2019 FLW Tour Lake Chickamauga Day 1: John Cox Slams 24-11lbs!

Canadians Richardson 71^st & Sim 75th

by Justin Onslow

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Shallow water expert Cox grabs lead.
(Photo: FLW)

John Cox just has a way of not taking himself too seriously. Maybe that’s why he was able to quietly haul the tournament-leading sack to weigh-in and take the lead with only one angler left to cross the stage behind him.

Cox doesn’t get hung up on figuring out how much weight he has. He’s not always crunching the numbers and stressing out about the weight he needs. And on day one of the FLW Tour event on Lake Chickamauga, which is presented by Evinrude, his 24-pound, 11-ounce stringer was more than enough to position the nine-year Tour pro atop the leaderboard heading into day two.

For Cox, it’s a pretty simple formula.

“I’m going to go out there [tomorrow] and try to catch five more decent males, and I’m hoping I can get lucky and catch a 9- or 10-pounder,” he says. “The thing is, this place is awesome. Someone’s going to pull up on a drop or hit a stretch of shoreline and smoke them. Hopefully I can be consistent and get that 22 or 23 pounds every day and I’ll be all right.”

Consistency isn’t always Cox’s calling card, but that isn’t a knock on his immense talent. He just loves to fish shallow – especially sight-fishing, which he did plenty of Thursday – and that recipe often leads to trouble when things don’t line up just right. Today, they did.

The DeBary, Fla., pro marked about 10 fish in practice that he thought might help him during the tournament. Many of those fish had already been caught or moved off their beds by the time Thursday rolled around, but he was able to make the most of what he had. He also might have something left in his bag of tricks tomorrow.

“I started on a real big fish and got frustrated with it,” he explains. “I couldn’t catch her, and I just bailed on her.”

Cox returned to that fish several times throughout the day, each time finding a new male on the bed with her. After trying a few times to catch the “probably at least 10-pound” female, he determined he might have better luck on Friday.

Top 10 BELOW

2018 Bassmaster Elite Lake Martin Day 1: Cliff Prince Scores Lead with 19-13lbs!

Two big bass score lead
By Bryan Brasher
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Prince's two big largemouth secures lead.
Photo: BASS

Conventional wisdom says one big bass per day will give you a good shot at winning a tournament on Lake Martin.
 
So, when Florida angler Cliff Prince caught a pair of giants on back-to-back casts Thursday, he needed a quick breather to collect himself.
 
One weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces, the other weighed 6-3, and they propelled Prince to a leading first-day weight of 19-13 in the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Martin presented by Econo Lodge.
 
“Back-to-back casts — it was unbelievable,” Prince said. “I had to sit down for a minute because I definitely wasn’t expecting it.”
 
Like many of the competitors in this week’s 110-angler field, Prince has very little experience on Lake Martin — and the three official practice days prior to the tournament weren’t exactly kind to him.
 
But before 9 a.m. Thursday, he idled past a spot that he recognized as a potential big-fish haven.
 
“I didn’t fish that spot in practice,” said Prince, who was tightlipped about exactly where and how he caught his fish. “But I knew I had gotten bit on another stretch like that. I figured if I caught a big one, it would be down that stretch — and I caught two.”
 
Unlike Prince, who has fished just 85 tournaments with B.A.S.S. — and none on Lake Martin — the two anglers just behind him in the standings have extensive experience on the fishery.
 
Takahiro Omori, a Japanese angler who now resides in Texas, earned checks in Bassmaster Invitationals held on Martin in 2001 and 2002. He also won an FLW Tour event on Martin in 2001, earning a $100,000 first-place prize.
 
Omori caught 18-2 Thursday to land in second place.
 
“I never even pre-fished this time, so it’s been at least 15 years since I was here,” Omori said. “I didn’t fish any of the same stuff from back then.”
 

