Saturday, December 20, 2025
Home Blog Page 1033

LA CROSSE’S BRUEGGEN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE GREAT LAKES DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER

LA CROSSE’S BRUEGGEN WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE GREAT LAKES DIVISION TOURNAMENT ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER

River Falls’ Seiler Takes Co-angler Title

[print_link]

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. (Aug. 21, 2017) – Mike Brueggen of La Crosse, Wisconsin, caught five bass weighing 14 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Great Lakes Division tournament on the Mississippi River. For his efforts, Brueggen took home $6,046.

“We weren’t able to launch until around 9:30 (a.m.) due to a fog delay,” said Brueggen, who earned his fifth career-win on the Mississippi River in BFL competition. “After the delay was lifted, I locked to Pool No. 9 along with three-quarters of the field. I worked through an area that had scattered weeds and sand in about a foot of water. I caught 10 keepers on a 3/8-ounce black buzzbait and ended up weighing two of them.”

Around 1 p.m., Brueggen said he locked back to Pool No. 10 with approximately 14 pounds of bass in his livewell. He said he used his buzzbait and a white Spro Bronzeye 65 frog to fish another stretch of scattered weeds and finish out his day.

“Both of my areas were near the main river,” said Brueggen. “The fish were pretty spread out and they didn’t want to bite. I had to move the buzzbait fast to get them to strike.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 14-11, $4,046 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd:         Jeff Ritter, Prairie du Chien, Wis., five bass, 14-10, $1,885

2nd:         Curtis Samo, Rochelle, Ill., five bass, 14-10, $1,685

4th:          Brian Fitzpatrick, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 14-1, $1,244

5th:          Mike Ratz, Hudson, Wis., five bass, 13-13, $775

5th:          Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 13-13, $875

7th:          Mike Feldermann, Galena, Ill., five bass, 13-12, $951

8th:          Kyler Chelminiak, McKenzie, Tenn., five bass, 13-9, $607

9th:          Don Vandermeer, Loves Park, Ill., five bass, 13-5, $539

10th:        Cade Laufenberg, Winona, Minn., five bass, 12-12, $472

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Mark Tonjum of Sioux City, Iowa, caught a bass weighing 3 pounds, 14 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $277.

Tony Seiler of River Falls, Wisconsin, caught five bass weighing 11 pounds, 14 ounces to win the Co-angler Division and $2,023.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Tony Seiler, River Falls, Wis., five bass, 11-14, $2,023

2nd:         Richard Conrad, Burnsville, Minn., five bass, 9-13, $1,011

3rd:          Tyler Nelson, Waunakee, Wis., five bass, 9-12, $674

4th:          William Felten, Lake Zurich, Ill., four bass, 9-7, $472

5th:          Jared Greninger, Byron, Ill., five bass, 9-4, $605

6th:          Alexandru Spiac, Chicago, Ill., four bass, 9-0, $371

7th:          Rick Poteet, Springbrook, Wis., four bass, 8-1, $337

8th:          Greg Oppegard, West Saint Paul, Minn., three bass, 7-14, $580

9th:          Steve Esser, Dubuque, Iowa, four bass, 7-13, $270

10th:        Josh Mohn, Lansing, Iowa, three bass, 6-14, $236

Oppegard caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 4 pounds, 1 ounce – and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $277.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the Barren River in Scottsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

PORTAGE’S KELLEY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MICHIGAN DIVISION EVENT ON DETROIT RIVER PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

PORTAGE’S KELLEY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE MICHIGAN DIVISION EVENT ON DETROIT RIVER PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

Indiana’s Raber Takes Co-angler Title

[print_link]

TRENTON, Mich. (Aug. 21, 2017) – Cody Kelley of Portage, Michigan, caught a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Michigan Division tournament on the Detroit River presented by Navionics. Kelley pocketed $4,316 for his win.

