Month: February 2019

Canadian Pro Gustafson Feels At Home In Georgia, Takes Lead At Bassmaster Elite

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 14, 2019
No Comments on Canadian Pro Gustafson Feels At Home In Georgia, Takes Lead At Bassmaster Elite

February 14, 2019 – Photo courtesy of BASS

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. —

Jeff Gustafson said coming into this week that Lake Lanier on the historic Chattahoochee River was probably his favorite fishery in the lower 48 United States.

Thursday didn’t do a thing to change his mind.

The 36-year-old first-year Elite Series pro from Keewatin, Canada, caught five bass that weighed 19 pounds, 2 ounces and took the lead in the Toyota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Lanier. He said the lake reminds him of home — even though he is more than 2,000 miles away, fishing for green spotted bass instead of brown smallmouth.

“Obviously, today was a lot more fun for me than last week when I had two fish to start out my Elite Series career in Florida,” Gustafson said. “I’m not catching a lot of fish, but I got some good ones today.”

Gustafson learned to love Lake Lanier last year when he finished seventh here in an FLW Tour event. He said that prior knowledge told him what was swimming in the lake — but not how to catch them this week.

“It’s completely different this year,” he said. “I didn’t catch fish off any of the places that I did last year.

“But I like fishing for spots. These things act a lot like the smallmouths do up at Lake of the Woods, where I live.”

Gustafson’s two biggest fish — both spotted bass in the 4-pound range — were the first two he put in his livewell. His finesse tactics included a jerkbait, a swimbait and other lures he said were “really no secret.”

His biggest obstacle of the day was the light line he’s using to target fish in the clear water. He said he broke off two bass in brushpiles that could have helped him eclipse the 20-pound mark.

Gustafson’s bag topped a day that was dominated by healthy spotted bass that looked like they had all swallowed footballs. David Mullins of Mount Carmel, Tenn., was second with 17-12, followed by Virginia pro Rick Morris with 17-6 and Californian Chris Zaldain with 16-15.

Like Gustafson, Mullins said his experience with smallmouth — albeit on Tennessee’s Cherokee Lake — played a role in his Day 1 success.

“This lake fishes a lot like home, where you have a window in the morning for about an hour and half to two hours and then it kicks back up in the evening,” Mullins said. “It’s the same way at home — and if you have wind, it seems like they’ll bite all day long.

“The wind just didn’t blow much today.”

Mullins wasn’t the only angler who said the flat, calm conditions made the fishing tougher Thursday. Likewise, he wasn’t the only one excited about Friday’s forecast that calls for clouds, increased winds and rain showers beginning around 1 p.m.

“If it stays cloudy with a low ceiling all day, I feel like I’m going to catch them,” Mullins said. “When I don’t catch them is when it gets sunny and slick.”

Morris, a noted shallow-water expert, said he leaned on his background from Upstate New York to find the Lake Lanier spots.

“I grew up with a spinning rod in my hand,” Morris said. “When I first went pro in the Opens, I had all spinning rods on the deck — didn’t even know how to throw a baitcaster. I have spinning-rod skills, and I had to apply them today.”

Though he said he’d rather be fishing fast, he used a slow finesse game Thursday around deep structure.

“I caught probably a dozen fish,” Morris said, “so I feel pretty confident that I can go out and probably catch 13 to 14 pounds tomorrow.”

One of the few big largemouth brought in Thursday belonged to Indiana pro Bill Lowen. It weighed 6-14 and claimed the lead in the race for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week.

Patrick Walters, who took the lead in the DICK’S Sporting Goods Rookie of the Year race last week with a fourth-place finish on the St. Johns River, had another stellar day Thursday. The 24- year-old South Carolina pro caught five bass that weighed 16-12 and finished tied for fifth place with Ray Hanselman Jr.

“I came into the season thinking (Toyota Bassmaster) Angler of the Year,” Walters said. “If you think like that — and fish like that — Rookie of the Year will take care of itself.” As the leader in the DICK’S Sporting Goods Rookie of the Year race, Walters collected $500. He’ll get another $500 if he retains the lead after this week’s Elite event, and $10,000 if he earns the crown at season’s end.

Other bonus awards winners from the Power-Pole Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River last week were Rick Clunn, who won $1,000 for being the Toyota AOY leader and John Crews Jr., who collected the $1,500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for his 11-2 largemouth.

The tournament resumes Friday, with takeoff scheduled for 6:45 a.m. from Laurel Park in Hall County and weigh-in back at the park at 3:10 p.m. Only the Top 35 anglers will advance to Saturday’s semifinal round.

Takeoffs Saturday and Sunday will also be at 6:45 a.m. from Laurel Park, but the weigh-ins will shift to Coolray Field on Buford Dr. in Lawrenceville, Ga., at 4 p.m.

Major League Fishing - Bass Pro Tour/Cup Events

Lee Claims Shotgun Round Heavy Weight with 32-2 on Lake Conroe

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 14, 2019
No Comments on Lee Claims Shotgun Round Heavy Weight with 32-2 on Lake Conroe

CONROE, Texas (Feb. 13, 2019) – We’re starting to run out of superlatives to describe the competitive success of Jordan Lee. (Photo by Phoenix Moore

Just two weeks after claiming the inaugural Major League Fishing® (MLF) Bass Pro Tour trophy at the Kissimmee Chain in Florida and two years removed from a Bassmaster Classic win on Lake Conroe, Lee arrived at this impoundment of the San Jacinto River with both momentum and history on his side.

