2024 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Wheeler Lake Day 2: Cliff Prince Moves into Lead!

Canadians Gallant 29th, Gustafson 53rd, Chris Johnston 57th & Cory Johnston 88th.   

BASS Press Release

DECATUR, Ala. — When he arrived for practice for the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Wheeler Lake, Cliff Prince hadn’t studied a map or done any research on the lake. He wanted as clear of a head as possible, and so far, it has paid off in a big way.

With a 20-pound, 7-ounce Day 2 performance, “The Prince of Palatka” jumped into the lead at Wheeler Lake with a two-day total of 39-11. Opening the tournament in fourth with a 19-4 limit, Prince now holds a 2-8 advantage over Alabama’s Justin Hamner, while Day 1 leader John Cox is third with 34-13.

The last time the Elites visited this Tennessee River reservoir in 2016, Prince suffered a dismal 105th-place finish. This time around, he didn’t think about Wheeler Lake until he put the boat in the water to start practice.

“I had someone ask me before this tournament, ‘Did you go practice?’ And I said no,’” the three-time Classic qualifier from Palatka, Fla., said. “I didn’t look at a map. I didn’t read anything. I wanted to come here with an open mind and just practice. I didn’t want to have any preconceived notions.”

That practice strategy proved productive as Prince has maximized and guarded one key spot he found on the main lake just a short distance from the takeoff spot at Ingalls Park. He has been throwing two baits around a patch of grass that surrounds a hard spot with shell in about 4 feet of water. While he’s caught mostly largemouth, he has hooked into several big smallmouth as well.

2020 FLW Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournaments Lake Chickamauga Day 1: Wheeler Leads with 24-09lbs!

Canadians Luzek 188th & Sim 191

by Sean Ostruszka

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Wheeler proving he is in a league of his own.
(Photo: FLW) 

One is arguably the hottest angler in the sport. The other is arguably to hottest angler on Lake Chickamauga. And it’s only fitting that Jacob Wheeler and John Cox sit first and second, respectively, in the standings after day one of the first of three Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournaments to close out the 2020 season.

Fresh off a win in the Lake Pickwick Toyota Series event and a top 10 in the MLF Toyota Heavy Hitters event on the Kissimmee Chain, Wheeler put his local knowledge to the test on Tuesday to sack up 24-9 and grab the lead on his home lake. 

To take home another major title on the fishery like he did back in 2014, Wheeler will have to hold off Cox; a pro who won the last FLW event he fished on Chickamauga – along with 200-plus other top anglers from the Pro Circuit and Bass Pro Tour.

Fortunately, having moved to the area three years ago (along with already having years of experience prior), Wheeler was able to overcome having the last boat draw in a massive and talent-laden field by keeping an open mind.

“I ran a lot of places; maybe 30 or 40,” says Wheeler, who admits he didn’t catch many fish today. “Just trying to understand what’s going on. I was trying to keep an open mind between the shallow bite in the grass and offshore. 

“You can’t get caught up with one deal this week. It’s going to take a little bit of everything this week; a little hodgepodge deal. So that’s my game plan is to not commit to one particular pattern.”

Between the five fish Wheeler weighed in today, he says three came shallow – either on the bank or in grass. The other two came offshore. There was no set pattern, either, as he figures he had 20 rods on his deck. Yet, one thing definitely helped one of his bites.

“[The weather] made a huge difference in the shallow bite,” says Wheeler. “You had cloud cover and wind and rain. Those fish are not always that easy to catch. These fish are Florida-strain largemouth and hybrids. They’re sometimes very fickle to get to bite. The weather helped some of those places I was fishing.”

Top 10 Below

Ledge Fishing and Rod Selection Secrets with Keith Combs

Summer time is off-shore fishing time. Learning how to master the challenge of fishing away from the bank requires the correct gear. Listen to BASS Elite angler Keith Combs as he explains his rod selections when fishing for off-shore bass.

Avoid 3 Common Ledge Fishing Mistakes with Michael Neal

As largemouth bass complete the spawn, they'll slip into deeper water and school in large groups. With large clusters of bass living in the deep water, anglers and fish will focus on structure. At times, fishing can a fast and furious. Time it incorrectly and expect a lot of frustration.

Jason Lambert Wins 2018 FLW Tour Kentucky Lake with 101-09lbs!

Gustafson finishes 7th
by Curtis Niedermier
FLW PRESS RELEASE

Jason sets record with 28 pound winning margin.
(Photo: FLW)

No questions. No doubts. No surprises. No one even came close to catching Jason Lambert on the final day of the FLW Tour event presented by Costa Sunglasses on Kentucky Lake.

