From sh*t sandwiches to the Bassmasters Classic
You read it right, this week's guest has had a rough year on the Bassmaster Opens trail. From gear stolen, trailer destroyed and more, Mathew Robertson has battled some demons this 2020 season but with his recent win on Cherokee he is Classic bound and one step closer to a Elite Series invite. Check it out!
Lake Fork: tougher than a game of checkers with Sumrall and Livesay
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
If you need two guys to accompany you on a five-mile jog, help you move furniture, catch you a fat largemouth, or simply share a laugh and a cold beer, you’d be wise to get ahold of Bassmaster Elite Series roommates Caleb Sumrall and Lee Livesay.
Just don’t play checkers with them.
“I still have a scar by my eyebrow from when I kicked Sumrall’s butt in checkers at Guntersville last month,” grinned Livesay over coffee at Lake Fork’s iconic Minnow Bucket.
Sure enough, the scar is still visible, but neither would confess exactly how the surface wound got there, only that checkers and laughter were involved.
The good news is, it didn’t prevent Livesay from winning $100,000 two weeks later at the Bassmaster Elite on Lake Chickamauga, and a congratulatory banner now hangs proudly on the front face of the Minnow Bucket, where Livesay met clients each morning for guided fishing trips 300 days a year.
Sumrall actually does some guiding too, but on Toledo Bend Reservoir, where flooded timber, a lack of aquatic vegetation, and the presence of trophy bass remind him of this week’s scene at Lake Fork for the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
“It’s tough, like real tough. I’d give Fork a letter grade C- right now,” says Sumrall.
Livesay is fast to confirm Sumrall isn’t sandbagging. “Caleb’s being too nice. Obviously, I love this lake. It’s been part of my life since I was 9 years old. But this week, we’ve got low water levels, no aquatic vegetation, a full moon, high pressure, and light winds – and that all equates to about a letter grade D by Lake Fork standards,” says Livesay.
Both agree that averaging 13-pounds per day on Day 1 and Day 2 of competition Thursday and Friday should be good enough for a Top 40 cut, and that squarebill cranks, ChatterBaits, spoons, and a time-proven Texas rigged worm will all play a factor.
But so far, no single lure has yielded super impressive results – to the point Livesay says at least 40 fellow pros have reached out to him for wisdom the past couple of days.
Big limits may be hard to come by at Fork this week, but the magical vibe of this 27,000-acre lake 90 minutes straight east of Dallas never ceases. Everybody knows giant bass live here – like the 13-pound 8-ounce beast Livesay once guided a client to using a Carolina Rig one magical November day.
For now, all 85 Elite Series pros can only hope for a little Lake Fork magic, and all would be wise to avoid a game of checkers with Sumrall and Livesay.
Texas Fest Offers Bassmaster Angler Of The Year Drama
Tennessee angler David Mullins is leading the 2020 Bassmaster Angler of the Year race by just five points heading into the season's last event — the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department on Lake Fork.
Photo by B.A.S.S.
November 3, 2020
QUITMAN, Texas — Three elements have come together — one planned, one unpredictable and one unforeseen — to create a perfect storm of Bassmaster Elite Series drama at Lake Fork Nov. 5-8. From Angler of the Year to Rookie of the Year to berths in the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic, a fascinating number of scenarios will be in play at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.
When the 2020 schedule was announced, it didn’t include a season-ending Angler of the Year Championship, which since 2014 had included only the Top 50 anglers in AOY points. That Top 50 format was, inadvertently, a drama-killer. It eliminated the volatility in points that occurs in all the other full-field events.
In regular season full-field events, first-place is worth 100 points and each place down the standings is worth one point less. With the current 85-man field, last place is worth 16 points, provided the angler catches at least one bass over two days. No bass, no points.
In most years there’s no way to know whether one angler will have a nearly insurmountable lead in AOY points before the season-ending event. It has happened in the past. But that’s not the case this year. David Mullins, of Mt. Carmel, Tenn., has just a five-point lead over Elite Series rookie Austin Felix, of Eden Prairie, Minn. The Top 5 anglers — Mullins, Felix, Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, Jake Whitaker of Fairview, N.C. and Kyle Welcher of Opelika, Ala. — are separated by only 31 points.
As for the Rookie of the Year race, Felix leads Welcher by 26 points. Japanese angler Taku Ito is third, 63 points behind Welcher.
Finally, there’s the unforeseen, namely the COVID-19 pandemic. The Elite Series schedule was completely reshuffled after the 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk at Lake Guntersville on March 6-8. The season-ending event in the original schedule was at Lake St. Clair on Aug. 20-23. The Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest was scheduled June 5-9, as the sixth in a nine-tournament slate.
Texas Fest has always included some bonuses bigger than the other regular-season events. First place is worth $125,000 instead of $100,000, and the angler with the biggest bass of the tournament receives a Toyota Tundra. But what can be the biggest prize for the winner, depending upon his AOY rank, is an automatic berth into the Bassmaster Classic. It seems fitting that in this crazy year, there would be a single automatic Classic berth available to every angler, no matter how far down the list he is in AOY points, in this final Elite Series event of 2020.
It is impossible to overestimate what it means for anglers to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic. Qualifying for the Classic signals a successful season for the angler, their family, sponsors and future in the sport. The Top 39 anglers in the final AOY points list qualify for the Classic. However, that number grows each season by a varying amount based on double-qualifiers.
For instance, as the 2020 Classic champion, Hank Cherry, of Lincolnton, N.C., automatically qualifies for the 2021 Classic. Cherry is currently 43rd in AOY points. If he moves inside the Top 39 Classic cut at Lake Fork, it would move the AOY list down another spot to 40.
If an angler wins Texas Fest at Lake Fork who is inside the AOY Classic cut, it would move the Classic qualifiers list down another spot to 41.
The Classic double-qualifiers grow also from the Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series winners. A Classic berth is awarded to each of the eight Opens winners.
Elite Series angler Patrick Walters, of Summerville, S.C., won September’s Bassmaster Eastern Open on Lake Hartwell. He currently ranks 11th in AOY points. A prerequisite for Classic qualification for an Opens winner is that the angler competes in all four tournaments of the division, whether Eastern or Central. Walters won’t officially be double-qualified until he competes in the final Eastern Open remaining on the schedule, but that’s a given. So the AOY Classic cut mark starts at 39, has moved to 40, and, if you count Walters, it could be 42 after Texas Fest, depending on Cherry’s AOY finish and whether the tournament winner is Classic-qualified via AOY.
There are still two Opens Series tournaments on the revised schedule — Nov. 19-21 at Texas’ Lewisville Lake and Dec. 3-5 at Alabama’s Lay Lake.
So, no matter what happens at Lake Fork, the automatic qualifiers from the final AOY points standings won’t be known until that final Eastern Open in December at Lay Lake.
But, again, with this full-field format in the final event, there will likely be several ups and downs in the AOY points race around that 40th place mark. There are infinite scenarios around the Classic cut line when only 55 points separate 35th place and 50th place, as they do now.
Thanks to a perfect storm of events, there will be more drama in an Elite Series final tournament of the year than there has ever been before.
Bassmaster LIVE will cover the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Nov. 5-8 on Bassmaster.com and ESPN3. Championship Sunday will feature additional live coverage on ESPN2. Check local listings for details.
The tournament is being hosted by the Sabine River Authority and Wood County Economic Development Commission.
Lester looking to avoid Lake Fork’s coffee colored water
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships.
Team Toyota’s Brandon Lester loves a large cup of java each morning with sugar and Italian sweet cream creamer, but he doesn’t want his bass fishing waters to resemble his morning brew.
“If you’ll notice, when lakes ‘turnover’ in the fall, they take-on a coffee color. I saw a lot of that today, and it’s probably why I only had a handful of bites,” said Lester as the sun set on the first day of practice at the Toyota Bassmaster Texasfest on Lake Fork.
Lester is referring to the natural progression of summer’s warm lake surface water becoming colder and denser. Thus, it sinks to mix with the deeper water known as the hypolimnion until water temps are pretty much the same from top to bottom.
Unfortunately, this stirring of nature’s bass fishing soup bowl causes solids that have rested on the bottom all summer to suspend and lakes take on a coffee color.
“I’m not saying you can’t catch a bass in that sort of water, but I sure haven’t ever had great luck in it,” he says. “And today, most of the Glade Creek arm was coffee colored.”
Surface temps on Fork are currently 66 to 72 degrees, and Lester says he’s not concerned about the lack of bites during the first day of practice.
“The only thing I learned today is this tournament is going to make being in the right area of the lake really important. I don’t think you’re going to be able to figure out a pattern and run it successfully in all three major creeks arms. Instead, you’re going to have to figure out the best area,” he explains.
For Lester, that means avoiding water that might look appealing to Folgers or Starbucks.
This is not going to be the 114 pounds of bass in 4-days of competition slugfest we saw Brandon Cobb win last May during the post spawn, but this is still Lake Fork, and Lester thinks it will take at least 20-pounds a day to win.
“Everybody knows the last three Bassmaster Elites this fall at Guntersville, Santee and Chickmauga were way tougher than normal, and that will be the case here too. But we’re later into fall now, and there’s still a ton of 4 to 9-pound fish swimming here,” concludes Lester.
MLF Announces Schedule, Rules and Entry Dates for 2021 High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing
Both Members of Winning Team at the 2021 High School Fishing National Championship Receive a $5,000 Scholarship and Advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship to Compete as Co-anglers
BENTON, Ky. (Nov. 2, 2020) – Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today the schedule, rules, payouts and entry dates for the 2021 season of High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing, along with scholarship and advancement opportunities to compete in the 2021 Toyota Series Championship. The top 10 percent of teams in each High School Fishing tournament will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship, featuring national television coverage on the Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel and World Fishing Network.
Both members of the winning team at the 2021 High School Fishing National Championship advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers and fish for the top prize of a $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard, provided they are at least 16 years of age as of Oct. 28, 2021.
Both members of the winning team at the 2021 High School Fishing National Championship receive a $5,000 scholarship to the school of their choice.
All participating teams automatically qualify for the High School Fishing World Finals run by The Bass Federation (TBF) and held simultaneously with the National Championship to compete for more than $3 million in scholarships and prizes.
“We are thrilled to continue working alongside our partners at TBF to provide incredible opportunities for high school anglers year after year,” said Kevin Hunt, MLF Senior Director of Tournament Operations, College and High School. “These young athletes are the future of our sport, and we take great pride in offering competitive tournaments on fantastic fisheries that pave a path for students to learn what it takes to realize their dreams.
“The opportunity to compete as co-anglers alongside some of the best anglers in the world provides industry lessons and instruction they can’t get anywhere else. We are proud of the accomplishments of our past student anglers and are looking forward to a fantastic 2021 season.”
Registration for the 2021 season of MLF High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing opens November 5. Teams can register at FLWFishing.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. There is no entry fee for high school anglers to compete in any MLF or TBF High School Fishing tournament, however both competing anglers must be a member of the Student Angler Federation (SAF). The $25 SAF membership fee includes membership to both MLF and The TBF for eligibility to fish any SAF tournament, including MLF High School Fishing Opens presented by Favorite Fishing, TBF State Championships and TBF Challenge tournaments.
SAF members receive live weigh-in coverage at every MLF High School Fishing Open presented by Favorite Fishing, a profile on FLWFishing.com to track tournament stats and a digital subscription to MLF Bass Fishing magazine, as well as eligibility to Marshal in the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit. Membership can be purchased at FLWFishing.com or HighSchoolFishing.org.
MLF High School Fishing tournaments are two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12, and are open to any SAF-affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10-percent of each MLF High School Fishing Open presented by Favorite Fishing, TBF State Championship and TBF Challenge tournament held prior to June 14, 2021, will advance to the 2021 High School Fishing National Championship, held in conjunction with the High School Fishing World Finals June 30-July 3 on Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina. Launched by TBF in 2010, the World Final is the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, where student anglers compete for more than $3 million in scholarships and prizes.
The majority of MLF High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing tournaments are held on Saturdays and are preceded by an Abu Garcia College Fishing tournament the day prior. This provides students and parents the opportunity to network with prospective college teams and coaches during Friday registrations, immediately following college weigh-ins, to facilitate decision-making on future collegiate fishing careers.
2021 MLF High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing Schedule:
· Sunday, Jan 31 Shasta: Bridge Bay Resort | Redding, CA
· Saturday, Feb 13 Harris Chain: Venetian Gardens - Ski Beach | Leesburg, FL
· Saturday, Mar 27 Table Rock : Table Rock State Park Marina | Branson, MO
· Saturday, Apr 17 Lake Somerville: Lake Somerville Marina | Brenham, TX
· Saturday, Apr 24 Lake Guntersville: Lake Guntersville State Park | Guntersville, AL
· Saturday, May 1 Smith Mountain Lake: Parkway Marina | Huddleston, VA
· Sunday, May 16 California Delta: Big Break Marina | Oakley, CA
· Saturday, Jun 5 Potomac River: Smallwood State Park | Marbury, MD
· Saturday, Jun 12 Lake of the Pines: Lakeside Park | Jefferson, TX
· Saturday, Jul 31 MS River-La Crosse: W. Copeland & Clinton | La Crosse, WI
· Saturday, Aug 21 Detroit River: Elizabeth Park Marina | Trenton, MI
· Sunday, Sep 26 Clear Lake: Redbud Park | Clearlake, CA
· Saturday, Oct 2 Lake Dardanelle: Lake Dardanelle State Park | Russellville, AR
· Saturday, Oct 16 Lake of the Ozarks: Public Beach #2 | Osage Beach, MO
· Saturday, Oct 23 Lake Chickamauga: Dayton Boat Dock | Dayton, TN
2021 High School Fishing National Championship & World Finals
· June 30-July 3 Lake Hartwell: Green Pond Landing | Anderson, SC
Complete rules for the 2021 MLF High School Fishing Opens presented by Favorite Fishing can be found online at FLWFishing.com.
CHARLES WHITED & BRENDAN KENNELL WIN THE FINAL TRAIL EVENT ON LBJ AND THE 2020 AOY TITLE
PL ANGLER 1 ANGLER 2 FISH BIG BASS WT PRIZE
1 CHARLES WHITED BRENDAN KENNELL 5 18.06 $10,000
2 GARRETT HENNIG BRANDON MCQUEEN 4 8.24 17.99 $3,000 + $1,300 BIG BASS + Bass Assets $100 Certificate
3 GLENN RUCKEL SCOTT ROSS 5 16.97 $1,500
4 SAM MORROW COLT DIETZ 5 15.62 $1,250
5 JOSH LASSETER 4 7.88 15.34 $1,000
6 MICHAEL ZIBERT 5 14.58 $800
7 RANDY FESLER BRENT SMITH 5 7.24 14.57 $700
8 KEN WILKINS KEITH HEINRICH 5 13.51 $600
9 SCOTT SMITH TODD IVINS 5 13.44 $550 + Pre-registration Winners (Shimano Clarus Rods)
10 RUBEN RIBERA LINO GUTIERREZ 5 12.70 $500
11 DANIEL BARNES ADRIAN BARNES 5 12.65 $450
11 ROBERT KESSLER RUSSELL KESSLER 5 12.65 $450
13 CLINT ROBERTSON STEVE MAGNELIA 5 12.39 $350
14 JASON STAFFORD DOYLE WALKER 5 12.27 $300
15 JOE BRAY JAY FRASIER 4 12.15
16 DAVE MANGELSDORF MATTHEW WHITTINGTON 5 11.94
17 BRANDON BRAY JESSE FRY 5 11.92
18 ADRIAN SANCHEZ DEAN ALEXANDER 5 11.89
19 CRAIG CORDOVA SHAWN TAMEZ 5 11.76
20 TERRY KIRCUS JASON BUCHANAN 5 11.26
21 LEE BEUERSHAUSEN RANDY GROUNDS 5 11.21
22 BYRON ALBRECHT MIKE JOHNSON 5 11.17
23 ALLEN GASS JOHN RATLIFF 5 11.00
24 SHANE LOGAN TONY FERDINANDO 5 10.96
25 JJ LARSON JASON LARSON 3 10.90
26 DONNA ESCHBERGER RANDALL ESCHBERGER 5 10.84
27 ANDREW SWEET PHILLIP DOUBEK 4 10.23
28 TERRY HALL LYNN PIERCE 5 9.97
29 MATT CANNON JARED SIEGELER 5 9.54
30 JIMMY CHAPMAN KENNETH CUMMINS 5 9.49
31 BRYAN SCOTT TYLER TORWICK 5 9.39
32 TREY GROCE JOE BILL HALE 5 9.36
33 JOEY WILBURN JORDAN FISHER 4 9.23
34 DARRELL WUENSCHE 3 9.17
35 BUBBA WAMPLER HANK FRY 5 9.07
36 TRENT BLAKE SHAWN MARKGRAFF 3 8.43
37 DAMON ROSS DONNIE ROSS 5 8.27
38 JACOB FROESE GARY FRIEDEL 4 7.84
39 LESLIE DORECK JOE GARCIA 3 7.62
40 LARRY SMITH KEN EVERETT 4 6.92
41 WYATT RAE HUNTER PRICE 2 5.84
42 MICHAEL KILE BRIAN KILE 2 4.97
43 JUSTIN MADDING STERLING MARTIN 3 4.94
44 LEE BENTON CODY SMITH 3 4.89
45 JAMES ROLLINS GRANT GALE(Y) 1 4.66
46 TONY MALDONADO RICK HAMILTON 2 4.59
47 TRAVIS COCKERHAM LOGAN CLARK 2 4.34
48 MIKE MCEACHEM JOSEPH KENNEDY 2 3.92
49 RUSTY REEDY BRYCEN REEDY(Y) 2 3.82
50 DANNY HARRELL MICHAEL NOBLE 2 3.24
51 QUINN VANCE CHRIS BERTELSON 1 2.88
52 TERRY WILLIAMS JR BILLY WALDSCHMIDT
52 MICKEY SANDERS ROGER MEEK
52 LANCE DILLARD BLAKE DILLARD
52 ERIC CRUMLEY RONNY MAYNARD
52 PATRICK STARNES THOMAS HARALSON
52 RICK SCHEEN AUSTIN QUIET
52 SETH KELM MIKE BATES
52 DON GORDON JAMES ROBERTS
52 MICHAEL STRATTON JASON KEAS
52 JASON OLIVO BOBBY ACOSTA
52 JOHNNIE BARNES RYAN KESSLER
52 ROBBY PAYNE
52 ANDY ARMENDARIZ SR
52 TERRY ADAIR
52 HUDSON CARLTON FRED CATES
52 ZACH CERA BEN RAMPY
52 TIM RENEAU JUDY RENEAU
52 SPENCER SCHNEIDER BRIAN HUGHES
52 MAX KIPP DENNIS WHITED
52 MARCO MCDONALD JACOB WATKINS
52 KAENA FREITAS ANDY ZAVALA
52 RANDALL BEAUCHAMP REGINA BEAUCHAMP
52 JUSTIN KETCHUM SEAN CLAMPITT
52 RYAN BODE AARON KISSEL
52 MIKE WOOD MARC SHERRON
52 BILLY MCCRARY II DONNIE O'NEAL
52 JUSTIN WISIAN KENNETH FAIRLY
52 KENNY VALCHAR JAMES VALCHAR
52 JOE DUCK LORNE DORNAK
52 JAMES JONES SOREN HANSEN
52 JOHN WARDEN CHARLES DORTCH
52 JACKY ROBERTS EDDIE PELFREY
52 JASON MURPHREE PATRICK AMICK
52 BRIAN MATER PHIL WARREN
52 WILL BERNHARD DARYL PRICE
52 BLAKE STASIUNAS DEREK MCNABB
52 GARY JOHNSON MIKE SODEN
52 MARK RIBERA RICK RIBERA
52 BRETT ORLICH GARY FERGUSON
52 RICK LOWE BRONWYN LOWE
52 JAMES WHITE WAYNE ALBERTHAL
52 JAYSON KISSELBURG DEAN GOLMON
52 DONNIE WEBER JOHN KAPALDO
52 JASON WILLIAMS JEREMY WRIGHT
52 JR WILLS
52 DAVID STEPHENS BILL KIMBERLY
52 TOM GUIDRY DUSTIN ISBELL
52 JEFF ANDERSON FRANK WIGET
52 KAYDEN MILLER(Y) CANTON BIZZELL(Y)
52 DUSTIN TRIMUAR GARY SHARP
52 JUSTIN HUMMEL LEONARD DEBRASKA
52 RICHIE LAND CADE STRATTON(Y)
52 BARRY MOTT MATT HILL
52 BRYAN RICHARDS MAT KEVIL
52 BRINTON HASKINS ROBERT WELCH
52 NATHEN LABAY BRANDON BUSSELL
52 DUSTIN SMITH CHRIS BAKER
52 GLENN WILSON BLAKE ARAPIS
52 GARY WEIMER THOMAS WEIMER
52 JOHN HAND RICK HARRIS
52 JAMES GOODNER GRANT GOODNER
52 CHRIS WILKINSON MASON WILKINSON(Y)
52 DENNIS BECK MICHAEL BECK
52 DANIEL ABERNATHY DAVID LINDLEY
52 JAMES CANTWELL DONNA CANTWELL
52 CHRISTOPHER WASHINGTON JARRID HOHENSEE
52 JUSTIN MAY KEVIN THRESS
52 CHUCK WARE CODY FRAISER
52 WENDELL RAMSEY SR WENDELL RAMSEY JR
52 DARREL ROUTON JACK CULBREATH
52 CASEY MARTZ TERRELL FRANKLIN
52 WADE MEHAFFEY WESTIN MEHAFFEY(Y)
52 JAMIE SLAYDEN BRANDON HOUSTON
52 JOEY MARTIN
52 THOMAS HOWE PHILIP THOMPSON
52 TOM PURSELL
52 BUSTER JOHNSON WARREN KEPKE
52 TREY EPICH BRANDON DICKENSON
52 DAVID REID ROBBIE THORSTEINSON Shoreline Decal $250 Fuel Card Winners David Reid-Shimano Loyalty Drawing Winner
Quantum Hosts Next Gen Open on Sam Rayburn
Quantum hosted their second Next Gen Open of the fall this weekend on legendary Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The iconic brand out of Tulsa, Oklahoma partnered with the Texas B.A.S.S. Nation to put on this event for high school anglers in the Texas / Louisiana region.
Anglers competed for a spot in the 2021 Bassmaster High School National Championship, thousands of dollars in Quantum rods and reels as well as prizes from Lowrance, Yamaha, TH Marine, Badlands, and Lure Lock.
River Johnson and Dalton Morton of Huntington High School used an 18-foot aluminum boat and spinnerbaits to crack the code on a fickle Sam Rayburn. Weighing in 16.16-lbs to take first place honors along with the big bass award thanks to a four and a half pounder.
“We really can’t thank Quantum enough for hosting this tournament,” Johnson said. “Between the rods and all the registration prizes we got our money’s worth before we ever started fishing! It was awesome.”
18-year old Johnson and 16-year old Morton have been fishing Sam Rayburn their entire lives, and both anglers are already accomplished tournament competitors. The two linked up to be partners this year, and have already won two out of the three events they’ve entered together.
Their winning efforts weren’t lacking a bit of adversity or comedy. They explained they beached their boat in ankle deep water, almost ran out of gas on the way back to weigh-in, and reportedly hit every stump in the lake on the way to their fishing spot.
“We found a creek that had one little sweet spot,” Morton divulged. “We caught a few on crankbaits on the rods Quantum gave us - we strung them up right away the night before the tournament- but spinnerbaits seemed to be the deal today.”
Major League Fishing and Quantum sponsored pro Gerald Spohrer helped pass out special edition Quantum Accurist Cranking Rods to every single high school angler in attendance.
“It’s amazing the opportunities these kids have these days. Honestly from a competition standpoint, it’s scary,” Spohrer joked.
“These high school anglers are making their own decisions and can fish so many tournaments, I just hope I can hang as they get older,” Spohrer concluded. “It’s great to see Quantum support the next generation of anglers and help them fall in love with the sport.”
Sonar and Italian Subs credited with Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Historic Win
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Cole Sands and Conner DiMauro had three consecutive days of bass fishing that 95% of those who will ever pick up a baitcasting rod and reel will never experience en route to victory at the 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Championship on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes.
The two experienced young anglers from East Tennessee’s Bryan College weighed-in 28, 27 and 29 pound 5-bass limits Thursday, Friday and Saturday to not only win a college championship, but also forever notch their names in B.A.S.S. record books, and the dream-like experience all took place on one 250-yard stretch of aquatic vegetation.
“We caught the majority of the fish we weighed-in on a Carolina Rig in about 9-feet of water on the edge of the weedline. Old school green pumpkin Senkos caught the majority of our weight, and redbug colored plastics were really good too,” says Sands.
When asked what the biggest key to their success was, they cited staring at Humminbird sonar screens and very little fishing in practice. “Conner is actually from here and he came down here and spent three days looking for the right kind of stuff. And then during official practice days this week, we only set the hook one time on what he found, and it was a 6-pounder. So, we knew he’d found the juice,” says Sands who has now competed in four consecutive Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championships.
Ironically, even though DiMauro grew up in Central Florida, Bryan College in Dayton, TN was the only school to offer him a college bass fishing tuition scholarship, so he headed nine hours north, to then return home with Sands to claim a national championship.
“God definitely had a plan for me,” says DiMauro. And Sands thinks good sandwiches played a big role too. “Conner’s grandpa made us the best Italian subs I’ve ever eaten in my life, and I’m not sure we could have pulled off this win without those subs,” he grins.
Wagner Wins Toyota Series Event on Dale Hollow Lake
Cookeville Angler Wins by Five Ounces to Take Home $62,761
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (Nov. 1, 2020) – Toyota Series angler Adam Wagner of Cookeville, Tennessee, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 1 ounce to win the three-day Toyota Series at Dale Hollow Lake tournament in Byrdstown, Tennessee. Wagner’s three-day total of 12 bass weighing 34-6 earned him the win by 5 ounces over second-place angler Blake Smith of Byrdstown, and earned Wagner the top payout of $62,761, including the lucrative $35,000 FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency award in the third and final regular-season tournament of the 2020 Toyota Series Central Division.
“I’m just blown away,” said Wagner, the 2009 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Champion who earned his 15th career victory in FLW competition. “I got lucky. I just absolutely pulled up dead on top of that school of fish. If that’s not meant to be, I don’t know what to say – It just blows my mind.”
The school of fish Wagner referenced was the “motherlode” he found in the afternoon of day two. He said he didn’t have enough time to pluck a big bag from the school, but he knew he found something special to go back to on Saturday.
“I was pulling up to fish a grass spot [Friday] and I just went across this ditch and [my graph] just lit up,” he explained. “It’s two long, flat points going into a gut of a pocket. There was a school of shad in 49 foot of water, and apparently every largemouth that lives on those points was in that gut.”
Wagner said he’s not a “deep water guy,” but has the confidence to do something he knows isn’t his forte. He also credits local knowledge and having the right baits on the deck at the right times – namely, a 5/8-ounce Silver Buddy blade bait.
After finding his winning school on Friday, Wagner said he used the Silver Buddy to pluck a few largemouth from deep water to make the top-10 cut. He then went back to his school Saturday morning and caught a couple keepers before hitting a few other spots to give the school time to set up.
Wagner said when he returned, it was game on.
“The shad had ganged up a little better, like the bass had bunched them up a little more,” he explained. “As the day went on it got better. Saturday was fun.”
As much fun as Wagner had both catching the biggest bag of the tournament and holding up the resulting trophy and $62,761 check, he continued to go back to the providence of it all.
“I just can’t believe it,” he said. “That I found that school of fish – at noon Friday I didn’t have a fish. If I had gone over 10 or 15 yards, I would have never seen them.”
The top 10 pros on Dale Hollow Lake finished:
1st: Adam Wagner of Cookeville, Tenn., 12 bass, 34-6, $62,761
2nd: Blake Smith of Byrdstown, Tenn., 15 bass, 34-1, $10,176
3rd: Dakota Ebare of Denham Springs, La., 12 bass, 29-1, $8,078
4th: Jonathan Bowling of Harriman, Tenn., 11 bass, 26-13, $6,565
5th: Chris Malone of Ironton, Ohio, 12 bass, 24-12, $5,909
6th: Nick Ratliff of Vine Grove, Ky., 10 bass, 21-8, $5,252
7th: Scott Stults of Jamestown, Tenn., seven bass, 19-8, $4,671
8th: Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tenn., 12 bass, 18-7, $3,939
9th: Marshall Deakins of Dunlap, Tenn., eight bass, 18-0, $3,283
10th: Billy Hall of Florence, Ky., five bass, 15-5, $2,626
A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Wagner took home an extra $35,000 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Robert Russell of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 11 bass weighing 22 pounds, 2 ounces. Russell took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.
The top 10 co-anglers on Dale Hollow Lake finished:
1st: Robert Russell of Murfreesboro, Tenn., 11 bass, 22-2, $33,550 Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat w/115-hp outboard
2nd: Josh Lockard of Somerset, Ky., seven bass, 15-1, $3,396
3rd: Phil Williams, Jr. of Jamestown, Ky., five bass, 13-15, $2,716
4th: Brent Clark of Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 12-10, $2,377
5th: Nathan Woodruff of Iuka, Miss., four bass, 11-12, $2,037
6th: Gary Slaughter of Waddy, Ky., five bass, 10-0, $1,698
7th: Luke Glasgow of Guin, Ala., five bass, 10-0, $1,358
8th: Travis Parrott of Byrdstown, Tenn., three bass, 8-0, $1,188
9th: Michael Weimann of Murfreesboro, Tenn., three bass, 6-13, $1,019
10th: Randy Forbes of Pleasant Plain, Ohio, three bass, 6-4, $849
The Toyota Series at Dale Hollow Lake was hosted by the Byrdstown-Pickett County Chamber of Commerce. It was the third and final tournament in 2020 for Central Division anglers. The next two events for Toyota Series anglers will both take place on Nov. 5-7, with the Toyota Series at Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia and the Toyota Series at Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
Sands And Dimauro Finish Dominant Win At Bassmaster College National Championship
Cole Sands and Conner Dimauro, from Tennessee's Bryan College, have won the 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops with a three-day total of 84 pounds, 12 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
October 31, 2020
LEESBURG, Fla. — With over a 15-pound lead heading into the final day of the Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at the Harris Chain of Lakes, the Bryan College duo of Cole Sands and Conner Dimauro rode to their starting spot with music blaring, singing and laughing to combat the anxious excitement they were feeling.
Sands and Dimauro secured their wire-to-wire victory in dominating fashion, catching 29 pounds Saturday to increase their total weight to 84-12, beating the second-place team of Cole Thompson and Benson Dowler by almost 26 pounds and earning $5,000.
The previous year at the National Championship at Chickamauga Lake, Sands and Dimauro also led the first two days, but ultimately lost the tournament by a pound.
“I think there is a saying that says the ‘thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,’” Sands said. “Last year we got to feel what defeat tasted like. Just to come back is like a storybook ending. To win this one, there is no better way to go out from Bassmaster college fishing than to win this trophy in the fashion we did.”
Their weight shattered the previous record of 72-13 in a three-day College Series event. The previous record was set at the St. Lawrence River in 2019.
Sands and Dimauro caught the majority of their fish this week, including all of their weight on Day 3, on an offshore spot on Lake Beauclair. During practice, the duo located a grassline that consisted of hydrilla and eelgrass using their Humminbird electronics that also had a hard bottom located next to the grass. Dragging Carolina rigs through the grass and onto the hard bottom triggered the bigger fish into biting.
“That’s a spot that has been producing. It is a spot people have been catching them on forever and people will be catching them on forever,” Dimauro, a Florida native, said. “We were dragging our Carolina rigs and it would get mushy and it was either a fish or a piece of grass.”
While they moved to a different area for a brief period on Day 3, their best spot produced giant bass every day of the tournament, including a fish Sands estimated to be over 8 pounds that anchored their Day 3 bag.
Sands said he used a plum melon color 6th Sense Ridge Worm starting on Day 2 and caught the majority of his big fish with it on Day 3, including the 8-pounder. Dimauro used a mix of a Bitter’s Bait and Tackle 10-inch worm and a green pumpkin Senko with the tail dyed chartreuse.
Sands landed their first fish, one that weighed around 5 pounds, within the first 45 minutes of their day and had one fish in their livewell for the next hour.
“We didn’t get bit for the first 45 minutes and we were like, ‘Oh no, this again. We aren’t going to catch a limit today on the last day of a National Championship,’” Sands said. “That first 5-pounder that bit let us settle down a little bit. Then we went a while without another bite.”
After catching two more small keepers, Sands landed their biggest fish of the day around 9:45 a.m., despite breaking his rod at the beginning of the fight. The duo quickly filled their limit and caught several more 5- and 6-pound fish before the bite stalled around noon.
Sands and Dimauro also qualify for the College Classic Bracket scheduled for Nov. 17-19 on Alabama’s Lay Lake, along with the other Top 4 finishers from the National Championship. This will be their second time competing at that event.
“This is a dream come true to win this tournament, but you make your career at the next stage,” Dimauro said. “That lines up a career if you are able to win that on the final day. That’s what we really want.
“Obviously, we really wanted to win, but the ultimate goal coming into this tournament was a Top 4.”
After starting the day in eighth place, Thompson and Dowler caught 22-8 for a three-day total of 58-14, lifting them into second-place and into the Classic Bracket. Their Day 3 bag was anchored by an 8-10 largemouth and another bass that Dowler estimates was over 7 pounds.
“We came into this thing with a rough practice,” Dowler said. “I’m excited. Lay is pretty much my home lake and I used to fish it growing up all the time.”
Thompson said they were targeting eelgrass and hydrilla in 6 to 7 feet of water, with the top of the grass coming up to about 3 feet. They triggered bites using a squarebill and a Queen Tackle Switch Blade.
“It was coming through the grass great,” Thompson said. “I’m pretty sure the main forage in this lake is needlefish, so we dialed that pattern in and that’s why those moving baits were so effective.”
Georgia Southern University’s Ty Black and Avry Thomason caught 18-1 on the final day to finish third with 57-10 total, punching their ticket to the Bracket. The duo caught their fish on a Strike King 6XD crankbait around the bridge that separates Harris Lake from Little Harris Lake.
“In 15 minutes, I caught a 4 1/2 and then he caught a 3 1/2,” Black said. “About 1:30, I caught one about 5 pounds and that bumped us up to what we got. It was a tough day, honestly. We stayed on that bridge for about six hours and we grinded through them.”
Trevor McKinney and Blake Jackson from McKendree University caught 19-1 on the final day, lifting them to fourth place with 53-1 and making them the final team to qualify for the Bracket.
Bryce Henley and Reese Kingston from Brewton-Parker College won the Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament with a 9-3 lunker they landed on Day 2. They received a $500 Carhartt gift card.
2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by
Bass Pro Shops 10/29-10/31
Harris Chain Of Lakes, Leesburg FL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Cole Sands - Conner Dimauro Bryan College 250
Day 1: 5 28-07 Day 2: 5 27-05 Day 3: 5 29-00 Total: 15 84-12
2. Cole Thompson - Benson Dowler 249
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 21-01 Day 3: 5 22-08 Total: 15 58-14
3. Ty Black - Avry Thomason Georgia Southern University 248
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 20-04 Day 3: 5 18-01 Total: 15 57-10
4. Trevor McKinney - Blake Jackson McKendree University 247
Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 5 13-08 Day 3: 5 19-01 Total: 15 53-01
5. Dax Ewart - Kyle Palmer Bethel University 246
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 17-14 Total: 15 51-00
6. Rudolph Worley - John Nowlin Blue Mountain College 245
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 26-05 Day 3: 5 11-05 Total: 15 49-11
7. Miller Spivey - Trey Dickert University of Montevallo 244
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 22-10 Day 3: 5 09-15 Total: 15 48-14
8. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson Minnesota State Univ Mankato 243
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 17-14 Day 3: 5 10-08 Total: 15 48-04
9. Jack Tindell - Brett Fregia Lamar State College Orange 242
Day 1: 5 20-06 Day 2: 5 20-05 Day 3: 5 06-13 Total: 15 47-08
10. Ty Cox - Fisher Overton Blue Mountain College 241
Day 1: 2 07-05 Day 2: 5 26-10 Day 3: 5 11-12 Total: 12 45-11
11. Tyler Lubbat - Calvin Landsberg 240
Day 1: 5 25-01 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 08-06 Total: 15 45-06
12. Mason Moore - Logan Estes Eastern Kentucky University 239
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 16-14 Day 3: 5 07-03 Total: 15 41-05
Afternoon Change Leads Robertson To Win At Bassmaster Eastern Open On Cherokee
Matthew Robertson, of Kuttawa, Ky., has won the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake with a three-day total of 40 pounds, 12 ounces.
Photo by Andy Crawford/B.A.S.S.
October 31, 2020
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — When noon found him without a keeper, Matthew Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., made a bold decision that propelled him to victory at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open on Cherokee Lake with a three-day total of 40 pounds, 12 ounces.
Entering Championship Saturday with a mere 3-ounce lead over Denny Fiedler of Wabasha, Minn., Robertson added a five-bass limit of 12-4 to his first two days’ limits of 14-8 and 14-0. He won by a margin of 1-10 and earned a top prize of $35,000. Robertson also won the $500 Garmin Tournament Rewards prize.
He also earned an automatic berth into the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic, which is scheduled for March on Lake Ray Roberts in Texas.
“I’m usually out on the water saying, ‘Maybe I should go here, maybe I should go there,’ but the past two weeks, I’ve just had more faith in myself and I’ve just been rolling with it,” Robertson said. “I’m not second-guessing anything; I’m fishing more deliberately.”
Fresh off a second-place finish at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open on Neely Henry Lake, Robertson had spent his first two days working a small stretch of boulder-laden bottom in 20 feet of water. Intercepting packs of smallmouth bass ravaging bait schools, he caught his fish on a Ned rig and a Neko rig.
With post-frontal conditions bringing bright skies and high pressure, Day 3 found the spot unproductive. Robertson said this prompted him to completely scrap his game plan and switch to something that was right in his wheelhouse.
“I told myself, ‘I’m going to stay there until noon and see what I have,’” he said. “All I caught was a striped bass, so I pulled the plug. I was so comfortable with that decision, it was no big deal.
“I pulled into a little pocket close to my deep spot and caught one on a topwater. I figured out what the pattern was and I went to war with it.”
Robertson said he found his best opportunities in pockets with docks, deeper cuts and flat points with scattered rock. Most of the bass he saw were hunting bait in small feeding groups known as “wolf packs.”
He caught his fish on a Strike King Sexy Dawg topwater in the sexy shad color. His co-angler, Jon Jezierski, gave him the bait, which had recently been given to him by Japanese pro Kenta Kimura.
“Kenta had modified the Sexy Dawg by replacing the stock hooks with (a Japanese brand of) round bend treble hooks,” Robertson said. “He also added SuspenDots (adhesive lead dots) to the belly of the bait to make it sit lower in the water.
“That made the bait more castable. Also, instead of those fish popping the bait out of the water, they’d pull it down.”
The win, Robertson said, was particularly meaningful, given his recent setbacks. While practicing for the Central Open on Sam Rayburn Reservoir (mid-September), his entire collection of fishing tackle and other gear was stolen from his truck.
“I’m pretty emotional right now,” he said. “I’ve been through the mud just to be here.”
Local stick Josh Roark of Bean Station, Tenn., finished second with 39-2. After placing 10th on Day 1 with 11-13, he added 15-2 — the tournament’s second-largest bag — on Day 2 and rose to third. He gained one spot Saturday with a final-round limit of 12-3.
“I did the same thing I’ve been doing all week; you just had to slow down and grind through them,” Roark said. “I was targeting isolated or scattered boulders. Most of my fish were in 30 to 40 feet deep.
“The majority of my fish came on a 2.8 Keitech swimbait on a homemade 3/8-ounce ball-head jig with a screw lock. I also caught a couple of fish on a Heddon Super Spook and a few fish on a drop shot with a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm.”
Day 1 leader Joshua Stracner finished third with 38-15. His daily weights were 14-12, 10-14 and 13-5. He caught his bass on a crankbait, a Damiki rig, a tube and a drop shot with a 4 1/2-inch Reaction Innovations Pocket Rocket.
“I had a really slow start; I only had two or three little fish at 10 o’clock,” Stracner said. “I caught one 3-pounder in the middle of the day.
“I’d been fishing 30 to 40 feet deep for smallmouth and I’d been saving a shallow place for today. I’d been catching some largemouth on that spot. I went to it today and caught two or three and gave myself a shot.”
Fiedler won the $750 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award with his 5-6.
Bobby Drinnon of Rogersville, Tenn., completed a wire-to-wire win in the co-angler division with a three-day total of 18-3. Taking the Day 1 lead with a three-fish limit of 8-5, he added another limit of 7-11 Friday. On Saturday, Drinnon found only one keeper that weighed 2-3.
“The first two days, I was using a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent General on a 5/16-ounce shaky head that (a friend) pours,” Drinnon said. “Today, I caught my keeper on a Damiki rig with a homemade head that I pour with a Damiki Armor Shad.”
Daniel Valois Gomez of Caracas, Venezuela, won the $250 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for co-anglers with a 4-2.
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., leads the Eastern Open standings with 581 points, followed by Stracner with 580. Pat Schlapper is in third place with 550, while Scott Martin is fourth with 541 and Timmy Thompkins is fifth with 532.
