Author: jcarrigan

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MLF BIG-5

A NEW CHAMPION AT FLW TOUR AT LAKE SEMINOLE PRESENTED BY COSTA

March 10, 2019  by FLW Communications – Photo Courtesy of FLW

BAINBRIDGE, Ga. – In one of the most dramatic finishes in recent FLW Tour history, fourth-year FLW Tour pro Brian Latimer of Belton, South Carolina, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 21 pounds, 3 ounces to win the FLW Tour at Lake Seminole presented by Costa Sunday and the first-place prize of $100,000.

Latimer’s four-day total of 20 bass totaling 80 pounds, 15 ounces edged out Day One leader Braxton Setzer of Montgomery, Alabama (78-14), who finished second and 21-year-old pro Sheldon Collings of Grove, Oklahoma (76-2), in third place.

All day long Latimer, Setzer and Collings traded blows, landing one big one after another much to the thrill of the thousands of viewers that tuned in to watch the day’s action on FLW Live. As the broadcast came to an end at 2 p.m. Latimer was in third place, but only had three bass in his livewell. Latimer added two more keepers late in the day to overtake Setzer and Collings and earned the South Carolina pro his first career victory.

“I have fished for so long, and I always knew that I could do this,” an emotional Latimer said on the weigh-in stage. “I didn’t do well, for a long time. This is not an easy sport. But I knew I could do it, and I kept going. All I’ve ever wanted to do was fish for a living. To win the $100,000 is great, but to finally have my trophy… that is so awesome.”

Latimer caught his fish on Day One Thursday by cranking a current seam in the Flint River with a Bill Lewis MR-6 crankbait, bringing a solid limit weighing 19-1 to the scale. Friday, he caught a few fish cranking, but the majority came from a run down the river to a flat with isolated clumps of grass. He scrapped up a limit weighing 17-11, then decided to stick it out on the flat for the final two days of competition, weighing in 23-0 and 21-3 to slam the door and earn the win.

“Friday is when I figured out that I was on the winning school of fish,” Latimer said. “I did the majority of my damage at a big hydrilla and milfoil flat. I told my wife that if I can get five bites there, every day, I could win this tournament. I stuck it out there, and that’s what happened.

Latimer’s one-two punch on the flat was flipping a Texas-rigged Z-Man Palmetto Bugz with a 1/2-ounce weight or finessing them out with a wacky-rigged Zoom Trick Worm.

“It was stressful – probably the most stressful thing that I have ever been through,” said Latimer. “I lost quite a few fish this week, but I kept my composure. I wasn’t getting many bites. I had to stay focused, and I’m just so blessed that I caught what I did.

The top 10 pros on Lake Seminole finished:

 1st: Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., 20 bass, 80-15, $102,500

 2nd: Braxton Setzer, Montgomery, Ala., 17 bass, 78-14, $30,200

 3rd: Sheldon Collings, Grove, Okla., 20 bass, 76-2, $25,100

 4th: Rapala pro Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., 20 bass, 72-6, $20,000

 5th: Rob Kilby, Hot Springs, Ark., 20 bass, 62-14, $19,000

 6th: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 20 bass, 62-10, $18,000

 7th: Miles Howe, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., 19 bass, 59-6, $17,000

 8th: Bradford Beavers, Summerville, S.C., 17 bass, 55-8, $16,500

 9th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 16 bass, 51-1, $15,000

 10th: Hunter Freeman, Monroe, La., 15 bass, 49-2, $14,000

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

Overall there were 42 bass weighing 138 pounds, 12 ounces caught by pros Sunday. Eight of the final 10 pros weighed in five-bass limits.

Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Seminole presented by Costa will premiere in 2019. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show airs each Saturday night at 7 p.m. EST and is broadcast to more than 63 million cable, satellite and telecommunications households in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean on the World Fishing Network (WFN), the leading entertainment destination and digital resource for anglers throughout North America. FLW television is also distributed internationally to FLW partner countries, including Canada, China, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and South Africa.

The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Seminole presented by Costa was more than $860,000. The tournament was hosted by the Bainbridge Convention and Visitors Bureau. The next event for FLW Tour anglers will be the FLW Tour at Grand Lake presented by Mercury, in Grove, Oklahoma, March 28-31. The tournament will be hosted by the City of Grove and Cherokee Casino Grove.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 165 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to fish on Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continued competition 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 2019 FLW Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2019 FLW Cup will be on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

Categories
MLF BIG-5

SOUTH CAROLINA’S LATIMER MOVES INTO LEAD AT FLW TOUR AT LAKE SEMINOLE PRESENTED BY COSTA

March 9, 2019  by FLW Communications – Photo Courtesy of FLW Fishing

BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (March 9, 2019) – The weather threw anglers a curveball Saturday morning at the FLW Tour at Lake Seminole presented by Costa. A heavy, dense fog settled in over Lake Seminole and greeted the pros as they arrived to the Earle May Boat Basin in Bainbridge, prompting FLW Tournament Director Bill Taylor to delay takeoff for a little over an hour due to the low visibility.

Around 8:15 a.m., after the fog had lifted, the 30 anglers that qualified to fish the weekend embarked on Day Three of competition. Pro Brian Latimer of Belton, South Carolina moved into the top spot after bringing a limit weighing 23 pounds even to the scale.

The field is now trimmed to the final 10 pros for Sunday, and Latimer (15 bass, 59-12) will start with a slim 1-pound, 10-ounce lead over second-place pro Braxton Setzer of Montgomery, Alabama, (15 bass, 58-2) who led the first day of competition. Also in striking distance is Sheldon Collings of Grove, Oklahoma, (15 bass, 56-2) who sits in third place. The four-day competition features 165 of the world’s best bass-fishing anglers competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.

“It might look like I had a really good day, but I only caught six fish,” said Latimer, who is fishing in his 26th career FLW Tour event. “I had nothing until 10 a.m., then I just started catching them slowly, one at a time, like every hour. I knew that if I could ever get five bites in the area I was fishing that I’d catch 20+ pounds, and today that finally happened.”

Latimer put a charge into the FLW Live broadcast Saturday morning, boating a 6-pounder on a wacky-rig two hours into the broadcast. He stayed in the same area for the entire day, grinding out six keepers.

“The current had pushed a lot of muddy water out of my area and it was crystal clear this morning,” Latimer said. “They wouldn’t bite flipping, so I had to go with the wacky rig. Tomorrow, unless the wind blows all night, it should be clear so I’ll start with the wacky-rig again. If the wind picks up and blows in muddy water from the river then I’ll have to pick them off by flipping.”

Latimer is already guaranteed to have the highest finish of his young career this week, yet seemed to have the confidence of an angler that has been fishing for many years. When asked about any nerves heading into the final day, the South Carolina pro said he had nothing to worry about.

“I’ve got no nerves – I’ve got one place to fish and two baits to throw. If I stay focused, land my bites and catch five, I think I can do it again. Fishing is momentum, and right now everything is working out right for me. I really feel like I can catch them again.”

The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition Sunday on Lake Seminole are: 

 1st: Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., 15 bass, 59-12

 2nd: Braxton Setzer, Montgomery, Ala., 12 bass, 58-2

 3rd: Sheldon Collings, Grove, Okla., 15 bass, 56-2

 4th: Rob Kilby, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 55-9

 5th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 15 bass, 48-14

 6th: Hunter Freeman, Monroe, La., 14 bass, 47-10

 7th: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 46-13

 8th: Bradford Beavers, Summerville, S.C., 12 bass, 46-10

 9th: Miles Howe, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., 14 bass, 45-6

 10th: Rapala pro Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 45-4

Finishing in 11th through 30th are:

 11th: Buddy Gross, Chickamauga, Ga., 12 bass, 45-4, $12,000

 12th: Greg Bohannan, Bentonville, Ark., 15 bass, 44-14, $12,000

 13th: Jason Abram, Piney Flats, Tenn., 15 bass, 44-1, $12,000

 14th: Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, Ark., 15 bass, 43-2, $12,000

 15th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 15 bass, 42-8, $12,000

 16th: Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., 11 bass, 42-4, $11,500

 17th: Jared McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla., 15 bass, 42-1, $11,500

 18th: Chris McCall, Palmer, Texas, 14 bass, 40-14, $11,500

 19th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., 15 bass, 39-12, $11,500

 20th: Tyler Woolcott, Port Orange, Fla., 10 bass, 37-13, $11,500

 21st: Miles Burghoff, Hixson, Tenn., 14 bass, 36-9, $10,500

 22nd: Jimmy Brewer, Marshall, Texas, 13 bass, 36-6, $10,500

 23rd: Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, 14 bass, 35-15, $10,500

 24th: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., nine bass, 35-14, $10,500

 25th: Russell Cecil, Willis, Texas, 14 bass, 35-13, $10,500

 26th: Jacob Wall, Jacksonville, Ore., 12 bass, 34-5, $10,500

 27th: Andy Young, Isle, Minn., 13 bass, 32-10, $10,500

 28th: Kurt Dove, Del Rio, Texas, nine bass, 32-8, $10,500

 29th: Nitro pro Dylan Hays, El Dorado, Ark., 12 bass, 30-12, $10,500

 30th: Matt Reed, Madisonville, Texas, 11 bass, 28-7, $10,500

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

Overall there were 119 bass weighing 322 pounds even caught by pros Saturday, Of the final 30 pros, 18 of them were able to bring a five-bass limit to the scale.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 165 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to fish on Saturday. Now, only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Seminole presented by Costa is more than $860,000. The tournament is hosted by the Bainbridge Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2019 FLW Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2019 FLW Cup will be on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

Anglers will take off for the final day of competition at 7:45 a.m. EST Sunday from the Bainbridge Earle May Boat Basin, located at 100 Boat Basin Circle, in Bainbridge. Sunday’s Championship weigh-in will also be held at the boat basin beginning at 4 p.m.

In conjunction with the weigh-ins, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the Bainbridge Earle May Boat Basin from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.

Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Seminole presented by Costa will premiere in 2019. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show airs each Saturday night at 7 p.m. EST and is broadcast to more than 63 million cable, satellite and telecommunications households in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean on the World Fishing Network (WFN), the leading entertainment destination and digital resource for anglers throughout North America. FLW television is also distributed internationally to FLW partner countries, including Canada, China, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and South Africa.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air Sunday, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by veteran FLW Tour pro Todd Hollowell to break down the extended action each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.

Categories
MLF BIG-5

A TIGHT LEAD ON DAY 1 – ALABAMA’S SETZER LEADS DAY ONE OF FLW TOUR AT LAKE SEMINOLE PRESENTED BY COSTA

March 7, 2019  by FLW Communications – Photo courtesy of FLW

BAINBRIDGE, Ga. – Pro Braxon Setzer of Montgomery, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 25 pounds, 15 ounces to jump out to the early lead after Day One of the FLW Tour at Lake Seminole presented by Costa. Fellow Alabaman Joseph Webster of Winfield (25-9) and Bradford Beavers of Summerville, South Carolina (25-2) are right behind Setzer in second and third place as the four-day tournament, which features 165 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals casting for a top award of up to $125,000, heads into Day Two.

“This morning I pulled into a spot near the area where I wanted to start and thought that I would fish my way up to it. I started fishing, then watched Joseph (Webster) idle right over to where I wanted to be, sit down and commence to just whacking them,” said Setzer, a four-year FLW Tour veteran with one previous FLW Cup appearance. “I thought to myself, ‘Oh my goodness, what a stupid call on my part.’ I struggled with that, but then I settled down and just picked apart the area that I was in.

“I caught a limit by 9:30,” Setzer continued. “The fishing was slower than I was hoping it was going to be, but it was a bigger area and took me a long time to pick it apart.”

Setzer said the spot was mainly deeper grass, with his most success coming from an area he described as a ditch that runs up into a flat. He caught seven keepers there – on two different baits – then left the spot around 11 a.m.

“The bite died off, so I ran down to another stretch of grass that I liked and ended up culling two fish there,” Setzer said. “It was very slow and was an hour or two between bites, but when I got bit it was a good one.”

Setzer tallied just nine bass total throughout the day. He said his plan for tomorrow was mainly to keep his options open.

“There is obviously a bunch of fish in my main area, but it’ll be interesting to see what the weather and the boat pressure does to it,” Setzer went on to say. “I don’t know if I’ll stay with it as long as I did today. I may have to run around and fish some new water. I think I’ve got maybe one or two more areas that I can get bit off of.”

The top 10 pros after day one on Lake Seminole are:  

 1st: Braxton Setzer, Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 25-15

 2nd: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., five bass, 25-9

 3rd: Bradford Beavers, Summerville, S.C., five bass, 25-2

 4th: Sheldon Collings, Grove, Okla., five bass, 23-14

 5th: Rob Kilby, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 23-3

 6th: Kurt Dove, Del Rio, Texas, five bass, 20-5

 7th: Tyler Woolcott, Port Orange, Fla., five bass, 19-14

 8th: Miles Howe, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., five bass, 19-13

 9th: Dicky Newberry, Houston, Texas, five bass, 19-7

 10th: Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., five bass, 19-1

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Beavers earned Thursday’s $500 Big Bass award in the pro division after bringing a largemouth weighing 7-pounds, 5-ounces to the scale.

Overall there were 573 bass weighing 1,551 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 154 pros Thursday. The catch included 72 five-bass limits.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 165 pro anglers compete in the two-day opening round Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Seminole presented by Costa is more than $860,000. The tournament is hosted by the Bainbridge Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2019 FLW Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2019 FLW Cup will be on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EST Friday and Saturday and 7:45 a.m. Sunday from the Bainbridge Earle May Boat Basin, located at 100 Boat Basin Circle, in Bainbridge. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the boat basin beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the boat basin, but will begin at 4 p.m.

In conjunction with the weigh-ins, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the Bainbridge Earle May Boat Basin from 2 to 6 p.m. each day. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.

Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at the boat basin on Saturday, March 9 from Noon-2 p.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to anyone under the age of 18 and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. The 1st and 2nd place anglers that catch the biggest fish will be recognized Saturday on the FLW Tour stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.

Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Seminole presented by Costa will premiere in 2019. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show airs each Saturday night at 7 p.m. EST and is broadcast to more than 63 million cable, satellite and telecommunications households in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean on the World Fishing Network (WFN), the leading entertainment destination and digital resource for anglers throughout North America. FLW television is also distributed internationally to FLW partner countries, including Canada, China, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and South Africa.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air on Saturday and Sunday, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by veteran FLW Tour pro Todd Hollowell to break down the extended action each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.

Categories
BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

HERE IS WHAT YOU EXPECT FROM THE 2019 BASSMASTER CLASSIC – Fort Loudon, Tellico Lakes Will Give Bassmaster Classic Competitors Plenty Of Options

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Photo courtesy of BASS

The GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods brings bass fishing’s grandest event to the spot where one of the nation’s grandest rivers begins.

Literally forming at the host city of Knoxville, the Tennessee River traces its beginning to the confluence of the Holston and French Broad rivers on the town’s east side. From there, it extends 652 miles before emptying into the Ohio River.

The entire length of the Tennessee is known for its bass fishing, but the upper section will become the focal point of the bass fishing universe March 15-17, when the Classic gets under way. The three-day event is worth $300,000 to the winner, out of a total purse of $1 million.

The Classic waters have been off-limits to the 52 Classic qualifiers since December 31. They’ll have a few more days to scout the fishery just prior to the start of competition as they try to pinpoint locations where they can catch the heaviest five-bass limits each day.

Classic waters include Fort Loudoun and Tellico lakes, twin reservoirs connected by a canal and comprising about 30,000 combined acres. Competitors can fish either lake and anywhere along the Tennessee River upstream from Fort Loudoun Dam to the Interstate-40 bridge on the Holston River and the Highway 168 bridge on the French Broad River.

“The river just has so much to offer from top to bottom,” said Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brandon Card, who lives in Knoxville and loves the river. “A lot of the anglers who’ll be fishing this Classic have probably never seen this particular part of the river before.

“I’ve been fishing Fort Loudon and Tellico off and on my whole life, and I know how good they can be.”

Fort Loudoun

Named after an 18th-Century British fort built during the French and Indian War, Fort Loudoun Lake was constructed in 1943 for hydroelectric power production, and it boasts 379 miles of shoreline and 14,600 surface acres.

Card said anglers in the 52-angler Classic field who prefer to fish for largemouth will likely spend most of their time on Fort Loudon due to its stained water color and wealth of shallow structure.

“Fort Loudon looks more like a river,” Card said. “It has that Tennessee River water clarity that is just great for fishing shallow. The ‘power’ fishermen — the guys who like to throw crankbaits and swimbaits and things like that — will probably gravitate toward Fort Loudon.

“That’s what I would do — and I’d look for places that have big largemouth and smallmouth because both species are in Fort Loudon.”

Noting that March is one of the best months to fish all of the Tennessee River reservoirs, former Bassmaster Classic champion David Fritts agreed that Fort Loudon is more suited for shallow fishing.

“The key to success is being able to find the staging fish as they move in,” Fritts said. “Rock is always important this time of year on the Tennessee River. Wood on a rocky spot enhances it, but a hard bottom is the key. You’re not going to catch a whole lot of fish off of laydowns, unless they have hard bottom underneath.”

Tellico

Completed in 1979, this 15,560-acre reservoir was created as a Loudoun extension. The Tellico Dam impounds the Little Tennessee River, which flows northwestward from its source in the Appalachian Mountains and enters the Tennessee River near Lenoir City.

Unlike its neighboring Fort Loudoun structure, Tellico Dam has no power-generation capabilities. Instead, it serves to divert water through a short canal into Fort Loudoun for greater flood control and navigational purposes.

Perhaps as a result, Tellico typically features clearer water than Fort Loudon and can be more attractive to deep-water anglers.

“You’re talking 10 feet of visibility on Tellico versus maybe 3 feet of visibility on Fort Loudon,” Card said. “So, the light-line, smallmouth guys are definitely going to favor Tellico.”

As with most clear-water fisheries, Card said success on Tellico is tied heavily to the weather of the day.

“Tellico is more of a conditional lake,” he said. “On overcast days or real windy days, that’s when Tellico is going to shine. But if we get a bluebird, sunny day, Tellico will be tough.”

Tale of two Classics

Card said limits of 20-pound smallmouth are possible on either fishery. It’ll just be a matter of how an angler wants to fish and what the weather will allow. Though the area is being pounded by heavy rains now, Card said if the weather stabilizes, the venue should make for a great Classic.

“You can pretty much pick your poison,” he said. “You can fish a drop-shot rig in 40 feet of water on Tellico, or you can fish a squarebill on Fort Loudon in 2 feet of water.

“Strategically, you’re going to have to make some tough decisions all three days.”

The biggest decision, according to Elite Series pro Mark Menendez of Kentucky, may be whether you want to catch lots of smallmouth at Tellico or bank on an occasional monster smallmouth at Fort Loudon.

“Loudoun has a good population of 4- and 5-pound smallmouth, and those are going to play big in the Classic,” Menendez said. “It’s easier to catch a 5-pound smallmouth on Loudoun than a 5-pound largemouth — but there are more largemouth. It’s going to make for a really fun guessing game.”

Knoxville leaders are excited about showing off their fishery to fishing fans visiting from throughout the nation.

“The Visit Knoxville Sports Commission has enjoyed partnering with B.A.S.S. and looks forward to welcoming the Bassmaster Classic in just a few short weeks,” said Kim Bumpas, president of Visit Knoxville. “Hosting this event in Knoxville is the perfect opportunity to showcase the beautiful Tennessee River to the Classic competitors and outdoor enthusiasts.”

Classic anglers will take off each competition morning from Volunteer Landing in downtown Knoxville, and weigh-ins will be each afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena on the University of Tennessee campus. The Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods and other activities will take place at the Knoxville Convention Center and the adjacent World’s Fair Exhibition Hall. For more information about attending the 49th Bassmaster Classic, visit VisitKnoxville.com/Bassmaster, or go to Bassmaster.com.

Categories
Major League Fishing - Bass Pro Tour/Cup Events

JUST ANNOUNCED! – MLF Bass Pro Tour Names Stage Six Stop

TULSA, Oklahoma (Feb. 27, 2019) – Major League Fishing® (MLF) announced today that Missouri’s majestic Table Rock Lake, located in the heart of the Ozarks at the city of Branson, will be hosting the 2019 MLF Bass Pro Tour’s Stage Six event, May 17-22, 2019. The popular tourist destination community and the big 67-square-miles reservoir are both well known for their angler hospitality and serving up a quality bass tournament experience for participants and spectators alike. Most of the 80 pros in the event have fished on Table Rock before, but this will be their first time as competitors in the newly formed Bass Pro Tour and as the first bass anglers to achieve professional status in the sport’s league that requires no tournament entry fee for competitions. “Major League Fishing is showing professional competitive fishing in the same manner that Americans see other sport organizations, such as the NFL, MLB, PGA, NASCAR, etc.,” said Jeff Seifried, President/CEO, Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and CVB. “Branson is excited to host these great anglers on our pristine lake.” “Table Rock Lake has it all – largemouth, smallmouth, spotted bass – and some of the most beautiful scenery in America,” said Michael Mulone, Senior Director of Events & Partnerships for Major League Fishing. “Branson is a fantastic destination known for reeling in tourists and we are looking forward to highlighting “The Rock” to a national audience.”


Nestled in the Ozarks and close to nearby Branson, Table Rock Lake attracts thousands of visitors every year. 

The region’s extreme geography also calls for league officials to manage where anglers can fish due to MLF’s stringent connectivity requirements because MLF NOW! live stream and SCORETRACKER™ are critical components of the event’s execution and coverage. Anglers’ catches are immediately weighed, recorded and released back into the water, with the information being shared real-time via SCORETRACKER™ devices on every boat so that all competitors know where they stand and for the league to be able to keep the viewing public informed. Bass Pro Tour events feature seven hours of live-stream coverage on MLF NOW! during each competition day, with free access available at www.majorleaguefishing.com. Table Rock Lake in Missouri’s Ozark Mountains is also the birthplace of the event’s title sponsor, Bass Pro Shops, with its flagship National Headquarters store located in nearby Springfield, Missouri. Bass Pro Shops also operates Big Cedar Lodge, located on the banks of Table Rock Lake. Additional activities are planned for both locations as part of the event, with more details to follow in the coming weeks. “Competing in the backyard of a major sponsor will allow interaction with employees, anglers, and the fans,” Mulone added. The Table Rock tour event will result in a two-hour television show that will air on Discovery Channel in the fourth quarter of 2019. It will repeat on Sportsman Channel in first and second quarters 2020. MLF also has programming on Outdoor Channel, World Fishing Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network and Discovery Channel, and all episodes are available on-demand on My Outdoor TV (MOTV).  For more information about MLF and its anglers, rules and sponsors, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Categories
MLF BIG-5

THIRD FLW TOUR EVENT OF SEASON SET FOR LAKE SEMINOLE

February 25, 2019  by FLW Communications – Photo courtesy of FLW

BAINBRIDGE, Ga. – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament fishing organization, is set to continue the 2019 FLW Tour season – the 24th season of the competitive Tour – next week, March 7-10, with the FLW Tour at Lake Seminole presented by Costa. Hosted by the Bainbridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, the tournament will feature 170 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals competing for a top award of up to $125,000 and valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2019 FLW Cup – the world championship of bass fishing.

The FLW Tour has visited Lake Seminole just once prior in FLW’s 24-year history. When the Tour visited the Georgia reservoir in 1996, Mississippi pro Jeff Magee averaged just over 15½ pounds a day to win just the fourth event in FLW Tour history. The 2019 event will mark the 213th tournament in FLW Tour history. The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Seminole presented by Costa is more than $860,000, including $9,000 through 65th place in the Pro Division.

“Hurricane Michael really changed the lake, 180-degrees,” said local FLW Tour angler J. Todd Tucker of Moultrie, Georgia. “It has opened up some new areas that haven’t been open for years. It’s scattered the grass and completely changed the grasslines. But, overall, Lake Seminole has been fishing pretty good and it’s going to be a very fun tournament.

“The fish are going to be shallow,” Tucker continued. “There should be quite a bit of spawning going on, and we’re going to see bass caught in all three phases – prespawn, spawn and postspawn. The key to winning this event will be to find the staging fish – areas with both prespawn and postspawn bass moving in and going out.”

Tucker said that fans following the action should expect to see a strong crankbait bite, along with lipless crankbaits, Carolina rigs, topwater baits and vibrating jigs all playing a role.

“A lot of guys are going to be fishing the lily pad stems and hydrilla up shallow, but the sand bars have always been a big player at Seminole,” Tucker said. “Guys are going to be able to catch them in a lot of different ways and we’re going to see some big fish.

“I think to make the top-30 cut to fish on the weekend, it’s going to take 31 pounds,” Tucker went on to say. “I predict the four-day winner will have right around 88 pounds. We should see quite a few 25- to 28-pound limits. If the tournament hits the lake at just the right time, the potential is definitely there for 33- to 34-pound bags.”

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. CST Thursday through Saturday and 7:45 a.m. Sunday from the Bainbridge Earle May Boat Basin, located at 100 Boat Basin Circle, in Bainbridge. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins, March 7-8, will be held at the boat basin beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, March 9-10, will also be held at the boat basin, but will begin at 4 p.m.

Prior to the weigh-ins, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the Bainbridge Earle May Boat Basin from 2 to 6 p.m. each day. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.

Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at the boat basin on Saturday, March 9 from Noon-2 p.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to anyone under the age of 18 and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. The 1st and 2nd place anglers that catch the biggest fish will be recognized Saturday on the FLW Tour stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.

As part of the FLW Tour’s community outreach initiative, FLW Tour anglers will visit students, guests and staff at the Hutto Middle School, located at 1201 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, in Bainbridge on Wednesday, March 6 from 8:30-10 a.m. to introduce students to fishing and outdoor activities in their community. During the presentations the pro anglers will reinforce how science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) relate to outdoor activities and the life as a professional angler as well as discussing different career paths within the outdoor industry.

Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Seminole presented by Costa will premiere in 2019. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show airs each Saturday night at 7 p.m. EST and is broadcast to more than 63 million cable, satellite and telecommunications households in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean on the World Fishing Network (WFN), the leading entertainment destination and digital resource for anglers throughout North America. FLW television is also distributed internationally to FLW partner countries, including Canada, China, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and South Africa.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air on Days Three and Four of the event, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. New for 2019, host Travis Moran will be joined by veteran FLW Tour pro Todd Hollowell to break down the extended action each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 170 pro anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition 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 2019 FLW Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2019 FLW Cup will be on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

Categories
Major League Fishing - Bass Pro Tour/Cup Events

MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING STAGE 5 SET FOR THIS SOUTHERN FISHERY

Alabama – Cullman and Smith Lake – The Destination for MLF  Bass Pro Tour Stage FiveTULSA, Okla. (Feb. 20, 2019) – Major League Fishing® (MLF) announced today that Cullman, Alabama, and nearby popular bass fishery Lewis Smith Lake will serve as the setting for Stage Five of the 2019 MLF Bass Pro Tour, April 30 – May 5.  “We are extremely excited to announce this new partnership and adventure with Major League Fishing,” said Woody Jacobs, Mayor of the City of Cullman. “By bringing the 2019 MLF Bass Pro Tour to our community this spring, we will be opening new avenues to sports tourism that were not always an option.  “I want to thank those involved with our Cullman Parks, Recreation, & Sports Tourism, along with Cullman Economic Development Agency for recruiting and securing the event; and also the Cullman County Commission and County Parks and Recreation for providing resources for this all to work. MLF consists of the top bass anglers in the world, and Smith Lake offers one of the best spotted bass fisheries in the entire United States. All of these factors, along with the tourism benefits and the prime coverage will help to make this a successful and fun event.” Neither the state nor Cullman are strangers to the bass fishing scene. Sixteen of the Bass Pro Tour’s 80-angler field call Alabama home, and Jesse Wiggins, Matt Lee and Jordan Lee are from Cullman. Jordan Lee won the inaugural Bass Pro Tour opener in Kissimmee, Florida, and he’s the reigning Bassmaster Classic champion with back-to-back Classic titles – winning in 2017 and 2018.


Jordan Lee is one of three MLF anglers from Cullman, Ala., and among the 16 who reside in the state from the 80-man field that will be competing in the MLF Bass Pro Tour Stage Five event at Alabama’s  Lewis Smith Lake, April 30 – May 5. Lee won the Bass Pro Tour inaugural competition on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Florida.(Photo by Garrick Dixon) 

The north Alabama reservoir is located on the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River. It is about 21,000 acres in size and reaches depths of more than 250 feet near its dam. The lake’s diversity in depth and structure caters to literally every bass fishing technique imaginable, from topwater to drop shotting, meaning every angler should be able to fish to his liking.   The Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) recently reopened the public boat landing that will serve as the Stage Five launch site. The renovated facility includes a 90-foot-wide, six-lane launching slab and a paved parking lot with room for 113 tow vehicles with boat trailers, and 10 cars.   Other improvements include security lighting, a paved overflow parking lot for another 70 truck and trailer rigs, a 45-foot stationary aluminum pier, two large floating aluminum piers and a fixed aluminum pedestrian bridge that connects the overflow and main parking areas. The launch site is located on the northeast side of Ryan Creek and accessed free of charge through Smith Lake Park at 403 County Rd. 386 in Cullman.     The project was funded by the Sport Fish Restoration Program, which is supported through excise taxes on the sale of outboard motor fuel, fishing equipment, and the sale of state fishing licenses. For more information about this and other WFF public boating access areas, visit http://boatramps.dcnr.alabama.gov/.  As for Smith’s quality fishing, anglers often find themselves challenged in deciding whether to focus on the lake’s generous population of spotted bass, target the bigger largemouth bass or rely on both. Making it even more interesting is the fact that the MLF Bass Pro Tour uses a unique catch-weigh-and-immediate-release format in which all “scorable” bass caught do count in an angler’s score. That means Smith Lake’s big schools of healthy spotted bass could be game changers throughout the competition. “It’s going to be highly exciting to watch our MLF hammers compete in the heart of the Yellowhammer State,” said Michael Mulone, MLF’s Senior Director of Events & Partnerships. “MLF’s format will really show off how good this fishery is because bass within Smith Lake’s 13-to-15-inch slot limit will count in our competition once they satisfy the one-pound minimum rule and since MLF fish are released immediately back into the water after being caught and weighed … they don’t go into livewells.  “The Cullman folks are already working hard to make Stage Five something special and I can assure all MLF fans that this will definitely be a must-attend festival.” As in all Bass Pro Tour events, the Cullman visit will feature seven hours of live coverage on each competition day with access to the MLF NOW! free live stream found on the league’s website, www.majorleaguefishing.com. The Smith Lake event will also result in a two-hour television show that will air on Discovery Channel in the fourth quarter of 2019, and repeat on Sportsman Channel in first and second quarters of 2020. MLF programming also airs on Outdoor Channel, World Fishing Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network and Discovery Channel, and all episodes are available on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).

Cover Photo –
Alabama’s Lewis Smith Lake has it all – beauty, docks, bridges, bass … and now MLF’s Bass Pro Tour. The popular bass fishing destination will serve as host to the league’s Stage Five destination in the 2019 season, April 30-May 5. (Photo courtesy Cullman Economic Development Agency) 

Categories
BASSMASTER Elite Series/Opens

Connecticut’s Paul Mueller Wins Spotted Bass Slugfest At Lake Lanier, Georgia

February 18, 2019 GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Photo courtesy of Jeff DeRoche

Former B.A.S.S. Nation Champion Paul Mueller proved he belongs in the big leagues of professional fishing by winning a spotted bass shootout in Georgia today. Last-minute heroics earned Mueller $100,000 for first place in the Toyota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Lanier.

Desperate to fill out his five-bass limit with bigger spotted bass, Mueller returned to a deep ridge that had produced most of his big spotted bass on previous days. There, he managed to dredge up two big spotted bass that pushed him ahead of Texas angler Chris Zaldain by less than a pound.

“I struggled today,” Mueller said. “I had run out of options, so I went back to my primary spot and caught a 5 1/4 (pounder) and then a 4. Without those two fish, I don’t win.”

Mueller had 18 pounds, 8 ounces for the day, giving him a four-day total of 69-0. It could have been even more. “There were still fish on that spot when I left,” he added. “At the end of the day, I lost a couple of big ones. I could have had a 20-something bag today.”

He described the structure as a large, underwater ridge with two shallower areas on top and very deep water on each side. He caught most of his spotted bass the first day on a Reins Bubbling Shad on a Do It Molds Freestyle Jighead, but the big producer the rest of the time was a 3 1/4-ounce Reins Fat Rockvibe Shad Swimbait on a 1/2-ounce herring head underspin jighead with the spinner removed.

“Who would have thought you could win this tournament — a blueback herring tournament — off of one spot?” he said. In fisheries where the nomadic herring are a main staple of bass diet, spotted bass are notorious for leaving their holding areas unexpectedly and en masse.

That happened to Zaldain, who also had to contend with a wind shift today that moved his schools of bass. A sudden drop of temperatures into the low 40s didn’t help.

“I fished long, sloping points all week and had to switch to western banks today because of the east wind,” he said.

Zaldain was the leader with 51-9 going into Championship Sunday, when only the Top 10 finalists competed, but he fell short with a 16-9 limit today that included two smaller bass. He alternated between a 3-inch Megabass Spark Shad swimbait on a 3/8-ounce jighead and a 3/8-ounce drop shot with a 3-inch Megabass Hazedong Shad.

Unlike Mueller and Zaldain, the others in the Top 5, and most of those in the Top 10, fished crankbaits in shallow to medium depths, especially on shorelines and points in 38,000-acre Lake Lanier.

Keith Combs of Texas finished third with 66-1, earning a $20,000 payday that pushed him into the Millionaire’s Club of B.A.S.S. His career earnings now stand at $1,001,635. He alternated between Strike King crankbaits and a 6-inch shaky head worm and followed a “run-and-gun” pattern to try numerous spots during the day. “I didn’t stay anywhere long,” he said.

Second-round leader David Mullins of Tennessee dropped to fourth with 65-14 after his bigger fish in the backs of pockets deserted him, and Todd Auten of South Carolina moved up into fifth with 63-6.

The 75 pro anglers had high praise for the quality of fishing on Lake Lanier, which had never hosted an Elite Series event before. Several spotted bass heavier than 5 pounds were weighed in, but it was a 6-14 largemouth that earned Bill Lowen of Indiana the $1,500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award.

The 917 bass caught in the four-day tournament averaged more than 2 3/4 pounds, an amazing average for a spotted bass fishery. Also impressive, all 917 were released alive and returned to Lake Lanier.

Chris Johnston, a newcomer to the Elites from Canada, claimed the lead in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race after two events and earned $1,000. He finished 10th at Lanier and was second behind winner Rick Clunn in the Power-Pole Bassmaster Elite at the St. Johns River, Florida, last week.

Lee Livesay of Texas now leads the DICK’S Sporting Goods Rookie of the Year race, earning $500. The highest-scoring rookie at the end of the 10-event Elite season will collect the $10,000 ROY prize.

Categories
Major League Fishing - Bass Pro Tour/Cup Events

Evers Wraps up Dominating Win of Bass Pro Tour Stage Two on Lake Conroe


Edwin Evers flipped his way to victory on Lake Conroe.(Photo by Garrick Dixon) CONROE, Texas (Feb. 17, 2019) – In the immediate aftermath of the first Major League Fishing® (MLF) Bass Pro Tour event in Kissimmee, Florida two weeks ago, Edwin Evers’ dissatisfaction with finishing second was palpable. Ever the professional, Evers complimented his fellow competitors and smiled for photos at the Berkley Postgame Show, but no talk of Cup points could bring the Oklahoma pro comfort.
Sunday afternoon on Lake Conroe, Evers made sure that the only postgame talk would be of how he earned his first-ever MLF Bass Pro Tour trophy.
Evers racked up 51 pounds, 12 ounces to outdistance Jeff Sprague, (40-8), Boyd Duckett (35-15), Brent Ehrler (34-13) and David Walker (34-7) and claim the win at the Bass Pro Tour Huk Stage Two presented by Favorite Fishing. The Oklahoma pro caught 24 scorable fish on the day, including an exclamation point with 9 minutes left in the competition: an 8-1 that hit a drop-shot Berkley Havoc Bottom Hopper.
“You can’t imagine how good it feels to catch a fish like that,” Evers admitted. “I knew there were big fish in there because I shook some big ones off the second day of the event. The big females just hadn’t gotten there yet, but they’re coming.”


