2025 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell Day 3: Drew Cooks Takes Lead with 55-08Lbs!

Canadians: Kung 29th, Chris Johnston 31st, Cory Johnston 37th, & Gallant 46th 

Georgia's Drew Cook maintains his lead on Day 3 of the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, S.C., with a weight of 55-8. (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS)

BASS Press Release 

ANDERSON, S.C. — Drew Cook struggled with a clarity issue today, but when his afternoon analysis told him he was clearly not where he needed to be, the pro from Cairo, Ga., stepped on the gas and secured the necessary upgrades to maintain the lead on Day 3 of the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell.

After catching 18 pounds, 12 ounces on Day 1, Cook found himself in a three-way tie for 6th place. Adding a second-round limit of 19-9, he took over the lead with a margin of 1-10 over rookie Paul Marks.

Semifinal Saturday saw Cook add 17-3, tally a three-day total of 55-8, and expand his lead to a 2 1/2-pound margin over Marks. Doing so required contending with visibility limitations.

“A lot of the area I’m fishing got dirty either because of the waves, or the pollen really moved in,” Cook said. “That’s kinda the reason I practiced there — the pollen was in there and you really couldn’t see, so I figured I’d have a lot of it to myself, because everybody wouldn’t look through it.”

Employing his uncanny sight-fishing abilities, Cook worked through the challenging conditions and even found encouraging signs that his area’s potential may be expanding.

“I did find a couple of new ones; this morning, I found a couple of new (bed fish),” Cook said. “I found like a 7-pounder, fished for it for a while and found six new ones this afternoon.

“We’re just looking for five big ones.”

Spending most of his day in one main creek, Cook sight fished with a Nories Front Flapper and a wacky-rigged prototype SPRO stick worm. The fish, he said, were scattered throughout his creek, but it seemed like small pockets off the main waters were more

2021 Bass Pro Tour Lake San Rayburn: Lucas Wins Knockout Round, Seven Others Advance to Join DeFoe & Spohrer

San Rayburn moody for Top 10.

By Mason Prince

Bass Pro Tour

It was another tough day of fishing for the majority of the 38-man field in the Toro Stage One Presented by Power-Pole Knockout Round on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, but eight anglers stood out above the rest. Those eight —Justin Lucas, Cliff Pace, Jeff Sprague, Luke Clausen, Tommy Biffle, Cliff Crochet, Bobby Lane, and Mark Davis — will be moving on to the Championship Round, joining Gerald Spohrer and Ott DeFoe to complete the 10-angler field.

Lucas Locks Up Top Spot

Justin Lucas made a strong case on Thursday for why he should be considered a favorite to win his second Bass Pro Tour event in as many years. The Alabama pro not only had the best day in the Knockout Round, but the best day of the event so far with nine bass for 36 pounds, 13 ounces. Lucas took a finesse approach with a drop-shot, a strategy he adopted after a solid round on Wednesday.

“I was trying to force myself to catch fish on the bank and they just weren’t there,” Lucas said. “There’s millions of fish in this lake and they all aren’t on the bank. I’m finding them on big grass flats in 3 or 4 feet of water. They’re prespawn and spawning out there.”

Lucas caught the majority of his fish on a drop-shot, but it was a big swimbait fish he caught during his second Qualifying Round that really brought the finesse mindset to the forefront.

“When I caught that 7-14 on a swimbait on Wednesday, I knew that I needed to switch things up,” Lucas said. “I told myself to back off these fish, get away from the bank and look for areas in these flats where they can be spawning or staging. It worked out and I think I know how I’m going to attack tomorrow.”

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.”

Ott DeFoe Wins Lake Fork/Lake Athens MFL Event with 57-4lbs!

Last Period Charge Secures Win

By Tyler Binks

MLF Press Release

After five days watching the field battle with big bass at the General Tire Stage Three Presented by TrueTimber on Lake Fork, the Championship Round moved to Lake Athens.

Athens set up much differently than Fork and was a complete unknown to nearly every angler in the field. And while very little was known about this 1,799-acre lake located an hour south of Lake Fork, the day developed into one of the closest races seen in the final round of a Bass Pro Tour event.

