Category: MLF BIG-5

Photo courtesy of FLW

Co-Angler Title Goes to Tamaroa’s Swetland

SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (June 10, 2019) – Boater Wayne Shaw of Urbana, Illinois, weighed five bass Saturday totaling 13 pounds, 7 ounces, to win T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Illini Division tournament on Lake Shelbyville. Shaw pocketed $4,071 for his day on the water.

“The morning started off slow. My co-angler had four keepers in the boat and I didn’t have any until around 11 [a.m.],” said Shaw, who earned his third career win in BFL competition – second on Lake Shelbyville. “I switched from a jig to a worm, and that’s what caught all five of them.It was like someone turned on a light switch.”

Shaw said he targeted fisheon deeper points on the south end of the lake in 12 to 15 feet of water. He used a 10-inch, Texas rigged plum-colored Berkley PowerBait Power Worm and caught six keepers total.

“I was dragging it slow along the bottom,” said Shaw. “I fished five to seven different spots, hitting anything that had a good drop close to the main-river channel.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

               1^st:          Wayne Shaw, Urbana, Ill., five bass, 13-7, $4,071

               2^nd:         Clay Reeves, Lane, Ill., five bass, 13-4, $1,735

               3^rd:          Travis Wilson, La Harpe, Ill., three bass, 12-9, $1,024

               4^th:          Robert Neff, Roodhouse, Ill., four bass, 12-7, $816

               5^th:          Michael Black, Toledo, Ill., five bass, 12-6, $738

               5^th:          Jeremy Mull, Pawnee, Ill., five bass, 12-6, $838

               7^th:          Bobby McMullin, Pevely, Mo., five bass, 12-3, $512

               8^th:          Shane Haslett, Beecher City, Ill., five bass, 12-1, $435

               8^th:          Ray Arning Jr., Walnut Hill, Ill., five bass, 12-1, $435

               10^th:        Luke Budde, St. Louis, Mo., four bass, 12-0, $358

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Greg James of Carterville, Illinois, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $360.

Mike Swetland of Tamaroa, Illinois, won the Co-angler Division and $1,885 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 8 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

               1^st:          Mike Swetland, Tamaroa, Ill., five bass, 12-8, $1,885

               2^nd:         Andrew Blunier, Roanoke, Ill., five bass, 10-15, $768

               3rd:         Mario Rossi Jr., Granite City, Ill., five bass, 10-6, $563

               4^th:          Adam Kunkel, Red Bud, Ill., four bass, 9-3, $358

               5^th:          Luke Epplin, Collinsville, Ill., four bass, 9-2, $307

               6^th:          Scott Bradley, Greenup, Ill., five bass, 9-0, $381

               7^th:          Drew Cress, Highland, Ill., five bass, 8-8, $256

               8^th:          James Jarvis, West Frankfort, Ill., three bass, 8-6, $230

               9^th:          Jacob Greco, Edwardsville, Ill., four bass, 7-2, $205

               10^th:        Floyd Carder, Litchfield, Ill., three bass, 6-10, $179

David Workman of Harrisburg, Illinois, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 6 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $180.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 24-26 BFL Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

OXFORD’S CAMPBELL WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ON OHIO RIVER AT TANNER’S CREEK

Pennsylvania’s Kaplon Claims Co-Angler Title

LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (June 10, 2019) – Boater Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Buckeye Division tournament on the Ohio River at Tanner’s Creek Saturday with five bass weighing 9 pounds, 15 ounces. Campbell netted $6,718 for his victory.

“I was keying in on stumps that were kind of hidden,” said Campbell, who after winning the BFL tournament at Rough River Lake last month now has back-to-back wins in BFL competition. “They were stumps I knew were there when the water was low, but you couldn’t see them in the tournament because the water was high.”

Campbell said he flipped a black and blue flake-colored, Texas-rigged Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Rodent and a ¼-ounce black and blue jig with a black and blue flake Zoom Super Chunk trailer. He said he fished near takeoff in the Tanner’s Creek area and caught six keepers all day.

“I caught a big fish – a 4-pounder – within the first 10 minutes,” said Campbell. “It was slower the rest of the day – I’d pick off a keeper here and there.”

