Month: June 2019

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 30, 2019) Photo’s courtesy of FLW – After starting the day in second place, pro Casey Scanlon of Lake Ozark, Missouri, caught a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 10 ounces, Sunday to vault to the top of the leaderboard and win the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine with a four-day total of 20 bass weighing 76 pounds, 2 ounces. Scanlon’s weight was enough to edge second-place angler Jackson Kayak pro Eric Jackson by 1 pound, 11 ounces, in the event that featured 163 of the world’s most decorated bass anglers competing over four days on Lake Champlain.

Missouri Pro Commits to Largemouth Bite, Wins $100,000 at FLW Tour Regular Season Finale on Lake Champlain

flwfishing.com

“It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been doing this for eight years now and on a couple of different tours. I’ve had the opportunity to win several times and haven’t gotten it done, so today is a pretty special day,” said Scanlon, who earned his first career win in FLW Tour competition. “I’ve been fishing tournaments since I was 15 and it’s not easy out here, but days like this make it all worth it.”

Scanlon spent the event targeting largemouth down near Ticonderoga. Early in the tournament, most of his bass came off shallow rock inside of a milfoil edge. As the tournament progressed, though, he caught more fish from the grass, with all of his keepers today coming from the grass.

“I did junk it up a little bit, but I got myself in some decent areas, and I tried to make the most out of them by switching baits and trying some different stuff throughout the tournament,” said Scanlon.

Scanlon did have a primary area that produced his initial limits on days one through three – a pair of main-lake points along Champlain’s eastern shoreline that were swept by current. Today, the area didn’t produce, but he was able to make the necessary adjustments to put together a solid limit.

“The fish were obviously using the current to feed, and there was bait there, which was a big key,” said Scanlon. “You’d see a lot of activity in the grass. That’s probably the main reason those fish were there.”

In his areas, Scanlon used a 3/8-ounce chartreuse and white Z-Man ChatterBait with a white soft jerkbait trailer for rocks and scattered milfoil, and a green copper shad-colored Luck-E-Strike Series 3 square-billed crankbait on rocks and in looser grass. A few fish early in the tournament bit a Luck-E-Strike Pow Stik, rigged with either a 3/16- or 1/4-ounce Bass Pros Shops tungsten weight, and a black and blue Bass Pros Shops tube. He also ran a 1/2-ounce Trophy Swim Jig through lily pads and pencil reeds in shallow water.

“Depending on the cover I’d always start with a moving bait, usually the ChatterBait, and when it was sparser grass I’d use the crankbait. When I’d catch a few, I would slow down and pick it apart with the Pow Stik,” said Scanlon. “I was just fortunate to dial into the fish every day – locations and baits changed daily on me.”

With his win, Scanlon earned enough points to qualify for the FLW Cup – the world championship of bass fishing – August 9-11 on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

“I needed a big derby to make the FLW Cup,” said Scanlon. “I knew I probably needed a top-12 [finish] here to make it and we’re sitting here now. I’m ready to go to Hot Springs.”

The top 10 pros on Lake Champlain finished:

               1^st:          Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., 20 bass, 76-2, $102,700

               2^nd:         Jackson Kayak pro Eric Jackson, Walling, Tenn., 20 bass, 74-7, $30,000

               3^rd:          Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 20 bass, 73-15, $25,100

               4^th:          Christopher Brasher, Longview, Texas, 20 bass, 73-15, $20,000

               5^th:          Hensley Powell, Whitwell, Tenn., 20 bass, 73-12, $19,000

               6^th:          Daryl Biron, South Windsor, Conn., 20 bass, 72-6, $18,000

               7^th:          Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 20 bass, 72-4, $17,000

               8^th:          A.J. Slegona, Pine Bush, N.Y., 20 bass, 71-9, $16,000

               9^th:          Tyler Stewart, West Monroe, La., 19 bass, 68-10, $15,000

               10^th:        Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas, 18 bass, 62-3, $14,000

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

Overall there were 47 bass weighing 164 pounds, 1 ounces, caught by pros Sunday. The catch included eight five-bass limits.

Polaris pro David Dudley of Lynchburg, Virginia, won the prestigious 2019 FLW Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) Saturday, becoming the first angler in the history of the FLW Tour to claim four titles (2019, 2012, 2011 and 2008). He narrowly edged out Berkley pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, by just 17 points in a tightly contested race that was too close to call until Cox’s 28th place finish. Dudley, who received $100,000 for the title, will also receive an automatic berth into the 2020 FLW Cup.

