Kevin VanDam Wins Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four at Lake Chickamauga
Professional Bass Fishing’s G.O.A.T. Earns First Career Victory on Bass Pro Tour, Takes Home $100,000
DAYTON, Tenn. (June 9, 2021) – Bass Pro Shops angler Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, promised that MLF NOW!® livestream viewers would see fireworks on Lake Chickamauga, Wednesday, and the man most consider the G.O.A.T. of professional bass fishing did not disappoint. VanDam caught 25 bass weighing 70 pounds, 1 ounce to win the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by ATG by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee, and earn the top prize of $100,000.
It was a tight five-angler race to start the third and final period of competition but VanDam quickly pulled away, boating a dozen scorable bass weighing 34 pounds, 2 ounces, in just 30 minutes. VanDam won by a 6-pound, 10-ounce margin over second-place pro Jacob Wheeler, who caught 24 bass totaling 63 pounds, 7 ounces, good for $45,000.
“That last period – to get on a flurry like that. Man, that was incredible,” said VanDam, who pushed his career earnings to more than $6.9 million. “Any time you can have that kind of day fishing is special, but to do it on the last day of a Bass Pro Tour event is pretty dang awesome. This (trophy) was something that I’ve really wanted since we started this, so today was a pretty special day for me.”
VanDam earned his victory this week on Lake Chickamauga doing what he loves to do – fishing the deep Tennessee River ledges.
“I found those fish in practice and when I hit that school, I knew that I’d really found something special,” VanDam said. “I just had to wait for that window when the current gets just right and when it happened, it was magical.
“I caught fish on a lot of different baits this week, but far and away the Strike King Series 5 (green gizzard) and Strike King 5XD (blue gizzard shad) crankbaits were my money baits, all week long,” VanDam continued. “I fished them on my signature system – a Lew’s CC4 Cranking rod paired with a Lew’s BB1 Pro reel , 12-pound Bass Pro XPS fluorocarbon line, and I threw a couple of No. 2 Mustad Triple Grip (treble hooks) on there. I was fishing the bait real fast and really making the fish react to it, even when they didn’t want to bite.”
VanDam also credited his Humminbird electronics and HydroWave as being crucial to his success.
“My confidence was through the roof today,” VanDam said. “I had all of the tools that I needed. My whole system – my boat, my electronics, my rods, my reels, my hooks – it’s a whole system that I’ve developed over the past 31 years and I was really able to showcase them today.
“I finished runner-up to (Jacob) Wheeler the last time we were here, so today was really gratifying,” VanDam went on to say. “To go against the field that I did – Wheeler, Jordan (Lee), Michael Neal and Jason Lambert – two Tennessee ledge hammers – and win is just really special. I’ve won a lot of events and I promise you this – you appreciate every win more than the last, because you never know when you’re going to get your next one. And you never know when it could be your last one.”
The top 10 pros at the Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four on Lake Chickamauga finished:
1st: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 25 bass, 70-1, $100,000
2nd: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 24 bass, 63-7, $45,000
3rd: Jason Lambert, Michie, Tenn., 16 bass, 59-8, $38,000
4th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 46-1, $32,000
5th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 14 bass, 40-13, $30,000
6th: Shinichi Fukae, Osaka, Japan, 15 bass, 36-13, $26,000
7th: Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 25-3, $23,000
8th: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., six bass, 17-4, $21,000
9th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., four bass, 13-13, $19,000
10th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., three bass, 10-11, $16,000
Full results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 132 bass weighing 383 pounds, 9 ounces caught by the final 10 pros on Wednesday.
VanDam and Lambert split Wednesday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, each weighing a 6-pound, 5-ounce largemouth to split the prize. Favorite Fishing pro Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pennsylvania, earned the $3,000 Berkley Big Bass award for the largest bass of the event with his 8-pound, 12-ounce largemouth that he weighed on Day 5 of competition.
Pro Ott DeFoe of Blaine, Tennessee, finished the event in 17th place and did not qualify for Wednesday’s Championship Round, but his finish was still good enough to overtake Lakeland, Florida’s Bobby Lane in the MLF Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year standings. DeFoe’s total of 283 points gives him a 17-point lead over the second-place pro, California’s Brent Ehrler (266), with three events remaining in the season. Wheeler is third with 258, followed by Kansan Brent Chapman in fourth place with 257 and Lane with 256 to fall into fifth place. Full AOY standings for the entire Bass Pro Tour field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLF Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four at Lake Chickamauga Presented by ATG by Wrangler was hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council. The six-day tournament featured 80 of the top professional anglers from around the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.
Television coverage of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 9 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.
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 next event for Bass Pro Tour anglers will be the General Tire Stage Five at the St. Lawrence River Presented by Berkley, June 25-30 in Massena, New York.
For complete details and updated information on the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Humminbird® Introduces MEGA Live Imaging™, Delivering the Detail and Clarity of MEGA Imaging® in Live Motion
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AC Insider Podcast - West Bound & Down
This week Chris & the boys prepare for Classic week in Fort Worth. David is headed out to a celebrity fishing event on Lake Lewisville & Chris is getting his camera gear straight to provide you guys with some awesome content. Chris sat down before Classic Pre-Practice with Patrick Walters to talk about strategy prior to the event and then welcomed in All- American Champ Brant Grimm to the show to talk about his awesome win on Douglas last week!
3 Lures Lester thinks can win the 2021 Bassmaster Classic
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Brandon Lester is fishing his 6th Bassmaster Classic, and yet the super-likeable God-fearing family man from Tennessee doesn’t have a lure sponsor. So, there’s no bias, no sponsor-satisfying commercial slant to his opinion on three lures that could win the 51st Bassmaster Classic on Lake Ray Roberts.
“There’s a 70% chance this Classic will be won in less than 10-feet of water around flooded bushes, but there’s still a 30% chance a deep water post-spawn spot could play a major role too, so I’m giving you two shallow lures and one for the deep stuff,” says Lester on the eve of the 2001 Classic’s final practice day.
5/8-ounce jig – “This particular one is from Dirty Jigs and I dress it with a Zoom Big Salty Chunk. When you’re dealing with a crazy amount of flooded bushes and cover, you need a little heavier jig to cover more water. Plus, with 77-degree water I like my lure to fall a little faster, so I prefer a little heavier jig,” says the Team Toyota pro.
Big Creature Bait – “I truly believe a big creature bait gets bites from bigger fish. It’s one of my all-time favorites. It’s bulky, it’s invasive, and it looks like a lot of the prey bass eat -- from bluegill to crawdads. I’ll rig it with a Mustad Grip Pin flippin’ hook and a 3/8-ounce Mustad tungsten weight on 25-pound Vicious fluorocarbon line, and cover a lot of water,” he says.
Deep crankbait – “This one is just to keep ‘em honest. Again, I’m not counting on deep schools to win, but I will check a couple spots I found in practice in that 12 to 18-feet deep zone, and a crankbait always seems to get bites from the bigger bass faster than dragging a jig or worm around,” concludes Lester.
Kevin VanDam Earns Knockout Round Win at Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour
Michigan Pro Catches 18 Bass Weighing 46-6 to Pace Knockout Round Field, Final 10 Anglers Set for Wednesday’s Final-Day Shootout for $100,000
DAYTON, Tenn. (June 8, 2021) – Bass Pro Shops pro Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, caught 18 bass Tuesday totaling 46 pounds, 6 ounces to win the Knockout Round and advance to the final day of competition at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by ATG by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. The final 10 anglers are now set, and competition will resume Wednesday morning with the Championship Round. Weights are zeroed, and the angler that catches the most weight will win the top prize of $100,000.
The six-day tournament, hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council, featured 80 of the top professional anglers from around the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.
The top eight pros from Tuesday’s Knockout Round that will compete in Wednesday’s Championship Round on Lake Chickamauga are:
1st: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 18 bass, 46-6
2nd: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., 14 bass, 45-12
3rd: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 15 bass, 39-15
4th: Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 16 bass, 38-10
5th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 14 bass, 38-1
6th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 13 bass, 36-15
7th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 13 bass, 36-4
8th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 12 bass, 33-9
They’ll be joined by Qualifying Round Winners:
Group A: Jason Lambert, Michie, Tenn.
Group B: Shinichi Fukae, Osaka, Japan
Full results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
“Today was a really good Knockout Round for me,” said VanDam, who qualified for his first Championship Round of the season. “It started off pretty slow, but I made a good decision and started to get a little movement going. I got a few fish on the SCORETRACKER™, and once that happened I knew that if I just stuck to my game plan, I could make it happen today. Lo and behold, we’re moving on to Championship Round and I couldn’t be more excited.”
VanDam said that he is fishing how he loves to fish this week – out on the Tennessee River ledges.
“This is my favorite way to fish. I love ledge fishing. It’s something that I’ve got a lot of experience in, and I’ve had a lot of success up and down the Tennessee River,” VanDam said. “I’ve got a whole cranking system that I’ve built around it with Lew’s. We’ve got a whole new series of rods and reels for it, and that’s what I’m using. I’m doing what I’ve got the most confidence in. I’m pretty dang dialed in this week and I understand the timing of these fish and how they’re moving.
“There is a lot of things changing by the minute, though, and that’s why you’re seeing the diversity from a lot of guys,” VanDam went on to say. “It’s going to be a shootout tomorrow. It’s going to be a really, really fun day to watch as a fishing fan. I’m fishing against some of the best guys in the world at this type of fishing. It’s going to come down to some fireworks, and hopefully I’m in contention at the end and can make it happen. The last time we were here at Chickamauga for the Bass Pro Tour I didn’t have a great event, so I’m looking forward to rectifying that with this one.”
Also making his first Championship Round on the Bass Pro Tour this season is the reigning Angler of the Year, Jordan Lee. Although he didn’t divulge any real details, he did say that he was dialed in to two main baits, and specifically mentioned a hair jig.
“I had one good flurry this morning and got out to the lead, and then I just kind of hit a lull for a couple of hours in the middle of the day,” Lee said. “This afternoon I caught two that really just sealed the deal for me. I caught them on two main baits, using my new line of Abu Garcia rods that I’ve got coming out this summer. I’m real excited about them. They’re affordable, and they have really good blanks. That’s what I’ve been using, just dragging stuff like a hair jig.
“I’m tickled to death to be going back out there again tomorrow,” Lee continued. “It’s my first final-day cut of the year, and I can’t wait to see what happens.”
Rounding out the top 40 finishers were:
11th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 12 bass, 32-13, $10,000
12th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 14 bass, 32-9, $10,000
13th: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., 12 bass, 32-4, $10,000
14th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 10 bass, 30-2, $10,000
15th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 10 bass, 28-12, $10,000
16th: Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., 11 bass, 28-11, $10,000
17th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 12 bass, 28-10, $10,000
18th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., eight bass, 27-15, $10,000
19th: Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., 10 bass, 27-4, $10,000
20th: Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., nine bass, 26-4, $10,000
21st: Bradley Roy, Lexington, Ky., seven bass, 25-14, $10,000
22nd: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., seven bass, 24-9, $10,000
23rd: Ish Monroe, Oakdale, Calif., six bass, 18-2, $10,000
24th: Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, six bass, 17-10, $10,000
25th: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., five bass, 17-9, $10,000
26th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., seven bass, 16-13, $10,000
27th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., four bass, 15-7, $10,000
28th: Shaw Grigsby, Gainesville, Fla., five bass, 14-10, $10,000
29th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 14-9, $10,000
30th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., five bass, 14-7, $10,000
31st: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., six bass, 13-7, $10,000
32nd: Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss., five bass, 12-8, $10,000
33rd: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., five bass, 11-12, $10,000
34th: Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., four bass, 11-4, $10,000
35th: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., three bass, 8-11, $10,000
36th: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, three bass, 7-7, $10,000
37th: Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala., three bass, 7-3, $10,000
38th: Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, three bass, 7-0, $10,000
39th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., one bass, 4-2, $10,000
40th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., zero bass, 0-0, $10,000
Overall, there were 312 bass weighing 871 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 37 pros on Tuesday.
Favorite Fishing pro Matt Becker won the $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award on Tuesday, catching an 8-pound, 12-ounce largemouth on a Ned rig in Period 2. Berkley will award $1,000 to the angler who weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.
The MLF Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four at Lake Chickamauga Presented by ATG by Wrangler is hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council.
The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Friday and Sunday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Saturday and Monday. After the two-day Qualifying Round, the anglers that finished in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advanced to Tuesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner from each group advanced directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, the weights were zeroed and the remaining 38 anglers competed to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. Tomorrow, in the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins.
The final 10 anglers will take off from the Dayton Boat Dock, located at 175 Lakeshore St., in Dayton, at 6:30 a.m. ET Wednesday. The General Tire Takeout and Championship Moment will also be held at the Dayton Boat Dock, beginning at 3:30 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 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action from the final day of competition on Wednesday from 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 9 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
For complete details and updated information on the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Plano Pros Feider, Gustafson Set for 2021 Bassmaster Classic
COLUMBIA, S.C. (June 8, 2021) — June on Texas’s Lake Ray Roberts could hold a lot of options for anglers fishing the 2021 Bassmaster Classic. Off-shore structure could be key, but it’s Texas, and the shallows and the shorelines could produce a world championship-clinching bass on any cast.
While a variety of techniques could factor into this year’s Classic, quick and easy access to the entire tackle collection is going to be key for pros to remain efficient. Plano’s acclaimed EDGE boxes give Classic qualifiers Seth Feider and Jeff Gustafson the features they need to make quick work of rigging up for a new presentation.
Features like the DuraView crystal-clear lid lets anglers know exactly what’s in the Plano EDGE boxes without opening. The Polycarbonate lid, one handed latch and stainless-steel hinge pins add to the overall durability of the Plano EDGE boxes, making them more than tough enough for professional bass fishing’s biggest stage. Moisture inside tackle boxes can lead to oxidation and ruined tackle—even in Texas—so Plano EDGE boxes feature Rustrictor technology for 360 degrees of effective rust-prevention, as well as a reuseable Water Wick divider and a Dri-Loc O-ring seal to keep water out.
“We’re extremely proud of the fact that the best anglers in the world turn to us to provide them with the most advanced storage options they need to compete for the most prestigious titles in the sport,” said Plano Vice President of Marketing Allen Gerten. “We wish Seth and Jeff the best of luck in this year’s Classic and hope they can use some of the momentum they’ve produced in this year’s Elite Series to propel them to a Classic title.”
Feider, who leads the 2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year race with two regular-season events remaining, is appearing in his fourth Bassmaster Classic. His best finish came in the 2020 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Guntersville where he finished fourth. Gustafson, who won his first Bassmaster Elite Series tournament earlier this season on the Tennessee River, is making his second Bassmaster Classic appearance.
For more information about Plano’s legendary line of fishing tackle storage solutions, go to www.planomolding.com.
Lew’s partners with YouTube’s Kickin’ Their Bass TV Introduces New Kickin’ Their Bass TV Baitcasting and Spinning Combos
Lexington, SC — June 8, 2021 – Kickin Their Bass TV’s Noah Pescitelli, Internet sensation and fishing’s newest rising star, has a maxim in life and in fishing; Put your head down and work hard. This sums up why Team Lew’s is proud to partner with Noah to introduce, new for 2021, the Kickin’ Their Bass baitcasting and spinning combos. This combo is a legend in the making as the sturdy workhorse in an angler's arsenal.
"I fish hard, and I fish often," Pescitelli said at the announcement of the combos. "I wanted to create a combo at an affordable price while maintaining an exceptional performance."
The Kickin Their Bass reel is built on a sturdy, yet lightweight, SLP graphite frame with high strength and solid brass Speed Gears. The premium 4+1 stainless steel, double shielded bearing system is built to last, and the durable Rulon drag system provides up to 15 pounds of fish fighting power.
"This rig can take serious pressure, but my favorite feature is the versatility," Pescitelli proclaimed. "My fans don’t want to haul 20 different combos around a farm pond or a private lake; they want two or three rigs that can get the job done,” he said. “I use the 7'-1” medium-heavy baitcasting combo to fish soft plastics, crankbaits, and topwater. The 7’1 medium heavy combo is one of the most versatile in the market.."
Pescitelli leans on the Kickin’ Their Bass spinning combo for its versatility and strength as well. The 7'-1” Medium Fast spinning combo has the strength to pull fish out of heavy cover but is light enough and sensitive enough for any finesse application. "It is the perfect set up for a drop shot, a weightless Texas rig, or a jerkbait," Pescitelli added.
This versatile spinning combo is also ideal for those fans who aren’t yet fishing a baitcasting rig. "I would not be afraid at all to throw a crankbait on this combo or use it to drag a big worm across the bottom," he said. For the legions of Pescitelli's fans who only have a handful of rods in their arsenal, the Kickin’ Their Bass Spinning combo is a must.
Both the 7'-1 Medium Heavy Baitcasting rod and the 7'-1 Medium Fast Spinning rod are built on premium IM6, high modulus graphite blanks, with stainless steel and zirconia line guides and inserts. Both rods feature Lew's exclusive graphite skeletal real seat for light weight and sensitivity, and with the popular Winn Dri-Tac grip and EVA rod butt for all day fishing comfort. These rods are priced for great value at with the spinning combo 89.99 MSRP and the casting combos 139.99 MSRP.
Strike King Introduces New Skip’ N Buzz
Lexington, S.C. – June 8, 2021 – With a relentless drive to offer anglers new tools to catch more fish, Strike King Lure Company is pleased to announce the new Andy Montgomery Skip’ N Buzz. This game-changing lure is specifically built to help anglers target out-of-reach fish in places where few baits will go. The legendary Strike King buzzbait, with a new design twist, is reshaping the way anglers find and catch fish.
To engineer this innovative design, Strike King turned to arguably the most proficient skipping and pitching angler on the water, Bass Pro Tour veteran Andy Montgomery. For two of his tour-level wins in his career — on Lake Norman and Smith Lake — the Blacksburg, SC native credits his ability to skip a lure into the dark recesses underneath a dock to target tournament-winning fish.
He said it took a company like Strike King to capture his extended vision for lure offerings. “My guys at Strike King and I designed this buzzbait to go where other buzzbaits just don’t go, and you can cast and pitch them too.” Montgomery said. “Overall, it is an amazing lure to run down the bank with and fish whatever comes your way without changing lures. But, there is simply nothing better than to skip it under a low hanging tree or put it beneath a dock and hear the explosion of the strike.”
To augment the skipping design of the buzzbait, Montgomery and Strike King also replaced the traditional buzzbait skirt with a soft plastic Strike King Toad. The bait is also sold with an interchangeable Rage Swimmer.
The Andy Montgomery Skip’ N Buzz comes in four colors. Andy favors the white design when fish are targeting shad. In low light conditions, and when fish are feeding on bluegill, Andy will switch to a green pumpkinseed or black to get the job done, and pink when the fish want something different.
The Skip’ N Buzz will be available in a 3/8-ounce size with an MSRP of $8.99
- SKBZ-204 (White)
- SKBZ-10 (Black)
- SKBZ-46 (Green Pumpkin)
- SKBZ-98 (Pink)
Linganore High School Wins U.S. Army High School Fishing Open at Potomac River
Marbury, Md. (June 8, 2021) – The Linganore High School duo of Clifton Bennett of Damascus, Maryland, and Garyden Scibila of Hagerstown, Maryland, won the U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing Open at the Potomac River Presented by Googan Baits on Saturday in Marbury, Maryland.
The event was hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and 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 | Linganore High School* | Clifton Bennett, Damascus, Md. Grayden Scibilia, Hagerstown, Md. |
5 | 16-32021 |
| 2nd | Fishaholics Bass Club | Trenton Carey, York Springs, Pa. Josh Kaufman, Marysville, Pa. |
5 | 14-5 |
| 3rd | Carroll Fish Hawks | Peter Sheggrud, Phoenix, Md. Haden Sisk, Reisterstown, Md. |
5 | 12-8 |
| 4th | Capital City Jr. Bass Masters | Wade Detweiler, Dillsburg, Pa. Jacob Vanscoik, Dauphin, Pa. |
5 | 11-2 |
| 5th | Pequannock Township | Dylan Aulbach, Monroe Twp., N.J. Nicholas Dellaporta, Pequannock, N.J. |
5 | 10-9 |
| 6th | Jr. Potomac River Bassmasters | Jarren Crowder, Clearspring, Md. Kyle Petrisko, Kearneysville, W. Va. |
4 | 9-14 |
| 7th | New Breed Bassers | Kyle Gilson, Cedarville, N.J. Billy Whitehead IV, Cedarville, N.J. |
4 | 9-11 |
| 8th | Bass Legends BBT | Joey Booker, Elkton, Md. Spencer Grishkot, Abingdon, Md. |
3 | 6-2 |
| 9th | Bass Legends BBT | Chris Nolte, Bowie, Md. Alex Walsberg, Chester Springs, Pa. |
2 | 4-12 |
| 10th | Madison County | Austin Blow, Rochelle, Va. Mason Brunner, Madison, Va. |
1 | 3-3 |
*National Championship Qualifier. The 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 |
| 2021 U.S. Army High School Fishing National Championship & World Finals | Jun. 30 – Jul. 3 | Lake Hartwell, Anderson, S.C. | Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau |
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.
