Monday, March 30, 2015

Dave Lefebre Wins 2015 FLW Lewis Smith Tournament with Giant Final Day.


He started the event in 23rd place.
Then quietly moved to 12th.
He left the dock this morning in 7th place, eight and a half pounds off the lead. And when he returned this afternoon, Dave Lefebre shocked the weigh-in crowd with a come-from-behind Walmart FLW Tour win that left his competitors shell-shocked.
Dave's come from behind win a major feat for seasoned angler.
(Photo: FLW)
That’s correct; Dave Lefebre erased an eight and a half pound deficit on Lewis Smith Lake in a single day to win by nearly two pounds.
On a day when other top-10 pros stumbled, including leader Zack Birge, Lefebre brought in his week’s best catch – 19 pounds, 5 ounces – to make a stunning rally to victory lane.
“This feels good,” Lefebre said after collecting $125,000. “Last year was nightmare season for me, so this is sweet redemption.”
Full story and Results below

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Dave Lefebre Wins the 2015 Lewis Smith FLW Tournament with 62-04

                                 Dave Lefebre with with 62-04! Today's limit was over 19lbs.

Accident at Lewis Smith Lake FLW Tournament involving John Cox.

Here is the FLW statement regarding the accident:
Florida pro John Cox, was involved in a single-boat accident on Lewis Smith Lake shortly after noon. Cox declined medical treatment following the accident but has voluntarily decided to end his day early.

2015 Walmart FLW Tour Lewis Smith Lake Day 3: Zack Birge Leads By 4 Pounds

By day three of most Walmart FLW Tour events, catch rates begin to fall off, and those atop the leaderboard start looking for ways to dig in and hold ground as weather changes and fishing pressure take their toll. Lewis Smith Lake, however, refuses to conform to that convention this week.
On day three of the event, which is presented by Evinrude, it seemed as if the fishing got even better, which is particularly ironic for a lake that is historically known as a stingy fishery – and on a day in which competition began with a 31-degree air temperature. One angler joked this afternoon, “Did they issue a 12-pound starter limit to everyone at takeoff this morning?”
Catch weights at Smith continue to be so strong that the word “slugfest” has even been tossed around a time or two. It’s certainly a case of no rest for the weary at Smith. Despite frosty windshields and iced-up rod boxes at takeoff this morning, there was no dropping back and punting today. Anglers had to stay on the offensive, striving for the 15-pound mark to even have a prayer of staying in the top 10 to fish Sunday.
Another surprising slant is that rookie pro Zack Birge, who had never laid eyes on Smith Lake before official practice, continues to bring in hefty limits of largemouth bass to hold of all his spotted bass challengers. Today he sacked yet another 17 pounds, 11 ounces of “largeheads” to take a 3-pound, 11-ounce advantage into the final day with a total of 54-8.
Zack Birge hauls another one to the boat on day three of the Walmart FLW Tour on Lewis Smith Lake. This one might be the game changer.
Essentially Birge, of Blanchard, Okla., has applied his Okie style at Smith Lake with unstoppable success. Birge continues to milk the backend of two creeks for his catches and admits that the replenishing factor of spring is working in his favor.
“This is a similar situation for springtime fishing in Oklahoma,” Birge says. “Largemouth bass are funneling into these two areas, and I’m intercepting them as they come in. They come in small waves, and I’m waiting on them when they get there.”
During the week Birge has literally watched the packs of bass migrate in along a 5-foot ditch through a flat. They move into the flooded bushes to ambush shad for a while and then pull up on the shallow flats to spawn. Earlier in the week all of Birge’s fish were prespawn. But for the first time this week, he caught several off beds.
“I made a pass through my primary area of bushes this morning and didn’t get a bite,” he recounts. “So I moved over about 100 yards into a spawning flat, and sure enough, there were new beds that I had not seen earlier.”
After spending some time plucking his limit-starters off beds, Birge made another pass through the bushes and the bite was on.
“Every day at about noon it’s like a whole new wave of them moves in off the lake into the bushes, and they start eating shad,” he says. “From noon until 3 every day is when they really eat the Santone buzzbait and a floating frog the best. To see the whole process take place – from the migration to the feeding in the bushes to the actual making of beds – is pretty neat.”
Another freeze is suppose to occur tonight, but Birge remains undeterred in his commitment to largemouths on the final day.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

