Matt Arey: Sight fishing is like playing checkers
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Team Toyota pro Matt Arey hasn’t been around as long as the game of checkers, it’s been around 800 years. But Arey has definitely competed in enough bed fishing dominated multi-day pro events to know good outcomes hinge on having tons of beds located, followed by the strategic use of every dang one of them.
“You might win a 1-day tournament around the house by locating a handful of spawning beds, but here at Fork this week, if you want to get out of here with a Top 10, you’re probably going to need dozens waypointed,” emphasizes Arey.
Think about it, first off, everybody and their dog knows the vast majority of Fork’s largemouth are spawning or about to, so that automatically puts nearly every boat near the bank.
Then add the pressure applied by fishing guides and their clients on this immensely popular trophy bass lake, plus a weekend forecast for sunshine and temps in the 70s, and you’ve got the makings of a bed fishing beat down the next four days.
“I don’t want to over-hype this deal, but it’s not unreasonable to say a guy could catch a 15 to 18-pound limit of 3-pound males in one pocket here without ever catching the heavier females,” says Arey. “So, the biggest key is having enough beds located, and choosing which ones to fish at the right time.”
Considerations range from which beds are most obvious, hence having been cast to by other anglers a thousand times, as well as weather, realizing that Friday’s forecasted rain will make sight fishing a lot tougher – so you’d better have a few ‘easy ones’ in your back pocket to target that day.
“Sight fishing is like a game of checkers. Every move you make better be the right one if you expect to win,” concludes Arey.
Johnson Takes Early Lead During Cold B.A.S.S. Nation Regional At Milford Lake
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Caldemeyer weighs-in on Fork’s “SmashFest” potential
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Terms like ‘SmashFest’ and “Big Bass Beatdown” are being used to describe the potential of this week’s Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork.
Drastic changes in Friday’s weather will certainly have a lot to say about the eventual accuracy of those exciting descriptors, but highly respected guide James Caldemeyer says a huge number of bass currently swimming shallow offer the potential for a very memorable week on the legendary Texas reservoir, where water temps should range from 65 to 70 the next few days.
“What makes this week special is there’s never been an Elite Series or Toyota Texas Bass Classic this early in the year,” reflects Caldemeyer. “All those great past events have always been in May, June, and most recently early November, but never right in the heart of the spawning season when such a huge percentage of the bass population is in less than 6-feet of water.”
While folks in places like Pennsylvania and Michigan awoke to a rare April snow on Wednesday, sunrise temps for the final day of practice on Fork were strangely cold too, hovering near 39-degrees before eventually reaching 60 this afternoon.
But even as the major cold front blew-in Tuesday, Caldemeyer proved Fork is still primed for a great week by catching the 7-pounder he’s holding in the photo as winds gusted to 30 mph and whitecaps covered his home waters. That green beast ate a big glide bait, however he expects everything from wacky-rigged Senkos to squarebill crankbaits to get plenty of use the next four days.
“There is no doubt that bed fishing will play a major role this week, but I truly don’t think a guy will be able to bed fish four straight days to win, especially if it’s storming and raining on Friday,” he predicts.
“That’s what makes this tournament exciting in my opinion. It’s not solely a bed fishing tournament, or purely a post-spawn event for offshore experts like it was in past events here. It could be anybody’s ballgame doing a variety of shallow water things this week,” concludes Caldemeyer who has boated more than 100 bass over 10-pounds the last 17 years on Fork.
Austin Set to Host Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour – Berkley Stage Two at Lake Travis Presented by Mercury
Second Event of Season to Showcase 80 Bass Pro Tour Anglers Competing on Lake Travis Over Six Days for a Purse of More than $805,000, Fans Encouraged to Attend for First Time Since March 2020
AUSTIN, Texas (April 21, 2021) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, is set to visit Austin next week, April 30-May 5, for the second regular-season tournament of the 2021 Bass Pro Tour season – the Berkley Stage Two at Lake Travis Presented by Mercury. The six-day event, hosted by the Austin Sports Commission , will feature 80 of the best professional anglers in the world – including superstars like Kevin VanDam, Ott DeFoe, Jordan Lee and Jacob Wheeler – competing for a top payout of $100,000 and valuable points in hopes of qualifying for REDCREST 2022, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
As part of the event, fans will also be treated to the Hill Country Hangout at Bass Pro Shops in Round Rock, Texas, on Friday from 4 to 7 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free event includes the opportunity to interact with Bass Pro Tour anglers, enjoy activities and special fan-only giveaways provided by MLF sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities in fishing seminars. All activities are free and open to the public. For more information on the Hill Country Hangout hosted by Bass Pro Shops, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour and the 80 top anglers in the world to Austin,” said Drew Hays, Director of the Austin Sports Commission. “This event will showcase Austin and Lake Travis as a world class destination for sports and outdoor activities and certainly signals the return of major events to our city.”
For the first time since March of 2020, fans are encouraged to attend all of the happenings surrounding the event. Anglers will take off from the Mansfield Dam Park, located at 4370 Mansfield Dam Park Road in Austin, at 6:30 a.m. CT each morning. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the park, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Fans are also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The tournament will be fished using MLF’s catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which the anglers try to catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament is being filmed for broadcast later this year on the Discovery Channel. The total purse up for grabs at the Berkley Stage Two at Lake Travis Presented by Mercury is more than $805,000.
Although Lake Travis has played host to MLF BIG5 (previously FLW) tournaments over the years, 2021 will mark the first time that the MLF Bass Pro Tour has visited the central Texas reservoir. One angler that has had success there in the past and is excited to get back is pro Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, who finished runner-up on Lake Travis when the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit (previously FLW Tour) visited in 2017.
“I’ve only been to Lake Travis twice, and both times were in February, so I expect the fishing to be a little different this time around,” said Thrift, who has career earnings of more than $3.1 million. “I’d imagine that the fish have got to be postspawn by this point, so that’s how I’m going to approach this tournament. It’s a fun fishery, and I’m excited to return and try to get some redemption.”
Thrift said that with water levels down, he is expecting the water clarity to be clear.
“Travis tends to generally be clearer than a lot of lakes we visit, and the water is down 25 to 30 feet since I was last there. They haven’t had not a lot of rain, lately, so I’d imagine we’re going to see a lot of clear-water tactics,” Thrift said. “We’re going to see a lot of finesse fishing, and lots of topwater baits.
“The whole deal with Lake Travis is that it’s got a lot of fish in it, but it’s hard to catch multiple big fish,” Thrift continued. “It has a ton of fish under 2 pounds, and some fish that are 5 (pounds) or more. The key will be figuring out what those bigger than average fish are doing and putting yourself into the best situation to catch the 2+ pounders. I hope it’s a strong topwater bite.”
The Berkley Stage Two at Lake Travis Presented by Mercury will feature anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.
The four pros from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit that will join the Bass Pro Tour to compete at the Berkley Stage Two at Lake Travis Presented by Mercury are Jim Neece Jr., Dicky Newberry, Bill McDonald and Miles Burghoff. Those anglers qualified via their finishes in the first Pro Circuit event of the year – the 13 Fishing Stop 1 at Lake Okeechobee.
The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Lake Travis on Friday and Sunday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Saturday and Monday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed and the remaining 38 anglers compete to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the Bass Pro Tour Berkley Stage Two at Lake Travis Presented by Mercury will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 11 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
MLF Announces Return of the Wiley X High School Fishing Camp Presented by Tackle Warehouse, MLF Foundation Benefit Tournament
TULSA, Okla. (April. 21, 2021) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament organization, announced today the return of the Wiley X High School Fishing Camp Presented by Tackle Warehouse, June 9-11, in Murray, Kentucky. Held on the beautiful Murray State University campus with daily activities on the shores of Kentucky Lake, the Wiley X High School Fishing Camp is the ultimate summer camp for serious high school anglers, boat captains, coaches and parents who are interested in pursuing their students’ next steps in tournament fishing and aim to push their skills to a higher level.
Over the three-day event – hosted by Murray State University – student anglers from across the nation will receive instruction from top MLF professionals and industry executives poised to help students continue to develop their fishing expertise and enhance fishing-career readiness.
Although most activities will take place outside, all camp activities will follow COVID-19 guidelines at the time of camp, including wearing a mask and social distancing.
Adults will have the option to drop off their students or stay throughout the camp to participate in special panel discussions aimed to identify best practices that give high school anglers and fishing teams the edge they need to thrive in the industry. The camp fee is $300 per student/adult.
The Wiley X High School Fishing Camp begins Wednesday, June 9, and concludes Friday, June 11, followed by an MLF Foundation benefit tournament on Saturday, June 12 at Kentucky Lake. Tournament participants will have the opportunity to win thousands of dollars in cash prizes, with the winner taking home the MLF High School Fishing Cup, $1,000 and a new Jackson Kayak. One lucky participant will also be selected to fish with a Bass Pro Tour or Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit angler.
The benefit tournament, which raises funds for youth fishing programs and High School Fishing grants benefiting students nationwide, will launch out of Moors Resort and Marina, located at 570 Moors Road in Gilbertsville, Kentucky and weigh-in before the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament at the same location. The tournament is open to all student anglers, including middle school and elementary school students accompanied by an adult. Participation in the Wiley X High School Fishing Camp is not required; however, participants must supply their own boat to compete in the tournament.
Onsite registration and a pretournament meeting will take place June 11 at Murray State University, located at 102 Curris Center in Murray, Ky. The tournament entry fee is $100 per boat, plus an additional $50 per boat for bonus categories with the opportunity to win an extra $500. Each boat may have up to three participants assigned.
MLF Foundation Benefit Tournament Payout:
- Winner = $1,000 + Jackson Kayak
- 2nd Place = $500
- 3rd Place = $250
- Family (at least two anglers related) = $500
- Men’s (all male team) = $500
- Women’s (all female team) $500
- High School (at least one angler in 9th, 10th 11, or 12th grade) = $500
- Big Fish (any species, artificial lures only) = $500
- Registration – April 21 - June 2
- Camp – June 9-11 (Wednesday, Thursday & Friday)
- MLF Foundation Tournament – June 12 (Saturday)
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more on MLF High School Fishing, follow the U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing on the MLF BIG5 social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter , Instagram and YouTube.
Lake Hartwell Hosts B.A.S.S. Nation Southeast Regional
South Carolina's Lake Hartwell will host the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Southeast Regional April 28-30, 2021.
Photo by Shane Durrance/B.A.S.S.
April 21, 2021
ANDERSON, S.C. — When the B.A.S.S. Nation state team qualifiers arrive for the 2021 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Southeast Regional at Lake Hartwell April 28-30, they can expect a lake that will provide several different ways to catch fish, according to Bassmaster Elite Series pro and South Carolina native Jason Williamson.
“Everybody will catch fish,” he said. “It’s a great lake. The potential is there for a 20-pound bag, but it’s really hard to duplicate. You’ll see a pretty big bag or two weighed in and see some consistency around the 12-pound mark. Someone who can stay consistently around a 15- to 16-pound average will have a great shot to win the event.”
Located on the border of Georgia and South Carolina, Lake Hartwell has been the site of many historic Bassmaster events, including three Bassmaster Classics, and was recently named the host fishery for the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk. Most recently, in March 2021, Carson-Newman University anglers Ben Cully and Hayden Gaddis won the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at Lake Hartwell presented by Bass Pro Shops with a two-day total of 35 pounds, 10 ounces. In two days, a giant field of 261 teams caught just over 4,536 pounds of bass.
Lake Hartwell is made up of two rivers, the Seneca and the Tugaloo, which meet 7 miles above the Hartwell dam. The lake offers both quality largemouth and spotted bass fishing, and for most of the year, the bass chase blueback herring.
But in April, Williamson said you can expect fish in a couple of different places on Lake Hartwell.
“Normally towards the end of April, you’ll have a few spawners that get around the bank,” he said. “You’ll have some postspawners that are going to sit under docks. You’ll also have some fish that are going to start chasing blueback herring on hard-bottom points. There will be three things going on there.”
Wacky rigs will be a key to catching spawning fish and postspawn fish around the numerous docks on Lake Hartwell, as well as a shaky head and a jig. While they are up around the docks, the bass will feed on bluegill.
For the blueback herring eaters, walking topwater baits and flukes have historically been productive lures, as well as a Carolina rig and a drop shot.
“In April, your flatter points that are in pockets and creeks will start to see some blueback spawning activity and schooling activity,” Williamson said. “Those will be the red-clay points and hard-bottom points.”
The tournament is one of five regional championship events the B.A.S.S. Nation has scheduled around the country this year. Anglers will be competing for cash prizes and a spot in the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.
The event is being hosted by Visit Anderson.
“We are very excited for the opportunity to host the B.A.S.S. Nation Southeast Regional Championship at Lake Hartwell, Green Pond Landing and Anderson County,” said Neil Paul, Executive Director of Visit Anderson. “Our local leadership has invested significantly in our lake and facilities and our community has seen, firsthand, the significant economic impact that comes with hosting B.A.S.S. events of all levels in Anderson County. We look forward to hosting the anglers, families and spectators in our community as well as the staff from B.A.S.S. for what will be another first-class event. ”
Daily takeoffs for the 2021 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Southeast Regional Championship will be at 6:30 a.m. ET from Green Pond Landing & Event Center and weigh-ins each day at the same facility at 2:30 p.m. Coverage of the event will be available at Bassmaster.com.
Costa Announces Bass Fishing Contingency Program Costa Compete + Conserve
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Costa Sunglasses is excited to announce Costa Compete + Conserve, a new contingency program for bass anglers who wear Costa sunglasses and compete in select tournament trails. Anglers who compete in a sanctioned tournament and post the highest-place finish will be eligible to receive a cash payout. In addition, Costa will make a corresponding cash donation to one of five program conservation partners on behalf of the angler.
Anglers and Conservation will both benefit from this tournament bonus program.
Registration for the program is FREE. All you have to do is own a pair of Costa Sunglasses to qualify. Upon registration anglers just need to compete in a sanctioned fishing tournament, wear their Costa Sunglasses during competition, and have them visible on the weigh-in stage to be eligible for payouts.
The highest placing registered participant in a Costa Compete + Conserve supported tournament will be awarded a cash bonus, and will choose a pre-approved conservation organization to receive the Costa donation upon verification of eligibility requirements.
“Costas are the best sunglasses in the world and now anglers are going to get paid to fish in them. The payouts are incredible, you don’t have to win to get paid, and on top of all that, this program gives money to organizations that conserve our waterways. It’s a win-win for the whole fishing community,” said longtime Costa titled pro Casey Ashley.
Tournament trails eligible for Compete + Conserve include the Bassmaster Elite Series, Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour, MLF Big5 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, MLF Big5 Toyota Series, Bassmaster Opens, Bassmaster College Series, MLF Big5 College Series, and the Bass Pro Shops U.S. Open National Bass Fishing Amateur Team Championships.
Conservation Partners for this environmentally friendly contingency program include Friends of Reservoirs, The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, American Rivers, the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, and the Johnny Morris Foundation.
“Costa has a longstanding history in the bass fishing community and we wanted to go even further to solidify that commitment to our tournament Bass Anglers. Coupled with the opportunity to give back to numerous conservation efforts, something that is part of our brand DNA, we jumped at the chance to create this program. To be able to support a crowd that has supported us over the years and to make a difference while doing it, creating the Costa Compete + Conserve Contingency program was a no-brainer for us.” said Evan Russell, Costa Pro & Ambassador Manager.
For more information on the official program rules, eligible tournament trails, Conservation Partners, or to get registered with your Costa sunglasses please visit www.costacompeteandconserve.com.
For more information about Costa Sunglasses and its collection of award-winning sunglasses, visit http://www.costadelmar.com.
About Costa Del Mar
As the first manufacturer of color-enhancing all-polarized sunglass lenses, Costa combines superior lens technology with unparalleled fit and durability. Costa has made the highest quality, best performing sunglasses and prescription sunglasses (Rx) for outdoor enthusiasts since 1983, and now its product portfolio includes optical frames. Costa’s growing cult-brand status ties directly to its mission to provide high-quality products with a focus on sustainability and conservation as the company works hard to protect the waters it calls home. From the use of sustainable materials to its Kick Plastic initiative, IndiFly Foundation, and strong partnership with shark research organization OCEARCH, Costa encourages people to help protect the Earth’s natural resources in any way they can. Find out more on Costa’s website and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter at @CostaSunglasses.
New Baits, Partner Announcement, Hall of Fame & more!!!
This week Chris, Kenneth and David take a few minutes to talk about a few things happening in the Tournament Bass Fishing World and give their thoughts and opinions on tackle shortages. Check it out!
Youth Fishing League Wins U.S. Army High School Fishing at Lake Somerville
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | SCHOOL/CLUB NAME/CITY | ANGLER NAME | BASS | WEIGHT |
| 1st | Youth Fishing League* | Zane Parker Garrett Wilson |
5 | 24-13 |
| 2nd | All Around Anglers | Colton Hill Dylan Kallus |
2 | 15-4 |
| 3rd | CS Anglers | Colby Ash Aiden Service |
1 | 5-14 |
| 4th | Central High School | Jacob Childress Justin Nash |
1 | 4-1 |
| 5th | A&M Cons | Luke Bennett Chase Sodolak |
1 | 2-12 |
2021 UPCOMING QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| U.S. Army High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Lake Guntersville Open Presented by Googan Baits | April 24 | Lake Guntersville, Guntersville, Ala. | Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau |
| 2021 U.S. Army High School Fishing National Championship & World Finals | Jun. 30 – Jul. 3 | Lake Hartwell, Anderson, S.C. | Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau |
U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships will advance to the 2021 U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing National Championship. The U.S. Army High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the U.S. Army High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2021 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. More than $2.8 million in scholarships and prizes were offered at the 2020 World Finals.
Full schedules and the latest announcements, photos and articles are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Gould Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Clarks Hill Lake
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Christopher Gould of Grovetown, Ga. | 5 | 19-6 | $6,000 |
| 2nd | Jason Burroughs of Hodges, S.C. | 5 | 19-3 | $3,500 |
| 3rd | Jayme Rampey of Liberty, S.C. | 5 | 18-10 | $2,000 |
| 4th | Jeremy Strong of Elberton, Ga. | 5 | 18-0 | $1,400 |
| 5th | Stephen A. Gravely of Greenville, S.C. | 5 | 16-10 | $1,900 |
| 6th | Cain Waller of Hartwell, Ga. | 5 | 16-3 | $1,100 |
| 7th | Joe Eubanks of Marietta, Ga. | 5 | 16-1 | $900 |
| 7th | Dearal Rodgers of Camden, S.C. | 5 | 16-1 | $900 |
| 7th | Wesley Sandifer of Chapin, S.C. | 5 | 16-1 | $900 |
| 10th | Bo Price of Seneca, S.C. | 5 | 15-15 | $636 |
| 10th | Brian Tidwell of Seneca, S.C. | 5 | 15-15 | $636 |
| 10th | Derek Schlotterback of Simpsonville, S.C. | 5 | 15-15 | $636 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Corey Yaden of Grovetown, Ga. | 5 | 14-4 | $3,000 |
| 2nd | David Few of Lake Wylie, S.C. | 5 | 13-14 | $1,500 |
| 3rd | John Hagins of Roswell, Ga. | 5 | 13-7 | $1,000 |
| 4th | Paul Casey of Evans, Ga. | 5 | 12-14 | $700 |
| 5th | Colby Martin of Edgefield, S.C. | 5 | 11-15 | $600 |
| 6th | Jacob Turner of Donalds, S.C. | 5 | 11-12 | $550 |
| 7th | Chuck Bond of Laurens, S.C. | 5 | 11-6 | $475 |
| 7th | Jordan Cobb of Townville, S.C. | 5 | 11-6 | $475 |
| 9th | Cory Guinn of Mountain Rest, S.C. | 5 | 11-0 | $400 |
| 10th | Damion Northern of Grovetown, Ga. | 5 | 10-13 | $350 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Justin Hadden of Leesville, S.C. | 7-pound, 2-ounce bass | $1,000 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Brandon Hendrix of Anderson, S.C. | 5-pound, 8-ounce bass | $500 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Jason Burroughs of Hodges, S.C. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Did Not Divulge | N/A |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Did Not Divulge | N/A |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Savannah River Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 14-16 | Lake Murray, Columbia, S.C. | Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Watson Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Table Rock Lake
Treiber Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | James Watson of Lampe, Mo. | 5 | 20-3 | $7,000 |
| 2nd | Wesley Rogers of Thayer, Mo. | 5 | 19-0 | $3,000 |
| 3rd | Cody Ellison of Fordland, Mo. | 5 | 18-2 | $2,000 |
| 4th | Casey Martin of Brownsboro, Ala. | 5 | 16-7 | $1,400 |
| 5th | Aaron Martin of Wildwood, Mo. | 5 | 15-14 | $1,150 |
| 5th | Connor Cunningham of Springfield, Mo. | 5 | 15-14 | $1,650 |
| 7th | Josh Busby of Rogersville, Mo. | 5 | 15-1 | $1,000 |
| 8th | Christopher Smith of North Branch, Minn. | 5 | 15-0 | $1,100 |
| 9th | Clint Williams of Fayetteville, Ark. | 5 | 14-14 | $800 |
| 10th | Chris Macy of Diamond, Mo. | 5 | 14-13 | $1,700 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Steve Treiber of Eureka, Mo. | 5 | 14-14 | $3,000 |
| 2nd | Zach Ritter of Holts Summit, Mo. | 5 | 14-1 | $1,500 |
| 3rd | BJ Davis of Mountain Home, Ark. | 5 | 13-12 | $1,000 |
| 4th | Kelby Humble of Marshfield, Mo. | 5 | 12-10 | $700 |
| 5th | Dennis Spell of Bonne Terre, Mo. | 5 | 12-1 | $600 |
| 6th | Sam Cox of Imperial, Mo. | 5 | 11-11 | $550 |
| 7th | Brock Krohne of Belton, Mo. | 5 | 11-8 | $500 |
| 8th | Kevin Dickey of Harrison, Ark. | 4 | 11-5 | $450 |
| 9th | Joe Dietz of O’Fallon, Mo. | 4 | 11-1 | $375 |
| 9th | Rick McGuire of Monroe City, Mo. | 5 | 11-1 | $375 |
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Chris Macy of Diamond, Mo. | 6-pound, 4-ounce bass | $1,000 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Izac Sumpter of Cuba, Mo. | 5-pound, 4-ounce bass | $500 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Connor Cunningham of Springfield, Mo. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
WINNING BAITS
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater |
|
Did Not Disclose |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Shaky Head | Green Pumpkin |
2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Ozark Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 7-9 | Lake Norfork, Mountain Home, Ark. | Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
B.A.S.S. Nation Championship Returns To Louisiana’s Ouachita River
Louisiana's Ouachita River will host the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship Nov. 3-5, 2021.
Photo by B.A.S.S.
April 20, 2021
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Grass-roots anglers from around the country will take to the waters of the Ouachita River in Monroe, La., to compete for one of three berths into the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk during the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship Nov. 3-5, 2021.
“B.A.S.S. has had such great experiences in Monroe that we’re extremely excited to return,” said Jon Stewart, B.A.S.S. Nation director. “This will be our fourth championship on the river, and the competition, as in years past, should be incredible.”
The 605-mile Ouachita River last hosted the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship in 2015, when Texas angler Albert Collins claimed the coveted Bryan V. Kerchal Memorial Trophy. In 2014, just months after weighing the heaviest bag in Bassmaster Classic history, Paul Mueller reeled in the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship and earned an Elite Series berth on Ouachita. Mueller has earned two Elite Series victories.
Anglers from across the country qualify via regional championship tournaments held on Lake Havasu, Ariz., Milford Lake, Kan., Lake Hartwell, S.C., — site of the 2022 Bassmaster Classic — Lake Erie/Presque Isle Bay, Pa., and the Upper Mississippi River, Wis. The Paralyzed Veterans of American Tour will also send its Angler of the Year winner to compete.
“Discover Monroe-West Monroe looks forward to welcoming all the B.A.S.S. Nation anglers to Louisiana and letting them see our Southern hospitality firsthand,” said Scott Bruscato, Senior Vice President of Sales for the Monroe-West Monroe Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It is our privilege and honor to host this great event on the Ouachita River, and we look to providing a terrific atmosphere at the tournament site.”
The Top 3 anglers from the overall championship standings will not only earn a berth to the 2022 Bassmaster Classic, the B.A.S.S. Nation champion will earn the title of “Nation’s Best,” which includes an Elite Series berth and the use of a fully-rigged Nation’s Best tournament boat for a year. The second- and third-place finishers and nonboater champion will each earn paid Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens entry fees for all divisions.
