2019 BPT Lake Conroe: Duckett Leads Top 10 Anglers into Championship Round

Stephan Browning jumps into Top 10 at very last moment!
By Rory Connellan
BPT PRESS RELEASE

Battle for the win starts tomorrow!
(Photo: BPT)

For the better part of the past year, Boyd Duckett has been "Mr. MLF" as he worked endlessly to establish the Major League Fishing® (MLF) Bass Pro Tour. But for the seven hours of competition in the Knockout Round of MLF Bass Pro Tour Huk Stage Two Conroe presented by Favorite Fishing, Duckett was "Mr. Consistency".

Duckett caught his first scorable bass 22 minutes into the competition at Lake Conroe and then steadily added fish to SCORETRACKER® throughout the morning and early afternoon, swimming a small worm. By the time Period 3 got underway, Duckett had already weighed 31 pounds, 14 ounces, and owned a 9-plus-pound lead on the field.  

 

The Alabama pro would eventually finish the day with 38-5 on 21 fish, followed by Gary Klein (30-1), Edwin Evers (29-2), Brent Ehrler (28-12) and Jordan Lee (28-12).

"I've always been decent at compartmentalizing my fishing and my work, but I just couldn't make fishing the most important thing at Toho," Duckett admitted, referring to the MLF Bass Pro Tour's inaugural event in Florida two weeks ago. "Coming into this one, I told everybody that I was going to concentrate on my fishing. It's been nice to just be an angler at this event."

And Duckett the angler has been consistently stout on Conroe from Day 1. He recorded 46 fish in his first three rounds, despite spending the majority of each competition day either looking for new water, or guarding what he considers his best area.    

"I like that this fishery is tough," Duckett said. "I've traditionally done well in events that are difficult to fish. You really have to figure out how to catch these fish, you can dial something in that's just a little bit different than what the other guys are doing."

Surviving the battle for the Championship 10

Randall Tharp (27-13), David Walker (27-10), Wesley Strader (27-5), Jeff Sprague (26-6) and Stephen Browning (25-13) filled out the Top 10 and will compete in the Championship. And while all five anglers endured their moments of stress, Browning had to work especially hard for his spot in the finals.

Entering the last 10 minutes of competition, Browning, Shin Fukae, Keith Poche, Andy Montgomery and Jonathan VanDam all sat within 14 ounces of each other in the race to make the 10 cut.   

Z-MAN Drop Shot Baits Dominating Elites

MDJ credits his first Elite with to Z-MAN.. Roughly twelve years prior to his top 5 finish at the recent Bassmaster Elite Series event at the St. Lawrence River, professional angler David Walker cast his first ElaZtech® bait. At the time, Walker and a number of his colleagues viewed the new material mostly as a fad, a bait trend that wouldn’t last. Turns out, with an increasing number of victories to its credit, the “alternative” softbaits might be more analogous to high-performance superlines and the way anglers once viewed them relative to monofilament. “When I first fished some of the early ElaZtech baits, I remember having a hard time believing how soft and yet how durable they were,” recalls Walker. “It took a bit of experimenting with rigging, and trying the different shapes and bait styles. But pretty much right away I realized just how deadly these baits could be—particularly as a jig or swimbait trailer.” For Walker and other anglers, however, the big revelation occurred following early trials with a dropshot rig. “The more you fish ElaZtech on a dropshot, the more you appreciate just how much the baits elevate your game. I mean, you’re not supposed to do things like catch over a hundred bass on a single softbait.”

Interestingly, it wasn’t until 2017 that Z-Man— the principal ElaZtech innovators— released their first dropshot-specific bait. A collaborative design by company confidants, biologists and industry insiders, the Trick ShotZ™ exhibits several radical qualities.

Josh Bertrand Wins 2018 BASS Elite St. Lawrence with 95-03lbs!

Bertrand also leads AOY!
By Thomas Allen

BASS PRESS RELEASE

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Drop shotting Berkley MaxScent key to big win.
(Photo: BASS)

After what he claimed was a tough day, Josh Bertrand of San Tan Valley, Ariz., mastered the New York smallmouth bass and produced a giant five-bass limit that weighed 23 pounds, 1 ounce to take home his first Bassmaster Elite Series championship today.
                                                                                                                                
Bertrand’s four-day total was 95-3, which earned him an impressive $100,000 payday in the Huk Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River presented by Black Velvet and valuable Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points.

The derby was the final regular-season event before the Top 50 pros in the points race advance to the AOY Championship at Georgia’s Lake Chatuge in mid-September.
 