The Michie, Tenn., pro added another 27 pounds, 3 ounces to his total weight to finish with an astounding four-day total of 101 pounds, 9 ounces.

Lambert began the day with a lead of more than 19 pounds over Scott Martin, and finished with a winning margin of 28 pounds, which is a new FLW Tour record. The previous record was 23-9 by Randall Tharp at Lake Okeechobee in 2012. Lambert’s overall weight is the most ever at Kentucky Lake (besting his record of 97-2 from 2016), and ranks 10th all-time among FLW Tour events.

Since 2016, Lambert has won three multi-day FLW tournaments on Kentucky Lake, all during the months of May and June, which comprise the heart of the ledge-fishing season, and he’ll be back in a few weeks to compete in the Costa FLW Series tournament out of neighboring Lake Barkley, where he’ll be the odds-on favorite once again.

Yesterday, Lambert basically put it out of reach by catching 30 pounds, 8 ounces. He started on a community hole at the northern end of the lake and had 20 pounds in the box quickly. That was a main-lake spot where a school of hawgs was hanging out on a current-facing point on a narrow ridge. He then added a pair of 5-pounders and a 9-pound, 2-ounce kicker from another main-lake school that basically showed up that morning on an old waypoint.

Today, he blew everyone away in the first hour.

“I started this morning where I caught that 9-pounder and them two 5s yesterday,” Lambert says. “I had, like, two 3s and a 5. That was the very first three casts of the day.

“I had a lull after that for about 20 minutes or so, and then it got ridiculous again for 30 or 40 minutes. I caught probably eight or nine total. I caught some little guys too, though, and I stayed there until about 9:30.”

2018 FLW Tour Kentucky Lake Day 2: Haynes 1st Lambert 2nd in Ledge Shootout!

Gustafson 12th, Cory Johnston 70th, Chris Johnston 72th & Richardson 85th

by Curtis Niedermier

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Haynes, Lambert way out in front of the field.
(Photo: FLW)

With two more days to fish, it might be a hair early to declare the FLW Tour event presented by Costa Sunglasses a two-horse race. But then again, when Randy Haynes has the lead going into the weekend, Jason Lambert is only 2 pounds, 4 ounces behind him, and the next closest competitor is another 6 pounds back, you might as well start preparing for a ledge-master showdown.

No one in the world is better at plying Tennessee River ledges than Haynes and Lambert. They’ve done more to prove it this week than ever, with impressive back-to-back limits in what has been a very challenging opening round of fishing.

Haynes set the pace with limits of 26-3 on day one and 19-15 today, for a two-day total of 46-2. Lambert trails with 43-14. His limits went 24-6 and 19-8

Today was the first day each reported experiencing those classic Kentucky Lake flurries that loads the boat quickly. But their weights did drop, and they really had to earn every bite.

“It was a struggle today,” says Haynes. “I had to relocate my fish today. I had to catch them a totally different way.”

The Mississippi pro put a pair of 2 1/2-pounders in the livewell real early to start off the FLW coverage blog. Then he hit a lull. Eventually, Haynes spent about 45 minutes running some secondary areas. With nothing happening on those spots, he returned to his starting area – the same place he caught his weight on day one – and everything turned around.

“I hit a pretty good window after I relocated,” says Haynes. “I finally got a little Tennessee River flurry, where I caught five or six pretty quick.”

Haynes filled his limit at about 11:30 and upgraded a couple times after that. He says he caught eight keepers on the day using a Zoom Swimmer and a couple of other swimbaits. Part of the reason he changed from the deep-diving crankbait that he fished on day one to the swimbait on day two was to slow down his presentation and get more bites, but he also needed a break from cranking to rest an aching shoulder. Yesterday, he wound that crankbait hard and fast all day long.

TOP 10 BELOW

Ledge fishing tips from FLW CUP Champ Brad Knight

The spawn is over and the bass are moving to the ledges. Being there first can mean some of the most intense bass fishing of the whole year. Learn from FLW Cup Champion Brad Knight as he breaks down how he fishes ledges. Brad Knight is a master and Walmart FLW Tour pro who knows how to catch them out deep.

Ledge Fishing! Brad Knight with the new Strike King Bull Worm

The Bull Worm from Strike King is a great bait for pulling over ledges. Rig it Texas or on a jighead it works either way. FLW CUP Champ, Brad Knight explains why you need to buy some packs of these worms.