Kelley said he spent his day in the middle of Lake Erie focusing on a 100- by 50-foot length of scattered chunk rock in 25 feet of water. He said he used one lure to catch his limit – a green-pumpkin-colored V&M Smallie Tube.

“I found the area last Sunday during practice and weighed around 23 pounds of bass on a hand scale,” said Kelley, who earned his first career-victory as a boater in BFL competition. “During the event, the school was about 30 yards from where I caught them Sunday. It was one of those magical days where everything came together.”

Kelley said he caught his first bass around 8:30 a.m., and the heaviest fish of the event – a 6-pound, 9-ouncer – at 11:15 a.m.

“My Denali rods were really what did it for me,” said Kelley. “I was able to feel the bites. I tried to use a custom-made rod at one point, but it didn’t help. The guides on the Denali worked the best.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Cody Kelley, Portage, Mich., five bass, 23-9, $4,316

2nd:         Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., five bass, 22-0, $1,920

3rd:          Terry McWilliams, Greenfield, Ind., five bass, 21-12, $1,214

4th:          Steve Clapper, Lima, Ohio, five bass, 21-3, $850

5th:          Pat Upthagrove, Monroe, Mich., five bass, 20-7, $728

6th:          Joseph Nega, Chicago, Ill., five bass, 20-1, $637

6th:          Joshua Barr, Stow, Ohio, five bass, 20-1, $637

8th:          John Devries, Fishers, Ind., five bass, 19-14, $546

9th:          Aaron Limber, Millbury, Ohio, five bass, 19-9, $485

10th:        Tom Cooley, Waterford, Mich., five bass, 19-8, $425

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Kelley’s 6-pound, 9-ounce bass also earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $475.

Mike Raber of Wolcottville, Indiana, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $1,820.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Mike Raber, Wolcottville, Ind., five bass, 22-8, $1,820

2nd:         Chris Fraser, Canton, Mich., five bass, 19-12, $910

3rd:          John Black, Monclova, Ohio, five bass, 18-13, $607

4th:          Tony Grubb, Ann Arbor, Mich., five bass, 18-1, $425

5th:          David Michaelis, Commerce, Mich., five bass, 17-14, $364

6th:          Alex Newman, Wapakoneta, Ohio, five bass, 17-6, $334

7th:          Jason Roberts, Bargersville, Ind., five bass, 17-3, $303

8th:          Jeff Cox, Saline, Mich., five bass, 17-1, $373

9th:          Christopher Majerle, Trenton, Mich., five bass, 16-15, $243

10th:        Aaron Stahley, Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 16-10, $262

Brian Kich of Berea, Ohio, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 7 ounces – and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $237.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the Barren River in Scottsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

Meet the men that are changing Bass Fishing History Brandon Cobb & Justin Atkins & More – Bass Cast Radio – August 20,2017

I will have to say this is one of the best episodes of Bass Cast radio featuring the 2017 Forest Wood Cup winner Justin Atkins & his best Friend Brandon Cobb. Plus we had an opportunity to speak to the owners of BassBoat4Sale.com (Josh Roller) & BonusLoop.com. (Jason Baggitt & Jasson Durran) & how they are changes the industry. Joe Sills with FTG gave us a look into the future of Bass Pro shops. Thank you to all these amazing guest.

[spreaker type=player resource=”episode_id=12614219″ width=”100%” height=”200px” theme=”dark” playlist=”false” playlist-continuous=”false” autoplay=”false” live-autoplay=”false” chapters-image=”true” ]

Bass Edge’s The Edge – Episode 261 – Trait Zaldain August 1, 2017,

0

Bass Edge’s The Edge – Episode 261 – Trait Zaldain
August 1, 2017

Bass Edge Radio, presented by MegaWare KeelGuard features BASS Opens Angler Trait Zaldain in this most recent episode of their top-rated podcast. Bass Edge hosts Aaron Martin and Kurt Dove discuss with Trait her drive to qualify for the Elite Series, women in bass fishing and her success in the business.

