Three Elite Series Anglers Out For Rest Of 2021 Season
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The field for the final two Bassmaster Elite Series events is down to 95 anglers after Clent Davis, Rick Morris and Brett Preuett have withdrawn for the remainder of the 2021 season. The Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain will be held July 8-11 and the Elite Series rounds out the year at the Farmers Insurance Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River July 15-18.
Davis, of Montevallo, Ala., will take a medical hardship after learning that his right shoulder — which was originally injured in the off-season and has been bothering him intermittently throughout 2021 — requires surgery. Davis left the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk in Fort Worth, Texas, after failing to make the Championship Sunday cut and drove home to have his ailing shoulder assessed by Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Center, which is known for treating professional athletes and high-profile college football players among others.
“I found out Friday my labrum is torn, and they said my bicep is detached. I found out Monday they’re going to have to go in and surgically anchor all that stuff back in,” said Davis, who will take a medical hardship for the remainder of the 2021 Elite Series season. “Then it’s six weeks in a sling and six months of rehab. I will start therapy the next day after surgery.”
Davis plans to fish the 2022 season, with hopes of returning to the upper echelons of the Bassmaster Angler of the Year point standings, through which he qualified for the past two Classics.
“I will be back next year,” he said. “I’m pretty sure by the time I get done with all this, I’ll be happy to go fishing.”
Morris was one of the original members of the Elite Series in 2006 and has fished 274 B.A.S.S. events. The pro from Virginia Beach, Va., had hip replacement surgery after the 2019 season and said he has been dealing with health issues that will force him to also take a medical hardship.
“It’s really hard for me to not fish the Elites,” Morris said. “For me to make this decision, I had some serious situations to deal with.
“I love the Bassmaster Elite Series, but your physical condition has to be top-notch to be able to do this.”
The six-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier will not return for the 2022 Elite Series season. In the next six months, Morris will have tests run in order to return to full health. Morris, who loves to teach bass fishing, hopes to guide back home in Virginia as much as he can, and he plans to return to competition at some point.
Preuett, of Monroe, La., will also miss the Lake Champlain and St. Lawrence River events. After five seasons on the Elites, Preuett has decided to step away and reset his career.
“I’ve got some really good things going on my ranch at home, but it just takes time,” Preuett said. “I haven’t been fishing free with everything else going on at home, and I just have to get back to that like I did when I was in college.”
Preuett said he plans to get things well-situated at home then attempt a return to the Elites.
“I’ve been living my dream for the last five years,” he said. “I’m not going to let this hold me back. I just want to come back as a better angler all around — mentally, financially and even as an angler itself.”
Preuett plans on fishing all of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens in 2022 in a bid to requalify for the Elite Series.
The 2021 Elite Series was set to begin with 101 anglers, but Jesse Tacoronte took a medical hardship because of neck surgery before the first tournament, Gary Clouse took a hardship with debilitating pain in his back and shoulder and Tyler Carriere exited to tend to family matters.
COLLEGE ANGLER STRUCK BY LIGHTENING AT LAY LAKE
Courtesy of the Fishing Wire
SAN ANTONIO, TX – Late Monday afternoon, while practicing for an upcoming collegiate bass fishing event on Lay Lake in Alabama, McKendree University angler Trevor McKinney was struck by lightning.
McKinney and fellow teammate Blake Jackson were running back to the boat ramp ahead of an incoming storm when their boat was struck. The anglers made it back to the ramp safely, and McKinney was fully checked out by EMS and given the all-clear before leaving the lake.
Association of Collegiate Anglers staff had the opportunity to speak with both anglers, as well as McKendree University Head Bass Fishing Coach Jon Rinderer, to get the full details of what occurred.
“It was kind of getting dark, and we wanted to run down a little closer to the boat ramp. We knew storms were in the area, but not close,” noted Blake Jackson, McKendree University angler. “It starts raining and we start taking off down the lake. We’re running about 55-60(MPH), something like that. And then it just starts raining, so I duck down in the bottom of the boat and just turn around a little bit so it’s not pelting me in the face. Next thing I know, he’s running, and I just see this bolt of lightning right in my face. It had to either hit Trevor’s shoulder, Trevor’s seat, maybe the pole in the back of the boat…but it was just right there in your face.”
Both Trevor and Coach Rinderer reported that the shock went through McKinney’s body and exited via his pant seat and out through the driver’s chair in the boat.
“I was just kind of stunned you know. It was something that you’d never expect just driving down the lake. Honestly, it felt like somebody shot me with a taser. My body just kind of froze up. For an hour afterwards I was just kind of shaking,” explained Trevor McKinney, McKendree University angler.
Following several intense moments in the boat as McKinney struggled to come to and recover from the incident, Jackson took control of the boat and safely navigated the pair back to the boat ramp roughly 25 miles away. Upon arriving back to the boat ramp, EMS and other emergency personnel were waiting on shore to provide any needed medical care.
“Before the boat actually got to the dock, EMS was in the parking lot,” added Jon Rinderer, Head Bass Fishing Coach at McKendree University. “They got Trevor right in the truck, checked his EKG, heart rate, blood pressure.”
All of McKinney’s vitals came back as normal and he was released there at the boat ramp. McKinney does not report any further illness or complications at this time.
The week of June 20th-26th marks National Lightning Safety Awareness Week. National Lightning Safety Awareness week was started in 2001 to call attention to this underrated killer.
According to reports from BoatUS Marine Insurance claim files, the odds of your boat being struck by lightning in any year are about one in 1,000.
McKinney may argue that those odds should be increased ever so slightly. Monday’s incident on Lay Lake in Alabama marks the second life-threatening encounter that he has had with lightning while out on the water fishing.
“I was on Kentucky Lake one day, and the same thing happened. The dock that we sought shelter in, it probably wasn’t smart at the time, was a metal dock,” said McKinney. “I grabbed hold of it to pull our boat up under it. Right as I did, lightning struck. This huge blue light popped the dock, nailed it, and it nailed me.”
Lightning is something that should not be taken lightly. Awareness weeks such as this are put in place for a reason. People have encountered dangerous situations with lightning, and it is
important to bring awareness to this possible threat.
While dark clouds, lightning, and thunder are all warning signs of an imminent storm, you do not have to be in the direct path of the storm to be in danger. The storm that affected McKinney and Jackson was still roughly 20 miles away at the moment that lightning struck their boat.
“It was the only lightning bolt that we had seen all day. There weren’t any before that, and we didn’t see any after. You know, it never even really stormed where it was at. Out of nowhere that came down and it was kind of just one of those freak accidents,” Jackson added.
“It’s nothing to fool with, and it often strikes much further away than the clouds and the intense part,” stressed Rinderer. “There are a lot of those rogue bolts that come out of nowhere. Don’t underestimate it: get off the water. Don’t wait till the last second, it’s not worth your life.”
“Lightening is not something to mess with. No matter what the circumstances are, just get off the water. Take 30 minutes, let the storm pass. It’s not worth taking a chance at getting struck by lightning,” said McKinney. “We were fortunate in this case but a lot of people aren’t as fortunate. There are people every year that die getting struck by lightning, and some of them are fishermen.”
Since the introduction of National Lightning Safety Awareness Week, U.S. lightning fatalities have dropped from about 55 per year to less than 30. This reduction in fatalities is largely due to greater awareness of the lightning danger, and people seeking safety when thunderstorms threaten.
"Stunna"
This week Chris & the boys welcome in the most recent Back-2-Back Bassmaster Classic Champ Hank Cherry to break down practice & give us more details on his patterns he used to claim his 2nd Classic Trophy! The Circus reveals some interesting MLF/BPT/FLW news in the form prequalifying for 2022 and more! Check it out!
Stanfill Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Clarks Hill Lake
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Bobby Stanfill of Greenwood, S.C. | 5 | 20-15 | $4,842 |
| 2nd | Tra Dumit of Greer, S.C. | 5 | 19-5 | $2,431 |
| 3rd | Greg Rikard of Leesville, S.C. | 5 | 17-9 | $1,282 |
| 4th | Joshua Weaver of Monroe, Ga. | 5 | 14-4 | $1,396 |
| 5th | Norm Attaway of Clearwater, S.C. | 5 | 14-1 | $768 |
| 6th | Kyle McElveen of Timmonsville, S.C. | 5 | 13-12 | $704 |
| 7th | Taylor Barnette of Landrum, S.C. | 5 | 13-9 | $640 |
| 8th | Zack Lamb of Martinez, Ga. | 5 | 13-8 | $576 |
| 9th | Sandy Oliver of Hartsville, S.C. | 5 | 13-5 | $512 |
| 10th | Sammy Landrum of Appling, Ga. | 5 | 13-4 | $448 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Calvin Clatterbuck of Conway, S.C. | 5 | 10-4 | $1,897 |
| 2nd | John Joyce, II of Inman, S.C. | 5 | 10-0 | $949 |
| 3rd | Lonnie Drusch of Sumter, S.C. | 5 | 9-2 | $633 |
| 4th | Zahreed McClinton of Fort Bragg, N.C. | 5 | 9-1 | $566 |
| 5th | Brandon Smith of Union, S.C. | 5 | 8-14 | $704 |
| 6th | Rylan Green of Campobello, S.C. | 3 | 8-2 | $471 |
| 7th | Danny Bickley of Chapin, S.C. | 5 | 7-15 | $300 |
| 7th | Carson Bonds of Gastonia, N.C. | 4 | 7-15 | $300 |
| 9th | Lucas Bowers of Heath Springs, S.C. | 4 | 7-14 | $237 |
| 9th | Jace Ramey of Easley, S.C. | 5 | 7-14 | $237 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Tra Dumit of Greer, S.C. | 5-pound, 12-ounce bass | $510 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Zahreed McClinton of Fort Bragg, N.C. | 4-pound, 8-ounce bass | $123 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Rylan Green of Campobello, S.C. | 4-pound, 8-ounce bass | $123 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Joshua Weaver of Monroe, Ga. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | D&L Jigs | Did Not Disclose |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Zoom Magnum Lizards | Did Not Disclose |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| South Carolina Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 21-23 | St. Johns River, Palatka, Fla. | Putnam County Tourist Development Council |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube .
Ross Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on the Arkansas River
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Dalton Ross of Centerton, Ark. | 5 | 14-4 | $4,498 |
| 2nd | Brian Dossey of Okmulgee, Okla. | 5 | 13-4 | $1,981 |
| 3rd | Brian Bean of Hot Springs, Ark. | 5 | 13-1 | $1,322 |
| 4th | Mick Fenn of Grove, Okla. | 4 | 12-4 | $1,425 |
| 5th | Gunner West of Spiro, Okla. | 5 | 11-7 | $993 |
| 6th | Cade Alsbury of Gentry, Ark. | 5 | 11-4 | $1,227 |
| 7th | Jeff Clark of Van Buren, Ark. | 5 | 10-14 | $660 |
| 8th | Jeremy Johnson of Sapulpa, Okla. | 5 | 10-10 | $594 |
| 9th | Caleb Rogers of Sallisaw, Okla. | 5 | 10-7 | $528 |
| 10th | Derek Fulps of Broken Arrow, Okla. | 5 | 10-6 | $462 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Patrick Weir of Park Hill, Okla. | 5 | 14-2 | $1,981 |
| 2nd | Keegan Holman of Clarksville, Ark. | 5 | 11-15 | $991 |
| 3rd | Tej Lad of Tulsa, Okla. | 4 | 8-3 | $862 |
| 4th | Triston Aber of Yukon, Okla. | 3 | 7-11 | $729 |
| 5th | Scott Smith of Blanchard, Okla. | 3 | 6-1 | $379 |
| 6th | David Lansford of Muskogee, Okla. | 3 | 6-1 | $379 |
| 7th | Glynn Reid of Baton Rouge, La. | 2 | 5-11 | $330 |
| 8th | Anthony Lemmings of Norman, Okla. | 2 | 5-1 | $297 |
| 9th | Mike Clark of Spiro, Okla. | 2 | 4-10 | $264 |
| 10th | Steven Lumpkin of Fort Gibson, Okla. | 2 | 4-9 | $231 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Dalton Ross of Centerton, Ark. | 5-pound, 2-ounce bass | $535 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Triston Aber of Yukon, Okla. | 4-pound, 6-ounce bass | $267 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Cade Alsbury of Gentry, Ark. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Big Bite Baits Dean Rojas – Fighting Frog | Did Not Disclose |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Did Not Disclose | Did Not Disclose |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Okie Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 21-23 | Lake Ouachita, Mt. Ida, Ark. | Visit Hot Springs |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube .
CarParts.com Named Title Sponsor of Stage Seven, Exclusive Auto Parts Retailer of Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour
TULSA, Okla. (June 22, 2021) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s premier tournament-fishing organization, and CarParts.com (NASDAQ: PRTS), an industry leading technology-driven eCommerce company that simplifies the way drivers shop for automotive parts, announced a new partnership designating CarParts.com as the Exclusive Auto Parts Retailer of the MLF Bass Pro Tour and the Title Sponsor of the MLF Bass Pro Tour CarParts.com Stage Seven Presented by Covercraft at Lake St. Clair, scheduled for Sept. 10-15 in St. Clair Shores, Michigan.
“We are very pleased to announce our latest sponsorship agreement with CarParts.com, an industry-leading brand and a highly-regarded company that perfectly aligns with Major League Fishing,” MLF President and CEO Jim Wilburn said. “The reach of MLF provides our sponsors an appealing platform to showcase their brands. Our fans and anglers have shown tremendous loyalty to our sponsors’ products and we are confident that CarParts.com will find this sponsorship extremely beneficial.”
CarParts.com will be prominently featured throughout the Bass Pro Tour Stage Seven event, including in-studio signage, graphic elements, and the opportunity to activate at the event in St. Clair Shores. In addition to the title sponsorship, MLF will work with CarParts.com to produce a series of custom content videos, showcasing MLF professional anglers who are auto enthusiasts as they perform their own automobile repairs and maintenance.
“We are thrilled to join the MLF family as the Exclusive Auto Parts Retailer of this year’s Bass Pro Tour and to be the go-to parts solution for all fishing fans,” said CarParts.com Chief Marketing Officer Houman Akhavan. “This partnership will allow us to reach a core demographic of truck owners who enjoy working on their vehicles. Whether you're towing to the lake or just packing up for a camping trip, we want to make sure our customers can spend more time enjoying the outdoors and less time worrying about the reliability of their vehicle.”
The MLF NOW!® livestream will showcase all six days of competition from the CarParts.com Stage Seven Presented by Covercraft at Lake St. Clair live on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app. Television coverage of the event will premiere at 7 a.m. ET, Nov. 13 on the Discovery Channel. New two-hour MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel.
With brand and factory-direct self-distribution, CarParts.com offers a wide selection of new, quality auto parts for car repair, maintenance, and collision as well as accessories. Paired with their online vehicle selector, fast shipping, and satisfaction guarantee, CarParts.com ensures that drivers can get what they need, when they need it. To share their mission with more and more drivers, CarParts.com has joined forces with a number of esteemed partners—including Front Row Motorsports and NASCAR Cup Series driver Michael McDowell, the Professional Fighters League, and Donut Media—and looks forward to helping MLF fans get from point A to point B with confidence as well.
For more information about MLF, their tournaments and sponsors, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. To learn more about CarParts.com, visit their website at CarParts.com.
Hamrick and Robertson Win Phoenix Bass Fishing League on High Rock Lake
|
| Wake Forest’s Lewis Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
SALISBURY, N.Y. (June 21, 2021) – Boaters Scott Hamrick of Denver, North Carolina and Ben Robertson of Walnut Cove, North Carolina, win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at High Rock Lake in Salisbury, New York. Hamrick earned $4,921 for his victory at the event, including a $1,000 Mercury bonus, and Robertson earned $3,921. TOP 10 RESULTS
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
* Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com. WINNING BAITS
2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
The 2021 MLF 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championships. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while Strike King co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard. The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour. For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube . |
Mallicoat Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Old Hickory Lake
Myers Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
GALLATIN, Tenn. (June 21, 2021) – Boater Joey Mallicoat of Lebanon, Tennessee wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Old Hickory Lake in Gallatin, Tennessee. Mallicoat earned $4,652 for his victory at the event, hosted by Sumner County Tourism.
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Joey Mallicoat of Lebanon, Tenn. | 5 | 17-13 | $4,652 |
| 2nd | Josh Womack of Gallatin, Tenn. | 5 | 16-1 | $2,326 |
| 3rd | Danny Abrams of Greensfork, Ind. | 5 | 15-8 | $1,551 |
| 4th | Matt Henry of Milledgeville, Ga. | 5 | 15-5 | $1,086 |
| 5th | Brady Duncan of Lebanon, Tenn. | 5 | 14-15 | $930 |
| 6th | Anthony Nash of Quebeck, Tenn. | 5 | 14-10 | $814 |
| 6th | Matt Allen of Bloomington Springs, Tenn. | 5 | 14-10 | $814 |
| 8th | Dale Rowland of Shelbyville, Tenn. | 5 | 14-9 | $948 |
| 9th | Jesse Rigsby of Old Hickory, Tenn. | 5 | 14-6 | $1,120 |
| 10th | David Gnewikow of Mt. Juliet, Tenn. | 5 | 14-1 | $743 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Joey Myers of Gallatin, Tenn. | 5 | 12-2 | $2,270 |
| 2nd | Colby Gaddy of Lebanon, Tenn. | 5 | 10-7 | $1,146 |
| 2nd | Josh Underhill of Watertown, Tenn. | 5 | 10-7 | $946 |
| 4th | Charles Bennington of Scottsville, Ky. | 5 | 10-3 | $530 |
| 5th | Jared Kutil of Beaufort, S.C. | 5 | 10-2 | $704 |
| 6th | Sam Loveless of Somerset, Ky. | 5 | 10-0 | $416 |
| 7th | Timothy Ernst of Winchester, Ky. | 5 | 9-12 | $378 |
| 8th | Christopher Stites, Jr. of La Vergne, Tenn. | 4 | 9-9 | $341 |
| 9th | Alex Gault of Flintville, Tenn. | 5 | 8-14 | $303 |
| 10th | Luke Alexander of Gallatin, Tenn. | 4 | 8-11 | $265 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | William Saddoris of Nashville, Tenn. | 5-pound, 12-ounce bass | $685 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Brian Reed of Cookeville, Tenn. | 4-pound, 9-ounce bass | $330 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Jesse Rigsby of Old Hickory, Tenn. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Zoom Swimbait | Did Not Disclose |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Junk Fishing | Did Not Disclose |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Music City Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 7-9 | Wheeler Lake, Decatur, Ala. | Decatur Morgan County Tourism |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
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 Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube .
Walk Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Lake Shelbyville
SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (June 21, 2021) – Boater Riley Walk of Neoga, Illinois, wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Lake Shelbyville in Shelbyville, Illinois. Walk earned $3,926 for his victory at the event.
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Riley Walk of Neoga, Ill. | 5 | 18-6 | $3,926 |
| 2nd | Patrick O’Dell of Windsor, Ill. | 5 | 15-4 | $2,493 |
| 3rd | Shane Haslett of Beecher City, Ill. | 4 | 14-12 | $1,309 |
| 4th | Ken Davis of Winchester, Ill. | 5 | 14-0 | $916 |
| 5th | Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill. | 5 | 13-14 | $785 |
| 6th | Scott Rice of Cobden, Ill. | 5 | 13-6 | $720 |
| 7th | Curt Erpenbach of Valparaiso, Ind. | 5 | 12-8 | $654 |
| 8th | Scott Neighbors of Makanda, Ill. | 4 | 12-6 | $589 |
| 9th | Brian Tschudy of Mascoutah, Ill. | 5 | 11-13 | $1,023 |
| 10th | Rad Brewer of Spring Grove, Ill. | 5 | 11-7 | $458 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Dane Bondurant of Witt, Ill. | 5 | 13-4 | $1,963 |
| 2nd | Jojo Johnson of Benton, Ill. | 3 | 9-3 | $981 |
| 3rd | Tim Tresslar of Bloomington, Ill. | 4 | 8-8 | $655 |
| 4th | Alan Bernicky of Joliet, Ill. | 3 | 7-3 | $908 |
| 5th | Aaron Arning of Walnut Hill, Ill. | 3 | 6-14 | $393 |
| 6th | Patrick Lesicko of Staunton, Ill. | 2 | 6-12 | $625 |
| 7th | James Jarvis of West Frankfurt, Ill. | 5 | 6-10 | $327 |
| 8th | Brandon Depew of Odin, Ill. | 2 | 6-5 | $294 |
| 9th | Roman Perun of St. Louis, Mo. | 3 | 6-1 | $262 |
| 10th | Floyd Carder of Litchfield, Ill. | 2 | 5-12 | $217 |
| 10th | Drew Williams of Homer, Ill. | 3 | 5-12 | $217 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Patrick O’Dell of Windsor, Ill. | 5-pound, 1-ounce bass | $530 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Patrick Lesicko of Staunton, Ill. | 4-pound, 14-ounce bass | $265 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Brian Tschudy of Mascoutah, Ill. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Jig | Green Pumpkin |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Beaver | Green Pumpkin |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Illini Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 7-9 | Lake Norfork, Mountain Home, Ark. | Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube .
Marty Robinson Wins 2021 MLF Wiley X Summit Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches on Lake Murray
South Carolina Pro Catches 11 Bass Totaling 22-15 to Claim First Career Cup Win in Columbia, South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. (June 21, 2021) – Major League Fishing (MLF) pro Marty Robinson of Lyman, South Carolina, caught 11 bass totaling 22 pounds, 15 ounces, to win the Championship Round of the 2021 MLF Wiley X Summit Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches on Lake Murray, which premiered Saturday on the Outdoor Channel. It was the first MLF Cup win of Robinson’s career.
“It wasn’t pretty, but I got it done and I’ll take it however I can get it,” Robinson said in his post-game interview. “It’s still kind of a little surreal. I live about an hour and a half from here, so I’ve got a little bit of knowledge about Lake Murray. But I’ve seen it so many times before where you think you know what to do and try to fish that way and it can bite you. I really tried to fish this event open-minded and let the fish tell me what they were doing, and I think that was the biggest key in me getting it done.”
Robinson credited just two baits as being crucial to his success.
“The two baits that got it done for me this week was a homemade flat-side crankbait and a standard green pumpkin jig with a twin tail trailer on it,” Robinson said. “I threw the crankbait down the sloping gravel banks and wound it with a medium retrieve. Then, when I would come up around the boat docks with a little bit of cover on them, I’d reach for the green pumpkin jig and flip it in there and just work it through the cover as slow as possible.”
The final eight anglers at the 2021 Wiley X Summit Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches on Lake Murray finished:
1st: Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., 11 bass, 22-15
2nd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., seven bass, 17-3
3rd: Mike McClelland, Blue Eye, Mo., five bass, 15-5
4th: Shinichi Fukae, Osaka, Japan, five bass, 14-10
5th: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., seven bass, 13-1
6th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., five bass, 12-13
7th: Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., two bass, 5-13
8th: Jacob Powroznik, Prince George, Va., one bass, 3-6
Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 43 bass weighing 105 pounds, 2 ounces caught by the final eight pros during the Championship Round of competition on Lake Murray.
Fukae caught the Berkley Big Bass of the day – a chunky 4-pound, 2-ounce largemouth that came on a shaky-head rig in Period 3.
The 2021 Wiley X Summit Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches was hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country and premiered on the Outdoor Channel as six, two-hour original episodes each Saturday afternoon debuting on May 15, 2021, and running through June 19, 2021.
All six episodes of the event are available for viewing on the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) streaming app.
The event was shot over six days in early February 2021, in Columbia and featured 30 MLF pro anglers competing in different areas each round on Lake Murray. The areas are unknown to the anglers – they do not learn where they are competing until they arrive to the launch ramp each morning of competition.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Lay Lake Hosts Bassmaster College Series Wild Card Event
College anglers from around the country will compete on Alabama's Lay Lake during the 2021 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Wild Card Tournament presented by Bass Pro Shops June 23-24.
Photo by B.A.S.S.
June 21, 2021
SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. — If Alabama pro Clent Davis was in charge of scheduling, the Bassmaster Elite Series would host a tournament on Lay Lake at the end of June. Fortunately, the college anglers competing at the 2021 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Wild Card Tournament presented by Bass Pro Shops June 23-24 will take on Lay Lake at one of the best times of the year.
The Coosa River reservoir, located just south of Birmingham, has hosted several Bassmaster Classics and most recently was the site of the 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shops won by McKendree University angler Trevor McKinney in November.
Lay Lake features both spotted bass and largemouth bass, and Davis says either species can win tournaments during the early summer months.
