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Bethel University Wins Eighth-Annual MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Open at Lake Chickamauga

DAYTON, Tenn. (Feb. 28, 2022) – The Bethel University duo of Hunter Fillmore of Waynesville, Ohio and Dylan Fogarty of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania won the eighth-annual Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI Open tournament at Lake Chickamauga on Friday. The team’s two-day cumulative total of 10 bass weighing 45 pounds, 9 ounces, gave them a whopping 14-pound, 3-ounce-margin over the second-place team, Georgetown College’s Conner Johnson of Paris, Kentucky and Jordan Nicely of Mount Vernon, Kentucky, who brought 10 bass to the stage weighing 31-6. The Bethel victory earned the duo a $33,500 prize package, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard, and an automatic berth into the 2023 Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship.

A total of 275 teams competed in the event on Lake Chickamauga, setting the record for the most teams in Major League Fishing history to compete in the College Fishing Open. With the number of teams competing, the Bethel duo said they were surprised to realize they had such a large lead on the final day of the event.

“We honestly just got lucky,” said Fogarty. “We spent a whole day graphing Lake Chickamauga, from the dam all the way up to Sale Creek. This one spot we found is unlike anything we’ve ever seen – just one patch of grass, about the size of a boat – and we managed to pull over 45 pounds out of it.

“After we got a good limit on Day 1, we just stuck around the area to see if we could cull, and kept an eye on the place, but no one else showed up.”

The pair headed back to their lucky spot on Day 2, where they found conditions had changed – the formerly clean water was dirty and the water level had risen, pushing the grass down even deeper.

“The water had come up about a foot and a half or so, pushing the grass down to about 8 feet of water,” said Fillmore. “We had been fishing with a lipless crankbait on the first day, but switched over to vibrating jigs on Day 2, and had our limit by 11:30 a.m.,” said Fillmore.

Their key baits were a Z-Man ChatterBait Jack Hammer and a Queen Tackle Switch Blade Tungsten Bladed Jig in ½-ounce models, with red skirts and a white Yamamoto Zako , which they dyed orange. The pair said once Fogarty reeled in the 9-5, they had a pretty good idea they would be in first place.

“We knew we were sittin’ good but had no idea we had that large of a lead,” said Fillmore. “This is Bethel’s first Open win and it feels great.”

The 27 teams that advanced to the 2023 Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship were:

1^st:            Bethel University – Hunter Fillmore, Waynesville, Ohio, and Dylan Fogarty, Mechanicsburg, Pa., 10 bass, 45-9
2^nd:           Georgetown College – Conner Johnson, Paris, Ky., and Jordan Nicely, Mount Vernon, Ky., seven bass, 31-6
3^rd:           Tarleton State University – Reagan Nelson, Athens, Texas, and Collin Reyes, Saginaw, Texas, 10 bass, 28-14
4^th:           Louisiana State University – Bryan Bergeron, Port Allen, La., and Heath Pinell, Plaquemine, La., 10 bass, 28-3
5^th:           Bryan College – Conner Giles, Riceville, Tenn., and Christian Wright, Clinton, Tenn., eight bass, 28-2
6^th:           Blue Mountain College – Tyler Hill and Bryant Marsh, both of Corinth, Miss., six bass, 25-6
7^th:           Bryan College – Mason Cizek, Knoxville, Tenn., and Rob Lindsey, Harrison, Tenn., seven bass, 25-1
8^th:           Bethel University – Austin Aikins, Lower Burrell, Pa., and Sean O’Brien, McKenzie, Tenn., seven bass, 24-2
9^th:           University of Montevallo – Cade Holcomb, Helena, Ala., and Grayson Morris, Birmingham, Ala., eight bass, 24-1
10^th:        Catawba Valley Community College – Lane Bailey and Justin Eggers, both of Granite Falls, N.C., six bass, 22-5
11^th:        Drury University – Hunter Baird, Springfield, Mo., and Cole Breeden, Eldridge, Mo., nine bass, 21-11
12^th:        University of Montevallo – Adam Carroll, Carrollton, Ga., and Trey Dickert, Taylors, S.C., six bass, 21-9
13^th:        Emmanuel College – Dylan Akins, Flowery Branch, Ga., and Chase Carey, Hoschton, Ga., eight bass, 20-11
14^th:        Columbia State Community College – Hunter Jones and Ryan Prince, both of Mount Pleasant, Tenn., six bass, 20-5
15^th:        Blue Mountain College – Lake Norsworthy, Brandon, Miss., and Nick Staub, Germantown, Tenn., seven bass, 19-14
16^th:        University of North Carolina – Samuel Dunson, Chapel Hill, N.C., and Jake Monti, Mooresville, N.C., five bass, 19-11
17^th:        Louisiana State University – Jeremy Severic, Bossier City, La., and Blakely Young, Hallsville, Texas, seven bass, 19-1
18^th:        East Texas Baptist University – Kaden Proffitt, Pittsburg, Texas, and Cason Ragsdale, Winnsboro, Texas, five bass, 18-15
19^th:        McKendree University – Tyler Christy, Bolingbrook, Ill., and Trey Schroeder, Crestwood, Mo., eight bass, 18-14
20^th:        Bethel University – Matthew Cummings, Union City, Tenn., and Levi Mullins, Nineveh, Ind., six bass, 18-9
21^st:         Emmanuel College – Seth Jenkins, Townville, S.C. and TJ McKenzie, Andrews, S.C., eight bass, 18-8
22^nd:        McKendree University – Jack Stephens, St. Louis, Mo., and Maxwell Trotter, Decatur, Ill., seven bass, 18-0
23^rd:        University of Nebraska – Cade Ludwig, Lincoln, Neb., and Hunter Suchsland, Kearney, Neb., seven bass, 17-9
24^th:        Tarleton State – Kreed Averhoff, Hico, Texas, and Jordan Kalsbeek, Stephenville, Texas, six bass, 17-8
25^th:        Emmanuel College – Cole Holloway, Madison, Ga., and Taylor McMullen, Oxford, Ga., five bass, 17-2
26^th:        Blue Mountain College – John Berry, Mt. Olive, Miss., and Blake Bullock, Seminary, Miss., six bass, 17-0
27^th:        University of North Alabama – Ty James, Iuka, Miss., and Walker Sahagun, Trussville, Ala., four bass, 16-10

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI Open tournament was hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council. The next event for MLF collegiate anglers will be a Southeastern Conference tournament, scheduled for March 4 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama.

Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual Abu Garcia College Fishing Open advance to the following year’s Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship. One additional team will automatically qualify for the National Championship for every 10 teams over 200 competing.

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 information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

NPFL Lake Cumberland: Watkins Wins It All On Cumberland

BURNSIDE, Kentucky - Relying on a clean water intake from practice, Taylor Watkins locked up his second NPFL win on an ever-changing Lake Cumberland with a giant 23-pound, 6-ounce bag of bass. With only one area from practice to return to, the Clinton Tennessee anglers probed a 200-yard stretch in the back of a pocket to take the $50,000 check and his 2nd NPFL Crown.

“I was definitely not catching in practice, but I did get four bites total in practice with three coming off one small stretch. With the changing conditions and rising water, I went back through there and buckled down for the day.”

Moving through what turned out to be the key stretch, Watkins broke off a big fish early on before working to the back of the pocket and filling out a limit. While letting the spot rest after the lost fish, he returned to the waterfall area which pushed clean, warm water though.

“In that little spot, there was a small subtle point on a small shelf off the bluff wall and it dropped to 25-foot off the edge. The water was 52 to 53-degrees there and was cleaner than the rest. I got back there, and first cast caught that big smallie and three casts later got another one over four.”

Knowing he had found the key to catching 18” sized smallies, Watkins picked apart his area with a ¾-ounce Covert spinnerbait with a red #6 thumper blade paired with a Zoom Split Tail trailer bait. Watching his Active Target installed by Bass Boat Electronics, he was able to make a precise cast to his subtle point and get above average size bass in the boat.

“It is relaxing to get this win; it certainly takes the pressure off for the whole year. I am not necessarily going to change up anything, but it does take the pressure off. I am not going to pre-practice on Hartwell, I'll just show up and fish the conditions.”

Josh McDermott

With 15-pounds, 2-ounces, Josh McDermott relied on a few bites in practice to finish in 2nd place. The Fishers, Indiana angler returned to his primary bluff point leading into a creek and plucked off bass hanging on rock and wood. Using a Megabass 110+ Jr., McDermott noticed spotted bass in practice puking up 1 to 2-inch shad and downsized his presentation to catch the stingy bass.

“I located a lot of bass in practice but most of my bites were spots. Today, spots turned into largies, and largemouth turn into smallmouth. I think I had three largemouth in my bag to go with a spot and a smallie. The area I found was a bluff that dropped off into 30+ foot of water but there was a nice shelf. In practice they were in 10 to 14-foot and they moved into that same range with the rising water.”

Making a long cast on light line, McDermott would work his jerkbait to the magical depth and turn to small twitches to entice bites. He was using an Elite Rod, 6’ 10” medium action to get off to a fast start and swapped to a rock crawler to cull with his biggest largemouth. The Indiana pro milked two areas the entire day and picked through short fish to catch his bag.

Jeff Dobson

After a 2-pound penalty for a culling error, Oklahoma's Jeff Dobson weighed in 13-pounds, 4-ounces to finish the one-day shootout in 3rdplace. Rolling with a solid finish to the 2021 season, Dobson is thrilled to keep the good decisions going into 2022.

“I was really comfortable with my deal, and when you fish under these conditions, you have to keep your head up and fish hard or you're not going to be yourself. I have some history here from the past, and I found some fish in those older spots this week.”

Seen on Live fishing a micro jig, Dobson relied on an Omega Custom Tackle Jig head with a hand tied skirt he makes specifically for cold water. After going back to the locations from practice, Dobson went to an area he had got seven bites and backed off on.

“I caught those bass in the same spot they were the other day. Today, with the high water, they were in 22-foot, and it was a mix of spots and smallmouth. Largemouth are more subject to move with the water, and I caught a few of those this morning before getting back out to the smallmouth.”

Dobson was targeting boulders and standing timber and used his sensitive FX Rod, 7’ 3” Medium Heavy fast to pick up on light bites from deep fish. The key was contacting cover and moving the bait through while picking up on a subtle bite.

Todd Goade

In the 4th place spot, just 2 ounces back from Dobson, Todd Goade relied on some fish located early on the first day of practice to catch his 13-pounds, 2-ounces. Getting off to an early start, Goade had a limit by 9:30AM and stuck with his starting spot until 11AM before making a move.

“The water in this area was 50-degrees and I know from fishing in Tennessee, when the water level rises, fish will usually stay put, or follow the water up and hang in the same depth range. I caught some fish right up shallow and some exactly where they were on Sunday.”

Fishing a chartreuse pulse jig, a crankbait, and a ½-ounce Fitzgerald Bryan Thrift Tungsten jig, Goade targeted banks with 45-degree slopes versus the steeper bluff banks adjacent. Anywhere there was a little wood and boulders, the White Pine, Tennessee angler was able to get bites.

“It was something about this little 500-yard stretch, it has wood and rock, and the one key was these red color rocks that were mixed in. Where that transitioned to shale, I got a lot of bites. I think the warmer water kept those fish there, and in practice there was also a ton of bait I could see on active target. I caught one fish out deeper on active target today and it was a keeper smallmouth.”

Jesse Wise

In the 5th spot, fishing out of Burnside this morning, Jesse Wise dodged big floating log jams and was able to get to his fish after idling and weaving through timber. Weeding through over 20 bass, Wise brought 12-pounds, 6-ounces to the scales to finish his day.

“I left Burnside and ran into some jams. I could barely get into this creek but when I got in, I fished a 400-yard stretch all day, and there were smaller key areas on that. I caught a ton of fish today, culled four times so nine total keepers.”

Tossing a ¾-ounce spinnerbait with a #6 thumper blade, Wise added a Deep Creek Lures Swimmer with a chartreuse died tail as a trailer. Rotating between the spinnerbait, a jig and a beaver style bait, the spinnerbait was the dominate presentation for the Erwin, North Carolina angler.

“I tried other baits and I could feel the fish swirling on my baits, but they never did east those jigs. I picked up that blade and locked in in my hands all day and forced a reaction bite. Its indescribable how it feels to get off to a good start and I like this league because like me, a lot of these guys are going home this weekend and working on Monday. The other key is that back home, we don’t get shy around the muddy water - I am not afraid of it and today I settled in and grinded it out.”

Rest of the Best:

6th Dale Prinkey12-pounds, 5-ounces

7th Ryan Davidson11-pounds, 9-ounces

8th Craig Burwell11-pounds, 7-ounces

9th Jeff Barth10-pounds, 2-ounces

10th Taylor Umland10-pounds, 1-ounce

by AnglersChannel

Mueller Lands Dream Victory In B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional On Lake Havasu

Frankie Mueller, of Kingman, Ariz., has won the 2022 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional on Lake Havasu with a three-day total of 47 pounds, 4 ounces.

Photo by Grant Moxley/B.A.S.S.

February 25, 2022

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. — Frankie Mueller couldn’t have written a better script for his win at the 2022 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional.

The 26-year-old resident of nearby Kingman, Ariz., grew up fishing on this 19,200-acre impoundment of the Colorado River. After a solid start on Wednesday, he climbed into the lead with the heaviest bag of the tournament on Day 2, then he held off some hard-charging contenders on Friday.

Mueller finished with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 47 pounds, 4 ounces. He collected a $5,000 cash prize with his first regional victory in four tries, and he also claimed a berth in the TNT B.A.S.S. Nation Championship later this year.

To top it off, Mueller’s mom, girlfriend and a gaggle of fishing buddies were in the crowd at Lake Havasu State Park to see him collect the championship trophy.

Winning on home water often affords such rewards.

“This is unbelievable,” he said. “It’s all my dreams come true.”

It was that kind of week for Mueller, who works as a heavy equipment operator when he’s not fishing on Lake Havasu, something he does two or three times a week.

“When I was in the Arizona Open a few weeks ago, before (the lake was) off-limits, I saw some fish cruising around shallow," he said. "So, on Day 1, I ran around to those spots where I’ve caught them before and wound up with 12 pounds. I went back to those spots yesterday and the bass were big. It was just a special day.”

Mueller’s 22-3 limit on Thursday easily was the largest of the tournament, and it vaulted him from 12th place into the pole position. He hammered the spot again on Friday, catching four bass for 12-13 which was enough to win by more than 2 pounds.

“I went back to the same areas, all within a mile or so of Windsor Beach (at the state park),” he said. “I hit the same tules (cattails) with homemade swim jigs. It’s a Colorado River secret, basically a shad pattern with a 3/8 Keitech on it. You just chuck and wind it through the tules. When the sun came up and the wind picked up, that bite quit, and I’d pick up a green pumpkin flipping bait and pick them out of there.

“It was reaction bites pretty much the whole time,” Mueller said. “It’s like that here this time of year, but I’ve never seen anything like (Day 2). That was just a magical day. Today was good enough to get it done.”

Idaho’s Keegan Graves and JJ Gibbs IV, who lives in Lake Havasu City but qualified as a member of Team Nevada, both weighed 44-15 during the three-day tournament, with the tiebreaker going to Graves. He won $3,000 for finishing second and Gibbs collected $2,000 for third place.

Grant Aumiller won the co-angler division with a three-day total of seven bass that weighed 22-6. The Montana-based angler won a $2,500 cash prize and a berth in the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship. Tim Meeks of California was just an ounce behind Aumiller with six bass weighing 22-5. Arizona’s Eric Hammer was a distant third among co-anglers with seven bass for 16-6.

A total of 48 anglers made the cut to Friday and fished for cash prizes totaling $27,500. In all, 180 anglers (90 in both the boater and co-angler divisions) competed in the regional.

The top boater and co-angler from each of the nine states represented this week earned entry to the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship. Among boaters, they include Mueller, Graves, Gibbs, California’s Kenneth Cleveland, Montana’s Joel Leiser, Oregon’s Frank Scarla, Utah’s Ramsey Romanin, Washington’s Justin Campbell and Wyoming’s Brent Shores.

Co-anglers advancing along with Aumiller, Meeks and Hammer are Idaho’s David Bertsch, Nevada’s Darren Wilson, Oregon’s Dustin Sortor, Utah’s Terry Peterson, Washington’s James Hollingshead and Wyoming’s Nigel Dalton.

Montana’s Mike Dominick won the Big Bass Award and $500 for the 8-13 largemouth he caught on Day 2. Team Wyoming’s Nigel Dalton won $250 for having the heaviest bass (5-5) among co-anglers.

In addition to his second-place prize money, Graves won $500 for being the angler highest in the standings using Garmin electronics.

Arizona anglers won the team championship and the $5,625 cash prize from Nitro/Mercury on Thursday after catching 76 bass over two days for 225-11. Utah finished second in team scoring (74 bass, 178-15, $3,375) and Nevada (57, 144-12, $2,250) placed third.

Rounding out team standings were, fourth, California (51, 137-6); fifth, Oregon (57, 134-4); sixth, Montana (49, 122-15); seventh, Idaho (52, 122-11); eighth, Wyoming (40, 98-4); and ninth, Washington (40, 94-15).

by AnglersChannel

Alton Jones Jr. Wins MLF Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork

Waco, Texas Angler Weighs in 13 Bass Totaling 46 Pounds, 2 Ounces to Earn First Career Bass Pro Tour Win and $100,000

QUITMAN, Texas (Feb. 25, 2022) – After making the Bass Pro Tour Championship Round six previous times, for the first time in his career Alton Jones, Jr. has earned his own big red trophy. The 29-year-old Waco, Texas pro caught 13 bass weighing 46 pounds, 2 ounces Friday to win the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork Presented by Grundéns in Quitman, Texas, and earn the top prize of $100,000.

Going into the third and final period of competition Friday, Jones held a 9-pound, 7-ounce lead over fellow Texan Dakota Ebare. However, 10 minutes into the period, Ebare had boated a 4-13 and a 6-8 to seize the lead from Jones with just 50 minutes left in the competition. Five minutes later, Jones managed to catch a 2½-pounder and took the lead back from Ebare by a scant 10 ounces. Neither was able to catch a fish in the final 45 minutes, and although Academy Sports + Outdoors pro Jacob Wheeler made it interesting at the end to get within six pounds, Jones’ 13 bass for 46-2 earned him the win by a narrow 10-ounce margin.

I’m so excited – I really didn’t see this coming,” an emotional Jones said at his Bass Pro Tour Trophy Presentation. “If you’d asked me halfway through our first day if I’d have a shot to win this thing, I would have said absolutely not. Somehow, someway, by the grace of God, it just kind of came together this week. They say when it’s your time, it’s your time and I guess it’s just my time.

There are so many great anglers here,” Jones continued. “We’ve got a lot of really great anglers that have fished for a very long time and never won one. You see it all the time. I don’t even feel like I’m that good of an angler. I don’t know why it was me, but I just feel so blessed, so fortunate, so lucky and just thankful.”

Jones hunkered down on Championship Friday in the same drain in Little Caney Creek where he started the event on Day 1. It was an area that he had high hopes for, but it took awhile for it to develop.

“I fished the entire first period (of Day 1) in this drain and didn’t get a bite for an hour,” Jones said. “I didn’t come back here until the Knockout Round, but I came in here that day and the magic happened. I was able to get pretty dialed on what the fish wanted.”

What the fish wanted was a red squarebill crankbait.

“I have to give a huge shoutout to Jordan Lee,” Jones said. “I got onto a crankbait bite in practice, then the second day of the tournament I got onto a squarebill bite, however, none of the squarebills I had were running deep enough. I called Jordan that evening and asked if he had any extra squarebills that ran 5 to 6 feet, and he literally opened his tackle box and said take whatever you want. That helped me out so much – I caught every one of those fish on that bait.”

The top 10 pros at the Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork Presented by Grundéns finished:

1^st:          Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, 13 bass, 46-2, $100,000
2^nd:         Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 10 bass, 45-8, $45,000
3^rd:         Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 40-0, $38,000
4^th:         Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 11 bass, 36-4, $32,000
5^th:         Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, six bass, 29-2, $30,000
6^th:         Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., five bass, 26-0, $26,000
7^th:         Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 23-8, $23,000
8^th:         Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 20-14, $21,000
9^th:         Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, three bass, 12-7, $19,000
10^th:       Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, one bass, 4-3, $16,000

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

Overall there were 69 scorable bass weighing 284 pounds even caught by the final 10 pros Friday. The catch included one 7-pounder and three 8-pounders.

Wheeler earned Friday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award with an 8-pound, 5-ounce largemouth that bit a jerkbait in Period 2. Covercraft pro Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Kentucky, earned the $3,000 Berkley Big Bass award for the overall largest bass of the event with his 11-pound, 11-ounce giant that he weighed on Day 1 of competition.

The Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork Presented by Grundéns 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 Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork Presented by Grundéns, hosted by the Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce, the Wood County EDC, the Sabine River Authority and the Rains County Tourism Board, 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 Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork Presented by Grundéns will premiere at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 17 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morningon the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.

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

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, BallyBet, Bass Cat, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Covercraft, Favorite Fishing, Garmin, General Tire, Googan Baits, Grundéns, Guaranteed Rate, Humminbird, Lowrance, Luminox, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Nitro Performance Boats, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Power Stop, Rapala, Starbrite, Toro, Toyota, Wrangler, Yellowstone Bourbon and Zoom.

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

by AnglersChannel

Lee Livesay Takes on 2022 Bassmaster Elite Series Tour with Signature Series Halo HFX Fishing Rods

OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi – February 25, 2022. Building on the success of Lee Livesay’s 2021 win on the legendary Lake Fork, American Baitworks has partnered with Lee to introduce three signature series rods.