Bertrand will begin the championship in second place in points, but taking home the coveted blue Bassmaster trophy at Waddington is a great way to cap off an extraordinary season.
 
“It’s hard to put into words how I feel right now,” he said. “I am so happy to have finally won one of these, and I’m excited to extend my season into the AOY Championship. But right now I’m going to let this victory sink in.”
 
The 29-year-old angler said the fishing on Championship Sunday was tougher than the previous three days.

“As it usually does, things were more of a struggle today, despite weighing over 23 pounds,” Bertrand said. “The key for me was confidence in my presentation. All week I’ve been catching my fish on a Berkley MaxScent Flat Worm, and I knew it was going to keep on producing — I just had to stick with it until the final minutes.”

That’s exactly what he did, and it paid off big time.
 

2018 BASS Elite St. Lawrence River Day 3: David Walker Takes Lead with 72-05lbs!

Walker leads by 3 ounces.

By Thomas Allen

BASS PRESS RELEASE

David Walker drop shotting his way into the lead.
(Photo: BASS)

For the third day in a row, David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., stayed consistent with huge smallmouth bass to take the top spot heading into the final round of the 2018 Huk Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River presented by Black Velvet.
 
Walker caught a five-bass limit that weighed 22 pounds, 15 ounces to push his three-day total to 72-5 — giving himself a legitimate shot at the $100,000 first-place prize.
 
The last time the 12-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier took home top honors was in 2011 during an Elite Series derby on Alabama’s Wheeler Lake.
 
“It’s been way too long since I won on this tour, and I’m itching to take home another trophy,” Walker said. “It’s so hard to win at this level, so I know better than to take good days for granted, and the last couple of days were nothing short of magical. I sure hope I can keep the consistency going for one more day.”

Walker started Thursday’s opening round in second place, remained the same on Friday, and now he is in the lead by only 3 ounces. Arizona’s Josh Bertrand is in second after he weighed 23-9 for a three-day total of 72-2.
 
Just like most of the Top 50 anglers at this event, Walker has been moving often from spot to spot, drifting a dropshot across assorted types of structural elements. But he feels his presentation is different enough that it’s continuing to appeal to larger smallmouth bass.
 
“I shared a few spots with other anglers this week, but tomorrow I think I’ll have most of them to myself, which should only help me,” he said. “I know it sounds strange, but I know of too many places to catch a quality limit. I really had to focus on what I felt were the best locations today. I have no plans to change my game plan tomorrow. It’s been working wonders, why fix what isn’t broken?” 
 
This derby is the final regular-season event before the Top 50 pros in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race will advance to the AOY Championship event at Georgia’s Lake Chatuge in mid-September.
 

2018 BASS Elite St. Lawrence River Day 2: Lester Leads with 50-01lbs!

Huge flip flop of the leader board!

By Thomas Allen

BASS PRESS RELEASE

In dramatic Bassmaster fashion, a new leader took the helm during the second round of the Huk Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River presented by Black Velvet. 

 

Lester keeping consistent key to lead.
(Photo: BASS)

The fishing slowed down overall on the second day, but a staggering 52 limits exceeding 20 pounds on Day 1 will be hard to top. However, 34 limits were caught Friday that surpassed the 20-pound mark. 
 
Thanks to a five-bass limit of smallmouth bass that tipped the scales at 25 pounds, 13 ounces, Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., took charge going into Saturday’s semifinal round. ester’s two-day total is 50-1.
 
The 107-angler field has been cut to the Top 50, and the 30-year-old Lester is looking to claim the $100,000 first-place prize money and notch his first Bassmaster Elite Series title with two days to go.
 
“Today was a lot of fun, and I'm super thankful for the big bass I was able to bring to the scales,” he said. “But it was a tougher bite. I caught a lot more little bass, which tells me there aren’t as many dominant, big smallmouth bass on each spot as there were yesterday.”

While still confident, Lester expects the weights to continue to decrease — a regular occurrence during multi-day bass tournaments.
 
“It’s no secret that almost everybody is catching bass on a dropshot, but I’m doing something a little bit differently with my presentation, which seems to be getting more attention from the larger bass,” Lester said. “My plan won’t change much, and I’m confident the right fish are still using the spots I’m focusing on.

"I’m excited to get back out there and hopefully catch another 20 pounds or more tomorrow.”
  

2018 BASS Elite St. Lawrence River Day 1: Matt Lee Smashes 27lbs!

52 limits of bass over 20 Pounds!

