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Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Sets Sights On New Venues For 2016

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Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Sets Sights On New Venues For 2016
The 2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series tournament season will feature all-new tournament destinations, beginning with the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Southern Regional on Lake Martin out of Alexander City, Ala., Feb. 4-6.
Photo by Shaye Baker/Bassmaster

Oct. 16, 2015

Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Sets Sights On New Venues For 2016

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops will make stops at all-new tournament destinations in 2016. The regular season will span five months, visit five regions of the country and challenge competitors in a three-day tournament format.

The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series continues to produce high caliber anglers. The last three Bassmaster College Series Classic Bracket champions have qualified for the Bassmaster Elite Series via the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens presented by Allstate. Brett Preuett of Monroe, La., is the most recent example. The 2014 champion just qualified for the Elites through the Central Opens in fall 2015.

College Series anglers are going on to fish with Bassmaster Elite Series pros, and the challenging fisheries they face in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series is paving the way.

“We always strive to select great venues for our college anglers,” said Hank Weldon, B.A.S.S. College Series tournament manager. “We look for venues and fisheries that can handle the growing field size, as well as provide great fishing and dramatic competition.”

The season begins in February as the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series heads to Lake Martin out of Alexander City, Ala., for the Southern Regional, Feb. 4-6. The 41,150-acre man-made lake hosted the 2002 Bassmaster Southern Open, won by Coby Carden of Shelby, Ala., with 36 pounds, 7 ounces. The Costa Bassmaster High School Southern Open was held here in February 2015. The Tennessee team of Cole Stewart and Josh Powers brought in 14-4 during the one-day derby. The local host for the event is Alexander City.

The Central Regional isn’t far behind on Feb. 25-27 on Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin. This swampy fishery has earned its place on Bassmaster Magazine’s 2015 Best Bass Lakes list at No. 98 and will also host the first Central Open in the 2016 Opens Series. The event will be held out of Houma, La., and the local host is Nicholls State University.

Lake Mead in Henderson, Nev., will play host to the Western Regional, April 2-4. This historic fishery was home to the very first Bassmaster Classic in 1971. Bobby Murray weighed in 43 pounds, 11 ounces over three days to earn the inaugural Bassmaster Classic trophy. The local host is the Nevada B.A.S.S. Nation.

The Eastern Regional, May 19-21, will be held on the James River out of Richmond, Va. It was on this fishery in 2013 that Alabama’s Randy Howell qualified for the 2014 Bassmaster Classic — which he won. Howell weighed in three consecutive limits of more than 15 pounds, totaling 47-11 to win the James River Open. Virginia Commonwealth University is the local host for the event.

The final regular-season event of 2016, the Midwestern Regional, will take place on Illinois’ Clinton Lake, June 2-4, in conjunction with the third and final Costa Bassmaster High School Open on June 5. The tournament will be hosted by Forsyth/Clinton, Ill., and in partnership with the Illinois B.A.S.S. Nation.

“College teams are competing for a chance to fish in the national championship through these regular-season events,” Weldon said. “And, there is also a 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic berth on the line. Each year, we get to see a young, aspiring angler’s dream come true and that’s always an unforgettable moment.”

The top anglers from each regional qualify for the 2016 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship, to be held at a date and location to be announced later. For competitors who do not qualify for the championship through their regional, the Wild Card tournament gives them another opportunity. The Wild Card will be held at a date and location to be announced at a later date.

Bassmaster Open On Lake Seminole Will Be Challenging

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Bassmaster Open On Lake Seminole Will Be Challenging

The final Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open presented by Allstate heads to Lake Seminole out of Bainbridge, Ga., Oct. 22-24, where anglers will compete for cash and prizes and also a berth in the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.

Photo by Larry Towell/B.A.S.S.

Oct. 15, 2015

Bassmaster Open On Lake Seminole Will Be Challenging

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BAINBRIDGE, Ga. — The final Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open presented by Allstate of the 2015 season will be a challenge for the anglers who compete in this bass tournament. The event takes place on Georgia’s Lake Seminole Oct. 22-24.

The problem is not a lack of bass. Seminole grows big bass and plenty of them. Brett Hite of Phoenix, Ariz., demonstrated this when he won a Bassmaster Elite Series tournament here in March of 2014. His four-day total of 20 bass weighed a whopping 97 pounds, 10 ounces.

