tomorrow. It could be anything. It could be 6 pounds.
There is no telling. We set our target weight at 10 or 11 pounds because we thought you could catch 22 pounds and make it to the final day. But it seems like they caught them a lot better than we thought.”
Tide creates bite windows for anglers each day and is crucial to Willoughby and Pfundt’s bite. And while he is familiar with tidal systems, Willoughby said Winyah Bay is different from his home waters in how much the tide swings on a given day.
“Tide plays a role in everyone’s bite out here whether they realize it or not,” he explained. “I grew up on a tidal fishery so it helps me better understand it out here. It is a unique thing to figure out, I will say. The tide swings, like, 3 feet a day and it doesn’t stop but for about 30 minutes and then it is back the other way.”
Vereen and Cartmell meanwhile, put their local knowledge to work and sacked 14-6 on Day 1.
Vereen grew up in nearby Murrells Inlet and has fished the Winyah Bay system his entire life. So, when the championship was announced on his home fishery for his senior year, he was pumped. Cartmell grew up around the Lake Murray area and has essentially taken a crash course in tidal fishing during his four years at CCU.
“It was about time to go to Saginaw Bay and we heard it was going to be at Winyah Bay and I was like, ‘Connor, we have to qualify.’ We didn’t qualify in Michigan, but we went down to (the Wild Card) at Logan Martin and qualified.”
While they are in second going into Day 2, they were a little disappointed with their total weight Friday.
“We had expectations that were higher than 14 pounds,” Cartmell said. “We wanted 16 or 17 after today. We had an okay practice but (this bag) was enough for today.”
Their starting spot only produced one 12-incher. But after a spot change, they caught everything they put on the scales in a 30-minute window in a 1/2-mile stretch of the Santee River.
“We ran up a little further and decided we were going to put our heads down and fish. We fished back until we had a limit,” Vereen said. “We got them dialed in on one bait. That is the only thing they want. We tried to catch them on other stuff but it is not happening.”
They added that several other competitors were in the same area they were fishing, more than Vereen said he would like to have around him. Getting the bite windows correct is crucial to their success as well. After 11 a.m., when the incoming tide began to filter back into the river, they did not get a bite.
Lamb and Weaver may be from Arkansas, but they spend a lot of time on the White River, which often acts as a tidal fishery depending on the dam schedules of Norfork and Bull Shoals.
“People think about trout fishing there but we bass fish,” Lamb said. “It is probably the only place that isn’t tidal that rises and falls 4 or 5 feet a day. Because of that, we have spots that change all day and as the tide comes up we can switch.”
That helped the Arkansas Tech duo adjust to real tidal fishing quickly and catch 13-9 on Day 1 at Winyah Bay to land in third.
“It is a tough spot to get into, but once we started fishing it went down pretty quickly,” Lamb said. “After 30 minutes, we were done fishing so we could save it for the next few days. We hope there are more there. We probably caught 20 in the first 30 minutes.”
Lamb and Weaver have one main area they are fishing, but there are a couple of sweet spots they have located where the bass will position depending on what the tide is doing. They estimated they caught around 20 or 30 bass and their bag was anchored by a 4 1/2-pounder.
“Today went a little better than we expected,” Lamb said. “We had a couple of bigger fish and we expected all our fish to be an average size. We had some bigger bites today and were fortunate enough to get them in the boat. Hopefully, we can get them again tomorrow.”
The Drury University team of Jacob Welch and Lee Lambrecht caught a 7-2 largemouth to lead the Big Bass of the Tournament standings.
The full field will launch from Carroll A. Campbell Marine Complex in Georgetown starting at 6:30 a.m. ET and return for weigh-in in downtown Georgetown beginning at 2:30 p.m. The Top 12 teams after the Day 2 weigh-in will advance to Championship Sunday. Weigh-in coverage will be carried on Bassmaster.com.
2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship at Winyah Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops 9/2-9/4
Winyah Bay, Georgetown SC.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Club/School Pts
1. James Willoughby - Jacob Pfundt University of Montevallo 250
Day 1: 5 15-15 Total: 5 15-15
2. Andrew Vereen - Connor Cartmell Coastal Carolina University 249
Day 1: 5 14-06 Total: 5 14-06
3. Cole Lamb - Tristan Weaver Arkansas Tech University 248
Day 1: 5 13-09 Total: 5 13-09
4. Jake Monti - Samuel Dunson UNC Charlotte 247
Day 1: 5 13-00 Total: 5 13-00
5. Tyler Christy - Trey Schroeder McKendree University 246
Day 1: 5 12-14 Total: 5 12-14
5. Matthew Zdrazil - Easton Lindus Emmanuel College 246
Day 1: 5 12-14 Total: 5 12-14
7. Blake Richards - James Gillis Clarkson University 244
Day 1: 5 12-10 Total: 5 12-10
8. Carson Maddux - Robert Cruvellier Auburn University 243
Day 1: 5 12-08 Total: 5 12-08
8. Tommy Sendek - Grayson Morris University of Montevallo 243
Day 1: 5 12-08 Total: 5 12-08
10. Jackson Swisher - Seth Slanker Florida Gateway College 241
Day 1: 5 11-15 Total: 5 11-15
11. Zack Barrera - Bryson Osteen Florida Gateway College 240
Day 1: 5 11-14 Total: 5 11-14
12. Ryan Franks - Jason Reding Kent State University 239
Day 1: 5 11-12 Total: 5 11-12
13. Hayden Gaddis - Ben Cully Carson-Newman University 238
Day 1: 5 11-11 Total: 5 11-11
14. Zach Malinowski - Kevin Langlands Grand Valley State University 237
Day 1: 5 11-09 Total: 5 11-09
15. Russel Buffa - Jenson Kay Adrian College 236
Day 1: 5 11-06 Total: 5 11-06
16. Connor Jacob - Sam Smith Auburn University 235
Day 1: 5 11-05 Total: 5 11-05
17. Conner Giles - Christian Wright Bryan College 234
Day 1: 5 11-03 Total: 5 11-03
18. Chase Milholen - Cody Gregory Bethel University 233
Day 1: 5 10-12 Total: 5 10-12
19. Jacob Welch - Lee Lambrecht Drury University 232
Day 1: 3 10-11 Total: 3 10-11
20. Cy Casey - Tanner Hadden Emmanuel College 231
Day 1: 5 10-08 Total: 5 10-08
21. Parker Greer - Andrew Shadle Baylor University 230
Day 1: 5 10-07 Total: 5 10-07
21. Adrian Urso - Corbin Templon Murray State University 230
Day 1: 5 10-07 Total: 5 10-07
23. Ryan Feehan - Spence Francis Virginia Tech University 228
Day 1: 5 10-06 Total: 5 10-06
24. Victor Alford - Logan East Bryan College 227
Day 1: 5 10-03 Total: 5 10-03
25. Owen Januszewski - Matt Mosby Adrian College 226
Day 1: 5 10-01 Total: 5 10-01
26. Matthew Benson - Nathanael Wright Emmanuel College 225
Day 1: 5 09-15 Total: 5 09-15
26. Luke Glasgow - James Ikerd Mississippi State University 225
Day 1: 5 09-15 Total: 5 09-15
28. Drew Traffanstedt - Dakendrick Patterson University of Montevallo 223
Day 1: 5 09-14 Total: 5 09-14
29. Tyler Cory - Scott Sledge University of Montevallo 222
Day 1: 5 09-13 Total: 5 09-13
29. Peyton Harris - Dalton Head University of Montevallo 222
Day 1: 5 09-13 Total: 5 09-13
31. Lane Lassiter - Tyler Finley University of North Alabama 220
Day 1: 5 09-11 Total: 5 09-11
32. Wyatt Pearman - Dustin Bauer Campbellsville University 219
Day 1: 5 09-10 Total: 5 09-10
33. Chase Hubble - Brent May Florida Gateway College 218
Day 1: 5 09-09 Total: 5 09-09
33. Mitch Johnson - Gunner Whitaker Kentucky Christian University 218
Day 1: 5 09-09 Total: 5 09-09
35. Matthew Davis - Adrian College 216
Day 1: 5 09-09 Total: 5 09-09
36. Avery Hammock - Garrett Smith Erskine College 215
Day 1: 5 09-07 Total: 5 09-07
37. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson Minnesota State - Mankato 214
Day 1: 5 09-06 Total: 5 09-06
38. Matthew Cummings - Levi Mullins Bethel University 213
Day 1: 5 09-05 Total: 5 09-05
39. Connor Hicks - Austin Wadzinski University of Tennessee 212
Day 1: 5 09-03 Total: 5 09-03
39. Michael Postlewait - Andrew Rickman Dallas Baptist University 212
Day 1: 5 09-03 Total: 5 09-03
41. Braden Perry - Aidan England Carson-Newman University 210
Day 1: 5 09-02 Total: 5 09-02
42. Will Harkins - Mitchell Grimsley Young Harris College 209
Day 1: 5 09-02 Total: 5 09-02
43. Hunter Baird - Cole Breeden Drury University 208
Day 1: 5 09-01 Total: 5 09-01
44. Brooks Anderson - Parker Guy Emmanuel College 207
Day 1: 5 08-15 Total: 5 08-15
44. Jackson Denny - Colton Parrott University of South Carolina 207
Day 1: 5 08-15 Total: 5 08-15
44. Hunter Greer - Austin Speer Northwestern State University 207
Day 1: 5 08-15 Total: 5 08-15
47. Tyler Anderson - Britt Myers Lander University 204
Day 1: 5 08-14 Total: 5 08-14
48. Brady Rufenacht - Nick Redlin University of Wisconsin- Plattev 203
Day 1: 5 08-13 Total: 5 08-13
49. Jackson Ebbers - Hunter Suchsland University of Nebraska-Lincoln 202
Day 1: 5 08-08 Total: 5 08-08
50. Hunter MCClaskey - Landon Lawson King University 201
Day 1: 5 08-04 Total: 5 08-04
51. Jack Dice - Liberty University 200
Day 1: 5 08-04 Total: 5 08-04
52. Lucas Smith - Dalton Mize Jacksonville State University 199
Day 1: 5 08-03 Total: 5 08-03
53. Conner Dimauro - Justin Botts Bryan College 198
Day 1: 5 08-02 Total: 5 08-02
53. Robert Gee - Chad Sentell University of Tennessee 198
Day 1: 5 08-02 Total: 5 08-02
55. Cody Griffith - Drew Jennings Auburn University 196
Day 1: 5 08-01 Total: 5 08-01
56. Brody Robison - Jack Alexander University of Montevallo 195
Day 1: 5 07-15 Total: 5 07-15
57. Hayden O'barr - Tyler Lubbat University of Alabama 194
Day 1: 3 07-15 Total: 3 07-15
58. Jackson Paden - Joseph Bissing University of Tennessee 193
Day 1: 5 07-14 Total: 5 07-14
58. Colton White - Chance Schwartz University of Montevallo 193
Day 1: 5 07-14 Total: 5 07-14
60. Tj Davis - Austin Callovini Greenville University 191
Day 1: 5 07-13 Total: 5 07-13
60. Ryan Park - Murray State University 191
Day 1: 5 07-13 Total: 5 07-13
60. Kopeland Rosser - Ryan Branch University of Montevallo 191
Day 1: 5 07-13 Total: 5 07-13
63. Chase Clarke - Peyton McCord Auburn University 188
Day 1: 5 07-11 Total: 5 07-11
63. Camden Lewis - TJ Edwards Jr Blue Mountain College 188
Day 1: 5 07-11 Total: 5 07-11
63. Eli Stevenson - Hunter Palmer Bryan College 188
Day 1: 5 07-11 Total: 5 07-11
66. Logan Parks - Tucker Smith Auburn University 185
Day 1: 5 07-11 Total: 5 07-11
67. Jayce Garrison - Mason Hoke Sam Houston State University 184
Day 1: 5 07-09 Total: 5 07-09
67. Hunter Keller - Wesley Smith Catawba Valley Community College 184
Day 1: 5 07-09 Total: 5 07-09
67. Kyle Simmons - Brett Halstead Kansas State University 184
Day 1: 5 07-09 Total: 5 07-09
70. Joshua DeKoning - Dalton Mollenkopf Adrian College 181
Day 1: 5 07-08 Total: 5 07-08
70. Lafe Messer - Matt Messer Kentucky Christian University 181
Day 1: 5 07-08 Total: 5 07-08
72. Brady Duncan - Stevie Mills Carson-Newman University 179
Day 1: 4 07-08 Total: 4 07-08
73. Brock Bila - Dylan Chambers Drury University 178
Day 1: 5 07-07 Total: 5 07-07
73. Noah Campbell - Troy Harris Georgia College 178
Day 1: 5 07-07 Total: 5 07-07
75. Jeremy Dellinger - Adam Seagle Erskine College 176
Day 1: 5 07-06 Total: 5 07-06
76. John Mark Berry - Blake Bullock Blue Mountain College 175
Day 1: 5 07-03 Total: 5 07-03
76. Brayden Mercer - Corey Morris East Texas Baptist University 175
Day 1: 5 07-03 Total: 5 07-03
76. Kaden Proffitt - Cason Ragsdale East Texas Baptist University 175
Day 1: 5 07-03 Total: 5 07-03
79. Jake Peck - Beau Browning Drury University 172
Day 1: 5 07-02 Total: 5 07-02
80. Tanner Barclay - Lloyd Laconsay Auburn University 171
Day 1: 5 07-01 Total: 5 07-01
81. Luke Morgan - Kyle Knoll Southern Union State Community C 170
Day 1: 5 06-15 Total: 5 06-15
82. John Harrell - Camden Romero Hinds Community College 169
Day 1: 5 06-14 Total: 5 06-14
83. Griffin Fernandes - Hayden Scott Adrian College 168
Day 1: 5 06-12 Total: 5 06-12
83. Reece Martin - Mark Harris Dallas Baptist University 168
Day 1: 5 06-12 Total: 5 06-12
83. Jordan Pennington - Weston Hollar University of Montevallo 168
Day 1: 5 06-12 Total: 5 06-12
86. Lane Bailey - Justin Eggers Catawba Valley Community College 165
Day 1: 5 06-11 Total: 5 06-11
86. Cordell Beckmann - Mark Burnham Greenville University 165
Day 1: 5 06-11 Total: 5 06-11
88. Andrew Ready - Vince Maffei Webber International University 163
Day 1: 5 06-10 Total: 5 06-10
89. Camden Trautlein - Bryce Dallas UW-Stout 162
Day 1: 5 06-09 Total: 5 06-09
90. Tyler Pendergrass - Benson Dowler University of North Alabama 161
Day 1: 5 06-07 Total: 5 06-07
91. Chase Sansom - Tyler Drown Marshall University 160
Day 1: 5 06-04 Total: 5 06-04
92. Michael Fugaro - Louis Monetti UNC Charlotte 159
Day 1: 5 06-03 Total: 5 06-03
93. Logan Bozeman - Andrew Fryer Southern Union State Community C 158
Day 1: 5 06-01 Total: 5 06-01
94. Harmon Marien - Bailey Bleser McKendree University 157
Day 1: 5 06-00 Total: 5 06-00
95. Keaton Smith - Matthew Bradham Campbellsville University 156
Day 1: 4 06-00 Total: 4 06-00
96. Kyle Hopping - Jaxson Freeman McKendree University 155
Day 1: 5 05-15 Total: 5 05-15
96. Bradley Martin - Jack Baron University of Montevallo 155
Day 1: 5 05-15 Total: 5 05-15
98. Easton Fothergill - Nick Dumke University of Montevallo 153
Day 1: 5 05-10 Total: 5 05-10
98. Colton Hill - Trey Budach McKendree University 153
Day 1: 5 05-10 Total: 5 05-10
100. Drew Gill - Jonah Potts Wabash Valley College 151
Day 1: 5 05-10 Total: 5 05-10
101. Colin Wolinski - Garrett Weiss Missouri State University 150
Day 1: 5 05-07 Total: 5 05-07
102. Logan Anderson - Tyler Little North Carolina State University 149
Day 1: 5 05-06 Total: 5 05-06
103. Broxson Daigle - Aaron Hawkins Texas A&M University 148
Day 1: 5 05-03 Total: 5 05-03
104. Troy Gibson - Jake Novotny University of Louisville 147
Day 1: 4 05-02 Total: 4 05-02
105. Evan Thomas - Joey Williams Liberty University 146
Day 1: 4 05-01 Total: 4 05-01
106. Chase Carey - Dylan Akins Emmanuel College 145
Day 1: 5 05-00 Total: 5 05-00
107. Lilly Smith - Anderson Jones Lander University 144
Day 1: 4 04-14 Total: 4 04-14
108. Dakota Posey - Trent Buchholz Lamar State College Orange 143
Day 1: 5 04-05 Total: 5 04-05
109. Cole Hopson - Callaway Robinson Georgia College 142
Day 1: 4 04-03 Total: 4 04-03
110. TJ McKenzie - Seth Jenkins Emmanuel College 141
Day 1: 2 04-03 Total: 2 04-03
111. Solomon Glenn - Ryan Thomas University of Montervallo 140
Day 1: 3 03-14 Total: 3 03-14
112. Sam Hanggi - Sam Hoesley Auburn University 139
Day 1: 2 03-05 Total: 2 03-05
113. Kaleb Brown - Chad Mrazek Lander University 138
Day 1: 2 03-00 Total: 2 03-00
114. Kobe Thompson - Adrian College 137
Day 1: 2 02-12 Total: 2 02-12
115. Zach Mcnary - Eric Hanover Grand Valley State University 136
Day 1: 2 02-11 Total: 2 02-11
115. Jack Tindel - Brett Fregia Lamar State College Orange 136
Day 1: 2 02-11 Total: 2 02-11
117. Garrett Thompson - Corey Pyles West Virginia University 134
Day 1: 2 02-08 Total: 2 02-08
117. Sid Wallace - Braedon Metzgar Texas A&M University 134
Day 1: 2 02-08 Total: 2 02-08
119. Cal Culpepper - Aaron Cherry University of Montevallo 132
Day 1: 2 02-04 Total: 2 02-04
120. Koltyn Harbin - Baylor Howell Bethel University 131
Day 1: 2 02-00 Total: 2 02-00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 101 558 961-03
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101 558 961-03
Diversity Will Be Crucial For Tough Bassmaster Northern Open On Chesapeake Bay
Maryland's Upper Chesapeake Bay will host the St. Croix Bassmaster Northern Open presented by Mossy Oak Fishing Sept. 8-10, 2022.
Photo by B.A.S.S.
September 2, 2022
CECIL COUNTY, Md. — If historical patterns hold, summer’s dog days will fiercely guard a big fish bounty and reward a fortunate few during the St. Croix Bassmaster Northern Open at Upper Chesapeake Bay presented by Mossy Oak Fishing.
Competition days will be Sept. 8-10 with daily takeoffs from Anchor Marina and adjoining North East Community Park at 6:30 a.m. ET and weigh-ins each day at the park at 2:30 p.m. The event’s winner will qualify for the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic, to be held in Knoxville, Tenn., March 24-26.
The largest estuary in the U.S., the Chesapeake stretches approximately 200 miles long from its northern headwaters in the Susquehanna River to the Atlantic Ocean and spans 30 miles at its widest point. More than 150 major rivers and streams flow into the Bay's 64,299-square-mile drainage basin, which covers parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, and all of District of Columbia.
Tournament boundaries will include only Maryland waters of the Upper Chesapeake and all connected rivers, creeks and canals. That’s still a lot of water to consider and, as Bassmaster Elite Series pro Ed Loughran noted, seasonal norms won’t make it easy.
“The water has been pretty warm because (the weather) has been pretty hot in the Upper Chesapeake Bay from Baltimore, north,” said Loughran, who has fished the bay since the 1980s. “It looks like it’s going to cool off a little bit for tournament week. Otherwise, everything is pretty normal; there hasn’t been any flooding in the Susquehanna.
“It’s going to be a summer pattern. There are a lot of big fish in the bay, but this time of year, it’s just hard.”
Loughran said the shallow rivers with their darker water tend to be warmer than the open bay’s clearer water, which receives regular flushing. Across the board, early September typically finds the bass several weeks from their fall feeding mode and that requires a grind-it-out mindset.
“This time of year can be absolutely brutal, but when you put such good anglers in a place and so many of them, you’re going to have somebody that figures something out,” Loughran said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a blowout tournament; I think the fishing pressure is going to (be a factor).
“I don’t think getting a limit is going to be easy for half the field, if not more. I would imagine it’s going to be like 15 to 16 pounds a day to win; but if you bring in 13 to 14 pounds a day, I would be surprised if you didn’t get really close to getting into the Top 10.”
Central to success in this event will be good decision making when it comes to habitat selection. The Chesapeake’s tidal nature makes it inherently dynamic, but Loughran believes the quality of bites and quantity of habitat are inextricably linked.
“There’s a good amount of vegetation — mostly hydrilla, eelgrass and star grass — in certain rivers and the Susquehanna flats,” Loughran said. “A lot of people will be focusing on the grass throughout the bay.
“The other thing is you can run a very long way and fish in some of the tidal rivers below the Bay Bridge (Hwy. 50), but I question whether those are going to hold up for three days — especially some of the ones that are closer to where we’re launching.”
As Loughran explained, the farther south you go, the more saltwater the bay holds. Anglers fishing rivers below the Bay Bridge often have to run a considerable distance upstream to reach the purely freshwater stretches where bass can live.
Given this consideration, time management will influence a lot of game-day decisions. Moreover, Loughran believes the bay’s grassbeds will offer significantly more opportunities.
“A lot of the rivers have fish in them, but the pressure of a three-day tournament, along with a lot of practice, I think, is going to get to most of them,” he said. “That’s why I tend to think it’s going to be won mostly on grass.
“Some people might mix in some other stuff, but grass is what I’m going to focus on, mostly. I’m going to be one of those guys who fishes some grass and then tries to mix in a couple of other things here and there.”
Wherever anglers fish, all will face a common decision: Camp in an area and work all tide stages or “run the tide” by moving up or down the tidal plane to stay with a particular stage. Loughran said it’s a case-by-case decision.
“Some people love low tide and hate high tide and vice versa, but really, it’s smarter to look at what you’re fishing and determine what the best tidal stage is going to be,” he said. “If I’m fishing some isolated piece of wood in the Sassafras River where the fish are going to focus on that cover when the water’s drawing down, that’s a pretty good place to be at low tide.
“But, if I’m fishing some grass, I may want them to have a little water over their heads. So that might be more of a high-tide spot.”
While it’s not unheard of to find largemouth regurgitating blue crabs in livewells, Loughran said the bay’s fish largely prey on baitfish, including yellow perch, white perch, large shad and minnows. Crawfish bolster the menu.
Knowing this, anglers will likely throw a mix of topwaters, spinnerbaits, frogs, bladed jigs and swim jigs for the reaction bites. Flipping jigs and Texas-rigged plastics to hard targets such as stumps, laydowns, rocks, and docks may also play into tournament strategies.
Ultimately, Loughran stresses the wisdom of diversity: “It’s rare on a tidal fishery that you’re going to be able to do the same thing for three days. Anything could happen, but I think you’re going to have to adjust.”
Full event coverage will be available on Bassmaster.com while Championship Saturday action will be broadcast live on FS1 beginning at 8 a.m. ET.
Siller Smokes them at Sandusky
With a 6-pound, 3-ounce smallmouth to anchor his bag, Scott Siller weighed in 26-pounds, 1-ounce of Lake Erie smallmouth bass to take the day one NPFL lead at Sandusky Bay.
Catching a limit quick for around 17-pounds, it wasn’t until Siller made a move to his second spot when he landed on a smallmouth pot of gold, culling his entire limit in route to a four-pound lead over 2nd place.
“I was idling to my second spot, not too far away and went over another little pile. I turned around and decided to make a cast,” said Siller. “I ended up catching one of my five pounders there and got over to my other main area and quickly caught another big one. I circled those three spots all day and caught that six pounder and a couple other five pounders.”
But it wasn’t without some drama. On his way back to check in early, Siller started hearing noises coming from his engine and realized he needed some help to get his big bag to weigh in on time.
“I called my travel partner Dustin Williamson, and he graciously took two hours of his own fishing time to get my fish in early. He had a long day today and cut it short to help me out and I can't thank him enough. It took me another hour plus to idle back.”
Making a decent run, Siller has the luxury of no pressure in his areas and left his fish alone early in the day. He targeted isolated structure, and all three areas were a little different.
“If I can get my boat fixed tonight and go tomorrow, I am pretty confident. I have a long day and I didn’t see a boat all day. The fish are hard to see but I know where they are sitting,” Siller added.
Brandon Perkins
Sitting in 2nd place, Brandon Perkins made a long run out in Erie to catch his 22-pound, 1-ounce bag of smallmouth. After arriving to fins two NPFL boats on his first spot, and a travel partner on his second, it was the third spot that got his day going.
“I caught two smaller fish on that third area and knew I had to make a move,” said Perkins. I caught one good fish on a spot close by in practice and pulled in there today and had a 18 or 19-pound bag really fast.”
Before making the trek back to Sandusky, Perkins made a stop that changed his event.
“I decided to stop back to one of those other areas and culled twice and that culled me up to my weight. Those two fish were key, and I didn’t catch a really big fish today either and lose two other four-pounders.”
As he prepared to run back, battery issues threw a wrench in his plans.
“Either my engine was messed up or my batteries because I couldn’t get it started and knew I was in trouble. I called my buddy Mike Corbishley to take my fish in and thankfully left my keys at my truck back at the ramp. My buddy Jason Foster grabbed it and came an hour and a half to get me after I trolled over five miles to shore.”
Dan Blackert
Finishing the day in 3rd place, Ohio angler Dan Blackert caught a five fish limit of smallmouth for 22-pounds. Running out North of the islands, a quick five-pound fish got his day started before spot jumping his way back towards Sandusky.
“I got that big one early and really didn’t have a limit until around 1 pm. Once the wind shifted, I caught a good fish and knew where to go,” said Blackert. “I culled a few more times and left a bunch of big ones out there. They are smallmouth so who knows if they will be there.”
Danny Weems
With a five bass limit weighing in at 21-pounds, 9-ounces, Danny Weems takes the 4th place spot at Sandusky. Starting his day with a quick limit, Weems made a 60-mile round-trip run hitting various isolated spots on the way back to Sandusky.
“I caught about 15 fish all day and was fishing around with a dropshot,” Weems said. “I was sharing some water this morning but culled once with a four-pounder later in the day on another area. The bigger fish didn’t really start biting for me until after 10 am this morning.”
Stu Martel
With a 5-pound, 10-ounce smallmouth to anchor his day one bag, Stu Martel sits in the 5th spot with a limit of smallmouth weighing 21-pounds, 5-ounces. Staying fairly close to the ramp compared to some, Martel was done fishing by 11:30 am. But his weight didn’t come easy.
Said Martel, “I lost a few other four-pound fish and it was really a grind all day. I don’t know what it's going to look like tomorrow with changing conditions but it could be tougher on us, we'll see. I am making a few bait changes as the day goes on and not fishing the same thing.”