Livesay used three key rods to break the 100-pound mark with one of the most legendary wins ever captured on Bassmaster cameras. The HFX 7’3” Medium Heavy Casting rod, 7’6” Medium Heavy Crankin’ rod and the 7’ Medium Crankin’ rod were critical to helping Lee boat multiple Lake Fork Giants each day of his epic win. Livesay claimed victory on his home lake, Lake Fork in 2021 with 112 pounds and five ounces after four days of employing the HFX rods to land those big fish catches.

Livesay has been with Halo Fishing Rods since the start of his Bassmaster Elite Series career and is continually consulting with the Halo team to design and develop the Halo HFX Rods.

“These rods are perfect. They’re light, super sensitive, and strong.” Livesay says. “A couple of my favorite features are the 4Finger reel seat that allows you to touch the blank at all times, contributing to the sensitivity of the rod and the guides. They are equally as good whether you are using fluorocarbon or braid.”

Walt Roberts, Halo Fishing Rods Brand Manager shares, “I am ecstatic to be able to work with Lee and to launch Livesay’s Signature Series. As a professional angler and fishing guide, he spends almost 365 days on the water putting these rods to the test in performance and durability like no one else on tour.”

Halo Fishing starts each rod with unbeatable blanks constructed of the highest-quality Japanese graphite. When Halo designed the HFX Series, we did exactly that – with Toray graphite blanks that deliver ultimate sensitivity, Lee Livesay’s Signature HFX Series consists of the 7’3” Medium Heavy Casting rod, 7’6” Medium Heavy Crankin’ rod, and the 7’ Medium Crankin’ rod. In addition to having Lee’s stamp of approval, each of these rods will display Livesay’s autograph.

Every feature of the HFX has been meticulously thought through to create a rod series with unbeatable features and value. Backed by a 5-year limited warranty and 100s of hours of product design and testing in the best office in the world – on the water!

For more information about and to check out Lee Livesay’s Signature Halo Fishing Rods, please visit www.americanbaitworks.com.

by AnglersChannel

Warming Trend Likely To Influence Outcome Of Bassmaster Classic

For the fourth time, Lake Hartwell will host the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk March 4-6, 2022.

Photo by B.A.S.S.

February 25, 2022

GREENVILLE, S.C. — More water and warmth may be the key factors when the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk visits Lake Hartwell for the fourth time in the event’s storied history.

Competition days will be March 4-6 with daily takeoffs from the legendary Green Pond Landing & Event Center in Anderson at 7 a.m. ET and weigh-ins each day at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville at approximately 4:40 p.m. The winning angler will claim a $300,000 prize and the most coveted trophy in all of professional bass fishing, as the 55-angler field competes for a share of a $1 million purse.

Before Classic waters went off-limits Jan. 1, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brandon Cobb found Hartwell’s water level about 5 to 6 feet below normal pool. Making his home in Greenwood, S.C., about an hour from Hartwell, Cobb said the lake’s nearly back to full pool now — a point to which anglers may need to adjust.

“I think the fishing is considerably better when the lake is down, because it leaves less cover in the water and concentrates the fish,” said Cobb, who won an Elite Series event on Hartwell in 2019. “Even shallow fishing seems to be better when it’s down.”

That being said, Cobb believes the warming trend will have a positive impact. Daytime highs are forecast to reach the upper 60s to low 70s during the event — a stark contrast to the frigid 2015 Hartwell Classic, during which anglers struggled to launch boats that had frozen to their trailers when temps dropped into the single digits.

“I really think one of the main things that’s going to determine this Classic is how hot and cold it gets leading up to the first day of the tournament,” Cobb said. “The (forecast highs) are slightly above normal for this time of year. The cooldown the weekend before the tournament is actually about the normal temperature for late February.

“I think warmer conditions make some fish easier to catch, but honestly, I think it would take more weight to win if it were extremely cold. Warmer weather scatters them, but cold weather concentrates them.”

One of three U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects on the Savannah River, Hartwell was impounded by its namesake dam in 1962. The dam sits 7 miles downstream from the confluence of the Tugaloo and Seneca rivers, which form the Savannah. At normal pool, Lake Hartwell extends 49 miles up the Tugaloo and 45 into the Seneca.

At its deepest, the lake plunges to 185 feet, but averages 45. Like most reservoirs, Hartwell holds its greatest clarity down near the dam, with stain increasing into the river arms and the numerous tributary creeks.

“It hasn’t rained much (recently), so I think you’ll see some dirty water, but not abnormally dirty water,” Cobb said. “And the rise in water level wasn’t due to a lot of rain. It’s not high, it’s just back at normal pool.”

Offshore habitat includes a mix of humps, rocks, islands, points, channel swings and standing timber, while the shallow to mid-depth range has a mix of docks, bushes, laydowns and brushpiles.

Enhancing the habitat picture, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has planted concrete culverts/structures, stumps, broken concrete slabs, riprap, pea gravel, PVC artificial fish attractors, trees cut and cabled from the shoreline, maidencane plants and bamboo fish attractors known as “canepiles.”

Actually made of bundled and anchored bamboo stalks, canepiles typically are most relevant in the warmer season when bass target bait schools holding over top. However, their lower sections may interest prespawners staging along their shoreward journey.

Covering approximately 56,000 acres, Hartwell offers plenty of room for a 55-boat field to disperse. Cobb said the entire lake will be in play, but certain areas will receive higher attention.

“I think you’ll see groups of people fishing certain areas just because of past history, and they tend to be the most productive parts of the lake,” he said. “Over my years of fishing Hartwell, I really think you could probably win the tournament in any 5 miles of the lake.

“For example, the Tugaloo River has always played in the past because it has more creek tributaries. And, the spotted bass have gotten bigger and bigger every year and the majority of spots live in the lake’s main body. There are some spots up the rivers, but the biggest population is on the main lake.”

To that point, the most consistent Classic competitors will likely turn in mixed bags of largemouth and spotted bass. Generally, that means catching the biggest limit of spots you can find and then hunting a kicker largemouth.

With the warmer weather likely to ignite the shallow bite, some anglers will likely follow a largemouth-focused strategy. The quality will be higher, but the bites may be fewer. The other option: Weeding through a lot of short-to-barely-keeper spots in hopes of finding the competitive fish that Cobb said are on the upswing.

“In my opinion, I think it would be hard to win with straight spots; I think you’d need a heavy largemouth or a mixed bag,” he said. “It’s only been in the last three to four years that the spots have been anything that you would even worry about in a tournament. That’s what has changed — the spots have gotten a lot bigger.”

As far as bait selections, drop shots, football-head jigs, finesse worms and underspins will dominate most of the offshore action, with crankbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, Texas rigs and flipping/skipping jigs covering the shallower zones. Cobb expects a few highlight-reel moments, but consistency will probably prove challenging.

“I think you’ll see some 20-pound bags, but I would be greatly surprised too if it took 60 pounds to win,” he said. “I think it will be more in that 17- to 18-pounds-a-day range (to win). I would say 14 to 15 a day to make the Top 10.”

Fans can catch all of the action with streaming coverage all three days on Bassmaster.com. The Classic will also feature four hours of live coverage on the FOX broadcast network Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. ET, as well as four hours of Championship Sunday coverage on FS1 beginning at 8 a.m.

The annual Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Marathon will be held at the Greenville Convention Center with exhibitors on-site selling a variety of merchandise for fishing, hunting, camping and more. Hours for the Expo will be noon-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.

Legendary angler and TV show host Bill Dance will be in the B.A.S.S. booth and on Bassmaster LIVE March 5 at 10 a.m. Meet the legend and have your picture made with the iconic Classic trophy.

There will be a shuttle service offered between the Greenville Convention Center (expo) and the Bon Secours Wellness Arena (weigh-in).

The Bassmaster Classic is being hosted by Visit Anderson and VisitGreenvilleSC.

by AnglersChannel

Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour Returns to Lewis Smith Lake

80 Pro Anglers Set to Compete Over Six Days for More Than $800,000 at Favorite Fishing Stage Three on Lewis Smith Lake Presented by Mercury
CULLMAN, Ala. (Feb. 25, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF) is set to return to Alabama next week, March 2-7, for the third stop on the 2022 MLF Bass Pro Tour – the Favorite Fishing Stage Three on Lewis Smith Lake Presented by Mercury . Hosted by Cullman Parks, Recreation and Sports Tourism, Cullman County Parks and Rec and the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce, the event will feature 80 of the world’s best professional anglers, including prominent bass-fishing names like Ott DeFoe, Kevin VanDam and Jacob Wheeler , along with 14 Alabama pros – including REDCREST 2021 champion Dustin Connell, Mark Daniels, Jr ., Boyd Duckett, Timmy Horton , Randy Howell, Russ Lane, Jordan Lee, Matt Lee, Justin Lucas, Keith Poche, Ryan Salzman, Fletcher Shryock, Greg Vinson and Jesse Wiggins.

This star-studded group of anglers will compete over the six-day event for a total purse of more than $800,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable points to qualify for REDCREST 2023 – the Bass Pro Tour championship.

“It is an honor for Cullman, Alabama to host the MLF Bass Pro Tour Stage Three event launching from Smith Lake Park,” said Jeff Tolbert, Chamber Board Chair and owner of Trident Marina. “The County, City and Chamber are excited to partner once again as the “Cullman LOC” in bringing this event to our area & showcasing our great community and beautiful Smith Lake. This event brings revenue and tourism to our local businesses, and we are delighted to have the anglers and their families, along with the MLF staff, back in Cullman once again.”

The upcoming event marks the second time the Bass Pro Tour has competed on Lewis Smith Lake. The Bass Pro Tour last visited Lewis Smith Lake in 2019 – Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, rode the morning shad spawn in the Championship Round to put 30 fish on the SCORETRACKER® for 47 pounds to take home the winning trophy and top award of $100,000.

Cullman pro Matt Lee said that after back-to-back mediocre events, he needs a “redemption tournament” and what better place to do it than right in his own backyard.

“I started the 2021 season with two terrible events that bit me in the long run, so this year I really wanted to make the Knockout Round in the early events,” said Lee. “I didn’t quite make the cut in the last two tournaments, but I finished close. I just can’t stumble any more. This next event on Smith Lake is a bit of added pressure because it’s my home body of water, so I know it well and should catch them there, but the group of guys we fish against are so good that it can be difficult to separate yourself.”

Lee said the first two events of the 2022 season were a tough bite for everyone on the tour, turning into more of a big-fish tournament than a numbers game, and while he’s had opportunities, he just hasn’t quite made it happen.

“This tournament really all depends on the weather,” said Lee. “It could be a difficult time to catch fish on Smith Lake because the weather is still transitioning, but it looks like we’ll get some rain next week, which will make for better fishing.

“The fish aren’t all out deep or up in shallow water – and guys can catch them both shallow and deep – which really spreads the fish out and makes it more challenging to figure out. I expect we will see a lot of different styles and techniques of fishing throughout the event.”

Lee said the lake being wide open makes the event even more complex for local anglers as well, because there isn’t really a “home-lake advantage”, and anglers can fish to their strengths.

“I expect we’ll see guys catching largemouth in stained water, and spotted bass in clean water – fishing out deep in over 100 feet of water and up on the bank where bass are getting ready to spawn,” said Lee. “This is really going to be another tournament where anyone can come and fish in whatever manner they choose to.”

When asked about his weight predictions, Lee said it’s difficult to speculate weight on the Bass Pro Tour where every scorable fish counts because if the weather is right and an angler gets on the fish, that number can change drastically in a short amount of time. However, Lee estimates it will take an average of 33 pounds per day to make it into the top 10 and at least 50 pounds to win the Championship Round.

“Cullman competes with anywhere else, as far as fishing fans go, and the fisheries in the area – including Smith Lake and the Tennessee River – are nationally known fishing destinations,” said Lee. “I graduated from Cullman High School, so being from that community and watching Smith Lake grow into more and more of the tournament scene and hosting professional events is awesome.

“I don’t think anyone who comes to Cullman or Smith Lake has a bad thing to say about the area, the community or the fishery. It’s a great place to call home and when you add the fishing component, that makes it really special.”

Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. from the Smith Lake State Park, located at 403 County Road 386 in Çullman, Alabama. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the park, beginning at 4:30 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 tournament will feature the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament is being filmed for broadcast later this year on the Discovery Channel.

The Favorite Fishing Stage Three on Lewis Smith Lake Presented by Mercury will feature anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

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

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

The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Television coverage of the Favorite Fishing Stage Three on Lewis Smith Lake Presented by Mercury will premiere at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 1 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.

by AnglersChannel

Ware Wins Toyota Series Event on Lake Guntersville

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (Feb. 24, 2022) – With big bags of smallmouth leading the tournament after the first two days, it seemed brown fish would win the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. event at Lake Guntersville. However, local pro Kent Ware of Guntersville, Alabama was slowly and steadily climbing up the leaderboard. Moving from 17^th place into 8^thafter the first two days, Ware brought a final-day total of five largemouth weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces to the scale Thursday – his biggest bag of the tournament – to win the Central Division season-opener. Ware’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 59-15 earned him the win by a 2-pound, 4-ounce margin over second-place pro Casey Martin of Brownsboro, Alabama, and earned Ware the top payout of $80,000.

Amid changing weather and water conditions and a shortened Day 2 due to a fog delay, Ware persevered with patience and consistency. Although he’s had a handful of top 10 finishes with Major League Fishing and won the Southeastern Division Angler of the Year (AOY) title in 2012, this is his first big tournament win.

“Patience is one of the things I try to stress to my co-anglers,” said Ware. “If you get in an area like we found that’s got fish in it, you just have to be patient. They’ll bite in little spurts throughout the day. A lot of guys run and gun all over the place, but I grew up in Florida and when I try to fish like that, I don’t do well. The fish live there, and a lot of them stay shallow year-round. It’s just a matter of being patient and figuring out a bait that will trigger them, and that’s exactly what we did.”

Ware said he fished mostly around the central part of the lake and was fortunate to find some clean water that was protected by an island – clean water where a lot of healthy largemouth lived.

“My key bait throughout the tournament was the Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap. I tried some a few other vibrating baits and caught some fish the first day on a Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammerbut ended up culling those fish with the rattletrap, even that first day. “

Ware was surprised to realize his win had guaranteed him a spot in the Toyota Series Championship and he would have another chance to fish Lake Guntersville later this year – this time for a top prize of up to $235,000.

“It’s exciting to be able to come back to Guntersville this fall to fish the Toyota Series Championship – that’s actually the time of year I’d prefer to fish it,” said Ware. “The goal was to make the championship, and I’ve had some good years and some bad ones – some good championships and some bad ones – but I’m definitely looking forward to it.”

When asked if he was planning to contend for another AOY title, Ware said absolutely.

“I always try to gun for AOY, that’s the biggest award to me, but it was nice to finally win a big tournament. It’s a little overwhelming at the moment, but it will sink in eventually.”

The top 10 pros on Lake Guntersville finished:

1^st:           Kent Ware of Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 59-15, $80,000
2^nd:          Casey Martin of Brownsboro, Ala., 15 bass, 57-11, $35,000
3^rd:          Derik Hudson of Concord, Va., 13 bass, 57-5, $21,200
4^th:           Bo Collins of Robbinsville, N.C., 15 bass, 56-5, $20,000
5^th:           Nathan Brewer of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., 11 bass, 53-12, $18,000
6^th:           Ethan Greene of Eufaula, Ala., 15 bass, 53-6, $14,500
7^th:           Shawn Penn of Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 52-9, $13,000
8^th:           Kyle Palmer of Winchester, Tenn., 15 bass, 52-8, $10,250
9^th:           Miles Burghoff of Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 51-0, $9,000
10^th:        Andrew Loberg of Rocklin, Calif., 14 bass, 50-5, $7,000

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pros Hunter Eubanks of Inman, South Carolina and Kyle Palmer of Winchester, Tennessee, tied for the $500 Day One Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Tuesday, both bringing a bass weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces to the scale and taking home $250 each. Brad Burkhart of Speedwell, Tennessee, won Wednesday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass award, bringing an 8-pound, 12-ounce bass to the scale.

Collins 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.

Charlie Crouch of Waterloo, Alabama, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Thursday with a three-day total of 13 bass weighing 45 pounds, 8 ounces. Crouch took home the top prize package worth $46,000, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor and $12,500 cash.

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

1^st:           Charlie Crouch of Waterloo, Ala., 13 bass, 45-8, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard + $12,500
2^nd:          Greg Surratt of Canal Winchester, Ohio, 11 bass, 42-3, $9,500
3^rd:          Chris Quaintance of Muscle Shoals, Ala., 13 bass, 40-14, $8,000
4^th:           Alex Moore of Chester, Ill., 14 bass, 37-8, $6,500
5^th:           Darren Kelly of Wartburg, Tenn., 12 bass, 37-6, $6,200
6^th:           Alan Hults of Gautier, Miss., 12 bass, 36-13, $4,500
7^th:           Cooper Jett of Grand Rapids, Mich., 12 bass, 36-13, $4,000
8^th:           Randy Wiggins of Birmingham, Ala., 11 bass, 36-5, $3,250
9^th:           Victor Cuevas of Supply, N.C., 11 bass, 36-3, $2,100
10^th:        Roger Olson, Jr. of Eagle River, Wis., 10 bass, 33-8, $1,900

The Day One Berkley Big Bass $150 award winner in the Strike King co-angler division, was Emil Wagner of Marietta, Georgia, with an 8-pound, 6-ounce bass, while the Day Two $150 award went to Heath Greene of Eufaula, Alabama with a 7-pound bass.

The Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at Lake Guntersville was hosted by the Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce. It was the first tournament in the Central Division. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will take place on Mar. 1-3 – the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Smart Digital in Osage Beach, Missouri, hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association. 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.

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

Lowrance® Exercises Option to Extend Multi-Year Sponsorship Agreement with Major League Fishing

MLF Sponsorship Renewal of Fishing Electronics Brand Includes Branding Presence for C-MAP® and Lowrance Ghost® Trolling Motor

TULSA, Okla. (Feb. 24, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today that Lowrance®, a world-leader in fishing electronics since 1957 and longtime partner of MLF, has re-signed a multi-year agreement to remain the exclusive marine electronics provider and co-exclusive trolling motor sponsor for the MLF Cups, General Tire Heavy Hitters event and MLF5 circuits, and an official sponsor of the MLF Bass Pro Tour. The agreement will mark the 11^th and 12^th consecutive years that the two companies have partnered.

C-MAP®, the premium mapping solution for anglers looking for accurate and quality data, and the Lowrance Ghost® trolling motor will also have a prominent presence across all of MLF’s platforms, including all MLF television programming and livestreams, Bass Fishing magazine, the MLF and the MLF5’s social media outlets, MajorLeagueFishing.com, participation in MLF giveaways, and featured logo placement on angler boats and jerseys in the MLF Cup and General Tire Heavy Hitters events.

“The Lowrance team have been fantastic partners, and we’re thrilled to continue our relationship with them,” said MLF President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Wilburn. “Our sponsorship business has grown steadily the past few years, but renewals with the brands rooted in our sport like Lowrance speaks volumes about the value our partners see in continuing to align with MLF and reach our loyal and passionate fans and anglers.”

The extension follows previous successful collaborations between MLF and Lowrance®. In addition to having title sponsored some of MLF’s biggest tournaments, including the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship, Lowrance continues to work closely with several top MLF anglers such as previous REDCREST champions Edwin Evers and Dustin Connell, record-breaking Randy Howell – who just last week weighed in the largest bass ever caught in Bass Pro Tour competition, 12-pounds, 14 ounces – and Bradley Roy, who won the first regular-season Bass Pro Tour event of 2022 last week in Monroe-West Monroe, Louisiana.

"Partnering the Lowrance and C-MAP® brands across all Major League Fishing properties provides a unique opportunity to develop compelling, storytelling content about our award-winning HDS Fishing System from high-school and college teams to some of the best bass-fishing anglers in the world,” said Gordon Sprouse, Marketing Director for Navico. “Continuing our long-standing relationship since the early days of the first MLF Cups has been an incredible journey – one that has seen both of our brands grow at an incredible rate, while also creating fantastic consumer reach that continues to attract new audiences and increases exposure for the sport we love.”

Now through April 30, anglers can save $200 on ActiveTarget® Live Sonar, $200 on HDS LIVE™ 7 fishfinder displays, $300 on HDS LIVE 9, $400 on HDS LIVE 12, $500 on HDS LIVE 16, $700 on the HDS LIVE 9 and 12 display bundle or $800 on HDS LIVE Dual 12 display bundles – plus an additional $200 cash back when purchased with Ghost® Trolling Motor, HALO® Radar (24, 20+ or 20) or the Lowrance Outboard Pilot. For more information on Lowrance and their latest offers and promotions, visit www.lowrance.com/offers.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing, its tournaments, and sponsors, 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 Adjusts Competition Hours for Championship Round at Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork

Advisory for Thursday, Feb. 24

WHAT:
Major League Fishing officials have adjusted the start times for Friday’s Championship Round of the Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork Presented by Grundéns, due to the icy road and ramp conditions. Takeoff will now be held at 10:30 a.m., with Period 1 starting at 11 a.m. Anglers will compete until 5:30 p.m.

WHEN:
*UPDATED SCHEDULE*

Friday, Feb. 25
- 9:45 a.m. Final 10 Anglers Competing in Championship Round Arrive to Oak Ridge Marina
- 10:30 a.m. Anglers Depart and Ride Through Begins on Lake Fork
- 10:45 a.m. MLF NOW! Livestream Starts
- 11 a.m. Period One Begins
- 1:30 p.m. Break One
- 1:45 p.m. Period Two Begins
- 4:15 p.m. Break Two
- 4:30 p.m. Period Three Begins
- 5:30 p.m. End of Competition
- 5:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. Anglers return to takeout at Oak Ridge Marina
- 6 p.m. MLF NOW! Livestream Ends
- 6 p.m. (estimate) Stage Two Championship Trophy Presentation at Oak Ridge Marina

WHERE:
Oak Ridge Marina, 2949 TX-154, Quitman, Texas.