2017 Renegade Bass 1000 Island Open Day 1: Nick Cousivis and Fab Marchese Lead with 26.79lbs!

38 Teams with over 20lb limits
By Luigi De Rose 

Ready to go! (Photo: Renegade Facebook)

Humid and fairly calm seas allowed the competitors to showcase what a world-class fishery the 1000 Islands and eastern Lake Ontario really can be. The team of Cousivis and Marchese took the lead with an incredible 26-79lb limit anchored by a 5.87lb bass. Second place goes to FLW Tour pros Chris and Cory Johnston who sacked 26.16lbs. Sitting in third is Troy Bresee and Nick Laninga with 24.98lbs.

Big bass honours went to Kinstler and Lecky with a 7.29lb brute.

Friday's weather is scheduled to have winds around 14kms but with a chance of a thunderstorm. The key to big water bass tournaments are having good weather and reasonable winds. 

Top 40 Below

2017 Costa FLW Series 1000 Islands Day 1: Cory Johnston Leads with 23-07lbs!

Three time AOY Johnston leads tight field

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Cory becoming one of the hottest smallmouth sticks ever.
(Photo: FLW)

Cory Johnston was the first man to weigh in, and he set the bar high on day one of the Costa FLW Series presented by Evinrude on the 1000 Islands. Leading off with 23 pounds, 7 ounces of smallmouths plucked from Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, the FLW Tour pro leads by 9 ounces over fellow Tour pro Kurt Mitchell.

Cory Johnston was the first man to weigh in, and he set the bar high on day one of the Costa FLW Series presented by Evinrude on the 1000 Islands. Leading off with 23 pounds, 7 ounces of smallmouths plucked from Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, the FLW Tour pro leads by 9 ounces over fellow Tour pro Kurt Mitchell.

“It went a little better than I thought it would,” says Johnston of his effort on day one. “I wasn’t sure how big my deep fish were. I knew there were 4-pounders, but it turns out there were some 5-pounders mixed in.”

Johnston is as local as they come, and between he and his brother, Chris, the pair has hundreds of days on the water at the 1000 Islands. Because of that, the leader from Cavan, Ontario, had plenty of options.

“I started in the river and then made it out to the lake and caught most of my fish there,” says Cory, who hasn’t decided on a plan for Friday yet. “The wind is supposed to switch directions, and I have a lot of stuff that should be sheltered. But I might just go back to where I caught them today. I’m going to have to see what the wind does in the morning.”

Cory says he fished both shallow and deep, and landed 10 or 12 solid fish. He did lose a key 5-pounder late in the day. Fishing a deep spot in the river, the big smallmouth broke his line after surfacing near the boat.

Top 10 pros

1. Cory Johnston – Cavan, Ont. – 23-7 (5)

2. Kurt Mitchell – Milford, Del. – 22-14 (5)

3. Joseph Fonzi – Gasport, N.Y. – 22-8 (5)

4. Cal Climpson – Sharon, Ont. – 22-6 (5)

5. Jason Putman – Cicero, N.Y. – 21-11 (5)

6. Jason Bacon – Nutting Lake, Mass. – 21-6 (5)

7. Matt Becker – Finleyville, Penn. – 21-4 (5)

8. Ryan Smith – Galloway, N.J. – 21-1 (5)

9. Dylan Hays – Sheridan, Ark. – 21-0 (5)

10. Dean Meckes – Clayton, N.Y. – 20-14 (5)

“It went a little better than I thought it would,” says Johnston of his effort on day one. “I wasn’t sure how big my deep fish were. I knew there were 4-pounders, but it turns out there were some 5-pounders mixed in.”

2017 Walmart FLW Tour Beaver Lake Day 1: Cody Meyer Leads with 16-01Lbs

Gustafason 36th, Richardson 66th, Cory Johnston 82th & Chris Johnston 105th.

by Rob Newell

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Imagine trying to shoot a game of pool on a table that rises a foot or two while you’re drawing back your cue to take a shot. Each time you draw for a shot, the table comes up.

Cody stays deep for lead.
(Photo: FLW)

That’s a little bit what fishing has been like for the 165 pros and co-anglers this week at the FLW Tour event presented by General Tire on Beaver Lake. Each day they get on the water, the targets they fished the day before are gone – submerged underwater.

