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Drew Gill Wins Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 1 at Sam Rayburn Reservoir

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February 11, 2024

Drew Gill Wins Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 1 at Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Illinois Pro Catches 26-Pound, 3-Ounce Final Day Limit to Vault to Top of Leaderboard and Earn $80,000 First Place Prize

BROOKELAND, Texas (Feb. 11, 2024) – Drew Gill has been on a heater for a while, and it was only a matter of time before the LiveScope whizz closed out a high-level win. Today, after sacking up 26 pounds, 3 ounces on Championship Sunday, Gill took home the title at Stop 1 Presented by Power-Pole MOVE on Sam Rayburn Reservoir with a 69-6 total.

Link to Photo Gallery of Day 3 Afternoon Highlights
Link to Video of Fish-Catch Highlights of Day 3 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Gill topped fellow electronics master Jake Lawrence (second, 67-15), and had enough to overcome local Marshall Hughes’ (third, 67-4) mega-bag on Day 2, which put him more than 6 pounds ahead of the pack initially. For the win, Gill pocketed $80,000, and locked up his 2025 REDCREST qualification early.

Though still a fledgling circuit, Gill is now the youngest to win an Invitationals event, setting the mark to beat at 21 years, 8 months. Historically speaking, when you factor in FLW Tour stats, Gill slots in between Stetson Blaylock’s win at Lake Norman in 2009 (21 years, 7 months) and Jacob Wheeler’s 2012 Forrest Wood Cup title (21 years, 10 months).

The consensus favorite for Fishing Clash Angler of the Year in the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Gill has started the season about as good as you can. Just last week, he finished third in the Bass Pro Tour season opener on Toledo Bend, and, for good measure, the 21-year-old also finished 19th in the Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship with partner Evan Fields back in January.

Nothing is a really a long time coming when you’re 21, but getting over the hump for the W was a big deal for Gill.

“Any year you can do consistently well and have a lot of Top 10s is a win in itself,” said Gill. “Goal No. 1 every year is always Angler of the Year. Goal No. 1 is not to win an event. However, that is a very close goal No. 2, and to be able to accomplish that in the first event of the Invitationals season after having a third at Toledo last week, I could not be more stoked for how fishing is going right now.”

Love it or hate it, any list of the best anglers with forward-facing sonar has Gill on it, and he rode his signature strength to victory this week. Seeming to always find enough fish for a quality bag (and to trigger enough fish to bite), he stayed ahead of a lot of other anglers trying to do similar things.

A big part of that was recognizing that he needed to leave winter behind and get closer to the bank. Luckily, that might be where his LiveScope skills shine the most – when it comes to shallow ‘Scoping, Gill is near or at the top of the list.

“The first day of the tournament, I was trying to replicate what I found in practice,” he explained. “I was catching them at the fronts of main-lake pockets and drains – the very main lake. I noticed they were going down and eating my Damiki (rig) off the bottom, and I didn’t think that was going to work all week.

“Day 2, I was throwing a Damiki and a Neko, and fishing more drains than the fronts of creeks,” Gill added. “Today, I was fishing midway back of just about every pocket I fished. These were short main-lake pockets and not big main creeks; those were unmanageable and there weren’t enough fish for me to fish a major creek. If five fish roll up into an area that’s a mile long, I’m not going to find them. If they roll up into a place that’s 400 yards long, your odds of running into those five big ones is pretty high.”

For his jighead minnow, Gill used a 3/16-ounce head and a 4-inch bait. For his Neko, he used a 6-inch Big Bite Baits Shaking Squirrel Worm, a 1/8-ounce weight and a No. 1 Roboworm Rebarb Hook.

On the last two days, when Gill honed his approach, he was fishing specifically for bass that were low in the water column and not too far from classic later-winter and prespawn things.

“I was fishing some transition areas, basically – places that were adjacent to a contour or a drain, and I had to have some sort of cover in conjunction with that that would lead them along an edge,” Gill said. “Something that would lead them swimming one direction or another and keep them on a path that I could predict. I was running edges of grass, edges of rock, edges where sand dropped off a couple feet; places where bass should travel along, and the few good ones I was around, I could run right into them.

“Almost every big one I caught this week ate it off the bottom,” he said. “I was in about 7 to 14 feet of water most of them time, and generally they would be 2 or 3 feet above the bottom. Not suspended, but hovering almost, like a maglev train. They’d follow it down … ‘bonk, zzzzzzzzz.’”

The last few years have seen a lot of young anglers excel on big stages. Some of it is collegiate fishing, some of it is skill with electronics, some of it is networking. A lot of it is time on the water with forward-facing sonar, which may have taught us more about bass behavior than every magazine ever printed. Gill is the perfect storm, a passionate young angler who has learned as much about bass in the last few years as many will learn in a lifetime.

“When you spend as many hours watching fish behave in their natural environment as I have, you’re destined to learn a lot about fish behavior, and you’re going to be really good at reading their movements,” said Gill. “I’ve spent a lot of time watching fish, not listening to fishermen or the logic built up in bass fishing lore. I’ve just gone out and watched fish behave, around their food, with the cover they relate to, with the contours they use. When you understand that much about fish, they become pretty predictable.”