That was until Ott DeFoe caught fire and turned a close tournament into an all-out blowout. His ascension to the top was quick and unrelenting.

With just over an hour to go, DeFoe found himself in fifth place with less than 20 pounds for the day, trailing then-leader Mark Daniels, Jr. by over 15 pounds. That’s when he turned things on and left the field in the dust.

In the end, he won by over 28 pounds.

DeFoe Rallies to a Landslide Win

DeFoe did most of his damage a short idle from takeoff, fishing near a bridge. He put on a clinic in the final 75 minutes of the day with a flotilla of bass boats, kayaks and pontoon boats getting a front-row seat to watch one of the best anglers in the world dominate the competition.

DeFoe’s fishing spot was so close to the ramp that he was easily the first angler back; when he put his boat on the trailer a few short minutes after lines-out, he was still trying to process what just happened.

This was surely what the other nine anglers were feeling.

DeFoe finished the day with 23 bass for 69 pounds, 12 ounces.

“That last hour was one of the more special hours that I have ever had in all of my time bass fishing,” DeFoe said.

He discovered his honey hole by watching his electronics, specifically side imaging.

2019 FLW Cup Lake Hamilton Day 2: Bryan Thrift Leads with 27-10 lbs!

Canadians Luzak 17th & Johnston 46th

By Curtis Niedermier 

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Thrift readies for his first FLW Cup Championship.
(Photo: FLW)

For the second day in a row, Shelby, N.C., pro Bryan Thrift will go to bed with the lead in the 2019 FLW Cup at Lake Hamilton. Today, Thrift weighed in 12 pounds, 7 ounces for a two-day total of 27-10. He leads Florida pro Kyle Walters by 1 1/2 pounds.

For the most part, the pros who made the top 10 this week seem very confident that the final day could be the best of the week – a slugfest by Hamilton standards. Sunshine makes the bite go at Lake Hamilton this time of year, and there’s sunshine in the forecast. 

Thrift is the exception. He isn’t sure what to expect.

For the last two days, Thrift has run all over Hamilton, fishing deep, fishing shallow and having to scrape and claw for every bite. He thinks the fishing pressure has taken its toll, but what makes him most uncomfortable is that he’s not dialed in well enough to know that he can pull up on specific spots and get bit in expected ways.

“I don’t know where I can go catch one,” Thrift says. “I know where to throw, but I don’t know where I can catch one. And I don’t like that.

“Nothing seems to outshine anything else,” he adds. “I’ve caught some on reaction baits. I’ve caught some dragging worms. I’ve caught some on topwater. It’s just kind of a hodgepodge of anything.”

Thrift only had six keeper bites today. The morning bite was really slow for everyone, especially for the leader. He only had two fish by 1 o’clock. 

That’s when the former Angler of the Year made a key adjustment. 

“I just kind of put my head down and just made myself slow down and milk an area out and finally caught a limit,” he says. 

Mark Hicks Wins Costa FLW Northern Series Potomac River with 48-10lbs!

Topwater key for Hicks

By Jody White

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Mike Hicks is nearly always good for a check when FLW comes to the Potomac, but this week he put it all together. The Costa FLW Series presented by Plano hit the Potomac when it was fishing wicked tough, but Hicks stayed steady all week. All told, the Goochland, Va., pro put together limits of 17 pounds, 14 ounces, 13-14 and 16-14 on the final day for a total of 48-10 and a payday of $42,200.

Hicks wins last Northern event.
(Photo: FLW) 

Hicks is a Potomac River veteran, and he showed it this week, running a diverse game plan and adapting every day.

On day one, Hicks mined the grass in front of Aquia Creek and the far back of Potomac Creek for his limit, landing just seven keepers on the day. On day two, Hicks started in front of Aquia, essentially fishing the same stretch of grass Casey Smith won off last year, and landed three keepers to start. Then, the back of Potomac failed him, and he was forced to scramble north to Pohick to fill his limit.

