PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 31, 2022) – Chasing the first major title of his career, pro Kyle Hall of Granbury, Texas, regained his lead on Day 3 of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X on Sunday. Hall weighed in 19 pounds, 14 ounces to move his three-day total to 61 pounds, 9 ounces, giving him a 10-ounce lead over B&W Trailer Hitches pro Kyle Cortiana of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, who ended the day in second place with a three-day total of 60 pounds, 15 ounces.
Lake Champlain continues to show out for anglers across the board, including pro Andy Newcomb of Camdenton, Missouri, who maintained his third-place position with a limit weighing 19-4, good for a three-day total of 60-15. Favorite Fishing pro Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pennsylvania, finished the day in fourth place with a limit weighing 20-3 to bring his three-day total to 60-13, while pro Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, brought a limit to the stage weighing 20-4 for a three-day total of 60-4 to round out the top five.
The top prize of up to $135,000 is ripe for the picking as the final 10 anglers resume competition tomorrow on Championship Monday, where weights are zeroed and the angler that catches the heaviest five-fish weight will be crowned the champion of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X.
Hall, who was the 2020 Pro Circuit Polaris Rookie of the Year, said he knew from the moment he saw the 2022 schedule that he would be hunting smallmouths on Lake Champlain, but the Texan never expected he would be leading the Top 10 into the Championship Round.
“I’ve had a terrible year, so it feels great to be sitting in first place going into the final day,” said Hall, who is going into his first Championship Round this season on the Pro Circuit. “If you had told me I’d be in first place after the third day of competition, I wouldn’t have believed you. I knew I had what it took, and I knew what to do and where to do it, but sometimes I’m a little stubborn.”
Hall said the difference this event is that he is forcing himself to sit and cover a lot of water on the trolling motor, instead of firing up his outboard and running to various areas across the lake.
“I’ve really only hit two spots this entire tournament, which is unusual for me,” Hall said. “I’m normally running and gunning but knew I couldn’t do that successfully at this event.
“I was going for 20 pounds today and caught 18 pounds pretty quick this morning, But, by 9 a.m., I couldn’t get another bite. I stayed on that spot until 12:30 – over three hours without a single bite – before running to my other area where I had success the first day. I fished there for 15 minutes and caught a 4½-pounder and three more that didn’t help, but that kicker fish made all the difference.”
While Hall said he plans to start the final day in the same location, he has several other places to fall back on if his primary spot dries up.
“My game plan tomorrow is to go stick it out on that spot because there are obviously big fish there and with the number of fish I saw today, compared to how many were there Friday, they are definitely loading up. I’ve just got to hunker down and sit on it like I’ve done on the other spot the last three days.”
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition Monday on Lake Champlain are:
2nd: Kyle Cortiana of Broken Arrow, Okla., 15 bass, 60-15
3rd: Andy Newcomb of Camdenton, Mo., 15 bass, 60-15
4th: Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., 15 bass, 60-13
5th: Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, 15 bass, 60-4
6th: Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., 15 bass, 59-13
7th: Kurt Mitchell of Milford, Del., 15 bass, 58-9
8th: Alex Davis of Albertville, Ala., 15 bass, 57-12
9th: Jon Canada of Helena, Ala., 15 bass, 57-9
10th: Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Ark., 15 bass, 57-8
12th: Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Va., 15 bass, 56-7, $11,000
13th: Cole Floyd of Leesburg, Ohio, 15 bass, 56-4, $11,000
14th: Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 55-13, $11,000
15th: Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 55-6, $11,000
16th: Evan Barnes of Dardanelle, Ark., 15 bass, 55-2, $11,000
17th: Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tenn., 15 bass, 54-14, $11,000
18th: Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Mich., 15 bass, 54-10, $11,000
19th: Casey Scanlon of Eldon, Mo., 15 bass, 54-9, $11,000
20th: Nick Lebrun of Bossier City, La., 15 bass, 54-5, $11,000
21st: Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 54-4, $10,500
22nd: Cody Pike of Powhatan, Va., 15 bass, 54-4, $10,500
