Justin Lucas Wins the 2016 BASS Elite Potomac River with 72-14lbs!

Lucas rocks around the docks. 
By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE
If professional bass fishing fans didn’t know it before, they know it now.

Justin Lucas is a force to be reckoned with — and it doesn’t matter which coast he’s fishing on.



West coast drop shot is winner on the East coast bass. (Photo: BASS)

The California native, who now lives in Alabama, caught five bass Sunday that weighed 19-13 to win the Bassmaster Elite at Potomac River presented by Econo Lodge. His four-day total of 72-14 was more than 4 pounds better than second-place angler Jason Christie (68-7), who finished strong himself with 23-1 Sunday.



It was Lucas’s second career victory on the Bassmaster Elite Series and the first away from his native West Coast waters. The 30-year-old pro picked up his first win last season on the Sacramento River.



Justin Lucas Wins Wire to Wire!

 

Adding a 19 pound limit Justin prevents an up-set as Jason Christie sacks 

a 23 pound bag on the last day to make it interesting. 

More info coming!

2016 BASS Elite Potomac River Day 3: Justin Lucas Continues Lead!

Magic docks cools off big time!
By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

The heat is rising and his magical dock seems to be cooling off a little.

But despite catching only 12 pounds, 15 ounces during Saturday’s semifinal round, Alabama pro Justin Lucas is in position for a wire-to-wire win at the Bassmaster Elite at Potomac River presented by Econo Lodge.

Drop Shot key all week for Lucas (Photo BASS)

Lucas’ Saturday catch — easily his smallest of the week — pushed his three-day total to 53-1. He will enter Championship Sunday with a lead of almost 6 pounds over Indiana pro Bill Lowen (47-3).

Both anglers were covered with sweat backstage after Saturday’s weigh-in, with the heat index rising above 112 degrees.

“I had 10 pounds for a long time today,” Lucas said. “I don’t know why things slowed down the way they did. But I’m very fortunate to be where I am with this kind of lead.

“This all started from Day 1 of the tournament. I had no idea what lived under that dock — never even had a bite there in practice.”

A California native, Lucas has been using the kind of finesse tactics that West Coast anglers are known for. He’s caught a couple of fish on a stickbait and a couple on a swim jig, but the majority have been caught on spinning tackle with a drop shot rig.

2016 BASS Elite Potomac River Day 2: Justin Lucas Leads by 6 Pounds with a Total of 40-2lbs.

Lucas only fishes 2 hours today.
By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASEThroughout his young professional fishing career, Alabama angler Justin Lucas says he’s never found a spot quite like the one he’s fished the first two days of the Bassmaster Elite at Potomac River presented by Econo Lodge.
The stats back up his claims.

One pass is all it took this morning. (Photo: BASS)

Lucas caught the biggest limit of the tournament for the second day in a row Friday, landing five bass that weighed 19 pounds, 14 ounces. That catch pushed his two-day mark to 40-2 and gave him a comfortable lead of nearly 6 pounds over second-place angler Brent Ehrler (34-4) as the event heads into the semifinal round Saturday.

2016 BASS Elite Potomac River Day 1: Justin Lucas Leads with 20-04lbs!

G-MAN still in control of AOY

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Justin Lucas on a roll on tidal rivers.
(Photo: BASS)

There has been a lot of talk the past few years about the declining quality of bass fishing on the Potomac River.

But on Thursday, the best bass fishermen in the world proved there is still plenty of hope for the famed fishery.

Things were especially good for Alabama pro Justin Lucas.

Lucas caught five bass that weighed 20 pounds, 4 ounces, off “one special place” to take the lead in the Bassmaster Elite at Potomac River presented by Econo Lodge. California angler Brent Ehrler is second with 17-13, and Washington pro Luke Clausen is third with 17- 9.

The Top 62 anglers in the 107-angler field caught at least 10 pounds of bass.

“I think the river has taken a little hit the last couple of years, but there’s more grass growing this year than there has been the past two or three years,” Lucas said. “That really helps the weights in a tournament.

“The bass get up in there and eat bluegill and whatever baitfish they can — and it fattens them up.”

Lucas worked his Day 1 magic in one spot that he was surprised to have to himself.

“At certain times of the year, I think the place I’m fishing is a pretty popular place,” Lucas said. “But this time of year, I don’t think it is. I only saw one other boat all day, and that was surprising.

“I stayed there almost until the end of the day — just guarding it more than anything.”

