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La Crosse Hosts B.A.S.S. Nation Regional Championship

The Upper Mississippi River will host the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Northern Regional September 1-3, 2021.

Photo by Andrew Schneyer/B.A.S.S.

August 26, 2021

LA CROSSE, Wis. — September is one of the best times of the year to fish the Upper Mississippi River, according to Bassmaster Elite Series pro Bob Downey of Hudson, Wis. So, when qualified anglers arrive for the 2021 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Northern Regional Sept. 1-3, Downey expects plenty of bass to hit the scales.

“It is one of my favorite times of the year to be on the river,” Downey said. “I expect it to be a good tournament. You need to shoot for a 3-pound average or better.”

La Crosse has played host to plenty of major tournaments over the past decade, including Elite Series events in 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2018 and a Basspro.com Bassmaster Open in 2019. The Elite Series will also return to La Crosse for the Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River Aug. 26-29, 2022. For this event, B.A.S.S. Nation anglers will have access to Pools 7, 8 and 9 during the event, which brings together teams from nine states.

So far in 2021, the Mississippi River has been as low as Downey has seen in years. Late summer rains could flip the script, but water levels and current flow will determine where the fish will set up.

“It is extremely low right now and it has been all year,” he said. “With it being really low, you’ll see largemouth closer to the main channel at times and smallmouth will move out towards the main channel.”

Both largemouth and smallmouth are plentiful throughout these three pools of the Mississippi River, and Downey said he would expect both species to play in this event.

“This time of year, it could be won with both,” he said. “Smallmouth on the river will generally win tournaments in the spring and fall. That’s not to say you can’t win one in the summer with them, but generally they are heaviest in the spring and then starting in late August through September and October.”

Downey said the smallmouth like to set up on the various wing dams in the system as well as sand drops and other current-related structures like islands. Topwater walking baits, poppers and Carolina rigs have historically produced around these areas. To win with smallmouth only, Downey said anglers will need to have a strong pattern.

“They move around. I call them ghost fish because every time I seem to find them in practice they aren’t there in the tournament,” Downey said. “That time of year, they become a little more consistent to the point where you can rely on them more.”

Meanwhile, the largemouth can be found in the abundant grass fields throughout the three eligible pools. Six different types of grass can be found in the fishery, including milfoil, eelgrass, lily pads and duckweed, making it a perfect situation for frogging, punching and possibly a swim jig.

“It is a phenomenal time of year for largemouth. The grass is as good as it is going to get all year,” Downey said.

Cut banks are also great areas to find both largemouth and smallmouth.

Anglers will launch from Veterans Freedom Park starting at 6:15 a.m. CT every day and return for weigh-in at 2:15. The field will be cut to 20 boaters and 20 nonboaters after Day 2. The top two boaters and co-anglers from each state will punch their ticket to the 2021 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship scheduled for Nov. 3-5 on the Ouachita River in Monroe, La., to compete for one of three berths into the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk

by AnglersChannel

Western Michigan University Wins MLF Wiley X College Faceoff at Detroit River

TRENTON, Mich. (Aug. 26, 2021) – The Western Michigan University team of Mason Vernia, Kurt Antonowitsch, Jack Simpson and Drake Van Dike, won the Major League Fishing (MLF) Wiley X College Faceoff at the Detroit River in Trenton, Michigan, Saturday. The Broncos bass club boated 44 bass weighing 109 pounds, 8 ounces to win the fourth and final Wiley X College Faceoff Events of the 2021 season and earn the win by a 14-pound, 11-ounce margin over Adrian College.

According to post-tournament reports, the Western Michigan teams started on high percentage areas early, targeting deep rocks & grass with a drop-shot rig. Vernia and Antonowitsch threw a Strike King Baby Z-Too with a 3/8-ounce tungsten drop-shot weight, while Simpson and Van Dike opted to drop-shot a pearl-colored Berkley Powerbait MaxScent Flat Worm, also with a 3/8-ounce weight. Both teams credited their electronics as being crucial in chasing the big schools of smallmouth all day.

The five teams that competed in the Wiley X College Faceoff at the Detroit River in Trenton finished:
1^st: Western Michigan University – Mason Vernia, Kurt Antonowitsch, Jack Simpson and Drake Van Dike, 44 bass, 109-8
2^nd: Adrian College – Austin Tapley, Carter Ball, Aaron Jagdfeld and Jacob Emery, 32 bass, 94-13
3^rd: Campbellsville University – Dalton Smith, Cade Hayford, Dustin Bauer and Morgan Miracle, 26 bass, 74-8
4^th: Radford University – Jackson Norton, Brandon Miskell, Kent Clark, Adam Szalankiewicz, 13 bass, 45-4
5^th: King University – Landon Lawson, Donovan Carson, Hunter McClaskey, 11 bass, 34-12

The Wiley X College Faceoffs are single-day tournaments where competitors fish in an MLF-style catch, weigh, immediate-release team format at each event. The College Faceoff tournaments occur the Saturday following an Abu Garcia College Fishing competition, on the same body of water. The results from the College Fishing tournament the previous day determine the 20 competitors for the Wiley X College Faceoff, with the top two teams (four anglers) from the top five schools in the regular season tournament qualifying to fish in the ten-boat faceoff the following day.

The Wiley X College Faceoff tournament on the Detroit River was the fourth and final Faceoff events for MLF collegiate anglers in 2021. The schedule for the 2022 Wiley X College Faceoff events will be announced this fall.

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

For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF Wiley X College Faceoffs on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagramand YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Tourney Time Again - MLF Toyota Series to Launch This Week on St. Lawrence River in Massena

MASSENA, N.Y. (Aug. 25, 2021) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Northern Division will continue its 2021 season with a tournament starting tomorrow in Massena, New York, Aug. 26-28, with the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at the St. Lawrence River. Hosted by the Town of Massena, the three-day tournament will feature the region’s best bass-fishing pros and co-anglers casting for a top prize of up to $65,000, plus an additional $35,000 bonus if the winner is a qualified Phoenix Boat owner.

The event will mark the third major event that MLF has organized out of Massena since June, with the MLF Bass Pro Tour being showcased in late June, the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit in late July, and now the MLF Toyota Series this week. The Toyota Series is considered MLF’s “Triple-A level” and features numerous aspiring pros trying to qualify and advance to the Pro Circuit, along with many of the best local anglers from the region.

Like the previous two events, anglers and fans should expect to see a lot of giant smallmouth bass in this tournament. Anglers will be targeting them both shallow and deep, looking for river breaks, current seams, shallow flats and deep humps. Expect to see plenty of tubes, drop-shot rigs, jerkbaits, Ned rigs and hair jigs in play this weekend. The winning angler will likely need to average about 20 to 22 pounds a day (five-fish) and the expected three-day winning total will likely be right around 60 pounds.

Anglers will take off daily at 6:30 a.m. ET from the Massena Intake Boat Launch, located at 1415 State Highway 131 in Massena. Weigh-ins will also be held at the boat launch and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

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

The 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 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.

by AnglersChannel

Northwest Ohio Junior Bassmasters Wins U.S. Army High School Fishing Open at Detroit River

TRENTON, Mich. (Aug. 25, 2021) – The Northwest Ohio Junior Bassmasters duo of Nicholas Seitz of Maumee, Ohio, and Brock Vogel of Perrysburg, Ohio, won the U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing Open at the Detroit River Presented by Googan Baits on Saturday in Trenton, Michigan.

According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their fish targeting rock piles in 30 feet of water with a tube, a drop-shot rig, and a Rapala DT14 crankbait.

The event was hosted by the Detroit Sports Commission and the victory advanced the winning team to the 2022 U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing National Championship.

TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	SCHOOL/CLUB NAME/CITY	ANGLER NAME	BASS	WEIGHT
1^st	Northwest Ohio Junior Bassmasters*	Nicholas Seitz, Maumee, Ohio Brock Vogel, Perrysburg, Ohio	5	24-6
2^nd	Jackson High School, Jackson, Mich.*	Rylan Hamlin, Jackson, Mich. Jack Swihart, Jackson, Mich.	5	20-1
3^rd	Wheelersburg High School, Wheelersburg, Ohio*	Johnathan Strickland, Minford, Ohio Matthew Strickland, Portsmouth, Ohio	5	18-6
4^th	Clarkston High School, Clarkston, Mich.	Caden Adams, Waterford, Mich. Parker Pace, Clarkston, Mich.	5	18-1
5^th	Huron High School, Ann Arbor, Mich.	Hunter Szawara, Romulus, Mich. Tony Trupiano, New Boston, Mich.	5	17-9
6^th	Western High School, Parma, Mich.	Seth Plum, Jackson, Mich. Ayden Rubritius, Concord, Mich.	5	17-3
7^th	Hartland, Mich. Student Anglers	Remington Barkley, Hartland, Mich. Carlie Mitchell, Hartland, Mich.	5	17-0
8^th	St. Marys Memorial High School, St. Marys, Ohio	Brandon Gibson, Saint Marys, Ohio Brayden Hoehn, Saint Marys, Ohio	5	16-13
9^th	Dexter High School, Dexter, Mich.	Dima Griffiths, Dexter, Mich. Nathaniel Terbush, Dexter, Mich.	5	16-7
10^th	Hopewell-Loudon High School, Bascom, Ohio	Matthew Flores, Fostoria, Ohio Garrett Kuhn, Tiffin, Ohio	5	15-9

*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.

2022 UPCOMING QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

EVENT	DATE	LOCATION	HOST
2022 U.S. Army High School Fishing National Championship & World Finals	TBD	TBD	TBD

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 are also 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 2022 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 2021 World Finals.

Full schedules and the latest announcements, photos and articles are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and MajorLeagueFishing.com.

by AnglersChannel

Adrian College Finishes 1-2-3 at Abu Garcia College Fishing Tournament on the Detroit River

TRENTON, Mich. (Aug. 25, 2021) – The Adrian College duo of Jacob Emery of New Boston, Michigan, and Aaron Jagdfeld of Rochester, Michigan, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 23 pounds, 4 ounces to earn the win last weekend at the Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI at the Detroit River. The victory earned the Bulldog’s bass club $2,000 and qualified the duo to compete in the 2022 College Fishing National Championship.

According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their fish targeting grass in 20 to 22 feet of water with honey candy-colored Strike King Dream Shots and Strike King Z-Too soft jerkbaits.

TOP 10 RESULTS*

RANK	COLLEGE NAME	ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Adrian College	Jacob Emery, New Boston, Mich. Aaron Jagdfeld, Rochester, Mich.	5	23-4	$2,000
2^nd	Adrian College	Carter Ball, Noblesville, Ind. Austin Tapley, Jackson, Mich.	5	22-10	$1,000
3^rd	Adrian College	Zach Salters, Allegan, Mich. Ben Statly, Fenton, Mich.	5	20-15	$500
4^th	King University	Donovan Carson, Bluff City, Tenn. Landon Lawson, Jonesboro, Tenn.	5	20-14	$500
5^th	Western Michigan University	Kurt Antonowitsch, Kalamazoo, Mich. Cole Zagrzebski, Stevens Point, Wis.	5	20-11	$500
6^th	Michigan State University	Nic Lloyd, Lansing, Mich. Garrett Mandel, Warren, Mich.	5	20-10
7^th	Western Michigan University	Bo Thomas, Edwardsburg, Mich. Mason Vernia, Schoolcraft, Mich.	5	20-10
8^th	Adrian College	Matt Mosby, Dryden, Mich. Derek Rodriguez, Okemos, Mich.	5	20-5
9^th	Bowling Green State University	Levi Booher, West Milton, Ohio Nicholas Nartker, Englewood, Ohio	5	20-4
10^th	Western Michigan University	Jack Simpson, Brighton, Mich. Drake van Dike, Livonia, Mich.	5	20-3

*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
2022 Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship	TBD	TBD	TBD

The event was the third and final qualifying tournaments for Northern Conference anglers and was hosted by the Detroit Sports Commission.

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.

by AnglersChannel

Washam Wins MLF Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury

Tennessee Pro Weighs Five-Bass Limit of 17 Pounds, 15 Ounces to Win TITLE Belt and $200,000

LA CROSSE, Wis. (Aug. 22, 2021) – Pro Jimmy Washam of Covington, Tennessee brought a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 15 ounces to the stage on Sunday to win $200,000 and the TITLE belt at the second annual Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers – on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Washam won by a 1-pound, 3-ounce margin over Berkley pro Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Florida who weighed a limit of 17-15, good for second place and $50,000. Favorite Fishing pro Zack Birge of Blanchard, Oklahoma rounded out the top three, weighing a five-bass limit of 15-6 and taking home $30,000.

Sunday’s final day of competition marked the finale of the six-day Tackle Warehouse TITLE, which featured the top 48 pros in the 2021 Pro Circuit standings, along with last year’s reigning TITLE champion and reigning Angler of the Year – all competing for a purse of nearly $900,000.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers was hosted by Explore La Crosse.

Washam said he began fishing MLF tournaments in the Phoenix Bass Fishing League in 2012, before moving up to the Toyota Series in 2017. He qualified for the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers through the Toyota Series Central Division in 2019 and has made TITLE appearances in both ’20 and ’21. When he’s not fishing, Washam is a deputy sheriff sergeant in Tennessee

“All the glory goes to God,” Washam said of the win. “This is so amazing, but it’s His work above, I promise you. Five years ago, I bought my first fiberglass boat and decided I’d fish the [Phoenix Bass Fishing League] as a boater. Now I’m standing here with a TITLE belt on my shoulder.”

Moving up through the ranks hasn’t been easy for Washam, who took a big financial risk in 2020 and again in 2021 to follow his passion.

“I’m 34 years old and I didn’t start as young as I wish I would have, but I had to earn a living and work, so it was a slow progression to step up to this level,” said Washam. “After last year I knew that I could hang, and this year has been an absolutely incredible year. It’s humbling to know the group of anglers I just joined.”

Washam said he was contemplating going back to the Black River on the final day, having found a few places where he could pull up and catch a limit in a few casts, but he decided to make a change.

“I got to thinking, it’s Sunday and there are a lot of guys out fishing,” said Washam. “I’ve got a place that likely has the winning bag on it. Why in the world would I not go there first? Literally, as I pulled up, there was a guy in a Jon boat that was slinging a topwater and he was only half a cast away from my fish. I don’t think he knew what was there, but he was really close to finding out.

“He was a total class act,” Washam continued. “I pulled up and said, ‘Good morning.’ Of course, I was going to ask him as politely as I could if he minded giving me a little space for a couple hours, but I didn’t even have to ask. He picked up the trolling motor and left, then came back later as a spectator. Turns out he works at the sheriff’s office in La Crosse.”

Nerves didn’t seem to be a factor for Washam going into the Championship Round, even with $200,000 on the line.

“I was confident going into the final day,” said Washam. “Any time you find something like that and you’re able to leave it for Championship Sunday it’s great. But I’ve played this game long enough to know that there are so many variables. When I made the first cast and didn’t get a bite the wheels started turning. Then, when I made the second cast and caught a 3-pounder I was pumped.”

The top 10 pros at the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE on the Mississippi River are:

1^st:           Jimmy Washam, Covington, Tenn., five bass, 17-15, $200,000
2^nd:          Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 16-12, $50,000
3^rd:          Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., five bass, 15-6, $30,000
4^th:           Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 13-5, $25,000
5^th:           Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., five bass, 13-2, $19,000
6^th:           Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., five bass, 13-2, $18,000
7^th:           Miles Burghoff, Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., five bass, 12-8, $17,000
8^th:           Jimmy Reese, Witter Springs, Calif., five bass, 11-14, $16,000
9^th:           Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 11-3, $15,000
10^th:       Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., five bass, 11-1, $14,000

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

Overall, there were 50 bass weighing 136 pounds, 4 ounces caught by the 10 pros on Saturday with 10 five-bass limits.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers featured a hybrid tournament format. All 50 anglers were seeded into two groups of 25 – Group A & Group B, based on points earned in 2021 qualifying events – where they competed in Qualifying Rounds over the first four days of the tournament. The top 10 anglers in each group moved on to the Knockout Round on Day 5, with zeroed weights, to compete for the chance to fish on the final day. The top 10 anglers from the Knockout Round then advanced to Championship Sunday, where weights were again zeroed as anglers competed for the $235,000 prize. Winners were determined by the heaviest five-bass limit of each round.

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

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

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

by AnglersChannel

Crane Wins Knockout Round at MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury on the Mississippi River

Mississippi Pro Weighs Biggest Bag of the Event to Win the Knockout Round, Final 10 Anglers Set for Sunday’s Championship Shootout to Compete for up to $235,000

LA CROSSE, Wis. (Aug. 21, 2021) – Pro Mitch Crane of Columbus, Mississippi brought a five-bass limit to the stage Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 15 ounces to win the Knockout Round and advance to the final day of competition at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers. The final 10 anglers are now set, and competition will resume Sunday morning with the Championship Round, where weights are zeroed, and the winner will be determined by the heaviest five-bass limit of the final round.

Only the top 10 anglers will move on in the competition. The Championship Round on Sunday will feature Group A winner Miles Burghoff of Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, Group B winner Adrian Avena of Vineland, New Jersey and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round, competing in a final-day shootout for a top prize of up to $235,000. The six-day event, hosted by Explore La Crosse, features the top 48 pros in the 2021 Pro Circuit standings, along with last year’s reigning TITLE champion and reigning Angler of the Year – all competing for a purse of nearly $900,000

The top eight pros from Saturday’s Knockout Round that will compete in Sunday’s Championship Round on the Mississippi River are:

1^st:           Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 15-15
2^nd:          Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., five bass, 14-15
3^rd:          Jimmy Washam, Covington, Tenn., five bass, 14-15
4^th:           Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 14-13
5^th:           Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., five bass, 14-8
6^th:           Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., five bass, 12-15
7^th:           Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 12-9
8^th:           Jimmy Reese, Witter Springs, Calif., five bass, 12-4

They’ll be joined by Qualifying Round winners:
Group A: Miles Burghoff, Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.
Group B: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J.

“I really enjoy this place and feel like I can read it very well,” said Crane. “I’ve got a great area and I’m just trying to baby it to get what I need and get out. It was best-case scenario today. I’m happy with it, but I just hope I didn’t win the wrong day today.

“There are some deeper stretches on this ½-mile area that I’m at,” continued Crane, who just wrapped up his second year on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers. “I’ve been trying to pick one spot and stay there, but if the grass gets too choked out underneath the lily pads it’s not good. You want clear water, open canopy and lily pads – that’s been the key. And bait, but there’s bait everywhere on the Mississippi River.”

Crane said the spot he’s been fishing the first two days is just the edge of the area where he believes the big bass reside.

“I’ve just been pulling up to one little corner and catching them on the corner and leaving. But in practice I didn’t spend 5 minutes in that area before I caught a good one, then shook a giant off. I’m ready to dive off in there. I’m tired of looking at it. They may not be there, but they were in practice.”

With weights zeroing again tomorrow, this could be the best opportunity for Crane to get his first major win.

“Getting [the win] would be unbelievable,” said Crane. “It’d be life-changing. I haven’t won a big tournament since the 2016 BFL and I’m ready to win again. I knew if I could just get [to the TITLE], I could have a good finish.

“Not only would that level of win validate my early career, but I’m just ready to get out there and stick a few,” said Crane.

Rounding out the top 20 finishers were:

11^th:        Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 12-2, $11,000
12^th:        David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 12-2, $11,000
13^th:        Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., five bass, 11-10, $11,000
14^th:        Jared McMillan, Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 10-12, $11,000
15^th:        Matt Stefan, Junction City, Wis., five bass, 10-10, $11,000
16^th:        Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, five bass, 9-6, $11,000
17^th:        Mike McClelland, Blue Eye, Mo., four bass, 9-6, $11,000
18^th:       Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., two bass, 5-15, $11,000
19^th:        Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., two bass, 4-5, $11,000
20^th:        Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, one bass, 3-3, $11,000

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

Overall, there were 79 bass weighing 202 pounds, 5 ounces caught by the 18 pros on Saturday with 14 five-bass limits.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers features a hybrid tournament format. All 50 anglers were seeded into two groups of 25 – Group A & Group B, based on points earned in 2021 qualifying events – where they competed in Qualifying Rounds over the first four days of the tournament.

The 25 anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on the Mighty Miss on Tuesday and Thursday – the 25 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After each group’s two-day Qualifying Round, the anglers that finished in 2nd through 10th place from both Group A and Group B advanced to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights were zeroed and the remaining 18 anglers (nine anglers from Group A, and nine anglers from Group B) competed to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. Tomorrow, in the final day Championship Round, weights are again zeroed, and the winner will be determined by the heaviest five-bass limit of the final round.

