2024 MAXAM Tire Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River Day 3: Cory Johnston Take 14 Pound Lead into Final Day!

Canadians Chris Johnston 3rd, Gallant 31st & Gustafson 101st. 

By David A. Brown

BASS PRESS Release

PALATKA, Fla. — With less competition, but more company, Cory Johnston leveraged late-day heroics to extend his lead on Day 3 of the MAXAM Tire Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River.

Bolstering his first two days’ weights of 23-3 and 27-8, the seasoned pro from Otonabee, Canada, added a Semifinal Saturday limit of 23-2 to tally 73-13 and hold on to the lead he set on Day 2.

“It’s been an incredible week, but it’s one of those things — if it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen,” Johnston said. “The past two days, I caught a big one on the last cast. We’re just going to go out tomorrow, go fishing and see what happens.”

Leading Texan Brad Whatley by 14 pounds, Johnston spent his day looking for bed fish in Salt Springs, which runs off the northwest side of Lake George. He had far fewer competitors in the area, but with weekend pleasure boaters packing into this popular area, he had to account for more noise and habitat disturbance.

“They stir the water up a little bit, but you just keep looking and looking and looking and eventually you come across them,” Johnston said.

2024 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors on Grand Lake Day 1: Justin Hamner Scores 22-06lbs for Lead!

Canadians Chris Johnston 17th, Gallant 28th, Gustafson 29th & Cory Johnston 38th!

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS Release

TULSA, Okla. — “I’m leading the Bassmaster Classic,” said Justin Hamner, sounding as much like he was asking a question as making a statement. 

But it was 100% true. 

The young pro from Northport, Ala., weighed in 22 pounds, 6 ounces Friday to take the Day 1 lead at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors. The fourth-year member of the Bassmaster Elite Series found a pattern on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees that placed him just over a pound ahead of Missouri pro Cody Huff and continued the flow of what has been a dream 2024 season. 

“This whole year has just been so much fun,” said Hamner, who opened his Elite Series season with a 14th-place finish at Toledo Bend and a third-place showing at Lake Fork last month. “I’ve just been fishing free and doing what I want to do with no stress. I’m just going back to my roots and bass fishing knowing it’s my only job for the first time ever.

“It still hits me sometimes that this is the first year that I don’t have to have a side job anymore. This is what I do now — and obviously, I couldn’t be any happier than I am right now.”

2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Okeechobee Day 2: Martin Maintains Lead!

David A. Brown

BASS Press Release

CLEWISTON, Fla. — Slowing down and methodically fishing his areas, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Scott Martin maintained his lead on Day 2 of the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Okeechobee presented by SEVIIN with a catch of 25 pounds, 13 ounces.

Added to his massive Day 1 catch of 33-2, Martin has a two-day total of 58-15 — good for a lead of 7-13 over Tucker Smith of Birmingham, Ala., who is holding down second place with 51-2.

Martin, who grew up in Clewiston and guided out of his family’s marina, which is hosting the event, raved about the opportunity to shine in front of so many familiar faces.

“It’s a blessing to be standing here in front of my hometown crowd, my whole family and friends,” Martin said. “I grew up right here and watched my dad (nine-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year Roland Martin) win a Bassmaster tournament here and that was kind of the defining moment for me. I practiced with him and he gave me credit onstage for helping him. That’s when I thought to myself, ‘I might be able to do this."

“To be able to win this thing, I have a lot of work ahead of me. But this lake has been good to me.”
Martin returned to the general area that produced his Day 1 mega bag, but he worked several different spots. Throwing a mix of reaction baits and pitching-style baits, Martin said a measured pace was essential for producing his bites.
“Like I said yesterday, patience was the key,” he said. “I was just taking it one fish at a time.

2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Okeechobee Day 1: Scott Martin Drops 30 Plus Limit!

