Larry & Kendall Witt Win Leesville Lake Team Tournament Trail March 27th 2016
March 27th:
1st place-Larry Witt & son with a total weight of 15.89
2nd place-Maurice & Robert Parker with a total weight of 14.62
3rd place-Jesse Argenbright & Charlie Davis with a total weight of 14.30
Big fish went to Jesse Argenbright & Charlie Davis with a 5.76
Mike Compton & Bryant Copley Win Leesville Lake Team Tournament March 13th 2015
March 13th:
1st place-Mike Compton & Bryant Copley with a total weight of 16.23
2nd place-Greg Stallins with a total weight of 15.72
3rd place-Jerry Rice & Robert Reynolds with a total weight of 14.38
4th place-Robert & Ben Hudson with a total weight of 14.15
Big fish went to Kelly Chapman and Clyde Robertson with a 5.53
Mine the Spring Bass Motherlode – Insights from BASS Elite Pro Matt Herre Humminbird
Mine the Spring Bass Motherlode
Insights from BASS Elite Pro Matt Herre
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EUFAULA, AL (April 4, 2016) – Spring is in the air, and with it comes the most enjoyable season for fishing. As everything comes alive, hungry bass take note, prowling the shallows in preparation for the spawn. Step one on their list is to eat everything in sight, and bass anglers enjoy taking advantage of the gluttony.
Matt Herren is a tournament champion with a history of high finishes all across the country. A 6-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, Herren has proven he’s got what it takes to fish in all seasons, coast to coast. His favorite time to fish, though, is during the spring across the mid-south regions of the US, specifically the famous string of reservoirs along the Tennessee River system.
These bass factories, with names like Guntersville, Wheeler and Kentucky, are well-known to bass fishermen around the world for the ability to crank out endless stringers of big bass. With such reputations, one would think that scoring big during the pre-spawn and spawning season would be a breeze. However, through decades of experience, Herren has discovered many understated intricacies that are needed to find the springtime motherlode.
First, it’s important to understand that these bodies of water have vast areas of shallow water, often conducive to springtime staging and spawning, that are unlike those found in most lakes. To further explain, Herren breaks down spawning habitat into two types: typical protected coves and shoreline areas, and offshore areas we’ll call “intermediate ledges.” Like main river ledges—those structures often highlighted in discussions of summertime hotspots—intermediate ledges are flat areas on the edges of submerged creek channels. However, in this case, Herren keys on those ledges that top out at fairly shallow water depths – usually under 8 feet. There, fish interested in spawning can group up and stage prior to moving, or even complete the cycle on the ledge itself.
To start, Herren narrows down his search by selecting areas somewhat protected from current: ledges downstream from major points or other structural elements, or on inside turns of the main channel. However, a quick look at any LakeMaster chip often reveals dozens of areas that match this criteria. How, then, is Herren able to isolate the protective spots?
Herren runs LakeMaster PLUS mapping on HELIX 10 units to dial in early-season bass. He’s also been making some of his own maps with AutoChart Live, which is built into HELIX 9, 10, 12 and ONIX.
The key is the efficient use of his electronics. In today’s age of depthfinders that look down, out and all around the boat, Herren has found it necessary to get intimately familiar with such technology in order to stay one step ahead of his competition.
The first and most important step, he says, is to locate areas with hard bottoms. Herren does so by selecting several intermediate ledges that fit his criteria based on lake level, water color and temperature, and graphing with the Side Imaging feature on his Humminbird ONIX. But, rather than do so utilizing the factory default setting, Herren first makes one small, but important, display change. “I always set my unit on Amber 1 color mode” he says. Doing so allows hard-bottomed areas to brightly glow on the screen, easily revealing key spots.
Humminbird Side Imaging allows quick identification of lighter-colored hard bottom areas from darker, soft-bottomed areas.
Herren’s user-customization doesn’t end with a quick display change. “I also play with frequency changes (on his depthfinder) a bunch” he points out. Herren has found that the best 2D SONAR frequency setting on his ONIX often changes as he moves from lake to lake. Whether such an oddity is the result of a chemical change in the water, or the amount of small particles floating within, is not totally understood by Herren; he just knows that changing frequency (say, from 83 to 200 kHz) often reveals the best set-up on a day-by-day basis.
Once hard-bottomed areas are located, Herren keeps a careful eye on his water temperature read-out, knowing such plays a major factor in the stage of the spawn. With water temps in the mid-fifties, bass often group up and stage; spawning beginning when the thermometer passes sixty. Herren notes that bass utilizing main lake areas for spawning often do so several weeks after those in protected bays, lengthening the springtime bonanza associated with this season.
Whereas summertime fish will often school on a bare-spot, like a small shellbed, Herren finds springtime fish prefer objects, likely due to these spawning tendencies. “They want to protect their blindside” Herren mentions of the tendency of spawning bass to nest up against and object like a stump or seawall. This behavior applies to open-water areas as much or more to those near the shoreline, as a bit of cover helps bass guard against nest predators.
When a potentially productive area is located through Side Imaging, Herren scrolls across the ONIX screen and marks each with a waypoint. Then, he deploys his trolling motor and utilizes a different electronic approach to investigate the spot, using both 360 Imaging® and Down Imaging.
Herren says 360 Imaging® has helped him find “new, key areas in spots he’s fished for decades.”
First, it’s important to understand Herren’s view on each of Humminbird’s technologies. “360 Imaging is a fishing application, not a search tool, ” he says. By this, Herren means that he utilizes 360 only when on the bow and casting, not for idling purposes, as the 360 sweep time is most conducive as a fishing application. In addition, Herren often isolates the sweep of 360 to reveal objects directly in front of him, within casting distance, making the update time on his screen display much quicker. As credit to the effectiveness of this technology, Herren noted that he’s often found new, key areas in spots he’s fished for decades by utilizing 360, opening his eyes to a vast new world.
Side Imaging is Herren’s bread and butter for fine tuning a spot. While he uses the new Humminbird HELIX units primarily for mapping, Herren sticks with ONIX for depthfinding, especially Side Imaging. “There’s nothing like it” he states, adding “I’ve seen things with that unit that I’d never see with any other.”
As Herren fine-tunes a chosen spot on the trolling motor, he’s constantly continuing his search for small, hard-bottomed areas, or isolated objects that could yield a big bass or two. Herren mentions that he often finds fish on the exact same spot, year after year, during the spring season.
Once “on the juice” Herren’s approach to fishing is fairly basic, using an arrangement of tried-and-true springtime lures. “I like a rattlebait a lot, as well as a chatterbait or spinnerbait.” After getting dialed-in to specific pieces of cover, Herren often wields his trademark Santone Jig to mop up on the competition.
But just what makes a good spot great? “It’s a combination of things. Bottom type and cover matter, but maybe so do things like unknown current patterns,” says Herren. It’s a big mystery, it seems, and one Herren admits to constantly trying to better understand. Perhaps we’ll never solve the case, but, with advancements each year in technology, we’re drastically closer all the time.
Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.
Northern Arizona Maintains Lead In Bassmaster College Series Western Regional
Gunnar Stanton and Gunner Campbell of Northern Arizona maintain their lead on Day 2 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Western Regional presented by Bass Pro Shops on Lake Mead out of Henderson, Nev., after catching 10 pounds, 15 ounces on Sunday.
Photo by Ronnie Moore/Bassmaster
April 3, 2016
Northern Arizona Maintains Lead In Bassmaster College Series Western Regional
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HENDERSON, Nev. — Gunnar Stanton and Gunner Campbell of the Northern Arizona bass fishing team maintain their lead after catching 10 pounds, 15 ounces on Day 2 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Western Regional presented by Bass Pro Shops on Lake Mead. They have a two-day total of 26-14 as they head into the final frame on Monday.
Stanton and Campbell had their 3-pound, 5-ounce lead cut to just 12 ounces by Josh Worth and Kennedy Kinkade of Colorado Mesa University, who have remained consistent over the first two days.
On Sunday the conditions changed on Lake Mead, and the duo struggled throughout the day due to a breezy north wind, and with an hour left to fish, they only had two keepers in the livewell.
“Honestly, checking in at 2:15 p.m. killed our bite today,” Stanton said. “The north wind has been blowing in the morning, and it hasn’t let the water warm up as much, but this afternoon the wind died down and the water heated up fast.”
With the sun beating down on Lake Mead, Stanton and Campbell were able to efficiently bed fish and pick off some of their better keepers with just an hour remaining in the day.
“We are going to try and adapt because you never want to crash and burn,” Stanton said. “We are still going to try and lean on bed fishing as much as we possibly can though.”
The Northern Arizona teammates’ familiarity with Mead has benefited them so far, as their primary area is one where they didn’t practice leading up to this tournament.
“We haven’t touched any of the stuff we found in practice,” Stanton said. “I knew the areas we found wouldn’t hold up for this three-day tournament. Sometimes our local knowledge can hinder us because Mead changes so much when you least expect it.”
After bringing in 13 pounds, 8 ounces Worth and Kinkdae cut their deficit by more than 2 1/2 pounds to stay in striking distance of the leaders. Like Stanton and Campbell on Day 1, the Colorado Mesa anglers brought a 4-pound largemouth to the scales to anchor their big weight on Sunday.
“I feel like if this tournament set up a little better to go for the win and throw a Hail Mary then we would,” Worth said. “We will probably try to stay with what we know and expand on the areas we are fishing.”
Like the leaders, Worth and Kinkade struggled with zero fish for most of the day, but around noon they figured out another pattern and were able to catch bass quickly enough to fill their limit late in the day.
“Our morning spot had a good population of smallmouth on it,” Kinkade said. “The water has warmed up and it seems the Gizzard Shad have moved into the area. I think those smallmouth are uncomfortable with that. We are going to leave that area and start on another spot we found success with in practice.”
Jacob Wall of the University of Oregon also inched closer to the leaders after he weighed 12-13 Sunday; he now sits just over 1 1/2 pounds behind. Wall is fishing this team tournament alone this week and overcame engine issues on Day 1 to stay in the hunt. Thanks to a generous local and a repaired engine, he was able to expand his area and also bolster his bag.
The full field will fish Lake Mead once again on Monday, but after the final weigh-in the Top 10 teams will advance and clinch their berth into the 2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship.
Final day takeoff will be Monday morning at 6:15 a.m. PT from Callville Bay Marina and championship weigh-in will be held at the same location at approximately 2:30 p.m. PT.
Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Western
4/2/2016 – 4/4/2016
Lake Mead – Calville Bay Marina – Henderson, NV
STANDINGS BOATER DAY 2
Today’s Activity Accumulative
Name # Fish # Live Lbs – Oz # Fish # Live Lbs Oz
1 Gunnar Stanton – Gunner Campbell Northern Arizona University 5 5 10-15 10 10 26-14
2 Josh Worth – Kennedy Kinkade Colorado Mesa University 5 5 13- 8 10 10 26- 2
3 Jacob Wall – Dalton Taylor University of Oregon 5 5 12-13 10 10 25- 3
4 Travis Bounds – Andrew Loberg Chico State 5 5 11-10 10 10 23- 7
5 Adam Deakin – Alex Stuart Colorado State University 5 5 12- 5 9 9 22-10
6 Tanner Mort – Austin Turpin University of Idaho 5 5 11- 1 10 10 21-15
7 Alex Robbins – Rudy Directo Humboldt State 5 5 12- 2 9 9 19- 8
8 Cy Floyd – Kyle Sittman Eastern Washington University 5 5 9- 5 9 9 17-10
9 Travis McGuire – Layne Bynum Texas Tech University 5 5 8- 8 10 10 17- 3
10 Zachary Martinez – Joseph Billmaier Oregon State University 2 2 4- 5 5 5 11- 8
11 Joseph Smith – Donald Peters Texas Tech University 2 2 3-12 6 6 10- 3
12 Jessie Bass – William Hutchinson New Mexico State University 1 0 2- 2 5 3 9-11
13 Justin Hettinga – Nicholas DiCamillo New Mexico State University 2 2 3-15 4 4 7- 2
14 Michael Woods – Chas Brannon Chico State 1 1 2-12 3 3 6- 3
15 Mike Harpell – Mitchell Rosandich Colorado State University 0 0 0- 0 1 1 2- 7
16 Johan Eide – Alec Pitts Cal Poly 0 0 0- 0 1 1 1-10
BIG BASS TOTALS
Day Name City,State Lbs-Oz Day # Fish # Live Lbs-Oz # Limits
1 Gunnar Stanton – Gunner Campbell Boulder City, NV 4- 6 1 59 58 130- 3 6
2 Josh Worth – Kennedy Kinkade Grand Junction, CO 4- 5 2 53 52 119- 1 9
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY-EDWARDSVILLE WINS FLW COLLEGE FISHING OPEN ON KENTUCKY LAKE
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY-EDWARDSVILLE WINS FLW COLLEGE FISHING OPEN ON KENTUCKY LAKE
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203 teams compete, shattering record as largest collegiate fishing tournament ever held for second year in a row
Link to photo of winning team Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (April 2, 2016) – The Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville team of Dalton Wesley of Worden, Illinois, and Zach Hartnagel of Edwardsville, Illinois, won the second annual FLW College Fishing Open on Kentucky Lake Saturday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 5 ounces. The victory earned the club a $27,000 prize package which includes a Ranger Z175 with a 90-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard and advanced the team to the 2017 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
“Winning a tournament like this is the kind of thing you dream about,” said Wesley, a sophomore majoring in civil engineering. “We came into this event hoping to crack the top five. Our school qualified last year but wasn’t able to close the deal, so to win is really amazing.”
“We couldn’t be more proud to be here with these results,” said Hartnagel, a junior majoring in civil engineering. “It’s a big step forward for our program.”
After a slow morning on day one, Wesley said the two decided to make a run to a small pocket on Barkley Lake, near Kuttawa. He said that they ended up catching their limit along a 100-yard stretch of riprap using one bait – a Black Blue Flake-colored Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Rodent on a ¼-ounce shaky-head jig.
“As soon as we got there I caught our biggest bass and then two more that were nearly 4 pounds – all in three consecutive casts,” said Wesley. “After the sun came up they became really active right on the bank.”
“After those first three we were able to settle down and focus a bit more,” said Hartnagel. “We left the pocket to hit one more area, but ended up returning toward the end of the day and caught one more 4-pounder. After that, we figured we should leave our spots alone and made our way back to the ramp.”
On day two, the collegiate anglers said they returned to their pocket and used the Rodent to catch seven keepers. They said they were able to mix docks into their pattern to help round out their final limit.
“We caught one just about every hour we were in there,” said Hartnagel. “There were five docks on each side of the pocket and the bass seemed to be congregating towards the front of them. We just kept throwing the Rodent and working it back real slow and ended up milking the area pretty well.”
“We figured we had enough to be in the top five, but not enough to win,” said Wesley. “After seeing what others had brought in, it was a pleasant surprise.”
The top 15 teams that advanced to the 2017 College Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville – Dalton Wesley of Worden, Ill., and Zach Hartnagel of Edwardsville, Ill., 10 bass, 35-5, $27,000
2nd: Bethel University – Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, and Carter McNeil, Abbeville, S.C., 10 bass, 33-1
3rd: Dallas Baptist University – Trent Newman, Midlothian, Texas, and Colt Benedict, Forney, Texas, 10 bass, 32-6
4th: University of Alabama – Caiden Sinclair, Hoover, Ala., and Ethan Flack, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 32-1
5th: University of Louisiana-Monroe – Hunter Freeman and Thomas Soileau, both of Monroe, La., 10 bass, 31-9
6th: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill – Graham Burke, Clemmons, N.C., and Stephen Smith, Marvin, N.C., 10 bass, 31-4
7th: Mississippi State University – Jeff Clayton, Starkville, Miss., and Cody Peak, Centreville, Miss., 10 bass, 30-5
8th: Saint Ambrose University – Cole Atkinson and Tanner Atkinson, both of Camanche, Iowa, nine bass, 29-13
9th: Illinois State University – Taylor Umland, Normal, Ill., and Justin Schick, Morton, Ill., seven bass, 27-15
10th: University of Tennessee – Jay Emmert and Anthony Johnson, both of Knoxville, Tenn., eight bass, 26-15
11th: Valdosta State University – Max Gresham, Adel, Ga., and Cody Cleary, Valdosta, Ga., 10 bass, 26-11
12th: University of South Carolina – Patrick Walters, Summerville, S.C., and Gettys Brannon, Gaffney, S.C. nine bass, 25-14
13th: Murray State University – Shon Messmer, Ozark, Ill., and Nathan Adams, House Springs, Mo., nine bass, 25-12
14th: Bryan College – Nathan Bell, Riceville, Tenn., and Dylan Kear, Clinton, Tenn., eight bass, 25-4
15th: Eastern Kentucky University – Gavin Draper, Stanford, Ky., and Tate Clements, Brodhead, Ky., eight bass, 24-9
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
This FLW College Fishing Open was hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau and Moors Resort & Marina. The next event for FLW collegiate anglers is a Central Conference tournament scheduled for April 9 on Table Rock Lake in Kimberling City, Missouri.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 15 teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open will advance to the 2017 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time students at a college, university or community college and members of a college fishing club.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit FLWFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
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Wiggins Rallies To Win Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open At Smith Lake
Jesse Wiggins of Cullman, Ala., wins the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open #2 held on Smith Lake out of Jasper, Ala. Wiggins brought 15 pounds, 3 ounces to Saturday’s weigh-in, giving him a two-day total weight of 34-2.
Photo by James Overstreet/Bassmaster
Wiggins Rallies To Win Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open At Smith Lake
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JASPER, Ala. –– During the past two years Jesse Wiggins taught first round leader Jordan Lee a lot about fishing Smith Lake. But Wiggins didn’t share every trick in his book.
Wiggins rallied from second place to win the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open here today with a two-day total of 34 pounds, 2 ounces. Lee, who started the day in first place after a 20-10 bag Friday, managed a limit weighing only 9-15 and finished fourth.
“Jesse is really good here,” Lee said. “We’ve fished a couple of tournaments together, and he’s taught me a lot about this lake. It doesn’t surprise me that he won.”
Wiggins, who is from nearby Cullman, Ala., relied on two lures: a 3/16-ounce homemade shaky head jig with a 4-inch green pumpkin Senko and a topwater lure similar to a Zara Spook.
The victory earned Wiggins $52,877, including a Triton Boat and Mercury outboard package, plus a berth in the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro. Wiggins must compete in Southern Open #3 at Tennessee’s Douglas Lake next month to finalize the Classic berth.
“I’ll be there with bells on,” Wiggins said.
Lee, who grew up in Cullman and now lives in Grant, Ala., wasn’t the only angler who struggled Saturday. The number of five-bass limits caught dropped from 164 Friday to 150, but the number of bites shrunk considerably more, even for Wiggins.
“Overall I caught way less today,” Wiggins said. “Yesterday I had a limit that weighed 16 pounds in the first 20 minutes. Today I had a limit at 9 o’clock, but luckily they were all 3-pounders.”
Wiggins weighed all spotted bass Saturday; his five bass Friday, which weighed 18-15, included a 5-pound and a 4-pound largemouth.
“I threw the shaky head in the morning for bedding fish,” Wiggins said. “I couldn’t see them, but I knew where to throw it. Later in the day, I’d go up the river and throw that topwater bait in the pockets. I caught those two largemouth on it yesterday and a spot on it today.”
Brent Crow of Hartselle, Ala., jumped from 12th place to finish second with 32-0. Michael Johnson of Talking Rock, Ga., rallied from 43rd place with an 18-1 limit to finish third with a total of 31-14. He was followed by Lee and Bradley Dortch of Windermere, Fla., who both had 30-9.
The usual format for a Bassmaster Open tournament has the full field fishing two days, then the Top 12 fishing Saturday to determine the pro and co-angler champions. Due to heavy thunderstorms in the Smith Lake area Thursday, competition was canceled for that day, reducing it to a two-day tournament with the full field of 179 boats participating both days.
Jody White of Gilbertsville, Ky., won the $30,000 Triton boat and Mercury package in co-angler competition with a two-day total of 19 pounds. White started the day in ninth place, but caught a three-bass limit weighing 9-10, the third-biggest bag of the day, to take the title.
Over the two days, White’s six bass came on three different lures. Two were caught on a green pumpkin Strike King Ocho wacky rigged with a nail weight. Two came on a 2.8-inch Keitech Swing Impact Fat swimbait rigged on a 1/8-ounce shaky head jig, and the other two were caught on a white vibrating jig coupled with a pearl-colored Strike King Menace trailer.
Jonathan Harris of Moody, Ala., weighed the biggest bag in the co-angler division Saturday with 10-5 and took second place with a total of 17-14. Teb Jones of Hattiesburg, Miss., was third with 17-4, followed by Don Harvey of Franklin, Tenn., with 16-15 and Todd Lee of Jasper, Ala., with 16-13.
Big bass in the pro competition and $750 went to Lee for the 7-13 that anchored his 21-10 bag Friday. The Livingston Lures leader award of $250 was won by Wiggins.
On the co-angler side, Harris took the $250 big bass award with a 4-14 Saturday. White won the $250 Livingston Lures leader award.
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Northern Arizona Takes Early Lead In Bassmaster College Tournament
Gunnar Stanton and Gunner Campbell from Northern Arizona University lead Day 1 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Western Regional on Lake Mead with five fish for 15 pounds, 15 ounces.
Photo by Ronnie Moore/Bassmaster
April 2, 2016
Northern Arizona Takes Early Lead In Bassmaster College Tournament
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HENDERSON, Nev. — Gunnar Stanton and Gunner Campbell of the Northern Arizona University bass fishing team claimed a hefty first-round lead over their nearest rivals Saturday in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Western Regional on Lake Mead.
Stanton and Campbell boated five bass weighing 15 pounds, 15 ounces, easily outfishing Josh Worth and Kennedy Kinkade of Colorado Mesa University.
Familiarity with Lake Mead fishing helped the Northern Arizona team excel during an otherwise difficult day on the Nevada fishery. Despite stiff competition from competitors in large tournament being held at the same time on Lake Mead, Stanton and Campbell kept to their gameplan. The duo takes a 3-pound, 5-ounce lead into Sunday’s competition day.
“I think it’s only going to get better from here,” Stanton said. “The water is warming up. We didn’t see many bed fish throughout practice, but towards the end of the day we started seeing more on beds.”
Although sight fishing for spawning bass may be a factor for the team Sunday, they didn’t plan to do it Saturday, until the wind calmed late in the day. One of their biggest bass from Saturday was caught from a spawning bed.
“We aren’t really going bed fishing on purpose,” Stanton said. “If we stumble across them, then we will fish for them, but basically any fish we catch in the morning is a bonus fish.”
Stanton and Campbell relied on their normal, non-bed-fishing pattern to bring a 4-pound, 6-ounce largemouth to claim big bass of the day.
Worth and Kinkade from Colorado Mesa had their worst day of the week, but still managed to weigh 12-10 to claim second place.
“In pre-fishing, we didn’t hook many fish, but we got a lot of bites,” Worth said. “With the local pressure we are certainly happy to have over 12 pounds.”
This tournament may be on the verge of a breakout based on the optimism of almost every team in the field. With a full day of sunshine and a similar projected forecast over the next two days, the big fish seem to be headed to shallower water. Worth and Kinkade are sitting in a good position, but their biggest stumbling block is figuring out if Saturday’s fishing was tougher due to the added pressure of another big tournament on Lake Mead or if it was the added sunshine and lighter wind.
“When there is a little more wind we feel a lot more confident in our baits,” Kinkade said. “We will watch the conditions and see what changes we may need to make based on the weather.”
Jacob Wall of the University of Oregon, who is fishing solo in the team tournament, suffered engine problems at takeoff but overcame the adversity to catch 12-6 and put himself in contention. He will head out solo once again as he hopes to get his engine repaired by morning.
Takeoff for Sunday and Monday will be Callville Bay Marina at 6:15 a.m. PT. Weigh-ins will also be at Callville Bay at approximately 2:30 p.m. PT.
Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Western
4/2/2016 – 4/4/2016
Lake Mead – Calville Bay Marina – Henderson, NV
STANDINGS BOATER DAY 1
Today’s Activity
# Fish Lbs – Oz
Accumulative
Name # Live # Fish # Live Lbs – Oz
1 Gunnar Stanton – Gunner Campbell Northern Arizona University 5 5 15-15 5 5 15-15
2 Josh Worth – Kennedy Kinkade Colorado Mesa University 5 5 12-10 5 5 12-10
3 Jacob Wall – Dalton Taylor University of Oregon 5 5 12- 6 5 5 12- 6
4 Travis Bounds – Andrew Loberg Chico State 5 5 11-13 5 5 11-13
5 Tanner Mort – Austin Turpin University of Idaho 5 5 10-14 5 5 10-14
6 Adam Deakin – Alex Stuart Colorado State University 4 4 10- 5 4 4 10- 5
7 Travis McGuire – Layne Bynum Texas Tech University 5 5 8-11 5 5 8-11
8 Cy Floyd – Kyle Sittman Eastern Washington University 4 4 8- 5 4 4 8- 5
9 Jessie Bass – William Hutchinson New Mexico State University 4 3 7- 9 4 3 7- 9
10 Alex Robbins – Rudy Directo Humboldt State 4 4 7- 6 4 4 7- 6
11 Zachary Martinez – Joseph Billmaier Oregon State University 3 3 7- 3 3 3 7- 3
12 Joseph Smith – Donald Peters Texas Tech University 4 4 6- 7 4 4 6- 7
13 Michael Woods – Chas Brannon Chico State 2 2 3- 7 2 2 3- 7
14 Justin Hettinga – Nicholas DiCamillo New Mexico State University 2 2 3- 3 2 2 3- 3
15 Mike Harpell – Mitchell Rosandich Colorado State University 1 1 2- 7 1 1 2- 7
16 Johan Eide – Alec Pitts Cal Poly 1 1 1-10 1 1 1-10
Name City,State Lbs-Oz
BIG BASS
Day
1 Gunnar Stanton – Gunner CaBmopubldeellr City, NV 4- 6
Day # Live Lbs-Oz # Limits
TOTALS
# Fish
1 59 58 130- 3 6
2 0 0 0- 0 0
FITTS WINS COSTA FLW SERIES CENTRAL DIVISION OPENER ON LAKE DARDANELLE PRESENTED BY MERCURY
FITTS WINS COSTA FLW SERIES CENTRAL DIVISION OPENER ON LAKE DARDANELLE PRESENTED BY MERCURY
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RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (April 2, 2016) – Jeff Fitts of Keystone Heights, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win the Costa FLW Series Central Division opener on Lake Dardanelle presented by Mercury with a three-day total of 13 bass weighing 48 pounds, 10 ounces. For his win, Fitts took home $48,000.
“I don’t really have the words to describe how incredible this feels right now,” said Fitts, who earned his second career win in FLW competition. “I’d like to fish the FLW Tour full-time next year, so this win means a lot. I feel like I’m one step closer to that goal.”
Fitts said he spent the majority of his tournament punching heavy vegetation in two spawning pockets, located between the launch ramp and the Illinois Bayou. He said he used one bait all three days of the event – a Strike King Rage Tail DB Structure Bug rigged on a Trokar Big Nasty Flippin Hook with a 1½-ounce tungsten weight.
“The grass was really thick so I’d pitch the Rage Tail in, lift it to see if anything was on it, hop it a few times and then pull it out,” said Fitts. “The bites were soft and sporadic, but I’m from Florida so that’s the kind of cover I’m comfortable with and that’s how I like to fish. I only weighed in three on day one, but had lost one earlier on in the day.”
On day two, Fitts said he returned to his pockets and used a Black Blue Flake-colored Rage Tail. He said he caught the majority of his fish from a 100-yard stretch of thick grass.
“I pulled into the first pocket and on my third flip I nabbed a three pounder,” said Fitts. “Within a 20-foot stretch, I was able to catch two more five-pounders. I had a limit by 9:30 a.m. and caught my last keeper to make a final cull around 3 p.m. I was really excited about what I was bringing to the scale.”
Fitts weighed in a tournament-best limit of 23 pounds, 15 ounces to move inside the top-10 cut in sixth place. Fitts said he followed the same pattern on day three and was able to catch his final limit out of a 20-yard stretch using a Summer Craw-colored Rage Tail.
“It was a slower bite on day three,” said Fitts. “I only had four bass until about 20 minutes left to fish. I culled once more and brought in what I had. It ended up working out well.”
The top 10 pros on Lake Dardanelle were:
1st: Jeff Fitts, Keystone Heights, Fla., 13 bass, 48-10, $48,000
2nd: Daniel Kweekul, Bryant, Ark., 15 bass, 47-14, $19,500
3rd: Teddy Bogard, Pine Bluff, Ark., 15 bass, 47-0, $14,000
4th: Todd Castledine, Nacogdoches, Texas, 11 bass, 45-3, $12,000
5th: Evan Barnes, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 44-12, $11,000
6th: Zach King, Clarksville, Ark., 13 bass, 43-0, $9,000
7th: Christopher Jones, Bokoshe, Okla., 14 bass, 40-2, $7,800
8th: Greg Jones, Wentzville, Mo., 13 bass, 39-7, $6,800
9th: Joe McClary, Kirkwood, Mo., 11 bass, 32-2, $5,800
10th: Brandon Hunter, Benton, Ky., 11 bass, 31-14, $4,400
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Mike Foree of Osage Beach, Missouri, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division Thursday, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 10 ounces that earned him the day’s Big Bass award of $300.
Drew Sagely of Rogers, Arkansas, won the co-angler division and a $28,000 prize package, including a Ranger Z117 with a 90-horsepower Mercury outboard motor. Sagely earned his win with a three-day total catch of 11 bass weighing 29 pounds, 1 ounce.
The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Dardanelle were:
1st: Drew Sagely, Rogers, Ark., 11 bass, 29-1, $28,000
2nd: Michael Watson, Chicago, Ill., 11 bass, 29-0, $6,000
3rd: Rob Crane, Fairview Heights, Ill., nine bass, 24-2, $4,800
4th: Kevin Raposo, Doniphan, Mo., nine bass, 23-4, $3,900
5th: Roger Olson Jr., Eagle River, Wis., seven bass, 20-14, $3,400
6th: Rusty Reinoehl, Robinson, Ill., eight bass, 19-13, $2,900
7th: Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., seven bass, 19-12, $2,400
8th: Kyle Landers, Benton, Ark., eight bass, 18-11, $1,950
9th: Sawyer Grace, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 17-4, $1,580
10th: Ricky Watkins, Springdale, Ark., six bass, 16-4, $1,330
Charles Radford of Sullivan, Missouri, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division Thursday, a bass weighing 7 pounds, 9 ounces that earned him the day’s Big Bass award of $200.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2016 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 3-5 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri.
The Costa FLW Series on Lake Dardanelle was hosted by Russellville Advertising & Promotions. It was the first Central Division tournament of 2016. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be a Southwestern Division event, held April 7-9, on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
Jordan Lee Claims First-Day Lead In Smith Lake Open
Jordan Lee of Grant, Ala., takes the lead at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open #2 held on the Smith Lake out of Jasper, Ala. Lee brought 20 pounds, 10 ounces to the scales at Friday’s weigh-in.
Photo by Thomas Allen/Bassmaster
April 1, 2016
Jordan Lee Claims First-Day Lead In Smith Lake Open
JASPER, Ala. — Jordan Lee was so certain the big largemouth bass he’d found in practice Tuesday wouldn’t be there today that he’d didn’t even look for it until 1:30 p.m. on Day 1 of the Bass Pro Shops Southern Open at Smith Lake.
It’s a good thing he looked. That 7-pound, 13-ounce bass anchored Jordan’s first-place 20-pound, 10-ounce bag, and took big bass honors as well.
Due to the strong thunderstorms that cancelled the tournament’s scheduled first day yesterday, raised the lake level about a foot and dirtied the water, there were plenty of reasons for Lee to doubt the big female would still be on the spawning bed where he’d first spotted her during practice.
“I couldn’t see her today, but I knew right where she’d been sitting,” Lee said. “I made three or four flips in there before she bit.
“That big one made my day. You don’t catch many of those in Smith Lake.”
Lee, who lives in Grant, Ala., but grew up in nearby Cullman, admits he isn’t as familiar with Smith Lake as he should be. He’s spent much more time on Lake Guntersville.
“I’ve kicked myself for not coming here more often,” Lee said. “I really don’t know this lake as well as I should.”
But you wouldn’t guess that by looking at Friday’s leaderboard. Bill Day II of Frankfort, Ky., and Jessie Wiggins of Cullman, Ala., are tied for second place with 18-15. Like Lee, Day’s bag was anchored by another big largemouth, a 7-12.
Day had the perfect illustration for how much Smith Lake changed after the storms moved through the area Thursday, and how much the anglers had to change with it.
“I was using 8-pound-test line during practice, and I was using 25-pound test today,” Day said. “That tells you how different it is. Tomorrow I may go back to 8-pound. Things are changing really fast, so I’m just going to start all over again.”
The remainder of the top five includes Allen Brooks of Canton, Ga., fourth with 18-3, and Mark Rose of West Memphis, Ark., fifth with 17-7.
Smith Lake’s abundant spotted bass population showed up in a big way. Of the 179 pro anglers competing, 164 caught limits, mostly all spots.
On the co-angler side, only 10 ounces separates first and fifth place. Don Harvey of Franklin, Tenn., leads with a three-bass limit weighing 10-7, followed by Skeeter Miller of Whittier, N.C., with 10-4; Brandon Bolton of West Point, Miss., with 10-3; Luke Patterson of Middleburg, Ky., with 10-0; and Rodney Tapp of Inman, S.C., with 9-13.
There were 149 three -bass limits caught in the co-angler competition. Don Harvey of Franklin, Tenn., and Randy Futch of Dunnellon, Fla., tied for big bass honors, each with a 4-5.
Due to the cancellation of fishing on Thursday, this will be a two-day tournament that will conclude with the full field fishing again Saturday. Champions in both divisions will be crowned at the completion of the Smith Lake Dam Site Access weigh-in, which begins at 2:30 p.m. CDT.