THE UGLY STIK WORLD’S LARGEST SANTA CLAUS BASS TOURNAMENT POISED TO SET WORLD RECORD ON LAKE NORMAN
Anglers will compete in Santa suits for major prizes and a chance to be a part of history
COLUMBIA, S.C. (November 11, 2020) — From the first time they sink an earthworm beneath a red-and-white bobber, anglers everywhere dream of setting a world record. This Christmas season, iconic fishing brand Ugly Stik is giving them their chance.
The Ugly Stik World’s Largest Santa Claus Bass Tournament, set to take place Saturday, December 12 on North Carolina’s Lake Norman, will give anglers the opportunity to set a world record for the largest bass tournament comprised of anglers competing in Santa Claus costumes. The event, which will benefit Toys for Tots, will see hundreds of bass anglers competing for big payouts and prizes while wearing the iconic red Santa suit.
The one-day, two-angler team tournament, operated by Fishers of Men, will launch out of Queen’s Landing at the McCrary Creek ramp. Entry fees for the event are $100 per team; entry fee includes a Santa suit for both competitors as well as valuable fishing products from Ugly Stik and Berkley. Guaranteed payout for first place is $5,000 with a 1 in 5 payback. A big-bass pot and an under-18 pot will also be available to competitors.
With the eyes of the world watching, an expected field of hundreds of competitors will gather to set the record for the most Santas competing in a bass tournament. Anglers will also have a chance to meet some of the top Bassmaster Elite Series and Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour pros who will be on hand to share tips, sign autographs and help distribute raffle prizes from industry-leading brands like Ugly Stik, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Minn Kota, Academy Sports + Outdoors, DuraSafe, Costa and others.
“This is an opportunity to not only be a part of history, this is a chance to showcase the sport of fishing and encourage more people to get outside and enjoy one of America’s favorite recreational activities,” said Ugly Stik’s Vice President of Marketing Jon Schlosser. “The holiday season is ideal for a good-time brand like Ugly Stik to celebrate how much fun it is to fish, while also benefiting a fantastic charity.”
For registration and more information on The Ugly Stik World’s Largest Santa Claus Bass Tournament, visit www.fomntt.com. For more information on Ugly Stik products, including the recently released Ugly Tuff reels and Ugly Tools, go to www.purefishing.com/pages/ugly-stik
Event Details
The Ugly Stik World’s Largest Santa Claus Bass Tournament
Benefitting Toys for Tots
Date: Saturday, December 12
Location: Lake Norman (Queen’s Landing/McCrary Creek)
Format: Two-angler team, one-day tournament
Entry Fee: $100 per team (includes Santa suit and valuable fishing gear)
Guaranteed Payout: $5,000 for first place
Payout Structure: 1 in 5
Appearances and Giveaways: Top B.A.S.S. and MLF pros will be on site to help award prizes to competitors from industry-leading brands like Ugly Stik, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Minn Kota, Academy Sports + Outdoors, DuraSafe, Costa and other industry-leading brands.
Tournament Operations: Fishers of Men (FoM membership not required for participation)
For registration and more information, visit www.fomntt.com.
Costa Sunglasses Video Series - "How Water Holds Us Up."
New Freedom Series
Daytona Beach, Fla. – October 8, 2020 – Long known for high-quality, on-water eyewear, Costa®Sunglasses is proud to announce its latest special line of frames, the Freedom Series, highlighting the brand’s partnership with Freedom Fighter Outdoors (FFO).
The new Freedom Series sunglasses feature many of the most popular Costa frame styles in patriotic-inspired colorways, while supporting Freedom Fighters Outdoors’ initiative to help get veterans out on the water and participating in recreational outdoor activities.
Including 16 frame styles across the brand’s core performance and beach lifestyle categories, the Freedom Series is inspired by the most patriotic themes—featuring unique frame colors like: Matte Freedom Fade, Matte USA Red, Shiny American Sky, and Matte Blue Firework. Additionally, small flag-inspired accents, including logo decals and temple designs are embedded into frames within the lineup.
“As advocates for our watery world, we are thrilled to join forces with the like-minded team at Freedom Fighter Outdoors,” said T.J. McMeniman, vice president of marketing at Costa. “As a veteran, I understand how impactful programs like this can be for our injured service members. Providing support to give veterans a once in a lifetime experience on the water is extremely important to us. We’re proud to play a small role in honoring and empowering our nation’s heroes.’”
"FFO is very fortunate to be a part of this collaboration with Costa,” said Vincent LaSorsa, founder/president of Freedom Fighter Outdoors. “The brand’s support and generosity to our organization and our nations veterans is the highest honor. We are so thankful that Costa is seeing the good side of our mission to honor our nations veterans.”
The Freedom Series is now available in a variety of Costa frame styles with Costa 580® lens technology in both Lightwave® glass and impact-resistant polycarbonate, which provides 100 percent UV protection and polarization. The line will range in price from $179 to $279, depending on frame and lens combination. For more information on the new frames and the full line of Costa sunglasses, visit https://www.costadelmar.com/en-us/collections/freedom-series.
MISSOURI’S LIPPE LEADS PHOENIX BASS FISHING LEAGUE PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE ALL-AMERICAN ON LAKE HARTWELL
ANDERSON, S.C. (Nov. 11, 2020) – Boater Dustin Lippe of Lampe, Missouri, took the early lead Wednesday at the 37th annual Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine All-American on Lake Hartwell presented by TINCUP with a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds even. Right behind Lippe in second place is Leesburg, Ohio’s Cole Floyd, who brought five bass to the scale good for 11 pounds, 10 ounces.
A person holding a fish
Description automatically generatedThe 2020 All-American features a field of the top 55 boaters and 55 co-anglers from across the 24-division Bass Fishing League, The Bass Federation, Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI and High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing, all competing for a grand prize of up to $120,000 in the boater division and $50,000 in the co-angler division.
“It was tough out there today,” said Lippe, who qualified through the Bass Fishing League Ozark Division. “Practice seemed to be pretty good – I could catch numbers, and the size was better than I anticipated. This morning, that was not the case. I started off with a small limit – like 7 pounds – and I eventually stumbled on to one that weighed close to 3½ (pounds) and that helped.
“It was slow the rest of the day, then in the last 10 minutes I caught one that culled up my weight another pound and a half. I weighed in all spotted bass. I had been catching some largemouth, but I could not get them to bite today.”
The Missouri angler said that the key to his day was covering a lot of water.
“I’m watching them on my electronics – I’ve got LiveScope – and just video game fishing and covering a lot of water,” Lippe said. “That can be very frustrating too, at times, because I can see them and then they don’t bite. I’ve just been throwing a lot of reaction baits.
“I caught 11 or 12 keepers, which sounds better than it is because quite a few were 13-inchers,” Lippe went on to say. “I need to figure out if I’m going to try to do the same thing tomorrow or change it up. I’m happy with 12 pounds, but I only had three good fish and I know that I’ll need something more. I’m excited to get out there tomorrow, but I’m not sure what’s going to happen.”
The top 10 boaters after day one on Lake Hartwell are:
1st: Dustin Lippe, Lampe, Mo., five bass, 12-0
2nd: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 11-10
3rd: Todd Goade, White Pine, Tenn., five bass, 11-7
3rd: Bryan Dowdy, Florence, Ala., five bass, 11-7
5th: Chris Macy, Diamond, Mo., five bass, 11-6
6th: Wesley Sandifer, Chapin, S.C., five bass, 11-4
7th: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., five bass, 11-1
8th: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 10-12
9th: Ryan Davidson, Branchland, W.Va., five bass, 10-10
10th: Michael Miller, Greenville, S.C., five bass, 10-9
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Overall, there were 233 bass weighing 431 pounds, 8 ounces, caught by 53 boaters Wednesday. The catch included 36 five-bass limits.
Larry Rothweil of Saint Charles, Missouri, leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces, followed by Michael Duarte of Baltimore, Maryland, in second place with five bass weighing 9 pounds, 14 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers are:
1st: Larry Rothweil, Saint Charles, Mo., five bass, 10-5
2nd: Michael Duarte, Baltimore, Md., five bass, 9-14
3rd: Kerry Harris, Bethel Island, Calif., five bass, 9-2
4th: Justin Kimmel, Athens, Ga., five bass, 9-0
5th: Kibbee McCoy, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 8-11
6th: Alan Scott, Shelbyville, Ind., five bass, 8-4
7th: David Blankinship, Cushing, Okla., five bass, 8-1
7th: Leo Reiter, Greenup, Ill., five bass, 8-1
7th: Andrew Wooley, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 8-1
10th: Chad Cartwright, Eddyville, Ky., five bass, 8-0
Overall, there were 170 bass weighing 262 pounds even, caught by 52 co-anglers Wednesday. The catch included 18 five-bass limits.
All-American competitors will take off from Green Pond Landing, located at 470 Green Pond Road in Anderson, at 7:30 a.m. EST each morning. Weigh-in will be held at the landing at 4 p.m. daily. Attendance is limited to anglers, family and essential staff. Fans are encouraged to follow the event online through the daily coverage, live blogs and photos at FLWFishing.com.
The 2020 All-American field of 55 boaters and 55 co-anglers is comprised of the top six boaters and co-anglers from each of the six Bass Fishing League Regional Championships held in 2019, along with the top six boaters and co-anglers from the 2019 Wild Card tournament. They are joined by the top boater and co-angler from each of the seven divisions at the 2020 TBF National Championship, along with both members of the second, third and fourth-place teams at the 2020 Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship presented by Lowrance, who compete as boaters. The fifth and sixth place teams from the College Fishing National Championship and the winning team from the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship compete as co-anglers.
In addition to the cash payouts, the highest-finishing boater and co-angler from each of seven Regional Championships (including the Wild Card) at the All-American will advance to the 2020 Toyota Series Championship next month on Lake Cumberland for a shot at winning $235,000 and $33,500, respectively.
The full field of anglers compete on Wednesday and Thursday, with only the top 10 boaters and top 10 co-anglers based on cumulative weight from the first two days continuing to Championship Friday. The 2020 All-American champions will be determined by the heaviest three-day total weight.
Sylvester Takes Early Lead At B.A.S.S. Nation Championship On Pickwick Lake
Blake Sylvester, of Plaquemine, La., is leading after Day 1 of the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Pickwick Lake with 16 pounds, 10 ounces.
Photo by Chris Brown/B.A.S.S.
November 11, 2020
FLORENCE, Ala. — Blake Sylvester only caught five keeper bass during Wednesday’s first round of the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, but he made each bite count.
Sylvester, a 29-year-old resident of Plaquemine, La., weighed a limit of five largemouth that totaled 16 pounds, 10 ounces. That gave him an early lead in this three-day event on Pickwick Lake where $176,800 in cash and prizes is up for grabs, not to mention three precious slots in the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic scheduled for March 19-21 on Lake Ray Roberts in Texas.
Sylvester, the B.A.S.S. Nation champ from the Bayou State, finished third overall in the Central Regional held last month at Toledo Bend Reservoir, and he kept the hot hand on Pickwick. He was the second boat on the water Wednesday (following only last year’s Nation Championship winner Cody Hollen of Beaverton, Ore.), and Sylvester wasted no time getting quality bass in his livewell.
“I caught my two biggest fish first thing this morning,” Sylvester said. “There was a 4 3/4-pounder and another one that was just shy of 4 pounds. I wanted to get something going this morning. You can’t win a tournament on Day 1, but you definitely can lose a tournament on Day 1.”
Despite the fast start, Sylvester struggled to find a consistent bite. He estimated he only caught 10 bass, and half of those were undersized. He said he pounded two particular areas but didn’t boat his fifth keeper until 1:30 p.m., only minutes before he needed to scramble back to McFarland Park for weigh-in.
“I’m from Louisiana, so you know I’m looking for grass,” Sylvester said. “It wasn’t hard to find it, but I couldn’t find many fish to go with that grass. Nothing was easy today. It was a grind.”
Still, Sylvester has had momentum on his side recently, and it’s showing in his recent results. He said he can stay atop the leaderboard at Pickwick if he has a little luck Thursday.
“A couple more 4-pounders would be nice,” he said with a laugh. “But it’s gonna be tough again. I was the No. 2 boat out today, but the area I’m on isn’t (a time-sensitive bite) and I haven’t seen anybody else fishing it. I’m confident, but I just don’t know what I have left there. I’ve got a couple of other spots I think I can get bit on if I need it.”
Eddie Levin of Westerville, Ohio, is in second place with 16-1. The 27-year-old firefighter caught his best bass before the wind picked up midmorning.
“My first fish was about a 5-pounder or so, but I lost it,” Levin said. “I had all my weight by 9 o’clock, but my area got blown out, and I kind of went pre-fishing. I caught a lot more fish doing that. I really hope the wind lays down tomorrow. If it does, I think you’re going to see a really big bag.”
Josh Ray of Alexander, Ark., is third in the boater division (15-15), followed by Richard Lindgren of Lakeville, Minn., (15-4) and Josh Hubbard of Braidwood, Ill., (15-1).
Utah’s Terry Peterson took the lead in the co-angler division with a five-bass limit that weighed 14-10. He fished with New Mexico’s Christian Gladfelter, who had 14-9 and is in seventh place in the boater division.
“He put me on some good fish,” Peterson said. “That’s all you can ask for. We figured some things out. It was good teamwork and fortunately, the bites we had were good ones.”
Mike Caul of Petersburg, Va., is second among co-anglers with 13-9. Lewis Mendall of Winthrop, Mass., is third (12-13), followed by Aaryn Coroneos of Henderson, Nev., (11-6) and Steve Hinkle of Mount Nebo, W.Va., (9-9).
B.A.S.S. Nation champions from 46 different states are competing, with only North Dakota, Connecticut, Hawaii and Alaska not represented. Hollen, who received an automatic berth as the defending champ, and Paralyzed Veterans of American Angler of the Year Ken Carter bumped the boater division to 48 total competitors.
The Top 10 anglers following Thursday’s weigh-in will survive the cut and fish Friday’s championship round, as will the leading two anglers from each of the five B.A.S.S. Nation regions (Southeast, Northeast, Northern, Western and Central) if they aren’t among the overall Top 10.
The top co-angler, who will win $10,000 in paid entries to 2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens tournaments, will also fish Friday, and so will any co-angler whose two-day total exceeds the 10th-place total in the boater division.
Day 2 of the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship will begin with a 6 a.m. CT takeoff Thursday from McFarland Park. Weigh-in will be held back at the park at 2 p.m.
2020 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Pickwick Lake 11/11-11/13
Pickwick Lake, Florence AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Blake Sylvester Plaquemine, LA 5 16-10 0
Day 1: 5 16-10
2. Eddie Levin Westerville, OH 5 16-01 0
Day 1: 5 16-01
3. Josh Ray Alexander, AR 5 15-15 0
Day 1: 5 15-15
4. Richard Lindgren Lakeville, MN 5 15-04 0
Day 1: 5 15-04
5. Josh Hubbard Braidwood, IL 5 15-01 0
Day 1: 5 15-01
6. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 5 14-11 0
Day 1: 5 14-11
7. Christian Gladfelter Albuquerque, NM 5 14-09 0
Day 1: 5 14-09
8. Justin Kerr Lake Havasu, AZ 5 14-04 0
Day 1: 5 14-04
9. Josh Cotier Clinton, MA 5 13-07 0
Day 1: 5 13-07
10. Michael Comeau Alburgh, VT 5 13-05 0
Day 1: 5 13-05
11. Nate Caldwell Fort Collins, CO 5 13-02 0
Day 1: 5 13-02
12. Joel Smith Guin, AL 5 13-01 0
Day 1: 5 13-01
13. Jason Hickey Weiser, ID 5 12-09 0
Day 1: 5 12-09
14. Ray Trudeau Saint Cloud, FL 5 11-14 0
Day 1: 5 11-14
15. Michael Cash Louisburg, NC 5 11-07 0
Day 1: 5 11-07
16. Justin Hicks Gunnison, CO 5 11-06 0
Day 1: 5 11-06
17. Chris Killoren Marcellus, NY 4 11-06 0
Day 1: 4 11-06
18. Jeremy Sadowski Valuntower, CT 4 11-05 0
Day 1: 4 11-05
19. Matthew Robertson Kuttawa, KY 4 10-08 0
Day 1: 4 10-08
20. Jacob Coverdale Frederica, DE 5 10-03 0
Day 1: 5 10-03
21. Jeff Lugar Cross Junction, VA 5 10-02 0
Day 1: 5 10-02
22. Derek Severns West Mifflin, PA 4 10-01 0
Day 1: 4 10-01
23. Bert Collins Heaters, WV 3 09-12 0
Day 1: 3 09-12
24. Timothy Wells Clovis, CA 5 09-08 0
Day 1: 5 09-08
25. Bryan Gunter Ninety Six, SC 3 09-06 0
Day 1: 3 09-06
26. Cody Hollen Beaverton, OR 4 09-03 0
Day 1: 4 09-03
27. Dave Andrews Hudson, MA 4 08-10 0
Day 1: 4 08-10
28. Brent Shores Boise, ID 4 08-05 0
Day 1: 4 08-05
29. Trevor Kettles Waukee, IA 4 08-02 0
Day 1: 4 08-02
30. Jesse Jordan Stilwel, KS 4 08-01 0
Day 1: 4 08-01
31. David Cavell Prairieville, LA 4 08-00 0
Day 1: 4 08-00
32. John Thomsen Creston, IA 4 07-09 0
Day 1: 4 07-09
33. Matt Reagan Hudsonville, MI 3 07-02 0
Day 1: 3 07-02
34. Tom Wennerlund Tonto Basin, AZ 2 06-14 0
Day 1: 2 06-14
35. Jared Miller Norman, OK 2 06-04 0
Day 1: 2 06-04
36. Ken Day Kennewick, WA 3 06-02 0
Day 1: 3 06-02
37. Jason Crone Kalispell, MT 2 04-09 0
Day 1: 2 04-09
38. Mark Pierce Cadiz, KY 2 04-08 0
Day 1: 2 04-08
39. Scott Robert Greene, ME 2 03-14 0
Day 1: 2 03-14
40. Dan Jordan Camas, WA 2 02-15 0
Day 1: 2 02-15
41. Jay Beffa Festus, MO 1 02-05 0
Day 1: 1 02-05
42. Michael McMahon Hackettstown, NJ 1 02-04 0
Day 1: 1 02-04
42. Jeff Napier Martinsville, IN 1 02-04 0
Day 1: 1 02-04
44. Albert Collins Nacogdoches, TX 1 02-00 0
Day 1: 1 02-00
45. Eric Storms Winner, SD 1 01-13 0
Day 1: 1 01-13
46. Ken Carter Enterprise, FL 1 01-09 0
Day 1: 1 01-09
47. Paul Gietka Abingdon, MD 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
47. David Gorman Canton, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 19 169 427-02
----------------------------------
19 169 427-02
2020 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Pickwick Lake 11/11-11/13
Pickwick Lake, Florence AL.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Terry Peterson West Jordan, UT 5 14-10 0
Day 1: 5 14-10
2. Mike Caul Petersburg, VA 5 13-09 0
Day 1: 5 13-09
3. Lewis Mendall Winthrop, MA 5 12-13 0
Day 1: 5 12-13
4. Aaryn Coroneos Henderson, NV 3 11-06 0
Day 1: 3 11-06
5. Steve Hinkle Mount Nebo, WV 3 09-09 0
Day 1: 3 09-09
6. Joe Combs Jonesboro, AR 3 08-07 0
Day 1: 3 08-07
7. Brian Kline Dysart, PA 3 08-05 0
Day 1: 3 08-05
8. Zeke Abegg Clarksville, TN 2 08-04 0
Day 1: 2 08-04
9. Jonathan Barnette Jasper, AL 2 06-09 0
Day 1: 2 06-09
10. Chris Heltemes Franklin, MA 3 06-02 0
Day 1: 3 06-02
11. Michael Johnson Crawford, TX 3 05-15 0
Day 1: 3 05-15
12. Clif Gallagher Saint George, UT 2 04-13 0
Day 1: 2 04-13
13. Larry Carter Lucedale, MS 2 04-10 0
Day 1: 2 04-10
14. James Topmiller III Orlando, FL 2 04-03 0
Day 1: 2 04-03
14. Coleton Usher Atkins, IA 2 04-03 0
Day 1: 2 04-03
16. Scott Hrcka Homer, MI 2 04-01 0
Day 1: 2 04-01
17. Connor Rushing Pride, LA 1 03-13 0
Day 1: 1 03-13
18. Tas Moua Fresno, CA 1 03-07 0
Day 1: 1 03-07
19. Danny Fourr Waterflow, NM 2 03-05 0
Day 1: 2 03-05
20. Kevin Mullins Brooklyn, IN 1 03-02 0
Day 1: 1 03-02
21. Matt Byrnes Hudson, WI 1 02-09 0
Day 1: 1 02-09
22. Kyle Slomba Baltimore, MD 1 02-08 0
Day 1: 1 02-08
23. Toby Cross Bowdoinham, ME 1 02-05 0
Day 1: 1 02-05
24. Larry Wigmore Smyrna, DE 1 02-03 0
Day 1: 1 02-03
25. Bryce Hauf Winner, SD 1 02-02 0
Day 1: 1 02-02
26. Mike Bell OGDENSBURG, NY 1 01-15 0
Day 1: 1 01-15
27. Colten Didion Westerville, OH 1 01-14 0
Day 1: 1 01-14
28. Austin Johnson Noxon, MT 1 01-13 0
Day 1: 1 01-13
29. Sean Bowen Midwest City, OK 1 01-12 0
Day 1: 1 01-12
30. Ryan Bone Douglasville, GA 1 01-10 0
Day 1: 1 01-10
31. Kenneth Ellis Bowman, SC 1 01-07 0
Day 1: 1 01-07
31. Greg Jager Kennewick, WA 1 01-07 0
Day 1: 1 01-07
33. Tyler Lawwill Asheville, NC 1 01-06 0
Day 1: 1 01-06
34. Kirk Albrecht Fort Collins, CO 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
34. Dennis Carroll Ashland, NE 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
34. Phil Clopton Macks Creek, MO 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
34. David Dias Brattleboro, VT 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
34. Tim Kellam Crittenden, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
34. Nathanial Kimberling Coeur D Alene, ID 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
34. Kyle Klein Hutchinson, KS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
34. Bryan Larson Waconia, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
34. Bill Lionetta Jr Alton Bay, NH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
34. Matthew Marques Seneca, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
34. John Serge Philadelphia, PA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
34. Scott Seros Bend, OR 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
34. Hayden Spradling Gilbert, AZ 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
Lake Fork Hosts B.A.S.S. Nation Clean-Up Challenge
Volunteers collected pounds of trash from the shores of Lake Fork as part of the activities surrounding the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.
Photo by B.A.S.S.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 11, 2020
QUITMAN, Texas— Just hours before Semifinal Saturday kicked off at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, volunteers from 13 high schools spread out along the shores of Lake Fork to collect trash as part of the B.A.S.S. Nation Clean-Up Challenge sponsored by AFTCO and Huk.
“It was important to me to be part of the clean-up efforts," said Jimmy Fisher, a sophomore from Wylie East High School. “I am fishing a tournament here next week and know we need to keep the lake and boat ramps clean for everyone.”
That sentiment was echoed by Grace Community School junior Caleb Carpenter, “Keeping the lake clean isn't just important for the environment, it is a way we can help the entire community.”
Volunteers from local high school teams and the Texas High School Bass Association collected bags of trash at the Sabine River Authority (SRA) — Lake Fork, site of daily takeoffs and weigh-ins for the Bassmaster Elite Series event. In addition to plastic bottles and other litter, the student anglers reported collecting a few unusual items from the lakeshore.
“Our team found a couch, tires and even plastic chairs,” said first-year angler Samantha Collins of Grand Saline High School.
High school teams from around the region were represented, including Royse City, Winnsboro, Whitehouse, Wylie East, Lindale, Van, Celeste, Rains, Grapevine, Van Alstyne, Grand Saline, McKinney Christian Academy and Grace Community School.
Conservation efforts are a cornerstone of the B.A.S.S. tradition, and leading efforts to collect litter can have a sizable impact on the waterways the organization and its fans frequent.
“B.A.S.S. was founded on three things: tournament fishing competition, youth participation and conservation,” B.A.S.S. Conservation Director Gene Gilliland said. “(B.A.S.S. Founder) Ray Scott used to always talk about the three-legged stool. This is one of the legs, and it doesn’t get talked about a lot.
“One of the things that we want to try to do is to improve the resource anytime we have a chance,” Gilliland said. “An event like this builds camaraderie between those participating. It builds goodwill with the communities that host our events.
“Most importantly, it helps us leave the venue better than we found it.”
And leaving a fishery cleaner than it started is particularly important to McKinney Christian Academy senior Matthew Free, who plans to pursue a degree in Marine Fisheries. “I'd like to join a fishing team in college and if we all want to keep fishing for years to come, keeping our lakes healthy and clean is essential.”
The latest information on B.A.S.S. conservation efforts can be found on their group Facebook page or at Bassmaster.com.
2021 Military Team Bass Tournament Registration Now Open
Athens, AL, November 10, 2020 – American Bass Anglers announced today the 2021 Annual Military Team Bass Tournament will be held on May 2-8, 2021, on Lake Marion and Moultrie, SC, and hosted by Santee Cooper Country. This event brings all branches together for a fun-filled week of competition and ultimate Service bragging rights.
Members of the United States Armed Forces from all over the country will make the drive to compete in the 30th annual event at Santee Cooper SC. All active duty or retired Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Guard, Reserve, or Coast Guard member are invited to participate. Immediate family of military members, honorably discharged veterans, Department of Defense civilians, and contractors may also fish this event.
“We are looking forward to hosting the American Bass Anglers Military Team Tournament next May here on the Santee Cooper lakes. I know that everyone will be welcomed with good Southern hospitality. The Santee Cooper lakes are known as a world-class fishing destination for anglers and a great vacation location,” said Jane Powell of Santee Cooper Country.
“The annual Military Team Bass Tournament is designed to promote bass fishing among all Military Members and provide a platform for bragging rights among the Services. Santee Cooper County is the ideal host for this event with the warm welcome they give all Military members,” said Morris Sheehan, president of American Bass Anglers.
Registration will open on Veterans Day, November 11, at 8:00 am central time. For more information on this tournament, call ABA at 256-232-0406 or see www.americanbassanglers.com.
To learn more about the Military Team Bass Tournament visit
AmericanBassAnglers.com/Military.php
Toyota Series Wraps Up Angler of the Year Awards
Eight Division Winners Earn $5,000 for Pros and $2,000 for Co-Anglers
BENTON, Ky. (Nov. 10, 2020) – Major League Fishing (MLF) and Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) announced today the final standings for the 2020 Toyota Series and the eight division Strike King Angler of the Year (AOY) title winners. The top pro and co-angler from the point standings after each division’s three regular-season tournaments won the Strike King Angler of the Year A group of people in a small boat in a body of water
Description automatically generated($5,000) and Co-angler of the Year ($2,000) titles.
“We had a fantastic year with a lot of great anglers vying for points, so we are excited to offer our Strike King AOY winners an additional payout for their efforts,” said Mark McWha, Director of Tournament Operations for the Toyota Series. “Early summer tournaments were rescheduled back-to-back this fall due to COVID-19, which wasn’t ideal, but we feel very fortunate to have completed our full season and to have fished more anglers than we did in 2019, despite the pandemic. Our Toyota Series anglers and AOY title winners should be extremely proud.”
The 2020 Strike King Angler of the Year and Co-angler of the Year from each Toyota Series division are:
Central Division:
Pro AOY – Ricky Robinson, of Greenback, Tenn., 748 points, $5,000
Co-AOY – Josh Lockard of Somerset, Ky., 768 points, $2,000
Eastern Division:
Pro AOY – David Williams of Maiden, N.C., 766 points, $5,000
Co-AOY – James Roten of West Jefferson, N.C., 768 points, $2,000
Northern Division:
Pro AOY – Chase Serafin of White Lake, Mich., 763 points, $5,000
Co-AOY – Dan Mundy of Swartz Creek, Mich., 776 points, $2,000
Plains Division:
Pro AOY – Jason Lieblong of Conway, Ark., 755 points, $5,000
Co-AOY – Matt Krekovich of Granite City, Ill., 752 points, $2,000
Southeastern Division:
Pro AOY – Dustin Smith of Grand Island, Fla., 745 points, $5,000
Co-AOY – Cal Culpepper of Hamilton, Ga., 778 points, $2,000
Southern Division:
Pro AOY – Trevor Fitzgerald of Belleview, Fla., 740 points, $5,000
Co-AOY – Edwin Bartlett of Casco, Maine, 765 points, $2,000
Southwestern Division:
Pro AOY – David Curtis of Trinity, Texas, 760 points, $5,000
Co-AOY – Robert Kessler of Spring, Texas, 762 points, $2,000
Western Division:
Pro AOY – Tai Au of Glendale, Ariz., 771 points, $5,000
Co-AOY – Zack Eggleston of Goleta, Calif., 749 points, $2,000
Final standings for each division can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The 2020 Toyota Series Championship at Lake Cumberland is set to take place next month, Dec. 3-5, in Burnside, Kentucky. The three-day, no-entry-fee event – hosted by the Somerset Tourist and Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission – features pros and co-anglers competing for a share of nearly $700,000, including a top prize of up to $235,000 for the winning pro and a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury for the winning co-angler.
Fall is for fishing small
Vance McCullough
Maybe not in terms of lure selection.
Big baits still catch big bass.
Smaller lures catch numbers; sometimes big bass among them.
But when it comes to lake selection, I like to go small in the fall. I pick little pothole ponds, swamps swollen with October rainfall or the back ends of flooded creeks where curios bass seek out terrestrial prey washed in during our wettest month.
I live in the deep, deep South along the Florida/Georgia border where November brings those chilly temperatures – daytime highs in low 80’s as opposed to nearly 90 degrees. Shortened days cool the water just the same and our fish do as most around the country do this time of year.
They roam.
That’s why I like small waters.
On the nearby St Johns River baitfish can be here today but gone tomorrow. Bass will often follow. I have to cover miles in search of the meandering schools, or I’ll likely do a lot more fishing than catching. That’s how it goes on the big water. But on my favorite little landlocked pond, tucked away beneath towering pines and blushing maples with bright red holly berries clumped behind stands of cattails, I have only a few acres to sort through in search of active fish. Among the reasons anglers enjoy fall fishing is the simple fact that many of their number have taken to hanging on tree stands in the hunting woods, and the ski boat navy has retired for the year.