Whether he relied on the former or the latter – or just simply fished the conditions in front of him – Lee finished the second Shotgun Round of the MLF Bass Pro Tour Huk Stage Two presented by Favorite Fishing with the heaviest weight of the day: 32 pounds, 3 ounces on 12 fish.

Lee wound a vibrating jig around the lower end of Conroe for most of the competition day, connecting with a consistent string of 2- and 3-pounders through the first period and then adding 14-12 to SCORETRACKER® in Period 3 to overtake Andy Montgomery for the Phoenix Boats Daily Leader Award for the day.

“I’m still trying to ride the vibrating-jig wave from (the Kissimmee Chain),” Lee joked. “I’m addicted to it now. I threw a little Berkley squarebill and a spinnerbait too, but it was I was just feeling it with the vibrating jig today.”

Lee finished the day with a 4-5 and a 3-3, which leads him to believe that bigger fish might be moving in as waters warm.

“I feel like there’s better quality moving in,” Lee confirmed. “I’m encouraged by that. I’ll just keep doing what I did today and hope the bigger fish keep coming carries on for the rest of the week.”

Montgomery lands a monster

Montgomery, who finished with eight fish for 25-11, staked his claim to the lead as the final seconds ticked down on Period 1.

Montgomery hooked a giant fish as his boat official started the 10-count to the end of the round, and pulled the fish over the gunwale just as his official called “time’s up” for the period. It was deemed a legal catch: 9-6, easily the biggest fish caught in the two Shotgun Rounds and the Berkley Big Bass of the Day.

“It didn’t pull back that hard – it just loaded up and shook its head a couple of times,” Montgomery said. “I thought it was a 5-pounder when I saw him. It was pretty nerve-wracking though. I could hear my boat official counting, I could hear Matt Lee’s official counting because he was close to me and they were on different counts. I just did every darn thing I could to get my hands on that fish.”

Packed tight around the Elimination Line

The battle for Top 20 and a spot in Elimination Round 2 will be extra tight on Friday: less than 5 pounds separates Randy Howell in 18th (11-4) and James Elam in 30th (6-6).

Elimination Rounds begin Thursday

The 40 anglers from Group A are back on Lake Conroe Thursday morning for the first Elimination Round. Brent Ehrler, Wesley Strader, Jason Christie, Bradley Roy and Adrian Avena heads into the day at the top of the group. Places 14 through 25 – roughly the range of anglers flirting with the Elimination Line at 20th – are separated by roughly 5 pounds.

How/where to watch

Official live scoring updates are available via SCORETRACKER from the start of competition at 7:30 a.m. CT. The MLF NOW! live stream begins at 10 a.m. CT, with on-the-water coverage following the action until the end of competition at 3:30 p.m. The MLF Berkley Postgame Show begins at 5 p.m.

Reviews The National Angler

Winter Fishing Gloves – Simms Guide Windbloc Half Finger Mitt

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 13, 2019
No Comments on Winter Fishing Gloves – Simms Guide Windbloc Half Finger Mitt

Winter Fishing Gloves – Simms Guide Windbloc Half Finger Mitt

Fishing in the winter and especially active fishing is not fun when your fingers are frozen. You can feel your line, can’t tie a lure on, and its just miserable. What is worse is constantly having to take gloves on and off that are wet. Most winter gloves for fishing don’t really help.

What sold me on these gloves was the waterproof and wind blocking features. Most importantly it was the addition of the hand warmer pocket that really sold me. I will admit they don’t keep your finger tips hot, but it makes fishing bearable in the fridged temps that face us in the winter.

Check out the link to purchase these great gloves for winter fishing.

https://www.outdoorproshop.com/Simms-Guide-Windbloc-Half-Finger-Mitt-p/simms-gd-wb-half.htm&Click=72463

The Simms Guide Windbloc Half-Finger Mitt keeps your hands warm while providing much needed finger dexterity with this half finger style glove. The glove itself is 100% windproof thanks to Simms Windbloc material. A heat pocket found in the wrist area allows the insertion of a heat pack to apply heat directly to the area where your maximum blood flow to your hands. Simms is always on the forefront of providing gear for the dedicated angler and these gloves are no different.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8CgVDQyCks[/embedyt]

Features:

100% windproof with 4-way stretch
Anti-pill
Heat-pack pocket sits on the wrist for optimal warmth
Pre-curved fit for increased dexterity
Zone insulation for warmth
Sueded overlays in key grip areas for extra durability
Fabric Tech: Polartec Windbloc

MLF BIG-5

GEORGIA’S GROSS WINS FLW TOUR AT LAKE TOHO PRESENTED BY RANGER BOATS

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 10, 2019
No Comments on GEORGIA’S GROSS WINS FLW TOUR AT LAKE TOHO PRESENTED BY RANGER BOATS

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (Feb. 10, 2019) – Pro Buddy Gross of Chickamauga, Georgia, brought a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds, 12 ounces, to the scale Sunday towin the FLW Tour at Lake Toho presented by RangerBoats. Gross’ four-day total of 20 bass weighing 85-12 earned him the victory by a 4-pound, 10-ounce margin over second-place pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, and the $100,000 first-place prize.