Martin mashes 33 pounds, 2 ounces to take Day 1 lead at Okeechobee

Clewiston resident Scott Martin smashes 33-02lbs to grab
leaded on Day 1. (Photo Andy Crawford/BASS)

David A. Brown

BASS Press Release 

CLEWISTON, Fla. — Local knowledge certainly helped, but Bassmaster Elite Series pro Scott Martin said patience was the key to his massive limit of 33 pounds, 2 ounces, which leads Day 1 of the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Okeechobee presented by SEVIIN.
Martin, who grew up fishing Florida’s largest lake, heads into Day 2 with a lead of 5-12 over Tucker Smith of Birmingham, Ala.
“When you fish in Florida, you have to be slow and methodical and make accurate casts and pitches,” Martin said. “That’s the only reason I caught ’em — I stayed very patient.”
Noting that he did not fish the same places he targeted during the 2023 Elite Series opener on his home lake, Martin said he dialed in his main area late Wednesday afternoon. Knowing how to exploit what he found was the difference maker.

2023 Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole Day 1: Will Davis Jr. Grabs Lead with 21-13lbs!

Canadians: Cory Johnston 32th, Gallant 37th, Chris Johnston 38th &  Gustafson 56th

Will Davis Jr. of Sylacauga, Ala., is leading after Day 1 of the 2023 Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole with 21 pounds, 13 ounces. (Photo: BASS)

BASS PRESS RELEASE 

BAINBRIDGE, Ga. — Will Davis Jr. didn’t get what he wanted, but he made the most of what he got and sacked up a Day 1 limit of 21 pounds, 13 ounces to take the lead in the Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole.

 

Coming off a 14th-place finish in his first Elite event — last week’s SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee — the pro from Sylacauga, Ala., heads into Day 2 with a 7-ounce lead over Australian pro Carl Jocumsen.

 

“I’m a bigtime bed fisherman, but it just didn’t pan out well this week,” Davis said of his preferred game plan. “I went to my strength, which is power fishing in the river.”

 

Davis, the 2022 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation champion, said he knew the lake’s lower end was receiving a lot of pressure. Electing to fish the mouth of the Flint River proved to be a prudent call.

 

“I started really close working a crankbait, but I was catching only small fish, so I knew I needed to make a move,” Davis said. “I picked up a spinnerbait and fished current breaks and caught two of my biggest ones.

 

“The current breaks were little indentions in the bank. They had to be close to a little feeder pocket; it had to be where they’re staging.”

 

Davis caught his bass on a shad-colored FISHCO crankbait and the Xwire spinnerbait, both made by Davis Bait Company, which is owned by his father, Will Davis Sr. The spinnerbait had a peacock-color skirt, which comprised blue glimmer, chartreuse and pink strands and tandem willow-leaf Colorado blades.

 

2023 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee Day 1: Bernie Schultz Leads 28-11lbs!

Canadians: Gallant 9th, Gustafson 21st, Chris Johnston 23rd  & Cory Johnston 95th

Bernie Schultz of Gainesville, Fla., is leading after Day 1 of the 2023 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee with 28 pounds, 11 ounces. (Photo: BASS)

BASS PRESS RELEASE

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — Expectations did not match reality for Bernie Schultz, but the veteran Florida pro was delighted with a surprising day that yielded a five-bass limit of 28 pounds, 11 ounces, which leads Day 1 of the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee.

 

Hailing from Gainesville, Fla., Schultz anchored his bag with an 8-10 that leads the Phoenix Boats Big Bass standings. He heads into Day 2 with a 3-pound lead over local favorite Scott Martin.

 

“It was a remarkable day; I didn’t expect to catch that,” Schultz said. “I thought I’d get one — if I was lucky maybe two — big bites, but I got four big bites.”

 

Schultz caught his bass in two main sections of one general area that he found prior to the off-limits period. With depths of about 3 feet, the area held a mix of vegetation — a key ingredient, given the lake’s present condition.

 

High water has altered much of the traditional spawning areas, while herbicide treatments have dramatically reduced the hydrilla and eelgrass that once covered vast acreage. The area Schultz fished had a mix of these submerged aquatic plants, along with dollar pads, bulrush and cattails.

 

“I knew this area was going to be good because the vegetation is very healthy; that’s really a rare thing in this lake these days,” Schultz said. “The lake has shrunk because of habitat loss. Places that were once lush and healthy are barren right now.

