Gagliardi Wins 2023 Bass Pro Tour on Lake Murray

By Tyler Banks

BASS PRO TOUR

APRIL 7, 2023 • TYLER BRINKS • BASS PRO TOUR

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Coming into Fox Rent A Car Stage Three Presented by Mercury, just about everyone with even a passing interest in tournament bass fishing had Anthony Gagliardi on their radar as a favorite to win.

He lives on the lake in Prosperity, South Carolina, and has had great success on his home waters (to the tune of $730,000 winnings in MLF tournaments alone). On Championship Day – when it mattered most – Gagliardi didn’t disappoint, claiming a dominant win with a two-day total of 47 pounds, 12 ounces to eclipse runner-up Ott DeFoe by 4-11.

Gagliardi’s 26-13 on the final day was the best five-fish bag on the week and was emphasized by an 8-pounder he caught a few minutes before noon to claim the win in his hometown.

How Gagliardi did it

Much of the talk throughout the tournament was centered around spawning – either bedding bass or bass eating spawning herring. Gagliardi sampled a bit of both, but generally did something against the grain and relied on a drop-shot rig for his winning bass this week.

“I had a decent practice, but was also a little disappointed,” he admitted. “I had found a way to catch fish with a drop-shot but never felt like I’d found the winning fish. It was a consistent bite, but I didn’t think I could catch big enough fish to win. But, the bite kept improving every day.”

Gagliardi opened the event by posting 17-12 and backed it up with 17-8 the next day. That was good for a ninth-place finish in Group A to advance to the Knockout Round, where he totaled 20-15 to settle fifth (2-8 behind leader Jeff Sprague).

But, local favorite the saved his best for the final day, highlighted by his 8-0 (the biggest bass of the event), Gagliardi added a 5-12, 4-12, 4-6, and 3-15 for his impressive limit.

Greg Hackney Wins 2018 BASS Elite Sabine River with 48-05lbs.

Hack Attack goes Wire to Wire!

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Managing bass key to Greg's wire to wire win.
(Photo: BASS)

If the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River presented by Econo Lodge had been a five-day tournament, the outcome might have been different.
 
But it was only four days — and Greg Hackney owned it from start to finish.
 
Despite exhausting his best fishing areas the first three days and bringing in only 7 pounds, 5 ounces to the weigh-in stage on Championship Sunday, Hackney claimed his sixth career B.A.S.S. victory in wire-to-wire fashion with a four-day total of 48-5.
 
Hackney’s first win since 2016 earned him $100,000 and pushed his career winnings with B.A.S.S. to $2,415,784.
 
“If we’d had to fish another day, I probably would have hunted and gone to some new water,” Hackney said. “I really don’t think all of the fish were gone. But we had all of that rain Saturday, and my best place had a couple of drains running into it.
 
“The water wasn’t dirty, but the water temperature dropped to 80 degrees after being in the 90s the first three days.”
 
Hackney fished secluded canals and backwaters all week and relied heavily on two topwater presentations around shallow cover — a 1/4-ounce black Hack Attack Select ToadBuzz rigged with a black plastic toad (no skirt) and a KVD Sexy Frog Stump Jumper.
 
That drastic drop in the water temperature brought those tactics nearly to a halt today, and he had to switch to the technique he is most known for — flipping. When he flipped heavy cover, he used a Strike King Rage Bug in the Bama Craw color.
 
BASSTrakk, the unofficial leaderboard that fans can check on Bassmaster.com throughout the day, showed Hackney with only two fish several hours into the final round. But he said he always knew he could fill out his limit flipping — even if the fish he was catching with that technique were running much smaller than his topwater fish.
 
“I really was amped up a little bit today, and that’s why I got a lot quieter, said Hackney, laughing. “I always have a lot more to say when things are going right.
 
“But in the back of my mind, I knew I could pick up a flipping stick and catch a keeper anytime.”
 
His two best fish still came on the frog. But when he switched to flipping, he caught 10 keepers in 45 minutes.
 
“I probably should have done that sooner, but I just felt like I would have been punting,” he said. “Out of those 10 keepers I caught in the last 45 minutes flipping, they were all about 12 to 12 1/2 inches long.
 