“Tournaments can be won off five spots or five largemouth,” Davis said. “There are a lot of good quality fish. You can do everything.”
Anglers will have a variety of ways to catch fish, whether it is fishing current behind the Logan Martin Dam, bank grass or ledges. Davis said anglers can catch quality fish any time of the year fishing the bank grass with swim jigs and frogs, while brushpiles have become a prominent feature in the lake.
“You can win a tournament on Lay Lake 365 days a year fishing bank grass,” Davis said. “Brush is huge on Lay nowadays, more than ever before. Everybody started planting brush everywhere. It has turned into a mini Lake Eufaula. It has great ledge fishing, especially around the Beeswax Creek area.”
Around the offshore structure, crankbaits and worms tend to be the most productive baits.
Single-day tournaments are often won with 20-plus-pound bags, but the quality of bags will be determined by how much water moves through the system during the event.
“There’s water running pretty much all year, generating electricity. If there is a lot of current, it could take 36 to 38 pounds to win,” Davis said. “That whole lake revolves around water generation, and if there isn’t water being generated, it can take 14 pounds a day. It is that big of a difference.”
Teams will take off from Beeswax Creek Park in Columbiana at 5:30 a.m. CT and return for weigh-in starting at 1:30 p.m. This will be the final chance for college anglers to qualify for the 2021 Bassmaster College Series National Championship that will be held August 12-14 on New York’s St. Lawrence River.
Bradley Jones and Broox Goza take the win at Neely Henry and win AOY
Major League Fishing Set to Visit St. Lawrence River for Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Five
Fifth Event of 2021 Bass Pro Tour Season to Showcase 80 Pro Anglers Competing on St. Lawrence River Over Six Days for Purse of $805,000, Fans Encouraged to Attend Tournament and Multiple Community Events
MASSENA, N.Y. (June 21, 2021) – Major League Fishing’s (MLF) Bass Pro Tour is set to visit Massena, New York, and the St. Lawrence River, this week, June 25-30, for the General Tire Stage Five Presented by Berkley at the St. Lawrence River.
The six-day event, hosted by the Town of Massena and Fish Massena, will feature 80 of the best professional anglers in the world, including bass-fishing superstars like Kevin VanDam, Edwin Evers, Jordan Lee and Jacob Wheeler , fishing for a purse of more than $805,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable points in hopes of qualifying for REDCREST 2022, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
The tournament will be fished using MLF’s catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which the anglers try to 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.
Although Massena and the St. Lawrence River has played host to one MLF Toyota Series tournament (2019), this event will mark the first time that the Bass Pro Tour has visited Massena and the St. Lawrence River. In the 2018 Toyota Series event, just two Bass Pro Tour anglers competed in that tournament – North Carolina’s Bryan Thrift, who finished 10th, and New Jersey’s Adrian Avena, who finished 12th.
“This is going to be such a fun event – the St. Lawrence River is just a phenomenal fishery and it is loaded with a ton of bass in it,” said Avena, who has one career REDCREST appearance and more than $640,000 in career earnings. “The biggest thing about this event is that we’re going to see a lot of spawning smallmouth. I imagine we’ll see a lot of guys sight-fishing shallow, looking for bass on the beds.
“There are definitely certain zones of the river that are better than others,” Avena continued. “However, if a guy can get a zone to himself or find a little area that others seemed to overlook, that is going to be key to doing well in this tournament.”
Avena said that he expects a variety of baits to be thrown by tournament anglers, including drop-shot rigs, Ned rigs, hair jigs and small swimbaits. He also said that there still could be some prespawn fish caught, and if that is the case than he expects a jerkbait could come into play as well.
“With a 2-pound minimum, it really keeps the door open for the largemouth guys to do well, as well,” Avena said. “Traditionally in tournaments here you need to target the smallmouth, but I feel like this time of year, with the Bass Pro Tour format, it could allow a guy to really compete with strictly largemouth.
“The St. Lawrence River is widely known as a world-class smallmouth fishery, but we’re really going to show the world next week how great of a largemouth fishery it is as well,” Avena went on to say.
As part of the event fans will also be treated to multiple community events throughout the week, hosted by Fish Massena. On Thursday, June 24, a Kick-off Concert in the Park featuring Northbound will take place at 6 p.m. at Massena Springs Park. A Kid’s Fishing Derby with local area youth fishing alongside Bass Pro Tour anglers will take place on Saturday, June 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fobare’s Pond (Sandy Beach) on Coles Creek Road in Massena.
On Sunday, June 27, the Town of Massena will join the anglers at the Massena Intake Ramp for Fishin’ Church, hosted by Bass Pro Tour anglers Mark Rose and Edwin Evers along with Judy Van Kennan, Chaplain for the Massena Fire Department. A free breakfast will be provided. Also on Sunday, Louisville, New York, will host a VIP Golf Course Event featuring multiple Bass Pro Tour anglers from noon to 3 p.m. at The River Course at Louisville Landing. All activities are free and open to the public. For more information on the Stage Five Community Events hosted by Fish Massena, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Anglers will take off from the Massena Intake Boat Launch Ramp, located on Route 13, in Massena, at 9 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the Launch Ramp, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all takeoff and takeout ceremonies and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The General Tire Stage Five Presented by Berkley at the St. Lawrence River will feature anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.
The four pros from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit that will join the Bass Pro Tour to compete at the General Tire Stage Five Presented by Berkley at the St. Lawrence River are Jason Abram, Trevor Fitzgerald, Ryan Davidson and Mitch Crane. Those anglers qualified via their finishes in the fourth Pro Circuit event of the year – the Grundéns Stop 4 Presented by A.R.E. at Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama.
The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on the St. Lawrence River on Friday and Sunday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Saturday and Monday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Wednesday’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 9:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.comand the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the General Tire Stage Five Presented by Berkley at the St. Lawrence River will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 23 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
For complete details and updated information on 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.
Italy’s Gallelli Claims Victory at Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at Potomac River
Florence, Italy Rookie Becomes First European to Earn Victory in the United States
MARBURY, Md. (June 20, 2021) – Rookie Jacopo Gallelli of Florence, Italy, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 20 pounds even to win the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River . Gallelli’s four-day total of 20 bass weighing 65 pounds, 3 ounces earned him the win by a 2-pound, 5-ounce margin over pro Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, and the top prize of $100,000, making him the first European to ever win a professional bass-fishing event in the United States.
Gallelli fished one area in Potomac Creek all four days of the competition – an area that produced the biggest limit of the tournament on Championship Sunday – where he moved back and forth, running to the top, then drifting down with the wind.
“It’s kind of amazing – It’s been such a long road and I’ve had so many things happen this season that just weren’t going my way, so to end up here with this win is absolutely amazing,” said Gallelli. “This trophy means way more than the money for me. I’ve invested my entire life trying to achieve this level of fishing in my career, and I am finally here. I came 5,000 miles across the ocean to make this day happen.
“It’s been such a sacrifice and the sacrifice has continually grown,” continued Gallelli. “If I go back home, I cannot keep competing. I’ve missed my son’s birthday, Christmas, New Years, Easter and now it sounds like I probably cannot go back to Italy until the beginning of the fall. But I will be coming back with something great. It’s not about the money – it’s about coming home with one of these [trophies].
“The only thing that would have made this a better Father’s Day celebration is if I were able to hold this trophy with my son,” continued an emotional Gallelli. “I dedicate this win to my son, Lapo – Ciao Lapo.”
Gallelli is the first European to ever win a high-level tournament in the U.S.
“Believe it or not, this is the very first event I have ever won in the United States,” said Gallelli. “I’ve had a lot of good results on the lower-level circuits, but never a win, so finally I’ve made my win happen when it really counts. This is as good as it can be. I feel like I am watching from outside my body right now. It’s just unbelievable.”
Gallelli went up against some of the biggest names in tournament bass-fishing on Championship Sunday, making the victory even more important for the rookie angler.
“I know I just beat some of the best in the sport, but honestly it’s not only my skill – it’s the support that I’ve had from everyone,” said Gallelli. “Thousands of people were cheering for me today from Italy and Europe, cheering like there was no future and I was about to win a soccer championship. I don’t even have the courage to open my phone. It’s been ringing and lighting up non-stop – everyone is calling and sending messages.
“This win is not big because of me,” continued Gallelli. “It’s big because 40 years ago someone launched a bass-fishing tournament in Italy and one young kid started dreaming. I’d like to thank those pioneers of bass fishing in Europe for bringing this idea of fishing to Europe and to Italy.
“This is a win not only for me but for the entire European bass-fishing movement. It’s incredible.”
The top 10 pros at the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Federal Ammunition Stop 5 on the Potomac River finished:
1st: Jacopo Gallelli of Florence, Italy, 20 bass, 65-3, $100,000
2nd: Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., 20 bass, 62-14, $30,000
3rd: Cody Meyer of Star, Idaho, 20 bass, 62-11, $25,700
4th: Ricky Robinson of Greenback, Tenn., 20 bass, 60-14, $20,000
5th: Adrian Avena of Vineland, N.J., 20 bass, 60-1, $19,500
6th: Justin Cooper of Zwolle, La., 20 bass, 59-12, $18,000
7th: Lawson Hibdon of Versailles, Mo., 20 bass, 59-5, $17,000
8th: Shin Fukae of Osaka, Japan, 20 bass, 59-4, $16,000
9th: Terry Bolton of Benton, Ky., 20 bass, 58-3, $15,000
10th: Josh Bragg of Jacksonville, Ala., 20 bass, 56-3, $14,000
Full results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 50 bass weighing 149 pounds, 8 ounces caught by the final 10 pros Sunday. All of the final 10 pros brought a five-bass limit to the scales.
The four top performers who now qualify to compete in the MLF Bass Pro Tour Stage Six Presented by Googan Baits at Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, New York, Aug. 5-10, are Jacopo Gallelli, Ricky Robinson, Justin Cooper and Lawson Hibdon.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River event will feature a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, August 29 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continued competition on Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2021 TITLE will be on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Aug. 17-22, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook , Twitter, Instagram and YouTube .
Lawson Hibdon Clings to Lead at Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at Potomac River
MARBURY, Md. (June 19, 2021) – Following a grueling day on the water, rookie Lawson Hibdon of Versailles, Missouri, narrowly maintained his lead on Day Three of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River on Saturday. After weighing back-to-back 17-pound stringers the first two days of competition, Hibdon brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 13 pounds, 3 ounces on Saturday. His three-day total of 47-11 gives him a mere 15-ounce lead over pro Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee , who jumped from seventh place into second, with a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces, for a three-day total of 46-12.
Pro Cody Meyer of Star, Idaho rounds out the top three with a total of 46-7, while fellow rookie Jacopo Gallelli of Wetumpka, Alabama, made the biggest leap from nineteenth place into sixth and into the top 10 cut.
With a live camera in his boat throughout the day, Hibdon said things felt off from the start and he struggled to find his rhythm.
“I’ve started in [Aquia Creek] every day but have left pretty quickly the first two days because I’ve had decent stringers,” said Hibdon. “Today I could never get that decent stringer going, so I left there with only about an hour left to fish. I should have made that move earlier because the tide was already changing and putting me at a disadvantage to come back up to catch a good one.
“Things just never clicked today. I don’t know what was going on, but I missed a ton of bites. They’d eat my jig trailer off or I’d hook them for just a second, then they’d come off. I don’t even know what I can do differently to fix that.”
While he missed some key fish on Day Two as well, Hibdon was able to come back with some solid bites later in the day, so his total weight and his mindset were unaffected. However, the missed opportunities on Day Three seemed to worry him a bit more.
“I lost one that was 3½ or 4 pounds and you can’t lose one like that in a tournament like this – it’ll cost you,” said Hibdon. “Hopefully, I can figure them out again because I think I was off by 30 minutes or an hour today.
“It was just a weird day. It was worse than either of the practice days I had. Once you have an off day and get in a bad roll, it just keeps on rolling. It’s a bad deal when it starts happening because your mind goes the wrong direction pretty quickly.”
Although unfamiliar with the tides, after dealing with them for several days in a row, Hibdon said he’s starting to see a pattern to when the fish are biting. While he doesn’t plan to make a change to his strategy or baits - flipping hard cover with a jig or worm and covering grass with a swimjig or vibrating jig – he does expect to settle back into the timing of the bite windows tomorrow.
Although the 26-year-old is on track to pull out the biggest win of his life, he shows no signs of stress or rattled nerves, which even with his fishing background is surprising given that a little more than three pounds separates him from the 10th place angler.
“I try to not ever get too excited, because it’s fishing and you never know what’s going to happen,” said Hibdon. “You just have to go out there and fish. That’s all I’ve done the last three days. I try not to even think about winning or the money – I’ve still got to go catch a big bag tomorrow to even think about it.
“It definitely helps mentally to have my family here this week,” said the young pro. “Being able to have them here after a rough day – that definitely helps tremendously and helps me be able to think a little more clearly.”
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition Sunday on the Potomac River are:
1st: Lawson Hibdon of Versailles, Mo., 15 bass, 47-11
2nd: Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 46-12
3rd: Cody Meyer of Star, Idaho, 15 bass, 46-7
4th: Justin Cooper of Zwolle, La., 15 bass, 45-10
5th: Ricky Robinson of Greenback, Tenn., 15 bass, 45-6
6th: Jacopo Gallelli of Wetumpka, Ala., 15 bass, 45-3
7th: Josh Bragg of Jacksonville, Ala., 15 bass, 44-11
8th: Adrian Avena of Vineland, N.J., 15 bass, 44-9
9th: Shin Fukae of Osaka, Japan, 15 bass, 44-7
10th: Terry Bolton of Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 44-2
Anglers finishing 11th through 20th are:
11th: Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 43-15, $11,000
12th: Jim Moynagh of Shakopee, Minn., 15 bass, 43-14, $11,000
13th: Clabion Johns of Social Circle, Ga., 15 bass, 43-9, $11,000
14th: Mike McClelland of Blue Eye, Mo., 15 bass, 43-9, $11,000
15th: Jason Abram of Piney Flats, Tenn., 15 bass, 43-9, $11,000
16th: Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 43-6, $11,000
17th: Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis., 15 bass, 43-4, $11,000
18th: Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Ark., 15 bass, 43-3, $11,000
19th: Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., 15 bass, 42-14, $11,000
20th: Zell Rowland of Montgomery, Texas, 15 bass, 42-11, $11,000
For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 247 bass weighing 639 pounds, 3 ounces caught by 50 pros Saturday. The catch included 48 five-bass limits.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The field was cut to 50 anglers on Saturday. Now, the top 10 pros based on their three-day cumulative weight advance to Sunday where the winner will be determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2021 TITLE will be on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Aug. 17-22, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse.
The final 10 anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. ET on Sunday from Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park Sunday at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the MLF NOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River event will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, August 29 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall. Weigh-in will be streamed and fans can catch live on-the-water action all day Sunday, June 20 on MLF NOW!beginning at 7 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook , Twitter, Instagram and YouTube .
Midland High Takes Bassmaster High School Series Win On Saginaw Bay
Brady Pinwar and Alec Albrecht, of Midland (Mich.) High School, have won the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series at Saginaw Bay presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors with 23 pounds, 4 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
June 19, 2021
BANGOR CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Midland High School team of Brady Pinwar and Alec Albrecht defended their home waters of Saginaw Bay on Saturday afternoon, catching 23 pounds, 4 ounces of smallmouth bass to win the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors.
The second-place team of Brayden Ruckman and Nate Helmreich from Freeland High School, also a local program, took second place with 20-14, and Hank Sturm and Mitch Straffon from Fenton High School finished third with 20-12.
“It’s amazing,” Albrecht said. “All of our buddies are going to Nationals, so it will be cool to go along with them. We set the bar high and went for 25 pounds, but 23 pounds is just fine. We fish out here a lot of the time but the wind is crazy. It took forever to get in.”
Unexpected storms moved across the region around mid-day, creating some rough conditions for competitors, who were allowed extra time to navigate back to the weigh-in. That, however, didn’t stop Pinwar and Albrecht from getting to their spot and sight-fishing for bedding smallmouth.
“We made a long journey today up North and we got onto a rock flat and caught the bed fish that were there,” Albrecht said.
While some were postspawn, Pinwar said they could see most of the bass they caught. They were throwing an X Zone Lures Finesse Slammer on a drop shot, a Poor Boys Baits Erie Darter on a darter-head jig and a black hair jig, which produced their biggest bass.
“They were late spawners more out deep,” Pinwar said. “Some of them might have been guarding the fry. We executed great. We only caught seven or eight fish, but we only fished the ones we thought we needed.”
Ruckman and Helmreich took a similar approach, fishing for bedding smallmouth in deeper water. Their day started slow, but after bouncing around through some different areas they found a couple of smallmouth that were willing to bite.
“We couldn’t get the first two or three to go,” Ruckman said. “After that, it was kind of lights-out for three or four fish. Then we had a standstill for a while and finally started picking back up. We culled our one 2-pounder we needed to cull out.”
The Freeland High duo caught smallmouth in 10 to 12 feet of water, using a drop shot for the spawners and a crankbait to pick up a couple of postspawners.
“If you could get to them without them seeing you first, you could catch them normally,” Helmreich said. “We marked them in practice and today we would go look for them and cast to them.”
Ethan Gilbert and Carson Aarup from Downeast Fishing Club in North Carolina earned the Big Bass of the Tournament award with a 5-1 largemouth.
The top six teams punched their ticket to the 2021 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, which will be held on Chickamauga Lake in Dayton, Tenn., July 29-31.
The final regular-season High School Series event of the year will be held next week at Lay Lake.
2021 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series at Saginaw Bay presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors 6/19-6/19
Saginaw Bay, Saginaw Bay MI.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Brady Pinwar - Alec Albrecht Midland High School 0
Day 1: 5 23-04 Total: 5 23-04
2. Brayden Ruckman - Nate Helmreich Freeland High School 0
Day 1: 5 20-14 Total: 5 20-14
3. Hank Sturm - Mitch Straffon Fenton High School 0
Day 1: 5 20-12 Total: 5 20-12
4. Luke Malik - Ryan Kahut Brighton High School 0
Day 1: 5 18-02 Total: 5 18-02
5. Jack Swihart - Rylan Hamlin Jackson Fishing 0
Day 1: 5 18-02 Total: 5 18-02
6. Jacob Policka - Brayden Vallie Fruitport (271) 0
Day 1: 5 18-01 Total: 5 18-01
7. Cole Carr - Luke McGuire Anchor Bay High School 0
Day 1: 5 17-12 Total: 5 17-12
8. Ethan Gilbert - Carson Aarup Downeast Fishing Club 0
Day 1: 5 17-07 Total: 5 17-07
9. Mason Snider - Dalton Benson Mount Juliet Fishing 0
Day 1: 5 17-07 Total: 5 17-07
10. Drake Vandike - Anthony Polzin Livonia Outlaws 0
Day 1: 5 17-06 Total: 5 17-06
11. Braylan Tyler - Logan Ashby Franklin County High School (141 0
Day 1: 5 16-15 Total: 5 16-15
12. Jacob Davidson - Tristen Boyd Mt Juliet High School 0
Day 1: 5 16-02 Total: 5 16-02
13. Van Price - Tristan Fawley Carlson High School 0
Day 1: 5 15-13 Total: 5 15-13
14. Jack Sprague - Cole Jimkoski Freeland 0
Day 1: 5 15-10 Total: 5 15-10
15. Dylan May - Trey Hayton Brownsburg High School 0
Day 1: 5 15-09 Total: 5 15-09
16. Blake Marcum - Brody Diamond Louisa Bass Club High School 0
Day 1: 5 14-14 Total: 5 14-14
17. Evan Simonis - Hunter Ross Fruitport high school 0
Day 1: 5 14-13 Total: 5 14-13
18. Nate Grow - Micah Hammond Grand Haven High School 0
Day 1: 5 14-10 Total: 5 14-10
18. Alex Standerfer - Collin Mcglin New London 0
Day 1: 5 14-10 Total: 5 14-10
20. Nick Seitz - Brock Vogel 419 fishing 0
Day 1: 5 14-09 Total: 5 14-09
21. Caden Adams - Parker Pace Clarkston HS - A1 Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 14-07 Total: 5 14-07
22. Harry Richter - Jacob Piniatoglou Saline High School 0
Day 1: 5 14-02 Total: 5 14-02
23. Aiden Pihaylic - John Sheker Anchor Bay Juniors 0
Day 1: 5 13-15 Total: 5 13-15
24. Mike Abbott - Rees Williams Jonathan Alder High School 0
Day 1: 5 13-13 Total: 5 13-13
24. Adam Dionne - Zach Waters lanse creuse 0
Day 1: 5 13-13 Total: 5 13-13
26. Connor Dobrinski - Nolan Tibbs Zeeland Fishhawx 0
Day 1: 5 13-12 Total: 5 13-12
26. Blake Talaski - Jordan Osentoski Bad Axe High 0
Day 1: 5 13-12 Total: 5 13-12
28. Matt Mosby - Gus Dietrich Powers Bass Team 0
Day 1: 5 13-10 Total: 5 13-10
29. Zach Pocos - Brett Hill Hartleys Hawgs Bass Team 0
Day 1: 5 13-10 Total: 5 13-10
30. Landon Brown - Connor Mckinzie Bourbon County High School 0
Day 1: 5 13-08 Total: 5 13-08
31. Nick Bartolo - Dylan Ross greenville bass club 0
Day 1: 5 13-04 Total: 5 13-04
32. Will Hughes - Corbin Olsson East Grand Rapids 0
Day 1: 5 13-03 Total: 5 13-03
33. Blake Gad - Eddie Gad Reed Custer 0
Day 1: 5 13-01 Total: 5 13-01
34. Tanner Wolf - Kaleb Casler Dewitt High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-13 Total: 5 12-13
35. Brett Mouw - Tj Wright The Hill Toppers 0
Day 1: 5 12-12 Total: 5 12-12
36. Nathan Syrett - Evan Shaw Howell High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-12 Total: 5 12-12
37. Cougar Fagan - Logan Moulton 0
Day 1: 5 12-10 Total: 5 12-10
38. Paxton Giem - Charlie Dobbelaer Boyne City High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-10 Total: 5 12-10
39. Hunter Petrovic - John Sergeant Minooka High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-07 Total: 5 12-07
40. Alex Herter - Derek Kantola Howell High School 0
Day 1: 5 11-12 Total: 5 11-12
41. Trent Rivers - Thomas Henshaw Northville High School 0
Day 1: 5 11-05 Total: 5 11-05
42. Bennett Chenoweth - Chance Reese Northville 0
Day 1: 5 10-12 Total: 5 10-12
43. Jaden Bovee - Hunter Falor Coleman High School 0
Day 1: 5 10-09 Total: 5 10-09
44. Carter Albright - Jordan Warner Midland High School 0
Day 1: 5 10-07 Total: 5 10-07
45. Tyler Zimmerman - Fruitport High School 0
Day 1: 5 10-01 Total: 5 10-01
46. Bennett Bauer - Preston Venable RoCo Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 10-00 Total: 5 10-00
47. Dalton Polega - Luke East Freeland High School 0
Day 1: 5 09-15 Total: 5 09-15
48. Connor Christensen - Noah Varitek Anchor bay 0
Day 1: 3 07-03 Total: 3 07-03
49. Matthew Wenzell - Nathaniel Wenzell Midland High 0
Day 1: 3 06-00 Total: 3 06-00
50. Mitchell Anderson - Keegan Johnson Lowell high school 0
Day 1: 3 05-03 Total: 3 05-03
51. Casey Rausch - greenville bass club 0
Day 1: 1 03-15 Total: 1 03-15
52. Nathan Akahoshi - Ethan Laducer Stevenson High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
52. Braylon Eggerding - Lucas Washburn Forest Hills 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
52. Jack Hay - Dominic Wolf howell high school 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
52. Carlie Mitchell - Remington Barkley Hartland 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
52. Ayden Rubritius - Boyd Fuller Western Panthers Bass Fishing Te 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
52. Chase Taylor - Braydon Moore Grand Haven High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
52. Logan Ware - Jack Romatz Midland High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
Riverside Lady Anglers Win Bassmaster Junior Series Title On Saginaw Bay
Tennessee's Lainie Holbert and Sarah Swindle, of the Riverside Junior Bass Team, have won the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior Series at Saginaw Bay with 14 pounds, 2 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
June 19, 2021
BANGOR CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Using some of the same baits they use back home on the Tennessee River, the lady angler team of Lainie Holbert and Sarah Swindle from the Riverside Junior Bass Team caught 14 pounds, 2 ounces of largemouth and earned the victory at the Mossy Oak Bassmaster Junior Series on Saginaw Bay.
