AnglersChannel

In uncertain times Bassmaster says Live Smart, Fish Smart

Courtesy of Jim Sexton - Bassmaster.com

Bassmaster has launched a new initiative called Live Smart, Fish Smart, along with the social media hashtags, #livesmart #fishsmart, designed specifically for life in these unsettling times.

What’s this all about?

With states enforcing more and more restrictions daily, many in our great nation are holed up at home. There’s no doubt we’re worried about COVID-19. But those of us with a passion for the outdoors are searching for ways to stay connected to the things we love.

At Bassmaster we’re also seeing this as a unique time to return to our roots, focus on our families, and to do some things we may not have had time to do in the past, such as teaching basic fishing skills to our kids. You don’t necessarily have to be on a lake to do that. A living room, garage or backyard will work too. We’ll share videos and activities that will help you do just that. I’m looking forward to a video of Carl Jocumsen teaching the basics of bank fishing.

We also want to stay connected to our broader families, the Elite anglers as well as the anglers in all our series. They are sending us videos showing what’s going on with their families, what they are doing during this time of social distancing. For Classic Champion Hank Cherry, it was giving blood at the Red Cross. For Chad Morganthaler it was dry-walling a closet. We’ll share these videos on Bassmaster.com and on our social media channels.

Bassmaster fans, let us know what you’re doing during these historic times. Post a photo on your favorite social channel and use the hashtags, #livesmart #fishsmart #bassmaster.

And if you are able to get out and fish, Dave Precht and a medical expert, tell you the smart, safe way to avoid the coronavirus while getting on the water.

Our chairman Chase Anderson reminds us Bassmaster represents core American values, a love for the outdoors. Those values sometimes get lost in our tech savvy era. The essence of Bassmaster is the simple joys of fishing and being outside.

We’re thankful to use this time to rediscover those simple pleasures—the love that comes from connecting with family near and far, the satisfaction of teaching a child how to spool a reel, and the wonder we experience in a beautiful sunset. Perhaps even getting out to fish in a smart, healthy way. That’s what #livesmart #fishsmart is all about.

Stay safe!

by AnglersChannel

Tinkerer Terry Scroggins designs a bass catching original

Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships

Toyota pro Terry Scroggins has long been nicknamed “Big Show” – a name given to him by a boat mechanic near his home waters of the St. Johns River, when Scroggins was winning darn near every derby held on the famous Northeast Florida waterway.

Just as fitting however, might be the nickname “Terry the Tinkerer.” The highly likeable pro can’t stand not using his mechanically talented mind and hands to improve an existing lure, or better yet, build an original of his own.

Scroggins’ fast growing in popularity “Kicker Tail” worm – created in a side room of his garage with the help of a mold maker from Michigan -- provides fascinating proof of Scroggins’ talents.

“My buddy from Michigan is a mold maker, and I guess you could say I’m a mold tinkerer,” says Scroggins. “He came down to visit me, and one evening after taking him fishing, I got to experimenting with two worms I melted together. We saw how good the action looked in my swimming pool, so he went home to Michigan, cut me a mold for the 5.5” Kicker Tail, and I caught 25 pounds of bass using the very first round of prototypes -- that’s how the Big Show Kicker Tail was born.”

Not only has Scroggins done well with the creation, but other anglers are now posting their Kicker Tail tournament catches on social media too, and thanks to a retail distribution agreement with Stanford Baits, the “Big Show Kicker Tail Worm” is now widely available at retail.

Available in three sizes and a dozen colors, Scroggins says if he had to pick only two colors, he’d use green pumpkin in clear water and red bug in heavily stained water. But the versatility of the lure is what makes it such a great creation.

“I can flip it in lily pads rigged Texas style with a ¼-ounce weight, drag the 9” version on a deep ledge in summertime, use it Neko style, or probably most popular, is simply throwing it on a shaky head,” says Scroggins.

Versatility and proven success will obviously continue to spur retail sales, but the fun and soulful rewards Scroggins has already experienced thanks to his creation are very strong too.

Through cooperation with Toyota, he supplied 12,000 free worms to all participants at the 2018 Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners tournament on Table Rock.

If that wasn’t generous enough, again with support from Toyota, Scroggins and highly decorated soldier Dakota Meyer gave all active and former military members a free bag of “Kicker Tail” worms at the 2019 Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville.

To know Scroggins is to realize his unbelievably generous heart. So while his tinkering hands created a big bass catching piece of soft plastic that will put more fish in your boat, and perhaps a few more dollars in his pocket– trust me, “Big Show” will always be more focused on making people smile, more so than making the next buck for his bank account.

by AnglersChannel

Humminbird® and Minn Kota® Pro Ott DeFoe Moves off the Bank to Cash in at Lake Athens in Bass Pro Tour Stage Three Win

Despite entering the final round 19 pounds behind the leader, Humminbird® and Minn Kota® pro, Ott DeFoe came from behind to check off his first win on the Bass Pro Tour in exciting fashion last week in Texas. The Stage Three victory came down to impressive numbers in the last hour of the Major League Fishing Tournament. DeFoe, the 2019 Bassmaster Classic champion put on a fish-catching clinic in an impressive and unprecedented run on Lake Athens during the championship day. DeFoe recorded 18 scoreable bass in just over an hour for a total weight of 57 pounds, 4 ounces for his first Bass Pro Tour Stage Championship Trophy.

The first rounds of the third stage of the Bass Pro Tour found the field of anglers hunting for big bass on Lake Fork before moving 75 miles south to Lake Athens for the championship round. On Lake Fork, DeFoe had success sight fishing and connecting with shallow fish during the qualification and knockout rounds, utilizing his Minn Kota Talon anchors and Ultrex™ trolling motor to pick apart pockets of spawning bass in the early days of the tournament to stay alive.

“In the beginning, Lake Fork was all about sight fishing and looking for fish on beds,” noted DeFoe. “I was trying to get a pre-spawn bite working in the shallows and I could see the fish I wanted to target. I would Talondown in the soft bottom mode to not spook them off of their beds to make the casts I needed to. I was also able to mark and add waypoints for fish I’d see and come back to them and ease into casting range using this technique, and it was working.”

With a solid qualification round already behind him, DeFoe was able to take advantage of an off day and pre-fish Lake Athens during the week to prepare for the chance to return later in the championship round. He started off with the same approach there as at Lake Fork but wasn’t seeing anything except smaller males on beds and knew he was going to have to change tactics to put fish on the scale.

Using his Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging™ and MEGA Side Imaging®, he noticed the fish had moved out of the shallows and were schooling in 6-12 feet of water, a classic post-spawn movement. This is where he planned to focus his efforts going into the final day.

“It honestly seemed like a different climate at Lake Athens. I noticed even the trees seemed to be greener and knew right away we were working with a totally different lake than we had been fishing previously. It was only 75 miles south, but you could tell everything was farther along in the year compared to where we were. I started off with the same approach as Lake Fork and wasn’t seeing the fish on beds like I had been and knew then I had to move off the bank and use the HELIX 12 with MEGA Side Imaging to help find the fish I was looking for.”

Moving out of the shallows allowed DeFoe to put the Humminbird electronics to work and spend time locating fish and looking for different areas during the practice round that he would try to come back to later.

“I came out around a point during practice at Lake Athens and noticed a couple fish bust at the surface and as I got closer, I realized it was a group schooling in about 8 feet of water above a hard bottom. I cast into them a couple times and caught a smaller one and then a four-pounder and could see on my MEGA 360 that it was a big group. I continued to idle around and mark these similar areas that would top out around six feet, and it was unbelievable how many fish I could see on Side Imaging in those areas all in six to twelve feet of water with a rise and a hard bottom. I wasn’t seeing as many fish on beds and I could tell that a few that I was catching were post spawn. At that point, I was committed to continuing this method and with the few hours I had left, I planned to study what I was seeing on Side Imaging while marking waypoints and graphing as much of the 1,800-acre lake as I could.”

During the final day the ten top scoring anglers made the move to Lake Athens to decide the champion. With only 12 pounds 8 ounces on the SCORETRACKER going into the final period, Ott knew he had work to do. But he was confident in the areas he was able to mark during practice. Each time he stopped during the practice round he was able to catch scoreable fish and felt he had located a few solid spots that would be productive on the final day. Little did he know that the fish that would score him the win would not come from those locations.

“I had seen a few fish on this spot under a bridge and right at the ramp during practice but didn’t catch much at that time. I had also passed it up during the tournament three times that day and on my fourth pass by I saw a group on my MEGA Side Imaging as I was going under the bridge. I told my camera man, they are right there. I just need to get them to bite.” DeFoe commented.

“I hit Spot-Lock on the Ultrex and worked from the back of the boat with the nose upwind so I could make the cast I needed to. I threw a crankbait first and could feel the bait bouncing off fish there were so many of them. I knew then this was it. On my 4th cast I caught one and then they went crazy and it blew up from that point.”

Ott scored the biggest fish on the SCORETRACKER during the championship round with a 9 pound 6 ounce largemouth and finished the day with a margin of 28 pounds 3 ounces over 2nd place. He soared to the top of the leaderboard in record time with 23 fish for 69 pounds 12 ounces on the final day of the tournament.

“Humminbird MEGA Side Imaging was a crucial tool on my boat that helped locate and confidently fish areas that I had passed up several times before. Being able to pick apart unfamiliar water is key to finding these big fish. Learning their movements helps to understand and adapt in changing conditions. The One-Boat Network™ allows me to have complete control from anywhere in the boat and make real time decisions that play a big part in my success” Added DeFoe.

It’s not the first time Ott DeFoe has celebrated a victory in March. It was almost exactly one year ago that he found himself on the Bassmaster stage hoisting the trophy for the 2019 Bassmaster Classic Championship celebration and now he is celebrating again with this MLF win in 2020. Quite the coincidence but no matter the date on the calendar, with the Minn Kota and Humminbird One-Boat Network on his side, Ott DeFoe will continue to be a force to be reckoned with.

by AnglersChannel

FLW Schedule Update for April 2020

Statement from FLW Executive Vice President Kathy Fennel

BENTON, Ky. (March 30, 2020) – The following statement was released by FLW Executive Vice President & General Manager Kathy Fennel today regarding the postponement and rescheduling of FLW tournaments:

In response to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control to slow its progression, we announced March 17 that all tournaments through April 5 would be rescheduled along with the May 7-9 Toyota Series tournament on Neely Henry Lake.

Today we are taking the additional steps of rescheduling all tournaments through May 3. This unprecedented action, taken out of an abundance of caution and continued uncertainty of venue availability, will help protect the health and welfare of our anglers, staff, fans, sponsors and host communities.

Rescheduled dates for all affected tournaments will be announced as soon as possible. Entries will roll over to the rescheduled events unless instructed otherwise. Balance due dates will also be adjusted in accordance with rescheduled events.

In addition to tournaments through May 3, the Toyota Series Championship and Phoenix Bass Fishing League Wild Card will be moved to later dates to accommodate rescheduling.

Tournaments already rescheduled include:

Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI Open on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, KY, was March 17-18 now Sept. 16-17.
Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on Cherokee Lake in Jefferson City, TN, was April 2-5 now June 11-14.
Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on Lake Hartwell in Anderson, SC, was April 23-26 now May 28-31.
Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American on Lake Hartwell in Anderson, SC, was April 30-May 2 now Nov. 11-13.
Toyota Series Championship on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, KY, was Nov. 5-7 now Dec. 3-5.
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Wild Card was Nov. 13-14 now Nov. 20-21.

We will continue to monitor CDC, federal, state and local guidelines and adjust tournament operations as necessary to reschedule events. As an open-air sport that disperses competitors on thousands of acres of water, tournament fishing allows for social distancing. We are, therefore, hopeful that tournaments will proceed on schedule starting with the May 7-9 Toyota Series tournament on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri.

We encourage everyone to follow CDC, federal, state and local guidelines to help prevent infection. Please watch FLWFishing.com, the FLW Facebook page and your inbox for ongoing updates. Our prayers are with everyone impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and those on the front line in the fight against it. Let’s all do our part.

Sincerely,
Kathy Fennel
Executive Vice President & General Manager, FLW

by AnglersChannel

New Plano Edge Tackle Boxes on the Sportsmans Warehouse Product Spotlight

On this weeks Sportsmans Warehouse Product Spotlight Chris Brown walks us through a few of the new Plano Edge Tackle boxes debuted at last years ICAST Show. The 3700 models are the most used boxes in the Plano line and the Edge line-up has made them even better. Make sure and check out next weeks video as Chris walks us through some of the custom boxes tailor made for your fishing needs in the Edge line-up. Make sure and visit Sportsmans.com for ALL your fishing and outdoors needs.

by AnglersChannel

Rookie Insider - Shooting em' Straight!

This week Jason is back with two FLW Pro Circuit Rookies in Jason Vance and Jimmy Washam. Check it out!

by AnglersChannel

Called out...........

This weeks show the boys cut up a little, okay a lot and CB responds to being called out after last weeks show. The Circus welcomes in NPFL Angler Chase Colby from Utah and Chris is ready to give some stuff away! Buckle up and hit PLAY!

by AnglersChannel

Lester picks two forgotten spring classics

Courtesy Alan McGuckin - Dynamic Sponsorships

Just because Team Toyota’s Brandon Lester is only 31 years old, doesn’t mean he’s too inexperienced to remember lures that everybody cast not long ago to catch springtime bass -- which then seemed to fall out of fashion.

Fact is, Lester has competed in nearly 100 B.A.S.S. events, and already qualified for 5 Bassmaster Classics, including the 2020 Classic in Alabama where he had a very good chance to win going into the final day.

So we asked the country music loving father of two young daughters to choose a couple lures we all should consider digging out of our tackle collection to throw big bass a change-up as springtime bass fishing is in full effect.

Bone colored Bomber Long A

“If you love a good topwater bite, this may very well be the first lure you’ll get a topwater bite on this spring,” says Lester. “It’s a ‘wake bait’ intended to be reeled nice and slow across the surface anywhere you’ve got clear water, and bass staging to spawn on grass flats, shallow secondary points, or a series of laydown trees,” he explains.

One trick Lester utilizes with the vintage Bomber Long A is to cast it on spinning tackle, not baitcasting equipment. He spools his spinning reel with 15 pound Vicious braid and no leader, and theorizes a spinning rod and reel allow for critically important long casts in clear water with this lightweight lure.

Once the lure splashes down, Lester holds the rod tip high to pull thebraided line off the surface as he reels slowly, being sure not to let the lure dive, but instead to move gently across the surface while leaving anexplosive topwater provoking wake behind its narrow body.

6” creature bait

While a creature bait might not be as vintage as a Bomber Long A, the popularity of Senkos and beaver-style baits often seems to replace soft plastic lizards and creature baits as a first choice amid spring time fishingthese days – but not for Brandon Lester.

“I feel like with so many soft plastic craws and beaver style baits on the market right now, people have forgotten about those big invasive creature style baits like the 6” Muscle Back Hawg Hunter that I reach for a lot this time of year,” says Lester.

Notice how Lester describes the Hawg Hunter as “invasive.” He believes these larger profiled creature lures stir animosity in big protective female bass that are either just about to spawn or already on beds.

“As soon as the water temp gets around 58 degrees, I’m going to tie a 6” Hawg Hunter to 20-pound line with a 5/0 Mustad Grip Pin Max hook and pitch to every shallow flooded bush, laydown, or dock I encounter,” he says. “I don’t know whether they think it’s a bluegill, a lizard, or what, I just know they don’t seem to like it, so they eat it.”

While he may be a fairly young guy, keep in mind Lester has already weighed-in over 3,000 pounds of bass in his pro career. So if you find yourself struggling to catch bass the next few weeks on popular trendylures – try going retro like Lester, and tie on a Bomber Long A or a 6” creature bait.

by AnglersChannel

Bassmaster Elite Series Event At Lake Eufaula Postponed

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — B.A.S.S. officials announced they will postpone the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Ala., originally scheduled to be held April 2-5, in keeping with the advice of both medical professionals and federal officials to limit gatherings to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus. Anglers, sponsors, staff and the local hosts were informed of this decision on Monday afternoon.

“We are committed to putting the health and safety of our anglers, fans, staff, sponsors and volunteers — and their families — first,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “It has become clear that postponing the upcoming tournament at Lake Eufaula is in the best interest of everyone involved, as well as the community of Eufaula.

“B.A.S.S. believes it is imperative to heed the advice not only of the CDC but of our elected officials as our country navigates this national crisis.”

B.A.S.S. has postponed five March and April events, and is evaluating upcoming tournaments based on precautions and advice from the CDC and public officials as well as local mandates regarding public spaces and events.

“B.A.S.S. has represented core American values since Ray Scott founded the organization,” said Chase Anderson, Chairman of B.A.S.S. “So, in light of the very real national threat of COVID-19, it was a simple decision for B.A.S.S. to postpone events, follow the advice of our elected leaders and medical professionals, and be responsible citizens to assist in curbing the spread of this virus.”

Currently, the CDC recommends avoiding group events, while the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force issued guidelines asking citizens to avoid discretionary travel and gatherings of more than 10 for another seven days. Those guidelines extend to the timeframe when practice days were scheduled to begin on Lake Eufaula.

As more states adopt “shelter in place” recommendations and continue to limit operation of nonessential businesses, B.A.S.S is also considering the impact that potential logistical issues and travel restrictions, including Canadian border closures, may have on the Elite Series anglers’ ability to travel to Alabama.

B.A.S.S. is working alongside the local hosts to identify a new date for the tournament later in the year.

“Although we are truly saddened that the Bassmaster Elite event will be postponed, we respect the decision B.A.S.S. has made,” said Ann Sparks, Tourism and Main Street Executive Director for the City of Eufaula. “They are assuring that the safety of the public, anglers and staff is of the utmost importance, and we look forward to rescheduling and pulling those big bass out of Lake Eufaula!”

Fans of fishing and the Bassmaster Elite Series anglers can find live Q/A videos, inspiring stories, helpful tips and more at Bassmaster.com.

During this national crisis and pause to the tournament season, B.A.S.S. is encouraging people to adhere to local guidelines and, where possible, use this unexpected time to fish smart and enjoy recreational fishing in a safe and responsible way — especially with their families.

“Our ultimate goal is to be good citizens and good stewards of our sport,” B.A.S.S. Chairman Chase Anderson said.

by AnglersChannel

KAYAK ANGLERS SEE SUPER ACTION IN 2020 HOBIE B.O.S. ON LAKE NORMAN

Legendary Mooresville, NC bass lake produces over 1,200 catch, photo and release bass as Hobie pro Kurt Smits grabs top prize!

OCEANSIDE, Calif. (March 20, 2020) - Lake Norman, in Mooresville, NC has a well-earned reputation as an early spring hot spot for aggressive bass and it gave anglers exactly what they hoped for in the third installment of the 2020 Hobie Bass Open Series (B.O.S.) held last weekend. Following four straight days of warming air temperatures, both the famed spotted and largemouth bass at this legendary watering hole, the largest man-made body of water in North Carolina at 32,510 acres, were ready to rock and roll. With the aid of venue sponsors Visit Mooresville and the GoPro Motorplex, so were participants that came from across the country to test their black bass skills against top-level competition.
“We had a perfect storm of factors come together to fire up the fish,” said Hobie B.O.S. Tournament Director, A.J. McWhorter. “Rain early in the week gave way to four days of temperatures over 70 degrees and drew a ton of hungry fish into the shallows. That provided great bite opportunities for our anglers. The bass were hitting hard baits, soft baits, moving baits, crawling baits and even some topwater patterns, as evidenced by the 1,215 fish registered by 116 competitors. That’s a new, all-time B.O.S. record.”
Indeed, anglers were filling limits and culling fish at a super-fast pace on both days of the tournament with 75 limit catches on Saturday and 72 on Sunday. With many similar-sized bass in the haul, however, culls often added only one-half- to one inch onto an angler’s tally. That may have made it difficult to get a little separation, but with many making multiple culls each day, watching the leader board proved to be quite exciting. Following day one, only two inches separated the top five contestants, with Melvin Yang, 27, leading the way with a 90-inch total. Eventual winner, Kurt Smits, 49, of Terrace Park, OH, meanwhile, was lurking in seventh position with 86.50” of bass, 3.5” behind Yang, while third place finisher Cole Kleffman, 17, of Seymour, IN was sitting in a comfortable fourth place just two inches off the pace.