“I’m ecstatic. It has been an awesome, awesome journey. To beat the competition that we have – it’s unbelievable,” said Gross, who earned his second career FLW Tour victory. “I came into this event just wanting to cash a check. When I made the top 30, I just wanted stay in the top 10. All I wanted to do was finish strong.

“I got the majority of my weight early today – I’m guessing I had 18 or 19 pounds by 9 (a.m.) and after that it was a grind,” continued Gross. “I worked a long time between bites, but I upgraded two more times – maybe three – at my spot. I can’t believe this place that I caught these fish at held up – I really believe the Lord just blessed me.”

The spot Gross is referring to was on the main span of Lake Toho, just north of the lock at the lake’s southern end. It was his most productive area throughout the event, producing 19 of his 20 fish. He described it as a “pocket” in the grass line that was 30 feet wide and 50 feet in, but that didn’t break through to the other side.

“It was special because it had two ditches with clumps in the middle, and the fish were sitting in the clumps,” said Gross. “There were 20-foot gaps between each clump, and they’d set up in them [the clumps]. The first day I caught them, it was in the ditch, but after that, everything was on the clumps.”

Though Gross described the area as having two ditches, he said the “ditches” weren’t any deeper than the surrounding area. They were just open lanes with no grass. The entire spot was about 7 feet deep.

Gross primarily used a 5- or 6-inch, natural-light-colored Scottsboro Tackle Co. Swimbait on an 8/0-sized Owner Beast Flashy Swimmer and a ½-ounce white custom swimjig with a 4-inch Scottsboro Tackle swimbait trailer of the same color. The same swimjig with a black-and-blue skirt and a green-pumpkin Zoom Z-Craw trailer also came into play. For line, he used 50-pound-test braid on a Daiwa Tatula SV reel. He fished the swimbait on a 7-foot, 3-inch Fitzgerald Rods All Purpose Series extra-heavy rod, but switched to a heavy-action rod of the same length and series for the swim jig.

The top 10 pros on Lake Toho finished:

1^st: Buddy Gross, Chickamauga, Ga., 20 bass, 85-12, $102,700

2^nd: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 20 bass, 81-2, $30,600

3^rd: Darrell Davis, Dover, Fla., 20 bass, 78-7, $25,000

4^th: Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, 20 bass, 76-14, $20,000

5^th: Josh Douglas, Isle, Minn., 20 bass, 72-8, $19,000

6^th: Wade Strelic, Alpine, Calif., 20 bass, 71-4, $18,000

7^th: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., 20 bass, 66-0, $17,000

8^th: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 20 bass, 65-10, $16,000

9^th: Aaron Britt, Yuba City, Calif., 19 bass, 64-7, $15,000

10^th: Nitro pro Tyler Woolcott, Port Orange, Fla., 20 bass, 64-3, $14,000

Full results for the entire field can be found atFLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 49 bass weighing 157 pounds, 9 ounces caught by pros Sunday. Of the final 10 pros, nine caught five-bass limits.

Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Toho presented by Ranger Boats will premiere in 2019. The exact air-date will be announced soon. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show airs each Saturday night at 7 p.m. EST and is broadcast to more than 63 million cable, satellite and telecommunications households in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean on the World Fishing Network (WFN), the leading entertainment destination and digital resource for anglers throughout North America. FLW television is also distributed internationally to FLW partner countries, including Canada, China, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and South Africa.

The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Toho presented by Ranger Boats was more than $860,000, including $9,000 through 65th place in the Pro Division. The tournament was hosted by Experience Kissimmee and the Kissimmee Sports Commission. The next event for FLW Tour anglers will be the FLW Tour at Lake Seminole presented by Costa, in Bainbridge, Georgia, March 7-10. The tournament will be hosted by the Bainbridge Convention & Visitors Bureau.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 170 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continued competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

Clunn Repeats His Magic Winning Power-Pole Bassmaster Elite At St. Johns River

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 10, 2019
No Comments on Clunn Repeats His Magic Winning Power-Pole Bassmaster Elite At St. Johns River

PALATKA, Fla — After becoming the oldest angler ever to win a Bassmaster Elite Series event in 2016 on the St. Johns River, Rick Clunn provided what has become one of the most famous quotes in professional bass fishing history when he said, “Never accept that all of your best moments are in your past.”

On Sunday, he walked it like he talks it.

Clunn, who turned 72 in July, broke his own record for agelessness, winning the Power-Pole Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River with a four-day total of 98 pounds, 14 ounces. His amazing week was punctuated on Championship Sunday with a tournament-best limit of five bass that weighed 34-14.

It was the 16th career victory for Clunn, whose $100,000 first-place paycheck put him over $2.5 million in career earnings with B.A.S.S.

“I think this just reinforces what I said after I won here in 2016,” Clunn said. “A long time ago, I stopped paying attention to timelines. The terrible twos, the ugly teens, the midlife crisis, retirement time — I don’t pay any attention to any of that.

“If you listen to everybody else, you’ll get premature notions about who you really are.”

This week, there was no doubt about it. He was “Rick Clunn: Legend.”

The Ava, Mo., angler started modestly with a limit of 17-5 on Day 1. But he inched his way up the standings with 23-11 on Day 2 and then caught 23-0 on Day 3 to make Sunday’s Top 10 cut in eighth place with a three-day total of 64-0.