Justin Atkins of Florence, Ala., leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year Standings with 1,009 points.
2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake 10/29-10/31
Lake Cherokee, Dandridge TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Matthew Robertson Kuttawa, KY 15 40-12 200 $37,833.00
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 14-00 Day 3: 5 12-04
2. Josh Roark Bean Station, TN 15 39-02 199 $18,133.00
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 12-03
3. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 15 38-15 198 $12,800.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 5 13-05
4. Bill Humbard New Market, TN 15 33-08 197 $10,667.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 09-03 Day 3: 5 11-00
5. Andy Hribar Lakeville, MN 13 32-15 196 $9,280.00
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 3 07-05 Day 3: 5 12-00
6. John Hunter Jr Simpsonville, KY 13 32-10 195 $8,533.00
Day 1: 3 05-06 Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 5 11-10
7. Spencer Peters Knoxville, TN 13 31-01 194 $8,000.00
Day 1: 3 08-04 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 09-08
8. Timmy Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 13 30-03 193 $7,467.00
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 11-04 Day 3: 3 06-09
9. Denny Fiedler Wabasha, MN 10 28-05 192 $6,617.00
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 13-13 Day 3: 0 00-00
10. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 12 27-15 191 $4,800.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 10-00 Day 3: 2 06-10
11. Jeremy Gordon Rutledge, TN 12 27-09 190 $4,267.00
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 4 09-08 Day 3: 3 05-09
12. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 10 25-01 189 $3,733.00
Day 1: 4 10-03 Day 2: 5 11-04 Day 3: 1 03-10
Robertson Intercepts Smallmouth For Bassmaster Eastern Open Lead On Cherokee Lake
Matthew Robertson, of Kuttawa, Ky., is leading after Day 2 of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake with a two-day total of 28 pounds, 8 ounces.
Photo by Andy Crawford/B.A.S.S.
October 30, 2020
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — Holding his ground and waiting for his opportunities, Matthew Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., took the Day 2 lead of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake with a two-day total of 28 pounds, 8 ounces.
After sharing a second-place Day 1 tie with Denny Fiedler of Wabasha, Minn., and trailing the first-round lead by 4 ounces, Robertson heads into Championship Saturday 3 ounces ahead of Fiedler. Turning in the event’s most consistent performance, Robertson added 14 pounds to the 14-8 he caught on Day 1.
“I’m fishing basically one spot,” Robertson said. “I didn’t know it had the ability to do this. I caught one keeper there during practice on Wednesday and rolled in there yesterday thinking I might try to catch a keeper and — bam! I don’t know what to say.”
Fishing in 20 feet of water, Robertson said his bite is not fast and furious. Rather, he’s having to pick his way to a daily limit.
“It’s slow, I’ll get a bite here and there,” he said. “I’m going to go back there and wing it again tomorrow. I guess I’ll sit there all day because I don’t have anything else.”
Robertson said his spot has several boulders, but the key element is baitfish. Schools of shad are moving in and out of his area and smallmouth bass are aggressively targeting the forage.
“I’ll watch them on my Garmin LiveScope and see a school of smallies bust up through the bait,” he said. “They’re also hanging around some of those big rocks.”
While a swimbait produced during practice, Robertson said the fish are not committing to his reaction bait — they’re only following and bumping it. Instead, he’s catching his bass on the same dragging technique that produced on Day 1, along with another presentation that he dialed in Friday.
“I had a little something pop into my head, so I rigged it up and first cast I caught one of those good smallies,” Robertson said. “So now I have two things to go at them with.”
Noting that he is focusing on a tight area, Robertson said he’s not moving his boat more than 60 feet.
“I’m just waiting for them to swim through and come to me instead of running and gunning and trying to run into them,” he said. “I don’t usually do this, but I’m just soaking my baits and waiting for them to roll in.
“I’ve noticed on this lake the fish are really roamers. I think different schools are running around and one will come through and I’ll catch one or two. Hopefully, some more will swim through tomorrow.”
Fiedler said he returned to the same scenario he fished on Day 1 and bolstered his first-round weight of 14-8 with another limit that weighed 13-13 for a two-day total of 28-5. He’s fishing the lake’s upper end and fishing moving baits in stained water.
“It started out much quicker today,” Fiedler said. “I caught three fish within the first 30 minutes, so I was happy about that. That settles you down.
“It took a while to get number four, then I went to my secondary spot. I filled out my limit and culled three times.”
Josh Roark of Bean Station, Tenn., is in third with 26-15. Despite catching the day’s second-biggest sack — 15-2 — Roark said he found about the same opportunity level as he did on Day 1 when he weighed 11-13.
“I executed a little better today; I didn’t lose any fish,” Roark said. “I lost a couple of good ones yesterday.”
Filling his Day 2 limit with smallmouth, Roark said he caught his fish on a mix of moving baits and reaction baits. Instead of a specific pattern, he covered a variety of spots from 2 to 40 feet.
Fiedler is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 5-6.
Bobby Drinnon of Rogersville, Tenn., retained his lead in the co-angler division with 16-0. After taking the early lead with a three-fish limit of 8-5, he added another limit that weighed 7-11.
Daniel Valois Gomez of Caracas, Venezuela, holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead among co-anglers with a 4-2.
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., currently leads the Eastern Open standings with 581 points, followed by Day 1 leader Josh Stracner with 579. Pat Schlapper is third place with 550, while Scott Martin is fourth with 541 and Timmy Thompkins is fifth with 535.
Justin Atkins of Florence, Ala., leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year Standings with 1,009 points.
The Top 12 remaining anglers will take off Saturday at 7:45 a.m. ET from Cherokee Lake Dam TVA Boat Launch. The weigh-in will be held back at the Boat Launch at 3:30 p.m
2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake 10/29-10/31
Lake Cherokee, Dandridge TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Matthew Robertson Kuttawa, KY 10 28-08 200
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 14-00
2. Denny Fiedler Wabasha, MN 10 28-05 199
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 13-13
3. Josh Roark Bean Station, TN 10 26-15 198
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 15-02
4. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 10 25-10 197
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 10-14
5. Timmy Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 10 23-10 196
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 11-04
6. Bill Humbard New Market, TN 10 22-08 195
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 09-03
7. Jeremy Gordon Rutledge, TN 9 22-00 194
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 4 09-08
8. Spencer Peters Knoxville, TN 8 21-09 193
Day 1: 3 08-04 Day 2: 5 13-05
9. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 9 21-07 192
Day 1: 4 10-03 Day 2: 5 11-04
10. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 10 21-05 191
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 10-00
11. John Hunter Jr Simpsonville, KY 8 21-00 190
Day 1: 3 05-06 Day 2: 5 15-10
12. Andy Hribar Lakeville, MN 8 20-15 189
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 3 07-05
13. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 8 20-10 188 $2,933.00
Day 1: 3 09-00 Day 2: 5 11-10
14. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 10 20-05 187 $2,933.00
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 08-05
15. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 10 20-01 186 $2,933.00
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 11-01
16. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 8 19-04 185 $2,933.00
Day 1: 3 07-10 Day 2: 5 11-10
17. Daisuke Aoki Minamitsurugun Yamanash 7 18-13 184 $2,933.00
Day 1: 2 04-08 Day 2: 5 14-05
18. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 8 18-08 183 $2,933.00
Day 1: 3 06-04 Day 2: 5 12-04
19. Brandt Tumberg Moore, SC 7 17-12 182 $2,933.00
Day 1: 2 04-10 Day 2: 5 13-02
20. Derek Lehtonen Woodruff, SC 8 17-07 181 $2,933.00
Day 1: 3 04-11 Day 2: 5 12-12
21. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 7 17-05 180 $2,667.00
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 2 05-03
22. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 7 17-03 179 $2,667.00
Day 1: 3 07-14 Day 2: 4 09-05
23. Joel Willert Prior Lake, MN 8 16-15 178 $2,667.00
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 3 06-12
24. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 6 16-12 177 $2,667.00
Day 1: 3 08-01 Day 2: 3 08-11
25. Brandon Johnson Mt Sterling, KY 7 16-11 176 $2,667.00
Day 1: 2 05-08 Day 2: 5 11-03
26. Cody Bertrand Dyer, IN 6 16-07 175 $2,453.00
Day 1: 1 02-15 Day 2: 5 13-08
27. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 6 16-07 174 $2,453.00
Day 1: 3 08-07 Day 2: 3 08-00
28. Keith Carson Debary, FL 8 15-15 173 $2,453.00
Day 1: 3 06-00 Day 2: 5 09-15
29. Andy Wicker Pomaria, SC 7 15-12 172 $2,453.00
Day 1: 3 06-11 Day 2: 4 09-01
30. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 7 15-08 171 $2,453.00
Day 1: 4 08-11 Day 2: 3 06-13
31. Bradley Hallman Norman, OK 7 15-06 170 $2,453.00
Day 1: 2 05-08 Day 2: 5 09-14
32. Brian Latimer Belton, SC 7 14-14 169 $2,453.00
Day 1: 2 04-14 Day 2: 5 10-00
33. Darrell Davis Dover, FL 6 14-09 168 $2,453.00
Day 1: 3 06-00 Day 2: 3 08-09
34. Brandon Tallhamer Parkersburg, WV 7 14-06 167 $2,453.00
Day 1: 2 02-01 Day 2: 5 12-05
35. Trevor Prince Blue Ridge, GA 5 13-13 166 $2,453.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 13-13
36. Greg Alexander Hebron, MD 6 13-06 165 $2,453.00
Day 1: 3 05-02 Day 2: 3 08-04
37. Luke Plunkett Pinson, AL 7 13-06 164 $2,453.00
Day 1: 4 07-09 Day 2: 3 05-13
38. Jason Casteel Winter Garden, FL 5 13-05 163 $2,453.00
Day 1: 3 08-11 Day 2: 2 04-10
39. Kameron Harbin Abbeville, SC 6 13-01 162 $2,453.00
Day 1: 2 03-05 Day 2: 4 09-12
40. Stephen Mui Odessa, FL 4 13-01 161 $2,453.00
Day 1: 2 06-09 Day 2: 2 06-08
41. Randy Blaukat Joplin, MO 5 12-09 160
Day 1: 1 01-06 Day 2: 4 11-03
42. Todd Goade White Pine, TN 6 12-09 159
Day 1: 1 03-04 Day 2: 5 09-05
43. Davey May Odessa, FL 6 12-09 158
Day 1: 3 06-08 Day 2: 3 06-01
44. Matt Lee Bremen, AL 5 12-08 157
Day 1: 2 04-14 Day 2: 3 07-10
45. Brad Burkhart Speedwell, TN 5 12-04 156
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 12-04
46. Allen Brooks Canton, GA 5 12-04 155
Day 1: 1 03-09 Day 2: 4 08-11
47. Joe Thompson Clayton, GA 6 12-04 154
Day 1: 4 07-05 Day 2: 2 04-15
48. Jonathan Carter Glenburn, ME 4 12-03 153
Day 1: 2 07-03 Day 2: 2 05-00
49. Freddy Palmer Estill Springs, TN 6 12-02 152
Day 1: 3 09-03 Day 2: 3 02-15
50. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 7 12-02 151
Day 1: 4 05-12 Day 2: 3 06-06
51. Chris Ferguson Wittensville, KY 6 11-14 150
Day 1: 2 03-06 Day 2: 4 08-08
52. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 4 11-12 149
Day 1: 1 03-04 Day 2: 3 08-08
53. Bryan New Belmont, NC 6 11-11 148
Day 1: 4 07-05 Day 2: 2 04-06
54. Whitney Stephens Waverly, OH 5 11-10 147
Day 1: 4 08-14 Day 2: 1 02-12
55. Derrick Snavely Piney Flats, TN 4 11-08 146
Day 1: 2 05-09 Day 2: 2 05-15
56. Gregg Fogner Conway, SC 5 11-05 145
Day 1: 4 08-15 Day 2: 1 02-06
57. Scott Patton Paris, TN 5 11-04 144
Day 1: 2 04-07 Day 2: 3 06-13
58. David Kilgore Jasper, AL 5 11-03 143
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 11-03
59. Todd Castledine Nacogdoches, TX 4 11-01 142
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 4 11-01
60. Rex Nickel Huff Corbin, KY 6 11-01 141
Day 1: 4 07-10 Day 2: 2 03-07
61. Jon Canada Helena, AL 5 11-01 140
Day 1: 3 07-06 Day 2: 2 03-11
62. Hunter Sales Blaine, TN 5 10-13 139
Day 1: 3 06-12 Day 2: 2 04-01
63. Hermilo Salgado Artemus, KY 5 10-10 138
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 10-10
64. Jordan Burdette Knoxville, TN 4 10-04 137
Day 1: 2 05-10 Day 2: 2 04-10
65. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 5 10-02 136
Day 1: 2 04-00 Day 2: 3 06-02
66. David Williams Newton, NC 4 09-14 135
Day 1: 1 01-08 Day 2: 3 08-06
67. Tyler Berger Delaware, OH 4 09-13 134
Day 1: 2 06-04 Day 2: 2 03-09
68. Jeremy Maye Windsor, VA 4 09-13 133
Day 1: 1 03-11 Day 2: 3 06-02
69. Mark Pappas Dandridge, TN 5 09-12 132
Day 1: 4 08-03 Day 2: 1 01-09
70. Stephen Morella Townshed, VT 4 09-12 131
Day 1: 2 04-02 Day 2: 2 05-10
71. Trevor Topken Warwick, NY 4 09-10 130
Day 1: 1 01-14 Day 2: 3 07-12
72. Matt Mattingly Gravel Switch, KY 4 09-04 129
Day 1: 2 04-08 Day 2: 2 04-12
73. Nick Hatfield Chuckey, TN 4 09-00 128
Day 1: 2 04-03 Day 2: 2 04-13
74. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 4 08-15 127
Day 1: 1 02-00 Day 2: 3 06-15
75. Randy Huffman Charleston, WV 3 08-14 126
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 2 07-03
76. Gary Adkins Green Bay, WI 4 08-09 125
Day 1: 1 02-10 Day 2: 3 05-15
77. Cody Detweiler Orlando, FL 3 08-08 124
Day 1: 1 03-02 Day 2: 2 05-06
78. John Garrett Union City, TN 5 08-08 123
Day 1: 2 04-04 Day 2: 3 04-04
79. Kyle Austin Ridgeville, SC 4 08-07 122
Day 1: 2 03-10 Day 2: 2 04-13
80. Shawn Hendrix Sharpsburg, GA 4 08-05 121
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 3 05-10
81. Dave Turner Crystal River, FL 3 07-15 120
Day 1: 2 06-06 Day 2: 1 01-09
82. Greg Mansfield Olathe, KS 4 07-15 119
Day 1: 2 04-06 Day 2: 2 03-09
83. Garrett Rocamora Lithia, FL 3 07-14 118
Day 1: 2 06-01 Day 2: 1 01-13
84. Adam Neu Forestville, WI 4 07-14 117
Day 1: 3 05-13 Day 2: 1 02-01
85. Richard Reeger Gastonia, NC 6 07-12 116
Day 1: 5 05-14 Day 2: 1 01-14
86. Jason Burroughs Hodges, SC 4 07-11 115
Day 1: 1 02-07 Day 2: 3 05-04
87. Tommy Williams Shepherdsville, KY 3 07-10 114
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 07-10
88. Cody Hahner Wausau, WI 4 07-10 113
Day 1: 3 05-11 Day 2: 1 01-15
89. Christiana Bradley Goldvein, VA 3 07-10 112
Day 1: 1 04-06 Day 2: 2 03-04
90. Cody Huff Ava, MO 4 07-08 111
Day 1: 2 03-05 Day 2: 2 04-03
91. Hunter Bland Williston, FL 4 07-05 110
Day 1: 3 04-14 Day 2: 1 02-07
92. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 3 07-04 109
Day 1: 1 02-12 Day 2: 2 04-08
93. Andrew Thomasson Dublin, VA 3 07-00 108
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 2 05-01
94. Kotaro Kiriyama Guntersville, AL 3 06-15 107
Day 1: 2 05-03 Day 2: 1 01-12
95. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 4 06-13 106
Day 1: 4 06-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
96. Tyler Ellis Battlefield, MO 3 06-13 105
Day 1: 2 03-13 Day 2: 1 03-00
97. Josh Hubbard Braidwood, IL 3 06-10 104
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 06-10
98. Rich Chriscinske Salyersville, KY 3 06-08 103
Day 1: 3 06-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
99. Barry Wilson Birmingham, AL 3 06-01 102
Day 1: 1 01-09 Day 2: 2 04-08
100. Ben Nielsen Lowell, MI 3 05-14 101
Day 1: 3 05-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
101. Cam Sterritt Newfields, NH 4 05-13 100
Day 1: 3 03-07 Day 2: 1 02-06
102. Corey Lindsey Blacklick, OH 3 05-12 99
Day 1: 1 01-03 Day 2: 2 04-09
103. Frank Ramsey Spring Grove, IL 3 05-11 98
Day 1: 1 01-12 Day 2: 2 03-15
104. Tim Frederick Leesburg, FL 2 05-10 97
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 05-10
105. Chris Kingree Inverness, FL 3 05-07 96
Day 1: 2 03-15 Day 2: 1 01-08
106. Preston Julian Seymour, TN 3 05-07 95
Day 1: 1 02-15 Day 2: 2 02-08
107. Timmy Cales Sandstone, WV 2 05-06 94
Day 1: 1 03-05 Day 2: 1 02-01
108. Nick Tate Knoxville, TN 2 05-06 93
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 1 02-11
109. Trait Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 2 05-04 92
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 05-04
110. Bo Goodin Harrogate, TN 3 05-04 91
Day 1: 1 01-00 Day 2: 2 04-04
111. Ken Iyobe Tokoname, Aichi JAPAN 2 05-00 90
Day 1: 1 02-08 Day 2: 1 02-08
112. Scott Pellegrin Chippewa Falls, WI 2 04-15 89
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-15
113. Michael Hall Annandale, VA 3 04-15 88
Day 1: 1 01-12 Day 2: 2 03-03
114. Wyatt Burkhalter Coker, AL 2 04-15 87
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 1 02-04
115. Andrew Upshaw Tulsa, OK 3 04-13 86
Day 1: 3 04-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
116. Lance Owen Greer, SC 2 04-13 85
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-13
117. Jerry Gallogly Jr North Tazewell, VA 1 04-12 84
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 04-12
118. Chad Smith Minnetonka, MN 3 04-07 83
Day 1: 2 02-09 Day 2: 1 01-14
119. Chris Peters Birchwood, TN 2 04-05 82
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-05
119. Chad Randles Elkhorn, NE 2 04-05 82
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-05
121. Teb Jones Hattiesburg, MS 2 04-04 80
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 1 02-09
122. Scott Siller Milwaukee, WI 2 04-03 79
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-03
123. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 2 04-03 78
Day 1: 1 03-05 Day 2: 1 00-14
124. Darryl Halbert Enoree, SC 2 04-01 77
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-01
125. Colby Robertson Summerfield, FL 2 04-01 76
Day 1: 1 03-03 Day 2: 1 00-14
126. Chandler Stewart Waco, TX 3 04-00 75
Day 1: 2 02-08 Day 2: 1 01-08
127. Von Dilbeck Corbin, KY 2 03-14 74
Day 1: 2 03-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
128. Bryce Matthews Olanta, SC 2 03-13 73
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 1 02-02
129. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 2 03-12 72
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 1 01-13
130. Craig Chambers Midland, NC 1 03-09 71
Day 1: 1 03-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
131. Steve Sennikoff Edgewood, TX 2 03-08 70
Day 1: 2 03-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
132. Garrett Rose Pipecreek, TX 1 03-05 69
Day 1: 1 03-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
133. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 1 03-02 68
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-02
134. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 2 03-00 67
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 1 00-14
135. Mark Duerr West Allis, WI 1 02-13 66
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-13
136. Cole Drummond Effingham, SC 1 02-10 65
Day 1: 1 02-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
137. Barry Brandt Jr. Newport News, VA 1 02-05 64
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-05
137. John Maner Falkville, AL 1 02-05 64
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-05
139. Brad Knight Lancing, TN 1 02-01 62
Day 1: 1 02-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
140. Caleb Gibson Locust Grove, OK 1 01-15 61
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-15
141. Cameron Smith Wareham, MA 1 01-13 60
Day 1: 1 01-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
142. Ronnie Getz Sunman, IN 1 01-12 59
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-12
142. Dustin Reneau Mckinney, TX 1 01-12 59
Day 1: 1 01-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
144. Robert Gibson Niota, TN 1 01-11 57
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 0 00-00
145. Terry Segraves Kissimmee, FL 1 01-10 56
Day 1: 1 01-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
146. Robbie Harrelson Moncks Corner, SC 1 01-07 55
Day 1: 1 01-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
147. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 1 01-03 54
Day 1: 1 01-03 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Anthony Dumitras Winston, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Clayton Dyer Fayetteville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Guy Eaker Cherryville, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Randy Elliott Severn, MD 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Derek Freeman Anderson, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Keith Iddins Knoxville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Denis Karachopan Rocky Point, NY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Matthew Mccarthy Marysville, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Kenny Mittelstaedt Minnetonka, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Parker Mott Winter Garden, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Jake Rossi Columbus, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Ronald Ryals Jr Live Oak, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
148. Jack Williams Kingsport, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 .
Bryan College Extends Lead At Bassmaster College National Championship On Harris Chain
Cole Sands and Conner Dimauro, from Tennessee's Bryan College, are leading after Day 2 of the 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops with a two-day total of 55 pounds, 12 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
October 30, 2020
LEESBURG, Fla. — Bryan College's Cole Sands and Conner Dimauro continued their strong showing at the Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at the Harris Chain of Lakes and extended their lead with a 27-pound, 5-ounce bag for a two-day total of 55-12.
They lead the Lamar State College-Orange team of Jack Tindell and Brett Fregia by a little more than 15 pounds heading into the final day.
“Ultimately, we want to finish in the Top 4 to make the (College Classic) Bracket. Obviously, we want to win this one,” Dimauro said. “I’m confident that we left fish biting both days, and I’m pleased with the size of the fish we are catching.
“We are excited about it. Whenever you set the hook and you know it could be over 5 pounds, it gets a little scary.”
While the morning started a little chillier than Day 1 thanks to a cold front that pushed through overnight, they started on their best spot in Lake Dora and took advantage of a good morning bite, catching all of their weight before 10 a.m.
Dimauro said the bite on that spot was even better Friday than it was Thursday when they caught over 28 pounds. Their bag was anchored by a 7-14 largemouth that Sands said they were fortunate to get in the boat.
“It straightened the hook completely out,” he said. “These fish are so mean here. We think it came unhooked because there is a hook mark in its tongue and where it was actually hooked (was in the jaw).”
After catching a couple of 4-pounders that wouldn’t cull their smallest fish, the duo moved back to Lake Harris to scan with their Humminbird electronics, finding a couple more areas they could utilize Saturday.
“We culled what we needed to cull out and we just ran around,” Dimauro said. “We ran back to Harris and caught two fish over 4 pounds that didn’t help. So, we figured we were burning fish we needed to catch tomorrow.
“We idled a lot more today just looking for some new stuff for tomorrow. We aren’t going to let off of them tomorrow.”
Slow-moving baits have been the key to their success so far this week, Sands said. But they will have plenty of rods rigged up in case they find some aggressive fish.
“I kind of figured out a deal in practice dragging something really slow,” Sands said. “It worked so good Conner tied one on yesterday and we both have been catching fish on it. We actually experimented today.
“We backed off and found a new school of fish and caught like a 5- and 4 1/2- (pounder) off it. Caught one on a football jig and that was pretty cool.”
Dimauro added that side scan on his Humminbird units has helped them find fish and mark the edges of the grass, and his Ultrex trolling motor has helped them stay on their spots when the wind has been blowing.
After starting the day in fourth, Jack Tindell and Brett Fregia from Lamar State College-Orange caught 20-5 to jump into second place with 40-11.
“It feels good. It is our first year fishing,” Fregia said. “We came down here just knowing we were going to fish in Florida, and we were pretty amped up about it. We feel like we can get more bites tomorrow since the water heated up all day and it is going to be pretty warm in the morning.”
Unlike the Bryan College team, the morning bite did not pan out for Tindell and Fregia on Day 2. Tindell said wind hurt the bite in one of their best spots, and they switched to some secondary spots that were in protected areas.
“Throughout practice, we were doing some early-morning hydrilla fishing,” Tindell said. “Those fish have just gone away. We had two bites this morning and didn’t even catch them. Today it took a little bit longer to get a good bite.”
Tindell and Fregia flipped throughout the day and it paid off when they each landed a 6-pounder out of the same clump of grass to fill their limit.
Ty Black and Avry Thomason from Georgia Southern University caught 20-4 to move from sixth place to third with 39-9. Black said the first spot they pulled up on was blown out by the wind, forcing them to make an adjustment.
“We went to a spot we saved and caught a 4-pounder, and then we moved to another one of our banks and caught a limit,” Black said. “We went to our best offshore spot around 10:30 and that’s where we caught the majority of our weight.”
Thomason said a crankbait has been the key to their success offshore and has accounted for the majority of their weight this week.
Bryce Henley and Reese Kingston from Brewton-Parker College took over Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament with a 9-3 lunker that anchored their 20-9 bag. Several other teams weighed in fish over 8 pounds.
The Top 12 will take off from Venetian Gardens Saturday at 7:30 a.m. ET and will return for weigh-in at 3:30 p.m. The Top 4 teams after the final day will advance to the College Classic Bracket on Alabama's Lay Lake in November for a chance to qualify for the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic.
2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by
Bass Pro Shops 10/29-10/31
Harris Chain Of Lakes, Leesburg FL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Cole Sands - Conner Dimauro Bryan College 250
Day 1: 5 28-07 Day 2: 5 27-05 Total: 10 55-12
2. Jack Tindell - Brett Fregia Lamar State College Orange 249
Day 1: 5 20-06 Day 2: 5 20-05 Total: 10 40-11
3. Ty Black - Avry Thomason Georgia Southern University 248
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 20-04 Total: 10 39-09
4. Miller Spivey - Trey Dickert University of Montevallo 247
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 22-10 Total: 10 38-15
5. Rudolph Worley - John Nowlin Blue Mountain College 246
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 26-05 Total: 10 38-06
6. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson Minnesota State Univ Mankato 245
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 17-14 Total: 10 37-12
7. Tyler Lubbat - Calvin Landsberg 244
Day 1: 5 25-01 Day 2: 5 11-15 Total: 10 37-00
8. Cole Thompson - Benson Dowler 243
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 21-01 Total: 10 36-06
9. Mason Moore - Logan Estes Eastern Kentucky University 242
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 16-14 Total: 10 34-02
10. Trevor McKinney - Blake Jackson McKendree University 241
Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 5 13-08 Total: 10 34-00
11. Ty Cox - Fisher Overton Blue Mountain College 240
Day 1: 2 07-05 Day 2: 5 26-10 Total: 7 33-15
12. Dax Ewart - Kyle Palmer Bethel University 239
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 16-10 Total: 10 33-02
13. Luke Byerly - Drew Elrod University of Tennessee 238
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 13-12 Total: 10 33-01
14. Kyle Stafford - Jake Stines Polk State College 237
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 14-11 Total: 10 32-13
15. James Willoughby - Chance Schwartz University of Montevallo 236
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 13-06 Total: 10 31-02
16. Grant Adams - Wil Rigdon Campbellsville University 235
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 13-12 Total: 10 30-11
17. Zeke Gossett - Lucas Smith Jacksonville State University 234
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 18-01 Total: 10 30-01
18. Chase Mundhenke - Blake Milligan Auburn University 233
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 13-04 Total: 10 29-14
19. Tanner Ward - Rory Franks Kent State University 232
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 12-04 Total: 10 29-08
20. Grant Pavelka - Mid-Plains Community College 231
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 17-02 Total: 10 29-00
21. Jacob Frazier - Griffin Heffington Carson-Newman University 230
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 13-12 Total: 10 28-15
22. Connor Jacob - Sam Smith Auburn University 229
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 16-10 Total: 10 28-10
23. Dawson Andrews - Wyatt Ensminger Southeastern Louisiana Universit 228
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 15-00 Total: 10 28-08
24. Noah Boyett - Ty Garlington 227
Day 1: 5 18-04 Day 2: 5 10-00 Total: 10 28-04
25. Logan Hawkins - Colby Hays Campbellsville University 226
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 17-13 Total: 10 28-00
26. Bailey Fain - Preston Kendrick Bryan College 225
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 15-06 Total: 10 27-15
27. Dawson Cassidy - Gus Mclarry Texas AM Commerce 224
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 10-00 Total: 10 27-09
28. Emil Wagner - 223
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 11-04 Total: 10 27-09
29. Brad Ableman - Wilson Smith Bethel University 222
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 16-07 Total: 10 27-07
30. Austin Smith - Maddux Walters Carson-Newman University 221
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 14-08 Total: 10 27-06
31. Brett Clark - Cody Ross East Texas Baptist University 220
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 13-08 Total: 10 27-05
32. Jared Turnbloom - Jake Turnbloom 219
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 10-06 Total: 10 26-10
33. Jack Dice - Liberty University 218
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 14-09 Total: 10 26-10
34. Nolan Minor - Casey Lanier 217
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 10 26-08
35. Robert Cruvellier - Chase Clarke Auburn University 216
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 16-14 Total: 10 26-04
36. Grant Lesage - Zach Davis Southeastern Louisiana Universit 215
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 10-02 Total: 10 26-03
37. Weston Hollar - Wesley Gore University of Montevallo 214
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 11-05 Total: 10 26-02
38. Boone Faulkner - Nikolas Beckstein 213
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 12-07 Total: 10 26-02
39. Hayden Scott - Caleb Dachenhaus Adrian College 212
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 11-02 Total: 10 25-04
40. Bobby Long - Whit Edmonds Lander University 211
Day 1: 5 06-10 Day 2: 5 18-05 Total: 10 24-15
41. Jack York - Samuel Harrison Stephen F Austin State Universit 210
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 10-02 Total: 10 24-10
42. Clayton Winebarger - Logan Reynolds Virginia Tech 209
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 10-15 Total: 10 24-09
43. Thaddeus Simerly - Ethan Shaw Bryan College 208
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 07-12 Total: 10 24-07
44. Wyatt Reid - Gehrig DeFronzo Erskine College 207
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 10-01 Total: 10 24-00
45. Cordell Beckman - Greenville University 206
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 13-06 Total: 10 23-15
46. Jack Rankin - Hunter Baird Drury University 205
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 11-00 Total: 10 23-14
47. Jarred Jones - Logan Tate Jacksonville State University 204
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 11-01 Total: 10 23-14
48. Conner Giles - Christian Wright Bryan College 0
Day 1: 5 08-04 Day 2: 5 15-02 Total: 10 23-06
49. Grant Hack - Jonathan Stepp Ohio State 202
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 06-15 Total: 10 23-05
50. Cole Breeden - Cameron Smith Drury University 201
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 12-15 Total: 10 23-04
51. Garrett Guinan - John Paul Kent State University 200
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 10-10 Total: 10 23-01
52. Cal Culpepper - Mason Waddell University of Montevallo 199
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 09-07 Total: 10 22-13
53. Robert Howard - Miles Lucas Stephen F Austin State Universit 198
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 10-11 Total: 10 22-11
54. Cole Lamb - Tristan Weaver Arkansas Tech University 197
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 08-12 Total: 10 22-09
55. Hayden Gaddis - Ben Cully Carson-Newman University 196
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 09-04 Total: 10 21-14
56. Andrew Fisher - Bennett Kudder Bryan College 195
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 11-05 Total: 10 21-12
57. Harbor Lovin - Zachary Martin Murray State University 194
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 4 04-12 Total: 9 21-08
58. Evan Haley - Chase Arkell Marshall University 193
Day 1: 3 05-06 Day 2: 5 16-02 Total: 8 21-08
59. Solomon Glenn - Hunter Ward University of Montevallo 192
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 06-09 Total: 10 21-07
60. Matthew Bradham - Caleb Stephenson Campbellsville University 0
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 4 08-01 Total: 9 21-07
61. Josh Dugger - Jake Dugger Arkansas Tech University 190
Day 1: 1 02-10 Day 2: 5 18-11 Total: 6 21-05
62. Mark Harris - Reece Martin Dallas Baptist University 189
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 5 12-09 Total: 10 21-03
63. Adam Carroll - Justin Barnes University of Montevallo 188
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 09-08 Total: 10 21-03
64. Bryce Henley - Reese Kingston Brewton-Parker College 187
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 20-09 Total: 5 20-09
65. Britt Myers - Tyler Anderson Lander University 186
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 10 20-09
66. Wesley Pennington - University of North Alabama 185
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 2 06-12 Total: 7 20-08
67. Samuel Vandagriff - Jacob Woods Tennessee Tech University 184
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 3 03-08 Total: 8 20-07
68. Austin Carr - Justin Carr 183
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 12-12 Total: 10 20-07
69. Griffin Phillips - Ethan King University of Montevallo 182
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 08-15 Total: 10 20-07
70. Lane Bailey - Adam Seagle Catawba Valley Community College 181
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 11-00 Total: 10 20-05
71. Jake Lee - Mason Cizek Bryan College 180
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 10-08 Total: 10 20-04
72. Cameron Gautreau - Cade Fortenberry Nicholls State University 179
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 09-11 Total: 10 20-02
73. Grayson Morris - Jacob Pfundt University of Montevallo 178
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 5 12-07 Total: 10 19-15
74. Braxton Resweber - University of Louisiana at Lafay 177
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 08-03 Total: 10 19-06
75. Sean Clayton - Owen Dimaio Clemson University 176
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 08-13 Total: 10 19-02
76. Atom Ward - Gavin Lagle Indiana University Southeast 175
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 09-11 Total: 10 18-15
77. Fisher Young - Alden Keel Jr Blue Mountain College 174
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 08-14 Total: 10 18-14
78. Griffin Fernandes - Gunner Wilson Adrian College 173
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 06-01 Total: 10 18-12
79. Matthew Cummings - Joseph Woods Bethel University 172
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 07-08 Total: 10 18-09
80. Neal Wisinski - Nathan Siclovan University of Wisconsin Stevens 171
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 07-06 Total: 10 18-08
81. Joseph McClosky - Ryan Winchester Bethel University 170
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 08-13 Total: 10 18-06
82. Dalton Smith - Bradley Dunagan Campbellsville University 169
Day 1: 4 07-12 Day 2: 5 10-09 Total: 9 18-05
83. Tyler Vanbrandt - Grant Gallagher Adrian College 168
Day 1: 5 08-06 Day 2: 5 09-07 Total: 10 17-13
84. Cody Gregory - Levi Mullins Bethel University 167
Day 1: 5 08-03 Day 2: 5 09-03 Total: 10 17-06
85. Jr Young - Hunter Bailey Jacksonville State University 166
Day 1: 5 06-02 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 10 17-05
86. Drew Pridgen - Kaleb Brown Lander University 165
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 5 09-07 Total: 10 17-05
87. Drew Coker - Peyton Vinson 164
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 06-15 Total: 10 17-04
88. Logan Parks - Cody Griffith Auburn University 163
Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 5 08-07 Total: 10 16-15
89. Kyle Everett - John Higginbotham LA Tech 162
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 2 02-14 Total: 7 16-14
90. Will Leonard - Jared Page Kent State University 161
Day 1: 4 04-00 Day 2: 5 12-14 Total: 9 16-14
91. Patrick Pelt - Anthony Vintson Auburn University 160
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 5 08-01 Total: 10 16-10
92. Bryce Fowler - Chris Bowen East Carolina University 159
Day 1: 5 08-01 Day 2: 4 08-08 Total: 9 16-09
93. Blake Spradlin - William Phillips Auburn University 158
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 5 07-10 Total: 10 16-07
94. Jeremy Dellinger - Nathan Smith Catawba Valley Community College 157
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 4 04-12 Total: 9 16-00
95. Alec Coffey - Kyle Roy Campbellsville University 156
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 5 06-15 Total: 10 15-11
96. Jarrett Brown - Tyler Harless University of Montevallo 155
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 05-13 Total: 10 15-06
97. Andrew Heppe - Bryce Miller Kent State University 154
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 4 05-14 Total: 9 15-05
98. Trey Schroeder - Tyler Christy McKendree University 153
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 07-10 Total: 10 15-03
99. Braden Perry - Aidan England Carson-Newman University 152
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 3 04-08 Total: 8 14-07
100. Tommy Sendek - University of Montevallo 151
Day 1: 5 08-06 Day 2: 5 06-00 Total: 10 14-06
101. Ben Ford - Cole Bathje Augustana College 150
Day 1: 5 06-09 Day 2: 2 06-05 Total: 7 12-14
102. Jj Kocevar - Tanner Shriver Kent State University 149
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 2 02-11 Total: 7 12-07
103. Jack Long - Brock Bila Drury University 148
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 2 02-12 Total: 7 12-07
104. Logan Anderson - Josh Frederick North Carolina State University 147
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 1 03-02 Total: 6 12-04
105. Garrett Warren - Will Jones Auburn University 146
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 11-13
106. Zach Vielhauer - Michael Mueting Kansas State University 145
Day 1: 5 06-12 Day 2: 3 04-10 Total: 8 11-06
107. Tyler Pendergrass - Avery Whitwell University of North Alabama 144
Day 1: 5 06-12 Day 2: 2 04-09 Total: 7 11-05
108. Lawson Graves - Cameron Glasscock Wallace State Community College 143
Day 1: 1 00-12 Day 2: 4 09-15 Total: 5 10-11
109. Zachary Asher - Jacob Klicman Kent State University 142
Day 1: 5 06-02 Day 2: 3 04-07 Total: 8 10-09
110. Landon Lawson - Donavan Carson King University 141
Day 1: 3 05-09 Day 2: 3 05-00 Total: 6 10-09
111. Nolan Yeager - Ethan LeGare Stephen F. Austin State Universi 140
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 10-00
112. Jake Maddux - Chace Gregory Southern Union Community College 139
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 09-00
113. GL Compton - Matthew Sprouse Clemson University 138
Day 1: 3 06-07 Day 2: 2 02-08 Total: 5 08-15
114. James Duncan - Blake Stringer Campbellsville University 137
Day 1: 1 00-13 Day 2: 5 07-14 Total: 6 08-11
115. Ethan Jones - Andrew Althoff Mckendree University 136
Day 1: 3 03-12 Day 2: 3 03-14 Total: 6 07-10
116. Gunner Whitaker - Lafe Messer Kentucky Christian University 135
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 07-08
117. Evan Thomas - Alex Briggs Hampden Academy 134
Day 1: 2 04-14 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 04-14
118. Cole Cloud - Blake Wade 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
118. Seth Roberts - Bethel University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
Jacksonville State’s Gossett, Smith Win Team Of The Year Award
Zeke Gossett and Lucas Smith, of Alabama's Jacksonville State University, were honored as the 2020 Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year before the Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
October 30, 2020
LEESBURG, Fla. — The 2020 season started with a broken-down boat for the Jacksonville State University team of Zeke Gossett and Lucas Smith, but closed out with some hardware for the trophy case.
Before taking to the water this week for the 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at the Harris Chain of Lakes, Gossett and Smith were honored as the 2020 Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year after accumulating 988 points throughout the four-event regular season. Along with two trophies, Gossett and Smith added a $2,500 check plus a Minn Kota Ultrex and a Humminbird Solix Unit courtesy of Johnson Outdoors.
“It’s very special with it being my last year,” Gossett said. “We were thinking about it the other day, we fished in four different seasons. So it was pretty cool to win in a heck of a year. We had so many cool stories. We broke down the first tournament at Toledo and made a 60-mile one-way run at Lake Cumberland. It’s just awesome to hold the Team of the Year trophy because we worked really hard for it.
“There were so many stories. When I see this trophy in my room I’m going to think about every one of them.”
Smith, who started the season as a freshman, and Gossett began the season at opposite ends of their college careers and faced adversity immediately, breaking down on the first day of the first tournament of the season at Toledo Bend. The duo didn’t panic, however, catching 16 pounds on Day 1 to save their tournament and ultimately their season with a 20th-place finish.
Gossett and Smith followed Toledo Bend with a 9th-place finish at Smith Lake in February and, after a long layoff, finished 5th at Lake Hartwell in August, giving them the lead in Team of the Year heading into the final stop of the year at Lake Cumberland last month.
After a 6-pound, 60th-place Day 1 showing and Minor and Lanier leading the event, Gossett and Smith decided to make a 120-mile run on Day 2 and it paid off, jumping into the Top 12 cut and securing the Team of the Year title unofficially.
“It was just crazy,” Gossett said. “We just had an open mind every tournament and we fished very free this year. We had to take some chances, like at the last event with the 60-mile run. They talk about in the Elite Series Angler of the Year race, you can’t have a bad day. We had bad days, but we would make it up.”
Through his first season as a college angler, Smith said he has learned a lot from Gossett during the ups and downs of the season.
“I’ve learned so many things from Zeke over this year,” he said. “Keeping an open mind was really important. In high school, I would just get stuck in a rut and wouldn’t move around as much. This year, I learned you have to make those calls.”
