2016 Bassmaster Bass Pro Shop Southern Open #1 Day 2: Strader Soars with Hail Mary!

FLW and BASS top pros raising to top. 

By John Neporadny Jr.

BASS PRESS RELEASE
Wesley Strader has moved into first place in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open #1 with a game plan that seems to change by the hour.

Wesley grabs lead with 37-04 pounds over two locals.
(Photo: BASS)

“I just have been kind of winging it the whole time,” said Strader, who leads the pro division with 37 pounds, 4 ounces. “I seem to do better when I can wing it, just go fishing and not have any preconceived notions of what I am going to do.” 

Thursday, Strader went to a spot where he expected to catch just keeper-size bass to complete his limit but the spot produced heavyweight bass for him.  Friday, the Spring City, Tenn., angler caught about a 10-pound limit from that spot and since he knew he had enough weight to make the Top 12 cut, Strader decided to try another place he found in practice.

After arriving at the new spot, Strader noticed his partner threw a “Hail Mary” out into the middle of the lake and caught a quality bass.  “So I threw out there and caught a big one,” he said.  “Then I threw out there and caught another big one.”  Strader thanked his partner for putting him on those couple of bites that helped him complete a 15-11 limit.  

“I kind of figured something out there at the end of the day so maybe it will pay off tomorrow,” he said.  “It seems like the later in the day it gets the better the bite because Florida bass like it hot. So I could see as the water temperature got up to that 62 to 64 degrees the fish started getting a little more aggressive. “

Winter Springs Bassmasters club member Eric Panzironi celebrated his son Landen’s seventh birthday today by catching a 16-13 limit that moved him into second place with 34-4.  “It just all came together,” said the 36-year old swimming pool maintenance man.  “I found a spot that was holding fish and I caught a limit early and then got a couple of big bites."

“I went to the same exact spot (as yesterday) and I made about 10 casts and caught a decent one,” Panzironi said. “From there on I got a couple more. Then I caught a big one and that was pretty much it. I didn’t cull too much, maybe once or twice, but that was it.”

The Longwood, Fla., angler admits he had a terrible practice this week, but he has turned it around during the tournament. “I barely caught a limit on Monday and Tuesday,” he said.  His bite has been early as he has caught his limit by about 9:30 each morning.

2016 Bassmaster Bass Pro Shop Southern Open #1 Day 1: Brad Knight Lances Lead!

Knight's 9-06 big bass made all the difference.

By John Neporadny Jr.

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Brad leads with 22-11 pound limit.
(Photo:BASS)

Team tournament partners Brad Knight and Wesley Strader got on big fish on the Kissimmee chain and are neck and neck in the pro division after the first round of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open.

Knight holds the lead with a 22-pound, 11-ounce limit that included a 9-06 bass, while Strader is in second place with 21-9. “Wesley is a great friend of mine,” said Knight. “We have fished team tournaments together.“

Both anglers found big bass either nesting or moving up to spawn. “I had a terrible execution day because I had a chance at four or five other fish that wereof that (9-06) caliber or more,” said Knight, the reigning Forrest Wood Cup champion from Lancing, Tenn. Knight noted he lost most of his bass when they burrowed into the vegetation.

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New Mustang Elite 28K Inflatable PFD with James Friedrich.

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Uncle Josh Halts Pork Products.

Skinny Pigs Hurt Classic Bait Company!

By Luigi De Rose

The Uncle Josh Bait Company has discontinued the manufacture and sale of pork rind products after 93 years. Pork has been a standard but finding amply raw materials have hurt the production of the Pork Chunk. National Sales Manager Matt Bichanich stated to Angling-International.com that, 

“The quality of the pork fat we require has been in short supply for more than five years. Some 90% of what we bought went to waste."

Uncle Josh will continue to provide a wide range of products to anglers but the famous #1 and #11 pork chunk will be a thing of the pass. 

New Humminbird HELIX 9, 10 and 12 with Nick Cousvis

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Jason Lambert Wins Costa FLW Series Lake Okeechobee Event.

Canadian Cole Bailey scores 10th after largest day 2 catch. 

by Kyle Wood

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Lake Okeechobee was stingy at best when it came to showing off the caliber of bass that lurk in it during the season-opening event of the Costa FLW Series Southeastern Division presented by Power-Pole and hosted by Okeechobee County Tourism. Despite having what locals thought were prime conditions for a smashfest, Saturday’s competition wasn’t as eventful as anticipated. Nevertheless, Jason Lambert defended his day-two lead after grinding out a 12-pound, 12-ounce limit to claim the title and $60,000 payday.

Spinnerbait and Chatterbait key to win. (Photo FLW)

Conventional wisdom leading up to this event led to thinking that flipping would hands down be the winning tactic to pull sluggish fish from thick cover. Florida’s Glenn Browne ran with that theory – along with numerous others in the top 10 – and found himself in contention to win on the final day.

In the end, it was Lambert’s power-fishing strategy that would prevail with a three-day total of 44-12, beating out Browne by a mere 1-8.

Lambert and Browne were without a doubt the most consistent all week – at times even shared the same water – yet neither could connect with multiple big bites.