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.
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.
California University of Pennsylvania Wins Abu Garcia College Fishing Tournament on the Potomac River
MARBURY, Md. (June 8, 2021) – The California University of Pennsylvania’s David Blaker of Rices Landing, Pennsylvania, and Nick Fulks of Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, took the win on Friday at the Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI at the Potomac River. The victory earned the Vulcans’ bass club $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 | California University of Pennsylvania | David Blaker, Rices Landing, Pa. Nick Fulks, Burgettstown, Pa. |
5 | 17-4 | $2,000 |
| 2nd | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Julian Burgoff, Amherst, Mass. Jared Muzyka, Hadley, Mass. |
5 | 16-10 | $1,000 |
| 3rd | Adrian College | Caleb Dachenhaus, Whitehouse, Ohio Elliot Wielgopolski, Waterville, Ohio |
5 | 16-0 | $500 |
| 4th | Adrian College | Brayden Federer, Deerfield, Mich. Shane Nelson, Wadsworth, Ohio |
5 | 15-2 | $500 |
| 5th | Roanoke College | Will Hamilton, Roanoke, Va. Branen McKeon, Henrico, Va. |
5 | 15-1 | $500 |
| 6th | SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry | Nicholas Sanderson, Williamsville, N.Y. Nathan Wojslaw, Avon, N.Y. |
5 | 14-15 | |
| 7th | Auburn University | Robert Cruvellier, Alburgh, Vt. Sam Harvey, Auburn, Ala. |
5 | 14-12 | |
| 8th | Adrian College | Jenson Kay, Milford, Mich. Sam Shoemaker, Martinsville, Ind. |
5 | 14-9 | |
| 9th | Shippensburg University | Nathan Housel, Carlisle, Pa. Evan Paules, Shippensburg, Pa. |
5 | 14-7 | |
| 10th | SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry | Patrick Durand, Cherry Hill, N.J. Thomas Harvey, Delmar, N.Y. |
5 | 14-5 |
*Top 10 teams advance to the 2022 College Fishing National Championship
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship | TBD | TBD | TBD |
The event was the second of three qualifying tournaments for Northern Conference anglers and was hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners.
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.
Arey’s Midseason Turnaround
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Matt Arey is feeling good as he prepares for his second appearance in the Bassmaster Classic on Lake Ray Roberts here in the Lone Star State. The Team Toyota pro is coming off of four solid finishes on the Bassmaster Elite Series, including a top five finish a few weeks ago on Neely Henry and back-to-back checks here in Texas prior to that.
Arey is fishing well and mentally in tune, exactly how you’d hope to be feeling heading into the biggest event of the season. But if you had talked to Arey just a couple months ago you would have gotten a completely different impression.
“Just a few short months ago I felt a little lost out there on the water if I’m being honest,” Arey said. “I had two of the worst finishes of my career in Knoxville and at Pickwick and mentally I was just in a weird place. For the first time in years I found myself having doubts in practice and never felt quite right.”
After finishing a disappointing 72nd at Pickwick Lake, Arey said the only positive thought he could muster was getting home to see his wife and daughters.
As usual, Arey’s girls lifted his spirits and allowed him to focus on what he could do to bust the fishing downturn he’d been living in.
“We’ve all watched guys go through slumps but foolishly I think I believed I was too far in my career for it to happen to me,” the 14-year pro admitted. “Of course that’s not true. Slumps can happen to anyone at anytime and I’m convinced it’s about 95% mental. “
Heading into the Sabine River Elite Series event, a notoriously fickle and tough-to-crack fishery, Arey talked to his travel mates Scott Martin and Scott Canterbury to try and help himself out of his rut.
After consulting with several respected peers, Arey ultimately decided that for better or worse… he was just going to have to put his head down and fish his way through it.
“Gerald Swindle put a video up on his Instagram about losing and learning,” Arey recalled. “The video was for his fans, but I watched it and it hit home. I texted Swindle and told him thank you. Told him I needed to hear that video.”
It turns out a little R&R with family, time to reflect, and motivation from fellow anglers did the North Carolina family man a lot of good. Arey turned things around at the Sabine River with a solid 36th place finish, before backing it up with a top-20 result at the big bass factory of Lake Fork.
Arey has now fished well enough to work himself back in contention to qualify for his third Bassmaster Classic in 2022 and is riding some momentum into his second trip to the Super Bowl of bass fishing.
“I’m not going to tell you I’ve completely turned things around, the first part of this season proved to me just how fragile a fisherman’s brain can be,” Arey laughed. “But I’m fishing with confidence again and I feel like I’m moving in the right direction.”
Rough days on the water, bad tournaments, and slumps are bound to happen when it comes to bass fishing. Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned tournament veteran, you are going to fail and leave the lake mad sometimes.
Instead of letting those shortcomings seethe and simmer in your head, learn a lesson from your failures, cut yourself some slack and keep moving forward.
“Don’t be afraid to reach out to your peers and simply fish way your way through it,” Arey offered. “It might take two weeks or it might take a year but if you keep your mind right and work hard, things will turn around. I think that’s true whether it’s fishing or we’re talking life.”
Jason Lambert Earns Qualifying Round Win at Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four at Lake Chickamauga
Tennessee Ledge-Hammer Catches Two-Day Total of 109-13 to Advance Directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round, 19 Anglers Advance to Knockout Round
DAYTON, Tenn. (June 6, 2021) – Pro Jason Lambert of Michie, Tennessee, overtook Day 1 leader Russ Lane of Prattville, Alabama , early in Period 1 Sunday and never looked back. Lambert boated 17 bass on the day totaling 60 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the Qualifying Round for Group A at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by ATG by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee.
Lambert’s two-day total of 34 bass weighing 109 pounds, 13 ounces earned him the win by a 22-pound, 1-ounce margin over Lane, who finished the round in second place with a two-day catch of 26 bass totaling 77-12. The reigning Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) Berkley pro Jordan Lee of Cullman, Alabama, boated a two-day total of 20 bass weighing 73-13 to end the round in third place, while his brother, Matt Lee, also of Cullman, Alabama, finished in fourth place with a two-day total of 20 bass for 59-12. Rounding out the top five is Berkley pro Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Alabama, who caught a two-day total of 16 bass weighing 59-1.
The top 20 anglers from Group A will now enjoy an off day, while the 40 anglers in Qualifying Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition on Monday. The Knockout Round, featuring 38 anglers competing to finish in the top eight, will take place on Tuesday. Wednesday’s Championship Round will feature Lambert, Monday’s Group B winner, and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000.
“I was sitting in third coming in to today, and my objective was to go out and have a good first period,” said Lambert, who qualified for his first career Championship Round on the Bass Pro Tour. “If I did, I knew that I would have a good chance to win the round. That happened, we got ahead in the first period, and we never looked back.
“I ended up with a little more than 60 pounds today,” Lambert continued. “It wasn’t as good as I thought it was going to be - especially in the afternoon – but this morning is what mattered. What was really cool for me, though, was catching them the way I want to catch them. Not only the way I want to catch them, but on the stuff that I’ve designed like the Hardcore (Bullet) Crank 7+, a crankbait that we worked very hard on to get put together just right, and the Kitana Stagger (Scrounger) Head with a (Castaic) Jerky J. Catching them the way you want to catch them, on the stuff you built to catch them, is really cool.”
With six career victories on the Tennessee River in MLF competition – two FLW Tour (now Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit) wins on Kentucky Lake, one Toyota Series win on Kentucky Lake and three Phoenix Bass Fishing League wins on Pickwick Lake – Lambert is known to be a tournament-closer on the ledges, and he will absolutely be one of the favorites heading into Wednesday’s Championship Round.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back out there for the Championship Round on Wednesday,” Lambert went on to say. “I’ve just got to go out there and catch them again. I think I’ve got just as good of a shot as anyone.”
The top 20 pros from Qualifying Group A that now advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round on Lake Chickamauga are:
1st: Jason Lambert, Michie, Tenn., 34 bass, 109-13 – ADVANCES TO CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
2nd: Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala., 26 bass, 77-12
3rd: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., 20 bass, 73-13
4th: Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., 20 bass, 59-12
5th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 16 bass, 59-1
6th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 20 bass, 51-1
7th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 16 bass, 51-0
8th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 19 bass, 50-14
9th: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 14 bass, 50-12
10th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 17 bass, 50-5
11th: Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., 14 bass, 48-15
12th: Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss., 16 bass, 48-9
13th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 18 bass, 47-6
14th: Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 16 bass, 44-7
15th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 17 bass, 43-1
16th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., 12 bass, 42-13
17th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 14 bass, 40-8
18th: Ish Monroe, Oakdale, Calif., 14 bass, 40-4
19th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 14 bass, 35-13
20th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., 10 bass, 35-8
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 224 bass weighing 667 pounds even caught by 38 pros on Sunday.
Clausen won Sunday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, weighing in a 7-pound, 14-ounce largemouth on a shaky-head rig during Period 1. Berkley will award $1,000 to the angler that weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.
The MLF Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four at Lake Chickamauga Presented by ATG by Wrangler is hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council.
The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Lake Chickamauga 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.
Anglers will take off from the Dayton Boat Dock, located at 175 Lakeshore St., in Dayton, at 6:30 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the Dayton Boat Dock, beginning at 3:30 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 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 9 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
For complete details and updated information on the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
BASS FISHING HALL OF FAME WILL HONOR WESTERN BASS CLUB AT BASSMASTER CLASSIC
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – For Immediate Release – 6.7.21 – The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors announced this week that the Western Bass Club will be honored prior to the upcoming Bassmaster Classic as a recipient of the Hall’s Meritorious Service Award. This special award is for groups and people whom the Board deems to have made a significant contribution to bass fishing. The club will be formally honored at the Hall of Fame Classic Mixer for Hall inductees, supporters and media on Thursday, June 10, 2021, in Ft. Worth, Texas.
The Western Bass Club (www.westernbassclub.com), which bills itself as the “oldest chartered bass club in the United States,” was founded in 1938 by anglers from western Washington, but eventually grew to include residents of Oregon, Idaho and Northern California. The organization has remained in continuous operation since that time. They are not affiliated with any particular umbrella organization, but continue to conduct tournaments, meetings and conservation projects.
“The bass club structure has been integral in teaching anglers both the techniques and the ethics surrounding our sport,” said Bass Fishing Hall of Fame President John Mazurkiewicz. “There are challenges for all of them, but those removed geographically from the ‘bass belt’ of the southeast have to be particularly strong to persevere. The Western Bass Club’s longevity demonstrates their importance both to its region and to the sport as a whole.”
While the Western Bass Club existed as the State of Washington’s only organized bass club for nearly 40 years, since that time it's worked diligently to seed the growth of bass fishing in the west by helping to establish numerous other clubs.
The Board greatly appreciates the efforts of Richard “Dick” Streater to make the Western Bass Club’s achievements known.
The BFHOF’s next event will be its annual Hall of Fame Induction dinner at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife Museum in Springfield, Mo., on September 30, 2021, honoring both the 2020 and 2021 classes. Information on event and table sponsorships, dinner seats and tickets for a special VIP unveiling reception, along with details about the Hall and its mission are available at www.BassFishingHOF.com, or by contacting BFHOF executive director Barbara Bowman at [email protected].
Steve Hatfield and Jim Leary win Alabama Bass Trail 100 on Lake Eufaula with 25.26 pounds
By Jason Duran
Photos by Chris Brown
June 5, 2021 - Eufaula, AL- 100 Teams launched at Lakepoint State Park for the second of three events in the brand-new Alabama Bass Trail 100 series. The ABT 100 series features 100 teams, 100 percent payback and a $100,000 total payout in each event. Steve Hatfield and Jim Leary claimed the first-place title, took home the hardware and $25,000.
The team said this was the first time for them to fish Lake Eufaula. “We began to prepare for this lake right after the Lay Lake event” starting practice last weekend and spending the whole week here developing a game plan. “We spent two days idling, mapping and marking. We marked everything because we didn’t know what we would need until we actually started fishing."
They found their key spot in practice on Monday “on the side of a road bed with some key brush piles on it and standing timber around it. The water depth was 8-12 feet, and it was near a channel that came from shore out to the main lake. We believe the fish were working their way out to the ledges." They fished the road bed and found it to be holding the quality fish they were looking for.
They feared that this spot wouldn’t hold up because the fish were headed out to the ledges and would pass through this area quickly, so they spent the rest of the week looking for the same type areas. They also fished the ledges “but struggled getting any size or very many bites on them.”
On tournament morning they made the run to the road bed and quickly went to work. They were surprised that no one else was already on the spot and hoped the fish were still there. They targeted the fish using “big snake style worms,” and found that a Zoom and Big Bite Baits 8-13 inch worm Texas Rigged, Red Bug and Plum Apple were the most productive. They quickly discovered the fish were still there, and in ten minutes, they caught three fish close to 17 pounds including the 6.32 pound largemouth that took big fish in the event. Most of the ten minutes was spent trying to land those big fish. They said, “the fish were so strong they actually pulled the boat onto the brush pile.” They fished around the area catching a few smaller fish returning to the key spot throughout the day but did not get any bigger bites. However, it was more than enough to take the win with 25.26 pounds- almost a 4 pound lead over second place. They collected a $25,000 check plus bonuses including a Phoenix Boats bonus.
The second-place team of Ken Walters and Dallas Weldon weighed in 21.31 pounds of Lake Eufaula Bass. Dallas shared, “in practice we didn’t get on anything out deep.” They practiced separately and he focused out deeper while Ken focused in the mid-range water depth. They both “found a shad spawn that they hoped would produce early, but because of the warmer weather, the water temps warmed up about six degrees and caused that bite to die out” on Saturday. Combine warming water with falling water and “the fish are going to have to move somewhere.” After they discovered that the shad bite had gone away, they headed out to fish other areas and they defined “stuff fish get on when they leave the bank, like the first little piece of cover.” Ken said, it was the “kind of stuff he was marking in practice.” It's why you have to “practice and find those kind of areas” because today it paid off using the backup plan,” said Dallas. The baits used were a Texas rigged 10 inch worm and unnamed creature bait paired up with a Crusher Lures ½ oz head. Key colors were Green Pumpkin and red bug. They felt this event “fished more like a club tournament that pays a lot more and the field size really helped them have more water to fish.” They also added the Wedowee Marine Bonus to their $12,000 payday.
Anthony Goggins and Dustin Wood claimed third place with 20.93. Dustin was a favorite in this event after winning an event the previous weekend with over 22 pounds. The morning was tough for them because they didn’t get to fish anything they wanted to fish- they had a “local following them trying to figure them out.” They work hard to keep the areas they fish a secret, so instead of helping someone else figure out their spots, they left their main areas to go and “fish community holes and get a limit around lake point.” After they got a limit they went back to some of their key areas, and since the on-looker didn’t follow them, they were able to get to their areas. Dustin said, “the Lord really blessed us because every time we made a cast where we felt something was good we caught a four pounder.” The team shared their frustration in having to protect their areas, but they felt it was something worth protecting for future events. “We really baby our areas and don’t fun fish them during the week. They are kind like pets, and we wanted to take care of them. It takes hard work to find them, and we don’t want to give them up.” They targeted the fish using a Red Shad worm on a ¾ oz drop shot. They also shared that the Garmin Live Scope really helped them to be able to find the fish on the cover. In spite of the circumstances, they were able to be successful and cash the third place $10,000 check.
The third and final stop of the Alabama Bass Trail 100 will be on Lake Eufaula, Saturday, November 20, where, once again, 100 teams will go for the $100,000 total payout. The Angler of the Year points race is really tight with lots of big names at the top of that list.
Top five standings are below for a complete list see https://www.alabamabasstrail100.org/lake-eufaula-results/
Download and listen to the ABT Podcast on your favorite Podcast app by searching for “Alabama Bass Trail Podcast.” The Podcast is released each week on Tuesday. This week podcast will feature winners form Lake Eufaula.
The sponsors of the 2021 Alabama Bass Trail 100 include; Phoenix Bass Boats, Bill Penney Automotive Group, Garmin, America’s First Federal Credit Union, Sweet Home Alabama, Alabama Tourism Department, T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, Big Bite Bait Company, Black Rifle Coffee Company, Anheuser- Busch, Inc., fishalabama.org and American Baitworks.
For information about Alabama Bass Trail 100 visit www.alabamabasstrail100.org
#MyClassicChallenge from Humminbird and Minn Kota Allows Fans to Compete in the Classic from Anywhere
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Shin Fukae Wins Group B at Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four at Lake Chickamauga
Japanese Pro Boats Massive Haul of 79 Pounds, 6 Ounces, Monday to Win by 20+ Pounds, Field of 38 Set for Tuesday’s Knockout Round
DAYTON, Tenn. (June 6, 2021) – While most of the anglers on Lake Chickamauga were throwing standard summer-time Tennessee River baits – big crankbaits, big jigs, big worms and big spoons – Japanese pro Shinichi Fukae proved Monday that sometimes finesse is best. Fukae caught 24 scorable bass totaling 79 pounds, 6 ounces to win the two-day Qualifying Group B round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by ATG by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee.
Fukae’s two-day total of 37 bass weighing 114 pounds, 2 ounces earned him the round win by a 20-pound, 12-ounce margin and advances him straight into Wednesday’s final-day Championship Round of competition. The six-day showcases 80 of the best bass anglers in the world competing for a purse of more than $805,000, with a top prize of $100,000 going to the winner.
Day 1 leader General Tire pro Edwin Evers of Talala, Oklahoma, caught a two-day total of 30 bass weighing 93-6 to end the round in second place, and reigning REDCREST Champion Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama, finished the round in third place with a two-day total of 21 bass weighing 75-5.
The remaining 38 anglers – 19 from Group A and 19 from Group B – will now compete Tuesday in the Knockout Round, where weights are zeroed, and the anglers compete to finish in the top eight to advance to Championship Wednesday. Wednesday’s Championship Round will feature Group A winner Jason Lambert, Group B winner Fukae, and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000.
“It was a little bit hard to catch (them) the first day, and I had no idea where I was going to start today,” Fukae said. “I chose this area in the morning, and that was the super-right decision for me. I caught 79 pounds and finally made a Championship Round. I am so happy for that and I am ready to go right now.”
Fukae has battled through plenty of adversity this week, not only on the water but off of it as well. His father-in-law passed away just a few days ago in Japan, and his wife Miyu, who has been by Shin’s side since he first came to the United States in 2004, is back in Japan mourning with her family.
“Thank you so much to my wife, for letting me fish,” an emotional Fukae said in his post-game interview. “She has been in a super-tough situation the last two or three days. I want to try to help her, but she told me to just concentrate on fish and don’t think about other things. But, of course, I can not do that. I worry a lot. I talked to her yesterday. She is so strong. My father-in-law helped me from the sky, today, and I thank him so much.”
According to the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard, the Japanese pro caught his fish on two main baits Monday – a Ned Rig and a soft-body swimbait. However, Fukae credited his Lowrance units as being the main reason that he had so much success, Monday.
“The most important thing for me, today, was my Lowrance ActiveTarget,” Fukae said. “I can see where the fish come from, what depths the fish are at, and that was the key to me making the Championship Round.
“I also used Shimano rods and Shimano reels, and YGK fishing line, the most famous braided line in the world,” Fukae went on to say. “I used their sinking braided line, which was very helpful because the wind was blowing hard and it made the line really drift a lot. So, the sinking line really helped me today.”
The top 20 pros in Qualifying Group B that now advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round on Lake Chickamauga are:
1st: Shin Fukae, Osaka, Japan, 37 bass, 114-02 – ADVANCES DIRECTLY TO CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
2nd: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., 30 bass, 93-6
3rd: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 21 bass, 75-5
4th: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., 24 bass, 70-7
5th: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 26 bass, 66-12
6th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Ark., 22 bass, 59-8
7th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 24 bass, 58-9
8th: Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 16 bass, 52-3
9th: Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 18 bass, 51-5
10th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., 17 bass, 48-6
11th: Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., 17 bass, 45-4
12th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 18 bass, 44-5
13th: Shaw Grigsby, Gainesville, Fla., 14 bass, 42-6
14th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 14 bass, 39-11
15th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 14 bass, 38-13
16th: Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, 13 bass, 37-6
17th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., 13 bass, 36-1
18th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 11 bass, 35-5
19th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., 11 bass, 31-0
20th: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 11 bass, 30-11
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 265 bass weighing 744 pounds, 5 ounces caught by the 40 pros on Monday.
Fukae also earned Monday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award with a 7-pound, 5-ounce largemouth that bit on a Ned Rig in Period 1. Berkley will award $1,000 to the angler who weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.
The MLF Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four at Lake Chickamauga Presented by ATG by Wrangler is hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council.
The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Friday and Sunday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Saturday and Monday. With both groups two-day qualifying round now complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 20th place from both groups now advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round, while the 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.
Anglers will take off from the Dayton Boat Dock, located at 175 Lakeshore St., in Dayton, at 6:30 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the Dayton Boat Dock, beginning at 3:30 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 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 9 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
For complete details and updated information on the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Soukup adds another NPFL Trophy to the case with the win on the Harris Chain of Lakes.
By Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons and Rob Connors
John Soukup added 22-pounds, 10-ounces to his total for his second win in just three events in the inaugural season on the National Professional Fishing League. With a total of 61-pounds, 15-ounces, Soukup increased his weight all three days of the tourney and dominated on Showdown Saturday.
“One thing people don’t know about me; I spent the last 13 years on a grass lake flipping like 4 days a week. This week I practiced offshore but I could never make it happen. By default, I went to the bank and it turns out the big ones like big weights.”
Big bass do like big weights and Soukup’s 7-pound, 6-ounce lunker anchored his second 20-pound bag in a row. Like other, Soukup employed a reaction style bite in the morning opting for a chatterbait to catch his fish. Once the sun came up, Soukup would pull out the big stick and go to work.
“I used my electronics to be my eyes under the water. I was punching a 1.5-ounce weight with a Big Bite Baits BFE Creature and a Trick Stick and a ¾-ounce weight to hit the edges of the Kissimmee grass. I was using 25-pound Sunline Meter fluorocarbon and the big fish just stop it, there is no bite. On Day two, I did catch two key fish and I tried the frog today for a little bit but I went back to the Denali 7’ 8” Denali In 3 Series XH Flipping stick.”
With two wins now on the NPFL trail, Soukup proves he can win under any conditions. Utilizing his electronics helped seal his victory on Lake Eufaula and now this Florida win will keep Soukup within the top five in the Progressive AOY Standings with just three events remaining.
“I was fishing around guys in Big Harris all week and the key to getting the bigger bites flipping was understanding the fish and bait. When it was calm, you have to have needlefish and bluegills. If there was some chop, you had to be in an area with balls of shad. That’s where the electronics came in as I could see the bait fish. Every day I fished new water and rotated some of the better stretches.
I want to thanks The Bass Tank, XPress boats, Yamaha, Denali Rods, Sunline, Big Bite Baits, Spro, Gamkatsu Hooks, and Daiwa Reels and all of my sponsors.”
Jake Boomer
Jake Boomer began the day as the leader on the Harris Chain with 40-pounds, 7-ounces. With his limit of 13-pounds, 12-ounces, Boomer rotated between offshore and shallow bites to finish in 2nd place with a total of 54-pounds, 3-ounces.
Keith Carson
Starting the day in the 10th spot, Keith Carson added 16-pounds, 15-ounces to his total for a three-day total of 50-pounds, 4-ounces. Carson worked the shallows of the Harris Chain combining a flipping bite and topwater bite to finish in 3rd place.
“My plan coming into this event was to fish Kissimmee grass like a lot of guys but the wind blew and they just didn’t bite. I ended up leaving to find some calmer water and went to catch 12-pounds and survive and cut a check.”
Fishing pockets and creeks on the South end of Lake Harris, Carson mixed between flipping a Berkley Creature Hog and buzzing a Berkly Wind Up across shallow grass to catch his fish.
“That worm is kind of something different and it really fired them up. It’s a reaction bite compares to slower topwater baits and they have only a second to decide if they want to bite or not – they smash it. I had about 40 bites a day but only hooked 10 to 12 bass.”
With a low catch ratio comes lots of swings and misses. Carson will take it as his goal of 15-pounds a day this week tuned into almost 19-pounds on day one, 14.5-pounds on day two, and almost 17-pounds on day three.
“I kept rotating creeks every day and covering water. I was throwing that worm on a 7’ 6” Abu Garcia Fantasista with a high speed Revo Premier reel spooled with 40-pound Berkley X5 braid. It’s absolutely huge to have a top ten finish before headed to the Texas and Lake Lay Roberts to fish the Bassmaster Classic.”
Bryant Smith
With his lowest weight of the week, Bryan Smith caught 13-pounds, 6-ounces on the final day to finish the event in 4th place with a total weight of 5-pounds, 4-ounces. Utilizing a mix of techniques, Smith capitalized on his bites and fished his strengths this week for a top five finish.
“I fished the same area today and first thing this morning I got fortunate to pull up to fish busting shad. I picked up a Strike King swim jig and went to work around that Kissimmee grass. I caught 3 keepers quick and one good one.”
When the bite died, it was back to business with the crankbait. Smith spent all three days starting his morning covering water with a Strike King 1.5 squarebill crankbait. Targeting hard targets shallow, the Roseville, California pro would get a solid limit before getting back to the flipping bite.
“I was basically fishing docks, walls, and cypress trees with that crankbait and it was frustrating as you had to make multiple casts. Every now and then you could get one to get it but it was great to have that to start each day. I was able to finish my limit this morning on the crankbait but the flipping bite totally died on me.”
Smith opted to spend his event in Harris fishing shallow after the offshore bite yielded lots of small fish in practice.
“I do similar stuff on Clear Lake back home and I am just very comfortable with it. I tried fishing offshore but after catching only small fish, I opted to stay shallow all week. For the squarebill, I went with a bigger rod this week – a Dobyns Champion 764CB with 15-pound fluorocarbon. We are in the land of the giants and I wanted to have as much control over the bigger fish and that longer rod allowed me to do it.”
Nick Prvonozac
For the Progressive AOY Leader Nick Prvonozac, the first two days of competition will be easy to forget about. Weighing in bags of 14-pounds, 2-ounces and 13-pounds, 2-ounces, Prvonzac smashed 21-pounds, 12-ounces on the final day to finish the event in 5th place.
“The first day, I had 14-pounds but I lost two big ones and easily could have had 19-pounds. Day two, I fished the day stuff but I got in a bad rotation. I spoke to some other anglers who were fishing some of the same areas and it seems like they caught them before I got there.”
Third time is a charm, right? The Warren, Ohio pro kept his cool and went back to work on day three in a big way. Starting shallow with a chatterbait to begin each day, when the sun came up around 11AM, Prvonozac got to flipping and broke 20-pounds for the first time this week.
“Today, I did the exact same thing, same rotation, and I didn’t lose any fish. I stayed in Harris all week and was using the chatterbait and flipping a Yum Christie Craw. Today I had a 6-pounder, a 5-pounder, and another one that was around 4-pounds.”
With AOY on his mind, Prvonozac set a goal before the event and rallied in a big way to take some of the pressure off. After landing in the 20’s on the leaderboard after the first couple days, a big Showdown Saturday was an answered prayer.
“I was thinking about AOY for sure. I just wanted to stay within check range and not bomb. If you finish in the 50’s or 60’s against these guys, there is no way. I was thinking before the season that the top 20 in each event would probably get it done. This week, I prayed a lot and the lord blessed me. I am headed to Pickwick after the event and I’ll get to work again. I have a little history fishing offshore there and I am looking forward to it.”
David Gaston
David Gaston began the day in second place and adds 8-pounds, 5-ounces today for a three-day total of 48-pounds, 7-ounces to finish in 6th place. Although today was the slowest of all three days , Gaston is happy how the week played out.
“I was making the trip to Lake Griffen all week and it was about an hour. I scrapped my practice and went shallow to throw a frog. The first two days I had some chop on the water and those big fish just ate it. Today, I had one big bite and lost it, and ended with 5 rats. I anticipated a breeze today and when I got down there it didn’t blow at all. I am happy to finish where I did after practice.”
See the Full Leaderboard, here.
Best of the Rest:
7th Dale Prinkey 47-Pounds, 9-Ounces
8th Robby Frazier 47-Pounds, 9-Ounces
9th Bryan Tyler 47-Pounds, 6-Ounces
10th Joel Willert 46-Pounds, 11-Ounces
Grimm Earns Win at 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented By T-H Marine All-American Championship
ANDRIDGE, Tenn. (June 5, 2021) – Fishing in his first All-American Championship, boater Brant Grimm of Church Hill, Tennessee, won the 38th annual Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine All-American at Douglas Lake presented by TINCUP after bringing five bass weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces to the scale Saturday. Grimm’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 46-9 bested second-place boater Leslie Brandenburg of Springfield, Missouri, by 1 pound, 15 ounces. Grimm took home $100,000 for his victory and earned a spot in the 2021 Toyota Series Championship on Pickwick Lake, Oct. 28-30.
“I’m usually a really talkative person, but today at noon I hadn’t said more than three words,” Grimm said after earning the victory. “It was kind of tough, today. I only managed seven keeper bites. But thankfully they were the right ones and it all worked out.
“It really hasn’t sunk in for me, yet,” Grimm continued. “It’s a lot of money. I’ll probably do something boring with it – stick it into a retirement account or buy a rental property or something like that. I’m not going to go buy a yacht, or anything like that.”
Grimm said he caught his fish this week fishing a narrow section below the Nolichucky River, targeting offshore river drops where the fish gang up with a shad-colored Strike King 6XD crankbait.
“I love fishing shallow – I consider myself a shallow-water angler. But I fished shallow here for two weeks prior to the off-limits period and I couldn’t catch anything more than 3 pounds. I didn’t feel like I could win on the bank, so I committed my time offshore.”
Grimm considers Douglas Lake and Cherokee Lake his home waters, and when asked if he had any aspirations of moving up to the Toyota Series or Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, he said he’s happy to stay around home.
“I fished the (FLW) Tour one year – I’ve been there, done that,” Grimm said. “I don’t know that I’m good enough to compete. I’m not on that level. I’m good around here on a couple of lakes, and I’m going to stay here on these couple of lakes and just keep trying to catch them.”
With his victory, Grimm now automatically earns entry into the 2021 Toyota Series Championship on Pickwick Lake in October.
“I’ll definitely be giving that tournament my all, and I’ll prepare for that event just like I did this one. Hopefully that one will work out just as well.”
The top 10 boaters on Douglas Lake finished:
1st: Brant Grimm, Church Hill, Tenn., 15 bass, 46-9, $100,000
2nd: Leslie Brandenburg, Springfield, Mo., 15 bass, 44-10, $20,000
3rd: Cody Hoyle, Rutherfordton, N.C., 15 bass, 43-6, $15,000
4th: Blake Tomlin, Greenville, Ga., 15 bass, 40-8, $14,000
5th: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., 15 bass, 40-1, $13,000
6th: Chris Nelson, Social Circle, Ga., 15 bass, 39-15, $12,000
7th: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 15 bass, 39-11, $11,000
8th: Harmon Davis, Marlow, Okla., 15 bass, 38-14, $10,000
9th: Dale Pelfrey, Rockwood, Tenn., 15 bass, 37-10, $9,700
10th: Austin Culbertson, Moberly, Mo., 15 bass, 35-13, $8,000
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 50 bass weighing 121 pounds, 10 ounces, caught by the final 10 boaters Saturday. All of the final 10 boaters brought a five-bass limit to the scales.
Daniel Buswell Jr. of Fayetteville, Georgia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division at the All-American Championship and $50,000 Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 34 pounds, 2 ounces. Rod MacKinnon III of Middletown, New York, finished in second place with 14 bass weighing 31-3, good for $10,000.
Buswell became the first co-angler to ever win the All-American Championship twice – he previously won the title in 2013 on Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The final 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Daniel Buswell Jr., Fayetteville, Ga., 15 bass, 34-2, $50,000
2nd: Rod MacKinnon III, Middletown, N.Y., 14 bass, 31-3, $10,000
3rd: Rex Henry, Knoxville, Tenn., 12 bass, 30-7, $6,000
4th: Melinda Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., 14 bass, 30-6, $5,000
5th: James Jarvis, West Frankfort, Ill., 15 bass, 29-4, $4,700
6th: Chase Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 15 bass, 29-2, $4,000
7th: Andrew Starnes, Chapin, S.C., 15 bass, 28-15, $3,500
8th: Dustin Elrod, Jasper, Ga.., 14 bass, 26-9, $3,000
9th: Travis Garrett, Little Rock, Ark., 13 bass, 25-14, $2,500
10th: Ken Coats, Greenup, Ill., 13 bass, 24-14, $2,000
Overall, there were 46 bass weighing 76 pounds, 1 ounce, caught by the final 10 Strike King co-anglers Saturday. The catch included five five-bass limits.
In addition to the cash payouts, the highest-finishing boater and Strike King co-angler from each of the seven Regional Championships (including the Wild Card) and the TBF National Championship at the All-American will advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee, Oct. 28-30, for a shot at winning $235,000 and $33,500, respectively.
The eight boaters and Strike King co-anglers that now advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship on Pickwick Lake are:
Region 1 (Lake Chickamauga) Boater Champion: Blake Tomlin, Greenville, Ga.
Region 2 (James River) Boater Champion: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C.
Region 3 (Mississippi River at La Crosse) Boater Champion: Leslie Brandenburg, Springfield, Mo.
Region 4 (Cherokee Lake) Boater Champion: Brant Grimm, Church Hill, Tenn.
Region 5 (Table Rock Lake) Boater Champion: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo.
Region 6 (Lake Lanier) Boater Champion: Cody Hoyle, Rutherfordton, N.C.
WildCard (Lake of the Ozarks) Boater Champion: Harmon Davis, Marlow, Okla.
TBF (Red River) Boater Champion: Jason Crone, Kalispell, Mont.
Region 1 (Lake Chickamauga) Strike King Co-angler Champion: Allen Neal, Whitley City, Ky.
Region 2 (James River) Strike King Co-angler Champion: Rod MacKinnon III, Middletown, N.Y.
Region 3 (Mississippi River at La Crosse) Strike King Co-angler Champion: James Jarvis, W. Frankfort, Ill.
Region 4 (Cherokee Lake) Strike King Co-angler Champion: Daniel Buswell Jr., Fayetteville, Ga.
Region 5 (Table Rock Lake) Strike King Co-angler Champion: Melinda Hays, Hot Springs, Ark.
Region 6 (Lake Lanier) Strike King Co-angler Champion: Dustin Elrod, Jasper, Ga.
WildCard (Lake of the Ozarks) Strike King Co-angler Champion: Chris Gebhardt, Columbia, Mo.
TBF (Red River) Strike King Co-angler Champion: Matt Felty, Sykesville, Md.
The 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine All-American at Douglas Lake Presented by TINCUP was hosted by Visit Jefferson County TN. The event featured a field of the top 49 boaters and 49 Strike King co-anglers from across the 24-division Bass Fishing League and The Bass Federation, all competing for a grand prize of up to $120,000 in the boater division, including the lucrative $20,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency award, and $50,000 in the Strike King co-angler division.
Television coverage of the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine All-American at Douglas Lake Presented by TINCUP will premiere on the Sportsman Channel Sept. 29, 2021, and on the Outdoor Channel on Oct. 3, 2021.
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.
Edwin Evers Paces Group B at Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four at Lake Chickamauga
Oklahoma Angler Catches 22 Bass Weighing 72 Pounds, 14 Ounces to Pace Group B, Group A Qualifying Round to Wrap Up Sunday
Link to Photo of Qualifying Group B Leader Edwin Evers
Link to Photo Gallery of Fish Catch Highlights from Day 1 at Lake Chickamauga, Qualifying Group B
DAYTON, Tenn. (June 5, 2021) – General Tire pro Edwin Evers of Talala, Oklahoma, caught 22 largemouth bass Saturday totaling 72 pounds, 14 ounces, to jump out to the early lead for Group B’s Day 1 Qualifying Round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by ATG by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. Evers will bring an 18-pound, 3-ounce lead over second-place pro Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, who boated 22 bass worth 56-11.
The 40 anglers in Group B will have the day off on Sunday, while the 40 anglers in Group A will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition. Group B will conclude their Qualifying Round on Monday. The six-day event, hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council, features 80 of the top professional anglers from around the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.
“Man, what a day. I just love offshore fishing,” said Evers, who finished in seventh place when the Bass Pro Tour last visited Lake Chickamauga in 2019. “I just kept bouncing around and covering water. We worked hard, today, and it worked out good. I’m not married to one particular spot. I feel like there are fish everywhere and they are constantly moving, so you just have to keep moving around until you find a school that’s active.”
Evers caught all of his bass offshore, between 14 and 20 feet of water. He credited his Lowrance electronics as being the key to his success, and said he caught his fish on two baits.
“The two main baits for me today were a (Berkley) Dredger 20.5 crankbait - I threw it on a 7-foot, 6-inc Bass Pro Shops Mag-Heavy Cranking rod with a 6:8:1 (Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris) Platinum (Signature) reel with 12-pound Bass Pro fluorocarbon line and just really blistered them on that,” Evers said. “A lot of fish this morning came on a 7-inch (Berkley PowerBait) MaxScent Hit Worm. I fished it on a Profound Outdoors Stand Up head, on a 7-foot, 3-inch, heavy-action (Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris) CarbonLite rod with a high-speed reel.
“I’m super excited about my start today. I just need to do it one more day, catch all that I can catch and put them on that SCORETRACKER. I’m looking forward to getting back out here on Monday,” Evers went on to say.
Also having a great day on the water Saturday was bass-fishing superstar Kevin VanDam, who had his best day of the season so far weighing in 56 pounds, 11 ounces to end the day in second place.
“For the kind of year that I’ve had up to now, it was a pretty solid day,” VanDam said. “I’ve had some really close calls this season – I’ve missed two cuts that I should have been in. This sport is all about decision-making, so it feels good to have a good start to this one. I’m going to try to not blow this opportunity.
“This tournament is setting up to be an incredible event. I think it’s going to be a really, really fun week. If you’re a fan of professional bass fishing, you’re going to see some fireworks at Lake Chickamauga this week. These fish are just coming out to the right areas, and it’s going to be a shootout come Championship Wednesday. I just hope I can make it there, because if I do, I will have a good chance,” VanDam said.
The top 20 pros in Group B after Day 1 on Lake Chickamauga are:
1st: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., 23 bass, 74-14
2nd: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 22 bass, 56-11
3rd: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 15 bass, 53-14
4th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Ark., 15 bass, 41-10
5th: Shin Fukae, Osaka, Japan, 13 bass, 34-12
6th: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., 11 bass, 32-14
7th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., 11 bass, 31-8
8th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 12 bass, 29-7
9th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 11 bass, 27-3
10th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., nine bass, 26-7
11th: Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., eight bass, 23-2
12th: Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, seven bass, 20-3
13th: Jeff Kriet, Ardmore, Okla., seven bass, 19-14
14th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 17-8
15th: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, six bass, 17-7
16th: Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, six bass, 16-15
17th: Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, five bass, 16-5
18th: Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., six bass, 14-3
19th: Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, six bass, 13-15
20th: Shaw Grigsby, Gainesville, Fla., four bass, 13-15
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 264 bass weighing 745 pounds, 11 ounces caught by the 40 pros on Saturday.
Evers won Saturday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, weighing in an 8-pound, 9-ounce largemouth on the Berkley Dredger crankbait during Period 1. Berkley will award $1,000 to the angler who weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.
The MLF Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four at Lake Chickamauga Presented by ATG by Wrangler is hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council.
The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Lake Chickamauga 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.
Anglers will take off from the Dayton Boat Dock, located at 175 Lakeshore St., in Dayton, at 6:30 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the Dayton Boat Dock, beginning at 3:30 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 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 9 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
For complete details and updated information on the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Russ Lane Dominates Opening Day at Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four at Lake Chickamauga
Alabama Pro Leads with 23 Bass Weighing 70 Pounds, 12 Ounces After Day 1 of Qualifying Round Group A– Group B to Compete Saturday
Link to Photo of Qualifying Group A Leader Russ Lane
Link to Photo Gallery of Fish Catch Highlights from Day 1 at Lake Chickamauga, Qualifying Group A
DAYTON, Tenn. (June 4, 2021) – It was the best opening day of the season at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by ATG by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. The 40 pros in Group A caught a single-day total of 271 bass weighing 806 pounds, 10 ounces, Thursday – the heaviest weight caught on any Day 1 so far this season.
B&W Trailer Hitches pro Russ Lane of Prattville, Alabama, was firmly in control of the Group A leaderboard after Day 1 concluded, catching 23 bass totaling 70 pounds,12 ounces, to grab the early lead in the two-day Group A Qualifying Round. The six-day event, hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council, features 80 of the top professional anglers from around the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.
Lane will bring a 21-pound, 6-ounce, lead into Sunday’s second day of competition for Group A. Berkley pro Jordan Lee of Cullman, Alabama, the reigning Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year (AOY), caught 13 bass weighing 49-6 to end the day in second place. Michie, Tennessee’s Jason Lambert sits in third place after a 34-pound third period rally, just 1-ounce behind Lee with at total of 17 bass weighing 49-5.
The 40 anglers in Group A will now enjoy a day off Saturday, while the 40 anglers in Group B will begin their first day of competition. Group A resumes competition on Sunday.
“Man, what a day,” said Lane in his post-game interview from the water. “It is so much fun out here when things go right, and they really did today. I’ve got around a 20-pound lead and that is rare territory for me. I’m just enjoying the moment right now and I cannot wait to get back out here again for Day 2.”
Lane said that he mainly targeted Chickamauga’s offshore hydrilla beds and grass flats.
“I’m around them. There are a lot of good ones under the hydrilla, I just have to cover a lot of water,” Lane continued. “I caught them on a ¾-ounce ChatterBait with a little Big Bite (Baits) (Kamikaze) Swimon trailer with the tails cut down to make it have a little less action so the bait would get down deeper. I had 16-pound-test Sunline Sniper line spooled on a 7:1 (Shimano) Curado reel, and that setup has been doing some work today.”
