Author: jcarrigan

Georgia’s Morrow Wins Two-Day Phoenix Bass Fishing League event on Lake Hartwell

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date October 13, 2020
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ANDERSON, S.C. (Oct. 13, 2020) Boater Troy Morrow of Eastanollee, Georgia, brought a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale weighing 32 pounds even, to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Savannah River Division Super-Tournament at Lake Hartwell presented by Fish-Intel. For his victory, Morrow earned $6,415.

I didn’t start catching fish until after 9 a.m, but I had found a spot in practice with some big ones on a timber line,” said Morrow. “I broke a big one off yesterday that would have really helped but I went back today and they were schooling so I caught them all on top.”

Morrow comes from a recent Toyota Series win on Lake Norman, only a few short weeks ago.

“On Hartwell, it all depends on what bait the fish are currently eating,” Morrow continued. “These were eating small fish so I threw small topwater baits. Normally if you can find them eating on the bluebacks, you go with pencil poppers, big sammies and your bigger walking baits.”

Morrow said if he had to name his key bait it would be the Zoom Shakey Head Worm in green-pumpkin color.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1^st: Troy Morrow of Eastonellee, Ga.,10 bass, 32-0, $6,415

2^nd: Derek Lehtonen of Woodruff, S.C., 10 bass, 28-4, $3,708

3^rd: Chris Nelson of Social Circle, Ga., 10 bass, 27-4, $2,141

4^th: Jayme Rampey of Liberty, S.C., 10 bass, 26-11, $1,497

5^th: Tony Holliday of Piedmont, S.C., 10 bass, 25-5, $1,283

6^th: Justin Singleton of Myrtle Beach, S.C., 10 bass, 24-12, $1,376

7^th: Lane Wright of Cumming, Ga., 10 bass, 24-6, $1,069

8^th: Bo Price of Seneca, S.C., 10 bass, 23-12, $962

9^th: Trent Palmer of Cumming, Ga., 10 bass, 23-1, $855

10^th: Collin Smith of Honea Path, S.C., 10 bass, 21-11, $748

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Jeremy Strong of Elberton, Georgia earned the day’s $907 Boater Big Bass award with a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass.

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Lehtonen 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.

Nathan McClure of Hiawassee, Georgia earned the win in the Co-angler Division Sunday after catching a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 19 pounds, 6 ounces. McClure earned $3,181 for his victory.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1^st: Nathan McClure of Hiawassee, Ga., 10 bass, 19-6, $3,181

2^nd: Adam Tanner of Cleveland, Ga., 10 bass, 18-10, $1,591

3^rd: Wendell Grantham of Athens, Ga., 10 bass, 17-13, $1,061

4^th: Christopher Chavis of Guyton, Ga., nine bass, 17-5, $742

5^th: Blake Wilson of Benton, Ark., 10 bass, 17-3, $636

6^th: Wayne Hancock of Cumming, Ga., 10 bass, 16-15, $583

7^th: Cody Coker of Comer, Ga., eight bass, 15-13, $530

8^th: Brian Anthony of Pickens, S.C., 10 bass, 15-9, $677

9^th: Gary Haraguchi of Phoenix, Ariz., nine bass, 15-7, $424

10^th: Kevin Henderson of Honea Path, S.C., seven bass, 15-3, $371

Collin Cribb of Sumter, South Carolina, earned the event’s Co-angler Big Bass Award of $450 with a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 7 ounces

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hartwell was hosted by the Anderson Convention and Visitors Bureau and was the fifth and final qualifying event in the 2020 Savannah River Division.

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

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 Nov. 11-13 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

Virginia’s Daves Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on James River

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date October 13, 2020
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HENRICO, Va. (Oct. 12, 2020) Pro Chris Daves of Spring Grove, Virginia, brought a three-day total of 15 bass to the scale weighing 50 pounds, 1 ounces to win the no-entry fee Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship on the James River. For his victory, Daves earned $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and automatic entry into the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Championship, June 3-5, at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee.

“We had extremely low tides the past few days, which put the fish off the bank and right where I like to fish,” said Daves, regarding the key to his victory.

“I fished drops on the lower end of James in the mouth of the Chickahominy River, at a depth of 4 to 5 feet, with a chartreuse-colored square-bill crankbait,” continued Daves. “I also caught several key fish on a ribbontail worm.”

Daves said he grew up fishing this river and Wards Creek.

“Fishing on your home lake, you normally get the local jinx, but this time it worked out for me, so it feels good,” said Daves.

The top six boaters that qualified for 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:

1^st: Chris Daves of Spring Grove, Va., 15 bass, 50-1, $60,000

2^nd: Jason Burger of Bridgeton, N.J., 15 bass, 45-11, $10,000

3^rd: Chris Baldwin of Lexington, N.C., 15 bass, 44-6, $5,200

4^th: Keith Estes of Spring Grove, Va., 15 bass, 44-4, $3,000

5^th: Jason Thomas of Lexington, N.C., 15 bass, 43-10, $2,500

6^th: Chad Poteat of Mount Airy, N.C., 15 bass, 43-9, $1,800

Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:

7^th: Chris Dover of Blacksburg, S.C., 15 bass, 41-11, $1,600

8^th: Jason Barnes of Concord, N.C., 15 bass, 41-9, $1,400

9^th: Cole Huskins of Gastonia, N.C., 15 bass, 40-9, $1,200

10^th: Steve Colgin of Lanexa, Va., 15 bass, 40-1, $1,000

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Thomas 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.