Holbert and Swindle’s bag was anchored by a 3-3 largemouth that earned them Big Bass honors and a $100 bonus.
“It is very exciting,” Holbert said. “I’ve always wanted to win one of these because you get this cool trophy and stand up on that stage. It is awesome.”
Swindle added that while holding the trophy is awesome, she and Holbert continue to prove that lady anglers can fish just as well, if not better, than the boys.
“It is amazing. Walking across that stage and seeing everyone,” Swindle said “And being girls is the best part. You can show that girls can do the same as boys. They are all just staring at you, and we are like, ‘We got fish just like you do.’ It’s awesome.”
Though their day started slowly, they said they caught close to 60 bass. Holbert said they caught their fish around grass in shallow areas of Saginaw Bay.
“We started flipping jigs and throwing Pop-Rs and they started blowing up,” Holbert said. “We went to our next spot and it got a little rough, but it was manageable. They started blowing up and they were all in the grass.”
Although Kentucky Lake can get rough, Swindle said Saginaw Bay was an intimidating fishery.
“You just look across and you can’t see land. It’s like the ocean and a little scary honestly,” she said.
The trophy will sit between the other victories and second-place finishes the duo has had this season around their home waters of Kentucky Lake and Pickwick Lake.
Kurt Holbert, boat captain and Lainie’s father, said he has been impressed with the drive the team has shown throughout the season.
“Their determination to win is unbelievable,” Kurt said. “To stay at it all the time. There is no telling the tournaments they’ve won where they have caught the last big fish 20 minutes before weigh-in. They fish hard all day. It was an awesome trip.”
With the win, Swindle and Holbert qualify for the 2021 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior National Championship at the Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake in Huntingdon, Tenn., not far from their hometown of Decaturville.
2021 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior Series at Saginaw Bay 6/19-6/19
Saginaw Bay, Saginaw Bay MI.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Lainie Holbert - Sarah Swindle Riverside Bass Team 0
Day 1: 5 14-02 Total: 5 14-02
2. Bradie Talaski - Devin Maurer Bad Axe Junior 0
Day 1: 5 12-15 Total: 5 12-15
3. Carter Pjesky - Jd Mcbroom Off the Hook Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 5 12-08 Total: 5 12-08
4. Andon Harwood - Cayden Geurts Freeland 0
Day 1: 5 11-11 Total: 5 11-11
5. Mackenzie Muntz - Jacob Muntz Gibsonburg 0
Day 1: 5 10-12 Total: 5 10-12
6. Carson Kellogg - Nicholas Finley New Lexington Panthers 0
Day 1: 5 10-11 Total: 5 10-11
Lawson Hibdon Pads Lead at Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at Potomac River
MARBURY, Md. (June 18, 2021) – Rookie Lawson Hibdon of Versailles, Missouri, extended his lead on Day Two of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River on Friday, bringing a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 17 pounds, 8 ounces. Hibdon’s two-day total of 10 bass weighing 34 pounds, 8 ounces gives him a 2-pound, 2-ounce advantage heading into Day 3 of the four-day competition featuring bass fishing professionals from around the world, competing for up to $135,000.
Pro Adrian Avena of Vineland, New Jersey, moved from fourth place into second, weighing 16 pounds even on Friday for a two-day total of 32-6, with rookie Ricky Robinson of Greenback, Tennessee making a giant leap from 59th place into third with the biggest bag of the tournament – 18 pounds, 12 ounces – bringing his total to 32-2.
Although he had a stellar end to his day, Hibdon said his day started off much slower than he had been hoping for.
“I really thought I’d be able to pull up to the first stretch of docks and catch about 12 pounds in the first 30 minutes or so, and that didn’t happen,” said Hibdon. “It was a lot tougher today – It may not look like it, but it was. I only caught 8 or 9 keepers and only had probably 15 bites total.”
Hibdon said his pattern has been evenly split between fishing hard cover and grass.
“I have a ton of experience fishing docks, but I’ve fished a lot of grass over the years as well,” said Hibdon. “There are a few smaller lakes back home that have some grass and we love fishing the grass up north. This is altogether different, but it’s still grass and the fish still act the same. I don’t care for it as much as flipping boat docks, but I also can’t get near the bites flipping boat docks, so I have to mix some grass in with it.
“I caught some of the bigger ones today around docks, rocks and basically anything that looks right,” continued Hibdon. “I’m just running around until I see something that works, but about half of the fish today were out of the grass as well.”
While he stuck with a lot of the same baits as yesterday – spinnerbaits, ChatterBaits and worms – Hibdon said he did make some color changes throughout the day.
“The tide pushed dirtier water into one of my areas, so I switched to some darker colors at one point,” said Hibdon. “It didn’t seem to make much of a difference though, the fish still missed it a lot. I may have to keep searching for something else tomorrow. I’m not sure I can go back to the same places and even catch 10 pounds.
“I fished a lot of new stuff today – a lot that didn’t work, but some that did. They just weren’t biting much today. I’m catching some good quality fish, but just not many of them. My biggest one came out of a spot I didn’t really expect to catch one, so that was a bonus because it was much tougher than I expected it to be after having so many bites yesterday.”
The top 20 pros after Day 2 on the Potomac River are:
1st: Lawson Hibdon of Versailles, Mo., 10 bass, 34-8
2nd: Adrian Avena of Vineland, N.J., 10 bass, 32-6
3rd: Ricky Robinson of Greenback, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-2
4th: Zell Rowland of Montgomery, Texas, 10 bass, 31-15
5th: Josh Bragg of Jacksonville, Ala., 10 bass, 31-14
6th: Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 31-12
7th: Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-10
8th: Justin O’Brian Cooper of Zwolle, La., 10 bass, 31-1
9th: Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 30-11
10th: Clabion Johns of Social Circle, Ga., 10 bass, 30-9
11th: Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Ark., 10 bass, 30-7
12th: Cody Meyer of Star, Idaho, 10 bass, 30-6
13th: Terry Bolton of Benton, Ky., 10 bass, 30-3
14th: Tai Au of Glendale, Ariz., 10 bass, 30-1
15th: Alex Davis of Albertville, Ala., 10 bass, 29-13
16th: Shin Fukae of Osaka, Japan, 10 bass, 29-9
17th: Jim Moynagh of Shakopee, Minn., 10 bass, 29-9
18th: Grae Buck of Green Lane, Pa., 10 bass, 29-8
19th: Jacopo Gallelli of Wetumpka, Ala., 10 bass, 29-5
20th: Pete Ponds of Madison, Miss., 10 bass, 29-2
For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Darrel Robertson of Jay, Oklahoma won the day's $500 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division after bringing a largemouth weighing 5 pounds, 8 ounces to the scale.
Overall, there were 768 bass weighing 1,920 pounds, 4 ounces caught by 156 pros Friday. The catch included 148 five-bass limits.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight now advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros will continue competition on Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2021 TITLE will be on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Aug. 17-22, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse.
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. ET Saturday and Sunday from Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park daily at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the MLF NOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, August 29 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall. Weigh-ins will be streamed daily, and fans can catch live on-the-water action all day Saturday and Sunday, June 19-20 on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook , Twitter, Instagram and YouTube .
Arey Awarded Costa Compete + Conserve Payout
Matt Arey came within two-pounds of winning the 2021 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Ray Roberts, thanks to a strong final day performance that propelled him to a second place finish. Good friend and fellow Elite Series competitor Hank Cherry ultimately won his second Classic trophy, but Arey’s 18-pound limit of largemouth kept things interesting and helped award him an extra $7,500 from Costa Compete + Conserve.
The new contingency program for tournament bass anglers rewards the highest finishing angler in Compete + Conserve supported events. The always-friendly and humble Arey was thrilled to learn he’d be taking home the impressive payout for the 51st Bassmaster Classic.
Along with an angler payout, the Compete + Conserve program includes a corresponding donation to be awarded to one of five freshwater conservation partners that the winning angler gets to choose from. The conservation payout for the Bassmaster Classic is $1,000, and Arey chose the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation to receive the donation.
“As I’ve grown older and matured I’ve realized how important conservation is to our sport, and more importantly to future generations,” Arey said. “I’ve been blessed to enjoy the magic of the outdoors my whole life. I want the same magic to be available to my kids and your kids. For Costa to build a conservation component into the Compete + Conserve program speaks volumes. We all need to follow their lead.”
Arey’s Costa frame of choice is Tuna Alley, and he swaps between two different 580G (glass) polarized lenses based on the conditions. He wore a sunrise silver mirror lens in the mornings and during low light conditions, and switched to a green mirror lens during bright, sunny conditions.
The North Carolina pro has been wearing Costa Sunglasses throughout his 14-years as a professional angler, and swears by the benefits they give him on the water. With Arey focusing on shallow water presentations on Lake Ray Roberts, the importance of his sunglasses and lens combinations were accentuated.
“I was flipping bushes with a jig and using a hollow-belly frog around shoreline grass to catch my fish,” Arey explained. “For the frog fish especially, a lot of the vegetation I targeted was submerged grass that usually isn’t even in the water, but was this week due to flooded conditions. Being able to see submerged grass from a long cast away was absolutely critical and helped me catch several key fish.”
Arey hopes to keep some momentum rolling from the Classic into his last two Elite Series events of 2021, in pursuit of his first Bassmaster trophy and more Compete + Conserve bonuses.
But you don’t have to be a pro angler to benefit from Costa Sunglasses’ new tournament angler rewards program. If you wear Costas and compete in one of a myriad of supported tournaments, you can earn bonus money just like Arey, and it’s absolutely free to register.
For a full list of supported events, to get signed up, or for more information on the new program just follow this link: https://www.costacompeteandconserve.com/ . If you’d rather call than click, dial (309) 202-2018 and ask for Luke.
Lawson Hibdon Leads Day 1 of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at Potomac River
MARBURY, Md. (June 17, 2021) – Major League Fishing pros brought down the hammer on Day One of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River on Thursday, with a total of 149 five-bass limits and more than 20 pros weighing in bags over 15 pounds. Rookie Lawson Hibdon of Versailles, Missouri, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds even to grab the early lead going into Day Two of the event. Pro Zell Rowland of Montgomery, Texas, ended the day in second place – a mere ounce behind Hibdon after bringing a 16-15 limit to the scale – with pro Joey Cifuentes right on his heels with 16-14, good for third place.
The fifth stop on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit features bass fishing professionals from around the world competing for a shot to win up to $135,000 on the tidal fishery – an opportunity made even more accessible to a number of anglers after the Potomac’s stellar showing on Day One.
Although Lawson has practiced on the Potomac with his dad – legendary pro Dion Hibdon – and fished it as a co-angler three or four times in the past, he said he doesn’t have much experience on the fishery.
“I’m trying to stay away from other anglers, but still had to fish around people a time or two,” said Hibdon. “The biggest thing I had to figure out today was that I needed to slow way down. I only expected to weigh in 12 to 13 pounds like we saw a lot of other guys do, but I slowed down with a worm and caught some more quality fish this afternoon. It was very unexpected, and I wasn’t ready for it at all, but it worked out for me today.”
While anglers with more experience on tidal fisheries may plan to use the tide to their advantage, Hibdon said that’s not part of his strategy.
“I don’t know anything about how the tide works in this area and how it affects the fish or fishery,” said Hibdon. “I had 11 pounds by 9 a.m. but then I started catching some big ones. Not sure if it had anything to do with the tide, or just me slowing down, but I caught the bulk of my weight from 10 to 2 today.”
Lack of experience on the Potomac didn’t seem to hinder Hibdon, who moved around the fishery to find what worked for him; however, with mere ounces separating the top three spots, the rookie still has his work cut out for him on Day Two if he wants to stay at the top of the leaderboard.
“I hopped around a couple different creeks today and caught fish out of each creek I went to,” said Hibdon. “Two of the creeks fished better, so I’ll probably start with those two tomorrow and see if they are still in play. Hopefully I can bounce around and do the same thing tomorrow and pull some big fish.
“I probably caught more than 20 keepers today, on moving baits – spinnerbaits and ChatterBaits – before slowing down with the worm,” continued Hibdon. “I got less bites overall with the worm, but they were definitely better-quality fish.”
The top 10 pros after Day 1 on the Potomac River are:
1st: Lawson Hibdon of Versailles, Mo., five bass, 17-0
2nd: Zell Rowland of Montgomery, Texas, five bass, 16-15
3rd: Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Ark., five bass, 16-14
4th: Adrian Avena of Vineland, N.J., five bass, 16-6
5th: Terry Bolton of Benton, Ky., five bass, 16-3
5th: Justin O’Brian Cooper of Zwolle, La., five bass, 16-3
7th: Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 16-2
8th: Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 16-1
9th: Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mo., five bass, 15-11
9th: Bradley Dortch of Atmore, Ala., five bass, 15-11
For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Avena won the day's $500 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division after bringing a bass weighing 5 pounds, 9 ounces to the scale.
Overall, there were 778 bass weighing 1,919 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 158 pros Thursday. The catch included 149 five-bass limits.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition on Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2021 TITLE will be on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Aug. 17-22, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse.
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. ET each day from Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park daily at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the MLF NOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, August 29 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall. Weigh-ins will be streamed daily, and fans can catch live on-the-water action all day Saturday and Sunday, June 19-20 on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook , Twitter, Instagram and YouTube .
Auburn's Parks, Smith Rally To Bassmaster College Series Victory At Saginaw Bay
Tucker Smith and Logan Parks of Auburn University have won the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at Saginaw Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops with a two-day total of 40 pounds, 9 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
June 17, 2021
BANGOR CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Auburn University duo of Logan Parks and Tucker Smith entered the final regular-season Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops event at Saginaw Bay with the lead in the Team of the Year standings and left little doubt who will be hoisting that trophy come August.
After starting Day 2 in fifth, Parks and Smith increased their two-day total to 40 pounds, 9 ounces with a final-day bag of 19-9 to earn the victory on Saginaw Bay, beating the second-place team of Zach Salters and Jenson Kay from Adrian College in Michigan by just 3 ounces. They defeated the third-place team of Ryan Park and Sam Niemeyer from Murray State in Kentucky by just 5 ounces.
It was a victory — and a season — Parks wasn’t sure was even going to be possible after Auburn University suspended the team in March for a year for violating COVID-19 protocols set forth by the school. The suspension was ultimately reduced to a couple of weeks and Parks, Smith and the rest of the Tigers squad entered each event after that with a new drive.
“I’m happy to be here and happy to be fishing again. When we got suspended, I felt like it was my fault because I was the president of the team and I worked as hard as I could to overturn that suspension — and we were able to,” Parks said. “Every event we have been at we’ve dominated. You can tell these boys are ready to fish, and we are happy to be back.”
Throughout the week, Parks and Smith focused their efforts on finding smallmouth that were staging on rockpiles outside of spawning flats. Smith said they caught most of their bass using a Berkley MaxScent Flat Worm on a drop shot.
“They would pull off and sit on those rockpiles to feed back up,” Smith said. “Some were prespawn and some were postspawn.”
Parks said the largemouth they caught were set up around reeds along the bank on points that were moved tighter to the cover by the wind.
On Day 1, the duo caught all smallmouth bass to fill their limit of 21-0. Parks said they started the day fishing for largemouth, but conditions did not set up right early.
“You never know if they are going to bite tomorrow, and we leaned on our spots harder,” Parks said. “We definitely caught better size yesterday. We left them biting and thought we saved enough for today. Managing it is difficult, but I think we did alright. I think that cold front yesterday shut the largemouth down.”
After catching a big smallmouth to start the morning and filling a limit of smallmouth early on Day 2, Parks and Smith moved to a grassy area of the lake they found during practice and made an important cull, hauling in a 4-pound largemouth that crushed a black buzzbait. From there, they returned to the Bay and caught several more 3-pound smallmouth that helped the cause.
“Everything we did we caught fish,” Smith said. “It was a fun day.”
Sitting in fourth place after Day 1 with 21-4, Salters and Kay went back to the same area of the Bay on the final day and caught 19-2 of smallmouth to jump to second.
“We had a few saved from yesterday. We went in there and thankfully were able to get five decent ones,” Kay said. “We had a couple that were 4-plus that we couldn’t get to go yesterday, and we were hoping they would go today and just didn’t. What can you do? It was still a great day for us.”
The Adrian College duo found a spawning flat with enough beds to last for two days. They used tubes, hair jigs, a 2.5-inch Keitech swimbait and a drop shot.
“We took that and ran with it,” Salters said. “We were really worried about getting locked in on Day 1. We didn’t practice the river too much but everything ended up working out.”
Kay added that he broke off a 4-pounder that would have culled a smaller fish and potentially given them the win.
Park and Niemeyer overcame a navigational mistake early in the day to land 22-11 of largemouth — the biggest bag of the tournament — and jumped from 21st place to third.
“It started off rough. We tried to make a run to Charity Island and (Ryan) got lost on the map,” Niemeyer said. “We went out for smallmouth and they weren’t there like we thought they would be.”
With the smallmouth not firing, Park and Niemeyer went searching for largemouth and built a 14-pound bag by midday. As the day progressed, they made a move to a place that Niemeyer called a subimpoundment, an area of water surrounded by concrete with a 50-yard opening leading in that they found big largemouth around during practice, and were able to upgrade their limit on a wacky-rigged Senko.
“We were chatting and the conditions were really setting up right for that spot,” Park said. “We pulled in there and we made all of our upgrades in about 20 minutes.”
Jake Maddux and Carson Maddux, also from Auburn, took home the Carhartt Big Bass of the Tournament award thanks to a 5-13 largemouth, earning them a $500 Carhartt gift card.
The Top 17 teams from this event punched their tickets to the 2021 Carhartt College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops to be held on the famed St. Lawrence River Aug. 12-14. The Team of the Year champions will officially be announced during the tournament festivities.
Teams that did not qualify for the championship during the four regular-season events will have one more opportunity to do so next week at the 2021 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Wild Card Tournament presented by Bass Pro Shops on Alabama's Lay Lake.
Festivities from Saginaw Bay continue on Saturday with the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors and the Mossy Oak Bassmaster Junior Series.