 

“There’s not a lot of filtration in places that were historically really productive this time of year because the fish aren’t using them.”

2023 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals on Lake Okeechobee Day 1: David Walker Smashes 28-01lbs; Gallelli 26-11lbs

By EriK Gaffron

MLF PRESS RELEASE

CLEWISTON, Fla. – Day 1 of the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals on Lake Okeechobee was an absolute banger, with 15 pros weighing 20 pounds or more to kick off Power-Pole Stop 1 Presented by Phoenix Boats. In the lead, David Walker stacked up 28 pounds, 1 ounce to edge out Italian pro Jacopo Gallelli (26-11) in second. Behind the top two, Jason Vance and Tai Au also crossed the 25-pound mark, and 18 pounds was good for just 30th after Day 1.

Walker’s day started trending in the right direction from the jump, boating a keeper just a few casts into his morning.

“You know, it started good, but it didn’t start with big fish,” he said. “It just started with some bites. In the area I went to I was sure I could get some bites there. I’d had a few bites there in practice and just kept going through it. I caught one about a 2-something (pounder); I didn’t make two or three casts and thought ‘well, that’s good, there’s still some more fish here.” 

Not long after, Walker was able to boat a 4 1/2-pound fish that flipped the switch on his day. 

“I was really surprised because I didn’t expect that (caliber of) fish there, and little did I know I’d end up culling that fish. I mean, what a day,” he said.

TOP 10 BELOW

John Crews Wins 2022 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River!

John Crews of Salem, Va., has won the 2022 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns 

River with a four-day total of 75 pounds, 4 ounces. Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S

.BASS PRESS RELEASE

PALATKA, Fla. — Mother Nature did not serve up slam-dunk potential, but John Crews leveraged a stellar start and paired it with steady productivity to win the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River with a four-day total of 75 pounds, 4 ounces.

 Edging Bob Downey of Hudson, Wis., by 1 1/4 pounds, Crews won the top prize of $100,000 and added another blue trophy to the one he claimed a dozen years ago on the California Delta.

 

“I’ve said it 100 times, ‘When it’s your time, it’s your time,’” Crews said. “This week, it was just my time.”
 

Crews, who finished second and fifth at the St. Johns Elite in 2020 and 2019, respectively, took the Day 1 lead with 28 pounds — the event’s third-heaviest bag, behind the 31-15 that John Cox weighed on Day 3 and Downey’s Day 4 limit of 29-3. Crews’ opening catch included an 8-1.

 

After adding 17-3 on Day 2, Crews fought through a tougher semifinal round on Saturday to catch a 13-pound limit, anchored by a 6-pounder. On Championship Sunday, he sealed the win with 17-1.

 

Starting his 17th year on the Elite Series, Crews acknowledged the supreme challenge of a clean sweep and said consistency drove him to victory. He fished clean, lost no keepers and made good decisions throughout a week marked by moody Florida weather and unsettled fish.

2020 FLW Pro Circuit Lake Martin Day 3: Jason Abram Continue Lead with 41-06 lbs!

Shallow largemouth key for top anglers 
By Sean Ostruszka

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Shallow bite and skinny dipper key to larger bites for Abram
(Photo: FLW)

About 2 1/2 pounds separate Kerry Milner in 10th place and Ron Nelson in second. That’s the same amount separating tournament leader Jason Abram from Nelson going into the final day.

In what has been a remarkably tight Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit event on Lake Martin, Abram did something very important today: Despite losing a 5-pounder and a 3-pounder, he still found a way to separate himself from the pack. His 12-6 limit was the third largest of the day, and it pushed him to 41-6 total.

As was showcased on day one, Lake Martin does have some kickers swimming around in it, and just one from any pro in the top 10 tomorrow could make a close tournament all that much closer. In talking with many of the guys chasing Abram, it sounds like they’ll be swinging for kickers tomorrow to try and catch him.

That makes the 5-pounder Abram lost today (and the 5-pounder he lost yesterday) all that much more important, especially since his pattern seems to be dying both because of a lack of sun and falling water.

