MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING NEWS

Dustin Connell Wins Group B Qualifying Round at MLF General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (June 27, 2023) – Favorite Fishing pro Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama , maintained his position atop the leaderboard, catching a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 45 pounds, 9 ounces, to lead Group B and win Tuesday’s Qualifying Round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles .

The remaining 40 anglers – the top 20 from each group – now advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round, where weights are zeroed, and the anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round on Thursday. Weights will carry over from the Knockout Round into the Championship Round, which will feature the final 10 anglers competing for the heaviest two-day cumulative total and the top prize of $100,000.

“It’s been a good two days, but now the real derby starts,” said Connell. “I was able to practice and look around a lot today, but it’s strictly business now. I’ve done great in the Qualifying Rounds this season, but I haven’t done too well in the Knockout Round. I have a feeling that might change in this event though.”

Connell spent the day bouncing around various places on the lower section of Lake St. Clair using his Lowrance ActiveTarget. He said he found a new area – and two new schools of fish – where he expects to find some big ones.

“I’m on such a big area and that’s played out well for me,” said Connell. “I’m able to get away from everyone else and there hasn’t been a single boat in sight, which just makes it better. Hopefully the weather lays down on Wednesday, because if it does, a lot of these fish will slide up off the bottom and that will make it easier to see them and catch them.”

Connell’s five-fish limit on Tuesday included a group of 4-pounders and a 5-pound, 7-ounce kicker fish that he weighed in during Period 2. He caught all of his fish on his 7-foot, 2-inch medium heavy Favorite Fishing Hex Rod, throwing a Googan Baits Rattlin’ Ned on a 3/8-ounce drop-shot rig, using 15-pound braid and a 12-pound Seaguar Gold Label Fluorocarbon Leader.

The top 20 pros in Group B that now advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round on Lake St. Clair are:

1^st:           Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 10 bass, 45-9
2^nd:          Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., 10 bass, 42-5
3^rd:          Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 10 bass, 41-4
4^th:           Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 40-6
5^th:           John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 10 bass, 40-1
6^th:           Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., 10 bass, 39-11
7^th:           Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 10 bass, 39-11
8^th:           Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 10 bass, 38-14
9^th:           Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., 10 bass, 38-5
10^th:        Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., 10 bass, 38-3
11^th:        Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 10 bass, 38-2
12^th:        Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 38-1
13^th:        Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 10 bass, 37-4
14^th:        Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 36-14
15^th:        Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss., 10 bass, 36-9
16^th:        Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 10 bass, 36-0
17^th:        Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., 10 bass, 35-7
18^th:        Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., 10 bass, 35-1
19^th:        Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, 10 bass, 34-13
20^th:        Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., 10 bass, 34-5

Eliminated from competition are:

21^st:        Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 10 bass, 34-4
22^nd:       Shin Fukae, Osaka, Japan, 10 bass, 34-4
23^rd:       John Murray, Spring City, Tenn., 10 bass, 34-1
24^th:        Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, 10 bass, 34-0
25^th:        Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 10 bass, 33-15
26^th:        James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 10 bass, 33-12
27^th:        Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 10 bass, 33-10
28^th:        Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., 10 bass, 33-10
29^th:        Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 10 bass, 32-5
30^th:        Mike McClelland, Blue Eye, Mo., 10 bass, 32-4
31^st:        Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-4
32^nd:       Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 10 bass, 30-3
33^rd:       Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., 10 bass, 30-1
34^th:        Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 29-9
35^th:        Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala., 10 bass, 28-12
36^th:        Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., 10 bass, 28-12
37^th:        Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, eight bass, 28-7
38^th:        Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, eight bass, 27-14
39^th:        Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, Okla., 10 bass, 27-8
40^th:        Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 24-11

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

Tuesday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award was awarded to pro Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, who weighed in a 6-pound, 2-ounce smallmouth – the biggest bass of the event thus far – which bit a jerkbait in Period 2. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and another $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

Anglers will launch each day at 7:20 a.m. ET from Lake St. Clair Metropark, located at 31300 Metro Parkway in Harrison Township. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the Metropark, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

On Championship Thursday, June 29, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., MLF will welcome fans of all ages to celebrate the top 10 and crown the General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Champion at the Watch Party and Trophy Presentation. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.

The General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles features anglers competing using the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, with each angler’s five (5) heaviest bass per day tallied as their day’s weight. Anglers strive to catch their heaviest five fish each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the live scoring SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Television coverage of the General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles Championship Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, November 4 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on the Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, Ark Fishing, ATG by Wrangler, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, Daiwa, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Grundéns, Humminbird, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Power-Pole, Rapala, Star tron, T-H Marine, TORO, Toyota, U.S. Air Force, Yellowstone Bourbon, Yo-Zuri and Zoom Baits.

Alabama’s Jordan Lee Earns Third Career MLF Bass Pro Tour Win at General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles

June 29, 2023 No Comments

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (June 29, 2023) – Championship Thursday on Lake St. Clair started off with a bang, with Berkley pro Jordan Lee of Cullman, Alabama , taking advantage of the early morning bite to put together a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds, 4 ounces to earn his third Bass Pro Tour win and the top award of $100,000 at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles . Lee’s two-day Knockout and Championship Round total of 10 bass weighing 47-13 earned him the win by a 1-pound, 3-ounce margin over second-place finisher Alton Jones Jr. of Waco, Texas, who weighed in 23 pounds, 8 ounces Thursday to finish the event with a two-day total of 46-10, his second runner-up finish this season.

Lee also went wire-to-wire on Berkley Big Bass Awards, claiming the award each day he competed throughout the event and winning $1,000 both days of the Qualifying Round, $1,000 during both the Knockout and Championship Rounds and the $3,000 Berkley Big Bass award for the overall largest bass of the event, with his 6-pound, 7-ounce smallmouth that was weighed Wednesday during the Knockout Round.

The Alabama pro whipped up his 23-4 limit on Championship Thursday within the first two hours of competition yet was able to maintain the top position throughout the day despite never upgrading his fish in the second or third period.

“Before I came up here, I knew I wanted to fish on the Canadian side of Lake St. Clair, primarily around the Bell River Hump area,” said Lee. “Tournaments have been won over there, historically, so I felt like it was worth the risk to commit to that for the week, despite not being able to practice over there.

“I bounced around a bit during the first part of the event, but not so much the last two days,” Lee continued. “In practice I was looking for grass clumps and grass lines, but once I started actually fishing, that didn’t seem to be the deal.

“My main area just had a smooth bottom, and the fish were just hanging out there. There wasn’t anything on the map that pointed out fish might be there, but I spent some time scoping around with my Lowrance ActiveTarget and started seeing some fish that clued me in. It just happened to be the winning area.

“I found a couple places that didn’t pay off and others where I didn’t catch anything, but my first fish of the tournament was almost 6 pounds, and that just started me off on the right path,” Lee continued. “I pulled up to my main spot this morning, and the fish weren’t in the area where I had been catching them. They’re notorious for moving out here, so I was a bit worried, but they’d only moved about 200 yards away. Once I found them it was game on. I caught a couple over five pounds early on and those two fish were really the difference makers.”

Lee’s limit of 23-4 included a pair of 5-pounders weighing 5-4 and 5-10.

“Those big bites were definitely key throughout this entire week,” said Lee. “I was getting a couple of them per day, and they were all in different places, so it was just meant to be.”

Lee caught most of his fish throwing a 5-inch Berkley PowerBai

t MaxScent Flatnose Jerk Shad on a drop-shot rig.

“I did well here during a tournament in 2017, throwing a big, fluke-style bait, so I always think about that when I come here,” said Lee. “That 5-inch Berkley Jerk Shad is a little bit bigger than a flatworm or other typical smallmouth baits; but smallmouth on Lake St. Clair eat big stuff, and I saw the giant perch they were spitting up all week, so I knew I wouldn’t scare them off with a bigger bait.”

This victory marks Lee’s first Bass Pro Tour win since 2020, when he went on a season flurry to win Stage One, the Heavy Hitters all-star event and the 2020 Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) title.

“St. Clair is an awesome fishery, and I was looking forward to fishing it, but I never would have dreamed I’d win this event coming into it,” finished an emotional Lee. “You always hope for the win, every tournament, but I sure wasn’t expecting it. God has really blessed me and my family and this has just been a really special week.”

The top 10 pros from the General Tire Stage Six on Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles finished:

1^st:           Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 47-13, $100,000
2^nd:          Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 10 bass, 46-10, $45,000
3^rd:          Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 43-12, $38,000
4^th:           Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 10 bass, 43-4, $32,000
5^th:           Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 10 bass, 42-14, $30,000
6^th:           Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., 10 bass, 42-8, $26,000
7^th:           Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 10 bass, 42-2, $23,000
8^th:           Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, 10 bass, 41-1, $21,000
9^th:           John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 10 bass, 39-9, $19,000
10^th:        Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., 10 bass, 37-11, $16,000

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

The six-day event, hosted by the Detroit Sports Commission, Macomb County and Lake St. Clair Metroparks, showcases 80 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of more than $805,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters All-Star event and REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship.

Television coverage of the General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles Championship Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, November 4 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on the Outdoor Channel.

The 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, fishing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship, held March 13-17, 2024, on Lay Lake in Birmingham, Alabama.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, Ark Fishing, ATG by Wrangler, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, Daiwa, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Grundéns, Humminbird, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Power-Pole, Rapala, Star tron, T-H Marine, TORO, Toyota, U.S. Air Force, Yellowstone Bourbon, Yo-Zuri and Zoom Baits.

Dustin Connell Wins Group B Qualifying Round at MLF General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles

June 27, 2023 No Comments

The top 20 pros in Group B that now advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round on Lake St. Clair are:

Eliminated from competition are:

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

Jordan Lee Earns Group A Qualifying Round Win at MLF General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles

June 26, 2023 No Comments

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (June 26, 2023) – Despite the dreary, overcast weather and changing conditions, Berkley pro Jordan Lee of Cullman, Alabama , maintained the pace he set for the Group A field Monday, weighing in five bass totaling 23 pounds, 11 ounces to win the Group A Qualifying Round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles . Lee’s two-day total of 46-3 earned him the Qualifying Round win by a 4-pound, 8-ounce margin over second-place pro Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Arkansas, who maintained his second-place position with a two-day total of 10 scorable bass weighing 41-11.

Period 3 marked big changes for several anglers, shaking up the playing field as pros vied for big fish to move across the Toro cutline and advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round. The biggest moves came from Wynne, Arkansas’ Mark Rose, who started the day in 17^th place and dropped down to 28^thbefore going on a third-period flurry to finish out the day in ninth. North Carolina’s Bryan Thrift also moved into the top 20 during the final period, while Takahiro Omori and Josh Butler dropped below the cutline and were eliminated from the competition.

The top 20 advancing anglers from Group A will now have an off day from competition Tuesday, while the 40 anglers competing in Qualifying Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round. The top 20 anglers from each group advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 40 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round on Thursday. In the final day Championship Round, weight carries over from the Knockout Round and the angler with the heaviest two-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

“The past two competition days have been unbelievable, and I feel really blessed,” said Lee. “Since we couldn’t practice on the Canadian side of Lake St. Clair, I came over here on a whim, just gambling. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it’s been a great experience.

“I caught a lot of small fish this morning but found a school of big fish late in the day, so I’m excited about moving on to the Knockout Round. These smallmouth are notorious for moving, but I’m not going into panic mode if they move. I just plan to move around and see what else we can find.”

Two hefty smallmouth – weighing 5-11 and 5-2 – anchored Lee’s 23-pound, 11-ounce total on Monday.

“The [Berkley] MaxScent always plays for smallmouth, and this week has been no different,” said Lee. “I’m throwing a drop-shot rig with a 5-inch Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flatnose Jerk Shad on my signature 6-foot, 10-inch super finesse Abu Garcia Jordan Lee Spinning Rod, using 6-pound Berkley x5 Braid and an 8-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon Leader. These fish are out a little deeper and have been feeding on perch, so they seem to like this bigger bait.”