2015 Walmart FLW Tour Lewis Smith Lake Day 2: Zack Birge Jumps into Lead!

Zack Birge, who is quickly making a name for himself across all FLW levels, moved into the lead on day two with a 17-pound, 14-ounce limit, which gives him a two-day total of 36-13.
For the second day in a row, Birge brought in all largemouths for his limit, though he had to wait them out a bit more today.
A Santone buzzbait help Zack reach the top.
(Photo: FLW)
“I knew nothing would really happen in there until about noon,” Birge says of his best area. “At 11 o’clock I got my first good bite. Then I caught another one at noon, and another good one an hour after that. The water temperature did drop a few degrees in there overnight, but it gained those degrees back by noon with sunshine. That helped.”
Birge is from Oklahoma, and he is fishing in a classic Okie style – big baits for big bass in shallow flooded bushes.
Top 20 below

Friday, March 27, 2015

2015 Walmart FLW Tour Lewis Smith Lake Day 1: Drew Benton Tops 20lbs!

All around the hills and valleys of Lewis Smith Lake, the Bradford pear trees are full of snowy white blooms, the arrival of which usually signifies one thing to serious bass fishermen: Bass are just starting to spawn.
Pro and co-anglers alike tested that correlation on day one of the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Mercury on Lewis Smith Lake today and proved it to be true.
In fact, Bagley pro Drew Benton brought in 20 pounds, 12 ounces of spawning bass – most of them fish that he could see – to take the day-one lead.
Bed fishing assisted Benton to reach 20lbs.(Photo: FLW)
 

“The first five fish I caught today came off beds,” Benton says. “I caught three largemouths and two spots off beds, so both species are spawning. In fact, the biggest fish I weighed [a 4-10 spotted bass] came from a bed in about 6 feet of water.”
Benton would later cull two of the bass from his original sight-fish limit with bigger spotted bass that came on topwater.
He says he had about 25 beds marked at the start of the day. The beds were not clustered in one specific area, but rather single beds spread from Rock Creek to Ryan Creek. First thing this morning, Benton hopped around to the five biggest fish he had marked and caught every one of them. As he cruised down the banks looking for victims, Benton cast a topwater along the sides of the bedding pockets, which produced his two culls.
Benton admits that he probably got the best of the “low-hanging fruit” that was the easy-to-find bedding bass today.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Walt Disney’s $50,000 boost for fishing and boating.

In a rare case of large non-fishing corporations funding recreational angling, the Walt Disney Company has contributed $50,000 to support awareness and participation.
The money will help fund the recently-launched George H.W. Bush Vamos A Pescar education fund, part of the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s (RBFF) campaign to attract more Hispanics into the sport.
“This contribution will help share information with the Latino community and engage this audience in fishing and boating through this newly-established grant programme. It will create critical funds for state conservation efforts,” said RBFF’s President and CEO, Frank Peterson.
The move strengthens the ongoing alliance between the RBFF and the Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Media Networks.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Nautique (Correct Craft) Acquires Bass Cat and Yar-Craft Boats

Boat Industry is Quickly Shrinking.
(Official Press Release)