2016 ICAST Brad Knight with the new Strike King Bull Worm

The Bull Worm from Strike King is a great bait for pulling over ledges. Rig it Texas or on a jighead it works either way. FLW CUP Champ, Brad Knight explains why you need to buy some packs of these worms.

Jason Lambert Wins 2016 Walmart FLW Tour with 97-2!

Lambert conquers Kentucky!

by Rob Newell

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Jason Lambert had a small chip on his shoulder. That chip was named Kentucky Lake.

The grudge match with Kentucky Lake started back in 2012 when Lambert finished third in a Costa FLW Series. At the time, he brushed it off. After all, a third place finish was a solid finish for a guy who was just starting to break into the big leagues of bass fishing.

Focusing on small schools pays of big time for Jason. (Photo: FLW)

However, things got a bit more personal with Lambert and Kentucky Lake in 2014 when he finished second in the Costa FLW Series held there.

And the chip really grew in size at the FLW Tour event on Kentucky Lake in 2014 where, in his rookie FLW Tour season, he finished runner-up again, missing his first Tour win by 1 pound, 2 ounces.

What bothered Lambert most about his two previous runner-up finishes was that he brought in his biggest limits of those tournaments on the final day and still didn’t win on Kentucky Lake.

Lambert Wins 2016 Walmart FLW Tour Event at Kentucky Lake!

Wild day at the 2016 Walmart FLW Kentucky Lake tournament! Jason Lambert bags a 29 Sunday limit to win the event. More info to come.

2015 Walmart Bass Fishing League All-American Day 2: Curtis Richardson Leads with 46-12lbs!

O'CANADA! Richardson leads All-American!

by Colin Moore

FLW PRESS RELEASE

For a guy who’s put together two solid days of fishing to occupy the top spot in the Walmart Bass Fishing League All-American on Kentucky Lake hosted by the Henry County Alliance, Curtis Richardson doesn’t exude a lot of confidence.

Ontario angler Richardson feels comfortable on the ledges. Just like
smallmouth fishing back home. (Photo FLW)

It’s understandable. On day two of the championship, the 31-year-old Ontario angler had six bites all day, and managed a five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces. So Richardson isn’t exactly covered up with aggressive fish. He’s also fishing in an area near New Johnsonville, Tenn., that’s going to get covered up with boats Saturday, and he has Billy Schroeder stalking him – that in itself is enough to make a body worry.

In fact, counting his 24-13 stringer from day one, Richardson has a total of 46-12, or about a 1¼ pounds ahead of Schroeder. Both anglers moved up in the standings after first-round leader Bobby Padgett faltered with a second-round stringer of 17-2. The trio is among the top 10 finalists who will compete for the title and the $100,000 prize ($120,000 if Ranger Cup qualified) that goes with it in Saturday’s final round.

2015 BASSfest at Kentucky Lake Day 1: Ott DeFoe Lands Lead and Seven Pounder!

Big up-grade vaults Ott into lead.

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

PARIS, Tenn. — Ott DeFoe admits he entered Wednesday’s opening round of the Zippo Bassmaster BASSfest at Kentucky Lake presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps feeling confident bordering on cocky.
But as excited as he was, he wasn’t expecting this.
DeFoe brought five bass to the scales that weighed 26 pounds, 7 ounces and claimed the Day 1 lead by more than a pound over South Carolina angler Andy Montgomery, who was second with 25-4.
Oklahoma pro Edwin Evers was third with 24-0, and Michigan superstar Kevin VanDam was fourth with 23-9 on a day when it took 20-4 just to make the Top 25.

Ott lucky to lead as pack is tight. (Photo: BASS)

“I had expectations, but I didn’t really think 26 pounds was where it was going to end up,” said DeFoe, who lives 4 1/2 hours away in Knoxville, Tenn. “I don’t want to say I was cocky, but I felt like I was going to have a pretty good day if I got on the place I wanted to fish – and if the fish stayed, which apparently they did.”
Like many in the 124-angler field, DeFoe caught most of his best fish before 10 a.m. and then went into “fish-management” mode.
Instead of pounding his best areas and potentially wasting fish that could help him later in the week, he backed away and went looking for new hot spots.
He was surprised when one of the new places he found actually produced his best fish — a 7-5 largemouth that ranked as the second-largest fish caught during the opening round.
“I’m not going to say I was killing time, because I was still fishing,” DeFoe said. “But I was kind of waiting on time to go by until it was time to come in. I got one bite there, and it was a 7 1/4-pounder.”

