Cody Stahl Wins 2026 Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Kissimmee Chain Presented by Battery Tender

By David A. Brown

BASS Press Release

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Intuition plus determination plus execution equalled a dominant victory for Cody Stahl, who tallied a three-day total of 74 pounds, 6 ounces and earned the wire-to-wire victory in the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Kissimmee Chain presented by Battery Tender.

“That is one heckuva way to start the season,” Stahl said. “It was just an unbelievable week.”

With all due respect to Stahl’s Top 10 competitors, the Barnsville, Ga., pro could’ve slept in this morning and still won the event, as he caught a Championship Saturday limit of 17-13 and finished with a 22-1 margin over second-place Stephen Browning.

En route to that enviable position, Stahl took the Day 1 lead with the event’s heaviest bag — a limit of 28-9. He’d back up that strong performance with an even 28 pounds to hold the lead and head into the final round with a 19-pound, 7-ounce advantage.

“If you would’ve told me I’d be sitting in first place with a 19-pound lead going into the third day, I’d put every single dollar in my bank account on saying that’s not possible,” Stahl said. “Ultimately, things just worked out and God blessed me with an amazing week.”

Clearly, Stahl would’ve lost that bet, but being wrong meant adding $38,731 to his account — and receiving an invitation to fish the 2027 Bassmaster Classic.

All week, Stahl focused on a prespawn staging area at the south end of Lake Toho. A good mix of grass species provided what he believed would offer appealing habitat that would attract the right size fish.

Stahl located this area in practice and, even though he caught only small male bass prior to the event, he believed the week’s weather and the approaching full moon (Feb. 1) would invite the larger prespawn females.

2025 FXR Pro Fish Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River Day 1: Przekurat Leads with 24-15lbs

Canadians Kung 8th, Gallant 29th, Cory Johnston 53rd, Chris Johnston 67th & Gustafson 91st

BASS PRESS RELEASE

PALATKA, Fla. —  Jay Przekurat of Plover, Wis., was just happy to finally hit the water, but his winter-weary enthusiasm lead him to a five-bass limit of 24 pounds, 15 ounces that leads Day 1 of the 2025 FXR Pro Fish Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River.

Przekurat, who won the 2022 Dakota Lithium Elite Series Rookie of the Year title, leads Texan Lee Livesay by 2-2.

Not the least bit intimidated by takeoff temperatures in the upper 40s, or Friday’s forecast for 34 degrees at sunrise, Przekurat ignored the traditionally gloomy outlook associated with cold fronts and notoriously weather-sensitive Florida bass. The result was a nearly flawless day far surpassing his expectations.

“What a day; I couldn’t do any wrong today,” Przekurat said. “All I have to say is ‘I’m so happy to be fishing in Florida.’ At home yesterday they cancelled school because it was so cold. Whatever tomorrow is, I know everybody at home will be watching me fishing in Florida, wishing they were fishing in Florida.

“I’m just happy to be fishing. Prior to this tournament, I hadn’t wet a line since before October, so I was really anxious to get out.”

Joshua Weaver Wins 2023 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals on Lake Okeechobee!

By EriK Gaffron

MLF PRESS RELEASE

CLEWISTON, Fla. – Weighing over 31 pounds on Day 2 and 26 pounds, 4 ounces on Day 3, Joshua Weaver surged to the win in the inaugural Tackle Warehouse Invitationals event with a 72-9 total. For his efforts, Weaver takes home a long-sought trophy and $117,500 in prize and contingency money. Additionally, Weaver’s win qualified him for REDCREST V in March 2024.

Finishing second in Power-Pole Stop 1 Presented by Phoenix Boats, Colby Schrumpf racked up 63-12. In third, Brett Hite tallied 63-1 on the week.

“Man, I’m on cloud nine,” Weaver said. “It definitely hasn’t hit me yet.”

Weaver has been close to victory in MLF events several times since his professional career began in 2016, boasting eight Top-10 finishes in that span. Finally, the Macon, Georgia, pro can add the title of “Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Champion” to the list of accomplishments he’s amassed over the last seven seasons.

“Words can’t describe this feeling,” he said. “I’ve wanted this for so long. I’ve been doing this professionally since 2016 and have come close a lot of times. The last two days have been nothing short of amazing. I was always the guy who lost the one to win or lost them on a day I should have caught them – which I thought I did the first day – but no, we got it done.”

Kennie Steverson Wins 2023 MLF Toyoto Series on Harris Chain of Lakes!

Canadian Cory Johnston 5th

By Job Newwell 

MLF PRESS RELEASE

LEESBURG, Fla. – Some anglers will tell you they are a slow fisherman. That when it comes to fishing, they can drop it down into granny gear and just creep along slower than anyone else – and that’s fine. But in bass fishing, there are two levels of slow; what everyone calls slow, and Kennie Steverson slow.

How slow does Steverson fish? He literally got passed by all the turtles on the Harris Chain of Lakes en route to winning the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Southern Division event this week.

For the record, Steverson’s scorecard for the event included a Day 1 catch of 24 pounds even, a Day 2 catch of 27-11 and a closing round catch of 20-2 for a total of 71-13.

TOP 10 BELOW

2020 FLW Tour Harris Chain of Lakes Day 2: Laramy Strickland Smashes 31-06lb Limit for Lead!

Canadians Luzak 18th; Sim 71st

By Justin Onslow

FLW PRESS RELEASE

30 pound plus limit give Strickland a commanding lead.
(Photo: FLW)

Laramy Strickland fished clean on day two of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit event on the Harris Chain, which is presented by Bad Boy Mowers. He fished so clean that he weighed in 31 pounds, 6 ounces – the biggest bag of the tournament so far – despite a cold front that shut down the bite for a lot of his competitors.

For the Pro Circuit rookie and Harris Chain regular (he hails from nearby Bushnell, Fla.), the biggest difference between day one and day two was making the most of his opportunities.

“I had 14 pounds [day one], but I had three swimmers,” he explains. “I lost like two or three giants. Today, I caught my giants and I was out of there by 10 o’clock.”

“There” meaning his best spot of the day, which Strickland unequivocally plans to hammer again on Sunday, the final day of the weather-shortened tournament. It’s a spot he doesn’t want to get too specific about, mostly because he knows how good it can produce for a second day and he doesn’t want the 30-angler final-day field to know too much about it.

“I’ve had it to myself, and I hope to keep it to myself,” he says. “I’m just going to go fishing and do what I do to know how to catch them, and I’m going to either hero or zero tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.”

If Strickland’s spot is as good as it appeared to be on Saturday, the more likely result is going to be “hero.”

The Florida pro stuck with one primary bait on day two – an undisclosed flipping bait. He did cast around a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Worm a bit, as one often does bass fishing in the Sunshine State, but for the most part, it was one bait and one technique in one area of the chain that did all the damage – and all before lunchtime.

Strickland’s most encouraging sign is that he laid off his fish so early in the day, accompanied by the fact that the cold, blustery weather helped his pattern. It’ll be warmer on the final day, but not necessarily warm by Florida standards, and the wind should still be blowing.

“I laid off my fish,” he says. “There is so much I haven’t fished in there, so we’re just going to go fishing tomorrow and see if I can catch a ‘dirty 30’ again.
TOP 10 BELOW

2020 FLW Tour Harris Chain of Lakes Day 1: Rusty Salewske Nails 26-10lbs for Lead!

Canadians Luzak 10th; Sim 24th

By Justin Onslow

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Salewske slams big sack as few top 20 pounds.
(Photo: FLW)

Rusty Salewske is, by his own admission, not a “Florida guy.” The Alpine, Calif., pro, who last fished the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit in 2011 before returning for this season, doesn’t have local knowledge. He’s not someone who will get intimidated by Florida fish in the face of a cold front, either.

Knowing what he knows and doing what he likes to do, Salewske weighed in 26 pounds, 10 ounces to take the lead on day one of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit event on the Harris Chain, which is presented by Bad Boy Mowers.

“I don’t know enough about Florida to know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” he says. “It’s known for fair-weather fish; they like it sunny and nice. But if they’re there, I think I can make them bite.”

That’s not to say Salewske hasn’t spent his fair share of time in the Sunshine State, bit his previous experiences haven’t been as pleasant as sacking up a 26-plus-pound bag. Far from it.

“In general, I struggle in Florida,” he admits. “I usually win practice, then the weather changes – like it is supposed to tomorrow – and then I catch like 10 pounds. I caught them once at Okeechobee in my three visits there and got a good check. In that one, practice was terrible. I was catching 12-inchers the whole time, and then during the tournament they came to me.”

Salewske’s practice this week was no exception. On day one of practice, the 54-year-old pro caught about 15 fish, including a 6-pounder, a couple 4-pounders and a “bunch of little ones.” From then on, he was shaking off everything that bit.

In previous events in Florida, that would maybe spell disaster for Salewske come tournament time. Not so this time around.

“After I caught them today, it just happened,” he says. “It’ll never happen like that again. Twenty-six pounds is hard to do. But, after that, I went practicing, and I had a secondary pattern that was working today, so, I’m excited. If my area is no good in the morning – I’ve got another four spots that I think might be good – but if all that is no good in the morning, I found another pattern for tomorrow, and I’m excited about that.”

Salewske’s special spot was just what some anglers might think is a run-of-the-mill offshore spot, but it’s been stacked with fish, potentially staging to move up to spawn – or maybe just a lucky school. Salewske’s not willing to bet on either.

“I caught seven fish there by about 8:30,” he adds. “I culled a 3-pounder with a 4-pounder, and I told my Marshal I’m done. It was stupid to keep catching them, so I’m hoping – I don’t know this place well enough – I don’t know if there are more there or if a school just swam up or if they’re staging. I don’t know, but I’ll find out tomorrow.”

TOP 10 BELOW

2020 Bassmaster Eastern Open Kissimmee Chain Day 1: Patrick Walters Leads with 21-08lbs!

Alexandre Jelev of Ontario leads co-angler
By David A. Brown
BASS Press Release

Big fish key during tough first day.
(Photo: BASS)

Fla. — Patrick Walters, a Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Summerville, S.C., had approximately eight hours on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, but he needed less than 20% of that to catch a five-bass limit of 21 pounds, 4 ounces that gave him the Day 1 lead at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open.

Around 10:30 a.m., Walters found himself without a keeper. But once the show started, it happened quickly.

“I caught all my fish in an hour and a half, because after 12 o’clock, I didn’t catch another fish,” he said. “I started deep, bouncing around a lot. I found a bunch of fish offshore in practice because the shallow bite wasn’t really any good. They were dropping the water, it was a full moon — there was something holding those fish back a little bit.

“Yesterday afternoon, right before we came to the meeting, I found a couple more areas where it looked like the fish had pulled up on the bed. Today, when nothing was happening out deep, I ran shallow and it happened quick.”

With a 7-13 largemouth anchoring his limit, Walters said he was targeting spawning fish, but he was not sight fishing. Rather, he was making 15-yard fan casts to promising areas.

“It was on the outside a little bit, they weren’t way in there where you’d want them to be spawning,” he said. “They were a little further out on the first actual spawning cover. The water has been warming up 2 degrees every day; it was 77 today. They’re definitely making a push. I think they’ll make an even bigger push tomorrow.”

Walters took a unique approach, targeting his fish with a Tokyo rig — a setup that has a weight suspended from the eye of a hook. This allowed him to present a traditional soft plastic in a horizontal fashion and, most importantly, with strategic precision.

“I was dragging a Zoom Zlinky (stickworm) on the Tokyo rig with an 1/8-ounce weight,” he said. “I’d throw it in there and let it sit for 30 seconds.

“The Tokyo rig keeps the bait of the bottom about 2 1/2 inches. The best thing is that it will fall vertically, whereas, if you have the worm on a Texas rig, it glides. You’re casting at a hole that’s the size of a basketball. So if the bait glides, you’re already out of the spot. When the Tokyo rig lands, it goes straight down."

Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., is in second place with 21-0. Despite breaking the 20-pound mark, New described an exasperating day devoid of consistency.

2019 FLW Tour Lake Toho Day 4: Buddy Gross Take Over Lead with 62lbs!

Open water angler take lead!

Curtis Niedermier

FLW PRESS RELEASE

We’ve seen some incredible bags weighed in through three days of competition at the FLW Tour event presented by Ranger Boats at Lake Toho, but it seems like every angler who’s weighed a mega-bag has also had at least one mediocre day.

Consistency key to Buddy Gross's success!
(Photo: FLW) 

Consistency has eluded everyone except Buddy Gross. While the Georgia pro hasn’t landed the kind of Florida hawg that it takes to weigh in a mid-20s bag, he’s stacked together quality limits of 21-7, 20-13 and 19-12 to put himself in the lead going into the final day.

With 62 pounds, Gross is up on Florida’s Darrell Davis by just 1 pound, 1 ounce.

Of the 15 fish the leader has brought to the scale so far, 14 have come from one spot on the outside edge of the grass in Lake Toho.

“It’s very precise,” he says. “It’s almost like a little funnel where the wind’s blowing the bait and stuff up in, and it just goes up there and dead ends. They’re just sitting there, kind of hovering.”

Gross figures both prespawn and postspawn bass are moving through this spot. He hit the spot five or six times today, mixing in some other holes and hard spots in the grass in between. No other area produced anything of value until, on the way in, Gross swung by a secondary area he’s been checking on all week. There, he caught a 4-pounder to cap his limit.

“I’ve fished it every day on the way back in, and I’ve been having bites,” he says of the final spot. “They just ain’t been takin’ it. They’ve been knocking it. Today, I didn’t fish it 10 minutes and caught a 4-pounder. I’m hoping there might be some fish that are pulling out to that one.”

2019 FLW Tour Lake Toho Day 1: John Cox Lands Mega Limit of 31-09bs!

Canadians Sim 59th & Richardson 73rd

by Curtis Niedermier

FLW PRESS RELEASE

John Cox a sight fishing master shows how it is done!
(Photo: FLW)

Day one of the FLW Tour event presented by Ranger Boats on Lake Toho looked like a slugfest if there ever was one, and it kind of was, but kind of wasn’t. John Cox leads with 31 pounds, 9 ounces. John Voyles and Scott Martin each weighed in 24-plus, and everyone in the top nine weighed at least 21 pounds.

The weights are impressive, but no one really hammered giants all day long, and there just weren’t as many big girls spawning as most pros anticipated in the middle of an extended warming trend. So while it looks like it was a heck of a day, a lot of pros are wondering why it wasn’t just a little bit better. They’re also wondering what to do tomorrow. At least a handful of the 20-plus-pound performers are considering changing lakes on day two – evidence of their uncertainty, but also a testament to the overall quality of the lakes on this chain.

Cox, who had an early boat draw, was able to run straight to some bedding fish he had marked from practice and enjoyed a record-setting day that included the biggest limit ever weighed in an FLW Tour event here on Toho.

“It was an awesome day,” he says. “We finally got some good weather. It was awesome.”

The sight-fishing expert caught an 8-pound-class fish early in the morning and then chipped away here and there with smaller fish. Yet by midmorning, he was feeling a little befuddled.

“I didn’t see anything new moving up,” he says. “I was kind of disappointed. All day I didn’t see any new ones, and I caught my big one a little deeper.”

That “big one” was a 10-pound, 9-ounce bass that is the third largest ever weighed in a Tour event here on Toho. He caught that fish by winding a Berkley PowerBait Wind Up worm with a light tungsten weight.

Eventually, Cox improved with a couple more culls, including another fish on the Wind Up to go with three in his final limit that were caught sight-fishing. He fished about 30 spots and had to deal with a lot of pressure from other anglers who also sniffed out the best sight-fishing waters.

Cox plans to start the day Friday checking some clear bedding areas, but then he’s willing go wherever he needs to go to find a few more big bites and try to extend his 6-pound, 10-ounce lead. Because despite putting up the best performance in Tour history on this fishery, Cox is going to need to continue to parade in with giants if he wants to stay on top here in Florida.

2. John Voyles – Petersburg, Ind. – 24-15 (5)  

Indiana pro John Voyles says his history here in Florida is nothing to brag about. That changes after today. Voyles can do a lot of boasting about the 24-pound, 15-ounce limit he sacked up down in Kissimmee.

Voyles got his morning started off with a nice break. As boat 65, he figured he’d not be able to get into the lock out of Toho without a long wait. It was a nice surprise when he arrived to see only 10 boats waiting (the lock holds about 15). He got right in, right out and raced on to the big lower lake.

“I caught four pretty quickly in the first hour,” he says. “Then it died.”

Voyles tried to relocate some shallow fish, but figures they were either caught already or had backed out, because they were gone. A deeper stretch really saved his day. Voyles caught the four little ones there early, then came back later and went to work. He caught several nice keepers and culled four or five times before catching an 8-5 off a waypoint where he also shook off a real big one in practice. He came back to the spot again later and caught another fish in the 8-pound-class.

Voyles is chucking reaction baits. His strategy is not really based on a pattern, but hinges on a key area that he’s sharing with a handful of other boats.

3. Scott Martin – Clewiston, Fla. – 24-12 (5)   

Scott Martin almost always has the biggest fan base at FLW Tour events. Today, he gave his fans a real show at weigh-in. The Florida native weighed in a whopping 24-pound, 12-ounce limit that included two fish in the 8- to 9-pound range.

Martin’s day started off with a lot of fish, but not a lot of size. He had a limit early for about 7 pounds. Then his day really picked up thanks to smart timing.

“I had one big one I had waited to go to until about 9 because she was a little deeper,” he says. “I ran there and caught her.”

Having a kicker in the box really let Martin settle down, he says. He worked into a good area and eventually hooked up with his other big one.

Martin says he’s pitching for most of his fish. He’s happy with what he had today but thinks this tournament is still wide open because the fish aren’t doing exactly what most pros expected.

“I felt like they were leaving,” he says of the bass in his area. “I still kind of feel like they aren’t progressing like they should be.”

 Top 10 pros

2019 Bassmaster Elite St. Johns River Day 1: Robbie Lastuso Leads with 25-02lbs!

Chris Johnston 7th, Cory Johnston 8th  & Gustafson 69th
By Bryan Brasher
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Spawn is on in Florida!
(Photo: BASS)

After a tough practice, Robbie Latuso said he only had one area that he felt confident about heading into Thursday’s opening round of the Power-Pole Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River.

But it turned out to be a good area — and it just kept getting better as the day went along.

The third-year Elite Series pro from Gonzales, La., caught a solid limit early and then steadily culled up until he had a five-bass limit that weighed 25 pounds, 2 ounces. The big bag, which was anchored by an 8-6 largemouth, was good enough for the Day 1 lead.

“I got to that spot and caught a bunch of fish that were all about 3 pounds,” Latuso said. “Then I finally caught a 3-10. Then I caught a 5-pounder. Then I caught the biggest one and another big fish — about a 5-pounder — toward the end of the day.

“So I really caught most of my big fish later.” 

With three days left to fish, anglers are always stingy with details. But Latuso said he’s using a technique he’s very comfortable with — and he believes his one magic spot could actually be better for Friday’s second round. 

 “I think more fish are coming to that area,” he said. “So I’m just gonna go out there tomorrow and have fun again and try to get five more bites.”

Latuso’s 8-plus was impressive, but it wasn’t nearly the biggest bass caught on a day when the Florida fishery really showed its muscle. The Top 10 anglers in the standings all had more than 20 pounds, and the biggest bass of the day was an 11-2 behemoth caught by Virginia angler John Crews.

The giant fish — which Crews said broke his personal-best mark of 11-1 by an ounce — anchored a five-bass limit that weighed 24-13 and moved Crews into second place. 

In a scene that would make even the most experienced anglers queasy, Crews landed the bass on a spinning rod with only 12-pound-test line. 

“I had caught four, and I knew I had a pretty decent bag,” Crews said. “I knew if I could just catch one more keeper, I would be in good shape. So I actually just started fishing around and picked up that spinning rod.”

He knew the bass was big when he set the hook, but it was while before he knew exactly how big.

“It went all over the place, got hung up in a tree and came out,” Crews said. “But I didn’t get in a big hurry.

“When it jumped, I thought it was a 6- or 7-pounder. When it got close to the boat and jumped again, I thought it was an 8 or 9. Then when I lipped it, it just kept coming out of the water and I knew it was at least a 10.”

Crews referred to his day as a “typical Florida day” because along with the big fish, he also had one that weighed only about 14 ounces. He said he has no idea what Friday will hold, but he’s seen proof positive once again that a big bass can bite at any moment in this state.

Having just turned 40 last year, Crews has been with the Elite Series since its inception in 2006. Another Elite Series veteran, 54-year-old Mark Menendez from Paducah, Ky., fished his way into third place Thursday — and like the two anglers ahead of him, his bag was anchored by a giant. 

Menendez weighed in five bass that tipped the scales at 24-8 with a 9-13 anchoring the bag.

“My day was real slow,” said Menendez, who has three career B.A.S.S. victories. “I lost my first two bites, and they were little peanuts.”

He was about to leave and make a long run, but instincts told him to explore the stretch he was on just a little further. 

Whitney Stephens Wins 2019 BASS Eastern Open Harris Chain of Lakes with 57-08lbs!

Stephens wins by 12 pounds!

By David A. Brown

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Monster 32-12lb Day 1 limit key to win.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Despite changing conditions, Ohio angler Whitney Stephens turned in an impressive catch of five bass that weighed 24 pounds, 12 ounces in the final round of the 2019 Basspro.com Eastern Open at Harris Chain of Lakes. Added to his Friday weight of 32-12, it helped Stephens to an impressive winning total of 57-8 in an event that was shortened to two days by inclement weather.

The full field fished both days. 

The shortened schedule amplified Stephens’ performance; specifically, Jesse Wiggins won the 2017 Open event on the Harris Chain with a three-day total of 59-4 — only 1-12 heavier than Stephens’ two-day total.

Returning to the pattern that yielded his personal-best tournament limit on Day 1, Stephens spent all of Day 2 targeting thick hydrilla beds in Lake Eustis. Fishing in about 8 to 10 feet, he noted that the week’s colder weather worked in his favor by predictably positioning big prespawn fish in the warmer refuges of thicker grass patches.

Stephens caught most of his fish by dragging a Zoom Magnum Trick Worm and a Speed Worm, both Texas rigged on a 4/0 VMC hook. He ended his day by moving to a different area and throwing a custom spinnerbait over the grass.

“I had a 7- to 8-pound cull on my last stop,” Stephens said. “I had high teens and I went to 24 on my last stop. It was just incredible.”

Stephens’ total gave him an impressive winning margin of 11-9. He made it look easy, but the winner said closing the deal was no easy task.

“It was a grind today,” he said. “You catch 24 pounds and you think it’s a lot, but I struggled today. The difference was the weather. We had another cold night, the water dropped a couple more degrees and the sun never came out.”

Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Md., finished second with 45-15. After placing second on Day 1 with 27-10, his productivity slipped to 18-5 Saturday. Schmitt caught his fish on 1/2- and 3/8-ounce prototype Hyabusa swim jigs. He alternated between Missile Baits Twin Turbo and Shockwave trailers.

Samples and Purcell Win 2018 BASS Team Championship

Final 6 Fish Off Today

By Andrew Canulette

BASSMASTER PRESS RELEASE

William Samples and Charles Purcell weren’t supposed to compete in the Bassmaster Team Championship held today on the Harris Chain of Lakes in central Florida.

Duo win team portion under terrible cold fronts.
(Photo: BASS)

But officials with the Anglers Choice Team Trail asked them a week ago if they could step in as alternates after another duo that did qualify couldn’t attend. Samples and Purcell made the most of the opportunity and won the Team Championship with a two-day total of 10 bass that weighed 42 pounds, 10 ounces.

Samples and Purcell outlasted a field of 197 teams from 35 states and three foreign countries to earn the win. That number included 14 fishing teams that finished ahead of Samples and Purcell in the Anglers Choice yearly standings.

Samples lives in South Boston, Va., and Purcell hails from just across the border in Townsville, N.C. They won a Nitro Z20 and Mercury 225 Pro XS boat/motor combo valued at $42,000 with their improbable victory.

“Everything just went wrong for us at the beginning of the year, until we pulled it together,” Samples said about their season on the Anglers Choice circuit. “I fell in the water in the first tournament of the year at Smith Mountain Lake. It was 46 degree water. It cost us $5,000. We had a monkey on our back until late spawn, and then we buttoned it up. We won a tournament a couple of weeks ago, and now here we are — winning the Bassmaster Team Championship.”

Samples and Purcell were in second place after Day 1 of the tournament with a five-bass limit that weighed 21-9. They were almost as good today, with a 21-1 limit of five bass.

“We found a spot in practice that I told (Purcell) was going to be a 30-pound hole,” Samples said. “Every fish we weighed came from (within 75 yards) of that hole. The bite started about 10 o’clock and ended about 11:30 a.m. In that hour and a half, there was a flurry.”

“We worked hard for this all year,” Purcell said. “Everything that could go wrong did, until we pulled it together. This is an incredible feeling.”

Chris Johnston Wins the 2018 FLW Tour Harris Chain Tournament with 79-06lbs!

Gustafson finishes 2nd! 
by Curt Neidermier

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Johnston with help from buddy Gustafson claims first win!
(Photo: FLW)

There might be no better rivalry in international sports than that of the U.S. versus Canada. And this week, we’ve seen two showdowns between the friendly border nations that ended in dramatic fashion. First, it was the U.S. women’s hockey team defeating Canada in an overtime gold-medal game that ended early Friday morning at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Sunday, it was Team Canada taking the first- and second-place spots at the end of a wild day of fishing that saw several lead changes at the FLW Tour event presented by Lowrance on the Harris Chain.

When it was settled, Ontario’s Chris Johnston stood atop the podium for his first FLW Tour win with a four-day total of 79 pounds, 6 ounces. Johnston edged out his friend and countryman Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson by 2 pounds, 6 ounces.

“You couldn’t ask for anything better; two Canadians up here,” says Johnston. “We’re buddies. We’re going to go home happy and back to some snow and ice. It’s a vacation down here, coming to Florida, and for us to finish one and two, what more could you ask for?”

2018 FLW Tour Harris Chain Day 2: Chris Johnston Grabs Leads with 45-04lbs!

Gustafson 16th, Richardson 37th, Cory Johnston 105th
by Curt Neidermier

FLW PRESS RELEASE

It didn’t take long for Chris Johnston to get the action started during day two of the FLW Tour event presented by Lowrance on the Harris Chain this morning. Nor did it take long for him to rile up the weigh-in crowd. Johnston was one of the first to cross the stage, dropping more than 25 pounds in the weigh basket to take the lead with a two-day total of 45 pounds, 4 ounces.

