Category: MLF BIG-5

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. (Aug. 17, 2020) – Boater Jeremiah Shaver of Holmen, Wisconsin, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 7 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event on the Mississippi River in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Shaver earned $3,879. for his victory.

“I threw a black and yellow Spro Bronzeye Frog all day – I never picked up another rod,” said Shaver, who earned the first tournament win of his career. “I made a long run to the top of Pool 9. It took me about an hour and a half to get there through the lock.

“I was fishing a cheese mat – literally the most disgusting, yellow cheese mat that you’d ever seen,” Shaver continued. “I caught a limit there for around 13½ pounds and made the trip back down around 11:30 (a.m.). I had two key culls late in the day that really helped.

“The wind kind of made the bite sporadic, but I just stayed confident with the frog and didn’t put it down,” Shaver went on to say. “It’s exciting to finally get a win – it was long overdue.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Jeremiah Shaver of Holmen, Wis., five bass, 15-7, $3,879

            2^nd:      Douglas Chapin of Green Bay, Wis., five bass, 14-8, $2,440

            3^rd:       Mike Mertens of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, five bass, 14-3, $1,293

            4^th:       Ryan Doty of Galena, Ill., five bass, 13-13, $905

            5^th:       Travis Madrazo of Owatonna, Minn., five bass, 13-10, $1,291

            6^th:       Josh Ystenes of La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 13-9, $711

            7^th:       Kevin Ruh of Onalaska, Wis., five bass, 13-5, $647

            8^th:       Jordan Hirt of Glenwood, Iowa, five bass, 13-4, $582

            9^th:       Rick Bosshard of Hartland, Wis., five bass, 13-0, $485

            9^th:       Brad Wessling of Elkhorn, Wis., five bass, 13-0, $485

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Madrazo claimed the day’s Boater Big Bass Award of $515 after bringing a 5-pound bass to the scale.

Chapin was the highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Austin Frye of Wilton, Wisconsin, won the Co-angler Division and $1,940 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds even.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Austin Frye of Wilton, Wis., five bass, 13-0, $1,940

            2^nd:      Andrew Hegerty of Colgate, Wis., five bass, 12-13, $970

            3^rd:       Tyler Ackerlund of Colfax, Wis., five bass, 12-5, $646

            3^rd:       Troy Sippl of Sussex, Wis., five bass, 12-0, $453

            5^th:       Chris Thomas of Milan, Ill., five bass, 11-15, $388

            6^th:       Douglas Ley of Janesville, Wis., five bass, 11-14, $356

            7^th:       Alan Bernicky of Joliet, Ill., five bass, 11-4, $523

            8^th:       Christopher Morgan of Greendale, Wis., five bass, 11-1, $291

            9^th:       Bill Borgert of Boyceville, Wis., five bass, 10-10, $259

            10^th:     Neil Stensland of Houston, Minn., five bass, 10-7, $226

Steve Schaefer of Palmyra, Missouri, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 4 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $257.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on the Mississippi River in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, was the third of five qualifying tournaments in the Great Lakes division.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Great Lakes Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 22-24 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, hosted by ExploreBranson.com. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held Nov. 11-13 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina and is hosted by Visit Anderson. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the FLW Series, the pathway to the FLW Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour, where top pros compete with no entry fees.

TRENTON, Mich. (Aug. 17, 2020) – It was a double-header for weekend bass anglers this past weekend in Trenton with the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on the Detroit River events.

Boater Heath Wagner of Angola, Indiana, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 22 pounds, 2 ounces to win on Saturday and earn $3,794, then pro Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 20 pounds, 14 ounces to win $4,003.

The double-header events were the third and fourth of five events in the Michigan Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.

“I ran to St. Clair and fished deep,” said Wagner, who earned his sixth career BFL win – all on the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair. “It took me a day to find them, but the key was using my electronics to locate them. Every fish that I caught came watching my graph.

“I caught them all on a drop-shot rig with a variety of baits – mostly Z-Man,” Wagner continued. “I fished a Z-Man TRD and a Strike King Z-Too. I even caught one on the famous Ned rig.”

The top five boaters on Saturday were:

            1^st:       Heath Wagner of Angola, Ind., five bass, 22-2, $3,794

            2^nd:      Alex Redwine of Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 21-14, $1,897

            3^rd:       Daniel Sepeck of Norwood, Ohio, five bass, 21-8, $1,265

            4^th:       Tom Beale of St. Clair Shores, Mich., five bass, 21-5, $885

            5^th:       Angel Rosario of Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 20-4, $727

            5^th:       Scott Allen of New Philadelphia, Ohio, five bass, 20-4, $727

Complete results for Saturday’s event can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Kyle Greene of Ortonville, Michigan, earned the day’s Boater Big Bass Award of $495 after bringing a 6-pound, 2-ounce bass to the scale.

Devon Banks of West Bloomfield, Michigan, was the highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Zach Laupp of Plainwell, Michigan, won the Co-angler Division and $1,897 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 22 pounds, 9 ounces.

The top five co-anglers on Saturday were:

            1^st:       Zach Laupp of Plainwell, Mich., five bass, 22-9, $1,897

            2^nd:      Austin Freed of Wolcottville, Ind., five bass, 19-7, $949

            3^rd:       Michael Lukich of Chillicothe, Ill., five bass, 18-5, $633

            4^th:       Mark Lyons of Marion, Ind., five bass, 18-1, $443

            5^th:       Trent Norman of Union, Ky., five bass, 18-0, $379

Jeff Copley of Marengo, Ohio, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 6 pounds, 1 ounce and earned him Saturday’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $247.

On Sunday winning boater Kyle Gelles did not go to Lake St. Clair, but instead fished the mouth of the Detroit River.

“I didn’t want to run all the way up the river today and deal with St. Clair, so I stuck tight and caught some good fish,” said Gelles, a rookie on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit who finished the season ranked No. 55. “The key to my win was maximizing my fishing time,

“I caught my fish on a variety of baits – everything from a spybait to a tube to a drop-shot rig to a crankbait,” Gelles continued. “A lot of my big fish came on the drop-shot rig, throwing the Berkley (Powerbait Maxscent) Flat Worm. I just covered a lot of water and tried to catch the good ones.”

The top five boaters on Sunday were:

            1^st:       Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho, five bass, 20-14, $4,003

            2^nd:      Mike Raber of Wolcottville, Ind., five bass, 20-2, $1,777

            3^rd:       Terry McWilliams of Greenfield, Ind., five bass, 20-0, $1,185

            4^th:       Dayton Land of Coatesville, Ind., five bass, 19-4, $829

            5^th:       Angel Rosario of Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 19-3, $711

Complete results for Sunday’s event can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Bill Crapsey of Monroe, Michigan, earned Sunday’s $455 Boater Big Bass award with a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass.

Cody Kelley of Portage, Michigan, took home an extra $500 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member.

Zack Hall of Birch Run, Michigan, earned the win Sunday in the Co-angler Division after catching five bass weighing 22 pounds, 3 ounces. For his victory Hall earned $1,777.

The top five co-anglers Sunday finished as follows:

            1^st:       Zack Hall of Birch Run, Mich., five bass, 22-3, $1,777

            2^nd:      Logan Roller of Tremont, Ill., five bass, 19-11, $888

            3^rd:       Corey Gue of Huntington, W. Va., five bass, 18-2, $592

            4^th:       Nathan O’Hara of Warsaw, Ind., five bass, 18-0, $415

            5^th:       Craig Fanning of Elwood, Ill., five bass, 17-7, $355

Ken Ramsey of Cassopolis, Michigan, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 5 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him Sunday’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $227.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Michigan Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 15-17 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, hosted by Explore La Crosse. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held Nov. 11-13 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina and is hosted by Visit Anderson. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the FLW Series, the pathway to the FLW Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour, where top pros compete with no entry fees.

MAYSVILLE, Ky. (Aug. 17, 2020) – Boater Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 8 pounds, 2 ounces to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event on the Ohio River in Maysville, Kentucky. For his victory, Shaffer earned a total of $3,879.

The tournament was the third of five events in the Buckeye Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.

“It’s been a long time – my last win was in 2011 – so I feel a lot better, now,” said Shaffer, who earned his 16^th career victory in FLW competition. “I was just upriver, fishing main-river stuff. I haven’t been up in that area for four or five years, so I just went fishing blind.”

Shaffer said that he caught his fish on two baits – a Yamamoto Senko and a Zoom Speed Craw.

“I got lucky and caught two off of one stump on back-to-back casts,” Shaffer said. “Then I saw a green tree that looked good, so I stopped and fished it. I ended up catching four fish off of it.

“Late in the day I caught a fish off of a dock that culled me up a half-pound and that one ended up making the difference and getting me the win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio, five bass, 8-2, $3,879

            2^nd:      Roger Hahn of Fairfield, Ohio, five bass, 7-13, $1,940

            3^rd:       Jamie Cunnagin of New Lebanon, Ohio, five bass, 7-7, $1,293

            4^th:       Brandon Cline of Wheelersburg, Ohio, four bass, 7-4, $1,405

            5^th:       Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 7-0, $776

            6^th:       Donald Sibley of Strasburg, Ohio, five bass, 6-3, $679

            6^th:       Ronald Nutter of Newark, Ohio, three bass, 6-3, $679

            8^th:       Josh Smith of Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 6-1, $582

            9^th:       Benjamin Quisno of Maineville, Ohio, two bass, 5-6, $517

            10^th:     Brad Baldwin of Waynesville, Ohio, five bass, 5-5, $430

            10^th:     Pete Justice of Sharonville, Ohio, four bass, 5-5, $430

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

David Spivey of Hamilton, Ohio, claimed the day’s Boater Big Bass Award of $515 after bringing a 4-pound, 13-ounce bass to the scale.

Cline was the highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Michael Horne of Dodson, Louisiana, won the Co-angler Division and $2,197 Saturday after catching two bass weighing 5 pounds, 7 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Michael Horne of Dodson, La., two bass, 5-7, $2,197

            2^nd:      Austin Brock of Liberty Township, Ohio, four bass, 5-3, $1,170

            3^rd:       Ryan Lancaster of Oxford, Ohio, three bass, 4-10, $646

            4^th:       Jordon Smith of Middletown, Ohio, three bass, 3-13, $453

            5^th:       Ryan Rich of Eaton, Ohio, one bass, 3-9, $372

            5^th:       Derrick Sadlowski of Steubenville, Ohio, two bass, 3-9, $372

            7^th:       Ron Weisenburger of Continental, Ohio, two bass, 3-7, $307

            7^th:       John Lane of Findlay, Ohio, two bass, 3-7, $307

            9^th:       Darrell Carroll of Independence, Ky., two bass, 3-2, $259

            10^th:     James Wilcox of Cincinnati, Ohio, two bass, 3-1, $465

            10^th:     J.R. Selke of Waynesville, Ohio, two bass, 3-1, $215

Horne also caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 3 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch added to his winnings as he earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $257.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Buckeye Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 16-18 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Cherokee Lake in Jefferson City, Tennessee, hosted by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held Nov. 11-13 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina and is hosted by Visit Anderson. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the FLW Series, the pathway to the FLW Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour, where top pros compete with no entry fees.

SANDUSKY, Ohio (Aug. 14, 2020) – Major League Fishing (MLF) pro Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the stage Friday weighing 19 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Erie. Lucas’ four-day total of 20 bass weighing 79-2 gave him the victory by just one ounce over the No. 1 ranked angler in the world, second-place pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, and earned Lucas the top prize of $160,000, including the lucrative $35,000 FLW PHOENIX Bonus contingency award. The victory was the first pro-level win of Lucas’ career in FLW competition.

“I’m at a loss for words because when I went out today, I was not expecting to win,” said Lucas, who pushed his career earnings to more than $1.68 million. “I expected to go out there and try to catch a big bag., but I really felt like Wheeler and Bertrand were going to put something special together.

“Then, to only win by one ounce… I’ve had that fall the other way on me before,” Lucas continued. “Early in my career I lost by 3 ounces to Scott Martin on the Potomac River, and I really needed the money back then. It was a big deal – a $90,000 difference. And this one was even bigger – a $125,000 difference. So, for it go in my favor this time is huge.”

Lucas said that he spent most of his week targeting a big piece of sunken steel off of a shoal near Kelly Island.

“I don’t know if was a sunken boat or an old channel marker or what – I’ve been calling it the space missile all week – but the fish were using the backside of it as a current break,” Lucas said. “It wasn’t hard to stay on because it was big – like 16 feet long and 5 feet tall.”

Lucas used the same bait all week, also the same bait that he dominated the MLF Bass Pro Tour event at Sturgeon Bay with last month – a Berkley PowerBait Maxscent Flat Worm (green-pumpkin). He fished the worm on a drop-shot rig with a ½-ounce weight and an unnamed No. 2 drop-shot hook on Berkley X5 Braid Line Crystal tied to an 8-pound Trilene 100% fluorocarbon leader. His rod and reel setup was a 7-foot medium-action Abu Garcia Fantasista Premier Spinning Rod paired with a size 30 Abu Garcia REVO MGXtreme Spinning Reel.

“I really felt like I had found the right quality of fish in practice and I knew that if I could go out there and capitalize on my bites – get 5 to 7 bites a day – I could make it work,” Lucas said.

“The last two years have been a struggle. I got my butt kicked in the first four tournaments this season. So to end my season like this, cashing five checks in a row and winning this one – the most money I’ve ever won in my life – I definitely feel like I turned my entire season around,” Lucas went on to say.

The top 10 pros on Lake Erie finished:

            1^st:       Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala., 20 bass, 79-2, $160,000
            2^nd:      Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tenn., 20 bass, 79-1, $35,000
            3^rd:       Josh Bertrand of San Tan Valley, Ariz., 20 bass, 74-10, $30,000
            4^th:       Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Mich., 20 bass, 74-6, $25,000
            5^th:       Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., 20 bass, 73-12, $22,000
            6^th:       Alton Jones Jr. of Lorena, Texas, 20 bass, 72-14, $21,000
            7^th:       David Dudley of Lynchburg, Va., 20 bass, 68-7, $19,000
            8^th:       Jim Moynagh of Carver, Minn., 19 bass, 67-10, $18,000
            9^th:       Russ Lane of Prattville, Ala., 20 bass, 66-12, $17,200
            10^th:     Jason Lambert of Michie, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-3, $16,000

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

Overall there were 44 bass weighing 144 pounds, 8 ounces caught by pros Friday. Eight of the final 10 pros weighed in five-bass limits.

Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Erie will premiere at 7 p.m. EDT, Sept. 25 on the Outdoor Channel. Running now through Dec. 27, FLW will air 312 hours of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit action on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long episode goes in-depth to break down the final rounds of each regular-season competition. Episodes premiere in Friday night primetime slots on the Outdoor Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournament at Lake Erie was hosted by the City of Sandusky and the Lake Erie Shores & Islands Welcome Center. The total purse for the event was more than $1.3 million, including a top prize of up to $160,000.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournament competition, the full field of 187 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Thursday. Only the top 10 pros will continue competition on Championship Friday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

Pro Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan, the 2019 Polaris Rookie of the Year, clinched the 2020 AOY title this week after his 34^th place finish. Nelson will receive his entry fees paid for the entire 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit season for his win.

FLW anglers are vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the Tackle Warehouse FLW TITLE presented by Toyota, the Pro Circuit championship. The 2020 Tackle Warehouse FLW TITLE presented by Toyota will be held on Lake Michigan in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, Aug. 24-29.

MLF pros competing in the Pro Circuit Super Tournaments will fish for prize money only. No points will be awarded toward any championship or title to MLF competitors. Only the original Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit anglers will compete for the AOY title throughout the remainder of the season. AOY points in the final events will be awarded based on Pro Circuit anglers finishing order. The top-finishing FLW pro will receive “first-place points” regardless of where he finishes in the overall standings, and so on.

ANDUSKY, Ohio (Aug. 13, 2020) – The stage is now set for a dramatic regular-season finale Friday at the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Erie. The top 10 is loaded with former FLW Cup champions, Anglers of the Year, and an accomplished local pro with a vast wealth of experience on Lake Erie, the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair.

MLF pro Josh Bertrand of San Tan Valley, Arizona, who led the tournament after day one, weighed a five-bass limit Thursday totaling 22 pounds, 14 ounces to reclaim the lead with a three-day total of 62-12.

Pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, (60-9), who has finished 1^st and 2^nd in the previous two Super Tournament events, vaulted into second place after bringing in a limit weighing 22-5. Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Alabama, (59-8), Arkansas’ Spencer Shuffield (57-14) and Alton Jones Jr. of Lorena, Texas, (57-0) round out the top five. Local angler Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Michigan, (55-4) sits in sixth place.

The four-day event featured 187 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals from FLW and Major League Fishing (MLF) angling for a piece of $1.3 million, including the first-place prize of up to $160,000.

With the field now cut to 10 and a 2-pound, 3-ounce cushion heading into the final day, Bertrand is ready to see how it all shakes out on Championship Friday.

“This morning I caught two fish early that really helped me slow down,” said Bertrand, who finished the MLF Bass Pro Tour season ranked No. 20 overall. “I had six hours to get just three more bites, and it turned out to be a great day of fishing. I even made a couple of culls, and that’s about as much as you can ask for in this tournament right now.

“Every day, as guys fall off it opens more water up,” Bertrand continued. “Yesterday, I was sharing a spot with 7 or 8 guys. Today, it was three. Tomorrow, it’ll likely be just one or two of us in the area. There is less fish, for sure, but we have the freedom to move around now and that at least gives me a chance.”

Bertrand said that his key baits and spots have remained the same all week – he’s drop-shotting a small island shoal with a Berkley PowerBait Maxscent Flat Worm.

“I’m definitely excited to be leading going into the final day,” Bertrand said. “We’ll try to get a good night’s rest and prepare for anything tomorrow. I’m hoping to go back out to the same spot and burn it up. But it could be blowing 20 miles per hour in the morning and I might be fishing for largemouth. Who knows what’ll happen, but either way I’m super excited and ready to see how it all shakes out.”

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

            1^st:       Josh Bertrand of San Tan Valley, Ariz., 15 bass, 62-12
            2^nd:      Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tenn., 15 bass, 60-9
            3^rd:       Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala, 15 bass, 59-8
            4^th:       Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 57-14
            5^th:       Alton Jones Jr. of Lorena, Texas, 15 bass, 57-0
            6^th:       Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Mich., 15 bass, 55-4
            7^th:       Jim Moynagh of Carver, Minn., 15 bass, 54-6
            8^th:       Jason Lambert of Michie, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-3
            9^th:       David Dudley of Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 52-11
            10^th:     Russ Lane of Prattville, Ala., 15 bass, 52-2

Finishing in 11^th through 30^th are:

            11^th:     John Cox of DeBary, Fla, 15 bass, 52-2, $14,000
            12^th:     Grae Buck of Green Lane, Pa., 15 bass, 51-8, $14,000
            13^th:     Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif, 15 bass, 51-4, $14,000
            14^th:     Boyd Duckett of Guntersville, Ala., 14 bass, 49-14, $14,000
            15^th:     Joseph Webster of Winfield, Ala., 14 bass, 49-11, $14,000
            16^th:     Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., 15 bass, 49-4, $14,000
            17^th:     Randy Howell of Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 49-3, $14,000
            18^th:     Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, 13 bass, 48-11, $14,000
            19^th:     Jason Reyes of Huffman, Texas, 14 bass, 47-15, $14,000
            20^th:     Jeremy Lawyer of Sarcoxie, Mo., 12 bass, 47-10, $14,000
            21^st:     Cole Floyd of Leesburg, Ohio., 15 bass, 47-9, $11,000
            22^nd:    Keith Poche of Pike Road, Ala., 13 bass, 47-8, $11,000
            23^rd:     Fred Roumbanis of London, Ark., 14 bass, 47-4, $11,000
            24^th:     Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., 13 bass, 45-13, $11,000
            25^th:     Mitch Crane of Columbus, Miss.., 15 bass, 45-1, $11,000
            26^th:     Kyle Hall of Granbury, Texas, 15 bass, 45-1, $11,000
            27^th:     Jon Canada of Helena, Ala., 15 bass, 44-15, $11,000
            28^th:     Jonathon VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., 15 bass, 44-0, $11,000
            29^th:     Cliff Pace of Petal, Miss., 15 bass, 43-8, $11,000
            30^th:     Joshua Weaver of Macon, Ga., 14 bass, 43-6, $11,000

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

Overall there were 181 bass weighing 567 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 44 pros Thursday. The catch included 26 five-bass limits.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournament at Lake Erie is hosted by the City of Sandusky and the Lake Erie Shores & Islands Welcome Center. The total purse for the event is more than $1.3 million, including a top prize of up to $160,000.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournament competition, the full field of 187 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Thursday. Now, only the top 10 pros will continue competition on Championship Friday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

Pro Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan, the 2019 Polaris Rookie of the Year, clinched the 2020 AOY title this week after his 34^th place finish. Nelson will receive his entry fees paid for the entire 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit season for his win.

FLW anglers are vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the Tackle Warehouse FLW TITLE presented by Toyota, the Pro Circuit championship. The 2020 Tackle Warehouse FLW TITLE presented by Toyota will be held on Lake Michigan in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, Aug. 24-29.

MLF pros competing in the Pro Circuit Super Tournaments will fish for prize money only. No points will be awarded toward any championship or title to MLF competitors. Only the original Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit anglers will compete for the AOY title throughout the remainder of the season. AOY points in the final events will be awarded based on Pro Circuit anglers finishing order. The top-finishing FLW pro will receive “first-place points” regardless of where he finishes in the overall standings, and so on.

The final 10 anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EDT Friday from the Shelby St. Public Boat Launch, located at 101 Shelby St., in Sandusky. Friday’s championship weigh-in will be held at the Paper District Marina, located at 611 W. Shoreline Drive, beginning at 4 p.m.

Attendance is limited to competing anglers and essential staff only. Fans are encouraged to forgo the daily takeoffs and weigh-ins and follow the event online through the expanded four-day “FLW Live” on-the-water broadcasts and weigh-in coverage at FLWFishing.com.

Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Erie will premiere at 7 p.m. EDT, Sept. 25 on the Outdoor Channel. Running now through Dec. 27, FLW will air 312 hours of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit action on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long episode goes in-depth to break down the final rounds of each regular-season competition. Episodes premiere in Friday night primetime slots on the Outdoor Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water broadcast will air on all four days of competition, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran is joined by Toyota Series pro Todd Hollowell and MLF’s Marty Stone 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.

SANDUSKY, Ohio (Aug. 12, 2020) – Major League Fishing (MLF) pro Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Wednesday weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces, to take the lead after day two of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio. Lucas’ two-day total of 10 bass weighing 41-5 gives him a slim 3-ounce advantage heading into day three of the four-day Super Tournament that features 187 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals from FLW and MLF angling for a piece of $1.3 million, including the first-place prize of up to $160,000.

The 2016 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Champion Jeremy Lawyer of Sarcoxie, Missouri, sits in second place, just 3 ounces behind Lucas with 41-2. Pro Alton Jones Jr. of Lorena, Texas, has a two-day total of 40-13, good for third place, while day one leader Arizona’s Josh Bertrand fell to fourth with a two-day total of 39-14. The field is now cut to 50 for Thursday’s competition with only the top 10 anglers advancing to Championship Friday.

“It looks really good on the scales, but it was not easy,” said Lucas, who won the final MLF Bass Pro Tour event of the season last month in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. “I only had seven keeper bites today, and I lost two of them. I only put five keepers in the boat and I never culled one time. So, it looks good but it was really tough to get there today.”

Lucas said that he spent the day hunting for active smallmouth that are ready to feed.

“They’re hard to find, but there are a few out there,” Lucas said. “Most of mine are coming on my 2D sonar. I think they’re attracted to the boat. I see them come up under the boat and then I drop straight down onto them. It can be awhile, between bites, though. Today it was hours.”

Lucas said that all of his fish came on a Berkley PowerBait Maxscent Flat Worm, and that he is “all in” on his spots.

“I don’t really have a backup plan,” Lucas said. “I do have one other area that I haven’t hit yet, but I don’t think the fish are as big there. I think 18 pounds would be a good bag there, but I think it’ll take 20 pounds a day to win this thing.

“I’m trying to stay away from the crowd – there just isn’t enough fish out there to go around,” Lucas went on to say. “I have a lot of confidence here in the summer, though. I know I can find some little sweet spots out there.”

The top 20 pros after day two on Lake Erie are:

            1^st:       Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 41-5
            2^nd:      Jeremy Lawyer of Sarcoxie, Mo., 10 bass, 41-2
            3^rd:       Alton Jones Jr. of Lorena, Texas, 10 bass, 40-13
            4^th:       Josh Bertrand of San Tan Valley, Ariz., 10 bass, 39-14
            5^th:       Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 38-11
            6^th:       Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 38-4
            7^th:       Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, 10 bass, 37-9
            8^th:       Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Mich., 10 bass, 37-4
            9^th:       Fred Roumbanis of London, Ark., 10 bass, 36-5
            10^th:     Jim Moynagh of Carver, Minn., 10 bass, 36-2
            11^th:     Jason Reyes of Huffman, Texas, 10 bass, 35-4
            12^th:     Randy Howell of Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 35-1
            13^th:     Boyd Duckett of Guntersville, Ala., nine bass, 34-15
            14^th:     Russ Lane of Prattville, Ala., 10 bass, 34-12
            15^th:     Keith Poche of Pike Road, Ala., 10 bass, 34-12
            16^th:     Joseph Webster of Winfield, Ala., 10 bass, 34-6
            17^th:     David Dudley of Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 34-6
            18^th:     Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 34-4
            19^th:     Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., 10 bass, 34-4
            20^th:     Grae Buck of Green Lane, Pa., 10 bass, 33-11

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

Anglers were also vying for the prestigious 2020 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Angler of the Year (AOY) title that is determined by the most points accumulated over the six Pro Circuit events in 2020.

Pro Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan, the 2019 Polaris Rookie of the Year, clinched the 2020 AOY title Wednesday, after bringing in a limit and ending the day in 18^th place. Nelson can finish no worse than 50^th place, which clinches the title for the Michigan pro after bringing a 73-point lead into the event. Nelson will receive his entry fees paid for the entire 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit season for his win.

Nelson also won the $500 Berkley Big Bass award Wednesday in the pro division after bringing a 6pound largemouth to the scale.

Overall there were 754 bass weighing 2,206 pounds, 8 ounces caught by 174 pros Wednesday. The catch included 121 five-bass limits.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournament at Lake Erie is hosted by the City of Sandusky and the Lake Erie Shores & Islands Welcome Center. The total purse for the event is more than $1.3 million, including a top prize of up to $160,000.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournament competition, the full field of 187 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday. Now, the top 50 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Thursday. Only the top 10 pros will continue competition on Championship Friday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

FLW anglers are vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the Tackle Warehouse FLW TITLE presented by Toyota, the Pro Circuit championship. The 2020 Tackle Warehouse FLW TITLE presented by Toyota will be held on Lake Michigan in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, Aug. 24-29.

MLF pros competing in the Pro Circuit Super Tournaments will fish for prize money only. No points will be awarded toward any championship or title to MLF competitors. Only the original Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit anglers will compete for the AOY title throughout the remainder of the season. AOY points in the final events will be awarded based on Pro Circuit anglers finishing order. The top-finishing FLW pro will receive “first-place points” regardless of where he finishes in the overall standings, and so on.

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EDT each day from the Shelby St. Public Boat Launch, located at 101 Shelby St., in Sandusky. The weigh-in each day will be held at the Paper District Marina, located at 611 W. Shoreline Drive, beginning at 4 p.m.

Attendance is limited to competing anglers and essential staff only. Fans are encouraged to forgo the daily takeoffs and weigh-ins and follow the event online through the expanded four-day “FLW Live” on-the-water broadcasts and weigh-in coverage at FLWFishing.com.

Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Erie will premiere at 7 p.m. EDT, Sept. 25 on the Outdoor Channel. Running now through Dec. 27, FLW will air 312 hours of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit action on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long episode goes in-depth to break down the final rounds of each regular-season competition. Episodes premiere in Friday night primetime slots on the Outdoor Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water broadcast will air on all four days of competition, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran is joined by Toyota Series pro Todd Hollowell and MLF’s Marty Stone 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.

# # #

SANDUSKY, Ohio (Aug. 11, 2020) – Major League Fishing (MLF) pro Josh Bertrand of Sun Tan Valley, Arizona, brought five bass to the scale Tuesday weighing 22 pounds, 6 ounces, to jump out to the early lead after day one of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio. Bertrand will now bring an 8-ounce advantage into day two of the four-day Super Tournament that features 187 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals from FLW and MLF angling for a piece of $1.3 million, including the first-place prize of up to $160,000.

The main decision facing tournament competitors Tuesday was where they wanted to fish. With Lake Erie, the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair all in play for anglers, the field was spread out, with an estimated 30 to 40 boats making the long 80-mile run from Sandusky to Lake St. Clair. Tournament leader Bertrand was not among those that made the trip – he stuck to Lake Erie and had to grind out his day on the water.

“It was pretty risky both ways you went,” said the 31-year-old Bertrand, who has career earnings of more than $710,000 “It was risky to make the long run and try to fish for numbers, and it turned out to also be risky fishing close. I was around a lot of guys that did not catch a limit today, and it was very difficult to catch five fish.”

Bertrand said that he spent his day cycling through about 15 different spots, and that he managed seven keeper bites.

“It was not an easy day of fishing, but it worked out perfectly,” Bertrand said. “Things just clicked for me. I’m not really doing anything different – just drop-shotting a Berkley (PowerBait Maxscent) Flat Worm, like everyone else. It was just one of those days that you’re really thankful for, because it all worked out.

“I don’t feel great about any of the days moving forward, because I have no idea how they’re going to go,” Bertrand went on to say. “They could all go really well like today. But it’s always tough fishing in waves. You have to do everything a bit slower and really take your time. Fighting a fish, driving your boat, pulling up to a new area – you can’t get in a rush. Slow and steady will win the race when we’re fishing the rough water.” 

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

            1^st:       Josh Bertrand of San Tan Valley, Ariz., five bass, 22-6
            2^nd:      Boyd Duckett of Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 21-14
            3^rd:       Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 21-7
            4^th:       Jeremy Lawyer of Sarcoxie, Mo., five bass, 20-14
            4^th:       Joseph Webster of Winfield, Ala., five bass, 20-14
            6^th:       Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 20-6
            7^th:       Gerald Spohrer of Gonzales, La., five bass, 20-0
            8^th:       Tommy Dickerson of Orange, Texas, five bass, 19-13
            9^th:       Kelly Jordon of Flint, Texas, five bass, 19-10
            10^th:     Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, five bass, 19-1

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama, won Tuesday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division with a 5-pound, 14-ounce smallmouth bass.

Overall there were 767 bass weighing 2,132 pounds, 10 ounces caught by 180 pros Tuesday. The catch included 122 five-bass limits.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournament at Lake Erie is hosted by the City of Sandusky and the Lake Erie Shores & Islands Welcome Center. The total purse for the event is more than $1.3 million, including a top prize of up to $160,000.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournament competition, the full field of 187 pro anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Tuesday and Wednesday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Thursday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition on Championship Friday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

FLW anglers are vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the Tackle Warehouse FLW TITLE presented by Toyota, the Pro Circuit championship. The 2020 Tackle Warehouse FLW TITLE presented by Toyota will be held on Lake Michigan in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, Aug. 24-29.

MLF pros competing in the Pro Circuit Super Tournaments will fish for prize money only. No points will be awarded toward any championship or title to MLF competitors. Only the original Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit anglers will compete for the AOY title throughout the remainder of the season. AOY points in the final events will be awarded based on Pro Circuit anglers finishing order. The top-finishing FLW pro will receive “first-place points” regardless of where he finishes in the overall standings, and so on.

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EDT each day from the Shelby St. Public Boat Launch, located at 101 Shelby St., in Sandusky. The weigh-in each day will be held at the Paper District Marina, located at 611 W. Shoreline Drive, and will begin at 3 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday and at 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.

Attendance is limited to competing anglers and essential staff only. Fans are encouraged to forgo the daily takeoffs and weigh-ins and follow the event online through the expanded four-day “FLW Live” on-the-water broadcasts and weigh-in coverage at FLWFishing.com.

Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Erie will premiere at 7 p.m. EDT, Sept. 25 on the Outdoor Channel. Running now through Dec. 27, FLW will air 312 hours of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit action on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long episode goes in-depth to break down the final rounds of each regular-season competition. Episodes premiere in Friday night primetime slots on the Outdoor Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water broadcast will air on all four days of competition, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran is joined by Toyota Series pro Todd Hollowell and MLF’s Marty Stone 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.

CANNELTON, Ind. (Aug. 10, 2020) – Boater Marty Sisk of Evansville, Indiana, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 7 pounds, 9 ounces to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event on the Ohio River in Cannelton, Indiana. For his victory, Sisk earned a total of $3,718.

Sisk was one of just two limits weighed in Saturday, as the Ohio River was fishing tough for competitors. Sisk said that he was happy to have caught five.

“I caught my first bass of the day on a spinnerbait, and the rest came flipping a black neon-colored tube,” said Sisk, who earned his sixth career FLW victory. “It was very tough, but I was happy to catch what I had.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Marty Sisk of Evansville, Ind., five bass, 7-9, $3,718

            2^nd:      Mark Dove of North Vernon, Ind., five bass, 7-5, $1,859

            3^rd:       Chris Wilkinson of Farmersburg, Ind., four bass, 6-4, $1,238

            4^th:       Jeramiah Sifers of Sellersburg, Ind., two bass, 6-1, $1,352

            5^th:       Kevin Meunier of Lamar, Ind., three bass, 5-11, $744

            6^th:       Scott Bateman of Jasper, Ind., three bass, 5-8, $682

            7^th:       Brandon Barker of Magnet, Ind., three bass, 4-12, $620

            8^th:       Shane Oxford of St. Meinrad, Ind., four bass, 4-9, $527

            8^th:       James White of Martinsville, Ind., four bass, 4-9, $527

            10^th:     Danny Abrams of Greensfork, Ind., three bass, 4-6, $434

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Sifers earned the day’s $485 Boater Big Bass award with a 4-pound, 14-ounce bass.

Boater Nick Uebelhor of Loogootee, Indiana, took home an extra $500 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Bill Smith of Columbus, Indiana, earned the win in the Co-angler Division Saturday after catching four bass weighing 5 pounds, 14 ounces. Smith earned $1,859 for his victory.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Bill Smith of Columbus, Ind., four bass, 5-14, $1,859

            2^nd:      Steven Sanders of Orleans, Ind., one bass, 3-15, $1,171

            3^rd:       Kade Oliver of Muncie, Ind., three bass, 3-11, $619

            4^th:       Dustin Burton of Hamilton, Ohio, two bass, 3-8, $403

            5^th:       Cory Malcolm of Bremen, Ind., three bass, 3-8, $403

            6^th:       Charlie Kuebler of Jasper, Ind., three bass, 3-4, $341

            7^th:       Dan Miller of Greenwood, Ind., three bass, 2-15, $310

            8^th:       John Chaney of Evansville, Ind., one bass, 2-14, $279

            9^th:       Bo Bivins of Evansville, Ind., two bass, 2-11, $248

            10^th:     Conner Sevier of Fort Branch, Ind., two bass, 2-9, $217

Sanders caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 15 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $242.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on the Ohio River in Cannelton was the fourth of five qualifying events in the Hoosier Division.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Hoosier Division based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 15-17 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, hosted by Explore La Crosse. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six 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 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held Nov. 11-13 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina and is hosted by Visit Anderson. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the FLW Series, the pathway to the FLW Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour, where top pros compete with no entry fees.

LA CROSSE, Wis. (Aug. 1, 2020) – The man deemed the “Godfather of the Mississippi River” finally got it done at home. La Crosse’s own 71-year-old Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wisconsin, caught a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win $125,000 at the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Mississippi River presented by OPTIMA Batteries with a four-day catch of 20 bass weighing 54-10.

The limit gave him the win by a narrow 1-pound, 12-ounce margin over the No. 1 ranked angler in the world, pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, who caught a total of 20 bass weighing 52-14 and earned $35,000.

“I can’t believe it. Winning at home is the neatest thing in the world. I’m going to remember this moment forever,” said Monsoor, who broke his own record as the oldest angler to ever win an FLW pro-level event. “This tournament had 50 of the best guys from MLF, and the top guys from FLW – it doesn’t get any harder than that. I am the luckiest guy in the world to be able to do what I love. To win at home – I can’t believe it.”

Monsoor caught the majority of his fish this week doing exactly what the Mississippi River legend is known for – throwing a swim jig. His jig of choice this week was a white Humdinger Tom Monsoor swim jig with a 3½-inch Yamamoto Swim Senko (pearl with silver flake). Monsoor also mixed in a homemade football-head jig with a Yamamoto Cowboy trailer and a homemade Bitsy Bug-type jig with a Fat Baby Craw to put together his winning limits.

“I caught two or three fish this week on the Bitsy Bug, but other than that everything came on the football jig and the swimming jig,” Monsoor said. “Gravel bars and drops with weeds seemed to be the two key areas this week.”

Now that the 71-year-old pro has finally earned the big win at home that had seemed to elude him for most of his career, he plans to spend a relaxing Sunday right where you’d expect to see him – back out on the water.

“I can’t wait to go out there tomorrow and see if those two schools of largemouth that I had found in practice are still there,” Monsoor went on to say. “I’m going to sleep in until 9 a.m. or so and recuperate, then I’m getting back out there.”

The top 10 pros on the Mississippi River finished:

            1^st:       Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis., 20 bass, 54-10, $125,000
            2^nd:      Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tenn., 20 bass, 52-14, $35,000
            3^rd:       David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., 20 bass, 52-5, $30,000
            4^th:       Zack Birge of Blanchard, Okla., 20 bass, 50-15, $25,000
            5^th:       Tyler Stewart of West Monroe, La., 20 bass, 50-7, $22,000
            6^th:       Cody Meyer of Auburn, Calif., 19 bass, 48-12, $21,000
            7^th:       Bailey Boutries of Daphne, Ala., 20 bass, 48-11, $19,000
            8^th:       Clark Reehm of Elm Grove, La., 20 bass, 48-9, $18,000
            9^th:       Kyle Hall of Granbury, Texas, 20 bass, 48-7, $17,000
            10^th:     Scott Wiley of Bay Minette, Ala., 15 bass, 42-6, $16,000

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

Overall there were 46 bass weighing 102 pounds, 15 ounces caught by pros Saturday. Nine of the final 10 pros weighed in five-bass limits.

Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Mississippi River will premiere at 7 p.m. EDT, Sept. 11 on the Outdoor Channel. Running now through Dec. 27, FLW will air 312 hours of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit action on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long episode goes in-depth to break down the final rounds of each regular-season competition. Episodes premiere in Friday night primetime slots on the Outdoor Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Mississippi River presented by OPTIMA Batteries was hosted by Explore La Crosse. The event featured a field of 200 anglers from FLW and Major League Fishing competing for $1.3 million.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournament competition, the full field of 200 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Wednesday and Thursday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Friday. Only the top 10 pros continued competition on Saturday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wisconsin, brought a  five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 5 ounces, to the scale Friday to retain his lead after day three of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Mississippi River presented by OPTIMA Batteries. Monsoor now enters the fourth and final day of competition as the No. 1 seed in the Super Tournament that features 200 of the world’s best bass-fishing anglers from FLW and Major League Fishing (MLF) competing for a piece of the $1.3 million prize pool.

Monsoor has crossed the stage with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 42 pounds even, which gives him a slim 1-pound, 1-ounce lead over second-place pro MLF angler Zack Birge of Blanchard, Oklahoma, who caught five bass today weighing 13 pounds, 2 ounces. Birge has weighed in 15 bass totaling 40 pounds, 15 ounces in his three days of competition.

“It was pretty tough, today. At noon I only had 7½ pounds, and I went through around 50 fish to even get that,” said Monsoor, who has one prior win – on the Potomac River in 2017 – in Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition. “Right at the end of the day I pulled up to a weed bed and caught my biggest fish of the day, and two other nice ones. You just have to keep plugging away and never give up out there.

“I caught more fish today than I had on the first two days combined, but I just couldn’t find the big ones,” Monsoor said.

Monsoor spent his morning on two offshore spots in Pool 8, near the Black River. His first spot was producing until an altercation with a local water ski boat in the same area shut it down.

“That kind of wrecked my morning,” said Monsoor. “I’ve been here all my life, and I’ve never had anybody do that before. They ski there all the time. I fish there all the time. There’s never been a problem. That took the edge off right away. I was having fun until that. I was going to catch some fish there, too. But he shut it down.”

Monsoor managed to catch around 10 pounds off of his second area before running into his three bigger fish later in the day.

With numerous top-10 finishes and six career victories on the Mississippi River in various levels of FLW competition, a victory on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit is the only trophy that has eluded Monsoor here in La Crosse. With one day left, Monsoor said all he can do is fish as hard as he can.

“The big FLW events are my worst tournaments,” Monsoor went on to say. “The worst! I couldn’t do any worse. And I’ve had the best practices before these events. This is the first one it hasn’t screwed me on. So, I want this one really bad. All you can do is fish as hard as you can, and nobody fishes harder than me. I know that. I don’t stop.”

The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition on the Mississippi River are:

 1st: Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wis., 15 bass, 42-0
 2nd: Zack Birge of Blanchard, Okla., 15 bass, 40-15
 3rd: David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., 15 bass, 40-8
 4th: Scott Wiley of Bay Minette, Ala., 14 bass, 40-5
 5th: Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tenn., 15 bass, 39-12
 6th: Tyler Stewart of West Monroe, La., 15 bass, 39-9
 7th: Kyle Hall of Granbury, Texas, 15 bass, 39-0
 8th: Bailey Boutries of Daphne, Ala., 15 bass, 37-13
 9th: Clark Reehm of Elm Grove, La., 15 bass, 37-10
 10th: Cody Meyer of Auburn, Calif., 14 bass, 37-9

Finishing in 11th through 30th are:

 11th: Clayton Batts of Butler, Ga., 15 bass, 37-3, $14,000
 12th: Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 37-2, $14,000
 13th: Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark., 15 bass, 37-2, $14,000
 14th: Adrian Avena of Vineland, N.J., 15 bass, 37-1, $14,000
 15th: David Gaston of Sylacauga, Ala., 15 bass, 36-15, $14,000
 16th: Bradford Beavers of Summerville, S.C., 14 bass, 36-14, $14,000
 17th: Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., 15 bass, 36-14, $14,000
 18th: Paul Elias of Laurel, Miss., 15 bass, 36-13, $14,000
 19th: Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., 15 bass, 36-13, $14,000
 20th: Matt Lee of Bremen, Ala., 15 bass, 36-10, $14,000
 21st: Dustin Connell of Clanton, Ala., 15 bass, 36-9, $11,000
 22nd: Jacob Wall of New Hope, Ala., 15 bass, 36-3, $11,000
 23rd: Kurt Mitchell of Milford, Del., 15 bass, 35-15, $11,000
 24th: Alton Jones Jr. of Lorena, Texas, 15 bass, 35-10, $11,000
 25th: Chad Warren of Sand Springs, Okla., 15 bass, 35-8, $11,000
 26th: Jon Englund of Farwell, Minn., 15 bass, 35-5, $11,000
 27th: Matthew Stefan of Junction City, Minn., 15 bass, 35-4, $11,000
 28th: Darrell Davis of Dover, Fla., 15 bass, 35-2, $11,000
 29th: Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 34-14, $11,000
 30th: Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., 15 bass, 33-14, $11,000

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

Overall there were 217 bass weighing 497 pounds, 6 ounces caught by 48 pros Friday. The catch included 36 five-bass limits.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Mississippi River presented by OPTIMA Batteries is hosted by Explore La Crosse.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super-Tournament competition, the full field of 200 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Wednesday and Thursday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Friday. Now only the top 10 pros will continue competition on Championship Saturday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

FLW anglers are vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the Tackle Warehouse FLW TITLE presented by Toyota, the Pro Circuit championship. The 2020 Tackle Warehouse FLW TITLE presented by Toyota will be held on Lake Michigan in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, Aug. 24-29.