AnglersChannel

Carr Brothers Crazy Day and Clutch Catch

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

Austin and Justin Carr are fishing their fourth and final Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship this week on the St. Lawrence River. The Illinois State University seniors both major in Construction Management and they both love to bass fish. These two brothers have been competing in tournaments together since high school but said today may have been the craziest day on the water they’ve ever experienced. 

The ISU redbirds weighed in a solid 17-pounds 8-ounces today that has them tied for 26th place at the conclusion of day one. Their bag of fish looks good on paper, but what you don’t see if the equipment issues the Carr’s battled throughout the entire day. 

“We made a pretty long run this morning and when we dropped our trolling motor it wasn’t working at all,” Austin recalled. “One of the connections had broke loose, so we spent a few minutes jerry-rigging that deal so we could have power. We put that behind us and focused on fishing. Because of the long run each way, we didn’t have a lot of time to waste.”   

There was a steady 10-15 mph southwest breeze blowing all day here in upstate New York, which made for rough boat rides for college competitors. Punishing waves greeted anglers like the Carr brothers who made a 65-mile run to the area that proved most productive during their practice days. 

The Carr twins put a decent limit of fish together from their primary area, but little did they know their equipment troubles had only just begun. The notoriously swift current of the St. Lawrence River was draining their trolling motor batteries quickly and they were starting to run short on time. Even though they still had a 12-inch “dink” in their livewell, the Carr’s knew they had to run back towards Waddington. 

“We pushed our trolling motor batteries until they were completely dead and were forced to make the run back,” Justin said. “The ride back was brutal. Our console electronics mount completely broke in two places and our trolling motor mount ended up breaking, too. We made it back near Waddington with about twenty minutes before we had to check in.” 

They were thankful to not have any more serious equipment malfunctions, but the diehard tournament junkies couldn’t bring themselves to go in early. Instead the Carr’s decided to drift within a mile of the boat launch until they ran out of time. 

“Our trolling motor batteries were completely dead so we just tried to get ourselves near a current seam and drift for the remaining minutes of the day,” Austin said. “We were feeling pretty down, because we had a good practice but you can’t expect to weigh-in a 12-incher here and do well.” 

Austin paused for a minute, almost as if he was reflecting on what might have been had their luck not changed for the better. 

“Then magic happened,” Justin added with a big smile. “We caught a 3.5-pound smallmouth on a jerkbait literally at the last minute to cull our smallest fish. That cull gave us a solid bag and a fighting chance for tomorrow. Between the long run, all the broken gear and a clutch catch like that, this had to be the craziest tournament day I’ve ever had.” 

Hopefully the Carr’s day one trials and tribulations have appeased the fish-Gods enough for this event and the twin standouts from Illinois State have a smoother day on the St. Lawrence on day two. All 124 teams will compete again tomorrow before the field is cut down to the top 12 for Saturday’s final day.
 

by AnglersChannel

ULM, Auburn, and Emmanuel Preview the St. Lawrence River

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

Tomorrow morning marks the official start of the 2021 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. One hundred and twenty four teams of eager, excited, and extremely talented college anglers are set to take on the famed St. Lawrence River for the most prestigious tournament of their season. 

By Saturday afternoon, the new National Champions will be crowned and four teams will be headed to College Series Classic Bracket to determine who will take Trevor McKinney’s place in representing college fishing in the 2022 Bassmaster Classic. 

Connor Nimrod - a junior majoring in marketing at the University of Louisiana Monroe, Brady Harp – a senior studying accounting who attends Auburn University, and Cy Casey – an Emmanuel College Business major going into his junior year were gracious enough to let us pick their brains for a few minutes leading into tomorrow’s competition. 

Read their thoughts on the fishing, along with why they are all content with the incredibly long drive to make it to the smallmouth capital of the bass fishing universe, the St. Lawrence River. 

Q – How long was the drive from your school to Waddington, NY?  

ULM (Connor) – “Long! Something like 25-hours.” 

Auburn (Brady) – “19-hour drive.” 

Emmanuel (Cy) – “I thought our 17-hour drive was long, but I guess it wasn’t terrible after listening to these guys.” 

Q – What is the coolest thing you’ve done since arriving in New York? 

ULM (Connor) – “I’m going to have to say catching my PB (personal best) smallmouth bass. A 5.58-lb. beast.” 

Auburn (Brady) – “I’ve gotta say the same thing, I caught a 5.5-lb. smallie this week which beat my old PB by half a pound!”

Emmanuel (Cy) – “Believe it or not, my answer is the same! I caught a 4.60-lb smallmouth in practice. A 3-pounder was my previous best.” 

Q – How much weight (per day) will it take to make the top 10 in this National Championship event? 

ULM (Connor) – “I think 17-lbs a day will be strong.” 

Auburn (Brady) – “There are a lot of big ones swimming around this place. I’d say 19-lbs. a day.”

Emmanuel (Cy) – “I would think somewhere around 19-lbs. a day.” 

Q – What are two techniques you believe will play a major factor this week? 

ULM (Connor) – “A drop shot and a ned rig, smallmouth 101.” 

Auburn (Brady) – “Drop shot and a drop shot. That’s really the only thing that worked for us. I’ll guess I’ll throw a frog around some, too.”

Emmanuel (Cy) – “A spy bait and a Berkley MaxScent Flatworm on a drop shot.” 

by AnglersChannel

La Crosse Readies for MLF Tackle Warehouse 2021 TITLE Championship Presented by Mercury

50 Top Professional Anglers from Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Head to Wisconsin to Compete in Season Finale for up to $235,000 and TITLE Champion

LA CROSSE, Wis. (Aug. 11, 2021) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship – is set to visit the Mississippi River and La Crosse, Wisconsin next week, Aug. 17-22. The six-day tournament will showcase the top 48 pros in the 2021 Pro Circuit standings, along with last year’s reigning TITLE champion and reigning Angler of the Year – all competing for a guaranteed check and a grand prize of up to $235,000.

While MLF has held more than 150 tournaments on the Mississippi River over the past 28 years – five of those tournaments at the Pro Circuit level – this will be the first MLF Championship Event held on the fishery.

The Pro Circuit last visited the Mighty Miss in July 2020, where hometown pro Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wisconsin, took home the win with a total weight of 54 pounds, 10 ounces. Monsoor finished 91^st in the standings this season and did not qualify to compete in this event.

The 2021 TITLE, hosted by Explore La Crosse, will feature a hybrid tournament format. All 50 anglers are seeded into two groups of 25 – Group A & Group B, based on points earned in 2021 qualifying events – where they will compete in Qualifying Rounds over the first four days of the tournament. Group A will fish Day 1 and Day 3, and Group B will fish Day 2 and Day 4, with total weight determined by the cumulative weight of their biggest five-bass limit from both days.

The winner of each group will then advance directly to the Championship Round, while pros who finish in second to 10th place in each group will battle it out with zeroed weights in the Knockout Round. On the sixth day of the event, the Championship Round, weights will again be zeroed and the top eight pros from the Knockout Round, plus the two Qualifying Round winners will compete. The winner will be determined by the heaviest five-bass limit of the final round.

“We are thrilled to host the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE and have been anticipating the arrival of this event with great enthusiasm,” said A.J. Frels, Executive Director at Explore La Crosse. “We are excited for visitors and fans to experience the Driftless Region, where Ice Age glaciers left an untouched playground of bluffs, ravines, coulees and an incredible network of waterways.