Canadian Chris Johnston rockets to lead with 25lb limit.
(Photo: FLW)

Yesterday, Johnston went to Griffin in the morning and caught three of his five keepers there, then finished in Harris. With an early check-in time today, he figured he’d be better off avoiding lost time in the lock and staying in Harris, which is the lake where the field takes off from each morning. 

Smart decision.

“It started right off the bat this morning,” he says. “I went to the spot where I finished yesterday.”

Shortly after takeoff Johnston hooked a tiny bass – we’re talking 4 inches. As he was winding it in, the bass suddenly started fighting back and ducked under the boat. Johnston called for the net, just in case, and when his co-angler dipped the net into the lake he came back up with a 6-pounder. 

“The 6-pounder ate the small bass and the bait,” Johnston says. “They were both in the net, so that was crazy.”

Crazy, maybe, but definitely a good omen, as Johnston quickly landed a limit of bass.

His strategy was to park his Ranger on a 300-yard-long stretch of 12-foot-deep hydrilla packed with shad and pick it apart with a reaction bait.

“It’s definitely key to get them early in the hydrilla,” he says. “I think there’s a little bit of a shad spawn in the morning.

“I’m fishing a main-lake weed edge. There’s a little bit of an indentation in it, and there’s some wind blowing into it. I just hit the Spot-Lock [on the Minn Kota Ultrex] and sat there.”

Johnston caught about 30 bass without moving the boat. That was partly based on playing defense to keep other anglers off, and partly because he was dialed in on an isolated group of fish. He’s hoping this weekend he’ll be able to work up and down the edge more to try and locate more groups of fish. 

Most of his action came on one bait, which he declined to name, but he did make a big upgrade in the hydrilla at 9:30 with a key bait switch.

“That bite died, so I threw a ‘Trap in there and caught an 8-6.”

It was 10:30 until Johnston finally pulled the plug on his honey hole. He spent the rest of the day running some old water and hunting for a bonus kicker, which he got in the form of a 4-pounder that let him cull up to his final weight.

Randall Tharp Teaches Heavy Cover Punching!

If you're heading to Florida to escape this deep freeze you should pack some punching gear. It's one of the best ways to catch big bass when they're in cover. BASS Elite angler and FLW Cup Champ Randall Tharp is one of the best in the world at punching heavy grass for winter bass.

2017 Walmart FLW Tour Harris Chain Day 3: Cox Leads with 54-14lbs!

Sight fishing battle becoming more difficult each day. 
by Rob Newell

FLW PRESS RELEASE
For two days, John Cox has been the king of the Harris Chain, dominating the FLW Tour event presented by Ranger at the Harris Chain with his favorite sight-fishing technique. But Saturday his sight-fish gave him the slip and now the outliers are moving in on him from all directions.

Local John Cox hunting every secret spot he has for nesting bass.
(Photo: FLW)

Cox posted a 10-pound, 4-ounce catch on day three and as a result his nearly 6-pound lead shrank to just over 2 pounds. He still leads the field with a 54-14 three-day total, but now pros from North Carolina, Texas and Alabama seriously threaten King Cox’s throne atop the leaderboard in his Florida domain.

“Would you like me to sum up the day for you?” Cox asks with a laugh. “Okay, well, I burned a lot of gas and I didn’t catch anything – how’s that?”

Cox’s frustration came from the fact that he ran many, many miles and burned a lot of trolling motor battery for his dismal catch.

“I only caught five keepers all day,” he says. “That’s it.”

Piling onto Cox’s disappointment is the fact that the wave he was hoping would move up with the impending full moon tomorrow doesn’t seem to be materializing.

“The fish were just acting so weird today,” he says. “I found one male that had a 5- or 6-pound female with it. I shook the male off several times, trying to catch her first. Then I went ahead and caught him and when I did, she just swam out to my boat, looked at me, and hit the highway – gone. It’s like she knew what was going on – those are the little signs that tell you it’s not really happening.