The top 20 pros in Group A that now advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round on Lake St. Clair are:

1^st:           Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 46-3
2^nd:          Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 41-11
3^rd:          Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 10 bass, 41-3
4^th:           Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., 10 bass, 40-4
5^th:           Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 10 bass, 38-6
6^th:           Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 10 bass, 38-3
7^th:           Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, 10 bass, 37-13
8^th:           Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., 10 bass, 37-10
9^th:           Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 10 bass, 37-7
10^th:        Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 10 bass, 37-3
11^th:        Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 10 bass, 37-2
12^th:        Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 36-13
13^th:        James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 10 bass, 36-10
14^th:        Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 36-7
15^th:        David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 36-6
16^th:        Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., 10 bass, 35-7
17^th:        Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 35-6
18^th:        Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 34-10
19^th:        Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 10 bass, 34-9
20^th:        Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 10 bass, 34-7

Eliminated from competition are:

21^st:        Josh Butler, Hayden, Ala., 10 bass, 34-0
22^nd:       Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 10 bass, 33-12
23^rd:       Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., 10 bass, 33-9
24^th:        Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 10 bass, 33-7
25^th:        Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 10 bass, 33-2
26^th:        Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 32-14
27^th:        Randall Tharp, Port St. Joe, Fla., 10 bass, 32-10
28^th:        Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-2
29^th:        Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 10 bass, 31-15
30^th:        Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-13
31^st:        Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 10 bass, 31-11
32^nd:       Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 31-2
33^rd:       Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., 10 bass, 30-5
34^th:        Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., 10 bass, 29-5
35^th:        David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-13
36^th:        Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 10 bass, 28-7
37^th:        Dave Lefebre, Erie, Penn., nine bass, 26-5
38^th:        Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., eight bass, 25-12
39^th:        Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 25-9
40^th:        Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 12-8

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

Lee earned Monday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award with a smallmouth weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces that he caught in Period 2 on a drop-shot rig. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and another $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

Springfield Father-Son Pair Sweeps Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Erie Presented by Rabid Baits

June 26, 2023 No Comments

SANDUSKY, Ohio (June 26, 2023) – Boater Ty Fain of Springfield, Ohio, caught a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Erie Presented by Rabid Baits. The tournament was the second event of the season for the BFL Buckeye Presented by Rabid Baits Division. Fain earned $4,610 for his victory.

“I started out fishing in 12 feet of water on a drop-shot rig and swimbaits,” said the 19-year-old angler. “Then I moved in a little shallower as the sun came out.”

Fain said he targeted large rocks, both isolated rocks and piles, in Canadian waters near Pelee Island, and his efforts resulted in “10 to 15” bites during the day – all keepers. Fain relied on Keitech swimbaits and Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Berkley Flatnose Minnows to land his smallmouth.

Fain said his familiarity with Lake Erie helped boost his confidence during the tournament, even though he didn’t feel comfortable with his final weight.

“I just fished a bunch of old history,” Fain said. “I figured it would take close to 24 pounds to the win tournament. I figured somebody would have that.

“This is pretty cool because I’m up there (Erie) all the time,” Fain added. “I really like the trophy.”

Ty’s father, Justen, won the co-angler side of Saturday’s BFL event and heaped praise on his son for his accomplishment.

“He’s a very good stick, and what he did was pretty awesome,” the elder Fain said. “I don’t know of many guys who could go out there and look at them and catch them the way he caught them today. It’s pretty awesome.

“I knew he’d be top five on the boater side,” Fain went on to say. “It feels pretty awesome to see him do it. I’m not surprised. I’m very proud of him. I think this win is the first one of many.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

                1st:        Ty Fain, Springfield, Ohio, five bass, 23-12, $4,610
                2nd:       Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 21-4, $3,275
                3rd:       Jared Rhode, Port Clinton, Ohio, five bass, 20-12, $1,536
                4th:        Steve Clapper, Port Clinton, Ohio, five bass, 20-5, $1,076
                5th:        Seth Fricke, Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 20-4, $1,592
                6th:        Wilson Burton, Findlay, Ohio, five bass, 20-2, $1,306 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
                6th:        Corey Lindsey, Marion, Ohio, five bass, 20-2, $806
                8th:        Joshua Barr, Louisville, Ohio, five bass, 19-14, $691
                9th:        Jeremy Reese, Powell, Ohio, five bass, 19-12, $576
                9th:        Matt Elkins, Spencerville, Ohio, five bass, 19-12, $576

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Seth Fricke of Oxford, Ohio, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $670.

Justen Fain of Springfield, Ohio, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $2,305 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 20 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

*19-Year-Old Ty Fain Wins Boater Division, Father Justen Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division*

                1st:        Justen Fain, Springfield, Ohio, five bass, 20-14, $2,305
                2nd:       Brett Warrick, Westerville, Ohio, five bass, 19-6, $1,487
                3rd:       Brian Blinn, Troy, Ohio, five bass, 19-3, $768
                4th:        Nick Ireland, Davison, Mich., five bass, 18-8, $538
                5th:        Tyler Land, Coatsville, Ind., five bass, 17-15, $461
                6th:        Terry Bucciarelli, Ypsilanti, Mich., five bass, 17-9, $773
                7th:        Dennis Blakely, Norwalk, Ohio, five bass, 17-4, $384
                8th:        Brian Zelinskas, Beavercreek, Ohio, five bass, 17-3, $346
                9th:        Steve Sorrell, Beavercreek, Ohio, five bass, 16-14, $307
                10th:     Matthew Strickland, Portsmouth, Ohio, five bass, 16-12, $269

Brett Warrick of Westerville, Ohio, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $335, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After two events, Chris Martinkovic of Hamilton, Ohio, leads the BFL Buckeye Presented by Rabid Baits Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 489 points, while Steve Sorrell of Beavercreek, Ohio, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 492 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 5-7 BFL Regional tournament on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2023 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.

Oxford’s McCaig Claims Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Neely Henry Lake Presented by Southern Petroleum Services

June 26, 2023 No Comments

GADSDEN, Ala. (June 26, 2023) – Boater Mark McCaig of Oxford, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 3 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Neely Henry Lake Presented by Southern Petroleum Services. The tournament, hosted by the City of Gadsden, was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Bama Presented by Mystik Lubricants Division. McCaig earned $12,155, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

“I fish Neely Henry 10 to 12 times a year in different tournaments,” said the 52-year-old McCaig. “I know the lake pretty well and only fished in practice one morning to see what things looked like.

“I started the tournament out in the grass and caught one that I weighed in,” McCaig added. “I realized the fish weren’t off the river anymore, so I started flipping a jig on the riverbanks and caught a 4½-pounder. So, I started running that.”

For the rest of his limit that he weighed, McCaig said he caught two on a square-bill crankbait and one on a jig aimed at a piece of brush. He caught five 3-pounders or better during the tournament. McCaig said his fish came spread out during the event, with his first coming at 8:30 and his last two on his last two stops.

“I saved a place down by the dam where I had caught some before, and I told my co-angler I was going to save some time to fish one little place that was a bit of a run toward the dam,” McCaig said. “I felt like there could be something there. One spot was a dock, and one was a laydown tree. I caught a 3½-pounder out of the tree, idled across to where there was a dock with a brushpile in front of it, threw a big crankbait up there and caught a 4-pounder. I ran back up to the ramp and got there with 10 or 15 minutes to go.”

Even though he had a good idea of the weight he had to weigh in, McCaig said he wasn’t confident in his chance for a win.

“It took 20 pounds in a local tournament last weekend to win here,” McCaig said. “But that’s a buddy trail, and the lake is just getting tougher and tougher this time of year. I knew that everything I had was between 3½ to 4 pounds.”

McCaig has racked up numerous tournament wins over the years, including four BFLs and one Toyota Series victory.

“My wife and I kind of have a thing,” McCaig said. “Years ago, when I started fishing, I couldn’t afford Red Lobster. We hadn’t been married long, but any time I won a tournament we ate at Red Lobster. So that’s kind of become a tradition.”

McCaig said the victory celebration dinner tradition has been going on for 33 years of marriage.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

                1st:        Mark McCaig, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 17-3, $12,155 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
                2nd:       Andrew Johnson, Glencoe, Ala., five bass, 16-2, $2,078
                3rd:       Wes Logan, Springville, Ala., five bass, 15-0, $1,383
                4th:        Hunter Hayes, Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 13-6, $900
                4th:        Gabe Aldridge, Demopolis, Ala., five bass, 13-6, $900
                6th:        Jack White, Vance, Ala., five bass, 12-10, $762
                7th:        Roger Shilling, Athens, Ala., five bass, 12-6, $693
                8th:        Jared Kawalec, Waterloo, Ala., five bass, 12-5, $623
                9th:        Matthew Knight, Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 12-1, $519
                9th:        Daniel Buswell, Jr., Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 12-1, $519

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Roger Peebles of Atmore, Alabama, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $570.

Chad Macks of Robertsdale, Alabama, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $2,041 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 14 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

*Robertsdale’s Macks Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division*

                1st:        Chad Macks, Robertsdale, Ala., five bass, 14-2, $2,041
                2nd:       Michael McLaurin, Chickamauga, Ga., five bass, 12-1, $1,021
                3rd:       Gunter Williams, Linden, Ala., five bass, 11-5, $683
                4th:        Todd Mowery, Madison, Ala., five bass, 10-6, $676
                5th:        Larry Franks, Jr., Wilsonville, Ala., five bass, 9-11, $408
                6th:        Josh McCrimmon, Nashville, Ga., five bass, 9-10, $574
                7th:        Chad Bailey, Trinity, Ala., three bass, 9-2, $620
                8th:        Jonathon Cone, Riverside, Ala., four bass, 8-10, $306
                9th:        Daniel Birmingham, Reform, Ala., five bass, 8-6, $241
                9th:        James Lehman, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., five bass, 8-6, $241
                9th:        Blake Dodson, Montevallo, Ala., five bass, 8-6, $241

Chad Bailey of Trinity, Alabama, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $280, catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After four events, Michael Smith of Andalusia, Alabama, leads the BFL Bama Presented by Mystik Lubricants Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 938 points, while Chad Macks of Robertsdale, Alabama, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 955 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional tournament on Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

Knoxville’s McCoy Boats Big Kicker on Last Cast to Win by 1 Ounce at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Watts Bar Lake

June 26, 2023 No Comments

SPRING CITY, Tenn. (June 26, 2023) – Boater Kibbee McCoy of Knoxville, Tennessee, caught a three-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Watts Bar Lake . The tournament, hosted by Fish Dayton/Rhea Economic & Tourism, was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Volunteer Division. Kibbee earned $7,563, including the lucrative $2,500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

“I’ve been down here every Thursday and Sunday for about two and a half months, so I had kind of developed a one-two punch,” said McCoy. “I was fishing offshore, deep ledges during practice. And, also, since the mid-1980s, I’ve fished the face of that dam. So, I decided to run to the dam and fish it first thing. No luck, though, because they weren’t pulling any current.”

McCoy changed tactics and focused his efforts on deep water, but the change produced no results. He returned to the dam again and fished it this time with a Buckeye Lures Spot Remover 1/8-ounce jig head and a green-pumpkin Zoom Finesse Worm with a chartreuse-dyed tail.

“In practice, I would catch one or two that way and then leave,” McCoy said. “I knew how they positioned themselves based on how much current they were pulling. But I’ve never really caught any big fish off the dam, just some 2½- to 3-pounders.”

McCoy said he would catch a couple of bass on the face of the dam, leave to fish other spots, then return to the dam and repeat the jumping back and forth. McCoy said he caught a total of 20 fish during the course of the day, including one from a brushpile that fell for a Zoom Ol’ Monster worm.

“The last time I went back to the dam, I told my co-angler, ‘This will be our last cast, and then we’re going to have to run to weigh-in,’” McCoy said. “I flipped a Ned rig up there with a 1/10^th-ounce Z-Man (Finesse) Shroomz jig (head) and a (Z-Man) Finesse TRD and caught a 6-pound, 11-ouncer on the last cast. It replaced a 1.92 fish on my scales. Needless to say, that was a big upgrade.

“I knew that it would probably take 11 to 12 pounds to win,” McCoy added. “When I first caught that big fish, I thought it was a drum because they stay deep, and usually largemouth came up to the surface. I wasn’t going to give up on it, though. When it came up for a second time and I saw the side of it, I said, ‘That’s her right there.’ She went down again, and I said, ‘When she comes up again, put her in the net.’ I kept the pressure on and was using 10-pound braid and 8-pound Trilene fluorocarbon. She came up, the net was in the right position, and it was history.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

                1st:        Kibbee McCoy, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 12-2, $7,563 (includes $2,500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
                2nd:       Brandon Young, Kingston, Tenn., three bass, 12-1, $2,214
                3rd:       Gavin Daniels, Kingston, Tenn., three bass, 10-11, $1,478
                4th:        Derick Robinson, Friendsville, Tenn., three bass, 9-2, $1,033
                5th:        Tony Eckler, Lebanon, Tenn., three bass, 8-9, $849
                5th:        Jacob Woods, Loudon, Tenn., three bass, 8-9, $849
                7th:        Chase Henley, Kingston, Tenn., three bass, 8-6, $1,188
                8th:        Joseph Tallent, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 8-3, $664
                9th:        Rob Linkous, Rogersville, Tenn., three bass, 8-2, $590
                10th:     Tommy Brown, Louisville, Tenn., three bass, 7-14, $517

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

McCoy’s big bass that weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces, also earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $635.