Evers’ winning area


Edwin Evers flipped his way to victory on Lake Conroe.(Photo by Garrick Dixon)

Evers’ pattern was to flip his way down the bank with a Black Blue Berkley Havoc Pit Boss, 
picking out small indentations and grassy, undercut banks and flipping his bait as close to the bank as he could. He also caught some fish on a vibrating jig.
The area that Evers fished – a canal that he found during the Elimination Round – was shallow at the entrance, but fell off into slightly deeper water the further back he went.
“I feel like I know this lake as well as any lake I fish, but I’d never been in that canal before,” Evers admitted. “It looked right when I looked at it on the map, and I had it all to myself – I assume because it was probably pretty muddy in practice. The water was just a little warmer and a little bit cleaner on a couple of those key stretches.”

Holding off a midday charge
Evers looked like he might run away with the day almost from the opening gun, racking up over 26 pounds in the first period flipping a Berkley Havoc Pit Boss and winding a vibrating jig. Evers accounted for 13 of the 47 fish recorded during the period. 

He eventually hit a lull midway through the second period, going nearly 90 minutes without a scorable fish. Sprague, meanwhile, went on a run, putting 8-9 on the scales to pull within 4 pounds of Evers just before the period break.
The Texas pro was haunted by a couple of near-misses on fish that he estimated to be in the 7-pound range.
“I had the chances, but I couldn’t execute on a couple of pretty key bites,” Sprague said. “I can’t complain too much, I had a great week, but I’d like to have a couple of those bites back.”
Evers stomped on the gas in the final period, adding seven fish for 21-5 in the final two-and-a-half hours after deciding to stay in his key area instead of moving.


Finishing out the Top 10
Jordan Lee finished sixth with 27-8, followed by Randall Tharp (17-3), Wesley Strader (9-11), Gary Klein (7-0) and Stephen Browning (6-2).


Next up for the MLF Bass Pro Tour
The 80-man Bass Pro Tour field will get a three-week break before heading to Raleigh, North Carolina March 26-31 for Stage Three on Jordan Lake, Falls Lake, and Shearon Harris Reservoir.
For more information on the Major League Fishing schedule, anglers and rules, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Categories
Major League Fishing - Bass Pro Tour/Cup Events

Duckett Leads Top 10 Anglers into Championship Round of Bass Pro Tour Huk Stage Two Conroe presented by Favorite Fishing

CONROE, Texas (Feb. 16, 2019) – For the better part of the past year, Boyd Duckett has been “Mr. MLF” as he worked endlessly to establish the Major League Fishing® (MLF) Bass Pro Tour. But for the seven hours of competition in the Knockout Round of MLF Bass Pro Tour Huk Stage Two Conroe presented by Favorite Fishing, Duckett was “Mr. Consistency”.

Duckett caught his first scorable bass 22 minutes into the competition at Lake Conroe and then steadily added fish to SCORETRACKER® throughout the morning and early afternoon, swimming a small worm. By the time Period 3 got underway, Duckett had already weighed 31 pounds, 14 ounces, and owned a 9-plus-pound lead on the field.

The Alabama pro would eventually finish the day with 38-5 on 21 fish, followed by Gary Klein (30-1), Edwin Evers (29-2), Brent Ehrler (28-12) and Jordan Lee (28-12).

“I’ve always been decent at compartmentalizing my fishing and my work, but I just couldn’t make fishing the most important thing at Toho,” Duckett admitted, referring to the MLF Bass Pro Tour’s inaugural event in Florida two weeks ago. “Coming into this one, I told everybody that I was going to concentrate on my fishing. It’s been nice to just be an angler at this event.”

And Duckett the angler has been consistently stout on Conroe from Day 1. He recorded 46 fish in his first three rounds, despite spending the majority of each competition day either looking for new water, or guarding what he considers his best area.
“I like that this fishery is tough,” Duckett said. “I’ve traditionally done well in events that are difficult to fish. You really have to figure out how to catch these fish, you can dial something in that’s just a little bit different than what the other guys are doing.”
Surviving the battle for the Championship 10
Randall Tharp (27-13), David Walker (27-10), Wesley Strader (27-5), Jeff Sprague (26-6) and Stephen Browning (25-13) filled out the Top 10 and will compete in the Championship. And while all five anglers endured their moments of stress, Browning had to work especially hard for his spot in the finals.
Entering the last 10 minutes of competition, Browning, Shin Fukae, Keith Poche, Andy Montgomery and Jonathan VanDam all sat within 14 ounces of each other in the race to make the 10 cut.
Poche hooked a fish with under 2 minutes to go – at the time trailing Fukae by just 3 ounces – but the fish was unscorable at 14 ounces. As it turned out, Browning was the angler who would ultimately experience the thrill of victory.
The Arkansas pro hooked a 3-4 with 30 seconds left in the round, pushing him from 12th place to 10th. And that meant that Fukae suffered the agony of defeat as he fell to 11th, 2-9 behind Browning.
“I’m still shaking,” Browning said at the Berkley Postgame Show. “You go through the most emotional highs and lows in this format, and that’s what makes it all so exciting.”
Championship Round reset
The Championship 10 will head back out onto Lake Conroe on Sunday with weights zeroed, turning the battle for the championship trophy into a one-day dogfight. Strader, Lee and Evers have been the most consistent this week, recording the highest combined weights in their three competition rounds.

How, where & when to watch

Official live scoring updates are available via SCORETRACKER from the start of competition at 7:30 a.m. CT. The MLF NOW! Championship Sunday live stream begins at 10 a.m. CT, with on-the-water coverage following the action until the end of competition at 3:30 p.m. The MLF Berkley Postgame Show begins at 5 p.m.