The predicament for the anglers fishing in the upcoming Southern Open is timing, points out Bassmaster Elite Series pro Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Fla.

“For Seminole, October is the toughest time of year to possibly fish it,” Tharp said.

Tharp will be competing in the Southern Open on Seminole, and he has been on the lake prior to the tournament searching for bass. A favorite to win the tournament, he finished fifth in a Southern Open on Seminole in October 2010.

Tharp needs the victory, which provides a berth in the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro March 4-6 in Tulsa, Okla. After qualifying for the 2014 and 2015 world championships, he finished below the Top 40 Classic cut this year. Winning at Seminole is his only hope of qualifying for his fourth Classic.

The three five-bass limits Tharp brought to the scales during that tournament weighed a meager 37-4. The winning weight was only 44-2. Although Seminole is capable of yielding a huge five-bass limit on any given day, Tharp points out that the lake is even stingier now than it was during the 2010 Southern Open.

“The bass are scattered,” Tharp said. “You have to cover a lot of water and keep a positive attitude because you won’t get many bites during the day.”

Seminole is such a diverse environment that the field of more than 170 pro anglers and an equal number of co-anglers will ample room to spread out over its 37,500 acres. For those who like casting to shallow bass cover, Seminole has an abundance of stumps, standing timber and a wide variety of aquatic vegetation, with hydrilla being the dominant species.

“There is way more grass here now than there was in 2010,” Tharp said.

Hydrilla is especially prominent in the Spring Creek and Fish Pond Drain arms on Seminole’s northern shore. Because these areas are springfed, they tend to have the clearest water in the lake.

The Chattahoochee River arm flows south into Lake Seminole from Lake Eufaula, which lies along the state line between Georgia and Alabama. Major tournaments have been won on Seminole by fishing pockets and small creeks off the Chattahoochee.

Seminole’s main lake also has plenty of grass and standing timber. Anglers who prefer to fish deeper offshore structure will likely fare best in this section of the lake.

Largemouth bass will dominate the Seminole Bassmaster Open because they dwell throughout the lake. Although the fishing may be slow, some heavyweight bass are sure to be caught. Seminole lies in the southern range of the Northern largemouth and the northern range of the Florida largemouth. This overlap of species allows for naturally occurring hybrid “intergrade” bass that grow larger than the Northern largemouth.

Shoal bass live far up the Flint River from the Earle May Boat Basin in Bainbridge, Ga., where the weigh-in will take place on the first two days of the tournament. Shoal bass don’t grow as heavy as largemouth bass, but they can be more reliable. However, to reach them means navigating a bass boat over shallow rocks and riffles that can rip a lower unit off an outboard.

Most of the anglers will head south from Bainbridge in search of largemouth bass. That includes Tharp. “Largemouth will win this tournament, and I’m fishing to win,” Tharp said.

During the 2010 Southern Open on Lake Seminole, twitching weedless frogs over matted grass and punching through thick vegetation with a heavy sinker matched with a variety of Texas rigged soft plastic baits were productive tactics. These methods also should be players this time around, but there are other options.

“You can fish to your strengths here,” Tharp said. “Keeping a positive attitude and fishing to your strengths will be the keys to winning.”

Takeoffs will be from the Earle May Boat Basin at 7:30 a.m. ET each competition day. On Thursday and Friday, weigh-ins will be held at the same location at 3:30 p.m. The final weigh-in for the Top 12 anglers on Saturday will take place at 4:30 p.m. ET at Bass Pro Shops, 4059 Lagniappe Way, Tallahassee, FL 32317.

Who’s the Best in the West? – FLW

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Who’s the Best in the West? – FLW
Uribe is looking at an opportunity to win his second in a row.

October 14, 2015  by Curtis Niedermier

They say it’ll be a tough one, by Clear Lake standards anyway, which should make for a fantastic season-finale showdown. But that’s not all that’s at stake Thursday when the Rayovac FLW Series Western Division finale kicks off in California.