He joked after Saturday’s semifinal weigh-in that he might need a 10-pounder and a 12-pounder on Sunday to have any chance of winning. While he didn’t quite make those marks, he came close by weighing in two fish over 9 pounds, including a 9-14 that ranked as the biggest bass of the day.

His three key baits all week were a big lipless crankbait from Luck-E-Strike called a Hail Mary, a 3/4-ounce Luck-E-Strike Trickster Spinnerbait with a shellcracker-colored skirt and a Texas-rigged gatortail worm.

“I thought the bream pattern was important for the spinnerbait this week,” Clunn said. “The bass are bedding here, and I know how much the bass really don’t like the bream around their beds.”

The spinnerbait bite improved steadily throughout the week, thanks to a cold front that brought wind and cloud cover to the region. After catching bass on the deeper ends of boat docks in practice, Clunn said the fish had moved so shallow they were under the walkways of the docks by the weekend — and that made for a perfect spinnerbait situation.

In the event that he missed a strike on the spinnerbait, he would follow up quickly with the worm. That was the key to landing his biggest bass Sunday.

“That’s what won it for me today,” he said. “Early in the day, they were eating that spinnerbait really well. I caught a 6 1/2 on it and another one about 4. But then in the middle of the day, I missed three fish on it — and I could tell the third one was a really nice fish.

“I went back with the worm, and it was the 9-14.”

Even with all that he’s accomplished, Clunn admitted the two giant bass on Sunday got his blood pumping.

“I swung every fish into the boat today except those two 9s,” he said. “When you have to sit there and think about all of the possibilities and it takes forever to get them in the boat…it gets your heart moving.”

The two anglers closest in the standings to Clunn were first-year Canadian pro Chris Johnston with 95-2 and veteran Kentucky pro Mark Menendez with 95-1. Johnston said it was an honor to share the stage with Clunn.

“To lose to somebody that you watched fishing for the past 20 years — just to be on the same stage with him — it’s a privilege,” Johnston said. “If I was gonna see anyone else win, I would want it would be Rick. He earned it. He deserves it. He put his time in.

“I can’t complain about second place at my first event.”

Clunn said the question of when he’ll finally give up fishing is “a dirty question.” He’s looking forward to next week’s Toyota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Lanier in Georgia and has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.

“A lot of stuff off the water is old to me,” Clunn said. “But when I go on the water, it’s brand new, just like it was when I started. I love it just as much as I ever have.

“It’s an incredible thing to go out every single day and know that you’ve gotta figure them out. This amazing study of natural rhythms and how all things are connected — I can’t see myself ever getting tired of that.”

During a tournament when giant fish were weighed in all four days, the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week was caught during Thursday’s opening round. The honor went to Virginia pro John Crews for the 11-2 largemouth he caught on Day 1.

Rookie pro and former college fishing champion Patrick Walters of South Carolina was fourth with 91-14, and Crews was fifth with 89-11.

The Elite anglers hit the St. Johns River fishery at its peak. The 75 anglers caught 158 five-bass limits and weighed in 893 bass totaling 2,927 pounds, 8 ounces of bass. With an average weight of 3 1/4 pounds and the largest weigh-in crowds in the history of St. Johns Bassmaster tournaments, the event more than lived up to the theme of the 2019 Elite Series: “Big Bass. Big Stage. Big Dreams.”

MLF BIG-5

CHICKAMAUGA’S GROSS OUT FRONT AT FLW TOUR AT LAKE TOHO PRESENTED BY RANGER BOATS

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 9, 2019
No Comments on CHICKAMAUGA’S GROSS OUT FRONT AT FLW TOUR AT LAKE TOHO PRESENTED BY RANGER BOATS

February 9, 2019 by FLW Communications – Photo courtesy of FLW

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – After an exciting day of movement atop the leaderboard, FLW Tour pro Buddy Gross of Chickamauga, Georgia, took the lead Saturday after the final bass had been weighed at the FLW Tour at Lake Toho presented by Ranger Boats with a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 12 ounces. Gross’ three-day cumulative catch of 15 bass weighing 62 pounds even paces the final 10 pros as they head into Championship Sunday at the competition that features the world’s finest bass anglers casting for a top award of up to $125,000.

Right behind Gross (15 bass, 62-0) is hard-charging local angler Darrell Davis of Dover, Florida. Davis started the day in 13th place but moved into second after weighing a huge 25-pound, 12-ounce limit this afternoon – the largest of the day – bringing his three-day total to 15 bass weighing 60-15. Josh Douglas of Isle, Minnesota, (15 bass, 60-3) rounds out the top three, and was the only other pro to top the 60-pound mark after three days.

“I’ve got a good little spot – I think I’ve weighed in 14 of my 15 fish from it – but I’m really pushing it to its limits,” said Gross, who is seeking his second career FLW Tour win. “I keep looking for another spot, and I might have found one this afternoon. I caught one that culled – almost a 4-pounder – at the very last place I stopped on the way to weigh-in.”

Gross’ main area is an offshore stretch of hydrilla on Lake Toho. He said he’s been able to put a limit in the boat by 10 a.m. each day on the first two days of competition, but today it took until noon.