NOTES:
The final 10 anglers competing in Friday’s Championship Round will launch at 10:30 a.m. from the Oak Ridge Marina, located at 2949 TX-154 in Quitman, Texas. The General Tire Takeout will be held at the Marina, beginning at 6 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the launch and takeout event, 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 Championship Friday from 10:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

by AnglersChannel

TNPFL Cancels Day 1 and Day 2 of Lake Cumberland Event, Full Field on Saturday

Per The National Professional Fishing League Facebook Page,

"Due to heavy rainfall and rapidly rising water conditions, we have decided to cancel day one and day two of this weeks event here on Cumberland. We will continue to monitor conditions and as of now plan on sending the full field Saturday.

These calls are tough to make but as always, safety for our anglers is paramount."

For more information stay tuned to AnglersChannel.com

by AnglersChannel

Compete + Conserve Adds New Events for 2022

Costa Sunglasses’ popular contingency program Compete + Conserve adds 226 bass fishing tournaments, including 13 new tournament trails, to its events / payout list for 2022. This expansion nearly triples the scope of this one-of-a-kind rewards program which benefits anglers and conservation efforts alike.

Compete + Conserve now supports over 300 bass fishing tournaments with cash payouts and prizes to anglers wearing Costa Sunglasses. Whether you’re a pro, a weekend tournament angler, a college fisherman, or a high school competitor, you can take advantage of these benefits.

New Compete + Conserve supported tournament trails for 2022 include Major League Fishing Phoenix Boat BFLs, the National Professional Fishing League, Lady Bass Angler Association, Bassmaster & Major League Fishing High School Series, the Alabama Bass Trail, Texas Bass Champs, Texas Team Trail, Team Trail Outdoors, Carolina Bass Challenge, Collegiate Bass Trail of Texas, Champions Tour Minnesota, and the Wisco Bass Anglers Single Series.

“Conservation has always been at the core of Costa, it’s part of our DNA, so to be able to introduce such a unique program like this (Compete + Conserve) to one of our biggest communities of anglers was really important to us,” said Costa’s Pro + Media Partnerships Manager Evan Russell. “We consider the first year a huge success, but from the get go our goal was to grow our list of events. Now more anglers, of all levels, have the opportunity to play a part in protecting our waters and get to earn a little extra cash while doing so.”

Not only does Compete + Conserve pay out to the highest finishing registered angler in each supported event, but Costa also allocates a cash donation to be made to one of five program Conservation Partners. The winning angler selects which organization receives the donation for his / her contingency victory.

The program is free to sign up for if you own at least one pair of Costas and compete in fishing tournaments. For more information, a full list of events and payouts, or to get registered for Compete + Conserve follow this link: https://www.costacompeteandconserve.com/. You can also email Luke at costa@dynamicsponsorships.com with any questions.

by AnglersChannel

MLF Bass Fishing League Arkie Division Tournament on Lake Ouachita Postponed until Sunday Due to Inclement Weather

Advisory for Thursday, Feb. 24

WHAT:
The BFL Arkie Division tournament on Lake Ouachita, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 26, has been postponed to Sunday, Feb. 27, due to freezing rain in the area. Takeoff is also being pushed back 30 minutes. New takeoff is 7:30 a.m. and new weigh-in is 3:30 p.m.

WHEN:
Sunday, Feb. 27
Takeoff: 7:30 a.m. CT
Weigh-In: 3:30 p.m. CT

WHERE:
Mountain Harbor Marina, 34 Marina Drive, Mount Ida, Ark.

NOTES:
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each Arkie Division qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma.

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.

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

Lake Havasu Readies to Host Toyota Series Western Division Opener

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. (Feb. 24, 2022) – The Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Western Division will launch its 2022 season with a tournament next week in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, Mar. 3-5, with the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at Lake Havasu. Hosted by Go Lake Havasu, the three-day tournament will feature the region’s best bass-fishing pros and Strike King co-anglers casting for a top prize of up to $65,000, plus an additional $35,000 bonus if the winner is a qualified Phoenix Boat owner.

Local pro Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Arizona said the tournament is hitting the fishery at an opportune time.

“The water is warming up nicely and we’ve started to see smallmouth up on beds so I think sight fishing will play a factor in this event,” said Rojas. “I don’t know that it will be in full-blown spawn, but the end of February and the first of March is usually when you’re going to have a good chance of catching a really big bag on beds.”

Rojas said he expects to see typical finesse tactics dominate, with anglers throwing swimbaits and bladed jigs around grass, brush piles or artificial structure.

“That’s where you’re going to get your big bites, so anglers are definitely going to have to take that into consideration in their game plan,” said Rojas. “It will probably take 18-20 pounds a day to win, but the real key is going to be consistency. I don’t think guys can rely on one thing to carry them through all three days - it’s going to be a combination of 2-3 patterns. Lake Havasu doesn’t do well with that much pressure on it, so I’d expect to see the weights consistently go down every day.”

Rojas said he predicts a total of 58-63 pounds to win the three-day event.

“As a western angler, I encourage all the western anglers to support the Toyota Series. It is as close to a top-tier pro event that you will find on the west coast and is a great platform for anglers that aspire to be a bass-fishing professional and want to make the jump into the Tackle Warehouse or the Bass Pro Tour.

“That’s exactly what I did back in the early days, and it’s not too often that we have big events that allow anglers to fish in their region to qualify for the Toyota Series Championship where the top award is $200,000,” continued Rojas. “It’s a fantastic circuit that goes to excellent fisheries at great times.”

Anglers will take off daily at 7 a.m. MT from Windsor Beach at the Lake Havasu State Park in Lake Havasu City. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park and will begin at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

In Toyota Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and scaling down for every boat below 160. With a 160-boat field, pros fish for a top prize of $40,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of $65,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard (valued at $33,500) plus $5,000 cash.

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

by AnglersChannel

Alton Jones Jr. Leads Final Eight That Advance from Weather-Shortened Knockout Round, Championship Round Postponed at MLF Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork

Inclement Weather Prompts Tournament Officials to Postpone Championship Round, Final 10 Anglers Set for Championship Friday and Final-Day Shootout for $100,000

QUITMAN, Texas (Feb. 23, 2022) – In brutally tough weather conditions that had multiple anglers saying it was, “the coldest I have ever been,” Alton Jones, Jr., of Waco, Texas, caught 12 bass Wednesday weighing 52 pounds, 3 ounces to win the Knockout Round and advance to the final day of competition at the MLF Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork Presented by Grundénsin Quitman, Texas. Jones narrowly edged Bass Pro Tour newcomer Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, who weighed in 12 bass totaling 48 pounds, 11 ounces to end the round in second.

Normally three 2½-hour periods, Wednesday’s Knockout Round was shortened to just two periods after a major cold front moved into Northeast Texas and brought strong winds, frigid temperatures and freezing rain. MLF officials made the decision to shorten the Knockout Round and, after input from the MLF Angler Advisory Board, postpone Thursday’s final-day Championship Round until Friday.

“The safety of our anglers and their families, our staff and our fans are priority number one,” said Aaron Beshears, Bass Pro Tour Tournament Director. “After speaking with the entire team, including our pro anglers, we all feel that the best decision to be made for this event is to go ahead and postpone tomorrow and finish it up on Friday.”

The final 10 anglers are now set, and competition will resume Friday morning with the Championship Round when weights are zeroed, and the angler that catches the most one-day weight will win the top prize of $100,000.

The top eight pros from Wednesday’s Knockout Round that will compete in Friday’s Championship Round on Lake Fork are:

1^st:          Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, 12 bass, 52-3
2^nd:         Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 12 bass, 48-11
3^rd:         Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., nine bass, 44-7
4^th:         Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 10 bass, 43-8
5^th:         Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., eight bass, 37-11
6^th:         Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, eight bass, 35-2
7^th:         Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., six bass, 29-4
8^th:         Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, seven bass, 28-4

They’ll be joined by Qualifying Round Winners:

Group A: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn.
Group B: Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas

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

Friday’s Championship Round will be the first Bass Pro Tour Championship Round appearances for Ebare, Floyd and VanDam, and will also mark the first time that both Alton Jones, Sr., and Alton Jones, Jr., will compete against each other on the final day.

“Going out today, I wasn’t that excited,” Jones Jr. said. “In my mind, I thought to even have a shot at making the Championship Round I’d have to get a couple of true Lake Fork giant bites. I ended up getting the ball rolling with a 4-pounder, then two casts later broke off a big one. Those bites keyed me in on a little something and gave me a hint as to a certain bait I should be throwing.”

Although Jones Jr. declined to divulge any bait specifics, he did mention that all of his fish today came cranking.

“For the first time in my career, I didn’t have a bottom or slow-moving bait on my deck today,” Jones said. “I had three spinnerbaits, three jerkbaits and a couple of crankbaits tied on. I haven’t been able to get bit without a moving bait this week.

“I think this cold front is helping – it’s making the fish congregate and grouping them up,” Jones continued. “I also think it seems to be a little bit of a timing deal. I was fishing around several other anglers that didn’t do well, and I was even catching fish behind myself. I’d miss a bite, then come back through a little later and catch three.”

Friday’s Championship Round will mark Alton Jr.’s sixth Championship Round appearance on the Bass Pro Tour, although he is still seeking his elusive first win.

“My gameplan for Friday is more of the same that I did today,” Jones went on to say. “I’m going to put all my eggs in two areas, catch as many as I can and hope it works out. I’m not sure how it’s going to go, but if the stars align it absolutely could be my time.”

Rounding out the top 40 finishers were:

11^th:       Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., six bass, 23-4, $10,000
12^th:       Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., six bass, 22-15, $10,000
13^th:       Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., six bass, 22-3, $10,000
14^th:       Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., six bass, 22-2, $10,000
15^th:       Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., seven bass, 21-4, $10,000
16^th:       Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 21-1, $10,000
17^th:       Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., four bass, 20-8, $10,000
18^th:       Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 16-3, $10,000
19^th:       Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., four bass, 15-8, $10,000
20^th:       Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., four bass, 15-2, $10,000
21^st:       Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., three bass, 14-0, $10,000
22^nd:      Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, Okla., three bass, 12-6, $10,000
23^rd:      Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., four bass, 11-11, $10,000
24^th:       Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., three bass, 10-9, $10,000
25^th:       Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, three bass, 10-5, $10,000
26^th:       Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., four bass, 9-10, $10,000
27^th:       Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., two bass, 9-4, $10,000
28^th:       Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala., three bass, 7-11, $10,000
29^th:       Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., two bass, 7-7, $10,000
30^th:       Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., two bass, 7-5, $10,000
31^st:       Jeff Kriet, Ardmore, Okla., two bass, 6-13, $10,000
32^nd:      Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., two bass, 6-11, $10,000
33^rd:      Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., one bass, 5-12, $10,000
34^th:       Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., one bass, 5-1, $10,000
35^th:       Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., one bass, 4-14, $10,000
36^th:       James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., two bass, 4-11, $10,000
37^th:       Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., one bass, 3-0, $10,000
38^th:       Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., one bass, 2-9, $10,000
39^th:       Ish Monroe, Oakdale, Calif., zero bass, 0-0, $10,000
40^th:       Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., zero bass, 0-0, $10,000

Overall there were 165 scorable bass weighing 658 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 36 pros Wednesday. The catch included four 7-pounders, three 8-pounders, one 9-pounder and one 10-pounder.

Favorite Fishing pro Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama, the reigning REDCREST 2021 Champion, earned the $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award Wednesday, catching a 10-pound, 7-ounce largemouth on a jerkbait 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 Friday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round weights are zeroed, and the remaining 38 anglers competed to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. Friday, in the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

The final 10 anglers competing in Friday’s Championship Round will launch at 7:30 a.m. from the Oak Ridge Marina, located at 2949 TX-154 in Quitman, Texas. The General Tire Takeout will be held at the Marina, beginning at 4:30 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 Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork Presented by Grundéns 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 Friday 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

DREAM BECOMING REALITY FOR WES LOGAN

2022 Bassmaster Classic

Every bass fisherman has a different story and hails from a different part of the world. But all serious tournament bass fishermen share the same dream. Competing in the Bassmaster Classic. Humminbird^® and Minn Kota^® pro Wes Logan had such a dream—and that dream is coming true.

The first step of that dream began to blossom in 2019 when Logan signed up for the Bassmaster Opens with the main goal of winning an event and earning an automatic bid into the 2020 Bassmaster Classic. Going into each event, he had the mindset of swinging for a win. The win never came, but he recorded some impressive finishes, including two Top 5s, a 10^th, and a respectable 31^st place finish across the four events.

The reality of qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series didn’t cross Logan’s mind until the third event when he was sitting in 3^rd place and contending for overall points in the Central Division and one of the few Elite Series Rookie spots. After the last event, Logan claimed the #1 spot in the Central Opens and had officially qualified for the Elites Series. At that point, Logan was presented with a new set of goals.

The Next Level: Bassmaster Elite Series

“After qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series, my main goal moving forward was to be consistent. I wanted to make good decisions, fish clean and at the end of each tournament know that I fished as mentally clear as I could. I feel like I did that during my rookie year on the Elite Series but unfortunately didn’t have the breaks I needed to be successful that year.”

After completing his Bassmaster Elite Series rookie season in 44th place in Angler of the Year standings, Logan just missed his dream of competing in the Bassmaster Classic by three points. He then set his sights on improving in year two and punching his ticket to the 2022 Bassmaster Classic. After finishing his sophomore season with a 13th place finish in AOY standings, he did just that.

Quite the improvement from one season to the next, and when asked, Logan attributes a few things to that. “I really approached the next season with the same preparation and mindset. I fished cleaner and I executed better on the opportunities that I was presented with.”

“In the 2021 season I was able to run the new Minn Kota Raptor^® shallow water anchors, and with the tournaments we had and how I like to fish, Raptors were a key player for me. Specifically, at Lake Fork. The Raptors are super quiet which helped because I wouldn’t spook any of the fish that I was trying to sight fish.” Logan mentioned.

“In my second year, I took more time to really get dialed in on the Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging^®, which ended up really helping me in all of my tournaments. One tournament in particular was Guntersville, I finished second by throwing a vibrating jig on offshore grass and I could see all of the holes and ditches in the grass, which allowed me to make the perfect cast every time—it made me extremely efficient in that event.” Added Logan.

“The combination of my MEGA 360, Raptors and my Minn Kota Ultrex^®trolling motorat Neely Henry really helped me fish effectively. Being that Neely Henry is a current based fishery, I could systematically use both my Ultrex and Raptors to position myself in the current to best present my bait. That was one of the biggest determining factors in winning my first Bassmaster Elite Series trophy.” Logan added.

Looking Forward to the Dream Becoming Reality

“It means the world to me, truthfully. Bass fishing is my world, it’s how I make a living, it’s what I’m addicted to. I think about it every day and as a bass angler, the Bassmaster Classic is the tournament you want to get to.” Says Logan when asked what it means to fish the Bassmaster Classic.

“Now that I have qualified for the Classic, I have high expectations for myself. I want to stay consistent in making it back to the Bassmaster Classic year after year. If I can do that, I will put myself in more opportunities to potentially win it.” Logan added.

“All I wanted to do as a kid was to compete in the Bassmaster classic and not to just fish it but to win it.” Added Logan.

Join us in cheering on Wes as he makes his first Bassmaster Classic appearance on March 4^th, 2022.

In addition to Wes Logan, there are eight more Humminbird and Minn Kota Pros fishing the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell:

Brandon Card (Salisbury, North Carolina)
Seth Feider (New Market, Minnesota)
Jeff Gustafson (Keewatin, Canada)
Ray Hanselman Jr. (Del Rio, Texas)
Matt Herren (Ashville, Alabama)
Lee Livesay (Longview, Texas)
Brandon Palaniuk (Rathdrum, Idaho)
Chad Pipkens (Dewitt, Michigan)
Josh Stracner (Vandiver, Alabama)
Chris Zaldain (Fort Worth, Texas)

by AnglersChannel

Be Like Coach

This week Chris and David jump in on episode 223 released on 2.23!!! They talk about the upcoming Bassmasters Classic and who they have in their top 3 picks to win. KG is off chasing green fish on Guntersville and Chris wraps the show with a tribute to a great man and the best fishing partner a guy could have. Check it!

by AnglersChannel

BASS FISHING HALL OF FAME BOARD ANNOUNCES 2022 INDUCTION CLASS

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – For Immediate Release – 2/22/22 – A group of six individuals that includes those who excelled in tournament bass fishing and whose work in tournament operations helped popularize the sport, plus a noted journalist who promoted conservation in his writing efforts, have been voted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame (BFHOF) as part of the class of 2022. They will be honored when the bass fishing world comes together on October 6 at the Hall’s annual induction ceremonies at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife (WOW) Museum & Aquarium in Springfield.

Based on voting by the Hall’s 30-member selection panel and current inductees, the ’22 class includes pro angler Tommy Biffle, Major League Fishing executive Kathy Fennel, past B.A.S.S. tournament director Dewey Kendrick, the late pro angler Aaron Martens, journalist Steve Quinn, and the late pro angler and lure designer Lonnie Stanley.

“We saw an overwhelming amount of interest in the nomination and voting processes for being inducted into the Hall,” said Todd Hammill, CEO of Wired2fish.com and chair of the Board’s nominations committee. “Having the venue where we celebrate our inductees within WOW, and the support we’ve received from the fishing and marine industries, past inductees, and bass anglers nationwide over the past few years, has enabled the Board to raise the awareness of the BFHOF and our mission of celebrating, promoting and preserving the sport of bass fishing.”

Tommy Biffle has exceeded $3 million in earnings fishing both B.A.S.S., FLW, and MLF events and is credited with bringing the pitching technique to bass fishing. He is known as one of the best of all-time at flipping and pitching a jig in shallow cover. Biffle currently competes on the MLF Bass Pro Tour and devotes his available free time volunteering at kids fishing derbies and mentoring high school and college anglers.

Instrumental since 1982 with popularizing tournament bass fishing across the U.S. and Canada through her efforts at FLW – and now MLF, Kathy Fennel’s influence in bass fishing is known throughout the industry. Her fingerprints are everywhere in tournament fishing operations – including internationally, where over the years she has played a pivotal role in numerous innovations involving live-release techniques, and automated weigh-in procedures. Fennel gives back to the sport by being involved with the BFHOF and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation.

Dewey Kendrick served as the tournament director for B.A.S.S. from 1986 until 2002, implementing evolutionary changes within the professional bass fishing scene. From adding pro-am formats and pushing for unconventional and urban locations to bringing tournament bass fishing beyond its southern roots, Kendrick advocated for conservation-minded tournament changes including a five-bass limit and the rule that all sight fish must be hooked in the mouth. Kendrick was known as a strict rule enforcer with a tremendous work ethic.

For nearly anyone interested in professional bass fishing, the accomplishments of Aaron Martens are well-known. While taken too early in his career – Martens passed in 2021 after a battle with cancer, Aaron’s storied career includes fishing various iterations of B.A.S.S. circuits starting with the Bassmaster Western Opens and including 20 Bassmaster Classics. While fishing on the FLW Tour, he won events at Wheeler Lake and Lake Champlain, and also qualified for three FLW Cup championships. He later joined MLF, competing in numerous Cup events and the Bass Pro Tour. Aaron’s most meaningful innovations came using light line techniques, and he is noted for finesse and big bait techniques – and his tackle-tinkering and perfectionism. He was one of the first American pro bass anglers to reach out to Japan-based tackle companies and assisted many, including Megabass, Duo Realis, and Sunline, when they introduced their rods, lures, and line into the U.S. bass fishing market.

For more than 30 years, if you read an article about largemouth bass and bass conservation in In-Fisherman magazine, odds are it was penned by Steve Quinn. His first scientific paper in 1989 (he has authored more than 50 articles for scientific publications) added to the proof that voluntary releasing of caught largemouth bass leads to improved fishing quality. Steve’s credentials – he holds a Master of Science degree in fisheries biology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst – led to his serving on committees for the prestigious American Fisheries Society (AFS) where he’s the recipient of its ‘Award of Excellence’ from AFS’s Fisheries Management section. While covering tournament fishing around the country for years, Quinn has combined science and his media outlets to promote bass fishing and conservation in both the U.S. and Canada.

A Texas bass fishing legend, Lonnie Stanley was not only the man behind a successful lure company but also found success in professional bass fishing. His jigs and spinnerbaits were the go-to baits for many pro anglers, including BFHOF inductees Rick Clunn who used a Stanley Vibra Shaft spinnerbait to win the 1986 U.S. Open on Lake Meade and Guido Hibdon casting Lonnie’s creations to win his 2002 Classic title. Stanley held his own while fishing 124 B.A.S.S. events including five Bassmaster Classic appearances. His lure business can be credited with playing a part in the creation of Texas’ LoneStar Lunker program when the then 17.67-pound state record caught on a Stanley jig became the first fish in the program. That bass – named ‘Ethel’ – found a new home at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield where millions of visitors saw her.

“On behalf of the BFHOF Board and bass anglers worldwide, we offer our congratulations to the 2022 inductees, and will look forward to celebrating all they have done for the sport of bass fishing at our Oct. 6 induction dinner,” said BFHOF Board president John Mazurkiewicz. “This year’s class has the special honor of being the first inducted where all living BFHOF inductees had the privilege to vote on who would be joining them. We were extremely pleased that 28 of the 43 eligible inductees took an active role in the process.”