Since practice started on Sunday, Beaver Lake has come up some 8 feet. Since the pros last saw the lake on Tuesday’s practice day, the water has come up more than 4 feet. The rising water creates a moving target that’s hard to hit when everything is in a state of flux.

While the ever-increasing water level has thrown many pros for a loop, Californian Cody Meyer only chuckles at the “epic rise.”

Meyer cut his teeth fishing lakes out west like Shasta and Oroville, where water can rise 10 to 15 feet in a day. What’s happened in eight days on Beaver Lake can occur in 8 hours on Meyer’s home waters.

Maybe that helps explain why Meyer is leading after day one with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 1 ounce. Meyer’s limit included three smallmouths and two largemouths.

“I’ve fished tournaments out west where the spot I started on in the morning was under 10 feet of water by weigh-in,” Meyer says. “So this is not that much of a shock to me. One thing I’ve learned when a sudden rise happens, especially out west, is that the fish generally stay at the depth they were in as the water rises.”

2017 Bassmaster Classic Lake Conroe Day 1: Brent Ehrler Leads with 23-3lbs!

Giant 9-12 largemouth vaults Ehrler into lead. 
By Luigi De Rose

Brent all smiles as he takes the lead on Day 1!
(Photo: BASS)

A windy, cloudy first day of the greatest tournament of the year made for finicky fishing for most Classic anglers on Lake Conroe. Focusing on the morning shad spawn worked for Van Dam and Evers but many including G-man and Coombs couldn't connect making for a terrible morning. The sight fishing bite didn't seem to materialize for most. Neither did the numerous monster Texas bass that swim in Conroe. Mid-morning and into the afternoon produced more larger bass for the top 10 anglers.

Former Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC) winner Brent Ehrler grabbed the lead anchored with a 9-10lb Texas giant. That bass was the Berkley Big Bass Day 1 winner. Brent spent most of the day in the mid-lake region.

Classic rookie, Bradley Roy grabbed second with 22-01lbs. Cliff Crochet, 22-08 for third, had a steady fishing day in the shallows of the upper regions of the lake. He said the fishing was consistent and matched his power fishing style well.

Mike Iaconelli, 21-02lbs for 4th had a slow morning except for the capture of a 6 lber which kept his spirits high as he remained in the lower section of the lake.

Clifford Pirch rounded out the top 5 with 20-11lbs. Clifford started along the dam among Van Dam, Ike and several others. He had a mid-moring flurry which several key bass were landed.

Experts agree that monster bass will make the difference of whom heroes or zeros. Ehrler's near 10 pound largemouth made a world of difference; without it he would be far from the lead. Ike's morning was set with a solid 6 pounder caught on a Carolina rig. He openly stated that it helped him confidently fish slowly all day.

Surprizingly, 4 of the Top 10, Brent Ehrler, Mike Iaconelli, Dave Lefebre and Matt Herren are past  Toyota Texas Bass Classic winners. Their past wins might offer them great understanding of the nuances of these Texas big bass lakes. Saturday's sunny, calmer weather should allow Classic angler great freedom to fish throughout the lake in search of a few monsters.

2017 BASS Elite Lake Okeechobee Day 1: DeFoe Grabs Lead with 31-03lbs!

Tyler Carriere Day 1 Big Fish winer with 9-05lbs. 
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Two beast leaps Ott atop of field.
(Photo: BASS)

Florida’s famous big-bass factory showed off during the first day of the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee, as Tennessee native Ott DeFoe caught a huge five-bass limit that weighed 31 pounds, 3 ounces.
 
DeFoe’s impressive catch put him more than 4 pounds ahead of Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Ark., who is in second place with 26-13.
 
Anchoring his limit with two giant bass that weighed 8-6 each, the 31-year-old DeFoe knew he had located quality fish during practice on the lake, but he didn’t realize just how good they were.
 