Pro Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan, clinched the Polaris 2019 FLW Tour Rookie of the Year (ROY) award Saturday, which is awarded to the rookie pro angler who finishes the season with the highest point total. For his efforts, Nelson won a Polaris Sportsman® 570 ATV.

Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine 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 Champlain presented by T-H Marine was more than $860,000. The tournament was hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau. The next event for FLW anglers on Lake Champlain will be the Costa FLW Series at Lake Champlain presented by Polaris in Plattsburgh, July 18-30. A limited number of co-angler spots are still open. To register or see more information, visit FLWFishing.com.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 163 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.

Throughout the season, anglers were 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.

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

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 29, 2019) Photo courtesy of FLW – Pro Tyler Stewart of West Monroe, Louisiana, caught a five-bass limit Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 5 ounces, to keep the lead after day three of the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine. Stewart’s three-day total of 58-6 will lead the final 10 pros into Championship Sunday, where the top prize of up to $125,000 will be up for grabs.

“The day started off kind of slow. I got down to my main places and it was crowded – there was a [local] tournament out of Ticonderoga and someone was fishing one of my main holes for fun,” said Stewart, who is looking to win his first career FLW Tour event. “I ended up catching a 4½-pounder and got some good momentum going. I just grinded all day – caught some good fish and kept the wheels on. I ran some new stuff, too – stuff that looks right.”

Stewart said he caught the majority of his largemouth flipping a jig. He also weighed one from a square-billed crankbait and a 3½-pound smallmouth on a Keitech swimbait, which culled out a largemouth toward the end of the day.

“The largemouth are in about 6 inches of water, and I think a lot of people are overlooking that. I’m catching them super shallow and on current- and bait-related stuff,” said Stewart. “I’d love to be able to get on my stuff tomorrow and fish it thoroughly.”

On Championship Sunday, Stewart said he plans to stay the course and fish Ticonderoga – the area that’s produced the majority of his weight all week – no matter what challenges the weather may pose.

“I don’t care if takes me three hours to get to Ticonderoga – that’s where I’m going,” Stewart went on to say.

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

1^st: Tyler Stewart, West Monroe, La., 15 bass, 58-6

2^nd: Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., 15 bass, 56-8

3^rd: Jackson Kayak pro Eric Jackson, Walling, Tenn., 15 bass, 55-13

4^th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 55-6

5^th: Daryl Biron, South Windsor, Conn., 15 bass, 55-2

6^th: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 55-2

7^th: A.J. Slegona, Pine Bush, N.Y., 15 bass, 54-15

8^th: Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas, 15 bass, 54-15

9^th: Christopher Brasher, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 54-11

10^th: Hensley Powell, Whitwell, Tenn., 15 bass, 54-4

Finishing 11^th through 30^th are:

11^th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 15 bass, 54-2, $12,000

12^th: Lowrance pro Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn., 15 bass, 53-13, $12,000

13^th: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., 15 bass, 53-13, $12,000

14^th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 53-12, $12,000

15^th: Kurt Dove, Del Rio, Texas, 15 bass, 53-4, $12,000

16^th: John Voyles, Petersburg, Ind., 15 bass, 53-0, $11,500

17^th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 15 bass, 53-0, $11,500

18^th: Charles Sim, Nepean, Ontario, Canada, 15 bass, 52-10, $11,500

19^th: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., 15 bass, 51-13, $11,500

20^th: Joel Willert, Prior Lake, Minn., 15 bass, 51-7, $11,500

21^st: Lowrance pro Jeff Dobson, Bartlesville, Okla., 15 bass, 51-4, $10,500

22^nd: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 51-3, $10,500

23^rd: Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, 15 bass, 51-0, $10,500

24^th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., 15 bass, 50-13, $10,500

25^th: Shawn Murphy, Nicholasville, Ky., 15 bass, 50-12, $10,500

26^th: Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., 15 bass, 50-9, $10,500

27^th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 15 bass, 49-3, $10,500

28^th: Berkley pro John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 49-1, $10,500

29^th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 15 bass, 47-4, $11,000

30^th: Robert Behrle, Hoover, Ala., 13 bass, 42-0, $10,500

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 148 bass weighing 493 pounds, 3 ounces, caught by 30 pros Saturday. The catch included 29 five-bass limits.