Campbell said he preferred a 7-foot, 6-inch Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris Signature Casting Series rod with 20-pound-test Seaguar fluorocarbon line.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

               1^st:          Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 9-15, $4,718 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

               2^nd:         Jamie Cunnagin, New Lebanon, Ohio, five bass, 8-11, $1,859

               3^rd:          Craig Mills, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 7-10, $1,052

               3^rd:          Dan Fry, Marysville, Ohio, five bass, 7-10, $1,302

               5^th:          Bob Robinson, Lebanon, Ohio, four bass, 7-1, $744

               6^th:          Butch Dobransky, North Canton, Ohio, four bass, 6-15, $882

               7^th:          Dan Moran, London, Ohio, four bass, 6-11, $720

               8^th:          Tilford Head, Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 6-7, $558

               9^th:          Pat White, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 6-5, $496

               10^th:        Chris Combess, Cleves, Ohio, four bass, 6-2, $434

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Adam Hock of Independence, Kentucky, caught a bass weighing 4 pounds, 5 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $485.

Logan Kaplon of Creekside, Pennsylvania, won the Co-angler Division and $1,990 Saturday after catching four bass weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

               1^st:          Logan Kaplon, Creekside, Pa., four bass, 6-2, $1,990

               2^nd:         Andrew Wright, Greenville, Ohio, three bass, 5-10, $920

               3^rd:          Billy French, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 5-4, $992

               4^th:          Larry Spivey, Middletown, Ohio, two bass, 5-2, $509

               5^th:          William Gross, Cleveland, Ohio, three bass, 5-1, $368

               6^th:          Mark Henderson, Martinsville, Ohio, four bass, 4-8, $337

               7^th:          Mike Geisler, Oxford, Ohio, four bass, 4-7, $357

               8^th:          Chris McCusker, Beaver Falls, Pa., two bass, 4-3, $356

               9^th:          Ryan Rich, Eaton, Ohio, two bass, 3-14, $230

               9^th:          Brandon Fraley, Tipp City, Ohio, three bass, 3-14, $230

Spivey caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $80.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Photo courtesy of FLW

Baggett and Towry Tie for Co-Angler Title

GALLATIN, Tenn. (June 10, 2019) – Boater Dwight Fox of Gainesboro, Tennessee, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Music City Division tournament on Old Hickory Lake Saturday with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 1 ounce. For his efforts, Fox netted $2,941.

Fox said he worked a mid-lake stretch on the main channel, fishing up to five miles in both directions of the takeoff at Bulls Creek Access.

“Everything came out of the main current,” said Fox, who earned his eighth career win in BFL competition. “Whenever the current hit chunk rock or a log or something in the water, it eddied out. The fish were in the water swirled up behind so they didn’t have to work as hard to fight current as they ambush food.

“I worked against the current with the boat, pitched my bait up into it and let it come around the cover and swirl around where the fish were,” continued Fox. “When it would leave the current and hit the dead water, that’s when the fish would get it..”

Fox said he caught seven keepers fishing a ½-ounce, black and blue-colored Killer jig with a black and blue Zoom Super Chunk trailer. He noted that the water was stained, and that he had more bites after 10 a.m.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

               1^st:          Dwight Fox, Gainesboro, Tenn., five bass, 18-1, $2,941

               2^nd:         Matt Stanley, Alexandria, Tenn., five bass, 17-4, $1,720

               3^rd:          Kim Carver, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 16-12, $914

               4^th:          John Graves, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 15-14, $934

               5^th:          Jesse Rigsby, Old Hickory, Tenn., five bass, 15-9, $548

               6^th:          Gerald Williams, Scottsville, Ky., five bass, 15-7, $502

               7^th:          Elliott Lee, Old Hickory, Tenn., five bass, 15-4, $457

               8^th:          Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 14-15, $411

               9^th:          William Merrick, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 14-14, $365

               10^th:        Tony Eckler, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 14-7, $320

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Graves caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 5 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $295.

Teddy Baggett of Nashville, Tennessee, and Belinda Towry of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, each caught 11 pounds, 7 ounces, worth of bass Saturday to tie for the win in the Co-angler Division. After contingency awards, Towry took home $1,235, while Baggett pocketed $993.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

               1^st:          Teddy Baggett, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 11-7, $993

               1^st:          Belinda Towry, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., four bass, 11-7, $1,235

               3^rd:          Kelly Stone, Westmoreland, Tenn., five bass, 11-3, $440

               4^th:          Brian Reed, Cookeville, Tenn., four bass, 10-4, $309

               5^th:          Kibbee McCoy, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 9-12, $315

               6^th:          Justin Kimmel, Athens, Ga., four bass, 9-2, $393

               7^th:          Grayson Butler, Lebanon, Tenn., three bass, 8-15, $221

               8^th:          Ricky England, Sparta, Tenn., three bass, 8-9, $199

               9^th:          Bobby Stinson, Scottsville, Ky., five bass, 8-2, $177

               10^th:        Charles Bennington, Scottsville, Ky., four bass, 7-3, $146

               10^th:        Robert Henze, La Vergne, Tenn., four bass, 7-3, $146

Towry caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned her the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $142.