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

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

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

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

by AnglersChannel

Mallory makes it happen in TNPFL on Winnebago

Practice made perfect for 3 solid days and the big check for $50,000 on Lake Winnebago.

Utilizing a one two punch of largemouth and smallmouth, Mallory rotated between flipping and drifting a dropshot in the current. Using a tactic he used back home, the Lawton, Michigan angler spent his practice period locating areas with populations of bluegills. With 14-pounds, 3-ounces on the final day, and a total weight of 42-pounds, 10-ounces, Buck Mallory takes the win at Wisconsin’s Lake Winnebago.

“I literally did textbook Junk Fishing – 101 this week. For the whole event, I fished pads, docks, grass clumps and even had a few smallmouth holes. My flipping technique was a Strike King Rage Bug and I used a Strike King Z tube with an Eco Pro Tungsten weight.”

The key to his success, the areas he had located in practice had lots of bluegills around. By shaking fish off, Mallory knew where fish were but had no idea the number of fish on his areas and was surprised to see it carry him for three days.

“I don’t know if these bass don’t get pressured or what, I was able to get them to bite 4 to 5 times before, even after I lifted them up to the surface. They were eating it so good and I hardly lost any fish all week. Today, I lost a 4-pounder. I don’t understand because they have been eating it so good.”

With a small fish in his bag, Mallory made a huge cull to end his day. With a 3-pounder to close out, it was a special week for the Michigan angler. Starting on the North end, Mallory would get a limit and work his way back down fishing high percentage areas.

“I am so blessed; I can’t believe it. When that fish broke and came into the bottom of the boat, I sat down and almost cried – it was god’s plan.”

Brandon Perkins

Waiting on the wind to blow all week, Brandon Perkins took advantage and landed the biggest bag of the week on the final day. Adding 17-pounds, 2-ounces to his total weight, the Counce, Tennessee angler managed a three-day total of 42-pounds, 6-ounces to finish in the 2^nd place spot.

“I just needed some wind, man. On day one I had a 1.32 in my bag and lost two good fish. It was nice to have those fish bite today.”

Starting on a different area today than any of the other two days, Perkins went to work in a big way. With the wind blowing, he had hoped they would turn on, and the action began as soon as he made his first cast.

“As soon as I got there, I started catching them good. I moved around and caught fish on several places, and when you get to this weight, it’s so hard to cull.”

The day looked good on paper, but trolling motor issues kept Perkins in check the whole afternoon with only one way to fish – drifting.

“Man, it was done for the last 4-hours. It’s tough enough in the wind when you can troll around, but I was just drifting for like half the day. My thing all week was just throwing a Strike King football jig around with a Rage Craw trailer. I also mixed in a Strike King wobble head with a Structure Bug and even caught a few on a tube.”

Doing what he likes to do, Perkins committed to the off shore bite and rode the wave all week. With big rods, the Tennessee angler did what he needed to do both make the championship and keep the Progressive AOY race alive.

“I fished with big line, power fishing. I caught that big one and boat flipped it.”

Paul Browning

Going back to his trees on the final day, Paul Browning flipped up 14-pounds, 1-ounce to finish with a total weight of 42-pounds, 4-ounces and the 3^rd place spot.

The Pecos, Texas angler worked grass edges for largemouth bass and mixed in an offshore bite for smallmouths. Saving a group of trees for the final day, Browning was almost able to make it happen. If it wasn’t for one of his tree’s being cut down on the water in front of him, who knows what that tree would have produced.

Read about Brownings Tree, here.

Marc Schilling

With 14-pounds even on Showdown Saturday, Marc Schilling caught a total of 41-pounds, 14-ounces over three days to finish the event in the 4^th place spot. Fishing shallow cover all week, final day changes kept Schilling going and in contention for Progressive AOY.

“I had to make some changes today. I started throwing a senko around and got a small largemouth limit and then made a move to throwing a chatterbait in the mouth of a river. The smallies were loaded up and I lost a 5-pounder on it.”

With a 2.25-pound fish in the bag, that fish cost Schilling the event, but he isn’t too worried.

“My goal was to make the championship and try to win one of these things. It’s been a great year, great week, but I have lost too many fish – we’ll take it. I have never fished Grand Lake and I expect it to be a grind.”

The Tom Bean, Texas anglers flipped with a Googan Baits Bandito Bug with a ¼-ounce weight and threw a chatterbait to catch his fish this week.

Keith Carson

Keith Carson held the lead for the first two days and changing conditions affected his fish. With the water clearing and the fish more spread out, Carson was only able to add four bass to his live well for 9-pounds, 5-ounces for a three-day total of 39-pounds, 8-ounces.

“It was a crappy day, only four fish. I lost around 20 bass and they were not eating it good at all. The ones I caught were even barely hooked.”

As seen on live coverage, Carson worked a stretch of shallow trees flipping with a new Abu Garcia Zenon rod and Abu Garcia reels. Read more about Carson’s set up, here.

“That Zenon rod was awesome. It was an overall great week, no complaints. I even caught a few on a Berkley Choppo like right in front of the trolling motor today, it was a weird day.”

The Rest of the Best:
6 Bryant Smith 39-0
7 William Fletcher 38-12
8 Luke Shrader 38-5
9 Louis Fernandes 38-5
10 Timmy Reams 37-13

See the Final Results, here!

by AnglersChannel

Adrian Avena Holds on To Win Group B Qualifying Round at MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury on the Mississippi River

Vineland, New Jersey pro Bests Florida’s Jared McMillan to Win Group B Qualifying Round and Advance Directly to Sunday’s Championship Round, Nine Anglers from Group B Advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round

LA CROSSE, Wis. (Aug. 20, 2021) – It was a battle at the top of the unofficial leaderboard for most of the afternoon between pros Adrian Avena of Vineland, New Jersey, Mitch Crane of Columbus Mississippi and Jared McMillan of Clewiston, Florida at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers. Fans watching the MLF NOW ! livestream and the anglers themselves were a bundle of nerves throughout the entire two-day Group B Qualifying Round as the trio of anglers stayed within 1½ pounds of each other on the unofficial leaderboard, in a tight race for the top position and the automatic berth to Sunday’s Championship Round.

Avena shored up the Group B win at the Friday weigh-in, punching his ticket straight through to the final round with a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 10 ounces, bringing his two-day total to 29-6. His winning bag gave him a 1-pound, 1-ounce advantage over McMillan, who weighed 13 pounds, 6 ounces on Friday, for a total of 28-5, good for second place. After some heart-breaking penalties, Crane brought a limit of 13-6 to the stage for a two-day total of 27-15, ending the day in third.

Only the top 20 anglers will move on in the competition. Anglers finishing 21^st – 30^th earned $10,500 at the event, while anglers finishing 31^st – 50^th took home $10,000.

Group A and Group B Qualifying Round winners will enjoy a day off on Saturday, while the remaining 18 anglers – 9 from Group A and 9 from Group B – will compete Saturday in the Knockout Round. Weights will be zeroed, and anglers will compete to finish in the top eight and advance to Championship Sunday.

The Championship Round on Sunday will feature Group A winner Miles Berghoff, Group B winner Adrian Avena and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round, competing in a final-day shootout for a top prize of up to $235,000. The six-day event, hosted by Explore La Crosse, showcases the top 48 pros in the 2021 Pro Circuit standings, along with last year’s reigning TITLE champion and reigning Angler of the Year – all competing for a purse of nearly $900,000.

“I had a good day, and this honestly feels like a million dollars because I really didn’t want to fish tomorrow,” Avena admitted. “I’m burning up fish out there, but I’ve still got something in my back pocket that I’m glad I don’t have to burn tomorrow. I have no idea if I’m going to be able to get to it or not, but at least I’m going to do it on Championship Sunday. If I get stuck, I get stuck – if I take off my lower unit, I take off my lower unit – but at least it’s on championship day.”

Avena said he caught approximately 20 keepers on Friday but had a bit of unique pressure in his area.

“There are a couple young kids out where I’m fishing – and I’ve got nothing against them because I’d be out there fishing my heart out too – but I blasted the fish on a topwater that first day,” said Avena. “Today it got to the point where those kids were lined up and were literally throwing a topwater at the same school of fish I’m throwing at. It’s unbelievable, but I somehow got it done.”

As the water levels on the Mighty Miss continue to fall, Avena said he expects the event to get even more difficult over the next two days.

“This river is bittersweet to me. It’s one of those places where I can honestly get spun out a little bit,” admitted Avena. “You guys give us too many options with pools 7, 8 and 9 and I was literally all over the place trying to practice the whole system.

“I’m mostly throwing a swimbait and a topwater,” continued Avena. “I’m mixing in a bunch of other stuff as well. I think I’ve caught one on a fluke and maybe one or two on a jerkbait. I’m fishing schoolers, and it all comes down to making the right casts. I had a couple opportunities and pulled off some 3-pounders today, and I had some other opportunities where I made bad casts.”

As for the pressure from the young enthusiasts in his area, Avena said he is taking it in stride but wouldn’t mind a little intervention.

“I hope their moms and dads or whoever are reading this, man,” Avena said. “These kids – they’re reckless, dude. I’m catching fish out of two little areas, and if I catch one, they all go to that area. If they come up schooling in the other area, the kids all run to that area. There were a few times today where literally four topwaters were landing on the same breaking fish and one of them was mine.

“It’s just one of those deals – I feel like if I could just talk to their parents a bit,” Avena laughed. “Maybe they need to go to church on Sunday. If they can just let me fish it’d be alright.

“Either way, I’m looking forward to getting back out there Sunday. Anything can happen.”

The top 10 pros from Qualifying Group B that now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on the Mississippi River are:

1^st:           Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J, 10 bass, 29-6 – ADVANCES TO CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
2^nd:          Jared McMillan, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 28-5
3^rd:          Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., 10 bass, 27-15
4^th:           Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 10 bass, 26-8
5^th:           Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 10 bass, 26-3
6^th:           Jimmy Reese, Witter Springs, Calif., 10 bass, 25-7
7^th:           Matt Stefan, Junction City, Wis., 10 bass, 25-1
8^th:           Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 24-10
9^th:           Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, 10 bass, 24-9
10^th:        Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., nine bass, 23-10

Finishing in 11^th through 25^th in the Group B Qualifying Round were:

11^th:        Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 10 bass, 23-4
12^th:        Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 10 bass, 22-7
13^th:        Lawson Hibdon, Versailles, Mo., eight bass, 21-8
14^th:        Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 10 bass, 20-14
15^th:        Larry Nixon, Quitman, Ark., 10 bass, 20-14
16^th:        Ryan Davidson, Branchland, W.Va., 10 bass, 18-13
17^th:        Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., seven bass, 18-7
18^th:        Brad Knight, Lancing, Tenn., eight bass, 18-5
19^th:        Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., nine bass, 17-13
20^th:        Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, seven bass, 14-11
21^st:        Shin Fukae, Harlem, Ga., six bass, 12-13
22^nd:       Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., four bass, 9-15
23^rd:       Jon Canada, Helena, Ala., five bass, 7-13
24^th:        Evan Barnes, Hot Springs, Ark., four bass, 7-7
25^th:        Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., four bass, 6-12

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

Overall, there were 107 bass weighing 256 pounds even caught by the 25 pros on Thursday, with 18 five-bass limits.

Mitch Crane and Dylan Hays tied for Friday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass Award, each bringing in a 4-pound, 3-ounce largemouth and taking home $250. Berkley awards $500 to the angler in each group that weighs the biggest bass over their two-day Qualification Round.

Evan Barnes of Hot Springs, Arkansas was also presented the Forrest L. Wood Sportsmanship and Community Leadership Award during the weigh-in on Friday. The award recognizes a TITLE qualifier, nominated by his peers, who displays an overall commitment to sportsmanship and community leadership, on and off the water, through ethical behavior, integrity, class, selflessness, conservation, volunteerism and kindness to others. Evan’s nomination cited his profound respect for the sport and its ability to connect people from all walks of life and his reflection of a true sportsman who will go above and beyond for others.

The top 18 anglers will fish the Knockout Round on Saturday. Ten anglers will be eliminated on Saturday and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round will join Group A and Group B leaders in the Championship Round on Sunday.

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

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

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

by AnglersChannel

Keith Carson Maintains Winnebago Lead in TNPFL Event

Keith Carson added 15-pounds even to his day one weight of 15-pounds, 3-ounces for a two-day total of 30-pounds, 3-ounces. Similar to his win at Wright-Patman earlier this year, Carson has unlocked a shallow pattern that relies on fishing around flooded timber – in this case, a “magic” willow tree.

“I have one tree, its alive but has fallen in and there is an exact flip to get bit. I caught two 3-pounders on the tree and several other smaller fish.”

By letting his tree rest, Carson works the adjacent flooded trees and is catching quality other than just “the tree.” The tree features a mat of eel grass on the front with lots of shade. The plan for tomorrow is more of the same and Carson is looking forward to showdown Saturday.

“Without that tree, I can still catch some fish, I think around 10-pounds. There are a lot of 2.3 and 2.4-pound fish around. I am looking forward to swinging on them tomorrow.”

With a change in weather coming, Carson knows there is a chance of thunder storms and some stronger winds. The other factor – the Wolf River.

“The change tomorrow is the guys who are going up the Wolf River. If those guys don’t make the long idle up to their fish, I could have more guy’s fishing around my areas and I need to have the ability to fish free and let my areas rest.”

Noting he had another competitor fish his area today, more pressure would not be good for his chances of winning his second NPFL event of the season. The Debary, Florida pro is working through two set ups to fish his trees. The first, a 7’6” Abu Garcia Fantasista X, heavy action rod, and the second, an Abu Garcia Zenon, both new rods for 2021.

Buck Mallory

Adding 13-pounds to his day one total of 14-pounds, 5-ounces, Buck Mallory worked the same areas and carries a two-day total of 27-pounds, 5-ounces to showdown Saturday in the 2^nd place spot. With a 4-pound, 2-ounce lunker to anchor his bag, the Lawton, Michigan pro is rotating through a flipping bite for largemouth and tossing a dropshot rig for smallmouth.

“It was another solid day, basically the same day as yesterday, I fished the same stuff. The difference is, I didn’t leave my fish today. My deal is flipping shallow docks and grass and then moving to current breaks for smallmouth. I am using a Strike King Black/Blue Rage Bug on the flipping rig and Strike King Z-Tube on a dropshot.”

Paul Browning

Adding 14-pounds, 12-ounces to his day one weight of 12-pounds, 9-ounces, Paul Browning sits in the 3^rd Spot with a two-day total of 17-pounds, 5-ounces. Noting a slight change in his timing this morning, he was on the same fish yesterday and opted to leave a bit early on day one.

“Yesterday, I left the fish too soon and went to the lake. Today, I stayed with them and caught a bigger bag. I am fishing for largemouth and I am making a run to a different lake. I just have a couple grass edges and I am flipping to get a limit.”

Having had a limit by 9:30am both days, the Pecos, Texas angler also has a pattern that he is saving for showdown Saturday, but did sample one area later in the day and made a key cull.

“I have some wood I found in practice and checked one piece today, and it look right. I caught one fish that culled and lost another one that felt heavy. For my flipping deal, I am using a Denali Rods N3 7’8” Flip Extra Heavy action paired with a Daiwa Tatula Elite Pitch and Flip. It’s spooled with Seagar Abrazx.

Marc Schilling

Making a comeback on the second day, Marc Schilling added 15-pounds to his day one weight of 12-pounds, 14-ounces for a two-day total of 27-pounds, 14-ounces. Schilling is fishing close by to leader Keith Carson and noted the two are respecting each other’s areas.

“Keith and I have different main areas and we are staying off each other’s stuff. I also want to give a big shout out to Robert Terkla today. He came around the corner today and asked if he could fish around me. I told him it was my main deal and respectfully allowed me to keep doing what I was doing – hats off to Rob.”

With an increase in weight today over the first day, the Tombean, Texas angler says more time in his main area today led to the success.

“I got to spend more time here today and pick it all apart. I am catching mainly largemouth but I did get a good smallmouth there too. I have some smallmouth I found in practice but they have not been there when I have checked it so far this event.”

Donnie O’Neal

With a total weight of 27-pounds, 1-ounce, Donnie O’Neal added 13-pounds, 4-ounces to his day one weight of 13-pounds, 13-ounces to finish the day in the 5^th spot. Not feeling 100% on day one, O’Neal made quick work of his day one limit and had hopes to do the same again this morning.

“It took me longer today – I had a limit by 8:30am but I stayed and leaned on them pretty heavy today. I left it at 1:30 pm and culled 4 times between getting my limit and getting to my weight today.

Making a long run, the Liberty Hill, Texas angler is working a topwater frog in an isolated stretch of shallow vegetation but neglected to give away any specifics to his deal.

“I found one spot in practice and knew I had to try and manage it all week. I had five bites yesterday and several more today. I think I can get 10 to 12-pounds tomorrow but I don’t think I can win off the spot. I am feeling better but I still checked in early to get some rest.”

Rest of the Best:
6. Timmy Reams 26-7
7. Luke Shrader 26-5
8. Louis Fernandes 25-12
9. William Fletcher 25-9
10. Sheldon Collings 25-6

Check out the complete Live Leaderboard.

by AnglersChannel

Carson leads Day one of the TNPFL on Lake Winnebago

By Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons and Rob Connors

In true Keith Carson fashion, fishing less than a foot of water, the Debary, Florida pro tallied 15-pounds, 3-ounces to take the day one lead on Wisconsin’s Lake Winnebago. Catching an early limit first thing in the morning, Carson packed it in and ran all new water on day one and made a cull in a completely different lake.

“I basically left and ran all new water and caught two more good fish. I had a 2.5-pounder and ran to some new places and started flipping and casting a Berkley Choppo around and was able to cull that fish out. Practice was difficult and basically I found the one starting spot and a bunch of other places not to fish,” laughed Carson.

The Florida pro got 12 to 15 bites on the day but not all were keepers. Noting that the wind did not blow today, Carson opted to skip the offshore bite and plans to sample some offshore if the rest of the week brings any wind.

Sheldon Collings

With 14-pounds, 11-ounces on day one, Sheldon Collings sits in 2^nd place going into day two on Winnebago. Collings caught a 4-pound, 10-ounce kicker to anchor his weight. Making a long run to several productive areas, Collings made the right call this morning.

“I ended up stopping on my first spot and caught my weight in like the first 30-minutes of fishing. It worked out a lot better than I had thought and I hope they cooperate the next two days.”

Bryant Smith

Bryan Smith relied on a magical morning to bring 14-pounds, 10-ounces to the scales on day one. Catching four quality largemouth to get his day started fast, the Roseville, California angler sits in 3^rd place going into day two on Winnebago.

“It was a really special morning. I started in a canal I had a couple bites in practice and caught four good fish right off on a frog. From there I moved around and fished some other largemouth stuff and caught another good one.”

After the morning flurry, the remainder of the day was not what Smith has hoped for. Fishing some docks and other areas, only a few small keepers was what he had to show for the afternoon.

“If I was smart, I would never go back to that good area as I think I caught everything that lives there. I will probably keep it honest but I am probably going to scrap it all and go practicing tomorrow. I know it’s tough out here and I’ll take any ounce I can get, but I have to try and figure it out going forward as I go.”

Buck Mallory

Buck Mallory brought five largemouth to the scales on day one for a total weight of 14-pounds, 5-ounces and sits in 4^thplace. Spending his time shallow, the Lawton, Michigan angler got to his best area this morning and realized he was not the only one to find those fish.

“I thought I had those fish to myself but it turns out I am sharing water with another guy. I had another spot close by I found in pre-practice and quickly caught four of these good fish.”

After making a move far away to avoid sampling his water again, Mallory culled once later on and had his weight for the day. Mallory didn’t want to give away too many details but noted he is flipping and pitching for largemouth.

James Biggs

James Biggs caught fish early and often on day one and sits in the 5^th spot with 14-pounds, 3-ounces. Starting strong getting bites on his first spot, Biggs moved around and caught fish until he has a solid limit, and then made a move offshore to save some of his other deals.

“After that first spot, I caught one or two at each spot. I had some smallmouth found and I guess the largemouth moved in and I caught those – they weighed more. I never sat anywhere too long to keep things fresh. I have other patterns I found and I didn’t get to sample that stuff at all. I did frog fish for a little bit trying to catch a lunker and had 10 bites but never got one hooked.”

