Day: June 21, 2021

NC’s Hamrick and Robertson Win Phoenix Bass Fishing League & Lewis Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division on High Rock Lake

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date June 21, 2021
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SALISBURY, N.Y. (June 21, 2021) – Boaters Scott Hamrick of Denver, North Carolina and Ben Robertson of Walnut Cove, North Carolina, win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at High Rock Lake in Salisbury, New York. Hamrick earned $4,921 for his victory at the event, including a $1,000 Mercury bonus, and Robertson earned $3,921.
TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Scott Hamrick of Denver, N.C.	5	21-10	$4,921
1^st	Ben Robertson of Walnut Cove, N.C.	5	21-10	$3,921
3^rd	Spence Hutcheson of Durham, N.C.	5	20-8	$2,560
4^th	Derik Hudson of Concord, Va.	5	17-14	$1,333
4^th	John Wiese of Charlotte, N.C.	5	17-14	$1,133
6^th	Ron Wolfarth of Oakboro, N.C.	5	17-7	$959
7^th	Todd Fulk of Mount Pleasant, N.C.	5	16-12	$871
8^th	Curtis Dillon of Advance, N.C.	4	16-11	$784
9^th	Luke Farley of Dover, N.C.	5	16-9	$697
10^th	Joel Richardson of Kernersville, N.C.	5	16-2	$610

RANK	STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Trevor Lewis of Wake Forest, N.C.	5	15-5	$2,582
2^nd	Ricky McCrary of Lexington, N.C.	5	12-6	$1,291
3^rd	Wayne Smelser of Wytheville, Va.	4	12-1	$863
4^th	Bradley Chandler of Richfield, N.C.	4	10-6	$603
5^th	Travis Ruff of Connelly Springs, N.C.	3	10-0	$516
6^th	Will Barker of Galax, Va.	3	9-15	$473
7^th	Roger Hester, II of Walnut Cove, N.C.	3	9-4	$430
8^th	Travis Donaldson of Cleveland, N.C.	3	9-3	$387
9^th	Frank White of Marion, N.C.	3	9-0	$344
10^th	Carson Palmer of Richfield, N.C.	3	8-13	$301

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

AWARD	NAME	CONTINGENCY	PAYOUT
Boater Big Bass	Spence Hutcheson of Durham, N.C.	7-pound, 2-ounce bass	$815
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Mekye Barnes of Raleigh, N.C.	5-pound, 15-ounce bass	$402
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus	Brad Austin of Richfield, N.C.	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	Shaky Head	Did Not Disclose
Boater	Shooter Jig	Did Not Disclose
Strike King Co-Angler	Carolina Rig	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 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.

Major League Fishing - Bass Pro Tour/Cup Events

Major League Fishing Set to Visit St. Lawrence River for Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Five Presented by Berkley

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date June 21, 2021
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MASSENA, N.Y. (June 21, 2021) – Major League Fishing’s (MLF) Bass Pro Tour is set to visit Massena, New York, and the St. Lawrence River, this week, June 25-30, for the General Tire Stage Five Presented by Berkley at the St. Lawrence River.

The six-day event, hosted by the Town of Massena and Fish Massena, will feature 80 of the best professional anglers in the world, including bass-fishing superstars like Kevin VanDam, Edwin Evers, Jordan Lee and Jacob Wheeler , fishing for a purse of more than $805,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable points in hopes of qualifying for REDCREST 2022, the Bass Pro Tour championship.

The tournament will be fished using MLF’s catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which the anglers try to catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament is being filmed for broadcast later this year on the Discovery Channel.

Although Massena and the St. Lawrence River has played host to one MLF Toyota Series tournament (2019), this event will mark the first time that the Bass Pro Tour has visited Massena and the St. Lawrence River. In the 2018 Toyota Series event, just two Bass Pro Tour anglers competed in that tournament – North Carolina’s Bryan Thrift, who finished 10^th, and New Jersey’s Adrian Avena, who finished 12^th.