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Moo Bae of West Friendship, Maryland, weighed in 15 bass over three days totaling 35 pounds, 5 ounces to win the top co-angler prize package of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:

1^st: Moo Bae of West Friendship, Md., 15 bass, 35-5, $50,000, including Phoenix 819 Pro boat w/200-hp outboard

2^nd: David Mills of Wirtz, Va., 15 bass, 33-11, $5,000

3^rd: Rod Mackinnon of Middletown, N.Y., 14 bass, 30-3, $2,500

4^th: Travis Garrett of Charlottesville, Va., 13 bass, 30-3, $1,500

5^th: Terri Davis of Chilhowie, Va., 15 bass, 27-15, $1,000

6^th: Robert Wedding of Welcome, Md., 11 bass, 25-12, $1,150

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

7^th: Cody Lewis of Ooltewah, Tenn., nine bass, 22-2, $800

8^th: Nick Coker of Knoxville, Tenn., 13 bass, 21-12, $700

9^th: Bradley Smith of Cherryville, N.C. 14 bass, 21-3, $600

10^th: Gregory Chuhta of Germantown, Md., 12 bass, 20-11, $500

The Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship on the James River was hosted by Richmond Region Tourism. It featured the top pros and co-anglers from the North Carolina, Northeast, Shenandoah and Volunteer divisions.

The 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held June 3-5 at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour.

MLF BIG-5

Tenn. Boggs Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date October 13, 2020
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DAYTON, Tenn. (Oct. 12, 2020) Boater Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tennessee, brought a three-day total of 15 bass to the scale weighing 40 pounds, 11 ounces to win the no-entry fee Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship at Lake Chickamauga. For his victory, Boggs earned $61,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and automatic entry into the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Championship, June 3-5, at Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee.

“This is my first time in a long time to come out on top, and I’ve been trying hard,” said Boggs. “It’s been a grind with the drop in water levels, so I’m super excited with what I weighed in today.”

Boggs said he found his winning fish in the middle part of the lake, fishing shallow, throwing a swimbait, buzzbait and a squarebill crankbait.

“I was fishing water that hadn’t been fished and getting to places other people hadn’t been to – I think that made the biggest difference,” continued Boggs. “I’m so excited – this will be my third All-American tournament to compete in and I can’t wait,” said Boggs.

The top six boaters that qualified for 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:

1^st: Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tenn., 15 bass, 40-11, $61,000

2^nd: Blake Tomlin of Greenville, Ga., 13 bass, 37-9, $10,000

3^rd: Jason Nixon of Wetumpka, Ala., 13 bass, 37-2, $5,000

4^th: Brent Butler of Vonore, Tenn., 14 bass, 35-12, $3,000

5^th: Lloyd Pickett, Jr., of Bartlett, Tenn., 14 bass, 35-0, $2,000

6^th: Christopher Thomas of Birmingham, Ala., 14 bass, 34-7, $1,800

Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:

7^th: Jeff Cannon of Douglasville, Ga., 14 bass, 33-15, $1,600

8^th: Mike Quinlin of Mooresville, Ind., 14 bass, 33-2, $1,900

9^th: Vernon Lowe of Oneida, Tenn., 14 bass, 32-11, $1,200

10^th: David Wootton of Collierville, Tenn., 10 bass, 30-10, $1,000

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

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Quinlin 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.

Samuel Lemons of Vonore, Tennessee, weighed in 10 bass over three days totaling 32 pounds, 5 ounces to win the top co-angler prize package of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The top six co-anglers that qualified for the 2021 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American were:

1^st: Samuel Lemons of Vonore, Tenn., 32-5, 10 bass, $50,000

2^nd: Brent Clark of Bowling Green, Ky., 11 bass, 21-4, $5,000

3^rd: Curtis Cline of Lafayette, Tenn., 10 bass, 19-1, $2,500

4^th: Keith Whipple of Iuka, Miss., eight bass, 18-8, $1,500

5^th: Allen Neal of Whitley City, Ky., seven bass, 17-13, $1,000

6^th: Michael Petras of Biloxi, Miss., seven bass, 17-11, $900

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

7^th: Dennis Taylor of Murray, Ky., eight bass, 15-10, $800

8^th: Nathan Martin of Golden, Miss., five bass, 15-0, $700

9^th: Jojo Walsh of Lyles, Tenn., four bass, 13-13, $600

10^th: Josh Allen of Salem, Ala., six bass, 13-6, $500

The Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga was hosted by the Rhea Economic and Tourism Council. It featured the top pros and co-anglers from the Bama (Alabama), LBL (Kentucky), Mississippi, and Mountain (Kentucky-Tennessee) divisions.

Major League Fishing - Bass Pro Tour/Cup Events

Montgomery Wins Day One Shotgun Round at General Tire World Championship on Discovery

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date October 12, 2020
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GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (Oct. 12, 2020) – Pro Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, South Carolina, caught 19 bass totaling 42 pounds, 6 ounces to win the opening Shotgun Round of competition at the General Tire World Championship in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. For the win, Montgomery now advances directly into the Sudden Death Round of competition in the six-day championship bass tournament that showcases 16 of the best bass anglers from around the world competing for a top prize of $100,000.