By Thomas Allen

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Matt Lee on coarse to breaking 100lbs.
(Photo: BASS)

Giant limits of smallmouth bass exceeded expectations during Thursday’s opening round of competition as Matt Lee of Guntersville, Ala., weighed a tremendous 27-pound, 12-ounce limit of smallmouth bass to take an early lead at the Huk Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River presented by Black Velvet. 
 
Lee’s staggering limit, anchored by a behemoth 6-7 smallmouth, is the heaviest single-day smallmouth limit in Bassmaster Elite Series history. 

With so many big smallies coming in, it’s worth mentioning that a four-day total consisting of only smallmouth topping the 100-pound mark has never been caught during an Elite Series event. That record could be set at Waddington this week as 52 five-bass limits exceeding the 20-pound mark were brought to the scales Thursday, and seven of them topped 25 pounds.

That’s an unprecedented number — and nothing short of impressive. 
 
A first-place prize of $100,000 will go to the winner after four days of competition — and since Lee has never claimed an Elite Series victory, he is looking to expand his lead during Friday’s second round. He can also earn more valuable points in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race.

This tournament marks the conclusion of the 2018 regular Elite Series season. The Top 50 anglers in the points race will advance to the AOY Championship scheduled for mid-September on Georgia’s Lake Chatuge.
 
“What an amazing day,” Lee said. “Things literally went perfectly for me today, and that seldom happens in this sport. On every spot I fished today I caught a big one, and plenty of them. It was amazing.”
 

2015 Bassmaster Elite Lake Guntersville Day 2: Ike Takes 5 Pound Lead Going into Weekend!

Consistency a difficult feat as bass move shallow.

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – After rocketing into the lead with 28 pounds, 2 ounces on the first day of the Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville, Michael Iaconelli went back out during Friday’s second round with intentions of fishing the same way.

Ike lands a shallow brute!
(Photo: Steve Bowman BASS)

But after a while, things just didn’t feel right. So he followed his instincts, made a quick adjustment and put together another fantastic catch of 24-15 to widen his lead in the event with a two-day total of 53-1.

The remainder of the top five anglers on the leaderboard saw some drastic changes on a day that was delayed one hour by thunderstorms. David Walker (48-6) moved into second, followed by Carl Jocumsen (46-8), Byron Velvick (45-3) and Brent Ehrler (43-13). With the lake itself undergoing changes, even more shifting could happen atop the leaderboard Saturday.

“On Thursday, I thought I knew exactly what was happening,” Iaconelli said. “After today, I believe there’s a lot more fish moving up to spawn than I thought and a lot more fish coming out for the post-spawn than I thought. There are a lot of fish on the move.”

Iaconelli, who never said which lures he was using Thursday, said he switched to a crankbait when things got slow Friday. That’s when he caught two of his largest fish of the day.

“The first cast on a crankbait, I caught one that weighed almost 8 pounds,” Iaconelli said. “The next one on a crankbait was a 6-pounder. That was a key decision, because without those two fish, I probably would have only weighed in about 16 or 17 pounds.”

2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell Day 1: Mid-day Report

Bass Biting Well Considering the Cold

By Luigi De Rose

BASS has been really trying to raise the bar of real-time coverage at the 2015 Classic. With five live camera feeds; on the water coverage plus studio commentary, the boys at Bassmaster are providing first-rate coverage. Fishing has been good to many with several anglers over 10 pounds with the warmest part of the day still to come.

Here is the unofficial top 5-leader board as of 1:10pm.

1. Keith Combs  15lbs 5oz
2. Dean Rojas     15lbs 0oz
3. Takahiro Omori   14lbs 4oz
4. Skeet Reese  14lbs 4oz
5. David Walker  12lbs 14oz

Bassmaster Elite Dixie Duel Wheeler Lake Day 4: Walker's Wild Win!

By Deb Johnson

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Jun 19, 2011

DECATUR, Ala. — Most David Walker fans automatically assume he’s won a major tournament in his career, and now they are correct. 

A win and a Classic spot; David Walker couldn't be happier!
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Amassing a Wheeler Lake catch of 63 pounds, 10 ounces the Sevierville, Tenn., pro took possession Sunday of the Bassmaster Elite Series Dixie Duel trophy, his first win in a premier circuit.

“I’ve fished a lot of them, and I hadn’t won one,” said Walker, 46, an experienced pro who made a name for himself on the FLW circuit before joining the Elite Series for the 2011 season. “I always felt like I was good enough to do it, and I feel like I’ve paid my dues. And why not a win?