Solitude is bliss.
To completely get away from the crowds, go to places that are less travelled to begin with. This is best accomplished via kayak or some small boat able to be dragged through the woods or up the streams beyond the reach of motorboats. Dumb, hungry fish feasting up like a family at the Thanksgiving table will make for a memorable trip. Water depth in such places is limited so tackle selection can be as well.
Take fun stuff – fast-moving topwater plugs and things that splash or spin. Keep moving. There are no suspended fish in three feet of water. I fish so shallow this time of year that the top is the bottom, and I can cover both on the same cast.
Yesterday, while bank fishing, I had a porty two-pounder blast my surface plug almost beneath my feet. The hookset swept him onto the bank in one swift, rod bending motion as braided line screeched in protest.
What the fight lacked in duration it made up for with intensity. I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes, “Those who have never horsed them have no idea what they can make you feel,” – Ernest Hemingway. Esteemed as much for his prowess with rod as with word, Hemingway was talking about trout fishing where the practice of hauling fish out in inglorious fashion was frowned upon by ‘sporting’ men. As did Hemingway, who was known to step outside a bar and brawl with bare knuckles on occasion, I enjoy a good fight, especially from a fish.
The bass, too, is a deep bellied bar room brawler looking to whoop some bait. It’s America’s fish for good reason. Quick and mean, the bass is that guy who could ‘win a fight in a phone booth’ or run you down from a block away. I’ve found that I can’t reel too fast this time of year. Speed triggers bites. If not, then I’m fishing in the wrong place and I need to move until I find feeding fish because, somewhere, they are chewing. Again, this is much easier to do on small waters where the fish are hemmed in and can’t swim to the next county. By eliminating variables (such as where fish are located and how deep they are positioned) you are controlling variables so you can focus the very few remaining variables (most notably, the speed of your retrieve).
This fall spend less time looking for a fight and more time scrapping with bass. Pick a fight in a phone booth.
Feider’s 9-pounder at Lake Fork wins him a Tundra
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Seth Feider paced the front deck for nearly four days at Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest wondering if the 9-pound 9-ounce bass he caught on Day 1 of the tournament would be large enough to win him a brand-new Toyota Tundra.
In the end, the Lake Fork beast was the biggest bass of the history-rich event, and the mullet man from Minnesota grabbed the oversized trophy key like an air guitar at the final weigh-in Sunday afternoon.
“It’s been stressful. I’ve probably checked BASSTrakk more times than Patrick Walter’s mom to see if anybody had caught one bigger than me today,” said Feider.
The Tundra-winning bass bit a green gizzard shad-colored Ott’s Garage Rapala Slim tied to 12-pound line in 4 feet of water.
“I just want to thank Toyota for investing in the sport we all love, for sponsoring B.A.S.S., and supporting anglers the way they do. I really appreciate all Toyota does for bass fishing,” Feider told fans from the weigh-in stage.
The 381-HP Tundra, which is assembled in San Antonio, will certainly serve Feider well. Whether he’s driving down a dusty road in search of mallards this off season or towing his boat safely to the 2021 Bassmaster Classic in Fort Worth, he’ll always be thankful the 9-pounder he caught on Day 1 held-up for four days to earn him a brand-new Toyota.
Walters Takes Dominant Win On Lake Fork
Patrick Walters, of Summerville, S.C., has won the 2020 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department on Lake Fork with a four-day total of 104 pounds, 12 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
November 8, 2020
QUITMAN, Texas — A late-day decision turned victory into a double-dip of tournament stardom, as Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., notched a dominant win at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department with a four-day total weight of 104 pounds, 12 ounces.
Walters placed second on Day 1 with 25-14 and took over the Day 2 lead by adding 26-14. On Semifinal Saturday, his limit of 29-6 — the event’s biggest catch — sent him into Championship Sunday with a 25-pound lead.
Today’s limit of 22-10 allowed him to surge across the finish line and secure his spot in the Century Club, which recognizes an angler for catching 100 pounds of fish in a four-day event. Walters won with an all-time Bassmaster Elite record margin of 29-10.
“What a week; it doesn’t seem real,” Walters said. “Everyone wants to catch 100 pounds, and it feels good.”
While his victory was never in serious jeopardy today, Walters found himself a couple pounds shy of his second objective with time running out. A 15-minute flurry in his last hour of fishing delivered three fish that elevated him well past the century mark.
Walters attributes his closing success to a gutsy relocation. All week, he had been targeting suspended bass amid main-lake standing timber in 10 to 20 feet. When he realized his spots weren’t firing, he moved to a small pocket and caught his final three fish around stumps in less than 5 feet of water.
“On Day 2, I caught a 4- and a 5-pounder in there, but I didn’t go back in there on Day 3; I said, ‘I’m going to save it,’” Walters said. “I think it was the wind. We’ve had the same direction wind the last three days and it has blown directly into that pocket.
“All the bait is in there and every single day, it has gotten more loaded. Today, my fish in the treetops would not eat my bait. They’d chase it for 40 to 50 feet and wouldn’t commit.”
Walters’ analysis was more than speculation. All week, he relied heavily on his Garmin LiveScope to monitor fish positioning and adjust his retrieves in an effort to trigger bites.
“I could tell something was not right; they were not eating it,” Walters said. “I said, ‘I gotta leave. I gotta go shallow.’
“I knew I needed 10 pounds to safely win, but I knew I needed 18 pounds to get to the Century Club and that was the goal today; to go get that belt.”
Walters caught his fish on a trio of jerkbaits; a Rapala Shadow Rap, a Megabass Vision 110+1 and a Duo Realis bait. Varying the selection and trying different colors was essential to bite generation.
Walters said he was very particular about the standing timber he targeted. Recognizing when and where fish were positioning to feed was the cornerstone of his pattern. Realizing that the plan was starting to fizzle proved stressful today, but Walters said he focused on maintaining faith in Lake Fork’s potential.
“All year long, it’s been about staying calm and know that it can happen in five casts. Don’t spin out. Stay calm, keep your head in the game and fish 8 hours.”
Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas, finished second with 75-2. A limit of 11-7 on Day 1 left him in 39th place, but Combs added 23-14 on Day 2 and rose to 11th. Catching 21-12 on Saturday, he moved up to third before finishing with 18-1 today.
Most of the week, Combs has fished big ridges with a chartreuse/blue Strike King 6XD. Today, that pattern produced three of his best fish and the other two he caught on a shad color shallow running crankbait fished over a shallow bar.
“Another angler had been starting on that shallow spot; I would start on another spot and then hit that spot second but I’d never catch them,” Combs said. “Today, he didn’t make the cut, so I went there first.”
Jay Yelas of Lincoln City, Ore., placed third with 69-14. Sticking with the pattern that has served him all week, he ran upriver and caught limits of 19-2, 19-2, 14-7 and 17-3 around shallow wood.
“I had a few different special spots; some were docks, some were stumps, one was an isolated laydown,” Yelas said. “Every day, I’d go back and fish these same targets. I cycled through them all four days.
“Today, I started on that laydown and caught one. I came back at noon and caught one, came back at 2:30 and caught a 6-pounder. I’d caught six or seven fish off that tree the first three days.”
Noting that this spot had a large amount of shad, Yelas said he quickly realized he could leverage this feeding spot each day. He caught his fish on an MGC Tackle spinnerbait with a chartreuse/white skirt and a 3/8-ounce white/chartreuse Z-Man ChatterBait JackHammer with a white Yamamoto Zako trailer.
Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, won the Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year title with 680 points, while David Mullins of Mt. Carmel, Tenn., finished second with 677. Walters was third with 669, Brock Mosley of Collinsville, Miss., was fourth with 669 and Jake Whitaker of Fairview, N.C., was fifth with 663.
Austin Felix of Eden Prairie, Minn., won the Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year title.
Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., won the Toyota Tundra Big Bass award of a Toyota Tundra with his 9-9.
Combs also took home $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, and Mosley earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
2020 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department 11/5-11/8
Lake Fork, Emory TX.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 20 104-12 100 $125,000.00
Day 1: 5 25-14 Day 2: 5 26-14 Day 3: 5 29-06 Day 4: 5 22-10
2. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 20 75-02 99 $40,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 23-14 Day 3: 5 21-12 Day 4: 5 18-01
3. Jay Yelas Lincoln City, OR 20 69-14 98 $30,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 19-02 Day 3: 5 14-07 Day 4: 5 17-03
4. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 18 69-05 97 $22,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 24-12 Day 3: 3 12-11 Day 4: 5 15-11
5. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 20 68-09 96 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 5 19-07 Day 4: 5 16-03
6. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 18 66-13 95 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 19-12 Day 3: 5 15-09 Day 4: 3 09-11
7. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 19 64-03 94 $20,000.00
Day 1: 4 09-01 Day 2: 5 14-07 Day 3: 5 26-02 Day 4: 5 14-09
8. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 17 61-09 93 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 2 05-03 Day 3: 5 24-15 Day 4: 5 11-15
9. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 16 60-04 92 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 3 16-07 Day 3: 5 21-09 Day 4: 3 08-04
10. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 17 54-04 91 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 16-00 Day 3: 5 14-00 Day 4: 2 04-07
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BIG BASS OF TOURNAMENT
Seth Feider New Market, MN 09-09 $0.00
Poche Wins Toyota Series Event on Lake Seminole
Alabama Pro Wins by Nine Ounces to Take Home $31,960
BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (Nov. 8, 2020) – Major League Fishing (MLF) pro Keith Poche of Pike Road, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 6 ounces to win the three-day Toyota Series at Lake Seminole tournament in Bainbridge, Georgia. Poche’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 46-6 earned him the win by a 9-ounce margin over second-place angler Mikey Keyso, Jr. of North Port, Florida, and earned Poche the top payout of $31,960 in the third and final regular-season tournament of the 2020 Toyota Series Southern Division.
“I love fishing Lake Seminole and I especially like running up the Flint River in those shoals and catching shoal bass,” Poche said. “I’ve got a 17-foot, 6-inch flat-bottom aluminum boat I use just for fishing such rivers in the southeast, but I only looked into fishing this tournament earlier this week, so I’m shocked at pulling the win.”
As a fulltime professional angler on the MLF Bass Pro Tour, Poche is no stranger to big time bass fishing events. Poche said what stunned him, however, was he had no intention of even fishing the Toyota Series on Seminole until Tuesday of last week. In fact, other than a few Phoenix Bass Fishing League events early in his career, and the recent Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournaments, Poche had never fished either a Pro Circuit or a Toyota Series event.
Poche said he ran as far as nearly Newton, Georgia, on the first day of the event, but found the Flint to be higher and dirtier than he would like for shoal bass.
“I realized pretty quickly that because of the fast current, it was a total reaction bite,” Poche said. “I opted to drift down the river with the current, pitching a Berkley PowerBait Pit Boss in green pumpkin, teamed with a 3/8-ounce weight, tied to Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon to any current breaks caused by bank cuts, cypress trees, logs or rocks. The fish were holed up in the current breaks and they would bite as soon as it hit the water and started to fall.”
On day one, Poche weighed in all largemouths for 17 pounds, 14 ounces and settled in third place, behind Jared McMillan and Jason Smith.
On day two, Poche ran some 35 to 40 miles up the river again, but said his quick pitch program died.
“I went like 3 hours without catching one,” he said. “So I changed up a little bit and started throwing a 3/8-ounce Humdinger Spinnerbait to main river rocks breaking current. That produced a couple of keeper shoal bass.”
Poche said he only had three bass in his livewell when he got back down towards Bainbridge. Needing to make something happen, he bumped over a shallow sandbar to access a backwater slough. Once in the slough, he caught a 4-pound largemouth and a couple more keepers on the spinnerbait.
“Looking back on the tournament, that 4-pounder on Friday is probably what won the tournament for me,” he recalled. “I had struggled all day and that one saved me.”
Poche started the final day some 6 pounds behind the leader and headed far north on the Flint again.
“It was sort of like day one again,” he said. “They were biting the Pit Boss as soon as it hit the water. I started to catch some better ones as the day went on and even added a nice shoal bass to top off my limit. By the end of the day, I was knocking on the door of the 15-pound range.”
Poche said it wasn’t until the final fish was weighed that he learned most of the top-10 had struggled and his consistent limits each day put him on top.
“I was happy to have made the top 10 and fish up there another day,” Poche said. “I figured I might stay in the top five with my catch and get a decent check for the week. But to win this thing? Man, I’m still a little shocked. It’s crazy how it all worked out.”
The top 10 pros on Lake Seminole finished:
1st: Keith Poche of Pike Road, Ala., 15 bass, 46-6, $31,960
2nd: Mikey Keyso, Jr. of North Port, Fla., 15 bass, 45-9, $12,191
3rd: Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., 15 bass, 44-11, $9,438
4th: Jared McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla., 15 bass, 44-7, $7,865
5th: Dillon McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla., 15 bass, 43-0, $7,179
6th: Jim Murray, Jr., Leesburg, Ga., 15 bass, 42-9, $6,292
7th: Jason S. Smith of Dawson, Ga., 13 bass, 35-14, $5,505
8th: Santos Solis of Vero Beach, Fla., 13 bass, 34-3, $5,719
9th: Gary Milicevic of Labelle, Fla., 11 bass, 32-14, $3,932
10th: Corey Smith of Clermont, Fla., 10 bass, 29-2, $3,247
A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Solis took home an extra $1,000 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Ricky Grant of Inverness, Florida, won the Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 33 pounds even. Grant took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.
The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Seminole finished:
1st: Ricky Grant of Inverness, Fla., 14 bass, 33-0, Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat w/115-hp outboard
2nd: Spencer Howerton of Melbourne Beach, Fla., 11 bass, 27-9, $3,983
3rd: J.P. Sims of Port St. Lucie, Fla., 12 bass, 24-2, $3,186
4th: Wyatt Frankens of Corrigan, Texas, nine bass, 23-0, $2,788
5th: John Riddling of Melrose, Fla., 13 bass, 22-13, $2,390
6th: Todd Beaver of Richland, Ga., nine bass, 21-14, $1,991
7th: James Brooks of Inverness, Fla., 10 bass, 21-1, $1,593
8th: Aaron Gengler of Lakeland, Fla., 13 bass, 20-10, $1,394
9th: Dan Ehmen of Rockford, Ill., 10 bass, 19-14, $1,195
10th: Blaine Partee of Oviedo, Fla., eight bass, 16-14, $996
The Toyota Series at Lake Seminole was hosted by the Bainbridge Convention and Visitors Bureau. It was the third and final tournament in 2020 for Southern Division anglers. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will take place on Dec. 3-5 – the 2020 Toyota Series Championship at Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
High School All-Americans Spend Dream Day With Elites
November 7, 2020
QUITMAN, Texas — Twelve outstanding high school anglers lived a dream today by competing in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster High School All-American Bass Tournament, held during the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
The students are members of the exclusive 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team. Each angler was paired with a Bassmaster Elite Series pro for the competition held Saturday on Lake Winnsboro, an 806-acre impoundment near Lake Fork, site of the Bassmaster Elite Series event. The weigh-in was held on the Bassmaster Elite Series stage used by the pros on the shoreline of Lake Fork.
The team of Elite Series pro Brett Preuett and All-American Aaron Cherry, of Kinsey, Ala., weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces to take the win. Bladed jigs fished on rocky points produced most of their strikes.
“He’s got a great future ahead of him, both as an all-star student and an angler,” said Preuett, whose competitive career began at the Bassmaster College Series level.
“He taught me a lot about breaking down a new lake because neither of us had fished there before,” said Cherry.
Elite Series pro Paul Mueller and Brooks Anderson took second with 7-6. Anderson, a senior at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy in Marietta, Ga., covered the lake from end to end.
“What he taught me was how to use electronics to find offshore bass,” said Anderson. “I had never done that before, and offshore fishing is my weakness.”
The team used a variety of crankbaits, all fished on hard bottom, with much of their time spent with a rotation at the dam.
Qualification criteria for All-American underscores the prestige and popularity of the program. More than 300 applications nominating students in grades 10-12 were submitted from 33 states. Of those, 49 were chosen as Bassmaster All-State anglers. After reviewing tournament resumes, conservation efforts, community service activities and recommendations from coaches and school officials, a panel of judges representing the sportfishing industry, media and conservation groups further narrowed the field to the Top 12 high school anglers in the country.
While a senior at Headland High School, Cherry secured five wins, including Bassmaster High School Classic champion, as well as three Top 5 finishes and six Top 20 finishes in high school events. Cherry earned the angler of the year title in the East Alabama High School Bass Trail twice and has been ranked in the Top 5 in the Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation Angler of the Year standings three times in the last four years. Cherry also fishes in adult tournaments and ranked in the Top 20 in the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship this tournament season, as well as winning the Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation State Championship in 2018 as a co-angler.
Cherry dedicates much of his time to teaching others about fishing and introducing them to the sport. He has helped raise over $50,000 for the Headland Bass Team over the duration of his six years as a member and has volunteered 200 hours with Wired Ministries.
On Friday, students from a local elementary school attended a fishing clinic taught by the All-American anglers. Following the clinic, the All-Americans attended an awards banquet, where they received commemorative tournament jerseys, a Texas Parks & Wildlife state fishing license, and a $150 gift card from Academy Sports + Outdoors for a shopping spree. All events were held at the store in Greenville.
2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster High School All-American Bass Tournament
Final Standings
Aaron Cherry - Brett Preuett 7-15
Tucker Smith - Robbie Latuso 5-4
Jackson Swisher - Shane LeHew 3-14
Brooks Anderson - Paul Mueller 7-6
Jackson Kulijof - Dale Hightower 4-7
Easton Fothergill - Harvey Horne 2-14
Lake Norsworthy - Quentin Cappo 3-8
Carson Palmer - Mike Huff 4-15
Dylan Fogarty - Austin Felix 3-14
Drake Hemby - Tyler Carriere 3-5
Matthew Vandagriff - Shane Lineberger 6-7
Tyler Cory - Jesse Tacoronte 3-0
Bethel University angler Huff Wins Toyota Series Event on Table Rock Lake
Ava Pro Wins by 3-pound, 2-ounce margin, Earns $32,552
BRANSON, Mo. (Nov. 8, 2020) – Toyota Series angler Cody Huff of Ava, Missouri, who also competes on the Abu Garcia College Fishing circuit for Bethel University, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 6 ounces to win the three-day Toyota Series at Table Rock Lake tournament in Branson, Missouri. Huff’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 46-4 earned him the win by a 3-pound, 2-ounce margin over second-place angler Jason Lieblong of Conway, Arkansas, and earned Huff the top payout of $32,552 in the third and final regular-season tournament of the 2020 Toyota Series Plains Division.
“This tournament was one I didn’t know I was going to win,” Huff said. “Honestly, I thought about not fishing – I knew I wasn’t going to get much practice, but it’s on my home pond and I kinda hated to not be out there.”
After just a few short hours of practice earlier this week, Huff said he stumbled on his winning pattern and knew it would be something the majority of anglers wouldn’t do – hunt down suspended fish in the middle of creeks.
Targeting suspended fish relating to schools of bait is something Huff is more than familiar with – especially on Table Rock. It’s how he won on Toledo Bend earlier this year, so when he realized the fish were positioned in places he normally targets in the winter, he said he knew it was game on.
“Most of the fish I caught this week were in creeks and if you could find one that had a really deep, defined ditch it was perfect,” Huff explained. “We got that big rain last week and I think that water coming in made those shad move to the backs of the creeks. As the water quit running in, it seemed like the shad were making their way back out to the main lake.
“I’m really glad this tournament wasn’t a couple more days because I caught them off all new stuff. I scrapped everything I had around 10 or 11 on Saturday and just had to go fishing.”
Huff said his primary pattern was dropping a chrome blue No. 9 Rapala Jigging Rap on a 6-foot, 8-inch medium-heavy Johnny Morris Signature Series rod with 12-pound fluorocarbon line down to fish he saw on his electronics.
“That was the key to getting bigger bites on the first two days, especially for bigger largemouths sitting in 40 to 70 feet of water over anywhere from 50 to 100 feet from Indian Point down to the dam,” Huff continued. “Once I’d drop on a group of bass, it didn’t take long for them to eat if they were going to. A hop or two at most was all it took to trigger them, and oftentimes they’d pounce on it as soon as it got to them.”
On the final day, Huff weighed all smallmouths and said he had to completely switch away from the Jigging Rap, but still focused on suspended fish.
“The fish weren’t where they were supposed to be Saturday and instead of looking for new fish I wanted to figure out where they went,” said the Bethel University angler. “I never found the largemouth, but when I got farther out I found some smallmouth suspended only 10 feet under the surface over 100 feet. I made long casts to them with a little swimbait and they ate that thing. It was a lot of fun once I figured it out.”
Huff said he is now looking ahead to his next big tournament – the Toyota Series Championship on Lake Cumberland.
“I’m excited about that one,” Huff said of the Championship, which comes with a $235,000 top prize. “I think it’ll kinda set up in my wheelhouse. It’s one I’ve been looking forward to all year.”
Even with the next tournament already on his mind, Huff said he is going to cherish this season, even if it takes a minute to sink in.
“It’s just crazy and kind of surreal. You don’t really realize it until you get home and look at the wall at the trophy sitting there and realize, ‘I actually pulled that off.’
“The big factor for me this week was the weather. If we would have had some nasty weather there would have been some big bags caught on a spinnerbait and stuff just beating the bank. I was super lucky the weather cooperated, and I didn’t lose any – It was just meant to be.”
The top 10 pros on Table Rock Lake finished:
1st: Cody Huff of Ava, Mo., 15 bass, 46-4, $32,552
2nd: Jason Lieblong of Conway, Ark., 15 bass, 43-2, $13,233
3rd: Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 39-12, $9,316
4th: Lawson Hibdon of Versailles, Mo., 15 bass, 39-1, $7,763
5th: Corey Cook of Lebanon, Mo., 12 bass, 35-9, $6,987
6th: Cole Breeden of Eldridge, Mo., 15 bass, 35-7, $6,210
7th: Aaron Hodge of Harrison, Ark., 15 bass, 35-3, $5,434
8th: Nicky Parsons of West Fork, Ark., 12 bass, 27-9, $4,658
9th: Blake Edwards of Springfield, Mo., 10 bass, 25-14, $3,881
10th: Mike Casada of Stearns, Ky., nine bass, 22-4, $3,105
A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Lieblong took home an extra $1,000 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Adam Caldwell of Springfield, Missouri, won the Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of nine bass weighing 23 pounds, 8 ounces. Caldwell took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.
The top 10 co-anglers on theTable Rock Lake finished:
1st: Adam Caldwell of Springfield, Mo., nine bass, 23-8, Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat w/115-hp outboard
2nd: Steven Meador of Bentonville, Ark., nine bass, 21-8, $3,971
3rd: Mason Champman of Lake Quivira, Kan., eight bass, 16-12, $3,177
4th: Ray Larson of Springfield, Ill., seven bass, 15-4, $2,779
5th: Matt Krekovich of Granite City, Ill., six bass, 13-2, $2,382
6th: Dennis Meyere of Branson West, Mo., four bass, 12-1, $1,985
7th: Kit Lueg of Stilwell, Kan., five bass, 12-0, $1,588
8th: Grayson Sanders of Hillsboro, Texas, five bass, 11-3, $1,390
9th: Jeff Moss of Oronogo, Mo., five bass, 10-11, $1,191
10th: James Boston of Collinsville, Okla., four bass, 10-7, $993
The Toyota Series at Table Rock Lake was hosted by Explore Branson. It was the third and final tournament in 2020 for Plains Division anglers. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will take place on Dec. 3-5 – the 2020 Toyota Series Championship at Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
Walters Builds Huge Lake Fork Lead
Patrick Walters, of Summerville, S.C., is leading after Day 3 of the 2020 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department on Lake Fork with a three-day total of 82 pounds, 2 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
November 7, 2020
QUITMAN, Texas — Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., was worried all day that he was falling behind, but his massive Day 3 limit of 29 pounds, 6 ounces extended his lead at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department with a tournament total of 82-2.
“I feel like I started dragging after about 12 o’clock or 1:30; I start catching squeakers, everybody starts leaving and I’m thinking, ‘Somebody has 40 pounds,’” Walters said. “That’s the feeling here at Lake Fork; that you can never catch enough fish because (big ones) live here and you have to catch as much and as fast as you possibly can.
“Honestly, I thought the tournament was slipping away from me. I’m not kidding; that feeling was in the back of my mind. I was fishing as hard as I could until I had to leave around 2:53.”
After placing second on Day 1 with 25-14, Walters took over the Day 2 lead by adding 26-14. Today’s limit — the event’s biggest catch — sends him into Championship Sunday with a 25-pound lead over Ed Loughran of Richmond, Va.
Walters started his day with a 9-pound, 1-ounce fish at 7 a.m. A trio of fish in the 5-pound range and one just under 5 completed his bag.
“Words cannot describe how this week has been,” Walters said. “You can’t explain it. When it’s your time, it’s your time. I had a decent practice, but the biggest I caught was 3 1/2 pounds.
“When I went back to my main area (on competition days), they just kept getting bigger. God has truly blessed me this week.”
Committed to a pattern he identified in practice, Walters is targeting standing timber. That, alone, is nothing revolutionary, but he’s fishing specific scenarios in which fish position in certain depths for feeding.
“When they get in that right depth, they’re catchable,” Walters said.
Using a trio of jerkbaits from Rapala, Duo Realis and Megabass, Walters varied his offerings to show the fish different looks. Each bait had a different action, but he also varied his colors.
“I’m starting out with an opaque color — a shad looking one — and as the sun gets up, I’m going to a shinier color,” Walters said. “When they stop hitting that, I switch back over. Staying in tune with the fish is probably the biggest thing.”
Walters noted that he struggled with short strikes — noncommittal bites. He remedied this by removing his bait’s center treble and replacing the stock size 6 trebles on the front and rear with larger size 4 hooks.
Massive Lake Fork weights are expected in spring events, as spawning movements bring the giants into the more accessible shallows. Fall fish are usually more scattered, so fourth-quarter events offer less concentrated opportunities.
Nevertheless, with one day of competition remaining, Walters is flirting with the Century Club — 100 pounds in a 4-day event. Statistically, he’s on track to easily reach that mark, but he said he is going to spend Day 4 specifically targeting Lake Fork giants.
“I’ve been moving around and leaving the big fish spots and trying to find where they’re biting, but I’m going to stay on them as hard as I can tomorrow,” Walters said. “We’re definitely going out there with maximum pressure tomorrow.
“That is the goal; Century Club Belt and an Elite Series win — those two side by side. We’re not letting up tomorrow. If it bites, we’re gonna set the hook on it.”
Loughran remains in second place with 57-2. On Day 1, he placed fifth with 21-13 and moved into second yesterday with 19-12. Loughran added 15-9 today.
“I caught a limit fishing docks and about noon, I went to an area with timber on a creek channel edge that (fellow Elite) Derek Hudnall suggested I go to,” Loughran said. “I caught a 3 1/2-pounder and that gave me 10 1/2 pounds.
“I said to my cameraman, ‘This just looks like the kind of place where I should catch a big one.’ A couple of casts later, I caught a 7-pounder.”
Loughran caught his fish on a 3/8-ounce ChatterBait with a Missile Baits Shockwave trailer and a drop shot with a Missile Baits Fuse and Quiver worm.
Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas is in third with 57-1. Consistently fishing big ridges with a chartreuse/blue Strike King 6XD, Combs placed 39th on Day 1 with 11-7, and followed with limits of 23-14 and 21-12.
“I did the same thing (each day); I fished the same spots and spent the same amount of time on them,” Combs said. “I don’t know what went wrong the first day. In practice, I wasn’t getting many bites, but they were quality.
“Somehow I timed it wrong the first day. Since then, it’s still been tough. I caught 11 today, 11 yesterday and 10 the first day.”
Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., is in the lead for Toyota Tundra Big Bass honors with his 9-9.
Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas won the Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year title with 680 points, while David Mullins of Mt. Carmel, Tenn., finished second with 677. Walters is currently in third with 669, Brock Mosley of Collinsville, Miss., is fourth with 667 and Jake Whitaker of Fairview, N.C., is fifth with 663.
Austin Felix of Eden Prairie, Minn., won the Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year title.
Sunday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:40 a.m. CT at Sabine River Authority (SRA) — Lake Fork. The weigh-in will be held back at the SRA — Lake Fork at 3 p.m.
Live coverage of the event will start at 8 a.m. on Bassmaster.com and ESPN3. Additional live coverage of Championship Sunday will also be aired live on ESPN2. Check local listings for details.
The tournament is being hosted by the Sabine River Authority and Wood County Economic Development Commission.
2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Yamaha
2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Carhartt, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Mossy Oak Fishing, Rapala
2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Conservation Partners: AFTCO, Huk
2020 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest Local Hosts: Sabine River Authority, Wood County Economic Development Commission
About B.A.S.S.
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The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, new Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX presented by Abu Garcia and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic.
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Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest Video Highlights (For media use. Please credit B.A.S.S.)