The tournament was hosted by the Sumner County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina, presented by Navionics. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Photo courtesy of FLW

Boerne’s Glynn Takes Co-Angler Title

BROOKELAND, Texas (June 10, 2019) – Boater Rylon Ganey of Pineville, Louisiana, won Saturday’s T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Cowboy Division tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir with five bass weighing 20 pounds, 11 ounces. For his win, Ganey took home $6,362.

Ganey said he primarily flipped hay grass and bushes in two areas to catch his fish. His first area – in Mill Creek – only gave up one keeper. It was his second stop, though, that really jumpstarted his day.

“I ran up to my second area across the lake from Mill Creek around 9 [a.m.], flipped in a bush, and within five flips I caught an 8-pounder,” said Ganey, who notched his first victory in FLW competition. “That set the tone. I knew I had a good chance to place in the top five with a kicker like that.

“Within another hour I filled my limit,” continued Ganey. “I culled three times – all in that second area. I got a lot of big bites there in practice and kept getting fish that I needed there Saturday.”

Ganey said he used Watermelon Red Flake-colored Strike King Rage Tail Denny Brauer Structure Bugs, rigged with either ¾- or 1-ounce weights depending on how thick the cover was. He threw them on a trio of Duckett White Ice Casting rods with 13 Fishing Concept “A” casting reels, spooled with 65-pound-test PowerPro Spectra braided line.

“The rods were strong and really helped me pull those fish out of the bushes – they have a great backbone on them.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

               1^st:          Rylon Ganey, Pineville, La., five bass, 20-11, $6,362

               2^nd:         Eric Leger, Mamou, La., five bass, 19-6, $2,353

               3^rd:          Jarred Williams, Bunkie, La., five bass, 19-4, $1,502

               4^th:          Jame Dubroc, Bunkie, La., five bass, 18-14, $1,052

               5^th:          Tommy Mackey, Bryan, Texas, five bass, 17-12, $1,151

               6^th:          Matthew McArdle, Humble, Texas, five bass, 17-0, $826

               7^th:          Dicky Newberry, Houston, Texas, five bass, 16-10, $751

               8^th:          Ryan Pinkston, Center, Texas, five bass, 16-3, $676

               9^th:          Jerry King, Flint, Texas, five bass, 16-2, $601

               10^th:        Jim Dillard, West Monroe, La., five bass, 16-0, $526

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Ganey’s big kicker bass ended up weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $655.

Michael Glynn of Boerne, Texas, won the Co-angler Division and $2,353 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 18 pounds, 9 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

               1^st:          Michael Glynn, Boerne, Texas, five bass, 18-9, $2,353

               2^nd:         Hannah Gryder, Milam, Texas, five bass, 17-9, $1,127

               3^rd:          Pete Lammons, Houston, Texas, five bass, 15-12, $801

               4^th:          Zane Leblanc, Reserve, La., five bass, 15-2, $853

               5^th:          Ryan Bourque, Slidell, La., five bass, 14-10, $451

               6^th:          Logan Slaughter, Dallas, Texas, five bass, 13-15, $413

               7^th:          Brian Tolley, Katy, Texas, five bass, 13-5, $526

               8^th:          Clark Moore, Nacogdoches, Texas, five bass, 13-2, $338

               9^th:          Sammy Strong, Orange, Texas, five bass, 13-0, $281

               9^th:          David Beason, Evans, La., five bass, 13-0, $281

Leblanc caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $327.

The tournament was hosted by the Jasper County Development District.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 24-26 BFL Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Photo courtesy of FLW

SALISBURY, N.C. (June 10, 2019) – Boater Robert Walser of Lexington, North Carolina, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) North Carolina Division tournament on High Rock Lake Saturday with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 13 ounces. With his win – his 13^th on the BFL circuit – Walser tied the BFL all-time wins record held by Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio.

“I caught my fish flipping docks with a [Zoom] Z Craw and Z Hogs,” said Walser, who earned $6,141 for his victory – his second BFL win in 2019. “The Garmin Panoptix allowed me to see the brush under the docks – some had it and some didn’t, but it was nice to know where it was when I was flipping. I rotated through three colors, which were darker colors and green-pumpkins. My bait choice depended on the water color and sky conditions.

“I primarily fished mid-lake, which encompassed five of the creeks I fished,” continued Walser. “The water was low enough where you could get under the bridges, which hasn’t happened in a while. That allowed me to spread out a bit more.”