Not only did the 2020 season provide on the water adversity, but plenty of non-fishing adversity as well. Their Jacksonville State teammate Jarred Jones underwent major heart surgery during the COVID-19 layoff and cancer treatment after the Lake Hartwell tournament. Then, when Gossett returned home from Cumberland, his mother, Laura, and father, Curtis, tested positive for COVID-19 and were hospitalized. For four days, Curtis, who also has asthma, was on a ventilator and life support due to complications with the disease.
“It was terrible,” Gossett said. “One day they tried to take the tube out and it didn’t work. The next day, by the grace of God, his numbers went up to where he was strong enough to get the tube out. I just want to thank everyone for the prayers. They are doing a lot better.”
With family members and teammates now recovering, Gossett and Smith are ready to try and claim more hardware with a victory at the National Championship tournament.
“This is our first time seeing these lakes and I’m not real familiar with Florida fishing,” Gossett said. “I fished Okeechobee about five years ago, but I like this lake a little more because it has more bank grass. You can catch good fish going down the bank and that’s what we do. I’m feeling pretty confident, but we have not caught a fish over 3-and-a-half pounds. I think we will eventually get a big bite if we keep doing what we are doing.”
The 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops continues Oct. 30-31 with daily takeoffs from Venetian Gardens in Leesburg at 7:30 a.m. ET. Weigh-ins will be held back at Venetian Gardens at 3:30 p.m. and streamed live on Bassmaster.com. The National Champions will be crowned Saturday.
College championship: Family, friends and fat limits of bass
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Prior to last night’s nationally televised college football game between Georgia Southern and South Alabama, opposing players pushed and shoved one another in a heated fracas prior to kickoff. You won’t see that sort of classlessness at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes.
Instead, you will see opposing student anglers fellowshipping under a gorgeous sunrise while family and friends stand nearby in the crisp autumn air to support them. And you’ll find no better example than highly accomplished Tanner Ward, an engineering student from Kent State in Ohio, whose sisters Laken and Olivia took off work to travel with mom, just to see Tanner compete.
Equally as impressive, his longtime fierce competitor Nolan Minor of West Virginia University beached his boat next-door, just in time to photobomb Ward’s shoreline family portrait, and pay him a compliment after a successful Day 1.
“When you need to slow down and fish one area really thoroughly, Tanner is really tough to beat,” says Minor. “We actually met back in high school fishing at a championship on Kentucky Lake. I had seen his YouTube videos, so I started chatting him up while we were waiting to weigh-in at that high school event, and we’ve been good friends ever since.”
Even though Kent State and WVU’s campuses are three hours apart, Minor indeed knows Ward’s fishing strengths well. “We weighed-in 17 pounds yesterday mostly by slowing down and milking one patch of hydrilla the size of a football field for all 17 pounds,” confirms Ward.
Tanner Ward and partner Rory Franks know that staying put in one area, and not running around, leaving fish to find fish, will be the biggest mental challenge they’ll face this week – especially now that a chilly weather front will add to the adversity bass tournaments inevitably offer.
But no matter where Ward lands on the leaderboard – two things are certain, he’s made a friend for life in Nolan Minor through fishing, and his sisters are definitely bass fishing fans for life after being here to experience the sport’s nearly unexplainable goodness this week in person.
From soul-moving autumn sunrises to fat limits of bass – this certainly won’t be the last shoreline family photo Team Ward ever takes.
Cooler Weather May Trigger Lake Fork For Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest
QUITMAN, Texas — In Lee Livesay’s view, the 2020 Bassmaster Elite Series season couldn’t end at a better location; and not solely because he calls Lake Fork his home waters.
The local stick believes this east Texas powerhouse will offer a tremendous level of diverse opportunities for the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Competition days will be Nov. 5-8 with daily takeoffs from Sabine River Authority (SRA) — Lake Fork at 6:40 a.m. CT and weigh-ins each day at SRA — Lake Fork at 3 p.m.
Coming off his first Elite win at Chickamauga Lake in mid-October, Livesay has lived near Lake Fork most of his life. He’s guided there for seven years, so he has his finger on the lake’s pulse.
“This is going to be a tournament where you can catch them any way you want to — deep, shallow, in between; south end, north end, middle,” Livesay said. “I think everything is going to play and it’s going to be good.”
Seasonality has much to do with this, as shortening daylight periods have fish ready to feed heavily for winter. Fall has taken its time settling in this year, and with late-October water temperatures around the 70-degree mark, Fork’s fish have yet to fully commit to traditional fall patterns.
The transition is happening and a cold front that pushes through the area a week before the tournament will hasten the process. Daytime highs are expected to drop from the mid- to upper 50s into the upper 40s. Days will quickly warm into the mid- to upper 60s for tournament week, but Fork will see several overnight lows in the upper 30s. That’s going to send the right signals to fish that already know it’s time to chow down.
Key point: Lake Fork has been stocked with Florida-strain largemouth, which have the genetic makeup to reach trophy size. Balancing this truth, “Floridas,” as they’re often called, tend to be highly sensitive to weather changes. That’s not always a bad thing, and Livesay’s hoping the declining temperatures will unleash the lake’s potential.
“The biggest thing we’re going to be facing is this little front,” Livesay said. “It’s been hot and it’s just getting cold. These fish like it cold and (the fishing) is better here until the water temperature gets into the low 50s. So, it’s actually going to be beneficial toward us catching bigger fish.
“We’ve had a couple of big bass tournaments and they did not catch them very well on the upper end of the size. So, it might be perfect for the lake to bust loose and everybody catch a big bag of fish.”
The Lake Fork Dam impounds Lake Fork Creek — a Sabine River tributary — to create a lake of approximately 27,690 surface acres. With additional inflows from Big Caney and Little Caney Creek, Fork is currently about 2 feet below normal pool.
“That’s decently low for us; we don’t have a lot of fluctuation,” Livesay said. “It’s been on a steady fall since early July and we haven’t had a lot of rise and fall since then.”
Describing Lake Fork’s common habitat elements as shallow wood, grass, points, humps and roadbeds, Livesay said there will also be plenty of offshore roaming fish. He expects to try a range of scenarios in various depth zones.
“I’ll fish deep, I’ll fish supershallow, I’ll fish wood — a lot of them start getting on wood when it’s cold. I’ll fish anything and everything in between,” he said. “I’ll fish topwaters, I’ll fish slow dragging baits, buzzbaits, Rat-L-Traps; there’ll be a little niche for everything going on.
“It all depends on the water level. The water being low might have the deep fish out there a little better than everybody thinks. So, I’m literally going to look at everything.”
While he can see someone locating a bunched-up offshore school and carefully managing it for four days, Livesay predicts most anglers, especially those fishing shallow, will need multiple spots and multiple techniques to be competitive. That being said, he believes the Top 10 will include anglers fishing shallow, midrange and deep.
Unlike spring tournaments, where 30-pound bags are not uncommon, Livesay has a more conservative outlook for this fall event. It is entirely possible that the weigh-ins will see a few fish in the 8- to 10-pound range, but with fall fish generally more scattered than they are during the spawning season, anglers may be less likely to amass a five-fish limit of Lake Fork giants.
The tournament will employ a catch-weigh-release format, with trained judges weighing each angler’s fish as they are caught on the water and immediately releasing them back into the lake. Competitors will be allowed to bring in one bass over 20 inches to show on the weigh-in stage.
“It’s going to be who figures out how to catch those four or five fish a day that are a little bigger,” Livesay said. “You’re not going to see the megabags this time of year. Instead of 100-pound (four-day totals), you’re going to see 80 pounds win.
“Somebody might get on a little freak school, cranking a channel swing in a creek, but it’s pretty tough this time of year.”
In addition to the $125,000 first-place prize, the winning angler will earn a berth into the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic.
The tournament will also help decide the 2020 Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, which is currently being led by Tennessee pro David Mullins with 623 points. Minnesota pro Austin Felix is in second place with 618 and veteran Texas pro Clark Wendlandt is third with 607.
Bassmaster LIVE will cover the event each day on Bassmaster.com and ESPN3. Championship Sunday will feature additional live coverage on ESPN2. Check local listings for details.
The tournament is being hosted by the Sabine River Authority and Wood County Economic Development Commission.
Bryan College Leads Day 1 Of Bassmaster College Series National Championship
Cole Sands and Conner Dimauro, from Tennessee's Bryan College, are leading after Day 1 of the 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops with 28 pounds, 7 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
October 29, 2020
LEESBURG, Fla. — The Bryan College team of Cole Sands and Conner Dimauro opened the Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at the Harris Chain of Lakes with a 28-pound, 7-ounce bag to lead the field of 119 boats.
“We had a really blessed day,” Sands said. “It is Day 1 and you can’t win it on the first day, but we didn’t lose it. We had a really good bag and we will be in contention. We have to look forward to tomorrow and catch them then.
“Last year, we came in second in the National Championship and that stung. We are going to do everything in our power not to do that again.”
Their five-fish limit was anchored by a 7-5 largemouth, and the duo did not weigh in a fish that weighed less than 4 pounds.
“In practice, we did a whole lot of scanning. The last day we made like 10 or 15 casts total,” Dimauro said. “So, we really didn’t know what we were on, but we knew we found a bunch of fish.”
The duo started on their best spot in Lake Dora and caught all of their weight by 11:30 a.m. At that point, they left the area to practice other sections of the tournament waters.
Sands added that they had even bigger fish on the hook throughout the day that never made it into the livewell.
“Believe it or not, we lost some really big fish and that cost us from having over 30 (pounds),” he said.
Dimauro is from Florida and has plenty of history on the Harris Chain, and that has helped the duo find some high-percentage areas.
For this time of the year, Dimauro said he was surprised by how big of a bag they were able to catch.
“This place turns out bags like that day in and day out,” Dimauro said. “This place is a little tough right now. I feel like we did really well for today with the conditions. We saved a lot of fish hopefully.
“Being from here helps a lot because we were able to narrow our practice down quickly.”
Sands and Dimauro said execution will be their main adjustment heading into Friday.
“I would have hated to see what would have happened if we connected on everything today,” Dimauro said. “It would have been really nasty.”
The team of Tyler Lubbat and Calvin Landsberg brought a limit of 25-1 to the scales, lifting them to second place after Day 1. Lubbat and Landsberg had a productive practice, catching a 7-pounder and a couple of 4-pounders out of a specific area.
On tournament day, the big bites showed up again, this time with a 7-3 largemouth and another fish close to 7 pounds that anchored their bag.
“We went in there this morning and had our weight by 9:30,” Lubbat said. “We sat there the rest of the day, Taloned down, and tried to keep as many people off of it as we could.”
One bait produced most of their bites on Day 1, Lubbat said, adding that he hasn’t seen any of the other competitors throwing the bait.
While a lot of the other teams near the top have locked into different lakes, Lubbat and Landsberg are fishing shallow on Lake Harris this week, although Lubbat has tried to find some deeper fish.
Trevor McKinney and Blake Jackson from McKendree University secured third place after Day 1 with 20-8. McKinney and Jackson had just four hours of practice after Jackson’s boat was totaled the first day of practice in an off-the-water incident.
In those four hours, however, the duo did catch a 6-pounder that sent them in the right direction on tournament day.
With a good bag in the boat, McKinney and Jackson were able to use a lot of their time on Day 1 as a sort of practice day on Lake Griffin, making up for some of the time they lost during official practice.
“We are blessed. Our goal going out today was 16 or 17 pounds and we felt like we would be up there with a chance at a big bag tomorrow to make it (to the Top 12),” Jackson said. “We had a few good bites today and we executed well. We are definitely happy with what we have.”
Noah Boyett and Ty Garlington hold the Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament with a 7-13 largemouth. More than half the field weighed a limit, while only two teams zeroed.
The full field will return to the Harris Chain Friday with takeoff at 7:30 a.m. ET from Venetian Gardens. The weigh-in will start at the same site at 3:30 p.m.
After Friday’s weigh-in, the Top 12 teams will advance to Championship Saturday.
Stracner Sticks With Smallmouth, Takes Lead At Bassmaster Eastern Open On Cherokee Lake
Josh Stracner, of Vandiver, Ala., is leading after Day 1 of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake with 14 pounds, 12 ounces.
Photo by Andy Crawford/B.A.S.S.
October 29, 2020
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — A species-focused strategy aimed at finding the heaviest average weights allowed Josh Stracner of Vandiver, Ala., to take the Day 1 lead of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake with a five-bass limit of 14 pounds, 12 ounces.
Stracner holds a 4-ounce lead over Denny Fiedler of Wabasha, Minn., and Matthew Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., who are tied for second with 14-8.
“I think the key right now in this lake is catching a limit of smallmouth — I caught all smallmouth today,” Stracner said. “Keeper smallmouth have to be 15 inches, and the smallmouth here are so much healthier.
“If you catch a 15-inch smallmouth vs. a 15-inch largemouth, the smallmouth is going to weigh about three-quarters of a pound more. I think they’re just healthy this time of year.”
With a cold front moving through the region, Day 1 began with morning rains and cloudy skies that started clearing by late morning. Conditions didn’t seem to impact Stracner’s game, as he targeted points in 10 to 15 feet. True to their nature, he found the smallies relating to specific structure.
“They were sitting on one little rock on a point,” Stracner said. “If you don’t know where that rock is, you won't get a bite. I run Humminbird electronics and that was everything.
“They were grouped up; you could see seven or eight of them sitting on one rock. It’s hard to catch more than one or two off a spot. But you could come back a couple of hours later and catch them again.”
Stracner said he had to mix up his presentations. He ended up catching his fish on a variety of baits.
“I think I caught two of them cranking, two on a drop shot and one on a Carolina rig,” he said. “I’d start off throwing a crankbait. I’d make my first two or three casts with that and then I’d throw a drop shot in there.”
Stracner said his spots hold enough potential to carry him through at least Day 2.
“I caught them early today, but I hope I didn’t make a mistake,” he said. “I quit at 12 o’clock today and weighed in two hours (earlier than scheduled) because I had two fish (that were struggling in the livewell).”
Fiedler said the recent weather played to his favor in terms of a water clarity scenario that he was able to exploit.
“Practice was tough, so I wasn’t necessarily consistent; but I did find a pattern of using moving baits in stained water,” he said. “On Monday, I was able to get a few bites. I didn’t land any of those fish, so I went back there this morning and a 5-pound, 6-ouncer was the first fish I caught.
Fiedler said he used three different reaction baits. Of his seven bites, one bait produced three and the others yielded two bites each.
Also reporting a slim practice, Robertson said he caught his fish on an offshore spot with rock structure in about 20 feet. The spot had yielded only one keeper bite in practice, but it was considerably more productive today.
“I don’t even know how that happened,” Robertson said. “I think the weather definitely made them bite. I’m just working my ‘wojo’ (winging it plus mojo) and fishing slow.”
Fiedler is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 5-6.
Bobby Drinnon of Rogersville, Tenn., leads the co-angler division with 8-5. Fishing a range of depths from the bank to offshore, Drinnon said he dialed in a particular unnamed finesse presentation that produced his three-bass limit.
“It’s been so tough, you can’t really power fish, you just have to slow down and finesse,” he said. “I was using kind of a dragging presentation. It was actually a good bite. They were holding on and running with it.”
Daniel Valois Gomez of Coral Springs, Fla., holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead among co-anglers with a 4-2.
Stracner currently leads the Eastern Open points standings with 582 points, followed by Bassmaster Elite Series pro Patrick Walters with 580. Pat Schlapper is in third with 550, followed by Timmy Thompkins in fourth with 533 and Bryan New in fifth with 528.
Jason Christie leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year Standings with 1,046 points.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. ET at Cherokee Lake Dam TVA Boat Launch. The weigh-in will be held at the Boat Launch at 3:30 p.m.
After Friday’s weigh-in, the Top 12 anglers will advance to Championship Saturday.
2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Cherokee Lake 10/29-10/31
Lake Cherokee, Dandridge TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 5 14-12 200
Day 1: 5 14-12
2. Denny Fiedler Wabasha, MN 5 14-08 199
Day 1: 5 14-08
2. Matthew Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 14-08 199
Day 1: 5 14-08
4. Andy Hribar Lakeville, MN 5 13-10 197
Day 1: 5 13-10
5. Bill Humbard New Market, TN 5 13-05 196
Day 1: 5 13-05
6. Jeremy Gordon Rutledge, TN 5 12-08 195
Day 1: 5 12-08
7. Timmy Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 12-06 194
Day 1: 5 12-06
8. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 12-02 193
Day 1: 5 12-02
9. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 5 12-00 192
Day 1: 5 12-00
10. Josh Roark Bean Station, TN 5 11-13 191
Day 1: 5 11-13
11. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 5 11-05 190
Day 1: 5 11-05
12. Joel Willert Prior Lake, MN 5 10-03 189
Day 1: 5 10-03
13. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 4 10-03 188
Day 1: 4 10-03
14. Freddy Palmer Estill Springs, TN 3 09-03 187
Day 1: 3 09-03
15. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 5 09-00 186
Day 1: 5 09-00
16. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 3 09-00 185
Day 1: 3 09-00
17. Gregg Fogner Conway, SC 4 08-15 184
Day 1: 4 08-15
18. Whitney Stephens Waverly, OH 4 08-14 183
Day 1: 4 08-14
19. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 4 08-11 182
Day 1: 4 08-11
20. Jason Casteel Winter Garden, FL 3 08-11 181
Day 1: 3 08-11
21. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 3 08-07 180
Day 1: 3 08-07
22. Spencer Peters Knoxville, TN 3 08-04 179
Day 1: 3 08-04
23. Mark Pappas Dandridge, TN 4 08-03 178
Day 1: 4 08-03
24. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 3 08-01 177
Day 1: 3 08-01
25. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 3 07-14 176
Day 1: 3 07-14
26. Rex Nickel Huff Corbin, KY 4 07-10 175
Day 1: 4 07-10
27. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 3 07-10 174
Day 1: 3 07-10
28. Luke Plunkett Pinson, AL 4 07-09 173
Day 1: 4 07-09
29. Jon Canada Helena, AL 3 07-06 172
Day 1: 3 07-06
30. Bryan New Belmont, NC 4 07-05 171
Day 1: 4 07-05
30. Joe Thompson Clayton, GA 4 07-05 171
Day 1: 4 07-05
32. Jonathan Carter Glenburn, ME 2 07-03 169
Day 1: 2 07-03
33. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 4 06-13 168
Day 1: 4 06-13
34. Hunter Sales Blaine, TN 3 06-12 167
Day 1: 3 06-12
35. Andy Wicker Pomaria, SC 3 06-11 166
Day 1: 3 06-11
36. Stephen Mui Odessa, FL 2 06-09 165
Day 1: 2 06-09
37. Rich Chriscinske Salyersville, KY 3 06-08 164
Day 1: 3 06-08
37. Davey May Odessa, FL 3 06-08 164
Day 1: 3 06-08
39. Dave Turner Crystal River, FL 2 06-06 162
Day 1: 2 06-06
40. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 3 06-04 161
Day 1: 3 06-04
41. Tyler Berger Delaware, OH 2 06-04 160
Day 1: 2 06-04
42. Garrett Rocamora Lithia, FL 2 06-01 159
Day 1: 2 06-01
43. Keith Carson Debary, FL 3 06-00 158
Day 1: 3 06-00
43. Darrell Davis Dover, FL 3 06-00 158
Day 1: 3 06-00
45. Richard Reeger Gastonia, NC 5 05-14 156
Day 1: 5 05-14
46. Ben Nielsen Lowell, MI 3 05-14 155
Day 1: 3 05-14
47. Adam Neu Forestville, WI 3 05-13 154
Day 1: 3 05-13
48. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 4 05-12 153
Day 1: 4 05-12
49. Cody Hahner Wausau, WI 3 05-11 152
Day 1: 3 05-11
50. Jordan Burdette Knoxville, TN 2 05-10 151
Day 1: 2 05-10
51. Derrick Snavely Piney Flats, TN 2 05-09 150
Day 1: 2 05-09
52. Bradley Hallman Norman, OK 2 05-08 149
Day 1: 2 05-08
52. Brandon Johnson Mt Sterling, KY 2 05-08 149
Day 1: 2 05-08
54. John Hunter Jr Simpsonville, KY 3 05-06 147
Day 1: 3 05-06
55. Kotaro Kiriyama Guntersville, AL 2 05-03 146
Day 1: 2 05-03
56. Greg Alexander Hebron, MD 3 05-02 145
Day 1: 3 05-02
57. Hunter Bland Williston, FL 3 04-14 144
Day 1: 3 04-14
58. Brian Latimer Belton, SC 2 04-14 143
Day 1: 2 04-14
58. Matt Lee Bremen, AL 2 04-14 143
Day 1: 2 04-14
60. Andrew Upshaw Tulsa, OK 3 04-13 141
Day 1: 3 04-13
61. Derek Lehtonen Woodruff, SC 3 04-11 140
Day 1: 3 04-11
62. Brandt Tumberg Moore, SC 2 04-10 139
Day 1: 2 04-10
63. Daisuke Aoki Minamitsurugun Yamanash 2 04-08 138
Day 1: 2 04-08
63. Matt Mattingly Gravel Switch, KY 2 04-08 138
Day 1: 2 04-08
65. Scott Patton Paris, TN 2 04-07 136
Day 1: 2 04-07
66. Greg Mansfield Olathe, KS 2 04-06 135
Day 1: 2 04-06
67. Christiana Bradley Goldvein, VA 1 04-06 134
Day 1: 1 04-06
68. John Garrett Union City, TN 2 04-04 133
Day 1: 2 04-04
69. Nick Hatfield Chuckey, TN 2 04-03 132
Day 1: 2 04-03
70. Stephen Morella Townshed, VT 2 04-02 131
Day 1: 2 04-02
71. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 2 04-00 130
Day 1: 2 04-00
72. Chris Kingree Inverness, FL 2 03-15 129
Day 1: 2 03-15
73. Von Dilbeck Corbin, KY 2 03-14 128
Day 1: 2 03-14
74. Tyler Ellis Battlefield, MO 2 03-13 127
Day 1: 2 03-13
75. Jeremy Maye Windsor, VA 1 03-11 126
Day 1: 1 03-11
76. Kyle Austin Ridgeville, SC 2 03-10 125
Day 1: 2 03-10
77. Allen Brooks Canton, GA 1 03-09 124
Day 1: 1 03-09
77. Craig Chambers Midland, NC 1 03-09 124
Day 1: 1 03-09
79. Steve Sennikoff Edgewood, TX 2 03-08 122
Day 1: 2 03-08
80. Cam Sterritt Newfields, NH 3 03-07 121
Day 1: 3 03-07
81. Chris Ferguson Wittensville, KY 2 03-06 120
Day 1: 2 03-06
82. Kameron Harbin Abbeville, SC 2 03-05 119
Day 1: 2 03-05
82. Cody Huff Ava, MO 2 03-05 119
Day 1: 2 03-05
84. Timmy Cales Sandstone, WV 1 03-05 117
Day 1: 1 03-05
84. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 1 03-05 117
Day 1: 1 03-05
84. Garrett Rose Pipecreek, TX 1 03-05 117
Day 1: 1 03-05
87. Todd Goade White Pine, TN 1 03-04 114
Day 1: 1 03-04
87. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 1 03-04 114
Day 1: 1 03-04
89. Colby Robertson Summerfield, FL 1 03-03 112
Day 1: 1 03-03
90. Cody Detweiler Orlando, FL 1 03-02 111
Day 1: 1 03-02
91. Cody Bertrand Dyer, IN 1 02-15 110
Day 1: 1 02-15
91. Preston Julian Seymour, TN 1 02-15 110
Day 1: 1 02-15
93. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 1 02-12 108
Day 1: 1 02-12
94. Wyatt Burkhalter Coker, AL 1 02-11 107
Day 1: 1 02-11
94. Shawn Hendrix Sharpsburg, GA 1 02-11 107
Day 1: 1 02-11
94. Nick Tate Knoxville, TN 1 02-11 107
Day 1: 1 02-11
97. Gary Adkins Green Bay, WI 1 02-10 104
Day 1: 1 02-10
97. Cole Drummond Effingham, SC 1 02-10 104
Day 1: 1 02-10
99. Chad Smith Minnetonka, MN 2 02-09 102
Day 1: 2 02-09
100. Chandler Stewart Waco, TX 2 02-08 101
Day 1: 2 02-08
101. Ken Iyobe Tokoname, Aichi JAPAN 1 02-08 100
Day 1: 1 02-08
102. Jason Burroughs Hodges, SC 1 02-07 99
Day 1: 1 02-07
103. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 1 02-02 98
Day 1: 1 02-02
104. Brandon Tallhamer Parkersburg, WV 2 02-01 97
Day 1: 2 02-01
105. Brad Knight Lancing, TN 1 02-01 96
Day 1: 1 02-01
106. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 1 02-00 95
Day 1: 1 02-00
107. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 1 01-15 94
Day 1: 1 01-15
107. Andrew Thomasson Dublin, VA 1 01-15 94
Day 1: 1 01-15
109. Trevor Topken Warwick, NY 1 01-14 92
Day 1: 1 01-14
110. Cameron Smith Wareham, MA 1 01-13 91
Day 1: 1 01-13
111. Michael Hall Annandale, VA 1 01-12 90
Day 1: 1 01-12
111. Frank Ramsey Spring Grove, IL 1 01-12 90
Day 1: 1 01-12
111. Dustin Reneau Mckinney, TX 1 01-12 90
Day 1: 1 01-12
114. Robert Gibson Niota, TN 1 01-11 87
Day 1: 1 01-11
114. Randy Huffman Charleston, WV 1 01-11 87
Day 1: 1 01-11
114. Teb Jones Hattiesburg, MS 1 01-11 87
Day 1: 1 01-11
114. Bryce Matthews Olanta, SC 1 01-11 87
Day 1: 1 01-11
118. Terry Segraves Kissimmee, FL 1 01-10 83
Day 1: 1 01-10
119. Barry Wilson Birmingham, AL 1 01-09 82
Day 1: 1 01-09
120. David Williams Newton, NC 1 01-08 81
Day 1: 1 01-08
121. Robbie Harrelson Moncks Corner, SC 1 01-07 80
Day 1: 1 01-07
122. Randy Blaukat Joplin, MO 1 01-06 79
Day 1: 1 01-06
123. Corey Lindsey Blacklick, OH 1 01-03 78
Day 1: 1 01-03
123. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 1 01-03 78
Day 1: 1 01-03
125. Bo Goodin Harrogate, TN 1 01-00 76
Day 1: 1 01-00
126. Barry Brandt Jr. Newport News, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Brad Burkhart Speedwell, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Todd Castledine Nacogdoches, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Mark Duerr West Allis, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Anthony Dumitras Winston, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Clayton Dyer Fayetteville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Guy Eaker Cherryville, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Randy Elliott Severn, MD 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Tim Frederick Leesburg, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Derek Freeman Anderson, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Jerry Gallogly Jr North Tazewell, VA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Ronnie Getz Sunman, IN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Caleb Gibson Locust Grove, OK 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Darryl Halbert Enoree, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Josh Hubbard Braidwood, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Keith Iddins Knoxville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Denis Karachopan Rocky Point, NY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. David Kilgore Jasper, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. John Maner Falkville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Matthew Mccarthy Marysville, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Kenny Mittelstaedt Minnetonka, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Parker Mott Winter Garden, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Lance Owen Greer, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Scott Pellegrin Chippewa Falls, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Chris Peters Birchwood, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Trevor Prince Blue Ridge, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Chad Randles Elkhorn, NE 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Jake Rossi Columbus, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Ronald Ryals Jr Live Oak, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Hermilo Salgado Artemus, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Scott Siller Milwaukee, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Jack Williams Kingsport, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Tommy Williams Shepherdsville, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
126. Trait Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
Bryan College’s beautiful mess
Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
In Thursday’s warm humid pre-dawn air to begin Day 1 at the Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship on Florida’s Harris Chain, I found myself deeply concerned about angler Mason Cizek’s feet.
The 21-year-old accounting major from Bryan College on Lake Chickamauga in Tennessee was a “hook in the toe” waiting to happen. No less than 25 lures surrounded his sandaled left foot.
“That pile represents a mix of fishing fast, trying a lot of different lures, and having very little experience in Florida,” laughed his partner Jake Lee, the 2017 champion of this event.
The mess also represents the care-free, fun, passionate attitude of the fast-growing college fishing culture. It’s not about looking good for most of these students, it’s simply about their absolute love of bass fishing – and the associated fellowship that precipitates from traveling on tight budgets.
“I learned these bad habits from my old partner Jacob Foutz,” laughed Lee. “When he and I fished together our boat was always a disaster.”
Lee and Foutz’s messy habits seemed to pay off. They won the 2017 Carhartt Bassmaster National Championship in Minnesota, and Foutz went on to qualify for the 2018 Bassmaster Classic, and now runs a successful fishing guide business on Lake Chickamauga.
“My dad is a firefighter back in East Tennessee, and he’s gonna see this article and want to drive down here and tell me to get this disaster cleaned up,” laughed Lee.
When I asked Cizek which of the lures in that heap were likely to get the most playing time – he said, “That’s what makes this mess so special – I have no idea – I’m fishing purely on intuition,” he grinned.
We all know the power of intuition in tournament bass fishing, and the past success of Bryan College is indisputable. I just hope Cizek makes it through this derby without sticking a topwater in his toe.
Humminbird® and Minn Kota® Pros Go Back-to-Back with First- and Second-Place Finishes at Chickamauga and Santee Cooper
Humminbird® and Minn Kota® pros Brandon Palaniuk and Carl Jocumsen were riding high after the two buddies took first and second at the Bassmaster Elite Series event on Santee Cooper Lakes. Just one week later, another pair of Pro Team anglers from the leading brands in boat control and fish finding technology doubled down as Lee Livesay and Mike Huff finished first and second respectively at Lake Chickamauga.
Another fall tournament dealt the field challenging conditions during the four days of competition. Strong currents, thick grass mats and heavy fishing pressure meant that finding the winning fish required a combination of skill, experience and the right equipment.
Livesay and Huff proved they had all three by closing out the top two spots on Championship Monday. Both anglers relied heavily on Lakemaster® mapping to isolate areas that they felt would produce the kind of bites needed to compete.
From there, their paths diverged, one targeted skinny water fish and using his Minn Kota Talons™ to stealthily pick apart shallow grass mats with a frog and the other staying pinned with Minn Kota Spot-Lock™ while near steep bluff walls.
Adapting to the conditions was key on Chickamauga and no one did that better than Lee Livesay. Starting in 10th place after day one with 13-0, Livesay found more of the shallow water hotspots that would propel him to his first career victory with a total weight of 58 pounds, 2 ounces on Chickamauga Lake.
Realizing that shallow areas deep inside grass mats were producing more bites, Livesay worked to locate other areas with the same features and operated in stealth mode once he found the spots with the right ingredients for his success.
“Once I realized that the fish were living in less than a foot of water with a little algae on top of the grass, I looked on my LakeMaster map and marked from 0 – 3 feet in the red highlight on my HELIX®,” Livesay said. “I found another eight to nine locations in a relatively close proximity that offered the same features. Then I’d either push pole in real quiet and Talon down or sometimes bust through 500 yards of grass mat with the my Ultrex™ trolling motor as fast as I could to get back in the mat, and then I’d try to be as quiet as possible letting everything settle down for at least 20 minutes or so.”
Persistence also paid off for Livesay by focusing on these small shallow areas he was confident held fish. Slowing down and really taking the time to pick apart each spot, he made long casts and kept working on new ways to present the bait until he got the reaction he was looking for.
“My Minn Kota Talons were huge, probably one of the most important tools I used this week,” said Livesay. “After I got to the spot, I’d cast in some of the areas the size of my boat deck 30 or more times before getting bit, but then it would be on. I’d sometimes fish these little spots for 30-45 minutes before I’d get them fired up and I even stayed in one spot for 2 hours.”
With Livesay finding his pattern of success sneaking through grass mats with his Talons and operating as quietly as possible, his fellow Humminbird and Minn Kota Pro Team member Mike Huff was working on an impressive comeback with another strategy, targeting bluffs and lay downs to keep him in the hunt.
Finishing day one in 50th place and fighting back to 33rd on Day Two, Huff turned it all around by fishing jigs on bluffs he identified with his mapping, and ultimately turned in the event’s second heaviest bag (19-1) to propel him to 3rd place on day three. Huff finished the weekend in second place just behind Livesay with a total weight of 56 pounds, 6 ounces.
“One of the main things for me on Chickamauga was the LakeMaster mapping – it is just absolutely amazing on the Tennessee River system,” said Huff. “I found fishing bluff walls was getting it done for me and I studied my map to find every contour line and rock slide out there, which was really important in finding the areas I wanted to target.”
Fishing these rockslides on bluffs was proving successful but also a challenge with stronger currents. “Spot-Lock was huge for me fishing the way I was in these areas,” Huff said.
“The current was so strong there and the Ultrex was working hard all day on my boat. I was able to just hit Spot-Lock every time I got a fish in the boat and would stay right where I needed to be and on the fish. The amount of time we get back with that is invaluable and allows for more casts and time with the bait in the water.” Spot-Lock made tasks like culling and retying a breeze and kept him in the game.
With LakeMaster providing a roadmap to the exact depths and contour features Huff was looking for on the bank, he was now able to focus his attention to MEGA Side Imaging® and locate other fish-holding cover in the same areas or on the way to his next spot. And his story was reminiscent of the one Brandon Palaniuk told about the 7-pounder he found using Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging™ on the final day at Santee Cooper.
“I was done fishing a bank and idling out getting ready to take off and I noticed a tree that looked really good with three fish in it,” Huff said. “I thought to myself, I really should have fished that, but I marked it on the Humminbird unit and saved it for the next day. I ended up catching two crucial fish off that same tree on Day Four.”
With one fall tournament left in the revised Bassmaster Elite Series schedule at Lake Fork on November 5-8, there is no question these pros will continue to face a challenging bite and weather conditions. With a full head of steam heading into the final event and the best mapping, imaging and boat control on their side, the Minn Kota and Humminbird Pro Team is on track to finish strong.
ROWE AND PATE CAPTURE CLOSE CHAMPIONSHIP WIN ON CHOKE CANYON
By David A. Brown
THREE RIVERS, TX (October 29, 2020) -- Kyle Rowe Ted Pate went into the Texas Team Trail Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Championship counting on leveraging those big Florida-strain largemouth bass to their advantage. It all worked out in the end — to the tune of a 2-day total of 50.98 pounds — but their victory hinged on making a key adjustment.
For clarity, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has stocked this Frio River impoundment with the “Floridas” since 1981. Generations have adapted to their Lone Star surroundings, but the fish retain two of their most characteristic traits — great size potential and a clear disdain for weather changes, like the minor cold front that arrived the day before the event.
“It doesn’t matter where you go in South Texas — Amistad, Falcon, Choke — those Florida strain bass do not like cold fronts,” Rowe said. “It may only change the temperature (a few degrees), but it will affect them.”
Such was the case for the winning team. After dialing in a morning topwater bite in the mid-lake region, Rowe and Pate started Day 1 pursuing this pattern.
“We had an early (take-off number) so there was one particular spot where I thought we’d catch our limit and probably have our limit on a topwater,” Rowe said. “It took me a while to even get the first bite — a 4-pounder. We could tell it was off, so we immediately switched plans.”
Transitioning to a grass flipping pattern saved their day, as the team sent Texas-rigged Zoom Brush Hogs into the mats and filled their limit for a 19.95 that put them in thirteenth place. Not a bad start, but Rowe admits that confidence in their area nearly bit them in the backside.
“We decided not to pull our fish out and weigh them (on the water); we were just estimating,” Rowe said. “We both thought we had 21-23 pounds. We were on fish good enough, we didn’t even go to the best spot until 11 o’clock and we filled out limit really fast.
“I told my partner ‘We don’t need to stay here. We have the projected daily weight and we’ll be in the top-10. That’s all I care about; as long as we were in the top-10, most of these teams weren’t going to catch them two days in a row and we are.’”
Returning to the weigh-ins thinking their bag held more than it did, Rowe and Pate were disappointed to find they’d overestimated their day. Making matters worse, Danny Iles and Brian Shook were leading with 27.57. Realizing they had throttled back too early in the game, reality made for disheartening mental shift.
“We went back to the room and I was just sick,” Rowe recalled. “I told Ted ‘We messed up. We have no chance to win now because I know (Iles and Shook) are good enough to catch ‘em again another day.’
“I said ‘We’re going to catch a big sack, but we’re really fishing for second.’ The next day, we went back in there and things worked out; we were lucky.”
Returning to their grass beds, Rowe and Pate correctly assessed the passing front’s impact and made what was likely the most important decision of their event. Leaving the grass edges that produced their first day’s bag, they reached far into the mats where those ultra-sensitive Florida bass had fled and sacked up a whopping 31.03 pounds on a mix of Spro Bronzeye Frog and Texas-rigged Brush Hogs with 1-ounce weights.
“Day 2, Ted throws a frog across the mat and catches one of our biggest fish,” Rowe said of their quick start. “I net that fish and barely get back to the bow and he throws out there and catches another one that looks like a clone.
“That’s a good feeling when you start off catching two 6-pounders. That’s when you know you’re going to catch them.”
Edging the Day-1 leaders by 7 ounces, Rowe and Pate won a Ranger Z519 with a 225 Mercury. Their total winnings of $54,068 included $1,024 in Angler Advantage cash. Rowe said he and his partner realize full well the magnitude of pulling out a victory against the talented field of TXTT competitors.
“Being seven pounds behind as good of fishermen as (Iles and Shook) are, we were very fortunate,” Rowe said. “Every one of these teams that fish this are capable of winning at anytime. It just comes down to who makes the best decisions.”
Iles-Shook Second
After starting the year with a dominant win on Lake Sam Rayburn, Isles and Shook topped the Day-1 with 27.57-pound limit, anchored by a 6.11. Adding 23.34 on Day 2, they finished second with 50.91 and locked up Team of the Year honors.
“Leading Team of the Year, we put in a lot of practice time and made multiple trips to fish the entire lake,” Iles said. “We had certain stretches identified, so we spent half of each day up in the river and half down by the dam.
“We stuck to the edges of the grass. Some areas were in 14-16 feet; other place were 7-9.”
Iles and Shook caught their fish on Texas-rigged curl tail worms and and speed worms. They also used a rotation of 1/2- to 3/4-ounce casting jigs, swim jigs and football jigs; all with Strike King Rage Craw trailers. For reaction bites, they also mixed in 3/8- and 1/2-ounce bladed jigs with shad style trailers.
“The weather allowed us to catch those better-than-average fish,” Iles said. “On Friday, that front brought wind and cloudy skies. During practice, we fished (in similar conditions), so we knew how they would react.”
Iles credits his team’s intense practice regimen for not only a strong Championship performance, but also for their Team of the Year title. They had made a decision to ramp up their effort this year, but that season-opening win stoked their fire.
“We put a little more effort into this year than years past,” Iles said. “That first tournament on Rayburn fell into our wheelhouse. That got us a good lead and we worked extra hard to maintain it. It worked out about as good as we could have scripted it.”
For second place, Iles and Shook earned a Nitro Z519 with a 225 Mercury. Their total prize package of $54,004 included $960 of of Anglers Advantage cash. For their Team of the Year achievement, Iles and Shook received commemorative rings and free entries into 2021 TXTT events.
Dunn-Shaw third
On Day 1, Adam Dunn and Shelby Shaw caught a limit of 20.17 and tied Dave Redington and Chad Mcclendon for 11th. The final round saw them add a limit of 26.52 — anchored by a 9.63 that took Big Bass honors for the event — and gain eight spots to finish third with 46.69.
“Shelby caught that (9.63) in the first 15 mins of Day 2,” Dunn reported. “That’s definitely how you want to get your day started.”
Rotating through four main spots — all grass-related — Dunn and Shaw caught their Day-1 fish by punching hydrilla/milfoil mats with a Zoom Z Craw and a Berkley Havoc Pit Boss, both rigged with a 6th Sense punch skirt and a 1- to 1 1/4-ounce weight, depending on grass density. They also caught one along the grass edge on a 1/4-ounce underspin with a swimbait.
On Day 2, Dunn and Shaw caught all of their keepers on moving baits. They did most of their work by ripping a 3/4-ounce Chatterbait with a Yamamoto Zako trailer through the grass and complemented that presentation by burning a 6th Sense Speed Wake along grass edges.
For third place, Dunn and Shaw earned $3,158, which included $768 of Anglers Advantage cash, a $500 Garmin bonus and a $250 Mercury bonus. They also won $410 for the Big Bass award.
Bonds-Nitschke fourth, Mansfield-Weston fifth
Jason Bonds and James Nitschke weighed five bass worth 44.91 pounds, taking fourth place and earning $1,774. Behind them was Grover Mansfield and Cort Weston with 41.99 pounds. For fifth place, they earned $1,505.
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 teams at the 2017 Texas Team Trail event on Toledo Bend:
6th: Terry Stevens and Jason Harper, 41.96
7th: Michael Ligon and Bud Pruitt, 41.89
8th: Stephen Johnston and Dan Wilson, 40.57
9th: Bob Vote and Andy Vote, 37.34
10th: B.J. Carothers and Thomas Wells, 36.57
Steaks, SEC football, and crankbaits at college championship
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
College anglers from Campbellsville University, Georgia Southern and Nicholls State talked about what they and the bass have been eating at the Harris Chain of Lakes prior to Day 1 of competition at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Championship that kicks-off Thursday.
Tell us your name, age, major, and the school you proudly represent.
Bradley Dunagan, age 21, business major, Campbellsville University in Kentucky.