2021 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops 6/16-6/17
Saginaw Bay, Saginaw MI.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Logan Parks - Tucker Smith Auburn University 250
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 19-09 Total: 10 40-09
2. Zach Salters - Jenson Kay Adrian College 249
Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 19-02 Total: 10 40-06
3. Ryan Park - Sam Niemeyer Murray State University 248
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 22-11 Total: 10 40-04
4. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson 247
Day 1: 5 21-07 Day 2: 5 18-07 Total: 10 39-14
5. Christian Wright - Conner Giles Bryan college 246
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 20-07 Total: 10 38-10
6. Mitchell Gunn - Kyle Kunst 245
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 20-02 Total: 10 37-15
7. Jacob Emery - Aaron Jagdfeld Adrian College 244
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 20-04 Total: 10 37-14
8. Nathan Doty - Bailey Bleser McKendree University 243
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 18-13 Total: 10 37-10
9. Joshua DeKoning - Dalton Mollenkopf Adrian College 242
Day 1: 5 20-13 Day 2: 5 16-08 Total: 10 37-05
10. Robert Cruvellier - Sam Harvey Auburn University 241
Day 1: 5 19-15 Day 2: 5 17-04 Total: 10 37-03
11. Hayden Gaddis - Ben Cully Carson-Newman University 240
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 19-14 Total: 10 36-00
12. Lucas Smith - Dalton Mize Jacksonville State University 239
Day 1: 5 20-14 Day 2: 5 15-01 Total: 10 35-15
13. Tyler Vanbrandt - Jarrod Layton Adrian College 238
Day 1: 5 21-10 Day 2: 5 13-13 Total: 10 35-07
14. Ryan Winchester - Joe McClosky Bethel University 237
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 17-05 Total: 10 35-07
15. Carson Maddux - Jake Maddux Auburn University 236
Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 16-15 Total: 10 35-05
16. Gunner Whitaker - Mitchell Johnson Kentucky Christian University 235
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 19-15 Total: 10 35-03
17. Robert Gee - Chase Dawson University of Tennessee 234
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 19-11 Total: 10 35-03
18. Spencer Black - Lucas Oliver Catawba Valley Community College 233
Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 5 17-02 Total: 10 35-03
19. Peyton McCord - Caleb Whitehurst Auburn University 232
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 18-04 Total: 10 35-01
20. Tyler Cory - Scott Sledge University of Montevallo 231
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 18-09 Total: 10 34-10
21. Connor Jacob - Sam Smith Auburn University 230
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 19-08 Total: 10 34-07
22. Kyle Palmer - Brad Ableman Bethel University 229
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 17-08 Total: 10 34-01
23. Caleb Dachenhaus - Elliot Wielgopolski Adrian College 228
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 15-13 Total: 10 33-13
24. Chase Clarke - Mitchell Peterson Auburn University 227
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 18-07 Total: 10 33-10
25. Hunter Fillmore - Coleman Bingham Bethel University 226
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 16-10 Total: 10 33-10
26. Easton Fothergill - Nick Dumke University of Montevallo 225
Day 1: 5 20-06 Day 2: 5 12-14 Total: 10 33-04
27. Conner Crosby - James Cobbs Auburn University 224
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 17-05 Total: 10 33-00
28. Austin Carr - Justin Carr 223
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 15-09 Total: 10 32-13
29. Jamesen Simion - Alex Strunk Bowling Green State 222
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 14-13 Total: 10 32-08
30. Wyatt Pearman - Kyle Workman Campbellsville University 221
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 17-10 Total: 10 32-08
31. Matthew Cummings - Joseph Woods Bethel University 220
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 16-12 Total: 10 32-08
32. Zach Mcnary - Eric Hanover 219
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 17-04 Total: 10 32-07
33. Clent Blackwood - Bryar Chambers Wallace State 218
Day 1: 5 21-15 Day 2: 4 10-06 Total: 9 32-05
34. Garrett Thompson - Caden Haines West Virginia University 217
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 17-02 Total: 10 32-05
35. Cody Griffith - Drew Jennings Auburn University 216
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 15-07 Total: 10 32-05
36. Hunter Enlow - Reed Green Lander University 215
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 15-14 Total: 10 32-05
37. Alden Keel Jr - Lake Norsworthy Blue Mountain College 214
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 16-04 Total: 10 31-15
38. Fisher Overton - Fisher Young Blue Mountain College 213
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 17-03 Total: 10 31-10
39. Chase Mundhenke - Blake Milligan Auburn University 212
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 14-11 Total: 10 31-08
40. Chase Carey - Dylan Akins Emmanuel College 211
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 12-10 Total: 10 31-07
41. Morgan Miracle - Jake Thornbury Campbellsville University 210
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 17-05 Total: 10 31-04
42. Kurt Antonowitsch - Isaac Toms Western Michigan University 209
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 14-10 Total: 10 31-03
43. Tyler Price - Ethan Shaw Bryan College 208
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 16-02 Total: 10 31-03
44. Dalton Smith - Cade Hayford Campbellsville University 207
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 17-08 Total: 10 31-01
45. John Kirk - Brycen Hendriks 206
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 14-10 Total: 10 31-01
46. Austin Tapley - Carter Ball Adrian College 205
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 15-11 Total: 10 31-01
47. Judd Morgan - Joey Bissing University of Tennessee 204
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 13-15 Total: 10 31-00
48. Jacob Autry - Nick Montilino Murray State University 203
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 18-01 Total: 10 30-14
49. Jacob Frazier - Maddux Walters Carson-Newman University 202
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 15-05 Total: 10 30-11
50. Troy Gibson - University of Louisville 201
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 17-10 Total: 10 30-10
51. Levi Mullins - Chase Milholen Bethel University 200
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 16-00 Total: 10 30-10
52. Matt Messer - Lafe Messer Kentucky Christian University 199
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 17-05 Total: 10 30-09
53. GL Compton - Hunter Bond Clemson University 198
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 14-01 Total: 10 30-09
54. Brenton Godwin - Hunter Odom University of Montevallo 197
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 15-01 Total: 10 30-08
55. Colby Kerr - Hunter Jones Kentucky Christian University 196
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 13-01 Total: 10 30-06
56. Kobie Koenig - Ben Anderson 195
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 15-00 Total: 10 30-06
57. Justin Botts - Conner Dimauro Bryan college 194
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 13-07 Total: 10 30-04
58. Nate Triplett - Cody Barnes University of North Alabama 193
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 15-05 Total: 10 30-01
59. Matthew Davis - Zach Manneback Adrian College 192
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 14-04 Total: 10 29-15
60. Ty Black - Avry Thomason Georgia Southern University 191
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 14-14 Total: 10 29-14
61. Shane Nelson - Brayden Federer Adrian College 190
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 13-09 Total: 10 29-13
62. Jack Risch - Matthew Mikolajczak University of Wisconsin - Madiso 189
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 13-10 Total: 10 29-13
63. Thad Simerly - Tate Sloan Tennessee Tech University 188
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 14-10 Total: 10 29-13
64. JJ Kocevar - Logan Knoebel Kent State University 187
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 15-08 Total: 10 29-08
65. Wyatt Montle - Austin Ware Missouri State University 186
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 17-04 Total: 10 29-07
66. Reed Kochan - Nate Boenning University of Wisconsin Stevens 185
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 13-03 Total: 10 29-07
67. Andrew Howell - Tommy Sendek University of Montevallo 184
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 14-12 Total: 10 29-07
68. Reese Kingston - Caleb Barrow Brewton-Parker College 183
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 15-08 Total: 10 29-02
69. Kyle Ashe - Steven Gawron 182
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 16-13 Total: 10 28-14
70. Jacob Welch - Grant Harris Drury University 181
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 15-05 Total: 10 28-12
71. Jarred Jones - Logan Tate Jacksonville State University 180
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 13-08 Total: 10 28-12
72. Alex Richmond - Riley Bowen 179
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 13-00 Total: 10 28-09
73. Beau Browning - Hunter Baird Drury University 178
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 15-05 Total: 10 28-09
74. Jeremy Dellinger - Nathan Smith Catawba Valley Community College 177
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 14-14 Total: 10 28-09
75. Drew Traffanstedt - Dakendrick Patterson University of Montevallo 176
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 13-02 Total: 10 28-07
76. Cameron Smith - Cole Breeden Drury University 175
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 17-00 Total: 10 28-06
77. Sam Hoesley - Sam Hanggi Auburn University 174
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 15-04 Total: 10 28-06
78. Tyler Christy - Trey Schroeder McKendree University 173
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 14-12 Total: 10 28-06
79. Bo Thomas - Cole Zagrzebski Western Michigan University 172
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 14-01 Total: 10 28-06
80. Russel Buffa - Sam Shoemaker Adrian College 171
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 15-04 Total: 10 28-04
81. Dylan Matus - Ethan Valdes Ferris State University 170
Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 5 12-05 Total: 10 28-03
82. Garrett Warren - Will Jones Auburn University 169
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 14-08 Total: 10 28-03
83. Seth Roberts - Austin Aikins Bethel University 0
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 14-05 Total: 10 28-03
84. Tyler Lubbat - Hayden O'barr 167
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 15-02 Total: 10 27-15
85. Andrew Mega - 166
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 15-08 Total: 10 27-10
86. Anthony Fazio - Caleb Jacob Illinois State University 165
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 4 07-14 Total: 9 27-09
87. Hunter Waldrop - Mark Kershaw University of South Carolina Uni 164
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 13-15 Total: 10 27-09
88. Mason Vernia - Samuel Mateer Western Michigan University 163
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 15-03 Total: 10 27-06
89. Cole Rankin - Ewing Minor Carson-Newman University 162
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 13-11 Total: 10 27-06
90. Hunter Palmer - Tim Herrmann bryan college 161
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 12-14 Total: 10 27-03
91. Drake Shipman - Mason Phillpotts Independent 160
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 12-00 Total: 10 27-02
92. George Gore - George Fallon Clemson University 159
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 12-13 Total: 10 27-00
93. Jeremy Pinkowski - Tomas Matual McKendree University 158
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 15-15 Total: 10 26-14
94. Hunter Bailey - JR Young Jacksonville State University 157
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 12-08 Total: 10 26-14
95. Rob Lindsey - Mason Cizek Bryan College 156
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 15-13 Total: 10 26-13
96. Matthew Roberts - Alice Lloyd College 155
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 12-10 Total: 10 26-09
97. Ben Rand - Mason Grossbauer Davenport University 154
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 13-12 Total: 10 26-09
98. Drew Gill - Zebulon Frasure Wabash Valley College 153
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 13-04 Total: 10 26-09
99. Austin Anderson - Calan Cameron Stephen F. Austin 152
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 14-13 Total: 10 26-07
100. Rudy Worley - John Nowlin Blue Mountain College 151
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 15-04 Total: 10 26-05
101. Solomon Glenn - Ryan Thomas University of Montevallo 150
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 13-05 Total: 10 26-04
102. Hayden Bartee - Syon Barnes Jacksonville State University 149
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 13-02 Total: 10 26-03
103. Tanner Shriver - Jacob Klicman Kent State University 148
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 12-06 Total: 10 26-01
104. Drake Hemby - Griffin Heffington Carson-Newman University 147
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 10-05 Total: 10 25-13
105. Hunter Loftin - Mac Johnston-Herzberg Missouri State University 146
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 12-12 Total: 10 25-12
106. Isaac Duncan - Taylor Owens Blue Mountain College 145
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 14-02 Total: 10 25-09
107. James Yuska - Adam Troyer Indiana University 144
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 13-00 Total: 10 25-07
108. Josh Kelly - Nick Crawford Kent State University 143
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 13-00 Total: 10 25-05
109. Bobby Beck - Anthony Degregorio 142
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 4 14-03 Total: 9 25-04
110. TJ Edwards - Camdon Lewis Blue Mountain College 141
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 13-00 Total: 10 25-01
111. Noah Stauffer - Trevor Campbell Ferris State University 140
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 12-05 Total: 10 25-01
112. Donavan Carson - Landon Lawson King University 139
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 14-01 Total: 10 25-00
113. Jake Kimbrough - Grant Busby Blue Mountain College 138
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 13-05 Total: 10 24-14
114. Dylan Chambers - Brock Bila Drury University 137
Day 1: 4 09-09 Day 2: 5 15-04 Total: 9 24-13
115. Cordell Beckman - Mark Burnham Greenville University 136
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 12-08 Total: 10 24-13
116. Wil Rigdon - Dustin Jones Campbellsville University 135
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 14-01 Total: 10 24-12
117. James Ge - Paul Tabisz University of Michigan - An Arbo 134
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 3 10-01 Total: 8 24-11
118. Chase Sansom - Tyler Drown Marshall University 133
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 10-02 Total: 10 24-11
119. Lane Bailey - Adam Seagle CVCC RedHawks 132
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 13-02 Total: 10 24-10
120. Louis Monetti - 131
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 12-15 Total: 10 24-06
121. Dale Hansard - Mason Lee Jacksonville State University 130
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 11-10 Total: 10 24-05
122. Branden Burrill - Andy Clark Western Michigan University 129
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 12-07 Total: 10 24-05
123. Bryant Marsh - Tyler Hill Blue Mountain College 128
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 11-13 Total: 10 24-04
124. Gavin Cloutier - Calvin Rogers King University 127
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 12-14 Total: 10 24-03
125. Jack Dice - Jeramy Evans Liberty University 126
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 12-00 Total: 10 24-02
126. Jacob Butts - Trevor Gorman Erskine College 125
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 4 12-10 Total: 9 24-01
127. Kaden Brown - Brandon Leach Eastern Kentucky University 124
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 13-03 Total: 10 24-00
128. Cody Prichard - Zach Mefford University of Dubuque 123
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 11-06 Total: 10 23-15
129. Chandler Ellis - Parker Lambert Lander University 122
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 12-08 Total: 10 23-14
130. Justin Eggers - Caleb Lonca Catawba County Community College 121
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 13-01 Total: 10 23-13
131. Conner Johnson - Hunter Osborne Georgetown college 120
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 13-10 Total: 10 23-12
132. Nicholas Gilbert - Hunter MCClaskey King University 119
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 11-07 Total: 10 23-10
133. Max Schweikert - Grand Valley State University 118
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 12-08 Total: 10 23-08
134. Christopher Lemaster - Damon Stepp Eastern Kentucky University 117
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 10-09 Total: 10 23-04
135. Dawson Burton - Jonathan Fraley Kentucky Christian University 116
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 10-08 Total: 10 23-02
136. Eric Rasmussen - Nick Redlin 115
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 4 11-08 Total: 9 22-14
137. Garrett Smith - Erskine College 114
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 12-11 Total: 10 22-13
138. Kobe Thompson - Bryce Kostman Adrian College 113
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 11-02 Total: 10 22-11
139. Sean Clayton - Owen Dimaio Clemson University 112
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 11-09 Total: 10 22-09
140. Austin Owen - Carter Thompson Clemson University 111
Day 1: 5 09-08 Day 2: 5 11-14 Total: 10 21-06
141. Jared Minor - Michael Miller Ohio State University 110
Day 1: 4 08-15 Day 2: 5 12-05 Total: 9 21-04
142. Nate Overocker - Evan Seggerman Greenville University 109
Day 1: 4 09-13 Day 2: 5 10-07 Total: 9 20-04
143. Alek Masters - Hunter Hodge Eastern Kentucky University 108
Day 1: 3 07-00 Day 2: 5 12-15 Total: 8 19-15
144. Matt Short - Colton Combs Eastern Kentucky University 107
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 4 08-08 Total: 9 19-07
145. Nolan Yeager - Ethan LeGare Stephen F. Austin State Universi 106
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 3 06-07 Total: 8 19-05
146. Hayden Scott - Griffin Fernandes Adrian College 105
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 17-00
147. Patrick Henry - Mekenzie Vander Molen Ohio State University 104
Day 1: 4 09-09 Day 2: 3 06-04 Total: 7 15-13
148. Steve Kinard - Jimmy Mitchum Lander University 103
Day 1: 4 02-11 Day 2: 5 11-13 Total: 9 14-08
149. John Pope - Walker Leslie UNC Charlotte 102
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 13-14
150. Luke Chaddock - Chase Noland West Virginia University 101
Day 1: 3 01-13 Day 2: 5 12-01 Total: 8 13-14
151. David Hendel - Jacob Blackburn Ohio State University 100
Day 1: 4 07-10 Day 2: 3 06-04 Total: 7 13-14
152. Tyler Thompson - Charles Snawder Rougeux University of Louisville 99
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 13-07
153. Logan Anderson - Tyler Little North Carolina State University 98
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 13-04
154. Tristen Dubbs - Cameron Ross Grace College 97
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 13-00 Total: 5 13-00
155. Brock Williams - Christopher Batts Ohio State University 96
Day 1: 3 05-13 Day 2: 3 06-12 Total: 6 12-09
156. Whit Edmonds - Bobby Long Lander University 95
Day 1: 3 07-12 Day 2: 1 02-15 Total: 4 10-11
157. Walker Brown - University of North Alabama 94
Day 1: 4 10-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 4 10-00
158. Seth Elkins - John Russell Reaves Jacksonville State University 93
Day 1: 1 02-07 Day 2: 3 06-04 Total: 4 08-11
159. Jason Zubris - Aidan Gordinier Penn State University 92
Day 1: 3 06-13 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 06-13
160. Jacob Middleton - Will Lutes Ohio State University 91
Day 1: 1 02-08 Day 2: 2 03-13 Total: 3 06-05
161. Jd Clarke - Ben Tschoerner Stephen F Austin State Universit 90
Day 1: 3 05-11 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 05-11
162. Tyler Pendergrass - University of North Alabama 89
Day 1: 1 04-02 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 04-02
163. Austin Paulus - Justin Gillilan Ohio State University 88
Day 1: 2 03-14 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 03-14
164. Dalton Coleman - Noah Hurford Kentucky Christian University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
164. Ryan Franks - Kent State University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
164. Riley Lawson - Jay Issac Morehead State University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
164. Jacob Miller - Jack York Stephen F. Austin State Universi 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
Bassmaster Fishing 2022 Game Showcases Stunning Scenery In Eight Real-World Venues
June 17, 2021
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Dovetail Games, developer and publisher of authentic sports simulation titles, is giving aspiring anglers a first look at the eight exciting venues available at launch in Bassmaster Fishing 2022, the official video game of B.A.S.S.
Anglers will be hooked with eight unique locales to choose from to start their fishing careers. These locations offer different challenges and opportunities, ranging from dense swamps and cluttered boatyards to acres of open water, all featuring stunning scenery and an all-new day and night cycle designed to enhance the immersive experience. Players can use the new GPS map marker system to keep track of hotspots and underwater structures where they find more bites to improve their performance when they return.
Locations will include Lake Ray Roberts, where Bassmaster Elite Series angler Hank Cherry, featured as a playable angler in Bassmaster Fishing 2022, just reeled in a victory during the 51st Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk and became only the fourth angler to win the Bassmaster Classic two years in a row. The official lineup of venues confirmed for launch include:
St. Lawrence River, New York: Connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean is the St. Lawrence River, where smallmouth bass take center stage.
Chickamauga Lake, Tennessee: This lake has become “The Land of the Giants” for largemouth bass, ranking in the Top 10 in best bass fishing lakes in the U.S. in the 2018 Bassmaster Magazine 100 Best Bass Lakes rankings.
Lake Ray Roberts, Texas: Selected as the venue for the 2021 Bassmaster Classic, Lake Ray Roberts in Texas is sure to be a hit with pros and fans alike.
St. Johns River, Florida: A regular stop on the Bassmaster Elite Series and the longest river in Florida, the St. Johns River is packed with honey holes and hawgs.
Lake Guntersville, Alabama: The largest lake in Alabama and a firm favorite on the Elite circuit, Lake Guntersville always produces top-level competition.
Sabine River, Texas: A huge variety of areas to fish in makes the Sabine River a fascinating venue for competitive B.A.S.S. events.
Lake Hamilton, Arkansas: Nestled in the Ouachita Mountains near Hot Springs, Lake Hamilton is one of the most popular fisheries in Arkansas.
Toledo Bend, Texas/Louisiana: This reservoir separates Texas and Louisiana in the heart of the beautiful Sabine National Forest.
Developed and published by Dovetail Games, Bassmaster Fishing 2022 is due to release this fall in North America and Europe on the PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One family of devices, including the Xbox One X, and windows PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store. The developer is accepting closed alpha sign-ups for anglers who cannot wait to get their hands on the game.
For regular updates and more information, please visit www.bassmasterthegame.com.
Canterbury Places 6th in Classic, Earns $20K Yamaha Power Pay Bonus
KENNESAW, Ga. - June 17, 2021 - While the Bassmaster Classic’s top prize of $300,000 is keenly on the minds of fans and pros alike, the rather astonishing $20,000 Yamaha Power Pay bonus offered to the highest-finishing eligible Yamaha pro also created a pretty exciting ‘side pot’ at bass fishing’s biggest event, June 11-13 in Fort Worth, Texas.
When the Classic scales stopped spinning, Scott Canterbury proved you don’t have to place first to cash in on Power Pay. Canterbury finished 6th, just ahead of fellow Yamaha pros Drew Cook and Patrick Walters, to haul home the big bonus. He later admitted it wasn’t even top of mind until Drew Cook told him about it minutes before weigh-in.
“Drew was the first to congratulate me on winning the Power Pay money when we were outside Dickie’s Arena coming into weigh-in. He said something comical about his mistake leading to $20,000 slipping through his hands and into mine. That’s when I realized what an awesome bonus I was about to receive on stage from Yamaha,” he grinned.
Cook had the misfortune of bringing a bass to weigh-in that measured just barely short of a legal keeper, which cost him a penalty, allowing Canterbury to pass him in the standings.
“Whether you’re fishing for a living or just an avid local tournament angler like I was when I was still working as a plumber, you buy a Yamaha for its reliability and dependability,” said Canterbury.” And now that you can make a cash bonus for doing well in your event, I can’t think of a single good reason why a tournament angler would run any other brand of outboard.”
You don’t have to compete in the Bassmaster Classic to cash-in on Yamaha’s Power Pay contingency money, and you don’t have to win tournaments to take home Power Pay cash.
Anglers simply have to be the highest finishing registered participant in a Power Pay-supported tournament. Power Pay is not just for bass anglers - it also includes eligible saltwater, walleye, high school and college anglers (over the age of 18) through hundreds of events.
Introduced in the fall of 2019, Power Pay gives anglers the opportunity to receive compensation for running eligible Yamaha outboards. Eligible anglers running Yamaha outboards can sign up for the program by visiting yamahapowerpay.com. All applicants are required to accept and adhere to the Yamaha Angler Code of Ethics before completing the registration for the program. Once registered, the highest placing angler in specified Power Pay sanctioned tournaments that meets all eligibility requirements will be compensated by Yamaha accordingly.
New tournaments for 2021 include the MLF Bass Pro Tour, Bass Champs Texas, Carolina Bass Challenge, Texas Team Trail®, Skeeter XFL, Nichols Team Series Oklahoma, Phoenix BFL Regionals, EFL™ Redfish Contender Series and EFL™ Redfish Tour. Additional eligible Power Pay tournaments and trails include the Bassmaster Classic®, Bassmaster® Angler of the Year, Bassmaster Opens, B.A.S.S. Nation®, Bassmaster Elites, Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster High School series, A.B.A. Bass Pro Shops® Open Series, Alabama Bass Trail, MWC, The National Walleye Tour®, AIM® Walleye, Kingfish Cup and Flatsmasters®.
For more information and complete terms and conditions about Power Pay, visit yamahapowerpay.com. Some restrictions apply. Void where prohibited by law.
Dill Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Lake Truman
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | James Dill of Sunrise Beach, Mo. | 5 | 14-11 | $5,565 |
| 2nd | Connor Cunningham of Springfield, Mo. | 5 | 14-9 | $3,283 |
| 3rd | Josh Busby of Rogersville, Mo. | 5 | 13-15 | $1,853 |
| 4th | Cory Steckler of Rocky Mount, Mo. | 5 | 13-14 | $1,299 |
| 5th | Dereck Dirschuweit of Florissant, Mo. | 5 | 13-13 | $1,563 |
| 6th | Travis Rivest of Smithville, Mo. | 5 | 13-8 | $1,020 |
| 7th | Matt Gunter of Wheatland, Mo. | 5 | 13-3 | $928 |
| 8th | Shane Long of Willard, Mo. | 5 | 13-2 | $835 |
| 9th | Roger Cook of Lebanon, Mo. | 5 | 13-1 | $742 |
| 10th | Jeremy Johnson of Kansas City, Kan. | 5 | 12-13 | $649 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Chris Bunk of Sullivan, Mo. | 5 | 16-11 | $2,783 |
| 2nd | Tom Kaufmann of Warsaw, Mo. | 5 | 15-2 | $1,391 |
| 3rd | Larry Rothweil of St. Charles, Mo. | 5 | 12-7 | $926 |
| 4th | Walton Hendricks of Milan, Mo. | 4 | 12-0 | $649 |
| 5th | Drake Bradshaw of Milan, Mo. | 5 | 11-11 | $557 |
| 6th | Mark Hancock of Olathe, Kan. | 5 | 10-15 | $510 |
| 7th | Chase Simpson of Marionville, Mo. | 5 | 10-8 | $464 |
| 8th | William Liam Cutright of St. Louis, Mo. | 5 | 10-6 | $417 |
| 9th | Cody Carl of Lake Lotawana, Mo. | 4 | 10-4 | $371 |
| 10th | Lynn Gideon of Preston, Mo. | 5 | 9-15 | $325 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Dereck Dirschuweit of Florissant, Mo. | 5-pound, 10-ounce bass | $450 |
| Boater Big Bass | Craig Rose of Olathe, Kan. | 5-pound, 10-ounce bass | $450 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Brian Coats of St. Louis, Mo. | 4-pound, 6-ounce bass | $450 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Connor Cunningham of Springfield, Mo. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $ 500 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Shaky-head rig | Did Not Disclose |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Crock-O-Gator Jig | Did Not Disclose |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Ozark Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 7-9 | Lake Norfork, Mountain Home, Ark. | Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce |
The 2021 MLF 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championships. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while Strike King co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube .
Long Trip Lands Alabama Team In Lead At Bassmaster College Series Event On Saginaw Bay
Clent Blackwood and Bryar Chambers of Wallace State Community College are leading after Day 1 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at Saginaw Bay presented by Bass Pro Shops with 21 pounds, 15 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
June 16, 2021
BANGOR CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Despite a three-hour run and a slow start to the day, the Wallace State Community College team of Clent Blackwood and Bryar Chambers sacked up 21 pounds, 15 ounces of smallmouth bass on Saginaw Bay to take the lead on Day 1 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops.
The Alabama anglers hold a 5-ounce lead over the second-place team of Tyler Vanbrandt and Jarrod Layton from Adrian College in Michigan and an 8-ounce lead over third-place Brian Linder and Nathan Thompson.
“We were thinking this would be tough,” Blackwood said. “We knew what was in this lake, and we didn’t find anything in practice. We found some largemouth but nothing of size. In practice, we only saw one smallmouth, and we took a gamble this morning and made a long run.”
Despite only catching one smallmouth in practice, Blackwood and Chambers made the run out of Saginaw River and into the Bay and arrived at their spot around 9 a.m. After Blackwood landed their first bass in just three casts, the bite stalled and the duo made a couple of moves.
After two hours without a bite, Blackwood and Chambers hit a flurry, catching almost all of their weight in a matter of minutes before heading back to check-in.
“We fished around for like two hours and then it was bam, bam, bam,” Chambers said. “We just started catching them. It really didn’t matter what we were throwing, I don’t think (the fish) had ever seen baits before. They just reacted to anything that came past them.”
Blackwood said the water was so clear on Saginaw Bay that they could see the smallmouth on the bottom in 12 feet.
“We were fancasting, zigging around, and when we found one, we would focus on that fish until it was in the box,” he said. “We are going to have a lot fewer rods on the deck tomorrow. We were able to close in on what they are keying in on. We are feeling good, but we are still anxious.”
Heading into the final day, Chambers said he and Blackwood are going to fish the same way, but isn’t sure if their spot will reload tomorrow.
“I don’t know if we can repeat it on the same hole, but I think we can repeat it not far from there,” he added.
While much of the Top 5 focused on smallmouth, Vanbrandt and Layton caught five largemouth bass for 21-10 to land in second place.
In practice, they fished for largemouth with little success. But on tournament day, they made an adjustment and found the quality they needed.
“We came out here and practiced and looked for mostly largemouth and didn’t find anything great. We caught one 4-pounder,” Layton said. “Today we pulled up to our areas and fished them a little differently than most people would and caught 4-pounders. It was a crazy day. The conditions were perfect.”
During a breezy final day of practice Tuesday, Layton said the water in the area got pushed to the south shore. As winds calmed Wednesday, the water began flowing back into the area, creating current that helped the Adrian College duo locate their fish with several different baits.
“We had a limit of 11 pounds by 10 a.m., and then between 10 and noon we jumped up to between 15 and 17 pounds,” Vanbrandt said. “We caught our last big one around 1:30 and came in early to make sure we were in. It was an all-day thing, but the big ones were toward the end of the day.”
Layton said he and Vanbrandt plan on hitting some of the same areas they fished on Day 1 and have a spot they located in practice saved for the final day.
Linder and Thompson focused their efforts on smallmouth, and while they only had six bites throughout the day, landed a five-bass limit weighing 21-7 using predominantly a drop shot.
“We had a pretty long run and caught our fish in about three hours, but we only had six bites the whole day,” Thompson said. “We caught our fish off boulders in a certain area. The area is huge and they are extremely spread out. (Humminbird) MEGA 360 helped us a lot with that, for sure.”
Having never been on the lake prior to this week, the Minnesota duo used their knowledge of their home lakes to help them eliminate unproductive water on Saginaw Bay.
“The first couple days of practice we just looked for the stuff that looks good on our home ponds,” Linder said. “We caught a couple and rolled the dice on it and it paid off.”
The sixth-place team of Lucas Smith and Dalton Mize from Jacksonville State University caught a largemouth weighing 5-9 to earn Carhartt Big Bass honors on Day 1. Meanwhile, the Bassmaster Team of the Year leaders Logan Parks and Tucker Smith from Auburn University caught 21-0 to land in the Top 5 heading into the final day of the regular season.
The full field of 167 boats will compete Thursday for a chance to not only take home the tournament victory but to punch their ticket to the 2021 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at the St. Lawrence River in August.
Teams will take off from Independence Boat Launch at the USS Edison Battle Ship starting at 6 a.m. ET and return for weigh-in starting at 3 p.m.