Peyton Kent of McDonald, Tennessee, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $2,531 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 9 pounds even.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

*McDonald’s Kent Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division*

                1st:        Peyton Kent, McDonald, Tenn., three bass, 9-0, $2,531
                2nd:       Roger Phillips, Clinton, Tenn., three bass, 8-13, $1,107
                3rd:       Joey von Hoene, Erlanger, Ky., three bass, 7-6, $738
                4th:        Wesley Carroll, Wartburg, Tenn., three bass, 7-4, $917
                5th:        Evan Green, Jacksboro, Tenn., three bass, 6-15, $443
                6th:        Luke Shrader, Monticello, Ky., three bass, 6-11, $556
                7th:        Josh Massengale, Oliver Springs, Tenn., three bass, 6-9, $369
                8th:        Shaun Godsey, Decatur, Tenn., three bass, 6-8, $332
                9th:        Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., three bass, 6-7, $276
                9th:        Billy Joe Wheat, Evensville, Tenn., three bass, 6-7, $276

Kent also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $317, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 13 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After four events, Dillon Falardeau of Hixson, Tennessee, leads the BFL Volunteer Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 915 points, while Luke Shrader of Monticello, Kentucky, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 958 points.

North Carolina’s Poteat “Squeezes” Out Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at High Rock Lake

June 26, 2023 No Comments

LEXINGTON, N.C. (June 26, 2023) – Boater Chad Poteat of Mount Airy, North Carolina, caught a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on High Rock Lake . The tournament was the fourth event of the season for the BFL North Carolina Division. Poteat earned $12,986, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

HOTTEST NEW LURES FOR 2020

“The water had come up tremendously over the last few days because of the rain we’ve had,” said Poteat, who owns a lake house on High Rock Lake. “It had come down just enough to let me fish Abbott’s Creek. I removed my motor hood and windshield and a couple of graphs and was able to squeeze up under the bridge and get back in the creek where the water was stable and cleaner.”

Poteat, who said he excels in shallow water, targeted bream beds he had located a week before the tournament with a Texas-rigged Queen Tackle tungsten jig and coaxed eight keeper bites from High Rock for the day.

“I fished High Rock the week before in the Piedmont Division BFL event and finished seventh, so I knew where the fish were,” Poteat said. “I just swam a jig and pitched my worm around, and I was fortunate to get the ‘W’. God blessed me.”

After Poteat caught his third 5-pounder he thought he had a good shot at placing high in the standings.

“I had a limit in the box, then I caught my fourth 5-pounder and I said, ‘Man, I’ve got a shot at this thing,’” Poteat said. “I’ve fished a bunch of BFLs over the year, and to close the deal out on my home lake was a blessing. Plus, I got my fifth career BFL win. It is so hard to win one of these things. There are so many good fishermen nowadays.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:          Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., five bass, 23-5, $12,986 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd:        David Farrington, Greensboro, N.C., five bass, 21-0, $2,383
3rd:        Ron Wolfarth, Oakboro, N.C., five bass, 15-15, $1,256
4th:         Ladd Whicker, Winston-Salem, N.C., five bass, 15-9, $879
5th:         Greg Robertson, King, N.C., five bass, 13-13, $753
6th:         Todd Harris, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 13-5, $690
7th:         Adam Flora, Red House, W.V., four bass, 13-4, $628
8th:         Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., four bass, 13-0, $565
9th:         John Farmer, Sherrills Ford, N.C., three bass, 12-9, $502
10th:      Chris Dover, Blacksburg, S.C., five bass, 11-15, $439
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

David Farrington of Greensboro, North Carolina, caught a bass that weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces, to earn the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $500.

Wes House of Knightdale, North Carolina, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $1,883 Saturday, after bringing four bass to the scale that totaled 15 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:          Wes House, Knightdale, N.C., four bass, 15-5, $1,883
2nd:        Lee Williams, Durham, N.C., five bass, 12-6, $942
3rd:        Hunter Alexander, China Grove, N.C., five bass, 10-15, $627
4th:         Chase Tedder, Walnut Cove, N.C., two bass, 8-2, $889
5th:         Andy Kearns, High Point, N.C.., two bass, 7-0, $361
5th:         Andrew Weaver, Clemmons, N.C., three bass, 7-0, $361
7th:         Greg Fox, Hudson, N.C., two bass, 6-15, $314
8th:         April Barrow, Salisbury, N.C., two bass, 6-9, $282
9th:         Samuel Jones, Fuquay Varina, N.C., three bass, 6-8, $251
10th:      Gregory Haverlock, Indian Trail, N.C., two bass, 6-0, $220
Chase Tedder of Walnut Cove, North Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $250, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 9 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After four events, Jason Barnes of Concord, North Carolina, leads the BFL North Carolina Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 945 points, while Wes House of Knightdale, North Carolina, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 969 points.

Italy’s Jacopo Gallelli Claims Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at the James River

June 26, 2023 No Comments

HENRICO, Va. (June 26, 2023) – Boater Jacopo Gallelli of Florence, Italy, caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the James River . The tournament, hosted by Richmond Region Tourism, was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Shenandoah Division. Gallelli earned $12,463, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

HOTTEST NEW LURES FOR 2020

“I practiced for this for 1½ days, and the weather was horrible,” said Gallelli, a Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Pro with five career top-10 finishes. “I made the most of it. I felt I could probably put together a decent limit.

“I basically had two situations going on,” said Gallelli, a Tackle Warehouse Invitationals pro with five career top-10 finishes. “One was fishing in the morning with a tiny swimbait and the other was fishing the same stuff – lily pads – but light punching them. In the morning you could catch them on the outside in holes between the pads with the swimbait. Then, when the sun got up, I could flip in there, but I was finesse flipping.”

Gallelli’s finesse approach consisted of lighter line, weights, hooks and small soft-plastic baits, in shad and bluegill colors. His efforts resulted in 20 keepers during the course of the tournament.

“In the mornings, fishing with the smaller hook, I lost a couple of fish,” Gallelli said. “That’s part of it when you fish with a smaller hook and a smaller bait. I lost a 3½-pound and a 4-pound fish. Losing those two big fish I thought I was done. I had a legitimate shot at 20½ pounds. So, going into the weigh-in I thought I would finish in the top 10.

“This win is very good for me,” Gallelli added. “I was starting to worry, ‘Maybe I’m not good enough.’ I came here from Italy pretending to be good enough to make a living doing this. There are days when you second-guess yourself and think you don’t belong here, so this win is so important to me. It is a real confidence injection.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:          Jacopo Gallelli, Florence, Italy, five bass, 16-5, $12,463 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd:        Jeff Hamilton, Henrico, Va., five bass, 16-2, $2,232
3rd:        Brian Morgan, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 16-0, $1,489
4th:         Wayne Vaughan, Chester, Va., five bass, 15-14, $1,041
5th:         Bryan Elrod, Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 15-5, $893
6th:         Bryce Henley, Williamsburg, Va., five bass, 15-2, $818
7th:         Brian Bersik, Chesterfield, Va., five bass, 14-12, $994
8th:         Zachary Stoupa, Prince George, Va., five bass, 14-10, $669
9th:         Bo Boltz, New Kent, Va., five bass, 13-15, $595
10th:      Scott Banton, Midlothian, Va., five bass, 13-14, $521
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Jeremy Radford of Huntly, Virginia, caught a bass that weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces to earn the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $640.

Roland Gittings of Perryville, Maryland, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $2,952 Saturday, after bringing four bass to the scale that totaled 14 pounds, 11 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:          Roland Gittings, Perryville, Md., four bass, 14-11, $2,952
2nd:        David Torres, Fallston, Md., five bass, 13-7, $1,116
3rd:        Kevin Gregory, Midlothian, Va., five bass, 12-10, $743
4th:         Joey Deluke, Glen Allen, Va., five bass, 12-6, $521
5th:         Brandon Miskell, Vienna, Va., five bass, 11-12, $446
6th:         Jonathan Ceaser, Maidens, Va., five bass, 11-11, $409
7th:         Keith Allen, Midland, Va., five bass, 10-12, $372
8th:         Ryan Sweeney, Secane, Pa., five bass, 10-6, $335
9th:         Carl Whipple, Manassas, Va., five bass, 10-4, $298
10th:      Philip Hornsby, Hughesville, Md., five bass, 10-0, $260
Gittings also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $320, catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 4 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After four events, Zachary Stoupa of Prince George, Virginia, leads the BFL Shenandoah Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 970 points, while David Deciucis of Chester, Virginia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 963 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Norman in Huntersville, North Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

Local Pro Brett Carnright Earns First Career MLF Victory at Toyota Series at Lake Champlain Presented by Rabid Baits

June 25, 2023 No Comments

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 25, 2023) – Local pro Brett Carnright of Plattsburgh, New York, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday totaling 19 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the Toyota Series at Lake Champlain Presented by Rabid Baits. Carnright’s three-day total of 59 pounds, 11 ounces earned him his first career victory by 1½ pounds over his cousin, Ryan Latinville, also of Plattsburgh. Carnright earned $90,500 for his victory, which was the season-opening event in the Toyota Series Northern Division Presented by Rabid Baits.

When it comes to Champlain, especially during the spawn, it’s hard to talk about tournament fishing without bringing up Latinville and Carnright. Between them, they’ve raised the bar on what wins in June, and this tournament certainly fell into their wheelhouse. So, to see the cousins finish 1-2 is no surprise. Though winning with 59-11 is a little shy of some recent Champlain events, considering the time of year and the size of the field, the Carnright’s winning weight is nothing to sneeze at.

It was made possible by a quirky spring that put a lot of big fish right where Carnright needed them.

“I thought it was going to fish a little lighter, just because of where I checked the first day of practice,” Carnright said. “Then, all of a sudden, we had a huge wave come up. We had some really cold weather two weeks before the tournament, I think it shut down a wave of fish that were coming, I checked some areas where they spawn a week prior and there was no evidence of any fish spawning. We got some warm weather, calm weather, the water got hot, and fish started showing up. About a week before the tournament, we started finding some big ones. Originally, I thought 59 was going to be right there, but by the tournament, Ryan and I both thought it would take well over 60.”

Plenty of other pros tried to bed fish to contend with Carnright, but only Latinville really came close, as the others who leaned hard on sight-fishing dipped out of the picture day by day. Meanwhile, Carnright actually improved his weight on Day 2, and caught the third-biggest bag of the final day.

“What helped me the most, which I thought would hurt me the most, was there was a massive amount of clear water and dirty water shifting around the north end of the lake,” he said. “Guys were talking about not being able to see 7 feet deep, and then next day you could see 17 feet deep. I was focusing on 8 to 11 feet of water, and I was able to find all my 11-foot beds prior to the weekend. Over the weekend, we had some bad weather that muddied up the water, so all my fish were protected from people being able to see them. People were coming around me into the area of the lake I was fishing, and I kept seeing less and less boats.”

Dirtier water protected many of his fish from the prying eyes of the competition, but it did make them harder to catch. So, in addition to using a flogger, Carnright had to catch some with his ActiveTarget alone.

“Luckily for me, I had good waypoints, and I was able to utilize my electronics,” he said. “I had to catch those fish, if I don’t, I don’t win the tournament. So, I knew my best bet was to sit there with ActiveTarget and catch those fish. I was able to catch all the fish I had marked, and I actually found a few bonus ones.”

Carnright lives for the smallmouth spawn, and has put days and days into the pursuit. In good shape and willing to go up and down with a flogger all day, he’s also lucky to have a really good eye for what might be a bed.

“It’s a lot of strategy, you have to find your fish before the tournament, finding them during the tournament is really difficult,” he said. “You have to be really strategic with which fish you catch. You have to hope they’re not leaving, and during this tournament a lot of fish acted like they wanted to leave. Over the years, we’ve noticed the spawn shifts earlier into June, so when this was announced, I didn’t think it would be a spawning event. But, with the cooler weather this spring, probably the biggest wave of fish the lake had came this week.”

To catch his bed fish, Carnright used a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm on a drop-shot. He also used a swimbait on a 3/16-ounce head to catch postspawn fish, which was a critical piece of his strategy.

“Day 1, I had one postspawn fish and four fish that were on beds,” he said. “Day 2, I had all bed fish. Today, I had all bed fish, and I caught one postspawn fish that was the same size as my smallest fish.

