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Horton In Control After Two Days At Bassmaster Elite On Lake Okeechobee

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Horton In Control After Two Days At Bassmaster Elite On Lake Okeechobee

Tim Horton of Muscle Shoals, Ala., takes the lead on the second day of the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee, bringing a two-day total weight of 56 pounds, 3 ounces to the scales.

Photo by Seigo Saito/Bassmaster

Feb. 24, 2017

Horton In Control After Two Days At Bassmaster Elite On Lake Okeechobee

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OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — After weighing the second limit of the tournament that crested 30 pounds, Tim Horton of Muscle Shoals, Ala., took control on Day 2 of the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee. Today’s 30-pound, 4-ounce limit pushed his two-day total to an impressive 56 pounds, 3 ounces.

Horton’s performance vaulted the four-time Bassmaster champion ahead of Thursday’s leader Ott DeFoe of Knoxville, Tenn., by almost 8 pounds.

Horton has a history of winning by a substantial margin: Three of his four victories carried a minimum of a 13-pound difference between first and second place.

But knowing how fickle Lake Okeechobee bass can be, he’s not comfortable just yet.

“This lake can turn on you in the blink of an eye,” said the 2000 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year. “You can go from having nothing to a 25-pound limit in a matter of minutes, or go from 25 pounds to 10 pounds the next day. I could get to my location tomorrow and find that all the fish have moved off.”

With two days left, Horton knows he has a long way to go, but the forecasted weather conditions are stable and play to his game plan.

“I really think that if the weather plays out as forecasted, we could see the fishing actually get better over the next two days,” he said. “Florida-strain bass love the sun, and Saturday and Sunday look warm and sunny. Am I confident? For sure, but I know a lot can happen in two days, especially after the past two days.”

Horton doesn’t plan to change much for Saturday’s semi-final round.

DeFoe slipped a little today weighing only 17-3 after a staggering 31-3 limit of largemouth bass on Thursday. He’ll be starting Saturday in second place behind Horton, but he’s still confident the right fish are in the area he is fishing.

“There was certainly an increase in activity where I started today,” he said. “I caught a small limit by 9 a.m., but decided to make a 30-mile run to more productive waters in the early afternoon.”

The decision proved to be the right one as he culled up to the kind of five-bass limit that would keep him in the hunt.

“I might start in the same place that I did this morning, but if I don’t catch a big fish after an hour or so, I’ll probably make the run across the lake,” he said. “This is the kind of lake where any cast could produce a giant, so it’s worth thoroughly fishing a good spot.”

Speaking of good spots, Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., found one on Day 2 and caught 25-4 to push his two-day total to 43-1, which has him going into Saturday in third place.

“I had a pretty good first day with 17-13, which had me in 21st place, but I was able to capitalize on several big fish today,” said the four-time Bassmaster champion. “Today was a lot of fun, but the 9-pounder I weighed helped out tremendously. A fish like that just changes everything”

Rojas’ big bass was key in moving him up the leaderboard, but interestingly, it wasn’t the biggest bass of the day.

Micah Frazier caught a bass that weighed 9-3, which is just 2 ounces shy of the current Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the tournament caught by rookie Tyler Carriere of Youngsville, La., during Thursday’s opening day of competition.

“It was the largest bass I’ve ever caught in a tournament, and it was a true blessing,” said Frazier, a 28-year-old pro from Newnan, Ga.

The rest of the Top 10 include: Cliff Prince (43-1), Stephen Browning (42-9), Greg Hackney (39-11), Jesse Tacoronte (39-0), Randall Tharp (38-8), Fletcher Shryock (37-4) and Jason Williamson (36-14).

The Top 51 anglers will advance to the semi-final round on Saturday, and the field will be cut to the Top 12 for Championship Sunday to compete for the $100,000 first place prize.

Competition will resume Saturday with takeoff at 6:45 a.m. ET at C. Scott Driver Park, and weigh-in will begin at 3:15 p.m. in the same location.

The event is hosted by the Okeechobee County Tourism.

 

2017 A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee 2/23-2/26
Lake Okeechobee, Okeechobee  FL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

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

1.  Tim Horton             Muscle Shoals, AL       10  56-03  110     $500.00
Day 1: 5   25-15     Day 2: 5   30-04
2.  Ott DeFoe              Knoxville, TN           10  48-06  109
Day 1: 5   31-03     Day 2: 5   17-03
3.  Dean Rojas             Lake Havasu City, AZ    10  43-01  108
Day 1: 5   17-13     Day 2: 5   25-04
4.  Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL             10  43-01  107
Day 1: 5   21-11     Day 2: 5   21-06
5.  Stephen Browning       Hot Springs, AR         10  42-09  106
Day 1: 5   26-13     Day 2: 5   15-12
6.  Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA            10  39-11  105
Day 1: 5   20-02     Day 2: 5   19-09
7.  Jesse Tacoronte        Orlando, FL             10  39-00  104
Day 1: 5   10-12     Day 2: 5   28-04
8.  Randall Tharp          Port St. Joe, FL        10  38-08  103
Day 1: 5   18-03     Day 2: 5   20-05
9.  Fletcher Shryock       New Philadelphia, OH    10  37-04  102
Day 1: 5   17-00     Day 2: 5   20-04
10. Jason Williamson       Wagener, SC             10  36-14  101
Day 1: 5   17-09     Day 2: 5   19-05
11. Chad Pipkens           Lansing, MI             10  36-00  100
Day 1: 5   19-09     Day 2: 5   16-07
12. Micah Frazier          Newnan, GA              10  35-12   99
Day 1: 5   13-08     Day 2: 5   22-04
13. Gary Klein             Weatherford, TX         10  35-06   98
Day 1: 5   12-07     Day 2: 5   22-15
14. David Fritts           Lexington, NC           10  35-00   97
Day 1: 5   16-06     Day 2: 5   18-10
15. Bobby Lane Jr.         Lakeland, FL            10  34-13   96
Day 1: 5   21-15     Day 2: 5   12-14
16. Jordan Lee             Grant, AL               10  33-15   95
Day 1: 5   17-02     Day 2: 5   16-13
17. Andy Montgomery        Blacksburg, SC          10  33-06   94
Day 1: 5   20-13     Day 2: 5   12-09
18. Brett Hite             Phoenix, AZ             10  33-04   93
Day 1: 5   23-03     Day 2: 5   10-01
19. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          10  32-13   92
Day 1: 5   17-11     Day 2: 5   15-02
20. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN           10  32-09   91
Day 1: 5   17-15     Day 2: 5   14-10
21. Casey Ashley           Donalds, SC             10  32-06   90
Day 1: 5   14-08     Day 2: 5   17-14
22. Josh Bertrand          Gilbert, AZ             10  32-06   89
Day 1: 5   16-10     Day 2: 5   15-12
23. Adrian Avena           Vineland, NJ            10  32-02   88
Day 1: 5   15-02     Day 2: 5   17-00
24. Mark Davis             Mount Ida, AR           10  31-15   87
Day 1: 5   19-00     Day 2: 5   12-15
25. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        10  31-11   86
Day 1: 5   15-15     Day 2: 5   15-12
26. Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, MO        10  31-09   85
Day 1: 5   16-11     Day 2: 5   14-14
27. Jeff Kriet             Ardmore, OK             10  31-08   84
Day 1: 5   19-08     Day 2: 5   12-00
28. Hank Cherry Jr         Lincolnton, NC          10  31-07   83
Day 1: 5   13-13     Day 2: 5   17-10
29. Alton Jones Jr.        Lorena, TX              10  31-06   82
Day 1: 5   12-01     Day 2: 5   19-05
30. Dustin Connell         Clanton, AL             10  31-06   81
Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 5   12-14
31. Cliff Pace             Petal, MS               10  31-01   80
Day 1: 5   17-02     Day 2: 5   13-15
32. Todd Faircloth         Jasper, TX              10  31-00   79
Day 1: 5   10-15     Day 2: 5   20-01
33. Boyd Duckett           Guntersville, AL        10  30-15   78
Day 1: 5   08-12     Day 2: 5   22-03
34. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL              10  30-06   77
Day 1: 5   18-07     Day 2: 5   11-15
35. Tyler Carriere         Youngsville, LA         10  30-02   76
Day 1: 5   15-03     Day 2: 5   14-15
36. Keith Poche            Pike Road, AL           10  30-01   75
Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   14-01
37. Brent Ehrler           Newport Beach, CA       10  29-15   74
Day 1: 5   19-09     Day 2: 5   10-06
38. David Walker           Sevierville, TN         10  29-08   73
Day 1: 5   14-15     Day 2: 5   14-09
39. Stetson Blaylock       Benton, AR              10  29-07   72
Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 5   16-03
40. Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS        10  29-04   71
Day 1: 5   14-04     Day 2: 5   15-00
41. Jason Christie         Park Hill, OK           10  29-02   70
Day 1: 5   17-03     Day 2: 5   11-15
42. Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT           10  29-01   69
Day 1: 5   21-09     Day 2: 5   07-08
43. Kevin VanDam           Kalamazoo, MI           10  29-00   68
Day 1: 5   10-05     Day 2: 5   18-11
44. Dave Lefebre           Erie, PA                10  28-12   67
Day 1: 5   07-07     Day 2: 5   21-05
45. Skylar Hamilton        Dandridge, TN            8  28-12   66
Day 1: 5   20-03     Day 2: 3   08-09
46. Luke Clausen           Otis Orchards, WA       10  28-10   65
Day 1: 5   09-08     Day 2: 5   19-02
47. Brandon Card           Knoxville, TN           10  28-08   64
Day 1: 5   19-10     Day 2: 5   08-14
48. Jesse Wiggins          Cullman, AL             10  28-04   63
Day 1: 5   11-10     Day 2: 5   16-10
49. Edwin Evers            Talala, OK              10  28-02   62
Day 1: 5   11-02     Day 2: 5   17-00
50. James Elam             Tulsa, OK               10  28-00   61
Day 1: 5   15-10     Day 2: 5   12-06
51. Chad Grigsby           Maple Grove, MN         10  27-14   60
Day 1: 5   15-12     Day 2: 5   12-02
52. Mike McClelland        Bella Vista, AR         10  27-10   59
Day 1: 5   17-03     Day 2: 5   10-07
53. John Murray            Spring City, TN         10  27-10   58
Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   13-03
54. Matt Lee               Guntersville, AL        10  27-01   57
Day 1: 5   16-14     Day 2: 5   10-03
55. Russ Lane              Prattville, AL          10  26-15   56
Day 1: 5   09-09     Day 2: 5   17-06
56. Chad Morgenthaler      Reeds Spring, MO        10  26-12   55
Day 1: 5   06-05     Day 2: 5   20-07
57. Randy Howell           Guntersville, AL        10  26-10   54
Day 1: 5   17-15     Day 2: 5   08-11
58. Brent Chapman          Lake Quivira, KS        10  26-09   53
Day 1: 5   16-14     Day 2: 5   09-11
59. James Niggemeyer       Van, TX                 10  26-05   52
Day 1: 5   10-10     Day 2: 5   15-11
60. Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL           10  26-04   51
Day 1: 5   12-13     Day 2: 5   13-07
61. Jacob Wheeler          Indianapolis, IN        10  26-01   50
Day 1: 5   07-00     Day 2: 5   19-01
62. Ish Monroe             Hughson, CA             10  25-14   49
Day 1: 5   12-06     Day 2: 5   13-08
63. Gerald Swindle         Guntersville, AL        10  25-11   48
Day 1: 5   16-03     Day 2: 5   09-08
64. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL         10  25-11   47
Day 1: 5   14-11     Day 2: 5   11-00
65. Mark Daniels Jr.       Tuskegee, AL            10  25-10   46
Day 1: 5   15-11     Day 2: 5   09-15
66. Fred Roumbanis         London, AR              10  25-07   45
Day 1: 5   09-10     Day 2: 5   15-13
67. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA               10  25-03   44
Day 1: 5   13-10     Day 2: 5   11-09
68. Brandon Coulter        Knoxville, TN           10  24-13   43
Day 1: 5   13-10     Day 2: 5   11-03
69. Brett Preuett          Monroe, LA              10  24-13   42
Day 1: 5   11-04     Day 2: 5   13-09
70. Bradley Roy            Lancaster, KY           10  24-10   41
Day 1: 5   09-02     Day 2: 5   15-08
71. Aaron Martens          Leeds, AL               10  24-08   40
Day 1: 5   16-04     Day 2: 5   08-04
72. David Williams         Newton, NC              10  24-08   39
Day 1: 5   12-03     Day 2: 5   12-05
73. Scott Rook             Little Rock, AR         10  23-15   38
Day 1: 5   11-03     Day 2: 5   12-12
74. Marty Robinson         Lyman, SC               10  23-11   37
Day 1: 5   10-11     Day 2: 5   13-00
75. Alton Jones            Lorena, TX              10  23-07   36
Day 1: 5   10-14     Day 2: 5   12-09
76. Shaw Grigsby Jr.       Gainesville, FL         10  23-05   35
Day 1: 5   08-10     Day 2: 5   14-11
77. Britt Myers            Lake Wylie, SC          10  23-03   34
Day 1: 5   11-12     Day 2: 5   11-07
78. Shane Lineberger       Lincolnton, NC          10  22-15   33
Day 1: 5   11-10     Day 2: 5   11-05
79. Koby Kreiger           Bokeelia, FL            10  22-12   32
Day 1: 5   13-08     Day 2: 5   09-04
80. Kelly Jordon           Flint, TX               10  22-10   31
Day 1: 5   09-11     Day 2: 5   12-15
81. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX          10  22-09   30
Day 1: 5   12-15     Day 2: 5   09-10
82. Skeet Reese            Auburn, CA              10  21-14   29
Day 1: 5   11-13     Day 2: 5   10-01
83. Morizo Shimizu         Suita, Osaka JAPAN      10  21-13   28
Day 1: 5   09-05     Day 2: 5   12-08
84. Jamie Hartman          Newport, NY             10  21-10   27
Day 1: 5   12-10     Day 2: 5   09-00
85. Justin Lucas           Guntersville, AL        10  21-09   26
Day 1: 5   11-12     Day 2: 5   09-13
86. Gerald Spohrer         Gonzales, LA            10  21-07   25
Day 1: 5   14-04     Day 2: 5   07-03
87. Seth Feider            Bloomington, MN         10  21-06   24
Day 1: 5   07-15     Day 2: 5   13-07
88. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY             10  21-06   23
Day 1: 5   11-07     Day 2: 5   09-15
89. Tommy Biffle           Wagoner, OK             10  21-02   22
Day 1: 5   07-14     Day 2: 5   13-04
90. Jonathon VanDam        Kalamazoo, MI           10  20-14   21
Day 1: 5   12-13     Day 2: 5   08-01
91. Paul Elias             Laurel, MS              10  20-09   20
Day 1: 5   07-02     Day 2: 5   13-07
92. Jacob Powroznik        Port Haywood, VA        10  20-01   19
Day 1: 5   09-02     Day 2: 5   10-15
93. Michael Iaconelli      Pitts Grove, NJ         10  19-12   18
Day 1: 5   10-14     Day 2: 5   08-14
94. Matt Herren            Ashville, AL            10  19-08   17
Day 1: 5   10-05     Day 2: 5   09-03
95. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ              10  19-07   16
Day 1: 5   10-15     Day 2: 5   08-08
96. Drew Benton            Panama City, FL         10  18-15   15
Day 1: 5   11-00     Day 2: 5   07-15
97. Clent Davis            Montevallo, AL           8  18-12   14
Day 1: 5   10-13     Day 2: 3   07-15
98. Chris Zaldain          Laughlin, NV            10  18-12   13
Day 1: 5   10-03     Day 2: 5   08-09
99. Darrell Ocamica        New Plymouth, ID         8  18-06   12
Day 1: 3   05-02     Day 2: 5   13-04
100. Cliff Crochet          Pierre Part, LA         10  18-05   11
Day 1: 5   09-09     Day 2: 5   08-12
101. John Hunter Jr         Shelbyville, KY          8  18-00   10
Day 1: 3   05-07     Day 2: 5   12-09
102. Terry Scroggins        San Mateo, FL           10  17-15    9
Day 1: 5   09-05     Day 2: 5   08-10
103. Chris Lane             Guntersville, AL        10  17-02    8
Day 1: 5   10-03     Day 2: 5   06-15
104. Jared Lintner          Arroyo Grande, CA       10  16-08    7
Day 1: 5   07-14     Day 2: 5   08-10
105. Brandon Palaniuk       Hayden, ID              10  16-08    6
Day 1: 5   08-04     Day 2: 5   08-04
106. Robbie Latuso          Gonzales, LA             8  16-02    5
Day 1: 3   06-05     Day 2: 5   09-13
107. Greg Vinson            Wetumpka, AL             8  14-06    4
Day 1: 3   04-06     Day 2: 5   10-00
108. Takahiro Omori         Emory, TX                4  08-00    3
Day 1: 3   05-12     Day 2: 1   02-04
109. Jay Brainard           Enid, OK                 4  05-04    2
Day 1: 2   02-15     Day 2: 2   02-05
110. Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                  2  03-14    1
Day 1: 2   03-14     Day 2: 0   00-00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       103       534      1492-01
2       105       534      1481-01
———————————-
208      1068      2973-02

Garmin Engineer Killed in Kansas Shooting Joe Sills February 24, 2017

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Garmin Engineer Killed in Kansas Shooting Joe Sills February 24, 2017
“Get out of my country.”Those were the words reportedly uttered by a shooter in a Kansas bar just before 32-year-old Garmin aviation engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla was gunned down. Kuchibhotla, a U.S. citizen who immigrated from India, died at a nearby Olathe hospital while two other victims—another Garmin engineer, Alok Madasani, 32— and Ian Grillot, 24, were held in stable condition Wednesday night. Kuchibhotla and Madasani were regulars at the bar. Madasani was also a U.S. citizen.

Cream Rises by Bruce Callis February 24,2017

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Cream Rises by Bruce Callis February 24,2017

Cream Rises by Bruce Callis February 24,2017

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Its official, Mark Rose is the first FLW Tour angler in the 20 year history of the FLW Tour to win back-to-back events. Yes, there have been anglers to win back-to-back events of a given stop like Guntersville, but never 2 consecutive stops. At the FLW Tour presented by Quaker State on Lake Travis, Mark proved that he wasn’t just a Tennessee River winner. What an awesome finish too.
On Guntersville, Bryan Thrift was sitting in the hot-seat as Mark came to the stage for the final weigh in, watching as Mark knocked him into second by a mere 15 ounces. This time, Mark was on the hot-seat as Bryan came to the stage. Watching live as he lifted his 5th bass out of the bag, everyone knew it was going to be close. While he got closer this time, he was just 12 ounces from returning the favor and knocking him off the hot seat. We will just have to wait and see if we can have the first 3 time winner or if we will have a new winner on the Harris Chain on March 9-12, 2017.
The cream always comes to the top? The only thing I know is that cream mixes into the coffee and if it comes to the top, you better not drink it. Maybe it’s the bad is always visible? But in bass fishing, the cream of the crop is always hanging near the top of the ladder or leader board. But what happens when you are fishing in a stacked field? The FLW has always had an impressive line-up of Pro Anglers; Mark Rose, Bryan Thrift, Scott Martin, Anthony Gagliardi, Clayton Batts, Andy Morgan, Clark Wendlandt, and David Dudley to name just a few. When you are fishing with anglers that are proven winners it is so difficult to be THE WINNER every time. How often does it happen?
We go out and fish ourselves, so we know what it is like to get into a groove. When we are on a pattern that just works where ever we go that day, it is an amazing day. But we also know it’s not always that simple. We don’t always find a school of bass locked onto a point where we literally catch them on every cast. It is amazing when it happens, but we never go out knowing it will happen, it just happens.
Weather, health, and other factors play a big role in fishing. A cold front moves through the night before a tournament and shuts down what we found the day before, we are sick as a dog and have a difficult time keeping our head in the game, you name it and it can happen. We have a choice as weekend warriors, if it’s just fun fishing, we can go home, but when it’s a tournament, we do our best and let the cards fall as they will. We don’t give up, we fight through the difficulties. Andy Morgan, the reigning AOY for the FLW did just that. Sick as a dog, his wife drives him to the tournament so he could compete. He finished 7th on Lake Guntersville, but could only muster a 90th place finish on Lake Travis. He didn’t give up and go home after the first day, he stuck it out. He didn’t take a sick day or a personal day off, there is no such thing in the tournament world. He took a hit in the Angler of the Year race, but he knows anything can still happen. We don’t look back, we don’t give up, we keep learning and we keep moving forward.

Lew’s Introduces Mark Rose Ledge Rods FTR Staff February 23, 2017

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Lew’s Introduces Mark Rose Ledge Rods FTR Staff February 23, 2017
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.- While Lew’s has been busy getting production started on the new Mark Rose “Ledge” rods after months of developing the unique series, Rose has been feverishly putting a stamp of approval on his signature models with back-to-back wins along the FLW Tour.Rose kicked off February and his 2017 tournament season with a $125,000 first place check for his prowess at fishing shallow grass lines and wood and rock relevant to pre-spawn staging areas on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville.Team Lew’s pro Mark Rose showcased his fishing versatility during back-to-back FLW Tour wins in February. Last week he fished as deep as 50 feet to record his victory at Lake Travis in Texas. Two weeks earlier he had concentrated on shallow areas for the win at Alabama’s Lake Guntersville.He followed that victory with another February big payday by relying on his well-known offshore structure fishing skills to catch bass as deep as 50 feet for the win on Lake Travis in Texas.

LIVETARGET’s Swimbait Secret is Out By FTR Staff February 22, 2017

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LIVETARGET’s Swimbait Secret is Out By FTR Staff February 22, 2017
At ICAST 2016, the secret of LIVETARGET’s new swimbait series got out. But not only did LIVETARGET up the ante on swimbait designs, it has now forged ahead with premier video instructional and reseller promotional tools that showcase the unique designs of this multi-species lure family.LIVETARGET has recruited Scott Martin, currently reigning as the world’s number one bass angler, according to Bassfan, to teach and instruct anglers on how to be productive and effective on the water with techniques and equipment to maximize the new Swimbait Series lineup. Unlike prior written instruction guides, this primer on swimbaits includes on-the-water video content and in-depth product insights to make even seasoned veterans better swimbait anglers.  LIVETARGET represents these swimbaits as “live bait redefined,” and they feature anatomically-correct lure designs that are so freakishly lifelike you’d believe that they just came from a bait tank.

Bassmaster Central Opens Kick Off 2017 Season At Table Rock Lake

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Bassmaster Central Opens Kick Off 2017 Season At Table Rock Lake

The first Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open heads to Table Rock Lake out of Branson, Mo., March 2-4, where anglers will compete for cash and prizes and also a berth in the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

Photo by James Overstreet/B.A.S.S

Feb. 24, 2017

Bassmaster Central Opens Kick Off 2017 Season At Table Rock Lake

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BRANSON, Mo. — Table Rock Lake will offer the rare chance to catch a grand slam of black bass during the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open, March 2-4.

The Central Open anglers will likely bring mixed bags of bass to the weigh-in scales because Table Rock contains populations of three species of black bass — largemouth, smallmouth and spotted — along with the spotted/smallmouth hybrid known as the “meanmouth.”

“I think you might see a grand slam with a guy who has a 3-pound smallmouth, 3-pound largemouth and a spotted bass, along with a meanmouth,” Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brian Snowden said. “Those fish will be holding a lot in the same areas, deep or shallow. You will catch one smallmouth, then you will catch a largemouth and maybe then you will catch a spot.”

The 43,100-acre reservoir nestled in the Ozark highlands has been a frequent host to B.A.S.S. events throughout the years.

“Table Rock Lake offers a tremendous fishery and supports fishable populations of largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, making it very diverse,” said Chris Bowes, Bassmaster Opens tournament director. “In addition, the Branson community is able to easily accommodate the 400 anglers who will attend, offering plenty of housing and dining options.”

The last Central Open held at Table Rock was in October 2015, and it was won by Missourian James Watson with 46 pounds, 4 ounces. The Rock also hosted the 2014 A.R.E Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite in April 2014, when Elite Series pro Mike McClelland of Arkansas won with a four-day total of 61-15.

McClelland won the springtime tournament by alternating a jerkbait in natural herring color with a Storm Wiggle Wart crankbait along windblown rocky banks.

A winter Snowden describes as “unbelievably mild” could have Table Rock close to the same conditions McClelland faced when he won the Elite Series event. “The water is 8 to 10 degrees warmer than it should be,” Snowden said. “It barely got below 50 degrees this winter.”

The lake is low, and a lack of rain lately has kept the water “clear to very clear,” according to Snowden. The Missouri angler, who guides on his home waters, believes it would take a 3- to 5-inch rain before the tournament for the lake to have any change in water color.

The clear water will favor finesse fishing techniques such as swimming plastic grubs or working small soft plastics in watermelon candy colors on shaky jigheads. “There will be fish caught on a variety of lures,” Snowden said. “There will be some deep fish caught still on a jigging spoon. But I think a lot of fish will be caught on jerkbaits and crankbaits.”

Standing timber in 30 to 60 feet of water will be the prime targets for tempting deep bass with a 3/4-ounce jigging spoon. Snowden noted a green pumpkin/orange football jig with a crawfish trailer has been producing well lately on the Rock.

The local pro predicts most of the prespawn fish will be in the 10- to 25-foot range where suspending jerkbaits in natural shad colors or crankbaits in natural craw hues will work best. “Due to the mild winter, the fish are real scattered, especially the shallow fish,” Snowden said. He suggests the best place to look for prespawn bass is along channel swings.

The hottest spots on the lake could be the Long Creek and Kings River arms, according to Snowden. He thinks those sections of the lake could produce best because the Central Open competitors will find the warmest and most colored water in those two tributaries.

The lake has been yielding tournament-winning weights of 18 to 22 pounds throughout the winter.

“The guy who wins will probably have 17 to 19 pounds a day,” said Snowden, who predicts the winning weight for this event will be around 56 to 58 pounds.

For information about this and other Bassmaster Opens, visit Bassmaster.com. For information on accommodations and dining in the Branson area, visit explorebranson.com.

The event is hosted by the Branson Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Erick Sommers and Tommy Pegues Win 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Lake Jordan

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Erick Sommers and Tommy Pegues Win 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Lake Jordan

Erick Sommers and Tommy Pegues Win 2017 Alabama Bass Trail Lake Jordan
Pair Bests Record 225 Boat Field is Southern Division Season Opener
by Dan O’Sullivan

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February 18, 2017 – Wetumpka, Ala – For the second time in the history of the Alabama Bass Trail, Lake Jordan, the Coosa River impoundment located in Wetumpka, Ala. has served as the venue for the kickoff of the Southern Division’s season.  In 2017, that kickoff event featured a record, full field of 225 boats.

With what may be the smallest fishery on the entire Alabama Bass Trail schedule, Jordan was experiencing an amount of fishing pressure the lake had likely never seen.  Couple the pressure, and unseasonably warm temperatures that gave way to a cold front, and the fishing on the lake was not expected to be stellar

The team of Erick Sommers and Tommy Pegues managed to prove those assumptions wrong.

The pair of anglers from nearby Deatsville, and Montgomery, Ala. managed to produce an incredible mixed bag, 24.95-pound limit of Lake Jordan bass that earned them their first ABT victory that came with the $10,000 first prize as well as a $7,000 Phoenix Boats First Flight bonus prize.

The pair said that they had the bulk of their limit early by fishing an area upriver.  “I found the spot in practice, and caught a nearly 7-pound spotted bass on it,” said Sommers.  “There were more fish stacked on it, and we decided to give it a go.  If they bit, we had a good shot, if not, we fall flat.”  They did not fall flat, their winning margin was more than five pounds.

While they did not think it weighed that much at the time, they reported catching a 22 to 23-pound limit by 10:00 in the morning.  “We used a variety lures to catch our first limit,” they said. “We used jigs, jerkbaits and a big spinnerbait to catch that limit.”  They reported throwing a 3/8-ounce Pond Scum War Eagle jig with a Yamamoto Craw Trailer, a Chartreuse Shad Slender Pointer 112 Lucky Craft jerkbait and a 1-ounce spinnerbait for their first limit.

After analyzing their creel, they felt that they needed one more big bite to make sure they had a chance to win, the pair stowed their whole arsenal, and picked up a pair of Green Pumpkin Big Bite Baits Yo Momma creature baits and 1-ounce Flippin’ Weights with a Punch Skirt, and ran down lake into the pockets.  At 1:45 to 2-o’clock, the move paid off when Sommers boated a 5.22-pound largemouth that culled a 4-pound spotted bass.  “We felt like we had put the nail in the coffin at that point,” they said.  “We can’t believe that we’ve won here against a field of anglers that the ABT fields, it’s a great feeling.”

Echoing the sentiments of the winners were the runner up team of Stan Hallman and Steve Thrash.  “We are thrilled with how this turned out because we didn’t think we could produce this much weight after our practice,” said the Autaugaville and Prattville, Ala. residents.  “We thought we could catch 12 or 13 pounds, so to end up here right now is an incredible feeling – we are absolutely thrilled.”

The pair used a trio of jigheads and worms to produce a 19.76-pound limit that narrowly earned them a second place finish and a $5,000 payday.  They reported using a 3/16-ounce Davis Baits HBT Shaky Head and green pumpkin / red flake Big Bite Baits Cane Stick, a homemade 3/16-ounce shaky head worm as well as a 1/2-ounce head with a watermelon colored Zoom Magnum Trick Worm on the backside of main lake points.

Following the top two teams were the team of Brad Edwards and Austin Nelson, who weighed 19.75 pounds to claim the third spot and a $4,000 prize. Foster Bradley and Clint Ellis nabbed fourth place and $3,000 with 19.28pounds and the team of Thad Hull and David Talley rounded out the top five with 18.96 pounds,

The team of Kyle Welcher and Chris Haynes produced the big bass of the tournament; a 6.21-pound largemouth bass that earned them the $500 Big Bass heavyweight bonus.

The top 10 standings are below, for complete standings go to http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/lj-results/

Place ANGLERS WT BIG FISH WINNINGS
1 Erick Sommers & Tommy Pegues 24.95 5.22 $10,000 $17,000  ABT Payout + $7,000 Phoenix First Flight
2 Stan Hallman & Steve Thrash 19.76 $5,000
3 Brad Edwards & Austin Nelson 19.75 5.65 $4,000
4 Foster Bradley & Clint Ellis 19.28 $3,000
5 Thad Hull & David Talley 18.96 $2,000
6 Matt Green & Justin Nunley 18.94 $1,500
7 Gentry Gordy & Chad Smith 18.77 5.27 $1,100
8 Joe Wikoff & Shawn Wikoff 18.64 $1,100
9 Ken Walters & Jason Beasley 18.31 $1,100
10 Matt Chambliss & Michael Findley 18.25 $1,100

 

The sponsors of the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail include; Bill Penney Toyota, Phoenix Bass Boats, GP8 Oxygen Water, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Wind Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka, Wind Creek Hospitality – Montgomery, Alabama Tourism Department, SCA Performance,  T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, AFTCO,  Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Lew’s Fishing, Crossed Industries, YETI, E3 Apparel, TVA and Alabama Power.

For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.

Throw a Shad Dancer® for both bass and walleye, Lindner says Posted on February 21, 2017 by Rapala

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Throw a Shad Dancer® for both bass and walleye, Lindner says Posted on February 21, 2017 by Rapala

Throw a Shad Dancer® for both bass and walleye, Lindner says

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RapelaNot since the Shad Rap® has a single bait excelled so well at catching both bass and walleye. But Rapala®’s new Shad Dancer is another such multi-species star.

“I would liken it to having the possibility of having the long-term impact of the Shad Rap,” says Al Lindner, legendary co-founder of In-Fisherman and host of the influential Angling Edge and Fishing Edge TV shows. “Lots of fish like this thing. It has a touch of magic. We’ve had extremely good results with it.”

In filming TV shows last spring and summer, Lindner and his partners used Shad Dancers to load their boats with bass and walleye in both rivers and lakes, in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Northwest Ontario. “It runs at a depth that a lot of fish are at all year long,” he says. “It’s pretty consistent in the high-percentage fish zone.”

Swimming with a silent but aggressive, hard-thumping and sweeping tail action, the Shad Dancer offers the excitement of a Rapala Tail Dancer® in a shad-profile bait. It features a tough balsa body that dives 7 to 10 feet whether cast or trolled. It’s available in 16 color patterns: Live Bluegill, Dark Brown Crawdad, Firetiger, Hot Steel, Helsinki Shad, Live Largemouth Bass, Purpledescent, Live Pumpkinseed, Live River Shad, Silver, Shad, Silver Fluorescent and Chartreuse. It measures 2 inches, weighs 1/4 oz. and comes armed with two No. 6 VMC Black Nickel Round Bend Hooks.

For bass last spring and summer, Lindner had success throwing Shad Dancers in six to eight feet on break-lines where flats transition to deep water – especially around rocks or new weed growth. Position your boat in 12 to 15 feet of water and target the weed edge with your cast. Experiment with quarter casts and parallel casts. Vary your retrieve speed until you find out how fast the fish want it.

“You can pump it with the rod, you can burn it steady, it walks through wood or bushes pretty good and rips off of weeds easy,” Linder says. “And your rod tip is jumping constantly. You can feel that the bait is always fishing – whether it’s super slow or super fast.”

Lindner put walleyes in the boat last season by trolling Shad Dancers in “fairly shallow water” – six to 12 feet. “It’s not what you’d term a ‘traditional walleye shape’ – like a distinct minnow or the standard shapes that everybody’s got in their tackle box,” Lindner says. “But that doesn’t matter, they like it. It’s been a hot walleye bait.”

For both bass and walleye, Lindner throws Shad Dancers on a 7-foot, medium-action spinning combo with 10-pound-test Sufix® fluorocarbon line.

See Rapala Shad Dancer

See Sufix® Fluorocarbon

Tommy Williams & Thomas Win Carolina’s Bass Challenge On Lake Norman Feb 18,2017

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Tommy Williams & Thomas Win Carolina’s Bass Challenge On Lake Norman Feb 18,2017
Lake Norman, NC (Feb 18, 2017)

Click Here for Results

What a crowd! Our largest field yet..236 teams launched from Blythe Landing Saturday chasing the right 5! Tommy Williams & Thomas Hardwick found em!! 5 that weighed 18.27 lbs good for the win! $10,000 1st Place plus $4,000 Skeeter BONUS cash! $14,000 total!

2nd went to Eric Weir & Chris Baumgardner with 16.66 lbs. They took hoke $5,000.00!

3rd and 2nd Skeeter Bonus $ went to Tim Gaines & Mike Bryant with 16.58 lbs. Total winnings $6,500.00!

Rodney & Kirk Morrow took 4th and 3rd Skeeter Bonus $ with 15.98 lbs and they took home a total of $4,500.00!

Matt Dean & Kevin Farley took 7th and 4th Skeeter Bonus $ with a limit weighing 15.67 bs They earned $2,700.00

George Bost & Chris Richey took the BF money with a 6.57 lb Lake Norman Pig worth $1,000.00

Bass Mafia Terminal Coffin Review By Jason Sealock 02/14/2017

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Bass Mafia Terminal Coffin Review By Jason Sealock 02/14/2017

Bass Mafia Terminal Coffin Review

Jason Sealock

02/14/2017

New highly anticipated terminal tackle storage system from Bass Mafia.

The Bass Mafia Terminal Coffin was one of my favorite new products last year at the 2016 ICAST show, so I’ve been anxiously awaiting its arrival this winter. I finally got it in January of 2017, so thought I would share my experiences with this hotly anticipated new storage system.

Terminal tackle can be tricky to organize, store and carry around in your boat. I think I’ve tried about every way under the sun from multiple boxes, bags of smaller bags holding each miscellaneous item from hooks to swivels and o-rings to drop shot weights.

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