Hot Springs, Arkansas, Angler Throws 3/8-ounce Bladed Jig to Catch 44 Pounds, 5 Ounces and Earn Patriot Cup Title
Stephen Browning,MAy
DALLAS, Texas (May 16, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF) pro Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Arkansas, caught 17 scorable bass weighing 44 pounds, 5 ounces, to top the Championship Round and win the 2022 Builders FirstSource Patriot Cup Presented by Guaranteed Rate in Dallas, Texas, which premiered Saturday on the Outdoor Channel and Monday on the MyOutdoorTV app. The victory pushed Browning’s career earnings to more than $1.6 million.
Browning dominated the six-day event, winning his Elimination Round, Sudden Death Round and Championship Round of competition.
“Woo wee, that was fun!” exclaimed an excited Browning in his postgame interview with MLF analyst Marty Stone. “Look at these goosebumps on my arm – that’s how much this means to me. It was a battle, and I knew it was going to be. I just kept thinking to myself – don’t get off your gameplan. Fish your strengths, fish slow, fish thorough, make multiple casts and just let them come to you instead of trying to push it. It worked out perfect.”
Browning dialed into a pattern targeting the standing timber, which was plentiful in the Championship Round on Lavon Lake.
“I did all of my work on a 3/8-ounce bladed jig with a straight tail trailer on it,” Browning said. “Anytime I’ve got that bait in my hand I’ve got so much confidence. The biggest thing is I was fishing in super-shallow water.”
The final eight anglers at the 2022 Builders FirstSource Patriot Cup Presented by Guaranteed Rate in Dallas, Texas finished:
1st: Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 17 bass, 44-5
2nd: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., 14 bass, 36-1
3rd: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 10 bass, 23-7
4th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 11 bass, 22-0
5th: Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 12 bass, 20-4
6th: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., seven bass, 14-0
7th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., four bass, 9-15
8th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., five bass, 8-13
Complete results along with photos from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Cox caught the Championship Round Berkley Big Bass – a nice 4-pound, 15-ounce largemouth that bit a Berkley Frittside crankbait in Period 3.
Overall, there were 80 bass weighing 178 pounds, 13 ounces caught by the final eight pros during the Championship Round of competition on Lavon Lake.
The 2022 Builders FirstSource Patriot Cup Presented by Guaranteed Rate was hosted by the Dallas Sports Commission and premiered on the Outdoor Channel as six, two-hour original episodes each Saturday afternoon debuting on April 9, 2022, and running through March 14, 2022.
The event was shot over six days in November in the Dallas area and featured 24 MLF pro anglers visiting the Knoxville area to compete on either Lewisville Lake, Eagle Mountain Lake or Lavon Lake on each day of competition. The locations were unknown to the anglers – they did not learn where they were competing until they arrived to the launch ramp each morning of competition.
All six episodes of the event are now available for viewing on the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) streaming app. The full television schedule can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the MLF Cup events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.