Donnie O’Neal

Donnie O’Neal made a long run to fish a sweet spot he had found in practice and quickly caught his days weight. Power fishing shallow, O’Neal made quick work and got away from it soon after. With 13-13 of largemouth, the Liberty Hill, Texas pro sits in 6^th spot despite wanting to target smallmouth.

“I am not a smallmouth guy and I really wanted to fish for them, but since it’s my weakness, I opted for the green ones. I fished my strengths and power fished – it was power fishing 101. I had a limit in two hours and due to how I am feeling, and not wanting to beat my fish, I left and checked in 2.5 hours early.”

O’Neal is making a 45-minute run to his fish and notes that there is a lot of idling involved. With boat traffic and no-wake buoys coming up for Saturday, the Liberty Hill, Texas pro is hoping to survive tomorrow and once again save his fish.

“If I can get five more bites tomorrow, I’ll leave them again and save it all for Saturday. I’m fishing a small stretch and I didn’t even fish it all today, it’s all about the management of these fish this week.”

Rest of the Best:
7. Bobby Lanham 13-12
8. Timmy Reams 13-11
9. Richard Cooper13-0
10. Nick Prvonozac 12-15

Check out the complete Live Leaderboard.

by AnglersChannel

Miles Burghoff Wins Group A Qualifying Round at MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury on the Mississippi River

Tennessee pro Advances Directly to Sunday’s Championship Round, Nine Anglers from Group A Now Advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round

LA CROSSE, Wis. (Aug. 19, 2021) – While low water levels have equaled tough fishing conditions for most anglers at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers – pro Miles Burghoff of Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee worked those conditions to his favor, bringing a five-bass limit to the scale on Thursday weighing 14 pounds, 13 ounces. Burghoff’s two-day total of 26-8 earned him the win by a mere 1-ounce over Favorite Fishing pro Zack Birge of Blanchard, Oklahoma and punched his ticket straight through to Sunday’s Championship Round. Birge’s limit of 14 pounds, 4 ounces gave him a two-day total of 26-7 to finish the Group A Qualifying Round in second place.

The top 10 anglers from Group A will now have an off-day Friday, while the 25 anglers in Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition. The Knockout Round, featuring 18 anglers competing to finish in the top eight, will take place on Saturday. Sunday’s Championship Round will feature Burghoff, Friday’s Group B winner and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a one-day shootout to catch the heaviest five-bass limit for the top prize of up to $235,000.

The six-day event, hosted by Explore La Crosse, showcases the top 48 pros in the 2021 Pro Circuit standings, along with last year’s reigning TITLE champion and reigning Angler of the Year – all competing for a purse of nearly $900,000.

“Today was pretty special,” the Tennessee pro said. “With a near two-hour fog delay, I didn’t have a whole lot of time to fish. I’m making the longest run out of anybody here, from what I understand, and I was able to make it happen even with a short day.”

Burghoff’s limit was anchored by a 5-pound, 11-ounce kicker largemouth – a giant for late August on the Mississippi.

“When I said early on in the week that I didn’t want to catch a big one during the Qualifying Round, that was the truth,” Burghoff said. “In this format, you can’t burn a fish like that in the early rounds. So, when I caught it, I knew I had to win the round. I worked really hard today. But I let up on them and gave up about an hour that I could have culled up a ¼ pound, so I was really sweating that decision in the weigh-in line. Being able to not have to beat up on those fish another day and save them for the Championship Round is key.”

Burghoff estimated he caught 40 fish throughout the day, Thursday. He declined to divulge any bait- or technique-specifics but did hint that the low water level is helping him.

“I’m fishing in Pool No. 9, but I can’t just go anywhere – it’s not like (Pool) nine is fishing better. I just found a good area,” Burghoff said. “I caught my limit in six casts this morning and culled six or seven times in 30 minutes, but I only had 9½ pounds. Then I started searching some areas. I caught the big one, then never made another cast and left immediately. I found three more areas that are pretty stacked with fish – not every-cast type deals, but the type of deals where I can go there and catch a couple.

“The biggest factor for me now is going to be the weekend boat traffic, and the lock,” Burghoff went on to say. “Those are the two big things that could really affect me. I’ve got plenty of fish in that area, it’s just a matter of playing my cards right on Championship Sunday.”

The top 10 pros from Qualifying Group A that now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on the Mississippi River are:

1^st:           Miles Burghoff, Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., 10 bass, 26-8 – ADVANCES TO CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
2^nd:          Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 10 bass,26-7
3^rd:          Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 25-9
4^th:           Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., 10 bass, 25-2
5^th:           Jimmy Washam, Covington, Tenn., 10 bass, 25-1
6^th:           Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 10 bass, 24-12
7^th:           Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 10 bass, 24-7
8^th:           David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 10 bass, 24-4
9^th:           Mike McClelland, Blue Eye, Mo., 10 bass, 23-8
10^th:        Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 10 bass, 23-8

Finishing in 11^th through 25^th in the Group A Qualifying Round were:

11^th:        Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala., nine bass, 23-1
12^th:        Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 23-1
13^th:        Tai Au, Glendale, Ariz., 10 bass, 22-9
14^th:        Jim Moynagh, Shakopee, Minn., 10 bass, 22-6
15^th:        Jacopo Gallelli, Wetumpka, Ala., 10 bass, 22-1
16^th:        Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 20-4
17^th:        Cody Huff, Ava, Mo., eight bass, 17-13
18^th:        Jesse Wiggins, Logan, Ala., seven bass, 17-12
19^th:        Jim Tutt, Longview, Texas, eight bass, 17-3
20^th:        Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., seven bass, 15-11
21^st:        Cody Pike, Powhatan, Va., six bass, 15-9
22^nd:       Clabion Johns, Social Circle, Ga., six bass, 15-9
23^rd:       Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., eight bass, 14-5
24^th:        Corey Neece, Bristol, Tenn., six bass, 12-7
25^th:        Rusty Salewske, Alpine, Calif., six bass, 12-2

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

Overall, there were 113 bass weighing 272 pounds, 15 ounces caught by the 25 pros on Thursday, with 19 five-bass limits.

Burghoff’s 5-pound, 11-ounce largemouth also earned him Thursday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass Award. Berkley awards $500 to the angler in each group that weighs the biggest bass over their two-day Qualification Round.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, features a hybrid tournament format. All 50 anglers were seeded into two groups of 25 – Group A & Group B, based on points earned in 2021 qualifying events – where they competed in Qualifying Rounds over the first four days of the tournament. Group B will fish again on Day 4, with total weight determined by the cumulative weight of their biggest five-bass limit from both days.

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

by AnglersChannel

Go Out{side} Giveaway Prizes Include New Toyota 4Runner

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Go Out{side} by Bassmaster was created to inspire and educate families as they begin exploring nature. Few things will motivate burgeoning outdoor enthusiasts more than the incredible prizes in the new Go Out{side} Giveaway — a package valued at more than $46,000.

The sweepstakes winner will be outfitted with everything they need for adventure, including a 2021 Toyota 4Runner Off-Road Premium, large Big Green EGG integrated Nest+Handler package, Eukanuba prize pack and one year of dog food, Grizzly G60 cooler and $500 AFTCO gift card.

“We’re thrilled to partner with our great sponsors to offer families and their four-legged friends a prize package that’s perfect for anyone who loves getting outside,” said Go Out{side} Director Laurie Tisdale.

Go Out{side} offers guidance on a variety of outdoor topics, including fishing, camping, hiking, cooking, travel, gear and conservation, from the knowledgeable writers and staff from B.A.S.S. along with Go Out{side} Ambassadors like Chef Jimmy Kennedy, outdoor bloggers and photographers Philip and Corey Hunt from Two Dog Outdoors, tournament angler Kristine Fischer and multispecies kayak angler John Deshauteurs.

The contest runs through October 18, 2021. Contestants can find complete rules and enter up to once a day at Go-outside.com/sweeps.

by AnglersChannel

New Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Shapes

Already the hottest bait family in bass fishing, Berkley gives anglers more versatility with the addition of new shapes plus extended sizes in one of the winningest baits of 2020.

COLUMBIA, S.C. –– If you tried to find a package of Berkley PowerBait MaxScent baits in the past year, then you already know how popular they are. Why are they so popular? Because they catch fish better than any other soft plastic bait available with a combination of scent dispersion and flavor that only Berkley famed bait scientists could develop. This year, the PowerBait MaxScent lineup grows with new bait shapes and some extended sizes and colors of some of the most popular existing shapes.
BERKLEY POWERBAIT MAXSCENT LIL’ TROOPER

Key Features
• 2.5-inch compact crawfish imitation
• Flat bottom allows bait to glide to bottom

Size: 2.5 inches
Package Count: 6
Colors: Green Pumpkin • Watermelon Copper Orange with Red • Black Powder • Green Pumpkin/Watermelon • Watermelon Candy • Rusty Craw • Blue Pearl Black Hologram • Peanut Butter and Jelly • Canad eh Craw • Hot Craw
Rigging Recommendations: Ned rig, jig trailer
MSRP: $6.99
Available: September 2021

BERKLEY POWERBAIT MAXSCENT LIL’ GENERAL

Key Features
• 2.75-inch stick bait profile with ribbed texture to kick up debris and provide more surface area for maximum PowerBait scent and flavor
• Ideal multi-species bait for bass, walleye, slab-size panfish and more

Size: 2.75 inches
Package Count: 8
Colors: Green Pumpkin • Black Powder • Green Pumpkin/Watermelon • Watermelon Candy • Blue Pearl Black Hologram • Peanut Butter and Jelly • Canad eh Craw • Watermelon Copper Orange with Red • Rusty Craw • Hot Craw • Baby Bass • Coppertreuse • Cinnamon Purple • Gobyashi
Rigging Recommendations: Ned rig
MSRP: $6.99
Available: September 2021

BERKLEY POWERBAIT MAXSCENT TUBE

Key Features
• Ideal for smallmouth bass

Sizes: 2.5 inches • 3.5 inches
Package Count: 2.5-inch – 8 • 3.5-inch – 6
Colors: Black Red Fleck • Black Blue Fleck • Breen Green • Goby • Green Pumpkin • Lucky Penny • Smoke Silver • Watermelon Red • Watermelon Vapor • White Pearl
MSRP: $6.99
Available: September 2021

BERKLEY POWERBAIT MAXSCENT CHIGGER CRAW

Key Features
• Legendary shape now in PowerBait MaxScent for more finesse applications
• Craw imitation with high-action pinchers
• Fish it slow or buzz it and claws swim wildly back and forth
• Ideal on a jig, Texas rig, punching, or Carolina rig

Sizes: 3 inches • 4 inches
Package Count: 3-inch – 8 • 4-inch – 7
Colors: Okeechobee Craw • Summer Craw • Alabama Craw • Blue Craw • Black Blue Fleck • Black Red Fleck • Green Pumpkin • Pumpkin Green Fleck • Watermelon • Yummy Craw
MSRP: $6.99
Available: September 2021

BERKLEY POWERBAIT MAXSCENT FLATWORM

Key Features
New Size: 4.25 inches
New Colors: Gobyashi • Smelt • Cinnamon Purple • Green Pumpkin/Watermelon
MSRP: $6.99
Available: September 2021

BERKLEY POWERBAIT MAXSCENT THE GENERAL

Key Features
New Colors: Green Pumpkin/Chartreuse Firetail • Black/Chartreuse Firetail • Black Blue Fleck/Blue Firetail • Green Pumpkin/Black • Bubblegum
MSRP: $6.99
Available: September 2021

by AnglersChannel

Adrian Avena Leads Group B at MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury on the Mississippi River

New Jersey Pro Catches 15-12 to Take Early Lead in Group B - Group A to Wrap Qualifying Round Thursday

LA CROSSE, Wis. (Aug. 18, 2021) – Berkley pro Adrian Avena of Vineland, New Jersey, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Wednesday weighing 15 pounds, 12 ounces to grab the early lead in Group B after their Day 1 Qualifying Round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers. Avena caught the bulk of his fish early in the day, then culled in the afternoon. He’ll bring a 13-ounce advantage over second place angler Strike King pro Jared McMillan of Clewiston, Florida, who brought a five-bass limit to the stage weighing 14-15.

Rounding out the top three was pro Mitch Crane of Columbus, Mississippi, who caught five bass for 14-9 to end the day in third. Four more pros topped the 13-pound mark on Group B’s opening day, putting themselves well within striking distance of making the top-10 cut in their group and moving on to the Knockout Round.

The 25 anglers in Group B will now have a day off on Thursday, while the 25 anglers in Group A will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition. Group B will conclude their Qualifying Round on Friday. The six-day event, hosted by Explore La Crosse, showcases the top 48 pros in the 2021 Pro Circuit standings, along with last year’s reigning TITLE champion and reigning Angler of the Year – all competing for a purse of nearly $900,000 and a grand prize of up to $235,000.

“Today was a really fun day of fishing and I was able to catch some quality fish,” said Avena. “I got in an area that had some bass in it and just caught a lot of them.”

The New Jersey pro boated 25 to 30 fish over the course of the day – even more impressive following the morning fog delay, which delayed the start of the competition day by a little over an hour.

“I rolled into this area in practice and had three bites at the end of practice that were all better than average – I call anything over 2½ pounds ‘better than average’ on this system,” said Avena. “I started in that area today and there were still a lot of bass there. Now we wait and see whether I’ll be able to fish that same area come Friday.”

Although he’s a river savvy angler and has fished the Mighty Miss many times, Avena said he was far from comfortable out on the water on Wednesday.

“This river changes so much, between the current, the sand drops and the water level. I’ve never fished it when the system was this low, so it looks like a totally different river to me,” continued Avena. “I’ve always been that guy that likes to get off the map a little bit – and you can do that here – but you also don’t want to overlook the obvious.”

Avena said his goal going into Group B’s second day of fishing is to win the Qualifying Round and advance straight to the Championship Round on Sunday.

“I feel like the area I have can only get better with rest, so I think if I can go out there and catch a really good bag and possibly win the round and punch my ticket into the Championship Round, that’s what I want to do,” said Avena.

The standings for the 25 pros in Group B after Day 2 on the Mississippi River are:
1^st:           Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., five bass, 15-12
2^nd:          Jared McMillan, Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 14-15
3^rd.          Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 14-9
4^th:           Jimmy Reese, Witter Springs, Calif., five bass, 13-7
5^th:           Lawson Hibdon, Versailles, Mo., five bass, 13-3
6^th:           Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 13-0
6^th:           Matt Stefan, Junction City, Wis., five bass, 13-0
8^th:           Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., five bass, 12-10
9^th:           Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., five bass, 12-7
10^th:        Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, five bass, 12-1
11^th:        Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 11-14
12^th:        Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, five bass, 11-10
13^th:        Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., five bass, 11-3
14^th:        Larry Nixon, Quitman, Ark., five bass, 10-7
15^th:        Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., five bass, 10-6
16^th:        Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., four bass, 9-0
17^th:        Ryan Davidson, Branchland, W.Va., five bass, 8-4
18^th:        Brad Knight, Lancing, Tenn., three bass, 7-11
19^th:        Shin Fukae, Harlem, Ga., three bass, 6-5
20^th:        Jon Canada, Helena, Ala., four bass, 5-15
21^st:        Evan Barnes, Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 5-10
22^nd:       Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., two bass, 4-0
23^rd:       Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., two bass, 3-8
24^th:        Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., one bass, 2-15
25^th:        Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, two bass, 2-12

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

Overall, there were 104 bass weighing 246 pounds, 8 ounces caught by the 25 pros on Tuesday, with 16 five-bass limits.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers features a hybrid tournament format. All 50 anglers are seeded into two groups of 25 – Group A & Group B, based on points earned in 2021 qualifying events – where they will compete in Qualifying Rounds over the first four days of the tournament. Group A will fish again on Day 3, and Group B will fish again on Day 4, with total weight determined by the cumulative weight of their biggest five-bass limit from both days.

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

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

by AnglersChannel

AC Insider Podcast - Night of Champions!

This week Chris & David welcome in the Carhartt College Champs from Adrian College Hayden Scott & Griffin Fernandest] to talk about their College National Championship win and all that went into it. The guys also welcome in Alabama Bass Trail Program Director Kay Donaldson to the show to talk about the full field for the ABT in 2022. Check it out!

by AnglersChannel

AnglersChannel Bass Wrap Up brought to you by Sportsmans Warehouse - Episode 4 - 2021

On this edition of the Anglerschannel Bass Wrap up show sponsored by Sportsmans Warehouse, we come to you from the floor at the annual ICAST Trade show bringing you all the cool and new gear for 2022. Vance McCullough visits Felsmere lake in Florida and we check out the action at the World Finals High School event on Lake Hartwell. Strike King gear reviews and the latest you must have from Sportsman’s warehouse, its all headed your way next!

by AnglersChannel

AnglersChannel Bass Wrap Up brought to you Sportsmans Warehouse Episode 3 - 2021

On this edition of the Anglerschannel Bass Wrap up show sponsored by Sportsmans Warehouse, Is it big bass time on Lake Chickamunga? we check in with Brent Brady at the Sportsman’s Warehouse Dream Tournament, Visit the bass nation event on lake Hartwell, Head off to Lake Norman for the Big Bass Classic, and we have Local Angler profiles, our Girl Behind the scenes, Strike King gear reviews and the latest you must have from Sportsman’s warehouse, its all headed your way next!

by AnglersChannel

Lamar State Anglers Pocket $5,000 of Yamaha Power Pay

KENNESAW, Ga. - August 18, 2021 – Yamaha Power Pay put $5K in the hands of two college bass anglers from Lamar State College at the 2021 Carhartt® Bassmaster® College Series Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops®. Jack Tindell and Brett Fregia didn’t even have to place first to reap the reward. Their 12^thplace finish earned them the Power Pay bonus on top of their Bassmaster College Series payout.

The Lamar State sophomores still have a couple years of school to finish before they graduate with degrees in Business (Tindell) and Process Operating & Instrumentation (Fregia), but they didn’t need college educations to know which outboard to trust on the college fishing tournament trail.

“I’ve been fishing out a Skeeter® boat with a Yamaha on the back my whole life,” Tindell said. “This particular 2021 Skeeter-Yamaha package I’ve been running since last fall and absolutely love it. There hasn’t been a single mechanical issue with my motor in over a year, and the Power Pay program gives me the chance to win bonus money. It’s a no brainer.”

Tindell and Fregia were quick to admit the clear St. Lawrence River, with its swift current and giant smallmouth, was a bit out of their comfort zone coming from East Texas. However, the talented young anglers adapted quickly and used a drop shot to catch 55-pounds of bass over the course of the three-day event.

Long runs in unfamiliar waters didn’t intimidate the Lamar State anglers, not only because they trusted the reliability of the Yamaha behind them, but also because Yamaha had talented service mechanic Dan Tucker on-site for this tournament.

Tindell may not have needed his services last week, but Tucker stayed late each night of the event working hard to get college anglers back on the water regardless of the brand of outboard they had on their boat.

“The support Yamaha gives us is second to none on the college fishing trails,” Tindell said with gratitude. “From making an amazing product, to showing up for us with a service crew, and then offering the Power Pay program - it really is humbling. Personally, I’ll never run anything but a Yamaha on the back of my boat.”

Power Pay supports numerous tournaments at the college and high school level. Just as the Lamar State anglers proved at the National Championship; you don’t have to win an event to be eligible for bonus payouts. You simply need to be the highest placing registered participant in a sanctioned event.

For a full list of Power Pay supported tournaments, to register your Yamaha Outboard, or to learn more about the popular contingency program visit yamahapowerpay.com or send an email to powerpay@dynamicsponsorships.com

by AnglersChannel

Females In Fisheries Conservation Scholarships Awarded

August 18, 2021

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The American Fisheries Society Black Bass Conservation Committee and B.A.S.S. have awarded the fifth annual Noreen Clough Memorial Scholarships for Females in Fisheries to AnaSara Gillem, of Andalusia, Ala., a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and Shaley Valentine, of Hudsonville, Mich., a doctoral student at Southern Illinois University.

Noreen Clough blazed many trails in the field of fisheries. As the first female regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and later as the B.A.S.S. Conservation Director, her long and distinguished career was dedicated to the conservation and management of fish and wildlife. Clough passed away in January 2015 from pancreatic cancer. As a tribute to her, friends and colleagues established an endowment to provide a scholarship for female students working toward a career in fisheries conservation.

AnaSara Gillem

“Noreen's passion for conservation and the importance of recreational fishing is inspiring, and I am honored to represent her legacy,” said Gillem. “This scholarship helps me continue pursuing my goal of making a difference in the field of fisheries by protecting and advocating for sportfish species.”