“When practice started, (the postspawn) fish were easy to catch,” he said. “As the week went on, I think more guys found it. It got a lot tougher, I think a lot of guys put pressure on those fish. They would run up, look at it and not eat it. That was something I figured out before the tournament – I knew I needed something other than bed fish. It was either going to be largemouth or catching postspawn smallies. We had a huge heat wave in April, and I think a lot of smallmouth spawned then. I think those fish went postspawn and started feeding up, and I knew that would be my bonus.”

Edging out his cousin Latinville, plus good friend LaBelle, Carnright has been on the cusp a number of times. Just this spring, he led the ABA championship on the Red River before coughing up the lead. In Toyota Series past, he’s finished fourth, second and fifth on Champlain.

This week, things aligned for Carnright, and also Latinville, to do what they do best on Champlain.

“Spawning fishing is really weird, it’s more like hunting fish, rather than fishing for them,” he said. “You’re looking for them nonstop, looking at rocks, looking at the bottom, hoping you can find some cleaner water where you can see. And it always wins. There really aren’t any major tournaments in June where bed fishing isn’t the major player. So, knowing that, we have to put a lot of time into it. After the 2017 Toyota, and the next one in 2018, that’s when we really got dialed in to bed fishing. If you look at the weights from then to now, it’s astronomical. The field is also learning, but we’re able to dial it in each year better and better. We’ve been able to win some pretty big local events with heavy 21-pound bags or 22 sometimes.”

Still, despite the previous success, Carnright didn’t go into the final day thinking he’d win. With LaBelle ahead of him, he knew things would have to break right.

“Bryan Labelle has been telling me I’m gonna win this tournament since the schedule came out,” he said. “What a way to do it, there’s not a more skilled angler to beat on the final day than Bryan. I’ve been saying for years he’s the best angler to ever fish this lake, I thought the mountain was unclimbable.”

The top 10 pros on Lake Champlain finished:

1^st:          Brett Carnright, Plattsburgh, New York, 15 bass, 59-11, $90,500 (includes $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus)
2^nd:         Ryan Latinville, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 15 bass, 59-0, $22,000
3^rd:         Bryan Labelle, Hinesburg, Vt., 15 bass, 58-3, $15,250
4^th:         Garrett Rocamora, Lake Wales, Fla., 15 bass, 57-6, $13,250
5^th:         Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 57-1, $12,250
6^th:         Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., 15 bass, 56-11, $9,625
7^th:         Brayden Federer, Adrian, Mich., 15 bass, 56-10, $8,300
8^th:         Tyler Woolcott, Port Orange, Fla., 15 bass, 56-6, $7,600
9^th:         Brian Green, North Augusta, Ontario, Canada, 15 bass, 55-15, $6,300
10^th:       Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 15 bass, 55-13, $4,700

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Chris Adams of Shrewsbury, Vermont, took home the $500 Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Thursday with a largemouth weighing 4 pounds, 13 ounces. On Friday, pro Nick Radtke of Greenwood Lake, New York, earned the $500 Berkley Big Bass prize after bringing a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass to the scale.

Carnright earned an extra $35,000 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF 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 Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Nicholas Veselka of Fishers, Indiana, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 49 pounds, 15 ounces. Veselka took home the top prize package worth $35,400, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on Lake Champlain finished:

1^st:          Nicholas Veselka, Fishers, Ind., 15 bass, 49-15, $35,400 incl. Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2^nd:         Randy Nelson, Granger, Ind., 15 bass, 47-7, $6,625
3^rd:         Jacob Swanson, Framingham, Mass., 15 bass, 46-13, $5,300
4^th:         Richard Bleser, Burlington, Wis., 15 bass, 46-11, $4,150
5^th:         Jeremy Vandenbosch, Lowell, Mich., 15 bass, 46-5, $3,650
6^th:         Mitchell Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 15 bass, 45-7, $3,150
7^th:         William Lisenby, Centreville, Va., 15 bass, 44-15, $2,650
8^th:         Shawn Gokey, Georgia, Vt., 15 bass, 44-14, $2,075
9^th:         Jim Jarvis, Timberville, Va., 15 bass, 43-11, $1,630
10^th:       Cory Hartfield, Centerburg, Ohio, 15 bass, 43-4, $1,390

Garrett Seppala of New Ipswich, New Hampshire, was the Berkley Big Bass $150 award winner in the Strike King co-angler division, Thursday, weighing in a 4-pound, 14-ouncer. Friday’s Day 2 $150 award went to Brenden Massa of Battle Creek, Michigan, with a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass.

With one regular-season event in the Toyota Series Northern Division now complete, Carnright leads the Northern Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 260 points, while Veska leads the Strike King Co-angler Division AOY race with 260 points.

The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Champlain Presented by Rabid Baits, hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau, was the first of three regular-season events for the Toyota Series Northern Division. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will be the Toyota Series at the St. Lawrence River, Aug. 10-12, in Massena, New York. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2023 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST 2024. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2023 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 2-4 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, and is hosted by ExploreBranson.com.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Toyota Series include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Black Rifle Coffee Company, E3, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Gill, Grundéns, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Next Gen Lithium, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Wiley X and YETI.

Jordan Lee Jumps to Early Lead at MLF General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles

June 24, 2023 No Comments

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (June 24, 2023) – Berkley pro Jordan Lee of Cullman, Alabama weighed in 12 scorable smallmouth bass, with his best five totaling 22 pounds, 8 ounces to grab the early lead for Group A after Day 1 of the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles. Pro Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Arkansas sits 1 ounce behind Lee in second place for Group A with five scorable bass totaling 22-7.

The 40 anglers in Group A will now have an off day from competition Sunday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group B will begin their first day of competition. Group A will resume competition on Monday.

Lee started the day off with a bang, catching a 5-pound, 14-ounce smallmouth – the biggest fish of the day – in the first 10 minutes of competition to catapult into the early lead.

“I honestly expected to find a lot more schooling fish on this Canada side of Lake St. Clair, but that has not been the case,” said Lee. “I’ve basically just been practicing all day since we couldn’t fish over here during practice. I know it’s all about finding a good area, so I’ve been running around all over, bouncing here and there. The size of fish is just a little bit better over here, though, which is what I was hoping for.

“When you get around them, you catch some smaller ones, but they look healthy – they aren’t paper-thin,” Lee continued. “I also caught a couple bigger fish (today), which is key.”

Lee said his Lowrance ActiveTarget was critical to his success, and he caught his bass on several different baits, including a hair jig and drop-shot rig, a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General on a 3/8-ounce Ned Head and a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Lil’ General.

“I’m not sure what to expect on Monday with the winds that are being forecast, but maybe the bite will be better,” said Lee. “I thought they would be a lot hungrier than they were because these fish haven’t seen a bait in a long time. The slick calm weather we’ve had today was great for being able to move around on the water, but it’s notorious for making fishing more difficult.

“If we get a little wind on Monday, I think the bite will pick up,” Lee continued. “They just weren’t firing today, but I’ll definitely take it. Maybe I can learn a little something and just take it day by day. Winning the first day doesn’t really mean a lot in the grand scheme of the tournament, but it feels great to get off to a good start.”

The top 20 pros in Group A after Day 1 on Lake St. Clair are:

1^st:           Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 22-8
2^nd:          Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 22-7
3^rd:          Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, five bass, 21-5
4^th:           Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 20-12
5^th:           Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., five bass, 20-9
6^th:           Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 20-9
7^th:           Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., five bass, 20-5
8^th:           Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, five bass, 19-11
9^th:           Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 19-6
10^th:        David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 19-4
11^th:        Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., five bass, 19-4
12^th:        Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, five bass, 18-14
13^th:        Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 18-12
14^th:        Andy Morgan, Dayton Tenn., five bass, 18-12
15^th:        Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 18-9
16^th:        James Watson, Lampe, Mo., five bass, 18-4
17^th:        Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., five bass, 17-13
18^th:        Randall Tharp, Port St. Joe, Fla., five bass, 17-12
19^th:        Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., five bass, 17-10
20^th:        Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., five bass, 17-10

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

Lee’s 5-pound, 14-ounce smallmouth in Period 1 was the biggest fish of the day, earning him the first $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award of the event. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and another $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the top 20 anglers from each group advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 40 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weight carries over from the Knockout Round and the angler with the heaviest two-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

Second Annual MLF General Tire Team Series Draft Concludes with Exciting Results

June 22, 2023 No Comments

BENTON, Ky. (June 22, 2023) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today the results of the 2023 General Tire Team Series Draft, which took place Wednesday in Harrison Township, Michigan. During the second annual General Tire Team Series Draft, the top 27 Bass Pro Tour anglers – based on 2022 Angler of the Year (AOY) point standings – selected two additional Bass Pro Tour anglers to create 27 three-man teams that will compete over three qualifying events.

The General Tire Team Series will showcase the 80 anglers that compete on the Bass Pro Tour, joined by the next available highest-ranking 2022 MLF champion, competing as three-man teams across four events for more than $700,000 in cash payouts.

“After a successful transition from the extremely popular MLF Cup events in 2022, it was exciting to watch our Bass Pro Tour anglers work together again and strategize to create their winning lineups,” said Kathy Fennel, Executive Vice President and General Manager of MLF. “We look forward to another round of exciting programming again this fall.”

2023 General Tire Team Series Draft Results:

CAPTAIN: Josh Bertrand, TEAMMATES: Edwin Evers and Marty Robinson
CAPTAIN: Greg Vinson, TEAMMATES: Bradley Roy and David Dudley
CAPTAIN: Chris Lane, TEAMMATES: Jared Lintner and John Hunter
CAPTAIN: Wesley Strader, TEAMMATES: Scott Suggs and Matt Becker
CAPTAIN: Todd Faircloth, TEAMMATES: Jeff Sprague and Jeff Kriet
CAPTAIN: Ott DeFoe, TEAMMATES: Andy Montgomery and Brandon Coulter
CAPTAIN: Stephen Browning, TEAMMATES: Anthony Gagliardi and Keith Poche
CAPTAIN: Casey Ashley, TEAMMATES: Terry Scroggins and Jacob Wall
CAPTAIN: Jonathon VanDam, TEAMMATES: James Elam and Matt Lee
CAPTAIN: Bryan Thrift, TEAMMATES: Luke Clausen and Josh Butler
CAPTAIN: Brent Ehrler, TEAMMATES: Brett Hite and John Murray
CAPTAIN: Alton Jones Jr., TEAMMATES: Nick LeBrun and Britt Myers
CAPTAIN: Randall Tharp, TEAMMATES: Gerald Spohrer and Russ Lane
CAPTAIN: Jeremy Lawyer, TEAMMATES: Cody Meyer and Shin Fukae
CAPTAIN: Dustin Connell, TEAMMATES: Cole Floyd and Roy Hawk
CAPTAIN: Adrian Avena, TEAMMATES: Spencer Shuffield and Ryan Salzman
CAPTAIN: Andy Morgan, TEAMMATES: Fletcher Shryock and James Watson
CAPTAIN: Michael Neal, TEAMMATES: Takahiro Omori and Dean Rojas
CAPTAIN: Mark Daniels Jr., TEAMMATES: Randy Howell and Cliff Crochet
CAPTAIN: Justin Lucas, TEAMMATES: Skeet Reese and Fred Roumbanis
CAPTAIN: Zack Birge, TEAMMATES: Mark Rose and Cliff Pace
CAPTAIN: Jesse Wiggins, TEAMMATES: Kyle Hall and Gary Klein
CAPTAIN: Kevin VanDam, TEAMMATES: David Walker and Kelly Jordon
CAPTAIN: Dakota Ebare, TEAMMATES: Mitch Crane and Tommy Biffle
CAPTAIN: Alton Jones Sr., TEAMMATES: Brent Chapman and Dave Lefebre
CAPTAIN: Jordan Lee, TEAMMATES: Mark Davis and Timmy Horton

CAPTAIN: Jacob Wheeler, TEAMMATES: Dylan Hays and Boyd Duckett

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the MLF General Tire Team Series events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, the Discovery Channel, the Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, the World Fishing Network and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.

Tennessee’s Hatfield Hammers 20-Pound, 11-Ounce Final-Day Limit to Win MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational T-H Marine Stop 5 at the Potomac River

June 20, 2023 No Comments

MARBURY, Md. (June 19, 2023) – Pro Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tennessee, caught a five-bass limit Monday weighing 20 pounds, 11 ounces – the largest limit weighed throughout the three-day tournament – to win the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational T-H Marine Stop 5 at the Potomac River . Hatfield’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 53 pounds, 12 ounces, earned him the win by a 5-pound, 3-ounce margin over Bass Pro Tour angler Cody Meyer of Star, Idaho, who finished second with a three day total of 15 bass weighing 48-9, good for the $50,000 runner-up payout.

