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Anderson Claims Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Kerr Lake

Swicegood Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

HENDERSON, N.C. (May 16, 2022) – Boater Logan Anderson of Catawba, North Carolina, caught five bass Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Kerr Lake . The tournament, hosted by Vance County Tourism, was the third event of the season for the Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division. Anderson earned $7,415, including a $2,500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

“We had a fog delay and still had a little bit of fog when we took off, so I knew a lot of people would stay in Nutbush and fish,” Anderson said. “I wanted to get as far away from that as I could. But, that’s the place I’m most familiar with, so I started right at the mouth of Nutbush.”

Anderson said he began fishing docks with a Queen Tackle Glimmer Blue Shad Tungsten Swim Jigand immediately caught a 4-pound bass. His co-angler caught one that weighed three pounds, so Anderson said he knew good fish were in the area. After he missed another good fish and then caught another 4-pound fish, Anderson said it was time to relocate.

“After we ran out of stuff there, we took a run up the lake to Ivy Hill,” Anderson said. “I caught some more on the swim jig and then caught a couple on a new Queen Tackle prototype spinnerbait that is coming out. That’s all I did all day – fished docks and laydown trees as the main source of cover.”

Anderson said the swim jig and spinnerbait produced 12 fish during competition – seven of which were keepers.

“Until I put them on the scales I would not have believed I had almost 18 pounds,” Anderson said. “This is my first year fishing BFLs as a boater, and as hard as it is to win one, it’s insane to win in just my third try.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Logan Anderson, Catawba, N.C., five bass, 17-10, $7,415 (includes $2,500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd:       Aaron Digh, Denver, N.C., five bass, 16-1, $2,458
3rd:       Tyler Trent, Nathalie, Va., five bass, 15-12, $1,640
4th:        Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., five bass, 15-9, $1,147
5th:        Bradley Staley, Pleasant Garden, N.C., five bass, 14-8, $1,558
6th:        James Blankenship, Siler City, N.C., five bass, 14-6, $1,301
7th:        Jason Barnes, Concord, N.C., five bass, 14-2, $819
8th:        Chris Dover, Blacksburg, S.C., five bass, 14-1, $737
9th:        Jeffrey Davis, Raleigh, N.C., five bass, 13-12, $655
10th:     Jordan Hall, Leasburg, N.C., five bass, 13-10, $573

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Todd Harris of Lexington, N.C., and Staley both had largemouth that weighed 4 pounds, 13 ounces that were the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. Harris and Staley split the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $750.

Tommy Swicegood of Salisbury, North Carolina, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,458 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 6 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Tommy Swicegood, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 12-6, $2,458
2nd:       Johnny Guffey, Bessemer City, N.C., five bass, 11-9, $1,229
3rd:       Mark Allen Seals, Laurinburg, N.C., three bass, 10-9, $1,004
4th:        Jacob Crook, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 10-2, $573
5th:        Wyatt Hammond, Fayetteville, N.C., five bass, 9-12, $492
6th:        Jonathan Strickland, Graham, N.C., four bass, 9-2, $451
7th:        Samuel Jones, Fuquay Varina, N.C., three bass, 9-1, $597
8th:        Thomas McDermott, Madison, N.C., three bass, 8-5, $369
9th:        Riley Smallwood, Shallotte, N.C., four bass, 8-0, $628
10th:     Adam Gum, Charleston, W.V., four bass, 7-15, $287

Seals and Jones tied for the largest bass in the Co-angler Division with fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 7 ounces each. They split the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $374.

After three events, James Blankenship of Siler City, North Carolina, leads the Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 727 points, while Eric Osborne of Jefferson, North Carolina, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 700 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the James River in Richmond, Virginia. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Davis Wins at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Shelbyville

Fields Claims Strike King Co-Angler Division Victory

SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (May 16, 2022) – Boater Robert Davis of Bethalto, Illinois, caught four bass Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Shelbyville. The tournament was the season-opener for the Bass Fishing League Illini Division. Davis earned $4,825 for his victory.

“This tournament was a hot grind,” Davis said. “My original plan did not pan out, so I went with Plan B that I had found the week before – fishing spawning and post-spawn fish, and that paid off.

“I was going back and forth between shallow and deep fish,” Davis added. “I was slow-rolling a spinnerbait near the bottom. Everything I was getting was just subtle bites; they weren’t hitting very hard at all. It was just a reaction bite. I could get them fired up for about 10 minutes and then go two hours without another bite, then get them fired back up for about 10 minutes. It was tedious.”

Davis said he fished three different areas up-river on Lake Shelbyville, and his slow-rolling technique focused on water about 20 feet deep and produced four keepers in the livewell. Davis said he lost four other keepers during the tournament.

“I feel humbled and blessed to win this,” Davis said. “I’ve been fishing the BFL events for four years now with only one top-10 finish. To win on a lake I’m not too familiar with is great. Everything just lined up right for me.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Robert Davis, Bethalto, Ill., four bass, 14-4, $4,825
2nd:       Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 13-12, $2,118
3rd:       Tanner Shiley, Oakland, Ill., four bass, 13-0, $1,700 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd:       Bill Cearlock, Springfield, Ill., five bass, 13-0, $1,200
5th:        Ben Holmes, Altamont, Ill., five bass, 12-2, $847
6th:        Cole Jezek, Salem, Ill., five bass, 11-8, $741
6th:        Trey McKinney, Carbondale, Ill., five bass, 11-8, $741
8th:        Luke Budde, St. Louis, Mo., five bass, 10-9, $635
9th:        Shane Haslett, Beecher City, Ill., five bass, 10-3, $565
10th:     Patrick Odell, Windsor, Ill., five bass, 10-2, $494

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Davis had a largemouth that weighed 6 pounds even that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $590.

Jay Fields of Breese, Illinois, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,082 Saturday after catching four bass weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Jay Fields, Breese, Ill., four bass, 8-7, $2,082
2nd:       Andrew Dunford, Christopher, Ill., three bass, 8-6, $1,041
3rd:       Matt Cannaday, Farmington, Mo., three bass, 8-3, $692
4th:        Joe Andres, Effingham, Ill., four bass, 8-2, $486
5th:        Aaron Wehmeyer, Bloomington, Ill., four bass, 7-13, $416
6th:        Derick Holmes, Fairfield, Ill., four bass, 7-11, $382
7th:        Jimmy Null, Bethalto, Ill., three bass, 7-4, $347
8th:        Steve Grigsby, Washington, Ill., four bass, 7-2, $312
9th:        John Hingson, Montrose, Ill., three bass, 6-11, $278
10th:     Gary Huber II, Saint Charles, Mo., four bass, 6-9, $243

Westley Smith of Bridgeport, Illinois, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 1 ounce. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $290.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Hahne Bests Field at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Eufaula

Moody Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

EUFAULA, Okla. (May 16, 2022) – Boater Darren Hahne of Ottawa, Illinois, caught five bass Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Eufaula presented by Flamingo Fish and Marine . The tournament was the second event of the season for the Bass Fishing League Okie Division, and the first of a tournament double-header weekend as another event took place on Sunday. Hahne earned $4,698 for his victory.

“It was real tough fishing,” Hahne said. “I found a couple of spots on some points back near Porum Landing, and I caught them there on a spinnerbait and a jig. I caught probably 15 bass in all, six or seven keepers, and lost a couple of good ones.”

Hahne said his baits of choice were a white Terminator Spinnerbait and a brown jig, and he targeted buck bushes in 6 to 8 feet of water. Hahne said his familiarity with Lake Eufaula paid off during the tournament.

“It’s about time I won here,” Hahne said. “I’ve finished second on Eufaula twice, and I’m just glad to get this one. It’s my home lake, even though I live in Illinois and have been gone for 25 years. I was raised on that lake as a kid. So it felt good to finally get the win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Darren Hahne, Ottawa, Ill., five bass, 16-12, $4,698
2nd:       Ian Leybas, McAlester, Okla., four bass, 13-1, $1,873
2nd:       Mike Paul, Tuttle, Okla., four bass, 13-1, $2,073
4th:        Shawn Mote, Ardmore, Okla., five bass, 13-0, $1,050
5th:        Derek Fulps, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 12-10, $1,400 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
6th:        Justin Phillips, Checotah, Okla., five bass, 12-4, $1,025
7th:        Joshua Teply, Harrah, Okla., three bass, 11-10, $1,395
8th:        Austin Cranford, Moore, Okla., five bass, 10-12, $675
9th:        Phillip Lunceford, Stigler, Okla., four bass, 10-10, $600
10th:     Nic Conger, Fort Smith, Ark., five bass, 10-7, $525

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Teply had a largemouth that weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $645.

Ray Moody of Norman, Oklahoma, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,249 Saturday after catching three bass weighing 9 pounds, 10 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Ray Moody, Norman, Okla., three bass, 9-10, $2,249
2nd:       Garrett Howard, Cameron, Okla., two bass, 7-3, $1,125
3rd:       Derrick Skinner, Muskogee, Okla., three bass, 7-2, $752
4th:        Brennon Sharp, Folsom, Calif., two bass, 6-13, $525
5th:        Aaron Warren, Collinsville, Okla., two bass, 5-4, $550
6th:        David Blankinship, Cushing, Okla., two bass, 5-1, $412
7th:        Alan Hill, Ada, Okla., two bass, 4-13, $375
8th:        Blake Dominguez, Edmond, Okla., two bass, 4-6, $337
9th:        Jeff Corriveau, Owasso, Okla., two bass, 4-1, $300
10th:     Jim Wylie, Yukon, Okla., two bass, 4-0, $249
10th:     Brian Radford, Bixby, Okla., two bass, 4-0, $249

Thad Hewitt of Delaware, Oklahoma, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $322.

After Saturday’s event, Shawn Mote of Ardmore, Oklahoma, led the Bass Fishing League Okie Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 496 points, while David Blankinship of Cushing, Oklahoma, led the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 490 points.

by AnglersChannel

Bissonett Tops Field at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Patoka

Myers Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

BIRDSEYE, Ind. (May 16, 2022) – Boater Clint Bissonett of Dayton, Ohio, caught five bass Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Patoka Lake. The tournament was the second event of the season for the Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division. Bissonett earned $4,435 for his victory.

“I had 140 waypoints marking bed fish that were spawning, so I just ran through them and caught the ones I could,” Bissonett said. “Some you could catch on one cast, and some you’d have to work on a while.

“My last fish I had tried for an hour on Thursday to get it to bite and on Friday for an hour to get it to bite during practice,” Bissonett added. “At the end of the day during the tournament I didn’t have any other big ones located that would help me, so I ran back up the river and went back to that fish and caught it within 10 minutes.”

Bissonett said he relied on “typical” bed-fish baits – creature baits, tubes and finesse worms – manufactured by Bent Rod Baits to load his limit.

“This feels really good,” Bissonett went on to say. “I had a really good chance to win this same event last year, but I ended up coming in fourth. It just wasn’t my day. It was a day where everything went wrong. Every single day since then I have thought about coming back and winning. So, to finally get to go back and win feels great.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Clint Bissonett, Dayton, Ohio, five bass, 19-14, $4,435
2nd:       Chris Klosterman, Dupont, Ind., five bass, 17-10, $2,413
3rd:       Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 17-8, $1,413
4th:        Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 17-0, $1,688
5th:        Blake Knies, Jasper, Ind., five bass, 16-11, $811
5th:        Sean Mickey, Terre Haute, Ind., five bass, 16-11, $1,311 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
7th:        Nick Uebelhor, Jasper, Ind., five bass, 15-10, $706
8th:        Kevin Meunier, Lamar, Ind., four bass, 15-3, $635
9th:        Mike Quinlin, Mooresville, Ind., five bass, 15-0, $565
10th:     Chris Myers, Madison, Ind., five bass, 14-6, $494

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Klosterman and boater Jamil Abdullah of Indianapolis, Indiana, both caught largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces that were the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. Klosterman and Abdullah split the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $590.

Patrick Myers of Lebanon, Indiana, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,082 Saturday after catching three bass weighing 9 pounds, 5 ounces. The Patoka Lake event was Myers’ debut in MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League competition.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Patrick Myers, Lebanon, Ind., three bass, 9-5, $2,082
2nd:       Tobie Ummel, Leitchfield, Ky., three bass, 8-1, $1,041
3rd:       Ryan Sykes, Fairfield, Ohio, three bass, 7-10, $992
4th:        Jeremy Johnson, Austin, Ind., two bass, 7-5, $486
5th:        Troy Gorham, Indianapolis, Ind., three bass, 7-2, $416
6th:        Mark Dehart, Brownstown, Ind., two bass, 7-0, $382
7th:        Shon Smith, Dubois, Ind., three bass, 6-12, $347
8th:        Chris Reynolds, Lewis, Ind., three bass, 6-6, $312
9th:        Collin Hillen, Evansville, Ind., two bass, 6-3, $278
10th:     Daniel Czaja, South Bend, Ind., two bass, 5-15, $243

James McWhorter of Hamilton, Ohio, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 14 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $290.

After two events, Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio, leads the Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 496 points, while Ryan Sykes of Fairfield, Ohio, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 488 points.

by AnglersChannel

Ford Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake O’ the Pines

Sherrer Tops Field in Strike King Co-Angler Division

JEFFERSON, Texas (May 16, 2022) – Boater Raymond Ford of Beaumont, Texas, caught five bass Saturday weighing 29 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake ‘O the Pines. The tournament was the fourth event of the season for the Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division. Ford earned $5,122 for his victory.

“There were other boats at the spot I wanted to start at, but one left, and I was able to move in where I wanted to a little closer,” Ford said. “My co-angler caught a 3-pounder first on a wacky worm. I’m a crankbait fisherman, but tried a jigging spoon, a tail spinner and a drop-shot rig, but I ended up going back to my crankbait.”

Ford said the change back to his crankbait paid off, as he hooked his largest fish of the day – an 8-pound largemouth – that boosted his confidence for the rest of the tournament. Ford finished up the day with six keepers on a Strike King Pro Model 8XD and a Strike King Pro Model 5XD crankbait.

“About every hour I would hook into one,” Ford said. “I fished clean and didn’t lose any fish. My first four fish weighed more than 20 pounds.

“The water temp was 85 degrees with an air temperature of 90 degrees,” Ford added. “We were doing everything we could to keep fish alive.”

Ford said he called the tournament director to see if he could weigh in early to preserve the fish he had and ended up weighing in by 1 o’clock.

“I really didn’t know what I had at that time,” Ford said. “I didn’t think I had 30 pounds.

“With bass fishing there are a lot of lows,” Ford added. “I zeroed in my last tournament, so to go from zero to win this one, I won’t lie to you, this feels real good. But I’m staying humble. I know I could go out next week and strike out. But I’m enjoying the moment right now.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Raymond Ford, Beaumont, Texas, five bass, 29-7, $5,122
2nd:       Rickey Elliott, Spring, Texas, five bass, 22-2, $2,064
2nd:       Craig Lawless, De Berry, Texas, five bass, 22-2, $1,864
4th:        Rich Richardson, Lufkin, Texas, five bass, 21-12, $1,043
5th:        Kyle Everett, Deridder, La., five bass, 21-9, $894
6th:        Wade Hudgens, Longview, Texas, four bass, 21-5, $820
7th:        Tater Reynolds, Florien, La., five bass, 20-7, $745
8th:        Earl Ates, Longview, Texas, five bass, 20-4, $971
9th:        Bart Doty, Kilgore, Texas, five bass, 20-1, $596
10th:     Cannon Bird, Marshall, Texas, five bass, 19-11, $522

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Ford’s largemouth that weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces, was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $650.

David Sherrer of Elm Grove, Texas, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,336 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 25 pounds even.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        David Sherrer, Elm Grove, Texas, five bass, 25-0, $2,336
2nd:       Greg Dennis, Fort Worth, Texas, five bass, 20-14, $1,118
3rd:       Jacob Smith, McKinney, Texas, five bass, 19-3, $1,070
4th:        Charlie Saucier, New Orleans, La., five bass, 17-5, $522
5th:        Cedric Jackson, Sicily Island, La., four bass, 15-10, $447
6th:        Daniel Bryant, Lafayette, La., five bass, 15-5, $410
7th:        Bradley Murray, The Woodlands, Texas, five bass, 15-0, $373
8th:        Jenn Nolan, Baytown, Texas, five bass, 14-12, $335
9th:        Audric Horton, Whitehouse, Texas, five bass, 14-11, $298
10th:     Connie Mack Martin, Shreveport, La., five bass, 13-10, $261

Smith caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $325.

After four events, Tater Reynolds of Florien, Louisiana, leads the Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 988 points, while Greg Dennis of Fort Worth, Texas, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 896 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

by AnglersChannel

Stephen Browning Earns Victory at 2022 MLF Builders FirstSource Patriot Cup

Hot Springs, Arkansas, Angler Throws 3/8-ounce Bladed Jig to Catch 44 Pounds, 5 Ounces and Earn Patriot Cup Title

DALLAS, Texas (May 16, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF) pro Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Arkansas, caught 17 scorable bass weighing 44 pounds, 5 ounces, to top the Championship Round and win the 2022 Builders FirstSource Patriot Cup Presented by Guaranteed Rate in Dallas, Texas, which premiered Saturday on the Outdoor Channel and Monday on the MyOutdoorTV app. The victory pushed Browning’s career earnings to more than $1.6 million.

Browning dominated the six-day event, winning his Elimination Round, Sudden Death Round and Championship Round of competition.

“Woo wee, that was fun!” exclaimed an excited Browning in his postgame interview with MLF analyst Marty Stone. “Look at these goosebumps on my arm – that’s how much this means to me. It was a battle, and I knew it was going to be. I just kept thinking to myself – don’t get off your gameplan. Fish your strengths, fish slow, fish thorough, make multiple casts and just let them come to you instead of trying to push it. It worked out perfect.”

Browning dialed into a pattern targeting the standing timber, which was plentiful in the Championship Round on Lavon Lake.

“I did all of my work on a 3/8-ounce bladed jig with a straight tail trailer on it,” Browning said. “Anytime I’ve got that bait in my hand I’ve got so much confidence. The biggest thing is I was fishing in super-shallow water.”

The final eight anglers at the 2022 Builders FirstSource Patriot Cup Presented by Guaranteed Rate in Dallas, Texas finished:

1^st:          Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 17 bass, 44-5
2^nd:         Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., 14 bass, 36-1
3^rd:         Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 10 bass, 23-7
4^th:         James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 11 bass, 22-0
5^th:         Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 12 bass, 20-4
6^th:         John Cox, DeBary, Fla., seven bass, 14-0
7^th:         Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., four bass, 9-15
8^th:         Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., five bass, 8-13

Complete results along with photos from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Cox caught the Championship Round Berkley Big Bass – a nice 4-pound, 15-ounce largemouth that bit a Berkley Frittside crankbait in Period 3.

Overall, there were 80 bass weighing 178 pounds, 13 ounces caught by the final eight pros during the Championship Round of competition on Lavon Lake.

The 2022 Builders FirstSource Patriot Cup Presented by Guaranteed Rate was hosted by the Dallas Sports Commission and premiered on the Outdoor Channel as six, two-hour original episodes each Saturday afternoon debuting on April 9, 2022, and running through March 14, 2022.

The event was shot over six days in November in the Dallas area and featured 24 MLF pro anglers visiting the Knoxville area to compete on either Lewisville Lake, Eagle Mountain Lake or Lavon Lake on each day of competition. The locations were unknown to the anglers – they did not learn where they were competing until they arrived to the launch ramp each morning of competition.

All six episodes of the event are now available for viewing on the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) streaming app. The full television schedule can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the MLF Cup events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Chris Rutland Coby Carden Win ABT Lay Lake with 19.25

By Jason Duran

Columbiana, Ala ‑May 15: The fourth stop of the Alabama Bass Trail South Division was held on Lay Lake. During practice leading up to the event teams reported a post spawn pattern that was causing the lake to fish a little tough. Teams were hoping the early morning shad spawn would produce a few big bites. Lay Lake is known for quality spotted and largemouth bass. 225 teams fished for a $10,000 first place price and $37,400 for the remaining 40 places.

The team of Chris Rutland and Coby Carden are a well-known team on Lay Lake. They drew boat number 100 putting them about middle of the pack at blast off. The team had about 5 spots they wanted to start on. They ran past two of those spots with other competitors on them and stopped at the third spot to begin their day. They caught a limit there in about 30 minutes using a Spro Bronzeye frog in a brim color. Then they decided to move to their second spot while the shad spawn was still going on. They caught two really good ones on the second stop- probably the same ones they found in practice and checked on a few times during the week to make sure they were still there. Coby shared, “the lake is not fishing like it normally does with the shad spawn. It’s fishing really tough; I’m not sure exactly what is going on, but the fish just aren’t really up there.” A big plan for them was “not to get spun out this morning if the shad spawn wasn’t there. We knew if they weren’t there, we would move through some of our other spots and hit enough places during the day. Eventually, we could put ourselves in contention to get some bites.” The team spent the afternoon targeting brim beds using a Big Bite Baits YoMama in the Hematoma color. They culled up to 19.25 pounds and a $10,000 pay day.

The team of Emmanuel Globetti and CJ Knight drew boat number 225, the last boat to blast off in the field. They didn’t let the low boat draw get to them saying, “your boat number is your boat number. We couldn’t let that affect our day. We had a slow morning only catching two fish in the first hour and a half. When we got to our first spot, there were some teams in the area, but they weren’t exactly where we wanted to fish. We started to just run water and fish and stumbled on a limit fishing that way. About mid-morning we dialed in a better pattern after running place to place getting a better bite until 3 o’clock. We feel like the key for us was the sun coming out and positioning the fish. We caught them on boat docks, lay downs, offshore brush piles and doing a little bit of everything today.” The wind was also key for them today along with the sun. “We used the wind and the sun to position the boat so we could make the cast to not spook the fish.” They weighed in 17.38 pounds and claimed a 2^nd place check for $5000

The Team of Noah Godwin and Cole Godwin finished third with 16.21 pounds. “We started out in a creek where we found a shad spawn. The creek had a shad spawn on one side and brim beds on the other side. In practice the shad spawn seemed to last about 10 minutes first thing in the morning, and when we got there today, we probably just missed it. We hoped to catch some good ones in there, but it just didn’t happen. We caught one about 2-pounds and fished around in that area with a Chatterbait. We caught 20-30 fish but could only cull up to about 8-pounds. We decided to make a move about 1:00, and we caught 2, 4 and 6 pound fish in the last hour of fishing. We caught the big ones on a Big Bite Baits Trick Stick on a 3/8 oz Crusher Lures tungsten weight.” The team collected $4,000 with this finish.

The Top 10 places are below for a complete list of standings visit: https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/lay-lake/results/

The Angler of the Year points race is also taking shape for teams looking to qualify for the BASS Team Championship and ABT Championship. There is only one more event remaining. The top 12 teams in AOY are listed below in a very tight race to the finish on Lake Eufaula June 18^th.

The Top 12 in AOY after 4 events:

1 Rob Lee/Steve Winslett 842

2 Brian Stiffler/Wesley Gore 834

3 Chris Rutland/Coby Carden 829

4 Foster Bradley/Nick Harris 808

5 Josh Chapple/Paul Davis 807

6 Clay Harris/Joe Williams 795

7 Douglas Stephens/Jacob Wood 776

8 Adam Bain/Kris Colley 764

9 John Pollard/Dallas Weldon 759

10 Jeston Anderson/Scott Saucer 749

11 Brent Crow/Simon Morrow 748

12 Justin West/Cody Vickery 742

Download and listen to the ABT Podcast on your favorite Podcast app by searching for “Alabama Bass Trail Podcast.” The podcast is released each week on Tuesday and this week will feature the winners form Lay Lake.

by AnglersChannel

Nick LeBrun Wins Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 on Lake Guntersville

Bossier City Pro Weighs in 22-15 on Final Day to Take Home Top Prize of $100,000

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (May 15, 2022) – After going the first three hours of Championship Sunday without a single keeper fish, pro Nick LeBrun of Bossier City, Louisiana , finally reeled in his first fish of the day – a 7-pound Guntersville largemouth – to shake things up at the B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 on Lake Guntersville Presented by A.R.E. in Guntersville, Alabama. LeBrun then went on a 45-minute flurry to put together a solid limit, ending the day with 22 pounds, 15 ounces to take home his first MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit win and earn the top payout of $100,000.

