Ricky Morris Wins 2026 Strike King NPFL Stop Two on Millwood Lake!

 

Rickey Morris finishes strong on final day to claim victory at )the Strike King NPFL Stop Two on Millwood Lake (Photo: NPFL/ Tanner & Travis Lyons)

Justin Brouillard

NPFL Press Release

After two steady days to start the event, Rickey Morris saved his best for last, capitalizing on a key early window to claim the win at the Strike King NPFL Stop Two on Millwood Lake. His three-day total of 48-pounds was enough to best second place by a pound and earn his first NPFL shield.

Morris opened the event with 13-14 on a slower Day One and followed it up with 14-4 on Day Two, steadily learning more about his areas. On Championship Saturday, everything came together. He got going early and never looked back, making the jump from around 16th place after Day Two to seal the victory.

After a slow Day One for big fish, NPFL anglers saw what lives in Millwood on Day Two. Big Bass honors went to Jared Lintner with a 9-0 kicker. Behind him, Hank Cherry weighed in an 8-2 giant as well.

Morris Makes His Move

Despite only coming to Millwood once before this event, Rickey Morris knew he had to learn the lake before he could really start fishing. So that’s what he did, running boat lanes, checking creeks, and figuring out how to navigate for the week. Then came fishing.

“When I finally dropped the motor on Day One of practice, the first thing I wanted to find was a shad spawn, and I looked for it all over,” said Morris. “I had found a few places on the main lake, but heard there had been some activity up the river, so I explored there too.”

With the shad spawn dialed, he knew he needed more. Despite not getting a bite flipping all week, he locked a punch rod in his hand and went to work on Tuesday, the final day of practice.

“I found an area and flipped in a few times and my line swam off,” he said. “But I never set the hook. Later that day, I figured I might want to know what the quality was, so I went back. Five flips later, I caught a 9.92. That was it — I got off the water and called it practice.”

After two consistent days, Morris again knew he needed more. By 9 a.m. this morning, his shad spawn bite had died, but not before he caught a 17.5-pound limit, a solid way to kick off Showdown Saturday. Still not satisfied, he knew a few key bites would make the difference.

“I was flipping this afternoon and I knew something was up,” he added. “The NPFL asked for my location, and then a camera boat showed up. I knew then I might have a shot to win. I was fishing pencil reeds and came to a rounded clump. I culled up with one fish slightly, but it clued me in.”

By the end of the day, Morris had fished every rounded clump he could find and worked his way to an almost 20-pound limit. He flipped junebug in practice but switched to white on Day Three, which made all the difference.

Andy Morgan Claims Hometown Win on Lake Chickamauga at Bass Pro Tour Econo Lodge Stage Four presented by Winn Grips

Pitching trees scores Morgan big win!
Major League Fishing Press Release

Andy Morgan claims big win on strength of flipping and spinnerbait.
(Photo: MLF)

From the moment he announced his intention to compete on the Major League Fishing® (MLF) Bass Pro Tour, Tennessee pro Andy Morgan was tabbed by his fellow competitors as an angler to watch. Based on both his exceptional 23-year career and his catch-every-fish-that-swims fishing style, Morgan came into the season as a near-universal pick by his contemporaries to take home one of the eight regular-season Bass Pro Tour trophies. 

 

It turns out that Morgan's first Bass Pro Tour trophy didn't have far to travel: 7.1 miles from Lake Chickamauga to the trophy room in his home in Dayton.  

 

Fishing a lake that he grew up on - and finishing the day in a pocket that he and his dad have won "a number of April tournaments in over the years" - Morgan weighed in 34 Lake Chickamauga largemouth for 80-0 pounds to run away with the Championship Round of the Econo Lodge Stage Four presented by Winn Grips. 

 

"I wanted to win one more tournament on Chickamauga," Morgan admitted. "I can't explain how hard it is to win an event at this level, and I can't explain just how bad I wanted to win right here in front of my family and friends - I wanted it bad. It means the world to me to be able to come out here on this lake where I won my first tournament when I was 15, fish against this bunch of guys, and get that trophy. I'm awful proud of it." 

 

Jared Lintner finished second with 60-7, Todd Faircloth was third with 59-5, Jacob Powroznik was fourth with 54-4 and Mike Iaconelli completed the Top 5 with 54-2.    

 

   

Morgan Committed to One Spot Early 

 

Morgan fished Championship Sunday as one would expect a seasoned veteran to work his home fishery, committing his entire championship round to a long backwater north of Dayton that locals refer to as "The Branch". Morgan woke up on Championship Sunday, looked at the weather forecast calling for heavy morning rain and afternoon winds, and knew immediately that he had an outstanding chance for a big day in two sloughs inside "The Branch".  

 

Jordan Lee Wins Inaugural MLF Bass Pro Tour with 50-01lbs

Third-period flurry key to win.

By Joel Shangle

BPT PRESS RELEASE

Bladed jig vaults Lee to first MLF BPT Trophy!
(Photo: BPT)

Is there any level of fishing competition that MLF pro Jordan Lee doesn’t excel at? So far in the Alabama pro’s career, it sure doesn’t seem like he has any limitations.

Lee won a national collegiate championship in 2013 at the age of 21, and put back-to-back Bassmaster Classic trophies on his mantle in Grant, Ala., in 2017 and 2018. At the age of 27, Lee owns the most prolific Top 10 success rate in the sport (he’s made the Top 10 in just over 35 percent of his tour-level tournaments).

And now a 43-pound piece of hardware that nobody else will ever be able to claim: the inaugural MLF Bass Pro Tour championship trophy.

After finding an area of clean water on the north end of Lake Garcia, Lee put together a flurry of 2- and 3-pounders in the third period winding a vibrating jig through the grass, adding over 32 pounds to SCORETRACKER in the period to distance himself from Edwin Evers and Jared Lintner.

Lee finished the day with 55-1 on 26 to Evers’ 44-3 and Lintner’s 33-9.

“(The third period) was an unbelievable period,” Lee said. “I fished my way into that last area and got bite after bite after bite – and caught good ones, too – and just found myself in a spot with clear water and a lot of fish. Fish were moving in to spawn, so there were bigger fish in there. Edwin was coming on strong right there at the end, it feels pretty darn good.”

Evers did his best to overtake Lee. The Oklahoma pro matched Lee fish-for-fish in the final 2 ½ hours of competition – Evers and Lee both caught 16 fish – but couldn’t match Lee’s quality. Only three of Evers’ fish in the period were over 2 pounds, while 11 of Lee’s were between 2-4 and 4-11.

“I had the bites today, I just wasn’t on the right fish,” Evers said. “It was that simple. I thought I’d find a few bigger ones, but I never could get on bigger ones consistently.”

Lintner looked like he might be the man to beat until Lee and Evers put the hammer down in the final period. The Southern California pro put back-to-back fish of 4-1 and 3-15 on SCORETRACKER late in Period 1 flipping a 3-inch hand-poured black/blue/silver-flake craw, and then took the lead just before the end of Period 2 with the Berkley Big Bass of the day, a 5-5.

His flipping bite faltered in the final period, though. Lintner landed six scorable fish in the final 2 ½ hours, all but one of them between 1-3 and 1-7.

The battle for fourth through seventh was the tightest grouping of the day. Anthony Gagliardi finished fourth with 24-5, trailed by Alton Jones, Jr., (23-3), Randy Howell (22-2) and Michael Neal (21-8). Jess Sprague (18-9), Dustin Connell (14-12) and Takahiro Omori (12-11) finished out the Championship Rounds standings.

Up Next: Conroe here we come

Stage Two of the MLF Bass Pro Tour kicks off Feb. 12-17 in Conroe, Texas, where the 80-angler field will compete on Lake Conroe. This 21,000-acre impoundment of the San Jacinto River north of Houston hosted the 2017 Bassmaster Classic (won by Jordan Lee) and the Toyota Texas Bass Classic (MLF angler Dave Lefebre won the 2009 TTBC there), and is one of Texas’ most prolific producers of trophy-sized largemouth.

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.”
 

Shimano's Curado I Baitcasting Reels with Jared Lintner and IBASSIN

Listen as BASS Elite angler Jared Lintner explains why the Shimano Curado I is one of the best "work horse" reels on the market. Punching, crankings, buzzbait, spinnerbait, it doesn't matter because the Shimano Curado I has the correct gear ratio for you.

Shimano gives you more with the new Curado I series reels. Now featuring the latest in Shimano fishing reel technology and offered in multiple gear ratios, Curado builds on its legacy as the ‘go to’ baitcasting reel for both fresh and saltwater action.

Freedom Tackle Corp. and BASS Elite Series Pro Jared Lintner Join Forces.

"We are excited to have Jared as part of our Pro Staff team for 2015. Jared is a great angler, we believe he'll be one of the best again this year."

Freedom Tackle Corp. is known for their patented interchangeable hook design which allows anglers to use any brand or style of hook on their jigs/spinner baits for total customization.

Freedom Tackle Corp.'s "Hydra" (Swim bait head) was one of Jared's favourite baits during his 2014 Elite Series season.

"We are strong advocates of the 'Future of Fishing' and Jared is a great

ambassador in educating and supporting the 'next generation' of anglers. The

sport of fishing is changing...and we welcome Jared to the Freedom Tackle

Revolution

2014 Bassmaster Elite Toledo Bend Day 3: Dean Rojas take lead and ready for his third victory here!

Rojas rules Toledo Bend again. 

By Deb Johnson

bass press release

MANY, La. — Toledo Bend Reservoir produced a little something extra — lagniappe in Louisiana French-speak — for Dean Rojas on Saturday.

This beauty along with a sizeable sack launched Dean
into the lead.
(Photo: BASS)

Actually, that something extra was very large: a 7-pound, 2-ounce largemouth bass. And it proved to be the catch that made all the difference for Rojas on the third day of the May 1-4 Evan Williams Bourbon Bassmaster Elite on Toledo Bend.

Because of the big cull his 7-2 made possible, Rojas turned his day around. The so-so limit he would have had became a good day’s catch of 17-14.

Best of all, the 7-2 helped him to a 2-10 advantage over Friday leader Jacob Powroznik.

“I was fortunate today to have that big one that separated me from having a small limit,” said Rojas, who’s from Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

It helped that Powroznik tripped. He managed just 11-13 Saturday. Those bass put his total to 60-1, good enough for second, but not enough to stay in the catbird seat, the spot Rojas captured with his 62-11 total going into the final competition on Sunday.

2014 Bassmaster Elite Toledo Bend Day 2: Powroznik Powers To Lead, Rojas Closing In!

Former FLW Pro Takes Lead at Toledo Bend

By Deb Johnson

bass press release

MANY, La. — Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Jacob Powroznik had been to Toledo Bend Reservoir just once before he came to the May 1-4 Evan Williams Bourbon Bassmaster Elite.

Powroznik ahead of former Toledo Bend Champ Rojas
by 3 pounds.
(Photo: Seigo Saito BASS)

Dean Rojas has a wealth of experience on the lake; his 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series victory on Toledo Bend proved that.

Yet these polar opposites — at least when it comes to the famed big-bass factory on the Louisiana-Texas border — were the top two anglers after Friday, the second day of competition.

And it was the rookie who led the veteran; Powroznik had 3 pounds, 7 ounces on Rojas.

Powroznik, who is from Port Haywood, Va., added 23-6 Friday to his Thursday weight of 24-14 for a two-day total of 48-4. He inched up from third place to take the lead.

2014 Bassmaster Elite Toledo Bend Day 1: Jared Lintner Leads with 25 pounds!

Jared Keep AOY Streak Alive

By Deb Johnson

BASS PRESS RELEASE

MANY, La. — Jared Lintner went to extremes Thursday, the first day of the May 1-4 Evan Williams Bourbon Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend out of Many, La.

Jared sacks 25.7lbs and the lead. Expect major
changes in the leader board throughout the tournament as
big bass abound.
(Photo: Seigo Saito BASS)

He was especially extreme in his choice of fishing lines from lightweight to unbreakable. “I caught them on 10-pound fluorocarbon and 80-pound braid,” said the Californian from Arroyo Grande. “I didn’t get very many bites with the braid, but they were good ones.”

Good enough to help him amass 25 pounds, 7 ounces of bass to take the lead by 7 ounces over J Todd Tucker of Moultrie, Ga., who weighed 25-0 for second place.

In third after one round was Elite Series rookie Jacob Powroznik of Port Haywood, Va., with 24-14. Fourth place was taken by another Californian, Chris Zaldain of San Jose. His weight was 22-6, including an 8-12 on 6-pound-test line in an around-the-boat chase that “took forever” but was, he said, probably less than two minutes in real time.

ICAST 2013 New IOBEE Frog from JACKALL with Jared Lintner and IBASSIN

2013 ICAST we find Bass Elite Angler Jared Lintner  in the Jackall booth. He explains to IBASSIN.com all the great things about the IOBEE topwater frog.

ICAST 2013 The New Jackall ASKA squarebill crankbait with Jared Lintner...

2013 ICAST finds IBASSIN.com in the Jackall booth. B.A.S.S. Elite angler Jared Lintner explains all the features of the ASKA squarebill crankbait. This crankbait really looks sharp.

The Swimming Ninja: Jared Lintner's Secret Bed Fishing Bait.

By Luigi De Rose

Jared Lintner, BASS Elite star, has been refining a secret bed fishing technique that will work for you. Conventional wisdom dictates dropping miniature soft plastic baits onto the nest of bedding bass.  This is a standard technique but during multi-day, high profile tournaments, anglers have to be unconventional.  Jared ensures this technique is so simple it will work for anyone.  Actually, it might be even more effective for the average guy because it is so simple to do.

Being a moulded swimbait ensures it has a super natural swimming action.

Bedding bass hate panfish. Panfish raid nests devouring eggs and fry. Spawning bass know the dangers and kill any panfish that ventures too close.  Lindner incorporates this knowledge to catch some of the biggest bass of the year.

Jackall Pro Jared Lintner on Bed Fishing the Clone Gill

Regardless of where you bass fish, bed fishing is exciting. IBASSIN got to chat to Bassmaster Elite pro Jared Lintner. He shared in wisdom on how he catches bedding bass.

“I and the bass look for the pockets that are quiet and out of the way. Stay away from areas that get heavy boat traffic or high waves.” Explains the 8-year touring pro.  The pockets that face east warm up quickly and draw in a majority of the bass, especially the biggest ones.

Jared Lintner knows the value of the
Jackall Clone Gill.

One bait that shines the brightest for bed fishing is the Jackall Clone Gill. This soft plastic bait perfectly duplicates annoying panfish.  The Clone Gill is the perfect shape and size of a Blue Gill. “These fish raid bass beds. They are the worst enemy of the bass and bass will chase them off their bed.” Explains Jared, a California pro.

“The key to fishing the Clone Gill is to drop it right on the bed and shake it.” Advises Jared. After he makes the perfect cast and adds a few shakes the bass should eat it. It can be that simple.

Jackall’s line of clone baits perfectly matches natural prey. Jared loves the fact that these baits are compact yet solid enough to handle a solid hook.

He rigs the bait with a 2/0 Gamakatsu hook and teams it with a 1/4oz to 1/2oz bullet weight. It might seem heavy but it helps make great casts and assists the bait's glide.  Jared rigs this bait Texas style with the bait on its side. Having the bait rigged sideways really makes it spiral.

Another great rig is drop shotting the Clone Gill. Jared switches from the EWG hook to the Weedless Wicked Wacky hook. He nose hooks the bait and plops it on the bed. The Clone Gill is firm enough to be re-rigged several times yet hold its integrity.  This well-made bait becomes a real asset when working a big bass on a bed.

Here is Jared Lintner’s gear list:

Rod: G Loomis 895 JWR casting rod

Reel: Shimano Core 100mg 7

Line: 20 Lb Sunline Shooter

Best colours: Baby Blue Gill, Blue Gill and Crappie

(Make sure local laws on bed fishing are always followed)

Bassmaster Elite Alabama Charge: The Sawgrass Connection



The sawgrass connection.