Your winners: Melvin Yang, Kurt Smits and Cole Kleffman
“I was happy with my first day results,” revealed Smits. “I knew there were some really solid anglers ahead of me, but when the fish turn on like that, anything is possible. Three-and-a-half inches is something you can make up in a two-day tourney. Heck, I made up 10 inches on Lake Seminole back in February, so I knew I was within striking distance if I fished clean and things broke a little bit my way.”
Smits had spent his first day fishing in front of three prominent points that jutted out across a shallow flat and reached out nearly to the middle of the lake. “That was the first spot I noticed when doing my mapwork before the tourney,” he said. “They were dramatic points but close enough that I could get to them easily in my Hobie Pro Angler 14. My pre-fishing sessions had brought mixed results but as soon as the tournament began, I started catching. In the mornings, most of my fish smacked a small Strike King Rage Swimmer on a tungsten 1/4-ounce jighead made by Picasso lures in 4- to 6-foot depths. In the afternoons, I moved out to 10 to 15 to feet of water and used a Texas-rigged Z-Man Big TRD. With that lure, I would cast out as far as possible, give a little slack, and then allow the wind to blow me across the points and over deeper water. You never had to guess if the fish were biting in this tournament. They were mainly spotted bass and they were hitting hard.”
Smits used a St. Croix 7’ Legend Tournament Bass, medium-fast spinning stick and 20-lb. braided line with a 12-lb. fluorocarbon leader to toss his Rage Swimmer. To work the Z-Man Big TRD, he opted for a 7’1” St. Croix Legend Extreme, medium-heavy power, fast action casting outfit spooled with 35-lb braid and a 17-lb. leader.

Melvin Yang, meanwhile, was cleaning up the bass on day one in his Hobie Pro Angler 12 camo edition kayak. Focusing on a rip-rap bottom that passed beneath a bridge before fanning out
amongst a field of boulders and chunk rocks, he probed a spot where a significant channel bordered a 6’ to 8’ deep shoal. There he found the bass ready to slam crankbaits right along the drop-off, with Spro Ruko Shads and Rock Crawlers his weapons of choice.
“Red was the key for me,” recalled Yang. “Anything red or crayfish-colored seemed to work. Red with an orange belly was my top crankbait pattern.”
Day 2 found both Smits and Yang back in their respective hot spots. “I got off to a solid start,” recalled Yang, “but my action dropped off in the afternoon and I finished with 83.5” while Kurt managed to keep on catching. He had an amazing day.”

He certainly did, and it could have been even better. On his third cast of the morning, Smits hit a nice bass he figured would measure roughly 20 inches. After netting the fish, however, the lure got tangled in the mesh and the bass used the leverage to flip onto the deck, then onto the floor of the kayak and, finally, with one big leap, back into the drink.
“As the day grew late, I was thinking about that lost fish a lot,” admitted Smits. “Melvin didn’t post his results until nearly the end and that gave me plenty of time to wonder if my 90-inch day-2 score would be enough. I was sweating bullets when the final numbers went up. It would have been tough to take if that fish had been the difference.”
While Smits and Yang were battling it out for first, Cole Kleffman just kept pounding away. After hauling in 88” of bass on day 1 to place himself in fourth position, he managed 83.75” on Sunday, enough to move up one spot, take the bronze and qualify for the Hobie Tournament of Champions (T.O.C.).
“I was burning down the bank on day one when I stumbled upon a point that spilled out onto a flat with some big boulders,” recalled Kleffman. “I caught my limit there on a Z-Man Chatterbait Jack Hammer in about 15 minutes and just culled the rest of the day. On day 2 I hit the same spot but with a slight cold front approaching the bass wanted a finesse retrieve, so I switched to a Ned rig with a 1/20-oz.Z-Man Finesse ShroomZ jig head and 2.75” Z-Man TRD. I’m happy with my performance. I had about 15 fish from that area each day. My Hobie PA12 was a big help, too, because it allowed me to lay my rods flat for 360° castability.”
Unlike the top three finishers, fourth place Ryan Lambert covered a ton of water on Lake Norman. On Saturday he got off to a decent start working a marina area and flipping some small wooden docks to tally 84.5”. On Sunday, he returned to the same spot and quickly drilled one good fish before the action screeched to a halt.
“I knew I’d need more bites to stay in money,” said Lambert, “so I rolled the dice and drove an hour-and-a-half north to a spot where friends said they had good luck recently fishing muddy water off a shallow, windy point.”
It was 1:30 p.m. before Lambert started casting again but the move paid off big-time as he tallied 86.75” of bass and qualified for the T.O.C.
In the end, Smits earned the win over Yang, 177” to 173.50”. His top fish measured 20 inches and he had three more in the 19-inch class. Kleffman used his Hobie PA12 kayak to advance to third place with 171.75” and fourth-place finisher Ryan Lambert, of Chattanooga, TN also broke the 170” barrier (171.25”). Shane Williams of Orange Park, FL, on Saturday drilled the biggest fish of the tournament at 22.25”. Spotted bass were the stars of the show as they greatly outnumbered bucketmouths among the top finishers.

Payouts for the Lake Norman B.O.S. tourney covered the top 12 spots with Smits receiving a healthy $6,300, Yang earning $3,250, Kleffman taking home $1,900, and Lambert pocketing a cool $1,600 payday.
““I absolutely love these B.O.S. events,” Smits offered when the big show was over. “Hobie does a fantastic job making it about all the anglers, not just the guys who bring home a check. They have a killer raffle, feed you for a night, and do everything possible to assemble a very competitive field while keeping things fun. Everyone’s always in a great mood. We catch fish, we laugh, we learn. They’ve knocked it out of the park with these tourneys.”
McWhorter couldn’t be more satisfied with the results. “That’s exactly what we strive for,” he said. “We want everyone to be competitive, but we also want every competitor to have a great time. We’re especially proud that we were able to work with our anglers to ensure everyone’s safety while staying within the great state of North Carolina’s guidelines at the time for limited gatherings and other health considerations. That only works when respect rules the day and everyone is on the same page.”
All photography by Shane Durrance

by AnglersChannel

MLF Postpones Stage Four of the Bass Pro Tour in an Abundance of Caution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 23, 2020 (Tulsa, Okla.) Major League Fishing (MLF) announced the league will postpone the next stop on the Bass Pro Tour originally scheduled for April 3-8, 2020 in Raleigh, North Carolina in an abundance of caution surrounding the novel coronavirus. The League will monitor the situation and follow the advice of medical and Public Health officials to reschedule as quickly as possible.

“The safety and health of our anglers, volunteers, staff, and host community are our primary concern,” said Jim Wilburn, Major League Fishing President and CEO. “While our format inherently allows for social distancing and other recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control to minimize the spread of COVID-19, we feel it’s in the best interest of all involved to pause our 2020 season.”

The Berkley Stage Four presented by Covercraft was originally scheduled to take place on Jordan Lake, Falls Lake, and Shearon Harris Reservoir hosted by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.

“We understand the decision by MLF to postpone the event,” commented Tori Collins, Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance Director. “These proactive measures are tough decisions but in the best interest for all involved. The Greater Raleigh area looks forward to welcoming the MLF Pros and staff back to North Carolina and showcasing our region’s beautiful lakes in the future.”

Major League Fishing will continue to assess the impact of COVID-19 and take the advice and mandates set forth by local, state, and national medical and Public Health officials to address the potential impact on future events and potential dates for rescheduling Stage Four.
MLF strongly encourages everyone to follow the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on everyday prevention of viral infection, which include:

Clean your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
Avoid close contact with sick persons
Practice social distancing among your community
Stay home if you’re sick
Cover the nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing
Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects
Consult a healthcare provider as needed
For more information about the novel coronavirus, visit cdc.gov.
MLF fans can tune into the Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel to see original airings of the MLF Cup events including the Premiere of the 2020 Patriot Cup on Saturday, April 4, 2020. MLF Cup events feature 30 Pros from the Bass Pro Tour filmed exclusively to premiere on Outdoor Channel. 2020 MLF Cup events were filmed in late 2019. For a complete listing of the MLF television schedule, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com/tv-schedule.

by AnglersChannel

Over 41 Pound limit Wins Chattanooga Bass Trail Chickamauga Event!

Courtesy of CBA:

The team of Cory Vetten and Kevin Drake on their giant 41.10# bag to win the Coca-Cola March CBA Open. They also had big fish honors with a 12.32#

by AnglersChannel

Jason Abram Wins Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Martin

Tennessee Veteran Claims First Career Pro Victory, Wins $100,000

ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (March 21, 2020) – After fishing at FLW’s top pro-level circuit for 11 years, competing in his 76th career event, pro Jason Abram of Piney Flats, Tennessee, finally got it done. Abram earned his first career victory in a dramatic finale Saturday at the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Martin in Alexander City, Alabama, after bringing a five-bass limit totaling 11 pounds, 3 ounces to the scale.

A person that is standing in the grass

Description automatically generatedAbram’s four-day total of 20 bass weighing 52-9 earned him the victory by a 1-pound, 1-ounce margin over second-place pro Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan, and the $100,000 first-place prize.

“I’ve been chasing this dream for as long as I can remember,” said an emotional Abram on-stage after being declared the champion. “The trophy is more important to me than the money. I’ve had a couple of good finishes, and a couple of chances to win in the past but came up short. To win today, it feels absolutely great. So great.

“Every fish that I caught this week came on a Reaction Innovations product – either a Skinny Dipper or a Flirt Worm – and the key was just covering a lot of water with those two baits,” Abram continued. “I’ve never been here before, so I just relied on my Lowrance unit. I’d see a pocket on the map and then just run it.”

The reason Abram stuck with his pattern Saturday was the same reason he’d be fishing it all week – it didn’t get many bites, but it got the right bites. In this case, a 4-pounder that couldn’t resist his merthiolate Reaction Innovations Flirt Worm walked under docks – but not just any docks.

“It had to be the last three docks in a pocket,” said Abram. “I was looking for flatter pockets with three docks lined up in the back. I could look on my graphs and quickly see which pockets looked good, which helped me fish fast, and I needed to. I caught one fish for every 15 pockets I hit.”

Abram spent roughly the first few hours of every day targeting spotted bass to catch a limit before focusing his efforts in the mid-lake region, right around where the dirty and clear water met.

“I was paralleling just random banks with a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper,” he said. “I think the spots were just pushing bait up against the bank, because I’d go awhile with nothing and then catch three or four quick. It’s like a pod swam up and I’d catch them.

“I’d been so close to winning before and always came up short,” Abram went on to say. “I thought I didn’t close it out again today. But I stuck to what I thought I could win this thing on, and I was rewarded.”

The top 10 pros on Lake Martin finished:

1st: Jason Abram of Piney Flats, Tenn., 20 bass, 52-9, $100,000
2nd: Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 20 bass, 51-8, $30,000
3rd: Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., 20 bass, 51-0, $25,000
4th: Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., 20 bass, 49-3, $20,000
5th: Laramy Strickland of Bushnell, Fla., 20 bass, 49-1, $19,000
6th: Greg Bohannan of Bentonville, Ark., 20 bass, 48-5, $18,000
7th: Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis., 20 bass, 47-15, $17,000
8th: Jordan Osborne of Longview, Texas, 20 bass, 45-15, $16,000
9th: Kerry Milner of Bono, Ark., 20 bass, 45-2, $15,000
10th: Derrick Snavely of Piney Flats, Tenn., 20 bass, 43-10, $14,000

Complete results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 50 bass weighing 107 pounds, 6 ounces caught by pros Saturday. All of the final 10 pros weighed in five-bass limits.

Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Martin will premiere in 2020. The 2020 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit will have 156 two-hour airings on network television, including 26 consecutive weeks of Friday night primetime airing on Outdoor Channel and 130 airings on Sportsman Channel for a total of 312 hours of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit programming.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Martin was hosted by the Alexander City Chamber.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 150 anglers competed in the two-day opening round Wednesday and Thursday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Friday. Only the top 10 pros continued competition Saturday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2020 FLW TITLE, the Pro Circuit Championship. The 2020 FLW TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York, Aug. 8-13 and is hosted by the Town of Massena.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Tennessee’s Abram Takes Lead at Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Martin

ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (March 19, 2020) – Pro Jason Abram of Piney Flats, Tennessee, caught five bass weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces Thursday to take control of the leaderboard after Day Two of theTackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Martin in Alexander City, Alabama. Abram’s two-day total of 10 bass weighing 29 pounds even gives him a 1-pound, 9-ounce advantage heading into Day Three of the four-day competition that features a field of bass-fishing professionals from around the world competing for a top cash award of up to $135,000.

“I’m fishing mid-lake, running a pattern,” said Abram, who is fishing in his 11^thseason as a professional in FLW’s top-level circuit. “I was running and gunning – I hit around 30 stops today.

“I started out in the morning catching spotted bass – I probably caught around 30 of them and my limit weighed around 7 pounds,” Abram continued. “I had a key bite around 9 a.m. that clued me in and showed me something that I hadn’t seen all week. It was the first fish that I had caught like that, and it was a good one.

“I ended up culling every one of those spots out and managed to bring one big spot and four largemouth to the scale.”

Although Abram remained tight-lipped about the specific details of his pattern, he said that he was fishing “really shallow” and throwing just two baits – both made by Reaction Innovations.

“I’m not sight-fishing like most of the guys are,” Abram said. “I need the sun, so the cloud cover being forecast tomorrow will probably hurt me significantly. I’ll catch some spots in the morning, and hopefully the sun will show its head. If not, I’ll have to scramble.”

The top 30 pros that made the cut and will fish Friday on Lake Martin are:

1^st:       Jason Abram of Piney Flats, Tenn., 10 bass, 29-0
2^nd:      Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., 10 bass, 27-7
3^rd:       Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 27-5
4^th:       Laramy Strickland of Bushnell, Fla., 10 bass, 26-11
5^th:       Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 26-9
6^th:       Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 26-9
7^th:       Derrick Snavely of Piney Flats, Tenn., 10 bass, 26-1
8^th:       Barron Adams of Mineral Bluff, Ga., 10 bass, 25-13
9^th:       Dylan Hays of El Dorado, Ark., 10 bass, 25-5
10^th:     Brandon Mosley of Choctaw, Okla., 10 bass, 25-2
11^th:     Andy Young of Isle, Minn., 10 bass, 25-2
12^th:     Jim Moynagh of Shakopee, Minn., 10 bass, 24-15
13^th:     Kerry Milner of Bono, Ark., 10 bass, 24-13
14^th:     Kevin Martin of Crown City, Ohio, 10 bass, 24-12
15^th:     Cole Floyd of Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 24-11
16^th:     Jordan Osborne of Longview, Texas, 10 bass, 24-7
17^th:     Kyle Hall of Granbury, Texas, 10 bass, 24-7
18^th:     Wade Strelic of Alpine, Calif., 10 bass, 24-7
19^th:     Jon Canada of Helena, Ala., 10 bass, 24-5
20^th:     Casey Scanlon of Lake Ozark, Mo., 10 bass, 24-5
21^st:     Jacob Wall of New Hope, Ala., 10 bass, 24-4
22^nd:    Tom Redington of Royse City, Texas, 10 bass, 24-1
23^rd:     Grae Buck of Green Lane, Pa., 10 bass, 24-1
24^th:     Jason Vance of Battle Ground, Ind., 10 bass, 23-14
25^th:     Randy Allen of Gilliam, La., 10 bass, 23-13
26^th:     Greg Bohannan of Bentonville, Ark., 10 bass, 23-12
27^th:     Matthew Stefan of Junction City, Wis., 10 bass, 23-10
28^th:     Clayton Batts of Butler, Ga., 10 bass, 22-14
29^th:     Scott Ashmore of Broken Arrow, Okla., 10 bass, 22-10
30^th:     Jared McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla., 10 bass, 22-5

Full results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Martin brought the largest bass of the day, a 6-pound, 1-ounce largemouth, to the scale Thursday to claim the day’s $500 Berkley Big Bass award.

Overall there were 749 bass weighing 1,464 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 150 pros Thursday. The catch included 149 five-bass limits.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Martin is hosted by the Alexander City Chamber.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 150 anglers competed in the two-day opening round Wednesday and Thursday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight now advance to Friday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Saturday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. CST each day from Wind Creek State Park, located at 4325 Alabama Highway 128, in Alexander City. Daily weigh-ins will be held at the State Park beginning at 3 p.m.

The FLW Live on-the-water broadcast will air on Friday and Saturday, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran is joined by Toyota Series pro Todd Hollowell to break down the extended action each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.

by AnglersChannel

MLF Sets Viewership Records after Three Events:

Total Minutes, Unique Viewers, and Social Numbers Jump in 2020

March 19, 2020 (Tulsa, Okla.) Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour viewership rises in 2020 before and after the impact of the novel coronavirus on professional sports nationwide. With an abundance of caution, MLF fished through the latest Bass Pro Tour event after putting into place several recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control to minimize the spread of COVID-19. This last week, March 13-18, viewership increased by 20% over Stages One and Two, which were held in February. On their own, the February events reported a significant increase over the 2019 season with a 72% increase in unique tune-ins year-over-year.

“After our first season, we made some minor adjustments to our game that we believe resonated well with fans causing the increase in viewership in February,” said Jim Wilburn, President and CEO of Major League Fishing. “Going into Stage Three last week, we had no idea how much the sports world would change and we’re hopeful that those who tuned into the Bass Pro Tour found a few hours of respite among an unprecedented reality at work and home. Our sport inherently allows social distancing and without a weigh-in, we can broadcast safely via MLFNOW! without crowds.”

Major League Fishing launched the Bass Pro Tour in January 2019 featuring an innovative catch-weigh-immediately-release format with cumulative, real-time scoring that appeals to mainstream sports fans and avid anglers alike. MLF completed the 2019 season with over 111 million minutes of livestream watched by an average of 270,000 unique visitors over nine events. After the first three Stages of the 2020 Bass Pro Tour, MLF averages 471,698 unique visitors and 48 million minutes streamed, an increase of 75% year-over-year. Social media impressions are also up 15% in 2020 over 2019.

The General Tire Stage Three presented by TrueTimber on Lake Fork, Texas saw the most significant increase with over 19 million minutes watched by 500,000 unique visitors. This represents a 20% increase in unique visitors and an 18% increase in minutes viewed over Stage Two February 21-26, 2020. The Bass Pro Tour trended on social media (Facebook and Instagram) during Stage Three with a 72% increase in social media impressions compared to Stage Two.

While the increases in Stage Three viewership may have been impacted by the national quarantine surrounding COVID-19, the first two Stages of the Bass Pro Tour also saw significant increases over the 2019 season. The MLFNOW! livestream attracted over 886,000 unique viewers over two events for a total of 30 million minutes, which represented an increase of 72% year-over-year and an 89% over 2019 averages.

Bass Pro Tour Competition Details:

Major League Fishing (MLF) Pro Ott DeFoe charged from behind with 18 catches in the third period to win $100,000 and the Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Three presented by TrueTimber Title. After leading for much of the week including the first two periods of today’s Championship Round, Mark Daniels, Jr. fell to third with 39 pounds, two ounces. Alton Jones, Jr. changed his game midway through the second period to finish in second place overall. The MLF Bass Pro Tour is scheduled to continue in Raleigh April 3-8, 2020.

For complete results of the General Tire Stage Three presented by TrueTimber, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com, Bass Pro Tour, Results.

The Bass Pro Tour continues April 3-8, 2020 with the Berkley Stage Four presented by Covercraft in Raleigh, N.C. In response to COVID-19, Major League Fishing has cancelled all public gatherings associated with their tournaments per recommendations from Public Health and medical professionals.

Fans can catch all the action every day of competition on MLFNOW! livestream on MajorLeagueFishing.com or download the MLF App for your Apple or GooglePlay device or on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).

About the Bass Pro Tour:

The Bass Pro Tour began in 2019 and features 80 of the best professional anglers in the world, including Kevin VanDam, Edwin Evers, Aaron Martens, Mike Iaconelli, Jordan Lee, and Skeet Reese. Each stage includes six days of competition using the Major League Fishing, catch-weigh-and-immediately-release format, where every bass over a variable minimum weight, which is two pounds on Lake Eufaula for Stage One, toward a cumulative weight total for the day. Variable minimum weights are determined by fishery akin to a golf course handicap. The field of 80 anglers is divided into two groups (Group A and B) of 40 to compete in the Qualifying Round where a two-day cumulative weight total determines the winners. The winners of Groups A and B receive automatic berths to the Championship Round and the anglers finishing in places 2-19 (38 total) advance to the Knockout Round on day five. The top eight from the Knockout Round join the winners in Groups A and B (field of 10) to compete in the Championship Round and a shot at the $100,000 top prize and Stage Title.

Each of Eight Stages of the Bass Pro Tour have the following payout schedule: 1st $100,000; 2nd $42,000; 3rd $30,000; 4th$24,000; 5th $18,000; 6th $16,800; 7th $15,600; 8th $14,400; 9th $13,200; 10th $12,000; 11th – 40th $6,000; Big Bass Daily $1,000; Big Bass Overall $1,000.