Reigning AOY Jordan Lee has struggled so far this season and has not made it out of the Qualifying Rounds. But, after a productive day Thursday, it looks like the 30-year-old Alabamian may have broken out of his slump.
“It was a really good day for me,” Lee said. “I made some good decisions and things were just going right for me this morning. I haven’t made a cut yet this year, so to get off to a good start today feels really good.
“I caught some nice ones early and then just kept the ball rolling, picking up a few here and there all day. I mixed in a lot of different summertime, Tennessee River, ledge baits – cranking, a hair jig, and a Berkley (Havoc) Bottom Hopper. These fish here get a lot of pressure, so it was important to get off to a good start. Now, we’ll regroup and get after them again on Sunday.”
The top 20 pros in Group A after Day 1 on Lake Chickamauga are:
1st: Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala., 23 bass, 70-12
2nd: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., 13 bass, 49-6
3rd: Jason Lambert, Michie, Tenn., 17 bass, 49-5
4th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 17 bass, 44-8
5th: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 11 bass, 38-14
6th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., eight bass, 31-11
7th: Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 29-12
8th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., nine bass, 27-5
9th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., eight bass, 26-2
10th: Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, nine bass, 23-5
11th: Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., eight bass, 22-13
12th: Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss., eight bass, 21-10
13th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., seven bass, 21-4
14th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., eight bass, 20-8
15th: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., seven bass, 20-4
16th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., five bass, 20-4
17th: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., seven bass, 19-5
18th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., six bass, 19-4
19th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., five bass, 18-13
20th: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., seven bass, 18-12
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Oklahoma, won Friday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, weighing in an 8-pound, 7-ounce largemouth on a Carolina rig during Period 1. Berkley will award $1,000 to the angler who weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.
The MLF Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four at Lake Chickamauga Presented by ATG by Wrangler is hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council.
The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Lake Chickamauga 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.
Anglers will take off from the Dayton Boat Dock, located at 175 Lakeshore St., in Dayton, at 6:30 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the Dayton Boat Dock, beginning at 3:30 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 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 9 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
For complete details and updated information on the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Grimm Moves into Lead at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented By T-H Marine All-American at Douglas Lake
Choo Choo Division Boater Takes 3-Ounce Lead into Final Day, Arkansas’ Melinda Hays Leads Co-angler Division – Looking to Become First Female All-American Champion
Photo of Day Two Leader Brant Grimm
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. (June 4, 2021) – Forty-nine of the best weekend boaters and Strike King co-anglers from across the country continued their three-day competition Friday in Dandridge, Tennessee, for a top prize of $120,000 at the 38th annual Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine All-American at Douglas Lake presented by TINCUP.
After starting the day in ninth place, Church Hill, Tennessee, boater Brant Grimm weighed a 19-pound, 1-ounce limit – the largest limit so far in the event – to vault to the top of the leaderboard with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 32 pounds, 5 ounces. Day 1 leader, Leslie Brandenburg of Springfield, Missouri, fell to second place with a limit of bass weighing 13-12, good for a two-day total of 32-2.
The field is now cut to just the top 10 boaters and co-anglers as they prepare to head out Saturday for the third and final day of competition.
“My game plan today was the exact same as yesterday – deep cranking,” said Grimm, who lives just over an hour away from Douglas Lake. “I’ve fished this lake my whole life. I fished the exact same stuff (as yesterday). My fish bit a little better today than they did yesterday, and we had a great day.
“I caught a lot of fish, but I never could cull,” Grimm continued. “I caught most of my weight pretty early, then I just kept catching 3-pounders and couldn’t cull.”
Grimm said that he hit several holes, deep-cranking a Strike King 6XD. He said that he wasn’t really running a rotation of spots, but rather running whatever he could get to. With only 10 competitors on the water tomorrow, the prime areas should be a bit more open going forth.
“The community holes are definitely at play, but I had a couple of places that were a little sneakier than average,” Grimm said.
With just a 3-ounce cushion separating Grimm from the pack, Grimm plans to stick to his game plan and hopes he can earn the biggest victory of his career tomorrow.
“I’m ready. I’m ready to go. We could go right now,” Grimm said. “I am very excited – I’ve been waiting for this event for a long time. I haven’t been able to sleep for months. But I’m going to sleep well tonight. I’m ready to go get them.”
The top 10 boaters advancing to the final day of competition on Douglas Lake are:
1st: Brant Grimm, Church Hill, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-5
2nd: Leslie Brandenburg, Springfield, Mo., 10 bass, 32-2
3rd: Blake Tomlin, Greenville, Ga., 10 bass, 31-1
4th: Cody Hoyle, Rutherfordton, N.C., 10 bass, 29-7
5th: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 10 bass, 27-10
6th: Austin Culbertson, Moberly, Mo., 10 bass, 26-13
7th: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 26-12
8th: Chris Nelson, Social Circle, Ga., 10 bass, 26-12
9th: Harmon Davis, Marlow, Okla., 10 bass, 26-11
10th: Dale Pelfrey, Rockwood, Tenn., 10 bass, 25-14
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 235 bass weighing 524 pounds, 6 ounces, caught by 49 boaters Friday. The catch included 41 five-bass limits.
Melinda Hays of Hot Springs, Arkansas, leads the Strike King Co-angler Division with 10 bass weighing 23 pounds, 14 ounces, followed by Daniel Buswell Jr. of Fayetteville, Georgia, in second place with 10 bass weighing 23 pounds, 6 ounces. If victorious tomorrow, Hays would become the first female angler to ever win the All-American Championship.
The final 10 Strike King co-anglers are:
1st: Melinda Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 23-14
2nd: Daniel Buswell Jr., Fayetteville, Ga., 10 bass, 23-6
3rd: Rex Henry, Knoxville, Tenn., 10 bass, 23-0
4th: Rod MacKinnon III, Middletown, N.Y., nine bass, 22-14
5th: Chase Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 10 bass, 22-0
6th: Travis Garrett, Little Rock, Ark., 10 bass, 21-10
7th: James Jarvis, West Frankfort, Ill., 10 bass, 20-11
8th: Ken Coats, Greenup, Ill., 10 bass, 19-11
9th: Andrew Starnes, Chapin, S.C., 10 bass, 19-2
10th: Dustin Elrod, Jasper, Ga.., 10 bass, 18-7
Overall, there were 192 bass weighing 356 pounds, 10 ounces, caught by 48 Strike King co-anglers Friday. The catch included 27 five-bass limits.
The final 10 All-American boaters and Strike King co-anglers will take off from the Dandridge Boat Dock, located at 100 Public Drive in Dandridge, at 7 a.m. ET Saturday. Saturday’s final Championship Weigh-in will also be held at the dock at 3:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend or follow the event online through daily coverage, live blogs and photos at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine All-American at Douglas Lake Presented by TINCUP is hosted by Visit Jefferson County TN.
Live weigh-in coverage will be streamed daily on MajorLeagueFishing.com. Television coverage of the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine All-American at Douglas Lake Presented by TINCUP will premiere on the Sportsman Channel Sept. 29, 2021, and on the Outdoor Channel on Oct. 3, 2021.
The 2021 All-American features field of the top 49 boaters and 49 Strike King co-anglers from across the 24-division Bass Fishing League and The Bass Federation, all competing for a grand prize of up to $120,000 in the boater division, including the lucrative $20,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency award, and $50,000 in the Strike King co-angler division.
Additionally, the highest-finishing boater and Strike King co-angler from each of the seven Regional Championships (including the Wild Card) and the TBF National Championship at the All-American will advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 and $33,500, respectively.
The full field of anglers competed on Thursday and Friday, with only the top 10 boaters and top 10 co-anglers based on their two-day cumulative weight now continuing to Championship Saturday. The 2021 All-American champions will be determined by the heaviest three-day total weight.
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.
Missouri’s Brandenburg Leads Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented By T-H Marine All-American at Douglas Lake
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. (June 3, 2021) – Boater Leslie Brandenburg of Springfield, Missouri, grabbed the early lead Thursday at the 38th annual Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine All-American at Douglas Lake presented by TINCUP with a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 6 ounces. Behind Brandenburg in second place is Rutherfordton, North Carolina’s Cody Hoyle, who brought five bass to the scale good for 15 pounds, 11 ounces.
Brandenburg said that he spent the majority of the day fishing the upper end of the lake, in the river, flipping a jig to a countless number of bushes.
“I’ve only been here one other time – I was a co-angler, and we went up that river and I won a check that time,” said Brandenburg, who is fishing in his 18th career event as a boater in MLF competition. “Sometimes, it just works out and maybe it’s God’s plan. I hope. We’ll know tomorrow. You dang sure can’t win it the first day but you can lose it. Hopefully I can turn this good start into a Top 10.”
One advantage that Brandenburg has this week is his custom-designed boat, made for getting into places that others can’t.
“I brought a boat that I built. It’s an aluminum Xpress. It’s got a hydraulic jack plate, and I built it purposely to get to places where other people can’t go. It’s a rugged old boat and I’m not afraid to tear it up to go catch them,” Brandenburg said. “I’ve got a lot more places to fish, and I think I’ve got enough to carry me through.”
With sunnier conditions being forecast for Friday, Brandenburg is realistic about his chances of weighing in another big bag but said that he does like his chances in what could be a tough day of fishing.
“I don’t think I can have that kind of weight again, but I think I can have a good sack,” the Missouri boater went on to say. “I think I can weigh 12 pounds. If I get lucky and get a good fish or two, I really think I can come in with 12 or 13 pounds a day the next two days and I think I can [win] it.”
The top 10 boaters after day one on Douglas Lake are:
1st: Leslie Brandenburg, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 18-6
2nd: Cody Hoyle, Rutherfordton, N.C., five bass, 15-11
3rd: Blake Tomlin, Greenville, Ga., five bass, 15-7
3rd: Kyle Kitts, Joplin, Mo., five bass, 14-13
5th: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 14-12
6th: Josh Butler, Hayden, Ala., five bass, 14-4
7th: Austin Culbertson, Moberly, Mo., five bass, 14-2
8th: Eric Olliverson, Lampe, Mo., five bass, 13-12
9th: Brant Grimm, Church Hill, Tenn., five bass, 13-4
10th: Harmon Davis, Marlow, Okla., five bass, 13-1
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 239 bass weighing 537 pounds, 12 ounces, caught by 49 boaters Thursday. The catch included 46 five-bass limits.
Rod MacKinnon III of Middletown, New York, leads the Co-angler Division with four bass weighing 13 pounds, 6 ounces, followed by Chase Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Missouri, in second place with five bass weighing 11 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers are:
1st: Rod MacKinnon III, Middletown, N.Y., four bass, 13-6
2nd: Chase Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., five bass, 11-8
3rd: Lenny Bays, Bethel Island, Calif., five bass, 11-6
4th: James Jarvis, Athens, Ga., five bass, 11-5
4th: Rex Henry, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 11-5
6th: Chris Gebhardt, Shelbyville, Ind., five bass, 10-13
7th: Dustin Elrod, Cushing, Okla., five bass, 10-9
8th: Ken Coats, Greenup, Ill., five bass, 10-7
9th: Travis Garrett, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 10-2
10th: Dax Liner, Eddyville, Ky., five bass, 9-13
Overall, there were 203 bass weighing 353 pounds, 9 ounces, caught by 49 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 28 five-bass limits.
All-American competitors will take off from the Dandridge Boat Dock, located at 100 Public Drive in Dandridge, at 7 a.m. ET each morning, June 3-5. Weigh-in will also be held at the dock at 3:30 p.m. daily. Fans are welcome to attend or follow the event online through daily coverage, live blogs and photos at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine All-American at Douglas Lake Presented by TINCUP is hosted by Visit Jefferson County TN.
Live weigh-in coverage will be streamed daily on MajorLeagueFishing.com. Television coverage of the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine All-American at Douglas Lake Presented by TINCUP will premiere on the Sportsman Channel Sept. 29, 2021, and on the Outdoor Channel on Oct. 3, 2021.
The 2021 All-American features field of the top 49 boaters and 49 Strike King co-anglers from across the 24-division Bass Fishing League and The Bass Federation, all competing for a grand prize of up to $120,000 in the boater division, including the lucrative $20,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency award, and $50,000 in the Strike King co-angler division.
Additionally, the highest-finishing boater and Strike King co-angler from each of seven Regional Championships (including the Wild Card) and the TBF National Championship at the All-American will advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 and $33,500, respectively.
The full field of anglers compete on Thursday and Friday, with only the top 10 boaters and top 10 co-anglers based on cumulative weight from the first two days continuing to Championship Saturday. The 2021 All-American champions will be determined by the heaviest three-day total weight.
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.
Lake Hamilton Selected to Host 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Championship
| 39th Annual Grassroots Bass-Fishing Championship to be held in Hot Springs for Record Sixth Time
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (June 3, 2021) – Major League Fishing, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced Thursday that the 39th annual Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held on Arkansas’ Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 2022. The tournament, scheduled for June 2-4, 2022, will showcase the nation’s best weekend anglers and award the winner up to $120,000 cash. The three-day, no-entry-fee-championship hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs is the sixth All-American to be held in Hot Springs – a record for the most times a city has hosted the event. It will provide an estimated $1 million economic impact to the region. “The entire Hot Springs community is proud to have been selected as the host city for the 39th annual Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American in 2022,” said Steve Arrison, Visit Hot Springs CEO. “Hot Springs loves pro fishing and bringing the tournament back to Lake Hamilton for the fifth time is a real testament to our city’s ability to make the anglers feel welcome, while also providing the opportunity for them to have a great time on and off the water. “Aside from the million-dollar economic impact that the All-American will bring to the city, the people of Hot Springs are simply great fans of the excitement that the event brings to town. We love the weigh-ins and the entertainment that surrounds the tournament and participants – we can’t wait to host the event again in 2022.” The championship was previously held on Lake Hamilton in 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2008 and on DeGray Lake, also in the region, in 2010. “We are thrilled to bring the 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American back to Lake Hamilton,” said Kathy Fennel, MLF executive vice president and general manager. “We’ve had great success hosting tournaments in Hot Springs over the years and the community excitement coupled with the competitive fishery has made bringing our All-American championship there an obvious choice.” As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the Phoenix Bass Fishing League is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Toyota Series, Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the Bass Pro Tour. Former All-American champions who currently compete on the Bass Pro Tour and the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit include Shaw Grigsby (1984), Stephen Browning (1996), Troy Morrow (2010), Jacob Wheeler (2011), Kerry Milner (2013), Jeremy Lawyer (2016) and Nick LeBrun (2018). The 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 co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The complete schedule and rules for the 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine season will be announced this fall. The full schedule and rules will be posted online at MajorLeagueFishing.com. 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. |
Toyota Tundra Giveaway Highlights 10th Anniversary Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament
Ridgedale, MO (June 3, 2021)- In celebration of the 10th year of the no-entry fee Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament, one lucky participating angler will win a new 2022 Toyota Tundra in a random drawing. This event will feature generous prizes and is set to take place October 23-24, 2021 at Table Rock Lake in Ridgedale, MO.
“As an angler myself, seeing the number of loyal participants grow consistently over the past nine years of this event has beenvery rewarding,” says Matt Ozawa, Engagement Marketing Manager, Toyota Motor North America. “And this year’s random drawing to give away a new 2022 Toyota Tundra to commemorate our 10th year, promises to add even more excitement to this fun-filled weekend in the Ozarks.”
The weekend kicks-off Saturday afternoon with a registration meeting at the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Shooting Academy where Team Toyota Pro Anglers will be on hand to greet guests and talk fishing tips and tricks of the trade. B.A.S.S. tournament staff will conduct the tournament and be onsite Saturday afternoon for angler registration, where participants will receive a generous amount of 10th Anniversary commemorative gear, along with a complimentary dinner.
Launch and weigh-in for Sunday’s competition will take place at Long Creek Marina on Table Rock Lake. The top 31 teams in the tournament are guaranteed a paycheck and a free gift bag will be given to the first 200 anglers to sign up for the team tournament.
Only one of the two team members must be currently registered in the Toyota Bonus Bucks Program to be eligible to compete in the 2021 Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament. (To be eligible to participate in the Toyota Bonus Bucks Program- participant must own or lease a 2017 or newer Toyota Tundra, Tacoma, Sequoia, or 4Runner).
Visit toyotafishing.com for more Program details. Bassmaster Elite Series, MLF Bass Pro Tour and Pro Circuit anglers are not eligible to participate in the Toyota Owners Tournament. Teams are required to pre-register by October 15, 2021. Participants are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible for this prize-rich event. Registration is limited to 300 teams.
To register, visit: https://ownersevent.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com . If you have questions, or need assistance, contact the Toyota Bonus Bucks Headquarters via email: [email protected], or at (918) 742-6424.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands. Over the past 60 years, we’ve built more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.
Montevallo Claims Bass Pro Shops Collegiate School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia
SAN ANTONIO, TX (June 2, 2021) – The 2020-21 season out on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series came to a historic end last week at Lake Murray in South Carolina. Following the conclusion of weigh-in at Dreher Island State Park last Thursday points totals were calculated, and the standings finalized for this season’s Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. The final standings revealed several shakeups to be one of the most dramatic reveals of the season as one new team leapt up into the Top 3 and Montevallo’s lead over 2nd place shrank to its slimmest margin in the past several months. When it was all said and done, Montevallo did just enough at Lake Murray to claim the school’s first-ever title as Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. Back-to-back defending winners McKendree University closed the margin to less than 300 points to finish the season in 2nd, and Adrian College leap-frogged Murray State to earn 3rd place honors. There were also several other moves inside the Top 25 national rankings which can be seen below.
“It was very exciting to see all the hard work finally pay off. This is my 6th season at Montevallo and each year I felt that we were getting closer and closer of reaching that top spot in collegiate bass fishing,” said William Crawford, Head Fishing Coach at the University of Montevallo. “Being this is the first-ever title for the program or the University there has been a lot of excitement around our campus, community, state and even in the fishing community. I am amazed at the amount of support we have received since winning the title.”
Montevallo’s quest for its first-ever School of the Year title was not accomplished without a slight bit of drama. Following Day 1 of competition, the number one ranked team in the nation had two teams inside of the Top 10 and looked poised to build on its 1,000 plus point lead and run away with the title. James Willoughby & Chance Schwartz were in 5th place with 15.37 pounds, and fellow teammates Solomon Glenn & Ryan Thomas occupied 6th at 15.12 pounds.
Day 2 proved not to be as stress-free as Montevallo likely expected following a picture-perfect start on Day 1. ACA camera crew staff covered both the 5th and 6th place teams throughout the morning, and it quickly became evident that those two angler pairings were finding the conditions to be much more difficult. At weigh-in that afternoon, Montevallo’s confidence quickly began to shrink as several of the nation’s other top teams began to place teams inside of the Top 20 of the tournament standings and pushing Montevallo downward in the standings.
Willoughby & Schwartz zeroed on the final day of competition, dropping from 5th place after Day 1 all the way down to 66th overall. Montevallo’s other highest-placing team after Day 1 struggled immensely on the final day as well. The duo of Glenn & Thomas dropped from 6th overall down to 51st after weighing in just 2.75 pounds of bass on Day 2. In just a matter of 24 hours, Montevallo went from having a commanding seven-month run atop the standings, to possibly watching its title hopes to dwindle as college fishing powerhouse McKendree University lurked within striking distance on the final day.
The team that had Montevallo looking back over its shoulder on Day 2 had won the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia the past two years and was just over 1,000 points shy of first place. Upon the closing of the scales on the final day of competition, McKendree placed two teams inside of the Top 25 in the tournament standings earning valuable points in its quest toward claiming a third straight title. Nate Doty & Bailey Bleser finished in 12th with a two-day total of 26.18 pounds, and Trevor McKinney & Blake Jackson took 24th with 22.48 pounds.
McKendree earned a total of 2,320 points at the 2021 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. This point total was nearly 1,000 points higher than that of top-ranked Montevallo. However, the lead Montevallo built up over the past seven months proved to be too much to overcome as McKendree came up 250 points short of claiming a three-peat as School of the Year winners.
A season full of hard work, dedication, and proper scheduling paid off for the University of Montevallo as it claims its first-ever title as Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. For three to four seasons now, Montevallo has been building towards this moment. The team’s spring season has been chalked full of Top 10 finishes across the national stage, including two victories at ACA double points event.
“While the season wrapped up a bit closer than expected, I personally don’t think I’ve seen a school have such a good run as what Montevallo has had this season. The talent pool at the school runs deep as they had a large roster of anglers that all contributed to earning points all season long. Congratulations on a job well done on the water by this fine group of anglers,” said Wade Middleton, Director of Association of Collegiate Anglers.
“This is a group of guys that dedicates their heart and soul into the sport of bass fishing. This means a lot for us because this is something all of us dreamed of and strives for when we came to fish for Montevallo. Our coach, William Crawford, has put everything he has into trying to build the best team in the nation,” added Cal Culpepper, Montevallo angler. “His drive to bring guys in from all over the country is one of the reasons why we ended up on top. Our team is full of versatility. It’s always someone different at the top at every tournament, and you need that if you want to be the best team in the nation.”