“The spot has both pre and postspawn bass. When the prespawners show up, they’re feeding, and when they feed I can see it and I can catch them – that’s my little flurry,” said Gross. “Tomorrow I’m going to catch what I can catch there and then start looking. I had some giant fish, but I still haven’t gotten a kicker. I haven’t had anything over 5½ [pounds] in three days and there’s a lot of stretches where I’ve caught some 7s, 8s and 9s in practice, so I’m going to have to move around a little more.”

Gross said he’s mostly relied on a swimbait and a pair of swimjigs, citing a natural light-colored Scottsboro Tackle swimbait, black and blue-colored swimjig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Z-Craw trailer and a white swimjig with the Scottsboro swimbait as a trailer. He’s also utilized a Nichols spinnerbait this week.

“The swimjig probably caught more weight than the swimbait today, but every other day it’s been the swimbait. I’m using a little underspin-type blade on the hook – an Owner Flashy Swimmer. It’s got a little extra flash and I think that’s what’s triggering the fish.”

The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition on Lake Toho are:

1st: Buddy Gross, Chickamauga, Ga., 15 bass, 62-0

2nd: Darrell Davis, Dover, Fla., 15 bass, 60-15

3rd: Josh Douglas, Isle, Minn., 15 bass, 60-3

4th: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 57-8

5th: Aaron Britt, Yuba City, Calif., 15 bass, 57-7

6th: Wade Strelic, Alpine, Calif., 15 bass, 57-3

7th: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 54-12

8th: Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, 15 bass, 54-3

9th: Nitro pro Tyler Woolcott, Port Orange, Fla., 15 bass, 53-1

10th: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., 15 bass, 51-6

Finishing 11th through 30th are:

11th: Lowrance pro Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn., 15 bass, 50-5, $12,000

12th: Nitro pro Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., 15 bass, 49-12, $12,000

13th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 15 bass, 48-14, $12,000

14th: J. Todd Tucker, Moultrie, Ga., 15 bass, 47-11, $12,000

15th: John Voyles, Petersburg, Ind., 15 bass, 47-10, $12,000

16th: Mike Surman, Boca Raton, Fla., 15 bass, 47-10, $11,500

17th: Braxton Setzer, Montgomery, Ala., 14 bass, 46-15, $11,500

18th: Nitro pro David Williams, Maiden, N.C., 15 bass, 46-15, $11,500

19th: Rapala pro Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 45-9, $11,500

20th: Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., 15 bass, 45-9, $11,500

21st: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 44-5, $10,500

22nd: Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala., 15 bass, 43-14, $11,000

23rd: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 43-3, $10,500

24th: Austin Wilson, Citrus Heights, Calif., 15 bass, 43-1, $10,500

25th: Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, Ark., 15 bass, 42-9, $10,500

26th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 42-1, $10,500

27th: Brandon McMillan, Clewiston, Fla., 14 bass, 41-9, $10,500

28th: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., 15 bass, 41-0, $10,500

29th: Strike King pro Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., 15 bass, 40-6, $10,500

30th: Bass Pro Shops pro Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 13 bass, 39-12, $10,500

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

Overall there were 146 bass weighing 401 pounds, 8 ounces caught by the 30 pros Saturday. The catch included 27 five-bass limits.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 170 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Saturday. Now, only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Toho presented by Ranger Boats is more than $860,000, including $9,000 through 65th place in the Pro Division. The tournament is hosted by Experience Kissimmee and the Kissimmee Sports Commission.

Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2019 FLW Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2019 FLW Cup will be on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

Anglers will take off for the final day of competition at 7 a.m. EST Sunday from Big Toho Marina, located at 69 Lakeview Drive, in Kissimmee. Sunday’s championship weigh-in will also be held at the marina, beginning at 4 p.m.

Prior to the weigh-in Sunday FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at Big Toho Marina from 2 to 6 p.m. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air Sunday, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by veteran FLW Tour pro Peter Thliveros 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.

BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

Heavyweight Bass Remain Plentiful At Power-Pole Bassmaster Elite At St. Johns River – 47 Leads into the Final Day

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 9, 2019
No Comments on Heavyweight Bass Remain Plentiful At Power-Pole Bassmaster Elite At St. Johns River – 47 Leads into the Final Day

February 9, 2019 Palatka, Fla. — Photos courtesy of BASS

During the weeks leading up to the Power-Pole Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River, brothers Chris and Cory Johnston insisted the Florida fishery reminded them a lot of the waters they grew up fishing back home in Canada.

Those who may have doubted them know better now.

Chris Johnston, who had fished a grand total of four B.A.S.S. events prior to this week, caught five bass during Friday’s round that weighed 25 pounds, 11 ounces and took the lead in the season-opening Elite event with a two-day total of 47-0.

Lee Livesay of Texas is second with 46-2, followed by Mark Menendez of Kentucky (45-14), Brandon Cobb of South Carolina (42-14) and Rick Clunn of Missouri (41-0).

Cory Johnston, who has teamed with his brother to dissect the fishery for months, caught 21-1 himself Friday and moved into sixth place at 41-0.

“I just hope I’m a couple of ounces ahead of him after tomorrow and then hopefully again on Sunday,” Chris said of his brother. “We always have a rivalry between us. We’re always trying to beat each other for bragging rights.

“I’ve got a little lead on him now, and hopefully I can carry it through the rest of the week.”

Chris said he’s been fishing for mixture of bedding bass that he can’t see and prespawn fish that are still working their way onto the beds. Like most of the field, he expects the weather to be a factor on Saturday, when the forecast calls for a shift from the sunny, clear conditions of the past two days to somewhat cooler temperatures and 10- to 20-mph winds.

