2022 Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake Oahe Day 2: Chris Johnston Takes Over Lead!

 

Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Ontario, is leading after Day 2 of the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe with a two-day total of 37 pounds, 12 ounces.(Photo: Seigo Saito/BASS)

BASS PRESS RELEASE

MOBRIDGE, S.D. — Chris Johnston’s primary spot on Lake Oahe doesn’t look particularly special, but it holds big smallmouth that have lifted him to the lead at the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe with a two-day total of 37 pounds, 12 ounces.

 

Entering Day 2 in seventh place with 18-15, the Otonabee, Ontario, native caught 18-13 Friday and holds a 7-ounce lead over second-place Austin Felix and a 10-ounce lead over third-place Patrick Walters.

 

“I’m thrilled with it,” Johnston said. “I caught them all right where I caught them yesterday. I had them by about 9:30. There’s not a lot of fish there and I wasn’t seeing many left. But after I caught them yesterday morning, I didn’t see any fish. So, some new ones moved up today and I was able to catch them.”

 

While the north wind raced across Lake Oahe the entirety of the day, creating rough and wavy conditions, the 2021 St. Lawrence River Elite champion caught a limit quickly using mostly the new Spro CJ Smasher as well as a couple of other baits. A key adjustment, however, led to two big bites late in the morning.

2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic Presented by Huk Day 2: Jason Christie and Kyle Welcher Tie for Lead!

Canadians Chris Johnston 14th, Cory Johnston 27th & Gustafson 41th

Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., and Kyle Welcher of Opelika, Ala., are tied with 36 pounds, 7 ounces after Day 2 of the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk. 
(Photo: BASS)

BASS PRESS RELEASE

GREENVILLE, S.C. — With one day remaining, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk could not be much tighter, especially at the top of the standings.

 

Veteran Oklahoma pro Jason Christie and third-year Alabama pro Kyle Welcher moved into a tie for the lead during Saturday’s second round on Lake Hartwell, and only 7 pounds separate first place and 25th place as the anglers prepare for Championship Sunday.

 

Christie pushed his total to 36-7 by adding 19-6 on Saturday to the 17-1 he caught Friday. Welcher reached the mark by adding 17-10 to his Day 1 catch of 18-13.

 

After leading two previous Classics on the final day — only to fall just short of a victory — Christie joked that he was almost happy not having the lead to himself.

 

“That’s the best you can have if you feel like leading is bad luck,” he said, laughing. “All week, I’ve just felt like it’s my time. If it’s not, I don’t know when it is. I’m getting older and the fish are getting harder and these young guys are getting better.

 

“So, if this is not my time, I don’t know if it ever will be.”

 

The fishing, Christie said, was not as good as his 19-plus bag suggested. While he said he believes he’s on the right fish to win, the bites came few and far between.

 

“Right now, you feel like you could go out and get two bites more or two bites less and change your whole day,” he said. “Today, for me, if it had been two bites less, I would have weighed in somewhere between 13 or 14 pounds instead of 19.”

 

Utilizing Garmin LiveScope for offshore fishing, coupled with his vast knowledge of shallow-water tactics, Christie used two unnamed lures to catch bass from depths ranging from 6 inches to 30 feet. Unlike many of the anglers fishing this week’s event, he said he hasn’t been able to dial in a pattern around the lake’s massive number of boat docks.

2019 FLW Tour Lake Champlain Day 2: Tyler Stewart Keeps Leads with 40-01lbs!

Canadians Sim 21st & Richardson 86th

by Curtis Niedermier

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Big largemouth key to lead for Stewart!
(Photo: FLW)

Tyler Stewart’s day-one limit of more than 22 pounds set the bar sky high on Lake Champlain for this week’s FLW Tour event, which is presented by T-H Marine. That’s not an easy mark to match, and today Stewart’s performance was a little more on par with the rest of his competition. He hauled in five largemouths that totaled 17 pounds, 14 ounces.