A majority of the anglers on this current roster have been at Montevallo for three to four years now and have seen steady growth through that time. Last season ended in a runner-up finish, and the team’s goal entering the 2020-21 season was to cap this year off as the top-ranked team in the nation.
“It really means the world to all of us involved considering this has been one of our top goals, if not the top goal, for this organization for the past couple of years,” noted Adam Carroll, Montevallo angler. “Back when I first came to the University of Montevallo, we established this goal and it seemed pretty far fetched, but after we came so close last year, and have now won it, it just goes to show that with hard work, teamwork and great effort and determination that anything is possible.”
AC Insider Podcast - Classic Countdown Beatdown!
This week Chris and the boys prepare for next weeks Bassmaster's Classic with the help of AU Fishing Team Member and Dallas native Michael Peinado to talk about his latest 5 fish limit on Ray Roberts & how it is setting up for the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing. The Circus also welcomes in All-American Angler Drew Boggs to talk about this weeks Grass Roots Championship on Douglas Lake!
Douglas Lake Gears Up for 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine All-American
Total Event Payout of More Than $480,000 and Advancement to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship Await Nation’s Best Weekend Anglers
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. (June 1, 2021) – The best weekend anglers from across the nation will come together June 3-5 for the 38th annual Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine All-American Presented by TINCUP on Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee. The three-day, no-entry-fee event – hosted by Visit Jefferson County TN – features a boater/co-angler format, with lucrative payouts and serves as a stepping-stone for anglers to advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship.
The 2021 All-American will feature a field of the top 49 boaters and 49 Strike King co-anglers from across the 24-division Bass Fishing League and The Bass Federation, all competing for a grand prize of up to $120,000 in the boater division, including a lucrative $20,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency award, and $50,000 in the Strike King co-angler division.
Additionally, the highest-finishing boater and Strike King co-angler from each of seven Regional Championships (including the Wild Card) and the TBF National Championship at the All-American will advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 and $33,500, respectively.
MLF pro Ott DeFoe of Blaine, Tennessee, is no stranger to bringing home the hardware on Douglas Lake, with three major wins in Bassmaster Opens – the first win coming in 2014, followed by back-to-back wins in 2017 and 2018. DeFoe said he’s excited to watch anglers compete again on his favorite body of water in the country.
“I’m honestly jealous of these anglers, because I haven’t had the opportunity to fish in the All-American,” said DeFoe. “It’s the ultimate weekend angler championship. The payout is a huge draw but the prestige that goes with winning that event is something special. There’s only one All-American – if you say that name in the bass fishing world, people know what you’re talking about.”
DeFoe said there are a lot of fish to be caught on Douglas Lake, but finding larger fish is going to be the key.
“There are tons of 2-pounders, but 3-pounders seem to be more difficult to catch lately,” said DeFoe. “A few years ago on Douglas, 3-pounders didn’t really do you a lot of good in a tournament, but I think that’s what anglers should be targeting at the event. If they do that and can catch a 4-pounder or two per day, they’ll be doing really well.”
While storms and major fronts have rolled across the U.S. over the past week or so, DeFoe said he didn’t think that would significantly affect the fishery.
“It’s been in the 90s a lot up here, but a cold snap came through over the weekend, which probably knocked the surface temperature of the water back a couple degrees,” said DeFoe. “At this point the surface temperature should be in the 70s and that shouldn’t change fishing conditions too much.
“I expect deep cranking to be a major player this time of year, no question about that,” continued DeFoe. “We’ll probably see a lot of the Rapala DT Series crankbaits tied on – anything from the DT10 down to the DT20. Hollow-belly swimbaits rigged on jigheads will also be a big deal, as well as football jigs and big worms, drug around offshore.”
DeFoe said he expects it will take 45-50 pounds to win the three-day event, with anglers at the top of the leaderboard bringing in 15-17 pounds per day.
All-American competitors will take off from the Dandridge Boat Dock, located at 100 Public Drive in Dandridge, at 7 a.m. ET each morning, June 3-5. Weigh-in will also be held at the dock at 3:30 p.m. daily. Fans are welcome to attend or follow the event online through daily coverage, live blogs and photos at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Live weigh-in coverage will be streamed daily on MajorLeagueFishing.com. Television coverage of the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine All-American Presented by TINCUP will premiere on the Sportsman Channel Sept. 29, 2021, and on the Outdoor Channel on Oct. 3, 2021.
The 2021 All-American field of 49 boaters and 49 Strike King co-anglers is comprised of the top six boaters and co-anglers from each of the six Bass Fishing League Regional Championships held in 2020, along with the top six boaters and co-anglers from the 2020 Wild Card tournament. They are joined by the top boater and co-angler from each of the seven divisions at the 2021 TBF National Championship.
The full field of anglers will compete on Days One and Two of the event, with the top 10 boaters and top 10 Strike King co-anglers based on cumulative weight from the first two days continuing to the third and final day. The 2021 All-American champions will be determined by the heaviest three-day total weight.
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 .
St. Lawrence Lands Bassmaster College National Championship
New York's scenic St. Lawrence River will host the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops August 12-14, 2021.
Photo by B.A.S.S.
May 28, 2021
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Just weeks after the world’s top professional anglers do battle for a Bassmaster Elite Series victory on the St. Lawrence River, the country’s best college teams will converge in Waddington, N.Y., for the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, which will be held Aug. 12-14, 2021. Clarkson University and its Bass Fishing Team are the local hosts along with the St. Lawrence County Chamber and Village of Waddington.
The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Championship will field as many as 130 teams of anglers representing colleges and universities across the nation. Qualifications are based on the teams’ finishes in four college tour stops as well as a Wild Card event being held throughout the country.
“We’re excited to work with these great partners to offer college anglers an incredible championship tournament experience,” said College Series Senior Manager Hank Weldon. “I am thrilled that we are able to get these young anglers up to New York to experience the extraordinary St. Lawrence River as well as the legendary hospitality of this community as they compete for a national title and chance to fish the Classic.”
Competitors will not only be fighting for a national championship but also a berth in the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell via the College Classic Bracket tournament.
The leading anglers in the Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year points standings will be determined after the four regular-season events. The Team of the Year will punch their ticket to the College Classic Bracket event, which will be held in September. The College Classic Bracket takes the Top 3 teams from the National Championship plus the Team of the Year, and individual anglers compete head-to-head in bracket-style competition for a berth in the Classic, where they will compete for a prize purse of over $1 million.
“Clarkson University and its Bass Fishing Team are thrilled to be hosting the Bassmaster collegiate national tournament on the St. Lawrence River and in St. Lawrence County,” said Kelly O. Chezum, Clarkson University Vice President for External Relations. “As New York reopens and with our St. Lawrence County Chamber partners welcoming collegiate anglers to the region, we will be paying tribute through the fan experience during the tournament to the volunteer first-responder community which has done so much for our region, state and country during the pandemic.”
B.A.S.S. has hosted 20 major events at this Upstate New York smallmouth paradise, which took the top spot in 2019 on Bassmaster Magazine’s Top 100 Best Bass Lakes list.
“Collegiate anglers and their families will have a great opportunity to experience New York’s Northern border on and off of the water during the peak of summer in St. Lawrence County,” said Brooke Rouse, St. Lawrence County Chamber Director of Tourism. “The River is internationally recognized and is surrounded by trails, museums, outdoor festivities and warm local charm.”
The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops is being hosted by the Village of Waddington, St. Lawrence County Chamber and Clarkson University. This tournament is also supported by a Market New York grant from I LOVE NY/New York State’s Division of Tourism awarded as part of the Regional Economic Development Council initiative. The tournament and all associated festivities are being planned to ensure the safety of athletes, staff and guests.
Major League Fishing Returns to Lake Chickamauga for Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four
Fourth Event of Bass Pro Tour Season to Showcase 80 Pro Anglers Competing on Lake Chickamauga Over Six Days for Top Prize of $100,000, Fans Encouraged to Attend and ‘Hangout’ at Chattanooga Bass Pro Shops
DAYTON, Tenn. (May 28, 2021) – Major League Fishing (MLF) is set to return to Lake Chickamauga and Dayton, Tennessee, next week, June 4-9, for the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga.
The six-day event, hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council, will feature 80 of the best professional anglers in the world, including local favorites like Dayton’s Andy Morgan and Michael Neal, Spring City’s Wesley Strader and John Murray, and Harrison’s 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.
As part of the event, fans will also be treated to the Stage Four Hangout at Bass Pro Shops in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Friday, June 4 from 4 to 7 p.m., and on Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6 from Noon to 5 p.m. The free event includes the opportunity to interact with Bass Pro Tour anglers, enjoy activities and special fan-only giveaways provided by MLF sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities in fishing seminars. All activities are free and open to the public. For more information on the Stage Four Hangout hosted by Bass Pro Shops, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
“Rhea County is proud to host the top bass anglers in the world here on Lake Chickamauga, and we look forward to seeing the exciting Bass Pro Tour competition unfold. Our lakes are renowned for producing great largemouth bass, and we thank the TWRA for their stocking program that helped bring this about,” said Rhea County Executive George Thacker.
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.
When the MLF Bass Pro Tour last visited Lake Chickamauga in 2019, hometown favorite Andy Morgan boated 34 bass weighing 80 pounds even in the Championship Round to win by more than 19 pounds and claim the $100,000 top prize. Although Lake Chickamauga has played host to dozens of MLF BIG5 (previously FLW) tournaments over the years, 2021 will mark just the second time that the Bass Pro Tour has visited BassTown USA.
“This is going to be a fun event,” said Spring City’s Strader, who has more than $2 million in career earnings in MLF competition. “The lake has had a lot of pressure on it, but that’s pretty much everywhere because of COVID. But the numbers will still be really good – it should be a typical June offshore bite – and we’re still going to see some Chickamauga giants.”
Strader said the key to doing well will be having multiple different patterns in play.
“The key will be mixing things up,” Strader said. “I don’t think you’re going to be able to rely on one spot – you’ll need several areas. Bait selection and timing will be important, and also the water flow situation. If it rains a lot before the tournament or there is a lot of power usage, the water will be flowing and that would be good.
“I’ll definitely have a Zoom Superfluke on a scrounger head jig tied on,” Strader continued. “A Zoom Ol’ Monster worm, a crankbait like a (Strike King) 6XD, and maybe even a mid-depth PH Custom Lures Balsa Crankbait.”
Anglers will take off from the Dayton Boat Dock, located at 175 Lakeshore St., in Dayton, at 6:30 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the Dayton Boat Dock, beginning at 3:30 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 B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga 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 B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga are Matt Becker, David Williams, Tai Au and Evan Barnes. Those anglers qualified via their finishes in the third Pro Circuit event of the year – the Googan Baits Stop 3 at Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina.
The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Lake Chickamauga 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 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four Presented by Wrangler at Lake Chickamauga will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 9 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.
Ish Monroe joins Next Gen Lithium Batteries Pro Staff
Peoria, Ariz. – May 28, 2021 – Competing in bass fishing tournaments requires a lot of power. Modern bass boats feature technological advancements from bow to stern. Every single one of those components, requires a tremendous amount of electrical current to operate efficiently. Having battery power that will run the accessories, and outlast the angler is a key, and being able to outwork a professional angler who makes his living on the pro circuits is not easy.
That reason is precisely why MLF Bass Pro Tour angler and winner of nine national tournament titles Ish Monroe has chosen to join the Next Gen Lithium Batteries pro staff. Monroe is running a pair of Next Gen Lithium’s 36-volt, 40 amp hour models rigged in parallel to give him an 80 amp hour system that powers his Lowrance Ghost trolling motor.
Monroe said that believing in his product is essential and that is why he chose to represent Next Gen Lithium Batteries. “I love the NextGen Lithium, their efficiency gives me the confidence to run two 36 volt batteries which gives me all the power I need, and more space in my Battery compartment,” Monroe said. “Next Gen Lithium batteries are lighter, which allows my boat to run faster and draft shallower to allow me to go further and fish shallower.
Monroe added that he can fish longer with confidence. “They also charge faster by design, which allows me to fish longer on practice days and still get a full charge. To top it all off, the owner of the company is a tournament fisherman, so he understands and knows what is needed when I am out there on the water; I couldn’t be happier to be working with Next Gen Lithium Batteries.”
Kevin Johnson, President of Next Gen Lithium Batteries explains what goes into the product. “We have the most advanced Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFe PO4) batteries on the market and we have learned how to keep anglers on the water longer, go further, be able to fish harder and go faster all while eliminating the excess weight of conventional batteries,” said Johnson. “We did all of this while striving to keep our prices affordable and still be able to offer and industry best 12-year warranty.”
Johnson also explained and why they chose Monroe to be their primary spokesman. “Ish has earned a reputation for fishing hard, and for getting himself on the podium, and to do that brings the demand of the best equipment on the market,” said Johnson. He also has a reputation of being one of the few professional anglers that works as hard for his sponsors as our batteries do for the angler, the combination of being a winner and his work ethic are why he is the perfect choice to run Next Gen Lithium Batteries, we are excited and proud to have Ish running our batteries.”
Find more information about Next Gen Lithium Batteries on their website, https://nextgenlithium.com/, on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/NextGenLithium and on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/nextgenlithium/ or contact the company directly for information or to become a dealer at 623-999-4460, [email protected].
About Next Gen Lithium Batteries - At Next Gen Lithium we strive to bring you the world’s best and safest lithium batteries and chargers for the marine, RV, off road and UTV customer. Made with the highest-level materials and workmanship, when you purchase from Next Gen Lithium or any of our authorized dealers if you are not happy within 30 days of your purchase feel free to return your batteries for a refund. Next Gen Lithium offers the industry’s best 12-year warranty that is easy to activate. We strive to show everyone the Next Gen way and lead with our customer service, we want everyone to be happy and we go the extra mile to deliver!
Sportsmans Warehouse Product Spotlight with Greg Bohannon
This week Lews Pro Staffer Greg Bohannon gives us a sneak peek into the new Greg Hackney Signature Series rods from Lews due in stores this summer!
Ott DeFoe Wins Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour at Harris Chain
| Tennessee Superstar Boats 41 Pounds in Third Period to Earn Second Bass Pro Tour Victory of Season and Earn Another $100,000 Top Prize
LEESBURG, Fla. (May 26, 2021) – The Tennessee river rat did it again. Only this time, for the first time in his illustrious career, he did it in Florida. General Tire pro Ott DeFoe of Blaine, Tennessee, caught 30 bass weighing 73 pounds, 14 ounces Wednesday to win the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida, and earn the top prize of $100,000.
“On Day 2, I stayed here on Harris and pulled up to start on a grass point that had a dock nearby that I could almost cast to. It was divine intervention that told me to start there – I ended up catching almost 40 pounds off of that dock. I truly give God all of the credit for that. Sometimes he closes a window to open a door, and that’s what happened for me that day.” DeFoe ended up staying in that general area on the south end of Lake Harris, targeting grass and docks for the remainder of the event. “The area was really good, and you could work it in a lot of different places,” DeFoe said. “The big thing for me was not cranking my motor. Once I went into that stretch, I just put a bait in the water and I fished in and I fished out and really maximized my time. I ended up having two things going – a really, really shallow deal and a deal on the outside edges of the Kissimmee grass.” DeFoe said he caught a number of scorable bass on a swimjig this week, but that his key bait was his signature series Rapala OG Slim Crankbait. “It is so cool to win on a bait that I designed. I really thought it would happen at Lake Eufaula this year, but it ended up working well here and that is just a really cool deal for me,” DeFoe said. “The problem was that I was fishing a new color that’s coming out at ICAST and I only own six of them – and three are back at the house. I threw a couple of different colors this week – bream, hot copper green shad and regular copper green shad. The swimjig was a big deal and I caught a lot of fish on that, too, but that Slim was special – especially this afternoon.” Going into the third and final period of competition Wednesday, DeFoe had a very slim lead, with Bobby Lane, Brent Chapman, Andy Montgomery, and Skeet Reese all looming and very much in contention. DeFoe mentioned to his cameraman that whoever caught the most fish in Period 3 would earn the victory. DeFoe then caught fire, catching 15 bass weighing 41 pounds, 6 ounces in the third period alone to run away from the pack. “That third period was going to have to be my best period of the whole day, and I’m just so thankful that it was,” DeFoe went on to say. “That was a crazy end to this whole deal. This doesn’t happen often, so I am cherishing this moment.” DeFoe earned the win by 27 pounds, 1 ounce – a new Bass Pro Tour record for largest margin of victory. Finishing in second place for the second-consecutive event, after his runner-up finish to Jacob Wheeler at the Bass Pro Tour Stage Two at Lake Travis, was local favorite Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Florida, who remains firmly in control of the 2021 Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year race. “Bridesmaid again, second place,” Lane said in his post-game interview. “I got to spend all week in Harris and Little Harris just flipping grass, and it was so much fun. But Ott DeFoe just ran away with this one. It was an awesome ending for me. I caught a 2-pounder and a 4-pounder with literally 2½ minutes left to jump from fourth to second. I caught them all week on a Berkley Powerbait Power Hawg and a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent General . I kept everything simple – black and blue, with a ½-ounce Bass Addiction screw in weight with a (Berkley) Fusion 4/0 hook. “ The top 10 pros at the Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three on the Harris Chain of Lakes finished: 1st: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 30 bass, 73-14, $100,000 Full results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Overall, there were 159 bass weighing 382 pounds, 11 ounces caught by the final 10 pros on Wednesday. Hite won Wednesday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, weighing a 6-pound, 6-ounce largemouth that came on his EverGreen Grass Ripper swimjig in Period 2. General Tire pro Britt Myers of Lake Wylie, South Carolina, won the $3,000 Berkley Big Bass award for the largest bass of the event with his 9½-pound largemouth that he weighed in on Day 1 of competition. The MLF Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain of Lakes was hosted by Lake County. The six-day tournament featured 80 of the top professional anglers from around the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner. Television coverage of the Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain of Lakes will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 25 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. 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 next event for Bass Pro Tour anglers will be the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four at Lake Chickamauga, June 4-9 in Dayton, Tennessee. For complete details and updated information on the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. |
AC Insider Podcast - Total Domination!
This week Bassmaster Elite Series Champ Caleb Kuphall joins the Circus for to talk about his wire-to-wire, dominating performance this past week on Guntersville. Under Armour Pro Chris Johnston joins in for the UA Fish, Countdown to the Classic and of course there is plenty more!
Nonprofits Launch Clean Water, Habitat Protection Campaign
“Back Your Water” campaign promotes waterways, offers brag swagCOLUMBIA, S.C. — Two South Carolina nonprofits are teaming up to help promote and protect some of the state’s most famous waterways.
Outdoor enthusiasts have the opportunity to get some brag swag sun shirts featuring their favorite waterways with the added bonus of conserving and protecting the state’s world-famous waterways.
A partnership between the South Carolina Boating and Fishing Alliance (SCBFA) and Global Eco Adventures (GEA) has launched the “Back Your Water” campaign with the waterway shirts. A donation from the sale of each shirt will be made to much-needed clean water, habitat enhancement, and floodwater monitoring programs. The price of the shirts is $40.The sun shirts, made by Local Boy Outfitters of Columbia, will feature four of the state’s most premier waterways: Lake Hartwell and Lake Wylie in the Upstate; Murray in the Midlands; and Santee Cooper Lakes in the Lowcountry. The Charleston Harbor and other popular waterways will be featured on the shirts in the near future.
“South Carolinians love their waterways,” said Gettys Brannon, CEO of the SCBFA. “We are excited for South Carolinians to be able to wear their water and contribute money directly back to the waterways we all enjoy.”
South Carolina is the twenty-third most populous state but ranks seventh in the U.S. in registered boats per capita and sales over 725,000 fishing licenses per year.
The Back Your Water campaign is in conjunction with the first South Carolina Boating and Fishing Week that the General Assembly has set for the week of June 7th.
“Boating and fishing are South Carolina’s most popular outdoor recreational activities, and we all are responsible for protecting our natural resources for future generations,” said Brannon. “Global Eco Adventures for years has been dedicated to this effort. Every penny donated will go directly to their conservation efforts.”
“We are proud to stand with the South Carolina Boating and Fishing Alliance (SCBFA) as part of the “Back Your Water” campaign,” said Tom Mullikin, Chairman of the Board of GEA. “SCBFA is an important voice protecting our state’s waterways, and every dollar contributed to GEA will go directly to our programs for floodwater monitors, habitat restoration, and water cleanups,” said Mullikin.
Both Brannon and Mullikin expressed appreciation to the S. C. Department of Natural Resources for its advice and support.
“We are excited to see the SCBFA partnering on a program with GEA to raise monies for these important resource issues,” said Ross Self, SCDNR Chief of Freshwater Fisheries. “I am particularly excited to see the inclusion of habitat enhancement as a priority. Habitat has become an increasingly critical issue as the state’s reservoirs age, and the timber and woody debris that existed when the waterways were impounded have broken down over time. Enhancement of larger reservoir habitat is a huge effort and will require innovative thinking and partnerships to really move the needle.”