Anglers were also vying for the prestigious 2019 FLW Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) title that is determined by the most points accumulated over the seven Tour events in 2019.

Polaris pro David Dudley of Lynchburg, Virginia, won the AOY title Saturday, becoming the first angler in the history of the FLW Tour to claim four titles (2019, 2012, 2011 and 2008). He narrowly edged out Berkley pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, by just 17 points in a tightly contested race that was too close to call until Cox’s 28th place finish today. Dudley, who received $100,000 for the title, will also receive an automatic berth into the 2020 FLW Cup.

Pro Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan, clinched the Polaris 2019 FLW Tour Rookie of the Year (ROY) award Saturday, which is awarded to the rookie pro angler who finishes the season with the highest point total. For his efforts, Nelson won a Polaris Sportsman® 570 ATV.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 163 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 will 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 Champlain presented by T-H Marine is more than $860,000. The tournament is hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau.

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 6:30 a.m. EST Sunday from Plattsburgh City Marina, located at 5 Dock St., in Plattsburgh. Sunday’s championship weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 4 p.m.

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

Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine 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 popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air on 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 Todd Hollowell to break down the extended action from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed onFLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.

For complete details and updated information visitFLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the sport’s top anglers on the FLW Tour on FLW’s social media outletsat Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 27, 2019) – Pro Tyler Stewart of West Monroe, Louisiana, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 3 ounces to sit atop the leaderboard after day one of the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine. Tied for second place with 20-7 are pros John Voyles of Petersburg, Indiana, and Tom Redington of Royse City, Texas. The full field of 163 anglers, who are casting for a top award of up to $125,000, will continue competition Friday on day two, with just the top 30 fishing Saturday and the final 10 competing Sunday.

“On the first day of practice, I spent the whole day [focusing] on largemouth. On day two, I tried smallmouth, but just really couldn’t anything going,” said Stewart, a second-year FLW Tour pro. “On the third day of practice I focused on largemouth again and got a little something going, and that’s kind of what I ran with today.

“It started happening pretty quick [this morning]. I caught my weight by like 10:30 [a.m.],” continued Stewart. “I had a 2-pounder in my livewell, and at 11, I caught a 4-pounder that culled, then I left. I’m keeping a flipping stick in my hand all day. I only have a couple of small areas and that’s basically what I’m doing – flipping them up in pretty shallow water.”

Stewart said he caught around 10 keepers throughout his day. He did weigh one smallmouth, a fish he caught after leaving his primary areas.

“I ended up making a quarter-pound cull, which could be pretty crucial,” said Stewart.

The top 10 boaters after day one on Lake Champlain are:

               1^st:          Tyler Stewart, West Monroe, La., five bass, 22-3           

               2^nd:         John Voyles, Petersburg, Ind., 20-7  

               2^nd:         Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas, five bass, 20-7      

               4^th:          Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., five bass, 20-0         

               5^th:          Lowrance pro Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., five bass, 19-15           

               6^th:          Hensley Powell, Whitwell, Tenn., five bass, 19-14          

               7^th:          Daryl Biron, South Windsor, Conn., five bass, 19-12

               8^th:          Lowrance pro Jeff Dobson, Bartlesville, Okla., five bass, 19-9

               9^th:          Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, five bass, 19-8       

               10^th:        Kurt Dove, Del Rio, Texas, five bass, 19-5

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Ryan Salzman of Huntsville, Alabama, earned Thursday’s $500 Big Bass award after bringing a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass to the scale – the largest fish of the day.

Overall there were 804 bass weighing 2,494 pounds, 3 ounces, caught by 163 pros Thursday. The catch included 157 five-bass limits.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 163 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.

The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine is more than $860,000. The tournament is hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau.

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 at 6:30 a.m. EST each day from the Plattsburgh City Marina, located at 5 Dock St., in Plattsburgh. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the marina, but will begin at 4 p.m.

In conjunction with the weigh-ins, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at Plattsburgh City 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, as well as 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 Wilcox Dock, located at 90 Cumberland Ave., in Plattsburgh, on Saturday, June 29, 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 most fish will be recognized Saturday on the FLW Tour stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.

Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by T-H Marine 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 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 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.

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

June 24, 2019  by FLW Communications – Photo courtesy of FLW

BROKEN BOW, Okla. – Local boater John Bowling of Broken Bow won Saturday’s T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Okie Division tournament on Broken Bow Lake after catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 8 ounces. For his win, Bowling earned $6,440.

Bowling said he fished offshore ledges toward the southeast end of the lake.

“I only fished one ledge that was about 200-yards long,” said Bowling, whose win came in his first-ever event with FLW. “I didn’t catch a fish until noon, but put an 11-pounder in the boat around 1:45 p.m.

“I had let the ledge sit for five to 10 mins, and after I returned she bit on the second cast,” Bowling continued. “It was one of those ‘being in the right place at the right time’ kind of deals.”

Bowling said he used a ¾-ounce PB&J-colored Buckeye Lures Mop jig with a green-pumpkin Strike King Rage Tail Craw trailer and caught a total of six fish.

“I was fishing deep – 23 to 24 feet down,” said Bowling. “I also used a one-ounce version of the jig to get down there because of wind.”

Bowling threw the jig on a 7-foot, 4-inch Duckett Triad Series heavy-action casting rod and a Lew’s Super Duty Wide Speed Spool reel with 20-pound-test Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line.

“I couldn’t have done it without my Lowrance electronics, they helped me find the fish,” said Bowling. “The Spot Lock feature on my Minn Kota Ultrex was also crucial, as it held me in place when the wind picked up.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

 1st: John Bowling, Broken Bow, Okla., five bass, 19-8, $4,440 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

 2nd: Brandon Snow, Broken Bow, Okla., five bass, 15-4, $1,773

 3rd: Christopher Jones, Bokoshe, Okla., five bass, 13-8, $1,281

 4th: Mark Shadowens, Kiefer, Okla., five bass, 13-2, $827

 5th: Darin Crowder, Claremore, Okla., five bass, 13-0, $709

 6th: Trevis Unger, Towanda, Kan., five bass, 12-13, $650

 7th: Mason Spencer, Broken Bow, Okla., five bass, 12-9, $591

 8th: Brent Haggard, Gans, Okla., five bass, 11-13, $532

 9th: Nick Kincaid, Coweta, Okla., five bass, 11-12, $593

 9th: Chris Ogan, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 11-12, $443

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Bowling’s big bass weighed 11 pounds, 3 ounces and was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $445.

Sanford Hooker of Wellston, Oklahoma, won the Co-angler Division and $1,773 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 11 pounds even.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

 1st: Sanford Hooker, Wellston, Okla., five bass , 11-0, $1,773

 2nd: Shane McGlothlin, Anadarko, Okla., five bass, 10-11, $1,086

 3rd: Alan Hill, Ada, Okla., five bass, 10-4, $591

 4th: Darin Comstock, Denison, Texas, five bass, 10-3, $414

 5th: Michael Shinstine, Springdale, Ark., four bass, 9-14, $355

 6th: Colton Johnson, Allen, Okla., four bass, 9-10, $310

 6th: Jackie Copeland, Sallisaw, Okla., five bass, 9-10, $310

 8th: Dalton French, Broken Bow, Okla., five bass, 9-6, $266

 9th: Rick Blosser, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 9-5, $286

 10th: Dalton Ross, Cave Springs, Ark., five bass, 9-4, $207

Leroy Sheperd of Mountain View, Oklahoma, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 7 pounds even. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $222.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky and Barkley lakes in Buchanan, Tennessee, presented by Evinrude. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

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

June 24, 2019  by FLW Communications – Photo courtesy of FLW

GLASGOW, Ky. – Boater Jeffrey Wilson of Lancaster, Kentucky, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division tournament on the Barren River Saturday after catching five bass weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces. For his day on the water, Wilson pocketed $3,753.

“I mainly stayed up around mid-lake and got in the back of the creeks where the bushes were flooded. There was some standing and floating timber and I threw a shaky-head in there,” said Wilson, who logged his first win in FLW competition. “Everything I caught came anywhere from 1 to 5 feet of water.”

Wilson said he ran his pattern in a main creek, located across from the Narrows Marina Boat Ramp, until 11 a.m. He then worked a little pocket off of a corner of Coon Creek before hitting some small main-lake pockets on the way back to the boat ramp. He added that he caught five keepers and several short fish.

