MLF Announces Lake Chickamauga as Location of 2021 Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI Open
Top 20 Teams at Seventh-Annual College Fishing Open Advance to the 2022 College Fishing National Championship – First Place Club Earns $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro boat with 115-horsepower Mercury outboard
BENTON, Ky. (Nov. 19, 2020) – Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today that Dayton, Tennessee will host the 2021 Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI Open on March 30-31 at Lake Chickamauga. The famed big-bass fishery has produced some of the best trophy bass fishing opportunities in the country and has served as a highly competitive playing field for many major bass " tournaments over the years.
“We are extremely excited to give our college anglers the opportunity to compete on Lake Chickamauga,” said Kevin Hunt, MLF Senior Director of Tournament Operations, College and High School. “This will be the first experience for many college anglers on this fishery, and with the tournament set for late March we expect to see plenty of big bass and an awesome competition.”
The two-day event will be hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council, a proud and prominent supporter of bass fishing and the substantial economic impact it brings to the region.
“Fish Dayton is thrilled to host the 2021 Abu Garcia College Fishing Open on Lake Chickamauga,” said John Bamber, Executive Director of Rhea Economic and Tourism. “We are excited to see some great weights brought in by these talented college anglers and are thankful for their stewardship of this fishery.”
The 60-mile-long impoundment of the Tennessee River provides diverse cover and substantial space for the hundreds of anglers and boats that will be competing in the event. The top 20 teams from the 2021 College Fishing Open advance to the 2022 Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship presented by Lowrance, where the top two teams will advance to the 2022 Toyota Series Championship to compete as pros, for a shot at winning as much as $235,000. In addition to the automatic berth into the 2022 College Fishing National Championship, the first-place team will also earn a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard, valued at $33,500. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the Open field size exceeds 200 boats.
As in all College Fishing events, the College Fishing Open at Lake Chickamauga will feature live weigh-in coverage on both days of competition.
Priority entry for the 2021 Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI season opens at 8 a.m. CT on December 14, 2020, for teams from schools represented in the 2020 College Fishing National Championship. All other teams may enter beginning December 15, 2020. Teams can enter 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 presented by YETI teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual Abu Garcia College Fishing Open advance to the following year’s Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship presented by Lowrance.
Complete rules for the 2021 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.
GOAT BOXCO Disrupts Cooler Industry with Launch of High-Performance Food and Gear Storage Solution Engineered for People Who Live Ready
GOAT Cooler System Debuts Customizable Modular Design, Delivering the Ultimate Base Camp
Austin, TX (Nov 19, 2020) – GOAT BOXCO is launching their all-new GOAT Cooler System, a high-performance food and gear storage solution built by, and for, people who GO AT life. Engineered to flip the switch on the cooler industry, the first-of-its-kind GOAT Cooler System delivers customizable storage and organization in a fully integrated, modular design that allows consumers to tailor their ultimate prep kit for any outdoor adventure or emergency preparedness need.
“If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that life is unpredictable,” says GOAT BOXCO founder Jack Robbins. “Our mission at GOAT is to equip people everywhere with the smart tools and essentials they need to live ready – because when you’re prepared, you can confidently tackle whatever life throws your way. We’re proud to launch our brand with this revolutionary product system that redefines how our adventure-driven consumers approach functional, intuitive gear storage and empowers them to live fully committed to the moment.”
The GOAT Cooler System’s modular product and storage design consists of four key innovations. At the centerpiece, the GOAT HUB 70 cooler is constructed with heavy-duty rotomolding and features four integrated turrets that secure the system’s interchangeable GOAT CANs. Each compartment offers handy storage for tools, food and essential gear that can be easily removed, replaced and kept well-organized in the GOAT RACK when not in use.
For additional convenience, GOAT will also offer a suite of customized gear kits that have been curated by like-minded, premium brand partners in the outdoor, camping, emergency preparedness, first aid and nutrition spaces. Each pre-packed kit will be organized to stash easily within the GOAT CANs which load into the HUB 70 performance cooler for any adventure or emergency. Initially, GOAT has partnered with more than twenty industry-leading brands, including MyMedic, ReadyWise, Katadyn, HydraPak, UCO, Havalon, NOCO, Argali, Dizzy Pig and Sea to Summit, just to name a few... Additional kits and partner brands are in the works and ready to be announced soon.
“GOAT is not just another cooler brand,” Robbins notes. “Our team has devoted extensive research in the thoughtful design of this multifaceted system to disrupt the space and reinvent the functionality of coolers in a whole new way. We’re thrilled to team up with the best brands in the industry and are grateful for the work of our extremely talented crew in launching the GOAT brand.”
Individual components of the GOAT Cooler System are available for purchase at GoatBoxCo.com.
GOAT BOXCO: The Base Camp for Your Base Camp
The GOAT HUB 70 changes the high-performance cooler game. The HUB blends functional, intuitive gear storage features with heavy-duty rotomolded construction. Built for storing and organizing outdoor gear at base camp — not to mention keeping food and brews frosty — the HUB’s exterior Quick-Stash cargo net keeps crucial items close at hand, while its integrated turrets securely house interchangeable GOAT CANs that hold gear for any situation.
MSRP: $399.99 (with 4 CANs)
Volume: 62.29QT (58.95L)
Weight: 42.2LBS
The fundamental component of GOAT’s modular gear storage system, GOAT CANs are sized to hold essential gear for any situation, from rippin’ lips to running fence wire. Designed to securely integrate into GOAT’s HUB 70 and RACK storage solutions, and able to be removed and replaced in a matter of seconds, GOAT CANs are ready for the action when you are.
MSRP: $29.99
Dimensions (LxWxH): 5.5”x4.6”x14.75”
No more digging through overflowing plastic bins to find your outdoor gear. The GOAT RACK organizes your interchangeable GOAT CANs in a single centralized location, providing a garage or mudroom gear storage solution for your essential gear kits.
MSRP: $99.99
Dimensions (LxWxH): 26” x 18” x 13.25”
The Kits feature like-minded, premium brands in the outdoor, camping, emergency preparedness, first aid, and nutrition spaces-- including BBQ-- to curate essential gear kits pre-packed with everything needed to be prepared for any situation. The Kits fit directly into the GOAT CANs.
MSRP: $59.99-$269.99
About GOAT BOXCO
GOAT is built by, and for, people who GO AT life. GOAT’s gear is the ultimate reflection of their ideals: always prepared to quickly, confidently, and completely face any situation and see it through. Always there when you need it, intuitive, damn-near indestructible and as versatile as your favorite multi-tool. GOAT’s modular system of storage and organization products are made to be taken anywhere, from the tailgate to the trailhead. Because when you’re prepared, you’re ready for anything. #LiveReady. To learn more, visit www.GoatBoxCo.com
ReLion is turning Black Friday BLUE!!!!!
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Stay tuned for more exciting announcements throughout next week. (Hint: New products + free gifts)
*Excludes bundles and already discounted products. |
Rather Outdoors Continued Evolution
Lexington, S.C. – November 19, 2020 –
In alignment with the recent announcement regarding Lew’s Holdings Corp transitioning to Rather Outdoors, CEO Ken Eubanks orchestrated additional changes within the organizations leadership structure in an effort to maximize Rathers ability to respond to recent consumer trends and capitalize on future opportunities within the fishing market as the organization continues to adapt to a global footprint.
“For the past few years, I have had the privilege of serving as CEO and President of North America, as we have seen our company grow and transition towards a global organization. Reflection of recent events combined with the steps required to make the transition of becoming an efficient and capable global organization have revealed to me that, in the best interest of our company, it is no longer ideal that I continue to serve in both capacities. Therefore, I have asked Rocky Kalsow to assume the role as President of North America and provide the North America business unit the leadership our team deserves,” said Eubanks.
With the transition, Rocky Kalsow assumes responsibility for heading Brand/Product Development, Sales, Marketing and Operations for all North American initiatives. Kalsow is excited about the role and the opportunity to continue to strengthen the Rather Outdoors brands within the U.S. market. “Our brands and business are all about people. Be it the end user of our products who we strive to enhance their time on the water; the retailers who trust us as partners in the success of their business; or the passionate team at Rather Outdoors who love and live fishing and get up every day dedicated to what we stand for,” he said. “I consider it a great honor to step into this role and I am humbled and excited to help lead us towards our goals.”