After a Polaris Rookie of the Year win in 2021 on the Pro Circuit, Hatfield signed on to the new-look Invitationals for another go-round. After finishing 101st at Lake of the Ozarks in May, it looked like his Bass Pro Tour dreams may have gone by the wayside; but winning the Potomac vaulted him back into the Top 10 in points and may prove to be a key moment in a long career.

Starting the day in second behind Martin Villa, Hatfield knew he was close to a win. Still, the Top 10 was about as stacked as can be on the Potomac, and he also knew he needed to do more than just hold serve.

“Today I decided to scrap where I’ve been starting because it sucked yesterday,” Hatfield said. “I didn’t want to try to go in there and scrap out 14 or 15 pounds, I wanted to go for the win.”

So, he rolled into Chicamuxen Creek and started fishing in a recently opened spawning sanctuary.

“I knew it hadn’t had the pressure; I didn’t know if I could catch them in there, but I figured it hadn’t had the pressure like everywhere else,” Hatfield said. “So, I went in there and started catching them pretty quick. I got in a few areas there and caught them on a bunch of different things, but there was one little area in there that was a bream bed, and most of the big ones I caught, I caught off of it. When it went down it was pretty crazy.”

After catching a few swimming a jig and frogging in a marshy creek, Hatfield pulled out a popper as he roamed around. Things happened in a hurry after that.

“I stumbled into it as I was fishing, just going down the bank,” he said. “I threw a popper up close to the point, and one engulfed it. I kept throwing over there, and upon further inspection, after I caught some, I saw it was a bream bed. So, I actually went back to it later in the day and caught another 4-pounder off of it.”

Running bream beds has gotten a bit trendy recently, and the Top 10 definitely added them into the mix with the usual Potomac staples. For Hatfield, a big patch of spawning bluegill in Quantico Creek did a lot of the heavy lifting.
“I saw the one in Quantico the second day of practice and I saw there were a bunch of big ones swimming on it and it was easy to get bites,” Hatfield said. “I never found another one until today.

“I’d say out of 15 bass I weighed, maybe four or five came off something else,” he said. “Swimming a jig, a frog, ChatterBait, something like that. It was all on bream beds, basically.”

For his bream beds, Hatfield’s primary weapon was a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senko with a No. 1 Hayabusa WRM. He also mixed in a 3/8-ounce Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait JackHammer, a 3/8-ounce Hayabusa Lil’ Schmitty Swim Jig , a popping frog and a bone Lobina Rio Rico. He used Doomsday rods for all of his techniques, opting for a 7-foot, medium-heavy model for the wacky rig.

“I’ve wanted to win one of these, I’ve tried hard,” Hatfield went on to say. “I knew that I could do it, and today just shows that I can. I can’t wait for the next one, I’m ready to go right now.”

The top 50 pros at the T-H Marine Stop 5 at the Potomac River finished:

1st:        Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-12, $117,500 (includes $35,000 Phoenix Bonus)
2nd:       Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, 15 bass, 48-9, $50,000
3rd:       Eric Panzironi, Longwood, Fla., 15 bass, 48-8, $20,000
4th:        Wyatt Frankens, Corrigan, Texas, 15 bass, 46-9, $18,000
5th:        Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 15 bass, 46-8, $17,000
6th:        Blake Hall, Rogersville, Ala., 15 bass, 46-1, $17,000
7th:        Andrew Loberg, Rocklin, Calif., 15 bass, 46-0, $15,000
8th:        Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 45-13, $14,000
9th:        Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 15 bass, 45-12, $13,000
10th:     Kyle Weisenburger, Columbus Grove, Ohio, 15 bass, 44-11, $12,000
11th:     Pete Ponds, Madison, Miss., 15 bass, 44-8, $10,000
12th:     Jim Moynagh, Shakopee, Minn., 15 bass, 44-5, $10,000
13th:     Jordan Collom, Canyon Lake, Calif., 15 bass, 44-4, $10,000
14th:     Troy Stokes, Trenton, Mich., 15 bass, 44-1, $10,000
15th:     Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 43-13, $10,000
16th:     Cody Spetz, Hollister, Mo., 15 bass, 43-12, $10,000
17th:     Flint Davis, Leesburg, Ga., 15 bass, 43-11, $10,000
18th:     Hunter Eubanks, Inman, S.C., 15 bass, 43-11, $10,000
19th:     Cole Hewett, Orange Park, Fla., 15 bass, 43-10, $10,000
20th:     Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 43-9, $10,000
21st:      David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 15 bass, 43-7, $10,000
22nd:    Jeremy Southerly, Fulks Run, Va., 15 bass, 43-6, $10,000
23rd:     Robert Nakatomi, Sacramento, Calif., 15 bass, 42-14, $10,000
24th:     Jason Vance, Battle Ground, Ind., 15 bass, 42-13, $10,000
25th:     Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 42-11, $10,000
26th:     Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 15 bass, 42-7, $10,000
27th:     Charlie Reed Jr., Gloucester, Va., 15 bass, 42-5, $10,000
28th:     Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 15 bass, 42-4, $10,000
29th:     Wayne Vaughan, Chester, Va., 15 bass, 42-3, $10,000
30th:     Mike McClelland, Blue Eye, Mo., 15 bass, 42-2, $10,000
31st:      Blake Felix, Warsaw, Mo., 15 bass, 42-1, $8,000
32nd:    Cody Pike, Powhatan, Va., 15 bass, 42-1, $8,000
33rd:     Michael Catt, Jacksonville, Fla., 15 bass, 41-14, $8,000
34th:     Tyler Stewart, Dubach, La., 15 bass, 41-14, $8,000
35th:     Christian Greico, Tampa, Fla., 15 bass, 41-13, $8,000
36th:     Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 15 bass, 41-11, $8,000
37th:     Joe Wieberg, Freeburg, Mo., 15 bass, 41-9, $8,000
38th:     Matt Greenblatt, Port Saint Lucie, Fla., 15 bass, 41-4, $8,000
39th:     John Duarte, Middle River, Md., 15 bass, 41-2, $8,000
40th:     Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 15 bass, 40-15, $8,000
41st:      Braxton Setzer, Wetumpka, Ala., 15 bass, 40-15, $8,000
42nd:    Ramie Colson Jr., Cadiz, Ky., 15 bass, 40-10, $8,000
43rd:     Terry Olinger, Louisa, Va., 15 bass, 40-9, $8,000
44th:     Eddie Carper, Valliant, Okla., 14 bass, 39-11, $8,000
45th:     Travis Harriman, Huntsville, Ark., 15 bass, 39-4, $8,000
46th:     Austin Culbertson, Moberly, Mo., 14 bass, 39-2, $8,000
47th:     Jack Daniel Williams, Kingsport, Tenn., 15 bass, 38-4, $8,000
48th:     Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 15 bass, 37-7, $8,000
49th:     Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 15 bass, 36-15, $8,000
50th:     Kyle Minke, Lindstrom, Minn., 14 bass, 36-12, $8,000

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

Overall, there were 247 bass weighing 663 pounds, 3 ounces caught by the 50 pros Monday. The catch included 47 five-bass limits.

The three-day tournament was hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and featured a roster of 150 pro anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2024. The next Tackle Warehouse Invitational event will take place July 25-27 at the Tackle Warehouse Invitational at the Mississippi River Presented by Mercury in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

In MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Saturday and Sunday in a traditional five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advanced to the final round on Championship Monday, where they competed for the grand prize of up to $115,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers. The winner of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational T-H Marine Stop 5 at the Potomac River was determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will now receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2024.

The season-long Invitational Bally Bet Angler of the Year (AOY) will also earn a berth into REDCREST and the Top 8 anglers in the season-long Invitational AOY point standings will qualify for the 2024 Bass Pro Tour. After four events in the six-event Qualifying Circuit, pro Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan, leads the AOY race with 953 points. Charlottesville, Virginia, pro Martin Villa sits in second place with 929 points, while Keith Carson of DeBary, Florida, is in third with 911 points. Pro Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, is in fourth place with 905 points, while Junction City, Wisconsin’s Matthew Stefan rounds out the top five with 874 points.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational T-H Marine Stop 5 at the Potomac River will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the CBS Sports Network on Saturday, October 28.

Major League Fishing’s General Tire Team Series to Premiere Saturday on Outdoor Channel

December 29, 2022 No Comments

Lucas Oil Qualifier Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches to Kick Off First Season of Major League Fishing’s General Tire Team Series on Outdoor Channel, New Episodes Premiere Every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET

BENTON, Ky. (Dec. 29, 2022) – The first season of Major League Fishing’s (MLF) General Tire Team Series is set to premiere this Saturday, Dec. 31, at 2 p.m. ET, with a two-hour episode on the Outdoor Channel – Match No. 1 of the Lucas Oil Qualifier Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches. The event was filmed this fall in Alexandria, Minnesota.

The General Tire Team Series showcases the superstars from the Bass Pro Tour competing as teams across four events for hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash payouts. Each episode will feature nine MLF anglers competing as three, three-man teams.

The anglers on each team wear wireless earpieces, which provide constant communication with their teammates. This communication allows each team to work together and strategize in real time on the water, shifting baits, techniques and areas as needed.

Each Qualifier is broken down into three matches. Saturday’s two-hour premiere will feature three teams visiting the Le Homme Dieu Chain of Lakes in Alexandria, Minnesota. The anglers do not learn where they are competing until they arrive to the launch ramp each morning of competition.

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The complete premiere schedule for the 2023 General Tire Team Series on the Outdoor Channel is:

– Dec. 31 Lucas Oil Qualifier Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches: Match 1 – Day 1 (Alexandria, Minn.)

– Jan. 7 Lucas Oil Qualifier Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches: Match 1 – Day 2 (Alexandria, Minn.)

– Jan. 14 Lucas Oil Qualifier Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches: Match 2 – Day 1 (Alexandria, Minn.)

– Jan. 21 Lucas Oil Qualifier Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches: Match 2 – Day 2 (Alexandria, Minn.)

– Jan. 28 Lucas Oil Qualifier Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches: Match 3 – Day 1 (Alexandria, Minn.)

– Feb. 4 Lucas Oil Qualifier Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches: Match 3 – Day 2 (Alexandria, Minn.)

– Feb. 11 Costa Qualifier Presented by Toyota: Match 1 – Day 1 (Stockton Lake, Mo.)

– Feb. 18 Costa Qualifier Presented by Toyota: Match 1 – Day 2 (Stockton Lake, Mo.)

– Feb. 25 Costa Qualifier Presented by Toyota: Match 2 – Day 1 (Stockton Lake, Mo.)

– March 4 Costa Qualifier Presented by Toyota: Match 2 – Day 2 (Stockton Lake, Mo.)

– March 11 Costa Qualifier Presented by Toyota: Match 3 – Day 1 (Stockton Lake, Mo.)

– March 18 Costa Qualifier Presented by Toyota: Match 3 – Day 2 (Stockton Lake, Mo.)

– March 25 Builders FirstSource Qualifier Presented by Berkley: Match 1 – Day 1 (College Station, Texas)

– March 31 Builders FirstSource Qualifier Presented by Berkley: Match 1 – Day 2 (College Station, Texas)

– April 8 Builders FirstSource Qualifier Presented by Berkley: Match 2 – Day 1 (College Station, Texas)

– April 15 Builders FirstSource Qualifier Presented by Berkley: Match 2 – Day 2 (College Station, Texas)

– April 22 Builders FirstSource Qualifier Presented by Berkley: Match 3 – Day 1 (College Station, Texas)

– April 29 Builders FirstSource Qualifier Presented by Berkley: Match 3 – Day 2 (College Station, Texas)

– May 6 Bass Pro Shops Championship Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches: Match 1 – Day 1 (Lake County, Fla.)

– May 13 Bass Pro Shops Championship Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches: Match 1 – Day 2 (Lake County, Fla.)

– May 20 Bass Pro Shops Championship Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches: Match 2 – Day 1 (Lake County, Fla.)

– May 27 Bass Pro Shops Championship Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches: Match 2 – Day 2 (Lake County, Fla.)

– June 3 Bass Pro Shops Championship Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches: Match 3 – Day 1 (Lake County, Fla.)

– June 10 Bass Pro Shops Championship Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches: Match 3 – Day 2 (Lake County, Fla.)

– June 17 Bass Pro Shops Championship Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches: Championship Final (Lake County, Fla.)

The winning three-man team in the General Tire Team Series Championship will claim the $300,000 top prize. The second-place team will earn $60,000, and the third-place team will win $30,000. Teams 4-9 in the championship will each earn a $15,000 prize. All anglers receive $3,000 for participating in the no-entry fee qualifying events.

Proud sponsors of the MLF General Tire Team Series include: B&W Hitches, Barbasol, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Builders FirstSource, C-MAP, Crockett Creek Beef Jerky, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Ferguson, General Tire, Knighten Industries, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Optima Batteries, Phoenix Boats, Power-Pole, Rapala Baits, Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff, Star brite, T-H Marine, Toyota, USAA, and YETI.

For complete details and updated information on the General Tire Team Series visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Major League Fishing

Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, the Discovery Channel, the Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, the World Fishing Network, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement, and fish care.

Major League Fishing – WE ARE Bass Fishing™

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Major League Fishing Announces Formation of New Qualifying Series – the MLF Invitationals

September 13, 2022 No Comments

TULSA, Okla. (Sept. 13, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today the formation of a new qualifying series that will launch in Spring of 2023 – the MLF Invitationals. The Invitationals will feature six events in 2023 and serve as the sole qualifying circuit into the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

The MLF Invitationals will feature a 150-angler field, competing over three days in a five-fish, weigh-in format. All 150 anglers will compete over the first two days of competition, with the top 50 anglers advancing to the third and final day. The winner of each Invitational will be determined by heaviest three-day cumulative weight. Each event will feature a total purse of more than $650,000, with the winner receiving a top payout of up to $115,000 and automatic qualification into MLF’s REDCREST, the Bass Pro Tour Championship that awards the sport’s top prize of $300,000.

MLF Invitationals will feature a $5,000 per tournament entry fee with payouts to the top 50 anglers that place it among the top three circuits in the nation along with providing a qualifying path to the Bass Pro Tour in only six events.

“MLF is committed to offering a wide selection of tournament opportunities to anglers of all skill levels – from our high school and college anglers all the way to our pros who compete on the Bass Pro Tour,” said Kathy Fennel, MLF Executive Vice President and General Manager. “The MLF Invitationals are a new qualifying series geared toward the best interests of anglers and the sport. We believe the Invitationals will be a valuable and efficient option for anglers seeking to compete in high-level five-fish-limit tournaments with an opportunity to qualify for REDCREST, while also providing a pathway for anglers that aspire to compete at the sport’s highest level on the Bass Pro Tour.”

In addition to the six “Win and You’re In” Invitational REDCREST qualifications, the season-long Invitational Angler of the Year (AOY) will also earn a berth into REDCREST for a total of seven REDCREST qualification opportunities. The top eight anglers in the season-long Invitational AOY point standings will qualify for the 2024 Bass Pro Tour.

The MLF Invitationals will replace the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit. Every angler who would have qualified to compete in the 2023 Pro Circuit will receive the first invitations to register for the new MLF Invitationals. The balance of the 150-boat field will be filled by professional anglers from the Bass Pro Tour and 2022 Pro Circuit and Toyota Series anglers who missed initial qualification. All qualified anglers may compete in any number of Invitational events. There will be no co-anglers in the MLF Invitationals.

Every day of competition will be broadcast live on MLF NOW!® and streamed to the Major League Fishing app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), and at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Each event will also air on CBS Sports Network, with 13 consecutive weeks of 2-hour shows scheduled in 2023.

Full schedules and locations for all 2023 MLF circuits will be revealed next week.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing, the MLF Invitationals and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, the Discovery Channel, the Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, the World Fishing Network, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. In 2019, MLF expanded its portfolio of catch, weigh, and immediately release events to include the sport’s strongest five-biggest-fish format tournament circuits. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement, and fish care.

Major League Fishing – WE ARE Bass Fishing™

Josh Bertrand Leads Early After Day 1 & Alton Jones Sr. Out Front Early for Group B at Bass Pro Tour Bally Bet Stage Seven at Mille Lacs Lake Presented by Minn Kota

September 11, 2022 No Comments

Arizona Pro Weighs 27 Bass Totaling 86 Pounds, 13 Ounces to Lead Early for Group A – Group B to Start Competition Sunday

ONAMIA, Minn. (Sept. 10, 2022) – Berkley pro Josh Bertrand of Queen Creek, Arizona, caught 27 scorable smallmouth bass weighing 86 pounds, 13 ounces, to grab the early lead after Day 1 of the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Bally Bet Stage Seven at Mille Lacs Lake Presented by Minn Kota. Right behind Bertrand in second place is Hot Springs, Arkansas’ Stephen Browning, who caught 20 scorable bass weighing 84-13. The duo traded the lead back and forth multiple times throughout the third period, with Bertrand ending on top by the narrow 2-pound margin as time expired.

It’s seems to be a two-horse race in Group A, as Bertrand and Browning have a substantial 30-pound lead on the rest of the field. Weights are fairly stacked up in the remainder of the top 10. Pro Matt Lee of Cullman, Alabama, ended the day in third place with 15 bass totaling 53-11. Ardmore, Oklahoma’s Jeff Kriet caught 13 bass weighing 50-5 to end the day in fourth, while Berkley pro Jordan Lee of Cullman, Alabama , rounds out the top five with 15 bass weighing 46-11.

The 40 anglers in Group A will now have an off day from competition on Sunday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group B will begin their first day of competition. Group A will resume competition on Monday.

“It was a great first day – I caught a bunch of fish, and a lot of really good quality ones,” Bertrand said. “I caught them multiple different ways. This morning I caught them cranking and throwing a Carolina rig – they were really biting the reaction baits early. Then this afternoon it slicked off and I ended up catching them on a drop-shot rig, using a Berkley (PowerBait) MaxScent Hit Worm.

“The forecast is calling for really calm conditions for the next few days, but it’s supposed to get nasty again in our Knockout Round on Wednesday. So, I’m really going to try hard to win this Qualifying Round and advance straight to Championship Thursday – I do not want to be out here when it’s nasty,” Bertrand went on to say. “We’ve got a lot of fishing still ahead of us, but I’m thankful to be off to a really good start.”

The top 20 pros in Group A after Day 1 on Mille Lacs Lake are:

1^st:          Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., 27 bass, 86-13
2^nd:         Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 20 bass, 84-13
3^rd:         Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., 15 bass, 53-11
4^th:         Jeff Kriet, Ardmore, Okla., 13 bass, 50-5
5^th:         Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., 15 bass, 46-11
6^th:         Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 13 bass, 43-14
7^th:         Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., 12 bass, 43-14
8^th:         Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 14 bass, 42-12
9^th:         Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 11 bass, 41-9
10^th:       Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., 11 bass, 41-2
11^th:       Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 11 bass, 38-8
12^th:       David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 11 bass, 37-10
13^th:       Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 10 bass, 34-7
14^th:       Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., nine bass, 34-6
15^th:       Mike McClelland, Blue Eye, Mo., nine bass, 34-1
16^th:       Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 10 bass, 33-10
17^th:       Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., 16 bass, 33-6
18^th:       Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 32-4
19^th:       Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., 11 bass, 31-11
20^th:       Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, eight bass, 31-5

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

Overall, there were 396 scorable bass weighing 1,339 pounds, 2 ounces caught by the 40 pros Saturday.

Browning caught the biggest fish of the day, a chunky 5-pound, 8-ounce smallmouth bass during Period 1 to earn the first $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award of the event. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

Texas Pro Catches 25 Scorable Smallmouth Weighing 92 Pounds, 13 Ounces to Lead Group B Qualifying Round By 27 Pounds after Day 1, Group A to Wrap Up Their Qualifying Round Monday

ONAMIA, Minn. (Sept. 11, 2022) – Although widely regarded as a shallow-water, sight-fishing expert, Texas pro Alton Jones, Sr., demonstrated Sunday that he also knows a thing or two about catching northern smallmouth as well. The Lorena, Texas, pro caught 25 scorable smallmouth bass Sunday weighing 92 pounds, 13 ounces, to pace the field by 27 pounds after Day 1 for Group B at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Bally Bet Stage Seven at Mille Lacs Lake Presented by Minn Kota.

Jones will bring a comfortable lead over second-place, Googan Baits pro Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama, into Tuesday’s second day of competition in the Qualifying Round for Group B. Connell landed 17 scoreable bass – all smallmouth – weighing 65-13, while Bally Bet Angler of the Year (AOY) leader pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, rounds out the top three with 17 scorable bass weighing 58-13 to end the day in third place.

The 40 anglers in Group B will now have a day off on Monday, while the 40 anglers from Group A will wrap up their two-day Qualifying Round. Group B will finish their Qualifying Round on Tuesday.

“It’s humbling when you have a day like this,” Jones said in his post-game interview. “It was a great day – better than the other 39 guys today, and better than everyone that was on the water yesterday, too. So, I’m very pleased, and very thankful.

“I had a good practice, but that doesn’t always translate into a good tournament. This week it has, so far,” Jones continued. “I was able to move around to a lot of different places today and get bit, so I’m feeling really good with how my day went.”

With a 27-pound lead heading into the second day of Qualifying Round competition, Jones is already eyeing the automatic qualification to the Championship Round.

“I think I’ve got a strong enough lead that I can really try to go for it and win the round on Tuesday,” Jones went on to say. “The negative part is that if you go for it and someone passes you and you don’t win the round, you end up burning a lot of fish that you’ll need in the Knockout Round. We’ll see. If someone catches up real quick Tuesday and passes me and I’m struggling, I’ll back off and just start practicing. There is so much strategy that goes into this game. We’ll see how it goes.”

The top 20 pros in Group B after Day 1 on Mille Lacs Lake are:

1^st:          Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, 25 bass, 92-13
2^nd:         Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 17 bass, 65-13
3^rd:         Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 17 bass, 58-13
4^th:         Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 16 bass, 57-4
5^th:         Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 15 bass, 53-4
6^th:         Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss., 14 bass, 52-2
7^th:         Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, 15 bass, 47-13
8^th:         Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 14 bass, 46-11
9^th:         Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., 16 bass, 46-7
10^th:       James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 13 bass, 45-11
11^th:       Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 13 bass, 43-6
12^th:       Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 12 bass, 42-12
13^th:       Shin Fukae, Osaka, Japan, 14 bass, 42-7
14^th:       Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., 11 bass, 41-3
15^th:       Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 12 bass, 39-12
16^th:       Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 12 bass, 39-8
17^th:       Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 12 bass, 35-5
18^th:       Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 11 bass, 33-15
19^th:       Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., 11 bass, 33-8
20^th:       Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-13

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

Overall, there were 382 scorable bass weighing 1,291 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 39 pros Sunday. Pro Keith Poche of Pike Road, Alabama, did not compete due to illness.

Pros Cliff Pace and Gerald Spohrer tied for Sunday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award for the largest bass of the day – each caught a smallmouth weighing 5 pounds, 10 ounces. Pace caught his 5-10 on a Ned rig during Period 1, while Spohrer’s 5-10 came on a medium-diving crankbait, also during Period 1. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

The six-day tournament, hosted by the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, showcases 80 of the best professional anglers in the world competing for a purse of more than $805,000, including a top payout of $100,000 to the winner. The tournament is livestreamed each day at MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MOTV app, and also filmed for television broadcast later this fall on the Discovery Channel.

The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 38 anglers compete to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. CT from Eddy’s Resort, located at 41334 Shakopee Lake Road in Onamia. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the Resort, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

On Championship Thursday, Sept. 15, from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF will host a Celebration Event for fans of all ages, inviting fans to come out and celebrate with the professional anglers from the Bass Pro Tour as they crown the champion of the Bally Bet Stage Seven on Mille Lacs Lake Presented by Minn Kota. The first 50 youth anglers 10 and under in attendance will receive a free Pure Fishing Shakespeare Kid’s Rod and Reel combo. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, and take selfies.

The Bally Bet Stage Seven on Mille Lacs Lake Presented by Minn Kota features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST IV, the Bass Pro Tour championship, which will be held next March on Lake Norman in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Television coverage of the Bally Bet Stage Seven on Mille Lacs Lake Presented by Minn Kota will premiere as a two-hour episode at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Nov. 19 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of tournament competition.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Covercraft, Favorite Fishing, Garmin, General Tire, Googan Baits, Grundéns, Guaranteed Rate, Humminbird, Lowrance, Luminox, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Nitro Performance Boats, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Power Stop, Rapala, Starbrite, Toro, Toyota, Wrangler, Yellowstone Bourbon and Zoom.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Charlotte, Lake Norman Selected to Host Major League Fishing’s REDCREST IV, the World Championship of Pro Bass Fishing

July 13, 2022 No Comments

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (July 13, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF)’s REDCREST, the world championship of professional bass fishing, is heading to the Queen City.