In addition to the economic impact on a host community, Major League Fishing showcases the region through their award-winning, live and linear programming. Each Stage of the Bass Pro Tour is broadcast live on the Major League Fishing app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), and majorleaguefishing.com, totaling more than 325 hours of original programming. Fans can follow the fast-paced nature of the MLF format as it unfolds on the live leaderboard through “SCORETRACKER® updates.” Highlights from each Stage of the 2020 Bass Pro Tour will air on Discovery Network beginning in July 2020 and Sportsman Channel in early 2021.

“MLF offers the strongest broadcast presence in the industry to fans and sponsors,” said Jim Wilburn, President and CEO of Major League Fishing. “And with these lakes planned for this coming Bass Pro Tour, we know 2020 will be our best year yet as we continue to capture a broad audience of both longtime fishing fans and those new to the sport, thanks to our fast-paced, fan-friendly format,”

by AnglersChannel

DeFoe Demolishes Period Three on Lake Athens:

57 Pounds in 150 Minutes Pushes Daniels to Third Place

March 18, 2020 (Lake Athens, Texas) Major League Fishing (MLF) Pro Ott DeFoe charged from behind with 18 catches in the third period to win $100,000 and the Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Three presented by TrueTimber Title. After leading for much of the week including the first two periods of today’s Championship Round, Mark Daniels, Jr. fell to third with 39 pounds, two ounces. Alton Jones, Jr. changed his game midway through the second period to finish in second place overall. The MLF Bass Pro Tour is scheduled to continue in Raleigh April 3-8, 2020.

DeFoe began Period Three 19 pounds, eight ounces behind the leader, Mark Daniels, Jr. before coming upon a school and launching to the top of SCORETRACKER®. DeFoe also snuck into today’s Championship Round by catching a four-pound-eight-ounce bass late in the Period 3 of Tuesday’s Knockout Round to finish only one pound, four ounces over the elimination line. The Bass Pro Shops Pro said that he knew if he could get into the Championship, he could make great things happen.

“Yesterday was such a stressful, stressful day and with this format you can’t have a bad day,” DeFoe told MLF commentator Rob Newell after lines-out. “These events are the toughest group of anglers I’ve ever fished against; I couldn’t be more honored to take this trophy home. I wish Jennie and the kids were here to celebrate with me.”

DeFoe, who overcame a medical issue last season that kept him out of Stage Eight, showed fans that he is great physical shape now by catching nine bass in the last 30 minutes alone, including the Berkley Big Bass of the Day weighing nine pounds, six ounces. The 35-year-old father of three is no stranger to tough competition, today’s win, featuring a one-day total of 69 pounds, 12 ounces, brings him to eight major wins in his career and over $2.2 million in winnings.

Despite a slow start across the field on Lake Athens, Daniels secured a solid lead early in the first period, which he held onto until DeFoe caught a 4-14 with less than 30 minutes to go in the day. Daniels ended the day with 39 pounds, two ounces on 13 scoreable bass, which earned him third place and $24,000. The Bill Lewis Pro dominated much of this week’s tournament by catching 111 pounds, 15 ounces on Lake Fork to win Group A and the automatic berth into today’s Championship Round.

“It’s been one heck of a week,” said Daniels. “I had over 111 pounds to win (Group A) and then I led the tournament all day long before Ott got fired up in a school just demolished them. Hats off to Ott! That’s how this game goes, but I believe my time is coming.”

Mystil Lubricants Pro, Alton Jones, Jr., caught a 20-pound run in Period 3 overtaking Daniels for second place with a three-pound-14-ounce bass three minutes before the buzzer. Jones, who caught seven of his 13 fish for the day in the third period, finished with 41 pounds, nine ounces. This is the best finish on the Bass Pro Tour for the 27-year-old Texan.

“I had such a struggle in the first couple periods,” reflected Jones after lines-out. “Mark (Daniels) had gotten such a lead that I had to make a change. Then I found some good (fishing) holes, but I didn’t find an Ott-DeFoe-magic hole.”

The General Tire Stage Three presented by TrueTimber Championship Round finished as follows:

Place Angler Championship Round Total Weight Championship Round Total Bass Championship Round Largest Bass
1 Ott DeFoe 69-12 23 9-06
2 Alton Jones, Jr. 41-09 13 5-08
3 Mark Daniels, Jr. 39-02 13 6-14
4 Brent Chapman 37-13 13 5-10
5 Brandon Coulter 28-01 12 3-12
6 Keith Poche 21-09 9 4-06
7 Jeff Sprague 20-06 7 4-06
8 Andy Montgomery 11-05 5 3-08
9 Justin Atkins 11-01 4 3-08
10 Bryan Thrift 10-08 4 3-08

For complete results of the General Tire Stage Three presented by TrueTimber, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com, Bass Pro Tour, Results.

Fans can catch all the action every day of competition on MLFNOW! livestream on MajorLeagueFishing.com or download the MLF App for your Apple or GooglePlay device or on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).

by AnglersChannel

Georgia Rookie Adams Leads Day One of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Martin

ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (March 18, 2020) – A field of bass fishing professionals from around the world began their four-day competition for a top award of up to $135,000 at the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Martin Wednesday in Alexander City,AL.

Rookie pro Barron Adams of Mineral Bluff, Georgia, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 2 ounces to take the early lead after Day One. Adams holds a 15-ounce lead over pro Derrick Snaveley of Piney Flats, Tennessee, who caught five bass weighing 16-3, good for second place.

“I was fishing on the lower end of the lake, trying to sight fish for most of the day,” said Adams, who finished the season ranked No. 12 in the Toyota Series Southeastern division last year. “I caught the big one first thing this morning off a bed. Then I ran around and plucked a few more and tried to find some big ones for tomorrow.”

Adams said he caught his big one – an 8-pound, 13-ounce giant – on a Texas-rigged white Gambler Burner Craw, but he also weighed in a few fish on a 3/8-ounce green-pumpkin-colored jig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Fat Albert Twin Tail Grub. His limit that he brought to the scale consisted of four largemouth and one spotted bass.

“I found a 6-pounder and a 4-pounder still on the bed. They wouldn’t bite for me today, but hopefully they will tomorrow,” the Georgia pro said.

“I’m in the last flight tomorrow, and during practice it seemed like I was getting bit a little more later in the evening so hopefully that is a good thing,” Adams went on to say. “First thing in the morning I’m going to run to those bedders and pick a couple of fish off and then I’ll start fishing.

“I can throw a shaky-head around docks and get bit doing that if I have to. Hopefully I can get what I need.”

The top 10 pros after day one on Lake Martin are:

1st: Barron Adams of Mineral Bluff, Ga., five bass, 17-2

2nd: Derrick Snavely of Piney Flats, Tenn., five bass, 16-3

3rd: Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., five bass, 14-3

4th: Dylan Hays of El Dorado, Ark., five bass, 14-0

5th: Tom Redington of Royse City, Texas, five bass, 14-0

6th: Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 13-14

7th: Jon Canada of Helena, Ala., five bass, 13-12

8th: Lendell Martin Jr. of Nacogdoches, La., five bass, 13-12

9th: Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., five bass, 13-10

10th: Jason Vance of Battle Ground, Ind., five bass, 13-8

10th: Randy Allen of Gilliam, La., five bass, 13-8

10th: Dakota Ebare of Denham Springs, La., five bass, 13-8

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Adams also won the day's $500 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division after bringing a largemouth weighing 8 pounds, 13 ounces to the scale.

Overall there were 750 bass weighing 1,513 pounds, 8 ounces caught by 150 pros Wednesday. The catch included 150 five-bass limits – every pro that was on the water caught a limit.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Martin is hosted by the Alexander City Chamber.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 150 anglers compete in the two-day opening round Wednesday and Thursday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Friday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Saturday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. CST each day from Wind Creek State Park, located at 4325 Alabama Highway 128, in Alexander City. Daily weigh-ins will be held at the State Park beginning at 3 p.m.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water broadcast will air on Friday and Saturday, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran is joined by Toyota Series pro Todd Hollowell to break down the extended action each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.

by AnglersChannel

AC Insider Podcast - Changes, Changes, Changes.......

This week the Circus welcomes in the Team from Outlaw Outdoors to talk about postponing tournaments due to the COVID-19 Situation. They also welcome in MLF Stage 3 Group B winner Brandon Coulter to the show to talk about his day off before the Championship round today on Lake Athens. Check it out!

by AnglersChannel

Montgomery Clinches the Knockout Round on Lake Fork:

Field of 10 Reset to Zero in the Fight for $100,000 on Lake Athens Wednesday
March 17, 2020 (Lake Fork, Texas) Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour on Lake Fork, Texas brought sports excitement to fans around the world as 38 Pro anglers fought for eight spots in Wednesday’s Championship Round. South Carolina-resident Andy Montgomery emerged victorious in today’s Knockout Round with a one-day total of 45 pounds, nine ounces. Alton Jones, Jr. held the lead for much of the third period ultimately finishing in second place. MLF Rookie Bryan Thrift secured a spot in his second out of three Championship Round after catching the Berkley Big Bass of the day late in the third Period. Wednesday’s Championship Round on Lake Athens features the top eight anglers from today’s Knockout Round and the winners of the Qualifying Round, Mark Daniels, Jr. and Brandon Coulter in a battle for most weight the $100,000 top prize. Coverage begins at 9:45 a.m. central time on MLFNOW!

Andy Montgomery steadily caught scoreable fish all day long ended up with both the most fish caught and the most weight to win the Round. The Clemson grad caught four in the first period including his largest, a six-pound-seven-ounce largemouth as the clock wound down to the first break. While his six-fish run in the second period kept Montgomery at the top of the SCORETRACKER®, it was the fish weighing five pounds, 14 ounces to start the third period that push him into the lead over Alton Jones, Jr.

“I won … I won!” exclaimed Montgomery as the Official called lines-out to end the day. “I didn’t win any more money, but I wanted to win, and I won. I get to fish Lake Athens tomorrow so we’re going to Athens!”

Waco-resident Alton Jones Jr., who led for a good portion of the late second and third period, finished three pounds even behind the leader with 42 pounds, nine ounces. Jones caught his largest fish of the day, weighing five pounds, eight ounces, on his first cast at 10:02 a.m. Two more five-pounders in the second period and six scorable bass in the third period secured his position in the Championship Round. The youngest angler on the Bass Pro Tour (age 27), Jones credits his pre-event routine and use of technology for preparing him for the tough competition.

“The biggest thing that I do to prepare is to study maps on my Garmin,” said Jones. “I really put in the hours to find the details of the lake. The other thing I use a lot, especially for a shallow lake like Fork is Google Earth; you can really see things in the satellite photos that you might not otherwise notice.”

New to the Bass Pro Tour in 2020, Thrift hurdled himself into the top eight with 30 minutes left in the day by catching a nine-pound-eight-ounce largemouth. While Thrift’s nine other fish of the day kept him in the hunt, it was the Berkley Big Bass of the Day that secured him 5th place and a chance to compete on Lake Athens tomorrow for $100,000. The 40-year-old Damiki Pro won the FLW Cup in 2019 and has earned over $3 million in earnings making it no wonder he’s a contender on the Bass Pro Tour.

The top eight of the Knockout Round, who will join Group A Qualifying Round winner Mark Daniels Jr. and Group B Qualifying Round winner Brandon Coulter, include:

Place Angler Knockout Round Total Weight Knockout Round Total Bass Knockout Round Largest Bass
1 Andy Montgomery 45-09 13 6-07
2 Alton Jones, Jr. 42-09 11 5-08
3 Keith Poche 42-01 13 4-14
4 Justin Atkins 41-11 11 8-06
5 Bryan Thrift 38-06 10 9-08
6 Brent Chapman 37-06 11 7-04
7 Jeff Sprague 35-11 10 4-12
8 Ott DeFoe 34-05 10 5-01

For complete results, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com, Bass Pro Tour, Results.

The competition concludes Wednesday with the Championship Round where ten anglers compete for the General Tire Stage Three presented by TrueTimber Title and $100,000 top prize on Lake Athens.

Pending no weather delays, the day begins with launch at Lake Athens Marina, Athens, Texas at 9:30 a.m. CST before lines-in at 10:00 a.m. Period 1 ends at 12:30 p.m. Period 2 spans 12:45 until 3:15 p.m. Period 3 begins at 3:30 p.m. and lasts until day’s end at 6:00 p.m. The General Tire Takeout, including the trophy presentation, airs approximately 6:15 – 7:15 p.m. as anglers return to the ramp and talk through their strategies and equipment from the day.

Fans can catch all the action every day of competition on MLFNOW! livestream on MajorLeagueFishing.com or download the MLF App for your Apple or GooglePlay device or on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).

by AnglersChannel

Bassmaster Central Open At Lewisville Lake Postponed Amid COVID-19 Concerns

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Officials in Denton County, Texas and the City of Lewisville have closed many public facilities and cancelled special events for eight weeks, including the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open at Lewisville Lake scheduled for April 9-11, prompting B.A.S.S. to reschedule the event for later this year.

The CDC has recommended that those at higher risk for contracting the disease or those who may have been exposed to COVID-19 should avoid crowds of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks to help prevent the spread of the virus. Additionally, the federal Coronavirus Task Force issued guidelines Monday to avoid discretionary travel and gatherings of more than 10 for the next 15 days.

B.A.S.S. is monitoring the situation and following precautions and advice from the CDC and public officials when evaluating upcoming tournaments. B.A.S.S. is also tracking mandates at the state and local levels regarding public spaces and events. At this time, no other Opens Series event has been postponed or cancelled.

A new tournament date will be announced in the future.

by AnglersChannel

FLW To Reschedule Tournaments Through April 5

Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Martin to Continue, All Other Events Postponed

ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (March 17, 2020) – FLW announced today that out of an abundance of caution and the uncertainty of venue availability amid rapidly evolving restrictions, the organization will reschedule all tournaments through April 5, except for the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit event on Lake Martin in Alexander City, Alabama, for which practice has already begun and extra precautions have been instituted.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit tournament originally scheduled for April 2-5 on Cherokee Lake will be held June 11-14 on Cherokee.

In addition to tournaments through April 5, the May 7-9 Toyota Series tournament on Neely Henry Lake will also be rescheduled to allow for cohesive scheduling in the circuit’s Southeastern division given the need to reschedule the division’s March 26-28 tournament on Wheeler Lake.

Rescheduled dates for all affected tournaments during this period will be announced as soon as possible. These tournaments include:

Circuit Fishery Original Date

Abu Garcia College Fishing Open Kentucky Lake March 17-18
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Kentucky Lake March 21
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Grand Lake March 21
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Lake Ouachita March 21
Toyota Series Lake of the Ozarks March 26-28
Toyota Series Wheeler Lake March 26-28
Abu Garcia College Fishing Fort Gibson Lake March 27
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Harris Chain of Lakes March 28
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Lake Oconee March 28
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Santee Cooper March 28
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine South Holston March 28
FLW High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing Fort Gibson Lake March 28
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Columbus Pool April 4
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Lake O' the Pines April 4
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Lake Hartwell April 4
Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Lake Wylie April 4
Toyota Series Neely Henry Lake May 7-9

Entries will be rolled over to the rescheduled events unless instructed otherwise.

The safety of everyone involved in FLW tournaments, including anglers, volunteers, and essential staff, is our primary concern. FLW will continue to monitor the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), federal, state and local guidelines and adjust tournament operations or reschedule beyond April 5 as necessary. FLW recommends that everyone follow the recommendations from the CDC on everyday prevention of viral infection, which include:

Stay home when sick or living with a sick person.
Cover the nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing.
Wash hands often with soap and water.
Routinely clean frequently touched surfaces and objects.
Limit face-to-face contact.
Consult a healthcare provider as needed.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

FLW Shifts Start Date of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Martin

Event Starts Competition Wednesday, Run through Saturday

ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (March 17, 2020) – FLW announced today that this week’s Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit event at Lake Martin, originally scheduled to start Thursday, has been shifted and will now begin competition Wednesday. Hosted by the Alexander City Chamber, the tournament will remain four days and will now run through Saturday. This decision is based on a desire to allow pros, who began practicing for the tournament March 15, to safely complete the event and return home as quickly as possible amid evolving COVID-19 guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control.

By its nature, the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit allows for social distancing as anglers compete widely dispersed on thousands of acres of water. Fans are encouraged to forgo daily weigh-ins per CDC guidelines and watch FLW Live on-the-water broadcasts, which air Friday and Saturday and feature live action from the tournament’s top pros. Host Travis Moran will be joined by Toyota Series pro Todd Hollowell to break down the extended action each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.

The event will proceed without marshals and participation is limited to pros and essential tournament staff only. A modified media team from FLWFishing.com will cover the event – with limited access – to the best of their abilities.

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. CST each day from Wind Creek State Park, located at 4325 Alabama Highway 128, in Alexander City. Daily weigh-ins, March 18-21, will be held at the State Park beginning at 3 p.m.

FLW announced last week the suspension of all public gatherings associated with their events through April 12, 2020, in response to the pandemic. Public gatherings include the attendance of fans and non-essential staff at all FLW tournaments, including weigh-ins.

The full field of anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Wednesday and Thursday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Friday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Saturday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

by AnglersChannel

Black and Kinney win Rodeheaver Tourney with over 24 pounds!

Vance McCullough

The 5th Annual Rodeheaver Boys’ Ranch Benefit Bass Tournament commenced on Florida’s St Johns River Saturday, March 14. The fishing was good and the fund-raising efforts went well.

Austin Black of San Mateo and Wyatt Kinney of Bunnell won the event’s top prize of $7,500 with a 5-fish limit that weighed 24.28 pounds, minus a dead fish penalty of a half-pound that put their official total weight at 23.78.

Eric Roberts and Chris Cercy won $1,000 for bringing in the bog bass of the day, a specimen that weighed 9.68 pounds.

Greg Walker of Palatka Daily News said, “There were a lot of fish caught, for sure.” A fixture in the Palatka bass tournament scene, Walker was on hand for the festivities and fellowship.

This year’s event drew 167 teams in support of the Rodeheaver Ranch which provides a wholesome home environment with a program for social, educational, vocational, and spiritual development for up to 50 boys who, because of parental death, desertion, divorce, disability, or general dysfunction, are at-risk or insecure.

Rodeheaver Boys Ranch does not receive any government money and functions as a residential childcare facility providing total care for the boys who make the ranch their home. The Ranch is not a summer or day camp, a detention center or an institution for the mentally impaired. Rodeheaver Boys Ranch functions as a lively structured community.

by AnglersChannel

Coulter Clinches Championship Berth for Group B:

38 Anglers Compete Tuesday for 8 Open Spots in Wednesday's Championship

March 15, 2020 (Lake Fork, Texas) Major League Fishing Pros weathered a slower day on Lake Fork during the General Tire Stage Three presented by TrueTimber. Mark Daniels, Jr., who started the day with a 12-pound lead over the rest of the field, won Group A Qualifying Round and earned a berth to Wednesday’s Championship Round. Jeff Sprague and Jason Christie battled for second place throughout the day with Sprague edging out Christie in Period Three. 32-year-old Josh Bertrand began the day in 23rd place and caught 43 pounds, six ounces to rise to finish in 7th place. Anglers who finished in 2nd through 20th places will start-over in Tuesday’s Knockout Round when weights begin at zero in hopes to be among the top eight (out of 38) anglers to advance.

Coulter began today in second place after falling behind Michael Neal by one pound with only seven minutes left on the first day of the Qualifying Round. Catching 11 bass weighing 52 pounds, six ounces, Crockett Creek Pro Coulter led the field for much of the day finishing 10 pounds ahead of Atkins. He chose to fish offshore where he landed three fish over five pounds including one weighing eight pounds, one ounce. The 49-year-old father of four is looking forward to his day off during tomorrow’s Knockout Round. He looks forward to fishing the infamous Lake Athens on Wednesday against Mark Daniels Jr. and the top eight (field of 10) from Tuesday’s Knockout Round.

“I’m exhausted,” said Coulter as the Official called for lines out at the end of Period 3. “It was a really fun two days. I didn’t expect to do this in these two days and now I get to go directly to the Championship after rest tomorrow. I’m looking forward to seeing which eight guys make it to Athens, and then let’s go have a shootout on Athens!”

Justin Atkins finished second in Group B Qualifying Round after catching the second most weight in Day two with 47 pounds, one ounce with 20 fish, including an eight-pound-four-ounce largemouth during the first Period. His record 10-8 fish that he caught on Saturday currently retains the lead as the heaviest fish caught in both MLF and Bass Pro Tour histories.