Blake Felix
Finishing the day in the 6th spot, Blake Felix made more than a two-hour run to catch his day one bag of 21-pounds, 4-ounces.
After debating turning around several times, Felix committed to his run and was rewarded with a 19-pound limit in the first 45-mintes of fishing. A couple minutes later he made a crucial cull with a four-pounder, and he made his way back to check in.
“The bass are in groups of four or five fish and I can catch one,but they scatter. I had to move around and let them set up before coming back. I have never fished for smallmouth and I never had to deal with this rough water. I ran 25 MPH the whole way today,” concluded Felix.
The rest of the best:
7th Keith Carson20-13
8th Michael Yoder20-10
9th Sheldon Collings20-8
10th Louis Fernandes20-0
Reigning College Champion Weighs in on Winyah
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
It was quite the scene this morning at the Carroll Ashmore Marine Complex for the official start of the 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. The docks were at full capacity with families, friends, coaches, and teammates cheering on qualifying anglers who headed out on Winyah Bay with hopes of being five keeper bass closer to their dreams after the scales close today.
One familiar face in the crowd belonged to Tristan McCormick, the reigning Classic Bracket champion who represented college fishing in the 2022 Bassmaster Classic. Along with a ticket to the Superbowl of bass fishing and paid entry fees to all nine Bassmaster Opens, McCormick won a fully rigged 2022 Toyota Tundra and Nitro Boat wrapped in his alma mater of Bethel University’s colors.
All 250-plus anglers competing in this year’s National Championship hope to follow in McCormick’s footsteps and leave here with a top 3 finish so they can compete in the bracket and fish their way into the 2023 Classic. We caught up with the reigning champ as the ripples dissipated following the day one launch to get his thoughts on Winyah Bay.
Three keys to Success in this tournament
McCormick doesn’t have much experience on Winyah Bay, but he consistently excelled throughout his college career. He knows what it takes to do well and set yourself apart from the pack in a Championship level event. The Lew’s pro offered up some insight that would help tournament anglers of all levels.
“The number one key to success started in practice, and it’s finding a pattern that fits into your fishing strengths. Finding something you are comfortable with,” McCormick said. “I think that’s something a lot of young anglers overlook. We look up to professional fishermen and try to emulate their styles when the best thing you can be is yourself. That’ll be key this week.
“The second thing is to try and not get caught up in the pressure of a big tournament like this. Speaking from experience, there is a lot of pressure on these teams right now, but you gotta remind yourself to have fun. Lastly, I’d tell these anglers to stay focused on every single cast. Any time weights are tight like they will be on Winyah this weekend, you are one big bite away from your whole tournament changing. You gotta grind and stay ready for that bite.”
What McCormick would be throwing on Winyah Bay
Winyah Bay is a tidal fishery and a shallow water, power fisherman’s dream. Anglers will have no shortage of visible structure to throw at and miles of creeks, swamps, and rivers to probe. McCormick loves this style of fishing and suggested a few lures or techniques he’d be employing this weekend.
“Every angler should have a 3/8-ounce Strike King Thunder Cricket tied on this morning to wind around grass, wood, or any other visible cover,” McCormick offered. “I’d absolutely have a 4-inch Rage Bug Texas rigged to a 7-foot 2-inch heavy action Lew’s Signature Series Mark Rose rod for flipping and pitching. Then I’d have a “finessey” flipping setup with a ¼-ounce Texas rigged Rage Twin Tail Menace to milk a few extra bites out of key areas.”
Fortunately for competing anglers, Strike King is the title for the College Series and supplied every angler with a goody bag that included some of these same lures last night at registration. They looked at past tournaments held on this body of water and purposefully picked baits proven to catch ‘em on Winyah Bay.
Three college teams to watch this weekend
“It’s really anyone’s ballgame this week on a massive tidal fishery like Winyah Bay. It’s an extremely even playing field,” McCormick explained. “But if I had to pick three, I would say Levi Mullins and Matthew Cummins from Bethel University, last year’s national champions Hayden and Griffin from Adrian College, and Stevie Mills & Brady Duncan of Carson-Newman. All those guys are shallow water hammers and have what it takes in my opinion.”
While it’s hard to say who might hoist the trophies come Sunday afternoon, it’s a safe bet that the 2023 National Champions will be solid human beings as well as talented anglers. Year after year the college fishing field is comprised of hard-working, respectful, humble, and courteous anglers. If the next generation were to be judged by the individuals competing this weekend, you’d be hard pressed to say the future isn’t bright.
College Teams Preview Winyah Bay
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
The playing field for the Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops is Winyah Bay out of Georgetown, South Carolina. This coastal estuary is the confluence of the Sampit River, the Waccamaw River, the Pee Dee River, and the Black River that come together before emptying out into the Atlantic Ocean.
Just as these rivers meet to form this fishery, anglers from across the country converged upon Georgetown County to compete for college fishing’s biggest prize; the National Championship trophy and a chance to make the “Classic Bracket” that will ultimately send one college angler to the 2023 Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville next March.
While the anglers were grabbing some fresh spools of Strike King Contra fluorocarbon and making the rounds during Yamaha Pro Night, we caught up with anglers from Murray State, Carson-Newman, and Georgia College & State to pick their brains after three days of practice on Winyah Bay.
Q – What are three techniques or patterns you believe will play a role for top teams on Winyah Bay this weekend?
Corbin Templon (Murray State) – “Swimjig, a topwater of some kind, and flipping visible cover.”
Troy Harris (Georgia College & State) – “Flipping shallow cover, some kind of topwater in the mornings, and fishing s-l-o-w. I know that’s not a bait but fishing slow with whatever you are throwing could be key.”
Hayden Gaddis (Carson-Newman) – “Flipping will definitely play a role this week. Spinnerbaiting could be good, and lastlyI’d say just any shallow water power fishing, which is something every one of these teams can do. It’s anyone’s ballgame in my opinion.”
Q – How much weight will teams need to average each day to make Championship Sunday?
Corbin Templon (Murray State) – “To make the top 10 I think it will take an average of 10.5-lbs per day.”
Troy Harris (Georgia College & State) – “I think 12.5-lbs per day will give you a really good shot to make the final day. If a team can catch 15-lbs a day, they’ll win it.”
Hayden Gaddis (Carson-Newman) – “I’m going to say 11.5 to 12-lbs per day to make the top 10 cut for Sunday, and maybe 13 to 14-lbs per day to win this thing.”
Q – Besides bass, what other species of fish have you caught throughout practice?
Corbin Templon (Murray State) – “Where do I start? We’ve caught flounder, a redfish, some crabs, and even an alligator the other day! This place is wild.”
Troy Harris (Georgia College & State) – “Man, my teammate (on another boat) caught a big redfish today, but we haven’t caught any salty fish yet. Just a bunch of Grinnell (bowfin) for us.”
Hayden Gaddis (Carson-Newman) – “Nothing crazy for our boat, man. We’ve caught some bowfin but that’s really it. I guess we did see a couple of dead alligators earlier in the week, that was a little out of the ordinary.”
Q – What has been the highlight of your week thus far?
Corbin Templon (Murray State) – “Just enjoying the scenery while running around this place. It’s a beautiful fishery and unlike anything I’ve ever fished in the past.”
Troy Harris (Georgia College & State) – “Honestly… being on a little bit of a bite on what we know can be a tough fishery. Winyah Bay isn’t fishing as tough as we expected, which has been a pleasant surprise!”
Hayden Gaddis (Carson-Newman) – “The highlight of my week has to be the comradery and fellowship of the house we’re staying at. Our team (Carson-Newman) is at an Air BnB with our coach, and it’s been awesome to hang with the guys every evening when we get off the water.”
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Mille Lacs Lake Set to Host Major League Fishing’s Bass Pro Tour Season Finale – Bally Bet Stage Seven Presented by Minn Kota
Six-Day Tournament to Showcase Top 80 Professional Bass Fishing Anglers Competing for Top Prize of $100,000, Total Purse of $805,000
ONAMIA, Minn. (Aug. 31, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF) is set to visit Onamia, Minnesota, and Mille Lacs Lake next week, Sept. 10-15, for the seventh and final regular-season event of the 2022 MLF Bass Pro Tour season – the Bally Bet Stage Seven at Mille Lacs Lake Presented by Minn Kota.
The six-day event, hosted by the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, will showcase 80 of the top professional anglers in the world, including bass-fishing superstars like Kevin VanDam, Ott DeFoe, Jacob Wheeler, Jordan Lee, and reigning REDCREST Champion Bobby Lane. They’ll be competing for a purse of more than $805,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable points in hopes of qualifying for REDCREST IV, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
While Mille Lacs Lake has seen plenty of fishing tournaments over the years, this event will mark the first time that MLF will hold an event on the storied fishery. The tournament will feature the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament will be filmed for broadcast on the Discovery Channel in November.
“I’ve done well on Mille Lacs a couple of times in September,” said James Elam, a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based pro who will be among the 80 anglers competing. “I believe the bass will be transitioning throughout the lake, from shallow, mid-depths, and deep. An angler just needs to figure out which program is going on.
“I can also see the largemouth deal playing a role here because of our format,” Elam continued. “I will check that bite out for sure. But, I believe smallmouth will be the primary fish targeted. I believe we could see smallmouth in excess of 6 pounds caught.”
Fellow competitor, Berkley pro Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Alabama, echoed Elam’s smallmouth sentiments.
“I’m going to be targeting smallmouth – I believe mainly with a drop-shot rig,” Lucas said. “It’s no secret – I’ll have a Berkley (PowerBait) MaxScent Flat Worm tied on. That’s the thing about Mille Lacs, though, you never know. Tournaments have been won there on crankbaits, football jigs, swimbaits – all of that stuff can be a player.
“It’s been a few years since I’ve been there, but it is the perfect venue to wrap up our season,” Lucas went on to say. “It’s an amazing lake with giant smallmouth – I can’t wait to get back out on the water.”
After six events down in the 2022 Bass Pro Tour regular season and just one event remaining, reigning 2021 Bally Bet Angler of the Year (AOY) Jacob Wheeler again sits in first place in the 2022 AOY Race with 459 points, while the 2020 AOY Jordan Lee sits behind Wheeler in second place with 394 points. Dayton, Tennessee’s Andy Morgan resides in third with 373 points, while Lorena, Texas’ Alton Jones currently sits in fourth place with 356.5 points. Florida pro Randall Tharp rounds out the top five with 352 points.
Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. CT from Eddy’s Resort, located at 41334 Shakopee Lake Road in Onamia. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the Resort, beginning at 4 p.m.Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
On Championship Thursday, Sept. 15, from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. 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 Bally Bet Stage Seven on Mille Lacs Lake Presented by Minn Kota. The first 50 youth anglers 10 and under in attendance will receive a free Pure Fishing Shakespeare Kid’s Rod and Reel combo. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, and take selfies.
The Bally Bet Stage Seven on Mille Lacs Lake Presented by Minn Kota will feature anglers competing with a 2-pound 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 REDCREST IV, the Bass Pro Tour championship, which will be held next March on Lake Norman in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Sunday and 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.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the Bally Bet Stage Seven on Mille Lacs Lake Presented by Minn Kota will premiere as a two-hour episode at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Nov. 19 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 tournament competition.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bally Bet, 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.
WISCONSIN’S WOLF AND FOX RIVERS SHOW OUT AT HOBIE B.O.S. SPONSORED BY POWER-POLE EVENT
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Calvin Dee dominates powerful field. Fischer and Gonzalez snag second and third in action-packed event. |
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OCEANSIDE, Calif. (August 31, 2022) - Anglers arriving for the 2022 Hobie Bass Open Series (B.O.S.) Anchored by Power-Pole Wolf and Fox Rivers event in Appleton, Wisconsin, August 20 – 21, were excited. A first-time stop on the Hobie tour, the state’s two longest rivers promised a terrific mix of smallmouth and largemouth bass while featuring a variety of structure and fishing environments to match personal strengths. When all was said and done, however, no one had taken greater advantage of the varied river conditions more expertly than Calvin Dee. The 23-year-old from Park, Illinois, fishing in his first B.O.S. event, dominated the field with big limits on both days of the two-day catch, photograph and release (CPR) tournament. Leading the field and showing amazing consistency throughout the competition, he checked in with exactly 91.75 inches of river smallmouth on both days for a winning tally of 183.50 inches of bass that held solid against stiff competition. Kristine Fischer of Nebraska and Guillermo Gonzalez of Texas earned the second- and third-place slots with 179.25 and 173 inches of bass, respectively. While many anglers did have a mix of smallmouth and largemouth bass in their hauls, it was the bronzebacks that dominated the leader board for this tourney. “It’s really exciting when a newcomer to the Hobie trail makes a big splash,” said tournament director, A.J. McWhorter. “Calvin did a tremendous job here, and we had a couple of other first-timers who finished in the money as well. That’s impressive considering the talent depth of the field here. It really goes to show that everyone has a fair chance to make the leaderboard or even come out on top at these events. Our competitors know they have a level playing field when they arrive no matter how strong the competition, which is one reason these events continue to grow. Congratulations to Calvin for showing out with an impressively consistent performance.” |
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For their efforts, Dee took home $5,300, Fischer pocketed $2,850 and Gonzalez banked $1,950. Bassin’ Big Bass honors and a $500 check for the tourney’s largest fish went to Dustin Murguia, of Illinois, for a 20-inch smallmouth brute caught on Day 2. Additionally, AFTCO Angler of the Year (AOY) points were awarded to across the 89-angler field. Dee, Gonzalez and fourth-place finisher Richie McMichael of Kansas also punched tickets to the 2022 Hobie Tournament of Champions (TOC) on Caddo Lake, November 11-13, in Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana. Fischer had previously qualified. The TOC is a three-day 50-angler championship with a $100,000 payout guarantee and $45,000 first-place prize. A great start helped put Dee, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, where he fished on the college bass team, in a great frame of mind. “Even though school was only an hour or so away, I had only fished here three or four times. That helped, of course, but I wouldn’t say it provided a big edge. While I hoped to finish well, I was surprised to find myself in the lead, especially after Day 1. I was fishing a spot where a tributary flows into the Wolf and dumps a whole bunch of bait in there, so I figured it would be a good place to start. By 9:30 a.m. I already had a limit, and then I pulled a 19-inch brute so I guess you could say things went well right from the start.” Indeed, Dee had his fish locked up and stayed on them for both days of the competition. On Day 1 he threw a 3-inch Megabass Hazedong Shad swimbait which produced right from the start. Hoping to give the fish a different look on Day 2, he switched to a hair jig tipped with a flatworm and hopped the combo across the bottom. “It’s hard to imagine I pulled matching limits on both days considering I used different lures,” he quipped. “By 1 p.m. on Day 2, I was pretty much done and headed off the water to grab a bite to eat since the big fish bite had slowed and my smallest bass was 17.75 inches.” |
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Fischer, hot off an inspiring 5th place finish at the Hobie Worlds 9 in Amal, Sweden, August 12 – 14, didn’t have much time to practice so she did some map research and concluded the stretch of Fox River flowing through downtown Appleton should hold good opportunities for solid fish. She chose to work very shallow fast-moving water, mostly tossing a bladed jig and Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Lil’ Trooper crawdad imitation on a Ned Head. That combo accounted for most of her fish, and her biggest smallmouth of the tourney. “I had all smallies to 19.5 inches,” revealed Fischer. I got out of the gate fast with a quick limit, and then culled my way to a third-place finish on Day 1. I finished in the third spot on Day 2, also. The key for me was working around current breaks and keeping my lures tight to industrial structure. I was happy with my performance, but with Calvin taking the top spot both days, there was just no way to catch him. His performance was far superior to that of everyone else.” Fisher called Dee’s performance inspiring. “I think seeing a grass roots local angler come out and compete successfully against some of the best kayak bassers in the country is amazing,” she continued. “The competition can be intimidating here if you’re new to the trail, but you have to remember that all of us have faced that issue at some point in our careers. Calvin’s victory reenforces that you just have to dig in and go after it.” |
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Both Dee and Fischer gave shouts out to their Hobie kayaks for playing a pivotal role in their success. “My Hobie PA14 360 with Mirage Drive really made a positive difference in this tournament,” explained Fischer. “You couldn’t get as shallow as I was with a prop drive.” Dee was equally impressed with his Hobie’s performance. “This is my first season with my Hobie Outback, and it’s really made a difference when it comes to staying on the fish in river environments. I’ve had two-first place and one second-place finishes in local club events and that’s due in a large part to enjoying great maneuverability and a hands-free experience. My Outback helps me fish more efficiently. As for Gonzalez, he piled-up third-place points fishing in strong current and targeting areas which featured a bend, sea wall or point for bass to pin baitfish against. He also had some fish around current breaks like bridges, and on a few high spots. “I worked a spinnerbait and small jig to score with smallies and a few bigmouths, but only the bronzebacks made the mark,” he stated. On Day 2, fishing a current break, I found a ton of mixed species stacked up in one spot where I had to mow through about 15 nice walleye and 30 freshwater drum to get my bass. It was fun for a while but eventually I had to move on to concentrate strictly on the bass. Who could imagine fishing through big walleye could grow frustrating?” |
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Gonzalez congratulated Dee for his strong performance, noting it was one of his first national events. “He really showed out against so many amazing anglers,” he stated. “That was impressive, and I look forward to fishing against him in the Hobie Tournament of Champions.” Which is exactly where Dee is headed. “Everything about the Hobie BOS Series is well done,” he concluded. I couldn’t be more thrilled with how things turned out at this event – and qualifying for the TOC is awesome. To be one of only 50 people in the whole country fishing together on one lake is crazy, and the prize money is outstanding. I can’t wait.” McWhorter, too, was pleased with the Fox and Wolf Rivers experience. “Coming into this event anglers faced a lot of unknowns, but we learned quickly that this is an incredible fishery,” he stated. “We saw huge smallmouth, had an incredible limit take home the big check, and there was a good largemouth bite, too, although that didn’t translate to spots on the leaderboard this time around. The city of Appleton was a great destination for our competitors and we look forward to coming back here again.” The final stop on the Hobie BOS Series trail before the T.O.C. is Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Arkansas, September 17and 18. It’s the last chance to qualify for the big show and should be a barn-burner. Register now if you hope to attend. |
B.A.S.S. Announces 2023 Bassmaster Elite Series Schedule
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — With the 2022 Bassmaster Elite Series season barely in the history books, B.A.S.S. is already getting primed for another go-round as the 2023 Elite Series slate was announced today.
The schedule includes nine regular-season events in seven states with a healthy mix of familiar fisheries from recent schedules and some that B.A.S.S. hasn’t visited in a while. Along the tournament trail, these talented anglers will battle each other — and big bass — for the prestigious titles of Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Falcon Rods Rookie of the Year and Elite Series champion.
B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson lauded the schedule as another great opportunity for the best professional anglers in the world to showcase their talents on diverse and exceptional fisheries.
“The 2023 Elite Series schedule allows us to visit multiple regions — including fisheries where we haven’t been in many years — to celebrate fishing fans and our great sport,” Anderson said. “Anglers are tested in a variety of environments, truly battling for the right to call themselves the Angler of the Year or Rookie of the Year.
“And, of course, for approximately 40 of those anglers, the nine Elite Series tournaments are the pathway to fulfill a dream and compete on the biggest stage in sportfishing — the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic.”
The usual February Southern swing will have a slightly different flavor this year. After starting the season the past four years on the St. Johns River, the 2023 slate will open on world-famous Lake Okeechobee in Okeechobee, Fla., Feb. 16-19.
The massive Florida waterway has a drainage basin of approximately 2.8 million acres and is the second-largest natural freshwater lake contained entirely within the contiguous 48 states. B.A.S.S. has an extensive history on the “Big O,” having visited there 22 times since 1980, but this will be the organization’s first trip there since 2017.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Bassmaster Elite Series back to Lake Okeechobee to kick off their 2023 season,” said Terry Burroughs, chairman of the Okeechobee Board of County Commissioners. “Lake Okeechobee offers the best freshwater fishery in Florida paired with a down-home community that offers a unique experience both on and off the water. We look forward to welcoming everyone with the Bassmaster Elite family!”
From Florida, the Elites will move slightly to the north to fish another venue that was once a familiar stop on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail — Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Ga. B.A.S.S. has visited the 37,500-acre Chattahoochee River reservoir 15 times since 1968, but not since 2015.
The lake has historically been known for some of the best sight fishing for bedding largemouth in the country, and the timing of the event — Feb. 23-26 — could play right into that storyline.
The regular season will pause in late March for the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic, which is scheduled for March 24-26 in Knoxville, Tenn., with competition on the Tennessee River. The 2019 Classic held in Knoxville drew a then-record crowd of 153,809 spectators for all associated events, and similar crowds are expected for a Classic that will this time be held one week later in the year.
Once the regular season resumes, the Elites will set up shop in South Carolina with back-to-back events on Lake Murray (April 20-23, Columbia, S.C.) and Santee Cooper Lakes (April 27-30, Clarendon County, S.C.). B.A.S.S. has visited Lake Murray nine times for major events since 1991, but its most recent trip to the 50,000-acre Saluda River fishery was in 2011.
Santee Cooper Lakes has been the site of 12 major B.A.S.S. events, including the slugfest won by Georgia pro Drew Cook back in March with a Century Club catch of 105 pounds, 5 ounces. Second-place finisher Caleb Kuphall of Wisconsin also earned a Century Belt in that event with 103-1, and the Santee Cooper Lakes ranks third for the most Century Belts produced with eight. The lakes also ranked 10th on Bassmaster Magazine’s recent list of 100 Best Bass Lakes.
From South Carolina, the Elites will travel May 11-14 to Lay Lake in Shelby County, Ala. — a 12,000-acre Coosa River impoundment that holds the distinction of being the major fishery located closest to the B.A.S.S. offices in Birmingham. Four of B.A.S.S.’s five trips to Lay have been for Bassmaster Classics (1996, 2002, 2007, 2010), and the most recent trip to the central Alabama spotted bass haven was in 2020 for an Eastern Open.
“We are very excited to welcome the Bassmaster Elite Series to Shelby County,” said Kendall Williams, manager of tourism and events for Shelby County. “Lay Lake has some of the best bass fishing in the country, and hosting events of this caliber reminds us how thankful we are to have this resource in our backyard.
“Plus, we love that the Elite Series draws anglers and visitors from all across the U.S. who will get to experience the exceptional community of support by local restaurants, stores and other businesses.”
B.A.S.S.’s annual trip to Texas will visit the Sabine River in Orange, Texas on June 1-4. The organization has visited the Sabine River five times for major events since 2013, including a 2021 Elite stop won by Oklahoma pro Jason Christie.
Anglers’ skills will be on display for enthusiastic fans as they weigh in among a festival-like atmosphere featuring some of the largest crowds the Elite Series has ever seen. During that 2021 visit to Orange, an Elite Series record crowd of 40,107 fans attended the four-day event while generating more than $2.5 million in revenue for local businesses.
With the temperatures likely sweltering in the South, the Elite Series will turn North on July 27-30 with a trip to Lake St. Clair in Macomb County, Mich. B.A.S.S. visited the 275,200-acre smallmouth bass paradise three times from 1994 to 2001 and then took a hiatus from the fishery before visiting five more times from 2014 to 2020. St. Clair recently ranked No. 4 on Bassmaster Magazine’s annual list of 100 Best Bass Lakes.
A New York swing has been a staple on the Elite Series schedule the past several years — and in 2023, it will be the stretch run for the season.
On Aug. 17-20, the Elites will fish Lake Champlain from Plattsburgh, N.Y. It will be the 15th major B.A.S.S. event held on the 271,000-acre fishery on the New York/Vermont border, including the most recent one which was won by Maryland pro Bryan Schmitt in 2021.
The season will culminate on the 1000 Islands region of the St. Lawrence River in Clayton, N.Y., Aug. 24-27. The fishery recently earned the No. 1 ranking on Bassmaster Magazine’s list of 100 Best Bass Lakes — and anyone who followed the Elite Series’ most recent trip there knows why.
Wisconsin rookie Jay Przekurat won the event with a Century Club catch of 102-9, and Canadian pro Cory Johnston placed second with a Century Club entry of his own at 100-5, each hitting the 100-pound mark with solely smallmouth, a first-time feat in B.A.S.S. competition. The entire Top 10 cracked the 90-pound mark, and it was widely regarded as the top smallmouth event in B.A.S.S. history.
“I can honestly think of no better place to cap off the Elite Series season than on maybe the best smallmouth fishery on the planet,” said Chris Bowes, vice president of tournaments for B.A.S.S. “That event would be the center of the bass fishing world no matter when it was held. But to think it will help decide Angler of the Year and who makes the Bassmaster Classic — that’ll make for an amazing week for our sport.”
In 2022, Elite Series anglers earned eight Century Belts and 2023 has the potential to add more huge catches to the record book.
“I’m excited about the 2023 schedule and the opportunities to see huge bags and close finishes,” said Lisa Talmadge, tournament director for the Elite Series. “What a way to kick off our season by going back-to-back to big-bass factories with the potential to produce a Century Belt before heading to Santee Cooper and the 1000 Islands, which both produced multiple Century Belts in 2022! Add in locations that’ve had record crowds or tight finishes plus fisheries where we haven’t competed in years, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch for all of us.”
More than 12.5 million viewers watched Bassmaster coverage on the FOX networks and, once again, fans can catch all nine Bassmaster
Elite Series events as well as Bassmaster Classic live television coverage on the FOX Sports platforms.
For complete coverage of the Elite Series, visit Bassmaster.com.
2023 Bassmaster Elite Series Schedule
Feb. 16-19, Okeechobee, Fla., Lake Okeechobee
Feb. 23-26, Bainbridge, Ga., Lake Seminole
March 24-26, Knoxville, Tenn., Tennessee River
April 20-23, Columbia, S.C., Lake Murray
April 27-30, Clarendon County, S.C., Santee Cooper Lakes
May 11-14, Shelby County, Ala., Lay Lake
June 1-4, Orange, Texas, Sabine River
July 27-30, Macomb County, Mich., Lake St. Clair
Aug. 17-20, Plattsburgh, N.Y., Lake Champlain
Aug. 24-27, Clayton, N.Y., St. Lawrence River
College Anglers Comb Through Winyah Bay
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Around one hundred and forty of the best college fishing teams in the country have descended upon Winyah Bay here in Georgetown, South Carolina for the 2022 Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. This morning marked the start of third official day of practice for championship qualifiers on the intricate puzzle this fishery offers.
Winyah Bay is the fourth largest estuary on the eastern seaboard of the United States and its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean presents many unique and unfamiliar challenges to most of the field.
For example, Lamar State College-Orange anglers Jack Tindell and Brett Fregia found a pair of crabs on the boat ramp this morning at the Carol Ashmore Marine Complex and witnessed mullet jumping in the Sampit River behind them. Not your typical sights when launching your boat for a bass fishing tournament.
“We have some experience with fishing brackish water and finding bass thanks to the Sabine River,” Tindell said. “But I’d be lying if I said we had any kind of advantage. Winyah Bay has been tough on us so far, we’ve been scratching our heads quite a bit this week.”
