Justin Lucas Leads 2025 B&W Trailer Hitches Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops

It was a tight race for the top during the Knockout Round and Justin Lucas came out on top with 64-4 on 21 scorable bass. Photo by Tyler Brinks

Mitchell Forde Bass Pro Tour 

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. — Everything has gone to plan so far for Justin Lucas at B&W Trailer Hitches Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops. His last remaining objective on Smith Mountain Lake: claim the title belt he’s coveted for the past three years and at least one of the $100,000 paychecks up for grabs on Championship Thursday.

Lucas totaled 64 pounds, 4 ounces on 21 scorable bass during the Knockout Round. With less than 2 minutes left before lines out, he boated a 3-13 smallmouth that put him atop SCORETRACKER®, 1-8 ahead of Zack Birge.

Meanwhile, even though he finished the day in third place, the biggest winner was Matthew Stefan. The Wisconsin pro earned $30,000 for catching the Berkley Big Bass of the day, a 5-15 that ate a bladed jig.

Lucas will lead the Top 10 into what’s shaping up to be a wide-open Championship Round, where $100,000 will be up for grabs for both the tournament winner and the angler who catches the biggest bass. Watch the final day live on MLFNOW! from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) apps and the Major League Fishing channel on Rumble.

Full results can be found here.

Lucas hopeful he’s on the winning pattern

Lucas’ Knockout Round unfolded much like his Qualifying Round. He got off to a strong start, putting plenty of distance between himself and the elimination line early, then spent some time scouting for the next round. 

While most of his closest competition plied steep banks on the riverine end of Smith Mountain, Lucas stuck with his approach of targeting schools of bass ambushing blueback herring around the flat points on the lower end of the lake. He amassed more than 27 pounds in the opening period, climbed above the 50-pound mark in the opening minutes of the third frame, then eased off the gas and spent the rest of the day in practice mode.

2022 Fox Rent A Car Stage Six Presented by Googan Baits: Lucas Scores Championship Round Berth with 181 Pounds at Stage Six

by Tyler Brinks

BASS PRO TOUR PRESS RELEASE

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. – The hits keep coming at the Fox Rent A Car Stage Six Presented by Googan Baits on Cayuga Lake as the lake continues to kick out big bass. Anglers in both competition groups are proving that they can catch them a multitude of ways, Cayuga is further cementing itself as one of the best largemouth fisheries in the country.

The bite slowed down some Monday, but it’s too soon to tell if that trend will continue for the remaining three days of the event. It could be the fishing pressure catching up with areas or the changing weather conditions. We’ll know for sure in the next few days, but the big totals posted through the first three days show it will take some serious weight to win this event during the finale on Thursday.

Lucas Advances to Championship Round

The Championship Round got its first entrant as Justin Lucas added 16 bass for 54 pounds on Monday, bringing his total to 181-1 over two days.

Even with a 19-pound lead to begin the day, Lucas knew he was not safe since the man right behind him was Jacob Wheeler. The start of the day hinted at a shootout as Wheeler got off to a fast start and the two took turns with the lead. It appeared that whoever caught the last bass of the day would win the round, but it ended up being settled earlier in the day.

The bite slowed for Wheeler and he was forced to start idling and looking for more areas once Lucas appeared out of reach. But Lucas sweated it out to the end and was thankful to advance.

“That dude is dangerous,” Lucas said of Wheeler. “I’m thankful I could get past him, but he’ll probably be out here again during the Championship Round. You have to make it there first to have a shot at winning, so I’m very thankful to make the final day.”

2022 Fox Rent A Car Stage Six Presented by Googan Baits: Neal Grabs Lead as Fish Continue to Chew on Cayuga Lake

by Tyler Brinks

BASS PRO TOUR PRESS RELEASE

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. – Following a spectacular kickoff Saturday to the Fox Rent A Car Stage Six Presented by Googan Baits on Cayuga Lake yesterday, Day 2’s results – while still excellent – almost seemed like a breather. That’s how good Cayuga Lake is, where five anglers over the 70-pound mark on the second day means slightly slower action than the day prior.