“This is going to be such a fun event – the St. Lawrence River is just a phenomenal fishery and it is loaded with a ton of bass in it,” said Avena, who has one career REDCREST appearance and more than $640,000 in career earnings. “The biggest thing about this event is that we’re going to see a lot of spawning smallmouth. I imagine we’ll see a lot of guys sight-fishing shallow, looking for bass on the beds.

“There are definitely certain zones of the river that are better than others,” Avena continued. “However, if a guy can get a zone to himself or find a little area that others seemed to overlook, that is going to be key to doing well in this tournament.”

Avena said that he expects a variety of baits to be thrown by tournament anglers, including drop-shot rigs, Ned rigs, hair jigs and small swimbaits. He also said that there still could be some prespawn fish caught, and if that is the case than he expects a jerkbait could come into play as well.

“With a 2-pound minimum, it really keeps the door open for the largemouth guys to do well, as well,” Avena said. “Traditionally in tournaments here you need to target the smallmouth, but I feel like this time of year, with the Bass Pro Tour format, it could allow a guy to really compete with strictly largemouth.

“The St. Lawrence River is widely known as a world-class smallmouth fishery, but we’re really going to show the world next week how great of a largemouth fishery it is as well,” Avena went on to say.

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As part of the event fans will also be treated to multiple community events throughout the week, hosted by Fish Massena. On Thursday, June 24, a Kick-off Concert in the Park featuring Northbound will take place at 6 p.m. at Massena Springs Park. A Kid’s Fishing Derby with local area youth fishing alongside Bass Pro Tour anglers will take place on Saturday, June 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fobare’s Pond (Sandy Beach) on Coles Creek Road in Massena.

On Sunday, June 27, the Town of Massena will join the anglers at the Massena Intake Ramp for Fishin’ Church, hosted by Bass Pro Tour anglers Mark Rose and Edwin Evers along with Judy Van Kennan, Chaplain for the Massena Fire Department. A free breakfast will be provided. Also on Sunday, Louisville, New York, will host a VIP Golf Course Event featuring multiple Bass Pro Tour anglers from noon to 3 p.m. at The River Course at Louisville Landing. All activities are free and open to the public. For more information on the Stage Five Community Events hosted by Fish Massena, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Anglers will take off from the Massena Intake Boat Launch Ramp, located on Route 13, in Massena, at 9 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also 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 General Tire Stage Five Presented by Berkley at the St. Lawrence River will feature 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 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 championship.

The four pros from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit that will join the Bass Pro Tour to compete at the General Tire Stage Five Presented by Berkley at the St. Lawrence River are Jason Abram, Trevor Fitzgerald, Ryan Davidson and Mitch Crane. Those anglers qualified via their finishes in the fourth Pro Circuit event of the year – the Grundéns Stop 4 Presented by A.R.E. at Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama.

The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on the St. Lawrence River on Friday and Sunday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Saturday and Monday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Wednesday’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.

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 9:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Television coverage of the General Tire Stage Five Presented by Berkley at the St. Lawrence River will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 23 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.

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.

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, the Sportsman Channel 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 acquired FLW and rebranded it as MLF BIG5, which expanded its portfolio of catch, weigh and immediate-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™

Major League Fishing - Bass Pro Tour/Cup Events

Marty Robinson Wins 2021 MLF Wiley X Summit Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches on Lake Murray

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date June 21, 2021
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (June 21, 2021) – Major League Fishing (MLF) pro Marty Robinson of Lyman, South Carolina, caught 11 bass totaling 22 pounds, 15 ounces, to win the Championship Round of the 2021 MLF Wiley X Summit Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches on Lake Murray, which premiered Saturday on the Outdoor Channel. It was the first MLF Cup win of Robinson’s career.

“It wasn’t pretty, but I got it done and I’ll take it however I can get it,” Robinson said in his post-game interview. “It’s still kind of a little surreal. I live about an hour and a half from here, so I’ve got a little bit of knowledge about Lake Murray. But I’ve seen it so many times before where you think you know what to do and try to fish that way and it can bite you. I really tried to fish this event open-minded and let the fish tell me what they were doing, and I think that was the biggest key in me getting it done.”

Robinson credited just two baits as being crucial to his success.

“The two baits that got it done for me this week was a homemade flat-side crankbait and a standard green pumpkin jig with a twin tail trailer on it,” Robinson said. “I threw the crankbait down the sloping gravel banks and wound it with a medium retrieve. Then, when I would come up around the boat docks with a little bit of cover on them, I’d reach for the green pumpkin jig and flip it in there and just work it through the cover as slow as possible.”

The final eight anglers at the 2021 Wiley X Summit Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches on Lake Murray finished:

                1^st:          Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., 11 bass, 22-15
                2^nd:         Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., seven bass, 17-3
                3^rd:         Mike McClelland, Blue Eye, Mo., five bass, 15-5
                4^th:         Shinichi Fukae, Osaka, Japan, five bass, 14-10
                5^th:         Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., seven bass, 13-1
                6^th:         Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., five bass, 12-13
                7^th:         Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., two bass, 5-13
                8^th:         Jacob Powroznik, Prince George, Va., one bass, 3-6

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

Overall, there were 43 bass weighing 105 pounds, 2 ounces caught by the final eight pros during the Championship Round of competition on Lake Murray.

JOIN THE MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING CONVERSATION NOW

Fukae caught the Berkley Big Bass of the day – a chunky 4-pound, 2-ounce largemouth that came on a shaky-head rig in Period 3.

The 2021 Wiley X Summit Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches was hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country and premiered on the Outdoor Channel as six, two-hour original episodes each Saturday afternoon debuting on May 15, 2021, and running through June 19, 2021.

All six episodes of the event are available for viewing on the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) streaming app.

The event was shot over six days in early February 2021, in Columbia and featured 30 MLF pro anglers competing in different areas each round on Lake Murray. The areas are unknown to the anglers – they do not learn where they are competing until they arrive to the launch ramp each morning of competition.

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, the Sportsman Channel 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 acquired FLW and rebranded it as MLF BIG5, which 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™

MLF BIG-5

Illinios’ Walk Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League & Bondurant Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division on Lake Shelbyville

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date June 21, 2021
No Comments on Illinios’ Walk Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League & Bondurant Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division on Lake Shelbyville

SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (June 21, 2021) – Boater Riley Walk of Neoga, Illinois, wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Lake Shelbyville in Shelbyville, Illinois. Walk earned $3,926 for his victory at the event.
TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Riley Walk of Neoga, Ill.	5	18-6	$3,926
2^nd	Patrick O’Dell of Windsor, Ill.	5	15-4	$2,493
3^rd	Shane Haslett of Beecher City, Ill.	4	14-12	$1,309
4^th	Ken Davis of Winchester, Ill.	5	14-0	$916
5^th	Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill.	5	13-14	$785
6^th	Scott Rice of Cobden, Ill.	5	13-6	$720
7^th	Curt Erpenbach of Valparaiso, Ind.	5	12-8	$654
8^th	Scott Neighbors of Makanda, Ill.	4	12-6	$589
9^th	Brian Tschudy of Mascoutah, Ill.	5	11-13	$1,023
10^th	Rad Brewer of Spring Grove, Ill.	5	11-7	$458

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RANK	STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Dane Bondurant of Witt, Ill.	5	13-4	$1,963
2^nd	Jojo Johnson of Benton, Ill.	3	9-3	$981
3^rd	Tim Tresslar of Bloomington, Ill.	4	8-8	$655
4^th	Alan Bernicky of Joliet, Ill.	3	7-3	$908
5^th	Aaron Arning of Walnut Hill, Ill.	3	6-14	$393
6^th	Patrick Lesicko of Staunton, Ill.	2	6-12	$625
7^th	James Jarvis of West Frankfurt, Ill.	5	6-10	$327
8^th	Brandon Depew of Odin, Ill.	2	6-5	$294
9^th	Roman Perun of St. Louis, Mo.	3	6-1	$262
10^th	Floyd Carder of Litchfield, Ill.	2	5-12	$217
10^th	Drew Williams of Homer, Ill.	3	5-12	$217

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

AWARD	NAME	CONTINGENCY	PAYOUT
Boater Big Bass	Patrick O’Dell of Windsor, Ill.	5-pound, 1-ounce bass	$530
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Patrick Lesicko of Staunton, Ill.	4-pound, 14-ounce bass	$265
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus	Brian Tschudy of Mascoutah, Ill.	Eligible Phoenix Boat*	$500

ANGLER	BAIT	COLOR
Boater	Jig	Green Pumpkin
Strike King Co-Angler	Beaver	Green Pumpkin

2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

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

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

Tenn’s Mallicoat Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League & Myers Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division on Old Hickory Lake

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date June 21, 2021
No Comments on Tenn’s Mallicoat Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League & Myers Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division on Old Hickory Lake

GALLATIN, Tenn. (June 21, 2021) – Boater Joey Mallicoat of Lebanon, Tennessee wins the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine at Old Hickory Lake in Gallatin, Tennessee. Mallicoat earned $4,652 for his victory at the event, hosted by Sumner County Tourism.

TOP 10 RESULTS

RANK	BOATER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Joey Mallicoat of Lebanon, Tenn.	5	17-13	$4,652
2^nd	Josh Womack of Gallatin, Tenn.	5	16-1	$2,326
3^rd	Danny Abrams of Greensfork, Ind.	5	15-8	$1,551
4^th	Matt Henry of Milledgeville, Ga.	5	15-5	$1,086
5^th	Brady Duncan of Lebanon, Tenn.	5	14-15	$930
6^th	Anthony Nash of Quebeck, Tenn.	5	14-10	$814
6^th	Matt Allen of Bloomington Springs, Tenn.	5	14-10	$814
8^th	Dale Rowland of Shelbyville, Tenn.	5	14-9	$948
9^th	Jesse Rigsby of Old Hickory, Tenn.	5	14-6	$1,120
10^th	David Gnewikow of Mt. Juliet, Tenn.	5	14-1	$743

JOIN THE MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING CONVERSATION NOW

RANK	STRIKE KING CO-ANGLER NAME/HOMETOWN	BASS	WEIGHT	AWARD
1^st	Joey Myers of Gallatin, Tenn.	5	12-2	$2,270
2^nd	Colby Gaddy of Lebanon, Tenn.	5	10-7	$1,146
2^nd	Josh Underhill of Watertown, Tenn.	5	10-7	$946
4^th	Charles Bennington of Scottsville, Ky.	5	10-3	$530
5^th	Jared Kutil of Beaufort, S.C.	5	10-2	$704
6^th	Sam Loveless of Somerset, Ky.	5	10-0	$416
7^th	Timothy Ernst of Winchester, Ky.	5	9-12	$378
8^th	Christopher Stites, Jr. of La Vergne, Tenn.	4	9-9	$341
9^th	Alex Gault of Flintville, Tenn.	5	8-14	$303
10^th	Luke Alexander of Gallatin, Tenn.	4	8-11	$265

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

AWARD	NAME	CONTINGENCY	PAYOUT
Boater Big Bass	William Saddoris of Nashville, Tenn.	5-pound, 12-ounce bass	$685
Strike King Co-Angler Berkley Big Bass	Brian Reed of Cookeville, Tenn.	4-pound, 9-ounce bass	$330
Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus	Jesse Rigsby of Old Hickory, Tenn.	Eligible Phoenix Boat*	$500

ANGLER	BAIT	COLOR
Boater	Zoom Swimbait	Did Not Disclose
Strike King Co-Angler	Junk Fishing	Did Not Disclose

2021 QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

EVENT	DATE	LOCATION	HOST
Music City Division – Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship	Oct. 7-9	Wheeler Lake, Decatur, Ala.	Decatur Morgan County Tourism
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

Italy’s Gallelli Claims Victory at Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at Potomac River

MARBURY, Md. (June 20, 2021) – Rookie Jacopo Gallelli of Florence, Italy, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 20 pounds even to win the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River . Gallelli’s four-day total of 20 bass weighing 65 pounds, 3 ounces earned him the win by a 2-pound, 5-ounce margin over pro Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, and the top prize of $100,000, making him the first European to ever win a professional bass-fishing event in the United States.