While we may be over 1,000 miles away from their home waters of the Sabine River and they don’t see it as much of an advantage, the familiarity they have with this style of fishing certainly won’t hurt the east Texas Gators chances. Navigating between fresh, brackish, and saltwater is completely novel experience for most competing anglers this week who are used to fishing reservoirs, inland river systems, and natural lakes.
Being far from home doesn’t intimate Fregia and Tindell either. They placed in the top ten of the 2021 Bassmaster College Series Championship last year on the St. Lawrence River and took home the impressive $5,000 Yamaha Power Pay bonus for their efforts.
The duo hopes to repeat and even improve on their 2021 performance this week, but that starts with staying focused every hour throughout practice and piecing together a gameplan for the three-day tournament.
“Right now, we’re still in search mode,” Fregia offered. “We think finding the right area, or areas, will be key in this tournament as opposed to fishing a pattern. There are areas that have healthy populations of bass, and areas that do not. Today and tomorrow will be all about finding some of those magical little places.”
“We’ve launched at a few different ramps just to try and sample different areas. I think we found a place where we could dominate a Grinnell (bowfin) tournament yesterday. We caught some big ones,” Tindell added with a smile.
Between crabs, bowfin, and the occasional redfish or errant flounder, there will be plenty of bycatch to keep things interesting for college fishing’s best this week. But make no mistake, this fishery is home to healthy populations of bass, too, and several teams will crack the code by the time the tournament begins.
While they insist practice has been less than stellar, Tindell and Fregia still think it will take somewhere around 15-lbs per day to win this event and believe breaking the 12-pound mark each day will be necessary to make Championship Sunday. Competition begins Friday morning at 6:30am ET and will conclude Sunday September 4th.
TITLE Champ & Elite Rookie of the Year!
This week Chris gets "Called Up" so to speak and the show takes a transformation of sorts. Chris talks with Major League Fishing Pro Circuit TITLE Champ Spencer Shuffield about his career and his breakthrough win on the St. Lawrence River. Later in the show, David and Kenneth call up Bassmaster Rookie of the Year and fellow (to David) "Win-sconsonite" Jay Pzerkurat to the show to breakdown his rookie year, his first win and bringing home the ROY hardware.
Schmitt Claims Close Win At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Mississippi River
Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Md., has won the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River with a four-day total of 63 pounds, 4 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
August 29, 2022
Schmitt Claims Close Win At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Mississippi River
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Persistent refinement put Bryan Schmitt on track to sacking up a four-day total of 63 pounds, 4 ounces and claiming his second blue trophy at the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River.
Hailing from Deale, Md., Schmitt took the Day 1 lead with 17-0 — the event’s second heaviest bag — and followed that with bags of 14-3 and 14-12.
Schmitt, who won his first Elite on Lake Champlain in 2021, started Championship Monday in third place, trailing Canadian pro Chris Johnston by 2-1. Adding 16-11 in the final round, Schmitt edged Johnston by just 4 ounces and won the $100,000 prize. He also earned an automatic berth into the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic scheduled for March 24-26 in Knoxville, Tenn.
“I’d rather have a blow-out win because this is too stressful,” Schmitt said of the dramatic finish. “When Chris brought his bag up, it looked big — I thought he had it!
“I can’t believe it. I’m 2-for-2 here. (Schmitt also won a 2017 FLW Tour event on the Mississippi River).”
Throughout the event, Schmitt focused his efforts on a 200-yard stretch of eelgrass in Pool 8. With multiple wins on grassy tidal fisheries from the Potomac River to the James River, he leveraged his vast knowledge of how bass relate to moving water and vegetation to progressively whittle down his spot.
“When you have a fishery with a lot of grass, it’s always about finding something different,” Schmitt said. “The first day, it was about depressions and edges. Then, it got so flat calm that I realized the fish would pick a place on that grass edge or depression and that was the only place you could get bit.”
Seeing the bass were not randomly strolling through the eelgrass, Schmitt dissected his area until he identified the money spot. Amid the grass flat’s consistent 6-foot depths, he identified an 8-foot trench measuring about 20 feet wide by 100 yards long.
“There was about a 50-foot section where, whenever I would get a bait on the bottom, I could feel rock,” Schmitt said. “So, there was rock meeting grass in a depression.”
The key to the spot’s attraction was the very detail that derailed many anglers’ game plans. Heavy rains from a storm that delayed the Day 2 launch by one hour muddied much of Pool 8. However, Schmitt’s area was shielded from the mud plume, while the eelgrass filtration left only beneficial water flow.
“It’s a challenge, but I enjoy fishing in current because I feel current makes fish predictable,” Schmitt said. “When I won here in 2017, it flooded. It was just like this — my spot got better and better.”
Schmitt caught most of his keepers on a Carolina-rigged Missile Baits Baby D Stroyer in green pumpkin flash. He added one of his limit fish on a bone-colored Spro Fat Papa Walker.
“I used a 3 1/2- to 4-foot leader and I think that’s why they would bite that bait,” Schmitt said. “There was so much eelgrass, the weight would get down and the bait would float above the grass for a minute and that’s when you would get bit.”
Schmitt said his win was perfectly timed, as he’ll head home and celebrate his son Dylan’s 9th birthday Thursday.
Johnston, who makes his home in Otonabee, Ontario, turned in limits of 16-4, 15-10, 16-12 and 14-6 for a second-place total of 63-0. Spending his tournament in Pool 8, he did most of his work by throwing a chartreuse/white Spro Bronzeye Frog around shallow eelgrass mats.
“I had to adjust in one area today; the fish moved on me a little bit,” Johnston said. “I just went frog fishing and today I lost the most fish of any day in this event. It was one of those days and it wasn’t meant to be.
“I fished clean the first three days, but today I just had (several) come unbuttoned.”
Mats with current exposure proved most productive for Johnston. In addition to the largemouth he caught on the frog, Johnston also caught keeper smallmouth on a bone-colored Zara Spook.
Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas, finished third with 61-15. His daily weights were 14-5, 17-7, 15-1 and 15-2.
Combs fished Pools 8 and 9 each day, but only the former produced Monday. His main pattern involved sandbars and other current breaks where fish would position to feed.
“I had several different areas, but everything was current-related; it had to have a little current trickling through,” Combs said. “Today, I caught my fish on a current seam and I caught a ton of fish. This morning, I caught them on every cast for 45 minutes. It was insanity.
“I never could dial into the big fish this week. I caught a ton of fish in the 3- to 3 1/2-pound range, but I never could figure out how to catch those 4-pounders.”
Combs caught his bass on a black/blue Strike King swim jig with a black Strike King Caffeine Shad trailer. He also caught keepers on a Texas-rigged junebug Strike King Cut-R Worm.
Brock Mosley of Collinsville, Miss., won the overall $1,000 Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 5-8 and also claimed the $1,000 daily big-fish prize for Day 1. Tennessee’s Brandon Lester claimed Monday’s daily big-fish prize with a 4-11.
Lester also won the $2,000 VMC Monster Bag prize for his final-day catch of 18-7.
Combs took home an additional $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, and Drew Benton of Blakely, Ga., earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Combs also earned an additional $2,500 as the highest-placing entrant and Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla., claimed an additional $1,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
North Carolina’s Brandon Card won the $1,000 BassTrakk Contingency award for the most accurate weight reporting.
2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River 8/26-8/29
Mississippi River, La Crosse WI.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 20 63-04 100 $100,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 14-12 Day 4: 5 16-11
2. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 20 63-00 99 $35,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 5 16-12 Day 4: 5 14-06
3. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 20 61-15 98 $30,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 17-07 Day 3: 5 15-01 Day 4: 5 15-02
4. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 20 61-06 97 $28,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 5 14-09 Day 4: 5 18-07
5. Bryan New Saluda, SC 20 59-11 96 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 13-01 Day 3: 5 16-05 Day 4: 5 14-06
6. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 20 57-10 95 $19,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 5 14-11 Day 4: 5 12-10
7. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 20 56-02 94 $19,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 16-08 Day 3: 5 13-07 Day 4: 5 12-12
8. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 20 55-15 93 $17,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 13-15 Day 3: 5 14-05 Day 4: 5 12-08
9. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 20 55-12 92 $16,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 14-11 Day 4: 5 12-02
10. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 20 54-03 91 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 13-01 Day 3: 5 14-12 Day 4: 5 10-01
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PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 05-08 $1,000.00
2 Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 04-06 $1,000.00
3 Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 05-01 $1,000.00
4 Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 04-11 $1,000.00
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PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 05-08 $1,000.00
VMC MONSTER BAG
Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 18-07 $2,000.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 73 419 1038-04
2 61 376 946-13
3 45 232 634-13
4 10 50 139-01
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189 1077 2758-15
Reese Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Detroit River
Miller Claims Strike King Co-Angler Division Victory
TRENTON, Mich. (Aug. 29, 2022) – Boater Jeremy Reese of Powell, Ohio, caught five bass Saturday weighing 26 pounds, 6 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Detroit River . The tournament was the third regular-season event for the Bass Fishing League Michigan Division. Reese earned $4,820 for his victory.
“I made a pretty long run into Lake Erie and had a few different areas, and I just alternated around them,” Reese said. “There was another fisherman up there, an absolute hammer, and we were sharing the same stuff. We worked together and rotated through and shared it real well.”
The tournament began well for Reese, as he boated quality fish soon after Saturday’s takeoff.
“Saturday was a morning bite for me,” Reese said. “I had all of the fish I weighed in before 10 a.m., fishing rock piles from 15 to 29 feet deep.
“I’ve been working a lot with Venture Lures,” Reese added. “I’ve been testing and designing baits with them, and used a green pumpkin Venture Lures Dropper Worm this week.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
2nd: Trevor Jancasz, White Pigeon, Mich., five bass, 24-0, $2,249
3rd: Brett Haake, Shorewood, Ill., five bass, 23-4, $1,698
4th: Jared Rhode, Port Clinton, Ohio, five bass, 23-1, $1,050
5th: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., five bass, 22-14, $862
5th: Austin Anderson, Ashley, Ind., five bass, 22-14, $1,362 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
7th: John Dawson, Mount Vernon, Ohio, five bass, 22-13, $750
8th: Mike Trombly, Belleville, Mich., five bass, 22-6, $675
9th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 22-3, $800
10th: Matt Elkins, Spencerville, Ohio, five bass, 22-0, $525
Rob Miller of Albion, Michigan, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,571 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 22 pounds, 1 ounce.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
2nd: Nick Shinigwai Yeung, Simcoe, Ontario, five bass, 21-4, $1,125
3rd: Tom Lyskawa, Arlington Heights, Ill., five bass, 21-0, $1,052
4th: Mark Lyons, Marion, Ind., five bass, 20-3, $487
4th: Jacob Cox, Corunna, Mich., five bass, 20-3, $487
6th: Robert Miller, Litchfield, Mich., five bass, 19-13, $412
7th: David Borsa, Redford, Mich., five bass, 19-10, $375
8th: Brian Hicks, Auburn, Ind., five bass, 19-7, $337
9th: Paul Porento, Lowell, Ind., five bass, 19-3, $300
10th: Tyler Bliemeister, Ray Township, Mich., five bass, 19-2, $262
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.
Sitko Wins Second Event of Double-Header at Phoenix Bass Fishing League on the Detroit River
Marcum Takes Strike King Co-Angler Division
TRENTON, Mich. (Aug. 29, 2022) – Boater Michael Sitko of Pinckney, Michigan, caught five bass Sunday weighing 26 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Detroit River . The tournament was the fourth event for the Bass Fishing League Michigan Division. Sitko earned $4,601 for his victory.
“I had no idea where I was going to head out to or start, and I was boat number three,” Sitko said. “I probably ran 10 miles and still hadn’t decided where to go. It was a little bit rough out there, so I decided to stop on some closer stuff and there were no fish there. I worked my way out a little further and picked off a few here and there.
“Sunday was kind of tough,” Sitko added. “I didn’t catch a bunch, but I caught the right ones.”
Sitko said he made a run to Lake Erie and caught 10 smallmouth keepers on isolated rocks in 20 to 22 feet of water on drop-shot rigs, as well as a couple of kickers on tubes.
“My first fish of the day was a 3-10, and at one point I had four good ones in the boat,” Sitko said. “About noon I had been at a spot for 10 minutes and picked up a tube and decided to make one last cast there. I bombed a cast out over a rock hump and got bit a quarter of the way back in. It was a 5-13, so I culled the 3-10.”
The BFL win was the first for Sitko since a win at the Detroit River in 2016.
“It’s very hard to win in this division,” Sitko added. “I’ve been close so many times with second-and third-place finishes, so it feels good to get another win under my belt.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
2nd: Heath Wagner, Angola, Ind., five bass, 23-14, $2,023
3rd: Trevor Jancasz, White Pigeon, Mich., five bass, 22-5, $1,348
4th: Gary Greenwood, Taylors, S.C., five bass, 22-1, $944
5th: Jeremy Reese, Powell, Ohio, five bass, 21-8, $809
6th: Nick Trim, Galesville, Wis., five bass, 21-5, $1,242 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
7th: Dan Mittlestat, Woodhaven, Mich., five bass, 21-2, $974
8th: Mike Trombley, Belleville, Mich., five bass, 21-1, $607
9th: Elijah Meyers, Fort Wayne, Ind., five bass, 20-9, $539
10th: Mike Raber, Elkhart, Ind., five bass, 20-7, $472
2nd: Jeffrey Thomson, Birmingham, Mich., five bass, 19-12, $1,011
3rd: Mike Eldridge, Blairsville, Penn., five bass, 19-2, $674
4th: Benton Peoples, Bardstown, Ky., five bass, 18-14, $472
5th: Ken Ramsey, Cassopolis, Mich., five bass, 18-10, $405
6th: Gregory Jantovsky, Westland, Mich., five bass, 18-4, $371
7th: Greg Owens, Clinton Township, Mich., five bass, 18-3, $337
8th: Paul Porento, Lowell, Ind., five bass, 17-10, $563
8th: Jeffrey Galgan, Arlington Heights, Ill., five bass, 17-10, $286
10th: Nicholas Veselka, Fishers, Ind., five bass, 17-9, $236
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.
Overmyer Wins Two-Day Phoenix Bass Fishing League Super Tournament on Lake Lanier
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (Aug. 29, 2022) – Boater Ty Overmyer of Dawsonville, Georgia, caught 10 bass weighing 30 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the two-day MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia . The tournament was the fifth and final regular-season event for the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division. Overmyer earned $7,138 for his victory.
“A lot of hard work went into this, and it really paid off,” Overmyer said. “Knowing the lake really helped me a lot fishing in these tough conditions.
“I had really slow mornings, and as the sun got higher, it positioned the fish in the brush piles. I ran as many as I possibly could,” Overmyer added.
Overmyer said he focused on the south end of the lake during both days of competition, and his efforts produced five bass on Saturday and eight Sunday. He said he used a Trickster Tricky Shad Fluke and let it sink to brush piles on Saturday. Overmyer said wind on Sunday pushed herring up shallow on points and his key bait was an Evergreen Shower Blows 77.7 topwater bait.
“It was a slow bite, but it was the right bite,” Overmyer said. “My co-angler and I threw the topwater baits in tandem and it would trigger the fish to come up and eat. It helps when you’ve got someone else throwing one, too.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
2nd: Emil Wagner, Marietta, Ga, 10 bass, 30-5, $4,269 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF5 contingency bonus)
3rd: Alex Prince, Blue Ridge, Ga., 10 bass, 29-5, $2,378
4th: Will Harkins, Blairsville, Ga, 10 bass, 27-14, $1,666
5th: Paul Driskell, Jefferson, Ga, 10 bass, 26-5, $1,428
6th: Weston Parker, Mansfield, Ga., 10 bass, 25-5, $1,309
7th: Dalton Tankersley, Copperhill, Tenn., 10 bass, 25-0, $1,190
8th: Kip Carter, Eatonton, Ga., 10 bass, 24-15, $1,071
9th: Mitchell Grimsley, Hiawassee, Ga., 10 bass, 24-8, $952
10th: Bill Booth, Marietta, Ga., 10 bass, 24-0, $833
Nathan Vick of Archer, Florida, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 12 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – to earn the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $1,065.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
2nd: Robert Holliday, Greensboro, Ga., eight bass, 17-6, $1,922
3rd: Carlos Guzman, Fayetteville, Ga., eight bass, 16-10, $1,179
4th: Wayne Hancock, Cumming, Ga., seven bass, 15-6, $827
5th: Nathan Duong, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 14-6, $709
6th: Harold Grizzle, Gainesville, Ga., seven bass, 14-2, $650
7th: Frank Poole, Stockbridge, Ga., six bass, 13-13, $591
8th: Madison Earnest, Covington, Ga., five bass, 13-6, $532
9th: Cody Cantrell, Fairmount, Ga., six bass, 12-14, $473
10th: Judah Eernisse, Lexington, S.C., seven bass, 12-2, $413
With the regular season now complete, boater Kip Carter of Eatonton, Georgia, won the 2022 Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with a five-event total of 1,337 points to earn the $1,000 boater AOY award. Benjie Winkler of Cleveland, Georgia, won the 2022 Strike King Co-Angler Bulldog Division AOY race with 1,287 points and earned the $500 Strike King Co-angler of the Year award.
Now, the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will advance to compete 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.
Reynolds Wins Two-Day Phoenix Bass Fishing League Super Tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir
BROOKELAND, Texas (Aug. 29, 2022) – Boater Tater Reynolds of Florien, Louisiana, caught 10 bass weighing 48 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the two-day MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Sam Rayburn Reservoir . The tournament, hosted by Jasper County Development District, was the fifth and final regular-season event for the Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division. Reynolds earned $8,467 for his victory.
According to post-tournament reports, Reynolds said he focused his tournament efforts above the Highway 147 bridge on Sam Rayburn and targeted brush piles in 15 to 35 feet of water. Reynolds used a Table Rock Pro-colored 6th Sense 106X Jerkbait to land his bass.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
2nd: Derek Mundy, Broaddus, Texas, 10 bass, 38-8, $3,733
3rd: Blake Schroeder, Whitehouse, Texas, 10 bass, 35-13, $2,738
4th: James Allen Pruitt, Houston, Texas, 10 bass, 35-4, $1,742
5th: Jason Bonds, Lufkin, Texas, 10 bass, 35-0, $1,493
6th: Wesley Dawson, Chester, Texas, 10 bass, 32-14, $1,569
7th: Walt Stevens, Bernice, La., 10 bass, 32-6, $1,544
8th: Tommy Loving, Cypress, Texas, 10 bass, 31-13, $1,620 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF5 contingency bonus)
9th: Todd Castledine, Nacogdoches, Texas, 10 bass, 29-15, $996
10th: Cody Wise, Chireno, Texas, 10 bass, 27-6, $871
Kevin Jeane of Natchitoches, Louisiana, caught a bass weighing 8 pounds, 14 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – to earn the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $1,140.
Ben Faucheaux of Natchitoches, Louisiana, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $3,733 Sunday after catching a two-day total of eight bass weighing 22 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
2nd: J.J. Matzke, League City, Texas, seven bass, 19-10, $1,867
3rd: Daniel Bryant, Scott, La., five bass, 19-8, $1,914
4th: James Moore, Jr., Lampasas, Texas, eight bass, 19-8, $1,221
5th: Hannah Gryder, Many, La., eight bass, 19-5, $747
6th: Zane Parker, Goodrich, Texas, nine bass, 19-4, $684
7th: Mitchel Martin, Washington, La., seven bass, 18-3, $622
8th: Jimmy Saltzman, Lake Charles, La., seven bass, 18-3, $560
9th: Zachary McDaniel, Pitkin, La., six bass, 16-9, $498
10th: Steven Fisher, Nacogdoches, Texas, four bass, 14-9, $436
With the regular season now complete, boater Tater Reynolds of Florien, Louisiana, won the 2022 Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with a five-event total of 1,363 points to earn the $1,000 boater AOY award. Greg Dennis of Fort Worth, Texas, won the 2022 Strike King Co-Angler Cowboy Division AOY race with 1,258 points and earned the $500 Strike King Co-angler of the Year award.
Now, the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will advance to compete 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.
Quinlin Earns Victory at Two-Day Phoenix Bass Fishing League Super Tournament on the Ohio River
LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (Aug. 29, 2022) – Boater Mike Quinlin of Mooresville, Indiana, caught nine bass weighing 15 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the two-day MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Ohio River at Tanner’s Creek in Lawrenceburg, Indiana . The tournament was the fifth and final regular-season event for the Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division. Quinlin earned $14,374 for his victory, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF5 contingency bonus.
Quinlin’s victory was his second BFL Hoosier Division win in a row, as he won the BFL event on the Ohio River at Rocky Point on Aug. 6.
“Saturday, I caught all my fish shallow on a spinnerbait and had a 4-14 kicker, which is a pretty good fish for the Ohio River,” Quinlin said. “I only had four fish, but I was leading after Day 1.”
Quinlin said on Sunday he stayed close to takeoff and caught a quick limit that didn’t weigh very much, then made a 40-mile run and was able to cull out two more fish flipping a Hog Snatcher Baits tube.
“I probably didn’t even need to make that long run and still would have gotten the win,” Quinlin said. “The good old Ohio River changed on me, and the water went down a foot overnight. The fish would no longer chase a spinnerbait.”
With two straight wins behind him, Quinlin is now eyeing his next BFL event, the Regional Championship in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
“This feels great,” Quinlin said. “The Phoenix bonus was fantastic, as were the Mercury and General Tire and AFTCO bonuses. I’m looking forward to fishing the Regional Championship at the Mississippi River in La Crosse. That place is just full of fish.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
2nd: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 10 bass, 13-11, $3,437
3rd: Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., 10 bass, 13-7, $1,957
4th: David Spivey, Hamilton, Ohio, nine bass, 13-0, $1,371
5th: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, nine bass, 12-15, $1,425
6th: Matt McCoy, Indianapolis, Ind., nine bass, 12-11, $1,077
7th: Brain Funkhouser, Bloomington, Ind., six bass, 12-7, $979
8th: Brandon Barrett, Bloomington, Ind., eight bass, 11-1, $881
9th: Mark Dove, North Vernon, Ind., six bass, 10-2, $783
10th: Blake Albertson, Bloomington, Ind., seven bass, 9-3, $685
Ethan Hill of Columbus, Indiana, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – to earn the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $780.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
2nd: Tim Edwards, Underwood, Ind., five bass, 8-3, $1,468
3rd: John Thomas, Quincy, Ind., six bass, 7-9, $979
4th: Dan Pardue, Morgantown, Ind., five bass, 7-2, $685
5th: Bill Kissinger, Knoxville, Tenn., six bass, 7-1, $587
6th: Dominic Bogolo, Hamilton, Ohio, six bass, 7-0, $538
7th: Jarrod Pickel, Indianapolis, Ind., five bass, 7-0, $489
8th: Evan Baldwin, Avon, Ind., five bass, 6-14, $441
9th: Jay Backer, Henderson, Ky., five bass, 5-15, $392
10th: Yaounde Howard, Bolingbrook, Ill., four bass, 5-8, $443
With the regular season now complete, boater Mike Quinlin of Mooresville, Indiana, won the 2022 Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with a five-event total of 1,339 points to earn the $1,000 boater AOY award. Ryan Sykes of Fairfield, Ohio, won the 2022 Strike King Co-Angler Hoosier Division AOY race with 1,292 points and earned the $500 Strike King Co-angler of the Year award.
Now, the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will advance to compete 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.
Dice Wins Two-Day Phoenix Bass Fishing League Super Tournament on Cayuga Lake
Thompson Takes Strike King Co-Angler Division
UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. (Aug. 29, 2022) – Boater Jack Dice of Lynchburg, Virginia, caught 10 bass weighing 45 pounds even to win the two-day MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Cayuga Lake . The tournament was the fifth and final regular-season event for the Bass Fishing League Northeast Division. Dice earned $4,732 for his victory.
“I had never been to Cayuga, and I got there Friday afternoon and went out for a couple of hours and tried to catch smallmouth, but I didn’t catch a single one,” Dice said. “So, I changed my thinking and went after largemouth in the tournament.”
Dice said he focused his efforts both days of the tournament near a marina two miles from takeoff because he wasn’t familiar with the lake. He fished any irregularities that featured grass, whether it was clumps or grass on points, with a crankbait and a drop-shot rig. Dice said his kicker bass came on a Yamamoto Zako Swimbait on the back of a small Z-Man Chatterbait. A 5-inch Yamamoto Senko on a wacky rig also produced for him.
Dice said he caught only seven or eight fish on the first day of competition, but the next day wind aided his efforts, and Sunday was more productive for him. He said he culled a number of times on the second day of competition and lost count of how many fish he caught.
“The fish in Cayuga are unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Dice said. “I caught one that must have had more girth than length. I had no idea I could win the tournament until I put them on the scales, and I took the lead Saturday. I thought they were nice fish, but they’re so healthy and heavy I didn’t know they would weigh that much. It’s just an awesome place to fish.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jack Dice, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 45-0, $4,732
2nd: Michael Duarte, Baltimore, Md, 10 bass, 43-0, $2,566
3rd: Michael Morrin, Waterloo, N.Y., 10 bass, 41-5, $1,577
4th: Kyle Gelles, Pingree, Idaho, 10 bass, 40-2, $2,159 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF5 contingency bonus)
5th: Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., 10 bass, 37-15, $946
6th: Casey Smith, Victor, N.Y., 10 bass, 37-12, $868
7th: John Lorenzo, Kane, Pa., nine bass, 35-10, $789
8th: Justin Kubilus, North Abington Township, Pa., 10 bass, 34-4, $710
9th: Bob Salotti, Geneva, N.Y., 10 bass, 33-3, $631
10th: Eric Turner, Ticonderoga, N.Y., 10 bass, 33-3, $552
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 15 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – to earn the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $555.
Justin Thompson of Stafford, Virginia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,366 Sunday after catching a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 30 pounds, 3 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
1st: Justin Thompson, Stafford, Va., 10 bass, 30-3, $2,366
2nd: Matt Hummel, Dillsburg, Pa., nine bass, 22-14, $1,283
3rd: Chad Dorney, Slatington, Pa., seven bass, 21-2, $790
4th: Andreas Noraas, Pamplin, Va., nine bass, 20-15, $552
5th: Jimmy Papineau, Staatsburg, N.Y., five bass, 20-2, $473
6th: Max Meister, Atco, N.J., five bass, 19-1, $434
7th: Chris Siclare, Geneva, N.Y., eight bass, 18-14, $394
8th: Darren Noble, Hainesport, N.J., nine bass, 18-1, $555
9th: Trey Marco, Morrisville, Pa., 10 bass, 18-1, $315
10th: Liam Moore, Oneonta, N.Y., seven bass, 17-5, $276
Richard Jensen of Virginia Beach, Virginia, caught the largest bass in the Strike King Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds even. The catch earned him the Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $277.
With the regular season now complete, boater Joseph Thompson of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, won the 2022 Bass Fishing League Northeast Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with a five-event total of 1,263 points to earn the $1,000 boater AOY award. Matt Hummel of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, won the 2022 Strike King Co-Angler Northeast Division AOY race with 1,271 points and earned the $500 Strike King Co-angler of the Year award.