Walser fished an 8-foot Lamiglas 806 flipping stick with a Pflueger Supreme XT Low Profile casting reel, spooled with 20-pound-test Berkley Trilene fluorocarbon line. He flipped with a 5/16-ounce Eco Pro tungsten weight with a 3/0-sized Berkley Fusion19 Superline EWG hook.

“I caught at least three to four limits out there, and had my first five in the boat before 9 [a.m.],” said Walser.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

               1^st:          Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 21-13, $4,141 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

               2^nd:         Dylan Fulk, Mount Pleasant, N.C., five bass, 21-5, $1,517

               2^nd:         Michael Stephens, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 21-5, $1,867

               4^th:          Wyatt Hammond, Fayetteville, N.C., five bass, 19-5, $850

               5^th:          Mike Winchester, Bryson City, N.C., five bass, 19-1, $728

               6^th:          Craig Chambers, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 18-8, $668

               7^th:          Junior Allen, Biscoe, N.C., five bass, 18-0, $607

               8^th:          Byron Brush, Rockwell, N.C., five bass, 17-7, $546

               9^th:          Jody Wright, Ellenboro, N.C., five bass, 17-6, $485

               10^th:        Brian File, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 17-3, $425

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Stephen Cannon of Wilkesboro, North Carolina, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $475.

Johnny Guffey of Bessemer City, North Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $1,820 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 7 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

               1^st:          Johnny Guffey, Bessemer City, N.C., five bass, 14-7, $1,820

               2^nd:         Ricky McCrary, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 14-1, $910

               3^rd:          Tommy Swicegood, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 13-10, $607

               4^th:          Tyler Austin, Cornelius, N.C., five bass, 12-13, $425

               5^th:          Dale Webber, Kernersville, N.C., four bass, 12-1, $464

               6^th:          Grant McPeters, Marion, N.C., five bass, 11-13, $534

               7^th:          Mark Murphy, Salisbury, N.C., four bass, 10-15, $288

               7^th:          Jonathan Carter, Greenville, S.C., four bass, 10-15, $288

               9^th:          John Wiese, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 10-13, $243

               10^th:        Khris Williams, Mount Holly, N.C., five bass, 10-7, $212

Greg Deal of China Grove, North Carolina, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 7 pounds even. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $237.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina, presented by Navionics. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2020 BFL All-American will be held April 30-May 2 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina, and is hosted by Visit Anderson. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

June 4, 2019  by FLW Communications – Photo courtesy of FLW

CHARLES COUNTY, Md. – The University of West Virginia duo of Nolan Minor of Charlottesville, West Virginia, and Thomas Raines of Oxon Hill, Maryland, grabbed the early lead Tuesday after Day One of the 2019 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship on the Potomac River presented by Lowrance. The Mountaineers team brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 18 pounds, 5 ounces, giving them a 9-ounce cushion over the second place team of Jarrett Martin and Nickolas Marsh from Michigan’s Adrian College.

“We fished north of takeoff, mainly fishing around the bridge area and just looking for docks, grass – anything that looked good,” said Raines, a senior majoring in landscape architecture. “We hit about seven different areas and it was all new water, nothing we practiced.”

“We caught around 12 keepers,” added Minor, a junior majoring in marketing. “We didn’t have a good practice, so it kind of allowed us to just fish free. If something looked good, we fished it. I wouldn’t call it junk fishing, but it was pretty close to it. We caught several 2½-pound fish today and on one spot we pulled up and caught four between 2½ to 3 pounds in 10 minutes. We hadn’t practiced there, and we left them biting hoping that they might help us later.”

Although the duo was tight-lipped about specific presentations, they did mention that they caught their fish using just two different baits. Their limit was anchored by a big largemouth estimated to weigh between 5 to 6 pounds.

“We feel good about where we are at,” Minor said. “I’d like to figure out that big bite again, because that fish was not doing what the others were.”

“We definitely laid off on some spots, so I’m hoping that we can have another good day tomorrow,” Raines went on to say. “We’re going to fish everything that we fished today and our backup plan is to hit our practice holes if we have to.”

The three-day event features the top college bass fishing teams from across the nation competing in an internationally-televised no-entry fee tournament for the top prize of up to $50,000, including a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 115-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and automatic entry into the 2019 FLW Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, held August 9-11 on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

The full field of 148 teams compete on Tuesday and Wednesday, with only the top-10 – based on two-day cumulative weight – advancing to Championship Thursday. The National Champions will be crowned Thursday based on the cumulative three-day weight total.

The top 10 teams after Day One on the Potomac River are:

 1st:  West Virginia University – Nolan Minor, Charlottesville, Va., and Thomas Raines, Oxon Hill, Md., five bass, 18-5
 2nd:  Adrian College – Jarrett Martin, Gallipolis, Ohio, and Nickolas Marsh, Walled Lake, Mich., five bass, 17-12
 3rd:  Bethel University – Tristan McCormick, Burns, Tenn., and Dakota Pierce, Ava,  Mo., five bass, 17-7
 4th:  SUNY-Environmental Science and Forestry – Patrick Durand, Cherry Hill, N.J., and Benjamin Schultes, Ontario, N.Y., five bass, 17-2
 5th:  University of Tennessee – Jordan Burdette, Knoxville, Tenn., and Saxton Long, Pulaski, Tenn., five bass, 16-15
 6th:  Sam Houston State University – Dillon Harrell, New Caney, Texas, and Taylor Harp, Porter, Texas, five bass, 16-15
 7th:  Murray State University – Adam Puckett and Blake Albertson, both of Bloomington, Ind., five bass, 16-13
 8th:  University of Montevallo – J.T. Russell, McCalla, Ala., five bass, 16-7
 9th:  Bethel University – Brian Pahl, Eureka, Mo., and John Coble Garrett, Union City, Tenn., five bass, 16-5
 10th:  University of Pittsburgh – Dominic Vitale, Shickshinny, Pa., and Henry Colberg, Pittsburgh, Pa., five bass, 16-0

For a full list of results, visit FLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 575 bass weighing 1,472 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 141 college teams Tuesday. The catch included 86 five-bass limits.

The FLW College Fishing National Championship anglers will take off from Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury, at 7 a.m. EDT each morning, June 4 to June 6. All weigh-ins will be held at the State Park, beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

Television coverage of both events will premiere in the fall of 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, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air on Days Three and Four– Wednesday, June 5, and Thursday, June 6, for the College Fishing National Championship. FLW Live features live action from the boats of the tournament’s top anglers each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by FLW Tour pro Miles Burghoff and FLW emcee Chris Jones 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.

YETI FLW College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club that is recognized by their school. The top 10 teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open advance to the FLW College Fishing National Championship. Additional teams will qualify for the National Championship if the field size in regular-season events exceeds 100 boats.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow YETI FLW College Fishing on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

CHARLES COUNTY, Md. – Boater Brennon McCord of West Frankfort, Illinois, won the 36th annual T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American tournament on the Potomac River presented by General Tire Saturday, capping off the event with a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 3 ounces. McCord’s three-day cumulative total of 15 bass weighing 45-11 was enough to edge second-place angler Joseph Thompson of Coatesville, Pennsylvania – who led the event for the first two days – by 1 pound, 4 ounces. For his win, McCord netted $100,000 and an invitation into the world championship of bass fishing – the FLW Cup.

“This win means a lot. I grew up listening to my dad talk about this tournament and my grandpa talk about it – about how they always wanted to get here, but never made it. My dad has fell short a couple of times. Those two guys taught me everything know I about this sport. It’s an unbelievable feeling and it’s going to take a while to sink in, for sure.”

McCord said 14 of the 15 fish that he weighed this week came using a 3/8-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait Jack Hammer, in Spot Remover or black and blue, with either a Strike King Rage Tail Menace Grub or a Zoom Z-Hog Jr. trailer.

“I was fishing in Mattawoman Creek – I never left,” said McCord, who earned his second win in FLW competition. ”There was about a 200-yard stretch of milfoil that I found that had a little of bit of hydrilla mixed in with it and I think that was the key. Nobody fished it either, except for today. There was a local tournament going on.”

After working the area Thursday, McCord said he fished another spot in the same stretch of grass Friday. He noted that he actually caught his first fish flipping a laydown near the bank with a blacklight-colored Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver with a 5/16-ounce tungsten weight on 25-pound-test Seaguar line, and then proceeded to do the rest of his work with the Jack Hammer.

Saturday, McCord said his day got off to a slow start at the grass stretch, prompting him to make some changes. With one good one and a keeper in the boat, he made another stop, but again, couldn’t get anything going.

“I pulled in to the back of the creek and started skipping my ChatterBait up underneath the pads and caught a good one, right up on the spatter-docks,” continued McCord. “Three of my best fish ended up coming from underneath the lily pads today. I went to a patch of milfoil in the middle of the creek back there that I had a weird feeling about, and I ended up catching a big one at it. I got lucky and had four good bites today.”