Today our family grew and we could not be more excited. Nautique’s parent company, Correct Craft, acquired both Bass Cat and Yar-Craft – the two premier freshwater fishing brands in the boating industry.
Bass Cat is the industry’s highest quality bass fishing boat and, during the years JD Power surveyed boating customers, Bass Cat was the highest quality boat in the ENTIRE boating industry! Yar-Craft is the industry’s highest quality walleye fishing boat and both brands are known for outstanding customer service. So, as you can see, they will fit right in with our family!
Bill and Rick Pierce after closing. 
Both Bass Cat and Yar-Craft have great organizational cultures and Ron and Jan Pierce and their family (the prior owners) have done a great job leading them and building these brands. Over the past year I have grown to significantly respect the Pierce family and I am thrilled to announce that Rick Pierce, the founder’s son, has agreed to stay on as President of both brands. The Bass Cat and Yar-Craft boats are built by loyal and hardworking employees in Mountain Home, Arkansas and we have no plans to change either the team or location. We bought these brands because they are already great brands with great teams!
Nautique’s parent company, Correct Craft, has been making waves in our industry the past few years with growth and acquisitions. People often ask us about Correct Craft and our various companies and organization so, below is a brief summary that will help everyone keep the players straight:
  • Correct Craft is the parent company of all the other companies and brands. I am honored to serve as CEO of Correct Craft.
  • Nautique is the company most known as being part of Correct Craft. Nautique builds the world’s best ski and wake boats and sells them in sixty-seven countries around the globe.
  • Bass Cat is the bass fishing industry’s highest quality boat. It has a forty-year heritage built by the Pierce family.
  • Yar-Craft is the world’s premier walleye fishing boat.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Chris Lane Wins the 2015 BASS Elite Sabine River!


Mid-Day change and proto-type bait lands Lane in winner's circle. 
ORANGE, Texas -- Chris Lane left City of Orange Boat Ramp Sunday morning with a clear game plan in mind.
He was going to make a lengthy run upriver to the grassy canals and ditches where he had caught the majority of his fish during the first three days of the Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River presented by STARK Cultural Venues. But if the fish were no longer biting there due to the heavy rains that fell across the region Saturday, he was going back downriver to win or lose the event on the main body of the Sabine.
He stuck to the plan, bailing on the suddenly unproductive areas upriver around 12:30 p.m. and traveling back to the Sabine to finish a five-bass limit that weighed 10 pounds, 6 ounces. The weight gave him a four-day mark of 50-0, earning him his seventh victory on The Bassmaster Tournament Trail and a winner’s check for $100,000.
Lane is the first angler to lead all four days of an Elite Series event since Brandon Palaniuk did it on the St. Lawrence River in 2013.
“I just kept wondering if the water was clear up there where I had been catching them,” Lane said. “I ran all the way up there, and all I caught was two keepers and a bunch of short fish. I finally just decided that I couldn’t make those fish bite, and I wasn’t going to lose the tournament right there.”
Lane claims rare wire-to-wire win under extreme conditions.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)
The run back downriver produced three bass that helped Lane fill his five-fish limit and one more that allowed him to cull for added weight.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Chris Lane wins Sabine BASS Elite Tournament with 50.00lbs

1st. Chris Lane, 2nd Mike McClelland, 3rd Aaron Martens.
(Photo: BASS)

More information to come...

2015 Bassmaster Elite Sabine River Day 3: Chris Lane Continues to Lead!

Chris in the fast Lane to Win. 
ORANGE, Texas – Despite a heavy downpour that began shortly after take-off Saturday and never relented, Alabama angler Chris Lane caught five bass that weighed 11 pounds, 3 ounces and maintained his lead in the Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River presented by STARK Cultural Venues with a three-day mark of 39-10.

Heavy rains drowned Orange, Texas. Chris might only need a few to win.

