Rick Clunn's Tactics for Amazing Fall Bass Fishing

Fall bass fishing can be amazing if you know where to find them. Follow the advise from one of the greatest anglers ever to walk this earth, Rick Clunn. Rick explains how to catch bass in autumn. Trust what he says, Rick's won a few tournaments in his time.

Classic & FLW CUP Champ Luke Clausen coming to Scarborough to talk bass!

ProJ Fishing Tackle and Megabass of America are pleased to announce that 2004 Forrest Wood Cup, 2006 Bassmaster Classic Champion and Elite Series angler Luke Clausen will be making his first ever Canadian in-store appearance at ProJ Fishing Tackle, Sunday October 16th from 2-6pm. Luke will be on hand to give tips and insight into his favourite Megabass products, sign autographs, and talk fishing with ProJ customers. Purchase a minimum of $50 in Megabass products at the event and be entered into the draw to win one of Luke's signature Orochi XX rods! This is an event not to be missed.

Fenwick HMX and Aetos Rods with Ott DeFoe

Fenwick has been a leader in rod building for decades. Listen to BASS Elite angler Ott DeFoe as he explains why the Fenwick HMX and Aetos Rods are amazing. He can fish any rod on the market but he chooses Fenwick. Maybe you should be fishing Fenwick like Ott.

Ryan Flaro and Scott Lefebvre Win 2016 Berkley B1 Event with 43.59lbs!

Monster smallmouth abound!
By Luigi De Rose

Photo: Mark Weare

On the first chilly weekend of autumn, 101 teams ventured on the bass rich waters of Lake Saint-Francis, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Qc, Canada trying to win the Berkley B1 tournament. If the wind is light, this tournament is a smallmouth whack fest. At the end of the two-day event, Team Radioworld's Ryan Flaro and Scott Lefebvre claim the tournament with 43.59lbs. Claiming the prize of a Z518 Ranger Boat and Mercury Motor package plus two championship rings is quite a haul. Flaro and Lefebvre grabbed top spot by the slimmest of margins, just 0.01 over Eric Danis and Eric Lamarche who landed 43.58lbs. You cannot get closer than that! Third place Nicolas Gendron and Jason Gramada also narrowly missed the win with their 43.54 pound total. This weekend, once again displayed why many consider Lake Saint-Francis one of the top smallmouth lakes on the planet.

Bryan Schmitt Wins 2016 BASS Northern Open on Lake Champlain!

Crayfish key to win. 

John Neporadny Jr.

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Bryan Schmitt fed Lake Champlain bass a steady diet of a crayfish imitator this week to win the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open finale.

Crayfish bodies in live well helps Bryan key on baits.
(Photo: BASS)

Fishing in only his fourth Bassmaster Open, Schmitt won the pro division title and took home the top prize of a Triton 19 TrX/Mercury 200 Pro XS rig worth $45,000 and $6,528 in cash.  He finished with a winning total of 15 bass weighing 59 pounds, 13 ounces.

Schmitt admitted to losing one “giant” fish Friday but boated everything else to finish the day with an 18-14 limit.  The Deale, Md., angler caught a heavyweight limit of smallmouth Thursday but the rain and clouds slowed down his smallmouth bite Friday.  He still concentrated on smallmouth but his limit included a mixture of two green and three brown bass. “I had to adjust a little bit,” he said. “I fished one spot Friday that had largemouth and smallmouth.” 

2016 BASS Northern Open Lake Champlain Day 2: Schmitt Take Lead with 40-15lbs!

Schmitt's on big smallmouth

John Neporadny Jr.

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Bryan Schmitt had planned on catching a mixed bag of largemouth and smallmouth bass on Lake Champlain, but he strictly targeted smallmouth Thursday to take the lead in the pro division of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open #3.

Two 20lb limits key as leaderboard flip flops.
(Photo: BASS)

When the lake' surface turned slick in the afternoon, Schmitt knew what to do. He knew Lake Champlain smallmouth liked to feed on calm, sunny days.

"So I leaned on the smallmouth as hard as I could and that really helped me out," said Schmitt, who took over the lead with 40 pounds, 15 ounces.

"I had a lot of fun out there and hopefully I have one more day of it." The Deale, Md., angler caught a five-fish limit of smallmouth bass weighing 20-6 today, while on Wednesday he weighed in a mixed bag of largemouth and smallmouth totaling 20-9.

The first morning Schmitt concentrated on largemouth and caught a couple of keepers but had to switch over to a smallmouth pattern that he ran the rest of the day to complete his limit. Thursday he decided to stick with brown bass especially when the weather turned favorable for a smallmouth bite.

