Tom Chopin Moves to Freedom Tackle Corp.

Freedom Tackle Continues to Elevate
By Joel Isenberg

Freedom Tackle Corp. scores a big player as it obtains Tom Chopin, who has had a stellar career with LiveTarget Lures, as general manager. Toronto based Freedom Tackle has had several remarkable breakthroughs as of late. At the 2016 Bassmaster Classic Freedom Tackle partnered with Z-Man Lures to create the only Chatterbait with a quick exchange hook. Bringing Tom Chopin to the team is another step in elevating Freedom Tackle Corp. within the industry.

Berkley Fusion 13 Hooks with Davis Viebeck.

Berkley has created a new series of hooks called Fusion 13 that are super sharp without breaking the bank. Available in 9 styles from magnum, weighted swimbait hooks to tiny drop shot models. They have cool packaging that you keep to help organize your hooks. Top angler Davis Viebeck explains what you need to know about Berkley's Fusion 19 hooks.

Shimano and Rapala Join Forces with BASS.

BASS Big Draw for Anglers

Originally posted in Angling International

Two of the world’s top fishing tackle manufacturers have announced major sponsorship agreements with B.A.S.S.

Under the deals, Shimano and Rapala will be supporting sponsors of the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, B.A.S.S. Nation events and other major tournaments run by the organisation.

“We welcome Rapala into the B.A.S.S. sponsor family,” said Bruce Akin, CEO of B.A.S.S. “The company is known worldwide as an innovator and marketer of premium fishing lures and tackle as well as a strong supporter of many Bassmaster Elite Series professionals. We look forward to helping Rapala grows its brands as it helps us grow the sport of bass fishing.”

“Rapala is extremely proud to be a sponsor of the Elite Series,” said Tom Mackin, President of Rapala USA. “We value our strong strategic marketing partnership with this world-class organisation. We also value our friendship with all the great people at B.A.S.S. Together we are building momentum – it’s really fun to be part of it all.”

Wishing you and your family a Happy Easter. 

Rapala's New Shadow Rap

Wicked Matte Finishes for Clear Water!

When the Bassmaster Classic was last held on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Mike Iaconelli led after Day 1 and Brandon Palaniuk finished runner-up. Returning to that waterbody with a new Rapala^® bait has both anglers envisioning a slightly different outcome.

“Last time we were there, a jerkbait played a huge role in my second-place finish,” says Palaniuk, a six-time Classic qualifier. “So going back with the Shadow Rap Shad in my arsenal – a bait I didn’t have before, and something the fish have never seen – could be a huge key factor in trying to win this thing.”

Iaconelli is optimistic also about his Classic chances with a Shadow Rap^® Shad.

“I haven’t been this excited about a brand-new bait for a long time,” says Ike, the 2003 Classic Champion and 17-time qualifier. “Hands down, it’s going to be a player this year.”

Iaconelli, Palaniuk and fellow Rapala pro Ott DeFoe all appreciate the Shadow Rap Shad advantage they’ll enjoy in the Classic, which will be contested March 4-6.

“Knowing that I’m one of the very few guys who’s got it this year is going to let me fish with confidence,” says DeFoe, a five-time Classic qualifier and the 2011 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year. “Fishing something different will help me catch more and bigger bass. With the action it’s got, man I just totally expect this thing to be a big hit there at Grand Lake this year.”

Similar to the original Shadow Rap, released at last year’s Classic, the Shadow Rap Shad is taller in profile than its predecessor, but not as long. And, rather than slowly sinking on the pause — as an original Shadow Rap does — a Shadow Rap Shad slowly rises when stopped, slightly wobbling and perfectly mimicking an injured shad.

3 Senko Presentations You Must Know!

The recent 2016 Walmart FLW Lake Hartwell had almost all the top 10 anglers fishing for spawning bass with a Senko. Each angler had their own special colour or brand but all of them knew how amazing Senko style baits can be around shallow bass.

Learn how to use a wacky, neko and texas rig Senko will catch bass anywhere they live.

John Cox Wins 2016 Walmart FLW Lake Hartwell Event with 67-06lbs!

Canadians Jeff Gustafson 4th and Cory Johnston 8th!

FLW PRESS RELEASE

John Cox of Debary, Fla., loves fishing ponds. As a kid, he cut his teeth fishing ponds. The first bass club Cox ever joined was a johnboat-only-club that fished on small ponds. The first aluminum boat Cox owned had a blown outboard on it that he could not afford to get fixed. But that didn’t bother him one bit. After all, he just wanted to put the boat in on ponds where he could use the trolling motor to fish around the banks.

Staying quick and aiming shallow proved the difference for Cox.
(Photo: FLW)

Maybe that helps explain why Cox has mostly run aluminum boats on the Walmart FLW Tour. It might also help explain why Cox usually seeks out smaller, limited access backwaters connected to lakes during Tour events.

“These big lakes confuse me,” Cox laughs. “I feel much more comfortable fishing in smaller backwaters off of a main lake or river.”

Today, Cox utilized just such a secluded backwater to come from second place and win the Walmart FLW Tour presented by Evinrude and hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau at Lake Hartwell. His final-day weight of 16 pounds, 2 ounces was enough to nudge past Clark Wendlandt at the finish line by a mere 7 ounces. In four days, Cox accrued 67 pounds, 6 ounces to win the $100,000 payday.

This is the second time Cox has accessed an obscure area for a Tour win. His first Tour win was in 2011 at the Red River when he pushed his aluminum boat through a culvert into a backwater area to reach unpressured fish.

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.



2016 Walmart FLW Lake Hartwell Day 3: Clark Wendlandt Widens Lead.

Cory Johnston and Jeff Gustafson make Top 10!

by Rob Newell

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Amazingly, the good weather streak at the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Evinrude and hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau on Lake Hartwell defied all odds today by proving weather forecasters wrong. What was supposed to be a 70 percent chance of rain with cooling temperatures today actually turned out to be a decent fishing day. Now, granted, the weather was not as nice as it has been the last two days, but it was certainly good enough to sight-fish and that’s all the leaders really cared about.

Wendlandt hugging banks and bed fishing.
(Photo: FLW)

For the third day in a row, there was a lead change. This time Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, has grabbed the pole position. Wendlandt, who is no stranger to winning FLW Tour events with his eyes, sacked up 19 pounds, 9 ounces on day three and now holds a 1 pound, 5 ounce lead going into the final day with 52 pounds, 9 ounces total.

Wendlandt is a brilliant strategist when it comes to the sight fishing game. He has a knack for staying with waves of bass that move shallow throughout a whole lake. He has done it several times for sight fishing wins on Beaver Lake and Lake Murray and he is at it again on Hartwell.