Thursday, August 28, 2014

Product Watch: Jackall's IProp




Spybaiting has gain a lot of attention in the last few months. It is a new technique to North American anglers and the best is yet to come. Late summer and fall can produce the hottest action for this style of finesse fishing.  Jackall Lure's IProp is exceptionally well made and fishes easily. Check out this video to see it in action.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Kim Kwan and Mike Correa Win the 2014 Top Bass Seymour Event with 16.57 lbs.

Last Tournament of the Season a Nail Biter. 

By Luigi De Rose

The team of Kim Kwan and Mike Correa bested them all with a narrow 0.05 ounce victory over the team of Steve Matyi and Reg Cook. Overall, the fishing was spotty and difficult. Only 289 bass were caught weighing 605.2lbs.

The end of August is always a crap shoot when it comes to bass fishing. Suffering an already cool summer, the week before the Top Bass Seymour event, anglers encountered another cooling trend that dropped water temps almost 10 degrees.  Seymour is more of a river system than a lake. A section of the Trent-Severn system, Seymour is known for weedy shorelines, thick grass beds and some surprisingly big bass.

Seymour was the last of the 2014 regular season. The top 75 teams will battle on September 6 & 7 on the Tri-Lakes for the championship.

POS Weight Captain, Surname Captain, Given Partner Surname Partner, Given
1 16.57 KWAN KIM CORREA MIKE
2 16.52 MATYI STEVE COOK REG
3 14.97 VERKRUISEN RICHARD VERKRUISEN JESSICA
4 14.93 CULBERT CALEB FIGUEIRA JOE
5 14.78 BOLDUC AL THOMPSON BRIAN
6 13.96 FERNANDES TIM BONELLO ANDREW
7 13.18 NEILSON CRAIG NEILSON CHARLIE
8 12.83 BALIAN BERNARD O'CONNOR PAT
9 12.54 SLOCKI MIKE HAWLEY JOHN
10 12.5 WILLIAMS  MIKE JACOBS NELSON


Full Standings

Monday, August 25, 2014

Greg Hackney Wins 2014 Bassmaster Elite Cayuga Lake!


Hackney leaves best for last to dominate in New York. 
bass press release
UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — Greg Hackney was floating higher than a reel-peeling, skyward cast that seems to be held aloft by the sun itself.
Unlike a lure, he may not come down anytime soon.
In one fell swoop, the Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Gonzales, La., won the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake — and held tight to his lead in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race.
Hackney is on a role with 2 wins
this year and leading AOY in
the Elites!
(Photo: Seigo Saito BASS)
“I’ll ride this as long as I can,” Hackney said Sunday just after he took the trophy and was sure no other angler had busted into his AOY lead. “There are not too many times you get to do this. It’s pretty awesome.”
Hackney slapped the 12-man field in Sunday’s final round with a catch of 23 pounds, 15 ounces. That pumped his four-day total to 85-0. His margin of victory was 9 pounds, 3 ounces over Todd Faircloth, who weighed 15-6 Sunday to finish in second place at 75-13.
The Cayuga trophy was the fourth for Hackney in his B.A.S.S. career. Coming more than eight years after his only other Elite win in March 2006, the Cayuga victory broke his Bassmaster winner’s drought. He won an FLW Tour in June, and also owns the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup trophy.
Hackney collected $100,000 and an instant qualification for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic. He virtually has a Classic entry in hand through his standing in points, so the Cayuga title will double-qualify him.
Taking third place at Cayuga was Chris Zaldain of San Jose, Calif., with 74-12. Fourth place was claimed by Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., with 72-9.
Anchoring the Top 5 was Jared Lintner of Arroyo Grande, Calif., with 71-6. Lintner weighed a 6-2, tying him with Hackney for the largest bass of Sunday.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Greg Hackney Win Cayuga with 85 Pounds!

Hackney captures monster bag of largemouth to seal the deal!
More to come tomorrow.

The Mighty Kevin Van Dam Fails to Qualify for the 2015 Classic!