Stewart is still in the lead going into the top-30 round, but John Voyles, who’s fishing for smallmouths, is only 1 pound, 5 ounce behind him.

For two days, Stewart has made the long run down to Champlain’s famed southern waters near Ticonderoga to target plump largemouths that are in the midst of a postspawn feeding binge. The difference in yesterday and today was that Stewart weighed in one less 4-pound-class largemouth and didn’t have time to try and pick off a bonus smallmouth like he did on Thursday. He also had a bit more company in his area.

He had to resort to fishing some of the “juice” he was saving for later in the tournament.

“It started off good this morning. I pulled up at the first place I stopped and caught one close to 4 pounds,” he recalls. “I jumped around a little bit and caught a few fish here and there, some 2 3/4s, then ended up catching a 4 1/2 around 10 o’clock. I had probably 16 pounds at that point. I culled a few more times by ounces. Then right at the end of the day I caught another one about 4 pounds.”

Stewart is catching his fish flipping plastics around a few different cover types. He has a couple of key areas, but is also running and gunning a little bit and fishing whatever fits his pattern. He ran new water today, but also spent part of the day playing defense on his best stretches.

Looking ahead to the weekend, clouds and rain are in the forecast, which bodes well for the largemouth specialists and not so great for anyone trying to spy smallmouths on beds.

“They bit really, really good in practice down there in the rain,” adds Stewart. “The only problem is if the wind picks up, getting down there and back is the only issue. I think they’ll bite down there if it’s raining. 

“I think they will [hold up] as long as I don’t have a bunch of company. If I have all my stuff to myself I feel like I could potentially catch a couple good bags.”

2. John Voyles – Petersburg, Ind. – 38-12 (10)

There’s a pretty magical spot on Lake Champlain that’s produced every smallmouth bass that John Voyles has weighed in so far this week (he weighed just one largemouth yesterday). Today, Voyles learned that another pro caught 19-plus from that spot on day one, but the Indiana pro got there first this morning and was able to sack up 18 pounds, 5 ounces to go with more than 20 on the first day. Assuming he gets full access to the spot tomorrow, he’s hoping to keep the heat on Stewart and the rest of the pros running to Ti to target largemouths.

2018 Forest Wood Cup Lake Ouachita Day 2: Wes Logan Leads with 23-13lbs!

3 Canadians Out of Top 10
by Sean Ostruszka
FLW PRESS RELEASE

After two days of fishing, pros are usually pretty dialed in on their patterns. Not this week. You’d be hard pressed to find a pro who feels confident in any sort of pattern on Saturday at the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Ouachita.

Mixing shallow and deep working for Logan.
(Photo: FLW)

Case in point, day-one leader Alex Davis brought a lone fish to the scale today. Nick LeBrun, who was in second on day one, only caught three keepers. He was fortunate one of them weighed more than 6 pounds, which helped him stay in second.

At this point, even new leader Wes Logan is unsure if he’ll catch another fish with how random and tough the bites have been on Lake Ouachita. His catch thus far is 23 pounds, 13 ounces, including a 12-pound, 4-ounce bag that was the largest of day two. He has a 1-pound, 2-ounce lead over LeBrun going into the final day

“I’m just going with my gut, and so far it’s been right,” Logan says.

The Springville, Ala., pro has been running a two-pronged attack up shallow and out deep.

Two key offshore spots in 17 to 25 feet of water have been more consistent. He’s been able to catch multiple keepers there each day.

The shallow pattern is a lot more random. He doesn’t know where he’s going to go at any given moment.

“I must’ve hit 50 spots today,” Logan says. “I burnt a good amount of gas. I’m just running anywhere I see. No real reason to it. Just covering water.”

The end result has been him catching 10 keepers each day.

As for Sunday’s final day of competition, Logan doesn’t even know where he’ll start. While the deep bite has been more consistent, he’s not getting any big bites out there, and it seems to be better in the afternoon. That leaves him probably going shallow, but where is anybody’s guess.

The “anybody’s guess” part could be said about who’s going to win this event too. With such unpredictability in the bites and weights, most every pro in the top 10 has a shot to win if he has a good day.

Still, considering he’s a rookie who’s never been to Ouachita, Logan is just quite pleased to be where he’s sitting.

“I’m obviously excited [about leading the Cup],” Logan adds. “But you want to be leading after the third day, not the second.”

TOP 10 PROS

1. Wes Logan – Springville, Ala. – 23-13 (10)           

2. Nick LeBrun – Bossier City, La. – 22-11 (8)        

3. James Niggemeyer – Van, Texas – 20-14 (9)         

4. Zack Birge – Blanchard, Okla. – 20-6 (10)

5. Jason Lambert – Michie, Tenn. – 20-3 (10)          

6. John Cox – DeBary, Fla. – 19-14 (9)        

7. Bradford Beavers – Summerville, S.C. – 19-5 (8)  

8. Brandon Cobb – Greenwood, S.C. – 19-2 (10)     

9. Justin Atkins – Florence, Ala. – 19-0 (10)

10. Clent Davis – Montevallo, Ala. – 19-0 (10)        

2018 Bassmaster Elite Lake Martin Day 2: Takahiro Omori Leads with 32-11lbs!

Single spot soars Japanese angler into lead
By Bryan Brasher
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Crankbait the key to Omari's lead.
(Photo: BASS)

Since the Bassmaster Tournament Trail hasn’t visited Lake Martin for a major event in more than 15 years, the belief coming into this week’s Bassmaster Elite at Lake Martin presented by Econo Lodge was that veteran local anglers with recent experience on the fishery had a chance to dominate.
 
But after two days, the top of the leaderboard includes a guy from Japan, a rookie from Arizona and a longtime pro from Washington State.
 
So much for local domination.
 
Takahiro Omori, a Japanese angler who now lives Texas, caught 14 pounds, 9 ounces and jumped from second place into the lead with a two-day weight of 32-11. He’s followed by newcomer Roy Hawk of Arizona (28-12), who is fishing his first-ever Elite Series event, and Washington angler Luke Clausen, who joined the Elite Series last year after a long and successful career on the FLW Tour.
 
Omori said most of his fish came early — and from one magical spot.
 
“I don’t want to tell anybody about that spot because I’ve got to go back tomorrow,” Omori said. “It’s a really good spot, but it’s about all I have.”
 
In the interest of saving fish for the final two days of the tournament, Omori left his best area well before lunchtime and went looking for something else similar.
 
“After I left that spot, I started practicing,” Omori said. “I tried to find another place to fish, and I couldn’t find it.
 
“I still have to be open-minded because this time of the year, anything can happen.”
 

Roland and Scott Martin Win 2018 Black Bass PanAmerican Championship on Lake Okeechobee Day!

Super slow speed anchors USA win.
FLW PRESS RELEASE

Biggest limit and 7 pounder rockets Martins into lead.
(Photos: FLW)

Roland Martin wasn’t happy about fishing with the flu, but his fatigue literally enlightened him and his son Scott Martin to a key detail that sparked an impressive come-from-behind victory with a two-day weight of 15.51 kg (34 pounds, 3 ounces) at the inaugural PanAm Black Bass Championship at Roland and Mary Ann Martin’s Marina & Resort on Lake Okeechobee.

After placing 10th on day one with a disappointing limit of 4.99 kg (11 pounds), the father/son duo roared back with a day-two limit of 10.52 kg (23-3) – the tournament’s biggest catch, which included a 7-pound, 3-ounce kicker that won the Big Bass trophy. The key, Roland says, was speed.

“You have to learn to be humble; we don’t always catch fish, and yesterday [Wednesday] was a good example,” says the nine-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year. “But we figured something out, and one of the main reasons we caught fish today was that I was extremely sick with the flu and I sat on the ice chest. I’d occasionally cast and reel it very slowly and hardly do anything. But the big fish liked that.”