Gillem started fishing farm ponds in Alabama with her father at an early age and quickly developed a love for fishing and fisheries science. While obtaining her fisheries degree at Auburn University, Gillem worked as a research technician with a lab that focused on black bass conservation and management. This time allowed her to expand her understanding of fishery techniques and gain valuable experience in a variety of field settings dealing with anglers and landowners. Gillem’s current research focuses on walleye and yellow perch recruitment in northern Wisconsin lakes in order to improve management and angling opportunities. After completing her master’s degree, Gillem hopes to continue a fisheries career as a biologist in a Southeastern state agency.

Shaley Valentine

Valentine’s family vacations revolved around fishing, and she continues that tradition through kayak fishing trips and teaching friends how to fish. At Southern Illinois University Valentine is researching 12 different species in the Mississippi River as a surrogate for the entire fish community to better understand where fish are born, migratory patterns, resources usage and how these patterns differ across the river. One specific area of focus is how the prey and habitat use of largemouth bass and bowfin differ.

“Largemouth are well-known, but anglers know much less about and have an animosity toward bowfin, so I am trying to compare the ecology of both species to better understand and bring awareness of them to anglers and fisheries managers,” explained Valentine.

In addition to her research, Valentine creates aquatic resource outreach programs and discusses her scientific career path, research and passion for fisheries with K-12 students. Her goal is to conduct research at an agency that promotes equal access to natural resources and allows her the freedom to mentor students to become fisheries professionals.

“Recreational fishing provided a strong foundation for my career,” said Valentine. “Because I am both a fisheries scientist and an angler who benefits from management, I have an enhanced understanding of the end goals and broader impacts of my own research.”

Gillem and Valentine will each be awarded a $1,000 scholarship to be used for college expenses.

by AnglersChannel

Mike McClelland Grabs Early Group A Lead at MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury on the Mississippi River

Missouri Pro Catches 13-12 to Slide into Group A Lead by Two Ounces - 25 Anglers in Group B to Compete Wednesday

LA CROSSE, Wis. (Aug. 17, 2021) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers – kicked off Tuesday with a grueling day on the water for the anglers. Pro Mike McClelland of Blue Eye, Missouri stayed near the top of the unofficial leaderboard throughout the day, securing his position in the top spot at the end of Day 1, with a limit of 13 pounds, 12 ounces – a mere 2 ounces ahead of pro Alex Davis of Albertville, Alabama, who weighed 13 pounds, 10 ounces to finish the day in second place.

The six-day tournament, hosted by Explore La Crosse, showcases the top 48 pros in the 2021 Pro Circuit standings, along with last year’s reigning TITLE champion and reigning Angler of the Year – all competing for a purse of nearly $900,000 and a grand prize of up to $235,000.

With several anglers separated by mere ounces, the championship event is setting up nicely to feature some dramatic strategic decision-making, despite the unprecedented low-water levels on the Mighty Miss.

“Having past experience here on the Mississippi River definitely helped me today,” said McClelland. “The fortunate part is that I’ve actually fished here when the river was down. Every time we showed up here for a tournament in the past, a massive flood would hit, so nothing I had done in practice would work.

“This week as we got to town, they’d had localized heavy flooding and the river had risen 1½ to 2 feet, muddying the water and messing up some areas. It forced me to go look at some spots that I had found over the years where I knew the river could be hot when the water level was down.”

McClelland said he had never got to fish those areas during an actual tournament due to the rapidly changing conditions on the Mississippi, but those spots were his saving grace today.

“Today I was able to settle in,” said McClelland. “I caught a big largemouth right off the bat and caught a couple smallmouth shortly after. That allowed me to learn exactly how these fish were positioned and once I figured that out, it really took off.

“It was pretty incredible the number of bites I got today. I just hope I didn’t lean on them too hard, and that they don’t get hammered tomorrow. Hopefully when I get back there on Thursday, they will still be ready to bite.”

McClelland said he’s had his fair share of ups and downs over the past couple years and admitted his success on the Bass Pro Tour had not been astounding, but he feels like this event could be different.

“The grinders are the tournaments I typically do better in,” McClelland said. “I feel like I have a chance at this event, where a lot of guys were probably coming in not really knowing how many fish truly live in some of these areas. I knew they might lay off thinking they’ve caught them all, but I’ve seen places on this river where you can literally catch 25 or 30 2½- to 3-pounders when it’s good.”

McClelland said he probably had an opportunity to upgrade another pound or so, but I didn’t want to lean too heavy on the fish on Day 1.

“The key for me this week has really been being open-minded,” said the Missouri pro. “Typically, this place has been so well-known for a swim jig – not necessarily a big, bulky swim jig, but more of a finesse-style swim jig. For me this week, the swim jig has caught a few – it caught the better largemouth today – but I’m actually throwing a 3.3-inch Big Bite Baits Pro Swimmer.

“I found the fish that would normally bite a swim jig were pushing it, but they would hit the swimmer, so I feel like I’ve got a little trick up my sleeve. I’ve got a little bit of topwater activity, some [SPRO] RKCrawler activity and am throwing a little brown jig like we do in the Ozarks.

“I mixed it up quite a bit today and feel like I’ve got a lot of things working – I’m really looking forward to Thursday,” concluded McClelland.

The 25 anglers in Group A will now have the day off on Wednesday, while the 25 anglers in Group B will begin their first day of competition. Group A will resume competition on Thursday.

The standings for the 25 pros in Group A after Day 1 on the Mississippi River are:

1^st:           Mike McClelland, Blue Eye, Mo., five bass, 13-12
2^nd:          Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 13-10
3^rd:          Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 13-4
4^th:           Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 13-3
5^th:           Tai Au, Glendale, Ariz., five bass, 12-6
6^th:           Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., five bass, 12-3
7^th:           David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 11-14
8^th:           Miles Burghoff, Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., five bass, 11-11
9^th:           Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., five bass, 11-9
9^th:           Jimmy Washam, Covington, Tenn., five bass, 11-9
9^th:           Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., five bass, 11-9
12^th:        Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 11-0
13^th         Jacopo Gallelli, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 10-9
14^th:        Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 10-0
15^th:        Corey Neece, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 9-14
16^th:        Cody Huff, Ava, Mo., four bass, 9-13
17^th:        Jim Moynagh, Shakopee, Minn., five bass, 9-5
18^th:        Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala., four bass, 9-3
19^th:        Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., four bass, 8-5
20^th:        Clabion Johns, Social Circle, Ga., three bass, 7-12
21^st:        Rusty Salewske, Alpine, Calif., three bass, 6-9
22^nd:       Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., four bass, 6-0
23^rd:       Jim Tutt, Longview, Texas, three bass, 5-15
24^th:        Jesse Wiggins, Logan, Ala., two bass, 5-4
25^th:        Cody Pike, Powhatan, Va., one bass, 1-13

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

Overall, there were 108 bass weighing 248 pounds even caught by the 25 pros on Tuesday, with 16 five-bass limits.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers features a hybrid tournament format. All 50 anglers are seeded into two groups of 25 – Group A & Group B, based on points earned in 2021 qualifying events – where they will compete in Qualifying Rounds over the first four days of the tournament. Group A will fish again on Day 3, and Group B will fish Day 2 and Day 4, with total weight determined by the cumulative weight of their biggest five-bass limit from both days.

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

by AnglersChannel

Clary Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Ohio River - Golconda

Curtright Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

GOLCONDA, Ill. (Aug. 16, 2021) – Boater Jay Clary, III of Slaughters, Kentucky wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Ohio River – Golconda Presented by TINCUP Whiskey in Golconda, Illinois. Clary earned $3,632 for his victory at the event.

TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Jay Clary, III of Slaughters, Ky.	5	11-8	$3,632
2^nd	Riley Walk of Neoga, Ill.	5	11-4	$1,816
3^rd	Michael Black of Toledo, Ill.	5	9-0	$1,210
4^th	Justin Berger of Murray, Ky.	5	8-10	$847
5^th	Travis Wilson of La Harpe, Ill.	5	8-9	$726
6^th	Jake Hurst of New Athens, Ill.	4	8-1	$666
7^th	Justin Conkle of Elizabethtown, Ill.	5	7-9	$605
8^th	Keith Bailey of Simpson, Ill.	4	7-8	$545
9^th	Mike Russell of Benton, Ky.	3	6-13	$484
10^th	Tim Davis of East Alton, Ill.	4	6-12	$424

RANK	STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	William Liam Curtright of St. Louis, Mo.	3	5-13	$1,816
2^nd	Bart Burford of Loose Creek, Mo.	3	5-9	$908
3^rd	David Workman of Harrisburg, Ill.	4	5-3	$606
4^th	Rick Cheatham of Carterville, Ill.	4	5-2	$393
4^th	Drew Williams of Homer, Ill.	4	5-2	$393
6^th	Jeff Turner of Plainfield, Ill.	3	4-11	$533
7^th	Westley Smith of Bridgeport, Ill.	2	4-10	$303
8^th	Jojo Johnson of Benton, Ill.	2	4-9	$522
9^th	Jimmy Null of Bethalto, Ill.	2	4-8	$242
10^th	Jeremy Douin of Pocahontas, Ill.	3	4-2	$212

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

AWARD	NAME	CONTINGENCY	PAYOUT
Boater Big Bass	Kyle Rinella of Marion, Ill.	4-pound, 14-ounce bass	$465
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Ryan Fancher of Olney, Ill.	2-pound, 15-ounce bass	$232
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus	Stephen Farley of Metropolis, Ill.	Eligible Phoenix Boat*	$500

* Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

WINNING BAITS

ANGLER	BAIT	COLOR
Boater	Jig	Green Pumpkin
Strike King Co-Angler	Neko Rig Zoom Fluke	Did Not Disclose Red Bug

2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

EVENT	DATE	LOCATION	HOST
Illini Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship	Oct. 7-9	Norfork Lake, Mountain Home, Ark.	Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce
2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American	June 2-4	Lake Hamilton, Hot Springs, Ark.	Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism & Visit Hot Springs

The 2021 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championships. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while Strike King co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube .

by AnglersChannel

Wilkinson Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Ohio River-Tanners Creek

Brock Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (Aug. 16, 2021) – Boater Chris Wilkinson of Farmersburg, Indiana wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Ohio River-Tanners Creek Presented by TINCUP Whiskey in Lawrenceberg, Indiana. Wilkinson earned $4,830 for his victory at the event on Saturday.

TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Chris Wilkinson of Farmersburg, Ind.	5	9-8	$4,830
2^nd	Tony Collins of Dayton, Ohio	5	9-5	$2,915
3^rd	Kenny Dials of Creston, Ohio	5	8-10	$1,609
4^th	Pete Justice of Sharonville, Ohio	5	8-4	$1,127
5^th	Jared Robinson of Medora, Ind.	5	7-13	$1,166
6^th	Lee Mills of Columbus, Ind.	5	7-6	$885
7^th	Scott Manson of Covington, Ohio	5	7-5	$805
8^th	Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio	5	7-3	$684
8^th	Bob Robinson of Lebanon, Ohio	4	7-3	$684
10^th	Chuck Willis of Dayton, Ohio	2	7-1	$1,255
10^th	Brandon Houston of Burlington, Ky.	4	7-1	$535

RANK	STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Austin Brock of Liberty Township, Ohio	3	7-7	$2,755
2^nd	Jason Wood of Connersville, Ind.	5	6-15	$1,199
3^rd	Ron Weisenburger of Continental, Ohio	5	6-3	$795
4^th	Brent Jones of Okeana, Ohio	5	5-14	$200
5^th	Brandon Fraley of Tipp City, Ohio	4	4-14	$460
5^th	Brayden Costa of Aberdeen, Ohio	3	4-14	$460
7^th	Randy Bramos of Winchester, Ohio	4	4-8	$400
8^th	Howard Smith of Hamilton, Ohio	4	4-7	$340
8^th	Joshua Goff of Canton, Ohio	3	4-7	$340
10^th	James Wilcox of Proctorville, Ohio	4	4-2	$530

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

AWARD	NAME	CONTINGENCY	PAYOUT
Boater Big Bass	Chuck Willis of Dayton, Ohio	5-pound, 12-ounce bass	$720
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Austin Brock of Liberty Township, Ohio	3-pound, 8-ounce bass	$357
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus	Tony Collins of Dayton, Ohio	Eligible Phoenix Boat*	$500

WINNING BAITS

ANGLER	BAIT	COLOR
Boater	Spinnerbait & buzz baits	Did Not Divulge
Strike King Co-Angler	Senko	Did Not Divulge

2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

EVENT	DATE	LOCATION	HOST
Buckeye Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship	Oct. 14-16	Potomac River, Marbury, Md.	Charles County Board of Commissioners
2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American	June 2-4	Lake Hamilton, Hot Springs, Ark.	Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism & Visit Hot Springs

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.

by AnglersChannel

McDaniel Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Ohio River-Tanners Creek

Fairfield’s Schmitz Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (Aug. 16, 2021) – Boater Lucas McDaniel of Independence, Kentucky wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Ohio River-Tanners Creek Presented by TINCUP Whiskey in Lawrenceburg, Ind. McDaniel earned $4,472 for his victory at the event on Sunday.

TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Lucas McDaniel of Independence, Ky.	5	9-6	$4,472
2^nd	Chris Abbatiello of Independence, Ky.	5	8-13	$2,236
3^rd	Jody Gardner of Tippecanoe, Ohio	5	8-6	$1,492
4^th	Tony Collins of Dayton, Ohio	5	8-5	$1,543
5^th	Clyde McNaron of Trenton, Ohio	5	7-9	$894
6^th	Larry Davis, Jr. of Xenia, Ohio	5	7-4	$820
7^th	Mike Quinlin of Mooresville, Ind.	5	7-2	$1,245
8^th	Chris Wilkinson of Farmersburg, Ind.	5	7-0	$633
8^th	Gary Ginter of Bellafontaine, Ohio	5	7-0	$633
10^th	Jake Poffenberger of Brookville, Ohio	5	6-9	$522

RANK	STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Daniel Schmitz, IV of Fairfield, Ohio	5	9-0	$2,236
2^nd	Aaron Stahley of Batavia, Ohio	5	7-9	$1,443
3^rd	Randy Williams of New Richmond, Ohio	5	5-7	$745
4^th	Jonah Moro of Steubenville, Ohio	5	5-1	$522
5^th	Thomas Scaggs of Jackson, Ohio	5	4-4	$447
6^th	James Wilcox of Proctorville, Ohio	5	4-2	$660
7^th	Billy French of Hamilton, Ohio	5	4-0	$573
8^th	James Ross of Akron, Ohio	5	3-15	$335
9^th	Bill Meyers of Urbana, Ohio	5	3-9	$298
10^th	Don Ward of Loveland, Ohio	5	3-8	$261

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

AWARD	NAME	CONTINGENCY	PAYOUT
Boater Big Bass	John Viox of Hebron, Ky.	3-pound, 15-ounce bass	$650
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Aaron Stahley of Batavia, Ohio	3-pound, 4-ounce bass	$325
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus	Tony Collins of Dayton, Ohio	Eligible Phoenix Boat*	$500

WINNING BAITS

ANGLER	BAIT	COLOR
Boater	Unspecified Flippin’ Tube	Did Not Divulge
Strike King Co-Angler	Buzzbait Rebel Pop-R Topwater Popper	Black Did Not Divulge

2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

EVENT	DATE	LOCATION	HOST
Buckeye Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship	Oct. 14-16	Potomac River, Marbury, Md.	Charles County Board of Commissioners
2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American	June 2-4	Lake Hamilton, Hot Springs, Ark.	Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism & Visit Hot Springs

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.

by AnglersChannel

Akin Retiring As CEO Of B.A.S.S.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — After 10 years serving as CEO of B.A.S.S., Bruce Akin will be retiring September 30, company officials announced today. B.A.S.S. Chairman Chase Anderson will be assuming responsibility for the organization’s day-to-day operations and serving as CEO.

Over the past year, Akin oversaw the beginning of a new multiyear television deal with FOX Sports, which ensured live broadcast coverage for every Elite Series event and the Bassmaster Classic for the first time in history. The eight hours of live coverage during the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk reeled in nearly 2 million viewers to the FOX broadcast network and FS1.

Under Akin’s leadership, B.A.S.S. also set records for attendance at both the Bassmaster Classic and Elite Series events, introduced junior, high school and kayak tournament trails, revived the Redfish Cup Championship and recorded growth in almost every facet of its business, including membership, viewership, readership and digital engagement, with record-breaking engagement on Bassmaster.com and Bassmaster social media channels in 2021.

“I am incredibly proud of everything B.A.S.S. has accomplished in the past decade and am especially excited about the growth we’ve seen as a brand and across our sport,” Akin said. “During a challenging time, we’ve seen how important fishing is and how people gravitate to the outdoors, and I look forward to seeing how the industry continues to serve anglers. B.A.S.S. has a storied history and a bright future, but I am excited to get started on this next chapter in my life.

“Through working with our associates, anglers and sponsors I’ve made some great friends in this industry. It really will be the people I’ll miss most.”

Akin originally planned to retire last year but stayed on to guide the organization through the pandemic, ensuring that the Bassmaster Elite Series completed its full schedule. This solid leadership during an uncertain time was part of why Akin was named one of the Birmingham Business Journal’s Executives of Influence for 2020.

Akin is a respected and effective leader in the sportfishing industry as part of the American Sportfishing Association Board of Directors and as an active member of the Center for Sportfishing Policy and Keep America Fishing. He has also long been active in civic affairs, serving the community as part of the board of advisors for The University of Alabama College of Communication and Information Sciences, board of directors of the St. Vincent’s Hospital Foundation and Leadership Birmingham.

“Bruce has been instrumental in growing B.A.S.S. over the past decade and has demonstrated a tireless dedication to serving our associates, anglers, members, fans and business partners,” said Anderson. “Bruce’s leadership has been instrumental in positioning B.A.S.S. as the growth-focused industry leader we are today. Thanks to Bruce’s solid guidance, we are better positioned for the future and focused on being the leader in the sportfishing industry for many years to come.”

Anderson Media Corp. acquired controlling interest in B.A.S.S. in 2017 and Anderson has been working as Chairman of B.A.S.S. LLC while also serving on the board of directors and in strategic roles for several other Anderson family-owned companies.

“I have been working directly with our associates, anglers and business partners for the past four years, and am excited for the opportunity to expand my role and work more closely with everyone in a more hands-on capacity. Much of my time has been spent on the operations of B.A.S.S., and I look forward to dedicating even more of my time to working with our great team as we continue to grow. My family and I have always had a long-term view of the business and organization, and I’m really excited about our future. I have so enjoyed working closely with Bruce and he’s been a great mentor and friend. I wish him the absolute best in retirement.”

No other changes to the organization’s daily operations are currently planned.

If you would rather not receive future communications from B.A.S.S. LLC, let us know by clicking here.
B.A.S.S. LLC, 3500 Blue Lake Drive, Suite 330, Birmingham, AL 35243 United States

by AnglersChannel

Adrian Wins Bassmaster College Series National Championship On St. Lawrence River

Hayden Scott and Griffin Fernandes of Michigan's Adrian College have won the 2021 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at the St. Lawrence River with a three-day total of 63 pounds, 10 ounces.
Photo by Dalton Tumblin/B.A.S.S.
August 14, 2021

WADDINGTON, N.Y. — Throughout their careers, the Adrian College team of Griffin Fernandes and Hayden Scott had come just short of achieving a victory on the Bassmaster College Series.

But on a Northern smallmouth fishery that favored their strengths, Scott and Fernandes finally sealed the deal on the biggest of stages, winning the 2021 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at the St. Lawrence River. They caught a five-bass limit of 20 pounds, 6 ounces on the final day, increasing their three-day total to 63-10.

It is the first Bassmaster National Championship trophy for Adrian College, and every team member who made the trip to Waddington stayed to watch their teammates fish and weigh-in.

“The fact that we scraped together what little we had from practice and pulled off a three-day event and got the win on the biggest stage and at the biggest event in college bass fishing, words can’t express that feeling,” Scott said. “We worked our butts off our whole lives and have been working toward this moment and have come close so many times. So, when the dust had settled and we are taking this trophy home … it brings back a lot and it is going to take a few days for it to sink in.”

Scott and Fernandes were one of the most consistent teams in the field, catching 22-14 on Day 1 to land in third place and then jumping into the lead on Day 2 with 20-6. They beat the second-place team of Tristan McCormick and Stevie Mills from Bethel University by over 3 pounds and sealed their spot in the College Classic Bracket, which will be held later this year.