Avry Thomason, age 22, business major, Georgia Southern.
Cade Fortenberry, age 21, allied health major, Nichols State in Louisiana.,
Q: What’s the coolest thing about college bass fishing?
Dunagan: Traveling to so many different places.
Thomason: Traveling.
Fortenberry: Traveling to places I never would have got to fish.
Q: What two lures are you certain you’ll use?
Dunagan: Mid-range crankbait and a speed worm.
Thomason: Jig and a mid-range crankbait.
Fortenberry: Punch rig and a frog.
Q: What’s your favorite college football team?
Dunagan: Kentucky Wildcats
Thomason: Georgia Bulldogs
Fortenberry: LSU Tigers and Nicholls State, I’m on the cheer squad at Nicholls.
Q: How many pounds do you need to catch Thursday to land in the Top 20?
Dunagan: 14 pounds
Thomason: 15.8 pounds
Fortenberry: 15.8 pounds
Q: What’s the best thing you’ve eaten since arriving in Lake County, FL?
Dunagan: a rib eye cooked pretty rare
Thomason: a sirloin at Ruby Tuesday’s
Fortenberry: gumbo
We’re not rich, we just love to fish
Courtesy of Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
If you stood at a boat ramp on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Central Florida and watched dozens of young Americans line-up to launch this week at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship, you could easily get the false perception these are a bunch of rich kids with pricey boats and tow vehicles.
Dig a little deeper and you’ll quickly realize, they’re actually fueled by Oreos, borrowed boats, and in some fortunate cases, a bit of financial support for tuition and travel expenses from the colleges and universities they represent.
“Nope, we’re not rich. This is my dad’s boat and he just lets me borrow it. I’ve had a job sackin’ groceries at Publix for years, and now I’m part of a pressure washing business to earn money,” says Jarrett Brown, a 22-year-old finance major from Montevallo State, who recently registered for the new Yamaha Power Pay cash bonus program for a chance to earn extra money.
Brown and teammate Tyler Harless, a biology major, who makes and sells Wicked Jigs to support his tournament fishing, say a bag of Oreos often serves as breakfast and lunch most days on the water, because they’re inexpensive and easy to eat.
The two earned their way to this week’s national championship with a victory earlier this year using a Carolina Rig and shaky head on Eufaula, Alabama, but say a topwater frog and a heavy Texas-rigged punch bait will be their main players this week around the Harris Chain’s abundant vegetation.
After the first two full days of practice, they rated the fishing as average – not super tough – but by no means easy. “We’re still trying to figure it out,” says Brown. “We’re required to be off the water by 4:30 this afternoon, but if they’d let us, we’d fish until dark,” adds Harless.
In that case, the bag of Oreos would likely serve as this evening’s dinner too.
MLF Announces 2021 Abu Garcia College Fishing Schedule, Rules and Entry Dates
Top Two Teams at College Fishing National Championship Advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship to Compete as Pros for a Shot at Winning up to $235,000
BENTON, Ky. (Oct. 27, 2020) – Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today the schedule, rules, payouts and entry dates for the 2021 Abu Garcia College Fishing season, culminating in the Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship presented by Lowrance on Grand Lake in Grove, OK, as well as advancement opportunities for anglers to compete as boaters and co-anglers in the 2021 Toyota Series Championship.
- Both members of the winning team and the runner-up at the 2021 College Fishing National Championship advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship to compete as pros for a shot at winning as much as $235,000, including a $35,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus.
- Both members of the third-place team at the 2021 College Fishing National Championship advance to the 2021 Toyota Series Championship as co-anglers for a shot at winning a $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro with a 115 HP Mercury.
- Top 10 teams from each 2021 qualifying event and the top 20 teams from the 2021 Abu Garcia College Fishing Open advance to the 2022 College Fishing National Championship, where the top two teams will advance to the 2022 Toyota Series Championship.
- Top performing schools will continue to be recognized with School of the Year titles awarded to the top overall school of the season, as well as the top school from each of five conferences. Schools earn points based on their top two teams in each tournament, with School of the Year being awarded to the school with the most points in each conference and overall at the end of the season.
Live weigh-in coverage will continue at every tournament with expanded national television coverage of the 2021 College Fishing National Championship on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel and World Fishing Network. Anglers will also qualify for MLF College Faceoffs presented by Wiley X held in conjunction with select Abu Garcia College Fishing tournaments, where they will compete using the catch, weigh, immediate-release format.
“We are excited to welcome back familiar faces and meet new students during the 2021 season,” said Kevin Hunt, MLF BIG5 Senior Director of Tournament Operations, College and High School. “The chance to qualify for MLF College Faceoffs and advance to the Toyota Series Championship provide our anglers multiple avenues to hone their craft and work their way up through the MLF BIG5 circuits. With national livestream and television coverage, we are thrilled to provide college anglers the very best opportunities to elevate their schools, sponsors and personal brands. We expect 2021 to be our most successful college fishing season yet.”
Registration for teams wishing to compete in the 2021 Abu Garcia College Fishing tournaments will be accepted beginning at 8 a.m. CT December 14, 2020, for teams from school clubs represented in the 2020 College Fishing National Championship. All other teams may register beginning December 15, 2020. Teams can register at FLWFishing.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. The entry fee remains the same for 2021 – $75 per team for teams who enter prior to onsite check-in and $100 for teams who enter onsite.
Abu Garcia College Fishing teams may compete in both conference and nonconference tournaments, giving them the flexibility to construct a schedule that meets their needs. Each conference includes three regular-season qualifying tournaments. The top 10 teams from each regular-season tournament and the top 20 teams from the Abu Garcia College Fishing Open advance to the following year’s College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats or 200 boats in the Open.
The 2021 Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship presented by Lowrance is on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma, March 3-5, and is hosted by the Grove Convention and Tourism Bureau and the City of Grove. Held in conjunction with REDCREST, the 2021 championship will provide unique networking opportunities for college anglers, Bass Pro Tour pros and potential sponsors.
Complete rules for the 2020 Abu Garcia College Fishing program can be found online at FLWFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information, visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow Abu Garcia College Fishing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Abu Garcia College Fishing Open
Tue-Wed TBA
Mar 30-31
Central Conference
Friday Table Rock: Table Rock State Park Marina
Mar 26 Branson, MO
Friday MS River-La Crosse: W. Copeland & Clinton
Jul 30 La Crosse, WI
Friday Lake of the Ozarks: Public Beach #2
Oct 15 Osage Beach, MO
Northern Conference
Friday Smith Mountain Lake: Parkway Marina
Apr 30 Huddleston, VA
Friday Potomac River: Smallwood State Park
Jun 4 Marbury, MD
Friday Detroit River: Elizabeth Park Marina
Aug 20 Trenton, MI
Southeastern Conference
Friday Harris Chain: Venetian Gardens - Ski Beach
Feb 12 Leesburg, FL
Friday Lake Guntersville: Lake Guntersville State Park
Apr 23 Guntersville, AL
Friday Lake Chickamauga: Dayton Boat Dock
Oct 22 Dayton, TN
Southern Conference
Friday Lake Somerville: Lake Somerville Marina
Apr 16 Brenham, TX
Friday Lake of the Pines: Lakeside Park
Jun 11 Jefferson , TX
Friday Lake Dardanelle: Lake Dardanelle State Park
Oct 1 Russellville, AR
Western Conference
Saturday Shasta: Bridge Bay Resort
Jan 30 Redding, CA
Saturday California Delta: Big Break Marina
May 15 Oakley, CA
Saturday Clear Lake: Redbud Park
Sep 25 Clearlake, CA
Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship presented by Lowrance
Wed-Fri Grand Lake: Wolf Creek Park
Mar 3-5 Grove, OK
Hosted by Grove Convention and Tourism Bureau & City of Grove
Josh Glodo - Gone but not forgotten
Luke Estel - Team Tournament Blogger
Josh’s grandpa dropped us off that morning. We were so excited. My best friend Josh and I were fishing our very first tournament. It was a police auxiliary event we were ready to go. Josh had a fiberglass boat with a 9.9 Mercury on it. It was the slowest boat out there, but we were just happy to be fishing. At our first stop I lost a good keeper. I was rattled but we continued on. Finally, Josh caught one almost four pounds on a Gene Larew salt craw. That was the only keeper we caught. At the weigh in we would end up winning a brand-new battery. You would have thought we won the Bassmaster Classic. That one tournament got me hooked and I have been doing it ever since.
Josh and I became friends at an early age. We played sports against each other and then in High School we played on the same team. We did what best friends do. Hunt, fish, and play sports. We spent our summers on his grandparents lake fishing every day. The fish were small but that didn’t seem to bother us. In college we lived together continuing to hunt and fish. We were inseparable.
A few years later I got married and Josh couldn’t accept the fact that we couldn’t be together every day so he basically moved in with Heidi and I, and the baby. He was a great uncle and my daughter loved him.
Josh eventually married and moved to another state. He would stay gone for several years before he would move back. He just couldn’t handle being away from his family and friends. Once he moved back, it was like old times. Every day around 5p.m. he would call me and ask me what I was doing.
He turned into a crappie fisherman, not just because he liked catching them, but he loved to eat them. And without a boat, you know who had to take him. This year we went three times catching a limit each time. Of course, Josh wasn’t good at the cleaning part. I always had to do it. He wanted to have a big fish fry so we planned one.
A month or so ago, several of us friends got together and had a great night. As usual, Josh made fun of everyone just like he always did. That night would be the last night I would get to hang out with him. Two days later he called and said he was sick. If anyone knew Josh, he was always sick, or at least said he was and usually blamed it on food. I shook it off and told him he was fine. He went and got tested for Covid19 and was positive. That’s when I got scared. Josh wasn’t the healthiest person in the world and was a big guy. Not a good combination for this virus.
I checked on him every day and told him if his breathing got bad to go to the hospital. I left for Florida that weekend and still checked on him. On my way home from vacation I got a phone call saying that Josh was in the hospital on a ventilator. I was 3 hours from home. My heart sank. I could hardly drive. The hospital wouldn’t allow anyone in so for the next week we all sat and waited. He was eventually flown to Barnes hospital for treatment. The nurses were fantastic keeping me up to date along with the family. On a Saturday night we got a call saying it was close to the end. His parents couldn’t go see him but they got special permission for Heidi and I to go. As I stood over him holding his hand, I talked to him. “it’s time to go Josh! We have a fish fry and deer stands to put up.” I even cussed him out not to leave me. He only lasted a few more days.
I have never lost a friend before and to lose a best friend is devastating. I think about him every day, wishing he would call me just one more time. My outlook on life as a whole has also changed. I am going to make the best of it while I am here. Every time I step into a boat, I know he is right beside me.
You will be missed my friend, but never forgotten.
Erskine earning top grades in college bass fishing
Courtesy Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships
Unless you live within a couple hours of Due West, South Carolina you’ve probably never heard of a little college called Erskine, but the campus of 800 students is home to everything that’s good about college bass fishing.
This week, 22-year-old recent graduates Wyatt Reid and Gehrig DeFronzo are proudly representing the school at the Carhartt Bassmaster College National Championship on Central Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes, but their passionate work along with coach Ryan Teems the last few years has nurtured the small campus to be a garden of growth for college bass fishing.
Coach Teems is only a year older than Reid and DeFronzo, but he helped start the bass fishing team and get it formally recognized by the campus leaders. Now they have about 20 students on the “Flying Fleet” fishing team and are offering bass fishing scholarships to high school students that want to attend Erskine.
Ironically, Reid started at Erskine on a golf scholarship and DeFronzo on a baseball scholarship as a middle infielder, but their passion for bass fishing will leave an absolute legacy and ease the tuition burdens of future Erskine bass anglers for decades to come.
Their home lakes include deeper clear reservoirs like Hartwell and Clarks Hill, so figuring out the shallow vegetation rich Harris Chain won’t be easy. But Reid caught nearly an 8-pounder in practice Monday, so there’s definitely reason for optimism.
When asked what the hardest college class they had to take at Erskine was, Reid cited a literature class, and DeFronzo, a pre-med major, quickly spotlighted organic chemistry, even though he earned an “A.”
But there’s no doubt both have set the curve for all that is great about college bass fishing during their time at Erskine.
DD26 Fishing Introduces Industry-Leading Motor Tote for Mercury 150HP 4-Stroke Engines
Unique outboard design demands a custom-fitted solution
Mesa, Ariz. – DD26 Fishing, a leading innovator of high-technology products for fishing and boating, announces the addition of a Mean Mount Motor Tote specifically designed to fit and protect Mercury’s 4-Stroke 150 horsepower outboard, thus answering the needs and demands of boaters who want to make sure that their equipment continues to operate flawlessly. Combined with the DD26 steering locks, they ensure that anglers will be able to enjoy their days on the water without worrying about damage caused by towing to and from the lake.
"The Mercury 150 4-Stroke is the only model in the Mercury family from 75HP to 300HP with a unique mount that provides very few grab points for any type of attachment,” said DD26 President Dave Davis. “With very few options available for guys running this engine, we battled for more than a year to come up with the perfect solution. We have exceeded even our own expectations with a motor tote that features 6061 T6 aluminum sandwiched by custom-molded polyurethane automotive-grade bump stops that fit like a puzzle piece and better than OJ's glove!”
This patent-pending design will set the standard for the boating industry because of all of the effort and care that has been put into its design and manufacturing. Specific details include:
- Eight different high-quality metallic powder coat color options to allow you to customize your color theme (check out our Steering Locks and Bandit Culling Beam, too)
- Fits Mercury 150HP SeaPro, FourStroke and Pro XS 4-Stroke Engines
- Automotive-grade bump stops to protect your engine and transom by absorbing impact like a shock does!
- Made in the USA!
“I’m proud to say that no one has ever put this much effort into a motor stabilizer before,” Davis added. “You invest a lot in your outboard, transom and steering system, and a failure from any of them can cost you valuable time and money. A small investment now will put your mind at ease.”
Mean Mounts come with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. This model retails for $189.99 and can be purchased at DD26Fishing, Tackle Warehouse and many of your local dealers. If they don’t carry it, ask for it! It is not compatible with Verado engines.
For more information about DD26 fishing, go to www.dd26fishing.com.
To learn more about this new Mean Mount, and to see it in action, check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2oA8MV6bmg
Nelson Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Lanier
Co-angler Victory Goes to South Carolina’s Henderson
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (Oct. 26, 2020) Boater Chris Nelson of Social Circle, Georgia, brought a three-day total of 15 bass to the scale weighing 50 pounds, 13 ounces to win the no-entry fee Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship at Lake Lanier. For his victory, Nelson earned $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and automatic entry into the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Championship, June 3-5, at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee.
“I rotated between 8 to 10 places all three days, fishing brush piles on offshore humps in 25 to 30 feet of water from about mid-lake to the dam,” said Nelson. “I was mostly using a ½-ounce shaky head with a Zoom Magnum Swamp Crawler and had great success with it.”
Nelson said he caught fish the same way in practice as well and felt his victory ultimately came down to timing.
“I probably hit the same brush piles at that depth range two to three times per day, all three days,” said Nelson. “If they weren’t biting early, I could usually get bit later in the afternoon.
“The sunshine definitely helped that bite – I didn’t catch as many on the final day due to the cloud cover, but we still came out well in the end.”
Nelson said winning a Regional Championship felt amazing.
“This is by far the biggest accomplishment I’ve had in my fishing career,” Nelson continued. “My primary goal was to qualify for the All-American and I got that done and am taking home a new boat, so I can’t ask for any more than that out of this tournament.”
The top six boaters that qualified for 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:
1st: Chris Nelson of Social Circle, Ga., 15 bass, 50-13, $60,000
2nd: Randy Dover of Buford, Ga., 15 bass, 50-6, $10,000
3rd: Trent Palmer of Cumming, Ga., 15 bass, 45-15, $5,500
4th: Cody Hoyle of Rutherfordton, N.C., 15 bass, 45-2, $3,000
5th: Collin Smith of Honea Path, S.C., 15 bass, 44-9, $2,000
6th: Jr. McCay of Robertstown, Ga., 15 bass, 44-1, $1,800
Rounding out the top 12 boaters were:
7th: Brad Benfield of Demorest, Ga., 15 bass, 42-1, $1,600
8th: Heath Pack of Ellijay, Ga., 15 bass, 40-6, $1,400
9th: David Nichol of Gainesville, Ga., 14 bass, 39-15, $1,400
10th: Christian Greico of Tampa, Fla., 14 bass, 34-13, $1,000
11th: Jason Reed of Hollister, Fla., 11 bass, 34-2, $1,000
12th: Justin Raines of Easley, S.C., 13 bass, 33-5, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Palmer took home an extra $500 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Kevin Henderson of Honea Path, South Carolina, weighed in 11 bass over three days totaling 29 pounds, 4 ounces to win the top co-angler prize package of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:
1st: Kevin Henderson of Honea Path, S.C., 11 bass, 29-4, $50,000
2nd: Randy Paquette of Sarasota, Fla., 11 bass, 23-12, $5,000
3rd: John Wilson of Six Mile, S.C., nine bass, 22-13, $2,500
4th: Mickey Bergeron of Amherst, Va., 11 bass, 22-11, $1,500
5th: Sam Loveless of Somerset, Ky., 10 bass, 21-12, $1,000
6th: Dustin Elrod of Jasper, Ga., nine bass, 21-5, $900
Rounding out the top 12 co-anglers were:
7th: Jason Hinger of Timberlake, N.C., eight bass, 21-1, $1,250
8th: Mike Twitty of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., nine bass, 20-5, $700
9th: B.K. Kelley of Colonial Heights, V.A., eight bass, 20-5, $600
10th: Trevor Wright of Chesterfield, Va., nine bass, 20-2, $500
11th: Chris Graham of Blue Ridge, Ga., eight bass, 19-15, $500
12th: Jeff White of Rhoadesville, Va., seven bass, 17-6, $500
The Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship on Lake Lanier was hosted by the Gainesville Convention and Visitors Bureau. It featured the top pros and co-anglers from the Gator (Florida), Music City (Tennessee), Piedmont (North Carolina/Virginia) and Savannah River (South Carolina/Georgia) divisions.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held June 3-5 at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour.
Missouri’s Fitzpatrick Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship by Four Ounces on Table Rock Lake
Co-angler Victory Goes to Arkansas’ Hays, First Woman to Win a Regional Championship
BRANSON, Mo. (Oct. 26, 2020) Boater Roger Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Missouri, brought a three-day total of 15 bass to the scale weighing 38 pounds, 4 ounces to win the no-entry fee Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship at Table Rock Lake. For his victory, Fitzpatrick earned $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and automatic entry into the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Championship, June 3-5, at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee.
“I caught most of my fish on a 1-ounce Omega Football Jig,” said Fitzpatrick. “The area I was fishing was slick, with no wood or rock – the only thing that jig hung on was the jaw of the bass I kept pulling out.”
Fitzpatrick said the fish in his honey hole were abundant.
“My co-angler and I got a limit within a half hour on the spot on day one,” said Fitzpatrick. “The second and third day it took me until about 11 a.m. to get a limit. I culled seven or eight times on the final day, but I was only culling ounces – I told her I’d already made the All-American, but the only chance for a win was to go shallow and catch a couple big ones.
“On the second dock, I flipped a ½-ounce Omega Flippin’ Jig and caught a 4-pounder and then a 3-pounder.”
Fitzpatrick said those two fish were the difference makers in his 4-ounce victory.
“This is amazing,” said Fitzpatrick. “God’s got a plan and He is so good.”
The top six boaters that qualified for 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:
1st: Roger Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Mo., 15 bass, 38-4, $60,000
2nd: Shane Long of Willard, Mo., 15 bass, 38-0, $10,000
3rd: Brandon Booth of Bryan, Texas, 15 bass, 31-8, $5,000
4th: Eric Olliverson of Lampe, Mo., 12 bass, 31-7, $3,000
5th: Josh Busby of Rogersville, Mo., 13 bass, 30-14, $2,500
6th: Hunter Litchfield of Macomb, Ill., 15 bass, 29-10, $1,800
Rounding out the top 12 boaters were:
7th: Beau Browning of Hot Springs, Ark., 12 bass, 28-4, $1,600
8th: Richard Ballard of Sulphur, La., 112 bass, 27-7, $1,400
9th: Mike Roller of Purdy, Mo., 12 bass, 26-14, $1,200
10th: Audie Prewitt, Jr. of Benton, Ark., 13 bass, 26-10, $1,000
11th: Brad Morgan of Ashdown, Ark., 11 bass, 25-14, $1,000
12th: Jared Miller of Norman, Okla., 10 bass, 22-3, 1,200
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Busby took home an extra $500 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Melinda Hays of Hot Springs, Arkansas became the first woman to win a Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship in FLW history. Hays weighed 10 bass over three days totaling 22 pounds, 4 ounces and took home the top co-angler prize package of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard. Hays will be only the fourth female angler in FLW history to qualify for or compete in the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2021 All-American were:
1st: Melinda Hays of Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 22-4, $50,000
2nd: Cedric Jackson of Sicily Island, La., eight bass, 18-3, $5,000
3rd: Chase Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Mo., seven bass, 17-1, $2,500
4th: Ken Coats of Claremore, Okla., six bass, 16-14, $1,500
5th: Jake Elledge of Broken Arrow, Okla., six bass, 16-3, $1,000
6th: Kanon Harmon of Benton, Ark., seven bass, 16-0, $900
Rounding out the top 12 co-anglers were:
7th: Jason Swanson of Waterloo, Iowa, seven bass, 15-2, $800
8th: Troy Sippl of Sussex, Wis., six bass, 13-14, $700
9th: Josh Castleberry of Jessieville, Ark., six bass, 13-2, $600
10th: Jonathan Jones of Grain Valley, Mo., three bass, 11-4, $500
11th: Troy Carrell of Woodville, Texas, five bass, 10-14, $500
12th: Bradley Thacher of Preston, Minn., four bass, 10-2, $500
The Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship on Table Rock Lake was hosted by ExploreBranson.com. It featured the top pros and co-anglers from the Arkie (Arkansas), Cowboy (Texas), Great Lakes (Wisconsin) and Okie (Oklahoma) divisions.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held June 3-5 at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour.
Bradley Roy’s 8th Annual High School Open presented by Covercraft
Jamestown, Kentucky
The 2020 version of the Bradley Roy High School Open presented by Covercraft was the most exciting in its eight-year history.
140 high school teams and 23 junior teams (6-8th grade) competed October 17th on Lake Cumberland, and the Top Five fished on Cedar Creek Lake in Stanford, Kentucky.
The tournament is an officially-sanctioned high school event by the Kentucky Bass Nation. Two spots in the 2021 Bassmaster High School National Championship were awarded to Saturday’s top finishers: Connor Baker and Evan Morris of Larue Country, and Hunter Shelton and Jordan Hampton of Trigg County.
The winners weighed a bag of five fish (two largemouth and three spotted bass) totaling 9.98 pounds, which included the big fish of the event, a 4.97 largemouth. The runners-up weighed in 9.85.
3rd place – Nicolas Boggs/Brady Howard: 9.18
4th place – Jake Lycans/William Copley: 6.66
5th place – Everett Marret/Porter Conover: 4.92
The winning team of Baker and Morris, captained by Campbellsville University bass team member Wyatt Pearman, also displayed outstanding sportsmanship on Saturday. John Harris of Danville, Kentucky, was fishing in a local tournament and experienced mechanic troubles. The eventual winning team towed Harris’ boat back to the ramp where his event had launched. The day had already been shortened by a fog delay that morning.
“It was a blessing to see three young men show such unselfish, Christian attitudes,” said Morris. “To be willing to give up 30 to 45 minutes of their tournament day was just outstanding. They had a long run back to the check-in, too.”
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources provided a release truck for the event again this year.
Following the weigh-in, Roy gathered the top five teams and immediately cut off any information gathering from other teams about any surrounding lakes or Lake Cumberland. He then prepared all teams for a fish-off on Sunday at a mystery lake to be disclosed early Sunday morning.
The five remaining teams were housed at the Lake Cumberland State Park Lodge and geared up for a Major League Fishing Cup-style tournament the next day. The Bass Pro Tour angler convened the group in the parking lot at 4:30 CDT on Sunday morning and informed the group of their destination – Cedar Creek Lake in Stanford, Kentucky.
“I asked the teams if any of them had experience on Cedar Creek, and only one of the five teams had ever been there before,” said Roy. “That is great because it was truly a ‘show up and fish’ experience just like in the Major League Fishing Cups.”
The convoy made their way 77 miles up to Cedar Creek and prepared for “lines in” at 8:15 EDT. Each team was assigned boat officials trained by Roy and provided two sets of MLF-supplied scales. Teams were given thirty minutes to ride around on the 950-acre lake.
Roy streamed commentary on his social media pages as he covered the action. The teams fished two 2.5-hour sessions, with a thirty-minute break in between.
True to MLF form, the winner was decided in the final minutes of action. After all five boat officials had reported in, the team of Connor Baker and Evan Morris were crowned the champions on the water. The Larue County team landed a 3-12 largemouth in the waning moments to jump over the Louisa Bass Fishing Team of Jake Lycans and William Copley for the victory.
Both team members from the top two teams were offered four-year, $10,000 scholarships to attend Campbellsville University by head coach Pete Hedgepath. Kentucky Christian and Wabash Community College also offered four-year scholarships to teams in the Top Five. In all, the potential scholarships were close to $300,000.
Significant general scholarships for all teams were made possible by Covercraft, First Southern National Bank, The Cain Pole, A Few Good Men Fishing Tournament, D&L Tackle, City of Jamestown, Angler’s Outpost and Marine, and Land Big Fish.
Additional prizes from sponsors of the event and Bradley Roy included: Solar Bat, Seaguar, LCR Contracting, and Whitetail Heaven Outfitters.
“This event will be memorable for many reasons; the turnout in a weird year, the quality of anglers in Kentucky high school fishing, and the opportunity to go to Cedar Creek for Sunday. The one aspect that stands out the most for me this year is the college scholarships. Winning these college scholarships is a life-changing event for these anglers. The investment these schools and sponsors made in providing scholarships for these top teams is a big deal. I am so excited to look back in a few years and see how it helped these student anglers,” said Roy.
Covercraft contributed to the scholarship fund and provided protective face coverings for all anglers, coaches, volunteers, and family members.
“2020 has been a strange year, but we are so thankful that these student anglers were able to experience this event and have the opportunity to go to college through their hard work on the water. We are proud to support high school fishing and this great event,” said Jeff Jegelewicz, Director of Marketing at Covercraft.
“We were thrilled to be able to host this event again and allow these students to compete. We are proud of our lake here and how ‘large’ it fishes for tournaments of this magnitude. We’re also excited to announce the 9th Annual Bradley Roy High School Open presented by Covercraft will again be hosted here by the city of Jamestown, Kentucky, with the date to be determined,” said Nick Shearer, Russell County Chamber of Commerce, and the Mayor of Jamestown.
For a video of the event visit -- https://youtu.be/SK5K95fGYac
Charlie Williams and Michael Smith Crowned Alabama Bass Trail Champs and Take Home $50,000
By Jason Duran
Alexander City, AL- The best of the best in the Alabama Bass Trail converged on Lake Martin Friday and Saturday. After two days of fishing, another team of Champions has been crowned. The team of Charlie Williams and Michael Smith led 180 other teams by almost 4 pounds to take the win and the $50,000 grand prize with a total of 28.09 pounds.
This week set up to be a great championship week with the lake providing plenty of spots for teams to fish. Many teams boasted of catching 30 or more fish a day; most of those falling in the 2.5 pound range. Teams searched hard knowing that trying to find the bites that would produce a 3 pound fish was key. A lot of teams struggled to break outside that 10 pound average bag and find the larger fish. Teams that were able to weigh in larger bags focused more on the largemouth bite than spotted bass.
On day one the team of Brain Adamson and Ryan Lloyd brought 13.70 pounds to the scales to take the lead and set the bar for all other teams to beat. With a good bite on day one many teams were able to capitalize on the topwater bite using buzz baits and frogs. Brian and Ryan said they started the day early throwing a translucent shad colored whopper plopper on sea walls that produced a couple of 3 pound spots and other keepers before going largemouth fishing. The plan for them was to come to Lake Martin and fish their strengths- shallow and primarily targeting largemouth. After day one, they felt they could have had more weight but were happy to be leading. They expected the topwater bite to get better going into day two.
Conditions drastically changed on day two when anglers blasted off at daybreak to storms moving into the area early and continuing throughout the day. There were periods of very heavy rainfall and lightning flashing in the area. Brian and Ryan said, “on day two the topwater bite completely went away when the lightning started, so we had to scramble. We didn’t have a fish for the first two or three hours.” Because they target largemouth, they caught fewer fish but caught better fish. On day one they caught about ten fish, and on day two they caught six. They finished with a two-day total of 24.17 pounds to claim second place.
The champions, Charlie and Michael, said the key to them winning was having a good plan. The plan both days was to “start out fishing for spots, get five and then go largemouth fishing.” They shared, “we knew it was key to get those one or two largemouth bites and wanted to give as much time as possible to produce those bites. We felt like we could slow down and fish for largemouth once we had a limit of spots in the box.”
Their primary area was Kowaliga Creek. In practice they found a stump row out in the middle of the creek in about 3 feet of water that no one else was fishing. They spent lots of time studying maps trying to find more areas similar to that stump row. When they fished that stump row, they first used a Zara Super Spook and tried to get them to bite. However, it ended up the fish wanted a more subtle presentation on day two, so they used a Big Bites Stick bait in Green Pumpkin Blue Flake Wacky Rigged on a homemade jig head.
On day 2, they weighed in the largest bag of the tournament at 15.29 pounds anchored with two largemouths weighing 4.6 and 4.82 pounds. They both agree that was what signed the check for them bringing their two-day total weight to 28.09 pounds and giving them enough to take home the trophy and the prize money. The key baits that worked best on day two were the Big Bites Stick bait and a Buckeye ¼oz double bladed buzz bait with a white Big Bites unnamed trailer and 1.0 KVD Crankbait in Shad Pattern.
Third place team of Bradley Jones and Broox Goza fished day one using swimming baits and topwater. They said they caught a pile of 1.5 - 1.75 pound fish. They found these fish in practice in a creek fishing shallow 3-5 feet on a 400 yard stretch of wooded cover and creek bends. For two days they weighed in 9 largemouth and 1 spotted bass. They said if they caught spotted bass it was a mistake. They shared, “on day two when the conditions changed, we noticed the creek began to have a little flow around 8:30am and about 9:30am, the water started to stain up. About that time Broox was swimming a jig down a lay down tree and felt a bite. He sat down in the boat to put a trailer back on his jig. Bradley flipped a soft plastic lizard into the tree and said, “one just about took the rod out of my hand!” Broox tried to move the boat and stirred up the water around the tree about that time Bradley set the hook and landed a 6.01 pounds largemouth- the biggest fish of the event. They both said they were so surprised how close that fish bit to the boat. Key baits for their third place weight of 23.32 pounds were primarily moving baits like a white ½ oz. Chatter Baits and topwater Frogs.
Charlie and Michael took home $50,000 in prize money along with a $7000 Phoenix Bass Boats contingency for a total of $57,000. The crowd at the weigh in could hear Charlie shout loud that it was $57,000 and not just $50,000… he wanted everyone to know he was claiming that Phoenix First Flight money and was proud to be fishing from his new Phoenix Boat.
This concludes the Alabama Bass Trail 2020 Season. The top 13 teams from each division will fish the BASS Team Championship December 9-12 at the Harris Chain with the hopes to be the one team to Qualify for the Bassmaster Classic.
The top five standings are below for a full list of results visit. https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/lm-results/
Download and listen to the ABT Podcast on your favorite Podcast app by searching for “Alabama Bass Trail Podcast.” This week’s Podcast will be released on Tuesday and will feature 2020 Champs Charlie Williams and Michael Smith.
Briarwood Christian Claims Bassmaster High School National Championship On Kentucky Lake
Tucker Smith and Hayden Marbut, of Alabama's Briarwood Christian School, have won the 2020 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors with a three-day total of 47 pounds, 5 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
October 24, 2020
PARIS, Tenn. — While windy conditions slowed their bite tremendously, the Briarwood Christian duo of Tucker Smith and Hayden Marbut secured two smallmouth bass for 7 pounds, 14 ounces on Championship Saturday and won the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors on Kentucky Lake.
Their final three-day total was 47-5.
The National Championship victory is the third-straight title for Smith, who won his previous titles in August, and the first for Marbut.
“It feels amazing, especially because of the time of year,” said Smith, who is now attending college at Auburn University. “(It started) superhot to where your glasses are fogged up from sweat, to being so cold you wished you were at home.
“It’s kind of crazy to win both times of the year.”
With the victory, the team from Alabama earned $5,000 in scholarship money and another $200 for the big bass of the tournament, a 7-5 lunker caught on Day 1.
Smith and Marbut fished specific areas of shallow bars they scouted before the lake went off-limits and again during official practice. Their tournament consisted of a couple of runs between Blood River, located north of takeoff, and about 5 miles south of Paris Landing.
“They weren’t just up and down the bar, it had to be a specific spot, like almost the size of a truck bed,” Marbut said. “We came back and checked them and they would be sitting on those spots.”
The duo used a variety of topwater walking baits to coax aggressive fish, mostly smallmouth, into biting.
“Moving it fast (helped),” Smith said. “We were kind of working it slow and they would miss it, and if you sped it up they didn’t have a chance to look at it. They would just come up and react to it.”
The 22-2 bag they caught Day 1 that set the tone for the tournament, however, was caught on a spot where they hadn’t practiced, but was close to another key spot they had previously fished.
Marbut added that the big bass of the tournament hit his topwater bait close to the boat and came unbuttoned as soon as they netted it.
Smith and Marbut fished mostly the same way on Day 2. But on Day 3, a strong cold front sent temperatures south and created windy and wavy conditions on Kentucky Lake, putting an end to their topwater bite.
After running around most of the day trying to find a bite, they returned to the spot of their big bag and caught two smallmouth on a lipless crankbait, enough to ensure the win.
“There were smaller waves than we thought,” Smith said. “So, we sat on it for three or four hours and caught those smallies.”
The Day 1 bag also earned Smith and Marbut an $875 scholarship from the family of Hunter Owens in memory of Owens, who finished in the Top 12 of the Bassmaster High School National Championship two years ago before dying in a car accident.
Dylan May and Adam Troyer from Brownsburg High School in Indiana caught the only limit on Championship Saturday, weighing 12-4 to jump from third place to second with a three-day total of 37-14. The Brownsburg High anglers were also one of the most consistent teams, catching over 12 pounds each day of the event.
“Today really was really not that pressurized,” May said. “We made it to the final day and it was just fun. To be in second, it’s insane. I would have never thought that. It’s a blessing, honestly.”
While they tried a few other spots, May and Troyer caught the majority of their keepers on an old bridge near the back of Eagle Creek on the Big Sandy River side of Kentucky Lake.
“We went over there and had a few key bites in practice, and we went there the first day and found fish there,” May said. “We stuck to it and we told ourselves, until we run out of fish we are going to keep fishing it.
“It’s a great spot. I knew we didn’t have the spot to win, but we brought in consistent weight each day.”
During practice, Troyer said they threw a variety of baits around the bridge but did not get bit until he threw a Stupid Tube under the overpass.
“We believe those fish really liked it because they don’t see it very often,” May said. “We threw a jig, beaver and a craw and those fish wouldn’t touch it. But as soon as I threw the tube in there they picked it up.”
May said they used a mix of green pumpkin/purple fleck and regular green pumpkin tubes and dyed the tails chartreuse.
On Day 3, after a 45-minute delay for high winds, May and Troyer pulled up to the bridge and caught their first three keepers within an hour and their fourth keeper around 9:15 a.m. After catching a couple of short fish around the bridge and the roadbed around the area, the bite shut off, forcing May and Troyer to try a few points in Eagle Creek.
When the points didn’t produce, they returned to the bridge around 1 p.m., and on his first cast, Troyer landed their fifth and final keeper.
Chandler Pruett and Braden Wilson from Scotts Hill High School in Lexington, Tenn., finished third with a three-day total of 34-1 after catching four fish for 10-10 on Day 3. Pruett said a Strike King Red Eye Shad and a ChatterBait were the key baits for them this week.
2020 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School National Championship presented
by Academy Sports + Outdoors 10/22-10/24
Kentucky Lake, Paris TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Tucker Smith - Hayden Marbut Briarwood Christian 0
Day 1: 5 22-02 Day 2: 5 17-05 Day 3: 2 07-14 Total: 12 47-05
2. Dylan May - Adam Troyer Brownsburg High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 12-15 Day 3: 5 12-04 Total: 15 37-14
3. Chandler Pruett - Braden Wilson Scotts Hill High School 0
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 4 08-06 Day 3: 4 10-10 Total: 13 34-01
4. Blake Sparkman - Logan Sparkman Chiles High School 0
Day 1: 2 06-03 Day 2: 4 18-01 Day 3: 2 07-15 Total: 8 32-03
5. Flint Davis - James Henemyre Lee County High School 0
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 4 12-05 Day 3: 1 02-10 Total: 10 32-02
6. Hunter Keller - Daniel Brackett Freedom high 0
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 4 12-06 Day 3: 3 06-15 Total: 12 31-01
7. Hunter Brewer - Kade Suratt Lawrence County High School 0
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 3 07-07 Day 3: 3 06-03 Total: 11 29-15
8. James Riggs - Aaron Riggs Mt Pleasant HS 0
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 11-07 Day 3: 2 05-05 Total: 12 28-01
9. Brady Duncan - Mason Huddleston Mt. Juliet High School 0
Day 1: 1 03-00 Day 2: 5 18-07 Day 3: 3 06-05 Total: 9 27-12
10. Mason Wade - Dylan Ragland Jackson County High School 0
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 4 09-10 Day 3: 3 06-14 Total: 12 27-10
11. Dylan Istre - Mckee Ridgaway LCM Little Cypress Mauriceville 0
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 2 07-13 Day 3: 0 00-00 Total: 7 19-15
12. Lake Norsworthy - Aaron Abbott Brandon High School 0
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 1 03-06 Day 3: 0 00-00 Total: 6 18-04
Bird Keys On Current To Win Bassmaster Central Open On Neely Henry
Cody Bird, of Granbury, Texas, has won the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open at Neely Henry Lake with a three-day total of 34 pounds, 1 ounce.
Photo by Dalton Tumblin/B.A.S.S.
October 24, 2020
GADSDEN, Ala. — Focusing on current-related habitat enabled Cody Bird of Granbury, Texas, to win the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open on Neely Henry Lake with a three-day total of 34 pounds, 1 ounce.
Bird placed third on Day 1 with a limit of 13-1 and moved into the Day 2 lead after adding 11-9. On Championship Saturday, he turned in a limit of 9-7 and earned the $35,000 top prize for his first B.A.S.S. win.
“I have two seconds, a third, a fourth, two fifths, a sixth and three sevenths — it feels good to finally win one,” Bird said. “I’m just not a closer. This time, when I got up there, I made up my mind that they were going to have to take it from me.
“It took me a while, but it was worth it. I earned this one, for sure.”
Fishing fast to cover lots of water, Bird said he covered a 15-mile stretch up the Coosa River. Throughout the event, he reported making upwards of 100 stops a day — often visiting key spots multiple times — and making approximately 1,000 casts a day.
Bird formulated his fast-paced strategy for the tough fall transitional period that found Neely Henry in a stingy mood. Bites were scarce, but Bird quickly dialed in the types of spots he needed to fish.
“I had a terrible first day of practice, so I decided to run up the river and check it out,” he said. “(Alabama Power) was running water wide open and the fish were really biting, so I figured that I was going to stay in that area.
“I knew the fish wouldn’t bite as good when they weren’t running water, so I ran tons of little drains that had water running out.”
Bird said he also targeted docks positioned in areas with good current exposure.
“I had a couple little stretches where I could line up with where the current came down,” he said. “The end of a dock is always good and you could get in behind them and find a few fish.
“I also caught several goods ones off stumps. I didn’t ever catch many off laydowns, but they were on stumps.”
Catching a mix of largemouth and spotted bass, Bird did most of his work with Lucky Craft RC 1.5 squarebills. He had each bait custom-painted in bright chartreuse patterns, but presentation was the most important element.
“The whole key to it was burning that bait,” he said. “The water was a little clear for a squarebill, so you had to trick them. I don’t know how many spots hit my bait at the boat and didn’t take it.”
Matthew Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., finished second with 33-1. The first two days saw Robertson weigh limits of 11-0 and 11-8. On Saturday, he missed his limit by one fish but turned in the biggest sack of Championship Saturday — 10-9.
“This week I’ve just been winging it; fishing stuff I never fish,” Robertson said. “I stayed on the main river and threw a Strike King Red Eyed Special spinnerbait.”
Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Ark., finished third with 32-11. After a Day 1 bag of 9-5 had him in a tie for 38th place, Browning found his biggest sack on Friday — a 13-6 limit that included a 5-5. He closed with a 10-pound Day 3 limit.
Targeting wood, riprap, chunk rock and gravel banks, Browning caught his fish on a Z-Man JackHammer ChatterBait with a Z-Man Razor ShadZ trailer and a Jewel finesse jig with a craw worm.
“It was just typical river fishing; you just fish what’s in front of you,” Browning said. “Realistically, I had (approximately) the same bag three days in a row, I just had that big fish on Friday that bumped me up really good.”