In an effort to further address the organizations evolution, Jason McKee has taken on the role of VP Marketing North America, allowing industry veteran, David May to assume the newly created role of Chief Digital Marketing Officer (CDMO). Mays new role will allow him to address the consumer trend toward digital content and on-line shopping that has seen dramatic acceleration recently and develop a comprehensive global Digital strategy for Rather Outdoors.
“While I feel we have done a sufficient job in engaging our consumers on digital platforms to date, recent shifts in consumer activity brought to light the need to accelerate further evolution in our digital strategy and ecommerce capabilities,” said Eubanks. “I am confident that David’s experience and skill set will help us to reshape our company, ensuring that we are at the forefront of the digital transformation that is taking place.”
With the rapidly changing landscape in both domestic and global marketplaces, the leadership at Rather Outdoors remains focused on continually evaluating and ensuring the responsiveness of the organization to ensure that the Rather family of brands remains capable of meeting the needs and demands of fellow anglers and consumers.
About Rather Outdoors
Rather Outdoors is a global outdoors corporation uniting some of the most recognizable brands in the fishing space. With historic and iconic brands such as Lew’s, Strike King, Fox, Matrix, Salmo and Fox Rage, Rather Outdoors provides a wide assortment of fishing products worldwide in an effort to enhance angler’s success and the enjoyment of outdoor pursuits. To learn more about the Rather Outdoors brands, visit www.ratheroutdoors.com.
McKendree Teammates Advance To Bassmaster College Bracket Championship On Lay Lake
Trevor McKinney (left) and Blake Jackson (right) of McKendree University have advanced to the final round of head-to-head competition in the 2020 Carhartt College Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shops on Lay Lake.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
November 18, 2020
COLUMBIANA, Ala. — McKendree University teammates Blake Jackson and Trevor McKinney won their individual matchups in the semifinal round of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shops at Lay Lake on Wednesday, advancing to the championship round of the elimination-style event.
It is the second-straight season when regular season teammates will compete for a spot in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk after Cody Huff and Carter McNeil from Bethel University squared off last season.
“It’s superexciting, especially coming in being the seven seed and eight seed,” McKinney said. “I think it says a lot about our program at McKendree and the caliber of our anglers. We just fish hard. It wasn’t likely we were going to make it to the last round, but I think it says a lot about Blake and I and a lot about McKendree as a whole.”
Using a shad colored Rapala DT 6 crankbait, Jackson caught 9 pounds, 8 ounces on Day 2 to defeat University of North Alabama’s Cole Thompson, who caught 4-9. Jackson said he has been running main-lake points and channel swings and has found success on a few key areas that have baitfish present.
“There is a lot of bait on a few of these points in 15 to 30 foot,” Jackson said. “These fish are pushing the bait on these points and that’s when I’m catching them. It’s really a timing deal.
“When you catch one, normally you are going to have a little bit of a flurry for 15 to 20 minutes.”
After an afternoon flurry lifted him to victory on Day 1, Jackson caught most of his bass on Day 2 in the morning hours. His final keeper came around 9 a.m., a 2-13 spotted bass that anchored his bag.
“I did lose a couple fish today that I thought were going to cost me,” Jackson said. “Going into tomorrow I’m pretty confident. I didn’t have to pressure my fish too badly today. I went looking for a lot of new areas and found one more area that I will have in my back pocket.”
While he wasn’t able to match his 12-4 bag from Day 1, McKinney secured 7-12 to win his semifinal matchup against Benson Dowler, who weighed in 2-6. Unlike Day 1, the morning bite was productive for McKinney, who caught his first two bass in the first few minutes and caught his limit before the 10:30 a.m. break.
“After that, it got slow for me,” McKinney said. “My bite turned off a little bit which was surprising to me because yesterday the afternoon bite was actually my best bite. It got tough this afternoon for me.”
McKinney caught almost every fish he weighed on Day 2 on a jerkbait. The largemouth bite has been the most productive, he said, but added he lost two quality spotted bass during the morning hours.
Although his afternoon areas did not pan out, McKinney said he saw a 2-pounder jump out of the water in pursuit of shad as he idled away and headed to check-in.
“I’m pretty sure they are there,” he said. “This might sound crazy, but God might just be saving them for tomorrow, the most important day.”
McKinney and Jackson will takeoff from Beeswax Landing Thursday at 6:30 a.m. CT and fish until 3 p.m. Bassmaster LIVE coverage will begin on Bassmaster.com at 8 a.m.
The winner will not only qualify for the Bassmaster Classic, they will also receive $7,500 from Carhartt and paid entry into all eight 2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens, plus the use of a Toyota Tundra and Nitro Z20 powered by Mercury and equipped with Humminbird electronics and Minn Kota Trolling Motor and Shallow Water Anchors.
“We both can put them in the boat,” Jackson said. “He’s just as good if not better than me. I would love to fish the Bassmaster Classic, but I’m going to walk away with my head held high even if I don’t make it tomorrow because I know a really good angler and a best friend in life is getting to.”
2020 Carhartt College Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shops 11/17-11/19
Lay Lake, Columbiana AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Club/School No./Weight
Blake Jackson McKendree University 5 09-08
Cole Thompson University of North Alabama 4 04-09
Trevor McKinney McKendree University 5 07-12
Benson Dowler University of North Alabama 3 02-06
Bassmaster Opens Angler Of The Year Race Heats Up In Texas
Jason Christie, of Park Hill, Okla., is leading the Bassmaster Central Opens points race heading into this week's Basspro.comBassmaster Central Open at Lewisville Lake.
Photo by B.A.S.S.
November 18, 2020
LEWISVILLE, Texas — Up for grabs this week are three coveted prizes at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open at Lewisville Lake. Those are the overall winner titles for the top boater and co-angler; an invitation for the boater to the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk; and four invitations to the 2021 Bassmaster Elite Series. Those will come from the restructured format of the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year points race.
This is the last shot for Central Opens anglers to achieve any of those goals. The Central Open at Lewisville, which runs Nov. 19-21, is the final event of the season. The Eastern Opens wrap up Dec. 3-5 at Lay Lake in Alabama.
The overall Opens AOY title will be determined by combined points for anglers competing in both the Central and Eastern Opens. Falcon Rods will award a $10,000 prize to the overall points winner in the pro division. The top co-angler will earn paid entry fees into the 2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens division of their choice.
This season, each Opens division has four tournaments and there are three ways to qualify for one of the coveted 12 Bassmaster Elite Series invitations. The Top 4 from both the Central and Eastern Divisions get invites, along with the Top 4 overall anglers in the points standings. That explains why more than 50 boater anglers signed up for both divisions, up from just 16 in 2019.
At Lewisville Lake, everyone is gunning for the winner’s trophy, while others are also drilling down on the Elite Series invitations. Going into the tournament, the Central division’s Top 5 are Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., with 547 points, Darold Gleason of Many, La., (540), Lee Livesay of Longview, Texas (539), Marc Frazier of Newnan, Ga., (533) and Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho (531).
Livesay failed to qualify for the Classic through the Bassmaster Elite Series. His goal this week is to win the tournament to make it in. He gets another shot at the Eastern Opens finale next month at Lay Lake.
Livesay and Palaniuk are both double-qualified as Elite Series pros. That potentially leaves the door open for sixth place Central Opens AOY angler Kenta Kimura, the Japanese pro who has regularly competed in the Opens since 2013.
Christie, also second overall in the overall AOY race, is only two points out of the lead held by Justin Atkins.
“I’d really like to win it, obviously, and Falcon Rods is also one of my sponsors, and I’d like to win it for them,” Christie said. “The goal though is to qualify for the Classic.”
In the overall AOY race, Atkins has 1009 points and Frazier is third with 1003 points. In fourth place is Matt Robertson with 964 points. The Kentucky angler plans to pursue sponsors for an Elite Series move should he receive the invitation.
Of keen interest is the AOY campaign of Scott Martin. The high-profile Florida pro started the year strong after posting a fifth-place finish at the season opener at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. He sank after low finishes in June and September at the Arkansas River and Sam Rayburn Reservoir, respectively. After a rebound and fifth-place finish at Lake Hartwell, he finished poorly at the next two events at Neely Henry Lake and Cherokee Lake. Martin is currently ranked seventh with 945 points. There are two more opportunities for Martin to improve on his ranking and gain the Elite Series invite that he set forth as his goal for this year.