The opening day of competition on Discovery showcased the eight competing anglers in Group 1 fishing on Northern Minnesota’s Lake Wabana. Montgomery had a big third-period rally, catching 10 bass for 23-12 in the final period to surpass Greg Vinson and Jordan Lee and earn the win by a narrow 1-pound, 4-ounce margin.

“For once, on a tournament day, everything played out just like I hoped it would,” Montgomery said in his post-game press conference. “I wanted to put the heat on the docks early, before others got a chance to fish them. I was able to do that and caught all of the largemouth that I could. I also knew coming into this that I was going to have to catch smallmouth somehow. I went a little while before I caught one, but once I finally did my confidence went through the roof because I caught it shallow, and it was a pattern that I could run across the lake.

“I mainly threw a lot of moving baits,” Montgomery continued. “I thought I’d maybe catch them deep on a drop-shot rig, but the wind took that away. So, I bounced back and forth throughout the day – from the docks out to the underwater islands, then back to the docks, then back to the islands. Timing was extremely important, and it was really good for me today.”

Montgomery said that he caught his largemouth on the docks with a Strike King Tour Grade Skipping Jig with a matching Rage Bug trailer. When fishing for smallmouth on the offshore islands, he threw a small Strike King Thunder Cricket vibrating jig and an unnamed swimbait.

“The third period was very important, and I felt like I had a really good gameplan,” Montgomery said. “I had the smallmouth pattern established, but I also had some docks in my mind that I had watched another competitor fish, but I felt like I could still catch some fish off of them. So, I re-fished those and caught a few key fish and then when they were done I didn’t try to force it – I went back offshore to the smallmouth.”

Montgomery now becomes the first angler to advance directly into the Sudden Death Round, a feat that he is proud of, but according to him there is still a lot of work left to be done.

“There is just something about this World Championship… I’ve fished a lot of big tournaments before. FLW Cups, Classics, I’ve fished them all. But there is something about this event, I just want to win it so badly. That is the only reason I’m here,” Montgomery went on to say.

The standings after Saturday’s airing of the Day One Shotgun Round (Group 1) are:

                1^st:          Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, S.C., 19 bass, 42-6
                2^nd:         Jordan Lee of Cullman, Ala., 23 bass, 41-2
                3^rd:         Greg Vinson of Wetumpka, Ala., 14 bass, 39-12
                4^th:         Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., 11 bass, 28-9
                5^th:         Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., seven bass, 14-11
                6^th:         Takahiro Omori of Tokyo, Japan, eight bass, 14-4
                7^th:         Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., seven bass, 13-7
                8^th:         Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 10-1

Complete results and photos from the day can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Montgomery also caught the Berkley Big Bass of the day, a 4-pound, 2-ounce largemouth.

Overall, there were 94 bass weighing 204 pounds, 4 ounces caught by the eight pros on day one of competition on Wabana Lake.

The 2020 Major League Fishing General Tire World Championship in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, is hosted by Visit Grand Rapids.

In MLF General Tire World Championship competition, the full field of 16 pro anglers is split into two groups of eight – Group 1 and Group 2. Group 1 competes in a Shotgun Round on day one, Group 2 on day two, with the winners of each day advancing directly to the Sudden Death Round. The remaining seven anglers from each group carry their total weight on to the Elimination Round competition. The three anglers from each group with the highest cumulative two-day weight will advance to the Sudden Death Round – eight anglers total.

During the Sudden Death round, the eight anglers that advanced from the Shotgun and Elimination Rounds compete to become one of the first six to reach a qualifying weight – determined by MLF officials. The top six anglers then advance to the final Championship Round – where weights are zeroed and the highest total weight at the end of competition wins and will be declared World Champion.

Next week’s episode of the General Tire World Championship will feature Group 2 – Michael Neal, Edwin Evers, Jacob Wheeler, Mark Rose, Jeff Sprague, Jared Lintner, Cody Meyer and Jacob Powroznik – competing on Pokegama Lake.

The General Tire World Championship, hosted by Visit Grand Rapids, will air on the Discovery Channel as six, two-hour original episodes each Saturday morning starting Oct. 10, 2020, and running through Nov. 14, airing from 7 to 9 a.m. EDT. The full television schedule can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com/tv-schedule.

BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

Big Final Day Lifts Palaniuk To Win In Bassmaster Elite At Santee Cooper

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date October 11, 2020
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CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — Championships come down to decisions and execution — two things that Brandon Palaniuk mastered en route to amassing a four-day total of 72 pounds, 2 ounces for a dominant win at the Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes brought to you by the United States Marine Corps.

Notching his fifth Elite victory — his second in 2020 (the first at Lake Champlain) — Palaniuk earned a top prize of $100,000.

After leading Day 2, Palaniuk entered Championship Sunday in third place, just 1-3 behind Carl Jocumsen. On Sunday, the pro from Rathdrum, Idaho, added a limit of 22-11 to his previous weights of 21-1, 18-13 and 9-9 to edge Jocumsen.

“This one is so unexpected,” Palaniuk said. “Every single one I won before, I had a good practice and I knew that I would have a shot at the Top 10 and a shot at the win. This one came out of nowhere.”