“I had a lot of bites during practice, but I wasn’t catching very many fish over 2 1/2 to 3 pounds,” DeFoe said. “But, a few of those fish were in one area that seemed to have all the right ingredients to justify a return trip once the tournament began.”
 

2016 Costa FLW Series Championship on Table Rock Day 1: Fisher Leads with 15-03lbs.

Table Rock is stingy

FLW Press Release

After four tough days of practice, most anglers figured that the fishing would be a real struggle at the 2016 Costa FLW Series Championship on Table Rock. Though the weights after day one certainly aren’t up to the lofty standards that Table Rock sets when the weather is cold, every pro in the top 10 brought in at least 13 pounds on day one. At the head of the pack, Pat Fisher of Colbert, Ga., wrangled up 15 pounds, 3 ounces for a slim margin over second-place pro Bradford Beavers of Ridgeville, S.C., who weighed 14-13

“It’s a surprise. It’s a very good surprise,” says Fisher of his day. “I made a long run, a lot of fish got beat up in there in practice, up where I was. But, I was the only one in there today, and I just stuck with it.”

Though Fisher weighed quality throughout and landed nine keepers, a big kicker really keyed his day.

“That big fish was my third fish,” says Fisher. “There was a little stretch there when they were feeding, and that really set the tone for the day. I haven’t seen a fish that big all week.”

Well away from the ramp and way in the back of a creek, Fisher adapted perfectly to the calm and overcast conditions that loomed over the field all morning.

“I’d been catching them on a shaky head in the bright sun and the clear water,” says Fisher, “but this morning with the overcast they came up and ate topwater. I had a pretty consistent day, just catching them all day long on a topwater bait. When I wanted to catch one, I picked up a shaky head, but they weren’t the size I was looking for.”

Though the area he’s fishing isn’t huge, Fisher seems fairly confident that it has enough juice for at least another day. He doesn’t think he leaned on them too hard, and he says that he only saw one other boat back in that general area today.

Top 10 Pros

1. Pat Fisher – Colbert, Ga. – 15-3 (5)

2. Bradford Beavers – Ridgeville, S.C. – 14-13 (5)

3. Christopher Jones – Bokoshe, Okla. – 14-9 (5)

4. Cody Bird – Granbury, Texas – 14-5 (5)

2016 Walmart FLW Kentucky Lake Day 1: Brad Knight Leads by Ounces Over Fukae

Knight Leads with 23-6

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Best start of the year for FLW Cup Champ
(FLW Photo)

Since winning the Forrest Wood Cup in August of 2015, Brad Knight’s 2016 follow-up Walmart FLW Tour season has not been what he had hoped, collecting just one check in the first four events. Today the Lancing, Tenn., resident took the first step in righting the ship with a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds, 6 ounces for the day-one lead at the FLW Tour on Kentucky Lake presented by Mercury and hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“Man, I’ve had enough of the bad this year,” Knight says. “It’s time to get this thing turned around and what better place to do it than on the Tennessee River.”

Knight’s limit was anchored by the day-one big bass, weighing in at 8 pounds, 9 ounces.

2016 BASSfest Lake Texoma Day 1: Casey Ashley Grabs 20 Pounds in Flood.

Ashley Surges Ahead!

By Thomas Allen

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Flooded shorelines and muddy water didn’t stop some Bassmaster Elite Series pros from finding big bass during the GEICO Bassmaster BASSfest presented by Choctaw Casino and Resort at Lake Texoma.
 


The day's big bass helps Ashley grad lead. (BASS)

After a very difficult and unproductive practice, Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C., “just went fishing,” and put together the day’s heaviest five-fish limit of bass that weighed 20 pounds, 1 ounce. His lead eclipsed Chad Morgenthaler of Coulterville, Ill., who is in second place by only 11 ounces with a total of 19-6.
 


Ashley’s limit included the tournament’s current Phoenix Boats Big Bass that tipped the scales at 6-15. If the 2015 Classic champion can hold the big-fish lead for the duration of BASSfest, he’ll earn a $1,500 bonus.
 