Someone is going to walk away with a Strike King Angler of the Year prize package, plus the top 40 pros and co-anglers in the season-long standings will earn a place in the 2015 Rayovac FLW Series Championship, which is being held on the Ohio River in Paducah, Ky., at month’s end. With the addition of the Western Division contingent, the Championship field will be complete at 200 pros and 200 co-anglers.

The Clear Lake event, which was originally scheduled for Sept. 24-26, was postponed due to wildfires in the Lakeport, Calif., area. Action in the three-day tournament begins at 7 a.m. PT tomorrow at Konocti Vista Casino Resort and Marina and concludes Saturday afternoon, Oct. 17.

Two pros at the top of the standings are dueling for the AOY prize, though several others are still within striking distance.

We weighed their odds.

 

Joe Uribe Jr.

1. Joe Uribe Jr. – 495 Points

Five days into the Western Division season it appeared that Joe Uribe Jr. was on his way to back-to-back tournament victories and the easy road to AOY. He cleaned house at the opener on Lake Havasu in February and had the two-day lead on the California Delta three months later.

Unfortunately for Uribe, the entire top 10 on the Delta was within 2 pounds of his lead, and final-day encounters with a string of fish suffering from bad aim – they were missing his topwater – prevented him from holding off Californian Wade Curtiss. Uribe fell to sixth place.

Still, the Arizona pro known by many as “Little Joe” padded his two-tournament point total to 495 (each tournament winner earns 250 points), which, barring a major bomb at the third tournament, would normally be a nearly insurmountable lead. That won’t be the case this week, however. David Valdivia is right on Uribe’s heels.

A well-rounded Western angler, Uribe knows how to rip ’em on big swimbaits, tiny finesse baits and everything in between. According to practice reports on his Facebook page, Uribe has been having some decent success in preparation for the finale. His “secret weapon,” sister Rachel Uribe, a co-angler who practices with him, has been helping him get dialed in.

Little Joe needs an 11th-place finish to put his lead out of reach. Don’t be surprised if he’s fishing on the last day and does just that. He has, after all, made the top 10 on Clear Lake three times in his Rayovac FLW Series career.

 

That would be a 10-pounder and Valdivia's 'smaller' kicker.

2. David Valdivia – 484 Points

California pro David Valdivia made a lot of noise on the second day of the California Delta event in May when he brought in 26 pounds, 3 ounces to rocket up the leaderboard from 48th place and into the runner-up spot behind Uribe (who leapt from 30th into the lead that day, by the way). Valdivia eventually passed Uribe and finished third. Now, he’s hoping to make the jump, but hold off the rest of the competitors in the process.

Valdivia’s 484 points – he finished 15th on Havasu – have him 11 points back of the leader. Uribe could falter at the finale, leaving the door open, but realistically Valdivia needs no worse than a top 20 – preferably a top 10 – if he wants a shot at the title. Then, too, several anglers down the list could catch him.

According to his angler profile at FLWFishing.com, Valdivia has fished two Rayovac events on Clear Lake and finished 14th and 98th. He needs to avoid the bomb for sure.

 

3. Matt Shura – 481 Points

Arizona firefighter Matt Shura, who’s in third place in the AOY standings, won’t be at Clear Lake to make a run at the title due to a prior commitment. That leaves the door open for the rest of the top 10 anglers.

 

The Rest of the Top 10

4. Kyle Grover – 463

5. Charley Almassey – 455

6. Brent Shores – 454

7. Chad Hulbert – 453

8. Jeff Michels – 449*

9. Jason Milligan – 448

10. Ed Arledge – 438

 

*Michels won back-to-back Western Division AOY titles in 2012 and 2013. Last time he fished Clear Lake, which was in 2013, he made the top 10.

 

Complete Standings

 

Todd Kline

Kline Angling for Third COY Title

Whatever Todd Kline is doing, he’d better not stop. The pro-surfer-turned-bass-nut started fishing with FLW as a Western Division co-angler in 2013. He won the Co-angler of the Year award that season, then followed it up with another COY last year.

That’s impressive enough, but now Kline is angling for three. He’s tied for the COY lead with Daniel Leue. Each has 494 points.

