A Conversation with John Cox About His Southern Open Win & More April 30,2017
A look back at his Southern Open Win on Lake Chickamagua & his 7th place FLW finish on Beaver Lake as well as his thoughts on making the 2018 Bassmaster Classic.
ALABAMA’S MCCOMBS WINS FLW TOUR AT BEAVER LAKE PRESENTED BY GENERAL TIRE
ALABAMA’S MCCOMBS WINS FLW TOUR AT BEAVER LAKE PRESENTED BY GENERAL TIRE
Pro Angler Earns Title in His Return Season to Tour after 14-year Hiatus
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Link to HD video of Johnny McCombs’ Winning Moment On-Stage
ROGERS, Ark. (April 30, 2017) – Pro Johnny McCombs of Morris, Alabama, weighed in just two bass totaling 5 pounds, 4 ounces Sunday, but it was enough to win the $100,000 prize at the FLW Tour event at Beaver Lake presented by General Tire. McCombs earned the win by 2-pound, 6-ounce margin over second place pro Jason Reyes of Huffman, Texas, in the four-day event hosted by Visit Rogers, that featured a field of 161 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals competing in one of the most challenging tournaments in recent FLW history.
Another round of severe thunderstorms swept through northwest Arkansas Saturday night, bringing water levels up an estimated 4 or 5 feet overnight. The muddy water that greeted the final 10 anglers Sunday proved to be an extreme challenge, as only two anglers were able to bring a five-bass limit to the scale. McCombs only managed two keepers, but they were enough to earn the Alabama angler the victory in his first season back on Tour after a 14-year hiatus.
“I still can’t believe it,” said McCombs, a three-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier who earned his first career victory. “This one probably won’t sink in for a while, but it was a long time coming. It’s so awesome to be back out here and doing what I love again and this 100 thousand will go a long way.”
McCombs said that he caught most of his fish – including the tournament-best 18 pound, 15 ounce limit Saturday – fishing grass and bushes in flooded pockets. His bait of choice was a white and chartreuse-colored War Eagle Buzzbait with a Zoom Horny Toad. He said all of the fish that he weighed in this week came via the buzzbait except for one, when he followed up on a missed strike to the buzzbait with a jig.
“I just kept working my way down the bank and trying to keep my bait in the strike zone for as long as I could,” McCombs said. “I was fishing the flooded bank – grass, people’s front yards and lawns, boat docks – anything that looked good. The water got too high today, and that’s why I didn’t get many bites. I missed a couple and I probably should have weighed in 14 pounds, but I just couldn’t hook them up today. Luckily I caught the two that I needed.”
The top 10 pros on Beaver Lake finished:
1st: Johnny McCombs, Morris, Ala., 17 bass, 47-1, $100,000
2nd: Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, 18 bass, 44-11, $30,000
3rd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 20 bass, 43-3, $25,000
4th: Keith Bryan, Novato, Calif., 20 bass, 42-14, $20,000
5th: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 18 bass, 40-10, $19,000
6th: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Odenville, Ala., 18 bass, 39-8, $18,000
7th: Mud Hole Custom Tackle pro John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 16 bass, 38-7, $17,000
8th: Christopher Brasher, Longview, Texas, 18 bass, 37-8, $16,000
9th: Brandon McMillan, Clewiston, Fla., 16 bass, 36-0, $15,000
10th: Dean Alexander, Georgetown, Texas, 16 bass, 34-5, $14,000
Complete results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 28 bass weighing 55 pounds, 2 ounces caught by pros Sunday. Two of the final 10 pros weighed in five-bass limits.
Charley Slaton of Valliant, Oklahoma, won the co-angler division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of nine bass weighing 17 pounds, 15 ounces, followed by Billy Messer of Spartanburg, South Carolina, who finished in second place with 10 bass weighing 17 pounds, 14 ounces, worth $7,550.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of 322 anglers competed Thursday and Friday. Co-angler competition concluded following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 20 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continued competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13.