LeBrun sat in 44^th place after Day One of the tournament, only weighing in 16 pounds, 15 ounces, before jumping to seventh place on Day Two with a monster limit weighing 22-2. His momentum carried and continued to build throughout the event, ultimately ending on Championship Sunday with his biggest fish – and biggest limit – of the tournament. LeBrun’s final day total of 22-15 gave him a 2-pound, 6-ounce margin over Greeneville, Tennessee rookie Nick Hatfield, who brought a limit to the scales weighing 20 pounds, 9 ounces, good for second place.

“It’s just been a phenomenal day. I feel so blessed,” LeBrun said. “I started in my main spot first thing this morning and the eel grass was just out of control. I wasn’t even fishing – I was basically just raking grass with every cast and that started to spin me out a little. I knew where some more shallow stuff was, and some bream feeders and fry, so I decided to go hit that for a while. But even there, I just wasn’t seeing fish like I had been and was only catching small 10-inch fish.”

LeBrun said he spent an hour and a half trying to force the shallow bite to work and it just wasn’t happening.

“At 10 a.m. I had zero fish and was feeling really discouraged,” LeBrun said. “I pulled back to my main spot to find the eel grass had cleared out and we absolutely wrecked them for about 45 minutes. By 10:45 I had a solid sack of fish – I can’t ask for anything better than that.”

Because he had stacked up a quality limit early on, aided by the 7-pound kicker, LeBrun ended up going most of the day without culling.

“Most of my fish this week came from a main river ledge, in water about 30-foot deep,” LeBrun continued. “I had a few key baits, including a 4½-inch Producer Swimbait, blue-crack-colored, with a homemade ¾-ounce head that I was throwing on a Fitzgerald 7’6” All Purpose Casting Rod Heavy with a 7:1 Fitzgerald Stunner Casting Reel, paired with 18-pound Sunline Super FC Sniper Fluorocarbon . That’s what the 7-pounder, and most of my big ones, were caught on.

“That setup got them fired up, but when they went cold I had another waypoint where I would slide up shallow around the back and throw a 10½-inch V&M J-Mag Worm on a ¾-ounce, V&M Mega Shakey Head in a couple of different colors,” LeBrun finished.

The momentous “turn-around” proved to be a theme for the Louisiana pro – during the tournament on Lake Guntersville – and in life in general.

On the stage at the weigh-in, LeBrun said “Seven-pounders are awesome and getting a top 10 is awesome, but that doesn’t compare to my relationship with Jesus Christ” which was met with applause from the audience.

“The last time I held up a check for Major League Fishing, I wasn’t the same guy I am today,” LeBrun continued. “The last time I stood on this stage and held up a trophy was at the 2018 All-American on Cross Lake, and that was a dark time in my life. There were a lot of things wrong, but shortly after that Jesus Christ redeemed me, and now I stand here giving Him all the glory – not myself, but Him.

“There’s nothing in life that’s too far gone with Him, so to stand here with my lovely wife Jolene by my side, and to be here with all of you, it really means a lot.”

The top 10 pros at the B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 on Lake Guntersville finished:

1^st:           Nick Lebrun of Bossier City, La., five bass, 22-15, $100,000
2^nd:          Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tenn., five bass, 20-9, $30,000
3^rd:          Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 18-6, $25,000
4^th:           Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 17-3, $20,000
5^th:           Josh Butler of Hayden, Ala., five bass, 15-15, $19,000
6^th:           Jacob Wall of New Hope, Ala., five bass, 14-10, $18,000
7^th:           Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 13-2, $17,000
8^th:           Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., five bass, 11-8, $16,000
9^th:           Brandon Mosley of Choctaw, Okla., five bass, 11-6, $15,000
10^th:        Lane Olson of Forest Grove, Ore., five bass, 0-0, $14,000

For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 50 bass weighing 145 pounds, 10 ounces caught by 10 pros Sunday. The catch included nine five-bass limits.

Pro Lane Olson of Forest Grove, Oregon, had his weight disqualified, Sunday, as he violated Pro Circuit Rule No. 14 on the final day of competition, which states, “The use of braid or other line to attach a single stinger hook to a lure is allowed as long as the line is no more than 2 inches in length.” Olson was unaware of the rule and mistakenly attached a second stinger hook to his lure on Championship Sunday, therefore his weight for the day was disqualified. Olson finished the event in 10^th place and earned a payout of $14,000.

The four-day Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 at Lake Guntersville Presented by A.R.E. was hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports. The event will premiere on the CBS Sports Network later this summer.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 156 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advanced to Saturday, then only the top 10 pros, based on cumulative weight from the first three days, continued competition on Championship Sunday, where weights were zeroed, and the winner was determined by the heaviest weight from the final day of competition.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 on Lake Guntersville Presented by A.R.E. marked the fourth regular-season event of the year for the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me. The next event for Pro Circuit anglers will be Toyota Stop 5 at the James River Presented by PowerStop Brakes, June 16-19 in Richmond, Virginia.

Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2022 TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York on Aug. 16-21, and is hosted by the Town of Massena.

Arkansas pro Spencer Shuffield held on to his lead in the Bally Bet Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 732 points after four events, while Hayden, Alabama’s Josh Butler currently sits in second place with 720 points. Shelbyville, Kentucky’s John Hunter currently sits in third place with 695 points, while reigning and defending 2021 AOY Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, sits in fourth with 685 points. Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pennsylvania, rounds out the top five with 677 points. Two events remain in the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit regular season.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Shuffield Continues to Pace Field at MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 on Lake Guntersville

Top 10 Anglers Now Set for One-Day Shootout for Top Payout of Up to 135k on Championship Sunday

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (May 14, 2022) – While Lake Guntersville continues to show out for anglers across the board, pro Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Arkansas , finished yet another stellar day, bringing a limit weighing 19 pounds, 6 ounces to the stage Saturday to lead the final 10 anglers and advance to the final day of competition at the B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 on Lake Guntersville Presented by A.R.E. in Guntersville, Alabama. Shuffield’s three-day total of 63 pounds, 7 ounces, was a mere 12 ounces over rookie Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tennessee, who brought a limit weighing 21-15 to the scales for a three-day total of 62 pounds, 11 ounces, good for second place.

Pro Lane Olson of Forest Grove, Oregon, moved from second place to third, with a limit weighing 19 pounds, 1 ounce, for a three-day total of 61-9, while the reigning Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Angler of the Year (AOY) Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, finished the day in fourth place, with a limit weighing 19-9, giving him a three-day total of 61-2. REDCREST 2022 Champion “Big Fish” Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Florida, brought a five-bass limit to the stage – the biggest bag of the day, 22 pounds, 9 ounces – for a three-day total of 59-13 to round out the top five.

After starting the day in 32^nd place, pro Brandon Mosley of Choctaw, Oklahoma, made the biggest move of the day, bringing a limit weighing 20 pounds, 4 ounces to the scale for a three-day total of 54-7 to slide into the tenth and final spot in Sunday’s Championship Round.

The final 10 anglers are now set, and competition will resume tomorrow on Championship Sunday, where weights are zeroed, and the angler that catches the heaviest five-fish weight will earn the top prize of up to $135,000.

“I caught a limit pretty quick today, then idled around and ended up finding some good stuff later in the day,” Shuffield said. “I had 18 pounds or so and made a cast on a new school I found and caught a 4½-pounder to cull out a 3½-pound spotted bass, so it worked out pretty good.

“The spot where I’ve been catching my big fish all week, I thought I could win off of that spot, but after today I no longer think you can win there. As a matter of fact, I don’t even know if I’m going to try to fish it tomorrow,” Shuffield continued. “The second school I found during practice had the same potential as that main spot, I just haven’t had a chance to fish it because there have been two or three other guys on it all the time.”

Shuffield said fish out on the ledges just don’t seem to want to bite when there are multiple guys fishing them, and that rings especially true for the bigger bass.

“Today I was able to pull up on that second spot and there was no one on it,” Shuffield said. “The fish were set up just right and biting nearly every cast I threw at them, and there were even bigger ones following the ones I had hooked up all the way to the boat.”

Shuffield has caught all his fish this week on the Duel Hardcore Bullet Crank 7+, and said his last good fish today was caught on a Duel Hardcore Bullet Crank 5+, a new bait that will premiere at ICAST later this year.

“The cool thing about that crankbait is that you typically have to have current on those ledges to make the fish bite it, but the way I’m fishing it is forcing them to bite,” Shuffield said. “I feel like as long as they are bunched up together, current or no current, I can still get them to bite, just because of the way I’m presenting it. It’s completely a reaction deal, they have no choice but to snap at it, and they’ve been eating it really well.

“I’d be netting a 4-pounder on that second spot today and there would be six or seven 5-plus-pounders right there with her,” Shuffield continued. “I’ve left a lot of big ones out there this week, so I’m really looking forward to getting back out there and leaning into them tomorrow.”

The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition Sunday on Lake Guntersville are:

1^st:           Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 63-7
2^nd:          Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tenn., 15 bass, 62-11
3^rd:          Lane Olson of Forest Grove, Ore., 15 bass, 61-9
4^th:           Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 61-2
5^th:           Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., 15 bass, 59-13
6^th:           Nick Lebrun of Bossier City, La., 15 bass, 58-9
7^th:           Jacob Wall of New Hope, Ala., 15 bass, 56-7
8^th:           Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 55-12
9^th:           Josh Butler of Hayden, Ala., 15 bass, 55-9
10^th:        Brandon Mosley of Choctaw, Okla., 15 bass, 54-7

Anglers finishing 11^th through 50^th are:

11^th:        Derrick Snavely of Piney Flats, Tenn., 15 bass, 54-5, $11,000
12^th:        Blake Hall of Decatur, Ala., 15 bass, 53-12, $11,000
13^th:        Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 53-7, $11,000
14^th:        Rusty Salewske of Alpine, Calif., 15 bass, 53-2, $11,000
15^th:        Jared McMillan of Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 52-6, $11,000
16^th:        Trevor Fitzgerald of Belleview, Fla., 15 bass, 52-4, $11,000
17^th:        Kyle Cortiana of Broken Arrow, Okla., 15 bass, 52-4, $11,000
18^th:        Dylan Hays of Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 51-12, $11,000
19^th:        Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., 15 bass, 51-8, $11,000
20^th:        Chris Lane of Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 51-0, $11,000
21^st:        Ricky Robinson of Greenback, Tenn., 15 bass, 50-14, $10,500
22^nd:       John Hunter of Shelbyville, Ky., 15 bass, 50-11, $10,500
23^rd:       Mickey Beck of Lebanon, Tenn., 15 bass, 49-13, $10,500
24^th:        Grae Buck of Green Lane, Pa., 15 bass, 49-7, $10,500
25^th:        Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., 15 bass, 49-3, $10,500
26^th:        Kyle Weisenburger of Columbus Grove, Ohio, 15 bass, 49-2, $10,500
27^th:        Brian Latimer of Belton, S.C., 15 bass, 49-0, $10,500
28^th:        Alex Davis of Albertville, Ala., 15 bass, 48-12, $10,500
29^th:        Larry Nixon of Quitman, Ark., 15 bass, 48-11, $10,500
30^th:        Cody Pike of Powhatan, Va., 15 bass, 48-10, $10,500
31^st:        Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, 15 bass, 48-9, $10,000
32^nd:       Tyler Stewart of Dubach, La., 15 bass, 48-4, $10,000
33^rd:       Takayuki Koike of Otsu Shiga, Japan, 15 bass, 48-4, $10,000
34^th:        Jason Reyes of Huffman, Texas, 14 bass, 48-2, $10,000
35^th:        Josh Bragg of Fayetteville, Ga., 15 bass, 47-15, $10,000
36^th:        Steve York of Bronson, Mich., 15 bass, 47-8, $10,000
37^th:        Casey Scanlon of Eldon, Mo., 15 bass, 47-5, $10,000
38^th:        Clabion Johns of Social Circle, Ga., 15 bass, 47-2, $10,000
39^th:        Chad Warren of Sand Springs, Okla., 15 bass, 47-0, $10,000
40^th:        David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., 15 bass, 46-0, $10,000
41^st:        Robert Nakatomi of Sacramento, Calif., 13 bass, 45-8, $10,000
42^nd:       Ramie Colson, Jr. of Cadiz, Ky., 15 bass, 45-8, $10,000
43^rd:       Jim Moynagh of Shakopee, Minn., 15 bass, 44-15, $10,000
44^th:        Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis., 13 bass, 44-13, $10,000
45^th:        Cal Lane of Guntersville, Ala., 13 bass, 44-9, $10,000
46^th:        Mike McClelland of Blue Eye, Mo., 15 bass, 44-8, $10,000
47^th:        Shonn Goodwin of Moore, Okla., 14 bass, 44-4, $10,000
48^th:        Jeff Bridges of Pilot Point, Texas, 14 bass, 44-2, $10,000
49^th:        Bill McDonald of Greenwood, Ind., 15 bass, 43-15, $10,000
50^th:        Keith Carson of DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 35-3, $10,000

For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 236 bass weighing 739 pounds, 11 ounces caught by 49 pros Saturday. The catch included 43 five-bass limits.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 at Lake Guntersville Presented by A.R.E. is hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports and features a total purse of more than $850,000.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 156 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advanced to Saturday. Now, only the top 10 pros, based on cumulative weight from the first three days, will continue competition on Championship Sunday, where weights will be zeroed and anglers will compete in a one-day shootout for the grand prize of up to $135,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers.

The final 10 anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. CT Sunday from the Lake Guntersville State Park, located at 1155 Lodge Drive, in Guntersville. Sunday’s Championship weigh-in will also be held at the park at 2:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to attend the event or follow the live on-the-water action all four days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. CT at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Abu Garcia will be giving away a FREE rod and reel combo on Sunday, May 15^th from 12:30-2:30 p.m. to the first 100 high school anglers to check in at the MLF booth and fans can also meet PAW Patrol’s Marshall and Skye prior to the weigh-in from 1-2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 at Lake Guntersville Presented by A.R.E. will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere in July on the CBS Sports Network.

by AnglersChannel

Shuffield Maintains Lead on Day 2 of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 on Lake Guntersville

Hot Springs Pro Catches Limit Weighing 18-11 To Lead by 1 Pound, 9 Ounces – Top 50 Advance to Saturday

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (May 13, 2022) – Pro Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Arkansasbrought a limit weighing 18 pounds, 11 ounces to the scales Friday to maintain his lead after Day Two of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 on Lake Guntersville Presented by A.R.E. in Guntersville, Alabama. Shuffield’s two-day total of 10 bass weighing 44-1 gives him a 1-pound, 9-ounce lead going into the third day of competition as 156 professional anglers compete for up to $135,000.

Phoenix pro Lane Olson of Forest Grove, Oregon, made a massive jump from 70^th place to slide into second place on Friday with a monster limit weighing 26 pounds, 14 ounces, for a two-day total of 42-8. The 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Angler of the Year (AOY) Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee finished the day in third place with 10 bass weighing 41-9, while rookie Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tennessee moved into fourth with a two-day total of 40 pounds, 12 ounces. New Hope, Alabama pro Jacob Wall finished the day with a five-bass limit weighing 19-14 for a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 40 pounds, 5 ounces to round out the top five.

“The fish were biting like crazy right off the bat this morning,” Shuffield said. “Then they just stopped biting. I didn’t sit there and hit them hard like I would have if I needed a big bag. I fished out around them more than anything, but they just quit biting the crankbait I’d been catching them on.

“I threw a flutter spoon and a hair jig at them, but the wind was blowing from the side in a screwy direction, and I just wasn’t feeling it today,” Shuffield continued. “There were still hundreds of them there though. I was reeling in a white bass and an 8-pounder chased her all the way to the boat.

“I knew I already had four fish for over 14 pounds, so my heart just wasn’t really in it.”

Shuffield said he wasn’t too worried if the spot did shut down over the next two days, because he had some alternate options in place.

“I can go catch 13 to 14 pounds fishing shallow a hundred times over, but as far as catching a big bag, I’ll definitely have to catch them out on the ledges the rest of the event,” Shuffield said. “I’ve got four places where I feel like I have the potential to catch 20 pounds, and two of them are really good spots. That’s why I’d like to make it to Championship Sunday because I feel like I’d have all of those places to myself by then.”

As far as his strategy for Day Three, Shuffield said he plans to see what he needs to make it into the top 10 and go from there.

“If it looks like I’m only going to need 10 pounds to make it to the final round, I’m not even going to those big schools of fish tomorrow,” Shuffield said. “I’m just going to fish shallow all day, catch 13 pounds and have fun. I just need to make it into the top 10, then Sunday I’ll go hammer them.”

Although he isn’t leading the pack, Olson made quite the splash on Day Two as well, coming from behind to narrowly edge out Neal for the second-place spot.

“I fished up shallow most of the day yesterday and had maybe 10 ½ pounds or so,” Olson said. “I ended up running down the lake and pulled up on a ledge that I knew there were some fish on and ended the day with 15-10. I actually started on that same ledge the first morning, but never had a bite.”

Olson said he thinks the fish pulled up once the current started rolling in, a key learning which carried him to second place on Day Two.

“This morning I started on that ledge again and they weren’t there, so I went looking for them,” Olson said. “Within 10 minutes or so I found them again.”

Olson said he doesn’t foresee catching another 26 pounds on Saturday but is hopeful that he can get on them enough to at least make it into the Top 10 on Sunday.

“I’m just fishing out deep and have about 20 different rods rigged up on my deck that I’m throwing, but I caught those on a crankbait and a jig in about 15 to 20 feet of water,” Olson said. “I’m hopeful that I can replicate that again tomorrow.”

The top 50 pros that made the cut after Day 2 and will fish Saturday on Lake Guntersville are:

1^st:           Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 44-1
2^nd:          Lane Olson of Forest Grove, Ore., 10 bass, 42-8
3^rd:          Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 41-9
4^th:           Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tenn., 10 bass, 40-12
5^th:           Jacob Wall of New Hope, Ala., 10 bass, 40-5
6^th:           Rusty Salewske of Alpine, Calif., 10 bass, 39-10
7^th:           Nick Lebrun of Bossier City, La., 10 bass, 39-1
8^th:           Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 38-12
9^th:           Derrick Snavely of Piney Flats, Tenn., 10 bass, 38-11
10^th:        Robert Nakatomi of Sacramento, Calif., 10 bass, 38-9
11^th:        Josh Butler of Hayden, Ala., 10 bass, 38-2
12^th:        Jason Reyes of Huffman, Texas, 10 bass, 37-11
13^th:        Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., 10 bass, 37-4
14^th:        Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, 10 bass, 36-10
15^th:        Alex Davis of Albertville, Ala., 10 bass, 35-15
16^th:        Dylan Hays of Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 35-14
17^th:        Jared McMillan of Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 35-11
18^th:        Cal Lane of Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 35-11
19^th:        Grae Buck of Green Lane, Pa., 10 bass, 35-8
20^th:        Trevor Fitzgerald of Belleview, Fla., 10 bass, 35-7
21^st:        Keith Carson of DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 35-3
22^nd:       Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 35-2
23^rd:       Steve York of Bronson, Mich., 10 bass, 35-0
24^th:        Josh Bragg of Fayetteville, Ga., 10 bass, 35-0
25^th:        Kyle Cortiana of Broken Arrow, Okla., 10 bass, 34-15
26^th:        Tyler Stewart of Dubach, La., 10 bass, 34-15
27^th:        Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 34-13
28^th:        Shonn Goodwin of Moore, Okla., 10 bass, 34-13
29^th:        Mickey Beck of Lebanon, Tenn., 10 bass, 34-7
30^th:        Clabion Johns of Social Circle, Ga., 10 bass, 34-7
31^st:        Mike McClelland of Blue Eye, Mo., 10 bass, 34-5
32^nd:       Brandon Mosley of Choctaw, Okla., 10 bass, 34-3
33^rd:       Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., 10 bass, 33-15
34^th:        Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., 10 bass, 33-14
35^th:        Casey Scanlon of Eldon, Mo., 10 bass, 33-13
36^th:        Blake Hall of Decatur, Ala., 10 bass, 33-13
37^th:        Cody Pike of Powhatan, Va., 10 bass, 33-13
38^th:        Brian Latimer of Belton, S.C., 10 bass, 33-12
39^th:        Larry Nixon of Quitman, Ark., 10 bass, 33-12
40^th:        Chris Lane of Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 33-9
41^st:        Ramie Colson, Jr. of Cadiz, Ky., 10 bass, 33-7
42^nd:       Kyle Weisenburger of Columbus Grove, Ohio, 10 bass, 32-15
43^rd:       David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-14
44^th:        Ricky Robinson of Greenback, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-14
45^th:        John Hunter of Shelbyville, Ky., 10 bass, 32-14
46^th:        Chad Warren of Sand Springs, Okla., 10 bass, 32-10
47^th:        Jim Moynagh of Shakopee, Minn., 10 bass, 32-10
48^th:        Takayuki Koike of Otsu Shiga, Japan, 10 bass, 32-10
49^th:        Jeff Bridges of Pilot Point, Texas, 10 bass, 32-8
50^th:        Bill McDonald of Greenwood, Ind., 10 bass, 32-7

For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Jimmy Neece, Jr. of Bristol, Tennessee brought a bass weighing 7 pounds, 5 ounces to the scale on Friday to win the day's $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award.

Overall, there were 723 bass weighing 2,170 pounds even caught by 151 pros Friday. The catch included 132 five-bass limits.

The event, hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports, marks the fourth regular-season event of the year for the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. Now, the top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros, based on cumulative weight from the first three days, will continue competition on Championship Sunday, where weights will be zeroed, and anglers will compete in a one-day shootout for the grand prize of up to $135,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers.

Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. CT each day from the Lake Guntersville State Park, located at 1155 Lodge Drive, in Guntersville. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park daily at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the live on-the-water action all four days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. CT at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Fans are also invited out to a FREE Expo on Saturday, May 14 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. where they can join MLF staff, Alabama State Parks and the TVA Aquarium for Make and Take Outdoor Crafts, Camping 101, inflatables, animals, info booths, food trucks and a Kids’ Fishing Derby from 1-2:30 p.m. Registration takes place on site and bait will be provided, as well as the use of 50 rods and reels during the event. Prizes will be awarded to the first and second place youth anglers who catch the most fish.

Fans can also meet PAW Patrol’s Marshall and Skye prior to the weigh-in from 1-2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, May 14-15 and Abu Garcia will be giving away a FREE rod and reel combo on Sunday, May 15^th from 12:30-2:30 p.m. to the first 100 high school anglers to check in at the MLF booth.

by AnglersChannel

Spencer Shuffield Takes Early Lead on Day 1 of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 on Lake Guntersville

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (May 12, 2022) – Bluebird skies and a calm breeze created a variety of options for 156 of the world’s best bass fishing professionals throughout Day One of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 on Lake Guntersville Presented by A.R.E. With bass in various stages of the spawn, anglers could pretty much pick their poison, targeting fish on beds, chasing the shad spawn and firing up offshore schools, which is where pro Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Arkansasracked up a limit weighing 25 pounds, 6 ounces to grab the early lead after Day One. Shuffield ended the day with a 3-pound, 4-ounce advantage over Dayton, Tennessee’s Michael Neal, the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Angler of the Year (AOY), who finished the day with a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 2 ounces, good for second place.

The Pro Circuit competition awards a top prize of up to $135,000 and marks the fourth of six regular-season Pro Circuit events offering competitors a total purse of more than $850,000.

“Today was really good,” Shuffield said. “I found four big schools during the last afternoon of practice. I pulled up on the first one and caught an 8-pounder. As I was reeling that one in, about a hundred more fish came up and were schooling – and probably 30 of those were over 6 pounds.”

Shuffield said he chose not to start the day on his honey hole because no other anglers were on it and he wanted to keep it that way, so he went to work on one of the other schools that were firing early this morning.

“I caught a few there, but then I went back to that big school I found in practice and had over 25 pounds within eight casts,” Shuffield said. “I jumped off a 9-pounder as well, so it’s definitely the winning spot, no doubt. It’s just a matter of who gets on it over the next two to three days.”

Although the spot was empty right after takeoff, Shuffield said there was a local angler fishing there when he pulled up later that morning.

“He was so great and let me move into the spot,” Shuffield said. “I did see Alex Davis over there after I left today, and I watched him pull a couple 4-pounders out of it, but I know he lives here and knows the lake – and probably that spot – so I’m pretty sure he’ll fish it smart too.

“It wouldn’t bother me if [Davis] pulled up on it and caught another 20 pounds out of it. There are that many fish there – you can see hundreds of them on the Livescope and they are biting,” Shuffield continued.

With the weights zeroing after Day Three, Shuffield said his only fear is blowing out the spot too early in the event, and although he feels it might be better to just leave it alone for a few days until he needs it, with 11 bags weighed in over 20 pounds on Day One alone, staying ahead of the pack may prove to be a challenge.

