Month: January 2020

ALABAMA’S SWINDLE WINS PHOENIX BASS FISHING LEAGUE EVENT ON LAKE GUNTERSVILLE

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date January 28, 2020
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January 27, 2020 by FLW Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SCOTTSBORO, Ala. – Boater James Swindle of Parrish, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 7 ounces to top 223 boats and win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine at Lake Guntersville in Scottsville, Alabama. Swindle earned $6,000 for his victory.

“This is awesome,” said Swindle, who earned his first career win in Bass Fishing League competition. “My dad has fished in BFL tournaments since I can remember, and I’ve seen him bring home a couple of trophies over the years. So to get one of my own is pretty special, and I’m so proud to be bringing this home.”

Swindle said that he spent the day fishing up past the B.B. Comer Bridge, because he knew that the fishing pressure would not be as bad. One a tough day where most anglers had to scramble to catch a limit, Swindle boated more than 40 keepers throughout the day.

“I commited to a jig and a crankbait for most of the day,” Swindle said. “I had some deeper stuff and some shallow stuff, but most of my fish came from 6-foot of water. My key bait was a green-pumpkin-colored structure jig with a twin-tail grub trailer.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1st: James Swindle of Parrish, Ala., five bass, 20-7, $6,000

2nd: Will Robinson of Columbia, Tenn., five bass, 18-14, $3,000

3rd: Jordan Wiggins of Cullman, Ala., five bass, 17-11, $1,574

3rd: Matt Adams of Oxford, Ala., five bass, 17-11, $1,101

3rd: Brad Harmon of Ringgold, Ga., three bass, 17-11, $944

6th: Gavin Ainslie of Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 17-9, $865

7th: Cassidy Evans of Auburn, Ala., five bass, 17-1, $787

8th: Derek Miller of Grant, Ala., five bass, 17-0, $708

8th: Will Yelverton of Hazel Green, Ala., five bass, 17-0, $629

10th: Terry Tucker of Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 16-12, $551

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Rick Williams of Decatur, Alabama, brought a 7-pound, 6-ounce largemouth to the scale to win the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $1,000.

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

Benjamin Fouts of Morehead, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $3,000 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1st: Benjamin Fouts of Morehead, Ky., five bass, 17-1, $3,000

2nd: Tony Pendley of Oakman, Ala., five bass, 16-14, $1,500

3rd: Bruce Stanley of Jasper, Ala., five bass, 16-9, $1,000

4th: Brian Martin of Ranburne, Ala., five bass, 15-10, $700

5th: Jacob Daily of Chattanooga, Tenn., five bass, 15-2, $600

6th: Randy Hill of Athens, Ala., five bass, 14-12, $550

7th: Shane Browder of Lynnville, Ind., four bass, 14-3, $500

8th: Christian Greico of Tampa, Fla., four bass, 13-15, $450

9th: Roger King of Killeen, Texas, five bass, 13-10, $400

10th: Lynn Spears, Athens, Tenn., five bass, 13-7, $350

Chase Fleeman of Summertown, Tennessee, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 8 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $500.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Guntersville was hosted by the Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce. It was the opening event of five qualifying tournaments in the Choo Choo division.

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

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.

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

MLF BIG-5

COX GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE TO WIN TACKLE WAREHOUSE PRO CIRCUIT AT SAM RAYBURN RESERVOIR

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date January 26, 2020
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January 27, 2020 by FLW Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: BROOKELAND, TEXAS – Berkley pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, already had an impressive resume – four career victories, two runner-up finishes in the FLW Angler of the Year race and the 2016 FLW Cup Championship. Sunday in Texas, Cox added another accolade to the FLW record books.

Cox weighed a five-bass limit totaling 12 pounds, 9 ounces to win with a wire-to-wire victory at the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Cox’s four-day total of 65-15 was enough to get the win by a 2-pound, 7-ounce margin and earn his fifth career victory in FLW pro-level competition. Each of those five victories have come from a different fishery and a different state.

“This was the best win I’ve ever had,” said Cox, who moved into a tie with David Dudley at No. 6 all-time with five career wins. “I usually start off the year pretty slow and get better through the season. To start the season with a win, I don’t even know what to say. I’m so thankful – this is just incredible.”

Cox caught all of his fish on the first two days of competition at one specific spot, making one specific cast with one specific bait. He described the area as a 3-foot high spot with a little bit of sand and rock with hydrilla all around it, right at the mouth of one of the best-known spawning creeks on Sam Rayburn.

“I had to make the same cast the entire time,” Cox said. “I could feel the crankbait come over their backs – it felt like logs – and then one would just smoke it.”

After mining the same spot for the first two days with a Berkley Frittside 5 Crankbait (Lone Ranger- and Ghost Morning Dawn-colored), the area fizzled on Saturday. Cox was forced to scramble for the final two days of competition, but in true John Cox-fashion he was able to find just enough weight to hang on and earn the win.

“The last two days have been the hardest that I’ve ever had to grind, ever, just to catch a limit,” Cox said. “Coming back to the weigh-in today, I thought I had blown it.”

Cox managed to scratch up limits on Saturday and Sunday throwing a Dirty Jigs swimjig with a black and blue Berkley Powerbait Maxscent Meaty Chunk and a Z-Man Original ChatterBait with a black and blue Berkley Powerbait Grass Pig. He also added two small keepers Sunday on an unnamed frog.

“The key was definitely the Frittside crankbait and catching all of them on that spot,” Cox went on to say. “I didn’t even own a crankbait rod until this year.”

Cox’s crankbait was thrown on a 7-foot, 6-inch Abu Garcia Veritas Winch rod paired with an Abu Garcia REVO EXD casting reel.

The top 10 pros on Sam Rayburn Reservoir finished:

1st: John Cox of DeBary, Fla., 20 bass, 65-15, $100,000
2nd: Tommy Dickerson of Orange, Texas, 20 bass, 63-8, $30,000
3rd: Darold Gleason of Many, La., 20 bass, 62-14, $25,000
4th: Corey Neece of Bristol, Tenn., 19 bass, 59-9, $20,000
5th: Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 20 bass, 57-5, $19,000
6th: Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Mich., 20 bass, 56-10, $18,000
7th: Kerry Milner of Bono, Ark., 20 bass, 54-0, $17,500
8th: Sam George of Athens, Ala., 17 bass, 52-13, $16,000
9th: Alex Davis of Albertville, Ala., 20 bass, 52-12, $15,000
10th: Jonathan Canada of Helena, Ala., 18 bass, 51-11, $14,000

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

Overall there were 44 bass weighing 108 pounds, 8 ounces caught by pros Sunday. Seven of the final 10 pros weighed in five-bass limits.

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

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Sam Rayburn Reservoir was hosted by the Jasper County Development District. The next event for FLW Pro Circuit anglers will be the FLW Pro Circuit at the Harris Chain of Lakes, Feb. 20-23, in Leesburg, Florida. The tournament will be hosted by Lake County, Florida.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 154 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to fish 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 are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2020 FLW TITLE, the Pro Circuit Championship. The 2020 FLW TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York, Aug. 8-13 and is hosted by the Town of Massena.

MLF BIG-5

COX RETAINS LEAD AT TACKLE WAREHOUSE PRO CIRCUIT AT SAM RAYBURN RESERVOIR

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date January 25, 2020
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January 26, 2020 by FLW Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: BROOKELAND, TEXAS – The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Sam Rayburn Reservoir has set the stage for another dramatic finale on Sunday – the top 10 is stacked with a former FLW Cup champion, a Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American Champion and two semi-local anglers with a wealth of experience on Sam Rayburn – all in striking distance to win the tournament, and the top prize of $135,000.

Berkley pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, who has led the tournament the entire way, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 3 ounces to retain his lead with a three-day total of 53-6.

Pro Corey Neece of Bristol, Tennessee, (52-10), who started the day in seventh place, vaulted into second after bringing in the largest limit of the day Saturday weighing 20-7. Darold Gleason of Many, Louisiana, (50-1), Alabama’s Sam George (46-3) and Tommy Dickerson of Orange, Texas, (45-8) round out the top five.

With just a 12-ounce cushion heading into the final day, Cox is ready to see how it all shakes out on Championship Sunday.

“I am honestly so thrilled to have caught 13 pounds today,” said Cox, who has four previous wins in FLW pro competition. “Nothing felt right. I pulled up to my magic spot and everything seemed okay – the wind was blowing a little bit from a different direction, but no big deal. I threw out there and caught a 12-incher and that was it. I tried to stay there and wait, but it just wasn’t happening.

“I ended up just running around until I saw something that looked good, then I’d stop and fish. I probably stopped 100 times, and about every 10th stop I’d catch something.”

Cox had caught his fish earlier this week on a Berkley Frittside crankbait, but when his main area fizzled he was forced to switch to a Z-Man ChatterBait to cover more water.

Berkley Frittside Crankbait
Click to learn more!

Z-Man Chatterbait Custom
Click to learn more!

“I couldn’t really throw the crankbait today, because I was moving too fast,” Cox said. “I had the trolling motor on 100 and was always looking for my next cast.

“Nothing came on the same thing,” he continued. “One came off of an isolated stick. One came off of a laydown. One came on a rocky point. One came off of a drain in the back of a pocket. I got so lucky to catch what I did.”

The upside for Cox after Day Three was that he survived, and still has the lead going into the final day.

“I was looking at my past results and it really seemed like I bombed on a lot of Day Threes last year,” Cox went on to say. “I was thinking that I blew it again today and was going to drop to fifth or sixth and really have to get lucky and catch a big fish tomorrow. I still think I’ll need some big fish – Neece caught 20 (pounds) today and he’s on something magical – but I’m hoping my little area turns back on, and if it doesn’t we’ll scramble again and see what happens.”

The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition Sunday on Sam Rayburn Reservoir are:

1st: John Cox of DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 53-6
2nd: Corey Neece of Bristol, Tenn., 10 bass, 52-10
3rd: Darold Gleason of Many, La., 15 bass, 50-1
4th: Sam George of Athens, Ala., 15 bass, 46-3
5th: Tommy Dickerson of Orange, Texas, 15 bass, 45-8
6th: Jonathan Canada of Helena, Ala., 15 bass, 45-8
7th: Kerry Milner of Bono, Ark., 15 bass, 45-2
8th: Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Mich., 15 bass, 43-8
9th: Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 43-7
10th: Alex Davis of Albertville, Ala., 15 bass, 43-4

Finishing in 11th through 30th are

11th: Bill McDonald of Greenwood, Ind., 15 bass, 42-12, $11,000
12th: Jake Ormond of Sterlington, La., 15 bass, 42-9, $11,000
13th: Joshua Weaver of Macon, Ga., 15 bass, 42-4, $11,000
14th: Mitch Crane of Columbus, Miss., 15 bass, 42-0, $11,000
15th: Bradford Beavers of Summerville, S.C., 15 bass, 41-15, $11,000
16th: Hunter Freeman of Monroe, La., 12 bass, 41-12, $11,000
17th: Mike Surman of Boca Raton, Fla., 15 bass, 41-5, $11,000
18th: Miles Burghoff of Soddy Daisy, Tenn., 15 bass, 41-3, $11,000
19th: Grae Buck of Harleysville, Pa., 15 bass, 41-2, $11,500
20th: Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., 15 bass, 40-3, $11,000
21st: Greg Bohannan of Bentonville, Ark., 13 bass, 38-7, $10,500
22nd: Jeff Dobson of Bartlesville, Okla., 15 bass, 37-12, $10,500
23rd: Chris McCall of Palmer, Texas, 14 bass, 37-9, $10,500
24th: Tim Frederick of Leesburg, Fla., 13 bass, 37-0, $10,500
25th: Miles Howe of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., 13 bass, 36-12, $10,500
26th: Tyler Stewart of West Monroe, La., 15 bass, 35-15, $10,500
27th: Mark Fisher of Wauconda, Ill., 15 bass, 35-10, $10,500
28th: Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 34-0, $10,500
29th: Scott Ashmore of Broken Arrow, Okla., 13 bass, 32-14, $10,500
30th: Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Ark., 13 bass, 32-3, $10,500

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

Overall there were 138 bass weighing 354 pounds, 14 ounces, caught by pros Saturday. Of the final 30 pros, 23 of them were able to bring a five-bass limit to the scale.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 154 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 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Sam Rayburn Reservoir is hosted by the Jasper County Development District.