To purchase the shirts, please visit: https://cap-clothing.com/clients/south-carolina-boating-fishing-alliance/
Brent Chapman Tops Knockout Round at Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour – Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at Harris Chain
Final 10 Anglers Set for Championship Wednesday and Final-Day Shootout for $100,000
LEESBURG, Fla. (May 25, 2021) – Toro pro Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kansas, caught 23 bass weighing 51 pounds, 12 ounces Tuesday to win the Knockout Round and advance to the final-day Championship Round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida. The field has now been cut to the final 10 anglers, and competition will resume Wednesday morning with the anglers departing Leesburg’s Venetian Gardens Ski Beach at 6:30 a.m.
The six-day tournament, hosted by Lake County, featured 80 of the top professional anglers from around the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.
The top eight pros from Tuesday’s Knockout Round that will compete in Wednesday’s Championship Round on the Harris Chain of Lakes are:
1st: Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., 23 bass, 51-12
2nd: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 18 bass, 46-0
3rd: Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., 16 bass, 38-0
4th: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., 14 bass, 36-14
5th: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 14 bass, 36-10
6th: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 16 bass, 35-7
7th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 13 bass, 34-15
8th: Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 14 bass, 29-2
They’ll be joined by Qualifying Round Winners:
Group A: Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz.
Group B: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla.
Full results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
“I knew it was going to be a special day for me when we had our 30-minute morning ride-around before lines in at 7 (a.m.),” Chapman said in his post-day interview. “The area where I wanted to sit down and start was an area that I had finished my day in on Sunday. When I pulled in there, there were birds everywhere feeding along the shoreline. There was a shad spawn going on, and when you see that many birds along the shore there are probably just as many bass under the water that you can’t see. It killed me to sit there and have to wait 20 minutes for lines in.
“Once we got going, it got going pretty quick,” Chapman continued. “But, the thing that was really crazy is that the birds dissipated pretty quickly and within 30 minutes the fishing went from really, really good to quite a bit tougher. It was interesting. You can learn a lot from the birds and I’m definitely going to be looking for as many more as I can possibly find tomorrow.”
Chapman said that he caught his fish Tuesday on just two key baits.
“Just like I’ve been doing all season, I’m fishing my strengths and sticking with the simple stuff,” the Kansas pro said. “I’m fishing a bladed jig – nothing fancy – just a shad color with chartreuse and white. And I’m throwing a big jig – 1-ounce – with a big chunk. When a good one bites, I want the upper hand so there is no sense in using anything lighter.
“Tomorrow, for me, is basically going to be that 1-2 punch,” Chapman went on to say. “I’ll have a couple of different colors of bladed jigs tied on and I’ll be flipping that big jig, and we’re going to go out and swing for the fences and see if we can’t bring home that big red trophy. It’s been a fantastic week. I just need it all to come together for me just one more day.”
Rounding out the top 40 finishers were:
11th: Paul Elias, Laurel, Miss., 11 bass, 26-12, $10,000
12th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., nine bass, 25-3, $10,000
13th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 11 bass, 24-12, $10,000
14th: John Murray, Spring City, Tenn., 12 bass, 24-4, $10,000
15th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., eight bass, 24-4, $10,000
16th: Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, nine bass, 24-1, $10,000
17th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 10 bass, 23-11, $10,000
18th: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., eight bass, 23-5, $10,000
19th: James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 10 bass, 21-15, $10,000
20th: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., nine bass, 21-7, $10,000
21st: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, nine bass, 21-6, $10,000
22nd: Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., nine bass, 20-8, $10,000
23rd: Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., nine bass, 20-6, $10,000
24th: Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 11 bass, 19-12, $10,000
25th: Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 10 bass, 19-5, $10,000
26th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., seven bass, 15-12, $10,000
27th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., eight bass, 15-11, $10,000
28th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., five bass, 14-0, $10,000
29th: Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., six bass, 13-9, $10,000
30th: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., six bass, 13-4, $10,000
31st: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., four bass, 12-12, $10,000
32nd: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., six bass, 12-4, $10,000
33rd: Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., six bass, 12-3, $10,000
34th: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., four bass, 12-2, $10,000
35th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 11-4, $10,000
36th: Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., three bass, 10-9, $10,000
37th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., four bass, 10-8, $10,000
38th: Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., five bass, 8-13, $10,000
39th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., four bass, 8-4, $10,000
40th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., three bass, 5-4, $10,000
There were 349 bass weighing 825 pounds, 14 ounces caught by the 38 pros on Tuesday.
Elam won the $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award on Tuesday, catching an 8-pound, 14-ounce largemouth on a squarebill crankbait in Period 3. Berkley will award $1,000 to the angler who weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.
The MLF Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three at the Harris Chain Presented by Bass Cat Boats is hosted by Lake County.
The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Friday and Sunday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Saturday and Monday. After the two-day Qualifying Round, the anglers that finished in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advanced to Tuesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner from each group advanced directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, the weights were zeroed and the remaining 38 anglers competed to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. Tomorrow, in the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins. Full breakdown of the format can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The final 10 anglers will take off from the Venetian Gardens Ski Beach Boat Ramp, located at 201 E. Lake Harris Drive, in Leesburg, at 6:30 a.m. ET Wednesday. The General Tire Takeout and Championship Moment will also be held at the Ski Beach at the Venetian Gardens, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend, but encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action from the final day of competition on Wednesday from 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain of Lakes will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 25 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
For complete details and updated information on the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
New lifestyle frames by Costa Sunglasses offer premium lens technology in beach-ready styles
New Rincondo and Maya are ready for everything from a day on the coast with friends to traveling to a faraway watery world.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 25, 2021) – Costa Sunglasses - the first manufacturer of color-enhancing, all-polarized glass sunglass lenses - grows its lifestyle collection just in time for summer with two new beach-ready lifestyle frames, the Rincondo and the feminine Maya. The new frames are built for those looking to enjoy long days on a sun-drenched beach, boat - or anywhere your adventure takes you.
For nearly 40 years, Costa has built a reputation for being the best sunglasses on the water. The brand's legacy continues as it welcomes two new styles to its beach lifestyle collection. With its roots in performance eyewear for anglers, Costa brings active details to the frames with its 580 color-enhancing and polarized lens technology, durable Bio-Resin frames and Hydrolite nose and temple grips to keep your frames locked in place.
The Rincondo, a cousin to the well-loved Rincon and Rinconcito, is the paragon of style and function. With a fresh look and more coverage, the versatile frames offer a rounded lens shape and one-of-a-kind wrap that will make your sun-drenched day trip easy to enjoy.
The women’s Maya is inspired by the royal blue waters and iconic landmarks of the Yucatán. The lightweight, feminine frame has a distinctive cat-eye design and combines style with beach-ready features. Its colorways are inspired by our watery world - Shiny Sea Urchin Crystal and Shiny Coral Tortoise.
“Maya and Rincondo give watermen and women who love the Costa lens more options that look great while still offering protection from the sun,” said TJ McMeniman, Vice President of Marketing at Costa. “Our roots are in performance eyewear, and we’ve found ways to incorporate the same active features of our pro frames into our beach lifestyle collection. The category is growing in popularity with anglers who are looking for versatile eyewear that looks as great as it performs. That’s where Rincondo and Maya come in - they balance the best of both worlds in a fresh, new style.”
The Maya and Rincondo are now available at CostaSunglasses.com, where you can also find additional information on Costa and its collection of best-selling sunglasses.
Elite Series Champ Jocumsen Leads Guntersville Trash Cleanup
Bassmaster Elite Series champion Carl Jocumsen and his wife Kayla spent Championship Sunday picking up trash along the shores of Lake Guntersville, inspiring others to join them.
Photos courtesy Carl Jocumsen
May 25, 2021
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — Bassmaster Elite Series pro Carl Jocumsen had just finished a week of fishing, practicing for 15 hours each day before going all out for the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville, where he finished 13th. After six days of grinding it out from sunup to sundown, you’d think sleeping in and relaxing was the plan for Championship Sunday.
Instead, this Australian angler and his wife, Kayla, who now make their home in Tennessee, got up early and went out to pick up trash around the lake. It wasn’t a spontaneous or one-time idea.
“Kayla and I had been thinking about doing something to give back to the community that welcomed us to fish on their lake,” Carl said. “Wherever we are, during practice, I always fill my livewells with rubbish that I find floating in the water.”
The idea to extend that to land came after Jocumsen observed the trash left behind by shoreline anglers.
“It always bothered me to see so much rubbish around bridges, and there are many of those on Guntersville,” Jocumsen said.
The Jocumsens set out with a load of trash bags. They picked up trash on both sides of three bridges, collecting 10 full garbage bags during the three-hour outing.
“It was overwhelming how much trash was left behind,” Kayla said. “The reality of it all, and doing our part in a small way, left us feeling really good about the difference you can make.”
The hard work didn’t go unnoticed by shoreline anglers encountered by the Jocumsens along the way.
“It changed us, and also left a lasting and good impression on some of the people we met at the bridges,” Jocumsen said. “People saw us doing it, and then they wanted to do it, too.”
Strangers became united for a common effort when the Jocumsens gave them trash bags to use.
“People were so grateful, and it rubbed off on us,” Kayla said. “It was a life-changing experience.”
Jocumsen was later recognized by another angler, who recognized him as fishing the tournament. He was curious as to why Jocumsen was out on a Sunday morning picking up trash on Guntersville.
“I told him it doesn’t matter where you live, and that if more people did this it could make a difference everywhere,” Carl said.
That’s the long-term idea for the Jocumsens. Their plan is to stay over after each future Elite Series event and even recruit volunteers and other resources to join them in trash pickups around the lakes.
Conservation efforts are a cornerstone of the B.A.S.S. tradition, and leading efforts to collect litter can have a sizable impact on the waterways the organization and its fans frequent. In the past year, local volunteers have gathered lakeside during Bassmaster Elite events on Lake Guntersville, Lake Eufaula, Lake Fork and the St. Johns River to collect litter as part of the B.A.S.S. Nation Clean-Up Challenge sponsored by AFTCO and Huk.
“At every stop we made, it seemed like there was a lack of education about the harm leaving trash behind does to the environment,” Jocumsen said. “We want to do our part to change it.”
“B.A.S.S. was founded on three things: tournament fishing competition, youth participation and conservation,” B.A.S.S. Conservation Director Gene Gilliland said. “(B.A.S.S. Founder) Ray Scott used to always talk about the three-legged stool. This is one of the legs, and it doesn’t get talked about a lot.”
To learn more, visit Carl Jocumsen’s page on Facebook.
Vicchio and Smith Win Phoenix Bass Fishing League on South Holston Reservoir
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Ken Vicchio of Bluff City, Tenn. | 5 | 17-3 | $3,203 |
| 1st | Kyle Smith of Elizabethton, Tenn. | 5 | 17-3 | $4,203 |
| 3rd | Tim Saylor of Johnson City, Tenn. | 5 | 16-14 | $1,424 |
| 4th | Joshua Norris of Powell, Tenn. | 5 | 16-10 | $1,497 |
| 5th | Josh Lee of Powell, Tenn. | 5 | 16-6 | $854 |
| 6th | Tyler Altizer of Abingdon, Va. | 5 | 15-3 | $783 |
| 7th | John Huff of Abingdon, Va. | 5 | 14-7 | $712 |
| 8th | Bryan Leonard of Blountville, Tenn. | 5 | 14-5 | $641 |
| 9th | Colton Chambers of Elizabethton, Tenn. | 5 | 14-4 | $569 |
| 10th | Richard Pugh of Knoxville, Tenn. | 5 | 14-2 | $498 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Audie Aultman of Knoxville, Tenn. | 5 | 14-11 | $2,433 |
| 2nd | Justin Goodman of Lancing, Tenn. | 5 | 12-1 | $1,068 |
| 3rd | Blaine Miller of Rosedale, Va. | 5 | 11-6 | $712 |
| 4th | Nick Coker of Knoxville, Tenn. | 5 | 11-5 | $698 |
| 5th | Dylan Meade of Big Stone Gap, Va. | 4 | 10-6 | $427 |
| 6th | Jonathon Kennedy of Bloomingdale, Tenn. | 4 | 10-5 | $392 |
| 7th | Smiley Lewis of Easley, S.C. | 4 | 10-4 | $356 |
| 8th | Dean Dalton of Keeling, Va. | 5 | 10-3 | $320 |
| 9th | Jim Neece, Sr. of Bristol, Va. | 4 | 9-15 | $285 |
| 10th | Gerrit Goins of Charleston, Tenn. | 4 | 9-2 | $249 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Ron Burger of Decatur, Tenn. | 4-pound, 14-ounce bass | $595 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Audie Aultman of Knoxville, Tenn. | 5-pound, 3-ounce bass | $297 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Joshua Norris of Powell, Tenn. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Unspecified Jig | Did Not Disclose |
| Boater | V&M Chopstick Worm | Did Not Disclose |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Unspecified Spinnerbait | Did Not Disclose |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Volunteer 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 .
Murray Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Lake Eufaula
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Flint Murray of Parrott, Ga. | 5 | 16-14 | $7,000 |
| 2nd | Jordan McDonald of Jackson, Ga. | 5 | 16-12 | $3,000 |
| 3rd | Dalton Tankersley of Copperhill, Tenn. | 5 | 15-11 | $2,000 |
| 4th | Scott Hayes of Newnan, Ga. | 5 | 15-8 | $2,100 |
| 5th | Mylan Beasley of Luverne, Ala. | 5 | 15-3 | $1,200 |
| 6th | Tony Muina of Wewahitchka, Fla. | 5 | 14-7 | $1,100 |
| 7th | Parker Guy of Ocilla, Ga. | 5 | 13-12 | $1,000 |
| 8th | Chad McMurrian of Perry, Ga. | 5 | 13-11 | $900 |
| 9th | Donald Griffith of Robertsdale, Ala. | 5 | 13-7 | $800 |
| 10th | Holland Harris of Dothan, Ala. | 5 | 12-15 | $700 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Will Thomas of Madison, Ga. | 5 | 10-6 | $2,960 |
| 2nd | Robert Enke of Columbus, Ga. | 5 | 8-15 | $1,480 |
| 3rd | Jason Sayers of Eatonton, Ga. | 4 | 8-14 | $1,728 |
| 4th | Zack Tunney of Marietta, Ga. | 4 | 8-11 | $691 |
| 5th | James Murphy of Phenix City, Ala. | 5 | 8-8 | $592 |
| 6th | Joseph Chilcott of Crestview, Fla. | 4 | 8-4 | $543 |
| 7th | Albert McNair of Watkinsville, Ga. | 3 | 8-1 | $493 |
| 8th | Harrison Dunahoo of Gainesville, Ga. | 3 | 7-11 | $444 |
| 9th | Mike Langdale of Sycamore, Ga. | 5 | 7-10 | $395 |
| 10th | Matthew Welcher of Opelika, Ala. | 5 | 6-13 | $345 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Jeff Hendricks, Hull, Ga. | 6-pound, 8-ounce bass | $1,000 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Jason Sayers, Eatonton, Ga. | 5-pound, 10-ounce bass | $490 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Scott Hayes, Newnan, Ga. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Z-Man Original ChatterBait | White |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Did Not Divulge | N/A |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Bulldog 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 .
Casey Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Chesapeake Bay
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Ed Casey of Whiteford, Md. | 5 | 21-5 | $5,618 |
| 2nd | Jason Burger of Bridgeton, N.J. | 5 | 20-9 | $2,309 |
| 3rd | Travis Manson of Conshohocken, Pa. | 5 | 19-1 | $1,539 |
| 4th | Richard Leadbeater of Haddon Heights, N.J. | 4 | 18-6 | $1,078 |
| 5th | Michael Duarte of Baltimore, Md. | 5 | 18-2 | $924 |
| 6th | Matt Weber of Sykesville, Md. | 5 | 18-1 | $847 |
| 7th | Ryan Bauman of Reading, Pa. | 5 | 17-10 | $770 |
| 8th | Michael Sentore of Gloucester City, N.J. | 5 | 17-7 | $1,193 |
| 9th | Pete Gluszek of Mt. Laurel, N.J. | 5 | 17-3 | $616 |
| 10th | Joe a. Zombek, II of Scranton, Pa. | 5 | 17-0 | $539 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Michael Seamon of Tully, N.Y. | 5 | 18-13 | $2,309 |
| 2nd | Griffin Ludwig of Newark, Del. | 5 | 17-0 | $1,155 |
| 3rd | Andrew Wiley of Joppa, Md. | 5 | 16-5 | $770 |
| 4th | Chris Jackson of Jeffersonton, Va. | 5 | 15-10 | $539 |
| 5th | Samuel Jenesky of Pittsburgh, Pa. | 5 | 14-15 | $442 |
| 5th | John Snyder of Nazareth, Pa. | 5 | 14-15 | $442 |
| 7th | Andre Wynn of Windsor Mill, Md. | 5 | 14-12 | $385 |
| 8th | John Welsh of Slatington, Pa. | 5 | 14-4 | $346 |
| 9th | Darren Noble of Hainesport, N.J. | 4 | 13-3 | $288 |
| 9th | Andrew Frosini of Rochester, N.Y. | 5 | 13-3 | $288 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Andrew Heivly of Malvern, Pa. | 6-pound, 6-ounce bass | $680 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Derek Heyne of New Freedom, Pa. | 5-pound, 2-ounce bass | $340 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Michael Sentore of Gloucester City, N.J. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Unspecified Swim Jig | Did Not Disclose |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Z-Man Original ChatterBait | Did Not Disclose |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Northeast Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 14-16 | Potomac River, Marbury, Md. | Charles County Board of Commissioners |
| 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 .
Corn Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Rend Lake
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Toby Corn of Paducah, Ky. | 5 | 10-3 | $3,376 |
| 1st | Bobby McMullin of Pevely, Mo. | 4 | 10-3 | $3,176 |
| 3rd | Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill. | 5 | 9-10 | $1,200 |
| 3rd | Scott Rice of Cobden, Ill. | 5 | 9-10 | $1,200 |
| 5th | James Powell of Murphysboro, Ill. | 4 | 9-5 | $847 |
| 6th | Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky. | 5 | 8-13 | $776 |
| 7th | Luke Budde of St. Louis, Mo. | 4 | 7-13 | $706 |
| 8th | Riley Walk of Neoga, Ill. | 4 | 7-11 | $635 |
| 9th | William Walker of Mulkeytown, Ill. | 4 | 7-7 | $565 |
| 10th | Jeremy Mull of Pawnee, Ill. | 4 | 6-15 | $494 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | James Jarvis of West Frankfort, Ill. | 5 | 9-4 | $2,318 |
| 2nd | Brian McKay of Woodlawn, Ill. | 4 | 8-13 | $1,059 |
| 3rd | Jordan Bowlin of Benton, Ill. | 3 | 8-0 | $706 |
| 4th | Jackson Clark of Sugar Grove, Ill. | 3 | 7-10 | $494 |
| 5th | Bill Grashoff of Marion, Ill. | 3 | 6-10 | $424 |
| 6th | Tim Tresslar of Bloomington, Ill. | 3 | 6-2 | $388 |
| 7th | Jeff Turner of Plainfield, Ill. | 3 | 6-1 | $353 |
| 8th | Garrett Thompson of Bluford, Ill. | 3 | 5-11 | $318 |
| 9th | Cordell Beckmann of Breese, Ill. | 3 | 5-2 | $282 |
| 10th | Alan Bernicky of Joliet, Ill. | 3 | 4-15 | $372 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | John Wright of Windsor, Ill. | 5-pound, 13-ounce bass | $590 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Jason Korando of Chester, Ill. | 3-pound, 15-ounce bass | $295 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Humdinger Tom Monsoor Swim Jig | Did Not Disclose |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Did Not Disclose | Did Not Disclose |
| 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 .
Scary Knee Infection Sidelines Terry Scroggins
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Major League Fishing pro Terry Scroggins was forced to miss Stage Three of the Bass Pro Tour this week on the Harris Chan due to an infection in his left knee that became serious extremely quickly. Instead of competing like he planned to on Friday morning, Scroggins had emergency surgery on his knee to treat the infection.
“I came down with a slight fever last Sunday and didn’t think much of it. Then I started to feel pain in the knee they replaced last year,” Scroggins said. “I fished the first day of practice as best as I could, but I was hurting pretty bad. I woke up Thursday and couldn’t walk. So I headed down to the Mayo Clinic and found out I had a bad infection and needed to get it taken care of as soon as possible.”
Scroggins surgery was schedule for Friday morning to clean the infection, replace any corrupted “plastic parts” and outfit “Big Show” with a PICC Line in his right arm to give prescribed antibiotics a straight shot into the 18-year tournament veteran.
Thankfully Scroggins was released to go home this past Sunday night and he is already on the mend. Those who know “Big Show” can attest that he isn’t the best at sitting idle, but he’ll have to force himself to relax and heal for the next few weeks.