“If the weights didn’t zero before Championship Sunday, I would hammer down on them the next two days for sure, but I’ve got to be a little strategic about it,” Shuffield said. “I’d hate to pressure it the next two days, then be hurting during the final round, but honestly I’ve got a good enough shallow bite going that I can go catch 15 pounds really easily doing that.

“I figure if I can just catch 14 to 15 pounds the next two days, I can make the top 10, then this spot would be fresh and I could pull up there on the final day,” Shuffield continued. “There’s potentially a 30-plus-pound bag there for sure, so I really want to try to save that spot for the championship round.”

Shuffield said although he has options deep or shallow, he caught all his fish on Day One offshore, fishing ledges, on a Duel Hardcore Bullet Crank 7+.

“That’s a new crankbait that just came out at ICAST last year,” Shuffield said. “It gets down to 26 feet on 14-pound fluorocarbon and you can throw it really far, but we haven’t visited any fisheries where I’ve been able to throw it.

“The fish I’m targeting are in about 22 feet of water, so getting that crankbait down to that depth is key,” Shuffield continued. “The bass just aren’t used to seeing crankbaits that deep, so that’s the deal, for sure.”

The top 20 pros after Day 1 on Lake Guntersville are:

1^st:           Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 25-6
2^nd:          Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 22-2
3^rd:          Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., five bass, 21-13
4^th:           David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 21-9
5^th:           Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 21-6
6^th:           Jared McMillan of Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 21-3
7^th:           Josh Butler of Hayden, Ala., five bass, 20-14
8^th:           Dylan Hays of Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 20-7
8^th:           Jacob Wall of New Hope, Ala., five bass, 20-7
10^th:        Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., five bass, 20-6
11^th:        Alex Davis of Albertville, Ala., five bass, 20-5
12^th:        Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tenn., five bass, 19-13
13^th:        Bill McDonald of Greenwood, Ind., five bass, 19-9
14^th:        Jeff Bridges of Pilot Point, Texas, five bass, 19-4
15^th:        Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 19-1
16^th:        Rusty Salewske of Alpine, Calif., five bass, 19-0
17^th:        Cal Lane of Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 18-14
18^th:        Shonn Goodwin of Moore, Okla., five bass, 18-12
18^th:        Clayton Batts of Butler, Ga., five bass, 18-12
18^th:        Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 18-12

For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.Walker brought a bass weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces to the scale to win the day's $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award.

Overall, there were 748 bass weighing 2,295 pounds, 2 ounces caught by 156 pros Thursday. The catch included 140 five-bass limits.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 at Lake Guntersville Presented by A.R.E. is hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition on Sunday, where weights are zeroed, and the winner is determined by the heaviest weight from the final day of competition.

by AnglersChannel

Costa grows spring 2022 collection with two new lifestyle frames

Salina and Paunch are built for life on and off the water

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 12, 2022) – Costa Sunglasses, manufacturer of the first color-enhancing all-polarized glass sunglass lens, welcomes two new lifestyle frames to its spring 2022 collection - Salina and Paunch. Inspired by salty surf and tropical locales, Salina and Paunch have a sleek, adventure-ready style designed to look good and play hard no matter your plans.

The more feminine Salina is a call to the salty coastlines and sunny destinations it was inspired by. Paunch heeds to the white sands, clear waters and legendary surfing of Bocas Del Toro in Panama. Meant to draw you out onto the water, interior sculpting on both frames resemble the hull of a boat. Additional seaworthy features include textured Hydrolite® grip nose pads for a comfortable and secure fit.

Salina and Paunch come with Costa’s polarized, color-enhancing 580® lens technology for superior clarity and definition. Custom lens options include glass or polycarbonate and four colorways - gray, blue mirror, green mirror and copper silver mirror (Salina only). In addition, the lightweight Bio-Resin frame reduces the carbon footprint of each pair over standard nylon while holding its durability and style.

“These frames are an ode to what we love most - life out on the water,” said John Acosta, Vice President of Marketing at Costa. “These frames have it all - good looks, high-quality features and an approachable price point. However you get out on the water this summer — fishing, paddling, riding waves, boating — Salina and Paunch have you covered.”

Starting at just $167 (580P), Salina and Paunch are now available at local dealers or Costasunglasses.com. For more information about Costa’s full collection of award-winning sports performance and lifestyle frames, visit Costasunglasses.com.

by AnglersChannel

Low-Water Adjustments Will Be Key To Success In Bassmaster Elite At Lake Fork

Lee Livesay, who capped off Championship Sunday at the 2021 Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork with a final-day limit weighing 42 pounds, 3 ounces, will be among the field when Quitman, Texas, hosts the Simms Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork May 19-22, 2022.

Photo by Shane Durrance/B.A.S.S.

May 12, 2022

Low-Water Adjustments Will Be Key To Success In Bassmaster Elite At Lake Fork

QUITMAN, Texas — Patrick Walters is hoping for a storm during next week’s Simms Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork. That sentiment runs counter to the stable weather forecast, but it’s not meteorological mayhem the South Carolina pro envisions.

Competition days will be May 19-22 with daily takeoffs from Sabine River Authority Headquarters (SRA) — Lake Fork at 7 a.m. CT and weigh-ins each day at the same location at 3 p.m.

“We have a perfect storm — it’s finally warming up out there, tournament week will be really hot (highs in the low to mid-90s, lows in the low 70s) and the water’s down 5 1/2 feet,” Walters said. “It is the perfect storm for the fish to funnel out and for us to catch them in big numbers offshore.”

“I think the potential for mega-bags is high. It’s going to be hard to beat the 42-pound, 3-ounce bag that (2021 winner Lee Livesay) caught last year. That was not expected. I don’t know if we’ll catch that, but the potential is there.”

Back in the fall, the Sabine River Authority of Texas started drawing down Fork’s water level to facilitate dam repairs. Jake Norman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Inland Fisheries Division said the water reached about 6 feet below normal pool, but recent rains have brought the lake up about half a foot — the level at which it should remain for the foreseeable future.

Low water’s most immediate impact is habitat reduction. Thanks to TPWD’s stellar fisheries management work, Lake Fork bulges with quality bass in the 4- to 6-pound range, with lots of day-making kickers, many of which break the double-digit mark. The fish don’t leave when the water’s down, so they cluster in fewer spots and become more competitive.

“The lower water concentrates the fish and puts them in higher-percentage areas,” Walters said. “There are fewer good areas for them to get on. They’ve built their life on living around this one creek or this one point and they know they can go to this one point and feed on top of this shellbar.

“Well, that shellbar is out of the water, so they’ve had to relocate. The depth has changed, so there are not as many high-percentage feeding spots.”

On one hand, this should help anglers more quickly dial in the more productive areas. The downside is that everyone has the same advantage.

“It’s going to make the lake fish very small,” Walters predicts. “There’s going to be a lot of people on top of each other.”

No question; with many of the familiar spots anglers have fished in years past standing high and dry, options will be reduced. As Walters points out, the reality of what lives in Lake Fork makes this even more advantageous.

“What makes Lake Fork so amazing is that you’re never 300 yards from 20 pounds,” he said. “I think the lower water is going to concentrate everybody to the (deeper) lower end, but I think the upper ends can still play.

“If there’s a school of 20 fish on Lake Fork, all of them are 4 pounds and up, so you can throw big baits. Even though they’re getting pressured, there are just so many fish in that school that will eat a big bait. Go (almost) anywhere else and there might be two fish in that school over 4 pounds.”

Typically, May should find the bass in postspawn patterns — morning shad spawn flurries, shallow bream bed hunting and offshore structure. Additionally, Norman said the low water, plus relentless spring cold fronts have slowed the spawning cycle enough that anglers may find a few bed fish.

Walters, who put on a forward-facing sonar clinic during his dominant 2020 win on Fork, said he expects the standing timber to play a significant role again this year. Long points will also factor into game plans, but the concentrated playing field will likely reduce gas bills.

“I don’t think we’re going to be chasing them; I think it will be more stationary,” Walters said. “You better make the decisions early. If you have a good spot, start on it. There will probably be guys that camp out on one spot all day. Typically, there are 50 good points to fish; now there are 25.

“When the whole lake is open, everybody’s running around, hitting this point, hitting that point, hitting the back of a pocket, hitting this stretch of timber. But now, if there are fish on a spot and they’re biting, why would you leave them? I think (the low water) will put those types of questions into everyone’s heads this time around.”

Beyond the fishing, basic navigational safety demands greater attention during low-water events. Avoiding trouble means understanding where it actually lurks.

“I think it’s going to be easier to navigate Lake Fork in general, because with it being low, I think everything you’d usually hit will be out of the water,” Walters said. “It should be easy to run around the main channels, but it’s going to be harder getting to the bank; you’re going to have to idle once you get there.”

Expecting several anglers to break the 100-pound mark, Walters predicts a winning total of 117 pounds and a Top 10 cut averaging 20-plus a day. Doing so, he said, will require anglers to file away memories of a full lake and adapt to this year’s scenario.

“I think we’ll see a different face of Fork than we’ve seen (in recent years),” Walters said. “That’s exciting, but at the same time, it’s also like, ‘What’s it going to be like when we get there?’”
Heading into the fifth stop on the 2022 Elite Series schedule, John Cox leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 353 points. He is followed by Brandon Palaniuk (343), Clifford Pirch (338), David Mullins (321) and Drew Benton (321).

Wisconsin pro Jay Przekurat leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race with 293 points, followed by Joseph Webster (249), Jacob Foutz (200), Cody Huff (198) and Masayuki Matsushita (197).

Full coverage from all four days of the Simms Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork will be available on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. New at Lake Fork, Omnia Fishing and B.A.S.S. have partnered to simulcast Days 1 and 2 of Bassmaster LIVE as a shoppable stream on Omnia’s website and mobile app. FS1 will also broadcast live with the tournament leaders on Saturday and Sunday, May 21-22 beginning at 7 a.m. CT.

by AnglersChannel

A 4 X 4 search tool for kayak anglers

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships

Unlike a typical bass boat tournament, one of the many cool facets of kayak competition is that anglers are allowed to use their trucks to carry their small vessels from one location to another, re-launching in new waters throughout a tournament day in an effort to find better fishing.

So, when accomplished kayak angler Drew Gregory claimed victory recently in the Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak series event on Grand Lake, OK, he credited his Toyota Tacoma for playing a huge role in finding the winning school of fish.

“My 4 X 4 Tacoma is a critical search tool in finding winning fish in the same way bass boat anglers idle around “graphing” for hours to find schools of fish,” explains Gregory, who has now purchased five Toyotas.

“My truck gets me down all the dirt roads, and to the extreme backs of tributary creeks. It’s my number one tool to find all the little out of the way places around a river or reservoir that I want to investigate after studying Google Earth,” explains Gregory, who has a heavy hand in designing kayaks for Georgia-based Crescent Kayaks.

Gregory’s current Tacoma has 165,000 miles on it, and he jokes that half those were spent in four-wheel-drive searching for fishing spots. It also serves as a fuel-efficient tow-vehicle while shuttling as many as four kayaks on one trailer to tournaments from his home in Northeast Ohio.

“Reliability is the number one reason I buy Toyotas. I know no matter what mud holes I travel through, that I can get back out. And a Tacoma’s overall size is perfect too. Whether I’m scouting locations on pre-fishing days, or moving locations during competition, my Tacoma is key in giving me a chance to win,” concludes Gregory.

by AnglersChannel

A Goat, an Aussie, a Prodigy, a Train and a Hawaiian.............

Its a BIG day in the AC Household as DX Turns the BIG 4-0 toady and we have a few friends who want to wish him a Happy Birthday! Kenta Kimura stops by the show as well to talk the Elites, His James River win and his favorite food here in the states! Put your party hat on , its a party!!

by AnglersChannel

Missile Baits Collaborates with Roboworm to Make Magic Worm

Salem, Va. – May 11, 2022 –Missile Baits is collaborating with Roboworm to make the all-new Magic Worm. Continuing their Made in the USA tradition, Missile Baits is having Roboworm manufacture their new, all-purpose, finesse, hand poured soft plastic bait called the Magic Worm. It is a 6” straight worm with proportions that make the Magic Worm easy to rig in most of the popular finesse techniques including drop shot, Neko rig, Texas rig, shaky head, and wacky rig.

“The Magic Worm is something I have been needing in my arsenal for years. After talking with Roboworm and figuring out they can make baits for us, I immediately knew what I wanted to design. I have already caught a bunch of bass on them including some big ones with the original mold and color samples. It played a big role in my BASS win on the St. John’s River this year and really is an amazing little bait,” says John Crews, BASS pro angler and Missile Baits owner.

The Magic Worm will come in 12 totally unique colors that only Roboworm can pour. Some of the expected top colors include Green Pumpkin Money, Junebug Dream, Missile Morning, and John’s Juice. Each bag will be loaded with 14 worms for a suggested retail price of $10.99. First production run is expected in late May or early June.

by AnglersChannel

Minn Kota Joins Growing List of Partners Supporting MLF Fisheries Management Division in Partnership with Berkley Labs

Second Habitat Restoration Project Set for Cullman, Alabama, on May 11 – Partners, Pro Anglers and Volunteers to Build and Deploy 85 Fish Habitats

TULSA, Okla. (May 10, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today that Minn Kota, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electric trolling motors, as well as a complete line of shallow water anchors, battery chargers and marine accessories, has signed on as the Title Partner of the MLF Fisheries Management Division (FMD) Habitat Restoration Program. Minn Kota is part of Johnson Outdoors, a leading global outdoor recreation company that designs, manufactures and markets a portfolio of winning, consumer-preferred brands.

Minn Kota joins a long list of supporting partners, including Berkley Labs, Costa Sunglasses , Ferguson, SeaArk Boats , Mercury Marine and MossBack Fish Habitat , who were previously announced during an MLF FMD press conference held during the REDCREST 2022 Outdoor Sports Expo Presented by Costa.

“We are happy to join Major League Fishing in their commitment to fisheries enhancement through their Habitat Restoration Projects,” said Brad Henry, Minn Kota Brand Manager. “As the undisputed leader in trolling motors, Minn Kota has helped generations of anglers in their pursuit of bass and is proud to support this essential initiative to ensure the sport of bass fishing thrives for generations to come.”

The MLF Fisheries Management Division in partnership with Berkley Labs will host the Minn Kota Habitat Restoration Project supported by Mercury Marine and MossBack Fish Habitat on Wednesday, May 11^th, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the Duck River Reservoir, located at 419 County Road 1650 in Cullman, Alabama. Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit anglers Evan Barnes of Dardanelle, Arkansas , Greg Bohannon of Bentonville, Arkansas, Cal Lane of Guntersville, Alabama , Bill McDonald of Greenwood, Indiana and James Niggemeyer of Van, Texas will join volunteers from the Union Sportsman Alliance to construct 85 MossBack fish habitat structures, with anchoring materials donated by the Lowes in Cullman. The habitat structures will then be strategically deployed at various locations along the Duck River Reservoir.

The Cullman project is the second habitat restoration project for the Fisheries Management Division this year following a successful habitat build and deployment during the 2022 REDCREST Expo. Minn Kota will be the Title Partner of two additional Minn Kota Habitat Restoration Projects later this year.

“We’re excited to add Minn Kota to the MLF Fisheries Management Division’s group of active partners and are looking forward to their contributions continuing to increase our momentum moving forward,” said Steven Bardin, MLF FMD Fisheries Biologist. “The upcoming habitat build in Cullman will make massive strides towards promoting a healthy fishery on the 640-acre Duck River Reservoir, providing structure necessary for fish reproduction, foraging, growth and shelter.”

For more information on Minn Kota and their performance-driven products, visit www.minnkotamotors.com. For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing, its tournaments and sponsors, and the MLF Fisheries Management Division, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Big Bass Tour Berkley Lake Breakdown - Chickamauga

Shryock Advises Anglers to Think Outside the Box at Chickamauga

By Pete Robbins

Lake Chickamauga has become a mid-May staple of the Big Bass Tour, and for good reason – it pumps out giant bass (and lots of them) year after year after year. Over the past six years it has never taken less than 7.14 pounds to crack the top ten overall, and in both 2018 and 2020 a remarkable three double-digit fish were brought to the scales. If you want to be competitive, you have to bring your “A” game.

It’s results like those that drew Ohio native Hunter Shryock to move to the area. The same can be said for many of his peers on the Bassmaster Elite Series and Bass Pro Tour. Not only is the Tennessee River impoundment centrally-located for their jobs, but it also provides them with a proper training ground for learning to catch tournament-winning stringers.

Shryock competed in an Elite Series event on “Chick” just a few weeks ago, but he thinks that the fishing should be remarkably different when the BBT field descends on the prolific fishery from May 13-15.

“The water’s warmed up and the lake is at full pool, which is typical for mid-May. There are still some shallow, because a few will still be spawning for a couple of weeks, but most of them are moving offshore.” He said.

“You have to think outside the box to get an advantage,” he explained. “That could mean a different lure, an out-of-the-way location, or even something extra like Maxscent. These fish have seen everything so you need to do something different. That could be downsizing your bait and your line, or as we saw during the Elite Series tournament it could be the opposite end of the spectrum with guys throwing big glide baits.”

The good news is that there are “8- to 12-pounders everywhere, from one end of the lake to the other, so you don’t have to get locked into one region. Everybody will be in a place where it’s possible not only to catch the biggest fish of the hour, but also the biggest single fish of the event.”

In terms of “offshore,” Shryock believes that the biggest schools will be on bars in 12 to 15 feet of water, although he’s seen and heard of bass being caught in the 30 foot range. While Chickamauga’s bass often group up by size, that’s not always the cases. “You might catch a three and then another three and then a six-pounder,” he explained. The key is “getting the schools to fire up.” Accordingly, he’d likely start with a Berkley Dredger 20.5 or 25.5 crankbait on a 6.6:1 gear ratio Abu-Garcia Revo baitcasting reel, retrieving it fast enough that they have to “eat it or get out the way.” If that doesn’t get the school excited, he’d next turn to finesses, likely with a Berkley Bottom Hopper on a dropshot. “It may sound silly, but if you can get one to bite that you can follow it up with the crankbait or a Berkley Hollow Belly.” He’d throw the latter lure on a ½ or ¾ once leadhead, typically in a Gizzard Shad pattern. “The key is to keep it in contact with the bottom.

For dedicated giant hunters, he would recommend an oversized glide bait like the ones several of his Elite colleagues used successfully.

One other bite that he’d look to maximize is the shad spawn, and he’d focus on bluff banks for that one, hitting key stretches first thing in the morning.

“It only lasts and hour or so, but you’d have it to yourself,” he explained. “And there’s no reason you wouldn’t catch a 6-, 7- or even a 10-pounder.”

While the shallow bite heroics are mostly over, this should still be a slugfest, so consult the live leaderboard to make sure that you don’t waste an 8- to 10-pounder on an hour when it won’t bring home the bacon. Brute force may be necessary for Chickamauga’s big fish, but strategy is the other half of the equation.

To discover more Berkley baits that are "hot" right now at Chickamauga click here. What's Hot At Chick

by AnglersChannel

Harris Chain of Lakes Set to Host MLF Toyota Series Southern Division Finale

LEESBURG, Fla. (May 10, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, is set to return to Leesburg and Central Florida for a tournament next week, May 19-21, with the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at the Harris Chain of Lakes. The three-day bass fishing tournament, hosted by Visit Lake County, is the third and final event of the regular season for the Toyota Series Southern Division.

The tournament will showcase a field of the region’s best bass-fishing pros and Strike King co-anglers casting for a top prize package of up to $75,000 in the pro division and a new Phoenix 518 pro boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor, in the co-angler division.

“This is going to be an interesting tournament, because it could be won on any of the lakes, fishing any different style,” said Inverness, Florida, pro Robbie Crosnoe, who has nine top-10 finishes on the Harris Chain of Lakes in MLF competition. “Lake Griffin is full of grass. On Harris, there is none. The marshes could produce some good bags. Shell bar fishing in Dora is going to be good. A shad spawn in the morning can get you right in a hurry. It’s anyone’s guess how this tournament is going to be won.”

Crosnoe said that he expects the eventual tournament winner to average a five-bass limit right around 20 pounds a day.

“I think 20 a day will have you right there at the end,” the Florida pro continued. “It might be a little less, but you can catch giant bags if you find the right shell bar.

‘Carolina rigs, 10-inch worms, crankbaits – if a guy found some active bluegill spawning beds they could wreck them on a crankbait,” Crosnoe went on to say. “With so many lakes and tactics in play, this is a really tough one to predict. It is Florida, though, so I do feel comfortable saying that we can definitely expect to see some big ones.”

With just one event remaining in the Toyota Series Southern Division regular season, Lee Stalvey of Palatka, Florida, leads the Southern Division Pro Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 506 points, while Andy Niles of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, leads the Southern Division Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 501 points. The AOY in the Pro Division will receive $5,000 and the winning Strike King Co-angler will receive $2,000.

Anglers will take off each day at 6:30 a.m. ET from the Venetian Gardens Ski Beach, located at 201 E. Lake Harris Drive in Leesburg. Weigh-ins will also be held at the Venetian Gardens, beginning at 2:30 p.m. each day. Fans are welcome to attend and encouraged to follow the event online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

In Toyota Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and scaling down for every boat below 160. With a 160-boat field, pros fish for a top prize of $40,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of $65,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard (valued at $33,500) plus $5,000 cash.

The 2022 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains Presented by Outlaw Ordnance, Southern, Southwestern Presented by Outlaw Ordnance and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions and finish in the top 25 – or the top 12 from the Wild Card division – will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 cash. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2022 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Championship will be held Nov. 3-5 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, and is hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Outlaw Ordnance, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.

For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF Toyota Series on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Henry Wins Rescheduled Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Sinclair

Morgan Earns Strike King Co-Angler Victory

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (May 9, 2022) – Boater Matt Henry of Milledgeville, Georgia, caught five bass Sunday weighing 21 pounds, 6 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Sinclair . The tournament was the third event of the regular season for the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division, and the second event in a two event Bass Fishing League double-header on Lake Sinclair over the weekend. Henry earned $6,434 for his victory Sunday.

“I had three of my weigh fish in the first hour,” Henry said. “Then it got brutally tough for the next three to four hours. I kept being stubborn doing what I was doing, knowing I needed two more good bites to probably win it.”

Henry said his bait of choice during competition was a Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog,fished over grass and around seawalls in the lower half of the lake. His approach resulted in 15 keepers and no short fish.

After targting the shad spawn early in the morning, Henry said the bite slowed down and then came back late in the day.

“I only had four keepers up until the last hour, then I caught quite a few at the end,” Henry said. “Both Saturday and Sunday it was that way.”

Henry said he lives and works on Lake Sinclair and is very comfortable fishing the body of water.

“This win feels good,” said Henry, who recorded BFL wins on Lake Oconee in 2010 and on Lake Eufaula in 2011. “It’s been 11 years since my last BFL win, so it’s been a while trying to get that third one.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Matt Henry, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 21-6, $6,434
2nd:       James Barnett, Locust Grove, Ga., five bass, 18-8, $2,364
3rd:       Kip Carter, Eatonton, Ga., five bass, 17-6, $1,576
4th:        Shane Salisbury, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 14-12, $1,103
5th:        Steven King, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 13-7, $946
6th:        Andrew Allen, Waterloo, S.C., five bass, 13-1, $1,067
7th:        Mitchell Grimsley, Hiawassee, Ga., five bass, 12-14, $788
8th:        Steve Stanfill, Dawsonville, Ga., five bass, 12-8, $709
9th:        Joshua Weaver, Monroe, Ga., five bass, 12-7, $1,131 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
10th:     Brad Stalnaker, Eatonton, Ga., five bass, 12-6, $552

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Henry had a largemouth that weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $705.

Joe Morgan of Woodstock, Georgia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,364 Sunday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Joe Morgan, Woodstock, Ga., five bass, 14-2, $2,364
2nd:       Garrett Brown, Trion, Ga., five bass, 13-5, $1,182
3rd:       Todd Collins, Sparta, Ga., five bass, 13-2, $788
4th:        Noah Armstrong, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 10-15, $512
4th:        Wes Wilson, Cornelia, Ga., five bass, 10-15, $864
6th:        Jesse Hultberg, Marietta, Ga., five bass, 10-6, $433
7th:        Devereaux Adams, Powder Springs, Ga., five bass, 10-2, $394
8th:        Carlos Guzman, Fayetteville, Ga., four bass, 9-10, $355
9th:        Joe Goodman, Winder, Ga., five bass, 9-4, $315
10th:     Robert Enke, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 9-0, $276

Wilson caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $352.