Brent Chapman is 2012 Bassmaster Angler of the Year

By Deb Johnson

Aug 25, 2012

Bass press release

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Maybe Brent Chapman will let up now. The man many regard as the most focused, single-minded angler of the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series has accomplished exactly what he set out to do at the beginning of the season.
Saturday, Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kan., was crowned 2012 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year, one of the sport’s prestigious achievements. The title comes with a $100,000 prize.

What a year! He wins an Open, then an Elite
and finishes with AOY!
(Photos: BASS)

“This is what we all strive for,” Chapman said as he accepted the trophy in front of a crowd at The Great New York State Fair in Syracuse, where the Bassmaster Elite Series is holding its final two weigh-ins of the regular season.
“I feel like a huge weight has been taken off my back,” Chapman said. “To achieve a lifetime goal — well, I’ve never done that before. It’s probably going to take several days before it sinks in. It’s truly unbelievable.”
The newly crowned Angler of the Year triumphed in the most hotly-contested race in many years. He took the lead in points after the third event. One of his closest friends and traveling buddy, Randy Howell, was one of his strongest threats. Howell even took the lead from Chapman at one point (but they remain friends to this day). Todd Faircloth, and after him, Ott DeFoe, stepped up and turned up the heat.
Coming into the final event on Oneida Lake, Chapman was 13 points ahead of DeFoe, and 20 points in front of Faircloth. Others, such as Terry Scroggins, could have made a run on Chapman by shining at Oneida and walking through a door Chapman opened if he had made mistakes.
It would have taken both that open door and a stellar performance at the New York event to catch Chapman. He remained focused, he worked on his tackle until the wee hours each day, and he slept when he could. He was always forthright about the state of his nerves — up, then settled, then keyed high, then easier again. Even under the extra pressure, he remained gracious — and all along was a contender for the Ramada Championship title.

Bassmaster Elite Power Pole Citrus Slam Day 1: Alton Jones Leads the Pack

Jones gets the Job Done on Day 1.

Power- Pole Citrus Slam

St. Johns River Palatka, Fla. March 17-20 
By Luigi De Rose

Lake George is a parking lot on Day 1.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Alton Jones sacks 26-09 to take the lead on the St. John's River. The second stop on the Bassmaster Elite tour had all the making of a slugfest. The water temp was consistent, a giant full moon and stable sunny weather had everyone imagining a 30 pound bags. Even with all the stars aligned, weights were below expectations. The problem? Too many anglers fighting to fish the same bedding bass. Many top pros complained of having too many competitors hovering over their secret spots.

When the bass get split up like that, everyone looses. Some lost the sight fishing battle very badly. In Florida, everyone expects to have high weights. Today, that was not the case.  Zell Roland and Stephan Browning are tied for 48 place with 10-01.  The top 50 advanced on Saturday and then the top 12 anglers advance to fish Sunday. With only ten pounds, an indicator of the very poor fishing, being the cut-off many might still be in the game.

Some did do well. Clark Reehm and Billy Mc Caghren each had one in the 10 pound class and Brent Chapman had two of them. Big bass honours when to Jason Williamson with a 10-03 giant. 

Many who didn't fare well are planning to abandon the sight fishing game while others are going for it no matter what. If the bedding bass get bothered too much they'll likely split; leaving the door wide open for anyone who can consistently bring a high teens bags over all four days.

 DAY 1 TOTAL
1 Alton Jones 26- 9
2 Brent Chapman  25- 4
3 Todd Faircloth  23-10
4 Jason Williamson  22- 5
5 Timmy Horton  22- 4
6 John Crews  21- 3
7 Billy McCaghren  20-11
8 Clark Reehm  20-10
9 Jared Lintner  20- 9
9 Casey Ashley  20- 9
11 J Todd Tucker  20- 8
12 Keith Combs  19- 8
13 Ryan Said  18- 7
13 Dustin Wilks  18- 7
15 Paul Elias 18- 4
15 Bobby Lane  18- 4
17 Terry Scroggins  17- 3
17 Kevin VanDam 17- 3
19 Gary Klein  16-14
20 Edwin Evers 16- 8