For more information on the accomplishments of the BFHOF 2022 inductee, visit the biography page on all Hall inductees at https://www.bassfishinghof.com/alphabetical-list-of-inductees.

by AnglersChannel

Alton Jones Earns Win in Qualifying Round for Group B at MLF Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork

Lorena, Texas Angler Holds off Hard-Charging Fellow Texan Dakota Ebare to Advance Straight to Thursday’s Championship Round, Field of 38 Set for Knockout Round Wednesday

QUITMAN, Texas (Feb. 22, 2022) – Garmin pro Alton Jones of Lorena, Texas, maintained his lead throughout the day and held on to win the Qualifying Round Tuesday for Group B at the MLF Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork Presented by Grundéns in Quitman, Texas. Over two days, Jones caught 28 bass totaling 117 pounds, 1 ounce to earn the first Qualifying Round victory of his career and advance straight to Thursday’s final-day Championship Round.

“I am so thankful to have caught the fish that I caught today,” said Jones, the reigning General Tire Heavy Hitters Champion. “I started on what was really my best area, from the first day, and the wind was blowing in there really hard. I think I could probably still have caught some fish in there, but it’s probably good that I didn’t because it’ll keep some of the other competitors from fishing on it as hard tomorrow in the Knockout Round. With that, I’ve also got several places that I think are going to replenish a little bit. So I think Thursday’s Championship Round could be very interesting.”

After catching 18 bass weighing 80 pounds, 7 ounces on Day 1, Jones backed it up on Day 2 with 10 more bass weighing 36-10. He said that he targeted numerous different timberlines with just two baits.

“I have found fish this week along the tree lines. They start out deep, and you can follow them a long way in – all the way up to the bank,” Jones said. “The depth range I’m fishing is from 10 to 12 feet up to 3 to 4 feet, just slow-rolling that big Stanley ¾-ounce Vibra-Shaft spinnerbait and throwing Ott’s little Rapala (Ott’s Garage Series) Slim crankbait. I’m a two-rod-Todd now – I think I can pick up those two baits and just roll with it come Championship Day.”

Bass Pro Tour newcomer Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, caught a two-day total of 24 bass weighing 92-11 to finish the round in second place, while Dayton, Tennessee pro Andy Morgan ended the round in third place with a two-day total of 24 bass weighing 83-1. Luke Clausen of Spokane, Washington , caught 22 bass weighing 81-14 to land in fourth, while Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, advanced to the Knockout Round in fifth place with a two-day total of 19 bass weighing 80 pounds even.

“Alton kind of teased me and I fell for it a little bit, because I thought I was going to be able to try to make a run at and maybe win this thing late in the day,” Ebare said. “I got really close – within 11 pounds at one point – but then he caught a couple of more and I just went into practice mode.

“I ran new water and was just looking to see how the fish are adjusting to the weather,” Ebare continued. “I kind of found a new pattern today that I wasn’t doing before. I had been focusing on the creek channels, but today it seemed like the fish were focusing on the inside timberlines – that’s where I caught most of my fish today.”

Fishing in just his second ever Bass Pro Tour event, Ebare is excited about the opportunity that awaits him in the Knockout Round.

“I’m really excited for the Knockout Round, and I’m excited that I’ve had a great event so far here at Lake Fork in just my second event,” Ebare went on to say. “We’ll see how it goes. The weather is supposed to be pretty nasty, but I’m thankful that I have my Gill Winter Jacket and Bibs with me to keep me warm, comfortable and dry. We’re going to go out and give it all we got tomorrow to try to make the Championship Round.

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 Jacob Wheeler, Group B winner Alton Jones, and the top eight finishers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000.

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

1^st:          Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, 28 bass, 117-1
2^nd:         Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 24 bass, 92-11
3^rd:         Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 24 bass, 83-1
4^th:         Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., 22 bass, 81-14
5^th:         Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 19 bass, 80-0
6^th:         Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 20 bass, 62-11
7^th:         Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., 13 bass, 56-15
8^th:         Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 14 bass, 54-0
9^th:         Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 13 bass, 52-5
10^th:       Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 14 bass, 50-9
11^th:       Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., 13 bass, 48-13
12^th:       Jeff Kriet, Ardmore, Okla., 12 bass, 48-6
13^th:       Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 13 bass, 46-10
14^th:       Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 10 bass, 45-8
15^th:       Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 13 bass, 43-10
16^th:       Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., 11 bass, 41-13
17^th:       Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 11 bass, 41-7
18^th:       Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala., 12 bass, 41-2
19^th:       Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 10 bass, 40-7
20^th:       Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., 13 bass, 38-11

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

Overall on Tuesday, there were 202 scorable bass weighing 696 pounds, 9 ounces caught by 37 pros. The catch included three 7-pounders, one 8-pounder and one 9-pounder.

Addison, Alabama pro Jesse Wiggins earned Tuesday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award, catching a 9-pound, 4-ounce largemouth on a jerkbait early in Period 3. 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.

The 38 anglers competing in Wednesday’s Knockout Round will launch at 7:30 a.m. from the Oak Ridge Marina, located at 2949 TX-154 in Quitman, Texas. The General Tire Takeout will be held at the Marina, beginning at 4:30 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 Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork Presented by Grundéns will feature anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

Television coverage of the Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork Presented by Grundéns will premiere at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 17 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.

by AnglersChannel

Osage Beach Readies for MLF Toyota Series at Lake of the Ozarks

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Feb. 22, 2022) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. is set for an event in Osage Beach, next week, March 1-3, with the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Smart Digital. The three-day tournament, hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association, is the season-opener for the Toyota Series Plains Division Presented by Outlaw Ordnance.

The tournament will feature the region’s best bass-fishing pros and Strike King co-anglers casting for a top prize of up to $100,000 in the pro division and a new Phoenix 518 pro boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor, in the co-angler division.

“This tournament is going to be an absolute slugfest,” said Lampe, Missouri pro Eric Olliverson, who has two top-10 finishes on Lake of the Ozarks in MLF competition. “The lake has been fishing incredible. We’re seeing lots of big bags and a lot of big fish. Unlike last year, we haven’t really had any major cold fronts this year. It’s been a consistent winter, with more nice days than cold days. The way everything is setting up, this one should be a lot of fun.”

Olliverson said that he expects the majority of anglers will be throwing just two baits.

“I expect that this one will be a totally dominant Alabama-rig and jerkbait bite,” Olliverson said. “Guys will be targeting secondary points, fish in the creeks, and I expect that brush will be a major factor. Local knowledge could definitely come into play in this event.

“From the (Bagnell) dam, to Gravois, to the mid-lake area – that’s where all of the weight is going to come from,” Olliverson went on to say. “I predict it will take just a little bit more than last year – at least 63 pounds over three days to win this one.”

Anglers will take off daily at 7 a.m. CT from Public Beach No. 2 at the Lake of the Ozarks State Park, located at 711 Public Beach Road in Osage Beach. Weigh-ins will also be held at the launch and will begin at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend and encouraged to follow the event online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

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

The 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 Ordnance, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.

by AnglersChannel

Big Bass Tour - Berkley Lake Breakdown - Conroe

Caldemeyer Says Two Main Patterns in Play for Conroe Giants

By Pete Robbins

Lake Conroe is a perennial stop on the Big Bass Tour and for good reason – it pumps out plenty of big fish, including some giants. That was evident last year when a 14.25 pound trophy dominated the late February event, but it’s par for the course on the highly-developed lake north of Houston. Over the past five years, early season BBT events there have produced a total of 16 double digit fish. While 8 and 9 pounders can win hourly prizes, you have to catch a true dinosaur to have a chance at the top prize.

Lake Fork Guide James Caldemeyer has fished all over the Lone Star State and is on the water just about every day, especially this time of year as the true trophies move shallow. He said that anglers headed to Conroe should expect the bite to be excellent, but the particulars will depend on the pre-tournament weather patterns.

“I was at Rayburn this past week for an MLF Big5, and there’d been a warming trend the week before,” he recalled. “Then it cooled off, so even though the water temperatures were in the mid-60s, I saw a lot of empty beds. The fish had backed off. If they’re that far along at Rayburn, they should be there at Conroe, too, since it’s further south.

For spawners, he’d look to the northern end of the lake, like the area called the Jungle, where he’d flip and pitch to spawners that he can see, and also to those areas with limited visibility where he’d expect bedding fish to lie.

“Going in blind, I’d hit every north bank I could find, in little creeks and pockets,” he said. “There should already be some spawning going on, but if there’s sun, we should see even more of that.” While he’d make extensive use of the Berkley General and a Texas Rigged Power Lizard, over the last year he’s added a new bait to his arsenal for that purpose. “I’ve kept it kind of a secret over the past year because it’s been so phenomenal, but if there’s any visibility at all, and if sight fishing becomes a factor, I’d use that Berkley Chigger Bug. It comes in colors like white and chartreuse pearl, which is what I typically give my clients because they’re easier to see, but for skittish fish I believe that more natural colors are more effective. I believe these fish are on a biological clock and when it’s time to go they’re going to go to the bank, so it should be a shallow deal. Even if you can’t see them, it’ll pay to methodically pick apart the cover.”

While he fully expects there to be a bedding bass bite, Caldemeyer said that anglers who can’t or won’t make that pattern work will still find plenty of pre-spawners. For those bass he’d employ either a Berkley Stunna jerkbait or a Berkley Warpig lipless crankbait. In fact, if the weather is nasty or cold and windy, this is the pattern he’d prefer. Those fish are feeding up for the spawn, and won’t be negatively affected by the front the same way as those who’ve already started the process.

As always, Conroe promises to be a slugfest, and anglers will need to bring their “A Game” to challenge for a spot in the top 10, but as always there will be checks available to savvy strategists. Be sure to monitor the live leaderboard to get a sense of whether your smaller fish will pay big bucks.

by AnglersChannel

HANK CHERRY HUNTING FOR HISTORY

Berkley and Abu Garcia Pro Hank Cherry Jr. looking to make history as the first ever three-peat Bassmaster Classic champion.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (February 22nd, 2022) – Greenville, South Carolina. Lake Hartwell. Home to three previous Bassmaster Classics in 2008, 2015 and 2018, and now the fourth, the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk. The Bassmaster Classic is always a special event but even more so when the possibility of making bass fishing history is on the line.

Two-time, back-to-back Bassmaster Classic Champion and Berkley and Abu Garcia pro Hank Cherry has the opportunity to make history if he once again wins the Bassmaster Classic. He would become a three-time, back-to-back-to-back Bassmaster Classic champion. Not only does Cherry have the opportunity to make history, he has a shot to do it in his backyard.

Just winning one Bassmaster Classic is a major accomplishment but winning back-to-back Bassmaster Classics is the stuff legends are made of. Winning three Bassmaster Classics in a row would accomplish a feat no professional angler has ever done. This is an opportunity in bass fishing history that rarely presents itself.

“What Hank Cherry has done in his career is incredibly impressive. We could not be more proud of what he has accomplished and will continue to accomplish, and we are all excited to watch him compete again this year at Lake Hartwell. Safe to say everyone on our team is rooting for him and his family at this year’s Bassmaster Classic.” says Jon Schlosser, Berkley and Abu Garcia’s Senior Vice President of Marketing.

In addition to Hank Cherry Jr., there are the five other pros representing Berkley and Abu Garcia in the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk on Lake Hartwell:

Berkley and Abu Garcia Pros:

Shane Lehew (Catawba, North Carolina - Berkley and Abu Garcia)
Hunter Shryock (Ooltewah, Tennessee - Berkley and Abu Garcia)
Matt Robertson (Central City, Kentucky - Berkley and Abu Garcia)
John Cox (DeBary, Florida - Berkley and Abu Garcia)
Bryan New (Belmont, North Carolina –Abu Garcia)
Marc Frazier (Newnan, Georgia - Abu Garcia)
Brandon Cobb (Greenwood, SC – Berkley and Abu Garcia)
Daisuke Aoki (Yamanashi, Japan – Berkley and Abu Garcia)

Schlosser mentioned, “The Bassmaster Classic is always a very exciting time of year for our team. We take a lot of pride in the pro team we have built, and we could not be happier with how they represent our brands. This Classic at Lake Hartwell is certainly special, and we can’t wait to see how it plays out. Our pros have a lot of support behind them from our team and we’re looking forward to seeing them out on the water.”

We wish all the competitors at this year’s Bassmaster Classic good luck and safety. Come visit the Berkley and Abu Garcia team at the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo located at the Greenville Convention Center March 4-6, 2022.

Berkley booth – 507
Abu Garcia booth – 207

by AnglersChannel

Vandam’s All Time Texas Bass Fishing Favorites

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships

Kevin VanDam proudly calls Kalamazoo, Michigan home and has said many times there’s no place he’d rather live, but he’s also unapologetic for his love and appreciation of Texas’ bass fisheries.

He’s had tremendous success in Texas throughout his phenomenal 30-year pro career. So, during the recent Major League Fishing tournament on Lake Fork, he graciously took time over a cheeseburger and basket of jalapeño poppers at Lake Fork Marina to reflect on his favorite Lone Star lures and lakes.

Favorite Lakes

Lake Fork – “It will never cease to amaze me how many 4 to 8-pounder live here, despite the crazy amount of fishing pressure. And the fact you always have a chance to catch an absolute giant on any cast never gets old. The longevity of this place is a huge testament to great management by the Texas Parks and Wildlife folks,” insist the Team Toyota angler.

Rayburn – “You could call Rayburn my sentimental favorite. It’s a world class fishery too, but it’s also home to some of my earliest success as a pro in the early 1990s. At one time, I set the B.A.S.S. single day record with a 5-bass limit I caught on a floating lizard that weighed 31-pounds,” he reflects.

Toledo Bend – “I won on Toledo Bend as recently as 2016 with a 4-day total of 96-pounds, but that giant body of water holds a lot of sentimental memories too. Heck, the legendary Tommy Martin taught me how to throw a Carolina Rig during a day with him on Toledo Bend. Not to mention, it’s a great crankbait lake, and I love to throw a deep diving crankbait.”

KVD’s Three All Time Favorite Texas Bass Fishing Lures

Jerkbait – “This may be the least talked about of my favorite Texas lures. But man, I don’t come to Texas without a Strike King 300 series jerkbait tied on. From suspended bass in treetops on Lake Fork, to grass lines on Rayburn, it’s just a phenomenal tool,” explains VanDam.

6XD deep diving crankbait – “Once the fish move off-shore in late spring, and set-up on their summer spots, a 6XD is the perfect tool for dredging underwater roadbeds, points, creek channels, and ledges in 15 to 18-feet of water.”

Thunder Cricket vibrating jig – “Ya just gotta have it – especially in the spring! It’s a phenomenal tool around aquatic vegetation, but it’s also extremely effective around wood.”

Like a basket full of jalapeno poppers, tasty honestinput from the greatest professional bass angler of all time regarding his love of Texas bass fishing.

by AnglersChannel

This Isn’t Your Dad’s Flasher – Get the All-New American Baitworks Freedom Flash Vertical Jig and Hook More Fish This Season

OCEAN SPRINGS, MISSISSIPPI. February 21, 2022. So much flash we decided to name it that! The Freedom Flash brings vibration and flash with 10 fish-catching colors to your ice or open water vertical jig presentation.

Built with a premium, eco-friendly zinc body, the Freedom Flash carries a belly-mounted Indiana blade which swings loosely on the fall and pick-up. Maximizing both flash and vibration while creating the erratic action of a baitfish in trouble.

The Flash’s body is wrapped in a diamond pattern with super-tough “Gator-grade” UV paint, that

will stand-up to catching even the toothiest of fish through the ice or in open water. All Freedom Flash lures are finished with 3D red eyes and have glow color options.

The Freedom Flash boasts through-wire construction transmitting blade vibration throughout the bait, which ensures maximum strength from the line tie to hook when fighting fish. The bait also features an elongated wire tail with a removable hook capability allowing anglers to remove the treble hook, slide a minnow head on the wire, and lock in the minnow head when the treble is reattached.

Designed to be retrieved vertically through the ice or on humps and rocky points in open water, the erratic action of the Freedom Flash, mimics the flutter of a baitfish in action. The Freedom Flash is a hard bait designed to impart action, with even the slightest twitch of the rod, and gives anglers the complete package of vibration, flash, strength, and scent.

Get more flash in your arsenal this season with the Freedom Flash available now on at select retailers and americanbaitworks.com

by AnglersChannel

Wheeler Coasts to Qualifying Round Win at MLF Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork

Academy Sports + Outdoors Pro Smashes Two Day Total of 30 Bass Weighing 121 Pounds to Advance Straight to Thursday’s Championship Round, 19 Anglers Advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round

QUITMAN, Texas (Feb. 21, 2022) – Academy Sports + Outdoors pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, caught 16 scorable bass weighing 64 pounds, 9 ounces to earn the win Monday during the Group A Qualifying Round at the MLF Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork Presented by Grundéns in Quitman, Texas.

Wheeler’s two-day Qualifying Round catch of 30 bass totaling 121 pounds even earned him the win by a wide 47-pound, 9-ounce margin over Bass Pro Shops angler Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, who caught a two-day total of 22 bass weighing 74-9 to finish in second place. Pro Keith Poche of Pike Road, Alabama, caught a two-day total of 17 bass weighing 68-5 to finish the round in third, while Toro pro Jeff Sprague of Wills Point, Texas , ended the round in fourth place with a two-day total of 16 bass for 56-14. Rounding out the top five was Favorite Fishing pro Jonathon VanDam, who caught 12 bass for 56-0 to advance in fifth place.

“It feels great to win and advance straight to the Championship Round,” said Wheeler, who will advance to his ninth Championship Round appearance in the last 11 Bass Pro Tour events. “It’s good to start the season off where we left it last season. Momentum is everything in bass fishing – everything in any sport. Right now, our old buddy ‘Mo’ seems to be looking out for us.”

Like Day 1, Wheeler spent his day throwing various jerkbaits to isolated timber, using his forward-facing sonar to key in on specific targets.

“Realistically, it came down to Jerkbait Fishing 101,” Wheeler said in his post-game interview. “I caught a lot of fish today on a lot of different jerkbaits, but I ended up really focusing on more of the pearl-translucent colored ones. That seemed to be the deal for me today.

“I’m excited to get back out there for the Championship Round,” Wheeler went on to say. “I’m going to regroup and prepare for a cold day on the water on Thursday. There should be some giants caught.”

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

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

1^st:          Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 30 bass, 121-0
2^nd:         Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 22 bass, 74-9
3^rd:         Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 17 bass, 68-5
4^th:         Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 16 bass, 56-14
5^th:         Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 12 bass, 56-0
6^th:         Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 16 bass, 55-10
7^th:         Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 12 bass, 54-6
8^th:         Ish Monroe, Oakdale, Calif., 15 bass, 53-10
9^th:         James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 13 bass, 52-10
10^th:       Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., 15 bass, 47-14
11^th:       Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 17 bass, 46-8
12^th:       Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., 10 bass, 45-12
13^th:       Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 11 bass, 44-1
14^th:       Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 11 bass, 40-2
15^th:       Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., 12 bass, 39-2
16^th:       Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., 12 bass, 38-4
17^th:       Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., 12 bass, 37-15
18^th:       Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, Okla., 11 bass, 36-13
19^th:       Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, nine bass, 35-8
20^th:       Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., seven bass, 34-4

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

Overall, there were 185 scorable bass weighing 687 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 39 pros Monday. The catch included five 7-pounders, four 8-pounders and one 10-pounder.

Knoxville, Tennessee’s Brandon Coulter caught a 10-pound, 2-ounce bass in Period 3, throwing a bladed swimjig near stumps and timber 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.

Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. from the Oak Ridge Marina, located at 2949 TX-154 in Quitman, Texas. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the Marina, beginning at 4:30 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.

by AnglersChannel

Gilmore Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Pickwick Lake

Koenigsberger Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

IUKA, Miss. (Feb. 21, 2022) – Boater Heath Gilmore of Meridian, Mississippi, caught five bass Saturday weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Pickwick Lake. The tournament, hosted by Tishomingo County Tourism, was the season-opener for the Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division. Gilmore earned $5,395 for his victory.

“I made a cold, long ride,” Gilmore said. “But it was worth it to find the transition fish in the ditches. I pulled up on the right ditch and caught the right size fish.”

Gilmore said he caught his seven fish of the day, all keepers, on a Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap focusing on ditches that were around six feet deep.

“I had to change the retrieve up,” Gilmore said. “I started the morning out using a yo-yo action, and as the day got warmer I moved it a little faster. I just tried all types of retrieves.”

Gilmore said the water temperature was 48 degrees when the tournament began but warmed up to 53 degrees as the day progressed, which allowed him to experiment with the different retrieves.

“I had seven bites all day,” Gilmore said. “It was a long day. It wore me out. But this win feels good. I’ve been fishing Pickwick about 20 years, and I’ve been close to winning a few times, and I finally did it. I love fishing Pickwick.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Heath Gilmore, Meridian, Miss., five bass, 21-15, $5,395
2nd:       Aaron Harrelson, Glen, Miss., five bass, 20-07, $2,348
3rd:       J.C. Coggins, Guntown, Miss., five bass, 19-7, $1,565
4th:        Garrett Riles, Potts Camp, Miss., five bass, 19-1, $1,096
5th:        Michael Wooley, Booneville, Miss., five bass, 16-12, $939
6th:        Shane Cox, Iuka, Miss., five bass, 16-7, $861
7th:        Max Moore, Fulton, Miss., five bass, 16-6, $743
7th:        Kyle Horne, Olive Branch, Miss., five bass, 16-6, $743
9th:        Luke Glasgow, Guin, Ala., five bass, 16-5, $587
9th:        Mickey Beck, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 16-5, $587

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Gilmore had a 7-pound, 7-ounce largemouth that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $700.