The win caps off a year where Scott and Fernandes finished no worse than 15th in the three College Series events they participated in this season, including a second-place showing at Smith Lake in Alabama.

“This is our first year fishing together and we are die-hard bass fishermen,” Scott said. “We show up to win and we are going to be the first ones on the water and the last ones off.”

Throughout the week, Scott and Fernandes focused on transitional areas around Eel Bay. They said the shallow areas of the bay are where the smallmouth spawned several weeks ago and have started moving towards their summer holes. The channels connecting the bay to the main river had several deep humps where fish were staging in 30 to 50 feet of water, which they rotated between most mornings.

A Poor Boys Tube in Watermelon Gold rigged on a 3/4-ounce Bite Me Tube Head did most of their damage as well as a Berkley Flat Worm rigged on a drop shot with a 5-8/ounce weight.

The smallmouth were pinned to the bottom, so Fernandes said they used a shorter leader to keep the bait closer to the fish, the opposite of what most anglers do. To trigger their bites, the Adrian team threw on top of the humps and worked their baits down to the drop.

Scott and Fernandes started Championship Saturday by catching two keepers, a 2-pounder and one around 4 pounds in the Eel Bay area. They then made a short move to a narrow channel connecting the Bay to the main river area and caught two fish in short order before filling out their limit about 45 minutes later.

They made one cull, but then lost two quality bass they feared would cost them at the scales.

“We thought we had tossed this thing away,” Fernandes said. “We knew these guys were going to catch them and we knew we needed a big bag to get it done. I can’t be more thankful everything ended up working out and I couldn’t be happier with the finish.”

Meanwhile, McCormick and Mills recovered from a disappointing Day 2 and caught 19-13 on the final day to finish in second with 60-7. The Bethel duo led Day 1 with 24-9 and earned Nitro Big Bag of the Tournament honors, but weighed in just 16-1 on the second day to fall to fourth.

“We didn’t really change anything up from yesterday,” McCormick said. “We started on our best place and gave it all the time we had.”

With a solid bag already, McCormick and Mills headed back toward Waddington early and stopped within sight of the ramp after boat problems had them worried they wouldn’t make it back at all. It proved to be the difference.

“After we stopped, we culled four times in 10 minutes,” McCormick said. “The biggest difference for us was staying positive. We had a good bag coming back, but we wouldn’t have gotten second if we hadn’t stopped there.”

A Berkley MaxScent Flat Worm on a drop shot was the big player for Bethel, while a Ned rig did the damage during the final 10 minutes of the tournament.

The Auburn University team of Conner Crosby and James Cobbs had their best day of the tournament on Championship Saturday, landing 21-4 to move from ninth to third and clinch the final spot in the College Classic Bracket.

Crosby and Cobbs found smallmouth on rocky points anywhere from 10 feet all the way down to 40 feet. The smallmouth they found transitioned from day to day, and Cobbs said they had to find which range they were in every day.

“It was really little things that we got a hold of,” Cobbs said. “Each day it seemed like they were moving deeper. They got up on the shallow flat to spawn two to three weeks ago and they are starting to move out to deeper water.

“We’ve followed them out to the edge of the current break.”

The Flat Worm in Mango Magic on a drop shot was the key bait for the Auburn team as well as a Ned rig with a TRD. Crosby added that fizzing and keeping their fish healthy was an important aspect of their tournament.

Tripp Bowman and Blakely Young from Louisiana State University-Shreveport earned Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament honors with a 6-10 smallmouth they caught on Day 1.

The Top 3 teams, along with the Auburn team of Logan Parks and Tucker Smith, will now prepare for the College Classic Bracket, the location of which will be released at a later date.

Parks and Smith earned their spot after winning Team of the Year. The final day of the College Classic Bracket will be broadcast live on FS1.

This week’s tournament was hosted by the Village of Waddington, St. Lawrence County Chamber and Clarkson University. The tournament was 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 were planned to ensure the safety of athletes, staff and guests.

2021 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops 8/12-8/14
St. Lawrence River, Waddington NY.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3

Angler Club/School Pts

1. Hayden Scott - Griffin Fernandes Day 1: 5 22-14 2. Tristan McCormick - Stevie Mills Day 1: 5 24-09 3. Conner Crosby - James Cobbs Day 1: 5 17-11 4. James Gillis - Craig Beucler Day 1: 5 21-09 5. Hunter Bond - GL Compton Day 1: 5 23-12 6. Sam Hanggi - Sam Hoesley Day 1: 5 17-15 7. Tyler Christy - Trey Schroeder Day 1: 5 18-05 8. Adam Puckett - Brendan Bingham Day 1: 5 20-13 9. Jacob Woods - Samuel Vandagriff Day 1: 5 21-00 10. Joe McClosky - Ryan Winchester Day 1: 5 20-01 11. Logan Anderson - Tyler Little Day 1: 5 13-09 12. Jack Tindell - Brett Fregia Day 1: 5 21-07 Adrian College 250
Day 2: 5 20-06 Day 3: 5 20-06 Total: 15 63-10
Bethel University 249
Day 2: 5 16-01 Day 3: 5 19-13 Total: 15 60-07
Auburn University 248
Day 2: 5 20-09 Day 3: 5 21-04 Total: 15 59-08
Clarkson University 247
Day 2: 5 18-14 Day 3: 5 18-00 Total: 15 58-07
Clemson University 246
Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 5 19-00 Total: 15 58-06
Auburn University 245
Day 2: 5 20-15 Day 3: 5 18-13 Total: 15 57-11
McKendree University 244
Day 2: 5 19-12 Day 3: 5 19-04 Total: 15 57-05
Murray State University 243
Day 2: 5 22-00 Day 3: 5 14-03 Total: 15 57-00
Tennessee Tech University 242
Day 2: 5 19-14 Day 3: 5 15-09 Total: 15 56-07
Bethel University 241
Day 2: 5 17-09 Day 3: 5 18-13 Total: 15 56-07
North Carolina State University 240
Day 2: 5 23-00 Day 3: 5 18-13 Total: 15 55-06
Lamar State College Orange 239
Day 2: 5 17-07 Day 3: 5 16-03 Total: 15 55-01

by AnglersChannel

Sentell and Payne Enjoying the Ride

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

Chris Payne and Chad Sentell didn’t have the finish they were hoping for at the 2021 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, but what the University of Tennessee anglers didhave was a lot of fun. And at the end of the day, that’s what college fishing is all about.

Payne is a freshman at UT studying Communications and Sentell, a junior, studies Finance. They’ve both been looking forward to getting the chance to fish the famed St. Lawrence River all summer long. You see, Payne and Sentell are painters, and have been working hard at it throughout the summer as the paint-stained Carhartt hat on Payne’s head showed.

The chance to come to New York and chase big, mean smallmouth was the light at the end of their workingman’s tunnel.

“We work for my Dad’s company right now, SentellBrother’s Painting and have a kind of sponsorship with SERVPRO Damage Restoration,” Sentell explained. “Anytime there is flooding or water damage and they have to rip the old drywall out to replace with new drywall they call us. We come in and paint or whatever else they need done.”

Sentell and Payne are driving a wrapped SERVPRO work truck this week, and by looking at their well-worn Carharttt-shirts you’d think these two Tennessee Volunteers were up here for a job instead of a bass fishing tournament. But a closer look would reveal sunglasses tan lines and fun-loving smiles that are unique to college fishermen.

Their two-day total of 28-pounds 1-ounce of smallmouth may not have won them any awards this week, but fortunately Sentell and Payne weren’t hanging their heads. They are happy to be here and didn’t take the opportunity for granted.

“We’re not too keyed in on this whole smallmouth deal quite yet but MAN it was still so much fun,” Payne said with a smile. “We caught a bunch of fish and even landed a few great big ones in practice. I mean we just kept catching them. I think we must have caught every single big one off that spot cause we sure didn’t catch them in the tournament… but we couldn’t help ourselves!”

It didn’t take long when talking to these young men for it to become apparent they had a great outlook on life, rooted in hard work and having a good time. To me, that exemplifies some of the best parts of college fishing. Sure, all these anglers are competitors and want to win, but it’s important to not loose sight of the bigger picture.

To qualify for the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship is a big deal, but I would encourage young anglers to find balance between taking the tournament seriously while doing your best to enjoy the entire process. As a former college angler myself I’ll be the first to tell you, these moments pass by far too quickly and it won’t be long until you’re looking back at “the good old days.”

“This whole tournament was an awesome experience,” Sentell said. “A fishing trip to a destination like the St. Lawrence River with good friends and family… you just can’t beat it.”

by AnglersChannel

Scott And Fernandes Jump Into Top Spot At Bassmaster College Series National Championship

Hayden Scott and Griffin Fernandes of Michigan's Adrian College are leading after Day 2 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at the St. Lawrence River with a two-day total of 43 pounds, 4 ounces.
Photo by Dalton Tumblin/B.A.S.S.
August 13, 2021

WADDINGTON, N.Y. — In their previous two Bassmaster College Series National Championship appearances, Hayden Scott and Griffin Fernandes of Adrian College had not been able to push themselves into the final-day cut.

They finally achieved that goal by catching 20 pounds, 6 ounces during Friday’s second round of the 2021 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops on the St. Lawrence River. They now lead the 125-boat field with a two-day total of 43-4.

The Murray State University duo of Adam Puckett and Brendan Bingham is only 7 ounces behind in second, heading into Championship Saturday.

“I’m really excited,” Fernandes said. “This is my first championship cut and the third one I’ve fished. I’m ready to get back out there and see what we can do. We are around big fish and I think we have a lot of good stuff to rotate tomorrow. We just have to hope that the right ones pull up when we are there.”

Scott and Fernandes have come close to winning a College Series event in the past, finishing second as recently as this year at Smith Lake.

“We’ve come so close at so many events,” Scott said. “Going into this event, we knew this was going to be our best shot to pull one off. We are pretty excited to get after it tomorrow. We know we are around them.”

The team from Adrian, Mich., entered the second day in third with 22-14 and started on the same rotation that produced the majority of their weight the previous day. The bite didn’t materialize until later in the morning, starting with a 3-pounder.

After finding a local boat already on a spot they wanted to fish, they pulled up on a new stretch and immediately found success.

“We pull up and we catch a 6-pounder,” Fernandes said. “That was a good start and then we started rotating everything in the area and we caught another really big one. We made small upgrades here and there throughout the day.”

That smallmouth officially weighed 5-9 and was the Big Bass of the day. The spot that produced their biggest bite of the day set up similarly to the other areas in the rotation, and Scott said landing those big fish has given them the confidence to stick with their program.

“After practice, we really weren’t sure what we were going to catch. We could either come in with 13 pounds or 20 pounds,” Scott said. “So, to start off the morning with a 3-pounder and then catch that kicker right off the bat, it rejuvenates us to keep grinding and keep working through it. Once you catch a fish like that, you know you need to catch a solid limit to have a shot.”

After starting the day in seventh, Puckett and Bingham landed 22-0 to move into second with a two-day total of 42-13. Puckett will be attempting to win his second national championship of his college career after winning the FLW National Championship in 2019.

During the first two hours of the day, Puckett said he and Bingham landed only one of their first five bites, but kept moving through their rotation and found success later in the day.

“We just stuck with it. Where we got bites, we knew we would get bites. They just showed up,” Puckett said. “We went back into an area that we caught a 5-pounder in and Bingham caught one that was 3 pounds and culled one of our smallest fish. It was a big cull for us.”

Throughout the week, Puckett and Bingham’s bigger bites have been spread out. Their main focus has been on underwater current breaks. They have only seen one other boat fish one of their spots and they believe a lot of other teams are overlooking what they have found.

“It turned out you would catch a 4-pounder and then maybe a little one and that would be it,” Bingham said. “Today, we got to hit a few spots more (than Thursday). We went back to a couple of spots where we caught some earlier in the day and they were there again. It seems like it reloads slowly. They are up there to feed and it is a specific spot.”

Jacob Woods and Samuel Vandagriff from Tennessee Tech caught 19-14 on Day 2 to lift them from sixth place to third with 40-14.

“It is definitely a learning curve up here. He’s from middle Tennessee and I’m from East Tennessee,” Woods said. “This is all new to us and we are having a blast.”

In practice, the duo struggled to find productive smallmouth water, but at one particular spot they caught one fish. That one fish was enough for them to gravitate to that area during competition, and they caught the majority of their weight in that location.

Woods and Vandagriff did, however, start the tournament fishing for largemouth on Day 1 and caught a 5-pounder.

“Yesterday, we got down there and caught two 5-pound smallmouth and ended up with 21 pounds,” Woods said. “This morning we went straight to that spot, sat there and mined it for all its worth. It produced today. It was a very blessed day.”

While Scott and Fernandes claimed the biggest bass of the day, Tripp Bowman and Blakely Young from Louisiana State University-Shreveport remained in control of the Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament with a 6-10 smallmouth they caught on Day 1.

The Top 12 punched their tickets to Championship Saturday and will take off at 6:30 a.m. ET from Whittaker Park. The weigh-in will be held back at the park at 2:30 p.m., with the Top 3 teams after the final day qualifying for the College Classic Bracket.

This week’s tournament is being hosted by the Village of Waddington, St. Lawrence County Chamber and Clarkson University. The 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.

2021 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops 8/12-8/14
St. Lawrence River, Waddington NY.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2

Angler Club/School Pts

1. Hayden Scott - Griffin Fernandes Adrian College 250
Day 1: 5 22-14 Day 2: 5 20-06 Total: 10 43-04
2. Adam Puckett - Brendan Bingham Murray State University 249
Day 1: 5 20-13 Day 2: 5 22-00 Total: 10 42-13
3. Jacob Woods - Samuel Vandagriff Tennessee Tech University 248
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 19-14 Total: 10 40-14
4. Tristan McCormick - Stevie Mills Bethel University 247
Day 1: 5 24-09 Day 2: 5 16-01 Total: 10 40-10
5. James Gillis - Craig Beucler Clarkson University 246
Day 1: 5 21-09 Day 2: 5 18-14 Total: 10 40-07
6. Hunter Bond - GL Compton Clemson University 245
Day 1: 5 23-12 Day 2: 5 15-10 Total: 10 39-06
7. Jack Tindell - Brett Fregia Lamar State College Orange 244
Day 1: 5 21-07 Day 2: 5 17-07 Total: 10 38-14
8. Sam Hanggi - Sam Hoesley Auburn University 243
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 5 20-15 Total: 10 38-14
9. Conner Crosby - James Cobbs Auburn University 242
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 20-09 Total: 10 38-04
10. Tyler Christy - Trey Schroeder McKendree University 241
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 19-12 Total: 10 38-01
11. Joe McClosky - Ryan Winchester Bethel University 240
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 17-09 Total: 10 37-10
12. Logan Anderson - Tyler Little North Carolina State University 239
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 23-00 Total: 10 36-09
13. Dante Piraino - Hunter Stone Clarkson University 238
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 18-14 Total: 10 36-09
14. Rob Lindsey - Mason Cizek Bryan College 237
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 19-08 Total: 10 36-05
15. Tyler Vanbrandt - Jarrod Layton Adrian College 236
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 18-02 Total: 10 35-14
16. James Willoughby - Chance Schwartz University of Montevallo 235
Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 5 17-13 Total: 10 35-14
17. Cole Holloway - Taylor Mcmullen Emmanuel College 234
Day 1: 5 20-02 Day 2: 5 15-07 Total: 10 35-09
18. Tyler Campbell - Caleb Hudson Emmanuel College 233
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 18-05 Total: 10 35-06
19. Tyler Lubbat - Hayden O'barr 232
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 17-07 Total: 10 34-11
20. Daelyn Whaley - Cy Casey Emmanuel College 231
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 15-02 Total: 10 34-08
21. Tommy Sendek - Andrew Howell University of Montevallo 230
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 18-13 Total: 10 34-06
22. Grayson Morris - University of Montevalllo 229
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 14-12 Total: 10 34-05
23. Weston Hollar - Wesley Gore University of Montevallo 228
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 20-00 Total: 10 34-03
24. Ben Cully - Hayden Gaddis Carson-Newman University 227
Day 1: 5 18-04 Day 2: 5 15-12 Total: 10 34-00
25. Jack York - Jacob Miller Stephen F Austin State Universit 226
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 16-14 Total: 10 34-00
26. Hunter Baird - Beau Browning Drury University 225
Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 5 15-04 Total: 10 33-14
27. Connor Nimrod - Jacob Andrews University of Louisiana Monroe 224
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 17-03 Total: 10 33-14
28. Reagan Nelson - Caden Cowan Tarleton State University 223
Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 16-01 Total: 10 33-09
29. Pierce Knarr - Ryan Lowe University of Iowa 222
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 15-11 Total: 10 33-04
30. Colin Slentz - Evan Slentz Lander University 221
Day 1: 5 18-14 Day 2: 5 14-05 Total: 10 33-03
31. Lafe Messer - Matt Messer Kentucky Christian University 220
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 19-04 Total: 10 32-12
32. Peyton McCord - Caleb Whitehurst Auburn University 219
Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 13-10 Total: 10 32-12
33. Solomon Glenn - Ryan Thomas University of Montervallo 218
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 17-00 Total: 10 32-08
34. Kyle Simmons - Brett Halstead Kansas State University 217
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 14-10 Total: 10 32-07
35. Jackson Swisher - Seth Slanker Florida Gateway College 216
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 14-13 Total: 10 32-06
36. Chase Clarke - Mitchell Peterson Auburn University 215
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 19-10 Total: 10 32-02
37. Joshua DeKoning - Dalton Mollenkopf Adrian College 214
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 17-12 Total: 10 32-00
38. Gus Mclarry - Dawson Cassidy 213
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 15-12 Total: 10 31-12
39. Kayden Tanner - Trevor Easter Tarleton State University 212
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 15-11 Total: 10 31-05
40. Drew Gill - Zebulon Frasure Wabash Valley College 211
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 14-06 Total: 10 31-00
41. Mason Phillpotts - Drake Shipman 210
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 13-06 Total: 10 30-15
42. Jacob Lambert - Austin Smith Carson-Newman University 209
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 13-08 Total: 10 30-11
43. Michael Postlewait - Andrew Rickman Dallas Baptist University 208
Day 1: 4 09-15 Day 2: 5 20-11 Total: 9 30-10
44. Austin Carr - Justin Carr 207
Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 12-15 Total: 10 30-07
45. Andrew Harp - John Higginbotham Louisiana Tech University 206
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 11-13 Total: 10 30-06
46. Dalton Smith - Cade Hayford Campbellsville University 205
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 16-13 Total: 10 30-06
47. Grayson Perkins - Luke Barrett 204
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 17-00 Total: 10 30-05
48. Blake Brashears - Tyler Stacy University of Kentucky 203
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 16-10 Total: 10 29-14
49. Carter Ball - Austin Tapley Adrian College 202
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 13-15 Total: 10 29-14
50. Nathan Doty - Bailey Bleser McKendree University 201
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 16-07 Total: 10 29-12
51. Trevor McKinney - Blake Jackson McKendree University 200
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 15-08 Total: 10 29-10
52. Robert Cruvellier - Sam Harvey Auburn University 199
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 11-14 Total: 10 29-08
53. Cole Rankin - Ewing Minor Carson-Newman University 198
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 14-10 Total: 10 29-08
54. Mitchell Gunn - Kyle Kunst 197
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 17-06 Total: 10 29-05
55. Robert Gee - Chase Dawson University of Tennessee 196
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 14-00 Total: 10 29-05
56. Tyler Cory - Scott Sledge University of Montevallo 195
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 12-10 Total: 10 28-07
57. Kollin Smith - Lilly Smith Emmanuel College 194
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 14-00 Total: 10 28-07
58. Chris Payne - Chad Sentell Tennessee 193
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 14-09 Total: 10 28-01
59. Carson Maddux - Jake Maddux Auburn University 192
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 12-04 Total: 10 27-13
60. Louis Monetti - 191
Day 1: 3 08-08 Day 2: 5 19-03 Total: 8 27-11
61. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson Minnesota State - Mankato 190
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 13-15 Total: 10 27-11
62. Jackson Ebbers - Charlie DeShazer University of Nebraska-Lincoln 189
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 11-04 Total: 10 27-06
63. Taylor Mazur - Keegan Witt St Cloud State University 188
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 12-09 Total: 10 27-06
64. Calvin Landsberg - Jack Palaia 187
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 14-05 Total: 10 27-06
65. Bennett Kudder - Andrew Fisher Bryan College 186
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 14-04 Total: 10 27-06
66. Rudy Worley - John Nowlin Blue Mountain College 185
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 14-02 Total: 10 27-06
67. Cordell Beckman - Greenville University 184
Day 1: 4 11-06 Day 2: 5 15-15 Total: 9 27-05
68. Logan Parks - Tucker Smith Auburn University 183
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 13-12 Total: 10 27-04
69. Blair Cox - Keegan Barber Missouri State University 0
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 12-01 Total: 10 27-03
70. Jamesen Simion - Alex Strunk Bowling Green State 181
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 12-13 Total: 10 26-10
71. Caden Sweeten - Samuel Heichel Bemidji State 180
Day 1: 4 07-10 Day 2: 5 18-15 Total: 9 26-09
72. Cole Breeden - Cameron Smith Drury University 179
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 11-08 Total: 10 26-07
73. Hunter Fillmore - Coleman Bingham Bethel University 178
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 12-11 Total: 10 26-05
74. Cal Culpepper - Mason Waddell University of Montevallo 177
Day 1: 4 10-11 Day 2: 5 15-06 Total: 9 26-01
75. Britt Myers - Tyler Anderson Lander University 176
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 14-03 Total: 10 26-00
76. Hunter Loftin - Mac Johnston-Herzberg Missouri State University 175
Day 1: 4 12-00 Day 2: 5 13-14 Total: 9 25-14
77. Zach Salters - Jenson Kay Adrian College 174
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 12-08 Total: 10 25-12
78. Brooks Anderson - Parker Guy Emmanuel College 173
Day 1: 4 09-10 Day 2: 5 15-14 Total: 9 25-08
79. Brenton Godwin - Hunter Odom University of Montevallo 172
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 12-15 Total: 10 25-07
80. Jeremy Dellinger - Nathan Smith Catawba Valley Community College 171
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 12-01 Total: 10 25-05
81. Cole Hopson - Phillip Green 170
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 11-10 Total: 10 25-01
82. Brad Ableman - Kyle Palmer Bethel University 169
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 15-02 Total: 10 24-12
83. Ty Black - Avry Thomason Georgia Southern University 168
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 14-00 Total: 10 24-12
84. Kaleb Brown - Lander University 167
Day 1: 3 07-05 Day 2: 5 17-06 Total: 8 24-11
85. Connor Jacob - Sam Smith Auburn University 166
Day 1: 5 09-14 Day 2: 5 14-09 Total: 10 24-07
86. Ryan Park - Sam Niemeyer Murray State University 165
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 4 10-14 Total: 9 24-05
87. Connor Cartmell - Andrew Vereen Coastal Carolina University 164
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 14-02 Total: 10 23-14
88. Lucas Smith - Dalton Mize Jacksonville State University 163
Day 1: 4 09-12 Day 2: 5 14-01 Total: 9 23-13
89. Christian Wright - Conner Giles Bryan College 162
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 11-06 Total: 10 23-13
90. Jackson Staib - Baylor Howell Bethel University 161
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 10-11 Total: 10 23-01
91. Ethan Jones - Joseph Bruener McKendree University 160
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 11-04 Total: 10 22-01
92. Ty Mundhenke - Cam Busby Auburn University 159
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 13-00 Total: 10 22-00
93. Braden Perry - Aidan England Carson-Newman University 158
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 09-09 Total: 10 22-00
94. Garrett Thompson - Ethan Perry West Virginia University 157
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 5 12-07 Total: 10 21-14
95. Easton Fothergill - Nick Dumke University of Montevallo 156
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 10-14 Total: 10 21-11
96. Gunner Whitaker - Mitchell Johnson Kentucky Christian University 155
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 11-14 Total: 10 21-08
97. Caleb Dachenhaus - Elliot Wielgopolski Adrian College 154
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 10-04 Total: 10 21-04
98. Chase Carey - Dylan Akins Emmanuel College 153
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 12-04 Total: 10 21-02
99. Jack Dice - Liberty University 152
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 12-04 Total: 10 20-11
100. Spencer Black - Lucas Oliver Catawba Valley Community College 151
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 10-02 Total: 10 20-07
101. Hunter Waldrop - Mark Kershaw University of South Carolina Uni 150
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 08-05 Total: 10 18-08
102. Matt Baker - Kory England Arkansas Tech University 149
Day 1: 4 08-10 Day 2: 3 08-11 Total: 7 17-05
103. Alden Keel Jr - Lake Norsworthy Blue Mountain College 148
Day 1: 2 06-01 Day 2: 5 10-14 Total: 7 16-15
104. Tripp Bowman - Blakely Young Louisiana State University-Shrev 147
Day 1: 2 07-12 Day 2: 5 08-09 Total: 7 16-05
105. Cole Lamb - Tristan Weaver Arkansas Tech University 146
Day 1: 4 07-13 Day 2: 5 07-08 Total: 9 15-05
106. Tanner Barnes - Jordan Smallwood Campbellsville University 145
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 15-00 Total: 5 15-00
107. Ryan Feehan - Perry Marvin Virginia Tech University 144
Day 1: 3 09-10 Day 2: 2 05-06 Total: 5 15-00
108. Chase Sansom - Tyler Drown Marshall University 143
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 14-13 Total: 5 14-13
109. Harmon Marien - Devon Rathbun McKendree University 142
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 14-06
110. Easton Lindus - Emmanuel College 141
Day 1: 4 10-00 Day 2: 3 04-03 Total: 7 14-03
111. Lane Bailey - Justin Eggers Catawba Valley Community College 140
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 2 03-15 Total: 7 14-01
112. Bryar Chambers - Clent Blackwood Wallace State 139
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 13-08 Total: 5 13-08
113. Jacob Emery - Aaron Jagdfeld Adrian College 138
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 12-10 Total: 5 12-10
114. Evan Thomas - Alex Briggs Liberty University 137
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 11-15
115. Hunter Haraway - Malcolm Patton Calhoun Community College 136
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 08-14
116. Allex Conner - Grant Hack Ohio State University 135
Day 1: 2 08-11 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 08-11
117. Brock Williams - Christopher Batts Ohio State University 134
Day 1: 5 06-04 Day 2: 1 01-13 Total: 6 08-01
118. Aaron Cherry - Chandler Holt University of Montevallo 133
Day 1: 3 07-06 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 07-06
119. Nate Lesch - Will Schibig Tennessee Tech University 132
Day 1: 3 04-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 04-15
120. Cam Cornelius - Jordan Nicely Georgetown College 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
120. Brady Harp - Garrett Warren Auburn University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
120. Benjamin Moore - David Gadd Eastern Kentucky University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
120. Chad Pruner - Ethan Ange 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
120. Paul Tabisz - James Ge University of Michigan 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
120. Emil Wagner - William Perry Ole Miss 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00