Media Contact: Emily Harley, B.A.S.S. Communications Manager, 205-313-0945, eharley@bassmaster.com
2020 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department 11/5-11/8
Lake Fork, Emory TX.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 15 82-02 100
Day 1: 5 25-14 Day 2: 5 26-14 Day 3: 5 29-06
2. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 15 57-02 99
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 19-12 Day 3: 5 15-09
3. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 15 57-01 98
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 23-14 Day 3: 5 21-12
4. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 13 53-10 97
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 24-12 Day 3: 3 12-11
5. Jay Yelas Lincoln City, OR 15 52-11 96
Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 19-02 Day 3: 5 14-07
6. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 15 52-06 95
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 5 19-07
7. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 13 52-00 94
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 3 16-07 Day 3: 5 21-09
8. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 15 49-13 93
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 16-00 Day 3: 5 14-00
9. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 14 49-10 92
Day 1: 4 09-01 Day 2: 5 14-07 Day 3: 5 26-02
10. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 12 49-10 91
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 2 05-03 Day 3: 5 24-15
11. Seth Feider New Market, MN 14 48-04 90 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-04 Day 2: 5 13-15 Day 3: 4 11-01
12. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 15 48-04 89 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 20-07 Day 3: 5 15-08
13. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 14 47-11 88 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 4 13-09 Day 3: 5 16-03
14. Buddy Gross Chickamauga, GA 14 47-09 87 $15,000.00
Day 1: 4 09-08 Day 2: 5 25-03 Day 3: 5 12-14
15. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 15 47-06 86 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-03 Day 2: 5 15-01 Day 3: 5 12-02
16. John Cox Debary, FL 15 46-12 85 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-14 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 10-01
17. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 11 46-06 84 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 29-04 Day 2: 3 07-00 Day 3: 3 10-02
18. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 12 45-14 83 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 23-07 Day 3: 2 04-12
19. Derek Hudnall Denham Springs, LA 14 44-07 82 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 4 11-10
20. Rob Digh Denver, NC 14 43-14 81 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 4 12-06 Day 3: 5 14-03
21. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 15 43-10 80 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 14-12 Day 3: 5 13-06
22. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 15 43-08 79 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 11-11 Day 3: 5 18-06
23. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 12 41-11 78 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 2 10-03 Day 3: 5 17-14
24. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 15 41-08 77 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 10-12 Day 3: 5 15-15
25. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 15 41-02 76 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 12-12 Day 3: 5 11-04
26. Greg DiPalma Millville, NJ 11 41-01 75 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-09 Day 2: 5 16-00 Day 3: 1 02-08
27. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 11 38-09 74 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 4 12-01 Day 3: 2 06-07
28. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 14 38-05 73 $112,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 14-06 Day 3: 4 07-04
29. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 13 37-13 72 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 3 06-00 Day 3: 5 14-09
30. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 15 37-07 71 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 16-00 Day 3: 5 10-12
31. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 12 34-13 70 $11,000.00
Day 1: 2 06-04 Day 2: 5 17-05 Day 3: 5 11-04
32. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 14 34-10 69 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 12-02 Day 3: 4 09-07
33. Wes Logan Springville, AL 13 34-10 68 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 3 09-02 Day 3: 5 12-13
34. Destin DeMarion Grove City, PA 12 31-10 67 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 3 08-10 Day 3: 4 10-12
35. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 12 30-12 66 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 12-00 Day 3: 2 09-01
36. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 30-00 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 0 00-00
37. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 13 29-02 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 5 13-08 Day 3: 3 06-14
38. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 27-11 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 3 05-15
39. Frank Talley Temple, TX 7 27-01 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 05-02 Day 2: 4 15-02 Day 3: 1 06-13
40. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 9 23-13 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 3 07-06 Day 3: 1 01-09
Walters Targets Timber For Lake Fork Lead
Patrick Walters, of Summerville, S.C., is leading after Day 2 of the 2020 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department on Lake Fork with a two-day total of 52 pounds, 12 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
November 6, 2020
QUITMAN, Texas — Patrick Walters said he believes there are fish on every piece of standing timber in Lake Fork, but dialing in the right scenario allowed him to take the Day 2 lead at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department with a total of 52 pounds, 12 ounces.
Walters positioned himself well on Day 1 with a second-place limit of 25-14 and trailed Rick Clunn by 3-6. Adding 26-14 today, the Summerville, S.C., angler carries a lead of 11-3 into Semifinal Saturday.
Returning to the standing timber he fished on Day 1, Walters enjoyed a fast start with a limit of 18-15 by about 8:30. His second catch, a 6-1, got his day going in the right direction.
“That made me feel pretty good, catching that 6-1 first thing; it was like, ‘Okay, they’re still here and they’ll still bite,’” Walters said. “I was worried that the big fish just bit yesterday because of weather or something, so I had no idea what I was going to be able to catch.
“It was good to know they would bite again today. Yesterday, I caught a 4-pounder off that same tree where I caught the 6-1 today.”
Walters said that amid the fields of standing timber, he’s looking for a particular type of structure. He declined to elaborate but noted that the right spots also held bait schools. Finding the fish positioned at the right feeding depth meant it was game-on.
“I also checked some of my other areas that I found in practice,” Walters said. “Everywhere on this entire lake has fish. When you set the boat down, there are fish there. You just have to figure out how to catch them.
“I just needed to expand to make sure I wasn’t missing a better area. You don’t know where the bite’s at, so you have to keep putting your feelers out.”
Walters caught his fish on a Rapala Shadow Rap, complemented by Duo Realis and Megabass jerkbaits. Each one had a role to play, based on bait action, depth and sky conditions.
“You have to show them the buffet,” Walters said. “These fish in Texas like to eat, but they’re very picky at the hog trough.
“You have to let the fish do the talking. When that bait’s right, they’re going to eat it. When it’s not right, they’ll just follow it.”
Walters noted that a lot of his fish weren’t eating the bait well; they were just swatting at it. Around 1 o’clock, this noncommittal behavior created a tense moment when a lengthy fight ended with Walters boating a 5-10 that was skin-hooked on the top of the head by a single treble hook barb.
“At that point, I really needed a good cull, so I went into the back of a pocket where I had some good ones follow my bait in practice,” Walters said. “I saw that fish (on my electronics) and she started chasing my bait. Today, they’d chase the bait for 30 feet and then they’d just turn down.
“I was just working it, working it, working it and at the last minute she grabbed it. I saw it was skin-hooked — and I’ve lost several fish on treble hooks — so it had me worried.”
Ed Loughran of Richmond, Va., is in second place with 41-9. Improving from fifth, he added 19-12 to his Day 1 weight of 21-13. Loughran said he did most of his work after noon.
“I had one fish for 1 1/2 pounds at 12:30 and I was going down a row of docks where another angler had just left,” Loughran said. “I know what the other angler does, so I went over to a dock where I had a fish in practice and threw something a little different and caught a 5-pounder about 3 minutes after he left.”
Knowing he had likely made the Top-40 cut, Loughran decided to finish out his day in an area where he’d caught several big fish. A 30-minute flurry produced a 6-pounder, a 5 and a 3.
Loughran caught his fish on a 3/8-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait JackHammer with a Missile Baits Shockwave Trailer, as well as a drop shot with a Missile Baits Fuse.
Chad Pipkens of Lansing, Mich., is in third place with 41-2. After placing 13th on Day 1 with 17-11, Pipkens landed 23-7 today. Starting on a large timber flat in 14 to 17 feet that he called a “feeding place,” Pipkens caught a 6-8 on his third cast.
“Yesterday, I went to this place with about an hour left and in 10 casts caught a 2-pounder, a 4-pounder, a 5-pounder and lost one over 6,” Pipkens said. “Today, I started there and then went shallow. I came back later in the day, but nothing. I came back 40 minutes later and caught three big ones.”
Pipkens caught one of his fish flipping shallow cover. The rest, he caught on crankbaits.
Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., is in the lead for Toyota Tundra Big Bass honors with his 9-9 caught on Day 1.
Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, leads the Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year standings with 689 points, while David Mullins of Mt. Carmel, Tenn., follows in second with 677. Walters is third with 669, Jake Whitaker of Fairview, N.C., is fourth with 668 and Austin Felix of Eden Prairie, Minn., is fifth with 651.
Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:40 a.m. CT at Sabine River Authority (SRA) — Lake Fork. The weigh-in will be held back at the SRA — Lake Fork at 3 p.m.
2020 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department 11/5-11/8
Lake Fork, Emory TX.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 10 52-12 100
Day 1: 5 25-14 Day 2: 5 26-14
2. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 10 41-09 99
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 19-12
3. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 10 41-02 98
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 23-07
4. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 10 40-15 97
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 24-12
5. Greg DiPalma Millville, NJ 10 38-09 96
Day 1: 5 22-09 Day 2: 5 16-00
6. Jay Yelas Lincoln City, OR 10 38-04 95
Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 19-02
7. Seth Feider New Market, MN 10 37-03 94
Day 1: 5 23-04 Day 2: 5 13-15
8. John Cox Debary, FL 10 36-11 93
Day 1: 5 20-14 Day 2: 5 15-13
9. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 8 36-04 92
Day 1: 5 29-04 Day 2: 3 07-00
10. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 10 35-13 91
Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 16-00
11. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 35-05 90
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 23-14
12. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 10 35-04 89
Day 1: 5 20-03 Day 2: 5 15-01
13. Buddy Gross Chickamauga, GA 9 34-11 88
Day 1: 4 09-08 Day 2: 5 25-03
14. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 10 32-15 87
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 15-10
15. Derek Hudnall Denham Springs, LA 10 32-13 86
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 17-00
16. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 32-12 85
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 20-07
17. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 9 32-02 84
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 4 12-01
18. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 9 31-08 83
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 4 13-09
19. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 10 31-01 82
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 14-06
20. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 8 30-07 81
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 3 16-07
21. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 10 30-04 80
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 14-12
22. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 30-00 79
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 14-13
23. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 10 29-14 78
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 12-12
24. Rob Digh Denver, NC 9 29-11 77
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 4 12-06
25. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 26-11 76
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 16-00
26. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 10 25-09 75
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 10-12
27. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 10 25-03 74
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 12-02
28. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 10 25-02 73
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 11-11
29. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 7 24-11 72
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 2 05-03
30. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 7 23-13 71
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 2 10-03
31. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 7 23-09 70
Day 1: 2 06-04 Day 2: 5 17-05
32. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 9 23-08 69
Day 1: 4 09-01 Day 2: 5 14-07
33. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 8 23-04 68
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 3 06-00
34. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 8 22-04 67
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 3 07-06
35. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 22-04 66
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 5 13-08
36. Wes Logan Springville, AL 8 21-13 65
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 3 09-02
37. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 7 21-12 64
Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 5 17-03
38. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 10 21-11 63
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 12-00
39. Destin DeMarion Grove City, PA 8 20-14 62
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 3 08-10
40. Frank Talley Temple, TX 6 20-04 61
Day 1: 2 05-02 Day 2: 4 15-02
41. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 7 20-03 60 $8,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 2 05-05
42. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 10 20-03 59 $8,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 10-10
43. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 8 20-01 58 $8,000.00
Day 1: 3 06-10 Day 2: 5 13-07
44. Chris Johnston Peterborough Ontario CA 7 20-01 57 $8,000.00
Day 1: 4 10-12 Day 2: 3 09-05
45. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 7 19-11 56 $8,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 2 03-11
46. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 8 19-03 55 $8,000.00
Day 1: 4 07-15 Day 2: 4 11-04
47. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 19-01 54 $8,000.00
Day 1: 3 10-06 Day 2: 2 08-11
48. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 7 18-13 53 $8,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 2 05-03
49. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 7 18-12 52 $8,000.00
Day 1: 2 07-13 Day 2: 5 10-15
50. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 6 18-11 51 $8,000.00
Day 1: 2 08-00 Day 2: 4 10-11
51. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 7 18-09 50 $6,000.00
Day 1: 2 03-09 Day 2: 5 15-00
52. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 7 18-06 49 $6,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 2 05-11
53. Randy Pierson Oakdale, CA 8 18-05 48 $6,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 3 08-01
54. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 8 17-11 47 $6,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 3 05-08
55. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 6 17-04 46 $6,000.00
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 5 15-05
56. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 9 16-12 45 $6,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 4 07-08
57. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 5 16-07 44 $6,000.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 16-07
58. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 5 15-12 43 $6,000.00
Day 1: 1 01-09 Day 2: 4 14-03
59. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 5 15-09 42 $6,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
60. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 8 15-08 41 $6,000.00
Day 1: 3 08-13 Day 2: 5 06-11
61. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 6 14-15 40 $5,000.00
Day 1: 2 07-05 Day 2: 4 07-10
62. Bob Downey Hudson, WI 7 14-08 39 $5,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 2 03-00
63. Cody Hollen Beaverton, OR 7 14-04 38 $5,000.00
Day 1: 4 06-12 Day 2: 3 07-08
64. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 6 13-10 37 $5,000.00
Day 1: 4 10-05 Day 2: 2 03-05
65. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 4 13-00 36 $5,000.00
Day 1: 2 07-01 Day 2: 2 05-15
66. Jesse Tacoronte Kissimmee, FL 6 12-15 35 $5,000.00
Day 1: 4 08-12 Day 2: 2 04-03
67. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 7 12-10 34 $5,000.00
Day 1: 2 04-05 Day 2: 5 08-05
68. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 6 12-08 33 $5,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 1 01-15
69. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 6 12-02 32 $5,000.00
Day 1: 3 06-05 Day 2: 3 05-13
70. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 11-11 31 $5,000.00
Day 1: 3 04-09 Day 2: 2 07-02
71. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 5 11-07 30 $3,200.00
Day 1: 2 03-01 Day 2: 3 08-06
72. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 5 10-08 29 $3,200.00
Day 1: 4 08-01 Day 2: 1 02-07
73. Quentin Cappo Prairieville, LA 4 09-04 28 $3,200.00
Day 1: 2 03-06 Day 2: 2 05-14
74. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 3 09-01 27 $3,200.00
Day 1: 3 09-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
75. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 4 09-00 26 $3,200.00
Day 1: 2 03-10 Day 2: 2 05-06
76. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 4 08-15 25 $3,200.00
Day 1: 2 06-09 Day 2: 2 02-06
77. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 1 08-12 24 $3,200.00
Day 1: 1 08-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
78. David Fritts Lexington, NC 2 08-03 23 $3,200.00
Day 1: 2 08-03 Day 2: 0 00-00
79. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 4 07-13 22 $3,200.00
Day 1: 3 06-11 Day 2: 1 01-02
80. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 3 05-15 21 $3,200.00
Day 1: 2 04-07 Day 2: 1 01-08
81. Mike Huff Corbin, KY 2 05-09 20 $3,200.00
Day 1: 2 05-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
82. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 2 04-10 19 $3,200.00
Day 1: 2 04-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
83. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 2 03-03 18 $3,200.00
Day 1: 1 01-12 Day 2: 1 01-07
84. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 2 03-01 17 $3,200.00
Day 1: 1 01-06 Day 2: 1 01-11
85. Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 1 01-03 16 $3,200.00
Day 1: 1 01-03 Day 2: 0 00-00
Pickwick Lake To Host B.A.S.S. Nation Championship Nov. 11-13
Alabama’s Pickwick Lake will host the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship Nov. 11-13, 2020.
Photo by Ronnie Moore/B.A.S.S.
FLORENCE, Ala. — Grass-roots anglers from around the country will take to the waters of Pickwick Lake to compete for one of three berths into the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic during the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship Nov. 11-13, 2020.
Pickwick Lake bass will be gorging on threadfin and gizzard shad during the Nation Championship, according to Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brandon Lester.
The Tennessee angler believes the best lures to throw will be shad imitators like squarebill crankbaits, bladed jigs, spinnerbaits and swimbaits. Bass will likely be in 2 to 10 feet of water.
Lester suggests the tournament could be won on either end of the lake. “On the upper end of the lake you can fish the Wilson Dam tailrace in the headwaters of Pickwick,” he said. “There is a real good chance that is where it will be won because at this time of the year there are big smallmouth and big largemouth up there. If I was fishing the tournament that’s probably where I would spend a lot of my practice time.” However Lester suggests competitors could win if they find “a good concentration of big largemouth” feeding in some of the creeks on the lower end.
The tailrace could receive a lot of pressure in three days of competition, but Lester believes it still can produce a winner. “That tailrace is a hard deal to dial in, but if somebody really gets it dialed in those fish there will replenish,” he said. “The bass sit on very isolated little places, and if you catch what is there one day there will be some more there the next day. Those places replenish because the fish sit on those little feeding spots and when they are there they are there to feed.”
The local expert warns championship contenders to be careful navigating in the tailrace area because of submerged boulders. “You will tear your boat up if you don’t know what you are doing,” Lester said. “That is the land of the giants.”
Lester predicts the tournament could be won with all largemouth, all smallmouth or a mixed bag. “There is a good population of each in the lake, and that time of year it could go either way,” he said.
The contenders can expect to catch some quality bass during the championship. “It should be late enough in the fall that some of the fish have already started to put some weight on,” Lester said. “There should be a few 20-pound bags mixed in there, but don’t expect it to be a slugfest like if it was in March when you would see 24- and 25-pound bags.”
Takeoff is held at 6 a.m. CT from McFarland Park with weigh-ins held back at the park each day at 2 p.m.
The full field in both the pro and co-angler divisions fish the first two days. The co-angler champion will be crowned Thursday afternoon, but their work won’t be done. That winner will compete with the Top 10 pros on Championship Friday, as will the top two pros from each region who failed to make the Top 10 cut. Friday’s field also will include any co-angler who had enough weight to have finished in the Top 10 in the pro division.
The tournament is being hosted by Visit Florence.
Clunn Gets Specific For Lake Fork Lead
Rick Clunn, of Ava, Mo., is leading after Day 1 of the 2020 Toyota Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department on Lake Fork with 29 pounds, 4 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
November 5, 2020
QUITMAN, Texas — A highly specific presentation plus one key bite gave Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo., the Day 1 lead at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on Lake Fork with 29 pounds, 4 ounces.
Spending his day in the mid- to lower-lake region, Clunn targeted docks with an Ichikawa Rick Clunn RC King Kong Shad 10 squarebill. He found one particular structure most productive and relied on a specific undisclosed presentation.
“I fished several docks, but I caught all but one of my (limit fish) off of one dock,” Clunn said. “I found this dock in practice and it had a lot of fish holding in front of it. Today, I pulled up there and I did not see those fish, but I guess they were there.
“You can throw at that dock all day and if you’re not doing it exactly right, you’re not going to catch them,” he said. “I can fish behind three other boats and if they’re not doing (what I’m doing), I’m going to catch fish.”
Midday delivered an unexpected opportunity that propelled Clunn into the lead. Moving to another spot, he passed a round, sandy point that looked appealing enough to merit a few casts with a different reaction bait. One of them tempted an 8-9 largemouth, which stands as the day’s second-largest fish.
“I caught that big one trying to find other places,” Clunn said. “That was just one of those gift fish. I don’t even know where he came from and I couldn’t duplicate the cast.
“In practice, I was catching a few fish late in the day off of stuff like that. Most of the fish I caught, I caught them where I was expecting to catch them. But I didn’t expect to catch that one.”
Noting that Fork’s tremendous number of quality fish justifies its trophy lake reputation, Clunn said he caught about 15 keepers today, but his three big bites (8-9, 6-6 and a 5-9) were the difference-makers.
“This lake is so full of fish, you’re fishing over a thousand to catch one,” he said. “The key here is you have to get those two key bites to get you up over that 20-pound mark.”
Clunn said he plans on fishing a similar game plan on Day 2. He’s confident he’s around plenty of fish, but he said today’s bag was surprising.
“I didn’t expect to catch 29 pounds,” Clunn said. “The thing about the fall is that fish are finicky. But I’m doing something I like to do. This is Act I of a four-act play. Tomorrow’s Act II, so we’ll see what happens.”
Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., is in second place with 25-14. Fishing main-lake standing timber in about 20 feet, Walters described his area as fairly obvious. The key, he said, is finding the fish in the right depths for feeding.
“When they’re shallower than 10 and they’re not sitting in 20, or they’re not on the bottom, you can catch them,” Walters said. “There are fish on every inch of this lake, but when you find them in the right position, you can catch them.
“You want to find the bait, but there are certain pieces of structure and when you find it, it is usually the recipe for a good time.”
Walters said he caught his fish on a variety of baits including a big spinnerbait, a jerkbait, crankbait, dropshot and a big Texas-rigged worm.
Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., is in third place with 23-4. He caught his two best fish — a 9-9 and a 5-2 — on a Rapala OG flat-sided crankbait fished over a long, flat point in 4 to 6 feet of water.
“I started on a point where I’d caught three keepers in 18 feet of water in practice,” Feider said. “I wasn’t catching anything, but it was cloudy so I kept sliding up that point and caught those two in shallow water.”
Feider filled out his limit by throwing a 1/2-ounce Z-Man JackHammer ChatterBait with a Z-Man Razor ShadZ trailer.
Feider is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 9-9.
Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, leads the Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year standings with 690 points, while David Mullins of Mt. Carmel, Tenn., follows in second with 681. Minnesota pro Austin Felix is in third with 677, Walters is fourth with 688 and Brock Mosley of Collinsville, Miss., is fifth with 667.
Felix leads the Rookie of the Year standings.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:40 a.m. CT at Sabine River Authority (SRA) — Lake Fork. The weigh-in will be held back at the SRA — Lake Fork at 3 p.m.
Live coverage of the event will start at 8 a.m. on Bassmaster.com and ESPN3.
The tournament is being hosted by the Sabine River Authority and Wood County Economic Development Commission.
2020 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department 11/5-11/8
Lake Fork, Emory TX.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 29-04 100
Day 1: 5 29-04
2. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 5 25-14 99
Day 1: 5 25-14
3. Seth Feider New Market, MN 5 23-04 98
Day 1: 5 23-04
4. Greg DiPalma Millville, NJ 5 22-09 97
Day 1: 5 22-09
5. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 5 21-13 96
Day 1: 5 21-13
6. John Cox Debary, FL 5 20-14 95
Day 1: 5 20-14
7. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 5 20-03 94
Day 1: 5 20-03
8. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 5 20-01 93
Day 1: 5 20-01
9. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 5 19-13 92
Day 1: 5 19-13
10. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 19-08 91
Day 1: 5 19-08
11. Jay Yelas Lincoln City, OR 5 19-02 90
Day 1: 5 19-02
12. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 5 17-15 89
Day 1: 5 17-15
13. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 17-11 88
Day 1: 5 17-11
14. Rob Digh Denver, NC 5 17-05 87
Day 1: 5 17-05
14. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 5 17-05 87
Day 1: 5 17-05
16. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 5 17-04 85
Day 1: 5 17-04
17. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 5 17-02 84
Day 1: 5 17-02
18. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 5 16-11 83
Day 1: 5 16-11
19. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 16-03 82
Day 1: 5 16-03
20. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 16-00 81
Day 1: 5 16-00
21. Derek Hudnall Denham Springs, LA 5 15-13 80
Day 1: 5 15-13
22. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 5 15-09 79
Day 1: 5 15-09
23. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 5 15-08 78
Day 1: 5 15-08
24. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 15-03 77
Day 1: 5 15-03
25. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 5 14-14 76
Day 1: 5 14-14
25. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 5 14-14 76
Day 1: 5 14-14
27. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 5 14-13 74
Day 1: 5 14-13
28. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 14-00 73
Day 1: 5 14-00
29. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 5 13-10 72
Day 1: 5 13-10
29. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 5 13-10 72
Day 1: 5 13-10
31. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 5 13-07 70
Day 1: 5 13-07
32. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 5 13-01 69
Day 1: 5 13-01
33. Wes Logan Springville, AL 5 12-11 68
Day 1: 5 12-11
33. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 5 12-11 68
Day 1: 5 12-11
35. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 12-05 66
Day 1: 5 12-05
36. Destin DeMarion Grove City, PA 5 12-04 65
Day 1: 5 12-04
37. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 5 12-03 64
Day 1: 5 12-03
38. Bob Downey Hudson, WI 5 11-08 63
Day 1: 5 11-08
39. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 11-07 62
Day 1: 5 11-07
40. Chris Johnston Peterborough Ontario CA 4 10-12 61
Day 1: 4 10-12
41. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 10-11 60
Day 1: 5 10-11
42. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 5 10-09 59
Day 1: 5 10-09
43. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 3 10-06 58
Day 1: 3 10-06
44. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 4 10-05 57
Day 1: 4 10-05
45. Randy Pierson Oakdale, CA 5 10-04 56
Day 1: 5 10-04
46. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 5 09-11 55
Day 1: 5 09-11
47. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 09-09 54
Day 1: 5 09-09
48. Buddy Gross Chickamauga, GA 4 09-08 53
Day 1: 4 09-08
49. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 09-04 52
Day 1: 5 09-04
50. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 4 09-01 51
Day 1: 4 09-01
51. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 3 09-01 50
Day 1: 3 09-01
52. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 3 08-13 49
Day 1: 3 08-13
53. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 08-12 48
Day 1: 5 08-12
54. Jesse Tacoronte Kissimmee, FL 4 08-12 47
Day 1: 4 08-12
55. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 1 08-12 46
Day 1: 1 08-12
56. David Fritts Lexington, NC 2 08-03 45
Day 1: 2 08-03
57. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 4 08-01 44
Day 1: 4 08-01
58. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 2 08-00 43
Day 1: 2 08-00
59. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 4 07-15 42
Day 1: 4 07-15
60. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 2 07-13 41
Day 1: 2 07-13
61. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 2 07-05 40
Day 1: 2 07-05
62. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 2 07-01 39
Day 1: 2 07-01
63. Cody Hollen Beaverton, OR 4 06-12 38
Day 1: 4 06-12
64. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 3 06-11 37
Day 1: 3 06-11
65. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 3 06-10 36
Day 1: 3 06-10
66. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 2 06-09 35
Day 1: 2 06-09
67. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 3 06-05 34
Day 1: 3 06-05
68. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 2 06-04 33
Day 1: 2 06-04
69. Mike Huff Corbin, KY 2 05-09 32
Day 1: 2 05-09
70. Frank Talley Temple, TX 2 05-02 31
Day 1: 2 05-02
71. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 2 04-10 30
Day 1: 2 04-10
72. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 3 04-09 29
Day 1: 3 04-09
73. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 2 04-09 28
Day 1: 2 04-09
74. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 2 04-07 27
Day 1: 2 04-07
75. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 2 04-05 26
Day 1: 2 04-05
76. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 2 03-10 25
Day 1: 2 03-10
77. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 2 03-09 24
Day 1: 2 03-09
78. Quentin Cappo Prairieville, LA 2 03-06 23
Day 1: 2 03-06
79. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 2 03-01 22
Day 1: 2 03-01
80. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 1 01-15 21
Day 1: 1 01-15
81. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 1 01-12 20
Day 1: 1 01-12
82. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 1 01-09 19
Day 1: 1 01-09
83. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 1 01-06 18
Day 1: 1 01-06
84. Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 1 01-03 17
Day 1: 1 01-03
85. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Seth Feider New Market, MN 09-09 $1,000.00
Lake Hartwell Gears Up for 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine All-American presented by TINCUP
Total Event Payout of Nearly a Half Million and Qualification Opportunities to the 2020 Toyota Series Championship Await Nation’s Best Weekend Anglers
ANDERSON, S.C. (Nov. 5, 2020) – The best weekend anglers from across the nation will come together Nov. 11-13 for the 37th annual Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine All-American presented by TINCUP on Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina. The three-day no-entry-fee event – hosted by Visit Anderson – features a boater/co-angler format, with lucrative payouts and serves as a stepping-stone for anglers to advance to the 2020 Toyota Series Championship.
The 2020 All-American will feature a field of the top 55 boaters and 55 co-anglers from across the 24-division Bass Fishing League, The Bass Federation, Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI and High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing, all competing for a grand prize of up to $120,000 in the boater division, including a lucrative $20,000 FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency award, and $50,000 in the co-angler division.
Additionally, the highest-finishing boater and co-angler from each of seven Regional Championships (including the Wild Card) at the All-American will advance to the 2020 Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 and $33,500, respectively.
Although the fishery has never hosted an All-American, Lake Hartwell has hosted numerous major bass-fishing tournaments throughout the years, providing a venue that showcases intense competition, excellent community support and high numbers of solid limits.
“There isn’t anything in Lake Hartwell that doesn’t have fish on it right now,” said Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit angler Troy Morrow of Eastanollee, Georgia, who was the 2010 All-American champion. “Everything on the fishery is going to be in play, but the fish are spread out, which means catching five quality fish may prove to be a little tricky.
“With the temperature consistently in the 60s, the winter bite won’t be in full effect, so I expect to see several different tactics – from topwater fishing in the backs of creeks to fishing in 40 foot of water on the main lake.”
Morrow said he believes versatility is the key to earning the win on this fishery, and expects the 2020 All-American champion will weigh in 13 to 14 pounds per day.
“It’s probably going to take a combination of largemouth and spotted bass to pull out the win,” Morrow said. “If the topwater bite happens, flukes and pencil poppers may come into play. I also expect to see large numbers caught fishing a drop-shot around offshore brush piles, flipping jigs and creature baits in laydowns or bushes, and a shaky-head-rig or small crankbait on intermediate points.”
All-American competitors will take off from Green Pond Landing, located at 470 Green Pond Road in Anderson, at 7:30 a.m. EST each morning, Nov. 11-13. Weigh-in will be held at the landing at 4 p.m. daily. Attendance is limited to anglers, family and essential staff. Fans are encouraged to follow the event online through the daily coverage, live blogs and photos at FLWFishing.com.
FLW Live weigh-in coverage will be streamed daily on FLWFishing.com. Television coverage of the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine All-American presented by TINCUP will premiere Jan. 2, 2021, on the Outdoor Channel, Jan. 4, 2021, on the World Fishing Network and will also be prominently featured in the FLW television series on YouTube.com/FLWFishing.
The 2020 All-American field of 55 boaters and 55 co-anglers is comprised of the top six boaters and co-anglers from each of the six Bass Fishing League Regional Championships held in 2019, along with the top six boaters and co-anglers from the 2019 Wild Card tournament. They are joined by the top boater and co-angler from each of the seven divisions at the 2020 TBF National Championship, along with both members of the second, third and fourth-place teams at the 2020 Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship presented by Lowrance, who compete as boaters. The fifth and sixth place teams from the College Fishing National Championship and the winning team from the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship compete as co-anglers.
The full field of anglers will compete on Days One and Two of the event, with the top 10 boaters and top 10 co-anglers based on cumulative weight from the first two days continuing to the third and final day. The 2020 All-American champions will be determined by the heaviest three-day total weight.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
High School Bass Class announces support from Berkley and Abu Garcia and upcoming dates
Anderson, S.C. – The High School Bass Class, a bass fishing seminar program for high school and middle school anglers, announces its new title sponsors, Berkley® and Abu Garcia®, and the 2020 seminar date, Dec. 12-13.
The newly titled Berkley Abu Garcia High School Bass Class will be back in Anderson, S.C. in December for the two-day classroom format experience. The event provides youth anglers opportunities to sharpen their skills and expand their knowledge of bass fishing through classroom instruction taught by industry leaders and professional anglers.
This year’s event will feature a keynote address from the 2020 Bassmaster Classic Champion and Berkley and Abu Garcia angler, Hank Cherry, along with general sessions and panel discussions with professional anglers and industry professionals. The unique event connects youth anglers, boat captains and fishing programs with industry representatives to provide opportunities for engagement with professionals and brands throughout the fishing industry – providing skills and conservation education and creating awareness of professional and post-graduate opportunities.