The top 30 pros at the Tackle Warehouse Stop 1 Presented by Power-Pole MOVE at Sam Rayburn Reservoir finished:

1st          Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 15 bass, 69-6, $80,000
2nd:       Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., 15 bass, 67-15, $50,000
3rd:       Marshall Hughes, Hemphill, Texas, 15 bass, 67-4, $20,000
4th:        Cal Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 65-5, $18,000
5th:        Keith Poche, Cecil, Ala., 15 bass, 64-15, $17,000
6th:        Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 15 bass, 62-7, $17,000
7th:        Mark Condron, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 15 bass, 59-3, $15,000
8th:        Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 15 bass, 58-9, $14,000
9th:        Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., 15 bass, 58-0, $13,000
10th:     Ramie Colson, Jr., Cadiz, Ky., 15 bass, 58-0, $12,000
11th:     Dillon Harrell, New Caney, Texas, 15 bass, 57-7, $10,000
12th:     Jordan Wiggins, Cullman, Ala., 15 bass, 54-13, $10,000
13th:     Jaden Parrish, Liberty, Texas, 15 bass, 54-9, $10,000
14th:     Andrew Nordbye, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 54-8, $10,000
15th:     Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 15 bass, 53-13, $10,000
16th:     Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-12, $10,000
17th:     Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 15 bass, 52-15, $10,000
18th:     Ty Faber, Pagosa Springs, Colo., 15 bass, 52-10, $10,000
19th:     Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., 15 bass, 52-7, $10,000
20th:     Lane Olson, Forest Grove, Ore., 15 bass, 51-7, $10,000
21st:      Cole Breeden, Lebanon, Tenn., 15 bass, 51-3, $10,000
22nd:    Terry Fisher, Decatur, Ala., 15 bass, 51-3, $10,000
23rd:     Britt Myers, Jr., Lake Wylie, S.C., 15 bass, 50-4, $10,000
24th:     Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 15 bass, 50-2, $10,000
25th:     Jacob Walker, Springville, Ala., 15 bass, 48-7, $10,000
26th:     Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., 15 bass, 48-1, $10,000
27th:     Rick Harris, Kingsland, Texas, 15 bass, 47-14, $10,000
28th:     Mitchell Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 15 bass, 47-9, $10,000
29th:     Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 15 bass, 46-10, $10,000
30th:     Clayton Batts, Butler, Ga., 15 bass, 45-10, $10,000

Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 150 bass weighing 535 pounds, 3 ounces caught by the final 30 pros Sunday. All 30 final day competitors weighed in a five-bass limit.

The three-day tournament, hosted by the Jasper County Development District, featured a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000. The next Tackle Warehouse Invitational event will take place March 1-3 at the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 on West Point Lake in LaGrange, Georgia.

In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advanced to the final round on Championship Sunday. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 1 Presented by Power-Pole MOVE at Sam Rayburn Reservoir was be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and now receives an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.

Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 1 Presented by Power-Pole at Sam Rayburn Reservoir will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 5 on CBS Sports Network.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitational updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Bassmaster Elite Angler Brandon Card Talks Advantage Bait Spinner Bait

Brian Carter

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February 11, 2024

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The Advantage Spinnerbait is built with the highest quality components and unmatched functionality in the industry. The blades are designed with a special EFT (Extreme Flash Technology), which produces a holographic pattern of light that attracts bass and other game fish from great distances. Built around a durable extra-tough stainless steel Mustang wire, the Advantage Spinnerbait features a hand-painted, realistic head with 3D Eyes, double flared gills, 90-strand silicone hubbed skirt with built-in necktie trailers, ball bearing swivel, and a razor-sharp Mustad Ultra-Point black nickel hook. Offered in 7 fish-catching colors, the Advantage Spinnerbait is built to out-perform, out-last, and out-catch the competition – Making it truly the choice of top tournament anglers.

Advantage Baits

Local Pro Marshall Hughes Catches 38-7 To Seize the Lead at Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 1 at Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Brian Carter

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February 10, 2024

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Local Pro Marshall Hughes Catches 38-7 To Seize the Lead at Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 1 at Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Hemphill, Texas Rookie Catches Fourth Largest Limit on Sam Rayburn in MLF History to Bring 6-Pound, 11-Ounce Lead into Final Day of Competition

BROOKELAND, Texas (Feb. 10, 2024) – Day 2 of the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 1 Presented by Power-Pole MOVE on Sam Rayburn Reservoir was an absolute fireworks show. New York pro Alec Morrison and Tennessee’s Cole Breeden both caught 11-pounders, and nine pros topped 20 pounds. Headlining it all, local rookie Marshall Hughes of Hemphill, Texas, blitzed 38 pounds, 7 ounces to tally up 50-14 and rocket into the lead. Of course, Hughes had an 11-pounder as well (the third of the day) and staked himself a little more than a 6-pound cushion after only scratching up 12-7 on Day 1.

Hughes has a sterling record on Sam Rayburn and should certainly be riding high, but he’s not safe yet. Behind him are some of the best in the game with forward-facing sonar. Hughes might have the edge on local knowledge, but Day 3 of the event could be a shootout for the ages.

The three-day tournament, hosted by the Jasper County Development District, featured a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025. The field is now trimmed to 30, and the winner will be determined tomorrow by heaviest three-day cumulative weight.

Link to Photo Gallery of Day 2 Afternoon Highlights
Link to Video of Fish-Catch Highlights of Day 2 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Midway through the day, it looked like one of the storylines would be a lack of big bags. Usually, by noon of any Rayburn event, somebody has cracked a bag in the upper 20s or 30s, and they might be headed back to the dock to wait for the scales to open. Then, things started clicking for Hughes.

“I had like 14 pounds at like 11 or something; I was kind of down in the dumps with 14 pounds that late in the day,” said Hughes. “I started running around, running some new stuff. I was trying what I did yesterday, and it wasn’t working. I ran up to a hard spot, a shallower hard spot, and got bit and caught one — it was a 5-pounder, my small one.”

That was the only clue he needed.

“So, I started running that stuff, and I pulled up on one, and they had just moved up and started feeding,” he said. “It was just balls to the walls. I’ve never seen what I saw today, ever.”

Fishing in 12 to 15 feet with a Bill Lewis Scope-Stik and a 5/8-ounce Buckeye Mop Jig with a Yamamoto Flappin’ Hog, Hughes watched most of the fish bite on forward-facing sonar.

“I rolled in, and they were there feeding,” he said. “It wasn’t like they were schooled up together. It was one there, one here. The ones that were higher up came on the jerkbait. The water is dingy right now; it’s hard for them to see it.”

Fishing 60 or 70 tournaments a year, Hughes is a full-time fisherman who hasn’t gone national – yet. Now, he’s looking to start his rookie year with a win. All he needs to do is have another good day on a lake he calls home.