Now, the top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will advance to compete 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.
Mental focus fueling Team Toyota’s success in La Crosse
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
The final day of the 2022 Bassmaster Elite Series season begins with three Toyota pros in the Top 10 to begin Championship Monday in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Matt Arey left the dock in 5th, Gerald Swindle sits 8th, and Brandon Lester squeaked into the final spot in 10th, and each graciously shared their thoughts in the pre-dawn regarding what had gone right the past three days to grant them a place in the Top 10.
Arey: “Not getting mentally spun out on Day 1 when I arrived at my best spot from practice and saw another competitor on it. I stayed confident, went to my next best spot, and that has turned out to be a magical 50-yard X 50-yard area that’s produced fish on a Lunkerhunt swimjig, a vibrating jig, and a Texas rigged stick bait all three days so far.”
Swindle: “Staying focused on truly fishing to win. I already had the Classic made coming in here. So, there was no need to be conservative. For me, that meant getting away from the crowd, by making the longer run to Pool 9. It’s worked well. I haven’t seen another tournament angler around me all week.”
Lester: “My mindset has been the true secret to my success this week. I told myself if I made Monday’s Top 10 cut, then I’d really make Palaniuk earn the AOY title. And that’s exactly how it worked out. Congrats to “BP” – but I really feel good about knowing I set a goal and did my job this week.”
Perhaps most interesting about all three pros’ answers is the fact each cited mental focus as most important to their impressive success on the Upper Mississippi this weekend.
Proving once again that what goes on between the ears is every bit as important as what’s tied on the end of your line.
Palaniuk Wins Second Bassmaster Angler Of The Year Title
Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, has claimed the 2022 Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year title.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
August 28, 2022
Palaniuk Wins Second Bassmaster Angler Of The Year Title
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Brandon Palaniuk doesn’t think of himself as a legend. In his mind, he is still the 8-year-old from Rathdrum, Idaho, who discovered a dream of reaching the biggest stage in bass fishing.
But by winning the 2022 Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, adding yet another trophy to his mantle, “The Prodigy” is surely living up to his nickname.
With a 25th-place finish at the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi Riverwith 39 pounds, 11 ounces, Palaniuk clinched the Angler of the Year title Sunday, becoming just the 12th angler to win multiple AOY trophies, with his first title coming back in 2017.
“It is amazing. It hasn’t sunk in all the way yet,” Palaniuk said. “The feeling of winning and that accomplishment, that moment and feeling when (Dave) Mercer announces it on stage, that is what makes all the hard work, the early mornings, the late nights and the hard times OK. It makes it worth it. For me, it is another piece of the puzzle of this crazy life we live, and I’m glad the pieces fell the way I wanted them to.
“I feel like every year I know myself better and I feel like I fish better,” he added. “I feel like (I’m) hitting my stride.”
Palaniuk was able to begin his celebration on stage with his daughter, Kora, in his arms and his wife, Tiffanie, by his side.
“It doesn’t get any better than that. Because of them, I can do what I do. It is just as much theirs as it is mine,” he said.
After battling David Mullins and John Cox for the lead most of the year, Palaniuk entered the Mississippi River event with a 37-point lead over Brandon Lester after a disappointing showing at Lake Oahe. Lester and Chris Johnston put the pressure on Palaniuk this week, as both anglers qualified for Championship Monday.
Meanwhile, Palaniuk had just four bass in his livewell with a half hour to go on Day 2. In danger of missing the cut, Palaniuk landed his fifth keeper at around 3:30 p.m. to make the Semifinal Sunday field.
“The weight the last two weeks, I have felt like Brandon Lester was the size of a Sasquatch on my shoulders. And that is kudos to him for how good of an angler he is,” Palaniuk said. “He put the pressure on me. I hated it the last two weeks and I loved it at the same time. It made me feel alive.
“What blows my mind is that AOY was literally decided by one bass. One bass yesterday I caught at 3:30 gave me a limit and without that, I don’t win AOY. That is why you fish until the very end. I always say I have won more tournaments on my last cast than the first cast.”
He left no doubt on Semifinal Sunday as to who would be hoisting the AOY trophy, landing a limit in the first 15 minutes of the day to seal the deal.
“Oahe, I felt, sucked the soul out of my body,” Palaniuk said. “Yesterday was a mental test for me, and I felt like today was the reward for passing that test yesterday. I had 13 pounds in the first hour and was able to enjoy the day. I didn’t feel stressed. I had fun catching bass again, and that is exactly why I started. Never forget, fishing is fun.”
It was a season that started soon after the passing of the legendary Aaron Martens, but throughout the year Palaniuk felt Martens was helping him with the roller-coaster ride that is an Elite Series season.
“The first tournament of the year I slapped an Aaron Martens sticker on my windshield. There were a lot of times it got really tough this year, and I turned around and looked at that sticker. I felt like he was looking back at me and saying, ‘I love you, bro.’ It helped every time,” Palaniuk said. “This whole week I would slap that sticker or give him (a fist bump) to say ‘thank you’ for everything he has done.”
Palaniuk made eight of the nine Day 3 cuts during the 2022 season, notching Top 10 finishes at Santee Cooper Lakes (third place), Lake Fork (second place) and Pickwick Lake (seventh place) and Top 30 finishes at the St. Johns River, Harris Chain, Chickamauga Lake, St. Lawrence River and the Mississippi River.
Other than the Santee Cooper Lakes event, Palaniuk did not have good practices. But each practice gave him one clue that he ran with during the tournament.
“Outside of Santee Cooper, I felt like my entire year was made up on the fly,” he explained. “It was a complete scramble from getting little clues in practice and running with them in the event and turning those subpar practices into really good events. You have to think of fishing as a math equation. You have all these variables and you put them into an equation, and whatever that equals is the answer to catching your bass.
“The more time you spend on the water and see those sets of variables, the faster the light bulb goes off. That’s how I fished my entire season. (I was) living on the edge of disaster and made it work.”
Getting off to a good start was one of the most important aspects of his season. Historically, Florida has not been kind to Palaniuk, so once he made it through both of those events unscathed, he realized his season could turn into one to remember.
“Florida has been my nemesis,” he said. “When I came out of there with a 20th and a 26th, I knew I had gotten that monkey off my back and there was potential. The last time I won AOY, I finished 105th at Okeechobee and had to fight my way back. To me, I felt like I was starting way ahead of the game compared to where I normally do.”
His only missed cut came at Lake Oahe, and the tournament set the tone for a stressful week at La Crosse the following week. But it was the Pickwick tournament, an event where Palaniuk and Tiffanie were expecting the birth of Kora at any time, that may have tested him the most.
“I gained a new level of respect and appreciation for Tiff,” he said. “How tough she was in the biggest moment of our lives. For her to be that strong and still be that supportive (of the fact) I still had that tournament to fish. And the fact that I was able to not only practice all week (but was also able to) fish all four days of the event made me feel like there was something outside of our control that was making this season happen.
“It was incredible we were able to complete that week. Realistically, I’m assuming if I don’t fish all four days there I don’t win AOY.”
With his videographer Kyle Vandever there for every tournament, Palaniuk has every aspect of the season on video and he is excited to, one day, share the memories of this season with Kora.
“It is going to be incredible to show my daughter when she is old enough to understand what this season looked like,” he said. “We documented the entire thing and have every fish catch on video. It is cool to have all of that and at some point, be able to use that as a teaching lesson for her.”
Johnston Extends Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Mississippi River
Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Ontario, is leading after Day 3 of the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River with a three-day total of 48 pounds, 10 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
August 28, 2022
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Chris Johnston believed in his sweet spot enough to give it a second chance, and that call paid off in a big way, as the pro from Otonabee, Ontario, tallied a three-day total of 48 pounds, 10 ounces and maintained the lead on Day 3 of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River.
After tying for fourth place on Day 1 with a limit of 16-4, Johnston added 15-10 on Day 2 and took over the top spot. He entered Semifinal Sunday 2 ounces ahead of Texan Keith Combs — and with a third-round limit of 16-12, Johnston now heads into Championship Monday with an advantage of 1-13 over Combs.
“I ran to a spot that I’d fished in the morning, but I never got a bite because it was raining,” Johnston said. “There was a lot of bait in the area, and I think the rain had the bait all pushed down to the bottom and the fish weren’t active.
“I stopped there again with about 15 minutes to go because I know there’s a lot of fish in there. It’s just hard to get them to bite.”
Johnston said he usually has to see fish blowing up (surface feeding) in the spot’s matted grass, but his first cast drew a bite. He missed that fish, but five casts later he caught a 3 1/4-pound largemouth a little before 2:30 p.m.
“It was hard because the wind was blowing in, but they were in these little pockets,” Johnston said. “The wind had my frog kind of going across sideways, but that (3 1/4-pounder) grabbed a hold of it and that was huge.”
Johnston’s key spot comprised a break in the vegetation with sand next to a current edge. The week’s rainfall has raised the water level, and Johnston said that has expanded the spot’s opportunity.
“Normally, I have to throw a frog over that spot because it’s eelgrass and I couldn’t (previously) throw any treble hooks,” Johnston said. “Today, I noticed that there was several inches of water over it.
“As long as there’s not blown-in eelgrass over it, I can probably throw a (Heddon Zara) Spook on them or something different to get more bites. On Day 4, I might try throwing different baits instead of just a frog.”
Johnston got his day going by catching an early limit of smallmouth on a bladed jig and finesse rigs. Once he transitioned to his mat frogging, he culled all of those with bass caught on a chartreuse/white Spro Bronzeye Frog.
“Ideally, I don’t spend as much time fishing smallies, but as soon as I roll up to this spot, I seem to get one or two smallmouth bites,” Johnston said. “If I can get one of those to be 3-plus pounds (on Championship Monday), that will be a good start.”
Though the tournament won’t be decided until Monday, Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, clinched his second Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year title on Sunday with a 25th-place finish that gave him a final total of 723 points for the season. Palaniuk, who won his first AOY title in 2017, was uncharacteristically emotional in his acceptance speech, particularly when describing the motivation he got from the memory of his friend and former Bassmaster Elite Aaron Martens, who won AOY titles in 2005, 2013 and 2015.
“Before the first tournament of the year, I slapped an Aaron Martens sticker on my windshield,” Palaniuk said. “There were a lot of times that got really tough this year, and I would turn around and look at that sticker. I felt like he was looking back at me and saying, ‘I love you, bro’ (Martens’ trademark saying), and it helped every time.
“This whole week, I was slapping that sticker or I would give him (a fist bump) and I’d say, ‘Thank you’ for everything he’s done.”
With one day remaining in the tournament, Combs is still well in contention for his first Elite Series win since 2017.
Hailing from Huntington, Texas, Combs placed 16th on Day 1 with 14-5 and rose 13 spots with a second-day limit of 17-7. Adding 15-1 Sunday yielded a second-place total of 46-13.
“I’m making a long run to Pool 9 and hitting a lot of spots,” Combs said. “Today, it was slower in those areas and I was surprised. I came back with maybe a 14-pound bag and culled almost every one of them. I have some stuff in Pool 8, too.”
Combs said his main pattern in both pools comprises sandbars with current flowing over top and various other current-breaking scenarios. He caught his fish on a Strike King swim jig, a Strike King Sexy Frog, a Strike King Sexy Dawg and a Texas-rigged Strike King Cut-R Worm.
Bryan Schmitt, who lives in Deale, Md., started with the event’s biggest bag, 17-10, on Day 1 and caught 14-3 the second day. His Day 3 limit of 14-12 gave him a total of 46-9, good for third place.
Returning to the same large, wind-protected grassbed he’s worked since practice, Schmitt found the fish in a pickier mood. After catching fish on multiple baits the first two days, he was only able to get bit on a Carolina-rigged Missile Baits Baby D Stroyer.
“Where I caught some of my fish yesterday, I caught all of them today,” Schmitt said of his effort to refine his focus each day. “I learned a little bit and expanded on it and tomorrow, I’m going to stay there all day.
“The key spot is a little depression with a little bit of rock in an eelgrass bed, and the smallmouth and largemouth are in there.”
Brock Mosley of Collinsville, Miss., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 5-8 caught on Day 1.
Schmitt currently is in the lead for the VMC Monster Bag with his Day 1 catch of 17-10.
Johnston and Fayetteville, Tenn., angler Brandon Lester both currently have 701 points; however, with both anglers making the final Top 10 cut, second place in Angler of the Year standings will be decided on Championship Monday. Drew Benton of Blakely, Ga., sits at fourth in the AOY standings with 677 points, followed by Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., with 658.
The final Top 10 remaining anglers will take off at 7 a.m. CT from Copeland Park. The weigh-in will be held back at the park at 3 p.m., with the winner earning $100,000 and an automatic berth into the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic.
Full coverage, including Bassmaster LIVE, can be streamed on Bassmaster.com.
2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River 8/26-8/29
Mississippi River, La Crosse WI.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 15 48-10 100
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 5 16-12
2. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 15 46-13 99
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 17-07 Day 3: 5 15-01
3. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 15 46-09 98
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 14-12
4. Bryan New Saluda, SC 15 45-05 97
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 13-01 Day 3: 5 16-05
5. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 15 45-00 96
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 5 14-11
6. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 15 44-02 95
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 13-01 Day 3: 5 14-12
7. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 15 43-10 94
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 14-11
8. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 15 43-07 93
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 13-15 Day 3: 5 14-05
9. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 15 43-06 92 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 16-08 Day 3: 5 13-07
10. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 15 42-15 91
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 5 14-09
11. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 15 42-12 90 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 11-01 Day 3: 5 16-00
12. Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 15 42-12 89 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 14-09
13. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 15 42-07 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 12-15 Day 3: 5 16-02
14. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 15 41-15 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 5 15-07
15. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 15 40-13 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 15-06 Day 3: 5 15-01
16. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 15 40-12 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 11-06 Day 3: 5 14-15
17. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 15 40-06 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 11-02 Day 3: 5 14-07
18. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 15 40-05 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 10-13 Day 3: 5 13-00
19. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 15 40-05 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 13-13 Day 3: 5 14-06
20. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 15 40-02 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 5 12-15
21. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 15 40-01 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 5 12-07
22. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 15 39-15 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 12-09 Day 3: 5 15-15
23. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 15 39-15 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 12-14 Day 3: 5 13-04
24. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 15 39-12 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 13-01
25. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 15 39-11 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 11-13 Day 3: 5 15-01
26. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 15 39-08 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 11-13 Day 3: 5 11-07
27. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 15 39-07 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 11-03 Day 3: 5 14-11
28. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 15 39-07 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 13-01 Day 3: 5 13-09
29. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 15 39-04 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 5 14-13
30. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 15 39-04 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 12-12 Day 3: 5 13-06
31. Seth Feider New Market, MN 15 39-03 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 16-02 Day 3: 5 12-10
32. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 15 38-13 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 15-01 Day 3: 5 12-07
33. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 15 38-10 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 15-05 Day 3: 5 12-00
34. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 15 38-02 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 5 12-09
35. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 15 37-15 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 13-14
36. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 14 37-12 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 13-11 Day 3: 4 09-12
37. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 15 37-06 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 12-08 Day 3: 5 11-05
38. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 15 37-02 63 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 11-13 Day 3: 5 13-06
39. Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ 15 37-01 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 12-12 Day 3: 5 12-13
40. Cody Huff Ava, MO 15 37-01 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 12-07 Day 3: 5 12-07
41. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 15 36-13 60 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 10-06 Day 3: 5 13-04
42. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 13 36-12 59 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 14-08 Day 3: 3 08-03
43. Mike Huff London, KY 15 36-11 58 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 13-02 Day 3: 5 11-04
44. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 15 36-08 57 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 12-09
45. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 15 36-00 56 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 5 11-10
46. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 15 35-07 55 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 10-04 Day 3: 5 10-04
47. Derek Hudnall Zachary, LA 15 34-06 54 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 10-02 Day 3: 5 10-11
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 05-08 $1,000.00
2 Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 04-06 $1,000.00
3 Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 05-01 $1,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 73 419 1038-04
2 61 376 946-13
3 45 232 634-13
----------------------------------
179 1027 2619-14
Przekurat Shuts Door On Falcon Rods Bassmaster Rookie Of The Year Title
Jay Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., has claimed the 2022 Falcon Rods Bassmaster Rookie of the Year title.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
August 28, 2022
Przekurat Shuts Door On Falcon Rods Bassmaster Rookie Of The Year Title
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Calm, cool and collected. That is the demeanor Jay Przekuratexudes on the Bassmaster Elite Series each day, whether he is hoisting his first Elite Series trophy or fighting to stay above the cut line.
That attitude is what helped Przekurat weather a midseason storm and ultimately win the 2022 Falcon Rods Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race.
By qualifying for Day 3 at the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River, the Stevens Point, Wis., pro clinched the coveted award — and the $10,000 prize that goes with it — outlasting a late charge from Missouri’s Cody Huff and Tennessee’s Jacob Foutz.
“This is a lifelong dream of mine to be standing here right now,” said Przekurat, who sits in 12th place in the final regular-season event. “Hats off to the other rookies who competed against me this year. They caught them all year long and I had to catch them. I had some tournaments where I struggled as well, and it just happened that I was fortunate enough to take this trophy.
“Everyone you look at that has won Rookie of the Year is still fishing on the Elite Series today. I don’t know what the future has in store for me, but I know right now life has been pretty good bass fishing so far.”
Entering the season as a 22-year-old, Przekurat’s number one goal was to win the ROY race. It just so happened he was able to clinch the title in front of a baseball stadium full of friends, family and supporters in his home state.
“The crowd I have here is unbelievable. It seemed like everyone was cheering when I came out,” he said. “It’s pretty wild and surreal. To know I have that many fans out there is pretty crazy. Last year I didn’t have any fans. I didn’t realize how many people pay attention to how I am doing.”
Przekurat led the ROY standings after every event but one this season. He made the Day 3 cut in his first four events, notching a 33rd-place finish at the St. Johns River, a 14th at the Harris Chain of Lakes, a 24th at Santee Cooper Lakes and then a 40th-place showing at Chickamauga Lake.
Midseason stumbles, where he finished 74th at Lake Fork and 66th at Pickwick Lake, pushed Przekurat out of the lead after the Pickwick event, but he reclaimed the top spot with his historic victory at the St. Lawrence River, weighing the heaviest smallmouth-only bag in history at 102 pounds, 9 ounces and becoming the youngest Elite Series champion ever.
“It was looking grim after two slipups,” he said. “That St. Lawrence tournament definitely had to be the turning point.”
He increased his lead again at Lake Oahe with a 13th-place showing before putting himself squarely in contention to make the Top 10 this week at La Crosse.
From watching his father Jason, a renowned walleye tournament angler, Przekurat learned quickly that a calmer, steady approach to tournaments would be the way for him to succeed. That ability to center himself and focus on the task at hand is what helped him navigate the two-tournament setback.
“I think it carries through when you are like that,” Przekurat said. “When it comes down to a fishing day, there’s so much stress that comes into it. There are so many things to be thinking about, but when you relax and don’t worry about those things, good things seem to happen.”
As an angler, Przekurat quickly learned that having an open mind would be the best way to navigate the grueling four-day derbies. But more than anything, he said winning this trophy gives him a new level of confidence and lets others know he is here to stay.
“This shows I can compete with these guys over nine tournaments on places that I have never been to in my first year. It is a confidence thing for me. Obviously, I am happy and this is awesome, but it gives me so much more confidence.”
With Rookie of the Year under his belt, Przekurat heads out for Day 3 of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite on the Upper Mississippi River in 12th place with 28-3, with just over a 3-pound deficit between him and first-place Chris Johnston with 31-14.
Johnston Takes Razor-Thin Lead At Bassmaster Elite On Upper Mississippi River
Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Ontario, is leading after Day 2 of the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River with a two-day total of 31 pounds, 14 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
August 27, 2022
Johnston Takes Razor-Thin Lead At Bassmaster Elite On Upper Mississippi River
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Chris Johnston owns a well-documented reputation for smallmouth savvy, but drawing on his largemouth bass roots helped the pro from Otonabee, Ontario, take over the lead on Day 2 of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River with a total weight of 31 pounds, 14 ounces.
Johnston caught 16-4 on Day 1 and tied fellow Canadian Jeff Gustafson for fourth place. Then, despite an hour storm delay and dim, rainy conditions, Johnston added 15-10 today. He heads into Semifinal Sunday with a 1-ounce margin over Day 1 leader Bryan Schmitt and a 2-ounce lead over Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas.
Johnston, who won the 2020 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River, said the Upper Mississippi River’s shallow, weedy habitat presented very familiar scenarios. This week’s success has come through applying the engrained techniques of his Canadian youth.
“Believe it or not, I grew up fishing largemouth; flipping reeds and milfoil and frogging,” Johnston said. “For the first 20 years of my life, it was all largemouth fishing. The smallmouth didn’t take off in our area until I was about 17 to 18 years old.
“I love this style of fishing; putting on 65-pound Seaguar Smackdown braid and just going and having fun. I did mix in a few smallmouth. They’ve been good to me lately, so I couldn’t ignore them.”
Johnston caught his largemouth by frogging the shallow mats and fishing a ChatterBait along the edges. This produced four of the bass he weighed in.
Johnston also visited two smallmouth zones that gave up the occasional largemouth. These current-washed sand breaks completed his limit with a keeper smallmouth.
“The water’s a little dirtier than I’d like, but they’re still there,” he said. “Today, I caught eight or nine and lost a big one. I was getting 2 1/2-pounders and when I left them biting, it was almost every cast.
“I’d catch a few on a reaction bait first and then I’d have to slow down with regular smallmouth stuff. I’m looking forward to getting back there tomorrow and seeing if there’s still a few left.”
Hailing from Deale, Md., Schmitt set the early mark with a Day 1 bag of 17-10. In the second round, he played a smart game that settled his nerves and then stepped on the gas to sack up a limit of 14-3 and tally 31-13.
“I caught an early limit of smallmouth by Carolina rigging a Missile Baits Baby D Stroyer,” Schmitt said. “Those fish just calmed me down on a short day.”
Schmitt would end up culling three of those smallies and filling his limit with largemouth that he caught from a large grassbed. He caught keepers punching a Missile Baits Baby D Bomb, wacky rigging a Missile Baits Magic Worm and Texas rigging a Missile Baits Quiver Worm.
While others have struggled with muddy water brought by local rains, Schmitt’s main area has remained clean thanks to its leeward position and grass filtration. That said, Schmitt struggled with lower productivity.
“I’m happy to have 14 pounds, but tonight I have to sit down and make a strategic plan on how I’m going to do things tomorrow,” Schmitt said. “I sampled enough stuff to realize what I truly have.”
As he did on Day 1, Schmitt finished Day 2 with a big bite, a 3 1/2-pounder at 2:21 p.m.
Combs placed 16th on Day 1 with 14-5 and gained 13 spots with his second-day limit of 17-7 for a 31-12 total. Combs caught the biggest bag of Day 2 and the second-biggest of the event (behind Schmitt’s 17-10).
When he found his starting spot blown out, Combs made a move and ended up around better-quality fish.
“Yesterday, I weighed in four smallmouth and that place was totally messed up by the mud,” he said. “I went to another little area where I was catching 2 3/4-pounders yesterday and today I caught 3-pounders. I had a good bag, but then I just went fishing and caught my biggest fish of the day — almost a 4-pounder.”
Combs caught his fish on reaction baits, including a swim jig. After missing several fish on Day 1, Combs noted that a key bait adjustment helped him convert more bites into catches.
Brock Mosley of Collinsville, Miss., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 5-8 from Day 1. Schmitt leads the race for VMC Monster Bag with his Day 1 catch of 17-10.
Jay Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., won the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings with 632 points. Edging out Cody Huff of Ava, Mo., by 90 points, Przekurat earned a $10,000 bonus for the title.
“All season, confidence has been my No. 1 word,” Przekurat said. “If you’re not confident, why even go out there? If you don’t think you’re going to catch ’em, you probably shouldn’t be tournament fishing.
“Putting that win aside, to be consistent for nine tournaments on places I’ve never been to almost means more than (an Elite trophy). I don’t know what the future has in store for me, but I know that right now, life has been pretty good bass fishing on the road so far.”
Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, maintained his lead in a tightening Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year race with 711 points. Johnston is second with 701, followed closely by Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., with 700, Drew Benton of Blakely, Ga., with 677 and Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., with 662.
The Top 47 remaining anglers will take off Sunday at 7 a.m. CT from Copeland Park. The weigh-in will be held back at the park at 3 p.m., with the Top 10 anglers advancing to Championship Monday with a chance at the $100,000 first-place prize and a berth into the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic.
FS1 will broadcast live with the leaders beginning at 7 a.m. before coverage resumes on Bassmaster.com.
