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LSU-SHREVEPORT WINS FLW COLLEGE FISHING SOUTHERN CONFERENCE OPENER ON SOMERVILLE LAKE

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LSU-SHREVEPORT WINS FLW COLLEGE FISHING SOUTHERN CONFERENCE OPENER ON SOMERVILLE LAKE

LSU-SHREVEPORT WINS FLW COLLEGE FISHING SOUTHERN CONFERENCE OPENER ON SOMERVILLE LAKE

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BRENHAM, Texas (Jan. 17, 2016) – The Louisiana State University-Shreveport team of Christian Brown of Pelican, Louisiana, and Jared Rascoe of Stonewall, Louisiana, won the FLW College Fishing Southern Conference opener on Somerville Lake Saturday with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 7 ounces. The victory earned the club $2,000 and advanced the team to the 2017 FLW College Fishing National Championship.

“It feels absolutely amazing to win this tournament,” said Brown, a junior majoring in petroleum engineering. “To come out here and see all of our hard work payoff is truly special.”

“After the practice we had, we thought it would take a lot less weight to qualify. But, the conditions changed so we had to step up our game,” said Rascoe, a junior majoring in secondary education.

“We decided to focus on bass that were in an odd prespawn pattern,” Rascoe continued. “We ended up fishing in three spots that were a lot shallower than we originally had planned.”

The duo said their hot spots were in an area along the edges of mid-lake reeds. They said they used one bait all day long  – a green-pumpkin V & M Chopstick – to nab their fish.

“The reeds needed to be in about four feet of water for the fish to be active,” said Brown. “If the wind was blowing on them, it was even better.”

The team said they were able to catch seven keepers throughout the day, with four of five stringer fish coming between noon and 2 p.m.

“We were definitely surprised by the weights that other teams were bringing in,” said Brown. “Luckily the five we had were heavy enough to win the whole thing.”

The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2017 College Fishing National Championship are:

1st:          Louisiana State University-Shreveport – Christian Brown, Pelican, La., and Jared Rascoe, Stonewall, La., five bass, 18-7, $2,000 Club Scholarship

2nd:         Louisiana State University– Levi Sharp, Haughton, La., and Dakota Sparks, Denham Springs, La., five bass, 18-0, $1,000 Club Scholarship

3rd:          Stephen F. Austin State University – Tyler Woods, Mansfield, Texas, and Robert Tweed, Round Rock, Texas, five bass, 17-9, $500 Club Scholarship

4th:          Louisiana Tech University – Tyler Wilk, Ruston, La., and Scott McClellan, Leesville, La., five bass, 17-0, $500 Club Scholarship

5th:          Lamar University – Brandon Simoneaux, Bridge City, Texas, and Colby Ogden, Kountze, Texas, five bass, 15-13, $500 Club Scholarship

6th:          Texas Tech University – Adam Estlack, Lubbock, Texas, and Matthew Bowden, Spring, Texas, four bass, 14-4

7th:          Sam Houston State University – Dillon Harrell, New Caney, Texas, and Dustin Moreno, Shepherd, Texas, five bass, 13-15

8th:          Angelo State University – Scott Halbrooks, San Angelo, Texas, and Chase Gibson, Denver City, Texas, five bass, 13-12

9th:          Louisiana Tech University – Gunner Durrett, Simsboro, La., and Austin Watkins, Boyce, La., four bass, 13-7

10th:        Tarleton State University-Stephenville – Zach Ziober and Dakota Ebare, both of Stephensville, Texas, five bass, 13-4

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

This FLW College Fishing Southern Conference event was the first regular-season qualifying tournament. The next event for Southern Conference anglers is a tournament scheduled for April 30 on Fort Gibson Lake in Wagoner, Oklahoma.

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.