Spending his tournament in Lake Marion, Palaniuk attributed his final-round success to a prelaunch decision to start in the mouth of the Potato Creek area. Having started there on Day 1, he had a feeling the area was ready to reward him again.

“I was sitting at the dock this morning and something told me to go try it,” Palaniuk said. “With the (warm) weather, the humidity, I felt like I could catch them on topwater, but when I got there, the water was dirty.

“I couldn’t get them to eat it, so I just picked up a 1/2-ounce bladed jig with a 4-inch white X-Zone Swammer. I had not caught a fish on this all week and I caught a 4-pounder and a 3 1/4-pounder.”

Palaniuk caught a lucky break that he exploited when he saw a big fish blow up just out of casting range. Idling toward the commotion, he spotted a brushpile he had not found earlier in the week.

“I tied up a drop shot and caught a giant (7-12) on 10-pound test,” Palaniuk said. “I caught my other limit fish on the drop shot, but I ended up culling them out later.”

Palaniuk’s drop-shot rig comprised a green pumpkin blue flake X-Zone Deception Worm rigged on a No. 1 VMC Finesse Neko Hook with a 1/4-ounce VMC teardrop weight.

Later in the day, Palaniuk returned to the Jack’s Creek area, which produced several of his fish this week. There, he caught two of his keepers by punching a black/blue laminate X-Zone Muscle Back Finesse Craw on a 3/0 VMC Heavy Duty Flippin’ Hook with a 1 1/4-ounce tungsten weight.

“I think it came down to versatility; that’s why I was able to have the kind of day I had,” Palaniuk said. “Without that big one on the drop shot, without those two I caught this morning, I wouldn’t have been able to win.”

Palaniuk overcame a Day 1 penalty of 2 pounds, 4 ounces for inadvertently making a cast with six fish — one more than his legal limit — in his livewell. Palaniuk self-reported the infraction.

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“It went through my head about 47 times in the last hour (before weigh-ins),” Palaniuk said. “I kept thinking, ‘If somebody beats me, let it be (more than the penalty weight).’

“One of the things I say a lot is, ‘Control the controllables.’ When I do something like that, it bothers me because it’s something I can control and I knew this event was going to be so tough that 2 pounds is not something you want to be giving up.”

Hailing from Queensland, Australia, Jocumsen took the Day 1 lead by catching the event’s heaviest sack — 25-8. He slipped to second on Day 2 after adding 12-7 and regained the top spot on Saturday with a 4-fish bag that weighed 12-11. On Sunday, Jocumsen missed his limit again and weighed four bass for 13-8 and tallied 64-2.

Each day, Jocumsen started by fishing a grassy depression midlake with a white Z-Man JackHammer ChatterBait with a white Yamamoto Zako trailer. He then moved to grass mats where he punched with a black and blue Molix SV Craw rigged on a 4/0 Owner Jungle hook and a 1 1/4-ounce Woo! Tungsten weight.

“The early spot kicked off like I had hoped it would today,” Jocumsen said. “It was cloudy and dark this morning and they were feeding and I got two good ones.

“After that, I went punching. The sun came out, there was a little bit of wind, everything was right. I had a few opportunities, I had the bites, I just didn’t put them in the boat.”

Cory Johnston of Cavan, Canada, finished third with 61-9. Spending all week in Jack’s Creek, Johnston turned in a consistent performance with daily weights of 17-7, 14-6, 15-3 and 14-9.

“I found the most fish there in practice, so I thought my best bet was to figure out what was going on in that creek day-to-day,” Johnston said. “I caught them flipping a black creature bait, a 3/8-ounce swim jig with a Strike King Rage Craw trailer and a black Spro Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog.”

Palaniuk’s win moved him into 15th place in the Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year standings with 493 points. Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, holds the lead with 587, Johnston follows in second with 550 and David Mullins of Mt. Carmel, Tenn., is in third with 540.

Jeff Gustafson of Keewatin, Canada, won Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 9-7.

Bernie Schultz of Gainesville, Fla., took home $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, and Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.

The tournament was hosted by the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce.

BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

Talley Finishes Strong For First Career Victory At Bassmaster Elite Event On Guntersville

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date October 3, 2020
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SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — Frank Talley has dreamed of winning a top-level professional bass tournament his entire life.

But with three small children at home, he kept that dream in his back pocket for two decades in favor of coaching youth sports teams, fishing local tournaments and just being a good husband and dad.

Saturday, at age 45, the second-year Elite Series pro affectionately known as “Frank the Tank” saw his dream come true, weighing in 18 pounds, 2 ounces of bass during the final round to win the NOCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville with a four-day total of 64-3.

Talley earned $100,000 and the cheers and tears of his family, who drove 14 hours through the night Friday from their home in Temple, Texas, to be there for his big moment.

“I was perfectly fine with just raising my kids — that’s why we had kids,” Talley said. “Finally, when my youngest boy got into high school, my kids and my wife kind of had an intervention. That sat me down and said, ‘You’re gonna go do this.’

“That’s what helped me understand it was OK to finally go and chase this dream — and they’re the reason I’m standing here with this trophy now.”

Good fishing instincts also played a role in Talley’s success, especially with a key decision he made before his first cast Saturday morning.