“I had no idea I was going to catch them that good today,” Ashley said. “The first bite of the day was my big one, and when you start things out with that kind of momentum, it really helps you to settle in and make good decisions for the rest of the day.”
 


The South Carolinian is unsure if he can replicate today’s success on Thursday, but he’s sure going to try.
 


2016 BASS Elite Toledo Bend Day 1: KVD Smashes Them + Big Bass

Top 5 anglers have 10 Bassmaster Classic victories between them
By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Kevin VanDam wanted badly to fish offshore during the three-day practice period for the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend. But a steady 20-mph wind just wouldn’t allow it.

The winds died Thursday as the tournament began, and fishing fans in central Louisiana got to see why VanDam was so anxious to move away from the banks.

KVD on his game off-shore. (Photo BASS)

The pro fishing superstar from Kalamazoo, Mich., brought in a five-bass limit that weighed 29 pounds, 5 ounces to top the leaderboard on a day when 12 anglers caught at least 20 pounds. He leads a star-studded Top 5 that includes 69-year-old Missouri legend Rick Clunn (24-10), North Carolina pro Hank Cherry, Jr. (24- 7), 2012 GEICO Bassmaster Classic winner Chris Lane (23-14) and reigning Classic champion Edwin Evers (22-11).

“I started on the shallow pattern and caught a good limit early, and that gave me the confidence to go and fish deep,” said VanDam, who has four Classic titles on his resume. “I didn’t get to fish deep in practice the way I like to because of all the wind. So I fished a lot of places today that I hadn’t fished at all this week.

2016 BASS Elite Winyah Bay Day 1: Carl Jocumsen Leads with 19-11!

Australian Grab His First BASS Lead!

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Carl grabbed a great limit while most struggled.
(Photo: BASS)

A near two-hour boat ride to the Cooper River just outside of Charleston, S.C., was a risk worth taking for Australian angler Carl Jocumsen on the first day of the Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay presented by GoRVing.

After a one-hour weather delay due to a thin line of quickly moving thunderstorms, Jocumsen endured a one-hour, 45-minute boat ride to access his prime fishing locations. Upon arrival, he was restricted to only three hours of fishing before having to make a return trip to the weigh-in site in Georgetown.

The risky ride paid off for Jocumsen, as he currently leads the field of 109 anglers with a limit of five bass that weighed 19 pounds, 11 ounces. Local favorite Britt Myers of Lake Wylie, S.C., is in second place with 16-8, while Matt Herren of Ashville, Ala., is holding down third with 14-6.

2016 Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake Day 1: Local Jason Christie Leads with 20lb!

Canadian Sim sits in 44th.
By Bryan Brasher
BASS PRESS RELEASE

The bass on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees are in transition, and all of the 55 anglers in the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro are doing a decent job staying ahead of them.

Jason says his best fishing is during bright, calm days. This is
the opposite of what most of the field has experience.
(Photo: BASS)

But on Friday, one angler — a local favorite who lives right down the road — did it better than anyone else.

Jason Christie, a Park Hill, Okla., pro who lives just an hour away from the lake, brought five bass to the scales that weighed 20 pounds, 14 ounces and took the opening-round lead in the Super Bowl of professional bass fishing. Alabamian Greg Vinson, who almost missed the event due to the lingering effects of a concussion, is second with 18-1, and Texas pro Alton Jones is third with 17-13.

Even after a big day, Christie admitted the fishing was tough.

“It was slow. It was a grind, but it was a grind in practice,” Christie said. “I honestly didn’t think I had that kind of weight, but the fish up here just fool you because they’re thick and heavy.

“I’m not getting a lot of bites. I think the most I’ve had in one day is nine — and that’s including practice.”

Getting just nine bites during an eight-hour day forces an angler to exercise patience and remain focused through the downtime so he doesn’t miss the next bite when it finally comes.

2016 Bassmaster Bass Pro Shop Southern Open #1 Day 1: Brad Knight Lances Lead!

Knight's 9-06 big bass made all the difference.