“I was looking for shade on the banks once the sun got up. I believe they were trying to keep cool in it,” said Wilson. “I worked the bait slow. I would drag it instead of popping it like normal.”

Wilson said his setup included a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Trick Worm with a 5/16-ounce, green-pumpkin BC Lures Round Shaky Head and a 7-foot 4-inch Phenom Titanium Gen2 Series Enigma Casting rod.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

 1st: Jeffrey Wilson, Lancaster, Ky., five bass, 16-6, $3,753

 2nd: William Merrick, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 15-14, $1,877

 3rd: John Rediess, Smiths Grove, Ky., five bass, 15-5, $1,185

 4th: Aaron Singleton, La Grange, Ky., five bass, 14-6, $829

 5th: Brian Wilson, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 14-2, $1,011

 6th: Clay Reece, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 13-8, $651

 7th: Pat Eichmann, Nancy, Ky., five bass, 13-6, $842

 8th: Jeramiah Sifers, New Albany, Ind., four bass, 12-15, $958

 8th: Allen Boyd, Salem, Ind., five bass, 12-15, $503

 10th: Mike Lemons, Huntington, W. Va., five bass, 12-10, $415

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Sifers caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $455.

Ernest James of Loyall, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $1,777 Saturday after catching four bass weighing 11 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

 1st: Ernest James, Loyall, Ky., four bass, 11-4, $1,777

 2nd: Kenny Botts, Alvaton, Ky., three bass, 10-10, $888

 3rd: Jason Barr, Woodlawn, Tenn., five bass, 10-8, $742

 4th: Jarrod Conn, Burgin, Ky., five bass, 9-15, $415

 5th: Joey Von Hoene, Erlanger, Ky., three bass, 8-2, $555

 6th: Timothy Vaughan, Bowling Green, Ky., two bass, 7-5, $553

 7th: Tracy Helton, London, Ky., four bass, 7-4, $296

 8th: Shane Vickers, Tyner, Ky., three bass, 7-1, $317

 9th: Lucas Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., two bass, 6-4, $210

 9th: Paul Singleton, La Grange, Ky., four bass, 6-4, $210

 9th: Danell McKinney, West Liberty, Ky., three bass, 6-4, $210

Vaughan caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $227.

The tournament was hosted by the Glasgow-Barren County Tourist & Convention Commission.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, presented by Mercury. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

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

June 24, 2019  by FLW Communications – Photo courtesy of FLW

SALISBURY, N.C. – Boater Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Virginia, won Saturday’s T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Piedmont Division tournament on High Rock Lake after catching a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 10 ounces. For his win, Villa pocketed $3,932.

“I started out at a point where I’d caught a 5-pounder in practice Friday, but didn’t catch anything,” said Villa, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition. “I was planning on fishing the shoreline there, but eight to 10 boats showed up and after an hour and a half, I didn’t have anything and I didn’t see anyone else catching anything.

“I jumped across the cove within eyeshot of the first area, flipped a laydown and caught a 2-pounder,” continued Villa. “I went down the shoreline and lost a 5-pounder. I went further down and at the next point, caught a 6-pounder and lost a good one off of a boat dock.”

Villa said he stayed in the same southwestern arm of the lake as Tamarac Marina, the same marine where the field launched from, and that he eventually caught 12 keepers throughout the day.

“I essentially junk-fished and realized after eight or nine catches that everything was on points,” said Villa. “You had to look for the dominant piece of structure on the point to catch fish – it didn’t matter if it was wood, rock or a dock. I steadily caught fish throughout the day and made my last cull at 12:30 [p.m.], which put me at about 20 pounds.”

Villa’s key baits included a Texas-rigged Zoom Brush Hog with a 5/16-ounce Strike King Tour Grade tungsten weight and a Zoom Trick Worm in Green-Pumpkin and Red and Redbug colors. The lures were rigged on 17-pound-test Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line. Villa said he also threw the Trick Worm with a 1/8-ounce Strike King Tour Grade shaky-head rig, on a Carolina-rig and weightless depending on the circumstances.