With three days left to fish, Lucas wouldn’t say which lures he was using. He only said he was fishing “West Coast style.”

Columbia to host 2017 Forrest Wood Cup at Lake Murray

FLW CUP returning to Lake Murray
by FLW Communications

COLUMBIA, S.C. – FLW and Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board announced Saturday that Columbia, South Carolina, would once again be hosting the Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing, Aug. 11-13, 2017, on Lake Murray. The last time the Forrest Wood Cup was held in Columbia was 2014 and hometown hero Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, South Carolina, made professional bass-fishing history, becoming the 18th Forrest Wood Cup champion.
“We couldn’t be happier to be bringing the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup to Lake Murray,” said Kathy Fennel, FLW president of operations. “We’ve had great success hosting our FLW events in Columbia in the past and the fan attendance and enthusiasm at our previous tournaments has made bringing the Cup back an obvious choice. We are proud to bring our championship event back to our fans in South Carolina.”

More Baskets Found at CSFL Scugog Tournament!

Cheaters, Vandals or Haters?

By Luigi De Rose

Once again the team tournament format gets a nice black eye. Similar to the two hidden baskets found at the 2015 TOP BASS Classic, a similar cage was discovered in the Scugog River outside of Lindsay, Ontario, Canada this past weekend. Cages are used to store bass caught outside of the official tournament day then the fish are collected during the tournament to ensure a win. Cheating is always a concern anytime money is involved and competitive fishing is no different. This is a wake up call that the bass fishing community must police itself and utilize the laws of the tournament organizations and province fully. Only when these laws are enforced and punishment fits the crime will the desire to cheat dissolve. The CSFL organization seems to have handled this problem well. 

Here's the official CSFL statement regarding this situation. I advise you to read the entire document.

Stouffville, Ontario | Wednesday, August 10, 2016: The Competitive Sport Fishing League announced today a homemade device for holding fish was located in the Scugog River during the Lake Scugog, BM Central Tour event this past weekend.

It was brought to the attention of the organization by an event competitor that they came across an empty homemade device for holding fish, similar to the ones found in other events.

As the exact location cannot be disclosed at this time, as it is part of an ongoing investigation, what can be shared is that the basket was found in an obvious area on the main river in a very sparse lily padded location and is believed to have been meant to be found.

Why Z-Man ElaZtech plastics are so good with Lonnie King

Outdoor writer Lonnie King knows a great bait then he fishes it. He's a huge fan of the Z-MAN ElaZtech baits and for good reason. They last forever. If you're tired of re-rigging after every fish then you need to listen to Lonnie. The ElaZtech baits work with all game fish.

John Cox Wins the 2016 FLW CUP with 54-13 lbs.!

Chris Johnston grabs  8^th!

by Rob Newell

FLW PRESS RELEASE

This is John's second FLW victory this year. (Photo FLW)

John Cox started his fishing career in an aluminum boat, participating in small pond tournaments in a johnboat powered with just a trolling motor.
In 2011, in his rookie season on the Walmart FLW Tour, Cox earned his first Tour win out of an aluminum boat on the Red River.
In 2015, he finished runner-up in the Tour Angler of the Year standings with an aluminum boat. And in March of this year, Cox got his second Tour win out of an aluminum boat.
Today, Cox reached the pinnacle of the bass tournament world, winning professional bass fishing’s Forrest Wood Cup, and he did it out of an aluminum boat. With his $300,000 victory, Cox has made a bit of unique fishing history, being the only pro to ever win a modern world championship bass fishing event from an aluminum boat.

In doing so, he proved to the fishing world that owning a big brand new glass boat maxed out with a 250-hp outboard is not necessarily a prerequisite to winning a world title in bass fishing. Indeed, his memorable week at Wheeler Lake, which culminated today with the Forrest Wood Cup held high over his head, should serve as an inspiration for tournament anglers at all levels.
“I started in aluminums because I could not afford bigger glass boats,” Cox says. “Aluminum rigs are a more realistic boat purchase for the average working person. I used to paint apartments and just could not afford a $60,000 glass boat.

Froggin' and buzzbait key to CUP win. (Photo: FLW)

“After fishing out of aluminums, I discovered they have distinct advantages of being lighter and they can get up on plane in very shallow water,” he adds. “They don’t get stuck as bad when you plant one on a sandbar, and they tend to hop over logs and stuff better. They are simply more efficient for the way I like to fish.
“I did run a glass boat for about a year on Tour,” he adds. “But I returned to aluminums because they suit my fishing style better.”