“The La Crosse region is the perfect playground for outdoor enthusiasts. Once visitors have experienced our area, we know it will stay at the top of their list for fishing, hiking, hunting, canoeing, boating, kayaking or simply being outdoors.”

Mississippi River expert and Pro Circuit angler Matt Stefan of Junction City, Wisconsin said the fish should be fully into their summer patterns by next week and he expects the fishing to be good.

“Prior to the middle of July, the fish are scattered everywhere,” said Stefan. “Now that we are into August, they get into a true summer feeding mode and are more grouped up. At this point in the season, it’s not uncommon to find spots where you can pull up on a current break and catch 40 fish on 50 casts. The key, as always, is going to be catching 3-pounders. The Mississippi is a game of keepers – the more you catch, the better your chance of catching one of those 3-pounders.

“I think 13 pounds a day will be key,” continued Stefan. “It will probably take a solid 26 pounds to move anglers on to the Knockout Round, another 13 pounds to make it into the top 8 for the Championship Round and 16½ to 17 pounds to win the Championship Round.”

While the Mississippi River has a reputation for being a frog haven in the summer, Stefan said there will most likely be a lot of other options being thrown during the event, including buzzbaits, walking topwaters and poppers, as well as swim jigs and swimbaits. He said he also expects to see anglers pitching and flipping Texas rigs and jigs, cranking, swinging football jigs and potentially even a Carolina rig.

“The river is at unprecedented low-water levels and will be below the 5-foot mark – the lowest it’s been in 8 to 10 years,” said Stefan. “Anglers are going to have to be a lot more cognizant of hazards. To get to some of the areas could require significant effort and there are going to be some low water areas that guys are going to have to be very careful trying to reach.”

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. CT each day of competition from Veterans Freedom Park, located at 1 Clinton Street in La Crosse. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park daily at 3 p.m. The MLF NOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the MLF NOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Along with the launch and weigh-in, fans and community members are invited to a Fishing and Outdoor Expo Saturday and Sunday, August 21-22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT at Veterans Freedom Park, where fans can meet the pros and check out the latest in fishing and outdoor gear. The expo includes live music, great food, vendor booths from participating sponsors, activities for kids, giveaways and more.

The first 100 kids (10 and under) will receive a free rod and reel at the Expo on Saturday and Sunday and fans can register for a Jackson Kayak Coosa FD giveaway once per day, onsite at the Expo. The winner will be drawn after the final weigh-in on August 22. PAW Patrol’s Skye and Marshall will also be at the event with MLF pro Charlie Evans and will be available for photos. Appearance times may vary. Visit MajorLeagueFishing.com for updates and more details.

In addition to the launch, weigh-ins and Expo, youth 14 and under are also invited to attend a free Kid’s Fishing Derby on Sunday, Aug. 22, from noon to 2 p.m. at Copeland Park. Participants can bring their own fishing gear or use provided gear on a first come, first serve basis. Worms will be provided by DMF Bait Company. Participants can register online at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit featured a field of 163 of the top professional anglers in the world competing at six regular-season events around the country. The top 50 anglers in the Angler of the Year (AOY) standings after the six events qualified to compete in the Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship.

Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury event will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 10 on the Outdoor Channel. Episodes premiere Sunday mornings on the Outdoor Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition. Episodes will run through Nov. 14.

For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook , Twitter, Instagram and YouTube .

by AnglersChannel

Stracner’s Remarkable Run To Bassmaster Rookie Of The Year

Bassmaster Elite Series pro Josh Stracner of Vandiver, Ala., has won the 2021 Elite Series Rookie of the Year title.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

August 11, 2021

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Before the 2021 season began, Bassmaster Elite Series angler Josh Stracner of Vandiver, Ala., told several people that the Rookie of the Year points race would “come down to the last day of the last tournament that two of us are fishing.”

While Stracner nailed that prediction, he had no idea he’d emerge with the title, especially during an up-and-down season that had him questioning his Elite future.

Going into the final Elite event at the St. Lawrence River, Stracner was fifth in the ROY standings. Focused solely on qualifying for the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, Stracner didn’t even have the rookie title on his radar, but somehow, someway, he ended up with the hardware.

“I’m not really sure how,” Stracner said. “I wasn’t expecting it. I was just worried about making the Classic. That was my No. 1 goal for sure. That’s all I had on my mind.

“I knew just one bad day at either one of those last two tournaments would have cost me. I didn’t have a good Champlain tournament. I finished 54th. That kind of aggravated me because I actually was catching enough fish to do well. That really got me fired up about getting after it at St. Lawrence and making that Classic happen. Rookie of the Year was just a bonus.”

Stracner had to have a lot of unlikely things happen to make up his 55-point deficit and climb over four others.

Then-leader KJ Queen of Catawba, N.C., and third-place Matt Robertson of Central City, Ky., were in the 90s after Day 1 at the St. Lawrence, allowing Bryan New (35th) of Belmont, N.C., to regain the ROY lead. Stracner and Justin Hamner of Northport, Ala., stood 19th and 20th in the event, respectively, putting Hamner three points behind New and Stracner 15 back.

“I didn’t keep up with it,” Stracner said. “I don’t like getting my mind messed up on something like that. I just went out trying to catch everything I could catch.”

On Day 2, New fell to 67th, losing 32 points, and Hamner dropped to 31st. After climbing to 17th with his second bag topping 19 pounds, Stracner held a two-point lead heading into Day 3, and he was now aware of the great twist of fate.

With Hamner having more room to improve, Stracner thought he’d blown it as he weighed his smallest bag on Semifinal Saturday, 17-13, to finish 22nd. Hamner, who wasn’t on BassTrakk, was last to weigh in.

“Nobody knew what he had,” Stracner said. “I thought I kind of left the door open for him just a little bit. I thought I had 17 pounds even. I just knew he’d probably try to make a run at the lake, catch 18, 19, 20 pounds and beat me. I think he actually stayed kind of close and largemouth fished and it didn’t work out for him.”

With only four fish weighing 7-13, Hamner finished 45th, losing 14 points to Stracner’s fall of five points. It left Stracner 11 points up.

“I had a decent tournament,” Stracner said. “I didn’t set the woods on fire or anything. Just getting inside that Top 20 after the second day, and those guys behind me just not having a good tournament, that’s all it was.”

Of the nine rookies on the Elites in 2021, six were tightly bunched among the Top 39 who are awarded automatic Classic berths. These results were tabulated are after dropping their worst finish due to a COVID stipulation, which only counted toward Classic qualification. Stracner qualified for the Classic by finishing 29th.

“I had so many people come up to me congratulating me on such a great season,” Stracner said. “I feel like I didn’t do really well this year. I’m just fortunate that I did a hair better than the rookies that were behind me. I don’t think any of us had a spectacular season.

“Of course, I’m grateful for making the Classic and getting the rookie title — I guess that’s good for the first year — but having two or three or four tournaments below 50th place, I don’t like being down that far. And I know the other guys don’t either.”

Stracner earned an invitation to the Bassmaster Elite Series after finishing second in the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Opens division point standings.

While Stracner is the first to say he has work to do before next season, he knows at least one thing will be different in 2022.

“I’ve got a title now that (emcee Dave) Mercer can announce instead of just my name,” he said with a laugh.