MLF, in conjunction with the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA), Visit Lake Norman and the Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation Department , announced today that Lake Norman and Charlotte, North Carolina, have been named the location and hosts of REDCREST IV, the Bass Pro Tour championship event, and the MLF Outdoor Sports Expo, March 10-12, 2023.

REDCREST IV will showcase the top 40 anglers from the 2022 Bass Pro Tour season competing for the REDCREST Championship trophy and the top prize of $300,000. Previous winners of the prestigious event include Bobby Lane (2022), Dustin Connell (2021) and Edwin Evers (2019).

In addition to the tournament and the international media coverage it receives, the MLF Outdoor Sports Expo featuring hundreds of exhibitors and activities will be held at The Park Expo & Conference Center in Charlotte. Fishing and outdoor enthusiasts will have the opportunity to visit booths and vendors showcasing the latest and greatest in fishing, boating, hunting, camping and more. The biggest names in the outdoor industry will be on hand, including all 80 Bass Pro Tour anglers. Visitors from around the globe will not only watch the world’s best bass-fishing action, but they’ll also receive great deals on everything from crankbaits to rods and reels to bass boats at the outdoor show.

As Charlotte’s hospitality industry continues to see strong recovery, we are ecstatic to welcome Major League Fishing’s REDCREST IV championship next year,” said Tom Murray, Chief Executive Officer of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. “Charlotte offers a diverse mix of experiential activities for travelers and locals alike including thrilling outdoor adventures. We look forward to welcoming MLF fans and outdoor enthusiasts to the Queen City.”

“Following an exciting and successful REDCREST in Tulsa, we’re thrilled to announce that we’re bringing REDCREST IV to Charlotte. The city has a passionate outdoor community and offers numerous locations and facilities that will enable us to build the tournament and outdoor show in unique ways,” said Michael Mulone, MLF Vice President of Strategic Business Planning. “We are excited to work with the CRVA, Visit Lake Norman and the Mecklenburg Park and Recreation Department to deliver a memorable celebration of fishing and the outdoors to our fans and outdoor enthusiasts.”

Although Lake Norman has played host to dozens of MLF (and former FLW) tournaments over the years, this event will mark the first time that the MLF Bass Pro Tour will visit Lake Norman. The majority of MLF experience is limited to some Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournaments, a handful of Toyota Series events and five Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit events – the last in 2016. This tournament will feature the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard.

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“REDCREST IV is the most prestigious fishing event Lake Norman has ever hosted, and we very much appreciate the partnership with MLF, and formerly FLW, in hosting their events over the last couple of decades. Also, we could never host this type of event without our continued partnerships with the CRVA and Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation. We are thrilled to partner in making sure this is the best REDCREST yet,” said Sally Ashworth, Executive Director of Visit Lake Norman.

Each day of competition will be livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app. Television coverage of REDCREST IV will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering next summer on the Discovery Channel. A one-hour special episode, MLF REDCREST IV, is also scheduled to air next summer on CBS.

Proud sponsors of the MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, BallyBet, Bass Cat, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Covercraft, Favorite Fishing, Garmin, General Tire, Googan Baits, Grundéns, Guaranteed Rate, Humminbird, Lowrance, Luminox, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Nitro Performance Boats, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Power Stop, Rapala, Starbrite, Toro, Toyota, Wrangler, Yellowstone Bourbon and Zoom.

HOTTEST NEW LURES FOR 2020

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, the Discovery Channel, the Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, the World Fishing Network, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. In 2019, MLF expanded its portfolio of catch, weigh, and immediately release events to include the sport’s strongest five-biggest-fish format tournament circuits. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.

Major League Fishing – WE ARE Bass Fishing™

Country Music Artist Clayton Anderson to Headline Free Concert Presented by Ugly Stik at REDCREST 2022 Outdoor Sports Expo in Tulsa

March 13, 2022 No Comments

TULSA, Okla. – Country music star Clayton Anderson (Visionary Media Group) will perform a free concert on the Mossy Oak Music stage at the SageNet Center at Expo Square in Tulsa on Sunday, March 27, beginning at 4 p.m. before the world’s premier bass anglers return from Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees to crown the REDCREST 2022 Champion – professional bass fishing’s world championship. Fans of all ages are encouraged to attend the free concert which is presented by Ugly Stik.

Anderson’s latest hit: “Show Me Your Fish” resonates with anglers of all ages and included mention of the iconic fishing brand Ugly Stik throughout the song. The summertime anthem, which had its World Premiere on Country Music Television (CMT) earlier this week, is sure to be heard blasting from boats and trucks across the country this year as he encourages fishermen and women of all ages to break out their Ugly Stiks and show off their best catch.

“I’m so pumped to be headlining REDCREST this year. Country music and fishin’, what goes together better than that,” said Anderson. “And it couldn’t be better timing with the release of ‘Show Me Your Fish’. As a little kid floating the East Fork of the White River, if you told me this would be happening, I’d never believed ya. Really looking forward to grabbing an Ugly Stik, getting out there and hanging with the pros, amateurs, and all the fishin’ fans. Gonna be a heckuva time.”

A country singer-songwriter with a midwestern rock flair, Anderson grew up on the lakes of Southern Indiana — fishing, boating, and playing his guitar. As a student at Indiana University, he kicked off his music career, building a grassroots fan following playing local bars and parties. In 2008, he walked onstage at Kenny Chesney’s Next Big Star Battle in Cincinnati and walked off as the winner. He released his debut album, Torn Jeans & Tailgates, in 2011, followed by Right Where I Belong (2014) and Only to Borrow (2016). Pre-COVID, he toured nonstop, opening for Eric Church, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Jimmy Buffett, Thomas Rhett, Lee Brice, and Carly Pearce.

During the pandemic, Anderson got creative, going virtual and diving back into his roots on the water with a lineup of Lake Tour concerts. To kick off 2022, Anderson released two brand new singles: “Nothin’ But Net” (produced by Grammy-winning Dave Audé and as heard on ESPN for College Basketball Season) and “Get After It” (produced by Nash Overstreet), a song that celebrates hard work and getting the job done. Stay tuned for much more to come from Clayton in 2022.

Anderson’s appearance at REDCREST 2022 is presented by Ugly Stik. The brand will also be hosting a meet and greet with Anderson at the Berkley booth during the expo and hand out Ugly Stik giveaways to fishing fans who watch his appearance on the Mossy Oak Music Stage. More information on Anderson’s appearance can be found by following Ugly Stik on Facebook and Instagram.

Hosted by VisitTulsa, REDCREST 2022 Presented by Costa will take place March 23-27, 2022, with competition set for Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, and the REDCREST Outdoor Sports Expo Presented by Costa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event will showcase the top 41 Bass Pro Tour anglers from the 2021 season competing for the prestigious REDCREST Championship and the top prize of $300,000.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing, its tournaments, and sponsors, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.Follow Clayton on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube.

About Clayton Anderson’s Partner, Visionary Media Group

Visionary Media Group is a homegrown, Nashville-based Music, Film, Media and Technology company. Our mission is to illuminate purpose-driven stories through a new end-to-end storytelling paradigm. Visionary employs world-class talent and state-of-the-art technology to Empower Creators, Enhance Content, Engage Community, and Amplify Storytelling. We invite you to join us in an exciting new journey to empower artists and fans to reimagine authentic connections and rekindle a shared sense of purpose as we launch our interactive storytelling platform, Evernova.

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Kentucky’s Bradley Roy Earns First Career MLF Bass Pro Tour Win at B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole

February 11, 2022 No Comments

MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (Feb. 10, 2022) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole in Monroe-West Monroe, Louisiana, won’t necessarily be remembered for the number of fish caught, but it will go down in the history books for the size of the fish caught.

In an incredible day of fishing on Bussey Brake, the final 10 Bass Pro Tour anglers caught 31 scorable bass weighing 163 pounds, 2 ounces – an average weight of 5 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch included three 7-pounders, one 8-pounder, two 9-pounders and one 12-pounder, a remarkable day that had the professional bass fishing world buzzing.

After the final fish had hit the SCORETRACKER™ leaderboard Thursday evening, it was Covercraft pro Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Kentucky, whose name remained at the top. Roy weighed in five bass totaling 26 pounds, 2 ounces, enough to hold off a hard-charging Alton Jones of Lorena, Texas, by a 1-pound, 3-ounce margin.

“Man, this has been a long time coming. God gets all the glory for this one, because I tried every way in the world to mess this one up,” Roy said in his post-game interview. “The third period for me was miserable. I just felt like I was taking blow after blow. Randy (Howell) catches a 12. Jordan Lee was coming – I knew he wouldn’t quit. Then Alton (Jones) – I could see him. I could see (Bryan) Thrift. They were all catching them, and I couldn’t get a bite.

“SCORETRACKER is bad when you’re around the cut, but it was another level this afternoon,” Roy continued. “I just kept looking down at the clock and listening to my official. Every time he’d clear his throat and get ready to speak again my heart would just drop. I’m just so grateful that I had enough weight. To come out on top is pretty special.”

Roy spent the day flipping bushes and isolated pieces of structure with a beaver-style bait, using a 7-foot, 6-inch Ark Essence Series flipping stick with a 7:1 gear ratio reel, spooled with 22-pound Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon line and a 3/8-ounce Ark tungsten weight.

“I think the baby pattern must be the deal,” Roy said, of his new son Lucas who was just born in August. “Everyone always says – you have a new baby, and you win a tournament. Well, we just had Lucas, and now I win. I think there might be something to that.”

For the second consecutive day, pro Randy Howell of Guntersville, For the second consecutive day, pro Randy Howell of Guntersville, Alabama , broke the Bass Pro Tour record for heaviest bass ever weighed in during competition. After earning Wednesday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award for his then record-setting 10-pound, 11-ounce giant from Caney Creek, Howell backed it up on Thursday with a new record-setting 12-pound, 14-ounce lunker – a new Bass Pro Tour record and a new lake record for Bussey Brake. Howell also won Thursday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award and earned the $3,000 Berkley Big Bass award for the overall largest bass of the event.

“Overall, I didn’t catch many bass this week, but I made it all the way to sixth place,” Howell said. “It just goes to show you that one flip, one cast can change your whole life. Never give up, fish to the last minute and good things will happen.

“I never really found what I know this lake is capable of, but we ended up a lot better than how we started today,” Howell continued. “Towards the end of the day I was flipping the old (Yamamoto) Senko – and the big one bit. It was a black and blue Senko, with a red Bass Pro XPS tungsten weight – I think the red gives it a little flash – and I threw it on a 7-foot, 6-inch Daiwa Ish Monroe Flipping Stick with a 8:1 Daiwa Tatula reel and 22-pound Daiwa Fluorocarbon line.”

The top 10 pros at the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole finished:

1^st:          Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., five bass, 26-2, $100,000
2^nd:         Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, five bass, 24-15, $45,000
3^rd:         Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 24-9, $38,000
4^th:         Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., four bass, 23-15, $32,000
5^th:         Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, four bass, 18-13, $30,000
6^th:         Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., two bass, 16-3, $26,000
7^th:         Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., three bass, 13-6, $23,000
8^th:         Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., two bass, 11-4, $28,000
9^th:         Shinichi Fukae, Osaka, Japan, one bass, 3-15, $19,000
10^th:       Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., zero bass, $16,000

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

The B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole featured anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement on Lake D’Arbonne, and a 2-pound minimum weight requirement on Caney Creek and Bussey Brake for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole, hosted by Discover Monroe-West Monroe, showcased 80 of the top professional bass-fishing anglers in the world competing over six days for a total purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.

Television coverage of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole will premiere at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 3 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, BallyBet, Bass Cat, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Covercraft, Favorite Fishing, Garmin, General Tire, Googan Baits, Grundéns, Guaranteed Rate, Humminbird, Lowrance, Luminox, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Nitro Performance Boats, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Power Stop, Rapala, Starbrite, Toro, Toyota, Wrangler, Yellowstone Bourbon and Zoom.

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Wheeler and Lee Pace Eight Anglers That Advance From Knockout Round at MLF Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole

February 9, 2022 No Comments

MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (Feb. 9, 2022) – After surviving a tough four-day Qualifying Round on Lake D’Arbonne, the 38 Bass Pro Tour anglers that advanced to Wednesday’s Knockout Round on Caney Creek Reservoir were rewarded with an incredible day of fishing, that included a new record for the all-time heaviest bass weighed in Bass Pro Tour competition.