By John Neporadny Jr.

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Brad leads with 22-11 pound limit.
(Photo:BASS)

Team tournament partners Brad Knight and Wesley Strader got on big fish on the Kissimmee chain and are neck and neck in the pro division after the first round of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open.

Knight holds the lead with a 22-pound, 11-ounce limit that included a 9-06 bass, while Strader is in second place with 21-9. “Wesley is a great friend of mine,” said Knight. “We have fished team tournaments together.“

Both anglers found big bass either nesting or moving up to spawn. “I had a terrible execution day because I had a chance at four or five other fish that wereof that (9-06) caliber or more,” said Knight, the reigning Forrest Wood Cup champion from Lancing, Tenn. Knight noted he lost most of his bass when they burrowed into the vegetation.

Costa FLW Series Lake Okeechobee Day 1: Cherkas Lands Lead!

Canadian Chris Johnson Sitting 8th!
by Kyle Wood
FLW PRESS RELEASE

Huge 250 Pro field fishing this event. (Photo FLW)

The opening day of competition for the Costa FLW Series Southeastern Division event on Lake Okeechobee – which is presented by Power-Pole and hosted by Okeechobee County Tourism – was a textbook example of what a cold front does to Florida bass.  Catching a limit wasn’t the issue, however, connecting with 4- and 5-pound bites was. Peter Cherkas of Des Moines, Iowa, was able to scrounge out a strong limit worth 20 pounds to take a narrow lead over Zach Crider of Tunnel Hill, Ga., by a mere 12 ounces.
With so much water to fish on Okeechobee that virtually all looks like it should hold a 10-pounder, settling in on a certain area and combing it thoroughly can be the best bet for success. Most anglers find an area roughly the size of a few football fields to pick through during tournament hours, while Cherkas dialed in an area big enough to cover with his Power-Poles down.
“When I pulled into my area this morning there were some other boats around it so I stayed off,” says Cherkas. “When the other boats moved out enough that is when I moved in. I dropped my Power-Poles and didn’t touch my trolling motor until 10 a.m.”
Cherkas bucked the trend of fishing slow and worked one area thoroughly to rack up the bulk of his weight by 11 a.m. Due to how tough the tournament is you can understand why he opted to remain tight-lipped about his presentation and type of area he is fishing.
The Iowa pro did unveil that the area he is fishing is something you can pattern. He got one bite from the specific area in practice – an 8-pounder – and spent more time just searching for other places like it. While he succeeded in doing so, he also isn’t too sure if they are as good because he didn’t want to burn his areas up by checking them today.
“I have been down [in Florida] for almost three weeks now,” explains Cherkas. “The fish have moved around so much from day to day and that is my biggest concern. I think I know where they may move to if they pull off of my primary area. It shouldn’t take long to find out if they are still there come tomorrow morning.”
Top 10 Below

2015 Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship Day 1: Locals Lead With 27lbs!

Canadian Team of Chong and Brownridge Sitting in 6th Place.

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — After a two-day pre-tournament practice period that saw most of the 197-boat field from around the country struggle, it only makes sense that two local teams shot to the top of the leaderboard during Wednesday’s opening round of the Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship on Lake Guntersville.

Fishing "history" yields lead for local sticks on Day 1 at Lake Guntersville. (Photo: BASS)

Billy Sharp and Kevin Stubblefield, who qualified for the event through the Alabama Bass Trail, brought five fish to the scales that weighed 27 pounds, 6 ounces and claimed the Day 1 lead. Stubblefield is from right here in Guntersville, while Sharp lives in Albertville, less than 30 minutes from the lake.
“We grew up here, and we’ve been fishing here since we were just kids,” said Stubblefield, who teamed with Sharp to win the Alabama Bass Trail championship on nearby Lake Wheeler in October. “We were fishing history today, places we’ve fished before. We stayed off of them in practice, and the fish were on some of them today.”
Practice was tough for Sharp and Stubblefield just like it was for most of a field that includes anglers from as far away as Maine, Delaware, New Jersey, California and Canada. But when competition began, the leaders were aided by built-in knowledge of the lake and conditions that are slowly improving.
“We had kind of a hard time in practice,” Sharp said. “But the water is clearing up, and I think that’s helping us some.”

