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

Jacob Wheeler Wins 8th BASS PRO TOUR Event on Dale Hollow!

MITCHELL FORDE 

BASS PRO TOUR

Before making a cast in the Championship Round at PowerStop Brakes Stage Three Presented by Mercury, Jacob Wheeler knew he was about to send Dale Hollow Lake’s bass into a feeding frenzy. He even warned MLFNOW! viewers not to expect much commentary from him, as he planned to be too busy boating bass.

It took less than two minutes for Wheeler to make good on his promise with a 3-pound, 7-ounce largemouth. That sparked a bass barrage for the ages.

Wheeler followed that fish with another 3-pounder, then a 2-3 and a 2-8 — all in the first 10 minutes. In the opening hour, he stacked 14 scorable bass for 43 pounds, 3 ounces on SCORETRACKER®. By the end of the first period, he’d amassed 70-6, all but burying the other nine anglers on the water.

Wheeler would cruise to a 116-6 total on 39 scorable bass – more than 30 pounds clear of Michael Neal in second place. The victory marked the second of the season for Wheeler, who also took home the title at Stage Two on Santee Cooper. He also added to his Bass Pro Tour-best win total, hoisting his eighth trophy since the inception of the league in 2019 and doing so on one of his favorite lakes in the country.

“This is like my lake; this is my home away from home,” the Harrison, Tennessee, native said of Dale Hollow. “My wife literally jokes that we should have moved to Dale Hollow, you like it so much, like giving me crap about it. And I just love it, man. … First big, national tournament on the lake, to get that win, it means a lot.”

Here’s how the Top 10 anglers finished up the Championship Round. Complete results can be found here.

1. Jacob Wheeler — 116-6 (39 bass)
2. Michael Neal — 85-10 (28)
3. Spencer Shuffield — 85-5 (29)
4. Drew Gill — 78-8 (27)
5. Alton Jones Jr. — 74-0 (23)
6. Marshall Robinson — 61-14 (21)
7. Dustin Connell — 60-14 (20)
8. Justin Lucas — 38-4 (13)
9. Keith Poche — 36-12 (14)
10. Alton Jones — 20-7 (7)

Capitalizing on an epic morning bite

Wheeler sowed the seeds for his Sunday morning blitzkrieg days earlier. As noted above, he spends quite a bit of time fun-fishing on Dale Hollow, so he knew to check the area during practice — which he described as a flat, main-lake drain protected by an island cluster. The islands act like a funnel, concentrating baitfish, and the flatter topography serves as fruitful spawning territory, making it a bass magnet.

2023 Acedemy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic Day 2: Jeff Gustafson Continues to Lead with 35-11lbs!

Canadians Cory Johnston 7th, Chris Johnston 31st & Cooper Gallant 52th.

Five more to go! Is what Canadian Jeff Gustafson needs to close 
out the 2023 Classic. (Photo: James Overstreet/BASS)

By Brain Brasher 
BASSMASTER PRESS RELEASE

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Since the opening moments of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota, Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson has been counting down.

Not to a five-bass daily limit, but to the three-day limit of 15 he needs to be crowned a Classic champion. 

After Saturday, he can say, “Ten down, five to go.” 

Using the same moping technique he used to win a regular-season Bassmaster Elite Series event here on the Tennessee River in 2021 — and to take the lead in this Classic on Friday with 18 pounds, 8 ounces — Gustafson added five more smallmouth Saturday that weighed 17-3 and now holds a commanding lead with a two-day total of 35-11. 

His closest competition going into Championship Sunday will be Florida largemouth specialist John Cox, who sits almost 6 pounds back in second with 29-15. 

“I’ve just got to go out and get it done tomorrow,” said Gustafson, who has now led all six days of the two tournaments he’s fished here on Fort Loudoun and Tellico lakes. “I don’t have any good backup plans. I just need to keep doing what I’ve been doing.” 

Cody Pike Wins 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Tour on the St. Lawrence River!

Cody Pike scores 82-12lb to score win on the St. Lawrence!
(Photo: MFL)

TACKLE WAREHOUSE PRO CIRCUIT

Press Release

Shocking – that pretty much summed up the final day of the  Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers on the St. Lawrence River.

When the Top 10 took off this morning, everyone pretty well knew the outcome. Joey Cifuentes would ride his near 7-pound lead to victory, while the rest jockeyed for second place. Some 10 hours later, Cody Pike stood on the stage, massive check leaned against his leg, big trophy by his side, struggling to hold back tears and find words for what had just happened.

Because in those 10 hours, what happened was Pike putting together his best bag of the tournament (22 pounds, 3 ounces) while Cifuentes unfortunately put together his worst (12-5). And in one of the most unlikely endings to a season finale, it was the rookie, Pike, who weighed in 82-12 total to take home the win at Savage Arms Stop 6 Presented by Abu Garcia.

“That doesn’t happen,” said Pike of his come-from-behind win. “I was blasting off today thinking it was a two-tournament-type deal: How bad Joey was going to beat us by and who could finish second. I was just trying to finish second. So, I had no pressure. It was out of reach, or so I thought.”

Pike and most everyone else thought wrong.

While both Pike and Cifuentes were fishing deeper structures in similar areas, Pike’s spots were tucked away in between the islands near Eel Bay whereas Cifuentes utilized areas more along the main channel down near Clayton. That proved to be a huge difference, as for whatever reason, Cifuentes and many other pros noticed today the current was less, the water had dropped a little and the wind was pushing out of the east to make conditions difficult to drift the main-river spots.

2021 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite on Lake Fork Day 2: Card Clobbers Them for Lead with 1: Walters Whacks 32-14lbs!

Canadians Gustafson 15th, Chris Johnston 18th & Cory Johnston 27th

BASS Press Release

(Photo: BASS)

Brandon Card of Salisbury, N.C., committed to a spot he called the “Hammer Hole” and nailed down a limit of 28 pounds, 1 ounce to lead Day 2 of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork.

 

Rising from third place, Card bolstered his Day 1 weight of 27-6 for a two-day total of 55-7 that leads Quentin Cappo of Prairieville, La., by 11 ounces.

 

Working in Little Caney Creek, Card’s key spot was a subtle point adjacent to multiple spawning pockets with a creek channel in close proximity. What’s interesting is that Card encountered this fish-laden staging area on his way to inspect other spots.

 

“I’m really fortunate I found this spot,” he said. “It didn’t look like much when I saw it on my side scan, but it looked like just enough to make me want to make a cast in there.

 

“I caught them at the mouth of Little Caney really good (during the Elite event) in 2019. I had two giant schools, so I checked that out and they weren’t there. So, I just kept going farther in there.”

 

With two fish over 6 pounds in his bag, Card did most of his work with a Yo-Zuri 3DB 110 jerkbait. He also caught fish on a 3DB 110 Deep, a Yo-Zuri Hardcore Crank 3+ and a 4-inch hand-poured swimbait on a 1/2-ounce lead head.

 

“Changing angles and trying to stay fresh on the baits was important,” he said. “I’m just thinking, ‘What else can I throw out there?’ I’ll rig up some new stuff tonight.”

 

Noting that he had his weight by about 9:45 a.m., Card said, “What a morning. There wasn’t much to speak of after the morning. I did catch a 4 1/2-pounder that didn’t help, but I couldn’t get on anything (productive) after I left the Hammer Hole.

 

“Hopefully, that place keeps reloading. It’s a pretty magical spot.”

Scott Burns and Wayne Misslebrook Win 2020 CSFL Lake Scugog #2 with 17.42lbs!

COMPETITIVE SPORT FISHING LEAGUE

LAKE SCUGOG | PORT PERRY, ON

SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2020

1. SCOTT BURNS & WAYNE MISSELBROOK, 17.42
2. GEOFF DAVIS & SAM DAVIS, 15.26
3. STEVE ROWSWELL & COLE VARDY, 14.34
4. MIKE SLOCKI & JOHN HAWLEY, 13.78
5. DOUG MONAHAN & ERIC MACHOLD, 13.52
6. GREG ELCICH & PAUL LEBLANC, 11.78
7. GARRY MANSHOLT & TYLER MCCLURE, 11.76
8. MIKE BRAYFORD & RYAN ARCHIBALD, 11.56
9. EVAN KUNG & ANDRUS KUNG, 11.26
10. MIKE WILLIAMS & DUANE JACOBS, 11.22
11. JEFF TRIPP & ADAM SINCLAIR, 11.14
12. VINCE REYNOLDS & ROB CHAU, 11.06
13. DANNY GOBOITSIOS & SOTIRI THEOFILAKTIDIS, 10.83
14. CALEN HOGBEN & DAVE HOGBEN, 10.14
15. SEAN PALMER & MATT HUBBLE, 9.66
16. COOPER GALLANT & COLBY BAKER, 9.34
17. MURDOCK GRAHAM & JAYSON SALIBA, 9.24
18. SAM LISTRO & JAYDEN KEISSLING, 9.06
19. JOE FORD & LINDA FORD, 6.74
20. TOM TSATSKAS & CARLO PUIATTI, 5.92

FULL STANDINGS

Carl Jocumsen Wins 2019 BASS Elite on Lake Tenkiller with 54-15lbs!

Canadian Cory Johnston 3rd and 3rd for BASS AYO! 

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Molix football jig key to Carl's first BASS win!
(Photo: BASS)

Relentless determination and commitment to his game plan paid off big for Carl Jocumsen, who turned in a catch of 19 pounds, 12 ounces on Championship Sunday and scored a career-defining victory at the Cherokee Casino Tahlequah Bassmaster Elite at Lake Tenkiller.

His four-day total weight of 54-15 was worth $100,000 and made a nice birthday gift for the Queensland, Australia angler, who turned 35 Sunday.

Jocumsen said his first Elite win — which is also the first by an Aussie — has been a lifelong dream.

“Since I was four years old, I’ve loved fishing and I’ve dreamed of the day I would do this,” Jocumsen said. “Today is that day. This is a lifetime of work; a lifetime of passion and loving this sport with every ounce of my body.”

Yesterday, after placing third and trailing leader Kyle Monti by 4-8, Jocumsen boldly stated that he believed he was on the fish to win. He predicted he needed five keepers to have a legitimate shot, and he blew away that expectation with a limit of 19-12 that ranked as the tournament’s heaviest single-day catch.

Jocumsen’s winning program stood out from much of the field, in that he committed his tournament to fishing offshore. Relying heavily on his electronics to break down the lake and identify the most promising spots, he targeted six different offshore drop-offs with brush and other cover.

2019 BASS Elite Lake Tenkiller Day 3: Monti Moves into Lead with 39-11 lbs!

Canadians Cory Johnston 4th, Gustafson 36th & Chris Johnston 46th 

By David A Brown

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Off-shore key to top weights on stingy Tenkiller.
(Photo: BASS)

A key adjustment early on Saturday enabled Okeechobee, Florida’s Kyle Monti to stay with his offshore game and move into the lead of the Cherokee Casino Tahlequah Bassmaster Elite at Lake Tenkiller with a three-day total of 39 pounds, 11 ounces.

After placing third Thursday with 14-4, Monti slipped to fifth with 23-2 Friday. On Saturday, he added 16-9 — the event’s heaviest catch so far. His Day 3 bag included four largemouth bass and one spotted bass.

For two days, Monti fished an offshore sandbar with isolated hard spots and caught his fish on a drop-shot rig. Saturday, he shifted gears and caught most of his bass on a wobblehead jig.

“I caught one right off the bat that clued me in that the fish were still there, but I caught it on a bait that I haven’t caught a fish on all week,” Monti said. “That clued me in on how to catch them without dropping straight down to them with a drop shot.”

Monti said this proved crucial to his success, as he would have had a difficult time executing the drop-shot technique he had employed for much of Days 1 and 2.

2017 B1 Port Colborne Lake Erie Tournament Cancelled Due to High Winds!

Due to inclement weather, the B1 Port Colborne event will be postponed to Saturday August 19th & 20th.

Stanley Sypeck Jr. Wins 2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open No. 1!

Story day shakes final day standings. 

By Andrew Canulette

BASS PRESS RELEASE

The smallmouth bite on Oneida Lake was incredible.

Big largemouth win at smallmouth fest.
(Photo: BASS)

The smallies already were fat, and yet they still were hungry. Just about every angler in the field was hammering them, and it was that bite that figured to make or break an angler's chances of winning the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open No. 1 presented by DICK's Sporting Goods.

Stanley Sypeck Jr. had other plans, though. From the start of the three-day tournament, he figured largemouth bass would be key to winning on Oneida. It certainly wasn't the most-popular strategy, but it definitely was the most effective.

Sypeck weighed the big bag of the tournament on Saturday when he presented a five-bass limit that tipped the scales at 20 pounds, 7 ounces. That was enough to vault Sypeck from seventh place into first, and it sealed the victory for the Pennsylvania pro here in upstate New York.

Brandon Palaniuk Wins 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest!

Brent Ehrler 2nd and wins tundra truck for big bass
By Bryan Brasher
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Big worm and Neko rig grabs win for Brandon. (Photo: BASS)

It’s not like Brandon Palaniuk had never won a Bassmaster Elite Series event.

Coming into this week, the 29-year-old pro from Idaho had already claimed Elite Series trophies in 2012 and 2013 and came close to raising that win total with three other second-place finishes.

But for an intense competitor known as the “prodigy,” the four-year victory drought was an itch he desperately needed to scratch — and he did it during this week’s Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Palaniuk caught 24 pounds, 7 ounces of bass during Wednesday’s opening round and followed with 23-2 and 24-7 the next two rounds. Then he caught he caught 21-12 on Championship Sunday to push his four-day total to 93-12 and hold off a late charge by California pro Brent Ehrler.

Ehrler, who led the first two days, finished second with 91-12.

“I never found a school in practice where I could just go and pound on them and catch multiple fish in one spot,” said Palaniuk, who earned a $100,000 first-place prize and an automatic berth into the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented DICK’S Sporting Goods. “It wasn’t until the tournament started to roll around that more and more fish started to transition out and school up on spots.

“I was just far enough ahead of the fish.”

It was a sign of things to come for Palaniuk when he started Wednesday’s opening round with his biggest fish of the tournament — a largemouth that weighed 8-4. Palaniuk caught the bass in deeper water than what was being fished by most of the field.

2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest Day 2: Ehrler Leads Only by 2 Ounces!

Tight race on Rayburn
BASS PRESS RELEASE

After two days, the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has turned into an all-out slugfest with some of the biggest names in professional bass fishing at the top of the leaderboard.

The Top 10 anglers have all averaged more than 20 pounds apiece the first two days on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, and the top two pros have averaged better than 23.

Jerkbait pattern key to Ehrler's lead.  (Photo: BASS)

California pro Brent Ehrler holds the top spot for the second day in a row with a two-day mark of 47-11. He caught 22-5 Thursday in the 90-degree Texas heat to maintain a slim lead over Idaho pro Brandon Palaniuk, who is just 2 ounces back with 47-9 after catching 23-2 Thursday.
Ehrler also still holds the lead for Toyota Big Bass of the week with a 9-1 he caught Wednesday. The winner of that award will receive a Toyota Tundra pickup valued at $50,000.

“I didn’t really find any new stuff today,” Ehrler said. “I checked one spot where I thought I could catch a good one, and I caught about a 4 1/2-pounder later in the day. But I still didn’t get that real clear feeling for what I’m going to do the rest of the week.”

2017 Bassmaster Classic Lake Conroe Day 1: Brent Ehrler Leads with 23-3lbs!

Giant 9-12 largemouth vaults Ehrler into lead. 
By Luigi De Rose

Brent all smiles as he takes the lead on Day 1!
(Photo: BASS)

A windy, cloudy first day of the greatest tournament of the year made for finicky fishing for most Classic anglers on Lake Conroe. Focusing on the morning shad spawn worked for Van Dam and Evers but many including G-man and Coombs couldn't connect making for a terrible morning. The sight fishing bite didn't seem to materialize for most. Neither did the numerous monster Texas bass that swim in Conroe. Mid-morning and into the afternoon produced more larger bass for the top 10 anglers.

Former Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC) winner Brent Ehrler grabbed the lead anchored with a 9-10lb Texas giant. That bass was the Berkley Big Bass Day 1 winner. Brent spent most of the day in the mid-lake region.

Classic rookie, Bradley Roy grabbed second with 22-01lbs. Cliff Crochet, 22-08 for third, had a steady fishing day in the shallows of the upper regions of the lake. He said the fishing was consistent and matched his power fishing style well.

Mike Iaconelli, 21-02lbs for 4th had a slow morning except for the capture of a 6 lber which kept his spirits high as he remained in the lower section of the lake.

Clifford Pirch rounded out the top 5 with 20-11lbs. Clifford started along the dam among Van Dam, Ike and several others. He had a mid-moring flurry which several key bass were landed.

Experts agree that monster bass will make the difference of whom heroes or zeros. Ehrler's near 10 pound largemouth made a world of difference; without it he would be far from the lead. Ike's morning was set with a solid 6 pounder caught on a Carolina rig. He openly stated that it helped him confidently fish slowly all day.

Surprizingly, 4 of the Top 10, Brent Ehrler, Mike Iaconelli, Dave Lefebre and Matt Herren are past  Toyota Texas Bass Classic winners. Their past wins might offer them great understanding of the nuances of these Texas big bass lakes. Saturday's sunny, calmer weather should allow Classic angler great freedom to fish throughout the lake in search of a few monsters.

Bradley Dortch Wins 2017 Walmart FLW Tour Harris Chain with 72-09lbs!

JT Kenney 2nd with mega limit
by Rob Newell

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Rookie FLW Tour pro Bradley Dortch of Atmore, Ala., seems to have a knack for the postspawn time of year when bass are retreating off beds and headed “out” to their late spring haunts. Last May, Dortch won his first Costa FLW Series event on Lake Wheeler by putting himself in front of bass that were leaving beds due to rising temperatures and falling water.

Dortch surpasses Cox and Kenney with rattle bait.
(Photo: FLW)

Dortch used that same postspawn strategy during the FLW Tour event presented by Ranger on the Harris Chain to take home his first Tour win Sunday with a five-bass final day limit of 22 pounds, 2 ounces that pushed his four-day total to 73 pounds, 9 ounces, good for a 1-pound, 13-ounce margin of victory over runner-up JT Kenney.

“I don’t know what to say, this is crazy,” Dortch says. “This is something I’ve been dreaming and working toward for years. It’s a dream come true – I can’t even believe I won it.”

After an unseasonably warm winter where Harris Chain bass got a head start on the reproductive process, the FLW Tour arrived just in time to catch the tail end of the spawn. While others took the headlines early in the event by sight-fishing, Dortch bet that the postspawn train would be coming down the track if he just waited them out at stations located on the outsides.  

Rick Clunn Wins 2016 BASS Elite St. Johns River with 81-15lbs!

Clunn Gets it Done with  Bladed Jig.                           
By Bryan Brasher
BASS PRESS RELEASE

On Nov. 5, 1976, Missouri angler Rick Clunn claimed his first B.A.S.S. victory in the Bassmaster Classic on Lake Guntersville.

It was his first giant step toward becoming a true legend in the sport of professional fishing.



On Sunday, he won for the 15th time on the B.A.S.S. circuit — and in many ways, this step might have gone even further toward cementing his legacy.

Clunn, who will turn 70 in July, caught five bass that weighed 19 pounds during Sunday’s championship round and won the Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels easily with a four-day weight of 81-15. The win was bolstered by a monumental catch of 31-7 during Saturday’s semifinal round.



Clunn used his instincts to win with bladed jig. (Photo: BASS)

“I was certainly feeling some pressure after having such a big weight yesterday,” said Clunn, who finished 4 pounds ahead of second-place finisher Greg Hackney (77-15). “Through the years, you just learn to hide it better. Having my son (River) here helped a lot.”

After catching 16-11 and 14-13 the first two days, Clunn was in 31st place and seemed a longshot to make Sunday’s Top 12 championship cut. But the incredible catch of 31-7, which ranked as the third-best five-bass limit of his career, gave him the lead going into the final round with 62-15.



2015 Bass Pro Shop Lake Simcoe Open Cancelled!

Cancelled due to forecast of high winds. Many anglers angry for cancellation three days before event. Tournament director sites insurance and angler safety key worries. 

Whitney Stephen Wins the 2015 Bass Pro Shop BASS Northern Open on Lake Erie!

Wild Last Day Spins Leaderboard.

By Craig Lamb

bass press release 

SANDUSKY, Ohio — Whitney Stephens’ tournament winning edge came not from a secret lure but a widely used electronic gadget rigged on the front deck of his boat. Knowing how to use it well paid at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open presented by Allstate. 

A win & Classic bound!
(Photo: BASS)

Stephens, of Waverly, Ohio, won after three days with a final weight of 65 pounds, 1 ounce. He fished consistently all week, beginning in fifth place and moving to third on Friday. Jeff Lugar of Virginia took second place with 64-8, followed by third-place finisher Jason Root with 64-7. 

Stephens relied on his bow-mounted fish finder to pinpoint the location of smallmouth bass holding on isolated rockpiles. Those ranged in depth from the bottom at 28 to 23 feet on the peaks of underwater ridges. The rocks created a buffer of calm water for the bass until baitfish swept by in the current. 

“I found the baitfish first and the bass were nearby,” he said. “It would have been nearly impossible to find them without the fish finder.”