LAMBERT WINS COSTA FLW SERIES SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION OPENER ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE PRESENTED BY POWER-POLE

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LAMBERT WINS COSTA FLW SERIES SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION OPENER ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE PRESENTED BY POWER-POLE

LAMBERT WINS COSTA FLW SERIES SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION OPENER ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE PRESENTED BY POWER-POLE

2014 FLW Tour Rookie of the Year Tops Record Field of 250 Boaters

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OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (Jan. 16, 2016) – Pro angler Jason Lambert of Pickwick Dam, Tennessee, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 12 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to win the Costa FLW Series Southeastern Division opener on Lake Okeechobee presented by Power-Pole with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 44 pounds, 12 ounces. For his win, Lambert earned $60,000 and a new Ranger Z518 bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard engine.

“I’m feeling a lot of different emotions right now,” said Lambert, who earned his first win in Costa FLW Series competition. “I’m tired and relieved. This tournament was a great opportunity for me to learn more and prepare for the FLW Tour event happening here in a few weeks.”

Lambert said he primarily focused on one area all three days – a 600-yard stretch of submerged hydrilla on the lake’s north shore. He said the area was rich with prespawn bass that were transitioning in off of the main lake.

“I’d fish over and around the hydrilla before letting certain spots rest for an hour, then I’d head back over it again,” said Lambert. “The fish were replenishing well so I knew it was where I wanted to stay.”

Lambert said that of the 15 fish he brought to the scale, 10 were caught using a black and blue-colored V&M Pacemaker Swim Jig and a mouse-colored War Eagle spinnerbait.

“The majority of pros were flipping jigs, but I’m a power fisherman, so I felt a lot more confident with moving baits,” said Lambert. “I was catching a lot of fish in practice so all I needed to do was find the big ones.”

The Tennessee pro said that the spinnerbait performed well when there was a lot of wind, especially during the first two days of competition, while the swim jig excelled when the water was calm.

“I covered a lot of water at this tournament,” said Lambert. “And after catching nearly 40 keepers, I felt it was my time to win.”

The top 10 pros on Lake Okeechobee were:

1st:          Jason Lambert, Pickwick Dam, Tenn., 15 bass, 44-12, $60,000 + Ranger Z518 w/ 200-horsepower outboard motor

2nd:         Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., 15 bass, 43-4, $25,500

3rd:          Joseph Kremer, Osteen, Fla., 15 bass, 40-14   , $17,000

4th:          Bryan Honnerlaw, Moore Haven, Fla., 15 bass, 39-0, $15,000

5th:          Justin Morgan, Okeechobee, Fla., 11 bass, 37-0, $14,000

6th:          Peter Cherkas, Des Moines, Iowa, 15 bass, 36-3, $10,500

7th:          Jimmy Brewer, Marshall, Texas, 15 bass, 35-9, $9,000

8th:          Steve Boogie Brown, Altamonte Springs, Fla., 13 bass, 34-7, $8,000

9th:          Pat Fisher, Colbert, Ga., 13 bass, 31-4, $7,000

10th:        Cole Bailey, Thamesford, Ontario, Canada, 10 bass, 30-12, $5,000

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Bryan Newberry of Cleveland, Tennessee, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division Thursday, a largemouth weighing 8 pounds, 11 ounces that earned him the day’s Big Bass award of $300.

Mark Howard of Mesquite, Texas, won the co-angler division and a Ranger Z117 with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor, with a three-day total of 12 bass weighing 26 pounds, 6 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Okeechobee were:

1st:          Mark Howard, Mesquite, Texas, 12 bass, 26-6, $2,500 + Ranger Z117 w/ 90-horsepower outboard motor

2nd:         Adam Trieschmann, Wellington, Fla., nine bass, 25-13, $7,500

3rd:          Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., 11 bass, 25-5, $6,000