“I have [Garmin] Panoptix on my boat and I noticed that fish were all up underneath the trolling motor, including some big ones,” said Villa. “So, I’d throw that worm weightless and they’d get it as soon as it hit the water.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

 1st: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 20-10, $3,932

 2nd: Landon Whicker, Winston-Salem, N.C., five bass, 18-2, $2,066

 3rd: Todd Walters, Kernersville, N.C., five bass, 17-15, $1,410

 4th: Jeffrey Davis, Williamston, N.C., five bass, 17-5, $847

 5th: Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., five bass, 15-15, $976

 6th: Powell Kemp, Scotland Neck, N.C., five bass, 15-11, $666

 7th: Derik Hudson, Concord, Va., five bass, 15-10, $605

 8th: Jerry Davis, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 15-6, $545

 9th: Jack Dice, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 15-1, $484

 10th: Todd Harris, Clemmons, N.C., five bass, 14-14, $424

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Ben Reynolds of Callands, Virginia, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $465.

Scott Howard of Bedford, Virginia, won the Co-angler Division and $2,016 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

 1st: Scott Howard, Bedford, Va., five bass, 12-1, $2,016

 2nd: Pat Kendrick, Bumpass, Va., four bass, 11-4, $958

 3rd: J.C. Miller, Washington, Pa., five bass, 11-1, $606

 4th: Timothy Kinder, Manassas, Va., four bass, 10-11, $424

 5th: Charles Wood, Thomasville, N.C., five bass, 10-1, $363

 6th: Robert Raymond, Farmville, Va., four bass, 9-8, $333

 7th: Tim Privette Jr., Wendell, N.C., five bass, 9-5, $303

 8th: Robert Bruguiere, Mechanicsville, Va., four bass, 9-2, $272

 9th: Brad Hendrix, Greensboro, N.C., four bass, 8-12, $242

 10th: Bruce Pettiford, Roxboro, N.C., one bass, 8-6, $444

Pettiford caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 8 pounds, 6 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $232.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

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

June 24, 2019  by FLW Communications – Photo courtesy of FLW

EUFAULA, Ala. – Boater Clabion Johns of Social Circle, Georgia, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bulldog Division tournament on Lake Eufaula Saturday after catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 9 ounces. Johns netted $6,237 for his win.

“On Friday, there was a tremendous mayfly hatch. I ran to my first stretch of bugs on Saturday, but couldn’t get a bite,” said Johns, who earned his first win in FLW compeittion. “I ran up the Chattahoochee River to above Hatchechubee Creek, but never found any active mayflies, so I turned around and went with my backup plan – flipping mixed grass. I ran three stretches where I’ve caught them in the past, which had a mix of primose, pond weed and hyacinth and really picked them apart.”

Johns said his stretches spanned from Cowikee Creek to Florence Marina, and that he flipped a Hematoma-colored Big Bite Baits Real Deal Craw with a 1½-ounce Picasso weight and 4/0-sized Owner Jungle Flippin’ hook. His set up was paired with a 7-foot, 9-inch Extra Heavy-action Big Bear rod with an Abu Garcia Revo SX reel and spooled with 65-pound-test SpiderWire Stealth braided line.

“In the morning I got a ton of bites, but couldn’t land them. It was frustrating,” said Johns. “I didn’t lose any big fish, though. The first one I put in the boat was a 5-pounder. I probably had 15 keepers throughout the day and only upgraded once in the afternoon.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

 1st: Clabion Johns, Social Circle, Ga., five bass, 19-9, $4,237 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

 2nd: Travis Northey, Headland, Ala., five bass, 19-6, $2,019

 3rd: Lee Nunnally, Social Circle, Ga., five bass, 18-1, $1,717

 4th: Jack Tibbs, Eufaula, Ala., five bass, 18-0, $942

 5th: Josh Stracner, Vandiver, Ala., five bass, 17-15, $1,057

 6th: Ronnie Ray, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 16-7, $740

 7th: Shane Powell, Dothan, Ala., five bass, 16-6, $673

 8th: Mike Cavender, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 16-2, $606

 9th: Jason Ninas, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 16-1, $538

 10th: Andrew Whitaker, Iron City, Ga., five bass, 15-15, $471

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Jerome Hubbard Sr. of Albany, Georgia, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 15 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $272.