Texas A&M Wins Abu Garcia College Fishing Tournament on Lake Somerville
| RANK | COLLEGE NAME | ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Texas A&M | Garret Bean of College Station, Texas Aaron Hawkins of Cypress, Texas |
5 | 28-0 | $2,000 |
| 2nd | East Texas Baptist University | Cody Ross of Livingston, Texas Ethan Thurston of Kaufman, Texas |
5 | 25-2 | $1,000 |
| 3rd | Texas Tech University | Brooks Lundgren of Midland, Texas Ryan Stimmel of Seminole, Texas |
5 | 19-14 | $500 |
| 4th | Stephen F. Austin | River Lee of Nacogdoches, Texas Hunter Muncrief of Pineland, Texas |
3 | 17-0 | $500 |
| 5th | Baylor University | Jude Bugenhagen of The Woodlands, Texas Parker Greer of Waco, Texas |
4 | 16-15 | $500 |
| 6th | Texas A&M – Galveston | Trey Dawson of Montgomery, Texas Derek Pietsch of Montgomery, Texas |
5 | 16-10 | |
| 7th | East Texas Baptist University | Cannon Bird of Marshall, Texas Jacob Keith of Jefferson, Texas |
5 | 16-8 | |
| 8th | Texas A&M – Commerce | Dawson Cassidy of Gainesville, Texas Augustus McLarry of Quinlan, Texas |
5 | 16-4 | |
| 9th | Schreiner University | Colby Calongne of Cypress, Texas Taylor Strange of Whitehouse, Texas |
5 | 15-1 | |
| 10th | Texas A&M | Broxson Daigle of Katy, Texas Gabe Talley of Conroe, Texas |
4 | 13-11 |
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
2021/2022 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI | April 23 | Lake Guntersville, Guntersville, Ala. | Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau |
| Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship presented by Lowrance | TBA - 2022 | TBA | TBA |
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.
Rogers Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Table Rock Lake
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Wesley Rogers of Thayer, Mo. | 5 | 19-12 | $7,000 |
| 2nd | Aaron Stanphill of Bella Vista, Ark. | 5 | 18-8 | $3,500 |
| 3rd | James Watson of Lampe, Mo. | 5 | 18-7 | $2,000 |
| 4th | Cole Findley of Forsythe, Mo. | 5 | 18-2 | $1,400 |
| 5th | Marcus Sykora of Osage Beach, Mo. | 5 | 17-6 | $1,150 |
| 5th | Drew Tabor of Harrison, Ark. | 5 | 17-6 | $1,150 |
| 7th | Clint Williams of Fayetteville, Ark. | 5 | 17-4 | $2,000 |
| 8th | Dakota Millican of Highlandville, Mo. | 5 | 17-3 | $900 |
| 9th | Dustin Lippe of Lampe, Mo. | 5 | 17-2 | $800 |
| 10th | Shawn Kowal of Linn Creek, Mo. | 5 | 17-0 | $700 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Caleb Arterberry of Republic, Mo. | 5 | 16-5 | $3,000 |
| 2nd | Clay Henderson of Purdy, Mo. | 5 | 15-1 | $1,500 |
| 3rd | Jon Cordray of House Springs, Mo. | 5 | 14-1 | $1,000 |
| 4th | Scott Suver of South Greenfield, Mo. | 5 | 13-15 | $825 |
| 5th | Ronin Picker of Moscow Mills, Mo. | 5 | 13-11 | $600 |
| 6th | Russell Taylor of Springdale, Ark. | 5 | 13-2 | $550 |
| 7th | BJ Davis of Mountain Home, Ark. | 5 | 12-15 | $475 |
| 7th | Kory Ries of Union, Mo. | 4 | 12-15 | $475 |
| 9th | James Waggoner of Richmond, Mo. | 5 | 12-14 | $375 |
| 9th | Mark Shields of Springfield, Mo. | 5 | 12-14 | $375 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Clint Williams of Fayetteville, Ark. | 5-pound, 14-ounce bass | $1,000 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Joseph Lurkins of Jefferson City, Mo. | 5-pound, 5-ounce bass | $500 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Aaron Stanphill of Bella Vista, Ark. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Did Not Divulge | N/A |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Did Not Divulge | N/A |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Ozark Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 7-9 | Lake Norfork, Mountain Home, Ark. | Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Brown Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Mississippi River in LaCrosse
Pierschalla Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Aidan Brown of Onalaska, Wisc. | 5 | 18-1 | $4,915 |
| 2nd | Mike Brueggen of La Crosse, Wisc. | 5 | 17-6 | $2,049 |
| 2nd | Devin Teigen of Nelson, Wisc. | 5 | 17-6 | $2,549 |
| 4th | Nick Trim of Galesville, Wisc. | 5 | 17-0 | $1,147 |
| 5th | Ben Potaracke of La Crosse, Wisc. | 5 | 16-3 | $983 |
| 6th | Cade Laufenberg of La Crosse, Wisc. | 5 | 16-2 | $901 |
| 7th | Chia Vang of Holmen, Wisc. | 5 | 15-15 | $819 |
| 8th | Dustin Bliss of Brooklyn Park, Minn. | 5 | 15-13 | $737 |
| 9th | Brandon Gann of Sparta, Wisc. | 5 | 15-6 | $655 |
| 10th | Joe Pollak of Lake Geneva, Wisc. | 5 | 14-14 | $544 |
| 10th | Kory Krienke of Annandale, Minn. | 5 | 14-14 | $544 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Alan Pierschalla of Slinger, Wisc. | 5 | 15-3 | $2,458 |
| 2nd | Thomas Clearman of De Soto, Wisc. | 5 | 14-3 | $1,229 |
| 3rd | Ron Mairet of Columbus Junction, Iowa | 5 | 12-12 | $817 |
| 4th | Ryan Coon of LeClaire, Iowa | 5 | 11-5 | $532 |
| 4th | Nicole Jacobs Stelmach of Saint Paul, Minn. | 4 | 11-5 | $532 |
| 6th | Alan Bernicky of Joliet, Ill. | 4 | 10-7 | $901 |
| 7th | Mike Marr of Oxford, Wisc. | 4 | 9-5 | $410 |
| 8th | Thad Vettrus of Chippewa Falls, Wisc. | 3 | 9-4 | $369 |
| 9th | Cody Rothstein of Rogers, Minn. | 4 | 9-1 | $328 |
| 10th | Kalvin Korotka of Manawa, Wisc. | 4 | 8-14 | $287 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Troy Anderson of Galesville, Wisc. | 5-pound, 2-ounce bass | $750 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Eric Breitkreutz of Sheboygan, Wisc. | 5-pound, 6-ounce bass | $375 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Devin Teigen of Nelson, Wisc. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Unspecified Ned Rig | Black/Blue |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Berkley Powerbait Maxscent The General Worm | Green Pumpkin |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Great Lakes Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 21-23 | Lake Ouachita, Mt. Ida, Ark. | Visit Hot Springs |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Ison Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Rough River Lake
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Richard Ison of New Washington, Ind. | 5 | 13-4 | $7,330 |
| 2nd | Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio | 5 | 12-5 | $2,615 |
| 3rd | Bryan Jenkins of Indianapolis, Ind. | 5 | 12-1 | $1,609 |
| 4th | Eric Hardesty of Nineveh, Ind. | 5 | 11-4 | $1,127 |
| 5th | Terry McWilliams of Greenfield, Ind. | 5 | 11-3 | $966 |
| 6th | Charlie Land of Coatesville, Ind. | 5 | 11-1 | $885 |
| 7th | Clint Bissonett of Beaver Creek, Ohio | 5 | 10-12 | $805 |
| 8th | Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio | 5 | 10-8 | $724 |
| 9th | Nathan Harrison of Reynolds Station, Ky. | 5 | 10-5 | $644 |
| 10th | Caleb Carnes of Harned, Ky. | 5 | 10-3 | $563 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Jeffery Johnson of Austin, Ind. | 5 | 10-5 | $2,560 |
| 2nd | Hunter Bowden of Terre Haute, Ind. | 3 | 8-6 | $1,652 |
| 3rd | Tom Harber of Kokomo, Ind. | 4 | 8-2 | $787 |
| 4th | John Albertson of Bloomington, Ind. | 5 | 7-7 | $551 |
| 5th | David Rector of Brazil, Ind. | 5 | 7-3 | $472 |
| 6th | Devon Welter of Connersville, Ind. | 4 | 6-11 | $433 |
| 7th | Josh Ford of Camden, Ohio | 4 | 6-2 | $373 |
| 7th | Luke Robinson of Hardinsburg, Ky. | 5 | 6-2 | $373 |
| 9th | Brian Liming of Dillsboro, Ind. | 5 | 6-1 | $315 |
| 10th | Steven Sanders of Orleans, Ind. | 3 | 6-0 | $275 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Justin Henderson of Bargersville, Ind. | 4-pound, 15-ounce bass | $720 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Hunter Bowden of Terra Haute, Ind. | 4-pound, 4-ounce bass | $347 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Richard Ison of New Washington, Ind. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $2,500 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Berkley PowerBait | Did Not Divulge |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Secret Lures Stupid Tube | Did Not Divulge |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Hoosier Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 7-9 | Wheeler Lake, Decatur, Ala. | Decatur Morgan County Tourism |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Galloway Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Grenada Lake
Tisdale Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Grant Galloway of Houlka, Miss. | 5 | 15-15 | $4,426 |
| 2nd | Billy Doyle of Somerville, Tenn. | 5 | 14-14 | $1,713 |
| 3rd | Justin McKee of Pheba, Miss. | 5 | 13-3 | $1,141 |
| 4th | Connor Martin of Oakland, Tenn. | 5 | 13-1 | $799 |
| 5th | Andy Graves of Clarksdale, Miss. | 5 | 12-7 | $685 |
| 6th | Mark Clark of Crawford, Miss. | 5 | 12-5 | $628 |
| 7th | Jim Phillips of Greenwood, Miss. | 5 | 12-1 | $571 |
| 8th | Steve Ruth of Columbus, Miss. | 4 | 10-1 | $514 |
| 9th | Kirk Tisdale of Ellisville, Miss. | 5 | 9-1 | $457 |
| 10th | Clint Pegg of Caledonia, Miss. | 5 | 8-14 | $380 |
| 10th | Logan Main of Lumberton, Miss. | 5 | 8-14 | $380 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Jimmy Tisdale of Ellisville, Miss. | 5 | 13-12 | $1,713 |
| 2nd | Chaz Douglas of Wesson, Miss. | 3 | 12-14 | $1,071 |
| 3rd | Jason Mitchell of Hamilton, Miss. | 5 | 8-13 | $571 |
| 4th | Mitchell Bond of Collins, Miss. | 4 | 8-9 | $400 |
| 5th | Blake Jeffreys of Booneville, Miss. | 4 | 8-8 | $343 |
| 6th | Billy Carpenter of Mason, Tenn. | 5 | 7-10 | $314 |
| 7th | Chris Mitchell of Millport, Ala. | 2 | 6-10 | $285 |
| 8th | Colin Fogerty of Memphis, Tenn. | 3 | 6-6 | $257 |
| 9th | Eric Melton of Flowood, Miss. | 2 | 5-15 | $202 |
| 9th | Ryan LeCompte of Picayune, Miss. | 3 | 5-15 | $202 |
| 9th | Matthew Cooper of Brooksville, Miss. | 2 | 5-15 | $202 |
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Dathan Lambeth of Hamilton, Miss. | 5-pound, 1-ounce bass | $430 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Chaz Douglas of Wesson, Miss. | 5-pound, 15-ounce bass | $215 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | George Christian of Indianola, Miss. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
WINNING BAITS
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater |
|
Did Not Divulge |
| Strike King Co-Angler |
|
Chartreuse/White |
2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Mississippi Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 21-23 | Lake Ouachita, Mt. Ida, Ark. | Visit Hot Springs |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Mathias Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League at Chesapeake Bay
Mellott Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Jeremy Mathias of Monrovia, Md. | 5 | 20-3 | $4,938 |
| 2nd | Joe A. Zombek, II of Scranton, Pa. | 5 | 19-12 | $3,214 |
| 3rd | Trent Cole of Sewell, N.J. | 5 | 19-8 | $1,646 |
| 4th | Michael Duarte of Baltimore, Md. | 5 | 18-0 | $1,152 |
| 5th | Adam Janerella of Jersey Shore, Pa. | 5 | 17-13 | $1,488 |
| 6th | Joe Booker of Elkton, Md. | 5 | 17-5 | $905 |
| 7th | Ernie Freeman of Broad Run, Va. | 5 | 15-11 | $1,323 |
| 8th | Randy Caruso of Liberty, N.Y. | 5 | 15-8 | $741 |
| 9th | Joe Morgan of Newfield, N.J. | 5 | 14-11 | $617 |
| 9th | Teimuraz (Tom) Balachvili of Scarsdale, N.Y. | 5 | 14-11 | $617 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Jeff Mellott of Warfordsburg, Pa. | 5 | 17-5 | $2,469 |
| 2nd | Tom Rufenacht of Bel Air, Md. | 4 | 16-10 | $1,235 |
| 3rd | David Paszkiewicz of Kearny, N.J. | 5 | 16-4 | $823 |
| 4th | Roberto Laboy of Geigertown, Pa. | 5 | 15-11 | $576 |
| 5th | Tim Nichols of Pittsgrove, N.J. | 5 | 13-3 | $494 |
| 6th | Jacob Zimmerman of Warrenton, Va. | 4 | 12-3 | $453 |
| 7th | Brandon Humbertson of Walkersville, Md. | 4 | 11-13 | $412 |
| 8th | Chris Slater of Dorchester, Mass. | 3 | 11-9 | $370 |
| 9th | Ryan Fronina of Mohrsville, Pa. | 3 | 9-7 | $329 |
| 10th | Jerome Louie of Bear, Del. | 3 | 9-5 | $288 |
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Joe A. Zombek, II, Scranton, Pa. | 6-pound, 11-ounce bass | $745 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | John Redmond, North Potomac, Md. | 5-pound, 11-ounce bass | $372 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Ernie Freeman of Broad Run, Va. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
WINNING BAITS
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Strike King KVD 2.5 Hard Knock Squarebill Crankbait | Tennessee Shad |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Z-Man Evergreen Chatterbait Jack Hammer | Green Pumpkin |
2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Northeast Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 14-16 | Potomac River, Marbury, Md. | Charles County Board of Commissioners |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
5
15-8
$741
9th
Joe Morgan of Newfield, N.J.
5
14-11
$617
9th
Teimuraz (Tom) Balachvili of Scarsdale, N.Y.
5
14-11
$617
RANK
STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN
BASS
WEIGHT
AWARD
1st
Jeff Mellott of Warfordsburg, Pa.
5
17-5
$2,469
2nd
Tom Rufenacht of Bel Air, Md.
4
16-10
$1,235
3rd
David Paszkiewicz of Kearny, N.J.
5
16-4
$823
4th
Roberto Laboy of Geigertown, Pa.
5
15-11
$576
5th
Tim Nichols of Pittsgrove, N.J.
5
13-3
$494
6th
Jacob Zimmerman of Warrenton, Va.
4
12-3
$453
7th
Brandon Humbertson of Walkersville, Md.
4
11-13
$412
8th
Chris Slater of Dorchester, Mass.
3
11-9
$370
9th
Ryan Fronina of Mohrsville, Pa.
3
9-7
$329
10th
Jerome Louie of Bear, Del.
3
9-5
$288
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
AWARD
NAME
CONTINGENCY
PAYOUT
Boater Big Bass
Joe A. Zombek, II, Scranton, Pa.
6-pound, 11-ounce bass
$745
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass
John Redmond, North Potomac, Md.
5-pound, 11-ounce bass
$372
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus
Ernie Freeman of Broad Run, Va.
Eligible Phoenix Boat*
$500
* Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
WINNING BAITS
ANGLER
BAIT
COLOR
Boater
Strike King KVD 2.5 Hard Knock Squarebill Crankbait
Tennessee Shad
Strike King Co-Angler
Z-Man Evergreen Chatterbait Jack Hammer
Green Pumpkin
2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
EVENT
DATE
LOCATION
HOST
Northeast Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship
Oct. 14-16
Potomac River, Marbury, Md.
Charles County Board of Commissioners
Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American
June 3-5
Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn.
Jefferson County Department of Tourism
The 2021 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championships. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while Strike King co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Bass Champs - Double Header Weekend on Amistad Results, Tim Flowers & Brian Ankrum win South Region AOY
Logan & Jerry McDonald
| Place | Boat | Truck | Angler 1 | Angler 2 | Fish | Big Bass | Wt. | Prize Amt. | |
| 1 | LOGAN MCDONALD CARLSBAD , TX |
JERRY MCDONALD COLEMAN , TX |
5 | 8.03 | 18.48 |
|
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| 2 |  |
RANDALL EDWARDS MIDLAND , TX |
CORY WHISMAN MIDLAND , TX |
5 | 8.19 | 18.16 |
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| 3 | MIKE REID ANDREWS , TX |
MICHAEL REID ANDREWS , TX |
5 | 6.38 | 17.78 |
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| 4 |  |
MIKE PERKINS DALLAS , TX |
STAN GERZENYI DEL RIO , TX |
5 | 7.62 | 17.17 |
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| 5 | BILL GUZMAN AUSTIN , TX |
5 | 7.50 | 16.72 |
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| 6 | ERIC CAVANAGH DEL RIO , TX |
RIDGY GRAHAM DEL RIO , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.14 |
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| 7 |  |
JOHN CASPARIS DEL RIO , TX |
WELDON MCGUIRE ODESSA , TX |
5 | 7.75 | 15.85 |
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| 8 | |
CHAD BLACK CANYON LAKE , TX |
CHUCK BLACK LOGAN , NM |
5 | 0 | 15.59 |
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| 9 | JIMMY SHELTON GRANBURY , TX |
CHARLES WHITED SAN MARCOS , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.09 |
|
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| 10 | KYLE CAMPBELL MIDLAND , TX |
BEN DONAHUE HOBBS , NM |
5 | 6.99 | 14.93 |
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| 11 | STEVIE RAY RODRIGUEZ DEL RIO , TX |
RAY RODRIGUEZ DEL RIO , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.87 |
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| 12 | RICHARD DRAKE FAIR OAKS RANCH , TX |
CHRISTOPHER EYHORN SAN ANTONIO , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.82 |
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| 13 | CULLEN CARRUTH ANDREWS , TX |
CHISHOLM CARRUTH ODESSA , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.68 |
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| 14 | WILLIAM BLAINE SAN ANGELO , TX |
ROSS JEWELL SAN ANGELO , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.62 |
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| 15 | ZANE WASHBURN GATESVILLE , TX |
ERIC WASHBURN GATESVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.58 |
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| 16 | |
BJ CAROTHERS GATESVILLE , TX |
THOMAS WELLS JR TEMPLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.51 |
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| 17 | |
RYAN CRAWFORD GATESVILLE , TX |
TULLY WILLIAMS GATESVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.50 |
|
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| 18 | |
DEAN ALEXANDER CEDAR PARK , TX |
ADRIAN SANCHEZ GEORGETOWN , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.28 |
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| 19 | |
JAKE SALVAGNO BEEVILLE , TX |
RODNEY MARBACH SPRING BRANCH , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.19 |
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Charlie Forster & Mike Bingham
| Place | Boat | Truck | Angler 1 | Angler 2 | Fish | Big Bass | Wt. | Prize Amt. | |
| 1 | |
CHARLIE FORSTER CENTER POINT , TX |
MIKE BINGHAM KERRVILLE , TX |
5 | 7.79 | 21.12 |
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| 2 | |
WAYNE JACKSON RIO FRIO , TX |
JASON SCHNEEMANN D'HANIS , TX |
5 | 8.98 | 20.12 |
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| 3 | |
FORREST WILSON SPRING BRANCH , TX |
DERICK KUYRKENDALL BERGHEIM , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.64 |
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| 4 | |
RYAN CRAWFORD GATESVILLE , TX |
TULLY WILLIAMS GATESVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.34 |
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| 5 | BRITTEN GAMBREL DEL RIO , TX |
RUSSEL GAMBREL DEL RIO , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.25 |
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| 6 | |
TIM FLOWERS MIDLAND , TX |
BRIAN ANKRUM HONDO , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.03 |
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| 7 | |
BJ CAROTHERS GATESVILLE , TX |
THOMAS WELLS JR TEMPLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.78 |
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| 8 | BOBBY BURKEEN CARLSBAD , NM |
BRANDON BURKEEN CARLSBAD , NM |
5 | 8.37 | 16.65 |
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| 9 | RICHARD DRAKE FAIR OAKS RANCH , TX |
CHRISTOPHER EYHORN SAN ANTONIO , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.35 |
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| 10 | LOGAN MCDONALD CARLSBAD , TX |
JERRY MCDONALD COLEMAN , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.97 |
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| 11 | |
TIM BLANCHETTE BLESSING , TX |
TOMMIE COLLIER VICTORIA , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.91 |
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| 12 | |
KENNETH FAIRLY LOCKHART , TX |
RUSTY REEDY SPRING BRANCH , TX |
5 | 7.33 | 15.87 |
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| 13 | |
JAKE SALVAGNO BEEVILLE , TX |
RODNEY MARBACH SPRING BRANCH , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.30 |
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| 14 | |
CRAIG CRIM VICTORIA , TX |
DANIEL RODRIGUEZ NEW BRAUNFELS , TX |
5 | 8.06 | 15.11 |
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| 15 | MIKE REID ANDREWS , TX |
MICHAEL REID ANDREWS , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.01 |
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| 16 | |
THOMAS DAVILA MIDLAND , TX |
ROGER MONTEJANO DEL RIO , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.83 |
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| 17 | RYAN WATKINS ROCKPORT , TX |
BRENDON KENNELL BOERNE , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.64 |
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| 17 | ROLAND HERNANDEZ DEL RIO , TX |
HECTOR RUBIO DEL RIO , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.64 |
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| 19 | ZANE WASHBURN GATESVILLE , TX |
ERIC WASHBURN GATESVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.63 |
BASS' Trip Weldon and Gene Gilliland inducted into 2021 Bass Fishing Hall of Fame
NOTED CONSERVATIONIST, ‘MODERN ERA’ JOURNALIST, ‘SET THE STANDARD’ TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR
INDUCTED IN BFHOF 2021 CLASS
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – For Immediate Release – 4.19.21 - As part of its mission to celebrate those who have made major contributions to the sport, the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Board of Directors has announced the induction class of 2021, which includes three deserving individuals – Gene Gilliland, Jason Lucas and Trip Weldon. The trio will be honored on Thursday, September 30 at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium at a special reception within the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame venue, followed by the Hall’s annual dinner and induction activities.
“On behalf of our entire Board, we’re thrilled that we’ll be able to honor Gene Gilliland and Trip Weldon in person, along with Jason Lucas posthumously, when the bass fishing world comes together to celebrate in Springfield this fall,” said BFHOF Board President John Mazurkiewicz. “Each of them has made lasting contributions to the sport and we’re excited to see them take their rightful place in the Hall of Fame.”
The three members of the 2021 class distinguished themselves in various facets of the sport - spanning conservation, media and tournament operations.
Gilliland is known for his extensive work in fisheries management and bass conservation efforts and continues that involvement as conservation director for B.A.S.S. He is a tireless advocate for bass fishing on numerous national boards and councils.
Lucas, the former fishing editor for Sports Afield, is considered one of the modern era’s ‘fathers of bass fishing.’ His book Lucas on Bass Fishing, published in 1947, was one of the first bass fishing how-to books and helped ignite the popularity of the sport. He later wrote about bass fishing for Sports Illustrated, providing the sport with meaningful exposure in the mainstream sports world. Lucas passed away in 1975.
While he enjoyed competing in bass tournaments, including top-5 finishes in Red Man All-American events, Weldon set the standard for tournament directors during his nearly 20 years presiding over B.A.S.S events. Known among professional bass anglers for his fairness and strict adherence to the rule book, he became one of the most respected tournament directors in the history of the sport. Weldon retired from B.A.S.S. in 2020.
In overseeing the induction process for the BFHOF Board, nominations committee chairman Todd Hammill said, “We appreciate the involvement of our past inductees and supporters of the Hall in nominating worthy individuals for this honor, and especially our 30-member selection panel for their transparent efforts in identifying the qualified nominees who deserve a place in the Hall.”
The annual Bass Fishing Hall of Fame induction banquet continues to be a must-attend event. While the spotlight will shine on Gilliland, Lucas and Weldon, the Hall’s 2020 class, which included Steve Bowman, Bryan Kerchal, James Heddon, Ron Lindner and Jay Yelas, will also be recognized. Last year’s induction celebration was canceled due to the worldwide pandemic.