Beginning the final round in sixth place with 46-1, Talley intended to make the same run upriver from the launch site at Goose Pond Colony that he’s been making all week. But he said a “gut feeling” caused him to stop on a small stretch of eelgrass before he reached his trusty spot — and the almost-immediate payoff was a 5-pound largemouth that put him in the lead to stay.

“It just looked right,” Talley said of the spot he started on Saturday. “On the first cast, I caught a 10-incher. Then about six casts later, I caught that 5-pounder. I boat-flipped that fish — I didn’t realize it was that big.

“I fished the entire length of that bank and ended up catching a limit there, which included the second big fish I caught, about a 4-pounder.”

Talley did most of his damage on that early-morning stretch with the same lure he’s been using during the early morning hours all week — a 1/2-ounce Strike King Thunder Cricket in green pumpkin. His trailer for most of the week was a Strike King Rage Swimmer in pumpkin with a pearl belly. But when he ran out of those, he switched to a Strike King Blade Minnow in green pumpkin with the tail tinted chartreuse with Spike-It dye.

He said the bait accounted for 95% of his weight this week.

“I’ve made most of the money I’ve made this year with that Thunder Cricket,” said Talley, who has now made five straight Top 40 cuts on the Elite Series. “Long ago, I was a West Coast guy and I know how to do all of the deep-water drop-shot fishing and all of that. But that’s how I like to fish.

“I like to be up around shallow cover, and that Thunder Cricket gets the job done up there.”

Talley fished the bait on a 7-foot, 3-inch Lew’s Magnum Hammer Rod with a medium-heavy action and a Lew’s Custom Pro 6.8:1 reel spooled with 17-pound Strike King Tour Grade fluorocarbon. He said the reel was “not too fast, not too slow,” which makes it perfect for the motion of the vibrating jig.

When the fishing slowed on the Thunder Cricket — and he wanted a change of pace that might produce a bigger bite — he switched to a white Strike King Sexy Frog that he modified with a plopper-style tail to help it cause more commotion on the water’s surface.

Talley fished the frog on a 7-2 Lew’s rod and a Lew’s Pro-Ti baitcasting reel spooled with 50-pound Strike King Braid.

“I ended up catching several big ones on that frog this week,” he said. “It was the perfect change-of-pace bait when I wanted to go looking for one good fish.”

Talley’s Saturday catch of 18-2 was his best of a week that included limits of 14-3 Wednesday, 16-5 Thursday and 15-9 Friday. Unlike many of the pros who felt like Guntersville was fishing a little tired after a week of pressure, Talley said he thought things were just starting to get right.

“I was just fishing eelgrass walls, and there was no rhyme or reason for why they were on one and not the other,” Talley said. “It could have been bait, could have been current.

“But whatever it is, they’re chomping now. I think they’re finally getting adjusted to this weather, and it’s about to be really, really good.”

The win moved Talley into 26th place in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, putting him in good position to reach the 2021 Bassmaster Classic. His fellow Texan Clark Wendlandt took the AOY lead with 503 points, followed by Japanese rookie Taku Ito (478) and Minnesota veteran Seth Feider (466).

Another Texas pro, Chris Zaldain of Fort Worth, earned $1,500 for catching the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week — an 8-6 largemouth he landed on Day 1.

A pair of South Carolina anglers claimed Toyota Bonus Bucks prize money. Brandon Cobb took home $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, and Jason Williamson earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.

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The tournament was hosted by the City of Scottsboro.

2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia,Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Yamaha

2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops,Carhartt, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Mossy Oak Fishing, Rapala

2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Conservation Partners: AFTCO, Huk

2020 Bassmaster Elite At Lake Guntersville Local Host: City of Scottsboro

Major League Fishing - Bass Pro Tour/Cup Events

BREAKING NEWS – Major League Fishing and FLW Unify as One Brand

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date September 29, 2020
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TULSA, Okla. (Sept. 29, 2020) – To further elevate the sport of tournament bass fishing and align multiple circuits as one company, Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today its unification with Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) as one brand, transitioning all FLW brand assets to MLF.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, Toyota Series, Phoenix Bass Fishing League, Abu Garcia College Fishing and High School Fishing will all carry the MLF logo and continue the five-biggest-fish format. A new website that builds on the existing sites, streamlines tournament entry, provides cutting-edge gear and tactics advice, and better highlights participating anglers is set to be unveiled in early 2021.

“Merging the FLW brand under the Major League Fishing umbrella is the next logical step in our company’s evolution, which now includes a broader reach than any of us thought possible in our formative years,” MLF BIG5 Executive Vice President and General Manager Kathy Fennel said. “The key to our success lies not in a name, but in our unwavering focus on providing the best possible tournaments for anglers, fans, hosts and sponsors – our family. Uniting with MLF under a single brand makes the whole greater than the sum of the pieces. The letters may be different, but the people and the values will remain the same.”

The FLW organization now known as “Major League Fishing BIG5” began life as Operation Bass. Founded on the shores of Kentucky Lake in 1979 by Mike Whitaker, a teacher and football coach turned electronics salesman, Operation Bass grew from humble beginnings to become the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization with five circuits and more than 300 events in 11 countries offering $21 million in awards.