 Rick Clun stated years ago that finding a pattern within a pattern is how to win a Bassmaster tournament. This week on Pickwick Lake the water was high. This time of year with the water high means bass in the bushes. That seemed to be the obvious pattern for a spring tournament. When Denny Brauer took the Day 1 lead everyone one knew the bushes were on. Denny is the flipping man and he won his first tournaments in the 1980s in Texas by flipping and pitching jigs into the buck brush and shoreline cover.

Yet, the astute anglers found something more, a pattern within a pattern. The In-Fisherman crew, a multi-species magazine and TV crew started by Ron and Al Linder, would consider this a spot on a spot if we were talking about deep water structure fishing. There is always something distinct that makes one place better than another and this week it was Sawgrass. This yellow bullrush looking grass typically grows on hard, rocky bottom. Bass were seeking hard bottom to spawn. Find the sawgrass meant finding hard bottom. Which in turn meant finding suitable bottom for making a bed. The tournament started as a pre-spawn tournament but slowly turned into a spawning tournament as the week progressed. Again, always focusing on the changes is what keeps the top on top.
Alton Jones, Denny Brauer, Bobby Lane, Jared Lintner, Greg Hackney, along with many others focused on the sawgrass and it seemed to make a world of difference.

All photos from  Rob Russow and James Overstreet (BASS)

Bassmaster Elite Alabama Charge Day 1: Brauer Bests Them All

Brauer Battles to the Top on Day 1

Pickwick Lake — Florence, Ala

April 6-10 | Weigh-ins at 4 p.m. CT

Deb Johnson
Bassmaster.com
Bassmaster.com Press Release
FLORENCE, Ala. -- Denny Brauer's five largemouth were not unusual on Wednesday. Trick was, his five included a 7-pound, 12-ounce lunker and four look-alikes, enough bass to be boss for the day at the Alabama Charge on Pickwick Lake.

Chasing smallmouth in the fast tail water will be a 
factor. (Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Brauer, with 23-10, was just 2 ounces in front of Davy Hite, who had a mixed smallmouth-largemouth bag that went 23-8. Brauer was also 8 ounces ahead of Jared Lintner's 23-2 worth of largemouths. Those three put a little distance between themselves and Paul Elias, fourth with 20-11, and Matt Herren, fifth with 20-10.
The leaders in the Bassmaster Elite Series' third stop of the season successfully targeted largemouth bass on a lake known for its smallmouth. A rough estimate by observers was that 90 percent of Wednesday's bass were largemouths, a flip from the 2010 event, when many more smallmouth bass -- about 75 percent of the total -- were brought to the scales.
Brauer, the 1997 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year and champ of the 1998 Bassmaster Classic -- just one of his 16 Bassmaster career wins -- said he didn't expect the weights to be as high as they were.
"I attribute that to the prespawn, rather than to the postspawn when we were here last year," Brauer said. "Some of the fish are as fat as any I've seen. It's a very, very healthy fishery and the timing could not be better."
Brauer targeted largemouth by flipping and pitching, using stout equipment to pull them out of heavy cover.
"Nothing special," he said. "Just covering a lot of water, trying to get one or two of the right bites, which I did. That's the key in a tournament like this. I had one in practice over 8 (pounds) so I knew the possibility existed there for a big bite."

Running the flooded timber and shoreline cover
will also be a factor. (Photo: Rob Russow BASS)

Brauer said he would have locked up into Wilson Lake to get away from fluctuating water levels of Pickwick, but with the lock closed for repairs, he had to figure out how to work around the swelling, then falling levels.
A drop in water might help him Thursday when he tries to repeat his pattern and go for at least one big bite of the day. Despite the fact he's sharing water with many other anglers, he'll go back to the same area and try to repeat his first day.
"I don't know another way to catch a big bag right now than what I'm doing," said Brauer, who lives in Camdenton, Mo.
Hite, two-time AOY and 1999 Classic winner from Ninety Six, S.C., said he ran up and down the lake several times, hitting spots up near the Wilson Dam for smallmouth, then down the lake for largemouth.
"I had two groups of fish, and unfortunately they were a long way from one another," he said.
On the lower end of Pickwick, he fished what amounted to private water, but it was the reverse up near Wilson Dam, the smallmouth community hole.