2024 MAXAM Tire Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River Day 3: Cory Johnston Take 14 Pound Lead into Final Day!

Canadians Chris Johnston 3rd, Gallant 31st & Gustafson 101st. 

By David A. Brown

BASS PRESS Release

PALATKA, Fla. — With less competition, but more company, Cory Johnston leveraged late-day heroics to extend his lead on Day 3 of the MAXAM Tire Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River.

Bolstering his first two days’ weights of 23-3 and 27-8, the seasoned pro from Otonabee, Canada, added a Semifinal Saturday limit of 23-2 to tally 73-13 and hold on to the lead he set on Day 2.

“It’s been an incredible week, but it’s one of those things — if it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen,” Johnston said. “The past two days, I caught a big one on the last cast. We’re just going to go out tomorrow, go fishing and see what happens.”

Leading Texan Brad Whatley by 14 pounds, Johnston spent his day looking for bed fish in Salt Springs, which runs off the northwest side of Lake George. He had far fewer competitors in the area, but with weekend pleasure boaters packing into this popular area, he had to account for more noise and habitat disturbance.

“They stir the water up a little bit, but you just keep looking and looking and looking and eventually you come across them,” Johnston said.

Kyle Austin Wins 2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Santee Cooper with 83-07lbs!

Canadian Evan Kung 9th!

Kyle Austin takes the win at the 2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Santee Cooper Lakes presented by SEVIIN with 83 pounds, 7 ounces.(Photo: Andy Crawford/ BASS) 

By David A. Brown

BASS Press Release

CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — Amid the rainy, windy conditions, a late-morning kicker lifted Kyle Austin to a final-day catch of 27 pounds, 8 ounces. That gave him a three-day total of 83-7 and a victory at the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Santee Cooper Lakes presented by SEVIIN.

The Ridgeville, S.C., pro said winning on his home fishery was the crowning achievement of his life on the water.

“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve stood in this parking lot and watched the Bassmaster weigh-ins and watched local tournament weigh-ins, and I’ve always wanted to stand up here on this stage and hold (the winning trophy),” said Austin, who guides on the Santee Cooper Lakes. “I’ve fished against a lot of these guys on this lake and they’ve beat me like a drum. 

“To finally stand up here with the trophy is just incredible. There’s no place I’d rather do it.”

After placing 13th on Day 1 with 24-7, Austin added a second-round limit of 31-8 — the event’s heaviest bag — and took over the lead by a 1-pound margin. It was one of only two bags over 30 for the event. 

In the final round, the Tackle Warehouse Elite Qualifiers (EQ) angler bagged a limit of 27-8 and secured the win with 83-7 — the second-heaviest winning weight in a Bassmaster Open behind Florida’s Scott Martin, who set the high mark of 90-6 during the season-opener at Lake Okeechobee just over a month ago.

Austin took home the top prize of $49,638 and secured a berth in the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors scheduled for March 21-23 on Lake Ray Roberts in Fort Worth, Texas.

2024 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork Day 2: Trey McKinney Scores Lead!

Canadians Gallant 10th, Cory Johnston 13th, Chris Johnston 17th & Gustafson 59th

Rookie Trey McKinney has taken the lead on Day 2 of the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork with a two-day total of 67 pounds, 5 ounces. (Photo: Andy Crawford/ BASS) 

BASS Press Release

YANTIS, Texas — Just when you thought the fishing at the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork couldn’t get better, it did.

 

Fifteen of the 103 anglers in the field caught 30 pounds or more on Day 2 of this four-day derby in the northeast corner of the Lone Star State. That was up from a total of 14 who caught 30 pounds or more on Thursday to start competition on the 27,000-acre fishery.

 

Trey McKinney, the 19-year-old wunderkind from Carbondale, Ill., leads with 10 bass totaling 67 pounds, 5 ounces. He was in fourth place after Day 1 with a 33-11 limit and held steady with a nearly identical 33-10 limit a day later.

 

McKinney is an Elite Series rookie who qualified for the tour through the 2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN. After finishing third in the Tackle Warehouse Elite Qualifiers division of the Opens, he’s the youngest angler to ever qualify for the Elites — and he’s already displaying a mastery beyond his years.

 

Not only does he have the lead at the halfway point of this tournament, but he has the best story of the derby to date, too.

2024 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork Day 1: Taku Ito Smashes 38lbs!

Canadians Cory Johnston 15th, Gallant 20th, Gustafson 60th  & Chris Johnston 66th

By Andrew Canulette

BASS Press Release

YANTIS, Texas — Just about everyone expected to see big bags of bass this week at the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork.

Few, however, could have predicted the absolute slugfest that took place Thursday on this 27,000-acre jewel in the northeast corner of the Lone Star State.

A whopping 14 of the 103 anglers in the field caught 30 pound or better on Day 1 of the four-day tournament. Taku Ito, of Chiba, Japan, led the way with a five-bass total of 39 pounds, 1 ounce, including a personal best 10-5 lunker largemouth he brought to the stage at Caney Point Recreation Area.

His previous best was a 10-pounder he caught in Japan.

“Today was an incredible day,” Ito said. “I caught the big one about 10 a.m. I was throwing many types of baits — a jighead, a jerkbait, Texas rigs, drop shots. I was in different kinds of water, from 25 feet to about 5 feet.”

It was an unexpected turnaround for the 37-year-old Elite pro, who said he struggled mightily during his practice days on Fork.

“It was terrible,” he said. “I had four fish in one practice. Then I had three fish one day and two on another day. But today, I caught a bunch. Everything worked for me today.”

2023 Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Five Presented by ATG by Wrangler on Cayuga Lake!

Championship Round shaping up to be another epic clash for Stage Five supremacy

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. – Saturday’s highly-anticipated Knockout Round at Favorite Fishing Stage Five Presented by ATG by Wrangler on Cayuga Lake lived up to the hype, and its name.

The constant catches and subsequent swings on SCORETRACKER® evoked a pair of heavyweight boxers trading blows in a 12-round title fight — except instead of punches, the 40 anglers thrilled fans watching on MLFNOW! by landing Cayuga’s beefy smallmouth bass.

Stage Five has officially become a smallmouth slugfest, with all 10 anglers who qualified for Sunday’s Championship Round weighing exclusively brown fish. Once again, the smallies showed up in quantity and quality never before seen on a national tournament trail, ensuring that this bass brawl will be remembered in fishing lore like Ali and Foreman’s Rumble in the Jungle.

Adrian Avena leads after hauling in 29 pounds, 6 ounces — in his words, “the best smallmouth bass fishing day of my entire life.” It gave him only 2 ounces of cushion over second-place Jacob Wheeler.

It wasn’t just the two traveling partners who caught ‘em, either. It took nearly 26 pounds (25-15) to make the top 10, with Kevin VanDam the last man to qualify for the Championship Round. An astounding 15 anglers topped 25 pounds for the day.

John Cox Wins 2023 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals on Lake of the Ozarks!

By Jody White

MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING 

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – The final day of the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals on Lake of the Ozarks came down to the wire, with the top three pros in a virtual tie, unofficially. In the end, John Cox pulled it out, weighing 17 pounds, 9 ounces to defend his lead, totaling 55-14 and earning $82,800 and a trip to REDCREST.  

Cox ended up edging out longtime friend and tournament partner Keith Carson – a year apart in age, they grew up two streets from each other in DeBary, Florida. Carson turned in a four-fish effort on Day 1, but charged hard the rest of the way, adding 20-12 on Day 2 and 19-2 on Day 3. Without a doubt, a fifth keeper bass of any size on the first day would have earned Carson the win.

“I felt stuff in that weigh-in that I’ve never felt at any of the other weigh-ins,” Cox said. “I wanted Keith to win; because he’s my buddy, I want him to do well. It’s bittersweet, but, it felt good to win, and to get to go to REDCREST. That’s huge, that’s unreal; when I heard that, I was like ‘Please let me win.’ Every time I miss one of those, it’s terrible. I watched it at Norman, and I was heartbroken I wasn’t there.”

Cox and Carson take a team approach to practice, with the multi-tour pro Cox often getting in a little late. This time, Cox only practiced for about a day and a half, and to hear him tell it, that was mostly wasted time.

2023 Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray Day 2: Drew Benton Jumps into Lead!

Canadians: Cory Johnston 36th, Gallant 58th, Gustafson 59th & Chris Johnston 63th

Drew Benton of Panama City, Fla., is leading after Day 2 of the Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray with a two-day total of 46 pounds, 9 ounces. (Photo: BASS) 

BASS PRESS RELEASE

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Drew Benton had never fished a tournament on Lake Murray before this week, but the conditions are making him feel right at home.

 

With the bass right in the middle of their spawning cycle, Benton has fished his strengths and took the lead Friday in the Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray with a two-day total of 46 pounds, 9 ounces. After landing in second with 23-0 on Day 1, the Panama City, Fla., pro added 23-9 on Day 2 and holds a slim lead over Tennessee angler Hunter Shryock, who is second with 45-14.