4th:          Billy Charland, Chuluota, Fla., 15 bass, 25-3, $4,500

5th:          Dean Harcourt, Sebastian, Fla., 13 bass, 24-0, $4,000

6th:          Michael Black, Toledo, Ill., 11 bass, 23-13, $3,500

7th:          Ty Solis, Albany, Ga., 11 bass, 22-8, $3,000

8th:          Joseph Solenski, West Palm Beach, Fla., 13 bass, 21-9, $2,250

9th:          Steven Christie, Gray Court, S.C., 12 bass, 20-7, $1,700

10th:        Nik Kayler, Apopka, Fla., 11 bass, 19-14, $1,450

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 Okeechobee was hosted by the Okeechobee County Tourism Development Council. It was the first Southeastern Division tournament of 2016. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be a Western Division event, held Feb. 18-20, on Shasta Lake in Redding, California. 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.

 

FISH ON! 2016 FLW FANTASY FISHING NOW OPEN

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FISH ON! 2016 FLW FANTASY FISHING NOW OPEN

FISH ON! 2016 FLW FANTASY FISHING NOW OPEN

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MINNEAPOLIS (Jan. 15, 2016) – FLW announced today that registration for the 2016 FLW Fantasy Fishing season is now open. Fantasy Fishing is free to play and allows fishing fans from across the globe to compete for the largest fantasy cash prizes in the sport while following along with each Walmart FLW Tour event.

The 2016 Fantasy Fishing season will coincide with the six regular-season Walmart FLW Tour events, along with the championship Forrest Wood Cup. Prior to each event, players may log on to FantasyFishing.com and select a roster of 10 pro anglers that they think will finish highest in the upcoming tournament. Fifty prizes will be awarded after each tournament, including a $5,000 top prize. In addition, 10 cumulative prizes, including a $10,000 grand prize, will be presented to the top cumulative scoring teams from all seven tournaments.

The first tournament of the Fantasy Fishing season officially kicks off Feb. 4, in conjunction with the Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Okeechobee presented by Ranger Boats in Clewiston, Florida. The season will culminate Aug. 4-7 at the Forrest Wood Cup on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama.

At each event, players will select a roster of 10 pro anglers at predetermined values within a $200 salary cap. The value of each angler will change for each event, so players will have to adjust, not just to the fishery, but also to the valuation of each angler to create their best team.

FLW members are given access to Member’s Advantage tools to help select their rosters and gain an edge over fellow players. Detailed angler profiles, lake reports, pundit picks, fantasy trends and real-time scoring are all perks offered only to FLW members. To sign up for an FLW membership, visit FLWFishing.com.

For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing, or to register and select your roster, please visit FantasyFishing.com.

Duel/Yo-Zuri Signs FLW Anglers – FLW

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Duel/Yo-Zuri Signs FLW Anglers – FLW

January 13, 2016

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Duel Corporation, parent company of Yo-Zuri America and Hardcore Bass Lures, has entered into sponsorship agreements with FLW pros Mike Surman, Brandon Cobb and Braxton Setzer.

Yo-Zuri will be Surman’s title sponsor, while Cobb and Setzer have signed on as pro-staffers. Surman has been on the Yo-Zuri pro-staff since 2005.

“For the first time ever, Yo-Zuri will be supporting a title sponsor [Surman] under the Duel/Yo-Zuri brands, for the Walmart FLW Tour,” notes Buddy Prause, vice president of sales and marketing for Yo-Zuri. “I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working alongside Mike for several years now. Mike truly embraces tournament bass fishing at a very high level, along with setting a good example for all newcomers to the sport.”

“His [Surman’s] insight into colors and applications transcends across all of our product lines, providing our Product Development Team with the most up-to-date and reliable ideas we’ve seen in years,” adds Chris Bishop, Yo-Zuri national accounts manager/product development team leader. “We look forward to many great years working in conjunction with Mike’s knowledge and experience in our industry.”

A 20-year Tour veteran, Surman won the first-ever FLW Tour event, which was held on Lake Okeechobee in January 1996. Since then, he’s had 21 top-10 finishes. He placed fourth in the 2007 Forrest Wood Cup, his best finish in the Tour championship.