2016 BASS Northern Open Lake Champlain Day 1: Tacoronte Grabs Lead with 21-03lbs!

Only three Classic spots left!
John Neporadny Jr.
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Big smallmouth seal Day 1 lead. (Photo: BASS)

Guessing his primary spot would be taken, Jesse Tacoronte went to his Plan B spot and took over the pro division lead at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open on Lake Champlain. 
“Since I was the last boat (in the takeoff) I figured I would go to my worst water first but it turned out we were done there by 9 o’clock,” Tacoronte said. The Orlando, Fla., angler quickly caught his limit of smallmouth bass and culled to accumulate 21 pounds, 3 ounces by 9 a.m.
“I didn’t expect that quality of fish to be in that one spot because that was my ‘B’ water,” Tacoronte said. The rest of the day Tacoronte “dinked around” because he wanted to save the best spots he found in practice for the rest of the tournament.

Drop Shot Success with FLW Pro Angler Shin Fuake.

Shin Fuake is one of the very best on the FLW Tour and BASSMASTER Opens. He can credit much of his success to the drop shot rig. Heck, he qualified for the 2016 Bassmaster Classic with a win using a drop shot. Listen to how Shin sets up this gear and his top baits.

G-MAN is the 2016 Toyota Bassmaster Elite Angler of the Year!

Feider wins event with 26lb bag of smallmouth!
BASS PRESS RELEASE

G-Man finally is crowned AOY!
(Photo: BASS)

Gerald Swindle of Guntersville, Ala., clinched his second Angler of the Year title at the 2016 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota.
 
A total purse of $1 million was paid out to the Top 50 Bassmaster Elite Series pros, along with berths to the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro. Swindle collected $100,000, and the remaining 49 anglers earned shares of the remaining $900,000.
 
The Top 39 anglers in the points standings have secured berths into the Classic next March on Lake Conroe near Houston, Texas.
 
Swindle, a 15-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, failed to catch a limit on the first day of the championship, but he figured out the fish and on the final day brought in 22 pounds.
 
“The last thing I wanted was to win this title without catching the kind of fish that Mille Lacs is known for producing,” Swindle said. “I left the docks this morning with the full intention of going out and catching them how I wanted to catch them. I threw a jerkbait and a vibrating jig and had an awesome day. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut.”
 
Swindle said a 7-pound largemouth he caught during the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., in late April was the turning point for his season.

2016 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Mille Lacs Lake Day 2: Swindle Banking on Point Spread!

Swindle down, but far from out. 

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Another impressive day of hefty smallmouth astonished fans during the second round of the $1 million Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Minnesota's famed Mille Lacs Lake.

Points gap favours G-Man.
(Photo: BASS)

On Thursday, the Top 50 qualifiers from the Bassmaster Elite Series produced 23 limits exceeding the 20-pound mark. Today's field did one better by bringing 24 limits to the scales exceeding 20 pounds.

While that's an impressive turnout yet again, the angler who catches the heaviest three-day limit of bass does not win this tournament; rather points are the key to victory this week.

Gerald Swindle of Guntersville, Ala., held onto his Angler of the Year lead after weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces, which brought his two-day total to 25-6. He improved on Thursday's performance, but Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas, is within 28 points of Swindle in the AOY race.

2016 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Mille Lacs Lake Day 1: Swindle Misses Smallmouth Fest!

Omori bags giant 26 pound smallmouth limit
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Terrible day reduces AOY lead for G- Man.
(Photo: BASS)

Giant limits of smallmouth bass created quite the spectacle during the first weigh-in of the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota.
 
Twenty-three anglers crested the 20-pound mark with their individual five-fish daily limits. While that’s very impressive, this tournament isn’t won by the heaviest three-day total. Rather, it’s all about crowning the best angler of the 2016 season.
 
Gerald Swindle of Warrior, Ala., came to Mille Lacs with a 43-point lead over Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas. Swindle didn’t have to do much coming into this tournament to lock up the AOY title. But during Thursday’s first round, the 15-time Classic qualifier struggled to locate the right fish.
 
Swindle brought only three bass to the scales that weighed 9 pounds, 9 ounces.
 

2017 Costa FLW Series Schedule Released

by FLW

FLW announced today the 2017 Costa FLW Series schedule, which will consist of three events in each of the five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the no-entry-fee Costa FLW Series Championship to be held on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tenn.

The top 40 pros and co-anglers in the final point standings in each division after three qualifying tournaments will advance to the 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship, provided they fished all three qualifiers in a division.

The highest finishing pro from each of the five Costa FLW Series U.S. divisions based on final results at the 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship qualifies for the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup along with the highest finishing pro from the International Division at the championship. The top five overall finishers who have not already qualified as division representatives also qualify, for a total of 11 Costa FLW Series pros advancing to the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.

Complete rules and entry dates will be announced soon.

2017 Costa FLW Series Season Schedule:

Central Division

• March 30-April 1 - Lake Dardanelle - Russellville, Ark.
• June 8-10 - Kentucky Lake - Gilbertsville, Ky.
• Oct. 12-14 - Lake of the Ozarks - Osage Beach, Mo.

Northern Division

• June 22-24 - Lake Champlain - Plattsburgh, N.Y.
• July 27-29 - 1000 Islands - Clayton, N.Y.
• Aug. 24-26 - Potomac River - Marbury, Md.

Become an Amazing Drop Shot Angler with Cody Meyer

Another great video to help you become a better drop shot angler. One of the best techniques from Japan, drop shotting works amazing especially in autumn for giant smallmouth and largemouth.
Listen to FLW Pro Cody Meyer as he explains how he drop shot fishes and what gear he likes to use.

Ott DeFoe Wins 2016 BASS Elite Mississippi River with 63-10 Pounds!

DeFoe rallies in last few hours. 

Dave Precht
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Ott DeFoe maintained his lead for the third day in a row to earn his first career regular-season Bassmaster Elite Series victory at the Plano Bassmaster Elite at the Mississippi River presented by Favorite Fishing.
 
DeFoe, of Knoxville, Tenn., produced a five-bass limit that weighed 12 pounds and 1 ounce on Championship Sunday taking his four-day total to 63 pounds, 10 ounces. 

Ott rallies as spillway bass disappear. (Photo: BASS)

DeFoe’s performance barely ousted Minnesota native Seth Feider who weighed in 13-8 for a total of 62-7, which was good enough for a second-place finish.
 
DeFoe’s victory earned him a $100,000 paycheck and a title that he has been striving for since his rookie season in 2011 — the same season the now 31-year-old pro was crowned Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year.
 


“I’ve done well in La Crosse before,” DeFoe said. “It’s an amazing fishery, and I feel very comfortable fishing here. I felt that I located the right fish during practice that might keep me competitive during each day of competition, and I’m thankful the pattern held up.
 
“It’s hard for me to put into words what winning this tournament means. 

We Will Never Forget

The world got a lot scarier 15 years ago. So many people became heroes for helping
others. We will never forget. Hope your day is full of peace and love. 

2016 BASS Elite Mississippi River Day 3: Ott DeFoe Continues to Lead with 51.09 Pounds!

DeFoe banks on spillway.

BASS COMMUNICATIONS

Ott DeFoe widened his lead in the Plano Bassmaster Elite at the Mississippi River presented by Favorite Fishing on Saturday, if ever so slightly.

DeFoe of Knoxville, Tenn., weighed in 16 pounds, 7 ounces in the third round of the four-day Elite Series tournament for a total of 51 pounds, 9 ounces. That's 2 1/2 pounds ahead of second-year Elite pro Seth Feider of Bloomington, Minn., who has 48-15. DeFoe had a 1-14 lead Friday.

Ott sticks it out at spillway to scoop lead. (Photo: BASS)

That doesn't sound like much of a margin, but in a fishery where big bass of the day is usually under 5 pounds and only ounces separate many of the positions in the standings, it will take a stumble by DeFoe and a stellar day for Feider. In fact, most of the difference between the two can be accounted for by the 6-pound, 1-ounce largemouth — a giant in this fishery — DeFoe caught at the end of the day Friday.

2016 BASS Elite Mississippi River Day 2: Ott DeFoe Leads Rainy Day 2!

DeFoe dominates! 

BASS COMMUNICATIONS

After claiming second with a 17-plus-pound limit of bass in the first round of the Plano Bassmaster Elite at the Mississippi River presented by Favorite Fishing Thursday, Knoxville, Tenn., angler Ott DeFoe predicted he would catch one more limit at least that big — and that would be it.

 Friday he backpedaled on the last part of that prediction, but he validated the first. His 17-pound, 11-ounce collection of five largemouth pushed his two-day total to 35-2 and a sizable (for this fishery), nearly 2-pound lead over his nearest competitor.



Ott's 6 pounder leaps him into lead. (Photo: BASS)

“After today, I know those fish are there,” DeFoe said. “I feel like it’s got more potential. They’re there.”

The big bass, currently leading for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award, hit late in the day, with less than 30 minutes of fishing time remaining.



2016 BASS Elite Mississippi River Day 1: Casey Ashley Leads 17-09 Pounds!

Rising water changes Day 1 plans

BASS COMMUNICATIONS

Casey Ashley has only a slim lead following the first round of the Plano Bassmaster Elite at the Mississippi River presented by Favorite Fishing, yet he almost oozed confidence as he left the weigh-in stand today.

Ashley turns misfortunate during practice to triumph!
(Photo: BASS)

"I feel like I've got another shot at winning," he said after weighing in a limit of four smallmouth and one largemouth totaling 17 pounds, 10 ounces. The Elite pro from Donalds, S.C., knows that feeling, having won the 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro. He aims to add another $100,000 to his career total on the Mississippi River this week.

Never mind that two other skilled young fishermen are breathing down his neck. Ott Defoe of Knoxville, Tenn., is second with 17-7, and Jordan Lee, the former college standout from Grant, Ala., is third with 17-2.

Reigning Classic champion Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., is fourth with 16-13, and Brandon Card of Caryville, Tenn., rounds out the Top 5 with 16-9.

Card's success may actually help Ashley's dream of winning become reality.

DeFoe revealed that he has two great spots. One gave up three of the bass he weighed in, and the other produced two.

How Mike Williams and Duane Won the CSFL National Classic XX and Regional Cup 2016

Two wins in one!

By Luigi De Rose

Friends and family rejoice as the CSFL Classic and Regional Cup
comes home to Curve Lake First Nations. (Photo: Dave Chong)

Labour day weekend marks the unofficial last weekend of summer but for bass anglers in southern Ontario it is the CSFL National Classic and Regional Cup.

The CSFL tournament circuit is made up of four divisions plus a Canadian Pro Bass Tour that offers individual anglers and two-person teams an opportunity to qualify for the Regional Cup. The Regional was held Friday September 2nd, prior to the Classic weekend, to thin the field to the best 50 to compete for the National Classic that was held Saturday, September 3^rd and Sunday, September 4^th on Stoney Lake, Lakefield, Ontario.

Competitors must do well in the Regional to have an opportunity to fish on the weekend and that is what eventual winners Duane Jacobs and Mike Williams did to start off the long weekend with a bang!

With years of experience on Stoney Lake, the team of Jacob and Williams ventured out along with the other 72 boats to discover the unseasonably cool temps had made the bass skittish. “We tried to hook a few big smallmouths in the morning during the Regional but they wouldn’t go.” declared Jacobs a 42-year-old construction worker. “On Stoney, you need a mix of smallmouth and largemouth to do well. Last year, we won the Stoney Lake Combo (Walleye and Bass) tournament so we knew what kind of fish was needed to win.” stated Williams, a 39 year old guide. The bite never really picked up until mid-morning as they targeted largemouth hiding under shallow lily pads and slop. With the bites coming more frequently, the duo realized they had a shot of winning the Friday tournament.

“By 1 O’clock, we decided to focus on winning the Regional and hit our “A” water hard.” explains Duane. Having culled up several times, they eventually brought in 16.9 pounds of largemouth.  Luckily, they caught what they did as the team of Dave Chong and Oliver Grigull sacked 16.8 pounds and narrowly missed overtaking them.With $1 500 and medals for the win, the two Curve Lake First Nations residents focus on the National Classic.

Mike and Duane always keep it fun.
(Photo: Duane Jacobs)

Saturday morning had them throwing topwaters to target the lake’s chucky smallmouth but to no avail.  With the morning cool and the sky blue bird, Mike and Duane determined that they had to continue pitching Punisher jigs to pads and weed mats in areas that had a hard bottom in six feet of water and shallower.

“It seems the hard, rocky bottom held the heat and this sucked in the bass from the surround areas. Our best water seemed to replenish each day.,” acknowledged Mike, “Duane threw the frog a bit and other baits but the fish were either small or never bit well. We had to just stick with the jig.”

Sticking with the Punisher Jig paid off with a Saturday weight of 14.75 pounds. Their two-day limit of 31.65 pounds was enough to remain in the lead but the Top 10 had shuffled considerably and several strong teams were closing in.

Sunday morning was cool and crisp which worried Mike and Duane. They decided to abandon their topwater smallmouth and focus the entire day on throwing jigs to grass. “We just kept at it. I had a heavy action 7’2” rod in my hand all day. We both used Punisher jigs. I had a Berkley Chigger Craw as a trailer and Mike had a plastic chuck on his jig.” explained Duane. Sticking to natural brown coloured jigs seemed to pay off best. As they filled their livewell, it became evident that the quality and size of the largemouth was shrinking.

Improve Your Drop Shot Fishing with Kota Kiriyama's system

Drop shotting is one of the most popular Japanese techniques bass anglers use. It can be as simple as you want to make it but if you focus on the small details you'll really see how successful drop shotting can be for smallmouth and largemouths. Shimano/G. Loomis pro Kota Kiriyama explains how he rigs a drop shot and why he uses Shimano and G. Loomis rods to make his living on the Bass Elite Tour.

Mike Williams and Duane Jacobs Win the 2016 CSFL National Classic XX with 43 Pounds!

Wire to Wire Win!
By Luigi De Rose

A big win for the whole family! (Photo: Dave Chong)

Mike Williams and Duane Jacob win the CSFL National Classic! Williams and Jacobs used years of knowledge to their advantage on the fog delayed final day on Stony Lake, Lakefield, Ontario to net a final day limit was 11.35 pounds. Their three day total of 43 pounds was good enough to fend off a last day charge from Chris Monk and Greg Elcich who landed a 19 pound limit of bass. Paired with a 4.05lb largemouth and 4.45lb smallmouth, Monk and Elcich narrowly missed grabbing the title with a three day total of 42.95 pounds. Gerard Cocks and Jarrod Dean secured third with a Classic limit of 40.65 pounds. Erik Luzak and Tom Hardy had 39.55 pounds for forth and Jeff Mifsud and Joe Cascanette placed fifth with 38.5 pounds.

2016 CSFL National Classic XX Day 2: Williams and Jacobs Continue to Lead with 31.65 lbs!

Final cut made for Sunday.
By Luigi De Rose

The team of Mike Williams and Duane Jacobs remain at the top of the CSFL National Classic XX with a Day 2 limit of 14.75lbs. Jeff Mifsud and Joe Cascanette advance into 2nd by boating another 15 pounds. Wayne Misselbrook and Dave Kennedy landed the largest creel of the day with 16.6 lbs and with that grabbed 3rd place. The team of Cocks and Dean sit in forth and two-time Classic Champs Erik Luzak and Tom Hardy move up to 5th.

Top 5 Teams

	Angler	Co-Angler	Day 2 Total
1	Mike Williams	Duane Jacobs	31.65
2	Jeff Mifsud	Joe Cascanette	30.61
3	Wayne Misselbrook	Dave Kennedy	27.7
4	Gerard Cocks	Jarrod Dean	26.1
5	Erik Luzak	Tom Hardy	25.1

Mike Williams and Duane Jacbos Win 2016 BM Regional Cup IV by 1 Ounce!

Difficult start to Classic Weekend!
By Luigi De Rose

Duane and Mike off to a winning start. (Photo: Duane Jacobs)

The 2016 CSFL Classic competitors took to the cool waters of Stony Lake, Lakefield Ontario. Friday's BM Regional Cup IV was a full day for all qualifying anglers. The top 50 teams of the BM Regional Cup IV will advance and carry over their weight into the first day of the CSFL National Classic XX. The top 25 teams after the first day of the CSFL National Classic XX will carry over their weight to the final day.
Here's the results of the Day 1:

	Angler	Co-Angler	Regional	D1 BF	Total Weight
1	Mike Williams	Duane Jacobs	16.9		16.90
2	Oliver Grigull	Dave Chong	16.8		16.80
3	Jeff Mifsud	Joe Cascanette	15.55		15.55
4	Matt Torlee	Richard Hough	15.45		15.45
5	Rob Gray	Bill Gray	15		15.00
6	Chris Monk	Greg Elcich	14.2		14.20
7	Doug Monahan	Matt Culp	13.85	5.40 SM	13.85
8	Sebastain Deroy	Steve Robotham	13.05		13.05
9	Dan Risorto	JP DeRose	12.9	5.15 LM	12.90
10	David Cummings	Mike Whalen	12.8		12.80
11	Dan Miguel	Bryan Low	12.7		12.70
12	Chris Huskilson	Mark Anderson	12.65		12.65
13	Brian Gardy	Brent Cotton	12.35		12.35
14	Mike Slocki	John Hawley	12.3		12.30
15	Joe Nobili	Mike Oppedisano	12.15		12.15