The tournament is being hosted by the Lewisville Convention & Visitors Bureau
AC Insider Podcast with Uncharted Supply CEO Christian Schauf
This week Chris & the boys welcome in Uncharted Supply Co. CEO and founder Christian Schauf to the show to talk about some of the survival systems & other products his company creates to help you escape extraordinary circumstances. The boys look at past derbies & then look ahead to the weekend.
McKendree, UNA Dominate Day 1 Of Bassmaster College Classic Bracket On Lay Lake
Trevor McKinney, Benson Dowler, Blake Jackson and Cole Thompson have advanced to the second round of head-to-head competition in the 2020 Carhartt College Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shops on Lay Lake.
Photo by Chris Mitchell/B.A.S.S.
November 17, 2020
COLUMBIANA, Ala. — McKendree University teammates Trevor McKinney and Blake Jackson and University of North Alabama teammates Cole Thompson and Benson Dowler all secured individual victories in the first round of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shops on a stingy Lay Lake Tuesday afternoon, securing spots in the semifinal round of the elimination-style tournament.
McKinney had the biggest catch of the day with a mixed bag of 12 pounds, 4 ounces and defeated Bryan College senior and 2020 Bassmaster College Series champion Conner DiMauro, who caught the second-highest weight of the day with 11-12.
“The Lord blessed me today with guidance,” McKinney said. “There was a bait laying in the rod locker I never even thought I would throw and I tied it on and caught every fish I weighed on it.”
After finding quality fish under similar conditions during the only day of official practice, McKinney was expecting the fishing to be much better. But after finding little success in the areas where he practiced, McKinney scrapped his game plan and found quality fish in a new section of Lay Lake.
“At the halftime break, I had two fish for about a pound,” McKinney said. “I fished hard until about noon. It wasn’t going how I planned it. I scrapped it all and just went fishing. I found an area that is supergood. It has a lot of fish in it and I milked it.”
With 15 minutes left, McKinney landed a 4-pound largemouth that anchored his bag and gave him the advantage over DiMauro.
“Conner and Cole (Sands) are both phenomenal fishermen. I knew coming into it if I could beat either of them, I would have a good chance to win this tournament. It was very nerve-wracking because, at the halftime break, Conner had four fish for 9 pounds. I knew it was going to be close.”
McKinney will take on Dowler in the semifinal round after Dowler secured 7-11 to defeat Georgia Southern University’s Ty Black.
Thompson advanced to the second round with 7-12, beating Georgia Southern’s Avry Thomason, who caught 6-1. After spending most of his practice day running and evaluating the lake, Thompson said he didn’t know what to expect when he began fishing.
“I really wasn’t sure what I had or where I was going to catch my fish,” he said. “I was just hoping that the areas I thought looked right were going to pay off. I had a good little flurry this morning.”
During practice, Thompson had not seen any schooling fish, but around 9:30 a.m. in a main-lake pocket, he found feeding fish and caught four bass in about 10 minutes with a crankbait. About an hour later, right before the halftime break, Thompson caught his biggest fish of the day, a 2-6 spotted bass.
While he battled trolling motor problems the rest of the day, Thompson found a secondary area he hopes can produce quality largemouth Wednesday.
“I had two big bites and I missed both of them,” he added.
Thompson will match up against Jackson on Day 2. Jackson caught 7-1 to narrowly beat Bryan College senior Cole Sands by 7 ounces.
“I thought the weights were pretty high today compared to how yesterday was looking,” Thompson said. “I’m going to have to keep catching them to beat these boys. I’m going to have to grind tomorrow and try to make the bites that I get count.”
The final four anglers will take off from Beeswax Landing Wednesday at 6:30 a.m. CT and fish until 3 p.m. The two winners of the head-to-head matchups will advance to the final day and compete for a spot in the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
2020 Carhartt College Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shops 11/17-11/19
Lay Lake, Columbiana AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Club/School No./Weight
Cole Sands Bryan College 5 06-11
Blake Jackson McKendree University 5 07-01
Cole Thompson University of North Alabama 5 07-12
Avry Thomason Georgia Southern University 5 06-01
Conner DiMauro Bryan College 5 11-12
Trevor McKinney McKendree University 5 12-04
Benson Dowler University of North Alabama 4 07-11
Ty Black Georgia Southern University 3 05-02
FOX Sports To Feature Live Coverage Of All Bassmaster Elite Events And Bassmaster Classic Beginning 2021
Fans can catch live coverage of all nine Bassmaster Elite Series tournaments and the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk courtesy of a new partnership between FOX Sports and Bassmaster.
Photo by B.A.S.S.
November 17, 2020
FOX Sports To Feature Live Coverage Of All Bassmaster Elite Events And Bassmaster Classic Beginning 2021
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — For the first time in history, all nine Bassmaster Elite events, as well as the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk will feature live television coverage as the Elite Series moves to the FOX Sports platforms beginning in February 2021.
This new multi-year partnership between FOX Sports and Bassmaster allows for more expansive coverage of the tournaments, giving fans an opportunity to follow the action live as the world’s best anglers battle big bass — and each other — on some of America’s most legendary fisheries.
Highlighting the coverage is the iconic Bassmaster Classic on Lake Ray Roberts March 19-21, which will feature three hours of content on the FOX broadcast network and three hours of content on FS1.
Fans enjoy two new ways to catch the action during live weekend broadcasts. During the FOX television programming, an additional livestream with additional anglers will be featured on Bassmaster.com.
On days and times when the Bassmaster Classic and Elite Series tournaments are not being broadcast on FOX or FS1, the award-winning Bassmaster LIVE show will be streamed at Bassmaster.com and on the FOX Sports digital platforms. Bassmaster LIVE, which debuted in 2015, features expert commentary and insight while following the top-ranked Elite anglers.
“There is a huge appetite for live bass fishing and this partnership with FOX provides an incredible opportunity to reach new fans as a record number of people participate in fishing,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “Fishing license sales are up by double-digits this year, and we commend our anglers as well as the Bassmaster LIVE hosts for making use of time on-screen to explain the sport as well as offer tips and techniques to help fans of all levels improve their fishing.”
The Bassmaster Elite Series was one of the only major sports able to complete their full 2020 season, which drew both enthusiastic fans of bass fishing and sports fans craving the thrill of competition to live broadcasts of the Elite Series tournaments. Not only are both dedicated fans and newcomers alike eagerly tuning in to Bassmaster, but participation in the sport is booming across the country.
According to the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, 81% of Americans say they’ve spent time enjoying outdoor activities during the pandemic, 31% for the first time. Many of those people are flocking to fishing, as states across the country have seen remarkable growth in fishing license sales. In the first half of 2020, the number of new fishing licenses sold is up 40% according to the DNR. Iowa, Minnesota, Vermont and Louisiana all report more than 50% higher fishing license sales in 2020, according to their state conservation agencies. Considered a hotbed of recreational fishing, even Alabama — where B.A.S.S. is headquartered — has experienced a 37% jump in resident fishing license sales.
The FOX Sports platforms reach more than 100 million viewers each weekend with their coverage of NASCAR, NFL, NHL, MLB, NCAA football and beyond.
“FOX Sports sees this as a unique opportunity to work with Bassmaster to elevate a best-in-class sports property to a new level and to an expanded audience,” said Bill Wanger, FOX Sports EVP, Head of Programming and Scheduling. “It’s going to be a lot of fun showcasing the best anglers in the world competing from lakes and rivers across the country on live television.”
A full 2021 Bassmaster Elite Series schedule will be released at a later date. Visit Bassmaster.com for more details.
About FOX Sports
FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing FOX Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, the business has ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing relationships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Network; FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Deportes. FOX Sports’ digital properties include FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App, which provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content, instant scores, stats and alerts to iOS and Android devices. Additionally, FOX Sports and social broadcasting platform, Caffeine jointly own Caffeine Studios which creates exclusive eSports, sports and live entertainment content. Also included in FOX Sports’ portfolio are FOX’s interests in joint-venture business Big Ten Network, a licensing and commercial relationship with The Stars Group that created the FOX Bet sports betting platform and the FOX Sports Super 6 free-to-play game, and a licensing agreement that established the FOX Sports Radio Network.
Louisiana’s Ruston High School Wins FLW High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing Sam Rayburn Open
BROOKELAND, Texas (Nov. 16, 2020) – Louisiana’s Ruston High School duo of Garrett Pody and Zachary McMillan brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 1 ounce to win the FLW High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing Sam Rayburn Open in Brookeland, Texas.
