2020 MLF Heavy Hitters Day 3: Zack Berge Group A Qualifying Round

Top 10 Set for Group A after two days on Kissimmee Chain.

Zack Birge took advantage of big lead to learn the lake.

	Place	Angler	Total Weight						Largest Fish
	1st	Zack Birge	74 - 03						5 - 08
	2nd	Bryan Thrift	55 - 09						4 - 02
	3rd	Jordan Lee	51 - 09						6 - 13
	4th	Gary Klein	48 - 04						5 - 04
	5th	Matt Lee	43 - 07						5 - 05
	6th	Kelly Jordon	39 - 08						5 - 03
	7th	John Murray	38 - 09						7 - 13
	8th	Kevin VanDam	37 - 04						7 - 10
	9th	Michael Neal	33 - 12						4 - 09
	10th	Gerald Spohrer	32 - 09						4 - 13

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!

Brad Knight Wins the 2015 Forrest L. Wood Cup Lake Ouachita!

Knight Slays Ouachita 
by Rob Newell
FLW PRESS RELEASE

For the last decade, Brad Knight has had the same recurring dream at night. Although the dream has varying versions, scopes and backdrops, the theme is always the same: He is in contention to win a big bass tournament.

Sticking to his guns kept Brad in the same area the entire tournament.
(Photo: FLW)

“It’s not so much that I win the tournament or that I catch a big bass or anything like that,” he said Saturday afternoon. “It’s more that I’m in contention to win. I’m in a good position, I feel good about what I’m doing and I know exactly how I’m going to catch them. It’s not a nervousness but an anticipation – a good anticipation …”

And then he wakes up to his normal life as a part-time manager of Wartburg Pharmacy in Wartburg, Tenn., and all the intense feelings of anticipation are chased into the shadows by reality.

Knight again experienced that same dream on Saturday night. Except this time when he awoke, it was reality: He really was in contention to win a big tournament, the biggest of its kind – the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup.

“When I woke up, the first thing I said was, ‘If I’m dreaming, please don’t wake me up. I want to know how this ends,’” he added.

On Sunday afternoon, Knight stood before a packed house in the Bank of the Ozarks Arena in Hot Springs, Ark., hoisting a Forrest Wood Cup over his head. He now knows how his dream ends.

Walmart FLW Tour Potomac River Day 3: Wendland in Lead, Martin Wins AOY!

Scott Martin Wins 2015 Walmart FLW Tour Angler of the Year !
FLW PRESS RELEASE

Clark Wendlandt has seen a lot of things throughout his career. Yet the act of kindness he experienced on day three of the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Ranger Boats on the Potomac River surprised even him.
With Wendlandt facing boat troubles, fellow top 20 angler Shinichi Fukae swapped boats with him – effectively ending his own day – to allow the Leander, Texas, pro to continue fishing and retain his hold on the No. 1 spot. Wendlandt’s 14-pound, 8-ounce bag was the second largest of the day, allowing him to increase his lead over second-place pro Adrian Avena to 3 pounds, 12 ounces.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an act of sportsmanship that great ever in this sport,” Wendlandt says. “Every time I caught one after that I just kept saying, ‘Thank you, Shin.’”

True sportsmanship comes to the aide of Wendlandt (Photo FLW)

The top 20 anglers launched amid torrential rains and unstable conditions. However, none of it seemed to affect Wendlandt early on, as he put three quick fish in the boat. That’s when things started going wrong. Wendlandt suffered a mechanical failure with his rig and figured he’d have to fish with his trolling motor until he could be towed back to the ramp early.
That’s where Fukae came in. In 16th place and fishless at the time, Fukae insisted Wendlandt trade boats so he could continue with his day unhindered. Fukae stayed in Wendlandt’s boat and was towed back to takeoff. Despite being loaned a boat for a restart, Fukae more or less ran out of time and never boated a keeper.

TOP 10 BELOW

Walmart FLW Tour Potomac River Day 2: Wendlandt Leads on Difficult Day!

AOY is Scott Martin's to lose.

by Sean Ostruszka

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Clark Wendlandt makes top 10s. It’s just what he does almost better than almost anyone else. In fact, he’s tied for the second most top 10s in Walmart FLW Tour history with 28.

So seeing Wendlandt’s name in the sixth-place slot after day one of the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Ranger Boats on the Potomac River really should have been no surprise. Of course, Wendlandt also has three Tour victories, and he’s put himself in contention for No. 4 after posting the second-largest limit of day two – 17 pounds, 3 ounces – to overtake Adrian Avena and Bryan Schmitt for the top spot.

His two-day total is 32-10.

“I had a good day; pretty similar to yesterday,” Wendlandt says. “I just had that 5-pounder today.”

Clark take slim lead as anglers go into weekend. (Photo: FLW)

Like many of the other top anglers, the pro from Leander, Texas, has found an area of the river pretty much to himself and has been tight-lipped about his exact pattern. He is covering a lot of water, though, and many of the spots he fished today were the same as on day one.

That fact would worry Wendlandt if the tournament was being held on a lake, as he doesn’t know if his pattern would hold up on other types of fisheries. However, being that the Potomac is a tidal fishery, he’s far more optimistic.

3 Bass Jigs You Must Know: Flipping Jigs

Jigs a must for any angler 

By Luigi De Rose

Big bass bite jigs. No one will dispute that. So you need to understand how to use them. Rubber skirted jigs are categorized into three distinct styles: flipping, football and finesse. They might seem similar but their intricacies make them uniquely different.

 

Flipping
Flipping jigs are the bread and butter of any bass nut. Poured with a stout hook and fiber weed guard, they’re meant to penetrate cover. Ranging from 1/4oz to magnum 1 1/2oz beasts, they are designed for war. Teamed with heavy lines and heavier rod actions they’ll sink into any cover.

Heavy grass bed are ideal flipping jig cover.
Teamed up with heavy action rod and braid, it is a
great method for catching giant bass. 

Focus on jighead design before tying one on. Missing minor details can become major headaches on the water. Cone shaped heads excel in weed. The line tie should be no greater than 60 degrees and the lead must mould seamlessly around  the hook eye. Any flaw will catch more weeds than bass. Being picky will have you fishing more and cleaning less. If you’re targeting wood, select a rounder or triangular shaped head. This design glides over limbs easily. The wider head also positions the hook up. Slimmer heads tend to fall on it side easy causes causing more hang-ups.  

Swimming a jig is a neat presentation that should be add to your bag of tricks. Using a grass jig, usually a 1/4oz or 5/16oz one, float the bait over cover much like a shallow crankbait. A slow steady retrieve while pulsing and jiggling the rod tip will keep the lure lively. This method transforms it into a fleeing baitfish so colours should match local bait. A few strands of orange, green, white, or light blue will work wonders. Don’t dismiss an all white jig and trailer. It’s a great minnow mimic.

A recent trend has been giant jigs; real big boys up to 1 1/2 ounces. From inches of water to the deepest weedbeds, jigging mats is a sure-fire method to nail the biggest bass but its very labour intensive. Lighter jig lack the momentum to pierce canopied weeds so stick to be heaviest ones. Requiring long, heavy action rods and the heaviest braided line you’ll need an ice pack for your elbow at day’s end.

Fishing in a Crowd Part 3: The Change Up.

The Change Up

The recent Walmart FLW tournament on the Potomac River was classic community weed flat fishing.  Large areas held wads of bass. Anglers quickly realized the bounty and pounded it for all its worth. Scott Martin, the winner and leader each and every day of the event used skill to keep atop the leader board.

Pitching craws is a standard grass technique. Scott switched to a paddle tail worm. This isn’t old school thinking but more of a Florida standard that doesn’t get a lot of play. The tail provides pulsing vibration plus it’s slim profile slips through cover with ease. Sometimes offering a different profile is in order.

Recently, Florida tournaments, especially on Lake Okeechobee, have been dominated by black blue jigs. For years, Florida was the domain of soft plastic worms. Now, the jig is catching on in popularity. Someone must have figured it out. Consider the popularity of the chatterbait, drop shot, Alabama rig and Senko. Each has a local following until anglers started experimenting. Now these baits are sold across the globe.

FLW Tour Potomac River Day 4: Proven Method

Tips on How to Flip Grass Flats
By Luigi De Rose

Follow the Potomac River this week and the majority of the anglers were fishing weed flats. Keying on the heaviest matted grass and flipping and pitching seemed to be the best. Here are a few tips on how to excel while fishing the weed beds.

Quick Tips:

• Yellow braided line. A real key when following the bait as it drops through the weeds. Many hits only reveal a jump in the line. Bright braid will detect any line movement. It really does well on overcast days.
• Run a black marker over the bright braid for about 1 yard (1m) from the bait to avoid spooking anything.
• Try segmented coloured braid. Originally designed for walleye trolling and jigging, its really good for this style of fishing. Depending on the brand, these lines change colour every few feet or yards (m). This way you can keep track of the bottom as your bait falls.
• Use a neoprene bobber stop to peg the heavy weight. Saves time and won't harm the line.
• Use a snell knot on straight shank hooks for better penetration.
• Use a hook with a "keeper" on the shank. This keeps the plastic bait straight and always ready to fish.
• GPS is a vital tool so use it. Not only good for structure, use it to mark key areas for another pass. Grass beds can all look the same but by using your GPS, you can always relocate a spot on a spot.
• Pick baits with small thick bodies without a lot of tiny, dainty legs. Thick bodies hold a heavy hook well. Dainty legs only get tangle in stringy weeds. Big craws, a paddle tail or a thicker ribbon tail is best.