“It [the falling water] definitely has been a problem for me,” says Abram. “The fish I’ve been catching have been dirt shallow; like in 10 inches of water.”

Despite the deteriorating conditions, he’s still getting the right bites. 

Just as he did the previous two days, Abram started out burning the bank in the mid-lake region in search of a quick limit of spotted bass.

“They’re just random banks I’m paralleling with a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper,” says Abram. “I think the spots [spotted bass] are just pushing bait up against the bank, because I’ll go a while and then catch three or four quick. It’s like a pod swam up and I’ll catch them.”

That gave him a “confidence-booster” limit by 9 a.m. today, and once the sun peeked out just a bit around 10:30, he immediately switched to his largemouth pattern, with instant results.

“The first bite I got was that big one I lost,” says Abram. “Then I caught two more after that within 30 minutes.”

2019 BPT Lake Conroe Pool 1 Day 2: Wesley Strader Seal the Deal with 56lbs!

Strader rallies in skinny water

By Joel Shangle

Wesley Strader put enough fish on SCORETRACKER to finish on top of Group A.
(Photo: BPT)

With the first Elimination Round of the MLF Bass Pro Tour Huk Stage Two presented by Favorite Fishing officially in the books, Wesley Strader can take a quick breath of relief and rest up for Saturday’s Knockout Round.

Even more importantly, he can let his best water rest, too.

After adding 23 pounds to to his Shotgun Round total of 33-0 – bringing his two-day total to 56-0 – Strader heads into the semi-final round on top of the 40-man Group A, exactly 1 pound ahead of Bobby Lane (55-0). But Strader is quick to acknowledge that the competition has now become as much a game of strategy as of picking apart the water at Lake Conroe.

The East Tennessee pro summed it up best right after he put his last fish of Period 2 – a 4-4 – on SCORETRACKER: “I don’t care who passes me, I’m out of here,” Strader said as he Power-Poled up and backed his way out of the narrow creek he had been fishing to go scout new water. 

Strader would eventually add another three fish to his total in Period 3 to claim the top spot in the group, but used the entire period as a scouting exercise, hoping to find “the juice” for Saturday, when the weights zero.

“I looked around more than I fished today,” Strader admitted. “I have a real specific (condition) I’m looking for – when I see it, I catch one about 75 percent of the time. But this thing I’m looking for is really hard to find, and I have to cover a lot of water on the trolling motor to find it. I feel like I can go behind guys and catch them, though, because I have a real specific bait that they really like. Hopefully I can make that work again on Saturday.” 

The majority of the Top 10 – most of whom were in good shape on SCORETRACKER when competition began, anyway – followed Strader’s lead.

ICAST 2018: Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow with Todd Woods

California pro angler Todd Woods deals with high fishing pressure and clear water. Listen as he explains why the Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow is a great fishing catching bait. Todd uses it on the tournament trail and so should you.

2018 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest Lake Travis Day 3: Drew Benton Captures Lead with 51lbs.

Low light key to leaders
Thomas Allen
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Benton focused on marinas to sack big bass early.
(Photo: BASS)

Drew Benton of Panama City, Fla., caught an impressive five-bass limit that weighed 20 pounds, 4 ounces during today’s semi-final round to take command of the top spot at the 2018 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at Lake Travis.
 
Benton, the 2016 Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year, pushed his three-day total weight up to 51 pounds.
 
With $1 million in total payout, $100,000 of which to be paid to the top finisher, the tournament champion will also earn a coveted berth in the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods in Knoxville, Tenn.
 
Benton said he’s focusing on the Lake Travis bass and not the blue championship trophy or the paycheck.
 
At least not yet.

“I’ve still got a full day of fishing ahead of me, so I can’t afford to think about how much winning would mean to me at this point,” Benton said. “Don’t get me wrong, I know how hard it is to win on the Elite Series, and I want it badly. It’s just important that I stay focused throughout the day.”
 
Benton said he was able to isolate a couple of productive fishing patterns over the past three days of competition — both time-of-day dependent.
 