Blake Koenigsberger of Columbus, Mississippi, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,348 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 15 pounds, 10 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Blake Koenigsberger, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 15-10, $2,348
2nd:       Cameron Petras, Biloxi, Miss., three bass, 14-12, $977
2nd:       Teddy Baggett, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 14-12, $977
4th:        Sims Meredith, Tupelo, Miss., four bass, 11-2, $548
5th:        Anthony Rasberry, New Albany, Miss., four bass, 11-1, $670
6th:        Joey Tanner, Meridian, Miss., four bass, 11-0, $410
6th:        Johnny Suratt, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., three bass, 11-0, $410
8th:        Bob Thompson, Florence, Ala., five bass, 10-10, $352
9th:        Jason James, Corinth, Miss., three bass, 9-6, $313
10th:     Larry Gipson, Ridgeland, Miss., three bass, 9-3, $274

Corey Lindsey, of Southhaven, Mississippi, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 11 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $350.

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. 22-24 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 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.

by AnglersChannel

Blake Hice and Jonathon Collins Take the Win with 20.17 on Neely Henry

By Jason Duran

Photos by Ben Cole and Blake McLane

Gadsden, Ala. Feb. 20- The Alabama Bass Trail North Division started its 2022 season on Neely Henry Lake. The weather in February in Alabama can be ever changing, and the week leading up to this event brought huge fluctuations in temperature and weather patterns. When anglers arrived on tournament morning, the current was swift on the main river. The large amount of water moving through the system was cold and muddy making conditions even tougher for some anglers. Teams hoped to recover from the tough practice conditions and put together a solid day of fishing to take home the $10,000 first place prize and the title.

The anglers that make up the Alabama Bass Trail are known to be some of the best teams in bass fishing. They enjoy the competition, and this event was set up to be very competitive. Tournament morning teams found air temps in the mid 20s and water temps in the high 40s at blast off. The fact it was going to be a tough fishing didn’t scare away the 225 teams who were anxious to get this season started.

The team of Blake Hice and Jonathon Collins shared at blast off, “we really didn’t have any good bites in practice.” Jonathon “only caught one fish in practice and felt it was going to be a really tough day.” Their morning started with a little bad luck getting a crankbait hung in one of their bibs, having to cut it out and breaking the handle off their net. Blake joked with Jonathon, “with all this bad luck, you know we might just win this event.”

Jonathon shared, “yesterday I just went out to practice; I didn’t practice much, but I got a bite on the Evergreen Flat Force off a Dock. I then moved around and looked for similar docks that had the same depth and color. I was really targeting docks that had the best color and stain I could find that wasn’t just mud. Today, we were going to go upriver and just fish, but we decided to go to the dock where I got that bite in practice and start there. We had people all around us fishing and doing similar things, but felt we were just doing the different things that mattered. The Evergreen Flat Force is a perfect early in the year crankbait and the Pan Fish color is a great muddy water color. It was about fishing a confident bait for me. I have a lot of confidence in this bait and really like the tight wabble. I used a 6:3 Steez reel with 20lb Sunline mono that helped to keep the bait in the strike zone. We really fished slower than the other teams around us. We would make casts around docks in 8-10 feet water. The docks had lots of brush around them, and we bounced the bait of the docks and trees to target the strikes. When we caught the first fish it felt like we might be on to something. The second and the third were nice size fish as well. It wasn’t till the fourth and fifth fish that we felt like we might have a little something going. It is hard to judge how other teams are doing. When we came to the scales, I felt like we had around 15 pounds, but when the scales read 20.17 pounds, it was amazing!”

Blake and Jonathon were able to find key bites on a very difficult day for most of the other anglers. There were only 6 limits weighed in, and many teams only weighed in one fish just to get championship points. Their first place weight doubled many of the top 10 finishers. “We really only had a few bites all day but are thankful we were able to get those fish in the boat on such a difficult day. An emotional Jonathon said,” I really have a lot of friends out here fishing today. Each event we work hard, and today it all paid off for us. It was very surreal for us to be standing here beating some of the best guys on this lake for a long time.”

The second-place team of Adam Brown and Greg Diggs call Neely Henry Home and were one of the teams favored to win this event. With 16.17 pounds they take home $5000 and a solid start to the year. They made the run upriver towards the Weiss Lake Dam. Concentrating on fishing the current breaks, they quickly culled up to about 13 pounds around 10:00. “They had 3 turbines running making the current about as strong as you can get for this lake.” Spending the rest of the day fishing the river and the current break pattern they continued to catch fish and culled up to their 16.17 pounds. The key baits for them were jigs and crankbaits. “We heard many teams were catching them on chatterbaits, but that just wouldn’t work for us.” Their top two baits were a 3/8 oz jig with a black and blue Zoom trailer and a Lucky Craft DT 6 in two different colors; chartreuse black and a custom painted color.

Ethan Franklin and Hunter McCarty took third place with 12.79 pounds and $4000. They were another team that caught them well. However, when the schedule came out, “they were dreading this event because they are more of a Tennessee River team.” They found a 10-yard stretch and worked back and forth over that area to come up with their 5 fish limit. They caught their limit between 9:30 and 11:00, and only had a few bites after that. They described their key area as a little narrow canal where the fish were probably 5 feet away when they caught them. “We found spotted bass in muddy water, and that’s not usual this time of year.” The key bait was a ½ oz ball head jig with a Zoom super chunk both in in black and blue. Starting off the year in 3^rd place this year, their goals for the rest of the year include winning AOY against this field and making the BASS Team championship.

The Top 5 places are below for a complete list of standings visit: https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/neely-henry-lake/results/

Download and listen to the ABT Podcast on your favorite Podcast app by searching for “Alabama Bass Trail Podcast.” The podcast is released each week on Tuesday.

by AnglersChannel

Fat Cat Newton, James Watson & Luke Dunkin Sign with NPFL for 2022 Season

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The NPFL announces 2022 live crew talent and on the water personnel.

Festus, MO (February 8,2022) — The National Professional Fishing League (NPFL) announces the live crew talent and on the water personnel for the 2022 season. Returning for his second season, Luke Dunkin is joined in the NPFL Live Studio by the one and only Fat Cat Newton.

“And… WE ARE BACK! I cannot wait to get the headset on and kick off season two of the NPFL. It is my dream job to get to run my mouth about bass fishing while these anglers' piece together the puzzles all over the country. Lake Cumberland is one of my favorite fisheries and I look forward to see what the pros from ‘The League’ bring to the table on LIVE,” says Dunkin

Fat Cat Newton spent part of the inaugural season providing on the water coverage and for the last few events, moved in the studio with Dunkin. The two jived providing live coverage and the move to bring Newton to the studio full time was an easy decision.

“I'm going to miss running my lips and shaking hips out on the water this season but I'm looking forward to joining my good friend Luke Dunkin in studio to bring the viewers the most original/entertaining commentary the professional fishing world has ever witnessed,” added Fat Cat Newton.

With both Dunkin and Newton holding down the studio, the on the water coverage for 2022 will be provided by none other than MLF Pro James ‘Worldwide’ Watson. Watson filled in at the end of the 2021 season and with Newton moving to the studio, the NPFL locked up Watson.

“I’m excited about & appreciate my invitation from NPFL to be an on the water commentator. I love the sport of bass fishing. I hope to highlight the highs & lows that anglers deal with throughout a day of competition,” said James Watson.

The 2022 National Professional kicks off the 2022 season at Lake Cumberland February 24 – 26, hosted by the City of Burnside, Kentucky.

Learn more about the NPFL, here.

by AnglersChannel

No more bread in Bobby Lane’s boat

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships

Hilarious and good-hearted Florida pro, Bobby Lane, looks a little thinner these days. And at age 47, the longtime Toyota Bonus Bucks angler feels better than he has in years.

“I’m probably only about 12 or 15 pounds lighter than I was a year ago, but man do I feel better!” exclaims Lane. “No more bread in the boat! I’ve completely cleaned up my diet. And when I’m home, I try to walk 3 to 5 miles per day.”

The bread in the boat was often a part of the amazing sandwiches Lane’s treasured friend and tournament traveling companion, Tony Chachere, would pack Bobby and brother Chris to carry in their boat coolers.

“Good heavens! I mean talk about fattening a guy up! Tony would make us the most unbelievable sandwiches, with a bag of potato chips …. and are ya ready for this!? …. He’d toss in some candy bars too!” laughs Lane.

No more Tony Chachere sandwiches. And the candy bars, Bobby admits he got hooked on, have been replaced by Kind bars, almonds, and tuna fish with no crackers or bread.

Key too, is ample hydration courtesy of spring water and BodyArmor sports drinks.

Lane also credits his bride Madeline for cleaning up his diet too. She has gone gluten free, and that helps tremendously in his efforts to eat healthy at home.

Not to mention walking three to five miles a day – often times with the family dog, “Junebug” – you guessed it, named for the famous soft plastic fishing lure color.

“It just amazing how much more energetic I feel. My body tells me I can compete longer and more intensely than ever, and that’s one heck of a good feeling,” concludes the 2017 Major League Fishing General Tire World Champion.

As for how he plans to gain weight on Scoretracker at this week’s MLF event – Lane hopes a Frittside 5 crankbait, along with a Berkley Power Hawg on a 5/16-ounce Flat Out tungsten weight will be key ingredients in the diets of Lake Fork’s giant largemouth.

by AnglersChannel

Alton Jones Leads Group B Qualifying Round at MLF Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork

Lorena, Texas Angler Boats 18 Bass Totaling 80 Pounds, 7 Ounces to Pace Group B by 15 Pounds – Group A to Conclude Qualifying Round Monday

QUITMAN, Texas (Feb. 20, 2022) – It was the Alton Jones, Sr., show for the start of Group B’s Qualifying Round at the Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork Presented by Grundéns in Quitman, Texas. The affable Lorena, Texas, pro caught the most bass, the biggest bass, and the most weight, Sunday to grab the early lead for Group B. Jones caught 18 bass weighing 80 pounds, 7 ounces to pace the 40-angler field.

Fellow Texan Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, fishing in just his second career Bass Pro Tour event, sits in second place, 14 pounds, 15 ounces back of Jones with 17 bass totaling 65-8. Pro Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee, finished the day in third place with 17 bass for 61-5, while Shelby, North Carolina’s Bryan Thrift caught 10 bass totaling 42-13 to end the day in fourth place. Costa pro Casey Ashley of Donalds, South Carolina, rounds out the top five, as he caught 11 bass weighing 40 pounds, 15 ounces.

The 40 anglers in Group B will now have an off day on Monday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group A will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition. Group B will conclude their Qualifying Round on Tuesday.

The six-day event, hosted by the Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce, the Wood County EDC, the Sabine River Authority and the Rains County Tourism Board, showcases 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. 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.

“Whew, what a great day today was, and my hats are off to the guys who got close to me,” Jones said as time expired. “Today couldn’t have been better – it was much better than my practice - and the rest of the field still kept up. I still can’t believe I caught an 11-2 today.”

Jones is satisfied with what he discovered Sunday and thinks his pattern will hold no matter what the weather does later in the event. Wednesday’s Knockout Round and Thursday’s Championship Round are forecasted to be substantially colder.

“I expanded my area and feel like I can still catch fish here if the weather gets bad,” Jones said. “I’m going to keep mixing it up, fishing slowly and fast, because I know how the fish are positioned and know what to look for, even if they move around in here.”

The top 20 pros in Group B after Day 1 on Lake Fork are:

1^st:          Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, 18 bass, 80-7
2^nd:         Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 17 bass, 65-8
3^rd:         Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 17 bass, 61-5
4^th:         Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 42-13
5^th:         Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 11 bass, 40-15
6^th:         Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., 11 bass, 38-4
7^th:         Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 11 bass, 33-6
8^th:         Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., eight bass, 31-8
9^th:         Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., seven bass, 30-14
10^th:       Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., nine bass, 30-5
11^th:       Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., six bass, 29-11
12^th:       Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., five bass, 29-2
13^th:       Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, eight bass, 28-15
14^th:       Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., seven bass, 25-0
15^th:       Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., six bass, 24-13
16^th:       Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., six bass, 23-10
17^th:       Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., six bass, 23-9
18^th:       Jeff Kriet, Ardmore, Okla., six bass, 22-12
19^th:       Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 19-5
20^th:       Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., seven bass, 19-1

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

Overall, on Sunday, there were 241 scorable bass weighing 904 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 39 pros.

Jones also caught the third-largest bass in MLF Bass Pro Tour history Sunday, weighing 11 pounds, 2 ounces, 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 compete in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 38 anglers compete to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

by AnglersChannel

Gross Earns Second Career Victory In Bassmaster Elite At Harris Chain

Buddy Gross, of Chattanooga, Tenn., has won the 2022 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain with a four-day total of 77 pounds, 11 ounces.

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

February 20, 2022

LEESBURG, Fla. — A chance encounter on Day 1 directed Tennessee pro Buddy Gross to an unexpected finding that delivered four days of limit catches and propelled him to victory with a total weight of 77 pounds, 11 ounces at the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain.

Gross, who also won the 2020 Elite event on Lake Eufaula, placed third on Day 1 with 22-12, then took over the Day 2 lead by adding 17-11. Semifinal Saturday tested Gross’ resolve, as he found only 14-14 and slipped to sixth, but a Championship Sunday limit of 22-6 pushed him across the finish line.

Edging Drew Benton of Blakely, Ga., by 2-10, Gross earned the $100,000 top prize.

“This snuck up on me; I had a terrible practice, but I stuck to my guns and stuck to my strengths,” Gross said.

Except for brief Day 2 visits to lakes Beauclair and Eustis, Gross spent the majority of his tournament on the east side of Lake Harris. He did most of his work in Banana Cove, but also fished a point across from the cove on Day 4.

“The first day of the tournament, I went over to this spot where I thought I could catch a couple of keepers just to get me going and then I’d go to the grass and weed through them,” Gross said. “When I stopped that morning, I caught 30 or 40 — I had some other anglers around me so I didn’t stop.”

Gross said that once he’d tallied 20 pounds on that initial spot, he started seeking similar scenarios. With opportunity blossoming, he realized he’d found a pattern with winning potential.

“As I was looking for new spots, I started catching more fish,” he said. “Some of those spots started turning into bigger fish and then they turned into bigger schools.

“Every day I’ve caught them in different places. I could never relocate a school. I just got blessed enough to find enough of them on different places. The fish just kept coming. If I busted them up, I could come back and catch them again.”

The key scenario was a shore break with deeper water close and vacant shellcracker beds. Watching the target zones on his Humminbird 360, Gross saw bass continuously traversing the area and feeding on baitfish.

“I could watch these fish and it was almost like they were running the break parallel, they would go down and a little while later, they’d come back,” he said. “I’m not saying it was the same fish, but the fish I saw were actively looking for bait and they were riding that ledge.

“It was just like being at home and it fished just like a Tennessee River (ledge). I got very blessed to catch what I caught.”

Gross caught his fish on a 5-inch Scottsboro Tackle swimbait on a 3/4-ounce swimbait head and a Zoom Z-Craw Worm. He fished the latter on a Carolina rig and a Texas rig. With each of those baits, Gross found a slow presentation most productive.

With Wednesday’s full moon coinciding with a warming trend, the stage seemed set for a full-on spawning event. Some of that did occur, but despite the big-bite potential, Gross said he formulated a different game plan.

“These (bed fishermen) catching these 9-, 10-, 11-pounders — man, that makes you want to go to the bank,” Gross said. “I went for a little while on Day 3 and didn’t have a great day. I thought I blew my chances, but the Lord blessed us today with a great limit and that gave me the confidence to stick with it.”

A slow Day 1 start found Benton with a 47th-place catch of 13-11, but he rebounded on Day 2 by catching 19-1 and rising to 23rd. Adding 21-5 on Semifinal Saturday earned him a final-round spot in eighth place. He rose six spots with a Championship Sunday limit of 21 pounds that lifted his final weight to 75-1.

Devoting most of his tournament to bedding fish, Benton caught all of his weight on a Bagley Pro Sunny B prop bait and a Texas-rigged Big Bite Baits Fighting frog.

“After Day 1, I didn’t know what to do, I had done everything I knew to do when you come to Florida and you have a full moon and a warming trend,” Benton said. “I didn’t see them coming and I just changed up areas of the lake and found a good batch of spawners to bump me up on Day 2.

“On Day 3, I was struggling again and with 30 minutes to go, I caught an 8-pounder and a 5 3/4 that got me into the final day. I caught everything that I thought I could catch.”

Day 3 leader Ray Hanselman Jr., of Del Rio, Texas, finished third with 71-8. After placing fourth on Day 1 with 22 pounds, he added 17-4 on Day 2 and climbed two spots. Hanselman moved into the top spot on Semifinal Saturday with a limit of 18-13 and concluded his run with 13-7.

Hanselman committed his week to the 3- to 7-foot grass flats of Banana Cove. Targeting pre- and postspawn bass, he caught most of his fish on a Strike King Hybrid Hunter, a rattling crankbait with a unique L-shaped bill that displaces grass.

“I just ran out of fish over there; it got pounded pretty hard this week,” Hanselman said. “Today’s (sunny skies) weren’t the ideal conditions for what I was doing, but I just ground it out. I was just two big fish away.”

Hanselman said his 8-foot Power Tackle moderate swimbait rod allowed him to launch his bait and set the hook at the end of long casts. Retrofitting his bait with oversized hooks helped him catch whatever bit.

John Cox of DeBary, Fla., won the $1,000 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for the 11-0 largemouth he landed on Day 3.

Micah Frazier of Newnan, Ga., won the $2,000 VMC Monster Bag award for the event’s heaviest limit with his Day 2 catch of 23-14.

Gross also took home an additional $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, while Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., also earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.

As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Hanselman earned an additional $2,500 as the highest-placing entrant and Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla., claimed an additional $1,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant.

Mark Menendez of Paducah, Ky., won the $1,000 BassTrakk Contingency award for the most accurate weight reporting.

David Mullins of Mt. Carmel, Tenn., leads the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 193 points. Cox is second with 191, followed by Frazier with 179, Stetson Blaylock of Benton, Ark., with 177 and Gross with 172.

Jay Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., leads the Falcon Rods Rookie of the Year standings with 155 points.

2022 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain of Lakes 2/17-2/20
Harris Chain Of Lakes, Leesburg FL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Buddy Gross Day 1: 5 22-12 2. Drew Benton Day 1: 5 13-11 3. Ray Hanselman Jr Day 1: 5 22-00 4. David Mullins Day 1: 5 20-02 5. Brandon Lester Day 1: 5 23-00 6. Bryan Schmitt Day 1: 5 21-13 7. John Cox Day 1: 5 18-07 8. Clifford Pirch Day 1: 5 14-06 9. Kenta Kimura Day 1: 5 16-07 10. Scott Martin Day 1: 5 17-01 ------------------ Chattanooga, TN 20 77-11 100 $100,000.00
Day 2: 5 17-11 Day 3: 5 14-14 Day 4: 5 22-06
Blakely, GA 20 75-01 99 $36,000.00
Day 2: 5 19-01 Day 3: 5 21-05 Day 4: 5 21-00
Del Rio, TX 20 71-08 98 $30,000.00
Day 2: 5 17-04 Day 3: 5 18-13 Day 4: 5 13-07
Mt Carmel, TN 20 70-01 97 $25,000.00
Day 2: 5 18-13 Day 3: 5 17-03 Day 4: 5 13-15
Fayetteville, TN 20 69-09 96 $20,000.00
Day 2: 5 11-01 Day 3: 5 20-02 Day 4: 5 15-06
Deale, MD 20 67-12 95 $19,000.00
Day 2: 5 13-02 Day 3: 5 17-14 Day 4: 5 14-15
DeBary, FL 20 67-08 94 $20,000.00
Day 2: 5 14-08 Day 3: 5 23-01 Day 4: 5 11-08
Payson, AZ 20 67-07 93 $18,000.00
Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 5 22-09 Day 4: 5 13-08
Osaka JAPAN 20 66-15 92 $16,000.00
Day 2: 5 18-02 Day 3: 5 23-01 Day 4: 5 09-05
Clewiston, FL 20 65-12 91 $15,000.00
Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 5 21-05 Day 4: 5 10-03
-----------------------------------------------------

PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 08-10 $1,000.00
2 Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 08-13 $1,000.00
3 John Cox DeBary, FL 11-00 $1,000.00
4 Drew Benton Blakely, GA 07-03 $1,000.00

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
John Cox DeBary, FL 11-00 $1,000.00
VMC MONSTER BAG
Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 23-14 $2,000.00

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 89 457 1312-14
2 93 468 1338-09
3 47 235 714-09
4 10 50 145-09
----------------------------------
239 1210 3511-09

by AnglersChannel

Scroggins digs his Lake Fork memories

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin / Dynamic Sponsorships

As Terry “Big Show” Scroggins begins competition Sunday at the major League Fishing event on Lake Fork, he can’t help but reflect on great memories he’ll forever treasure from 15 years ago on the legendary big bass fishery.

On a practice day prior to the start of the 2007 Toyota Texas Bass Classic, “Big Show” noticed a fish bust the water’s surface about 300 yards away. He idled to investigate the activity, launched a deep-diving crankbait and caught a 6 pounder. His next cast yielded a 5 pounder, and then the real magic, an 11-pounder!

“Back then, the TTBC was a team format, and James Niggemeyer was on my team. He had guided on Fork for six years at that point, but he had never seen that particular spot produce any good bass,” says Scroggins.

But oh, did that magical little ledge in Big Mustang Creek produce those next few days in April of 2007!

Using deep diving crankbaits, primarily the Norman DD22 you see tied to Scroggins rod in the attached photo, the 4-man team captained by Scroggins, that included Niggemeyer, Frank Ippoliti, and Chris Daves, dredged-up 244 pounds of bass in three days to take home the win.

“It was a channel swing by a point that dropped from about 10-feet to 14, and believe it or not, I’ve never caught ‘em there since,” Scroggins shakes his head in perplexion.

With the lake currently 6-feet low, there’s certainly no chance Scroggins will count on the magical spot from 2007 to produce this week.