But with flash-flood warnings in effect across the area Saturday night and muddy water flowing into the river’s maze of bayous and canals, Lane said Sunday’s final round may require a completely different approach if he hopes to score a rare wire-to-wire Elite Series victory.
“It was just a good day as far as I’m concerned, but I think everybody’s going to be thrown a curveball tomorrow with the mud and the rain,” Lane said. “I could be wrong. I’m going to hit a couple of the same spots I’ve been fishing early. But if it’s not happening, I’m going to make an adjustment right off the bat.”
Lane, who holds a slim lead over fellow Alabama angler Aaron Martens (37-9) and veteran Florida pro Shaw Grigsby (36-0), has been targeting shallow spawning fish all week in secluded ditches and canals where the water clarity was at least decent compared to other areas of the fishery.
But with good water clarity likely to be a thing of the past, Lane said he hopes to form a backup plan Saturday night in his hotel room.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

2015 Bassmaster Elite Sabine River Day 2: Chris Lane Controls with 28-7 Pounds!

Spawning bass and long fog delay derails many anglers.
ORANGE, Texas – Chris Lane knows things can change quickly on an unpredictable fishery like the Sabine River.
So he can’t say for sure if the pattern he’s fishing will hold up long enough for him to win the Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River Presented by STARK Cultural Venues.
But for the moment, it certainly seems to be serving him well.
Lane has been consistent when others can catch a limit.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)
After a fog delay of more than two hours Friday – the second such delay in as many days – Lane caught five bass that weighed 12 pounds, 13 ounces and pushed his two-day total to 28-7. That mark put him in the lead for the second straight day, with Aaron Martens (25-14), Shaw Grigsby (24-6), Todd Faircloth (23-8) and Scott Rook (21-6) trailing behind him.
The field will be trimmed to the top 53 anglers for Saturday’s round, and those in contention will be forced to chase fish that have experienced heavy pressure all week.
“I really think I’m going to need 13-15 pounds each day the next two days to win,” Lane said. “Aaron is catching them, Shaw is catching them – and they’re all coming from similar areas. Will that hold up to win? That’s going to be the question.”
Lane continued targeting spawning fish in water less than 2 feet deep – and once again, his best fish came during one brief period of the day. He said it started between noon and 1 p.m., and was influenced heavily by tidal flows.
“I pulled in to where I was yesterday, and there were five or six boats in the back,” Lane said. “So I stayed out, and I caught one as soon as I got there – my first flip. Then I caught another one, caught another one, caught another one and then I culled one. It happened just that fast.”
Lane, who said he plans to follow the same pattern Saturday, is hoping for an earlier start that would give him more time to catch a decent limit and then go exploring other areas for larger fish.
Martens, who crossed paths with Lane several times Thursday, caught five bass Friday that weighed 12-0 with Grigsby close enough to see his every move. The Alabama pro and two-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year is running a similar shallow pattern to Lane’s and watching closely for those moments when the tidal flow is just right.
“I stayed in one area all day because I’m not planning on going back, and I beat it up as best I could,” Martens said. “The fishing is getting a little tougher because the easy ones are getting caught. The ones that are left are hard to catch.
“Hopefully I can go to a different area tomorrow that nobody has been hammering, and it will pay off.”
Grigsby didn’t seem thrilled with the increased level of company he had in the spot that was so good to him on Day 1. But he still put together a solid five-fish limit that weighed 11-2.
Widely known as one of the top sight-fishing anglers in the world, Grigsby said he has been catching bedding fish this week. But with a heavy stain on the water in most places, he said “sight” has had little to do with the technique he’s using.
“They’re spawners,” Grigsby said. “So they’ll bite it and swim off and with it, and you’ll set the hook and miss 50 percent of them. As soon as you think ‘I got him,’ you ain’t got Jack.
“On clearer lakes like Harris Chain, I can watch them and know when the hook is in their mouths. You can’t do that here.”
Martens wasn’t the only contender who milked the same area as Grigsby on Friday.