The FLW Tour at Beaver Lake presented by General Tire was hosted by Visit Rogers. The next event for FLW Tour anglers will be the FLW Tour at the Mississippi River presented by Evinrude, May 18-21 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Beaver Lake presented by General Tire will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) June 18 from 6 a.m.-7 a.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT May 2017 By Captain DALE WILSON
SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
May 2017
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.com
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OVERVIEW- There has been lots of changes to the lake conditions the past couple of weeks! We have experienced lots of rain making for stained water. Fishing has been good this past month! Water temperature will be in the 60’s to low 70’s. Best times will be early morning, late afternoon, and cloudy days. Small and largemouth bass fishing has been good this past month. May is usually one of the better months to fish!
Largemouth Bass- Fishing for largemouth bass will be good this month. Best lures will be jigs, drop shots, shallow running crank baits, top water lures, Carolina rigs and shaky heads. Most largemouth bass will be in their spawning patterns this month. Secondary points, shallow coves, rocks, stumps and docks will be the best areas to try your luck. Best depths will be from 2 to 10 feet deep. Remember to take care of the bass during the spawn and release them! Fishing will be good at night when the shad are up spawning. Best lures at night are wake baits and shallow running crank baits.
Smallmouth Bass- Fishing will be good. Best areas will be shallow humps, stumps, shallow rocky areas and secondary flats. Best lures will be tubes, jigs, top water lures, hair jigs and medium diving crank baits. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Cloudy days with wind and at night are good times to try your luck! Look for areas with rocks, stumps and flat points next to deep water. Look for humps and isolated rocks near deep water ledges. They feed heavily on crawfish around the full moon. Smallmouth will continue to spawn this month.
Striped Bass- Fishing will be good this month. Stripers will be caught in the mid sections of the lake and the lower sections towards the dam and in the large creeks. Best lures will be swim baits, buck tails, wake baits and Zoom flukes fished on 1/4 to 3/8 oz. lead heads. Best time to fish is cloudy days, early morning, night time and late afternoon when the shad are spawning. The best depths will be from the surface to 30 feet deep. Live bait fished on down lines and planner boards work good this month. They will constantly be on the move. Find the largest concentration of shad. Night fishing will be good this month. Lures like Red Fins, Thunder Sticks and large Rapalas work when the shad come to the shoreline at night.
Crappie- Fishing for crappie will be good this month. The best depths will be 2 to 12 ft. deep. Crappie will be found around docks, brush piles, and fallen trees. Docks with brush piles are usually good areas to hold crappie. Small live minnows and 1½ to 2 inch tubes or shad shaped plastic lures fished on 1/32 to 1/16 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month. Best areas are the main creeks and the upper section of the lake. Some crappie will continue to spawn this month.
TIP OF THE Month- Always wear your life jacket. Most fish will be caught at night when the shad are spawning. Try to find the areas with the largest concentration of bait fish. ***There will be lots of debris floating since the lake flooded! You can also hear reports about local fishing on the website: THE BASS CAST RADIO SHOW each month. Make sure your running lights are on after dark! Remember to TAKE A KID FISHING!
Severe Weather Forces Postponement Of Final Day Of Bassmaster Elite At Ross Barnett
April 30, 2017
Severe Weather Forces Postponement Of Final Day Of Bassmaster Elite At Ross Barnett
RIDGELAND, Miss. — Due to unsafe weather conditions, the final round of the 2017 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Ross Barnett has been postponed until Monday, May 1.
Trip Weldon, B.A.S.S. tournament director, announced the decision after extended communication with the National Weather Service of Jackson, Miss.
“After discussing the threat of severe weather with the National Weather Service, and with the safety of our anglers as our top concern, we felt postponing the final day was the best decision,” Weldon said. “These storms contain significant lightning
According to the National Weather Service, the storms are predicted to arrive by 9 a.m. and continue through the afternoon. They currently contain significant lightning, also “damaging wind gusts, hail and a few tornadoes will be possible.”