For the final day, Hicks decided to spend some more time at Aquia, figuring that his best odds for a big bag were there.

2017 Walmart FLW Tour Lake Cumberland Day 3: Clark Wendlandt Continues to Lead with 50lbs!

Calm day after the big front

by Rob Newell 

FLW PRESS RELEASE

As forecasters promised, day three of the FLW Tour event on Lake Cumberland presented by T-H Marine proved to be slick and calm with bright blue skies, throwing FLW Tour pros their third drastic condition change in a row.

Clark widening lead.
(Photo: FLW)

The one angler who seems to be most nimble at weaving his way through condition swings this week is Clark Wendlandt, who extended his lead on day three to 3 pounds, 11 ounces over second-place pursuer Scott Martin.

Wendlandt hauled in 14-10 Saturday to bring his three-day total to 50 pounds even.

Lake Cumberland has landed right in Wendlandt’s wheelhouse this week for several reasons.

First, it’s been a long time since FLW has visited Lake Cumberland. It’s a lake with very little searchable tournament history when compared to the Okeechobees, Beavers and Kentucky Lakes of the world.

Second, Lake Cumberland is monstrously large – its vastness for an impoundment is impressive.

Third, Lake Cumberland is a very conditional lake where fish act one way on one day in one condition - and suddenly change everything the next day based on another condition.

John Cox Wins 2016 Walmart FLW Lake Hartwell Event with 67-06lbs!

Canadians Jeff Gustafson 4th and Cory Johnston 8th!

FLW PRESS RELEASE

John Cox of Debary, Fla., loves fishing ponds. As a kid, he cut his teeth fishing ponds. The first bass club Cox ever joined was a johnboat-only-club that fished on small ponds. The first aluminum boat Cox owned had a blown outboard on it that he could not afford to get fixed. But that didn’t bother him one bit. After all, he just wanted to put the boat in on ponds where he could use the trolling motor to fish around the banks.

Staying quick and aiming shallow proved the difference for Cox.
(Photo: FLW)

Maybe that helps explain why Cox has mostly run aluminum boats on the Walmart FLW Tour. It might also help explain why Cox usually seeks out smaller, limited access backwaters connected to lakes during Tour events.

“These big lakes confuse me,” Cox laughs. “I feel much more comfortable fishing in smaller backwaters off of a main lake or river.”

Today, Cox utilized just such a secluded backwater to come from second place and win the Walmart FLW Tour presented by Evinrude and hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau at Lake Hartwell. His final-day weight of 16 pounds, 2 ounces was enough to nudge past Clark Wendlandt at the finish line by a mere 7 ounces. In four days, Cox accrued 67 pounds, 6 ounces to win the $100,000 payday.

This is the second time Cox has accessed an obscure area for a Tour win. His first Tour win was in 2011 at the Red River when he pushed his aluminum boat through a culvert into a backwater area to reach unpressured fish.

Skeet Reese Wins 2013 Bassmaster Elite West Point Lake Event with Heroic Last Day!

By Deb Johnson
BASS Press Release

Skeet Reese is on fire — again.

The Auburn, Calif., superstar of bass fishing was victorious Sunday in the Bassmaster Elite Series’ West Point Lake Battle after starting the final round in seventh place, almost 2 1/2 pounds behind leader Tommy Biffle.

Its been a while!
(Photos: James Overstreet BASS)

But when Reese weighed 15-4 Sunday, he squashed the other 11 finalists’ hopes of winning the four-day Battle out of LaGrange, Ga. Closest to catching Reese was Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., who finished second with 44-6, exactly 2 pounds back.

Reese won $100,000 and his 14th Bassmaster Classic qualification. He also racked up points in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, rising eight steps in the standings into third place.

“We play for the win — and the money’s always nice. But I fish for one title — Angler of the Year. For me, it doesn’t get any better than that,” said Reese, who has won the AOY crown once, in 2007.

The West Point event win, the seventh of his Bassmaster career, was his first since he won two Elite competitions in 2010. He was in contention for the AOY title throughout 2010, but Kevin VanDam took it.