2021 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops Saginaw Bay 6/16-6/17
Saginaw Bay, Saginaw MI.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Clent Blackwood - Bryar Chambers Wallace State 250
Day 1: 5 21-15 Total: 5 21-15
2. Tyler Vanbrandt - Jarrod Layton Adrian College 249
Day 1: 5 21-10 Total: 5 21-10
3. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson 248
Day 1: 5 21-07 Total: 5 21-07
4. Zach Salters - Jenson Kay Adrian College 247
Day 1: 5 21-04 Total: 5 21-04
5. Logan Parks - Tucker Smith Auburn University 246
Day 1: 5 21-00 Total: 5 21-00
6. Lucas Smith - Dalton Mize Jacksonville State University 245
Day 1: 5 20-14 Total: 5 20-14
7. Joshua DeKoning - Dalton Mollenkopf Adrian College 244
Day 1: 5 20-13 Total: 5 20-13
8. Easton Fothergill - Nick Dumke University of Montevallo 243
Day 1: 5 20-06 Total: 5 20-06
9. Robert Cruvellier - Sam Harvey Auburn University 242
Day 1: 5 19-15 Total: 5 19-15
10. Anthony Fazio - Caleb Jacob Illinois State University 241
Day 1: 5 19-11 Total: 5 19-11
11. Chase Carey - Dylan Akins Emmanuel College 240
Day 1: 5 18-13 Total: 5 18-13
11. Nathan Doty - Bailey Bleser McKendree University 240
Day 1: 5 18-13 Total: 5 18-13
13. Carson Maddux - Jake Maddux Auburn University 238
Day 1: 5 18-06 Total: 5 18-06
14. Christian Wright - Conner Giles Bryan college 237
Day 1: 5 18-03 Total: 5 18-03
15. Ryan Winchester - Joe McClosky Bethel University 236
Day 1: 5 18-02 Total: 5 18-02
16. Spencer Black - Lucas Oliver Catawba Valley Community College 235
Day 1: 5 18-01 Total: 5 18-01
17. Caleb Dachenhaus - Elliot Wielgopolski Adrian College 234
Day 1: 5 18-00 Total: 5 18-00
18. Mitchell Gunn - Kyle Kunst 233
Day 1: 5 17-13 Total: 5 17-13
19. Jamesen Simion - Alex Strunk Bowling Green State 232
Day 1: 5 17-11 Total: 5 17-11
20. Jacob Emery - Aaron Jagdfeld Adrian College 231
Day 1: 5 17-10 Total: 5 17-10
21. Ryan Park - Sam Niemeyer Murray State University 230
Day 1: 5 17-09 Total: 5 17-09
22. Colby Kerr - Hunter Jones Kentucky Christian University 229
Day 1: 5 17-05 Total: 5 17-05
23. Austin Carr - Justin Carr 228
Day 1: 5 17-04 Total: 5 17-04
24. Judd Morgan - Joey Bissing University of Tennessee 227
Day 1: 5 17-01 Total: 5 17-01
25. Hunter Fillmore - Coleman Bingham Bethel University 226
Day 1: 5 17-00 Total: 5 17-00
25. Hayden Scott - Griffin Fernandes Adrian College 226
Day 1: 5 17-00 Total: 5 17-00
27. Cody Griffith - Drew Jennings Auburn University 224
Day 1: 5 16-14 Total: 5 16-14
28. Justin Botts - Conner Dimauro Bryan college 223
Day 1: 5 16-13 Total: 5 16-13
28. Peyton McCord - Caleb Whitehurst Auburn University 223
Day 1: 5 16-13 Total: 5 16-13
28. Chase Mundhenke - Blake Milligan Auburn University 223
Day 1: 5 16-13 Total: 5 16-13
31. Kurt Antonowitsch - Isaac Toms Western Michigan University 220
Day 1: 5 16-09 Total: 5 16-09
31. Kyle Palmer - Brad Ableman Bethel University 220
Day 1: 5 16-09 Total: 5 16-09
33. GL Compton - Hunter Bond Clemson University 218
Day 1: 5 16-08 Total: 5 16-08
34. John Kirk - Brycen Hendriks 217
Day 1: 5 16-07 Total: 5 16-07
35. Hunter Enlow - Reed Green Lander University 216
Day 1: 5 16-07 Total: 5 16-07
36. Shane Nelson - Brayden Federer Adrian College 215
Day 1: 5 16-04 Total: 5 16-04
37. Reed Kochan - Nate Boenning University of Wisconsin Stevens 214
Day 1: 5 16-04 Total: 5 16-04
38. Jack Risch - Matthew Mikolajczak University of Wisconsin - Madiso 213
Day 1: 5 16-03 Total: 5 16-03
39. Hayden Gaddis - Ben Cully Carson-Newman University 212
Day 1: 5 16-02 Total: 5 16-02
40. Tyler Cory - Scott Sledge University of Montevallo 211
Day 1: 5 16-01 Total: 5 16-01
41. Dylan Matus - Ethan Valdes Ferris State University 210
Day 1: 5 15-14 Total: 5 15-14
42. Matthew Cummings - Joseph Woods Bethel University 209
Day 1: 5 15-12 Total: 5 15-12
43. Conner Crosby - James Cobbs Auburn University 208
Day 1: 5 15-11 Total: 5 15-11
43. Matthew Davis - Zach Manneback Adrian College 208
Day 1: 5 15-11 Total: 5 15-11
43. Alden Keel Jr - Lake Norsworthy Blue Mountain College 208
Day 1: 5 15-11 Total: 5 15-11
46. Alex Richmond - Riley Bowen 205
Day 1: 5 15-09 Total: 5 15-09
47. Robert Gee - Chase Dawson University of Tennessee 204
Day 1: 5 15-08 Total: 5 15-08
47. Drake Hemby - Griffin Heffington Carson-Newman University 204
Day 1: 5 15-08 Total: 5 15-08
49. Brenton Godwin - Hunter Odom University of Montevallo 202
Day 1: 5 15-07 Total: 5 15-07
50. Jacob Frazier - Maddux Walters Carson-Newman University 201
Day 1: 5 15-06 Total: 5 15-06
50. Kobie Koenig - Ben Anderson 201
Day 1: 5 15-06 Total: 5 15-06
50. Austin Tapley - Carter Ball Adrian College 201
Day 1: 5 15-06 Total: 5 15-06
53. Drew Traffanstedt - Dakendrick Patterson University of Montevallo 198
Day 1: 5 15-05 Total: 5 15-05
54. Jarred Jones - Logan Tate Jacksonville State University 197
Day 1: 5 15-04 Total: 5 15-04
54. Gunner Whitaker - Mitchell Johnson Kentucky Christian University 197
Day 1: 5 15-04 Total: 5 15-04
56. Chase Clarke - Mitchell Peterson Auburn University 195
Day 1: 5 15-03 Total: 5 15-03
56. Zach Mcnary - Eric Hanover 195
Day 1: 5 15-03 Total: 5 15-03
56. Thad Simerly - Tate Sloan Tennessee Tech University 195
Day 1: 5 15-03 Total: 5 15-03
59. Garrett Thompson - Caden Haines West Virginia University 192
Day 1: 5 15-03 Total: 5 15-03
60. Drake Shipman - Mason Phillpotts Independent 191
Day 1: 5 15-02 Total: 5 15-02
61. Tyler Price - Ethan Shaw Bryan College 190
Day 1: 5 15-01 Total: 5 15-01
62. Ty Black - Avry Thomason Georgia Southern University 189
Day 1: 5 15-00 Total: 5 15-00
63. Connor Jacob - Sam Smith Auburn University 188
Day 1: 5 14-15 Total: 5 14-15
64. Wyatt Pearman - Kyle Workman Campbellsville University 187
Day 1: 5 14-14 Total: 5 14-14
65. Nate Triplett - Cody Barnes University of North Alabama 186
Day 1: 5 14-12 Total: 5 14-12
66. Andrew Howell - Tommy Sendek University of Montevallo 185
Day 1: 5 14-11 Total: 5 14-11
67. James Ge - Paul Tabisz University of Michigan - An Arbo 184
Day 1: 5 14-10 Total: 5 14-10
67. Levi Mullins - Chase Milholen Bethel University 184
Day 1: 5 14-10 Total: 5 14-10
69. Chase Sansom - Tyler Drown Marshall University 182
Day 1: 5 14-09 Total: 5 14-09
70. Fisher Overton - Fisher Young Blue Mountain College 181
Day 1: 5 14-07 Total: 5 14-07
71. Hunter Bailey - JR Young Jacksonville State University 180
Day 1: 5 14-06 Total: 5 14-06
72. Hunter Palmer - Tim Herrmann bryan college 179
Day 1: 5 14-05 Total: 5 14-05
72. Bo Thomas - Cole Zagrzebski Western Michigan University 179
Day 1: 5 14-05 Total: 5 14-05
74. George Gore - George Fallon Clemson University 177
Day 1: 5 14-03 Total: 5 14-03
75. JJ Kocevar - Logan Knoebel Kent State University 176
Day 1: 5 14-00 Total: 5 14-00
76. Morgan Miracle - Jake Thornbury Campbellsville University 175
Day 1: 5 13-15 Total: 5 13-15
76. Matthew Roberts - Alice Lloyd College 175
Day 1: 5 13-15 Total: 5 13-15
78. John Pope - Walker Leslie UNC Charlotte 173
Day 1: 5 13-14 Total: 5 13-14
78. Seth Roberts - Austin Aikins Bethel University 0
Day 1: 5 13-14 Total: 5 13-14
80. Cole Rankin - Ewing Minor Carson-Newman University 171
Day 1: 5 13-11 Total: 5 13-11
80. Tanner Shriver - Jacob Klicman Kent State University 171
Day 1: 5 13-11 Total: 5 13-11
82. Jeremy Dellinger - Nathan Smith Catawba Valley Community College 169
Day 1: 5 13-11 Total: 5 13-11
82. Garrett Warren - Will Jones Auburn University 169
Day 1: 5 13-11 Total: 5 13-11
84. Tyler Christy - Trey Schroeder McKendree University 167
Day 1: 5 13-10 Total: 5 13-10
84. Reese Kingston - Caleb Barrow Brewton-Parker College 167
Day 1: 5 13-10 Total: 5 13-10
84. Hunter Waldrop - Mark Kershaw University of South Carolina Uni 167
Day 1: 5 13-10 Total: 5 13-10
87. Dalton Smith - Cade Hayford Campbellsville University 164
Day 1: 5 13-09 Total: 5 13-09
88. Tyler Thompson - Charles Snawder Rougeux University of Louisville 163
Day 1: 5 13-07 Total: 5 13-07
88. Jacob Welch - Grant Harris Drury University 163
Day 1: 5 13-07 Total: 5 13-07
90. Drew Gill - Zebulon Frasure Wabash Valley College 161
Day 1: 5 13-05 Total: 5 13-05
91. Logan Anderson - Tyler Little North Carolina State University 160
Day 1: 5 13-04 Total: 5 13-04
91. Beau Browning - Hunter Baird Drury University 160
Day 1: 5 13-04 Total: 5 13-04
91. Matt Messer - Lafe Messer Kentucky Christian University 160
Day 1: 5 13-04 Total: 5 13-04
94. Sam Hoesley - Sam Hanggi Auburn University 157
Day 1: 5 13-02 Total: 5 13-02
95. Hayden Bartee - Syon Barnes Jacksonville State University 156
Day 1: 5 13-01 Total: 5 13-01
96. Russel Buffa - Sam Shoemaker Adrian College 155
Day 1: 5 13-00 Total: 5 13-00
96. Troy Gibson - University of Louisville 155
Day 1: 5 13-00 Total: 5 13-00
96. Hunter Loftin - Mac Johnston-Herzberg Missouri State University 155
Day 1: 5 13-00 Total: 5 13-00
99. Solomon Glenn - Ryan Thomas University of Montevallo 152
Day 1: 5 12-15 Total: 5 12-15
100. Nolan Yeager - Ethan LeGare Stephen F. Austin State Universi 151
Day 1: 5 12-14 Total: 5 12-14
101. Jacob Autry - Nick Montilino Murray State University 150
Day 1: 5 12-13 Total: 5 12-13
101. Tyler Lubbat - Hayden O'barr 150
Day 1: 5 12-13 Total: 5 12-13
101. Ben Rand - Mason Grossbauer Davenport University 150
Day 1: 5 12-13 Total: 5 12-13
104. Noah Stauffer - Trevor Campbell Ferris State University 147
Day 1: 5 12-12 Total: 5 12-12
105. Dale Hansard - Mason Lee Jacksonville State University 146
Day 1: 5 12-11 Total: 5 12-11
105. Christopher Lemaster - Damon Stepp Eastern Kentucky University 146
Day 1: 5 12-11 Total: 5 12-11
107. Dawson Burton - Jonathan Fraley Kentucky Christian University 144
Day 1: 5 12-10 Total: 5 12-10
108. Cody Prichard - Zach Mefford University of Dubuque 143
Day 1: 5 12-09 Total: 5 12-09
109. Bryant Marsh - Tyler Hill Blue Mountain College 142
Day 1: 5 12-07 Total: 5 12-07
109. James Yuska - Adam Troyer Indiana University 142
Day 1: 5 12-07 Total: 5 12-07
111. Cordell Beckman - Mark Burnham Greenville University 140
Day 1: 5 12-05 Total: 5 12-05
112. Josh Kelly - Nick Crawford Kent State University 139
Day 1: 5 12-05 Total: 5 12-05
113. Nicholas Gilbert - Hunter MCClaskey King University 138
Day 1: 5 12-03 Total: 5 12-03
113. Wyatt Montle - Austin Ware Missouri State University 138
Day 1: 5 12-03 Total: 5 12-03
113. Mason Vernia - Samuel Mateer Western Michigan University 138
Day 1: 5 12-03 Total: 5 12-03
116. Andrew Mega - 135
Day 1: 5 12-02 Total: 5 12-02
117. Jack Dice - Jeramy Evans Liberty University 134
Day 1: 5 12-02 Total: 5 12-02
118. Kyle Ashe - Steven Gawron 133
Day 1: 5 12-01 Total: 5 12-01
118. TJ Edwards - Camdon Lewis Blue Mountain College 133
Day 1: 5 12-01 Total: 5 12-01
120. Branden Burrill - Andy Clark Western Michigan University 131
Day 1: 5 11-14 Total: 5 11-14
121. Austin Anderson - Calan Cameron Stephen F. Austin 130
Day 1: 5 11-10 Total: 5 11-10
122. Jake Kimbrough - Grant Busby Blue Mountain College 129
Day 1: 5 11-09 Total: 5 11-09
122. Kobe Thompson - Bryce Kostman Adrian College 129
Day 1: 5 11-09 Total: 5 11-09
124. Lane Bailey - Adam Seagle CVCC RedHawks 127
Day 1: 5 11-08 Total: 5 11-08
125. Jacob Butts - Trevor Gorman Erskine College 126
Day 1: 5 11-07 Total: 5 11-07
125. Isaac Duncan - Taylor Owens Blue Mountain College 126
Day 1: 5 11-07 Total: 5 11-07
125. Louis Monetti - 126
Day 1: 5 11-07 Total: 5 11-07
128. Chandler Ellis - Parker Lambert Lander University 123
Day 1: 5 11-06 Total: 5 11-06
128. Cameron Smith - Cole Breeden Drury University 123
Day 1: 5 11-06 Total: 5 11-06
130. Eric Rasmussen - Nick Redlin 121
Day 1: 5 11-06 Total: 5 11-06
131. Gavin Cloutier - Calvin Rogers King University 120
Day 1: 5 11-05 Total: 5 11-05
132. Bobby Beck - Anthony Degregorio 119
Day 1: 5 11-01 Total: 5 11-01
132. Rudy Worley - John Nowlin Blue Mountain College 119
Day 1: 5 11-01 Total: 5 11-01
134. Sean Clayton - Owen Dimaio Clemson University 117
Day 1: 5 11-00 Total: 5 11-00
134. Max Schweikert - Grand Valley State University 117
Day 1: 5 11-00 Total: 5 11-00
136. Rob Lindsey - Mason Cizek Bryan College 115
Day 1: 5 11-00 Total: 5 11-00
137. Donavan Carson - Landon Lawson King University 114
Day 1: 5 10-15 Total: 5 10-15
137. Jeremy Pinkowski - Tomas Matual McKendree University 114
Day 1: 5 10-15 Total: 5 10-15
137. Matt Short - Colton Combs Eastern Kentucky University 114
Day 1: 5 10-15 Total: 5 10-15
140. Kaden Brown - Brandon Leach Eastern Kentucky University 111
Day 1: 5 10-13 Total: 5 10-13
141. Justin Eggers - Caleb Lonca Catawba County Community College 110
Day 1: 5 10-12 Total: 5 10-12
142. Wil Rigdon - Dustin Jones Campbellsville University 109
Day 1: 5 10-11 Total: 5 10-11
143. Conner Johnson - Hunter Osborne Georgetown college 108
Day 1: 5 10-02 Total: 5 10-02
143. Garrett Smith - Erskine College 108
Day 1: 5 10-02 Total: 5 10-02
145. Walker Brown - University of North Alabama 106
Day 1: 4 10-00 Total: 4 10-00
146. Nate Overocker - Evan Seggerman Greenville University 105
Day 1: 4 09-13 Total: 4 09-13
147. Dylan Chambers - Brock Bila Drury University 104
Day 1: 4 09-09 Total: 4 09-09
147. Patrick Henry - Mekenzie Vander Molen Ohio State University 104
Day 1: 4 09-09 Total: 4 09-09
149. Austin Owen - Carter Thompson Clemson University 102
Day 1: 5 09-08 Total: 5 09-08
150. Jared Minor - Michael Miller Ohio State University 101
Day 1: 4 08-15 Total: 4 08-15
151. Whit Edmonds - Bobby Long Lander University 100
Day 1: 3 07-12 Total: 3 07-12
152. David Hendel - Jacob Blackburn Ohio State University 99
Day 1: 4 07-10 Total: 4 07-10
153. Alek Masters - Hunter Hodge Eastern Kentucky University 98
Day 1: 3 07-00 Total: 3 07-00
154. Jason Zubris - Aidan Gordinier Penn State University 97
Day 1: 3 06-13 Total: 3 06-13
155. Brock Williams - Christopher Batts Ohio State University 96
Day 1: 3 05-13 Total: 3 05-13
156. Jd Clarke - Ben Tschoerner Stephen F Austin State Universit 95
Day 1: 3 05-11 Total: 3 05-11
157. Tyler Pendergrass - University of North Alabama 94
Day 1: 1 04-02 Total: 1 04-02
158. Austin Paulus - Justin Gillilan Ohio State University 93
Day 1: 2 03-14 Total: 2 03-14
159. Steve Kinard - Jimmy Mitchum Lander University 92
Day 1: 4 02-11 Total: 4 02-11
160. Jacob Middleton - Will Lutes Ohio State University 91
Day 1: 1 02-08 Total: 1 02-08
161. Seth Elkins - John Russell Reaves Jacksonville State University 90
Day 1: 1 02-07 Total: 1 02-07
162. Luke Chaddock - Chase Noland West Virginia University 89
Day 1: 3 01-13 Total: 3 01-13
163. Dalton Coleman - Noah Hurford Kentucky Christian University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
163. Tristen Dubbs - Cameron Ross Grace College 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
163. Ryan Franks - Kent State University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
163. Riley Lawson - Jay Issac Morehead State University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
163. Jacob Miller - Jack York Stephen F. Austin State Universi 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 145 776 2217-05
----------------------------------
145 776 2217-05
Cherry Collects Trophy and Checks
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Hank Cherry made history last weekend in Fort Worth, Texas by becoming only the fourth angler in Bassmaster Classic history to hoist the iconic trophy in back-to-back years. Along with the $300,000 payday and bass fishing’s most coveted title, Cherry won $7,500 from Toyota Bonus Bucks.
The two-time Bassmaster Classic champ has been a longtime supporter of Toyota in his tow-vehicle selection and has won $18,000 from the popular bass fishing contingency program in the last year and a half alone.
“The Bonus Bucks program and Toyota’s reliability should be enough to convince any angler who tows a boat to trust this brand,” Cherry said. “I bought a new 2021 Tundra from Scott Clark Toyota in North Carolina at the start of this season. It’s the 6th Tundra I have owned and I’ve enjoyed every one of them.”
Even though Cherry’s Classic wins were just over a year apart, it seems there are more differences than similarities between the two victories. His 2020 win took place in March on the Tennessee River as opposed to a scorching hot, flooded Texas fishery in June. The type of structure Cherry targeted and the pattern(s) he employed were vastly different.
Throw in the fact that his two Classic wins were essentially bookends to a global pandemic that stopped the world from turning for several months, and it’s quite the contrast when you sit back and think about it.
On the water Cherry had a two-prong pattern that included targeting flooded bushes like most of his fellow competitors, as well as employing a new Berkley Stunna Jerkbait on Lake Ray Roberts’ dam in the afternoons. Both patterns proved critical for Cherry as he held off a hard-charging Matt Arey on the final day to have less than a two-pound winning margin.
Chris Jones, an Oklahoma pro who qualified through the Bassmaster Opens and finished in 3rd place was the second-highest placing Bonus Bucks angler due to Arey (2nd place) being a sponsored Team Toyota pro. Jones took home an impressive $2,500 from the Bonus Bucks rewards program.
Fortunately for most of us, you don’t have to fish in the Bassmaster Classic or be a professional angler like Hank Cherry to reap the rewards of Toyota Bonus Bucks. This program supports hundreds of bass and walleye tournaments across the country and is eligible to anyone who tows their boat with a 2017 or newer Toyota Tundra, Tacoma, Sequoia, or 4Runner.
For a full list of events, payouts, more information, or to register for the program head to: https://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/overview or call (918) 742-6424 and ask for Kendell.
Why VanDam carries toy truck towels
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin Dynamic Sponsorships
At first glance it might seem odd that pro bass fishing’s most accomplished and sometimes intimidating angler carries bath towels decorated with toy trucks. But take a closer look and you see the names of his now 24-year-old twin sons Jackson and Nicholas embroidered on them.
“When the boys got older and Sherry retired these towels, she suggested I might want them to take on the road as ‘boat towels’ and I’m really glad she did. I’ve carried ‘em for more than 15 years, and they definitely help me feel a little better connected to home,” says VanDam.
Born very premature, Jackson and Nicholas have grown into healthy and prosperous young men since their days of drying off with toy truck towels. And now they’re driving Toyota Tacomas and Tundras as they pursue college degrees and careers.
Nicholas is working at the family’s iconic outdoor retail store, D & R Sports, and finishing his business degree at Western Michigan University. And he sometimes helps his famous bass fishing father with social media, photography, and in other marketing assistance roles.
Jackson has a passion for food prep. So he’s currently interning with accomplished chefs and often practices his craft at home with Mom, Dad, and brother Nick.
“He makes a ‘cowboy rib eye’ that he sears in a cast iron pan complete with a special butter he compounds himself. Plus, he does a great lemon chicken dish, and the crème brulee he makes for dessert is off-the-chain!” says his proud dad. “Jackson’s always experimenting, and he rarely cooks us the same dish twice.”
You see, even after 31 seasons, life on the road as a touring professional angler never gets easier. Not even for Kevin VanDam. So, if two navy blue cotton bath towels provide a heartfelt link back home to Kalamazoo to the twin boys he dearly loves, then so be it. Besides, they also serve as great tools for wiping down his Nitro after a trip to the car wash.
Record-Breaking Fan Attendance Highlights 2021 Bassmaster Classic
A total of 147,197 fans, the second-largest crowd in Classic history, attended Classic Week activities in Fort Worth and at Lake Ray Roberts State Park. Festivities concluded Sunday night, when Hank Cherry won the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
Photo by James Overstreet/B.A.S.S.
June 16, 2021
FORT WORTH, Texas — The 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk marked just the third time the iconic event has been held in Texas, but the tournament has already claimed a spot in the record books.
Fort Worth’s first Classic reeled in 147,197 fans across a variety of Classic Week activities and proved to be a true celebration of the sport, shattering previous records for the state and becoming the second-highest attended Classic in history just behind the 153,809 fans at the 2019 Classic in Knoxville, Tenn.
In 2017, the last time the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing was held in Texas, Houston and Lake Conroe drew 115,000 fans for Classic Week.
The total Classic Week attendance was recorded at a variety of activities across the region, including the Classic Kickoff Party, weigh-ins and the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo in Fort Worth, daily takeoffs on Lake Ray Roberts in Pilot Point and the Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series National Championship powered by TourneyX on Possum Kingdom Lake near Mineral Wells.
“This incredible attendance would not have been possible without the loyalty of our incredible Bassmaster fans and the partnerships between B.A.S.S. and our sponsors, exhibitors, the media and our local hosts with the Fort Worth Sports Commission and Visit Fort Worth, who worked with us to shift the Classic from its original dates,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “The entire event is a celebration of sportfishing and the outdoors, and we’re thankful for everyone who gathered with us in Texas to celebrate fishing and make this Classic such a success.”