Just being in the hunt for the threepeat is a heck of an accomplishment, but since we’re currently riding the “Kline Train,” we might as well throw out some more of his ridiculous stats:

  • 7 top-10 finishes in 11 FLW events
  • 10th place at the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup
  • 3 wins since 2013, including a pair in 2014
  • back-to-back top-10 finishes in 2015 (6th at Havasu; 2nd at the Cal Delta)

Tags: joe-uribe-jr-  flw-series  western-division  pre-tournament  curtis-niedermier

Lake Anna Mid October Lake Report October 2015

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Lake Anna Mid October Lake Report October 2015


UPCOMING BASS TOURNAMENTS

ANGLER APPRECIATION TOURNAMENT
OCTOBER 25, 2015
$110 ENTRY FEE
7AM-3PM or SAFE LIGHT-3:30PM

2015 Anna Point Marina / Fish Tales Angler Appreciation Tournament
Presented By Dubby’s Fishing And Hunting

Anna Point Marina and Fish Tales proudly announce and welcome Dubby’s Fishing and Hunting (www.godubbys.com) as the Presenting Sponsor for the 2015 Angler Appreciation Tournament.


Dubby Carr, owner and avid tournament angler, is a friend of the marina and also sponsored last year’s inaugural event with a lucrative prize pack. Dubby’s Fishing and Hunting will provide Custom Event T-Shirts to commemorate the exciting 2015 event. Dubby will also provide another fantastic prize pack to be given away again this year.

The Anna Point Marina / Fish Tales Angler Appreciation Tournament is the highlight event of the Lake Anna Bass Tournament Season and this year’s affair should be spectacular, especially with Dubby’s Fishing and Hunting on board as the 2015 Presenting Sponsor.

 When you see Dubby on Tournament Day, please give him a big shout out and thank him for his generous support. Dubby’s Fishing and Hunting is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and has quickly become the premier Sporting Goods Shop in The Shenandoah Valley. With their knowledgeable and friendly staff, Dubby’s is the place to go for all your fishing and hunting needs in the Shenandoah Valley.

Thank you, Dubby, for coming on board and we are honored and thankful to have you as the 2015 Presenting Sponsor

LAKE ANNA CUP
 NOVEMBER 1, 2015
 Please make checks payable to..
 Woods & Waters Magazine
 75 Edgewood Dr
 Mineral Va 23117 or

 Stop by Fish Tales and pay either Chris Craft or
 Dave Fauntleroy your entry fee. Boat Number Will Be
 Assigned In The Order Entry Fees Arrive.

 Entry fees are as follows..
 Qualified Team $70
 At Large Team $80
 Day of Event $85

  (a qualified team is any team that fished a Lake Anna
  tournament series in 2015 and finished in the top 25 teams)


With the lake being at FULL POOL heading into the fall, great catches are expected. We now have Water Willow and wood with plenty of water on it. The Bass should be aggressive and willing to take a variety of baits. The Crappie and Striper will also begin to feed up for winter.

Bass-  Look for fish to be aggressive and chasing pods of baitfish (Threadfin Shad & Blueback Herring) at anytime throughout the day. Top water baits are a very exciting way to catch these feeders, my choices are a Paycheck Baits Repoman, Damiki Rambler, Don Iovino Spash It, Cotton Cordell Broken Back Redfin & Damiki MTB Noisy Buzzbait. 

 Another great way to catch these fish is with a Damiki Anchovy Shad rigged on a 1/4oz jighead or a Damiki Armor Shad rigged on a Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG Hook. Try a 1/4oz Longbill Scrounger with your favorite soft jerkbait.

If you are not fortunate enough to find schooling action, there are many more ways to catch fish. If you are headed up lake, Dave’s Tournament Tackle Tigershad Spinnerbaits fish over top of and through the Willow Grass will produce violent strikes when the fish are actively chasing. 

If they are not active, Jig & Pig Combinations will catch heavy, fat fall fish. Coming to Fish Tales soon is the Doubld D Custom Baits Hybrid Jig, until then get yours at www.double-d-jigs.com If the water is stained, darker colors like Black, Black/Blue Flake and Brown dressed with a Snack Daddy Lures Ditch Chicken. Try throwing a Bullshad Swimbait around flats, docks and willow grass. These big baits can and will draw violent strikes for non aggressive fish.