Stracner will kick off his second year on the Bassmaster Elite Series Feb. 10, 2022 on Florida’s St. Johns River. For more information, visit Bassmaster.com.

by AnglersChannel

Matt Lee’s Championship Combos on Lake Champlain

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

Major League Fishing pro Matt Lee qualified for his first Championship Round on the Bass Pro Tour on his favorite lake in the country, Lake Champlain for Toyota Stage Six. The Carhartt titled pro dominated his Qualifying Round to earn his spot in the Championship Round for a one-in-ten chance at $100,000 and a BPT trophy.

Lee caught a mixed bag to amass the 130+ pounds of Lake Champlain bass he caught over his first two days of competition, with over 100-lbs. of that weight coming during his first day on the water. His primary area is a 30-yard stretch of grass – a scrape as he called it – that Lee first discovered in a tournament back in the summer of 2014.

The Quantum pro relied on three techniques to catch his weight that are a staple of his whether he is competing in New York or fun fishing around his house on Smith Lake in Alabama; a topwater walking bait, a Texas-rigged Senko, and a wacky-rigged Senko. 

“These three rigs will catch bass from New York to Texas and everywhere in between. Smallmouth, largemouth, spotted bass… they all like it,” Lee said with a smile. “The specific area on Lake Champlain is definitely the key to my tournament so far, but I always have these three setups on the deck of my boat.” 

• 7-foot 6-inch heavy action Vapor Casting Rod paired with a 8:1:1 Smoke S3 baitcasting reel

• 17-lb. Seaguar InvisX fluorocarbon 

• 1/4-ounce Tungsten weight with a 5/0 Owner Worm Hook

• 4-inch Yamamoto Senko in perch color 

• 7-foot medium heavy Accurist topwater rod paired with a 7:3:1 Smoke S3 reel

• 50-lb. Seaguar smackdown braid tied to a Lucky Craft Gunfish 

• Swapped out the stock Gunfish hooks with Owner Stinger ST-36 #2 treble hooks (feathered back hook) 

• 7-foot Quantum Smoke spinning rod paired with a size 30 Smoke S3 spinning reel

• 20-lb Seaguar Hi-Vis Braid for his main line and a 12-lb. Tatsu fluorocarbon leader line

• Wacky / neko rigged a 4-inch perch colored Yammato Senko with a 3/32nd ounce nail weight

• A #2 Owner Sniper Hook tied to the business end of his setup 

With any luck his “juice-hole” on Lake Champlain will produce for one more day, but either way it has been a memorable week for Lee on one of his favorite fisheries. 

“If they are firing in that spot it could be lights out. If not I’m going to have to keep my head down and work at ‘em, but either way its been an awesome week,” Lee said. “I had one of the most amazing two-hour stretch of fishing in my life and in a tournament against the best anglers in the world no less. I’m a blessed dude.”

by AnglersChannel

Jacob Wheeler Dominates Knockout Round at MLF Bass Pro Tour Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain

Tennessee Pro Catches 32 Bass Weighing 107-2 to Win Knockout Round By 27½ Pounds, Final 10 Anglers Set for Tuesday’s Final-Day Shootout for $100,000

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (Aug. 9, 2021) – Academy Sports + Outdoors pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, caught 32 scorable bass Monday weighing 107 pounds, 2 ounces to win the Knockout Round and advance to the final day of competition at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain Presented by Googan Baits in Plattsburgh, New York. The final 10 anglers are now set, and competition will resume Tuesday morning with the Championship Round. Weights are zeroed, and the angler that catches the most weight will win the top prize of $100,000.

The six-day event, hosted by the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau and the City of Plattsburgh, features the top professional anglers from around the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.

The top eight pros from Monday’s Knockout Round that will compete in Tuesday’s Championship Round on Lake Champlain are:

1^st:          Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 32 bass, 107-2
2^nd:         Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 25 bass, 79-11
3^rd:         Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 23 bass, 69-13
4^th:         Jacopo Gallelli, Florence, Italy, 25 bass, 66-0
5^th:         Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 23 bass, 58-9
6^th:         Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 20 bass, 55-2
7^th:         Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., 17 bass, 53-7
8^th:         Wesley Strader, Spring City, Ala., 19 bass, 50-14

They’ll be joined by Qualifying Round winners:

Group A: Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala.
Group B: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala.

“We had a lot of fun today, and caught a lot of bass,” Wheeler said in his post-game interview. “It feels great to reel a whole bunch of bass in.  This place is unbelievable. But tomorrow is a new day and we’ve got some stiff competition ahead of us.”

Wheeler said that Monday, for him, was all about the spinning rod. He spent the day drop-shotting on his 7-foot, 2-inch medium-heavy Duckett Jacob Wheeler Signature Series rod, spooled with 8-pound Sufix Advanced Nano braid and a Size No. 2 Finesse Neko hook.

“It’s taken me a little while to dial it in, but I’m starting to understand it more and more, and Champlain is different every single week, every time I come here. I’ve realized you can’t necessarily get locked into one area. I feel like I have figured out a little bit of a pattern and I’m looking forward to getting out there tomorrow to see how it shakes out.”

Rounding out the top 37 finishers were:

11^th:       Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., 19 bass, 48-3, $10,257
12^th:       Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 46-6, $10,257
13^th:       James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 14 bass, 43-6, $10,257
14^th:       Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., 13 bass, 38-5, $10,257
15^th:       Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., 13 bass, 37-14, $10,257
16^th:       Scott Suggs, Bryant, Ark., 12 bass, 37-14, $10,257
17^th:       Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 11 bass, 35-0, $10,257
18^th:       Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 34-10, $10,257
19^th:       David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 13 bass, 34-2, $10,257
20^th:       Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 13 bass, 32-8, $10,257
21^st:       Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 11 bass, 30-8, $10,257
22^nd:      Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., 11 bass, 29-13, $10,257
23^rd:      Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., nine bass, 28-14, $10,257
24^th:       John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 11 bass, 28-5, $10,257
25^th:       Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., eight bass, 26-4, $10,257
26^th:       Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., eight bass, 25-2, $10,257
27^th:       Shin Fukae, Osaka, Japan, seven bass, 23-4, $10,257
28^th:       Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala., nine bass, 22-2, $10,257
29^th:       Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, seven bass, 21-4, $10,257
30^th:       Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 15-13, $10,257
31^st:       Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., four bass, 13-2, $10,257
32^nd:      Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., four bass, 12-4, $10,257
33^rd:      Aaron Martens, Leeds, Ala., three bass, 8-13, $10,257
34^th:       Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, three bass, 7-1, $10,257
35^th:       Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., two bass, 7-1, $10,257
36^th:       Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, three bass, 6-14, $10,257
37^th:       Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., zero bass, 0-0, $10,257

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

Overall, there were 422 bass weighing 1,235 pounds, 6 ounces caught by the 35 pros on Monday.

Stephen Browning won Sunday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award with a 5-pound, 4-ounce largemouth that came on a vibrating jig during Period 3. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler that weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.

The Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain Presented by Googan Baits 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.

MLF announced earlier this week that the normal 80-angler Bass Pro Tour field would be reduced to 73 for this event, as seven anglers withdrew from competition for undisclosed reasons. After consulting with the MLF Angler Advisory Board, a slight change was made to the Qualifying Round Toro Cut Lines due to the unbalanced angler groupings.

The 34 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Lake Champlain on Thursday and Saturday – the 39 anglers in Group B on Friday and Sunday. After the two-day qualifying round the anglers that finish in 2nd through 17th place from Group A (50% of field) and 2nd through 20th place from Group B (50% of field) advanced to Monday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights were zeroed and the remaining 35 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.

