Author: jcarrigan

McKinney wins Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Fork with fourth-highest weight ever caught

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date March 3, 2024
No Comments on McKinney wins Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Fork with fourth-highest weight ever caught

March 3, 2024

YANTIS, Texas —

Trey McKinney made history, with authority, on Championship Sunday at the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork.

The Carbondale, Ill., native, exactly one week removed from his 19th birthday, finished with a four-day total of 20 bass weighing 130 pounds, 15 ounces, outlasting the field of 103 anglers in what was one of the most productive tournaments in the history of competitive bass fishing.

He became the youngest winner in Elite Series history and earned $100,000, while missing the all-time record for total weight in a four-day B.A.S.S. event — set by Paul Elias on Falcon Lake in Texas in 2008 — by just 1 pound, 9 ounces.

“This is crazy to even be up here, much less come that close to setting the all-time tournament record,” McKinney said. “To think, that one more fish and I could have had it. I lost a 7 1/2-pounder yesterday that would have given me 33 pounds and enough weight to break it.

“But I couldn’t be happier. This lake is just awesome. It was stressful and I had adrenaline. I was really spinning out today when I had 28 pounds and didn’t know if I had enough to win. I knew I had to have more.”

McKinney’s total was the fourth-highest produced in a four-day tournament in B.A.S.S. history, trailing Elias and two other angler who each caught more than 131 pounds at that historic 2008 event at Falcon.

The tournament on Lake Fork was only McKinney’s second since qualifying for the Elite Series. The rookie caught more than 30 pounds each day (the only angler to do so this week), posting totals of 33-11, 33-10 and 30-0 before closing with another 33-10 limit to clinch the win on Championship Sunday.

McKinney figured he could get the extra weight in his favored spot of the week, but it was filled with locals when he arrived there Sunday morning, compounding his stress. Then, showing a maturity beyond his age, he slowed down and considered his options.

He settled into a small pocket just a stone’s throw from the Caney Point Recreation Area where daily takeoffs and weigh-ins were held. He noticed the small cove earlier in the week, but didn’t rely on it until the final minutes of the tournament.

What a choice.

“It was just loaded in there,” he said. “I finally wound up catching one more that weighed 7-6 and that put me over 33 pounds overall with 30 minutes left to fish. I had a feeling it was gonna happen right there, and it just worked out perfectly.”

McKinney adjusted to rapidly changing conditions on Championship Sunday, just like every other day of the shootout on Fork. He caught his Day 4 bass using a Strike King KVD Ocho stickbait with 8-pound Seaguar Tatsu line on a St. Croix 7-foot medium-heavy Legend X rod. Earlier in the week, he hooked his biggest bass using a St. Croix Physyx 7-1 medium rod with a Strike King Z Too lure on 10-pound Seaguar Tatsu line.

“The Lowrance ActiveTarget was essential to finding these fish up on the shallow flats, too,” McKinney said. “I started the tournament fishing in 20 to 30 feet of water and then today, I was in 4 feet … They were moving off the timber toward the bank. I had to follow them.”

Each of the 10 Elites who survived the final Phoenix Boats Cutline became members of the Century Club, meaning they caught more than 100 pounds of bass over four days. It was only the second time in history that has happened, with the historic 2008 tournament on Falcon the only comparison. A total of 12 competitors surpassed the 100-pound mark in the Falcon event, which featured a final-day cut of 12 instead of 10.

McKinney, who led here after Day 2 and Day 3, fell from atop the leaderboard early on Sunday, but he regained the upper hand when he hooked a 6-7 largemouth just after noon. Justin Hamner, of Northport, Ala., jumped into second place soon after with a gigantic 11-7 largemouth that pulled him within 18 ounces of the lead.

But then McKinney closed with his 7-13 and pulled away again.

Tyler Rivet, of Raceland, La., finished second with 125-9. Hamner finished third with 124-10 and his 11-7 was the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day and the tournament, earning him an additional $3,000 in prize money.

Rivet’s 125-9 is the eighth-highest four-day weight in B.A.S.S history. Hamner’s 124-10 is ninth all-time and Tyler Williams’ 124-9 is 10th.

Lake Fork has now produced 19 Century Club members, passing Falcon (15) for most in B.A.S.S. history.

With only two of the nine Elite Series tournaments completed, the race for Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year is just beginning.

After his victory, McKinney tied Texas pro Ben Milliken for the AOY lead with 195 points and Patrick Walters of South Carolina follows closely with 194 points.

McKinney and Milliken also lead the race for Dakota Lithium Rookie of the Year.

Japan’s Taku Ito won the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of the tournament for his 39-1 Day 1 catch, earning him an additional $2,000.

McKinney earned an extra $4,000 for the Yamaha Power Pay contingency award while Williams earned a $2,500 bonus.

McKinney also earned $3,000 in Toyota Bonus Bucks, second-place Rivet earned $2,000 in Bonus Bucks.

This event was hosted by Wood County Texas.

MLF BIG-5

Last Minute Cull Gives Louisiana’s Angler the Win at Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki at West Point Lake

LAGRANGE, Ga. (March 3, 2024) – The final day of the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki on West Point Lake was as dramatic as anticipated. With the clock ticking down, none of the leaders had pulled clearly ahead or had spectacular days, until Tyler Stewart of Dubach, Louisiana, iced it with a last-minute kicker fish.

“Honestly, I was hoping to catch a 2½-pound spotted bass, to get a few more pounds, because I knew it was going to be so close,” Stewart said of his final fish. “There was a dock that I caught one 2-pounder on in practice, in front of the ramp. I rolled up to that dock with 10 minutes left, slung a ChatterBait under it and caught a 3½-pounder and culled out a 1-pounder. When it’s meant to be, it’s gonna happen.”