Six anglers racked up 70 pounds or more the first day of competition, led by Justin Lucas and Jacob Wheeler over the 100-pound mark. But looking past the Top 10 tells the tale of how consistently excellent the largemouth and smallmouth fishing is right now on Cayuga: Chris Lane holds the 20th spot in Group A with 42-12 in Group A and his brother, Bobby, holds the 20th spot in Group B with 36-13.

No matter how you analyze it, the numbers say that Cayuga is showing out.

The action was consistent on Day 2, with plump largemouth and smallmouth steadily ringing up SCORETRACKER® throughout all three periods and red hot Michael Neal taking the lead after catching 21 bass for 83-3.

Neal Continuing Impressive Run

Fresh off his second consecutive Angler of the Year title on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, Neal is back in contention for another win. Beside Wheeler, nobody has been able to consistently shine and find themselves at the top of the standings across varied fisheries as much as Neal has in the past few years. Sunday was just another example of that and Neal will carry a nearly 8-pound lead over second place angler Mark Daniels, Jr. going into their group’s next fishing day on Tuesday.

Neal finds himself at the top doing something right in his wheelhouse – fishing offshore and utilizing his electronics. His success Sunday came after an early morning adjustment.

Jon Canada Wins 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on Pickwick!

MLF PRESS RELEASE

COUNCE, Tenn. – Pro Jon Canada of Helena, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 20 pounds even – his biggest limit of the event – to win Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Lithium Pros Stop 3 at Pickwick Lake Presented by Covercraft in Counce, Tennessee. Canada edged out the second-place angler Abu Garcia pro Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Alabama, by 1 pound, 2 ounces to earn the top payout of $100,000. 

After ending Day 1 in 74th place with only 12 pounds, 13 ounces, Canada weighed in the largest limit of Day 2 – five bass totaling 19-15 – to catapult into seventh place. He brought another solid limit of 17-8 to the scale on Day 3, putting him in third place and qualifying him into Championship Sunday. 

“This win is just the good Lord above, I don’t know what else to say – it was just meant to be,” Canada said. “I came here and practiced for two days when the water was down, idling up and down this thing – marking every stump, shell bed, everything you can think of on a 5- to 8-mile stretch of the river and I ended up catching them in some of the areas where I did my homework. 

“I spent most of the event fishing around the same areas as Lucas and (Andrew) Loberg, just fishing a little bit of grass and isolated stumps,” Canada said. “I caught two of the biggest bass I’ve ever caught on Pickwick in this one area during pre-practice for another tournament – a 7-pounder and an 8-pounder.

“I only had two fish at lunchtime on Day 2 and decided to change it up and run out to that spot. I’m not typically a drop-shot guy; but if it works, I’ll do it. I pitched the first couple stumps and had 19 or 20 pounds within 40 minutes, and I knew there was something special going on.” 

With weights zeroed on the final day, the tournament was anyone’s to win, but Canada found himself trailing behind Lucas in the No. 2 spot on the unofficial leaderboard throughout most of the day.

“I felt like the stumps I’d been fishing had a little extra pressure yesterday,” Canada said. “I could see the fish, but they wouldn’t bite and just kept running around and picking at my worm. I decided to idle to a new spot today that I’d never fished before, marked about 20 stumps and caught two big ones.” 

This last-minute move upriver proved very profitable for the Alabama pro, who caught a good kicker fish in the final hour of Championship Sunday to finally push him over the top.  

“Catching that fish this afternoon absolutely saved my tail,” Canada said. “I didn’t realize it was the winning fish, and knew it was going to be close, but I also knew that it definitely put me in contention for the top spot.”

Canada said most of his fish were caught on isolated stumps in 4- to 8-feet of water.

“I spent the first two days swimming a jig with a Reactions Innovations Twerk on the back of it, white-colored with chartreuse tipped ends, then I flipped a Reaction Innovations Spicy Beaver. I caught a lot on the first day doing that,” Canada said. “When I went offshore, I threw a shaky head with a Reaction Innovations Flirt Worm, green-pumpkin colored, and caught a 4-pounder. I decided to switch to a drop-shot because it was faster and allowed me to work the stumps more quickly and thoroughly.” 

Canada said he’s been fishing pretty good this year, but everything just finally came together during this event. 

“The win hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Canada said with a laugh. “It feels great to finally win one. This has been a long time coming.”

The Top 10 pros at the Lithium Pros Stop 3 on Pickwick Lake finished:

• 1st:           Jon Canada of Helena, Ala., five bass, 20-0, $100,000
• 2nd:          Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 18-14, $30,000
• 3rd:          Mitch Crane of Columbus, Miss., five bass, 15-14, $25,000
• 4th:           Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., five bass, 15-3, $20,000
• 5th:           Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tenn., four bass, 14-4, $19,000
• 6th:           John Hunter of Shelbyville, Ky., five bass, 13-12, $18,000
• 7th:           John Cox of DeBary, Fla., five bass, 11-10, $17,000
• 8th:           Andrew Loberg of Rocklin, Calif., four bass, 9-15, $16,000
• 9th:           Nick LeBrun of Bossier City, La., four bass, 7-10, $15,000
• 10th:        Troy Stokes of Trenton, Mich., zero bass, 0-0, $14,000

2021 MLF Bass Pro Tour Lake Champlain: Group B Qualifying Round

Justin Lucas clinched a berth in the Championship Round of Stage Six
thanks to his Group B win on Lake Champlain. (Photo: MLF)

By Mason Prince

Bass Pro Tour Press Release

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Going into the Toyota Stage Six Presented by Googan Baits, the Angler of the Year race was thought to only be a three-horse race between Ott DeFoe, Jacob Wheeler and Brent Ehrler. Thanks to the Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm, a bunch of Lake Champlain smallmouth and a trip straight to the Championship Round, it’s Justin Lucas who could be leaving New York in the driver’s seat of the AOY derby.

Lucas won Group B’s Qualifying Round with a two-day total of 31 bass for 101 pounds, 10 ounces, besting second-place Brandon Coulter by 9 ounces to earn a berth in Tuesday’s Championship Round. After Coulter caught a 2-pounder with only two minutes left in the round, Lucas said he felt the pressure. Luckily for Lucas, Coulter wasn’t able to find one more bite due to some algae blowing into his area, causing the water clarity and visibility to tank.

COMPLETE RESULTS

“I need a day off in the worst kind of way because I have to get my stuff together for the Championship Round,” a flustered Lucas said after his win. “My boat is a disaster and it was a hard fight with Coulter today. I can’t believe we won it because I really felt like things weren’t going our way, but I caught more fish today than I did on my first day. I just need an off day and a beer and I’ll be ready to go again.”

While Lucas was securing his spot in the Championship Round, Casey Ashley, Jordan Lee and Alton Jones Jr. were jockeying for the final spot in the top 20 for the right to go to the Knockout Round. Ashley led both Lee and Jones by 2-10 in the final 10 minutes. With only six minutes remaining in Period 3, Jones was able to hook a 2-11 smallmouth, knocking Ashley below the Toro Cut Line by just 1 ounce. Jordan Lee finished 2-15 behind Jones in 22nd place.

Justin Lucas Wins 2018 BASS Elite Angler of the Year!

James Elam Wins Event
BASS PRESS RELEASE

A dream come true for the whole Lucas clan.
(Photo: BASS)

By the time Justin Lucas made it to the stage during Sunday’s final weigh-in for the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Lake Chatuge, Georgia, the drama was all but gone.
 