2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River 8/26-8/29
Mississippi River, La Crosse WI.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 10 31-14 100
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 15-10
2. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 10 31-13 99
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 14-03
3. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 31-12 98
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 17-07
4. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 10 30-05 97
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 14-13
5. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 10 29-15 96 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 16-08
6. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 10 29-06 95
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 13-01
7. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 10 29-02 94
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 13-15
8. Bryan New Saluda, SC 10 29-00 93
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 13-01
9. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 10 28-15 92
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 13-05
10. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 10 28-09 91
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 14-08
11. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 28-06 90
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 13-09
12. Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 10 28-03 89
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 15-02
13. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 10 28-01 88
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 11-13
14. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 10 28-00 87
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 13-11
15. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 10 27-10 86
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 13-09
16. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 10 27-05 85
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 10-13
17. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 10 27-03 84
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 14-05
18. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 10 26-12 83 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 11-01
19. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 10 26-11 82
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 12-14
20. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 10 26-11 81
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 13-05
21. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 26-10 80
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 15-05
22. Seth Feider New Market, MN 10 26-09 79
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 16-02
23. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 10 26-08 78
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 14-10
24. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 10 26-06 77
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 15-01
25. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 10 26-05 76
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 12-15
26. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 10 26-01 75
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 12-08
27. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 10 25-15 74
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 11-02
28. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 10 25-15 73
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 13-13
29. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 10 25-14 72
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 12-12
30. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 10 25-14 71
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 13-01
31. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 10 25-13 70
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 11-06
32. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 10 25-12 69
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 15-06
33. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 10 25-09 68
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 13-09
34. Mike Huff London, KY 10 25-07 67
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 13-02
35. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 10 25-03 66
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 10-04
36. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 10 24-12 65
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 11-03
37. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 10 24-10 64
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 11-13
38. Cody Huff Ava, MO 10 24-10 63
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 12-07
39. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 10 24-07 62
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 12-04
40. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 10 24-06 61
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 14-09
41. Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ 10 24-04 60
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 12-12
42. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 10 24-01 59
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 11-15
43. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 10 24-00 58
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 12-09
44. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 10 23-15 57
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 11-15
45. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 10 23-12 56
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 11-13
46. Derek Hudnall Zachary, LA 10 23-11 55
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 10-02
47. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 10 23-09 54
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 10-06
48. John Cox Debary, FL 10 23-09 53 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 12-00
49. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 10 23-07 52 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 13-06
50. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 9 23-06 51 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 4 10-11
51. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 23-05 50 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 12-01
52. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 10 23-00 49 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 10-14
53. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 10 22-05 48 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 11-13
54. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 9 22-02 47 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 4 08-03
55. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 9 22-00 46 $2,500.00
Day 1: 4 07-08 Day 2: 5 14-08
56. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 9 21-13 45 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 4 07-15
57. David Williams Newton, NC 10 21-11 44 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 12-02
58. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 21-10 43 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 10-07
59. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 8 21-09 42 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 3 07-00
60. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 10 21-08 41
Day 1: 5 08-05 Day 2: 5 13-03
61. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 8 21-03 40
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 3 07-05
62. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 9 21-03 39
Day 1: 4 07-14 Day 2: 5 13-05
63. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 9 20-10 38
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 4 08-02
64. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 9 20-06 37
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 4 09-05
65. Wes Logan Springville, AL 8 19-15 36
Day 1: 3 06-01 Day 2: 5 13-14
66. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 9 19-12 35
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 4 08-03
67. Darold Gleason Many, LA 9 19-01 34
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 4 08-15
68. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 9 18-04 33
Day 1: 4 06-12 Day 2: 5 11-08
69. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 8 18-04 32
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 3 07-01
70. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 9 17-14 31
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 4 08-04
71. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 7 17-08 30
Day 1: 2 03-08 Day 2: 5 14-00
72. Daisuke Aoki Minamitsurugun Yamanash 7 17-08 29
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 2 03-13
73. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 7 16-08 28
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 2 03-12
74. David Fritts Lexington, NC 8 16-04 27
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 3 05-12
75. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 8 15-15 26
Day 1: 4 07-07 Day 2: 4 08-08
76. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 7 15-14 25
Day 1: 3 06-10 Day 2: 4 09-04
77. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 7 15-11 0
Day 1: 4 09-06 Day 2: 3 06-05
78. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 9 15-01 23
Day 1: 4 06-06 Day 2: 5 08-11
79. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 7 14-14 22
Day 1: 5 09-08 Day 2: 2 05-06
80. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 6 12-07 21
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 1 01-13
81. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 6 12-07 20
Day 1: 4 08-07 Day 2: 2 04-00
82. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 10-13 19
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
83. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 10-02 18
Day 1: 2 04-02 Day 2: 3 06-00
84. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 09-12 17
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
85. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 5 09-11 16
Day 1: 3 05-05 Day 2: 2 04-06
86. Frank Talley Temple, TX 4 07-11 15
Day 1: 3 05-10 Day 2: 1 02-01
87. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 3 06-08 14
Day 1: 2 04-12 Day 2: 1 01-12
88. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 2 05-15 13
Day 1: 2 05-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
89. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 3 05-14 12
Day 1: 3 05-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
90. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 3 05-06 11
Day 1: 3 05-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 05-08 $1,000.00
2 Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 04-06 $1,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 73 419 1038-04
2 61 376 946-13
----------------------------------
134 795 1985-01
Schmitt’s Adjustment Yields Day 1 Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Mississippi River
Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Md., is leading after Day 1 of the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River with 17 pounds, 10 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
August 26, 2022
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Put Bryan Schmitt on a grassy river and he’s a happy man, even when a little meteorological meddling requires an adjustment.
Such was the case, as the Potomac River stick from Deale, Md., overcame a water quality issue and caught a limit of 17 pounds, 10 ounces to lead Day 1 of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River.
“It was a blessed day; I almost missed it,” Schmitt said. “I had a pretty good practice and never went back to these fish and they changed (because of muddy inflow from Thursday night’s rain). It took me a while to change with them.
“They didn’t want what I did in practice. But I was lucky enough to make the right presentation, and once it happened, I was like, ‘I see what’s happening.’ Tomorrow’s going to be windy and they might be getting back on what I did in practice.”
Schmitt withheld specifics, but he said one particular presentation — a slower technique — with a new Missile Baits plastic delivered all of his weight. He had his limit by about 10 a.m. and stopped fishing around 1:30.
Anchoring his bag with a 4-2 largemouth, Schmitt said his fish came off three different grassy spots, all within eyesight of one another. Each, he said, comprised nearly identical habitat.
One of the challenges he faced was the proliferation of tiny baitfish moving through the grass.
“You’ll see the little baitfish running through and every now and then, you’ll see one (come up and eat), but they are devils to (try and) trick,” Schmitt said. “There’s a bunch of bait where I’m fishing.”
Schmitt said he’ll return to his main trio on Saturday, but he’s holding another spot for insurance.
“I have one little deal that I’m saving, and I’ll go to it in a heartbeat if I need to,” he said. “It’s grass, but it’s a different scenario — it has smallmouth on it.”
Schmitt, who came into the event 11 spots out of the qualifying cut for the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic, to be held in Knoxville, Tenn., March 24-26, said his day began with an encouraging prophecy.
“I needed this, and when you need something a lot in this sport, it doesn’t always happen. My marshal got on my boat this morning and he said, ‘Bryan, you’re going to be leading after today,’” Schmitt said. “It was just a blessed day; I’m not expecting anything like that again.
“I’m blown away. This is what I love doing — I love fishing rivers with grass, so I’m going to try to keep it going.”
Matt Herren of Ashville, Ala., is in second place with 16-8. He also struggled with muddy water, but when Herren located a narrow lane of clean water running through a broad grassbed, he found a pile of bass ready to feed.
“I have some stuff that I didn’t fish because of the muddy water, so I did what I call ‘the roundup tour’ to try to see what has changed and what hasn’t changed,” Herren said. “I caught every one of my fish in that clean water on a 3/16-ounce Ned rig.
“I stayed there and caught them on every cast for two hours. After that, I just went and looked around. I locked through and checked another pool to see what’s going on.”
Looking ahead to Day 2, Herren said he’s not sure when or if the water will clear up enough for him to exploit the areas he had identified prior to the muddy inflow. He’s planning to start with what he found during the second half of his opening round and hopefully expand.
“Fifteen to 16 pounds a day here is good,” Herren said. “If you do that every day, you’ll have a chance.”
Drew Benton of Blakely, Ga., is in third place with 16-5. Also a fan of river fishing, Benton caught bass by throwing a Big Bite Baits swimbait around current seams and working a new Northland frog over weed mats.
“The key was working the frog really fast,” Benton said. “It’s getting late in the year and these fish have seen a bunch of frogs, and it feels like the faster you can work it the better to get a reaction bite.”
Benton fared best over duckweed-laden grass mats with hollowed-out caverns beneath the surface layer.
“There are a lot of mats out there and 90% of them are choked out,” Benton said. “You've got to find the ones that are hollow. You can tell by the type of vegetation that the duckweed is blown into.
“If it’s eelgrass, you can get bit in that stuff, but it’s not going to be as hollow as coontail or milfoil or pads.”
Brock Mosley of Collinsville, Miss., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 5-8.
In dramatic pursuit of his second Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year title, Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, leads the race with 713 points. Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., who notched his first Elite win on Pickwick Lake in June, is in second with 699. Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Canada, is in third with 698, followed by Benton with 680 and Chris Zaldain of Fort Worth, Texas, with 673.
Jay Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings with 611 points. Missouri pro Cody Huff is second with 539 points, followed by Japan’s Masayuki Matsushita with 476.
Both races will be decided this week, with the AOY winner earning $100,000 and the ROY claiming a $10,000 bonus.
Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. CT at Copeland Park. The weigh-in will be held back at the park at 3 p.m., with only the Top 47 anglers advancing to Semifinal Sunday. FS1 will broadcast live with the leaders beginning at 7 a.m. before coverage resumes on Bassmaster.com.
2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River 8/26-8/29
Mississippi River, La Crosse WI.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 5 17-10 100
Day 1: 5 17-10
2. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 16-08 99
Day 1: 5 16-08
3. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 5 16-05 98
Day 1: 5 16-05
4. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 5 16-04 97
Day 1: 5 16-04
4. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 5 16-04 97
Day 1: 5 16-04
6. Bryan New Saluda, SC 5 15-15 95
Day 1: 5 15-15
7. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 15-11 94 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-11
8. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 5 15-10 93
Day 1: 5 15-10
9. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 5 15-08 92
Day 1: 5 15-08
10. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 15-03 91
Day 1: 5 15-03
11. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 5 14-15 90
Day 1: 5 14-15
12. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 5 14-13 89
Day 1: 5 14-13
12. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 14-13 89
Day 1: 5 14-13
14. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 5 14-09 87
Day 1: 5 14-09
15. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 5 14-07 86
Day 1: 5 14-07
16. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 14-05 85
Day 1: 5 14-05
17. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 5 14-05 84
Day 1: 5 14-05
18. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 5 14-01 83
Day 1: 5 14-01
18. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 5 14-01 83
Day 1: 5 14-01
20. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 5 13-15 81
Day 1: 5 13-15
21. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 5 13-14 80
Day 1: 5 13-14
21. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 5 13-14 80
Day 1: 5 13-14
23. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 5 13-13 78
Day 1: 5 13-13
24. Daisuke Aoki Minamitsurugun Yamanash 5 13-11 77
Day 1: 5 13-11
25. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 5 13-09 76
Day 1: 5 13-09
25. Chad Pipkens DeWitt, MI 5 13-09 76
Day 1: 5 13-09
27. Derek Hudnall Zachary, LA 5 13-09 74
Day 1: 5 13-09
28. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 5 13-07 73
Day 1: 5 13-07
29. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 5 13-06 72
Day 1: 5 13-06
29. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 5 13-06 72
Day 1: 5 13-06
31. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 5 13-03 70
Day 1: 5 13-03
32. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 13-02 69
Day 1: 5 13-02
33. Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 5 13-01 68
Day 1: 5 13-01
34. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 5 12-14 67
Day 1: 5 12-14
35. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 5 12-13 66
Day 1: 5 12-13
35. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 12-13 66
Day 1: 5 12-13
37. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 5 12-12 64
Day 1: 5 12-12
38. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 5 12-11 63
Day 1: 5 12-11
39. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 12-08 62
Day 1: 5 12-08
40. Mike Huff London, KY 5 12-05 61
Day 1: 5 12-05
41. Cody Huff Ava, MO 5 12-03 60
Day 1: 5 12-03
41. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 5 12-03 60
Day 1: 5 12-03
43. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 5 12-02 58
Day 1: 5 12-02
43. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 5 12-02 58
Day 1: 5 12-02
43. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 5 12-02 58
Day 1: 5 12-02
46. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 5 12-00 55
Day 1: 5 12-00
46. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 5 12-00 55
Day 1: 5 12-00
48. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 5 11-15 53
Day 1: 5 11-15
49. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 11-14 52
Day 1: 5 11-14
50. John Cox Debary, FL 5 11-09 51
Day 1: 5 11-09
50. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 5 11-09 51
Day 1: 5 11-09
52. Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ 5 11-08 49
Day 1: 5 11-08
53. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 11-07 48
Day 1: 5 11-07
54. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 5 11-05 47
Day 1: 5 11-05
54. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 11-05 47
Day 1: 5 11-05
56. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 11-04 45
Day 1: 5 11-04
57. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 5 11-03 44
Day 1: 5 11-03
57. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 11-03 44
Day 1: 5 11-03
59. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 5 11-01 42
Day 1: 5 11-01
60. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 10-13 41
Day 1: 5 10-13
61. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 5 10-10 40
Day 1: 5 10-10
62. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 5 10-08 39
Day 1: 5 10-08
62. David Fritts Lexington, NC 5 10-08 39
Day 1: 5 10-08
64. Seth Feider New Market, MN 5 10-07 37
Day 1: 5 10-07
65. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 5 10-06 36
Day 1: 5 10-06
66. Darold Gleason Many, LA 5 10-02 35
Day 1: 5 10-02
67. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 5 10-01 34
Day 1: 5 10-01
68. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 5 09-13 33
Day 1: 5 09-13
69. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 09-12 32
Day 1: 5 09-12
70. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 09-10 31
Day 1: 5 09-10
71. David Williams Newton, NC 5 09-09 30
Day 1: 5 09-09
72. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 5 09-08 29
Day 1: 5 09-08
73. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 4 09-06 0
Day 1: 4 09-06
74. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 4 08-07 27
Day 1: 4 08-07
75. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 5 08-05 26
Day 1: 5 08-05
76. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 4 07-14 25
Day 1: 4 07-14
77. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 4 07-08 24
Day 1: 4 07-08
78. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 4 07-07 23
Day 1: 4 07-07
79. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 4 06-12 22
Day 1: 4 06-12
80. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 3 06-10 21
Day 1: 3 06-10
81. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 4 06-06 20
Day 1: 4 06-06
82. Wes Logan Springville, AL 3 06-01 19
Day 1: 3 06-01
83. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 2 05-15 18
Day 1: 2 05-15
84. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 3 05-14 17
Day 1: 3 05-14
85. Frank Talley Temple, TX 3 05-10 16
Day 1: 3 05-10
86. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 3 05-06 15
Day 1: 3 05-06
87. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 3 05-05 14
Day 1: 3 05-05
88. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 2 04-12 13
Day 1: 2 04-12
89. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 2 04-02 12
Day 1: 2 04-02
90. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 2 03-08 11
Day 1: 2 03-08
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 05-08 $1,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 73 419 1038-04
----------------------------------
73 419 1038-04
The National Professional Fishing League Announces 2023 Season Championship
The NPFL will host a no-entry fee Championship in 2023 for top 25 pros in Progressive Angler of the Year points.
WILKESVILLE, OH (August 25,2022) — In an effort to show sustainability and longevity in the industry, the National Professional Fishing League (NPFL) announces the addition of a no entry fee championship event for the 2023 season with a total purse of $250,000, with $100,000 to the winning angler.
“It’s extremely important for the NPFL to have a championship; it's good for the anglers, the sponsors and companies we work with and to showcase the top 25 anglers in the Progressive Angler of the Year standings in a single event paying out $250,000 with $100,000 to the winner – it's something we needed to do,” says Brad Fuller, Owner of the NPFL. “We have been laser focused on moving the NPFL forward and have taken great measures to be viable and sustainable for the future.”
NPFL anglers are excited for the championship addition as it gives them another goal throughout the season. Aside from the $20,000 in cash and entry fees paid for the following season, the 25 anglers now have more to look forward to at the end of the season.
“I am proud to be a part of the NPFL to say the least and to add a Championship for 2023 is huge,” said NPFL Angler Ryan Satterfield. “It adds to the intensity of the game and will be the main goal for every single angler. I am hopeful I will be one of the top 25 anglers to have a chance to win the $100,000.”
Winner of two events in 2021, John Soukup, owner of The Bass Tank and winner of two events in 2021 added that the chance to compete for a $250,000 gives the anglers more opportunities to win money and better represent their sponsors.
Added Soukup. “A $100,000 prize for winning against 25 anglers for a no entry fee event is unheard of and has me extremely excited to compete in 2023.
The National Professional Fishing League is now taking applications for 2023 season. Visit the Angler Application page and register now!
Learn more about the NPFL, here.
Crawfish on Steroids
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Ever Green brings back lifelike WH-8 Series crankbaits for digging out bottom hugging bass. |
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Cypress, CA (August 26, 2022) – Bass fans who enjoy raking the bottom with crankbaits in that magic six- to eight-foot depth where both bigmouths and smallies are often found transitioning around the change of seasons have long appreciated the ability of Ever Green's "WildHunch" WH-8 Series Crankbaits to get the job done. The big bad brother of the famous WH-5, these lures float at rest but dive fast to ensure your baits are both seen and heard as they scrape the bottom and deflect off boulders, rocks, logs and other structure with nary a snag. |
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BLEEDING CRAW |
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Now, Daiwa is reintroducing a slightly updated 8 crawfish patterns to the line. Featuring natural dark brown hues on top that fade to a yellowish midsection and off-white belly, this pattern enjoyed success in its original introduction and has been brought back at request of both the angling public and Daiwa pro staffers. The reinserted pattern has base colors that are both natural-looking and sharp enough to be seen even in murky, stained or discolored waters while darker etchings enhance the lure’s lifelike appearance, while a splash of red on the lip and underside flashes that easy to recognize crawfish calling card bass simply can’t resist. “We’re excited to bring back this unique color pattern,” says Satoshi Ito, Product Manager for Ever Green. “It’s been productive in the past and really is a great compliment to this bait’s existing color palette. With the WH-8’s long, sharp-angled lip, these get down deep, dig in hard, and deflect off rocks and other bottom structure to trigger jarring strikes. Everyone knows that bass love crayfish, so this pattern fits in perfectly with our existing selections, all of which feature either crawfish or shad pattern themes. For crankbait fans, this is another arrow in the quiver of their powerful Daiwa bass arsenal.” |
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The new colors, which will be available this September, Daiwa Ever Green WH-8 Series Crankbaits now come in eight different patterns. Other colors include Bleeding Green Craw, Cajun Craw, Natural Green Craw, Brown Chartreuse Craw, Molting Blue Craw, Fire Tiger Craw, and Natural Brown Craw. All colors are highly saturated to provide a combination of crawfish or shad shades and shape against the bottom as the lure ticks off structure, bursts through weeds and kicks up puffs of sand and mud. “There’s a lot going on when this lure is being retrieved,” adds Ito. “It’s no wonder the WH-8 Crankbait Series has caught the attention of serious bass anglers across the country.” The WildHunch WH-8 is a powerhouse selection bass sharpies need to carry. It measures 2-1/3 inches long, weighs 9/16-ounces, dives six- to eight-feet deep and quickly explores waters that are hard to reach with active, natural-looking lures. Pick up a few and try them on your next crankbait excursion. It should take only a few casts to make you a fan. You can check out the entire line, at the ICAST Show in Orlando, Florida, July 19 – 22, by stopping at the Daiwa booth (#5630). MSRP:$18.99. |
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CAJUN CRAW |
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NATURAL BROWN CRAW |
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FIRE TIGER CRAW |
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MOLTING BLUE CRAW |
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COPPER CRAW |
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NATURAL GREEN CRAW |
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BROWN CHARTREUSE CRAW |
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For Daiwa’s latest color catalog and/or information on Daiwa dealers in your area, call Daiwa’s Customer Service Department at 562-375-6800 or e-mail inquiries to: CSR@Daiwa.com. The URL for Daiwa’s web site is daiwa.us. |
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3 with “G” from La Crosse Elite Series
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Team Toyota’s Gerald Swindle, or as his bride LeAnn and close friends call him -- “G” -- has fished a bunch of pro derbies on the Upper Mississippi River at La Crosse, Wisconsin.
So, on the eve of 2022’s final Bassmaster Elite Series event, he answered three insightful questions with a wealth of perspective for fans following along this weekend.
Q: Name three things that come to mind first when you think of the Upper Mississippi at La Crosse.
“G”: Current, rocks on wing dams, and grass. Typically, you want this river about as high as Snoop Dogg and running as fast as Usain Bolt, but that’s dang sure not the case this week.
Q: After all the tournaments you’ve fished here, what three lures would you call your all-time MVP players?
“G”: Topwater frog, a heavy Texas rigged Zoom Z Craw to punch grass, and a topwater walking bait like Rapala’s Skitter V.
Q: What three storylines should fans pay attention to at this event?
“G”: Pay attention to those guys you didn’t pick in your fantasy league, because the dark horses that are low in the AOY points race having nothing to lose, and a Classic berth to gain. That makes for a dangerous competitor.
Secondly, sand bars will be a factor like never beforewith the river so low. Sand bars attract shad, and that means bass will follow.
Lastly, watch for the guy who finds the magical patch of vegetation half the size of a football field.
“The Cajun Baby” Cliff Crochet Adds another C to His Name: Conservation
| Louisiana Pro Raises More Than $84,000 to Stock F1 Largemouth Bass into Hometown Fisheries
PIERRE PART, La. (Aug. 25, 2022) – While many anglers were enjoying the late-July, post-ICAST lull before events started back up, Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour angler Cliff Crochet of Pierre Part, Louisiana, was hard at work. On July 28, at the St. Joseph the Worker Church Hall in Pierre Part, Crochet held the inaugural Every Fish Matters! fundraiser banquet. Crochet’s goal was simple – to raise funds to purchase F1 Largemouth Bass fingerlings to stock in 2023 into the Atchafalaya Basin and Lake Verret. What Crochet did not expect, however, is that his event would turn out to be one of the largest fundraisers in the history of professional fishing. Prior to 2022, Crochet had been toying with the idea of how to give back to his hometown and the fisheries that launched his career. At REDCREST 2022 earlier this year, he watched Kevin VanDam’s foundation donate $5,000 to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation as seed money for a F1 restocking program for Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees. The Every Fish Matters! banquet was born that day, as Crochet knew he could do the same, or more, for Lake Verret and the Atchafalaya Basin. Crochet’s first step was to meet with the MLF Fisheries Management Division (FMD) and fisheries biologist Steven Bardin to get help with the process of how to get approval to stock fish. This process is unique within every state, but the state of Louisiana was grateful and more than willing to accommodate Crochet’s request, as well as offer up other opportunities for future projects. Once approved for the stocking, Crochet asked the Major League Fishing Angler’s Association for help in setting up the event. Crochet then went to work on his own, engaging his sponsors and friends and calling on his vast fishing network to do what they could do to help him raise funds. |
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The local community support for the event was extraordinary with Pierre Part Store, Pelican Companies of America, American Telephone Services, Performance Auto Body Collision Center, Todd Murray, Cajun Tackle House, Pelican Advisory, the Ascension Area Anglers Bass Club, Cajun Outboards, Breaux & Daigle Marine & Trailer, Pipe and Steel Industrial, the Louisiana Sportsman Coalition, Singelton & Howard Cement, Riverside Speciality Meats, Jamie Ponville Trucking, Steve Kent Services, and Performance Contractors all purchasing sponsor tables. Blanchard’s Cajun Cooking fed the more than 275 banquet attendees fried fish and shrimp stew. The banquet included a live auction, raffle drawings, and a discussion on public water access issues from Lucas Ragusa with the Louisiana Sportsman’s Coalition. An offshore fishing trip out of Venice with MLF Bass Pro Tour angler Gerald Spohrer, a guided Arkansas duck hunt, a guided trip to Grosse Savanne, and vacation packages to New Orleans, Destin, Florida, and Toledo Bend Reservoir headlined the live auctions.
At the close of the night the banquet had raised an astounding total – more than $84,000 to purchase the F1 Fingerlings. “I want everyone to know that by supporting, donating, and attending that they made this event successful,” Crochet said. “It shows how much our community cares about our fisheries and the area we live in, and I am honored and humbled to have been a part of this event”. Since the banquet, several matching funds opportunities have emerged that will contribute to the 2023 fish stocking, and to set up an emergency relief fund to restock the Atchafalaya Basin in the case of a hurricane or other natural disaster in the future. The 2023 stocking program will begin in March and occur throughout the Atchafalaya Basin during multiple events. Each event will have an opportunity for youth and anglers alike to release the fish and see the fingerlings going into their local water bodies. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the MLF FMD will be work closely together to complete these stocking events, as well as provide opportunities for anglers to engage in other conservation initiatives throughout the basin. Crochet plans to make the Every Fish Matters! banquet an annual event to keep the program funded for generations to come. Crochet wanted to send a special thank you to the MLFAA, auctioneers Dennis Landry and Jamie Ponville, and the Assumption High School Bass Club and volunteers that helped make this event possible. Partners that contributed to the success of this event included Lake End Rentals, Cajun Breakers, K2 Coolers, The Bass University, Buzbe, Blazer Boats, Costa, Stazione Deli Market, Dylan Delcambre, Paizano’s, Spunkey Monkey, Suzie Sheets/ Simply Susan, Howard Hartley, Chris Lane, Tyler Rivet, Duck Commander, Teddy Mabile, Pipe and Steel Industrial, Erin Hebert Assumption Parish Clerk of Court, TNT Gas and Supply, Cliff Crochet, Power-Pole, Mike Iaconelli, KastKing, Avid Boats, Sportsman Fabricators, Leroy Blanchard Assumption Parish Police Jury Ward 7, Greg Hackney, Gerald Spohrer, Mike Helpler Ralow Services, GH Builders, Buddy’s Drive Inn, Front to Back Boat Service, Shank Bait Co., Bayside Tackle, Stick’em Custom Rods, La Maison de Fleur, Todd Murray, Dominick and Renee Thompson, Patrick Skiles, Jamie and Shawncy Ponville, and Brent Bonadona. To keep up with when and where these stocking events will occur, go to MLFAA.org or CliffCrochet.com. Follow Crochet on his social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. |
College’s Best Anglers Decide Bassmaster National Championship On Winyah Bay
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.
August 25, 2022
GEORGETOWN, S.C. — The best college anglers in the country will celebrate Labor Day weekend by competing in the Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship at Winyah Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops Sept. 2-4 in Georgetown, S.C.
Located on the east coast of South Carolina between Myrtle Beach and Charleston, Winyah Bay is a shallow-water angler’s paradise and comprises several different river systems: the Sampit, Black, Pee Dee and Waccamaw rivers as well as the Santee River to the south.
The college teams will not only be competing for the prestigious trophy, but the Top 3 teams will join the Bassmaster Team of the Year — Louis Monetti and Michael Fugaro of UNC Charlotte — at the College Classic Bracket at a lake to be named later. There, the individual anglers will compete for one berth in the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic scheduled for March 24-26 in Knoxville, Tenn.
Georgetown has played host to several Bassmaster events in the past, including a TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation event, a College Series event won by current Elite Series pro Patrick Walters and his teammate Tyler All and two Bassmaster Elite Series events, the last coming in 2019 when Stetson Blaylock outlasted Scott Canterbury for the springtime win.
While the Elite Series anglers had access to the Cooper River in Charleston during both events, the College Championship off-limits will begin just south of the Santee River on the intercoastal waterway. Still, this will give anglers plenty of room to spread out and unlock the vast system.
JT Thompkins, who competes in the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by Mossy Oak Fishing, cut his teeth fishing the Waccamaw, Pee Dee and Black rivers. With high temperatures still in the area that time of year, Thompkins predicts the bass will be in full summer pattern. That pattern, however, is dictated by the tide cycle more than the time of day.
“You want to look for the most oxygenated water either way back in shady places or in the current,” he said. “It will be pretty tough for a lot of anglers, but it can be superfun. (There are) a lot of topwater fish, and you can even find them in the ditch mouths (by) dragging. It can be an all-day thing if you learn your tides and know when to be on high tide and when to be on low tide.”
The fishery is unique in the type of cover it presents. While cypress trees and patches of lily pads line many of the banks, flooded rice fields and the dikes leading to those fields play a major role in tournaments.
“Each of these rice fields has a dike. It is a big gate that allows the water to fluctuate inside the rice fields,” Thompkins said. “If you get a falling tide, some of these levies have an unbelievable amount of current coming out of these dikes. That is a huge deal. One of those dikes will be magical, and if you pull up at the right tide with water coming out of them, you can load the boat. I’ve caught 17- to 20-pound bags in five casts on some of these things.”
While many areas offer a chance to produce good bags, Thompkins said one of the northern rivers has the greatest big-fish potential.