The top 10 boaters on the Potomac River finished:

1st: Brennon McCord, West Frankfort, Ill., 15 bass, 45-11, $100,200

2nd: Joseph Thompson, Coatesville, Pa., 15 bass, 44-7, $21,100

3rd: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 15 bass, 42-2, $20,000 + $8,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

4th: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, 15 bass, 41-7, $14,500 + $7,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

5th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 15 bass, 40-13, $13,000 + $6,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

6th: Doug Ruster, New Palestine, Ind., 14 bass, 39-13, $12,000 + $5,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

7th: Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., 15 bass, 39-11, $12,500 + $4,500 Ranger Cup Bonus

8th: Seth Davis, Harrison, Tenn., 15 bass, 39-2, $10,000

9th: Ronnie Baker, Providence Forge, Va., 13 bass, 35-2, $9,000

10th: Moo Bae, West Friendship, Md., 13 bass, 34-13, $8,000 + $3,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Overall, there were 45 bass weighing 112 pounds, 7 ounces, caught by the final 10 boaters Saturday. The catch included seven five-bass limits.

Ben Dacey of Chesterfield, Virginia, won the Co-angler Division and $50,000 Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 38 pounds, 2 ounces, followed by Todd Blakeman of Chatham, Illinois, in second place with 14 bass weighing 36-15, good for $16,950.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st: Ben Dacey, Chesterfield, Va., 15 bass, 38-2, $50,250

2nd: Todd Blakeman, Chatham, Ill., 14 bass, 36-15, $15,150 + $1,800 Ranger Cup Bonus

3rd: Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., 13 bass, 35-12, $6,000

4th: Levi Crossway, Jacksonville, Fla., 14 bass, 34-9, $5,000

5th: Frank Godwin Jr., Bainbridge, Ga., 11 bass, 30-5, $4,500

6th: Zach Barnes, Chickamauga, Ga., 11 bass, 28-9, $4,000

7th: Willis Kennedy III, Flomaton, Ala., 12 bass, 27-8, $3,500 + $1,300 Ranger Cup Bonus

8th: Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., 10 bass, 26-15, $3,000

9th: James Moore Jr., Lampasas, Texas, 11 bass, 25-4, $2,500

10th: Tristen Trull, Mt. Holly, N.C., 10 bass, 24-8, $2,000

Overall, there were 30 bass weighing 73 pounds, 4 ounces, caught by the final 10 co-anglers Saturday. The catch included four five-bass limits.

Hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism, the T-H Marine BFL All-American featured a field of the top 98 boaters and co-anglers from across the 24-division BFL circuit competing for a grand prize of up to $120,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division. The top boater now receives an invitation to compete for bass fishing’s most coveted prize – the 2019 FLW Cup – Aug. 9-11 on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Television coverage of the 2019 BFL All-American on the Potomac River will premiere in the fall of 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, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.

The 2019 BFL 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 BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

May 31, 2019  by FLW Communications – Photo courtesy of FLW

Advisory for Friday, May 31, 2019

WHAT: 
The Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division tournament on Grand Lake, scheduled for next week, June 13-15, has been moved to Sam Rayburn Reservoir due to extremely high water levels. The Southwestern division tournament originally scheduled for Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Oct. 3-5, will now be held at Grand Lake. All takeoff locations and times will remain the same.

WHEN: 
Costa FLW Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir presented by Mercury
Thursday, June 13 – Saturday, June 15, 2019
Takeoff: 6 a.m. CDT. Weigh-In: 2 p.m.
Umphrey Family Pavilion
5438 RR 255
Brookeland, Texas

Costa FLW Series at Grand Lake presented by T-H Marine
Thursday, Oct. 3 – Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019
Takeoff: 7:30 a.m. CDT. Weigh-In: 3:30 p.m.
Wolf Creek Park
963 N. 16th St.
Grove, Okla.

NOTES: 
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the International division. Each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 31 – Nov. 2 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

May 31, 2019  by FLW Communications – Photo courtesy of FLW

CHARLES COUNTY, Md. – Boater Joseph Thompson of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, maintained his lead at the 36th annual T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American tournament on the Potomac River presented by General Tire Friday with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 2 ounces, bringing his two-day cumulative total to 10 bass weighing 32-10. Thompson will lead the final 10 anglers into Saturday with a 1-pound, 14-ounce advantage over second place angler Doug Ruster of New Palestine, Indiana, who has a two-day total of 10 bass, good for 30-12.