by AnglersChannel

Carr Brothers Crazy Day and Clutch Catch

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by AnglersChannel

Bethel University Claims Day 1 Lead At Bassmaster College Series National Championship

Tristan McCormick and Stevie Mills of Bethel University are leading after Day 1 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at the St. Lawrence River with 24 pounds, 9 ounces.
Photo by Dalton Tumblin/B.A.S.S.
August 12, 2021

Bethel University Claims Day 1 Lead At Bassmaster College Series National Championship

WADDINGTON, N.Y. — With the help of a 6-pound smallmouth, the Bethel University duo of Tristan McCormick and Stevie Mills caught a five-bass limit that weighed 24 pounds, 9 ounces to claim the Day 1 lead at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at the St. Lawrence River.

McCormick and Mills hold a 13-ounce lead over the second-place team of Hunter Bond and GL Compton from Clemson University.

“Our main goal was to go out there and have fun and let the chips fall where they may,” McCormick said. “It was unbelievable. It was a superblessed day. The Lord works in mysterious ways because the last thing we expected was to do that. We are superexcited to get back out there tomorrow and see what happens.”

During their official practice time, Mills and McCormick caught plenty of 2-pound fish in a specific area but had no confidence heading into the event that they would be able to catch big ones.

So, when they reached the area Thursday, they were pleasantly surprised to find the quality had improved.

“We caught two pretty quickly, 2 1/2-pounders, and then we caught a big one. And then it went to chaos after that,” McCormick said. “We said last night that there had to be some big ones mixed in because every time we caught one I would scan the forward-facing sonar over there and see 10 with it. It was just a matter of putting the bait in front of the bigger ones.”

During their flurry, Mill estimates they caught between 15 to 20 fish.

“Just about every time we dropped down we were getting a bite,” he said. “I think those fish were posted up there, hugging the bottom. If both of our baits got around them, it didn’t matter if they were 2 inches away or 20, they were getting it.”

While the current interfered with the effectiveness of their forward-facing sonar initially, it played a big factor when they did hook a bass.

“The biggest thing is when he hooked one, I would scan the sonar over to see if there were any following it,” McCormick said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, you can flick another bait over there and catch one of the followers, and we did that a bunch.”

Hailing from Kentucky Lake, Mills said that while his home lake has current, the St. Lawrence River is a whole different experience.

“You have current at Kentucky Lake, but this is all natural and it is always flowing,” Mills said. “That’s why these fish are as strong as they are. We don’t ever get to fish anywhere like this where you get to see 20 feet down. I like it a lot.”

After suffering through a slow morning, Compton and Bond finished Day 1 with 23-12 and anchored their bag with a 5-0 smallmouth.

“We stopped on some places we thought we would get some bites and some big bites,” Compton said. “We kept moving around to our different areas and we finally landed on a good group of fish around 11 (o’clock).”

Knowing the smallmouth had finished spawning, Bond said he and Compton focused on current seams. They found several different areas in practice and after hooking up with one or two bass in a spot, they would move to different water.

“Every day we had a consistent 16 or so pounds,” Bond said. “We weren’t trying to use up every one of our spots. We went to those spots and just hoped one of them had the fish there, and we hope they are there tomorrow as well.”

While they had never fished the St. Lawrence River before, Compton said they had been able to fish a couple of different smallmouth events that helped them prepare for this event.

“Hopefully we can keep the ball rolling tomorrow,” Compton said. “But nothing is guaranteed.”

With 22-14, the Adrian College duo of Hayden Scott and Griffin Fernandes landed in third place. After failing to catch a fish over 4 pounds in practice, they landed a 6-0 smallmouth to anchor their Day 1 bag.

“We had a shoal we were fishing that we got bit on in practice and never really got a big bite. He hooked a 4 1/2-pounder. We had just netted it and I picked up my rod to make sure it didn’t get sucked into the trolling motor on Spot-Lock.

“It was loaded up so I assumed it was stuck in the prop, and I started catching up to it and realized it started going to the other side of the boat. It came up and laid on its side.”

With a goal of 18 pounds for the day, Scott and Fernandes caught a couple of smaller keepers before figuring out how to entice the bigger bites.

“We knew we were around fish and so we stuck with it,” Scott said. “The first three spots we caught a couple of keepers and then all of a sudden it clicked. Later in the day, we still had a couple of little ones and then boom, back-to-back 4-pounders and we are right in it.”

The duo is rotating between several different deeper shoals, with current and wind direction making a big difference.

“We know there are fish on all of them, they just have these feeding windows and we hope to pull up on the right one when that school is eating,” Fernandes said.

Tripp Bowman and Blakely Young from Louisiana State University-Shreveport had the Carhartt Big Bass of the Day with a 6-10.

The full field will compete again Friday, taking off at 6:30 a.m. ET from Whittaker Park and returning for weigh-in at 2:30 p.m. The Top 12 at the conclusion of Day 2 will advance to Championship Saturday.

The Top 3 after the final day will punch their tickets to the College Classic Bracket, where the top finisher will earn a berth into the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.

2021 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops 8/12-8/14
St. Lawrence River, Waddington NY.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1

Angler Club/School Pts

1. Tristan McCormick - Stevie Mills Bethel University 250
Day 1: 5 24-09 Total: 5 24-09
2. Hunter Bond - GL Compton Clemson University 249
Day 1: 5 23-12 Total: 5 23-12
3. Hayden Scott - Griffin Fernandes Adrian College 248
Day 1: 5 22-14 Total: 5 22-14
4. James Gillis - Craig Beucler Clarkson University 247
Day 1: 5 21-09 Total: 5 21-09
5. Jack Tindell - Brett Fregia Lamar State College Orange 246
Day 1: 5 21-07 Total: 5 21-07
6. Jacob Woods - Samuel Vandagriff Tennessee Tech University 245
Day 1: 5 21-00 Total: 5 21-00
7. Adam Puckett - Brendan Bingham Murray State University 244
Day 1: 5 20-13 Total: 5 20-13
8. Cole Holloway - Taylor Mcmullen Emmanuel College 243
Day 1: 5 20-02 Total: 5 20-02
9. Joe McClosky - Ryan Winchester Bethel University 242
Day 1: 5 20-01 Total: 5 20-01
10. Grayson Morris - University of Montevalllo 241
Day 1: 5 19-09 Total: 5 19-09
11. Daelyn Whaley - Cy Casey Emmanuel College 240
Day 1: 5 19-06 Total: 5 19-06
12. Peyton McCord - Caleb Whitehurst Auburn University 239
Day 1: 5 19-02 Total: 5 19-02
13. Colin Slentz - Evan Slentz Lander University 238
Day 1: 5 18-14 Total: 5 18-14
14. Hunter Baird - Beau Browning Drury University 237
Day 1: 5 18-10 Total: 5 18-10
15. Andrew Harp - John Higginbotham Louisiana Tech University 236
Day 1: 5 18-09 Total: 5 18-09
16. Tyler Christy - Trey Schroeder McKendree University 235
Day 1: 5 18-05 Total: 5 18-05
17. Ben Cully - Hayden Gaddis Carson-Newman University 234
Day 1: 5 18-04 Total: 5 18-04
18. James Willoughby - Chance Schwartz University of Montevallo 233
Day 1: 5 18-01 Total: 5 18-01
19. Sam Hanggi - Sam Hoesley Auburn University 232
Day 1: 5 17-15 Total: 5 17-15
20. Kyle Simmons - Brett Halstead Kansas State University 231
Day 1: 5 17-13 Total: 5 17-13
21. Tyler Vanbrandt - Jarrod Layton Adrian College 230
Day 1: 5 17-12 Total: 5 17-12
22. Conner Crosby - James Cobbs Auburn University 229
Day 1: 5 17-11 Total: 5 17-11
23. Dante Piraino - Hunter Stone Clarkson University 228
Day 1: 5 17-11 Total: 5 17-11
24. Robert Cruvellier - Sam Harvey Auburn University 227
Day 1: 5 17-10 Total: 5 17-10
25. Pierce Knarr - Ryan Lowe University of Iowa 226
Day 1: 5 17-09 Total: 5 17-09
25. Mason Phillpotts - Drake Shipman 226
Day 1: 5 17-09 Total: 5 17-09
25. Jackson Swisher - Seth Slanker Florida Gateway College 226
Day 1: 5 17-09 Total: 5 17-09
28. Austin Carr - Justin Carr 223
Day 1: 5 17-08 Total: 5 17-08
29. Reagan Nelson - Caden Cowan Tarleton State University 222
Day 1: 5 17-08 Total: 5 17-08
30. Tyler Lubbat - Hayden O'barr 221
Day 1: 5 17-04 Total: 5 17-04
31. Jacob Lambert - Austin Smith Carson-Newman University 220
Day 1: 5 17-03 Total: 5 17-03
32. Jack York - Jacob Miller Stephen F Austin State Universit 219
Day 1: 5 17-02 Total: 5 17-02
33. Tyler Campbell - Caleb Hudson Emmanuel College 218
Day 1: 5 17-01 Total: 5 17-01
34. Rob Lindsey - Mason Cizek Bryan College 217
Day 1: 5 16-13 Total: 5 16-13
35. Connor Nimrod - Jacob Andrews University of Louisiana Monroe 216
Day 1: 5 16-11 Total: 5 16-11
36. Drew Gill - Zebulon Frasure Wabash Valley College 215
Day 1: 5 16-10 Total: 5 16-10
37. Jackson Ebbers - Charlie DeShazer University of Nebraska-Lincoln 214
Day 1: 5 16-02 Total: 5 16-02
38. Gus Mclarry - Dawson Cassidy 213
Day 1: 5 16-00 Total: 5 16-00
39. Carter Ball - Austin Tapley Adrian College 212
Day 1: 5 15-15 Total: 5 15-15
40. Tyler Cory - Scott Sledge University of Montevallo 211
Day 1: 5 15-13 Total: 5 15-13
41. Kayden Tanner - Trevor Easter Tarleton State University 210
Day 1: 5 15-10 Total: 5 15-10
42. Carson Maddux - Jake Maddux Auburn University 209
Day 1: 5 15-09 Total: 5 15-09
42. Tommy Sendek - Andrew Howell University of Montevallo 209
Day 1: 5 15-09 Total: 5 15-09
44. Solomon Glenn - Ryan Thomas University of Montervallo 207
Day 1: 5 15-08 Total: 5 15-08
45. Robert Gee - Chase Dawson University of Tennessee 206
Day 1: 5 15-05 Total: 5 15-05
46. Blair Cox - Keegan Barber Missouri State University 0
Day 1: 5 15-02 Total: 5 15-02
47. Cole Breeden - Cameron Smith Drury University 204
Day 1: 5 14-15 Total: 5 14-15
48. Cole Rankin - Ewing Minor Carson-Newman University 203
Day 1: 5 14-14 Total: 5 14-14
49. Taylor Mazur - Keegan Witt St Cloud State University 202
Day 1: 5 14-13 Total: 5 14-13
50. Kollin Smith - Lilly Smith Emmanuel College 201
Day 1: 5 14-07 Total: 5 14-07
51. Harmon Marien - Devon Rathbun McKendree University 200
Day 1: 5 14-06 Total: 5 14-06
52. Joshua DeKoning - Dalton Mollenkopf Adrian College 199
Day 1: 5 14-04 Total: 5 14-04
53. Weston Hollar - Wesley Gore University of Montevallo 198
Day 1: 5 14-03 Total: 5 14-03
54. Trevor McKinney - Blake Jackson McKendree University 197
Day 1: 5 14-02 Total: 5 14-02
55. Jamesen Simion - Alex Strunk Bowling Green State 196
Day 1: 5 13-13 Total: 5 13-13
56. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson Minnesota State - Mankato 195
Day 1: 5 13-12 Total: 5 13-12
57. Hunter Fillmore - Coleman Bingham Bethel University 194
Day 1: 5 13-10 Total: 5 13-10
58. Logan Anderson - Tyler Little North Carolina State University 193
Day 1: 5 13-09 Total: 5 13-09
58. Dalton Smith - Cade Hayford Campbellsville University 193
Day 1: 5 13-09 Total: 5 13-09
60. Logan Parks - Tucker Smith Auburn University 191
Day 1: 5 13-08 Total: 5 13-08
60. Chris Payne - Chad Sentell Tennessee 191
Day 1: 5 13-08 Total: 5 13-08
62. Lafe Messer - Matt Messer Kentucky Christian University 189
Day 1: 5 13-08 Total: 5 13-08
63. Ryan Park - Sam Niemeyer Murray State University 188
Day 1: 5 13-07 Total: 5 13-07
64. Cole Hopson - Phillip Green 187
Day 1: 5 13-07 Total: 5 13-07
65. Nathan Doty - Bailey Bleser McKendree University 186
Day 1: 5 13-05 Total: 5 13-05
65. Grayson Perkins - Luke Barrett 186
Day 1: 5 13-05 Total: 5 13-05
67. Blake Brashears - Tyler Stacy University of Kentucky 184
Day 1: 5 13-04 Total: 5 13-04
67. Jeremy Dellinger - Nathan Smith Catawba Valley Community College 184
Day 1: 5 13-04 Total: 5 13-04
69. Zach Salters - Jenson Kay Adrian College 182
Day 1: 5 13-04 Total: 5 13-04
69. Rudy Worley - John Nowlin Blue Mountain College 182
Day 1: 5 13-04 Total: 5 13-04
71. Bennett Kudder - Andrew Fisher Bryan College 180
Day 1: 5 13-02 Total: 5 13-02
72. Calvin Landsberg - Jack Palaia 179
Day 1: 5 13-01 Total: 5 13-01
73. Chase Clarke - Mitchell Peterson Auburn University 178
Day 1: 5 12-08 Total: 5 12-08
73. Brenton Godwin - Hunter Odom University of Montevallo 178
Day 1: 5 12-08 Total: 5 12-08
75. Braden Perry - Aidan England Carson-Newman University 176
Day 1: 5 12-07 Total: 5 12-07
75. Christian Wright - Conner Giles Bryan College 176
Day 1: 5 12-07 Total: 5 12-07
77. Jackson Staib - Baylor Howell Bethel University 174
Day 1: 5 12-06 Total: 5 12-06
78. Hunter Loftin - Mac Johnston-Herzberg Missouri State University 173
Day 1: 4 12-00 Total: 4 12-00
79. Mitchell Gunn - Kyle Kunst 172
Day 1: 5 11-15 Total: 5 11-15
79. Evan Thomas - Alex Briggs Liberty University 172
Day 1: 5 11-15 Total: 5 11-15
81. Britt Myers - Tyler Anderson Lander University 170
Day 1: 5 11-13 Total: 5 11-13
82. Cordell Beckman - Greenville University 169
Day 1: 4 11-06 Total: 4 11-06
83. Caleb Dachenhaus - Elliot Wielgopolski Adrian College 168
Day 1: 5 11-00 Total: 5 11-00
84. Ethan Jones - Joseph Bruener McKendree University 167
Day 1: 5 10-13 Total: 5 10-13
85. Easton Fothergill - Nick Dumke University of Montevallo 166
Day 1: 5 10-13 Total: 5 10-13
86. Ty Black - Avry Thomason Georgia Southern University 165
Day 1: 5 10-12 Total: 5 10-12
87. Cal Culpepper - Mason Waddell University of Montevallo 164
Day 1: 4 10-11 Total: 4 10-11
88. Spencer Black - Lucas Oliver Catawba Valley Community College 163
Day 1: 5 10-05 Total: 5 10-05
89. Hunter Waldrop - Mark Kershaw University of South Carolina Uni 162
Day 1: 5 10-03 Total: 5 10-03
90. Lane Bailey - Justin Eggers Catawba Valley Community College 161
Day 1: 5 10-02 Total: 5 10-02
91. Easton Lindus - Emmanuel College 160
Day 1: 4 10-00 Total: 4 10-00
92. Michael Postlewait - Andrew Rickman Dallas Baptist University 159
Day 1: 4 09-15 Total: 4 09-15
93. Connor Jacob - Sam Smith Auburn University 158
Day 1: 5 09-14 Total: 5 09-14
94. Connor Cartmell - Andrew Vereen Coastal Carolina University 157
Day 1: 5 09-12 Total: 5 09-12
95. Lucas Smith - Dalton Mize Jacksonville State University 156
Day 1: 4 09-12 Total: 4 09-12
96. Brad Ableman - Kyle Palmer Bethel University 155
Day 1: 5 09-10 Total: 5 09-10
96. Gunner Whitaker - Mitchell Johnson Kentucky Christian University 155
Day 1: 5 09-10 Total: 5 09-10
98. Brooks Anderson - Parker Guy Emmanuel College 153
Day 1: 4 09-10 Total: 4 09-10
99. Ryan Feehan - Perry Marvin Virginia Tech University 152
Day 1: 3 09-10 Total: 3 09-10
100. Garrett Thompson - Ethan Perry West Virginia University 151
Day 1: 5 09-07 Total: 5 09-07
101. Ty Mundhenke - Cam Busby Auburn University 150
Day 1: 5 09-00 Total: 5 09-00
102. Chase Carey - Dylan Akins Emmanuel College 149
Day 1: 5 08-14 Total: 5 08-14
102. Hunter Haraway - Malcolm Patton Calhoun Community College 149
Day 1: 5 08-14 Total: 5 08-14
104. Allex Conner - Grant Hack Ohio State University 147
Day 1: 2 08-11 Total: 2 08-11
105. Matt Baker - Kory England Arkansas Tech University 146
Day 1: 4 08-10 Total: 4 08-10
106. Louis Monetti - 145
Day 1: 3 08-08 Total: 3 08-08
107. Jack Dice - Liberty University 144
Day 1: 5 08-07 Total: 5 08-07
108. Cole Lamb - Tristan Weaver Arkansas Tech University 143
Day 1: 4 07-13 Total: 4 07-13
109. Tripp Bowman - Blakely Young Louisiana State University-Shrev 142
Day 1: 2 07-12 Total: 2 07-12
110. Caden Sweeten - Samuel Heichel Bemidji State 141
Day 1: 4 07-10 Total: 4 07-10
111. Aaron Cherry - Chandler Holt University of Montevallo 140
Day 1: 3 07-06 Total: 3 07-06
112. Kaleb Brown - Lander University 139
Day 1: 3 07-05 Total: 3 07-05
113. Brock Williams - Christopher Batts Ohio State University 138
Day 1: 5 06-04 Total: 5 06-04
114. Alden Keel Jr - Lake Norsworthy Blue Mountain College 137
Day 1: 2 06-01 Total: 2 06-01
115. Nate Lesch - Will Schibig Tennessee Tech University 136
Day 1: 3 04-15 Total: 3 04-15
116. Tanner Barnes - Jordan Smallwood Campbellsville University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Bryar Chambers - Clent Blackwood Wallace State 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Cam Cornelius - Jordan Nicely Georgetown College 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Jacob Emery - Aaron Jagdfeld Adrian College 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Brady Harp - Garrett Warren Auburn University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Benjamin Moore - David Gadd Eastern Kentucky University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Chad Pruner - Ethan Ange 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Chase Sansom - Tyler Drown Marshall University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Paul Tabisz - James Ge University of Michigan 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Emil Wagner - William Perry Ole Miss 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00