After fishing the Monkey Box on the lake’s west side on day one, the Martins ran south to Kreamer Island on day two, but found the area uncooperative. With only two pound-and-a-half fish by 10 a.m., they returned to the Monkey Box area, fished the reeds and experienced a furious rally that transformed a dismal day into pure fireworks.

“We got into this one spot and, in one hour, we caught all those big fish,” Roland says.

Team Canada

Scott says their day-two productivity came from an area he had never fished until the FLW Tour event two weeks ago. With the spawn in full swing, the week’s warming trend triggered a shallow move, but these moody and sensitive fish require stealthy and strategic approach. Scott says he enjoyed promising practice results, but the Big O is known for its day-to-day changes.

RESULTS BELOW

2017 Costa FLW Series Championship on Kentucky Lake Day 2: Foster Jumps into Lead with 33.06lbs!

Leaderboard flip flops big time.
By Jody White
FLW PRESS RELEASE

by Jody White

Chad Foster jumps into lead.
(Photo: FLW)

The fishing was pretty tough on day one of the Costa FLW Series Championship at Kentucky Lake, and there’s no doubt it got tougher on day two. Kentucky Lake isn’t giving them up easily right now, but Chad Foster pieced together four quality fish to move from third to first with a total of 33 pounds, 6 ounces. Foster weighed 19-13 on day one – a strong sack that paled in comparison to Bryan Thrift’s 27-8 – but his day two catch of 13-9 has him in the lead by 1-13.

Running south toward and past New Johnsonville, Foster is focusing on isolated shallow spots with bait and a few other key ingredients.

“There’s a bunch of fish. I’m getting the bites, but they were biting weird today,” says Foster. “There were five or six of them that didn’t really eat the bait. I’d maybe have them on for a crank, and they’d come off. I feel fortunate to have four. I had the bites to have another 18 pounds, but making them commit is the hard part.

“It was slick calm this morning, and I think they were getting too good of a look at the bait. I caught my two biggest fish in three casts as soon as the wind started blowing.”

Slinging a topwater like many others, Foster isn’t just rolling down shallow main-lake bars. He’s targeting more specific locations.

“It’s all shallow. It’s 6 inches to 3 feet deep, but there has to be bait there,” says the Pequot Lakes, Minn., pro. “There’s one spot with schools of gizzard shad the size of the bait tanks. You’ll see them [bass] come blast them, and then I fire over there and they don’t hook up.”

Given more wind and perhaps more current, Foster could be in line for a good final day, but with weights so close and the lake so unpredictable it’s anyone’s game.

Top 10 pros

1. Chad Foster – Pequot Lakes, Minn. – 33-6 (9)

2. Larry Stoafer – Leavenworth, Kan. – 31-9 (10)

3. Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C. – 31-1 (7)

4. Bradford Beavers – Ridgeville, S.C. – 30-13 (10)

5. Tim Fox – Meridan, Miss. – 28-13 (8)

6. Jason Abram – Piney Flats, Tenn. – 28-8 (10)

7. Todd Hollowell – Fishers, Ind. – 28-7 (9)

8. John Soukup – Agra, Okla. – 27-7 (10)

9. Michael Matthee – Centurion, South Africa – 27-1 (8)

10. Bill Chapman – Salt Rock, W.Va. – 26-13 (10)

CURRENT DIVISIONAL LEADERS

A slot in the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup will be awarded to the top finisher at the Costa FLW Series Championship from each of the five U.S. divisions and the International Division. The next five highest finishers regardless of division also receive a spot at the Cup.

2017 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship Day 2: Palaniuk Keeps AOY Lead; Combs Leads with lbs!

AOY going down to the wire

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Last second giant keeps Brandon in AOY.
(Photo: BASS)

After two days of the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship, Brandon Palaniuk is still clinging to his lead in the race for the AOY season title.
 
But it’s been anything but easy.
 
The noted smallmouth specialist from Hayden, Idaho, caught just 10 smallies from Mille Lacs LakeFriday — and if hadn’t been for a 6-pounder that bit extremely late, he might have actually fallen out of the AOY lead.
 
“I just struggled to get bit,” Palaniuk said. “I was just catching one here, one there — and I wasn’t really catching any big ones. But then at 3:14 (p.m.), I made one final drop and caught a 6-pounder.”
 

2017 Walmart FLW Tour Harris Chain Day 2: John Cox Extends Lead to 6 Pounds with 44-10lbs!

Cory Johnston 57th, Gustafson 77th, Chris Johnston 111th & Richardson 117th.

by Rob Newell

FLW PRESS RELEASE

John Cox has a large history book of bass fishing memories on the Harris Chain of Lakes near his home in DeBary, Fla. Today, Cox had to leaf through many of the chapters in that book to come up with an 18-pound, 15-ounce catch to increase his lead at the FLW Tour event presented by Ranger at the Harris Chain. After two days, his total is 44 pounds, 10 ounces, and his lead over Shane LeHew is nearly 6 pounds.

Cox catches them on very difficult day.
(Photo: FLW)

Cox stayed committed to the looking game today, running far and wide across the Chain to assemble his catch. To give some idea of how much water he had to run to find bass still clinging to beds, several of his fish were caught up to 10 miles apart.

“I covered a lot of water today,” Cox says. “It’s not like I’m pulling into one secret canal or backwater and catching 19 pounds. I catch one, run, look, run, look, run…catch another and keep looking.”

Cox was headed for an average 12-pound bag today when he made a last-minute decision to check one main lake spawning spot where he found two four-pounders locked on beds.

2017 Walmart FLW Tour Lake Travis Day 2: Patek Leads with 36-06lbs!

Gustafson 13th, Chris Johnston 32nd, Richardson 37th & Cory Johnston 134th. 
by Rob Newell

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Pre-spawn staging area moves Patek into lead.
(Photo: FLW)

Stephen Patek of Garland, Texas is fishing his third year on the FLW Tour and for the first time in his short career he finds himself leading an FLW Tour event after day two of the FLW Tour at Lake Travis presented by Quaker State.

After loading up 20 pounds, 5 ounces on the scale on day one, Patek backed it up with 14-1 today to nudge Bryan Thrift off the lead by 4 ounces with a two-day total of 34 pounds, 6 ounces.

Patek owes the bulk of his catch to a single-cast hot spot that he found on the third day of practice while graphing.

“When I idled over it, it looked like a loaded ledge on Kentucky Lake,” he says. “I spun around, made one cast and caught a 2-pounder and left. I didn’t return until yesterday morning and caught them pretty quick.”

2017 BASS Southern Open Harris Chain of Lakes Day 2: Justin Lucas Take Lead with 43-09lbs!

Field cut to Top 12 for Saturday. 

By Andrew Canulette

BASS PRESS RELEASE
The sun was about to slip below the horizon by the time Justin Lucas came to the stage for Friday's weigh-in of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open No. 1.

Lucas leads with back to back 21 pound limits.
(Photo: BASS)

At that point, about 360 of the 400 anglers already had weighed their bass in front of a healthy crowd at Venetian Gardens. If you had asked just about any of them, they probably would have said it was practically certain that Thursday's leader, Marty Robinson, would hold onto the top spot heading into Saturdays' final day of fishing on the Harris Chain of Lakes.

But Lucas had other plans.

The Guntersville, Ala., resident and California native swooped in at the 11th hour with a five-fish limit that weighed 21 pounds, 14 ounces. That gave Lucas a 43-9 total for two days, and has him more than 2 pounds ahead of Robinson heading into the final round.

Lucas was the only angler of the 200 in the pro division who caught 20-pound bags the first two days of the tournament. He's never won an Open, and he told the crowd he's itching to add to his trophy collection.

"I already have two on the mantle from the Elite Series," Lucas said, referencing his wins on the Potomac River in 2016 and the Sacramento River a year earlier. "But no Open trophies ... We want them all."