Friday, March 20, 2015

2015 Bassmaster Elite Sabine River Day 1: Chris Lane Claims Lead with 15 lb Limit

Lots of limits despite foggy start.
ORANGE, Texas -- With many areas flooded and the tide playing havoc with others, Alabama angler Chris Lane figured he would have a one-hour window to make a big score during Thursday’s opening round of the Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River Presented by STARK Cultural Venues.
He was right – and he made the most of it, bringing in five bass that weighed 15 pounds, 10 ounces to claim the opening-round lead after the launch was delayed nearly two hours by fog. Terry “Big Show” Scroggins is a close second with 15-2, followed by Aaron Martens (13-14), Shaw Grigsby (13-4) and 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Greg Hackney (12-9).
Chris found magic hour to claim first. (Photo: BASS)
Lane, who caught all of his fish from 2 feet of water or less, said that one magic hour when the tide was just right proved to be his best ever on the Sabine.
“With tidal water, there are times to really capitalize,” said Lane, who finished 22nd in the 2013 Elite Series event on the Sabine. “Those windows are very short. But when you find what really works on a certain fishery during that hour window that you have, you can really put some good fish in the boat.”
Lane already had a limit before his magic hour began, but he culled his three smallest fish for his three biggest of the day during that window.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

GoPro: 2014 Bassmaster Classic With Brandon Palaniuk


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If you love GoPro and you love bass fishing, then you'll surely enjoy this.
Brandon Palaniuk gives you the true feeling of being there.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Happy St. Patrick's Day!


Win this Jacob Wheeler Autographed Rapala Crankbait with Facebook.


https://www.facebook.com/pages/ibassincom/265989363495983


 It's time to give back to the loyal IBASSIN.com fans. Like IBASSIN.com on facebook and enter to win this autographed Jacob Wheeler, the 2013 FLW Cup Champ, Rapala Scatter Rap. 

The winner will be selected at 6pm on Tuesday, March 24, 2015.



Here's the link:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/ibassincom/265989363495983

Monday, March 16, 2015

Shootout Series to Run FLW Tournaments in Canada!

The Shootout Series announced today the signing of an exclusive licensing agreement with FLW to run FLW bass tournaments in Canada.

“This is a life changing opportunity for anglers fishing the Shootout Series in 2015 and a dedicated FLW Canada series of bass tournaments in 2016,” said Cory Banford, Co-owner of the Shootout Series. “We are thrilled to work alongside FLW to bring this incredible opportunity to Canadian anglers and give them a chance to shine in the international spotlight.”

Four anglers will advance from the 2015 Shootout Series Showdown to represent Canada in the 2016 Rayovac FLW Series Championship. Two anglers will compete as pros with FLW providing Ranger boats adorned with the Maple Leaf and two will compete as co-anglers. The top pro award at the Rayovac FLW Series Championship is $95,000, including a Ranger Z518C if the pro is Ranger Cup qualified, and the top co-angler award is a Ranger Z117.

Friday, March 13, 2015

FLW to Host International Events!

Canada 1st to Sign Up!
 FLW Press Release
Named after the founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW introduced its Fishing League Worldwide tagline last year to better reflect its status as the world’s largest tournament fishing organization. Today FLW expanded its presence on the world stage yet again with the introduction of a sanctioning program allowing international partners to license the iconic brand and run FLW tournaments abroad.
Each partner country will run a series of FLW tournaments that advance anglers, who are citizens of the host country, to a new international division at the Rayovac FLW Series Championship beginning in 2016. The highest finisher among countries represented in the international division will then advance to the Forrest Wood Cup, making it the sport’s only true world championship.
“We’ve had a significant international following for years thanks to our worldwide television distribution and the appeal of FLW Fantasy Fishing,” says Trisha Blake, FLW president of marketing. “Now with dedicated FLW bass tournaments in partner countries we’ve realized our goal of being a truly worldwide organization in terms of both our fan base and competitors. FLW stands alone in providing the very best bass anglers from around the world with an outlet for their competitive ambitions by establishing a clear qualifying path to the Forrest Wood Cup and the sport’s biggest payday.”