Lucas came into the event with an eight-point lead in the AOY season standings — and after solid catches on Thursday and Friday, he had stretched that lead to an almost-insurmountable 47 points. Plus, his closest competition in the race, Arizona angler Josh Bertrand, decided not to fish Sunday because his wife is expected to deliver their second child any time now back home.
 
It eliminated all the suspense, but that suited Lucas just fine.
 
The California native turned Alabama resident caught five bass that weighed only 11 pounds, 14 ounces Sunday. But his three-day weight of 39-0 was more than enough to give him the AOY title and the biggest accomplishment of his young, flourishing career.
 
“I wanted this so badly,” Lucas said. “The build-up to this tournament affected every part of my life. I haven’t been sleeping because I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking about my game plan for this week. I’ve told my family and friends just to bear with me for a few more days, and everything would be okay — and now it’s all good.”
 
The gravity of the award hit Lucas and moved him to tears on stage.
 
“You think about the guys who’ve won this title — Gerald Swindle, Kevin VanDam — it’s unbelievable,” he said. “I’m the 23rd guy who’s ever won this in the 50-year history of B.A.S.S., and that’s humbling.”
 

2018 BASS Elite Angler of the Year Championship Day 2: Justin Lucas Closer to AOY!

James Elam Leads Tournament
By Bryan Brasher
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Lucas one day away from AOY title.
(Photo: BASS)

Justin Lucas needed two things this week to ensure an easy path to winning the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship.
 
First, he needed to catch enough bass to simply maintain the first-place lead he brought with him in the regular-season AOY standings. He’s done that easily with 10 bass that weighed 27 pounds, 2 ounces the first two rounds, including a catch of 13-12 on Friday.
 
Lucas also needed Josh Bertrand, his good friend and closest competition in the AOY standings, to struggle. That’s happened as well, with Bertrand landing only two fish the first round and now resting in 43rd place in the weekly standings with a two-day weight of 15-13.
 
It’s never over until it’s over. But as Lucas now holds a gigantic 47-point lead in the standings with only one day left to fish, the race is certainly creeping in that direction.
 
“We have one more day, and I need to go out and catch maybe 8 pounds to lock it up,” said Lucas, who admits he’s been losing sleep over the idea of winning the AOY trophy and the $100,000 bonus that goes with it. “It may not even take 8 pounds, but I haven’t reached the point where I feel like I can let up.”
 

2018 BASS Elite Angler of the Year Championship Day 1: Justin Lucas Jumps Way Ahead!

James Elam Leads Tournament
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Lucas gains big lead as Bertrand stumbles.
(Photo: BASS)

Justin Lucas openly admits he’s been a nervous wreck.
 
He hasn’t been sleeping well. He’s been waking up in the middle of the night with his mind racing about this week’s Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship.
 
But after Thursday, he should rest a little better — and with two more days just like it, he’ll probably get some of the best sleep of his life.
 
Lucas, who finished the regular season as the leader in the AOY standings, caught five bass that weighed 13 pounds, 6 ounces during Thursday’s opening round of the AOY Championship on Lake Chatuge. That stretched his lead in the standings from nine points to a whopping 53 over second-place angler Josh Bertrand — and put him in prime position for a major career boost and the $100,000 bonus that goes with it.
 
“I just want that AOY trophy,” Lucas said emphatically. “You know I want to win this tournament this week. But I’d be 100 percent satisfied with a Top 8 finish. I’d be 100 percent satisfied if I finish eight points ahead of Josh.
 
“That AOY trophy is all I care about.”
 
As with past years, the AOY Championship is basically two events in one. First and foremost, it’s designed to bring closure to a nine-event Bassmaster Elite Series schedule that began in February on Alabama’s Lake Martin. It pays $1 million to the 50 AOY qualifiers based on their points totals at the end of the event, except for $25,000 going to the winner of the tournament.
 
Lucas, who grew up in California and now lives in Alabama, built his regular-season lead with five Top 12 finishes, including four in a row to end the season. He rode that momentum into Thursday’s first round and managed a double-digit weight despite tough fishing conditions on Chatuge.
 
The fishery, which is known for its giant populations of spotted bass and blueback herring, has proved difficult for the anglers since the official practice period began Monday. It was particularly tough Thursday for Bertrand — an Arizona native and a longtime friend of Lucas.

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.
 

2017 BASS Southern Open Harris Chain of Lakes Day 2: Justin Lucas Take Lead with 43-09lbs!

Field cut to Top 12 for Saturday. 

By Andrew Canulette

BASS PRESS RELEASE
The sun was about to slip below the horizon by the time Justin Lucas came to the stage for Friday's weigh-in of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open No. 1.

Lucas leads with back to back 21 pound limits.
(Photo: BASS)

At that point, about 360 of the 400 anglers already had weighed their bass in front of a healthy crowd at Venetian Gardens. If you had asked just about any of them, they probably would have said it was practically certain that Thursday's leader, Marty Robinson, would hold onto the top spot heading into Saturdays' final day of fishing on the Harris Chain of Lakes.

But Lucas had other plans.

The Guntersville, Ala., resident and California native swooped in at the 11th hour with a five-fish limit that weighed 21 pounds, 14 ounces. That gave Lucas a 43-9 total for two days, and has him more than 2 pounds ahead of Robinson heading into the final round.

Lucas was the only angler of the 200 in the pro division who caught 20-pound bags the first two days of the tournament. He's never won an Open, and he told the crowd he's itching to add to his trophy collection.

"I already have two on the mantle from the Elite Series," Lucas said, referencing his wins on the Potomac River in 2016 and the Sacramento River a year earlier. "But no Open trophies ... We want them all."

Justin Lucas Wins Wire to Wire!

 

Adding a 19 pound limit Justin prevents an up-set as Jason Christie sacks 

a 23 pound bag on the last day to make it interesting. 

More info coming!

2016 BASS Elite Potomac River Day 3: Justin Lucas Continues Lead!

Magic docks cools off big time!
By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

The heat is rising and his magical dock seems to be cooling off a little.

But despite catching only 12 pounds, 15 ounces during Saturday’s semifinal round, Alabama pro Justin Lucas is in position for a wire-to-wire win at the Bassmaster Elite at Potomac River presented by Econo Lodge.

Drop Shot key all week for Lucas (Photo BASS)

Lucas’ Saturday catch — easily his smallest of the week — pushed his three-day total to 53-1. He will enter Championship Sunday with a lead of almost 6 pounds over Indiana pro Bill Lowen (47-3).

Both anglers were covered with sweat backstage after Saturday’s weigh-in, with the heat index rising above 112 degrees.

“I had 10 pounds for a long time today,” Lucas said. “I don’t know why things slowed down the way they did. But I’m very fortunate to be where I am with this kind of lead.

“This all started from Day 1 of the tournament. I had no idea what lived under that dock — never even had a bite there in practice.”

A California native, Lucas has been using the kind of finesse tactics that West Coast anglers are known for. He’s caught a couple of fish on a stickbait and a couple on a swim jig, but the majority have been caught on spinning tackle with a drop shot rig.

2016 BASS Elite Potomac River Day 2: Justin Lucas Leads by 6 Pounds with a Total of 40-2lbs.

Lucas only fishes 2 hours today.
By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASEThroughout his young professional fishing career, Alabama angler Justin Lucas says he’s never found a spot quite like the one he’s fished the first two days of the Bassmaster Elite at Potomac River presented by Econo Lodge.
The stats back up his claims.

One pass is all it took this morning. (Photo: BASS)

Lucas caught the biggest limit of the tournament for the second day in a row Friday, landing five bass that weighed 19 pounds, 14 ounces. That catch pushed his two-day mark to 40-2 and gave him a comfortable lead of nearly 6 pounds over second-place angler Brent Ehrler (34-4) as the event heads into the semifinal round Saturday.

2016 BASS Elite Potomac River Day 1: Justin Lucas Leads with 20-04lbs!

G-MAN still in control of AOY

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Justin Lucas on a roll on tidal rivers.
(Photo: BASS)

There has been a lot of talk the past few years about the declining quality of bass fishing on the Potomac River.

But on Thursday, the best bass fishermen in the world proved there is still plenty of hope for the famed fishery.

Things were especially good for Alabama pro Justin Lucas.

Lucas caught five bass that weighed 20 pounds, 4 ounces, off “one special place” to take the lead in the Bassmaster Elite at Potomac River presented by Econo Lodge. California angler Brent Ehrler is second with 17-13, and Washington pro Luke Clausen is third with 17- 9.

The Top 62 anglers in the 107-angler field caught at least 10 pounds of bass.

“I think the river has taken a little hit the last couple of years, but there’s more grass growing this year than there has been the past two or three years,” Lucas said. “That really helps the weights in a tournament.

“The bass get up in there and eat bluegill and whatever baitfish they can — and it fattens them up.”

Lucas worked his Day 1 magic in one spot that he was surprised to have to himself.

“At certain times of the year, I think the place I’m fishing is a pretty popular place,” Lucas said. “But this time of year, I don’t think it is. I only saw one other boat all day, and that was surprising.

“I stayed there almost until the end of the day — just guarding it more than anything.”

With three days left to fish, Lucas wouldn’t say which lures he was using. He only said he was fishing “West Coast style.”

2015 Bassmaster Elite Sacramento River Day 3: Justin Lucas Leads As Weights Sink.

Lucas Readies for Career Defining Win.

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Justin Lucas knows he’s on the verge of something special.

But with the way fish are behaving on the California Delta, he knows he still has plenty of work to do if he’s going to raise the coveted blue trophy and pocket a $100,000 check in front of a crowd filled with his family and friends Sunday afternoon.

Lucas still sight fishing as the Delta becomes more difficult.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

A native Californian who now lives in Alabama, Lucas caught five bass Saturday that weighed 19 pounds, 3 ounces and took the lead in the Sacramento Bassmaster Elite at Sacramento River with a three-day total of 66-14.

Lucas will lead the Top 12 remaining anglers into Sunday’s championship round with a pair of fellow California natives in close contention. Aaron Martens, who like Lucas grew up in California and relocated to Alabama, is in second with 63-14, followed by San Jose, Calif., resident Chris Zaldain with 60-12.

2015 Bassmaster Elite Sacramento River Day 2: Aaron Martens Take Lead; Iyobe Lands 10 Pounder!

California Angler Continue to Set Pace!

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The West Coast dominance continued during Friday’s second round of the Sacramento Bassmaster Elite at Sacramento River, with four native Californians taking over the top of the standings.

Aaron Martens, who grew up in California and now lives in Alabama, caught five bass Friday that weighed 26 pounds, 9 ounces and took the lead with a two-day mark of 51-4.

Aaron Martens take slight lead into weekend.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

The total was just enough to push him past Chris Zaldain, who is 6 ounces back in second with 50-14. After catching 30-7 Thursday, Zaldain added 20-7 Friday to stay within good striking distance of his second career win with B.A.S.S.

Justin Lucas – another California native who now resides in Alabama – is in third with 47-11, and California resident Ish Monroe is fourth with 45-4.

Most anglers near the top of the leaderboard are targeting shallow spawning fish 80 to 100 miles downriver in the California Delta, and they said some are easier to catch than others.

“I caught a 6-pounder right before I left to come back, and I made it back with two minutes to spare,” said Martens, who if late would have been penalized 1 pound per minute. “Some of these fish aren’t really spawning or even guarding fry, they’re just kind of there. The mornings are tough, because it’s been cold.