“I am truly excited about the opportunity to work even closer with Yo-Zuri for 2016 and many years to come,” says Surman. “Getting to work with the incredible Japanese lure designers firsthand is truly exciting. They are constantly bringing revolutionary lure designs to us for testing. I’m like a kid on Christmas morning, waiting to see what they will bring us next.”

Cobb, who became a Tour pro in 2014, ranked 17th in the Angler of the Year race in 2015 and placed third in the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup.

“I am honored to have a chance to work with a company as innovative as Yo-Zuri,” says the South Carolina pro. “I will have the confidence that I’m throwing the best hard baits, and with styles for any situation. I can’t wait to see what 2016 holds.”

Setzer, of Auburn, Ala., has fished as a Tour co-angler for the past three years, but will fish as a pro beginning this season. In each of the three seasons he fished as a co-angler, he qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup. In 2014, he was the Co-angler of the Year.

“I am a mixture of nervous and excited heading into my rookie year,” he says. “It has been a dream of mine to compete on such a high level for as long as I can remember. I also look forward to the challenge of competing against some of the best anglers in the fishing world. I am truly thankful to have the opportunity to chase my dream and look forward to being able to do so with the partnership and support of Yo-Zuri and all the great people there.”

Duel Corporation is a manufacturer of high-quality fishing lures, lines, leader material and accessories. Duel makes products under several brands, including Hardcore and Yo-Zuri, which are distributed by Yo-Zuri America from the North America facility based in Port Saint Lucie, Fla.

To learn more about Yo-Zuri products and pros, visit yo-zuri.com.

Team Ardent Adds Five Tour Pros – FLW

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Team Ardent Adds Five Tour Pros – FLW
Everyone in Dayton loves the local pro Michael Neal. He opened the tournament with 23 pounds, 6 ounces, which was good enough for fourth place.

January 13, 2016

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A number of FLW anglers have been added to the Ardent Tackle pro-staff roster, including Walmart FLW Tour pros JT Kenney, Clayton Batts, Michael Neal, Bryan Schmitt and Jim Jones.

That quintet will join current Team Ardent members Denny Brauer of the Costa FLW Series and Tour pro Scott Canterbury. Team Ardent consists of about 250 tournament anglers.

To learn more about Ardent Tackle, visit ardentoutdoors.com.

Opener to be a Shootout on the Big O – FLW

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Opener to be a Shootout on the Big O – FLW

January 13, 2016  by Kyle Wood

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Excitement is in the air as the first Costa FLW Series event of 2016 prepares to kick off on Thursday morning. The playing field for the first Southeast Division tournament, which is presented by Power-Pole and hosted by Okeechobee County Tourism, will once again be famed Lake Okeechobee, and a full roster of 250 pros and co-anglers is ready to get the season rolling.

This past weekend the first FLW Bass Fishing League event of the season took place on Okeechobee, and the lake definitely showed out. George Kapiton took home the hardware with a massive 31-pound limit, while Okeechobee veteran Mike Surman came in second with just shy of 29 pounds. Five other limits topped 20 pounds. Not bad for a Saturday on the Big O.

This weekend, anglers will have a slightly different challenge. Okeechobee is always susceptible to weather changes, and a recent cold front threatens to make things a little interesting.

“The weather has really cooled off since the BFL,” says Kapiton. “It will definitely make the flipping bite strong for the first day or two of the tournament. It’s supposed to warm up by Saturday, and if it does then I could see a topwater bite or winding bite be the deal.”

All anglers in the field will fish the first two days on Thursday and Friday, with the top 10 pros and co-anglers advancing to Saturday’s final round. Heaviest cumulative three-day weight wins.

“The lake in general right now is amazing,” Kapiton adds. “It’s beautiful. Because of the high water, grass is dying off in the right places, and the water is pretty clear. From one side of the lake to the other there is fishable water. I have never seen it look so good in all my years of fishing here.”

With cold-front conditions and a full moon next week, being able to adapt with the changing conditions will be the key to staying on the right caliber of fish. Kapiton notes that there has already been a decent push of fish up spawning, as evident by empty beds and fry swimming around. However, there are some fish staging to pull up to spawn too. Kapiton weighed both prespawn and postspawn bass during the BFL.

George Kapiton

“I saw a lot of guys catching 13-inchers around me last week,” he says. “There are pods of fish all over, but the biggest key is figuring out how to get those bigger bites. I basically figured that out while I fished last week, and I’ll probably have to do it again for this tournament.”

Though Lake Okeechobee is a massive body of water at more than 450,000 acres, it tends to fish small during tournaments – especially when the wind blows. Due to the higher water, however, Kapiton believes that the field will be more spread out than usual, and the lake should fish a little bigger.

“I think that with the south wind that is forecast for the first few days it could help the hayfields on that end of the lake play more,” says Kapiton. Northern grass beds and bays will bear the brunt of the wind, which typically shuts down the bite on Okeechobee. “Otherwise I think hydrilla and dying lily pads will be the biggest focus. If I had to guess I’d say that the winner will be flipping a Texas rig and using a jig.”

Early predictions say that it will take at least 30 pounds over two days to make the final-day cut, and somewhere around 65 pounds will win the tournament. With such a stacked field, nothing is out of the question, especially on Okeechobee – land of the giants.

 

Tournament Details

The Costa FLW Series Southeast Division event on Lake Okeechobee is a three-day tournament held Jan. 14-16. All pros and co-anglers fish the first two days, and the top 10 anglers in each division based on cumulative two-day weight qualify to fish on day three. The heaviest three-day cumulative weight wins.

Anglers will take off from C. Scott Driver Park, 10100 West Highway 78, Okeechobee, FL at 7:30 a.m. ET each morning. Daily weigh-ins are at the park at 3 p.m.

Fans at home can tune in to the weigh-ins via FLW Live at FLWFishing.com.

Transforms Towing Woes to Trailering Pros

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Transforms Towing Woes to Trailering Pros

Transforms Towing Woes to Trailering Pros

Wireless iBall Trailer Hitch Camera puts eyes where you need them

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Crosslake, Minn. (January 13, 2016)  – The signs appear on tow vehicles everywhere — bent rear bumpers, broken brake lights and mangled license plates bespeckled with those same familiar dings. Tarnished by misguided trailer tongues, each battle scar tells the same story, and asks a singular question:

Imagine if connecting the coupler was as automatic and easy as shifting into reverse?

Actually—with assistance from a cool little techno tool—it is. Engineered by the optics experts at Outdoors Insight, the 5.8-GHz iBall Wireless Trailer Hitch Camera offers a sweet solution to one of the most common dilemmas in the entire auto world—hitching the trailer to your truck, all by yourself.

There are two ways to make the critical connection: (1) Take your best guess at blindly lining things up, hopping out of the car a hundred times to check your progress—only to discover you missed the whole works—and have to attempt a complete do-over. (2) Snap an iBall Camera to your bumper and guide your vehicle to an immediate hole-in-one (you can even hear that sweet metallic clicking sound.)

The two-part iBall system employs a small wireless camera—powered by a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery—and a compact color LCD that plugs into your vehicle’s power port (or cigarette lighter.) The camera features an industrial strength magnet that mounts to nearly any metallic surface on or near the bumper, tailgate, or hitch. The gimbal-mounted camera can also be pivoted in any direction and is even submersible—in case you back a little too far down the boat ramp. The camera itself offers a 120-degree field of view for optimal visibility.