Thursday, March 12, 2015

American Tackle Finally Reveals New Line


American Tackle has released the first pictures of its eagerly-awaited line brand on the eve of its appearance at China Fish.
The brainchild of Dan Paluch, the man who brought Power Pro to Europe, the three Japanese-made lines – two braids and a fluorocarbon – were unveiled at the major tackle trade show in Beijing at the beginning of this month.
Named Bushido, the lines are a completely new venture for American Tackle, which is known throughout the world for its manufacture of rod components, including the triple award-winning MicroWave Guide Line Control System.
Joe Meehan, President of American Tackle, has high hopes for its new venture. “We want to carve out a niche in the world with a product we believe can compete with the finest lines on the planet from the very start.”

American Tackle has released the first pictures of its eagerly-awaited line brand on the eve of its appearance at China Fish.
The brainchild of Dan Paluch, the man who brought Power Pro to Europe, the three Japanese-made lines – two braids and a fluorocarbon – were unveiled at the major tackle trade show in Beijing at the beginning of this month.
Named Bushido, the lines are a completely new venture for American Tackle, which is known throughout the world for its manufacture of rod components, including the triple award-winning MicroWave Guide Line Control System.
Joe Meehan, President of American Tackle, told Angling International that he has high hopes for its new venture. “We want to carve out a niche in the world with a product we believe can compete with the finest lines on the planet from the very start.”
- See more at: http://www.angling-international.com/american-tackle-line-brand-revealed/#sthash.oIi3wZZp.dpuf
American Tackle has released the first pictures of its eagerly-awaited line brand on the eve of its appearance at China Fish.
The brainchild of Dan Paluch, the man who brought Power Pro to Europe, the three Japanese-made lines – two braids and a fluorocarbon – were unveiled at the major tackle trade show in Beijing at the beginning of this month.
Named Bushido, the lines are a completely new venture for American Tackle, which is known throughout the world for its manufacture of rod components, including the triple award-winning MicroWave Guide Line Control System.
Joe Meehan, President of American Tackle, told Angling International that he has high hopes for its new venture. “We want to carve out a niche in the world with a product we believe can compete with the finest lines on the planet from the very start.”
- See more at: http://www.angling-international.com/american-tackle-line-brand-revealed/#sthash.oIi3wZZp.dpuf
American Tackle has released the first pictures of its eagerly-awaited line brand on the eve of its appearance at China Fish.
The brainchild of Dan Paluch, the man who brought Power Pro to Europe, the three Japanese-made lines – two braids and a fluorocarbon – were unveiled at the major tackle trade show in Beijing at the beginning of this month.
Named Bushido, the lines are a completely new venture for American Tackle, which is known throughout the world for its manufacture of rod components, including the triple award-winning MicroWave Guide Line Control System.
Joe Meehan, President of American Tackle, told Angling International that he has high hopes for its new venture. “We want to carve out a niche in the world with a product we believe can compete with the finest lines on the planet from the very start.”
- See more at: http://www.angling-international.com/american-tackle-line-brand-revealed/#sthash.oIi3wZZp.dpuf

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Contrasting fortunes for Rapala and Shimano in 2014



Fishing giants Rapala VMC Corporation and Shimano experienced contrasting financial fortunes in 2014.
In what has been described as a ‘challenging year’ for the Finnish lure maker, Rapala finished 2014 with net sales of €273.2 million – down 5% on 2013, while Shimano’s fishing tackle sales for the same period increased 10.2% to 58,825 million yen.
In the final period of the year net sales at Rapala were also down 3% from the previous comparable quarter. However, the company adds that with comparable exchange rates, sales were at last year’s levels for the quarter and year.
President and CEO Jorma Kasslin said: “2014 has been challenging and development of our business was mixed. In several markets in Europe, Asia and North America there is good momentum and sales have developed well.
“At the same time some of our biggest markets, such as Russia, are suffering a lot from the economic and political uncertainties. Here in Finland the lack of proper winter weather has hurt our winter sports business this year.”

