Clark Wendlandt wins 2015 FLW Tour Potomac River with 60lbs!

Clark beats Potomac after beating Cancer!

by Sean Ostruszka

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Clark Wendlandt thought he knew two things: 1. He had an area all to himself. 2. It had potential to be special. Turns out he was right on both.

Emotional win for Clark who fought many odds to win!
(Photo FLW)

Despite battling nasty weather and his boat breaking down on day three, Wendlandt managed to sack up 60 pounds of bass to win the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Ranger Boats on the Potomac River. The Leander, Texas, pro beat Andy Morgan by 4 pounds, 4 ounces to earn the fourth FLW Tour victory of his career.

“I had a suspicion my area could be good after my practice,” Wendlandt says. “I’d fished that area before, and in practice I caught a few fish. With a place like this [the Potomac] where the fish are always moving, you just want to know they’re in an area. So I knew they were there, but I didn’t know it would be as good as this.”

Wendlandt’s key area was Potomac Creek, which featured a mixture of docks, grass flats and shallow wood. He rotated between all three types of cover each day in an effort to see where the fish had relocated. His main lures were a 1/2-ounce 4x4 jig and a white Z-Man ChatterBait with a Lake Fork Tackle Live Magic Shad trailer.

Walmart FLW Tour Potomac River Day 3: Wendland in Lead, Martin Wins AOY!

Scott Martin Wins 2015 Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year !
FLW PRESS RELEASE

Clark Wendlandt has seen a lot of things throughout his career. Yet the act of kindness he experienced on day three of the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Ranger Boats on the Potomac River surprised even him.
With Wendlandt facing boat troubles, fellow top 20 angler Shinichi Fukae swapped boats with him – effectively ending his own day – to allow the Leander, Texas, pro to continue fishing and retain his hold on the No. 1 spot. Wendlandt’s 14-pound, 8-ounce bag was the second largest of the day, allowing him to increase his lead over second-place pro Adrian Avena to 3 pounds, 12 ounces.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an act of sportsmanship that great ever in this sport,” Wendlandt says. “Every time I caught one after that I just kept saying, ‘Thank you, Shin.’”

True sportsmanship comes to the aide of Wendlandt (Photo FLW)

The top 20 anglers launched amid torrential rains and unstable conditions. However, none of it seemed to affect Wendlandt early on, as he put three quick fish in the boat. That’s when things started going wrong. Wendlandt suffered a mechanical failure with his rig and figured he’d have to fish with his trolling motor until he could be towed back to the ramp early.
That’s where Fukae came in. In 16th place and fishless at the time, Fukae insisted Wendlandt trade boats so he could continue with his day unhindered. Fukae stayed in Wendlandt’s boat and was towed back to takeoff. Despite being loaned a boat for a restart, Fukae more or less ran out of time and never boated a keeper.

TOP 10 BELOW

Walmart FLW Tour Potomac River Day 2: Wendlandt Leads on Difficult Day!

AOY is Scott Martin's to lose.

by Sean Ostruszka

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Clark Wendlandt makes top 10s. It’s just what he does almost better than almost anyone else. In fact, he’s tied for the second most top 10s in Walmart FLW Tour history with 28.

So seeing Wendlandt’s name in the sixth-place slot after day one of the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Ranger Boats on the Potomac River really should have been no surprise. Of course, Wendlandt also has three Tour victories, and he’s put himself in contention for No. 4 after posting the second-largest limit of day two – 17 pounds, 3 ounces – to overtake Adrian Avena and Bryan Schmitt for the top spot.

His two-day total is 32-10.

“I had a good day; pretty similar to yesterday,” Wendlandt says. “I just had that 5-pounder today.”

Clark take slim lead as anglers go into weekend. (Photo: FLW)

Like many of the other top anglers, the pro from Leander, Texas, has found an area of the river pretty much to himself and has been tight-lipped about his exact pattern. He is covering a lot of water, though, and many of the spots he fished today were the same as on day one.

That fact would worry Wendlandt if the tournament was being held on a lake, as he doesn’t know if his pattern would hold up on other types of fisheries. However, being that the Potomac is a tidal fishery, he’s far more optimistic.