“We are excited about the explosive growth of high school anglers across the country,” said Jon Schlosser, Vice President of Marketing for Berkley and Abu Garcia. “These anglers approach this sport as they would any other athletic pursuit. Our products, and our brands, support their competitive spirit.”
Berkley and Abu Garcia are well-known names in the bass fishing industry and have previously provided in-kind support to High School Bass Class events. Signing on as the title sponsor is proof of the iconic brands’ support of the fishing community at large, and especially for youth anglers. In addition to sponsoring the High School Bass Class, Berkley and Abu Garcia operate the Student Angler Program for high school and college anglers.
“The support of major brands in the fishing industry is paramount to being able to reach youth anglers and provide the highest level of expertise in the sessions and panel discussions during the event,” said Neil Paul, co-founder of High School Bass Class. “We’re thankful for Berkley and Abu Garcia’s support and look forward to bringing this and future events to youth anglers in South Carolina and other states.”
Registration is now open for the December event, and high school and middle school anglers can register online at www.highschoolbassclass.com. The two-day event is $95 and includes a shirt, gift bag with sponsor items, a networking lunch on Saturday, dinner on Saturday night, and breakfast on Sunday morning.
Swindle can’t horse around at Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Bass fishing’s funniest man, Gerald Swindle is neighboring with a 19-year-old thoroughbred gelding named Mistic this week at Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest on Lake Fork who shows strong resemblance to Rainbow Brite’s talking horse, Starlite.
But the 2-time Bassmaster Angler of the year sits 16 points outside of making the 2021 Classic – so this is no time for horsing around.
Swindle has had a phenomenal career. He’s made 18 Bassmaster Classics, notched (55) Top 10s, and won over $2 Million dollars in prize money, but he’ll be the first to tell you 2020 hasn’t been up to his standards.
“I’ve had days this year when I felt like I fished well enough to win an AOY title, and other days when I fished my guts out and just didn’t catch ‘em the way I thought I would,” he reflects. “I’m not stressed right now, but I know I need a Top 20 this week to qualify for the Classic.”
As most fans know, the recent three Bassmaster Elite Series events at Guntersville, Santee Cooper and Chickamauga fell way short of what autumn fishing ought to be, and Swindle thinks he knows why.
“Everybody has had more free time than ever and a government stimulus check to buy a top-notch sonar unit the past eight months. They have beat on these fish to the point every 14” bass in the country has earned a Masters degree in dodging crankbaits by now,” he grins.
At Lake Fork, Swindle may still sling cranks, but not the deep variety in search of the mega-schools pros like Keith Combs made famous here.
“Look, I’ve done it all in practice. Rode around staring at my sonar screens searching for the deep magic, and I haven’t found the winning spot,” admits Swindle. “So, I’m going to do what Gerald Swindle does best, I’m going to stay shallow, fish smart, fish methodically, and hope a big one shows up each day.”
Riding the momentum of a Top 12 at a very tough Chickamauga and an honest wave of holding himself accountable for a less-than-Swindle-like year … don’t bet against him digging himself out at Toyota Texas Fest to make his 19th Bassmaster Classic.
But it will take a Seattle Slew or Secretariat kind of performance this week on Lake Fork, and nobody is up for that challenge more than Swindle.
What would James do at Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Well-respected Lake Fork guide James Caldemeyer, who also competes in Bassmaster Open events, has caught or guided his clients to over 100 bass exceeding 10-pounds the past 16 seasons. But this week he can only point at 2-pound ‘squeakers’ and smirk in a humbling moment of self-depreciation.
Think about that! Caldemeyer has been a part of 100 bass over 10-pounds being caught on Lake Fork. That’s a mind-boggling achievement to anybody who has ever lipped a largemouth.
However, this week, at least so far, big fish simply aren’t showing themselves, despite the fact they absolutely live here in a manner few reservoirs in America can rival. “If Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest had come here again in June like it was scheduled to, prior to Covid postponing it, we would have seen the same sort of mega-sacks like we saw when Brandon Cobb won in 2019,” says Caldemeyer.
“But this week we’re dealing with really cold nights and warm sunny days. Those big temperature swings seem to sort of ‘spin out’ Florida strain largemouth. Plus, we’ve got a high-pressure system, low water, a full moon, and the tail end of the fall ‘turnover’ staining-up the lake,” he explains.
Covid also caused a huge uptick in folks buying a license and going fishing as a safe and fun means of entertainment, which has led to increased fishing pressure on the famed fishery. But for the most part, fishing remained really good on Fork the past few months. And even right now, the sort of 1 and 2-pounders Caldemeyer is smirking at in the photo are fairly easy to catch – it’s the big ones that are particularly elusive.
“Big Florida bass are way smarter than most people realize,” says Caldemeyer. “If I was competing in Toyota Texas Fest this week, I’d focus on being midway back in the creeks, looking for any hydrilla and coontail vegetation I could find with shad present. Having shad around is absolutely critical to getting bit.”
Asked what lures he’d lean on most, he named a Santone swim jig, a small lipless crankbait, and a ChatterBait, and he predicts the angler who averages 19-20 pounds per day could claim victory, compared to Cobb’s crazy 28-pound daily average winning weight last year.
“I say it will take 20-pounds a day to win, but then I think about how tough it is, and I’m tempted to lower my guess to 19 or 18 pounds a day,” grins Caldemeyer.
“But look, this is Lake Fork, and things happen fast here. I’ve had days when my guide clients had a horrible morning, we go in and have lunch, go back out and catch the limit of a lifetime in the afternoon. So, don’t be shocked if all the sudden things change for the better this week,” he warns.
From sh*t sandwiches to the Bassmasters Classic
You read it right, this week's guest has had a rough year on the Bassmaster Opens trail. From gear stolen, trailer destroyed and more, Mathew Robertson has battled some demons this 2020 season but with his recent win on Cherokee he is Classic bound and one step closer to a Elite Series invite. Check it out!
Lake Fork: tougher than a game of checkers with Sumrall and Livesay
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
If you need two guys to accompany you on a five-mile jog, help you move furniture, catch you a fat largemouth, or simply share a laugh and a cold beer, you’d be wise to get ahold of Bassmaster Elite Series roommates Caleb Sumrall and Lee Livesay.
Just don’t play checkers with them.
“I still have a scar by my eyebrow from when I kicked Sumrall’s butt in checkers at Guntersville last month,” grinned Livesay over coffee at Lake Fork’s iconic Minnow Bucket.
Sure enough, the scar is still visible, but neither would confess exactly how the surface wound got there, only that checkers and laughter were involved.
The good news is, it didn’t prevent Livesay from winning $100,000 two weeks later at the Bassmaster Elite on Lake Chickamauga, and a congratulatory banner now hangs proudly on the front face of the Minnow Bucket, where Livesay met clients each morning for guided fishing trips 300 days a year.
Sumrall actually does some guiding too, but on Toledo Bend Reservoir, where flooded timber, a lack of aquatic vegetation, and the presence of trophy bass remind him of this week’s scene at Lake Fork for the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
“It’s tough, like real tough. I’d give Fork a letter grade C- right now,” says Sumrall.
Livesay is fast to confirm Sumrall isn’t sandbagging. “Caleb’s being too nice. Obviously, I love this lake. It’s been part of my life since I was 9 years old. But this week, we’ve got low water levels, no aquatic vegetation, a full moon, high pressure, and light winds – and that all equates to about a letter grade D by Lake Fork standards,” says Livesay.
Both agree that averaging 13-pounds per day on Day 1 and Day 2 of competition Thursday and Friday should be good enough for a Top 40 cut, and that squarebill cranks, ChatterBaits, spoons, and a time-proven Texas rigged worm will all play a factor.
But so far, no single lure has yielded super impressive results – to the point Livesay says at least 40 fellow pros have reached out to him for wisdom the past couple of days.
Big limits may be hard to come by at Fork this week, but the magical vibe of this 27,000-acre lake 90 minutes straight east of Dallas never ceases. Everybody knows giant bass live here – like the 13-pound 8-ounce beast Livesay once guided a client to using a Carolina Rig one magical November day.
For now, all 85 Elite Series pros can only hope for a little Lake Fork magic, and all would be wise to avoid a game of checkers with Sumrall and Livesay.
Texas Fest Offers Bassmaster Angler Of The Year Drama
Tennessee angler David Mullins is leading the 2020 Bassmaster Angler of the Year race by just five points heading into the season's last event — the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department on Lake Fork.
Photo by B.A.S.S.
November 3, 2020
QUITMAN, Texas — Three elements have come together — one planned, one unpredictable and one unforeseen — to create a perfect storm of Bassmaster Elite Series drama at Lake Fork Nov. 5-8. From Angler of the Year to Rookie of the Year to berths in the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic, a fascinating number of scenarios will be in play at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.
When the 2020 schedule was announced, it didn’t include a season-ending Angler of the Year Championship, which since 2014 had included only the Top 50 anglers in AOY points. That Top 50 format was, inadvertently, a drama-killer. It eliminated the volatility in points that occurs in all the other full-field events.
In regular season full-field events, first-place is worth 100 points and each place down the standings is worth one point less. With the current 85-man field, last place is worth 16 points, provided the angler catches at least one bass over two days. No bass, no points.
In most years there’s no way to know whether one angler will have a nearly insurmountable lead in AOY points before the season-ending event. It has happened in the past. But that’s not the case this year. David Mullins, of Mt. Carmel, Tenn., has just a five-point lead over Elite Series rookie Austin Felix, of Eden Prairie, Minn. The Top 5 anglers — Mullins, Felix, Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, Jake Whitaker of Fairview, N.C. and Kyle Welcher of Opelika, Ala. — are separated by only 31 points.
As for the Rookie of the Year race, Felix leads Welcher by 26 points. Japanese angler Taku Ito is third, 63 points behind Welcher.
Finally, there’s the unforeseen, namely the COVID-19 pandemic. The Elite Series schedule was completely reshuffled after the 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk at Lake Guntersville on March 6-8. The season-ending event in the original schedule was at Lake St. Clair on Aug. 20-23. The Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest was scheduled June 5-9, as the sixth in a nine-tournament slate.
Texas Fest has always included some bonuses bigger than the other regular-season events. First place is worth $125,000 instead of $100,000, and the angler with the biggest bass of the tournament receives a Toyota Tundra. But what can be the biggest prize for the winner, depending upon his AOY rank, is an automatic berth into the Bassmaster Classic. It seems fitting that in this crazy year, there would be a single automatic Classic berth available to every angler, no matter how far down the list he is in AOY points, in this final Elite Series event of 2020.
It is impossible to overestimate what it means for anglers to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic. Qualifying for the Classic signals a successful season for the angler, their family, sponsors and future in the sport. The Top 39 anglers in the final AOY points list qualify for the Classic. However, that number grows each season by a varying amount based on double-qualifiers.
For instance, as the 2020 Classic champion, Hank Cherry, of Lincolnton, N.C., automatically qualifies for the 2021 Classic. Cherry is currently 43rd in AOY points. If he moves inside the Top 39 Classic cut at Lake Fork, it would move the AOY list down another spot to 40.
If an angler wins Texas Fest at Lake Fork who is inside the AOY Classic cut, it would move the Classic qualifiers list down another spot to 41.
The Classic double-qualifiers grow also from the Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series winners. A Classic berth is awarded to each of the eight Opens winners.
Elite Series angler Patrick Walters, of Summerville, S.C., won September’s Bassmaster Eastern Open on Lake Hartwell. He currently ranks 11th in AOY points. A prerequisite for Classic qualification for an Opens winner is that the angler competes in all four tournaments of the division, whether Eastern or Central. Walters won’t officially be double-qualified until he competes in the final Eastern Open remaining on the schedule, but that’s a given. So the AOY Classic cut mark starts at 39, has moved to 40, and, if you count Walters, it could be 42 after Texas Fest, depending on Cherry’s AOY finish and whether the tournament winner is Classic-qualified via AOY.
There are still two Opens Series tournaments on the revised schedule — Nov. 19-21 at Texas’ Lewisville Lake and Dec. 3-5 at Alabama’s Lay Lake.
So, no matter what happens at Lake Fork, the automatic qualifiers from the final AOY points standings won’t be known until that final Eastern Open in December at Lay Lake.
But, again, with this full-field format in the final event, there will likely be several ups and downs in the AOY points race around that 40th place mark. There are infinite scenarios around the Classic cut line when only 55 points separate 35th place and 50th place, as they do now.
Thanks to a perfect storm of events, there will be more drama in an Elite Series final tournament of the year than there has ever been before.
Bassmaster LIVE will cover the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Nov. 5-8 on Bassmaster.com and ESPN3. Championship Sunday will feature additional live coverage on ESPN2. Check local listings for details.
The tournament is being hosted by the Sabine River Authority and Wood County Economic Development Commission.
Lester looking to avoid Lake Fork’s coffee colored water
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships.
Team Toyota’s Brandon Lester loves a large cup of java each morning with sugar and Italian sweet cream creamer, but he doesn’t want his bass fishing waters to resemble his morning brew.
“If you’ll notice, when lakes ‘turnover’ in the fall, they take-on a coffee color. I saw a lot of that today, and it’s probably why I only had a handful of bites,” said Lester as the sun set on the first day of practice at the Toyota Bassmaster Texasfest on Lake Fork.
Lester is referring to the natural progression of summer’s warm lake surface water becoming colder and denser. Thus, it sinks to mix with the deeper water known as the hypolimnion until water temps are pretty much the same from top to bottom.
Unfortunately, this stirring of nature’s bass fishing soup bowl causes solids that have rested on the bottom all summer to suspend and lakes take on a coffee color.
“I’m not saying you can’t catch a bass in that sort of water, but I sure haven’t ever had great luck in it,” he says. “And today, most of the Glade Creek arm was coffee colored.”
Surface temps on Fork are currently 66 to 72 degrees, and Lester says he’s not concerned about the lack of bites during the first day of practice.
“The only thing I learned today is this tournament is going to make being in the right area of the lake really important. I don’t think you’re going to be able to figure out a pattern and run it successfully in all three major creeks arms. Instead, you’re going to have to figure out the best area,” he explains.
For Lester, that means avoiding water that might look appealing to Folgers or Starbucks.
This is not going to be the 114 pounds of bass in 4-days of competition slugfest we saw Brandon Cobb win last May during the post spawn, but this is still Lake Fork, and Lester thinks it will take at least 20-pounds a day to win.
“Everybody knows the last three Bassmaster Elites this fall at Guntersville, Santee and Chickmauga were way tougher than normal, and that will be the case here too. But we’re later into fall now, and there’s still a ton of 4 to 9-pound fish swimming here,” concludes Lester.
MLF Announces Schedule, Rules and Entry Dates for 2021 High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing
Both Members of Winning Team at the 2021 High School Fishing National Championship Receive a $5,000 Scholarship and Advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship to Compete as Co-anglers
BENTON, Ky. (Nov. 2, 2020) – Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today the schedule, rules, payouts and entry dates for the 2021 season of High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing, along with scholarship and advancement opportunities to compete in the 2021 Toyota Series Championship. The top 10 percent of teams in each High School Fishing tournament will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship, featuring national television coverage on the Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel and World Fishing Network.
Both members of the winning team at the 2021 High School Fishing National Championship advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers and fish for the top prize of a $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard, provided they are at least 16 years of age as of Oct. 28, 2021.
Both members of the winning team at the 2021 High School Fishing National Championship receive a $5,000 scholarship to the school of their choice.
All participating teams automatically qualify for the High School Fishing World Finals run by The Bass Federation (TBF) and held simultaneously with the National Championship to compete for more than $3 million in scholarships and prizes.
“We are thrilled to continue working alongside our partners at TBF to provide incredible opportunities for high school anglers year after year,” said Kevin Hunt, MLF Senior Director of Tournament Operations, College and High School. “These young athletes are the future of our sport, and we take great pride in offering competitive tournaments on fantastic fisheries that pave a path for students to learn what it takes to realize their dreams.
“The opportunity to compete as co-anglers alongside some of the best anglers in the world provides industry lessons and instruction they can’t get anywhere else. We are proud of the accomplishments of our past student anglers and are looking forward to a fantastic 2021 season.”
Registration for the 2021 season of MLF High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing opens November 5. Teams can register at FLWFishing.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. There is no entry fee for high school anglers to compete in any MLF or TBF High School Fishing tournament, however both competing anglers must be a member of the Student Angler Federation (SAF). The $25 SAF membership fee includes membership to both MLF and The TBF for eligibility to fish any SAF tournament, including MLF High School Fishing Opens presented by Favorite Fishing, TBF State Championships and TBF Challenge tournaments.
SAF members receive live weigh-in coverage at every MLF High School Fishing Open presented by Favorite Fishing, a profile on FLWFishing.com to track tournament stats and a digital subscription to MLF Bass Fishing magazine, as well as eligibility to Marshal in the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit. Membership can be purchased at FLWFishing.com or HighSchoolFishing.org.
MLF High School Fishing tournaments are two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12, and are open to any SAF-affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10-percent of each MLF High School Fishing Open presented by Favorite Fishing, TBF State Championship and TBF Challenge tournament held prior to June 14, 2021, will advance to the 2021 High School Fishing National Championship, held in conjunction with the High School Fishing World Finals June 30-July 3 on Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina. Launched by TBF in 2010, the World Final is the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, where student anglers compete for more than $3 million in scholarships and prizes.
The majority of MLF High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing tournaments are held on Saturdays and are preceded by an Abu Garcia College Fishing tournament the day prior. This provides students and parents the opportunity to network with prospective college teams and coaches during Friday registrations, immediately following college weigh-ins, to facilitate decision-making on future collegiate fishing careers.
2021 MLF High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing Schedule:
· Sunday, Jan 31 Shasta: Bridge Bay Resort | Redding, CA
· Saturday, Feb 13 Harris Chain: Venetian Gardens - Ski Beach | Leesburg, FL
· Saturday, Mar 27 Table Rock : Table Rock State Park Marina | Branson, MO
· Saturday, Apr 17 Lake Somerville: Lake Somerville Marina | Brenham, TX
· Saturday, Apr 24 Lake Guntersville: Lake Guntersville State Park | Guntersville, AL
· Saturday, May 1 Smith Mountain Lake: Parkway Marina | Huddleston, VA
· Sunday, May 16 California Delta: Big Break Marina | Oakley, CA
· Saturday, Jun 5 Potomac River: Smallwood State Park | Marbury, MD
· Saturday, Jun 12 Lake of the Pines: Lakeside Park | Jefferson, TX
· Saturday, Jul 31 MS River-La Crosse: W. Copeland & Clinton | La Crosse, WI
· Saturday, Aug 21 Detroit River: Elizabeth Park Marina | Trenton, MI
· Sunday, Sep 26 Clear Lake: Redbud Park | Clearlake, CA
· Saturday, Oct 2 Lake Dardanelle: Lake Dardanelle State Park | Russellville, AR
· Saturday, Oct 16 Lake of the Ozarks: Public Beach #2 | Osage Beach, MO
· Saturday, Oct 23 Lake Chickamauga: Dayton Boat Dock | Dayton, TN
2021 High School Fishing National Championship & World Finals
· June 30-July 3 Lake Hartwell: Green Pond Landing | Anderson, SC
Complete rules for the 2021 MLF High School Fishing Opens presented by Favorite Fishing can be found online at FLWFishing.com.
CHARLES WHITED & BRENDAN KENNELL WIN THE FINAL TRAIL EVENT ON LBJ AND THE 2020 AOY TITLE
PL ANGLER 1 ANGLER 2 FISH BIG BASS WT PRIZE
1 CHARLES WHITED BRENDAN KENNELL 5 18.06 $10,000
2 GARRETT HENNIG BRANDON MCQUEEN 4 8.24 17.99 $3,000 + $1,300 BIG BASS + Bass Assets $100 Certificate
3 GLENN RUCKEL SCOTT ROSS 5 16.97 $1,500
4 SAM MORROW COLT DIETZ 5 15.62 $1,250
5 JOSH LASSETER 4 7.88 15.34 $1,000
6 MICHAEL ZIBERT 5 14.58 $800
7 RANDY FESLER BRENT SMITH 5 7.24 14.57 $700
8 KEN WILKINS KEITH HEINRICH 5 13.51 $600
9 SCOTT SMITH TODD IVINS 5 13.44 $550 + Pre-registration Winners (Shimano Clarus Rods)
10 RUBEN RIBERA LINO GUTIERREZ 5 12.70 $500
11 DANIEL BARNES ADRIAN BARNES 5 12.65 $450
11 ROBERT KESSLER RUSSELL KESSLER 5 12.65 $450
13 CLINT ROBERTSON STEVE MAGNELIA 5 12.39 $350
14 JASON STAFFORD DOYLE WALKER 5 12.27 $300
15 JOE BRAY JAY FRASIER 4 12.15
16 DAVE MANGELSDORF MATTHEW WHITTINGTON 5 11.94
17 BRANDON BRAY JESSE FRY 5 11.92
18 ADRIAN SANCHEZ DEAN ALEXANDER 5 11.89
19 CRAIG CORDOVA SHAWN TAMEZ 5 11.76
20 TERRY KIRCUS JASON BUCHANAN 5 11.26
21 LEE BEUERSHAUSEN RANDY GROUNDS 5 11.21
22 BYRON ALBRECHT MIKE JOHNSON 5 11.17
23 ALLEN GASS JOHN RATLIFF 5 11.00
24 SHANE LOGAN TONY FERDINANDO 5 10.96
25 JJ LARSON JASON LARSON 3 10.90
26 DONNA ESCHBERGER RANDALL ESCHBERGER 5 10.84
27 ANDREW SWEET PHILLIP DOUBEK 4 10.23
28 TERRY HALL LYNN PIERCE 5 9.97
29 MATT CANNON JARED SIEGELER 5 9.54
30 JIMMY CHAPMAN KENNETH CUMMINS 5 9.49
31 BRYAN SCOTT TYLER TORWICK 5 9.39
32 TREY GROCE JOE BILL HALE 5 9.36
33 JOEY WILBURN JORDAN FISHER 4 9.23
34 DARRELL WUENSCHE 3 9.17
35 BUBBA WAMPLER HANK FRY 5 9.07
36 TRENT BLAKE SHAWN MARKGRAFF 3 8.43
37 DAMON ROSS DONNIE ROSS 5 8.27
38 JACOB FROESE GARY FRIEDEL 4 7.84
39 LESLIE DORECK JOE GARCIA 3 7.62
40 LARRY SMITH KEN EVERETT 4 6.92
41 WYATT RAE HUNTER PRICE 2 5.84
42 MICHAEL KILE BRIAN KILE 2 4.97
43 JUSTIN MADDING STERLING MARTIN 3 4.94
44 LEE BENTON CODY SMITH 3 4.89
45 JAMES ROLLINS GRANT GALE(Y) 1 4.66
46 TONY MALDONADO RICK HAMILTON 2 4.59
47 TRAVIS COCKERHAM LOGAN CLARK 2 4.34
48 MIKE MCEACHEM JOSEPH KENNEDY 2 3.92
49 RUSTY REEDY BRYCEN REEDY(Y) 2 3.82
50 DANNY HARRELL MICHAEL NOBLE 2 3.24
51 QUINN VANCE CHRIS BERTELSON 1 2.88
52 TERRY WILLIAMS JR BILLY WALDSCHMIDT
52 MICKEY SANDERS ROGER MEEK
52 LANCE DILLARD BLAKE DILLARD
52 ERIC CRUMLEY RONNY MAYNARD
52 PATRICK STARNES THOMAS HARALSON
52 RICK SCHEEN AUSTIN QUIET
52 SETH KELM MIKE BATES
52 DON GORDON JAMES ROBERTS
52 MICHAEL STRATTON JASON KEAS
52 JASON OLIVO BOBBY ACOSTA
52 JOHNNIE BARNES RYAN KESSLER
52 ROBBY PAYNE
52 ANDY ARMENDARIZ SR
52 TERRY ADAIR
52 HUDSON CARLTON FRED CATES
52 ZACH CERA BEN RAMPY
52 TIM RENEAU JUDY RENEAU
52 SPENCER SCHNEIDER BRIAN HUGHES
52 MAX KIPP DENNIS WHITED
52 MARCO MCDONALD JACOB WATKINS
52 KAENA FREITAS ANDY ZAVALA
52 RANDALL BEAUCHAMP REGINA BEAUCHAMP
52 JUSTIN KETCHUM SEAN CLAMPITT
52 RYAN BODE AARON KISSEL
52 MIKE WOOD MARC SHERRON
52 BILLY MCCRARY II DONNIE O'NEAL
52 JUSTIN WISIAN KENNETH FAIRLY
52 KENNY VALCHAR JAMES VALCHAR
52 JOE DUCK LORNE DORNAK
52 JAMES JONES SOREN HANSEN
52 JOHN WARDEN CHARLES DORTCH
52 JACKY ROBERTS EDDIE PELFREY
52 JASON MURPHREE PATRICK AMICK
52 BRIAN MATER PHIL WARREN
52 WILL BERNHARD DARYL PRICE
52 BLAKE STASIUNAS DEREK MCNABB
52 GARY JOHNSON MIKE SODEN
52 MARK RIBERA RICK RIBERA
52 BRETT ORLICH GARY FERGUSON
52 RICK LOWE BRONWYN LOWE
52 JAMES WHITE WAYNE ALBERTHAL
52 JAYSON KISSELBURG DEAN GOLMON
52 DONNIE WEBER JOHN KAPALDO
52 JASON WILLIAMS JEREMY WRIGHT
52 JR WILLS
52 DAVID STEPHENS BILL KIMBERLY
52 TOM GUIDRY DUSTIN ISBELL
52 JEFF ANDERSON FRANK WIGET
52 KAYDEN MILLER(Y) CANTON BIZZELL(Y)
52 DUSTIN TRIMUAR GARY SHARP
52 JUSTIN HUMMEL LEONARD DEBRASKA
52 RICHIE LAND CADE STRATTON(Y)
52 BARRY MOTT MATT HILL
52 BRYAN RICHARDS MAT KEVIL
52 BRINTON HASKINS ROBERT WELCH
52 NATHEN LABAY BRANDON BUSSELL
52 DUSTIN SMITH CHRIS BAKER
52 GLENN WILSON BLAKE ARAPIS
52 GARY WEIMER THOMAS WEIMER
52 JOHN HAND RICK HARRIS
52 JAMES GOODNER GRANT GOODNER
52 CHRIS WILKINSON MASON WILKINSON(Y)
52 DENNIS BECK MICHAEL BECK
52 DANIEL ABERNATHY DAVID LINDLEY
52 JAMES CANTWELL DONNA CANTWELL
52 CHRISTOPHER WASHINGTON JARRID HOHENSEE
52 JUSTIN MAY KEVIN THRESS
52 CHUCK WARE CODY FRAISER
52 WENDELL RAMSEY SR WENDELL RAMSEY JR
52 DARREL ROUTON JACK CULBREATH
52 CASEY MARTZ TERRELL FRANKLIN
52 WADE MEHAFFEY WESTIN MEHAFFEY(Y)
52 JAMIE SLAYDEN BRANDON HOUSTON
52 JOEY MARTIN
52 THOMAS HOWE PHILIP THOMPSON
52 TOM PURSELL
52 BUSTER JOHNSON WARREN KEPKE
52 TREY EPICH BRANDON DICKENSON
52 DAVID REID ROBBIE THORSTEINSON Shoreline Decal $250 Fuel Card Winners David Reid-Shimano Loyalty Drawing Winner
Quantum Hosts Next Gen Open on Sam Rayburn
Quantum hosted their second Next Gen Open of the fall this weekend on legendary Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The iconic brand out of Tulsa, Oklahoma partnered with the Texas B.A.S.S. Nation to put on this event for high school anglers in the Texas / Louisiana region.
Anglers competed for a spot in the 2021 Bassmaster High School National Championship, thousands of dollars in Quantum rods and reels as well as prizes from Lowrance, Yamaha, TH Marine, Badlands, and Lure Lock.
River Johnson and Dalton Morton of Huntington High School used an 18-foot aluminum boat and spinnerbaits to crack the code on a fickle Sam Rayburn. Weighing in 16.16-lbs to take first place honors along with the big bass award thanks to a four and a half pounder.
“We really can’t thank Quantum enough for hosting this tournament,” Johnson said. “Between the rods and all the registration prizes we got our money’s worth before we ever started fishing! It was awesome.”
18-year old Johnson and 16-year old Morton have been fishing Sam Rayburn their entire lives, and both anglers are already accomplished tournament competitors. The two linked up to be partners this year, and have already won two out of the three events they’ve entered together.
Their winning efforts weren’t lacking a bit of adversity or comedy. They explained they beached their boat in ankle deep water, almost ran out of gas on the way back to weigh-in, and reportedly hit every stump in the lake on the way to their fishing spot.
“We found a creek that had one little sweet spot,” Morton divulged. “We caught a few on crankbaits on the rods Quantum gave us - we strung them up right away the night before the tournament- but spinnerbaits seemed to be the deal today.”
Major League Fishing and Quantum sponsored pro Gerald Spohrer helped pass out special edition Quantum Accurist Cranking Rods to every single high school angler in attendance.
“It’s amazing the opportunities these kids have these days. Honestly from a competition standpoint, it’s scary,” Spohrer joked.
“These high school anglers are making their own decisions and can fish so many tournaments, I just hope I can hang as they get older,” Spohrer concluded. “It’s great to see Quantum support the next generation of anglers and help them fall in love with the sport.”
Sonar and Italian Subs credited with Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Historic Win
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Cole Sands and Conner DiMauro had three consecutive days of bass fishing that 95% of those who will ever pick up a baitcasting rod and reel will never experience en route to victory at the 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Championship on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes.
The two experienced young anglers from East Tennessee’s Bryan College weighed-in 28, 27 and 29 pound 5-bass limits Thursday, Friday and Saturday to not only win a college championship, but also forever notch their names in B.A.S.S. record books, and the dream-like experience all took place on one 250-yard stretch of aquatic vegetation.
“We caught the majority of the fish we weighed-in on a Carolina Rig in about 9-feet of water on the edge of the weedline. Old school green pumpkin Senkos caught the majority of our weight, and redbug colored plastics were really good too,” says Sands.
When asked what the biggest key to their success was, they cited staring at Humminbird sonar screens and very little fishing in practice. “Conner is actually from here and he came down here and spent three days looking for the right kind of stuff. And then during official practice days this week, we only set the hook one time on what he found, and it was a 6-pounder. So, we knew he’d found the juice,” says Sands who has now competed in four consecutive Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championships.