There will be no 2015 Classic appearance after 24 in a row

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — It didn't become official until Saturday's weigh-in at the Bassmaster Elite Series Cayuga Lake tournament was complete.
But it's a done deal now: Kevin VanDam, the most accomplished angler in B.A.S.S. history, didn't qualify to compete in what would have been his 25th Bassmaster Classic in a row.
Difficult to believe KVD will miss
a Classic.
(Photo: BASS)
That's almost unimaginable because VanDam has been so consistently good for so long.
KVD handled the bad news just like he's handled everything else in his brilliant career -- with class and honesty.
"I can promise you, I hate it right now," he said at the Frontenac Park weigh-in site.
"But I don't care who you are or how good you are, it's going to happen eventually. It's very humbling out here."
This season has been unfathomably humbling for the 46-year-old Kalamazoo, Mich., resident. Only a few years after he burst on the B.A.S.S. scene it was unquestionable that there was a Superman on the circuit and KVD were his initials.
Consider this: In the first eight seasons of the Elite Series, VanDam missed the top 50 cut (and the $10,000 check that goes with it) only four times.
That's cashing-in on 69 of 73 chances. But in 2014, VanDam doubled those sub-top 50 performances – four more in a single season, including the four worst finishes of his Elite Series career.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

2014 Bassmaster Elite Cayuga Lake Day 3: Greg Hackney Continues to Lead But Fail to Limit Out.


Hackney controls tournament and AOY points 
bass press release
UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — Who could be happy after not catching a limit in what is likely the most important bass tournament of your career?
Greg Hackney.
He was grinning ear-to-ear Saturday after weighing only four bass instead of the allowed five in the third round of the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake.
Greg Hackney on monsters but not many of them.
He only had four today but still kept his lead.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)
But those four were solid largemouth bass that tipped the scales at 17-11. It was enough to keep a 10-ounce lead over his biggest threat, Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas.

Friday, August 22, 2014

2014 Bassmaster Elite Cayuga Lake Day 2: Greg Hackney in Lead of AOY and Tournament!


Angler of the Year is Super Hot with Hackney and Faircloth 1-2. 
bass press release
UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — Give the man some grass, and he feels right at home.
That’s grass, as in aquatic vegetation, and crystal-clear Cayuga Lake is loaded with it.
“Deep, clear water with grass is by far my favorite way to fish,” said Greg Hackney, the pro angler from Gonzales, La., who took the lead Friday in the second round of the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake out of Union Springs, N.Y.
Greg is a master with the big rod. New York is playing to
the strengths of many Elite anglers.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)
Hackney weighed the day’s heaviest bag of bass — 23 pounds, 1 ounce — to rise into the lead from fourth place. His two-day total was 43-6.
“Grassmaster” No. 2 on Friday was Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas.
“Anytime we go to a lake that has grass in it, my confidence soars,” said Faircloth, who climbed from seventh place into second place with twin weights of 20-2 for a running total of 40-4. He trailed Hackney by 3-2.
Coincidentally, Hackney and Faircloth currently occupy first and second place, respectively, in the season’s Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. After Friday’s round, they were 17 points apart.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

2014 Bassmaster Elite Cayuga Lake Day 1: Palaniuk Edges into Lead in Tight Field.


"Community Holes" are holding them big time. 
UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — August is Brandon Palaniuk’s charmed time of year. New York is his state of magic.
Last August, the pro angler from Rathdrum, Idaho, won a Bassmaster Elite Series event on the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York. At age 25, he pocketed the $100,000 prize and achieved his goal of qualifying for the 2014 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro.
Brandon was one of seven to weigh
20lbs today.
(Photo: Seigo Saito BASS)
Thursday, just as focused on ensuring he’ll get into the 2015 Classic, Palaniuk led the 106-angler Elite field in the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake out of Union Springs, N.Y., where, once again, the first prize is $100,000 and an automatic qualification for the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing.
Palaniuk brought in 20 pounds, 10 ounces, enough to stay 3 ounces ahead of the pack in the first of four rounds.
“It was a magical day,” Palaniuk said. “I caught fish pretty early. I think I had a limit within the first 45 minutes, and slowly culled up from there. Every move I made, I seemed to catch a good one.”
The 26-year-old does not have one challenger behind him in second place, but two. In a tournament peppered with ties throughout the leaderboard, Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark., and Mike Kernan of Wylie, Texas, were neck-and-neck at 20-7 for second place.
Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., claimed fourth place by himself at 20-5. It was more than good enough to help him in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race, and an important move in keeping the lead he took over from Davis about two weeks ago.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Monday, August 18, 2014

Anthony Gagliardi Wins 2014 Walmart Forrest Wood Cup!