Anglers will take off from the Plattsburgh City Marina, located at 2 Dock St., in Plattsburgh, at 8 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the Launch Ramp, beginning at 5 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all takeoff and takeout ceremonies and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

MLF officials have divided the lake into two zones in which anglers will compete – Zone A (north end of lake) and Zone B (south end of lake – Ticonderoga area). Anglers choosing to fish in Zone B must go through the normal takeoff procedure at the Plattsburgh Boat Launch and then trailer to a public ramp within Zone B. Anglers will depart the Boat Launch at 8 a.m., and competition will start with “lines in” at 9 a.m.

The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.

The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!®  will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Television coverage of the Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain Presented by Googan Baits will premiere at 7 a.m. ET, Nov. 6 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.

For complete details and updated information on 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

Big Show’s Mid-Season Turnaround

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

Momentum and confidence play as big a role in professional bass fishing as the equipment an angler uses. This notion has often been discussed, but that doesn’t change the reality behind it. When a fisherman is feeling good and fishing well, every decision seems to be the right one. On the contrary, when things are going poorly it can seem almost impossible for even established pros to turn the tide.

Team Toyota’s Terry “Big Show” Scroggins is an adamant believer of the role momentum plays in an angler’s mind. He doesn’t claim to truly understand it, or how to control the ebbs and flows of momentum, but “Big Show” knows it plays a factor. Currently Scroggins is riding the positive side of this logic, but it came around when he least expected it.

Scroggins didn’t have the start he was hoping for to begin the 2021 Bass Pro Tour season. But Stage 3 on the Harris Chain in Florida was practically his backyard, and a fishery he has a lot of experience on. Big Show 100% believed he would have a strong tournament on the Harris Chain and get his momentum moving in the right direction for the remainder of the season.

At least that was his thought until intense pain in his newly replaced knee forced him to the hospital for emergency knee surgery to treat a dangerous infection the night before the tournament began. Scroggins had to completely miss Stage 3 and had legitimate concerns of being able to compete at all the rest of the season.

“Honestly I was feeling pretty low,” Scroggins admitted. “I missed the Harris Chain, a tournament I had been looking forward to all year. I could barely stand up, let alone fish. And I had a PICC Line stuck in my right arm I had to have serious antibiotics pumped into each day. I was down, but after the first few days of recovery, making Stage 4 at Lake Chickamauga became my ultimate goal.”

Scroggins spent two weeks resting and focusing on rehab before his doctors, somewhat reluctantly, gave him the green light to compete in Stage 4. Remarkably, Scroggins went out and made his first Knockout Round of the year on Chickamauga with a bum knee and the odds stacked against him.

Major League Fishing officials and tournament staff were aware of Scroggins situation and were extremely supportive throughout his rehab process. He was given a special boat official to administer his antibiotics into the PICC Line each day of competition. Scroggins had to fish through extreme discomfort, but through stubbornness and hard work the Big Show achieved his goal.

Since that tournament Scroggins has gone on to make two consecutive Knockout Rounds in Stage 5 and Stage 6. Completely turning his season around for the better.

Coming into Toyota Stage 6 on Lake Champlain Scroggins said he was feeling the positive momentum he’d been riding since his surgery, but doesn’t claim to fully understand why.

“To me its just more proof that our sport is a lot more mental than we like to think,” Scroggins said. “You know my knee deal kinda threw a wrench in my plans… the thing hurts! Especially those first couple tournaments after the surgery. But in a strange way, having to put the discomfort out of my mind might help me focus on fishing when I’m on the water.

“It definitively changes my decision making process just because it makes me move a little slower and not want to run around nearly as much. Instead of thinking about the next three places to get a bite, I’m thinking about how I can catch fish in the spot I’m already sitting at. I really don’t know, but maybe that’s a part of it.”

Whatever the reasoning may be, Scroggins isn’t too worried as long as he can keep the ball rolling into Stage 7 on Lake St. Clair. Scroggins is hopeful with another strong finish he can sneak into qualifying for his first REDCREST next February in Oklahoma. Regardless of how his season plays out, there can be no questioning the heart and toughness of the “Big Show”.

by AnglersChannel

Bassmaster Classic Angler Qualification Update

August 9, 2021

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The 2021 Bassmaster Elite season ended in July, but there may still be movement in the list of Elite Series anglers who qualify for the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.

One unique wrinkle this year is that each Elite angler drops his lowest finish. “The drop,” as it has been called, came about early this year when Elite anglers voted-in the ability to drop their worst tournament should someone miss an event for a COVID-related illness. That happened when David Fritts fell ill for the first tournament.

The drop only impacted Classic berths, not Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings or requalification to the Elites for 2022. Those berths are awarded to the Top 39 Elites and move down the standings with each double qualifier.

B.A.S.S. recently sent out the updated AOY point standings with each Elite angler’s worst event excluded. Four additional Elite anglers have qualified for the Classic because Hank Cherry, Brandon Palaniuk and Taku Ito double qualified and Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens at Oneida Lake winner Bill Perkins is not fishing all three tournaments in the Northern division.

With four Opens tournaments remaining, it is mathematically possible more Elites will qualify. There will be drama in those tournaments with Classic qualifications, Elite Series invitations and the Falcon Rods Opens Angler of the Year title on the line.

Remaining Classic berths will go to the three current Opens winners — Keith Tuma, Daisuke Aoki and Joey Nania — assuming that they fish all three tournaments in their respective division. Nine berths are still to be decided from the four remaining Opens events, the Top 3 finishers at the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, the Team Champion and the College Classic Bracket Champion.

Elite Series Anglers Currently Qualified For 2022 Bassmaster Classic

1. Seth Feider
2. Chris Johnston
3. Brandon Palaniuk
4. Patrick Walters
5. Caleb Sumrall
6. Lee Livesay
7. Cory Johnston
8. Brandon Cobb
9. Jason Christie
10. Greg Hackney
11. Drew Cook
12. Austin Felix
13. Wes Logan
14. Brock Mosley
15. Luke Palmer
16. Taku Ito
17. Gerald Swindle
18. Hank Cherry
19. Shane LeHew
20. Jeff Gustafson
21. Kyle Welcher
22. Brandon Lester
23. Drew Benton
24. Chad Pipkens
25. John Crews
26. Bryan Schmitt
27. Matt Herren
28. Brandon Card
29. Josh Stracner
30. Steve Kennedy
31. KJ Queen
32. Buddy Gross
33. Bryan New
34. Hunter Shryock
35. David Mullins
36. Justin Hamner
37. Marc Frazier
38. Chris Zaldain
39. Matt Robertson
40. Matt Arey
41. Stetson Blaylock
42. John Cox
43. Ray Hanselman

by AnglersChannel

Lucas Holds on To Win Group B Qualifying Round at MLF Bass Pro Tour Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain

Guntersville, Alabama pro Bests Tennessee’ Brandon Coulter to Win Thrilling Third Period Shootout and Advance Directly to Tuesday’s Championship Round, 18 Anglers Advance to Monday’s Knockout Round

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (Aug. 8, 2021) – It was a back-and-forth battle at the top for pretty much the entire third period Sunday between pros Brandon Coulter of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Berkley pro Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Alabama, at the Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain Presented by Googan Baits in Plattsburgh, New York.

The duo traded the lead back and forth five times during Period 3, before Lucas boated a 3-pound, 13-ounce smallmouth with 60 minutes left in the round to pull away and win the two-day Qualifying Round for Group B. Lucas’ two-day total of 31 bass weighing 101 pounds, 10 ounces earned him the victory by a slim 9-ounce margin over Coulter and advances him directly into Tuesday’s final-day Championship Round of competition.