Walmart FLW Tour Potomac River Day 1: Adrian Avena Out Front, AOY Race Tightens!

Jersey Boy takes lead with solid limit. 

by Sean Ostruszka

FLW PRESS RELEASE

It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep can do, apparently.

Hailing from Vineland, N.J. – roughly three and a half hours from the Potomac River – Adrian Avena gushed about getting to sleep in his own bed Saturday night before practice began for the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Ranger Boats on the Potomac River. He had plenty of reason to gush, too, after sacking up 16 pounds, 12 ounces to grab the lead on day one.

Avena on his way to winning first Tour Event! (Photo: FLW)

“I had a good day, but I’d even like the bag I culled,” Avena says. “I probably culled another 12-pound bag. I had 15 keepers today, and there were a few places where I left them biting.”

That has been pretty much par for the course for Avena since practice started. He figures he averaged 12 to 14 pounds a day during practice doing some pretty “off-the-wall stuff.”

Top Ten Lists below

Psycho Smallmouth Ruins Panfishing Day!

My wife decided to catch a few panfish while the family was bass fishing. Check out what happened when this panfish was being reeled to the boat. This psycho smallmouth came out of no where to blast this panfish. I've seen pike bite a perch and a muskie follow in a walleye but never a smallmouth try to eat a sunfish.

Win a Trip with Ott DeFoe

Enter for a chance to win a day fishing with Ott DeFoe for you and dad, two Onyx inflatable life jackets and a loaded Rapala tackle pack! Simply fill out the requested information and you are all set. For further information, be sure to read through the campaign rules listed below.
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Happy Father's Day!

To all the great dads who double as awesome fishing buddies, Happy Father's Day!

Curtis Richardson Wins 2015 Walmart FLW ALL-AMERICAN on Kentucky Lake!

Curtis become first Canadian to fish FLW CUP!

 

by Colin Moore

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Curtis Richardson has a way of surprising people – even himself. The Ontario angler had all but written himself off in the championship round of the Walmart Bass Fishing League All-American, thinking his limit of five bass wouldn’t hold up for long with the likes of Jeremy Lawyer and Bill Schroeder breathing down his neck.

Spoon and jigs worked for Ontario's Richardson. (Photo: FLW)

When weighmaster Chris Jones announced his final weight, however, Richardson’s doubt turned to elation as he won the three-day event ahead of 48 other boaters with a cumulative weight of 66 pounds, 5 ounces. Lawyer was runner-up with 62-15 and Schroeder had 62-06. Richardson collected $120,000 in prize money and a berth as a pro in the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Ouachita in August.
Truth be told, many in the weigh-in audience in Paris, Tenn., figured it would be a shootout between Lawyer and Schroeder, the local favorite from Paducah, Ky. Dock talk had it that Richardson had a rough day of fishing in the New Johnsonville area, where a 150-boat tournament took place Saturday. The 31-year-old Canadian figured his spots would be covered with boats and he would have to scrounge up a limit fishing new water.

2015 Walmart Bass Fishing League All-American Day 2: Curtis Richardson Leads with 46-12lbs!

O'CANADA! Richardson leads All-American!

by Colin Moore

FLW PRESS RELEASE

For a guy who’s put together two solid days of fishing to occupy the top spot in the Walmart Bass Fishing League All-American on Kentucky Lake hosted by the Henry County Alliance, Curtis Richardson doesn’t exude a lot of confidence.

Ontario angler Richardson feels comfortable on the ledges. Just like
smallmouth fishing back home. (Photo FLW)

It’s understandable. On day two of the championship, the 31-year-old Ontario angler had six bites all day, and managed a five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces. So Richardson isn’t exactly covered up with aggressive fish. He’s also fishing in an area near New Johnsonville, Tenn., that’s going to get covered up with boats Saturday, and he has Billy Schroeder stalking him – that in itself is enough to make a body worry.

In fact, counting his 24-13 stringer from day one, Richardson has a total of 46-12, or about a 1¼ pounds ahead of Schroeder. Both anglers moved up in the standings after first-round leader Bobby Padgett faltered with a second-round stringer of 17-2. The trio is among the top 10 finalists who will compete for the title and the $100,000 prize ($120,000 if Ranger Cup qualified) that goes with it in Saturday’s final round.