When time expired at 5 p.m., Academy Sports + Outdoors pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, had tallied “one of the best fishing days of his entire life” – nine bass totaling 43 pounds, 7 ounces – to win the Knockout Round and advance to the final day of competition at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole in Monroe-West Monroe, Louisiana. Wheeler’s closest competitor was Berkley pro Jordan Lee of Cullman, Alabama, who boated six bass – including a pair of 8-pounders – for a total weight of 34 pounds, 10 ounces.

MLF NOW! analyst Marty Stone often likes to say, the best anglers will catch fish and win, no matter the format. His point was well proven, Wednesday, as Wheeler’s best five-fish weight would have been 32 pounds, 5 ounces, and Lee’s best five would have gone for 32 pounds even – magical days by any format.

Guntersville, Alabama’s Randy Howell won the day’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award after he caught the largest bass ever weighed in Bass Pro Tour competition – a 10-pound, 11-ounce giant that bit his lipless crankbait in Period 1. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

The final 10 anglers are now set, and competition will resume Thursday morning with the Championship Round when weights are zeroed, and the angler that catches the most one-day weight will win the top prize of $100,000.

The six-day event, hosted by Discover Monroe-West Monroe, showcases 80 of the top professional bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a total purse of $805,000.

The top eight pros from Wednesday’s Knockout Round that will compete in Thursday’s Championship Round on Bussey Brake are:

1^st:          Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., nine bass, 43-7
2^nd:         Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., six bass, 34-10
3^rd:         Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., six bass, 27-12
4^th:         Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., six bass, 23-0
5^th:         Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., three bass, 18-3
6^th:         Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, five bass, 18-1
7^th:         Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, four bass, 15-6
8^th:         Shinichi Fukae, Osaka, Japan, three bass, 14-9

They’ll be joined by Qualifying Round winners:

Group A: Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala.
Group B: Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga.

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

“What an unbelievable day,” said an excited Wheeler said in his post-game interview. “That was so much fun. As many big ones as I caught – it was definitely the best tournament fishing day I’ve ever had. One of the best fishing days of my entire life.”

Wheeler spent the day throwing a jerkbait, targeting offshore structure – rock, points and brush.

“Multiple different jerkbaits played for me today,” Wheeler said. “It was pretty much Jerkbait Fishing 101. I threw it on a 6-foot, 8-inch medium-action (Duckett) Kelly Jordon Pro Series rod with 12-pound Sufix line.

“I promise that this isn’t the last time that you’ll see me here,” Wheeler went on to say. “I’ll definitely be making a couple of trips back to Caney Lake, this place was unreal.”

Also having a special day on the water was Alabama’s Jordan Lee, who weighed in two fish over 8 pounds and one over 7 pounds.

“Today was just crazy, the size of fish that I caught today,” Lee said. “I only caught six, but they were big. It was an incredible day.

“I caught the first fish on a ½-ounce football jig with a Berkley Chigger Craw, and it was one of those 8s,” Lee said. “From then on, I couldn’t get those fish to bite. I could see them on my Lowrance, so that’s when I went to a little Ned Rig.

“I was cutting a Berkley Hit Worm in half and using that on a spinning rod, and that was pretty much my 1-2 punch out deep.”

Rounding out the top 40 finishers were:

11^th:       Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., four bass, 14-5, $10,000
12^th:       Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., three bass, 12-2, $10,000
13^th:       David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., three bass, 10-13, $10,000
14^th:       Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., three bass, 8-15, $1, $10,000
15^th:       Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., three bass, 7-13, $10,000
16^th:       Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., three bass, 7-12, $10,000
17^th:       Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., two bass, 7-11, $10,000
18^th:       Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., three bass, 7-4, $10,000
19^th:       Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., three bass, 7-1, $10,000
20^th:       Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., two bass, 6-6, $10,000
21^st:       Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., three bass, 6-5, $10,000
22^nd:      Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., two bass, 6-0, $10,000
23^rd:      Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., two bass, 5-15, $10,000
24^th:       Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., two bass, 5-5, $10,000
25^th:       Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., one bass, 5-1, $10,000
26^th:       Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., two bass, 4-14, $10,000
27^th:       Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., one bass, 4-7, $10,000
28^th:       Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., one bass, 3-12, $10,000
29^th:       Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., one bass, 3-11, $10,000
30^th:       James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., one bass, 3-2, $10,000
31^st:       Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, one bass, 2-7, $10,000
32^nd:      Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., one bass, 2-6, $10,000
33^rd:      Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., one bass, 2-5, $10,000
34^th:       Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., one bass, 2-2, $10,000
35^th:       Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, zero bass, $10,000
35^th:       Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., zero bass, $10,000
35^th:       Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., zero bass, $10,000
35^th:       Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., zero bass, $10,000
35^th:       Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., zero bass, $10,000
35^th:       Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., zero bass, $10,000

Overall, there were 91 scorable bass weighing 342 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 32 pros on Wednesday, which included six 7-pounders, two 8-pounders, and one 10-pounder.

The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Lake D’Arbonne Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. After the two-day Qualifying Round, the anglers that finished in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advanced to Wednesday’s Knockout Round on Caney Creek Reservoir, while the winner of each group advanced directly to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round weights are zeroed, and the remaining 38 anglers competed to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round on Bussey Brake. Tomorrow, in the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

The final 10 anglers competing in Thursday’s Championship Round on Bussey Brake will launch from Bonner Ferry Road, five miles northwest of Bastrop off of Hwy 593 at 8:30 a.m. The General Tire Takeout will be held at the launch ramp, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all takeoff and takeout ceremonies and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole features anglers competing in the Championship Round with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement on Bussey Brake for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, BallyBet, Bass Cat, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Covercraft, Favorite Fishing, Garmin, General Tire, Googan Baits, Grundéns, Guaranteed Rate, Humminbird, Lowrance, Luminox, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Nitro Performance Boats, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Power Stop, Rapala, Starbrite, Toro, Toyota, Wrangler, Yellowstone Bourbon and Zoom.

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Lintner Runs Away with Group B Qualifying Round Win at MLF Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole

February 8, 2022 No Comments

MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (Feb. 8, 2022) – Although he didn’t have as quite of good of a day as he did Sunday, pro Jared Lintner of Covington, Georgia, had enough of a cushion that it really was never close. Lintner weighed in a two-day total of 11 scorable bass on Lake D’Arbonne totaling 47 pounds, 5 ounces, to cruise to a Qualifying Round win for Group B at the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole in Monroe-West Monroe, Louisiana, and advance straight into the final-day Championship Round.

Covercraft pro Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Kentucky, caught a two-day total of 11 bass weighing 30-5 to end the round in second place, while Lynchburg, Virginia’s David Dudley, finished the round in third place with a two-day total of 11 bass weighing 29-10. Toro pro Jeff Sprague of Point, Texas , caught 10 bass weighing 26-13 to finish in fourth, while Kalamazoo, Michigan’s Kevin VanDam, the most decorated angler in the sport, advanced to the Knockout Round in fifth place with a two-day total of nine bass weighing 25 pounds even.

The remaining 38 anglers – 19 from each group – now advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round, where weights are zeroed, and the anglers compete to finish in the top eight to advance to the Championship Round on Thursday. The Championship Round will feature Group A winner Mark Daniels Jr., Group B winner Jared Lintner, and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000.

The six-day event, hosted by Discover Monroe-West Monroe, showcases 80 of the top professional bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a total purse of $805,000.

“You can’t win it if you’re not in it, and I am thrilled to know that we are in it,” Lintner said in his post-game interview. “It has been a grind this week – very few bites to be had. When the fishing is tough, you have to go with what you have confidence in and that’s what I have done this week fishing the Bubba Shot.

“It wasn’t a pretty day, today,” Lintner continued. “I didn’t catch any big ones. And I really started feeling some heat from Bradley Roy in the third period, but luckily I caught enough to hold him off.”

Like Sunday, Lintner spent the day targeting boat docks with his Bubba Shot-rig – a Marten’s Madness-colored Roboworm, dipped in Pautzke Fire Gel bait scent, rigged on 16-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon line with a 3/0 Trokar hook and a ¼-ounce Eco Pro Tungsten Full Contact Drop Shot weight,

“The Pautzke’s is making a difference,” Lintner said. “Several times throughout this first round I’d have a moment where I thought I’d feel a bite, or I’d miss one. I’d re-lather that worm up in the Fire Gel and they’d choke it.

“I’ve come close to winning several times before – and I’ve also been the guy knocked out at the last minute – so I am so happy to finally win my round,” Lintner went on to say. “I know things are going to be very different on Bussey Brake, so I’ll go back to the house and revamp everything, and I’ll be ready to go.”

After not having a scorable bass well into the third period on Sunday, VanDam caught four bass in the final 10 minutes of the day to start Tuesday in seventh place, He added four more bass Tuesday weighing 11 pounds, 12 ounces to comfortably advance to the Knockout Round in fifth place.

“The only thing that I had left was the upper end of the lake, fishing the river points and tree lines up the river,” VanDam said. “I was throwing a Strike King KVD 300 Jerkbait series and a Strike King Series 3 crankbait – crawfish, or baby carp, or Denny Brauer craw – any kind of brownish crawfish color.

“I’m moving on to Caney Lake, and that was my main goal – I wanted to start the season off strong,” VanDam went on to say. “Hopefully tomorrow we can get into that top eight and move on to the Championship Round.

The top 20 pros in Qualifying Group B that advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round on Caney Creek are:

1^st:          Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., 18 bass, 47-5 – ADVANCES TO CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
2^nd:         Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., 11 bass, 30-5
3^rd:         David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 11 bass, 29-10
4^th:         Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 10 bass, 26-13
5^th:         Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., nine bass, 25-0
6^th:         Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 13 bass, 24-15
7^th:         Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 10 bass, 23-7
8^th:         Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., eight bass, 22-2
9^th:         Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., seven bass, 21-4
10^th:       Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., nine bass, 20-5
11^th:       Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 20-4
12^th:       Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., eight bass, 19-8
13^th:       Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., six bass, 18-11
14^th:       Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., eight bass, 18-10
15^th:       Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., eight bass, 18-4
16^th:       Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., nine bass, 18-2
17^th:       Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., seven bass, 16-12
18^th:       James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 15-4
19^th:       Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., seven bass, 14-2
20^th:       Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., three bass, 13-15

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

Overall, there were 121 scorable bass weighing 319 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 33 pros on Tuesday.

Shryock and Tharp split the day’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award, taking home $500 apiece as each weighed in a bass totaling 5 pounds, 7 ounces. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Lake D’Arbonne Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. With the two-day Qualifying Round now complete, the anglers that finished in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round on Caney Creek Reservoir, while the winner of each group advances directly to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round weights are zeroed, and the remaining 38 anglers compete to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round on Bussey Brake. In the final day Championship Round weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

The 38 anglers competing in the Knockout Round will launch Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. from Caney Creek Hooks Marina, located at 400 Spillway Road in Chatham, Louisiana. Thursday’s final day Championship Round on Bussey Brake will launch at 8:30 a.m. from Bonner Ferry Road, five miles northwest of Bastrop off of Hwy 593.

Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the respective launch ramps, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all takeoff and takeout ceremonies and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement on Lake D’Arbonne, and a 2-pound minimum weight requirement on Caney Creek and Bussey Brake for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, BallyBet, Bass Cat, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Covercraft, Favorite Fishing, Garmin, General Tire, Googan Baits, Grundéns, Guaranteed Rate, Humminbird, Lowrance, Luminox, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Nitro Performance Boats, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Power Stop, Rapala, Starbrite, Toro, Toyota, Wrangler, Yellowstone Bourbon and Zoom.

MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING NEWS

Dustin Connell Wins Group B Qualifying Round at MLF General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles

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HOTTEST NEW LURES FOR 2020

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Arizona Pro Weighs 27 Bass Totaling 86 Pounds, 13 Ounces to Lead Early for Group A – Group B to Start Competition Sunday

Texas Pro Catches 25 Scorable Smallmouth Weighing 92 Pounds, 13 Ounces to Lead Group B Qualifying Round By 27 Pounds after Day 1, Group A to Wrap Up Their Qualifying Round Monday

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HOTTEST NEW LURES FOR 2020

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Alabama’s Jordan Lee Earns Third Career MLF Bass Pro Tour Win at General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles

Dustin Connell Wins Group B Qualifying Round at MLF General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles

Jordan Lee Earns Group A Qualifying Round Win at MLF General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles

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