“That was my slogan for the whole week: ‘Why not me?’ And here I am, talking about a win — I might be a little rusty on that topic,” he quipped.

Walker won $100,000 and a 2012 Bassmaster Classic berth, his primary goal in becoming an Elite pro. Because he also earned enough Toyota Tundra Bassmaster of the Year points for a ticket to the 2012 world championship, Walker reached his goal of returning to the Classic not once, but twice in one season.

 

Bassmaster Elite Dixie Duel Wheeler Lake Day 3: Bradley Roy Rolls to the Top

By Deb Johnson
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Jun 18, 2011



Roy shooting for a win.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

 DECATUR, Ala. — Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Ky., injected new life into his sagging season Saturday at the Bassmaster Elite Series season finale by bringing in 17 pounds, 10 ounces, and jumping four places into the lead with 50-5 over three days.
Roy’s big charge this week on Alabama’s Wheeler Lake started with a quiet 13th place on the first day. He made more noise on the second day by hitting fifth place. Saturday, Roy got everyone’s attention by whisking the lead from David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., who fell to second place with 48-10, but still just 1-11 behind Roy.
“I feel like I’ve turned a bad season into a good one in one day. I’m determined, I need to win this,” said the 20-year-old Roy, the pro who made a quick name for himself in 2009 as the youngest pro to ever qualify for the Elite Series. He was just 18 at the time. He went on to become the 2010 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year.

Bassmaster Elite Dixie Duel Wheeler Lake Day 3 Mid Day Report

By Luigi De Rose

According to the stats on www.bassmaster.com it looks like fishing has been a bit slow. Saturday is a strange day on lakes that have water generation. Electricity demands from industry decrease so water movement through the turbines decreases. For anglers wishing for the current to jump start the bass activity, they might be out of luck. How many hours can you wait on a good spot waiting for it to turn on? Many leave with the hope of better fishing only to miss the peak activity on the place they just left. 

Tournament fishing is a game of decisions and this one is a dicey game.
Here are the unofficial stats from bass at 10am.

 

Place	Angler	Fish	Day Three	Total
1	Kevin VanDam	5	17-00	48-02
2	Ott Defoe	5	12-13	45-10
3	David Walker	3	7-03	42-06
4	Greg Hackney	4	7-04	41-09
5	Kelly Jordon	5	12-13	39-10
6	Timmy Horton	3	6-12	37-11
7	Skeet Reese	2	4-00	37-02
8	Randy Howell	5	9-14	35-13
9	Russ Lane	5	9-02	35-11
10	Keith Combs	4	8-08	34-06
11	Bradley Roy	2	1-06	34-01
12	Brent Chapman	5	9-06	34-00
13	Casey Ashley	5	9-11	33-13
14	Travis Manson	4	5-11	33-00
15

Bassmaster Elite Pride of Georgia West Point Lake: Day 2

Edwin Evers Still Leading as Standings Flip Flop
West Point Lake - LaGrange, GA,
May 5 - 8, 2011
By Luigi De Rose

Working on the lead early on Friday.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Edwin Evers still in command of the Elite tournament on West Point Lake in Georgia. Landing a very respectable 15-03 limit, Edwin has kept on top of the leader board for the second day. Most of the Bassmaster Elite field didn't fair as well as Edwin. Many who did very well on Day 1 struggled. The name of the game is always consistency but here on stingy West Point it really is a deal breaker.

Notable slips were Stephen Kennedy who was expected to win and looked like he would with a first day limit of 22 pounds. But on Friday, he was only able to net 10-14 which was good enough for fifth. David Walker who entered Day 2 in second fell to ninth with a small catch of 9-13. Considering Walker had engine trouble it is amazing he didn't fall completely out of the top 20. He might be the secret threat at this tournament. Dustin Wilks had a 7 pound difference in his catch today compare to yesterday but that was because he nail the tournament's largest bass of 7-08 on Day 1. Without that giant bass he wouldn't be sitting in sixith place.  

Others who has a disappointing second day were: Bobby Lane 18th, Dave Wolack 26th, Ben Parker 35th, and Boyd Duckett who dropped from 6th to 49th. He only managed 1-13.