Dustin Connell and Jordan Lee leapt up the leaderboard by 17 places each. Connell landed the biggest fish of the day weighing nine pounds even within 30 minutes of the competition start and caught a steady stream, including a seven-pound-eight-ounce bass throughout the morning before stalling out for much of the second and third periods. Connell ended with seventh place for the two-day Round with 64 pounds, 15 ounces. Berkley Pro, Jordan Lee began the day in 31st place and proceeded to advance in a slow climb up the leaderboard including when he caught a 6-15, which launched him into 11th place an secured his position in the Knockout Round.

“I had a great day,” said Lee. “Lake Fork has been kind of stingy; but overall I had a great comeback today and looking forward to tomorrow.”

Local Pro Kelly Jordon fought with his home lake much of the day only to fall from sixth after Day One to 24th today. After catching 45 pounds on Saturday, Jordon was only able to score three pounds, 10 ounces today.

“Doesn’t that just make you sick,” said Jordan as the Official called lines out. “I just couldn’t make anything happen today; my home lake got me.”

The Top Ten of Day One, Qualifying Group B finished as follows:

Place Angler 2-Day Qualifying Round Total 2-Day Total Fish Largest Fish
1 Brandon Coulter 108-06 25 9-05
2 Justin Atkins 98-01 20 10-08
3 Wesley Strader 78-02 26 4-08
4 Michael Neal 57-00 22 6-14
5 Jacob Powroznik 68-06 20 5-00
6 James Watson 65-11 19 5-10
7 Dustin Connell 64-15 18 9-00
8 Bryan Thrift 64-00 19 5-04
9 Todd Faircloth 62-01 17 5-04
10 Brent Chapman 61-05 17 7-01

For complete results, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com, Bass Pro Tour, Results.

The competition continues Tuesday when 38 anglers return to the water for the Knockout Round. Weights reset to zero and the top eight weights for the day advance to Wednesday’s Championship Round. . Monday’s weather forecast shows slightly warmer temperatures and overcast with a high of 66.

The General Tire Stage Three presented by TrueTimber Knockout Round begins with launch at Oak Ridge Marina, Quitman, Texas, 9:15 a.m. CT before lines-in at 10:00 a.m. Period 1 ends at 12:30 p.m. Period 2 spans 12:45 p.m. until 3:15 p.m. Period 3 begins at 3:30 p.m. and lasts until day’s end at 6:00 p.m. The General Tire Takeout show airs approximately 6:15–7:15 p.m. as anglers return to the ramp.

Fans can catch all the action every day of competition on MLFNOW! livestream on MajorLeagueFishing.com or download the MLF App for your Apple or GooglePlay device or on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).

by AnglersChannel

URGENT NEWS: MEGA BASS on Fork postponed until July 19th

*IMPORTANT*
Based on Presidents Trump's recommendation today of limiting crowds
to less than 10 people for the next 15 days we are
postponing the remaining two March events.

1: The MEGA BASS has been moved to July 19th at Lake Fork

2: The Lake Falcon team event has been moved to May 30th

For those anglers that have pre-registered for either event
we can move your entry to the new dates
or give you a 100% refund .

Please email david@basschamps.com or donna@basschamps.com for refunds
*If you want to just move your entry to the new date no action is needed.

Please do not call our office for a refund as we will be on a limited staff.
Email will be much more efficient for everyone

We appreciate your patience during this difficult time. It is never easy to reschedule events, but, we respect our President's decision in keeping the health of our anglers & staff as our #1 priority.

by AnglersChannel

Alabama Team Wins 33rd Bass Cat Owners Invitational

Tommy McGuff and Bobby Taylor of Alabama won the 33rd Bass Cat Owners Invitational on Lewis Smith Lake in Alabama, topping 224 other teams to take the first-place prize boat, a new Bass Cat Sabre FTD and Bass Cat Trailer. They were in second place after Day One with 13.68 pounds, just a tenth of a pound behind the leaders, but made a charge on Day Two with 12.57 to claim the victory by a razor-thin margin of 0.62 pounds.

First Place - “I bought a Bass Cat so that I could be first, not last,” McGuff said, and indeed his 2010 Puma FTD led the pair to victory, a day before his 41st birthday. They fish Smith frequently, but McGuff noted that “sometimes the hardest lakes to fish are the ones that are close to you.”

They burned substantial amounts of gas during practice, running history and new water until they found a single pocket holding a substantial amount of herring. “As the week went on, they weren’t spawning yet, but they were moving in the pocket getting ready,” McGuff explained. “The herring were in the exact same spot every time we went in there.”

It was an early morning bite, and the lengthy fog delay on Day One hurt them. They had to scramble to some main lake areas to fill out a limit, but on Day Two the herring paid off and they had four of their keepers in the livewell in the first hour. After that they could “hunt for one good fish.”

Their key bait was the same one that Bass Cat pro Hank Cherry used last week to win the 50th Bassmaster Classic, a Megabass Ito Vision 110+1 jerkbait, except they used a different color: M-Shad.

“That bait was the key,” McGuff said. “We were fishing in 6 to 8 feet of water, and not only can you make long casts with it, but it digs deeper than most jerkbaits. You can get down in that range with many crankbaits, but not many jerkbaits. We’d crank it down to get it to the bottom, and then when we’d get it there we wouldn’t jerk it hard. We just made very soft jerks with pauses.”

McGuff said that he wouldn’t have any other boat than a Bass Cat, and now he has two of them.

“I feel like Bass Cat is the best of all worlds,” he said. “I love the performance of it, and if you ever have a problem with it, they go above and beyond to help everybody out.

Second Place - Alex Barbour and Paul Driscoll made the long drive from northern Illinois to fish not only their first Owners Invitational, but also their first event on Smith.

“It set up completely different from what we find on the lakes we fish at home, mostly in southern Wisconsin,” Barbour said. “We weren’t on much of anything all week.”

Early in practice, they caught 12 short fish for every keeper, but gradually they worked up a shallow water bite with bladed jigs and spinnerbaits around flooded bushes. While the fog delay didn’t help them, it forced them to commit to one key bank, and even though the water was falling out of the bushes, the fish remained. On the first day they caught a limit relatively quickly and culled, but on Day Two they found a boat camped on their best stretch. They scrambled to catch one keeper nearly before moving onto similar spots to add several more. When they came back to their best pocket late in the day, they were able to cull twice, but ultimately fell less than a pound short of the win.

Their key baits were a Z-Man Jack Hammer and a War Eagle spinnerbait. Barbour fished a chartreuse and white Jack Hammer with a white Reaction Innovations Little Dipper, and Driscoll fished a black and orange Jack Hammer with a matching Yamamoto Zako.

Barbour’s 2016 Cougar FTD is his first Bass Cat, and he loves the way it rides and appreciates “the incredibly stable platform.”

Third Place - Veteran touring pro Bill Chapman of West Virginia and partner Ryan Bowman suffered through a tough practice before switching gears and ending up 3rd overall with 22.91.

“We burned a lot of gas looking,” Chapman said. “And we ended up finding some big spots deep on the main lake, but then on Thursday afternoon we hit some shallow, dirty water and I caught a 5 and a 6 in just a few minutes.” With the short day on Friday, they chose the shallow option where they could cover water more quickly, and that carried them through the tournament.

Their key technique was flipping a Missile Baits D-Bomb, developed by fellow BCB pro John Crews.

“On the first day, I was using the Bruiser color,” Chapman said. “On Day two I caught one on that, and then the rest on green pumpkin with a little bit of orange. That was the color of the jig I was using for those big spots.”

Chapman estimates that he’s had “10 or 11” Bass Cats in his career, but for the first time in many years he didn’t change boats this year, instead electing to keep his 2019 Lynx.

“For me it’s the perfect boat,” he explained. “It’s a wider body. I absolutely love the width of it.”

Grand Prize - Mitchell Kriger of Muskegon, Michigan won the grand prize of a fully rigged Puma FTD in the random drawing. He and his father-in-law, Peter Zykstra, fishing out of the latter’s 1998 Jaguar, finished 32nd overall in the event, but still took home the biggest prize.

“I don’t know what to say,” Kriger said. “I’d never fished down there before and never won anything like that before. It didn’t really hit me until I pulled into the driveway. I still can’t believe it.”

Notes

The overall payout amounted to an amazing 527% of entry fees.
The 6.51-pound big bass of the tournament was weighed in on Day Two by the 7th place team of Randall Kramer and Tanner Huckstep.
The 1.70-pound big crappie of the tournament was weighed in on Day Two by the team of Michael Haley and Daniel Brown.
The 17.50-pound big striped bass of the tournament was weighed in on Day Two by the team of Kyle Carden and Joe Laseter.
Lee Black won the lucky rubber duck drawing and received a Mercury 150HP outboard.

Sponsors – The Walker County Chamber of Commerce, Mercury Marine, Strike King Lures and Tour Line, Lew’s Rods and Reels, Minn Kota Trolling Motors, Humminbird, Attwood and Siren Marine

Bass Cat President, Rick Pierce, expressed appreciation for the continuing support of the anglers, the sponsors and the host Chamber of Commerce for their continuing support and hospitality despite the concerns caused by the coronavirus.

“Once again, the Bass Cat family showed their true colors by showing up in numbers and adhering to several unusual practices to promote good health and hygiene,” he said. “Our sponsors including Strike King, Lew’s and Mercury never wavered in their support, and the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County really rolled out the red carpet, despite everyone’s questions. They made sure we could have a top-notch event while still ensuring safety and for that we are exceptionally thankful.”

Visit the BCB OI EVENT PAGE for more information.

by AnglersChannel

Texas Team Trail Toledo Bend Event Cancelled

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL (March 16, 2020) — The Texas Team Trail event scheduled to take place at Toledo Bend Reservoir this Saturday, March 21, has been cancelled based on direction from the Governor of Louisiana and Sabine River Authority (SRA) to not allow any event larger than 50 persons to be held. Their decision is based on recommendations from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. The SRA is following the warnings from the CDC and has issued guidance to restrict the use of SRA facilities for events consisting of 50 or more people until May. While the Texas Team Trail would like to hold the event this weekend, we also understand and respect this decision which is in the best interest to help lessen the spread of this virus.

Texas Team Trail is working diligently to develop a plan for rescheduling this event and monitoring ongoing changes. If you have any further questions or concerns contact us at amandag@outdoorteamworks.com.

by AnglersChannel

Steckler Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake of the Ozarks

Oronogo’s Moss Wins Co-angler Division

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (March 16, 2020) – Boater Cory Steckler of Rocky Mount, Missouri, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 7 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. For his victory, Steckler earned a total of $13,457, including the lucrative $7,000 FLW PHOENIX Bonus contingency award. The victory was the second win of Steckler’s FLW career.

A person wearing a uniform

Description automatically generatedThe tournament was the second of five events in the Ozark Division presented by Tournament Anglers Group (TAG).

“It feels amazing – my Phoenix boat is the best boat out there and it’s amazing to win this much money,” said Steckler, who in addition to his $13,457 payout also took home an extra $5,000 as part of the TAG contingency program.

“Water clarity was everything,” Steckler continued. “I basically threw a Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait (Table Rock Shad) all day long. All my fish came in the mouth of Gravois Creek.

“I had just five keepers total,” Steckler went on to say. “I tried to throw an umbrella rig, but I never got bumped on it. I had eight bites – two came off and the other was a drum or something like that. I was just happy they were biting the jerkbait.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1st: Cory Steckler of Rocky Mount, Mo., five bass, 18-7, $13,457

2nd: Don Beckley of Linn Creek, Mo., five bass, 14-12, $2,728

3rd: Ben Verhoef of Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 14-0, $1,819

4th: Adam Boehloe of Warrenton, Mo., five bass, 13-12, $1,182

4th: Kyle Alsop of Overland Park, Kan., three bass, 13-12, $1,182

6th: Ben McCord of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, five bass, 13-4, $1,000

7th: Wes Endicott of Joplin, Mo., five bass, 13-0, $864

7th: Rob Bueltmann of Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 13-0, $864

9th: Dennis Berhorst of Holts Summit, Mo., five bass, 12-15, $728

10th: Bill Edwards of Nixa, Mo., three bass, 12-9, $637

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Dennis Harmon of Camdenton, Missouri, brought a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $875.

Steckler 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.

Jeff Moss of Oronogo, Missouri, won the Co-angler Division and $2,878 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 11 pounds, 13 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1st: Jeff Moss of Oronogo, Mo., five bass, 11-13, $2,878

2nd: Jon Cordray of House Springs, Mo., three bass, 11-6, $1,801

3rd: Joshua Brassard of Nixa, Mo., two bass, 10-5, $911

4th: Steven Galczynski of DeSoto, Mo., four bass, 10-0, $637

5th: Ron Brake of Sullivan, Mo., three bass, 8-13, $546

6th: Noah Dickneite of Freeburg, Mo., four bass, 8-12, $477

6th: Alan Bernicky of Joliet, Ill., three bass, 8-12, $577

8th: Michael Dempsey of Wentzville, Mo., two bass, 8-8, $409

9th: Richard Rouse of House Springs, Mo., three bass, 8-7, $364

10th: Rick McGuire of Monroe City, Mo., two bass, 7-3, $318

Cordray caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $437.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Ozark Division presented by the Tournament Anglers Group based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 15-17 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, hosted by the Explore La Crosse. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

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 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held April 30 through May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina and is hosted by Visit Anderson. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the FLW Series, the pathway to the FLW Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour, where top pros compete with no entry fees.

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

by AnglersChannel

Graham Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Dale Hollow Reservoir

Helton Wins Co-angler Division

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (March 16, 2020) – Boater Brett Graham of Cold Spring, Kentucky, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 18 pounds, 11 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Mountain division opener at Dale Hollow Reservoir in Byrdstown, Tennessee. For his victory, Graham earned a total of $6,000.

" src="blob:https://anglerschannel.com/81ee0e25-144c-4216-baab-1ec93c94b459" alt="A person posing for the camera Description automatically generated" align="right" hspace="12" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_2" class="Apple-web-attachment Singleton" style="width: 4in; height: 2.25in; opacity: 1;">“I caught most of my fish mid-lake, dragging a homemade green-pumpkin jig with a craw trailer out deep,” said Graham, who earned his third career victory in BFL competition. “The key was really slowing down and working the areas. I only caught five keeper fish all day, but I had confidence in the areas and I really had to milk them for all they were worth.

“I was stuck on four fish right up until the very end of the day,” Graham continued. “I fished a spot that I hadn’t been to at all and ended up catching my last keeper with about 20 minutes left to check in.

“The last year has been pretty tough, but it feels good to get back in the groove and remember what I can do and put together a good tournament.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1^st: Brett Graham of Cold Spring, Ky., five bass, 18-11, $6,000

2^nd: Adam Militana of Saluda, N.C., five bass, 17-10, $3,000

3^rd: Shane Sloan of Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 16-13, $2,000

4^th: Kendall Robinson of Lexington, Ky., five bass, 16-12, $1,400

5^th: J.R. Stalcup of Albany, Ky., five bass, 16-10, $1,150

5^th: Jimmy Gayhart of Sadieville, Ky., five bass, 16-10, $1,150

7^th: Ben Stacy of Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 16-8, $1,000

8^th: Christian Nickles of Clintwood, Va., five bass, 16-5, $1,400

9^th: Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 16-1, $1,000

10^th: Dathan Jones of Harrodsburg, Ky, five bass, 15-12, $700

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Brent Butler of Vonore, Tennessee earned the day’s $1,000 Boater Big Bass award with his largest fish, a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass.

Nickles 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.

Tracy Helton of London, Kentucky, earned the win in the Co-angler Division Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 15 ounces. Helton earned $3,000 for his victory.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1^st: Tracy Helton of London, Ky., five bass, 17-15, $3,000

1^st: Patrick Crawley of Burkesville, Ky., five bass, 15-14, $1,500

3^rd: Randy Wilson of Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 15-9, $1,150

4^th: Scottie Cook of Hustonville, Ky., five bass, 14-14, $700

5^th: Brandin Carey of Harrodsburg, Ky., five bass, 13-15, $600

6^th: Doug Dewar of Burlington, Ky., four bass, 13-1, $550

7^th: Brandon Lake of Berea, Ky., five bass, 12-11, $500

8^th: Robert Pillow of Campbellsville, Ky., five bass, 12-4, $450

9^th: Garry Collins of Russell Springs, Ky., four bass, 12-1, $400

10^th: Luke Smith of Florence, Ky., four bass, 11-15, $350

Jared Rudd of Salyersville, Kentucky, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 12 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $500.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Dale Hollow Reservoir was hosted by Star Point Resort. The tournament was the first of five events in Mountain Division.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Mountain Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 8-10 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee, hosted by the Rhea Economic and Tourism Council. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

Dice Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Smith Mountain Lake

Grottoe’s Melendez Wins Co-angler Division

HUDDLESTON, Va. (March 16, 2020) – Boater Jack Dice of Lynchburg, Virginia, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 22 pounds even to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Smith Mountain Lake in Huddleston, Virginia. For his victory, Dice earned a total of $5,246.

A person wearing a hat

Description automatically generatedThe tournament was the first of five events in the Shenandoah Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.

“I started my day in the upper lake in the Roanoke River arm, near the bridge, but I was really just killing time until later in the afternoon when the sun was going to warm up the lake,” said Dice, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition. “My best area was actually in Craddock Creek, and I ran there for the second half of the day and caught most of my fish there.”

Dice said that the key to his victory was fishing in north-facing pockets. He said the sun had been warming those pockets faster than the rest of the lake and it had the fish pulling up shallow.

“Where the water was warmest was important, but another key factor was timing,” Dice said. “I’d been out practicing the last two days and the day before the event I didn’t have a keeper until 12:30. I figured that any fish that I caught earlier in the day was a bonus.”

Dice targeted laydowns and floating docks with a wacky-rigged 5-inch Yamamoto Senko (green-pumpkin) and a 6-inch Megabass Magdraft swimbait.

“I fished so hard, I’m exhausted,” Dice went on to say. “I’ve wanted to win a tournament so badly. I’ve won the Angler of the Year (AOY) title a few times, but I’ve never won a single tournament before. It feels awesome to finally get one.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1st: Jack Dice of Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 22-0, $5,246

2nd: Cavin Young of Prince George, Va., five bass, 20-1, $2,623

3rd: Steve Colgin of Lanexa, Va., five bass, 18-15, $2,452

4th: Frank Ippoliti of Mercersburg, Pa., five bass, 18-13, $1,177

5th: Thomas Wooten of Huddleston, Va., five bass, 18-8, $1,009

6th: Justin Hicks of Roanoke, Va., five bass, 18-7, $925

7th: Chad Pilson of Bassett, Va., five bass, 17-9, $1,341

8th: Wayne Dorman of Louisa, Va., five bass, 17-4, $757

9th: Kevin Chandler of New London, N.C., five bass, 16-14, $673

10th: Peter Yanni of Gaithersburg, Md., five bass, 16-9, $589

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Colgin also earned the day’s $770 Boater Big Bass award with his largest fish, a 7-pound bass.

Pilson 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.

Costas Melendez of Grottoes, Virginia, earned the win in the Co-angler Division Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 2 ounces. Melendez earned $2,523 for his victory.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1st: Costas Melendez of Grottoes, Va., five bass, 16-2, $2,523

2nd: David Mills of Moneta, Va., five bass, 14-2, $1,262

3rd: Matthew Noraas of Pamplin, Va., five bass, 14-1, $841

4th: Victor Auriemma of Baltimore, Md., five bass, 13-11, $589

5th: Brian Byrd of Roanoke, Va., three bass, 13-4, $505

6th: Scott Howard of Bedford, Va., five bass, 12-10, $463

7th: Timothy Kinder of Manassas, Va., five bass, 12-7, $571

8th: Pat Kendrick of Bumpass, Va., four bass, 12-1, $378

9th: Eric Gifford of Colonial Beach, Va., three bass, 11-12, $721

10th: Ricky Grant of Callands, Va., five bass, 10-4, $294

Gifford caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 4 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $385.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Shenandoah Division presented by A.R.E. based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 8-10 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the James River in Richmond, Virginia, hosted by Richmond Region Tourism. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

Daniels Earns Championship Berth with 111-15

20 Anglers Eliminated as Group A Qualifying Round Ends
March 15, 2020 (Lake Fork, Texas) Major League Fishing Pros weathered a slower day on Lake Fork during the General Tire Stage Three presented by TrueTimber. Mark Daniels, Jr., who started the day with a 12-pound lead over the rest of the field, won Group A Qualifying Round and earned a berth to Wednesday’s Championship Round. Jeff Sprague and Jason Christie battled for second place throughout the day with Sprague edging out Christie in Period Three. 32-year-old Josh Bertrand began the day in 23rd place and caught 43 pounds, six ounces to rise to finish in 7th place. Anglers who finished in 2nd through 20th places will start-over in Tuesday’s Knockout Round when weights begin at zero in hopes to be among the top eight (out of 38) anglers to advance.