That fish bumped Stewart up to 14 pounds, 4 ounces on the day, enough to clear Todd Walters of Kernersville, North Carolina, by 7 ounces and win his first Tackle Warehouse Invitationals event with a three-day total of 45-3. For the win, Stewart takes home the top prize of $80,000 and a coveted spot in REDCREST 2025.

Having fished as a pro on the FLW Tour and its various iterations since 2018, Stewart has fished the Forrest Wood Cup and the Tackle Warehouse TITLE Championship and been in the hunt to win before. A winner in college in 2016, Stewart fished at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, and has since fished his way around the country.

This week, he took a couple of clues from practice, added some veteran savvy, and put together a win.

“The first day of practice, I caught an 8-pounder, or about that, on the docks I fished the first day,” he said. “It ate that ChatterBait, and that was the only big bite I had. I said ‘Well, there’s big ones around here, I might as well start here.’ I went down that stretch first thing on Day 1 and caught 15 pounds.”

From there, Stewart was able to let his skills take it the rest of the way.

“When I got bit doing that in practice, I was excited, because I’ve done well in tournaments where that (dock bite) was going on,” he said. “Clarks Hill last year, I had a bad second day, but the first day I did the exact same thing on docks and caught 16 or 17 pounds real quick. I love doing it, I do it a lot back home – the Ouachita River has a bunch of marinas and I catch them like that all the time on it.

“Most of those docks were in 15 or 20 feet. The fish were definitely sitting under the floats, like a foot under the water. I was slow rolling it through there, trying to get one to react.”

Fishing some laydowns as well, and catching a few spotted bass off rock places, the bread and butter for Stewart was a ChatterBait and docks, either along shorelines or in marinas. His bait of choice was a 1/2-ounce Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait JackHammer with a shad trailer, which he threw on a 7-foot, 5-inch, medium heavy Favorite Hex, with 17-pound P-Line Tactical .

On the final day, Stewart caught two kicker largemouth, one early, one late, and that was the difference maker. Combined with a stellar Day 1, which saw him catch the biggest bag of the event, it was just enough to get the job done.

“I haven’t won since college, it’s so hard to do it,” Stewart said. “Leading a day is one thing, but finishing it out, I’ll just be honest, I’m not really a closer. I usually catch them really good, and then fall off. This feels really good.”

It also sets him up for a run at Bass Pro Tour qualification – MLF’s most prestigious circuit. After finishing 66^th at Sam Rayburn to start the year, he’s now 23^rd in the points.

“I’m excited about it,” he said. “Last year, I had a couple unfortunate things happen that might have cost me the Bass Pro Tour qualification. But, I’m going to try to be more responsible this year, make sure to charge my batteries before the second day, and stuff like that. The schedule looks like a lot of fun, I’ve been doing it eight years now, and I’ve been to all these places other than where we’re at right now.”

The top 30 pros at the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki at West Point Lake finished:

1st:          Tyler Stewart, Dubach, La., 15 bass, 45-3, $80,000
2nd:        Todd Walters, Kernersville, N.C., 15 bass, 44-12, $50,000
3rd:        Derik Hudson, Concord, Va., 15 bass, 43-8, $20,300
4th:         Colby Miller, Elmer, La., 15 bass, 41-14, $18,000
5th:         Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 15 bass, 41-6, $17,000
6th:         Cole Breeden, Lebanon, Mo., 15 bass, 41-1, $16,000
7th:         Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., 15 bass, 40-5, $15,000
8th:         Ethan Greene, Eufaula, Ala., 15 bass, 40-2, $14,000
9th:         Troy Stokes, Trenton, Mich., 15 bass, 39-13, $13,000
10th:      Ken Thompson, Roaring Springs, Penn., 15 bass, 39-12, $12,000
11th:      Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 15 bass, 39-12, $10,000
12th:      Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., 15 bass, 39-10, $10,000
13th:      Charlie Williams, LaGrange, Ga., 15 bass, 38-13, $10,000
14th:      Marshall Hughes, Hemphill, Texas, 15 bass, 38-8, $10,000
15th:      Taylor Parker, Lake View, Ala., 15 bass, 37-13, $10,000
16th:      Jack Daniel Williams, Kingsport, Tenn., 15 bass, 37-13, $10,000
17th:      Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 15 bass, 37-12, $10,000
18th:      Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 15 bass, 37-11, $10,000
19th:      Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., 15 bass, 36-14, $10,000
20th:      Cameron Mattison, Benton, La., 15 bass, 36-12, $10,000
21st:      Bobby Padgett, LaGrange, Ga., 15 bass, 36-3, $10,000
22nd:     Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., 15 bass, 36-2, $10,000
23rd:     Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 35-15, $10,000
24th:      Brett Carnright, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 15 bass, 35-15, $10,000
25th:      Spike Stoker, Cisco, Texas, 15 bass, 35-13, $10,000
26th:      Brian Gay, LaGrange, Ga., 15 bass, 35-8, $10,000
27th:      Chris Blair, Newnan, Ga., 15 bass, 35-7, $10,000
28th:      Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., 15 bass, 35-3, $10,000
29th:      Brad Jelinek, Lincoln, Mo., 15 bass, 34-6, $10,000
30th:      Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 11 bass, 28-4, $10,000

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

Overall, there were 146 bass weighing 333 pounds even caught by 30 pros Sunday. The catch included 29 five-bass limits.

The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit LaGrange , featured a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025. The next Tackle Warehouse Invitational event will take place April 19-21 at the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 3 Presented by Phoenix Boats on Kentucky-Barkley Lake in Calvert City, Kentucky.

In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advanced to the final round on Championship Sunday. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 at West Point Lake Presented by Suzuki was determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and now receives an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.

Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 2 at West Point Lake Presented by Suzuki will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 12 on CBS Sports Network.