Dustin Connell of Alabama owns a comfortable lead of 5 pounds, 6 ounces over his nearest competitor, Keith Poche, also of Alabama. The event began Thursday with 109 Elite anglers, but only the Top 12 compete in the championship round.
Those 12 anglers will resume competition on Monday, May 1, at 6 a.m. CT, and will launch from Madison Landing. The weigh-in will begin at 2 p.m. CT at Old Trace Park.
California, Arizona Qualify Teams For High School Championship
Zachary Featherston (left) and Adrian Murar of California won the inaugural Costa Bassmaster High School Western Open presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods on Lake Oroville with 11.23 pounds.
Photo by Tyler McCollum/Bassmaster
April 29, 2017
California, Arizona Qualify Teams For High School Championship
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OROVILLE, Calif. — California and Arizona will both be sending teams to the 2017 Costa Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods this summer in Tennessee.
Adrian Murar and Zachary Featherston of California and Tyler Derman and Marlin Paschal of Arizona earned berths in the championship today in the first-ever Costa Bassmaster High School Western Open on California’s Lake Oroville.
Murar and Featherston won the one-day event with 11.23 pounds.
“I had never seen this lake until today,” said Murar, 18. “We fished the bridge pilings right near launch, and we caught more than 100 fish there today.”
The biggest of the hundred they caught weighed in at 2.77 pounds, which shows how hard it was to catch fish of any size. Most anglers who crossed the stage said catching fish was no problem; it was catching big fish that was the issue.
The biggest bass weighed in was 3.77 pounds, caught by the second-place team of Derman and Paschal from Arizona.
Murar and Featherston said they never slowed down all day.
“We caught fish all day long,” said Featherston, 16, who fishes Oroville a lot. “We were in the right place. The lake is dropping, so fish went to the bridge pilings where they know there’s always structure.”
The bass were suspended on the pilings in 10 feet of water, in a spot that’s more than 100 feet deep.
The teammates used an underspin setup with a BladeRunner in black shad and a 3.8-inch Keitech swimbait in pro blue as their primary lure. They also used a 6-inch Huddleston swimbait in hitch color and switched to Senkos and darter heads later in the morning looking for a bigger bite.
“It was fish after fish after fish,” said Murar. “It was fun.”
For Arizona’s Derman and Paschal, it was drop shotting that led them to 10.39 pounds.
“Drop shots nailed it,” said Paschal.
Drop shots, underspins, spinnerbaits and shaky heads were the main lures for most of the field. All 16 high school teams managed a five-bass limit.
“We were thrilled to be able to offer a High School Open out here in the West,” said Mike Landy, youth director for the California B.A.S.S. Nation. “We only expect this to grow over time. We’re already excited about next year.”
Neither of the four championship qualifiers — Murar, Featherston, Derman or Paschal — have ever been to Tennessee. Both teams are looking forward to representing the West on Kentucky Lake, June 22-24.
| 2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Western Open presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods | |||||
| April 29, 2017 — Lake Oroville, Oroville, CA | |||||
| Place | Boater | Nonboater | Bass | Weight | |
| 1 | Zachary Featherston | Adrian Murar | 5 | 11.23 | |
| 2 | Marlin Paschal | Tyler Derman | 5 | 10.39 | |
| 3 | Jonah Henrickson | Jack Geist | 5 | 10.28 | |
| 4 | Cody Malecha | Trevor Sinclair | 5 | 10.25 | |
| 5 | Ryan Jaeger | Shawn Fields | 5 | 9.95 | |
| 6 | Alec Engelhardt | Jacob Marriner | 5 | 9.90 | |
| 7 | Cody Derby | Tanner Mayhood | 5 | 9.23 | |
| 8 | Brandon DeVincenzi | Austin Splane | 5 | 9.19 | |
| 9 | Joseph Mariani | Jack Mariani | 5 | 9.03 | |
| 10 | Sean O’Riordan | Caeser Lewis | 5 | 8.97 | |
| 11 | Brian Lopez | Roger Newton | 5 | 8.43 | |
| 12 | Vance Hayes | PJ Allen | 5 | 8.38 | |
| 13 | Manuel Nevarez II | Jessica Spencer | 5 | 8.05 | |
| 14 | Ralph Miller IV | Forrest Southard | 5 | 7.60 | |
| 15 | Joseph Brown | Luke Liponovich | 5 | 7.07 | |
| 16 | Zachary Kedzior | Trevor Rumsey | 5 | 6.64 | |
| Total | 80 | 144.59 | |||
Camping World-led group wins bankruptcy auction for Gander Mountain
The largest U.S. recreational vehicle dealer, Camping World Holdings Inc (CWH.N), and a group of liquidators won a bankruptcy auction for sporting goods retailer Gander Mountain Co [GDMIN.UL] on Friday, according to a bankruptcy court filing.