After three events, Kip Carter of Eatonton, Georgia, leads the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 734 points, while Chris Pfrogner of Dawsonville, Georgia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 710 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 6-8 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Murray in Prosperity, South Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

by AnglersChannel

Stanfill Tops Field at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Murray

Upchurch Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

PROSPERITY, S.C. (May 9, 2022) – Boater Bobby Stanfill of Greenwood, South Carolina, caught five bass Saturday weighing 27 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Murray . The tournament, hosted by Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board, was the third event for the Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division. Stanfill earned $4,864 for his victory.

“I caught a lot of fish, and I caught them all day long,” Stanfill said. “This was a culmination of a whole lot of decisions I made throughout the day, and every single one of them was right. I had a starting place where I ended up catching a pretty decent limit right out of the gate. Then the pressure was kind of off me.”

Stanfill said after he caught his limit he moved to a different location where blueback herring had not been present on the bank and not spawning during practice. He said he threw a spinnerbait across a windy flat and about 25 6-inch herring followed the bait. Stanfill said he knew the wind and herring meant largemouth would be nearby.

“I said, “I’m just going to hang in this area and go with it,’” Stanfill said. “I saw a fish break at the surface, tossed a topwater bait to it, and the fish came up to it and killed it. I caught several more in a row and said, ‘I’m just going to go with this.’”

Stanfill said the bass were “flat absolutely biting” during the event, and the fishing was fantastic for many competitors. He said he expected to see 20- and 21-pound stringers during weigh-in, but the baitfish and wind provided anglers with ample opportunities for big bags.

“I didn’t realize what size stringer I was building,” Stanfill added. “I don’t focus on that. I just look at the smallest one I’ve got and try to replace it. What it all boiled down to was just some vicious flurries where I just wrecked them.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Bobby Stanfill, Greenwood, S.C., five bass, 27-11, $4,864
2nd:       Roger Medlock, Mount Pleasant, S.C., five bass, 22-15, $2,048
3rd:       Jason Burroughs, Hodges, S.C., five bass, 22-12, $2,310 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th:        Ricky Basey, Warrenville, S.C., five bass, 21-2, $847
5th:        Nelson Walker, Manning, S.C., five bass, 20-14, $726
6th:        Chris Blanchette, Charleston, S.C., five bass, 20-11, $666
7th:        Bradford Beavers, Summerville, S.C., five bass, 20-5, $605
8th:        Josh Rennebaum, Chapin, S.C., five bass, 20-2, $545
9th:        Derek Lehtonen, Woodruff, S.C., five bass, 20-1, $484
10th:     Kevin Whitmore, Easley, S.C., five bass, 19-11, $424

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Stanfill and Medlock each had largemouth that weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces that tied for the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division, and they split the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $464.

Jared Upchurch of Lugoff, South Carolina, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $1,816 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Jared Upchurch, Lugoff, S.C., five bass, 15-2, $1,816
2nd:       Tracy Harrington, Rock Hill, S.C., four bass, 14-14, $1,290
3rd:       Kevin Henderson, Honea Path, S.C., five bass, 14-12, $606
4th:        John Joyce II, Inman, S.C., five bass, 14-0, $424
5th:        Lonnie Drusch, Sumter, S.C., five bass, 13-8, $363
6th:        Stephen Britt, Chapin, S.C., three bass, 12-14, $333
7th:        Jason Hueble, Whitmire, S.C., five bass, 12-1, $303
8th:        Mel Tolson, Hartsville, S.C., four bass, 9-14, $272
9th:        Erik Girouard, Sumter, S.C., three bass, 9-11, $227
9th:        Christopher Helton, Greer, S.C., five bass, 9-11, $227

Harrington caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $232.

After three events, Jason Burroughs of Hodges, South Carolina, leads the Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 740 points, while Jacob Barfield of Conway, South Carolina, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 715 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 13-15 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

by AnglersChannel

McFarland Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Table Rock Lake

Huber Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division

KIMBERLING CITY, Mo. (May 9, 2022) – Boater Cole McFarland of Lake Ozark, Missouri, caught five bass Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Table Rock Lake. The tournament was the third event for the Bass Fishing League Ozark Division. McFarland earned $8,000 for his victory.

“We had a pretty nasty fog delay, and I was the last boat out,” McFarland said. “I started out flipping bushes, and it didn’t pan out. I practiced last Sunday and had them located pretty good up shallow, but the lake was up 10 feet higher (during the tournament).”

McFarland said he switched his approach to looking for smallmouth by fishing a flat and caught a couple of bass, then targeted docks with a 5/16-ounce Crock-O-Gator shaky-head rig. He said he stayed close to the Kimberling City area for the duration of the tournament.

“The shaky-head rig was the bulk of it, honestly,” McFarland said. “I caught my largest and one of my better ones that way, then caught a 3-pounder flipping a bush later in the day. Then, with about 10 minutes to go before weigh-in, I culled out my smallest smallmouth with a 2½-pounder dragging the shaky head on a point.”

McFarland said he culled twice during the day and his weigh bag consisted of four largemouth and one big smallmouth.

“This is just surreal,” McFarland said. “This feeling hasn’t worn off yet. It’s just awesome to win such a well-put-together event.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Cole McFarland, Lake Ozark, Mo., five bass, 16-6, $8,000
2nd:       Travis Harriman, Huntsville, Ark., five bass, 15-12, $3,200
3rd:       Mike Webb, Sparta, Mo., five bass, 14-10, $2,000
4th:        Aaron Foglesong, Raymore, Mo., five bass, 14-4, $1,400
5th:        Dustin Back, Galena, Mo., five bass, 14-1, $1,200
6th:        Matt Ells, Shell Knob, Mo., five bass, 13-15, $1,100
7th:        Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kans., five bass, 13-12, $1,000
8th:        Mike Roller, Purdy, Mo., five bass, 13-5, $900
9th:        Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 13-1, $800
10th:     Tyler Casey, Harrison, Ark., five bass, 12-10, $900

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

McFarland had a largemouth that weighed 4 pounds, 14 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $1,000.

Brian Huber of Saint Peters, Missouri, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $3,000 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Brian Huber, Saint Peters, Mo., five bass, 12-14, $3,000
2nd:       Jim Kopff, Old Monroe, Mo., five bass, 12-11, $1,500
3rd:       Vincent Jones, Robertsville, Mo., five bass, 12-7, $1,000
4th:        Chris Dougan, Clayton, Mo., five bass, 12-1, $700
5th:        Gabe Montgomery, Jackson, Mo., five bass, 11-15, $700
6th:        Walter Hammond, Lees Summit, Mo., five bass, 11-8, $550
7th:        Brett Hurst, Helena, Mo., five bass, 10-5, $500
8th:        Drew Boehle, Saint Charles, Mo., four bass, 10-0, $450
9th:        Larry Weeks, Ridgedale, Mo., four bass, 9-11, $400
10th:     Ronin Picker, Moscow Mills, Mo., five bass, 9-0, $350

Hunter Hansen of Overland Park, Kansas, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $500.

After three events, Tyler Casey of Harrison, Arkansas, leads the Bass Fishing League Ozark Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 717 points, while Drew Boehle of Saint Charles, Missouri, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 715 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

by AnglersChannel

Dixon Tops Phoenix Bass Fishing League Field on the Potomac River

Ivey Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

MARBURY, Md. (May 9, 2022) – Boater Aaron Dixon of Bel Alton, Maryland, caught five bass Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Potomac River. The tournament, hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners, was the season-opener for the Bass Fishing League Northeast Division. Dixon earned $4,127 for his victory.

“I took a long run in rough water to get to where I had located them on beds in practice,” Dixon said. “I had figured out how to get them to react to a bait on the beds, but I knew when the tournament came the tide wouldn’t be right to see them anymore, so I just stuck to the area, kept my bait in the water and kept it slow.”

Dixon said he focused on a stretch of about 75 yards of water and used a 4-inch swimbait with a small hook bass couldn’t see. He said his method resulted in 20 fish, seven of which were keepers, during the course of the day. Dixon said he shared the stretch of water with a fellow competitor.

“The bait made the biggest difference for me to get the bigger ones,” Dixon said. “I actually caught more behind the guy fishing the same area on casts after he had already fished through there.”

Dixon said the victory had a special meaning to him, as he added his second BFL win to his resume.

“This feels pretty cool, especially since this win came five years after my first BFL win here,” he said.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Aaron Dixon, Bel Alton, Md., five bass, 18-2, $4,127
2nd:       Michael Duarte, Baltimore, Md., five bass, 17-13, $2,639
3rd:       Randy Caruso, Liberty, N.Y., five bass, 16-14, $1,377
4th:        John Lorenzo, Kane, Pa., five bass, 16-12, $963
5th:        Jessie Moore, Severn, Md., five bass, 16-8, $1,325
6th:        Jason Shipton, Muncy, Pa., five bass, 16-6, $757
7th:        Ernie Freeman, Broad Run, Va., five bass, 16-5, $1,188 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
8th:        Robert Henderson, King George, Va., five bass, 16-1, $619
9th:        Charles Peart, King of Prussia, Pa., five bass, 16-0, $550
10th:     Damian Szlachta, Center Valley, Pa., five bass, 15-10, $482

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Duarte had a largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $575.

Jeffrey Ivey of Fairfax, Virginia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,064 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 17 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Jeffrey Ivey, Fairfax, Va., five bass, 17-1, $2,064
2nd:       Rumnea Kelly, Boyds, Md., five bass, 15-13, $1,032
3rd:       Matthew Noraas, Pamplin, Va., five bass, 15-11, $788
4th:        Richard Jensen, Virginia Beach, Va., five bass, 15-8, $482
5th:        Aaron Wilkie, North Bennington, Vt., five bass, 15-5, $763
6th:        Tyler Burriss, Stafford, Va., five bass, 15-0, $378
7th:        Ahmed Behery, Farmington, Conn., five bass, 14-4, $344
8th:        Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., five bass, 13-9, $292
8th:        Cody Lunceford, Hanover, Pa., five bass, 13-9, $292
10th:     James Obrien Sr., Southampton, N.Y., five bass, 13-8, $241

Max Meister of Atco, New Jersey, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 12 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $287.

by AnglersChannel

Rutland Takes Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event Title on the Alabama River

Harper Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

PRATTVILLE, Ala. (May 9, 2022) – Boater Chris Rutland of Wetumpka, Alabama, caught five bass Saturday weighing 17 pounds even to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Alabama River. The tournament was the third event for the Bass Fishing League Bama Division. Rutland earned $4,825 for his victory.

“I caught nothing at the first three or four stops that I made,” Rutland said. “Finally I caught a little fish mid-morning, then another little one, and then just totally abandoned my game plan.

“I owe my co-angler a lot of credit for the change,” Rutland added. “I was fishing pretty quick-moving baits, and he was dragging, and he had a limit before I had even caught a fish.”

Rutland said he changed to a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog and caught “seven or eight” fish – including a 6-pound Berkley Big Bass and two that weighed 3½ pounds – from 11:30 to 12:30. Rutland said he pitched the frog, paired with a 3/8-ounce weight, into wood that was in shade.

“Those bass were very aggressive with the frog,” Rutland said. “You threw in there and picked it up, and they’d be leaving with it. They were either there immediately or not at all.”

Rutland said he considers the Alabama River and nearby Lake Jordan his home waters.

“I’ve been fishing the Alabama River for years, and I’ve had a lot of success here over the years,” Rutland said. “So it feels really good to win this tournament here.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Chris Rutland, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 17-0, $4,825
2nd:       Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., five bass, 16-1, $2,418
3rd:       Scott Wiley Jr., Bay Minette, Ala., five bass, 14-7, $1,413
4th:        Taylor Luna, Millbrook, Ala., five bass, 14-5, $988
5th:        Robbie Robinson, Mobile, Ala., five bass, 13-14, $847
6th:        Dennis Perrigo, Rienzi, Miss., five bass, 12-12, $1,176
7th:        Conner Neal, Hoover, Ala., five bass, 12-9, $670
7th:        Joseph Lamar, Deatsville, Ala., five bass, 12-9, $670
9th:        Lamar Landreth Jr., Smiths Station, Ala., five bass, 11-14, $1,065 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
10th:     Kyle Dorsett, Springville, Ala., five bass, 11-13, $494

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Rutland’s largemouth that weighed 6 pounds even was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and also earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $590.

Kane Harper of Ranburne, Alabama, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,118 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 3 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Kane Harper, Ranburne, Ala., five bass, 12-3, $2,118
2nd:       Brannon Jones, Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 11-12, $1,059
3rd:       Daniel Corkern, Florence, Miss., five bass, 11-9, $856
4th:        William Chadick, Auburn, Ala., five bass, 11-4, $494
5th:        Anthony Davis, McCalla, Ala., five bass, 10-15, $719
6th:        Edward Kennedy, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 10-9, $388
7th:        Chris Harcrow, Dawson, Ala., four bass, 10-5, $453
8th:        Larry Harvey, Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 10-1, $318
9th:        Mike Langdale, Sycamore, Ga., five bass, 9-11, $282
10th:     Caleb Whitehurst, Andalusia, Ala., five bass, 9-7, $247

Davis caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 6 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $295.

After three events, Robbie Robinson of Mobile, Alabama, leads the Bass Fishing League Bama Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 722 points, while Mike Langdale of Sycamore, Georgia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 729 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 13-15 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

by AnglersChannel

Harrison Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on the Columbus Pool

Tanner Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division

COLUMBUS, Miss. (May 9, 2022) – Boater Cody Harrison of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, caught five bass Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on the Columbus Pool. The tournament, hosted by Visit Columbus, was the fourth event for the Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division. Harrison earned $4,122 for his victory.

“I had a pretty early boat number and started out fishing a community area in the Columbus Pool,” Harrison said. “I spent my entire day going back and forth, fishing behind guys and trying to cover as much water and grass as I could.

“There was a shad spawn early in the morning, so I just stuck with that bite all day long,” added Harrison, who caught 12 bass during the day. “I culled three times and lost two I hooked up on, and I missed a few bites early.”

Harrison said he believes the key to his victory was the fact he was using a fluorocarbon line instead of the braided line that seemed to dominate the event. He said the fluorocarbon line aided his ability to feel bites on his white 3/8-ounce hand-tied swimjig that was given to him.

Harrison said the tournament was his first tournament experience on the Columbus Pool.

“I wasn’t expecting this win at all,” Harrison said. “Qualifying for the Regional Championship on Smith Lake now is just a huge weight off my shoulders. And I’ve had some top-5 finishes before, but to finally get this win is nice.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Cody Harrison, Muscle Shoals, Ala., five bass, 14-14, $4,122
2nd:       David Watkins, Caledonia, Miss., five bass, 14-5, $1,561
3rd:       Eddie Armstrong, West Point, Miss., five bass, 11-10, $1,043
4th:        Nick Churchill, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 11-9, $1,103
5th:        Jerry Gilliam, Ethelsville, Ala., five bass, 10-15, $624
6th:        John Anderson, Baysprings, Miss., four bass, 10-6, $1,772 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
7th:        Evan Horne, Tuscumbia, Ala., five bass, 10-2, $520
8th:        Timmy Ming, Louisville, Miss., five bass, 10-0, $468
9th:        Keith Brumfield, Vicksburg, Miss., four bass, 9-10, $416
10th:     D. Scott Gibson, Hattiesburg, Miss., five bass, 9-1, $364

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Churchill had a largemouth that weighed 4 pounds, 9 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $375.

Joey Tanner of Meridian, Mississippi, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $1,661 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Joey Tanner, Meridian, Miss., five bass, 10-5, $1,661
2nd:       Cameron Petras, Biloxi, Miss., three bass, 7-15, $781
3rd:       Steve Shirley, Guin, Ala., three bass, 7-7, $521
4th:        Colby Gaddy, Gordo, Ala., three bass, 7-2, $564
5th:        Reggie Thornton, Columbus, Miss., four bass, 6-14, $312
6th:        Glenn Rawson, Daleville, Miss., three bass, 6-5, $286
7th:        Bryan Gibson, Arlington, Tenn., two bass, 6-3, $447
8th:        Harpole Perkins, Pheba, Miss., three bass, 5-15, $234
9th:        Ken Pecanty, Vicksburg, Miss., three bass, 5-14, $208
10th:     Bobby Speake, Terry, Miss., three bass, 5-12, $182

Gibson caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 10 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $187.

After four events, Evan Horne of Tuscumbia, Alabama, leads the Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 940 points, while Joey Tanner of Meridian, Mississippi, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 928 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Smith Lake in Cullman, Alabama. 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.

by AnglersChannel

Batson Claims Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Sinclair

Howard Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (May 9, 2022) – Boater Aaron Batson of Mansfield, Georgia, caught five bass Saturday weighing 20 pounds even to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Sinclair . The tournament was the second event of the season for the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division, and the first of a tournament double-header weekend as another event took place on Sunday. Batson earned $5,057 for his victory Saturday.

“I started out fishing water willow, but I knew it had been getting pounded, so I changed it up and started looking for deeper seawalls,” Batson said. “I started with a Trixter Custom Baits jig and a Dock Hopper, looking for deeper seawalls. I stayed in the mid-lake area and worked that jig and a Zoom Ol’ Monster worm.

“I definitely did all my work in the first two hours of the day,” Batson added. “I caught a pretty good limit of 21 pounds or so early on.”

Batson said he changed tactics and worked shell beds and fished a frog in very shallow water in the back of a creek later in the day, but credited the jig with his win.

“I felt pretty good about this tournament after I caught my limit,” Batson said. “The fishing’s been tough here, and it’s been taking a good bag.

“There are some big sticks that fish the Bulldog Division,” Batson added. “It feels great to get my first win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Aaron Batson, Mansfield, Ga., five bass, 20-0, $5,057
2nd:       Stephen Jones, Macon, Ga., five bass, 19-13, $2,528
3rd:       Kip Carter, Eatonton, Ga., five bass, 16-8, $1,685
4th:        Emil Wagner, Marietta, Ga., five bass, 15-11, $1,880 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
5th:        Travis Clay, Jackson, Ga., five bass, 15-10, $1,011
6th:        Flint Davis, Leesburg, Ga., five bass, 14-14, $927
7th:        Brad Stalnaker, Eatonton, Ga., five bass, 13-12, $843
8th:        Larry Cason, Newborn, Ga., five bass, 13-7, $758
9th:        Andy Wicker, Cayce, S.C., five bass, 12-8, $832
9th:        Grant Kelly, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 12-8, $632

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Blade Parker of Resaca, Georgia, had a largemouth that weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $780.

Keith Howard of Perry, Georgia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,528 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Keith Howard, Perry, Ga., five bass, 13-1, $2,528
2nd:       David Gibson, Atlanta, Ga., five bass, 12-2, $1,264
3rd:       Mark Brinkman, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 11-3, $717
3rd:       Wesley Mullins, Guyton, Ga., five bass, 11-3, $717
5th:        Nicholas Clark, Lawrenceville, Ga., five bass, 9-8, $506
6th:        Donald Peppers, Good Hope, Ga., five bass, 9-6, $464
7th:        Chandler White, Covington, Ga., five bass, 9-5, $421
8th:        Joe Morgan, Woodstock, Ga., five bass, 9-0, $379
9th:        Austin Lockridge, Canon, Ga., five bass, 8-15, $337
10th:     Robert Enke, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 8-10, $295

Shane Carlton of Akron, Ohio, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $390.

After Saturday’s event, Jerry Brumfield of Cumming, Georgia, led the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 490 points, while Mark Brinkman of Cumming, Georgia, led the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 484 points.

by AnglersChannel

MLF President Jim Wilburn Issues Statement on Passing of Ray Scott

TULSA, Okla. (May 9, 2022) – Major League Fishing President and CEO Jim Wilburn issued the following statement today regarding the passing of Ray Scott:

“Ray Scott will forever be remembered as one of the greatest visionaries and contributors in the history of the sport of bass fishing. His efforts have made an extraordinarily positive impact on so many outdoorsmen and women, across the world. He launched groundbreaking marketing and media partnerships, membership platforms and conservation programs that have brought the sport into the national spotlight. His iconic legacy will endure through his family and continue to inspire generations to come.

“Every staff member, angler, and fan of the MLF family is the beneficiary of Ray’s vision, generosity and inspiration. Our deepest condolences go out to Ray’s wife, Hope, their children, Ray, Steven, Jennifer and Wilson, and their extended family, and we share our grief with everyone whose life in our great sport that was touched by him.”

by AnglersChannel

B.A.S.S. Founder Ray Scott, The Father Of Modern Bass Fishing, Has Died

May 9, 2022

RayScott.jpgB.A.S.S. Founder Ray Scott, The Father Of Modern Bass Fishing, Has Died

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Ray Scott passed away on Sunday, May 8 at around 11:30 p.m. He died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes. Scott was 88 years old.

Scott founded the first national professional bass fishing circuit, the Bassmaster Tournament Trail, in 1967 and the following year founded the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society — B.A.S.S. — which would grow to become the world’s largest fishing organization.

“Our entire organization was saddened to hear about the passing of our founder, Ray Scott,” said Chase Anderson, B.A.S.S. CEO. “Ray’s passion and vision for bass fishing birthed our entire industry more than 50 years ago when he founded B.A.S.S. and started the first professional fishing tournament series. His legacy is felt to this day and continues to influence B.A.S.S., the world’s largest fishing membership organization, which he started in 1968. Ray’s contributions and impact on conservation and his advocacy and passion for anglers and our sport set the standard for tournament fishing and are something we will always strive to uphold.

“Our hearts and prayers are with the Scott family.”

The bass tournament competition Scott created rewarded anglers who caught the heaviest limits of bass in the three- or four-day events, which served as the proving grounds for rapid advancements in bass boats, outboard engines, fishing tackle, lures and electronics. Everyday anglers began purchasing whatever the bass pros were using, spawning a massive bass fishing industry that today has an economic impact in excess of $125 billion per year and employs more than 800,000 people nationwide.

Before Scott began pursuing his dream of organizing America’s bass anglers, the sport was a laid-back, mainly Southern pastime that was largely overlooked by the trout-focused national outdoor media. To serve B.A.S.S. members and to publicize the tournament trail, Scott launched Bassmaster Magazine, which the New York Times described as “the Bible of Bass Fishing,” and which ultimately would be delivered to 650,000 B.A.S.S. members monthly.

In 1984, he and then-Bassmaster Editor Bob Cobb created The Bassmasters TV show, which attracted more than 1 million viewers weekly on The Nashville Network. Aired today on Fox Sports, the program is one of the longest-running and most-watched fishing shows in history.

Not only did Scott help grow the sport of bass fishing, but he also did more than any other individual to preserve it.
In 1972, he debuted the “Don’t Kill Your Catch” campaign and mandated that all tournament competitors’ boats feature an aerated livewell to keep their bass alive.

“I didn’t invent catch and release,” Scott acknowledged, “but we did make it popular in bass fishing, and that changed the sport in so many ways. We preached that a bass is too valuable to be caught only once. We helped fishermen learn how great it felt to catch a 5- or 6-pound bass and then lean over and let it go and watch it swim away, hopefully to be caught again.”

As a result, the catch-and-release ethic caught on so well that more than 90% of all bass anglers today release all or most of the bass they catch.

Scott and his rapidly growing B.A.S.S. organization also crusaded against the industrial pollution of America’s waterways. In 1970 and ’71, Scott filed some 200 anti-pollution lawsuits, drawing national attention to declining water quality and contributing significantly to passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972.

He was an early advocate of bass fisheries research, and he campaigned zealously for passage of the federal Wallop-Breaux Sport Fish Restoration Amendment of 1984. When the bill stalled in Congress, Scott’s friendship with then-Vice President George H.W. Bush helped ensure enactment of the amendment. As a result, approximately $375 million in sportfish restoration allocations are provided annually to state fisheries agencies for management, aquatic education and public access projects.

Few individuals have had a more positive impact on boating safety than Scott. Early on, he began requiring tournament competitors to wear personal flotation devices whenever boating, and he convinced manufacturers to make emergency shut-off devices — “kill switches” — standard features on motorboats. In 1994, he was instrumental in passing the comprehensive Boating Safety Reform Act in Alabama, which became the first state to require that boat drivers pass a written exam and obtain a boat operator’s license.

In recognition of his efforts, President Jimmy Carter appointed Scott to the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Boating Safety Advisory Council, and in 2002, he was inducted into the National Boating Safety Hall of Fame. Scott earned numerous other accolades and honors for his contributions to outdoor recreation over the years.