Lipless crankbaits are great search baits this time of year as well, whether it is a Red Eye Shad, Rat L Trap or any other lipless bait, covering water is the key to finding fish. a slow steady retrieve is my favorite, bumping your bait off of the bottom. 

 Around midlake, the water clarity will be much better, shakey head rigged plastics and soft jerkbaits skipped up underneath boat docks, shallow running crankbaits and lipless baits fish around docks during the middle of the day when it is bright out are all good ways to entice fish into biting. 

 Downlake you will find fish underneath boat docks, the water is really clear down there. Lighter line and smaller baits will produce best for you. Try pitching a dropshot with a small finesse worm.

CRAPPIE–  At the current time there are stilkl numbers of fish on the uplake bridge pilings. As the water cools down into the low 60’s, they will make a move to shallow water and begin to feed up. Small minnows on jig heads or slip bobbers will work best as long as the fish are deep (8-14 feet), after they move up, 2″ Kalin Curly Tail grubs rigged on a 1/16oz jig head works great.



STRIPER-The Striper can be found throughout the entire lake at this time, look for schooling action early and late in the day. The splits region up to Dillards Bridge on the Pamunkey arm and up the Holiday Bridge on the Anna arm holds the most schools of fish. 

 If they are actively chasing and swirling on baitfish, my favorite way to catch them is with a Broken Back Redfin waked just under the surface. Once the feed is over, look for the schools with your electronics, after you locate them, drop a Toothache Spoon or Damiki Vault to them and hold on. Casting Bass Assassin Sea Shads or Damiki Anchovy Shads rigged on1/4oz jigheads into the schools of breaking fish will usually attract the bite of larger fish. 

 Towards the end of October and beginning of November, look for fish from Christopher Run all the way to Goldmine Creek on the Anna arm and from Hunters Landing up to Little Florida on the Pamunkey arm, and behind the bridge in Terrys Run.

Lake Level- FULL POOL

Water Clarity
Up Lake- Moderate Stained
Mid Lake- Slight Stain
Down Lake- Clear
Water Temps
Up Lake- 67-69
Mid Lake- 69-72
Down Lake-70-74
Dike 3- 77

Chris Craft
CCBASSN GUIDE SERVICE
[email protected] 
540-894-6195
Anna Point Marina
Fish Tales
540-895-5900 ext 5


 

RAYOVAC FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP READIES FOR OHIO RIVER

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RAYOVAC FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP READIES FOR OHIO RIVER
RAYOVAC FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP READIES FOR OHIO RIVER
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PADUCAH, Ky. (Oct. 13, 2015) – The Rayovac FLW Series is headed to the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky, October 29-31 when 200 boaters and co-anglers from the five Rayovac FLW Series divisions will take to the water for the Rayovac FLW Series Championship. The highest finishing pro from each of the five Rayovac FLW Series divisions based on final results qualifies for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, along with the top five pros not already selected as the highest finisher from a division. A total of 10 Rayovac FLW Series boaters in this event will punch their ticket to the Forrest Wood Cup, the richest payday in bass fishing.
“There are a few different patterns that could play out in this tournament,” said Walmart FLW Tour pro Dan Morehead of Paducah, Kentucky, a 14-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier. “We’ll likely see anglers either heading up the main river to the Smithland Pool or picking apart the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, or a combination of the three.
“Guys who make a run to the Smithland Pool will be targeting the laydowns and isolated wood in the feeder creeks and backwaters,” continued Morehead. “Bass will be chasing shad up those creeks which means it’ll likely be a shallow-water deal. The water is stained so I’d be reaching for black and blue spinnerbaits, jigs, square-billed crankbaits and buzzbaits.
“On the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers there isn’t a lot of visible cover to fish right now besides some laydowns here and there,” said Morehead. “Anglers will primarily be focusing on dissecting the current near eddy pockets where bass are active. The water in these areas is much clearer than the main river, so natural-colored shaky-head rigs, tubes and drop-shot rigs will be the baits of choice. I could see the smallmouth bite near deeper rock piles playing a role as well.”
Morehead predicted a three-day catch nearing 42 pounds will be enough to take top honors.
“The biggest challenge in this tournament will be trying to catch weights that are consistent with those brought in on day one, especially with a field of this caliber,” Morehead went on to say.
The Rayovac FLW Series Championship at the Ohio River is hosted by the Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau. Along with the Forrest Wood Cup qualifications, boaters will also fish for a top award of $50,000 plus a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award consisting of a Ranger Z117 with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.
Anglers will take off from the Foot of Broadway Ramp, located at 100 S. Riverfront in Paducah, at 7 a.m. CST each day. Weigh-in on days one and two will be held at the boat launch beginning at 3 p.m. Weigh-in on day three will take place at Walmart located at 5130 Hinkleville Road in Paducah, at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Also on Saturday, fans will also be treated to the FLW Expo at Walmart prior to the final championship weigh-in. The Expo includes a Ranger boat simulator, a unique opportunity to interact with anglers who did not make the weekend cut, interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and a chance to learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.
The Rayovac FLW Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments, with competitors vying for valuable points to earn their way into the top 40 and the opportunity to fish in the Rayovac FLW Series Championship.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Rayovac FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY MERCURY SET FOR LAKE OF THE OZARKS