by AnglersChannel

MLF Pro Circuit TITLE Roster

The following pros are qualified for the TITLE:

Casey Ashley
Tai Au
Adrian Avena
Evan Barnes
Zack Birge
Terry Bolton
Miles Burghoff
Jon Canada
Justin Cooper
Mitch Crane
Ryan Davidson
Alex Davis
Dakota Ebare
Cole Floyd
Shin Fukae
Jacopo Gallelli
Kyle Hall
Dylan Hays
Lawson Hibdon
Jamie Horton
Cody Huff
Clabion Johns
Brad Knight
Bobby Lane
Christopher Lane
Jeremy Lawyer
Justin Lucas
Mike McClelland
Jared McMillan
Cody Meyer
Kurt Mitchell
Troy Morrow
Jim Moynagh
Michael Neal (2021 Angler of the Year)
Corey Neece
Ron Nelson (2020 Angler of the Year)
Larry Nixon
Cody Pike
Jimmy Reese
Skeet Reese
Rusty Salewske (2020 TITLE champion)
Ryan Salzman
Spencer Shuffield
Matthew Stefan
Wesley Strader
Jim Tutt
David Walker
Jimmy Washam
Joshua Weaver
Jesse Wiggins

by AnglersChannel

Shimano and B.A.S.S. Congratulate Shimano’s Varsity Program Scholarship Winners

Unique Scholarships Support Future Fisheries Biologists and Wildlife Managers

Students who are passionate about the sport of fishing and are training for a career in fisheries biology and wildlife management enjoy access to a unique scholarships to support their studies. Shimano North America Fishing and the conservation arm of B.A.S.S. have partnered to create this program to help recruit avid anglers into the ranks of state, provincial, tribal and federal fisheries management agencies.

“College scholarships are a key component of the Shimano Varsity Program – our primary youth fishing initiative,” remarks Frank Hyla, Youth Fishing Coordinator for Shimano North America Fishing. “The Shimano Varsity Scholarship Program awards scholarships to students who are members of B.A.S.S. and who are majoring in biology, fisheries, wildlife, or a natural resources-related field. We accept applications from high school seniors, undergraduates, and graduate students from across the United States and Canada.”

“This year, we are awarding scholarships totaling $10,000 to a group of very talented students,” reflects Gene Gilliland, B.A.S.S. Conservation Director. “We anticipate that these future professionals will become excellent practitioners of fisheries science and remain active participants in our favorite sport. We are proud to partner with Shimano North America Fishing to support their education and training.”

Winners of Shimano Varsity Scholarships for the 2021-2022 academic year include:

Liz Bateman, Shimano Scholarship Winner

Liz Bateman, a graduate student at the University of New Brunswick who is studying Atlantic halibut movements to support conservation and fisheries management in the UNB Biology program.

Justin Back, a recent high school graduate from Michigan who will attend Michigan State University to study Fisheries, Wildlife and Forestry.

Preston Chrisman, a graduate student at the University of Florida who is studying the impact of bass harvest on fish populations in small impoundments in the UF Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences program.

Evan Kamoen, a recent high school graduate from Connecticut who will attend the University of New England to study Marine Biology.

Lane Lassiter, a recent high school graduate from Tennessee who will attend Tennessee Tech to study Fisheries.

Cole Silverman, a recent high school graduate from Georgia who will attend the University of Tennessee to study Forestry and Wildland Recreation.

Wyatt Sipple, a graduate student at Kentucky State University who is studying largemouth bass production in the KSU Aquaculture and Aquatic Science program.

Jared Sparks, a student at the University of North Alabama who is studying Biology and Geographic Information Systems.

Wyatt Sipple, Shimano Scholarship Winner

Shimano North America Fishing and B.A.S.S. congratulate the 2021 recipients of Shimano Varsity Scholarships. Learn more about the Shimano youth fishing initiatives by visiting https://fish.shimano.com/content/fish/northamerica/us/en/homepage/VARSITY_PROGRAM.html.

by AnglersChannel

Arey flings arrows, frogs and underspins in August

Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships

Matt Arey feels unprepared if he doesn’t shoot at least 100 arrows with his compound bow every August to get ready for North Carolina’s opening day of archery season in early September.

Likewise, if he doesn’t have at least two prominent strategies in his quiver for the often-challenging days on the water in August, he fills at risk for missing the target on late summer’s quirky largemouth and spotted bass.

“I actually just bought a new bow for the first time in six years. It’s a Hoyt RX-5. And with a brand-new bow, I don’t even begin to truly sight it in until I’ve shot at least 200 arrows through it to stretch the strings. So yes, I’m shooting a ton right now,” says Arey.

But when he’s not shooting arrows or fulfilling daddy duties to his beloved young daughters, the North Carolina State grad spends August chasing shallow shade lines or submerged brushpiles.

“Unlike the spawn, post spawn, or late fall when bass get in predictable places and do predictable things, August is kind of a weird time in the bass fishing universe. So, I focus on both a shallow pattern and a deeper pattern,” says the Team Toyota pro.

Arey’s shallow August pattern

“I like to start the day in August up shallow with a Lunkerhunt Compact Frog around the shady undercut banks, overhanging limbs, or the shade lines around fairly shallow boat docks where sunfish hangout and become food for bass,” he says.

Arey says he’s yet to actually see a bass eat a frog. Although, he did see one crush a baby duckling one time, and we all know frogs, ducklings and bluegills are part of a largemouth’s shallow water summer smorgasbord.

“A topwater frog tied to 50-pound P-Line braid is a just a great tool for skipping and casting around the shallow shady places where largemouth like to find food at this time of year. And it seems to get bites from the biggest bass -- that’s the part I like most,” grins Arey.

“Oh, and by the way, that momma duck went bananas the second she knew that largemouth ate her baby. I’ll never forget watching that whole scene. It was nuts!” he remembers.

The deeper approach

With water temps as high as they’ll get all year, logically, it’s natural to think ‘deep’ in August. But deep is a relative term, and often times the thermocline that is well established right now can be as shallow as 15 or 18 feet. So often times there’s no need to look in the oxygen deprived depths beyond that range.

“I like brushpiles that top-out at 10 to 15 feet in August,” says Arey. “The natural approach is to sling a big Texas rigged worm around, but when you do that you’re really hunting those solitary big fish that may or may not bite. That’s kind of a high-risk/high-reward approach,” says Arey.

“So for a more consistent bite in August, I like to throw a 3/8-ounce Pulse Fish Spinnin’ PJ with a 3” trailer on it to catch the way more plentiful number of bass that are suspended around brush, but not necessarily buried in the heart of it, and they’re generally looking to ambush shad,” he adds.

The Pulse Fish Spinnin’ PJ features a fast-penetrating 3/0 lightwire hook, a high quality Spro barrel swivel, and perhaps most important, a carefully designed spacer wire that assures the blade spins constantly. He ties it to 10 or 12-pound P-Line fluorocarbon on a baitcaster, and pairs it with a fairly soft tipped Lew’s 7’ casting rod.

In order to keep it from snagging in the brush, Arey uses the ‘countdown’ method to reach the depth he knows to be just above the brush without getting tangled in it.

“Lowrance’s ActiveTarget™ makes seeing both brush and fish way easier, but I caught a ton of bass suspended over brush way before forward-looking sonar came around,” he remembers.

“As long as you know where the brush is, you’re in the game with this pattern. If you don’t have ActiveTarget, pick-out a tree, dock, or light pole on the shoreline to line up your cast. Then cast beyond the brush, count down your Spinnin’ PJ, and retrieve it with a series of stop, starts, and slightly erratic behavior over top the brush,” explains Arey.

There’s certainly nothing erratic about Arey’s on the water performance. He’s cashed a check in an astonishing 29 of the 32 B.A.S.S. events he’s fished – that’s a mind-bending 90% success rate.

And if he keeps flinging dozens of arrows though his new Hoyt bow, they’ll be no chance for inconsistency in his archery game when the whitetail season begins either.

by AnglersChannel

PBs and Perseverance for College Team of the Year

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

Logan Parks and Tucker Smith of Auburn University were celebrated last night at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship banquet for winning the 2021 Bassmaster College Team of the Year. Parks, a senior double majoring in Supply Chain Management and Information System Management and Smith, a freshman studying Business Marketing had a truly incredible year on the water.

Through four regular season events the duo never finished worse than 16^th place, and that includes winning the Saginaw Bay regional in June. They won the Team of the Year points title by an impressive 91 points and were awarded $5,000 from Bassmaster and college series title sponsor Carhartt for their efforts along with a pile of Carhartt apparel and some top-of-the-line equipment from Minn Kota and Humminbird.

But the Auburn Tigers aren’t idling in cruise control here on the St. Lawrence River; they have their sights set on another strong finish and the National Championship trophies.

“It’s been an incredible year but it isn’t quite over,” Parks said with a smile. “We’re going to keep our heads down and work hard over the next few days and see what we can make happen.”

New to the Team of the Year format for 2021 is an automatic berth to the Bassmaster College Series Classic bracket for the winning team. Knowing they already have a one-in-eight shot at representing college fishing in the 2022 Bassmaster Classic would make it easy for Parks and Smith to lay up in this tournament, but that’s not their style.

Smith and Parks came up to New York a couple days before official practice to get in tune with the smallies and within their first ten minutes on Lake Ontario, Parks caught the biggest smallmouth of his life. A 6-pound 8-ounce beast caught on a dropshot that would make any avid anglers’ casting arm twitch.

Their practice on the St. Lawrence River didn’t have quite the same fireworks, but they’re still cautiously optimistic.

“Practice was pretty slow at first, but we changed areas after day one and started to catch some fish,” Smith explained. “We spent the third and final day of practice trying to dial into that area. It’s going to be a long run for us, like 60-miles each way, but it’s the best chance we’ve got so hopefully they’ll still be biting for us today.”

The Auburn Tigers anglers dream season was extremely close to never getting off the starting block, when a misunderstanding with COVID protocols caused the Auburn Bass Fishing Team to be suspended from competition until January 1, 2022.

“In March we competed in the first Carhartt Bassmaster College Series tournament of the year on Lake Hartwell as an “unaffiliated” team but because our boats are wrapped in our school colors we were technically violated our COVID rules,” Parks said. “Thankfully we were able to work with the school and get the suspension reduced in time to fish in the rest of the Bassmaster College Series schedule.”

When word got out about Auburn’s suspension earlier this year, the bass fishing community came together through social media posts and voiced the outcry for Auburn University to take another look at the situation. Thankfully Auburn officials did just that, and the suspension was shortened to just six weeks instead of several months.

“It certainly felt like everything was meant to be this year,” Smith said. “Without things happening exactly the way they did, we wouldn’t have had the chance to win Team of the Year. Through faith, trusting the process, perseverance, and the support of those around us we were able to have an amazing season.”

If you want to watch Smith, Parks, and some of the other Auburn teams in action check out The Reclamation Series on YouTube. Talented young videographer Brandon Fien of Latendresse Media followed the Tigers throughout their season and put together several high quality videos that do a great job of showcasing college fishing.

by AnglersChannel

Auburn University Claims Bassmaster College Team Of The Year Title

The Auburn University team of Logan Parks and Tucker Smith have won the 2021 Bassmaster Team of the Year title.

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

August 12, 2021

Auburn Saginaw Bay.jpeg BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — After finishing no worse than 16th during four regular-season tour stops on the 2021 slate for the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, the Auburn University team of Logan Parks and Tucker Smith were officially named the 2021 Bassmaster Team of the Year.

Smith and Parks accumulated 973 points and set the record for the largest margin of victory in the standings, beating the second-place team of Dalton Mize and Lucas Smith of Jacksonville State University by 91 points.

“It feels very gratifying,” Parks said. “This is probably the most difficult trophy to win in college and it feels good to be able to go out there and do it how we did it.”

This year, for the first time, the Team of the Year also earned an automatic spot in the College Classic Bracket — an event scheduled for later this year that will send one college angler to the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk. In the past, their only path to the Classic Bracket would have been to finish in the Top 4 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.

Auburn Team of Year w Tropy.jpg “This year they made it so that the Team of the Year fishes the bracket,” Smith said. “It is still the National Championship and it is a huge tournament to fish and you obviously want to win, but I’m really relaxed with where we are now. We can just go have fun and if it happens, it happens.”

This is the latest in a string of titles for Smith, who was a two-time member of the Bassmaster High School All-American Team presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, three-time Bassmaster High School National Champion while at Alabama’s Briarwood Christian School and a member of the first high school team to participate in the Bassmaster Classic.

Parks, a senior, said he and the freshman Smith immediately clicked when they became teammates, leading to good decisions and ideas throughout the year.

“When Tucker toured Auburn, I told him I couldn’t offer him a scholarship but if he did come to Auburn, I would like to fish with him,” he said. “I’m glad that’s what we ended up doing and he’s one of the best I’ve been in the boat with. I think he is definitely going somewhere.

“We have good ideas that click together. We don’t butt heads and everything we want to do, we both agree with and make a decision together. That is what has helped us a lot this year.”

The duo opened the season with a Top 10 finish at Lake Hartwell, but their good start was almost derailed when the university suspended the entire Auburn bass fishing team for a year due to violations of the school’s COVID-19 protocols. After working with Auburn to reduce that suspension to only a couple of weeks, Parks and Smith finished sixth at Lake Cumberland.

“At Cumberland, we were in 37th after Day 1 and on Day 2 we caught 14 pounds, which still wasn’t a huge bag but we ended up in sixth,” Parks said. “After that, I thought we had a good shot at this.”

After two good finishes to start the season, Smith said he knew the third stop at Alabama’s Lewis Smith Lake would determine whether he and Parks would be hoisting the Team of the Year trophy.

“It didn’t really become a thought in my head until Smith Lake,” Smith said. “I knew we had a lead, but I felt like if we slipped at Smith we could have lost it. After Smith (a 16th-place finish) we led by 50 points.”

With a comfortable lead heading into the final regular-season tournament, Parks and Smith essentially sealed the deal by catching 40 pounds, 9 ounces to win on Saginaw Bay.

“The best moment was winning Saginaw Bay and completely slamming the door,” Smith said. “It was pretty crazy to win that tournament.”

Along with a $2,500 check, the Auburn pair also won a Minn Kota Ultrex trolling motor and a Humminbird Mega 360 unit from Johnson Outdoors and new gear from Carhartt.

Now, Parks and Smith are ready to tackle the St. Lawrence River in a bid to win the 2021 National Championship. The Top 3 teams will join Smith and Parks at the College Classic Bracket.

Complete coverage of the event is available on Bassmaster.com.

by AnglersChannel

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

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

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

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

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

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

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

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

Auburn (Brady) – “19-hour drive.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by AnglersChannel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by AnglersChannel

Ditch the Drag During the Doldrums

Courtesy of Vance McCullough

The dreaded summer doldrums. A time when the winds lay and the water’s surface slicks off. It coincides with soaring temperatures. The combination can make the catching slow and the fishing miserable, in general.

In ancient times, getting caught in the doldrums could result in a slow death for sailors whose sails went limp far from any shoreline. Bass anglers seldom face such grave straits when the waters still themselves, but it can be a frustrating situation. What to do?