“I already feel a lot better than I did going into practice at the Harris Chain,” Scroggins said. “There is still some pain, but the pain of having to miss an event right up the road from my house is about as bad if I’m being honest. The Harris Chain is one of the best fisheries in Florida right now and I was really looking forward to it.”
Scroggins had his left knee fully replaced this around seven months ago during the off-season in hopes he’d be ready to fish the full 2021 Bass Pro Tour schedule. Both of Scroggins’ knees were the source of constant aches and pains for the Team Toyota pro.
After having the procedure in November, going through the arduous physical therapy and rehab process, and getting cleared by his doctor “Big Show” thought his days of worrying about that particular knee were over.
Unfortunately his right knee is still the cause of considerable pain and he hoped to get that replaced before the 2022 season. This latest infection / procedure could delay his next knee surgery, and will certainly keep Scroggins sidelined through Stage Four of the Bass Pro Tour on Lake Chickamauga.
Hopefully Scroggins will be fully healed and able to compete in the northern swing of the Bass Pro Tour beginning in late June.
“I’d love to be fishing but I’m fully focused on healing up for now,” Scroggins offered. “I really appreciate all the thoughts, prayers, and well wishes from everyone. I heard them, I felt them, and I thank y’all.”
Introducing the Quantum Fishing Team
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
TULSA, Okla. – Quantum is excited to introduce the Quantum Fishing Team; a new program which enables anglers of all levels to engage and interact with the brand. The iconic Oklahoma-based rod and reel manufacturer has been putting rock-solid fishing equipment into the hands of anglers since 1984.
The Quantum Fishing Team is taking place of what was formally the VIF Program. Quantum is building off the foundation the VIF Program provided to make improvements for our members and provide more opportunities to earn swag and interact with the brand.
These improvements include a tiered rewards platform; which allows anglers to move up within the Quantum Fishing Team and earn incentives based on the Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels of membership. Climb the ranks of the program by earning points, which translate to exclusive apparel, swag, equipment, and steeper discounts on Quantum products.
Members earn points by making Quantum-specific posts on social media, competing in fishing tournaments, making event appearances, and engaging with the brand. Along with a new platform, the Quantum Fishing Team will increase communication opportunities for program members; continuing to make improvements based on members’ input.
“We are so excited to launch the revamped Quantum Fishing Team program and can’t wait for current and new members to experience even more incentives than before,” said Balay Hartman, Quantum’s Brand Manager. “This program is designed to reward anglers for using products and supporting a brand they already know and love.”
Whether you are a high school or college angler, regional tournament angler, or you’re a fan of Quantum gear this new program is a perfect fit for you. It’s 100% free to register for the Quantum Fishing Team, just click here and sign up!
If you have any questions, comments, or want to learn more about how the Quantum Fishing Team works, please reach out to us at [email protected].
Bobby Lane Holds on To Win to Qualifying Group B at Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour – Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at Harris Chain
Florida Pro Holds off Hard Charge from Tennessee’s Ott DeFoe to Advance Directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round, Field of 38 Set for Tuesday’s Knockout Round
LEESBURG, Fla. (May 24, 2021) – Berkley pro Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Florida, boated 14 bass weighing 34 pounds, 2 ounces to hold off a hard-charging Ott DeFoe of Blaine, Tennessee, and win the two-day Qualifying Group B round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida. After Lane started the day with a 24-pound lead, DeFoe’s massive rally had him within 8 pounds of Lane’s lead early in the second period, but Lane pulled away in the third and earned the victory with a two-day total of 39 bass weighing 102 pounds, 6 ounces.
The six-day tournament, hosted by Lake County, features 80 of the top professional anglers from around the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.
DeFoe caught a two-day total of 35 bass weighing 78-2 to end the round in second place, while General Tire pro Skeet Rese of Auburn, California, finished the round in third place with a two-day total of 22 bass weighing 60 pounds even.
The remaining 38 anglers – 19 from Group A and 19 from Group B – will now compete Tuesday in the Knockout Round, where weights are zeroed, and the anglers compete to finish in the top eight to advance to Championship Wednesday. Wednesday’s Championship Round will feature Group A winner Brett Hite, Group B winner Bobby Lane, and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000.
“I really didn’t plan on fishing that hard today, but Ott DeFoe scared the living fire out of me,” Lane said in his post-game interview. “I had been planning to start practicing in the second round, but Ott was catching them so fast I knew it was only a matter of time before I was his next victim. We’re all competitors out here, though, and it doesn’t get much better than that. That was an awesome round.”
Lane said his key bait Monday was a black and blue-colored Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General Worm, fished with a ½-ounce Flat Out Tungsten Screw In weight on a 7-foot, 6-inch heavy Abu Garcia Fantasista Premier rod with an Abu Garcia REVO IKE casting reel spooled with 50-pound Spiderwire Ultracast Braid line.
“That bait really got it done for me today,” Lane said. “I missed a lot of fish, but I think a lot of them were small. But none of that matters anymore because we’re moving on to the Championship Round. There will only be 10 of us left on Wednesday, and I’m so excited because I get to keep a flipping stick in my hand all day long. Let’s see if this Florida boy can get it done on one of his favorite lakes.”
DeFoe, meanwhile, overcame every negative fishing superstition that you can think of on his whirlwind day.
“I ate a banana in my boat this morning, and on my very first cast I missed one on a swimjig,” DeFoe said. “So, not only did I have a banana, but I had a bite on my first cast. I did miss it, but after that it was on, quick. I caught a couple of scorable bass, then I caught a really nice one, and then it just kept rolling after that.
“The morning was really unbelievable and set the tone for the day,” DeFoe continued. “On Saturday I went to Lake Griffin, but today I stayed close and was able to use the 30-minute ride-around period to actually look around. I graphed and idled and looked at some different stuff, and by the time the 30 minutes was close to being up, I had idled a stretch that had Kissimmee Grass, a few docks, and some baitfish flipping. I just figured that looked as good as anywhere to start. It ended up being pretty special.”
DeFoe said that he caught some fish on a swimjig and a topwater bait, but his key lure was a Rapala OG Slim Crankbait in a new color – bream – set to debut at ICAST in July.
“That bait has some chartreuse and green and blue and some brown, with a white belly – it’s just an excellent dirty-water color, and that’s what we’ve got out there right now with the algae bloom,” DeFoe said.
“There is definitely some fish left there that I didn’t catch, and I’m definitely going to start there tomorrow,” DeFoe went on to say. “But, what was interesting, the area I started in and I fished down through there… eventually I ran into Andy Montgomery, who was catching them this morning. Then a little bit later, (James) Watson runs by and he was catching them today. And Alton Jones came by, and he caught them today. That area of the lake, there was a lot of fish caught today. So I hope it can produce again tomorrow.”
The top 20 pros from Qualifying Group B that now advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round on the Harris Chain of Lakes are:
1st: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 39 bass, 102-6 – ADVANCES TO CHAMIONSHIP ROUND
2nd: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 35 bass, 78-2
3rd: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 22 bass, 60-0
4th: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 21 bass, 59-10
5th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 24 bass, 57-10
6th: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 25 bass, 57-4
7th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 23 bass, 57-3
8th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 21 bass, 54-8
9th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., 18 bass, 48-3
10th: James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 19 bass, 47-10
11th: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 47-9
12th: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 19 bass, 47-0
13th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 17 bass, 45-7
14th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 19 bass, 44-6
15th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 18 bass, 44-3
16th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 19 bass, 44-0
17th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 17 bass, 42-15
18th: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., 18 bass, 41-12
19th: John Murray, Spring City, Tenn., 17 bass, 40-6
20th: Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., 14 bass, 39-14
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 358 bass weighing 870 pounds, 4 ounces caught by the 40 pros on Monday.
Pro Aaron Martens of Leeds, Alabama, caught a 7-pound, 2-ounce largemouth on a creature craw in Period 2 to win Monday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award. Berkley will award $1,000 to the angler that weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.
The MLF Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three at the Harris Chain Presented by Bass Cat Boats is hosted by Lake County.
The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Friday and Sunday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Saturday and Monday. With both groups two-day qualifying round now complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 20th place from both groups now advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round, while the 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. Full breakdown of the format can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Anglers will take off from the Venetian Gardens Ski Beach Boat Ramp, located at 201 E. Lake Harris Drive, in Leesburg, at 6:30 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the Gardens, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend, but encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain of Lakes will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 25 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
For complete details and updated information on the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Hartman Wins Toyota Series Event on Lake Chickamauga
DAYTON, Tenn. (May 23, 2021) – Toyota Series angler Jordan Hartman of Benton, Kentucky brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 12 ounces to win the three-day Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at Lake Chickamauga Presented by Googan Baits in Dayton, Tennessee. Hartman’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 51-13 earned him the win by a 12-ounce margin over second-place angler Seth Davis of Harrison, Tennessee and earned Hartman the top payout of $51,500 in the third and final tournament of the 2021 Toyota Series Central Division Presented by Neat Companies.
Hartman said Chickamauga in the summer suits him perfectly and was a great place to take home his first MLF win.
“I got to catch them exactly how I wanted to,” said Hartman, who is a Murray State graduate and just 24 years old. “I love fishing offshore. If I can be off the bank, I’m going to do it. I ledge fished the whole time. I spent every hour of practice looking at those screens. I committed to offshore and never went to the bank one time.
“I found about 30 schools, but there were only approximately five of them that would bite consistently,” continued Hartman. “I knew all 30 of them had potential, but you take into consideration the boats, and you can probably cut about half of those off. So, it was tough.”
With the boat traffic, fishing pressure, lack of current and negative mood of many of the offshore bass, Hartman was really the only pro in the entire Top 10 that stayed offshore exclusively.
“I had one area that I caught almost everything I’ve weighed on,” said Hartman. “It was a little high spot with some shells up there – I actually wasn’t even scanning it, I was just pulling up and fishing. There was one cast on this spot that I was catching almost every fish on. You had to bring it over the shells, and as soon as it fell off, they were sitting right on the back side.”
On his best spot, Hartman said he stuck with a Strike King 5XD and a True Bass Shuttlecock Hair Jig. Deeper, on other spots, he long-lined a Strike King 10XD.
While Hartman did much of his damage on his shallow ledge, which topped out at about 9-feet deep, he also caught fish as deep as 28 feet on the 10XD and ran at least a half dozen places each day of the event. One of his final fish, which may have given him the edge over Davis, was actually caught on a Strike King Sexy Spoon.
“I pulled up on this spot where I hadn’t had a bite all week,” said Hartman. “I also hadn’t had a bite on a spoon all week – I almost put that spoon in the box Friday night. But I pulled it out, threw it out there, and I didn’t even do anything. It just went slack. Everything just went my way this week – when you’re going to win, you’re going to win, and everything just clicked for me in this event.”
The top 10 pros on Lake Chickamauga finished:
1st: Jordan Hartman of Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 51-13, $51,500
2nd: Seth Davis of Harrison, Tenn., 15 bass, 51-01, $21,250
3rd: Miles Burghoff of Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., 15 bass, 48-01, $14,450
4th: Tommy Brown of Louisville, Tenn., 15 bass, 46-11, $12,250
5th: Jeff Dyer of Oak Hill, Ohio, 15 bass, 45-11, $11,250
6th: Cody Nichols of Fayette, Ala., 14 bass, 45-2, $9,125
7th: Joseph Webster of Winfield, Ala., 15 bass, 44-15, $7,900
8th: Andrew Nordbye of Guntersville, Ala., 13 bass, 44-4, $6,900
9th: Cody Harrison of Muscle Shoals, Ala., 14 bass, 44-1, $5,900
10th: Jeff McLain of Columbus, Miss., 15 bass, 41-3, $4,650
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Jeff McLain of Columbus, Mississippi took home an additional $150 for the Day One Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division, with a bass weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces. Mike Casada of Stearns, Kentucky won the Day Two Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division, bringing a 7-pound, 9-ounce bass to the scale.
Seth Davis of Harrison, Tennessee took home an extra $1,000 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Michael Miller of Greenville, South Carolina won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 34 pounds, 12 ounces. Miller took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on Lake Chickamauga finished:
2nd: Sieg Taylor of Navarre Beach, Fla., eight bass, 31-2, $6,125
3rd: Jeremy Nash of Cookeville, Tenn., 14 bass, 30-7, $4,900
4th: Chris Graham of Blue Ridge, Ga., 13 bass, 28-11, $3,950
5th: Terry Ezzell of Russellville, Ala., 11 bass, 28-3, $3,450
6th: Ronald Young of New Braunfels, Texas, 11 bass, 26-13, $2,950
7th: Sam Howell of Somerville, Tenn., 11 bass, 26-12, $2,450
8th: Kenneth Heckel of Santa Claus, Ind., 13 bass, 25-5, $1,975
9th: Shawn Burton of Frankfurt, Ind., 10 bass, 24-6, $1,590
10th: Tim Kellam of Crittendon, Ky., 10 bass, 23-5, $1,350
The Toyota Series at Lake Chickamauga was Presented by Googan Baits and was hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council. It was the third and final regular-season tournament in 2021 for Central Division anglers. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will take place on July 15-17 – the Toyota Series at Lake Champlain Presented in Plattsburgh, New York. For a complete schedule, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2021 Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division. Anglers who fish all three qualifiers in any of the eight divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 cash, including a $35,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus for qualified anglers. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2021 Toyota Series Championship presented by A.R.E. will be held Oct. 28-30 on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Hardin County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook , Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Kuphall Closes Wire-To-Wire Win At Bassmaster Elite Event On Guntersville
Caleb Kuphall, of Mukwonago, Wis., has won the 2021 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville with a four-day total of 85 pounds, 14 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
May 23, 2021
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — An Elite angler’s “walk-up” music has no bearing on tournament performance, but Caleb Kuphall’s could not have been more fitting for his dominant wire-to-wire victory in the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville, where he tallied a four-day total weight of 85 pounds, 14 ounces.
The second-year pro from Mukwonago, Wis., enters the weigh-in stage each day to the Beach Boys’ Catch a Wave. The opening verse perfectly mirrors the eye-popping Day 1 performance that gave Kuphall nearly a 6 1/2-pound lead and positioned him to ride out the slower periods and end up surging across the finish line by a huge margin.
“Catch a wave and you’re sitting on top of the world.”
“Having as much of a lead as I did, it was very nerve wracking, because you don’t want to blow it,” Kuphall said. “You’re like ‘I’ve got this lead and if I blow it, it’s a catastrophic train wreck.’ I kinda just rode that wave.”
Earning his first Elite trophy and becoming the first Wisconsin angler to do so, Kuphall set the bar high with a Day 1 catch of 27-10. With a windy Day 2 creating position and presentation challenges, his productivity dipped to 15-10, but Kuphall retained the top spot by a 4-9 margin.
Day 3 saw him getting back on track with a 23-9 limit that pushed his lead to 11 1/2 pounds. On Championship Sunday, Kuphall started slow, picked up steady momentum and sacked up the biggest bag of the final round — 19-1 — to collect a $100,000 top prize.
Notably, Kuphall’s 17-14 margin of victory is the second largest in Bassmaster Elite Series history (behind South Carolina pro Patrick Walter’s 29-10 margin last year at Lake Fork). Kuphall is only the 11th Elite angler to win by a double-digit margin.
Kuphall caught all of his bass flipping and punching shallow vegetation. In a tournament that saw competitors trying a wide range of spring tactics, he kept it simple and stuck to a fundamentally sound game plan that helped steady his nerves.
“I don’t generally get really nervous when I’m out fishing,” he said. “Throughout today, I felt totally calm because I just had two areas, so I didn’t really have a lot of decisions to make. I wasn’t going to do anything crazy and luckily it worked out.”
Kuphall fished two main areas. The first was a vast milfoil field just outside the take-off site at Goose Pond. Here, he mostly flipped a Texas-rigged Zoom Z Hog in the green pumpkin and California 420 colors on a 4/0 extra-wide gap hook with a 3/4-ounce tungsten weight. Saturday and Sunday, he also flipped a 1-ounce Dirty Jigs No Jack Punchin’ Jig with a forktail trailer.
When his first area slowed, Kuphall ran uplake to the east side of an island just below the B.B. Comer Bridge (State Route 35). That second spot comprised two large sections of matted grass, with scattered patches of floating weeds.
Targeting isolated clumps of the thicker mats proved most productive, but Kuphall said the uplake spot was likely bolstered by a fresh supply of hefty forage.
“Area is everything and on that secondary spot, I had a lot of fish moving to me,” he said. “I didn’t go up really shallow in that area during practice, but (second-place finisher) Wes Logan did and he told me there was a ton of bream beds.
“I think what happened was when all of those bluegill got done spawning, they moved out to the mats. Every day I’d hear bluegill going nuts (eating insects) in the mats and I’d see bass blowing up on them. Those bass just stayed under those mats and ate bluegill all day.”
Reflecting on his first career Elite Series victory, Kuphall said winning against a field peppered with anglers he’s admired for years made the victory especially rewarding.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” he said. “To beat this caliber of anglers is unreal. I’ve looked up to a lot of those guys like Jason Christie and Greg Hackney (also Top 10 finishers) over the years and to fish against those guys is crazy to begin with. To hold a blue trophy — I never thought it would happen this early in my career.”
Hailing from Springville, Ala., Logan made a big comeback after placing 43rd on Day 1 with 14-1. The next two days saw him add 20-12 and 20-8 to climb into sixth, then second place. His final-round limit of 12-11 gave him a second-place total of 68-0.
Logan spent his tournament between the Goose Pond area and just above the B.B. Comer Bridge and targeted a mix of shallow scenarios. He caught fish on a ChatterBait with a Zoom Super Fluke trailer and flipped a Zoom Z Craw on 3/4- and 1-ounce tungsten weights. He also tricked a 6 1/2-pounder on Day 2 with a wacky-rigged worm.
“I caught all of my fish today flipping,” Logan said. “I was targeting little stretches of grass where it was topped out a little bit, but not completely matted out.”
Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., finished third with 67-3. His daily weights were 16-2, 17-13, 16-8 and 16-12.
Hackney caught most of his bass by punching a Strike King Rage Rodent around shallow vegetation. He also caught fish on a Strike King KVD Sexy Frog and a Strike King Hack Attack swim jig with a Rage Craw trailer.
“I used the swim jig early when it was still (low light) and the frog would be during the day while I was punching,” Hackney said. “I would either get around a bream bed or I would see one move in the mat.”
Caleb Sumrall of New Iberia, La., won the $1,000 Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 7-6 largemouth.
Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., came into the event with a big lead in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, and he did nothing to hurt his strong run at professional fishing’s biggest season-long accomplishment.
After finishing 24th this week, Feider leads the AOY race with 602 points, followed by Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., with 554, Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., with 550, Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Ontario, Canada, with 541 and Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, with 541
Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., leads the Rookie of the Year standings with 457 points.
Fourth-place finisher Christie took home an additional $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, and Chris Zaldain of Fort Worth, Texas, earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Logan earned $2,500 for being the highest-placing entrant, while Christie claimed an additional $1,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
2021 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville 5/20-5/23
Lake Guntersville, Scottsboro AL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 20 85-14 100 $102,000.00
Day 1: 5 27-10 Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 5 23-09 Day 4: 5 19-01
2. Wes Logan Springville, AL 20 68-00 99 $35,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 20-12 Day 3: 5 20-08 Day 4: 5 12-11
3. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 20 67-03 98 $30,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 17-13 Day 3: 5 16-08 Day 4: 5 16-12
4. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 20 66-09 97 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 16-08 Day 4: 5 14-06
5. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 20 65-03 96 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 20-04 Day 3: 5 19-04 Day 4: 5 15-07
6. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 20 64-13 95 $19,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 18-04 Day 3: 5 17-15 Day 4: 5 16-12
7. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 20 64-10 94 $18,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 5 16-07 Day 4: 5 15-06
8. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 20 64-08 93 $17,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 19-07 Day 3: 5 12-02 Day 4: 5 15-03
9. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 20 63-12 92 $16,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 19-10 Day 3: 5 13-09 Day 4: 5 11-08
10. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 20 63-10 91 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 16-02 Day 3: 5 19-13 Day 4: 5 13-12
Hite Coasts to Group A Qualifying Round Win at Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour – Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at Harris Chain
Arizona Pro Breaks the Century Mark, Boating Two-Day Total of 42 Bass Weighing 100 Pounds, 7 Ounces to Advance Directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round, 19 Anglers Advance to Knockout Round
LEESBURG, Fla. (May 23, 2021) – It turns out Brett Hite could have taken the day off. After catching a whopping 34 bass weighing 83 pounds, 5 ounces on Friday, the Phoenix, Arizona pro added eight more bass totaling 17 pounds, 2 ounces Sunday to coast to an easy victory in the Qualifying Group A round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain of Lakes with a two-day total of 42 bass for 100 pounds, 7 ounces.
Hite earned the win by a 25-pound, 4-ounce margin over second place and now advances directly into the Championship Round of competition, set for Wednesday. The six-day tournament, hosted by Lake County, is being live-streamed online and filmed for television broadcast on the Discovery Channel and the Outdoor Channel later this year.