Field & Stream Magazine listed Scott — along with President Theodore Roosevelt, environmentalist Rachel Carson and naturalist/conservationist Aldo Leopold — among 20 individuals who most influenced outdoor sports during the 20th century.

He was inducted into the inaugural class of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2001, the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame in 2004 and the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in 1987. He was named the 1988 Sport Fisherman of the Year by the Sport Fishing Institute.

The elder President Bush picked Scott as his Alabama state chairman during his 1979-80 presidential campaign, and the two remained good friends and fishing companions throughout Bush’s terms as Vice President and President of the United States.

Scott’s was a true rags-to-riches story. He was born in Montgomery, Ala., on Aug. 24, 1933, and grew up there during the depths of the Great Depression. His father operated an ice cream cart and his mother worked as a hairdresser to support the family, which grew to include Ray, his brother and three uncles — all living in a one-bedroom home. Scott contributed to the family treasury by delivering groceries on his bicycle, mowing lawns and selling peanuts at baseball games.

Scott suffered from dyslexia, which contributed to his having to repeat eighth grade, but he eventually managed to earn a degree in Business Administration from Auburn University and soon afterward became one of Mutual of New York insurance company’s top salesmen in the Southeast.

In recognition of his successes, Scott received the 2003 Horatio Alger Award, which honors the achievements of outstanding Americans who have succeeded in spite of adversity.

After a decade in the life insurance business, Scott had a vision that he might be the one to elevate the national profile of bass fishing to be, as he said, “on par with golf” and worthy of television exposure. That year, 1967, he quit his job and began organizing the first major national bass fishing tournament, the All American at Beaver Lake, Ark. The event was successful enough for Scott to begin holding tournaments at other reservoirs in the South and to launch B.A.S.S. and Bassmaster early in 1968.

His brainchild, the annual Bassmaster Classic world championship, grew from two dozen competitors and about that many spectators at Lake Mead, Nev., in 1971, to become the biggest event in sportfishing over the next half-century. Today, the Classic and related events such as the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo record more than 100,000 fishing fans each year.

He sold B.A.S.S. to an investment group including his executive vice president, Helen Sevier, and other employees in 1986, but he continued to serve as emcee of the Classic for several more years. He later became a consultant and a popular spokesman for numerous companies in the fishing industry, and he launched a successful hunting industry enterprise to market deer feed and related products through his Whitetail Institute.

After a half-century of helping to grow and shape the sportfishing industry worldwide, Scott retired to his farm near Pintlala, Ala., where he remained mostly out of the public eye in the years prior to his death. He is survived by his wife Susan and his four children.

by AnglersChannel

Olivo goes solo and wins over $20,000 on Travis with 14.55. Maynard & Crumley win AOY

Place

JASON OLIVO
KYLE , TX

14.55

$20,400.00 with Power Pole Cash

JASON MCINTOSH
NEW BRAUNFELS , TX

JASON MCINTOSH
HOUSTON , TX

4.53

14.34

$2500.00

RONNY MAYNARD
GEORGETOWN , TX

ERIC CRUMLEY
LEANDER , TX

13.91

$4,000.00 with Skeeter Bonus Cash

BLAKE ARAPIS
BURNET , TX

CHARLES WILSON JR
BRIGGS , TX

5.84

13.83

$1200.00

GENE FUESSEL
AUSTIN , TX

GERALD MUELLER JR
HUTTO , TX

6.32

13.27

$1,530.00 with Big Bass

ALEX CANTRELL
PAIGE , TX

HUNTER AMIDON
AUSTIN , TX

6.05

13.11

$1020.00

TULLY WILLIAMS
GATESVILLE , TX

RYAN CRAWFORD
GATESVILLE , TX

13.03

$2,010.00 with Skeeter Bonus Cash

TRAVIS COCKERHAM
JARRELL , TX

LAKE KISSELBURG
BURNET , TX

12.98

$1000.00

TONY FERDINANDO
SPICEWOOD , TX

SHANE LOGAN
BUDA , TX

12.87

$1000.00

BRANDON DAY
BROWNWOOD , TX

CADE WILSON
EARLY , TX

12.68

$1,400.00 with Skeeter Bonus Cash

STAN KAMINSKI
JONESTOWN , TX

MICHAEL WALDROP
AUSTIN , TX

5.70

12.56

$850.00

LINO GUTIERREZ
COTTONWOOD WOOD SHORES , TX

RUBEN RIBERA
MARBLE FALLS , TX

12.17

$800.00

SHAWN TAYLOR
ABILENE , TX

JEREMY EASTERWOOD
HOLLOMAN AFB , NM

12.12

$750.00

SCOTT ROSS
GEORGETOWN , TX

DONNIE ROSS
GEORGETOWN , TX

12.10

$700.00

NICK LEFEBVRE
ROUND ROCK , TX

DAVE MANGELSDORF
GEORGETOWN , TX

11.84

$600.00

BILLY BREWER
HEWITT , TX

L J CASTILLO
WACO , TX

11.82

$600.00

FLOYD LESIKER
BELTON , TX

JOHN DRYDEN
LITTLE RIVER ACADEMY , TX

3.85

11.76

$600.00

JUSTIN HALLMARK
BERTRAM , TX

ROBERT COLLINS
PFLUGERVILLE , TX

11.62

BILL KIMBERLY
JARRELL , TX

WILLIAM SQUIRES
JARRELL , TX

11.54

LEE LEONARD
MARTINDALE , TX

SCOTT BRONDER
FALLS CITY , TX

4.43

11.25

KLINT KRHOVJAK
FRISCOL , TX

MALCOLM MIDDLEBROOK
ROUND ROCK , TX

11.02

PHILLIP MASSOLETTI
BURNET , TX

NOEL LOWE
BURNETT , TX

10.87

JEFFERY HUNTER
JARRELL , TX

JASPER HUNTER
JARRELL , TX

10.81

TERRY KIRCUS
BURNET , TX

JASON BUCHANAN
BURNET , TX

10.72

MIKE NICHELINI
FREDERICKSBURG , TX

JEFF DEFORGE
FREDERICKSBURG , TX

10.38

WYATT RAE
LEANDER , TX

HUNTER PRICE
LEANDER , TX

10.28

JJ LARSON
LEANDER , TX

JASON LARSON
LEANDER , TX

9.97

BRANDON JONES
BOERNE , TX

JARRETT WEIMER
CEDAR PARK , TX

9.84

DARRELL WUENSCHE
THRALL , TX

9.83

MARK ELLIOTT
LAGO VISTA , TX

KELCEY NICHOLS
ARLINGTON , TX

9.83

NORMAN WILSON JR
KILLEEN , TX

NORM WILSON SR
HUTTO , TX

9.79

NICHOLAS LONCAR
AUSTIN , TX

JASON AMESCUA
BELTON , TX

9.78

REX WHEELER
BELTON , TX

WILL DAVENPORT
AUSTIN , TX

9.70

JAMES STANLEY
SAN ANTONIO , TX

ANTHONY SKOUBY
CIBOLO , TX

9.64

JUSTIN MAY
LIBERTY HILL , TX

KEVIN THRESS
GEORGETOWN , TX

9.61

STERLING MARTIN
COMFORT , TX

COURTNEY BEHREND
COMFORT , TX

9.56

RAYMOND CALK
SAINT HEDWIG , TX

COREY SCHNAUTZ
MARION , TX

9.55

MATTHEW HATHAWAY
LULING , TX

THOMAS MYERS
SAN MARCOS , TX

9.54

CHARLES WHITED
SAN MARCOS , TX

TREY GROSS
DRIPPING SPRINGS , TX

9.44

BLAKE STASIUNAS
LEANDER , TX

FRANKLIN WIGET
BUDA , TX

9.41

JOHN ENCISO
SAN MARCOS , TX

PHILIP THOMPSON
NEW BRAUNFELS , TX

9.41

RAY TOMASITS
LEANDER , TX

CARY LAUDADIO
AUSTIN , TX

9.38

MIKE RICHARDSON
THORNDALE , TX

ZACH BROWN
GEORGETOWN , TX

9.38

DAMON ROSS
GEORGETOWN , TX

JOHN KAPALDO
BUDA , TX

9.27

DAVID CHILES
WACO , TX

PAT NUNLEY
WACO , TX

9.18

BARRY MOTT
GEORGETOWN , TX

MATT HILL
JONESTOWN , TX

9.14

COLE JONES
ROGERS , TX

GRAYSON HONEYCUTT
TEMPLE , TX

9.07

JON KUTZ
SEGUIN , TX

DERRICK HECKMAN
NIXON , TX

9.06

JEFFREY JONES
SAN ANTONIO , TX

JAMES CLAUSER JR
SAN ANTONIO , TX

8.96

ED WHALEY
MONTGOMERY , TX

DAREN SEBEK
TEMPLE , TX

8.85

JIMMY WILLOUGHBY
TROY , TX

JASON LEATHERWOOD
NOLANVILLE , TX

8.83

TOM GRIDLEY
WIMBERLEY , TX

BRAD DENTON
LIBERTY HILL, TX , TX

8.67

DEVIN GIBSON
GONZALES , TX

ROBERT PRESCOTT
SEGUIN , TX

8.66

KEITH HONEYCUTT
TEMPLE , TX

SAM JONES
ROGERS , TX

8.57

ALLEN SHELTON
FARMERS BRANCH , TX

BRAD DRAKE
COPPELL , TX

8.46

COLTEN WASHBURN
GATESVILLE , TX

KYLER SMITH
GATESVILLE , TX

8.28

DAVID ZACHGO
COLLEGE STATION , TX

MICHAEL ZACHGO
BOERNE , TX

8.26

AUSTIN QUIET
AUSTIN , TX

BRIAN ARABIE
AUSTIN , TX

8.22

DALE READ
LEANDER , TX

JIM SUNVISON
GEORGETOWN , TX

8.19

MIKE PICKWELL
DRIPPING SPRINGS , TX

CHUCK EBBINGHAUS
WIMBERLY , TX

8.16

JOSHUA SMITH
GATESVILLE , TX

TYELER WILLIAMS
GATESVILLE , TX

8.12

PATRICK ANDERSON
BUDA , TX

DOUG HAMILTON
LAKEWAY , TX

7.83

GEOFFREY HOOD
LAGO VISTA , TX

TOMMY POWERS
LAGO VISTA , TX

7.80

DAVID UNDERWOOD
WACO , TX

CHARLES SIMMONS
WACO , TX

7.67

JACK WILLIAMS
PFLUGERVILLE , TX

JASON CHARTOUNI
ROUND ROCK , TX

7.66

CHRIS STUDINGER
KYLE , TX

JOSHUA RHODES
SAN ANTONIO , TX

7.66

STEVE MAGNELIA
AUSTIN , TX

MICHAEL TENNANT
PFLUGERVILLE , TX

7.42

JESSE FISHER JR
KILLEEN , TX

JAMIE WARD
KILLEEN , TX

7.39

CHAD MAXWELL
LIBERTY HILL , TX

BRENT FALDYN
LIBERTY HILL , TX

7.27

SEAN EVANS
KILLEEN , TX

PAUL MIGAS
AUSTIN , TX

7.21

ROBERT BEARDMORE
AUSTIN , TX

CHRISTIAN NEWTON
NEW BRAUNFELS , TX

7.16

KEITH HEINRICH
LIBERTY HILL , TX

BRENT TREDEMEYER
LEANDER , TX

7.13

ALFONSO HERRERA
ALAMOGORDO , NM

BRANDON HERTEL
TYE , TX

6.76

JOEY KIRKLAND
SAN ANTONIO , TX

LUPE CONTRERAS JR
SAN ANTONIO , TX

5.40

JASON STENBAK
KEMPNER , TX

RAYMOND GIPSON
KILLEEN , TX

5.31

JOE ANDERSON
GATESVILLE , TX

JAMES MALONE
GATESVILLE , TX

4.01

JAMES CHRISTMAN
BELTON , TX

DAVEY CHRISTMAN
MOODY , TX

3.29

LUCAS LARSON
HUTTO , TX

CHRISTIAN HUNTER
LIBERTY HILL , TX

2.76

JEREMIAH WAFFORD
CEDAR PARK , TX

GARY WEIMER
LEANDER , TX

1.11

BRYAN COTTER
CEDAR PARK , TX

STEVE WILSON
FREDERICKSBURG , TX

0.00

ANDREW WHITEHEAD
PFLUGERVILLE , TX

MICKEY SANDERS
SPICEWOOD , TX

0.00

CHARLIE YOUNG
LIBERTY HILL , TX

JEFFERY MARKERT
CASTELL , TX

0.00

GARY JOHNSON
BELTON , TX

DON SCHUETZE
TEMPLE , TX

0.00

JOHNNY HOMANN
LOCKHART , TX

J HESS
LOCKHART , TX

0.00

LEE EVANS
LIBERTY HILL , TX

JAYSON KISSELBURG
BURNET , TX

0.00

JUSTIN KETCHUM
LIBERTY HILL , TX

SEAN CLAMPITT
ROUND ROCK , TX

0.00

KENNETH DAVIS
MONTGOMERY , TX

BURT BRIGGS
UNIVERSAL CITY , TX

0.00

ROBERT KESSLER
SPRING , TX

RUSSELL KESSLER
LA VERNIA , TX

0.00

TRENT ERXLEBEN
ROUND ROCK , TX

KENNETH MCDONNELL
GRANGER , TX

0.00

RANDY HIBLER
MARBLE FALLS , TX

RANDALL CHRISTIAN
TOW , TX

0.00

CHARLES REAGAN
THORNTON , TX

LOWELL BENNETT
HEWITT , TX

0.00

BRIAN MATER
AUSTIN , TX

PHILLIP WARREN
AUSTIN , TX

0.00

BILL GUZMAN
AUSTIN , TX

0.00

WESTON BROWN
HOUSTON , TX

DAVID DOONAN
CALDWELL , TX

0.00

TOM WILKINSON
LEANDER , TX

JAMES GREEN
LEANDER , TX

0.00

ROY STEGER
BELTON , TX

ANTHONY PACK
BELTON , TX

0.00

JAMIE SLAYDEN
AUSTIN , TX

BRANDON HOUSTON
GEORGETOWN , TX

0.00

ANTHONY GOODSON
DRIFTWOOD , TX

NOAH GOODSON
DRIFTWOOD , TX

0.00

COLT DIETZ
AUSTIN , TX

JOHN WARDEN
DRIPPING SPRINGS , TX

0.00

JIM HARCROW
MCKINNEY , TX

KEVIN DAVIS
FLORESVILLE , TX

0.00

BRAD DOBBS
HUDSON OAKS , TX

MIKE GROUNDS
MARBLE FALLS , TX

0.00

TODD IVINS
BOERNE , TX

SCOTT SMITH
HORSESHOE BAY , TX

0.00

DALE HUGHES
SAN ANGELO , TX

BARRY STUARD
CANYON LAKE , TX

0.00

WENDELL RAMSEY SR
SAN ANGELO , TX

WENDELL RAMSEY JR
WEBBERVILLE , TX

0.00

KLEIGHTON WESTPHALL
DEL VALLE , TX

BRUCE NORVELL
WACO , TX

0.00

LEE BEUERSHAUSEN
MARBLE FALLS , TX

RANDY GROUNDS
HORSESHOE BAY , TX

0.00

BRENNAN FERTIG
BELLVILLE , TX

JAMES BEAUCHAMP
SUNRISE BEACH , TX

0.00

CRAIG CORDOVA
KYLE , TX

DOLLY MARTIN
KYLE , TX

0.00

TRENT BLAKE
MARBLE FALLS , TX

CHARLES DORTCH III
GEORGETOWN , TX

0.00

ROBERT BUTLER
CEDAR PARK , TX

0.00

EASTON JOHNSON
AUSTIN , TX

JAY JOHNSON
AUSTIN , TX

0.00

MIKE MAY
AUSTIN , TX

0.00

TATE SHULTZ
AMARILLO , TX

JUSTIN SHULTZ
AMARILLO , TX

0.00

GREG OSTERTAG
BOGATA , TX

0.00

CARSON HOWARD
VICTORIA , TX

CARSON THOMAS
VICTORIA , TX

0.00

JACOB MEREDITH
PFLUGERVILLE , TX

JAMES MEREDITH
AUSTIN , TX

0.00

LANCE DILLARD
LLANO , TX

BLAKE DILLARD
LLANO , TX

0.00

MICHAEL ATKINS
NEW BRAUNFELS , TX

BRINTON HASKINS
NEW BRAUNFELS , TX

0.00

GERALD POBORIL
TEMPLE , TX

JACK POWE
KEMPNER , TX

0.00

CHAD KALLINA
LAGO VISTA , TX

CHRIS ABBITT
LAGO VISTA , TX

0.00

WADE MEHAFFEY
NEW BRAUNFELS , TX

JOHNNY ZUNKER
NEW BRAUNSFELS , TX

0.00

GREG MEHAFFEY
GATESVILLE , TX

JOEY MARTIN
HORSESHOE BAY , TX

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DEAN ALEXANDER
GEORGETOWN , TX

THOMAS MARTENS
CEDAR PARK , TX

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DANIEL GIBSON
CEDAR PARK , TX

LEANN GIBSON
CEDAR PARK , TX

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BLAIR COBBLE
LAGO VISTA , TX

TERRY COBBLE
ROUND ROCK , TX

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KEVIN UNGER
SMITHVILLE , TX

TIM GOETZ
SMITHVILLE , TX

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BRYAN ANDRAS
CYPRESS , TX

CORNEL ANDRAS
CYPRESS , TX

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BEN BENTURA
MANCHACA , TX

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ROBBY PAYNE
BUCHANAN DAM , TX

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TROY BOLDWYN
BUDA , TX

WILLIAM BOLDT
KYLE , TX

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STEVEN KIRKWOOD
ROUND ROCK , TX

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TIM BOYES
LEAGUE CITY , TX

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BUCK TAYLOR
GEORGETOWN , TX

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by AnglersChannel

Stanley Comes from Behind to Win Toyota Series Event on Lake Chickamauga

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (May 8, 2022) – After sitting in 69^th place after Day One of the three-day tournament, pro Matt Stanley of Alexandria, Tennessee rallied on Day Two, finishing in 13^thplace with 29 pounds, 9 ounces going into the final day. On Saturday, Stanley brought another limit weighing 22 pounds, 2 ounces to the scales to win the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at Lake Chickamauga. Stanley’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 51-11 earned him the win by a 1-pound, 11-ounce margin over second-place pro Kevin Meunier of Lamar, Indiana and earned Stanley the top payout of $60,000.

Hosted by Chattanooga Sports, the tournament is the third and final event of the season for the Toyota Series Central Division anglers and will feature the region’s best bass-fishing pros and Strike King co-anglers casting for a top prize of up to $75,000.

Stanley said he is typically hard-headed and tries to win the event on Day One, then ends up struggling toward the end of the tournament. However, he decided to switch up his mindset for this event.

“I fished a little slower during this tournament and made sure I caught five fish each time I went out,” Stanley said. “I just focused on maintaining a solid bag, that way I could have a shot of making it to the final day, then on the final day, I swung for the fences. I went from catching 8-15 keepers per day on the first two days, to only catching five on Day Three, but I dramatically increased my weights.”

Stanley said he threw a variety of baits over the three days, including a ¾-ounce Picasso Inviz R Wire Double Willow Spinnerbait with a 6-inch Culprit Skinny Jerk trailer, as well as a 5-inch Gary Yamamoto Senko, wacky-rigged, in bubble gum color.

“I feel like I got really lucky, getting on a big bite,” Stanley said. “The guys at the top after the first two days had at least one big fish, so I knew that was going to be the key to making it to the top of the leaderboard.”

Stanley said he only caught five fish on the final day, but one of those fish was a 9-pounder that was one of the catches of a lifetime, and that was all he needed.

“I’d been catching the outskirts of a large group of fish throughout the tournament and on Day Three I was finally the only one fishing that group but couldn’t get them to bite anything I was throwing,” Stanley said. “Eventually I had one hit the spinnerbait, so I knew they were bass. I pulled out a Megabass Jerkbait and tied it on 10-pound Seaguar Red Label Fluorocarabon Line on a Lew’s Speed Spool LFS Casting Reel with an iROD Genesis III Series Casting Rod, and they started biting.”

After catching a catfish earlier that morning that had completely wrecked his line and hooks, Stanley said he re-tied his jerkbait and blindly threw it out toward a shallow area, where he got another bite that he was positive was just another catfish.

“It was swimming away slowly, so I just held pressure on it, then it shook its head three times and I realized it was a giant bass. My line started coming up real slow, then the bass jumped about 40 yards from the boat, and we could see how big it was and I said, ‘Oh my God, what a bass.’

“It hit the water, then realized it was hooked and the fight was on. It jumped around and was being super erratic, acting crazy like a smallmouth and jumping several more times,” Stanley continued. “I told my co-angler I couldn’t look at it, because if it came off the hook, I was going to be sick.”

His co-angler netted the bass neatly, and Stanley had his limit – and a 9-pound kicker fish – by 9:30 a.m.

“This win feels great – It’s not really about the money, because I love fishing so much, but catching that 9-pounder made the whole week for me,” said the first time Toyota Series winner. “The trophy, money and bragging rights are an extra bonus, but catching a fish like that is the reason every guy out there started fishing in the first place.

“Everyone wants to win. You aren’t going to need all that money when you’re 100 years old, but you will look back and remember catching a fish like that,” Stanley added.

The top 10 pros on Lake Chickamauga finished:

1^st:           Matt Stanley of Alexandria, Tenn., 15 bass, 51-11, $60,000
2^nd:          Kevin Meunier of Lamar, Ind., 15 bass, 50-0, $25,500
3^rd:          Tommy Brown of Louisville, Tenn., 14 bass, 48-12, $17,000
4^th:           Andrew Nordbye of Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 48-7, $15,000
5^th:           Cody Nichols of Fayette, Ala., 15 bass, 46-8, $14,000
6^th:           Kevin Drake of Cleveland, Tenn., 15 bass, 45-11, $11,500
7^th:           Clay Reece of Lexington, Ky., 15 bass, 45-4, $9,000
8^th:           Michael Black of Toledo, Ill., 14 bass, 44-15, $8,000
9^th:           Carl Gillespie of Old Hickory, Tenn., 15 bass, 44-15, $7,000
10^th:        Casey Martin of Brownsboro, Ala., 15 bass, 44-8, $5,000

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Andrew Johnson of Glencoe, Alabama won the $500 Day One Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Thursday, bringing a bass weighing 9 pounds, 13 ounces to the scale. Meunier won Friday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass award, bringing a 7-pound, 11-ounce bass to the scale.

Drake took home an extra $1,000 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Jeremy Bouldin of Kings Mountain, North Carolina won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 44 pounds, 6 ounces. Bouldin took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on Lake Chickamauga finished:

1^st: Jeremy Bouldin of Kings Mountain, N.C., 14 bass, 44-6, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2^nd:          Anthony Mondo of Ooltewah, Tenn., 13 bass, 32-12, $7,700
3^rd:          Pop Catalin of Cookeville, Tenn., 12 bass, 32-1, $6,000
4^th:           James S. Burns of Nancy, Ky., 12 bass, 30-7, $4,500
5^th:           Richard Arnold of Owens Cross Roads, La., 12 bass, 28-12, $4,000
6^th:           Randy Wiggins of Birmingham, Ala., 11 bass, 27-6, $3,650
7^th:           Mitch Friedman of Colleyville, Texas, 10 bass, 26-7, $3,000
8^th:           Tommy Pritchard of Bargersville, Ind., eight bass, 24-12, $2,250
9^th:           Charlie Crouch of Waterloo, Ala., nine bass, 23-8, $1,700
10^th:        Andy Vance of Danville, Ind., 11 bass, 23-7, $1,700

The Day One Berkley Big Bass $150 award winner in the Strike King co-angler division, was Michael Corbett of Oxford, Alabama with a 7-pound, 12-ounce bass, while the Day Two $150 award went to Jim Opetaia-Williamson with a 6-pound bass.

The Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at Lake Chickamauga was hosted by Chattanooga Sports. It was the third and final tournament in the Central Division. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will take place on May 19-21 – the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida, hosted by the Visit Lake County, Florida. For a complete schedule, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2022 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions and finish in the top 25 – or the top 12 from the Wild Card division – will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 cash. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2022 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Championship will be held Nov. 3-5 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, and is hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Outlaw Ordinance, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.

by AnglersChannel

Hayden Heck Wins Toyota Series Event on Sam Rayburn

BROOKELAND, Texas (May 7, 2022) – Pro Hayden Heck of Lufkin, Texas, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Friday weighing 18 pounds, 1 ounce to win the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at Sam Rayburn and earn the top payout of $75,300, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus. Heck’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 65-3 earned him the victory by a 2-pound, 7-ounce margin over second place pro Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas, who caught 15 bass weighing 62-12 to finish second.