Browning won the $750 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for his 5-5.
Fifth-place Kenta Kimura, of Osaka, Japan, won the $500 Garmin Tournament Rewards.
John Goul of Philadelphia, Miss., won the co-angler division with a three-day total of 17-15. Goul weighed two fish for 4-11 on Day 1, added a three-fish limit of 5-10 on Day 2 and earned his first B.A.S.S. win with a final round limit of 7-10.
Paired with Bird, Goul caught his final-round fish on a 3/8-ounce Dirty Jigs Finesse Jig in the Go To color with a watermelon Zoom Twin Tail trailer. He dyed the trailer tips chartreuse.
“He was cranking and paralleling the bank and he just gave me a few targets that just happened to have quality fish on them,” Goul said. “I caught fish as shallow as 6 inches, and I caught my biggest from the end of a tree in about 8 feet of water.”
Jason Henson of Rome, Ga., won the $250 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award among co-anglers with a 4-0.
Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., leads the Central Open points race with 547 points, followed by Darold Gleason with 540. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Lee Livesay is in third with 539, followed by Marc Frazier in fourth with 533 and Elite pro Brandon Palaniuk with 531.
Christie leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year standings with 929 points.
2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open at Neely Henry Lake 10/22-10/24
Neely Henry Lake, Gadsden AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Cody Bird Granbury, TX 15 34-01 200 $39,433.00
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 11-09 Day 3: 5 09-07
2. Matthew Robertson Kuttawa, KY 14 33-01 199 $19,153.00
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 11-08 Day 3: 4 10-09
3. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 15 32-11 198 $14,270.00
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 13-06 Day 3: 5 10-00
4. Derek Hicks Rocky Face, GA 15 31-11 197 $11,267.00
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 08-07 Day 3: 5 09-10
5. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 14 31-01 196 $10,302.00
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 14-14 Day 3: 4 06-09
6. Joey Nania Cropwell, AL 15 30-13 195 $9,013.00
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 10-01 Day 3: 5 08-06
7. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 13 29-00 194 $8,450.00
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 11-14 Day 3: 3 06-08
8. Wyatt Burkhalter Coker, AL 15 28-15 193 $7,887.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 11-04 Day 3: 5 07-07
9. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 15 28-13 192 $6,197.00
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 11-09 Day 3: 5 08-06
10. Darold Gleason Many, LA 13 28-01 191 $5,070.00
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 07-14 Day 3: 3 06-07
11. Matt Pangrac Broken Arrow, OK 12 25-08 190 $4,507.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 11-10 Day 3: 2 03-10
12. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 12 22-11 189 $3,943.00
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 09-08 Day 3: 2 02-07
Briarwood Christian Increases Lead At Bassmaster High School National Championship
Tucker Smith and Hayden Marbut, of Alabama's Briarwood Christian School, are leading after Day 2 of the 2020 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors with a two-day total of 39 pounds, 7 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
October 23, 2020
PARIS, Tenn. — Briarwood Christian’s Tucker Smith and Hayden Marbut increased their lead on Day 2 of the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School National Championship at Kentucky Lake presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors.
With a mixed bag of smallmouth and largemouth bass that weighed 17 pounds, 5 ounces Friday, the duo from Alabama now has a two-day total of 39-7.
Smith is in pursuit of his third-straight National Championship title, and he and Marbut hold nearly a 10-pound lead over the second-place team of Flint Davis and James Henemyre from Lee County High School in Georgia heading into the final day.
Despite a later flight than the previous morning, Smith said he and Marbut started their day strong by catching three quality smallmouth. But conditions began to change as a cold front pushed through, making the bite much tougher.
“It was super windy today,” Smith said. “Yesterday was slick calm and that kind of helped the topwater bite. That’s why we didn’t catch them as well this morning.”
“That wind definitely hurt,” Marbut added. “Once the rain came through, we had a one-hour period where it got calm again and that’s when we caught our last three.”
Smith and Marbut did not get another bite until 1:30 or 2 p.m. but managed to fill their limit and cull twice after the first round of rain and storms pushed through and the lake calmed down.
During the afternoon hours, Marbut said he and Smith ran a lot of water they found during the previous day.
“We did fish a bunch of new water,” Marbut said. “Yesterday, we had those fish so early that we went and kind of practiced around. Today, we were struggling some toward the end of the day so we had to hit some of the spots we found.”
Davis and Henemyre also found their bites more scattered than the previous day, only bringing four fish to the scales for 12-5 and a two-day total of 29-8.
“There was more cloud cover and a lot of wind, and when that happens, the fish scatter out and they aren’t positioned right,” Davis said. “The sun is what helped us a lot yesterday so hopefully it will peek out tomorrow.”
The Lee County duo caught two fish on their first spot, Henemyre said, and did not catch another fish for about two or three hours. The rest of the day, Davis and Henemyre threw crankbaits down the bank to add fish but fell one short of a limit.
Regardless of the outcome, Davis said he is thrilled to be in the final Top 12 and fishing for the championship on Saturday.
“It’s amazing,” he added. “Last year was the first year Lee County started a fishing team so to be here and have a chance tomorrow means a lot.”
Dylan May and Adam Troyer of Brownsburg High School in Indiana started the day in seventh-place but caught a limit of 12-15 to jump into third heading into Championship Saturday. Although there were boats on their starting spot when they arrived, May said Troyer caught a fish almost immediately.
“We just kept grinding that area and got three keepers off of that by 10:30 a.m.,” May said. “We went and hit a couple different areas and came back and caught a 4-pounder. We went fishing the rest of the day and ended up with one more keeper at the end of the day.”
May and Troyer weren’t the only team to make a sizable jump in the standings. After starting the day in 41st, Blake and Logan Sparkman from Chiles High School in Florida secured four fish for 18-1 to move into fourth place with 24-4. Tennessee’s Mt. Juliet High Schoolers Brady Duncan and Mason Huddleston started the day in 98th and moved all the way to ninth with an 18-7 limit and a two-day total of 21-7.
Smith and Marbut’s 7-5 largemouth from Day 1 remains the big bass of the tournament heading into Day 3.
The Top 12 teams will take off from Paris Landing Saturday at 7 a.m. CT and return for weigh-in starting at 3 p.m.
2020 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors 10/22-10/24
Kentucky Lake, Paris TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Tucker Smith - Hayden Marbut Briarwood Christian 0
Day 1: 5 22-02 Day 2: 5 17-05 Total: 10 39-07
2. Flint Davis - James Henemyre Lee County High School 0
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 4 12-05 Total: 9 29-08
3. Dylan May - Adam Troyer Brownsburg High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 12-15 Total: 10 25-10
4. Blake Sparkman - Logan Sparkman Chiles High School 0
Day 1: 2 06-03 Day 2: 4 18-01 Total: 6 24-04
5. Hunter Keller - Daniel Brackett Freedom high 0
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 4 12-06 Total: 9 24-02
6. Hunter Brewer - Kade Suratt Lawrence County High School 0
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 3 07-07 Total: 8 23-12
7. Chandler Pruett - Braden Wilson Scotts Hill High School 0
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 4 08-06 Total: 9 23-07
8. James Riggs - Aaron Riggs Mt Pleasant HS 0
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 11-07 Total: 10 22-12
9. Brady Duncan - Mason Huddleston Mt. Juliet High School 0
Day 1: 1 03-00 Day 2: 5 18-07 Total: 6 21-07
10. Mason Wade - Dylan Ragland Jackson County High School 0
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 4 09-10 Total: 9 20-12
11. Dylan Istre - Mckee Ridgaway LCM Little Cypress Mauriceville 0
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 2 07-13 Total: 7 19-15
12. Lake Norsworthy - Aaron Abbott Brandon High School 0
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 1 03-06 Total: 6 18-04
13. Colby Brown - Blake Handley Hayden High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 5 16-04 Total: 6 18-03
14. Carter Nutt - Dylan Nutt Backwoods Bassin 0
Day 1: 4 07-15 Day 2: 4 10-03 Total: 8 18-02
15. Cody Abbott - Mitchell Robinson Byrnes Rebels 0
Day 1: 4 11-09 Day 2: 2 05-14 Total: 6 17-07
16. SammyJay Acree - Billy Campbell Lake wales HS bassmasters 0
Day 1: 4 11-13 Day 2: 2 05-06 Total: 6 17-03
17. Nathan Reynolds - Jimmy Oguin Backwoods Bassin 0
Day 1: 3 08-00 Day 2: 2 09-00 Total: 5 17-00
18. Hanson Chaney - Luke Ferachi Walker High School 0
Day 1: 2 06-00 Day 2: 4 10-06 Total: 6 16-06
19. Ewing Minor - Eli Stendig Orange County Anglers 0
Day 1: 3 08-01 Day 2: 4 08-05 Total: 7 16-06
20. Jack Mcillwain - Dyson Weaver Creekwood High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-15 Day 2: 4 11-01 Total: 6 16-00
21. Tanner Barclay - Aj Widgeon Scottsboro BassCats 0
Day 1: 3 09-09 Day 2: 2 05-12 Total: 5 15-05
22. Tyan Massengale - Logan Evans Soddy Daisy High School 0
Day 1: 4 07-15 Day 2: 3 07-06 Total: 7 15-05
23. Connor Rushing - Ethan Simon Central High School 0
Day 1: 4 08-06 Day 2: 3 06-13 Total: 7 15-03
24. Gracie Herbold - Asher Peters Headland Bass Team 0
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 1 01-11 Total: 6 15-01
25. Will Stephens - Lucas Wray Russell County High school 0
Day 1: 3 08-06 Day 2: 2 06-06 Total: 5 14-12
26. Colby Carrier - Tyler Williams Somerset Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 1 02-03 Day 2: 2 12-05 Total: 3 14-08
27. Hunter Brigance - Spencer Chase Milholen 0
Day 1: 2 04-04 Day 2: 4 10-04 Total: 6 14-08
28. Banks Shaw - Gage King Sale Creek 0
Day 1: 3 05-14 Day 2: 4 08-01 Total: 7 13-15
29. Victor Alford - Logan East Roane Co HS 0
Day 1: 1 03-13 Day 2: 3 10-00 Total: 4 13-13
30. Austin Curtis - Todd Crosley OutCast Bass Club 0
Day 1: 1 01-13 Day 2: 3 11-09 Total: 4 13-06
31. Triston Richardson - Bryson Sellier Tomball Memorial High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 4 11-04 Total: 5 13-06
32. Jonathan Fann - Tyler Gunter Cannon County High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-12 Day 2: 3 08-08 Total: 5 13-04
33. Casey Tissue - Clayton Vote Vilonia High School 0
Day 1: 3 08-07 Day 2: 2 04-13 Total: 5 13-04
34. Kolby Clark - Landon Grider Scottsboro High School BassCats 0
Day 1: 2 05-03 Day 2: 3 08-01 Total: 5 13-04
35. Reece Keeney - Bryce Moder Northeast Wisconsin Bass 0
Day 1: 2 05-13 Day 2: 3 07-06 Total: 5 13-03
36. Judd Morgan - Brody Mullins Tennessee 0
Day 1: 2 04-01 Day 2: 4 09-00 Total: 6 13-01
37. Jeremy Monda - Will Boyd Quincy JR Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 05-03 Day 2: 3 07-13 Total: 5 13-00
38. Jacob Garms - Jase Rice Coffee County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 12-14 Total: 5 12-14
39. Allen Powe - Jonathan Combs George Rogers Clark High School 0
Day 1: 4 09-08 Day 2: 1 03-05 Total: 5 12-13
40. Marshall Robinson - Mason Fulmer Byrnes High School 0
Day 1: 3 08-00 Day 2: 2 04-12 Total: 5 12-12
41. Aaron Cherry - Hudson Choquette Headland Bass Team 0
Day 1: 1 02-10 Day 2: 5 09-14 Total: 6 12-08
42. Nathan Whitehead - Ethan Tedder Muscle Shoals High School 0
Day 1: 3 12-04 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 12-04
43. Mercedes Ellis - Gage Sherrod Henry County High School 0
Day 1: 2 05-11 Day 2: 3 06-08 Total: 5 12-03
44. Kyle Knoll - Blayton Mangram Handley HS 0
Day 1: 3 09-08 Day 2: 1 02-04 Total: 4 11-12
45. Storm Clark - Gunnar Williamson Harris County Bass Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 2 04-03 Day 2: 4 07-07 Total: 6 11-10
46. Trent Nelson - Wyatt Cannon Okeechobee Brahmans 0
Day 1: 3 06-08 Day 2: 2 04-13 Total: 5 11-05
46. Daniel Waguespack - Reese Aucoin Ascension Anglers 0
Day 1: 3 06-08 Day 2: 2 04-13 Total: 5 11-05
48. Ryan Baker - Joshua Hughes Camden Central High school 0
Day 1: 3 09-01 Day 2: 1 02-01 Total: 4 11-02
49. Asa Robertson - Matthew Vandagriff Warren County High School Pionee 0
Day 1: 3 07-05 Day 2: 2 03-13 Total: 5 11-02
50. Clayton Wood - Elijah Benson Jefferson High School 0
Day 1: 2 05-04 Day 2: 2 05-13 Total: 4 11-01
51. Harrison Terry - Luke Clifton Dickson County High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-12 Day 2: 2 06-03 Total: 4 10-15
52. Jaron Cooper - Keegan Oettinger Platte Valley Bass Masters 0
Day 1: 2 05-00 Day 2: 3 05-15 Total: 5 10-15
53. Dylan Tatum - Derek Brandon Horizon High School 0
Day 1: 3 05-14 Day 2: 2 05-00 Total: 5 10-14
54. Gunner West - Kollin Crawford Spiro high 0
Day 1: 1 02-09 Day 2: 3 08-03 Total: 4 10-12
55. Caleb Bridges - Zachary Elliott Mt. Juliet High School Fishing 0
Day 1: 1 01-14 Day 2: 4 08-11 Total: 5 10-09
56. Sawyer Brady - Cason Jones Pine Grove 0
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 4 08-09 Total: 5 10-08
57. Cayden Walls - Connor Moulin Central High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-04 Day 2: 3 08-04 Total: 4 10-08
58. Lucas Reagan - Tyler Cook Pickett County High School Fishi 0
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 10-04
59. Wade Wilkens - Blake Yates Selah High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 4 07-15 Total: 5 10-01
60. Daniel Moon - Zachary Helton Karns Jr. High 0
Day 1: 4 09-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 4 09-15
61. John Pitre - Trevor Smith West Lincoln 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 4 09-10 Total: 4 09-10
62. Jackson Holbert - Avery Johnson Riverside High School 0
Day 1: 2 07-06 Day 2: 1 02-04 Total: 3 09-10
63. Zane O'Domirok - John Thompson Lenoir City High School 0
Day 1: 4 07-06 Day 2: 1 01-15 Total: 5 09-05
64. Briley Sain - Kaden Freeze Coffee County Youth Bass Club 0
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 3 06-09 Total: 4 09-04
65. Hagen Cooley - DeRidder HS 0
Day 1: 2 05-04 Day 2: 2 04-00 Total: 4 09-04
66. Bryar Chambers - Levi Harris Fairview High School 0
Day 1: 3 09-03 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 09-03
67. Grant West - Cameron Thompson Scottsboro Junior BassCats 0
Day 1: 2 04-13 Day 2: 2 04-06 Total: 4 09-03
68. Fischer Barber - Wells Johnson Heritage Christian Academy 0
Day 1: 2 04-02 Day 2: 2 04-14 Total: 4 09-00
69. Kobe Thompson - Rance Eddleblute Crooksville High School- OH 0
Day 1: 2 04-00 Day 2: 2 04-14 Total: 4 08-14
70. Logan Fisher - Will Hart Madison County High School 0
Day 1: 3 08-13 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 08-13
71. Beau Landry - Gage Collins WEST BATON ROUGE 0
Day 1: 2 04-08 Day 2: 2 04-02 Total: 4 08-10
72. Maverick Winford - Atascocita High School Club-Top 0
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 3 05-14 Total: 4 08-09
73. Bailey Davidson - Wes Bailey Mississippi BASS Nation 0
Day 1: 1 03-05 Day 2: 2 05-00 Total: 3 08-05
74. Bryant Martin - Grant Schexnailder Notre Dame High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-03 Day 2: 3 06-01 Total: 4 08-04
75. Jaden Carpenter - Sean Cash Rockcastle Rockets 0
Day 1: 2 04-03 Day 2: 2 04-01 Total: 4 08-04
76. Dawson Carden - Griffin Milford Hart County High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-01 Day 2: 2 04-01 Total: 4 08-02
77. Mason Harkey - Clay Henderson 0
Day 1: 2 04-07 Day 2: 1 03-10 Total: 3 08-01
78. Austin Waelzinski - Jacob Whitehurst Franklin High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-00 Day 2: 1 04-01 Total: 3 08-01
79. Emory Olinger - Bryce Tucker Bledsoe County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 08-00 Total: 3 08-00
80. Ty Jackson - Jessie Altman COLUMBIA HIGH SCHOOL 0
Day 1: 3 07-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 07-15
81. Dallas Taylor - Dustin Swafford Stilwell 0
Day 1: 2 05-07 Day 2: 1 02-08 Total: 3 07-15
82. Tyner Redden - Hayes Grooms Greenbrier High School 0
Day 1: 2 03-12 Day 2: 3 04-03 Total: 5 07-15
83. Eli Chambers - Connor Handley Vinemont High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Day 2: 2 05-11 Total: 3 07-12
84. Werner Brundige - Ty Neidlein Kickback Bass Club 0
Day 1: 3 05-02 Day 2: 1 02-08 Total: 4 07-10
85. Lilly Walker - Tyler Mink The Kings Academy 0
Day 1: 2 04-14 Day 2: 1 02-11 Total: 3 07-09
86. Tyler Finley - Hunter Jones Mt Pleasant High School 0
Day 1: 1 03-02 Day 2: 2 04-07 Total: 3 07-09
87. Jd Bedford - Walker Brown Lawrence County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 07-08 Total: 3 07-08
88. Zack Barrera - Dalton Loos Marion County Youth Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 05-05 Day 2: 1 02-03 Total: 3 07-08
89. Brody Robison - Levi Cox Sand Rock Wildcats 0
Day 1: 1 03-09 Day 2: 1 03-14 Total: 2 07-07
90. Phillip Herring - Calup Williams Greene County Youth Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 04-14 Day 2: 1 02-08 Total: 3 07-06
91. Jace Lindsay - Jaxon Evans Beckville High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 07-02 Total: 3 07-02
92. Chance Shelby - Jackson Broderick Live Oak High 0
Day 1: 1 02-03 Day 2: 2 04-15 Total: 3 07-02
93. Sean Quinn - Kyle Tilton JVLABassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 07-01 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 07-01
94. Michael Sanchez - Dylan Eschette Brusly High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-09 Day 2: 2 05-08 Total: 3 07-01
95. Chase Rawlins - Landon Canter Engineers 0
Day 1: 2 04-13 Day 2: 1 02-04 Total: 3 07-01
96. Brennan Fox - Colin King Marion High School 0
Day 1: 3 06-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 06-15
97. Gage Starks - Sawyer Williams Henry County High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 1 02-06 Total: 3 06-15
98. Jacob Muir - Milford High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-04 Day 2: 1 02-11 Total: 3 06-15
99. Cody Mcentire - Keaton Bassham Walnut Ridge High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 06-13 Total: 3 06-13
100. Turner Hart - Dalton Purcell Hanover County 0
Day 1: 2 04-12 Day 2: 1 02-01 Total: 3 06-13
101. Christian Misciagna - Garrett Lawton ONEIDA LAKE HS BASSMASTERS 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 1 04-08 Total: 2 06-13
102. Brayden Ruckman - Nate Helmreich Freeland High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 1 04-07 Total: 2 06-12
103. Bryce Dimauro - Davis Dimauro Seminole Junior Anglers 0
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 2 04-04 Total: 3 06-10
104. Matthew Kahrs - Christopher Kahrs Barbe fishing Club 0
Day 1: 3 06-09 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 06-09
105. Andrew Bennett - Wade Roberts Barbe High Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 1 02-08 Day 2: 2 04-00 Total: 3 06-08
106. Ridge Rutledge - Casey Shearer East Jessamine High School 0
Day 1: 3 06-06 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 06-06
107. Christian Mullins - Brayden Stout Lewis County High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 1 04-00 Total: 2 06-06
108. Josh Mccann - Jesse Martin Manatee technical college 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 06-05 Total: 2 06-05
109. Parker Brooks - Jonathan Horne Harris County HS 0
Day 1: 1 02-00 Day 2: 2 04-02 Total: 3 06-02
110. Justin Lawrence - Grady Windham Seminole Junior Anglers 0
Day 1: 2 05-14 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 05-14
111. Tanner Meyer - Ross Miller Notre Dame High School 0
Day 1: 2 05-11 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 05-11
112. Ryan Thomas - Cole Holloway Morgan County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 05-06 Total: 1 05-06
113. Westin Moss - Drake Hemby Whitwell High School 0
Day 1: 2 03-03 Day 2: 1 02-03 Total: 3 05-06
114. Tyson Verkaik - Kalen Harbaugh Marion County High School Bassma 0
Day 1: 2 05-05 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 05-05
115. Ryan Corcoran - Cromwell High School 0
Day 1: 2 05-03 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 05-03
116. Brayden Allen - Dalton Patten Red Oak High School 0
Day 1: 3 05-01 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 05-01
117. Rein Golubjatnikov - Matthew Pitcher Pittsford 0
Day 1: 2 05-01 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 05-01
117. Landon Story - Garrett Sharp East Limestone 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 05-01 Total: 2 05-01
119. Mason Kornegay - Logan Hicks Sipsey Valley High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 04-15
120. Mikey Abbott - J Braden McNamara Jonathan Alder High School 0
Day 1: 1 04-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 04-15
121. Kellen Lanman - Hagen Linsenmeyer Deer Creek High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 1 02-09 Total: 2 04-15
122. Caleb Martinez - Logan Gibson Lincoln County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-13 Total: 2 04-13
123. Noah Coleman - Luke Coleman Oneonta 0
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 1 02-07 Total: 2 04-13
124. Matthew Brault - Jackson Salley South Florence High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 04-09
124. Sam Schmitz - Ethan Swindall Collierville High School and 901 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-09 Total: 2 04-09
124. Corey Williams - Hunter Miller Sin City HS Bass Club 0
Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 04-09
127. Luke Hilling - Corey Swaney Morgantown High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 1 02-04 Total: 2 04-09
128. Will Oberman - Clay Oberman Garrard County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-06 Total: 2 04-06
128. Caden Petrille - Matteo Turano Off The Hook Bassmaster 0
Day 1: 2 04-06 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 04-06
128. Mason Theissen - Roen Anderson Mankato west 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-06 Total: 2 04-06
131. Dj Drake - Austin Jones Franklin County High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-05 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 04-05
132. Colby Gatlin - Hunter Proctor Lenoir City High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-04 Day 2: 1 02-01 Total: 2 04-05
133. Jackson Stephens - Jake Hartmann Lindbergh High School- MO 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Day 2: 1 02-02 Total: 2 04-03
134. Breck Miller - Peter Marisch Holdrege High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 04-00
135. Blake Roberts - Riley Faulkner 0
Day 1: 1 04-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 04-00
136. Drake Vandike - Anthony Polzin Livonia Outlaws 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 03-14 Total: 2 03-14
137. Coltin Green - Aiden Baiza Maynard High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-13 Total: 1 03-13
138. Owen Moss - Jackson Moss Pickens Bass Fishing 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 03-12 Total: 2 03-12
139. Dawson Hudson - Peyton Sorrow GREENWOOD 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-12 Total: 1 03-12
140. Lucy Brecht - Gavin Adair Rogers High School 0
Day 1: 2 03-09 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 03-09
141. Parker O'bryan - Avery Roberts Mississippi BASS Nation 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-09 Total: 1 03-09
142. Jackson Swisher - Seth Slanker Columbia High Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 03-08 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 03-08
143. Keaton Smith - Jaydon Coggins Southwestern High School 0
Day 1: 2 03-07 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 03-07
144. Ross Webster - Nick Fox Harris County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-06 Total: 1 03-06
145. Austin Kubica - Patrick Steitz Centennial Liberty 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-04 Total: 1 03-04
146. Chanler Brake - Branden Duncan Southwestern High School- KY 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-03 Total: 1 03-03
147. Matthew Milioto - Jace Martin Lutcher 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-01 Total: 1 03-01
148. Nick Carter - Cole Parks Rogers High School 0
Day 1: 1 03-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 03-00
149. Landen Clausen - Jacob Pantti Menominee 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-15 Total: 1 02-15
149. Garrett White - Tanner Mcclain Rhea County 0
Day 1: 1 02-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-15
151. Garrett Ellenson - Nate Dury Lakeside High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-14 Total: 1 02-14
151. Sean Lawson - Brooks Lawson West Georgia AmBASSadors 0
Day 1: 1 02-14 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-14
153. Braxton Campbell - Lane Lassiter warren county high school 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-13 Total: 1 02-13
153. Jordan Garrett - Dawson Cravens 0
Day 1: 1 02-13 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-13
153. Luke Jones - John Lenz 0
Day 1: 1 02-13 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-13
153. Kyle Zainitzer - Tyler Scott Okeechobee Brahmas High School- 0
Day 1: 1 02-13 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-13
157. Case Durrance - Latt Durrance OKEECHOBEE BRAHMANS 0
Day 1: 1 02-12 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-12
157. Marshall Smith - Avery Johnson Lenoir City High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-12 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-12
159. Chandler Baumgardner - McKinnley Owens Woodruff High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-11
159. Hunter White - Tyler Layman Sale Creek 0
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-11
161. Joseph Gorman - Nehemiah Glenn Lakeville High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-10 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-10
161. Carter Peyton - Trevor Soppe West Delaware high school 0
Day 1: 1 02-10 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-10
163. Nathan Fideldy - Preston Gover Buhler HS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-09 Total: 1 02-09
163. Ryan Manis - Anthony Moon York Institute 0
Day 1: 1 02-09 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-09
163. Konner West - Brice Williams Chapman High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-09 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-09
166. Dalton Bailey - Hayden Stockett Lenoir City High School Bass Clu 0
Day 1: 2 02-07 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 02-07
167. Will Harkins - Coby Thompson Union County High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-07 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-07
167. Zachary Richards - Joey Gress Fairmont Senior 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-07 Total: 1 02-07
167. Archer Smith - Hayden Short Burgin High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-07 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-07
167. Mitch Straffon - Hank Sturm Fenton High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-07 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-07
167. Trey Waddell - Hunter Hilburn Piedmont High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-07 Total: 1 02-07
172. Ryan Padgett - Zach Dicks Columbia High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-06 Total: 1 02-06
173. Ethan Franklin - Jesse Franklin Corner High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-05
173. Ross Kearns - Landon Morgan Calloway County 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-05
173. Canyon Odom - Jeremy Odom Baldwin County HS 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-05
176. Mason Daniell - Nick Hodges Moody Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 1 02-04 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-04
176. Jamie Johnson - Chance Greenwell North Bullitt 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-04 Total: 1 02-04
178. Jackson Isbell - Dalton Head Moody High 0
Day 1: 1 02-03 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-03
179. Dylan Breaux - Gage Boquet Lafourche Bassmaster 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-02
179. Cason Causey - Sam Westall Riley's Catch 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-02
179. Cade Hayford - Waylon Rickard Blissfield High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-02 Total: 1 02-02
179. Doug Iman - Jake Iman Perry Hall Christian 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-02
183. Casey Cornelius - Charles Lux Mt Vernon Bass Team 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-01
183. Dylan Nimrod - Collin Stephens De Soto Bass Team- KS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-01 Total: 1 02-01
183. Bracyn Sullivan - Tyler Crews Scotts Hill High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-01
186. Wiley Carroll - Kayson Turley Charleston High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-00 Total: 1 02-00
186. Dakota Posey - Brendon Brones Little Cyprus Mauriceville HS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-00 Total: 1 02-00
186. Tanner Scruggs - Cody Fine Anderson Co. 0
Day 1: 1 02-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 02-00
189. Kenny Garand - Dylan Casazza Tampa Bay Junior Bass Club High 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-15 Total: 1 01-15
189. Ike Gillentine - Caleb Mackie Warren county 0
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 01-15
189. Jackson Locklair - Dawson Whittle Mid Carolina 0
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 01-15
189. Hagan Marlin - Dylan Ingram Lee-Scott Fishing 0
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 01-15
193. Garrett Christy - Jake Ross Roco anglers 0
Day 1: 1 01-14 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 01-14
193. Landen Dale - Ryan Sponcil Jessamine county high school eli 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-14 Total: 1 01-14
193. Chase Hubble - Brent May Strawberry Crest High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-14 Total: 1 01-14
193. Christopher Keeble - Sequoyah High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-14 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 01-14
193. Hayden Mckenzie - Jayden Ragusa Walker High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-14 Total: 1 01-14
198. Zane Smith - Adam Smith Eastern Iowa Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-13 Total: 1 01-13
198. Kayden Townsend - Briley Knowles Genoa Central 0
Day 1: 1 01-13 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 01-13
200. Wayland Adkisson - Daniel Summers BGA 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Keegan Ballew - Michael Nunez Dakota High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Chase Bishop - Blake Stone Polk County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Logan Bolton - Christian Boyd Northside HS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Alex Bradley - Rylan Green Chapman High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Jacob Bruener - Douglas High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Barclay Butler - Connor Mclaughlin Scottsboro BassCats 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Will Carnes - Conner Hutti Lincoln County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Clay Christopher - Trey Barnett Boyle County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Bo Collins - Owen Jenkins Chatuge Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Stacey Cox - Dalton Cochran Brookwood High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Kain Custis - Lakeview 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Julie Dean - Aj Bouch Jr SFL Elite 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Miller Dowling - American Christian Academy 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Dylan Edwards - Luke Rokavec Susquehanna Valley High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Ethen Fesperman - Hayden Hammond Roco anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Giancarlo Fumagalli - Jay Rickertsen Hutchinson 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Aiden Green - DAR Patriots 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Jerret Haley - Dalton Duvall Charles Page High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Andrew Haney - Blake Marcum Martin County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Jonathan Hardebeck - Andrew Wagenmaker Grand Haven High Sxhool 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Conner Herring - Parker Landen Dixie county high school 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Brody Hopper - Landon Franks Cullman High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Will Hornsby - Chaser Ellison Morris High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Brent Key - Hunter Canova Lenoir City High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Jake Krauth - Hunter Weaver Franklin County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Cooper Kreider - Hagan Gerlach Boyle County Rebels 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. AJ McGee - Evan Dunn bibb county 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Chase Mcmahan - Hunter Warren ARAB HIGH SCHOOL 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Daylon Milam - James Dubose Northgate High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Carson Mitchell - Trey Watts Commonwealth Bass Club 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Chase Osborne - Jayden Stokes Smiths Station High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Hunter Palmer - Jacob Damron Tullahoma High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Brooks Parker - Delmarva Christian High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Kohen Phifer - Abe Estes Harrison 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Teagan Phillips - Kyle Ramsey MagaVista High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Ethan Robinson - Grayson Warner Jefferson Forest 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Grayden Scibilia - Dylan Curran Jr. Potomac River Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Dalton Skinner - Hunter Valerius McCracken County High School- KY 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Cody Smith - Soddy Daisy High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Eli Stevenson - Summer Dees GCHS Bass Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Brayden Stotler - Grainger Pollert Bloomington South High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Brady Weeks - Brett Dial Scotland High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Branson Wells - Dawson Wells Coffee County Youth Bass Club 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Jacob White - John Schultz AIRPORT 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Caden Wood - Joseph Gleason Windsor High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Lucas Wright - Dakota Stout Lewis County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
200. Sam York - Charlie Schultz Brown County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
Strength in Numbers—Lew’s Holdings Transitions to Rather Outdoors
Lexington, S.C. – October 23, 2020 – Lew’s Holdings Corporation came to be in 2017 with the merger of two of the most iconic fishing brands in the U.S.; uniting the Lew’s and Strike King families. In 2019, the Lew’s Holdings portfolio grew again via the acquisition of Fox International and its family of renowned European brands, ushering the organization into a wider global marketplace.
In an effort to present a globally united front for the family of brands, CEO Ken Eubanks is proud to announce for 2021 that the organization will transition from Lew’s Holdings Corporation to Rather Outdoors. “While we appreciate and want to continue to recognize the unique qualities of each of our storied brands, we also felt it important that we are represented to our industry partners and customers in the same manner in which we view ourselves, and that is as one family”, Eubanks said.
The Rather Outdoors family of brands is proud of their individual histories and accomplishments,
and excited about the future growth of the organization. While the name has changed, the combined dedication to providing anglers across the globe with innovative and reliable products remains a constant and focused priority for the Rather Outdoors family of brands.
About Rather Outdoors
Rather Outdoors is a global outdoors corporation uniting some of the most recognizable brands in the fishing space. With historic and iconic brands such as Lew’s, Strike King, Fox, Matrix, Salmo and Fox Rage, Rather Outdoors provides a wide assortment of fishing products worldwide in an effort to enhance angler’s success andthe enjoyment of outdoor pursuits. To learn more about the Rather Outdoors brands, visit www.ratheroutdoors.com.
Bird Takes Slim Lead At Bassmaster Central Open On Neely Henry
Cody Bird, of Granbury, Texas, is leading after Day 2 of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open at Neely Henry Lake with a two-day total of 24 pounds, 10 ounces.
Photo by Dalton Tumblin/B.A.S.S.
GADSDEN, Ala. — Perseverance was the key element of Cody Bird’s day, as the Granbury, Texas, pro moved into the Day 2 lead of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open on Neely Henry Lake with a two-day total of 24 pounds, 10 ounces.
After placing third on Day 1 with a limit of 13-1, Bird added another limit that weighed 11-9 to edge second-place Kenta Kimura by 2 ounces.
“It was a struggle today; I probably ran a total of 200 miles and fished 100,” Bird said. “Some of those were spots I fished (multiple times), but I was just trying to hit high-percentage stuff, unless I got a gut feeling about stopping somewhere.
“I had two good ones, about 3 1/2-pounders, and two rats (small fish). I lost a 5-pounder right at the boat.”
On Thursday, Bird said he caught all of his fish on the same spot — a current-related piece of structure that improved with the afternoon’s increasing current flow.
“Today, I never got a bite there,” he said. “I’m just scrambling around and I’m running out of stuff to fish. I’m fishing about a 15-mile stretch. I’m all over the place — the (B.A.S.S. photographers) couldn’t track me down with GPS.
“I’m completely drained from casting. I made at least 1,000 casts today. I kept grinding and grinding and it paid off.”
Bird said he returned four times to the spot that produced a 4-pound bass for him on Thursday but couldn’t get bit.
He said he looked for similar spots where current washed past hard cover such as docks, laydowns and rocks. His efforts produced eight keeper bites, three of which came off the same spot.
“I caught my fish on several different reaction baits,” Bird said. “I’m just junk fishing based on whatever’s in front of me. Most of my spots have deep water close. That’s the deal, current and deep water.”
Hailing from Osaka, Japan, Kimura is in second with 24-8. After landing in a three-way tie for 33rd place on Day 1 with 9-10, he added 14-14 — the event’s biggest bag. Doing so, Kimura said, was not easy.
“I’m surprised by that; I was just trying to catch them the way I know and it just worked out,” he said. “I had to change up from yesterday. I was fishing too shallow yesterday, so I dropped a little deeper to a range of 8 to 15 feet.”
Filling his bag with all spotted bass, Kimura said he caught his fish with crankbaits and finesse presentations. He didn’t have a fish at 11 a.m., but dialing in the right scenario allowed him to sack up his day’s weight.
“I don’t think it’s bait-related; the more important thing is timing,” Kimura said. “I’m sure the (afternoon) current helped.
“I have a spot that worked really well and I hope I can do it again tomorrow. At least I know how much quality is here.”
Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Ark., is in third place with 22-11. A Day 1 bag of 9-5 put him in a tie for 38th place, but today’s 13-6 limit, anchored by a 5-5, pushed him into striking distance.
“I caught that (big) fish with about 10 minutes to go,” Browning said. “I didn’t have a great numbers day, but it turned out to be the right ones.”
Browning targeted wood, riprap, chunk rock and gravel banks. He caught his bass on a Z-Man JackHammer ChatterBait with a Z-Man Razor ShadZ trailer, a jig and a tube.
Browning is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with a 5-5.
Kayden Tanner of Millsap, Texas, retained his lead in the co-angler division with a two-day total of 13-2. He added a limit of 5-8 to the 7-10 he weighed Thursday.
“Today, we fished a little more grass than wood and I caught two keepers really quick by flipping a (Texas-rigged) Berkley Bunker Hawg,” Tanner said. “I went all day, until about 1 o’clock and I made one flip into a tree with a shaky head and caught a 3-pound spotted bass — that’s what did it today.”
Jason Henson of Rome, Ga., holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead among co-anglers with a 4-0.
Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., leads the Central Opens points race with 550 points, followed by Darold Gleason with 541. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Lee Livesay is in third with 539, followed by Marc Frazier (533) and Elite Series pro Brandon Palaniuk (531).
Christie leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year Standings with 932 points.
The Top 12 remaining anglers will take off from Coosa Landing at 6:45 a.m. CT Saturday. The weigh-in will be held back at the landing at 2:45 p.m.
