Month: February 2021

Major League Fishing - Bass Pro Tour/Cup Events

Thrift Wins Qualifying Round at REDCREST 2021 Presented by Old Wisconsin Sausage on Lake Eufaula

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 23, 2021
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EUFAULA, Ala. (Feb. 23, 2021) – Pro Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, weighed in 15 bass totaling 50 pounds, 4 ounces over the first two days of competition to win the two-day Qualifying Round at REDCREST 2021, the Bass Pro Tour championship at Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama. The five-day competition features a field of 40 of the best anglers in the world from the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour competing for a top cash prize of $300,000.

The field is now cut to 20, and weights are zeroed as competition moves into the Knockout Round. A field of 10 anglers (Group A) will compete on Wednesday and the remaining 10 anglers (Group B) will compete Thursday. The top five anglers from each day advance to the fifth and final day of competition, Championship Friday.

Lake Eufaula was a bit tougher for anglers on Tuesday, however quite a few anglers, including Thrift, spent most of the day practicing and searching for new areas to fish during the upcoming Knockout Round.

“I didn’t catch a lot of fish today – only two scorable bass – but it was a fun day because I eliminated a lot of water,” Thrift said. “That’s pretty much all we got accomplished today, but that’s just a part of it. Sometimes that’s almost as good as finding the winning hole, because now I’ve got a great idea of what not to do when I get back out there, and that’s definitely a plus.

“It feels great to be leading in my very first REDCREST, but I’ve still got some work left to do,” Thrift said. “You can’t win if you don’t make it to the Championship Round. I’m looking forward to getting back out there and seeing what we can do.”

Reigning REDCREST champion, Oklahoma’s Edwin Evers, had a great day Tuesday, catching eight bass weighing 22 pounds, 4 ounces – the largest weight of the day – to vault from 25^th place to inside the Toro Top 20 Cut and end the day in 8^th place.

“I caught the largest weight of the day, and I know that doesn’t mean a lot to some of the guys that laid off their fish, but it gives me a lot of confidence going into the Knockout Round,” Evers said. “The majority of my fish today came on a Berkley PowerBait Power Hog. I’m learning more and putting more pieces of the puzzle together each day and I can’t wait to get back out there and compete in the Knockout Round.”

The top 20 pros that made the cut and will advance in competition at Lake Eufaula are:1^st:           Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 50-4
2^nd:          Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, S.C., 12 bass, 39-7
3^rd:          Zack Birge of Blanchard, Okla., 10 bass, 36-3
4^th:           Ott DeFoe of Blaine, Tenn., 10 bass, 33-8
5^th:           Takahiro Omori of Tokyo, Japan, 10 bass, 33-2
6^th:           Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Ark., 11 bass, 31-1
7^th:           Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn., nine bass, 31-1
8^th:           Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., 11 bass, 30-0
9^th:           Alton Jones Jr. of Waco, Texas, 10 bass, 29-7
10^th:        Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., nine bass, 28-12
11^th:        David Dudley of Lynchburg, Va., eight bass, 28-7
12^th:        Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, S.C., 10 bass, 27-4
13^th:        Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Fla., eight bass, 27-0
14^th:        Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark., seven bass, 26-8
15^th:        Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tenn., eight bass, 26-4
16^th:        Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kan., nine bass, 26-3
17^th:        Jordan Lee of Cullman, Ala., six bass, 23-5
18^th:        Fred Roumbanis of Russellville, Ark., nine bass, 23-3
19^th:        Dustin Connell of Clanton, Ala., seven bass, 22-15
20^th:        Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., eight bass, 20-10
Full results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 105 bass weighing 101 pounds, 3 ounces caught by 35 pros on Tuesday, which included eight 5-pounders and eight 4-pounders caught.

Fletcher Shryock of Guntersville, Alabama, won Tuesday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, weighing in a 5-pound, 14-ounce largemouth during Period 1. Berkley will award $1,000 to the angler that weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $7,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.

The 10 anglers that will compete in the Group A Knockout Round on Wednesday are:

Zack Birge of Blanchard, Okla.
Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Ark.
Dustin Connell of Clanton, Ala.
Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark.
David Dudley of Lynchburg, Va.
Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, S.C.
Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn.
Fred Roumbanis of Russellville, Ark.
Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tenn.
Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich.
The 10 anglers that will compete in the Group B Knockout Round on Thursday are:Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kan.
Ott DeFoe of Blaine, Tenn.
Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla.
Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, S.C.
Alton Jones Jr. of Waco, Texas
Jordan Lee of Cullman, Ala.
Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn.
Takahiro Omori of Tokyo, Japan
Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Fla.
Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C.
REDCREST 2021 Presented by Old Wisconsin Sausage, the Bass Pro Tour championship at Lake Eufaula, is hosted by the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce.

All 40 Anglers competed on Day 1 (Monday) and 2 (Tuesday) of the event. Now, the field is cut to just the top 20 based on two-day total cumulative weight. The remaining 20 anglers are split into two groups – 10 compete on Day 3 (Wednesday) and 10 compete on Day 4 (Thursday). The top five anglers from each group based on total single-day weight will advance to the fifth and final day of competition (Friday), where weights are zeroed and the angler that catches the highest total weight on the final day will be crowned the REDCREST 2021 champion.