 

“If I spent time on (a bedding bass), I caught it today,” said Benton, who earned his only career Elite Series victory on Lake Travis in Texas in 2018. “Yesterday I spent a lot of time on a couple I didn’t get to catch. You have to find them in the right mood. It isn’t just, go down the bank and you see one and catch it. A lot goes into it, and I was really fortunate today.”

 

Anglers once again fished under warm and sunny conditions on Friday, with winds picking up as the afternoon progressed. That allowed several of the competitors to see the cruising bass they were targeting.

 

Though there was also plenty of schooling activity across the lake, Benton has ignored schoolers for the most part this week. Instead, he’s cruising around the shallows looking for bass that are locked on bed. According to BassTrakk, he caught 11 total bass and made important culls throughout the day.

 

2023 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Clark Hill Lake Day 2: Ebare Continues to Lead!

Sean Ostruszka

MLF Press Release

APPLING, Ga. – Fifty boats will be taking off for Day 3 of Toyota Stop 2 Presented by Lowrance on Clarks Hill. In reality, most eyes will be on just one of them.

Dakota Ebare has absolutely dominated the second event of the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals through two days. After weighing in the biggest bag of the event yesterday – 23 pounds, 13 ounces – he brought in another 18-6 today to be the only angler to cross the 40-pound threshold (42-3 to be exact).

In a tournament where weights are stacked together, his 5-5 lead going into the final day is quite the cushion. Yet, as positive as today looked, he may need all of that cushion come tomorrow if things continue as they do.

You see, a day ago Ebare was beyond excited about a deep and shallow one-two punch he’d executed to near perfection on Day 1. Day 2 was an entirely different story.

“It was a struggle,” Ebare said. “I know I could’ve went and caught some spotted bass, but I wasn’t really fishing for that. And I knew the largemouth weren’t really biting good, but I said if I’m going to grind out a couple bites I’m going to try for a big bite. Well, that didn’t work out either.”

A big reason, Ebare thinks, is the weather and pressure had the fish completely turned off. He said his areas were just “dead,” as he could watch fish on his forward-facing electronics not budge or even acknowledge his offerings. He compared it to hunting in the woods and not hearing a single sound or seeing anything moving.

2023 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee Day 1: Bernie Schultz Leads 28-11lbs!

Canadians: Gallant 9th, Gustafson 21st, Chris Johnston 23rd  & Cory Johnston 95th

Bernie Schultz of Gainesville, Fla., is leading after Day 1 of the 2023 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee with 28 pounds, 11 ounces. (Photo: BASS)

BASS PRESS RELEASE

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — Expectations did not match reality for Bernie Schultz, but the veteran Florida pro was delighted with a surprising day that yielded a five-bass limit of 28 pounds, 11 ounces, which leads Day 1 of the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee.

 

Hailing from Gainesville, Fla., Schultz anchored his bag with an 8-10 that leads the Phoenix Boats Big Bass standings. He heads into Day 2 with a 3-pound lead over local favorite Scott Martin.

 

“It was a remarkable day; I didn’t expect to catch that,” Schultz said. “I thought I’d get one — if I was lucky maybe two — big bites, but I got four big bites.”

 

Schultz caught his bass in two main sections of one general area that he found prior to the off-limits period. With depths of about 3 feet, the area held a mix of vegetation — a key ingredient, given the lake’s present condition.

 

High water has altered much of the traditional spawning areas, while herbicide treatments have dramatically reduced the hydrilla and eelgrass that once covered vast acreage. The area Schultz fished had a mix of these submerged aquatic plants, along with dollar pads, bulrush and cattails.

 

“I knew this area was going to be good because the vegetation is very healthy; that’s really a rare thing in this lake these days,” Schultz said. “The lake has shrunk because of habitat loss. Places that were once lush and healthy are barren right now.

 

“There’s not a lot of filtration in places that were historically really productive this time of year because the fish aren’t using them.”

Przekurat Makes History With 2022 Bassmaster Elite Series Win At St. Lawrence!

Cory Johnston breaks 100lbs!

Jay Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., has won the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River with a four-day total of 102 pounds, 9 ounces. (Photo: BASS)

BASS PRESS RELEASE

CLAYTON, N.Y. — The question: could it happen?

 

Could an angler win a Bassmaster Elite Series event with a four-day limit of 20 smallmouth bass that weighed 100 pounds or more?

 

It was asked by many throughout the week, and rookie Jay Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., gladly answered with a four-day total of 102 pounds, 9 ounces that won the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River.

 

Prior to this event, no angler in recorded sportfishing history had ever reached 100 pounds solely with smallmouth. But with a rare stretch of calm, sunny weather and Wednesday’s super moon igniting the fish, Przekurat did just that.