The value of the winning bid was about $390 million, according to people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the details of the auction results. The Camping World-led group bested a going-concern bid for Gander Mountain from rival Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings Inc (SPWH.O), the sources said.
Camping World, which is run by Marcus Lemonis, a star on CNBC TV’s reality show “The Profit,” plans to operate at least 17 Gander Mountain stores as a going concern, the sources said. An auction for Gander Mountain’s remaining more than 100 leases will be held later, the sources said.
Multiple Records Fall During High School Southern Open on Chickamauga Lake
Logan Henderson (right) and Steven Swann of Springville Anglers Bass Club in Alabama won the 2017 Costa Bassmaster High School Southern Open presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods with 24 pounds, 1 ounce.
Photo by Brent Miller/Bassmaster
Multiple Records Fall During High School Southern Open on Chickamauga Lake
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DAYTON, Tenn. — A field of 347 boats and 1,033 total participants took part in Saturday’s Costa Bassmaster High School Southern Open presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods on Chickamauga Lake.
The event broke records before the first cast was made, with the largest field in B.A.S.S. history. Then once the fishing began, the records just kept falling.
Logan Henderson and Steven Swann from the Springville (Ala.) Anglers won with a 24-pound, 1-ounce limit of bass that now ranks as the largest ever caught in a B.A.S.S. high school event. They finished just ahead of Colton Williams and Chase Taylor of the Good Hope (Ala.) fishing team, who placed second with 22-11.
The previous record catch of 23-14 was caught by Alex Heintze and Justin Watts in 2015.
“It started off kind of slow for us,” said Henderson, a sophomore at Springville High School in St. Clair County, Ala. “Then we caught one about 5 pounds — Steven did — and at about 10:15 (a.m.), we caught one that weighed 8-3.
“Then from about 10:15 until about noon, it just got slow.”
Henderson and Swann caught all of their fish around brushpiles in 12 to 15 feet. They couldn’t get the bass to bite anything but a Strike King 5XD crankbait — but it wasn’t for lack of trying.
“We fished a football head jig and a spoon, but we couldn’t get them to hit either one,” Swann said. “All of a sudden, from about 1 to 3, they just started biting again.”
It was the first trip for the pair to Chickamauga, and they only had about a day and a half to practice. Their boat captain, Kenny Pannell, who is also Logan’s grandfather, arrived a day earlier than the youngsters and did a little scouting himself.
There were moments of anxiety for the winning team during the midday lull — even with two big fish already in the livewell.
“It’s tough, because you’re anticipating another big one,” Henderson said. “We didn’t want to waste those two big ones we had already caught.
“We finally changed areas, and the second spot where we started catching them had brush that was a little more scattered.”
Henderson and Swann knew by the time they got to the weigh-in stage that they would need a big weight to replace Williams and Taylor as the leaders. The eventual second-place finishers weighed in early, and had been sitting in the hot seat with 22-11 for more than an hour when Henderson and Swann took the stage.
The impressive catch of Williams and Taylor was anchored by a largemouth that weighed 7-10.
“We pulled up on a spot where we knew there was some grass, but we didn’t catch anything for about 30 minutes,” Taylor said. “We moved a little deeper and started catching them. That was the only spot we stayed in all day.”
The spot, which was only about 20 feet long, was the kind of place tournament anglers of all ages dream of finding.
“We caught 43 fish out of that one spot,” Williams said. “It was just a lucky spot that we had never fished before.”
The anglers stayed with their special spot as long as they could. But with boat troubles dogging them throughout the day, they decided to make a 35-minute run back to another spot that was closer to the launch site.
Fishing was much tougher for them after the move.
“I know we could have caught another kicker if we could have stayed there longer,” Taylor said.
Taylor spent most of his day using a 1/2-ounce chartreuse ChatterBait with a small swimbait trailer. Williams said he used a 1/2-ounce crawfish-colored Rat-L-Trap.
Another record that fell was the largest bass ever caught during a B.A.S.S. high school event. Chase Carter and Adam Sansom of the North West Georgia Anglers established a new mark — one that will be hard to top in the future — with a largemouth that weighed 10-11.
On a day when numerous bass in the 7- to 8-pound range were caught, Carter and Sansom easily earned the award for Big Bass.
“He thought he had a catfish,” said Sansom, a high school junior. “But then when that thing opened its mouth, my heart just stopped.”
Carter, a freshman, had a similar reaction.
“It probably took me an hour to stop shaking,” he said.
Rounding out the Top 5 were Houston Calvert and Chase Abbott, Cold Springs Fishing Team (20-14), Justin Lowery and James Cobbs, Cullman High School (20-7) and Chace Gregory and Tucker Weidler, Helena High School (20-6).
The Top 35 teams from the event qualified for the Costa Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, scheduled for June 19-24 on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tenn.
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Alabama’s Connell Widens Lead In Bassmaster Elite At Ross Barnett
Dustin Connell of Clanton, Ala., maintains the lead on the third day of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Ross Barnett, bringing 15 pounds, 7 ounces to the scales on Saturday for a three-day total weight of 51-14.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S
April 29, 2017
Alabama’s Connell Widens Lead In Bassmaster Elite At Ross Barnett
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RIDGELAND, Miss. — For the second day in a row, Alabama native Dustin Connell is leading the fourth Bassmaster Elite Series event of his life. The 26-year-old rookie is closing in on his first victory and the $100,000 first-place prize at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Ross Barnett.
The weather forecast for Ridgeland, Miss., is predicting strong thunderstorms and heavy rain for Championship Sunday, which could impact whether the tournament concludes on schedule or gets postponed until Monday.
Connell’s pattern produced 15 pounds, 7 ounces of largemouth bass for a three-day total of 51-14, which is just over 6 pounds ahead of second place.
“I’m fishing up in the Pearl River,” Connell said. “And if we get heavy rain, the potential flood waters could wash out my spots. If that happens, I may have to revert to plan B and pick up a frog. I’m hoping we’ll dodge a bullet and be able to fish on Sunday.”
Connell mentioned that he’s so confident in his fishing spots that if the weather holds off, he believes he can win.
“I’m trying to not focus on the what if’s right now, rather I’m focusing on what I need to do tomorrow to win, provided we get to fish,” he said. “I have been flipping 35 to 40 spots with lots of vegetation this week. The water in that part of the river is starting to stabilize, and fishing seems to be getting better. If we can avoid the rain, I think I could catch the biggest limit of my week.”
The young angler said he caught 12 or 13 fish during the day, and he missed several big bites that could have added to his lead.
“I’m happy to have a 6-pound lead, which on this lake will go a long way,” he said. “If the weather does hit, a 6-pound cushion will play to my advantage. At the very least, it’ll help me sleep tonight.”
Another Alabamian is also in contention for the win. Keith Poche caught 15-6 on Saturday’s semi-final round, pushing his total to 46-8.
“I really don’t know how this is going to end up,” Poche said. “The forecasted weather is a huge variable. I know I’m around some big fish, maybe even the winning fish, but several inches of rain will definitely change things — and if it does I will be starting over.”
Rounding out the Top 12: Kevin VanDam (46-6), Jonathon VanDam (45-15), Brent Chapman (44-13), Mark Menendez (44-13), Fred Roumbanis (44-12), Matt Herren (44-4), Ish Monroe (44-2), Dave Lefebre (44-1), Bobby Lane (43-10) and Skeet Reese (42-11).
Lester remains in the lead for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award thanks to the 7-2 largemouth bass he caught during Thursday’s opening round.
Due to impending weather conditions for Ridgeland, Miss., Bassmaster tournament officials are in regular communication with the National Weather Service. They will make a decision about the final round of competition Saturday evening or early Sunday morning.
According to Bassmaster Elite Series rules, if Championship Sunday is canceled, the tournament will resume on Monday with a projected 6 a.m. CT takeoff and a final weigh-in at 2 p.m.
Connell won the Livingston Lures Day 2 Leader Award of $500 for leading the tournament on Friday’s second day of competition.
The event is hosted by the Ridgeland Tourism Commission.
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Luke Nichols Win’s Bass Cast Open on Smith Mountain Lake April 29,2017
1st Place Luke Nichols with five fish weighing 20.68lbs & Large Mouth Lunker 6.65lbs
2nd Place Steve Roberts & Mark Cooper with five fish weighing 20.34lbs & Small Mouth Lunker of 4.40lbs
3rd Place Dwain Never & Lacy Burnette with Five fish weighing 18.76lbs
4th Place Ian Branson & Jon Branson with five fish weighing 17.11lbs
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL RESULTS
2nd Place Steve Roberts & Mark Cooper with five fish weighing 20.34lbs & Small Mouth Lunker of 4.40lbs
3rd Place Dwain Never & Lacy Burnette with Five fish weighing 18.76lbs
4th Place Ian Branson & Jon Branson with five fish weighing 17.11lbs
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL RESULTS
2nd Place Steve Roberts & Mark Cooper with five fish weighing 20.34lbs & Small Mouth Lunker of 4.40lbs
3rd Place Dwain Never & Lacy Burnette with Five fish weighing 18.76lbs
4th Place Ian Branson & Jon Branson with five fish weighing 17.11lbs
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL RESULTS
3rd Place Dwain Never & Lacy Burnette with Five fish weighing 18.76lbs
4th Place Ian Branson & Jon Branson with five fish weighing 17.11lbs
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL RESULTS
3rd Place Dwain Never & Lacy Burnette with Five fish weighing 18.76lbs
4th Place Ian Branson & Jon Branson with five fish weighing 17.11lbs
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL RESULTS
4th Place Ian Branson & Jon Branson with five fish weighing 17.11lbs
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL RESULTS
4th Place Ian Branson & Jon Branson with five fish weighing 17.11lbs
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL RESULTS
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL RESULTS
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL RESULTS
ALABAMA’S MCCOMBS VAULTS TO LEAD ON DAY THREE OF FLW TOUR AT BEAVER LAKE PRESENTED BY GENERAL TIRE
ALABAMA’S MCCOMBS VAULTS TO LEAD ON DAY THREE OF FLW TOUR AT BEAVER LAKE PRESENTED BY GENERAL TIRE
Six-Year Tour Veteran Seeks First Career Win, Brings 2-pound, 5-ounce Lead into Final Day
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ROGERS, Ark. (April 29, 2017) – The weather was the big story Saturday at the FLW Tour event at Beaver Lake presented by General Tire. After a rainy week that had seen water levels rise more than 8 feet, Mother Nature continued to challenge the FLW Tour pros with another round of heavy storms and flash flooding that forced many of the final 20 Tour pros to seek shelter during the competition day.