2016 Costa FLW Series Championship on Table Rock Day 3: Zack Birge Grabs Lead 26-5lbs.

Birge ready for 2nd Championship

by Jody White

FLW PRESS RELEASE

A lengthy fog delay and clear, post-frontal conditions scrambled the standings and the fishing on day two of the 2016 Costa FLW Series Championship, but Walmart FLW Tour pro Zack Birge of Blanchard, Okla., came through with flying colors. Catching 13 pounds, 13 ounces of Table Rock bass, Birge moved from 13th to first with a total of 26 pounds, 5 ounces. In second place, Cody Bird of Granbury, Texas, is a few ounces back with 25-15.

Zack might have enough to win back to back.
(Photo: FLW)

Birge has a penchant for going way up rivers, and he’s proved that he can be successful in skinny water time and time again. From his win in the FLW Series Championship on Wheeler Lake in 2014 to top 10s at Lewis Smith Lake and the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Ouachita, the man excels when he’s going farther than anyone else.

“Today I went somewhere different than yesterday,” says Birge. “Way, way, way up one of the rivers. I didn’t fish more than about a 100-yard stretch all day, and I caught about three limits of smallmouths on a crankbait.”

2016 FLW Tour Invitational Lake Norris Day 2: James Watson Grabs Lead with 26lbs!

Consistency key for Top 10.

by Rob Newell

FLW Press Release
With air temperatures some 30 degrees cooler than day one, things felt much more seasonable around Norris Lake on day two of the Walmart FLW Tour Invitational presented by Quaker State. A passing cold front brought misty rain and blustery west winds that tossed autumn leaves into the air like confetti. In a single day it went from summer to fall around Ol’ Rocky Top.

Just as anglers predicted, the fringes of a cold snap certainly helped the bite as the limit count went from just nine on day one to 20 on day two.

One man who felt right at home amid the sudden turn in weather was James Watson of Nixa, Mo., who is steadily carving out his niche in professional fishing as a fall guy. When things cool off, Watson’s fishing heats up. Today, he brought in 13 pounds, 4 ounces to take over the lead spot in the Invitational with a two-day total of 26 pounds, 14 ounces, carrying over a 3-pound lead into the final day.

“August to December is my time,” Watson says. “I love fall fishing; it’s when I have the most confidence.”

Also, Watson does not mince words when describes his penchant for tough tournaments.

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 St. John's River Day 2: Hackney in Command.

Sight Fishing a Grind as Topwaters Tempt.

By Brian Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

With most of the field sight fishing for spawning bass, Louisiana pro Greg Hackney took a slightly different approach during Friday’s second round of the Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels.

Hackney mixing blind casting and sight fishing.
(Photo: BASS)

By daring to be a little different, Hackney caught a five-bass limit that weighed 18 pounds, 1 ounce and jumped into the overall lead with a two-day total of 39-6. Florida pro and local favorite Terry Scroggins is second with 38-8, followed by Alabamian Jordan Lee with 38-7 and South Carolina angler Marty Robinson with 38-5.

“I’m fishing spawning fish for sure,” Hackney said. “I’m not necessarily looking at all of them, but I know they’re bedding or guarding fry or something.

“I caught a couple of rats (small fish) that I was looking at. But I caught all of the good ones just fishing.”

2016 Walmart FLW Lake Hartwell Day 2: John Cox Grabs Lead.

Johnston Brothers Sit 11^th and 13^th.

by Rob Newell

FLW PRESS RELEASE

The Walmart FLW Tour sightfest continued on day two at Lake Hartwell which is presented by Evinrude and hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau. Once again, brilliant blue skies with a few clouds and no wind graced the field and to hear the anglers tell it, there are still plenty of fish moving up – by the hour.

Burning banks pays off for Cox. (Photo FLW)

Several leaders said they found new fish today and others have even commented they have watched fish swim up and lock down right in front of their eyes.

Though the weatherman continues to threaten with rain over the weekend, pros are in a state of bed-fishing bliss, with leaders claiming they plan to sight-fish right on into the weekend.

