Chris Johnston Wins 2025 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 6 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches!

By Jody White, Invitations Press Release

MASSENA, N.Y. – Technically, the Johnston family is not inevitable on the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, but this weekend, they looked pretty hard to beat. On Lake Ontario, Cory and Lynn Johnston won the Thousand Island Open out of Kingston – with more than a 5 1/2 -pound average per fish. Meanwhile, running nearly to Lake Ontario every day, Chris Johnston weighed 76 pounds, 1 ounce over three days to win Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 6 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches in fine style. 

Finishing second (again!) Hayden O’Barr tallied 68-8 on the week, and Banks Shaw, Brent Anderson and Clay Reece all got over 67 pounds, but nobody was really close to Johnston after he sailed through Day 2. The win is Johnston’s second at the FLW Tour or Invitationals level, his first coming back in 2018 on the Harris Chain. For this win, he pocketed $80,000 and burnished his already sterling record on the big river. 

Quick recovery puts Johnston on top 

After making a long run on Day 1, Johnston wasn’t exactly feeling the love from his favorite river early on. 

“I went to some spots that were new to me, to be honest,” he said. “I found them in practice and made a long run to them, and they were pretty loaded in practice. I was pretty excited. And, I had four spots where I thought they were all 4 1/2-plus, and there were five to 10 fish per spot. 

“Some of them were gone, some wouldn’t bite, and the wheels started spinning,” he said. “It was 11:00. I had two hours left to fish. And I’m like, ‘I’ve got to get out of this area.’”

Luckily, Johnston is long on experience on the St. Lawrence, and he had some good backup stuff in the tank. 

“I went to a different section of the river, and I landed on a couple spots, and they were biting every spot,” he said. “I just stayed in the other zone where I caught them at the end of the day, and it produced every day. I probably shouldn’t leave that area again, to be honest.”

TOP 10 BELOW

Two Bass Fishing Legends Deal with Cancer

Cancer scares Aaron Martens and Shaw Grigsby Jr. 
By Luigi De Rose 

Cancer has gripped two popular MLF pros in recent days. Aaron Martens has undergone 2 brain surgeries after suffering seizures while fishing on Saturday, April 11. Surgery and testing confirmed cancer tumors in his brain. He will under go future radiation and chemo to combat this disease. Aaron's strong physical character has been a blessing as he is up and active as he recovers from surgery. Aaron is very appreciative of his fans and is trying to remain strong as he prepares for his next step towards recovery. 

Here's a link to see his most recent Facebook video: 
https://www.facebook.com/AMartFishing/posts/3208387255872581

Fellow MLF pro, Shaw Grigsby notified his friends and fan with a Facebook post that he underwent kidney surgery earlier this week. He indicated that doctors discovered his cancer very early and expects the surgery to be a success. 

On his Facebook Fan page, Shaw wrote, "It’s sad that so many of my friends and family have had to deal with Cancer during their life time. Now it’s my turn. Kidney surgery scheduled for 7:30 am tomorrow (April 28, 2020). Doctors say that they found it early so everything looks good. Should be back fishing in about 4 weeks."

Shaw's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/shaw.e.grigsby

IBASSIN.com wishes both anglers and their families strength and plenty of prayers for a speedy recovery.

2018 Bassmaster Elite Kentucky Lake Day 2: Skeet Reese Leads with 45-05lbs!

Swimbaits keep to top anglers 

David A. Brown
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Squarebill and swimbaits key for Skeet.
(Photo: BASS)

When Bassmaster tournament emcee Dave Mercer noted that Skeet Reese was “making it look easy” during the morning’s Bassmaster LIVE coverage, the veteran pro gave a simple explanation for the seemingly tranquil performance that pushed him into the lead with 45 pounds, 5 ounces on Day 2 of the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia.

“It’s easy when you have 20 pounds in the boat,” Reese said.

Indeed, the Auburn, Calif., Elite angler got the party started early and quickly added 21-10 to his 23-11 from yesterday. Noting that he was more dialed in on his pattern today, Reese had his limit by 8 a.m. and had caught his day’s weight by about 10.

This early productivity bore consistent with the morning shad spawn that had bass rallying around key areas awash with reproducing baitfish.

“The shad spawn was everything,” Reese said. “They’re feeding for the first four hours of the day, but the last two days we’ve had cloud cover, which probably extended the bite.”

Reese caught his fish on a mix that included a jerkbait, swimbait and squarebill crankbait. The latter did most of the work, but presentations had to be specific.

“The whole key is getting the bait to deflect,” Reese said. “If your bait’s not deflecting off the bottom, for the most part, you’re not getting the bites. The key is triggering these fish. It’s typical postspawn.”

John Cox Wins 2017 BASS Southern Open on Lake Chickamauga with 68-03lbs!

Cox Newest Classic qualifier

By Andrew Canulette

BASS PRESS RELEASE

John Cox is one of the more laid-back professional anglers you’ll find. But from the start of the Bass Pro Shops Southern Open #2, he was confused.

Cox mines shallows instead of popular ledges for win.
(Photo: BASS)

He was perplexed by Chickamauga Lake and the way fishing conditions seemingly changed on him from hour to hour. He ran countless miles to find clean water, and fought for quality catches as his bites were infrequent each day. He got so worked up at times that he stopped for breaks to regroup and regain focus.

The hand wringing may have been tough for him on the water, but it all proved worthwhile on Saturday during the final weigh-in at the Bass Pro Shops location just outside of Chattanooga. Cox finished with a three-day total of 68 pounds, 3 ounces to win the Open championship.

Cox, who hails from Debary, Florida, picked up a contingency berth in the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’s Sporting Goods with the victory. Fishing all three Southern Opens this season will solidify that berth. He also won more than $8,000 in cash, as well as a Triton 19 TrX and Mercury 200 Pro XS boat/motor package worth $40,000.

Spring time techniques with Shaw Grigsby BASS Legend

Spring time in Florida is the kick off to a new year of bass fishing. One of the very best at catching bass, including giant bass, is Shaw Grigsby. This Florida legend and TV host knows how to find and catch bass during the pre-spawn and spawning periods. Listen to the master as he explains spring time techniques for catching big bass.

ICAST 2016 Strike King Rage Swimmer Swimbait with Shaw Grigsby BASS Lege...

If you like swim baits in open water or up in the cover, then you have to  pick up some Strike King Rage Swimmers. Shaw Grigsby explains how to rig and where to cast these great baits.