23rd: Lane Olson of Forest Grove, Ore., 15 bass, 53-12, $10,500
24th: Troy Stokes of Trenton, Mich., 15 bass, 53-12, $10,500
25th: Jim Moynagh of Shakopee, Minn., 15 bass, 53-8, $10,500
26th: David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-7, $10,500
27th: Billy Hines of Vacaville, Calif., 15 bass, 53-1, $10,500
28th: Mark Rose of Wynne, Ark., 15 bass, 52-14, $10,500
29th: Jared McMillan of Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 52-13, $10,500
30th: Chris Lane of Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 52-9, $10,500
31st: Terry Bolton of Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 52-6, $10,000
32nd: Grae Buck of Green Lane, Pa., 15 bass, 52-6, $10,000
33rd: Larry Nixon of Quitman, Ark., 15 bass, 52-4, $10,000
34th: Steve Lopez of Oconomowoc, Wis., 15 bass, 52-3, $10,000
35th: Tyler Stewart of Dubach, La., 15 bass, 52-0, $10,000
36th: Randy Howell of Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 51-15, $10,000
37th: Justin Cooper of Zwolle, La., 15 bass, 51-8, $10,000
38th: John Hunter of Shelbyville, Ky., 15 bass, 51-8, $10,000
39th: Corey Neece of Bristol, Tenn., 15 bass, 51-6, $10,000
40th: Jacob Wall of New Hope, Ala., 15 bass, 51-6, $10,000
41st: Chase Serafin of White Lake, Mich., 15 bass, 51-0, $10,000
42nd: Keith Carson of DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 50-15, $10,000
43rd: Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho, 15 bass, 50-15, $10,000
44th: Matt Greenblatt of Port St. Lucie, Fla., 15 bass, 50-13, $10,000
45th: Miles Burghoff of Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 50-12, $10,000
46th: Jason Reyes of Huffman, Texas, 15 bass, 50-12, $10,000
47th: John Voyles of Petersburg, Ind., 15 bass, 50-10, $10,000
48th: Shonn Goodwin of Moore, Okla., 15 bass, 50-6, $10,000
49th: Braxton Setzer of Wetumpka, Ala., 15 bass, 47-5, $10,000
50th: Tim Frederick of Leesburg, Fla., 15 bass, 46-14, $10,000
Reigning AOY Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, once again clinched the 2022 Pro Circuit AOY title Sunday, after ending the event in 15th place. Neal overtook Josh Butler of Hayden, Alabama, who had a 14-point lead coming into the event, and now becomes the third pro in Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit history to win the AOY in consecutive years, joining Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee (2013, 2014) and David Dudley of Lynchburg, Virginia (2011, 2012). Neal will receive his entry fees paid for the entire 2023 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit season for his win.
“I came into the year with the goal of winning AOY again, and while the reality of that didn’t seem very possible, you’ve always got to have those types of goals in mind,” Neal said. “However, to actually win it and to be in the company of the other anglers that have achieved that goal – that’s pretty special.”
The Tennessee pro said he is ecstatic for the win but has no intention of letting up on the gas, and plans to finish out the season strong at the Pro Circuit TITLE on the St. Lawrence River next month in Massena, New York.
“A championship win is what my career is lacking at this point,” Neal continued. “I had a good finish on the St. Lawrence River at the TITLE last year and I’m starting to figure out smallmouth a little better, so I’m looking forward to that as well.”
Overall, there were 250 bass weighing 857 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 50 pros Saturday. All 50 competitors brought a five-bass limit to the scale.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X is hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau and features a total purse of more than $850,000.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 154 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advanced to Sunday. Now, only the top 10 pros, based on cumulative weight from the first three days, will continue competition on Championship Monday, where weights will be zeroed and anglers will compete in a one-day shootout for the grand prize of up to $135,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2022 TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York on Aug. 16-21, and is hosted by the Town of Massena.
The final 10 anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. ET Monday from the Plattsburgh Waterfront, located at 5 Dock Street in Plattsburgh. Monday’s Championship weigh-in will also be held at the waterfront at 2:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to attend the event or follow the live on-the-water action all four days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere September 3 on the CBS Sports Network.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Fuel Me, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.