“We do thank all who supported our online auction last year that helped the Board function through the pandemic and with projects such as our conservation grants,” said BFHOF Board Vice President Tim Carini. “We look forward to September 30 in Springfield when the bass fishing world comes together to help us celebrate, promote and preserve our sport.”
Tickets to the induction dinner and information about the Hall of Fame and its mission are available at www.Bassfishinghof.com.
Aoki Claims Razor-Thin Victory At Bassmaster Southern Open On Douglas Lake
Daisuke Aoki, of Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi, Japan, has won the 2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Southern Open at Douglas Lake with a three-day total of 43 pounds, 13 ounces.
Photo by Andy Crawford/B.A.S.S.
April 17, 2021
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — Daisuke Aoki has claimed numerous accolades in his homeland, but the Japanese standout secured his grandest objective Saturday by topping a stout field at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Southern Open on Douglas Lake with a three-day total of 43 pounds, 13 ounces.
Hailing from Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi, Japan, Aoki kept himself in contention all week. He placed fourth on Day 1 with 15-13 and held that position a day later with a second-round limit of 13-5. On Championship Saturday, Aoki added 14-11 and edged Bassmaster Elite Drew Benton by an ounce.
With an impressive resume including the 2015 Japan Bass Top 50 Angler of the Year and the Basser Allstar Classic title, also 2015, Aoki has had his sights set on the sport’s most prestigious event.
“The Bassmaster Classic is my dream,” Aoki said as he removed his sunglasses and wiped his eyes. “This is a dream come true.”
Along with his $51,833 first-place prize, Aoki earned a spot in the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk on Lake Hartwell. He achieved his long-awaited dream by applying techniques he commonly uses back home.
“Every day, I study American bass fishing,” Aoki said. “Fishing on Douglas Lake is very similar to Japanese finesse fishing.”
Aoki spent all of his time in about 5 feet of water, where he targeted prespawn and spawning fish with wacky rigs. He fished a pink DStyle finesse worm unweighted on a Hayabusa hook and a green pumpkin/blue flake Yamamoto Senko on a 1/16-ounce wacky jig.
“I used the Senko for bed fish,” Aoki said. “I used (rapid rod twitches) to swim the bait across the bottom.
“I used the 4-inch Senko when I could not see a bed. When I could see a bed, I used the 3-inch Senko.”
Aoki said he used the unweighted wacky rig to cover water between likely bedding areas. He fished this bait higher in the water column.
“It was cast, cast, cast — many spots,” Aoki said of his thorough coverage strategy.
Aoki said he fished the upper end of Douglas on Day 1, switched to the lower lake on Day 2 and split Day 3 between both sections. The upper end produced his best Championship Saturday bites.
After raising the first-place trophy, Aoki captured his obvious emotion by shouting the Bassmaster slogan: “Big Bass. Big Stage. Big Dreams.”
Benton, who makes his home in Blakely, Ga., tallied a second-place total of 43-12, which included a 4-ounce dead-fish penalty. He placed fifth on Day 1 with 15-12, slipped a spot to sixth by adding 13-1 on Friday and finished his run with 14-15.
“I came here right after (last week’s Elite event on the Sabine River) and I only had a day and a half of practice, so I really didn’t figure anything out until the first day of the tournament,” Benton said. “I just rolled with it and figured a little more out each day and put it together.”
Benton caught most of his fish on swimbaits. Around laydowns, he threw a 7-inch Big Bite Baits Suicide Shad on a belly-weighted Owner Beast Hook. On rockier banks, a 6-inch Scottsboro line-through swimbait got the call.
“They were completely choking those swimbaits,” Benton said. “When I’d come to a laydown I wanted to pitch, I’d throw a Texas-rigged Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog.
“I fished clean, never lost anything. I just didn’t get (enough) big bites.”
Josh Douglas of Isle, Minn., finished third with 42-3. Spending most of his time offshore, Douglas placed second on Day 1 with 16-9, but dipped to 10th after a slower Day 2 yielded only 11-4. Adding 14-6 in the final round boosted his performance.
“When I first got here over the weekend, it seemed like there were a lot of fish up shallow, but I just couldn’t get a lot of big ones that way,” Douglas said. “I figured I could wing it in the tournament, so I idled for two and a half days and found 10 or 12 schools in 15 to 20 feet.”
Douglas caught his fish on a Strike King 6XD, a Rapala DT-20 and an Outkast Tackle hair jig.
Day 1 leader Jackson Swisher of Lake City, Fla., won the $750 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award with his 5-10.
Aoki won the $500 Garmin Tournament Rewards.
Jacob Foutz of Charleston, Tenn., leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Open Angler of the Year standings with 387 points. David Williams of Newton, N.C., is second with 380, followed by Blake Smith of Lakeland, Fla., with 369, Keith Poche of Pike Road, Ala., with 365 and Scott Ashmore of Broken Arrow, Okla., with 360.
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Open at Douglas Lake 4/15-4/17
Douglas Lake, Jefferson County, TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Daisuke Aoki Minamitsurugun Yamanash 15 43-13 200 $51,833.00
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 14-11
2. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 15 43-12 199 $24,933.00
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 13-01 Day 3: 5 14-15
3. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 15 42-03 198 $17,600.00
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 11-04 Day 3: 5 14-06
4. David Williams Newton, NC 15 41-15 197 $14,667.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 5 11-09
5. Josh Herren Ashville, AL 15 41-06 196 $12,760.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 13-06 Day 3: 5 13-05
6. Jackson Swisher LAKE CITY, FL 15 40-15 195 $12,483.00
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 5 11-00
7. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 15 40-00 194 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 5 12-02
8. Drew Boggs Lebanon, TN 15 38-06 193 $10,267.00
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 08-02
9. Billy McCaghren Jr Mayflower, AR 15 38-03 192 $8,067.00
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 13-12 Day 3: 5 09-05
10. Jeff Bauler Santee, CA 15 37-06 191 $6,600.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 5 09-01
Williams Works Mudlines To Take Lead At Bassmaster Open On Douglas Lake
David Williams, of Newton, N.C., is leading after Day 2 of the 2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Southern Open at Douglas Lake with a two-day total of 30 pounds, 6 ounces.
Photo by Shane Durrance/B.A.S.S.
April 16, 2021
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — Leveraging lower water clarity, David Williams of Newton, N.C., amassed a two-day total of 30 pounds, 6 ounces to lead Day 2 of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Southern Open on Douglas Lake.
Williams caught a sixth-place limit of 15-9 on Day 1 and added 14-13 Friday. He enters Championship Saturday with a 2-ounce lead over Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tenn. Only 7 ounces separates Williams from Day 1 leader Jackson Swisher of Lake City, Fla.
“It was a lot tougher today; there was no wind, and I’m relying on the wind to make some mudlines,” Williams said. “The only thing I could rely on today was the boats stirring up the mud.
“Today, the boats ran around a little bit and (later in the day) got pretty good. I caught most of my better fish in the afternoon.”
As Williams explained, the mud benefited his cause by providing temporary cover that bass and baitfish favored.
“This lake’s usually pretty clear and anytime the fish can get up and get into some dirty water, they like to do that,” he said. “That dirty water also warms up quicker and the baitfish get up in there. They like to hide in it; they feel safer in the (lower visibility).”
Fishing the lake’s lower and upper ends, Williams said he tried to keep himself near spawning areas where he could intercept bass coming and going.
“I mostly fished gravel banks and if they had any kind of wood or structure, that made it better,” he said. “I was just burning the banks with reaction baits and happened to catch a couple good ones.
“I had a limit by 9:30 and then I upgraded throughout the day. I didn’t have any of the ones I weighed early; most of them came later in the day.”
Boggs placed 27th on Day 1 with 13-10 and made a big move Friday by adding 16-10 for a two-day total of 30-4. Speed was the key, as Boggs focused on spawning pockets in the lower to midlake and covered as much water as he could.
“I put the trolling motor on 8 and I was going down the bank as fast as I could,” he said. “I’m catching what I feel like are fry guarders (adults protecting recent hatchlings).
“There’s no rhyme or reason for where I’m finding the fish, but I’m fishing new water every day. I went back through two pockets that I fished yesterday and didn’t catch anything, so I have to remain open-minded about running new water tomorrow.”
Boggs threw reaction baits around rock/gravel transitions and flipped any laydowns he encountered.
Swisher is in third place with 29-15. Having celebrated his 19th birthday Thursday, he added 13 pounds to his Day 1 limit of 16-15 — the event’s heaviest bag.
Swisher began Friday by replicating the pattern that delivered all of his first day’s weight — fishing a 7-inch white Megabass Magdraft swimbait along bluff walls near Douglas Dam. With Friday’s weather offering considerably less wind than Day 1, Swisher had to add another element to his game plan.
“In the first 10 minutes, I put two pretty good smallmouth in my boat, but then I had to go to my offshore fish about 11 o’clock just to finish out a limit,” Swisher said. “I was fishing isolated rocks off of points in about 21 feet with a Neko-rigged Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General.
“I went back to the bluffs in the afternoon and I caught a 4-9 smallmouth at about 1 o’clock on the same bluff point where I caught a 5-10 yesterday. Before I had that one, I had about 8 pounds and then I culled up twice after that.”
Swisher is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 5-10.
Darren Kelly of Wartburg, Tenn., won the co-angler division with 17-15. Placing fourth on Day 1 with 9-2, Kelly added 8-13 Friday and took home $18,587.
“I had to switch up my presentations today, based on where we were in the lake,” Kelly said. “I just kind of read the conditions and when the wind would pick up, I’d throw a spinnerbait, crankbait or a ChatterBait.
“I had a small limit on a shaky head, but I got rid of those by using bigger baits. I used shad imitations and if I had some shad following my bait, I knew I had the right one, because if a shad follows it, you have to think a bass is going to eat it.”
Alex Prince of Blue Ridge, Ga., won the $250 Phoenix Boats Big Bass prize among co-anglers with a 4-12.
Jacob Foutz of Charleston, Tenn., leads the Southern Open standings with 387 points. Williams is second with 383, followed by Blake Smith of Lakeland, Fla., with 369, Keith Poche of Pike Road, Ala., with 363 and Scott Ashmore of Broken Arrow, Okla., with 360.
The Top 10 remaining pros will take off Saturday at 6:45 a.m. ET from Dandridge Boat Ramp. The weigh-in will be held at the Bass Pro Shops in Kodak, Tenn., at 3:45 p.m.
AnglersChannel Extra - Pro Charging Systems, ReLion Batteries & more!
On this episode, Chris visits the Pro Charging systems facility in Tennessee and gains a load of knowledge on charging systems and how they work. Later on Chris and Kenneth swap out heavy batteries and charger for lighter more efficient versions and get ready to hit the water!
PURE FISHING ANNOUNCES THE CLOSE OF PURCHASE FOR PLANO SYNERGY HOLDINGS INC. WITH PURE FISHING TO RETAIN STRATEGIC BRANDS FROM THE PLANO PORTFOLIO
COLUMBIA, S.C. (April 16, 2021) — Pure Fishing Inc., the world’s largest fishing tackle company, announces the close of its purchase of Plano Synergy Holdings Inc., effective today. As part of the closing of this purchase, Pure Fishing also announces it has closed the sale of Plano Synergy’s archery and hunting accessories brands to GSM Outdoors, the leader in the enthusiast hunting, sport shooting, and rugged outdoor market, also effective today.
Pure Fishing will retain ownership of the iconic Plano and Frabill brands to complement the company’s existing footprint in the global fishing tackle market. Pure Fishing will also retain ownership of Plano’s storage and fall storage business, as well as the Creative Options and Caboodles brands. This strategic acquisition is the third for Pure Fishing in two years under the ownership of private equity firm Sycamore Partners.
“This acquisition allows Pure Fishing to continue to build upon its industry-leading position within the fishing industry, something that remains a priority for the company,” said Pure Fishing CEO Harlan Kent. “By selling the archery and hunting accessories brands to GSM Outdoors, already a leader in the hunting and outdoors industry, we have created great brand alignment for both companies, which allows each of us to play to our own unique strengths.”
Through its purchase of the Plano Synergy archery and hunting accessory brands, GSM Outdoors adds Wildgame Innovations, Ameristep, Tenzing, Zink, Halo Optics, Flextone, Avian X, Evolved, Barnett and Zero Trace to its existing portfolio of 33 hunting- and shooting-related brands. This strategic acquisition is the fourth for GSM Outdoors under the partnership with Gridiron Capital.
“We are thrilled about the acquisition of the best-in-class Synergy Outdoors brands which will significantly enhance GSM’s offerings,” stated GSM Outdoors CEO Eddie Castro. “This allows us to continue to add significant value to our retailers and ultimately end consumers as we strengthen our one-stop-shop offering.”
Closing terms for each sale are not disclosed.
Swisher’s Swimbait Yields Lead At Bassmaster Open On Douglas Lake
Jackson Swisher, of Lake City, Fla., is leading after Day 1 of the 2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Southern Open at Douglas Lake with 16 pounds, 15 ounces.
Photo by Chris Mitchell/B.A.S.S.
April 15, 2021
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — Douglas Lake gave Jackson Swisher a generous birthday gift with a five-fish limit of 16 pounds, 15 ounces that leads Day 1 of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Southern Open on this French Broad River impoundment.
Turning 19 today, the pro from Lake City, Fla., devoted his day to fishing bluffs close to the Douglas Dam. This pattern delivered a productive day and included a 5-10 that’s in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors.
Swisher targeted the vertical rock walls with a 7-inch white Megabass Magdraft swimbait. He said he dialed in his pattern during practice, but today yielded a favorable twist.
“All week I’ve been catching some big smallmouth, but today the largemouth showed up,” Swisher said. “That 5-10 was my second fish of the morning, so that was a great way to start the day.”
Thanking his father for driving eight hours from Florida to deliver five swimbaits before the tournament started, Swisher said he believes the lake’s falling water level — down about 4 feet since the weekend — pulled the smallmouth off the wall.
“I noticed the water was (significantly lower) because this morning, I was going to fish a laydown I found in practice, and it was out of the water,” Swisher said.
Adjusting to the falling water, Swisher paralleled the bluff and slow rolled his bait through the strike zone.
“I was putting that swimbait right on the bank and running it right down the edge,” he said. “It was 35 feet deep on the edge of the bluff wall and the swimbait was going about 20 feet down. They were just killing it.”
Long casts were essential for covering big sections of the bluff and attracting attention. Knowing the tendency for noncommittal bass to trail swimbaits and lose interest, Swisher said he kept an eye on his Garmin LiveScope.
“Whenever I’d see one chase it, I’d speed up and then kill it,” he said. “That was really the key to (triggering bites).”
Swisher said he had his limit by about 10 o’clock. Admitting his day turned out better than expected, he said he made several upgrades throughout the day, including one that gave him a pure largemouth bag.
“I actually had a 2-pound smallmouth and I culled that one with a 4-pound largemouth,” Swisher said. “I had a really good day; I actually lost two close to 5 pounds at the end of the day, so I could have had 20 to 21 pounds.
“I’m hoping tomorrow I can go out there and execute and catch the fish I lost today and hopefully have an even better day tomorrow.”
Josh Douglas of Isle, Minn., is in second place with 16-9. Weighing a mixed bag of three largemouth and two hefty smallmouth, Douglas said he fished midlake and caught all of his fish on an offshore saddle in about 15 to 20 feet.
“I have largemouth on one side of the spot and smallmouth on the other side,” Douglas said. “They’re both hanging in the same area, but just not together.”
Douglas caught most of his fish on reaction baits in the morning. Although the afternoon was less productive, he remained on his area to guard its potential.
“I stayed there all day to make sure nobody else got it, so I can fish it tomorrow,” Douglas said. “It wasn’t a very big area; I have a 100-foot cast one way and a 100-foot cast the other way.
“When they slowed down later in the day, I had to switch to finesse baits to keep them biting.”
Mike Keyso of North Port, Fla., is in third place with 15-14. Fishing a flat-sided squarebill in 4 feet of water, Keyso targeted a mudline and found his fish sitting behind that transition.
“I was targeting secondary points,” he said. “I could run that and get bit anywhere. I hit probably 25 points, but three of them were most productive. I hit the three good ones three different times and caught fish on them every time.”
Keyso said his day was marked with tragedy and triumph.
“I lost two big ones first thing, but made up some ground later,” he said. “Hopefully, I can catch them again tomorrow.”
Alex Prince of Blue Ridge, Ga., leads the co-angler division with 10-11. Devoting his day to dragging a shaky head with a 5-inch green pumpkin Senko, Prince nabbed an afternoon day-maker.
“I cast behind the boat and caught a 4-12 at 3:30 — about 20 minutes before we had to check in,” Prince said. “I had about a 2-pounder that I got rid of.
“It was about the luckiest thing that could have happened. I had to sit down; I was shaking.”
Prince’s best fish holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead among co-anglers.
David Williams of Newton, N.C., leads the Southern Open points standings with 378. Jacob Foutz of Charleston, Tenn., is second with 365, followed by Swisher with 356, Andy Hribar of Lakeville, Minn., with 355 and Blake Smith of Lakeland, Fla., with 353.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:45 a.m. ET at Dandridge Boat Ramp. The weigh-in will be held at the ramp at 2:45 p.m.
Options Abound For Bassmaster Elite Series Event At Lake Fork
Quitman, Texas, will host the 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork April 22-25.
Photo by B.A.S.S.
April 15, 2021
QUITMAN, Texas — It’s been six months since Lake Fork hosted a B.A.S.S. event, but while the seasonal complexion will be significantly different when the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite comes to town, this East Texas powerhouse stands ready to produce another impressive showing.
Competition days will be April 22-25 with daily takeoffs from Sabine River Authority (SRA) — Lake Fork at 6:45 a.m. CT and weigh-ins each day at the same facility at 3 p.m.
With 25 years of Lake Fork experience, third-year Elite Series pro Frank Talley said he expects a fairly stable scenario. Speaking a week and a half before the tournament, Talley said the lake was sitting about 3 inches low, with a seasonally expected clarity range.
“On the north end, both arms are stained to really off-colored, while midlake to down south by the dam has good visibility,” he said. “Water temperatures are between 59 and 52.
“We’ve had some warm days, but by the start of practice, we’re supposed to start getting some mild weather with highs in the upper 60s and lows in the 40s. That’s definitely going to change up some stuff.”
Specifically, Talley believes the cooler weather could lower water temperature and interrupt the current spawning activity. Fortunately, these late-season fronts typically lack the punch of first-quarter weather systems and Fork’s well-managed population of Florida-strain largemouth will offer plenty of options.
“Right now, the lake is on fire,” Talley said. “There are fish in all three stages; there are prespawn fish, there are fish stacked on beds, there are fish that have already spawned.
“If the weather was going to be warm leading up to the tournament, there would definitely be a big shad spawn. There will be a little bit of a shad spawn regardless, but with the forecast for cooler weather, that’s probably going to slow down that bite.”
Given this V-shaped lake’s layout — two major arms (Lake Fork Creek to the west and Caney Creek to the east), along with several lesser creeks — the spawning season typically starts in the creeks’ upper ends, progresses through midlake and then into the southern end.
The fish that have yet to spawn may press the pause button until the cool weather passes, but they’re not leaving their shallow staging areas.
“Once those fish commit, they’re going to be up there,” Talley said. “Right now, the biggest wave has moved and they’re going to filter in and out (of the spawning grounds) until mid-May.”
Common spawning habitats will include pondweed, reeds, scattered milfoil and hydrilla; while pre- and postspawn staging takes place on the points, contour breaks and grasslines just outside the spawning flats. Bladed jigs, Texas-rigged craws and creature baits, wacky rigs and spinnerbaits comprise Fork’s common spring lineup. For shad spawns, add topwaters.
Talley’s advice: Look beyond the obvious.
“Guys have to consider that it’s not just the major creeks that will have the spawning going on,” he said. “There are a lot of little hidey-hole spots that could hold six or eight good spawning fish in the back of a pocket that may only be 40 to 50 yards deep.”
Also important, Talley said, is fishing the appropriate spawn stage for each section of the lake. He’s confident the entire lake will play, to varying degrees. But each part might not specifically play for the spawn phase. Another timely consideration — heavy boat traffic.
“This time of year, the lake is going to be packed with guides and locals; you’ll be able to walk over boats,” Talley said. “March through May, Fork gets its most visitors, so we’re going to have to share a lot of water with (other boats).
“If someone who can find a pattern within a pattern in an area that’s getting heavily pressured, or just do something off the wall, that might play. The bottom line is there’s no secrets or hidden spots on Fork.”
That being said, Talley foresees a show possibly rivaling Patrick Walters’ record-setting performance at last year’s event (104 pounds, 12 ounces). Despite the minor cooldown, Talley believes the lake is strong enough to deliver big numbers.
“It’ll definitely take 20 to 21 pounds a day to make the Top 10,” he said. “In my opinion, I think you’ll see the winner break the century mark. I think it will take 102 to 103 pounds.
“It’s going to be a good tournament; I think we’re going to hit it just right.”
Live coverage for all four days of the event can be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will also broadcast live with the tournament leaders beginning at 7 a.m. CT on Saturday and Sunday.
Alton Jones Wins MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters
| Texas pro Dominates Final Day, Catches 12 Bass Totaling 45 Pounds, 9 Ounces to Win Heavy Hitters Title and $100,000 Top Prize, Fellow Texas pro Jeff Sprague Catches 5-pound, 3-ounce Fish to Earn $100,000 Big Bass Bonus
RALEIGH, N.C. (April 14, 2021) – It was a sight-fishing clinic on Shearon Harris Reservoir in Raleigh on Wednesday, and pro Alton Jones of Woodway, Texas, was the professor. The Texas angler boated 12 bass weighing 45 pounds, 9 ounces to dominate the final-day Championship Round and win the top prize of $100,000 at the Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops in North Carolina. Jones won by a 15-pound, 5-ounce margin over pro Jeff Sprague of Point, Texas, who caught eight bass totaling 30-4. Sprague, however, was not disappointed in his finish as he earned the top Big Bass Bonus of $100,000 with a 5-pound, 3-ounce largemouth. Just 23 minutes into Period 2, Jones caught a 3-pound, 3-ounce bass to move into the top position on the leaderboard and he never relinquished it. The tall Texan showed MLF NOW! viewers why he has long been considered one of the top sight-fishing anglers in the game. “This feels so, so good. It’s been a while since I’ve won a Tour-level event like this, and it was a very special day,” said an emotional Jones when he came off of the water. “After my practice time, I knew that I had found several key areas that had the potential to be really special for this event, if I could just make the final rounds. “When we did our morning ride-through this morning and I got on the trolling motor, I found about 10 3-pounders in my first pass through the cove, and I thought to myself, ‘you know what, this could actually happen.’ I didn’t know if they were going to bite, but if they did I was going to have a chance. And sure enough, here I am. I still can’t believe that I’m the Heavy Hitters Champion.” Jones saw the majority of the fish that he caught on Wednesday on beds, and managed to boat a dozen keepers flipping an “old-school” Texas-rigged Canyon Plastics Gitzit tube (green-pumpkin with purple and black metal flake). “I really like throwing a tube during the spawn – it’s a bait that will catch a 2-pounder, a 3-pounder, but it will also catch a 10-pounder,” Jones said. “So, it’s good bait to fish for numbers and size. My Kistler rods were also very important – I used a Kistler Z Bone. That rod is super-light, super-sensitive, and super-strong and helped me out a lot today.” Jones also shared some of his sight-fishing prowess with the crowd gathered at the takeout ramp. “Every fish that I caught today was an individual,” Jones said. “I had to figure out what each fish was doing, and how to work that particular fish. That’s one of the things that I love about sight fishing – you treat every fish as an individual. What makes one fish hot, the other fish will ignore. So, it’s kind of a thinking man’s game. It’s a stealthy game, because you can see them, but they can also see you. I try to hide from the fish, and I’ve got a few other little tricks that I like to pull and today, it all worked out for me.” Second-place angler Jeff Sprague was also emotional and exhausted after a long week of competition. “I scratched by every day this week,” Sprague said. “The first day at Lake Jordan was great – I caught so many fish and had a phenomenal day. The second day, we literally scratched by and barely made it into the Knockout Round. Then, in the Knockout Round, to tie for the last position in and to get through via a tiebreaker. And now, on Championship Day, to catch the big bass and win 100 grand and finish second overall, this has just been a stellar week.” The top 10 pros from the General Tire Heavy Hitters event in Raleigh, North Carolina, finished: 1st: Alton Jones, Woodway, Texas, 12 bass, 45-9, $100,000 A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Overall, there were 57 bass weighing 211 pounds, 10 ounces, caught by the final 10 pros on Wednesday, which included two 5-pounders, 13 4-pounders, and 42 3-pounders caught from Shearon Harris Reservoir. The MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops was hosted by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, July 17 on the Discovery Channel. A one-hour special episode of MLF Inside Heavy Hitters will also air on CBS in late 2021. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition. For complete details and updated information on General Tire Heavy Hitters, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. |
Milford Lake To Host B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional
Milford Lake will host the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional April 21-23, 2021.