2015 Toyota Angler of the Year Championship on Sturgeon Bay Day 1: Greg Hackney with 21-7lbs!

Classic spots secured by some, being sweated out by others

By Thomas Allen

bass press release

STURGEON BAY, Wis. — One million dollars is on the line for the Top 50 Bassmaster Elite Series anglers at the 2015 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year championship on Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

As Bassmaster emcee Dave Mercer put it today: “These are the final days of a year-long tournament.”

Having already secured the points title, Aaron Martens is wrapping up one of the most dominating seasons in Bassmaster history.

Hack Attack works also works on smallies.
(Photo: BASS)

“I’m fishing for fun, but I’m making sure I don’t catch fish that another anglers need to improve their standings in the AOY race,” Martens said. “There’s no pressure for me to perform here, and I kind of like that.”

By finishing sixth at the final regular-season tournament on Lake St. Clair out of Detroit, Martens earned enough points to become untouchable and clinched his third AOY title.

The story on Sturgeon Bay is the anglers battling for the required points to qualify for the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro on Grand Lake, Okla.

The Top 24 anglers in the points only had to catch one fish Thursday to secure their Classic berth, and each of them did. The proverbial bubble exists within a few places either side of 40^th, which is the Classic cutoff.

Caged Bass Reveals Cheaters at 2015 TOP BASS Classic on Balsam Lake

Fraud Fumbled!

By Luigi De Rose

Here are the facts that I have been able to tease out from the scandal that broke out on Friday, September 11, the eve of the 2015 Top Bass Classic on Balsam Lake, Ontario. 

During the last day of pre-fishing, an angler witnessed a white bass boat and three people at a distance. The people in question were working with something in the water in a creek towards the vicinity of Mitchell Lake, a portion of the Trent-Severn System that was open to competitors. After they left, he went to investigate. When he arrived, two large laundry baskets zip tied together held bass in it was discovered. Once he retrieved it, the witness immediately brought the basket to the town of Coboconk, of his own accord, where the pre-tournament meeting was being held. This person alerted the gathered anglers and officials in the parking lot and told them who he saw and displayed the cage. Outrage quickly spread throughout the meeting.

The two anglers who allegedly planted the basket of bass were not at the tournament meeting. On Saturday morning, day 1 of the two-day tournament, the accused two-angler team arrives but had yet to officially been checked into the tournament. While on the water, competitors quickly confronted the two anglers.  The alleged cheaters broke away from the pack of boats, loaded their boat and left.

Further investigation in the area where the first cage was discovered, a second cage was located with bass that weighed close to 19 pounds. 

In the eyes of the law, several key elements have not been met.

• The alleged cheating anglers were never seen removing bass from the cage nor did they try to enter bass as part of an official tournament creel.
• All alleged activities didn’t take part during official tournament time, so they cannot be considered illegal or fraudulent.
• Caging bass reflects that the alleged anglers were showing intent to cheat but due to others actions failed to follow through on any possible intentions.

The unfortunate situation cast a dark cloud on tournament fishing and one of the significant pitfalls of “team or buddy” tournaments. While many anglers were frustrated with the scandal, it has also unified anglers and has forced tournament officials to be more vigilant while enforcing tournament rules.  

2015 Bassmaster Elite Lake Havasu Day 2: Cliff Pirch 36-12lbs.

Murray Close Second as Locals Lead.

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. - After two days, the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Havasu presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels has turned into a neck-and-neck battle between two home-state pros with a star-studded cast lurking not too far behind.

Cliff putting western edge to his advantage.
(Photo: Shaye Baker BASS)

Cliff Pirch, of Payson, Ariz., had an impressive catch of 19 pounds, 4 ounces Friday and took the lead with a two-day total 36-12.  John Murray of Phoenix caught 16-1 Friday to land in second, a little more than a pound back, with 35-9.