Inside your vehicle, you view the trailer’s hitch approach the ball and then correctly connect—the first time, every time. For comfortable ergonomic viewing, the 3.5-inch iBall LCD even sports a handy adjustable gooseneck for easy re-positioning. The usually aggravating process now takes seconds rather than minutes.

 

While the iBall Wireless Trailer Hitch Camera will certainly get you on the water faster and with less stress, it’s equally valuable for any trailer—whether it’s a boat, camper, ice fishing house, or utility or horse trailer that’s in need of a tow. The iBall works for other trailering applications, too, such as monitoring an RV, backing into a cramped garage or launching at a busy boat ramp. Simply connect the camera to the back of the boat, camper or anywhere else it’s needed. When you’re done, stow the portable iBall camera and monitor conveniently in your glovebox.

 

Transmitting on a crystal clear 5.8-GHz frequency, the iBall Camera works perfectly and without interference in the presence of other wireless devices, such as a 2.4-GHz Bluetooth signal. Boasting a transmission distance of up to 100 feet, iBall is durable, weather resistant and versatile. An internal, rechargeable Lithium Ion battery powers the camera for hours, and includes a USB charging cable.

 

Portable, affordable and super convenient, the new 5.8-GHz iBall Camera system retails for just $169.95—compared to similar integrated backup cameras that cost thousands at the dealer. Available exclusively online, the iBall even comes with free U.S. shipping and a full 90 day warranty. To learn more or to order, visit www.iballhitchcam.com.

 

B.A.S.S. Reschedules First Central Open Because Of Heavy Rains, Flooding

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B.A.S.S. Reschedules First Central Open Because Of Heavy Rains, Flooding

Jan. 11, 2016

B.A.S.S. Reschedules First Central Open Because Of Heavy Rains, Flooding

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala — Because of heavy rains, major flooding and unsafe navigational waters in the Atchafalaya Basin, B.A.S.S. — working with local officials — has elected to reschedule the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open to fall 2016.

The recent rains in Southern Louisiana have been unseasonable and excessive, especially for this time of year. The city will not be able to host the Open tournament in February because conditions have been deemed unsafe and there will be no-wake zones throughout the Atchafalaya Basin.

“After discussion with local authorities on the magnitude of this weather event, anglers’ safety and empathy for those affected by these flood waters were the primary factors in B.A.S.S.’s decision to move the event,” said Chris Bowes, B.A.S.S. Senior Tournament Manager.

The event has been rescheduled for Oct. 27-29, 2016, and will become the final Central Open for 2016. Official practice will run Oct. 24-26, 2016.

“Due to the high water and the safety concerns, it is in the best interest to reschedule the event to October,” said Carrie Stansbury, executive director of the Cajun Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau. “Everyone involved is very disappointed, but we look forward to rolling out the red carpet in October. The weather should be beautiful that time of year.”

“We are grateful for our partnership with the Cajun Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau,” said Michael Mulone, B.A.S.S. director of event and tourism partnerships. “They notified us of the conditions and worked with us on a solution.”

Understanding that this may affect the ability for some anglers to compete, B.A.S.S. will offer a full refund of this event or the entire Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Division.

The Atchafalaya Basin is also the host of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Central Regional, Feb. 25-27. At the moment, this event is still on schedule. Officials in Houma, La., are monitoring the situation daily.

KAPITON WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE GATOR DIVISION OPENER ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

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KAPITON WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE GATOR DIVISION OPENER ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

KAPITON WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE GATOR DIVISION OPENER ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS 

Event ties record for second-largest field in FLW Bass Fishing League History

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (Jan. 11, 2016) – Professional angler George Kapiton of Inverness, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 31 pounds even Saturday to win the first FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Gator Division tournament of 2016 on Lake Okeechobee, presented by Navionics. For his victory, Kapiton earned $9,000.

“I couldn’t establish a stable pattern in practice so I went out there and just fished the conditions,” said Kapiton, a veteran of the Walmart FLW Tour who has earned more than $190,000 in FLW competition. “It was really an interesting day of fishing.