Attendance is limited to competing anglers, essential staff and media covering the event only. Fans are encouraged to follow the event online through the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com

The 2020 Bass Pro Tour featured a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing in a COVID-shortened five regular-season tournaments around the country. The top 40 anglers in the Angler of the Year (AOY) standings after the five events qualified to compete in Bass Pro Shops REDCREST 2021 presented by Old Wisconsin Sausage.

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

Television coverage of REDCREST 2021 presented by Old Wisconsin Sausage, the Bass Pro Tour championship, will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, July 3 on the Discovery Channel. A one-hour special episode of MLF Inside the REDCREST will premiere at 2 p.m. ET, Sunday, July 18 on CBS. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.

MLF BIG-5

Florida’s Smith Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Harris Chain of Lakes

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 23, 2021
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California’s Sharp Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

Leesburg, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2021) – Boater Corey Smith of Clermont, Florida, won the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine at Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Googan Baits in Leesburg, Florida. Smith earned $6,000 for his victory at the event, hosted by Visit Lake County, Florida.

TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Corey Smith of Clermont, Fla.	5	29-9	$6,000
2^nd	Neil Nix of Okeechobee, Fla.	5	27-3	$3,000
3^rd	Tyler Sheppard of Jacksonville, Fla.	5	23-4	$2,000
4^th	Eric Panzironi of Longwood, Fla.	5	23-2	$1,400
5^th	Robert Crosnoe of Inverness, Fla.	5	22-8	$1,200
6^th	Michael King of Riverview, Fla.	4	22-7	$1,100
7^th	Tim Frederick of Leesburg, Fla.	5	22-1	$1,000
8^th	Casey Marsh of Dunnellon, Fla.	5	21-15	$900
9^th	Jonathan Hoobler of Alachua, Fla.	5	19-7	$800
10^th	Joel Willert of Prior Lake, Minn.	5	19-1	$900

RANK	STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Brennon Sharp of Folsom, Calif.	5	21-6	$3,500
2^nd	Joshua Dunn of Mulberry, Fla.	5	20-3	$1,500
3^rd	Justin Brown of Frostproof, Fla.	5	18-4	$1,050
3^rd	Luis Lindstedt of Melbourne, Fla.	5	18-4	$850
5^th	Dawson Wiles of Fruit Cove, Fla.	4	16-2	$600
6^th	John Brown of Deltona, Fla.	5	15-15	$550
7^th	Kenneth Hunnicutt of Jacksonville, Fla.	5	14-11	$500
8^th	Adam Giran of Wesley Chapel, Fla.	5	14-3	$450
9^th	Sean Ripley of Lakeland, Fla.	5	13-13	$400
10^th	Bill Richards of Davenport, Fla.	3	12-13	$350

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

AWARD	NAME	CONTINGENCY	PAYOUT
Boater Berkley Big Bass	T.W. Garten of East Palatka, Fla.	10-pound, 7-ounce bass	$1,000
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Brennon Sharp of Folsom, Calif.	8-pound, 10-ounce bass	$500
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus	Matt Gee of Grand Island, Fla.	Eligible Phoenix Boat*	$500

* Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

WINNING BAITS

ANGLER	BAIT	COLOR
Boater	Jigs	N/A
Strike King Co-Angler	Jigs	N/A

2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

EVENT	DATE	LOCATION	HOST
Gator Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship	Oct. 21-23	St. Johns River, Palatka, Fla.	Visit Lake County, Florida
Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American	June 3-5	Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn.	Jefferson County Department of Tourism

The 2021 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championships. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while Strike King co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the Toyota Series, the pathway to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

MLF BIG-5

South Carolina’s Parker Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Lake Norman

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 23, 2021
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Hickory’s Benfield Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 23, 2021) – Boater John Parker of Gaffney, South Carolina, won the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine at Lake Norman in Mooresville, North Carolina. Parker won by a 1-ounce margin, earning $5,843 for his victory at the event, hosted by the Mooresville Convention and Visitors Bureau.

TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	John Parker of Gaffney, S.C.	5	14-5	$5,843
2^nd	Craig Chambers of Charlotte, N.C.	5	14-4	$2,921
3^rd	Eric Moser of Concord, N.C.	5	13-8	$1,948
4^th	Christopher Brown of Lexington, N.C.	5	12-15	$1,363
5^th	Shane Lehew of Catawba, N.C.	5	12-0	$1,169
6^th	John Wiese of Charlotte, N.C.	4	11-11	$2,031
7^th	Curtis Dillon of Advance, N.C.	5	11-0	$974
8^th	Ben Hudson of Lynchburg, Va.	4	10-15	$876
9^th	Ron Farrow of Rock Hill, S.C.	5	10-13	$779
10^th	Aaron Digh of Denver, N.C.	5	10-12	$682

RANK	STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Michael Benfield of Hickory, N.C.	4	6-15	$2,921
2^nd	Ernest McIntyre of Fayetteville, N.C.	4	6-14	$1,461
3^rd	Charles Wood of Thomasville, N.C.	3	6-11	$973
4^th	David L. Deciucis of Chester, Va.	3	6-10	$682
5^th	Drew Lumpkin of Cameron, N.C.	3	6-2	$584
6^th	Mike Shatley of North Wilkesboro, N.C.	4	6-1	$536
7^th	Artie Phillips of Monroe, N.C.	2	5-14	$727
8^th	Grant McPeters of Marion, N.C.	3	5-11	$438
9^th	William Britt of Clarkton, N.C.	2	5-5	$390
10^th	Scottie Elswick of Gordon, W.V.	2	4-15	$341

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

AWARD	NAME	CONTINGENCY	PAYOUT
Boater Berkley Big Bass	John Wiese of Charlotte, N.C.	5-pound, 15-ounce bass	$910
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Patrick Brondos of Wilkesboro, N.C.	4-pound bass	$455
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Artie Phillips of Monroe, N.C.	4-pound bass	$240
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus	Matt Stark of Mooresville, N.C.	Eligible Phoenix Boat*	$500

WINNING BAITS

ANGLER	BAIT	COLOR
Boater	Jerkbait	Did Not Disclose
Strike King Co-Angler	Shaky Head & Rapala Shad Rap Crankbait	Did Not Disclose

2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

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

The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.

Crappie USA

Crappie USA Pro Division Victory at Lake Harding goes to Williams and Dowda

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 18, 2021
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Louisville, KY – February 14, 2021 – Crappie anglers from several states traveled to the Lake Harding at Opelika, AL to participate in a Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Crappie USA (CUSA) Region 2 event. Local and traveling anglers are competing in the $50,000 points race and an opportunity to compete at the Regional Championships and the 2021 Crappie USA Classic on Lake Hartwell, Anderson, SC.

Competing anglers were met with rain and cool temperatures as the tournament day started. A morning low in the high 40s and breezy winds kept the day feeling cool.

“The weather was challenging in every way,” said Tournament Director, Darrell Van Vactor. “We had rain all day Saturday with winds blowing 10-15 from the NE. The water conditions changed from clear to muddy in many areas giving anglers an added challenge. The anglers definitely faced Mother Nature at her worst all day for the Lake Harding event.”

A total of 27 boats fished the event,10 in the Pro Division and17 in the Amateur Division. Halawakee Creek was the hot area on tournament day.

Pro Division Results

First Place

The top spot at Lake Harding Matthew Williams and Nick Dowda from Batesburg-Leesville South Carolina. They teamed up to bring 10.54 pounds to the scales and claim the $3,000 top prize. They added $200 for the Crappie Magnet Bonus, $300 for the Drift Master Bonus, $100 for the Jenko Bonus, and $190 for the second big fish.

“We started our day with rain and cool temperatures that lasted for most of the morning,” Williams said. “We focused on the mid-lake area targeting fish that were suspended 10-12 feet deep in 30-40 feet of water. We were one pole fishing using the Jenko Fishing Trick Stick Light.”

The team used a combination of Slab Slayer Jigs Willow Tail and Crappie Magnet products. They indicated gray colored combinations performed best.

“We started out fishing towards the back of Halawakee Creek,” reported Dowda. “We were catching a lot of small fish. Around 12 o’clock we moved out towards the mouth in 30-40 feet of water and caught all our weigh-in fish after lunch.”

“The fish were suspended all the way from 5 feet down to 30 feet,” added Dowda. “We used a mixture of jigs over the day. Anything grey worked and we caught some on straight minnows. We used LiveScope and caught around 30 fish total for the day.”

Second Place
The runner-up spot went to Forrest Walker and Jacob Walker from Byron, GA. They caught a 9.96-pound bag of crappie to claim the second-place cash award of $1,500.00.

They also found their fish in Halawakee Creek. They fished with one pole in hand, using hair jigs in natural colors. The crappie were found suspended at 8 feet deep in 30 to 50 feet of water.

“The best bite was early morning,” reported Jacob. “We caught about 20-25 fish on the day.”

Third Place
Morristown, Tennessee angler Scott Bunch teamed up with Neal Alvis from Rogersville, Tennessee to earn the third-place award of $500. The Crappie Magnet team’s tournament day bag weighed 8.95 pounds.

Bunch and Alvis also fished Halawakee Creek, finding the fish suspended at about 20-30 feet deep in 30-50 feet of water. They fished Crappie Magnets on a heavy jighead. An assortment of colors did the trick to catch a total of 20-30 crappie on the day.

Other Awards

In other awards, the Talon Bonus of $250.00 went to Robert Harris and Richard Greer Jr. who finished in 5^th Place in the Pro Division.

Amateur Division Results

First Place Amateur Division

Richard Malcom from Madison, GA, and Joey Dickens from Waynesboro, GA brought 10.31 pounds to the scales to claim the top spot in the Amateur Division. They earned a check for $3,000 for first place and added $435.00 for catching the Big Fish of the tournament. Their big Lake Harding slab weighed in at 2.01 pounds.

Malcom and Dickens also fished Halawakee Creek. They were one poling in 30 foot-plus water and catching their fish suspended at about 12 feet deep. The team used black and gray Jiffy Jigs in clear water. The result was around 25 to 30 fish on tournament day.

Second Place Amateur Division

Mike Nipper from Perry, GA, and Ethan Nipper from Gray, GA showed up at the scales with a bag weighing 7.46 pounds to claim the runner-up spot and earn the second place award of $1,500.00.

