2025 Champion Power Equipment Bassmaster Elite on Lake Okeechobee Day 1: DiPalma Scored 29-12Lbs!

Canadians Gallant 7th, Chris Johnston 16th, Kung 38th, Gustafson 68th & Cory Johnston 77th

New Jersey's Greg DiPalma leads the Champion Power Equipment Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee in Okeechobee, Fla., with a weight of 29 pounds, 12 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS) 

BASS Press Release

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. —  Greg DiPalma of Millville, N.J., believes Lake Okeechobee may be one of the nation’s least-explored bass fisheries, but he did his best to change that by sacking up a limit of 29 pounds, 12 ounces to lead Day 1 of the Champion Power Equipment Bassmaster Elite at this Florida powerhouse.

 

Fishing an atypical area that he found during practice, DiPalma heads into Day 2 with a lead of 3-10 over Will Davis Jr.

 

“Me and Will were sitting side-by-side, which was pretty special,” DiPalma said. “There were four of us in one area and we all had (big) bags.

 

“It was an absolutely incredible day. To be leading one of these, to be honest with you, it’s about time! It feels good. It’s gonna feel really good if I can maintain it.”

 

As DiPalma explained, recent years have seen high water levels choke out much of the Lake Okeechobee vegetation that once created vast bass habitat. With the obvious targets heavily pressured, he knew he needed to find something unique.

 

“This is probably the most unlocked lake in the country, to be honest with you, because everybody beats the bank here and nobody really goes out in the lake and looks for anything,” DiPalma said. “I think there are key areas in this lake if you can find them, and that was one of them.

REDCREST 2021 on Lake Eufaula Day 1: Thrift 14 Pounds Ahead of DeFoe!

Thrift gives the pack an offshore beat down

By Tyler Brinks

BASS PRO TOUR RELEASE

Bryan Thrift uses wealth of knowledge to clobber the pack.
(Photo: MLF) 

There were multiple questions going into the start of REDCREST 2021 presented by Old Wisconsin Sausage on Lake Eufaula. Most of those questions focused on how the fishing would be for the 40-angler field after just one day of practice.

Eufaula is certainly full of big bass, and all of the anglers fished on this impoundment of the Chattahoochee River to kick off the 2020 Bass Pro Tour season, but could they figure out the big lake in just one day? If you compare today’s first Qualifying Round to the first day of the 2020 event, the answer is a definite “Yes!” – the field surpassed those totals from 2020, and the fishing is expected to get better as the week goes on.

In last season’s event, the opening round saw 129 bass placed on SCORETRACKER® and Chris Lane claimed the lead with 35 pounds, 12 ounces. Monday, 156 bass were scored and North Carolina’s Bryan Thrift made it look easy as he cruised to a 45-pound day, with the bulk of that total by 1 p.m. before shifting gears into practice mode.

Thrift carries a lead of nearly 14 pounds over second-place angler Ott DeFoe going into tomorrow’s competition.

Thrift Runs Away in the Second Period

Thrift’s list of wins and top-10 finishes is expansive and it covers many different fisheries, but he has an affinity for Lake Eufaula. Thrift has finished with a win and second place in Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition and also finished second here last year, in his first-ever Bass Pro Tour event.

2013 Walmart FLW Beaver Lake Day 2: Coulter in Lead at Alabama Rig Fest!

Johnson leads co-anglers by 3 pounds
by Kyle Wood

FLW Press Release

ROGERS, Ark. – With this being the second day after a front, most people figured the bite would slip on Beaver. To degree that was the case with several of the top pros from day one failing to match their catches. But day two of the Walmart FLW Tour on Beaver Lake was highlighted with consistent catches, some big stringers and the Alabama rig.

Coming into this tournament a lot of the focus was on how big of a factor the A-rig would become. The general consensus was the rig could hold up early in the derby but would slowly dwindle throughout the event. Today was a case of several anglers making huge moves on the leaderboard including Brandon Coulter who has utilized nothing but the rig to move into the lead.

With 17 pounds, 3 ounces on day one, Coulter went back to work to haul in 14-12 today. The Tennessee resident kept the same three rods on his deck consisting of umbrella rigs and now holds a total weight of 31-15 and the lead by 1-12.

All smiles as Coulter takes lead on difficult day.
(Photo: FLW)

“I think the momentum I have really started at the beginning of the year for me,” said Coulter. “My son told me to just go out and catch 12 pounds on the second day of Okeechobee and just cash a check. That made me realize all I have been doing for the past few years is just trying to cash a check and not win. Since then I have been fishing much more relaxed, calm and comfortable – I put no pressure on myself.”

With a less than favorable track record on Beaver, Coulter opted to arm himself with three different umbrella rigs and target transition areas. So far the decision is paying off.

“I went to a lay-down this morning that I caught my second biggest bass on yesterday,” the Knoxville, Tenn., native said. “I figured I could start there and catch a limit quick like I did yesterday, but it was nothing but crickets this morning. I went back there later and caught a solid fish off it. On my next cast back at the lay-down I got hung up and one eats one of the free swimbaits and pulls it off the tree. On my very next cast after that I caught a 4-pounder. You can’t create stuff like that; sometimes things just go your way.”