2026 Work Sharp NPFL Stop 3 at Lay Lake Day 1: Derek Lehtonen & Alex Davis Tie for Lead!

 It's a tie at the top after day one of the Work Sharp NPFL Stop 3 at Lay Lake.

Justin Brouillard- Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons 

NPFL Press Release

A tie atop the leaderboard highlights a tight Day One as changing conditions and scattered fish make consistency hard to come by at the Work Sharp NPFL Stop 3.

Day One of the Work Sharp NPFL Stop 3 at Lay Lake is complete and it’s shaping up how most expected. Fish are spread out, with some still shallow while others are starting to move deeper. When the dust settled, it was more about surviving than separating. A couple anglers managed to figure it out just enough to get to the top, but it’s tight across the board.

Derek Lehtonen and Alex Davis lead the way with 19-5, each putting together solid limits to set the pace. Both anglers had completely opposite days, with Lehtonen catching his fish early and Davis running around a bit more before culling to his final weight.

Just an ounce back, Patrick Walters sits in third with 19-4, keeping things close heading into Day Two. In fourth, Drew Cook caught 18-9, while Ryan Satterfield sits in fifth with 17-7, anchored by the Day One Big Bass weighing 7-10.

Keith Carson Wins MLF Invitations Stop 6 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches at the Detroit River

Canadian Cory Johnston 6th

Keith Carson won Stop 6 with a three-day total of 67-6. Photo by Rob Matsuura.

By Jody White

Major League Fishing Press Release

TRENTON, Mich. – Stop 6 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches at the Detroit River was a wild one from start to finish, with big weights, lots of movement in the points standings, and a tightly contested chase for the win. In the end, Keith Carson put it all together for three days to earn his first MLF win as a pro with a three-day total of 67 pounds, 6 ounces. For the win, Carson earned $80,000 and a ticket to REDCREST 2025. Finishing runner-up, Alec Morrison weighed 66-12, and though he could not clinch the win, he did earn both the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year and Polaris Rookie of the Year titles. 

This being the last Tackle Warehouse Invitationals event of the season, the top five pros in the points also earned Bass Pro Tour invites for 2025. Morrison leads a high-flying group of anglers that includes Jake Lawrence, Colby Miller, Jaden Parrish and Marshall Hughes. 

ActiveTarget skills put Carson on top 

A childhood friend of John Cox, who is noted for eschewing forward-facing sonar and remaining quite successful, you wouldn’t exactly peg Carson as a player on

2018 Forest Wood Cup Lake Ouachita Day 1: Alex Davis Leads with 13-10lbs!

Cory Johnston in 4th!
FLW PRESS RELEASE

Alex Davis best them all on difficult first day.
(Photo: FLW)

Alex Davis was talking with his dad, Jeff, before the Forrest Wood Cup about who was going to win it.

“I told him whoever was going to win this thing would do it on luck,” Alex says. “By God, that’s exactly what happened today for me.”

He’s not lying. The Albertville, Ala., pro went from a single 1-pounder at noon to a day-one-leading 13 pounds, 10 ounces through a comedy of randomness.

Setting the scene, Alex figured he had some solid stretches where he could catch them shallow on topwater, and they certainly showed they were there, as he had seven blowups throughout the morning. He only landed the lone dink, and he lost another three on a worm.

“I have no idea how,” he says.

Finally, he made a move and caught a pair of small fish. Another move prompted a fourth.

“My dad told me before I left today, ‘Don’t come back with four,’” Alex says. “I knew of one brush pile. So I went there, made one cast and the second it hit the bottom I set the hook. So then I had a limit and decided to head in.”

However, there was still a little time left before the 33-year-old had to check in. He decided to stop on one more area. First cast he caught a 3-pounder on something “special” he didn’t want to discuss until tomorrow.

Again, he was “done,” but he still had a little time left. So with 10 minutes to go he stopped at a random cove he’d never even been in before.

“My last cast I caught my biggest fish of the day,” Alex says. “I slung him in the boat, pulled up my trolling motor, tossed out my smallest and checked in. How crazy is that?”

Obviously, luck can be fickle, so when it comes to day two the pro has “no idea” what he’s going to do or how well.

“I may just go throw topwaters again tomorrow,” he says. “I had all those blowups. I do know I’ll check that one special thing. Everyone will see it tomorrow on live, but if it goes it could be awesome.”

TOP 10 PROS

1. Alex Davis – Albertville, Ala. – 13-10 (5)

2. Nick LeBrun – Bossier City, La. – 13-5 (5)

3. Zack Birge – Blanchard, Okla. – 13-1 (5)

4. Cory Johnston – Cavan, Ontario – 12-8 (5)

5. James Niggemeyer – Van, Texas – 12-2 (5)

6. Wes Logan – Springville, Ala. – 11-9 (5)

7. Bradford Beavers – Summerville, S.C. – 11-6 (3)

8. John Cox – DeBary, Fla. – 11-3 (5)

9. Jason Lambert – Michie, Tenn. – 10-0 (5)

10. Justin Atkins – Florence, Ala. – 9-14 (5)

Justin Atkins Wins 2017 FLW CUP Championship with 59-04lbs!

Topwater and schoolers key to win. 

By Jody White

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Saves biggest limit for last day!
(Photo: FLW)

Justin Atkins weighed 21 pounds, 5 ounces on day one of the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup at Lake Murray to take the early lead. After a brief stumble of “only” 15-14 on day two bumped him back to second place, the young Alabama pro stormed back on Sunday with the largest bag of the tournament, a whopping 22 pounds, 1 ounce, to earn the first win of his career.

With a total of 59-4, Atkins earned $300,000 and the title of Forrest Wood Cup Champion, handily making up for near misses in the T-H Marine BFL All-American, where he finished third, and the FLW Tour Rookie of the Year race in which he finished runner-up.

Starting the year at Lake Guntersville, near home in Florence, Ala., Atkins made a top 10 in his first-ever Tour event. From there, he competed all year long for the Rookie of the Year title and capped a stellar season with one of the most superlative Forrest Wood Cup performances in recent memory. Atkins fished for Mississippi State in college, and has come up through the ranks with a herd of other young pros. All season, he said he was living his dream, doing what he was meant to do.

“When I say I feel like this is what I’m meant to do I don’t mean that in any kind of arrogant way,” says Atkins. “I just went out on a limb of faith this year. I didn’t have the money to fish the full Tour when I started. I had enough money to fish about four events, and I was hoping I would make it. I felt like God had a plan, and that’s what I was supposed to be doing. I just went out there and fished, and today signed off that I was supposed to be there.”

 All week long, Atkins targeted cane piles and the fat blueback herring-eating largemouths that hung around them, but his success story actually started back in college, when he fished in consecutive College Bass National Championships on Lake Chatuge, a spotted bass fishery in north Georgia and North Carolina. There, Atkins learned some hard lessons, but in the post-game, he was able to pick up some herring skills from fellow competitors Brad Rutherford and Patrick Walters.

“They did really well, and they were catching them on top and calling them out of brush,” says Atkins. “I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I was friends with them before the tournament ever started, but learning from them how they managed to succeed, that taught me a lot.”

Because of that, Atkins was prepared to look for cane-dwelling largemouths in practice, but he was the one to put it together, demonstrating just how quickly today’s pros can master a bite.

Atkins had about 60 to 80 waypoints on cane piles he liked, and he accumulated most of them after some early struggles in pre-practice.

“It took me two days to get my graphs dialed in,” says Atkins. “That cane is hard to see. It’s real narrow. So I had to sit there and play with settings. I was here an afternoon and a full day before I finally found one pile. I went over it, and I saw it on the sonar and marked it, and I could barely see it on my down-view – just a little bit. I ended up graphing for a while and fishing some and never found any. The next morning I went to that spot and went around and around and around that pile. I turned my sensitivity up, my contrast and all that, until I finally got to where I could see it and knew what it was on my side-scan. After that I probably found 100 piles in my next six days of practice.”

Besides cranking up his sensitivity and contrast, Atkins also sped up his chart speed, which made the narrow cane piles appear larger and much more visible. Once he was dialed in, Atkins could mark cane piles up to 100 feet out to either side of his boat.

After some success in pre-practice, Atkins started on an innocuous pile on the first day of official practice and caught a 3-pounder on his first cast. Once he’d marked plenty of fish, he committed almost solely to the cane-pile pattern and continued to expand on it throughout practice.

Most of the piles topped out about 8 to 10 feet below the surface, rising up from about 20 or 22 feet deep. The fresher and “bushier” the pile was, the more fish were in it.

Of the 15 bass Atkins weighed, every one of them came on an ima Little Stick 135 in chrome, fished with a 7:1 gear ratio Abu Garcia reel, 30-pound-test braid and a 7-5 medium-heavy composite rod. Mostly he fired over and roughly around his cane piles, but he did catch some fish that were actively schooling near the piles. He figures he weighed in 11 bass that he “called up” and four that were actively busting.

3 Scorching Hot Bass Tactics for Right Now!

Here's the video that explains in detail my article in July's issue of Ontario OUT OF DOORS magazine. If you love smallmouth and largemouth but hate the heat, if we ever get some, then this is for you. Learn how to target the shadows and use the blinding sun to heat up your trophy bass fishing.

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.

ICAST 2016 Megabass Kanata Jerkbait, Vision 110 and Ito Shiner with Chri...

Megabass jerkbaits are considered the best ever made. Listen to BASS Elite angler Chris Zaldain as he explains when to use the Vision 110, Ito Shiner and the brand new Kanata baits.

Topwater Frog Fishing in the Pads with Luigi De Rose & IBASSIN

With the late fall storms blowing and boats tucked away for the winter it is nice to remember how much topwater frog fishing can be.

Summer Dock Fishing for Largemouth Bass with Luigi De Rose and IBASSIN

With the hot weather, the largemouth were hiding deep under the docks. Nothing beats a spinning rod and reel loaded with Power Pro braided line and a 4" tube jig. Watch as outdoor writer Luigi  De Rose snaps his tube under docks and boats to find good sized bass.

Testing a Prototype Topwater Frog Bait with Luigi De Rose and IBASSIN

One of the cool things being an outdoor writer is the people you meet. I got the chance to be the first to test a prototype frog lure that should be at ICAST 2016. It walks, pops and glides very well and is very snag proof. I couldn't offer any close ups because it is still very secret. It should be available in 8 colours and in stores by December of next year. 

Summer Frog Fishing Fun!

The heat of summer had us out in a marshy bay with plenty of lily pads. The bass were eat and we were trying our best to keep them on the hook. Barry bought a silent auction fishing trip with me at the Ontario Chinese Anglers Association at their Christmas and awards dinner last year. Richard was Barry's guest and we had a great time whipping frogs over the pads. 
The hot frogs this day were: Lunker Hunt, Live Target, Spro and a Horny Toad. I didn't want to use a frog so I casted a Trigger X Buzz tail worm and other Speed worms along the surface. 
We all got action and surprisingly all the topwater fish were over 3 pounds.
Overall, a fun frog fishing day!

Summer Slamming in the Thick Stuff!

As the summer heat boils the water head shallow and arm yourself with some big sticks. Sure, deep water is holding bass but nothing beats slamming big ones in the matted grass. Here's a video that will keep you straight instead of being stuck in weeds.

Get Shallow for Super Summer Action!

Here is a quick video showing one of the best bites that is happening right now!

Bolduc and Thompson Win the 2015 Top Bass Lake Seymour Tournament with 20.93 lbs!

by Luigi De Rose

Lake Seymour is well known for big bass but it can be fickle. Only a few teams unlocked the secret to the lake's big fish. On Sunday, July 5th, the team of Al Bolduc and Brain Thompson bested them all with a 5 bass limit for 20.93 lbs. In total 393 bass were caught weighing 799 lbs. Big bass went to Marc and Karl Irons with a 6.05 lb beast.

Link to see full standings

POS	Weight	Captain, Surname	Captain, Given	Partner Surname	Partner, Given
1	20.93	BOLDUC	AL	THOMPSON	BRIAN
2	16.92	WOROSZ	PETER	TRODD	QUINTON
3	16.31	JACOBS	MARC	IRONS	KARL
4	16	MATYI	STEVE	COOK	REG
5	15.04	VERKRUISEN	RICHARD	VERKRUISEN	JESSICA
6	14.6	HAYASHI	JAY	PARKER	TREVOR
7	13.26	NEILSON	CRAIG	NEILSON	CHARLIE
8	12.86	MAJOR	BILL	SMART	KERRY
9	12.79	ELCICH	GREG	MONK	CHRIS
10	12.75	PALMER	SEAN	LISCIO	JOHNNY
11

2015 FLW Cup Field Announced

By Luigi De Rose

After the recent Potomac River event, the 2015 FLW Cup field has been selected.  Here's the break down of who's fishing this summer.

1. Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla.
 (2015 Angler of the Year)

2. John Cox, DeBary, Fla.


4. Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J.


5. Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash.


6. Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn.


7. Ish Monroe, Hughson, Calif.


8. Tracy Adams, Wilkesboro, N.C.


10. Larry Nixon, Bee Branch, Ark.


11. Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas


12. Peter Thliveros, Saint Augustine, Fla.


13. Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif.


14. Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa.


15. Stetson Blaylock, Benton, Ark.


Full List Below

Avoid 3 Common Ledge Fishing Mistakes with Lunker Hunt pro Michael Neal.

As largemouth bass complete the spawn, they'll slip into deeper water and school in large groups. With clusters of bass living in 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.

Here's FLW pro Michael Neal, a ledge fishing expert, as he shares his knowledge with IBASSIN to help anglers avoid common ledge fishing mistakes.

2014 Bassmaster Elite Lake Dardanelle Day 1: Crew takes Flight of Lead

Crews is steady as she goes on Lake Dardanelle

By Deb Johnson

bass press release

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — “Steady” was the first word John Crews came up with when asked about his first day of competition in the May 15-18 Bassmaster Elite at Lake Dardanelle.

John Crews takes lead on day 1 in very tight field.
(Photo: BASS)

“One good one here, one good one there, and at the end of the day, it was looking really nice,” Crews said.

“Rock steady” is a more accurate description of Crews’ Thursday performance. The pro from Salem, Va., weighed a five-bass limit of 22 pounds, 9 ounces, for a lead of 12 ounces over Greg Hackney.

Fall Fishing: Top Water fun with Jackall Trigger Boil 100

By Luigi De Rose

Autumn is a great time to fish. The fish are active and the crowds have dissipated. One surprising presentation that doesn't get much hype is topwater during this time of year. If the conditions are correct, topwater action can be amazing. 

One new bait to his stores this year was the Jackall Trigger Boil 100. A truly unique bait, it is a popper that can be easily walked plus it has jointed action.  A little longer than most poppers, it is the perfect treat for bass.  Amazingly, it can be snapped quickly or slowly walked without much work. Jackall is a dominate Japanese tackle manufacture that prides itself in quality and innovation. This might be your new fall favourite. 

A nicely cupped mouth and two, super sharp treble hooks. Rear hook is feathered. 

Its jointed action works well at a range of speeds. 

Long and slender, this bait provides a strong profile without the bulk.

Skipping Doc(s)!

By L. Talyor

Dock after dock after dock -- all day long it was the same thing. Some of the docks had one bass under them and others had two or three. It was proving to be the best way to get a quality bite, but the technique required just the right touch.

“It’s like skipping rocks, only you are using a fishing pole and a lure,” said Beaver Lake fishing guide Brad Wiegmann.

The skipping technique is all about having the right angle. When skipping light lures it’s best to use a spinning rig. Leave about 14 inches from lure to the end of the rod, open the bail and bring the rod back parallel or slight pointing toward the water. Then, simply use a sidearm cast to skip the lure to its destination. It’s skipping a heavier lure with a baitcasting rig that gives some anglers fits.

“Put the reel on free-spool and use adequate force to swing the lure parallel to the water,” Wiegmann said. “After the lure stops, take your pocket knife and cut out the tangled mess. Retie and repeat, until you have no more over-priced fluorocarbon line on your reel. Lay down this pole and grab the next, and repeat the process until all the line is removed. At this point, it’s customary to say ‘the he#% with it,’ grab a topwater rod and go throw a Zara Spook.”

2012 Forrest L. Wood Cup: Bucking the System!

Wheeler gets pasted by Yelas during Day 2 of the Cup
(Photos: FLW)

By Luigi De Rose

This year the FLW Cup is being held at the spotted bass capital of the world, Lake Lanier in Georgia. Spotted bass love the deep, fresh water during the humid summer. This translates to anglers hunting for deep brush piles teaming with bass. To catch them takes small worms or jigs. The western technique of doodling became entrenched with eastern anglers on this lake. Now, drop shotting is king. All predictions indicate that the winner will have a few deep water areas that will produce solid, consistent limits of spotted bass. Well, that might not be true.

Jacob Wheeler, who has lead both day 1 and 2 of this Cup is fishing shallow. Surprisingly, second place angler, Jay Yelas is also fishing shallow largemouths. One angler is a fluke, having the top two anglers doing the same thing is a winning strategy. It seems that as of Day 2, only Scott Martin is fishing exclusively for spotted bass.

Wheeler in the wood. 

This strategy of bucking the local school of thought is reminisce of Tommy Biffle's quest for the Bass Master Classic. On south east impoundments known for off-shore crankbaiting, Tommy had several Classic Championships slip through his fingers. As the pack cranked the bottom, Tommy pointed his boat far up river and flipped and pitched his Lunker Lure jig to wood. Actually, Jay Yelas won the 2002 Classic on Lay Lake fishing shore line cover as his rivals fished transitional summer time patterns.

Will history repeat itself? Will Wheeler and Yelas wash out like Biffle did when water levels ruined his best areas? Or, will bucking the system pay off? Wait and see.