“After the Santee River, the Great Pee Dee area has the biggest bass,” Thompkins said. “It is a little bit of a run, but it can happen fast, especially on tidal waters if you know your tides and keep up with everything.”
Fellow Bassmaster Opens pro Kyle Austin believes the team who is able to unlock the Santee River will likely win the tournament.
“I think the fish grow bigger on that river compared to all the other rivers,” Austin said. “Even the Cooper River; I would say the Santee River would outfish it nine out of 10 times.”
The Santee River is filled with water from renowned big-fish factory Lake Marion and features laydowns, cypress trees and rock banks in some areas. Unlike the rest of the system, Austin said the water level is almost entirely determined by the flow coming from the dam and tide has almost no impact on the river.
“There is hardly any tide in that river,” Austin said. “It is nothing like the Cooper River. I wouldn’t even look at the tide charts for the Santee River. Almost always the current will be flowing down the river.”
With fresh water from the Highway 17 bridge to the Lake Marion dam, there is a long stretch of the Santee River that teams will be able to target. Navigating too far up can get a little tricky, however.
When the Elites visited Winyah Bay in their spring events, the Santee River was largely flooded and did not play for the entire tournament. In fact, Austin said that most winters the river is flooded, making the river unfishable for nearly half the year at times, giving the bass plenty of time without fishing pressure.
With levels normalizing during the summer months, Austin anticipates flooding won’t be an issue.
Austin said the Santee River is full of crawfish and is one of his favorite areas to set traps for crawfish. The bass love them too, and it's their main forage source. Bluegill and shad are also part of the largemouth diet as well.
“Seventy-five percent of the time they are eating crawfish. You can’t go to that river without looking at the bank and seeing crawfish swimming,” Austin said. “They eat a lot of crawfish, and it has awesome bream fishing. There is actually a shad run in that river early in the spring. They have everything they need to eat in that river. It is an interesting place. Whether it is a 10-incher or a 7-pounder, it is the fattest fish you will ever see.”
While casting to shallow-water targets like cypress trees and stumps will be productive, Austin said ditch mouths will also play a big role. This time of year, the bass will gather in those ditch mouths and school. It will be the closest thing to deep-water fishing anglers will come by.
Teams will launch from Carroll Ashmore Campbell Marine Complex in Georgetown starting at 6:30 a.m. ET. Weigh-ins will start at 2:30 p.m.and will take place on Front Street in downtown Georgetown. Bassmaster.com will have full coverage of the National Championship.
Simms Launches All New Fall 22 Product Collection
Designed And Developed For Anglers That Are Always On The Water.
Bozeman, Mont. (August 24, 2022) – Simms Fishing Products, preeminent manufacturer of waders, outerwear, footwear, and technical apparel release Fall 2022, a product collection boasting new styles, features, and innovations across all categories. Fall 2022 launches in conjunction with the brand new campaign — Always On The Water, a campaign designed to not only inspire anglers to embrace the colder fishing seasons ahead, but also to celebrate the lifestyle they live when they’re off the water.
“The dog days of summer always reinforce how much I love the colder temps and less crowded waters of fall and winter,” says Simms CEO, Casey Sheahan. “This Fall collection really captures Simms’ longstanding heritage and reputation of delivering industry leading, performance driven, innovative, and durable fishing gear and apparel. It also reflects the fact that for us, we truly are always on the water. If we’re not physically there, we certainly are in our minds. Fall 2022 perfectly represents two of the most important aspects of fishing — the technical side as well as the lifestyle that comes with it.”
Adhering to the Always On The Water theme, Simms’ product team spent the past 18 months designing and developing an array of technical gear and apparel that allows anglers to comfortably fish longer and harder than ever before, regardless of the weather and conditions.
Leading the charge on the technical side is Simms’ all new Guide Insulated Jacket and Bib. Featuring an outer shell constructed from premium waterproof/breathable GORE-TEX® fabric, both the Guide Insulated Jacket and Bib are lined with PrimaLoft® insulation that provides incredible warmth without excess bulk. The jacket also comes equipped with an insulated hood, ventilation zips under the arms, handwarmer pockets, and two chest pockets that utilize TRU® Zip zippers for fully submersible protection. Paired with the bib, the Guide Insulated Suit is the ultimate foul weather fortress.
For the coldest days on the water, Simms has introduced two new styles that are sure to keep anglers warm and in the moment without sacrificing range of motion. Available in Men’s and Women’s, the all new ExStream® Hooded Jacket and ExStream® Pull Over Hoody are powered by ultra-warm PrimaLoft insulation and feature a quilted stitchless construction for next level layering capabilities and durability.
Simms’ ever popular Freestone collection expands with the addition of the all new Women’s Freestone Jacket and Freestone Backpack. Built with a fully taped waterproof/breathable 3-layer Toray® fabric, the W’s Freestone Jacket features two oversized chest pockets, an adjustable hood, articulated sleeves and a shaped waist with two zippered gussets for a flattering women’s fit. Constructed from a 330D Nylon Ripstop with a DWR finish, the Freestone Backpack features a clamshell top opening as well as a U-shaped side opening to access a spacious main compartment that features internal organization. Equipped with a fully cushioned harness system, the Freestone backpack also includes a tethered, stashable rain cover to keep cargo dry in wet weather.
The Tributary collection also receives a new member with the all new Tributary Hip Pack. Constructed from recycled polyester fabric with a water-resistant, polyeurathane finish, the Tributary Hip Pack features internal organization, hypalon tabs for docking tools and a large loop fly filed for storing and drying flies.
Recycled materials don’t stop with the Tributary Hip Pack, Fall 2022 also inlcudes the Fall Run Collared Jacket. With an exterior and interior built from 100% recycled materials, the warming qualities of this jacket are powered by PrimaLoft Eco Black insulation which consists of 60% recycled materials.
Finally, for anglers looking for footwear innovation, Fall 2022 includes the all new Simms Challenger Mid-Deck Shoe. Built with a highly abrasion resistant textile mesh upper with TPU overlays for increased durability, these shoes also come equipped with a waterproof/breathable membrane to keep angler’s feet dry all day long. For comfort and support Simms’ Challenger Mid-Deck Shoes feature a dual density comfort footbed with a molded arch suppport while a non-marking EVA outsole with micro-siped rubber pods provide unmatched traction and slip-resistance.
On the lifestyle end of the spectrum, Simms is excited to launch the Cardwell Hooded Jacket. Built from a Nylon Elastane blend, the Cardwell’s canvas-like exterior offers just enough stretch in an incredibly rugged, durable package. Chunky baffles house PrimaLoft insulation for warmth and two zippered chest pockets and two handwarmer pockets provide a secure place to store small necessities and provide relief for cold hands. Built from the same fabric, Simms is also offering the Cardwell Jacket and the Cardwell Vest, both of which boast a super cozy Sherpa fleece liner.
Simms extensive line of flannels continues to grow with the inclusion of the Guide Flannel, a soft, warm, moisture wicking flannel built from recycled materials that features a double weave for performance and mobility. The Guide Flannel also comes equipped with vertical, zippered chest pockets to secure small essentials and a left chest pocket designed to house a pair of sunglasses. The Santee Flannel Hoody and the Men’s and Women’s Santee Flannel Shirts provide a slightly lighter weight option that offers comfort and style for on and off the water applications.
Other key standouts to the Fall 2022 collection include the Henry’s Fork Hoody (also available in a crewneck) and the Vermillion Hoody (also available in a full zip). Built from natural, recycled, and synthetic fibers, the Henry’s Fork collection offers comfort and performance at every turn. A French Terry backer constructed from an organic cotton polyester blend provides comfortable warmth while its HeiQ Fresh finish provides anti-microbial protection against odor.
Featuring an athletic cut, a brushed soft interior and a comfy 3-panel hood, the Vermillion collection feels cozy, moves with you, and keeps you odor free with HeiQ Fresh technology. As an added bonus, both the Vermillion Hoody and Full Zip feature a unique drop-in pocket specifically designed to hold the angler’s beverage of choice.
To See Simms’ Fall 2022 product collection in its entirety, click here.
Arey talks frogs, family, and whitetails at La Crosse Elite
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Team Toyota’s Matt Arey is the kind of guy you’d want for a college roommate. Goal focused, spiritually grounded, a great sense of humor, and willing to call time-out to share a plate of cheese curds along Wisconsin’s most famous farmhouse ale, Spotted Cow.
Those traits have him sitting solidly in the Top 20 of the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race on the eve of this season’s final event. So Arey paused after two full days of practice to talk topwater frogs, family and whitetail deer at one of Wisconsin’s many neighborhood gathering places – the Thirsty Turtle.
Q: Let’s start by looking back at last week’s event at massive Lake Oahe. What will you remember most about that event?
Arey: If fans haven’t seen the ‘agony of defeat’ video I posted on Instagram @MattAreyFishing, it’s worth a look. I get a 5-pound smallie inside the boat, grab him to walk to the front deck, he jerks and jumps back in the lake. I’ll never forget that fish.
Q: You’ve logged two long days of practice here on the Upper Mississippi River at La Crosse. What can you tell Bassmaster fans to expect this weekend?
Arey: They’ll be a lot of fish catches, but a 3-pounder here is a treasure, and 4-pounders are fairly rare. So they’ll be plenty of action, but a 15-pound limit here is really strong.
Q: The Upper Mississippi River at La Crosse is a topwater frog anglers dream. What should fans look for when buying a topwater frog?
Arey: No doubt frogs will be one of the top three most used lures this week, along with swimjigs and Chatterbaits.
When picking out a quality frog, make sure it has great hooks, a really soft body, and don’t get caught-up buying ten different colors. All you need is a couple light-bellied frogs, and a couple dark bellied frogs. I like the Lunkerhunt compact frog because it comes out of the package with the hooks bent upward a bit and the legs already trimmed.
Q: You’ve been away from your wonderful wife Emily, and your two young daughters for 12 days. How’s everybody holding up back home in Shelby, NC?
Arey: Everybody is doing great, but as always, my sweet wife is balancing the start of a new school year with a golden retriever puppy, plus feeding horses and cleaning their stalls.
Q: As this Elite Series comes to an official end Monday afternoon, I know you’ll soon be immersed in whitetail hunting. Do you have your eye on a particular buck?
Arey: Oh yea, for sure. I’ve got my eye on two great bucks. One is a Pope & Young caliber 8-pointer we call “B 2” – and the other is a buck we call “City Slicker” – he has matching flyers growing off both his G2 antlers.
Rivet and Huff Cash Toyota Bonus Bucks
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Five years ago, young Elite Series pros Tyler Rivet and Cody Huff would have been starting classes and preparing to compete in the Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship. The fact these two just notched top 10 finishes at the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe is not only atestament to their own skills, but to their college fishing roots as well.
Both Rivet and Huff made a name for themselves in the college fishing ranks before qualifying for the Elites through the Bassmaster Opens. In addition to top ten finishes, Rivet earned an extra $3,000 and Huff pocketed $2,000 of added rewards thanks to Toyota Bonus Bucks. Highlighting the fact you don’t need to win an event to reap the rewards of Bonus Bucks, you simply must be among the highest finishing registered anglers.
Huff employed a drop shot to trick Lake Oahe smallmouth and finish 10th, while Rivet slowly dragged a Carolina-rig en route to his 9th place finish. Though they used different tactics, both twenty something-year-old bass fishing talents trust a Tundra as their ride for the ~30,000+ miles they put on the odometer throughout the Elite Series season. When asked why, Rivet gave a quick, honest response.
“The main reason I run a Tundra is Bonus Bucks for sure,” Rivet said with a smile. “The chance to win extra money each tournament is huge, and Toyota supports our sport in a big way. On top of that, my truck tows my boat like it’s not even there.”
This was the fourth top-10 Rivet has notched since joining the Elite Series in 2019. The Raceland, Louisiana native believes his Lake Oahe finish locked up his spot in the 2023 Bassmaster Classic.
Which gives him plenty reason to celebrate at one of the Walk-On’s Restaurant and Sports Bistreaux locations between La Crosse, Wisconsin, and his Louisiana homeland. Walk-On’s isRivet’s title sponsor, and he absolutely plans to pay them a visitduring his homeward travels.
Huff on the other hand, is finishing up his rookie season on the Elite Series. After winning the Bassmaster College Series Classic Bracket in 2020 and spending a year towing a Nitro Boat wrapped in his alma mater’s colors with a loaned Tundra, Huff immediately bought one of his own to serve as his tow vehicle.
“I’ve put over 90,000 miles on my 2021 Tundra and out of all those miles I haven’t had to do anything other than change the oil and change the tires,” Huff added. “It has awesome towing capacity and I’ve got a CrewMax so I can fit dang near my whole house in the back seat. Which is such a luxury when you live on the road half the year like us. I really couldn’t ask more out of a truck.”
Toyota’s popular contingency program has been rewarding anglers who drive eligible Toyota tow vehicles for over thirteen years. If you’re late to the party and want to learn more about Bonus Bucks, follow this link: https://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/. You can get registered, see a full list of payouts and events, and get anyquestions you have answered while you discover why it pays to tow with Toyota.
Student Anglers From 22 States To Showcase Skills At Bassmaster High School Combine
High school anglers from 22 states will participate in the Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Combine presented by Skeeter Sept. 16-18 in Decatur, Ala.
August 24, 2022
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — When the Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Combine presented by Skeeter kicks off on Sept. 16, 100 gifted anglers from 22 states will have the opportunity to showcase their talents for a host of college coaches and earn college scholarships. The three-day event will be held on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala.
The inaugural High School Combine in 2021 generated more than $2.6 million in scholarship offers.
“Response to the High School Combine has been incredible,” said Glenn Cale, B.A.S.S. Nation tournament manager for the College, High School and Junior series. “The fact that high school anglers are traveling here from as far away as Minnesota, New Hampshire and Connecticut really speaks to the massive growth and appetite for high school and college bass fishing over the past few years.
“Hearing anglers share from the weigh-in stage at the High School National Championship that they were heading on to fish in college as a direct result of meeting a coach at the inaugural combine was a huge testament to the impact this event can have on the sport and the skill level that will be on display.”
At the High School Combine, anglers will perform multiple tasks to show their skill set not only on the water, but also to display their knowledge of the sport as a whole. After the first day, colleges will have the opportunity to select anglers for a “second look” where they can further explore everything that angler has to offer and see if they would be the perfect fit for their fishing program.
“I’m looking forward to seeing anglers from across the nation and what they can do,” said Corey Yarish of Trophy Club, Texas. “Coming to this combine is going to allow me the opportunity to showcase my abilities like I would not otherwise be able to. I’m looking forward to meeting the coaches and all the great anglers to talk about the sport. I would love to get a scholarship to pursue my dream of fishing in college and an education.”
While some anglers are looking for a college where they can compete next year, other student-athletes hope to learn from the 2022 High School Combine and establish relationships for the future.
“I’m hoping to gain experience for next year’s combine and (am) curious to meet the college coaches and get their feedback about the way I fish,” said Matthew Melvin of Fairfield, Iowa. “I’m definitely going to be a little nervous, but if I think of it as being fun and getting me experience then a lot of that nervousness should go away.”
Briley Mills of Dallas, Ga., attended the inaugural High School Combine as a sophomore and hopes to build on that experience. Mills is one of several anglers who is returning to the combine as an upperclassman.
“Through the first combine, I learned that there are endless opportunities for young ladies like me to pursue fishing at a collegiate level. I am currently looking into different colleges as well as their fishing programs to find out what is the best fit for my future,” Mills said.
The opportunity to meet individually with prospective anglers is critical for coaches.
“The combine has given me the opportunity to meet and recruit anglers that I would've never been able to evaluate otherwise,” said Campbellsville University Coach Tony Miracle. “It also gives kids the opportunity to meet and talk to universities and coaches that they never would’ve had the chance to meet. It’s an unbelievable opportunity for both sides.”
The following schools have committed to participating in the Bassmaster High School Combine:
Auburn University
Blue Mountain College
Campbellsville University
Carson-Newman University
Catawba Valley Community College
Dallas Baptist University
East Texas Baptist University
Emmanuel College
East Tennessee State University
Faulkner University
Kentucky Christian University
Lander University
Louisiana State University - Shreveport
Southeastern University
Troy University
University of Montevallo
University of North Alabama
Webber International University
"It's All Mental" With Dakota Ebare
This week Dakota Ebare joins the show to talk about Bull Riding, Bull Fighting and Bass Fishing. From his incredible run in the Pro Circuit to a current top 10 in points in the Bass Pro Tour Dakota is an up and coming Pro that should be at the top of your Fantasy Fishing Teams. The Boys also discuss the Bassmaster Angler of the Year Race and CB makes a call and welcomes in an impromptu guest to the show mid-stream without missing a beat. Tune in now!
Brandon Lester, the Elite Series’ best cutman
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Boxing’s “cutmen” are responsible for managing a fighter’s lacerations during a match to help him continue competing effectively, but on the 2022 Bassmaster Elite Series tour, no other angler has made more “cuts” than Team Toyota’s Brandon Lester.
Entering this week’s final regular season Elite Series event on the Upper Mississippi River at La Crosse, Lester is the only angler on tour to make every semi-qualifier round this season once the full field of anglers in the opening rounds is cut in half, and he highlighted the streak by winning at Pickwick in June.
Not to mention, Lester made ‘the cut’ in both Bassmaster Opens he competed in this year too, and claimed victory at the Southern Open at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes back in early February.
“Obviously, everybody on the Elite Series wants to make the cut, get at least a $10,000 paycheck, and the chance to fish on Championship Sunday. But at the St. Lawrence River, I started realizing I had the chance to make every single cut this season, including the Opens, and that’s pretty special,” smiled the always humble Tennessean.
Never did his streak come so close to ending as last week at Lake Oahe, SD, but in true Brandon Lester style, he squeaked into semi-final Saturday by grabbing the final cut spot in 47th place.
“I thought there was no way I was gonna make it after catching 10-pounds on Day 1, but on Day 2 my 12-pound limit was barely enough to make it,” says Lester, still shaking his head in disbelief.
Asked what two lures he’d call his MVP of this incredible season, he singled out a Berkley Maxscent plum apple-colored worm that helped him win Pickwick, and a 3/8-ounce Chatterbait Jackhammer tipped with a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad – none of which are sponsor’s lures.
However, there’s more than just “making cuts” on the line this week in La Crosse. Lester sits barely behind Brandon Palaniuk in the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year title race, and could in fact win the highly respected title if Palaniuk slips up.
“Palaniuk really has to stumble, and that seldom happens. So, my focus is purely on doing my job, and making sure I put myself in position to win, in the rare event he struggles,” says Lester.
That starts with making the cut for the chance to compete on Sunday and Monday, and nobody has been better at that this year than Lester.
Who Picks Up the Tab?
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Rising costs are hitting retailers and consumers right in the teeth. Here’s how the best businesses are battling back. |
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Forestville, WI (August 23, 2022) – You may have noticed skyrocketing prices while picking up a rod, reel, or pile of lures at your local tackle shop. Rest assured–by the time that price made it to the shelf, you weren’t the first with sticker-shock. Retailers are fighting the same battle against rising costs–often needing to choose between happy customers and keeping the lights on. Still, NPAA’s many retail members report they are surviving and even thriving in this dicey sales environment by carefully planning their purchases, minimizing costs, and being up-front with customers about the factors driving price increases. “This is the toughest sales environment I’ve seen in thirty-plus years of retail operation,” says National Professional Anglers Association (NPAA) member, retail outdoors store owner and 2022 Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame inductee, Tom Keenan. The 53-year-old head of Chase Outdoors in Wausau, Wisconsin, notes 2021 saw a big increase in the number of people taking up fishing as way to have fun, get outdoors and social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic, but this summer brought concerns over the cost of retail items and continued supply-chain issues for some manufacturers into the limelight. |
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Rapala stocked to the gills at Chase Outdoors in Wausau, WI. |
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“It’s a battle keeping our prices reasonable right now,” continues Keenan. “Supply has improved since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic but price increases have been steep on just about everything. People now seem to be holding off on purchases like high-end fishing poles and innovative reels. They’re making do with what they have as long as it's in decent shape. That’s the sales battle we’re facing now.” Keenan has taken steps to sustain inventory levels and maintain reasonable retail pricing. He notes fishing sales continue to be good in his store but isn’t sure they’ll continue to hold steady. “To combat price increases and remaining supply-chain problems, we’re ordering more items directly from vendors,” he reveals. “We’re also eating a lot of the fuel surcharges where shipping is concerned to help keep prices down. Packaging a lot of things together when ordering or holding out for deals that include free shipping also help to minimize costs.” In terms of dealing with customers who do a double-take at prices, Keenan believes being up front works best. “If you invest a little time educating people about supply-chain issues and the new cost of shipping, most get it. Still, customers generally don’t love price increases.” Retailers are also using focused forecasting to buy ahead at current prices and ensure products arrive before you need them. Keenan is already purchasing for the 2023 fishing season. “Planning ahead with your supplier as a partner is critical now,” he says, and being an NPAA member helps, too. “You need to be as professional as possible to survive this storm, and NPAA drives home the point that professionalism is a key to profitability. I rely heavily on their press releases and newsletter because they keep me abreast of new products and what’s trending in the angling world. That info helps you present as a true fishing authority when customers have questions. It’s the kind of advanced knowledge that makes the difference between a good retailer and a great one.” |
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Tom Keenan |
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Like Keenan, NPAA Member Dave Krantz believes the current retail sales environment to be a tricky one. Still, the 63-year-old proprietor of Dave’s Bait and Tackle in Crystal Lake, Illinois, has kept things rolling thanks to insightful planning. “COVID taught us we can order further in advance,” he states. “Some of our terminal tackle–rods and reels for instance–don’t age out on the floor, so I’ve been buying heavier than normal to stay ahead of supply chain issues.” In Krantz’ view, the U.S. entered a recession last spring but many retail fishing outfits were insulated from initial price increases thanks to a two-year bump in sales. Looking forward, he says, it’s vital to build on what you learned during the pandemic. “I plan to continue buying heavy to resolve remaining supply-chain issues,” he says. “There are some product lines I’ve already bought and paid for during the pandemic. With some other lines I still have stock enough that I can order 15- to 30-percent less this year and use those funds for other inventory.” Another smart move, reveals Krantz, is to buy from multiple sources to ensure you always have product coming in. “Don’t cancel additional shipments when the first ones arrive,” he counsels. “Instead, stockpile those additions because they aren’t going to be less expensive going forward. If you have the means to get ahead of inventory, the sooner the better is a good rule. It allows you to not only to turn a profit, but to keep prices reasonable so customers aren’t always looking at 10-, 15- and 20-percent price hikes.” |
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Dave Krantz |
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Similar to Keenan, Krantz buys well ahead of time. He’s currently placing his 2023 summer orders and bought much of his spring stock immediately following the ICAST Show in July. “When stuff comes in, I put it right out rather than wait for any special season,” he offers. “I sell fishing tackle 12 months of the year. This summer, I sold ice augers in July. People couldn’t get them last winter so they grabbed them right away.” Another suggestion from Krantz is to focus on your best opportunities. Some people open several stores, he notes, but that doesn’t always work in the long run. “If one store is great, one is fair and one is a dog dragging you down you’ll be better off having one terrific store where you can do everything right, he surmises.” Krantz counts himself fortunate to have several income streams. In addition to his retail outdoors operation, he writes a retail fishing column for Fishing Tackle Retailer, works as a fishing guide, hosts a fishing podcast, and competes in Major League Fishing’s Toyota Series. “I guess you could say I wear a lot of hats that make it worthwhile for me to be an NPAA member,” he states. “It’s a great organization, especially when it comes to making contacts. NPAA makes it easy to keep my name in front of the people I need for sponsorship, retail operations and my guide business. I even draw on other members to be podcast guests. If people know you’re an NPAA member, they instantly recognize you as a true outdoors professional and take your business seriously. The NPAA newsletter also keeps me clued into industry happenings.” According to Krantz, one thing that clearly separates professionals from wannabees in this industry is having a passion for the business end of things, a point you’ll pick up quickly with an NPAA membership. “You have to have a passion for the business end of things that’s every bit as strong as your passion for fishing,” he states. “NPAA is a great place to grow both of those essentials.” |
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Loud and proud St. Croix Rod display at Dave's Bait & Tackle. |
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NPAA president, Patrick Neu, calls the advice from Keenan and Krantz “spot on,” adding that true angling professionals also help set themselves up for long-term success by working extra hard for their sponsors during tough economic times. One effective way to do just that is by reaching out to the retail stores in your market area and offering to help in any way that you can, he advises. That might be through promotions, referring customers to local tackle shops, or by helping make sure your sponsor’s products are well merchandised and in stock at the store. “That kind of investment in each other makes a big difference for everyone in the long run,” contends Neu. “NPAA members after all are opinion leaders in their marketplaces and, as such, valuable assets to the retailers in their communities - especially during stretches of economic upheaval when every sale counts. Long-time NPAA members realize helping retailers whenever possible can pay dividends with their own sponsors or can add a few additional guide trips a year when retailers return the favor by referring customers. We’re all in this business together,” sums up Neu. “As NPAA members, we’re all on the same team.” For information on joining the NPAA and exploring the many benefits of membership, visit www.npaa.net. |
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Plastics, anyone? Dave's Bait & Tackle |
Berkley Gulp! Adds Chrome Colorway to Four classic Saltwater Shapes
COLUMBIA S.C. (August 23, 2022) Berkley’s lineup of revolutionary Gulp! saltwater soft baits now gets better. Berkley Gulp! upgrades four of their classic shapes with game-changing Chrome colorways, making this bait even more life-like and enticing to fish.
Backed by science and proven to create 400 times more scent dispersion than the competition to expand the strike zone, Berkley’s proprietary Gulp! scent technology is infused into the core of each bait. The expanded colors represent another step forward in the evolution of Gulp!, as most saltwater baitfish exhibit some silver hue that flashes with the sun’s reflection. Chrome Gulp! mimics this trait with metallic tones that are available in four essential Gulp! bait shapes - Paddletail, Shrimp, Swimming Mullet, and Jerkshad and the new color offering includes Chrome, Fools Gold, Green Chrome, Purple Chrome, and Red Chrome colors.
Saltwater anglers can find the perfect fit for any inshore species with even more color options. The combination of the Gulp! infused scent and flavor, proven swimming movement, and now these new life-like Chrome colors will ensure big-fish strikes under all conditions.
Key Features:
• Paddletail, Shrimp & Swimming Mullet come in 3-inch & 4-inch sizes
• Jerkshad comes in 5-inch & 6-inch sizes
• New Chrome tone colors: Chrome, Fools Gold, Green Chrome, Purple Chrome and Red Chrome
• Saltwater Gulp! bag only
MSRP $7.99
Team Support Leads High Schoolers to $5K in Yamaha Power Pay
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Competitive bass fishing can be a financially demanding endeavor, even at the high school level. And when good parents encounter challenging times, the cash strain intensifies.