Coulter caught a two-day total of 41 bass weighing 101 pounds, 1 ounce to finish the day in second place. In third place on the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard is Academy Sports + Outdoors pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, who caught 32 bass weighing 89-14. Hot Springs, Arkansas’ Stephen Browning, who caught a two-day total of 29 bass totaling 82-13, and Polaris pro David Dudley of Lynchburg Virginia , who boated 28 bass weighing 79-6 rounded out the top five finishers in the round.

The remaining 35 anglers – 16 from Group A and 19 from Group B – will now compete Monday in the Knockout Round, where weights are zeroed, and the anglers compete to finish in the top eight to advance to Championship Wednesday. Tuesday’s Championship Round will feature Group A winner Matt Lee, Group B winner Justin Lucas, and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000.

“That was a hard fight and was a lot of fun. I can’t believe we won it, honestly,” Lucas said in his post-game interview. “I felt like things weren’t really going our way, today, but I ended up catching more fish than the first day. And to win by just 9 ounces – that was insane.”

Like Friday, the majority of Lucas’ catch on Sunday came from drop-shotting deep-water smallmouth.

“I caught two key fish on a swimbait today, and 16 more on a Berkley (PowerBait Max Scent) Flat Worm,” Lucas said. “I worked my fricking butt off. I am beat bad, and I am really looking to a day off. I’ve got to get my stuff together, it’s a disaster right now.”

The top 19 pros from Qualifying Group A that now advance to Monday’s Knockout Round on Lake Champlain are:

1^st:          Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 31 bass, 101-10 – ADVANCES DIRECTLY TO CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
2^nd:         Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., 41 bass, 101-1
3^th:         Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 32 bass, 89-14
4^th:         Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 29 bass, 82-13
5^th:         David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 28 bass, 79-6
6^rd:         Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 28 bass, 77-9
7^th:         Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 24 bass, 76-3
8^th:         Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 23 bass, 73-1
9^th:         Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 23 bass, 66-8
10^th:       Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 20 bass, 64-1
11^th:       Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., 21 bass, 62-5
12^th:       Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, 21 bass, 60-12
13^th:       Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 18 bass, 58-10
14^th:       Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala., 20 bass, 58-1
15^th:       Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 21 bass, 55-13
16^th:       Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., 18 bass, 54-5
17^th:       Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 18 bass, 50-12
18^th:       Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 18 bass, 50-3
19^th:       Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 18 bass, 49-9
20^th:       Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 17 bass, 49-1

Finishing in 21^st through 39^th in the Group B Qualifying Round were:

21^st:       Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 17 bass, 49-0
22^nd:      Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., 16 bass, 46-2
23^rd:      Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 14 bass, 42-6
24^th:       Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., 14 bass, 42-0
25^th:       Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, 13 bass, 38-10
26^th:       Shaw Grigsby, Gainesville, Fla., 14 bass, 38-4
27^th:       Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 13 bass, 38-2
28^th:       Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., 11 bass, 34-12
29^th:       Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, 13 bass, 34-8
30^th:       Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 12 bass, 33-8
31^st:       Jeff Kriet, Ardmore, Okla., 12 bass, 32-5
32^nd:      Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 13 bass, 31-3
33^rd:      Ricky Robinson, Greenback, Tenn., 11 bass, 31-3
34^th:       Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 11 bass, 29-14
35^th:       Paul Elias, Laurel, Miss., 10 bass, 29-12
36^th:       Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 10 bass, 27-6
37^th:       Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., 10 bass, 26-2
38^th:       Ish Monroe, Oakdale, Calif., 10 bass, 25-0
39^th:       Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., seven bass, 24-12

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

Overall, there were 380 bass weighing 1,097 pounds, 10 ounces caught by the 39 pros on Sunday.

Kelly Jordon won Sunday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award with a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass that came on a frog during Period 1. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler that weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.

The MLF Bass Pro Tour Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain Presented by Googan Baits is hosted by the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau and the City of Plattsburgh.

MLF announced earlier this week that the normal 80-angler Bass Pro Tour field would be reduced to 73 for this event, as seven anglers withdrew from competition for undisclosed reasons. After consulting with the MLF Angler Advisory Board, a slight change was made to the Qualifying Round Toro Cut Lines due to the unbalanced angler groupings.

The 34 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Lake Champlain on Thursday and Saturday – the 39 anglers in Group B on Friday and Sunday. Now that each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 17th place from Group A (50% of field) and 2nd through 20th place from Group B (50% of field) advance to Monday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Tuesday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed and the remaining 35 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 take off from the Plattsburgh City Marina, located at 2 Dock St., in Plattsburgh, at 8 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the Launch Ramp, beginning at 5 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all takeoff and takeout ceremonies and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

MLF officials have divided the lake into two zones in which anglers will compete – Zone A (north end of lake) and Zone B (south end of lake – Ticonderoga area). Anglers choosing to fish in Zone B must go through the normal takeoff procedure at the Plattsburgh Boat Launch and then trailer to a public ramp within Zone B. Anglers will depart the Boat Launch at 8 a.m., and competition will start with “lines in” at 9 a.m.

The Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain Presented by Googan Baits 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 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.

The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!®  will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Television coverage of the Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain Presented by Googan Baits will premiere at 7 a.m. ET, Nov. 6 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.

For complete details and updated information on 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

Wheeler Weighing his Options

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

Jacob Wheeler finished today in 3rd place in Group B’s Qualifying Round of Toyota Stage 6 of the Bass Pro Tour on Lake Champlain; sending him to yet another Knockout Round. The Team Toyota pro is fresh off his second Bass Pro Tour win of the season on the St. Lawrence River and would love nothing more than to win back-to-back events here in New York. 

If you’ve been paying attention to professional bass fishing the past several years, you already know the 31-year old Indiana native is a once-in-a-lifetime type talent on the water. One of the things that makes Wheeler so tough to beat is his cerebral nature. 

He is constantly considering different strategies during competition, not just different ways to catch a bass, but factoring in the different rounds of a Bass Pro Tour event. Weighing the positives and negatives of potential off-days, incoming weather patterns, and always striving to put himself in the absolute best position to come away with a victory. 

As Wheeler charged up the SCORETRACKER, catching over 58-pounds of Champlain bass and posting the heaviest weight of the day, these variables were certainly running through his mind. 

“I was starting to make up some serious ground on the leaders and about half way through the day I decided I needed to try and win the Round,” Wheeler explained. “The area I was catching them the best in today is vulnerable to the wind and strong winds are forecasted for the Knockout Round. I hate to burn up fish if I don’t need to, but with that knowledge I wanted to push and see what would happen.” 

Wheeler is predominantly targeting smallmouth, which have been unusually fickle this week during Stage 6 for every angler not named Justin Lucas. When Wheeler found a large group of smallies and began quickly stacking weight today, he knew he needed to put the pedal down in hopes of avoiding heavier winds expected for the Knockout Round. 

That kind of intuition is not something you can learn without competing in hundreds of tournaments, spending thousands of hours working on your craft. Whether we are talking about this tournament or the previous five Stages, Wheeler isn’t out there just to catch every bass he possibly can. He is extremely calculated when it comes to managing spots, areas, and fish. Wheeler is playing chess, not checkers on the Bass Pro Tour. 