“Yup, the lake is 6 feet low, and it’s a totally different time of the year. I was wearing short sleeves and flip flops in that one. But this week, it will be 35-degrees in the morning. I’ll be wearing my motorcycle helmet and Carhartt gloves when I’m running down the lake,” says “Big Show.”

While the once magic spot in Big Mustang Creek will have no bearing on his success this week, it will forever hold 244-pounds of treasured memories in the likeable Florida pro’s heart and soul.

by AnglersChannel

Hanselman Takes Lead At Bassmaster Elite On Harris Chain Of Lakes

Ray Hanselman Jr., of Del Rio, Texas, is leading after Day 3 of the 2022 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain with a three-day total of 58 pounds, 1 ounce.

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

February 19, 2022

LEESBURG, Fla. — His target zone shrunk, but Texas pro Ray Hanselman Jr., made the right adjustments and moved into the lead on Day 3 of the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain with a three-day total of 58 pounds, 1 ounce.

A steady performer with an upward trajectory, Hanselman caught a 22-pound limit on Day 1 and placed fourth. He weighed 17-4 on Day 2 and added a Semifinal Saturday limit of 18-13 to edge second-place angler Kenta Kimura by 7 ounces.

Hanselman repeated the game plan he’s followed since Day 1 — diligently prospecting the 3- to 7-foot grass flats of Banana Cove on the east side of Lake Harris. He caught a 6-pounder around 10:45 a.m., but with several boats sharing the area, he saw his overall opportunity level decline.

“There were like three schools where you could get bit in a football field-size area, but now it’s down to about 1 1/2 (schools),” Hanselman said. “The others are depleted and we’re starting to crowd one another.

“You never know what can show up. Those fish know that the grass is there — it’s the only grass in the lake. The baitfish are there and they’ve been trying to have a shad spawn. It could recharge or it could be that’s what’s there.”

Hanselman described his area as a staging spot for fish that were coming and going from the spawn.

“There’s a lot of pressure on the area, the water’s getting warmer and I’m sure there’s a mixture of fish,” he said. “Most of the ones I’ve been catching have been postspawn fish, except for that big one — that one hadn’t spawned.

“I guess the ones that are there and are going to spawn are moving in. I think with that, plus the fishing pressure, you have to cast every inch.”

Hanselman caught one of his limit fish on a homemade 1/2-ounce bladed swim jig with no skirt and a minnow-style trailer. He caught the rest on a Strike King Hybrid Hunter, a rattling crankbait with a unique L-shaped bill.

Hanselman caught his biggest fish on the 3-inch Hybrid Hunter Jr. on top of a grass mat, but did most of his work with the full-size 3 1/2-inch model.

“That bill displaces grass and then it’s such a wide, hard wobble that it just deflects it more,” he said. “I put oversized hooks on both baits because I’m going so fast I want something to grab the fish.”

Hanselman threw his crankbaits on an 8-foot Power Tackle moderate swimbait rod, which allowed him to rip the bait through grass and get a firm hook set at the end of a long cast.

“I noticed I was seeing more fish off in deeper water, so I had to slow down because if you’re burning that bait, it tends to plane a little bit,” he said. “I slowed down my retrieve and used my rod tip to surge it.”

Hanselman said he’ll likely return to the place he’s fished for three days. He has options if he needs them, but he said it’ll be hard to leave what has steadily produced.

Hailing from Osaka, Japan, Kimura placed second with 57-10. After a 23rd-place limit of 16-7 on Day 1, he added 18-2 and moved into 12th. Then on Saturday, he stepped on the gas and weighed a limit of 23-1.

After starting his day by targeting the early morning shad spawn, Kimura caught a quick limit and then transitioned to a big-bite pattern. The second stage of his plan involved shellbars.

“I had to change up today because the north wind changed the water color,” Kimura said. “I didn’t have a bite between 10 and 12 and I had a little bit of a hard time.”

Kimura caught all of his fish on a swimming worm rigged on a 6/0 hook and a Ryugi football head weight, which clipped to his hook eye. He used a plum color worm in the morning and junebug in the afternoon.

David Mullins of Mt. Carmel, Tenn., is in third with 56-2. After placing 11th with a Day 1 limit of 20-2, Mullins improved to fourth by adding 18-13. Then on Saturday, he caught 17-3 and gained another spot.

Mullins spent his first hour in Lake Harris, then ran to Lake Griffin where he fished a mix of hydrilla and eelgrass in 3 to 6 feet. He started out throwing a crankbait and when the bite slowed down with increasing sunlight, he switched to a Texas-rigged 6-inch black/blue stickworm with a 3/16-ounce weight.

“I think they’re spawning out there in that grass, but I can’t see them,” Mullins said. “I’m just trying to drop it into a grass hole, so I’m fishing it as slow as I can. On my first cast, I caught a 4-pounder.”

John Cox of DeBary, Fla., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 11-pound largemouth.

Micah Frazier of Newnan, Ga., leads the VMC Monster Bag standings for the event’s heaviest limit with his Day 2 catch of 23-14.

Mullins leads the Angler of the Year standings with 194 points. Cox is in second with 194, followed by Frazier with 179, Stetson Blaylock of Benton, Ark., with 177 and Jamie Hartman of Newport, N.Y., with 171.

Jay Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., leads the Falcon Rods Rookie of the Year standings with 155 points.

The Top 10 remaining anglers will take off at 7:30 a.m. ET Sunday from Venetian Gardens (Ski Beach). The weigh-in will be held back at Venetian Gardens at 3:30 p.m., with the winning angler claiming $100,000.

FS1 will broadcast live with the tournament leaders beginning at 8 a.m. ET on Sunday. Live coverage can also be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms.

by AnglersChannel

Wheeler Leads Early at MLF Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork

Tennessee Pro Boats 14 Bass Totaling 56 Pounds, 7 Ounces to Comfortably Lead Day 1 for Group A – Group B to Compete Sunday

QUITMAN, Texas (Feb. 19, 2022) – Academy Sports + Outdoors pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, boated a 7-pound, 3-ounce kicker just four minutes into the start of competition Saturday and never looked back. Wheeler caught 14 scorable bass totaling 56 pounds, 7 ounces to grab the early lead for Group A on Day 1 of the Toro Stage Two on Lake Fork Presented by Grundéns in Quitman, Texas.

Wheeler will bring a comfortable lead into Monday’s second day of competition for Group A, with an 8-pound, 2-ounce cushion over second place angler pro Ish Monroe of Oakdale, California, who caught 13 bass totaling 48-5. In third place on the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard is Bass Pro Shops angler Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, who caught 13 bass totaling 44-14. B&W Trailer Hitches pro Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Arkansas , sits in fourth place with 13 bass weighing 33-14. Rounding out the top five is pro Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, South Carolina, who weighed in eight bass totaling 32-3.

Fresh off his victory two weeks ago at Stage One in Louisiana, Covercraft pro Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Kentucky, boated the biggest bass of his career Saturday – and the second-biggest bass ever weighed in Bass Pro Tour history – an 11-pound, 11-ounce giant that earned Roy the first $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 will now have an off day from competition, while the 40 anglers competing in Group B will begin their first day of competition Sunday. Group A will resume competition on Monday.

“Today has been a lot of fun,” Wheeler said in his post-game interview. “They’re not easy to catch, but when you do find some, it’s a lot of fun. This event is going to end up being all about decision-making.”

Wheeler spent the day throwing multiple different jerkbaits around the isolated timber.

“The jerkbait was the name of the game for me, today,” Wheeler continued. “I was throwing them on a 6-foot, 10-inch medium-heavy action rod, using 12-to-14-pound line, depending on the cover I was fishing. I threw a various amount of jerkbaits, but my biggest bass this morning came on a (Rapala) Shadow Rap, deep. It was first thing – my third cast of the day.”

Saturday marks the seventh time that Wheeler has “won” Day 1 of his Qualifying Round of competition. The next closest anglers to that mark are Zack Birge and Michael Neal, who each have won three times. If Wheeler can hang on and win his Qualifying Round on Monday, it will mark the sixth time that Wheeler has won his two-day Qualifying Round.

“We’ll see how it all ends up. Today was nice, but the rest of the week is a little different,” Wheeler said. “I’m going to take my day off tomorrow and regroup to come up with a gameplan on how we can win the round. The biggest thing this week is going to be about making adjustments, and I’m going to need to make some adjustments for Monday if I want to take it down.

Unlike Wheeler, who did his damage today on a jerkbait, California pro Ish Monroe caught his 13 scorable bass on a lipless crankbait.

“Congratulations to Jacob on a great day, but I’m right behind him – eight pounds on this lake is nothing,” Monroe said. “I fished hard, today, throwing a River2Sea Ruckus lipless (crankbait).

“Bradley (Roy) got an 11-pounder, which is awesome. Zack Birge got a 10, and that is awesome. But I plan on catching me a double-digit as well, so get ready.”

The top 20 pros in Group A after Day 1 on Lake Fork are:

1^st:          Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 14 bass, 56-7
2^nd:         Ish Monroe, Oakdale, Calif., 13 bass, 48-5
3^rd:         Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 13 bass, 44-14
4^th:         Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 13 bass, 33-14
5^th:         Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., eight bass, 32-3
6^th:         Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, eight bass, 32-2
7^th:         Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., five bass, 28-14
8^th:         Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., eight bass, 28-6
9^th:         Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., five bass, 28-3
10^th:       Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., eight bass, 27-11
11^th:       Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, six bass, 26-14
12^th:       Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 26-1
13^th:       Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., eight bass, 25-10
14^th:       Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., seven bass, 23-12
15^th:       Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., six bass, 23-10
16^th:       Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., six bass, 23-7
17^th:       Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, six bass, 22-10
18^th:       James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., six bass, 22-1
19^th:       Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., five bass, 21-7
20^th:       Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., seven bass, 20-12

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

Overall, there were 218 scorable bass weighing 810 pounds, 3 ounces caught by 39 pros Saturday.

by AnglersChannel

Iaconelli: Fresh Shave, Fresh Start

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

After a rocky start to his Elite Series return last week on the St Johns River, fan favorite Mike Iaconelli has quickly righted the ship with a strong showing here for the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite on the Harris Chain. The Team Toyota pro attacks the sport of fishing with his own unique style, which has drawn praise along with a bit of criticism throughout his career.

Iaconelli is well known for wearing his passion and emotion on his sleeve, so it was a bit of anyone’s guess to exactly how he would respond after his St Johns performance. But thanks to a fresh shave and short memory, Iaconelli rebounded in a big way on the Harris Chain.

“Florida tournaments have kind of haunted me throughout my career,” Iaconelli admitted. “I’ve learned the hard way you have to have a short memory in this sport. Earlier in my career, a bomb like I had last week would most likely have crippled me. One terrible event would have turned into two or three bad events, and you really can’t have that if you want to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic.”

Iaconelli doesn’t really credit a freshly shaved face for his quick turnaround, instead it’s the support of his wife and maturation thanks to over 23 years as a professional angler he believes helped him get his mind right for the Harris Chain.

“I know the best way to forget about a bad tournament is to have a good tournament,” Iaconelli said. “So while the rest of the guys were fishing last weekend, my mind was on this fishery. I re-rigged tackle, looked at maps, and refocused.

“And look, my wife Becky is a huge part of that. She gave me a pep talk after last week’s poor performance and that kind of support at home helps me focus on what I need to do.”

After a few years of away from Elite Series competition, it’s good to see Ike back to doing what he does best… competing at a high level and teaching the world to fish in the process. Iaconelli is back like a gypsy and is happy to tackle the new challenges that face him with this crop of Elite Series competitors.

Iaconelli’s goal coming into the Harris Chain was to leave here with a top 30 finish so he could hop in his Tundra for the eighteen-hour drive back to New Jersey in a good place. After consistently bringing limits full of three-pound bass back to the scales over the course of the first two days, he has put himself in a great position to do just that.

If he can one or two of the big bites that Florida is so famous for this time of year, Iaconelli may surpass his goal and have the Venetian Gardens crowd in Leesburg “Going Ike”.

by AnglersChannel

Gross Adjusts And Takes Over Lead At Bassmaster Elite On Harris Chain

Buddy Gross of Chattanooga, Tenn., is leading after Day 2 of the 2022 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain with a two-day total of 40 pounds, 7 ounces.

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

February 18, 2022

LEESBURG, Fla. — Regrouping after an early disappointment and then replicating a specific scenario allowed Tennessee pro Buddy Gross to lead Day 2 of the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain with a two-day total of 40 pounds, 7 ounces.

After placing third on Day 1 with 22-12, Gross added 17-11 Friday. He will head into Saturday’s semifinal round with a lead of 1-3 over Ray Hanselman, but Gross said reaching this point was no easy task since the pattern he relied on for Day 1 vanished.

“Today, I had to work and run a lot of the lakes,” Gross said. “I went to Beauclair, Eustis and I stayed in Harris for a long time today. Yesterday, I stayed in Harris, but today that was not the case.

“I don’t know whether it was the cloudiness or they just moved. I think I was catching postspawners and they were schooled up yesterday. Today, I caught one fish off somewhere I could fish yesterday; everything else came off something new.”

Since Wednesday’s full moon coincided with a warming trend, many predicted an all-out spawning event. But while some anglers reported finding bass on beds, Gross said the lack of significant spawning activity did not hurt his game plan.

“I never do the spawning thing, if I can keep from it,” he said. “I’ll always try to find one or two in case I need them, but I’m not going to go to a tournament and just (focus on) spawning.”

Admitting that he was “winging it today,” Gross said he had two keepers at noon, four at 1:45 p.m. and finished his limit at 2:30. Gross held his cards low on that second pattern, but he said he believes it exists in many areas.

“I was still throwing reaction baits; I just changed up where and how,” he said. “I think it’s something I can take elsewhere, I just have to move around a little bit more tomorrow.

“It’s about a combination of three things. It has to have a little bit of those things for me to get bit. I’ll fish 10 places like that and won’t catch a fish, and then I’ll stop on one and catch three in five casts.”

Gross said he’ll begin Day 3 fishing the spots he identified Friday, but he suspects he’ll need to find more. With the field cut from 94 to 47 for Saturday, Gross will be able to fish more aggressively.

“Tomorrow I think I’ll be a little more specific and target places where I think I can catch a bigger bite and just swing,” Gross said. “Now, we’re in the Top 47 cut, so I have to try and stay in the Top 10 and that’s going to take some weight tomorrow.”

Hailing from Del Rio, Texas, Hanselman, is in second with 39-4. He placed fourth on Day 1 with 22 pounds and gained two spots with Friday’s limit of 17-4

Hanselman said success required fast, aggressive presentations that triggered bites. He accomplished that with a Strike King Hybrid Hunter, a rattling crankbait designed for an enticing action and a 5-inch Strike King Shadalicious swimbait.

“I rigged the swimbait on a 3/8-ounce belly-weighted hook, and I put a 3/8-ounce bullet weight on the front so I could keep it down and just grind it through that grass,” Hanselman said. “I used an 8-foot Power Tackle moderate swimbait rod for long casts, (efficient) hook sets and the power to rip that bait through the grass.

“I know other guys were catching them on other things, but it seemed those bigger ones are a little wiser and I just didn’t want to give them the time to think about it. I just want them to react.”

Jake Whitaker of Fairview, N.C., also tallied 39-4 and placed third. Ties are broken by the heaviest single-day catch. After placing 10th on Day 1 with 20-9, Whitaker added 18-11 Friday.

Combining a 1/2-ounce green gizzard shad Z-Man ChatterBait with a white Big Bite Baits Kamikaze Swimon trailer and a junebug Big Bite Baits Tour Swim Worm yielded a 4-pounder and a 3-pounder for Whitaker, who caught both fish on the latter bait on consecutive casts.

Whitaker caught his fish in a popular grassy area of Lake Harris. He had plenty of company, but he strategically managed the crowded waters.

“When I’m in a lot of boats, I stick to my game and throw what I’m going to throw,” Whitaker said. “At all times, I’m watching all these boats to see where they’re going. At times today, the wind got up a little bit and it would push everybody.

“Before everybody got to the end of their drift, I’d go ahead and go back up to where there had not been as much pressure for 30 minutes. I don’t know if that helped me or not, but I have been fortunate enough to get some key bites out of those areas.”

Noting that the smaller Saturday field may help his cause, Whitaker said: “They’re in there, I know they are; I just have to catch a couple more big fish out of that area, and we can make the same thing happen.”

Clifford Pirch of Payson, Ariz., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 8-13 largemouth.

Micah Frazier of Newnan, Ga., leads the VMC Monster Bag standings for the event’s heaviest limit with his Day 2 catch of 23-14.

David Mullins of Mt. Carmel, Tenn., leads the Angler of the Year standings with 193 points. Stetson Blaylock of Benton, Ark., is second with 189, followed by Frazier with 186, Whitaker with 185 and Jamie Hartman of Newport, N.Y., with 179.

Jay Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., leads the Falcon Rods Rookie of the Year standings with 122 points.

Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. ET at Venetian Gardens (Ski Beach). The weigh-in will be back held at Venetian Gardens (Ski Beach) at 3:30 p.m. Only the Top 10 anglers will advance to Championship Sunday with a chance to win the $100,000 first-place prize.

FS1 will broadcast live with the tournament leaders beginning at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday. Live coverage can also be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms.

2022 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain of Lakes 2/17-2/20
Harris Chain Of Lakes, Leesburg FL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 10 40-07 100
Day 1: 5 22-12 Day 2: 5 17-11
2. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 10 39-04 99
Day 1: 5 22-00 Day 2: 5 17-04
3. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 10 39-04 98
Day 1: 5 20-09 Day 2: 5 18-11
4. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 10 38-15 97
Day 1: 5 20-02 Day 2: 5 18-13
5. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 10 38-00 96
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 23-07
6. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 10 37-04 95
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 23-14
7. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 10 36-02 94 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 14-14
8. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 10 35-11 93
Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 16-08
9. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 10 35-05 92
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 15-11
10. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 10 34-15 91
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 13-02
11. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 10 34-10 90
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 15-11
12. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 10 34-09 89
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 18-02
13. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 10 34-04 88
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 17-03
14. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 10 34-02 87
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 13-02
15. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 34-01 86
Day 1: 5 23-00 Day 2: 5 11-01
16. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 10 33-15 85
Day 1: 5 22-15 Day 2: 5 11-00
17. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 10 33-10 84
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 19-10
18. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 10 33-06 83
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 12-06
19. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 10 33-06 82
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 18-03
20. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 33-06 81
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 17-15
21. John Cox Debary, FL 10 32-15 80
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 14-08
22. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 10 32-12 79
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 21-00
23. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 10 32-12 78
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 19-01
24. Bryan New Saluda, SC 10 32-10 77
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 16-11
25. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 10 32-08 76
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 17-12
26. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 10 32-06 75
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 17-01
27. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 10 31-13 74
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 15-10
28. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 10 31-11 73
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 15-15
29. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 31-06 72 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 17-00
30. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 10 31-05 71
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 14-03
31. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 10 31-03 70
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 15-01
32. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 10 31-01 69
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 18-03
33. Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ 10 31-01 68
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 16-03
34. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 30-13 67
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 16-07
35. Jay Yelas Turner, OR 10 30-12 66
Day 1: 5 20-14 Day 2: 5 09-14
36. David Williams Newton, NC 10 30-11 65
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 16-03
37. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 10 30-03 64
Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 11-13
38. Mike Huff London, KY 10 29-12 63
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 15-11
39. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 29-12 62
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 15-02
40. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 10 29-11 61
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 17-15
41. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 10 29-10 60
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 14-07
42. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 10 29-04 59
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 15-13
43. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 10 29-01 58
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 15-04
44. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 10 29-00 57
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 14-08
45. Seth Feider New Market, MN 10 28-12 56
Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 11-05
46. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 10 28-10 55
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 16-11
47. Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 10 28-10 54
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 13-12
48. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 10 28-07 53 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 14-06
49. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 10 28-02 52 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 10-08
50. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 10 27-14 51 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 16-01
51. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 10 27-14 50 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 15-06
52. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 10 27-13 49 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 17-13
53. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 10 27-10 48 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 11-08
54. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 27-08 47 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 12-03
55. Darold Gleason Many, LA 10 27-07 46 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 16-02
56. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 10 27-04 45 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 16-10
57. Cody Huff Ava, MO 10 27-02 44 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 16-05
58. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 10 27-02 43 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 14-05
59. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 10 27-00 42 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 15-02
60. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 10 26-12 41 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 13-12
61. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 10 26-11 40 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 13-11
62. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 10 26-04 39 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 14-00
63. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 10 25-14 38 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 14-13
64. Bob Downey Hudson, WI 10 25-12 37 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 15-13
65. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 10 25-11 36 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 09-01
66. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 10 25-05 35 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 08-00
67. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 10 25-03 34 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 12-15
68. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 10 25-00 33
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 13-14
69. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 10 24-15 32
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 11-05
70. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 10 24-15 31
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 11-10
71. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 10 24-14 30
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 11-03
72. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 10 24-11 29
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 11-02
73. Wes Logan Springville, AL 10 23-09 28
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 12-09
74. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 10 23-07 27
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 12-11
75. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 10 23-06 26
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 5 14-03
76. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 23-05 25
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 09-11
77. Daisuke Aoki Minamitsurugun Yamanash 9 22-15 24
Day 1: 4 07-05 Day 2: 5 15-10
78. David Fritts Lexington, NC 8 22-12 23
Day 1: 3 11-02 Day 2: 5 11-10
79. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 10 22-05 22
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 09-08
80. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 10 22-04 21
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 09-04
81. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 10 22-02 20
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 11-04
82. Frank Talley Temple, TX 10 21-08 19
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 13-01
83. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 10 20-14 18
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 10-13
84. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 10 20-11 17
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 09-09
85. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 20-05 16
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 10-09
86. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 8 19-11 15
Day 1: 3 03-15 Day 2: 5 15-12
87. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 10 19-09 14
Day 1: 5 08-02 Day 2: 5 11-07
88. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 10 19-07 13
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 5 10-10
89. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 10 18-05 12
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 08-03
90. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 10 18-00 11
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 5 10-02
91. Jesse Tacoronte Kissimmee, FL 6 16-14 10
Day 1: 1 03-04 Day 2: 5 13-10
92. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 10 16-08 9
Day 1: 5 06-08 Day 2: 5 10-00
93. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 8 14-15 8
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 3 04-01
94. Derek Hudnall Denham Springs, LA 6 11-01 7
Day 1: 1 01-08 Day 2: 5 09-09
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 08-10 $1,000.00
2 Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 08-13 $1,000.00

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 89 457 1312-14
2 93 468 1338-09
----------------------------------
182 925 2651-07

by AnglersChannel

Cox Keeps on Cruising

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

Anytime there is a Florida tournament on the schedule, John Cox is bound to be high on the list of favorites. That proved true coming into the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite on the Harris Chain of Lakes this week and for good reason. The sunshine state native is not only one of the best sight fishing and shallow water anglers on planet earth, but he also has over 25 years of experience fishing the puzzle that is the Harris Chain.