“This afternoon, I just went out and started plucking around,” he said. “I love to catch ‘em on a ‘trap’ — I feel like that’s my forte — but they ain’t eatin’ a ‘trap’ now, so they’re putting me elsewhere. I need to just go fishing like I did today.”

The top 30 pros advancing to the final day of competition on Sam Rayburn Reservoir are:

1st:        Marshall Hughes, Hemphill, Texas, 10 bass, 50-14
2nd:       Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., 10 bass, 44-3
3rd:       Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., 10 bass, 43-9
4th:        Cal Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 43-9
5th:        Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 10 bass, 43-3
6th:        Keith Poche, Cecil, Ala., 10 bass, 41-14
7th:        Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 10 bass, 41-5
8th:        Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 10 bass, 41-1
9th:        Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., 10 bass, 38-8
10th:     Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 10 bass, 38-6
11th:     Dillon Harrell, New Caney, Texas, 10 bass, 38-6
12th:     Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 10 bass, 37-11
13th:     Jaden Parrish, Liberty, Texas, 10 bass, 37-3
14th:     Cole Breeden, Lebanon, Tenn., 10 bass, 36-12
15th:     Britt Myers, Jr., Lake Wylie, S.C., 10 bass, 36-4
16th:     Lane Olson, Forest Grove, Ore., 10 bass, 35-12
17th:     Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 10 bass, 35-8
18th:     Clayton Batts, Butler, Ga., 10 bass, 35-5
19th:     Andrew Nordbye, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 35-1
20th:     Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 10 bass, 34-8
21st:      Ramie Colson, Jr., Cadiz, Ky., 10 bass, 34-2
22nd:    Jordan Wiggins, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 34-1
23rd:     Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 33-15
24th:     Mitchell Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 10 bass, 33-11
25th:     Ty Faber, Pagosa Springs, Colo., 10 bass, 33-10
26th:     Jacob Walker, Springville, Ala., 10 bass, 33-7
27th:     Terry Fisher, Decatur, Ala., 10 bass, 32-13
28th:     Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 10 bass, 32-8
29th:     Mark Condron, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-6
30th:     Rick Harris, Kingsland, Texas, 10 bass, 31-10

Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Cole Breeden of Lebanon, Tennessee, earned the $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award Saturday with a largemouth bass that weighed in at 11 pounds, 12 ounces.

Overall, there were 693 bass weighing 1,914 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 146 pros Saturday. The catch included 131 five-bass limits.

Historically speaking, it’s basically impossible to know if this weigh-in featured a record-breaking number of 11-pounders. It likely didn’t overall, but based on our records, it’s the first time in the long history of MLF competition on Sam Rayburn that multiple fish over 11 pounds have hit the scales in the same day, much less three of them. Similarly, Hughes’ bag is a record for the Invitationals circuit and the fourth-biggest ever on Sam Rayburn in MLF competition. It doesn’t quite crack the Top 10 heaviest limits of all-time, though – 10th in that case belongs to Terry Bolton with 38-15 that he caught in 2008 on Falcon Lake. Breeden’s 11-12 Berkley Big Bass tied for the third-biggest ever weighed during MLF competition on Rayburn.

In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight now advance to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 1 Presented by Power-Pole MOVE at Sam Rayburn Reservoir will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.

The final 30 anglers will launch at 7 a.m. CT each day from the Umphrey Family Pavilion, located at 5438 Sam Rayburn Parkway in Brookeland. Sunday’s championship weigh-in will also be held at the pavilion and will begin at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live each day of competition from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!®  will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 1 Presented by Power-Pole at Sam Rayburn Reservoir will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 5 on CBS Sports Network.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitational updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Missouri’s Brock Reinkemeyer Leads Day 1 at Tackle Warehouse Invitational at Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Brian Carter

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February 9, 2024

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Missouri’s Brock Reinkemeyer Leads Day 1 at Tackle Warehouse Invitational at Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Second-Year Pro Takes 1-Pound, 1-Ounce Lead into Second Day of Competition Saturday

BROOKELAND, Texas (Feb. 9, 2024) – They say everything is bigger in Texas, and the largemouth bass at Sam Rayburn Reservoir certainly fit the bill, Friday. After a 1½-hour fog delay this morning, the first Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Invitational event of the season kicked off at Sam Rayburn and the fishery showcased why it is widely known as one of the best in the country. A total of 11 pros crossed the 20-pound barrier, and 13 pounds went all the way down to 53rd place.

Pro Brock Reinkemeyer of Warsaw, Missouri, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Friday weighing 24 pounds, 7 ounces, to take the early lead on Day 1 of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 1 Presented by Power-Pole MOVE at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Reinkemeyer now holds a 1-pound, 1-ounce lead over pro Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tennessee, who caught five bass weighing 23-6 to end the day in second. Invitationals newcomer Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, sits just one ounce behind Hatfield in third with 23-5.

The full field of 150 anglers will conclude the two-day opening round on Saturday, with only the top 30 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advancing to Championship Sunday. The three-day tournament, hosted by the Jasper County Development District, features a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025.

Link to Photo Gallery of Day 1 Afternoon Highlights
Link to Video of Fish-Catch Highlights of Day 1 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Long established as one to watch around the Ozarks, Reinkemeyer showed during his rookie season on the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals last year that he’s no slouch nationally, as well. Today, he relied on a few areas and a few key bites.

“I caught one big one during practice doing off-the-wall, kind of deep stuff, and it paid off twice today,” said Reinkemeyer. “I just kind of moseyed down a stretch and just plucked two big ones off.

“It was kind of like a little drop,” he said of his area. “I scanned the hell out of this flat, and they weren’t up on top of it. So, I just went down the edges, and I found one edge where there are some shad and got lucky with two big ones.”

Of course, you can’t catch 24 pounds and change without some skill, and it’s not like Reinkemeyer is oblivious out there. While much of the field had no problem catching keepers but struggled at times to find quality bites, Reinkemeyer seems to have a beat on some big ones.

“I’ve got three spots where I’m just kind of milking ‘em,” he said. “Stumps, hard bottom — I’m fishing anywhere from 12 to 24, just kind of zig-zagging on the edges.

“I don’t feel like there are a lot of fish, but if I get a bite, it’s a good one,” he added. “I probably caught like 10 keepers today, but I was also bypassing small ones that are suspended way up. I’ve been catching them all week, and they’re all small. The bigger ones are closer to the bottom.”

One key for Reinkemeyer was staying away from the grass, which Rayburn is loaded with these days.

“I caught one out there right at 7 in practice, and this sucker was like a football,” he recalled. “And I’m like, ‘they ain’t in that grass.’ I fished two days in the grass, and Brad [Jelinek] was catching them in the grass, but nothing big. I couldn’t even catch a keeper in the grass.”

Plenty of other pros caught fish in the grass today, while others targeted hard structure or suspending fish. So, Reinkemeyer isn’t on an island from a pattern perspective. Still, he does seem to be fishing away from the pressure.

“I had them all to myself,” he said. “At my starting spot there was one other guy there; he moseyed around for two seconds and left. I’m all alone while everybody else is fishing in a crowd in the grass. Hopefully it’s the same thing tomorrow.”

The top 20 pros after Day 1 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir are:

1st:        Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., five bass, 24-7
2nd:       Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., five bass, 23-6
3rd:       Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 23-5
4th:        Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., five bass, 22-12
5th:        Clayton Batts, Butler, Ga., five bass, 22-1
6th:        Cal Lane, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 21-7
7th:        Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., five bass, 21-5
8th:        Mitchell Robinson, Landrum, S.C., five bass, 21-3
9th:        Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., five bass, 21-1
10th:     Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., five bass, 20-9
11th:     Terry Fisher, Decatur, Ala., five bass, 20-5
12th:     Ramie Colson, Jr., Cadiz, Ky., five bass, 19-11
12th:     Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., five bass, 19-11
14th:     Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., five bass, 18-10
15th:     Andrew Nordbye, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 18-9
16th:     Jaden Parrish, Liberty, Texas, five bass, 18-8
17th:     Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., five bass, 18-6
18th:     Ty Faber, Pagosa Springs, Colo., five bass, 17-14
19th:     Brad Jelinek, Lincoln, Mo., five bass, 17-13
20th:     Chris Groh, Spring Grove, Ill., five bass, 17-7

Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Hatfield earned Friday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award with a largemouth bass that weighed in at 9 pounds, 3 ounces.

Overall, there were 682 bass weighing 1,787 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 149 pros Friday. The catch included 120 five-bass limits.

In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advance to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 1 Presented by Power-Pole MOVE at Sam Rayburn Reservoir will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.

Anglers will launch at 7 a.m. CT each day from the Umphrey Family Pavilion, located at 5438 Sam Rayburn Parkway in Brookeland. Weigh-ins will also be held at the pavilion and will begin at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live each day of competition from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!®  will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 1 Presented by Power-Pole at Sam Rayburn Reservoir will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 5 on CBS Sports Network.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota and YETI.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitational updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Key adjustment guides Rasmussen to victory at B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier on Lake Eufaula

Breaking News

Brian Carter

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February 9, 2024

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Key adjustment guides Rasmussen to victory at B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier on Lake Eufaula

Wisconsin’s Adam Rasmussen has won the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Lake Eufaula presented by Lowrance with a three-day total of 62 pounds, 5 ounces.

Photo by Tommy Sendek/B.A.S.S.

February 9, 2024

Key adjustment guides Rasmussen to victory at B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier on Lake Eufaula

EUFAULA, Ala. — After some anxious moments in the morning hours, Adam Rasmussen caught a limit weighing 18 pounds, 13 ounces Friday to win the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Lake Eufaula presented by Lowrance with a three-day total of 62-5.

Along with the trophy, Rasmussen earned $9,728 and a berth in the 2024 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.

“Obviously this is what we all strive to do in this sport. We want to win,” he said. “So, you put your head down and work as hard as you can and try to do it every time. There’s a lot of good anglers that fish this and I am humbled to win it on a lake that hasn’t been very nice to me in the past.”

Alabama’s Kenneth Grover II finished second with a three-day total of 51-12 while Brock Belik finished third with 50-15.

Anglers were welcomed to Lake Eufaula by a major rain storm, which dirtied up a lot of the lake at the beginning of the week. Rasmussen made a concerted effort to scan almost the entirety of practice in cleaner water, trying to find as many sweet spots as possible so he didn’t run out of areas to fish in the tournament.

“I looked for as much stuff as I could. I probably laid down 400 icons (on my graph),” said Rasmussen, who notched an Opens victory on Alabama’s Wheeler Lake in 2023. “I always seem to run out of stuff halfway through Day 2. I pretty much had the attitude that I was going to find as much as I possibly could so I didn’t run out. And I didn’t. There’s still more that I didn’t even get to.”

Opening the tournament in second with 19-1, Rasmussen anchored a 24-7 Day 2 bag with a 7-9 largemouth, which was the Big Bass of the Tournament, and took an impressive lead into the final day.

The noted Wisconsin walleye guide turned bass pro caught the majority of his weight the first two days by targeting hard-bottom staging areas outside of spawning pockets. Those bass were located anywhere from 5 to 15 feet of water, and he slowly dragged a 1/2-ounce brown jig paired with a green pumpkin Rapala CrushCity Cleanup Craw to generate bites.

“You had to keep contact with the bottom the whole time and fish it super slow,” he said.

On the final day, Rasmussen started in his primary area, only to find it did not reload with more bass. He caught one keeper from the area, but did not get another bite until he moved to the main lake around 10 a.m. There, he found a school of bass in 15 to 18 feet of water and dragged a 3/4-ounce jig with the Cleanup Craw.

“I stumbled on a school of bass that were up on a shellbar,” Rasmussen said. “I had 17 pounds in six casts. At the end of the day I pulled up on another shellbar and caught a 4-pounder. I felt OK after that.”

After barely sneaking into the Day 3 cut with bags of 12-9 and 13-15, Grover caught the biggest bag of the tournament on the final day — a 25-4 limit that was anchored by a 7-7 largemouth. Most of that bag was caught during the first two hours using a 1/2-ounce football jig with a Yamamoto Double-Tail Grub.

“Last night, I got to thinking about that particular area. It is the perfect wintertime spot. It is a lake ledge, but it has a really sharp drop at the bottom,” Grover said. “I just knew there were some better fish and if I got there first thing in the morning I would have a chance at catching a big bag. The water was cleaning up every day.”

Grover had that area, as well as his starting area on Day 1, to himself. Not only were there bass, but there were plenty of baitfish as well as crappie and other species. Slowing way down was the key to generating strikes.

“It was definitely a much better bite first thing in the morning. I would bring the jig over the ledge break and shake my rod and let the bait just sit there,” he explained. “It seemed like the longer I would do that, one would finally come pick it up. I think they were cruising along the ledge and when one came across my bait, they would go ahead and eat it.”

Belik caught 13-2 on Day 1 before adding bags of 18-2 and 19-11 on the final two days. The Nebraska angler also benefited from finding an offshore school of bass. On the final day, he caught 25 total fish on a “mega-school” located in 17 to 24 feet of water on a creek channel swing ledge leading into a spawning pocket.

A 3/8-ounce Woo Tungsten shaky head with a Zoom Trick Worm was his best producing bait.

“I started there today and it happened pretty quick. By 10 o’clock I had that 19 pounds,” Belik said. “They were loaded up there. It was a ledge with a bunch of standing timber and they were setting up right on the ledge. I could tell where they were setting up on LiveScope. I would cast right to them, let that shaky head sit there and shake the worm until they would eat it.”

Brian Gibler of Clarksville, Tenn., won the nonboater division with a three-day total of 21-8. Mississippi’s David Godwin finished second with 19-13 and Georgia’s Daniel Wilson Jr. finished third with 18-8. Kentucky’s Ron Whittaker claimed the Big Bass of the Tournament among nonboaters with a 6-2 largemouth he caught on Day 1.

The Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce hosted this week’s event.

2024 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Lake Eufaula presented by Lowrance 2/7-2/9
Lake Eufaula, Eufaula AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Adam Rasmussen Sturgeon Bay, WI 15 62-05 0 $9,728.00
Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 24-07 Day 3: 5 18-13
2. Kenneth Grover II Decatur, AL 15 51-12 0 $4,725.00
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 13-15 Day 3: 5 25-04
3. Brock Belik Orchard, NE 15 50-15 0 $3,335.00
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 18-02 Day 3: 5 19-11
4. Jess Beihoffer Soddy Daisy, TN 15 50-11 0 $2,780.00
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 5 17-05
5. Shaine Campbell Brookeland, TX 15 48-02 0 $2,918.00
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 20-04 Day 3: 5 12-04
6. Allan Glasgow Foley, AL 13 47-07 0 $2,223.00
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 3 14-05 Day 3: 5 14-11
7. Leslie Brandenburg Springfield, MO 15 47-02 0 $2,085.00
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 11-06 Day 3: 5 20-00
8. Dave Turner Citrus Springs, FL 15 46-00 0 $1,946.00
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 15-01 Day 3: 5 13-02
9. Jamie Bruce Kenora Ontario CANADA 14 45-04 0 $1,530.00
Day 1: 5 20-00 Day 2: 4 09-15 Day 3: 5 15-05
10. Sam Hanggi Knoxville, TN 14 44-11 0 $1,251.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 15-06 Day 3: 4 14-10
11. Michael Smith Laurel Hill, AL 15 44-02 0 $1,112.00
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 5 17-07 Day 3: 5 12-15
12. Carson Orellana Mooresville, NC 14 43-12 0 $975.00
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 4 13-11
13. Carson Maddux Auburn, AL 15 43-02 0 $764.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 16-06
14. Danny McGarry Newcastle CANADA 15 41-10 0 $764.00
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 13-10 Day 3: 5 14-15
15. Wyatt Frankens Corrigan , TX 15 40-09 0 $764.00
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 11-09 Day 3: 5 14-02
16. Jeffery Lawson Ellisville, MS 12 36-04 0 $764.00
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 2 05-11
17. Travis Lugar North Chesterfield, VA 11 33-14 0 $764.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 4 12-00 Day 3: 2 05-11
18. Colby Robertson Summerfield, FL 12 32-12 0 $764.00
Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 09-13 Day 3: 2 06-05
19. Mike Shears Powhatan, VA 12 32-10 0 $764.00
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 12-14 Day 3: 2 05-14
20. Trey Nanney III Rocky Mount, NC 10 32-09 0 $764.00
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 4 12-12 Day 3: 1 04-06
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 43 394 1026-15
2 33 326 875-09
3 13 82 271-01
———————————-
89 802 2173-09

2024 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Lake Eufaula presented by Lowrance 2/7-2/9
Lake Eufaula, Eufaula AL.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Brian Gibler Clarksville, TN 9 21-08 0 $3,500.00
Day 1: 3 07-13 Day 2: 3 07-07 Day 3: 3 06-04
2. David Godwin Lucedale, MS 7 19-13 0 $2,000.00
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 3 09-13 Day 3: 3 07-10
3. Daniel Wilson Jr Blackshear, GA 7 18-08 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 3 08-01 Day 2: 3 08-15 Day 3: 1 01-08
4. Blake Campbell Bremen, AL 8 17-10 0 $926.00
Day 1: 3 05-10 Day 2: 3 05-05 Day 3: 2 06-11
5. Richard White Alexander City, AL 7 17-08 0 $685.00
Day 1: 2 03-15 Day 2: 3 05-13 Day 3: 2 07-12
6. Jonathan Shores Charles City, VA 9 17-05 0 $575.00
Day 1: 3 06-01 Day 2: 3 05-07 Day 3: 3 05-13
7. Anthony Paschall Cumberland, VA 7 17-04 0 $514.00
Day 1: 3 07-08 Day 2: 1 02-04 Day 3: 3 07-08
8. Brian Adams Clayton, NC 6 17-02 0 $480.00
Day 1: 2 04-08 Day 2: 3 08-13 Day 3: 1 03-13
9. Simon Willett Altamonte Springs, FL 6 16-05 0 $450.00
Day 1: 2 06-10 Day 2: 1 02-01 Day 3: 3 07-10
10. Bill Scharton Hixson, TN 7 15-15 0 $400.00
Day 1: 2 07-15 Day 2: 2 02-13 Day 3: 3 05-03
11. Cova Cornett Ashland , KY 7 15-11 0 $400.00
Day 1: 2 03-09 Day 2: 3 07-14 Day 3: 2 04-04
12. John Taylor Jr Charleston, WV 7 15-05 0 $350.00
Day 1: 2 03-00 Day 2: 3 08-00 Day 3: 2 04-05
13. Mathew Lasky Guyton, GA 5 14-04 0 $300.00
Day 1: 3 10-11 Day 2: 1 01-14 Day 3: 1 01-11
14. Larry Carter Lucedale, MS 5 13-04 0 $300.00
Day 1: 3 09-00 Day 2: 2 04-04 Day 3: 0 00-00
15. Blake Rogers Florence, SC 4 13-03 0 $250.00
Day 1: 2 08-03 Day 2: 1 02-00 Day 3: 1 03-00
16. Donny Davis Waterloo, AL 6 11-14 0 $250.00
Day 1: 3 06-09 Day 2: 3 05-05 Day 3: 0 00-00
17. Nicholas Glenn Hamilton, AL 4 11-00 0 $250.00
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 3 08-10 Day 3: 0 00-00
18. Joseph Sanderson Channahon, IL 4 10-15 0 $250.00
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 3 09-00 Day 3: 0 00-00
19. James McCarty Summerville, SC 4 09-06 0 $250.00
Day 1: 1 03-01 Day 2: 3 06-05 Day 3: 0 00-00
20. Logan Hendrick Cherryville, NC 4 08-12 0 $250.00
Day 1: 1 01-11 Day 2: 3 07-01 Day 3: 0 00-00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 11 98 235-09
2 16 96 228-10
3 6 30 73-00
———————————-
33 224 537-03

Jason Dew & Thomas Elliott Win CATT SENC Sutton Lake, NC Feb 3, 2024

Brian Carter

-

February 9, 2024

0

Jason Dew & Thomas Elliott Win CATT SENC Sutton Lake, NC Feb 3, 2024

Next SENC CATT Spring Qualifier is at the NE Cape Fear River – Castle Hayne Ramp!

We had a great crowd with 23 teams entering the Suttan Lake SENC Spring Qualifier! Come join us at the next one!

Jason Dew & Tom Elliott took 1st Place with 5 bass weighing 22.28 lbs PLUS they weighed in the BF at 5.14 lbs for a total purse of $1,920.00!

Team	BF	Weight	Winnings	Points
Jason Dew – Thomas Elliott	5.14	22.28	$1,920.00	110
Chris Prosser – Seth Smith	4.10	15.72	$525.00	109
Michael McDonald – Zach Chambles	4.79	15.72	$230.00	108
Jason Nelson – Zach Wallace	4.95	13.99	$175.00	107
Bradley Turner – Adam Oxendine	0.00	11.29		106
Keith Butler – Rodney Stewart	4.06	11.21		105
Vincent Povazsay – Hunter Capps	2.75	11.18		104
Tony Britt – Daniel Fields	2.42	10.77		103
Mitch Garner – Ralph Mclean	3.71	10.36		102
Daniel R McGarry – Marc Goldberg	0.00	10.15		100
James Abston – Justin Abston	2.50	9.96		99
Larry Thomas – Foye Best	3.53	9.76		98
Chandler Todd	3.54	9.72		97
Eli Lanick – Brian Fields	0.00	8.77		96
Donathan Barnes – Chris Walton	0.00	7.98		95
Ed Nelson – Danny Watson	2.58	7.93		94
Joe Sholer – Ray Hunter	0.00	6.30		93
Jason Parker – David Freeman	0.00	2.00		92
David Sasser – Chris Gainey	0.00	0.00		82
Mark Fairfax – Brittany Mims	0.00	0.00		82
Heath Britt – Michael Britt	0.00	0.00		82
Jason Clark	0.00	0.00		82
Desmond Bowen – Sarah Todd	0.00	0.00		82
Total Entrys			$2,760.00
BONUS $			$575.00
Total Paid At Ramp			$2,850.00
SENC Spring Final Fund			$485.00
CATT			$50.00
2024 CATT Championship Fund			$50.00
2024 SENC Fall Final Fund Total			$385.00

Eric Johnson/Nate Sullivan Win CATT Lake Anna, Va Feb 3, 2024

Brian Carter

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February 9, 2024

0

Eric Johnson/Nate Sullivan Win CATT Lake Anna, Va Feb 3, 2024

Next Lake anna CATT Spring Qualifier is Feb 17th at Sturgeon Creek 7 am to 3 pm!

We had 22 enter and the fishing was excellent! Join us at the next one!

COME BY THE SHOP TO PREPAY AT ANNA’S MARINE CENTER OR REGISTER ONLINE. REMEMBER YOU WILL WANT TO FISH 3 OUT OF THE 4 QUALIFIERS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE EXTRA MONEY AT THE FINAL.

1ST – ERIC JOHNSON/NATE SULLIVAN WITH 22.35. $1100 PLUS $255 FOR THE SIDE POT TOTAL WEIGHT PORTION, TOTALING $1355 FOR THE DAY!

2ND MATT MARTIN/CHRIS ANTHONY WITH 19.02 WORTH $500

3RD LARRY BLANKS/JAMES GRAVES WITH 18.91 WORTH $225. THEY ALSO HAD BIG FISH @7.73 FOR $220 AND SIDE POT PORTION OF BIG FISH FOR $170 GIVING THEM A TOTAL OF $615.