“It’ll probably affect me, but I think everyone’s in the same boat,” Johnston said. “I went around looking today for three or four hours, marked a few fish and saw a couple of areas I like. If Plan A fails, I’ll go to Plan B.”

Livesay, who caught 19-12 on Day 1, got off to a fast start Friday, putting 12 pounds in his livewell in less than 15 minutes. Once that area started receiving pressure, he began checking out new fishing areas and put together a five-bass limit that weighed 26-6.

“I got on a little pattern and caught a big one in a spot,” he said. “Then I thought the same thing should work in another spot — and sure enough, I caught another big one.”

Then, as strange as it sounds, he basically started fishing where he didn’t expect to catch a bass.

“It’s gonna be so weird tomorrow with this weather coming in, and I didn’t want to burn any 2- or 3-pounders that might help me a lot,” he said. “So I just went to some water I’d never even looked at and caught a 5-pounder.”

Menendez, who caught 24-8 Thursday, added 21-6 Friday and held on to third place with 45-14. He scored early in the day with a 6-pounder that he wasn’t really expecting to catch.

“That’s a spot where I’ve always caught 2- to 4-pounders,” Menendez said. “So when you pull up there and catch a 6-pounder, you’re thinking, ‘Well, giddy-up, it’s gonna be a good day.’”

A slight shift in technique helped Menendez to his quick start, but then he went back to the same tactics he used on Day 1 — tactics he’s not quite ready to discuss.

“I had to change baits today, and the change gave me the bites early so I could slow down and fish really thorough,” Menendez said. “Then during the afternoon, I went back to what I caught them on Thursday and got into another one of those big ones, a 5-plus, and another one that was about 4 pounds.

“Those really help you.”

Fourth and fifth place represent the age diversity on this year’s Elite Series, with the 29-year-old Cobb leading the 72-year-old legend, Clunn, by less than 2 pounds. Cobb caught 23-1 Friday to push his mark to 42-14, while the seemingly ageless Clunn caught 23-11 to lift his two-day total to 41-0. Clunn won his 15th Bassmaster title on these same waters when the Elite Series last stopped here in 2016.

Cory Johnston is tied statistically with Clunn for fifth place, but is credited for sixth place because Clunn has had the bigger single-day bag of the two and won the tie-breaker.

Cory said he’s not conceding anything to his brother — or anyone else.

“No one wants to be behind his brother,” he said. “The competition that we have amongst ourselves and our friends, that’s bigger than anything. So I just want to beat him.

“I’ll be out there trying to win.”

The tournament will resume Saturday with the Top 35 remaining anglers taking off from Riverfront Park at 7:30 a.m. ET. The weigh-in will be back at the park at 4:10 p.m., with only the Top 10 anglers advancing to Championship Sunday with a chance to win the $100,000 first-place prize.

Arizona pro Clifford Pirch wowed the weigh-in crowd with a 10-4 trophy largemouth, but Virginia angler John Crews still leads the race for Phoenix Boats Big Bass with the 11-2 largemouth he caught Thursday.

MLF BIG-5

COX HOLDS LEAD AFTER DAY TWO OF FLW TOUR AT LAKE TOHO PRESENTED BY RANGER BOATS

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 8, 2019
No Comments on COX HOLDS LEAD AFTER DAY TWO OF FLW TOUR AT LAKE TOHO PRESENTED BY RANGER BOATS

February 8, 2019 by FLW Communications – Photo courtesy of FLW

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, brought five bass to the scale weighing 17 pounds, 4 ounces, to hold the lead after day two of the FLW Tour at Lake Toho presented by Ranger Boats. Cox’s two day total of 10 bass weighing 48-13 will give him a 3-pound, 9-ounce advantage over second place angler Aaron Britt of Yuba City, California, (45-4). The field of 170 anglers is now cut to just the top 30 as the world’s best bass fishing professionals continue their competition for the top award of up to $125,000.

Cox said he fished a lot of the same areas from Thursday, rotating in some new areas as well. He said the sight-fishing bite was tough once again and it forced him to move deeper to salvage the day.

“I looked at a lot of beds and nothing was happening – it was dead again,” said Cox, who looks to earn his 19th top-10 finish in FLW Tour competition. “There were four or five other guys that ran into big ones and I never ran into any. Yesterday, I got one before anyone else got any. There are only a handful of spots and everyone is rotating them.

“At about 1 (p.m.), I finally was like ‘man I need to put some fish in the boat’,” continued Cox. “I started fishing and caught two nice ones and a couple of other keepers to try and save the day.”

Cox’s two “nice ones” were a 5-pounder and one that was close to 4. He said he caught them on the Berkley Windup Worm – the same bait he relied on Thursday.

“This place has always had my number – I’ve never made the cut here,” said Cox. “I’ve won some one-day tournaments, but I’ve never done well in a multi-day event. The fish always seem to change.”

The Florida veteran said that for Saturday, he plans on doing something completely different.

“I’m going to go try something else where I think there might be some real big ones. I got a feeling about this one area. I’ll give it an hour, and if it happens, I’ll bust them big time. If it doesn’t, I’ll leave and try and do something else.”