2015 Walmart FLW Tour Lake Eufaula Day 1: Client Davis Whacks 22-9 and Lead.

Deep and Shallow Patterns All Working

by Rob Newell

FLW PRESS RELEASE

A numbers game – that’s the predominant theme among the leaders at the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Quaker State on Lake Eufaula.

The game is not about catching numbers of fish, but rather, running numbers of isolated spots that feature some kind of cover – a single stump, log, brush pile, piece of standing timber or rock is all it takes. The object of the game is to hit as many of these places in a day as possible.

A lot of unknowns on Day 1: Shad spawn, falling water, deep fish.
Davis found the right ones to lead the pack.
(Photo: FLW)

“I’ve fished this lake all my life, and I have hundreds of these little one-stop places logged in my GPS,” Davis says. “I stop at each one, make a few casts, then I’m gone to the next.

“And it really doesn’t matter what it is,” he continues. “A lot of them are brush piles, and the fish are pulling out to them with the falling water and rising temperatures, so they will probably reload throughout the week.”

Davis says he hit two “wads” of fish during the day, but he defines a wad as being two fish on one piece of cover.

2014 ICAST Thundermist Lure's Flexi jig bucktail model with IBASSIN

ICAST 2014 we discover a hidden gem with Thundermist Lures. They make a lot of great saltwater and fresh water baits. Their new FLEXI-Jig is now in buck tail. If you love ledge fishing, walleye, trout or big game fish then you have to have a look.

2014 ICAST Lunker Hunt's Core Strength Lunker Bug with Michael Neal and ...

2014 ICAST in Orlando find 2014 ICAST finds IBASSIN in the Lunker Hunt booth with Michael Neal. This Lunker Hunt pro explains the all new Core Strength Lunker Hunt Bug. This soft plastic craw is look great and has amazing action. Check it out!!

Magnum Spoons, the new ledge fishing super bait.

 

The Ben Parker Signature Series Magnum Spoon would nearly be a keeper bass in some states. (Photo by D. W. Reed II)

by Curtis Niedermier
(Originally posted on FLW.com)

There are very few secrets in ledge fishing, and Kentucky Lake seems to be the place where most ledge secrets get broadcast to the world.

At the final Walmart FLW Tour stop of 2014, which enters its third day of competition this morning on Kentucky Lake, the best ledge-fishing pros in the business have revealed the next must-have lure for offshore fishing: the Magnum Spoon.

You’ve seen the “big spoon,” which was unleashed to the world in a bass fishing TV show filmed on Kentucky Lake a few years ago. But the new Ben Parker Signature Series Magnum Spoon makes the old one look like a baby spoon.

At more than 8 inches long, 2 inches wide and about 3 1/2 ounces, the Magnum Spoon, which was created by professional bass angler Ben Parker, looks more like it belongs on a saltwater rig or tied to the line of a Northern muskie hunter than factoring into a bass tournament in Tennessee.

Yet, there’s been plenty of buzz – both literal and figurative – about the spoon this week.

Several top 20 pros have been using it. Others might be using it but not talking. One caught all his fish on it Thursday and Friday. Another is relying on it to pluck his biggest kickers each day. And as of now, it seems that none of them had the spoon prior to practice.

Pros who don’t have a Magnum Spoon are quite literally begging their competition for a spare and snapping photos with cellphones to show off the size – this thing dwarfs an ordinary Coke can.

As for the literal buzz, that’s the sound the Magnum Spoon makes when it’s launched in the air. It swirls and spins like a propeller, sounding off with an eerie whirl.

Casey Martins Wins 2013 Walmart FLW Lake Chickamauga Day by 20 Pound Margin!

By Brett Carlson
FLW Press Release
DAYTON, Tenn. – Casey Martin led the opening day of the 2013 Walmart FLW Tour season with a 26-pound, 12-ounce Lake Okeechobee stringer. Fittingly, he closed the regular season by winning with a 30-pound final-day stringer. Between the bookends was a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. The ride ended Sunday at Lake Chickamauga with one of the most dominating victories in FLW Tour history.