Ironically, even though DiMauro grew up in Central Florida, Bryan College in Dayton, TN was the only school to offer him a college bass fishing tuition scholarship, so he headed nine hours north, to then return home with Sands to claim a national championship.
“God definitely had a plan for me,” says DiMauro. And Sands thinks good sandwiches played a big role too. “Conner’s grandpa made us the best Italian subs I’ve ever eaten in my life, and I’m not sure we could have pulled off this win without those subs,” he grins.
Wagner Wins Toyota Series Event on Dale Hollow Lake
Cookeville Angler Wins by Five Ounces to Take Home $62,761
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (Nov. 1, 2020) – Toyota Series angler Adam Wagner of Cookeville, Tennessee, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 1 ounce to win the three-day Toyota Series at Dale Hollow Lake tournament in Byrdstown, Tennessee. Wagner’s three-day total of 12 bass weighing 34-6 earned him the win by 5 ounces over second-place angler Blake Smith of Byrdstown, and earned Wagner the top payout of $62,761, including the lucrative $35,000 FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency award in the third and final regular-season tournament of the 2020 Toyota Series Central Division.
“I’m just blown away,” said Wagner, the 2009 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Champion who earned his 15th career victory in FLW competition. “I got lucky. I just absolutely pulled up dead on top of that school of fish. If that’s not meant to be, I don’t know what to say – It just blows my mind.”
The school of fish Wagner referenced was the “motherlode” he found in the afternoon of day two. He said he didn’t have enough time to pluck a big bag from the school, but he knew he found something special to go back to on Saturday.
“I was pulling up to fish a grass spot [Friday] and I just went across this ditch and [my graph] just lit up,” he explained. “It’s two long, flat points going into a gut of a pocket. There was a school of shad in 49 foot of water, and apparently every largemouth that lives on those points was in that gut.”
Wagner said he’s not a “deep water guy,” but has the confidence to do something he knows isn’t his forte. He also credits local knowledge and having the right baits on the deck at the right times – namely, a 5/8-ounce Silver Buddy blade bait.
After finding his winning school on Friday, Wagner said he used the Silver Buddy to pluck a few largemouth from deep water to make the top-10 cut. He then went back to his school Saturday morning and caught a couple keepers before hitting a few other spots to give the school time to set up.
Wagner said when he returned, it was game on.
“The shad had ganged up a little better, like the bass had bunched them up a little more,” he explained. “As the day went on it got better. Saturday was fun.”
As much fun as Wagner had both catching the biggest bag of the tournament and holding up the resulting trophy and $62,761 check, he continued to go back to the providence of it all.
“I just can’t believe it,” he said. “That I found that school of fish – at noon Friday I didn’t have a fish. If I had gone over 10 or 15 yards, I would have never seen them.”
The top 10 pros on Dale Hollow Lake finished:
1st: Adam Wagner of Cookeville, Tenn., 12 bass, 34-6, $62,761
2nd: Blake Smith of Byrdstown, Tenn., 15 bass, 34-1, $10,176
3rd: Dakota Ebare of Denham Springs, La., 12 bass, 29-1, $8,078
4th: Jonathan Bowling of Harriman, Tenn., 11 bass, 26-13, $6,565
5th: Chris Malone of Ironton, Ohio, 12 bass, 24-12, $5,909
6th: Nick Ratliff of Vine Grove, Ky., 10 bass, 21-8, $5,252
7th: Scott Stults of Jamestown, Tenn., seven bass, 19-8, $4,671
8th: Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tenn., 12 bass, 18-7, $3,939
9th: Marshall Deakins of Dunlap, Tenn., eight bass, 18-0, $3,283
10th: Billy Hall of Florence, Ky., five bass, 15-5, $2,626
A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Wagner took home an extra $35,000 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Robert Russell of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 11 bass weighing 22 pounds, 2 ounces. Russell took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.
The top 10 co-anglers on Dale Hollow Lake finished:
1st: Robert Russell of Murfreesboro, Tenn., 11 bass, 22-2, $33,550 Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat w/115-hp outboard
2nd: Josh Lockard of Somerset, Ky., seven bass, 15-1, $3,396
3rd: Phil Williams, Jr. of Jamestown, Ky., five bass, 13-15, $2,716
4th: Brent Clark of Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 12-10, $2,377
5th: Nathan Woodruff of Iuka, Miss., four bass, 11-12, $2,037
6th: Gary Slaughter of Waddy, Ky., five bass, 10-0, $1,698
7th: Luke Glasgow of Guin, Ala., five bass, 10-0, $1,358
8th: Travis Parrott of Byrdstown, Tenn., three bass, 8-0, $1,188
9th: Michael Weimann of Murfreesboro, Tenn., three bass, 6-13, $1,019
10th: Randy Forbes of Pleasant Plain, Ohio, three bass, 6-4, $849
The Toyota Series at Dale Hollow Lake was hosted by the Byrdstown-Pickett County Chamber of Commerce. It was the third and final tournament in 2020 for Central Division anglers. The next two events for Toyota Series anglers will both take place on Nov. 5-7, with the Toyota Series at Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia and the Toyota Series at Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
Sands And Dimauro Finish Dominant Win At Bassmaster College National Championship
Cole Sands and Conner Dimauro, from Tennessee's Bryan College, have won the 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops with a three-day total of 84 pounds, 12 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
October 31, 2020
LEESBURG, Fla. — With over a 15-pound lead heading into the final day of the Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at the Harris Chain of Lakes, the Bryan College duo of Cole Sands and Conner Dimauro rode to their starting spot with music blaring, singing and laughing to combat the anxious excitement they were feeling.
Sands and Dimauro secured their wire-to-wire victory in dominating fashion, catching 29 pounds Saturday to increase their total weight to 84-12, beating the second-place team of Cole Thompson and Benson Dowler by almost 26 pounds and earning $5,000.
The previous year at the National Championship at Chickamauga Lake, Sands and Dimauro also led the first two days, but ultimately lost the tournament by a pound.
“I think there is a saying that says the ‘thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,’” Sands said. “Last year we got to feel what defeat tasted like. Just to come back is like a storybook ending. To win this one, there is no better way to go out from Bassmaster college fishing than to win this trophy in the fashion we did.”
Their weight shattered the previous record of 72-13 in a three-day College Series event. The previous record was set at the St. Lawrence River in 2019.
Sands and Dimauro caught the majority of their fish this week, including all of their weight on Day 3, on an offshore spot on Lake Beauclair. During practice, the duo located a grassline that consisted of hydrilla and eelgrass using their Humminbird electronics that also had a hard bottom located next to the grass. Dragging Carolina rigs through the grass and onto the hard bottom triggered the bigger fish into biting.
“That’s a spot that has been producing. It is a spot people have been catching them on forever and people will be catching them on forever,” Dimauro, a Florida native, said. “We were dragging our Carolina rigs and it would get mushy and it was either a fish or a piece of grass.”
While they moved to a different area for a brief period on Day 3, their best spot produced giant bass every day of the tournament, including a fish Sands estimated to be over 8 pounds that anchored their Day 3 bag.
Sands said he used a plum melon color 6th Sense Ridge Worm starting on Day 2 and caught the majority of his big fish with it on Day 3, including the 8-pounder. Dimauro used a mix of a Bitter’s Bait and Tackle 10-inch worm and a green pumpkin Senko with the tail dyed chartreuse.
Sands landed their first fish, one that weighed around 5 pounds, within the first 45 minutes of their day and had one fish in their livewell for the next hour.
“We didn’t get bit for the first 45 minutes and we were like, ‘Oh no, this again. We aren’t going to catch a limit today on the last day of a National Championship,’” Sands said. “That first 5-pounder that bit let us settle down a little bit. Then we went a while without another bite.”
After catching two more small keepers, Sands landed their biggest fish of the day around 9:45 a.m., despite breaking his rod at the beginning of the fight. The duo quickly filled their limit and caught several more 5- and 6-pound fish before the bite stalled around noon.
Sands and Dimauro also qualify for the College Classic Bracket scheduled for Nov. 17-19 on Alabama’s Lay Lake, along with the other Top 4 finishers from the National Championship. This will be their second time competing at that event.
“This is a dream come true to win this tournament, but you make your career at the next stage,” Dimauro said. “That lines up a career if you are able to win that on the final day. That’s what we really want.
“Obviously, we really wanted to win, but the ultimate goal coming into this tournament was a Top 4.”
After starting the day in eighth place, Thompson and Dowler caught 22-8 for a three-day total of 58-14, lifting them into second-place and into the Classic Bracket. Their Day 3 bag was anchored by an 8-10 largemouth and another bass that Dowler estimates was over 7 pounds.
“We came into this thing with a rough practice,” Dowler said. “I’m excited. Lay is pretty much my home lake and I used to fish it growing up all the time.”
Thompson said they were targeting eelgrass and hydrilla in 6 to 7 feet of water, with the top of the grass coming up to about 3 feet. They triggered bites using a squarebill and a Queen Tackle Switch Blade.
“It was coming through the grass great,” Thompson said. “I’m pretty sure the main forage in this lake is needlefish, so we dialed that pattern in and that’s why those moving baits were so effective.”
Georgia Southern University’s Ty Black and Avry Thomason caught 18-1 on the final day to finish third with 57-10 total, punching their ticket to the Bracket. The duo caught their fish on a Strike King 6XD crankbait around the bridge that separates Harris Lake from Little Harris Lake.
“In 15 minutes, I caught a 4 1/2 and then he caught a 3 1/2,” Black said. “About 1:30, I caught one about 5 pounds and that bumped us up to what we got. It was a tough day, honestly. We stayed on that bridge for about six hours and we grinded through them.”
Trevor McKinney and Blake Jackson from McKendree University caught 19-1 on the final day, lifting them to fourth place with 53-1 and making them the final team to qualify for the Bracket.
Bryce Henley and Reese Kingston from Brewton-Parker College won the Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament with a 9-3 lunker they landed on Day 2. They received a $500 Carhartt gift card.
2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by
Bass Pro Shops 10/29-10/31
Harris Chain Of Lakes, Leesburg FL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Cole Sands - Conner Dimauro Bryan College 250
Day 1: 5 28-07 Day 2: 5 27-05 Day 3: 5 29-00 Total: 15 84-12
2. Cole Thompson - Benson Dowler 249
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 21-01 Day 3: 5 22-08 Total: 15 58-14
3. Ty Black - Avry Thomason Georgia Southern University 248
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 20-04 Day 3: 5 18-01 Total: 15 57-10
4. Trevor McKinney - Blake Jackson McKendree University 247
Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 5 13-08 Day 3: 5 19-01 Total: 15 53-01
5. Dax Ewart - Kyle Palmer Bethel University 246
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 17-14 Total: 15 51-00
6. Rudolph Worley - John Nowlin Blue Mountain College 245
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 26-05 Day 3: 5 11-05 Total: 15 49-11
7. Miller Spivey - Trey Dickert University of Montevallo 244
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 22-10 Day 3: 5 09-15 Total: 15 48-14
8. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson Minnesota State Univ Mankato 243
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 17-14 Day 3: 5 10-08 Total: 15 48-04
9. Jack Tindell - Brett Fregia Lamar State College Orange 242
Day 1: 5 20-06 Day 2: 5 20-05 Day 3: 5 06-13 Total: 15 47-08
10. Ty Cox - Fisher Overton Blue Mountain College 241
Day 1: 2 07-05 Day 2: 5 26-10 Day 3: 5 11-12 Total: 12 45-11
11. Tyler Lubbat - Calvin Landsberg 240
Day 1: 5 25-01 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 08-06 Total: 15 45-06
12. Mason Moore - Logan Estes Eastern Kentucky University 239
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 16-14 Day 3: 5 07-03 Total: 15 41-05
Afternoon Change Leads Robertson To Win At Bassmaster Eastern Open On Cherokee
Matthew Robertson, of Kuttawa, Ky., has won the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake with a three-day total of 40 pounds, 12 ounces.
Photo by Andy Crawford/B.A.S.S.
October 31, 2020
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — When noon found him without a keeper, Matthew Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., made a bold decision that propelled him to victory at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open on Cherokee Lake with a three-day total of 40 pounds, 12 ounces.
Entering Championship Saturday with a mere 3-ounce lead over Denny Fiedler of Wabasha, Minn., Robertson added a five-bass limit of 12-4 to his first two days’ limits of 14-8 and 14-0. He won by a margin of 1-10 and earned a top prize of $35,000. Robertson also won the $500 Garmin Tournament Rewards prize.
He also earned an automatic berth into the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic, which is scheduled for March on Lake Ray Roberts in Texas.
“I’m usually out on the water saying, ‘Maybe I should go here, maybe I should go there,’ but the past two weeks, I’ve just had more faith in myself and I’ve just been rolling with it,” Robertson said. “I’m not second-guessing anything; I’m fishing more deliberately.”
Fresh off a second-place finish at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open on Neely Henry Lake, Robertson had spent his first two days working a small stretch of boulder-laden bottom in 20 feet of water. Intercepting packs of smallmouth bass ravaging bait schools, he caught his fish on a Ned rig and a Neko rig.
With post-frontal conditions bringing bright skies and high pressure, Day 3 found the spot unproductive. Robertson said this prompted him to completely scrap his game plan and switch to something that was right in his wheelhouse.
“I told myself, ‘I’m going to stay there until noon and see what I have,’” he said. “All I caught was a striped bass, so I pulled the plug. I was so comfortable with that decision, it was no big deal.
“I pulled into a little pocket close to my deep spot and caught one on a topwater. I figured out what the pattern was and I went to war with it.”
Robertson said he found his best opportunities in pockets with docks, deeper cuts and flat points with scattered rock. Most of the bass he saw were hunting bait in small feeding groups known as “wolf packs.”
He caught his fish on a Strike King Sexy Dawg topwater in the sexy shad color. His co-angler, Jon Jezierski, gave him the bait, which had recently been given to him by Japanese pro Kenta Kimura.
“Kenta had modified the Sexy Dawg by replacing the stock hooks with (a Japanese brand of) round bend treble hooks,” Robertson said. “He also added SuspenDots (adhesive lead dots) to the belly of the bait to make it sit lower in the water.
“That made the bait more castable. Also, instead of those fish popping the bait out of the water, they’d pull it down.”
The win, Robertson said, was particularly meaningful, given his recent setbacks. While practicing for the Central Open on Sam Rayburn Reservoir (mid-September), his entire collection of fishing tackle and other gear was stolen from his truck.
“I’m pretty emotional right now,” he said. “I’ve been through the mud just to be here.”
Local stick Josh Roark of Bean Station, Tenn., finished second with 39-2. After placing 10th on Day 1 with 11-13, he added 15-2 — the tournament’s second-largest bag — on Day 2 and rose to third. He gained one spot Saturday with a final-round limit of 12-3.
“I did the same thing I’ve been doing all week; you just had to slow down and grind through them,” Roark said. “I was targeting isolated or scattered boulders. Most of my fish were in 30 to 40 feet deep.
“The majority of my fish came on a 2.8 Keitech swimbait on a homemade 3/8-ounce ball-head jig with a screw lock. I also caught a couple of fish on a Heddon Super Spook and a few fish on a drop shot with a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm.”
Day 1 leader Joshua Stracner finished third with 38-15. His daily weights were 14-12, 10-14 and 13-5. He caught his bass on a crankbait, a Damiki rig, a tube and a drop shot with a 4 1/2-inch Reaction Innovations Pocket Rocket.
“I had a really slow start; I only had two or three little fish at 10 o’clock,” Stracner said. “I caught one 3-pounder in the middle of the day.
“I’d been fishing 30 to 40 feet deep for smallmouth and I’d been saving a shallow place for today. I’d been catching some largemouth on that spot. I went to it today and caught two or three and gave myself a shot.”
Fiedler won the $750 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award with his 5-6.
Bobby Drinnon of Rogersville, Tenn., completed a wire-to-wire win in the co-angler division with a three-day total of 18-3. Taking the Day 1 lead with a three-fish limit of 8-5, he added another limit of 7-11 Friday. On Saturday, Drinnon found only one keeper that weighed 2-3.
“The first two days, I was using a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent General on a 5/16-ounce shaky head that (a friend) pours,” Drinnon said. “Today, I caught my keeper on a Damiki rig with a homemade head that I pour with a Damiki Armor Shad.”
Daniel Valois Gomez of Caracas, Venezuela, won the $250 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for co-anglers with a 4-2.
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., leads the Eastern Open standings with 581 points, followed by Stracner with 580. Pat Schlapper is in third place with 550, while Scott Martin is fourth with 541 and Timmy Thompkins is fifth with 532.
Justin Atkins of Florence, Ala., leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year Standings with 1,009 points.
2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake 10/29-10/31
Lake Cherokee, Dandridge TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Matthew Robertson Kuttawa, KY 15 40-12 200 $37,833.00
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 14-00 Day 3: 5 12-04
2. Josh Roark Bean Station, TN 15 39-02 199 $18,133.00
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 12-03
3. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 15 38-15 198 $12,800.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 5 13-05
4. Bill Humbard New Market, TN 15 33-08 197 $10,667.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 09-03 Day 3: 5 11-00
5. Andy Hribar Lakeville, MN 13 32-15 196 $9,280.00
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 3 07-05 Day 3: 5 12-00
6. John Hunter Jr Simpsonville, KY 13 32-10 195 $8,533.00
Day 1: 3 05-06 Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 5 11-10
7. Spencer Peters Knoxville, TN 13 31-01 194 $8,000.00
Day 1: 3 08-04 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 09-08
8. Timmy Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 13 30-03 193 $7,467.00
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 11-04 Day 3: 3 06-09
9. Denny Fiedler Wabasha, MN 10 28-05 192 $6,617.00
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 13-13 Day 3: 0 00-00
10. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 12 27-15 191 $4,800.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 10-00 Day 3: 2 06-10
11. Jeremy Gordon Rutledge, TN 12 27-09 190 $4,267.00
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 4 09-08 Day 3: 3 05-09
12. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 10 25-01 189 $3,733.00
Day 1: 4 10-03 Day 2: 5 11-04 Day 3: 1 03-10
Robertson Intercepts Smallmouth For Bassmaster Eastern Open Lead On Cherokee Lake
Matthew Robertson, of Kuttawa, Ky., is leading after Day 2 of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake with a two-day total of 28 pounds, 8 ounces.
Photo by Andy Crawford/B.A.S.S.
October 30, 2020
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — Holding his ground and waiting for his opportunities, Matthew Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., took the Day 2 lead of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake with a two-day total of 28 pounds, 8 ounces.
After sharing a second-place Day 1 tie with Denny Fiedler of Wabasha, Minn., and trailing the first-round lead by 4 ounces, Robertson heads into Championship Saturday 3 ounces ahead of Fiedler. Turning in the event’s most consistent performance, Robertson added 14 pounds to the 14-8 he caught on Day 1.
“I’m fishing basically one spot,” Robertson said. “I didn’t know it had the ability to do this. I caught one keeper there during practice on Wednesday and rolled in there yesterday thinking I might try to catch a keeper and — bam! I don’t know what to say.”
Fishing in 20 feet of water, Robertson said his bite is not fast and furious. Rather, he’s having to pick his way to a daily limit.
“It’s slow, I’ll get a bite here and there,” he said. “I’m going to go back there and wing it again tomorrow. I guess I’ll sit there all day because I don’t have anything else.”
Robertson said his spot has several boulders, but the key element is baitfish. Schools of shad are moving in and out of his area and smallmouth bass are aggressively targeting the forage.
“I’ll watch them on my Garmin LiveScope and see a school of smallies bust up through the bait,” he said. “They’re also hanging around some of those big rocks.”
While a swimbait produced during practice, Robertson said the fish are not committing to his reaction bait — they’re only following and bumping it. Instead, he’s catching his bass on the same dragging technique that produced on Day 1, along with another presentation that he dialed in Friday.
“I had a little something pop into my head, so I rigged it up and first cast I caught one of those good smallies,” Robertson said. “So now I have two things to go at them with.”
Noting that he is focusing on a tight area, Robertson said he’s not moving his boat more than 60 feet.
“I’m just waiting for them to swim through and come to me instead of running and gunning and trying to run into them,” he said. “I don’t usually do this, but I’m just soaking my baits and waiting for them to roll in.
“I’ve noticed on this lake the fish are really roamers. I think different schools are running around and one will come through and I’ll catch one or two. Hopefully, some more will swim through tomorrow.”
Fiedler said he returned to the same scenario he fished on Day 1 and bolstered his first-round weight of 14-8 with another limit that weighed 13-13 for a two-day total of 28-5. He’s fishing the lake’s upper end and fishing moving baits in stained water.
“It started out much quicker today,” Fiedler said. “I caught three fish within the first 30 minutes, so I was happy about that. That settles you down.
“It took a while to get number four, then I went to my secondary spot. I filled out my limit and culled three times.”
Josh Roark of Bean Station, Tenn., is in third with 26-15. Despite catching the day’s second-biggest sack — 15-2 — Roark said he found about the same opportunity level as he did on Day 1 when he weighed 11-13.
“I executed a little better today; I didn’t lose any fish,” Roark said. “I lost a couple of good ones yesterday.”
Filling his Day 2 limit with smallmouth, Roark said he caught his fish on a mix of moving baits and reaction baits. Instead of a specific pattern, he covered a variety of spots from 2 to 40 feet.
Fiedler is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 5-6.
Bobby Drinnon of Rogersville, Tenn., retained his lead in the co-angler division with 16-0. After taking the early lead with a three-fish limit of 8-5, he added another limit that weighed 7-11.
Daniel Valois Gomez of Caracas, Venezuela, holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead among co-anglers with a 4-2.
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., currently leads the Eastern Open standings with 581 points, followed by Day 1 leader Josh Stracner with 579. Pat Schlapper is third place with 550, while Scott Martin is fourth with 541 and Timmy Thompkins is fifth with 535.
Justin Atkins of Florence, Ala., leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year Standings with 1,009 points.
The Top 12 remaining anglers will take off Saturday at 7:45 a.m. ET from Cherokee Lake Dam TVA Boat Launch. The weigh-in will be held back at the Boat Launch at 3:30 p.m
2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake 10/29-10/31
Lake Cherokee, Dandridge TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Matthew Robertson Kuttawa, KY 10 28-08 200
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 14-00
2. Denny Fiedler Wabasha, MN 10 28-05 199
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 13-13
3. Josh Roark Bean Station, TN 10 26-15 198
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 15-02
4. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 10 25-10 197
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 10-14
5. Timmy Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 10 23-10 196
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 11-04
6. Bill Humbard New Market, TN 10 22-08 195
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 09-03
7. Jeremy Gordon Rutledge, TN 9 22-00 194
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 4 09-08
8. Spencer Peters Knoxville, TN 8 21-09 193
Day 1: 3 08-04 Day 2: 5 13-05
9. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 9 21-07 192
Day 1: 4 10-03 Day 2: 5 11-04
10. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 10 21-05 191
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 10-00
11. John Hunter Jr Simpsonville, KY 8 21-00 190
Day 1: 3 05-06 Day 2: 5 15-10
12. Andy Hribar Lakeville, MN 8 20-15 189
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 3 07-05
13. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 8 20-10 188 $2,933.00
Day 1: 3 09-00 Day 2: 5 11-10
14. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 10 20-05 187 $2,933.00
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 08-05
15. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 10 20-01 186 $2,933.00
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 11-01
16. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 8 19-04 185 $2,933.00
Day 1: 3 07-10 Day 2: 5 11-10
17. Daisuke Aoki Minamitsurugun Yamanash 7 18-13 184 $2,933.00
Day 1: 2 04-08 Day 2: 5 14-05
18. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 8 18-08 183 $2,933.00
Day 1: 3 06-04 Day 2: 5 12-04
19. Brandt Tumberg Moore, SC 7 17-12 182 $2,933.00
Day 1: 2 04-10 Day 2: 5 13-02
20. Derek Lehtonen Woodruff, SC 8 17-07 181 $2,933.00
Day 1: 3 04-11 Day 2: 5 12-12
21. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 7 17-05 180 $2,667.00
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 2 05-03
22. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 7 17-03 179 $2,667.00
Day 1: 3 07-14 Day 2: 4 09-05
23. Joel Willert Prior Lake, MN 8 16-15 178 $2,667.00
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 3 06-12
24. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 6 16-12 177 $2,667.00
Day 1: 3 08-01 Day 2: 3 08-11
25. Brandon Johnson Mt Sterling, KY 7 16-11 176 $2,667.00
Day 1: 2 05-08 Day 2: 5 11-03
26. Cody Bertrand Dyer, IN 6 16-07 175 $2,453.00
Day 1: 1 02-15 Day 2: 5 13-08
27. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 6 16-07 174 $2,453.00
Day 1: 3 08-07 Day 2: 3 08-00
28. Keith Carson Debary, FL 8 15-15 173 $2,453.00
Day 1: 3 06-00 Day 2: 5 09-15
29. Andy Wicker Pomaria, SC 7 15-12 172 $2,453.00
Day 1: 3 06-11 Day 2: 4 09-01
30. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 7 15-08 171 $2,453.00
Day 1: 4 08-11 Day 2: 3 06-13
31. Bradley Hallman Norman, OK 7 15-06 170 $2,453.00
Day 1: 2 05-08 Day 2: 5 09-14
32. Brian Latimer Belton, SC 7 14-14 169 $2,453.00
Day 1: 2 04-14 Day 2: 5 10-00
33. Darrell Davis Dover, FL 6 14-09 168 $2,453.00
Day 1: 3 06-00 Day 2: 3 08-09
34. Brandon Tallhamer Parkersburg, WV 7 14-06 167 $2,453.00
Day 1: 2 02-01 Day 2: 5 12-05
35. Trevor Prince Blue Ridge, GA 5 13-13 166 $2,453.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 13-13
36. Greg Alexander Hebron, MD 6 13-06 165 $2,453.00
Day 1: 3 05-02 Day 2: 3 08-04
37. Luke Plunkett Pinson, AL 7 13-06 164 $2,453.00
Day 1: 4 07-09 Day 2: 3 05-13
38. Jason Casteel Winter Garden, FL 5 13-05 163 $2,453.00
Day 1: 3 08-11 Day 2: 2 04-10
39. Kameron Harbin Abbeville, SC 6 13-01 162 $2,453.00
Day 1: 2 03-05 Day 2: 4 09-12
40. Stephen Mui Odessa, FL 4 13-01 161 $2,453.00
Day 1: 2 06-09 Day 2: 2 06-08
41. Randy Blaukat Joplin, MO 5 12-09 160
Day 1: 1 01-06 Day 2: 4 11-03
42. Todd Goade White Pine, TN 6 12-09 159
Day 1: 1 03-04 Day 2: 5 09-05
43. Davey May Odessa, FL 6 12-09 158
Day 1: 3 06-08 Day 2: 3 06-01
44. Matt Lee Bremen, AL 5 12-08 157
Day 1: 2 04-14 Day 2: 3 07-10
45. Brad Burkhart Speedwell, TN 5 12-04 156
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 12-04
46. Allen Brooks Canton, GA 5 12-04 155
Day 1: 1 03-09 Day 2: 4 08-11
47. Joe Thompson Clayton, GA 6 12-04 154
Day 1: 4 07-05 Day 2: 2 04-15
48. Jonathan Carter Glenburn, ME 4 12-03 153
Day 1: 2 07-03 Day 2: 2 05-00
49. Freddy Palmer Estill Springs, TN 6 12-02 152
Day 1: 3 09-03 Day 2: 3 02-15
50. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 7 12-02 151
Day 1: 4 05-12 Day 2: 3 06-06
51. Chris Ferguson Wittensville, KY 6 11-14 150
Day 1: 2 03-06 Day 2: 4 08-08
52. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 4 11-12 149
Day 1: 1 03-04 Day 2: 3 08-08
53. Bryan New Belmont, NC 6 11-11 148
Day 1: 4 07-05 Day 2: 2 04-06
54. Whitney Stephens Waverly, OH 5 11-10 147
Day 1: 4 08-14 Day 2: 1 02-12
55. Derrick Snavely Piney Flats, TN 4 11-08 146
Day 1: 2 05-09 Day 2: 2 05-15
56. Gregg Fogner Conway, SC 5 11-05 145
Day 1: 4 08-15 Day 2: 1 02-06
57. Scott Patton Paris, TN 5 11-04 144
Day 1: 2 04-07 Day 2: 3 06-13
58. David Kilgore Jasper, AL 5 11-03 143
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 11-03
59. Todd Castledine Nacogdoches, TX 4 11-01 142
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 4 11-01
60. Rex Nickel Huff Corbin, KY 6 11-01 141
Day 1: 4 07-10 Day 2: 2 03-07
61. Jon Canada Helena, AL 5 11-01 140
Day 1: 3 07-06 Day 2: 2 03-11
62. Hunter Sales Blaine, TN 5 10-13 139
Day 1: 3 06-12 Day 2: 2 04-01
63. Hermilo Salgado Artemus, KY 5 10-10 138
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 10-10
64. Jordan Burdette Knoxville, TN 4 10-04 137
Day 1: 2 05-10 Day 2: 2 04-10
65. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 5 10-02 136
Day 1: 2 04-00 Day 2: 3 06-02
66. David Williams Newton, NC 4 09-14 135
Day 1: 1 01-08 Day 2: 3 08-06
67. Tyler Berger Delaware, OH 4 09-13 134
Day 1: 2 06-04 Day 2: 2 03-09
68. Jeremy Maye Windsor, VA 4 09-13 133
Day 1: 1 03-11 Day 2: 3 06-02
69. Mark Pappas Dandridge, TN 5 09-12 132
Day 1: 4 08-03 Day 2: 1 01-09
70. Stephen Morella Townshed, VT 4 09-12 131
Day 1: 2 04-02 Day 2: 2 05-10
71. Trevor Topken Warwick, NY 4 09-10 130
Day 1: 1 01-14 Day 2: 3 07-12
72. Matt Mattingly Gravel Switch, KY 4 09-04 129
Day 1: 2 04-08 Day 2: 2 04-12
73. Nick Hatfield Chuckey, TN 4 09-00 128
Day 1: 2 04-03 Day 2: 2 04-13
74. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 4 08-15 127
Day 1: 1 02-00 Day 2: 3 06-15
75. Randy Huffman Charleston, WV 3 08-14 126
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 2 07-03
76. Gary Adkins Green Bay, WI 4 08-09 125
Day 1: 1 02-10 Day 2: 3 05-15
77. Cody Detweiler Orlando, FL 3 08-08 124
Day 1: 1 03-02 Day 2: 2 05-06
78. John Garrett Union City, TN 5 08-08 123
Day 1: 2 04-04 Day 2: 3 04-04
79. Kyle Austin Ridgeville, SC 4 08-07 122
Day 1: 2 03-10 Day 2: 2 04-13
80. Shawn Hendrix Sharpsburg, GA 4 08-05 121
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 3 05-10
81. Dave Turner Crystal River, FL 3 07-15 120
Day 1: 2 06-06 Day 2: 1 01-09
82. Greg Mansfield Olathe, KS 4 07-15 119
Day 1: 2 04-06 Day 2: 2 03-09
83. Garrett Rocamora Lithia, FL 3 07-14 118
Day 1: 2 06-01 Day 2: 1 01-13
84. Adam Neu Forestville, WI 4 07-14 117
Day 1: 3 05-13 Day 2: 1 02-01
85. Richard Reeger Gastonia, NC 6 07-12 116
Day 1: 5 05-14 Day 2: 1 01-14
86. Jason Burroughs Hodges, SC 4 07-11 115
Day 1: 1 02-07 Day 2: 3 05-04
87. Tommy Williams Shepherdsville, KY 3 07-10 114
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 07-10
88. Cody Hahner Wausau, WI 4 07-10 113
Day 1: 3 05-11 Day 2: 1 01-15
89. Christiana Bradley Goldvein, VA 3 07-10 112
Day 1: 1 04-06 Day 2: 2 03-04
90. Cody Huff Ava, MO 4 07-08 111
Day 1: 2 03-05 Day 2: 2 04-03
91. Hunter Bland Williston, FL 4 07-05 110
Day 1: 3 04-14 Day 2: 1 02-07
92. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 3 07-04 109
Day 1: 1 02-12 Day 2: 2 04-08
93. Andrew Thomasson Dublin, VA 3 07-00 108
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 2 05-01
94. Kotaro Kiriyama Guntersville, AL 3 06-15 107
Day 1: 2 05-03 Day 2: 1 01-12
95. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 4 06-13 106
Day 1: 4 06-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
96. Tyler Ellis Battlefield, MO 3 06-13 105
Day 1: 2 03-13 Day 2: 1 03-00
97. Josh Hubbard Braidwood, IL 3 06-10 104
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 06-10
98. Rich Chriscinske Salyersville, KY 3 06-08 103
Day 1: 3 06-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
99. Barry Wilson Birmingham, AL 3 06-01 102
Day 1: 1 01-09 Day 2: 2 04-08
100. Ben Nielsen Lowell, MI 3 05-14 101
Day 1: 3 05-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
101. Cam Sterritt Newfields, NH 4 05-13 100
Day 1: 3 03-07 Day 2: 1 02-06
102. Corey Lindsey Blacklick, OH 3 05-12 99
Day 1: 1 01-03 Day 2: 2 04-09
103. Frank Ramsey Spring Grove, IL 3 05-11 98
Day 1: 1 01-12 Day 2: 2 03-15
104. Tim Frederick Leesburg, FL 2 05-10 97
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 05-10
105. Chris Kingree Inverness, FL 3 05-07 96
Day 1: 2 03-15 Day 2: 1 01-08
106. Preston Julian Seymour, TN 3 05-07 95
Day 1: 1 02-15 Day 2: 2 02-08
107. Timmy Cales Sandstone, WV 2 05-06 94
Day 1: 1 03-05 Day 2: 1 02-01
108. Nick Tate Knoxville, TN 2 05-06 93
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 1 02-11
109. Trait Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 2 05-04 92
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 05-04
110. Bo Goodin Harrogate, TN 3 05-04 91
Day 1: 1 01-00 Day 2: 2 04-04
111. Ken Iyobe Tokoname, Aichi JAPAN 2 05-00 90
Day 1: 1 02-08 Day 2: 1 02-08
112. Scott Pellegrin Chippewa Falls, WI 2 04-15 89
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-15
113. Michael Hall Annandale, VA 3 04-15 88
Day 1: 1 01-12 Day 2: 2 03-03
114. Wyatt Burkhalter Coker, AL 2 04-15 87
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 1 02-04
115. Andrew Upshaw Tulsa, OK 3 04-13 86
Day 1: 3 04-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
116. Lance Owen Greer, SC 2 04-13 85
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-13
117. Jerry Gallogly Jr North Tazewell, VA 1 04-12 84
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 04-12
118. Chad Smith Minnetonka, MN 3 04-07 83
Day 1: 2 02-09 Day 2: 1 01-14
119. Chris Peters Birchwood, TN 2 04-05 82
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-05
119. Chad Randles Elkhorn, NE 2 04-05 82
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-05
121. Teb Jones Hattiesburg, MS 2 04-04 80
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 1 02-09
122. Scott Siller Milwaukee, WI 2 04-03 79
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-03
123. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 2 04-03 78
Day 1: 1 03-05 Day 2: 1 00-14
124. Darryl Halbert Enoree, SC 2 04-01 77
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-01
125. Colby Robertson Summerfield, FL 2 04-01 76
Day 1: 1 03-03 Day 2: 1 00-14
126. Chandler Stewart Waco, TX 3 04-00 75
Day 1: 2 02-08 Day 2: 1 01-08
127. Von Dilbeck Corbin, KY 2 03-14 74
Day 1: 2 03-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
128. Bryce Matthews Olanta, SC 2 03-13 73
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 1 02-02
129. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 2 03-12 72
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 1 01-13
130. Craig Chambers Midland, NC 1 03-09 71
Day 1: 1 03-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
131. Steve Sennikoff Edgewood, TX 2 03-08 70
Day 1: 2 03-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
132. Garrett Rose Pipecreek, TX 1 03-05 69
Day 1: 1 03-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
133. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 1 03-02 68
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-02
134. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 2 03-00 67
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 1 00-14
135. Mark Duerr West Allis, WI 1 02-13 66
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-13
136. Cole Drummond Effingham, SC 1 02-10 65
Day 1: 1 02-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
137. Barry Brandt Jr. Newport News, VA 1 02-05 64
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-05
137. John Maner Falkville, AL 1 02-05 64
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-05
139. Brad Knight Lancing, TN 1 02-01 62
Day 1: 1 02-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
140. Caleb Gibson Locust Grove, OK 1 01-15 61
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-15
141. Cameron Smith Wareham, MA 1 01-13 60
Day 1: 1 01-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
142. Ronnie Getz Sunman, IN 1 01-12 59
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-12
142. Dustin Reneau Mckinney, TX 1 01-12 59
Day 1: 1 01-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
144. Robert Gibson Niota, TN 1 01-11 57
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 0 00-00
145. Terry Segraves Kissimmee, FL 1 01-10 56
Day 1: 1 01-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
146. Robbie Harrelson Moncks Corner, SC 1 01-07 55
Day 1: 1 01-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
147. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 1 01-03 54
Day 1: 1 01-03 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Anthony Dumitras Winston, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Clayton Dyer Fayetteville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Guy Eaker Cherryville, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Randy Elliott Severn, MD 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Derek Freeman Anderson, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Keith Iddins Knoxville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Denis Karachopan Rocky Point, NY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Matthew Mccarthy Marysville, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Kenny Mittelstaedt Minnetonka, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Parker Mott Winter Garden, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Jake Rossi Columbus, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Ronald Ryals Jr Live Oak, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Jack Williams Kingsport, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 .
Bryan College Extends Lead At Bassmaster College National Championship On Harris Chain
Cole Sands and Conner Dimauro, from Tennessee's Bryan College, are leading after Day 2 of the 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops with a two-day total of 55 pounds, 12 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
October 30, 2020
LEESBURG, Fla. — Bryan College's Cole Sands and Conner Dimauro continued their strong showing at the Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at the Harris Chain of Lakes and extended their lead with a 27-pound, 5-ounce bag for a two-day total of 55-12.
They lead the Lamar State College-Orange team of Jack Tindell and Brett Fregia by a little more than 15 pounds heading into the final day.
“Ultimately, we want to finish in the Top 4 to make the (College Classic) Bracket. Obviously, we want to win this one,” Dimauro said. “I’m confident that we left fish biting both days, and I’m pleased with the size of the fish we are catching.
“We are excited about it. Whenever you set the hook and you know it could be over 5 pounds, it gets a little scary.”
While the morning started a little chillier than Day 1 thanks to a cold front that pushed through overnight, they started on their best spot in Lake Dora and took advantage of a good morning bite, catching all of their weight before 10 a.m.
Dimauro said the bite on that spot was even better Friday than it was Thursday when they caught over 28 pounds. Their bag was anchored by a 7-14 largemouth that Sands said they were fortunate to get in the boat.
“It straightened the hook completely out,” he said. “These fish are so mean here. We think it came unhooked because there is a hook mark in its tongue and where it was actually hooked (was in the jaw).”
After catching a couple of 4-pounders that wouldn’t cull their smallest fish, the duo moved back to Lake Harris to scan with their Humminbird electronics, finding a couple more areas they could utilize Saturday.
“We culled what we needed to cull out and we just ran around,” Dimauro said. “We ran back to Harris and caught two fish over 4 pounds that didn’t help. So, we figured we were burning fish we needed to catch tomorrow.
“We idled a lot more today just looking for some new stuff for tomorrow. We aren’t going to let off of them tomorrow.”
Slow-moving baits have been the key to their success so far this week, Sands said. But they will have plenty of rods rigged up in case they find some aggressive fish.
“I kind of figured out a deal in practice dragging something really slow,” Sands said. “It worked so good Conner tied one on yesterday and we both have been catching fish on it. We actually experimented today.
“We backed off and found a new school of fish and caught like a 5- and 4 1/2- (pounder) off it. Caught one on a football jig and that was pretty cool.”
Dimauro added that side scan on his Humminbird units has helped them find fish and mark the edges of the grass, and his Ultrex trolling motor has helped them stay on their spots when the wind has been blowing.
After starting the day in fourth, Jack Tindell and Brett Fregia from Lamar State College-Orange caught 20-5 to jump into second place with 40-11.
“It feels good. It is our first year fishing,” Fregia said. “We came down here just knowing we were going to fish in Florida, and we were pretty amped up about it. We feel like we can get more bites tomorrow since the water heated up all day and it is going to be pretty warm in the morning.”
Unlike the Bryan College team, the morning bite did not pan out for Tindell and Fregia on Day 2. Tindell said wind hurt the bite in one of their best spots, and they switched to some secondary spots that were in protected areas.
“Throughout practice, we were doing some early-morning hydrilla fishing,” Tindell said. “Those fish have just gone away. We had two bites this morning and didn’t even catch them. Today it took a little bit longer to get a good bite.”
Tindell and Fregia flipped throughout the day and it paid off when they each landed a 6-pounder out of the same clump of grass to fill their limit.
Ty Black and Avry Thomason from Georgia Southern University caught 20-4 to move from sixth place to third with 39-9. Black said the first spot they pulled up on was blown out by the wind, forcing them to make an adjustment.
“We went to a spot we saved and caught a 4-pounder, and then we moved to another one of our banks and caught a limit,” Black said. “We went to our best offshore spot around 10:30 and that’s where we caught the majority of our weight.”
Thomason said a crankbait has been the key to their success offshore and has accounted for the majority of their weight this week.
Bryce Henley and Reese Kingston from Brewton-Parker College took over Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament with a 9-3 lunker that anchored their 20-9 bag. Several other teams weighed in fish over 8 pounds.
The Top 12 will take off from Venetian Gardens Saturday at 7:30 a.m. ET and will return for weigh-in at 3:30 p.m. The Top 4 teams after the final day will advance to the College Classic Bracket on Alabama's Lay Lake in November for a chance to qualify for the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic.
2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by
Bass Pro Shops 10/29-10/31
Harris Chain Of Lakes, Leesburg FL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Cole Sands - Conner Dimauro Bryan College 250
Day 1: 5 28-07 Day 2: 5 27-05 Total: 10 55-12
2. Jack Tindell - Brett Fregia Lamar State College Orange 249
Day 1: 5 20-06 Day 2: 5 20-05 Total: 10 40-11
3. Ty Black - Avry Thomason Georgia Southern University 248
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 20-04 Total: 10 39-09
4. Miller Spivey - Trey Dickert University of Montevallo 247
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 22-10 Total: 10 38-15
5. Rudolph Worley - John Nowlin Blue Mountain College 246
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 26-05 Total: 10 38-06
6. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson Minnesota State Univ Mankato 245
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 17-14 Total: 10 37-12
7. Tyler Lubbat - Calvin Landsberg 244
Day 1: 5 25-01 Day 2: 5 11-15 Total: 10 37-00
8. Cole Thompson - Benson Dowler 243
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 21-01 Total: 10 36-06
9. Mason Moore - Logan Estes Eastern Kentucky University 242
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 16-14 Total: 10 34-02
10. Trevor McKinney - Blake Jackson McKendree University 241
Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 5 13-08 Total: 10 34-00
11. Ty Cox - Fisher Overton Blue Mountain College 240
Day 1: 2 07-05 Day 2: 5 26-10 Total: 7 33-15
12. Dax Ewart - Kyle Palmer Bethel University 239
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 16-10 Total: 10 33-02
13. Luke Byerly - Drew Elrod University of Tennessee 238
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 13-12 Total: 10 33-01
14. Kyle Stafford - Jake Stines Polk State College 237
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 14-11 Total: 10 32-13
15. James Willoughby - Chance Schwartz University of Montevallo 236
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 13-06 Total: 10 31-02
16. Grant Adams - Wil Rigdon Campbellsville University 235
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 13-12 Total: 10 30-11
17. Zeke Gossett - Lucas Smith Jacksonville State University 234
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 18-01 Total: 10 30-01
18. Chase Mundhenke - Blake Milligan Auburn University 233
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 13-04 Total: 10 29-14
19. Tanner Ward - Rory Franks Kent State University 232
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 12-04 Total: 10 29-08
20. Grant Pavelka - Mid-Plains Community College 231
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 17-02 Total: 10 29-00
21. Jacob Frazier - Griffin Heffington Carson-Newman University 230
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 13-12 Total: 10 28-15
22. Connor Jacob - Sam Smith Auburn University 229
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 16-10 Total: 10 28-10
23. Dawson Andrews - Wyatt Ensminger Southeastern Louisiana Universit 228
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 15-00 Total: 10 28-08
24. Noah Boyett - Ty Garlington 227
Day 1: 5 18-04 Day 2: 5 10-00 Total: 10 28-04
25. Logan Hawkins - Colby Hays Campbellsville University 226
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 17-13 Total: 10 28-00
26. Bailey Fain - Preston Kendrick Bryan College 225
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 15-06 Total: 10 27-15
27. Dawson Cassidy - Gus Mclarry Texas AM Commerce 224
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 10-00 Total: 10 27-09
28. Emil Wagner - 223
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 11-04 Total: 10 27-09
29. Brad Ableman - Wilson Smith Bethel University 222
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 16-07 Total: 10 27-07
30. Austin Smith - Maddux Walters Carson-Newman University 221
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 14-08 Total: 10 27-06
31. Brett Clark - Cody Ross East Texas Baptist University 220
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 13-08 Total: 10 27-05
32. Jared Turnbloom - Jake Turnbloom 219
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 10-06 Total: 10 26-10
33. Jack Dice - Liberty University 218
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 14-09 Total: 10 26-10
34. Nolan Minor - Casey Lanier 217
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 10 26-08
35. Robert Cruvellier - Chase Clarke Auburn University 216
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 16-14 Total: 10 26-04
36. Grant Lesage - Zach Davis Southeastern Louisiana Universit 215
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 10-02 Total: 10 26-03
37. Weston Hollar - Wesley Gore University of Montevallo 214
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 11-05 Total: 10 26-02
38. Boone Faulkner - Nikolas Beckstein 213
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 12-07 Total: 10 26-02
39. Hayden Scott - Caleb Dachenhaus Adrian College 212
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 11-02 Total: 10 25-04
40. Bobby Long - Whit Edmonds Lander University 211
Day 1: 5 06-10 Day 2: 5 18-05 Total: 10 24-15
41. Jack York - Samuel Harrison Stephen F Austin State Universit 210
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 10-02 Total: 10 24-10
42. Clayton Winebarger - Logan Reynolds Virginia Tech 209
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 10-15 Total: 10 24-09
43. Thaddeus Simerly - Ethan Shaw Bryan College 208
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 07-12 Total: 10 24-07
44. Wyatt Reid - Gehrig DeFronzo Erskine College 207
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 10-01 Total: 10 24-00
45. Cordell Beckman - Greenville University 206
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 13-06 Total: 10 23-15
46. Jack Rankin - Hunter Baird Drury University 205
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 11-00 Total: 10 23-14
47. Jarred Jones - Logan Tate Jacksonville State University 204
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 11-01 Total: 10 23-14
48. Conner Giles - Christian Wright Bryan College 0
Day 1: 5 08-04 Day 2: 5 15-02 Total: 10 23-06
49. Grant Hack - Jonathan Stepp Ohio State 202
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 06-15 Total: 10 23-05
50. Cole Breeden - Cameron Smith Drury University 201
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 12-15 Total: 10 23-04
51. Garrett Guinan - John Paul Kent State University 200
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 10-10 Total: 10 23-01
52. Cal Culpepper - Mason Waddell University of Montevallo 199
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 09-07 Total: 10 22-13
53. Robert Howard - Miles Lucas Stephen F Austin State Universit 198
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 10-11 Total: 10 22-11
54. Cole Lamb - Tristan Weaver Arkansas Tech University 197
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 08-12 Total: 10 22-09
55. Hayden Gaddis - Ben Cully Carson-Newman University 196
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 09-04 Total: 10 21-14
56. Andrew Fisher - Bennett Kudder Bryan College 195
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 11-05 Total: 10 21-12
57. Harbor Lovin - Zachary Martin Murray State University 194
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 4 04-12 Total: 9 21-08
58. Evan Haley - Chase Arkell Marshall University 193
Day 1: 3 05-06 Day 2: 5 16-02 Total: 8 21-08
59. Solomon Glenn - Hunter Ward University of Montevallo 192
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 06-09 Total: 10 21-07
60. Matthew Bradham - Caleb Stephenson Campbellsville University 0
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 4 08-01 Total: 9 21-07
61. Josh Dugger - Jake Dugger Arkansas Tech University 190
Day 1: 1 02-10 Day 2: 5 18-11 Total: 6 21-05
62. Mark Harris - Reece Martin Dallas Baptist University 189
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 5 12-09 Total: 10 21-03
63. Adam Carroll - Justin Barnes University of Montevallo 188
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 09-08 Total: 10 21-03
64. Bryce Henley - Reese Kingston Brewton-Parker College 187
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 20-09 Total: 5 20-09
65. Britt Myers - Tyler Anderson Lander University 186
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 10 20-09
66. Wesley Pennington - University of North Alabama 185
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 2 06-12 Total: 7 20-08
67. Samuel Vandagriff - Jacob Woods Tennessee Tech University 184
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 3 03-08 Total: 8 20-07
68. Austin Carr - Justin Carr 183
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 12-12 Total: 10 20-07
69. Griffin Phillips - Ethan King University of Montevallo 182
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 08-15 Total: 10 20-07
70. Lane Bailey - Adam Seagle Catawba Valley Community College 181
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 11-00 Total: 10 20-05
71. Jake Lee - Mason Cizek Bryan College 180
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 10-08 Total: 10 20-04
72. Cameron Gautreau - Cade Fortenberry Nicholls State University 179
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 09-11 Total: 10 20-02
73. Grayson Morris - Jacob Pfundt University of Montevallo 178
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 5 12-07 Total: 10 19-15
74. Braxton Resweber - University of Louisiana at Lafay 177
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 08-03 Total: 10 19-06
75. Sean Clayton - Owen Dimaio Clemson University 176
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 08-13 Total: 10 19-02
76. Atom Ward - Gavin Lagle Indiana University Southeast 175
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 09-11 Total: 10 18-15
77. Fisher Young - Alden Keel Jr Blue Mountain College 174
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 08-14 Total: 10 18-14
78. Griffin Fernandes - Gunner Wilson Adrian College 173
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 06-01 Total: 10 18-12
79. Matthew Cummings - Joseph Woods Bethel University 172
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 07-08 Total: 10 18-09
80. Neal Wisinski - Nathan Siclovan University of Wisconsin Stevens 171
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 07-06 Total: 10 18-08
81. Joseph McClosky - Ryan Winchester Bethel University 170
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 08-13 Total: 10 18-06
82. Dalton Smith - Bradley Dunagan Campbellsville University 169
Day 1: 4 07-12 Day 2: 5 10-09 Total: 9 18-05
83. Tyler Vanbrandt - Grant Gallagher Adrian College 168
Day 1: 5 08-06 Day 2: 5 09-07 Total: 10 17-13
84. Cody Gregory - Levi Mullins Bethel University 167
Day 1: 5 08-03 Day 2: 5 09-03 Total: 10 17-06
85. Jr Young - Hunter Bailey Jacksonville State University 166
Day 1: 5 06-02 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 10 17-05
86. Drew Pridgen - Kaleb Brown Lander University 165
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 5 09-07 Total: 10 17-05
87. Drew Coker - Peyton Vinson 164
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 06-15 Total: 10 17-04
88. Logan Parks - Cody Griffith Auburn University 163
Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 5 08-07 Total: 10 16-15
89. Kyle Everett - John Higginbotham LA Tech 162
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 2 02-14 Total: 7 16-14
90. Will Leonard - Jared Page Kent State University 161
Day 1: 4 04-00 Day 2: 5 12-14 Total: 9 16-14
91. Patrick Pelt - Anthony Vintson Auburn University 160
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 5 08-01 Total: 10 16-10
92. Bryce Fowler - Chris Bowen East Carolina University 159
Day 1: 5 08-01 Day 2: 4 08-08 Total: 9 16-09
93. Blake Spradlin - William Phillips Auburn University 158
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 5 07-10 Total: 10 16-07
94. Jeremy Dellinger - Nathan Smith Catawba Valley Community College 157
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 4 04-12 Total: 9 16-00
95. Alec Coffey - Kyle Roy Campbellsville University 156
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 5 06-15 Total: 10 15-11
96. Jarrett Brown - Tyler Harless University of Montevallo 155
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 05-13 Total: 10 15-06
97. Andrew Heppe - Bryce Miller Kent State University 154
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 4 05-14 Total: 9 15-05
98. Trey Schroeder - Tyler Christy McKendree University 153
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 07-10 Total: 10 15-03
99. Braden Perry - Aidan England Carson-Newman University 152
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 3 04-08 Total: 8 14-07
100. Tommy Sendek - University of Montevallo 151
Day 1: 5 08-06 Day 2: 5 06-00 Total: 10 14-06
101. Ben Ford - Cole Bathje Augustana College 150
Day 1: 5 06-09 Day 2: 2 06-05 Total: 7 12-14
102. Jj Kocevar - Tanner Shriver Kent State University 149
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 2 02-11 Total: 7 12-07
103. Jack Long - Brock Bila Drury University 148
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 2 02-12 Total: 7 12-07
104. Logan Anderson - Josh Frederick North Carolina State University 147
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 1 03-02 Total: 6 12-04
105. Garrett Warren - Will Jones Auburn University 146
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 11-13
106. Zach Vielhauer - Michael Mueting Kansas State University 145
Day 1: 5 06-12 Day 2: 3 04-10 Total: 8 11-06
107. Tyler Pendergrass - Avery Whitwell University of North Alabama 144
Day 1: 5 06-12 Day 2: 2 04-09 Total: 7 11-05
108. Lawson Graves - Cameron Glasscock Wallace State Community College 143
Day 1: 1 00-12 Day 2: 4 09-15 Total: 5 10-11
109. Zachary Asher - Jacob Klicman Kent State University 142
Day 1: 5 06-02 Day 2: 3 04-07 Total: 8 10-09
110. Landon Lawson - Donavan Carson King University 141
Day 1: 3 05-09 Day 2: 3 05-00 Total: 6 10-09
111. Nolan Yeager - Ethan LeGare Stephen F. Austin State Universi 140
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 10-00
112. Jake Maddux - Chace Gregory Southern Union Community College 139
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 09-00
113. GL Compton - Matthew Sprouse Clemson University 138
Day 1: 3 06-07 Day 2: 2 02-08 Total: 5 08-15
114. James Duncan - Blake Stringer Campbellsville University 137
Day 1: 1 00-13 Day 2: 5 07-14 Total: 6 08-11
115. Ethan Jones - Andrew Althoff Mckendree University 136
Day 1: 3 03-12 Day 2: 3 03-14 Total: 6 07-10
116. Gunner Whitaker - Lafe Messer Kentucky Christian University 135
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 07-08
117. Evan Thomas - Alex Briggs Hampden Academy 134
Day 1: 2 04-14 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 04-14
118. Cole Cloud - Blake Wade 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
118. Seth Roberts - Bethel University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
Jacksonville State’s Gossett, Smith Win Team Of The Year Award
Zeke Gossett and Lucas Smith, of Alabama's Jacksonville State University, were honored as the 2020 Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year before the Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
October 30, 2020
LEESBURG, Fla. — The 2020 season started with a broken-down boat for the Jacksonville State University team of Zeke Gossett and Lucas Smith, but closed out with some hardware for the trophy case.
Before taking to the water this week for the 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at the Harris Chain of Lakes, Gossett and Smith were honored as the 2020 Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year after accumulating 988 points throughout the four-event regular season. Along with two trophies, Gossett and Smith added a $2,500 check plus a Minn Kota Ultrex and a Humminbird Solix Unit courtesy of Johnson Outdoors.
“It’s very special with it being my last year,” Gossett said. “We were thinking about it the other day, we fished in four different seasons. So it was pretty cool to win in a heck of a year. We had so many cool stories. We broke down the first tournament at Toledo and made a 60-mile one-way run at Lake Cumberland. It’s just awesome to hold the Team of the Year trophy because we worked really hard for it.
“There were so many stories. When I see this trophy in my room I’m going to think about every one of them.”
Smith, who started the season as a freshman, and Gossett began the season at opposite ends of their college careers and faced adversity immediately, breaking down on the first day of the first tournament of the season at Toledo Bend. The duo didn’t panic, however, catching 16 pounds on Day 1 to save their tournament and ultimately their season with a 20th-place finish.
Gossett and Smith followed Toledo Bend with a 9th-place finish at Smith Lake in February and, after a long layoff, finished 5th at Lake Hartwell in August, giving them the lead in Team of the Year heading into the final stop of the year at Lake Cumberland last month.
After a 6-pound, 60th-place Day 1 showing and Minor and Lanier leading the event, Gossett and Smith decided to make a 120-mile run on Day 2 and it paid off, jumping into the Top 12 cut and securing the Team of the Year title unofficially.
“It was just crazy,” Gossett said. “We just had an open mind every tournament and we fished very free this year. We had to take some chances, like at the last event with the 60-mile run. They talk about in the Elite Series Angler of the Year race, you can’t have a bad day. We had bad days, but we would make it up.”
Through his first season as a college angler, Smith said he has learned a lot from Gossett during the ups and downs of the season.
“I’ve learned so many things from Zeke over this year,” he said. “Keeping an open mind was really important. In high school, I would just get stuck in a rut and wouldn’t move around as much. This year, I learned you have to make those calls.”
Not only did the 2020 season provide on the water adversity, but plenty of non-fishing adversity as well. Their Jacksonville State teammate Jarred Jones underwent major heart surgery during the COVID-19 layoff and cancer treatment after the Lake Hartwell tournament. Then, when Gossett returned home from Cumberland, his mother, Laura, and father, Curtis, tested positive for COVID-19 and were hospitalized. For four days, Curtis, who also has asthma, was on a ventilator and life support due to complications with the disease.
“It was terrible,” Gossett said. “One day they tried to take the tube out and it didn’t work. The next day, by the grace of God, his numbers went up to where he was strong enough to get the tube out. I just want to thank everyone for the prayers. They are doing a lot better.”
With family members and teammates now recovering, Gossett and Smith are ready to try and claim more hardware with a victory at the National Championship tournament.
“This is our first time seeing these lakes and I’m not real familiar with Florida fishing,” Gossett said. “I fished Okeechobee about five years ago, but I like this lake a little more because it has more bank grass. You can catch good fish going down the bank and that’s what we do. I’m feeling pretty confident, but we have not caught a fish over 3-and-a-half pounds. I think we will eventually get a big bite if we keep doing what we are doing.”
The 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops continues Oct. 30-31 with daily takeoffs from Venetian Gardens in Leesburg at 7:30 a.m. ET. Weigh-ins will be held back at Venetian Gardens at 3:30 p.m. and streamed live on Bassmaster.com. The National Champions will be crowned Saturday.
College championship: Family, friends and fat limits of bass
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Prior to last night’s nationally televised college football game between Georgia Southern and South Alabama, opposing players pushed and shoved one another in a heated fracas prior to kickoff. You won’t see that sort of classlessness at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes.
Instead, you will see opposing student anglers fellowshipping under a gorgeous sunrise while family and friends stand nearby in the crisp autumn air to support them. And you’ll find no better example than highly accomplished Tanner Ward, an engineering student from Kent State in Ohio, whose sisters Laken and Olivia took off work to travel with mom, just to see Tanner compete.
Equally as impressive, his longtime fierce competitor Nolan Minor of West Virginia University beached his boat next-door, just in time to photobomb Ward’s shoreline family portrait, and pay him a compliment after a successful Day 1.
“When you need to slow down and fish one area really thoroughly, Tanner is really tough to beat,” says Minor. “We actually met back in high school fishing at a championship on Kentucky Lake. I had seen his YouTube videos, so I started chatting him up while we were waiting to weigh-in at that high school event, and we’ve been good friends ever since.”
Even though Kent State and WVU’s campuses are three hours apart, Minor indeed knows Ward’s fishing strengths well. “We weighed-in 17 pounds yesterday mostly by slowing down and milking one patch of hydrilla the size of a football field for all 17 pounds,” confirms Ward.
Tanner Ward and partner Rory Franks know that staying put in one area, and not running around, leaving fish to find fish, will be the biggest mental challenge they’ll face this week – especially now that a chilly weather front will add to the adversity bass tournaments inevitably offer.
But no matter where Ward lands on the leaderboard – two things are certain, he’s made a friend for life in Nolan Minor through fishing, and his sisters are definitely bass fishing fans for life after being here to experience the sport’s nearly unexplainable goodness this week in person.
From soul-moving autumn sunrises to fat limits of bass – this certainly won’t be the last shoreline family photo Team Ward ever takes.
Cooler Weather May Trigger Lake Fork For Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest
QUITMAN, Texas — In Lee Livesay’s view, the 2020 Bassmaster Elite Series season couldn’t end at a better location; and not solely because he calls Lake Fork his home waters.
The local stick believes this east Texas powerhouse will offer a tremendous level of diverse opportunities for the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Competition days will be Nov. 5-8 with daily takeoffs from Sabine River Authority (SRA) — Lake Fork at 6:40 a.m. CT and weigh-ins each day at SRA — Lake Fork at 3 p.m.
Coming off his first Elite win at Chickamauga Lake in mid-October, Livesay has lived near Lake Fork most of his life. He’s guided there for seven years, so he has his finger on the lake’s pulse.
“This is going to be a tournament where you can catch them any way you want to — deep, shallow, in between; south end, north end, middle,” Livesay said. “I think everything is going to play and it’s going to be good.”
Seasonality has much to do with this, as shortening daylight periods have fish ready to feed heavily for winter. Fall has taken its time settling in this year, and with late-October water temperatures around the 70-degree mark, Fork’s fish have yet to fully commit to traditional fall patterns.
The transition is happening and a cold front that pushes through the area a week before the tournament will hasten the process. Daytime highs are expected to drop from the mid- to upper 50s into the upper 40s. Days will quickly warm into the mid- to upper 60s for tournament week, but Fork will see several overnight lows in the upper 30s. That’s going to send the right signals to fish that already know it’s time to chow down.
Key point: Lake Fork has been stocked with Florida-strain largemouth, which have the genetic makeup to reach trophy size. Balancing this truth, “Floridas,” as they’re often called, tend to be highly sensitive to weather changes. That’s not always a bad thing, and Livesay’s hoping the declining temperatures will unleash the lake’s potential.
“The biggest thing we’re going to be facing is this little front,” Livesay said. “It’s been hot and it’s just getting cold. These fish like it cold and (the fishing) is better here until the water temperature gets into the low 50s. So, it’s actually going to be beneficial toward us catching bigger fish.
“We’ve had a couple of big bass tournaments and they did not catch them very well on the upper end of the size. So, it might be perfect for the lake to bust loose and everybody catch a big bag of fish.”
The Lake Fork Dam impounds Lake Fork Creek — a Sabine River tributary — to create a lake of approximately 27,690 surface acres. With additional inflows from Big Caney and Little Caney Creek, Fork is currently about 2 feet below normal pool.
“That’s decently low for us; we don’t have a lot of fluctuation,” Livesay said. “It’s been on a steady fall since early July and we haven’t had a lot of rise and fall since then.”
Describing Lake Fork’s common habitat elements as shallow wood, grass, points, humps and roadbeds, Livesay said there will also be plenty of offshore roaming fish. He expects to try a range of scenarios in various depth zones.
“I’ll fish deep, I’ll fish supershallow, I’ll fish wood — a lot of them start getting on wood when it’s cold. I’ll fish anything and everything in between,” he said. “I’ll fish topwaters, I’ll fish slow dragging baits, buzzbaits, Rat-L-Traps; there’ll be a little niche for everything going on.
“It all depends on the water level. The water being low might have the deep fish out there a little better than everybody thinks. So, I’m literally going to look at everything.”
While he can see someone locating a bunched-up offshore school and carefully managing it for four days, Livesay predicts most anglers, especially those fishing shallow, will need multiple spots and multiple techniques to be competitive. That being said, he believes the Top 10 will include anglers fishing shallow, midrange and deep.
Unlike spring tournaments, where 30-pound bags are not uncommon, Livesay has a more conservative outlook for this fall event. It is entirely possible that the weigh-ins will see a few fish in the 8- to 10-pound range, but with fall fish generally more scattered than they are during the spawning season, anglers may be less likely to amass a five-fish limit of Lake Fork giants.
The tournament will employ a catch-weigh-release format, with trained judges weighing each angler’s fish as they are caught on the water and immediately releasing them back into the lake. Competitors will be allowed to bring in one bass over 20 inches to show on the weigh-in stage.
“It’s going to be who figures out how to catch those four or five fish a day that are a little bigger,” Livesay said. “You’re not going to see the megabags this time of year. Instead of 100-pound (four-day totals), you’re going to see 80 pounds win.
“Somebody might get on a little freak school, cranking a channel swing in a creek, but it’s pretty tough this time of year.”
In addition to the $125,000 first-place prize, the winning angler will earn a berth into the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic.
The tournament will also help decide the 2020 Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, which is currently being led by Tennessee pro David Mullins with 623 points. Minnesota pro Austin Felix is in second place with 618 and veteran Texas pro Clark Wendlandt is third with 607.
Bassmaster LIVE will cover the event each day on Bassmaster.com and ESPN3. Championship Sunday will feature additional live coverage on ESPN2. Check local listings for details.
The tournament is being hosted by the Sabine River Authority and Wood County Economic Development Commission.
Bryan College Leads Day 1 Of Bassmaster College Series National Championship
Cole Sands and Conner Dimauro, from Tennessee's Bryan College, are leading after Day 1 of the 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops with 28 pounds, 7 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
October 29, 2020
LEESBURG, Fla. — The Bryan College team of Cole Sands and Conner Dimauro opened the Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at the Harris Chain of Lakes with a 28-pound, 7-ounce bag to lead the field of 119 boats.
“We had a really blessed day,” Sands said. “It is Day 1 and you can’t win it on the first day, but we didn’t lose it. We had a really good bag and we will be in contention. We have to look forward to tomorrow and catch them then.
“Last year, we came in second in the National Championship and that stung. We are going to do everything in our power not to do that again.”
Their five-fish limit was anchored by a 7-5 largemouth, and the duo did not weigh in a fish that weighed less than 4 pounds.
“In practice, we did a whole lot of scanning. The last day we made like 10 or 15 casts total,” Dimauro said. “So, we really didn’t know what we were on, but we knew we found a bunch of fish.”
The duo started on their best spot in Lake Dora and caught all of their weight by 11:30 a.m. At that point, they left the area to practice other sections of the tournament waters.
Sands added that they had even bigger fish on the hook throughout the day that never made it into the livewell.
“Believe it or not, we lost some really big fish and that cost us from having over 30 (pounds),” he said.
Dimauro is from Florida and has plenty of history on the Harris Chain, and that has helped the duo find some high-percentage areas.
For this time of the year, Dimauro said he was surprised by how big of a bag they were able to catch.
“This place turns out bags like that day in and day out,” Dimauro said. “This place is a little tough right now. I feel like we did really well for today with the conditions. We saved a lot of fish hopefully.
“Being from here helps a lot because we were able to narrow our practice down quickly.”
Sands and Dimauro said execution will be their main adjustment heading into Friday.
“I would have hated to see what would have happened if we connected on everything today,” Dimauro said. “It would have been really nasty.”
The team of Tyler Lubbat and Calvin Landsberg brought a limit of 25-1 to the scales, lifting them to second place after Day 1. Lubbat and Landsberg had a productive practice, catching a 7-pounder and a couple of 4-pounders out of a specific area.
On tournament day, the big bites showed up again, this time with a 7-3 largemouth and another fish close to 7 pounds that anchored their bag.
“We went in there this morning and had our weight by 9:30,” Lubbat said. “We sat there the rest of the day, Taloned down, and tried to keep as many people off of it as we could.”
One bait produced most of their bites on Day 1, Lubbat said, adding that he hasn’t seen any of the other competitors throwing the bait.
While a lot of the other teams near the top have locked into different lakes, Lubbat and Landsberg are fishing shallow on Lake Harris this week, although Lubbat has tried to find some deeper fish.
Trevor McKinney and Blake Jackson from McKendree University secured third place after Day 1 with 20-8. McKinney and Jackson had just four hours of practice after Jackson’s boat was totaled the first day of practice in an off-the-water incident.
In those four hours, however, the duo did catch a 6-pounder that sent them in the right direction on tournament day.
With a good bag in the boat, McKinney and Jackson were able to use a lot of their time on Day 1 as a sort of practice day on Lake Griffin, making up for some of the time they lost during official practice.
“We are blessed. Our goal going out today was 16 or 17 pounds and we felt like we would be up there with a chance at a big bag tomorrow to make it (to the Top 12),” Jackson said. “We had a few good bites today and we executed well. We are definitely happy with what we have.”
Noah Boyett and Ty Garlington hold the Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament with a 7-13 largemouth. More than half the field weighed a limit, while only two teams zeroed.
The full field will return to the Harris Chain Friday with takeoff at 7:30 a.m. ET from Venetian Gardens. The weigh-in will start at the same site at 3:30 p.m.
After Friday’s weigh-in, the Top 12 teams will advance to Championship Saturday.
Stracner Sticks With Smallmouth, Takes Lead At Bassmaster Eastern Open On Cherokee Lake
Josh Stracner, of Vandiver, Ala., is leading after Day 1 of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake with 14 pounds, 12 ounces.
Photo by Andy Crawford/B.A.S.S.
October 29, 2020
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — A species-focused strategy aimed at finding the heaviest average weights allowed Josh Stracner of Vandiver, Ala., to take the Day 1 lead of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake with a five-bass limit of 14 pounds, 12 ounces.
Stracner holds a 4-ounce lead over Denny Fiedler of Wabasha, Minn., and Matthew Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., who are tied for second with 14-8.
“I think the key right now in this lake is catching a limit of smallmouth — I caught all smallmouth today,” Stracner said. “Keeper smallmouth have to be 15 inches, and the smallmouth here are so much healthier.
“If you catch a 15-inch smallmouth vs. a 15-inch largemouth, the smallmouth is going to weigh about three-quarters of a pound more. I think they’re just healthy this time of year.”
With a cold front moving through the region, Day 1 began with morning rains and cloudy skies that started clearing by late morning. Conditions didn’t seem to impact Stracner’s game, as he targeted points in 10 to 15 feet. True to their nature, he found the smallies relating to specific structure.
“They were sitting on one little rock on a point,” Stracner said. “If you don’t know where that rock is, you won't get a bite. I run Humminbird electronics and that was everything.
“They were grouped up; you could see seven or eight of them sitting on one rock. It’s hard to catch more than one or two off a spot. But you could come back a couple of hours later and catch them again.”
Stracner said he had to mix up his presentations. He ended up catching his fish on a variety of baits.
“I think I caught two of them cranking, two on a drop shot and one on a Carolina rig,” he said. “I’d start off throwing a crankbait. I’d make my first two or three casts with that and then I’d throw a drop shot in there.”
Stracner said his spots hold enough potential to carry him through at least Day 2.
“I caught them early today, but I hope I didn’t make a mistake,” he said. “I quit at 12 o’clock today and weighed in two hours (earlier than scheduled) because I had two fish (that were struggling in the livewell).”
Fiedler said the recent weather played to his favor in terms of a water clarity scenario that he was able to exploit.
“Practice was tough, so I wasn’t necessarily consistent; but I did find a pattern of using moving baits in stained water,” he said. “On Monday, I was able to get a few bites. I didn’t land any of those fish, so I went back there this morning and a 5-pound, 6-ouncer was the first fish I caught.
Fiedler said he used three different reaction baits. Of his seven bites, one bait produced three and the others yielded two bites each.
Also reporting a slim practice, Robertson said he caught his fish on an offshore spot with rock structure in about 20 feet. The spot had yielded only one keeper bite in practice, but it was considerably more productive today.
“I don’t even know how that happened,” Robertson said. “I think the weather definitely made them bite. I’m just working my ‘wojo’ (winging it plus mojo) and fishing slow.”
Fiedler is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 5-6.
Bobby Drinnon of Rogersville, Tenn., leads the co-angler division with 8-5. Fishing a range of depths from the bank to offshore, Drinnon said he dialed in a particular unnamed finesse presentation that produced his three-bass limit.
“It’s been so tough, you can’t really power fish, you just have to slow down and finesse,” he said. “I was using kind of a dragging presentation. It was actually a good bite. They were holding on and running with it.”
Daniel Valois Gomez of Coral Springs, Fla., holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead among co-anglers with a 4-2.
Stracner currently leads the Eastern Open points standings with 582 points, followed by Bassmaster Elite Series pro Patrick Walters with 580. Pat Schlapper is in third with 550, followed by Timmy Thompkins in fourth with 533 and Bryan New in fifth with 528.
Jason Christie leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year Standings with 1,046 points.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. ET at Cherokee Lake Dam TVA Boat Launch. The weigh-in will be held at the Boat Launch at 3:30 p.m.
After Friday’s weigh-in, the Top 12 anglers will advance to Championship Saturday.
2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake 10/29-10/31
Lake Cherokee, Dandridge TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 5 14-12 200
Day 1: 5 14-12
2. Denny Fiedler Wabasha, MN 5 14-08 199
Day 1: 5 14-08
2. Matthew Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 14-08 199
Day 1: 5 14-08
4. Andy Hribar Lakeville, MN 5 13-10 197
Day 1: 5 13-10
5. Bill Humbard New Market, TN 5 13-05 196
Day 1: 5 13-05
6. Jeremy Gordon Rutledge, TN 5 12-08 195
Day 1: 5 12-08
7. Timmy Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 12-06 194
Day 1: 5 12-06
8. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 12-02 193
Day 1: 5 12-02
9. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 5 12-00 192
Day 1: 5 12-00
10. Josh Roark Bean Station, TN 5 11-13 191
Day 1: 5 11-13
11. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 5 11-05 190
Day 1: 5 11-05
12. Joel Willert Prior Lake, MN 5 10-03 189
Day 1: 5 10-03
13. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 4 10-03 188
Day 1: 4 10-03
14. Freddy Palmer Estill Springs, TN 3 09-03 187
Day 1: 3 09-03
15. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 5 09-00 186
Day 1: 5 09-00
16. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 3 09-00 185
Day 1: 3 09-00
17. Gregg Fogner Conway, SC 4 08-15 184
Day 1: 4 08-15
18. Whitney Stephens Waverly, OH 4 08-14 183
Day 1: 4 08-14
19. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 4 08-11 182
Day 1: 4 08-11
20. Jason Casteel Winter Garden, FL 3 08-11 181
Day 1: 3 08-11
21. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 3 08-07 180
Day 1: 3 08-07
22. Spencer Peters Knoxville, TN 3 08-04 179
Day 1: 3 08-04
23. Mark Pappas Dandridge, TN 4 08-03 178
Day 1: 4 08-03
24. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 3 08-01 177
Day 1: 3 08-01
25. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 3 07-14 176
Day 1: 3 07-14
26. Rex Nickel Huff Corbin, KY 4 07-10 175
Day 1: 4 07-10
27. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 3 07-10 174
Day 1: 3 07-10
28. Luke Plunkett Pinson, AL 4 07-09 173
Day 1: 4 07-09
29. Jon Canada Helena, AL 3 07-06 172
Day 1: 3 07-06
30. Bryan New Belmont, NC 4 07-05 171
Day 1: 4 07-05
30. Joe Thompson Clayton, GA 4 07-05 171
Day 1: 4 07-05
32. Jonathan Carter Glenburn, ME 2 07-03 169
Day 1: 2 07-03
33. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 4 06-13 168
Day 1: 4 06-13
34. Hunter Sales Blaine, TN 3 06-12 167
Day 1: 3 06-12
35. Andy Wicker Pomaria, SC 3 06-11 166
Day 1: 3 06-11
36. Stephen Mui Odessa, FL 2 06-09 165
Day 1: 2 06-09
37. Rich Chriscinske Salyersville, KY 3 06-08 164
Day 1: 3 06-08
37. Davey May Odessa, FL 3 06-08 164
Day 1: 3 06-08
39. Dave Turner Crystal River, FL 2 06-06 162
Day 1: 2 06-06
40. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 3 06-04 161
Day 1: 3 06-04
41. Tyler Berger Delaware, OH 2 06-04 160
Day 1: 2 06-04
42. Garrett Rocamora Lithia, FL 2 06-01 159
Day 1: 2 06-01
43. Keith Carson Debary, FL 3 06-00 158
Day 1: 3 06-00
43. Darrell Davis Dover, FL 3 06-00 158
Day 1: 3 06-00
45. Richard Reeger Gastonia, NC 5 05-14 156
Day 1: 5 05-14
46. Ben Nielsen Lowell, MI 3 05-14 155
Day 1: 3 05-14
47. Adam Neu Forestville, WI 3 05-13 154
Day 1: 3 05-13
48. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 4 05-12 153
Day 1: 4 05-12
49. Cody Hahner Wausau, WI 3 05-11 152
Day 1: 3 05-11
50. Jordan Burdette Knoxville, TN 2 05-10 151
Day 1: 2 05-10
51. Derrick Snavely Piney Flats, TN 2 05-09 150
Day 1: 2 05-09
52. Bradley Hallman Norman, OK 2 05-08 149
Day 1: 2 05-08
52. Brandon Johnson Mt Sterling, KY 2 05-08 149
Day 1: 2 05-08
54. John Hunter Jr Simpsonville, KY 3 05-06 147
Day 1: 3 05-06
55. Kotaro Kiriyama Guntersville, AL 2 05-03 146
Day 1: 2 05-03
56. Greg Alexander Hebron, MD 3 05-02 145
Day 1: 3 05-02
57. Hunter Bland Williston, FL 3 04-14 144
Day 1: 3 04-14
58. Brian Latimer Belton, SC 2 04-14 143
Day 1: 2 04-14
58. Matt Lee Bremen, AL 2 04-14 143
Day 1: 2 04-14
60. Andrew Upshaw Tulsa, OK 3 04-13 141
Day 1: 3 04-13
61. Derek Lehtonen Woodruff, SC 3 04-11 140
Day 1: 3 04-11
62. Brandt Tumberg Moore, SC 2 04-10 139
Day 1: 2 04-10
63. Daisuke Aoki Minamitsurugun Yamanash 2 04-08 138
Day 1: 2 04-08
63. Matt Mattingly Gravel Switch, KY 2 04-08 138
Day 1: 2 04-08
65. Scott Patton Paris, TN 2 04-07 136
Day 1: 2 04-07
66. Greg Mansfield Olathe, KS 2 04-06 135
Day 1: 2 04-06
67. Christiana Bradley Goldvein, VA 1 04-06 134
Day 1: 1 04-06
68. John Garrett Union City, TN 2 04-04 133
Day 1: 2 04-04
69. Nick Hatfield Chuckey, TN 2 04-03 132
Day 1: 2 04-03
70. Stephen Morella Townshed, VT 2 04-02 131
Day 1: 2 04-02
71. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 2 04-00 130
Day 1: 2 04-00
72. Chris Kingree Inverness, FL 2 03-15 129
Day 1: 2 03-15
73. Von Dilbeck Corbin, KY 2 03-14 128
Day 1: 2 03-14
74. Tyler Ellis Battlefield, MO 2 03-13 127
Day 1: 2 03-13
75. Jeremy Maye Windsor, VA 1 03-11 126
Day 1: 1 03-11
76. Kyle Austin Ridgeville, SC 2 03-10 125
Day 1: 2 03-10
77. Allen Brooks Canton, GA 1 03-09 124
Day 1: 1 03-09
77. Craig Chambers Midland, NC 1 03-09 124
Day 1: 1 03-09
79. Steve Sennikoff Edgewood, TX 2 03-08 122
Day 1: 2 03-08
80. Cam Sterritt Newfields, NH 3 03-07 121
Day 1: 3 03-07
81. Chris Ferguson Wittensville, KY 2 03-06 120
Day 1: 2 03-06
82. Kameron Harbin Abbeville, SC 2 03-05 119
Day 1: 2 03-05
82. Cody Huff Ava, MO 2 03-05 119
Day 1: 2 03-05
84. Timmy Cales Sandstone, WV 1 03-05 117
Day 1: 1 03-05
84. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 1 03-05 117
Day 1: 1 03-05
84. Garrett Rose Pipecreek, TX 1 03-05 117
Day 1: 1 03-05
87. Todd Goade White Pine, TN 1 03-04 114
Day 1: 1 03-04
87. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 1 03-04 114
Day 1: 1 03-04
89. Colby Robertson Summerfield, FL 1 03-03 112
Day 1: 1 03-03
90. Cody Detweiler Orlando, FL 1 03-02 111
Day 1: 1 03-02
91. Cody Bertrand Dyer, IN 1 02-15 110
Day 1: 1 02-15
91. Preston Julian Seymour, TN 1 02-15 110
Day 1: 1 02-15
93. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 1 02-12 108
Day 1: 1 02-12
94. Wyatt Burkhalter Coker, AL 1 02-11 107
Day 1: 1 02-11
94. Shawn Hendrix Sharpsburg, GA 1 02-11 107
Day 1: 1 02-11
94. Nick Tate Knoxville, TN 1 02-11 107
Day 1: 1 02-11
97. Gary Adkins Green Bay, WI 1 02-10 104
Day 1: 1 02-10
97. Cole Drummond Effingham, SC 1 02-10 104
Day 1: 1 02-10
99. Chad Smith Minnetonka, MN 2 02-09 102
Day 1: 2 02-09
100. Chandler Stewart Waco, TX 2 02-08 101
Day 1: 2 02-08
101. Ken Iyobe Tokoname, Aichi JAPAN 1 02-08 100
Day 1: 1 02-08
102. Jason Burroughs Hodges, SC 1 02-07 99
Day 1: 1 02-07
103. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 1 02-02 98
Day 1: 1 02-02
104. Brandon Tallhamer Parkersburg, WV 2 02-01 97
Day 1: 2 02-01
105. Brad Knight Lancing, TN 1 02-01 96
Day 1: 1 02-01
106. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 1 02-00 95
Day 1: 1 02-00
107. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 1 01-15 94
Day 1: 1 01-15
107. Andrew Thomasson Dublin, VA 1 01-15 94
Day 1: 1 01-15
109. Trevor Topken Warwick, NY 1 01-14 92
Day 1: 1 01-14
110. Cameron Smith Wareham, MA 1 01-13 91
Day 1: 1 01-13
111. Michael Hall Annandale, VA 1 01-12 90
Day 1: 1 01-12
111. Frank Ramsey Spring Grove, IL 1 01-12 90
Day 1: 1 01-12
111. Dustin Reneau Mckinney, TX 1 01-12 90
Day 1: 1 01-12
114. Robert Gibson Niota, TN 1 01-11 87
Day 1: 1 01-11
114. Randy Huffman Charleston, WV 1 01-11 87
Day 1: 1 01-11
114. Teb Jones Hattiesburg, MS 1 01-11 87
Day 1: 1 01-11
114. Bryce Matthews Olanta, SC 1 01-11 87
Day 1: 1 01-11
118. Terry Segraves Kissimmee, FL 1 01-10 83
Day 1: 1 01-10
119. Barry Wilson Birmingham, AL 1 01-09 82
Day 1: 1 01-09
120. David Williams Newton, NC 1 01-08 81
Day 1: 1 01-08
121. Robbie Harrelson Moncks Corner, SC 1 01-07 80
Day 1: 1 01-07
122. Randy Blaukat Joplin, MO 1 01-06 79
Day 1: 1 01-06
123. Corey Lindsey Blacklick, OH 1 01-03 78
Day 1: 1 01-03
123. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 1 01-03 78
Day 1: 1 01-03
125. Bo Goodin Harrogate, TN 1 01-00 76
Day 1: 1 01-00
126. Barry Brandt Jr. Newport News, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Brad Burkhart Speedwell, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Todd Castledine Nacogdoches, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Mark Duerr West Allis, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Anthony Dumitras Winston, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Clayton Dyer Fayetteville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Guy Eaker Cherryville, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Randy Elliott Severn, MD 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Tim Frederick Leesburg, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Derek Freeman Anderson, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Jerry Gallogly Jr North Tazewell, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Ronnie Getz Sunman, IN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Caleb Gibson Locust Grove, OK 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Darryl Halbert Enoree, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Josh Hubbard Braidwood, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Keith Iddins Knoxville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Denis Karachopan Rocky Point, NY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. David Kilgore Jasper, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. John Maner Falkville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Matthew Mccarthy Marysville, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Kenny Mittelstaedt Minnetonka, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Parker Mott Winter Garden, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Lance Owen Greer, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Scott Pellegrin Chippewa Falls, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Chris Peters Birchwood, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Trevor Prince Blue Ridge, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Chad Randles Elkhorn, NE 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Jake Rossi Columbus, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Ronald Ryals Jr Live Oak, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Hermilo Salgado Artemus, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Scott Siller Milwaukee, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Jack Williams Kingsport, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Tommy Williams Shepherdsville, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Trait Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
Bryan College’s beautiful mess
Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
In Thursday’s warm humid pre-dawn air to begin Day 1 at the Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship on Florida’s Harris Chain, I found myself deeply concerned about angler Mason Cizek’s feet.
The 21-year-old accounting major from Bryan College on Lake Chickamauga in Tennessee was a “hook in the toe” waiting to happen. No less than 25 lures surrounded his sandaled left foot.
“That pile represents a mix of fishing fast, trying a lot of different lures, and having very little experience in Florida,” laughed his partner Jake Lee, the 2017 champion of this event.
The mess also represents the care-free, fun, passionate attitude of the fast-growing college fishing culture. It’s not about looking good for most of these students, it’s simply about their absolute love of bass fishing – and the associated fellowship that precipitates from traveling on tight budgets.
“I learned these bad habits from my old partner Jacob Foutz,” laughed Lee. “When he and I fished together our boat was always a disaster.”
Lee and Foutz’s messy habits seemed to pay off. They won the 2017 Carhartt Bassmaster National Championship in Minnesota, and Foutz went on to qualify for the 2018 Bassmaster Classic, and now runs a successful fishing guide business on Lake Chickamauga.
“My dad is a firefighter back in East Tennessee, and he’s gonna see this article and want to drive down here and tell me to get this disaster cleaned up,” laughed Lee.
When I asked Cizek which of the lures in that heap were likely to get the most playing time – he said, “That’s what makes this mess so special – I have no idea – I’m fishing purely on intuition,” he grinned.
We all know the power of intuition in tournament bass fishing, and the past success of Bryan College is indisputable. I just hope Cizek makes it through this derby without sticking a topwater in his toe.
Humminbird® and Minn Kota® Pros Go Back-to-Back with First- and Second-Place Finishes at Chickamauga and Santee Cooper
Humminbird® and Minn Kota® pros Brandon Palaniuk and Carl Jocumsen were riding high after the two buddies took first and second at the Bassmaster Elite Series event on Santee Cooper Lakes. Just one week later, another pair of Pro Team anglers from the leading brands in boat control and fish finding technology doubled down as Lee Livesay and Mike Huff finished first and second respectively at Lake Chickamauga.
Another fall tournament dealt the field challenging conditions during the four days of competition. Strong currents, thick grass mats and heavy fishing pressure meant that finding the winning fish required a combination of skill, experience and the right equipment.
Livesay and Huff proved they had all three by closing out the top two spots on Championship Monday. Both anglers relied heavily on Lakemaster® mapping to isolate areas that they felt would produce the kind of bites needed to compete.
From there, their paths diverged, one targeted skinny water fish and using his Minn Kota Talons™ to stealthily pick apart shallow grass mats with a frog and the other staying pinned with Minn Kota Spot-Lock™ while near steep bluff walls.
Adapting to the conditions was key on Chickamauga and no one did that better than Lee Livesay. Starting in 10th place after day one with 13-0, Livesay found more of the shallow water hotspots that would propel him to his first career victory with a total weight of 58 pounds, 2 ounces on Chickamauga Lake.
Realizing that shallow areas deep inside grass mats were producing more bites, Livesay worked to locate other areas with the same features and operated in stealth mode once he found the spots with the right ingredients for his success.
“Once I realized that the fish were living in less than a foot of water with a little algae on top of the grass, I looked on my LakeMaster map and marked from 0 – 3 feet in the red highlight on my HELIX®,” Livesay said. “I found another eight to nine locations in a relatively close proximity that offered the same features. Then I’d either push pole in real quiet and Talon down or sometimes bust through 500 yards of grass mat with the my Ultrex™ trolling motor as fast as I could to get back in the mat, and then I’d try to be as quiet as possible letting everything settle down for at least 20 minutes or so.”
Persistence also paid off for Livesay by focusing on these small shallow areas he was confident held fish. Slowing down and really taking the time to pick apart each spot, he made long casts and kept working on new ways to present the bait until he got the reaction he was looking for.
“My Minn Kota Talons were huge, probably one of the most important tools I used this week,” said Livesay. “After I got to the spot, I’d cast in some of the areas the size of my boat deck 30 or more times before getting bit, but then it would be on. I’d sometimes fish these little spots for 30-45 minutes before I’d get them fired up and I even stayed in one spot for 2 hours.”
With Livesay finding his pattern of success sneaking through grass mats with his Talons and operating as quietly as possible, his fellow Humminbird and Minn Kota Pro Team member Mike Huff was working on an impressive comeback with another strategy, targeting bluffs and lay downs to keep him in the hunt.
Finishing day one in 50th place and fighting back to 33rd on Day Two, Huff turned it all around by fishing jigs on bluffs he identified with his mapping, and ultimately turned in the event’s second heaviest bag (19-1) to propel him to 3rd place on day three. Huff finished the weekend in second place just behind Livesay with a total weight of 56 pounds, 6 ounces.
“One of the main things for me on Chickamauga was the LakeMaster mapping – it is just absolutely amazing on the Tennessee River system,” said Huff. “I found fishing bluff walls was getting it done for me and I studied my map to find every contour line and rock slide out there, which was really important in finding the areas I wanted to target.”
Fishing these rockslides on bluffs was proving successful but also a challenge with stronger currents. “Spot-Lock was huge for me fishing the way I was in these areas,” Huff said.
“The current was so strong there and the Ultrex was working hard all day on my boat. I was able to just hit Spot-Lock every time I got a fish in the boat and would stay right where I needed to be and on the fish. The amount of time we get back with that is invaluable and allows for more casts and time with the bait in the water.” Spot-Lock made tasks like culling and retying a breeze and kept him in the game.
With LakeMaster providing a roadmap to the exact depths and contour features Huff was looking for on the bank, he was now able to focus his attention to MEGA Side Imaging® and locate other fish-holding cover in the same areas or on the way to his next spot. And his story was reminiscent of the one Brandon Palaniuk told about the 7-pounder he found using Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging™ on the final day at Santee Cooper.
“I was done fishing a bank and idling out getting ready to take off and I noticed a tree that looked really good with three fish in it,” Huff said. “I thought to myself, I really should have fished that, but I marked it on the Humminbird unit and saved it for the next day. I ended up catching two crucial fish off that same tree on Day Four.”
With one fall tournament left in the revised Bassmaster Elite Series schedule at Lake Fork on November 5-8, there is no question these pros will continue to face a challenging bite and weather conditions. With a full head of steam heading into the final event and the best mapping, imaging and boat control on their side, the Minn Kota and Humminbird Pro Team is on track to finish strong.
ROWE AND PATE CAPTURE CLOSE CHAMPIONSHIP WIN ON CHOKE CANYON
By David A. Brown
THREE RIVERS, TX (October 29, 2020) -- Kyle Rowe Ted Pate went into the Texas Team Trail Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Championship counting on leveraging those big Florida-strain largemouth bass to their advantage. It all worked out in the end — to the tune of a 2-day total of 50.98 pounds — but their victory hinged on making a key adjustment.
For clarity, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has stocked this Frio River impoundment with the “Floridas” since 1981. Generations have adapted to their Lone Star surroundings, but the fish retain two of their most characteristic traits — great size potential and a clear disdain for weather changes, like the minor cold front that arrived the day before the event.
“It doesn’t matter where you go in South Texas — Amistad, Falcon, Choke — those Florida strain bass do not like cold fronts,” Rowe said. “It may only change the temperature (a few degrees), but it will affect them.”
Such was the case for the winning team. After dialing in a morning topwater bite in the mid-lake region, Rowe and Pate started Day 1 pursuing this pattern.
“We had an early (take-off number) so there was one particular spot where I thought we’d catch our limit and probably have our limit on a topwater,” Rowe said. “It took me a while to even get the first bite — a 4-pounder. We could tell it was off, so we immediately switched plans.”
Transitioning to a grass flipping pattern saved their day, as the team sent Texas-rigged Zoom Brush Hogs into the mats and filled their limit for a 19.95 that put them in thirteenth place. Not a bad start, but Rowe admits that confidence in their area nearly bit them in the backside.
“We decided not to pull our fish out and weigh them (on the water); we were just estimating,” Rowe said. “We both thought we had 21-23 pounds. We were on fish good enough, we didn’t even go to the best spot until 11 o’clock and we filled out limit really fast.
“I told my partner ‘We don’t need to stay here. We have the projected daily weight and we’ll be in the top-10. That’s all I care about; as long as we were in the top-10, most of these teams weren’t going to catch them two days in a row and we are.’”
Returning to the weigh-ins thinking their bag held more than it did, Rowe and Pate were disappointed to find they’d overestimated their day. Making matters worse, Danny Iles and Brian Shook were leading with 27.57. Realizing they had throttled back too early in the game, reality made for disheartening mental shift.
“We went back to the room and I was just sick,” Rowe recalled. “I told Ted ‘We messed up. We have no chance to win now because I know (Iles and Shook) are good enough to catch ‘em again another day.’
“I said ‘We’re going to catch a big sack, but we’re really fishing for second.’ The next day, we went back in there and things worked out; we were lucky.”
Returning to their grass beds, Rowe and Pate correctly assessed the passing front’s impact and made what was likely the most important decision of their event. Leaving the grass edges that produced their first day’s bag, they reached far into the mats where those ultra-sensitive Florida bass had fled and sacked up a whopping 31.03 pounds on a mix of Spro Bronzeye Frog and Texas-rigged Brush Hogs with 1-ounce weights.
“Day 2, Ted throws a frog across the mat and catches one of our biggest fish,” Rowe said of their quick start. “I net that fish and barely get back to the bow and he throws out there and catches another one that looks like a clone.
“That’s a good feeling when you start off catching two 6-pounders. That’s when you know you’re going to catch them.”
Edging the Day-1 leaders by 7 ounces, Rowe and Pate won a Ranger Z519 with a 225 Mercury. Their total winnings of $54,068 included $1,024 in Angler Advantage cash. Rowe said he and his partner realize full well the magnitude of pulling out a victory against the talented field of TXTT competitors.
“Being seven pounds behind as good of fishermen as (Iles and Shook) are, we were very fortunate,” Rowe said. “Every one of these teams that fish this are capable of winning at anytime. It just comes down to who makes the best decisions.”
Iles-Shook Second
After starting the year with a dominant win on Lake Sam Rayburn, Isles and Shook topped the Day-1 with 27.57-pound limit, anchored by a 6.11. Adding 23.34 on Day 2, they finished second with 50.91 and locked up Team of the Year honors.
“Leading Team of the Year, we put in a lot of practice time and made multiple trips to fish the entire lake,” Iles said. “We had certain stretches identified, so we spent half of each day up in the river and half down by the dam.
“We stuck to the edges of the grass. Some areas were in 14-16 feet; other place were 7-9.”
Iles and Shook caught their fish on Texas-rigged curl tail worms and and speed worms. They also used a rotation of 1/2- to 3/4-ounce casting jigs, swim jigs and football jigs; all with Strike King Rage Craw trailers. For reaction bites, they also mixed in 3/8- and 1/2-ounce bladed jigs with shad style trailers.
“The weather allowed us to catch those better-than-average fish,” Iles said. “On Friday, that front brought wind and cloudy skies. During practice, we fished (in similar conditions), so we knew how they would react.”
Iles credits his team’s intense practice regimen for not only a strong Championship performance, but also for their Team of the Year title. They had made a decision to ramp up their effort this year, but that season-opening win stoked their fire.
“We put a little more effort into this year than years past,” Iles said. “That first tournament on Rayburn fell into our wheelhouse. That got us a good lead and we worked extra hard to maintain it. It worked out about as good as we could have scripted it.”
For second place, Iles and Shook earned a Nitro Z519 with a 225 Mercury. Their total prize package of $54,004 included $960 of of Anglers Advantage cash. For their Team of the Year achievement, Iles and Shook received commemorative rings and free entries into 2021 TXTT events.
Dunn-Shaw third
On Day 1, Adam Dunn and Shelby Shaw caught a limit of 20.17 and tied Dave Redington and Chad Mcclendon for 11th. The final round saw them add a limit of 26.52 — anchored by a 9.63 that took Big Bass honors for the event — and gain eight spots to finish third with 46.69.
“Shelby caught that (9.63) in the first 15 mins of Day 2,” Dunn reported. “That’s definitely how you want to get your day started.”
Rotating through four main spots — all grass-related — Dunn and Shaw caught their Day-1 fish by punching hydrilla/milfoil mats with a Zoom Z Craw and a Berkley Havoc Pit Boss, both rigged with a 6th Sense punch skirt and a 1- to 1 1/4-ounce weight, depending on grass density. They also caught one along the grass edge on a 1/4-ounce underspin with a swimbait.
On Day 2, Dunn and Shaw caught all of their keepers on moving baits. They did most of their work by ripping a 3/4-ounce Chatterbait with a Yamamoto Zako trailer through the grass and complemented that presentation by burning a 6th Sense Speed Wake along grass edges.
For third place, Dunn and Shaw earned $3,158, which included $768 of Anglers Advantage cash, a $500 Garmin bonus and a $250 Mercury bonus. They also won $410 for the Big Bass award.
Bonds-Nitschke fourth, Mansfield-Weston fifth
Jason Bonds and James Nitschke weighed five bass worth 44.91 pounds, taking fourth place and earning $1,774. Behind them was Grover Mansfield and Cort Weston with 41.99 pounds. For fifth place, they earned $1,505.
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 teams at the 2017 Texas Team Trail event on Toledo Bend:
6th: Terry Stevens and Jason Harper, 41.96
7th: Michael Ligon and Bud Pruitt, 41.89
8th: Stephen Johnston and Dan Wilson, 40.57
9th: Bob Vote and Andy Vote, 37.34
10th: B.J. Carothers and Thomas Wells, 36.57
Steaks, SEC football, and crankbaits at college championship
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
College anglers from Campbellsville University, Georgia Southern and Nicholls State talked about what they and the bass have been eating at the Harris Chain of Lakes prior to Day 1 of competition at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Championship that kicks-off Thursday.
Tell us your name, age, major, and the school you proudly represent.
Bradley Dunagan, age 21, business major, Campbellsville University in Kentucky.
Avry Thomason, age 22, business major, Georgia Southern.
Cade Fortenberry, age 21, allied health major, Nichols State in Louisiana.,
Q: What’s the coolest thing about college bass fishing?
Dunagan: Traveling to so many different places.
Thomason: Traveling.
Fortenberry: Traveling to places I never would have got to fish.
Q: What two lures are you certain you’ll use?
Dunagan: Mid-range crankbait and a speed worm.
Thomason: Jig and a mid-range crankbait.
Fortenberry: Punch rig and a frog.
Q: What’s your favorite college football team?
Dunagan: Kentucky Wildcats
Thomason: Georgia Bulldogs
Fortenberry: LSU Tigers and Nicholls State, I’m on the cheer squad at Nicholls.
Q: How many pounds do you need to catch Thursday to land in the Top 20?
Dunagan: 14 pounds
Thomason: 15.8 pounds
Fortenberry: 15.8 pounds
Q: What’s the best thing you’ve eaten since arriving in Lake County, FL?
Dunagan: a rib eye cooked pretty rare
Thomason: a sirloin at Ruby Tuesday’s
Fortenberry: gumbo
We’re not rich, we just love to fish
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
If you stood at a boat ramp on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Central Florida and watched dozens of young Americans line-up to launch this week at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship, you could easily get the false perception these are a bunch of rich kids with pricey boats and tow vehicles.
Dig a little deeper and you’ll quickly realize, they’re actually fueled by Oreos, borrowed boats, and in some fortunate cases, a bit of financial support for tuition and travel expenses from the colleges and universities they represent.
“Nope, we’re not rich. This is my dad’s boat and he just lets me borrow it. I’ve had a job sackin’ groceries at Publix for years, and now I’m part of a pressure washing business to earn money,” says Jarrett Brown, a 22-year-old finance major from Montevallo State, who recently registered for the new Yamaha Power Pay cash bonus program for a chance to earn extra money.
Brown and teammate Tyler Harless, a biology major, who makes and sells Wicked Jigs to support his tournament fishing, say a bag of Oreos often serves as breakfast and lunch most days on the water, because they’re inexpensive and easy to eat.
The two earned their way to this week’s national championship with a victory earlier this year using a Carolina Rig and shaky head on Eufaula, Alabama, but say a topwater frog and a heavy Texas-rigged punch bait will be their main players this week around the Harris Chain’s abundant vegetation.
After the first two full days of practice, they rated the fishing as average – not super tough – but by no means easy. “We’re still trying to figure it out,” says Brown. “We’re required to be off the water by 4:30 this afternoon, but if they’d let us, we’d fish until dark,” adds Harless.
In that case, the bag of Oreos would likely serve as this evening’s dinner too.
MLF Announces 2021 Abu Garcia College Fishing Schedule, Rules and Entry Dates
Top Two Teams at College Fishing National Championship Advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship to Compete as Pros for a Shot at Winning up to $235,000
BENTON, Ky. (Oct. 27, 2020) – Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today the schedule, rules, payouts and entry dates for the 2021 Abu Garcia College Fishing season, culminating in the Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship presented by Lowrance on Grand Lake in Grove, OK, as well as advancement opportunities for anglers to compete as boaters and co-anglers in the 2021 Toyota Series Championship.
- Both members of the winning team and the runner-up at the 2021 College Fishing National Championship advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship to compete as pros for a shot at winning as much as $235,000, including a $35,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus.
- Both members of the third-place team at the 2021 College Fishing National Championship advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship as co-anglers for a shot at winning a $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro with a 115 HP Mercury.
- Top 10 teams from each 2021 qualifying event and the top 20 teams from the 2021 Abu Garcia College Fishing Open advance to the 2022 College Fishing National Championship, where the top two teams will advance to the 2022 Toyota Series Championship.
- Top performing schools will continue to be recognized with School of the Year titles awarded to the top overall school of the season, as well as the top school from each of five conferences. Schools earn points based on their top two teams in each tournament, with School of the Year being awarded to the school with the most points in each conference and overall at the end of the season.
Live weigh-in coverage will continue at every tournament with expanded national television coverage of the 2021 College Fishing National Championship on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel and World Fishing Network. Anglers will also qualify for MLF College Faceoffs presented by Wiley X held in conjunction with select Abu Garcia College Fishing tournaments, where they will compete using the catch, weigh, immediate-release format.
“We are excited to welcome back familiar faces and meet new students during the 2021 season,” said Kevin Hunt, MLF BIG5 Senior Director of Tournament Operations, College and High School. “The chance to qualify for MLF College Faceoffs and advance to the Toyota Series Championship provide our anglers multiple avenues to hone their craft and work their way up through the MLF BIG5 circuits. With national livestream and television coverage, we are thrilled to provide college anglers the very best opportunities to elevate their schools, sponsors and personal brands. We expect 2021 to be our most successful college fishing season yet.”
Registration for teams wishing to compete in the 2021 Abu Garcia College Fishing tournaments will be accepted beginning at 8 a.m. CT December 14, 2020, for teams from school clubs represented in the 2020 College Fishing National Championship. All other teams may register beginning December 15, 2020. Teams can register at FLWFishing.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. The entry fee remains the same for 2021 – $75 per team for teams who enter prior to onsite check-in and $100 for teams who enter onsite.
Abu Garcia College Fishing teams may compete in both conference and nonconference tournaments, giving them the flexibility to construct a schedule that meets their needs. Each conference includes three regular-season qualifying tournaments. The top 10 teams from each regular-season tournament and the top 20 teams from the Abu Garcia College Fishing Open advance to the following year’s College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats or 200 boats in the Open.
The 2021 Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship presented by Lowrance is on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma, March 3-5, and is hosted by the Grove Convention and Tourism Bureau and the City of Grove. Held in conjunction with REDCREST, the 2021 championship will provide unique networking opportunities for college anglers, Bass Pro Tour pros and potential sponsors.
Complete rules for the 2020 Abu Garcia College Fishing program can be found online at FLWFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information, visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow Abu Garcia College Fishing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Abu Garcia College Fishing Open
Tue-Wed TBA
Mar 30-31
Central Conference
Friday Table Rock: Table Rock State Park Marina
Mar 26 Branson, MO
Friday MS River-La Crosse: W. Copeland & Clinton
Jul 30 La Crosse, WI
Friday Lake of the Ozarks: Public Beach #2
Oct 15 Osage Beach, MO
Northern Conference
Friday Smith Mountain Lake: Parkway Marina
Apr 30 Huddleston, VA
Friday Potomac River: Smallwood State Park
Jun 4 Marbury, MD
Friday Detroit River: Elizabeth Park Marina
Aug 20 Trenton, MI
Southeastern Conference
Friday Harris Chain: Venetian Gardens - Ski Beach
Feb 12 Leesburg, FL
Friday Lake Guntersville: Lake Guntersville State Park
Apr 23 Guntersville, AL
Friday Lake Chickamauga: Dayton Boat Dock
Oct 22 Dayton, TN
Southern Conference
Friday Lake Somerville: Lake Somerville Marina
Apr 16 Brenham, TX
Friday Lake of the Pines: Lakeside Park
Jun 11 Jefferson , TX
Friday Lake Dardanelle: Lake Dardanelle State Park
Oct 1 Russellville, AR
Western Conference
Saturday Shasta: Bridge Bay Resort
Jan 30 Redding, CA
Saturday California Delta: Big Break Marina
May 15 Oakley, CA
Saturday Clear Lake: Redbud Park
Sep 25 Clearlake, CA
Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship presented by Lowrance
Wed-Fri Grand Lake: Wolf Creek Park
Mar 3-5 Grove, OK
Hosted by Grove Convention and Tourism Bureau & City of Grove
Josh Glodo - Gone but not forgotten
Luke Estel - Team Tournament Blogger
Josh’s grandpa dropped us off that morning. We were so excited. My best friend Josh and I were fishing our very first tournament. It was a police auxiliary event we were ready to go. Josh had a fiberglass boat with a 9.9 Mercury on it. It was the slowest boat out there, but we were just happy to be fishing. At our first stop I lost a good keeper. I was rattled but we continued on. Finally, Josh caught one almost four pounds on a Gene Larew salt craw. That was the only keeper we caught. At the weigh in we would end up winning a brand-new battery. You would have thought we won the Bassmaster Classic. That one tournament got me hooked and I have been doing it ever since.
Josh and I became friends at an early age. We played sports against each other and then in High School we played on the same team. We did what best friends do. Hunt, fish, and play sports. We spent our summers on his grandparents lake fishing every day. The fish were small but that didn’t seem to bother us. In college we lived together continuing to hunt and fish. We were inseparable.
A few years later I got married and Josh couldn’t accept the fact that we couldn’t be together every day so he basically moved in with Heidi and I, and the baby. He was a great uncle and my daughter loved him.
Josh eventually married and moved to another state. He would stay gone for several years before he would move back. He just couldn’t handle being away from his family and friends. Once he moved back, it was like old times. Every day around 5p.m. he would call me and ask me what I was doing.
He turned into a crappie fisherman, not just because he liked catching them, but he loved to eat them. And without a boat, you know who had to take him. This year we went three times catching a limit each time. Of course, Josh wasn’t good at the cleaning part. I always had to do it. He wanted to have a big fish fry so we planned one.
A month or so ago, several of us friends got together and had a great night. As usual, Josh made fun of everyone just like he always did. That night would be the last night I would get to hang out with him. Two days later he called and said he was sick. If anyone knew Josh, he was always sick, or at least said he was and usually blamed it on food. I shook it off and told him he was fine. He went and got tested for Covid19 and was positive. That’s when I got scared. Josh wasn’t the healthiest person in the world and was a big guy. Not a good combination for this virus.
I checked on him every day and told him if his breathing got bad to go to the hospital. I left for Florida that weekend and still checked on him. On my way home from vacation I got a phone call saying that Josh was in the hospital on a ventilator. I was 3 hours from home. My heart sank. I could hardly drive. The hospital wouldn’t allow anyone in so for the next week we all sat and waited. He was eventually flown to Barnes hospital for treatment. The nurses were fantastic keeping me up to date along with the family. On a Saturday night we got a call saying it was close to the end. His parents couldn’t go see him but they got special permission for Heidi and I to go. As I stood over him holding his hand, I talked to him. “it’s time to go Josh! We have a fish fry and deer stands to put up.” I even cussed him out not to leave me. He only lasted a few more days.
I have never lost a friend before and to lose a best friend is devastating. I think about him every day, wishing he would call me just one more time. My outlook on life as a whole has also changed. I am going to make the best of it while I am here. Every time I step into a boat, I know he is right beside me.
You will be missed my friend, but never forgotten.
Erskine earning top grades in college bass fishing
Courtesy Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Unless you live within a couple hours of Due West, South Carolina you’ve probably never heard of a little college called Erskine, but the campus of 800 students is home to everything that’s good about college bass fishing.
This week, 22-year-old recent graduates Wyatt Reid and Gehrig DeFronzo are proudly representing the school at the Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship on Central Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes, but their passionate work along with coach Ryan Teems the last few years has nurtured the small campus to be a garden of growth for college bass fishing.
Coach Teems is only a year older than Reid and DeFronzo, but he helped start the bass fishing team and get it formally recognized by the campus leaders. Now they have about 20 students on the “Flying Fleet” fishing team and are offering bass fishing scholarships to high school students that want to attend Erskine.
Ironically, Reid started at Erskine on a golf scholarship and DeFronzo on a baseball scholarship as a middle infielder, but their passion for bass fishing will leave an absolute legacy and ease the tuition burdens of future Erskine bass anglers for decades to come.
Their home lakes include deeper clear reservoirs like Hartwell and Clarks Hill, so figuring out the shallow vegetation rich Harris Chain won’t be easy. But Reid caught nearly an 8-pounder in practice Monday, so there’s definitely reason for optimism.
When asked what the hardest college class they had to take at Erskine was, Reid cited a literature class, and DeFronzo, a pre-med major, quickly spotlighted organic chemistry, even though he earned an “A.”
But there’s no doubt both have set the curve for all that is great about college bass fishing during their time at Erskine.
DD26 Fishing Introduces Industry-Leading Motor Tote for Mercury 150HP 4-Stroke Engines
Unique outboard design demands a custom-fitted solution
Mesa, Ariz. – DD26 Fishing, a leading innovator of high-technology products for fishing and boating, announces the addition of a Mean Mount Motor Tote specifically designed to fit and protect Mercury’s 4-Stroke 150 horsepower outboard, thus answering the needs and demands of boaters who want to make sure that their equipment continues to operate flawlessly. Combined with the DD26 steering locks, they ensure that anglers will be able to enjoy their days on the water without worrying about damage caused by towing to and from the lake.
"The Mercury 150 4-Stroke is the only model in the Mercury family from 75HP to 300HP with a unique mount that provides very few grab points for any type of attachment,” said DD26 President Dave Davis. “With very few options available for guys running this engine, we battled for more than a year to come up with the perfect solution. We have exceeded even our own expectations with a motor tote that features 6061 T6 aluminum sandwiched by custom-molded polyurethane automotive-grade bump stops that fit like a puzzle piece and better than OJ's glove!”
This patent-pending design will set the standard for the boating industry because of all of the effort and care that has been put into its design and manufacturing. Specific details include:
- Eight different high-quality metallic powder coat color options to allow you to customize your color theme (check out our Steering Locks and Bandit Culling Beam, too)
- Fits Mercury 150HP SeaPro, FourStroke and Pro XS 4-Stroke Engines
- Automotive-grade bump stops to protect your engine and transom by absorbing impact like a shock does!
- Made in the USA!
“I’m proud to say that no one has ever put this much effort into a motor stabilizer before,” Davis added. “You invest a lot in your outboard, transom and steering system, and a failure from any of them can cost you valuable time and money. A small investment now will put your mind at ease.”
Mean Mounts come with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. This model retails for $189.99 and can be purchased at DD26Fishing, Tackle Warehouse and many of your local dealers. If they don’t carry it, ask for it! It is not compatible with Verado engines.
For more information about DD26 fishing, go to www.dd26fishing.com.
To learn more about this new Mean Mount, and to see it in action, check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2oA8MV6bmg
Nelson Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Lanier
Co-angler Victory Goes to South Carolina’s Henderson
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (Oct. 26, 2020) Boater Chris Nelson of Social Circle, Georgia, brought a three-day total of 15 bass to the scale weighing 50 pounds, 13 ounces to win the no-entry fee Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship at Lake Lanier. For his victory, Nelson earned $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and automatic entry into the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Championship, June 3-5, at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee.
“I rotated between 8 to 10 places all three days, fishing brush piles on offshore humps in 25 to 30 feet of water from about mid-lake to the dam,” said Nelson. “I was mostly using a ½-ounce shaky head with a Zoom Magnum Swamp Crawler and had great success with it.”
Nelson said he caught fish the same way in practice as well and felt his victory ultimately came down to timing.
“I probably hit the same brush piles at that depth range two to three times per day, all three days,” said Nelson. “If they weren’t biting early, I could usually get bit later in the afternoon.
“The sunshine definitely helped that bite – I didn’t catch as many on the final day due to the cloud cover, but we still came out well in the end.”
Nelson said winning a Regional Championship felt amazing.
“This is by far the biggest accomplishment I’ve had in my fishing career,” Nelson continued. “My primary goal was to qualify for the All-American and I got that done and am taking home a new boat, so I can’t ask for any more than that out of this tournament.”
The top six boaters that qualified for 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:
1st: Chris Nelson of Social Circle, Ga., 15 bass, 50-13, $60,000
2nd: Randy Dover of Buford, Ga., 15 bass, 50-6, $10,000
3rd: Trent Palmer of Cumming, Ga., 15 bass, 45-15, $5,500
4th: Cody Hoyle of Rutherfordton, N.C., 15 bass, 45-2, $3,000
5th: Collin Smith of Honea Path, S.C., 15 bass, 44-9, $2,000
6th: Jr. McCay of Robertstown, Ga., 15 bass, 44-1, $1,800
Rounding out the top 12 boaters were:
7th: Brad Benfield of Demorest, Ga., 15 bass, 42-1, $1,600
8th: Heath Pack of Ellijay, Ga., 15 bass, 40-6, $1,400
9th: David Nichol of Gainesville, Ga., 14 bass, 39-15, $1,400
10th: Christian Greico of Tampa, Fla., 14 bass, 34-13, $1,000
11th: Jason Reed of Hollister, Fla., 11 bass, 34-2, $1,000
12th: Justin Raines of Easley, S.C., 13 bass, 33-5, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Palmer took home an extra $500 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. 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 FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Kevin Henderson of Honea Path, South Carolina, weighed in 11 bass over three days totaling 29 pounds, 4 ounces to win the top co-angler prize package of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:
1st: Kevin Henderson of Honea Path, S.C., 11 bass, 29-4, $50,000
2nd: Randy Paquette of Sarasota, Fla., 11 bass, 23-12, $5,000
3rd: John Wilson of Six Mile, S.C., nine bass, 22-13, $2,500
4th: Mickey Bergeron of Amherst, Va., 11 bass, 22-11, $1,500
5th: Sam Loveless of Somerset, Ky., 10 bass, 21-12, $1,000
6th: Dustin Elrod of Jasper, Ga., nine bass, 21-5, $900
Rounding out the top 12 co-anglers were:
7th: Jason Hinger of Timberlake, N.C., eight bass, 21-1, $1,250
8th: Mike Twitty of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., nine bass, 20-5, $700
9th: B.K. Kelley of Colonial Heights, V.A., eight bass, 20-5, $600
10th: Trevor Wright of Chesterfield, Va., nine bass, 20-2, $500
11th: Chris Graham of Blue Ridge, Ga., eight bass, 19-15, $500
12th: Jeff White of Rhoadesville, Va., seven bass, 17-6, $500
The Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship on Lake Lanier was hosted by the Gainesville Convention and Visitors Bureau. It featured the top pros and co-anglers from the Gator (Florida), Music City (Tennessee), Piedmont (North Carolina/Virginia) and Savannah River (South Carolina/Georgia) divisions.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held June 3-5 at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour.
Missouri’s Fitzpatrick Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship by Four Ounces on Table Rock Lake
Co-angler Victory Goes to Arkansas’ Hays, First Woman to Win a Regional Championship
BRANSON, Mo. (Oct. 26, 2020) Boater Roger Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Missouri, brought a three-day total of 15 bass to the scale weighing 38 pounds, 4 ounces to win the no-entry fee Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship at Table Rock Lake. For his victory, Fitzpatrick earned $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and automatic entry into the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Championship, June 3-5, at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee.
“I caught most of my fish on a 1-ounce Omega Football Jig,” said Fitzpatrick. “The area I was fishing was slick, with no wood or rock – the only thing that jig hung on was the jaw of the bass I kept pulling out.”
Fitzpatrick said the fish in his honey hole were abundant.
“My co-angler and I got a limit within a half hour on the spot on day one,” said Fitzpatrick. “The second and third day it took me until about 11 a.m. to get a limit. I culled seven or eight times on the final day, but I was only culling ounces – I told her I’d already made the All-American, but the only chance for a win was to go shallow and catch a couple big ones.
“On the second dock, I flipped a ½-ounce Omega Flippin’ Jig and caught a 4-pounder and then a 3-pounder.”
Fitzpatrick said those two fish were the difference makers in his 4-ounce victory.
“This is amazing,” said Fitzpatrick. “God’s got a plan and He is so good.”
The top six boaters that qualified for 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:
1st: Roger Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Mo., 15 bass, 38-4, $60,000
2nd: Shane Long of Willard, Mo., 15 bass, 38-0, $10,000
3rd: Brandon Booth of Bryan, Texas, 15 bass, 31-8, $5,000
4th: Eric Olliverson of Lampe, Mo., 12 bass, 31-7, $3,000
5th: Josh Busby of Rogersville, Mo., 13 bass, 30-14, $2,500
6th: Hunter Litchfield of Macomb, Ill., 15 bass, 29-10, $1,800
Rounding out the top 12 boaters were:
7th: Beau Browning of Hot Springs, Ark., 12 bass, 28-4, $1,600
8th: Richard Ballard of Sulphur, La., 112 bass, 27-7, $1,400
9th: Mike Roller of Purdy, Mo., 12 bass, 26-14, $1,200
10th: Audie Prewitt, Jr. of Benton, Ark., 13 bass, 26-10, $1,000
11th: Brad Morgan of Ashdown, Ark., 11 bass, 25-14, $1,000
12th: Jared Miller of Norman, Okla., 10 bass, 22-3, 1,200
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Busby took home an extra $500 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. 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 FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Melinda Hays of Hot Springs, Arkansas became the first woman to win a Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship in FLW history. Hays weighed 10 bass over three days totaling 22 pounds, 4 ounces and took home the top co-angler prize package of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard. Hays will be only the fourth female angler in FLW history to qualify for or compete in the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2021 All-American were:
1st: Melinda Hays of Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 22-4, $50,000
2nd: Cedric Jackson of Sicily Island, La., eight bass, 18-3, $5,000
3rd: Chase Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Mo., seven bass, 17-1, $2,500
4th: Ken Coats of Claremore, Okla., six bass, 16-14, $1,500
5th: Jake Elledge of Broken Arrow, Okla., six bass, 16-3, $1,000
6th: Kanon Harmon of Benton, Ark., seven bass, 16-0, $900
Rounding out the top 12 co-anglers were:
7th: Jason Swanson of Waterloo, Iowa, seven bass, 15-2, $800
8th: Troy Sippl of Sussex, Wis., six bass, 13-14, $700
9th: Josh Castleberry of Jessieville, Ark., six bass, 13-2, $600
10th: Jonathan Jones of Grain Valley, Mo., three bass, 11-4, $500
11th: Troy Carrell of Woodville, Texas, five bass, 10-14, $500
12th: Bradley Thacher of Preston, Minn., four bass, 10-2, $500
The Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship on Table Rock Lake was hosted by ExploreBranson.com. It featured the top pros and co-anglers from the Arkie (Arkansas), Cowboy (Texas), Great Lakes (Wisconsin) and Okie (Oklahoma) divisions.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held June 3-5 at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour.