2020 Bassmaster Elite Lake Eufaula Day 1: Bill Lowen Slams Lead

Lowen proves big bass live shallow

By Bryan Brasher

BASS Press Release

Lowen making the shallow bite a contender on a lake known for offshore fishing.
(Photo: BASS)

Conventional wisdom says a tournament held on Lake Eufaula during 90-degree weather in June should be won offshore on the ledges.

But Bill Lowen isn’t buying it. He never buys that anywhere B.A.S.S. takes him.

The Indiana pro who cut his teeth fishing the shallow waters of the Ohio River stayed near the shoreline during Wednesday’s opening round of the DEWALT Bassmaster Elite at Lake Eufaula and grabbed the lead with five bass that weighed 23 pounds, 4 ounces.

The tournament, which marked a return to competition for the Elite Series after a three-month break due to COVID-19, was carried live on ESPN2 — and for Lowen, it couldn’t have set up any better.

“Today was just one of those awesome days when every decision I made worked out perfectly,” Lowen said. “I fished clean, didn’t lose any fish — and yes, it’s no secret I’m fishing shallow.

“I always like to fish in my comfort zone, and if I get out there in the middle of the lake, I’m not in my comfort zone. So, I’m gonna stay shallow the rest of the week.”

Van Dam Rockets into Knockout Round MLF!

Kevin VanDam powered his way into the Knockout Round thanks to a strong day on Table Rock Lake.
(Photo: Josh Gassman MLF)

Impending storms were a storyline all day at the Bass Pro Tour Bad Boy Mowers Stage Seven Presented by Covercraft, and they finally became the story at 6 p.m. as Group B’s Elimination Round was cut short by a lightning-caused weather delay that lasted until 7:20 p.m.

When things were deemed safe to resume, anglers had 40 minutes to make a move. Only one significant change happened during those closing moments: Bradley Roy exited the Top 20, and Michael Neal jumped above the Elimination Line.

As the weather became the story, it overshadowed great days from several anglers, some big movers, and a Kevin VanDam sighting at the top of SCORETRACKER®.

VanDam, Suggs Lead the Pack

The leading angler when the storm arrived was Scott Suggs with 122 pounds, 6 ounces. He backed up a solid day during the Shotgun Round with 55 pounds today.

However, in the final moments, VanDam pushed himself to a spot in the leaderboard he’s found himself in many tournaments: the top.

VanDam has had a trying season, but his 69-3 on Monday was the best of anyone in the field as he ended with 123-14.

Big Movers

Nobody made a bigger move than Andy Montgomery, who started the day in 36th and found himself in 33rd after Period 1. A 33-bass, 44-pound tally in Period 2 salvaged his tournament, and he found himself in 12th place to finish the day.

Others making moves were: Mark Davis (21st to 10th), John Murray (24th to 14th), Greg Hackney (28th to 7th), and Jesse Wiggins (23rd to 17th).

Falling out of the cut today was: Gerald Swindle (15th to 24th), Brent Chapman (16th to 25th), and Kelly Jordon (17th to 27th), and Alton Jones, Jr. (18th to 21st).

Andy Montgomery was one of the big movers on Monday. Photo by Phoenix Moore

2014 Bassmaster Elite Cayuga Lake Day 1: Palaniuk Edges into Lead in Tight Field.

"Community Holes" are holding them big time. 

By Deb Johnson

bass press release

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. — August is Brandon Palaniuk’s charmed time of year. New York is his state of magic.

Last August, the pro angler from Rathdrum, Idaho, won a Bassmaster Elite Series event on the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York. At age 25, he pocketed the $100,000 prize and achieved his goal of qualifying for the 2014 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro.

Brandon was one of seven to weigh
20lbs today.
(Photo: Seigo Saito BASS)

Thursday, just as focused on ensuring he’ll get into the 2015 Classic, Palaniuk led the 106-angler Elite field in the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake out of Union Springs, N.Y., where, once again, the first prize is $100,000 and an automatic qualification for the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing.

Palaniuk brought in 20 pounds, 10 ounces, enough to stay 3 ounces ahead of the pack in the first of four rounds.

“It was a magical day,” Palaniuk said. “I caught fish pretty early. I think I had a limit within the first 45 minutes, and slowly culled up from there. Every move I made, I seemed to catch a good one.”

The 26-year-old does not have one challenger behind him in second place, but two. In a tournament peppered with ties throughout the leaderboard, Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark., and Mike Kernan of Wylie, Texas, were neck-and-neck at 20-7 for second place.

Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., claimed fourth place by himself at 20-5. It was more than good enough to help him in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race, and an important move in keeping the lead he took over from Davis about two weeks ago.

2012 FLW Open Wheeler Lake: Mark Rose Wins

 by David A. Brown
FLW Press Release
DECATUR, Ala. – It's neither fair, nor respectful to other competitors to assume a tournament is "in the bag" just because a guy brings a huge lead into the final round. But Mark Rose, at least indirectly, justified any such murmurings with his dominant wire-to-wire win at the FLW Tour Open event on Wheeler Lake.

Mark lead all four days and took the trophy with ease.
(Photos: FLW)

Ever the humble gentleman, Rose simply won't engage in that line of thinking. He'll thank God, his family and his sponsors and he'll let others draw their own conclusions. For him, it's simply a matter of being fortunate enough to fish his style of fishing during a period when Wheeler's bass were positioned well for it. Essentially, the fish are just starting to move into their fall transition of shallow migration, but the water's still on the warm side, so plenty of quality fish remain out deep. With a solid understanding of these seasonal patterns and significant experience at picking apart the deep bottoms of TVA impoundments, Rose was in his comfort zone and simply went to work methodically locating and engaging his finned opponents.
"I just felt comfortable out there – I just get in tune with it," he said. "It's a passion I have. I really like it. I like it when I'm not catching anything because I'm trying to figure them out.

2012 FLW Open Wheeler Lake Day 3: Mark Rose Continues to Dominate!

Missouri’s Loeffelman Jr. Wins Co-Angler Title, $20,000

FLW Press Release
DECATUR, Ala. – National Guard pro Mark Rose slipped a bit and only weighed in the second-biggest stringer of the day at the Walmart FLW Tour Open on Wheeler Lake presented by Ranger Boats. It was still enough to increase his lead to a near-insurmountable 7 pounds, 1 ounce heading into the fourth and final day. The top cash award of $125,000 is now his to lose as the world’s best bass-fishing pros continued their four-day battle at Wheeler Lake on Saturday.

Rose does a little kneeling and reeling while keeping
a keen eye on the depth finder.
(Photos: FLW)

The West Memphis, Ark., native moves on to the final day of competition as the No. 1 seed with a five-bass limit Saturday of 15-10. Rose’s three-day catch of 15 bass weighing 54-8 gives him a dominating lead heading into Day 4.
“It’s awful special to be able to come out and be in the lead here,” said Rose, who is hunting for his sixth FLW tournament championship. “The Tennessee River just has a really special place in my heart. I’m fishing with a lot of confidence right now, just doing what I love to do.”
Rose said the bites were hard to come by Saturday and he really credits his Lowrance Structure Scan as being the key to his success.
“You have to idle and find these fish, and see where and how they’re set up,” Rose said. “You have to use your Lowrance to find the depths and positioning, and then decide what baits to throw. I couldn’t be doing this without it.

2012 FLW Open Wheeler Lake Day 2: Mark Rose in Total Control

FLW Press Release
by David A. Brown
DECATUR, Ala. – Experience can certainly build confidence, but it's not an absolute requirement. Case in point: National Guard pro Mark Rose admits to having little of the former on Wheeler Lake, but he had plenty of the latter as he maintained his lead on day two of the FLW Tour Open event.
The pro from West Memphis, Ark. caught 21 pounds, 6 ounces on day one and took the top spot by a margin of 3-7 over Alabama pro Blake Nick. Today, Rose added 17-8 and widened his lead to 4-6 with a total weight of 38-14, as Nick also held his position.

Fishing deep is really paying off for Mark Rose.
(Photos: FLW)

"I'm fishing with a lot of confidence right now and I'm comfortable fishing on the Tennessee River, although I don't know as much about Wheeler as the ponds above and below it," Rose said. "I don't have the time on Wheeler, but it's on the Tennessee River and I'm very comfortable at it. I'm fishing my style and I like it."
Asked what defines his style, Rose said it's as much about the hunt as the presentations. He's working two main areas with specific bottom characteristics and giving the fish a good mix of baits.
"I like reading my Lowrance StructureScan and finding deep fish," he said. "I like cranking, I like throwing a big worm, I like throwing a big spoon, I like throwing a big swimbait and that’s the kind of stuff that I'm doing here.

2012 FLW Open Wheeler Lake Day 1: Mark Rose Take Command with 21 pound limit

FLW Press Release

Mark Rose hold up two beasts. Most of the field couldn't break
the 7 pound mark yet Mark caught more than 21 pounds.
(Photo: FLW)

DECATUR, Ala. – Junk fishing was the name of the game Thursday as the world’s best bass-fishing pros began competing at the Walmart FLW Tour Open on Wheeler Lake presented by Ranger Boats. Multiple styles, patterns and presentations were used as pros from all across the United States began the four-day tournament fishing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
By the end of the weigh-in, one angler had separated himself quite a bit from the pack. National Guard pro Mark Rose of West Memphis, Ark., brought a five-bass limit to the scales Thursday weighing 21 pounds, 6 ounces to lead day one of the event. Rose now holds nearly a 3½-pound lead over Blake Nick of Adger, Ala., who caught five bass weighing 17-15.
“Normally I can say it was this bait, or this pattern,” said Rose, who has career winnings of more than $1.5 million. “Today, I was just blessed and it just happened for me. It was pretty tough, though. I didn’t catch that many fish – I only had seven keepers. Wheeler is definitely a tough lake, but it’s still got them.”