Link to Photo of Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Winner Jacopo Gallelli
Link to Photo Gallery of Gallelli’s Championship Day
Link to Video of Day 4 Championship Weigh-In from Federal Ammunition Stop 5 at the Potomac River
Link to Video of Fish Catch Highlights from Day 4 of Federal Ammunition Stop 5 at the Potomac River

Gallelli fished one area in Potomac Creek all four days of the competition – an area that produced the biggest limit of the tournament on Championship Sunday – where he moved back and forth, running to the top, then drifting down with the wind.

“It’s kind of amazing – It’s been such a long road and I’ve had so many things happen this season that just weren’t going my way, so to end up here with this win is absolutely amazing,” said Gallelli. “This trophy means way more than the money for me. I’ve invested my entire life trying to achieve this level of fishing in my career, and I am finally here. I came 5,000 miles across the ocean to make this day happen.

“It’s been such a sacrifice and the sacrifice has continually grown,” continued Gallelli. “If I go back home, I cannot keep competing. I’ve missed my son’s birthday, Christmas, New Years, Easter and now it sounds like I probably cannot go back to Italy until the beginning of the fall. But I will be coming back with something great. It’s not about the money – it’s about coming home with one of these [trophies].

“The only thing that would have made this a better Father’s Day celebration is if I were able to hold this trophy with my son,” continued an emotional Gallelli. “I dedicate this win to my son, Lapo – Ciao Lapo.”

Gallelli is the first European to ever win a high-level tournament in the U.S.

“Believe it or not, this is the very first event I have ever won in the United States,” said Gallelli. “I’ve had a lot of good results on the lower-level circuits, but never a win, so finally I’ve made my win happen when it really counts. This is as good as it can be. I feel like I am watching from outside my body right now. It’s just unbelievable.”

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Gallelli went up against some of the biggest names in tournament bass-fishing on Championship Sunday, making the victory even more important for the rookie angler.

“I know I just beat some of the best in the sport, but honestly it’s not only my skill – it’s the support that I’ve had from everyone,” said Gallelli. “Thousands of people were cheering for me today from Italy and Europe, cheering like there was no future and I was about to win a soccer championship. I don’t even have the courage to open my phone. It’s been ringing and lighting up non-stop – everyone is calling and sending messages.

“This win is not big because of me,” continued Gallelli. “It’s big because 40 years ago someone launched a bass-fishing tournament in Italy and one young kid started dreaming. I’d like to thank those pioneers of bass fishing in Europe for bringing this idea of fishing to Europe and to Italy.

“This is a win not only for me but for the entire European bass-fishing movement. It’s incredible.”

The top 10 pros at the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Federal Ammunition Stop 5 on the Potomac River finished:

                  1^st:           Jacopo Gallelli of Florence, Italy, 20 bass, 65-3, $100,000
                  2^nd:          Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., 20 bass, 62-14, $30,000
                  3^rd:          Cody Meyer of Star, Idaho, 20 bass, 62-11, $25,700
                  4^th:           Ricky Robinson of Greenback, Tenn., 20 bass, 60-14, $20,000
                  5^th:           Adrian Avena of Vineland, N.J., 20 bass, 60-1, $19,500
                  6^th:           Justin Cooper of Zwolle, La., 20 bass, 59-12, $18,000
                  7^th:           Lawson Hibdon of Versailles, Mo., 20 bass, 59-5, $17,000
                  8^th:           Shin Fukae of Osaka, Japan, 20 bass, 59-4, $16,000
                  9^th:           Terry Bolton of Benton, Ky., 20 bass, 58-3, $15,000
                  10^th:        Josh Bragg of Jacksonville, Ala., 20 bass, 56-3, $14,000

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

Overall, there were 50 bass weighing 149 pounds, 8 ounces caught by the final 10 pros Sunday. All of the final 10 pros brought a five-bass limit to the scales.

The four top performers who now qualify to compete in the MLF Bass Pro Tour Stage Six Presented by Googan Baits at Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, New York, Aug. 5-10, are Jacopo Gallelli, Ricky Robinson, Justin Cooper and Lawson Hibdon.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River event will feature a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, August 29 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall.

The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Federal Ammunition Stop 5 Presented by Lucas Oil at the Potomac River is hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros 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.

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.