After starting the day in 11th place, pro Johnny McCombs of Morris, Alabama, battled through the storms and brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 18 pounds, 15 ounces – the heaviest limit of the tournament and seventh largest at Beaver Lake in FLW Tour history – to vault to the top of the leaderboard. The four-day competition, hosted by Visit Rogers, featured a field of 161 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals casting for a top award of up to $125,000.
“I think the weather affected the fishermen more than the fish,” said McCombs, a three-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier. “I fished all new water today and had my weight by 8:30 a.m. It wasn’t one spot – it was one here, one there. I caught them all on one bait.”
With one day of competition remaining, McCombs was not yet ready to divulge the specifics of his bait.
“The water is flooded into the bushes, and I’m just fishing down the bank line,” McCombs said. “I’m on a pattern and I know what to look for. If I pull into a place and it doesn’t look right, I’m out of there and on to the next one.
“I actually stopped fishing a few hours early today because of the storms,” McCombs continued. “I’m excited to get back out there tomorrow and hopefully I can get the right bites that I need to win this thing.”
The top 10 advancing to the final day of competition Sunday on Beaver Lake are:
1st: Johnny McCombs, Morris, Ala., 15 bass, 41-13
2nd: Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, 15 bass, 39-8
3rd: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 15 bass, 35-6
4th: Mud Hole Custom Tackle pro John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 14 bass, 35-3
5th: Brandon McMillan, Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 34-5
6th: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Odenville, Ala., 15 bass, 33-4
7th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 33-2
8th: Keith Bryan, Novato, Calif., 15 bass, 32-6
9th: Dean Alexander, Georgetown, Texas, 15 bass, 32-1
10th: Christopher Brasher, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 32-0
Finishing in 11th through 20th are:
11th: Randy Blaukat, Joplin, Mo., 14 bass, 30-8, $12,000
12th: Drew Montgomery, Maiden, N.C., 15 bass, 30-8, $12,000
13th: Joseph Webster, Fulton, Miss., 15 bass, 30-6, $12,000
14th: Bradley Dortch, Atmore, Ala., 15 bass, 29-8, $12,000
15th: Nick Gainey, Charleston, S.C., 13 bass, 29-6, $12,000
16th: Daniel Kweekul, Bryant, Ark., 12 bass, 29-2, $12,000
17th: Tim Frederick, Leesburg, Fla., 13 bass, 28-12, $12,000
18th: Matt Stefan, Junction City, Wis., 14 bass, 28-11, $12,000
19th: Scott Ashmore, Broken Arrow, Okla., 11 bass, 28-3, $12,000
20th: Jeff Dobson, Bartlesville, Okla., 15 bass, 26-15, $12,000
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 90 bass weighing 172 pounds even caught by pros Saturday. Fourteen of the final 20 pros weighed in five-bass limits.
Charley Slaton of Valliant, Oklahoma, won the co-angler division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of nine bass weighing 17 pounds, 15 ounces, followed by Billy Messer of Spartanburg, South Carolina, who finished in second place with 10 bass weighing 17 pounds, 14 ounces, worth $7,550.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of 322 anglers competed Thursday and Friday. Co-angler competition concluded following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 20 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2017 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, Aug. 11-13.
The final 10 anglers will take off from the Prairie Creek Park Boat Ramp located at 9300 N. Park Road in Rogers at 6:30 a.m. Sunday. Sunday’s final weigh-in, originally scheduled to be held at Walmart in Rogers, has been moved lakeside to Prairie Creek Park due to inclement weather being forecast for the weekend. The final weigh-in will begin at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-in Sunday, FLW will host a free Fishing Expo at Prairie Creek Park from noon to 4 p.m. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Beaver Lake presented by General Tire will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) June 18 from 6 a.m.-7 a.m. EDT. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
The FLW Tour has visited Beaver Lake 18 times previously, with 2017 marking the 19th visit in FLW’s 22-year history. The total purse for the FLW Tour at the Beaver Lake presented by General Tire is more than $800,000, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division. The tournament is hosted by Visit Rogers.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.