2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me event on Lake Guntersville Day 1: Shuffield Clocks 25lbs for Lead!

By Joe Sills 

Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – Spencer Shuffield is leading the pack at the site of his very first pro tournament, 11 years after his debut in the professional bass fishing ranks. The Arkansas pro turned in a 25-pound, 6-ounce bag to cap Day 1 of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me event on Lake Guntersville; and he’s hoping to stay ahead of the pack by riding a volcanically hot honey hole to the finish line.

To do so, Shuffield will have to stay ahead of a wolf pack of pros nipping at his heels with a variety of pick-and-pop patterns at their disposal. From spawning fish, to a shad spawn and of course, fish flooding to the ledges, the field can pick their fancy at B&W Trailer Hitches Stop 4 Presented by A.R.E. With several 20-pound bags crossing the scale, Shuffield leads the charge with a 3-4 lead over offshore guru Michael Neal. Behind them sit a plethora of seasoned pros who are biding their time to strike on the famed fishery.

“It was really good,” said Shuffield of his Day 1 start. “I found four big schools the last afternoon of practice. The first school I found, I pulled up and caught an 8-pounder on it. On that spot there were maybe 100 of them schooling and of them maybe 30 over 6 pounds.”

Shuffield says he didn’t start the tournament on his honey hole but did eventually slide into it after a local angler graciously allowed him to move on.

“It’s the winning spot, no doubt,” Shuffield said. “It’s just a matter of who might be on it the next two or three days.”

Shuffield says his spot contains enough fish for multiple anglers to sustain themselves on for the duration of the event. However, he’s relying on an extremely deep-diving crankbait to target the fish that he hopes will continue to provide him with an edge.

“All of the fish I caught today were on a Hardcore Bullet Crank 7+,” Shuffield said. “We haven’t been anywhere yet that I have been able to throw it. It’s a brand-new bait that gets down to 26 feet on 14-pound fluorocarbon. These fish are at 22 feet. You can throw it so far, and getting that bait down to that depth is the key because they just don’t ever see crankbaits that deep.”

2020 MLF Heavy Hitters Day 2: Skeet Reese Takes Lead in Qualifying Round, Group B

Skeet works quick to take lead.

By Tyler Brinks 

MLF Press Release

Skeet turned a poor first period to lead in quick order.
(Photo: MLF)

For much of the day Monday, the action on Day 2 of Toyota Heavy Hitters Presented by Venmo on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes seemed slower the first day of competition just 24 hours earlier. But there was still plenty of excitement, including three anglers battling it out for the lead, a lightning-related weather delay and the first 9-pound bass of the week.

Instead of one angler running away with the lead like Zack Birge in Group A, the weights are much tighter in Group B, and it’s setting up to be a close race when the 40 anglers in the group return to action on Wednesday.

After the one-hour weather delay, the group returned with 20 minutes left to fish. Skeet Reese, Mark Rose, and David Walker all traded blows with last-minute catches, but Reese held on to win the round. Both Rose and Walker are one just big bite away from taking over the top spot when Group B gets back to work on Wednesday.

Once again, the midday and afternoon bite proved to be the most productive and that’s when the tournament’s biggest bass came as Rose landed a 9-pound, 2-ounce giant late in the day.

If that holds through Group B’s second Qualifying Round on Wednesday, he’ll walk away with $25,000. The big bass prizes increase to $50,000 for the Knockout Round and $100,000 for the Championship Round.

Reese Rides Strong Period 2 to Win the Round

After Period 1, Reese found himself stuck on zero. Then he went on a tear and put over 30 pounds of bass on the scales in one period alone. He ended the day with 12 bass for a day’s best 43-8.

Needless to say, he was happy with his adjustment.

“I had a hunch and an idea and called an audible after Period 1 and it paid off,” Reese said. “This is new territory for me on the Bass Pro Tour since I’ve never led a day. It feels really good.”

Most of his fish came from the same general area and looking ahead he plans to give that spot another shot.

“I think I can go back and catch a few, but it might not be enough to win. But, I think I can duplicate what I’m doing in some other places,” Reese shared.

2018 BASS Elite Sabine River Day 1: Greg Hackney Snags Lead with 16-03lbs!

Low weights on this tidal waterway
By Bryan Brasher
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Greg's big 5-14lbs bass key to lead.
(Photo: BASS)

Greg Hackney came into this week’s Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River presented by Econo Lodge fully expecting the fishing to be tough.
                     
He said he wouldn’t have been surprised if he had caught no more than 5 pounds, 14 ounces of bass during Thursday’s entire opening round.
 