Thankfully, generous support from their Mt. Pleasant High School fishing team, and a 5th place finish, made it possible for the team of Spencer Lovett and Evan Word to earn the $5,000 Yamaha Power pay bonus at the recent Bassmaster®High School Championship on Lake Hartwell in South Carolina.
“There’s probably no way we’d ever make the championship on Hartwell without the incredible support of our Mt. Pleasant, TN High School Bass Fishing team,” says Spencer’s dad and their boat captain, Alan, who runs a 19-foot Xpress aluminum boat powered by a 150-horsepower Yamaha V MAX SHO®.
“Our high school team is a special group of generous people – and Spencer and Evan were absolutely ecstatic when they learned we’d won the $5,000 Power Pay bonus from Yamaha,” he added with a smile.
While Spencer and Evan actually won the very first Bassmaster® High School event they ever fished together with a 19-pound limit of Pickwick smallmouth, their 5th place finish at the high school championship on Hartwell using a spinnerbait and a squarebill crankbait was good enough to collect the Power Pay contingency money.
Their earnings spotlight a big advantage of the Power Pay program -- you don’t have to win the tournament to win the Power Pay money. You just have to be the highest finishing registered participant, and it’s free to sign-up.
“Whether you’re fishing big tournaments or high school events, if you’re running a Yamaha purchased in the past 60 months, you’d be foolish not to sign-up for Power Pay. I’m certainly grateful we did,” concluded Lovett.
Making sure you’re eligible for Power Pay bonuses is easy, just visit https://yamahapowerpay.com/.
Brueggen Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Ohio River
Harper Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
PADUCAH, Ky. (Aug. 22, 2022) – Boater Mike Brueggen of La Crosse, Wisconsin, caught five bass Saturday weighing 9 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Ohio River at Paducah. The tournament, hosted by the City of Paducah Parks and Recreation, was the fourth event for the Bass Fishing League Illini Division. Brueggen earned $4,514 for his victory.
Brueggen, who now has nine BFL career wins, said he caught only five keepers during the tournament. He began the day fishing a creek that produced two keepers, then relocated to the main river and caught two spotted bass, before ending his day in another creek where he caught his two biggest fish of the day. Brueggen said he caught all of his bass on Texas-rigged soft plastics.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 9-9, $4,514
2nd: Brandon Broadway, Golconda, Ill., five bass, 8-13, $2,257 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd: Patrick Odell, Windsor, Ill., five bass, 7-4, $1,172
4th: Colby Schrumpf, Highland, Ill., five bass, 7-0, $1,120
5th: Chris Randell, Saint Charles, Mo., two bass, 6-5, $703
6th: Keith Nemcek, Saint Charles, Ill., four bass, 6-2, $644
7th: Peyton Coleman, Paducah, Ky., two bass, 5-15, $586
8th: Curtis Samo, Rochelle, Ill., four bass, 5-12, $927
9th: Taylor Umland, Carlock, Ill., four bass, 5-10, $469
10th: Riley Walk, Neoga, Ill., three bass, 5-9, $410
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Drew Cress of Highland, Illinois, had a largemouth that weighed 4 pounds, 12 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $450.
Andrew Harper of Shelbyville, Illinois, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,057 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 10 pounds, 3 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:
1st: Andrew Harper, Shelbyville, Ill., five bass, 10-3, $2,057
2nd: Ovidiu Marginean, Glenview, Ill., five bass, 8-2, $879
3rd: Brandon Depew, Odin, Ill., four bass, 6-9, $585
4th: Andy Heisler, Sun Prairie, Wis., three bass, 5-6, $410
5th: Steve Grigsby, Washington, Ill., two bass, 5-1, $351
6th: Brian Huber, Saint Peters, Mo., four bass, 4-15, $322
7th: David Workman, Harrisburg, Ill., three bass, 4-14, $293
8th: Shaun Avery, Plainfield, Ill., three bass, 4-6, $464
9th: Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., three bass, 3-12, $234
10th: Eugene Kim, Lindenhurst, Ill., two bass, 3-7, $205
Roman Perun of St. Louis, Missouri, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $225.
After four events, Riley Walk of Neoga, Illinois, leads the Bass Fishing League Illini Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 961 points, while Derick Holmes of Fairfield, Illinois, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 917 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.
Minnesota Pro Austin Felix Conquers Lake Oahe For First Bassmaster Elite Series Victory
Austin Felix of Eden Prairie, Minn., has won the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe with a four-day total of 71 pounds, 9 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
August 21, 2022
MOBRIDGE, S.D. — Austin Felix views himself as a well-rounded angler but he loves to fish for smallmouth. So, it’s fitting Felix’s first Bassmaster Elite Series title would involve catching those big, beautiful brown fish.
With a five-bass limit that weighed 16 pounds, 3 ounces on Championship Sunday, the Eden Prairie, Minn., native secured the victory at the Guarantee Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe with a total of 71-9, earning $100,000.
Felix overcame a disappointing Day 1 performance of 14-2 that put him in 34th and then rebounded with the VMC Monster Bag of the tournament at 23-3 that lifted him to second place after Day 2 and earned him an additional $2,000. Felix took the lead on Day 3 with 18-1 and held off a hard-charging Chris Johnston on the final day.
“I feel like I have an advantage on a smallmouth event over the field, at least most of them,” the 2020 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year said. “It is my wheelhouse, I would like to think. I had never been here before but when I came here for (pre-practice) it was the most incredible fishing in the world.
“I fully expected driving out here that the 23-pound bag would be what you had to have to compete. But, when we got here, these fish have gotten a lot of pressure over the last year.”
While he had close to 18 spots marked, two main-lake points on Lake Oahe produced the bulk of Felix’s weight, one above the Highway 212 Bridge that crosses the lake south of takeoff in Mobridge and one below the bridge. These points had an important characteristic: they dropped off sharply into deeper water and had rockpiles on the bottom.
For the most part, Felix’s smallmouth were relating to the bottom or close to the bottom. If he found they were set up on the bottom, he could stay off his spots and cast to them. But on many occasions, they would be constantly on the move and that’s when his Lowrance Active Target came into play.
“The key is it had to have a really steep drop-off into the main river channel, and you wanted that break to be somewhere between 30 and 35 feet,” Felix explained. “I think they like to be over the open water and then they can slide up.
“Their feeding zone was between 25 and 35 feet. Most of it had rocky patches on it. Sometimes they would settle on it. This afternoon there was a big group and all they did was swim around the point. They swam around the boat every 20 minutes.”
A Z-Man Big TRD on a 1/4- or 3/8-ounce Ned head was a key bait for Felix, as well as a Carolina-rigged Zoom Speed Craw with a 5/8-ounce Ryugi Carolina rig weight. The weight has a plastic sleeve in it that keeps the line from getting nicked up on the bottom.
Fishing around Lee Livesay keyed Felix in to the Carolina rig bite that helped produce the giant Day 2 bag that turned his tournament around.
“I had one tied on in the box and ready to go,” Felix explained. “After we wore them out on a drop shot, he pulled it out and slung it out there and caught one. I was like, ‘It doesn’t take me long to figure this out.’ So, I yanked one out, threw it out there and caught one.
“We sat there for three hours and would each catch one every 15 or 20 minutes. It was just one of those days. We were chatting and joking, it was the best day ever.”
On Sunday, Felix landed a smallie that was entered on BassTrakk as a 3-8 first thing in the morning and filled his limit on his starting spot. With his afternoon magic on Day 3 in mind, he waited as long as he could to run down the lake, and it paid off with three important catches late in the afternoon.
The bass he found there bit a Carolina rig on Semifinal Saturday, but he hunted them down with the Ned rig and Active Target Sunday.
“I figured out how to catch that group of fish way south and I caught three good ones yesterday and I left it with the idea I would come back,” Felix said. “All day I was sitting there (telling myself) I wasn’t going before noon. I bided my time.
“Fortunately, my starting hole paid off with a limit, which calmed me down a lot. At noon, I ran 25 miles south and I caught a good one really quick.”
After catching two smallmouth that bumped him up to the 16-pound range, Felix realized a blue trophy was within reach. But before he got too excited, he refocused by thinking about the next event on the Upper Mississippi River scheduled for next week.
“It really hasn’t hit me yet and the fact we have such a short turnaround before La Crosse, I was actually using that all day,” Felix said. “When I started thinking about winning or daydreaming, I clicked over and thought about what I had to do for La Crosse when this is over. I tried to keep my mind off of winning and on something else.
“But I’m sure when I am driving home, I’ll be screaming in the truck by myself going down the highway.”
Johnston recovered from a Day 3 stumble to finish second with a 68-6. The Canadian pro secured 18-15 on Day 1 before catching 18-13 on the second day to take the lead. But a disappointing 13-12 on Semifinal Saturday dropped him to third, and his comeback attempt on the final day fell just short.
“I didn’t think I was on the winning fish after practice, so to get second, I am still happy with it,” he said. “Obviously I’m a little disappointed. I had one or two missed opportunities today that would have made it a little more interesting. But still, it was a fun week fishing and catching smallmouth.”
One main-lake area produced almost all of Johnston’s weight the first two days and on Championship Sunday, it reloaded with more quality smallmouth.
“It was just a flat, it wasn’t like chunky rock, but it was a subtle point,” he said. “They weren’t grouped in one spot. They were just roaming it. They are out in deeper water and for whatever reason, they move up shallow on that flat point and hang out. Around midday, they go in the middle of the lake and chase bait if I had to guess.”
Johnston secured a limit before 9:30 a.m. and landed a 4-pounder just before 10:30. Unfortunately, he could not get another big bass to commit to his presentation.
“I caught them the way I wanted to catch them. I used Garmin LiveScope and drop shots, Ned rigs and a Carolina rig,” he said. “Some new ones moved up today and my first pass over them they were biting. My second pass I caught one or two more and then the gig was up.”
Japanese pro Taku Ito finished third with 67-13 — a total he amassed with bags of 17-4, 16-13, 15-6 and 18-6. Ito continued an impressive streak of making the Day 3 cut at each of the seven smallmouth tournaments he has competed in on the Elite Series. He has now made five of the seven final-day cuts in those events.
“I tried to find the big schools and every day I changed my spot,” Ito said. “I tried a new spot and found a big school. Easy to catch. Today the wind was strong and it was easy to catch a 4-pounder.”
Ito focused his efforts on main-lake areas that had big groups of smallmouth that were constantly swimming and used Japanese finesse techniques. His go-to bait was an Ecogear Jukusei Aqua Swim Shrimp rigged on a 1/0 Ryugi Talisman Hook and a 3/16-ounce Boreas ANO ST TG Sinker.
The 4-8 smallie he caught late in the day earned him the $1,000 bonus for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day. South Carolina’s Brandon Cobb earned $2,000 total for catching the Phoenix Bass Big Bass of the Tournament, a 5-12 he caught on Day 1.
Tyler Rivet of Raceland, La., took home $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, and Missouri rookie Cody Huff earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Ito also earned an additional $2,500 as the highest-placing entrant and Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., claimed an additional $1,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
Kentucky pro Mark Menendez won the $1,000 BassTrakk Contingency award for the most accurate weight reporting.
Rathdrum, Idaho, native Brandon Palaniuk leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year race with 647 points entering the final event of the season next week. Tennessee pro Brandon Lester is second with 610 points, followed by Johnston with 601.
Wisconsin pro Jay Przekurat leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings with 543 points, followed by Huff with 479 and Tennessee’s Jacob Foutz with 456.
2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe 8/18-8/21
Lake Oahe, Mobridge SD.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 20 71-09 100 $102,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 23-03 Day 3: 5 18-01 Day 4: 5 16-03
2. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 20 68-06 99 $35,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 18-13 Day 3: 5 13-12 Day 4: 5 16-14
3. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 20 67-13 98 $30,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 15-06 Day 4: 5 18-06
4. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 20 66-06 97 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 20-02 Day 3: 5 13-11 Day 4: 5 16-05
5. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 20 64-10 96 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 17-08 Day 3: 5 19-00 Day 4: 5 12-01
6. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 20 63-08 95 $19,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-05 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 12-15 Day 4: 5 13-07
7. Seth Feider New Market, MN 20 63-02 94 $18,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 5 13-04 Day 3: 5 19-05 Day 4: 5 14-11
8. Bryan New Saluda, SC 20 60-06 93 $17,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 10-11 Day 3: 5 17-04 Day 4: 5 13-02
9. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 20 57-08 92 $16,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 18-15 Day 3: 5 14-05 Day 4: 5 09-08
10. Cody Huff Ava, MO 20 54-15 91 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 16-04 Day 3: 5 15-09 Day 4: 5 08-13
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PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 05-12 $1,000.00
2 Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 05-11 $1,000.00
3 Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 05-06 $1,000.00
4 Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA04-08 $500.00
4 Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 04-08 $500.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 05-12 $1,000.00
VMC MONSTER BAG
Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 23-03 $2,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 78 428 1120-03
2 69 403 928-06
3 39 217 530-00
4 10 50 139-06
----------------------------------
196 1098 2717-15
Spencer Shuffield Wins MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury on the St. Lawrence River
Arkansas Pro Weighs Five-Bass Limit of 22 pounds, 12 ounces to Win TITLE Belt and Top Prize of $200,000
MASSENA, N.Y. (Aug. 21, 2022) – Weights were again stacked atop the leaderboard, but 11-time Championship Qualifier Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Arkansas, brought a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 12 ounces across the stage Sunday to win the first major event of his professional career, earning $200,000 and the TITLE belt at the third-annual Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship – on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York. Shuffield earned the win by a 12-ounce margin over pro Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, who weighed a limit of 22 pounds even, good for second place and $50,000. Alabama pro Jacob Wall of New Hope, rounded out the top three, weighing a five-bass limit of 21 pounds even to take home $30,000.
Shuffield had been near a win several times on the Pro Circuit, including the infamous 2020 TITLE Championship on Sturgeon Bay, where bad weather prevented him from getting to his primary area on Championship Day, resulting in a heart-breaking 6th place finish.
“I had 18 pounds pretty quick this morning, and then the storm hit, and the wind kicked in and I thought ‘not again’,” Shuffield said. “But thankfully the wind never got out of control, and I was still able to manage it and fish my areas effectively enough to catch the fish.
“I had about a 25-minute lull where I wasn’t able to fish as hard or cover as much ground as I had been, due to the wind and the current. I was seeing the big ones and trying to pitch that perfect cast in front of them, but it was nearly impossible during the storm.”
Finally, the wind died down just enough that Shuffield was able to make more precise pitches in front of the stingy smallmouth and get them to bite.
“I caught most of my fish today on a 7-foot, 4-inch medium Phenix M1 rod with 6-pound test Yo-Zuri T-7 Premium Fluorocarbon leader, throwing a ½-ounce Ark Tungsten Drop-Shot Weight and a No. 2 Gamakatsu Drop Shot Hook with a green-pumpkin party or brown-back-colored Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm,” Shuffield said. “The rest came on a 7-foot, 2-inch Phenix M1 rod, with an 8-pound test Yo-Zuri leader, a 3/8-ounce WOO! Tungsten Ned Head Jig and a Goby Bryant-colored Z-Man Finesse TRD.”
Shuffield said he’d always dreamed of being on the big stage and winning tournaments. Although he never realized just how hard he’d have to work to get to this point, he was always determined that this was going to be his path in life.
“To get my first win right here, and for my first major win to be a championship event is huge,” Shuffield said in his post-game interview. “God has blessed me. This last year has been a trying year, and I definitely don’t feel like I deserve it. But I’m thankful He does.
That achievement is even more meaningful to Shuffield, who said he lost his fishing career six years ago, and went into one of the deepest, darkest places of depression he’d ever experienced.
“I didn’t know if I’d ever get this opportunity back, but I fought hard, knowing I would eventually get back here, even if it was the death of me,” Shuffield said. “I was able to make it back to fishing as a pro strictly off of local tournaments. I earned seven boats in four years back home winning local championships, which, combined with my families’ support and the good Lord above, enabled me to be here today.
“I wouldn’t have cared if a regular-season Tour win had been my first win – I’m not stingy, I just wanted to get that first one under my belt. For it to be in a championship event against the best of the best, I just can’t believe it,” said an emotional Shuffield. “Tournament wins are necessary to sustain a career, but championship wins are worth so much more. I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I was three years old.”
Shuffield recounted taking a Walmart sack out to the backyard when he was a kid, gathering up the five biggest pinecones he could find and pretending to pull them out of the bag one at a time, practicing for the day he would be winning on stage and in this moment.
“To be living that out and doing it in real-life now is just unreal. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into being a pro angler, that a lot of people don’t ever see, so to finally make it happen – it’s by the grace of God, no doubt. I’m most thankful to Him, for giving me the opportunity to be standing here today,” added a tearful Shuffield. “I give it 110% out here every day and some days it’s not good enough, but the days that it is, it really counts and puts things into perspective and is a reminder how far hard work truly goes. The appreciation of just being able to see your hard work come to fruition is really special.”
The top 10 pros at the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE on the St. Lawrence River are:
2nd: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 22-0, $50,000
3rd: Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 21-0, $30,000
4th: Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., five bass, 20-10, $25,000
5th: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 20-6, $19,000
6th: Josh Bragg, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 20-1, $18,000
7th: Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., five bass, 18-5, $17,000
8th: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 17-3, $16,000
9th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., five bass, 17-1, $15,000
10th: Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 16-1, $14,000
Overall, there were 50 bass weighing 195 pounds, 7 ounces caught by the 10 pros on Sunday, all with five-bass limits.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship – featured a hybrid tournament format. All 50 anglers were seeded into two groups of 25 – Group A & Group B, based on points earned in 2022 qualifying events – where they competed in Qualifying Rounds over the first four days of the tournament.
The top 10 anglers in each group moved on to the Knockout Round on Day 5, with zeroed weights, to compete for the chance to fish on the final day. The top 10 anglers from the Knockout Round then advanced to Championship Sunday, where weights were again zeroed as anglers competed for the $235,000 prize. Winners were determined by the heaviest five-bass limit of each round.
Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury event will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, Oct. 8 on the CBS Sports Network. Episodes premiere Sunday mornings on the Outdoor Channel, with additional re-airings on the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition. Episodes will run through Nov. 13.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Fuel Me, 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.
Austin Felix Takes Lead At Bassmaster Elite On Lake Oahe Heading Into Championship Sunday
Austin Felix of Eden Prairie, Minn., is leading after Day 3 of the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe with a three-day total of 55 pounds, 6 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
August 20, 2022
MOBRIDGE, S.D. — Thanks to a late-day push, Austin Felix secured a limit of smallmouth weighing 18 pounds, 1 ounce on Day 3 of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe, pushing his three-day total to a tournament-leading 55-6.
A lackluster Day 1 that included losing a big smallmouth put Felix in 34th place with 14-2, but he rocketed up the leaderboard with the VMC Monster Bag of the Tournament so far, a 23-3 sack of smallmouth that put him in second entering Semifinal Saturday.
The Eden Prairie, Minn., native now holds nearly a 3-pound lead over Kentucky pro Matt Robertson in second and nearly a 4-pound advantage over Day 2 leader Chris Johnston of Canada, who dropped to third.
On a volatile fishery that has seen anglers move up and down the standings each day, Felix is trying not to think about his status entering Championship Sunday.
“I’m just trying to keep my head down because I know I have another day, and that’s the most important thing,” Felix said. “I need to catch five more good ones. It isn’t easy out there right now. A lot of guys struggled today. I was fortunate enough to figure out something late and caught a few good ones.”
Felix, the 2020 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year and a two-time Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic qualifier, started where he caught his monster bag Friday with two other competitors and found the smallmouth were not loaded up like they had been previously.
“I caught one solid 4-pounder and then a rat, but it definitely wasn’t as good as I was hoping,” Felix said. “Fortunately for tomorrow, I will have it to myself. There may be scraps left, but if I can get all the scraps I might be able to get a few decent ones or scratch a bag together.”
Felix has been fishing main-lake points located close to steep breaks on the main river channel. He has about 18 of those points marked, but it is a mystery as to which one will produce on a given day.
“I am just running waypoints,” he said. “Obviously, a lot of people found them because it is pretty obvious stuff, but hopefully tomorrow you will be able to do what you want to do.”
After starting in 20th place with 16-1 on Day 1, Robertson caught 17-8 on Day 2 to move into ninth and sacked 19-0 on Saturday for a three-day total of 52-9.
“The last three days I have changed it up every day,” Robertson said. “Don’t just stick to one thing. You have to give them a little different look. One day I caught them on a drop shot. I caught a few on a Damiki rig and a Carolina rig today. Honestly, it’s been about not getting too stuck on anything.”
Robertson has fished three or four main spots he knows are holding quality bass. On Saturday, he got three quality smallies to start the day, adding he lost another bass bigger than all of them in the process. He added his fourth fish around 11 a.m. and finished his bag around noon.
Now that he is squarely in contention, he is considering making a 72-mile run down lake to an area he hasn’t touched. But he is worried he won’t be able to make it back to check-in before running out of gas.
“It is far enough to where I am 99 percent sure I am going to run out of gas on the way back,” Robertson said. “I almost went there today and (Seth) Feider made the Top 10, so I will probably end up down there to take a crack at it. I know whenever I run out of gas he will be there to give me a ride back.”
After taking the lead on Day 2, Johnston found his big bass spot did not reload and scrambled to catch 13-12 on Saturday. The Canadian pro is now third with 51-8.
“I went to my starting spot, which I was a little worried was going to run out of fish, and sure enough it was pretty vacant,” Johnston said. “I gave it two hours and started running some secondary stuff. Seth (Feider) was on my second-best spot and he beat on them pretty good — which is good for him, but it sucked for me.”
Johnston saw quite a few smallies on several areas he visited, but getting them to bite was a difficult task. Winds are expected to pick back up on Sunday, and Johnston hopes that will help the bite.
“Tomorrow the pressure is off. I am just going to go out and have some fun and see what I can catch,” he said.
Wisconsin pro Jay Przekurat caught the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day, a 5-6 smallie that anchored his 19-10 bag and gave him a $1,000 bonus. South Carolina’s Brandon Cobb still holds the overall Phoenix Boats Big Bass with the 5-12 smallmouth he caught on Day 1.
Rathdrum, Idaho, native Brandon Palaniuk leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year race with 647 points. Fayetteville, Tenn., pro Brandon Lester moved up to second with 610 points and Johnston fell one spot to third 600.
Przekurat continues to lead the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race with 543 points while Ava, Mo., pro Cody Huff is second with 479 after making the Top 10 cut. Tennessee pro Jacob Foutz follows in third with 456.
The Top 10 remaining anglers will launch from the Indian Creek Recreation area at 7 a.m. CT and return for weigh-in at 3 p.m. The weigh-in will be livestreamed on Bassmaster.com.
Bassmaster LIVE coverage will begin at 7 a.m. CT on FS1 and run through 10:30 a.m. before transitioning to Bassmaster.com until 2 p.m.
2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe 8/18-8/21
Lake Oahe, Mobridge SD.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 15 55-06 100
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 23-03 Day 3: 5 18-01
2. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 15 52-09 99
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 17-08 Day 3: 5 19-00
3. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 15 51-08 98
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 18-13 Day 3: 5 13-12
4. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 15 50-01 97
Day 1: 5 20-05 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 12-15
5. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 15 50-01 96
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 20-02 Day 3: 5 13-11
6. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 15 49-07 95
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 15-06
7. Seth Feider New Market, MN 15 48-07 94
Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 5 13-04 Day 3: 5 19-05
8. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 15 48-00 93
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 18-15 Day 3: 5 14-05
9. Bryan New Saluda, SC 15 47-04 92
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 10-11 Day 3: 5 17-04
10. Cody Huff Ava, MO 15 46-02 91
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 16-04 Day 3: 5 15-09
11. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 15 44-05 90 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 16-01 Day 3: 5 11-02
12. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 15 43-12 89 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 15-13
13. Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 15 43-08 88 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 06-15 Day 3: 5 19-10
14. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 15 43-06 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 21-06 Day 3: 5 07-02
15. Frank Talley Temple, TX 14 43-03 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 4 12-06 Day 3: 5 12-13
16. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 15 43-00 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 13-11 Day 3: 5 17-02
17. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 15 40-14 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 19-01 Day 3: 5 11-03
18. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 15 40-13 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 08-13 Day 3: 5 13-13
19. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 15 40-06 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 12-00 Day 3: 5 13-01
20. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 15 40-05 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 08-12 Day 3: 5 16-14
21. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 15 40-04 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 12-03 Day 3: 5 08-08
22. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 15 40-03 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 08-05 Day 3: 5 16-10
23. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 15 40-01 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 13-13 Day 3: 5 10-13
24. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 15 39-13 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 12-00 Day 3: 5 12-02
25. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 15 39-12 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 16-01 Day 3: 5 10-06
26. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 15 39-04 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 19-01 Day 3: 5 09-04
27. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 12 39-03 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-10 Day 2: 4 12-10 Day 3: 3 04-15
28. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 13 38-14 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-06 Day 2: 5 11-10 Day 3: 3 06-14
29. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 15 36-13 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 11-07 Day 3: 5 12-11
30. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 15 36-12 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 06-09 Day 3: 5 14-00
31. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 15 36-10 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 11-08 Day 3: 5 09-00
32. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 15 36-04 69 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 12-00 Day 3: 5 05-07
33. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 15 36-03 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-14 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 5 12-00
34. Darold Gleason Many, LA 15 36-00 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 12-07 Day 3: 5 09-06
35. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 13 35-02 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 3 04-13 Day 3: 5 11-11
36. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 15 34-12 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 15-01 Day 3: 5 09-05
37. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 15 34-09 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 12-09 Day 3: 5 11-14
38. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 12 34-00 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 2 05-00 Day 3: 5 09-15
39. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 13 33-14 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 12-06 Day 3: 3 05-01
40. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 14 33-12 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 4 08-09 Day 3: 5 06-11
41. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 15 32-00 60 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 12-01 Day 3: 5 07-06
42. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 15 31-07 59 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 09-13 Day 3: 5 08-09
43. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 12 31-00 58 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 10-14 Day 2: 4 11-14 Day 3: 4 08-04
44. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 14 29-09 57 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 11-02 Day 3: 4 05-15
45. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 10 28-11 56 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 3 09-15 Day 3: 2 02-12
46. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 12 28-01 55 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 11-07 Day 3: 2 01-14
47. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 11 26-02 54 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 12-05 Day 3: 1 00-14
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 05-12 $1,000.00
2 Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 05-11 $1,000.00
3 Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 05-06 $1,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 78 428 1120-03
2 69 403 928-06
3 39 217 530-00
----------------------------------
186 1048 2578-09
Kurt Mitchell Wins Knockout Round at MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury on the St. Lawrence River
Delaware Pro Weighs Biggest Bag of the Event to Win Knockout Round, Final 10 Anglers Set for Sunday’s Championship Shootout to Compete for up to $235,000
MASSENA, N.Y. (Aug. 20, 2022) – After an absolute slugfest, with 13 out of 18 anglers weighing in bags over 20 pounds, pro Kurt Mitchell of Milford, Delaware, brought a five-bass limit to the stage Saturday weighing 24 pounds, 8 ounces – the largest bag of the event – to win the Knockout Round and advance to the final day of competition at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship – in Massena, New York.