Photo courtesy of Geary County Convention and Visitors Bureau
April 14, 2021
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. — When grass-roots anglers from eight states arrive at Lake Milford in Kansas for the 2021 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional April 21-23, the spawn will likely be in full swing, according to Kansas B.A.S.S. Nation President Richard Heflin.
“April is an interesting time for Milford,” Heflin said. “You are kind of going to be right in the heart of the spawn. You are going to have prespawn, spawn and postspawn going on.”
Located several miles northwest of Junction City, Milford Lake is home to the Kansas state record smallmouth, a 6-pound, 8-ounce fish caught in early April 2010, and Heflin suspects the next record-breaking smallmouth will also be caught in Milford.
The lake has hosted a couple of Bassmaster tournaments through the years, including the 2018 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shops held in August.
Milford is a predominantly rocky lake with lots of offshore structure, including brushpiles, although the upper end of the lake has a large section of mud flats that can stain the water during heavy rains. While tournament anglers will be focusing on smallmouth and largemouth bass, weekend anglers visit the lake for crappie, walleye and catfish.
“It is right next to the military base, and we have a lot of people fish for a lot of species,” Heflin said. “There’s a lot of hidden brushpiles that some of the crappie fishermen put out. Locating some of that stuff could be a key player for guys that come in.”
While most bass anglers visit the lake to target smallmouth bass, Heflin said he wouldn’t be surprised to see a 6-pound smallmouth and a 6-pound largemouth weighed in on the same day.
Heflin said he expects the smallmouth to be at the tail end of the spawn or in the early postspawn phase, while the largemouth will be locking down on bed. Largemouth will be in classic spawning pockets and flats, and creature baits and jigs have historically caught those fish.
“The thing about Milford is the channels that go back in the pockets are fairly deep, so you are going to have edges and flats that are conducive to spawning. Depending on the rain volume, there's a 50/50 chance that there will be some flooded vegetation and other flooded cover that will be good for largemouth.”
For smallmouth bass, Heflin said banks that transition from clay to chunk rock, clay to sand, or clay to pea gravel will be productive areas to cover with jigs and tubes.
The tournament is one of five regional championship events the B.A.S.S. Nation has scheduled around the country this year. Anglers will be competing for cash prizes and a spot in the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.
The event is being hosted by the Geary County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“Junction City and Geary County, Kan., are very honored to have been selected as the host of the 2021 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional Tournament,” said Michele Stimatze, Geary County Convention and Visitors Bureau Director.
“This will be an exciting time for Milford Lake, the largest lake in Kansas, and for our citizens and visitors. Having worked with B.A.S.S. Nation in the past, we know this event will attract visitors from across the nation and put the spotlight on Kansas bass fishing. Our team is already working to make it a great event, and we look forward to making everyone feel welcome.”
Bassmaster Introduces New Fantasy Fishing Game
April 14, 2021
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In 2020, more than 37,500 engaged fans played Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing, a number that has grown steadily over the past decade. This week, Bassmaster launched a second fantasy game — Mercury Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge. Fans can set their rosters by 6 a.m. ET on April 22 to play along during the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork.
The Drain the Lake Challenge, using elimination pool rules, requires players to use an entirely different strategy than standard Fantasy Fishing. When building their team, players can only use an Elite Series angler once over the course of the season. Unlike traditional Fantasy Fishing, there are no buckets. Tournament players select any eight Elite Series anglers. After choosing an angler for a specific event, players can no longer select that angler for the remainder of the season.
An angler’s points will be based on their finish in the tournament, just like Fantasy Fishing. The angler who wins each Elite Series event will receive double points while the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk champion will garner triple points, so choosing the winning angler will be big in terms of winning the overall grand prize.
The Drain the Lake Challenge winning player, along with the rest of the Top 5 points leaders for each event, will receive a prize pack including a Mercury backpack, Mercury 12-can cooler bag, Mercury hat and Mercury hoodie. A $500 Bass Pro Shops gift card will be rewarded to any individual prize winner who is a B.A.S.S. member. The 2021 Drain the Lake Challenge overall winner will enjoy a fishing trip with Bassmaster LIVE host Mark Zona in Michigan, with airfare and hotel included.
Registration for both games, along with full rules and a description of each prize package, can be found at Bassmaster.com/fantasy.
Lake Murray Readies for Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit
163 Professional Anglers To Compete for up to $135,000 in Columbia – Season Purse Exceeds $6.4 Million
COLUMBIA, S.C. (April 14, 2021) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament organization, is set to head to Columbia, South Carolina, next week, April 22-25, for the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Googan Baits Stop 3 Presented by Favorite Fishing – Lake Murray . This is the third event of the 2021 Pro Circuit season – hosted by the Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board – offering competitors the opportunity to compete for a total purse of more than $900,000.
“Capital City Lake Murray Country is proud to welcome Major League Fishing's Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit to our region and to Lake Murray,” said Miriam Atira, President/CEO of Capital City Lake Murray Country RTB. “Our continued relationship with this national tournament organization provides a significant economic impact to our region and plays a vital role in our efforts to promote tourism and outdoor recreation.”
In its 26th season, the circuit formerly known as the FLW Tour features 163 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals competing across six regular-season events, each with a top award of up to $135,000. The field will also compete for valuable points to qualify for the 2021 Tackle Warehouse TITLE presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, and the opportunity to compete for up to $235,000.
This event will mark the eighth time the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit has visited the fishery in the Palmetto State.
Most of the MLF history on Lake Murray has taken place in the summertime, when the fishing is somewhat tough, with the most recent being Justin Atkins’ win in 2017. However, next week’s event will be a true testament of what Lake Murray really has to offer with prespawn, postspawn and spawning fish up for grabs.
Prior to Atkins’ win, Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, South Carolina, won the FLW Cup in 2014, tallying up 51-2 to win by 1 ounce in front of his hometown fans. Gagliardi had a previous win on Lake Murray in February 2006 when he hauled in 89-2 over four days, with a 26-pound bag on day one and a 28-pound limit on the final day.
“Lake Murray has been really good to me over the years, but I won’t have an advantage this time of year,” said Gagliardi. “With it being spawning season, the fish will be more accessible and that really levels the playing field.”
Gagliardi said he expects to see guys throwing a little bit of everything at this event, from pitching and flipping wacky-rigged worms and creature baits like the Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Hit Worm and a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General Worm in stained water to throwing topwater buzzbaits and popper baits.
“Anything goes this time of year and you can find fish just about any way you like to catch them,” said Gagliardi. “If we get a lot of sun and no wind, the sight-fishing might play a little more into it, but if it’s cloudy and overcast, we’ll probably have to do a little more strategic fishing.
“If it gets real slick and sunny, the weights will also fall off a bit, but they should be up more if we have some inclement weather roll in towards the end of the event.”
Gagliardi said as far as winning weights go, again, this time of year makes things a bit tricky to predict.
“I’ve thought a lot about what kind of weight it’s going to take to win this tournament and it’s really hard to know until I get out there and fish. If an angler can average 18 pounds a day over four days, he’d be positioned pretty well for the win,” continued Gagliardi. “I think it will take slightly under 80 pounds to win, but it will be close. I don’t foresee much separation between the weights at the top of the scoreboard.”
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. ET, Thursday through Sunday, from Dreher Island State Park, located at 3677 State Park Road in Prosperity. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park daily at 3 p.m. Attendance is limited to competing anglers, family, essential staff and media covering the event. Fans are encouraged to follow the action online through the MLF NOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 163 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition on Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Googan Baits Stop 3 Presented by Favorite Fishing at Lake Murray will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, July 25 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall. Weigh-ins will be streamed daily and fans can catch live on-the-water action all day Saturday and Sunday, April 24-25 on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2021 season culminates with the Tackle Warehouse TITLE presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where the top 48 pros in the points standings plus 2020 TITLE Champion Rusty Salewske of Alpine, California, and 2020 Angler of the Year Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan, will compete for at top prize of $235,000. The 2021 TITLE will be on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Aug. 17-22, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse.
AC Insider Podcast - 21K Solo!!
This week Chris and the Circus welcome in Terry Peacock, Winner of the Bass Champs North Division Ray Roberts event this past weekend. Terry fished the event solo and won with 26.43 pound limit including a GIANT Kicker! Hit play to check it out!!
Sabine River Community Lends Helping Hands
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Waking up to a vandalized truck, including a stolen catalytic converter, is about the last thing any angler wants to encounter on the road, but that’s exactly what Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brandon Lester experienced before day two of competition on the Sabine River last week.
The felony offense of stealing catalytic converters is on the rise all throughout the country right now due to demands on precious metals. Lester, John Cox, and a few others that travel with the tournament crew can now say they’ve experienced this crime first hand.
Sadly, theft and the occasional run in with criminals is a very real part of traveling with expensive equipment. It’s something professional anglers must think about when booking lodging arrangements no matter where they are in the country. There is no sugar coating it… there are some bad people in this world and dealing with a situation like Lester was forced to is less than ideal to put it lightly.
Thankfully there are good people in this world, too. Just when it would have been easy for those affected to simmer in the bad, the good ones showed up to stand in contrast to the evil.
First Andy Stallings and the ever-reliable service crew came calling. They drove to the hotel and helped Lester get his boat to the launch on time so he could try to focus on making a top 50 cut. Once Lester was on the water, they drove back to the hotel and changed his damaged tire. The local police officers were extremely accommodating and quick on the scene to file reports and do their best to catch the criminals.
Then came phone calls and Facebook messages from Cecil Atkission Toyota, the local Toyota dealership here in Orange who went absolutely above and beyond for Lester and others affected by the thieves. The dealership is pictured in the photo above over Lester’s right shoulder.
Members of the service department were immediately on the phone helping to source parts to repair the damaged vehicles. The Service Manager, Daryl Tucker, offered a loner Toyota Camry to Lester so he could get around town while his truck was being worked on.
Brady Williams, the owner of a local muffler shop (AA Muffler) graciously opened the doors to his business over the weekend so he could lend a helping hand. The local host and the surrounding Sabine River community all sprang into action to help remedy the situation as quick as possible.
Williams and several employees of Cecil Atkission Toyota stayed late, opened early, and worked tirelessly to get everyone’s vehicles back on the road.
“It’d be easy for me to dwell on the negative but it’s hard not to feel thankful when so many people jumped in to help out,” Lester said. “What happened is a sad reality of traveling sometimes, but at the end of the day folks at the local Toyota dealership and many others pitched in and helped get me back on the road to see my girls as quickly as possible. For that I’m grateful.”
Bad things happen. It’s a fact of life and something we will all be affected by. Most times we can’t control the bad things that happen, but we can control how we respond to them. It’s not easy to stay positive when dealing with a tough situation, but being surrounded by people who are quick to offer support makes all the difference in the world. Always look for the good, even in the bad times.
Thank you to all the great people of Orange, Texas and the Sabine River community for showing up when Lester and others needed you.
Jacob Wheeler Catches 7½-Pound Largemouth to Earn $50K, Final 10 Set for Championship Round at General Tire Heavy Hitters
| Morgan Wins Knockout Round to Advance, $100,000 Top Prize and $100,000 Big Bass Bonus Up for Grabs on Wednesday
RALEIGH, N.C. (April 13, 2021) – One fish. $50,000. Pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, boated a 7-pound, 8-ounce, largemouth Tuesday afternoon on Shearon Harris Reservoir, the largest fish of the day, to win $50,000 at the Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops in Raleigh, North Carolina. Wheeler finished the day in 2nd place and punched his ticket straight to Wednesday’s final-day Championship Round. Link to Photo of Knockout Round Big Bass Winner Jacob Wheeler “50 g’s, heck yeah, that is unreal,” Wheeler said in his post-game interview. “That will be a fish that I remember for the rest of my life. I was cruising down the bank and when I saw that fish, I literally stopped and was like ‘Whoa, that’s a $50,000 bass.’ It took me about 45 minutes trying to figure out how to catch her, and it was pretty dang awesome when I did.” Wheeler caught the big bass on a Googan Baits Lunker Log, although he credited a different bait as being his key for the day. “The (Googan) Bandito Bug was the big player for me today and I caught several of my fish doing that,” Wheeler said. “But, I also caught a couple, including the big ‘un, on the Lunker Log. “I got really close to winning here two years ago, and I’d love to try to take home the title and get a little pay back on this lake this time around. So far, after today, it’s treating me pretty solid. Shearon Harris… I love you.” |
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Joining Wheeler in the Championship Round will be pro Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee, who won Tuesday’s Knockout Round with 15 bass weighing 46 pounds, 11 ounces.
“It was a great day for me, and well beyond my expectations,” said Morgan. “It was pretty simple fishing – just looking for spawning fish. They were up super-shallow, right around the bank. Weed clumps, trees, logs – whatever they could get around. “I caught them on just a couple of baits,” Morgan continued. “I threw a ½-ounce Strike King Thunder Cricket with a chartreuse and white-colored Zoom Swimmer on the back. I also caught them flipping a Zoom Brush Hog and a Zoom Z-Craw . Some of the fish were actually feeding – those ones I’d catch on the Cricket. The bass that I caught flipping were primarily all spawning.” Morgan fished the Thunder Cricket on a 7-foot, 2-inch medium-heavy Favorite Fishing Big Sexy casting rod, paired with a Lew’s 6:3:1 reel and spooled with 16-pound fluorocarbon line. For his flipping setup, he Texas-rigged the creature baits and threw them on a Favorite Fishing Pro Series The GOAT rod paired with an 8:3:1 Lew’s Flipping and Pitching reel and 20-pound fluorocarbon line. Wednesday’s Championship Round will feature Qualifying Round winners Fletcher Shryock and Bryan Thrift, along with the top eight anglers from Tuesday’s Knockout Round, competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000. In addition to the tournament purse, a $100,000 Big Bass Bonus will be awarded to the angler that lands the single biggest fish on the final day. The top eight pros from the Knockout Round that advanced to Wednesday’s final-day Championship Round on Shearon Harris Reservoir are: 1st: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 46-11 Eliminated from competition after the Knockout Round on Shearon Harris Reservoir are: 9th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., eight bass, 27-7, $4,000 A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Overall, there were 143 bass weighing 453 pounds even caught by the 18 pros on Tuesday, which included one 7-pounder, one 6-pounders and seven 5-pounders caught from Shearon Harris Reservoir. The MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops is hosted by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. The 20 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Jordan Lake on Friday and Sunday – the 20 anglers in Group B on Falls Lake on Saturday and Monday. The anglers that finished in 2nd through 10th place from both groups advanced to Tuesday’s Knockout Round on Shearon Harris, while the winner of each group advanced directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round on Shearon Harris. In Wednesday’s final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins. Attendance is limited to competing anglers, essential staff and media covering the event only. Fans are encouraged to follow the event online through the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the Championship Round action from 7:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET Wednesday. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com. and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app. Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, July 17 on the Discovery Channel. A one-hour special episode of MLF Inside Heavy Hitters will also air on CBS in late 2021. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition. |
Powroznik Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Smith Mountain Lake
Howard Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
HUDDLESTON, Va. (April 13, 2021) – Boater Ryan Powroznik of Hopewell, Virginia, wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine at Smith Mountain Lake in Huddleston, Virginia. Powroznik earned $6,573 for his victory at the event.
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Ryan Powroznik of Hopewell, Va. | 5 | 23-6 | $6,573 |
| 2nd | Gregory Stallings of Dry Fork, Va. | 5 | 21-0 | $2,829 |
| 3rd | Zach Peaslee of Draper, Va. | 5 | 20-6 | $1,886 |
| 4th | Jessie Moore of Severn, Md. | 5 | 20-1 | $1,820 |
| 5th | Mike Hawks of Galax, Va. | 5 | 19-4 | $1,132 |
| 6th | Cody Pike of Powhatan, Va. | 5 | 19-2 | $1,537 |
| 7th | Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Va. | 5 | 19-0 | $943 |
| 8th | Scott Dameron of Beckley, W.V. | 5 | 18-11 | $879 |
| 9th | Bill Deeds of Orange, Va. | 5 | 18-8 | $754 |
| 10th | Elliot Pilson of Stuart, Va. | 5 | 18-1 | $660 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Scott Howard of Bedford, Va. | 5 | 16-1 | $2,791 |
| 2nd | Mark Blankenship of Christiansburg, Va. | 5 | 15-0 | $1,395 |
| 3rd | Dylan Gray of Gladys, Va. | 5 | 14-15 | $931 |
| 4th | Robert Wedding of Welcome, Md. | 5 | 13-8 | $901 |
| 5th | Daniel Eubank, Moneta, Va. | 5 | 12-6 | $558 |
| 6th | Jacob Waller of Chatham, Va. | 3 | 11-1 | $512 |
| 7th | Eric Hawks of Galax, Va. | 4 | 10-13 | $465 |
| 8th | Seth Brogan of Montvale, Va. | 2 | 10-10 | $395 |
| 8th | Tyrell Collins of Galax, Va. | 4 | 10-10 | $395 |
| 10th | Demon Pittman of Timberlake, N.C. | 3 | 9-14 | $326 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Ryan Powroznik of Hopewell, Va. | 7-pound bass | $915 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Dwayne Downey of Covington, Va. | 6-pound, 13-ounce bass | $447 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Cody Pike of Powhatan, Va. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
WINNING BAITS
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Did Not Divulge | N/A |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Did Not Divulge | N/A |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Piedmont Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 14-16 | Potomac River, Marbury, Md. | Charles County Board of Commissioners |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Pechacek Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Lake Okeechobee
Dunn Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
CLEWISTON, Fla. (April 13, 2021) – Boater David Pechacek of Winter Garden, Florida, wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine at Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Florida. Pechacek earned $5,519 for his victory at the event.
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | David Pechacek of Winter Garden, Fla. | 5 | 20-3 | $5,519 |
| 2nd | Brian MacDougall of La Belle, Fla. | 5 | 19-4 | $2,298 |
| 2nd | Kevin Izzi of Smithville, Texas | 5 | 19-4 | $2,298 |
| 4th | Jessie Mizell of Myakka City, Fla. | 5 | 18-15 | $1,288 |
| 5th | Garrett Farmer of Estero, Fla. | 5 | 18-3 | $1,104 |
| 6th | Brandon Medlock of Lake Placid, Fla. | 5 | 18-0 | $1,012 |
| 7th | Trevor Hamlin of Cape Coral, Fla. | 5 | 17-4 | $1,805 |
| 8th | Joe Callahan of Plantation, Fla. | 5 | 16-9 | $828 |
| 9th | Clay Batson of Bradenton, Fla. | 5 | 16-8 | $736 |
| 10th | Tony Bennett of Tarpon Springs, Fla. | 5 | 15-14 | $644 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Joshua Dunn of Mulberry, Fla. | 5 | 22-0 | $2,760 |
| 2nd | Jonathan Miller of Dundee, Ohio | 5 | 19-3 | $1,380 |
| 3rd | Chris Nickle of Sanford, Fla. | 5 | 14-8 | $918 |
| 4th | Edwin Rivera of Orlando, Fla. | 5 | 14-7 | $644 |
| 5th | Dawson Wiles of Fruit Cove, Fla. | 5 | 13-6 | $552 |
| 6th | Randy Paquette of Sarasota, Fla. | 5 | 12-13 | $506 |
| 7th | Brandon St. Pierre of Lehigh Acres, Fla. | 5 | 12-11 | $460 |
| 8th | Jose Valasquez of Gibsonton, Fla. | 5 | 12-10 | $414 |
| 9th | Giovanni Pizza of Boca Raton, Fla. | 5 | 12-8 | $368 |
| 10th | Barry Colbert of Port Saint Lucie, Fla. | 5 | 12-2 | $322 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Trevor Hamlin of Cape Coral, Fla. | 7-pound, 10-ounce bass | $885 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Bruce McFayden of Deerfield Beach, Fla. | 8-pound, 2-ounce bass | $442 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Jared McMillan of Clewiston, Fla. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
WINNING BAITS
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Outkast Tackle RTX Flipping Jig Zoom Super Speed Craw |
Black & Blue Did Not Divulge |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Havoc Devil Spear | Brown & Purple |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Gator Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 21-23 | St. Johns River, Palatka, Fla. | Putnam County Tourist Development Council |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Carter Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Lake Sinclair
Madison’s Thomas Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (April 13, 2021) – Boater Kip Carter of Eatonton, Georgia wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine at Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville, Georgia. Carter earned $6,673 for his victory at the event.
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Kip Carter of Eatonton, Ga. | 5 | 20-08 | $6,673 |
| 2nd | Girard Jones of Macon, Ga. | 5 | 17-11 | $2,837 |
| 3rd | Jackson Brown of Bogart, Ga. | 5 | 16-14 | $1,891 |
| 4th | Willie McMullen of Covington, Ga. | 5 | 16-6 | $1,324 |
| 5th | Justin Kimmel of Athens, Ga. | 5 | 15-11 | $1,385 |
| 6th | Jason Cheek of Eatonton, Ga. | 5 | 15-8 | $1,040 |
| 7th | Michael Wilder of Lizella, Ga. | 5 | 15-1 | $946 |
| 8th | Jimmy Millsaps of Canton, Ga. | 5 | 14-9 | $851 |
| 9th | Tony Couch of Buckhead, Ga. | 5 | 14-4 | $756 |
| 10th | Ben-Oni Maldonado of Covington, Ga. | 5 | 14-1 | $662 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Will Thomas of Madison, Ga. | 5 | 13-6 | $2,844 |
| 2nd | James Murphy of Phenix City, Ala. | 5 | 11-3 | $1,185 |
| 3rd | Kyler Turner of Perry, Ga. | 5 | 11-3 | $1,385 |
| 4th | Thomas Pierce of Calhoun, Ga. | 4 | 10-14 | $664 |
| 5th | Troy Harris of Watkinsville, Ga. | 5 | 10-9 | $1,029 |
| 6th | Travis Wilkes of Covington, Ga. | 5 | 9-15 | $521 |
| 7th | Bruce Jeffrey of Lithonia, Ga. | 5 | 9-6 | $474 |
| 8th | Spencer Sato of Warner Robins, Ga. | 4 | 9-3 | $427 |
| 9th | Jerry Bryant of Douglas, Ga. | 5 | 8-13 | $379 |
| 10th | Donald Peppers of Good Hope, Ga. | 5 | 8-12 | $332 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | William Glawson, Macon, Ga. | 6-pound,11-ounce bass | $925 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Troy Harris, Watkinsville, Ga. | 6-pound, 6-ounce bass | $460 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | John Duvall, Madison, Ga. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Generic ½ ounce spinnerbait | Did Not Divulge |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Zoom Trick Worm | June Bug |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Bulldog Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 21-23 | St. Johns, Palatka, Fla. | Putnam County Tourist Development Council |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
Bowman Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Dale Hollow Lake
Rickman’s Beaty Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (April 12, 2021) – Boater Anthony Bowman of Monterey, Tennessee, wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine at Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee. Bowman earned $6,658 for his victory at the event, hosted by the Star Point Marina and Resort.
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Anthony Bowman of Monterey, Tenn. | 5 | 19-13 | $6,658 |
| 2nd | Eric Snow of Clarksville, Ind. | 5 | 18-13 | $2,829 |
| 3rd | Christian Nash of Cookeville, Tenn. | 5 | 18-11 | $2,386 |
| 4th | Clay Reece of Lexington, Ky. | 5 | 18-8 | $1,320 |
| 5th | Adam Militana of Saluda, N.C. | 5 | 18-7 | $1,037 |
| 5th | Mark Neal of Livingston, Tenn. | 5 | 18-7 | $1,037 |
| 5th | Austin Poston of Cookeville, Tenn. | 5 | 18-7 | $1,037 |
| 8th | Chris Burton of Somerset, Ky. | 5 | 18-6 | $849 |
| 9th | Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho | 5 | 18-3 | $707 |
| 9th | Danny Abrams of Greensfork, Ind. | 5 | 18-3 | $707 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Todd Beaty of Rickman, Tenn. | 5 | 15-13 | $2,760 |
| 2nd | Drew Campbell of Cookeville, Tenn. | 4 | 14-15 | $1,822 |
| 3rd | Bert Kissick of Danville, Ky. | 5 | 13-13 | $918 |
| 4th | Craig Marsh of Mount Juliet, Tenn. | 5 | 13-2 | $644 |
| 5th | Bobby Richardson of Gainesboro, Tenn. | 4 | 12-13 | $552 |
| 6th | Kellen Wilson of Somerset, Ky. | 5 | 12-9 | $506 |
| 7th | Will Carnes of Stanford, Ky. | 4 | 12-7 | $460 |
| 8th | Pop Catalin of Cookeville, Tenn. | 5 | 12-2 | $414 |
| 9th | Jonathan Combs of Winchester, Ky. | 5 | 12-1 | $368 |
| 10th | Matt Hall of Frankfort, Ky. | 4 | 11-11 | $322 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Matt Smith of Bowling Green, Ky. | 5-pound, 15-ounce bass | $915 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Drew Campell of Cookeville, Tenn. | 5-pound, 7-ounce bass | $442 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Christian Nash of Cookeville, Tenn. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
WINNING BAITS
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Did Not Divulge | N/A |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Did Not Divulge | N/A |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Mountain Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 7-9 | Wheeler Lake, Decatur, Ala. | Decatur Morgan County Tourism |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook , Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Reitzell Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Lake of the Pines
League City’s Matzke Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
JEFFERSON, Texas (April 12, 2021) – Boater Stephen Reitzell of Colfax, Louisiana, wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine at Lake of the Pines in Jefferson, Texas. Reitzell earned $5,229 for his victory at the event.
TOP 10 RESULTS
| RANK | BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | Stephen Reitzell of Colfax, La. | 5 | 23-10 | $5,229 |
| 2nd | Kraig Chapman of Bossier City, La. | 5 | 21-12 | $2,614 |
| 3rd | Judah Morris of Forest Hill, La. | 5 | 18-14 | $1,745 |
| 4th | Brad Morgan of Ashdown, Ark. | 5 | 18-10 | $1,220 |
| 5th | Edwin Baker of Gilmer, Texas | 5 | 18-3 | $1,046 |
| 6th | Troy Roder of Brookeland, Texas | 5 | 17-15 | $959 |
| 7th | Arthur Johnson of Judson, Texas | 5 | 17-9 | $871 |
| 8th | Red Ballard of Sulphur, La. | 5 | 17-6 | $1,284 |
| 9th | Robert Riche of Houma, La. | 5 | 16-14 | $697 |
| 10th | Randy Deaver of Blanchard, La. | 5 | 16-11 | $860 |
| RANK | STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN | BASS | WEIGHT | AWARD |
| 1st | JJ Matzke of League City, Texas | 5 | 14-9 | $2,614 |
| 2nd | Tyrell Harmon of Manor, Texas | 5 | 14-6 | $1,307 |
| 3rd | Floyd Pittman of Covington, La. | 5 | 14-4 | $872 |
| 4th | Greg Dennis of Fort Worth, Texas | 5 | 14-1 | $566 |
| 4th | Albert Ignacio of Dallas, Texas | 5 | 14-1 | $566 |
| 6th | Robert Massey of Calhoun, La. | 5 | 13-10 | $479 |
| 7th | Calvin Bogan of Livingston, Texas | 5 | 13-0 | $436 |
| 8th | Brandon Begnaud of Texas City, Texas | 5 | 12-14 | $392 |
| 9th | Cameron Petras of Biloxi, Miss. | 4 | 12-12 | $349 |
| 10th | Tim Woodard of Rosepine, La. | 5 | 12-6 | $430 |
| AWARD | NAME | CONTINGENCY | PAYOUT |
| Boater Big Bass | Louis Ferguson of Woodville, Texas | 7-pound, 10-ounce bass | $815 |
| Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass | Lat Nichols of Deport, Texas | 8-pound, 12-ounce bass | $407 |
| Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus | Red Ballard of Sulphur, La. | Eligible Phoenix Boat* | $500 |
| ANGLER | BAIT | COLOR |
| Boater | Generic Spinnerbait/Jig | N/A |
| Strike King Co-Angler | Dropshot-Rigged Soft Plastic Jerkbait | Orange Magnum |
| EVENT | DATE | LOCATION | HOST |
| Cowboy Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship | Oct. 21-23 | Lake Ouachita, Mt. Ida, Ark. | Visit Hot Springs |
| Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American | June 3-5 | Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn. | Jefferson County Department of Tourism |
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook , Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Thrift Tops Qualifying Round Group B at General Tire Heavy Hitters
| North Carolina Pro Weighs Two-Day Total of 18 Bass for 62 Pounds, 6 Ounces To Top Group B, 18 Anglers Set for Tuesday’s Knockout Round
RALEIGH, N.C. (April 12, 2021) – Pro Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, caught five scorable bass totaling 17 pounds, 15 ounces to win the two-day Qualifying Group B round Monday at the Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops . Thrift’s two-day total of 18 bass weighing 62 pounds, 6 ounces earned him the round win by an 11-pound, 14-ounce margin and advances him straight into Wednesday’s final-day Championship Round of competition. The six-day all-star event in Raleigh, North Carolina, showcases 40 of the best bass anglers in the world competing for a purse of more than $535,000, with a top prize of $100,000 going to the winner and Big Bass Bonuses of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 being awarded for the single biggest fish in each round of competition. Link to Photo of Qualifying Round Group B Winner Bryan Thrift “It was kind of a long, frustrating day for me,” Thrift said in his post-game interview. “I’ve been stressed out since lines in this morning at 7:30, but luckily I caught enough and now I get to skip the Knockout Round and go straight to the Championship Round to fish for 200 grand, and that is an amazing feeling.” The fishing on Monday at Falls Lake was different than competitors faced there on Saturday. “I only managed to get five scorable bites all day,” Thrift said. “The good thing is that it was enough to extend my lead, and I had a little bit of a cushion all day long,” Thrift continued. “My Plan A – a white frog – only got me one bite. Luckily, I had a little backup plan – fishing rockpiles offshore with a Texas rig in 1½- to 3-feet of water, and I ended up catching four bass doing that and kind of saved my day. “I’m not sure why, but it was a lot different than Day 1,” Thrift continued. “The water came up, and the carp were up spawning and thrashing around in the bushes. I’m not sure if it spooked the bass or what was happening, but I just did the best I could with what we had. I’m so thankful that I had a backup plan with the Texas rig. Hopefully I’ll be able to figure them out again, one more day, on Shearon Harris.” Erie, Pennsylvania pro Dave Lefebre won the Group B $25,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus award Monday when he boated an 8-pound, 3-ounce largemouth in Period 3 on a soft stickbait. A $50,000 payout will be awarded to the angler that catches the largest bass of the day Tuesday, and $100,000 will be awarded to the angler that catches the heaviest bass on Championship Wednesday. “I caught one bass Saturday on a soft stickbait, so I knew that they would bite it, but it definitely was not on my radar before the tournament began,” Lefebre said. “A frog got me most of my bites on Day 1 but today with the post-frontal conditions and the bluebird skies, that bite totally died. So, I put down the frog and picked up the stickbait and I am so glad that I did.” Although Lefebre did not divulge the brand name of his worm, he did offer some tips on how he fished it. “It was green-pumpkin-colored, with red-and-black flake,” the Pennsylvania pro said. “I like to rough them up before I even take them out of the package, especially when I’m fishing in muddier water. I went to a longer rod, just from my experiences on the first day. These fish swim at you 100 miles per hour when they bite, so I’m just trying to make sure I get that hookset in them and that definitely helped. “I also went down to a lighter weight – 3/16-ounce – and a smaller 3/0 hook,” Lefebre continued. “I didn’t skimp on the line, though. I stayed up there with the 20-pound test. Overall, I’m really happy about how my day turned out and it was a great day of fishing on Falls Lake.” With the Qualifying Round now complete, the anglers that finished in 2nd through 10th place from each group advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round on Shearon Harris Reservoir. The Knockout Round will feature 18 anglers competing to finish in the top eight. Wednesday’s Championship Round will feature Qualifying Round winners Fletcher Shryock and Bryan Thrift, along with the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000. The top 10 pros from Qualifying Group B that now advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round on Shearon Harris Reservoir are: 1st: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 18 bass, 62-6 (ADVANCES DIRECTLY TO CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND) Finishing in 11th through 20th in Qualifying Group B are: 11th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 12 bass, 28-12 A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Overall, there were 83 bass weighing 268 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 19 pros on Monday, which included one 8-pounder, one 7-pounder, three 6-pounders and two 5-pounders caught from Falls Lake. The MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops is hosted by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. The 20 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Jordan Lake on Friday and Sunday – the 20 anglers in Group B on Falls Lake on Saturday and Monday. Now, with each two-day qualifying round completed, the anglers that finished in 2nd through 10th place from both groups advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round on Shearon Harris, while the winner of each group advances directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round on Shearon Harris. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed and the remaining 18 anglers compete to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins. |
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Attendance is limited to competing anglers, essential staff and media covering the event only. Fans are encouraged to follow the event online through the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action each day of competition from 7:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com. and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app. Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, July 17 on the Discovery Channel. A one-hour special episode of MLF Inside Heavy Hitters will also air on CBS in late 2021. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition. For complete details and updated information on General Tire Heavy Hitters, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. |
Brock Mosley Doubles Down on Toyota Bonus Bucks
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brock Mosley kept his bank teller busy the past month after adding $5,000 of Toyota Bonus Bucks thanks to two consecutive second place finishes at Pickwick Lake and the Sabine River.
While Mosley is happy to leave the Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite on the Sabine River with another great finish, he’d be lying if he didn’t say coming so close to becoming an Elite Series champion burned a little bit.
“I’m happy with another second place but man… it’s so hard to put yourself in a position to win one of these events,” Mosley admitted. “My time is going to come one of these days and I’ll get my hands on one of those blue trophies.”
The Dakota Lithium Batteries pro was making a long run nearly all the way to Houston the first three days of competition on the Sabine River.
But after struggling to connect with the better than average bass he had been catching on day three, Mosley called an audible. Staying close to takeoff to try and rundown day three leader, and eventual champion Jason Christie. Mosley nearly did just that using a two-pronged approach of fishing a ½-ounce Z-man Jack Hammer with a Yamamota Zako trailer in his primary area and junk fishing “swamp cover” on the final day.
This was Mosley’s third top ten finish in a row and his second consecutive tournament finishing as the runner up. Instead of dwelling on the near misses, Mosley draws from the positive momentum he has right now and the extra contingency money he’s earned by towing with a 2019 Toyota Tundra.
“This is my third Toyota Tundra, and this truck alone has made me at least $9,000,” Mosley said. “No other truck brand supports the fishing industry like Toyota and you certainly can’t win Bonus Bucks with any other tow vehicle. I’m proud to support a company that gives so much back to us anglers.”
Mosley was the second highest Toyota Bonus Bucks finisher at the Sabine River behind Jason Christie, which earned him a $2,000 check from the popular contingency program. The additional $3,000 came from being the highest placing program participant at Pickwick Lake a few weeks ago.
Highlighting one of the best facets of Bonus Bucks, you don’t need to win an event to get paid, you just have to place higher than other anglers signed up for the program.
Bonus Bucks supports hundreds of bass and walleye tournaments for anglers of all levels. Follow this link https://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/ to learn more about the program, to find a full list of eligible tournaments and payouts, or to get registered. If you’d rather call than click, dial (918) 742-6424 and ask for Chip or Kendell – they’ll get you signed up.
BERKLEY AND BOATUS SEEK ENTRIES FOR RECAST & RECYLE CONTEST
Teams and individuals can submit entries through May 14, 2021 for a chance at winning one of three cash prizes totaling $30,000.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (April 12, 2021) — Anglers have long sought a solution to eliminate waste and reduce their environmental impact. The current process for repurposing fishing line is complicated and time-consuming, while recycling programs for other tackle are virtually non-existent.
Berkley has teamed up with the BoatUS Foundation for the Recast & Recycle Contest to generate innovative ideas to improve the fishing tackle recycling process, increase the amount of fishing line that can be recycled, develop products from recycled items and discover new ways to reuse fishing line.
Contest submissions can address any and all of these goals to improve the recycling process, and winning entries will receive $15,000 for first place, $10,000 for second place and $5,000 for third place.
Entries can include either a link to a video demonstration of the concept or a one-page graphic summary and must be submitted by the May 14, 2021 deadline. Berkley encourages professionals, amateur anglers and students to participate, either as individuals or part of a group collaboration.
A team of judges will evaluate submissions based on workability, practicality, innovation and potential impact on the overall recycling process with the winner announced later this summer.
To learn more about the Recast & Recycle contest and submit your entry, visit BoatUS.org/Contest.
Lance Whitaker and Jeremy Briscoe win Wheeler Lake with 25.43 pounds of smallmouth.
By Jason Duran Photos by Chris Brown
Decatur, AL, April 11, 2021- The Alabama Bass Trail North Division teams had to wait one more day to get their shot at $10,000 on Wheeler Lake. Fishing was delayed until Sunday due to a strong weather system that moved through the area on Saturday. When the sun rose on Sunday, 225 teams were anxious to see if their practice would pay off. Many teams found their areas changed a lot with the water rising on Saturday from all the rain. However, on Sunday the water level began falling because both dams were wide open and the current was really strong giving teams one more obstacle to adjust to. In the end, Wheeler Lake showed out in a strong way with 51 teams catching over 15 pounds, and the the top 8 teams all weighing in over 20 pounds. The team of Lance Whitaker and Jeremy Briscoe took home the win with 25.43 pounds of smallmouth.
Lance and Jeremy said practice went really well for them; they spent two days trying to find current seams and places where smallmouth and spots would set up just inside the current waiting to feed. Since there has been so much rain over the last few weeks, they thought the current was going to be in their favor, so they made the run to an area they know well just below the Guntersville Dam. We “knew all the floodgates were on and when the flood gates are on, we always fish this way.” For them the key was making the right cast- “it’s really important to cast as close as you can to the current seam. Sometimes you cast in the current and let your bait fall with the current, and sometimes you can cast on the slack current side, but the fish really set up in the middle and stay almost in the current. You just have to try to make the right cast.” Lance and Jeremy used spinning tackle all day along with two baits: A NetBait 5 inch flex worm in Keylime pie and NetBait T-Mac Straight tail worm in Alabama Craw both rigged on a shaky head with 10 pound fluorocarbon leader and 15 pound braid. They had over 25 fish catches all day and probably lost 20 pounds, but they stayed in the same spot all day. A limit was caught around 8:30, and the fishing was good all day.
The second place team of Blake Hall and Triston Crowder caught 23.38 pounds for $5000. Practice for them was slow, not getting many bites. On tournament day they decided to head west out of Ingalls Harbor to build on their practice. Their plan was to fish shallow water and primarily target pad stems and bank grass in 1 foot of water with a spinner bait and Chatterbait. They caught a limit around 11:00 with a total of 15 keepers all day. Throughout the day they worked through about 30 spots saying, “it was all about covering water, so they were glad to see the rain on Saturday because they felt it kept the water up in the areas they were fishing.”
Luke Kyle and Arch Cornett finished in third place. “We started off the morning fishing shallow flipping and caught a limit early, so we decided to change it up and move around to different areas. We changed baits to a Bill Lewis square bill trying to find bigger fish, but we really never got a kicker fish. Later in the day we were able to upgrade by fishing some current seams” fishing mainly in the mid-lake area. Eric grew up “fishing this lake and sometimes that can help you or hurt you. I always feel I have some areas I can go and catch fish. When the wind picked up, it was helpful to have that local knowledge to be able to go and get out of the wind.” Their primary baits were a Green Pumpkin Jig, Bill Lewis Square Bill and a Green Pumpkin Zoom Baby Brush hog. Eric said, we “probably caught 70 fish throughout the day, and at one point, we just quit getting the net for 3 pounders because it really wasn’t helping us cull up any.” They weighed in 21.57 for $4000 plus a Garmin bonus.
Top ten standings are below for a complete list see: https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/wl-results/
Newcomb Wins Toyota Series Event on Grand Lake
Missouri Angler Wins By 11 Ounces, Takes Home $76,500
GROVE, Okla. (April 12, 2021) – Toyota Series angler Andy Newcomb of Camdenton, Missouri, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 11 ounces to win the three-day Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. at Grand Lake presented by Fenwick in Grove, Oklahoma. Newcomb’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 52-13 earned him the win by a 11-ounce margin over second-place angler Chris Jones of Bokoshe, Oklahoma , and earned Newcomb the top payout of $76,500, including a lucrative $35,500 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus, in the second tournament of the 2021 Toyota Series Plains Division.
After finishing second in the first Toyota Series Plains Division event at Lake of the Ozarks back in March, Newcomb dropped 17 pounds, 13 ounces on Day 1 of the event to sit in ninth place. He backed it up on Day 2 with 19-5 to take the lead, followed by 15-11 on Day 3 to earn his first career Toyota Series win.
“It’s incredible,” Newcomb said of his win. “Just the fact that I was able to edge out Chris (Jones) is incredible – Chris is the man. Eric Olliverson is another buddy of mine that catches them everywhere. To beat those guys… I’ve worked hard at it and I’ve never felt I was truly at that level.
So, to win one feels really, really good.
“Thursday, I caught all of my fish off of chunky gravel and my good ones came halfway back in pockets,” Newcomb said. “If I went back further I could only catch small keepers, and towards the main lake I couldn’t catch anything.”
With no wind, warmer temperatures and clear skies on Day 2, Newcomb said he tried to force his “chunky gravel” pattern, but to no avail.
“I tried for a long time to make that pattern from Day 1 work,” he said. “Finally, I rolled up to a bluff and I thought that it looked like a place I could catch one.
“I threw out there and had one hit it and that changed my whole tournament. Even though I didn’t land it, that fish biting made me think, ‘there’s fish here.’ I went a little further down and had another bite and told my co-angler we were going to camp there. In the last hour and a half of the day, they turned on. I went from 9 pounds to over 19 in a hurry.”
Newcomb said as far as baits go, he stuck with Grand Lake staples – a jig and a spinnerbait.
“In cleaner water, I was either throwing a BOOYAH Covert Spinnerbait with a small, gold Colorado blade and a bigger, silver willow blade or a chartreuse War Eagle spinnerbait – I swapped the painted blades out for smaller willow blades so I could fish it a little faster, which made the fish swallow it instead of just biting it.”
Newcomb said he also added a BioSpawn ExoSwim (Feider shad) to his spinnerbait for extra bulk and dyed the tail chartreuse. He threw his blades on a 7-foot, 4-inch Daiwa Tatula Elite vibrating jig rod with a Daiwa Tatula reel, spooled with 17-pound-test Vicious Pro Elite fluorocarbon line.
A ½-ounce Apex Tackle Company Dirk’s Jig got a key bite on Day 2, but did all of the heavy lifting on the final day. He put a Zoom Ultravibe Speed Craw on the back and pitched it to any rock or wood he could along the bank. His jig tackle consisted of a 7-foot, 1-inch Tatula Elite rod, with the same Tatula reel as the spinnerbait and he ran 20-pound Vicious Pro Elite fluorocarbon on it.
“It’s a very small jig, with just a few strands of skirt,” Newcomb said. “Color didn’t seem to matter. If you got it in front of one they would bite, but they just ate funny. I think I weighed every fish today on the jig and most everything the first two days on a spinnerbait.”
With the trophy in hand, Newcomb said he’s happy that his fish-to-win mentality finally paid off on the big stage and he’s hoping it may lead to an even bigger stage soon.
“At the end of the day, whether I win or lose, I know I did everything I could to win,” he said. “Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but when it does, boy it feels really, really good.”
The top 10 pros on Grand Lake finished:
1st: Andy Newcomb of Camdenton, Mo., 15 bass, 52-13, $76,500
2nd: Chris M. Jones of Bokoshe, Okla., 15 bass, 52-2, $15,500
3rd: Kyle Minke of Lindstrom, Minn., 15 bass, 51-15, $12,000
4th: Joey Cantrell of Whitesboro, Texas, 15 bass, 51-8, $10,000
5th: T.J. Martin of Claremore, Okla., 15 bass, 49-4, $9,000
6th: Brent Algeo of Ozark, Mo., 15 bass, 48-12, $8,000
7th: James Watson of Lampe, Mo., 15 bass, 48-9, $7,150
8th: Eric Olliverson of Lampe, Mo., 15 bass, 48-0, $6,000
9th: Kyle Weisenburger of Columbus Grove, Ohio, 15 bass, 46-8, $5,000
10th: Toby Hartsell of Afton, Okla., 45-13, $4,000
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Pro James Watson of Lampe, Missouri took home an additional $150 for the Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division, with a bass weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounces. Nathen Luce of Claremore, Oklahoma won the Day Two Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division, bringing an 6-pound, 11-ounce bass to the scale.
Newcomb added an extra $35,000 to his winnings as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Derek Felton of Willard, Missouri won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 37 pounds, 6 ounces. Felton took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on Grand Lake finished:
1st: Derek Felton of Thayer, Mo., 14 bass, 37-6, Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat w/115-hp outboard
2nd: Matt Krekovich of Granite City, Ill., 13 bass, 36-3, $4,969
3rd: Andrew Brandstrom of White Bear Lake, Minn., 12 bass, 35-12, $3,975
4th: Tate Brumnett of Wagoner, Okla., 14 bass, 35-12, $3,478
5th: Rob Crane of Fairview Heights, Ill., 14 bass, 33-13, $2,981
6th: Josh Klinghagen of Kokomo, Ind., 13 bass, 32-0, $2,484
7th: John Hoyer of Orono, Minn., 12 bass, 31-13, $1,987
8th: Todd Adamitis of Glen Carbon, Ill, 12 bass, 31-11, $1,739
9th: Dennis Young of Olathe, Kan., 10 bass, 30-9, $1,491
10th: Joey Bohannon of Rogers, Ark., 10 bass, 26-7, $1,242
In the Strike King co-angler division, the $100 Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award winner was John Bowdre of Hernando, Mississippi, with a 6-pound bass, 8-ounce bass, while the $99 Day 2 award went to Felton with a 6-pound, 14-ounce bass.
The Toyota Series at Grand Lake was presented by Fenwick and was hosted by the City of Grove. It was the second of three regular-season tournaments in 2021 for Plains Division anglers. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will take place on April 28-30 – the Toyota Series at Sam Rayburn presented by Berkley in Brookeland, Texas. For a complete schedule, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2021 Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division. Anglers who fish all three qualifiers in any of the eight divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 cash, including a $35,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus for qualified anglers. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2021 Toyota Series Championship presented by A.R.E. will be held Oct. 28-30 on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Hardin County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Terry Peacock goes solo & wins over $21,000
5 fish limit for 26.48 with a 10.02 Kicker!!!!!
| Place | Boat | Truck | Angler 1 | Angler 2 | Fish | Big Bass | Wt. | Prize Amt. | |
| 1 | TERRY PEACOCK ROYSE CITY , TX |
SCOTT DEAN TERRELL , TX |
5 | 10.02 | 26.48 |
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| 2 | |
BUSTER JOHNSON KRUM , TX |
ZACH PARKER DENTON , TX |
5 | 9.67 | 25.98 |
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| 3 | CRAIG DOWIS DALLAS , TX |
MICHAEL VASQUEZ TEMPLE , TX |
5 | 8.85 | 25.06 |
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| 4 | |
|
JEREMY LAMBERT DECATUR , TX |
BRANDEN HOLLINGSHEAD AZLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 24.95 |
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| 5 | KEITH CULLUM CORINTH , TX |
JIM FENNELL WHITESBORO , TX |
5 | 0 | 23.59 |
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| 6 | NOLAN JACKSON ROYSE CITY , TX |
DREW SLOAN SCURRY , TX |
5 | 0 | 23.39 |
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| 7 | MIKE COGBURN QUINLAN , TX |
CRAIG MARTIN QUINLAN , TX |
5 | 0 | 23.33 |
|
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| 8 | SHAWN TEMPLE KRUGERVILLE , TX |
COLE TEMPLE FORT WORTH , TX |
5 | 0 | 23.31 |
|
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| 9 | |
TEDDY REYNOLDS SANGER , TX |
DAYTON HAWKINS SANGER , TX |
5 | 0 | 22.32 |
|
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| 10 | TOM WURST NEW CANEY , TX |
BOB RICHARDS SANGER , TX |
5 | 8.58 | 21.84 |
|
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| 11 | |
MARK CHILD ARLINGTON , TX |
ANDY SALLEE NRH , TX |
5 | 0 | 21.47 |
|
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| 12 | |
CHRIS MOORE ROCKWALL , TX |
KY MARTIN GRANDVIEW , TX |
5 | 0 | 21.23 |
|
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| 13 | BRAD SHUFLIN LAKE KIOWA , TX |
RYAN SHUFLIN LAKE KIOWA , TX |
5 | 8.92 | 20.57 |
|
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| 14 | ROBERT SPLAWN GAINESVILLE , TX |
RICKY SPRAYBERRY GAINESVILLE , TX |
5 | 5.33 | 20.39 |
|
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| 15 | BILL SIMS GREENVILLE , TX |
JASON CONN ANNA , TX |
5 | 0 | 20.37 |
|
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| 16 | |
CHRIS BAUGH PROSPER , TX |
MATTHEW LEE NORTH RICHLAND HILLS , TX |
5 | 8.69 | 20.00 |
|
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| 17 | |
ZACHARY SHIMON MCKINNEY , TX |
HEATH COLEMAN CARROLLTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.53 |
|
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| 18 | ED MELTON HOUSTON , TX |
JEFF RANDOLPH HUNTSVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.39 |
|
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| 19 | |
JAMES BIGGERSTAFF LINDALE , TX |
BRADLEY BIGGERSTAFF FAIRFIELD , TX |
5 | 0 | 19.13 |
|
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| 20 | |
TOMMY HULSEY JR CORSICANA , TX |
JUSTIN GARNETT FAIRFIELD , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.93 |
|
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| 21 | |
 |
JEFF NORRIS DECATUR , TX |
RONNIE NORRIS BOYD , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.78 |
|
|
| 22 | |
TERRY JOHNSON FATE , TX |
TODD JOHNSON FORNEY , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.38 |
|
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| 23 | |
KEVIN DRITSCHLER PROSPER , TX |
TIM BROCKWAY KAUFMAN , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.30 |
|
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| 24 | KEVIN ALLEN JEWETT , TX |
BRANDON BROSSETT GROESBECK , TX |
5 | 0 | 18.11 |
|
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| 25 | TAD KIRCHOFF GAINESVILLE , TX |
SCOTT FORD GAINESVILLE , TX |
3 | 0 | 17.70 |
|
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| 26 | BEAU SULLIVAN FORT WORTH , TX |
JOE SWANEY GAINESVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.46 |
|
|||
| 27 | JERRY DAVID II PILOT POINT , TX |
JACOB DAVID PILOT POINT , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.31 |
|
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| 28 | RYAN AUTERY RICHARDSON , TX |
5 | 0 | 17.18 |
|
||||
| 29 | TRENT MENEES NORTHLAKE , TX |
TERRY BOLLOM FRISCO , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.92 |
|
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| 30 | ROCKIE MARTIN ROCKWALL , TX |
CLINT NOWELL FORT WORTH , TX |
3 | 0 | 16.66 |
|
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| 31 | |
MARK BIONDI JR BURLESON , TX |
MARK BIONDI SR BURLESON , TX |
5 | 0 | 16.34 |
|
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| 32 | JACOB SHANNON ARLINGTON , TX |
JAMES SHAMBURGER MABANK , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.83 |
|
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| 33 | |
|
JOE ROME FLOWER MOUND , TX |
JOEL MCBRIDE CORINTH , TX |
4 | 0 | 15.60 |
|
|
| 34 | |
JOE SMITH FORNEY , TX |
KENNETH GERECHT PALMER , TX |
4 | 0 | 15.59 |
|
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| 35 | PERRY SWEARINGEN ROCKWALL , TX |
BRAD SWEARINGEN WESTLAKE , TX |
5 | 6.92 | 15.44 |
|
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| 36 | STEVE SCHMIDT MIDLOTHIAN , TX |
BILLY RYAN MANSFIELD , TX |
5 | 0 | 15.15 |
|
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| 37 | ROBERT BROOKS ARDMORE , OK |
BRYAN BROOKS ARDMORE , OK |
4 | 0 | 14.87 |
|
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| 38 | |
ALAN SWARTS MT VERNON , TX |
DAN BENSON COMBINE , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.84 |
|
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| 39 | DANIEL STEWART MURPHY , TX |
JD YARBROUGH MURPHY , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.81 |
|
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| 40 | |
DANIEL RAMSEY TRINIDAD , TX |
GARRETT THOMAS MALAKOFF , TX |
3 | 0 | 14.74 |
|
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| 41 | |
|
ROB MEDDERS CELINA , TX |
ROB WILSON SHERMAN , TX |
4 | 0 | 14.65 |
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|
| 42 | |
TIM CLINE SHERMAN , TX |
CHRIS TILTON WYLIE , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.47 |
|
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| 43 | JACOB BAKER TERRELL , TX |
MATTHEW KIRKLIN HOLLY LAKE RANCH , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.43 |
|
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| 44 | |
STEVE FOUSHEE MURPHY , TX |
BRYAN TUCKER CARROLLTON , TX |
5 | 0 | 14.01 |
|
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| 45 | MARK RHODES ODESSA , TX |
EVAN MULLEN ODESSA , TX |
4 | 0 | 13.83 |
|
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| 46 | KENNETH MOORE RED OAK , TX |
KEITH GLASBY OVILLA , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.55 |
|
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| 47 | |
|
ALLEN SHELTON FARMERS BRANCH , TX |
JOHN MCCALMONT ROCKWALL , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.51 |
|
|
| 48 | |
KENT SIKES ROANOKE , TX |
DARRELL CAMPBELL ALBA , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.50 |
|
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| 49 | CLINT CLOPTON LEWISVILLE , TX |
RANDLE DAVIS SANGER , TX |
4 | 0 | 13.47 |
|
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| 50 | AARON WALKER MT VERNON , TX |
STEVEN STROMAN SCROGGINS , TX |
4 | 0 | 13.35 |
|
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| 51 | |
BOBBY WALKER PONCA CITY , OK |
RAY SPEAR WATAUGA , TX |
5 | 0 | 13.32 |
|
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| 52 | DEREK ROGERS MALAKOFF , TX |
BRANDON MOBLEY DAWSON , TX |
4 | 0 | 13.25 |
|
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| 53 | |
COLE MASSEY JUSTIN , TX |
CLAY WHITE NEWARK , TX |
3 | 0 | 13.23 |
|
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| 54 | |
ART PASLEY DALLAS , TX |
JON PASLEY KAUFMAN , TX |
4 | 0 | 13.18 |
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| 54 | DA SHON PECK THE COLONY , TX |
ALONZA BROWN MCKINNEY , TX |
4 | 0 | 13.18 |
|
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| 56 | |
|
ROGER RITCHIE WICHITA FALLS , TX |
RICHARD RITCHIE BENTON , AR |
4 | 0 | 12.79 |
|
|
| 57 | |
KEITH BRYAN DECATUR , TX |
COLBY BRYAN DECATUR , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.75 |
|
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| 58 | STEVE TRIMBLE DUNCANVILLE , TX |
DAKOTA TRIMBLE KAUFMAN , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.73 |
|
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| 59 | STEVE SIMS SANGER , TX |
RONNIE SIMS LEWISVILLE , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.71 |
|
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| 60 | CHRIS GILROY FRISCO , TX |
MICHAEL FULLER BLUE RIDGE , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.66 |
|
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| 61 | KEITH IVY PONDER , TX |
TOMMY MURRAY BEDFORD , TX |
3 | 0 | 12.62 |
|
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| 62 | CHASE WELCH CRANDALL , TX |
CHASE WOOD COMBINE , TX |
4 | 0 | 12.61 |
|
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| 63 | LEE YOWELL ENNIS , TX |
MARK CROW PALMER , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.60 |
|
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| 64 | CHRISTOPHER WALLING PALESTINE , TX |
JON GRAHAM PALESTINE , TX |
4 | 0 | 12.56 |
|
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| 65 | |
DAVID REYNOLDS MCKINNEY , TX |
ROBERT BROCK JR MCKINNEY , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.39 |
|
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| 66 | BRETT KILMER ROCKWALL , TX |
BRANNON MCMILLAN WEST TAWAKONI , TX |
3 | 0 | 12.34 |
|
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| 67 | SCOTT BARNETT MANSFIELD , TX |
BRIAN CLARK HALTOM CITY , TX |
4 | 0 | 12.21 |
|
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| 68 | |
|
JEFF LITTLE KELLER , TX |
KEVIN LAIN KELLER , TX |
3 | 0 | 12.17 |
|
|
| 69 | |
CHRIS FORD WINNSBORO , TX |
DAVID EASLEY KELLER , TX |
5 | 0 | 12.08 |
|
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| 70 | |
|
JOE HUCHOWSKI AZLE , TX |
NORMAN MINERICH FORT WORTH , TX |
5 | 0 | 11.86 |
|
|
| 71 | ANDY MOOTY NORTH RICHLAND HILLS , TX |
NOAH SKOLNICK MISSION HILLS , KS |
4 | 0 | 11.62 |
|
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| 72 | |
JUSTIN TUNNELL RICHARDSON , TX |
PATRICK TUNNELL HAWKINS , TX |
2 | 0 | 11.54 |
|
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| 73 | RONNIE CASTLEBURY ELGIN , OK |
JAKE CASTLEBURY ELGIN , OK |
4 | 0 | 11.45 |
|
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| 74 | |
TANNER SPURGIN MCKINNEY , TX |
TYLER HOLMES RICHARDSON , TX |
4 | 0 | 11.32 |
|
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| 75 | MIKE BURNS ALLEN , TX |
ROB BURNS PLANO , TX |
5 | 0 | 11.22 |
|
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| 76 | |
SCOT MCDONALD CELINA , TX |
KEITH KRZEMINSKI AUBREY , TX |
4 | 0 | 11.21 |
|
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| 77 | JEFF ARNOLD LEWISVILLE , TX |
RICK NEWTON GRAPEVINE , TX |
4 | 0 | 11.18 |
|
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| 78 | |
KURT KLOSOWSKI PLANO , TX |
TOM MOCNY LITTLE ELM , TX |
2 | 0 | 10.91 |
|
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| 79 | MIKE REID FATE , TX |
RON ROGERS ROCKWALL , TX |
5 | 0 | 10.75 |
|
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| 80 | BLAKE HENDERSON ATHENS , TX |
BRAD CARTER SCURRY , TX |
3 | 0 | 10.50 |
|
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| 81 | |
MIKE HITT CRANDALL , TX |
KEVIN BROWN GRAND SALINE , TX |
3 | 0 | 10.19 |
|
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| 82 | |
|
JUSTIN DUBOSE PARADISE , TX |
STEVE LYNAM SOUTHLAKE , TX |
5 | 0 | 10.14 |
|
|
| 83 | DAN JEZEK TIOGA , TX |
JOHN JEZEK AUBREY , TX |
3 | 0 | 9.98 |
|
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| 84 | |
|
JOHN BYLER ARGYLE , TX |
3 | 0 | 9.83 |
|
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| 85 | ANDREW RICKMAN JR CANTON , TX |
MIKE CRAIN AZLE , TX |
3 | 0 | 9.81 |
|
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| 86 | |
|
MARK PERRY RUNAWAY BAY , TX |
MIKE PETROVIC ALVIN , TX |
3 | 0 | 9.69 |
|
|
| 87 | |
JUSTIN KELLEY JOSHUA , TX |
RAY BOSQUEZ JR FORT WORTH , TX |
3 | 0 | 9.42 |
|
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| 88 | RUSSELL LEE SACHSE , TX |
JODIE HONZA ENNIS , TX |
2 | 0 | 9.28 |
|
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| 89 | |
KODY SARGENT WEATHERFORD , TX |
TREY WINSTEAD WEATHERFORD , TX |
3 | 0 | 9.17 |
|
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| 90 | |
JIMMY HARRISON SR BOYD , TX |
DONALD HARRISON ARLINGTON , TX |
4 | 0 | 9.10 |
|
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| 91 | CODY BURDINE BRIDGEPORT , TX |
BOBBY POINTER ALVORD , TX |
1 | 9.02 | 9.02 |
|
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| 92 | |
AARON ASHMORE IVANHOE , TX |
ROBERT NULL PONDER , TX |
3 | 0 | 9.00 |
|
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| 93 | KELLY FERGUSON FATE , TX |
JAXON FERGUSON FATE , TX |
2 | 0 | 8.95 |
|
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| 94 | |
SCOTTY GALBREAITH WEATHERFORD , TX |
JASON GALBREAITH BURLESON , TX |
3 | 0 | 8.93 |
|
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| 95 | |
CODY MASON SULPHUR SPRINGS , TX |
CHADD DEAREN ROWLETT , TX |
3 | 0 | 8.74 |
|
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| 96 | |
|
DEREK THOMPSON ARGYLE , TX |
BRIT LEQUIEU JUSTIN , TX |
4 | 0 | 8.70 |
|
|
| 97 | |
CHRIS BACHTA GRAPEVINE , TX |
CHARLIE JOHNSON DECATUR , TX |
3 | 5.58 | 8.68 |
|
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| 98 | ANDY WILBURN ROYSE CITY , TX |
JOEL CHAPMAN WYLIE , TX |
3 | 0 | 8.49 |
|
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| 99 | |
|
EDDIE HALL CADDO MILLS , TX |
BRANDON BREWER CADDO MILLS , TX |
4 | 0 | 8.37 |
|
|
| 100 | |
JUSTIN LONG MANSFIELD , TX |
RYAN LONG MIDLOTHIAN , TX |
3 | 0 | 8.35 |
|
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| 101 | ED BLACKBURN GRAND PRAIRIE , TX |
RONNIE HAMBY AURORA , TX |
4 | 0 | 8.23 |
|
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| 102 | |
ANDREW MILLER LOS LUMAS , NM |
GARY MILLS ALBUQUERQUE , NM |
3 | 0 | 7.93 |
|
||
| 103 | |
CHRIS DUROY KINGSTON , OK |
BOE FOSSETT KINGSTON , OK |
3 | 0 | 7.75 |
|
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| 104 | CHARLIE HERRON EUSTACE , TX |
DAVID COLE COMBINE , TX |
3 | 0 | 7.73 |
|
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| 105 | |
SCOTT WHITTEN SPRINGTOWN , TX |
MATTHEW BIEHL BELLEVUE , TX |
1 | 7.58 | 7.58 |
|
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| 106 | |
TIM WILCOXSON EDGEWOOD , TX |
JERAMY MARINELLI ROYSE CITY , TX |
3 | 0 | 7.50 |
|
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| 107 | MICHAEL HUTTON ROYSE CITY , TX |
BRET BERTRAND VILLE PLATTE , LA |
4 | 0 | 7.40 |
|
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| 108 | |
MARIO LUCCHETTI COMMERCE , TX |
JASON AMPERSE COMMERCE , TX |
2 | 0 | 6.99 |
|
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| 109 | |
JONATHAN BOOTEN FORT WORTH , TX |
PETE HERNANDEZ WEATHERFORD , TX |
3 | 0 | 6.71 |
|
||
| 110 | |
STEVEN RIZZO PROSPER , TX |
CHRIS STRATTA LITTLE ELM , TX |
1 | 6.60 | 6.60 |
|
||
| 111 | |
PERRY POWELL ALBA , TX |
JARED TAYLOR SOUTHLAKE , TX |
2 | 0 | 6.29 |
|
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| 112 | TOM MCELROY NORTH RICHLAND HILLS , TX |
CHERYL SPEAR NORTH RICHLAND HILLS , TX |
1 | 6.22 | 6.22 |
|
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| 113 | JORDAN LOGAN FORT WORTH , TX |
CHASE KELLEY AZLE , TX |
2 | 0 | 6.02 |
|
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| 114 | J BRAD KOELHER BROKEN ARROW , OK |
DWAYNE LIKENS MILLS , TX |
1 | 5.87 | 5.87 |
|
|||
| 115 | |
MATT MORTON DALLAS , TX |
MICHAEL BURNSIDE ANNA , TX |
3 | 0 | 5.79 |
|
||
| 116 | |
DIRK SMITH FARMERSVILLE , TX |
BRYON HARRISON QUINLAN , TX |
2 | 0 | 5.78 |
|
||
| 117 | JEFF LOONEY TEAGUE , TX |
FRANK POLLEY OAK POINT , TX |
1 | 5.19 | 5.19 |
|
|||
| 118 | |
VIRGIL KUYKENDALL MALAKOFF , TX |
DEREK JOHNSON MALAKOF , TX |
2 | 0 | 4.42 |
|
||
| 119 | |
COREY NEWBY ALLEN , TX |
BRANDON LEHMER GUNTER , TX |
1 | 4.22 | 4.22 |
|
||
| 120 | |
RICKY CONWAY SULPHUR SPRINGS , TX |
HADEN SICKLES SULPHUR SPRINGS , TX |
1 | 4.15 | 4.15 |
|
||
| 121 | |
PAT LESIAK TROPHY CLUB , TX |
TYLER LESIAK TROPHY CLUB , TX |
2 | 0 | 3.91 |
|
||
| 122 | RONALD TROUTT CORINTH , TX |
BENJAMIN TROUTT CORINTH , TX |
1 | 0 | 3.85 |
|
|||
| 123 | |
JAMES SMILEY MCKINNEY , TX |
RYAN DELAUGHTER CORINTH , TX |
2 | 0 | 3.63 |
|
||
| 124 | |
BRUCE POWELL WINNSBORO , TX |
SCOTT SCROGGINS SULPHUR SPRNGS , TX |
2 | 0 | 3.51 |
|
||
| 125 | DAVID THOMAS MELISSA , TX |
KYLE ROBINSON ANNA , TX |
1 | 0 | 3.49 |
|
|||
| 126 | |
LARRY BOTTOM WILLOW PARK , TX |
KYLE BOTTOM ALEDO , TX |
1 | 0 | 3.24 |
|
||
| 127 | |
WESLEY BARNARD HALLSVILLE , TX |
ANDREW SCOTT MARSHALL , TX |
1 | 0 | 3.15 |
|
||
| 128 | BRYAN FLENNIKEN FORT WORTH , TX |
JASON FLENNIKEN MIDWEST CITY , OK |
1 | 0 | 2.85 |
|
|||
| 129 | |
GRADY CHAMBERS JUSTIN , TX |
DOUG CHAMBERS PILOT POINT , TX |
1 | 0 | 2.48 |
|
||
| 130 | |
STEVEN LOFTICE VAN ALSTYNE , TX |
MONTY EDGE VAN ALSTYNE , TX |
1 | 0 | 2.35 |
|
||
| 131 | |
|
TIM WILCOXSON ROCKWALL , TX |
ERIC ELDER SCROGGINS , TX |
1 | 0 | 2.10 |
|
|
| 132 | DENNIS CHRISTOPHER JR BURLESON , TX |
TIM WILSON ALVARADO , TX |
1 | 0 | 2.09 |
|
|||
| 133 | |
GEORGE RIDDLE MCKINNEY , TX |
ROCKY EPPS BEDFORD , TX |
1 | 0 | 1.79 |
|
||
| 134 | JOSEPH RAINS GAINESVILLE , TX |
TRAVIS MULLICAN TOM BEAN , TX |
1 | 0 | 1.72 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
RORY LAYNE EMORY , TX |
BRIAN JACKSON ALBA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | JOHNNY TRAMMELL BOYD , TX |
DOYLE REDDELL MINERAL WELLS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
MARK MAYBEN PLANO , TX |
JOHN MAYBEN DALLAS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
MARK WYLIE KELLER , TX |
MARK PARKER GRAPEVINE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | TERRY EASLEY CANTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||||
| 135 | |
JOHN MCDIFFITT GRANBURY , TX |
BOBBY VINCENT HUDSON OAKS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | RANDY SPENCE TERRELL , TX |
BOBBY BADARACK FT WORTH , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | RONNIE ELMS SCURRY , TX |
DOYLE HATCHER SCURRY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
LARRY BENCH DENISON , TX |
HI HILLBURN COLBERT , OK |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | DON KUYKENDALL GUN BARRREL CITY , TX |
ARON BOLDEN TAYLOR , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
KENT SKOGLUND TIOGA , TX |
KYLE SKOGLUND DECATUR , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | ANTHONY SMITH ATHENS , TX |
WILLIAM THORNTON EDGEWOOD , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
BUTCH SCHEPPLER ALBA , TX |
RICKY CAMPBELL ALBA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
SAM MCCOLLUM CORSICANA , TX |
PAUL MCCOLLUM CORSICANA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
BRANDON POTTER DECATUR , TX |
ANDREW COX FT WORTH , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | MATT WILSON NORTH RICHLAND HILLS , TX |
DANIEL HERRING WATUAGA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | MICHAEL MURPHY ROCKWALL , TX |
DILLON FITZGERALD QUINLAN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
ZACHARY WYMER YANTIS , TX |
MATT CARR SCURRY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | DAVID HOWARD DALLAS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||||
| 135 | LEE BATSON HEATH , TX |
JOHN FLEMING COMBINE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
TYLER STOUT RED OAK , TX |
ELDON STOUT MESQUITE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
DEREK SWINDLER WAXAHACHIE , TX |
STEPHEN HAMPTON WILLS POINT , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | JEFF PITRUCHA GREENVILLE , TX |
GARY COOPER COMBINE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
RYAN REYNOLDS LAVON , TX |
JAYSON FUNKHOUSER WYLIE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
GLEN STOGSDILL SANGER , TX |
STEVE STOGSDILL KRUM , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
TYLER WOODS FT WORTH , TX |
MATTHEW ANTHONY FT WORTH , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | GARY WILCOXSON HAWKINS , TX |
JAY WILCOXSON MINEOLA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | GARY TUGGLE WYLIE , TX |
TANNER YOUNG WYLIE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
MITCHELL VINES WOLFE CITY , TX |
BRANDON MURPHY QUINLAN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | JOHNNY UNDERFUSSER DENISON , TX |
RON SAUCEMAN COLLINSVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
DANIEL WILLIAMSON FT WORTH , TX |
DOUG DURRWACHTER GRAPEVINE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
WILLIAM PALMER MIDLOTHIAN , TX |
JERAMIE BYRD MIDLOTHIAN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | KEITH TAYLOR ROCKWALL , TX |
LARRY LADNIER ROCKWALL , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
JEREMY SIMS EMORY , TX |
ZACH HUGHES QUITMAN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
VENTURA TORREZ FORT WORTH , TX |
MICHAEL ALLS FT WORTH , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | THERRELL THOMAS PALESTINE , TX |
ROBERT BAXTER BULLARD , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
JD LAUGHERY ROCKWALL , TX |
STAN LAWING POETRY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | JONATHAN LANCASTER QUITMAN , TX |
JOSH PRIEST QUITMAN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
WAYLON REYNOLDS JARALES , NM |
TODD REYNOLDS BELEN , NM |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | CODY MORRISON COLLINSVILLE , TX |
BARRETT MCCLENDON DENTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
MARK MCWHIRTER ARGYLE , TX |
ZEB STRICKLAND TIOGA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | RUSTY NELSON AZLE , TX |
GINO NAPOLI WEATHERFORD , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
CODY NIX PLANO , TX |
CORY NIX DALLAS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
JAY EICHLER EMORY , TX |
TROY THOMAS ANNA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | DERRICK CORSO MCKINNEY , TX |
BRANDT BIGGERSTAFF FRISCO , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | KEITH CARNEY ARLINGTON , TX |
KEVIN CARNEY ARLINGTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | CRAIG HATCHEL WHITESBORO , TX |
CHANCE HATCHEL WHITESBORO , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | BEN FALLIS MIDLOTHIAN , TX |
BILLY MULLEN EULESS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
BRET GRAVES FORT WORTH , TX |
CHRIS TUINSTRA MCKINNEY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | MICHAEL GROSSMAN DALLAS , TX |
JAY KENDRICK IRVING , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | DALE BOREN FORT WORTH , TX |
JODY HOLUBEK FORT WORTH , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
GARY KINARD FORNEY , TX |
JACOB KINARD ROCKWALL , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
DEAN TRUDELL HIGHLAND VILLAGE , TX |
MIKE KUBANEK HIGHLAND VILLAGE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | DEVIN BUSHLAND ALLEN , TX |
CARSON KIRKHUFF COLLEYVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | JOHN LITTLE TEXARKANA , AR |
DANIEL SHELMAN NEED INFO |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | RICHARD OSBORN CARROLLTON , TX |
CHRIS MCLAIN SANGER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
CECIL TUBB DIKE , TX |
SAM HOOTEN WINNSBORO , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
GEORGE SHIPPEY MT PLEASANT , TX |
RICHARD FAULKNER PROVIDENCE VILLAGE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
WILLIAM BRUNSON LIBERTY HILL , TX |
RORY LAYNE EMORY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | DON STAPLETON YANTIS , TX |
CHUCK RIZUTO ALBA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | DWIGHT BOUTTE FRISCO , TX |
DAMON NEAL PROSPER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | SHAWN BROOKS BOYD , TX |
MICHAEL HARVEY TULSA , OK |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
SPENCER BARNETT DURANT , OK |
CALEB NOBLE DENISON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
DALE BROWN ARLINGTON , TX |
MARK MCCLURE NORTH RICHLAND HILLS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | WILLIE BENSLEY MESQUITE , TX |
JOHN PHELPS FT WORTH , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
JOHN ADAMS FRISCO , TX |
RICK CLARK TERRELL , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
RICKY MAYO ARDMORE , OK |
SEAN DAVIS DENISON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
CHUCK BISHOP SANGER , TX |
JUNIOR MITCHELL KRUGERVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
STEVEN BROOM AZLE , TX |
ROBERT BENTON HUDSON OAKS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | BENSON KELLY PONDER , TX |
KENNETH CUMMINS SANGER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | MIKE ALLISON FRISCO , TX |
COREY NELSON PLANO , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
JEFF CADE MCKINNEY , TX |
LISA CADE MCKINNEY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | TYLER WILSON CARLSBAD , NM |
TRAVIS FLETCHER ANDREWS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
STEVE WRIGHT PLANO , TX |
MITCHELL FRIEDMAN COLLEYVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | DON MEEK PILOT POINT , TX |
MERLE LITTLE FARMERSVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
SHANE MOORE ARGYLE , TX |
DAN WILSON PILOT POINT , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | DAVID ROULSTON ALLEN , TX |
VANGEIL GELEKAS THE COLONY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
CODY MCBEE DENTON , TX |
KODY WEGER DENTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | DAVID SPEAKMAN PLANO , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||||
| 135 | |
DYLAN LYONS POTTSBORO , TX |
COY DEVOLL POTTSBORO , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
WAYNE BROWN ARDMORE , OK |
LARRY WOOD ARDMORE , OK |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | SAMUEL RHODES FRISCO , TX |
DEVON REYNOLDS LEWISVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | JON JOHNSON PILOT POINT , TX |
NICK PRESTWOOD MERIDIAN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
DEE CAGLE KELLER , TX |
BILL MCCURDY ROCKWALL , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | JAY WATKINS FORT WORTH , TX |
DENNIS HASTINGS FLOWER MOUND , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
LOGAN FRY CHICO , TX |
MIKE PICHA DECATUR , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
BRIAN HARRISON PONDER , TX |
COREY LANE PONDER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
CHRIS COLE BELLS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
ROBIN MCGUIRE DALLAS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
CALEB HAND ANNA , TX |
CHAD OWEN CELESTE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | KEVIN TRIMBLE NEED INFO |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||||
| 135 | |
JUSTIN KEITHLEY ARLINGTON , TX |
JOSH KEITHLEY FORT WORTH , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
BYRON BIONDI TERRELL , TX |
JASON GREENFIELD KENNEDALE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | |
CHAD DAVIS SPRINGTOWN , TX |
RODNEY BROOKS DURANT , OK |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | JEFF MCBRIDE WINNSBORO , TX |
DAKOTA MCBRIDE WINNSBORO , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | JOHN BIONDI ARLINGTON , TX |
JASON MARVICSIN DUNCANVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | MARK LAMB TROPHY CLUB , TX |
SHANE THOMPSON FORNEY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | ROBERT WEST MCKINNEY , TX |
LOGAN FORBESS NEVADA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | JIMMY ERWIN FORT WORTH , TX |
JAMES LONGINO SPRINGTOWN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
KELVIN HOGG ARLINGTON , TX |
BRIAN ROUSSEL ARLINGTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | MICHAEL NANTZ LINDALE , TX |
DUSTIN BLACK CANTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | SHANE GRAY PALESTINE , TX |
DUSTIN GRAY ELKHART , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | FARREN HANSEN RED OAK , TX |
DEVON CROWE KAUFMAN , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | BOBBY SLADOVNIK ROYSE CITY , TX |
JUSTIN JONES ROYSE CITY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
CHARLES GRAHAM DALLAS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | DALE STOVER KINGSTON , OK |
SHANE FRANKS KINGSTON , OK |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | TERRY HAWKINS CORSICANA , TX |
MITCHELL HAWKINS FORNEY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | DARIN HADDOCK CORINTH , TX |
KARL ASWAD FLOWER MOUND , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | JOHN CARTER MABANK , TX |
JOHN CARTER SR MABANK , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | BRADY MATASKA PETROLIA , TX |
WAYNE HARTSBURG WICHITA FALLS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | JOE BARNHILL BOWIE , TX |
WELDON DUFF RINGGOLD , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | SHANE JANSEN FT WORTH , TX |
COREY HALBARDIER NOCONA , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | SHAWN TACINA AUBREY , TX |
ANDRUE TACINA AUBREY , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | DAVID SMITH RICHLAND HILLS , TX |
LANCE INGRAM WAXAHACHIE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
SHAY EVANS COLLINSVILLE , TX |
DOYLE SCRUGGS GAINSVILLE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | BRYCE CAIN COLLEYVILLE , TX |
JEFFERY JOHNSON MOUNT PLEASANT , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | KODY HAVERKAMP SOUTHLAKE , TX |
ROGER HAVERKAMP SOUTHLAKE , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | RANDY DIXON BORGER , TX |
MIKE BRIDGE BORGER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
NATHAN SPRABARY SANGER , TX |
TORY SWEATMAN SANGER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||
| 135 | CHAD CRAWFORD ARLINGTON , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
||||
| 135 | CODY WILSON VALLEY VIEW , TX |
JOSH WILLIAMS NEWCASTLE , OK |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | BEN JEZEK III DENTON , TX |
CHRIS HIGGINS DALLAS , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
|
|||
| 135 | |
TYLER JONES KELLER , TX |
PEYTON PUNCHES SANGER , TX |
0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Jason Christie Earns Sixth Bassmaster Win At Sabine River Elite
With a four-day total of 43 pounds, 15 ounces, Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., has won the 2021 Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River sponsored by Bassmaster Fishing 2022 – the official video game of B.A.S.S.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
April 11, 2021
ORANGE, Texas — Sticking with a bold plan, but making key adjustments was the winning formula for Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., whose four-day total of 43 pounds, 15 ounces topped the Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River sponsored by Bassmaster Fishing 2022 – the official video game of B.A.S.S.
Claiming his sixth Bassmaster victory, Christie posted his best effort on Day 1 with a second-place limit of 15-1. He took over the top spot on Friday by adding 13-14 and held that position on Day 3 with a limit of 6-12. He closed the deal with a Championship Sunday limit that weighed 8-4.
After entering the final round with a 15-ounce lead over Day 1 leader Brock Mosley, Christie edged Mosley by a margin of 1-6.
For four days, Christie committed the majority of his time to a narrow creek about two hours upriver from takeoff. Locating the spot in practice, Christie recognized its mix of shallow wood and cut banks as prime bass habitat, while the distant run discouraged all but one competitor from fishing the area.
“There’s a lot of backwaters downriver from this area, but then there’s like a 20-mile stretch where there’s nothing until you get to this spot,” Christie said. “The first two days of the event it was super treacherous to run; there were logs, sandbars, stuff like that. That’s what kept people from going up there."
After two strong days of skillfully picking apart the visible cover, Christie returned to his spot on Day 3 to find it 6 to 7 feet deeper. Increased water releases from Toledo Bend Dam swelled the upper Sabine and inundated his creek.
“Before the water came up, there were isolated targets and it wasn’t hard,” Christie said. “But once it came up, it was almost impossible. That’s why today I ran as far up that thing as I could.
“The further you get, the banks get higher and there wasn’t as much back flow coming from the river. That was my goal today — to get to where I could keep the fish between the bank and me.”
Knowing his best option was covering water quickly, Christie relied on a 1/2-ounce chartreuse/white/blue Booyah Covert spinnerbait with tandem nickel and gold Colorado blades. This bait equally appealed to the creek’s largemouth and spotted bass.
“With the largemouth, you had to lay it on the bank; it’s almost like their backs would be out of the water,” Christie said. “The spotted bass would be in the current around the eddies.”
While Christie’s 21-foot XPress aluminum boat was ideal for the shallow habitat he fished, fuel management was essential for ensuring he could make the return trip. After a strong Day 1 performance, he had to allow for the weight of a cameraperson and gear.
Removing approximately 150 pounds of tackle and 14 of his usual 20 rods helped, but Christie noted that the higher water of Days 3 and 4 slightly reduced his fuel consumption by allowing him to safely run a straighter course through the Sabine’s many turns.
Carefully calculating his fuel plan and running time, Christie allowed himself a generous return window each day. Reaching the takeoff area with approximately an hour to spare, he flipped shallow targets with a black/blue flake YUM Spine Craw.
On Sunday, that strategy allowed him to make two small culls that contributed to his winning margin.
Hailing from Collinsville, Miss., Mosley tallied a four-day total of 42-9. After taking the Day 1 lead with 15-10 — the event’s heaviest bag — Mosley held the second-place spot for the tournament’s remainder with weights of 12-4, 6-14 and 7-13.
The first three days, Mosley ran 110 miles west to fish Clear Creek on the east side of metro Houston. There, he did most of his work with a 1/2-ounce chartreuse/white Z-Man JackHammer ChatterBait with a white Yamamoto Zako trailer.
Mosley, who also placed second at the previous Elite on Pickwick Lake, switched his strategy and stayed closed to takeoff where he allowed himself maximum fishing time. Starting his day with a reaction bite inspired hope for a big outcome, but the opportunities never materialized.
“I caught my first fish on a spinnerbait and then I thought it was game-on, but I never got another bite on it,” he said. “I ended up catching my limit by flipping a Yamamoto Flappin Hog, then I picked up a frog and went to Adams Bayou. I had the bites, they just never connected.
“At 2:40, I came back up by takeoff and threw the ChatterBait. I had a big one pull off and that kind of stings. I fished as hard as I could; I have no regrets.”
Taku Ito of Chiba, Japan, finished third with 40-12. Turning in a solid performance that accelerated in the second half, Ito caught limits of 9-2, 8-5, 12-4 and 11-1. As he explained, the tough fishing of his Japanese home waters prepared him to capitalize on the late-day downturns, during which he excelled.
“Most anglers are good at catching feeding fish on ChatterBaits, flipping, spinnerbait; but I don’t like shallow fishing, I don’t like power fishing, I don’t like cover — I like finesse fishing,” Ito said. “The afternoon is tough. The current stops, it’s sunny — that’s good for me.”
Targeting the shady areas of a broken bridge near takeoff, Ito caught his bass on Nories Sankaku-T-San (a T-shaped soft-plastic bait) rigged on a 2/0 Ryugi Infini hook with a 3/16- to 1/4-ounce nail weight. His final-round limit included a 3-pounder at 12:20 p.m. and a 3-14 at 2:40.
Marc Frazier of Newnan, Ga., won the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for his 6-6.
Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., leads the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 341 points, followed by Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., with 333, Drew Cook of Cairo, Ga., with 317. Christie with 303 and Mosley with 302.
Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., leads the Rookie of the Year standings with 261 points.
Christie 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.
As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Christie also earned $4,000 for winning while Ito claimed an additional $1,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
2021 Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River is sponsored by Bassmaster Fishing 2022 – the official video game of B.A.S.S. 4/8-4/11
Sabine River, Orange TX.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 20 43-15 100 $100,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 13-14 Day 3: 5 06-12 Day 4: 5 08-04
2. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 20 42-09 99 $35,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 5 06-14 Day 4: 5 07-13
3. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 20 40-12 98 $32,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 08-05 Day 3: 5 12-04 Day 4: 5 11-01
4. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 20 39-15 97 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 5 10-11 Day 4: 5 07-12
5. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 20 39-14 96 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 07-07 Day 3: 5 11-10 Day 4: 5 10-14
6. Seth Feider New Market, MN 20 39-07 95 $19,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 10-13 Day 3: 5 10-02 Day 4: 5 08-11
7. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 20 38-01 94 $18,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 09-09 Day 3: 5 11-06 Day 4: 5 07-07
8. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 20 37-06 93 $17,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 07-11 Day 3: 5 11-12 Day 4: 5 07-13
9. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 20 36-13 92 $16,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 08-10 Day 3: 5 08-04 Day 4: 5 07-07
10. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 20 35-15 91 $16,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 09-12 Day 3: 5 08-01 Day 4: 5 06-13
Fletcher Shryock Wins Qualifying Round for Group A at General Tire Heavy Hitters
| Alabama Pro Advances Straight into Wednesday’s Championship Round, 2nd- through 9th-place finishers Prep for Tuesday’s Knockout Round
RALEIGH, N.C. (April 11, 2021) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops event certainly lived up to it’s billing, Sunday, as the best bass anglers in the world caught numerous big fish throughout the day on Jordan Lake that made for a very exciting broadcast for fishing fans. After the last fish had been tallied, pro Fletcher Shryock of Guntersville, Alabama , earned the Group A Qualifying Round victory, catching a two-day total of 23 bass weighing 88 pounds, 13 ounces, and punching his ticket directly into Wednesday’s Championship Round. Link to Photo of Qualifying Round Group A Winner Fletcher Shryock Shryock also won the $25,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus award Sunday after catching the biggest bass of the two-day Group A Qualifying Round, boating a giant 9-pound, 4-ounce largemouth that he caught flipping a Yamamoto Fat Ika right near the end of Period 2. Berkley Big Bass Bonuses are awarded throughout the competition, with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 being awarded for the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds. “I had a pretty incredible day – not just because I won the round, but to catch that many big ones in one day was just awesome,” said Shryock, who earned the first Qualifying Round win of his MLF career. “I got to fish exactly the way that I like to fish, and catching a 9 (pounder) flipping bushes and willows and stuff like that, it just doesn’t happen a lot. These lakes are incredible.” Shryock said his key bait Sunday was the Yamamoto Fat Ika, fished on a prototype Favorite Fishing rod – expected to launch this year at ICAST – with 40-pound Vicious braided line. “I came out today really just trying to stay inside the top-10 cut, but the next thing I knew it was 5-pounder, 4-pounder, 4-pounder, and I just worked my way up the leaderboard. Today was just a great day of fishing, and winning $25,000 and going straight to the Championship Round just makes it that much sweeter.” Pro Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, also had a special day. After catching just two bass on Friday and ending the first day of competition in dead-last 20th place, Rojas skyrocketed up the leaderboard Sunday, boating 15 bass weighing 57-11 to end the day inside the Toro Cut Line in 6th place and advance to the Knockout Round with a two-day total of 17 bass for 63-5. “I had a great day today, a day that you dream about, especially in competition,” Rojas said. “Especially after only catching five pounds on the first day. Coming back and catching 55 pounds today, what an awesome dream day. And there is no better time to do it than today to move on to the Knockout Round at Heavy Hitters.” The 10 anglers advancing from Group A will have a day off Monday, while the 20 anglers in Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition. The Knockout Round, featuring 18 anglers competing to finish in the top eight, will take place on Tuesday. Wednesday’s Championship Round will feature Shryock, Monday’s Group B Qualifying Round winner, and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000. The top 10 pros from Qualifying Group A that now advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round on Shearon Harris Reservoir are: 1st: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., 23 bass, 88-13 (ADVANCES DIRECTLY TO CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND) Finishing in 11th through 20th in Qualifying Group A are: 11th: Mike McClelland, Blue Eye, Mo., 12 bass, 47-4 A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Overall, there were 113 bass weighing 405 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 19 pros on Sunday, which included one 9-pounders, two 8-pounders, one 7-pounder and three 6-pounders caught from Jordan Lake. The MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops is hosted by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. The 20 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Jordan Lake on Friday and Sunday – the 20 anglers in Group B on Falls Lake on Saturday and Monday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 10th place from both groups advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round on Shearon Harris, while the winner of each group advances directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round on Shearon Harris. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed and the remaining 18 anglers compete to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins. |
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Attendance is limited to competing anglers, essential staff and media covering the event only. Fans are encouraged to follow the event online through the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action each day of competition from 7:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com. and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app. Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, July 17 on the Discovery Channel. A one-hour special episode of MLF Inside Heavy Hitters will also air on CBS in late 2021. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition. For complete details and updated information on General Tire Heavy Hitters, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. |
Despite High Water, Christie Maintains Lead At Bassmaster Elite On Sabine River
With a three-day total of 35 pounds, 11 ounces, Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., is leading after Day 3 of the 2021 Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River sponsored by Bassmaster Fishing 2022 – the official video game of B.A.S.S.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
April 10, 2021
ORANGE, Texas — Jason Christie had more gas than he needed and more water than he wanted, but the Park Hill, Okla., angler’s three-day total of 35 pounds, 11 ounces allowed him to maintain his lead on Day 3 of the Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River sponsored by Bassmaster Fishing 2022 – the official video game of B.A.S.S.
Christie placed second on Day 1 with 15-1 and took over the top spot Friday by adding 13-14. On Saturday, the Sabine was in a stingier mood and Christie found only a small limit of 6-12. He holds a 15-ounce lead over Day 1 leader Brock Mosley.
Returning to the same narrow backwater about two hours upriver, Christie found that increased water releases from Toledo Bend Dam had raised the water level in his region about 6 to 7 feet.
With the extra weight of a cameraperson and gear in his boat Friday and Saturday, Christie has been carefully monitoring fuel consumption. On Saturday, the high water facilitated his run but it inundated his playing field.
“Once I got about 15 miles from where I was going, the (river) water was up in the trees,” Christie said. “The good thing was I could run a little straighter line and I had more gas left, but it doesn’t help when you don’t catch a lot of fish.
“I went from 40 to 50 bites a day to seven. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but at least I got (a limit) today.”
Christie is a shallow-water specialist who surgically picks apart visible targets like the laydowns, cypress knees and cut banks abounding in his backwater spot. On Saturday, the extra water covered much of those features and scattered the bass into the surrounding forest.
Despite his flipping prowess, Christie relied on a 1/2-ounce chartreuse/white/blue Booyah Covert spinnerbait with tandem nickel and gold Colorado blades to catch a limit of spotted bass, including one about 2 1/4 pounds.
“There’s not that many (quality fish) in there and when you quadruple the amount of water, it just spreads them out,” he said. “I’m sure some people might say, ‘Pick up a flipping stick and go to work,’ but with only four hours to fish, I don’t have time to stop and flip.”
After losing a good fish early and struggling to find additional opportunities, Christie pushed farther into the creek. Days 1 and 2, he fished a half mile in. On Saturday, he went about twice as far.
Same as the first two days, Christie allowed himself sufficient time to make the downstream run to weigh-in. Arriving with time to spare, he flipped a few spots close to the ramp with a YUM Spine Craw and culled out his smallest spot with a largemouth.
Despite the changing conditions, Christie’s confident the area he’s fished for three days offers his best opportunity to win.
“I’ve just kept myself in the only place I feel like there’s a big concentration of fish,” he said. “If the water’s still high, I have a couple of places that I tried to get into in practice and I should be able to get into.
“I can’t stay (close to takeoff) and fish. I can’t do it; that’s not me. I gotta go with what got me here.”
Hailing from Collinsville, Miss., Mosley ran 110 miles West to fish Clear Creek near the metro Houston area. He’s made that run each day, but Saturday yielded a small limit of 6-14 to go with his previous weights of 15-10 and 12-4. His three-day total is 34-12.
Mosley started with his game plan of fishing a 1/2-ounce chartreuse/white Z-Man JackHammer ChatterBait with a white Yamamoto Zako trailer along seawalls, docks and shoreline wood. On Saturday, he also reached deeper into the area’s backwaters.
“The last couple of days, I haven’t been able to move around because I’ve been spending some of my day playing defense and keeping (competitors) off the spots where I’ve been catching my better fish,” Mosley said. “Today, I was able to move around a little bit.
“I don’t think my areas are necessarily going dry, but today it seemed like the tide stayed up and I never really felt like the water was moving really strong. I had a lot of bites, but they were just slapping it; they weren’t eating it like they were the last two days.”
Chris Johnston of Peterborough, Canada, is in third with 32-3. After weighing bags of 9-4 and 12-4, he added 10-11 Saturday.
Johnston, who became the first Canadian to win an Elite event with his 2020 victory at the St. Lawrence River, targeted shallow backwaters in the Neches River. He varied his presentations based on tide stage.
“I caught quite a few fish on an unweighted black floating worm when the water was low,” Johnston said. “That seems to be the way I can get a limit. I hadn’t caught any big fish on it all week, but today, I caught a 3 1/4-pounder on it.
“When the water gets back into the (vegetation), that’s when I flip. I caught my biggest fish (3 1/2) flipping a Strike King Rage Bug with a 3/8-ounce Woo Tungsten weight.”
Marc Frazier of Newnan, Ga., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 6-6 largemouth.
Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., leads the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 343 points, followed by Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., with 333 and Drew Cook of Cairo, Ga., with 312.
Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., leads the Rookie of the Year standings with 261 points.
The remaining 10 anglers will take off at 6:45 a.m. CT Sunday from the City of Orange Boat Ramp. The weigh-in will be held at the ramp at 3 p.m.
Live coverage of the event can be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will also broadcast the action live with the leaders beginning at 7 a.m. CT.