 

His feat earned him a spot in the prestigious Bassmaster Century Club, which recognizes a four-day total of 100 pounds. It also earned him one of the most prestigious trophies in pro fishing and the $100,000 top prize.

 

“Trying to take in the moment during the day of the tournament is pretty hard because you’re just focused on catching 5-pounders out there,” Przekurat said. “You’re running back to the ramp and you start getting a little emotional. There’s no other feeling like it.”

 

Technically, second-place finisher Cory Johnston of Cavan, Canada, was the first to enter the Century Club with all smallmouth. Starting Championship Sunday in eighth place, Johnston took the stage before Przekurat and tallied 100-5.

 

Nevertheless, Przekurat said winning against a final field stacked with heavy hitters was particularly rewarding.

 

“One of my goals was to beat the Johnston brothers (Cory and sixth-place Chris),” Przekurat joked. “They’ve been coming to my home waters of Sturgeon Bay and taking our money for years, so I had to come over here and take theirs this time.”

 

Przekurat started the event with his biggest catch — a 26-13 limit that put him 1-2 behind Day 1 leader and fellow rookie Jacob Foutz of Charleston, Tenn. Adding 25-8 on Day 2 sent Przekurat into Semifinal Saturday with a 1-13 lead over Cory Johnston.

 

Weighing 24-12 on Day 3 extended his advantage to a margin of 2-15 over Bob Downey of Detroit Lakes, Minn. Przekurat surged across the finish line with a final catch of 25-8 and edged Johnston by 2-4.

Jesse Wiggins Wins Stage 4 on Lake of the Ozarks!

Jesse Wiggins Wins Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four Presented by Bass Cat. (Photo: MLF) 

MLF PRESS RELEASE

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – All week long, Addison, Alabama, pro Jesse Wiggins said that when he closed his eyes, Lake of the Ozarks felt exactly like his home fishery – Lewis Smith Lake in North Alabama. That hometown “feel” was just what Wiggins needed this week. The 32-year-old Alabama angler caught 11 scorable bass Thursday weighing 27 pounds, 11 ounces to win the Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Bass Cat in Osage Beach, Missouri, and take home the top prize of $100,000.

Link to Photo of Stage Four Winner Jesse Wiggins

Link to Photo Gallery of Best Shots from Championship Day

Link to Video of Fish Catch Highlights from Day 6

“Oh my gosh,” said an emotional Wiggins as time expired. “I’m shaking, my videographers shaking, my official is shaking – we’re freaking tore up. I’m just a redneck from Alabama that likes to fish and loves to throw a shaky-head.

“I get here, and the banks look identical to Smith Lake. I mean, identical. And the fish set up identical. It seemed like I could call my shot, all week long.”

Wiggins spent the tournament targeting boat docks with a homemade shaky-head rig. After winning the Group A Qualifying Round, he advanced directly into Thursday’s Championship Round.

2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite on Santee Cooper Lakes Day 1: Drew Cook Smashes 31-13lbs for Lead!

Canadians: Cory Johnston 14th, Chris Johnston 38th & Gustafson 47th 

Drew Cook of Cairo, Ga., is leading after Day 1 of the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite on Santee Cooper Lakes with 31 pounds, 13 ounces. (Photo: BASS) 

BASS Press Release 

CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — Drew Cook has a history of making life difficult for himself with tough Day 1 performances.

 

But by catching 31 pounds, 13 ounces, Cook shed his streak of bad opening rounds and leads the field of 94 anglers after the first day of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite Series on Santee Cooper Lakes.

 

The Cairo, Ga., resident holds more than a 2-pound lead over Wisconsin pro Caleb Kuphall, who landed in second with 29-10, and nearly a 4-pound lead over Louisiana pro Greg Hackney.

 

“I said I was going to act like I was 12 pounds behind from the get-go,” Cook said. “I have never won one of these things and have never really had a good start to an event. Hopefully, with a good start, we can keep it going.”

 

Cook secured his catch a couple of hours after takeoff at John C. Land III Sport Fishing Facility, all by sight fishing. He found many of the bass he caught on Thursday during practice, but they had not locked onto a bed. There was one male, however, that had locked on during practice and Cook located those females around that male on tournament day. 

 

“I only had two females to start on, and I caught one of them right off the bat and then I caught the next one,” Cook said. “A couple of the ones I had seen swimming around had moved onto bed. We were done at like 11 a.m. I watched every one of them (eat it). It was a lot of fun.”

 

Right before the beginning of the official practice period, a front moved through the area bringing colder temperatures and rain to Lakes Marion and Moultrie, which have been a few feet lower than normal. But the subfreezing lows for the weekend and the beginning of the week have now been replaced with warmer days and nights.