G-MAN is the 2016 Toyota Bassmaster Elite Angler of the Year!

Feider wins event with 26lb bag of smallmouth!
BASS PRESS RELEASE

G-Man finally is crowned AOY!
(Photo: BASS)

Gerald Swindle of Guntersville, Ala., clinched his second Angler of the Year title at the 2016 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota.
 
A total purse of $1 million was paid out to the Top 50 Bassmaster Elite Series pros, along with berths to the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro. Swindle collected $100,000, and the remaining 49 anglers earned shares of the remaining $900,000.
 
The Top 39 anglers in the points standings have secured berths into the Classic next March on Lake Conroe near Houston, Texas.
 
Swindle, a 15-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, failed to catch a limit on the first day of the championship, but he figured out the fish and on the final day brought in 22 pounds.
 
“The last thing I wanted was to win this title without catching the kind of fish that Mille Lacs is known for producing,” Swindle said. “I left the docks this morning with the full intention of going out and catching them how I wanted to catch them. I threw a jerkbait and a vibrating jig and had an awesome day. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut.”
 
Swindle said a 7-pound largemouth he caught during the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., in late April was the turning point for his season.

2016 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Mille Lacs Lake Day 2: Swindle Banking on Point Spread!

Swindle down, but far from out. 

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Another impressive day of hefty smallmouth astonished fans during the second round of the $1 million Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Minnesota's famed Mille Lacs Lake.

Points gap favours G-Man.
(Photo: BASS)

On Thursday, the Top 50 qualifiers from the Bassmaster Elite Series produced 23 limits exceeding the 20-pound mark. Today's field did one better by bringing 24 limits to the scales exceeding 20 pounds.

While that's an impressive turnout yet again, the angler who catches the heaviest three-day limit of bass does not win this tournament; rather points are the key to victory this week.

Gerald Swindle of Guntersville, Ala., held onto his Angler of the Year lead after weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces, which brought his two-day total to 25-6. He improved on Thursday's performance, but Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas, is within 28 points of Swindle in the AOY race.

2016 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Mille Lacs Lake Day 1: Swindle Misses Smallmouth Fest!

Omori bags giant 26 pound smallmouth limit
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Terrible day reduces AOY lead for G- Man.
(Photo: BASS)

Giant limits of smallmouth bass created quite the spectacle during the first weigh-in of the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota.
 
Twenty-three anglers crested the 20-pound mark with their individual five-fish daily limits. While that’s very impressive, this tournament isn’t won by the heaviest three-day total. Rather, it’s all about crowning the best angler of the 2016 season.
 
Gerald Swindle of Warrior, Ala., came to Mille Lacs with a 43-point lead over Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas. Swindle didn’t have to do much coming into this tournament to lock up the AOY title. But during Thursday’s first round, the 15-time Classic qualifier struggled to locate the right fish.
 
Swindle brought only three bass to the scales that weighed 9 pounds, 9 ounces.
 

2017 Costa FLW Series Schedule Released

by FLW

FLW announced today the 2017 Costa FLW Series schedule, which will consist of three events in each of the five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the no-entry-fee Costa FLW Series Championship to be held on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tenn.

The top 40 pros and co-anglers in the final point standings in each division after three qualifying tournaments will advance to the 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship, provided they fished all three qualifiers in a division.

The highest finishing pro from each of the five Costa FLW Series U.S. divisions based on final results at the 2017 Costa FLW Series Championship qualifies for the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup along with the highest finishing pro from the International Division at the championship. The top five overall finishers who have not already qualified as division representatives also qualify, for a total of 11 Costa FLW Series pros advancing to the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.

Complete rules and entry dates will be announced soon.

2017 Costa FLW Series Season Schedule:

Central Division

• March 30-April 1 - Lake Dardanelle - Russellville, Ark.
• June 8-10 - Kentucky Lake - Gilbertsville, Ky.
• Oct. 12-14 - Lake of the Ozarks - Osage Beach, Mo.

Northern Division

• June 22-24 - Lake Champlain - Plattsburgh, N.Y.
• July 27-29 - 1000 Islands - Clayton, N.Y.
• Aug. 24-26 - Potomac River - Marbury, Md.

Become an Amazing Drop Shot Angler with Cody Meyer

Another great video to help you become a better drop shot angler. One of the best techniques from Japan, drop shotting works amazing especially in autumn for giant smallmouth and largemouth.
Listen to FLW Pro Cody Meyer as he explains how he drop shot fishes and what gear he likes to use.

Ott DeFoe Wins 2016 BASS Elite Mississippi River with 63-10 Pounds!

DeFoe rallies in last few hours. 

Dave Precht
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Ott DeFoe maintained his lead for the third day in a row to earn his first career regular-season Bassmaster Elite Series victory at the Plano Bassmaster Elite at the Mississippi River presented by Favorite Fishing.
 
DeFoe, of Knoxville, Tenn., produced a five-bass limit that weighed 12 pounds and 1 ounce on Championship Sunday taking his four-day total to 63 pounds, 10 ounces. 

Ott rallies as spillway bass disappear. (Photo: BASS)

DeFoe’s performance barely ousted Minnesota native Seth Feider who weighed in 13-8 for a total of 62-7, which was good enough for a second-place finish.
 
DeFoe’s victory earned him a $100,000 paycheck and a title that he has been striving for since his rookie season in 2011 — the same season the now 31-year-old pro was crowned Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year.
 


“I’ve done well in La Crosse before,” DeFoe said. “It’s an amazing fishery, and I feel very comfortable fishing here. I felt that I located the right fish during practice that might keep me competitive during each day of competition, and I’m thankful the pattern held up.
 
“It’s hard for me to put into words what winning this tournament means. 

We Will Never Forget

The world got a lot scarier 15 years ago. So many people became heroes for helping
others. We will never forget. Hope your day is full of peace and love. 

2016 BASS Elite Mississippi River Day 3: Ott DeFoe Continues to Lead with 51.09 Pounds!

DeFoe banks on spillway.

BASS COMMUNICATIONS

Ott DeFoe widened his lead in the Plano Bassmaster Elite at the Mississippi River presented by Favorite Fishing on Saturday, if ever so slightly.

DeFoe of Knoxville, Tenn., weighed in 16 pounds, 7 ounces in the third round of the four-day Elite Series tournament for a total of 51 pounds, 9 ounces. That's 2 1/2 pounds ahead of second-year Elite pro Seth Feider of Bloomington, Minn., who has 48-15. DeFoe had a 1-14 lead Friday.

Ott sticks it out at spillway to scoop lead. (Photo: BASS)

That doesn't sound like much of a margin, but in a fishery where big bass of the day is usually under 5 pounds and only ounces separate many of the positions in the standings, it will take a stumble by DeFoe and a stellar day for Feider. In fact, most of the difference between the two can be accounted for by the 6-pound, 1-ounce largemouth — a giant in this fishery — DeFoe caught at the end of the day Friday.

2016 BASS Elite Mississippi River Day 2: Ott DeFoe Leads Rainy Day 2!

DeFoe dominates! 

BASS COMMUNICATIONS

After claiming second with a 17-plus-pound limit of bass in the first round of the Plano Bassmaster Elite at the Mississippi River presented by Favorite Fishing Thursday, Knoxville, Tenn., angler Ott DeFoe predicted he would catch one more limit at least that big — and that would be it.

 Friday he backpedaled on the last part of that prediction, but he validated the first. His 17-pound, 11-ounce collection of five largemouth pushed his two-day total to 35-2 and a sizable (for this fishery), nearly 2-pound lead over his nearest competitor.



Ott's 6 pounder leaps him into lead. (Photo: BASS)

“After today, I know those fish are there,” DeFoe said. “I feel like it’s got more potential. They’re there.”

The big bass, currently leading for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award, hit late in the day, with less than 30 minutes of fishing time remaining.