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Bassmaster Classic returns to Tulsa, Okla., and Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in March 2016

The world championship of bass fishing — the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro — will return to one of its most popular destinations in 2016, B.A.S.S. and the event’s Oklahoma hosts announced today. And for the first time, the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing” will be conducted in early March instead of February.
“The 2013 Classic was such a tremendous success, we couldn’t wait to return to Tulsa and Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees with our premier event,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “With the support we’ve received from our hosts and our bass fishing fans throughout the region, we’re expecting an even better turnout next year.”
Hosts of the 2016 Classic will be Tulsa Regional Chamber, VisitTulsa, Grand Lake Association and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa.

Monday, March 9, 2015

JT Kenney Wins the 2015 Walmart FLW Lake Toho Event with 76lbs!

Tiny final day limit made it scary for JT 
by Rob Newell
FLW Press Release
JT Kenney has caught a lot of memorable five-bass limits in his life. As a resident of Florida and a touring pro, he has caught plenty of limits greater than 25 and even 30 pounds. But it just might be the five-bass limit weighing 9 pounds, 4 ounces that he checked in on the final day of the Walmart FLW Tour event on Lake Toho presented by Mercury that he will never forget.
Kenney's vast knowledge helped seal the deal on Toho and Kissimmee. (Photo FLW)
Those five little scrappy buck bass were enough to hold off not one, but two valiant final-day charges from two of the FLW Tour’s best sticks: Wesley Strader and Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury.
Kenney entered the final day with a 12-8 lead and a seemingly bulletproof plan of combing through Kissimmee’s pad fields for big spawning females. As the day wore on, Strader and Canterbury, who were both fishing with no scripted plans and nothing-to-lose attitudes, began chopping big chunks out of Kenney’s lead. Strader and Canterbury were blowing up the FLW On The Water live feed and Twitter with bombs while Kenney’s little keepers seemed like sporadic gunfire in comparison.
By the time weigh-in started, fingernails from all three camps had been chewed to the quick. Human “scales” who stole a peek at each pro’s fish had recalculated the weights 100 times with no idea as to who might take home the hardware.
At first all eyes were on Strader as the show stealer. He weighed 21-5 on day three and started the final day with a huge bass on literally his second cast. Strader was all over the OTW feed after that fish, which he thought was a 9-pounder. Alas, it weighed less than 8. Strader took a swing at Kenney with 20-5 on the last day but came up 1-5 short.
As it turned out, Canterbury was actually a much truer threat to rain on Kenney’s parade, laying down his best effort of the week with 21-10 on the final day.
When Kenney laid the paltry 9-4 on the scale, he needed nearly every ounce of it to hang on to victory, giving him just 11 ounces to spare with a four-day total of 76 pounds even.
“That was the longest hour of my life,” said an elated Kenney when the weigh-in drama ended. “It’s been a long time since I’ve won a Tour event, and I put a lot of work into this one so this makes it all worth it.”

Sunday, March 8, 2015

JT Kenney Wins the 2015 Walmart FLW Lake Toho Event!

From start to finish Kenney wins the first event of 2015 by 1 pound! 

2015 Walmart FLW Tour Lake Toho Day 3: JT Kenney Continues to Dominate

Weird Weather Whip Water and Weights
FLW Press Release
For those who don’t believe that professional fishing is a game of offense and defense like any other sport, consider JT Kenney’s strategy for the last three days of the Walmart FLW Tour event on Lake Toho presented by Mercury. The first two days, Kenney ran pure “offensive plays” on key, precise bedding areas to run up the score. Today, he ran more “defensive plays” to protect his lead.

With 66-12lb for three days, Kenney remains king of Toho event. (Photo: FLW)
The reason for dialing up the defense today was based largely on the weather. The Sunshine State has been anything but sunny the last two days. Last night temperatures took a dip in central Florida, and a thick blanket of cloud cover blocked any sun from warming the waters back up today. Add to that a pesky northeast breeze, and the chances of big Florida bass moving up for amorous activity declined greatly. So Kenney called in a contingency plan to hold his ground.