Mark Daniels, Jr. (MDJ to fans and friends) began the day in first place with a 12-pound-three-ounce lead over Jeff Sprague. Despite catching three fish over five pounds, Daniels’ lead fell to five pounds, 11 ounces but he remained in first place. His two-day total ended at 111 pounds, 15 ounces. Daniels faced mechanical issues late in the third Period that kept him from fishing for nearly an hour before MLF arrived with a replacement boat. The 38-year-old from Tuskeegee (Ala.) won Group A and will bypass Tuesday’s Knockout Round to advance to Wednesday’s Championship where he will earn a minimum of $12,000 and have a chance to win the $100,000 top prize.

Sprague, who claims Fork as his “home lake,” began and ended Sunday in second place but battled with Jason Christie throughout the day as the two worked to win the Group A Qualifying Round. Sprague came out strong 19 minutes into Period One with his first fish weighing in at six pounds, four ounces - his biggest fish of the day. Christie answered that catch with two bass in the next 10 minutes weighing a combined total of 10 pounds, three ounces. Ultimately Sprague out-caught Christie with a six-pound bass late in the third period which secured him a five-pound lead and second place.

“Today was the same as the first day just alot less bites,” said Christie from his boat shortly after lines out. “On Tuesday in the Knockout Round, the best bet for me is to start where I’ve been starting and then I will fish all new water, which everyone will do. Sometimes you have to just put your elbows out and fish.”

Bertrand began the day below the elimination line in 23rd place with 38 pounds, 13 ounces - 46 pounds out of first place. With a four-pound-one-ounce largemouth 14 minutes into today’s competition, Bertrand began steady 43-pound, 16-place march up the leaderboard catching at least one scoreable bass each hour until the last hour of the day. A resident of Queen Creek, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix, the Berkley Pro has one major win and 13 top ten finishes on his career stats.

The Top Ten of Day One, Qualifying Group A finished as follows:

Place Angler 2-Day Qualifying Round Total 2-Day Total Fish Largest Fish
1 Mark Daniels, Jr. 111-15 31 7-05
2 Jeff Sprague 106-04 29 6-05
3 Jason Christie 97-11 25 10-04
4 Keith Poche 89-10 28 9-09
5 Greg Hackney 87-11 25 8-12
6 Andy Morgan 86-09 23 7-04
7 Josh Bertrand 82-03 22 7-01
8 Bobby Lane 80-03 25 8-03
9 Ott DeFoe 79-10 27 5-14
10 Greg Vinson 79-10 21 8-03

For complete results, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com, Bass Pro Tour, Results.

The competition continues Monday when Group B takes to the water for the first day of their Qualifying Round. Michael Neal, who took a one-pound lead over Brandon Coulter with only seven minutes left in the day, will work to stave off Brandon Coulter and Justin Atkins. Atkins holds the league and tour records at 10 pounds, 8 ounces. Monday’s weather forecast shows slightly warmer temperatures and overcast with a high of 66.

Group B Qualifying Round Day Two begins with launch at Oak Ridge Marina, Quitman, Texas, 9:15 a.m. CT before lines-in at 10:00 a.m. Period 1 ends at 12:30 p.m. Period 2 spans 12:45 p.m. until 3:15 p.m. Period 3 begins at 3:30 p.m. and lasts until day’s end at 6:00 p.m. The General Tire Takeout show airs approximately 6:15–7:15 p.m. as anglers return to the ramp.

Fans can catch all the action every day of competition on MLFNOW! livestream on MajorLeagueFishing.com or download the MLF App for your Apple or GooglePlay device or on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).

by AnglersChannel

Glendale’s Au Leads Wire-to-Wire, Wins Toyota Series Tournament at Lake Havasu

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. (March 14, 2020) –General Tire pro Tai Au of Glendale, Arizona, brought five bass to the scale Saturday totaling 16 pounds, 15 ounces to win the three-day Toyota Series at Lake Havasu event in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Au won the event by a 1-pound, 12-ounce margin after bringing a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 61-3 to the scale. For his win, Au earned a payout of $26,589 in the opening tournament of the 2020 Toyota Series Western Division season.

“I’ve dreamt about this moment for a long time,” Au said on stage. “I’ve been close so many times. This is my 15th top-10, and for a while there I thought it just was never going to happen; it wasn’t in the cards for me. I woke up this morning at midnight, just getting teary-eyed thinking about it. I’ve got a lot of friends supporting me, and I want to thank them for that.”

Au opened the tournament Thursday with the biggest limit of the week. Four of the five keepers he weighed in he caught while sight-fishing. Day one was by far the best day of the event. Sunny skies in the morning made bed-fishing easy. Plus, there were tons of unpressured bass on beds to be caught. That changed when afternoon and evening rains on Thursday dirtied parts of the lake and were followed up with post-frontal weather on Friday, which really challenged many anglers. Au threw everything he had at them and had to do much of the same today.

“As far as numbers-wise, I did all I could today,” Au said. “I went out there and ran the same stuff and caught a whole lot more today than I did the first and second day.

“I just went junk-fishing. I checked a few of my beds. They weren’t there. I did catch one on a bed. That was a 2½-pound male that was on the same bed with my 7-pounder that I caught, so I went back and caught it today to put it in my livewell just to cull it out later. I caught one of my nicer ones on an Evergreen Jack Hammer with a Zako Paddle Tail trailer. I caught one flipping a Flappin’ Hog. I caught two on a Senko, and about five or six on a Daiwa Neko Fat.”

Au spent his time in areas where he saw the best quality fish on beds in practice. Knowing there were good ones around gave him the confidence to stay in those areas. From there, his strategy was to fish whatever looked good in front of him, cycling through all the baits he knew he could get bit with, but he focused mostly on tules, which is “where the largemouth are.”

“Deep tules, shallow tules, it didn’t matter as long as there were tules nearby I was catching them,” Au said.

“It was just a matter of running into them and making the right cast. I felt like I made a million casts out there. I left it all out there. I know for a fact I couldn’t have done anything else.”

The top 10 pros on Lake Havasu finished:

1^st: Tai Au of Glendale, Ariz., 15 bass, 61-3, $26,589

2^nd: Jordan Collom of Temecula, Calif., 15 bass, 59-7, $10,303

3^rd: Todd Kline of San Clemente, Calif., 15 bass, 57-5, $7,977

4^th: Michael Caruso of Peoria, Ariz., 15 bass, 56-13, $6,647

5^th: Kyle Grover of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., 15 bass, 55-0, $5,982

6^th: Tanner Austin of Shingle Springs, Calif., 15 bass, 54-13, $5,318

7^th: Kevin Hugo of Canyon Lake, Calif., 14 bass, 53-10, $5,653

8^th: Clayton Eslick of Gilroy, Calif., 14 bass, 49-2, $3,988

9^th: Kevin Caruso of Glendale, Ariz., 15 bass, 48-15, $3,824

10^th: Lane Olson of Tigard, Ore., 15 bass, 47-9, $2,659

A complete list of results can be found atFLWFishing.com.

Hugo took home an extra $1,000 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Delaney Dwyer of Scottsdale, Arizona, brought a 7-pound, 12-ounce largemouth bass to the scale Thursday – the largest fish weighed by a boater in the event – to earn the day’s Big Bass award of $76.

Jack Farrage of Discovery Bay, California, won the Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 43 pounds, 3 ounces. For his win, Farrage took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor, worth $33,500.

The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Havasu finished:

1^st: Jack Farage of Discovery Bay, Calif., 15 bass, 43-3, $33,500

2^nd: Ty Faber of Pagosa Springs, Colo., 15 bass, 43-2, $3,438

3^rd: James Hollingshead of Clarkston, Wash., 13 bass, 37-5, $2,950

4^th: Kevin Gross of Claremont, Calif., 12 bass, 35-15, $2,457

5^th: Zack Eggleston of Goleta, Calif., 15 bass, 34-9, $2,063

6^th: Jacob Traba of Pacifica, Calif., 12 bass, 33-15, $1,719

7^th: James Poff of Apple Valley, Calif., 13 bass, 32-6, $1,375

8^th: Clint Messner of North Bend, Ore., 12 bass, 31-13, $1,203

9^th: Aaron Seay of El Cajon, Calif., 12 bass, 29-11, $1,031

10^th: Mark Bowman of San Dimas, Calif., 10 bass, 27-7, $860

Co-angler Gabriel Diaz of Nuevo, California, brought the largest bass of the tournament on the co-angler side to the scale on Friday, weighing 6 pounds, 8 ounces to win the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $50.

The Toyota Series at Lake Okeechobee was hosted by the Lake Havasu City Convention & Visitors Bureau. It was the first of three regular-season tournaments in 2020 for Western Division anglers. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.

The Toyota Series consists of eight divisions – Central, Eastern, Northern, Plains, Southeastern, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division. Anglers who fish all three qualifiers in any of the eight divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning $200,000 cash, plus lucrative contingency bonuses. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2020 Toyota Series Championship is being held Nov. 5-7 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky, and is hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission.

For complete details and updated information visitFLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Toyota Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Lake Placid’s Medlock Wins Toyota Series Tournament at Lake Okeechobee

CLEWISTON, Fla. (March 14, 2020) – Pro Brandon Medlock of Lake Placid, Florida, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday totaling 19 pounds, 4 ounces to win the three-day Toyota Series at Lake Okeechobee event in Clewiston, Florida. Medlock’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 54-4 earned him the win by a 5-pound, 13-ounce margin and earned him a payout of $37,548 in the second tournament of the 2020 Toyota Series Southern Division season.

A picture containing man, black, riding, young

Description automatically generatedAll three days, Medlock started on an outside reed line where bass were eating shad.

“I was practicing for a tournament a couple weeks ago and I caught some big ones out on the outside, but not very many bites,” said Medlock, who earned his third career Toyota Series victory on Lake Okeechobee. “So, as soon as the wind laid down in practice I went over there to check it, and it was bite after bite after bite. Those shad just came in there.”

Pitching and making short casts with a ½-ounce, white Medlock Double Guard Flipping Jig with a white Zoom Super Speed Craw was the ticket for the shad fish.

After corralling a limit each day, Medlock flipped reeds the rest of the time.

“The fish have all been behind the reeds for the past month – there’s not been anything going on the outside, that just started in the last two weeks,” said Medlock. “As hot as it is, I felt like that inside bite was dying. I felt like the fish were leaving that, so I concentrated more on the outer stuff.

“The first day I thought I was going to have 25 pounds, I caught probably 20 fish, but they were all little ones. I ran really shallow stuff that day, but the next day I went deeper.”

Going deeper turned out to be the key, and on days two and three Medlock flipped up multiple big fish from isolated reeds out past the main reed edge.

For his flipping attack, Medlock used a 3/8-ounce and a 3/4-ounce Medlock Double Guard Flipping Jig in black and blue. He tipped the 3/8-ounce model with a Riot Baits Little Fuzzy, and used a Zoom Big Salty Chunk as a trailer on the 3/4-ounce model.

Flipping the heavier jig on the outer reeds, Medlock opted for the lighter jig in shallower stuff.

“The water depth was the main deal there,” Medlock went on to say. “That 3/8-ounce jig is unreal for spooky fish. It doesn’t spook ‘em. I can lay it down on super long flips and it lays down effortlessly.”

Medlock used an Ark Tharp Series Guntersville Special with 50-pound Vicious No-Fade Braid for the 3/8-ounce jig. For the heavier jigs he opted for a Ark Tharp Series Okeechobee Special with 80-pound No-Fade. For all his setups, Medlock stuck with high-speed Quantum baitcasters.

The top 10 pros on Lake Okeechobee finished:

1st: Brandon Medlock of Lake Placid, Fla., 15 bass, 54-4, $37,548

2nd: Peter Thliveros of St. Augustine, Fla., 15 bass, 48-7, $14,550

3rd: Ronnie Buck of Miami, Fla., 15 bass, 48-3, $12,265

4th: Gary Milicevic of LaBelle, Fla., 15 bass, 45-8, $9,387

5th: Darrell Davis of Dover, Fla., 15 bass, 44-8, $8,448

6th: Brett Cannon of Parkland, Fla., 15 bass, 43-7, $7,645

7th: Bradley MacQueen of West Palm Beach, Fla., 14 bass, 41-4, $7,071

8th: John Kremer of Sanford, Fla., 13 bass, 40-15, $5,632

9th: Robby Frashier of Carrollton, Ga., 14 bass, 39-4, $4,829

10th: Casey Warren of Galivants Ferry, S.C., 15 bass, 38-13, $3,755

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

Buck took home an extra $1,000 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Frashier brought a 7-pound, 14-ounce largemouth bass to the scale Friday – the largest fish weighed by a boater in the event – to earn the day’s Big Bass award of $135.

Andy Niles of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, won the Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 44 pounds, 7 ounces. For his win, Niles took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor, worth $33,500.

The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Okeechobee finished:

1st: Andy Niles of Ocean Springs, Miss., 15 bass, 44-7, $33,500

2nd: George Kapiton of Inverness, Fla., 15 bass, 39-4, $4,729

3rd: Edwin Bartlett of Casco, Maine, 15 bass, 38-1, $3,783

4th: J.P. Sims of Port St. Lucie, Fla., 15 bass, 37-2, $3,310

5th: Aaron Gengler of Lakeland, Fla., 13 bass, 32-12, $3,037

6th: Roger Gonzalez of Hollywood, Fla., 12 bass, 32-1, $2,364

7th: Bobby Bakewell of Orlando, Fla., 12 bass, 30-13, $1,891

8th: John Riddling of Melrose, Fla., 10 bass, 29-9, $1,755

9th: Christian Greico of Tampa, Fla., 12 bass, 29-8, $1,419

10th: Brian Toth of Brandon, Miss., 13 bass, 29-8, $1,182

Co-angler Mike Garrett of Pensacola, Florida, caught just two bass on Thursday and one bass on Friday, but they were big ones. Garrett weighed in a 7-pound, 11-ouncer on both days of competition, and both days earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $90. Garrett’s three bass totaling 16 pounds, 15 ounces landed him in 50th place.

The Toyota Series at Lake Okeechobee was hosted by Roland & Mary Ann Martin’s Marina and Resort and Hendry County Tourism. It was the second of three regular-season tournaments in 2020 for Southern Division anglers. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Toyota Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Arkansas Kayak Pro Cody Milton Tops Lake Fork Field With Over 100 Inches Of Bass

March 14, 2020

ALBA, Texas — It’s a fact that a 20-pound five-bass limit is a benchmark among tournament anglers, and the same can be said for a combined 100 inches for the same number of bass caught from a kayak.

Arkansas angler Cody Milton bested the 145-kayak field with a five-bass limit measuring 100 1/2 inches at the 2020 Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX presented by Abu Garcia at famed Texas big-bass factory Lake Fork.

Milton, 26, caught every one of his fish sight fishing.

“If there was ever a tournament set up for a kayaker, this was it,” Milton said. “When I started pre-fishing, I found the motherlode of spawning bass in 8 to 12 inches of water. I was 40 to 50 yards inside of where a standard bass boat could access. They were watching me catch my fish wishing they could access the same water, but it just wasn’t possible. If it weren’t for my NuCanoe Pursuit, or any kayak for that matter, I wouldn’t have enjoyed the day I did.”

Milton launched from the 515 West bridge area, and made a short run to his fishing location. He leaned on previous experience at Lake Fork that he had acquired from years competing and fishing on the lake — and also what he learned from his father.

“The second check I ever cashed in a tournament was in 2001 at Lake Fork, I was only a kid,” he said. “I’ve spent more time on this lake than I do on the lakes near where I live in Arkansas.

“I caught each bass on a Texas-rigged Strike King Rage Bug in black and blue wired onto a 4/0 Owner Jungle Flippin’ Hook beneath a 1/8-ounce bullet weight. The water was pretty dirty and the bass were super finnicky, so I had to make a perfect flip, then swim it into the bed for the fish to even consider eating it.”

His NuCanoe Pursuit has some unique features, but the modifications he implemented made it perfect for sight fishing at Lake Fork.

“I have a MotorGuide Xi3 rigged on the front with a wireless foot pedal, and it is powered by Dakota Lithium batteries,” he said. “I also have a Power-Pole Micro Anchor on the back, which was absolutely critical to keeping my boat in place while I fished for each bass. I couldn’t have been successful without it.”

Milton said he stood on the seat and fished out of the back of the boat because that position allowed him to be as close to the bedded bass as possible without spooking them.

“Three of my biggest fish were all bedded within sight of each other,” Milton said. “I did make a mile and a half run to what I figured was a 7-pounder, and probably would have measured 21 to 22 inches, but it never bit after a long effort.”

Milton’s top five bass measured 22 3/4, 20 1/4, 20, 19 1/4 and 18 1/4 inches for a total of 100 1/2 inches. His limit topped second place by nearly 3 inches. His performance earned him the winner’s trophy and the $7,000 first-place paycheck out of a total purse of $30,000 paid to the field.

Rounding out the Top 10 were Dan Krispinsky (97 3/4), Chad Dagley (95), Jeremiah Smith (94 3/4), Lance Burris (94 1/2), Rolando Nandin (93 3/4), Richie McMichael (93), Jeff Isham (92 1/2), Sean Acord (91 3/4) and Brady Storrs (91 1/2).

For complete results, visit TourneyX.com.

The tournament was hosted by Lake Fork Marina.

by AnglersChannel

MLF Records and Rallies on Lake Fork: Atkins Breaks Christie's Record; Neal Rallies in the Third to Sneak into First Place

March 14, 2020 (Lake Fork, Texas) 40 Pro anglers (Group B) competed on Lake Fork in the Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Three presented by TrueTimber. Justin Atkins broke the record for the largest bass caught in Major League Fishing and Bass Pro Tour histories less than 24 hours after Jason Christie set it. Brandon Coulter led the field for much of the day only to slip into second place in the last seven minutes of the day. Michael Neal came from behind in Period Three with a 35-pound, 10-fish run to end the day in first place. Group A returns to the water Sunday for their second and final day of the Qualifying Round; the bottom 20 will be eliminated.

Alabama-resident Justin Atkins gave himself a belated 30th-birthday present on Lake Fork today by catching the largest bass in the history of both MLF and the Bass Pro Tour. Weighing in at 10 pounds, eight ounces, a personal best for Atkins, this fish beat Christie’s catch by 4 ounces, less than 24 hours later.

“Look at this guy,” exclaimed Atkins moments after he calmly set the hook in a fashion resembling the experience of a Pro twice his age.

“It will not last a day or two,” said Christie, in an interview late Friday after catching the first record-breaker of this Stage. “I’m looking forward to getting back out there.”

Atkins won the Berkley Big Bass of the Day for Saturday and receives $1,000.

Brandon Coulter took over the lead from Dave Lefebre early in Period Two thanks to a steady stream of significant catches, including his big bass of the day weighing in at nine pounds, five ounces with 45 minutes left in the second. 49-year-old Coulter looked like he would end the day in first place until fellow Tennessean Michael Neal rallied, rising into the Top Ten with a 10-fish, 35-pound-10-ounce run in Period Three. With seven minutes remaining on the day, Neal caught a three-pound-eight-ounce largemouth to take the lead by one pound.

“Sneaky Mikey,” commented Coulter as the clock wound down to lines-out for the day. “Congratulations Michael; I wanted to win that Round bad. We had a good day and I will be back out on Monday working to win and skip the Knockout Round.”

The Top Ten of Day One, Qualifying Group B finished as follows:

Place Angler Total Weight Total Fish Largest Fish
1 Michael Neal 57-00 16 6-14
2 Brandon Coulter 56-00 14 9-05
3 Justin Atkins 51-00 9 10-08
4 James Watson 49-12 14 5-10
5 Wesley Strader 43-03 14 4-08
6 Kelly Jordon 42-00 13 4-00
7 Kevin VanDam 39-12 12 5-03
8 Todd Faircloth 39-08 10 5-04
9 Bryan Thrift 38-14 11 5-04
10 Brent Chapman 37-09 10 7-01

For complete results, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com, Bass Pro Tour, Results.

The competition continues Sunday when Group A returns to the water for their final day of the Qualifying Round. Mark Daniels, Jr. is currently in the lead with 84 pounds, 15 ounces. Texas Pro Jeff Sprague sits in second place 12 pounds behind Daniels. The angler with the highest two-day cumulative total wins and the bottom 20 anglers will be eliminated. The weather forecast suggests thunderstorms may hinder the competition midday. Bass Pro Tour Tournament Director Aaron Beshears will consider safety over competition every time.