The T-H Marine BFL All-American features a field of the top 98 boaters and co-anglers from across the 24-division BFL circuit competing for a grand prize of up to $120,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division. The top boater will receive an invitation to compete for bass fishing’s most coveted prize – the 2019 FLW Cup – Aug. 9-11 on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

“I had three primary areas that I really counted on fishing today,” said Thompson, who is fishing in his first BFL All-American. “The first spot I really was counting on catching a big fish. I didn’t catch anything, but I noticed that the tide wasn’t moving that well so I wasn’t really alarmed. I called an audible and didn’t go to my other areas because I knew I needed the tide moving and didn’t want to be disappointed.

“I went to a spot I didn’t plan on fishing, but it felt right and it ended up being the big move of the day,” continued Thompson. “I went and fished grass and caught two good fish and that got my day started. From there, I did my run – I kept hitting my three spots all day. I rolled up to my other primary spot, caught some fish and left them hitting so I could hit the other spot while there was still tide moving. I got there and another competitor was on it. I asked him if I could fish it, he told me no, so I said ‘no problem’ and left.”

Thompson said he jumped around from one spot to the next, adding that once he felt he had enough weight to comfortably make it to the final day, he opted to conserve fish and try other things.

“My spots are postspawn transition spots where they are getting ready to move into their summer stuff and they’re just feeding up,” said Thompson. “They’re not hanging out there – if they’re there, they’re going to eat.”

Thompson said his key bait is a green-pumpkin-colored Zoom Brush Hog on a 5/0-sized Gamakatsu hook.

“Tomorrow there should be less pressure from tournament anglers, so I’m pretty sure I’ll probably be able to get on my two primary spots,” said Thompson. “I didn’t get one [keeper] bite on my big fish spot today – not one. I’m definitely going to check it again tomorrow. I might have to run a little more water tomorrow and try a couple other things because these guys are hot on my heels.”

The top 10 boaters advancing to the final day of competition on the Potomac River are:

 1st: Joseph Thompson, Coatesville, Pa., 10 bass, 32-10 

 2nd: Doug Ruster, New Palestine, Ind., 10 bass, 30-12 

 3rd: Moo Bae, West Friendship, Md., 10 bass, 29-13 

 4th: Brennon McCord, West Frankfort, Ill., 10 bass, 29-8 

 5th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 10 bass, 28-9 

 6th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 10 bass, 28-8 

 7th: Ronnie Baker, Providence Forge, Va., 10 bass, 28-0 

 8th: Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 27-13 

 9th: Seth Davis, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 27-10 

 10th: Chris Martinkovic, Hamilton, Ohio, 10 bass, 27-7 

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Overall, there were 220 bass weighing 579 pounds, 4 ounces, caught by 47 boaters Friday. The catch included 39 five-bass limits.

Ben Dacey of Chesterfield, Virginia, held the lead in the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 26 pounds, 7 ounces, followed by Zach Barnes of Chickamauga, Georgia, who also has a two-day cumulative total of 10 bass weighing 26 pounds, 7 ounces. Per FLW tie-breaker rules, Dacey earned the top spot due to posting an overall heaver single-day limit during the event.

The final 10 co-anglers are:

 1st: Ben Dacey, Chesterfield, Va., 10 bass, 15-14, 26-7 

 2nd: Zach Barnes, Chickamauga, Ga., 10 bass, 26-7 

 3rd: Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., nine bass, 24-1 

 4th: Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., eight bass, 23-13 

 5th: Frank Godwin Jr., Bainbridge, Ga., nine bass, 23-1 

 6th: Levi Crossway, Jacksonville, Fla., nine bass, 22-15 

 7th: Todd Blakeman, Chatham, Ill., nine bass, 22-13 

 8th: Tristen Trull, Mt. Holly, N.C., nine bass, 22-3 

 9th: Willis Kennedy III, Flomaton, Ala., nine bass, 22-3 

 10th: James Moore Jr., Lampasas, Texas, nine bass, 21-4

Overall, there were 134 bass weighing 318 pounds, 9 ounces, caught by 44 co-anglers Friday. The catch included eight five-bass limits.

The final 10 boaters and co-anglers will take off from Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury, at 7 a.m. EDT Saturday. Saturday’s Championship weigh-in will also be held at the park, beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

The 2019 BFL All-American is being hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism.

Television coverage of the 2019 BFL All-American on the Potomac River will premiere in the fall of 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, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air Saturday, June 1 of the BFL All-American. FLW Live features live action from the boats of the tournament’s top anglers each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by FLW Tour pro Luke Dunkin and FLW emcee Chris Jones to break down the extended action 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.