The three-day bass fishing tournament, hosted by the Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Chamber of Commerce, was the third and final event of the regular season for the Toyota Series Southwestern Division Presented by Outlaw Ordnance.

Heck moved to Sam Rayburn two years ago to dedicate himself to becoming a professional angler. He’s spent 4 to 5 days a week out on the lake graphing and learning all it’s nuances. So, he’s put in the time, and Friday, it showed.

“This feels amazing,” Heck said after the win. “I moved out from California to do this, for moments like this. So, it’s crazy it happened. Crazy [to beat Combs]. I mean, I fished with him on the final day of a B.A.S.S. Open as a co-angler a couple years ago, and I won that event. So, it was crazy to be back up on stage with him and to pull this thing off.”

How he was doing it was how many others this week found success – targeting brush piles and hard spots right at the mouths of spawning areas – the first areas the big girls would transition to on their way out from the shallows.

The areas weren’t technically deep, offshore places, but they weren’t close enough to the bank, either. Just 40-50 little sweet spots that Heck would check with his Garmin LiveScope to see if fish were suspended above the piles.

If the fish were there and shot off the bottom when he cranked his Strike King 5XD over their heads, he knew he was going to catch them. Be it on the crankbait, a Roboworm Straight Tail Worm (mean green) on a drop-shot or a rare 6-inch swimbait. However, if they didn’t, they’d just follow his lures in, which is unfortunately what happened a lot on Friday.

“Today, the fish were more in the brush piles with the high sun,” Heck said. “Yesterday’s clouds had them roaming around a bit more off to the sides of the brush piles, which made it better for me.”

Considering he figured it would take 25 pounds to beat Combs, his 18-1 bag had him truly feeling he’d come up short. That is, until he got the surprise he’d dreamed of for two years.

“My heart is still pounding so much,” Heck said while holding the trophy. “I mean, I 100% felt I needed 25 pounds. Keith is a hammer. So, this is just crazy.”

The top 10 pros on Sam Rayburn finished:

1st: Hayden Heck, Lufkin, Texas, 15 bass, 65-3, $75,300
2nd: Keith Combs, Huntington, Texas, 15 bass, 62-12, $15,535
3rd: Brian Schott, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 57-9, $11,640
4th: Wyatt Frankens, Corrigan, Texas, 13 bass, 52-12, $9,700
5th: Kevin Lasyone, Dry Prong, La., 15 bass, 52-0, $8,730
6th: Cole Stewart, Hemphill, Texas, 15 bass, 49-2, $7,760
7th: Chris Jones, Bokoshe, Okla., 15 bass, 49-2, $6,790
8th: Jack York, Nacogdoches, Texas, 15 bass, 48-10, $5,820
9th: River Lee, Nacogdoches, Texas, 15 bass, 48-2, $4,850
10th: Marshall Hughes, Hemphill, Texas, 15 bass, 47-13, $3,880

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Cal Cameron of Coppell, Texas, won the $500 Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Wednesday with a largemouth weighing 9 pounds, 3 ounces. Huntington’s Keith Combs earned Thursday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass award with an 11-pound, 5-ounce behemoth.

Heck took home an extra $35,000 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

James Moore, Jr., of Lampasas, Texas, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Friday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 41 pounds, 6 ounces. Moore took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on Sam Rayburn finished:

1st: James Moore, Jr., Lampasas, Texas, 15 bass, 41-6, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd: Daniel May, La Porte, Texas, 15 bass, 36-11, $4,868
3rd: Erik Knutson, Saint Croix Falls, Wis., 14 bass, 36-9, $3,894
4th: James Allen Pruitt, Houston, Texas, 15 bass, 34-12, $3,407
5th: Brody Hardaway, Broken Bow, Okla., 13 bass, 33-6, $2,921
6th: Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., 14 bass, 32-3, $2,434
7th: Joe Lee, Midlothian, Texas, 13 bass, 31-9, $1,947
8th: Bryan Allen, Conroe, Texas, 15 bass, 31-7, $1,704
9th: Scott Pickett, Chandler, Texas, 15 bass, 30-9, $1,460
10th: Kevin Carter, Spring, Texas, 15 bass, 29-4, $1,217

The Day 1 Berkley Big Bass $150 award winner in the Strike King co-angler division, was Donny Davis of Livingston, Louisiana, with a 6-pound, 12-ounce bass, while the Day 2 $150 award went to Justin Overstreet of Poolville, Texas, who weighed in a 7-pound, 2-ounce largemouth.

Now that the three regular-season events in the Toyota Series Southwestern Division Presented by Outlaw Ordnance are complete, pro Kris Wilson of Montgomery, Texas, has won the Toyota Series Western Division Pro Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 744 points, while Robert Chavers of Knoxville, Arkansas, won the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 753 points.

The next event for Toyota Series anglers will take place May 19-21 – the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida. For a complete schedule, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

by AnglersChannel

Tiebreaker Lifts Thompson To Victory At B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional On Grand Lake

Doug Thompson, of Mabelvale, Ark., has won the 2022 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional at Grand Lake with a three-day total of 42 pounds, 7 ounces.

Photo by Dalton Tumblin/B.A.S.S.

May 6, 2022

GROVE, Okla. — Doug Thompson and Tim Carmouche finished in a statistical tie for the lead after Friday’s final round of the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional at Grand Lake, each with a three-day total of 42 pounds, 7 ounces.

But because Thompson had the biggest single-day bag between the two of them — a five-bass limit that weighed 18-11 on Day 1 — he was named the victor and earned $5,500.

With a Day 2 bag weighing 13-9 and a final-day limit of 10-3, Thompson also earned a spot in the 2022 Nation Championship in November as the top finishing Arkansas B.A.S.S. Nation boater.

While Thompson has qualified for three Nation Championships previously, with one of those trips ultimately resulting in a ninth-place finish at the 2014 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Guntersville, the Mabelvale, Ark., angler had never won a Regional before Friday.

“I’ve been fishing this since ‘07 and you get to know the guys you have to beat in this thing,” Thompson said. “They were all lined up there this morning and I thought, ‘This is going to be tough.’ I’ve wanted (this trophy) for a long time. This is an amazing program. Guys who aren’t fishing it are missing out.”

Heavy rains throughout practice and the first two days of the tournament caused Grand Lake to change every day. The first day, the lake was well below full pool. Day 2 saw it rise to just above full pool.

On Day 3, the Bassmaster crew was forced to move the weigh-in stage away from the pavilion at Wolf Creek Park as the water rose close to 5 feet overnight and left anglers scrambling to find patterns.

Fishing a mix of rock and wood, Thompson weighed in the second-biggest bag of the tournament on Day 1 in an area where he had not practiced but knew about from a previous tournament. He said several other key areas played a role as well.

He cranked a squarebill around rock each day before flipping a tube at wooded cover.

“I wasn’t expecting that bag. I didn’t touch it in practice because I didn’t want to stick any,” Thompson said. “I just pulled in and it was on. I was able to ride that spot and a couple of other places for the three days.”

On the second day, Thompson had to slow down and use a shaky head and a Senko to catch his limit and maintain his second-place position. By Day 3, several of his spots began to muddy up, including his primary area, and the rock points he had been fishing were completely submerged. The water temperature had also dropped.

Around the corner from his primary area, however, was some cleaner water, and Thompson used a ChatterBait and the tube to secure a limit.

With bags of 16-4, 10-15 and 15-4, Carmouche ended his tournament with a three-day total of 42-7. While he may have lost the tiebreaker for the overall win, the Gonzales, La., native qualified for the Championship as the highest finishing Louisiana boater.

“I can remember exactly how many times I’ve made the state team, but this tournament has always been my crutch,” he said. “I have never done better than 11th overall in these Regionals and never won my state. This is awesome. I’m looking forward to representing Louisiana.”

After spending several days of practice up North, Carmouche spent the final day of practice on the South end of the lake and had 20 keeper bites. That strong bite continued into the first day of the tournament, as he caught 25 to 30 keeper bass on a wacky-rigged Senko and landed in sixth place.

Debris from the storms made it difficult for Carmouche to fish his primary area and he fell to 13th on Day 2 with a smaller limit.

“Down South, they were on beds. With the bad weather we had, you couldn’t really see them the first day. The second day, the water rose and you couldn’t see them, but I knew they were there. They just weren’t as active.”

With water continuing to rise, Carmouche moved to the mid-lake area where the muddy water and clear water began to mix. In the clearer pockets, he found bass holding in 10 to 15 feet of water and used a jig to land his 15-4 bag, the largest of Championship Friday.

“I just got on some deeper ledges and they were aggressive and they were all prespawn females,” Carmouche said. “They are in all stages right now.”

On his way to Grand Lake, Ryan Lavigne was involved in an accident, forcing him to return home and pick up another boat before coming to Oklahoma. Despite the rocky start to the week, the Louisiana boater finished third with a 40-12 total that included bags of 15-8, 14-11 and 10-9.

“I’m very blessed to be where I am at. From a rough start to the trip to a rough practice and then building on what little I found every day,” he said. “I haven’t been fishing much the last few years and it feels good to get back into it and actually compete.”

Day 2 leader Mike Webster earned $500 for catching the Big Bass of the Tournament, a 6-4 largemouth on Day 1.

Thompson took home an additional $500 as the winner of the Garmin Tournament Rewards.

Kansas native Ray Cates took home the victory in the nonboater division with a three-day total of 25-10. After landing in 23rd with 7-5 on Day 1, Cates put together bags of 10-3 and 8-2 the final two days to claim the trophy. Cates has made a name for himself as a nonboater, winning that division at the 2021 Nation Championship on the Ouachita River and nearly winning two years ago at Pickwick Lake as well.

“I missed winning the championship (at Pickwick) by 2 ounces and managed to get the win down in Louisiana. I got back here today and made it happen,” he said.

The top boater and nonboater from each state represented in this week’s event punched a ticket to the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship scheduled for Nov. 9-11 on Pickwick, where three berths will be awarded to the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk. The top boater from the Nation Championship will also earn an invitation to the Bassmaster Elite Series.

by AnglersChannel

Alabama Bass Trail Announces 2023 Tournament Schedule and Payout and Celebrates Tenth Anniversary with Additional Prize Money

Decatur, Ala. (May 6, 2022) – The Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series will enter its tenth season next year as the state’s premier weekend tournament trail for amateur bass anglers with an 11-event schedule offering more than $590,000 in awards including $10K in prize money in celebration of the tournament’s tenth anniversary. The season gets underway February 11, 2023, on Lewis Smith Lake and concludes Oct. 20-21, 2023, with the championship on Weiss Lake.

“We are thrilled to celebrate ten years of tournament fishing in the great state of Alabama,” said Alabama Bass Trail Program Director Kay Donaldson. “It has been exciting to watch the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series grow since its inception in 2013. From our sponsors and supporters to the anglers and their families, there are no words to adequately express my appreciation. We set out ten years ago to create an opportunity for anglers to experience what makes Alabama so special when it comes to bass fishing, and year after year, the host cities step up to create a world class angler experience that exceeds everyone’s expectations. Not only have we won the support and trust from anglers who return year after year, local communities are realizing the economic impact from hosting a tournament of this caliber. Everyone, from our lodging partners to local attractions, restaurants, shops and gas stations, see an impact from the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series.”

Sanctioned by BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society), the ABT Tournament Series contains two divisions, North and South, and each division is made up of five tournaments on five different lakes. The maximum number of boats for each tournament is 225. Teams must fish in all five tournaments in their respective division; no single entries will be allowed.

North Division:

February 11, 2023 Lewis Smith Lake in Jasper, Ala.

March 18, 2023 Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Ala.

April 15, 2023 Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Ala.

May 13, 2023 Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala.

June 24, 2023 Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala.

South Division:

February 25, 2023 Lake Martin in Alexander City, Ala.

March 11, 2023 Lay Lake in Columbiana, Ala.

April 29, 2023 Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Ala.

May 20, 2023 Logan Martin Lake in Lincoln, Ala.

June 10, 2023 Alabama River (Cooter's Pond) in Prattville, Ala.

Hosted by the town of Leesburg, the championship tournament will be held October 20-21, 2023, on Weiss Lake.

The no-entry fee championship event will include up to 185 boats. The 185 boats are comprised of the 10 regular season winners, top 75 teams in points from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective divisions, along with the top 15 student teams, top five college teams and the top five couples teams collectively from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective division.

Each regular season tournament features a $10,000 guaranteed first place prize and pays 40 places totaling $47,400. In celebration of the tournament series’ tenth anniversary, the Alabama Bass Trail will pay two additional teams $500 at each of the 10 regular season tournaments. The two additional paychecks will be awarded to teams who finish in 75^th place and 150^th place at each regular season tournament in 2023.

The no-entry fee championship will feature a $100,000 payout with a first place prize of $50,000. There is also a $5,000 bonus cash prize for Angler of the Year and $2,500 for runner-up Angler of the Year.

2023 Payout Schedule:

First place $10,000

Second place $ 5,000

Third place $ 4,000

Fourth place $ 3,000

Fifth place $ 2,000

Sixth place $ 1,500

Seventh place $ 1,100

Eighth place $ 1,100

Ninth place $ 1,100

Tenth place $ 1,100

11^th – 20^th $ 750 each

21^st – 40^th $ 500 each

75^th and 150^th $ 500 each

2023 Championship Payout:

First place $50,000

Second place $10,000

Third place $ 5,000

Fourth place $ 4,000

Fifth place $ 3,000

Sixth place $ 2,500

Seventh place $ 2,200

Eighth place $ 2,000

Ninth place $ 1,800

Tenth place $ 1,500

11^th-15^th $ 1,200 each

16^th-25^th $ 1,100 each

Big Fish $500 daily

In addition to their entry fees paid, the Alabama Bass Trail will award $500 per team to the 18 teams who qualify for the B.A.S.S. Team Championship to be used for travel expenses. According to Donaldson, nearly $600,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded when the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series wraps up its season in 2023. “We are excited to announce the additional prize money to commemorate our tenth year. The first nine years have been successful and we look forward to the next ten years in reaching more anglers and showcasing the outstanding fishing opportunities that exist throughout Alabama,” added Donaldson.

Anglers who fished all five events in their respective divisions in 2022 will be given a priority entry period beginning August 1, 2022, at 6 a.m. CST online at www.alabamabasstrail.org. Registration opens for new teams August 15 at 6 a.m. CST. The entry fee remains at $1,300 per team, which includes registration for all five tournaments in the respective division. Each team may choose to pay a $500 nonrefundable deposit to hold the team’s spot. The balance of $800 is due on or before January 11, 2023.

Alabama Bass Trail Tournament sponsors include Phoenix Bass Boats, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Advantage Trailer Rentals, Alabama Power Foundation, Alabama State Parks, Berkley, Bajio Sunglasses, Big Bite Baits, Black Rifle Coffee Company, Buck N’ Bass, Busch Light, E3 Sport Apparel, Fish Neely Henry Lake, Jack’s, Lew’s Fishing, Mountain Dew, FishAlabama.org, Bill Penney Automotive, America’s First Federal Credit Union, Visit North Alabama, Alabama Tourism Department, T-H Marine Supplies, Inc., Power-Pole Total Boat Control, Strike King Lure Company, Yamaha, Yeti Coolers, Wedowee Marine and Garmin.

Angler’s Channel will continue the live-streaming and will film and produce the Alabama Bass Trail television series for Bally Sports Southeast to air at a later date.

by AnglersChannel

Jesse Wiggins Wins MLF Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks

Addison, Alabama, Angler Weighs in 11 Bass Totaling 27 Pounds, 11 Ounces to Earn First Career Bass Pro Tour Win and Top Payout of $100,000

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (May 5, 2022) – All week long, Addison, Alabama, pro Jesse Wiggins said that when he closed his eyes, Lake of the Ozarks felt exactly like his home fishery – Lewis Smith Lake in North Alabama. That hometown “feel” was just what Wiggins needed this week. The 32-year-old Alabama angler caught 11 scorable bass Thursday weighing 27 pounds, 11 ounces to win the MLF Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Bass Cat in Osage Beach, Missouri, and take home the top prize of $100,000.

“Oh my gosh,” said an emotional Wiggins as time expired. “I’m shaking, my videographers shaking, my official is shaking – we’re freaking tore up. I’m just a redneck from Alabama that likes to fish and loves to throw a shaky-head.

“I get here, and the banks look identical to Smith Lake. I mean, identical. And the fish set up identical. It seemed like I could call my shot, all week long.”

Wiggins spent the tournament targeting boat docks with a homemade shaky-head rig. After winning the Group A Qualifying Round, he advanced directly into Thursday’s Championship Round.

“I did exactly what I wanted to do, all week,” Wiggins said. “I grew up throwing a worm – that’s all we did. And we finally get a lake where they’re spawning and they’re biting the shaky-head. When they’re on that thing, I feel like I can win.”

Wiggins shaky-head rig was homemade – he fished both a 1/8-ounce and a 3/16-ounce – and he credited his key bait as being a watermelon-candy-colored Jackall Flick Shake worm.

“I always throw my shaky-heads on my 7-foot, 1-inch extra fast St. Croix Legend Elite rod – medium-heavy – with a Quantum Smoke S3 reel,” Wiggins said. “My line was Seaguar – Smackdown 30-pound braid and a 12-pound (Seaguar) Invisx leader . I worked with 12-pound because the water was dingy, and I was throwing it mainly around docks and cables.

“To come away with a win, first place against these guys – Lord have mercy, I can’t even put it into words,” Wiggins went on to say. “My support system back home – they all sacrifice so much. My wife Haley, River, my mom, Haley’s mom, Haley’s sisters, my grandma, my brothers – it’s crazy how much they sacrifice just for me to come out here and chase these things. I am so happy to win this for them. I can’t wait to bring this trophy back home to Addison.”

The top 10 pros from the Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Bass Cat finished:

1^st:          Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 11 bass, 27-11, $100,000
2^nd:         Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., nine bass, 25-4, $45,000
3^rd:         Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., six bass, 17-11, $38,000
4^rd:         Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 14-0, $32,000
5^th:         Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 13-2, $30,000
6^th:         Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, four bass, 11-11, $26,000
7^th:         Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., four bass, 10-9, $23,000
8^th:         Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., three bass, 10-4, $21,000
9^th:         Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., two bass, 4-3, $19,000
10^th:       Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., zero bass, 0-0, $16,000

Full results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall there were 49 scorable bass weighing 134 pounds, 7 ounces caught by the final 10 pros Thursday.

General Tire pro Mark Rose earned Thursday’s Championship Round $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award – his second Big Bass Award of the event – with a 4-pound, 9-ounce largemouth that bit a Strike King Finesse jig in Period 1. Brookeland, Texas, pro Dakota Ebare earned the $3,000 Berkley Big Bass award for the overall largest bass of the event with his 6-pound, 14-ounce largemouth that he weighed on Day 1 of competition.

After four regular-season events down in the 2022 Bass Pro Tour season, reigning Bally Bet Angler of the Year (AOY) Jacob Wheeler currently leads with 300 pounds, while Jordan Lee sits right behind Wheeler in second place with 284 points. Dayton, Tennessee’s Andy Morgan sits in third with 255 points. Jesse Wiggins currently sits in fourth place with 251.5 points, while Alton Jones, Jr., rounds out the top five with 231 points.

The Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Bass Cat featured 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 Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Bass Cat was hosted by Central Missouri’s Tri-County Lodging Association, the Lake of the Ozarks Fishing Council and BassingBob.com. The event showcased 80 of the top professional bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.

Television coverage of the Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Bass Cat will premiere as two two-hour episodes at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 15 and Saturday, Oct. 22 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.

The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2023 championship.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, 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.

by AnglersChannel

MLF Announces Details for 2022 Wiley X College Fishing Faceoff Events

TULSA, Okla. (May 5, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today the schedule and details for the 2022 Wiley X College Fishing Faceoffs. The Wiley X College Faceoffs – originally launched in 2019 – are single-day tournaments in a four-event series where competitors will fish in an MLF-style catch, weigh, immediate-release format at each event. The College Faceoff tournaments occur on the Saturdays following an Abu Garcia College Fishing competition on the same body of water.

“The Wiley X College Fishing Faceoff events are a great way for our student anglers to feel the excitement and intensity of the SCORETRACKER™ leaderboard and compete in MLF’s catch, weigh, immediate-release format,” said Kevin Hunt, MLF Senior Director of Tournament Operations, College and High School Fishing. “The anglers that competed in last year’s Faceoff events all thoroughly enjoyed competing in them, and I am sure that the anglers that compete in these events will also find them very fun and beneficial.”

The results from the College Fishing tournament the previous day will determine the 20 competitors for the Wiley X College Faceoff, with the top two teams (four anglers) from the top five schools in the regular season tournament qualifying to fish in the ten-boat faceoff the following day.

Coverage will be provided for each Wiley X College Faceoff at MajorLeagueFishing.com and on MLF social media outlets, including interviews and a trophy presentation for top finishers. Top individual teams will be recognized, and the school with the highest total combined weight from their two participating teams will be crowned the Wiley X Faceoff Champions. Sponsor prizes, including Wiley X sunglasses, will be awarded to the top finishers.

2022 MLF Wiley X College Faceoff Schedule

Saturday Smith Mountain Lake
June 4 Huddleston, Va.

Saturday Mississippi River
July 30 La Crosse, Wis.

Saturday Lake Erie
Sept. 10 Sandusky, Ohio

Saturday Pickwick Lake
Oct. 22 Counce, Tenn.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular College Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Wesley Strader Paces Knockout Round Field, Final 10 Set for Championship Thursday at MLF Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks

Spring City, Tennessee Angler Catches 11 Scorable Bass Totaling 34-2 to Earn First Knockout Round Win, Final 10 Anglers Set for Championship Thursday and Final-Day Shootout for $100,000

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (May 4, 2022) – “The W” got it done Wednesday at Lake of the Ozarks. Spring City, Tennessee, pro Wesley Strader caught 11 scorable largemouth weighing 34 pounds, 2 ounces, to best the 38 anglers competing and win the Knockout Round at the MLF Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Bass Cat in Osage Beach, Missouri. The final 10 anglers are now set, and competition will resume Thursday morning with the Championship Round when weights are zeroed, and the angler that catches the most one-day weight will take home top prize of $100,000.

The six-day tournament, hosted by Central Missouri’s Tri-County Lodging Association, the Lake of the Ozarks Fishing Council and BassingBob.com, showcases 80 of the top pro bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner. The tournament is livestreamed each day at MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MOTV app, and also filmed for broadcast later this fall on the Discovery Channel.

The top eight pros from Wednesday’s Knockout Round that will compete in Thursday’s final-day Championship Round on Lake of the Ozarks are:

1^st:          Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 11 bass, 34-2
2^nd:         Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 12 bass, 33-7
3^rd:         Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 32-11
4^th:         Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., nine bass, 29-11
5^th:         Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, nine bass, 27-11
6^th:         Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., seven bass, 27-0
7^th:         Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., seven bass, 24-5
8^th:         Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., eight bass, 23-12

They’ll be joined by Qualifying Round Winners:

Group A: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala.
Group B: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn.

Full results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

“What an amazing, blessed day,” Strader said in his post-game interview. “I’m happy to win a round. I know it’s not the Qualifying Round day that you really want to win, but it feels nice to just get a win.”

Strader caught an early 4-pound, 10-ounce largemouth on a Z-Man ChatterBait in Period 1, then switched to the bait that he did most of his damage on – a green-pumpkin-colored 3/8-ounce compact jig with a Zoom Speed Craw trailer. He credited his Lowrance electronics as being crucial to his success this week.

“My Lowrance has been a big key for me,” Strader said. “Being able to see how those contours fell in – most of the bites were kind of halfway back, and out, and you had to have some steeper stuff nearby. I found all of that on my C-Map.

“I’m excited about making it to the Championship round, I just hope they bite as good as they did today,” Strader said. “I think I found an area of the lake that has some fish that are willing to bite – some of them are up spawning, and some of them aren’t. We’re going to go home, sharpen our hooks, then go to the store and see if we can find any more of these jigs. I’m going to buy every one they have in the tackle shop, spool up some new Shooter Sunline and get ready to go for tomorrow.”