The team fished Halawakee Creek in much shallower water than other competitors. They were also one poling, but in 4 feet of water. They used live bait to catch around 20 Lake Harding crappie on tournament day.

Third Place Amateur Division

Brian Stacey from Bostic, NC, and Jeff Lowdermilk from Morgantown, NC teamed up to bring 6.68 pounds to the scales to earn third-place and a check for $500.

Stacey and Lowdermilk fished Halawakee Creek in 30 feet of water. They also used the single pole technique to catch their crappie. They were rigged with Cajun Cricket colored jigs to catch 10 fish on the day.

Other Awards

In other awards the $125 Ranger Cup Bonus in the Amateur Division went to Bob Denen from Youngstown, Ohio.

Epilogue

Darrell Van Vactor, CUSA Operations Manager, sent special thanks to Anthony and his staff at Auburn-Opelika Tourism Bureau for hosting the event and the Comfort Inn for allowing our TV crew to use their beautiful den area for filming.

The 2021 CUSA Classic Championship will be held October 14th – 16th at Lake Hartwell, SC at Anderson, SC. The 2021 Crappie USA Classic presented by Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s features a guaranteed payout of $165,000 in cash and prizes.

MLF BIG-5

Skeet Reese Brings Home the Win at Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on Lake Okeechobee

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 14, 2021
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CLEWISTON, Fla. (Feb. 14, 2021) – General Tire pro Skeet Reese of Auburn, California, already had a stacked resume when he crossed the stage on Sunday at the Major League Fishing Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, 13 Fishing Stop 1 – Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Florida. With 10 career victories, a 2007 Elite Series Angler of the Year title and a 2009 Bassmaster Classic championship, Reese is one of the top 5 tournament money-winners of all-time with more than $3.4 million in earnings. Reese added another monumental victory to the Major League Fishing (MLF) record books and is bringing a $100,000 check and a big trophy back home to California.

The win brought the 2019 merger of FLW (now known as the MLF BIG5) and MLF full circle and was a moment that marked the significance of the unity that now exists between the blended MLF family.

Reese weighed a five-bass limit on Sunday totaling a whopping 27 pounds, 9 ounces, to win by a 7-pound, 9-ounce margin over fellow Bass Pro Tour angler Chris Lane of Guntersville, Alabama. Lane weighed in five bass for 20 pounds, 1 ounce, including an 8-pound, 13-ounce giant, which carried him to a second place finish on the final day of competition.

“This feels really good,” said an emotional Reese. “I’ve had some tough fishing the last few years and to be able to come back and win; it is recognition that my new mindset and hard work paid off. Everybody who fishes tournaments does it to win and to be able to do it against this level of competition, with this big of a field – it’s priceless.”

Reese said he mixed up his approach each day and alternated between two key lures for the win, a 6″ Berkley PowerBait The General and an unnamed green-pumpkin-colored vibrating jig with a Berkley PowerBait The Deal in the Skeet’s green money-color serving as the trailer.

“The first day, I focused on the isolated clumps of reeds that were a little deeper,” said Reese. “I targeted water that was four feet deep because all of the shallower stuff was getting so much pressure. I stayed out a little further from the bank on the isolated pencil reeds and caught a few good ones the second day by pitching The General on a 5/O hook with a ¼-ounce weight on 25-pound-test Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon.”

On the second day, Reese said he opted to stay solely off the bank and was able to catch a 21-pound bag that included the day’s biggest bass, an 8-pound, 8-ounce giant.
The final two days offered vastly different weather conditions, with wind speeds picking up throughout the lake. Reese said this caused him to make a change to the vibrating jig and helped him seal the win.

“It got too windy and made it hard to flip and pitch The General,” Reese said. “I also think it moved some of those fish out a little deeper. On the final day, it seemed like every big female was set up out in the open.”

Reese said the area had cleaner water and he felt it offered him the best chance to get multiple bites.

“I maximized what little I had and fished it all four days,” he continued. “I was trying to be in an area and get as many bites as I could. I never thought I was on the winning fish this week. I’m a believer that everything happens for a reason.”

The top 10 pros on Lake Okeechobee finished:1^st:       Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 20 bass, 82-14, $100,000
2^nd:      Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 20 bass, 75-5, $30,000
3^rd:       Jim Neece, Jr., Bristol, Tenn., 20 bass, 74-2, $25,000
4^th:       Dicky Newberry, Houston, Texas, 20 bass, 72-12, $20,000
5^th:       Bill McDonald, Greenwood, Ind., 20 bass, 71-0, $19,000
6^th:       Miles Burghoff, Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., 20 bass, 70-11, $18,200
7^th:       Pete Ponds, Madison, Miss., 20 bass, 66-7, $17,000
8^th:       Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 20 bass, 64-3, $16,000
9^th:       Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 20 bass, 63-14, $15,000
10^th:     Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 20 bass, 63-2, $14,000
For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The four top performers from Sunday’s Pro Circuit event who will receive invitations to compete at the Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage One presented by Power-Pole at Sam Rayburn, March 21-26, in Jasper Texas, are Jim Neece, Jr. of Bristol, Tennessee, Dicky Newberry of Houston, Texas, Bill McDonald of Greenwood, Indiana, and Miles Burghoff of Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee.