Time to throw the old ball and chain? Indeed, the Carolina rig is a champion’s choice for tough conditions. It catches fish of all sizes in all weather and allows for endless options in soft plastics on the business end of the line.

BUT.

There may be a better way - and most folks think it’s just a lot more fun.

Topwater lures offer one of the best, if counterintuitive, remedies. Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Greg Hackney has an interesting take on the situation. “I love to throw a buzzbait over grass when it’s hot and slick calm. It’s so hard to fool ‘em with subsurface lures when the water is calm – the worst is when it’s overcast and calm because they get such a good look at it. At least when it’s sunny you have dark, light, dark, light and that helps breakup the outline of the bait. But when it’s calm, you need to break up the bait’s silhouette and the ruckus a buzzbait makes is a great way to do it.”

While Hack’s attack works well in shallow, weedy waters, many fisheries are deeper and clearer and call for a different topwater tactic.

Smallmouth anglers know well that calm conditions can make the topwater bite fire. Brownies will rocket from 15-to-20-foot depths to blast a surface plug. Largemouth will often do the same.

This writer grew up on a deep, clear strip pit and still fishes there often. Grass or not, as long as water clarity permits, bass will come a long way for a topwater plug. The noisier, the better. As Hackney notes, you need to break up the lure’s image so that the fish don’t get too good a look at it. At the risk of sounding unsophisticated I’ll admit that a Whopper Plopper can be an outstanding choice for this scenario. I have pulled some giant bass up on this lure. It works well on suspended fish, and they don’t track the big surface plug only to veer off at the last second as they often do with a swimbait. Bass come at a noisy, splashy plug with murder on their mind.

Long casts are crucial in calm, clear water. Lighter line helps facilitate this, but a stout hook set is needed, even at the distances involved. Braid is a good choice regardless of water clarity because fish see the line anyway (fluoro lights up like a laser when the sun is out) and a strand of braid resembles a long piece of grass floating along the surface – a common sight in late summer.

This is also a great time to throw big baits. The extra weight gives extra casting distance. Also, and this is especially true in clear water, the bigger the bait, the bigger the draw. This means fish will move farther to check out a substantial meal opportunity than they will to investigate a small snack. If bass are tucked deep down, you can bring more of them to the surface with bigger lures.

Always match rod action to the hooks you’ll be using. Trebles call for parabolic bends associated with glass or composite cranking sticks. The good news is there are many budget-friendly options in this category.

Next time you find yourself struggling through the most boring conditions known to bass fishing, add some excitement and throw a topwater lure.

Heck, if that doesn’t work, you can always drag a Carolina rig.

by AnglersChannel

Stracner’s Remarkable Run To Bassmaster Rookie Of The Year

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

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

August 11, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by AnglersChannel

Major League Fishing and Wildlife Forever Sign MOU to Prevent Invasive Species

WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. – Wildlife Forever and Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today that the two organizations have signed an important Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to combat the spread of invasive species. The new MOU will work to integrate Clean Drain Dry communications and marketing through tournament operations, angler education, and community outreach. Professional anglers are ambassadors for the fishing industry but also key conservationists in working to protect the sport.

“At MLF our focus is to provide the best platform for professional anglers to compete and improve their skills on America’s world class fisheries. Invasive species are a huge threat to our sport and our anglers play a role in preventing spread. We’re proud to join the Clean Drain Dry Initiative in efforts to educate our anglers, our fans and ultimately protect the resources where we make our living,” said Don Rucks, MLF Executive Vice President and General Manager.

Integrating the Clean Drain Dry Initiative brand with professional anglers will give them the right tools to prevent spread and inspire their followers and fans to do the same. As professional anglers tour the country competing on top fisheries, preventing spread of invasive species is a top priority. By working closely with Wildlife Forever, MLF anglers will have access to a broad suite of professional media and marketing assets to learn prevention techniques and demonstrate their commitment to conservation.

“Professional anglers are some of our nation’s best conservationists. They invest millions of dollars into local communities and know the critical importance of healthy and sustainable natural resources. This partnership will equip anglers with gear and communication tools to help prevent aquatic invasive species. From custom boat wraps to logos on fishing jerseys, the Clean Drain Dry message can become a badge of honor to showcase their commitment,” said Pat Conzemius, President and CEO of Wildlife Forever.

About the Clean Drain Dry Initiative: The Wildlife Forever Clean Drain Dry Initiative is the national campaign to educate outdoor recreational users on how to prevent the spread of invasive species. Strategic communications, marketing, outreach, and educational services provide access to consistent messaging and tailored AIS prevention planning. To learn more, visit www.CleanDrainDry.org

by AnglersChannel

AC Insider Podcast - Dazed & Confused

This week Chris and the boys have a literal last minute cancellation to the show so they "wing it" as only they can do. Its still a fun one. check it out!

by AnglersChannel

Wheeler Wins Again! Tennessee Angler Wins Third Event of Season at MLF Bass Pro Tour Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain

Harrison, Tennessee Pro Catches 27 Bass Weighing 88-2 to Go Back-to-Back and Earn Record-Setting Fifth Career Bass Pro Tour Victory and Another $100,000 Top Prize

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (Aug. 10, 2021) – It’s getting hard to contextualize just how good Academy Sports + Outdoors pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, has been this season. Wheeler caught 27 scorable smallmouth bass Tuesday weighing 88 pounds, 2 ounces to win the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain Presented by Googan Baits in Plattsburgh, New York, and earn another top payout of $100,000.

Wheeler’s margin-of-victory in the event was 30 pounds, 13 ounces – the largest margin in Bass Pro Tour history. Also winning late June’s Bass Pro Tour stop at the St. Lawrence River, Wheeler now becomes the first angler to ever win back-to-back Stages on the Bass Pro Tour, and the first angler to ever win three in one season. His fifth career victory this week at Lake Champlain broke his own record for the most Bass Pro Tour victories all-time, and he has finished first or second in four of the last five Bass Pro Tour events.

And he’s only 31 years old.

“It’s crazy to think – three wins this year. Absolutely crazy,” Wheeler said. “It’s been an unbelievable year. I just try to have that mindset – don’t ever give up, don’t ever give in. Just constantly working and preparing for the next one. There is so much hard work that goes into these events. And it still takes a lot of things to go right to come out on top against this group of guys.

“It takes so much time out here on the water,” Wheeler continued. “I just love this sport. I love competing. I love preparing for events. I love competing against this group of guys. These guys right here that I’m fishing against are the best in the world, hands down. The absolute toughest group of guys to beat. You have to bring your “A” game, day in and day out. Fishing against the best pushes me to become better. I’ve been truly blessed coming up here this season – New York has been pretty dang good to us.”

Wheeler mainly targeted smallmouth throughout the week, using just two baits.

“It was just typical smallmouth stuff,” he said. “Most of them came on a drop-shot rig, and some on a Ned rig. It came down to several different Ned style baits. I threw a (Googan Baits) Rattlin’ Ned and caught 3 or 4 key fish on it today. I also caught them this week on some fluke-style baits. It seemed like profile and color really mattered. Sometimes I had to go translucent. Sometimes I had to go lighter line. Sometimes I could get away with heavier line. It was really just trial and error each day.

“It’s really just been a progression of figuring it out this week, slowly but surely. It wasn’t fast and furious, but little clues gave me hints to certain things and I kind of dialed it in as the week went on. You have to keep an open mind and that’s been the biggest thing for me this year – fishing stuff that I think looks good, develop the pattern and figure it out throughout the week and it gets better and better.”

Despite Wheeler’s already incredible season, he still has one goal left for the year – the Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) title. Pro Ott DeFoe of Blaine, Tennessee, who finished the event in 3^rd place, has had an incredible season in his own right, and with one event remaining in the season he currently owns a 12-point lead over second-place Wheeler in the AOY race.

“I love Ott to death. He is unreal everywhere we go,” Wheeler went on to say. “It’s going to be battle. If either of us slip up one time, one day, it’s over. Whoever wins is going to have to make a top-10 at Stage Seven in Detroit, and we’ve got our work cut out for us. Realistically, I could have a phenomenal finish and still get beat. I’m just going to worry about winning another tournament and if it works out, it works out. I don’t have any AOY pressure – I’m going to prepare for that tournament to win it.”

Florence, Italy’s Jacopo Gallelli, who qualified to compete in this tournament after winning the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit event at the Potomac River in June, caught 21 bass totaling 57 pounds, 5 ounces to finish second and win $45,257.

“I tell you, with this situation I had this morning, this second place (finish) is like a win,” Gallelli said. “I lost 2 hours of fishing – 1½ hours because of mechanical issues and another half hour when we went idling back into the creek. So, I cannot be more happy about being second. Especially considering this field. This field is made of the 80 most skilled anglers in the world, and I proved it to myself and everybody that I can compete at this level.

“If somebody was thinking the Potomac River was just a fluke, I demonstrated to everybody that it was not, most of all to myself,” Gallelli went on to say. “I did my best, and dealt with a very bad situation, so I am very proud of myself and very happy.”

The top 10 at the Bass Pro Tour Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain finished:

1^st:          Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 27 bass, 88-2, $100,257
2^nd:         Jacopo Gallelli, Florence, Italy, 21 bass, 57-5, $45,257
3^rd:         Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 18 bass, 50-6, $38,257
4^th:         Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., 16 bass, 43-9, $32,257
5^th:         Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 11 bass, 31-15, $30,257
9^th:         Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., 11 bass, 30-15, $26,257
6^th:         Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 29-7, $23,257
7^th:         Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 11 bass, 29-6, $21,257
8^th:         Wesley Strader, Spring City, Ala., 10 bass, 27-15, $19,257
10^th:       Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., eight bass, 25-14, $16,257

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

Overall, there were 143 bass weighing 411 pounds, 2 ounces caught by the final 10 pros on Tuesday.

Wheeler also won Tuesday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, weighing a 4-pound, 15-ounce smallmouth on a drop-shot rig in Period 2 to earn the prize. Shaw Grigsby and Takahiro Omori split the $3,000 Berkley Big Bass award for the largest bass of the event as each weighed in a 5-pound, 14-ounce largemouth on Days 2 and 3 of competition.

The Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain Presented by Googan Baits featured anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The MLF Bass Pro Tour Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain Presented by Googan Baits was hosted by the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau and the City of Plattsburgh. The six-day tournament featured the top professional anglers from around the world competing for a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.

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

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.

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

by AnglersChannel

Myers Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Mississippi River – Prairie du Chien

Arcadia’s Conrad and Lavalle's Rufenacht Win Strike King Co-Angler Division

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wisc. (August 10, 2021) – Boater Mark Myers of Cedar Falls, Indiana wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Mississippi River-Prairie Du Chien Presented by TINCUP Whiskey in Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. Myers earned $3,926 for his victory at the event.

TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Mark Myers of Cedar Falls, Ind.	3	10-14	$3,926
2^nd	Nick Trim of Galesville, Wisc.	3	10-6	$2,993
3^rd	Benny Stutzman of Caledonia, Minn.	3	9-11	$1,309
4^th	Tony Seiler of Hudson, Wisc.	3	9-10	$916
5^th	Brandon Briscoe of McHenry, Ill.	3	9-6	$785
6^th	Bill Sepke of Indian Head Park, Ill.	3	9-5	$720
7^th	Jeff Ritter of Prairie Du Chien, Wisc.	3	9-2	$654
8^th	William (Bill) Schultz of Viroqua, Wisc.	3	9-1	$589
9^th	Curtis Samo of Rochelle, Ill.	3	9-0	$523
10^th	Mike Brueggen of La Crosse, Wisc.	3	8-13	$458

RANK	STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Richard Conrad of Arcadia, Wisc.	3	8-5	$1,472
1^st	Brady Rufenacht of Lavalle, Wisc.	3	8-5	$1,472
3^rd	Luka Strepacki of Naperville, Ill.	3	8-3	$920
4^th	Larry Litchfield of Macomb, Ill.	3	7-14	$458
5^th	Joe Rockey of Schaumburg, Ill.	3	7-10	$393
6^th	Steve Esser of Dubuque, Ind.	3	7-6	$360
7^th	Jaz Duncan of Eau Claire, Wisc.	3	7-5	$327
8^th	Nick Kramersmeier of Johnston, Ind.	3	7-4	$278
8^th	Jason Swanson of Waterloo, Ind.	3	7-4	$278
10^th	Chad Schultz of Rockton, Ill.	3	7-0	$217
10^th	Kalvin Korotka of Manawa, Wisc.	3	7-0	$217

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

AWARD	NAME	CONTINGENCY	PAYOUT
Boater Big Bass	Nick Trim of Galesville, Wisc.	4-pound, 10-ounce bass	$530
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Luke Strepacki of Naperville, Ill.	3-pound, 14-ounce bass	$265
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus	Nick Trim of Galeville, Wisc.	Eligible Phoenix Boat*	$500

WINNING BAITS

ANGLER	BAIT	COLOR
Boater	Did Not Divulge	N/A
Strike King Co-Angler	Did Not Divulge	N/A

2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

EVENT	DATE	LOCATION	HOST
Great Lakes Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship	Oct. 21-23	Lake Ouachita, Mt. Ida, Ark.	Visit Hot Springs
2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American	June 2-4	Lake Hamilton, Hot Springs, Ark.	Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism & Visit Hot Springs

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.

by AnglersChannel

Meunier Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Ohio River-Rocky Point

Dillsboro’s Liming Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

CANNELTON, Ind. (Aug. 10, 2021) – Boater Kevin Meunier of Lamar, Indiana wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Ohio River-Rocky Point Presented by TINCUP Whiskey in Cannelton, Indiana. Meunier earned $5,082 for his victory at the event.

TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Kevin Meunier of Lamar, Ind.	5	7-7	$5,082
2^nd	Tony Eckler of Lebanon, Tenn.	4	7-1	$2,041
3^rd	Larry Sisk of Evansville, Ind.	4	6-13	$1,612
4^th	Jimmy Shepherd of Indianapolis, Ind.	5	6-0	$952
5^th	Ryan Deal of Evansville, Ind.	5	5-15	$816
6^th	Pete Justice of Sharonville, Ohio	5	5-13	$748
7^th	Mike Quinlin of Mooresville, Ind.	5	5-8	$1,180
8^th	Brian Campbell of Oxford, Ohio	4	5-2	$612
9^th	Chris Wilkinson of Farmersburg, Ind.	5	5-1	$544
10^th	Scott Bateman Jasper, Ind.	3	5-0	$676

RANK	STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Brian Liming of Dillsboro, Ind.	4	5-8	$2,005
2^nd	Casey Cornelius of Indianapolis, Ind.	4	4-4	$1,002
3^rd	Steven Sanders of Orleans, Ind.	2	3-15	$668
4^th	Billy French of Hamilton, Ohio	4	3-14	$668
5^th	Jeff Nyikos of Mishawaka, Ind.	3	3-11	$367
5^th	Mark Dehart of Brownstown, Ind.	2	3-11	$367
5^th	William Jackson of Lawrenceburg, Ind.	3	3-11	$367
8^th	Brent Bennett of Madison, Ind.	3	3-7	$301
9^th	Kevin Freese of Danville, Ind.	2	3-3	$267
10^th	Bo Bivins of Evansville, Ind.	2	3-0	$234

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

AWARD	NAME	CONTINGENCY	PAYOUT
Boater Big Bass	Mike Geisler of Oxford, Ohio	4-pound, 5-ounce bass	$560
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Charlie Kuebler of Jasper, Ind.	2-pound, 3-ounce bass	$275
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus	Mike Quinlin of Mooresville, Ind.	Eligible Phoenix Boat*	$500

WINNING BAITS

ANGLER	BAIT	COLOR
Boater	Spinnerbait	Did Not Specify
Strike King Co-Angler	Spinnerbait & Tubes	Did Not Specify

2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

EVENT	DATE	LOCATION	HOST
Hoosier Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship	Oct. 7-9	Wheeler Lake, Decatur, Ala.	Decatur Morgan County Tourism
2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American	June 2-4	Lake Hamilton, Hot Springs, Ark.	Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism & Visit Hot Springs

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.

by AnglersChannel

Smith Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Cayuga Lake

Pittsgrove’s Merker Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. (Aug. 10, 2021) – Boater Casey Smith of Macedon, New York wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Cayuga Lake in Union Springs, New York. Smith earned $4,428 for his victory at the event.

TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Casey Smith of Macedon, N.Y.	5	22-13	$4,428
2^nd	Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho	5	21-13	$3,214
3^rd	Bill Spence of San Diego, Calif.	5	20-7	$1,478
4^th	Alec Morrison of Peru, N.Y.	5	20-2	$1,033
5^th	Pete Gluszek of Mt. Laurel, N.J.	5	19-15	$886
6^th	Joe A Zombek, II of Scranton, Pa.	5	19-12	$1,447
7^th	Elijah Meyers of Fort Wayne, Ind.	5	19-10	$738
8^th	Michael A. Sentore of Gloucester City, N.J.	5	18-11	$664
9^th	Donald Tripoli of Webster, N.Y.	5	18-0	$590
10^th	Mark Bower of Kunkletown, Pa.	5	17-10	$517

RANK	STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Joseph Merker of Pittsgrove, N.J.	5	19-7	$2,531
2^nd	Mike Wotanowski of Lake Hopatcong, N.J.	5	17-12	$1,107
3^rd	Corey Thornton of Blodgett Mills, N.Y.	5	16-1	$738
4^th	Joe Pacholec, Jr. of Moosic, Pa.	5	16-0	$517
5^th	Jesse Jodon of Windber, Pa.	5	15-12	$443
6^th	Matt Hummel of Lancaster, Pa.	5	15-8	$406
7^th	Len Hargrave of York, Pa.	5	15-6	$369
8^th	Jared Muzyka of Hadley, Mass.	5	15-4	$332
9^th	Stephen Draghi of Sparrowbush, N.Y.	5	14-5	$495
10^th	Alexander McKenzie of Feasterville, Pa.	5	12-14	$258

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

AWARD	NAME	CONTINGENCY	PAYOUT
Boater Big Bass	Joe A. Zombek, II of Scranton, Pa.	6-pound, 8-ounce bass	$635
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Joseph Merker of Pittsgrove, N.J.	6-pound, 4-ounce bass	$317
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus	Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho	Eligible Phoenix Boat*	$500

WINNING BAITS

ANGLER	BAIT	COLOR
Boater	Dropshot/Senko	Not Specified
Strike King Co-Angler	Worm	Not Specified

2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

EVENT	DATE	LOCATION	HOST
Northeast Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship	Oct. 14-16	Potomac River, Marbury, Md.	Charles County Board of Commissioners
2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American	June 2-4	Lake Hamilton, Hot Springs, Ark.	Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism & Visit Hot Springs

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.

by AnglersChannel

Matt Lee’s Championship Combos on Lake Champlain

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

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

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

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

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

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

17-lb. Seaguar InvisX fluorocarbon

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

4-inch Yamamoto Senko in perch color

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by AnglersChannel

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

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

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

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

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

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

They’ll be joined by Qualifying Round winners:

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

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

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

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

Rounding out the top 37 finishers were:

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

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

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

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

The Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain Presented by Googan Baits features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

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

The 34 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Lake Champlain on Thursday and Saturday – the 39 anglers in Group B on Friday and Sunday. After the two-day qualifying round the anglers that finish in 2nd through 17th place from Group A (50% of field) and 2nd through 20th place from Group B (50% of field) advanced to Monday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights were zeroed and the remaining 35 anglers competed to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. Tomorrow, in the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

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

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

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

by AnglersChannel

Big Show’s Mid-Season Turnaround

Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by AnglersChannel

Pro Charging Systems featured on Manufacturing Marvels!

Video Courtesy of Manufacturing Marvels

Recently our Partners and friends at Pro Charging Systems were featured on Manufacturing Marvels, which aired exclusively on Fox Business News Channel. This video spotlights how the vast majority of their products are proudly Made in America, by real Americans. Any manufacturer will agree that their product is only as good as the men and women that make them. PCS is very proud of their manufacturing team. They know without them, the successes of PRO Charging Systems would not be possible.

Make sure and use code "Angler" at the PCS Website for 25% off your order.

Code good to August 15th, 2021

by AnglersChannel

Bassmaster Classic Angler Qualification Update

August 9, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elite Series Anglers Currently Qualified For 2022 Bassmaster Classic

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

by AnglersChannel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The 34 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Lake Champlain on Thursday and Saturday – the 39 anglers in Group B on Friday and Sunday. Now that each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 17th place from Group A (50% of field) and 2nd through 20th place from Group B (50% of field) advance to Monday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Tuesday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed and the remaining 35 anglers compete to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

by AnglersChannel

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