Tackle Warehouse Invitationals anglers will compete throughout the 2024 season for the prestigious Fishing Clash Angler of the Year award, its $50,000 payday and qualification for the 2025 Bass Pro Tour. After Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki on West Point Lake, pro Drew Gill of Mount Carmel, Illinois, sits in first place with 396 points. Pro Jake Lawrence of Buchanan, Tennessee, sits in second place just 3 points behind Gill with 393 points.

Fishing Clash – an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide – is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, FX Custom Rods, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.

MLF BIG-5

North Carolina’s Todd Walters Leaps Ahead to Lead Day 2 at Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki at West Point Lake

LAGRANGE, Ga. (March 2, 2024) – Weighing 18 pounds, 15 ounces on Day 2, Todd Walters of Kernersville, North Carolina, rocketed up from 32^nd place to take the lead Saturday at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki on West Point Lake. With a total of 31 pounds, 10 ounces, Walters is 5 ounces ahead of Concord, Virginia’s Derik Hudson and 11 ounces ahead of Day 1 leader Tyler Stewart of Dubach, Louisiana, entering Championship Sunday. Less than 4 pounds separates first place from ninth, so the final day of the event promises to be thrilling.

The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit LaGrange , featured a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025. The field is now trimmed to 30 and the winner will be determined on Championship Sunday by heaviest three-day cumulative weight.

Dock talk entering the event suggested that big largemouth would be key for the top performers, though perhaps difficult to find consistently. That has proven to be the case through the first two days, with each of the top four pros in the hunt thanks to one strong day keyed by big largemouth.

On Day 1, Walters weighed two largemouth and three spotted bass for 12-11. Today, he blasted up the leaderboard with four largemouth and one spot.

“I dedicated myself to staying shallow,” he said of Day 2. “I was trying to fish brushpiles and crank and throw moving baits and stuff. But dead slick calm like today, there was only one way to catch them. You could see them in the trees and the brushpiles and stuff, just targeting them with LiveScope, and you could throw different stuff to them. I could see them go down for it — a lot of them are going down for it, but not a lot of them are getting it.”

Fishing shallow wood for the most part, Walters did most of his damage on a homemade jig, a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver and a Neko rig. According to the North Carolina pro, a big key is fishing in the right water clarity, which has changed a lot since practice, as the lake is clearing in some places and further muddying in others.

“I think I’ve got something figured out, but the water clarity is changing throughout the lake,” he said. “So, I’m trying to stay in the right water clarity. It seems like the fish are more active, more aggressive, feeding better in the right stuff. It’s right in between — if it’s too clear, they won’t commit to the bait. They’ll go down to it, but they won’t commit. If it’s the right clarity, they’ll go down to it, and 50 percent of them will bite.”

Though Walters is one of many in the field who had never been to West Point prior to this week, he likened it to some of the lakes along the Yadkin River in North Carolina. He’s optimistic about his ability to stay steady tomorrow, which has been tricky for the leaders so far.

“They’re around; I just have to get them to bite,” he said. “I might have to switch up and do more finesse stuff tomorrow. I noticed late in the day they were reacting to the Neko better. I just need to do what I’ve been doing. I need to just fish and trust my instincts. That’s been the biggest thing, not relying on a specific spot or a specific lure, just knowing that I’m around the right group of fish and figuring out through the day how to catch them.”

The top 30 pros advancing to the final day of competition on West Point Lake are:

1st: Todd Walters, Kernersville, N.C., 10 bass, 31-10
2nd: Derik Hudson, Concord, Va., 10 bass, 31-5
3rd: Tyler Stewart, Dubach, La., 10 bass, 30-15
4th: Ethan Greene, Eufaula, Ala., 10 bass, 29-12
5th: Colby Miller, Elmer, La., 10 bass, 29-5
6th: Troy Stokes, Trenton, Mich., 10 bass, 29-1
7th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 10 bass, 28-15
8th: Ken Thompson, Roaring Springs, Penn., 10 bass, 28-14
9th: Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-6
10th:      Taylor Parker, Lake View, Ala., 10 bass, 27-12
11th:      Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 10 bass, 27-7
12th:      Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 27-0
13th:      Cameron Mattison, Benton, La., 10 bass, 27-0
14th:      Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., 10 bass, 26-14
15th:      Cole Breeden, Lebanon, Mo., 10 bass, 26-13
16th:      Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 10 bass, 26-12
17th:      Jack Daniel Williams, Kingsport, Tenn., 10 bass, 26-11
18th:      Chris Blair, Newnan, Ga., 10 bass, 26-8
19th:      Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., 10 bass, 26-8
20th:      Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 10 bass, 26-4
21st:      Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 10 bass, 25-10
22nd:     Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., 10 bass, 25-8
23rd:     Brian Gay, LaGrange, Ga., 10 bass, 25-7
24th: Spike Stoker, Cisco, Texas, 10 bass, 25-4
25th: Marshall Hughes, Hemphill, Texas, 10 bass, 25-2
26th: Brett Carnright, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 bass, 25-1
27th: Charlie Williams, LaGrange, Ga., 10 bass, 24-15
28th: Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 24-13
29th: Bobby Padgett, LaGrange, Ga., 10 bass, 24-12
30th: Brad Jelinek, Lincoln, Mo., 10 bass, 24-10

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

Jeff Harper of Fleming Island, Florida, earned Saturday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award with a largemouth bass that weighed in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces.

Overall, there were 637 bass weighing 1,361 pounds even caught by 136 pros Saturday. The catch included 109 five-bass limits.

In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, now advance to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 at West Point Lake Presented by Suzuki will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.

The final 30 anglers will launch at 7 a.m. ET Sunday from the Pyne Road Park Mega Ramp, located at 4481 Roanoke Road in LaGrange. Sunday’s Championship weigh-in will also be held at the ramp and will begin at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live on Championship Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. ET. MLFNOW! will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Tackle Warehouse Invitationals anglers will compete throughout the 2024 season for the prestigious Fishing Clash Angler of the Year award and its $50,000 payday. After Stop 1 Presented by Power-Pole MOVE on Sam Rayburn, pro Drew Gill of Mount Carmel, Illinois, is in the lead.

BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

Another big day puts McKinney on the verge of history in Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Fork

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date March 2, 2024
No Comments on Another big day puts McKinney on the verge of history in Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Fork

March 2, 2024

YANTIS, Texas —

Trey McKinney already is the youngest angler ever on the Bassmaster Elite Series. Now, he’s only a day away from possibly winning the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork and scratching his name into another chapter of the B.A.S.S. record books.

McKinney, a 19-year-old Elite Series rookie from Carbondale, Ill., maintained his lead on Semifinal Saturday at this 27,000-acre big-bass factory in the northeast corner of the Lone Star State. He caught a Day 3 limit of five bass that weighed 30 pounds even, giving him 15 total bass for 97 pounds, 5 ounces.

BassTrakk had McKinney falling out of first place with only 5-3 caught after 75 minutes of fishing. His confidence shot skyward, however, after hooking a chunky 8-8 largemouth an hour later.

“The nerves were getting to me,” McKinney said. “I was trying to stay calm. When I finally hooked that big one, I said ‘This bass is what’s going to get me through.’ It took the pressure off me and I was able to fish better.”

It’s almost unfathomable that McKinney flirted with the Century mark (a 100-pound total or higher) through only three days of the four-day derby. In fact, the Top 10 anglers who survived the Phoenix Boats Cutline after Saturday’s fishing all are within striking distance of the celebrated Century Club, with the 10th-place angler having 86-5 after three days on Fork.

Still, the tournament appears McKinney’s to win or lose. Only a teenager, he’s displayed wisdom beyond his years in this tournament, making key switches when needed and maintaining focus with the spotlight shining squarely on him.

After calming down with the 8-8, McKinney caught a trio of 5-pounders over the next few hours to build a 7-pound cushion on the field. But Louisiana’s Tyler Rivet hooked a crucial 8-15 largemouth just after 11 a.m. to complete his limit and reel McKinney back to the pack.

Tyler Williams, a 22-year-old Elite Series rookie from Belgrade, Maine, is in second place with a three-day total of 94-11. Williams posted 33-14 on Saturday, following limits of 30-4 and 30-9 earlier in the tournament, and he and McKinney are the only two anglers to catch 30 pounds each day of the derby.

Williams’ 33-14 was the third-heaviest total caught Saturday. He hooked a pair of 7-pounders early and ended with a flourish, catching an 8-5 lunker on his last cast.

“I’m fishing in 40 feet of water sometimes and in 2 feet of water other times,” he said. “The big one today came really shallow. If the water was clear enough, I probably could have seen it with my eyes.”

Williams is covering a lot of water, but he’s doing so methodically. On Saturday, he trolled parallel to the bank and leaned on a 3/4-ounce Greenfish brown jig to boat his best bass.

“I put my trolling motor down about 7:15 a.m. (just after takeoff) and picked it up at about 2:45 p.m. (just before weigh-in,)” he said.

Rivet, a 29-year-old Elite angler from Raceland, La., is in third place with a 92-15 total. He followed limits of 31-5 and 29-13 with a 31-13 stringer on Semifinal Saturday.

“I just keep moving,” Rivet said, responding to how he’s maintained consistency in an event featuring a 40-degree temperature drop to start the tournament, bluebird skies and rapidly climbing temps on Day 2 and steady 15 mph winds on Day 3.

“I’ve been catching them where there’s a lot of timber in a pretty long pocket, and I’m getting new fish every day,” Rivet continued. “I think I can get another big bag. I’m confident.”

Others surviving the Phoenix Boats Cutline were Stetson Blaylock, fourth, 92-7; fifth, Justin Hammer, 91-3; sixth, Kyle Patrick, 90-5; seventh, Justin Atkins, 90-0; eighth, Cooper Gallant, 88-0; ninth, Ben Milliken, 87-3; and 10th, Wesley Gore, 86-5.

Five of the remaining Top 10 are Elite Series rookies (McKinney, Williams, Patrick, Milliken and Gore). Gore still has the Phoenix Boats Big Bass (a 10-9 caught on Day 1), while Milliken caught a 9-10 for the Big Bass on Day 3.

With the remarkable totals on the board, it’s realistic (if not probable) that each of the 10 remaining anglers will crack the 100-pound mark on Championship Sunday. That’s happened only once before in the era of four-day tournaments and five-bass limits — in 2008 on Falcon Lake in Texas when 12 Elites caught 100 pounds or more. Paul Elias caught 132-8 that year on Falcon, a four-day B.A.S.S. record that still stands.

It’s worth noting that the 2008 Falcon event was limited to 12 anglers on the final day of fishing instead of 10. Under similar circumstances on Fork, that record would likely be equaled — and there’s no telling how many 100-pound totals would be caught if the full field fished Sunday.

“Getting a Century belt is just about the coolest thing I can think of,” McKinney said, noting he still has 2-11 to get to that storied milestone. “That’s something you can’t do every day. But this tournament has been something special.

“And if they bite again tomorrow like they have the first three days, it’ll be a fun day. If not, I’ll have to tooth-and-nail them every minute of the day.”

FS1 will have live action from Championship Sunday from 8-11 a.m. There also will be live coverage on Bassmaster.com from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

This event is being hosted by Wood County Texas.

BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

Another big catch gives McKinney the lead at Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Fork

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date March 1, 2024
No Comments on Another big catch gives McKinney the lead at Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Fork

March 1, 2024

YANTIS, Texas —

Just when you thought the fishing at the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork couldn’t get better, it did.

Fifteen of the 103 anglers in the field caught 30 pounds or more on Day 2 of this four-day derby in the northeast corner of the Lone Star State. That was up from a total of 14 who caught 30 pounds or more on Thursday to start competition on the 27,000-acre fishery.

Trey McKinney, the 19-year-old wunderkind from Carbondale, Ill., leads with 10 bass totaling 67 pounds, 5 ounces. He was in fourth place after Day 1 with a 33-11 limit and held steady with a nearly identical 33-10 limit a day later.

McKinney is an Elite Series rookie who qualified for the tour through the 2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN. After finishing third in the Tackle Warehouse Elite Qualifiers division of the Opens, he’s the youngest angler to ever qualify for the Elites — and he’s already displaying a mastery beyond his years.

Not only does he have the lead at the halfway point of this tournament, but he has the best story of the derby to date, too.

It happened early Friday when a heavy 5-pounder broke off one of his favored jerkbaits. The misfortune briefly dampened the 19-year-old’s spirits. But an hour later, he caught the same bass, adding nearly 6 pounds to his Day 2 total.

He also got his jerkbait back — part of another amazing day for the teenager on this fabled fishery.

“I grabbed his lip and my jerkbait is staring me in the face,” McKinney said, shaking his head in near disbelief. “And I caught him the second time on the same kind of jerkbait. It was crazy. He had two baits in his mouth. He could barely fit the second one in there, but he was determined.”

McKinney didn’t offer specifics about which jerkbaits he’s using, but he did say he’s deploying them in two different ways.

“I’ve got one that sinks and one that suspends” he said. “It just depends on what kind of mood they’re in. You have to read them to know which one to use … It’s a feeling really. For the less active fish, I like to use the suspended one.”

McKinney also said he’s opting occasionally for a Strike King Z Too to excite Fork’s best bass.

Friday began much like Day 1, with temperatures in the 40s. The weather warmed throughout the day, however, and by midday, it was in the mid-60s and Day 1’s stiff winds had dissipated.

“Today, I think the fish were feeling the pressure,” McKinney said. “These conditions have been crazy, so the fish are moving around a lot. They want the bank, but they can’t quite get there. So, these next two days are going to be very interesting. We’ll have to make some changes, no question. Hopefully I make the right ones.”

Matty Wong, who was in sixth place after Day 1, caught his second 30-pound limit in as many days, and is in second place with 63-10. The 36-year-old Honolulu native caught 33-2 on Thursday and was hoping for some of the same cold and blustery weather that aided his bite.

Warmer temps and bluebird skies didn’t hurt his bite one bit, though, as he tacked on a 30-8 limit Friday. A personal best of 9-3, which he caught just before 10 a.m., anchored his Day 2 bag.

“I’m keying on prespawning fish and I think these cold mornings have got them up where they need to be,” Wong said. “These fish are trying to feed up their eggs, and I think I’m cutting them off as they move in … And there are more fish coming. I dumped two really good ones today that could’ve given me 40 pounds.”

Justin Atkins, a 33-year-old pro from Florence, Ala., is in third place with 61-13. He followed a 32-11 total on Thursday with 29-2 on Friday.

“The wind made it harder to fish, but I think it got them more active,” Atkins said of the main difference he saw between the first two days of the derby.

“When you get your bait out there by them, they seem a little more anxious to just get it. But today, I really had to coax them. The biggest one I caught, I bet my bait had been out there more than a minute before it finally bit. The slick conditions today just made them come up, get high on the timber, get on the bed — all the things you want. I’ll take these conditions the next two days, without a doubt.”

Wesley Gore, of Clanton, Ala., maintains his lead for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass prize with the 10-9 largemouth he caught on Day 1. Rookie JT Thompkins, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., had the big bass on Day 2 (a 9-13 lunker).

Four Elite Series rookies are in the Top 10 heading into Semifinal Saturday, including six of the Top 12. The Top 50 anglers after Friday’s action survived the Phoenix Boats Cutline and will fish on Day 3.

After Saturday’s competition, the Top 10 will advance to Championship Sunday to fish for the tournament title and the accompanying $100,000 prize.

Follow all the live action on FS1 from 8-11:30 a.m. and on Bassmaster.com from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. On Championship Sunday, watch live coverage on FS1 from 8-11 a.m. and on Bassmaster.com again from 9-4 p.m.

This event is being hosted by Wood County Texas.

MLF BIG-5

Louisiana’s Tyler Stewart Leads Day 1 at Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki at West Point Lake

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date March 1, 2024
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LAGRANGE, Ga. (March 1, 2024) – According to the locals, Day 1 of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki on West Point Lake went about as planned. For Dubach, Louisiana, pro Tyler Stewart, it went a lot better than he’d planned. With 21 pounds, 5 ounces, Stewart is squarely in the lead as the only pro to crack the 20-pound barrier. Still, the event is far from over – keeping up the pace figures to be a challenge at West Point and the rest of the Top 10 is packed pretty tight.

Stewart brought a five-bass limit to the scale Friday weighing 21 pounds, 5 ounces, to take the early lead on Day 1, holding a 2-pound, 2-ounce lead over pro Derik Hudson of Concord, Virginia, who sacked 19-3 to end the day in second. Albertville, Alabama, pro Alex Davis sits in third with 18-13 and Troy Stokes of Trenton, Michigan, is fourth with 17-3. Behind them are a handful of 14- and 15-pound bags, and 12 pounds goes all the way down to 40^th – which is really strong for West Point Lake, though there’s obviously very limited recent tournament history to compare to.

The full field of 150 anglers will conclude the two-day opening round on Saturday, with only the top 30 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advancing to Championship Sunday. The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit LaGrange , features a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025.

Weighing three largemouth over 4 pounds, Stewart turned around a miserable practice in a big way.

“My roommates are gonna call me sandbagger so bad,” Stewart joked. “I told them yesterday that if I have 10 pounds, I’ll be pretty happy. I don’t know if they just bit really good in the rain (today), but it was a lot better than I was expecting.