Saturday, March 7, 2015

2015 Walmart FLW Tour Lake Toho Day 2: JT Kenney Leads by 12 Pounds!

Big Spawners Keeping Kenney King
JT Kenney has a tournament strategy on Lake Toho that, at the halfway point, seems to be bulletproof. What’s at the heart of that strategy?
Red dots.

Blind casting to big spawners found in practice paying off for JT. (Photo: FLW)
During the practice round of the Walmart FLW Tour event, which is presented by Mercury, Kenney decided to color-code his waypoints. His coloring system was pretty simple – mark the biggest fish with red waypoints, and then use various other colors for other fish of lesser grade. That’s the simple explanation.

So far his game of connecting the dots has translated into leading the event with 52 pounds, 7 ounces, more than 12 pounds ahead of Stacey King in second place. And the bad news for the rest of the field is that Kenney has plenty more red dots he has not “cleaned up.”
If you are wondering why other anglers weren’t able to cruise the shallows looking for beds and marking them with the same results as Kenney, it’s because the Palm Bay, Fla., pro’s method was not that simple. The red-dot fish were not found visually. He found them by fishing.

Friday, March 6, 2015

2015 Walmart FLW Tour Lake Toho Day 1: JT Kenney Sacks 29 Pounds!

Kenny and King Take Control.
FLW PRESS RELEASE

There was fuel, and there was flame.
The fuel was in the form of a delayed largemouth bass spawn on Lake Toho that had been pushed back for several weeks due to low water temperatures and high water flows through the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. The biological clocks of Toho’s bass have been ticking, so to speak.

Kenny states he's on them big time. (Photo: FLW)
The flame was in the form of a fast warm-up over the last three days, a full moon occurring right now and water temperatures rising nearly 10 degrees in the last 72 hours.
At the day-one takeoff of the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Mercury this morning, everyone held his breath for the combustion that was about to occur.
And when fuel met flame there were a few fiery flare-ups, but not of the size that many expected.
In all, the 20-pound mark was reached by seven anglers on a warm, balmy day that had five-alarmer written all over it.
Exactly why the bite was not as good as expected is still in question. Many pros reported a vanishing act of bedding bass that had just started to show up during practice, but have now disappeared despite highly favorable conditions
At the top of the standings are Florida ace JT Kenney and Missouri veteran Stacey King, who checked in with 29-14 and 28-1, respectively.

Top Ten Standings Below

Thursday, March 5, 2015

2015 FLW Tour Starts on Lake Toho Florida Today!





Check in with us late tonight for Day 1 results.

OUTDOOR COMMUNITY URGED TO SUPPORT PRIVATE MEMBER’S BILL

Ottawa, Ontario: The Outdoor Caucus Association of Canada is calling on all hunters, anglers, sport shooters and trappers to make an important difference for the future of these outdoor heritage activities by supporting passage of Bill C-655.
Recently introduced by Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus Founder M.P. Garry Breitkreuz, Bill C-655 seeks to amend the Criminal Code to make it an offence to intentionally interfere with anyone lawfully hunting, fishing, sport shooting and trapping.
The Outdoor Caucus Association of Canada (OCAC) worked closely with Mr. Breitkreuz in developing this legislation. “We congratulate Garry for his foresight and cooperation with the OCAC in bringing forward this comprehensive protection for the millions of people who participate in these great outdoor traditions,” said Phil Morlock, OCAC Board Chair. “We urge everyone in Canada’s outdoor community to actively support this progressive legislation,” he added.
The OCAC urges all Canadians who value hunting, fishing, sport shooting and trapping to make a phone call or send an e-mail to their federal Member of Parliament asking them to support passage of Bill C-655.