“The first time I fished this place I was 11 or 12 years old,” Cox recalled. “My mom and I came and put in at this very boat launch (Venetian Gardens). We brought my dad’s 1990 silver mini-van and took both back bench seats out of the car so we could fit our 12-foot aluminum row boat in the back of the van.

“We got the boat in the water, used oars to row out of this bay over to 9th Street canal and I caught two fish on a lipless crankbait. I still remember it like it was yesterday.”

Cox told this story just minutes before take-off for day two of competition with the same big smile and sunny disposition he seemingly always has. If he was feeling any nerves, he certainly wasn’t showing it. Cox has since upgraded the mini-van to a 2021 Toyota Tundra to tow his Crestliner boat around the country. His Tundra earned him an extra $2,000 of Toyota Bonus Bucks last week for his 4th place finish on the St Johns River.

John Crews took home the tournament trophy and the first-place Bonus Bucks payout, but Cox wasn’t complaining with his earnings for being the second highest finishing participant in the popular contingency program.

The Berkley Fishing pro is off to another solid start this week after weighing over 18-lbs yesterday, but he knows the opportunity for a much bigger bag of fish exists on the Harris Chain.

“Honestly we didn’t really show the potential of this place yesterday,” Cox said. “I mean, I saw lots of fish over eight pounds in practice, including one like 12-lber. I have no idea how big she really is, but she looked as long as my leg and the day I found her she was ready to eat.”

Unfortunately, Cox experienced what many Elite Series pros mentioned on stage yesterday… the big females being vacant from their beds. With a full moon, a warming trend, over sixty-degree waters temps, and fresh spawning beds spread throughout this fishery famous for sight fishing it’s easy to see why many anglers were scratching their heads.

“In my opinion I think it has a lot to do with boat pressure,” Cox explained. “The canals and some of the more historical spawning areas received a lot of pressure during practice. I was shocked at how many people I was seeing, and those big girls just won’t hang around when that’s going on.”

Cox isn’t letting absence of big female bass on day one discourage him, however, as it can happen at any time. He proved that last week on day three of the St Johns River event when he brought over 30-lbs of sight-fished bass to the scales and rocketed himself up the leaderboard. If the females up shallow get in a better mood, there are few anglers better equip to put them in the boat than John Cox.

“I’m just going to stay optimistic and keep my head down,” Cox said. “I’ll see how many miles I can cruise on my trolling motor and try to find a pocket of fresh fish that haven’t been messed with. If I can do that, it can go down in a hurry.”

by AnglersChannel

Lester Holds Razor-Thin Lead At Bassmaster Elite On Harris Chain Of Lakes

Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., is leading after Day 1 of the 2022 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain with 23 pounds.

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

February 17, 2022

LEESBURG, Fla. — Building on the momentum of his recent success, Tennessee pro Brandon Lester caught a five-bass limit of 23 pounds Thursday to lead the first round of the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain.

Two weeks after winning the St. Croix Bassmaster Southern Open on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, about an hour south of Leesburg, Lester holds the top spot in a tight Top 10 with only 2-7 separating first and 10th places. Lester will enter Day 2 with a 1 ounce lead over second-place Pat Schlapper of Eleva, Wis.

“People call it momentum, but I think you get into a good rhythm and a good pace,” Lester said. “In tournament fishing, sometimes it’s like you’re out there and the day just flies by; but right now, I’m out there (during a tournament day) and it’s like I have all the time in the world.

“It’s like I don’t have a care in the world. Part of that is the fact that I’ve already qualified for the (2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, to be held in Knoxville, Tenn., March 24-26). That takes a load off. Good things are happening out there and I’m having fun.”

Dividing his day between three different lakes, Lester focused on shallow flipping with a 7 3/4-inch Bitter’s Mega Wand in the junebug color. He spent most of his time blind bed fishing — targeting unseen fish in likely spawning areas.

“I caught one of them that I was actually looking at on the bed,” Lester said. “I was actually just fishing at that time and I looked down and it was like, ‘Oh my.’ I only caught that one off a bed and the other four came while I was just fishing.”

When he was blind casting the bedding areas, Lester fished his worm unweighted and Texas-rigged. For sight fishing, he added a Humdinger Power Spinner — a screw-in willowleaf blade for added appeal.

“You have to fish this bait slow,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing in Florida — if you go down a bank just cast, cast, cast, cast — you’ll fish right over top of them. You have to pitch it in there and just shake it in place. Most of the time, after you start shaking it, they’ll grab it.”

Lester said his day unfolded mostly as planned. He secured a limit by 10 a.m. and had his weight by 12:30. After that, he committed the rest of his day purely to sight fishing.

Despite Thursday’s promising complexion — a warming trend coinciding with a full moon phase — Lester said he did not find the shallow action he was expecting.

“After I got a good bag, I just went strictly sight fishing and looking for a great big one,” he said. “I knew I needed a good one to cull. I’m just not seeing the females up there. There are a lot of males all over the place, but the females are not showing up like I thought they would.

“It could be any day. You have to keep checking it, because if you’re the guy who misses out on that and they do show up, you’re going to look like a dummy.”

Capitalizing when opportunity availed, Schlapper is in second place with 22-15. Reporting an active day, he said a midday flurry dramatically changed his outcome.

“I had those two big bites and probably caught another 10 or 11 keepers,” Schlapper said. “My other ones were 2- to 2 1/2-pounders. Those two big fish made my bag.

“In Florida, you just never know when you’re going to get that big bite and I just got two of them and got them in the boat. One was a bed fish and the other one I got just fishing.”

Schlapper said he caught bass on a variety of presentations that included jerkbaits, lipless baits and flipping. He caught both of his big fish by flipping a Texas-rigged Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog in a small canal.

Buddy Gross of Chattanooga, Tenn., is in third with 22-12. Initial disappointment ultimately led him to a successful day, as crowded waters forced a change of game plan.

“I just made some really good decisions today,” Gross said. “Everything I wanted to fish got really crowded this morning and there were 15 to 20 boats sitting where I wanted to go, so I just stopped a little sooner, started fishing and picked up one or two.

“I went to another place and picked up one or two and then I just started keying in on them. They were little to start with but about midday I started culling up and it started getting a lot better.”

Gross said the fishing pressure pushed his bass away from where he thought they would be, but he was able to relocate them on isolated places amid offshore grass. He caught his fish on moving baits.

“I can catch them on anything,” Gross said. “When you find them, they’re biting.”

Jamie Hartman of Newport, N.Y., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 8-10 largemouth. Lester's Day 1 lead has him atop the VMC Monster Bag standings for the event’s heaviest limit.

David Mullins of Mt. Carmel, Tenn., leads the Angler of the Year standings with 186 points. Scott Canterbury of Odenville, Ala., is second with 183, followed by John Cox of DeBary, Fla., with 183, Hartman with 180 and Jake Whitaker of Fairview, N.C., with 178.

Jay Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., leads the Falcon Rods Rookie of the Year standings with 135 points.

Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. ET at Venetian Gardens (Ski Beach). The weigh-in will be held back at Venetian Gardens (Ski Beach) at 3:30 p.m. Only the Top 47 remaining anglers will advance to Saturday’s semifinal round. Full coverage will be available on Bassmaster.com.

2022 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain of Lakes 2/17-2/20
Harris Chain Of Lakes, Leesburg FL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 23-00 100
Day 1: 5 23-00
2. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 5 22-15 99
Day 1: 5 22-15
3. Buddy Gross Chatanooga, TN 5 22-12 98
Day 1: 5 22-12
4. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 5 22-00 97
Day 1: 5 22-00
5. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 5 21-13 96
Day 1: 5 21-13
6. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 21-04 95 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-04
7. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 5 21-00 94
Day 1: 5 21-00
7. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 21-00 94
Day 1: 5 21-00
9. Jay Yelas Turner, OR 5 20-14 92
Day 1: 5 20-14
10. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 5 20-09 91
Day 1: 5 20-09
11. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 20-02 90
Day 1: 5 20-02
12. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 5 19-10 89
Day 1: 5 19-10
13. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 19-03 88
Day 1: 5 19-03
14. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 18-15 87
Day 1: 5 18-15
15. John Cox Debary, FL 5 18-07 86
Day 1: 5 18-07
16. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 5 18-06 85
Day 1: 5 18-06
17. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 17-10 84
Day 1: 5 17-10
18. Seth Feider New Market, MN 5 17-07 83
Day 1: 5 17-07
19. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 5 17-05 82
Day 1: 5 17-05
20. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 5 17-02 81
Day 1: 5 17-02
21. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 5 17-01 80
Day 1: 5 17-01
22. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 16-10 79
Day 1: 5 16-10
23. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 5 16-07 78
Day 1: 5 16-07
24. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 5 16-03 77
Day 1: 5 16-03
25. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 16-02 76
Day 1: 5 16-02
25. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 16-02 76
Day 1: 5 16-02
27. Bryan New Saluda, SC 5 15-15 74
Day 1: 5 15-15
28. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 5 15-12 73
Day 1: 5 15-12
29. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 15-07 72
Day 1: 5 15-07
30. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 15-05 71
Day 1: 5 15-05
31. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 5 15-05 70
Day 1: 5 15-05
32. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 5 15-03 69
Day 1: 5 15-03
32. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 5 15-03 69
Day 1: 5 15-03
34. Michael Iaconelli Pittsgrove, NJ 5 14-14 67
Day 1: 5 14-14
34. Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 5 14-14 67
Day 1: 5 14-14
36. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 14-12 65
Day 1: 5 14-12
37. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 14-10 64
Day 1: 5 14-10
38. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 14-09 63
Day 1: 5 14-09
39. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 5 14-08 62
Day 1: 5 14-08
39. David Williams Newton, NC 5 14-08 62
Day 1: 5 14-08
41. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 14-06 60
Day 1: 5 14-06
41. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 14-06 60
Day 1: 5 14-06
43. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 5 14-01 58
Day 1: 5 14-01
44. Mike Huff London, KY 5 14-01 57
Day 1: 5 14-01
45. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 5 14-00 56
Day 1: 5 14-00
46. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 5 13-13 55
Day 1: 5 13-13
47. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 5 13-11 54
Day 1: 5 13-11
47. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 5 13-11 54
Day 1: 5 13-11
49. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 13-10 52
Day 1: 5 13-10
49. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 5 13-10 52
Day 1: 5 13-10
51. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 5 13-09 50
Day 1: 5 13-09
52. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 5 13-07 49
Day 1: 5 13-07
53. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 13-06 48
Day 1: 5 13-06
54. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 5 13-05 47
Day 1: 5 13-05
55. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 5 13-00 46
Day 1: 5 13-00
55. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 5 13-00 46
Day 1: 5 13-00
55. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 5 13-00 46
Day 1: 5 13-00
58. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 5 12-14 43
Day 1: 5 12-14
59. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 5 12-13 42
Day 1: 5 12-13
59. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 5 12-13 42
Day 1: 5 12-13
61. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 5 12-08 40
Day 1: 5 12-08
62. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 5 12-04 39
Day 1: 5 12-04
62. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 5 12-04 39
Day 1: 5 12-04
64. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 11-15 37
Day 1: 5 11-15
65. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 5 11-14 36
Day 1: 5 11-14
66. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 5 11-13 35
Day 1: 5 11-13
67. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 5 11-12 34
Day 1: 5 11-12
67. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 11-12 34
Day 1: 5 11-12
69. Darold Gleason Many, LA 5 11-05 32
Day 1: 5 11-05
70. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 5 11-02 31
Day 1: 5 11-02
70. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 5 11-02 31
Day 1: 5 11-02
72. David Fritts Lexington, NC 3 11-02 29
Day 1: 3 11-02
73. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 5 11-01 28
Day 1: 5 11-01
74. Wes Logan Springville, AL 5 11-00 27
Day 1: 5 11-00
75. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 5 10-14 26
Day 1: 5 10-14
75. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 10-14 26
Day 1: 5 10-14
77. Cody Huff Ava, MO 5 10-13 24
Day 1: 5 10-13
78. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 5 10-12 23
Day 1: 5 10-12
79. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 5 10-10 22
Day 1: 5 10-10
80. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 5 10-02 21
Day 1: 5 10-02
81. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 5 10-01 20
Day 1: 5 10-01
82. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 5 10-00 19
Day 1: 5 10-00
83. Bob Downey Hudson, WI 5 09-15 18
Day 1: 5 09-15
84. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 09-12 17
Day 1: 5 09-12
85. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 09-03 16
Day 1: 5 09-03
86. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 5 08-13 15
Day 1: 5 08-13
87. Frank Talley Temple, TX 5 08-07 14
Day 1: 5 08-07
88. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 5 08-02 13
Day 1: 5 08-02
89. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 5 07-14 12
Day 1: 5 07-14
90. Daisuke Aoki Minamitsurugun Yamanash 4 07-05 11
Day 1: 4 07-05
91. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 5 06-08 10
Day 1: 5 06-08
92. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 3 03-15 9
Day 1: 3 03-15
93. Jesse Tacoronte Kissimmee, FL 1 03-04 8
Day 1: 1 03-04
94. Derek Hudnall Denham Springs, LA 1 01-08 7
Day 1: 1 01-08
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 08-10 $1,000.00

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 89 457 1312-14

by AnglersChannel

Bassmaster Fishing 2022 Video Game Releases New Lake Hartwell Option In Time For The Classic

A new Lake Hartwell Venue update launches today for Bassmaster Fishing 2022, the video game.

February 17, 2022

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In celebration of the upcoming Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, a new update is now available for Bassmaster Fishing 2022, the video game. With the Lake Hartwell Venue DLC, players can compete on the same waters as 55 of the world’s best anglers as well as try out the Classic three-round final in Career Mode, enjoy new challenges and more.

Bassmaster Fishing 2022 is available in a 2022 Bassmaster Classic update bundle for new players which includes the game and the Lake Hartwell DLC for a discounted price.

Competing in the iconic Bassmaster Classic is a dream of every aspiring angler. While only a select few will compete March 4-6, 2022 on Lake Hartwell, now any player can enjoy the thrill of competition and fight their way to an in-game championship with the new Lake Hartwell DLC, which was built to recreate the experience as closely as possible, including matching water temperatures, depths and fish behavior. The dynamic time of day system sets the perfect mood for a Classic competition, altering lighting and shadows across the lake for a more immersive experience.

“Dovetail Games got off to a great start with Bassmaster Fishing 2022, and their passion for bass fishing is present throughout the game,” said B.A.S.S. Vice President of Tournaments Chris Bowes. “We are excited to see how they bring the Bassmaster Classic to life for gamers and bass fishing fans and help people experience the joys of big bass fishing however they can.”

The update also includes support for the Bassmaster Classic three-round tournament structure and adds new “Legendary” named fish for players to track and catch.

Alongside the Lake Hartwell addition, Dovetail Games, which developed and published Bassmaster Fishing 2022, announced that it has signed a long-term license renewal with B.A.S.S. as the exclusive partner for video games.

“We’re committed to delivering a fantastic sports fishing experience for our players,” said Jon Rissik, CEO of Dovetail Games. “Today’s announcement is a testament to that commitment and we are thrilled to continue working with our fantastic partners at B.A.S.S.”

The Lake Hartwell Venue DLC is available for purchase on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows PC via Steam, with a limited-time discount ending March 3 on Steam and March 17 on PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

by AnglersChannel

Swindle’s Spring Training

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

Talking to Gerald Swindle before day one of the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite on the Harris Chain of Lakes, it was plain to see “the G-Man” wasn’t stressing out about his first day of competition on the massive fishery that makes up the Harris Chain. Swindle seemed locked in, at peace with the task at hand.

The Team Toyota pro admitted he didn’t have a bad practice, but he certainly didn’t find piles of giant bass he suspects it will take to win this week. Instead, Swindle attributed his demeanor to the fact he and his wife LeAnn have spent the past six weeks in the state of Florida… “spring training” as he called it.

Usually both Swindle’s are so busy with boat shows, speaking appearances, designing jerseys, truck and boat graphics packages, or rigging equipment that they arrive to the first tournament on the schedule rushed and somewhat frazzled. So, for the first time in over fifteen years, they planned to point their Tundra and 5th wheel south several weeks before the first Bassmaster Open and even further ahead of the first two Elite Series events of 2022.

“This has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in years,” Swindle smiled. “We’ve done a lot of fishing, rode bikes almost every day, ate really well, enjoyed each other’s company, and simply slowed life down a bit. It’s also given me time to work on my soon-to-be-released signature series of rods and reels from 13 Fishing. I’ve been able to pour my soul into it the past few weeks and I am really excited to get this in the hands of fishermen.”

In the life of a pro angler, January and February are among the busiest and most stressful months of their year. Even more so for this 2022 season, as the fishing industry has been affected by equipment delays and supply chain issues like the rest of the world.

Swindle said this ‘spring training’ is just what the doctor ordered to get both his body and specifically his mind ready for three straight weeks of tournaments.

“Our electronics keep getting better at clearly showing us what’s underwater, but real clarity doesn’t come from a depth finder,” Swindle offered. “It doesn’t matter what my electronics show me, if my mind isn’t clear then I ain’t going to read it right. Especially not at this level.”

After a strong finish in the Bassmaster Open on the Kissimmee Chain Swindle narrowly missed the cut at the St Johns River, but says he lost some key fish and had every opportunity to have another high finish. Missteps with his mechanics, not decision-making issues.

As he readied himself for his third straight week of tournament fishing with a clear mind and calm conscious, I’d say Swindle’s logic has been proven correct.

Swindle’s ‘spring training’ concludes this weekend after he attends to the business at hand on the Harris Chain. From here he’ll drive to Alabama to pick up an all-new 2022 Toyota Tundra, put the final touches on his new ride, and then head to South Carolina for his 19th Bassmaster Classic appearance.

Fishing season certainly doesn’t slow down for pro anglers this time of year, but Swindle’s PMA is right where it needs to be.

by AnglersChannel

#Seeing Whats Out There

This week Chris & the boys welcome in the newly hired VP of Marketing for Costa Sunglasses, Mr. John Acosta to the show to talk about his new role at Costa, where he came from and how he and his team plan on taking Costa to the next level. BPT Stage 1 Winner Bradley Roy also joins us to talk about his first BPT win and more!

by AnglersChannel

“Major League Fishing” Delivers Two-Thirds of All Competitive Fishing Viewing Minutes in 2021

Major League Fishing’s Top Telecast in 2021 on CBS Nearly Tripled its Competitor’s Top Telecast on FOX

DENVER (Feb. 16, 2022) – For television fans of competitive fishing, Major League Fishing (MLF) provided the events that nearly one million households were watching in 2021. Sixty-seven percent of all minutes of competitive fishing on television were consumed by viewers watching a Major League Fishing event.

Major League Fishing seen on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, Discovery Network and CBS, delivered 67% of all viewing minutes among competitive fishing programs during 2021.
Major League Fishing’s No. 1 telecast during 2021 (12/19/21) was a CBS Sports Spectacular program which delivered more than 928,000 households, surpassing its competitor Bassmaster’s highest-viewed telecast on Fox by +174%.

“Fans watching competitive fishing on television saw the best in the business at Major League Fishing events,” MLF President and CEO Jim Wilburn said. “With two-thirds of all viewing minutes watched focused on MLF events, the networks that cover our events are the best in the business too.”

by AnglersChannel

Berkley Back As 2022 Bassmaster Premier Sponsor

February 16, 2022

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Berkley, pioneers in the science-based development of hard baits, soft baits, line and terminal tackle, has renewed their longstanding partnership with B.A.S.S. and will serve as a premier sponsor of the Bassmaster Tournament Trail for 2022.

“Berkley has been a longtime partner and we appreciate their continued commitment to supporting Bassmaster events and the community of anglers we strive to serve,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson. “And we know B.A.S.S. fans are looking forward to seeing the latest Berkley baits and meeting their pros at the Classic and on-site at other events.”

Berkley has a solid pro team fishing the Bassmaster Elite Series, including back-to-back Bassmaster Classic winner Hank Cherry and John Cox, who wrapped up the first event of the 2022 Elite season with a fourth-place finish on the St. Johns River anchored by a giant 31 pound, 15 ounce limit on Day 3 of competition — the tournament’s heaviest bag.

“I wouldn’t be here fishing the Bassmaster Elites without Berkley,” said Cox. “They have really worked hard on the science behind what makes fish bite. Our team of anglers works with the scientists to make sure we’re bringing out some of the best baits on the planet.”

Berkley, a B.A.S.S. sponsor since 2002, will serve as a premier sponsor of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk and the six-circuit Bassmaster tournament trail, including the Bassmaster Elite Series and Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors.