“We continuously monitor weather on the entire body of water to determine the safest situation for the anglers and MLF staff,” said Beshears.

Pending no weather delays, the day begins with launch at Oak Ridge Marina, Quitman, Texas, 9:15 a.m. CT before lines-in at 10:00 a.m. Period 1 ends at 12:30 p.m. Period 2 spans 12:45 p.m. until 3:15 p.m. Period 3 begins at 3:30 p.m. and lasts until day’s end at 6:00 p.m. The General Tire Takeout show airs approximately 6:15–7:15 p.m. as anglers return to the ramp.

Fans can catch all the action every day of competition on MLFNOW! livestream on MajorLeagueFishing.com or download the MLF App for your Apple or GooglePlay device or on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).

by AnglersChannel

GHSA Postpones High School Fishing GHSA Cup Event in Response to Coronavirus Pandemic

THOMASTON, Ga. (March 13, 2020) – The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) in conjunction with FLW and The Bass Federation (TBF), announced today the postponement of the GHSA Cup – a special kickoff tournament held for GHSA-member schools originally scheduled for March 21 at Lake Oconee in Buckhead, Georgia, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The event will be rescheduled for a later date.

Earlier this month the organizations announced that Georgia had become the fifth state to partner with FLW and TBF in offering bass fishing as a sanctioned high school sport starting with the 2020-2021 school year.

Bass fishing is a co-ed sport allowing young men and women to compete side-by-side. There is no designated season, thus allowing students to compete year-round in both GHSA-sanctioned events and non-sanctioned tournaments. GHSA competition comprises four State Qualifying tournaments held in different areas of the state beginning in January of each year with the State Championship to be held in March or April. The schedule will be published every July/August of the new school year.

FLW, TBF and the GHSA recommends that everyone follow the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on everyday prevention of viral infection, which include:

Stay home when sick or living with a sick person.
Cover the nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing.
Wash hands often with soap and water.
Routinely clean frequently touched surfaces and objects.
Limit face-to-face contact.
Consult a healthcare provider as needed.

For the latest information about the GHSA Cup, or for details, rules, and future schedule announcements, visitGHSA.net and the GHSA Bass Fishing homepage.

For regular High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more from across the country, visit HighSchoolFishing.org and follow SAF on Facebook. You can follow the latest news from FLW High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing atFLWFishing.com and FLW’s social media outlets atFacebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

LHSAA Cancels High School Fishing Regional Tournaments in Response to Coronavirus Pandemic

BATON ROUGE, La. (March 13, 2020) – The Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) in conjunction with FLW and The Bass Federation (TBF), announced today the cancellation of three High School Fishing Regional Tournaments scheduled for Saturday, March 14 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Regional Tournaments that have been canceled are:

Region 1 – Caney Lake in Chatham, La.
Region 3 – Atchafalaya Basin in Berwick, La.
Region 4 – Bayou Segnette in Westwego, La.

All high school teams that were registered to compete in the events will automatically advance to the LHSAA State Championship tournament. The full LHSAA bass fishing rules can be found here. The LHSAA State competition originally scheduled for April 3-4 on Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, will be rescheduled so as not to conflict with the statewide Louisiana school closings through April 13 that were announced earlier today.

Decisions regarding future events will be made in the coming weeks as LHSAA, FLW and TBF monitor the situation with COVID-19 under the guidance of medical and Public Health professionals. The decision was made to safeguard the health and well-being of all involved.

FLW, TBF and the LHSAA recommend that everyone follow the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on everyday prevention of viral infection, which include:

Stay home when sick or living with a sick person.
Cover the nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing.
Wash hands often with soap and water.
Routinely clean frequently touched surfaces and objects.
Limit face-to-face contact.
Consult a healthcare provider as needed.

For complete details and updated information visitFLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

FLW Postpones College Fishing and High School Fishing Events in Response to Coronavirus Pandemic

FLW Postpones Abu Garcia College Fishing and High School Fishing Events in Response to Coronavirus Pandemic

BENTON, Ky. (March 13, 2020) – FLW, the world’s largest tournament fishing organization, announced today the cancellation and postponement of multiple Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI and High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing events due to travel restrictions implemented by universities and high schools nationwide in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Abu Garcia College Fishing and High School Fishing events that have been canceled or postponed are:

March 14 – College Fishing Western Conference on Lake Havasu – CANCELED
March 15 – High School Fishing Open and State Championship on Lake Havasu – CANCELED
March 17-18 – College Fishing Open on Kentucky Lake – POSTPONED, will be rescheduled

While the vast majority of tournaments will continue as scheduled, FLW, along with Major League Fishing (MLF), announced yesterday the suspension of all public gatherings associated with their events through April 12, 2020, in response to the pandemic. Public gatherings include all fan meet-n-greets associated with the Bass Pro Tour, and the attendance of fans and non-essential staff at all FLW tournaments, including weigh-ins.

Decisions regarding future events will be made in the coming weeks as the leagues monitor the situation with COVID-19 under the guidance of medical and Public Health professionals. The decision was made to safeguard the health and well-being of all involved.

FLW and MLF recommends that everyone follow the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on everyday prevention of viral infection, which include:

Stay home when sick or living with a sick person.
Cover the nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing.
Wash hands often with soap and water.
Routinely clean frequently touched surfaces and objects.
Limit face-to-face contact.
Consult a healthcare provider as needed.

For complete details and updated information visitFLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Bassmaster Elite Series Event At Chickamauga Lake Postponed Amid COVID-19 Concerns

March 13, 2020

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Due to public health concerns surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19), B.A.S.S. officials announced today they will postpone the Bassmaster Elite at Chickamauga Lake originally scheduled to be held on the Dayton, Tenn., fishery March 19-22.

“Any time we are forced to postpone a tournament it is disappointing to our anglers, fans, sponsors and staff,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “The anglers want to fish this incredible lake, where we have enjoyed amazing fan support over the years. After careful discussions though, it was apparent that the best decision was to postpone the tournament and festivities.”

The decision comes after the number of Tennesseans infected with the coronavirus doubled to 18, and Gov. Bill Lee declared a state of emergency on Thursday. The CDC has also recommended that those at higher risk for contracting the disease or those who may have been exposed to COVID-19 should avoid crowds and events to help prevent the spread of the virus. This has prompted other outdoor sports, including NASCAR, MLB and the PGA, to postpone or cancel events.

B.A.S.S. is monitoring the situation with local public officials and following precautions and advice outlined by the CDC and World Health Organization as they evaluate upcoming events. A new tournament date will be announced in the future.

by AnglersChannel

Auten Awarded $2,500 Toyota Bonus Bucks

Luke Stoner - Dynamic Sponsorships

Garmin pro Todd Auten hadn’t competed in a Bassmaster Classic since February of 2008, so he went ahead and made his presence known at the 50^th Annual Academy Sports + Outdoors Classic presented by Huk last weekend on Lake Guntersville. Auten rallied to finish in second place behind Hank Cherry thanks to a 20-pound 10-ounce limit of fish on Championship Sunday.

Finishing second in a major event like the Classic has its own special sting to it, but Auten admitted the disappointment was lessened when he saw Kendell of Dynamic Sponsorships holding his $2,500 “Happy Gilmore” Toyota Bonus Bucks check during the post-Classic press conference for finishing as the second highest placing participant.

The Lake Wylie, South Carolina pro has been a Toyota Bonus Bucks member since his last Classic appearance over 12 years ago and in that time has racked up a pile of money through the popular contingency program.

“I absolutely love towing with a Toyota Tundra,” Auten said humbly. “To me, they are the most dependable trucks on the market and I simply don’t have to worry about them. I have owned several and leased my last two Tundras; I have had fewer issues with these vehicles than anything else I’ve ever owned.”

Both first and second place finishers in this year’s Bassmaster Classic drive a Toyota and were awarded extra earnings, but Auten reminds us that an angler can lease an eligible Toyota tow-vehicle and still qualify for the Bonus Bucks program. As long as the vehicle is 2016 or newer, is owned or leased under your name, you compete in one of the myriad of supported tournaments and are among the highest placing participants you can earn Bonus Bucks.

For more information on the program, including a full list of events or to get yourself registered, follow this link: https://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/ . Or call (918) 742-6424, ask for Kendell or Chip and they’ll get you taken care of.

by AnglersChannel

Major League Fishing and FLW Suspend Public Gatherings:

Events through April 12, 2020 Affected

Thursday, March 12, 2020 (Tulsa, Okla.) Major League Fishing and FLW announced the suspension of all public gatherings associated with their events through April 12, 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The decision was made to safeguard the health and well-being of all involved. Public gatherings include all fan meet-n-greets associated with the Bass Pro Tour, and the attendance of fans and non-essential staff at all FLW tournaments, including weigh-ins. Due to the nature of competitive bass fishing, the league will continue to host tournaments for participating anglers. Decisions regarding future events will be made in the coming weeks as the league monitors the situation with COVID-19 under the guidance of medical and Public Health professionals.

“We’re taking these proactive measures to ensure the health and safety of our anglers, volunteers, fans, and staff,” said Jim Wilburn, MLF President and CEO. “As a unique outdoor sport where competitors have limited interaction, we feel that we can continue to host tournaments under an abundance of caution. Should circumstances change around a particular event, we will alert those competitors and volunteers directly involved with as much notice as possible.”

Public appearances of the MLF Pros associated with Stages Three and Four of the Bass Pro Tour will not take place. Fans are encouraged to remain home and watch their favorite anglers on MLFNOW! rather than gathering in person.

Events cancelled include the following:

Friday, Mar. 13, 2020, MLF All Access - Angler Appearances at Neon Moon, Yantis, Texas
Saturday, Mar. 14, 2020, MLF All Access - Student Angler Clinic at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, Athens, Texas
Sunday, Mar. 15, 2020, MLF All Access - Crawfish Boil, Neon Moon, Yantis, Texas
Friday, Apr. 3 - Sunday, Apr. 5, 2020, MLF Midway, Garner, N.C.

Attendance at all FLW weigh-ins will be limited to essential staff and immediate family. Considering the breadth and scope of FLW tournaments across the continental U.S.A, the league feels this decision is in the best interest of public health including volunteers, anglers, fans, and staff. Events affected by this weigh-in attendance restriction include:

Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Martin, March 19-22, 2020
Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Cherokee Lake, April 2-5, 2020

Toyota Series Southern Division at Lake Okeechobee, March 12-14, 2020
Toyota Series Western Division at Lake Havasu, March 12-14, 2020
Toyota Series Plains Division at Lake of the Ozarks, March 26-28, 2020
Toyota Series Southeastern Division at Wheeler Lake, March 26-28, 2020
Toyota Series Southwestern Division at Fort Gibson Lake, April 8-10, 2020

All weigh-ins associated with Phoenix Bass Fishing League, Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI, and FLW High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing tournaments held between March 12th and April 12th will also be affected by limited attendance. Only essential staff and immediate family will be able to attend.

“We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of our anglers, sponsors, and fans,” commented Kathy Fennel, FLW Executive Vice President and General Manager. “We realize that fan attendance at these weigh-ins is a highlight of our events, however based on the current understanding of how the COVID-19- is progressing in the United States, we feel everyone’s health and safety must outweigh the inevitable disappointment.”

In addition to addressing fan involvement, Major League Fishing will continue to assess the impact of COVID-19 and take the advice and mandates set forth by local, state, and national health officials to address the potential impact events will have on competitors, volunteers, and staff. Cancellations or postponements of tournaments and competitions will be announced directly to the registered anglers, school officials, and confirmed volunteers as needed.

MLF and FLW recommends that everyone follow the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on everyday prevention of viral infection, which include:
Stay home when sick or living with a sick person.
Cover the nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing.
Wash hands often with soap and water.
Routinely clean frequently touched surfaces and objects.
Limit face-to-face contact.
Consult a healthcare provider as needed.

by AnglersChannel

Humminbird® and Minn Kota® Launch One-Boat Challenge Web Series

RACINE, Wis. (March 12, 2020) — “The One-Boat Challenge,” the first branded entertainment series from Humminbird® and Minn Kota®, will debut on March 19 with the first of four episodes. Available through both Minn Kota’s YouTube channel and at www.OneBoatChallenge.com, each episode chronicles the experience of a group of amateur bass anglers competing for top fishing honors on Mexico’s venerable Lake El Salto.

Utilizing the technological advantages of the One-Boat Network™, which combines Humminbird electronics, Minn Kota trolling motors and Talon shallow-water anchors into a single, integrated system, the eight competitors compete on the famed Mexican bass fishery using One-Boat Network-equipped Vexus boats to see which team can catch the most — or the biggest — fish. While competition winners reap rewards and gain immunity, losing teams receive penalties and face early elimination from the competition.

The reality TV-style competition took place at Anglers Inn on Lake El Salto, a proven big-bass lake surrounded by the picturesque Sierra Madre Mountains of Sinaloa, Mexico. Two-angler teams faced a series of challenges testing their fishing skills, their ability to think on their feet and adapt to changes, as well as their technical savvy with the One-Boat Network. For the entirety of the competition, anglers relied on Humminbird SOLIX® units, MEGA Imaging®, LakeMaster® mapping, Talon shallow water anchors and a Minn Kota Ultrex™ trolling motor to help them locate and catch some of the most famous black bass in the world.

In addition to bragging rights, the teams battled for $10,000 in prize money to be donated to the charity of their choice. Contestants and their charity of choice include:
Tyler Anderson, Bass Fishing YouTuber – Kids Outdoor Zone
Mike Roy, Striped Bass Guide – Saltwater Guide’s Association
Seth Funt, Pelagic Fisherman – Coastal Conservation Association
Charlie Breitenbach, Inshore Fly Fisherman – Captains for Clean Water
Cameron Black, Salmon and Steelhead Guide – Hatchery Wild Coexist
Ashley Nichole Lewis, Salmon and Steelhead Guide – Brown Folks Fishing
Willie Young, NFL Defensive End – Keep America Fishing
Louie Vito, Olympic Snowboarder – Take Me Fishing
“We’ve been waiting for this moment to launch the One-Boat Challenge and we are thankful to everyone that helped to make this happen,” said Brad Henry, Minn Kota Brand Manager. “The episodes are meant to be entertaining and bring awareness to current and new consumers of the benefits of the One-Boat Network.”

The teams were outfitted with gear from some of fishing’s most esteemed brands, including AFTCO, Angler’s Inn, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Gerber, Old Town Kayak, Rapala, Plano, Shimano, St. Croix Rods, StrikeKing and VMC. Vexus Boats, rigged with the One-Boat Network, were towed by Toyota USA trucks and SUVs throughout the competition.

Beginning on March 19, episodes will release on OneBoatChallenge.com and Minn Kota’s YouTube channel. There will be four episodes highlighting the ups and downs of the competition as well as key features and benefits of the One-Boat Network, which will be released on the following Thursdays.
March 19 – Opening Ceremony
March 26 – Go Time
April 2 – Uncharted Territories
April 9 – The Big One
Follow along with the series by tracking #ONEBOATCHALLENGE and watch all the episodes at www.OneBoatChallenge.com.

For more information visit www.humminbird.com or www.minnkotamotors.com.

by AnglersChannel

2020 Bassmaster Classic Draws Biggest Crowd In Alabama History

A total of 122,814 fans, the biggest crowd in Alabama Classic history, attended Classic Week activities at venues around the state. Festivities concluded Sunday night, when Hank Cherry won the 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.

Photo by Shane Durrance/B.A.S.S.

March 12, 2020
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Hukmarked the 13th time the iconic event has been held in Alabama and shattered previous attendance records, B.A.S.S. officials announced today.

The total Classic Week attendance of 122,814 was recorded at a variety of activities across Alabama, including the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo in Birmingham, daily takeoffs on Lake Guntersville and the inaugural Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX presented by Abu Garcia on Logan Martin Lake in Pell City.

This attendance number is 35% higher than the previous state record set in 2014, and the fourth-highest attended Bassmaster Classic in the event’s 50-year history.

“This record-breaking attendance would not have been possible without the loyalty of our incredible Bassmaster fans and the partnerships between B.A.S.S. and our sponsors, exhibitors, the media and our host communities in Birmingham and Marshall County,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “We’re thankful for the hard work of the entire B.A.S.S. family and our great volunteers who made this Classic such a success.”

In addition to the daily weigh-ins, the hands-on Bass Pro Shops Get Hooked On Fishing children’s area and Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo held at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, large crowds attended the takeoffs each morning at Civitan Park on the shores of Lake Guntersville.

“We were thrilled with the support and crowd that turned out each morning at Civitan Park,” said Katy Norton, President of the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We want to thank our out-of-town guests and invite them back to Lake Guntersville to fish and enjoy one of Alabama's great natural attractions.”

A new event this year, the Bassmaster Classic Kickoff Party benefiting Children’s of Alabama, featured live music and fireworks and enabled fans to mingle with anglers on Thursday evening.

Fans also tuned in from afar to watch the action on Bassmaster LIVE — which established new records with a 23% increase in minutes watched — and follow the event on Bassmaster.com. The website was visited more than 1.8 million times by fans from 168 countries, including Brazil, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland and Zimbabwe, while social media engagement was up 253% over the 2019 Classic.

Classic Week culminated in crowning a new world champion of bass fishing as Hank Cherry, of Lincolnton, N.C., won the three-day tournament with a total of 65 pounds, 5 ounces and put the exclamation point on a dominant wire-to-wire victory.

Economic impact for the week is expected to top $25 million and will be announced once the calculations are completed by the local hosts.

by AnglersChannel

The Champ is Here!!!!

This week the boys are back from the Bassmaster's Classic and while 2 of the 4 are sick as dogs, the show must go on. The boys welcome in 2020 Bassmaster Classic Champ Hank Cherry to talk about winning the 50th Bassmaster's Classic! Chris gets on a stump over some FB comments and more!!

by AnglersChannel

Bradley, Greene Survive Boat Trouble To Win Bassmaster High School Series On Smith

Rylan Greene and Alex Bradley of Chapman (S.C.) High School win the 2020 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series at Smith Lake presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors with with 12 pounds, 11 ounces.
Photo by Emily Hand/B.A.S.S.

March 1, 2020

CULLMAN, Ala. — In their first high school tournament outside the state of South Carolina, Alex Bradley and Rylan Greene of Chapman High School caught five bass that weighed 12 pounds, 11 ounces Sunday to take home the title at the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series at Smith Lake presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors.

“It’s very exciting, this is unbelievable,” Bradley said.

Bradley and Greene edged out Brody Hopper and Landon Franks from Cullman High School by an ounce for the victory. The duo sat on the hot seat for most of the afternoon, and Bradley said he was thinking each bag might be the one to knock them off.

With the tournament victory, Bradley and Greene claimed a spot in the 2020 Bassmaster High School Series National Championship. They also secured a spot in the 2020 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Classic on Lay Lake presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors on March 7 and the weigh-in on the Bassmaster Classic stage in Birmingham.

The duo used their experiences on their home lake, Lake Hartwell, to guide them through the tournament day.

“We were out there today and Alex goes, ‘This reminds me of Lake Hartwell,’” Greene said. “That’s sort of what we took it as and went with it.”

The week did not start out promising for Bradley and Greene, however, as motor problems limited practice time Friday morning.

Bradley’s father, Mark, who also served as the duo’s boat captain for the event, actually tried to talk them into going home. But they wouldn’t have it. “They don’t ever give up,” Mark said. “Through all the problems, their confidence was unbelievable. They are just happy to be fishing. It’s unbelievable how calm they stay and they don’t ever give up.”

After Bradley and Greene decided to stay for the tournament, Mark took the boat to Fredrick’s Marine and fixed the fuel pump among other things. With a properly working motor, they took off on Sunday morning and headed to the first spot they found on Friday and caught all of their bass off that one spot — three spotted bass and two largemouth, in 20 to 30 feet of water.

“We caught them mainly on a Senko, but we caught a few on a drop shot and underspin,” Bradley said. “I was dragging the Senko and then deadsticking it, and that’s when they would bite it.”

Hopper and Franks did not practice prior to tournament day, but managed to catch four keepers for 12-10 to achieve their goal of qualifying for the National Championship. They also claimed the Phoenix Boats Big Bass with a 4-14.

Franks said they utilized Ned rigs much of the day, and also caught several good fish around brush and docks using ChatterBaits.

“I honestly didn’t think we would finish Top 5,” Hopper said. “We surprised ourselves. This lake is my backyard, so this is where we come the majority of the time. We knew we could scrounge up a couple fish.”

Eli Stevenson and Ben Freeman from Grundy County High School finished third with 11-15 and joined 25 other teams in qualifying for the 2020 National Championship.