2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open at Neely Henry Lake 10/22-10/24
Neely Henry Lake, Gadsden AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Cody Bird Granbury, TX 10 24-10 200
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 11-09
2. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 10 24-08 199
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 14-14
3. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 10 22-11 198
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 13-06
4. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 10 22-08 197
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 11-14
5. Matthew Robertson Kuttawa, KY 10 22-08 196
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 11-08
6. Joey Nania Cropwell, AL 10 22-07 195
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 10-01
7. Derek Hicks Rocky Face, GA 10 22-01 194
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 08-07
8. Matt Pangrac Broken Arrow, OK 10 21-14 193
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 11-10
9. Darold Gleason Many, LA 10 21-10 192
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 07-14
10. Wyatt Burkhalter Coker, AL 10 21-08 191
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 11-04
11. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 10 20-07 190
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 11-09
12. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 10 20-04 189
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 09-08
13. James Biggs Euless, TX 10 20-04 188 $3,098.00
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 10-01
14. Josh Bragg Jacksonville, AL 10 20-02 187 $3,098.00
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 10-07
15. Bart Stanisz Brookeland, TX 10 19-11 186 $3,098.00
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 5 10-15
16. Daisuke Aoki Minamitsurugun Yamanash 10 19-07 185 $3,098.00
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 09-01
17. Branden Hollingshead Azle, TX 10 19-01 184 $3,098.00
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 09-04
18. William Johnson Glencoe, AL 10 19-01 183 $3,098.00
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 09-07
19. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 10 19-00 182 $3,098.00
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 08-02
20. Blake Whatley Harleton, TX 10 18-15 181 $3,098.00
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 07-04
21. Michael Bradford Scottsboro, AL 10 18-15 180 $2,817.00
Day 1: 5 09-08 Day 2: 5 09-07
22. Adam Brown Rainbow City, AL 10 18-14 179 $2,817.00
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 08-11
23. Luke Plunkett Pinson, AL 10 18-12 178 $2,817.00
Day 1: 5 08-04 Day 2: 5 10-08
24. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 10 18-07 177 $2,817.00
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 07-08
25. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 10 18-07 176 $2,817.00
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 08-08
26. Jeff Lugar Cross Junction, VA 10 18-02 175 $2,591.00
Day 1: 5 07-15 Day 2: 5 10-03
27. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 10 17-14 174 $2,591.00
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 08-10
28. Scott Pellegrin Chippewa Falls, WI 10 17-10 173 $2,591.00
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 07-07
29. Bradley Hallman Norman, OK 7 17-02 172 $2,591.00
Day 1: 2 05-01 Day 2: 5 12-01
30. Theron Caldwell Decatur, TX 10 17-02 171 $2,591.00
Day 1: 5 06-14 Day 2: 5 10-04
31. Greg Vance Delhi, IA 10 16-13 170 $2,591.00
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 07-03
32. Austin Cranford Norman, OK 10 16-10 169 $2,591.00
Day 1: 5 07-01 Day 2: 5 09-09
33. Brian Latimer Belton, SC 10 16-09 168 $2,591.00
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 06-12
34. Mark Watson Midlothian, TX 10 16-07 167 $2,591.00
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 06-10
35. Clark Reehm Elm Groove, LA 10 16-06 166 $2,591.00
Day 1: 5 07-02 Day 2: 5 09-04
36. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 10 16-06 165 $2,591.00
Day 1: 5 08-05 Day 2: 5 08-01
37. Spike Stoker Stephenville, TX 9 16-06 164 $2,591.00
Day 1: 5 08-04 Day 2: 4 08-02
38. Troy O'Rourke Bentonville, AR 9 16-05 163 $2,591.00
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 4 04-09
39. Toby Hartsell Afton, OK 8 16-02 162 $2,591.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 3 04-13
40. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 9 16-00 161 $2,591.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 4 05-12
41. Sheldon Collings Grove, OK 10 15-14 160
Day 1: 5 06-12 Day 2: 5 09-02
42. Matthew Nobile Sorrento, LA 10 15-13 159
Day 1: 5 08-11 Day 2: 5 07-02
43. Chad Mrazek Montgomery, TX 9 15-11 158
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 4 06-06
44. Wes Logan Springville, AL 10 15-10 157
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 06-10
45. Chris Jones Bokoshe, OK 10 15-08 156
Day 1: 5 06-03 Day 2: 5 09-05
46. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 10 15-07 155
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 05-02
47. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 10 15-07 154
Day 1: 5 07-04 Day 2: 5 08-03
48. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 9 15-05 153
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 4 05-03
49. John Garrett Union City, TN 10 15-05 152
Day 1: 5 08-01 Day 2: 5 07-04
50. Lance Rose Pipe Creek, TX 9 14-13 151
Day 1: 5 08-10 Day 2: 4 06-03
51. James Stricklin Fort Smith, AR 9 14-13 150
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 4 06-04
52. Jeffrey Cannon Douglasville, GA 8 14-11 149
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 3 04-02
53. Greg Mansfield Olathe, KS 10 14-11 148
Day 1: 5 05-07 Day 2: 5 09-04
54. Doug Vahrenberg Higginsville, MO 10 14-07 147
Day 1: 5 07-07 Day 2: 5 07-00
55. Paul Browning Pecos, TX 9 14-06 146
Day 1: 4 05-14 Day 2: 5 08-08
56. Cody Morrison Collinsville, TX 8 14-05 145
Day 1: 3 04-13 Day 2: 5 09-08
57. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 8 14-04 144
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 3 03-08
58. Brad Shuflin Windsor , CO 9 14-04 143
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 4 04-13
59. Jake Rossi Columbus, OH 9 14-04 142
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 4 05-03
60. Chancy Walters West Des Moines, IA 8 14-01 141
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 3 02-06
61. Marc Schilling Shady Shores, TX 8 14-00 140
Day 1: 4 08-03 Day 2: 4 05-13
62. Kazuki Kitajima Corinth, TX 8 13-15 139
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 3 06-06
63. Robert Parkison Marshall, TX 8 13-13 138
Day 1: 4 08-00 Day 2: 4 05-13
64. Ken Iyobe Tokoname, Aichi JAPAN 10 13-13 137
Day 1: 5 07-00 Day 2: 5 06-13
65. Hunter Denmark Saraland, AL 8 13-12 136
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 3 04-11
66. Kyle Dorsett Odenville, AL 8 13-06 135
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 3 03-06
67. John Hunter Jr Simpsonville, KY 9 13-05 134
Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 4 06-02
68. Garrett Rose Pipecreek, TX 8 13-04 133
Day 1: 3 03-09 Day 2: 5 09-11
69. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 8 13-04 132
Day 1: 3 03-12 Day 2: 5 09-08
70. Shawn Temple Krugerville, TX 9 13-00 131
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 4 04-07
71. Cody Ryan Greaney Manchaca, TX 9 12-15 130
Day 1: 5 07-01 Day 2: 4 05-14
72. Jay Brainard Enid, OK 9 12-11 129
Day 1: 4 05-13 Day 2: 5 06-14
73. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 6 12-10 128
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 1 01-09
74. Teb Jones Hattiesburg, MS 10 12-10 127
Day 1: 5 06-00 Day 2: 5 06-10
75. Dirk Wenzlaff Frisco, TX 7 12-08 126
Day 1: 4 07-04 Day 2: 3 05-04
76. Lucas Bradley Flippin, AR 7 12-08 125
Day 1: 3 05-07 Day 2: 4 07-01
77. James Meers Rome, GA 8 12-07 124
Day 1: 4 08-01 Day 2: 4 04-06
78. Jeff Bridges Prosper, TX 8 12-04 123
Day 1: 5 07-13 Day 2: 3 04-07
79. Mark Hicks Glouster, OH 6 12-03 122
Day 1: 1 01-07 Day 2: 5 10-12
80. Allan Glasgow Ashville, AL 8 12-03 121
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 3 03-02
81. Todd Castledine Nacogdoches, TX 8 12-03 120
Day 1: 4 05-13 Day 2: 4 06-06
82. Marshall Hughes Hemphill, TX 8 12-01 119
Day 1: 4 05-12 Day 2: 4 06-05
83. Scott Siller Milwaukee, WI 8 11-15 118
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 3 01-11
84. Tommy Murray Bedford, TX 8 11-15 117
Day 1: 3 05-02 Day 2: 5 06-13
85. Denny Fiedler Wabasha, MN 8 11-14 116
Day 1: 4 07-07 Day 2: 4 04-07
86. Andrew Upshaw Tulsa, OK 7 11-13 115
Day 1: 3 05-06 Day 2: 4 06-07
87. Ernie Stumpf III Frisco, TX 8 11-11 114
Day 1: 4 06-08 Day 2: 4 05-03
88. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 7 11-06 113
Day 1: 2 03-01 Day 2: 5 08-05
89. Terry Peacock Royse City, TX 6 11-06 112
Day 1: 3 06-06 Day 2: 3 05-00
90. Chandler Stewart Waco, TX 8 11-01 111
Day 1: 5 06-04 Day 2: 3 04-13
91. Joel Willert Prior Lake, MN 7 11-00 110
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 2 02-02
92. Brian Clark Haltom City, TX 6 11-00 109
Day 1: 3 07-07 Day 2: 3 03-09
93. Brandon Mcdonald Longview, TX 5 11-00 108
Day 1: 2 04-12 Day 2: 3 06-04
94. Randy Qualls Streetman, TX 6 10-15 107
Day 1: 1 01-01 Day 2: 5 09-14
95. Justin Margraves Diana, TX 9 10-13 106
Day 1: 4 04-11 Day 2: 5 06-02
96. Neels Beneke Amanzimtoti SOUTH AFRIC 8 10-12 105
Day 1: 3 03-03 Day 2: 5 07-09
97. Gary Hall Wardville, OK 8 10-12 104
Day 1: 5 06-05 Day 2: 3 04-07
98. Larry Puckett Decatur, TX 6 10-09 103
Day 1: 2 03-09 Day 2: 4 07-00
99. Ron Wells Claremore, OK 8 10-08 102
Day 1: 3 03-07 Day 2: 5 07-01
100. Bryan New Belmont, NC 7 10-06 101
Day 1: 5 06-14 Day 2: 2 03-08
101. Casey Bennett Waco, TX 6 10-04 100
Day 1: 4 07-11 Day 2: 2 02-09
102. Jimmy Mason Rogersville, AL 7 10-03 99
Day 1: 5 07-06 Day 2: 2 02-13
103. Travis Ledford Tuttle, OK 5 10-01 98
Day 1: 3 06-08 Day 2: 2 03-09
104. RJ Chandler Jr. Vinton, LA 4 10-00 97
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 4 10-00
105. Shonn Goodwin Moore, OK 6 10-00 96
Day 1: 3 02-14 Day 2: 3 07-02
106. Andrew Thomasson Dublin, VA 6 09-15 95
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 1 01-03
107. Trey Swindle Cleveland, AL 7 09-15 94
Day 1: 5 07-00 Day 2: 2 02-15
108. Brandon Craft Southside, AL 6 09-15 93
Day 1: 2 04-02 Day 2: 4 05-13
109. Jerod Hawkes Eagle Pass, TX 6 09-12 92
Day 1: 1 01-08 Day 2: 5 08-04
110. Steve Sennikoff Edgewood, TX 7 09-10 91
Day 1: 2 01-14 Day 2: 5 07-12
111. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 5 09-10 90
Day 1: 2 03-12 Day 2: 3 05-14
112. Dakota Ebare Dehnam Springs, LA 8 09-04 89
Day 1: 5 06-06 Day 2: 3 02-14
113. Dustin Reneau Mckinney, TX 5 09-01 88
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
114. Shaun Haag Montgomery, TX 6 09-00 87
Day 1: 4 06-08 Day 2: 2 02-08
115. Wes Nofire Tahlequah, OK 6 08-13 86
Day 1: 5 06-13 Day 2: 1 02-00
116. Jerry Riddle Jr Summit, MS 5 08-12 85
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 08-12
117. Brian Post Janesville, WI 5 08-10 84
Day 1: 3 05-14 Day 2: 2 02-12
118. Bruce Parsons Arbela, MO 3 08-09 83
Day 1: 3 08-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Chad Randles Elkhorn, NE 6 08-08 82
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 1 01-00
120. Billy Smith Montgomery, TX 6 08-06 81
Day 1: 5 07-06 Day 2: 1 01-00
121. Caleb Gibson Locust Grove, OK 5 08-04 80
Day 1: 3 05-10 Day 2: 2 02-10
122. Spencer Lambert West Monroe, LA 6 08-00 79
Day 1: 3 03-11 Day 2: 3 04-05
123. Randy Blaukat Joplin, MO 6 07-13 78
Day 1: 5 06-12 Day 2: 1 01-01
124. Steven White Ashville, AL 4 07-13 77
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 3 06-02
125. Tommy Williams Shepherdsville, KY 6 07-12 76
Day 1: 4 05-08 Day 2: 2 02-04
126. Matt Looney Coweta, OK 4 07-10 75
Day 1: 3 05-12 Day 2: 1 01-14
127. Cody Huff Ava, MO 4 07-08 74
Day 1: 4 07-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
128. Jed Holt Livingston, TX 3 07-07 73
Day 1: 2 04-12 Day 2: 1 02-11
129. Jim Dillard West Monroe, LA 6 07-06 72
Day 1: 1 01-05 Day 2: 5 06-01
130. Lance Crawford Broken Bow, OK 4 07-04 71
Day 1: 4 07-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
131. Bill Watts Beaumont, TX 4 07-00 70
Day 1: 2 02-11 Day 2: 2 04-05
132. Justin Prisock Robinson, TX 4 06-11 69
Day 1: 2 03-07 Day 2: 2 03-04
133. Kylie Sparks Denham Spgs, LA 5 06-09 68
Day 1: 3 03-03 Day 2: 2 03-06
134. James Davis Jr Ferriday, LA 6 06-08 67
Day 1: 2 02-02 Day 2: 4 04-06
135. Edwin Baker Gilmer, TX 5 06-07 66
Day 1: 3 04-04 Day 2: 2 02-03
136. Ed Melton Houston, TX 4 06-03 65
Day 1: 3 04-09 Day 2: 1 01-10
137. Steven Caldwell Whitesboro, TX 4 06-01 64
Day 1: 0 -01-00 Day 2: 4 07-01
138. Keith Surber Longview, TX 5 06-01 63
Day 1: 5 06-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
139. Cody Hahner Wausau, WI 4 06-01 62
Day 1: 3 04-05 Day 2: 1 01-12
140. Terry Luedtke Burton, TX 4 06-00 61
Day 1: 1 01-01 Day 2: 3 04-15
141. Floyd Teat Valley Mills, TX 2 05-15 60
Day 1: 2 05-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
142. Kevin Ledoux Choctaw, OK 4 05-14 59
Day 1: 3 04-03 Day 2: 1 01-11
143. Kevin Crider Acworth, GA 3 05-08 58
Day 1: 3 05-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
144. Andy Hribar Lakeville, MN 4 05-07 57
Day 1: 3 03-13 Day 2: 1 01-10
145. Kyle Hogg Hewitt, TX 2 05-06 56
Day 1: 2 05-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
146. Jake Boomer Spokane Valley, WA 3 05-06 55
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 2 03-04
147. Drew Sloan Scurry, TX 3 05-02 54
Day 1: 1 03-06 Day 2: 2 01-12
148. Allan Nail Sand Springs, OK 4 04-14 53
Day 1: 2 02-03 Day 2: 2 02-11
149. Hermilo Salgado Artemus, KY 2 04-10 52
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-10
150. Jake Biram Tulsa, OK 4 04-10 51
Day 1: 1 01-10 Day 2: 3 03-00
151. Brandon Ackerson Afton, OK 3 04-09 50
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 2 02-04
152. John Hammersmith Branson, MO 4 04-08 49
Day 1: 3 03-11 Day 2: 1 00-13
153. Wayne Hall Cottonwood, AZ 3 04-05 48
Day 1: 3 04-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
154. Jimmy Mize Ben Lomond, AR 2 04-00 47
Day 1: 2 04-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
155. Trait Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 3 03-13 46
Day 1: 2 02-03 Day 2: 1 01-10
156. Lynn Johnson Attalla, AL 3 03-12 45
Day 1: 3 03-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
157. Billy Cline Argyle, TX 3 03-08 44
Day 1: 3 03-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
158. Kenny Mittelstaedt Minnetonka, MN 3 03-05 43
Day 1: 1 01-02 Day 2: 2 02-03
159. David Drinkard Sour Lake, TX 2 03-04 42
Day 1: 2 03-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
160. James Caldemeyer Gilmer, TX 1 02-15 41
Day 1: 1 02-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
161. Sean Obrien Norman, OK 2 02-14 40
Day 1: 1 01-06 Day 2: 1 01-08
162. Brent Homan Graham, TX 2 02-12 39
Day 1: 1 01-04 Day 2: 1 01-08
163. Billy Billeaud Lafayette, LA 3 02-02 38
Day 1: 1 01-04 Day 2: 2 00-14
164. Rodney Richards Ardmore, OK 2 02-00 37
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 02-00
165. Bill McNutt Henry, IL 1 01-07 36
Day 1: 1 01-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
166. Chris Bailey Eddy, TX 1 01-02 35
Day 1: 1 01-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
167. Larry Jenkins Leesburg, TX 1 01-01 34
Day 1: 1 01-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
168. Anthony Dumitras Winston, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
168. Justin Hallmark Bertram, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
Briarwood Christian Team Takes Lead At Bassmaster High School National Championship
Tucker Smith and Hayden Marbut, of Alabama's Briarwood Christian School, are leading after Day 1 of the 2020 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors with 22 pounds, 2 ounces.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
October 22, 2020
PARIS, Tenn. — After dominating the last two Bassmaster High School National Championships, Briarwood Christian’s Tucker Smith is in position to claim his third straight title.
Smith and his partner Hayden Marbut brought 22 pounds, 2 ounces to the stage to take the Day 1 lead at the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School National Championship at Kentucky Lake presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors.
While Smith and Marbut’s bag included four quality smallmouth bass, their kicker was a 7-5 largemouth that currently holds the lead for big bass of the tournament.
“Practice was pretty tough. We weren’t getting that many bites a day,” Marbut said. “The bites we were getting were pretty decent fish, though, and it showed today.
“We really didn’t think we had that much. We didn’t really look at them, we just threw them in the box and kept fishing.”
While he has become familiar with the lake during his last two championships, Smith said he and Marbut are fishing completely differently during this National Championship than he and his former partner Grayson Morris did during the two previous events.
“The last two years it has been in August,” Smith said. “So, to catch them in October, it would be cool to see us do well. We are doing stuff totally different.”
Smith and Marbut took advantage of their early flight on Day 1 and caught every fish they weighed in by 8:30 a.m.
“We ran around some spots we found in practice and it was really slow,” Smith said. “We had one that was about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds that we were trying to cull all day. We caught a few more keepers, but those were the ones we caught in the morning.”
Despite a later boat draw tomorrow, Smith said as long as he and Marbut reach their first spot around 8 a.m., they should be able to have the same success.
Flint Davis and James Henemyre from Lee County High School trail the Briarwood Christian duo by a little less than 5 pounds after catching 17-3. The Georgia anglers made a 30-mile run from Paris Landing and said they had to work hard for their five bites.
“Overall it was really tough,” Davis said. “It’s just one of those lakes you gotta keep your head in it all day and grind to find five bites, and that’s what we did. This lake is inconsistent, so consistency is what is going to win.”
After catching two keepers all of practice, Davis and Henemyre caught two quick keepers on their first stop of the day but did not find a limit until 30 minutes before weigh-in, when they landed a 4 1/2-pounder.
The Lawrence County duo of Hunter Brewer and Kade Suratt are in third place after Day 1 with 16-5. While Suratt said they had a terrible practice overall, Brewer caught one 9-pound fish during warm-ups that changed their outlook on the tournament.
“We didn’t catch a single bass the first day of practice, and we tried something a little different (the next day) and caught that 9-pounder and another 3 1/2-pounder,” Brewer said. “We completely ditched what we did the day before and tried something we do all the time where I’m from.”
Suratt said they spent most of the day throwing jigs into the current.
“This morning we made a long run, and when we got up there it didn’t take long to get the bites we had,” Brewer added. “We got our five bites and just let off and tried some other stuff and eased our way back.”
The full field will take off from Paris Landing again Friday at 7 a.m. CT. Weigh-in will begin at 3 p.m. The Top 12 teams after Day 2 will advance to Championship Saturday.
Bethel University is hosting the tournament in conjunction with the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce and Henry County Tourism Authority.
2020 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors 10/22-10/24
Kentucky Lake, Paris TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Tucker Smith - Hayden Marbut Briarwood Christian 0
Day 1: 5 22-02 Total: 5 22-02
2. Flint Davis - James Henemyre Lee County High School 0
Day 1: 5 17-03 Total: 5 17-03
3. Hunter Brewer - Kade Suratt Lawrence County High School 0
Day 1: 5 16-05 Total: 5 16-05
4. Chandler Pruett - Braden Wilson Scotts Hill High School 0
Day 1: 5 15-01 Total: 5 15-01
5. Lake Norsworthy - Aaron Abbott Brandon High School 0
Day 1: 5 14-14 Total: 5 14-14
6. Gracie Herbold - Asher Peters Headland Bass Team 0
Day 1: 5 13-06 Total: 5 13-06
7. Dylan May - Adam Troyer Brownsburg High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-11 Total: 5 12-11
8. Nathan Whitehead - Ethan Tedder Muscle Shoals High School 0
Day 1: 3 12-04 Total: 3 12-04
9. Dylan Istre - Mckee Ridgaway LCM Little Cypress Mauriceville 0
Day 1: 5 12-02 Total: 5 12-02
10. SammyJay Acree - Billy Campbell Lake wales HS bassmasters 0
Day 1: 4 11-13 Total: 4 11-13
11. Hunter Keller - Daniel Brackett Freedom high 0
Day 1: 5 11-12 Total: 5 11-12
12. Cody Abbott - Mitchell Robinson Byrnes Rebels 0
Day 1: 4 11-09 Total: 4 11-09
13. James Riggs - Aaron Riggs Mt Pleasant HS 0
Day 1: 5 11-05 Total: 5 11-05
14. Mason Wade - Dylan Ragland Jackson County High School 0
Day 1: 5 11-02 Total: 5 11-02
15. Lucas Reagan - Tyler Cook Pickett County High School Fishi 0
Day 1: 5 10-04 Total: 5 10-04
16. Daniel Moon - Zachary Helton Karns Jr. High 0
Day 1: 4 09-15 Total: 4 09-15
17. Tanner Barclay - Aj Widgeon Scottsboro BassCats 0
Day 1: 3 09-09 Total: 3 09-09
18. Allen Powe - Jonathan Combs George Rogers Clark High School 0
Day 1: 4 09-08 Total: 4 09-08
19. Kyle Knoll - Blayton Mangram Handley HS 0
Day 1: 3 09-08 Total: 3 09-08
20. Bryar Chambers - Levi Harris Fairview High School 0
Day 1: 3 09-03 Total: 3 09-03
21. Ryan Baker - Joshua Hughes Camden Central High school 0
Day 1: 3 09-01 Total: 3 09-01
22. Logan Fisher - Will Hart Madison County High School 0
Day 1: 3 08-13 Total: 3 08-13
23. Casey Tissue - Clayton Vote Vilonia High School 0
Day 1: 3 08-07 Total: 3 08-07
24. Connor Rushing - Ethan Simon Central High School 0
Day 1: 4 08-06 Total: 4 08-06
25. Will Stephens - Lucas Wray Russell County High school 0
Day 1: 3 08-06 Total: 3 08-06
26. Ewing Minor - Eli Stendig Orange County Anglers 0
Day 1: 3 08-01 Total: 3 08-01
27. Nathan Reynolds - Jimmy Oguin Backwoods Bassin 0
Day 1: 3 08-00 Total: 3 08-00
27. Marshall Robinson - Mason Fulmer Byrnes High School 0
Day 1: 3 08-00 Total: 3 08-00
29. Tyan Massengale - Logan Evans Soddy Daisy High School 0
Day 1: 4 07-15 Total: 4 07-15
29. Carter Nutt - Dylan Nutt Backwoods Bassin 0
Day 1: 4 07-15 Total: 4 07-15
31. Ty Jackson - Jessie Altman COLUMBIA HIGH SCHOOL 0
Day 1: 3 07-15 Total: 3 07-15
32. Zane O'Domirok - John Thompson Lenoir City High School 0
Day 1: 4 07-06 Total: 4 07-06
33. Jackson Holbert - Avery Johnson Riverside High School 0
Day 1: 2 07-06 Total: 2 07-06
34. Asa Robertson - Matthew Vandagriff Warren County High School Pionee 0
Day 1: 3 07-05 Total: 3 07-05
35. Sean Quinn - Kyle Tilton JVLABassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 07-01 Total: 2 07-01
36. Brennan Fox - Colin King Marion High School 0
Day 1: 3 06-15 Total: 3 06-15
37. Matthew Kahrs - Christopher Kahrs Barbe fishing Club 0
Day 1: 3 06-09 Total: 3 06-09
38. Trent Nelson - Wyatt Cannon Okeechobee Brahmans 0
Day 1: 3 06-08 Total: 3 06-08
38. Daniel Waguespack - Reese Aucoin Ascension Anglers 0
Day 1: 3 06-08 Total: 3 06-08
40. Ridge Rutledge - Casey Shearer East Jessamine High School 0
Day 1: 3 06-06 Total: 3 06-06
41. Blake Sparkman - Logan Sparkman Chiles High School 0
Day 1: 2 06-03 Total: 2 06-03
42. Hanson Chaney - Luke Ferachi Walker High School 0
Day 1: 2 06-00 Total: 2 06-00
43. Banks Shaw - Gage King Sale Creek 0
Day 1: 3 05-14 Total: 3 05-14
44. Dylan Tatum - Derek Brandon Horizon High School 0
Day 1: 3 05-14 Total: 3 05-14
45. Justin Lawrence - Grady Windham Seminole Junior Anglers 0
Day 1: 2 05-14 Total: 2 05-14
46. Reece Keeney - Bryce Moder Northeast Wisconsin Bass 0
Day 1: 2 05-13 Total: 2 05-13
47. Mercedes Ellis - Gage Sherrod Henry County High School 0
Day 1: 2 05-11 Total: 2 05-11
47. Tanner Meyer - Ross Miller Notre Dame High School 0
Day 1: 2 05-11 Total: 2 05-11
49. Dallas Taylor - Dustin Swafford Stilwell 0
Day 1: 2 05-07 Total: 2 05-07
50. Zack Barrera - Dalton Loos Marion County Youth Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 05-05 Total: 2 05-05
50. Tyson Verkaik - Kalen Harbaugh Marion County High School Bassma 0
Day 1: 2 05-05 Total: 2 05-05
52. Hagen Cooley - DeRidder HS 0
Day 1: 2 05-04 Total: 2 05-04
52. Clayton Wood - Elijah Benson Jefferson High School 0
Day 1: 2 05-04 Total: 2 05-04
54. Kolby Clark - Landon Grider Scottsboro High School BassCats 0
Day 1: 2 05-03 Total: 2 05-03
54. Ryan Corcoran - Cromwell High School 0
Day 1: 2 05-03 Total: 2 05-03
54. Jeremy Monda - Will Boyd Quincy JR Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 05-03 Total: 2 05-03
57. Werner Brundige - Ty Neidlein Kickback Bass Club 0
Day 1: 3 05-02 Total: 3 05-02
58. Brayden Allen - Dalton Patten Red Oak High School 0
Day 1: 3 05-01 Total: 3 05-01
59. Rein Golubjatnikov - Matthew Pitcher Pittsford 0
Day 1: 2 05-01 Total: 2 05-01
60. Jaron Cooper - Keegan Oettinger Platte Valley Bass Masters 0
Day 1: 2 05-00 Total: 2 05-00
61. Mason Kornegay - Logan Hicks Sipsey Valley High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-15 Total: 2 04-15
61. Jack Mcillwain - Dyson Weaver Creekwood High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-15 Total: 2 04-15
63. Mikey Abbott - J Braden McNamara Jonathan Alder High School 0
Day 1: 1 04-15 Total: 1 04-15
64. Phillip Herring - Calup Williams Greene County Youth Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 04-14 Total: 2 04-14
64. Lilly Walker - Tyler Mink The Kings Academy 0
Day 1: 2 04-14 Total: 2 04-14
66. Chase Rawlins - Landon Canter Engineers 0
Day 1: 2 04-13 Total: 2 04-13
66. Grant West - Cameron Thompson Scottsboro Junior BassCats 0
Day 1: 2 04-13 Total: 2 04-13
68. Jonathan Fann - Tyler Gunter Cannon County High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-12 Total: 2 04-12
68. Turner Hart - Dalton Purcell Hanover County 0
Day 1: 2 04-12 Total: 2 04-12
68. Harrison Terry - Luke Clifton Dickson County High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-12 Total: 2 04-12
71. Matthew Brault - Jackson Salley South Florence High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-09 Total: 2 04-09
71. Gage Starks - Sawyer Williams Henry County High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-09 Total: 2 04-09
71. Corey Williams - Hunter Miller Sin City HS Bass Club 0
Day 1: 2 04-09 Total: 2 04-09
74. Beau Landry - Gage Collins WEST BATON ROUGE 0
Day 1: 2 04-08 Total: 2 04-08
75. Mason Harkey - Clay Henderson 0
Day 1: 2 04-07 Total: 2 04-07
76. Caden Petrille - Matteo Turano Off The Hook Bassmaster 0
Day 1: 2 04-06 Total: 2 04-06
77. Dj Drake - Austin Jones Franklin County High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-05 Total: 2 04-05
78. Hunter Brigance - Spencer Chase Milholen 0
Day 1: 2 04-04 Total: 2 04-04
78. Jacob Muir - Milford High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-04 Total: 2 04-04
80. Jaden Carpenter - Sean Cash Rockcastle Rockets 0
Day 1: 2 04-03 Total: 2 04-03
80. Storm Clark - Gunnar Williamson Harris County Bass Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 2 04-03 Total: 2 04-03
82. Fischer Barber - Wells Johnson Heritage Christian Academy 0
Day 1: 2 04-02 Total: 2 04-02
83. Dawson Carden - Griffin Milford Hart County High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-01 Total: 2 04-01
83. Judd Morgan - Brody Mullins Tennessee 0
Day 1: 2 04-01 Total: 2 04-01
85. Breck Miller - Peter Marisch Holdrege High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-00 Total: 2 04-00
85. Kobe Thompson - Rance Eddleblute Crooksville High School- OH 0
Day 1: 2 04-00 Total: 2 04-00
85. Austin Waelzinski - Jacob Whitehurst Franklin High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-00 Total: 2 04-00
88. Blake Roberts - Riley Faulkner 0
Day 1: 1 04-00 Total: 1 04-00
89. Victor Alford - Logan East Roane Co HS 0
Day 1: 1 03-13 Total: 1 03-13
90. Tyner Redden - Hayes Grooms Greenbrier High School 0
Day 1: 2 03-12 Total: 2 03-12
91. Lucy Brecht - Gavin Adair Rogers High School 0
Day 1: 2 03-09 Total: 2 03-09
92. Brody Robison - Levi Cox Sand Rock Wildcats 0
Day 1: 1 03-09 Total: 1 03-09
93. Jackson Swisher - Seth Slanker Columbia High Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 03-08 Total: 2 03-08
94. Keaton Smith - Jaydon Coggins Southwestern High School 0
Day 1: 2 03-07 Total: 2 03-07
95. Bailey Davidson - Wes Bailey Mississippi BASS Nation 0
Day 1: 1 03-05 Total: 1 03-05
96. Westin Moss - Drake Hemby Whitwell High School 0
Day 1: 2 03-03 Total: 2 03-03
97. Tyler Finley - Hunter Jones Mt Pleasant High School 0
Day 1: 1 03-02 Total: 1 03-02
98. Nick Carter - Cole Parks Rogers High School 0
Day 1: 1 03-00 Total: 1 03-00
98. Brady Duncan - Mason Huddleston Mt. Juliet High School 0
Day 1: 1 03-00 Total: 1 03-00
100. Garrett White - Tanner Mcclain Rhea County 0
Day 1: 1 02-15 Total: 1 02-15
101. Sean Lawson - Brooks Lawson West Georgia AmBASSadors 0
Day 1: 1 02-14 Total: 1 02-14
102. Jordan Garrett - Dawson Cravens 0
Day 1: 1 02-13 Total: 1 02-13
102. Luke Jones - John Lenz 0
Day 1: 1 02-13 Total: 1 02-13
102. Kyle Zainitzer - Tyler Scott Okeechobee Brahmas High School- 0
Day 1: 1 02-13 Total: 1 02-13
105. Case Durrance - Latt Durrance OKEECHOBEE BRAHMANS 0
Day 1: 1 02-12 Total: 1 02-12
105. Marshall Smith - Avery Johnson Lenoir City High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-12 Total: 1 02-12
107. Chandler Baumgardner - McKinnley Owens Woodruff High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-11 Total: 1 02-11
107. Briley Sain - Kaden Freeze Coffee County Youth Bass Club 0
Day 1: 1 02-11 Total: 1 02-11
107. Hunter White - Tyler Layman Sale Creek 0
Day 1: 1 02-11 Total: 1 02-11
107. Maverick Winford - Atascocita High School Club-Top 0
Day 1: 1 02-11 Total: 1 02-11
111. Aaron Cherry - Hudson Choquette Headland Bass Team 0
Day 1: 1 02-10 Total: 1 02-10
111. Joseph Gorman - Nehemiah Glenn Lakeville High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-10 Total: 1 02-10
111. Carter Peyton - Trevor Soppe West Delaware high school 0
Day 1: 1 02-10 Total: 1 02-10
114. Ryan Manis - Anthony Moon York Institute 0
Day 1: 1 02-09 Total: 1 02-09
114. Konner West - Brice Williams Chapman High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-09 Total: 1 02-09
114. Gunner West - Kollin Crawford Spiro high 0
Day 1: 1 02-09 Total: 1 02-09
117. Andrew Bennett - Wade Roberts Barbe High Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 1 02-08 Total: 1 02-08
118. Dalton Bailey - Hayden Stockett Lenoir City High School Bass Clu 0
Day 1: 2 02-07 Total: 2 02-07
119. Will Harkins - Coby Thompson Union County High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-07 Total: 1 02-07
119. Archer Smith - Hayden Short Burgin High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-07 Total: 1 02-07
119. Mitch Straffon - Hank Sturm Fenton High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-07 Total: 1 02-07
122. Noah Coleman - Luke Coleman Oneonta 0
Day 1: 1 02-06 Total: 1 02-06
122. Bryce Dimauro - Davis Dimauro Seminole Junior Anglers 0
Day 1: 1 02-06 Total: 1 02-06
122. Kellen Lanman - Hagen Linsenmeyer Deer Creek High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-06 Total: 1 02-06
122. Christian Mullins - Brayden Stout Lewis County High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-06 Total: 1 02-06
126. Ethan Franklin - Jesse Franklin Corner High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Total: 1 02-05
126. Luke Hilling - Corey Swaney Morgantown High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Total: 1 02-05
126. Ross Kearns - Landon Morgan Calloway County 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Total: 1 02-05
126. Christian Misciagna - Garrett Lawton ONEIDA LAKE HS BASSMASTERS 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Total: 1 02-05
126. Canyon Odom - Jeremy Odom Baldwin County HS 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Total: 1 02-05
126. Brayden Ruckman - Nate Helmreich Freeland High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Total: 1 02-05
132. Mason Daniell - Nick Hodges Moody Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 1 02-04 Total: 1 02-04
132. Colby Gatlin - Hunter Proctor Lenoir City High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-04 Total: 1 02-04
132. Cayden Walls - Connor Moulin Central High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-04 Total: 1 02-04
135. Colby Carrier - Tyler Williams Somerset Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 1 02-03 Total: 1 02-03
135. Jackson Isbell - Dalton Head Moody High 0
Day 1: 1 02-03 Total: 1 02-03
135. Bryant Martin - Grant Schexnailder Notre Dame High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-03 Total: 1 02-03
135. Chance Shelby - Jackson Broderick Live Oak High 0
Day 1: 1 02-03 Total: 1 02-03
139. Dylan Breaux - Gage Boquet Lafourche Bassmaster 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Total: 1 02-02
139. Cason Causey - Sam Westall Riley's Catch 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Total: 1 02-02
139. Doug Iman - Jake Iman Perry Hall Christian 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Total: 1 02-02
139. Triston Richardson - Bryson Sellier Tomball Memorial High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Total: 1 02-02
139. Wade Wilkens - Blake Yates Selah High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Total: 1 02-02
144. Eli Chambers - Connor Handley Vinemont High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Total: 1 02-01
144. Casey Cornelius - Charles Lux Mt Vernon Bass Team 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Total: 1 02-01
144. Jackson Stephens - Jake Hartmann Lindbergh High School- MO 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Total: 1 02-01
144. Bracyn Sullivan - Tyler Crews Scotts Hill High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Total: 1 02-01
148. Parker Brooks - Jonathan Horne Harris County HS 0
Day 1: 1 02-00 Total: 1 02-00
148. Tanner Scruggs - Cody Fine Anderson Co. 0
Day 1: 1 02-00 Total: 1 02-00
150. Sawyer Brady - Cason Jones Pine Grove 0
Day 1: 1 01-15 Total: 1 01-15
150. Colby Brown - Blake Handley Hayden High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-15 Total: 1 01-15
150. Ike Gillentine - Caleb Mackie Warren county 0
Day 1: 1 01-15 Total: 1 01-15
150. Jackson Locklair - Dawson Whittle Mid Carolina 0
Day 1: 1 01-15 Total: 1 01-15
150. Hagan Marlin - Dylan Ingram Lee-Scott Fishing 0
Day 1: 1 01-15 Total: 1 01-15
155. Caleb Bridges - Zachary Elliott Mt. Juliet High School Fishing 0
Day 1: 1 01-14 Total: 1 01-14
155. Garrett Christy - Jake Ross Roco anglers 0
Day 1: 1 01-14 Total: 1 01-14
155. Christopher Keeble - Sequoyah High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-14 Total: 1 01-14
158. Austin Curtis - Todd Crosley OutCast Bass Club 0
Day 1: 1 01-13 Total: 1 01-13
158. Kayden Townsend - Briley Knowles Genoa Central 0
Day 1: 1 01-13 Total: 1 01-13
160. Michael Sanchez - Dylan Eschette Brusly High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-09 Total: 1 01-09
161. Wayland Adkisson - Daniel Summers BGA 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Keegan Ballew - Michael Nunez Dakota High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Jd Bedford - Walker Brown Lawrence County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Chase Bishop - Blake Stone Polk County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Logan Bolton - Christian Boyd Northside HS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Alex Bradley - Rylan Green Chapman High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Chanler Brake - Branden Duncan Southwestern High School- KY 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Jacob Bruener - Douglas High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Barclay Butler - Connor Mclaughlin Scottsboro BassCats 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Braxton Campbell - Lane Lassiter warren county high school 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Will Carnes - Conner Hutti Lincoln County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Wiley Carroll - Kayson Turley Charleston High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Clay Christopher - Trey Barnett Boyle County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Landen Clausen - Jacob Pantti Menominee 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Bo Collins - Owen Jenkins Chatuge Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Stacey Cox - Dalton Cochran Brookwood High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Kain Custis - Lakeview 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Landen Dale - Ryan Sponcil Jessamine county high school eli 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Julie Dean - Aj Bouch Jr SFL Elite 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Miller Dowling - American Christian Academy 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Dylan Edwards - Luke Rokavec Susquehanna Valley High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Garrett Ellenson - Nate Dury Lakeside High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Ethen Fesperman - Hayden Hammond Roco anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Nathan Fideldy - Preston Gover Buhler HS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Giancarlo Fumagalli - Jay Rickertsen Hutchinson 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Kenny Garand - Dylan Casazza Tampa Bay Junior Bass Club High 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Jacob Garms - Jase Rice Coffee County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Coltin Green - Aiden Baiza Maynard High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Aiden Green - DAR Patriots 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Jerret Haley - Dalton Duvall Charles Page High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Andrew Haney - Blake Marcum Martin County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Jonathan Hardebeck - Andrew Wagenmaker Grand Haven High Sxhool 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Cade Hayford - Waylon Rickard Blissfield High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Conner Herring - Parker Landen Dixie county high school 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Brody Hopper - Landon Franks Cullman High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Will Hornsby - Chaser Ellison Morris High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Chase Hubble - Brent May Strawberry Crest High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Dawson Hudson - Peyton Sorrow GREENWOOD 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Jamie Johnson - Chance Greenwell North Bullitt 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Brent Key - Hunter Canova Lenoir City High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Jake Krauth - Hunter Weaver Franklin County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Cooper Kreider - Hagan Gerlach Boyle County Rebels 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Austin Kubica - Patrick Steitz Centennial Liberty 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Jace Lindsay - Jaxon Evans Beckville High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Caleb Martinez - Logan Gibson Lincoln County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Josh Mccann - Jesse Martin Manatee technical college 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Cody Mcentire - Keaton Bassham Walnut Ridge High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. AJ McGee - Evan Dunn bibb county 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Hayden Mckenzie - Jayden Ragusa Walker High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Chase Mcmahan - Hunter Warren ARAB HIGH SCHOOL 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Daylon Milam - James Dubose Northgate High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Matthew Milioto - Jace Martin Lutcher 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Carson Mitchell - Trey Watts Commonwealth Bass Club 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Owen Moss - Jackson Moss Pickens Bass Fishing 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Dylan Nimrod - Collin Stephens De Soto Bass Team- KS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Will Oberman - Clay Oberman Garrard County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Parker O'bryan - Avery Roberts Mississippi BASS Nation 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Emory Olinger - Bryce Tucker Bledsoe County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Chase Osborne - Jayden Stokes Smiths Station High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Ryan Padgett - Zach Dicks Columbia High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Hunter Palmer - Jacob Damron Tullahoma High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Brooks Parker - Delmarva Christian High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Kohen Phifer - Abe Estes Harrison 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Teagan Phillips - Kyle Ramsey MagaVista High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. John Pitre - Trevor Smith West Lincoln 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Dakota Posey - Brendon Brones Little Cyprus Mauriceville HS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Zachary Richards - Joey Gress Fairmont Senior 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Ethan Robinson - Grayson Warner Jefferson Forest 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Sam Schmitz - Ethan Swindall Collierville High School and 901 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Grayden Scibilia - Dylan Curran Jr. Potomac River Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Dalton Skinner - Hunter Valerius McCracken County High School- KY 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Zane Smith - Adam Smith Eastern Iowa Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Cody Smith - Soddy Daisy High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Eli Stevenson - Summer Dees GCHS Bass Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Landon Story - Garrett Sharp East Limestone 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Brayden Stotler - Grainger Pollert Bloomington South High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Mason Theissen - Roen Anderson Mankato west 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Ryan Thomas - Cole Holloway Morgan County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Drake Vandike - Anthony Polzin Livonia Outlaws 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Trey Waddell - Hunter Hilburn Piedmont High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Ross Webster - Nick Fox Harris County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Brady Weeks - Brett Dial Scotland High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Branson Wells - Dawson Wells Coffee County Youth Bass Club 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Jacob White - John Schultz AIRPORT 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Caden Wood - Joseph Gleason Windsor High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Lucas Wright - Dakota Stout Lewis County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
161. Sam York - Charlie Schultz Brown County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
Gleason Takes Slim Lead At Bassmaster Central Open On Neely Henry
Darold Gleason, of Many, La., is leading after Day 1 of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open at Neely Henry Lake with 13 pounds, 12 ounces.
Photo by Chris Mitchell/B.A.S.S.
October 22, 2020
GADSDEN, Ala. — Playing the fall game the way it needed to be played allowed Darold Gleason of Many, La., to take the Day 1 lead of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open at Neely Henry Lake with 13 pounds, 12 ounces.
Gleason, who finished fifth at the Central Open on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, holds a 2-ounce lead over second-place Derek Hicks.
A mostly warm fall has the fish slowly transitioning into traditional autumn trends, and that means they’re scattered and difficult to pattern. Gleason was understandably slim on details but said he found his fish by remaining mobile and showing them a mix of aggressive and subtle looks.
“I had 12 rods out; I have a moving-baits side and I have a ‘beg-em’ side — dragging baits, spinning rods, shaky heads, little jigs, that kind of stuff,” Gleason said. “I just alternated between beg-em and moving, beg-em and moving.
“I alternated between the two, kept my foot on the trolling motor and just tried to run into as many as I could. I covered 20 miles on Neely Henry and caught my fish in an area of 3 to 4 miles.”
Gleason said that, given his event preview, a strong opening effort was unexpected.
“Practice was horrible, so I did not expect this,” he said. “Today was, by far, the best day I’ve had since I’ve been here.”
Pointing out that he got only six keeper bites Thursday, Gleason said he had to fish a mixture of habitat to amass his leading limit.
“It was a little of this, a little of that,” he said. “This, to me, is a classic junk-fishing derby and, typically, that is not a strong point for me. I’m working diligently to get better at it, and I’m learning on the fly.”
Gleason said the key to his strong performance was mental clarity.
“The biggest thing — and it’s taken me years to get this through my thick skull — is that when you have a bad practice, the first day of the tournament you just keep a fresh mind and don’t be afraid to kinda halfway practice,” he said. “So, I went and fished areas where I thought I could get some bites, and when I didn’t, I kept going, kept going, kept going.”