Thank God I’m a Fisherman By Walker Smith August 17,2017

Whether we catch ’em or not, each and every fishing trip is a blessing.

I am a breed of outdoorsman who loves, appreciates and respects this magnificent creation with which we’ve been gifted. I am committed to doing anything and everything I can to preserve it. I will not back down from those who seek to hinder my way of life. I will not fall victim to the rampant negativity in today’s world. I will smile, laugh and cherish this special blessing I’ve so graciously been given.

Thank God I’m a fisherman.

3 Pro Tips For Fishing A Bladed Jig – Mystery Tackle Box

3 Pro Tips For Fishing A Bladed Jig

When you look at a bladed jig, it’s hard to figure out if it’s a version of a spinnerbait or a jig.

The bladed jig first came on the bass fishing scene as the original ChatterBait. Featuring a jig body with a hexagon-shaped blade, the ChatterBait and its spin-offs have become a hit with the B.A.S.S. and FLW touring pros.

2017 Brandon Card College & High School Bass Open

0

2017 Brandon Card College & High School Bass Open

[print_link]

The second annual Brandon Card College & High School Bass Open will take place on Norris Lake, just 50 miles north of Knoxville, Tenn. on Dec. 2, 2017. The event has a unique format, as it will be two tournaments in one.
The college anglers only compete against other college anglers and high school against high school. The two divisions will be competing for separate trophies, payouts, and prizes, where the first place collegiate team will win $2,500, and the top high school team will walk away with $1,500. I have high expectations for this year’s event, as we are shooting for over 100 boats!
“Last year was a huge success for the first year. We had a great turnout and we were able to hook the anglers up! My primary goal for the event was to give as much back to the college and high school anglers as we could. I think we achieved that goal by giving out over $15,000 in cash and prizes!” said Card.
The presenting sponsors that make this event possible are Campbell County Chamber of Commerce and Suzuki Marine.  Associate sponsors include Yo-Zuri, Fishsens Technology, Bass Cat Boats, Abu Garcia, Lowrance, Empire Covers, Gary Yamamoto, Bob’s Machine Shop, Ab Card Construction, Twin Cove Marine, Coal Creek Smokehouse BBQ, Bass Pro Shops, Fish Head, and Dixie Roofing.
For more information visit the Brandon Card Facebook page or email [email protected].

Timing Might Be Perfect For Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake St. Clair

Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brandon Palaniuk will be one of 108 competitors vying for the $100,000 first-place prize at the Advance Auto Parts Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair out of Macomb County, Mich., Aug. 24-27. This is the final regular-season stop of the 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series and last chance to qualify for the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship, which Palaniuk is currently leading with 729 points.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S

Timing Might Be Perfect For Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake St. Clair

[print_link]

MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. — Lake St. Clair is one of the premiere smallmouth bass fishing destinations in the world.

But as with most lakes, timing is crucial.

If the bass are in transition from the spawning areas to their summer haunts, they can be tough to pin down. If the weather is nasty, certain areas can be virtually inaccessible.

A lot can change in a few weeks. But for the moment, it looks like the 108 anglers taking part in next week’s Advance Auto Parts Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair might be hitting the lake at just the right time.

That’s good news for Brandon Palaniuk of Idaho, who loves smallmouth fishing and certainly hopes they will help him widen his lead for Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year. Palaniuk has a 40-point advantage over 2015 Bassmaster Classic Champion Casey Ashley and Elite newcomer Jacob Wheeler, who are tied for second, and 43 points over Jason Christie of Oklahoma.

Unless one or more of those three challengers closes the gap in this, the final regular-season Elite event of the year, Palaniuk will be virtually impossible to overtake in the postseason Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship on Mille Lacs Lake, Minn.

The Lake St. Clair tournament is scheduled for Aug. 24-27, with daily take offs at 6:30 a.m. ET from Lake St. Clair Metropark. Weigh-ins will be held back at the park each day at 3:15 p.m.

“There have been a lot of big fish caught this year,” said Gerry Gostenik, a former regular on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail and owner of Great Lakes Fishing Guide Service. “I had one that was over 6 pounds Monday (Aug. 14). One of my partners did as well.

“I would say if the conditions are ideal, you’ll probably see a 23- to 24-pound limit come in. I don’t think anybody can do that three or four days in a row. But if a guy can stay in the vicinity of that 20-pound mark and have one day when he clobbers them, that’s probably what it’s going to take to win.”

Gostenik said he wouldn’t be surprised if it takes a four-day total of 80 to 85 pounds to claim the $100,000 first-place prize. He’s been catching 50-plus fish a day on his guide trips for more than six weeks — and much of that is because the weather in the region has been ideal this spring and summer.

“Sometimes when you get toward late August, the fish are in transition and it can be tougher,” Gostenik said. “But we’ve had a funky spring and a cooler-than-normal year, so it seems like the fish are behind a little bit — which is a good thing.

“That puts them right where a lot of these guys are going to want to catch them on drop-shot rigs, deep-diving crankbaits and deep-diving jerkbaits — baits that will catch not as many, but bigger fish.”

The bass have been relating heavily to baitfish, Gostenik said, including perch and tiny threadfin shad that measure barely 2 inches in length. He said giant bait balls have been obvious on his electronics, and the winning angler will likely find one general area with several spots that are holding that kind of bait.

The biggest X-factor could be the wind.

“It would be perfect if we could have about a 1-foot chop where you can actually hold your boat in place when you find some fish in a clump,” he said. “When there’s 3- to 4-foot waves out there, it makes it really difficult to do that, if not impossible.

“We’re having really good summertime weather right now, and I hope that holds up for this event.”

Besides a coveted Elite Series trophy and large cash prizes, anglers will be vying for points that could lead to the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title and a berth in the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

Palaniuk, who currently leads the AOY standings with 729 points, said he’s trying not to think about the possibility of winning what some say is bass fishing’s highest honor.

“I don’t even want to look at the standings,” said Palaniuk, who has six Top 12 finishes this season, including a win on Sam Rayburn Reservoir in May. “That’s something I don’t want to think about until it’s all over.”

Ashley said his main focus is making the Classic, which is scheduled for Lake Hartwell — a lake in his home state of South Carolina where he claimed a Classic title in 2015.

“Making that Classic is all I’m worried about,” Ashley said. “I want to get all of the points I can — and if that happens to mean I get enough points to win Angler of the Year, that’ll be great.”

A special festival will be held at Lake St. Clair Metropark on Aug. 25-27 in conjunction with the tournament and Bassmaster Elite Series Outdoors Expo, featuring music, vendors, food and more. The festival will be free and open to the public from 1 to 6 p.m. Aug. 25-26 and from 1 to 5 p.m. Aug. 27.

Macomb County and the Detroit Sports Commission will host the event.

College Freshman Qualifies For The 2018 Bassmaster Classic

Jacob Foutz of Bryan College won the 2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shops earning a berth in the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICKS Sporting Goods to be held on Lake Hartwell out of Greenville/Anderson, S.C.

Photo by Ronnie Moore/B.A.S.S.

August 16, 2017

College Freshman Qualifies For The 2018 Bassmaster Classic

[print_link]

DEERWOOD, Minn. — All season long, as teammates on Bryan College’s bass fishing team, Jacob Foutz and Jake Lee worked well together. The college freshmen finished ninth in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Eastern Regional presented by Bass Pro Shops at Cherokee Lake, Tennessee.

Last week they really clicked, claiming the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops on Lake Bemidji in Minnesota. And this week, when the teammates were split up and battled their way through separate sides of the College Series Bracket on Serpent Lake, each dominated their matchups to make it to today’s finals.

There, it was each young man for himself as they competed for a single invitation to the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods on Lake Hartwell, South Carolina.

Foutz turned in the top performance of the bracket week, putting together a limit of 16 pounds, 5 ounces and easily defeating his teammate, Lee, who had 10-12.

Foutz showed his versatile fishing skills beginning with the National Championship on Lake Bemidji, where he and Lee fished shallow for largemouth bass. In the bracket competition on Serpent Lake, however, he focused his attention strictly on smallmouth. That decision proved to be a wise choice as he stayed consistent over three days of action. He defeated Bethel University’s Brian Pahl in the first round of competition with 14-1 and then Chico State’s Chad Sweitzer with 13-6. He saved his best for last as his 16-5 pushed him over teammate Lee, and now he is the newest angler to notch a berth in the 2018 Bassmaster Classic.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling, one that is hard to describe unless you live it,” Foutz said. “I’ve been fishing ever since I could crawl, and as long as I can remember I wanted to fish the Bassmaster Classic. I’m fortunate enough to have fulfilled a lifelong dream.”

The 19-year-old freshman (he turns 20 on June 9, 2018) just completed his first year of college and will now compete against the best anglers in the world, including his favorite angler Greg Hackney, in the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing.

“There are a bunch of unbelievable anglers at Bryan College,” Foutz said. “They push Jake (Lee) and myself to be the best we can be. I look forward to representing college fishing this next year.”

A turning point in the final day of competition happened when Foutz caught a 4-pound smallmouth, which tied for the biggest bass of the bracketed competition. He started slow, but after catching a 3-15 and then a 4-0, Foutz began to see the writing on the wall.

“When I caught that 4-0 I felt like I gave myself a shot to win,” Foutz said. “I kept culling up throughout the day and when I hit the 16-pound mark I was pretty certain I won.”

Foutz concentrated on smallmouth by drop shotting a Gary Yamamoto Shad Shape worm on offshore humps that varied in depth. The shallower humps were in 12- to 15-feet of water, but his best areas were deeper than 20 feet.

He is the first National Championship winner to also take home the College Classic Bracket championship since this format was created in 2012. He and partner Lee are the third set of teammates to make it through the entire bracket and face off in the finals. Auburn University teammates Matt Lee and his brother Jordan did so in 2012 with Matt winning and punching his ticket to the 2013 Classic. The next year Jordan Lee was matched against his teammate, Shane Powell. Lee won and made it to the 2014 Classic at Lake Guntersville.

“My great-grandma is my biggest fan, she sends me a text every night before a tournament,” Foutz said. “This is something I wanted to do for her.”

With his win, Foutz will be given the use of a fully rigged and wrapped Toyota Tundra and Nitro Z20 bass boat with a 225 Mercury Pro XS equipped with Power-Pole shallow-water anchors, Humminbird electronics and a Minn Kota trolling motor. Carhartt awarded him with $7,500 in prize money to help with travel as he also gained entry into not only the 2018 Classic, but also all nine Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens in 2018.

Name # Fish # Live Lbs – Oz
1 Jacob Foutz – Bryan College 5 5 16-5
2 Jake Lee – Bryan College – 5 5 10-12

TOTALS
Day # Fish # Live Lbs-Oz # Limits
1 40 40 87-13 8
2 20 20 50-10 4
3 10 10 27-1 2

3 Reasons You Should Be Throwing Topwater Poppers – MTB

3 Reasons You Should Be Throwing Topwater Poppers

There is nothing more exciting than watching a big bass blow up on a surface bait. Given the right time and conditions, topwater lures like a popper can be a very effective and efficient way to catch fish. With most topwaters you can cover water quickly and trigger reaction strikes from bass that might pass up a different presentation.

There are countless styles of topwater lures out there, but the classic popper still remains to be one of the best. What is it that makes this plug so special and separates it from other surface baits? Let’s breakdown it down and see why everyone should have one popper (or 10 topwater poppers) in their tackle box.