“It was just one of those days where you couldn’t make a wrong decision,” he added. “I had a terrible practice and just went out with a clear mind and put my head down. I ran into a couple good areas with some big fish and got them in the boat.”

The smallest lake on the schedule, there’s not much you can do to get away from other anglers. That could be cause for concern as the week goes on as pressure might get to the fishing in a big way. Still, Stewart hopes he can replicate what worked on Day 1 (maybe not to 20 pounds again, but to some degree).

“There’s a lot of fish in the areas I’m fishing; I think they could definitely replenish, because fish are moving in and out of those areas,” he said. “I got a lot of bites today that I didn’t hook, fish just slapping the bait and stuff, so I know there’s more fish in the area.”

Worst case scenario, Stewart thinks he’s got some backup spotted bass figured out.

“This afternoon, I went and targeted some spotted bass,” he said. “I caught four or five and some 2-pounders I had to throw back. My game plan tomorrow is to go and try to catch a few big ones, and if I have to go catch some spots, I don’t know that I will, but I feel like I can.”

The top 20 pros after Day 1 on West Point Lake are:

1st:          Tyler Stewart, Dubach, La., five bass, 21-5
2nd:        Derik Hudson, Concord, Va., five bass, 19-3
3rd:        Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 18-13
4th:         Troy Stokes, Trenton, Mich., five bass, 17-3
5th:         Brad Jelinek, Lincoln, Mo., five bass, 15-15
6th:         Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., five bass, 15-8
7th:         Charlie Williams, LaGrange, Ga., five bass, 15-6
8th:         Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., five bass, 15-3
9th:         Colby Miller, Elmer, La., five bass, 14-15
10th:      Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., five bass, 14-13
11th:      Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., five bass, 14-10
11th:      Darrell Ivey Jr., Lebanon, Mo., five bass, 14-10
13th:      Jaden Parrish, Liberty, Texas, five bass, 14-5
14th:      Brian Gay, LaGrange, Ga., five bass, 13-12
15th:      Matt Baty, Bainbridge, Ga., five bass, 13-8
16th:      Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, five bass, 13-7
17th:      Taylor Parker, Lake View, Ala., five bass, 13-6
17th:      Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 13-6
17th:      Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill, five bass, 13-6
20th:      Ryan Armstrong, Robinson, Ill., five bass, 13-5

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

Baty earned Friday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award with a largemouth bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces.

Overall, there were 662 bass weighing 1,420 pounds, 13 ounces caught by 143 pros Friday. The catch included 117 five-bass limits.

In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advance to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 at West Point Lake Presented by Suzuki will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.

Anglers will launch at 7 a.m. ET each day from the Pyne Road Park Mega Ramp, located at 4481 Roanoke Road in LaGrange. Weigh-ins will also be held at the ramp and will begin at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live all three days of competition from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. ET. MLFNOW! will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

Ito takes early lead as giants emerge on Day 1 of the Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Fork

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 29, 2024
No Comments on Ito takes early lead as giants emerge on Day 1 of the Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Fork

February 29, 2024

YANTIS, Texas —

Just about everyone expected to see big bags of bass this week at the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork.

Few, however, could have predicted the absolute slugfest that took place Thursday on this 27,000-acre jewel in the northeast corner of the Lone Star State.

A whopping 14 of the 103 anglers in the field caught 30 pound or better on Day 1 of the four-day tournament. Taku Ito, of Chiba, Japan, led the way with a five-bass total of 39 pounds, 1 ounce, including a personal best 10-5 lunker largemouth he brought to the stage at Caney Point Recreation Area.

His previous best was a 10-pounder he caught in Japan.

“Today was an incredible day,” Ito said. “I caught the big one about 10 a.m. I was throwing many types of baits — a jighead, a jerkbait, Texas rigs, drop shots. I was in different kinds of water, from 25 feet to about 5 feet.”

It was an unexpected turnaround for the 37-year-old Elite pro, who said he struggled mightily during his practice days on Fork.

“It was terrible,” he said. “I had four fish in one practice. Then I had three fish one day and two on another day. But today, I caught a bunch. Everything worked for me today.”

Ito wasn’t expecting Thursday’s cold and windy weather to help his cause, either, though it certainly did. Temperatures plummeted into the 40s on Wednesday, from the mid-80s a day earlier, and they stayed that way on Day 1 of this derby.

The weather is predicted to slowly warm throughout the the tournament, though Friday morning could be cold and windy again. The rapidly changing conditions make Ito uncertain he can come close to repeating the phenomenal 39-1 he caught Thursday.

“It’ll be hard,” he said. “The weather today helped me. I will go to the same places and try the same things.”

Stetson Blaylock, of Benton, Ark., is in second place with 37-6. He had a strong start, with bass weighing 6-10, 8-6 and 9-10 coming from the same small spot in the opening hours. Blaylock went cold for more than three hours, though, and didn’t catch his fourth and fifth bass until much later in the day.

He said unpredictable weather has him thinking he’ll try something new on Friday. And yes, he realizes it’s not too often you catch 37-6 and change tactics.

“This weather made the fish weird,” he said. “I found that one little area that really produced this morning. I knew it would be good, but I didn’t know it’d be that good … I don’t think I go there tomorrow … Things are gonna flip-flop. With the amount of 30-pound stringers caught today, I know I can go other places in the lake and catch big fish.”

Second-year Elite Kyle Norsetter, of Cottage Grove, Wis., is in third place with 35-8. He too said he struggled during practice, but a midday change of scenery helped him mount a strong Day 1 finish.

“We had about 35 bed fish marked, but I pulled into my first spot, and I only caught a 3-11,” he said. “I thought it was gonna be a decent day. I hit my spots, about six of them, and they were gone … I caught only one bedding fish today.