For their win on the Sam Rayburn Reservoir, the team now advances to the 2021 High School Fishing National Championship.
The top three teams that qualified for the 2021 High School Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Ruston High School, Ruston, La. – Garrett Pody and Zachary McMillan, five bass, 16-1
2nd: Splendora High School, Splendora, Texas – Kendale Pagan and Connor Canada, five bass, 15-9
3rd: Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School, Orange, Texas – Brandon Brones and Dakota Posey, five bass, 13-1
Rounding out the top 10 were:
4th: West Monroe High School, West Monroe, La. – Mack Green and Bradley Newcomb, five bass, 12-13
5th: Conroe High School, Conroe, Texas – Tyler Kitkoski and Cade Lipham, five bass, 12-12
6th: Elizabeth High School, Elizabeth, La. – Gage Shepherd and Ty Haymon, five bass, 11-13
7th: Livingston High School, Livingston, Texas – Kaden Mueck and Breckett Long, five bass, 11-4
8th: Haughton Fishing Team, Haughton, La. – Jase White and Cole Golden, five bass, 11-3
9th: Ruston High School, Ruston, La. – Julianna McMillan and John Randall Stansbury, five bass, 10-14
10th: Nederland High School, Nederland, Texas – Zachary Garsea and Logan Williams, five bass, 10-7
Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The event launched from the Umphrey Family Pavilion in Brookeland, Texas, and was hosted by the Jasper County Development District.
The FLW High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing Sam Rayburn Open in Brookeland, Texas, was a free, two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12 and open to any FLW and Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships will advance to the 2021 High School Fishing National Championship. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2021 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. More than $2.8 million in scholarships and prizes were offered at the 2020 World Finals.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
Stephen F. Austin University Wins Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI Tournament on Sam Rayburn
BROOKELAND, Texas (Nov. 16, 2020) – The Stephen F. Austin University team of Cooper Thor of Mansfield, Texas, and Cody Barchenger of Taylor, Texas, won the Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI at Sam Rayburn event Friday with a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 7 ounces. The victory earned the Stephen F. Austin bass club $2,000 and qualified them to compete in the 2021 College Fishing National Championship.
The Lumberjacks duo won by a 1-pound, 4-ounce margin over the second-place team of Maguire Parker and Kyle McAllen from Northwestern State University, who weighed in five bass totaling 18 pounds, 3 ounces. The tournament launched from the Umphrey Family Pavilion in Brookeland, Texas.
The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2021 College Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Stephen F. Austin University – Cooper Thor, Mansfield, Texas, and Cody Barchenger, Taylor, Texas, five bass, 19-7, $2,000
2nd: Northwestern State University – Maguire Parker, Stonewall, La., and Kyle McAllen, Stonewall, La., five bass, 18-3, $1,000
3rd: Louisiana State University – Jack Thomas, Prairieville, La., and Connor Turner, Albany, La., five bass, 18-0, $500
4th: Louisiana State University – Heath Pinell, Plaquemine, La., and Bryan Bergeron, Port Allen, La., five bass, 16-12, $500
5th: Texas A&M University-Commerce – Frederick Arenas, Alba, Texas, and Brady Gaines, Caddo Mills, Texas, five bass, 15-10, $500
6th: Stephen F. Austin University – Hunter Muncrief, Pineland, Texas, and River Lee, Nacogdoches, Texas, five bass, 15-4
7th: Texas State University – Hamilton Tarbett, Plano, Texas, and Collin Lansdale, San Marcos, Texas, five bass, 15-4
8th: Dallas Baptist University – Michael Postlewait, Astoria, Ore., and Andrew Rickman, Canton, Texas, five bass, 14-6
9th: Drury University – Grant Harris, Springfield, Mo., and Beau Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 14-5
10th: East Texas Baptist University – Jacob Keith, Jefferson, Texas, and Cannon Bird, Marshall, Texas, five bass, 14-0
Complete results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
The Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir was hosted by the Jasper County Development District. It was the third and final regular-season qualifying tournament for Southern Conference anglers. The next event for College Fishing anglers will be on Nov. 20 – the Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina.
Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI teams compete in regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual Abu Garcia College Fishing Open advance to the following year’s Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Scroggins says now is the time for punching bugs
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Terry “Big Show” Scroggins has done it all. The generous Florida pro caught a 9-pounder out of a Toledo Bend brushpile on a drop shot rig, a 44-pound limit on Falcon Lake dragging a Carolina Rig across a submerged roadbed, qualified for 11 Bassmaster Classics, and has won $2 Million dollars in prize money.
But when “Big Show” burst on to the pro bassing scene in 2001 – much of his momentum came from his supreme knowledge of pulling big fish from tremendously thick and matted vegetation. And according to Scroggins, right now – late autumn through winter is prime time for punching small soft plastics through the thick stuff.
“Everybody thinks of thick green summertime vegetation when you talk about punching shallow, but right now is the absolute best time to be punching the big weight through the mats,” says the former autobody tech.
Proof of this statement came two weeks ago when Scroggins’ Team Toyota buddy Mike Iaconelli recorded the best bass fishing day of his life – catching a (5) bass limit from public water that totaled 41 pounds – punching big weights through thick vegetation.
“Whether you’re talking about Okeechobee, Kissimmee Chain, or even along the shoreline at a place like Lay Lake, Alabama, bass get in the matted vegetation because it holds heat during the coldest months of the year, and then serves as a pre-spawn staging area,” he explains.
In fact, one of his more famous exploitations of this pattern came during the chilly 2007 Bassmaster Classic on Lay Lake, AL when he caught 39-pounds of bass from the shallow matted vegetation around the shoreline in that late February event … even though water temps were in the 50s.
Tackle needs
This is the ultimate in heavy cover, big equipment bassin’ – so Scroggins uses a 7’ 9” heavy action rod from Mud Hole, spools up with 65-pound braid, and uses a 1.5-ounce weight in front of the 3.25” Big Show Soft Plastics Punch Bug. Asked to choose his all-time favorite color, he cited black/blue with silver fleck.
Relate to the roots
“The water willow and other grass at Lay had a vine in it that thickened up the canopy to make it even better. Roots are key to this pattern. Roots beneath the canopy act the like corner posts on a shaded boat dock,” explains Scroggins.
Weather makes a big difference
“This bite can change daily based on the weather,” says Scroggins. “Typically, they’ll eat the Punch Bug while it’s falling, but if a cold front comes through - you may have to pick it up and kind of hold it still against the underside of the canopy until one grabs ahold of it,” he says.
Don’t jerk too soon
Scroggins ends his tutorial on wintertime punchin’ by warning not to make the biggest mistake most anglers do with this pattern. “Most people jerk way too fast when they get a bite in the mats. Let the fish pull it down just a bit and you’ll catch 90% more fish than if you jerk like you’re trying to club ‘em with a big jig in a flooded bush,” he warns.
And should you make that common mistake – let the area rest – come back a couple hours later – and there’s a real good chance that same fish will bite again in the exact same patch of grass.
Clark Wendlandt Comes from Behind to Win 2020 B.A.S.S. Elite AOY
Courtesy of Rather Outdoors
Lexington, S.C. – November 16, 2020 – Strike King has long held a reputation for having one of the premier pro staff teams in the business. The team has earned a long list of impressive titles in all of the major tours, and the records keep piling up.
On November 7, at the Bassmaster Elite Series Toyota Texas Fest, Strike King pro team member Clark Wendlandt clinched the title of 2020 Bassmaster Angler of the Year. The Leander, Tex. pro has proven his consistent excellence throughout his long professional career. With his season-long win, Wendlandt adds the Bassmaster Angler of the Year title to his three FLW Tour Angler crowns from 1997, 2000 and again in 2009.
Wendlandt began the 2020 season with a 19th place finish in the season opening event at the St. Johns River, had two top 10 finishes and a top five finish at the Lake St. Clair event in August, and averaged a 25th place finish for the year to win the title with 680 points for the season.
With this title, he joins an impressive list of bass fishing legends who have won the title as a part of the Strike King team. Previous Strike King pro team Bassmaster Angler of the Year winners are seven-time winner Kevin VanDam, three-time winners, Bill Dance and Mark Davis, 1986 winner Jimmy Houston, 1987 winner Denny Brauer and 2014 winner Greg Hackney.