One Ounce Makes the Difference in Victory!
by David A. Brown
FLW PRESS RELEASE
COLUMBIA, S.C. – How much is enough? For Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi, it was an ounce. That’s what it took to edge Straight Talk pro Scott Canterbury and win the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart and hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country with 51 pounds, 2 ounces. Gagliardi hoisted the Cup before a packed house at Colonial Life Arena.
Local favourite Gagliardi pulls off victory
with amazing last day charge.
(Photo: Brian Lindberg FLW)
Details on top finishers will follow, but here’s the upshot: Just 11 ounces separated first and fifth places. For fans of this sport, a weigh-in like this delivers memories not soon forgotten. Safe to say, that sentiment runs a good bit deeper for the local favorite from Prosperity, S.C.
“It just falls in line with everything else that happened this year,” he says. “I made it into the Cup by 1 ounce. It’s just fitting.”
Gagliardi was a statistical improbability from the start; and not the start of the tournament – the start of the season. His season began as horribly as an angler could imagine when he was disqualified at the Walmart FLW Tour opener at Lake Okeechobee due to an inadvertent rules infraction.
Suffice it to say that at that point qualifying for the Forrest Wood Cup seemed an impossible dream. But it was a dream Gagliardi refused to relinquish.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

2014 Walmart FLW Cup Lake Murray Day 2: Jarabeck, Captures Lead with 17-00lbs!


Dudley's nephew Takes Over Command from Uncle. 
by David A. Brown
    FLW PRESS RELEASE
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Suffice it to say that Philip Jarabeck has admired the accomplishments of his uncle, Castrol pro David Dudley, but today he showed there’s plenty of talent in the family by taking over the lead Dudley set on day one of the Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart and hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country.
Philip matches David Dudley's 17lb bag
to take over the lead for Day 2. No real pattern is strong as deep and shallow fishing are working.
(Photo: Brian Lindberg FLW)
Dudley, a past Forrest Wood Cup champion, posted the event’s heaviest sack with his first-round weight of 17 pounds, 14 ounces. Today, Jarabeck hauled in 17 pounds and raced up the standings from his 19th-place finish on day one.
“I was just super-blessed today,” Jarabeck says. “I had a great day today. I culled three or four times. I had multiple keepers that I threw back.”
Hailing from Lynchburg, Va., Jarabeck caught bass shallow and deep, with his weigh-in fish split two and three, respectively. Day one yielded just three fish, but today he painted on a different palate – same basic colors, but better brush strokes.
“Yesterday, it was all deep because I had such a bad morning,” Jarabeck says. “The first couple of hours are crucial to my weight, getting those first couple of good bites, and then I can grind it out deep and get my limit.”

Friday, August 15, 2014

Jarabeck Jumps into Lead of 2014 Walmart FLW CUP

By Luigi De Rose

Philip Jarabeck's 17lb limit sky rockets him into the lead!
(Photo: Brian Lindberg FLW) 
Philip Jarabeck take lead on Day 2 on the back of a 17lb limit. Ehrler is 2nd and Thrift is 3rd. David Dudley, yesterday's leader fell to 6th.

More info to follow!

Thursday, August 14, 2014

2014 Walmart FLW Cup Lake Murray Day 1: David Dudley Captures Lead with 17-14lbs!

Dudley Take 3lb Lead!

by David A. Brown
FLW PRESS RELEASE

COLUMBIA, S.C. – In the field of 45 pros hoping to raise the trophy at the Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart and hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country, five have enjoyed that magical moment before. After a strong day-one performance, Castrol pro David Dudley is looking a lot like a man on a mission for No. 2.
Weighing in a first-round limit of 17 pounds, 14 ounces, Dudley took an early lead and held off all challengers to finish atop the field by a margin of 3-5.
David Dudley might be the first angler to win 2 FLW Cups! It is only the first day
but the last few FLW Cup winner all had big first days.
(Photo: Brian Lindberg FLW)
                       
As expected, definitive patterns remained elusive. Very few anglers stuck exclusively with shallow or 
deep patterns, and Dudley was not among them.