Rounding out the top 40 finishers were:

11^th:       Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, seven bass, 23-2, $10,000
12^th:       Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., eight bass, 22-11, $10,000
13^th:       Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., eight bass, 22-2, $10,000
14^th:       Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., eight bass, 21-5, $10,000
15^th:       Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., seven bass, 20-2, $10,000
16^th:       Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., six bass, 19-8, $10,000
17^th:       Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., seven bass, 19-1, $10,000
18^th:       Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., seven bass, 18-15, $10,000
19^th:       Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, six bass, 18-11, $10,000
20^th:       Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, seven bass, 18-8, $10,000
21^st:       Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., eight bass, 18-4, $10,000
22^nd:      Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., six bass, 17-3, $10,000
23^rd:      Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., seven bass, 16-4, $10,000
24^th:       Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., six bass, 16-1, $10,000
25^th:       Jeff Kriet, Ardmore, Okla., four bass, 15-3, $10,000
26^th:       Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, five bass, 14-14, $10,000
27^th:       Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., five bass, 14-13, $10,000
28^th:       Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., four bass, 14-12, $10,000
29^th:       Shaw Grigsby, Gainesville, Fla., five bass, 14-11, $10,000
30^th:       David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., six bass, 14-10, $10,000
31^st:       Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., five bass, 14-6, $10,000
32^nd:      Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., five bass, 14-5, $10,000
33^rd:      James Watson, Lampe, Mo., five bass, 13-0, $10,000
34^th:       Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., four bass, 11-15, $10,000
35^th:       Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., four bass, 10-15, $10,000
36^th:       Shin Fukae, Osaka, Japan, four bass, 10-15, $10,000
37^th:       Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., four bass, 10-12, $10,000
38^th:       Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., four bass, 10-10, $10,000
39^th:       Alton Jones, Sr., Lorena, Texas, three bass, 9-9, $10,000
40^th:       Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., three bass, 7-6, $10,000

Overall, there were 241 scorable bass weighing 707 pounds, 4 ounces caught by the 38 pros Wednesday. The catch included 23 four-pounders, nine five-pounders and one six-pounder.

General Tire pro Mark Rose earned the $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award Wednesday, catching a 6-pound, 1-ounce largemouth on a jig in Period 1. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. After the two-day Qualifying Round, the anglers that finished in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advanced to Wednesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advanced directly to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round weights wereiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii zeroed, and the remaining 38 anglers competed to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. Tomorrow, in the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

The final 10 anglers will launch Thursday at 7:30 a.m. from the Grand Glaize Marina Recreation Area, located at 711 Public Beach Road in Osage Beach. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the Marina, 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, May 5, from 4 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 Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Bass Cat. The FREE, family-friendly event will be fun for fishing fans of all ages. The first 50 middle school or high school anglers will receive a free Abu Garcia rod and reel combo valued at $100. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, take selfies and participate in tackle giveaways.

The Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Bass Cat features 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 MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on Championship Thursday 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.

by AnglersChannel

NETBAIT PRO LEE LIVESAY RELIES ON BAITFUEL TO TAKE THE WIN AT BASSMASTER CENTRAL OPEN

OCEAN SPRINGS, MS – May 3, 2022.
Lee Livesay, Bassmaster Elite Series Pro and Lake Fork Guide, uses BaitFuel Fish Attractant to give him an advantage while fishing pressured bass – Lee demonstrated this when he used BaitFuel for his recent Bassmaster Central Open win on Ross Barnett. Livesay relied on a Carolina rig with a 6-inch NetBait Lizard scented with BaitFuel, rigged on 4/0 Gamakatsu Superline Extra Wide Gap Hook with a 1/2-ounce weight.

Lee’s first BaitFuel experience was in Florida fishing, the first Bassmaster Elite Series event of the season, focusing on an area with a lot of pressure from competitors and locals – Flipping pads with no one getting many bites. That was until Lee flipped the switch applying BaitFuel to his bait presentation and instantly started boating fish. At that moment, Lee knew BaitFuel would be a main staple on the front deck of his boat, like his favorite Halo Fishing Rod, the Lee Livesay Signature Series HFX 7’3” Medium Heavy.

“BaitFuel gives me that extra edge by stimulating fish into BITE MODE.” Lee adds. “ I believe that with pressured fish or post spawn, you know they are being picky, and the best baits in the world won’t get bit without something to stimulate them from neutral into predator mode. BaitFuel makes that happen like nothing else.”BaitFuel Gel works with any bait type. It can easily be added to your favorite bag of soft plastics to marinate your baits overnight or on tournament day, giving you the full power of BaitFuel with every cast. Because it’s a gel, BaitFuel will stay on longer and is super-slick to help your lure slide through cover easier. Unlike other scents, BaitFuel Gel is virtually odorless to humans and won’t stain your carpets.

BaitFuel products have undergone extensive scientific research and testing to ensure the mix of bite-inducing ingredients is fully optimized for maximum performance in both BaitFuel Gel and BaitFuel integrated soft plastics. BaitFuel is supercharged with F.A.S.T. (Fish Active Scent Technology), water-based technology that releases scent easily and mimics the smell and taste of actual prey.

BaitFuel provokes key predatory aggression habits in fish, stimulating more bites and longer hold times for your bait. It keeps fish biting, cast after cast, even on pressured bass by creating a supercharged scent cloud behind your bait. BaitFuel expands your strike zone and brings more fish to your bait.

Learn more about BaitFuel by visiting BaitFuel.com

by AnglersChannel

MLF Wraps 16-Tournament Weekend with Impressive Numbers

TULSA, Okla. (May 4, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, recently wrapped up one of the busiest weekends in the company’s history last weekend, April 28-May 1, with 16 unique MLF-sanctioned tournaments taking place around the country – a new MLF record for most tournaments ever held in a single week. From those 16 events came some eye-popping statistics.

16 Tournaments
- Bass Pro Tour at Lake of the Ozarks, Osage Beach, Mo.
- Toyota Series at Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Grove, Okla.
- Toyota Series at Clear Lake, Clearlake, Calif.
- Phoenix Bass Fishing League at Lake Guntersville, Guntersville, Ala.
- Phoenix Bass Fishing League at Mississippi River – La Crosse, Wis.
- Phoenix Bass Fishing League at Rough River Lake, Falls of Rough, Ky.
- Phoenix Bass Fishing League at Kerr Lake, Henderson, N.C.
- Phoenix Bass Fishing League at Lake Hartwell, Lavonia, Ga.
- Phoenix Bass Fishing League at South Holston Reservoir, Bristol, Tenn.
- Phoenix Bass Fishing League at Kerr Lake (Sunday), Henderson, N.C.
- Abu Garcia College Fishing at Smith Mountain Lake, Huddleston, Va.
- Abu Garcia College Fishing at Clear Lake, Clearlake, Calif.
- High School Fishing at Smith Mountain Lake, Huddleston, Va.
- High School Fishing at Clear Lake, Clearlake, Calif.
- Kentucky High School Athletic Association - Region 1 at Lake Barkley, Kuttawa, Ky.
- Kentucky High School Athletic Association - Region 2 at Lake Cumberland, Jamestown, Ky.

Total number of Unique MLF Anglers That Competed: 3,031
Total number of Fish Caught: 10,555

Number of Five-Fish Limits: 1,279

Total Weight: 25,663 Pounds, 5 Ounces

Total Tournament Payouts: $1,480,940.99

After the 16-tournament slate last weekend, MLF will showcase nine tournaments this upcoming weekend. So far in 2022, 84 tournaments have taken place and the season is 43% completed.

by AnglersChannel

Wall-To-Wall, Tree-Top Tall

This week Chris & DX welcome in Fat Cat Newton to talk about the 24th Annual Dick Hiley Big Bass Classic benefiiting St. Jude and Childhood Cancer. Fat Cat is a childhood cancer survivor and we hear his story and more in an in-depth interview. You need to check this one out.

by AnglersChannel

MLF’s Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Stop 4 Set to Visit Guntersville, Alabama

B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 on Lake Guntersville Presented by A.R.E. to Showcase 158 Professional Anglers Competing over Four Days for Top Prize up to $135,000

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (May 4, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, is set to return to Guntersville, Alabama next week, May 12-15, for the fourth event of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me regular-season – the B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 on Lake Guntersville Presented by A.R.E. The four-day event – hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports – will mark the fifth time the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit has competed on Lake Guntersville and will showcase 158 professional anglers competing for a total purse of more than $850,000.

"Lake Guntersville offers some of the most challenging and exciting bass fishing in the country,” said Katy Norton, President of Marshall County Tourism and Sports. “We look forward to hosting the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit in North Alabama and invite our community to come out to the Lake Guntersville State Park to meet the pros and join us for the daily weigh-ins and weekend activities."

Over the past 22 years, MLF has held 127 tournaments on Lake Guntersville, placing it in fourth place in the top 10 fisheries most visited by MLF. When the Pro Circuit last visited the lake in 2017, General Tire pro Mark Rose of Wynne, Arkansas , stacked up a four-day total of 79 pounds, 11 ounces to take home the top award of $125,000 while pro Larry “The General” Nixon of Quitman, Arkansas, showed off the big bass on the fishery, bringing in an 8-pound, 6-ounce whopper at that same event. Tennessee pro David Walker of Sevierville, holds the MLF record for the highest one-day total on the fishery, bringing in a limit weighing 29 pounds, 3 ounces back in 2009.

In its 27^th season, the Pro Circuit features a roster of 158 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals – including 16 pros from Tennessee – competing across six regular-season events, each with a top award of up to $135,000. The field is also competing for valuable points to qualify for the 2022 Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship – held this year on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York – and the coveted Pro Circuit Angler of the Year (AOY) title.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 158 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight will advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros, based on cumulative weight from the first three days, will continue competition on Championship Sunday, where weights will be zeroed and anglers will compete in a one-day shootout for the grand prize of up to $135,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers.

Local pro and Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit angler Alex Davis of Albertville, Alabama, is a full-time guide on Lake Guntersville and said he is excited to see how the fishery is setting up for the tournament.

“The bass were spawning everywhere on Lake Guntersville that last week in April, so I think we will see a spawn, post-spawn and possibly a shad-spawn bite during the event,” Davis said. “The shad-spawn bite is hit or miss the last few years, so it’s just a roll of the dice when that will happen, but it could definitely come into play next week.

“The temperatures are supposed to be in the 90’s during the event, which is about 10 degrees above average for this time of year, so I expect we will see some fish moving offshore as well.”

Davis said with the broad range of techniques available on the fishery, anglers will be able to play to their strengths during the event.

“I expect we’ll see a lot of frogging and flipping grass in the shallow water, as well as wacky rigs, ChatterBaits, spinnerbaits, swimjigs and topwater baits being thrown,” Davis said. “A Shimano Macbeth Crankbait could be a pretty big player – that’s a good one that mimics shad during the shad spawn, so it could definitely come into play.

“Out deep, I expect we’ll see big crankbaits, football-head jigs, big spoons, hair jigs and that whole gamut of deep stuff being thrown as well,” Davis added.

Even more importantly than the warmer temps, stable weather is expected throughout the event, so anglers can expect their areas and patterns during practice to carry over during the competition days as well.

“Thankfully we’re not expected to have these crazy fronts and winds that we’ve been fighting all year on the Pro Circuit,” Davis said. “Unless something unexpected happens and the bass are just in a funk, this will probably be the best tournament we’ve had all year as far as numbers of fish catches.”

Davis said he anticipates it will take 17½ to 18 pounds per day to make it into the Top 10, and 22 pounds on the final one-day shootout to win the championship round.

“You know going in that you’re going to have bites and you’re going to have shots on goal all day on Guntersville, so catching a limit shouldn’t be a struggle,” Davis said. “This is going to be a fun event.”

After three events in the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit regular season, Arkansas pro Spencer Shuffield leads the Bally Bet Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 538 points. Fellow Arkie, General Tire pro Mark Rose, the 2018 AOY, sits right behind Shuffield in second place with 532 points, while Mississippi’s Mitch Crane sits in third with 526 points. Florence, Italy’s Jacopo Gallelli currently sits in fourth place with 526 points, while Josh Butler of Hayden, Alabama, rounds out the top five with 524 points.

Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. CT, Thursday through Sunday, from the Lake Guntersville State Park, located at 1155 Lodge Drive, in Guntersville. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park daily at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the live on-the-water action all four days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. CT at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

As part of the event, on Saturday, May 11 from 9 a.m. to Noon, the MLF Fisheries Management Division (FMD) in partnership with Berkley Labs will be participating in a Habitat Restoration Project supported by Mercury Marine and MossBack Fish Habitat at the Duck River Reservoir, located at 419 County Road 1650 in Cullman, Alabama. Volunteers from the MLF-FMD and the Union Sportsman’s Alliance will build 85 MossBack fish structures and place the habitats at various locations throughout the reservoir.

Fans are also invited out to a FREE Expo on Saturday, May 14 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. where they can join MLF staff, Alabama State Parks and the TVA Aquarium for Make and Take Outdoor Crafts, Camping 101, inflatables, animals, info booths, food trucks and a Kids’ Fishing Derby from 1-2:30 p.m. Registration takes place on site and bait will be provided, as well as the use of 50 rods and reels during the event. Prizes will be awarded to the first and second place youth anglers who catch the most fish.

Fans can also meet PAW Patrol’s Marshall and Skye prior to the weigh-in from 1-2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, May 14-15 and Abu Garcia will be giving away a FREE rod and reel combo on Sunday, May 15^th from 12:30-2:30 p.m. to the first 100 high school anglers to check in at the MLF booth.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 at Lake Guntersville Presented by A.R.E. will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere in July on the CBS Sports Network.

The 2022 season culminates with the Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where the top 48 pros in the points standings, along with 2021 TITLE Champion Jimmy Washam and 2021 AOY Michael Neal, will compete for a top prize of $235,000. The 2022 TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York, Aug. 16-21, and is hosted by the Town of Massena.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.

For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Yamaha Power Pay Punctuates Christie’s Classic Win

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

When Jason Christie was driving back to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. after fishing concluded on the final day of the 2022 Bassmaster Classic®, he didn’t think he had enough weight to win.

While anything other than first place would have been a disappointment, Christie did admit to one positive thought on the drive to weigh-in – the Yamaha Power Pay $20,000 bonuspaid to the highest finishing angler running an eligible Yamaha outboard.

“I figured I would be a few ounces short of the win,” Christie said. “But at one point before weigh-in I did think about Power Pay and that perked me up a bit. I thought I had enough to beat the other Yamaha pros, which is all you need to win Power Pay money.”

Christie weighed 17-pounds, 9-ounces of Lake Hartwell bass on that final day, finishing in the top spot and closing the book on his first Bassmaster Classic trophy. The Oklahoma native took home both the $300K first-place tournament payout and Yamaha’s incredible contingency bonus. The Power Pay money punctuated just one of several reasons he’s so fond of his Yamaha.

“I’ve been running this motor for two seasons now, and I just haven’t had to worry about mechanical issues – at all,” Christie said. “Yamaha has always had a reputation for reliability and my experience has been a testament to that. Stay on top of maintenance and that V MAX SHO will be your best friend.”

More than the dependability, Christie said the ability of his outboard to jump his aluminum Xpress Boat on plane in skinny water suits his fishing style.

“I primarily fished shallow in both the Classic and the win on Lake Chickamauga – in water four feet deep or less,” Christie explained. “The hole shot from my Xpress-Yamaha allows me to get up on pad in literally 18 inches of water. I’m good in any water deeper than a foot-and-a-half, which saves me a lot of idling time. It may only be five minutes here, or three minutes there, but add that up throughout a multi-day tournament and all the sudden I’ve gotten 45-minutes of fishing time back. That’s a huge deal.”

Christie has certainly had an impressive start to his 2022 season;winning trophies, big checks, and contingency bonuses. However, you don’t have to be a professional bass angler or win tournaments to cash-in with Yamaha’s popular Power Pay program.

Power Pay’s list of supported events includes saltwater and walleye tournaments, along with a myriad of high school, college, and team tournament bass fishing trails. Anglers just need to be the highest placing registered participant in a supported tournament and they’re eligible for payouts.

For more information, to get registered for free, or for complete terms and conditions about Power Pay follow this link: https://yamahapowerpay.com/ or send Chip an email at [email protected] .

by AnglersChannel

Wheeler Coasts to Qualifying Round Win at MLF Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks

Harrison, Tennessee Pro Catches Two-Day Total of 19 Scorable Largemouth Weighing 64 Pounds, 2 Ounces to Advance Straight to Thursday’s Championship Round, Field of 38 Set for Knockout Round Wednesday

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (May 3, 2022) – Academy Sports + Outdoors pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, boated just four scorable bass weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces, Tuesday, but it was still enough to hold off a hard-charging Keith Poche of Pike Road, Alabama, and win the two-day Qualifying Group B round at the MLF Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Bass Cat in Osage Beach, Missouri. After Wheeler started the day with a 16-pound, 5-ounce lead, Poche, who started the day in 15^th place, caught 14 bass weighing 40-15 to rally to within 7¼ pounds of Wheeler’s lead late in the third period, but alas Wheeler had already caught enough to earn the victory with a two-day total of 19 bass weighing 64 pounds, 2 ounces.

Poche caught a two-day total of 19 bass weighing 57 pounds even to end the round in second place, while Hot Springs, Arkansas pro Stephen Browning, finished the round in third place with a two-day total of 16 bass weighing 47 pounds, 5 ounces. Favorite Fishing pro Zack Birge of Blanchard, Oklahoma, ended the round in fourth place with a two-day total of 17 bass for 45-12. Rounding out the top five was local favorite, Bass Pro Shops pro Jeremy Lawyer of Sarcoxie, Missouri, who caught 16 bass for 43-8 to advance in fifth place.

The remaining 38 anglers – 19 from each group – now advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round, where weights are zeroed, and the anglers compete to finish in the top eight to advance to the Championship Round on Thursday. The Championship Round will feature Group A winner Jordan Lee, Group B winner Jacob Wheeler, and the top eight finishers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000.

“Man, that turned in to a little bit of a nail-biter towards the end, but we got it done,” Wheeler said in his postgame interview. “I was sitting on a decent bed fish, and I really didn’t want to catch it if I didn’t have to. I was on it for kind of a safety thing – if Keith caught one near the end, I wanted to make sure that I had enough to still win and earn the auto-qualification into the Championship Round.”

Wheeler didn’t fish much, Tuesday. He caught two good scorable bass off of the beds in Period 1, then spent most of the day looking for more bed fish and trying to find developing patterns for Thursday’s Championship Round.

“I caught a lot of fish the last couple of days, but I shook some fish off a couple of different times as well,” Wheeler said. “I didn’t go to any of the 4+ pounders that I have marked on the bed. Ultimately, I feel like those fish are the ones that are going to help you win the Championship Round.”

Wheeler has sight-fished this week with a white craw-style bait and a bait that he said is more “translucent.”

“Some fish are a little bit goofier and you have to throw the more natural-type colors, and then some of the fish want more of a visual-type thing and I can get those fish to bite the straight white craw,” Wheeler said.

“They’re saying we’re going to have lots of rain, clouds and wind for our final day,” Wheeler went on to say. “The fish I shook off today gave me an idea of some different baits that I think I can use to trigger the fish into biting. It’s my third Championship Round auto-qualification this season, so maybe the third time is the charm and we can close this thing out and get the win.”

Poche had the best day on the water among the 40 competitors today but was disappointed that he wasn’t able to catch Wheeler.

“Man, I was so close,” Poche said in his post-game interview. “I had a really good day and I fought hard; I almost got it done. I lost some key fish that would have really put me over the top. But that’s just the way it goes, sometimes.

“I was catching them on a (Berkley) MaxScent General,” Poche continued. “It was a 5-inch, green-pumpkin, and I fished it on a shaky-head rig – nice and simple. But they were smoking it. I figured out some stuff and was looking for the right kind of banks – a little wind blowing on them really helped.

“We did all we could, and it was a lot of fun, but we came up a little bit short today,” Poche went on to say. “Hopefully we’ll catch them good in the Knockout Round tomorrow.”

The top 20 pros in Qualifying Group B that now advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round on Lake of the Ozarks are:

1^st:          Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 19 bass, 64-2
2^nd:         Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 19 bass, 57-0
3^rd:         Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 16 bass, 47-5
5^th:         Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 17 bass, 45-12
4^th:         Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 16 bass, 43-8
6^th:         Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 13 bass, 42-1
9^th:         Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 12 bass, 41-13
7^th:         Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe., 12 bass, 41-11
8^th:         Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., 13 bass, 39-11
10^th:       Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, 13 bass, 39-2
11^th:       Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 14 bass, 38-9
12^th:       James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 12 bass, 38-6
13^th:       Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., 13 bass, 37-9
14^th:       Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., 12 bass, 37-9
15^th:       Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., 11 bass, 37-4
16^th:       David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 14 bass, 36-9
17^th:       Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 12 bass, 35-3
18^th:       Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 11 bass, 34-7
19^th:       Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 12 bass, 34-3
20^th:       Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 34-0

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 203 scorable bass weighing 600 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 39 pros Tuesday, which included 23 four-pounders and 12 five-pounders.

Flint, Texas, pro Kelly Jordon earned Tuesday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award, catching a 5-pound, 14-ounce largemouth on a worm in Period 1. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day Qualifying Round on Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. Now that the Qualifying Round is complete, the anglers that finished in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 38 anglers compete to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. from the Grand Glaize Marina Recreation Area, located at 711 Public Beach Road in Osage Beach. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the Marina, 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.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Omnia Fishing To Simulcast Bassmaster LIVE As Shoppable Feed For Two Elite Series Events

May 3, 2022

Omnia Shoppable Feed.png
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Fishing fans streaming two upcoming Bassmaster Elite Series events will be able to watch, learn and shop in one seamless experience. During Days 1 and 2 of the Simms Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork and the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe, Omnia Fishing and B.A.S.S. have partnered to simulcast Bassmaster LIVE as a shoppable stream on Omnia’s website and mobile app.

"We're thrilled to provide an enhanced simulcast of Bassmaster Elite Series events where viewers can see and shop the products they see the pros using on screen in real time,” said Matt Johnson, CEO of Omnia Fishing. “We're blown away by how passionate our customers are about learning and improving their skills. We can't wait to see what they're able to accomplish when they have a direct path from inspiration at Bassmaster events to trying new gear on their local waters.”

Anglers often use their time on camera during Bassmaster LIVE to help educate anglers of all levels on how to break down a fishery and what techniques and gear will help them be most successful. The Omnia Fishing Bassmaster LIVE simulcast will provide an opportunity for enthusiastic fans to follow along as their favorite Elite anglers adjust to two very different bodies of water while Omnia’s live shopping platform guides detail-hungry anglers through the pros’ bait, rod and reel selections.

Omnia Fishing currently sponsors three Elite Series anglers — Wisconsin’s Bob Downey, who already has a second-place finish this season, 2021 Bassmaster Angler of the Year Seth Feider of Minnesota and South Carolina’s Patrick Walters, who has earned Century Belts in two consecutive stops at Lake Fork.

Fans will be able to shop along with the pros May 19-20 during the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork and August 18-19 during the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe at OmniaFishing.com and on the soon to be released Omnia Fishing app, which will be available free in the Apple and Google Play stores.

by AnglersChannel

VanDam counting on cookies and a horseshoe

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships

Given the legendary success of Kevin VanDam’s pro angling career, some might say he doesn’t really need any additional luck. But even the best there’s ever been says a little extra positive mojo is always welcome in his boat.

So, after a tough opening round Sunday at MLF’s Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four Presented by BassCat at Lake of the Ozarks, the classy pro from Michigan is carrying a very old horseshoe he found while taking part in a shoreline trash cleanup Saturday during a Costa Clean Water Matters Program.

“I’m not really a superstitious person, but I figure the horseshoe can’t hurt. I’m having fun with it. It didn’t help a ton on Sunday, but I’m leaving it in the boat,” grins VanDam.

This week’s event is largely a sight-fishing event, but VanDam focused on slightly dirtier water uplake using a spinnerbait, a Thunder Cricket, and Strike King’s new Hybrid Hunter crankbait, but thinks maybe falling water levels Sunday kept the heavy pre-spawn females away from the bank.

He ended the day with five scoreable bass totaling 11-pounds and sits middle-of-the-pack to begin the day Tuesday -- stillvery much within striking distance of moving onward to Wednesday’s Knockout Round.

He’ll likely stick to his power fishing strengths in dingier water now that rain and clouds have moved in, and he’ll also be carrying a bag of cookies with a proven track record of delivering sweet success.