FISH, PHOTOGRAPH AND WIN!

We need your bass fishing photos. For a large section of southern Ontario, the bass fishing season starts this Saturday. So, we are interested in seeing your 2015 catch. So, for the next 2 weeks submit your photo on our Facebook page and enter to win a fishing prize pack. You don't have to be from Ontario to win so keep them coming!

Click here for a link to our Facebook page.

Getting Ready for Ontario's Opener!

Nothing says bass fishing to a bunch of eager Canadians more than punching and flipping heavy cover. Here's some tips on making your opener a fun one!

Michael Wooley Wins 2015 FLW Tour Lake Chickamauga with 92-4lbs!

Mammoth Win for Wooley! 

by Rob Newell

FLW PRESS RELEASE

One spot plus two lures plus 92 pounds, 4 ounces of Lake Chickamauga bass equals a $125,000 Walmart FLW Tour win for Michael Wooley.

Wooley, a second-year pro on the FLW Tour who hails from Collierville, Tenn., spends most of his fishing time somewhere on the Tennessee River, mostly on either Pickwick or Kentucky Lake.

Deep bite allowed Michael win as others moved shallow (Photo FLW)

Despite his deep knowledge of Tennessee River bass, Wooley’s win on Lake Chickamauga was about as straightforward as it gets. There were no big flashy spoons, secret hair jigs or new must-have crankbaits involved in his victory. There were no mega-schools or timing of tricky rotations.

Instead, Wooley dragged just two lures – a Zoom Magnum Trick Worm on a 1/2-ounce hand-poured shaky head and a 3/4-ounce Strike King football-head jig teamed with a Strike King Rage Lobster trailer – across a shell bar located in Dallas Bay for the win in the Tour event presented by Igloo Coolers on Lake Chickamauga.

Wooley found the fish on Sunday afternoon, the first official day of practice.

“I was idling along in Dallas Bay looking with the Lowrance DownScan when I found them,” Wooley says of the winning fish. “It was by no means a mega-school, but the size of the dots [sonar returns] was thick, which told me they were better quality fish.”

Another pass with regular sonar confirmed his suspicions.

2015 Walmart FLW Tour Lake Chickamauga Day 3: Michael Wooley's Lead Expands!

Wooley Keeps Wow Them!
FLW PRESS RELEASE
For a third day in a row, Michael Wooley of Collierville, Tenn., hauled in more than 23 pounds of bass from a single red-hot fishing hole on Lake Chickamauga. He caught a 23-pound, 7-ounce limit today to retain his lead in the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Igloo Coolers. His three-day total now stands at 72 pounds, 14 ounces, giving him a 6-pound, 2-ounce edge over Stetson Blaylock, who brought in today’s biggest stringer with 25-12.
Wooley has reeled in all but one of his weigh-in bass from a single shell bar located inside a large bay on Chickamauga’s lower end. Wooley describes the bar as being about 13 feet deep on top with a 20-foot-deep creek channel wrapping around the end of it.
He does most of his damage in the first hour of the morning when the fish are chasing gizzard shad on the bar.

Another 23 pounds keeps Michael Wooley ahead of strong pack. (Photo:FLW)

“Yesterday we had some cloud cover, and it took a little longer to catch them,” Wooley says. “But this morning the sun was shining, and it happened pretty quick, like it did the first morning.”
Despite seeing gizzards being chased, Wooley says he hasn’t been able to catch bass with a shad-imitating bait.

Top Ten Below

2015 Walmart FLW Tour Lake Chickamauga Day 2: Michael Wooley Stays Consistent Sack Lead as Most Fall.

Leaderboard flip flop shakes up Top 20.

by Rob Newell

FLW PRESS RELEASE

The last time the Walmart FLW Tour visited Lake Chickamauga in June 2013, the term “mega-school” was thrown around a lot. At this year’s Chickamauga event, which is presented by Igloo Coolers, you will hardly hear that term at all at the weigh-in.

Another 20 pound plus day put Wooley into the lead.
(Photo: FLW)

Michael Wooley of Collierville, Tenn., knows the difference between mega-schools and the “regular” kind. After sacking 26 pounds, 2 ounces on day one and 23-05 on day two to take the tournament lead with 49-07, Wooley says his fish are certainly not swimming in a mega-school.