Sunday’s tournament was hosted by the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce

2020 HS Open Stop Smith Lake 3/1-3/1
Smith Lake, Cullman AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1

Angler Club/School Pts

1. Alex Bradley - Rylan Greene Chapman High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-11 Total: 5 12-11
2. Brody Hopper - Landon Franks Cullman High School 0
Day 1: 4 12-10 Total: 4 12-10
3. Eli Stevenson - Ben Freeman Grundy County High School Bass T 0
Day 1: 5 11-15 Total: 5 11-15
4. Garrett White - Tanner Mcclain Rhea County Eagle Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 10-10 Total: 5 10-10
5. AJ McGee - Austin Anz bibb county 0
Day 1: 5 10-02 Total: 5 10-02
6. Bracyn Sullivan - Tyler Crews Scotts Hill High School 0
Day 1: 5 09-15 Total: 5 09-15
7. Fischer Barber - Wells Johnson Heritage Christian Academy 0
Day 1: 4 09-14 Total: 4 09-14
8. Harrison Terry - Luke Clifton Dickson County High School 0
Day 1: 5 09-12 Total: 5 09-12
9. Dylan Breaux - Gage Boquet Lafourche Bassmaster 0
Day 1: 3 09-04 Total: 3 09-04
10. Tyler Finley - Hunter Jones Mount Pleasant 0
Day 1: 5 09-03 Total: 5 09-03
11. Caz Anderson - Griffin Hopkins Chatuge Anglers 0
Day 1: 3 09-03 Total: 3 09-03
12. Parker Brooks - Jonathan Horne Harris County HS 0
Day 1: 5 09-01 Total: 5 09-01
13. Tucker Smith - Hayden Marbut Briarwood Christian School 0
Day 1: 4 08-13 Total: 4 08-13
14. Tanner Barclay - Aj Widgeon Scottsboro BassCats 0
Day 1: 4 08-12 Total: 4 08-12
14. Ethan Franklin - Jesse Franklin Corner High School 0
Day 1: 4 08-12 Total: 4 08-12
16. Jeremy Hunter Odom - Canyon Odom Baldwin County HS 0
Day 1: 4 08-10 Total: 4 08-10
17. Brooks Anderson - David Britt Mt. Bethel Christian Academy 0
Day 1: 3 08-06 Total: 3 08-06
18. Cason Causey - Sam Westall Riley's Catch 0
Day 1: 4 08-02 Total: 4 08-02
19. Hayden Short - Archer Smith Burgin High School 0
Day 1: 3 08-01 Total: 3 08-01
20. Dalton Bailey - Hayden Stockett Lenoir City high School Bass clu 0
Day 1: 4 07-10 Total: 4 07-10
21. Jake Krauth - Hunter Weaver Franklin County Junior Bass 0
Day 1: 3 07-10 Total: 3 07-10
22. Ethan Swindall - Sam Schmitz Collierville High School and 901 0
Day 1: 3 07-06 Total: 3 07-06
23. Brennan Fox - Colin King Marion High School- IL 0
Day 1: 4 07-03 Total: 4 07-03
24. Ryan Baker - Joshua Hughes Camden Central High school 0
Day 1: 3 07-03 Total: 3 07-03
25. Colby Brown - Blake Handley Hayden High School 0
Day 1: 4 07-02 Total: 4 07-02
26. Brody Robison - Levi Cox Sand Rock Wildcats 0
Day 1: 3 07-02 Total: 3 07-02
27. Wynn Reed - Carter Cooper Scottsboro Junior BassCats 0
Day 1: 3 07-01 Total: 3 07-01
28. Keegan Jones - Chase Clark Hillcrest High School 0
Day 1: 3 06-14 Total: 3 06-14
28. Konner West - Brice Williams Chapman High School 0
Day 1: 3 06-14 Total: 3 06-14
30. Cameron Pruitt - Isaac Kidd Casey County High School- KY 0
Day 1: 3 06-13 Total: 3 06-13
30. Tanner Shaw - Tanner Koontz Mount Vernon HS 0
Day 1: 3 06-13 Total: 3 06-13
32. Brandon Berry - Hunter Bright Helena Bass Club 0
Day 1: 4 06-12 Total: 4 06-12
33. Nathan Reynolds - Connor Polk Backwoods Bassin 0
Day 1: 3 06-10 Total: 3 06-10
34. Bryar Chambers - Levi Harris Fairview High School 0
Day 1: 3 06-08 Total: 3 06-08
35. Ryan Thomas - Cole Holloway Morgan County High School 0
Day 1: 3 06-07 Total: 3 06-07
36. Aaron Cherry - Hudson Choquette Headland Bass Team 0
Day 1: 3 06-04 Total: 3 06-04
37. Cy Lambert - Houston Smith Cullman HS 0
Day 1: 3 06-03 Total: 3 06-03
38. Reece Nixon - Caden Gilley Soddy Daisy HS 0
Day 1: 3 06-02 Total: 3 06-02
39. Kenny Eddings - Hunter Gothard Hueytown Student Anglers 0
Day 1: 2 06-00 Total: 2 06-00
40. Nick Staub - Braden Lewis 901 High School 0
Day 1: 3 05-15 Total: 3 05-15
41. Mason Daniell - Nick Hodges Moody Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 3 05-14 Total: 3 05-14
42. Cole Rankin - Josh Lee Karns High School 0
Day 1: 3 05-13 Total: 3 05-13
43. Hunter Brewer - Kade Suratt Lawrence County High School 0
Day 1: 2 05-13 Total: 2 05-13
44. Tanner English - Evan Dunn Bibb County 0
Day 1: 2 05-11 Total: 2 05-11
45. Houston Snell - Austin Kelly Rehobeth High School 0
Day 1: 3 05-10 Total: 3 05-10
46. Dakota Stewart - Scott Lemmler Central High School 0
Day 1: 2 05-09 Total: 2 05-09
47. Jace McNutt - Tuscaloosa County High School 0
Day 1: 2 05-07 Total: 2 05-07
48. Jon David Bedford - Walker Brown Lawrence County 0
Day 1: 2 05-00 Total: 2 05-00
49. Connor Mclaughlin - Barclay Butler Scottsboro BassCats 0
Day 1: 2 05-00 Total: 2 05-00
49. Gavin Monk - Hunter Embrey Hanceville High 0
Day 1: 2 05-00 Total: 2 05-00
51. BJ Collins - Owen Jenkins Chatuge Anglers-NC 0
Day 1: 3 04-15 Total: 3 04-15
51. Matthew Pitcher - Rein Golubjatnikov Pittsford 0
Day 1: 3 04-15 Total: 3 04-15
53. Joseph Wilson - Spencer Cothran chapman pathers 0
Day 1: 2 04-13 Total: 2 04-13
54. Tanner Hadden - Caleb Hudson Greenbrier High School 0
Day 1: 3 04-11 Total: 3 04-11
55. Braden Watson - Allen Baxter Rehobeth High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-11 Total: 2 04-11
56. Matthew Writesman - Connor Burnett AL-Hayden HS 0
Day 1: 2 04-08 Total: 2 04-08
57. Evan Gonsalves - Matthew Windsor Clarks hill Youth Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 2 04-07 Total: 2 04-07
58. Cody Hammond - Taylor Brown Rehobeth HS 0
Day 1: 2 04-07 Total: 2 04-07
58. Tyler Starkley - Jacob Hodge Greenbrier High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-07 Total: 2 04-07
60. Riley Christensen - Jeffrey Lotierzo Riley's Catch- NC 0
Day 1: 2 04-04 Total: 2 04-04
60. Jake Fondren - Andrew Young Bibb County Bass Club 0
Day 1: 2 04-04 Total: 2 04-04
62. Caleb Bridges - Zachary Elliott Mt. Juliet High School Fishing 0
Day 1: 2 04-01 Total: 2 04-01
62. Dylan Nutt - Carter Nutt Backwoods Bassin 0
Day 1: 2 04-01 Total: 2 04-01
64. Caiden Galbreath - Ashlyn Shedd West Point High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-00 Total: 2 04-00
65. Jaden Silas - Lane Harrell Denham springs freshman high 0
Day 1: 2 03-15 Total: 2 03-15
66. Jacob Gravett - Karson Rider Signal Mountain 0
Day 1: 2 03-14 Total: 2 03-14
67. Hagan Marlin - Dylan Ingram Lee-Scott Fishing 0
Day 1: 2 03-13 Total: 2 03-13
67. Gage Starks - Sawyer Williams Henry County High School- TN 0
Day 1: 2 03-13 Total: 2 03-13
67. Jordan Thomas - Cole Reid Hayden 0
Day 1: 2 03-13 Total: 2 03-13
70. Jacob Davidson - Owen Chamberlain Mt. Juliet 0
Day 1: 2 03-12 Total: 2 03-12
70. Owen Spurlock - Landon Phillips Soddy Daisy High School 0
Day 1: 2 03-12 Total: 2 03-12
72. Elizabeth Eastman - Porter Savarese Fairhope High School 0
Day 1: 2 03-11 Total: 2 03-11
73. Kaden Cornelius - Jesse Blackmon Good Hope Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 1 03-10 Total: 1 03-10
73. Zane O'Domirok - John Thompson Lenoir City High School- TN 0
Day 1: 1 03-10 Total: 1 03-10
75. Walker Price - Austin Wallace Moody Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 2 03-07 Total: 2 03-07
76. Andrew Davis - Cal McInnis Headland High School 0
Day 1: 1 03-07 Total: 1 03-07
76. Kade Jennings - Tristan Crawford Hayden High School 0
Day 1: 1 03-07 Total: 1 03-07
78. Luke Miller - Jacob Tullier central high school 0
Day 1: 2 03-06 Total: 2 03-06
79. Andrew Weaver - Braxton Ekes Cold Springs High School 0
Day 1: 2 03-06 Total: 2 03-06
80. Eli Chambers - Connor Handley Vinemont High School 0
Day 1: 2 03-05 Total: 2 03-05
80. Jake Griggs - Lucas Miller 0
Day 1: 2 03-05 Total: 2 03-05
80. Zeb Lambert - Hayden Winn Cullman High School 0
Day 1: 2 03-05 Total: 2 03-05
83. Levi Thibodaux - Holdyn Delatte Lafourche Bassmaster 0
Day 1: 1 03-05 Total: 1 03-05
84. Connor Clark - Elijah Page Good Hope Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 2 03-04 Total: 2 03-04
85. Dj Arias - Ayden Braddy Rehobeth High School 0
Day 1: 1 03-04 Total: 1 03-04
86. Noah Ray - Kyler smith Tullahoma High School- TN 0
Day 1: 1 03-02 Total: 1 03-02
87. Jake Hoover - Drew Thompson Dickson County High School 0
Day 1: 2 02-15 Total: 2 02-15
88. Grant Olsen - Ryan Olsen Gardner south wilminton high sch 0
Day 1: 1 02-13 Total: 1 02-13
89. Alexis Grandstaff - James Quinlivan Headland Bass Team 0
Day 1: 1 02-12 Total: 1 02-12
89. Jeb Quick - Caleb Quick Hanceville High 0
Day 1: 1 02-12 Total: 1 02-12
89. Alyssa Taylor - Reid Burns Walker Valley High School-TN 0
Day 1: 1 02-12 Total: 1 02-12
92. Jimmy Oguin - Austin Oldfield Mt. Juliet Fishing Club- TN 0
Day 1: 1 02-11 Total: 1 02-11
93. Andon Goins - Blake Wheat Rhea County High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-10 Total: 1 02-10
94. Jacob Damron - Hunter Palmer Tullahoma City Schools 0
Day 1: 1 02-09 Total: 1 02-09
94. JP Johnson - Della Hand Vinemont HS 0
Day 1: 1 02-09 Total: 1 02-09
94. Caemon Metcalf - Hayden Buchanan Headland HS 0
Day 1: 1 02-09 Total: 1 02-09
94. Ethan Moore - Lane Parker Cullman High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-09 Total: 1 02-09
98. Gunner Mccluskey - Josh Rhodes Hillcrest 0
Day 1: 1 02-08 Total: 1 02-08
99. Jacob Clark - Logan Kirkland Rehobeth HS 0
Day 1: 1 02-07 Total: 1 02-07
99. Braden Leffew - Brady Raines York Agricultural Institute- TN 0
Day 1: 1 02-07 Total: 1 02-07
99. Gavin Totherow - Josh Willis Whitwell 0
Day 1: 1 02-07 Total: 1 02-07
102. Josh Foshee - Lance Roberts Mortimer Jordan 0
Day 1: 1 02-06 Total: 1 02-06
103. Addison Gunter - Tracy Richardson Scottsboro Junior BassCats 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Total: 1 02-05
103. Tyan Massengale - Logan Evans Soddy Daisy High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Total: 1 02-05
103. Chase Mccarter - Sevier County High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Total: 1 02-05
103. Jordan Turner - Garrett Whitehead Eufaula High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Total: 1 02-05
107. Nicholas Boggs - Brady Howard Louisa Bass Club HS Fishing Tea 0
Day 1: 1 02-04 Total: 1 02-04
107. Doston Putman - Bobbi Johnson Good Hope High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-04 Total: 1 02-04
107. Justin Robbins - Payton Rains Fentress County Bass Club- TN 0
Day 1: 1 02-04 Total: 1 02-04
110. Hunter Freeman - Wyatt Tomlin Cold Springs Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 1 02-03 Total: 1 02-03
111. Dylan Johnson - Noah Widick Sequatchie County 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Total: 1 02-02
111. John Montooth - Katie Nelson Livingston Acedemy 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Total: 1 02-02
111. Tucker Pendergrass - Lucas Roberts Livingston Academy 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Total: 1 02-02
114. Caden Acree - Will Cain Marietta Bassmaster II 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Total: 1 02-01
114. Nick Fox - Ross Webster Harris Coounty High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Total: 1 02-01
114. Ben Hester - Mason Caldwell Rhea County Eagle Anglers 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Total: 1 02-01
114. Luke Iles - Blake Peterson Ascension Anglers 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Total: 1 02-01
114. Luke Troutman - Cole DeFoe Cullman High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Total: 1 02-01
114. Brentyn Wheat - Cody Georgel Livingston Parish Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Total: 1 02-01
120. Moss Mcgee - Jack Poole Vestavia Hills High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-00 Total: 1 02-00
120. Cameron Thompson - Grant West Scottsboro Junior BassCats 0
Day 1: 1 02-00 Total: 1 02-00
122. Kolby Clark - Landon Grider Scottsboro BassCats 0
Day 1: 1 01-15 Total: 1 01-15
122. Hayden Crosthwaite - Landen Dale West Jessamine High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-15 Total: 1 01-15
122. Drake Hemby - Whitwell HS 0
Day 1: 1 01-15 Total: 1 01-15
122. Jaxon Sullivan - Spencer Chase Milholen Scotts Hill High School Anglers 0
Day 1: 1 01-15 Total: 1 01-15
126. Dj Drake - Austin Jones Franklin County High School- TN 0
Day 1: 1 01-14 Total: 1 01-14
126. Nick Hamilton - Dylan Pittman Whitwell High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-14 Total: 1 01-14
126. Reece Keeney - Bryce Moder Northeast Wisconsin Bass 0
Day 1: 1 01-14 Total: 1 01-14
126. Dylan Stokes - Keaton Mills Wilson Central High School- TN 0
Day 1: 1 01-14 Total: 1 01-14
130. Taylor Campbell - Lanie Guffey Buckhorn High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-13 Total: 1 01-13
130. Trace Johnson - Blake Lundy East Hickman HS 0
Day 1: 1 01-13 Total: 1 01-13
130. Cameron LeBron - Henry Cook Cullman High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-13 Total: 1 01-13
130. Hogan Mabury - Robbie Meggs Tuscaloosa Co HS 0
Day 1: 1 01-13 Total: 1 01-13
130. Fletcher Phillips - Will Phillips Gardendale High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-13 Total: 1 01-13
130. Chandler Pruett - Braden Wilson Scotts Hill Student Anglers 0
Day 1: 1 01-13 Total: 1 01-13
130. Logan Weeks - Lewie Soli Hayden HS 0
Day 1: 1 01-13 Total: 1 01-13
130. Jacob Young - Ethan Brooks Bradley Central HS 0
Day 1: 1 01-13 Total: 1 01-13
138. Kai Barnett - Justin Straate Shelby County High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-12 Total: 1 01-12
138. Hudson Tinnell - Kolby Harris Helena High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-12 Total: 1 01-12
140. Chance Bryars - Noah Bryars Baldwin County High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-11 Total: 1 01-11
140. Ryan Dennis - Jake Guffey Soddy Daisy High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-11 Total: 1 01-11
140. Ryhan Fox - Isaac Irvin Galatia High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-11 Total: 1 01-11
140. Peter West - Zach Knight Gallatin 0
Day 1: 1 01-11 Total: 1 01-11
144. Buckner Anderson - Greyson Widgeon Scottsboro Junior BassCats 0
Day 1: 1 01-10 Total: 1 01-10
144. Brady Duncan - Mason Huddleston Mt. Juliet High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-10 Total: 1 01-10
144. Devon Dvorak - Jacob Nekvinda Eastern Iowa Bassmasters- IA 0
Day 1: 1 01-10 Total: 1 01-10
144. Cayden Reily - Evan Maddie Central High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-10 Total: 1 01-10
144. Laindree Richardson - Lucas Wielt Benton Bass Fishing-IL 0
Day 1: 1 01-10 Total: 1 01-10
144. Tanner Shelton - Parker Vaughn Hayden High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-10 Total: 1 01-10
144. Landon Surrett - Eli Allison Ninety Six High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-10 Total: 1 01-10
151. Matthew Brault - Jackson Salley South Florence High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-09 Total: 1 01-09
151. William Cothran - Ryan Cothran Mt. Pleasant 0
Day 1: 1 01-09 Total: 1 01-09
151. Brandon Iles - Colton Parten Rhea County Eagle Anglers- TN 0
Day 1: 1 01-09 Total: 1 01-09
151. Mason Taylor - Dylan Green Hayden High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-09 Total: 1 01-09
155. Victoria Lemmler - Emma Simon Central High School 0
Day 1: 1 01-08 Total: 1 01-08
156. Ryan Smith - Dalton Caldwell Mortimer Jordan Bass Club 0
Day 1: 1 01-07 Total: 1 01-07
157. Jack Alexander - Colledge Elliott Mountain Brook High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Collin Allison - Copelin Prewitt Vestavia high school 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Lou Ayers - Chas Nesmith Cullman High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Kolton Bagwell - Mason George Albertville High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Brayden Batchelor - Micah Holliman Clarks Hill Youth Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Eli Bennefield - John Converse Hanceville High 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Jordan Bentley - Jacob Raymond Hanceville High 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Austin Birdsong - Jd Hoyt Mount Juliet Fishing 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Clent Blackwood - Hunter Clay 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Brady Brasington - Aiden Sowell Headland HS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Tristan Burroughs - Gabe Jenkins MGM Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Rylie Burt - Mason Kerr Franklin County 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Jeffrey Chapman - Jake Ellis MGM Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Connor Chenault - Hudson Montgomery George Rogers Clark 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Noah Coleman - Luke Coleman Oneonta 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Wyatt Cornett - Seth Deburlet George Rogers Clark High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Christopher Daniels - Justin Kanute York County High School Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Logan Dixon - Morgan Newton Greenbrier High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Briar Dodson - Chris Fallon Gardendale Rockets 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Miller Dowling - Chandlar Hollingsworth American Christian Academy 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Alexander Dunaway - Avery Brown GRC HS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Colby Dupuy - Brennyn Hebert Central HS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Hunter Edwards - Cooper Shepard Buckhorn High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. TJ Edwards - Houston Vaiden North Mississippi Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Michael Evans - Spencer Minter Whitwell High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Trevor Ezell - Austin Mitchell Hillcrest High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Preston Freeman - Matthew Cole MGM Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Mason Gay - Brodie Curvin Vinemont HS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Mason Gibbs - Jack Tanner Soddy Daisy High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Jonathan Giddens - Grayden Garner Guntersville High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Clay Gough - Mccaden Skeens George Rogers Clark 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Lucas Griffice - Ethan Nix Hueytown High 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Jacob Guillory - Shelbi Crocker Hillcrest High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Logan Guy - Brennan Simoneaux Central HS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Sam Hatcher - Tyler Crowell Muscle Shoals 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Reagan Hershman - Tristen Boyd Coffee County Raider Academy 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Kaden Hillman - Andrew Hunt Hazard High School Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Jackson Holbert - Avery Johnson Riverside High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Kolby Holcomb - Bryan Martin Walker Valley 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Brennen Howard - Logan Turner White Plains High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Jackson Isbell - Dalton Head Moody High 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Lucas Keller - Nathan Muse George Rogers Clark 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Mark Kershaw - Chance Konrad YCHSA 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Brent Key - Hunter Canova Lenoir City High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Reece Knight - Drew Shankles Albertville High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Colby Koon - Cole Reynolds Harris County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Manning Larkins - Matthew Isbell Hueytown High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Noe Liles - Jake Sparks Fairhope HS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Seth Loggins - Briley Mattox Good Hope Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Will Lowery - Brody Taylor Cullman High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Benjamin Marling - Alex Perry Helena High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Caleb Maybrey - Kole Palmer Franklin County High School- TN 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Zac Mccaw - Braxton Williams Cullman High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Tucker McCoy - Ethan Hopkins Mortimer Jordan Bass Club 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Dalton Mckenzie - Aaron Thornburg MGM Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Daniel Meadows - Parker Price Mortimer Jordan Bass Club 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Daniel Moon - Zachary Helton Karns Jr. High 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Ridge Mullis - Garrison Palmer Hillcrest High School- AL 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Trayton Overton - Slade Beasley Mortimer Jordan Bass Club 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. James Clark Parrish - Jack West Cullman High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Asher Peters - Gracie Herbold Headland Bass Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Allen Powe - Jonathan Combs George Rogers Clark High School- 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Nathan Powell - Whitwell High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Hunter Presley - James Gravitte Rhea County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Evan Ramsey - Zachary Coleman Baldwin County 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Jon Raper - Braxton Williams Tuscaloosa County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. James Riggs - Aaron Riggs Mt Pleasant HS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Asa Robertson - Matthew Vandagriff Warren County High School Pionee 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Marshal Robinson - Mitchell Robinson Byrnes Rebels Fishing 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Evan Salter - Jacob Rice Hueytown High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Chad Salyer III - Lofton Livingston York County High School Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Gavin Schmitz - Addison Sikes Saraland High School Fishing Tea 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Tanner Scruggs - Storm Cline Anderson Co. 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Ethan Simon - Central High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Cole Sims - Harrison Prince Hayden High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. JC Sivley - Skyler Stevens Helena High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Davian Smith - Weston Walker Eufaula High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Jt Smith - Tyler Chapman MGM Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Evan Smith - Dalton Herring Guntersville Youth Bass Club 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Dylan Smith - cody jewell Cold Springs 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Cody Smith - Nathan Ferrell Soddy Daisy High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Blake Stephenson - Gavin Gilbert Clarks Hill Youth Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Timber Stokes - Jaylen Uline Mortimer Jordan Bass Club 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Rhett Stottlemire - Noah Ferrell Soddy Daisy High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Kendrick Terrell - Clay Holloway Hillcrest High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Garrett Thomas - Caleb Seynour Walker High School-LA 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Brady Underwood - Trace Montgomery Corner High School Bass Fishing 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Garrison Walker - Cannon Brewer 901 High School Bass Club 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Carson Walker - Randal Griffice Hueytown Student Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Lili Waters - Cloe Waters Cold Springs High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Nathan Webster - Jayden Taylor Hueytown Student Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Brandon Williams - Hunter Williams Baldwin County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Colton Williams - Landon Graham Good Hope Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Ryan Wood - Colton Buckelew Hanceville HS 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
157. Canon Ybarra - Chase Fluty Beech high school 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00