Classic Week officially kicked off Thursday night at Fort Worth’s historic Stockyards with the Bassmaster Classic Kickoff Party. Highlighting the party was a performance by 2021 ACM New Male Artist of the Year, Jimmie Allen. In addition to the daily weigh-ins at Dickies Arena and the hands-on Go Out{side} Experience and Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo held at Will Rogers Memorial Center, large crowds — including Sen. Ted Cruz — gathered lakeside each morning for takeoff at Lake Ray Roberts State Park – Isle du Bois Unit.
“It was our absolute honor and privilege to welcome nearly 150,000 visitors from around the country to Fort Worth, Texas for one of the most epic Bassmaster Classics ever,” said Jason Sands, Director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission.
Enthusiastic sports fans not only showed up, they tuned in. FOX’s inaugural airing of the Bassmaster Classic on Saturday morning drew more than 1.6 million viewers and ranked as the most-watched Bassmaster telecast in over a decade. Fans also avidly followed the action on Bassmaster.com, viewing 18 million pages during Classic week and checking BassTrakk more than 2.4 million times for real-time updates. The website was visited more than 1.7 million times by fans from 170 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Finland, Italy, Japan, South Africa, Switzerland and Zimbabwe.
Classic Week culminated Sunday with Hank Cherry of Lincolnton, N.C., lifting the coveted Classic trophy for the second consecutive time after winning the 2021 tournament with a three-day total of 50 pounds, 15 ounces. Cherry is only the fourth angler in the 51-year history of the Super Bowl of Professional Bass Fishing to win the event in back-to-back years.
Economic impact for the week is expected to top $25 million and will be announced once the calculations are completed by the local hosts.
Texas Team Trail Presented by Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s Reschedules Championship Event on Lake Whitney
Championship now set for October 23-24
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (June 15, 2021) – The Texas Team Trail (TXTT) presented by Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s has rescheduled its championship event at Lake Whitney for October 23-24. Originally slated for June 5-6, the event was cancelled due to flooding from local storms.
Registration for event is already underway – anglers can secure an opportunity to pre-fish Thursday and Friday, October 21-22, by completing their registration online or via phone prior to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, October 20. Additionally, all anglers that pre-register online at www.texasteamtrail.com will be entered into a drawing for a $100 Cabela’s gift card.
The championship event wraps a season where anglers fish three 2021 qualifying, regular-season events that guarantee a fully rigged, 18-foot boat, motor, trailer package as first-place prize. The winning anglers at the championship tournament will walk away with a brand-new Ranger Z519 powered by a 225HP Mercury ProXS, valued at $53,044. Additionally, the second-place finishers will take home a Ranger Z518 with a 150HP Mercury ProXS, valued at $42,995.
In addition to the payout, the event offers anglers an unprecedented opportunity in terms of sponsor bonuses and television coverage. The budget-friendly $250 entry fee, plus multiple contingency programs and a guaranteed, over-100 percent payback at every event provides tremendous value to the weekend angler.
The TXTT Team of the Year title is also up for grabs at the championship event. With points being doubled at the final event, many anglers are poised to take the lead with a strong showing. The top team will be awarded custom Lucas Oil rings and paid entry fees for the 2022 season.
On-site registration is set for Friday, June 4, from 4-6 p.m. at Loafers Bend Day Use Park. At least one team member must attend, as boat numbers will be assigned during this time. Anglers will launch each day at safe light from Loafers Bend Day Use Park with anglers returning to the park for the weigh-ins at 3 p.m. each day.
Anglers with questions or anyone interested in more details on the event are encouraged to visit www.texasteamtrail.com or call 210-281-1752 or 210-788-4143.
2021 TXTT scheduled events:
Championship
October 23-24 – Lake Whitney
UA Fish Classic Recap
This week Chris, Kenneth & the Ninja look back over the last week and recap the 51st Bassmaster's Classic and Hank Cherry's back-2-Back win. David gives a new products reviewer from the Expo and his overall feel for the event. KG gives us his from home view point and more.
Federal Sponsors MLF’s Pro Circuit Stop 5 at the Potomac River
ANOKA, Minnesota – June 15, 2021 –The nation’s best bass anglers will attempt to tame the Potomac River this week during the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River. It is the fifth stop on the tour with action running June 17-20, 2021, near Marbury, MD.
“Federal is excited to partner with the leading bass fishing organization and bringing exposure to our ammunition brands to this audience,” stated Brian Kelvington, Federal’s Media Director. “While the competitors won’t be utilizing bullets to fill bag limits of largemouth bass, exposing our brand and product messaging to the fishing audience is crucial in growing our relationship with this passionate audience,” stated Kelvington.
Federal fans can learn more about bass fishing, buzz baits, Major League Fishing and the Pro Circuit at www.majorleaguefishing.com and follow the results from the intense competition on the historic Potomac River.
Federal Ammunition is also excited to announce its continuing sponsorship of Major League Fishing Cups Series in 2022. This made for TV ratings-winner pits the top pros of the Bass Pro Tour against each other in an innovative and intense format, keeping bass fishing fans on the edge of their seats.
“The Federal Ammunition brand is synonymous with the outdoors and they will find an appreciative audience among the hundreds of thousands of anglers that Major League Fishing touches each month,” said MLF President and CEO Jim Wilburn. “Their continued support shows their commitment to outdoorsmen, our anglers, and the sport of professional bass fishing. The sponsorship is a great fit and we look forward to continuing our partnership with this well-known ammunition brand.”
Federal Ammunition can be found at dealers nationwide or purchased online direct from Federal. For more information on all products from Federal or to shop online, visit www.federalpremium.com.
Gunter Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Clarks Hill Lake
APPLING, Ga. (June 15, 2021) – Boater Bryan Gunter of Ninety Six, South Carolina wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Clarks Hill Lake Presented by Googan Baits in Appling, Georgia. Gunter earned $6,213 for his victory at the event.
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Bryan Gunter of Ninety-Six, S.C. | 5 | 17-7 | $6,213 |
| 2nd | Sterling Banks of Beech Island, S.C. | 5 | 16-9 | $2,684 |
| 3rd | Bobby Stanfill of Greenwood, S.C. | 5 | 15-11 | $1,789 |
| 4th | Daniel Atkins of Anderson, S.C. | 5 | 15-9 | $1,253 |
| 5th | Zack Lamb of Martinez, Ga. | 5 | 14-15 | $1,074 |
| 6th | Randy Childers of Anderson, S.C. | 5 | 14-14 | $1,184 |
| 7th | Andy Wicker of Pomaria, S.C. | 5 | 14-13 | $850 |
| 7th | Sammy Landrum of Appling, Ga. | 5 | 14-13 | $850 |
| 9th | Greg Rikard of Leesville, S.C. | 5 | 14-12 | $716 |
| 10th | Eric Mora of Evans, Ga. | 5 | 14-8 | $626 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Tom Healan of Jefferson, Ga. | 5 | 15-2 | $2,684 |
| 2nd | James Akins of Cumming, Ga. | 5 | 14-11 | $1,342 |
| 3rd | Gregory Littles, Sr. of Columbia, S.C. | 5 | 14-10 | $893 |
| 4th | Cameron Holley of Anderson, S.C. | 5 | 13-7 | $1,048 |
| 5th | Johnny Hancox of West Union, S.C. | 5 | 12-12 | $537 |
| 6th | Bradley Gunter of Greenwood, S.C. | 5 | 12-2 | $492 |
| 7th | Joey Alexander of Salem, S.C. | 5 | 12-0 | $447 |
| 8th | David Daniel of Gainesville, Ga. | 5 | 11-8 | $403 |
| 9th | Westley Denny of Westminster, S.C. | 5 | 11-6 | $358 |
| 10th | Kyle Rogers of Cleveland, Ga. | 5 | 11-3 | $313 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Bryan Gunter of Ninety-Six, S.C. | 6-pound, 8-ounce bass | $845 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Cameron Holley of Anderson, S.C. | 6-pound, 4-ounce bass | $422 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Danny Kirk of Bartow, Ga. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Buzzbait & Zoom Brush Hog | Did Not Disclose |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Zoom Fluke & Shaky-head rig | Did Not Disclose |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Savannah River Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 14-16 | Lake Murray, Columbia, S.C. | Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube .
Stephen F. Austin University Wins MLF Wiley X College Faceoff at Lake O’ The Pines
JEFFERSON, Texas (June 15, 2021) – The Stephen F. Austin University duo of Hunter Muncrief of Pineland, Texas, and River Lee of Nacogdoches, Texas, won the Major League Fishing (MLF) Wiley X College Faceoff at Lake O’ The Pines in Jefferson, Texas, Saturday. The Lumberjacks’ bass club boated 24 bass weighing 70 pounds, 12 ounces to win the second of four Wiley X College Faceoff Events in the 2021 season and earn the win by a 45-pound, 14-ounce margin over Arkansas Tech University’s Austin Johnston and Karson Hamilton.
“We caught our fish cranking a 6th Sense Cloud 9 C-10 crankbait,” the duo told MLF officials. “We fished on a point that had shells on it, and we also seemed to believe that there was bream spawning on it as well. When they wouldn’t eat the crankbait. we caught them dragging a Carolina-rig with a 6th Sense Flush . We also caught a few flipping the bushes, but the majority came on that same point.”
The 10 teams that competed in the Wiley X College Faceoff at Lake O’ The Pines finished:
1st: Stephen F. Austin University – Hunter Muncrief, Pineland, Texas, and River Lee, Nacogdoches, Texas, 24 bass, 70-12
2nd: Arkansas Tech University – Austin Johnston, Mena, Ark., and Karson Hamilton, Hot Springs, Ark., nine bass, 24-14
3rd: Arkansas Tech University – Matt Baker, Glenwood, Ark., and Jordan Mungle, Jessieville, Ark., five bass, 19-6
4th: Lamar State University – Kaiden Dubose, Bridge City, Texas, and Trace Moore, Orange, Texas, five bass, 16-12
5th: Tarleton State University – Caden Cowan, Stephenville, Texas, and Trevor Easter, Morgan, Texas, four bass, 11-0
6th: Lamar State University – Dakota Posey, Orange, Texas, and Trent Buchholz, Beaumont, Texas, three bass, 8-12
7th: Stephen F. Austin University – Dakota Hickman and Benjamin Doss, both of Longview, Texas, two bass, 6-13
8th: Tarleton State University – Collin Reyes, Saginaw, Texas, and Reagan Nelson, Athens, Texas, two bass, 5-0
9th: Sam Houston State University – William Vega, Richmond, Texas, and Mason Hoke, Conroe, Texas, two bass, 4-11
10th: Sam Houston State University – Cash Gideon, Jacksonville, Texas, and Dylan Dunn, Huntsville, Texas, zero bass, 0-0
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Wiley X College Faceoffs are single-day tournaments where competitors fish in an MLF-style catch, weigh, immediate-release format at each event. The College Faceoff tournaments occur the Saturday following an Abu Garcia College Fishing competition, on the same body of water. The results from the College Fishing tournament the previous day determine the 20 competitors for the Wiley X College Faceoff, with the top two teams (four anglers) from the top five schools in the regular season tournament qualifying to fish in the ten-boat faceoff the following day.
The Wiley X College Faceoff tournament was the second of four Faceoff events for MLF collegiate anglers. The next College Faceoff event will be held July 31 at the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
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. Registration is accepted from any eligible college team from across the United States. 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.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF Wiley X College Faceoffs on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Laufenberg Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Wolf River Chain Presented by TINCUP
Vonwald Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
WINNECONE, Wis. (June 15, 2021) – Boater Cade Laufenberg of La Crosse, Wisconsin, won the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at the Wolf River Chain of Lakes Presented by TINCUP in Winneconne, Wisconsin. Laufenberg earned $12,235 for his victory at the event, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 contingency bonus.
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Cade Laufenberg of La Crosse, Wis. | 5 | 15-3 | $12,235 |
| 2nd | Brandon Briscoe of McHenry, Ill. | 5 | 15-0 | $2,118 |
| 3rd | Clayton Reitz of Morton, Ill. | 5 | 14-9 | $1,413 |
| 4th | Mike Feldermann of Galena, Ill. | 5 | 14-4 | $988 |
| 5th | Steve Mortenson of Oshkosh, Wis. | 5 | 13-15 | $847 |
| 6th | Mark Myers of Cedar Falls, Iowa | 5 | 13-12 | $776 |
| 7th | Andrew Behnke of Fond Du Lac, Wis. | 5 | 13-11 | $706 |
| 8th | Charles Wright of Becker, Minn. | 5 | 13-10 | $600 |
| 8th | Kory Krienke of Annandale, Minn. | 5 | 13-10 | $600 |
| 10th | Daniel Ragan of Braceville, Ill. | 5 | 13-5 | $494 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Paul Vonwald of La Crosse, Wis. | 5 | 13-10 | $2,392 |
| 2nd | Mongshua Xiong of La Crosse, Wis. | 5 | 12-14 | $1,050 |
| 3rd | Brady Rufenacht of Lavalle, Wis. | 5 | 11-15 | $701 |
| 4th | Kalvin Korotka of Manawa, Wis. | 5 | 11-12 | $490 |
| 5th | Danny Mancini of Necedah, Wis. | 5 | 10-15 | $420 |
| 6th | Jake Minch of Stevens Point, Wis. | 5 | 10-14 | $385 |
| 7th | Zeb Mathews of Waunakee, Wis. | 5 | 10-12 | $350 |
| 8th | Tom Lyskawka of Arlington Heights, Ill. | 5 | 10-9 | $315 |
| 9th | Kevin Anderson of Ettrick, Wis. | 5 | 10-3 | $262 |
| 9th | Justin Oppegard of Eagan, Minn. | 5 | 10-3 | $262 |
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Kevin Johnson of Sparta, Wis. | 4-pound, 15-ounce bass | $590 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Paul Vonwald of La Crosse, Wis. | 4-pound, 12-ounce bass | $292 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Cade Laufenberg of La Crosse, Wis. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $7,000 |
* Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
WINNING BAITS
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Frog 3/8-ounce Jig |
N/A Black |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Tube Frog Worm |
N/A Black N/A |
2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Great Lakes Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 21-23 | Lake Ouachita, Mount Ida, Ark. | Visit Hot Springs |
| 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 2-4, 2022 | Lake Hamilton, Hot Springs, Ark. | Arkansas Dept. of Parks and Tourism & Visit Hot Springs |
The 2021 MLF 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championships. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while Strike King co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube .
Wasden Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Kentucky-Barkley Lakes Presented by TINCUP
Benton’s Thompson Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (June 15, 2021) – Boater Michael Wasden of Paris, Tennessee, won the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Kentucky and Barkley Lakes Presented by TINCUP in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Wasden earned $4,559 for his victory at the event, which was hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau.
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Michael Wasden of Paris, Tenn. | 5 | 19-15 | $4,559 |
| 2nd | Brian Futch of Herrin, Ill. | 5 | 19-2 | $2,505 |
| 2nd | Edward Gettys of Paris, Tenn. | 5 | 16-10 | $1,336 |
| 4th | Bill Schroeder III of Benton, Ky. | 5 | 14-1 | $935 |
| 5th | Scott Patton of Dayton, Tenn. | 5 | 13-9 | $802 |
| 6th | Dan Shoraga of West Frankfort, Ill. | 5 | 13-0 | $735 |
| 7th | Lance Freeman of Eddyville, Ky. | 5 | 12-9 | $668 |
| 8th | Tyler Brown of Almo, Ky. | 5 | 12-7 | $601 |
| 9th | Larry Bailey of Paducah, Ky. | 5 | 12-4 | $985 |
| 10th | Daniel Langton of Evansville, Ind. | 5 | 12-1 | $468 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Jack Thompson of Benton, Ky. | 5 | 13-9 | $1,944 |
| 2nd | Dalton Wilson of Bowling Green, Ky. | 5 | 11-9 | $972 |
| 3rd | John Dunn of Paducah, Ky. | 5 | 10-0 | $649 |
| 4th | Alan Brasher of Decaturville, Tenn. | 2 | 8-15 | $716 |
| 5th | Chuck Ledbetter of Fort Campbell, Ky. | 4 | 7-15 | $389 |
| 6th | Dennis Taylor of Murray, Ky. | 4 | 7-8 | $340 |
| 6th | John Sturdivant of Obion, Tenn. | 3 | 7-8 | $340 |
| 8th | Thad Jones of Madisonville, Ky. | 4 | 7-5 | $292 |
| 9th | Bryce Newsome of Clarksville, Tenn. | 4 | 6-15 | $259 |
| 10th | Benton Peoples of Bardstown, Ky. | 4 | 6-10 | $227 |
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Michael Wasden of Paris, Tenn. | 5-pound, 12-ounce bass | $550 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Alan Brasher of Decaturville, Tenn. | 5-pound, 3-ounce bass | $262 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Brian Futch of Herrin, Ill. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
* Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
WINNING BAITS
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Swimbait | N/A |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Strike King Jig | Black and Blue |
2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| LBL Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 7-9 | Norfork Lake, Mountain Home, Ark. | Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce |
| 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 2-4, 2022 | Lake Hamilton, Hot Springs, Ark. | Arkansas Dept. of Parks and Tourism & Visit Hot Springs |
The 2021 MLF 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championships. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while Strike King co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube
Tennessee’s Short Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Cherokee Lake
Jones Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. (June 15, 2021) – Boater Joshua Short of Bean Station, Tennessee, won the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Cherokee Lake in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Short earned $13,376 for his victory at the event, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 contingency award. The event was hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism.
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Joshua Short of Bean Station, Tenn. | 5 | 17-2 | $13,376 |
| 2nd | Hunter Sales of Blaine, Tenn. | 5 | 13-13 | $2,343 |
| 3rd | Tim Hoskins of Middlesboro, Ky. | 5 | 13-9 | $1,562 |
| 4th | Jerry Reagan of Byrdstown, Tenn. | 5 | 12-14 | $1,093 |
| 5th | Gregory McDavid of Blountville, Tenn. | 5 | 12-8 | $1,187 |
| 6th | Brant Grimm of Church Hill, Tenn. | 5 | 12-6 | $859 |
| 7th | Jake Morris of McKee, Ky. | 5 | 12-4 | $781 |
| 8th | Jesse Burnett of Norris, Tenn. | 5 | 11-11 | $703 |
| 9th | Dylan Wright of Murfreesboro, Tenn. | 5 | 11-10 | $625 |
| 10th | Scott Stults of Jamestown, Tenn. | 4 | 11-8 | $547 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Matthew Jones of Bean Station, Tenn. | 4 | 8-4 | $2,270 |
| 2nd | Kendall Parnell of Monticello, Ky. | 4 | 7-15 | $1,135 |
| 3rd | Jackie Hatfield of Sweetwater, Tenn. | 4 | 7-10 | $757 |
| 4th | Andrew Adams of London, Ky. | 3 | 7-8 | $530 |
| 5th | Shaun Sparks of Allardt, Tenn. | 2 | 7-1 | $454 |
| 6th | Dean Dalton of Keeling, Va. | 3 | 6-13 | $416 |
| 7th | Johnny Douglas of Liberty, Ky. | 4 | 6-10 | $378 |
| 8th | Keith Gunsauls of Dandridge, Tenn. | 3 | 6-1 | $341 |
| 9th | Todd Stopher of London, Ky. | 2 | 5-14 | $284 |
| 9th | Gilbert Jolley of Livingston, Tenn. | 2 | 5-14 | $284 |
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Joshua Short of Bean Station, Tenn. | 6-pound, 4-ounce bass | $690 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Sean Connors of Louisville, Ky. | 4-pound, 2-ounce bass | $330 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Joshua Short of Bean Station, Tenn. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $7,000 |
* Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
WINNING BAITS
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Buzzbait Swimbait |
N/A N/A |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Yamamoto Senko | N/A |
2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Mountain Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 7-9 | Wheeler Lake, Decatur, Ala. | Decatur Morgan County Tourism |
| 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 2-4, 2022 | Lake Hamilton, Hot Springs, Ark. | Arkansas Dept. of Parks and Tourism & Visit Hot Springs |
The 2021 MLF 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championships. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while Strike King co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube .
Benton High School Wins U.S. Army High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Lake O' the Pines
JEFFERSON, Texas (June 15, 2021) – The Benton High School duo of Peyton Grantham of Benton, Louisiana, and Tanner Underwood of Bossier City, Louisiana, won the U.S. Army High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Lake of the Pines Presented by Googan Baits Presented by Hosting Pro Jeff Sprague on Saturday in Jefferson, Texas. The victory advanced the winning team to the 2021 U.S. Army High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing National Championship.
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | SCHOOL/CLUB NAME/CITY | ANGLER NAME | BASS | WEIGHT |
| 1st | Benton High School* | Peyton Grantham* Tanner Underwood* |
5 | 22-15 |
| 2nd | Hallsville* | Noah Jarrett* Cooper Mayes* |
5 | 22-4 |
| 3rd | Henderson* | Brayden Cross* Jack Hacker* |
5 | 16-1 |
| 4th | Elizabeth High School | Ty Haymon Bryce Tichy |
5 | 15-10 |
| 5th | Carlisle High School | Colby Crim Caleb Crim |
5 | 15-9 |
| 6th | Harleton | Brayten Harper Corbin Sanders |
5 | 15-8 |
| 7th | Winnsboro | Gage Ivey Pake South |
5 | 15-4 |
| 8th | North Desoto | Will Henderson Justin Lafitte |
5 | 15-1 |
| 9th | North Desoto | Evan Howe Drake Wadsworth |
5 | 13-14 |
| 10th | Queen City Bass Fishing Assoc. | Dylan Benson Carson Dillinger |
5 | 13-10 |
*Top 10% of teams advance to the 2021 U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing National Championship
Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
2021 UPCOMING QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| U.S. Army High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Mississippi River Open Presented by Googan Baits | July 31 | Mississippi River, La Crosse, Wis. | La Crosse County Convention & Visitors Bureau |
| 2021 U.S. Army High School Fishing National Championship & World Finals | Jun. 30 – Jul. 3 | Lake Hartwell, Anderson, S.C. | Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau |
The first 25 high school teams that enter each U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing tournament will receive a free Favorite Fishing package, including one Favorite Fishing casting rod and reel, one Favorite Fishing spinning rod and reel, six packs of Googan Baits and two Favorite Fishing hats, a total package value of $230. Most tournaments will also be hosted by a Bass Pro Tour angler or Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit angler, giving high school students the chance to meet the sport’s top pros. As an added bonus, the winning team at each tournament will receive a guided fishing trip with their pro angler host.
U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships will advance to the 2021 U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing National Championship. The U.S. Army High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the U.S. Army High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2021 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. More than $2.8 million in scholarships and prizes were offered at the 2020 World Finals.
Full schedules and the latest announcements, photos and articles are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and MajorLeagueFishing.com.
University of Louisiana-Monroe Wins Abu Garcia College Fishing Tournament on Lake O' the Pines
JEFFERSON, Texas (June 15, 2021) – The University of Louisiana duo of Jacob Andrews and Connor Nimrod, both of Monroe, Louisiana, took the win on Friday at the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI at Lake of the Pines. The victory earned the University of Louisiana team $2,000 and qualified the duo to compete in the 2022 College Fishing National Championship.
TOP 10 RESULTS*
| RANK | COLLEGE NAME | ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | University of Louisiana-Monroe | Jacob Andrews of Monroe, La. Connor Nimrod of Monroe, La. |
5 | 26-5 | $2,000 |
| 2nd | Stephen F. Austin | Jacob Miller of Fort Worth, Texas Jack York of Colleyville, Texas |
5 | 25-11 | $1,000 |
| 3rd | Tarleton State – Stephenville | Caden Cowan of Stephenville, Texas Trevor Easter of Morgan, Texas |
5 | 24-13 | $500 |
| 4th | LSU – Shreveport | Tyler Tamburo of Bossier City, La. Blakely Young of Hallsville, Texas |
5 | 24-0 | $500 |
| 5th | University of Louisiana - Lafayette | Dylan Friloux of Lafayette, La. Hayden Pinho of Patterson, La. |
5 | 23-5 | $500 |
| 6th | Dallas Baptist University | Tanner Foster of Venus, Texas Andrew Rickman of Canton, Texas |
5 | 22-14 | |
| 7th | Stephen F. Austin | River Lee of Nacogdoches, Texas Hunter Muncrief of Pineland, Texas |
5 | 22-14 | |
| 8th | Arkansas Tech University | Karson Hamilton of Hot Springs, Ark. Austin Johnston of Mena, Ark. |
5 | 22-6 | |
| 9th | East Texas Baptist University | Cannon Bird of Marshall, Texas Jacob Keith of Jefferson, Texas |
5 | 21-14 | |
| 10th | Louisiana College | Harrison Bieber of Dry Prong, La. Ben South of Dry Prong, La. |
5 | 21-4 |
*Top 10 teams advance to the 2022 College Fishing National Championship
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
2021/2022 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI | July 30 | Mississippi River, La Crosse, Wis. | La Crosse County Convention & Visitors Bureau |
| Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship Presented by Lowrance | TBA - 2022 | TBA | TBA |
The event was the second of three qualifying tournaments for Southern Conference anglers.
Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI teams compete in 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.
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, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
ETBU’s Ross And Thurston Leverage Kicker For College Classic Win
Ethan Thurston and Cody Ross, of East Texas Baptist University, have won the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Classic presented by Bass Pro Shops on Eagle Mountain Lake and Lake Worth with 16 pounds, 6 ounces.
Photo by Chris Mitchell/B.A.S.S.
June 13, 2021
FORT WORTH, Texas — Missing a limit usually dooms championship hopes, but East Texas Baptist University’s Cody Ross and Ethan Thurston defied the odds by winning the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Classic presented by Bass Pro Shops on Eagle Mountain Lake and Lake Worth with a four-fish bag that weighed 16 pounds, 6 ounces.
The winners anchored their catch with a 7-8 kicker that Ross caught with a bone-colored Strike King Popping Perch on his third cast. Thurston also caught a big fish on the Popping Perch and added two keepers with a green pumpkin V&M J-Bugs Texas-rigged on a 4/0 hook with a 3/4-ounce weight.
“We were fishing midlake and we just decided this morning where we wanted to go,” Ross said. “We were running up the lake and pulled in there because that’s where we had the most bites in practice.
“It was a tough practice because there’s not a big population of fish in this lake, so we decided where the best place was to get bites.”
That spot was a main-lake point with reeds and other vegetation. Ross, a senior, noted that a late-season shad spawn was the key to his team’s success.
“It was very surprising because the shad normally don’t spawn this late in the year,” he said. “But we’ve had an unseasonably rainy and cooler spring.”
While the anglers agreed that a slow, vulnerable presentation was the key to making their frog infiltrate the spawning baitfish activity, Thurston said their flipping bite was far more random.
“If you got it in front of their face, they’d bite it, but you couldn’t put a pattern together in the reeds for anything,” the sophomore said. “It was just making as many casts as you could to cover water.”
Ross agreed: “In practice, one of them would be on reeds, one would be on water willows, the next one would be on the bulkhead. But today, reeds were where we got bit.”
The winners got their work done in short order Sunday. Following Ross’ big catch, they had what they weighed in in the first 30 minutes. Despite missing a limit, Ross said he and Thurston were pleased that their game plan delivered what they needed.
“We knew we were on a better-than-average size fish whenever we would get one to bite,” Ross said. “We had a pretty good idea that it was going to take a mid- to upper-teens bag to win, so we knew that if we could just get three or four key bites in the boat that it would go a long way for us.”
Cody Gregory and Levi Mullins of Bethel University finished second with 11-13, and Zeke Gossett and Lucas Smith of Jacksonville State University were third with 10-6.
Cherry Puts Finishing Touches On Second-Straight Bassmaster Classic Win At Ray Roberts
Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk with a three-day total of 50 pounds, 15 ounces.
Photo by Chris Brown/B.A.S.S.
June 13, 2021
FORT WORTH, Texas — Hank Cherry now occupies some rare air in the sport of professional bass fishing, and he has the bank statements to prove it.
The Lincolnton, N.C., pro, caught five bass Sunday that weighed 13 pounds, 1 ounce and won the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk with a three-day total of 50 pounds, 15 ounces.
He is only the fourth angler in the 51-year history of the Super Bowl of Professional Bass Fishing to win the event in back-to-back years. He earned another of the iconic Classic trophies and his second $300,000 check in 18 months.
Another North Carolina pro, Matt Arey, finished second with 49-1 and lost at least one big bass on Championship Sunday that might have put him over the top.
“I feel bad for Matt, and I told him I’ve been where he was,” Cherry said. “I had the same thing happen to me and mine happened a lot closer to the boat.
“I’m not giving it back — not apologizing for it. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
Cherry, a nine-year veteran of the Bassmaster Elite Series, finished third in his first Classic back in 2013 on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees. Like Arey, he lost a crucial fish in that event that would have given him the trophy.
He went through a tough stretch in the Classic after that, finishing no higher than 27th in three tries. But then he put the bad memories of 2013 behind him last year on Lake Guntersville when he caught 29-3 on the first day and rode that mammoth bag to a wire-to-wire victory.
He didn’t quite go wire-to-wire this year, starting in third place on the first day with a limit of 20-4. But as suffocating heat moved into the area, the fishing got tougher and Cherry remained consistent enough to stay on top with a Day 2 catch of 17-10 and a final-round bag of 13-1 that was just enough.
He caught the bulk of his weight during the week flipping flooded bushes along the shoreline and throwing a jerkbait around riprap along the dam.
“The bite in the bushes is going away,” Cherry said. “It’s so hot out there right now. The water temperature was 71 degrees when we got here for practice, and I saw it as high as 87 today. A lot of those bushes are starting to break down, and those fish just don’t want to be there.
“I was fortunate to get enough out of them to win.”
For flipping the bushes, Cherry used a 3/4-ounce tungsten weight with a 4/0 flipping hook and a variety of soft-plastic baits, including a Berkley Pit Boss, a craw lure and a beaver-style bait.
“I would just alternate between five or six baits, back and forth,” he said. “That probably wasn’t as much for the fish as it was for me. Whatever I was using, I was doing the same thing. But it felt like I was doing something different.”
When the bass got extremely lethargic in the 99-degree heat Sunday, Cherry did actually make a change to his flipping setup, switching to a 1/4-ounce tungsten weight with a 3/0 hook. He had two fish in his livewell at the time but caught three bass to fill his limit within 30 minutes after making the switch.
“I caught maybe the dumbest bass in the lake,” Cherry said. “I flipped into a bush and instead of going into the bush, that lighter bait kind of ricocheted off of it. The bass actually swam out of the bush to get the bait and swam back in with it.”
That fish weighed almost 4 1/2 pounds and helped Cherry recharge on a day when he said sweat was constantly rolling into his eyes and blinding him.
When Cherry fished the rocks along the dam, he used a new jerkbait called a Berkley Stunna in the stealth shad color. He believes he caught the tail end of the jerkbait bite, just as he did with the flipping bite.
“The bushes I was fishing, if the lake was at normal pool, they wouldn’t even be in the water,” Cherry said. “So, you know the fish are probably itching to move away from there and go offshore.
“I think the same is true around those rocks. The heat is just radiating off those things — and if it makes us miserable, you know it probably makes them miserable, too.”
Cherry joins Rick Clunn (1976-77), Kevin VanDam (2010-11) and Jordan Lee (2017-18) as the only back-to-back Classic winners. This marks his fourth victory with B.A.S.S., including last year’s Classic, an Opens win on Smith Lake in 2012 and an Elite Series victory on Muskegon and White Lakes in 2013. He was the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year.
Cherry said he enjoyed his reign as the 2020 Classic champion even though the year was marred by the COVID-19 pandemic and many of the personal appearances he might have made as Classic champ didn’t happen.
Whether this next reign will be different, he couldn’t say for sure.
“I don’t know what to expect, I really don’t,” Cherry said. “I’ll just take it as it comes — and I’ll never doubt just how blessed I am.”
Frank Talley of Temple, Texas, took home Berkley Big Bass honors and an additional $2,500 for his 8-3 caught on Day 1.
As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, sixth-place finisher Scott Canterbury of Odenville, Ala., earned a $20,000 bonus.
Cherry took home an additional $7,500 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, and Chris Jones of Bokoshe, Okla., earned $2,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
The Bassmaster Classic was hosted by the Fort Worth Sports Commission and Visit Fort Worth.
2021 Bassmaster Classic Hosts: Fort Worth Sports Commission; Visit Fort Worth
2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk 6/11-6/13
Lake Ray Roberts, Fort Worth TX.
(ANGLER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 15 50-15 0 $300,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 17-10 Day 3: 5 13-01
2. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 15 49-01 0 $50,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 15-12 Day 3: 5 18-00
3. Chris Jones Bokoshe, OK 15 45-09 0 $40,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 5 13-00
4. Justin Kerr Lake Havasu, AZ 14 45-02 0 $30,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 4 19-12 Day 3: 5 12-00
5. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 13 42-00 0 $25,000.00
Day 1: 4 08-10 Day 2: 4 14-05 Day 3: 5 19-01
6. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 15 41-06 0 $22,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 14-06 Day 3: 5 12-05
7. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 14 40-03 0 $21,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 4 09-02 Day 3: 5 14-13
8. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 14 40-02 0 $21,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 4 10-09
9. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 14 38-07 0 $20,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 12-08 Day 3: 4 09-05
10. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 11 38-01 0 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-07 Day 2: 1 02-06 Day 3: 5 13-04
11. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 13 37-00 0 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 3 05-09 Day 3: 5 15-05
12. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 11 36-07 0 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 1 07-13 Day 3: 5 13-02
13. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 11 35-08 0 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-00 Day 2: 4 09-11 Day 3: 2 02-13
14. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 12 34-04 0 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 4 10-15 Day 3: 3 07-09
15. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 14 33-11 0 $15,000.00
Day 1: 4 10-02 Day 2: 5 11-04 Day 3: 5 12-05
16. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 14 33-03 0 $13,000.00
Day 1: 4 11-14 Day 2: 5 09-09 Day 3: 5 11-12
17. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 12 32-00 0 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 4 08-04 Day 3: 3 09-08
18. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 13 31-09 0 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 3 05-07 Day 3: 5 09-14
19. Cody Bird Granbury, TX 12 29-15 0 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 10-05 Day 3: 2 04-02
20. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 10 29-02 0 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 4 09-14 Day 3: 1 04-03
21. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 12 28-07 0 $13,000.00
Day 1: 4 08-08 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 3 06-10
22. Frank Talley Temple, TX 9 27-13 0 $15,500.00
Day 1: 4 15-10 Day 2: 3 08-04 Day 3: 2 03-15
23. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 11 27-12 0 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 3 10-12 Day 3: 3 05-15
24. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 8 27-02 0 $13,000.00
Day 1: 4 12-05 Day 2: 2 10-10 Day 3: 2 04-03
25. Seth Feider New Market, MN 10 26-09 0 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 2 08-06 Day 3: 3 05-09
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BERKLEY BIG BASS
Frank Talley Temple, TX 08-03 $2,500.00
Cullman’s Hopper And Franks Get Redemption In High School Classic
Brody Hopper and Landon Franks, of Cullman (Ala.) High School, have won the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series Classic presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors on Eagle Mountain Lake and Lake Worth. with 13 pounds, 1 ounce.
Photo by Chris Mitchell/B.A.S.S.
June 12, 2021
FORT WORTH, Texas — Implementing a two-stage game plan, Brody Hopper and Landon Franks of Alabama’s Cullman High School caught a five-bass limit of 13 pounds, 1 ounce to win the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series Classic presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors on Eagle Mountain Lake and Lake Worth.
Heading into their junior year, Hopper and Franks edged Madison County High School’s Logan Fisher and Will Hart by 6 ounces. In the event’s nine-boat field, Cullman was one of only two teams to catch a limit.
“We started on the south end of the lake because of the clear water and we found the fish right up on the bank. They were right in the dirt,” Franks said.
The winners started their day on seawalls in about 3 feet of water. Franks threw 3/8-ounce jigs in watermelon and green pumpkin colors with a green pumpkin blue flake Strike King Menace, while Hopper fished a 1/4-ounce watermelon shaky head with a watermelon candy Zoom Needle Worm.
“I was throwing my jig right along the seawalls and dragging it off; they were right there,” Franks said. “We tried to focus on shaded banks. We caught a couple off main river seawalls, but most of them were shaded banks.”
Later in the day, the anglers transitioned to docks, where they caught their fish on the same baits. Franks said they were picky about their dock selection.
“We’d try to find docks in about 6 feet of water, but not floating docks; we’d try to find stationary docks,” he said. “The fish will stack up on the poles and find shade under there. You could skip up under there and catch them."
Hopper noted that long casts were essential for the morning seawalls, while his afternoon presentations were shorter and more targeted.
The Cullman team fished last year’s Classic and experienced a disappointing finish. Hopper said that sore memory motivated him and Franks to seek redemption.
“We had one fish and got beat pretty badly last year,” Hopper said. “I knew it was going to change this year.
“We were planning for Lake Grapevine (the original site) and we were going to try deep cranks, but when we heard it was moved to Eagle Mountain, we switched it up and went shallow. Smith Lake, near Cullman, is full of docks, so it was pretty much the same thing.”
Hopper’s father, Jeremy, serves as the team’s boat captain. He said his team focused on the mental toughness necessary to maintain focus in tough conditions.
“I always tell Brody to stay positive,” Jeremy Hopper said. “When it gets hot during the day and your mind wants to wander off from the heat and the exhaustion, I always tell him, ‘Put your head in it, keep it in it and you can do it.’”
In second place, Fisher and Hart caught four fish for 12-11. Chase Hubble and Brent May of Strawberry Crest High School finished third with a limit catch of 10-7.
Cherry Takes Lead On Weather-Shortened Day At Bassmaster Classic On Lake Ray Roberts
Hank Cherry, of Lincolnton, N.C., is leading after Day 2 of the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk with a two-day total of 37 pounds, 14 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
June 12, 2021
FORT WORTH, Texas — The 54 anglers competing in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk had planned to start fast and take advantage of an early-morning shad spawn bite that has been extremely reliable this week on Lake Ray Roberts.
But Mother Nature threw up an electric stop sign.
Freak thunderstorms with dangerous lightning delayed the tournament by more than two hours and negated much of the morning bite. While many of the Day 1 leaders struggled, North Carolina pro Hank Cherry landed 17 pounds, 10 ounces to move from third place into the lead with a two-day total of 37-14.
The winner of last year’s Classic on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville, Cherry will now begin Championship Sunday with nearly a 5-pound lead and a chance to become only the fourth angler in the 51-year history of the event to claim back-to-back titles.
“There was definitely more pressure to win the first one last year,” Cherry said. “Winning is one thing, but to win it twice, it’s got to all go right.
“What’s eerie about this is that it’s the same feeling as last year. I’m out there on the dam today and people are stopped all the way down the dam getting out watching me fish — it just feels the same.”
Despite the late takeoff, Cherry got off to a fast start, catching two bass in the 4-pound range flipping a jig into wooden structure. The fish came only four or five casts apart and gave Cherry the shot in the arm he needed to fish confidently all day.
That was especially important when he lost a big bass later in the day on a jerkbait.
“Of course, Day 2, in Hank Cherry fashion, I lose the biggest fish I’ve hooked in the two days of competition and it breaks me off on a jerkbait,” Cherry said. “I don’t know how big it was, but I’ve caught thousands of them on a jerkbait and I know when they bite how big they are. When I set the hook, it didn’t move. When it started diving down, I knew it was gonna go right to the rock and brush.
“It would have been a great fish to have, but I didn’t let it bother me.”
Cherry said he’s taking the same approach with the pressure of leading the Classic once again going into the final day.
“I’ve played in a lot of big games,” Cherry said. “I’ve won this big game — and I’m not going to cry if I don’t win it tomorrow.
“I’ve got my trophy at home. I’ll hand the trophy to the winner tomorrow and go hard at it again next year.”
The biggest mover of the day was B.A.S.S. Nation qualifier Justin Kerr, who rose from 22nd place to second with four bass that weighed 19-12. Kerr put together the day’s biggest limit flipping submerged bushes and using an Evergreen JackHammer ChatterBait.
Though his bag was one shy of a limit, one of his bass weighed 7-2 and another weighed 6-12.
“I have this one area that has a bunch of big ones in it, and I got two bites there yesterday and lost one of them,” Kerr said. “Today, with the half day that we had, I was hoping for two bites that would put me in the 11-pound range, but they just happened to be 7-pounders.”
An Arizona resident and longtime successful angler in the western United States, Kerr has not been exploiting the early-morning shad spawn bite like much of the field. That’s a big part of why he weighed in only a small five-bass limit (13-6) on Day 1 and missed a limit on Day 2.
But he believes he’s around the bass to win — he said he’s seen another bass in the 10-pound range this week — and he realizes the gravity of his situation.
Kerr is vying to become just the second Nation qualifier ever to win professional fishing’s biggest event. Connecticut angler Bryan Kerchal claimed the title in 1994 on North Carolina’s High Rock Lake but was killed in a plane crash months later.
“To represent the Nation this way is an awesome deal,” he said. “It shows that people like me who don’t get the opportunity to fish the Elites or get on tour because of financial or personal reasons … It doesn’t matter who you are, you can get a chance to compete in the Classic.
“It’s a pretty humbling experience to be in this position, for sure.”
Perhaps no one was hurt more by the late start than Auburn, Ala., pro Steve Kennedy.
After catching a big limit of 23 pounds — mostly before 7 a.m. — on Day 1, Kennedy managed just four bass that weighed 9-11 Saturday and tumbled to third with 32-11. He said he plans to spend all day on Championship Sunday fishing for deep suspended bass he found in practice.
He lost a bass he estimated at 8 pounds fishing that way Saturday.
“It was on a jig on standing timber out in the middle of the lake,” Kennedy said. “I got him to the boat without a problem, and the way I remember it, he just kind of laid there for a second like he wasn’t even going to fight. Then he took off and pulled off. Huge fish.”
Though Kennedy had major success fishing the early-morning shad spawn bite on Day 1, he said he may mostly forego that action Sunday to target those big suspended bass.
“I may spend 30 minutes up shallow,” Kennedy said. “But I’ve had this other deal in my back pocket, and you only get so many chances like this. There aren’t big numbers out there, but those big females are there.
“Those are the ones I want to fish for.”
Frank Talley of Temple, Texas, still holds the lead for Berkley Big Bass of the week with the 8-3 largemouth he caught on Day 1. Chad Pipkens of Holt, Mich., came close to topping that mark Saturday with an 8-1.
The Top 25 anglers will take off at 6:15 a.m. CT Sunday from Lake Ray Roberts State Park - Isle du Bois Unit in Pilot Point, Texas. The weigh-in will be held at 4 p.m. at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
The winning angler will claim a life-changing title, a $300,000 first-place check and the iconic trophy that only a handful anglers have ever had the privilege to hold.
The final day of the annual Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo will be held Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Exhibitors are on-site selling a variety of merchandise for fishing, hunting, camping and more. As part of the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo, the Go Out{side} Experience will offer fun options for families, including inflatable archery, cornhole, jumping dogs and knot tying. Kids can even catch their first fish at an on-site catfish pond.
The Bassmaster Classic is being hosted by the Fort Worth Sports Commission and Visit Fort Worth.
2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk 6/11-6/13
Lake Ray Roberts, Fort Worth TX.
(ANGLER) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 10 37-14 0
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 17-10
2. Justin Kerr Lake Havasu, AZ 9 33-02 0
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 4 19-12
3. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 9 32-11 0
Day 1: 5 23-00 Day 2: 4 09-11
4. Chris Jones Bokoshe, OK 10 32-09 0
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 15-07
5. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 10 31-01 0
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 15-12
6. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 10 29-09 0
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 13-09
7. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 10 29-02 0
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 12-08
8. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 10 29-01 0
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 14-06
9. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 9 26-11 0
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 4 10-15
10. Cody Bird Granbury, TX 10 25-13 0
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 10-05
11. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 9 25-06 0
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 4 09-02
12. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 9 24-15 0
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 4 09-14
13. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 6 24-13 0
Day 1: 5 22-07 Day 2: 1 02-06
14. Frank Talley Temple, TX 7 23-14 0
Day 1: 4 15-10 Day 2: 3 08-04
15. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 6 23-05 0
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 1 07-13
16. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 8 22-15 0
Day 1: 4 08-10 Day 2: 4 14-05
17. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 6 22-15 0
Day 1: 4 12-05 Day 2: 2 10-10
18. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 9 22-08 0
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 4 08-04
19. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 9 21-13 0
Day 1: 4 08-08 Day 2: 5 13-05
20. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 8 21-13 0
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 3 10-12
21. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 8 21-11 0
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 3 05-07
22. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 8 21-11 0
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 3 05-09
23. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 9 21-07 0
Day 1: 4 11-14 Day 2: 5 09-09
24. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 9 21-06 0
Day 1: 4 10-02 Day 2: 5 11-04
25. Seth Feider New Market, MN 7 21-00 0
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 2 08-06
26. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 7 20-13 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 2 04-15
27. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 7 20-10 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 2 04-12
28. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 7 20-10 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 2 07-04
29. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 8 20-00 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 3 07-05
30. Jordan Wiggins Cullman, AL 7 19-13 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 2 03-10
31. Trevor McKinney Benton, IL 9 19-09 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 4 06-13
32. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 8 19-00 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 07-05 Day 2: 5 11-11
33. John Cox DeBary, FL 8 17-09 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 04-00 Day 2: 5 13-09
34. Bryan New Belmont, NC 7 17-02 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 11-08 Day 2: 3 05-10
35. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 6 16-04 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 05-15 Day 2: 4 10-05
36. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 7 15-14 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 2 05-11
37. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 6 15-01 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 1 02-10
38. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 5 15-00 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 13-11 Day 2: 1 01-05
39. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 5 15-00 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 12-15 Day 2: 1 02-01
40. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 7 15-00 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 2 02-14
41. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 6 14-10 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 1 02-08
42. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 8 14-01 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 05-09 Day 2: 5 08-08
43. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 6 13-15 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 3 08-04 Day 2: 3 05-11
44. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 6 13-12 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 04-10 Day 2: 4 09-02
45. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 7 13-10 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 03-09 Day 2: 5 10-01
46. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 6 13-05 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 05-10 Day 2: 4 07-11
47. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 13-03 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 0 00-00
48. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 12-13 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
49. Keith Carson DeBary, FL 6 12-06 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 1 01-07
50. Tommy Williams Shepherdsville, KY 6 11-14 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 1 01-05 Day 2: 5 10-09
51. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 11-11 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 03-00 Day 2: 3 08-11
52. Buddy Gross Chickamauga, GA 4 11-05 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 05-08 Day 2: 2 05-13
53. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 5 10-11 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 0 00-00
54. Blake Sylvester Plaquemine, LA 4 06-04 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 4 06-04
Adjustment Leads Pendergraf To Narrow Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship
Mark Pendergraf of Fort Worth, Texas, has won the Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series Championship powered by TourneyX on Possum Kingdom Lake with a two-day total measuring 209.25 inches.
Photo by Chris Mitchell/B.A.S.S.
June 11, 2021
Adjustment Leads Pendergraf To Narrow Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship
FORT WORTH, Texas — When conditions trashed his practice findings, Mark Pendergraf of Fort Worth, Texas, made a key adjustment and won the inaugural Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series Championship powered by TourneyX on Possum Kingdom Lake with a two-day total of 209.25 inches.
Edging second-place Joe McElroy of Alabama by 1/2 inch, Pendergraf won the $20,000 first-place award. TourneyX owner/operator Dwayne Walley confirmed that the winner notched the highest two-day total in TourneyX history.
Possum Kingdom, an 18,000-acre Brazos River reservoir located 90 miles west of Fort Worth, is normally relatively clear. However, Day 1 brought muddy conditions. McElroy had graphed chunk rock sweet spots on bluff walls during practice, but the declining clarity fizzled that bite.
“From about 6:30 to 1, I caught fish on bluff walls with a Strike King 5XD in the sexy shad color, but I fished closer than I did in practice because of the muddy water,” Pendergraf said. “I had a rough start to the day and I only had 4 fish at 12:30.”
Frustrated with his low productivity, Pendergraf steered his Old Town Autopilot 120 kayak back to his launch ramp where he assumed he’d wind up his day with a few random casts.
“I made a cast and caught a striper. So, I thought, that’s not a bad way to spend the last 30 minutes of the tournament,” Pendergraf said. “I made a cast to the left and caught a 19-inch (largemouth). I made another cast, 20 1/2; made another cast, 18 3/4.
“Day 2, I literally launched my kayak, I went out, made a U-turn, waited until lines-in and I stayed there for 10 hours. I punched some heavy, heavy fish. I think my first fish was a 24-inch bass. That was my fourth cast, about 6:05.”
Pendergraf targeted the concrete boat ramp with a Strike King 6XD (sexy shad) and quickly dialed in a particular positioning preference.
“I would crank from about 3 feet down to 12,” Pendergraf said. “On Day 1, it was a fast flurry, just a lot of fish in a short amount of time, so I didn’t have anything pinpointed on that boat ramp that they were attracted to.