Overall, there were 50 bass weighing 173 pounds, 5 ounces caught by the final 10 pros on Sunday. All 10 weighed in a five-bass limit.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, 13 Fishing Stop 1 – Lake Okeechobee’s two-hour action-packed television show will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, July 11 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall.

The Major League Fishing Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, 13 Fishing Stop 1 – Lake Okeechobee was hosted by the Hendry County Tourism Development Council and Roland & Mary Ann Martin’s Marina & Resort. The next event for Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit anglers will be the Major League Fishing Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Covercraft Stop 2 – Smith Lake , Mar. 11-14, in Cullman, Alabama. The tournament will be hosted by the Cullman Area Local Organizing Committee.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 163 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advanced to fish on Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continued competition on Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

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

For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About MLF BIG5
MLF BIG5 is part of MLF, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization. It provides anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits featuring a five-biggest-fish format. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, MLF and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.

MLF tournaments are broadcast on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, MyOutdoorTV, Discovery and CBS Sports while MLF Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros to the world’s most avid bass anglers.

BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

Bryan New Notches Victory In Bassmaster Elite Series Debut At St. Johns River

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 14, 2021
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PALATKA, Fla. — Bryan New launched his rookie season in blockbuster form by topping a stout field of well-established finalists and winning the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River with a four-day total of 79 pounds, 7 ounces.

Starting Championship Sunday in sixth place, New trailed Day 3 leader and rising star Patrick Walters by 5-7. Saving his best for last, New posted the event’s second-heaviest bag, 26-4, and edged Elite veteran Greg Hackney by a margin of 9-9. For his efforts, New earned $101,000.

New caught most of his fish out of lily pads, but he found a few keepers over main-river shellbars about halfway between Palatka and Dunn’s Creek, which connects to Crescent Lake. Targeting bars in about 5 to 7 feet, he fished a Berkley Warpig lipless crankbait in the bleeding shiner color with a slow yo-yoing technique.

“That wasn’t a winning-fish deal, but without those fish, I don’t win this tournament,” New said.

The pads that produced the bulk of his weight were located at the lower end of Lake George. Fishing 5-inch black and blue Zoom Zlinky worms Texas-rigged on a 5/0 Berkley Fusion hook with a 1/8- and 1/4-ounce weights, New said he focused on isolated pads.

“I fished dense pads too, but I definitely liked the sparse pads for multiple reasons,” he said. “First, on an isolated target, it’s easier to pick out where the fish are sitting and they have more light penetration. That’s important for the spawning fish I was targeting.”

The key, New said, was a meticulous presentation that maximized every aspect of his target area.

“You don’t just have one target on each cast; sometimes you’ll have 10 targets on each cast,” he said. “You can feel the sweet spots. You can feel a little rough patch on the bottom where there’s a bed or you can feel the hard spot of the root. Sometimes, you can even feel a little depression.

“I’ve always heard that slow and steady wins the race,” New said. “That’s not always my style, but I can do it.”

New caught good numbers the first three days. Day 1, which was shortened by a three-hour fog delay, yielded 12 pounds and put him in 22nd place. The second day, he added 20-3 and rose to ninth before securing his Championship Sunday berth with a Day 3 limit of 21 pounds, which pushed him up to sixth.

Following the Day 3 weigh-in, New said he’d approach Championship Sunday focused on getting the big bites. On Sunday, he caught four in the 5-pound class and another over 4.

New qualified for the Elites by winning the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year title, an accomplishment that began with a win at his first 2020 tournament — the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open on Florida’s Kissimmee Chain.

Before the St. Johns event began, New stated that his 2021 goals included winning Bassmaster Angler of the Year — not only Rookie of the Year — and winning the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, which is set for June 11-13 on Lake Ray Roberts.

New summarized his Elite debut: “I have a pretty good start!”

Hackney committed his tournament to fishing cypress trees on Lake George’s east side. He caught 12-7 on Day 1 and placed 19th and then rose to third on Day 2 by adding 22-10. He’d improve to second on Day 3 and held that final position with weights of 23-6 and 11-7.

Returning to the Elites after a two-year break, the Gonzales, La., pro caught all of his fish on a junebug-colored Strike King Rage Bug rigged on a 5/0 Hack Attack Flipping hook with a 1/4-ounce Tour Grade Tungsten weight.

“There’s not any cover left in the lake (2017’s Hurricane Irma killed the eelgrass) and this was one of the few areas that had enough depth and enough protection from the elements for those lake fish to spawn on.

“There’s only a handful of docks and cypress trees in the lake and I spent one whole day in practice fishing all the way around (Lake George). I knew this was the area of the lake where the biggest population of fish lived and I knew where they used to spawn. I just looked for anything that was close by.”

Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., finished third with 69-6. He turned in daily weights of 8-3, 18-8, 25-8 and 17-3.

Derek Hudnall of Denham Springs, La., and Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, split the event’s Phoenix Boats Big Bass award of $1,000 for their 9-pound, 8-ounce fish. Hudnall won $1,000 for the big bass of Day 1, while Palaniuk claimed the Day 2 award. Wes Logan of Springville, Ala., won the Day 3 award with his 8-8 and New won the Day 4 award with his 5-14.

2020 Bassmaster Classic champion Hank Cherry of Lincolnton, N.C., took home $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, and Cliff Prince of Palatka, Fla., earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.

BASS PRO SHOPS - US OPEN

Bass Pro Shops opens registration for the first three qualifying events for the US Open National Bass Fishing Amateur Team Championship

$4.3M in cash and prizes and an anticipated $1M+ for conservation

What:
Registration for the first three regional qualifiers for the Bass Pro Shops US Open – Lake Okeechobee, Fla. (March 13); Lake Ray Roberts, Texas (April 17); and Lake Mead, Nev. (April 24) – opens on Wednesday, February 10, at 10 AM CST at basspro.com/usopen. Registration will be open for 24 hours only and allows amateur anglers to be entered in a drawing to compete as one of 250 two-person teams in regional qualifying events this spring. Bass Pro Shops last week announced the first-of its-kind amateur team tournament with a total guaranteed purse of $4.3 million.

With proceeds benefitting conservation and the future of fishing, the event is being created exclusively for amateurs including serious weekend tournament anglers, parents, grandparents, and youngsters, giving everyday anglers, friends, and families the chance to win big!

The top 40 finishers from each regional qualifier will be eligible to fish the National Championship this fall at Big Cedar Lodge on famed Table Rock Lake in Missouri. The National Championship will be an internationally broadcast and feature 350 two-person teams competing for the ultimate $1 million prize, the largest payout in fishing tournament history.

Note: White River Marine Group boat owners have received direct communications on the registration window from Bass Pro Shops over the last two weeks.

When:
Registration will be open for 24 hours from Wednesday, February 10 at 10 a.m. CT through Thursday, February 11 at 10 a.m. CT

Who:
The tournament is open to amateur anglers owning one of the world’s foremost boat brands – Tracker, Ranger, Nitro, Triton, Sun Tracker, Tahoe and MAKO brands. For a full list of qualifications, visit basspro.com/usopen.

MLF BIG-5

Georgia’s Morrow Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Lake Keowee

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 9, 2021
No Comments on Georgia’s Morrow Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League on Lake Keowee

SENECA, S.C. (Feb. 8, 2021) – Boater Troy Morrow of Eastanollee, Georgia, won the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine at Lake Keowee presented by Googan Baits in Seneca, South Carolina. Morrow earned $7,011 for his victory at the event, which was hosted by Visit Oconee.

TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Troy Morrow of Eastanollee, Ga.	5	15-2	$7,011
2^nd	Bo Price of Seneca, S.C.	5	13-14	$3,006
3^rd	Todd Goade of White Pine, Tenn.	5	13-7	$2,001
4^th	Randy Dover of Buford, Ga.	5	13-6	$1,403
5^th	Jared Pelfrey of Westminster, S.C.	5	12-12	$1,202
6^th	Chris Nelson of Social Circle, Ga.	5	12-3	$1,102
7^th	Andy Burgess of Greenville, S.C.	5	11-15	$1,502
8^th	Hunter Eubanks of Inman, S.C.	5	11-14	$852
8^th	Jody Holland of Clermont, Ga.	5	11-14	$852
10^th	Jayme Rampey of Liberty, S.C.	5	11-13	$701

RANK	STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	James South of Gainesville, Ga.	5	11-9	$3,006
2^nd	Johnny Hancox of West Union, S.C.	4	9-6	$2,000
3^rd	Chris Coleman of Ware Shoals, S.C.	5	9-4	$1,008
4^th	Kyle Rogers of Cleveland, Ga.	5	7-13	$701
5^th	Corey Veal of Royston, Ga.	5	7-11	$576
5^th	Stewart Uldrick of Anderson, S.C.	5	7-11	$576
7^th	Shane Swann of Mars Hill, N.C.	5	7-5	$476
7^th	Kyle Davis of Liberty, S.C.	5	7-5	$476
9^th	Lee Montgomery of Duncan, S.C.	4	6-7	$401
10^th	Trey Paul of Anderson, S.C.	4	6-6	$319
10^th	Jimmy Plakas of Greenville, S.C.	3	6-6	$319
10^th	Caleb Roberson of Travelers Rest, S.C.	5	6-6	$319

Full results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

AWARD	NAME	CONTINGENCY	PAYOUT
Boater Berkley Big Bass	Shane Peck of Gainesville, Ga.	4-pound, 9-ounce bass	$995
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Johnny Hancox of West Union, S.C.	4-pound, 12-ounce bass	$497
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus	Andy Burgess of Greenville, S.C.	Eligible Phoenix Boat*	$500

ANGLER	BAITS	COLOR
Boater	– 3/8-ounce Outkast Tackle Swimbait Jig Head with a Zoom Boot Tail Fluke Swimbait	Not Disclosed
Strike King Co-Angler	– ½-ounce Unnamed Swimbait Jig Head with a Keitech Swing Impact FAT Swimbait – Shaky-Head Rig	Not Disclosed

2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

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

The top six finishers in each regional will then qualify for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.

MLF BIG-5

Maryland Pro Earns Sixth Career Toyota Series Victory – Breaks Record for Most All-Time // Wins Toyota Series Event on Lake Toho Presented by Googan Baits

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (Feb. 6, 2021) – Maryland pro Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Maryland, brought four bass to the scale Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 2 ounces – including a 9-pound, 2-ounce kicker – to win the Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. at Lake Toho Presented by Googan Baits . Schmitt weighed in 15 bass over three days of competition totaling 66 pounds, 10 ounces, besting second-place angler Mikey Keyso of North Port, Florida, by more than 8 pounds. For his victory, Schmitt earned the top payout of $51,500 in the first tournament of the 2021 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Southern Division.