“So, I ended up switching gears,” Norsetter continued. “I saw something and made a cast, got it. Then I started LiveScoping. From there, everything went right. There were a lot of fish and some really nice fish, too. It was encouraging after having a really tough, draining practice.”

Trey McKinney, of Carbondale, Ill., is fourth after Day 1 with 33-11. Justin Hammer, of Northport, Ala., is fifth with 33-5. A total of 92 Elites had double-digit totals on Thursday and 69 of them caught at least 20 pounds.

Wesley Gore, of Clanton, Ala., caught the Phoenix Boats Big Bass on Thursday — a 10-9 giant he hooked just before 9 a.m.

Big bags are nothing new at Lake Fork. Texas pro Lee Livesay won the past two Elite derbies held here, cracking the Century mark both times — 112-5 in 2021 and 113-11 a year later. There were a total of six Century Club performances in those two tournaments.

The entire field will fish again Friday, with only the Top 50 advancing to Semifinal Saturday. The Top 10 will compete for the blue trophy and $100,000 first-place prize on Championship Sunday.

Bassmaster LIVE will be streaming on Bassmaster.com all four days, and coverage will also be available on FS1 on Saturday and Sunday.

This event is being hosted by Wood County Texas.

MLF BIG-5

Dexter’s Stone Gets Surprise Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Kentucky-Barkley Lakes

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 26, 2024
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GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (Feb. 26, 2024) – Boater Randy Stone of Dexter, Kentucky, caught a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds even Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Kentucky-Barkley Lakes . Hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, the tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL LBL Division. Stone earned $5,133 for his victory.

“The water was very rough this morning when I ran down to my first stop,” Stone said. “I didn’t catch a fish there, so I decided to run to a bank where I had been catching them, near Paris Landing, and I caught a few there. I still didn’t know what to do; it was so rough there wasn’t really any good place to fish.”

Stone said he then began hitting old spots he’d fished in the past and said every spot he hit produced fish. Stone said he was targeting flats and caught 10 keepers with a Z-Man Original Chatterbait, a Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap and crankbaits.

“I never thought I had a chance to have enough weight to win this,” Stone said. “I needed two really nice fish to finish up, so I threw up to the bank and caught two really nice smallmouth, and that ended up putting me over the top.

“This win is just crazy,” Stone added. “I didn’t have a clue that I could end up winning. I thought my co-angler had caught enough for a win, but I didn’t think I had.”

Stone’s co-angler, Greg Warren, went on to win the co-angler division, as the duo swept the event.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st: Randy Stone, Dexter, Ky., five bass, 23-0, $5,133
2nd: Billy Schroeder, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 22-8, $2,566
3rd: Brad Kell, Benton, Ky., five bass, 21-10, $1,710
4th:         Stephen Barga, Benton, Ky., five bass, 21-2, $1,198
5th:         Ethan Fields, Breese, Ill., five bass, 20-15, $1,027
6th: Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., five bass, 20-10, $1,441 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
7th:         Zachary Martin, Murray, Ky., five bass, 20-2, $855
8th:         Clint Knight, Lewisburg, Ky., five bass, 18-3, $770
9th:         Sam Moll, Hershey, Pa., five bass, 18-2, $684
10th: Lloyd Pickett, Jr., Bartlett, Tenn., five bass, 18-1, $599

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Justin Berger of Murray, Kentucky, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $800.

Greg Warren of Rosiclare, Illinois, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,966 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 20 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

Stone’s Co-Angler Warren Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division, Completes Duo Sweep

1st:          Greg Warren, Rosiclare, Ill., five bass, 20-4, $2,966
2nd: Alan Spell, Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 14-15, $1,283
3rd: Peyton Nolen, Lexington, Tenn., five bass, 14-9, $855
4th:         Gage Elder, Decatur, Ill., five bass, 14-6, $599
5th:         Jim Elmore, Independence, Ky., five bass, 14-3, $513
6th:         Tim Rampaul, Dickson, Tenn., five bass, 13-14, $571
7th:         Conner Hughart, Goreville, Ill., five bass, 13-6, $428
8th:         Logan Sutherland, Elizabeth, Ind., five bass, 13-1, $385
9th:         Bill Olson, Barrington, Ill., four bass, 13-0, $342
10th: Hunter Holguin, Knoxville, Tenn, five bass, 12-15, $299

Greg Warren of Rosiclare, Illinois, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $400, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 7 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

The next event for BFL LBL Division anglers will be held April 6, at Kentucky-Barkley Lakes in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.

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. 3-5 BFL Regional tournament on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki 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 or Suzuki outboard.

The 2024 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.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.

MLF BIG-5

Springville’s Dorsett Scopes His Way to Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Martin

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 26, 2024
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ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (Feb. 26, 2024) – Boater Kyle Dorsett of Springville, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Martin . Hosted by the Alexander City Chamber of Commerce, the tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Bama Division. Dorsett earned $4,009 for his victory.

“My day started off kind of slow,” Dorsett said. “I found an area that had some fish in it Thursday in practice, so I ran 20 minutes down the lake and hunkered down and fished.

“Lake Martin can be a weird lake to fish,” Dorsett added. “They can be here today, gone tomorrow. But they hung around and I kept catching them. The wind blew 30 miles an hour, and when you get weather like that on Martin, the fish tend to bite.”

Dorsett said he relied on a Garmin LiveScope to target fish and presented both a jerkbait and a Damiki rig to larger bass staying close to balls of baitfish. Dorsett said he knows Martin “fairly well” and has spent a good amount of time fishing there in January and February for the past three or four years.

“I’ve spent quite a bit of time on Martin this time of year,” said Dorsett. “It took 16 pounds to win a local tournament there the weekend before the BFL. So, when I had 14 pounds at 12 o’clock, I thought I had a shot at winning.