“Day 2, I found that one side of the boat ramp had a lip on it. There was a solid drop-off on it and the fish were tucking down on the side of that. If I could land my bait on that lip and run it down, they would smash it cast after cast after cast.”
Reflecting on the way his tournament played out, Pendergraf said he should have spent his entire tournament on that boat ramp. “I could have just gone out with one rod and one bait and just been done.”
Daniel Lyons earned Big Bass honors on Day 1 with his 24 1/2-inch fish. Pendergraf’s 24-inch bass took top honors for Day 2.
McElroy finished second with 208.75 inches. Mississippi's Brad Case finished third with 201.75.
Kennedy Starts Fast, Takes Day 1 Lead At Bassmaster Classic On Lake Ray Roberts
Steve Kennedy, of Auburn, Ala., is leading after Day 1 of the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk with 23 pounds.
Photo by Chris Brown/B.A.S.S.
June 11, 2021
FORT WORTH, Texas — Steve Kennedy caught a five-bass limit that weighed 23 pounds Friday to take the lead during the opening round of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
And the scary thing is, he said he didn’t even get to go to the biggest bass he found in practice.
The Auburn, Ala., pro made the most of an early-morning shad spawn bite, putting the bulk of his limit in the livewell before 7 a.m. Then with the winds blowing hard across Lake Ray Roberts, he decided he wouldn’t be able to proceed with the second part of his game plan.
On Saturday, he hopes to exploit that morning bite again — and hopefully move on to Phase 2.
“I kind of got stuck up on one end of the lake because the wind was blowing so hard,” said Kennedy, a 10-time Classic qualifier who has finished as high as second in the event. “I didn’t go anywhere near where I was planning on fishing my second deal.
“Maybe I will tomorrow. Maybe I won’t have to. If I don’t have to show that until the final day, I sure don’t want to.”
During Kennedy’s final day of practice, he said he got 18 bites the first two hours of the morning. But those came during cloudy conditions — and since he didn’t know if there would be cloud cover Friday, he said he tried to cover water as quickly as he could.
“I was trying to condense that two hours into 30 minutes,” he said. “I was fishing a jig, and they were just eating it like crazy. The morning went just like I had hoped it would.”
After the morning bite died down, Kennedy had hoped to move to deeper water and target larger bass with big glide baits. But the weather nixed those plans.
“It was extremely rough,” he said. “My core was hurting. There were times when I was on my tippy-toes and times when I was on my heels trying not to go over.
“I was headed to my other fish and taking waves over the bow. If I had gone all the way there, I might not have been able to stand up.”
South Carolina pro Patrick Walters is right on Kennedy’s heels in second place with 22-7 — and like Kennedy, Walters found the morning conditions much more favorable.
“I was really hoping for an afternoon bite, but the wind made that nonexistent,” said Walters, who earned his first Bassmaster Elite Series victory last season on Lake Fork in Texas and finished second in another event on Fork earlier this year. “I planned to spend the entire afternoon fishing offshore, but you really couldn’t position on the fish and present your bait the way you needed to.”
That left him to rely on the early-morning bite — and, as it was for most of the field, that was short-lived.
“The shallow bite is good first thing,” Walters said. “But then about 9 o’clock, it cuts off like a light switch. I don’t know what happens, if they just move out or what. But you have until about 9, and then you have to go do something different.”
Walters — who earned Bassmaster Century Belts in both Fork events with four-day limits that weighed more than 100 pounds — did so by targeting big suspended bass in standing timber. He said Ray Roberts features a different kind of structure than Fork, but he’s counting on those same suspended fish to earn the biggest win of his career.
“You have to cover so much water out there offshore just to get a bite or two,” Walters said. “If you can’t fish efficiently, it’s just not worth it.”
But if conditions allow, Walters said the tournament could certainly be won offshore.
“You’re talking about isolated bass that are eating white bass and crappie instead of the ones up shallow that are eating little shad,” Walters said. “A fish that suspends owns the water column. When they get up that high in the water column, they’re usually pretty big fish — and in Texas, they’re especially big.
“I only need 15 fish to win this tournament, so those are the ones I’m looking for.”
A familiar name — reigning Classic champ Hank Cherry of North Carolina — finished the day in third after landing five bass that weighed 20-4.
“This was actually my worst day since I’ve been here,” said Cherry, who caught 29-3 on the first day of last year’s Classic at Lake Guntersville. “I never got comfortable today. The situation, the water color, the wind.
“I kept second-guessing myself and thinking I should be somewhere else.”
It was a midmorning revelation that finally made Cherry feel at home.
“I kind of slowed down and started kind of retracking how the morning went and noticing that I got more bites on the trees than I did in the bushes,” Cherry said. “So, I picked up a jig and kind of went back to that and started getting bit.”
Though he weighed in 20-plus pounds, Cherry said fans shouldn’t confuse Friday’s bag with the big opening-round total he weighed in last year’s event.
“This was a lot of work,” he said. “I spent a lot of time wondering what was going on, and I tried to force it. I tried to get up on some of those shallower points and really fish it, but I just wasn’t comfortable there.
“I figured out what I needed to be doing, and I’m not leaving the area I fished today.”
The full field of 54 anglers will take off again at 6:15 a.m. CT Saturday from Lake Ray Roberts State Park - Isle du Bois in Pilot Point, Texas. The weigh-in will be held at 4 p.m. CT at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. After Saturday’s weigh-in, only the Top 25 anglers will advance to Championship Sunday with a chance at the $300,000 first-place prize.
FOX network will broadcast four hours of live coverage with tournament leaders beginning at 7 a.m., and full event coverage is available on Bassmaster.com.
The annual Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo will be held Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Exhibitors are on-site selling a variety of merchandise for fishing, hunting, camping and more. As part of the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo, the Go Out{side} Experience will offer fun options for families, including inflatable archery, cornhole, jumping dogs and knot tying. Kids can even catch their first fish at an on-site catfish pond.
The Bassmaster Classic is being hosted by the Fort Worth Sports Commission and Visit Fort Worth.
2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk 6/11-6/13
Lake Ray Roberts, Fort Worth TX.
(ANGLER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 23-00 0
Day 1: 5 23-00
2. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 5 22-07 0
Day 1: 5 22-07
3. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 5 20-04 0
Day 1: 5 20-04
4. Chris Jones Bokoshe, OK 5 17-02 0
Day 1: 5 17-02
5. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 5 16-10 0
Day 1: 5 16-10
6. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 16-04 0
Day 1: 5 16-04
6. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 16-04 0
Day 1: 5 16-04
8. Jordan Wiggins Cullman, AL 5 16-03 0
Day 1: 5 16-03
9. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 5 16-02 0
Day 1: 5 16-02
10. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 5 16-00 0
Day 1: 5 16-00
11. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 5 15-14 0
Day 1: 5 15-14
11. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 5 15-14 0
Day 1: 5 15-14
13. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 5 15-12 0
Day 1: 5 15-12
14. Frank Talley Temple, TX 4 15-10 0
Day 1: 4 15-10
15. Cody Bird Granbury, TX 5 15-08 0
Day 1: 5 15-08
16. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 5 15-08 0
Day 1: 5 15-08
17. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 5 15-05 0
Day 1: 5 15-05
18. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 15-01 0
Day 1: 5 15-01
19. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 5 14-11 0
Day 1: 5 14-11
20. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 14-04 0
Day 1: 5 14-04
21. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 4 13-11 0
Day 1: 4 13-11
22. Justin Kerr Lake Havasu, AZ 5 13-06 0
Day 1: 5 13-06
22. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 5 13-06 0
Day 1: 5 13-06
24. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 13-03 0
Day 1: 5 13-03
25. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 4 12-15 0
Day 1: 4 12-15
26. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 12-13 0
Day 1: 5 12-13
27. Trevor McKinney Benton, IL 5 12-12 0
Day 1: 5 12-12
28. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 5 12-11 0
Day 1: 5 12-11
29. Seth Feider New Market, MN 5 12-10 0
Day 1: 5 12-10
30. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 12-07 0
Day 1: 5 12-07
31. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 4 12-05 0
Day 1: 4 12-05
32. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 5 12-02 0
Day 1: 5 12-02
33. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 3 12-02 0
Day 1: 3 12-02
34. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 4 11-14 0
Day 1: 4 11-14
35. Bryan New Belmont, NC 4 11-08 0
Day 1: 4 11-08
36. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 5 11-01 0
Day 1: 5 11-01
37. Keith Carson DeBary, FL 5 10-15 0
Day 1: 5 10-15
38. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 5 10-11 0
Day 1: 5 10-11
39. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 5 10-03 0
Day 1: 5 10-03
40. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 4 10-02 0
Day 1: 4 10-02
41. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 4 08-10 0
Day 1: 4 08-10
42. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 4 08-08 0
Day 1: 4 08-08
43. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 3 08-04 0
Day 1: 3 08-04
44. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 3 07-05 0
Day 1: 3 07-05
45. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 2 05-15 0
Day 1: 2 05-15
46. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 2 05-10 0
Day 1: 2 05-10
47. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 3 05-09 0
Day 1: 3 05-09
48. Buddy Gross Chickamauga, GA 2 05-08 0
Day 1: 2 05-08
49. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 2 04-10 0
Day 1: 2 04-10
50. John Cox Debary, FL 3 04-00 0
Day 1: 3 04-00
51. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 2 03-09 0
Day 1: 2 03-09
52. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 2 03-00 0
Day 1: 2 03-00
53. Tommy Williams Shepherdsville, KY 1 01-05 0
Day 1: 1 01-05
54. Blake Sylvester Plaquemine, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
College Champion is Ready to Fish
- Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
After spending nearly a week in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the 2021 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series champion Trevor McKinney is ready to put the busy BassmasterClassic itinerary behind him and get to fishing on Lake Ray Roberts. Not only is the Classic the biggest tournament of the year, the week leading into the derby includes the most stressful media and events schedule of the season.
Even though he is twenty-two years young, McKinney is an avid tournament angler and has been competing at a high level on the Bassmaster Opens throughout 2021. The tournament aspect of this week isn’t exactly new, but the Classic hustle and bustle has been a bit of a learning experience for McKinney.
“So far this week has been pretty much what I expected,” McKinney said. “Whenever I’m not on the water fishing, it’s been pretty hectic and super busy. Which I was warned about and tried to mentally prepare for coming into this deal. I’ll be honest… at this point I’m just ready to go fishing.”
McKinney grew up in southern Illinois and was an extremely accomplished high school angler before attending McKendree University where he excelled at the collegiate level, too. In 2020 McKinney out worked and out fished all his peers to be named college fishing’s representative at the biggest stage in bass fishing.
Along with a ticket to compete in the Classic, McKinney was given a brand new Toyota Tundra and Nitro Boat package wrapped in his alma maters colors and decked out with the latest and greatest in bass fishing equipment. McKinney also was given the opportunity to compete in the 2021 Bassmaster Opens with his entry fees paid for; a dream package for any aspiring collegiate angler.
“This year really has been a dream come true,” McKinney reflected. “I’m proud to represent college fishing this week, along with McKendree and the incredible list of sponsors I’ve been blessed to work with. It’s hard to put into words.”
McKinney has been competitive in the Bassmaster Opens, only missing one check thus far, while sharpening his skills in preparation for the Classic. He has half a season behind him and he’s been able to get into a bit of a groove… that fact isn’t lost on McKinney who has proven to be mature beyond his years.
“Initially I was bummed to learn the Classic was pushed from March to June, but looking back on it I think it was a blessing,” McKinney explained. “I was able to get comfortable with my new boat, put some miles on the Tundra, and work out those early season kinks. Ray Roberts is fishing to my strengths right now and I think I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
Arey and Zaldain talk Classic magic and rubber fish
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic
Class acts, and two of professional angling’s most accomplished pros, Matt Arey and Chris Zaldain, talked Classic memories, magical moments, and what fans can expect at the 51st Bassmaster Classic that begins Friday on Lake Ray Roberts, Texas.
Q: What excites you most about Lake Ray Roberts?
Arey: The potential to catch a 10-pounder at the biggest event in bass fishing.
Zaldain: The fact that we’re weighing-in 12 miles from my home, and the chance to share the incredible excitement of this event with all the people I call friends and neighbors here who love bass fishing.
Q: You’re a fan of the sport. What is your favorite Classic memory?
Arey: Attending the 2004 Bassmaster Classic in Charlottesoon after graduating from North Carolina State and watching Takahiro Omori win in the final hours. That lit a serious fire in me to do this for a living.
Zaldain: Without a doubt, the 2004 Classic. Watching Takahiro Omori follow his heart and run up the river to throw a balsa crankbait on laydowns because “he knew it” could be the chance to win – and do so – was so inspiring!
Q: How much weight will you need to average per day on Lake Ray Roberts for a chance to win the 2021 Bassmaster Classic?
Arey: 19 ½ pounds per day
Zaldain: 18 ½ pound per day
Q: Name three lures you won’t leave the dock without on Friday morning.
Arey: Flipping jig, Lunker Hunt compact frog, and a big worm.
Zaldain: Frog, flipping jig, and a big fake rubber fish (laughs).
Q: What’s been the coolest moment of your Classic week so far?
Arey: Seeing my wife and little girls arrive in the hotel lobbyfrom the airport, and my little girls jumped into my arms. There’s absolutely nothing better in this life than that.
Zaldain: All of us walked into Dickie’s Arena for a sound check this morning, and the sounds and smells of that new arena just put off an incredible vibe. I can’t imagine how awesome it will be when so many fans are in there!
Sportsmans Product Spotlight - Under Armour ISO-Chill
As the weather gets HOTTER AnglersChannel.com's Social Ninja, David Xiong walks you through the new Under Armour Fish ISO-Chill Shorebreak Hoodie and the new Canyon Cargo Pants! Find these items and more at your local Sportsmans Warehouse, Sportsmans.com or UAFish.com
Berkley Bringing Promotions, Seminars from Top Pros to Bassmaster Outdoor Expo
COLUMBIA, S.C. (June 9, 2021) –– Professional bass fishing fans headed to the 2021 Bassmaster Classic and the accompanying Bassmaster Classic Outdoor Expo can visit the Berkley booth to cash in on sales promotions and get tips from their favorite pros, including bass fishing legend, Hank Parker.
Attendees who purchase a reel at the Classic Outdoor Expo can bring their new reel to the Berkley booth to have it spooled with Berkley monofilament (Trilene XL or XT), fluorocarbon (Vanish or Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon) or braid (X5 or X9). Reel spooling is limited to three reels per person and no more than 1,000 yards of line.
Berkley fans looking for ways to win tackle can visit one of the Berkley Bait Vending Machines located near the Bassmaster Classic venues. The vending machine can be accessed via a QR code displayed on the machine. Vending machines will be located near the Bassmaster Classic boat launch on Lake Ray Roberts, outside the main exhibit hall for the Classic Outdoor Expo and in popular locations in the Fort Worth Stockyards.
Throughout the three-day run of the Classic Outdoor Expo, Berkley’s top bass fishing pros will appear on the Berkley Bass Tank to teach fans about the best ways to utilize the company’s science-fueled innovations to catch more and bigger fish.
To learn more about Berkley products and the company’s legacy for research and innovation, go to https://www.berkley-fishing.com/.
Berkley Booth - Bass Tank Seminar Schedule
Friday, June 11
12:30 p.m. - Justin Atkins
1:30 p.m. - Hank Parker
2:30 p.m. - Mike Huff
3:00 p.m. - Josh Bertrand
Saturday, June 12
10:30 a.m. - Josh Bertrand
11:00 a.m. - Scott Suggs
11:30 a.m. - Jordan Lee
12:00 p.m. - Edwin Evers
1:00 p.m. - David Fritts
2:00 p.m. - Hank Parker
3:00 p.m. - Mike Huff
Sunday - June 13
10:30 a.m. - David Fritts
11:00 a.m. - Josh Bertrand
11:30 a.m. - Scott Suggs
12:00 p.m. - Chris Groh
1:00 p.m. - Hank Parker
Academy Sports + Outdoors Announces Deion Sanders as Celebrity Fishing Tournament Winner
LEWISVILLE, Texas (June 9th, 2021) Academy Sports + Outdoors held its second annual celebrity fishing tournament this week ahead of the 51st Bassmaster Classic in Fort Worth, Texas. Athletes, celebrities, country music stars, and members of the bass community hit the water to battle for the top spot with Deion Sanders's team edging out the competition to take home the title. The winning team presented their charity of choice, Tiger Fund Athletic Foundation, with a $5,000 check from Academy. All other participants were given $1,000 to their respective non-profits as well.
SEC Network and ESPN reporter Marty Smith kicked off the event on Lake Lewisville Wednesday morning. The six teams were led by pro bass anglers who worked hard to put their teams atop the leaderboard.
Deion Sanders's team reeled in the winning Largemouth Bass weighing in at 3 lbs 6 oz on an H2O XPRESS Tac 40 spinning rod paired with an H2O Mettle spinning reel. The cumulative total weight in Sanders's boat of 12 lbs 8 oz put Deion and his partners Sydnie Wells, James Hall, and Bassmaster Pro Greg Hackney in first-place at the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Celebrity Tournament.
This year’s field of anglers included NFL Hall of Famer and Jackson State Head Football Coach Deion Sanders, former NFL star and current ESPN talent Marcus Spears, WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes, country music artist Jimmie Allen, and country music duo Maddie & Tae. These celebrities joined Greg Hackney and other members of the bass community at the event. Video and images from the day on the water are available here: Photo/Video Assets
Academy is the title sponsor of the upcoming Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, where 55 of the world’s best bass anglers will compete on the storied waters of North Texas’ Lake Ray Roberts.
Academy Sports + Outdoors has 30 locations across North Texas, where customers can find a wide assortment of fishing products including rods and reels, baits, lures, fish finders, tackle, storage, waders, kayaks, sunglasses, fishing apparel, footwear, and more. For store locations and to shop Academy’s selection of fishing products, customers can visit academy.com.
The Best-Equipped Boats in Fishing: Humminbird® Pros Arrive at the Bassmaster Classic
MEGA Live Imaging™ gives Humminbird pros an added advantage as they look to build on an already successful 2021 Elite Series season.
RACINE, Wis. (June 9, 2021) — Already some of the most accomplished pros in professional bass fishing this year, eight members of the Humminbird pro team are headed to the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk on Lake Ray Roberts equipped with the latest live sonar technology from fishing’s preeminent electronics maker.
Humminbird announced the launch of its MEGA Live technology this week, bringing to reality the pairing of live sonar with the unsurpassed clarity and detail of MEGA Imaging (Side, Down and 360 Imaging). Humminbird fans will have their chance to upgrade to the platform later this summer and, when they do, they’ll be able to turn to Humminbird’s pro team for tips, tricks and insights about how to get the most out of fishing’s most powerful live-imaging technology.
"The addition of MEGA Live to the One Boat Network is going to change the book on how we understand fish behavior,” said Humminbird Pro and Bassmaster Elite Series angler Brandon Palaniuk. “It’s adding one step to my process of finding and catching fish. First step is using my Lakemaster mapping to find areas. Second is launching the boat. Third is using my MEGA Side imaging and down imaging to find the fish. Fourth is using my MEGA 360 imaging to relocate that structure from the front of the boat. And now I have a fifth, MEGA Live, giving me a real-time shot of what the fish are doing and how they’re behaving.”
MEGA Live Imaging delivers on the Humminbird benchmark of the finest sonar available by providing MEGA Imaging-level images throughout the entire live sonar view. In addition, an optimized sonar cone angle provides ample coverage area to easily keep both fish and lure within view while maintaining precision and the ability to target individual fish. No matter the fishing scenario, the versatility and performance of MEGA Live makes it easy to see and catch fish in real time on the Humminbird display.
"My electronics setup is already extremely efficient at finding fish and structure by using MEGA Side, Down and 360 imaging," said Humminbird pro Chris Zaldain. "But now, with MEGA Live, there’s a clear cut image of the fish that helps me focus on individual fish or schools of fish and catch them faster. I can see my giant flutter spoon and how fish behave toward it, allowing me to adjust my presentation and waste less time.”
The launch of Humminbird’s MEGA Live combined with MEGA Side and Down Imaging Dual Spectrum CHIRP 2D sonar, MEGA 360 Imaging® and High-Definition LakeMaster® charts means that some of the best anglers in the world will be that much more effective thanks to the most complete set of fish-catching features available anywhere. In addition, Humminbird pros will have seamless from their HELIX and SOLIX units to their Minn Kota trolling motors and Raptor shallow water anchors via the One-Boat Network™.
Palaniuk is one of eight Humminbird pro staff members who will be vying for the most prestigious title in professional fishing when the Bassmaster Classic kicks off its three-day run June 11. Each Humminbird pro qualified for this year’s Bassmaster Classic by virtue of their Angler of the Year points total from the 2020 Bassmaster Elite Series and each is in search of their first Classic title.
"Humminbird pros have already left their mark on the 2021 Bassmaster Elite Series schedule by winning four of the season’s seven tournaments so far and with Seth Feider leading in the Angler of the Year standings and multiple others in the Top 15. We’re incredibly proud of their on-the-water successes and wish them all the best in this year’s Classic,” said Humminbird Brand Manager Matt Cook.
"If initial pro reactions are any indication, the process of perfecting a live-sonar technology that delivers the exceptional detail and crystal-clear images for which MEGA Imaging is known has definitely been worth the effort. We can’t wait to see what these incredibly talented anglers can do with MEGA Live and all the tools Humminbird provides anglers at the Classic and the two remaining Elite Series events.”
Humminbird’s new MEGA Live Imaging retails for $1,499.99 and will begin shipping in September 2021. Humminbird MEGA Live Imaging transducers are compatible with all APEX and SOLIX models, as well as HELIX 8-15 G3N / G4N models with MEGA Imaging.
For more information on Humminbird’s new MEGA Live technology, visit www.humminbird.com/MEGALive.
Humminbird Pros Competing in the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk:
Seth Feider — New Market, Minnesota
Jeff Gustafson — Keewatin, Ontario, Canada
Matt Herren — Ashville, Alabama
Bill Lowen — Brookville, Indiana
Brandon Palaniuk — Rathdrum, Idaho
Chad Pipkens — Lansing, Michigan
Brad Whatley — Bivins, Texas
Chris Zaldain — Fort Worth, Texas
"Its all about Deception"
XZone Angler Blog with Elite Series Pro Brandon Palanuik
Photo Courtesy of BASS - James Overstreet
They say everything is bigger in Texas and this year that equals rain and rising water in the Lonestar state. After pre-practice for this week’s Bassmaster’s Classic on Ray Roberts and now official practice I think it’s safe to say, it’s still anyone’s ball game.
We haven’t had a Classic since March of 2020. When it was originally scheduled for March, I kind of expected a lot of those fish to be working their way back towards spawning pockets and doing things like they often do for that time of year. I had not planned to do much pre-practice before the lake went off limits, but when the event got changed, I felt like I still needed to go and look for navigation purposes. As with the typical Texas reservoir, Ray Roberts has tons of flooded timber. The only difference is that it's one of the “newer” reservoirs in the state and there are no man-made boat lanes here. So, I went and looked around to take the navigation factor out of play so when I started this past Friday morning.
As in the past, I'm still holding true to not looking at points during this Elite season. I know that I’ve had a good season, but I don't know exactly how good of a season it's been. It’s been one of those years where I have had to grind every single event to put something together. One of the baits I have relied on heavily this year has been the XZone Deception worm, especially on a drop shot. It’s a bait I have had to utilize a lot of this year because well, we’ve had weird, changing conditions with crazy weather, and it seems like everywhere we go that bait on a drop shot seems to take fish who are in a negative mood and make them bite, even when they aren’t actively feeding. It just makes them mad!
The Deception worm has such a cool size and shape and the fact that it floats makes it set horizontal in the water and a lot of places we fish this year have been places that have a lot of soft bottom. Anytime you're around any type of vegetation or anything, you get kind of that bottom decay and a worm like the Deception worm that floats above that allows those fish to see it better and be right in their face. I also think having that horizontal presentation requires a lot less movement from the angler making it a more natural looking presentation to the fish.
When this tournament kicks off on Friday, the Deception worm is a no brainer to have tied on to a drop shot for me. Another BIG player for me I think in this event will be the XZone Adrenaline Craw tied on in three different ways. A Texas-Rig to flip with, a football jig, a buzzbait and maybe a Carolina-Rig just in case…….I will also have a variation of the Swammer tied on depending on the size of the bait fish, as a swim bait, as a trailer on a chatter bait and if I had to have one though, it’s going to be the Mega Swammer, I mean we are in Texas for the Bassmaster’s Classic so go big or go home right!