He said that the Strike King product line was key to his performance throughout the season. "The great thing about being a part of the Strike King family is that they have everything I need to compete no matter the fishery," he said. "This season presented a lot of variables, and everything from the Thunder Cricket to the KVD 1.5 and 2.5, to the Poppin Perch, soft plastics and the XD Series of crankbaits played a role for me. They just flat have it all, and it helps me compete every day."
Mark Copley, Director of Pro Staff and Media Relations said that they are proud of the accomplishment, but not surprised. " When we added Clark to the team, we knew that we were getting not only a world class angler, but a quality person as well, "said Copley. "In our history as a company, Strike King's pro staff has collected every major trophy in the sport, and we are proud of Clark's season, pleased to have played a role in it, and even more so to have him as a part of Team Strike King."
Follow along as Wendlandt begins his victory lap as the 2020 Bassmaster Angler of the Year as the Bassmaster Elite Series kicks off its 2021 season and leads the team into the 2021 Bassmaster Classic in Fort Worth, Tex. and Lake Ray Roberts in March.
Jordan Lee Wins 2020 General Tire World Championship
Alabama Superstar Catches 2-Pounder in Final Minutes to Overtake Casey Ashley in Dramatic Finale, Earns Johnny Morris Award and Top Payout of $100,000
GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (Nov. 16, 2020) – The 29-year-old Alabama superstar did it again. Major League Fishing (MLF) pro Jordan Lee of Cullman, Alabama, caught 37 bass totaling 69 pounds, 4 ounces, to narrowly edge out South Carolina’s Casey Ashley and win the 2020General Tire World Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops in Grand Rapids, Minnesota and the top prize of $100,000.
It was a nail-biting finale that came down to the wire in the final day Championship Round that aired Saturday on Discovery. Lee caught his last fish – a 2-pound, 2-ounce largemouth – with just 14 minutes to spare in the final period, overtaking Ashley, who had put together a frantic 17 bass third-period rally to move to the top of the leaderboard. Lee’s last fish came on a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General worm.
“Oh man, what a feeling,” said Lee, who was the 2020 Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year, winner of the inaugural Heavy Hitters tournament in February, and now the 2020 General Tire World Champion. “Casey was just killing it right there at the end. It seemed like every time I caught one, he would catch two. It was gut-wrenching. I was listening to him bumping up the SCORETRACKER® and he just kept coming and I couldn’t do anything about it. I just had to keep my head down and focus on every single bite. That last fish turned out to be the difference maker. We fished all day long and I won by less than a pound. Unreal.”
Lee started out his day on Spider Lake targeting largemouth with a vibrating jig and a swimjig, before mixing in a frog and eventually the Berkley The General worm (black and black-and-blue) as the day progressed. He keyed on the shallow reeds and lily pads on the 1,392-acre lake.
“It was mostly a fun day of flipping and frogging, and that is what I love to do,” Lee said. “I mixed up a couple of different baits to start with, but the swim jig really got me started. It clued me in that the fish were around the reeds and the pads, and then I started catching some good ones.”
Lee led after Period 1 of competition and had a near 20-pound lead into Period 2 before his bite slowed in Period 3. Meanwhile, Ashley’s pattern caught fire. Ashley took the lead with 40 minutes remaining in the event, and the two anglers battled back and forth before Lee’s last-minute heroics clinched the victory.
“We were so close, I pretty much knew that whoever caught the last scorable bass was going to win,” said Lee. “As the clock ticked down, I kept expecting my boat official to tell me that Casey had caught one at the very end to take it, but luckily for me that didn’t happen.
“To win this event is just the best feeling in the world,” Lee went on to say. “MLF puts us out in the middle of nowhere – down dirt roads, places we’ve never fished before. I love that part of this game. It’s a level playing field, and to come away with a win against this bunch of guys – they’re the best in the world. This has been a special, special week. Nothing comes easy in this sport and I don’t take it for granted. I’ve had a great year. I’m fishing with confidence and I hope I can keep the good vibes going next season.”
The final six anglers at the 2020 General Tire World Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops in Grand Rapids, Minnesota finished:
1st: Jordan Lee of Cullman, Ala., 37 bass, 69-4
2nd: Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., 35 bass, 68-5
3rd: Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., 28 bass, 48-2
4th: Takahiro Omori of Tokyo, Japan, 29 bass, 46-10
5th: Jacob Powroznik of Prince George, Va., 20 bass, 43-6
6th: Cody Meyer of Star, Idaho, 10 bass, 21-10
Complete results and photos from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Meyer caught the Berkley Big Bass of the day – a 5-pound, 2-ounce largemouth at the end of Period One that came on an unnamed finesse worm.
Overall, there were 159 bass weighing 297 pounds, 5 ounces caught by the final six pros during the Championship Round of competition on Spider Lake.
The 2020 General Tire World Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops was hosted by Visit Grand Rapids and premiered on the Discovery Channel as six, two-hour original episodes debuting on Oct. 10, 2020, and running through Nov. 14, 2020. The event, shot over six days in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, showcased 16 MLF pro anglers culminating the 2020 Cup season and competing for the top prize of $100,000.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
BERKLEY PRO JORDAN LEE RIDES POWERBAIT MAXSCENT TO VICTORY IN MLF’S 2020 GENERAL TIRE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Largemouth gamble pays off, resulting in a $100,000 payday and a third major championship.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (November 16, 2020) — Looking at his fourth new lake in four days, Berkley Pro Jordan Lee had a decision to make. After sliding into the championship round of the 2020 General Tire World Championship in the sixth and final spot, Lee had 30 minutes to decide his plan of attack for the final day: go after the greater numbers of smallmouth or fish for the bigger largemouth? Either could be boom or bust, but he felt confident the fishery held championship-clinching largemouth.
Luckily, his boat held a lot of Berkley PowerBait MaxScent, the same bait that dominated the professional tournament trails in 2020.
Predominantly flipping PowerBait MaxScent The General around lily pads, Lee recorded 69 pounds, 4 ounces of largemouth in the championship round of Major League Fishing’s 2020 General Tire World Championship, picking up another major championship and a $100,000 first-place payout. With the win, the list of successes for both Lee and PowerBait MaxScent grew even longer.
The win gives Lee, who also has back-to-back Bassmaster Classic wins to his credit, his third major championship while adding to PowerBait MaxScent’s incredible 2020 highlight reel. Earlier this year, PowerBait MaxScent dominated predominantly smallmouth tournaments as the major professional bass fishing tours took their northern swings. But you won’t find the Alabama angler pigeonholing PowerBait MaxScent.
“Largemouth, smallmouth, it doesn’t matter. MaxScent makes me not want to fish with anything else because my confidence is so high with it,” said Lee, who is quick to remind that Berkley’s bait scientists tested PowerBait MaxScent almost exclusively on largemouth during the product’s lengthy development period. “It gets more bites. And if something gets more bites then that’s what I’m going to be using.”
Flipping black and junebug PowerBait MaxScent The General with a 1/4-ounce tungsten weight and a Berkley Fusion19 4/0 straight-shank flipping hook, Lee’s gear consisted of a 7-foot, 6-inch Abu Garcia Fantasista Premier rod paired with a 7.3:1 Revo Premier spooled with 50-pound-test Berkley X9 braid—key for getting fish out of thick swaths of lily pads. As consistent as the bites were as Lee fished the edges of the lily pad jungles, so was the tendency of the hooked fish to try to wrap him around the roots of the pads. With X9, Lee was able to muscle the fish straight to the boat, which he did repeatedly on his way to building a commanding lead.
Lee entered the third period of competition with a 20-plus-pound advantage over second place, but the lead was evaporating as other anglers began to key in on quality fish. With 15 minutes remaining in the event, Lee’s 20-plus-pound lead from the third period was gone and he trailed the new first-place leader by a pound. Absent the time needed to get to new water, Lee decided to make one more pass through his favorite stretch of lily pads, confident that the PowerBait MaxScent could fool even pressured fish. It did, producing a two-pounder to seal the victory.
“Without MaxScent, I wouldn’t have gone back to a spot I had already hit that hard earlier in the day. With all that pressure, these fish just wouldn’t be caught without it,” Lee said. “MaxScent just gets bites when other baits won’t—even these pressured fish. The lake wasn’t big, and it was getting a lot more pressure than it normally ever sees.
