2017 FLW CUP Championship Lake Murray Day 2: Brandon Cobb Leads with 39lbs!

Schoolers key to best limits. 

By Jody White

FLW PRESS RELEASE
Cracking another 19-pound bag on day two of the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray, Brandon Cobb moved into the lead with a total of 39 pounds even. Staying steadier than anyone else in the top group has helped the young South Carolina pro make his third straight Forrest Wood Cup top 10, and he is now driving hard for his first FLW win above the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League level. In second place, Cobb’s roommate Justin Atkins fell off the lead and is 1 pound, 13 ounces behind.

Cobb and roommate Atkins are 1,2 in standings.
(Photo: FLW)

Growing up on Clarks Hill and Lake Hartwell, Cobb has plenty of experience fishing for bass that chow down on blueback herring. That experience, along with his love of August fishing and a surprising ability to deal with the high pressure of the Cup, has Cobb on the hunt in a big way this week.

“Today actually seemed bad. I know 19 pounds doesn’t seem bad, but I kinda got in a bad rotation today,” says Cobb. “I got behind Justin [Atkins], and I got behind somebody else, and I felt like I was fishing spots right after they left. I felt like I was in the right place at the wrong time all day today.”

After an early morning change to his routine, Cobb started to get going, and though he only caught about seven keepers on the day (with one lost 4-pounder), he caught plenty of quality.

Throwing three different topwater baits and a Zoom Fluke, Cobb says he hit about 40 different places, 20 of which he counts as his “prime” spots. Mostly, Cobb is running from one cane pile to the next on the lower end of Murray, but he’s also fishing some more subtle drops and rock features where he’s located schools of herring-eating bass.

TOP 10 BELOW

2017 Renegade Bass 1000 Island Open Day 2: Johnston Brothers Grab Lead with 53.63lbs!

Brothers sack another 27 pound bag!
By Luigi De Rose

Johnston brothers lead by 3 pounds.
(Photo: Cory's facebook) 

The 1000 Island and Lake Ontario prove again why this might be the greatest place on earth for smallmouth bass fishing. Even with weights down compared to Day 1's slugfest the fishing was stellar. Chris and Cory Johnston grab the lead with a 2 day total of 53.63lbs for 10 bass. Second place is the father/son team of Brian Bylotas and Brain Jr who scored a 26.10lb limit anchored with a 5.95lb bass. Their two day total is 50.79lbs. Third place goes to regional heroes Charles Sim and Nigel Touhey who have 49.93lbs.  The final day weigh-in will be live on Renegade's Facebook page today at 4pm.

2017 FLW CUP Championship Lake Murray Day 1: Justin Atkins Leads with 21-05lbs!

Schooling bass key to many leaders
By Jody White
FLW PRESS RELEASE

Calm, cloudy morning key to many of the leader's success.
(Photo: FLW)

Sacking up a monumental catch of 21 pounds, 5 ounces, Justin Atkins of Florence, Ala., established a slim 4-ounce lead over Anthony Gagliardi on day one of the Forrest Wood Cup at Lake Murray. Atkins finished runner-up in the Rookie of the Year race on the FLW Tour in 2017 and third in the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League All-American this summer. Now, the 27-year-old pro is leading the race for one of the biggest titles in fishing.

Lake Murray has a reputation as a fickle fishery in the summertime, but today the schooling and offshore bite on the lower end of the lake shined bright, with Atkins, Gagliardi and most of the rest of the top 10 pros taking advantage of willing bass feeding on blueback herring.

Atkins fished for schooling bass some, but a lot of his fish came from fairly specific places that didn’t take many casts to cover. He says he caught all his fish on a topwater, but tossed a worm and a few other baits as well.

TOP 10 BELOW

2017 Renegade Bass 1000 Island Open Day 1: Nick Cousivis and Fab Marchese Lead with 26.79lbs!

38 Teams with over 20lb limits
By Luigi De Rose 

Ready to go! (Photo: Renegade Facebook)

Humid and fairly calm seas allowed the competitors to showcase what a world-class fishery the 1000 Islands and eastern Lake Ontario really can be. The team of Cousivis and Marchese took the lead with an incredible 26-79lb limit anchored by a 5.87lb bass. Second place goes to FLW Tour pros Chris and Cory Johnston who sacked 26.16lbs. Sitting in third is Troy Bresee and Nick Laninga with 24.98lbs.

Big bass honours went to Kinstler and Lecky with a 7.29lb brute.

Friday's weather is scheduled to have winds around 14kms but with a chance of a thunderstorm. The key to big water bass tournaments are having good weather and reasonable winds. 

Top 40 Below

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.

Rapala Ripstop Unboxing

Here is my first unboxing! Check out what came to the door from Rapala Canada. Thanks guys!!

Rick Morris Wins the 2017 BASS Northern Open James River with 43-15lbs!

Veteran wins first BASS event!
BASS PRESS RELEASE

A worm and experience helps Morris win.
(Photo: BASS)

Thirty years of fishing the James River paid off for Virginia pro Rick Morris, who won the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open No. 2 on Saturday.

The Lake Gaston, Va., angler weighed in a 16-pound, 11-ounce five-bass limit and finished with a three-day total of 43-15 to clinch the pro division title. Morris received the top prize of a $45,000 Skeeter bass boat/Yamaha outboard rig and $6,784 in cash. He also qualified for the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, contingent upon him fishing the Northern Open finale at Douglas Lake in September.

Spybaiting Simplied!

There is a lot of press on the spy baits and how to fish them. Simplicity is key to making the most out of your spy baiting. Teamed up with a medium to medium light spinning rod and mono or fluorocarbon line cast these baits along flats, points, bars or at targets. They excel in clear water and with smallmouth but they work well in most situations where cover is sparse.

Shimano's Curado K Baitcaster Reels

THE MUST HAVE REEL FOR EVERY DAY, EVERY WEEKEND

With a new look and technology focused on reliability and durability, Shimano’s all-new Curado 200 K series baitcasting reels are ready for anything from hardcore tournament use, to day-after-day, weekend-after-weekend performance. The new Curado series was just introduced at the tackle industry’s annual trade – ICAST – where it took ‘best new freshwater reel’ honors in the event’s ‘New Product Showcase’ awards. Starting the week of July 17, select tackle retailers will already have these award-winning reels available for anglers.

A long-time favorite among bass anglers and also for coastal saltwater use, the six new Curado 200K reels – both left- and right-hand retrieve models offered - include the 200K and 201K with 6.2:1 gear ratios, the 200KHG and 201KHG with 7.4:1 gear ratios, and the 200KXG an 201KXG with 8.5:1 gear ratios. Each now features a host of new innovative Shimano baitcasting reel technology, most notably MicroModule gears, SVS Infinity braking system, and a smaller platform ergonomic shape.  

For smoother and sensitive rotation, Shimano’s MicroModule gearing provides more gear engagement between the drive gear and pinion gear. Shimano’s upgraded SVS Infinity centrifugal brake system – introduced on the Aldebaran reels - offers both adjustable internal brakes and a wider adjustment range with the external dial. It allows the new Curado reels to cast everything from light to heavy lures without opening the sideplate. The new compact Hagane Body – 10-percent smaller than past versions - is easier to palm and yet has a wider spool opening.