That persistence was tested when Gleason completed the first several hours of the day with an empty livewell.
“You go three or four hours without a bite and it’s easy to get down and worried, so I would say my (positive) attitude was the biggest thing that worked for me today,” he said. “I was paranoid, freaking out, wondering if I was ever going to catch one.
"It was just one of those dream days on a tough fishery and to have it come together was special.”
Hailing from Rocky Face, Ga., Hicks earned his limit of 13-10 by mixing up his presentations with a 5/8-ounce jig with a Zoom Super Chunk trailer, a shaky head with a Zoom Trick Worm and a ChatterBait with a Zoom Swimming Fluke Jr. trailer.
“I’m fishing everything that comes in front of me,” Hicks said. “I caught them all throughout the day, and I knew I had a decent bag when I threw back a 2 1/2-pounder (late in the day).
“I went as far north as a bass boat can float and fished all the way from Gadsden north. I’m going to do the same thing tomorrow.”
Cody Bird of Granbury, Texas, is in third place with 13-1. Noting that his day comprised a mix of techniques that yielded 10 keeper bites, Bird anchored his sack with a 4-pounder around 11 a.m.
Fishing a variety of wood habitat, Bird said he missed a big bite early. He returned late morning and caught a 4-pounder on the same spot.
“I caught my biggest one in practice there,” Bird said. “I think it’s a current-related deal that’s replenishing.”
Chancy Walters of West Des Moines, Iowa, is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 5-4.
Kayden Tanner of Millsap, Texas, leads the co-angler division with 7-10. Targeting main-river channel banks, Tanner caught all of his fish on a 3/16-ounce shaky head with a Daiwa Yamamoto Neko Worm.
“Banks with hardwood were a big deal,” Tanner said. “Some of the bigger stumps were what they were keying on. I caught a limit for about 6 pounds in the first hour and then at the end of the day I culled up with a largemouth that was close to 3.”
Jason Henson of Rome, Ga., holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead among co-anglers with a 4-0.
Logan Latuso of Gonzales, La., leads the Central Open points race with 561 points, followed by Bassmaster Elite Series pro Lee Livesay with 552. Gleason is in third with 549, Greg Hackney is fourth with 541 and Jason Christie is fifth with 539.
Christie leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year Standings with 921 points.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:45 a.m. CT at Coosa Landing. The weigh-in will be held back at the landing at 2:45.
The tournament is being hosted by Greater Gadsden Area Tourism.
2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open at Neely Henry Lake 10/22-10/24
Neely Henry Lake, Gadsden AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Darold Gleason Many, LA 5 13-12 200
Day 1: 5 13-12
2. Derek Hicks Rocky Face, GA 5 13-10 199
Day 1: 5 13-10
3. Cody Bird Granbury, TX 5 13-01 198
Day 1: 5 13-01
4. Joey Nania Cropwell, AL 5 12-06 197
Day 1: 5 12-06
5. Troy O'Rourke Bentonville, AR 5 11-12 196
Day 1: 5 11-12
6. Chancy Walters West Des Moines, IA 5 11-11 195
Day 1: 5 11-11
6. Blake Whatley Harleton, TX 5 11-11 195
Day 1: 5 11-11
8. Toby Hartsell Afton, OK 5 11-05 193
Day 1: 5 11-05
9. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 5 11-01 192
Day 1: 5 11-01
10. Matthew Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 11-00 191
Day 1: 5 11-00
11. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 5 10-15 190
Day 1: 5 10-15
12. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 5 10-14 189
Day 1: 5 10-14
13. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 5 10-12 188
Day 1: 5 10-12
13. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 10-12 188
Day 1: 5 10-12
15. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 10-10 186
Day 1: 5 10-10
16. Jeffrey Cannon Douglasville, GA 5 10-09 185
Day 1: 5 10-09
17. Daisuke Aoki Minamitsurugun Yamanash 5 10-06 184
Day 1: 5 10-06
18. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 5 10-05 183
Day 1: 5 10-05
19. Wyatt Burkhalter Coker, AL 5 10-04 182
Day 1: 5 10-04
19. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 10-04 182
Day 1: 5 10-04
19. Matt Pangrac Broken Arrow, OK 5 10-04 182
Day 1: 5 10-04
19. Scott Siller Milwaukee, WI 5 10-04 182
Day 1: 5 10-04
23. James Biggs Euless, TX 5 10-03 178
Day 1: 5 10-03
23. Adam Brown Rainbow City, AL 5 10-03 178
Day 1: 5 10-03
23. Scott Pellegrin Chippewa Falls, WI 5 10-03 178
Day 1: 5 10-03
26. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 10-02 175
Day 1: 5 10-02
27. Kyle Dorsett Odenville, AL 5 10-00 174
Day 1: 5 10-00
28. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 5 09-15 173
Day 1: 5 09-15
29. Branden Hollingshead Azle, TX 5 09-13 172
Day 1: 5 09-13
29. Brian Latimer Belton, SC 5 09-13 172
Day 1: 5 09-13
29. Mark Watson Midlothian, TX 5 09-13 172
Day 1: 5 09-13
32. Josh Bragg Jacksonville, AL 5 09-11 169
Day 1: 5 09-11
33. William Johnson Glencoe, AL 5 09-10 168
Day 1: 5 09-10
33. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 5 09-10 168
Day 1: 5 09-10
33. Greg Vance Delhi, IA 5 09-10 168
Day 1: 5 09-10
36. Michael Bradford Scottsboro, AL 5 09-08 165
Day 1: 5 09-08
37. Brad Shuflin Windsor , CO 5 09-07 164
Day 1: 5 09-07
38. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 5 09-05 163
Day 1: 5 09-05
38. Chad Mrazek Montgomery, TX 5 09-05 163
Day 1: 5 09-05
40. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 5 09-04 161
Day 1: 5 09-04
41. Hunter Denmark Saraland, AL 5 09-01 160
Day 1: 5 09-01
41. Allan Glasgow Ashville, AL 5 09-01 160
Day 1: 5 09-01
41. Dustin Reneau Mckinney, TX 5 09-01 160
Day 1: 5 09-01
41. Jake Rossi Columbus, OH 5 09-01 160
Day 1: 5 09-01
45. Wes Logan Springville, AL 5 09-00 156
Day 1: 5 09-00
46. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 5 08-14 155
Day 1: 5 08-14
46. Joel Willert Prior Lake, MN 5 08-14 155
Day 1: 5 08-14
48. Bart Stanisz Brookeland, TX 5 08-12 153
Day 1: 5 08-12
48. Andrew Thomasson Dublin, VA 5 08-12 153
Day 1: 5 08-12
50. Matthew Nobile Sorrento, LA 5 08-11 151
Day 1: 5 08-11
51. Lance Rose Pipe Creek, TX 5 08-10 150
Day 1: 5 08-10
52. James Stricklin Fort Smith, AR 5 08-09 149
Day 1: 5 08-09
52. Shawn Temple Krugerville, TX 5 08-09 149
Day 1: 5 08-09
54. Bruce Parsons Arbela, MO 3 08-09 147
Day 1: 3 08-09
55. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 5 08-05 146
Day 1: 5 08-05
56. Luke Plunkett Pinson, AL 5 08-04 145
Day 1: 5 08-04
56. Spike Stoker Stephenville, TX 5 08-04 145
Day 1: 5 08-04
58. Marc Schilling Shady Shores, TX 4 08-03 143
Day 1: 4 08-03
59. John Garrett Union City, TN 5 08-01 142
Day 1: 5 08-01
60. James Meers Rome, GA 4 08-01 141
Day 1: 4 08-01
61. Robert Parkison Marshall, TX 4 08-00 140
Day 1: 4 08-00
62. Jeff Lugar Cross Junction, VA 5 07-15 139
Day 1: 5 07-15
63. Jeff Bridges Prosper, TX 5 07-13 138
Day 1: 5 07-13
64. Casey Bennett Waco, TX 4 07-11 137
Day 1: 4 07-11
65. Kazuki Kitajima Corinth, TX 5 07-09 136
Day 1: 5 07-09
66. Chad Randles Elkhorn, NE 5 07-08 135
Day 1: 5 07-08
67. Cody Huff Ava, MO 4 07-08 134
Day 1: 4 07-08
68. Doug Vahrenberg Higginsville, MO 5 07-07 133
Day 1: 5 07-07
69. Denny Fiedler Wabasha, MN 4 07-07 132
Day 1: 4 07-07
70. Brian Clark Haltom City, TX 3 07-07 131
Day 1: 3 07-07
71. Jimmy Mason Rogersville, AL 5 07-06 130
Day 1: 5 07-06
71. Billy Smith Montgomery, TX 5 07-06 130
Day 1: 5 07-06
73. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 5 07-04 128
Day 1: 5 07-04
74. Lance Crawford Broken Bow, OK 4 07-04 127
Day 1: 4 07-04
74. Dirk Wenzlaff Frisco, TX 4 07-04 127
Day 1: 4 07-04
76. John Hunter Jr Simpsonville, KY 5 07-03 125
Day 1: 5 07-03
77. Clark Reehm Elm Groove, LA 5 07-02 124
Day 1: 5 07-02
78. Austin Cranford Norman, OK 5 07-01 123
Day 1: 5 07-01
78. Cody Ryan Greaney Manchaca, TX 5 07-01 123
Day 1: 5 07-01
80. Ken Iyobe Tokoname, Aichi JAPAN 5 07-00 121
Day 1: 5 07-00
80. Trey Swindle Cleveland, AL 5 07-00 121
Day 1: 5 07-00
82. Theron Caldwell Decatur, TX 5 06-14 119
Day 1: 5 06-14
82. Bryan New Belmont, NC 5 06-14 119
Day 1: 5 06-14
84. Wes Nofire Tahlequah, OK 5 06-13 117
Day 1: 5 06-13
85. Randy Blaukat Joplin, MO 5 06-12 116
Day 1: 5 06-12
85. Sheldon Collings Grove, OK 5 06-12 116
Day 1: 5 06-12
87. Shaun Haag Montgomery, TX 4 06-08 114
Day 1: 4 06-08
87. Ernie Stumpf III Frisco, TX 4 06-08 114
Day 1: 4 06-08
89. Travis Ledford Tuttle, OK 3 06-08 112
Day 1: 3 06-08
90. Dakota Ebare Dehnam Springs, LA 5 06-06 111
Day 1: 5 06-06
91. Terry Peacock Royse City, TX 3 06-06 110
Day 1: 3 06-06
92. Gary Hall Wardville, OK 5 06-05 109
Day 1: 5 06-05
93. Chandler Stewart Waco, TX 5 06-04 108
Day 1: 5 06-04
94. Chris Jones Bokoshe, OK 5 06-03 107
Day 1: 5 06-03
95. Keith Surber Longview, TX 5 06-01 106
Day 1: 5 06-01
96. Teb Jones Hattiesburg, MS 5 06-00 105
Day 1: 5 06-00
97. Floyd Teat Valley Mills, TX 2 05-15 104
Day 1: 2 05-15
98. Paul Browning Pecos, TX 4 05-14 103
Day 1: 4 05-14
99. Brian Post Janesville, WI 3 05-14 102
Day 1: 3 05-14
100. Jay Brainard Enid, OK 4 05-13 101
Day 1: 4 05-13
101. Todd Castledine Nacogdoches, TX 4 05-13 100
Day 1: 4 05-13
102. Marshall Hughes Hemphill, TX 4 05-12 99
Day 1: 4 05-12
103. Matt Looney Coweta, OK 3 05-12 98
Day 1: 3 05-12
104. Caleb Gibson Locust Grove, OK 3 05-10 97
Day 1: 3 05-10
105. Tommy Williams Shepherdsville, KY 4 05-08 96
Day 1: 4 05-08
106. Kevin Crider Acworth, GA 3 05-08 95
Day 1: 3 05-08
107. Greg Mansfield Olathe, KS 5 05-07 94
Day 1: 5 05-07
108. Lucas Bradley Flippin, AR 3 05-07 93
Day 1: 3 05-07
109. Andrew Upshaw Tulsa, OK 3 05-06 92
Day 1: 3 05-06
110. Kyle Hogg Hewitt, TX 2 05-06 91
Day 1: 2 05-06
111. Tommy Murray Bedford, TX 3 05-02 90
Day 1: 3 05-02
112. Bradley Hallman Norman, OK 2 05-01 89
Day 1: 2 05-01
113. Cody Morrison Collinsville, TX 3 04-13 88
Day 1: 3 04-13
114. Jed Holt Livingston, TX 2 04-12 87
Day 1: 2 04-12
114. Brandon Mcdonald Longview, TX 2 04-12 87
Day 1: 2 04-12
116. Justin Margraves Diana, TX 4 04-11 85
Day 1: 4 04-11
117. Ed Melton Houston, TX 3 04-09 84
Day 1: 3 04-09
118. Cody Hahner Wausau, WI 3 04-05 83
Day 1: 3 04-05
118. Wayne Hall Cottonwood, AZ 3 04-05 83
Day 1: 3 04-05
120. Edwin Baker Gilmer, TX 3 04-04 81
Day 1: 3 04-04
121. Kevin Ledoux Choctaw, OK 3 04-03 80
Day 1: 3 04-03
122. Brandon Craft Southside, AL 2 04-02 79
Day 1: 2 04-02
123. Jimmy Mize Ben Lomond, AR 2 04-00 78
Day 1: 2 04-00
124. Andy Hribar Lakeville, MN 3 03-13 77
Day 1: 3 03-13
125. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 3 03-12 76
Day 1: 3 03-12
125. Lynn Johnson Attalla, AL 3 03-12 76
Day 1: 3 03-12
127. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 2 03-12 74
Day 1: 2 03-12
128. Spencer Lambert West Monroe, LA 3 03-11 73
Day 1: 3 03-11
129. John Hammersmith Branson, MO 3 03-11 72
Day 1: 3 03-11
130. Garrett Rose Pipecreek, TX 3 03-09 71
Day 1: 3 03-09
131. Larry Puckett Decatur, TX 2 03-09 70
Day 1: 2 03-09
132. Billy Cline Argyle, TX 3 03-08 69
Day 1: 3 03-08
133. Ron Wells Claremore, OK 3 03-07 68
Day 1: 3 03-07
134. Justin Prisock Robinson, TX 2 03-07 67
Day 1: 2 03-07
135. Drew Sloan Scurry, TX 1 03-06 66
Day 1: 1 03-06
136. David Drinkard Sour Lake, TX 2 03-04 65
Day 1: 2 03-04
137. Neels Beneke Amanzimtoti SOUTH AFRIC 3 03-03 64
Day 1: 3 03-03
137. Kylie Sparks Denham Spgs, LA 3 03-03 64
Day 1: 3 03-03
139. Masayuki Matsushita Tokoname-Shi JAPAN 2 03-01 62
Day 1: 2 03-01
140. James Caldemeyer Gilmer, TX 1 02-15 61
Day 1: 1 02-15
141. Shonn Goodwin Moore, OK 3 02-14 60
Day 1: 3 02-14
142. Bill Watts Beaumont, TX 2 02-11 59
Day 1: 2 02-11
143. Brandon Ackerson Afton, OK 1 02-05 58
Day 1: 1 02-05
144. Allan Nail Sand Springs, OK 2 02-03 57
Day 1: 2 02-03
144. Trait Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 2 02-03 57
Day 1: 2 02-03
146. James Davis Jr Ferriday, LA 2 02-02 55
Day 1: 2 02-02
147. Jake Boomer Spokane Valley, WA 1 02-02 54
Day 1: 1 02-02
148. Steve Sennikoff Edgewood, TX 2 01-14 53
Day 1: 2 01-14
149. Steven White Ashville, AL 1 01-11 52
Day 1: 1 01-11
150. Jake Biram Tulsa, OK 1 01-10 51
Day 1: 1 01-10
151. Jerod Hawkes Eagle Pass, TX 1 01-08 50
Day 1: 1 01-08
152. Mark Hicks Glouster, OH 1 01-07 49
Day 1: 1 01-07
152. Bill McNutt Henry, IL 1 01-07 49
Day 1: 1 01-07
154. Sean Obrien Norman, OK 1 01-06 47
Day 1: 1 01-06
155. Jim Dillard West Monroe, LA 1 01-05 46
Day 1: 1 01-05
156. Billy Billeaud Lafayette, LA 1 01-04 45
Day 1: 1 01-04
156. Brent Homan Graham, TX 1 01-04 45
Day 1: 1 01-04
158. Chris Bailey Eddy, TX 1 01-02 43
Day 1: 1 01-02
158. Kenny Mittelstaedt Minnetonka, MN 1 01-02 43
Day 1: 1 01-02
160. Larry Jenkins Leesburg, TX 1 01-01 41
Day 1: 1 01-01
160. Terry Luedtke Burton, TX 1 01-01 41
Day 1: 1 01-01
160. Randy Qualls Streetman, TX 1 01-01 41
Day 1: 1 01-01
163. RJ Chandler Jr. Vinton, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Anthony Dumitras Winston, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Justin Hallmark Bertram, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Edwin Pulda Jasper, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Rodney Richards Ardmore, OK 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Jerry Riddle Jr Summit, MS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
163. Hermilo Salgado Artemus, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
170. Steven Caldwell Whitesboro, TX 0 -1-00 0
Day 1: 0 -01-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 83 615 1080-09
----------------------------------
83 615 1080-09
2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open at Neely Henry Lake 10/22-10/24
Neely Henry Lake, Gadsden AL.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Kayden Tanner Millsap, TX 3 07-10 200
Day 1: 3 07-10
2. Jason Henson Rome, GA 3 07-08 199
Day 1: 3 07-08
3. Jeff Queen Catawba, NC 3 06-15 198
Day 1: 3 06-15
4. Buddy Elston Jr. Odenville, AL 3 06-08 197
Day 1: 3 06-08
5. Kyle Owen Bradenton, FL 3 06-03 196
Day 1: 3 06-03
5. Ethen Preston Tower City, ND 3 06-03 196
Day 1: 3 06-03
5. Shane Soriano Merced, CA 3 06-03 196
Day 1: 3 06-03
8. Steven Hatch Long Beach, MS 3 06-02 193
Day 1: 3 06-02
9. Brad Hollowell Azle, TX 3 06-00 192
Day 1: 3 06-00
10. Ronald Young New Braunfels, TX 3 05-15 191
Day 1: 3 05-15
11. Leroy Mcdonald Jr Blanchard, OK 3 05-11 190
Day 1: 3 05-11
12. Mark Stewart Ashville, AL 3 05-10 189
Day 1: 3 05-10
13. Cameron Naquin Gray, LA 2 05-10 188
Day 1: 2 05-10
14. Milo Salgado Jr. Artemus, KY 3 05-08 187
Day 1: 3 05-08
14. Shane Stockton Fort Worth, TX 3 05-08 187
Day 1: 3 05-08
16. David Booth Erin, TN 3 05-03 185
Day 1: 3 05-03
17. Rich Frey Owens Cross Roads, AL 2 05-03 184
Day 1: 2 05-03
18. Jake Larson Deerfield, WI 3 05-00 183
Day 1: 3 05-00
19. Dakota Gaskin Carrollton, GA 3 04-14 182
Day 1: 3 04-14
20. Darrell Hille Springfield, TN 3 04-12 181
Day 1: 3 04-12
20. Mamoru Kagiya Takahama JAPAN 3 04-12 181
Day 1: 3 04-12
22. Joe Lee Midlothian, TX 3 04-11 179
Day 1: 3 04-11
22. Randy Waddell Guntersville, AL 3 04-11 179
Day 1: 3 04-11
24. John Goul Philadelphia, MS 2 04-11 177
Day 1: 2 04-11
25. Will Williford Orange, TX 3 04-09 176
Day 1: 3 04-09
26. William Rogers Summerton, SC 3 04-09 175
Day 1: 3 04-09
27. Ed Kennedy Wetumpka, AL 3 04-08 174
Day 1: 3 04-08
28. Ruben Arevalos Poth, TX 3 04-06 173
Day 1: 3 04-06
28. Ralph Pierce Prattville, AL 3 04-06 173
Day 1: 3 04-06
30. Eric Davis Athens, AL 3 04-05 171
Day 1: 3 04-05
30. Billy Messer Spartanburg, SC 3 04-05 171
Day 1: 3 04-05
30. Robert Paxton Jr Flower Mound, TX 3 04-05 171
Day 1: 3 04-05
33. Kelly Salow Delhi, IA 3 04-03 168
Day 1: 3 04-03
34. Raymond Vargas Hattiesburg, MS 2 04-01 167
Day 1: 2 04-01
35. Bradley Barnes Anniston, AL 2 04-00 166
Day 1: 2 04-00
35. Bud Biram Tulsa, OK 2 04-00 166
Day 1: 2 04-00
37. Mark Guhne Hixson, TN 2 03-12 164
Day 1: 2 03-12
38. Jerad Perry Marshall, TX 2 03-11 163
Day 1: 2 03-11
39. Lee Deboer Mckinney, TX 3 03-10 162
Day 1: 3 03-10
39. Wayne Haynes Ohatchee, AL 3 03-10 162
Day 1: 3 03-10
41. Jessie Ayers Antlers, OK 3 03-09 160
Day 1: 3 03-09
42. Thom Dickson Cartersville, GA 3 03-08 159
Day 1: 3 03-08
43. Jared Penton Sanger, TX 3 03-07 158
Day 1: 3 03-07
44. Clarence Schwarz Bedford, TX 2 03-06 157
Day 1: 2 03-06
45. Carson Denmark Malcolm, AL 3 03-05 156
Day 1: 3 03-05
46. Justin Kulbeck Clinton, TN 3 03-03 155
Day 1: 3 03-03
46. Philip Perkins Gadsden, AL 3 03-03 155
Day 1: 3 03-03
48. Joe Nance Pearland, TX 3 03-02 153
Day 1: 3 03-02
48. Chuck Thurlow Auburn, AL 3 03-02 153
Day 1: 3 03-02
50. Kelvin Young Guntersville, AL 3 03-00 151
Day 1: 3 03-00
51. William Young Livingston, TX 2 03-00 150
Day 1: 2 03-00
52. Colton Anders Burton, TX 3 02-15 149
Day 1: 3 02-15
53. Russell Elrod Arab, AL 2 02-13 148
Day 1: 2 02-13
54. Charles Steele Attalla, AL 2 02-12 147
Day 1: 2 02-12
55. Michael Zierath Flower Mound, TX 2 02-11 146
Day 1: 2 02-11
56. Bailey Dukes RAINSVILLE, AL 2 02-07 145
Day 1: 2 02-07
56. Zak Kuhn Lady Lake, FL 2 02-07 145
Day 1: 2 02-07
56. Rob Thomas Griffin, GA 2 02-07 145
Day 1: 2 02-07
59. Jordan Clayton Wichita Falls, TX 2 02-06 142
Day 1: 2 02-06
59. Ralph Gibson Locust Grove, OK 2 02-06 142
Day 1: 2 02-06
59. Dylan Smith Midlothian, TX 2 02-06 142
Day 1: 2 02-06
62. Bobby Shockley Springfield, MO 1 02-05 139
Day 1: 1 02-05
63. John Connell Marion, IL 2 02-04 138
Day 1: 2 02-04
63. Lonnie Miller Broken Arrow, OK 2 02-04 138
Day 1: 2 02-04
65. Jeff Harris Lexington, KY 1 02-04 136
Day 1: 1 02-04
66. Bob Burgess Millington, TN 2 02-03 135
Day 1: 2 02-03
67. Steve Jacques Addison, AL 2 02-02 134
Day 1: 2 02-02
68. Bert Petrie St. Paul, TX 2 02-01 133
Day 1: 2 02-01
68. Daniel Smith Blountsville, AL 2 02-01 133
Day 1: 2 02-01
70. Jon Jezierski Troy, MI 2 02-00 131
Day 1: 2 02-00
71. Matt Connolly Duluth, GA 1 02-00 130
Day 1: 1 02-00
71. Osvaldo Gutierrez Grand Island, NE 1 02-00 130
Day 1: 1 02-00
73. Robbie Menefee Ashville, AL 1 01-14 128
Day 1: 1 01-14
74. John Goebel Lumberton, TX 1 01-13 127
Day 1: 1 01-13
75. Tommy Menefee Ashville, AL 1 01-12 126
Day 1: 1 01-12
76. Leon Jefferson Baytown, TX 2 01-11 125
Day 1: 2 01-11
77. Michael Benson Cullman, AL 2 01-10 124
Day 1: 2 01-10
78. Brandon Clayton Haslet , TX 1 01-10 123
Day 1: 1 01-10
78. Jacob Vincent Carencro, LA 1 01-10 123
Day 1: 1 01-10
80. Larry Beauboeuf Bossier City, LA 1 01-09 121
Day 1: 1 01-09
80. Robby Griffith Ashville, AL 1 01-09 121
Day 1: 1 01-09
82. Brian Hamaker Huntsville, AL 1 01-07 119
Day 1: 1 01-07
82. Steven West Mooreville, MS 1 01-07 119
Day 1: 1 01-07
84. Sieg Taylor Navarre, FL 1 01-05 117
Day 1: 1 01-05
85. Joshua Griffith Louisville, KY 1 01-04 116
Day 1: 1 01-04
85. Jenny Nevans Dayton, TN 1 01-04 116
Day 1: 1 01-04
85. Tripp Noojin Bryant, AL 1 01-04 116
Day 1: 1 01-04
85. Frank Williams Saint Charles, MO 1 01-04 116
Day 1: 1 01-04
89. Noel Allen Jr Brandon, MS 1 01-03 112
Day 1: 1 01-03
89. Allen Heston Pittsburg, TX 1 01-03 112
Day 1: 1 01-03
91. Mike Petty Merkel, TX 1 01-01 110
Day 1: 1 01-01
92. Eric Carroll Gaylesville, AL 1 01-00 109
Day 1: 1 01-00
92. Keith Eddleman Buda, TX 1 01-00 109
Day 1: 1 01-00
94. Todd Drury Haslet, TX 1 00-15 107
Day 1: 1 00-15
94. Gary Hart Florence, AL 1 00-15 107
Day 1: 1 00-15
94. Chris Jeffery Sedan, KS 1 00-15 107
Day 1: 1 00-15
94. Will Major Port Allen, LA 1 00-15 107
Day 1: 1 00-15
98. Chris Mitchell Millport, AL 1 00-14 103
Day 1: 1 00-14
99. Nathan Adams House Springs, MO 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Brad Bailey Saint Louis, MO 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Gary Bates Athens, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Edward Bean Johnsburg, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Isaac Booth Washburn, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Sam Chapman Norman, OK 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Joseph Chilcott Crestview, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. John Cummings Alexander, AR 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Mike Duke Summerville, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Michael Elrod Cropwell, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Ricky Ezell Texas, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Justin Franklin Oxford, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Donnie Gamble Bessemer, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Bill Hudson Norman, OK 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Ed Laroche Benld, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Johnny Masters Albertville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Kevin Maxwell Laneville, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Vincent Mayben Rainbow City, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Arnold Montgomery Gadsden, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Joe Olivas Worthington, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Robert Pennell Cuero, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Johnny Ramos Odessa, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Matt Roberson Powder Springs, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Cody Shry Pinehrst, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Blaine Sparks Walker, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Dwain Vogelpohl Cambridge, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Scotty Walton Oklahoma City, OK 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
99. Billy Wilson Highland Village, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Ty Story Prattville, AL 0 -1-00 0
Day 1: 0 -01-00
Major League Fishing Announces 2021 Bass Pro Tour Schedule
TULSA, Okla. (Oct. 22, 2020) – Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today the 2021 MLF Bass Pro Tour schedule, which will showcase the best bass anglers in the world competing on many of the top fisheries in the United States. The 2021 Bass Pro Tour season will run from March to September and feature seven regular-season tournaments. MLF will also host four MLF Cups, REDCREST and the MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters – an all-star event that highlights the 40 anglers from the Bass Pro Tour with the highest cumulative weight from their single largest bass in each of the five regular-season events held in 2020.
“We are hitting these lakes and rivers at the right time for incredible competition. I’m expecting the Bass Pro Tour anglers to keep SCORETRACKER busy all year long,” said Michael Mulone, Senior Director of Events & Partnerships for MLF. “Our host cities understand the power of our brand and are primed and ready to welcome our anglers, staff, sponsors and fans. We are so grateful for their continued partnerships and are looking forward to bringing fast-paced, fan-friendly competition to their communities and to our fans worldwide.”
Each stage of the Bass Pro Tour includes six days of competition using the catch, weigh, immediate-release format, broadcast live on the Major League Fishing app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), and MajorLeagueFishing.com, totaling more than 450 hours of original programming. Fans can also follow the on-the-water action as it unfolds on the live SCORETRACKER® leaderboard.
The 2021 MLF Bass Pro Tour will air on Discovery Channel beginning in July 2021 and Sportsman Channel in early 2022.
In MLF Bass Pro Tour competition, anglers are vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for REDCREST, the world championship of professional bass fishing. REDCREST 2021 will feature the REDCREST Expo, February 26-28, at Expo Square in Tulsa, Oklahoma – a free, family-friendly event featuring all the new products and gear in the fishing, boating and outdoor industry.
2021 MLF Bass Pro Tour Schedule
- Feb. 23-27
REDCREST at Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees Tulsa, Okla.
Hosted by Visit Tulsa
- March 21-26
Bass Pro Tour Stage One at Sam Rayburn Reservoir Jasper, Texas
Hosted by Jasper County Development District &
Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce - April 9-14
General Tire HEAVY HITTERS
at Falls Lake, Jordan Lake & Shearon Harris Reservoir Raleigh, N.C.
Hosted by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance - April 30-May 5
Bass Pro Tour Stage Two at Lake Travis Austin, Texas
Hosted by the Austin Sports Commission - May 21-26
Bass Pro Tour Stage Three at Harris Chain of Lakes Leesburg, Fla.
Hosted by Lake County, FL & City of Leesburg - June 4-9
Bass Pro Tour Stage Four at Lake Chickamauga Dayton, Tenn.
Hosted by Fish Dayton - June 25-30
Bass Pro Tour Stage Five at St. Lawrence River Massena, N.Y.
Hosted by the Town of Massena
- Aug. 5-10
Bass Pro Tour Stage Six at Lake Champlain Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Hosted by the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau and the City of Plattsburgh - Sept. 10-15
Bass Pro Tour Stage Seven at Lake St. Clair St. Clair Shores, Mich.
Hosted by Macomb County, St. Clair Shores and the Detroit Sports Commission
The full schedule, along with details for each event, can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
MLF Announces 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Schedule, Entry Dates and Advancement Opportunities
Qualification Opportunity for the Toyota Series Championship and Potential to Win $235,000, Including a $35,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus
BENTON, Ky. (Oct. 21, 2020) – Major League Fishing announced today the schedule, rules, payouts and entry dates for the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine, offering weekend anglers the best payouts and advancement opportunities for the lowest entry fees available.
The Bass Fishing League is the only circuit where anglers can fish close to home, with opportunities to advance to nine no-entry-fee championships – including the All-American and Toyota Series Championship – for a shot at winning top boater awards of $120,000 and $235,000, respectively.
Each qualifying tournament offers a top boater award of $13,000, including the Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus, and a top co-angler award of $3,000. Top awards jump to $16,000 for boaters, including the Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus, and $4,500 for co-anglers in super tournaments. Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonuses enhance payouts $500 to $7,000 for Phoenix boat owners in every qualifier, super tournament and regional championship, an additional $20,000 in the All-American, and $35,000 in the Toyota Series Championship.
- The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners in each division advance to Regional Championships.
- Enter all five events in a division, fish at least two and automatically advance to the Wild Card Regional if you don’t qualify for a Regional Championship.
- The top six boaters and co-anglers from each Regional Championship and the Wild Card Regional advance to the All-American.
- The highest-finishing boater and co-angler from each Regional Championship and the Wild Card Regional at the All-American advance to the Toyota Series Championship – you only have to beat five anglers to advance.
The Bass Fishing League gives weekend anglers a clear path to the Toyota Series, Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the Bass Pro Tour, placing anglers in front of the sport’s largest fan base with coverage on majorleaguefishing.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Every tournament features live weigh-in coverage and outreach to local media. Original programming of the 2021All-American and 2021 Toyota Series Championship will be televised nationally on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel and World Fishing Network, showcasing Bass Fishing League anglers and their sponsors to MLF’s worldwide audience.
“We pride ourselves on providing the absolute best tournaments for the lowest cost of participation available anywhere,” said MLF BIG5 Senior Director of Tournament Operations Daniel Fennel. “The Bass Fishing League has a rich history of providing a competitive outlet for weekend bass anglers and launching professional careers. That tradition is stronger than ever as we enter the 2021 season with more than $8.3 million in awards on the line for Bass Fishing League anglers.”
The complete 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League schedule, rules and payouts can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Anglers can register for the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League season at FLWFishing.com or by calling 270.252.1000, beginning at 8 a.m. CDT on the dates listed below:
December 7, 2020 – Cowboy, Gator, Hoosier and Music City.
December 8, 2020 – Bulldog, Bama, Illini, Mississippi and Volunteer.
December 9, 2020 – Buckeye, Choo Choo, Great Lakes, Mountain and Ozark.
December 10, 2020 – Arkie, LBL, North Carolina, Northeast and Okie.
December 11, 2020 – Michigan, Piedmont, Savannah River, Shenandoah and South Carolina.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Bass Fishing League and Toyota Series on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Schedule:
Arkie Division
Feb 13 Ouachita: Mountain Harbor Marina
Mar 6 Hamilton: Hulsey Hatchery Access
Apr 24 Greers Ferry: Devil's Fork
May 16* Dardanelle: Lake Dardanelle State Park
Sep 18-19 Hamilton: Hulsey Hatchery Access
Bama Division
Jan 30 Eufaula: Lakepoint Resort State Park
Mar 6 Mitchell: Higgins Ferry Park
May 1 Lewis Smith: Smith Lake Dam Access
Jun 26 Neely Henry: Coosa Landing
Sep 11-12 Lay: Beeswax Landing
Buckeye Division
May 15 Ohio River-Tanners Creek: Lawrenceburg Ramp
Jun 26 Grand Lake-St. Marys: West Bank Ramp
Jul 24 Mosquito: Mosquito Lake State Park
Aug 14 Ohio River-Tanners Creek: Lawrenceburg Ramp
Sep 11-12 Erie: Shelby Street Boat Launch
Bulldog Division
Feb 13 Lanier: Laurel Park
Mar 13 Oconee: Sugar Creek Marina
Apr 10 Sinclair: Dennis Station Access
May 22 Eufaula: Lakepoint Resort State Park
Sep 25-26 Lanier: Laurel Park
Choo Choo Division
Feb 13 Guntersville: The Bait, Tackle & Grill at Goose Pond
Mar 27 Pickwick: McFarland Park
Apr 24 Wheeler: Joe Wheeler State Park
May 8 Chickamauga: Dayton Boat Dock
Oct 2-3 Guntersville: The Bait, Tackle & Grill at Goose Pond
Cowboy Division
Jan 2 Sam Rayburn: Umphrey Family Pavilion
Feb 13 Toledo Bend: San Miguel Park
Mar 6 Sam Rayburn: Umphrey Family Pavilion
Apr 10 Lake of the Pines: Lakeside Park
Sep 18-19 Sam Rayburn: Umphrey Family Pavilion
Gator Division
Jan 9 Harris Chain: Venetian Gardens - Ski Beach
Feb 20 Harris Chain: Venetian Gardens - Ski Beach
Mar 13 Toho: Big Toho Marina
Apr 10 Okeechobee: Roland & Mary Ann Martin's Marina
Sep 18-19 Okeechobee: C. Scott Driver Park
Great Lakes Division
Apr 17 MS River-La Crosse: W. Copeland & Clinton
Jun 12 Wolf River Chain: Winneconne Waterfront Park
Jul 17 MS River-La Crosse: W. Copeland & Clinton
Aug 7 MS River-Prairie du Chein: Washington Street Ramp
Oct 2-3 MS River-La Crosse: W. Copeland & Clinton
Hoosier Division
Apr 17 Monroe: Cutright Ramp
May 8 Patoka: Newton Stewart South Ramp
Jul 10 Monroe: Cutright Ramp
Aug 7 Ohio River-Rocky Point: Rocky Point Marina
Aug 28-29 Ohio River-Tanners Creek: Lawrenceburg Ramp
Illini Division
May 22 Rend: Wayne Fitzgerrell Sailboat Landing
Jun 19 Shelbyville: 9th Street Ramp
Jul 17 Rend: Wayne Fitzgerrell Sailboat Landing
Aug 14 Ohio River-Golconda: Golconda Marina
Sep 11-12 Shelbyville: 9th Street Ramp
LBL Division
Mar 6 Kentucky-Barkley: Kentucky Dam Marina
Mar 27 Kentucky-Barkley: Moors Resort & Marina
May 1 Kentucky-Barkley: Kentucky Dam Marina
Jun 12 Kentucky-Barkley: Moors Resort & Marina
Sep 11-12 Kentucky-Barkley: Paris Landing State Park
Michigan Division
Jun 26 St. Clair: Harley Ensign Boat Launch
Jul 10 St. Clair: Harley Ensign Boat Launch
Jul 31 Detroit River: Elizabeth Park Marina
Aug 28 Detroit River: Elizabeth Park Marina
Sep 18-19 Detroit River: Elizabeth Park Marina
Mississippi Division
Feb 20 Ross Barnett: Tommy's Trading Post
Mar 27 Columbus Pool: Columbus Marina
Apr 17 Grenada: Grenada Landing
May 15 Ferguson: Greenville Waterfront Park
Oct 2-3 Pickwick: JP Coleman State Park
Mountain Division
Mar 6 Dale Hollow: Star Point Marina
Apr 10 Dale Hollow: Star Point Marina
May 8 Cumberland: Conley Bottom Resort
Jun 12 Cherokee: TVA Dam Boat Launch
Sep 25-26 Cumberland: Conley Bottom Resort
Music City Division
Mar 20 Dale Hollow: Star Point Marina
Apr 3 Percy Priest: Fate Sanders Marina
May 15 Center Hill: Ragland Bottom Recreation Area
Jun 19 Old Hickory: Bulls Creek Access (Flippers)
Sep 18-19 Old Hickory: Bulls Creek Access (Flippers)
North Carolina Division
Feb 21* Norman: Pinnacle Access Area
Mar 13 Kerr: Nutbush North
May 9* Kerr: Nutbush North
Jun 19 High Rock: Tamarac Marina & Campground
Sep 25-26 Wylie: Buster Boyd's Landing
Northeast Division
Apr 17 Chesapeake Bay: Anchor Marina
May 22 Chesapeake Bay: Anchor Marina
Jul 10 Champlain: Plattsburgh City Marina
Aug 7 Cayuga: Frontenac Park
Sep 11-12 St. Lawrence River: Massena Intake Launch
Okie Division
Mar 20 Grand: Wolf Creek Park
Apr 24 Arkansas River: Three Forks Harbor
May 15 Eufaula: Eufaula Cove (North Point)
Jun 19 Arkansas River: Three Forks Harbor
Sep 18-19 Grand: Wolf Creek Park
Ozark Division
Feb 20 Table Rock: Port of Kimberling Marina & Resort
Mar 13 Lake of the Ozarks: Public Beach #2
Apr 17 Table Rock: Port of Kimberling Marina & Resort
Jun 12 Truman: Long Shoal Marina
Sep 25-26 Lake of the Ozarks: Public Beach #2
Piedmont Division
Apr 10 Smith Mountain: Parkway Marina
May 2* Kerr: Nutbush North
Jun 26 High Rock: Tamarac Marina & Campground
Jul 31 James River: Osborne Landing
Oct 2-3 Kerr: Nutbush North
Savannah River Division
Feb 6 Keowee: South Cove County Park
Apr 17 Clarks Hill: Wildwood Park
May 8 Hartwell: Green Pond Landing
Jun 12 Clarks Hill: Wildwood Park
Sep 11-12 Hartwell: Tugaloo State Park
Shenandoah Division
Mar 27 Kerr: Nutbush North
Apr 24 Smith Mountain: Parkway Marina
May 15 Potomac River: Smallwood State Park
Jul 24 James River: Osborne Landing
Sep 25-26 Potomac River: Smallwood State Park
South Carolina Division
Feb 13 Murray: Dreher Island State Park
Mar 27 Santee Cooper: John C. Land III Landing
May 1 Hartwell: Tugaloo State Park
Jun 19 Clarks Hill: Dorn Fishing Facility
Sep 25-26 Murray: Dreher Island State Park
Volunteer Division
Jan 30 Chickamauga: Dayton Boat Dock
Mar 13 Cherokee: TVA Dam Boat Launch
May 1 Douglas: Dandridge Ramp
May 22 South Holston: Observation Knob Park
Oct 2-3 Watts Bar: Tom Fuller Park
* Sunday
2021 Regional Championships:
Oct 7-9 Norfork: Buzzard Roost Marina, Mountain Home, AR
Divisions: Arkie, Illini, LBL and Ozark
Oct 7-9 Wheeler: Ingalls Harbor Pavilion, Decatur, AL
Divisions: Bama, Hoosier, Mountain and Music City
Oct 14-16 Murray: Dreher Island State Park, Columbia, SC
Divisions: North Carolina, Savannah River, Shenandoah and Volunteer
Oct 14-16 Potomac: Smallwood State Park, Marbury, MD
Divisions: Buckeye, Michigan, Northeast and Piedmont
Oct 21-23 St. Johns: Palatka Riverfront Park, Palatka, FL
Divisions: Bulldog, Choo Choo, Gator and South Carolina
Oct 21-23 Ouachita: Mountain Harbor Marina, Mt. Ida, AR
Divisions: Cowboy, Great Lakes, Mississippi and Okie
Nov 5-6 Wild Card: TBA
2021 All-American:
Jun 3-5 Douglas: Dandridge Boat Dock, Dandridge, TN
AC INSIDER - Doomsday Podcast with David Mullins
This week Chris is back and he and the boys open the show with current BASS AOY Leader David Mullins to talk about his resurgence this year on the Elite Trail. KG Digs into his beginning in the sport and DX asks the tough questions.... Y'all check it out!