Operation Bass was purchased by Minneapolis businessman Irwin L. Jacobs in 1996 and renamed FLW Outdoors in 2001 to honor Forrest L. Wood and the principles he embodied. While those principles still guide the company, FLW became Fishing League Worldwide in 2014 to set the stage for international growth, which now includes bass tournaments in Canada, China, Italy, Mexico, Namibia, Korea, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.

Fishing League Worldwide was acquired by Major League Fishing in November 2019. The acquisition was the most significant brand merger in competitive bass fishing history, linking an innovative tour and original, award-winning programming featuring the top professional anglers in the world to the extensive grassroots organization that serves tens of thousands of competitive anglers from high school and college students to weekenders and tour pros.

“The unrivaled television audience paired with unmatched tournament activation, MLF Bass Fishing magazine, a combined social media following in excess of one million fans, the sport’s most comprehensive live on-the-water coverage, and two of the sport’s top websites united under a single brand was a natural progression as the two organizations combine,” said Don Rucks, MLF Executive Vice President and General Manager.

To delineate between the Major League Fishing format of catch-weigh-immediate release competition, the five-biggest-fish tournament circuits will operate as the Major League Fishing BIG5 and will capitalize on MLF’s incredible reach on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, Discovery, CBS and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).

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New logo art will be provided to business partners, sponsors and anglers. The company expects that the changeover to the new name, logo and website will be completed by Q1 of 2021.

About Major League Fishing
Founded in 2011, Major League Fishing (MLF) brings the high-intensity sport of competitive bass fishing into America’s living rooms on Outdoor Channel, Discovery, CBS, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, Sportsman Channel, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). According to Nielsen ratings, Major League Fishing remains the number one series on Outdoor Channel for five years and MLF premiered as the number one outdoor show in their time slot on Discovery in 2019.

In 2019 MLF acquired FLW, which expands their portfolio to include the world’s largest grassroots-fishing organization, including the strongest five-biggest-fish format professional bass fishing tour, the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, as well as the Toyota Series, Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine, Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI, and High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing.

MLF BIG-5

Arizona’s Au Wins Toyota Series Western Division Finale at Clear Lake

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date September 27, 2020
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. (Sept. 27, 2020) – Pro Tai Au of Glendale, Arizona, crossed the stage with a five-bass limit Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 26 pounds, 4 ounces, to vault to the top of the leaderboard and win the three-day Toyota Series at Clear Lake tournament in Clearlake, California. Au’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 63-3 earned him the win by a 5-pound, 4-ounce margin and earned him the top payout of $24,635 in the third and final tournament of the 2020 Toyota Series Western Division.

Au also won the Western Division season opener on Lake Havasu in his home state back in March.

“I’m shocked that I won,” Au said on stage. “It’s also a little emotional for me because this might be my last Western Division event for a while. I’m planning to go back east and fish the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit next year and make my dream a reality.”

“I just got a brand new boat and this week was the first time putting it in the water,” Au said. “I spent time breaking in the motor and getting my Lowrance units rigged up. On the third day of practice, I broke one off on a Neko Rig and then caught a 5-pounder in one area and that gave me the confidence to start there during the tournament.”

The area he found ended up being the winning area and he plied it for three straight days on the way to victory. Au described the area as a rounded point inside a pocket adjacent to a long flat. He fished in the mid-lake area and the spot had clean water and grass.

The first day, Au relied on a Neko-rigged 5-inch Yamamoto Senko in the watermelon red color on a size 1 Decoy hook. He ended the day with 17 pounds, 8 ounces and found himself in 13th place.

On the second day, Au returned to the same area. He caught one immediately, but the bite went cold after that.

“I knew they were still there because I could see them on my Lowrance units,” Au said. “They were just nipping at the Neko Rig and I knew I had to change it up to get them to react. I started throwing a Lucky Craft LV 500 in ghost minnow and chartreuse shad and figured out the cadence they wanted.”

Once he figured out how to fish the bait in his area, his catches went way up as he brought in 19-7 on the second day.

“The key was to rip it as hard as I could to get them to react,” he said. “I sat in one spot and made repeated casts to the same place. If you could get the school to fire up, you could catch four or five in a row.”

Saturday, he returned to his magic area and worked it all day long on his way to the win.

“I parked in that same spot for three straight days,” Au says. “It was a highway for fish coming in and out along the grass.”

He fished the lipless baits on two different setups, depending on the thickness of the grass. A 7-foot, 4-inch heavy Fitzgerald Bryan Thrift Signature Series cranking rod on the outside edges of the grass and a 7-foot, 6-inch medium-heavy Fitzgerald Stunner HD Series rod on the inside grass line. He fished both on Daiwa Tatula 100 reels spooled with 20-pound fluorocarbon.

The top 10 pros on Clear Lake finished:

1^st: Tai Au of Glendale, Ariz., 15 bass, 63-3, $24,635

2^nd: Tom White of Costa Mesa, Calif., 15 bass, 57-15, $9,613

3^rd: Jared Linter of Arroyo Grande, Calif., 15 bass, 54-14, $7,390

4^th: Justin Kerr of Simi Valley, Calif., 15 bass, 54-9, $6,159

5^th: Todd Kline of San Clemente, Calif., 15 bass, 53-5, $5,543

6^th: John Pearl of Upper Lake, Calif., 15 bass, 51-6, $4,927

7^th: Sergio Arguello of North Hollywood, Calif., 15 bass, 50-6, $4,378

8^th: Jordan Collom of Canyon Lake, Calif., 15 bass, 49-7, $3,695

9^th: Wade Curtiss of Eagle, Idaho, 15 bass, 49-6, $4,079

10^th: Phillip Dutra of Concord, Calif., 15 bass, 47-4, $2,463

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

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

Blaine Christiansen of San Jose, California, won the Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 50 pounds, 1 ounce. Christiansen took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.