Unfortunately for J. Wheels, both Justin Lucas and Brandon Coulter both had 50+ pound days today, too. They were sitting in first and second going into today and were able to out pace him in the end. 

“I lost a couple good fish with about 30 minutes to go today that kind of took the wind out of my sails,” Wheeler said. “I still had a little over ten pounds to make up and with time getting low, I decided to back off. The wind might totally jack me up out there tomorrow but it could fire the fish up, too. I really don’t know, but we’re going to find out tomorrow.” 

He may not have been able to chase down Justin Lucas today to win the Qualifying Round, but advancing to the Knockout Round continues his incredible 2021 season.  Wheeler currently sits in third place in the overall Points Title race and is continuously factoring that title into his tournament equation as well. 

Anything can happen in both this event and the Points Title campaign, but with the way Wheeler has been fishing this year it would be hard to bet against him. 

by AnglersChannel

KVD: Champlain’s Challenges

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

Lake Champlain is considered a bass fisherman’s paradise by most who have had the pleasure of spending time on this beautiful fishery, but take one glance at the Scoretrackerand it’s obvious Champlain is fishing tougher than usual for Major League Fishing competitors this week.

After the first two days of competition it took only 23-lbs. and 22-lbs respectively for anglers in Group A and Group B to be above the Toro Cut Line, in good position to qualify for Monday’s Knockout Round. Sure, anglers at the top of the leaderboard for Toyota Stage 6 of the Bass Pro Tour are showing out, but the weights to be inside the top 20 anglers are considerably less than what angler’s have come to expect on Champlain.

Kevin VanDam loves this lake and has a boatload of experience here throughout his career, but he’ll be the first to tell you Champlain has left him scratching his head so far this week.

“This place has an unbelievable population of bass but we’re here in the middle of the transition from shallow to postspawn,” VanDam explained. “At the end of this month most all of the smallmouth in this lake will be setup on their deep spots, but they just aren’t there right now. There fish are scattered from shallow to deep and everywhere in between.”

One of the things that makes Lake Champlain so good is the incredible diversity of cover present here. There are expansive shallow grassy bays, offshore shoals and rock piles, deep flats with defined grass lines, marina docks, rock jetties, river sections, lily pads, and the list could go on.

While this is typically a positive thing, it can also be a bit of a negative when fish aren’t grouped up in KVD’s opinion.

“It almost seems random out there right now,” VanDamadmitted. “There are a few fish doing everything which makes it tough to dial in on something specific. You might catch three nice largemouth in a foot of water within 15 minutes and then go two hours without a bite. Then it’s the same deal offshore with smallies. It’s kind of strange.”

With only two days of practice on this massive body of water, it was difficult for Bass Pro Tour competitors to get dialed in on where most of the fish are spending their time right now. With both largemouth and smallmouth somewhat evenly dispersed across shallow and deep cover types, it’s easy for a few bites to mislead you.

“Even amidst the transition funk I’m still surprised with how much I struggled on day one,” VanDam said. “I had a pretty strong practice targeting smallmouth, but very seldom saw fish following when I would reel one in. Champlain is notorious for that and not seeing it tells me they aren’t grouped up quite yet.”

Two other factors that may have something to do with Champlain being stingy include the water level and the amount of fishing pressure this lake’s received in the past few weeks. Champlain’s water level is a few feet lowerthan usual which has left a lot of the shallow largemouth habitat unfishable.

Couple that with the fact Lake Champlain has hosted three major tournaments over the past month and it starts to make sense why this famed fishery on the New York / Vermont border isn’t producing the number of bites anglers have grown accustomed to.

Fortunately for VanDam and the rest of the field, the number and size of bass to make magic still live here, and it’s still anyone’s ballgame. The potential for 100+ pound days like Matt Lee posted on Thursday is a very real possibility. VanDam currently sits just outside the Toro Cut Line for Group B and the Team Toyota pro is looking forward to getting back on the water.

“No one is out of it at this point,” VanDam said with a wink. “This lake has the potential to produce one of those special days. If I can play the weather and execute when I get them to bite, I believe I’m around the fish to have one of those days. We’ll just have to see what happens!”

by AnglersChannel

Justin Lucas Grabs Early Group B Lead at MLF Bass Pro Tour Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain

Guntersville, Alabama Pro Catches 15 Bass Totaling 50 Pounds, 2 Ounces to Lead Group B’s Qualifying Round, Group A to Finish Their Qualifying Round Saturday

by AnglersChannel

Scroggins Says Everyone Should Travel with JB KwikWeld

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

Whether you are a professional angler like Terry Scroggins or you chase bass on the weekends, being able to fix something in a pinch is an important part of the hobby. A lot of bass fishing equipment has been jerry-rigged with super glue and duct tape over the years, but the “Big Show” believes anglers should add another tool to their toolbox; JB KwikWeld. 

Terry Scroggins is bass fishing’s equivalent of Mr. Fix-It. The former automotive mechanic and painter has been a tackle-tinkerer throughout his professional fishing career. “Big Show” pours his own soft plastic lures, makes his own jig heads, custom builds his own Mud Hole / MHX Rods, and even paints his own crankbaits. 

On top of that the Team Toyota pro could be an honorary member of the Service Crew with all the work he’s done on his own boat as well as lending a hand to his peers. When quizzed with one thing every bass fisherman should travel with, just in case, Scroggins didn’t hesitate. JB KwikWeld was at the top of his list. 

“Super glue works alright in a pinch and I still keep some in my boat but if you can wait five minutes epoxy adhesive is going to be a lot stronger and more durable,” Scroggins explained. “Buy some next time you’re at the hardware store, read the directions and keep a few tubes packed away in your truck or boat. You’ll thank me later!”  

Believe it or not “Big Show” has absolutely no affiliation with the brand, no sponsorship pending or anything like that, he simply believes in the product. Scroggins says he has been traveling with JB Weld or something close to it for ten years; it’s a staple. 

Scroggins keeps a toolset in his back of his Tundra but loves that JB Kwikweld requires no special equipment whatsoever. All you need is the epoxy, the back of a crankbait or flutter spoon, five minutes and a spare hook. Though he keeps toothpicks handy in his Triton for mixing the epoxy, too. 

“I’ve used it to repair everything from rod guides to the gel coat on my boat,” Scroggins said with a smile. “If I knock the gel coat off my boat by hitting something the first thing I do when I get off the water is rough the area up with 60-grit sandpaper and take some JB Weld to it. 

“If you leave your gel coat exposed and let water get inside it can delaminate your boat in a hurry, which is worst case scenario. Plugging the hole with some good epoxy will get you through the weekend without having to worry and only takes a few minutes.” 

Scroggins isn’t advising a do-it-yourself approach over professional opinion, but his many nights on the road traveling from lake to lake have taught him that sometimes you’ve gotta do the best with what you’ve got. A lesson most of us bass junkies have learned at one point or another. 

Scroggins is also well known for his bait modifications, he literally pours most of the soft plastics he uses on the Bass Pro Tour in his garage or the back of his Tundra. So it should come as no surprise to learn he has found a pile of uses for epoxy like JB Weld on lures, too. 

Whether he needs to add a heavy-duty bait keeper on a flipping hook, seal a deep diving crankbait he’s modified, or some other home cooked secret Scroggins has found JB KwikWeld to be up for the job. 