So when he landed one fish that weighed 5-14 early Thursday morning, he knew he was on to something — and he built a five-bass limit around that fish that weighed 16-3 to give him the Day 1 lead in an event that pays $100,000 to the winner.
 
“When the fishing’s this tough, catching a fish like that is almost like catching a whole limit on one bite,” said Hackney, a Gonzales, La., angler who has won five events during his career with B.A.S.S. “If you can put four more with it — even four little ones — you’re probably going to be in pretty good shape.”
 
Despite suffocating heat and water temperatures that pushed into the low 90s in some places, Hackney said the conditions were actually good on the Sabine River during Thursday’s early-morning hours. That’s when he did the bulk of his good work.
 

Wesley Strader Wins 2018 Bassmaster Elite Kentucky Lake with 80-04lbs!

Versatility key to win.
David A. Brown

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Flipping, cranking and buzzbaits key to win.
(Photo: BASS)

The final day of the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia threw Wesley Strader the right pitch, and he knocked it out of the park.

Strader, a first-year Elite Series pro from Spring City, Tenn., caught a final-day limit of five bass that weighed 20 pounds, 11 ounces and earned his first Elite Series victory with a four-day total of 80-4.

After sitting in 16th place on Day 1 with 19-6, Strader added 17-13 Saturday and improved to 11th, before taking over the Day 3 lead with 22-6 — the biggest catch of Sunday’s semifinal round.

His final-day catch cemented a $100,000 payday.

“Yesterday, I figured out that the fish were positioning under the walkways on the docks,” he said. “Today, that went away; they got out under the floats. It seemed like, as the sun got higher, the shade got tighter to the docks and you could pretty much pinpoint where they’d bite.

“I didn’t think the shad spawn was that big of a deal for me today. But I pulled up on a stretch of docks that I had not fished early in the morning and just about every cast, when I’d reel my bait out from underneath the floats, there would be two or three threadfin shad following my spinnerbait.”

Unlike the previous days, Strader was unable to leverage the early-morning shad spawn. But he put several keepers in the boat by alternating between a 5/8-ounce Stan Sloan Bango Blade spinnerbait with a white swimbait trailer, a buzzbait, a popping frog and a white Zoom Z-Craw that he swam through shallow bushes.

He still found some early productivity. But it was a magical, one-hour midday flurry that vaulted Strader into the unofficial BASSTrakk lead.

2018 Bassmaster Elite Kentucky Lake Day 3: Wesley Strader Jumps into Lead with lbs!

Shad spawn key to leaders
David A. Brown

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Wesley Strader caught a five-bass limit during Sunday’s semifinal round of the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia that weighed 22 pounds, 6 ounces.
 
It was the biggest limit of the day — and it put the Spring City, Tenn., pro in position for his first-ever Elite Series victory with a three-day total of 59-9.
 
Despite his strong effort on Day 3, Strader said the fishing has been anything but easy.
 
“It’s a struggle to get bit,” Strader said. “But if you hang around, you can catch a few. I’m making it look a lot easier than it is. I only got eight keeper bites today.
 
“It’s really weird. One day you’ll get a lot of bites, and then one day you won’t get many. Every time I caught one today, it’d be on the very back hook, which tells me they’re not eating. They’re just slapping at it, but luckily my Trokar hooks kept them buttoned up.”
 
Strader took advantage of the daybreak shad spawn, but that window was smaller Sunday than it had been earlier in the event. The change was due to cooler, sunnier conditions.
 
“I think the shad spawn was shorter today because it got cold last night,” Strader said. “The water cooled off. The optimum water temperature for the shad to spawn at daybreak is somewhere close to 70, and this morning it was 64 to 65. That knocked it back a little bit, plus the bright skies didn’t help. We got about 30 minutes and it quit.”
 

2018 Bassmaster Elite Kentucky Lake Day 1: Chris Zaldain Jumps into the Lead with 24-03lbs!

Swindle & Pipkens land 7-7 for daily big bass tie
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Fishing to win. Zaldain in it to win it.
(Photo: BASS)

Chris Zaldain knew what he wanted to do, he knew why he wanted to do it and he got the job done to the tune of a 24-pound, 3-ounce limit of bass that leads the first round of the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Kentucky Lake presented by Abu Garcia.
 
“A few days ago, I got some bad news about my mom’s (Rose) health, she’s battling cancer,” said Zaldain of Laughlin, Nev. “The last few days have been rough, so I came into this event to win it for my mom.
 
“I really want a chance to go into Sunday and win this event. I feel like my career needs it. I feel like my family needs it.”
 
Zaldain said he’s fishing such a specific pattern that he couldn’t divulge many details. However, he did note that a very specific integration of three distinct factors — some habitat, others conditional — were essential to his success.
 
“I practiced with one thing in my mind, pretty much one bait, one approach and it paid off big time today,” Zaldain said. “The second day of practice, I caught almost 30 pounds, no joke. Kentucky Lake has got ’em.
 
“A lot of people are complaining about the Asian carp, but the bass still live here. You just have to fish where the carp aren’t.”
 
Noting that he fished a purely prespawn pattern, Zaldain knew his day would be one of quality over quantity. His biggest was a 6-pounder, which made it to the Bassmaster blog feed with Zaldain’s handwritten dedication note to his mother.
 

Our 3 Picks to win the 2017 Bassmaster Classic

IBASSIN.com’s picks to win the 2017 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Conroe.

By Luigi De Rose

Predicting the winner of any sporting event is a challenge. Usually, there are just two teams so the odds are far greater you’ll get it right even with a spread. At the 2017 Bassmaster Classic, 52 anglers have a chance at victory. Sure, some anglers are lucky to just be at the Classic but the skill ranges from great and peaks at superb. Picking a winner for Conroe is exceptionally more difficult as it very new lake of almost all the competitors. Plus, the Classic is being held in March, which is much later than the past few Classics. Past TTBC on Conroe were summer tournaments and that is a world of difference.

For what’s its worth, here are my picks to win the 2017 Classic.

Alton Jones

Texas angler, Alton Jones is a wizard with a Yum dinger this time of year. He already has one Classic win but always seem to excel during the spawn. In all three stages of the spawn, Alton knows how to catch them. Especially if the bass are in transition.  The last three Classics crowned a home state winner and the streak might continue with Jones.

Skeet Reese

With a Classic win on the Red River, a shallow, cover filled fishery, Skeet has the expertise to do well here. We won the 2015 Elite tournament on Lake Guntersville by scraping his pre-spawn pattern and targeting shallow wood on the final day to sack a 4-day total of 92-11lbs for the win. Skeet is strong this seasonal time period and doesn’t shy away when the monster bass are chomping. Not sure if he’s prowess with a swimbait will be a huge factor this weekend but Skeet is very versatile.

Dean Rojas

Dean was recently added to the list of top anglers yet to win a Classic. With several wins in Texas and a master at sight fishing he might get himself off that list this weekend. Dean is always a top finisher when the bass are shallow. He has shown now to catch them in a range on conditions. Best known for casting to beds or zipping a frog around shallow cover he came in second when TAK won the Classic and he has been dying for a trophy of his own.  If it becomes a bed-fishing event, Dean should be very close to the lead everyday.

Part 2 coming tomorrow.

If you got something to say on my picks let us here about it on our Facebook page.

Skeet Reese Explains Berkley Fishing Line Selection for the BASS Elite Tour

Berkley makes some of the very best fishing line in the world. Monofilament, Fluorocarbon, Braid and even NanoFil all have their place on your fishing reels. Listen to Bassmaster Classic Champ Skeet Reese explain what Berkley fishing lines he uses for all his fishing. 

Skeet Reese Loves Berkley HAVOC baits and You Should Too!

Skeet Reese is one of the most accomplished anglers on the BASS Tour. Berkley used Skeet's knowledge to create some of their most successful HAVOC baits. Learn from the Bassmaster Classic himself as he explains why HAVOC baits are so good.

Randall Tharp Wins 2016 Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork!

Tharp thumps ‘em

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

The tournament format was complicated.

It was one event on two lakes over the course of four days.

But through all of the shifting and changing, Florida pro Randall Tharp decided to keep things simple — and that stay-the-course approach ultimately led to a victory in the Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork event.

Tharp used a 4x4 Jig — the Randall Tharp Signature series that he designed for the company — in the golden craw color pattern with a green pumpkin Zoom Big Salty Chunk to catch his fish all four days.

Nothing like your first Elite win. (Photo: BASS)

His final total of 61 pounds, 10 ounces was more than 2 pounds better than that of second-place finisher Skeet Reese (59-8).

Chris Zaldain (58-12), Matt Herren (58-10) and Bill Lowen (58- 5) made up the rest of the top five.

2015 Bassmaster Elite Sacramento River Day 1: Zaldain Sacks 30 and Lead!

A 12-Pounder and 7-6 Vault Chris Zaldain 5 Pounds Pass Reese.

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Before the start of the Sacramento Bassmaster Elite at Sacramento River, Chris Zaldain predicted that a few anglers would bring in single-day catches of 30-plus pounds during the four-day event.

On Day 1, only one angler reached that elusive mark – and it was Zaldain himself.

Delta Toad helps local lead.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

The 30-year-old professional angler, who grew up just a couple of hours away from this week’s tournament venue in San Jose, Calif., brought five bass to the scales Thursday that weighed a monstrous 30 pounds, 7 ounces. His catch was anchored by a 7-6 largemouth and a gigantic 12-0 fish that now stands as the largest caught on the Elite Series this year.

Skeet Reese Wins 2015 Bassmaster Elite Lake Guntersville with 92-11lbs

Skeet and Bryon Claim 1 &2 with Swimbait. 

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – When Skeet Reese arrived in Alabama last week for the Diet Mountain Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville, he had a solid plan in place for how he wanted to fish.

His plan didn’t work.

So instead, he just followed the lead of his friend and roommate on the tour, Byron Velvick.

Swimbaits and friends won G-ville. (Photo: BASS)

Velvick told Reese about the 7-inch Basstrix Swimbait – the largest version of a 15-year-old soft plastic bait that has seen a recent resurgence in popularity – and Reese used it to win with a four-day catch of 92 pounds, 11 ounces. He entered the final round in second place, more than 2 pounds behind Michael Iaconelli, but vaulted himself to the $100,000 victory with a Sunday catch of 25-5.

His buddy, Velvick, placed second with 88-1.

“You just couldn’t have scripted this any better,” said Reese, a California native who now has eight victories in B.A.S.S. events, including two on Guntersville. “I had a really tough practice. I was going out with the anticipation of catching 13 to 14 pounds a day — unless maybe I could find a big bite and come in with 16 to 17. But Byron turned me on to a bait, and it evolved into something special, a win.”

2015 Bassmaster Elite Lake Guntersville Day 3: Ike Keeps Leads as Leaderboard Flip-slops!

Ike  Struggles as Skeet Advances!

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – Michael Iaconelli’s ever-evolving game plan for the Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville took another drastic turn during Saturday’s third round.
The New Jersey pro switched to a Carolina Rig – a technique he calls his “next-to-least-favorite way” to fish – and managed a five-bass limit that weighed 16 pounds, 7 ounces. It pushed his three-day total to 69-8 and kept him in the lead for the third straight day.
Iaconelli’s margin dwindled, however, dropping from nearly 5 pounds as the day began to just 2-2 entering Sunday’s championship round. California pro Skeet Reese caught 25-1 Saturday and jumped into second with 67-6, followed by Tennessean David Walker (67-4) and Oklahoma angler Jason Christie (65-7).

Just enough for IKE to keep lead. (Photo: BASS)

“My least-favorite way to catch fish is with a jiggin’ spoon,” Iaconelli said. “After that, it would be Carolina-rigging.  But if I had not pulled out that Carolina Rig, I probably would have only weighed in about 11 pounds today.”
Iaconelli worked the same area that produced catches of 28-2 and 24-15 the first two days. But the fishing was much tougher due to strong winds that made the lake choppy and eventually caused some areas to become stained with mud.
He said he’ll have to decide before take-off Sunday whether he’ll stick with the area that’s been so good to him or finally make a move.
“I still believe in my heart that the area I’m fishing is the winning area,” Iaconelli said. “It’s so hard to leave. My mind keeps thinking I just need to stay in there the entire day and commit. I’m going to go home and think about it tonight.”
Iaconelli did leave the area briefly Saturday to check out a spot where he had found several fish on spawning beds during practice. But after inspecting that area, he said he abandoned any thought of sight-fishing the rest of the way.
“I took it off the table,” Iaconelli said. “When I ran in there today, there were dudes on the bank everywhere. So I just decided I’m not bed fishing.”
Though it helped him hang onto the lead Saturday, Iaconelli said he believes another 16-pound catch Sunday will sink his chances for a wire-to-wire victory. He thinks it’ll take 20-plus pounds, possibly even mid-20s, to win.

2015 Bassmaster Elite Lake Guntersville Day 1: Ike Sacks 28lbs and Lead!

G-VILLE Kicks out 20 bags over 20 Pounds!

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – Michael Iaconelli arrived in Alabama Sunday limping on a swollen right ankle, and he went to bed Wednesday night worried the fish he had found in practice would disappear due to rapidly rising water temperatures.
But neither issue was a problem once he hit the water Thursday morning.

Iaconelli rolled the dice and followed the bass.

Iaconelli had what he called a “magical day” in the Diet Mtn Dew Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville, taking the opening-round lead with five bass that weighed 28 pounds, 2 ounces. The New Jersey pro’s best single-day catch in recent memory was one of many of head-turners on a day when it took 21-0 to crack the Top 20.
Kelly Jordon (26-1), Bernie Schultz (25-8), Skeet Reese (24-15) and Kelley Jaye (24- 4) rounded out the Top 5 with eye-popping catches of their own.
“The water temperature in practice on Monday was 60 degrees,” said Iaconelli, who injured his ankle during last month’s Elite Series event on the Sabine River in Texas. “By Wednesday, it was 65 to 67 degrees. That’s a huge difference, and I kind of knew those fish I found in practice were going to go away.”
Rather than going completely back to the drawing board, Iaconelli just moved with the fish.
“Today, I tried to visualize where they went,” he said. “Knowing the water went up six or seven degrees, I knew they didn’t go deeper. Everything wants to spawn right now, and I tried to visualize the route they would take.”

2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell Day 2: Mid-day Report

Leaderboard Flip Flops as Clouds Scatter Fish
By Luigi De Rose

The weather has warmed but the clouds have rolled in this Saturday morning and many of yesterday's leaders are suffering. Here are some elements that should dramatically affect the anglers: locals say docks in cold water will not replenish. Anglers who are targeting docks might zero today or tomorrow simply because they will run out of bass to catch. Another factor is the weather. Surprisingly, the below zero temps on Friday didn't hurt everyone but many good anglers did very poorly and might not have the opportunities to challenge the leaders.  Many anglers are hoping the stormy weather that will roll into Lake Hartwell this afternoon might trigger a few monster bites. One big bite might vault an angler who has a decent limit well up the leader board. For any of the top 5 leaders, a good limit with a big kicker bass might seal the deal for this Classic.
Here is the unofficial Top 5 as of 11:55am.

1. Mike Iaconelli 30lbs 7oz
2. Dean Rojas  28lbs 10oz
3. Casey Ashley  27lbs 3oz
4. Brett Hite  26lbs 6oz
5. Jacob Wheeler 25lbs 4oz

2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell Day 1: Rojas Rules with Over 21 Pounds!

Despite Bitter Cold Dean was Red Hot!

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

Doesn’t it just figure that after the coldest day in the history of the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro, four anglers from warm, sunny climates are sitting atop the standings?

Arizona angler Dean Rojas wowed the crowd at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., with five Lake Hartwell bass that weighed 21 pounds, 2 ounces despite frigid temperatures that were in the neighborhood of 10 degrees just before takeoff at Green Pond Landing in Anderson.

Dean overcame the bass, weather, and
practice late penalty to take day 1 lead. He was
optimistic before the day started because this was
his 13th Classic, he is boat #13 and its was
Friday the 13th.
(Photo: James Overstreet BASS)

Rojas also overcame a 28-minute penalty that he was forced to spend in the tournament “penalty box” as punishment for being late for check-in to Wednesday’s practice period.

He leads California angler Skeet Reese (20-2), Texas pro Keith Combs (18-8) and fellow Arizona angler Brett Hite (15-7).

“This is our biggest stage that we perform on, and to be able to catch a big bag like that on the first day is amazing,” Rojas said. “How could you script it any better than that? Obviously, I’d rather finish it that way. But hey, I’ll take it.”

Though Rojas hasn’t won a Classic in 12 previous appearances – and hasn’t finished first in an event since the 2011 Elite Series event on Toledo Bend Reservoir – he said he’ll be more excited than nervous to lead the field into Saturday’s second round.

He’s taking his Day 1 success in stride, much like he did the 28-minute penalty he endured Friday morning. He said the infraction was due to a Lowrance unit on his boat that he kept promising himself he would switch from Central Time to South Carolina’s Eastern Time, but never did.

2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell Day 1: Mid-day Report

Bass Biting Well Considering the Cold

By Luigi De Rose

BASS has been really trying to raise the bar of real-time coverage at the 2015 Classic. With five live camera feeds; on the water coverage plus studio commentary, the boys at Bassmaster are providing first-rate coverage. Fishing has been good to many with several anglers over 10 pounds with the warmest part of the day still to come.

Here is the unofficial top 5-leader board as of 1:10pm.

1. Keith Combs  15lbs 5oz
2. Dean Rojas     15lbs 0oz
3. Takahiro Omori   14lbs 4oz
4. Skeet Reese  14lbs 4oz
5. David Walker  12lbs 14oz