The victory was the sixth career Toyota Series win of Schmitt’s career and moved him to No. 1 for the most Toyota Series wins all-time. Schmitt had been in a three-way tie with Randy Haynes (5) and Koby Kreiger (5), now tied for second-most.

“I am so blessed,” Schmitt said. “I am blessed to have grown up fishing the Potomac River where I had no choice but to learn all the intricacies of grass fishing if I wanted to compete. Those lessons have served me well over the years.”

This week the puzzle started with a long, narrow vein of grass that ran out across a vast flat of bare sand and shell in about 6 feet of water. The thin strip of hydrilla was about ¼ of a mile long and terminated into a huge and shallower grass bed in about 3 or 4 feet of water.

“The band of grass grew up about 2 or 3 feet off the bottom and it was clumpy the whole way.” Schmitt said. “When I first found it in practice, I knew fish had to relate to it in some way.”

On the first day of the tournament, Schmitt figured out exactly how they related to it.

“I graphed the entire length of that narrow strip several times and finally found the mother lode where the strip ran into the shallow grass flat,” he said. “There was like an intersection right there.”

His suspicions were confirmed when he began using his LiveScope to scan along the clumpy grass strip and saw big dots swimming everywhere. With that, he picked up SPRO Aruku Shad 75, in a color aptly named wild shiner, tied to 15-pound test P-Line Tactical Fluorocarbon and the rest is history.

Schmitt guesses that he saw about 70 percent of the fish he caught on LiveScope before casting to them. On several occasions when he saw fish meander up close to the boat, he pitched the Aruku Shad to the fish, let sink, ripped it up and watch the fish annihilate it on his screen.

He also watched fish take a swipe at the rattle bait on the screen, but never touch it. When that happened, he would resort to a couple of back up lures, including a Missile Baits Quiver Worm (junebug) Neko-rigged on a Hayabusa Weedless Spin Muscle Wacky Hook. He also caught a few on his namesake ½-ounce swim jig called the Lil’ Schmitty (river special) trailed with a Missile Baits Shockwave (shrapnel).

“I caught a lot of big fish on that Aruku Shad this week,” Schmitt went on to say. “I put fresh Hayabusa trebles on it: a #4 on the back and #5 on the front. The very first fish I hooked this morning was that 9-pounder and she stayed pinned the whole way.”

The top 10 pros on Lake Toho finished:
            1^st:       Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Md., 14 bass, 66-10, $51,500
            2^nd:      Mikey Keyso of North Port, Fla., 15 bass, 58-8, $20,000
            3^rd:       Bobby Bakewell of Orlando, Fla., 15 bass, 50-15, $14,250
            4^th:       Steven Hatala of Harrison Township, Mich., 15 bass, 43-4, $12,250
            5^th:       Eric Conant of Lakeland, Fla., 13 bass, 42-2, $11,250
            6^th:       Trevor Fitzgerald of Belleview, Fla., 15 bass, 42-2, $9,125
            7^th:       Eric Panzironi of Longwood, Fla., 15 bass, 38-11, $7,900
            8^th:       Jared McMillan of Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 37-14, $7,900
            9^th:       Samuel Whitmire of Babson Park, Fla., 11 bass, 35-6, $5,900
            10^th:     Cole Hewett of Orange Park, Fla., 14 bass, 34-3, $4,500

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

Whitmire won Thursday’s Berkley Big Bass Award after bringing a 11-pound, 11-ounce lunker to the scale. Friday’s Berkley Big Bass Award went to pro McMillan with a 9-pound, 13-ounce largemouth. Each angler won a bonus of $150.

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

Jeffrey Baffa of Frankfort, Illinois, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of nine bass weighing 35 pounds, 15 ounces. Baffa took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on Lake Toho finished:
            1^st:       Jeffrey Baffa of Frankfort, Ill., nine bass, 35-15, Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat w/115-hp outboard
            2^nd:      Benton Peoples of Bardstown, Ky, 11 bass, 34-2, $6,125
            3^rd:       Ricky Grant of Inverness, Fla., 11 bass, 32-3, $4,900
            4^th:       Theron Asbery of Longwood, Fla., 10 bass, 30-9, $3,950
            5^th:       Frank Kitchens Jr. of Blairsville, Ga., 12 bass, 28-11, $3,450
            6^th:       Todd Classon of Camilla, Ga., nine bass, 27-15, $2,950
            7^th:       Clinton Lacinak of Homosassa, Fla., 10 bass, 24-2, $2,450
            8^th:       James Littich of Davidson, N.C., eight bass, 20-3, $1,975
            9^th:       Troy Johnson Jr. of Carrabelle, Fla., five bass, 18-2, $1,590
            10^th:     Joe Cifuentes of Clinton, Ark., six bass, 16-5, $1,350

The Toyota Series at Lake Toho was presented by Googan Baits and was hosted by Experience Kissimmee – Kissimmee Sports Commission. It was the first of three regular-season tournaments in 2021 for Southern Division anglers. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will take place on Feb. 16-18 – the Toyota Series at Lake Guntersville presented by Googan Baits in Guntersville, Alabama. For a complete schedule, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2021 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division. Anglers who fish all three qualifiers in any of the eight divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 cash, including a $35,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus for qualified anglers. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2021 Toyota Series Championship Presented by A.R.E. will be held Oct. 28-30 on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Hardin County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

LET'S ALL CONGRATULATE BRYAN ON HIS WIN!

BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

Late Giant Lifts Washingtons’ Smith To Victory At B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional On Havasu

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 5, 2021
No Comments on Late Giant Lifts Washingtons’ Smith To Victory At B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional On Havasu

February 5, 2021

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. — Taylor Smith caught only five bass on the final day of the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional at Lake Havasu, and it was the final bite that gave him the weight he needed to win the season-opener on the 2021 B.A.S.S. tournament schedule.

Smith hooked a 5-pound largemouth a few dozen yards from the Lake Havasu State Park weigh-in site with only 45 minutes of tournament time remaining on Friday. The catch rounded out his 15-pound, 13-ounce limit and added to his 18-2 limit on Day 1. Smith finished with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 33-15.

The 35-year-old Valleyford, Wash., resident won $5,000 for topping the boater division. It was part of a $27,200 total purse split between the best of the 177 competitors this week on the 19,200-acre impoundment straddling the Arizona/California border.

Smith is no stranger to success in B.A.S.S. Nation events. He finished second in the Nation Championship at South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell in 2019, which qualified him for the 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk held on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville.

Smith’s win at Lake Havasu qualified him for the 2021 Nation Championship, which will be held later this year at a location to be determined.

“I’m jacked,” he said. “It was such a fun time down here. I didn’t have very high expectations. My pre-fishing was terrible. So, I’m elated. To have another chance to fish for a berth in the Classic is unbelievable.”

Smith was in second place after Day 1 on Wednesday, trailing only California’s Matty Wong, who led with 18-8. That’s how standings remained Friday, as Thursday’s competition was canceled due to strong winds in the region. B.A.S.S. officials determined the full field would fish again on Friday, and Mother Nature cooperated with postcard-perfect weather — winds at a much tamer 10 mph, bluebird skies and temperatures in the low 70s.

Still, Smith struggled to find bites Friday. His luck changed with the 5-pounder he caught on a green pumpkin football-head jig outfitted with a blue trailer.

“I yelled so loud when I caught that fish, I’m surprised you didn’t hear me up here (at weigh-in),” Smith said of his big catch. “But other than that, it really was a grind out there today.

“A lot of people had fish follow a jerkbait or a spinnerbait (on Wednesday), but I think that just slowly went away. I couldn’t get any kind of reaction bite today.”

Smith believed Thursday’s turbulent conditions made the fishing tougher Friday.

“The wind yesterday changed things for me, so I feel lucky to catch what I did,” he said. “I didn’t think I had (as much weight as I did).”

Steve Lund, who was in fourth on Day 1, climbed to second overall with a two-day total of 32-2. The Glendale, Ariz., resident caught a 16-1 limit on Friday, which was the heaviest bag of the day. Wong finished third with 28-5.

Jake Morrison of Scottsdale, Ariz., caught six bass weighing 12-11 and won $2,500 for finishing first in the co-angler division. Tom Nokes of Riverton, Utah, led the Day 1 co-angler standings and finished second overall with 12-8. Hunter Loveless of American Fork, Utah, was third with 12-0.

The squad from Washington State handily won the team championship portion. Washington anglers caught 76 bass over two days for a total weight of 188-13, and the squad collected $5,600 with the win. Idaho finished second (62 bass, 140-1) and won $3,350, while Arizona (56 bass, 135-15) placed third and won $2,200.

Other states in team scoring included California, fourth, 132-6; Utah, fifth, 131-10; Oregon, sixth, 129-3; Montana, seventh, 128-3; Wyoming, eighth, 127-5; and Nevada, ninth, 126-1.

Jay Evans of Missoula, Mont., won the $500 Big Bass Award with a 6-pounder he caught Wednesday. Scooter Griffin of Hayden, Idaho, caught a 4-12 bass Friday to win the $250 top prize for big bass among co-anglers.

JJ Gibbs IV, who lives in Lake Havasu City, won the Garmin Tournament Rewards prize of $500. He finished fourth in the boater division with a two-day total of 26-3.

The leading angler and co-angler for each state team at the Western Regional qualified for the B.A.S.S. Nation Team Championship. Four other regionals will be held in 2021, including April 21-23 at Milford Lake in Junction City, Kan.; April 28-30 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, S.C.; June 23-25 at Lake Erie/Presque Isle Bay in Erie, Pa.; and Sept. 1-3 on the upper Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis.

$4.3M in cash and prizes and an anticipated $1M+ for conservation

LET'S ALL CONGRATULATE BRYAN ON HIS WIN!

COMMENT BELOW AND CONGRATULATE TAYLOR ON HIS WIN BELOW!LET'S SHOW SOME SUPPORT!!!

COMMENT BELOW AND CONGRATULATE TAYLOR ON HIS WIN BELOW!
LET'S SHOW SOME SUPPORT!!!