4TH MIKE WEBSTER/MIKE WANDEL WITH 17.32 WORTH $150

Team	BF	Weight	Winnings	Points
Nate Sullivan – Eric Johnson	5.75	22.35	$1,355.00	110
Matt Martin – Chris Anthony	6.33	19.02	$500.00	109
Larry Blanks – James Graves	7.73	18.91	$615.00	108
Mike Webster – Mike Wandel	4.78	17.32	$150.00	107
Larry Wollershiem – Preston Cox	3.99	14.80		106
Jesepth Hughes – Buck Covington	6.49	14.77		105
Scott Conners – Nate Balog	4.53	14.15		104
Dylan Powers	5.79	14.01		103
Sam Taylor – Stan Cobb	4.31	13.83		102
Wil Vickery – Dee Kidd	0.00	11.70		101
Bill Deeds – Matt Seale	0.00	9.39		100
Rob Grike – Eric Nelson	0.00	8.51		99
Matt Clark – Jake Floyd	6.58	8.04		98
Timmy Sheridan – Jamerson Gallihiugh	0.00	7.29		97
Brian Evans – Billy Evans	4.23	5.40		96
Wayne Dorman – Neville Green	0.00	3.84		95
Bill Powers – Dave Mossberg	0.00	0.00		85
Jim Ashley – Matt Ketchum	0.00	0.00		85
David Hooker – Kenny Henderson	0.00	0.00		85
Trey Perrin – Dean Perrin	0.00	0.00		85
Fritz Butcher – Kelly Dutton	0.00	0.00		85
Jeff Parrish – Clay Gatewood	0.00	0.00		85
Total Entrys			$2,640.00
BONUS $			$475.00
Total Paid At Ramp			$2,620.00
Anna Spring 2024 Final Fund			$495.00
CATT			$0.00
2024 CATT Championship Fubd			$50.00
2024 Anna Spring Final Fund Total			$445.00

Winter Sucks: Escape To Florida

Brian Carter

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February 9, 2024

0

Winter Sucks: Escape To Florida by Justin Largen

I’m not a big fan of winter, but it visits every year despite my objections. Air temps are in the 20s here in Virginia as I write this. No fun. It’s much worse for folks living further north, but that makes me feel only slightly better. In years past, I’d take a hiatus from fishing during the winter months. I might venture out a few times to curb cabin fever, but I was a shadow of my warmer self. Not much has changed today. I still don’t like winter. I have, however, found a way to make it suck less.

It all started in January of 2018. Virginia was experiencing a typical, cold winter, but this year was going to be different. Several weeks earlier, I had put in for time off and planned a fishing trip. It wasn’t just any trip; I was going to Florida for a week. Florida, the place where dreams come true – or was that just Disneyland? I’d read about Dean Rojas’s historic 45-pound stringer on the Kissimmee Chain – still the largest 5-fish limit in B.A.S.S. competition. I’d also seen countless photographs in Bassmaster magazine of grinning anglers hoisting double-digit Florida bass. To be fair, Virginia bass can grow to trophy size, but they’re kind of like unicorns. I’d never seen one. For Florida these giant fish seemed almost ordinary. I couldn’t wait to battle one of these behemoths from my kayak.

That first Florida visit was spectacular, and it taught me a few things. First, it can still get cold in Florida. The air was a brisk 39 degrees on the first morning, and the bite was tough. Second, I like Florida a lot. My first sunshine bass was about 15 inches, not particularly special, but fish number two and three weighed 5 pounds apiece. Third, lots of other people like Florida in January. Plan your trip and reserve lodging well in advance. Depending on where you go, lack of planning could result in a night spent in your car. The final lesson from that first visit is that 10-pound bass are considered trophies for a reason. They’re special fish, and you don’t get one just for showing up. In fact, after several visits to Florida, I’m still looking for my first double-digit bass. I’ve come close though. My personal best, a 9.5-pound giant, came during my first Florida trip. A few days later I added an 8, and I’ve landed several that topped 7 pounds on subsequent visits.

Now for a few suggestions on how to catch bass in Florida. First, don’t be afraid to try lesser-known lakes. Renowned places like Okeechobee, the Kissimmee Chain, and the Harris Chain have giant fish, but they also get lots of pressure from both recreational and tournament anglers. Florida is blessed with hundreds of smaller lakes that will never see a tournament. Almost all these quiet, little lakes are capable of producing giant fish, and you might even have the place to yourself. Check out the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission website (https://gis.myfwc.com/BoatRampFinder/) for a list of every public ramp in the state. Also, be sure to check out the state’s Trophy Catch program too (https://www.trophycatchflorida.com/). You can find catch data for all the bass 8 pounds or bigger that have been entered in the program. This lets you see how many giant bass have been reported on the lake that you’re thinking of exploring, as well as the date they were caught, and the technique used.

My second observation is that everything in Florida looks good. Whether it’s pads, reeds, hyacinths, hydrilla, Kissimmee grass, other grasses, or even cypress trees, it all looks fishy. As good as a particular spot may look, it doesn’t necessarily hold fish. Said another way, there is a lot of dead water in Florida. You may go for long periods without a bite. But when you do catch one, there are usually others around. To find fish, I like to move quickly – usually targeting some form of grass – making lots of casts with a Chatterbait EVO or a Strike King Hybrid Hunter. I’m looking for an aggressive fish. When I catch one, I’ll drop a waypoint. Then it’s time to fish the area more thoroughly.

This is where the third and final lesson comes into play. Slow down. I love to throw moving baits, and when fish are aggressive, they can be the best tools for the job. But Florida fish can be finicky. There are many times when it takes a slow presentation to get bites. This is especially true after cold fronts and around the spawn. I’ve found success when the bite is tough using a simple, straight-tailed worm. The Missile Baits Quiver is my weapon of choice. I’ll put it on a light Texas rig – 1/8 to 1/4 oz is perfect for the Florida shallows. Sometimes I’ll cast and slowly drag my worm around grass edges. My favorite way, though, is to pitch the Quiver to fishy looking cover and deadstick it. Whether I’m targeting a clump of reeds, a hole in the grass, or a dock piling, I let my bait sit perfectly still, sometimes for 10-15 seconds. If a fish doesn’t grab it, I reel it in quickly and pitch to another target. As you might imagine, this is a slow way to fish. Because it’s so slow, it’s not a good way to locate fish. But dragging and deadsticking are great methods to catch fish once you’ve found a concentration. Bottom line, use moving baits and fast retrieves until you find fish, and then slow down to maximize your catch.

I lied. One more quick tip for you. If you’re faced with a cold front in Florida and you can find matted grass, fish it. I especially like mats that have debris blown on top of them. Broken reeds or chopped up eelgrass can be good. I get particularly excited when I find hyacinth clumps sitting on matted milfoil or hydrilla. With or without this second layer of cover, matted grass soaks up the sun and heats the water around it. Then big bass bury under the canopy in that warmer water. I love punching these mats with a big weight – 1 to 2 oz – and a Missile Craw Father. It’s one of my favorite ways to fish and a good way to catch a true giant. Florida gives me an opportunity to enjoy this technique months before the grass is thick enough back home.

Florida is special. I’ve been blessed to visit each of the last four winters, and I hope to continue the tradition for many years to come. I love escaping the cold and soaking up the sun, even if the fish don’t bite. But they usually do.

BAM Trail Gets 2 Bass Cat Boats

Brian Carter

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February 9, 2024

0

Options plentiful for Bassmaster Opens anglers on Lake Ouachita

Brian Carter

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February 8, 2024

0

Options plentiful for Bassmaster Opens anglers on Lake Ouachita

Arkansas’ Lake Ouachita is set to host the 2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Open presented by SEVIIN tournament February 15-17.

Photo by Laura Ann Foshee/B.A.S.S.

February 8, 2024

Options plentiful for Bassmaster Opens anglers on Lake Ouachita

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Winter is nearing its end in western Arkansas, which means there will be plenty of opportunities to catch big bags during the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Ouachita presented by SEVIIN, according to Bassmaster Elite Series pro Stetson Blaylock.

“When you think of a premier, early prespawn tournament, Lake Ouachita has it all. It is a really good fishery,” the Arkansas pro said.

Tournament days are scheduled for Feb. 15-17, with daily takeoffs set for 6:45 a.m. CT from the Brady Mountain Rec A ramp. Anglers will return for weigh-in each day at 2:45 p.m. The full field of pros and co-anglers will fish the first two days before the field is cut to the Top 10 pros on the final day.

The winner will punch a ticket to the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors, given that they have fished every event in Division II. Anglers signed up for all nine Opens will earn points towards the Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers race.

Early forecasts are calling for warm and rainy conditions to begin the practice period, while sunny and slightly cooler conditions will take over during the tournament.

Covering over 40,000 acres, Ouachita is Arkansas’ largest lake and is one of the most popular fisheries in the state. While it has been more than 20 years since B.A.S.S. visited the lake for a major event, it has hosted four Forrest Wood Cups in the past, all of which were in the late summer.

Now, the Bassmaster Opens anglers will give it a chance to shine in the prespawn. EQ angler Jacob Bigelow caught an 11-pounder while scouting for the event in December, highlighting the potential size anglers will find come tournament time.

As a highland reservoir, Ouachita is generally deep with plenty of clean water. If a major rain comes through, however, Blaylock said some of the best water tends to muddy up.

Ouachita has also risen several feet thanks to a soaking rainstorm that moved through during the middle of January. It has stabilized some in recent days, but the rise in water could affect the grass that has recently returned to the lake. Several different types of grass are prominent in Ouachita right now, including hydrilla and milfoil.

“It has really been strong recently in some areas of the lake,” Blaylock said. “That will be one of the main players. A lot of the bigger fish hang around that grass.”

Along with the grass, standing timber is a prominent piece of cover in the lake. That is what Blaylock believes will be the X factor.

“There’s so much standing timber out in 50, 60 and 70 feet of water, and those bass can be in a lot of different depth ranges. And they use them all,” Blaylock said. “The closer we get to March, the more those bass will be in a prespawn mode. But there are always deep bass.”

Anglers who are adept with their forward-facing sonar will find success throwing shad-style baits like a Damiki rig or a swimbait. Forward-facing sonar will also be key for fishing brushpiles and catching bass around balls of baitfish.

While bass will be caught deep, Blaylock says that there is always a population of bass that stay shallow. Rock banks will be the key here, and the bass in this zone will likely be targeting crawfish.

“We’ve had some really cold weather, but around here that doesn’t hurt too bad,” Blaylock said. “There will be a lot of fish caught super-shallow. It is that time of year. It is closer to spring than winter in my opinion, and that alone puts a lot of those bass moving toward the bank.

“That lake has always been really good for crawfish-eating bass,” he added. “Jigs and crankbaits with some reds and natural greens and browns are always good there.”

While there is plenty of water in the lake, Blaylock believes the lake will fish relatively small in this tournament.

“Everyone isn’t going to be fishing on top of each other, but if you put 200 boats on that body of water it is going to make the fishing more challenging,” Blaylock said. “It is a good lake, but when you put a lot of pressure on it, it gets tough really quickly.”

With that said, however, Blaylock anticipates bags around 22 to 23 pounds will be caught and an angler will have to average 17 to 18 pounds a day to claim the trophy.

Alabama’s Tucker Smith leads the EQ race after the first event at Lake Okeechobee with 199 points. Florida pro Randall Tharp is second with 198 points, followed by Paul Marks in third with 197, Matt Adams in fourth with 196 and Austin Cranford in fifth with 195 points. Easton Fothergill is sixth with 194 points, Sam George is seventh with 193 points, Beau Browning is eighth with 192 points and Brandon McMillan is ninth with 191 points.

The final day of competition will be broadcast live on FS1 Saturday morning beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET, with streaming available on Bassmaster.com, as well as FS2 and the FOX Sports digital platforms.

The tournament is being hosted by Visit Hot Springs.

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