“People can talk about PowerBait MaxScent for smallmouth all they want—and it’s definitely the best smallmouth bait I’ve ever used— but I’m an even bigger believer in fishing for largemouth with MaxScent because it gets bites that other soft plastic baits won’t.”
Major League Fishing’s made-for-TV 2020 General Tire World Championship wrapped in July, but competitors were barred from revealing the outcome until it could air on Discovery Channel on November 14.
“It was a long wait to find out what happened, but when we saw what Jordan was able to do with the PowerBait MaxScent on such a big stage, it was the perfect ending to an incredible year for both our pros and this incredibly effective line of baits,” said Berkley Vice President of Marketing Jon Schlosser. “We’re incredibly proud of Jordan for his clutch performance in such a pressure-filled situation and can’t wait to see him and the rest of our pros continue this hot streak in 2021.”
Humminbird® Introduces the APEX™ Series: A Premium MFD with a Full-HD Display, First-Class Sonar and Networking Options
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MISSOURI’S MACY WINS PHOENIX BASS FISHING LEAGUE PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE ALL-AMERICAN ON LAKE HARTWELL
ANDERSON, S.C. (Nov. 13, 2020) – Boater Chris Macy of Diamond, Missouri, won the 37th annual Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine All-American on Lake Hartwell presented by TINCUP Friday, bringing a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 13 pounds, 1 ounce. Macy’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 34-10 was enough to overtake second-place angler Todd Goade of White Pine, Tennessee – who led the event after the second day of competition – by a 2-pound, 4-ounce margin. For the win, Macy earned the top payout of $100,000.
A person that is standing in the grass
Description automatically generated“This is unbelievable – going in to today, I really didn’t think I had a shot at it,” said Macy, who qualified for this tournament through the Bass Fishing League Ozark Division. “I went out this morning and thought that if I could catch 10 pounds, I’d be happy. When you make it to the last day, you kind of look at the payscale and you know that every spot you can hold or move up is another thousand bucks in your pocket. My goal was just to hang in there.
“I stumbled on to something around 1 o’clock this afternoon, and it absolutely went crazy from there,” Macy continued. “On the LiveScope, I would watch my swimbait come across the brush piles and if I could get the fish to follow it, I would kill it and let that swimbait go straight to the bottom. Every one of those fish would nose down on it, and as soon as I popped that swimbait up off the bottom, they would eat it every time.”
Macy said that of the 15 keepers he brought to the weigh-in stage this week, 14 of them came on a Keitech 2.8-inch swimbait in Tennessee Shad and Sexy Shad colors. He credited his electronics as being crucial to his win.
“Every fish that I caught came off of a brush pile,” Macy said. “My Garmin LiveScope was crucial. Every fish that I caught this week, I watched it bite. Most of the water I fished was 20- to 30-feet-deep, and if I could get the fish sitting up on top of the brush piles, it was game on.
“Overall, it has just been a super three days,” Macy went on to say. “I was just so happy to be fishing on the third day of the All-American, and I knew that if I could put a big one in the bag today that anything could happen. When it’s your time, it’s your time and today was just my day.”
The top 10 boaters on Lake Hartwell finished:
1st: Chris Macy, Diamond, Mo., 15 bass, 34-10, $100,000
2nd: Todd Goade, White Pine, Tenn., 15 bass, 32-6, $20,000
3rd: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 15 bass, 31-11, $15,000
4th: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., 15 bass, 31-7, $21,000
5th: Bryan Dowdy, Florence, Ala., 15 bass, 30-7, $18,000
6th: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 15 bass, 28-1, $12,000
7th: Randall Allen, Owens Cross Roads, Ala., 15 bass, 27-11, $12,000
8th: Kip Carter, Mansfield, Ga., 15 bass, 27-11, $10,000
9th: Dustin Lippe, Lampe, Mo., 12 bass, 25-11, $9,000
10th: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., 13 bass, 23-11, $8,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Overall, there were 45 bass weighing 77 pounds, 5 ounces, caught by the final 10 boaters Friday. The catch included eight five-bass limits.
Justin Kimmel of Athens, Georgia, won the co-angler division and $50,000 Friday with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 26 pounds, 9 ounces, followed by Larry Rothweil of Saint Charles, Missouri, in second place with 12 bass weighing 22-2, good for $10,000.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Justin Kimmel, Athens, Ga., 14 bass, 26-9, $50,000
2nd: Larry Rothweil, St. Charles, Mo., 12 bass, 22-2, $10,000
3rd: Kibbee McCoy, Knoxville, Tenn., 12 bass, 19-14, $6,000
4th: David Blankinship, Cushing, Okla., 13 bass, 19-6, $5,000
5th: Dalton Steele, Cherokee, Ala., 10 bass, 18-5, $4,500
6th: Cole Sands, Calhoun, Tenn., 12 bass, 17-11, $4,000
7th: Andrew Wiley, Joppa, Md., 13 bass, 17-7, $3,500
8th: Leo Reiter, Greenup, Ill., 13 bass, 16-13, $3,000
9th: Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., 11 bass, 16-2, $3,000
10th: Kerry Harris, Bethel Island, Calif., 11 bass, 16-1, $2,000
Overall, there were 30 bass weighing 40 pounds, 6 ounces, caught by the final 10 co-anglers Friday. The catch included two five-bass limits.
In addition to the cash payouts, the highest-finishing boater and co-angler from each of six Regional Championships, the Wild Card Championship and The Bass Federation (TBF) National Championship at the All-American now advance to the 2020 Toyota Series Championship next month on Lake Cumberland for a shot at winning $235,000 and $33,500, respectively.
The eight boaters and co-anglers that now advance to the 2020 Toyota Series Championship are:
Region 1 (Lake Hartwell) Boater Champion: Todd Goade, White Pine, Tenn.
Region 2 (Lake Seminole) Boater Champion: Randall Allen, Owens Cross Roads, Ala.
Region 3 (Kentucky-Barkley lakes) Boater Champion: Kerry Frey, Middlebury, Ind.
Region 4 (Potomac River) Boater Champion: Bradford Beavers, Summerville, S.C.
Region 5 (Lake Guntersville) Boater Champion: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio
Region 6 (Grand Lake) Boater Champion: Chris Macy, Diamond, Mo.
WildCard (Kentucky Lake) Boater Champion: Bryan Dowdy, Florence, Ala.
TBF (Kentucky Lake) Boater Champion: Blake Wilson, Benton, Ark.
Region 1 (Lake Hartwell) Boater Champion: Justin Kimmel, Athens, Ga.
Region 2 (Lake Seminole) Boater Champion: Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C.
Region 3 (Kentucky-Barkley lakes) Boater Champion: David Blankinship, Cushing, Okla.
Region 4 (Potomac River) Boater Champion: Mark Blankenship, Christiansburg, Va.
Region 5 (Lake Guntersville) Boater Champion: Dalton Steele, Cherokee, Ala.
Region 6 (Grand Lake) Boater Champion: Larry Rothweil, Saint Charles, Mo.
WildCard (Kentucky Lake) Boater Champion: Leo Reiter, Greenup, Ill.
TBF (Kentucky Lake) Boater Champion: Andrew Wiley, Joppa, Md.
Schlapper Wins B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, Earns Classic Berth At Pickwick
Pat Schlapper, of Eleva, Wis., has won the 2020 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Pickwick Lake with a three-day total of 51 pounds, 10 ounces.
Photo by Chris Brown/B.A.S.S.
November 13, 2020
FLORENCE, Ala. — Pat Schlapper had nothing but good fortune on Friday the 13th when he caught the heaviest limit of the week for a come-from-behind win in the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship on Pickwick Lake located in the northwest corner of Alabama.
Schlapper, a 38-year-old resident of Eleva, Wis., caught five bass during the final round that weighed 23 pounds, 3 ounces, which was 6 1/2 pounds heavier than any other limit weighed at McFarland Park this week. Combined with his limits of 14-11 on Wednesday and 13-12 on Thursday, Schlapper had a 51-10 total and won the championship by more than 7 pounds.
Schlapper’s win brought a wealth of riches, including a $20,000 cash prize, an invitation to compete on the 2021 Bassmaster Elite Series and $16,000 in paid entry fees to those tournaments. B.A.S.S. also will loan Schlapper a bass boat, complete with a “Nation's Best” wrap, to use in Elite Series events.