Not everyone stunk on West Point today. KVD roared into second with the tournament's best catch so far with 23-10. Kevin is only ounces off the lead. This is a post spawn tournament and a tough one at that, both factors play into Van Dam's style of fishing. Another strong showing was from Ish Monroe who is sitting in third on the back of a 21 pound limit.  He is another who does well during the post spawn, his most recent success was last year with a top 5 finish at the FLW Lake Ouachita tournament. Again, he is another angler who does well at covering tremendous amounts of water hunting for active fish.  Others who did well today were Alton Jones17-11, Andy Montgomery 17-11, Nate Wellman 16-11 and Ott DeFoe with 17-02.

Bassmaster Elite Pride of Georgia West Point Lake: Day 1 story

Edwin Evers Day 1 Leader with 22-04

Evers Took Day 1

By Deb Johnson
May 5, 2011
BASS Press Release

LAGRANGE, Ga. -- Steve Kennedy’s deep and wide West Point Lake history stood him well Thursday, but Edwin Evers went 1 ounce better to take the lead on the first day of the Pride of Georgia.
Evers, of Talala, Okla., weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces to Kennedy’s 22-3. They have more than a few ounces as a cushion over David Walker, in third with 21-3; Dustin Wilks in fourth with 20-3; and Bobby Lane with 18-4 claiming fifth place.
Ninety-nine Bassmaster Elite Series pros are competing on West Point Lake for a first-place prize that includes $100,000 and an instant entry in the 2012 Bassmaster Classic.
Anglers are also trying to earn points that count toward three coveted prizes: the 2011 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year crown, 2011 postseason berths, and 2012 Classic qualifications.
Evers already has a Classic berth in hand. He came from behind in March to win the season’s second event, the Power-Pole Citrus Slam on the St. Johns River.
Evers played it close to the vest Thursday, giving nothing away in hopes he can keep an advantage and score win No. 2 for the year.
“You have to keep it to yourself -- these guys are too good,” he said.
He did reveal that his day started so slowly, he scrapped his initial game plan and “went fishing.”
“Man, that worked out really good,” he said, adding that he was covering “a bunch of water,” and burned 26 to 27 gallons of gas, jumping from spot to spot and blowing through his arsenal to try to isolate a bait, technique or a pattern that worked.

Bassmaster Elite TroKar Battle on the Bayou Day 4: Rojas Rips Toledo Bend

Dean Rojas Leads All Four Days
Gerald Swindle misses by one ounce

A Win Really is That Difficult!
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

By Deb Johnson
B.A.S.S. Communications
BASS Press Release

MANY, La. -- As they met backstage, Dean Rojas and Gerald Swindle shook hands, then gave each other a man hug. Both smiled graciously, both teared up a little.April 17, 2011

It was hard to tell who had just beat who, but it was Rojas who had bested Swindle by 1 ounce in the TroKar Battle on the Bayou. Rojas secured a wire-to-wire win, his second Bassmaster Elite Series victory. It was his fourth Bassmaster career win, one of which, like Sunday's win, was on Toledo Bend Reservoir.
Rojas collected a $100,000 check and an automatic entry into the 2012 Bassmaster Classic. He also jumped 23 spots in the all-important Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race, also the road to the post-season.
"I'm going to the Classic, this is so huge," he said. "Everything about the win I love -- the trophy, the check, the points, the Classic, and winning a tournament in 2011."
At the same time, Rojas said, he felt for Swindle, who was philosophical and gracious. "I wasn't out to beat Dean, I was out to compete against Toledo Bend and fish to the best of my ability," said Swindle, who already secured a 2012 Classic seat by winning a Bassmaster Open earlier in the season. "The competition is the fish ... and most of the time yourself is the enemy if you beat yourself up, get too bent out of shape.

"I could sit here and write a book about all the big ones that jumped off during this tournament. You have to say, 'It was meant for Dean Rojas to win' because I put 110 percent heart and soul into this and I didn't make any stupid mistakes."

Bassmaster Elite TroKar Battle on the Bayou Day 4: Rojas Wins by an Ounce!

Dean Rojas Hangs onto TroKar Battle by a Sniff. 

Possibly the bass the won it.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

By Luigi De Rose

MANY, La. -- Dean Rojas outsmarted the wind and the fish to hang onto a wild week of fishing. His reward is the blue Elite trophy for winning the Battle on the Bayou tournament Toledo Bend. G-Man Swindle, who consistently climbed the leader board every day finished an ultra close second. Swindle's 18-14 catch was the largest of Day 4 but not enough to dethrone Dean who lead this tournament wire to wire.


Top 5
1 Dean Rojas 70-15
2 Gerald Swindle 70-14
3 David Walker  70- 2
4 Chris Lane  67- 3
5 Fred Roumbanis 67- 1
More detailed coverage coming up.