“I caught a small limit of staging fish early in the morning using a perch-colored Rapala X-Rap prop bait,” continued Kapiton. “After the sun came out, I went looking for more males in Harney Pond. I was able to dial in on staging fish that were coming in from the lake to spawn and basically intercepted them before they reached the bedding area.”

Kapiton said he used a Texas-rigged penetration-colored Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver and a black and blue-colored Medlock Double Weedguard Flipping Jig rigged with the Sweet Beaver to flip mats and reeds.

The Florida pro said he caught a 6½- and an 8-pounder on the Sweet Beaver, as well as a 6½-pound fish on the Medlock Jig in one area of the pond between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Kapiton stopped at an area near the boat ramp with 30 minutes left to fish and used the Medlock Jig to catch an 8-pound, 2-ounce behemoth to cap off his winning stringer.

“I credit my Halo Daylite Series rod with helping me get the win,” said Kapiton. “The rod is lightweight, but durable enough to catch the big ones on Lake Okeechobee. It performed very well.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., five bass, 31-0, $6,000 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus + $1,000 Mercury Bonus

2nd:         Mike Surman, Boca Raton, Fla., five bass, 28-15, $3,000 + $300 Evinrude Bonus

3rd:          Jim Hurlock Jr., Lake Worth, Fla., five bass, 24-8, $2,000

4th:          Robert Crosnoe, Inverness, Fla., five bass, 22-14, $1,400

5th:          Jai Hunter Sr., Deland, Fla., five bass, 22-6, $1,200

6th:          Juan Ruiz, West Palm Beach, Fla., five bass, 21-9, $1,100

7th:          John O’ Farrell, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 21-0, $1,000

8th:          David Oliveira, Homestead, Fla., five bass, 19-15, $900

9th:          Kyle Giella, Ruskin, Fla., five bass, 19-13, $800

10th:        Sandy Melvin, Boca Grande, Fla., five bass, 19-12, $700

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Crosnoe caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a monster weighing 10 pounds, 6 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $1,000.

Alex Mut of Miami, Florida, weighed in five bass totaling 17 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to earn the $3,000 win in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Alex Mut, Miami, Fla., five bass, 17-12, $3,000

2nd:         Charles Cenko, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., five bass, 17-9, $1,500

3rd:          John Davis, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., five bass, 16-15, $1,000

4th:          Raymond Guerra, Port Saint Lucie, Fla., five bass, 15-10, $700

5th:          Kirk Kastner, Margate, Fla., five bass, 15-9, $600

6th:          Michael Gilliard, Tallahassee, Fla., five bass, 15-8, $550

7th:          Junior Iriban, Lantana, Fla., five bass, 15-5, $475

7th:          Israel Panozzo, Palm Springs, Fla., five bass, 15-5, $475

9th:          Thomas Helton, Charleston, Tenn., five bass, 15-1, $400

10th:        Kyle Stafford, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 14-15, $350

Shannon Pitts of Vero Beach, Florida, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $500.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 13-15 Regional Championship on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

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

Cook Funeral Services Set – FLW News

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Cook Funeral Services Set – FLW News
Ken Cook

January 10, 2016  by Colin Moore

Funeral services for Professional Bass Fishing Hall of Famer Ken Cook will take place Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Lawton, Okla.

Cook, who died Friday morning of an apparent heart attack at the age of 68, capped a successful tournament career that began in 1980 by winning the 1991 Bassmaster Classic. Cook is survived by his wife, Tammy, daughter, Monica, as well as sons Jason, Hunter and Tanner and five grandchildren.

Cook retired from competitive fishing in 2009, and since then his wife and he operated a successful big game hunting ranch near the Wichita Mountains.

Lawton Ritter Gray Funeral Home, 580.353.1113, is handling funeral arrangements. Expressions of sympathy can be made on the funeral home’s website: [email protected]

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