“I went deep and shallow. I think everybody is doing that. I’m mixing it up,” he says. “I have no idea where the next bite is coming from. I’m just flying by the seat of my pants and trying to stay focused.”

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

2014 FLW CUP Starts Tomorrow.

Find daily coverage of the 2014 FLW CUP on Lake Murray here!

Philly Goes IKE!

Mike's Bassmaster Elite win on the Delaware River was something special
for him, his family and BASS. Watch as it unfolds and witness how Philly loves going IKE!
(Photo: Steve Bowman BASS)

LINK here to see the video.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Scott Burns and Jay MacDonald Win 2014 Top Bass Balsam Lake

By Luigi De Rose


Balsam lake can be a mystery for many but not Scott Burns and Jay MacDonald. They put together a tournament winning creel of 19.78 pounds. This is Scott and Jay's second tournament victory this season. Big bass of 4.9lb was caught by the team of Caleb Culbert and Jeff Jacobs.

Jay and Scott are all smiles! With their second
cheque of the Top Bass season, who can blame them.
Photo: Jeff English


POS Weight Captain, Surname Captain, Given Partner Surname Partner, Given
1 19.78 BURNS SCOTT MACDONALD JAY
2 17.5 TOTOSKO KRIS GALLANT COPPER
3 17.39 JENKINS STEVEN WESTERINK JOSH
4 16.47 PILKEY RON MARTIN JAY
5 16.18 TODD BILL VARDY COLE
6 16.11 BALIAN BERNARD O'CONNOR PAT
7 15.77 CULBERT CALEB JACOBS JEFF
8 15.77 WATKINS RUSS CHONG DAVE
9 15.67 TAKEDA ROB JOJOS STEVE
10 15.6 BARTON JEFF SCOTT GREG

Full standings

Monday, August 11, 2014

Mike Iaconelli Wins Bassmaster Elite Delaware River!


Philly Goes IKE!
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Michael Iaconelli hopped five feet down off the Bassmaster Elite Series stage, turned and hoisted his 55-pound winner’s trophy, then practically danced with it up through the roaring audience stacked on the concrete steps of the Great Stage of Penn’s Landing.
Moments before, he had told the crowd exactly what he was feeling as he won Bassmaster Elite on the Delaware River.
“I won today, but not for me. I won for you guys,” said Iaconelli, Philly-born and raised in New Jersey.
Mike with the whole family celebrate
his home town win.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)
Suddenly, “Going Ike” took on a new meaning.
When the fishing goes very right and when the fishing goes horribly wrong, Iaconelli is famous for his, um, unrepressedvocal and physical expression. Now, “Going Ike” also means achieving the win of any pro angler’s dreams.
Sunday, Ike nailed what few anglers have been able to: win a Bassmaster Elite Series event on home water. He topped that by whipping the field by no less than 8 pounds.
His winning total was 47 pounds, 14 ounces — a respectable weight for any midsummer tournament, and, as Iaconelli pointed out, proof that the Delaware River is a fishery worth any bass angler’s time.
Now living in Pittsgrove, N.J., Iaconelli recovered from a start at 21st place to lead for two days running before triumphing on the fourth and final competition day on the Delaware River, where he learned as a kid what bass fishing was all about.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

2014 Bassmaster Elite at Delaware River Day 3: Ike Takes Command of Hometown Tournament!

Ike leads by 6 pounds!
bass press release
PHILADELPHIA  — This week on the Delaware River, Michael Iaconelli has been the prince of tides. Judging by the mass of fans pulling for him at the Bassmaster Elite Series event out of the City of Brotherly Love, he’s also the fishing prince of Philadelphia.
Mike is pumped and ready to win this event.
Today he pulled away from the pack to take total control.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)
Saturday in the third of four rounds, Iaconelli not only repeated his Friday lead, he banked 6 pounds, 9 ounces against his nearest challenger by reading and adjusting to the tides.
Iaconelli’s leading three-day total was 37-0. Bill Lowen of Brookville, Ind., and Scott Rook of Little Rock, Ark. — both “river rats” who have tapped into their knowledge of current and river habitat to attack the Delaware — are Iaconelli’s lurking challengers.

Saturday, August 9, 2014

2014 Bassmaster Elite at Delaware River Day 2: Ike Take Lead in Hometown!


Difficult fishing makes for tight tournament. 
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The crowd began to cheer and chant “Ike, Ike, Ike” even before Philadelphia-born Michael Iaconelli, now also a New Jersey fishing hero, took the stage Friday for the second weigh-in of the Bassmaster Elite on the Delaware River.
Iaconelli wows the hometown crowd with
slim lead on Day 2.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)
It was as if the boisterous Ike fans felt their voices could pull their hometown guy up from 21st place, almost 8 pounds behind first-day leader Boyd Duckett after the initial round Thursday.
But “Ike,” as it turned out, was able to get up all by himself. He turned in 15-1, the biggest sack of bass to meet the scales Friday, and deftly slipped the lead away from Duckett, albeit by only 14 ounces.
Duckett gave Iaconelli’s rocket ride from 21st place a boost by posting 6-7, relegating Duckett to second place. Iaconelli had 24-3 on the board to Duckett’s 23-5.
But Duckett, who’s from Guntersville, Ala., and Iaconelli, now living in Pittsgrove, N.J., have plenty of competition left before either can claim the Elite event’s first prize of $100,000 and an instant 2015 Bassmaster Classic qualification.
Morizo Shimizu of Osaka, Japan, is one prime threat. He produced 10-4 for a two-day total of 22-6. That put him in third place and 1 pound, 13 ounces behind Iaconelli.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

2014 TOP BASS Standings for Classic Entry.


Here is the list of teams currently competing for a starting position in the 2014 TOP BASS Classic as of Friday August 1st, 2014..
There are still 2 qualifying events left to secure a position in the classic. Saturday August 9th on Balsam Lake and Sunday August 24th on Lake Seymour.
A captain must compete in a minimum of 4 qualifying events to be eligible to compete in the classic.
Only the top 75 captains will make the classic.


Top Ten
POSCaptainTotal Weight
1DEAN, JARROD99.29
2WEILER, FOREST92.49
3WILLIAMS,  MIKE79.77
4BARTON, JEFF77.09
5GRAY, MIKE76.9
6WOROSZ, PETER75.61
7CHIASSON, STEVE75.1
8PILKEY, RON75.07
9FIGUEIRA, JOE74.37
10FERNANDES, TIM74.13

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Pray for Tommy Biffle's Wife and his family.


Please pray.
Pray that Elite angler, Tommy Biffle’s wife, Sharon, recovers.
Tommy Biffle is a great friend of mine, great friend of many.  We have had many breakfasts together, many dinners, and I have to tell you that Tommy is a rock of a man, a fierce competitor, somewhat cranky, somewhat funny, one of my favorites on the tour.
I have talked to him when he has been mad, I have talked to him when he has been happy, this morning I talked to him as he was heartbroken.  Several times he couldn’t answer me, several times his voice cracked.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Shinichi Fukae Wins the 2014 BASS Northern Open on Lake Champlain.


Shin Wins and Goes to 2015 Classic!
bass press release
PLATTSBURGH, NY-- Lake Champlain has been good to touring pro Shin Fukae.
The Palestine, Texas pro became a two-time winner at Champlain Saturday by taking first place in the pro division of the Bass Pro Shops Northern Open with a three-day catch of 56 pounds, 13 ounces. He earned the top prize of a Nitro Z9 bass boat/ Mercury 225 Pro XS outboard rig worth $40,000 and $7,595 in cash. Fukae previously won a FLW event at Lake Champlain in 2010.
A mix of large and smallmouth bass helped
Shin vault into the winner's circle.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)
He caught all of his fish on two baits-- a Gamakatsu shad-shaped worm on a drop shot rig and a 4-inch Senko attached to a 3/16-ounce wacky rig jighead. The drop shot rig worked best for smallmouth while the wacky rig coaxed bites from quality largemouth. Fukae noted the drop shot is his key bait whenever he fishes Lake Champlain because he can “catch so many fish on it.”

Saturday, August 2, 2014