The top 10 co-anglers on Clear Lake finished:

1^st: Blaine Christiansen of San Jose, Calif., 15 bass, 50-1, Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat w/115-hp outboard

2^nd: Jeff Hodges of Grover Beach, Calif., 15 bass, 48-1, $3,209

3^rd: Travis Avery of Mount Vernon, Wash., 15 bass, 46-11, $2,567

4^th: Jack Farage of Discovery Bay, Calif., 15 bass, 45-10, $2,246

5^th: Bruce Harris of Oakdale, Calif., 15 bass, 44-15, $1,926

6^th: Jesse Parks of Avondale, Ariz., 15 bass, 42-2, $1,605

7^th: Larry Rogers of Riverside, Calif., 15 bass, 40-2, $1,284

8^th: Scott Bern of San Rafael, Calif., 15 bass, 39-12, $1,123

9^th: Zack Eggleston of Goleta, Calif., 15 bass, 38-14, $963

10^th: Ilya Guryanov of West Sacramento, Calif., 15 bass, 35-14, $847

The Toyota Series at Clear Lake was the third and final regular-season tournaments in 2020 for Western Division anglers. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will take place Oct. 1-3 – the Toyota Series at Lake Norman in Huntersville, North Carolina. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.

The 2020 Toyota Series consists of eight divisions – Central, Eastern, Northern, Plains, Southeastern, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division. Anglers who fish all three qualifiers in any of the eight divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 cash, including a $35,000 FLW PHOENIX Bonus for qualified anglers. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2020 Toyota Series Championship will be held Dec. 3-5 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky, and is hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission.

MLF BIG-5

Tenn’s Tramel Wins Two-Day Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Old Hickory Lake

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date September 22, 2020
No Comments on Tenn’s Tramel Wins Two-Day Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Old Hickory Lake

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GALLATIN, Tenn. (Sept. 21, 2020) – Boater Josh Tramel of Smithville, Tennessee, brought a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale this weekend weighing 34 pounds, 5 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Music City Division Super-Tournament at Old Hickory Lake. Tramel earned a total of $5,540 for his victory.

The tournament was the fifth and final event in the Music City Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.

“I had two spectacular days and caught them mostly a schooling spot,” said Tramel, who earned his seventh career victory in FLW competition. “Saturday was real crazy, but Sunday was kind of a struggle. I was catching them on topwater baits, a squarebill crankbait, and I caught a couple of really good ones on a worm on a few deep holes. But the majority came on the squarebill and topwater.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1^st: Josh Tramel of Smithville, Tenn., 10 bass, 34-5, $5,540

2^nd: Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tenn., 10 bass, 23-10, $2,270

3^rd: Tony Eckler of Lebanon, Tenn., 10 bass, 22-6, $1,515

4^th: Daniel Johnson of Lebanon, Tenn., nine bass, 19-12, $1,059

5^th: Adam Wagner of Cookeville, Tenn., 10 bass, 19-11, $1,408

6^th: Preston Henson of College Grove, Tenn., 10 bass, 19-10, $832

7^th: Matt Stanley of Alexandria, Tenn., seven bass, 18-6, $757

8^th: Jason Dies of Lebanon, Tenn., eight bass, 18-3, $681

9^th: Jayson Johnson of Smithville, Tenn., eight bass, 16-7, $605

10^th: Josh Womack of Gallatin, Tenn., eight bass, 15-14, $530

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Clabion Johns of Social Circle, Georgia, brought a 4-pound, 15-ounce bass to the scale to win the Boater Big Bass award of $532.

Wagner 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.

Dakota Cantrell of Decherd, Tennessee, won the Co-angler Division and $2,270 Sunday after catching a two-day total of six bass weighing 13 pounds, 3 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1^st: Dakota Cantrell of Decherd, Tenn., six bass, 13-3, $2,270

2^nd: Curtis Cline of LaFayette, Tenn., six bass, 12-8, $1,135

3^rd: Brian Reed of Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 11-6, $757

4^th: Jared Kutil of Beaufort, S.C., four bass, 11-5, $1,246

5^th: Ryan Mealer of Spring Hill, Tenn., six bass, 9-13, $454

6^th: Abbie Greynolds, Liberty, Ky., five bass, 9-3, $416

7^th: Teddy Baggett of Nashville, Tenn., four bass, 9-3, $378

8^th: Pauley Pitcher of Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 9-2, $341

9^th: Dustin Forrest of Knob Lick, Ky., five bass, 9-1, $303

10^th: Kenny Botts of Alvaton, Ky., five bass, 8-9, $265

Kutil caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 2 ounces. The catch earned him the Co-angler Big Bass award and added $266 to his winnings.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Super-Tournament on Old Hickory Lake was hosted by Sumner County Tourism.