“My wife Sherry always made cookies for me to take on the road, and when Davy Hite was my roommate he called them ‘lucky cookies’ – but more recently, Momma Guck gave me a bag of her homemade cookies before I won Cayuga Lake in 2016, the St. Lawrence River in 2017, and Grand Lake in 2018 – so I’m pretty fired up to have a fresh bag of them in the boat here at Lake of the Ozarks,” grinned VanDam.

So, while VanDam may not be superstitious, he’s a firm believer that an upbeat positive attitude is critical to success, and few things bring better vibes than a history-rich horseshoe and a bag full of homemade cookies made from a recipe proven to deliver wins.

by AnglersChannel

Kelseyville Teens Win MLF High School Fishing Open on Clear Lake

CLEARLAKE, Calif. (May 2, 2022) – The High School Fishing team of Tyler Bryant and Joey Gentle, both of Kelseyville, California, brought five bass to the scale Sunday weighing 16 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open at Clear Lake.

A field of 34 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Redbud Park in Clearlake. In MLF and The Bass Federation (TBF) High School Fishing competition, the top 10% of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top three teams that advanced to the 2022 High School Fishing National Championship are:

1st: Lake County High School Fishing Club – Tyler Bryant and Joey Gentle, both of Kelseyville, Calif., five bass, 16-10
2nd: Grizzly Bass Masters, Georgetown, Calif. – Jon Loya, Georgetown, Calif., and Earl Nattrass, Cool, Calif., five bass, 16-9
3rd: Liberty High School, Brentwood, Calif. – Tanner Cleghorn and J.D. Farage, both of Discovery Bay, Calif., five bass, 15-13

Rounding out the top 10 teams were:

4th: Delta Teen Team – Maxwell Kaneko, Berkeley, Calif., and Sam Shimabukuro, Alameda, Calif., five bass, 15-2
5th: Delta Teen Team – Justin Navarro, San Ramon, Calif., and Tyler Wood, Danville, Calif., five bass, 14-15
6th: Vista del Lago, Folsom, Calif. – Daniel Crouse, Folsom, Calif., and Hudson Hannaman, El Dorado Hills, Calif., five bass, 14-6
7th: Oakdale High School, Oakdale, Calif. – Troy Cox and Zane Ravalin, both of Oakdale, Calif., five bass, 13-14
8th: Nor Cal Junior Bass Club – Danial Hutchinson and Caleb Wolff, both of Redding, Calif., five bass, 13-13
9th: Lake County High School Fishing Club – Dylan Watson, Novato, Calif., and Cody Whitehurst, Redding, Calif., five bass, 13-12
10th: Skullcrushers – Dominic Pucci, Sonoma, Calif., and Tyler Trainor, Ashburn, Va., five bass, 13-9

Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The next event for High School Fishing anglers will be the MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open on Smith Mountain Lake, June 4 in Huddleston, Virginia.

MLF High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and TBF Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10% of teams at each Open event, along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships, will advance to the 2022 High School Fishing National Championship. The 2022 MLF High School Fishing National Championship will be held on Pickwick and Wilson Lakes in Florence, Alabama, June 22-25, and is hosted by the Florence-Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The High School Fishing National Champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2022 MLF Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Pittsford Mendon High School Wins MLF High School Fishing Open on Smith Mountain Lake

HUDDLESTON, Va. (May 2, 2022) – The Pittsford Mendon High School team of Rein Golub of Pittsford, New York, and Matthew Pitcher, of Rochester, New York, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 1 ounce, to win the MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open at Smith Mountain Lake and earn their way into the 2022 High School Fishing National Championship.

Rounding out the top 10 teams were:

2nd: HS Potomac River Bass Master – Joah Coley, Kearneysville, W.V., and Jarren Crowder, Clearspring, Md., five bass, 14-8
3rd: Capital City Jr Bass Masters – Wade Detweiler, Dillsburg, Pa., and Jacob Vanscoik, Dauphin, Pa., five bass, 12-13
4th: Badin Bandits Fishing Team – Bo Helms, Albemarle, N.C., and Ethan Palmer, Richfield, N.C., five bass, 11-5
5th: Madison High School, Marshall, N.C. – Matthew Crawford, Marshall, N.C., and Gavin Gault, Mars Hill, N.C., three bass, 10-13
6th: Pulaski County, Dublin, Va. – Logan Martin and Dustin Martin, both of Dublin, Va., five bass, 10-10
7th: Lisbon Central High School, Lisbon, N.Y. – Connor Bell and Matthew Kinney, both of Lisbon, N.Y., five bass, 10-1
8th: Pequannock Township High School, Pequannock Township, N.J. – Nicholas Dellaporta, Pequannock, N.J., and Taylor Marcel, Accord, N.Y., five bass, 8-7, $400
9th: West Laurens High School, Dexter, Ga. – Cameron Boston and Ryan Soles, both of Dublin, Ga., three bass, 8-4
10th: Elizabethton High School, Elizabethton, Tenn. – Owen Wheeler, Kingsport, Tenn., and Spencer Winstead, Johnson City, Tenn., four bass, 7-0

Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open at Smith Mountain Lake was hosted by Destination Bedford. The next event for High School Fishing anglers will be the MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open again on Smith Mountain Lake, June 4, in Huddleston, Virginia.

by AnglersChannel

Jesse Wiggins Wins Qualifying Round A at MLF Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks

Alabama Pro Catches Two-Day Total of 24 Bass Weighing 63 Pounds, 4 Ounces to Advance Straight to Thursday’s Championship Round, 19 Anglers Advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (May 2, 2022) – It was a dramatic finish on the SCORETRACKER®Monday afternoon, as several pros battled it out for the automatic berth to the Championship Round on Thursday. With less than five minutes left in the competition day, pro Jesse Wiggins of Addison, Alabama caught a largemouth to take over the top spot, giving him 13 scorable bass weighing 34 pounds even to earn the win Monday during the Group A Qualifying Round at the MLF Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Bass Cat in Osage Beach, Missouri.

Wiggins’ two-day catch of 24 scorable bass totaling 63 pounds, 4 ounces, earned him the Qualifying Round win by a mere 11-ounce margin over General Tire pro Alton Jones, Jr. of Waco, Texas who caught a two-day total of 23 scorable bass weighing 62-9 to finish the round in second place. Garmin pro Alton Jones, Sr. of Lorena, Texas caught a two-day total of 17 bass weighing 57-11 to finish the round in third, while Berkley pro Jordan Lee of Cullman, Alabama, ended the round in fourth place with a two-day total of 19 bass for 57-8. Rounding out the top five was Day One leader and Gainesville, Florida pro Shaw Grigsby, who caught a two-day total of 20 bass for 56-3 to advance in fifth place.

There was a flurry of movement along the Toro Cut Line as well as the day wrapped up, with Cullman, Alabama pro Matt Lee catching two largemouth with minutes to spare, to squeeze into the Top 20 and end the day in 17^th place. Bass Pro Shops pro Timmy Horton of Muscle Shoals, Alabama also caught two bass within the final minutes to slide up into 18^th place, but Toyota pro Terry Scroggins of San Mateo, Florida made the biggest moves in period three, including a 5-pound, 3-ounce kicker at the end of the day, to jump from 36^th place up to 13^th and move on to Wednesday’s Knockout Round.

The top 20 anglers from Group A will now have an off day from competition Tuesday, while the 40 anglers competing in Qualifying Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round. The Knockout Round, featuring 38 anglers competing to finish in the top eight, will take place Wednesday. Thursday’s Championship Round will feature Wiggins, Tuesday’s Group B winner and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000.

“We’re in the Championship Round after back-to-back top 10’s – I can’t believe it,” Wiggins said. “Especially after the day I’ve had – I lost a 3 ½-pounder and multiple 2-pounders right here at the boat. It’s just been crazy. Getting behind these cables around the docks, you just never know what’s going to happen. I’m used to it though, so I don’t panic, and it worked today – we pulled off a miracle here at the end.”

This marks the Alabama pro's second time to win the Qualifying Round for his group, although the first time was in 2019 on Smith Lake, before the automatic berth was offered to anglers.

“I saved this best stretch for the end of the day,” Wiggins said. “I caught tons of 14-inch bucks during practice and I knew if any of those big ones slid up in here, it could get interesting. It’s where I caught them on Day One as well. I let them set up all day today, nobody touched it, and I came back at the end of the day and caught three good ones.”

Wiggins said the last stretch of the day gave him great confidence that he’ll be able to go back through all his other areas during the Championship Round because he believes there are more of those big ones coming.

“I caught all my fish on a 7-foot, 1-inch St. Croix Legend Elite Casting Rod, medium-heavy with extra-fast action with Seaguar 30-pound Smackdown Braided Line in Stealth Gray and a 12-pound Seaguar Red Label Fluorocarbon Line ,” Wiggins said. “It’s bigger, but the water’s dirty and these fish are spawning so you can get away with bigger line.”

Wiggins said he threw a homemade 3/16-ounce shaky head, but the key was the Jackall 6.8 Flick Shake Worm.

“I bit the Flick Shake off to about 5 inches, but it’s got that little tail on it – something about that tail just drives them crazy,” Wiggins said. “The water’s dirty and I wanted a thicker profile with a short worm, kind of like a stick worm-style bait, but that tail makes all the difference.

“If you think being on the cutline is stressful – that right there is stressful,” Wiggins added. “I wasn’t showing it because I had one thing in mind, to get that jighead in front of another bass, but lordy mercy. All my lines are broke, no leaders, all my worms are cut in half, I got millions of Flick Shake worms laying around, but we are in the Championship now and we got two days to get everything rigged and ready.”

The six-day tournament, hosted by Central Missouri’s Tri-County Lodging Association, the Lake of the Ozarks Fishing Council and BassingBob.com , showcases 80 of the top pro bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner. The tournament is livestreamed each day at MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MOTV app, and also filmed for broadcast later this fall on the Discovery Channel.

The top 20 pros in Qualifying Group A that now advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round on Lake of the Ozarks are:

1^st:           Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 24 bass, 63-4
2^nd:          Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, 23 bass, 62-9
3^rd:          Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, 17 bass, 57-11
4^th:           Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., 19 bass, 57-8
5^th:           Shaw Grigsby, Gainesville, Fla., 20 bass, 56-3
6^th:           Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 15 bass, 49-9
7^th:           Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 17 bass, 47-5
8^th:           Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., 12 bass, 43-1
9^th:           Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 13 bass, 41-1
10^th:        Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 13 bass, 40-5
11^th:        Shin Fukae, Thomson, Ga. and Osaka, Japan, 13 bass, 40-4
12^th:        Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 13 bass, 38-3
13^th:        Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 12 bass, 38-1
14^th:        Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., 14 bass, 37-11
15^th:        Jeff Kriet, Ardmore, Okla., 12 bass, 37-11
16^th:        Anthony, Gagliardi, 14 bass, 36-14
17^th:        Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., 14 bass, 36-13
18^th:        Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., 11 bass, 36-12
19^th:        Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, 13 bass, 34-13
20^th:        Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., 11 bass, 34-11

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 229 scorable bass weighing 667 pounds, 6 ounces caught by 38 pros Monday, which included 23 four-pounders, seven five-pounders and one six-pounder.

Gunterville, Alabama’s Chris Lane caught a 6-pound, 1-ounce largemouth in Period 2, throwing a River2Sea Whopper Plopper in a pocket to earn the day’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. After 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.

by AnglersChannel

University of Idaho Wins MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Tournament on Clear Lake

CLEARLAKE, Calif. (May 2, 2022) – The University of Idaho duo of Matthew Kavanaugh and Nate Kimberling, both of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, won the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Clear Lake Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 13 ounces. The victory earned the Vandals’ bass club a slot in the 2023 MLF College Fishing National Championship.

“This win was really cool,” Kimberling said. “We just started this club four months ago and had never fished here before, so to put it together and beat these schools … it really meant something to us.”

Kimberling said the day’s competition started out as anything but typical.

“In the morning we went to fish Monitor Island, and water was blowing us all over and back. I jumped off a 4-pounder on a drop-shot and then a flying goose hit my fishing pole as I was casting. It was a very eventful 10 minutes,” Kimberling laughed.

“After that debacle, we decided to run across the lake to the point across from Monitor Island,” Kimberling continued. “We caught two fish and moved over to Fraser Point. There was one 200-yard stretch where there weren’t any boats, so we went in there and fished a dock. Matt caught a 2-pounder on his first cast. I cast right in there and caught another 2-pounder. Then I made a cast to the bank and caught another 4-pounder that got wrapped around a cable and broke off.”

Kimberling said the team had their five weigh-in fish by 10 o’clock. They filled their limit with drop-shot rigs baited with an Aaron’s Morning Dawn-colored Roboworm in 10 to 20 feet of water on banks with large rocks.

“After that, the wind was really bad, so we decided to make a run back to the launch to fish the creek there,” Kimberling said. “We started punching mats in there, flipping a toxic grape Missile Baits D Bomb. We went about 200 yards into the creek and caught a 5-pounder and a 3-pounder out of the same mat within two casts of each other.

“After a bit of a lull, Matt flipped up against a tree and swam the bait out,” Kimberling added. “A fish followed it and ate it on the swim. Matt thought it was a carp, then he finally set the hook, and it was our big fish at 6 pounds, 1 ounce.”

Kimberling said the duo caught nine bass – all keepers – during the course of the day.

The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2023 College Fishing National Championship are:

1st: University of Idaho – Matthew Kavanaugh and Nate Kimberling, both of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, five bass, 18-13
2nd: Simpson University – Jayden Nezy, Page, Ariz., and Nathan Phillips, Kelseyville, Calif., five bass, 18-11
3rd: Simpson University – Ty Manterola, Pasco, Wash., and Taj White, Glendale, Ariz., five bass, 16-10
4th: Cal Poly – Dane Morris, Agoura Hills, Calif., and Sam West, Fort Bragg, Calif., five bass, 16-6
5th: Fresno State – Brendan Holden and Clark Vue, both of Clovis, Calif., five bass, 15-12
6th: Fresno State – Liam Cornell, Fresno, Calif., and Kelby Keeling, Visalia, Calif., five bass, 15-6
7th: Chico State – Peter Khoury and Grant Loberg, both of Chico, Calif., five bass, 15-0
8th: Chico State – Jack Geist, Davis, Calif., and Miles Kaneko, Berkeley, Calif., five bass, 14-13
9th: Simpson University – Ryan Beaty, Martinez, Calif., and James Hawkinson, Granite Bay, Calif., five bass, 14-8
10th: Sonoma State University – Dawson Stroud, Waterford, Calif., and Owen Ward, Modesto, Calif., five bass, 13-15

Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Clear Lake was the second of three regular-season tournaments for Western Conference anglers. The next event for College Fishing anglers will be the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event Smith Mountain Lake, June 3 in Huddleston, Virginia.

MLF College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top 10 teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual Abu Garcia College Fishing Open will advance to the following season’s National Championship. The 2022 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship Presented by Lowrance will be held on Fort Gibson Lake in Wagoner, Oklahoma, March 29-31, and is hosted by the Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce.

by AnglersChannel

David Williams Wins Rescheduled Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Kerr Lake

Brown Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division

HENDERSON, N.C. (May 2, 2022) – Boater David Williams of Newton, North Carolina, caught five bass Sunday weighing 18 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Kerr Lake . The Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division tournament, hosted by the Vance County Tourism Development Authority, had been rescheduled from March 12 because of severe storms and inclement weather. Williams earned $3,756 for his victory.

“I started off just covering a lot of water with an Evergreen Shower Blows Topwater bait,” Williams said. “I had been getting a couple of fish like that each morning, and if they blew up on it and I didn’t catch them, usually I could go back later and catch them. I think a lot of them were bedding and I was getting a reaction bite.”

Williams said he focused his efforts in the Nutbush Bridge area of Kerr, and added if wind was present he could catch fish on a spinnerbait around rocks on points where shad or blueback herring were spawning. Later in the day, he shifted tactics to swimming a jig or a jig fished on the bottom around wood or docks. Williams said his jig setup consisted of a ½-ounce Queen Tackle Jig with a Zoom Z Craw Jr. trailer. Williams said 12 to 15 of the 20 bass he caught during competition were keepers.

Williams finished third in Saturday’s MLF BFL tournament on Kerr Lake and thought it would take 18 pounds to be in the running for a win Sunday. Williams edged that number and said the successful weekend held special meaning for him.

“I lost my mom last week and actually came up the day after I lost her and started fishing,” Williams said. “I dedicate this win to her. She was always my biggest fan.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        David Williams, Newton, NC., five bass, 18-2, $3,756
2nd:       Kevin Walton, Norfolk, Va., five bass, 17-0, $1,878
3rd:       Dennis Middleton, Madison Heights, Va., five bass, 15-11, $1,253
4th:        Aaron Falwell, Forest, Va., five bass, 15-1, $876
5th:        Kevin Chandler, New London, N.C., five bass, 14-12, $751
6th:        Shawn Hammack, Gasburg, Va., five bass, 14-11, $1,679 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
7th:        Keith Roberts, Hurt, Va., five bass, 14-10, $1,026
8th:        Ben Dalton, Keeling, Va., five bass, 14-5, $563
9th:        Jeremy Talbert, Albemarle, N.C., five bass, 14-3, $501
10th:     Michael Maull, Fayetteville, N.C., five bass, 13-14, $438

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Hammack had a largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 13 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $490.

Kenneth Brown of Leesburg, Virginia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,101 Sunday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 13 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Kenneth Brown, Leesburg, Va., five bass, 14-13, $2,101
2nd:       Arthur Harris, York, S.C., five bass, 12-14, $929
3rd:       David Deciucis, Chester, Va., five bass, 11-15, $619
4th:        Nathan Reeves, Lynchburg, Va., four bass, 11-10, $534
5th:        Greg Ravitsky, Palmyra, Va., five bass, 10-14, $372
6th:        Anthony Pulley, Chester, Va., five bass, 10-12, $341
7th:        Darrell Medley, Chesapeake, Va., four bass, 10-7, $310
8th:        Scott McKay, New London, N.C., four bass, 10-4, $279
9th:        Pat Kendrick, Bumpass, Va., four bass, 9-5, $448
10th:     James Williams, Sims, N.C., three bass, 9-4, $217

Brown caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 8 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $242.

After three events, Eric Johnson of Partlow, Virginia, leads the Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 703 points, while Nathan Reeves of Lynchburg, Virginia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 742 points.

by AnglersChannel

Austin Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on South Holston Reservoir

Sweet Takes Strike King Co-Angler Division

BRISTOL, Tenn. (May 2, 2022) – Boater Doug Austin of Bristol, Virginia, caught five bass Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on South Holston Reservoir. The tournament was the second event for the Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division. Austin earned $5,024 for his victory.

“I had two or three fish I had located before the tournament that I thought I could catch, and that was my main plan – to catch them right at the start and then settle in on the bank and go from there,” Austin said. “I caught two out of the three pretty quickly, and then the rest of the day was spent just jumping from here to there, catching little ones and every now and then a good one. It was real spotty.”

Austin said he used a green-pumpkin Berkley Powerbait Power Worm on a 1/0 hook with a 1/8-ounce weight on 7-pound-test line. He said the light line was key to helping the rig get down deeper more quickly. Austin said the rig resulted in 10 or 12 fish – nine of which were keepers.

“We’d hit a bank and get a good one, and then I’d catch two or three 2-pounders,” Austin said. “The last fish I caught that I weighed I caught with 30 or 45 minutes to spare.”

Austin said he expected the winning weight to be 19 or 19½ pounds.

“When I came in, I was thinking I had a top-5 finish,” Austin said. “It was at the end of the spawn, and the weights tend to go down.”

Austin said his longtime fishing companion passed away days before the tournament, with memorial services scheduled the day of competition. His friends encouraged him to fish on.

“They told me he would want me to go ahead and fish today, and I did,” Austin said. “To win it was a special thing. When I found out I had won, I just went off and had myself a moment and cried and talked to him.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Doug Austin, Bristol, Va., five bass, 18-4, $5,024
2nd:       J.R. Henard, Rogersville, Tenn., five bass, 17-1, $2,512
3rd:       Tyler Altizer, Abingdon, Va., five bass, 16-10, $1,674
4th:        Colton Chambers, Elizabethton, Tenn., five bass, 16-7, $1,172
5th:        Jimmy Neece Jr., Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 16-4, $1,463 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
5th:        Jack Daniel Williams, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 16-4, $963
7th:        Bryan Leonard, Blountville, Tenn., five bass, 16-3, $837
8th:        Clayton Winebarger, Abingdon, Va., five bass, 16-1, $754
9th:        Brian Barnett, Bluff City, Tenn., five bass, 15-14, $628
9th:        Brandon Stanley, Johnson City, Tenn., five bass, 15-14, $628

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Joshua Short of Bean Station, Tennessee, and Tim Smiley of White Pine, Tennessee, both caught largemouth that weighed 4 pounds, 12 ounces in the Boater Division and split the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $774.

Konnor Sweet of Abingdon, Virginia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,419 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 12 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Konnor Sweet, Abingdon, Va., five bass, 15-12, $2,419
2nd:       Ryan Lee, Pound, Va., five bass, 15-8, $1,210
3rd:       Kevin King, Blountville, Tenn., five bass, 15-7, $807
4th:        Stephen Brady, Woodlawn, Va., five bass, 15-5, $524
4th:        Travis Malone, Wartburg, Tenn., five bass, 15-5, $524
6th:        Brian Bailey, Austinville, Va., five bass, 15-2, $444
7th:        Brad Barton, Middlesboro, Ky., five bass, 14-11, $403
8th:        Mike Roten, Creston, N.C., five bass, 14-7, $363
9th:        Joshua Rasnake, Jonesborough, Tenn., five bass, 13-14, $323
10th:     Rod Grayson, Oxford, Iowa, five bass, 13-10, $282

James Reece of Big Stone Gap, Virginia, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $365.

After two events, J.R. Henard of Rogersville, Tennessee, leads the Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 480 points, while Konnor Sweet of Abingdon, Virginia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 498 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Smith Lake in Cullman, Alabama. 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.

by AnglersChannel

Burroughs Posts Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Hartwell

Evans Claims Strike King Co-Angler Division

LAVONIA, Ga. (May 2, 2022) – Boater Jason Burroughs of Hodges, South Carolina, caught five bass Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hartwell . The tournament, hosted by the City of Lavonia, was the third event for the Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division. Burroughs earned $13,472, which includes the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

“I fished the lower end of the lake from Andersonville Island to the dam,” said Burroughs, who tabs Lake Hartwell as his home body of water. “I caught 10 or 11 fish during the day, and they were all keepers.”

Burroughs said he focused on fishing blueback herring patterns by utilizing a white swimbait and chrome topwater bait, as well as a shaky-head rig to catch his bass.

“The fishing was just spread out all during the day,” Burroughs said. “I had one fish that weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces, and it made all the difference in the world. I caught it at 1:45.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Jason Burroughs, Hodges, S.C., five bass, 18-5, $13,472 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd:        Greg Glouse, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 17-2, $2,436
3rd:        Joe Anders, Easley, S.C., five bass, 16-5, $1,623
4th:         Baylor Ronemus, Tiger, Ga., five bass, 15-10, $1,137
5th:         Austin Davis, Pelzer, S.C., five bass, 15-7, $974
6th:         Blake Campbell, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 14-13, $852
6th:         Michael Webster, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 14-13, $852
8th:         Daulton Smith, Martin, Ga., five bass, 14-10, $1,466
9th:         Darren Ashley, Calhoun Falls, S.C., five bass, 14-5, $609
9th:         Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 14-5, $609

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Smith earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $735 with a largemouth that weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces.

Sammy Evans of Hodges, South Carolina, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,664 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:          Sammy Evans, Hodges, S.C., five bass, 13-5, $2,664
2nd:        Jason Goldman, Commerce, Ga., five bass, 12-4, $1,182
3rd:        Gavin Ballew, Travelers Rest, S.C., five bass, 11-8, $670
3rd:        Brandon Hendrix, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 11-8, $670
5th:         Harold Grizzle, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 11-7, $473
6th:         Kevin Dye, Central, S.C., five bass, 11-5, $413
6th:         Scott Gardner, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 11-5, $413
8th:         Johnny Hancox, West Union, S.C., five bass, 10-15, $335
8th:         Matthew Bourgoin, North Augusta, S.C., five bass, 10-15, $335
10th:      Casey McQuerns, Appling, Ga., five bass, 10-13, $628

McQuerns caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 8 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $352.

After three events, Jason Burroughs of Hodges, South Carolina, leads the Bass Fishing League Savannah River Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 744 points, while Eduardo Pabon of Gainesville, Georgia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 717 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Smith Lake in Cullman, Alabama. 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 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

by AnglersChannel

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