Edgar Salva of Conyers, Georgia, won the Co-angler Division and $2,169 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 20 pounds even.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

 1st: Edgar Salva, Conyers, Ga., five bass, 20-0, $2,169

 2nd: Flint Murray, Leesburg, Ga., five bass, 15-14, $1,009

 3rd: Cameron McBride, McDonough, Ga., five bass, 15-11, $675

 4th: Chris Graham, Blue Ridge, Ga., five bass, 14-12, $472

 5th: Ronald Harris, Jefferson, Ga., five bass, 13-8, $454

 6th: Clifford Avery, Bonaire, Ga., five bass, 13-4, $370

 7th: Blake Yarbrough, Fitzgerald, Ga., five bass, 12-11, $336

 8th: Thom Dickson, Cartersville, Ga., five bass, 12-5, $303

 9th: Preston Hatz, Marietta, Ga., five bass, 11-12, $269

 10th: Frank Godwin Jr., Bainbridge, Ga., five bass, 11-10, $235

Graham caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $272.

The tournament was hosted by the Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

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

June 24, 2019  by FLW Communications

HARRISON TOWSHIP, Mich. – Boaters Kyle Greene of Ortonville, Michigan, and Angel Rosario of Kalamazoo, Michigan, each caught five bass weighing 23 pounds, 7 ounces, to tie for the win at Saturday’s T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division opener on Lake St. Clair. For their efforts, Greene took home $3,376 while Rosario pocketed $5,176 after contingency awards.

“I fished a jerkbait and a tube on the main lake and pretty much the entire lower half of the St. Clair River,” said Greene, who earned his second career win in BFL competition on Lake St. Clair. “I worked scattered weeds in 6 to 10 feet of water on the lake and targeted grass in similar depths on the river. I just bounced around and probably hit 20 places throughout the day.”

Greene said he used a Lucky Craft Pointer 100 jerkbait and a Fiesta Melon-colored Provider tube with a ¼-ounce jig inserted into it.

“I caught over 30 keepers. The sun was crucial – we haven’t had good sunshine for about two months,” Greene went on to say. “It helped me see a little better and positon the fish.”

Rosario said he preferred a Duo Realis Spinbait 90 spybait, and that he caught around 15 keepers throughout the day.

“I fished deeper – around 16 feet of water with a spybait for the most part,” said Rosario, who notched his first win in FLW competition. “It was a half-mile stretch on the north side of the main lake and I was targeting grass. My Humminbird electronics really helped me figure it out.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

 1st: Kyle Greene, Ortonville, Mich., five bass, 23-7, $3,376

 1st: Angel Rosario, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 23-7, $3,176 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

 3rd: Tom Beale, St. Clair Shores, Mich., five bass, 22-0, $2,003

 4th: Hugh Cosculluela, The Woodlands, Texas, five bass, 21-15, $1,088

 5th: Jason Elliott, Warsaw, Ind., five bass, 21-8, $847

 6th: Jason Root, Fostoria, Ohio, five bass, 21-5, $776

 7th: Heath Wagner, Angola, Ind., five bass, 21-4, $670

 7th: Derwin Thomas, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 21-4, $670

 9th: Matt Elkins, Spencerville, Ohio, five bass, 21-2, $529

 9th: Steve York, Bronson, Mich., five bass, 21-2, $529

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Beale caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $590.

Craig Fanning of Elwood, Illinois, won the Co-angler Division and $2,118 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 21 pounds, 13 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

 1st: Craig Fanning, Elwood, Ill., five bass, 21-13, $2,118

 2nd: Jeffrey Thomson, Birmingham, Mich., five bass, 21-6, $1,059

 3rd: Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 20-12, $906

 4th: Leo Reiter, Greenup, Ill., five bass, 20-6, $544

 5th: Nicholas Veselka, Fishers, Ind., five bass, 20-2, $574

 6th: Joshua Yeazel, Plymouth, Ind., five bass, 19-14, $388

 7th: Greg Medell, Grand Haven, Mich., five bass, 19-8, $353

 8th: Andy White, Canton, Mich., five bass, 19-7, $318

 9th: Edison Prendi, Fraser, Mich., five bass, 19-6, $282

 10th: Robert Keller, Chesterfield, Mich., five bass, 19-4, $247

Thomas Matual of Chicago, Illinois, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $295.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky and Barkley lake in Buchanan, Tennessee, presented by Evinrude. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

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