Casey finished the win scoring over 100 lbs of bass and
surpassing second place Strader by 20lbs!
(Photos: FLW)

When Martin arrived in Dayton, he was solely focused on trying to qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup. The odds were against him as the New Market, Ala., pro entered the tournament 54th in the standings. That meant Martin would have to make the top-10 and receive some help from others above him.
On day three of practice he located three schools of bass, one of which was loaded with fish and completely lit up his Lowrance unit with white dots (which indicate fish). The spot was a shell-ridden ledge with 15 feet of water on top and 25 feet on the bottom. But as boat No. 76, Martin was beaten to the spot the first morning by Mark Rose. With Rose’s permission, Martin fished alongside as the two whacked giant stringers. Two other anglers joined, but only Martin made the top-20 cutoff. That third day was the pivotal one.
“I thought the mega-school was gone and I almost left,” recalled Martin. “Then I idled around one more time to see if they were still on the graph and they were. So I adjusted and switched to a spinning rod and a drop-shot.”

Monsters like this ensured Martins first place.

Not only did Martin re-ignite the school, he was able to lay off his big-fish spot and have something in his back pocket for the final day. In the weeks leading up to the event, the Canadian-born pro practiced on Lake Guntersville near his house. The two TVA lakes fish similarly and Martin was prepared for the day-three curveball.
“Not only did I look for the same stuff, but I checked on how the schools reacted to different baits on consecutive days. I knew about the drop-shot coming in because my girlfriend Lindsey would throw one out of the back of the boat.”
Martin’s patience with the big-fish spot paid dividends Sunday as he was fishless on his primary area an hour into the day.
“Both spots were within sight of each other in Harrison Bay. I was struggling on the mega-school and I saw a local start to go over to the big-fish spot. I was thinking about leaving anyway, but that really forced my hand.”

2013 Walmart FLW Lake Chickamauga Day 3: Casey Martin has 10 pound Lead over Michael Neal

By Brent Carlton
FLW Press Release

DAYTON, Tenn. – Casey Martin made the drive from Guntersville, Ala., to Dayton, Tenn., with one goal in mind for the final Walmart FLW Tour qualifier of the season – make the Forrest Wood Cup. It was a tall task as the rookie pro sat in 54th place in the standings and would need to make the top-10 cutoff. Now that he’s done that, Martin has set his sights higher – this time on the $125,000 first-place purse.

Consistency has allow Casey Martin to pull
away from the pack.
(Photo: FLW)

Despite a very slow morning on his best spot, Martin stuck it out and adjusted. Earlier in the week Martin shared this very spot with Mark Rose, JT Kenney and Anthony Gagliardi. One would assume without the other three it would be game on. Not so.
“I almost left,” said Martin. “Then I idled around one more time to see if they were still on the graph and they were.”
Martin finally trigged the school with a drop-shot, Roboworm (green pumpkin) and 10-pound Seguar Invizx line, something he hasn’t used all week. During the opening round the fish were crushing his Picasso School-E Rig, 3/4-ounce Omega football jig and Strike King 10XD crankbait. Today, four of his five weigh fish came on the drop-shot, the other on the School-E Rig.

Walmart FLW Tour - Kentucky Lake Day 1: Todd Hollowell Claims Top Spot

TOP 20
Place / Name / Hometown / Total (#bass)

1	TODD HOLLOWELL	FISHERS, IN	19-05 (5)
2	TERRY BOLTON	PADUCAH, KY	19-03 (5)
2	JACOB WHEELER	INDIANAPOLIS, IN	19-03 (5)
4	JOHN COX	DEBARY, FL	18-15 (5)
5	JIM MOYNAGH	CARVER, MN	18-11 (5)
6	JT KENNEY	PALM BAY, FL	18-10 (5)
7	JAY YELAS	CORVALLIS, OR	18-07 (5)
8	TIM GRIGGS	PADUCAH, KY	18-04 (5)
9	KEVIN HAWK	GUNTERSVILLE, AL	17-14 (5)
9	ANDY MORGAN	DAYTON, TN	17-14 (5)
11	BRYAN THRIFT	SHELBY, NC	17-12 (5)
12	RON SHUFFIELD	BISMARCK, AR	17-11 (5)
13	SHANE LONG	SPRINGFIELD, MO	17-05 (5)
14	JT PALMORE	BLACKSTONE, VA	17-02 (5)
15	JEFF CLOUD	LUBBOCK, TX	16-15 (5)
15	RANDALL THARP	GARDENDALE, AL	16-15 (5)
17	DAVID DUDLEY	LYNCHBURG, VA	16-13 (5)
18	STETSON BLAYLOCK	BENTON, AR	16-10 (5)
18	CLENT DAVIS	MONTEVALLO, AL	16-10 (5)
18	PAYDEN HIBDON	SUNRISE BEACH, MO	16-10 (5)
21	KYLE MABREY	MCCALLA, AL	16-09 (5)