Tharpe And James Use Late Flurry To Win Bassmaster Junior National Championship
Turner Tharpe and Blake James of Rhea County, Tenn., have won the 2020 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior National Championship with a two-day total of 13 pounds, 15 ounces.
Photo by Emily Hand/B.A.S.S.
October 20, 2020
HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — Thanks in part to an afternoon flurry, Rhea County (Tenn.) seventh graders Turner Tharpe and Blake James caught 8 pounds, 2 ounces on Championship Tuesday to claim the Mossy Oak Fishing Junior Bassmaster National Championship on the Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake with a two-day total of 13-15.
They earned a $2,500 scholarship.
“It feels amazing,” Turner said. “I’m not sure if we will be able to do this ever again, but I hope we will.”
Turner and James threw a wacky rig around shallow, offshore brush in a pocket most of Day 1, boat captain Brent Tharpe said. On Day 2, Turner and James started on the same structure but bright skies and calm conditions slowed the bite.
“I just told them to keep their head in the game and don’t get distracted and worry about other boats,” Brent Tharpe said.
James and Turner had just one fish by midday, but conditions started to change as wind and some clouds entered the area.
“The sun went behind the clouds and it started to get a little windy,” James said. “Yesterday, that seemed to be when we caught them, because it was cloudy, so that helped after lunch.”
Along with the weather change, Turner and James moved away from their shallow cover to a ditch in the middle of the pocket that had trees stacked in it. They filled their limit there with a drop shot.
“We figured out that they weren’t up shallow, so we moved out and started catching some fish,” Turner said.
Logan Lopossa and Koby Sollars from the Southside Anglers in Indiana finished second with a two-day total of 12-8 after catching four fish for 4-13 on Day 2. They earned a $1,000 scholarship.
Sollars said he and Lopossa caught all of their fish in the morning and, while they had bites during the afternoon, they couldn’t find another keeper.
The duo landed one fish in the afternoon that fell just shy of the 12-inch size limit. Lopossa and Sollars previously qualified for the 2019 National Championship, and they used their experience from that tournament to help them during this event.
“We were catching them on a shaky head and a paddletail worm,” Lopossa said. “We were here last year and we caught them on that (plum) color. So, we threw it on a shaky head and they just kept destroying it.”
Lopossa and Sollars moved back and forth from deep to shallow, but one particular dropoff with stumps and gravel produced all their bites on Day 2.
Kasen Pemberton and Hunter Prough from the Chipley High fishing team finished third with 12-3 and won an $800 scholarship, while Kyle and Nicholas Herrman from the Topeka Jr. Hawgs program held onto the Big Bass award with a 5-4 largemouth they caught on Day 1, earning them a $200 scholarship.
With the Junior Championship complete, the focus shifts to the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School National Championship at Kentucky Lake presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors Oct. 22-24. Action begins Thursday at 7 a.m. CT from Paris Landing State Park with weigh-in starting at 3 p.m.
2020 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior National Championship 10/19-10/20
Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake, Huntingdon TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Turner Tharpe - Blake James Rhea County 0
Day 1: 5 05-13 Day 2: 5 08-02 Total: 10 13-15
2. Logan Lopossa - Koby Sollars Southside Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 4 04-13 Total: 9 12-08
3. Kasen Pemberton - Hunter Prough Chipley High 0
Day 1: 5 05-12 Day 2: 5 06-07 Total: 10 12-03
4. Jaylin White - Colden Baker Lugoff-Elgin Middle 0
Day 1: 5 04-08 Day 2: 5 07-04 Total: 10 11-12
5. Jack Myers - Lucas Gerlach Denver Jr. Bassmaster 0
Day 1: 4 09-01 Day 2: 2 02-01 Total: 6 11-02
6. Pate Anderson - Bobby Miller Susquehanna Valley Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 4 04-07 Day 2: 5 06-04 Total: 9 10-11
7. Dakota Carter - Preston Keller OKC Junior Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 4 03-12 Day 2: 4 06-11 Total: 8 10-07
8. Zane Parker - Garrett Wilson 0
Day 1: 5 04-09 Day 2: 5 05-11 Total: 10 10-04
9. Langston Martin - Coleman Mezick Lee County Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 05-13 Day 2: 4 04-06 Total: 9 10-03
10. Carson Harrell - Colton Harrell chapman panthers 0
Day 1: 3 04-07 Day 2: 5 05-03 Total: 8 09-10
11. Trent Volz - Carson Volz Indian Creek 0
Day 1: 4 04-06 Day 2: 3 04-08 Total: 7 08-14
12. Charles Klug - PJ Jacobs Junior High 0
Day 1: 5 04-12 Day 2: 4 03-15 Total: 9 08-11
13. Holten Phillips - Griffin Ralph Lakeside 0
Day 1: 5 05-03 Day 2: 3 02-13 Total: 8 08-00
14. Kyle Herrman - Nicholas Herrman Topeka Jr Hawgs 0
Day 1: 4 07-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 4 07-15
15. Annabel Hellum - Ben Lewis Phoenix Junior Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 4 04-03 Day 2: 3 03-12 Total: 7 07-15
16. Landon Pierce - Korbin Neat Casey County 0
Day 1: 3 03-12 Day 2: 5 04-00 Total: 8 07-12
17. Peter Duffy - Bryce Formsma GR Bass boys Northview 0
Day 1: 5 05-00 Day 2: 3 02-10 Total: 8 07-10
18. Mason Dople - Gabryel St John Jellico Middle 0
Day 1: 1 03-07 Day 2: 4 03-14 Total: 5 07-05
19. Bo Hollen - Ari Clark Mon Valley Bassmaster's 0
Day 1: 4 03-08 Day 2: 4 03-10 Total: 8 07-02
20. Colt Sitton - Ryan Grace North OKC Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 02-01 Day 2: 3 05-00 Total: 5 07-01
21. Sawyer Knickerbocker - Gage Dowers SWLA Jr Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 05-08 Day 2: 2 01-02 Total: 7 06-10
22. Gavin White - Brandon Smith LA Junior Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 4 04-15 Day 2: 1 01-06 Total: 5 06-05
23. Jack Meiser - Blake Meiser Eureka 0
Day 1: 4 04-14 Day 2: 1 01-05 Total: 5 06-03
24. Brody Kellum - Carson Thompson Franklin County Middle School 0
Day 1: 5 05-01 Day 2: 1 01-00 Total: 6 06-01
25. Garret Crow - Brayzon Riddle Lone Star Jr Bassmaster 0
Day 1: 2 03-08 Day 2: 2 02-06 Total: 4 05-14
26. Jace Buxton - Ethan Graham Jackson County 0
Day 1: 2 01-15 Day 2: 3 03-10 Total: 5 05-09
27. Caleb Roblin - Jackson Landry Jr Southwest Bassmasters- LA 0
Day 1: 2 02-01 Day 2: 4 03-08 Total: 6 05-09
28. William Griswold - Seth Schnoebelen Center Point 0
Day 1: 2 01-15 Day 2: 2 03-08 Total: 4 05-07
29. Kyle Johnson - Jared Johnson Black Swamp Youth Bass Club 0
Day 1: 2 02-04 Day 2: 3 03-03 Total: 5 05-07
30. Lucas Sheafer - Steele Smith Louisburg middle school 0
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 4 03-10 Total: 5 05-05
31. Beau McQuade - Curtis Russler Jr. Potomac River Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 02-07 Day 2: 2 02-09 Total: 4 05-00
32. Mason Carden - Dawson Bryant Columbiana Middle School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 04-15 Total: 5 04-15
33. Alex Meland - Carter Michalek Eastern Iowa Jr Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 04-14 Total: 5 04-14
34. Judd Byrd - Samuel Nicholas Oak Grove 0
Day 1: 2 02-09 Day 2: 2 02-05 Total: 4 04-14
35. Joey Elliott - Aiden Pihaylic Anchor Bay 0
Day 1: 4 04-12 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 4 04-12
36. Ian Reed - Mason Everts Hartleys Hawgs 0
Day 1: 2 02-05 Day 2: 2 02-01 Total: 4 04-06
37. Bryce Cast - Ayden Cast St. Louis Area Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 02-12 Day 2: 1 01-09 Total: 3 04-05
38. Ridge Faircloth - Jake Burns Liberty County High School 0
Day 1: 2 02-10 Day 2: 1 01-06 Total: 3 04-00
39. Chan Cawthon - Troy Harper Indian Creek 0
Day 1: 1 01-00 Day 2: 3 02-12 Total: 4 03-12
40. Luke Ankrom - Williamstown 0
Day 1: 1 01-08 Day 2: 2 02-01 Total: 3 03-09
41. Connor Young - Brent Christopher Boyle County Rebels 0
Day 1: 1 03-04 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 03-04
42. Jarren Crowder - Elijah Ambrose Jr. Potomac River Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 02-02 Day 2: 1 00-15 Total: 3 03-01
43. Ryder Milam - Colton Milam Mecklenburg County 0
Day 1: 1 01-01 Day 2: 2 01-14 Total: 3 02-15
44. Jack Varnado - Hunter Robertson Jr. Southwest Bassmasters of Den 0
Day 1: 3 02-13 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 02-13
45. Landon Gabby - Easton Hillard Southern Illinois Future Anglers 0
Day 1: 1 01-02 Day 2: 1 01-11 Total: 2 02-13
46. Andrew Terry - Greer Gammon Dickson County High School 0
Day 1: 2 02-11 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 02-11
47. Eli Walker - Gage Jones Bluestone Middle School 0
Day 1: 2 02-04 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 02-04
48. Carter Pjesky - Hayden Host Off the Hook Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 4 03-06 Day 2: 0 -02-00 Total: 4 01-06
49. Elijah Bryant - Blake Conrad East Jessamine Middle School 0
Day 1: 1 01-06 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 01-06
50. Nicholas Gatchis Conca - Hudson Subach Jr. Denver Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-03 Total: 1 01-03
51. Harrison Betker - Ryder Rousseau Osseo 0
Day 1: 3 01-01 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 3 01-01
52. Kade Sturgill - Wyatt Trexler Rowan County Youth Anglers 0
Day 1: 1 01-00 Day 2: 1 00-00 Total: 2 01-00
53. Zack Brose - Noah Goedjen Heritage Christian Academy 0
Day 1: 1 01-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 01-00
53. Joseph Horne - Jacob Butcher Arkansas Youth Anglers 0
Day 1: 1 01-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 1 01-00
Humminbird® Brings MEGA 360 Imaging™ To the Ice Ice Adapter Kit Gives Anglers 360-Degree View on Hardwater
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Laufenberg Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Mississippi River
Co-angler Victory Goes to Illinois’ Marginean
LA CROSSE, Wis. (Oct. 19, 2020) Boater Cade Laufenberg of Onalaska, Wisconsin, brought a three-day total of 15 bass to the scale weighing 50 pounds, 1 ounce to win the no-entry fee Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship at the Mississippi River. For his victory, Laufenberg earned $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and automatic entry into the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Championship, June 3-5, at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee.
“I spent the entire tournament locking to Pools Seven, Eight and Nine, all of which were equally important,” said Laufenberg, a former College Fishing standout that has seven career wins in FLW competition. “That’s how I like to fish multi-day tournaments here and knew that’s what it would take to win.”
Laufenberg racked up more than 15 pounds per day consecutively, pulling in 18 pounds, 8 ounces on the final day to finish out his victory run.
“I had a terrible practice on Pool Seven, but I knew it had less pressure by the final day and I needed to make an adjustment if I was going to win,” continued Laufenberg. “I locked up to Pool Seven and caught my limit with a combination of smallmouth and largemouth.”
At that point, with a 14-pound-limit, he said he felt he could settle down and fish more strategically.
“I finished out the final day on Pool Eight, throwing a jerkbait on a Spro McStick and caught over 10 pounds within the last 45 minutes of the tournament.
“You have to weigh brown and green and roll with the changes,” continued Laufenberg. “The wind this week was terrible, which changed what the smallmouth were doing every day. But, those bonus largemouth were more consistent and definitely carried me to victory.”
Laufenberg said the win felt absolutely amazing.
“I’ve strived my entire life for this since I was 12 years old,” said Laufenberg. “ It’s amazing to win a boat that has a warranty on it and I’m looking forward to more big things in 2021.”
The top six boaters that qualified for 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:
1st: Cade Laufenberg of Onalaska, Wis., 15 bass, 50-1, $60,000
2nd: Wilson Burton of Findlay, Ohio., 15 bass, 49-4, $10,500
3rd: Leslie Brandenbug of Springfield, Mo., 15 bass, 45-12, $5,000
4th: Mike Mertens of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, 15 bass, 45-0, $3,200
5th: Randy Ramsey, Jr., of Chicago, Ill., 15 bass, 45-0, $2,000
6th: Kevin Ruh of Onalaska, Wis., 15 bass, 44-15, $1,800
Rounding out the top 12 boaters were:
7th: Kerry Frey of Middlebury, Ind., 15 bass, 44-13, $1,600
8th: Mike Brueggen of La Crosse, Wis., 15 bass, 44-12, $1,400
9th: Jeremy Mull of Pawnee, Ill., 15 bass, 44-3, $1,200
10th: Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio, 15 bass, 43-0, $1,000
11th: Bob Drake of Noblesville, Ind., 14 bass, 42-8, $1,000
12th: Keith Nemcek of St. Charles, Ill., 15 bass, 41-12, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Burton took home an extra $500 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Stefan Marginean of Glenview, Illinois, weighed in 14 bass over three days totaling 40 pounds, 6 ounces to win the top co-angler prize package of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:
1st: Stefan Marginean of Glenview, Ill., 14 bass, 40-6, $50,000
2nd: Lenny Bays of Dayton, Ky., 15 bass, 39-7, $5,000
3rd: Jon Cordray of House Springs, Mo., 15 bass, 38-9, $2,500
4th: James Jarvis of West Frankfort, Ill., 15 bass, 36-11, $1,500
5th: Andrew Messina of Valley Park, Mo., 14 bass, 36-10, $1,000
6th: Chuck Davis of Farmington, Ill., 15 bass, 36-2, $900
Rounding out the top 12 co-anglers were:
7th: Ryan Stagner of Robertsville, Mo., 12 bass, 32-7, $800
8th: David Workman of Harrisburg, Ill., 13 bass, 32-4, $700
9th: Linn Oelker of Floyds Knobs, Ind., 12 bass, 29-14, $850
10th: Jarad Hinson of Cuba, Mo., 10 bass, 23-14, $500
11th: Brian Brecka of Alma, Wis., 11 bass, 23-10, $500
12th: Joseph Sittler of Fort Wayne, Ind., 10 bass, 23-5, $500
The Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship on the Mississippi River was hosted by Explore La Crosse. It featured the top pros and co-anglers from the Illini (Illinois), Hoosier (Indiana/Kentucky), Ozark (Missouri) and Michigan divisions.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held June 3-5 at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour.
CHOKE CANYON SET TO HOST TXTT CHAMPIONSHIP
TXTT Championship Choke Canyon Tournament Details
Friday, October 23:
NO ONSITE REGISTRATION. A check in link will be emailed to all registered teams on Wed, Oct 21. Please text or call Amanda at 210-697-8081 with any questions.
Saturday, October 24 & Sunday, October 25:
Take-off & Weigh-in starts at 3pm on both tournament days.
Calliham Park
700 TX-72
Three Rivers, TX 78071
By David A. Brown
What do you get when the home team isn’t exactly from the home state? Well, in the case of Choke Canyon Reservoir, you get a tremendous fishery that’s ready to offer a bountiful playing field for the Texas Team Trail Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, October 24-25.
With the Choke Canyon Dam impounding the Frio River just ahead of its confluence with the Nueces River, this South Texas reservoir has been stocked with Florida-strain largemouth since 1981. Today, local guide and TXTT competitor Mike Bates said the state’s stocking program plus Choke’s remote location have created a giant-factory that offers a tremendous theater for a championship event.
“For pure numbers, it’s better than I’ve ever seen it,” Bates said. “Guide trips have produced 75-100 fish days. And I’m not talking about a bunch of little fish; we’ve had a lot of 4- to 6-pounders. In 30 years of fishing this lake, I’ve never seen the numbers we have now.
“People who’ve never been down here are going to be surprised. Choke Canyon is away from everybody — the nearest metropolitan town is San Antonio, which is about two hours away. She doesn’t get a lot of fishing pressure.”
As of Oct. 13, Choke’s water level stood at 199.42, which is about 21 feet below full pool. As Bates explained, this area of the state doesn’t get the dependable rains of north and east Texas. Nevertheless, a major habitat feature keeps what remains in prime productivity mode.
“Back in 2018 we got a lot of rain in two stages and that got the lake up to 13 feet (below full pool), but now it’s back to 21,” Bates said. “We’re used to fluctuations, but what’s making the lake great is the amount of hydrilla. The lake probably has 13,500 surface acres (currently), but there’s probably 9,000 acres of grass.
“There are plenty of places to fish; there’s hydrilla everywhere. There are still some fish offshore, because we’re still in summer patterns, but there is still plenty of grass for everyone to fish.”
Hot Year Remaining Hot
While the fireworks potential definitely exists, Bates said that given the lingering heat, anglers will definitely have their work cut out for them. Having fished the lake for over 30 years, he’s expecting to find the fish in a transitional phase where they have not yet fully committed to fall patterns.
“Recent daytime temperatures have been as high as 104 and the water temperature is 81-82, so it’s still pretty warm,” Bates said. “We will have had a couple of cold fronts by tournament weekend, so it could easily change into the fall pattern in a week.
“The fish want to go into that fall stuff, but every day has been at least in the mid-90s, so they’re not there yet. If a cold front comes in and pushes that water temperature down, that will help because those Florida bass like water temperatures of 65-75. That’s when they really get going."
Unless and until that change happens, the Championship anglers will have to reach deep into their wells of knowledge in order to match wits with Choke’s moody bass. Considerably more weather sensitive than their northern strain cousins, “Floridas,” as they’re colloquially known, often display incredible aggression during brief feeding windows, but then slip into lethargy.
“The guys that do really well are going to have to continually adapt,” Bates said. “For me every day is a brand new day.”
Likely Patterns
According to Bates, Championship competitors can expect all of Choke’s waters to be in play. Equally broad is the array of potentially productive baits.
“There hasn’t been a bad spot on the lake that I’ve looked at,” Bates said. “You can catch fish everywhere and there’s not a certain technique. In the springtime, I have about three rods on the deck, but right now, I have 15-20 rods and every one of them’s catching fish.
“There’s not a particular thing that’s going to be better. A guy just needs to cover water, pick something he’s strong in and stick with that. There’s offshore fish, there’s grass fish; there’s fish that will bite moving baits and fish that will bite slow, bottom baits.”
Dialing it it a little, Bates said Championship anglers will throw a lot of Texas-rigged plastics — flipping and punching presentations — swimbaits, spinnerbaits, topwaters and crankbaits. Finesse baits, such a dropshots and Ned rigs will produce, but anglers will have to weed through a bunch of small fish to maybe luck into a big bite.
Bates said the biggest bass one of his clients has caught this year — a 10.60 — was about two pounds off the lake’s largest of 2020. He said he would not be surprised to see the Championship produce a double digit fish.
“Everybody’s going to catch fish, but the guys that do well are going to be the guys that find the bigger fish,” Bates said. “It’s going to take mid- to low-20s both days to win it. If someone finds two giants a day, it might take more. A local tournament in September took 25 to win and Big Bass was 8 pounds.
“The key is getting away from the 2- and 3-pounders. You can get in a little stretch where you catch numbers of those fish. It’s fun fishing, but it won’t be fun for the tournament.”
The good thing about Choke’s double blessing of quality and quantity is that it’s less likely anyone will run away with the event. In fact, Bates said he expects a tight leaderboard with ounces separating those at the top.
“I think this is going to be a nail biter,” he said. “It’s going to be a smorgasbord, but some days they’ll eat a bait and the next day they won’t touch it. You have pure Florida’s in this lake and when there’re eating, it’s great. When they’re not, it’s tough.”
Aaron Anderson Tops over 1100 anglers at 15th Annual Berkley Big Bass on Fork
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RONNY MAYNARD AND ERIC CRUMLEY WEIGH IN 15.40LBS TOPPING 126 TTZ TEAMS ON BUCHANAN
PL ANGLER 1 ANGLER 2 FISH BIG BASS WEIGHT PRIZE
1 ERIC CRUMLEY RONNY MAYNARD 5 15.40 $10,000
2 TERRY ADAIR 4 14.95 $3,000
3 JACKY ROBERTS EDDIE PELFREY 5 14.93 $1,500
4 RICK HAMILTON TONY MALDONADO 5 14.91 $1,250
5 TRAVIS COCKERHAM LOGAN CLARK 5 14.42 $1,000
6 BRIAN HUGHES SPENCER SCHNEIDER 5 14.21 $800
7 LEE BEUERSHAUSEN RANDY GROUNDS 5 13.94 $700
8 LANCE DILLARD BLAKE DILLARD 5 13.78 $600
9 JEFF ANDERSON FRANK WIGET 5 4.05 13.75 $500
10 TERRY WILLIAMS JR BILLY WALDSCHMIDT 5 3.97 13.71 $450
11 JARROD SANDERS MICHAEL WALDROP 5 3.90 13.66 $400
12 MARK RIBERA RICK RIBERA 4 7.47 13.65 $350
13 BARRY MOTT MATT HILL 5 4.98 13.64 $300
14 JASON BUCHANAN TERRY KIRCUS 5 13.50
15 CHARLES WHITED BRENDAN KENNELL 5 13.32
16 STEVE MAGNELIA CLINT ROBERTSON 5 13.18
17 TRAVIS PROFFITT STEPHEN MALINA 5 12.40
18 JOHN MILLS DAVID ACHILLES 5 12.28
19 DANIEL ABERNATHY DAVID LINDLEY 5 12.15
20 JASON STAFFORD DOYLE WALKER 5 4.32 12.06
21 DAMON ROSS DONNIE ROSS 4 12.01
22 JOHNNIE BARNES RYAN KESSLER 5 11.77
23 PHILLIP DOUBEK ANDREW SWEET 5 11.69
24 TODD IVINS SCOTT SMITH 5 11.51
24 JOEY WILBURN JORDAN FISHER 5 11.51
26 PHIL WARREN BRIAN MATER 5 11.38
27 BRANDON BRAY JOE BRAY 5 11.20
28 CHRIS BAKER TRISTAN SEARS 5 11.04
29 EDWIN MARTINEZ MICHAEL REEVE 5 3.49 11.01
30 LEE BENTON CODY SMITH 5 10.87
31 GARY FRIEDEL JACOB FROESE 5 10.77
32 DAVE MANGELSDORF MATTHEW WHITTINGTON 5 10.75
32 DEAN ALEXANDER ADRIAN SANCHEZ 5 10.75
34 TERRY HALL LYNN PIERCE 5 10.45
35 LARRY SMITH KEN EVERETT 5 10.43
36 DENNIS WHITED MAX KIPP 5 10.36
37 JUSTIN KETCHUM SEAN CLAMPITT 2 7.49 10.31 $1,260 BIG BASS + $100 BASS ASSETS PRODUCT CERTIFICATE
38 TREY GROCE JOE BILL HALE 5 10.30
39 MICHAEL GALE KELLEY MAULDIN 5 10.29
40 TONY FERDINANDO SHANE LOGAN 4 3.46 10.28
41 ALLEN GASS JOHN RATLIFF 5 10.20
42 RANDALL ESCHBERGER LANCE ESCHBERGER 4 10.04
43 BRYAN RICHARDS MAT KEVIL 3 10.01
44 TOM GUIDRY DUSTIN ISBELL 5 10.00
45 JAMIE SLAYDEN BRANDON HOUSTON 5 9.92
46 BILLY MCCRARY II TRENT ERXLEBEN 4 9.76
47 MIKE PICKWELL CHRIS RAY 5 9.73
48 TRENT BLAKE SHAWN MARKGRAFF 4 9.17
49 MATT CANNON JARED SIEGELER 4 9.05
49 WESLEY MCCLAIN MIKE HARMAN 4 9.05
51 BRYAN SCOTT TYLER TORWICK 5 8.71
52 DUSTIN SMITH JARED SMITH 5 8.68
52 ROGER CYR TRAVIS DAUGHERTY 5 8.68
54 LORNE DORNAK JOE DUCK 5 8.55
55 MIKE MCEACHEM JOSEPH KENNEDY 3 5.41 8.53
56 JOHN WARDEN CHARLES DORTCH 3 8.21
57 JUSTIN MAY KEVIN THRESS 4 8.02
58 DONNIE WEBER JOHN KAPALDO 4 7.68
59 JOSH LASSETER ROBERT MILLER 4 7.39
60 RICK LOWE BRONWYN LOWE 4 6.96
61 JAMES GOODNER GRANT GOODNER 4 6.80
62 JUSTIN MADDING STERLING MARTIN 3 6.79
63 MARC SHERRON MIKE WOOD 4 6.53
64 BRAD DENTON TOM GRIDLEY 4 6.52
65 JAMES JONES SOREN HANSEN 3 6.05
66 HAL GATEWOOD RYAN KACZMAREK 2 5.97
67 JAMES ROLLINS GRANT GALE(Y) 3 5.07
68 QUINN VANCE CHRIS BERTELSON 3 4.41
69 MICKEY SANDERS ROGER MEEK 1 3.79
70 MIKE JOHNSON BYRON ALBRECHT 2 3.33
71 DAVID PEMBERTON JEFF HAGER 2 3.19
72 DANNY HARRELL MICHAEL NOBLE 2 2.60
73 CHRIS WILKINSON MASON WILKINSON(Y) 1 1.43
74 DENA VINES GRACE LATOUR
74 TREY EPICH BRANDON DICKENSON
74 PATRICK STARNES THOMAS HARALSON
74 RICK SCHEEN AUSTIN QUIET
74 SETH KELM MIKE BATES
74 DON GORDON JAMES ROBERTS
74 JASON OLIVO BOBBY ACOSTA
74 RUSSELL KESSLER ROBERT KESSLER
74 TIM RENEAU JUDY RENEAU
74 ZACH CERA DALTON ROWLAND
74 GARY JOHNSON MIKE SODEN
74 WILL BERNHARD DARYL PRICE
74 HUNTER PRICE WYATT RAE
74 ANDY ARMENDARIZ SR
74 JAYSON KISSELBURG DEAN GOLMON
74 RANDALL BEAUCHAMP REGINA BEAUCHAMP
74 PHILIP HENDERSON JEFF ACHILLES
74 JONATHAN WATSON JOHN WATSON
74 ROBBY PAYNE
74 KENNY VALCHAR JAMES VALCHAR
74 MICHAEL ZIBERT KIMBERLY ZIBERT
74 SAM MORROW COLT DIETZ
74 GARY FERGUSON BRETT ORLICH
74 JASON WILLIAMS JEREMY WRIGHT
74 SCOTT EDMONDS
74 CRAIG CORDOVA SHAWN TAMEZ
74 BUBBA WAMPLER HANK FRY
74 JAMES CANTWELL DONNA CANTWELL
74 RUSTY REEDY AYDEN REEDY(Y)
74 RYAN BODE AARON KISSEL
74 DANIEL BARNES ADRIAN BARNES
74 JIMMY CHAPMAN KENNETH CUMMINS
74 CHRISTOPHER WASHINGTON JARRID HOHENSEE
74 MICHAEL MASTERS ROBERT MASTERS
74 BLAKE ARAPIS GLENN WILSON
74 DAVID REID ROBBIE THORSTEINSON
74 NATHEN LABAY BRANDON BUSSELL
74 WARREN KEPKE BUSTER JOHNSON
74 KEN WILKINS KEITH HEINRICH
74 KEN PARKER BLAKE ENBERG
74 DAVID STEPHENS BILL KIMBERLY
74 CHUCK WARE CODY FRAISER
74 RANDY HIBLER RANDALL CHRISTIAN
74 LANDRE WILSON JIM WILSON
74 DEE WILLS KAYLA MARTINEZ
74 DARRELL WUENSCHE
74 DENNIS BECK MICHAEL BECK
74 DARREL ROUTON JACK CULBREATH
74 GLENN RUCKEL SCOTT ROSS
74 CRAIG BULLOCK DAVID BARATZ
74 ANDY TOLLEY TYLER TOLLEY
74 MICHAEL ATKINS JAMES HENRY Pre-Registration Giveaway Winners! Shimano Clarus Rods
74 WADE MEHAFFEY WESTIN MEHAFFEY(Y) Shoreline $250 Fuel Card Decal Winner
Colorado’s Myers, Gerlach Secure Day 1 Lead At Bassmaster Junior Championship
Colorado's Jack Myers and Lucas Gerlach are leading after Day 1 of the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior National Championship with 9 pounds, 1 ounce.
Photo by Brenden Kanies/B.A.S.S.
October 19, 2020
HUNTINGTON, Tenn. — Despite losing an hour of fishing with boat problems early in the day, the team of Jack Myers and Lucas Gerlach from Colorado secured four fish for 9 pounds, 1 ounce to take the Day 1 lead at the 2020 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior National Championship on the Carroll County 1,000 Acre Recreational Lake.
Myers and Gerlach hold a 1-2 lead over Kyle Herrman and Nicholas Herrman of the Topeka Jr. Hawgs heading into Championship Tuesday.
“It feels really good. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time,” Gerlach said.
Fishing stained water for largemouth bass is something new for Gerlach and Myers, who are used to fishing the deep, clear waters of Colorado for smallmouth bass.
“It’s a lot different. (In Colorado) it’s lighter line,” Gerlach said. “The baits are different. Everything is different out here.”
Myers said it took him and Gerlach a little while to figure out how to fish the stained waters of the Carroll County Lake and learn how the largemouth set up. The duo is focusing on the middle of the depth range on the lake this week.
After the hydraulic steering on their boat broke, Gerlach and Myers started fishing an hour later than the rest of the field but recovered nicely with the help of a 4-4 largemouth Myers landed midday.
Gerlach said he is feeling confident heading into the final day but added that he doesn’t know how the pressure from other anglers will affect their bite in the afternoon.
Kyle and Nicholas, who have made three championship appearances in the last four years, also fell one fish shy of a limit but landed a 5-4 largemouth that lifted them to second place and has them atop the Big Bass standings.
“We caught a 7-pounder pre-fishing and we wanted to get on that spot,” Nicholas said. “(Kyle) caught one on his second cast.”
After landing that fish, Kyle said they moved down a little further to a piece of brush on the bank which produced their big fish of the day. The Kansas duo caught five fish total and caught all four of their keepers in the morning hours.
The Southside Anglers team of Logan Lopossa and Koby Sollars are in third place after catching a limit that weighed 7-11, including a 3-0 largemouth. After a quick start to the day, Lopossa and Sollars struggled during the midday before Sollars landed several fish just before check-in.
The full field will compete again Tuesday, with weigh-in scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CT in downtown Huntington. The weigh-in will be streamed live on Bassmaster.com.
Livesay Wins First Bassmaster Elite Series Title On Chickamauga Lake
Lee Livesay, of Longview, Texas, has won the 2020 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Chickamauga Lake with a four-day total of 58 pounds, 2 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
October 19, 2020
DAYTON, Tenn. — Lee Livesay had options, but he committed to a singular game plan based on patience and execution to win the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Chickamauga Lake with a four-day total of 58 pounds, 2 ounces.
Livesay of Longview, Texas, turned in daily limits of 13-0, 13-3, 16-13 and 15-2. Notching his first career victory, the second-year Elite Series pro won the top prize of $100,000.
On Day 1, three of the fish that made up his 10th-place sack ate a football-head jig — one on a Hiwassee River bluff and two by the Highway 60 Bridge. He caught the other two by fishing a Scum Frog Launch Frog over main-lake grass mats, a technique that accounted for each of his bass the final three days.
“I stayed in between the Dayton Boat Dock and the Highway 60 Bridge the whole time (Days 2-4),” Livesay said. “It was so tough, you had to keep your bait in the water the whole time. That area is where I had the most bites.
“The farther south you went, the more fishing pressure you got; the farther upriver, the more pressure you got. I had a little zone where I was comfortable. Right where that river comes into the lake, that’s where you have the most nutrients, the most fish and you have current flow. That’s where I decided to set up.”
Livesay was particular about the types of mats he fished, with seclusion and current flow topping his criteria. Also, venturing far into the mats’ shallowest reaches allowed him to target bass that see little to no fishing pressure.
“Quiet was the deal for me, so I was push-poling into the area with no trolling motor noise,” he said. “Also, there’s a lot of tiny shad around the outer edges of the mats, but the shallower you got, the fewer shad you’d have. They were eating bream about the size of my frog.”
Alternating between black, white and yellow frogs, Livesay added tungsten weights to the baits to improve casting distance and create attention-getting noise. Most importantly, the additional weight created a deeper impression in the mats and made the frogs easier for fish to track.
“I was making long casts and working my bait fast,” he said. “I’d let it sit for (a few seconds) to let the fish get comfortable, but then I’d start working it fast again. When I’d move it again, I’d want them to be looking for it. It’s all reaction.”
On Championship Monday, Livesay said he knew the afternoon bite would offer his best opportunities, as increasing sunlight predictably positions fish under mats. After catching his first keeper around 9:50 a.m., he steadily compiled a solid limit of 2- to 2 3/4-pounders (estimated weights) before finding one that went about 4 pounds at 1:36. A late-day cull secured his winning weight.
He also kept a swimbait on his deck for fish that he saw busting shad on the edges of mats but ended up catching all of his fish on the frog.
Visibly overcome with emotion as B.A.S.S. emcee Dave Mercer announced his victory, Livesay summarized his tears: “I’ve been wanting this my whole life. That’s 35 years of dreaming and a lot of hard work.”
Mike Huff of Corbin, Ky., finished second with 56-6. Mounting an impressive comeback effort, Huff placed 50th on Day 1 after finding only three keepers for 6-12. Catching a Day 2 limit of 12-3 moved him into 33rd and adding the event’s second-heaviest bag — 19-1 — on Day 3 pushed him up to third. His Championship Monday limit weighed 18-6.
Huff caught his fish on bluffs with a 3/8-ounce Cumberland Pro Casting Jig with a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Creature Hawg trailer. He turned in the event’s most exciting performance Monday thanks to a 7-13 largemouth that dramatically changed his outcome.
“I was targeting bluffs with laydowns and current breaks,” Huff said. “That was key; they were sitting right behind those laydowns.”
Jake Whitaker of Fairview, N.C., stuck with his comfort zone, fished a unique pattern and finished third with 49-0. Committing to a marina, he dialed in a few particular boat slips that held a lot of bait and a dependable supply of bass.
Making long skips into the slips with a 2.8-inch Keitech swimbait on a 1/8-ounce swimbait head, Whitaker turned in daily limits of 11-2, 14-3, 11-14 and 11-13.
“After the second day of practice, I hadn’t caught anything, and I said, ‘I gotta do something that I know how to do just to catch a few fish,’” he said. “The second day of practice, I went in that marina and they started schooling.
“I pulled out a fluke, caught two keepers and I said, ‘Okay, there are some keepers in here. But for that place to last for four days, that’s just the good Lord blessing me.’”
Huff's 7-13 secured Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors.
Todd Auten of Lake Wylie, S.C., took home $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, and Chad Pipkens of DeWitt, Mich., earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
David Mullins of Mt. Carmel, Tenn., remains in the lead for the Bassmaster Angler of the Year with 623 points, while Austin Felix of Eden Prairie, Minn., follows in second with 618. Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, is third with 607, followed by Whitaker with 594 and Kyle Welcher of Opelika, Ala., with 592.
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 20 58-02 100 $100,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 5 16-13 Day 4: 5 15-02
2. Mike Huff Corbin, KY 18 56-06 99 $27,000.00
Day 1: 3 06-12 Day 2: 5 12-03 Day 3: 5 19-01 Day 4: 5 18-06
3. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 20 49-00 98 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 11-14 Day 4: 5 11-13
4. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 18 45-02 97 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 12-09 Day 3: 3 08-11 Day 4: 5 12-14
5. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 17 44-09 96 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 5 14-01 Day 3: 2 05-14 Day 4: 5 15-03
6. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 16 43-04 95 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 12-00 Day 3: 5 13-00 Day 4: 1 02-03
7. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 13 39-02 94 $16,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 2 09-09 Day 3: 5 11-14 Day 4: 1 04-08
8. John Cox Debary, FL 12 35-01 93 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 4 12-05 Day 3: 2 04-11 Day 4: 1 03-03
9. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 12 34-06 92 $16,000.00
Day 1: 2 08-10 Day 2: 5 12-06 Day 3: 3 09-13 Day 4: 2 03-09
10. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 13 31-04 91 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 2 04-06 Day 4: 1 01-14
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PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 06-09 $1,000.00
2 Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 07-11 $1,000.00
3 Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 05-14 $1,000.00
4 Mike Huff Corbin, KY 07-13 $1,000.00
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PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Mike Huff Corbin, KY 07-13 $1,000.00
Butler Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee
Co-angler Victory Goes to Tennessee’s Bible
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 19, 2020) Boater Josh Butler of Hayden, Alabama, brought a three-day total of 12 bass to the scale weighing 29 pounds, 3 ounces to win the no-entry fee Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship at Lake Cherokee. For his victory, Butler earned $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and automatic entry into the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Championship, June 3-5, at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee.
“I feel very blessed this week,” said Butler. “I stumbled out of the gate on day one with only two fish weighing five pounds, but I rebounded the second day with 13 pounds and finished out strong on the final day to bring home the win with a decent limit of 10-7.”
Butler said his key to victory was the amount of time he spent graphing and marking brush piles on Lake Cherokee.
“I found 35 to 40 good brush piles, varied from 12 to 35 feet, but caught the majority 25 to 28 feet,” continued Butler. “I fished from the 25E bridge to the dam and caught most of my key fish throwing a morning-dawn-colored 6-inch Roboworm on a drop-shot rig.
“This is my first regional win and my first trip to the All-American and it means the world to me,” said Butler “This is one of the toughest tournaments to qualify for and I feel blessed. I’m excited and ready to get after it.”
The top six boaters that qualified for 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:
1st: Josh Butler of Hayden, Ala., 12 bass, 29-3, $68,000
2nd: Timmy Thompkins of Myrtle Beach, S.C., 11 bass, 28-7, $10,000
3rd: John Duvall of Madison, Ga., 12 bass, 27-7, $5,000
4th: Dale Pelfrey of Rockwood, Tenn., 11 bass, 26-11, $3,000
5th: Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio., 14 bass, 26-6, $2,700
6th: Brant Grimm of Church Hill, Tenn., 11 bass, 26-1, $1,800
Rounding out the top 12 boaters were:
7th: Josh Smith of Hamilton, Ohio., 11 bass, 22-2, $1,600
8th: Derek Miller of Grant, Ala., eight bass, 21-15, $1,400
9th: Charles Willis of Dayton, Ohio, eight bass, 20-12, $1,200
10th: Bill Dunn of Maynardville, Tenn., nine bass, 20-4, $1,000
11th: Clabion Johns of Social Circle, Ga., nine bass, 17-3, $1,000
12th: Nick Gant of Myrtle Beach, S.C., six bass, 15-0, $1,000
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Butler also took home an extra $7,000 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Don Bible of Knoxville, Tennessee, weighed in nine bass over three days totaling 20 pounds, 2 ounces to win the top co-angler prize package of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:
1st: Don Bible of Knoxville, Tenn., nine bass, 20-2, $50,000
2nd: Rex Henry of Hixson, Tenn., seven bass, 15-6, $5,000
3rd: Jeff Rikard of Leesville, S.C., seven bass, 15-0, $3,000
4th: Andrew Starnes of Chapin, S.C., six bass, 13-5, $1,500
5th: Dax Liner of Mineral Bluff, Ga., eight bass, 13-4, $1,000
6th: Daniel Buswell, Jr. of Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 11-14, $900
Rounding out the top 12 co-anglers were:
7th: James Ross of Akron, Ohio, four bass, 11-1, $800
8th: Steve Sorrell of Beaver Creek, Ohio, five bass, 11-0, $700
9th: Matt Brown of Harriman, Tenn., five bass, 10-10, $600
10th: Jordon Smith of Middletown, Ohio, five bass, 9-14, $500
11th: Scott Sayasing of Grantville, Ga., four bass, 8-7, $500
12th: Nicholas Ray of Milledgeville, Ga., four bass, 8-1, $500
The Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee was hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism. It featured the top pros and co-anglers from the Buckeye (Ohio), Bulldog (Georgia), Choo Choo (Alabama/Tennessee) and South Carolina divisions.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held June 3-5 at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour.