Author: jcarrigan

Tenn’s McDavid Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Douglas Lake

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date May 4, 2021
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DANDRIDGE, Tenn. (May 4, 2021) – Boater Gregory McDavid of Blountville, Tennessee, wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee. McDavid earned $13,056 for his victory at the event, hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism.
TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Gregory McDavid of Blountville, Tenn.	5	18-8	$13,056
2^nd	Jeremy Shuman of Louisville, Tenn.	5	16-0	$2,403
3^rd	Jacob McCray of Big Stone Gap, Va.	5	15-5	$1,605
4^th	Rocky Huff of Chilhowie, Va.	5	14-11	$1,121
5^th	Curtis Hoskins of LaFollette, Tenn.	5	14-7	$961
6^th	Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tenn.	5	14-4	$881
7^th	Michael Anderson of Knoxville, Tenn.	5	14-0	$801
8^th	Bryant Ailor of Knoxville, Tenn.	5	13-11	$721
9^th	Philip Gordon of Middlesboro, Ky.	5	13-9	$641
10^th	Hunter Price of Morristown, Tenn.	5	13-8	$561

RANK	STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Matthew Jones of Bean Station, Tenn.	5	14-0	$2,415
2^nd	Jeff Short of Bean Station, Tenn.	5	13-0	$1,207
3^rd	Dusty Kelley of Kingsport, Tenn.	5	12-4	$806
4^th	Travis Pridemore of White Pine, Tenn.	5	11-13	$523
4^th	Mike Holtsclaw of Limestone, Tenn.	5	11-13	$523
6^th	Lloyd Pickett, Jr. of Bartlett, Tenn.	5	11-7	$422
6^th	Pop Catalin of Cookeville, Tenn.	5	11-7	$422
8^th	Harrison Heins of Knoxville, Tenn.	5	10-8	$362
9^th	Bradley Stringfield of Oliver Springs, Tenn.	5	10-4	$322
10^th	Konnor Sweet of Abingdon, Va.	5	10-3	$282

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

AWARD	NAME	CONTINGENCY	PAYOUT
Boater Big Bass	Brian Vicchio of Gray, Tenn.	5-pound bass	$725
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Matthew Jones of Bean Station, Tenn.	4-pound, 13-ounce bass	$360
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus	Gregory McDavid of Blountville, Tenn.	Eligible Phoenix Boat*	$7,000

* 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 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
WINNING BAITS

ANGLER	BAIT	COLOR
Boater	Unspecified Swim Bait/Jig	N/A
Strike King Co-Angler	Neko Rig	N/A

2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

EVENT	DATE	LOCATION	HOST
Volunteer Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship	Oct. 14-16	Lake Murray, Columbia, S.C.	Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board
Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American	June 3-5	Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn.	Jefferson County Department of Tourism

The 2021 MLF 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 Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championships. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while Strike King co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

MLF BIG-5

North Carolina’s Blankenship Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Kerr Lake

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date May 4, 2021
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HENDERSON, N.C. (May 4, 2021) – Boater James Blankenship of Siler City, North Carolina, wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Kerr Lake in Henderson, North Carolina. Blankenship earned $5,488 for his victory at the event, hosted by the Vance County Tourism Development Authority.
TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	James Blankenship of Siler City, N.C.	5	19-9	$5,488
2^nd	Billy Shelton, III of La Crosse, Va.	5	18-2	$3,824
3^rd	Aaron Falwell of Forest, Va.	5	16-8	$1,829
4^th	Wesley Cashwell of Roanoke Rapids, N.C.	5	16-3	$1,281
5^th	Larry Church of Keysville, Va.	5	15-11	$1,098
6^th	Kevin Kane of Woodbridge, Va.	5	15-10	$1,006
7^th	Alden Patterson of Mebane, N.C.	5	15-9	$915
8^th	Greg Lahr of Fayetteville, N.C.	5	15-3	$823
9^th	Wayne Burchett of Pulaski, Va.	5	14-11	$732
10^th	Brian Morgan of Mooresville, N.C.	5	14-10	$640

RANK	STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Kenneth Brown of Leesburg, Va.	5	18-1	$2,744
2^nd	Lenny Baird of Stafford, Va.	5	14-1	$2,012
3^rd	Matthew Waldron of Wake Forest, M.C.	5	11-10	$702
3^rd	Christopher Mills of Manassa, Va.	5	11-10	$702
3^rd	Timothy Kinder of Manassas, Va.	4	11-10	$952
6^th	Jason Hinger of Tinberlake, N.C.	5	11-7	$503
7^th	Tanner Glasglow of Newport News, Va.	5	11-4	$457
8^th	Scott Howard of Bedford, Va.	5	11-2	$389
8^th	Philip Ragland, Jr. of Fairfield, Va.	5	11-2	$389
10^th	Anthony Pulley of Chester, Va.	5	10-14	$320

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

AWARD	NAME	CONTINGENCY	PAYOUT
Boater Big Bass	Billy Shelton, III of La Crosse, Va.	6-pound, 7-ounce bass	$880
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Lenny Baird of Stafford, Va.	5-pound, 5-ounce bass	$440
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus	Tyler Trent of Nathalie, Va.	Eligible Phoenix Boat*	$500

ANGLER	BAIT	COLOR
Boater	Unspecified Jig	N/A
Strike King Co-Angler	Carolina Rig	N/A

2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

EVENT	DATE	LOCATION	HOST
Piedmont Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship	Oct. 14-16	Potomac River, Marbury, Md.	Charles County Board of Commissioners
Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American	June 3-5	Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn.	Jefferson County Department of Tourism

The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

MLF BIG-5

Tenn’s Singleton Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing Leagueon Kentucky-Barkley Lake

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date May 4, 2021
No Comments on Tenn’s Singleton Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing Leagueon Kentucky-Barkley Lake

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (May 4, 2021) – Boater Gary Singleton of Dickson, Tennessee, wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Kentucky-Barkley Lake Presented by TINCUP Whiskey in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Singleton earned $5,743 for his victory at the event, hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau.
TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Gary Singleton of Dickson, Tenn.	5	18-0	$5,743
2^nd	Brady Bickers of Carrollton, Ky.	5	16-3	$2,082
3^rd	Stephen Barga of Benton, Ky.	5	15-13	$1,387
4^th	Doug Caskey of Madisonville, Ky.	5	14-15	$971
5^th	Keith Claridge of Oakland City, Ind.	5	14-11	$1,333
6^th	Richard Meuth of Henderson, Ky.	5	14-5	$763
7^th	Edward Gettys of Paris Tenn.	5	14-1	$694
8^th	Scott McWaters of Clarksville, Tenn.	5	13-12	$625
9^th	David Hames of Trezevant, Tenn.	5	13-10	$555
10^th	Brandon S. Johnson of Crofton, Ky.	5	13-9	$486

RANK	STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Terry Bassemier of Carmi, Ill.	4	8-13	$2,041
2^nd	Kevin Mulverhill of Moria, N.Y.	3	8-11	$1,021
3^rd	Carl Oelker of Greenbrier, Tenn.	4	8-10	$808
4^th	Brant Gish of Evansville, Ind.	4	8-9	$476
5^th	Chuck Ledbetter of Fort Campbell, Ky.	3	8-5	$408
6^th	Chuck Condiff, Jr. of Fort Branch, Ind.	3	8-3	$374
7^th	John Dunn of Paducah, Ky.	4	7-13	$340
8^th	Jordan McWhirter of Carmi, Ill.	3	7-12	$306
9^th	Johnny Brantley of Medon, Tenn.	3	7-10	$272
10^th	Dalton Wilson of Bowling Green, Ky.	4	7-7	$238

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

AWARD	NAME	CONTINGENCY	PAYOUT
Boater Big Bass	Gary Singleton of Dickson, Tenn.	5-pound, 12-ounce bass	$580
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Alan Scott of Shelbyville, Ind.	5-pound bass	$280
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus	Keith Claridge of Oakland City, Ind.	Eligible Phoenix Boat*	$500

ANGLER	BAIT	COLOR
Boater	Unspecified Chatterbait & Beaver Bait	N/A
Strike King Co-Angler	Unspecified Chatterbait &Bandito Bug	N/A

2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

EVENT	DATE	LOCATION	HOST
LBL Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship	Oct. 7-9	Lake Norfork, Mountain Home, Ark.	Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce
Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American	June 3-5	Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn.	Jefferson County Department of Tourism

Major League Fishing - Bass Pro Tour/Cup Events

Bobby Lane Wins Knockout Round at Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour – Berkley Stage Two Presented by Mercury at Lake Travis

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date May 4, 2021
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AUSTIN, Texas (May 4, 2021) – Berkley pro “Big Fish” Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Florida, caught 14 bass Tuesday totaling 28 pounds, 1 ounce to win the Knockout Round and advance to the final day of competition at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Berkley Stage Two at Lake Travis Presented by Mercury event in Austin, Texas. The final 10 anglers are now set, and competition will resume Wednesday morning with the Championship Round. Weights are zeroed, and the angler that catches the most weight will win the top prize of $100,000.

The six-day tournament, hosted by the Austin Sports Commission, featured 80 of the top professional anglers from around the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.

The top eight pros from Tuesday’s Knockout Round that will compete in Wednesday’s Championship Round on Lake Travis are:

1^st:        Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 14 bass, 28-1
2^nd:       Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., seven bass, 24-11
3^rd:       Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 11 bass, 24-2
4^th:       Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., nine bass, 18-11
5^th:       Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., 10 bass, 18-2
6^th:       Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, eight bass, 17-7
7^th:       Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., six bass, 17-3
8^th:       John Cox, DeBary, Fla., nine bass, 16-10

They’ll be joined by Qualifying Round Winners:

Group A: Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan.
Group B: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla.

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

“Man, am I excited to be going to my second straight Championship Round in Texas,” said Lane, who finished in 10^th place at the season-opening Bass Pro Tour event at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. “Last year it seemed like I finished in 11^th and 12^th place all year long, but this is a new year and Bobby Lane is heading to his second straight Championship Round.”

Lane said he caught his fish Tuesday fishing the outside of marinas, mainly targeting docks and rocks.

“The key to my success so far this week has been my equipment,” Lane said. “I’m using the new (Abu Garcia) Veritas, 7-foot, medium, and this rod has been absolutely phenomenal. I love it. I’m fishing a wacky-rigged Berkley PowerBait (MaxScent) General worm (green-pumpkin) with a size 1 hook and a nail weight right in the head.

“I’ve got 10-pound braided line and I’m using an 8-pound-test Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon leader,” Lane continued. “I’m using a very long leader – around 14-foot. Fishing here on Lake Travis you’re going to break off, you’re going to get hung on the cables and you’re going to have to re-tie quite often. The longer leader allows me to re-tie more quickly and efficiently.”

Second-place angler Academy pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, was much more optimistic after his day on the water, Tuesday, than he was after only boating two fish in Monday’s Qualifying Round.

“It was a good morning, and a really tough afternoon – just as it has been the last few days – but we got it done and I’m so thankful for those quality bites this morning,” Wheeler said. “If I can get at least 10 keeper bites tomorrow, I think I’ll have a shot at this thing. I’m going to have to generate some big bites, though, so we’ll see what happens. I’m looking forward to going to the Championship Round. This feels good after yesterday’s struggles, so I’m ready to get after it tomorrow.”

Third-place pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, California, also made the Championship Round in his second-straight event after a ninth-place showing at the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event last month.

“I left a fair amount of water today that I didn’t fish, so I’ve still got some stuff left to fish tomorrow,” Ehrler said. “I got kind of lucky today. I had a couple of key bites that really helped me get to where I’m at right now – over that 20-pound mark. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get those again tomorrow; they were kind of single fish. I found an area that had a few fish that had moved up – I’d already fished it earlier in the week – but a few more had moved up. I don’t think I can go back and catch those fish again. I’m going to have to bob and weave by the minute tomorrow, and hopefully I’ll have a chance at winning this thing.”

Rounding out the top 40 finishers were:

11^th:     Mike McClelland, Blue Eye, Mo., eight bass, 16-4, $10,000
12^th:     David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., nine bass, 16-2, $10,000
13^th:     Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., seven bass, 15-5, $10,000
14^th:     Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala., seven bass, 14-10, $10,000
15^th:     Jared Lintner, Arroyo Grande, Calif., seven bass, 14-10, $10,000
16^th:     Alton Jones, Woodway, Texas, three bass, 13-8, $10,000
17^th:     Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., seven bass, 13-4, $10,000
18^th:     Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., seven bass, 12-15, $10,000
19^th:     Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., five bass, 12-12, $10,000
20^th:     Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., four bass, 12-5, $10,000
21^st:     Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, six bass, 11-15, $10,000
22^nd:    Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., four bass, 11-10, $10,000
23^rd:    Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 9-14, $10,000
24^th:     Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, four bass, 9-6, $10,000
25^th:     Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., five bass, 9-1, $10,000
26^th:     Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., five bass, 8-14, $10,000
27^th:     Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., three bass, 8-9, $10,000
28^th:     David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., four bass, 8-7, $10,000
29^th:     Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., two bass, 8-5, $10,000
30^th:     Miles Burghoff, Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., five bass, 8-3, $10,000
31^st:     Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., four bass, 7-9, $10,000
32^nd:    Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., three bass, 5-10, $10,000
33^rd:    Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, three bass, 5-0, $10,000
34^th:     Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., two bass, 4-14, $10,000
35^th:     James Watson, Lampe, Mo., two bass, 4-2, $10,000
36^th:     Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, Okla., one bass, 4-2, $10,000
37^th:     Ish Monroe, Oakdale, Calif., two bass, 4-0, $10,000
38^th:     Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La, two bass, 3-11, $10,000
39^th:     Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., two bass, 3-8, $10,000
40^th:     Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., zero bass, 0-0, $10,000

There were 202 bass weighing 443 pounds, 6 ounces caught by 37 pros Tuesday, which included one 6-pounder and six 5-pounders caught from Lake Travis.

Browning won the $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award on Tuesday, catching a 6-pound, 3-ounce largemouth in Period 2. Berkley will award $1,000 to the angler that weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.

The MLF Bass Pro Tour Berkley Stage Two at Lake Travis Presented by Mercury is hosted by the Austin Sports Commission.

The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Friday and Sunday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Saturday and Monday. After the two-day Qualifying Round, the anglers that finished in 2^nd through 20^th place from both groups advanced to Tuesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner from each group advanced directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, the weights were zeroed and the remaining 38 anglers competed to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. Tomorrow, in the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins. Full breakdown of the format can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The final 10 anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. CT Wednesday from Mansfield Dam Park, located at 4370 Mansfield Dam Park Road in Austin. The General Tire Takeout will also be held at the park beginning at 3:15 p.m.

HOTTEST NEW LURES FOR 2020

The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.

The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action from the final day of competition from 7 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Television coverage of the Bass Pro Tour Berkley Stage Two at Lake Travis Presented by Mercury will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 11 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.

MLF BIG-5

Keith Combs Wins Toyota Series Event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir Presented by Berkley

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date May 3, 2021
No Comments on Keith Combs Wins Toyota Series Event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir Presented by Berkley

BROOKELAND, Texas (May 2, 2021) – Pro Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas, brought five bass to the scale Friday weighing 10 pounds, 15 ounces to go wire-to-wire and win the Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. at Sam Rayburn Reservoir Presented by Berkley . Combs weighed in 15 bass over three days of competition totaling 63 pounds, 3 ounces, earning the win by an 8-pound, 10-ounce margin over second-place angler Josh Bensema of Willis, Texas. For his victory, Combs earned the top payout of $36,764 in the third and final regular-season tournament of the 2021 Toyota Series Southwestern Division.

Combs said it was actually his first win of any kind on Sam Rayburn, which was surprising considering his Huntington, Texas, address, and his years as a top-level pro angler.

“I’ve fished very few tournaments and not had a top 10 or 15 on this place,” said Combs. “I’ve finished second and third, but never won one. That was fun, I always wanted to.”

Weighing 22-9 on Day 1 and 29-11 on Day 2, Combs staked himself to a lead of more than 17 pounds heading into the third and final day. After a weather delay at takeoff that lasted more than 2 hours, Combs was forced to scramble a bit Friday to make sure of the win.

“The first couple days were really easy, but today we just didn’t have enough time,” said Combs. “I went to try to catch a couple big ones, but I had to just catch some fish. I would have loved to have had a full day to go out and stand on ‘em and try to catch a big bag again. They’re definitely there.”

On the first two days, Combs did what he’s famous for – catching big bass offshore.

“I stayed out, I cranked, I threw a big spinnerbait and a big swimbait,” said Combs. “I fished a lot of different spots, some of them were shallow, 4- to 6-foot. Some of the fish I’ve caught this week have been as deep as 16.

“There’s just not many fish out there. I had a good bag the first day and moved around and checked on a bunch of places. I felt like if I stayed out all day and fished for those big ones, I’d have a chance to catch five. Thursday, I stayed out all day, and I only caught seven fish, but the smallest one was a 4-pounder.”

On Day 3, Combs ended up altering his strategy and put a jerkbait and a crankbait in hand to nab a limit.

“Friday I just went and caught schooling fish on a little gravel bar,” said Combs. “It has a ton of 2- and 3-pounders. I hadn’t fished there all week, but I felt like I just needed to go catch a limit of fish today, so that’s what I did.”

Combs said he targeted a mix of hard spots on points and flats and isolated stumps. For the stumps, he could often pull up and make just a handful of casts, but he found himself fishing around a little more on the other offshore areas.

“I used my Humminbird MEGA 360 a lot. The stumps I know about, but a lot of the stuff was real big flats, and main lake points,” said Combs. “I would pull up, and I could look at 360 and fish around, and eventually you might see a fish or two. Then at least I knew which direction to throw. They’re big areas, so it was very important to run that this week.”

For his baits, Combs said he used a big single swimbait, a 1-ounce Strike King Bottom Dweller Spinnerbait in blue glimmer, a Strike King Magnum Squarebill 4.0 in Tennessee shad and a Strike King 6XD in chartreuse and blue.

With his fourth-place finish in the Southwestern standings and his win, Combs is now qualified for the Toyota Series Championship this fall on Pickwick Lake. From the sounds of it, he’s going to be a handful.

“I’m excited about that,” said Combs. “That’s a big money tournament. It’s pretty good to get an opportunity to fish for that kind of money. To me, it’s pretty incredible to fish for that kind of jack without having to spend $50,000 in entry fees. I think it will be a really good tournament. I got the opportunity to see what really lives in Pickwick when we were there for the Elites, and I know it will be tougher in the fall, but I think I’ll get a lot of practice time and I’m excited about it.”

The top 10 pros on Sam Rayburn Reservoir finished:

                  1^st:           Keith Combs, Huntington, Texas, 15 bass, 63-3, $36,764
                  2^nd:          Josh Bensema, Willis, Texas, 15 bass, 54-9, $15,147
                  3^rd:          Jeff Bridges, Prosper, Texas, 15 bass, 52-0, $10,952
                  4^th:           Todd Castledine, Nacogdoches, Texas, 15 bass, 44-4, $9,127
                  5^th:           Cameron Mattison, Benton, La., 15 bass, 42-7, $8,214
                  6^th:           Troy Roder, Brookeland, Texas, 15 bass, 40-14, $7,302
                  7^th:           Mitchell Webb, Skiatook, Okla., 13 bass, 38-1, $6,639
                  8^th:           Shawn Temple, Krugerville, Texas, 15 bass, 37-12, $5,476
                  9^th:           Garrett Hilton, China, Texas, 13 bass, 36-9, $4,564
                  10^th:        River Lee, Nacogdoches, Texas, 14 bass, 35-11, $3,651

Results for the remainder of the field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Combs also earned both of the Berkley Big Bass awards, weighing a 7-pound, 15-ounce largemouth on Day 1 to claim that prize of $128, then weighing a 7-14 on Day 2 to again earn the $128 awards.

Bensema took home an extra $1,000 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Kevin Carter of Spring, Texas, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Friday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 36 pounds, 1 ounce. For his victory, Carter won the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on Sam Rayburn Reservoir finished:

                  1^st:           Kevin Carter, Spring, Texas, 15 bass, 36-1, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
                  2^nd:          Kevin Bonds, Cleveland, Texas, 15 bass, 31-6, $4,616
                  3^rd:          Robert Davis, Lufkin, Texas, 12 bass, 30-12, $3,693
                  4^th:           Jason Geesey, Heartland, Texas, 12 bass, 27-5, $3,231
                  5^th:           John Goebel, Lumberton, Texas, 14 bass, 26-9, $2,770
                  6^th:           Dustin Robinson, Glendale, Ariz., 13 bass, 25-1, $2,308
                  7^th:           Jason Cochran, Pearland, Texas, 12 bass, 24-11, $1,846
                  8^th:           Robert Spangenberg, Magnolia, Texas, 12 bass, 23-8, $1,616
                  9^th:           Mike Power, Conroe, Texas, 12 bass, 22-13, $1,385
                  10^th:        Kenny Moser, Alba, Texas, 10 bass, 20-5, $1,154

HOTTEST NEW LURES FOR 2020

Co-angler Steve Baskins of Owasso, Oklahoma, weighed the largest bass of the day for co-anglers on Day 1, boating a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass to earn the $85 Berkley Big Bass award. Tristan Riddle of Nacogdoches, Texas, earned the $85 Berkley Big Bass award on Day 2 with a 6-pound, 8-ounce largemouth.

Despite the successful tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, the fishing community was deeply saddened on Thursday after an accident at the event claimed the life of a co-angler. Major League Fishing (MLF) announced Friday that the identity of the co-angler that died after falling from the boat had been released. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) confirmed that co-angler Pete Lammons of Houston, Texas, fell overboard near the San Augustine Park area. Attempts to rescue Lammons were unsuccessful. Lammons was an experienced co-angler, competing in his 57^th career MLF event. He was also a former NFL football player, who played tight end for the New York Jets from 1966-1971, including winning the AFL Championship with them in 1968 and Super Bowl III in 1969.

The Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at Sam Rayburn Reservoir Presented by Berkley was hosted by the Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Chamber of Commerce. It was the third and final regular-season tournament in 2021 for Southwestern Division anglers. The next events for Toyota Series anglers will be a double-header, both held May 6-8 – the Toyota Series at Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia, and the Toyota Series at Lake Dardanelle Presented by Fenwick in Russellville, Arkansas. For a complete schedule, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com .

The 2021 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. consists of six divisions – the Central Division Presented by Neat Companies, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division. Anglers who fish all three qualifiers in any of the six divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 cash, including a $35,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus for qualified anglers. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2021 Toyota Series Championship Presented by A.R.E. will be held Oct. 28-30 on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Hardin County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

Monster Bag Lifts Livesay To Bassmaster Elite Series Victory At Lake Fork

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date April 25, 2021
No Comments on Monster Bag Lifts Livesay To Bassmaster Elite Series Victory At Lake Fork

QUITMAN, Texas — For three days, Lee Livesay caught quality fish, but nothing close to the Lake Fork potential he intimately knows. On Championship Sunday, the third-year Elite Series pro and local guide showcased his home lake’s treasures by winning the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork with a phenomenal four-day total of 112 pounds, 5 ounces.

As the 32nd individual to enter the prestigious Bassmaster Century Club (a five-fish limit of 100 pounds or more), Livesay outpaced Day 1 leader Patrick Walters by a 10-pound margin. Along with his second Elite trophy — his first came last fall at Chickamauga Lake — Livesay won a first-place award of $100,000.

For Livesay, it was a monster final-day limit that weighed 42-3 and ranks as the third-heaviest, single-day weight in Bassmaster history that sealed the deal.

“I have no words right now, it’s amazing,” he said. “I’ve been around them, but I haven’t caught any big ones all week; I just survived. Everything just worked out and it never goes like that.”

Hailing from Longview, Texas, Livesay made no assumptions and fished hard until the last minute. But when the smallest bass in your five-fish limit goes 7 pounds, 6 ounces, good things are likely.

“I caught big ones everywhere I went,” he said. “I started off with big ones (a 9-2 at 7:14 a.m.) and ended with big ones (7-14 at 1:10 p.m.). It was just one of those surreal days, and it was amazing because I’ve spent a lot of time on this lake.”

Spending his tournament in Little Caney Creek, Livesay rotated among several secondary points where bass were chasing big gizzard shad. His main spot — a bar extending off a small island — allowed him to sneak into range of bass schooling on the opposite side without spooking them.

Throughout the tournament, Livesay caught fish on a mixed arsenal that included a 3:16 Lure Company line-through Rising Son swimbait, a 3:16 Lure Company Work Horse glidebait, a Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait, a Carolina rig with a Netbait Little Spanky, a 6th Sense Magnum Squarebill and a bone color Heddon Saltwater Super Spook.

On Sunday, the latter produced all of his weight fish. A 7-foot medium-heavy Halo HFX cranking rod and 40-pound braided line was essential for reaching distant fish and keeping them connected.

“Those fish are wanting to feed up and they’re seeing so many swimbaits, they’re just not eating them,” he said. “I kept getting bites and I kept throwing it.

“Working that big topwater really erratic and just getting them to react was the deal. I think they really think it’s a shad.”

Livesay kept himself in the hunt all week, starting with a seventh-place bag of 25-6 on Day 1. He slipped two spots on Day 2 after catching 17-14, but put himself within striking distance on Semifinal Saturday by adding 26-14 and improving to fifth.

Overcoming the hometown curse — succumbing to the pressure of local expectations — made Livesay’s victory even sweeter.

“I’ve spent thousands of days with clients and fun fishing on this lake,” Livesay said. “I never thought I had it. I knew I was around them, but I never thought I’d catch 42 pounds.

“So, doing it in front of family and friends, and a lot of sponsors were here, too, it’s just amazing. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Notably, Walters claimed his second Century Club belt after earning his first at last November’s Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department with a four-day Lake Fork total of 104-12.

Hailing from Summerville, S.C., Walters started strong this week by leading Day 1 with 32-14. He slipped to third on Day 2 with a smaller limit of 15-7.

Walters got back on track Saturday with 22-13 and reached the final round in fourth place. Adding 31-3 Sunday, he tallied 102-5 and was the only competitor to break 30 pounds twice.

He did most of his work at the mouth of Little Caney where prespawners were staging on the breaks. Leveraging his forward-facing Garmin Panoptix LiveScope, he fished a mix of jerkbaits, swimbaits and topwaters.

After a slow start, Walters got rolling with a midmorning rally that produced several big topwater bites. He steadily chipped away at the lead Livesay had built for much of the morning until the leader’s midday rally put the event out of reach.

“If you’re going to get beat on Lake Fork, it has to be a 40-pound bag,” Walters said. “Big hats off to Lee, he is the man. I had a great week; I really do love this place.”

Quentin Cappo of Prairieville, La., held the second-place spot for the first three days and finished third with 99-6. He turned in daily weights of 28-15, 25-13, 19-4 and 25-6.

Cappo targeted shallow areas with shell bottom in Caney Creek looking for submerged root masses, where deflecting a Strike King KVD 4.0 squarebill triggered strikes. When bass drove gizzard shad topside, he threw a Strike King Sexy Dawg topwater.

“The topwater came into play huge today, as expected,” he said. “One to 3 o’clock has been my window. I was just pacing around, hitting as much as I could and looking for bait activity.

“When that water temperature got warm throughout the day, they would come up and get active. And when the wind pushed those shad against the bank, they showed themselves.”

HOTTEST NEW LURES FOR 2020

Clifford Pirch of Payson, Ariz., won the $1,000 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for his 9-13 largemouth. He also won $1,000 for the biggest bass of Day 2. Walters claimed Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors for Days 1 and 4 (8-14 and 9-5), while Australian pro Carl Jocumsen took the award on Day 3 with a 9-5.

Brandon Card of Salisbury, N.C., took home $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, and Chris Zaldain of Fort Worth, Texas, earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.

As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Walters earned $2,500 for being the highest-placing entrant, while Cappo claimed an additional $1,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant.

Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., leads the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 436 points. Walters is in second with 432, followed by Drew Cook of Cairo, Ga., with 387, Livesay with 385 and Chris Johnston of Peterborough, Canada, with 384.

Josh Stracner of Vandiver, Ala., leads the Rookie of the Year standings with 333 points.

The tournament was hosted by the Sabine River Authority and Wood County Economic Development Commission.

2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha

2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon, Rapala

2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Conservation Partner: AFTCO

MLF BIG-5

Becker Earns First Career Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Victory at Googan Baits Stop 3 at Lake Murray

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date April 25, 2021
No Comments on Becker Earns First Career Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Victory at Googan Baits Stop 3 at Lake Murray

COLUMBIA, S.C. (April 25, 2021) – Favorite Fishing pro Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pennsylvania, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 17 pounds, 11 ounces, to hold off a massive charge from local favorite Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity and win the four-day MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Googan Baits Stop 3 Presented by Favorite Fishing – Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina. Becker’s four-day total of 20 bass weighing 76-5 earned him the victory by a 2½-pound margin over Gagliardi and earned Becker the top prize of $137,500, including the lucrative $35,000 MLF Phoenix BIG5 Bonus.

“This has been years and years in the making,” said an emotional Becker on stage after being crowned champion. “I was really beginning to think that I couldn’t win. I’ve always been consistent, near the top of the standings. But I was really starting to doubt that I could win. Just to make a top 10 against this group of hammers is unbelievable. They always say when it’s your time, it’s your time. And man, did I live that this week.”

The 2018 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Rookie of the Year started Day 1 of the event with a plan to target docks and sight-fish spawning bass. But, before doing that, Becker slotted in a little time to try a risky timing/herring-spawn pattern, and he ended up never changing. He kept hitting, and re-hitting, as many points as possible knowing that eventually the schools of bass would move shallow to feed.

“The spot I caught them Day 2, I had fished three times before I caught them,” said Becker. “I knew the fish were there, but I rotated through multiple times and never had a bite. Then I came back and they were there and they were eating. I went from zero to 14 pounds in minutes.”

Becker said his key baits throughout the week were a couple of different soft-plastic jerkbaits, with the Googan Baits Dart (Green Gizzard Shad) being his best option. He rigged the Dart on rigged on a TroKar TK 180 hook with a TroKar TK 300 treble hook as a stinger. He threw that on a 7-foot, 5-inch medium-heavy Favorite Fishing Hex rod, Favorite Fishing Soleus XCS reel and 15-pound-test Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line.

“All week, the little things just always lined up,” Becker said. “Today, I pulled into a cove and I got this overwhelming feeling I was going to go to the first point and catch a 3 ½-pounder, and then I’d go to the second point and catch another 3 ½-pounder. And that’s exactly what happened. That pretty much got me the win.”

The top 10 pros on Lake Murray finished are:
                1st:        Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., 20 bass, 76-5, $137,500
                2nd:       Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, S.C., 20 bass, 73-13, $30,000
                3rd:       Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., 20 bass, 71-8, $25,000
                4th:        Adrian Avena of Vineland, N.J., 20 bass, 68-2, $20,000
                5th:        David Williams of Maiden, N.C., 20 bass, 64-13, $19,000
                6th:        Tai Au of Glendale, Ariz., 20 bass, 64-9, $18,500
                7th:        Evan Barnes of Hot Springs, Ark., 20 bass, 63-10, $17,000
                8th:        Cody Huff of Ava, Mo., 20 bass, 63-0, $16,000
                9th:        Derrick Snavely of Piney Flats, Tenn., 18 bass, 60-2, $15,000
                10th:     Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., 17 bass, 57-9, $14,000

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

Overall, there were 46 bass weighing 151 pounds, 5 ounces caught by the final 10 pros Sunday. The catch included eight five-bass limits.

The four top performers who now qualify to compete in the MLF Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage Four at Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee, June 4-9, are Matt Becker, David Williams, Tai Au and Evan Barnes.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Googan Baits Stop 3 Presented by Favorite Fishing – Lake Murray air on a two-hour action-packed television show that premieres on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, July 25 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Googan Baits Stop 3 Presented by Favorite Fishing – Lake Murray was hosted by the Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board. The next event for Pro Circuit anglers will be the Grundéns Stop 4 Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama, May 13-16, 2021.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 161 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The field was cut to 50 anglers on Saturday. Only the top 10 pros based on their three-day cumulative weight advanced to Sunday where the winner was determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days of competition.

HOTTEST NEW LURES FOR 2020

Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2021 TITLE will be on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Aug. 17-22, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse.

MLF BIG-5

Pennsylvania’s Becker Moves Ahead on Day Two of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Googan Baits Stop 3 at Lake Murray

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date April 23, 2021
No Comments on Pennsylvania’s Becker Moves Ahead on Day Two of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Googan Baits Stop 3 at Lake Murray

COLUMBIA, S.C. (April 23, 2021) – Pro Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pennsylvania, caught five bass weighing 19 pounds, 9 ounces Friday to move from second into first place after Day 2 of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Googan Baits Stop 3 Presented by Favorite Fishing – Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina. Becker’s two-day total of 10 bass weighing 41 pounds, 2 ounces gives him a 2-pound, 12-ounce advantage heading into Day 3 of the four-day competition that features a field of 161 bass-fishing professionals from around the world competing for a top cash award of up to $135,000.

Pro Derrick Snavely of Piney Flats, Tennessee, jumped from 15^th place to 2^nd with a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 15 ounces, giving him a two-day total of 38 pounds, 6 ounces.

Becker managed to turn only a couple 10-minute flurries into some of the biggest bags on Lake Murray. Utilizing great timing and a schooling-fish pattern, he turned three flurries into 21 pounds, 9 ounces on Day 1, followed by just one flurry on Day 2 that helped him toward his 19-9 bag – putting him in the lead with 41-2 total.

“We survived another day, but boy was it stressful and risky,” said Becker, the 2018 Pro Circuit Rookie of the Year. “I was super lucky on my timing again where I pulled up and was able to catch four of the five I weighed in within a few minutes. Otherwise, it was a struggle.”

Becker said that flurry came at 9 a.m. but before that, he hadn’t had a bite.

“I fished that spot three times today before I caught anything,” said Becker. “I knew the fish were there, but I rotated through multiple times and never had a bite. Then I came back and they were there and they were eating. I went from zero to 14 pounds in minutes.”

Becker said he originally planned to just hit the edges of the points quickly on the first morning before moving on to bed-fishing or fishing docks, but was fortunate to get a couple bites early on Day 1 to point him in the right direction.

Although that timing has held out so far, a significant storm system is set to roll through the region early tomorrow morning, with a 100-percent chance of severe thunderstorms most of Saturday, which could change everything for Becker, as well as the other pros.

“I say we cancel tomorrow. It’s one less day I have to hang on to the lead,” laughed Becker. “I think it’s going to be really hard and it’s going to hurt my fish. The sun has been real important, and that rain is probably going to put a damper on that tomorrow. With this weather changing, it’s anyone’s game going into the weekend.”

The top 20 pros after Day 2 on Lake Murray are:
            1^st:       Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., 10 bass, 41-2
            2^nd:      Derrick Snavely of Piney Flats, Tenn., 10 bass, 38-6
            3^rd:       Miles Howe of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., 10 bass, 37-9
            4^th:       Evan Barnes of Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 37-0
            5^th:       Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 10 bass, 35-9
            6^th:       Tommy Dickerson of Orange, Texas, 10 bass, 34-15
            7^th:       Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., 10 bass, 34-14
            8^th:       Clabion Johns of Social Circle, Ga., 10 bass, 34-9
            9^th:       Matthew Stefan of Junction City, Wisc., 10 bass, 34-9
            10^th:     Adrian Avena of Vineland, N.J., 10 bass, 33-13
            11^th:     Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., 10 bass, 33-10
            12^th:     Jim Tutt of Longview, Texas, 10 bass, 33-5
            13^th:     Jamie Horton of Centerville, Ala., 10 bass, 33-4
            14^th:     David Williams of Maiden, N.C., 10 bass, 33-3
            15^th:     Josh Butler of Hayden, Ala., 10 bass, 32-14
            16^th:     Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-11
            17^th:     Kurt Mitchell of Milford, Del., 10 bass, 32-10
            18^th:     Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, S.C., 10 bass, 32-5
            19^th:     Mitch Crane of Columbus, Miss., 10 bass, 32-4
            20^th:     Jimmy Reese of Witter Springs, Calif., 10 bass, 32-1

For a full list of results and to see the top 50 anglers that will continue to Day 3, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Zack Birge of Blanchard, Oklahoma, won the day’s $500 Berkley Big Bass award bringing a largemouth weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces to the scale.

Overall, there were 744 bass weighing 1,983 pounds even caught by 160 pros Friday. The catch included 133 five-bass limits.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Googan Baits Stop 3 Presented by Favorite Fishing – Lake Murray is hosted by the Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 161 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros will continue competition on Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. ET Saturday and Sunday from Dreher Island State Park, located at 3677 State Park Road in Prosperity. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park daily at 3 p.m. Attendance is limited to competing anglers, family, essential staff and media covering the event. Fans are encouraged to follow the action online through the MLF NOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Googan Baits Stop 3 Presented by Favorite Fishing – Lake Murray will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, July 25 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall. Weigh-ins will be streamed daily and fans can catch live on-the-water action all day Saturday and Sunday, April 24-25 on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

Walters Takes Lead With Massive Catch At Bassmaster Elite On Lake Fork

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date April 22, 2021
No Comments on Walters Takes Lead With Massive Catch At Bassmaster Elite On Lake Fork

QUITMAN, Texas — Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., took advantage of a dramatic increase in opportunity to sack up a five-bass limit of 32 pounds, 14 ounces to lead Day 1 of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork.

November saw Walters capture his first Elite title on Fork by topping the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department with a four-day total of 104-12. In that fall event, Walters targeted standing timber, but today’s leading limit came from staging areas outside the spawning pockets.

“My plan this morning was to start on shallow points and catch one or two fish,” Walters said. “When I got out there, I was surprised how many fish I started to see; it was like they multiplied from practice.

“I caught my first 7-pounder (around 7 a.m.) and I said, ‘That’s the fish I was here for.’ Then, I caught my second one and I was like, ‘Whoa, this may happen.’”

From there, Walters began running points and inspecting each spot with his Garmin Panoptix LiveScope. He reported finding bass grouped in numbers far exceeding anything he’d found in practice.

“Every point I started going to, the fish quadrupled on the places I found them, whereas in practice, on my starting spot, I caught one on a glidebait and it had one with it. I went back there today and there were 15 fish sitting on that spot.

“After that, I just starting running areas like that, and I’m pretty surprised what’s showing up. They almost seem prespawn, so I don’t know if that bite is going to get even better.”

Noting that he caught one small fish in 45 minutes of bed fishing, Walters said he spent the majority of his day throwing a glidebait and multiple jerkbaits on the offshore spots.

He wants to see his fish in a particular depth zone, as this indicates an interest in feeding. Walters found that not all of the fish he spotted on LiveScope were actually ready to go.

“I’m really surprised by the fish that are showing on the majority of spots I’m fishing, but it’s just getting them to bite,” he said. “There’s a weird bite going on; you have to fish slow sometimes, but I think if we keep our foot on the gas and fish for the aggressive fish, I think we can catch some fish this week.

“Hopefully we can just ride it out and make it to the weekend. That’s the plan — just make it to Championship Sunday.”

Friday’s forecast for rainy, windy conditions could play well for Walters. Many of his competitors spent larger portions of their day sight fishing. A dimmer day will significantly limit that pursuit, but Walters is prepared to deal with any impacts on his game plan.

“You can’t control any of the variables, especially Mother Nature, so you just have to adapt and go with whatever you’re presented with,” he said. “We’re just going to go fishing tomorrow and stay on our toes, adapt as much as possible and hopefully get five good bites.”

Enjoying a quick start, Walters tallied approximately 20 pounds with four fish by about 8:20 a.m. A dry spell followed, until Bassmaster LIVE saw him come tight on a serious fish that went 8-14.

About 30 minutes later, he culled a 2-pounder with a 5-8. Hooked in the back, that fish put Walters through a nail-biting battle before rising into reach.

Quentin Cappo of Prairieville, La., is in second place with 28-15. Starting his day with an 8-3 at 7:25, Cappo did his damage on shallow, rocky bottom.

“I’m excited to go out tomorrow; I’ve found them, I know where they’re at, it’s just a timing thing,” Cappo said. “I need wind on my spots. When the wind blows, I can catch them.”

Cappo caught all of the bass he weighed on a large-body squarebill. He’s using an aggressive presentation he described as “dredging” to stir up the bottom and trigger bites.

“The fish are feeding on big gizzard shad and I’m looking for five good quality bites,” Cappo said. “Fortunately, I had 18 keepers in the 3- to 8-pound range. I stepped on the gas because you don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring.

“This is a heavily pressured lake and they see these baits (often), so something different gets them fired up. When I’m there at the right time, it’s fast and then I get off of them.”

Brandon Card of Salisbury, N.C., is in third place with 27-6. Bed fishing was his opening game plan and while Card sight fished a 4 1/2-pounder, he ended up catching all of his weight fish by targeting offshore hard spots from 7 to 20 feet.

“I actually found a couple more areas that had some really good spawners, but the carp had muddied them up and finally, I said, ‘Forget this, I’m going to go out there and fish offshore like I like to fish,’ and it just kind of unfolded.

“I had some offshore places that I was confident about but I didn’t know how good they were going to be. On my best spot, I thought I was going to be able to catch a few, but it was unbelievable. I probably caught 20 fish off that spot.”

Card said he caught some fish with dragging presentations but most bit reaction baits.

There were 36 bags of 20 pounds or more caught and 10 bass over 7 pounds. Walters is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 8-14 largemouth.

Walters leads the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 433 points. Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., is in second with 424, followed by Chris Johnston of Peterborough, Canada, with 382.

Josh Stracner of Vandiver, Ala., leads the Rookie of the Year standings with 340 points.

Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:45 a.m. CT from Sabine River Authority (SRA) — Lake Fork. The weigh-in will be held at SRA at 3 p.m.

The Top 49 anglers after Friday’s weigh-in will advance to Saturday’s semifinal round.

Live coverage for the event can be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms.

MLF BIG-5

Johns and Dickerson Tied at Top After Day 1 of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Googan Baits Stop 3 at Lake Murray

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date April 22, 2021
No Comments on Johns and Dickerson Tied at Top After Day 1 of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Googan Baits Stop 3 at Lake Murray

COLUMBIA, S.C. (April 22, 2020) – A field of 161 bass fishing professionals from around the world began their four-day competition for a top award of up to $135,000 at the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Googan Baits Stop 3 Presented by Favorite Fishing – Lake Murray Thursday in Columbia, South Carolina.

Pros Clabion Johns of Social Circle Georgia, and Tommy Dickerson of Orange, Texas , both weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 12 ounces to sit tied atop the leaderboard and share the early lead after Day 1. The pair holds a mere 3-ounce lead over pro Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pennsylvania, who caught five bass weighing 21-9, good for second place.

With anglers having numerous patterns available to them across the fishery, Day 1 saw pros catching fish down the lake, up the river, sight-fishing, chasing the herring spawn, throwing topwater baits and more. However, with 34-degree air temperatures making for a cold morning bite, Dickerson said he was pretty worried halfway through the day.

The Texas pro had hoped to get on a herring-spawn bite first thing, only to find no herring up shallow due to the cold. He then decided to try sight-fishing, to no avail, and found himself without a fish at 11:30 a.m.

“I was starting to get negative,” said Dickerson. “I kept thinking I’ve got to stick with what I know worked, because I was catching some big fish in practice with the herring spawn. Even if I caught two today, they could weigh 10 pounds and I’d have a chance for another day.”

The sun finally peeked out and Dickerson said it didn’t take him long to get dialed in.

“I pulled up on one place and I caught four in about 10 minutes, and one of those was over 5 pounds. After that, I knew what I was doing the rest of the day.”

Surprisingly enough, Johns had almost the exact opposite day as Dickerson.

“I spent the day blind bed-fishing, (catching) fry guarders, fished a little bit of the shad spawn and fishing bank grass. Today fit perfectly in my wheelhouse,” said Johns. “I did a little swim jigging, flipping, threw a frog and a spinnerbait – it all worked and worked right away. I figured I could catch 15 pounds easy. But when I caught a 4-pound and a 5-pound fish early, I figured I’d just go for big bites the rest of the day.”

Johns said he typically finds remote areas serve him the best, but he didn’t even go to his best area on Thursday.

“I fished the water everyone else leaves alone,” said Johns. “I fished the mud and the nastiest stuff I could because that’s what gets left alone. I went to areas I looked at on Google Earth – I knew it was going to be scary, but I knew that I could get there.’”

Those secluded areas provided Johns some very unpressured fish, making him all the more excited to get back out on the water on Friday to see what his best area may hold.

Dickerson said he’s a little less enthused going into Friday.

“Tomorrow is calling for clouds, and I need the sun,” said Dickerson of his herring-spawn pattern. “So, we’ll just see what happens. I may have to figure out how to get them to bite, but if the herring are still there, the bigger bass will be, too.”

The top 10 pros after Day 1 on Lake Murray are:
            1^st:       Tommy Dickerson of Orange, Texas, five bass, 21-12
            1^st:       Clabion Johns of Social Circle, Ga., five bass, 21-12
            3^rd:       Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., five bass, 21-9
            4^th:       Miles Howe of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., five bass, 21-2
            5^th:       Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., five bass, 21-0
            6^th:       Jim Tutt of Longview, Texas, five bass, 19-8
            7^th:       Lance Crawford of Broken Bow, Okla., five bass, 18-9
            8^th:       Cody Meyer of Star, Idaho, five bass, 18-8
            9^th:       Chase Serafin of White Lake, Mich., five bass, 18-4
            10^th:     Joseph Webster of Winfield, Ala., five bass, 17-13

For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Rojas won the day’s $500 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division after bringing a largemouth weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces to the scale.

Overall, there were 766 bass weighing 2,122 pounds, 9 ounces caught by 159 pros Thursday. The catch included 144 five-bass limits.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 161 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition on Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. ET Friday through Sunday from Dreher Island State Park, located at 3677 State Park Road in Prosperity. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park daily at 3 p.m. Attendance is limited to competing anglers, family, essential staff and media covering the event. Fans are encouraged to follow the action online through the MLF NOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com .