“I use it to fix everything except dinner – for that I use a grill,” Scroggins joked. “In all sincerity it’s one of the best things to keep in your truck or boat on the road. It might help you out of a jam some day.”

by AnglersChannel

Bassmaster College National Championship Heads To Smallmouth Heaven

Top college teams from across the country will compete on the St. Lawrence River August 12-14 at the 2021 Carhartt College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.

Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.

August 6, 2021

WADDINGTON, N.Y. — The best college anglers from across the country will take on one of the best smallmouth fisheries in the United States when the Carhartt College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops arrives at the St. Lawrence River in Waddington, N.Y., Aug. 12-14.

Teams will take off from Whittaker Park in Waddington at 6:30 a.m. ET and return for weigh-in starting at 2:30 p.m. Coverage of the event can be found at Bassmaster.com.

More than 100 teams qualified for the tournament, including teams from Auburn University, University of Michigan, Ohio State, Clemson University, Clarkson University and bass-fishing powerhouses like Bethel University, University of Montevallo, Bryan College and McKendree University.

“Obviously, it is one of the best smallmouth fisheries in the U.S., I believe,” Bassmaster Elite Series pro Chris Johnston said. “It has gotten a little tougher over the years. Not necessarily because of the fish population going down, but because they are more educated now. You have to use some more finesse tactics — some smaller baits, smaller profiles and some lighter line. But with that said, on nasty windy days, they are still smallmouth and they are still going to be really aggressive and act like they never saw a bait at times.”

Teams that finished in the top 10% in each of the four regular-season events, as well as the wild card event at Lay Lake, earned a spot in the national championship and will compete for not only a victory, but a chance to qualify for the College Classic Bracket and ultimately a spot in the 2022 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell.

The College Series last visited the upstate New York fishery in 2019, when the Sam Houston State duo of Jackson Carrell and Bryton Kurtz sacked 72 pounds, 13 ounces over three days to claim the title during a regular-season event, setting a College Series record for a three-day event until 2020, when Cole Sands and Conner DiMauro caught 84-12 at the Harris Chain of Lakes.

B.A.S.S. has hosted 20 major events at the St. Lawrence River, which took the top spot in 2019 on Bassmaster Magazine’s Top 100 Best Bass Lakes list. Johnston took home his first Bassmaster Elite Series victory on the famed fishery in 2020, catching 97-8 over four days to become the first Canadian to win an Elite Series event. In 2021, Japanese pro Taku Ito’s eye-popping final-day 26-pound limit propelled him to a convincing victory at the Farmers Insurance Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River with a four-day total of 90 pounds.

Located on the border of New York and Canada, the St. Lawrence River is a clear-water fishery with heavy current, Johnston said. On calmer days, you can see down to 20 feet, and in narrower sections of the river, Johnston said the current can be as fast as 3 miles per hour.

While there are always fish to be caught in shallow water, by mid-August the smallmouth are largely postspawn and have moved to deeper water.

“A lot of the fish are going to be set up out deep, which is pretty good because you can get on a big group of them,” Johnston said. “You can drift down with the current vertically jigging them and you might get one or two fish a drift; then you start the big motor up and go back up and do another drift over them. That’s probably going to be the dominant way to catch them.”

Johnston said he likes to target underwater islands and locate subtle differences in bottom composition during this time of the year.

“Really anything that is different on the bottom,” Johnston said. “There might be a whole bunch of rock and then all of a sudden there is a sandy stretch that is 100 yards and they will sit in the sand. Or vice versa. If there is a flat of sand and then some boulders or chunk rock, they will sit on that.”

Drop shots, tubes and Ned rigs have historically produced quantity and quality of smallmouth bass over the years, and Johnston believes that will be the case during this event.

Johnston added that finding smallmouth on the St. Lawrence River can be difficult at times because the current keeps the smallmouth anchored to the bottom, making it harder to see fish on an angler’s unit.

While smallmouth are largely the focus on the St. Lawrence River, Johnston said fishing for largemouth around docks and grass could produce some big bags and vault a team toward the top of the standings if things break a certain way.

“If someone puts in the time to figure out the largemouth, they could very easily come away with 20 to 23 pounds a day as long as there aren’t too many people doing it and you can get away from everyone,” Johnston said. “There is a chance it can be won on largemouth, but more than likely smallmouth.”

The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops is being hosted by the Village of Waddington, St. Lawrence County Chamber and Clarkson University. This tournament is also supported by a Market New York grant from I LOVE NY/New York State’s Division of Tourism awarded as part of the Regional Economic Development Council initiative. The tournament and all associated festivities are planned to ensure the safety of anglers, marshals, staff and fans.

by AnglersChannel

Matt Lee Mauls ‘Em on Lake Champlain

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

Major League Fishing pro Matt Lee had the kind of day most anglers dream about to kick off Group A’s Qualifying Round on Lake Champlain for Stage 6 of the Bass Pro Tour. Lee landed 40 scoreable bass, which totaled 103+ pounds and more than doubled the next closest competitor’s weight.

The Carhartt pro was all smiles at the City of Plattsburgh Marina when the day concluded, but said his unbelievable day took a little while to get rolling.

“Lines in was at 9am this morning and I started off targeting smallmouth,” Lee explained. “I didn’t have a bite on my first four stops. We had sunny, slick calm conditions so I decided I’d run to check a few largemouth areas. That’s when the fun started. I landed on an absolute wad of fish and just kept catching them. It was unreal.”

Lee employed two techniques on a pair of Quantum baitcasting setups he swears he didn’t even have tied on to start the morning. He intended to rely on the ravenous smallmouth that live in Lake Champlain and target them mostly with finesse presentations. When that didn’t pan out, he went back to an area he found all the way back in 2014.

“The spot I caught most of my fish on today is actually something I found in an Open in 2014,” Lee said with a laugh. “I checked the area this week in practice, but the wind was howling and I only had three bites. I really didn’t think it’d be all that great, but with the calm conditions we had today I figured I could catch a few off it before going back to chasing smallmouth.”

Well he caught more than a few off this special area, and ended up not leaving for the rest of the day. With the Bass Pro Tour format, Lee decided to lean on the area for all it was worth while the fish were biting. Conditions are supposed to change for Saturday for the culmination of Group A’s Qualifying Round and Lee has learned to “get while the getting is good.”

“I’ve fished this lake a bunch now and it really seems like every single day is different,” Lee said. “We’re supposed to have quite a bit more wind and maybe some clouds on Saturday, so who knows if I’ll even get a bite in that area. I wanted to catch as much as I could catch today. I love this place, but a lot can change in two days.”

Lee has a lot of reasons to love New York. For one, he is leading his Group with a good chance of skipping the Knockout Round and heading straight to the Championship Round for a one-in-ten chance at $100,000.

Add that to the fact Lee has only missed one check in professional level tournaments in the Empire State, actuallyproposed to his incredible wife Abby here in New York in the summer of 2017, and you start to understand why this Alabama native wouldn’t be ashamed to wear a touristy t-shirt exclaiming, “I <3 New York.”

No matter how Saturday ends up for Matt Lee, his beat up hands will take a week or two to heal and today will be a day he’ll never forget.

by AnglersChannel

Costa Compete + Conserve Provides Cash for Conservation

Costa Sunglasses’ new bass fishing contingency program, “Costa Compete + Conserve” benefits individual anglers directly by paying out bonus money to the highest finishing participant of a supported tournament; but the impact of this one of a kind rewards program doesn’t stop there for the angling and outdoor community. 

For every angler payout, a corresponding cash donation is made to one of five organizations Costa has identified as directly benefiting fresh water conservation efforts. 