The final 10 anglers will take off at 7:30 a.m. CST Sunday from the Umphrey Family Pavilion, located at 5438 Sam Rayburn Parkway, in Brookeland. Sunday’s championship weigh-in will be held at the pavilion, beginning at 4 p.m.

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

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

MLF BIG-5

JOHN COX GRABS EARLY LEAD AT TACKLE WAREHOUSE PRO CIRCUIT AT SAM RAYBURN RESERVOIR

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date January 23, 2020
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January 24, 2020 by FLW Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: BROOKELAND, TEXAS – Berkley pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 7 ounces, Thursday to grab the early lead after Day One of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Veteran FLW pro Greg Bohannan of Bentonville, Arkansas, is in second place, just 3 ounces behind Cox after bringing a 21-4 limit to the scale. The season-opening Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit event features a field of 154 bass-fishing professionals from around the world casting for a top award of up to $135,000.

“My morning was pretty slow, but it turned out to be a really awesome day,” said Cox, who has more than $1.3 million in career earnings with FLW. “I didn’t have anything special – only 10 or 11 pounds – until almost noon. I was getting a little down, so I just started whipping my crankbait out into open water. I caught one off of a bush, and that’s what slowed me down. Then I found a little area that had them.”

Cox said he culled out his entire limit and weighed in five keepers all from that one area. He said that his key bait was a Berkley Frittside 5 crankbait.

“They weren’t crazy-stacked up, but they all came on the same kind of throw,” Cox said. “You knew when you were around them because you could feel the bait coming over the fish – it felt like reeling over logs. Then all of a sudden one would eat it.

“What’s crazy is that I caught them flipping there in 2010,” Cox continued. “It was a fall tournament. I had nothing, then went up there and found some hydrilla mats and ended up flipping like 18 pounds. Now I’m just throwing the crankbait in the same spot.”

Cox believed that the fish he caught today were not resident fish.

“I’m pretty sure it was a transition area – they were either coming or going, but they were just passing through there for some reason,” Cox went on to say. “They might not be there tomorrow, but I hope that I can still find them. I’m just going to try to milk it for all its worth.”

The top 10 pros after day one on Sam Rayburn Reservoir are:

1st: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., five bass, 21-7

2nd: Greg Bohannan, Bentonville, Ark., five bass, 21-4

3rd: Darold Gleason, Many, La., five bass, 21-3

4th: Corey Neece, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 20-14

5th: Grae Buck, Harleysville, Pa., five bass, 20-9

6th: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 20-3

7th: Jon Canada, Helena, Ala., five bass, 19-10

8th: Hunter Freeman, Monroe, La., five bass, 18-2

9th: Lane Olson, Tigard, Ore., five bass, 18-0

10th: Mark Fisher, Wauconda, Ill., five bass, 17-15

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Buck won the day’s $500 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division after bringing a largemouth weighing 9 pounds, 8 ounces to the scale.

Overall there were 619 bass weighing 1,520 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 151 pros Thursday. The catch included 88 five-bass limits.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 154 pro anglers compete in the two-day opening round 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 7:30 a.m. CST each day from the Umphrey Family Pavilion, located at 5438 Sam Rayburn Parkway, in Brookeland. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the pavilion beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the pavilion, but will begin at 4 p.m.

For youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at the pavilion on Saturday from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. The event is hosted by Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit 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 Pro Circuit stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water broadcast 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 is joined by former FLW 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.

Major League Fishing - Bass Pro Tour/Cup Events

MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING REVISES RULES FOR THE 2020 BASS PRO TOUR

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date January 21, 2020
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January 21, 2020 (Tulsa, Okla.) Major League Fishing (MLF) recently announced notable rule changes for the Bass Pro Tour 2020 season including a variable weight minimum for each fishery and automatic championship berths for Qualifying Round winners. Under rules approved earlier this month by the Major League Fishing Angler Association (MLFAA) and drafted into the official rulebook, MLF will introduce a variable minimum weight system for the Bass Pro Tour competition waters in 2020. In addition, the winners of the Qualifying Round (formerly the Shotgun and Elimination Rounds) will automatically advance to the Championship Round, which guarantees them paycheck of $12,000 to $100,000.

Championship Berth
The six-day competition for the Bass Pro Tour begins with four days of Qualifying Rounds between two groups -A and B- of 40 anglers. Each group competes for two days (Group A on days one and three, Group B on days two and four) in a catch, weigh, and immediately release format in which every fish over that lake’s variable minimum weight counts toward each Round’s total. Under the 2020 rule changes, the winners of each group in the Qualifying Round automatically advance to the Championship Round (day six), while places 2 through 20 from each group (40 anglers total) advance to the Knockout Round on day five. The eight anglers with the highest weight totals from the Knockout Round join the winners of the Qualifying Round to compete in the Championship Round and the chance to win $100,000.

Initial 2020 Angler Groups are based on the final standings from the 2019 season points. A random drawing placed MLF Rookies Bryan Thrift and David Dudley. The Bass Pro Tour opens February 7^th on Lake Eufaula (Ala.) with the following groups:

Group A	Group B
Jeff Sprague (2^nd)	Edwin Evers (1^st)
Brent Ehrler (3^rd)	Jacob Wheeler (4^th)
Todd Faircloth (6^th)	Michael Neal (5^th)
Jordan Lee (7^th)	Dustin Connell (8^th)
Mark Rose (10^th)	Bobby Lane (9^th)
Andy Morgan (11^th)	Mike Iaconelli (12^th)
Aaron Martens (14^th)	Casey Ashley (13^th)
Andy Montgomery (15^th)	Ott DeFoe (16^th)
Jared Lintner (18^th)	Wesley Strader (17^th)
Greg Hackney (19^th)	Fred Roumbanis (20^th)
Stephen Browning (22^nd)	Bradley Roy (21^st)
Jacob Powroznik (23^rd)	Zack Birge (24^th)
Greg Vinson (26^th)	Takahiro Omori (25^th)
Mark Daniels Jr. (28^th)	Cody Meyer (29^th)
Randy Howell (31^st)	Randall Tharp (30^th)
Anthony Gagliardi (32^nd)	Jason Christie (33^rd)
Alton Jones Jr. (35^th)	Fletcher Shryock (34^th)
Gary Klein (36^th)	Adrian Avena (37^th)
Alton Jones (39^th)	Dave Lefebre (38^th)
Cliff Pace (40^th)	Luke Clausen (41^st)
Marty Robinson (44^th)	Gerald Spohrer (43^rd)
Brent Chapman (45^th)	Justin Lucas (46^th)
Josh Bertrand (48^th)	Mark Davis (47^th)
Terry Scroggins (49^th)	Kevin VanDam (50^th)
Chris Lane (52^nd)	Jesse Wiggins (51^st)
Matt Lee (53^rd)	Jonathon VanDam (54^th)
Scott Suggs (56^th)	Russ Lane (55^th)
Jeff Kriet (57^th)	Keith Poche (58^th)
John Murray (60^th)	Justin Atkins (59^th)
James Elam (61^st)	Skeet Reese (62^nd)
Shin Fukae (64^th)	James Watson (63^rd)
Boyd Duckett (65^th)	Ish Monroe (66^th)
Timmy Horton (68^th)	David Walker (67^th)
Dean Rojas (69^th)	Brett Hite (70^th)
Tommy Biffle (72^nd)	Cliff Crochet (71^st)
Brandon Coulter (73^rd)	Kelly Jordan (74^th)
Roy Hawk (76^th)	Shaw Grigsby (75^th)
Britt Myers (77^th)	Mike McClelland (78^th)
Paul Elias (80^th)	Jason Lambert (79^th)
Bryan Thrift (N/A)	David Dudley (N/A)

According to Major League Fishing rules, Group A becomes B and vice versa for Stage Two. New angler groups will be established after each two Stages based on the standings from the previous two Stages.

Variable Weight Minimums
The 2020 season will open on Lake Eufaula (Feb. 7-12) where a two-pound minimum will be in effect for scorable bass. Minimum weights are determined for each competition water based on the productivity, bass population, and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery. The 2-pound minimum for Eufaula significantly raises the average scoring requirement above the 12- to 15-inch minimums mandated by most state fisheries managers (and used for traditional tournament scoring). According to extensive nationwide research compiled by bass biologist Steven Bardin, an average 12-inch largemouth in good health weighs 0.9 pounds (14 ounces); an average 15-inch largemouth weighs 1 pound, 13 ounces.

The Lake Eufaula 14-inch minimum mandated by Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries – the standard used by tournament organizations as the minimum size allowed in a tournament weigh-in on the Alabama/Georgia border lake – translates to a 1-pound, 8-ounce bass (25 percent smaller on average than the 2-pound Bass Pro Tour minimum).

“We’re going to show up at one of the best fisheries in the country at Eufaula and ask these guys to fish for a minimum weight standard that’s the highest in the history of our sport. We know they’re going to catch big ones,” said Marty Stone, MLFNOW! Analyst, “but raising the bar to a 2-pound minimum resets the playing field. I’ll be interested to see how that affects the game.”
The Major League Fishing will announce the weight minimum to the anglers 30 days in advance of each Stage of the Bass Pro Tour. The variable minimum weight will not be incorporated into MLF Cup competitions or the World Championship.

The 2020 Bass Pro Tour
The Bass Pro Tour features 80 of the best professional anglers in the world competing head-to-head in a fast-paced, catch, weigh, and immediately release format. The previously announced 2020 schedule includes:

Stage	Date	Lake	City	Community Host
One	Feb. 7-12	Lake Eufaula	Eufaula, Ala.	Eufaula Barbour Chamber of Commerce
Two	Feb. 21-26	Lake Okeechobee	Okeechobee, Fla.	Okeechobee County Tourism Development Council
Three	Mar. 13-18	Lake Fork	Emory, Texas	Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce
Four	Apr. 3-8	Jordan Lake, Falls Lake, and Shearon Harris Reservoir	Raleigh, N.C.	Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance
Five	Apr. 24-29	Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees	Grove, Okla.	City of Grove
Special Event	May 16-20	Kissimmee Chain	Kissimmee, Fla.	Experience Kissimmee
Six	Jun. 5-10	Lake Winnebago, Lake Butte des Morts, and Green Lake	Neenah, Wis.	Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau
Seven	Jun. 26-Jul. 1	St. Lawrence River	Ogdensburg, N.Y.	St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce and the City of Ogdensburg
Eight	Jul. 21-26	Lake Champlain	Burlington, Vt.	Experience Vermont

The Bass Pro Tour began in 2019 and features 80 of the best professional anglers in the world, including Kevin VanDam, Edwin Evers, Aaron Martens, Mike Iaconelli, Jordan Lee, and Skeet Reese. Each stage includes six days of competition using the Major League Fishing, catch-weigh-and-immediately-release format.

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

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

BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

NORTH CAROLINA’S BRYAN NEW WINS BASSMASTER EASTERN OPEN ON KISSIMMEE CHAIN

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date January 17, 2020
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January 17, 2020

Bryan New Wins Bassmaster Eastern Open On Kissimmee Chain

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Knowing when to adjust proved essential for Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., who admits he employed a disjointed fishing regimen to win the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open on Florida’s Kissimmee Chain with a three-day total weight of 49 pounds, 8 ounces, cementing a spot in the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk..

“I’ve said it all week, I haven’t been dialed in to one thing, it was junk fishing at its best,” said New, who earned $52,500 and claimed the early lead in the race for the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year award. “I’ve fished a lot in Florida and I’ve never been able to junk fish. But you have five lakes in this chain, and I junk fished three of them (Toho, Cypress and Kissimmee).”

New kept himself in the hunt from start to finish. He caught 21-0 on Day 1 to place second and backed that up with a Day 2 limit of 13-7 that put him in third. Catching the heaviest bag of Day 3 — a five-bass limit that weighed 15-1 — pushed him across the finish line with a winning margin of 4-6.

New spent part of Day 3 working the offshore hydrilla spot in Lake Toho where he caught part of his big Day 1 catch. The first day saw him locking down to Lake Kissimmee. But when that failed to produce anything significant for him, he decided to maximize his fishing time by spending the next two days in Toho.

The junk-fishing mentality came into play when he realized his offshore spot was not going to be enough. From there, he went shallow and bounced from spot to spot in an effort to establish consistency.

New caught his bass on a Texas-rigged green pumpkin magic Damiki Stinger, a 1/2-ounce green pumpkin Z-Man ChatterBait with a green pumpkin Zoom Speed Craw and a Greenfish Tackle G2 squarebill in High Rock shad. The latter, he said, proved to be his biggest producer.

Z-Man ChatterBait

Greenfish Tackle G2 squarebill

“That G2 is a balsa bait that floats a lot higher than all the plastic baits, and it’s awesome for cranking this grass,” New said. “I know a lot of people throw (lipless baits) around the grass, and I actually found my main spot by throwing a (lipless bait). But once I switched to that squarebill, I started catching bigger fish.”

After two days of warm, stable conditions, Day 3 brought cooler temperatures and blustery winds of up to 20 mph, which muddied the Kissimmee Chain. Before the big winds picked up mid-morning, New got his final day off to a strong start by catching a 6-1 around 7:18 a.m.

From there, he said keeping his head down and focusing on productivity dominated his thoughts.

“I knew it was a good start, but honestly, I had no idea how big it was,” he said. “I caught it, put it in the livewell and made another cast. It didn’t matter at the time because I knew it wasn’t enough.

“I filled my limit about 10 minutes after that and it took me a little while, but I finally culled the 12-incher that was my first fish. After that, I said let’s go try to bust the dirty-30 (a 30-pound limit), but we didn’t do that.”

Joshua Stracner of Vandiver, Ala., placed second with 45-2. After placing third on Day 1 with 19-5, Stracner added 12-10 on Day 2 and slipped to seventh. He boosted his performance in the Championship round by adding 13-3.

“I had one offshore place — a 50-yard stretch of hydrilla in Lake Toho — and I could only catch them in the first hour or two,” Stracner said. “I’d catch a few of my better fish on a ChatterBait out there and after that, they’d shut down.

“They’d start back up later in the day, so in between, I’d go to the bank and punch mats with a junebug Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver and a 1 1/2-ounce weight.”

Greg Alexander of Hebron, Md., finished third with 45-2. (Ties are broken by heaviest single day catch.) His was the biggest comeback of the Top 12, as he rebounded from a 34th-place effort on Day 1 and reached the final day in sixth. Alexander turned in daily weights of 13-7, 19-1 and 12-10.

“I tried to focus on stuff that didn’t look like everything else,” Alexander said. “There are miles of lily pads, miles of Kissimmee grass, miles of gator grass, big piles of bulrushes, big piles of reeds. So, if I saw a bunch of the same, I’d just keep on going.

“I was trying to pinpoint those areas that had a uniqueness to them, or had a really good blend of different vegetation. Then, I’d try to pick out the most isolated cover in that spot.”

Alexander caught his bass on a watermelon/green fleck Senko and a junebug Zoom Speed Worm.

Jerrod Albright of Kissimmee, Fla., won Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 10-3 largemouth.

Don Harvey of Franklin, Tenn., won the co-angler division with 28-2. Entering the Championship round in third place, Harvey added a limit of 8-12.

“I was fortunate, I got to do the same thing with my pros each day,” Harvey said. “Every fish I weighed in, I caught on a Megabass 110.”

Harvey believes the larger profile tempted bigger bites, but he also made sure he was using an effective retrieve.

“It was a jerk-jerk-pause,” Harvey said. “Some of the people I was fishing with were really fishing (their baits) fast; I just wanted the fish to have an opportunity to see my bait.”

Jeff Queen won the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award among co-anglers with his 8-6.

2020 Basspro.com Eastern Open at Kissimmee Chain Of Lakes 1/15-1/17
Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, Kissimmee FL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Bryan New Belmont, NC 15 49-08 200 $52,500.00
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 13-07 Day 3: 5 15-01
2. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 15 45-02 199 $25,500.00
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 12-10 Day 3: 5 13-03
3. Greg Alexander Hebron, MD 15 45-02 198 $18,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 19-01 Day 3: 5 12-10
4. Keith Carson Debary, FL 15 41-08 197 $15,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 16-04 Day 3: 5 11-00
5. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 13 41-01 196 $13,050.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 19-14 Day 3: 3 09-14
6. Jason Casteel Winter Garden, FL 12 40-04 195 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 22-05 Day 3: 2 03-12
7. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 15 39-12 194 $11,250.00
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 18-02 Day 3: 5 08-15
8. Cody Detweiler Orlando, FL 15 38-03 193 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 20-15 Day 3: 5 07-11
9. John Hunter Jr Simpsonville, KY 11 37-15 192 $8,250.00
Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 18-13 Day 3: 1 00-12
10. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 15 37-13 191 $6,750.00
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 19-08 Day 3: 5 07-11
11. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 13 36-03 190 $6,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 11-06 Day 3: 3 03-09
12. Wyatt Burkhalter Coker, AL 12 36-03 189 $5,250.00
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 16-03 Day 3: 2 03-01
———————————————————————–
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Jerrod Albright Kissimmee, FL 10-03 $750.00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 163 968 2072-08
2 161 954 2083-11
3 7 46 97-03
———————————-
331 1968 4253-06

2020 Basspro.com Eastern Open at Kissimmee Chain Of Lakes 1/15-1/17
Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, Kissimmee FL.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Don Harvey Franklin, TN 9 28-02 200 $25,500.00
Day 1: 3 08-08 Day 2: 3 10-14 Day 3: 3 08-12
2. Harry Linsinbigler IV Dover, FL 9 27-09 199 $6,000.00
Day 1: 3 12-00 Day 2: 3 04-11 Day 3: 3 10-14
3. Jeff Queen Catawba, NC 9 27-00 198 $4,750.00
Day 1: 3 04-07 Day 2: 3 16-05 Day 3: 3 06-04
4. Cody Stahl Griffin, GA 9 26-09 197 $3,375.00
Day 1: 3 06-05 Day 2: 3 10-08 Day 3: 3 09-12
5. Nic Rand Kalamazoo, MI 8 26-08 196 $3,150.00
Day 1: 3 08-03 Day 2: 3 10-07 Day 3: 2 07-14
6. Mike Spears Jasper, AL 9 24-03 195 $3,000.00
Day 1: 3 09-09 Day 2: 3 08-03 Day 3: 3 06-07
7. Alexandre Jelev Petawawa CANADA 9 23-08 194 $3,050.00
Day 1: 3 15-07 Day 2: 3 05-02 Day 3: 3 02-15
8. Russell Phillips Guilford, VT 9 21-09 193 $2,700.00
Day 1: 3 05-04 Day 2: 3 12-11 Day 3: 3 03-10
9. Jarvis Ellis Albany, GA 9 20-11 192 $2,475.00
Day 1: 3 07-14 Day 2: 3 09-08 Day 3: 3 03-05
10. Nicholas Wink Mohrsville, PA 7 20-05 191 $2,250.00
Day 1: 3 14-00 Day 2: 1 02-11 Day 3: 3 03-10
11. Jeffrey Worthy Jr Lakeland, FL 8 20-03 190 $2,100.00
Day 1: 3 13-00 Day 2: 3 04-01 Day 3: 2 03-02
12. Erik Tilson Auburndale, FL 7 20-00 189 $1,950.00
Day 1: 3 09-06 Day 2: 3 09-03 Day 3: 1 01-07
———————————————————————–
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Jeff Queen Catawba, NC 08-06 $250.00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 123 462 947-15
2 121 461 948-00
3 9 32 68-00
———————————-
253 955 1963-15

Crappie USA

CUSA PRO DIVISION VICTORY ON HARRIS CHAIN GOES TO PARKER AND EBERLY

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date January 13, 2020
No Comments on CUSA PRO DIVISION VICTORY ON HARRIS CHAIN GOES TO PARKER AND EBERLY

Louisville, KY – January 12, 2020 – Crappie anglers from several states traveled to the Harris Chain of Lakes at Tavares, FL to participate in the January 11, 2020 Crappie USA (CUSA) event. Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s presented the tournament for local and traveling anglers. Competitors were vying for cash, prizes, and an opportunity to compete at the 2020 CUSA Classic which will feature a guaranteed payout of $125,000 in cash and prizes.

High winds greeted Crappie USA anglers for their third trip to Florida in the young 2020 season. The temperatures settled in the high 70’s while the water temps registered 64 degrees. Those are normally good numbers for crappie fishing, but challenging winds out of the SE at 15 to 20 added another element to the days fishing. Otherwise, it was another beautiful Florida day.

“We have caught so many crappie while here practicing for the tournament,” said tournament participant Jim Carmen. “It is truly a fantastic fishery.”

A total of 16 boats fished the Harris Chain event—5 in the Pro Division and 11 in the Amateur Division. A total of $4,450 was distributed to the winners.

Pro Division Results

The top spot on the Harris Chain of Lakes went to George Parker from Okeechobee, FL, and Tim Eberly from Fort Lauderdale, FL. They teamed up to bring 8.76 pounds to the scales and earn the first-place check of $1,400.

The Florida team fished the upper part and east side of Lake Dora where they shot docks for a while before switching to spider rigging. The team caught more than 70 fish on the day.

“We caught four of our fish of docks in 7 foot of water,” reported Eberly. “We used 1/32-ounce Crappie Stingers with black and white heads and a yellow tail.”

Southern Pro Crappie Stingers

“We caught our other three weigh-in fish pushing Skipper’s ice jigs,” continued Eberly. “We found spawning fish in a cove in 3-4 feet of water. Needless to say, the fishing was tough due to the twenty mile per hour winds.”

The runner up spot in the Pro Division went to Stephen Durden from Umatilla, FL, and Larry Durden from Tavares FL with a bat that weighed 8.55 pounds and included the second big fish of the tournament. They earned a check for $600 and added $115 for second big fish.

The team of brothers used two of the Harris Chain lakes to claim their spot. They fished lake Dora pushing live bait. They used double minnow rigs with a 3/4-ounce weight in 8 to 10 feet of water to catch more than 30 fish on the day. As the wind increased it pushed them off of Dora and they finished their day on Lake Carlton.

The third spot went to Jim Carman and Sharla Fondaw from Fruitland Park, FL. Their bag of 8.23 pounds earned them a check for $400.

Carman and Fondaw spider-rigged in Lake Eustis where they pushed handmade Moon and “B” jigs in pink and bright yellow. They used very light jigs so they would fall slowly. The team tipped with minnows to catch more than 60 crappies on the day.

Amateur Division Results

First place went to Jamie Logan from Ellaville, GA, and Steve DeHart from Oakman, GA. They had a seven fish limit that weighed 8.86 pounds to earn a check for $700.

The Georgia team fished Lake Dora to catch more than 50 fish on the day. They were shooting docks to claim the top spot in the Amateur Division.

“We fished the boat docks on NE side of the lake,” reported Logan. “We were targeting the docks that had 5- to 6-feet of water underneath them. The 1/16- and 1/32-ounce Grandpa hair jig in white was the key. The bigger fish were underneath the docks hitting the jig on the drop.”

“We also caught fish on Skipper’s Jigs,” continued Logan. “Again, the white colored bodies worked the best. We caught more than 25 crappie that were over one pound out of the 50 to 60 we caught on the day. The wind actually helped up by blowing the boat into the docks where we let the jig drop slowly.”

Check out Fishing with Stealth Rod Holders on Facebook for more information. You can view a video of the team prefishing and see the fishing methods that they used.

Youngstown, OH angler Robert Denen fished solo to claim the runner-up spot in the Amateur Division. He had a bag of 7.83 pounds to earn a check for $300. His weight included the Big Fish of the tournament to add $260 and he added another $125 for the Ranger cup bonus.

Denen fished Lake Harris close to Dead River. He was spider rigging in 8 to 10 foot of water targeting humps with grass on them. He pushed double minnow rigs to catch about 60 crappie. His Big Fish slab weighed 1.65 pounds.

The third spot went to Evan and Stephen Dallas from Florence KY. Team Dallas weighed a seven fish limit of 7.61 pounds to earn $200.

The Kentucky team pushed Crappie Magnet Jigs on Lake Dora. White/chartreuse jigs in 4 to 6 foot of water helped them catch a total of 60 fish for the day.

Epilogue

Darrell Van Vactor, CUSA Operations Manager, sent special thanks to Cheri and Bob with the city of Tavares, Florida for hosting the event.

“What a great job Tavares has done with their City Park property on the banks of Lake Dora,” Van Vactor said. “They have so many amenities in a beautiful setting for folks of all ages to enjoy while visiting downtown Tavares.”

The CUSA Classic Championship will be held October 22 – 24, 2020 at Green River Lake, Columbia, KY. The 2020 Classic, presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, features a guaranteed payout of $125,000 in cash and prizes.

MLF BIG-5

OKLAHOMA’S CARPER WINS PHOENIX BASS FISHING LEAGUE EVENT ON FLORIDA’S ST. JOHN’S RIVER

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date January 13, 2020
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January 13, 2020 by FLW Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: PALATKA, FLA. – The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine continued competition Saturday at the St. John’s River in Palatka, Florida – the first time that the Gator Division presented by A.R.E. has opened their season on the St. John’s River – and featured a major return on investment for the winner.

Boater Eddie Carper of Valliant, Oklahoma, caught the largest five-bass limit of the day (weighing 26 pounds even) to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Gator division presented by A.R.E. opener and earn the top prize – a total of $12,415 after collecting his $7,000 FLW PHOENIX Bonus contingency award. The victory was the first win of Carper’s FLW career.

“I travel a lot for work, so I don’t really get to practice or fish in my home region very much,” the Oklahoman said. “Getting the opportunity to come to a place like Florida and the St. John’s River and earning the win after never having been here in my life is pretty humbling. I’ve been chasing one of these for a long time, and it feels absolutely awesome to finally win one.

“I caught one fish early on a War Eagle Finesse Spinnerbait, but the rest of my fish came on a junebug-colored Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Worm,” Carper continued. “I was fishing in Lake George, and the key was definitely staying in that one area. I caught every one of my fish from one 30-by-30-yard area.

War Eagle Finesse Spinnerbait
Click to learn more!

Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Worm
Click to learn more!

“They were biting good and I definitely had the confidence that they were there – especially after I caught the big one,” Carper said of his 9-pound, 15-ounce kicker, the largest bass of the tournament. “I had to drag my worm extremely slow, and they seemed to shut down when it got cloudy. But once the sun would come back out they’d feed again.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1st: Eddie Carper of Valliant, Okla., five bass, 26-0, $5,415 + $7,000 FLW PHOENIX BONUS

2nd: Yoan Alvarez of Miami, Fla., five bass, 21-14, $2,360

3rd: Jerry Stalvey Jr. of Palatka, Fla., five bass, 19-12, $1,574

4th: Mike Jackson of San Mateo, Fla., five bass, 19-5, $1,101

5th: Terry Fisher of Jacksonville, Fla., five bass, 16-4, $944

6th: Trevor Brown of Deltona, Fla., five bass, 14-8, $865

7th: Kyle Walters of Grant Valkaria, Fla., five bass, 13-13, $787

8th: Dawayne Burke of Cross City, Fla., five bass, 13-10, $708

9th: John Mobley of Macclenny, Fla., five bass, 13-4, $629

10th: Jason Reed of Hollister, Fla., five bass, 13-1, $551

Carper’s 9-pound, 15-ounce largemouth was also good for the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $695.

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

Randy Paquette of Sarasota, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and $2,360 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1st: Randy Paquette of Sarasota, Fla., five bass, 16-5, $2,360

2nd: Theron Asbery of Fort Pierce, Fla., five bass, 12-0, $1,180

3rd: Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho, three bass, 11-15, $1,284

4th: Scott Farnham of Port St. Lucie, Fla., five bass, 11-5, $551

5th: Richard Dunham of Palm Harbor, Fla., three bass, 8-14, $472

6th: Aaron Gengler of Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 8-2, $433

7th: Jerry Meece of Lufkin, Texas, four bass, 7-7, $493

8th: Spencer Howerton of Melbourne Beach, Fla., four bass, 6-6, $354

9th: Tim Kidwell of Crittenden, Ky., three bass, 6-2, $315

10th: Jason Gonzalez of Loxahatchee, Fla., three bass, 5-15, $275

Gelles caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 11 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $347.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on the St. John’s River was hosted by the Putnam County Tourist Development Council.

MLF BIG-5

LOUISIANA’S KEVIN LASYONE TOPS 230 ANGLERS ON SAM RAYBURN, WINS $6,000 : RECORD-SETTING FIELD OPENS PHOENIX BASS FISHING LEAGUE

BROOKELAND, TEXAS – The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine opened competition Saturday at the historic Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Brookeland, Texas, and featured a record-setting field size – 230 boaters and 230 co-anglers. The season opener, the largest field in more than 20 years, left with multiple anglers left on the waiting list.

Boater Kevin Lasyone of Dry Prong, Louisiana, caught the largest five-bass limit of the day (weighing 20 pounds 8 ounces) to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Cowboy division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps opener. Lasyone earned $6,000 for his efforts.

“It feels great to get the win against a field like this in the first event of the year,” said Lasyone, who earned his third career victory on Sam Rayburn in FLW competition. “I was basically fishing grass in three to five feet of water early, then I went shallow and finished out my day.”

Lasyone said he caught most of his fish on a Rat-L-Trap and a V&M Lures swimbait with a Lazyman weighted swimbait hook. He also added a few keepers with a Yamamoto Senko.

Here are Kevin's winning lures

“I think the key to my victory was all of the time that I have spent on Rayburn over the years,” Lasyone went on to say. “The big ones really seemed to pull up when the sun came out, and they were up pretty shallow. I was fishing water that was only about knee deep, but it had to have grass.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1st: Kevin Lasyone of Dry Prong, La., five bass, 20-8, $6,000

2nd: Derek Mundy of Broaddus, Texas, five bass, 18-12, $3,000

3rd: Andre Martin of Lena, La., five bass, 17-15, $2,000

4th: Phil Marks of Dallas, Texas, five bass, 17-14, $1,400

5th: River Lee of Nacogdoches, Texas, five bass, 16-15, $1,200

6th: Randy Quin of Huffman, Texas, five bass, 16-12, $1,100

7th: Rylon Ganey of Pineville, La., five bass, 16-10, $1,000

8th: Skeeter Fowler of Grand Saline, Texas, five bass, 16-6, $900

9th: James Allen Pruitt of Houston, Texas, five bass, 15-13, $800

10th: Judah Morris of Forest Hill, La., five bass, 15-9, $665

10th: Ryan Pinkston of Center, Texas, five bass, 15-9, $665

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Mason Kellett of Kingston, Oklahoma, won the Boater Big Bass award of $1,000 after bringing a largemouth bass weighing 9 pounds, 7 ounces to the scale.

Jaden Parrish of Liberty, Texas, won the Co-angler Division and $3,000 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds even.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1st: Jaden Parrish of Liberty, Texas, five bass, 15-0, $3,000

2nd: Larry Lovell of Emory, Texas, five bass, 14-12, $1,500

3rd: Todd Fontenot of Lake Charles, La., five bass, 13-12, $1,000

4th: Cannon Rush of Midlothian, Texas, five bass, 13-11, $700

5th: Chase Crawford of Kingwood, Texas, five bass, 12-13, $600

6th: Lindy Hadley of Sam Rayburn, Texas, five bass, 12-5, $550

7th: Antwon Harris of DeRidder, La., five bass, 12-3, $500

8th: Lat Nichols of Deport, Texas, four bass, 12-2, $425

8th: Brandon Ackerson of Afton, Okla., five bass, 12-2, $425

10th: Juan Barrientos of Clarksville, Ark., five bass, 12-1, $350

Clark Moore of Nacogdoches, Texas, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $500.

Phoenix Boats, title sponsor of the Bass Fishing League, announced a lucrative new FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program designed to reward Phoenix Boats owners for their performance in FLW events. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Cowboy Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 22-24 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

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

The National Angler

NEW BASSFORCE APP INTERPRETS FISHING’S GREATEST MINDS

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date January 6, 2020
No Comments on NEW BASSFORCE APP INTERPRETS FISHING’S GREATEST MINDS

DALLAS (JAN. 6, 2020) – A group of tournament bass fishing’s greatest minds have collaborated to introduce a powerful new app called BassForce, a virtual command center that interprets existing conditions to provide real time solutions to on-the-spot fishing scenarios.

While BassForce’s technology is called artificial intelligence, there’s nothing artificial about the vast knowledge from which the application software pulls to benefit anglers of all skill levels.

The program’s more than a quarter million data points reflect the personal situational input strategies of nine of pro bass fishing’s finest: Jason Christie, Edwin Evers, Alton Jones, Aaron Martens, Brandon Palaniuk, Skeet Reese, Gerald Swindle, Kevin VanDam and Jacob Wheeler.

This BassForce team represents nearly 200 years of combined on-the-water experience, whose collective truckload of trophies from across the country speaks volumes about their proven abilities to quickly size-up waters to produce effective patterns for the conditions at hand.

“One constant in bass fishing is, it’s always changing,” said Alton Jones, the Texas-based longtime pro who spawned the development of the app out of his own frustrations. “For example, anyone who’s fished much has witnessed a strong bite evaporate in a blink of the eye. Was it because the bass got stubborn, simply turned off or moved altogether?

“Whatever the reason or challenge, it seems someone always makes the right adjustments to catch them and that’s what this app is all about. It’s kinda like having KVD, Christie and the other guys right there in the boat with you to coach through the big decisions,” he said.

BassForce’s technology provides a computer science approach to predicting the best solutions to the seemingly endless possible fishing combinations by matching the pros’ proven experiences for success to the specific conditions the app user is facing.

“My most common questions at seminars are the ‘what if” kind,” explained Oklahoma pro Jason Christie. “What if the water is falling fast, or what if a cold front hits on tournament day, or what if the bass are striking short? And sometimes it’s the same thing I find myself wondering … what are the other guys doing right now to catch them? BassForce pulls from a wealth of knowledge to help deliver a lot of right answers.”

And BassForce is easy to use regardless of app experience. A series of prompts guide the way through the selections – including fish stage, water, cover and weather (current or forecasted weather for the location can be imported) conditions – based on what’s being experienced at the time. A summary view allows a quick check of entered information, and it all can be saved and named for later reference anytime with a single click.

Jones said BassForce is a tool that can get anglers in to a fish-catching zone quickly with what to do, right down to specific lure brands, models and colors to use. He cited a recent Lake Falcon (Texas) outing to make his point.

“I was fishing standing timber and catching a few quality bass on YUM soft plastics when I decided to see what the other BassForce pros had to offer.

“Aaron Martens recommended a flutter spoon, which surprised me for this setting and compelled me to try it. Sure enough, the spoon delivered right away and produced one of my biggest bass of the trip,” Jones said.

BassForce is available in two subscription options, either standard or premium. Standard provides access to one pro of choice, at a cost of $9.99 per month. A premium subscription gives total access to all nine BassForce pros, and costs $19.99 per month.

With the premium subscription, the user gets the Top 5 lure recommendations for each pro and also includes the Premium Match function. Premium Match shows the consensus lure choice among all of the BassForce pros, providing yet another way to get dialed in really fast on particular situations.

“No doubt BassForce shortens the learning curve for all bass anglers, and it can also definitely get a lot more of us thinking outside of the box,” offered Kevin VanDam. “I take great pride in learning something new every time I’m on the water, and many times it comes in the form of a lesson by what another pro did to catch them when I wasn’t … there’s no shame in learning. We’re constantly evolving, tweaking and changing our game plans because that’s the nature of our sport.”

On that note, both standard and premium BassForce subscribers have access to the app’s innovative Game Plan feature, which allows users to customize their fishing plans for the day according to pro input and available lure option information.

BassForce is available now to IOS devices, but also coming soon to Android. For more information about the app’s pros, features and technology, visit BassForceFishing.com.