“The low-light action early in the morning has been critical to my limits,” he said. “The morning bite has been lasting longer each day, and with a chance of rain and cloud cover likely all daytomorrow, I think my early pattern could stay strong for quite a while.”
 

2018 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest Lake Travis Day 2: Jacob Wheeler Leaps into Lead!

Thomas Allen
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Junk fishing key for Wheeler's lead.
(Photo: BASS)

Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tenn., fished “a hodge-podge" of lures, techniques and depths Friday to catch 18 pounds, 3 ounces of largemouth bass and take command of the 2018 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on Lake Travis.
 
“The way I’ve been catching my bass this week has been through a long list of tactics, lures and locations,” he said. “I’ve been fishing ‘hodge-podge.’ That’s the best way I can explain it. But that’s really how I like to fish, and it’s been working well for me.”
 
This isn’t the first time the second-year Bassmaster pro has been in the lead. Wheeler has two Elite Series victories to his credit, but Texas Fest carries more weight than a regular-season tournament.
 
His two-day weight of 35-7 moves him closer to the $100,000 first-place payday and a coveted berth into the 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.The 27-year-old said he had 18 rods on the deck of his boat during Friday’s second round of competition, but he claimed to have learned more about his pattern as the day went on.
 
“I dialed in on them a little more today,” Wheeler said. “Not enough to say I’m confident in winning this tournament. Not just yet. I used most of the rods I had out, and I caught fish from 6 inches of water to 40 feet and I hit a bunch of spots. It was a hodge-podge day.”
 
Most pro anglers keep their cards close to the vest at this point in major tournaments, but he did say his big fish were coming from a couple specific structural elements.
 
“I still think it’s going to take 15 to 17 pounds a day to win on Lake Travis,” he said. “I’ve kept myself in position to potentially win even if I have a tough Saturday or Sunday. I'm very happy with how my day went, and I hope I can stay consistent into tomorrow.”
 

2018 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest Lake Travis Day 1: Hanselman Captures Lead with 21-05lbs!

Cliff Pace with 10 pounder!
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Morning bite key to big bass success.
(Photo: BASS)

A heavy, 21-pound, 15-ounce limit of largemouth bass, anchored by an impressive 7-9 big fish, put Ray Hanselman Jr. of Del Rio, Texas, in the lead after the opening round of competition at the 2018 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on Lake Travis.
 
Texas Fest offers fans a unique format under which the majority of the fish are caught, weighed and immediately released. Each pro is allowed to keep one big bass that measures more than 18 inches.
 
Each big bass will be brought to the scales, weighed and showed off to the Bassmaster cameras. The bass are then immediately returned to Lake Travis after the weigh-in has concluded.
 
Hanselman grew up in South Texas, and has guided bass fisherman on legendary Lake Amistad for many years. After noticing many similarities between Lake Travis and Amistad, he was confident in what he needed to do.
 
“The water color on Lake Travis is very similar to Amistad. But the biggest difference is there isn’t any grass here,” Hanselman said. “I just clicked with this lake. I’ve fished many of the other lakes in this chain and they are all pretty similar, but overall I don’t have much experience on this particular lake.”
 
The 45-year-old rookie earned an invitation to fish the Bassmaster Elite Series by finishing among the Top 5 in standings for the 2017 Bass Pro Shops Central Opens last year.
 
“The weather has been hot and calm, which makes my morning bite critical,” he said. “I’d feel a lot better about staying consistent if some clouds and wind would move in. It’s harder to fool these bass in water this clear.”
 
Lake Travis is known for its gin-clear water and substantial fishing pressure due to close proximity to Austin, Texas.
 
“Another 20-pound day is sure possible, but getting the right fish to bite at the right time is the challenge,” he said. “I caught my three big bass from the same stretch that was about 250 yards long. After that, I left it alone hoping to save some bigger fish for coming days of the tournament.”
 
Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., managed an impressive 21-2, which will have him starting Friday’ssecond round of competition in second place.
 
“I fished real clean today,” Lane said. “I caught three big fish and I got them into the boat without any problems. That doesn’t always happen, especially when you’re fishing around wires, cables, pipes and docks. Lake Travis is full of those types of things.”