“I fish Kentucky Lake and Pickwick a lot, so I know what a mega-school looks like,” Wooley confirms. “This is just a small group of fish using a bar inside a creek to feed. I’d say the group maybe has 30 or 40 fish in it at any given time.

2015 Walmart FLW Tour Lake Chickamauga Day 1: Billy McDonald Leads Ledge Fest!

Two monsters push McDonald to 29 pounds!

by Rob Newell

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Prior to the start of Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Igloo Coolers on Lake Chickamauga this morning, the biggest limit of bass Billy McDonald had ever weighed in at a tournament was 25 pounds, 2 ounces of smallmouths on Lake St. Clair.

This is the kind that helps lead tournaments.
(Photo: FLW)

Today, he crushed that personal best mark by more than 4 pounds with a five-bass limit that weighed 29 pounds, 12 ounces. His two best bass weighed 8 pounds and 7 pounds, 9 ounces.

If you think McDonald tapped the “mega-school” of a lifetime, guess again. He didn’t even scour the ledges with his DownScan or play musical shell beds with other boats.

Bass Season Count Down!

 

With a little more than one week left before bass fishing season opens in some zones,
this is a great teaser for what's waiting for us.

Kevin Hawk Explains When to Use Spy Baiting with IBASSIN

Kevin Hawk, 2010 FLW Cup Champ explains how to use spy baiting in new and productive ways such as helping with schooling and topwater fishing. Learn as IBASSIN.com listens to this BASS Elite angler explain the different sizes of the Duo Realis Spin bait.

Thanks for watching. We have a whole library of bass fishing video on our YOUTUBE channel.  

Edwin Evers Wins BASSFEST on Kentucky Lake with 97lb 4oz.!

Big bass make the difference for Ever's win. 

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

Evers nails 8 pounder and the win. KVD finishes 2nd!
(Photo: Seigo Saito BASS)

Edwin Evers holds his 8-11 from Sunday. -- Seigo Saito photo

PARIS, Tenn. — After a tough start to the Bassmaster Elite Series season, Edwin Evers said he hasn’t been that much fun for his wife, Tuesday, to live with back home in Talala, Okla.

But things should be more pleasant for both of them now.

Not only did Evers win $100,000 as the champion of Zippo BASSfest at Kentucky Lake presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps, but he earned an automatic berth into the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro. Evers never relinquished the lead after seizing it on Day 2, and he sealed the victory Sunday with a catch of 25 pounds that pushed his four-day total to 97 pounds, 4 ounces.

Michigan pro Kevin VanDam finished second with 94-4.

“My wife’s been about ready to shoot me, because I’ve been in a pretty bad mood most of the season,” said Evers, who claimed his ninth B.A.S.S. victory and first since 2013. “I just have to be at that Classic, so this means the world to me. It’s so important.”

Edwin Evers wins 2015 BASSFEST on Kentucky Lake with 97 pounds!

Edwin wins with help from 8-11 pounder. KVD lands 2nd!

Canadian Cory Johnston Wins FLW Rayovac James River Northern Open Tournament with 46-14!

Jig and Crankbait seal first American win for Canadian!

by David A. Brown

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Cory Johnston’s bucket list just shrank. After a couple of close finishes, the pro from Peterborough, Ont., finally bagged his first Rayovac FLW Series victory with a winning total of 46 pounds, 14 ounces at the Northern Division opener on the James River Saturday.

Last day giant seal Cory's first US win!
(Photo FLW)

“I’ve always wanted to win one of these,” Johnston says of his accomplished Rayovac career, which hadn’t included a first-place finish until now. “I’ve won some other tournaments; I’ve been second (in Rayovacs) two times and my brother (Chris) has been second two or three times. So to win this really feels good.”

Fishing the Chickahominy River — a major James River tributary — Johnston got off to a lukewarm start, as a 10-pound, 9-ounce effort left him with a 27th-place showing on day one. Regrouping for day two, he formed a new game plan borne of a revelation that came early on day two.

2015 BASSfest at Kentucky Lake Day 2: Edwin Evers Take Lead with Giant Bag!

Ever's 8-pounder helps keep KVD at bay. 