But without a doubt, Schlapper’s most precious prize is a berth in the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic. The most prestigious fishing tournament in the world will be held on Lake Ray Roberts in Texas on March 19-21.
“My buddies have been saying for a long time, ‘Let’s go to the Classic one year,’” Schlapper said. “I told them, ‘I’m not going to the Classic until I’m fishing in it.’ I’ve been saying that since I was 18, and now I’m finally going.”
Schlapper was in sixth place after Day 1 and jumped to second on Day 2, trailing Louisiana’s Blake Sylvester, who led Days 1 and 2. He trailed Sylvester by only 6 ounces heading into the final day but wasted no time pulling ahead — and away — from the 11 other anglers who made the cut and fished Friday.
“I got lucky,” he told a B.A.S.S. official after the final weigh-in, debunking the lore that only bad omens come on Friday the 13th.
The good luck struck Schlapper early on Friday when current was moving quickly on the Tennessee River. Schlapper was having a difficult time staying in place on a spot he wanted to fish about five minutes from McFarland Park, so he motored above the spot and began drifting back to it. He caught an undersized bass on the drift, which prompted him to cast a few more times to the same area.
The key was putting a 3/4-ounce jighead on the paddletail swimbait (shad color) he’d used throughout the tournament. The switch got his lure to the river bottom and it ignited a smallmouth feeding frenzy. By 10 a.m., Schlapper had 21 pounds and made his final upgrade (a 2-pound bump) at midafternoon.
He considered heading back to shore at noon to weigh his haul, but he stuck it out until 45 minutes before the 2 p.m. weigh-in.
“I put all my eggs in the basket with the smallmouth,” he said. “The current here is a lot like what I fish back home on the Mississippi River.”
Schlapper’s heaviest smallmouth weighed 5-3, and his smallest was just shy of 4 pounds.
“I caught a lot of good fish on a 1/2-ounce jig this week, but the 3/4-ounce made the bait swim right,” he said. “It was like the smallmouths had never seen it before.”
Sylvester, a 29-year-old angler from Plaquemine, La., finished second with 43-2 over three days, including 14-5 on Friday, to earn the second of three Classic bids up for grabs. He also won $15,000 for the runner-up finish, as well as entry into the 2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens.
Sylvester pounded a grassy stretch of the river all three days, using a Delta Lures Thunder Jig, a Humdinger bladed jig and a Missile Baits Shockwave (green pumpkin).
“I just wanted to make the third day and give myself a shot (at the Classic),” Sylvester said. “It worked out.”
Justin Kerr of Lake Havasu, Ariz., finished third with 40-7 and secured his own spot in the Classic. He won $10,000 and invitations to all of next year’s Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens.
Kerr, 39, rotated between a Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap and an Evergreen Stealth Blade to catch his biggest bass on Pickwick. After 20 years of professional fishing, he was elated to finally qualify for the Classic.
“It’s been a major goal of mine for as long as I can remember,” he said. “After all this time, I’ve got it.”
In all, 94 anglers qualified for the tournament, including 48 in the boater division and 46 in the co-angler field, all competing for a share of $176,800 in cash and prizes. All but four states were represented, with only Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii and North Dakota not competing.
2020 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Pickwick Lake 11/11-11/13
Pickwick Lake, Florence AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 15 51-10 0 $20,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 13-12 Day 3: 5 23-03
2. Blake Sylvester Plaquemine, LA 15 43-02 0 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 12-03 Day 3: 5 14-05
3. Justin Kerr Lake Havasu, AZ 15 40-07 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 11-13 Day 3: 5 14-06
4. Bryan Gunter Ninety Six, SC 13 36-01 0 $5,000.00
Day 1: 3 09-06 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 11-09
5. Joel Smith Guin, AL 14 35-07 0 $4,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 4 08-03 Day 3: 5 14-03
6. Jason Hickey Weiser, ID 13 33-07 0 $3,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 3 08-03 Day 3: 5 12-11
7. Michael Comeau Alburgh, VT 12 31-07 0 $2,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 13-07 Day 3: 2 04-11
8. Josh Ray Alexander, AR 11 29-03 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 2 03-13 Day 3: 4 09-07
9. Cody Hollen Beaverton, OR 11 28-00 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 4 09-03 Day 2: 5 14-11 Day 3: 2 04-02
10. Josh Cotier Clinton, MA 11 26-12 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 4 09-00 Day 3: 2 04-05
11. Eddie Levin Westerville, OH 8 23-10 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 3 07-09 Day 3: 0 00-00
12. Terry Peterson West Jordan, UT 9 23-09 0 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 3 06-13 Day 3: 1 02-02
13. Richard Lindgren Lakeville, MN 7 20-10 0
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 2 05-06 Day 3: 0 00-00
14. Matthew Robertson Kuttawa, KY 8 20-07 0
Day 1: 4 10-08 Day 2: 4 09-15 Day 3: 0 00-00
15. Ray Trudeau Saint Cloud, FL 8 18-12 0
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 3 06-14 Day 3: 0 00-00
16. Brent Shores Boise, ID 9 18-07 0
Day 1: 4 08-05 Day 2: 5 10-02 Day 3: 0 00-00
17. Christian Gladfelter Albuquerque, NM 6 18-02 0
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 1 03-09 Day 3: 0 00-00
18. Bert Collins Heaters, WV 7 17-15 0
Day 1: 3 09-12 Day 2: 4 08-03 Day 3: 0 00-00
19. Trevor Kettles Waukee, IA 8 17-14 0
Day 1: 4 08-02 Day 2: 4 09-12 Day 3: 0 00-00
20. Nate Caldwell Fort Collins, CO 7 17-13 0
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 2 04-11 Day 3: 0 00-00
21. Jeremy Sadowski Valuntower, CT 7 17-07 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 4 11-05 Day 2: 3 06-02 Day 3: 0 00-00
22. Jesse Jordan Stilwell, KS 7 17-04 0
Day 1: 4 08-01 Day 2: 3 09-03 Day 3: 0 00-00
23. Josh Hubbard Braidwood, IL 6 16-11 0
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 1 01-10 Day 3: 0 00-00
24. Jeff Lugar Cross Junction, VA 8 16-11 0
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 3 06-09 Day 3: 0 00-00
25. Justin Hicks Gunnison, CO 7 16-09 0
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 2 05-03 Day 3: 0 00-00
26. Chris Killoren Marcellus, NY 6 15-03 0
Day 1: 4 11-06 Day 2: 2 03-13 Day 3: 0 00-00
27. David Cavell Prairieville, LA 6 14-14 0
Day 1: 4 08-00 Day 2: 2 06-14 Day 3: 0 00-00
28. Jason Crone Kalispell, MT 6 13-11 0
Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 4 09-02 Day 3: 0 00-00
29. Jacob Coverdale Frederica, DE 7 13-10 0
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 2 03-07 Day 3: 0 00-00
30. Michael Cash Louisburg, NC 6 13-07 0
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 1 02-00 Day 3: 0 00-00
31. Matt Reagan Hudsonville, MI 6 13-03 0
Day 1: 3 07-02 Day 2: 3 06-01 Day 3: 0 00-00
32. Timothy Wells Clovis, CA 6 13-01 0
Day 1: 5 09-08 Day 2: 1 03-09 Day 3: 0 00-00
33. Paul Gietka Abingdon, MD 5 12-13 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 12-13 Day 3: 0 00-00
34. Derek Severns West Mifflin, PA 5 11-11 0
Day 1: 4 10-01 Day 2: 1 01-10 Day 3: 0 00-00
35. Michael McMahon Hackettstown, NJ 6 11-07 0
Day 1: 1 02-04 Day 2: 5 09-03 Day 3: 0 00-00
36. Tom Wennerlund Tonto Basin, AZ 4 10-12 0
Day 1: 2 06-14 Day 2: 2 03-14 Day 3: 0 00-00
37. Mark Pierce Cadiz, KY 4 10-06 0
Day 1: 2 04-08 Day 2: 2 05-14 Day 3: 0 00-00
38. Dave Andrews Hudson, MA 5 10-05 0
Day 1: 4 08-10 Day 2: 1 01-11 Day 3: 0 00-00
39. Ken Day Kennewick, WA 5 10-05 0
Day 1: 3 06-02 Day 2: 2 04-03 Day 3: 0 00-00
40. John Thomsen Creston, IA 5 09-04 0
Day 1: 4 07-09 Day 2: 1 01-11 Day 3: 0 00-00
41. Jeff Napier Martinsville, IN 3 09-02 0
Day 1: 1 02-04 Day 2: 2 06-14 Day 3: 0 00-00
42. Jared Miller Norman, OK 3 07-10 0
Day 1: 2 06-04 Day 2: 1 01-06 Day 3: 0 00-00
43. Dan Jordan Camas, WA 4 07-04 0
Day 1: 2 02-15 Day 2: 2 04-05 Day 3: 0 00-00
44. Jay Beffa Festus, MO 3 06-08 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 2 04-03 Day 3: 0 00-00
45. Ken Carter Enterprise, FL 3 06-00 0
Day 1: 1 01-09 Day 2: 2 04-07 Day 3: 0 00-00
46. Albert Collins Nacogdoches, TX 3 05-13 0
Day 1: 1 02-00 Day 2: 2 03-13 Day 3: 0 00-00
47. David Gorman Canton, GA 2 04-07 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-07 Day 3: 0 00-00
48. Scott Robert Greene, ME 2 03-14 0
Day 1: 2 03-14 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 0 00-00
49. Eric Storms Winner, SD 1 01-13 0
Day 1: 1 01-13 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 0 00-00
Sylvester Holds On To Lead At B.A.S.S. Nation Championship
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TENNESSEE’S GOADE TAKES LEAD AT PHOENIX BASS FISHING LEAGUE PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE ALL-AMERICAN ON LAKE HARTWELL
ANDERSON, S.C. (Nov. 12, 2020) – Fifty-five of the top weekend boaters and co-anglers from across the country continued their three-day battle Thursday for a top prize of $120,000 at the 37th annual Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine All-American on Lake Hartwell A picture containing person, holding, standing, front
Description automatically generatedpresented by TINCUP.