by AnglersChannel

Georgia’s Hicks Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Chickamauga

Chattanooga’s Bradford Wins Co-angler Division

HIXSON, Tenn. (March 9, 2020) – Boater Derek Hicks of Rocky Face, Georgia, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 22 pounds, 10 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Lake Chickamauga in Hixson, Tennessee. Hicks earned a total of $5,519 for his victory.

image005.jpg“Lake Chickamauga is my home waters, so it feels pretty nice to get a win here,” said Hicks, who earned his second career victory in Bass Fishing League competition. “I fished the lower end of the lake all the way to above Dayton – about 25 different spots in that 20-mile stretch.

“I was targeting shallow rock – 1½- to 3-feet-deep,” Hicks continued. I caught my fish on three baits – a 5/8-ounce Stan Sloan Zorro Bango Blade spinnerbait, a Sonny McFarland Flat-Shad crankbait and a homemade 5/8-ounce brown jig.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1st: Derek Hicks of Rocky Face, Ga., five bass, 22-10, $5,519

2nd: Seth Davis of Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 21-4, $4,345

3rd: Justin Freeman of Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 19-0, $1,837

4th: Steve Barnes of Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 18-3, $1,288

5th: Brian Hatfield of Spring City, Tenn., five bass, 18-2, $1,104

6th: Chase Henley of Kingston, Tenn., five bass, 17-11, $1,012

7th: Brian Elder of Locust Grove, Ga., five bass, 17-8, $920

8th: Derrick Blake of Rockwood, Tenn., five bass, 17-5, $782

8th: Kevin Drake of Cleveland, Tenn., five bass, 17-5, $782

10th: Jay Fagan of Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 16-15, $644

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Davis brought an 8-pound, 7-ounce bass to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $885.

Davis also 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.

Jeff Bradford of Chattanooga, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $2,760 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1st: Jeff Bradford of Chattanooga, Tenn., five bass, 21-1, $2,760

2nd: Adam Godsey of Harriman, Tenn., five bass, 14-15, $1,380

3rd: Joshua Jernigan of Rocky Top, Tenn., five bass, 14-1, $918

4th: Elliott Gault of Leesburg, Ala., four bass, 12-15, $644

5th: Wayne Hancock of Cumming, Ga., three bass, 12-12, $552

6th: Thomas Pierce of Calhoun, Ga., two bass, 12-11, $506

7th: Tony Pendley of Oakman, Ala., five bass, 12-7, $460

8th: Ryan Wallace of Odenville, Ala., three bass, 10-8, $564

9th: Shane Browder of Lynnville, Ind., four bass, 9-4, $368

10th: Gene Delk of Georgetown, Tenn., three bass, 9-2, $322

Adam Hickman of Caledonia, Mississippi, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 8 pounds even. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $442.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Choo Choo Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 16-18 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee in Jefferson City, Tennessee, hosted by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

Bradenton’s Batson Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Lake Toho

South Carolina’s Hall Wins Co-angler Division

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (March 10, 2020) – Boater Clay Batson of Bradenton, Florida, brought a huge five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 34 pounds, 8 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Lake Toho in Kissimmee, Florida. For his victory, Batson earned a total of $4,740.

A person wearing a green shirt

Description automatically generatedThe tournament was the third of five events in the Gator Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.

“I was fishing on the north end of Lake Toho,” said Batson, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition. “Targeting hyacinth mats mixed in with pads, flipping a black and blue-colored Missile Baits D-Bomb with a 1¼-ounce weight.

“The key to my victory was that the mats and pads had to be adjacent to open lanes,” Batson continued. “The fish were using those access lanes as highways. All my fish were females that were staging for the spawn. The heavy cover had to be up next to an access lane.”

The Florida angler said that a positive attitude kept his mind in check and was a big factor in his win.

“It’s been a very tough year, but I just kept practicing and grinding and knew that one day, my luck would change. Today, it all came together,” Batson went on to say. “I didn’t lose any fish fishing that thick cover – that is rare. I got them all in the boat and it was a blessed day. I’ve been doing this a long time and always wanted to get one of these wins. It feels awesome.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1st: Clay Batson of Bradenton, Fla., five bass, 34-8, $4,740

2nd: Marlon Crowder of Tampa, Fla., five bass, 24-15, $2,000

3rd: Thomas Clark of Wildwood, Fla., five bass, 20-14, $1,334

4th: Trevor Brown of Deltona, Fla., five bass, 18-11, $933

5th: Arthur Jackson of Kissimmee, Fla., five bass, 16-11, $800

6th: Blaine Partee of Oviedo, Fla., five bass, 15-2, $833

7th: Dan Blanchard of Kissimmee, Fla., five bass, 15-1, $667

8th: Anthony Ford of New Smyrna, Fla., five bass, 14-11, $600

9th: Robert Crosnoe of Inverness, Fla., five bass, 13-15, $533

10th: Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho, five bass, 13-8, $467

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Batson’s big 11-pound, 6-ounce kicker also won the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $540.

Eddie Carper of Valliant, Oklahoma, 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.

Sean Hall of North Augusta, South Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $2,000 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds, 6 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1st: Sean Hall of North Augusta, S.C., five bass, 14-6, $2,000

2nd: Alan Clayton of Live Oak, Fla., five bass, 13-13, $1,000

3rd: Mike Tucker of Yalaha, Fla., five bass, 13-0, $666

4th: Steve Proctor of Minneola, Fla., four bass, 11-6, $467

5th: Dale Tomlinson of Lake Worth, Fla., four bass, 10-15, $550

6th: Wesley Hall of Glen St. Mary, Fla., five bass, 10-10, $367

7th: Charles Owens of Rockledge, Fla., five bass, 9-12, $333

8th: Aymon Wilcox of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., five bass, 9-11, $300

9th: Jason Suvak of Lauderhill, Fla., five bass, 9-10, $267

10th: Steve Smith of Jacksonville, Fla., four bass, 9-9, $233

Ryan Meyer of Orlando, Florida caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $270.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Toho was hosted by Experience Kissimmee.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Gator Division presented by A.R.E. based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 22-24 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia, hosted by the Gainesville Convention & Visitors Bureau. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

Oklahoma’s Ketchum High School Wins 2020 FLW High School Fishing Table Rock Lake Open

BRANSON, Mo. (March 9, 2020) – Oklahoma’s Ketchum High School duo of Parker Still and Austin Chandler brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 18 pounds even to win the 2020 FLW High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing Lake Table Rock Lake Open.

image004.jpgThe top six teams on Table Rock Lake that advanced to the 2020 High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing National Championship were:

1st: Ketchum High School, Ketchum, Okla. – Parker Still and Austin Chandler, five bass, 18-0

2nd: Kick-Back Bass Club – Garret Torres, Overland Park, Kan., and Sam Myers, Shawnee, Kan., five bass, 16-9

3rd: Timberland High School, Wentzville, Mo. – Sam Webert and Kyle Hopping, five bass, 16-7

4th: Ketchum High School, Ketchum, Okla. – Tyler Lake and Jesse Woodward, five bass, 15-3

5th: Carthage High School, Carthage, Mo. – Colson Brust and Tristan Beck, five bass, 14-2

6th: Camdenton High School, Camdenton, Mo. – Reece Waters and Caden Kowal, five bass, 13-2

Rounding out the top 10 were:

7th: Dunlap High School, Dunlap, Ill. – Brock Blazier and Nicholas Hands, five bass, 12-6

8th: Trigg County High School, Cadiz, Ky. – Hunter Shelton and Jordan Hampton, five bass, 12-6

9th: Bolivar High School, Bolivar, Mo. – John Hubbert and Andrew Johnson, five bass, 12-0

10th: Fair Grove High School, Fair Grove, Mo. – Wyatt Montle and Grant Dohle, four bass, 11-8

Complete results from the event can be found at FLWFishing.com.

A field of 61 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from the Table Rock State Park Marina. The tournament was hosted by Explore Branson.

The 2020 FLW High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing Table Rock Lake Open was a free, two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12 and open to any FLW and Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships will advance to the 2020 High School Fishing National Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.

In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2020 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. More than $2.8 million in scholarships and prizes were offered at the 2019 World Finals.

Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.

by AnglersChannel

Ridgeville’s Austin Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Clarks Hill Lake

Hollywood’s Hoy Wins Co-angler Division

MCCORMICK, S.C. (March 10, 2020) – Boater Kyle Austin of Ridgeville, South Carolina, brought five bass to the scale totaling 13 pounds, 15 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Clarks Hill Lake Saturday in McCormick, South Carolina. For his victory, Austin earned $3,426.

A person holding a sign

Description automatically generated“I was fishing mainly on the bottom end of the lake, fishing a mixture of muddy and clean water,” said Austin, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition. “I was trying to find creeks that were muddy at the base but had clean water in the backs.

“I was catching them a few different ways,” Austin continued. “I caught two in the morning out deep, then a couple up shallow and a couple off boat ramps – I was just kind of hodge-podging around.

“My first two fish came on a Carolina rig with a black Zoom Lizard, with a chartreuse tail. Two of my fish came on a Treeshaker spinnerbait and one came on a Treeshaker bladed jig. I caught a few non-keepers on a Rat-L-Trap.

“The key to my victory was probably just fishing my style of fishing,” Austin went on to say. “I like to not be on anything. I like to drive as fast as I can down the lake and fish whatever looks good.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1st: Kyle Austin of Ridgeville, S.C., five bass, 13-15, $3,426

2nd: Jeff Bailey of Inman, S.C., three bass, 13-7, $1,713

3rd: Nick Gant of Myrtle Beach, S.C., five bass, 11-14, $1,141

4th: Brayden Rakes of Winston-Salem, N.C., four bass, 11-3, $799

5th: Nelson Walker of Manning, S.C., five bass, 9-9, $685

6th: Charles Cannington of Moncks Corner, S.C., five bass, 9-8, $828

7th: Timmy Thompkins of Myrtle Beach, S.C., five bass, 9-6, $514

7th: Michael Campbell of Pineville, S.C., five bass, 9-6, $514

7th: Ross Burns of Columbia, S.C., five bass, 9-6, $614

10th: Jerry Pelfrey of Laurens, S.C., three bass, 9-1, $400

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Roger Farr of Little Mountain, South Carolina, 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.

Robbie Mills of Appling, Georgia, brought a 6-pound, 14-ounce bass to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $430.

Jack Daniel Hoy of Hollywood, South Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $1,928 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 15 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1st: Jack Daniel Hoy of Hollywood, S.C., five bass, 21-2, $1,928

2nd: Casey Griffith of Guyton, Ga., four bass, 10-11, $1,006

3rd: Taylor Barnette of Landrum, S.C., three bass, 9-11, $485

3rd: John Joyce II of Inman, S.C., five bass, 9-11, $485

5th: Lonnie Drusch of Sumter, S.C., five bass, 8-10, $443

6th: Brian Ruppe of Irmo, S.C., four bass, 8-4, $314

7th: Stephen Britt of Chapin, S.C., five bass, 8-2, $285

8th: Danny Bickley of Chapin, S.C., five bass, 6-15, $257

9th: Travis Ruff of Connelly Springs, N.C., three bass, 6-14, $228

10th: Terry Coleman of Sumter, S.C., five bass, 6-10, $200

Hoy also earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $215 after bringing a bass weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces to the scale.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Clarks Hill Lake was the second of five events in the South Carolina Division.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the South Carolina Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 16-18 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee in Jefferson City, Tennessee, hosted by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

Ohio’s Haunert Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Dale Hollow Reservoir

West Virginia’s Sansom Wins Co-angler Division

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (March 10, 2020) – Boater Andrew Haunert of Blue Ash, Ohio, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 19 pounds, 10 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Dale Hollow Reservoir in Byrdstown, Tennessee. For his victory, Haunert earned a total of $5,103.

A person holding a fish

Description automatically generatedThe tournament was the first of five events in the Music City Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.

“It feels awesome to get the win. I just got a new boat – it’s actually Hank Parker’s old Ranger – and hopefully it continues to bring me good luck,” said Haunert, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition.

“I caught my fish mid-lake, and I stayed there all day throwing a jig,” Haunert continued. “I was fishing in 15 to 20 feet of water, and I pretty much grinded it out in the same spot all day. I kept leaving them and then coming back, and it kept producing.”

Haunert said he caught his fish on a ½-ounce Stan Sloan’s Zorro jig with a Zoom Twin Tail trailer.

“The key was persistence – I knew the fish weren’t biting everywhere, so I stayed in the water that I knew was productive and just kept at it.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1st: Andrew Haunert of Blue Ash, Ohio, five bass, 19-10, $5,103

2nd: Scott Brummett of Brentwood, Tenn., five bass, 17-15, $2,232

3rd: Hunter Bouldin of McMinnville, Tenn., five bass, 17-0, $1,489

4th: J.B. King of Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 15-15, $1,041

5th: Jimmy Gayhart of Sadieville, Ky, five bass, 15-7, $855

5th: Tim McDonald of Prestonsburg, Ky, five bass, 15-7, $855

7th: Brian Copeland of Rickman, Tenn., five bass, 14-15, $744

8th: Jayson Johnson of Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 14-14, $632

8th: Robert Reagan of Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 14-14, $632

10th: Josh Tramel of Smithville, Tenn, five bass, 14-12, $721

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Haunert also earned the day’s $640 Boater Big Bass award with his largest fish, a 5-pound, 1-ounce bass.

Eric Moore of Union, Kentucky, 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.

Mick Sansom of Salt Rock, West Virginia earned the win in the Co-angler Division Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds, 6 ounces. Sansom earned $2,197 for his victory.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1st: Mick Sansom of Salt Rock, W.Va., five bass, 14-6, $2,197

1st: Brandon Barker of Nancy, Ky., five bass, 13-6, $1,098

3rd: Douglas Lyon of Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 13-5, $733

4th: Lucas Devere of Berea, Ky., five bass, 12-4, $513

5th: Brad Goetz of Montello, Wis., five bass, 11-14, $439

6th: Ryan Mealer of Spring Hill, Tenn., four bass, 11-11, $403

7th: Brian Gentry of Smyrna, Tenn., five bass, 11-9, $366

8th: Matthew Poss of Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 11-3, $330

9th: Timothy Ernst of Winchester, Ky., four bass, 10-14, $293

10th: Bill Haunert of Byrdstown, Tenn., four bass, 10-11, $256

Joe Gentry of Gallatin, Tennessee, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 2 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $315.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Dale Hollow Reservoir was hosted by Star Point Resort.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Music City Division presented by A.R.E. based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 22-24 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia, hosted by the Gainesville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

Brandon’s Coker Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Tournament on Ross Barnett Reservoir

West Point’s Armstrong Wins Co-angler Division

BRANDON, Miss. (March 10, 2020) – Local boater Clyde Coker of Brandon, brought five bass to the scale Saturday totaling 16 pounds, 13 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Ross Barnett Reservoir in Brandon, Mississippi. For his victory, Coker earned a total of $4,315.

A picture containing person

Description automatically generated“The water temperatures had dropped, so I started out throwing a spinnerbait in the morning,” said Coker, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition. “I caught a bunch of short fish, then switched over to a ChatterBait.

“When the wind picked up and the sun came out they wouldn’t hit the ChatterBait anymore, so I started swimming a jig and that is what the majority of my fish came on.”

Coker said he was mainly fishing main-lake flats in 3 feet of water. His jig of choice was a green-pumpkin and orange-colored Blacks Custom jig. He used a twin-tailed trailer with the tails dyed chartreuse.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1st: Clyde Coker of Brandon, Miss., five bass, 16-13, $4,315

2nd: Taurian Parks of Clinton, Miss., three bass, 11-7, $2,157

3rd: Joel Barber of Brandon, Miss., five bass, 11-2, $1,439

4th: Andy Graves of Clarksdale, Miss., two bass, 10-9, $1,617

5th: Mike Jones of Brandon, Miss., four bass, 9-15, $1,063

6th: Andy Coy of Corinth, Miss., four bass, 9-4, $1,291

7th: Lloyd Pickett Jr. of Bartlett, Tenn., two bass, 9-2, $683

7th: Gary Caruso of Baton Rouge, La., two bass, 9-2, $683

9th: Darrell Hunter of Lena, Miss., two bass, 8-13, $575

10th: Bryant Adam of Madison, Miss., three bass, 8-8, $503

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Graves brought a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $610.

Coy was the highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Eddie Armstrong of West Point, Mississippi, won the Co-angler Division and $2,157 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1st: Eddie Armstrong of West Point, Miss., five bass, 17-10, $2,157

2nd: Desmond Champion of El Dorado, Ark., three bass, 13-5, $1,384

3rd: David Hug of Collierville, Tenn., four bass, 11-7, $717

4th: Louie Parkman Jr. of Brandon, Miss., three bass, 8-0, $503

5th: Daniel Corkern of Florence, Miss., two bass, 7-2, $581

6th: Tim Davis of Laurel, Miss., two bass, 7-1, $396

7th: Joel Ross of Brandon, Miss., two bass, 6-14, $460

8th: Chris Godfrey of Columbus, Miss., two bass, 6-8, $324

9th: Chris Bray of Southaven, Miss., two bass, 5-12, $288

10th: Tyler Patterson of Tupelo, Miss., one bass, 5-11, $252

Champion caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 7 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $305.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Ross Barnett Reservoir was the first of five qualifying events in the Mississippi Division.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Mississippi Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 8-10 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee, hosted by the Rhea Economic and Tourism Council. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

by AnglersChannel

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