2021 Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River is sponsored by Bassmaster Fishing 2022 – the official video game of B.A.S.S. 4/8-4/11
Sabine River, Orange TX.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 15 35-11 100
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 13-14 Day 3: 5 06-12
2. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 15 34-12 99
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 5 06-14
3. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 15 32-03 98
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 5 10-11
4. Seth Feider New Market, MN 15 30-12 97
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 10-13 Day 3: 5 10-02
5. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 15 30-10 96
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 09-09 Day 3: 5 11-06
6. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 15 29-11 95 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 08-05 Day 3: 5 12-04
7. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 15 29-09 94
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 07-11 Day 3: 5 11-12
8. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 15 29-06 93
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 08-10 Day 3: 5 08-04
9. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 15 29-02 92 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 09-12 Day 3: 5 08-01
10. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 15 29-00 91
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 07-07 Day 3: 5 11-10
11. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 15 28-08 90 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 09-00 Day 3: 5 08-13
12. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 15 27-15 89 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 09-03 Day 3: 5 05-12
13. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 15 27-10 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-03 Day 2: 5 07-12 Day 3: 5 11-11
14. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 15 27-03 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 5 08-05 Day 3: 5 10-04
15. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 15 26-12 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 06-14 Day 3: 5 08-00
16. John Cox Debary, FL 15 26-07 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 11-05 Day 3: 5 05-14
17. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 15 25-14 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 07-14 Day 3: 5 07-07
18. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 15 25-12 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 07-11 Day 3: 5 07-08
19. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 15 25-08 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 05-12 Day 2: 5 09-04 Day 3: 5 10-08
20. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 15 25-07 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 09-13 Day 3: 5 07-03
21. Quentin Cappo Prairieville, LA 15 25-02 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 06-10 Day 2: 5 08-08 Day 3: 5 10-00
22. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 15 25-02 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-13 Day 2: 5 07-11 Day 3: 5 09-10
23. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 15 25-01 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 10-00 Day 3: 5 07-08
24. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 15 24-15 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 10-07 Day 3: 5 05-07
25. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 15 24-12 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-05 Day 2: 5 08-10 Day 3: 5 08-13
26. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 12 24-06 75 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 2 02-15 Day 3: 5 09-05
27. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 15 24-01 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 06-13 Day 2: 5 08-02 Day 3: 5 09-02
28. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 15 24-00 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 08-00 Day 3: 5 06-14
29. Bob Downey Hudson, WI 15 23-10 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 07-03 Day 3: 5 06-06
30. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 15 22-14 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 5 06-14 Day 3: 5 08-02
31. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 15 22-10 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 06-13 Day 2: 5 08-05 Day 3: 5 07-08
32. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 15 22-07 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 5 06-09 Day 3: 5 07-05
33. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 15 22-04 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 06-01 Day 3: 5 06-08
34. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 15 21-05 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 06-11 Day 2: 5 08-05 Day 3: 5 06-05
35. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 15 20-13 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 05-14 Day 2: 5 09-01 Day 3: 5 05-14
36. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 15 20-13 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 5 07-11 Day 3: 5 05-10
37. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 14 19-14 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-04 Day 2: 5 08-15 Day 3: 4 03-11
38. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 11 19-13 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 2 05-10 Day 2: 5 09-03 Day 3: 4 05-00
39. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 13 19-08 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 5 06-02 Day 3: 3 04-03
40. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 10 19-06 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 11-11 Day 3: 0 00-00
41. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 12 19-02 60 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 07-12 Day 3: 2 03-13
42. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 13 18-02 59 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-02 Day 2: 5 07-13 Day 3: 3 03-03
43. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 12 18-01 58 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 04-02 Day 2: 5 10-11 Day 3: 2 03-04
44. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 11 17-10 57 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 4 04-07 Day 3: 2 03-00
45. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 12 17-10 56 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 05-08 Day 3: 2 02-02
46. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 11 17-06 55 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 5 07-12 Day 3: 1 00-14
47. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 11 16-14 54 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-10 Day 2: 5 07-03 Day 3: 1 02-01
48. Destin DeMarion Grove City, PA 11 16-06 53 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 06-02 Day 2: 5 08-13 Day 3: 1 01-07
49. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 10 14-11 52 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-04 Day 2: 5 07-07 Day 3: 0 00-00
Bryan Thrift Leads Qualifying Group B at General Tire Heavy Hitters
| North Carolina Pro Catches 13 Bass Weighing 44 Pounds, 7 Ounces on Wake Forest’s Falls Lake to Lead Group B’s Qualifying Round after Day 1, Group A to Wrap Up Their Qualifying Round Sunday on Jordan Lake
RALEIGH, N.C. (April 10, 2021) – Pro Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, boated 13 scorable bass totaling 44 pounds, 7 ounces to lead after day 1 for Qualifying Group B at the General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops. Thrift will bring a 6-pound, 12-ounce, lead over second-place pro Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Arkansas, into Monday’s second day of competition in the Qualifying Round for Group B. Browning landed 11 scorable bass totaling 37-11, while pro Cliff Pace of Petal, Mississippi, rounds out the top three, catching 11 bass totaling 36-10 to end the day in third place. Link to Photo of Qualifying Round Group B Leader Bryan Thrift Sunday will be the third day of competition in the six-day all-star tournament that showcases 40 anglers that qualified from the 2020 Bass Pro Tour season competing for more than $535,000, including a top prize of $100,000, and Big Bass Bonuses with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 being awarded for the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds. The 20 anglers in Group B will now have a day off on Sunday, while the 20 anglers from Group A will wrap up their two-day Qualifying Round. Group B will finish their Qualifying Round on Monday. “Today was a pretty good day, but I’m glad it’s over because I am tired and starting to cramp up,” said Thrift in the post-game interview. “Every bass that I caught today came from the same vicinity. I left for a couple of hours and tried to get bit elsewhere, but I never could put anything else together. I came back in here about midway through the third period and that was the end of it.” Thrift credited two baits as being the key to his day. “I caught all of my fish today on two baits – a white frog and a 5-inch black-and-red flake-colored Damiki Stinger,” Thrift said. “I threw the frog on my Signature Series 7-foot, 2-inch, medium-heavy Fitzgerald Frog rod, paired with an Abu Garcia Revo STX reel and spooled with 50-pound P-Line TCBX braid. “For the Stinger, I fished it Texas-rigged and weightless,” Thrift continued. “I like throwing the weightless Stinger on a baitcaster, rather than a spinning rod. It flies through the air very streamlined, and you can use a little bigger line and can get a better hookset. This allows me to get it into tighter places and a little thicker cover and not worry about breaking fish off.” Thrift’s Damiki Stinger setup was a 7-foot heavy Fitzgerald Stunner rod paired with the Abu Garcia Revo STX and 15-pound P-Line fluorocarbon line and a 5/0 Berkley Fusion 19 worm hook. Stephen Browning was enthusiastic about his day on the water Saturday, excitedly talking about how he went “old-school” to catch his 11 fish. “I got to fish in my wheelhouse today, the way I like fishing – kicking up the mud with the trolling motor and getting way back in the super-skinny water,” Browning said. “It was just my day, today. There was a timeframe right near the beginning of the second period where I struggled a little bit, but for the most part I made good moves all day. “The fish were sitting in about 18 inches of water, and I went old-school on them,” Browning continued. “My equipment wasn’t old-school – I used a 7-foot, 4-inch St. Croix Legend heavy rod with a Lew’s Tournament Pro reel and 20-pound Gamma line, but just threw an old-school tube. I used a 5/0 Owner hook, and green-pumpkin and black and red flake were good in the morning, while green-pumpkin was better in the afternoon. It had to be a real subtle presentation.” Third-place angler Cliff Pace credited his decisions on the water for his strong performance as well. “Today is the best day that I’ve had since I’ve been here, so anytime that you can say that you have to be happy,” the Mississippi pro said. “I just had one of those days where pretty much everything I did worked. Every decision I made paid off in some way or another. I just kind of rolled with the flow today and was fortunate enough to continually just catch some throughout the day. I can’t complain, at all.” The standings for the 20 pros from Qualifying Group B after Day 1 on Falls Lake are: A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Overall, there were 111 bass weighing 356 pounds, 8 ounces caught by the 20 pros on Saturday, which included six 6-pounders, nine 5-pounders and twelve 4-pounders caught from Falls Lake. Coulter weighed in the biggest bass of the day, a 6-pound, 14-ounce largemouth that he caught flipping a jig during Period 3. If Coulter’s fish remains the largest bass weighed by Group B after the conclusion of their Qualifying Round on Monday, he will take home a $25,000 Big Bass Bonus. Big Bass Bonuses are awarded throughout the competition, with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 being awarded for the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds The MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops is hosted by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. The 20 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Jordan Lake on Friday and Sunday – the 20 anglers in Group B on Falls Lake on Saturday and Monday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 10th place from both groups advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round on Shearon Harris, while the winner of each group advances directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round on Shearon Harris. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed and the remaining 18 anglers compete to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins. |
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Attendance is limited to competing anglers, essential staff and media covering the event only. Fans are encouraged to follow the event online through the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action each day of competition from 7:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com. and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app. Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, July 17 on the Discovery Channel. A one-hour special episode of MLF Inside Heavy Hitters will also air on CBS in late 2021. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition. For complete details and updated information on General Tire Heavy Hitters, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. |
Christie Pushes Deep For Lead In Bassmaster Elite Series Event At Sabine River
With a two-day total of 28 pounds, 15 ounces, Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., is leading after Day 2 of the 2021 Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River sponsored by Bassmaster Fishing 2022 – the official video game of B.A.S.S.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
April 9, 2021
ORANGE, Texas — Putting significant distance between himself and the rest of the 98-boat field, Jason Christie amassed a two-day total of 28 pounds, 15 ounces and took over the Day 2 lead of the 2021 Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River sponsored by Bassmaster Fishing 2022 – the official video game of B.A.S.S.
Placing second on Thursday with 15-1, the pro from Park Hill, Okla., added 13-14 Friday.
Christie is running nearly two hours up the Sabine River to fish a small backwater area with abundant shallow cover and clear water. He caught fish flipping yesterday, but with more inflowing water, a 1/2-ounce chartreuse/white/blue Booyah Covert spinnerbait with tandem nickel and gold Colorado blades produced best Friday.
“The water was high and the current was ripping in there and I’m starting to think that the best thing to do is just cover water when it’s high,” Christie said. “Tomorrow, I might go up there and it might be low and the current’s slowed down and I can catch them flipping again. I’ll just have to see what happens when I get there.”
Christie had previously visited his general area when the Elites last visited the Sabine in 2018. Expanding his waters led him to greater opportunity.
“I just didn’t go far enough the last time we were here, and it seems like they’re tucked in there a little ways,” Christie said. “I had practiced up there and, honestly, I had written it off, but I got home and looked at Google Earth and there was one place I hadn’t been.
“The bites I had in other places had been one here, one there, so I needed a place like I found that had a lot of fish.”
Christie has the place to himself, but that’s largely because of the daunting run through a winding river peppered with sandbars, floating logs and other day-wreckers. He’s running up and back at a cautious 35 to 40 mph.
“I could run faster, but maybe that was a blessing, because as soon as you start thinking you can run up there, you hit something,” Christie said. “So, I’m just cruising.”
The other consideration is fuel consumption. Christie runs a 21-foot XPress aluminum boat, which is significantly lighter than similar-sized fiberglass boats. To further lighten his load and increase fuel economy, he removed about 150 pounds of tackle from his boat.
Nevertheless, with no fueling options upriver from the takeoff site, Christie had to account for the extra weight of a cameraperson and related gear.
“I ran it in practice and I ran it the first day of the tournament by myself and, both times, when I shut down in my place, I’d have 20.8 or 20.6 gallons left, which is almost half of what I can carry,” Christie said. “Today, when I shut down, I had 19.4, so I knew that I had to do some switching.
“I dropped two gallons per hour and cruised at 10 to 11 and it really helped. The best I can figure, I (returned with) 3/4 gallon left.”
Christie said his conservative approach was essential for making the Top 49 cut. On Saturday, he’ll still carefully monitor fuel flow on his Garmin unit, but he may fish longer.
“Tomorrow, I feel like to have a chance to win I’m going to have to push it a little bit,” he said. “But it’s very nerve-wracking as far as fuel and getting back.”
Day 1 leader Brock Mosley again made the long run to the Houston area, added 12-4 to his opening weight of 15-10 — the event’s largest bag — and tallied 27-14. Facing windier conditions today, Mosley was initially planning to remain in the Sabine, but he made a spontaneous call to replicate his first day’s game plan.
“I asked a lot of my buddies on tour what they would do; most of them said they would go in a heartbeat," Mosley said. “I made up my mind last night that I wasn’t going, but I was sitting there before takeoff and (fellow Elites) Drew Benton and Drew Cook were like, ‘Why aren’t you going?’
“I said, ‘I don’t think I can make it,’ and they said, ‘You know you already have enough to make the cut, you might as well try to win this thing and you’re not going to win it over here.’”
Returning to the same bayou on Houston’s east side, Mosley again targeted seawalls, docks and shoreline wood with a 1/2-ounce chartreuse/white Z-Man ChatterBait JackHammer with a white Yamamoto Zako trailer.
“I got over there, caught a couple of good ones really quick, left a little before 12 and got back a little after 2,” Mosley said. “I actually made it there quicker than I did yesterday, but I gave myself over three hours to get back. It only took me a little over two.”
Caleb Kuphall of Mukwonago, Wis., held steady in third place with 22-3. Adding 9-3 to the 13 pounds he weighed in on Day 1, Kuphall returned to the same area and fished a series of small channels off the main river.
“I spent most of my day in there and caught most of my keepers, but it’s getting hit hard and I may have to get something else going,” Kuphall said. “I caught my biggest fish in a different area with a similar scenario.”
Kuphall caught most of his fish on a homemade 3/8-ounce green pumpkin flipping jig with a craw chunk-style trailer. He caught his biggest fish on a spinnerbait.
Marc Frazier of Newnan, Ga., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 6-6 largemouth that he caught on Day 1.
Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., leads the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 340 points, followed by Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., with 331 and Christie with 303.
Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., leads the Rookie of the Year standings with 261 points.
Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:45 a.m. CT at the City of Orange Boat Ramp. The weigh-in will be held at the ramp at 3 p.m., with the Top 10 anglers advancing to Championship Sunday.
Live coverage of the event can be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will also broadcast the action live with the leaders beginning at 7 a.m. CT.
2021 Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River is sponsored by Bassmaster Fishing 2022 – the official video game of B.A.S.S. 4/8-4/11
Sabine River, Orange TX.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 10 28-15 100
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 13-14
2. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 10 27-14 99
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 12-04
3. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 10 22-03 98
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 09-03
4. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 10 21-08 97
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 12-04
5. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 10 21-02 96
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 08-10
6. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 10 21-01 95 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 09-12
7. Seth Feider New Market, MN 10 20-10 94
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 10-13
8. John Cox Debary, FL 10 20-09 93
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 11-05
9. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 10 19-11 92
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 09-00
10. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 10 19-08 91
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 10-07
11. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 10 19-06 90
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 11-11
12. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 10 19-04 89
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 09-09
13. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 10 18-12 88
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 06-14
14. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 10 18-07 87
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 07-14
15. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 10 18-04 86
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 07-11
16. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 10 18-04 85
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 09-13
17. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 10 17-13 84
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 07-11
18. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 10 17-09 83
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 10-00
19. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 10 17-07 82
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 08-05
20. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 10 17-06 81
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 07-07
21. Bob Downey Hudson, WI 10 17-04 80
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 07-03
22. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 17-02 79
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 08-00
23. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 10 16-15 78
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 5 08-05
24. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 10 16-08 77
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 5 07-12
25. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 10 16-03 76
Day 1: 5 07-04 Day 2: 5 08-15
26. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 10 15-15 75
Day 1: 5 07-05 Day 2: 5 08-10
27. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 10 15-15 74
Day 1: 5 08-03 Day 2: 5 07-12
28. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 10 15-12 73
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 06-01
29. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 10 15-08 72
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 05-08
30. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 10 15-08 71
Day 1: 5 07-13 Day 2: 5 07-11
31. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 10 15-05 70
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 5 06-02
32. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 10 15-05 69
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 07-12
33. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 10 15-03 68
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 5 07-11
34. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 10 15-02 67
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 5 06-09
35. Quentin Cappo Prairieville, LA 10 15-02 66
Day 1: 5 06-10 Day 2: 5 08-08
36. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 15-02 65
Day 1: 5 06-13 Day 2: 5 08-05
37. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 7 15-01 64 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 2 02-15
38. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 15-00 63
Day 1: 5 05-12 Day 2: 5 09-04
39. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 10 15-00 62
Day 1: 5 06-11 Day 2: 5 08-05
40. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 10 14-15 61
Day 1: 5 05-14 Day 2: 5 09-01
41. Destin DeMarion Grove City, PA 10 14-15 60
Day 1: 5 06-02 Day 2: 5 08-13
42. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 10 14-15 59
Day 1: 5 06-13 Day 2: 5 08-02
43. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 14-15 58
Day 1: 5 07-02 Day 2: 5 07-13
44. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 10 14-13 57
Day 1: 5 04-02 Day 2: 5 10-11
45. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 7 14-13 56
Day 1: 2 05-10 Day 2: 5 09-03
46. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 10 14-13 55
Day 1: 5 07-10 Day 2: 5 07-03
47. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 10 14-12 54
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 5 06-14
48. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 10 14-11 53
Day 1: 5 07-04 Day 2: 5 07-07
49. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 9 14-10 52
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 4 04-07
50. Buddy Gross Chickamauga, GA 10 14-09 51 $5,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 05-07
51. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 10 14-07 50 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 06-00 Day 2: 5 08-07
52. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 14-04 49 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 08-03 Day 2: 5 06-01
53. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 10 14-03 48 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 5 05-10
54. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 9 14-01 47 $2,500.00
Day 1: 4 05-11 Day 2: 5 08-06
55. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 8 14-01 46 $2,500.00
Day 1: 3 06-04 Day 2: 5 07-13
56. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 10 14-00 45 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 05-00 Day 2: 5 09-00
57. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 10 14-00 44 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 5 06-13
58. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 10 13-05 43 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 08-01 Day 2: 5 05-04
59. Darold Gleason Many, LA 9 13-03 42 $2,500.00
Day 1: 4 06-07 Day 2: 5 06-12
60. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 6 13-01 41 $2,500.00
Day 1: 1 01-00 Day 2: 5 12-01
61. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 9 13-00 40 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 07-07 Day 2: 4 05-09
62. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 9 12-12 39 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 06-04 Day 2: 4 06-08
63. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 7 12-07 38 $2,500.00
Day 1: 3 05-04 Day 2: 4 07-03
64. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 10 12-06 37 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 05-01 Day 2: 5 07-05
65. Wes Logan Springville, AL 10 12-03 36 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 07-12 Day 2: 5 04-07
66. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 8 12-03 35 $2,500.00
Day 1: 3 04-11 Day 2: 5 07-08
67. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 9 12-01 34 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 06-06 Day 2: 4 05-11
68. Randy Pierson Oakdale, CA 10 11-15 33 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 06-05 Day 2: 5 05-10
69. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 11-13 32 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 06-08 Day 2: 5 05-05
70. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 8 11-04 31 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 07-15 Day 2: 3 03-05
71. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 7 11-03 30 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 2 02-09
72. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 8 10-13 29 $2,500.00
Day 1: 3 04-10 Day 2: 5 06-03
73. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 8 10-11 28 $2,500.00
Day 1: 4 04-05 Day 2: 4 06-06
74. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 6 10-10 27 $2,500.00
Day 1: 1 02-10 Day 2: 5 08-00
75. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 8 10-10 26 $2,500.00
Day 1: 3 03-09 Day 2: 5 07-01
76. Jay Yelas Lincoln City, OR 6 10-08 25
Day 1: 1 01-02 Day 2: 5 09-06
77. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 8 09-15 24
Day 1: 5 06-14 Day 2: 3 03-01
78. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 7 09-13 23
Day 1: 3 04-04 Day 2: 4 05-09
79. Bryan New Belmont, NC 8 09-10 22
Day 1: 4 04-10 Day 2: 4 05-00
80. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 8 09-09 21
Day 1: 3 03-04 Day 2: 5 06-05
81. Derek Hudnall Denham Springs, LA 8 09-09 20
Day 1: 4 05-00 Day 2: 4 04-09
82. Mike Huff Corbin, KY 8 09-07 19
Day 1: 5 06-02 Day 2: 3 03-05
83. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 10 09-06 18
Day 1: 5 05-06 Day 2: 5 04-00
84. Frank Talley Temple, TX 8 09-05 17
Day 1: 5 06-09 Day 2: 3 02-12
85. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 8 08-15 16
Day 1: 3 03-00 Day 2: 5 05-15
86. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 8 08-15 15
Day 1: 3 03-08 Day 2: 5 05-07
87. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 8 08-08 14
Day 1: 5 05-09 Day 2: 3 02-15
88. David Fritts Lexington, NC 8 08-05 13
Day 1: 3 03-03 Day 2: 5 05-02
89. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 8 08-02 12
Day 1: 5 04-10 Day 2: 3 03-08
90. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 6 07-06 11
Day 1: 1 01-02 Day 2: 5 06-04
91. Cody Hollen Beaverton, OR 5 07-05 10
Day 1: 1 01-05 Day 2: 4 06-00
92. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 5 07-01 9
Day 1: 5 07-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
93. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 5 06-03 8
Day 1: 2 02-07 Day 2: 3 03-12
94. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 5 06-02 7
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 4 04-07
95. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 05-13 6
Day 1: 1 01-01 Day 2: 4 04-12
96. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 3 04-09 5
Day 1: 1 01-05 Day 2: 2 03-04
97. Rob Digh Denver, NC 2 02-15 4
Day 1: 2 02-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
98. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 1 01-09 3
Day 1: 1 01-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
Michael Neal Grabs Early Lead Friday at General Tire Heavy Hitters
| Dayton, Tennessee Pro Weighs 13 Bass Totaling 51 Pounds, 15 Ounces to Lead Qualifying Group A after Day 1, Group B to Compete Saturday
RALEIGH, N.C. (April 9, 2021) – The big bass were chewing on Jordan Lake, Friday. Pro Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, caught 13 scorable bass weighing 51 pounds, 15 ounces to jump out to the early lead on day 1 for Qualifying Group A at the General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops . The six-day all-star tournament showcases 40 anglers that qualified from the 2020 season competing for more than $535,000, with a top prize of $100,000 going to the winner of the event, and Big Bass Bonuses during the competition with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 being awarded for the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds. Link to Photo of Qualifying Round Group A Leader Michael Neal Neal will bring a 5-pound, 3-ounce, lead into Sunday’s second day of competition for Group A. In second place on the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard is pro Boyd Duckett of Guntersville, Alabama, who has 24 top-10 finishes and more than $1.8 million in career winnings, who caught 12 bass totaling 46-12. Fellow Guntersville, Alabama pro Chris Lane sits in third place, 6 pounds, 8 ounces back of Neal with 12 bass weighing 45-7. The 20 anglers in Group A will now enjoy a day off Saturday, while the 20 anglers in Group B will begin their Day 1 Qualifying Round. Group A resumes competition on Sunday. “Today was awesome – everything worked out just like I thought it would,” said the 29-year-old Neal, who has more than $1 million in career earnings. “Not catching a bass in the second period was disappointing, but at the same time I had some other ideas that I thought might work and it allowed me to get those our of the way. “The fish are still much more prespawn than I thought that they would be,” Neal continued. “The water temperature is over 70 degrees, and I would have thought that the fish would be in the backs of the creeks and bays and pockets trying to spawn. But, when you look at them, they’re all real fat, healthy, big fish and about to bust. And they’re still on more of what I would call wintertime or early spring jerkbait-type looking banks, and I’m really not sure why they are still there.” Neal said that every bass that he landed Thursday came on a Z-Man ChatterBait. “I caught everything today, every single one of them, on a ½-ounce ChatterBait,” Neal said. “I threw it on 7-foot, 2-inch medium-heavy Denali Kovert rod with 20-pound Sunline Sniper line. These are big fish, and you don’t want to come out here with light line. “Jordan is a great lake and I can’t wait to get back out here Sunday,” Neal went on to say. “It’s going to be another knockdown, drag-out fight all the way to the end. I’ve got a good pattern, and I really don’t think it’s going to go anywhere. I’m hoping that the wind will blow a little more like it did this afternoon – it really helped the bite.” Second-place angler Boyd Duckett would almost assuredly have had the day one lead over Neal if he hadn’t lost some key fish. “It was a very frustrating day for me. I lost a lot of big fish today – I think I lost around 23 pounds, visibly, and that hurts a lot,” Duckett said. “I had a good lead at one point, but that’s how it goes some days. The good news is that I had a great day and I’m right there at it in second place. It’s all going to come down to what happens on Sunday.” Third-place pro Chris Lane said he had a very fun day on the water, despite having to fish much slower than usual. “Anytime you’re in contention to win the round after the first day, that’s a good thing,” Lane said. “I think the biggest for me today was that I had to fish slow. And that’s very hard to do when you’re on the clock. I was casting a Bass Pro Shops soft plastic on a 7-foot, 3-inch medium-heavy Duckett rod and just having fun. We were able to catch a lot of really nice fish, and I think moving forward it will continue to be good.” The standings for the 20 pros from Qualifying Group A after Day 1 on Jordan Lake are: A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Overall, there were 173 bass weighing 591 pounds, 10 ounces caught by the 20 pros on Thursday, which included two 7-pounders, six 6-pounders and ten 5-pounders caught from Jordan Lake. Gagliardi weighed in the biggest bass of the day Thursday, a 7-pound, 15-ounce largemouth that he caught flipping a creature bait during Period 2. If Gagliardi’s fish remains the largest bass weighed by Group A after the conclusion of the Qualifying Round on Sunday, he will take home a $25,000 Big Bass Bonus. Big Bass Bonuses are awarded throughout the competition, with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 being awarded for the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds The MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops is hosted by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. The 20 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Jordan Lake on Friday and Sunday – the 20 anglers in Group B on Falls Lake on Saturday and Monday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 10th place from both groups advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round on Shearon Harris, while the winner of each group advances directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round on Shearon Harris. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed and the remaining 18 anglers compete to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins. |
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Attendance is limited to competing anglers, essential staff and media covering the event only. Fans are encouraged to follow the event online through the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action each day of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com. and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app. Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, July 17 on the Discovery Channel. A one-hour special episode of MLF Inside Heavy Hitters will also air on CBS in late 2021. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition. For complete details and updated information on General Tire Heavy Hitters, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. |
Sumrall Feeling at Home on Sabine
Courtesy of Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships
Before Caleb Sumrall ever weighed a solid five fish limit on day one of the Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at the Sabine River, it was easy to see the Carhartt pro was feeling right at home.
Sumrall likes the way this fishery sets up, but most importantly he has his family here in Orange, Texas this week. Having his wife Jacie, their daughter Clelie, and son Axel in town has provided a sense a peace far more critical than any particular fishing detail.
“My family is always my support crew when I’m at these tournaments, but it’s not too often I get to have them here,” Sumrall said with a smile. “Knowing I get to see their faces at weigh-in and can give them a hug at the end of the day makes all the difference in the world.”
Sumrall lives just two short hours from this notorious river system and while he didn’t finish where he would have liked to on his first trip here in 2018, he left knowing he could improve on his result.
“In 2018 I learned I can attack this place exactly like I fish at home on the Atchafalaya Basin,” Sumrall explained. “I’ll talk more specifically about how I’m catching my fish tomorrow, but it’s straight up shallow water power fishing. I haven’t even been putting my electronics on the front deck of my boat this week. I’m committed to skinny water and I love it!”
Much like many of his fellow competitors, Sumrall is making a relatively long 45-mile run in his Yamaha powered Xpress Boat to his primary area each day and is fishing around several other anglers. The lighter aluminum boat coupled with his Yamaha Outboard’s performance in super shallow water is something Sumrall believes gives him an edge over his peers.
Sumrall is able to access harder to reach places where some other anglers simply can’t get. When every single keeper bite is crucial like on the Sabine River, small subtleties and details are magnified. Sumrall is wisely leaning into the advantages his equipment provides for this tournament.
Another important factor Sumrall has on his side this week is momentum. Sumrall is coming off back-to-back top 20 finishes on the Tennessee River and Pickwick Lake. He is fishing well and feeling extremely good mentally and physically; all important pieces of the puzzle that play into professional anglers’ performance on the water.
The 2017 B.A.S.S. Nation Champion finished day one tied for 17th place and hopes to bring another solid five fish limit to the scales to give his family and support crew something to cheer about. But at the end of the day, he knows the people around his boat are far more important than the fish in his livewell.