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

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Tags BFL

BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

Matsushita Rallies For Victory At Bassmaster Central Open On Sam Rayburn

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date September 12, 2020
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JASPER, Texas — A stellar start positioned Masayuki Matsushita to overcome a Day 2 stumble and mount a final-round surge to win the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open on Sam Rayburn Reservoir with a three-day total of 60 pounds, 14 ounces.

Hailing from Tokoname Aichi, Japan, Matsushita took the Day 1 lead with 27-10 — the event’s largest catch — but slipped to second after adding 15-5 on Friday. On Saturday, he rallied and added 17-15 to win by a margin of 1-9.

Speaking with the assistance of fellow angler Calvin Balch of Porter, Texas, Matsushita said he was fishing midlake, just south of the 147 Bridge. He targeted a mix of brushpiles and trees in 20 to 30 feet of water.

“I was fishing fast and (making a milk run) between my spots,” Matsushita said. “My Humminbird MEGA 360 was very important for finding my spots.”

Matsushita caught several of his fish on an 8-inch golden shiner-colored Deps Sakamata Shad Texas-rigged on a 7/0 Owner wide-gap hook. He also fished a Texas-rigged redbug Zoom Ol’ Monster worm.

His key bait Saturday was a Neko-rigged Zoom Magnum Trick Worm in the redbug and green pumpkin colors. This bait produced his biggest bite — an estimated 5-pounder — shortly after takeoff around 7:30 a.m.

“I was staying far away from my spots and made long casts,” Matsushita said.

The tournament’s varying weather patterns factored into his success. Day 1 saw mostly sunny conditions, while Days 2 and 3 brought more of a partly cloudy complexion.

“On Day 1, clouds were very good,” Matsushita said. “Day 2 and Day 3, clouds were not good. Sun was better. Maybe it put fish in the brushpile shade.”

For his efforts, Matsushita won a first-place prize of $50,167 and earned a spot in the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic, which is scheduled for March 19-21 on Lake Ray Roberts. His Classic berth is contingent on his fishing the final two Central Opens of the season.

In a moving display of pure triumphant emotion, Matsushita doubled over with his hands on his knees when Tournament Director Chris Bowes announced his victory.

Moments later, the winner held his trophy aloft and let out a triple chorus of victory screams that won over the Jasper, Texas, crowd nearly as much as Matsushita’s moving statement of his lifetime goal.

“My dream has always been to fish the Bassmaster Classic,” he said. “This tournament made that happen.”

Josh Douglas of Isle, Minn., improved from third place on Day 2 by adding a final-round sack of 17-6 to finish second with 59-5. Douglas also buoyed his performance with a big Day 1 weight of 22-5. He weighed 19-10 on Day 2.

Douglas targeted brushpiles in 8 to 22 feet. Throughout the week he caught most of his bass on a Texas-rigged 10-inch Biospawn ExoRibbon Worm. On Saturday, his top baits were a drop shot with a Roboworm in redbug and morning dawn colors and a Keitech swimbait on a 3/4-ounce swim jig with the skirt removed.

“The depth range changed for me and as the tournament progressed, I started catching them better in the shallower range, like 15 and under,” Douglas said. “I don’t know if that’s because the water’s coming down a little, but those 17- to 20-foot spots got a lot of pressure and those bigger fish were just sliding out.

“I was just fishing areas like The Canyons, the Deer Stand and Jackson Hill; areas (where) I know fish want to live shallow in the grass. But with the dropping water, they were just coming out to me.”

Kris Wilson of Montgomery, Texas, saved his best for last and finished third with 57-11. After placing 11th on Day 1 with 18-5, Wilson improved to seventh on Friday by adding 19-6. On Saturday, he weighed in 20 pounds — the final round’s heaviest catch.

Noting that he has approximately 3,000 waypoints on Rayburn, Wilson came into the event with a preselected set of offshore targets. Running as many of his spots as possible in practice helped him dial in the productive ones.

“After two days of practice, I figured out that I couldn’t get bit deeper than 20 feet, so I started concentrating on everything less than that,” Wilson said. “I caught my fish on a 6th Sense C-10 crankbait in a shad color and a Texas-rigged 11-inch hand-poured purple worm.”

Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., took the lead in the Falcon Rods Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year standings with 547 points. Gerald Swindle of Guntersville, Ala., is in second with 543, followed by Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., with 541, John Hunter Jr. of Simpsonville, Ky., with 505 and Randy Blaukat of Joplin, Mo., with 484.

Albert Collins of Nacogdoches, Texas, won the $750 Phoenix Boats Big Bass prize for his 9-7 largemouth. Shaine Campbell of Brookeland, Texas, who placed sixth overall with 51-12, won the $500 Garmin Tournament Rewards.

Hayden Heck of Lufkin, Texas, won the co-angler division with a three-day total of 28-5. Overcoming a slow start, which found him placing 51st with a Day 1 bag of 5-11, Heck rocketed into fourth after adding 13-11 on Friday.

Weighing 8-15 in Saturday’s championship round pushed him across the finish line by a margin of 1-12.

“Drop shotting and dragging a 10-inch worm and a trick worm out deep did it for me,” Heck said.

William Young of Livingston, Texas, won the $250 Phoenix Boats Big Bass prize in the co-angler division for his 9-0.