As a premier sponsor, Berkley will be highlighted frequently during onstage weigh-ins and Bassmaster LIVE, which is streamed on Bassmaster.com and broadcast Saturday and Sunday mornings on the FOX Sports platforms. During Bassmaster LIVE, fans can watch for Berkley’s new in-show feature, “Right Bait. Right Time,” which will highlight the correct lures and colors at each Elite event. Additionally, Berkley will enjoy exposure in Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times magazines and across various industry-leading social media platforms.

“For more than two decades, Berkley and B.A.S.S. have worked together to serve the angling community across all levels of the sport. In that time we’ve seen interest in fishing boom, and we are proud to continue partnering with B.A.S.S. at tournaments as we connect with passionate anglers and fans across the country,” said Jon Schlosser, SVP of Marketing at Berkley.

by AnglersChannel

Eighth-Annual MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Open Returns to Lake Chickamauga

Competition Begins Next Week for Automatic Berth into the 2023 College Fishing National Championship and a $33,500 Prize Package

DAYTON, Tenn. (Feb. 16, 2022) – Major League Fishing, the world’s largest tournament fishing organization, returns to Lake Chickamauga, Feb. 24-25, for the eighth-annual Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI Open tournament. Hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council, the tournament rewards anglers who finish within the top 20, along with one additional team for every 10 teams over 200 competing, with automatic qualification to the 2023 Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship. Event champions will also take home a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard – a $33,500 prize package.

Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit angler Miles Burghoff of Dayton, Tennessee said he is excited to see collegiate teams from across the country come back to Lake Chickamauga for the competition.

“Guys can expect to see a typical pre-spawn, winter-time bite on Lake Chickamauga this time of year,” Burghoff said. “It seems like it’s all about finding the last remaining grass every year on Lake Chickamauga and fishing a handful of different baits.”

The former University of Central Florida angler said there are other areas to find fish, but he anticipates that many of the teams at the top of the leaderboard are going to be around the last remaining hydrilla.

“I expect lipless crankbaits to be a really big deal, along with ChatterBaits, jerkbaits and the Alabama Rig,” said Burghoff. “Those are definitely going to account for some of the teams making the top spots.

“You’re generally going to see big weight leading the tournament this time of year, but I suspect it will take anywhere from the low 20’s all the way up to the high 20’s this year. Chickamauga has been fishing a little bit tougher and hasn’t quite been the same lake it used to be. Ten years ago, I’d say it would have taken 30 pounds to win, but this year I wouldn’t be surprised if it was in the lower 20’s.”

Burghoff said College Fishing is a great opportunity for collegiate anglers, not only to start building their instincts and skills in competition, but also to get to know people within the industry and to start building the foundation for a potential future career.

“MLF has offered a lot of exposure for these college anglers – exposure that usually is only available in some of the larger professional trails,” continued Burghoff. “This gives college anglers a unique opportunity to really start to understand what it means to be a professional angler earlier on, giving them a lot of good experience, quickly.”

Registration for the Open will be Wednesday, February 23, from 4-6 p.m. CT at the Dayton Boat Dock, located at 185 Chickamauga Drive in Dayton, with a pre-tournament ZOOM meeting following registration at 6:15 p.m.

Anglers will take off from the Dayton Boat Dock at 7 a.m. CT on both days of competition and the entire field of competitors will compete both days of the tournament. Weigh-ins will be held lakeside at the boat dock each day, beginning at 3 p.m. and will be live streamed both days. Fans are welcome to attend the event or tune in to the weigh-in and follow the online coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com .

by AnglersChannel

Brian Bean Earns Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Tournament on Lake Hamilton

Freeman Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (Feb. 16, 2022) – Local Hot Springs angler Brian Bean brought five bass to the stage Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 15 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hamilton. The event was the season-opening tournament for the Bass Fishing League Arkie Division. For his win, Bean earned $6,139.

According to post-tournament reports, Bean caught his fish in the mid-to-upper-lake area of Lake Hamilton, targeting deep brush in 15 to 30 feet of water with an umbrella rig, rigged with Tennessee Shad-colored Berkley Power Swimmer swimbaits.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Brian Bean, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 17-15, $6,139
2nd:       Josh Ray, Alexander, Ark., five bass, 14-13, $3,152 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Bonus)
3rd:       Kevin Brown, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 13-9, $2,168
4th:        Scott Hardin, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 13-6, $1,238
5th:        Brayden Nichols, Blanchard, La., five bass, 12-15, $1,061
6th:        Chris Huselton, Conway, Ark., five bass, 12-8, $972
7th:        Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 12-0, $884
8th:        Ethan Sutton, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 11-7, $796
9th:        Robert Jacuzzi, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 11-6, $707
10th:     Matt Baker, Glenwood, Ark., five bass, 11-5, $619

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Bean’s 6-pound, 1-ounce bass earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $835.

Lance Freeman of Eddyville, Kentucky, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,652 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 3 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Lance Freeman, Eddyville, Ky., five bass, 14-3, $2,652
2nd:       Caden Fuller, Waldron, Ark., two bass, 8-12, $1,743
3rd:       Jonathan Simms, Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 8-2, $887
4th:        Perry Dawson, Rockwood, Tenn., three bass, 7-9, $619
5th:        Darrin Franklin, Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 7-6, $530
6th:        Kevin Keown, Lonoke, Ark., five bass, 6-13, $486
7th:        Stephen Tyson, Sr., Camden, Ark., two bass, 6-12, $442
8th:        Brooks Robertson, Hot Springs, Ark., four bass, 6-8, $398
9th:        Todd Garner, Pocola, Okla., five bass, 6-7, $331
9th:        Travis McKee, Fayetteville, Ark., three bass, 6-7, $331

Fuller caught a bass weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces – the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – to earn him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $417.

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

Rocamora Earns Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Tournament on Lake Toho

Schild Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

Photo courtesy of Cindy Joint - The Reel Deal

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (Feb 16, 2022) – Boater Garrett Rocamora of Lithia, Florida, caught a five-bass limit Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Toho . The event, hosted by Experience Kissimmee and the Kissimmee Sports Commission, was the season-opener for the Bass Fishing League Gator Division Presented by Revital Outdoors. Rocamora earned $7,000 for his victory.

“Last week I fished another big event and did decent. Then I worked all week and didn’t have any practice but wanted to go at it again with the same strategy,” said Rocamora, who earned his first career victory in MLF competition. “I spend a lot of time fishing here – these are my home waters, and this is my favorite place in the world to fish.

“I went straight to the lock and locked through to Lake Kissimmee,” Rocamora continued. “I fished the north end, targeting a couple of shallow hydrilla flats that are normal prespawn staging areas. I threw a black-and-blue 3/8-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait Jack Hammer with a Gambler Little EZ and a 13 Fishing Loco Special jerkbait.”

Rocamora said he had a “milk run” of hydrilla flats that he targeted, making seven or eight different stops before noon. He spent the afternoon casting pads with a Gambler Fat Ace, and said he also boated two solid 3¾-pound keepers on a 3/8-ounce Outkast Tackle RTX Flipping Jig with a Gambler Little EZ.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Garrett Rocamora, Lithia, Fla., five bass, 18-8, $7,000
2nd:       Cody Bertrand, Dyer, Ind., five bass, 18-6, $3,000
3rd:       Arnie Lane, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 18-2, $2,000
4th:        Robert Pigue, Sorrento, Fla., five bass, 17-11, $2,400
5th:        Chris Neau, Gretna, La., five bass, 17-5, $1,200
6th:        Max Moneuse, Longboat Key, Fla., five bass, 17-3, $1,100
7th:        Raymond Trudeau, Saint Cloud, Fla., five bass, 16-12, $1,000
8th:        Austin Schroeder, Zephyrhills, Fla., five bass, 15-13, $900
9th:        Karlis Dipaul, Okeechobee, Fla, five bass, 15-10, $800
10th:     Jonathan Semento, Okahumpka, Fla., five bass, 15-5, $1,200 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Bonus)

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pigue boated an 11-pound, 9-ounce giant that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $1,000.

Gary Schild of Mundelein, Illinois, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $3,000 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 16 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Gary Schild, Mundelein, Ill., five bass, 16-1, $3,000
2nd:       Giovanni Pena, Davenport, Fla., five bass, 15-3, $1,500
3rd:       Ernie Thompson, Anthony, Fla., five bass, 15-1, $1,000
4th:        James Staton, Sorrento, Fla., five bass, 14-14, $700
5th:        Luis Lindstedt, Melbourne, Fla., five bass, 12-13, $600
6th:        Mack Traynor, Hanover, Minn., four bass, 12-3, $550
7th:        David Dimauro, Longwood, Fla., five bass, 12-1, $500
8th:        Chris Westhelle, Sanford, Fla., five bass, 11-0, $450
9th:        Adam Sangster, Sanford, Fla., four bass, 10-12, $400
10th:     Bobby McMullin, Pevely, Mo., four bass, 10-11, $350

Anthony Cruz of Mount Dora, Florida, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 8 pounds even. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $250.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each Gator Division Presented by Revital Outdoors 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

Greenville’s Derrick Bridges Earns Top Honors at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Tournament on Lake Hartwell

McNair Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

ANDERSON, S.C. (Feb. 16, 2022) – Greenville, South Carolina angler Derrick Bridges brought five bass to the scale Saturday totaling 16 pounds, 12 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hartwell . The event, hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau, was the season-opener for the Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division. Bridges earned $4,652 for his victory.

“So much of this tournament was just fishing history,” said Bridges, who earned his first career victory in MLF competition. “I’ve got a lot of experience on this lake, but I didn’t get but a couple of hours of practice. And I didn’t get to do anything in the morning, which is critical on Lake Hartwell. So, I ran history.”

Bridges said he fished in the mid-lake area, on both the Georgia and South Carolina sides. He said he caught one early on a Keitech swimbait, then the rest of his eight keepers came on a jig.

“I caught one on a brown mop jig, and the rest on a ½-ounce green-pumpkin-colored War Eagle Heavy Finesse jig,” Bridges said. I used (Zoom) Speed Craws and the Zoom Super Chunk Jr. for trailers, but I don’t think they were real important.”

Bridges credited his forward-facing sonar as being important to his success.

“Could I have won without my forward-facing sonar – sure. I’ve won a lot of tournaments with out it,” Bridges went on to say. “But it just makes you so much more efficient. You could see a fish in a bush 50 to 60 feet away and chunk your jig in there – if you didn’t see the fish come off the structure – you might as well move on.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        Derrick Bridges, Greenville, S.C., five bass, 16-12, $4,652
2nd:       Randy Childers, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 16-6, $2,326
3rd:       Justin Kimmel, Athens, Ga., five bass, 16-2, $1,551
4th:        Greg Glouse, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 15-15, $1,086
5th:        Brent Story, Atlanta, Ga., five bass, 15-14, $930
6th:        Shannon Poore, Walhalla, S.C., five bass, 15-11, $853
7th:        Alex Cummings, Lyman, S.C., five bass, 15-8, $775
8th:        Justin Raines, Easley, S.C., five bass, 15-0, $698
9th:        Jason Burroughs, Hodges, S.C., five bass, 14-11, $1,320 (includes $500 MLF Phoenix Bonus)
10th:     Bo Price, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 14-9, $543

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Shane Cantley of Elgin, South Carolina, caught a 6½-pounder – the heaviest bass weighed in the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $685.

Albert McNair of Watkinsville, Georgia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,620 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 17 pounds, 7 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Albert McNair, Watkinsville, Ga., five bass, 17-7, $2,620
2nd:       Blake Gillispie, Reidsville, N.C., five bass, 14-15, $1,144
3rd:       William Chris Bensel, Abbeville, S.C., five bass, 12-2, $762
4th:        Wess Johnson, Covington, Ga., three bass, 11-14, $534
5th:        Darren Ashley, Calhoun Falls, S.C., five bass, 10-13, $658
6th:        Ryan Evans, Columbia, S.C., five bass, 10-3, $419
7th:        Eddie Hall, Inman, S.C., four bass, 10-1, $381
8th:        Casey McQuerns, Appling, Ga., five bass, 9-10, $343
9th:        Arthur Harris, York, S.C., five bass, 8-11, $286
10th:     Zahreed McClinton, Fort Bragg, N.C., five bass, 8-11, $286

McNair also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in 7 pounds even. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $332.

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 Lake Pickwick 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

MLF Toyota Series Set to Return to Lake Guntersville for Central Division Tournament out of Scottsboro

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (Feb. 15, 2022) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. is set for an event in Scottsboro on Lake Guntersville, next week, Feb. 22-24, with the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at Lake Guntersville . Hosted by the Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce, the three-day tournament will feature the region’s best bass-fishing pros and Strike King co-anglers casting for a top prize of up to $115,000 in the pro division and a $46,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 518 pro boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor, in the co-angler division.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back out on one of the best fisheries in the country at the best time of the year,” said pro Jimmy Washam of Covington, Tennessee, who won the 2021 Toyota Series tournament on Lake Guntersville. “It looks like we’ve got a little bit of warmer weather coming in the forecast, and that’s going to make the big females want to bite, but it also is going to scatter the fish and put more fish in the creeks and spread them out. The key is going to be figuring out how to maximize your time covering water to find those quality bites.”

Washam said that he expects that the bass will still be in their late-winter and early-spring prespawn phase.

“I think a lot of guys are going to be throwing the Profound Outdoors Azuma Shaker Z (lipless crankbait),” Washam continued. “I threw the Aztec color when I won last year, and that baits has been sold out dang near everywhere since I won. I think we could get surprised if someone finds the deeper fish as well – we could see the Azuma Z-Boss 20 (crankbait) play. I also think we’ll see quite a few bladed jigs, and maybe even some swimjigs.

“It would surprise me if it didn’t take at least 60 pounds to win this event,” Washam went on to say. “With the warming trend, if a guy can get a big bite in two out of the three days he’ll be right there. I think I’d want 61½ pounds – if I can have that weight after three days, I would be content and think that I had a good chance at earning another win.”

Anglers will take off daily at 6:30 a.m. CT from the Goose Pond Colony Marina, located at 417 Ed Hembree Drive in Scottsboro. Weigh-ins will also be held at Marina and will begin at 2:30 p.m.Fans are welcome to attend and encouraged to follow the event online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

In Toyota Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and scaling down for every boat below 160. With a 160-boat field, pros fish for a top prize of $40,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard (valued at $33,500). At Lake Guntersville, pros fish for a top award of $80,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a $46,000 prize package, including new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Harris Chain Of Lakes Primed For Bassmaster Elite Series Slugfest

Florida will host the 2022 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain February 17-20, 2022.

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

February 15, 2022

LEESBURG, Fla. — Stellar bass fishing is one of the many reasons folks visit Florida, and it looks like we’re about to see this natural attraction on full display during the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain.

Competition days will be Feb. 17-20 with daily takeoffs from Venetian Gardens (Ski Beach) at 7:30 a.m. ET and weigh-ins each day at the same venue at 3:30 p.m.

Comprising eight primary lakes — Apopka, Harris, Griffin, Eustis, Dora, Beauclair, Carlton and Yale — the chain covers approximately 75,000 acres. Linked by canals these lakes are full of submersed and emergent vegetation, shellbars, cypress trees, docks and seawalls. Yale, which is part of the chain but not connected by any navigable river or canal, is not part of the tournament waters.

With recent cold fronts and their ensuing warmups priming central Florida waters for a big spawning wave, the event’s timing appears nearly perfect. While the Florida bass spawn can start as early as the fall, Elite angler John Cox of DeBary, Fla., said the year’s first quarter typically sees the most action.

“Those fish are going to be on the move; it’s probably going to be a really good week,” he said. “I think the timing of this tournament is really good.”

Relevant reference

Typically, it’s the youth anglers watching the top-tier pros accomplish great things, but you can bet that 94 Elite anglers were paying attention two weeks ago when college, high school and junior anglers brought some impressive numbers to the scales during a weekend of red-hot Harris Chain fishing.

A quick recap of relevant details:

Brothers Lafe and Matt Messer of Kentucky Christian University won the Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops with a two-day total of 61 pounds, 13 ounces. The Messers’ Day 2 weight of 36-7 broke the College Series single-day record. Their winning weight also broke the Series’ two-day catch record.

Bryce Balentine and Dalton Loos of the Central Florida Youth Anglers won the Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors with a limit catch of 25 pounds, 6 ounces. Benjamin Hester and Mason Caldwell of Rhea County High School won the big fish award with a 9-7 largemouth.

In the Bassmaster Junior Series, Ty Cooper and Landen McLauchlin of the Central Florida Youth Anglers finished second with a two-fish bag that went 11-12. Their limit included Cooper’s personal best 9-9, which earned big bass honors.

Setting the stage

These youth events took place in late January — and with conditions lining up well, projections for the third week of February indicate the potential for an absolute slugfest. Also worth noting, many of the college, high school and junior teams reported catching fish in offshore grass or over shellbeds — two common prespawn staging scenarios.

Tournament week will see daytime temperatures reaching into the low to mid-80s before slipping into the 70s for the weekend. More importantly, the overnight lows will remain in the upper 50s to mid-60s — compared to the low 40s a week prior. Add to this the full moon on Feb. 16 and the fish should be ready to go.

What to expect

While the deep offshore grass scene has played in years past, Cox believes that this event’s timing — possibly on the very cusp of a spawning movement — will bring the shallower staging areas into the spotlight.

“I’m thinking it’s going to be more of a closer-to-the-bank thing — like, the college kids, it didn’t seem like they were that far off the (shoreline) grass,” Cox said. “It’s kind of like Kentucky Lake, where you have all your guys on the main ledge and then you have those guys on the points connected to the shore.

“I think that’s going to be more of our middle area where the fish are going to be wanting to go to the bank to spawn, so they’ll be on that next setup area before they go into the grass, canals, lily pads or whatever they’re going to spawn on.”

Noting that the event could see some mix of prespawn and spawning activity, Cox said the tournament will likely comprise three main patterns: “I still think someone’s going to find some good grass and crank it or fish it with a bladed jig, I’m sure a worm in the lily pads will (produce) and you’ll see a lot of guys sight fishing.”

If the event turns more heavily toward the spawn, anglers will likely find clusters of spawners. That’s generally the way Florida bass work, but Cox said the amount of muck lining the bottoms of these lakes puts a premium on the cleaner, hard-bottom spots.

“Once fish come into a good area and decide that it’s a prime spot to spawn, you’ll have multiple fish spawning on that spot,” he said. “You can catch them one after another on the same cast.”

The predictions

After a warm and mostly stable fall and early winter, the cold fronts that arrived in January and February definitely put the brakes on spawning activity. Despite the pause, the Harris Chain fish know it’s time to do their business, so the shoreward rush may end up looking like a Black Friday doorbuster stampede.

“Instead of them trickling, you could get these massive waves,” Cox said. “So, someone could sit in one place and just crush them.”

Looking at the Harris Chain’s broad potential, Cox observed: “All of the lakes are pretty good. What I think is going to happen is two or three of the lakes will turn on and the other ones will be farther behind. But it might be a perfect storm where they’re moving in all the lakes and everybody jacks them. Florida is so unpredictable.”

One thing that’s not so vague is the potential for heavy bags — and many of them.

“I’m thinking the winning total will be close to 90 or 100 pounds,” Cox said. “To make the Top 10, it could easily be close to 20 pounds a day.

“There are so many big fish in those lakes and we’re hitting it at such a good time.”

Full coverage from all four days of the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain will be available on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will also broadcast live with the tournament leaders on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 19-20 beginning at 8 a.m. ET.

by AnglersChannel

AFTCO Named Official Sponsor of 2022 MLF Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League

Fishing Clothing Company Offers New Contingency Program, Exclusive Discount for Registered Anglers

TULSA, Okla. (Feb. 15, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today that American Fishing Tackle Company (AFTCO), a family-owned and operated outdoor clothing and gear manufacturer and provider of innovative, performance-driven products, has signed on as an Official Sponsor of the 2022 MLF Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. and the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine.

“AFTCO is extremely excited to expand our support of tournament bass fishing with our new partnership with Major League Fishing,” said Matt Florentino, AFTCO Marketing Director. “We are no stranger to MLF, as AFTCO has maintained a significant roster of top MLF Bass Pro Tour and MLF5 circuit anglers over the years. AFTCO has a longstanding reputation of making gear that simply works. Freshwater and saltwater anglers from coast-to-coast wear AFTCO products because our technical fishing gear keeps them warm, dry and comfortable in any conditions Mother Nature decides to dish out. We are looking forward to kicking off the 2022 season with MLF anglers and fans.”

AFTCO’s current roster of MLF pros includes 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Angler of the Year (AOY) Michael Neal, along with Bass Pro Tour anglers Todd Faircloth, Shin Fukae, Dylan Hays, Russ Lane, Jeremy Lawyer, Jared Lintner and Wesley Strader and Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit anglers Miles Howe and Tyler Woolcott.

Earlier this year, AFTCO launched new contingency programs for registered MLF anglers, with the opportunity to win up to $50,000 in cash and AFTCO gear throughout the 2022 Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League seasons. Participating anglers will also receive an AFTCO Competitor Kit, valued at $85, along with access to an exclusive AFTCO discount.

“We are excited AFTCO has joined our amazing group of sponsors for the 2022 season,” said Randy Gerstenblatt, MLF Senior Vice President of Sponsorship and Media Sales. “AFTCO’s legacy of leadership in conservation-driven initiatives is parallel to MLF’s dedication to improve the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care. We are certain this collaboration will help both parties continue to advance those efforts and we have high expectations for the upcoming Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League seasons.”

AFTCO’s sponsorship includes a strong onsite brand presence at all Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League events and during MLF livestreams of the weigh-ins, as well as activation opportunities at MLF5 events, including the Toyota Series Championship Presented by Mercury and the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.

For more information on AFTCO and their performance-driven products, visit www.AFTCO.com. For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing, its tournaments and sponsors, 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