The 2019 BFL 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 BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

May 30, 2019  by FLW Communications – Photo by FLW

CHARLES COUNTY, Md. – Boater Joseph Thompson of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, took the early lead Thursday at the 36th annual T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American tournament on the Potomac River presented by General Tire with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 8 ounces. Right behind Thompson in second place is Doug Thompson of Mabelvale, Arkansas, who brought five bass to the scale good for 15 pounds, 15 ounces.

The T-H Marine BFL All-American features a field of the top 98 boaters and co-anglers from across the 24-division BFL circuit competing for a grand prize of up to $120,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division. The top boater will receive an invitation to compete for bass fishing’s most coveted prize – the 2019 FLW Cup – Aug. 9-11 on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Thompson said he fished five key spots today, three of which he rotated through for the majority of his day.

“I went to my first spot that I had really big fish at in pre-practice,” said Thompson, who has six career top-10 finishes and one win on the Potomac River in BFL competition. “I spent a lot of time trying to make that spot happen and it just didn’t.

“I left and bounced around the river. I pretty much stuck to my main spots and took what the river gave me,” continued Thompson. “There’s a variety of different patterns and things going on.”

Thompson said that he caught around 12 to 15 keepers, adding that he had a limit fairly early and was culling by 9 a.m.

“I culled probably three or four times, but just for ounces – except for the couple of big ones I caught. I had two over 4 pounds,” said Thompson.

Thompson went on to say that he feels good about what awaits him on Friday.

“My two primary spots I left, and I feel that there’s still fish there. They’re places I hardly ever see anybody fish,” said Thompson. “I was only able to get one today at my big fish spot – it’s gnarly, gnarly stuff. I’m going to start there tomorrow and see if I can get a big one right away, then run around and try to find 2½-pounders. It’s hard to get a big fish right now.”

The top 10 boaters after day one on the Potomac River are:

 1st: Joseph Thompson, Coatesville, Pa., five bass, 16-8 

 2nd: Doug Thompson, Mabelvale, Ark., five bass, 15-15 

 3rd: Doug Ruster, New Palestine, Ind., five bass, 15-11 

 4th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., five bass, 15-10 

 5th: Kip Carter, Mansfield, Ga., five bass, 15-1 

 6th: Jason Crone, Kalispell, Mont., five bass, 14-11

 7th: Ronnie Baker, Providence Forge, Va., five bass, 14-8 

 8th: Jason Grape, Attalla, Ala., five bass, 14-3 

 9th: Tommy Williams, Shepherdsville, Ky., five bass, 13-13 

 9th: Matt Stanley, Alexandria, Tenn., five bass, 13-13

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Overall, there were 218 bass weighing 565 pounds, 2 ounces, caught by 49 boaters Thursday. The catch included 37 five-bass limits.

Ben Dacey of Chesterfield, Virginia, leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 14 ounces, followed by Zach Barnes of Chickamauga, Georgia, in second place with five bass weighing 15 pounds even.

The top 10 co-anglers are:

 1st: Ben Dacey, Chesterfield, Va., five bass, 15-14 

 2nd: Zach Barnes, Chickamauga, Ga., five bass, 15-0 

 2nd: Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., five bass, 15-0 

 4th: Randy Paquette, Sarasota, Fla., five bass, 14-15 

 5th: Todd Blakeman, Chatham, Ill., five bass, 14-7

 6th: Tristen Trull, Mt. Holly, N.C., five bass, 13-14 

 7th: Levi Crossway, Jacksonville, Fla., five bass, 13-9 

 7th: Brandon Ackerson, Afton, Okla., five bass, 13-9 

 9th: Wayne Miller, Morgantown, Ky., five bass, 12-14 

 10th: Willis Kennedy III, Flomaton, Ala., five bass, 12-11

Overall, there were 163 bass weighing 404 pounds, 6 ounces, caught by 46 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 18 five-bass limits.

BFL All-American competitors will take off from Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury, at 7 a.m. EDT each morning. Friday’s weigh-in, May 31, will be held at the park beginning at 3:30 p.m. Saturday’s Championship weigh-in, June 1, will also be held at the park, but will begin at 4 p.m.

The 2019 BFL All-American is being hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners and Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism.

Television coverage of the 2019 BFL All-American on the Potomac River will premiere in the fall of 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, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1 of the BFL All-American. FLW Live features live action from the boats of the tournament’s top anglers each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by FLW Tour pro Luke Dunkin 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.

The 2019 BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will be held May 30-June 1 at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism and the Commissioners of Charles County. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

About FLW

FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2019 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Zimbabwe. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.