The anglers, who both have a long list of tournament victories on Lake Havasu, will lead the remaining field of 52 into Saturday, as they brace for the lake’s legendary weekend boat traffic.

“The increased boat traffic may hurt me, I just don’t know,” said Pirch, who finished second in a Bassmaster Open on Havasu in 2003. “It’s one of those things where you just hope you can make some adjustments and keep on fishing. It was tough out there today.”

2015 Bassmaster Elite Lake Havasu Day 1: Edwin Evers Leads with 20-07lbs!

E2 Battles Wind and Wins.

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – The wind was blowing hard across Lake Havasu before daylight Thursday, and it only got worse throughout the day as it sometimes pushed 30 miles per hour.
But big gusts and even bigger waves weren’t enough to keep the scenic fishery on the California-Arizona border from showing just how far it’s come.

Edwin leads tight pack of pros. (Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Oklahoma pro Edwin Evers caught five bass that weighed 20 pounds, 7 ounces to take the Day 1 lead in the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Havasu presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels. He was one of 20 anglers to bring at least 16-0 to the scales on a day when many elected to fish close to the launch site instead of making rough journeys along the Colorado River.
Phoenix, Ariz., pro John Murray was second with 19-8. He was followed by Matthew Herren of Ashville, Ala., with 18-9; Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Fla., with 18-3; and Mike Kernan of Wylie, Tex., with 18-2.
“It was a great day, but I wasn’t really doing anything special,” Evers said. “It’s not like I’ve got one area I can go into and find a big school of fish. I’m going to have to fish new water all week, and hopefully find more fish like I caught today. The fish are out there, but it’s going to be a week of adjustments, for sure.”

A 20-pound bag was once considered virtually impossible on Havasu, but anglers raved Thursday about the lake’s metamorphosis. Murray, who has been fishing Havasu for three decades, said he once enjoyed fishing tournaments on the lake because he knew it wouldn’t take much to win.
He said things are different now.
“I’m fishing techniques I don’t normally fish, actually a technique that I used to win a tournament on this lake 23 years ago,” Murray said. “I’ve been fishing this lake since 1985. Back then, it took about 10 pounds to win here. I’m fishing the same spots now and just catching bigger fish.”
Murray said he believes the size of the bass on Havasu began improving when quagga mussels appeared during the early 1990s.
Quaggas are an invasive Ukrainian species that most believe were accidentally introduced into the lake. The mussels often settle in massive colonies that can block water intakes and affect municipal water supplies, causing billions of dollars in damage.
But Murray said the quaggas actually jumpstarted Havasu’s fish growth.
“Quagga mussels kicked the food chain into high gear,” Murray said. “Divers say the crawdads are all over the bottom, and the redear (sunfish) are growing to world-record size now. Before the quaggas showed up, fish this size just weren’t here.”
While some anglers were bothered by the high winds Thursday, others, like Murray, said it actually helped their cause on a lake as clear as Havasu.
“The wind is why they bite,” Murray said. “If we didn’t have the wind today, it would have been a battle – at least for my stuff. I saw the weather forecast, and I geared my tackle for the wind.”
If the forecast is correct and the wind is much lighter for Friday’s second round, Murray said he might have to use some new tricks to further his success. Tharp and other pros said it isn’t likely to have much effect on their tactics either way.
“I really only saw one other angler doing what I’m doing,” said Tharp, who needed the good day after finishing 61st, 84th and 98th in the first three Elite Series events of the season. “I caught my fish early and then spent most of the day running new water, looking for something I could use the rest of the week. I actually got three bites this afternoon and didn’t set the hook.
“I know it does for some, but I honestly don’t believe the wind makes any difference for what I’m doing.”
The tournament will resume with take-off at 6:15 a.m. Friday from Lake Havasu State Park. Weigh-in is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. back at the park, with only the top 52 anglers advancing to Saturday.