With sight fishing in full effect, it’s no wonder that the lead spot has been overtaken by John “Eagle Eye” Cox, an angler known for his sight-fishing savvy on the FLW Tour. Today Cox weighed in 20 pounds, 5 ounces for a two-day total of 37 pounds, 1 ounce.

While Cox did sight fish quite a bit today, he did admit that his two biggest fish came from, “just fishing” while looking for beds. One of those big ones registered 6-pounds, 11 ounces on the scales.

Albert Collins Wins 2015 Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Championship!

Charles Sim becomes second Canadian ever to fish Classic!

By Tyler Wade

BASS PRESS RELEASE

MONROE, La. — Albert Collins’ victory in the 2015 Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Championship was a year in the making. The Texas angler lost his bid to the Classic by 1 1/2 pounds on the Ouachita River in November 2014; he’s been planning for his next chance ever since.
Collins ended the 2015 championship with 44 pounds, 15 ounces over three days, and he earned a berth in the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro. He also won the Bryan V. Kerchal Memorial Trophy and a Skeeter ZX200 with a Yamaha motor, a Minn Kota trolling motor and Lowrance electronics.

Remove location key for Collin's come from behind win. (Photo: BASS)

Collins has qualified for the Classic before, back in 2013 when he won the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series Championship. But he really wanted to make it through the B.A.S.S. Nation.
“It means something special to qualify through the Nation,” said Collins, who has tried several times to qualify through the Nation Championship and, like one year ago, fell just short.
“What I learned last year was that I needed an aluminum boat,” said Collins. “Last year, I used my fiberglass boat, and it’s just not made to go through those stumps and all that shallow water. So I bought an aluminum one for this tournament.”

2015 Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Championship Day 2: Jamie Laiche Continues to Lead!

Canadian Charles Sim sits in 14th. 

By Tyler Wade

bass press release

Jamie Laiche of Gonzales, La. holds a 2 pound lead.
(Photo: BASS)

MONROE, La. — The conditions changed on Day 2 of the 2015 Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation Championship on the Ouachita River, but the first-day leader did everything the same and managed to stay on top of the field.

Louisiana’s Jamie Laiche added 13 pounds, 14 ounces, ending Day 2 with 30 pounds, 4 ounces and a 1 1/2-pound lead.

“I did the exact same thing,” Laiche said, “but I didn’t get that big bite like I did yesterday. I caught a ton of fish, but the size wasn’t there.”

The air temperature dropped 5 degrees from yesterday and the Monroe area got an inch of rain. Day 3 should bring more rain and even cooler temperatures.

None of those weather changes bother Laiche.

“I have the opinion that if it affects me, it’ll affect everybody else,” he said, calmly. “If the Lord feels like it’s my time, I’ll find ’em.”

2015 Bass Pro Shop BASS Northern Open Lake Erie Day 2: Derek Remitz Leads with 46lbs!

Persistence Paying off for Leaders.

By Craig Lamb

bass press release

SANDUSKY, Ohio — While some anglers would give up and move on to find new water, Derek Remitz knew better. He remained persistent, fine tuning what worked Thursday until it finally clicked today. As a result he leads the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open presented by Allstate.

Remitz reaps another big bag.
(Photo BASS)

Remitz, of Grant, Ala., caught a 5-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 6 ounces. Added to his Thursday score the total weight is 46 pounds, 10 ounces.

Remitz lost at boat side what was a crucial 4-pound smallmouth about 10:30 a.m. Until then his livewell was empty. After regaining composure his renewed concentration paid off during a feeding flurry when he added four bass to his catch. Even then he didn’t leave. Staying resulted in another late afternoon feeding frenzy that sealed the lead.

“I got a late start but knew the bass were still in the area,” he said. “The biggest key is the wind, which is blowing so I can make controlled drifts across the best habitat.”

Ironically, the wind blew again from the northeast, although its predicted shift on Saturday could require making significant adjustments.