Thomas Martens Grabs Last Classic Spot!

Marten nets win in blowout fish-off victory.

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — Things didn’t go exactly as Thomas Martens had hoped during Saturday’s six-man Bassmaster Classic fish-off on Lake Guntersville.

Last day hero make Classic as individual. (Photo: BASS)

The current he had relied on all week disappeared, and that may have caused him to lose a couple of good fish Saturday morning. He also had to share his best spot with the crowd of recreational fishermen who always flock to Guntersville on the weekends.

But none of it was enough to keep Martens from his biggest accomplishment as a tournament angler.

Martens caught just two fish that weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces during the morning session of the fish-off. But he rebounded with four giants that weighed 22-12 during the afternoon session and claimed the individual title with a combined weight of 28-14.

The victory earned Martens a berth in the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro, which is scheduled for March 4-6 on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees.

Chris Risner and Timothy Eaton Win 2015 Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship.

Six Anglers Now Battle for Classic Spot.

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release 

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — Everything went right for Chris Risner and Timothy Eaton during Friday’s second round of the Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship on Lake Guntersville.

Even some things they never could have imagined.

The Michigan anglers, who qualified for the event through their home state’s D&R Sports Center Tournament Risner and Eaton finished just Trail, caught five bass that weighed 24 pounds, 13 ounces and claimed the national team championship with a two-day weight of 48-7. Two of their best fish came around mid-morning on one magical cast.

Good bites came on key day. (Photo: BASS)

“Chris had just finished telling me that he needed me to catch an 8-pounder,” Eaton said. “Then on the very next cast, I got a bite and set the hook. I couldn’t believe it. It was 8 pounds of fish, but it was two of them on the same bait — a 5-pounder and a 3-pounder.

“That’s when we started to feel like maybe it was just meant to be. This is our biggest dream come true.”

They finished ahead of the Texas team of Dean Alexander and Thomas Martens (46-10) and the Louisiana pairing of Nickolas LeBrun and Randy Deaver (45-4).

2015 Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship Day 2: Fog Prevents Day of Fishing.

Warm December Sidelines Anglers

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release. 

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – Dense fog and low visibility brought things to a standstill Thursday for the 394 anglers who were hoping to compete in the second round of the Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship on Lake Guntersville.

Hours of heavy fog stalls day 2. (BASS Photo)

Jon Stewart, tournament director for the Team Championship, postponed Thursday’s round when the teams were still sitting at the launch site at 10:30 a.m. waiting out a fog delay more than four hours after the scheduled takeoff time.

B.A.S.S. rules call for competition days to be postponed if the anglers can’t fish at least four hours of a scheduled eight-hour day. Thursday’s weigh-in was scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

“I knew that if it was foggy, it was going to be bad,” Stewart said after announcing the postponement. “It was foggy when we were setting up on Tuesday, and it didn’t lift until after 10:30. I told the anglers at the briefing Tuesday that if it got foggy at all, it would probably be tough.”

2015 Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship Day 1: Locals Lead With 27lbs!

Canadian Team of Chong and Brownridge Sitting in 6th Place.

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — After a two-day pre-tournament practice period that saw most of the 197-boat field from around the country struggle, it only makes sense that two local teams shot to the top of the leaderboard during Wednesday’s opening round of the Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship on Lake Guntersville.

Fishing "history" yields lead for local sticks on Day 1 at Lake Guntersville. (Photo: BASS)

Billy Sharp and Kevin Stubblefield, who qualified for the event through the Alabama Bass Trail, brought five fish to the scales that weighed 27 pounds, 6 ounces and claimed the Day 1 lead. Stubblefield is from right here in Guntersville, while Sharp lives in Albertville, less than 30 minutes from the lake.
“We grew up here, and we’ve been fishing here since we were just kids,” said Stubblefield, who teamed with Sharp to win the Alabama Bass Trail championship on nearby Lake Wheeler in October. “We were fishing history today, places we’ve fished before. We stayed off of them in practice, and the fish were on some of them today.”
Practice was tough for Sharp and Stubblefield just like it was for most of a field that includes anglers from as far away as Maine, Delaware, New Jersey, California and Canada. But when competition began, the leaders were aided by built-in knowledge of the lake and conditions that are slowly improving.
“We had kind of a hard time in practice,” Sharp said. “But the water is clearing up, and I think that’s helping us some.”

2016 BASS Elite Field Announced!

New Faces Coming in 2016

BASS Press Release

Entering its 11th season, the 2016 Bassmaster Elite Series field has been filled with 111 professional anglers, including both new and familiar names.
Most are veteran tournament anglers; 98 are returning Elite Series anglers, while many of the 13 newcomers have long and distinguished résumés from other fishing circuits. All will be battling for hundreds of thousands of dollars, plus the prestigious Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title and coveted 2017 Bassmaster Classic spots, in competition on some of America’s top bass fisheries.
Headlining the field is Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., the reigning Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year. Martens clinched the 2015 AOY title after turning in one of the most dominant performances in recent history, including two Elite Series victories. Joining him are other members of the Top 5 in 2015 AOY points, including Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala., who won the 2015 Sacramento Bassmaster Elite at Sacramento River; four-time tournament winner Dean Rojas; 10-time champion Edwin Evers, who also won back-to-back events in 2015; and three-time winner Jacob Powroznik.
Fifteen former Classic winners will be competing in the 2016 Bassmaster Elite Series, including the 2015 champion, Casey Ashley of Donalds, S.C.; Luke Clausen of Otis Orchards, Wash.; Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo.; Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark.; Boyd Duckett of Guntersville, Ala.; Paul Elias of Laurel, Miss.; Davy Hite of Ninety Six, S.C.; Randy Howell of Guntersville, Ala.; Michael Iaconelli of Pittsgrove, N.J.; Alton Jones of Lorena, Texas; Chris Lane of Guntersville, Ala.; Takahiro Omori of Emory, Texas; Cliff Pace of Petal, Miss.; Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif.; and Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich.

2016 Best New Rods: The New G. Loomis E6X Series of Rods with Jonathon Van Dam and IBASSIN

The new E6X rod series introduces anglers to what G. Loomis rod designers refer to a ‘swing-weight’, the proper rod balance needed when fishing ‘tip up’ techniques like pitching/flipping and casting tubes, jigs, soft plastic jerkbaits and drop shot rigs, and ‘tip down’ lures like crankbaits, spinnerbaits or swimbaits. “Proper balance lets anglers concentrate on what is happening on the end of the line, rather than the tip of the rod,” said G. Loomis’ Bruce Holt. “With the E6X series and the G. Loomis’ Multi-Taper Technology behind them, we can provide light, sensitive, yet powerful rods for all types of bass fishing techniques – what anglers know and come to expect form G. Loomis and all at a very comfortable price.”

Lowrance Announces All New Fishfinders

Three Cool New Products from Lowrance

Lowrance TotalScan Transducer – TotalScan is an all-in-one transducer that combines CHIRP technology with high-resolution StructureScan HD and DownScan Imaging technology. TotalScan eliminates the need for multiple transducers and simplifies installations.

Lowrance Elite Ti – Available in both 5- and 7-inch displays, Lowrance announces the new Elite Ti Series Fishfinder/Chartplotter. With CHIRP sonar, StructureScan HD and DownScan Imaging, the Elite Ti Series is an affordable unit for anglers that want a complete view of what’s under their boat. Also, with integrated wireless connectivity with GoFree, Elite Ti models can access mapping downloads, software updates and Insight Genesis.

Lowrance HOOK Fishfinders – With CHIRP sonar and DownScan Imaging, Lowrance introduces HOOK Series fishfinders. Available in 4-, 5-, 7-, and 9-inch displays, HOOK fishfinders offer Ice Machine models in the 4- and 5-inch models. Also in the HOOK line are two new affordable fishfinders, the HOOk-3x with BroadBand Sounder and HOOK-3x DSI with DownScan Imaging. Also available with and All Season Pack, these compact units bring convenience to fishing, be it from a dock, small boat, or frozen lake.

Prison Sentence Given to Killer of Bass Pro James “Jimmy” Johnson.

Photo: BASS

JACKSON, Miss. —A man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison in a 2013 shooting outside a Jackson motel that killed professional bass fisherman, James “Jimmy” Johnson in the parking lot of the Motel 6 off Instate 55. If you recall this was during a BASS Central Open Event on Ross Barnett. event. Johnson confronted Brown who was burglarizing his boat.

Shaun Brown, 19, pleaded guilty Nov. 16 to a second-degree murder charge in Hinds County Circuit Court. He was originally charged with capital murder. Jackson police said at the time that the then-17-year-old confessed to killing.

Humminbird Controls Side View Technology.

Garmin Banned

Originally posted in Angling International

Electronics giant Garmin has been banned from selling and importing its SideVu sonars in the US after they were was found to infringe a patent belonging to rival Humminbird – part of the Johnson Outdoors group of companies.

The International Trade Commission (ITC) has confirmed an earlier ruling by the Administrative Law Judge that Garmin had violated a section of the 1930 Tariff Act by importing and selling SideVu sonars, which infringe a Johnsons Outdoor side scan sonar patent used in certain Humminbird fishfinders.

The latest decision has been welcomed by Johnson Outdoors Chairman and CEO, Helen Johnson-Leipold. She said: “Humminbird’s pioneering, patented side scan sonar technology, marketed under its Side Imaging brand, is the gold standard in fishfinders. This reflects our unique understanding of anglers and our expertise in designing products which provide the best fishing experience on the water.

“We are recognised as an innovation leader – a company that respects the intellectual property of others and protects its own. Obviously, we are very pleased by this final determination by the ITC.”

In its verdict the ITC affirmed that all three patents asserted by Johnson Outdoors are valid and enforceable and that numerous models of Garmin’s SideVu sonars directly infringe six Johnson Outdoors patent claims.

It also issued a limited exclusion order barring Garmin’s infringing SideVu sonar systems and its components, which are manufactured overseas, from import into the US. A cease and desist order, prohibiting Garmin from selling or distributing any offending product or component from its inventory, was also put into place.

The orders will come into effect following a mandatory review by the US trade representative.