Toro pro Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kansas, caught a two-day total of 29 bass weighing 75-3 to start and end the day in second place. Jasper, Texas pro Todd Faircloth, boated a two-day total of 28 bass weighing 70-7 to end the round in third place. After starting the day in 26th place, pro Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Arizona , was the big mover of the day Sunday, catching 17 bass weighing 44 pounds, 4 ounces to vault into fourth with a two-day total of 24 bass for 57-13. Rounding out the top five is pro Boyd Duckett of Guntersville, Alabama, who caught a two-day total of 22 bass weighing 54-10.
The top 20 anglers from Group A will now enjoy an off day, while the 40 anglers in Qualifying Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition on Monday. The Knockout Round, featuring 38 anglers competing to finish in the top eight, will take place on Tuesday. Wednesday’s Championship Round will feature Hite, Monday’s Group B winner, and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000.
“All of the hard work that we put in pays off every once in a while, and it’s been a really good couple of days for me so far,” said Hite, who has five career wins and 33 top-10 finishes in MLF competition. “Today, it was almost like those fish were kind of in shock because the wind had been blowing 20 to 30 (miles per hour) every day for the last week and today it was dead, slick calm. I guess if I am going to have a bad execution day, it’s nice to have a 40-pound lead when I do it. I’m looking forward to a couple of days off – my shoulder needs it after what seems like 1,000 casts a day.”
Like Friday, Hite relied mainly on a Z-Man Jackhammer and an EverGreen Grass Ripper swimjig to catch his fish.
“The bread and butter bait for me today was the (Z-Man) Jackhammer StealthBlade (green pumpkin shad) with a Yamamoto Zako trailer,” Hite said. “We designed this bait – EverGreen, myself and Morizo Shimizu – for days like this. In the slick calm conditions, those fish are just real finicky, and the StealthBlade just doesn’t vibrate quite as hard as the regular Jackhammer. I threw it with 14 or 16-pound Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon line and that’s what I caught most of my fish on today.
“I also caught some key fish on an original ½-ounce (Z-Man) Jackhammer (green shad), also with a Yamamoto Zako (sight flash) with 20-pound Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon,” Hite continued. “I threw it on a 7-foot, 3-inch heavy-action EverGreen Combat Stick with a 6:3:1 Daiwa Tatula Elite reel. And I let the cat out of the bag this week on our new swimjig. I worked on this thing for about a year and it’s going to be coming out in a couple of weeks – the new EverGreen Grass Ripper swimjig. I fished that with a Yamamoto Zako Paddletail Swimbait (sight flash) with 20-pound Sunline fluorocarbon line and a Daiwa Tatula Elite with a 7:1 gear ratio.
“I’m super excited to advance into the Championship Round on Wednesday,” Hite went on to say. “I’ve got a good game plan, and we’re going to let those fish rest and hopefully have a shot to win this thing.”
Tuskegee, Alabama pro Mark Daniels Jr. felt the pressure of the SCORETRACKER leaderboard on Sunday. After starting the day in 10th place, Daniels found himself sitting in 21st place, outside the Toro Cut Line, with just six minutes left in the day. Luckily for Daniels, he caught a 1-pound, 8-ounce largemouth as the clock ticked down to overtake pro Randy Howell by just 5 ounces and advance to the Knockout round in the final spot.
“Oh my gosh, that was one of the most stressful days of my entire career,” a relieved Daniels said in his post-game interview. “I don’t have any gray hairs yet, but I think I might have gotten a couple after today. I was trying to fish the conditions, but nothing was working. I had to fall back on what got me here, a Z-Man ChatterBait with a Z-Man RaZor ShadZ trailer. And golly, I can’t believe it was a 1-8. Literally the fish that I needed. He could have been a 1-7 and I wouldn’t be here. Unreal. I’m so, so happy that I’m going to get another opportunity in the Knockout Round.”
The top 20 pros from Qualifying Group A that now advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round on the Harris Chain of Lakes are:
1st: Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 42 bass, 100-7
2nd: Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., 29 bass, 75-3
3rd: Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, 28 bass, 70-7
4th: Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 24 bass, 57-13
5th: Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., 22 bass, 54-10
6th: Paul Elias, Laurel, Miss., 23 bass, 54-8
7th: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 21 bass, 54-1
8th: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., 25 bass, 54-0
9th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 21 bass, 53-5
10th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 25 bass, 52-13
11th: Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., 22 bass, 52-13
12th: Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 24 bass, 52-1
13th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 23 bass, 51-14
14th: Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 21 bass, 51-14
15th: Randall Tharp, Port St. Joe, Fla., 19 bass, 51-7
16th: Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 24 bass, 48-15
17th: Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 22 bass, 47-4
18th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 18 bass, 46-3
19th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., 14 bass, 41-3
20th: Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., 15 bass, 39-7
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 327 bass weighing 776 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 38 pros on Sunday.
Elam won Sunday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, weighing in a 9-pound, 1-ounce largemouth on a squarebill crankbait during Period 1. Berkley will award $1,000 to the angler that weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.
The MLF Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three at the Harris Chain Presented by Bass Cat Boats is hosted by Lake County.
The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round 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 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. Full breakdown of the format can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Anglers will take off from the Venetian Gardens Ski Beach Boat Ramp, located at 201 E. Lake Harris Drive, in Leesburg, at 6:30 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the Gardens, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend, but encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain of Lakes will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 25 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
For complete details and updated information on the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Last Minute Heroics for MDJ
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Stage Three of the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour offered plenty of drama today at the conclusion of Group A’s Qualifying Round on the Harris Chain of Lakes. Mark Daniels Jr. and Randy Howell played leapfrog on the Toro Cut Line throughout the third period, which culminated in MDJ catching one last scoreable bass in the waning minutes of competition to lock in the 20th spot.
By sliding into the 20th place position in the last five minutes, the Toyota Bonus Bucks angler secured his qualification for Tuesday’s Knockout Round, with just 5-ounces separating him from Randy Howell. Talk about last minute heroics.
“Man it is so dang stressful to be right there on the cut line as the clock is winding down,” Daniels Jr. said. “I don’t like being in that position at all, but thankfully for me I ended up on the shiny side today. I’m not happy I put myself in that position, but I’m grateful it turned out the way it did.”
The always-gracious Bill Lewis pro started the day in 10th place and was hopeful he could wind up enough fish to cruise into the Knockout Round, but changing weather conditions threw a wrench into that plan. On the first day of his Qualifying Round, MDJ caught every bass on a reaction bait but he struggled to get that pattern going today.
“The lack of wind really seemed to hurt the bite I was on,” MDJ explained. “It becomes extremely hard to fool Florida bass with a reaction bait when it slicks off.”
Daniels Jr. tried of plethora of other techniques, and actually caught one key scoreable bass with a flipping stick, but ultimately had to go back to the well with a moving bait to give him the boost he needed.
Team Toyota pro Jacob Wheeler travels with MDJ on the Bass Pro Tour and was unfortunately on the other side of the cut line drama today in the sunshine state. Wheeler finished the day just over 4-pounds out of 20th place and lost a big bass on a crankbait with just a few minutes remaining in dramatic fashion.
Wheeler is coming off his third Bass Pro Tour victory on Lake Travis just a couple short weeks ago and will have to live vicariously through his travel mates Dustin Connell and Mark Daniels Jr. this week. Both anglers advanced to the Knockout Round today and will start fishing again Tuesday morning with a clean slate.
“The beauty of this Major League Fishing format is I can absolutely still win this tournament,” Daniels Jr. proposed. “I barely squeaked in to the Knockout Round, but come Tuesday the weights will be zeroed and anything can happen.”
Bobby Lane Leads Group B at Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour – Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain
Florida Pro Catches 25 Bass Weighing 68 Pounds, 4 Ounces to Grab Early Lead for Group B, Group A to Complete Two-Day Qualifying Round Sunday
LEESBURG, Fla. (May 22, 2021) – After a back-and-forth battle at the top of the leaderboard during Period 1, Berkley pro Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Florida, surged ahead in Period 2 of the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three at the Harris Chain Presented by Bass Cat Boats event in Leesburg, Florida. Lane caught a total of 25 bass on Saturday – including a pair of 6-pounders and several 4-pounders – to lead Qualifying Group B with 68 pounds, 4 ounces.
The Lakeland pro ended the day with a 24-pound advantage over second-place pro David Walker of Sevierville, Tennessee, who caught 14 bass weighing 44 pounds, 4 ounces. Pro Keith Poche of Pike Road, Alabama , sits 3 pounds, 12 ounces behind Walker, ending the day in third place with 15 bass weighing 40-8.
The 40 anglers in Group B will have the day off on Sunday, while the 40 anglers in Group A will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition. Group B will conclude their Qualifying Round on Monday. The six-day event, hosted by Lake County, features 80 of the top professional anglers from around the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.
Ending Period 1 in second place behind Poche, Lane caught a 4-pounder in the middle of Period 2 that moved him to the top of the leaderboard – and he never looked back.
“Today was a lot of hooksets and a lot of fun,” said Lane, 2016 Challenge Cup Champion on the Harris Chain of Lakes. “The wind was my friend and I basically had the whole entire South side of Lake Harris to myself.”
Lane, who never went more than an hour without padding his lead with a scoreable bass, said he caught almost all his fish flipping a Berkley PowerBait Power Hawg with a ½-ounce weight and a 4/0 Berkley Fusion19 hook along grass lines.
“This was one of the best days of flipping I’ve had in a while and the windy conditions were a huge benefit today,” said Lane. “The Berkley Power Hawg is perfect for the grass I’m flipping in and I tied on a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General as a back-up when my Power Hawg got hung up.”
Lane said he expects the conditions to change by Monday but he’s excited to have won the first round and to go back out on the water with the security of a 24-pound lead.
“My goal is to get into that Championship Round and I’m going to do whatever I can to make that happen,” said Lane. “If the water is slick and calm like I anticipate, I plan to focus on finding really thick clumps of grass where the fish are hiding in the shade. I may even venture over to the other side of Lake Harris.”
Location didn’t seem to matter much for Walker, who racked up several 4-pounders throughout the day in different areas across the lake.
“The way things were going during that second period had me a little worried, but thankfully I did well in the first and third period,” said Walker. “We’re still in it and we’re doing good – looking forward to getting back out there on Monday.”
The top 20 pros in Qualifying Group B after Day 1 on the Harris Chain of Lakes are:
1st: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 25 bass, 68-4
2nd: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 14 bass, 44-4
3rd: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 15 bass, 40-8
4th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 14 bass, 36-1
5th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 16 bass, 35-10
6th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 31-4
7th: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., seven bass, 28-2
8th: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 12 bass, 27-5
9th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 11 bass, 27-3
10th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., nine bass, 27-2
11th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 11 bass, 26-10
12th: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., nine bass, 23-15
13th: Tai Au, Glendale, Ariz., eight bass, 21-0
14th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 10 bass, 20-6
15th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., eight bass, 20-1
16th: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., four bass, 17-14
17th: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., six bass, 17-0
18th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., eight bass, 16-8
19th: Mike McClelland, Blue Eye, Mo., eight bass, 15-12
20th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., eight bass, 15-6
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 290 bass weighing 747 pounds, 3 ounces caught by the 40 pros on Saturday.
Shryock won Saturday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, weighing in an 8-pound, 6-ounce largemouth on a creature bait during Period 3. Berkley will award $1,000 to the angler that weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.
The MLF Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three at the Harris Chain Presented by Bass Cat Boats is hosted by Lake County.
The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round 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 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. Full breakdown of the format can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Anglers will take off from the Venetian Gardens Ski Beach Boat Ramp, located at 201 E. Lake Harris Drive, in Leesburg, at 6:30 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the Gardens, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend, but encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain of Lakes will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 25 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
For complete details and updated information on the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Kuphall Extends Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake Guntersville
Caleb Kuphall, of Mukwonago, Wis., is leading after Day 3 of the 2021 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville with a three-day total of 66 pounds, 13 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
May 22, 2021
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — Knowing when to shift gears rewarded Caleb Kuphall with a five-bass limit of 23 pounds, 9 ounces, which helped him extend his lead in the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville with a three-day total weight of 66 pounds, 13 ounces.
Holding the top spot since Day 1, the pro from Mukwonago, Wis., set the pace with a first-round limit of 27-10 — the tournament’s biggest bag — and followed with 15-10. After the first two days found Kuphall with leads of 6-7 and 4-9, he enters Championship Sunday 11 1/2 pounds ahead of Alabama pro Wes Logan.
“The more the better,” Kuphall said of his numerical advantage. “If you’re going to lead, you might as well lead big, I guess. I don’t know; I’ve never been in this position before.
“It feels great to be in the lead, but I’m going to be nervous tonight.”
As he has done the past two days, Kuphall began on a large milfoil bed close to takeoff. The area yielded much of his weight on Days 1 and 2, but intense fishing pressure — from him and other anglers — has steadily decreased the area’s productivity.
Kuphall had been Texas-rigging a Zoom Z Hog in the California 420 color on a 4/0 extra-wide gap hook with a 3/4-ounce tungsten weight, but today he switched to a 1-ounce Dirty Jigs No Jack Punchin’ Jig with a forktail trailer.
“I was just trying to show them something different,” Kuphall said of his bait change. “They started taking my (Texas rig) really lightly and I was missing a couple.
“Generally, with that jig, if they get it, you’re gonna get them. It’s just a better hookup percentage.”
Around 9 a.m., Kuphall had four fish for approximately 10 1/2 pounds, so he pulled the plug and relocated to his secondary spot — a large milfoil bed near the B.B. Comer Bridge (State Route 35). Expansive cover with lots of sunfish and big gizzard shad presented a promising scenario.
Within 30 minutes of arriving, Kuphall experienced a flurry that started with a 6-pounder and followed with two in the 4-pound class. Adding two more quality fish later in the day, Kuphall culled all the fish he’d caught on his starting spot.
“I knew the big fish were there,” he said. “I just got on a good stretch and conditions were just right today.
“The sun was positioning the fish in those mats and the wind was so light it wasn’t affecting my ability to fish the mats. Everything just set up perfectly to go in there and do damage.”
On Day 2, Kuphall found the stronger wind was compacting the mats and making presentations more difficult. Also, he had to use higher trolling motor power, which likely spooked the fish. Today’s conditions allowed him to leisurely work isolated grass clumps on the mat’s perimeter.
“I was looking for the thickest stuff available; the thicker the better,” Kuphall said. “You’d flip in there and they’d destroy the bait as soon as it gets through.
“I was using a Z Hog with an ounce weight. I try to go as light as possible because I miss a lot of fish if you go too heavy on the weight.”
Looking ahead to Championship Sunday, Kuphall said he’ll give his first spot a chance to produce, but unless he finds a big bite, he’ll transition to his spot near the B.B. Comer Bridge much earlier.
“By the way my first area’s going, I’m thinking I’m going to spend a lot of time in (the second spot) tomorrow,” he said.
Hailing from Springville, Ala., Logan bolstered his first two limits of 14-1 and 20-12 with a third-round bag of 20-8 and tallied 55-5. Fresh off his win at the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Neely Henry Lake, Logan caught all of his bass by flipping milfoil mats in the same general area where Kuphall spent most of his day.
“There’s so much floating eelgrass that it’ll get blown into a milfoil mat and make a canopy that they’ll get under,” Logan said. “I’m flipping three or four different baits and a couple of them have different actions. I’m in really thick cover, I threw a beaver-style bait and in the open stuff, I’m flipping a Zoom Z Craw.”
Logan said he’s optimistic about Championship Sunday because, in addition to his mat pattern, he noticed an increase in shoreline activity — big bass staking out bream beds.
“I saw a lot of fish this afternoon that weren’t there this morning or yesterday,” Logan said. “They may be flooding offshore, but there’s a lot of them that aren’t leaving the bank.”
Canadian pro Chris Johnston is in third with 52-4. He entered Day 3 in second place, but fell one spot after a slower bite added 13-9 to his previous weights of 19-1 and 19-10.
Johnston started his day targeting an offshore hard spot in about 10 feet where he caught fish on a drop shot with a Roboworm in the morning dawn color. He returned to the pad field that yielded a couple of big bites on a Spro Popping Frog on Day 2, but could not get that pattern going.
“My starting spot has gotten a lot of pressure and I just didn’t get the big ones to bite today,” Johnston said. “There’s tons of fish there; you can see them (on the graph), but it’s very tough to get bites now.”
After his frog pattern fizzled, Johnston tried a few different areas and ultimately caught a couple of small keepers off beds.
Caleb Sumrall of New Iberia, La., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 7-6 largemouth.
Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., leads the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 602 points. Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., is second with 554, followed by Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., with 550, Johnston with 547 and Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, with 541.
Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., leads the Rookie of the Year standings with 457 points.
The Top 10 remaining anglers will take off at 5:30 a.m. CT on Championship Sunday from Scottsboro's Goose Pond Colony Resort Marina. The weigh-in will be held back at Goose Pond at 2 p.m., with $100,000 going to the winner.
Live coverage of the event can be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will also broadcast the action live with the leaders beginning at 7 a.m.
Brett Hite Jumps Out to Early Lead at Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour – Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain
Phoenix, Arizona Pro Leads After Day 1 of Qualifying Round Group A with 34 Bass Weighing 83 Pounds, 5 Ounces – Group B to Compete Saturday
LEESBURG, Fla. (May 21, 2021) – Pro Brett Hite of Phoenix, Arizona, dominated the field on Friday, catching 34 bass totaling a staggering 83 pounds, 5 ounces, to grab the early lead in Qualifying Group A on Day 1 of the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three at the Harris Chain Presented by Bass Cat Boats event. The six-day tournament, hosted by Lake County, features 80 of the top professional anglers from around the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.
Hite will bring a commanding 40-pound, 9-ounce, lead into the second day of competition for Group A on Sunday, nearly doubling the weight of the second-place angler. Toro pro Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kansas, who ran neck-in-neck with Hite during Period 1, caught 16 bass weighing 42-12 to end the day in second place, while Alabama pro Boyd Duckett of Guntersville sits in third place, 3 pounds back of Chapman with 16 bass weighing 39-12.
The 40 anglers in Group A will now enjoy a day off Saturday, while the 40 anglers in Group B will begin their first day of competition. Group A resumes competition on Sunday.
Hite was in the same general area throughout the day as several other pros, yet he put on a ChatterBait clinic, shooting ahead on the SCORETRACKER® early in Period 2.
“I’m in awe of the day – this is one of the type of days that you dream about,” said Hite. “I found a massive area with a lot of fish during practice. I’m fishing the way I love to fish, catching plenty of fish and a bunch of big ones.
“It really came down to two different ChatterBait Jack Hammers that were the bread and butter for me,” continued Hite. “A BHite Delight-colored ½-ounce with a metal blade and a green pumpkin-colored Yamamoto Zako as well as a ½-ounce Jack Hammer StealthBlade with a Yamamoto Zako trailer.”
Hite said both baits had seen their fair share of action throughout the day.
“This bait looks like it should after a full day – all beat up, with teeth marks and paint coming off – that’s the mark of a good day,” said Hite. “I caught a lot of fish, and an 8-pounder on that ChatterBait. I’m really looking forward to going fishing on Sunday and hopefully making that Championship Round.”
Hite credited his sweet setup of an Evergreen rod, a Daiwa Tatula Elite reel and 20-pound Sunline fluorocarbon for his exceptional start to the event.
Chapman was also thrilled with his Day 1 results, taking advantage of his lead later in the day to practice and learn more about the water he’s fishing. That practice resulted in three additional fish in the third and final period and a second-place finish.
“To catch that many scoreable bass in a day is just phenomenal,” said Chapman. “I’m familiar with this fishery, but not at this time of year, so I wasn’t really sure how it would fish. I’m really happy with how my practice went this week and it really paid off today.”
The top 20 pros in Group A after Day 1 on the Harris Chain of Lakes are:
1st: Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 34 bass, 83-5
2nd: Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., 16 bass, 42-12
3rd: Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., 16 bass, 39-12
4th: Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, 15 bass, 37-15
5th: Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, 12 bass, 32-14
6th: Paul Elias, Laurel, Miss., 13 bass, 32-13
7th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 15 bass, 32-7
8th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 13 bass, 31-11
9th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 13 bass, 30-0
10th: Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., 11 bass, 28-12
11th: Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 13 bass, 26-6
12th: Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., 11 bass, 25-8
13th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., seven bass, 25-0
14th: Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., eight bass, 24-3
15th: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 10 bass, 24-0
16th: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 10 bass, 22-0
17th: Shin Fukae, Thomson, Ga., 10 bass, 20-0
18th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., nine bass, 19-4
19th: Jared Lintner, Arroyo Grande, Calif., eight bass, 17-5
20th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., seven bass, 15-12
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 332 bass weighing 797 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 38 pros on Friday.
Britt Myers won Friday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, weighing in a 9-pound, 8-ounce largemouth on a bladed jig during Period 2. Berkley will award $1,000 to the angler that weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.
The MLF Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three at the Harris Chain Presented by Bass Cat Boats is hosted by Lake County.
The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round 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. Full breakdown of the format can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Anglers will take off from the Venetian Gardens Ski Beach Boat Ramp, located at 201 E. Lake Harris Drive, in Leesburg, at 6:30 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the Gardens, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend, but encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain of Lakes will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 25 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
For complete details and updated information on the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