The top 30 pros that made the cut and will fish Saturday on Lake Toho are:

1st: John Cox, Debary, Fla., 10 bass, 48-13

2nd: Aaron Britt, Yuba City, Calif., 10 bass, 45-4

3rd: Braxton Setzer, Montgomery, Ala., 10 bass, 42-12

4th: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 42-11

5th: Buddy Gross, Chickamauga, Ga., 10 bass, 42-4

6th: Josh Douglas, Isle, Minn., 10 bass, 42-3

7th: Nitro pro Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., 10 bass, 40-10

8th: Power-Pole pro Tyler Woolcott, Port Orange, Fla., 10 bass, 39-5

9th: Rapala pro Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., 10 bass, 35-12

10th: John Voyles, Petersburg, Ind., 10 bass, 35-7

11th: Jamie Horton, Centerville, Ala., 10 bass, 35-6

12th: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., 10 bass, 35-4

13th: Darrell Davis, Dover, Fla., 10 bass, 35-3

14th: J. Todd Tucker, Moultrie, Ga., 10 bass, 34-8

15th: Wade Strelic, Alpine, Calif., 10 bass, 34-6

16th: Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., 10 bass, 33-13

17th: Nitro pro David Williams, Maiden, N.C., 10 bass, 33-12

18th: Austin Wilson, Citrus Heights, Calif., 10 bass, 33-6

19th: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 32-11

20th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 10 bass, 32-7

21st: Bass Pro Shops pro Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 10 bass, 32-7

22nd: Brandon McMillan , Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 31-15

23rd: Strike King pro Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., 10 bass, 31-14

24th: Lowrance pro Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn., 10 bass, 31-9

25th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 31-2

26th: Mike Surman, Boca Raton, Fla., 10 bass, 30-13

27th: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., 10 bass, 30-3

28th: Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, 10 bass, 30-2

29th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 30-1

30th: Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, Ark., 10 bass, 29-13

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

Horton caught the heaviest fish in the pro division Friday – a 10-pound, 5-ounce largemouth – and earned the day’s Big Bass Award of $500.

Overall there were 794 bass weighing 1,902 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 165 pros Friday. The catch included 148 five-bass limits.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 170 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight now advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EST each day from Big Toho Marina, located at 69 Lakeview Drive, in Kissimmee. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will be held at the marina, beginning at 4 p.m.

Prior to the weigh-ins FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at Big Toho Marina from 2 to 6 p.m. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.

Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at the marina on Saturday from Noon-2 p.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to anyone under the age of 18 and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. The 1st and 2nd place anglers that catch the biggest fish will be recognized Saturday on the FLW Tour stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air Saturday and Sunday, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by veteran FLW Tour pro Peter Thliveros 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.

BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

Giant Bass Make A Showing at Power-Pole Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 8, 2019
No Comments on Giant Bass Make A Showing at Power-Pole Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River

February 7, 2019Giant Bass Make A Showing at Power-Pole Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns RiverPalatka, Fla. —

After a tough practice, Robbie Latuso said he only had one area that he felt confident about heading into Thursday’s opening round of the Power-Pole Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River.

But it turned out to be a good area — and it just kept getting better as the day went along.

The third-year Elite Series pro from Gonzales, La., caught a solid limit early and then steadily culled up until he had a five-bass limit that weighed 25 pounds, 2 ounces. The big bag, which was anchored by an 8-6 largemouth, was good enough for the Day 1 lead.

“I got to that spot and caught a bunch of fish that were all about 3 pounds,” Latuso said. “Then I finally caught a 3-10. Then I caught a 5-pounder. Then I caught the biggest one and another big fish — about a 5-pounder — toward the end of the day.

“So I really caught most of my big fish later.”

With three days left to fish, anglers are always stingy with details. But Latuso said he’s using a technique he’s very comfortable with — and he believes his one magic spot could actually be better for Friday’s second round.

“I think more fish are coming to that area,” he said. “So I’m just gonna go out there tomorrow and have fun again and try to get five more bites.”

Latuso’s 8-plus was impressive, but it wasn’t nearly the biggest bass caught on a day when the Florida fishery really showed its muscle. The Top 10 anglers in the standings all had more than 20 pounds, and the biggest bass of the day was an 11-2 behemoth caught by Virginia angler John Crews.

The giant fish — which Crews said broke his personal-best mark of 11-1 by an ounce — anchored a five-bass limit that weighed 24-13 and moved Crews into second place.

In a scene that would make even the most experienced anglers queasy, Crews landed the bass on a spinning rod with only 12-pound-test line.

“I had caught four, and I knew I had a pretty decent bag,” Crews said. “I knew if I could just catch one more keeper, I would be in good shape. So I actually just started fishing around and picked up that spinning rod.”

He knew the bass was big when he set the hook, but it was while before he knew exactly how big.

“It went all over the place, got hung up in a tree and came out,” Crews said. “But I didn’t get in a big hurry.

“When it jumped, I thought it was a 6- or 7-pounder. When it got close to the boat and jumped again, I thought it was an 8 or 9. Then when I lipped it, it just kept coming out of the water and I knew it was at least a 10.”

Crews referred to his day as a “typical Florida day” because along with the big fish, he also had one that weighed only about 14 ounces. He said he has no idea what Friday will hold, but he’s seen proof positive once again that a big bass can bite at any moment in this state.