The Championship Round on Sunday will feature Group A winner Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Arkansas, Group B winner Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tennessee, and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round, competing in a final-day shootout for a top prize of up to $235,000. The six-day event, hosted by the Town of Massena, features the top 48 pros in the 2022 Pro Circuit standings, along with last year’s reigning TITLE champion and reigning Angler of the Year – all competing for a purse of more than $800,000.
The top eight pros from Saturday’s Knockout Round that will compete in Sunday’s Championship Round on the St. Lawrence River are:
2nd: Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 22-4
3rd: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 21-10
4th: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 21-5
5th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., five bass, 21-5
6th: Bobby lane, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 21-2
7th: Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 21-1
8th: Josh Bragg, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 21-0
Group B: Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn.
Mitchell said he figured 21 pounds would get him into the Championship Round, but his day didn’t start off at all like he’d planned.
“I thought I had a good game-plan going into today,” Mitchell said. “I hit four or five different areas where I thought I’d catch some good fish, but everything I caught was small. Disappointed, I ran to a buoy where I had caught three good ones on the first day, but they weren’t there anymore.
“I was getting really frustrated and decided to just try to figure out where those fish went. I started searching the shoal where the buoy was, and I found some depressions in that shoal where the fish were holed up. That’s where I caught almost all my fish today. I had about 21 pounds by noon, which is when I started feeling good about making it into the Championship Round.”
While most of the field is running upwards of 90 miles each day, Mitchell said he only has a 55-mile run to his primary area, which he hopes will play to his advantage with the weather that’s forecasted for Sunday’s Championship Round.
“I still have a long run to make, but if the weather comes in like it’s forecasted, the waves can only get so big where I’m going, so I should have a distinct advantage. These guys running all the way to the mouth of the lake are going to have to combat some large waves if they decide to make that run.”
Mitchell said he caught all his fish drop-shotting a swimbait and although he struggled to catch a 3-pounder on Thursday, once he topped 23 pounds in the Knockout Round, he began catching 3-pounders constantly.
“Today was just one of those days – I even caught a 5½-pound kicker accidentally at the end of the day,” Mitchell laughed. “I was running around looking for new areas and I cast over to what looked like a little tiny pebble on my Garmin (Livescope) and reeled in a 5½-pounder.
“Things may change up a little bit tomorrow with the weather coming in, but I’m happy with what’s going on so far and am looking forward to Sunday,” Mitchell finished.
Rounding out the top 20 finishers were:
12th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 20-9, $11,000
13th: Jared McMillan, Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 20-9, $11,000
14th: Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., five bass, 20-6, $11,000
15th: Jacopo Gallelli, Florence, Italy, five bass, 20-0, $11,000
16th: Joey Cifuentes, Clinton, Ark., five bass, 19-10, $11,000
17th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 18-3, $11,000
18th: Evan Barnes, Dardanelle, Ark., five bass, 18-2, $11,000
19th: Casey Scanlon, Eldon, Mo., five bass, 17-7, $11,000
20th: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., five bass, 16-6, $11,000
Overall, there were 90 bass weighing 366 pounds, 2 ounces caught by the 18 pros on Saturday, all with five-bass limits.
Pro Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas was also presented the Forrest L. Wood Sportsmanship and Community Leadership Award during the weigh-in on Saturday. The award recognizes a TITLE qualifier, nominated by his peers, who displays an overall commitment to sportsmanship and community leadership, on and off the water, through ethical behavior, integrity, class, selflessness, conservation, volunteerism and kindness to others. Ebare’s nomination cited his genuine concern for the nation’s fisheries and his reflection of a true sportsman and leader who is always willing to lend a hand to those in need.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship – features a hybrid tournament format. All 50 anglers were seeded into two groups of 25 – Group A & Group B, based on points earned in 2022 qualifying events – where they competed in Qualifying Rounds over the first four days of the tournament.
The 25 anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on the St. Lawrence River on Tuesday and Thursday – the 25 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After each group’s two-day Qualifying Round, the anglers that finished in 2nd through 10th place from both Group A and Group B advanced to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights were zeroed and the remaining 18 anglers (nine anglers from Group A, and nine anglers from Group B) competed to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. Tomorrow, in the final day Championship Round, weights are again zeroed, and the winner will be determined by the heaviest five-bass limit of the final round.
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. ET on Sunday from the Massena Intake Boat Launch, located at 1415 State Hwy 131 in Massena. Sunday’s weigh-in will also be held at the boat launch at 3 p.m.The MLF NOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday and fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the MLF NOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Along with the launch and weigh-in, fans and community members are invited to the MLF Fishing and Outdoor Expo on Sunday, Aug. 21 from noon to 8 p.m. ET at the Massena Intake Boat Launch, where fans can meet the pros and check out the latest in fishing and outdoor gear. The expo includes food trucks, kids’ activities, giveaways and more.
The first 100 middle school and high school students will receive a free Abu Garcia rod and reel at the Expo on Sunday and fans can register for a Polaris Sportsman 570 ATV giveaway onsite at the Expo. The winner will be drawn after the final weigh-in on Sunday. PAW Patrol’s Skye and Marshall will also be at the event with MLF pro Charlie Evans and will be available for photos. Appearance times may vary. Visit MajorLeagueFishing.com for updates and more details.
The 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit featured a field of 154 of the top professional anglers in the world competing at six regular-season events around the country. The top 50 anglers in the Angler of the Year (AOY) standings after the six events qualified to compete in the Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship.
Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury event will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, Oct. 8 on the CBS Sports Network. Episodes premiere Sunday mornings on the Outdoor Channel, with additional re-airings on the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition. Episodes will run through Nov. 13.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Fuel Me, 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.
3 Tips for Picking Off Pelagic Smallmouth
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Figuring out how to find and catch five keeper smallmouth a day on an immense fishery like Lake Oahe is tricky enough. When the fish you do find favor a gypsy life cycle, it adds a whole new element to an already difficult task. That’s the puzzle many anglers faced for the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite on Lake Oahe.
Part of the allure of fishing for bass in South Dakota is that they don’t receive the kind of fishing pressure that bass see in the south. Which would lead you to believe Oahe smallmouth would be easier to catch than the average fish, but that’s not necessarily been the case for Elite Series pros this week. And if you ask the anglers why, many of them will tell you it’s partially due to these fish being “pelagic”.
The definition of pelagic is listed as, “of, relating to, or living or occurring in the open sea.” Yamaha Outboards pro Darold Gleason is one of many pros successfully targeting smallmouth labeled as pelagic on Oahe and provided some insight on how the term pelagic relates to bass fishing.
“These fish are what I would call roamers,” Gleason said. “You hear people call it pelagic behavior but what this refers to is the fact these Oahe smallmouth don’t necessarily relate to any type of cover or specific depth range. It seems like they spend most of their day swimming, and swimming fast, chasing bait fish or relocating to the next area they use to feed.”
Fish with this trait are notoriously difficult to catch consistently. Instead of patiently milking a select few spots to catch his fish, Gleason has had to move with them. We picked the longtime Toyota Bonus Bucks participant’s brain for any tips to help the average angler catch pelagic smallmouth.
“The only way I’ve been successful this week is by chasing these fish like I used to have to chase Randi back in high school,” Gleason said jokingly about his supportive and loving wife Randi.
Forward facing sonar
Gleason’s first and perhaps most crucial tool for catching smallmouth with a tendency to roam has been keeping one eye locked on his forward facing sonar (FFS) screen on the bow of his boat.
“With my Lowrance Active Target I can see exactly where the fish are positioned in the water column and individually pick them off,” Gleason explained. “Forward facing sonar has been an absolute game changer for catching pelagic fish, especially smallmouth.”
Instead of using a jerkbait or damiki style rig, Gleason has been locating fish with his FFS and then pitching a ½-ounce drop shot at them. If he sees the fish follow his bait to the bottom, he readies himself for a hook set.
2D sonar
While forward facing sonar is an incredible tool, it’s also an expensive technology. Fortunately, Gleason has more tips for catching pelagic fish if you don’t have the ability to take advantage of FFS.
“It doesn’t matter where you are in the country, smallmouth arecurious and will sometimes swim up to the boat to kind of check you out,” Gleason said. “When they do this, you can see them on your ‘old school’ 2D sonar. A lot of times you can catch those fish just by dropping your bait straight down to them, but more than that it will key you in on the depth range those fish want to be in if you pay attention.”
Gleason is fishing over primarily 30 to 50 feet of water on Oahe, but he said that most of the fish he’s catching are spending most of their time only 10-feet below the surface. He was clued into this detail by his traditional 2D sonar in practice and it’s helped him catch several key fish this week.
Good pair of sunglasses / keep your head on a swivel
The former Toledo Bend fishing guide’s final tip simply revolves around making sure you’ve got a good pair of polarized sunglasses on your face and being vigilant of your surroundings.Gleason relies on Costa Sunglasses Fantail frames with a blue mirror lens for most of his days on the water.
“A few fish I’ve weighed in I literally caught sight fishing in 30 feet of water,” Gleason admitted. “Now, they certainly aren’t spawning but occasionally you see an individual fish or small group of them swimming near the surface. When you’re able to pick them out like this, they’ve been very catchable. Oahe isn’t a super clear fishery and we’ve had to deal with lots of waves this week, so having a quality pair of sunglasses is critical.”
Heed this advice and give Gleason’s tips a try if you’ve been dealing with roaming or pelagic bass and are struggling to connect with them.
Consistency Lifts Johnston To Day 2 Lead In Bassmaster Elite Series Event At Lake Oahe
Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Ontario, is leading after Day 2 of the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe with a two-day total of 37 pounds, 12 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
August 19, 2022
Consistency Lifts Johnston To Day 2 Lead In Bassmaster Elite Series Event At Lake Oahe
MOBRIDGE, S.D. — Chris Johnston’s primary spot on Lake Oahe doesn’t look particularly special, but it holds big smallmouth that have lifted him to the lead at the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe with a two-day total of 37 pounds, 12 ounces.
Entering Day 2 in seventh place with 18-15, the Otonabee, Ontario, native caught 18-13 Friday and holds a 7-ounce lead over second-place Austin Felix and a 10-ounce lead over third-place Patrick Walters.
“I’m thrilled with it,” Johnston said. “I caught them all right where I caught them yesterday. I had them by about 9:30. There’s not a lot of fish there and I wasn’t seeing many left. But after I caught them yesterday morning, I didn’t see any fish. So, some new ones moved up today and I was able to catch them.”
While the north wind raced across Lake Oahe the entirety of the day, creating rough and wavy conditions, the 2021 St. Lawrence River Elite champion caught a limit quickly using mostly the new Spro CJ Smasher as well as a couple of other baits. A key adjustment, however, led to two big bites late in the morning.
“I am (Garmin) LiveScoping around and today they actually pushed out deeper on me,” Johnston said. “I had three good ones and I wasn’t seeing any more, so I pushed out deeper and caught two more big ones and left it after that.”
There isn’t anything remarkable about his primary area. While there is a hard bottom and access to deep water, Johnston said there is nothing that really sets it apart from anything else on the lake other than the quality it seems to hold.
He added that he has been the only angler in the area.
“If I get bit there, they are big ones,” he said. “In practice, I caught two 4s there and every fish seems to be 3-plus pounds. There are just better quality fish in this one little area.”
With a limit filled and the wind battering much of the lake, Johnston began his journey back to check-in three hours early. Winds are predicted to calm down significantly and shift to the east on Semifinal Saturday, which will allow him to move more freely around Lake Oahe.
“I don’t think the fishing is going to be any better with the calm weather, but I can hit more spots,” Johnston explained. “Today I left almost three hours early to come back. I didn’t know how rough it was going to be. I figured I had a decent weight and there was no point in pushing it and beating my boat up. It will give me a lot more fishing time.”
As boat 80 on Day 1, Felix was discouraged to find several competitors on his best spot first thing in the morning, forcing him to scramble to collect the 14-2 limit that put him in 34th. But with a much more favorable boat number Friday, Felix vaulted up the leaderboard with the VMC Monster Bag thus far, a 23-3 sack of smallmouth that has him in second place with a two-day mark of 37-5.
“Honestly I could just get on something. With the wind the way it was the last two days, you can’t fish that much and the fish are on pretty obvious stuff. The spot I started on today had four boats on it (yesterday) so I kept driving,” he said. “Today, I got on it and my first drop was a 2 3/4, my second drop was a 5 1/2 and then it slowed down a little.
“Lee (Livesay) pulled in and we took our time and grinded it out. We each probably caught 10 or 15 off of that hole.”
Felix’s bag today resembled more of what he thought Lake Oahe would be like when he finished his pre-practice last August.
“I had over 25 one day and over 26 another day,” Felix said. “There were giants everywhere. It wasn’t like you would catch six fish. You would catch a 5-pounder and 10 bass would follow it to the boat and sit under the boat, and you could catch all 10 of them if you wanted to.”
Walters held steady in third place with 37-2, adding 16-13 to his Day 1 bag of 20-5. He said he caught a quality smallmouth early on, but had to grind out the rest of his bites.
“It was probably 10:30 when I had three fish and by 11:30 I had five,” Walters said. “There are some good fish in the area. I thought 15 per day after three days would put you in the Top 10. I got lucky and got some really good bites the last two days.
“What I have seen is also better than what I thought. If you get a good day, I think I can catch more than what I caught the first day.”
With calmer conditions ahead, Walters said Lake Oahe could show what it is really made of the rest of the tournament.
“I think it can show out if I can get to my destination and fish for them,” he said. “I am catching them panning (forward-facing sonar) and catching them out deep — and with that water today, it makes it hard to fish. If you can get down there in an efficient amount of time and move around, you can catch them.”
Japanese pro Masayuki Matsushita earned the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day with a 5-11 smallmouth, but Brandon Cobb still holds the overall Big Bass with the 5-12 he landed on Day 1.
Rathdrum, Idaho, native Brandon Palaniuk remains atop the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 647 points, but missed the cut with a 66th-place finish. Johnston has moved to second with his strong performance thus far with 602 points and Fayetteville, Tenn., native Brandon Lester is third with 600.
Wisconsin pro Jay Przekurat leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race with 517 points followed by Missouri’s Cody Huff with 475 and Tennessee’s Jacob Foutz with 456.
The field will be cut to the Top 47 anglers for Semifinal Saturday, and the Top 10 will compete on Championship Sunday for a first-place prize of $100,000.
Bassmaster LIVE Coverage of Day 3 will begin on FS1 at 7 a.m. CT and run through noon before transitioning to Bassmaster.com from noon to 2 p.m. The weigh-in will begin at the Walleye Up Statue around 3 p.m. on Bassmaster.com.
2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe 8/18-8/21
Lake Oahe, Mobridge SD.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 10 37-12 100
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 18-13
2. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 10 37-05 99
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 23-03
3. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 10 37-02 98
Day 1: 5 20-05 Day 2: 5 16-13
4. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 10 36-06 97
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 20-02
5. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 10 36-04 96
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 21-06
6. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 9 34-04 95
Day 1: 5 21-10 Day 2: 4 12-10
7. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 10 34-01 94
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 16-13
8. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 10 33-11 93
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 18-15
9. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 10 33-09 92
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 17-08
10. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 10 33-03 91
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 16-01
11. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 10 32-00 90
Day 1: 5 20-06 Day 2: 5 11-10
12. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 10 31-12 89
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 12-03
13. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 10 30-13 88 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 12-00
14. Cody Huff Ava, MO 10 30-09 87
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 16-04
15. Frank Talley Temple, TX 9 30-06 86
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 4 12-06
16. Bryan New Saluda, SC 10 30-00 85
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 10-11
17. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 10 30-00 84
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 19-01
18. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 10 29-11 83
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 19-01
19. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 10 29-06 82
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 16-01
20. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 10 29-04 81
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 13-13
21. Seth Feider New Market, MN 10 29-02 80
Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 5 13-04
22. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 10 28-13 79
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 12-06
23. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 10 27-15 78 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 14-03
24. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 10 27-11 77
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 12-00
25. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 10 27-10 76
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 11-08
26. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 10 27-05 75
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 12-00
27. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 9 27-01 74
Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 4 08-09
28. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 10 27-00 73
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 08-13
29. Darold Gleason Many, LA 10 26-10 72
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 12-07
30. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 10 26-03 71
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 11-07
31. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 8 25-15 70
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 3 09-15
32. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 10 25-14 69
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 13-11
33. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 10 25-07 68
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 15-01
34. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 10 25-04 67
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 12-05
35. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 10 24-10 66
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 12-01
36. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 10 24-03 65
Day 1: 5 09-14 Day 2: 5 14-05
37. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 10 24-02 64
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 11-07
38. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 7 24-01 63
Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 2 05-00
39. Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 10 23-14 62
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 06-15
40. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 23-10 61
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 11-02
41. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 10 23-09 60
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 08-05
42. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 8 23-07 59
Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 3 04-13
43. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 10 23-07 58
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 08-12
44. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 10 22-14 57
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 09-13
45. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 10 22-12 0
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 06-09
46. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 8 22-12 55
Day 1: 4 10-14 Day 2: 4 11-14
47. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 22-11 54
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 12-09
48. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 22-09 53 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 12-10
49. Wes Logan Springville, AL 10 22-09 52 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 12-09
50. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 10 22-04 51 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 10-02
51. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 10 21-15 50 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 12-09
52. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 10 21-11 49 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 07-12
53. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 21-11 48 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 08-12
54. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 21-02 47 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 10-11
55. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 20-15 46 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 07-02
56. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 10 20-14 45 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 07-01
57. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 10 20-11 44 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 09-14 Day 2: 5 10-13
58. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 9 20-04 43 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 4 05-09
59. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 9 19-15 42 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 4 08-02
60. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 10 19-15 41
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 09-12
61. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 10 19-10 40
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 08-14
62. Derek Hudnall Zachary, LA 10 19-07 39
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 10-07
63. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 8 19-04 38
Day 1: 3 04-08 Day 2: 5 14-12
64. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 10 18-15 37
Day 1: 5 07-07 Day 2: 5 11-08
65. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 10 18-13 36
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 07-02
66. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 9 18-11 35
Day 1: 4 11-15 Day 2: 5 06-12
67. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 10 17-14 34
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 07-03
68. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 10 17-11 33
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 08-07
69. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 10 17-08 32
Day 1: 5 07-10 Day 2: 5 09-14
70. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 9 17-01 31
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 4 05-11
71. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 9 16-12 30
Day 1: 4 09-14 Day 2: 5 06-14
72. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 9 16-09 29
Day 1: 4 07-06 Day 2: 5 09-03
73. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 7 16-00 28
Day 1: 2 03-12 Day 2: 5 12-04
74. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 8 16-00 27
Day 1: 3 09-02 Day 2: 5 06-14
75. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 10 15-09 26
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 05-10
76. Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ 10 14-10 25
Day 1: 5 05-15 Day 2: 5 08-11
77. John Cox Debary, FL 10 14-05 24
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 05-00
78. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 14-05 23
Day 1: 5 08-04 Day 2: 5 06-01
79. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 7 13-11 22
Day 1: 4 08-11 Day 2: 3 05-00
80. Mike Huff London, KY 7 13-04 21
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 2 04-04
81. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 7 13-04 20
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 2 04-13
82. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 8 11-15 19
Day 1: 5 06-11 Day 2: 3 05-04
83. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 6 11-05 18
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 1 01-02
84. David Williams Newton, NC 10 10-11 17
Day 1: 5 05-10 Day 2: 5 05-01
85. Daisuke Aoki Minamitsurugun Yamanash 8 10-06 16
Day 1: 5 07-04 Day 2: 3 03-02
86. David Fritts Lexington, NC 4 09-15 15
Day 1: 4 09-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
87. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 5 08-02 14
Day 1: 2 04-12 Day 2: 3 03-06
88. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 6 07-11 13
Day 1: 5 06-09 Day 2: 1 01-02
89. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 4 07-08 12
Day 1: 3 06-09 Day 2: 1 00-15
90. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 4 04-02 11
Day 1: 1 01-00 Day 2: 3 03-02
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 05-12 $1,000.00
2 Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 05-11 $1,000.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 78 428 1120-03
2 69 403 928-06
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147 831 2048-09
Rookie Nick Hatfield Wins Group B Qualifying Round at MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury on the St. Lawrence River
ROY Bests Alabama’s Chris Lane to Win Group B Qualifying Round and Advance Directly to Sunday’s Championship Round, Saturday’s Knockout Round Field Now Set
MASSENA, N.Y. (Aug. 19, 2022) – It was a battle at the top of the unofficial leaderboard for most of the day between several hard-charging pros, but pro Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tennessee – the 2022 Polaris Rookie of the Year (ROY) – maintained his lead atop the field at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship – in Massena, New York. Hatfield shored up the Group B win Friday, punching his ticket straight through to Sunday’s Championship Round with a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 3 ounces, bringing his two-day total to 46-4. Hatfield finished 2-pounds, 7-ounces ahead of Power-Pole pro Chris Lane of Guntersville, Alabama , who caught a two-day total of 43-13 to end the Qualifying Round in second.
The top 20 anglers from Group B will move on in the competition. Anglers finishing 21st – 30thearned $10,500 at the event, while anglers finishing 31st – 50th took home $10,000.
Group A and Group B Qualifying Round winners will enjoy a day off on Saturday, while the remaining 18 anglers – 9 from Group A and 9 from Group B – will compete in the Knockout Round. Weights will be zeroed, and anglers will compete to finish in the top eight and advance to Championship Sunday.
The Championship Round on Sunday will feature Group A winner Spencer Shuffield, Group B winner Nick Hatfield and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round, competing in a final-day, five-bass-limit shootout for a top prize of up to $235,000. The six-day event, hosted by the Town of Massena, showcases the top 48 pros in the 2022 Pro Circuit standings, along with last year’s reigning TITLE champion and reigning Angler of the Year – all competing for a purse of more than $800,000.
“I caught a lot of good fish the last two days, but there are a lot of great fishermen right behind me and they were on them as well,” Hatfield said. “I felt like I made some good decisions today and winning this automatic berth to the Championship Round feels good, but I’ve got to get back out there and do it again on Sunday.
“I’m seeing a lot of big fish. I weighed in a 3½ and a 3¼, and lost a couple big ones. The wind is supposed to blow on Sunday, but if I can get to my spot and just lean on them, I think I can catch another 23 to 25 pounds.”
The wind could definitely be a factor for Hatfield, who is making an hour and 45-minute run to his primary spot.
“I had some mechanical issues today, but was able to make it back for the weigh-in. I’ll definitely be getting that fixed on my day off and getting everything prepped and ready to go for the final round.”
Hatfield said he knew he’d found something special in practice but is pleasantly surprised at how much the area is producing.
“I have a mile stretch of isolated clumps of rocks that’s really good. There’s a ton of bait in there – perch and gobies – and I’m even seeing some balls of bait,” Hatfield said. “In practice, you don’t really know the extent of what you’ve got, you just kind of catch a couple then leave it alone. So it’s definitely playing out better than I expected it to.
“Some of the bass are in 20- to 30-feet of water, but most are in 35- to 45-feet. I’m utilizing my (Garmin) LiveScope and moving around until I find some, then just pitching a drop-shot at them. If I see one big fish, there are usually 4 or 5 right there with it and I’m able to catch at least one of them.”
Hatfield only caught 3 bass out of his primary spot on Friday, but those bass weighed upwards of 15 pounds. Although he’s basically laid off his fish the first two days of competition, he was still able to finish on top, and said he’s super excited for Championship Sunday.
“I feel really good about what I’m doing and where I’m at,” Hatfield continued. “I know these smallmouth could leave and things could change on Sunday, but I’m just excited to be fishing on the final day and hopefully I can go out there and do what I did today or better.”
The top 10 pros from Qualifying Group B that now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on the St. Lawrence River are:
2nd: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 43-13
3rd: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 10 bass, 41-5
4th: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 10 bass, 40-10
5th: Jon Canada, Helena, Ala., 10 bass, 40-4
6th: Jared McMillan, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 40-1
7th: Bobby lane, Lakeland, Fla., 10 bass, 39-12
8th: Casey Scanlon, Eldon, Mo., 10 bass, 39-9
9th: Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., 10 bass, 38-14
10th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 38-4
12th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 37-9
13th: Lane Olson, Forest Grove, Ore., 10 bass, 37-7
14th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 37-1
15th: Grae Buck, Green Lane, Pa., 10 bass, 36-2
16th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 10 bass, 35-11
17th: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 10 bass, 35-6
18th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 10 bass, 33-2
19th: Jeff Reynolds, Calera, Okla., 10 bass, 32-8
20th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 10 bass, 32-4
21st: Josh Butler, Hayden, Ala., 10 bass, 31-10
22nd: Andy Newcomb, Camdenton, Mo., 10 bass, 31-0
23rd: Phillip Dutra, Guntersville, Ala., nine bass, 27-1
24th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, nine bass, 25-8
25th: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., nine bass, 25-5
Hatfield brought a smallmouth weighing 6-pounds, 3-ounces to the scale to win the Group B $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler in each group that weighs the biggest bass over their two-day Qualification Round.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship – features a hybrid tournament format. All 50 anglers were seeded into two groups of 25 – Group A & Group B, based on points earned in 2022 qualifying events – where they competed in Qualifying Rounds over the first four days of the tournament.
The top 18 anglers will fish the Knockout Round on Saturday. Ten anglers will be eliminated on Saturday and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round will join Group A and Group B leaders in the Championship Round on Sunday.
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. ET Saturday and Sunday from the Massena Intake Boat Launch, located at 1415 State Hwy 131 in Massena. Weigh-ins will also be held at the boat launch daily at 3 p.m. The MLF NOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the MLF NOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Along with the launch and weigh-in, fans and community members are invited to the MLF Fishing and Outdoor Expo on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 20-21 from noon to 8 p.m. ET at the Massena Intake Boat Launch, where fans can meet the pros and check out the latest in fishing and outdoor gear. The expo includes live music, food trucks, kids’ activities, giveaways, fireworks and more.
The first 100 middle school and high school students will receive a free Abu Garcia rod and reel at the Expo on Saturday and Sunday and fans can register for a Polaris Sportsman 570 ATV giveaway onsite at the Expo. The winner will be drawn after the final weigh-in on August 21. PAW Patrol’s Skye and Marshall will also be at the event with MLF pro Charlie Evans and will be available for photos. Appearance times may vary. Visit MajorLeagueFishing.com for updates and more details.
In addition to the launch, weigh-ins and Expo, youth 14 and under are also invited to attend a free Kid’s Fishing Derby on Saturday, Aug. 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wilson Hill Causeway. Participants can bring their own fishing gear or use provided gear on a first come, first serve basis and will compete for tagged fish and cash prizes.
The 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit featured a field of 154 of the top professional anglers in the world competing at six regular-season events around the country. The top 50 anglers in the Angler of the Year (AOY) standings after the six events qualified to compete in the Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship.
Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury event will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, Oct. 8 on the CBS Sports Network. Episodes premiere Sunday mornings on the Outdoor Channel, with additional re-airings on the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition. Episodes will run through Nov. 13.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Fuel Me, 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.