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

PARIS, Tenn. – Oklahoma pro Edwin Evers got the kind of bite Thursday that helps a professional angler separate himself from the field in a tournament like Zippo BASSfest at Kentucky Lake presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.

Big fish make the difference for top leaders like Edwin.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

But when the mammoth 8-pound largemouth first bit, he wasn’t sure what he had.

“I set the hook on that thing, and I thought I had the bottom,” Evers said. “It was a really cool bite. I didn’t think she would weigh that much, but she was solid.”

The big fish of the day helped Evers put together a five-bass limit that weighed 27 pounds, 2 ounces and pushed him into the lead with a two-day total of 51-2. Michigan superstar Kevin VanDam is second with 47-14, while Alabama pros Derek Remitz and Tim Horton are next with 47-4 each.

2015 BASSfest at Kentucky Lake Day 1: Ott DeFoe Lands Lead and Seven Pounder!

Big up-grade vaults Ott into lead.

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

PARIS, Tenn. — Ott DeFoe admits he entered Wednesday’s opening round of the Zippo Bassmaster BASSfest at Kentucky Lake presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps feeling confident bordering on cocky.
But as excited as he was, he wasn’t expecting this.
DeFoe brought five bass to the scales that weighed 26 pounds, 7 ounces and claimed the Day 1 lead by more than a pound over South Carolina angler Andy Montgomery, who was second with 25-4.
Oklahoma pro Edwin Evers was third with 24-0, and Michigan superstar Kevin VanDam was fourth with 23-9 on a day when it took 20-4 just to make the Top 25.

Ott lucky to lead as pack is tight. (Photo: BASS)

“I had expectations, but I didn’t really think 26 pounds was where it was going to end up,” said DeFoe, who lives 4 1/2 hours away in Knoxville, Tenn. “I don’t want to say I was cocky, but I felt like I was going to have a pretty good day if I got on the place I wanted to fish – and if the fish stayed, which apparently they did.”
Like many in the 124-angler field, DeFoe caught most of his best fish before 10 a.m. and then went into “fish-management” mode.
Instead of pounding his best areas and potentially wasting fish that could help him later in the week, he backed away and went looking for new hot spots.
He was surprised when one of the new places he found actually produced his best fish — a 7-5 largemouth that ranked as the second-largest fish caught during the opening round.
“I’m not going to say I was killing time, because I was still fishing,” DeFoe said. “But I was kind of waiting on time to go by until it was time to come in. I got one bite there, and it was a 7 1/4-pounder.”

Advanced Spy baiting with Grant Goldbeck and IBASSIN

Spy baiting has become popular in regions across the country. This new Japanese technique is more versatile than many anglers imagined.  Ideal for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, spy baiting can help you add more bass to your tournament limit. You don't have to be a bass pro to use this simple lure. Listen as BASS Elite angler and DUO REALIS fishing pro Grant Goldbeck explains how-to utilize a spy bait into your fishing.

Thanks for viewing this IBASSIN.com video. We have a large library of bass videos to help you become a better angler. 

JACKALL Dowzvido Jerkbait

Experience a truly easy working deep running slash bait.
By Luigi De Rose

Jerkbaits or slashbaits are key lures for both smallmouth and largemouth anglers. Many consider them to be more of a winter lure but northern anglers have known for years that they work regardless of water temps. Getting a jerkbait down deep can be a chore. Large diving lips can melt muscles in minutes. Luckily, JACKALL has created a plug that will keep you fishing longer while targeting deep fish.

 At 3/8oz in weight and 3 1/2" long, it's shape mimics a host of baitfish. It's design allows for long casts, even when faced with stiff breezes and quickly achieves its running depth of 7 to 8 feet.  A suspending bait, it remain at it's peak depth longer than floater models. The Dowzvido's long lip allows it to be cranked or ripped without creating excessive drag.

Attention to details is critical when purchasing plugs. Sporting an oval spit ring ensures knots will not rub on sharp edges and that the lure will respond well as the rod manipulates the bait.

Crafted by famed Japanese company JACKALL, finishes are top-quality and will last for seasons. The JACKALL Dowzvido is available in 8 colour patterns.