These organizations include: 

• American Rivers
• The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame
• Friends of Reservoirs
• The National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
• The Johnny Morris Foundation 

Upon being confirmed as the highest finishing Costa angler in a sanctioned event, the winning angler chooses one of these conservation groups to receive a donation ranging from $250 to $500. 

Major League Fishing trails like the MLF Big5 Toyota Series, Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, and the Bass Pro Tour are eligible for Compete + Conserve payouts and anglers have been cashing in throughout 2021. Each program winner can’t help but beam with fulfillment when it comes to choosing a conservation partner to donate to.   

“It’s great to see an industry leader like Costa put together a program like Compete + Conserve,” said two-time 2021 Bass Pro Tour champion Ott DeFoe. “Not only do you get paid to wear the best sunglasses in the world, but you support groups looking after our rivers, lakes, and reservoirs in the process. It’s a win-win for everyone.” 

Protecting the water and our natural resources has always been a core value of Costa Sunglasses. Compete + Conserve furthers the conservation initiative by supplying funds to the groups who have boots on the ground working to preserve and improve our fisheries. 

“Don’t get me wrong I love winning extra money, but this program enabling me and other anglers to give back to our freshwater resources is what makes Compete + Conserve truly special,” DeFoe said. 

Fishing license sales are on the rise, youth competitive fishing programs continue to grow, and there are more people on the water than ever before. These are all great things for the outdoor industry, but it also means our lakes, rivers, and reservoirs are receiving increased pressure. Now, more than ever, the entire fishing community needs to work together to ensure the future of our beloved fisheries. 

For more information on the Compete + Conserve program, head to the website: https://www.costacompeteandconserve.com/. If you’d like to learn more about the myriad of protection programs Costa Sunglasses is involved with, follow this link: https://www.costadelmar.com/en-us/inside-costa/protect 

by AnglersChannel

Cifuentes Extends Lead, Neal Clinches AOY Title at Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Savage Arms Stop 6 Presented by Abu Garcia at St. Lawrence River

MASSENA, N.Y. (July 31, 2021) – On the hunt for his first major title of his career, pro Joey “Cowboy” Cifuentes of Clinton, Arkansas, extended his lead on Day 3 of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Savage Arms Stop 6 Presented by Abu Garcia at the St. Lawrence River on Saturday. Dropping his second 24-pound-plus bag of the event on the scales on Day 3, Cifuentes weighed in 24 pounds, 2 ounces, to move his three-day total to 67 pounds, 5 ounces – a staggering 6-pound, 12-ounce lead over pro Cody Pike of Powhatan, Virginia, who ended the day in second place with a three-day total of 60 pounds, 9 ounces.

Day 1 leader Berkley pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, moved from 15^th place into 7^th to secure his spot in the Top 10 after Day 3, while General Tire pro Skeet Reese of Auburn, California made the biggest jump from 30^th place into 5^th, weighing 24 pounds even, to bring his total to 58 pounds, 8 ounces going into Championship Sunday.

“This is unbelievable,” said Cifuentes. “I don’t even know what to say. I’m in hog heaven as we say in Arkansas.”

Cifuentes said surprisingly enough, he didn’t make a single cast where he caught his weight the previous two days. While he had been fishing deep humps near Frontenac, Cifuentes said he decided to expand into some new water near Clayton – the first spot produced a 6-pound smallmouth and his day took off from there.

“I hadn’t fished shallow all week, but after that big one I decided to try it and went to a shallow spot I’d found in practice,” said Cifuentes. “I caught a pair of 5-pounders, then went back out deep and caught a 3-pounder and a 2.5-pounder.”

Having a solid limit, Cifuentes said he gassed up to run back toward check-in, leaving him plenty of time to fish his way back. He was rewarded near takeoff with 4- and 3-pounders to pad his lead even more.

After a solid day where both shallow and deep fishing worked across the river, Cifuentes said he is eager going into Championship Sunday.

“I’m so excited but I’m also nervous,” said Cifuentes. “I’ve never been in this situation before, where I am leading going into the final day. The 6-12 lead is a nice cushion for error if I struggle. But I just plan to go out and go fishing. Whatever happens, happens. I’ve had a blast.”

The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition Sunday on the St. Lawrence River are:

1^st:           Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Ark., 15 bass, 67-5
2^nd:          Cody Pike of Powhatan, Va., 15 bass, 60-9
3^rd:          Matthew Stefan of Junction City, Wis., 15 bass, 60-6
4^th:           Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 59-6
5^th:           Skeet Reese of Auburn, California, 15 bass, 58-8
6^th:           Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Mich., 15 bass, 57-13
7^th:           John Cox of DeBary, Fla., 13 bass, 56-11
8^th:           Jon Canada of Helena, Ala., 15 bass, 56-9
9^th:           Justin Cooper of Zwolle, La., 15 bass, 55-14
10^th:        Aaron Britt of Yuba City, Calif., 15 bass, 55-8

Anglers finishing 11^th through 20^th are:

11^th:        Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 55-3, $11,000
12^th:        Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla., 15 bass, 55-1, $11,000
13^th:        Kurt Mitchell of Milford, Del., 15 bass, 54-8, $11,000
14^th:        Todd Walters of Kernersville, N.C., 15 bass, 54-6, $11,000
15^th:        Zack Birge of Blanchard, Okla., 15 bass, 53-13, $11,000
16^th:        Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, 15 bass, 53-12, $11,000
17^th:        Billy Hines of Vacaville, Calif., 15 bass, 53-9, $11,000
18^th:        Miles Howe of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., 15 bass, 53-4, $11,000
19^th:        Grae Buck of Green Lane, Pa., 15 bass, 53-4, $11,000
20^th:        Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-3, $11,000

For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Anglers were also vying for the prestigious 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Angler of the Year (AOY) title that is determined by the most points accumulated over the six Pro Circuit events in 2021.

Pro Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, clinched the 2021 AOY title Saturday, after bringing in a limit of 18-8 and ending the day in 11^th place. Neal held a 21-point lead over General Tire pro Skeet Reese of Auburn, California coming into the event, so despite Reese weighing 24 pounds Saturday to make the Top 10, Neal will bring the coveted trophy back to East Tennessee. Neal will receive his entry fees paid for the entire 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit season for his win.

Pro Clabion Johns of Social Circle, Georgia, clinched the Polaris 2021 Rookie of the Year (ROY) award on Friday, which is awarded to the rookie pro angler who finishes the season with the highest point total. For his efforts, Johns won a Polaris Ranger 1000.

Overall, there were 232 bass weighing 777 pounds even caught by 50 pros Saturday. The catch included 39 five-bass limits.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Savage Arms Stop 6 Presented by Abu Garcia at the St. Lawrence River is hosted by the Town of Massena.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The field was cut to 50 anglers on Saturday. Now, the top 10 pros based on their three-day cumulative weight advance to Sunday where the winner will be determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days of competition.

Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2021 TITLE will be on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Aug. 17-22, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse.

The final 10 anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. ET on Sunday from the Massena Intake Boat Launch located at 1415 State Highway 131 in Massena.  Weigh-ins will also be held at the boat launch Sunday at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the MLF NOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Savage Arms Stop 6 Presented by Abu Garcia at the St. Lawrence River will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, Sept. 1 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall. Weigh-in will be streamed and fans can catch live on-the-water action all day Sunday, August 1 on MLF NOW!beginning at 7 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook , Twitter, Instagram and YouTube .

by AnglersChannel