Rainy weather, which had been heavy overnight, greeted anglers to start the second day of competition. The rain tapered off after takeoff, then cloudy and slick conditions set in before turning in to a pleasant weather day, with lots of sun and a nice breeze. After weighing a respectable 11-pound, 7-ounce limit on the opening day of competition, boater Todd Goade of White Pine, Tennessee, vaulted to the top of the leaderboard after Day 2 by weighing a five-bass limit for 13 pounds, 2 ounces. Goade’s two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 24 pounds, 9 ounces gives him a 1-pound, 13-ounce lead over second place angler Roger Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Missouri, heading into the third and final day of competition.
The 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, competing for a grand prize of up to $120,000 in the boater division and $50,000 in the co-angler division.
“The last two days, I’ve made the right decisions at the right times and it has worked out, so far,” said Goade, who qualified for this event out of the Bass Fishing League Volunteer division. “During practice I noticed that you needed to be in certain places at a certain time, and the fish that I’m trying to catch, I need the sun to shine for them to be on target.
“It’s been cloudy, so I’ve been stopping pretty short of my target and just working my way up to them. I’ve caught a lot of fish before I even get to the cover. As the sun came out today, the fishing got better in the afternoon. So, it’s worked out real well. I’m trying not to force anything and just let it happen.”
Goade estimated that he caught 12 to 13 keepers on Wednesday, then added another 15 to 20 keepers today. He said he’s done the majority of his damage with a Zoom worm on a shaky-head rig and a 1/8-ounce Pulse jig with an unnamed Damiki plastic.
“The fish are feeding on really small bait right now,” Goade said. “Normally they’re eating 3- to 5-inch herring, but right now they’re eating 1- to 1½-inch shad, so I’ve kind of matched the hatch with that Pulse jig.”
When asked if he was feeling any nerves leading this event heading into the final day of competition, Goade said he was hopeful, but content.
“Even if I zero tomorrow, this has already been one of the best weeks I’ve ever had in my fishing career,” Goade said. “I don’t feel any extra pressure. When it’s your time, it’s your time and if it’s meant to be it’ll happen. I’m going to do the same thing that I’ve done the last two days, and I’m just going fishing.”
The top 10 boaters advancing to the final day of competition on Lake Hartwell are:
1st: Todd Goade, White Pine, Tenn., 10 bass, 24-9
2nd: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 10 bass, 22-12
3rd: Bryan Dowdy, Florence, Ala., 10 bass, 22-5
4th: Dustin Lippe, Lampe, Mo., 10 bass, 22-4
5th: Chris Macy, Diamond, Mo., 10 bass, 21-9
6th: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., 10 bass, 21-9
7th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 20-9
8th: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., 10 bass, 20-7
9th: Randall Allen, Owens Cross Roads, Ala., 10 bass, 20-1
10th: Kip Carter, Mansfield, Ga., 10 bass, 20-0
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Overall, there were 214 bass weighing 391 pounds, 14 ounces, caught by 52 boaters Thursday. The catch included 34 five-bass limits.
Justin Kimmel of Athens, Georgia, leads the Co-angler Division with 10 bass weighing 18 pounds, 12 ounces, followed by Dalton Steele of Cherokee, Alabama, in second place with 10 bass weighing 18 pounds, 5 ounces.
The final 10 co-anglers are:
1st: Justin Kimmel, Athens, Ga., 10 bass, 18-12
2nd: Dalton Steele, Cherokee, Ala., 10 bass, 18-5
3rd: David Blankinship, Cushing, Okla., 10 bass, 16-8
4th: Kerry Harris, Bethel Island, Calif., 10 bass, 14-13
5th: Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., 10 bass, 14-10
6th: Andrew Wiley, Joppa, Md., 10 bass, 14-8
7th: Leo Reiter, Greenup, Ill., 10 bass, 13-6
8th: Cole Sands, Calhoun, Tenn., 10 bass, 13-6
9th: Larry Rothweil, St. Charles, Mo., 10 bass, 12-14
10th: Kibbee McCoy, Knoxville, Tenn., 10 bass, 12-14
Overall, there were 138 bass weighing 219 pounds, 5 ounces, caught by 46 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 13 five-bass limits.
The final 10 All-American boaters and co-anglers will take off from Green Pond Landing, located at 470 Green Pond Road in Anderson, at 7:30 a.m. EST Friday. Friday’s Championship weigh-in will be held at the landing at 4 p.m. 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.
Brunswick Corporation Launches Consumer Advisory Board Dedicated to Shaping the Next Generation of Boating
METTAWA, Ill. (November 12, 2020) – Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) has announced the formation of Rpl, a consumer advisory board dedicated to shaping the future of recreational boating. As home to the world’s leading marine brands like Mercury Marine, Boston Whaler, Sea Ray and Lund, Brunswick’s community of boaters will have unprecedented access to the industry’s most coveted brands.
“We want to spend more time with new boaters who we believe will help us elevate the boating experience for everyone,” said Lauren Beckstedt, CMO, Brunswick Divisions. “In reference to the Board’s name, feedback from the Rpl community will create a ripple effect in our business that we expect will make big waves in how Brunswick defines the future of the industry. Drawing from brand experiences in other industries, new boaters offer a heightened sensitivity to engagement- and product-needs that we want to be able to tap.”
This season, Brunswick brands outperformed the industry in appeal to new boaters, with some brands seeing new boater warranty registrations of more than 50 percent. Brunswick’s boat brands averaged a 99 percent increase in web traffic by women year to date, and all brands saw an increase in online activity and purchase from a younger demographic, demonstrating the need for new boaters to have more direct influence in the company strategy.
Rpl will bring together diverse boating perspectives to collaborate on topics aimed at driving retention among new boaters and increasing appeal and access to boating for all. In addition to participating in brand research initiatives, the Rpl community will have access to new product innovation previews, brand events in their area and weigh-in on the trends they want to see recreational marine adopt.
“This group will be the voice for recreational boating of the future,” said Beckstedt. “And the boating future that Brunswick is shaping will be more diverse, more accessible, more versatile and bring with it the same exhilaration and thrill that so many boaters around the world have made core to their lifestyles.”
To learn more about the RPL Advisory Board, visit brunswick.com/RPL-Consumer-Advisory-Board
AC Insider Podcast - "Hammer Time!"
Thats right folks, we are dialed in this week with not one but TWO Hammers on the show. Elite Series AOY Clark Wendlandt joins us to talk all things BASS & AOY & in a surprise, Chris' man crush, the one & only Patrick Walters joins the boys to talk fashion statements, jerkbaits, BIG fish & more!
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
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2 and The Pursuit Channel), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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.”