“I was pretty excited to win this,” Dorsett said. “I’ve won some big events on the Coosa lakes, but never one this big on Martin. I’ve never even done that well there, to be honest.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:          Kyle Dorsett, Springville, Ala., five bass, 16-12, $4,009
2nd:        Stihl Smith, Alexander, Ala., five bass, 14-4, $2,555
3rd: James Willoughby, Gulfport, Miss., five bass, 13-5, $1,336
4th:         Donald Griffith, Robertsdale, Ala., five bass, 12-7, $935
5th:         Marty Giddens, Eclectic, Ala., five bass, 11-13, $802
6th:         Blake Tomlin, Greenville, Ga., five bass, 11-4, $701
6th:         Carson Maddux, Hoover, Ala., five bass, 11-4, $701
8th:         Connor Jacob, Peoria, Ill., five bass, 11-1, $568
8th:         Blake Davenport, Jemison, Ala., five bass, 11-1, $568
10th: Tim Ferguson, Pelham, Ala., five bass, 11-0, $468

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Stihl Smith of Alexander, Alabama, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $550.

Jeff Huddleston of Anniston, Alabama, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,005 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 10 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

Anniston’s Huddleston Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division

1st:          Jeff Huddleston, Anniston, Ala., five bass, 10-4, $2,005
2nd:        Jeffery McCoy, Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 9-12, $1,277
3rd: Gary Marlowe, Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 9-6, $768
4th:         Colt Hinson, Andalusia, Ala., five bass, 9-2, $468
5th:         Derek Wood, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 8-15, $401
6th:         Zac Smith, Demopolis, Ala., five bass, 8-11, $368
7th:         Randall Norton, Ashland, Ala., five bass, 8-10, $334
8th:         Caleb Gwaltney, Athens, Ala., five bass, 8-7, $284
8th:         Thomas Eyler, Ashford, Ala., five bass, 8-7, $284
10th: Mason Bryan, Carrollton, Ga., five bass, 8-6, $234

Jeffery McCoy of Montgomery, Alabama, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $275, catching a bass that weighed in at 3 pounds, 9 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

The next event for BFL Bama Division anglers will be held April 20, at Lake Mitchell in Clanton, Alabama. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.

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. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on Santee Cooper Lakes in Clarendon County, South Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki 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 or Suzuki outboard.

MLF BIG-5

Georgia’s Heaton Notches Second Lake Hartwell Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event

Post author By jcarrigan
Post date February 26, 2024
No Comments on Georgia’s Heaton Notches Second Lake Hartwell Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event

ANDERSON, S.C. (Feb. 26, 2024) – Boater Max Heaton of Hartwell, Georgia, caught a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 10 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hartwell . Hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau, the tournament was the second event of the season for the BFL Savannah River Division. Heaton earned $3,632 for his victory.

“I practiced Friday all day and didn’t end up swinging on many, but ended up catching 21 pounds,” Heaton said. “So, I knew where some of the bigger largemouth were setting up. I knew I just had to stay around them on tournament day.”

Heaton said he began fishing up the lake near Tugaloo State Park and caught 12 pounds quickly. A relocation back down the lake produced two 5½-pounders within 15 minutes of each other. Heaton then returned to the Tugaloo area to finish his day culling bass and said he landed a total of 15 keepers during the tournament.

“I knew I had over 19 pounds at 10 o’clock – maybe even pushing 20 – but I knew I had a pretty good bag,” Heaton said. “I was fishing a Damiki rig; it was the only rod I had on my deck. I was targeting pods of bass in timber from 40 to 60 feet of water.

“This is my second BFL win on Lake Hartwell,” Heaton said, who notched his first in 2023. “Ever since I won that one, I wanted to do it again. I won it about the same time last year doing the same stuff.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:          Max Heaton, Hartwell, Ga., five bass, 19-10, $3,632
2nd:        Dylan Atkins, Flowery Branch, Ga., five bass, 18-3, $1,816
3rd:        Derek Lehtonen, Woodruff, S.C., five bass, 18-2, $2,175 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th:         Jeff Culpepper, Nicholson, Ga., five bass, 17-11, $847
5th:         Tab Anderson, Pendleton, S.C., five bass, 16-13, $851
6th:         Justin Raines, Easley, S.C., five bass, 16-7, $966
7th:         Tallis Morrison, Royston, Ga., five bass, 16-2, $605
8th:         Will Hart, Danielsville, Ga., five bass, 16-1, $545
9th:         Andrew Allen, Waterloo, S.C., five bass, 15-14, $484
10th:      Peyton Dunn, Fitzgerald, Ga., five bass, 15-10, $424

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Derek Lehtonen of Woodruff, South Carolina, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $465.

Barry Huffman of Young Harris, Georgia, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,816 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 8 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:

1st:          Barry Huffman, Young Harris, Ga., five bass, 13-8, $1,816
2nd:        Nicholas Gurkin, Simpsonville, S.C., five bass, 12-1, $908
3rd:        Colby Matthews, Newborn, Ga., five bass, 12-0, $706
4th:         Gage Coley, Molena, Ga., five bass, 11-15, $424
5th:         Trey Paul, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 11-14, $363
6th:         J.D. Carter, Honea Park, S.C., five bass, 11-12, $565
7th:         Todd Huntley, Inman, S.C., five bass, 11-9, $303
8th:         Deion Latimer, Belton, S.C., five bass, 11-8, $272
9th:         William Thomas Cowart, Danielsville, Ga., five bass, 11-7, $242
10th:      Logan Brown, Fletcher, N.C., four bass, 9-13, $212

Young Harris’ Huffman Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division

J.D. Carter of Honea Park, South Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $232, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After two events, Joe Anders of Easley, South Carolina, leads the BFL Savannah River Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 480 points, while Colby Matthews of Newborn, Georgia, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 495 points.

The next event for BFL Savannah River Division anglers will be held April 13, at Lake Hartwell in Lavonia, Georgia. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.