Having just turned 40 last year, Crews has been with the Elite Series since its inception in 2006. Another Elite Series veteran, 54-year-old Mark Menendez from Paducah, Ky., fished his way into third place Thursday — and like the two anglers ahead of him, his bag was anchored by a giant.

Menendez weighed in five bass that tipped the scales at 24-8 with a 9-13 anchoring the bag.

“My day was real slow,” said Menendez, who has three career B.A.S.S. victories. “I lost my first two bites, and they were little peanuts.”

He was about to leave and make a long run, but instincts told him to explore the stretch he was on just a little further.

“I fished and fished and fished and kept thinking I needed to make that long run,” he said. “But then I stopped in a spot, made a pitch and caught the 9-13. I fished around a little longer and caught a solid 3 3/4.

“That’s when I decided I was going to be there a while — and before noon, I caught another 3-pounder and a 6-pounder, all on the same bait.”

When bass are moving onto the spawning beds, as they seem to be on the St. Johns this week, it’s hard to know exactly what will happen next. Warm weather could bring another big wave of bass to the shorelines overnight, making Friday’s round better. Or, the pressure from Thursday’s round could cause a downturn in the fishing.

But one thing is certain: Most of the 75-angler field left Riverfront Park Thursday with a solid understanding of the fishery’s potential.

“I really didn’t know what I could catch going into today,” said Brad Whatley, an Elite Series rookie from Bivins, Texas, who landed in fourth place Thursday with a catch of 23-4 that included two 8-pounders. “I think I’m in an area that has some fish coming in to spawn and some leaving the beds.

“To catch 23 pounds my first day on the job, I’ll take it all day long.”

The tournament will resume Friday with a full field of 75 anglers fishing once again. Takeoff will be from Riverfront Park at 7:30 a.m. ET, and weigh-in will be back at the park at 4:15 p.m.

After Friday’s competition, only the Top 35 will advance to Saturday’s semifinal round.

MLF BIG-5

COX CATCHES 31-POUND LIMIT, LEADS DAY ONE OF FLW TOUR AT LAKE TOHO PRESENTED BY RANGER BOATS

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 7, 2019
No Comments on COX CATCHES 31-POUND LIMIT, LEADS DAY ONE OF FLW TOUR AT LAKE TOHO PRESENTED BY RANGER BOATS

February 7, 2019 by FLW Communications

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, hauled in a massive five-bass limit weighing 31 pounds, 9 ounces – the largest limit ever weighed in FLW Tour competition at Lake Toho – to grab the lead after day one of the FLW Tour at Lake Toho presented by Ranger Boats. Cox will bring a 6-pound, 10-ounce advantage over second-place pro John Voyles of Petersburg, Indiana, into Day Two of the four-day tournament that features 170 of the world’s most decorated bass-fishing professionals casting for a top award of up to $125,000 cash.

“When I got up this morning, I was just excited to go fishing,” said Cox, the 2016 FLW Cup Champion who has more than $1.1 million in career earnings. “The weather was warm – for once – and it was going to be sunny and not windy. It was an awesome day.

“I ran a ton of spots. I ran all around this lake [Toho] and then went down and ran around the other lakes and just kept spot-hopping,” continued Cox. “I caught one good one early and then it was steady – you’d get one here, get one there.”

Cox said he made roughly 30 stops throughout the day.

“I tried to do the sight-fishing thing, but there’s just no movement. There’s no fish moving,” said Cox. “There’s a few fish still there, but most of them left for some reason, so I just started fishing and caught two good ones.”

One of Cox’s two “good ones” was a 10-pound, 9-ouncer that he wrangled a bit deeper using a Berkley Windup Worm. It ended up being the third-largest bass ever weighed in FLW Tour competition at Lake Toho.

Overall, three of Cox’s fish came from beds, and two came from the Windup Worm. He said he culled three times as well.

“I’m not sure what I’ll do tomorrow – probably run a lot of the same spots.”

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

1st: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., five bass, 31-9

2nd: John Voyles, Petersburg, Ind., five bass, 24-15

3rd: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 24-12

4th: Austin Wilson, Citrus Heights, Calif., five bass, 21-11

5th: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 21-10

6th: Buddy Gross, Chickamauga, Ga., five bass, 21-7

7th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., five bass, 21-6

8th: Wade Strelic, Alpine, Cal., five bass, 21-4

9th: Aaron Britt, Yuba City, Calif., five bass, 21-2

10th: Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, Ark., five bass, 19-10

10th: Jim Jones, Big Bend, Wis., five bass, 19-10

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Cox’s 10-pound, 9-ounce largemouth was the heaviest fish weighed in the pro division Thursday, and earned him the day’s Big Bass Award of $500.

Overall there were 815 bass weighing 2,032 pounds, 9 ounces caught by 169 pros Thursday. The catch included 154 five-bass limits.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 170 pro anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EST each day from Big Toho Marina, located at 69 Lakeview Drive, in Kissimmee. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, Feb. 9-10, will also be held at the marina, but will begin at 4 p.m.

Prior to weigh-in each day FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at Big Toho Marina from 2 to 6 p.m. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.

Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at the marina on Saturday, Feb. 9, from Noon-2 p.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to anyone under the age of 18 and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. The 1st and 2nd place anglers that catch the biggest fish will be recognized Saturday on the FLW Tour stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air on Days Three and Four of the event, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by veteran FLW Tour pro Peter Thliveros 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.