The electronics proved invaluable due to constantly shifting winds. The direction and velocity shifted each day, causing the bass to relocate their precise position on the rocks.  

“It was like starting over every day because the wind made the current shift and reposition the bass," he added.

2015 Bass Pro Shop BASS Northern Open Lake Erie Day 2: Derek Remitz Leads with 46lbs!

Persistence Paying off for Leaders.

By Craig Lamb

bass press release

SANDUSKY, Ohio — While some anglers would give up and move on to find new water, Derek Remitz knew better. He remained persistent, fine tuning what worked Thursday until it finally clicked today. As a result he leads the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open presented by Allstate.

Remitz reaps another big bag.
(Photo BASS)

Remitz, of Grant, Ala., caught a 5-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 6 ounces. Added to his Thursday score the total weight is 46 pounds, 10 ounces.

Remitz lost at boat side what was a crucial 4-pound smallmouth about 10:30 a.m. Until then his livewell was empty. After regaining composure his renewed concentration paid off during a feeding flurry when he added four bass to his catch. Even then he didn’t leave. Staying resulted in another late afternoon feeding frenzy that sealed the lead.

“I got a late start but knew the bass were still in the area,” he said. “The biggest key is the wind, which is blowing so I can make controlled drifts across the best habitat.”

Ironically, the wind blew again from the northeast, although its predicted shift on Saturday could require making significant adjustments.

2015 Bass Pro Shop BASS Northern Open Lake Erie Day 1: Reault Rules with 25lbs!

Rough Seas Sink Many Anglers.

By Craig Lamb

bass press release

Reault steals the show with 5 pounds!
(Photo BASS)

SANDUSKY, Ohio — David Reault of Livonia, Mich., battled against the wind Thursday to take the lead in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open presented by Allstate on Lake Erie.

Reault has 25 pounds, 9 ounces with a lot of close company behind him. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Derek Remitz is second with 24-4, and New Jersey pro Pete Gluszek is third with 23-1. Charlie Hartley, another Elite Series pro from Ohio, is fourth with 22-4.

The 20-pound mark set the benchmark for success. The Top 19 anglers have bags at or exceeding that mark, with the next 10 anglers with 19 pounds or better.

Reault, a real estate broker, is a part-time tournament angler with expertise fishing for smallmouth on the Great Lakes. He is unsure of duplicating his success on Friday to make the Top 12 on Saturday.
 

Tim Fernandes and Mike Quesnelle Win 2015 Top Bass Classic with 32.27lbs!

Anglers succeed despite horrible weather.
By Luigi De Rose

Tim (r) and Mike are crowned 2015 Classic Champs!

The top 75 teams from the 2015 Top Bass season did battle on Balsam Lake, Ontario this weekend. Despite a dramatic cooling trend, wind, rain and high drama (alleged cheating scandal) anglers brought good limits of smallmouth and largemouth to the scales. None faired better than the team of Tim Fernandes and Mike Quesnelle. In second place after Day 1, they rallied for the win. Claiming $12 000 in prize money, they also got the title of Classic Champs this season.  The team of Gerrard Cocks and Jarrod Dean won Team of the Year again and Mike Williams won Angler of the Year for the 4th year in a row.

Here's the Top 10:

POS	Day 1	Day 2	Total	Captain, Surname	Captain, Given	Partner Surname	Partner, Given
1	16.45	15.82	32.27	FERNANDES	TIM	QUESNELLE	MIKE	$12,000.00
2	16.83	12.21	29.04	GUARD	BILL	COOK	CRAIG	$4,000.00
3	15.29	12.99	28.28	LACEY	TJ	VIVIAN	TRAVIS	$3,000.00
4	16.10	12.10	28.20	WILLIAMS	MIKE	JACOBS	DUANE	$2,000.00
5	15.79	11.85	27.64	JENKINS	STEVEN	WESTERINK	JOSH	$1,800.00
6	14.63	12.86	27.49	ADLER	BOB	CRUPTON	JOEY	$1,100.00
7	13.98	12.65	26.63	BULLOCK	JIM	GRAHAM	JARROD	$1,075.00
8	16.06	10.22	26.28	BALIN	BERNARD	O'CONNER	PAT	$1,050.00
9	12.40	13.58	25.98	GONSALVES	DUANE	HASHIMOTO	STEVE	$1,025.00
10	13.48	12.36	25.84	PILKEY	RON	MARTIN	JAY	$1,000.00