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WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY MERCURY SET FOR LAKE OF THE OZARKS
WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY MERCURY SET FOR LAKE OF THE OZARKS
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OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (Oct. 13, 2015) – The Walmart Bass Fishing League (BFL) is headed to Lake of the Ozarks Oct. 22-24 for one of six BFL regional championships. The three-day tournament, presented by Mercury, will feature the top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers from each of the Arkie, Cowboy, Illini and Okie divisions.
Anglers will take to the water to compete for the top prize of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard and $20,000 in the Boater Division and a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard in the Co-angler division. The top six boaters and co-anglers will also qualify for the 2016 Walmart BFL All-American – one of the longest running championships in competitive bass fishing.
“The bass are currently stuck between their summer and fall patterns due to unseasonably warm weather, so we’ll likely see a couple of different approaches in this event,” said 20-year Walmart FLW Tour veteran Dion Hibdon of Sunrise Beach, Missouri, the 2000 Forrest Wood Cup champion. “Right now, the water temperature is hovering around 70 degrees and bass are active near some deeper brush piles. That’s the kind of stuff we typically see in August. If these temperatures hold, we’ll likely see anglers fishing the brush and flipping a worm to docks, or using square-billed crankbaits or spinnerbaits.
“If the weather cools down and the water temperature drops into the sixties, it could be a drastically different tournament,” continued Hibdon. “Bass will be transitioning to the shallower depths near the bank. If that’s the case, topwater baits, spinnerbaits and flipping a jig to natural cover should do well. I could see large, 20-pound stringers coming from these shallow-water patterns.”
Hibdon went on to say a three-day catch nearing 58 pounds would likely be enough weight to win this event.
“Everything is going to depend on how the weather is leading up to the first day of competition,” said Hibdon.
Anglers will take off from the Public Beach No. 2 ramp located at 711 Public Beach Road in Osage Beach at 7:30 a.m. CST each day. Weigh-ins on Thursday and Friday will be held at the launch ramp beginning at 3:30 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at Walmart, located at 4252 Highway 54 in Osage Beach at 4:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The BFL Regional Championship event on Lake of the Ozarks is being hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association & The Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau.
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 Walmart BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac 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.

WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY RANGER BOATS SET FOR NEELY HENRY LAKE

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WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY RANGER BOATS SET FOR NEELY HENRY LAKE
WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE REGIONAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY RANGER BOATS SET FOR NEELY HENRY LAKE
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GADSDEN, Ala. (Oct. 13, 2015) – The Walmart Bass Fishing League (BFL) is headed to Neely Henry Lake Oct. 22-24 for one of six BFL regional championships. The three-day tournament, presented by Ranger Boats, will feature the top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers from each of the Bulldog, Choo Choo, LBL and Mississippi divisions.
Anglers will take to the water to compete for the top prize of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard and $20,000 in the Boater Division and a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard in the Co-angler division. The top six boaters and co-anglers will also qualify for the 2016 Walmart BFL All-American – one of the longest running championships in competitive bass fishing.
“This is going to be a great tournament for both the competitors and the fans,” said Quaker State pro of Scott Canterbury of Springville, Alabama, a seven-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier. “Neely Henry has a lot of good-sized fish in it right now and many different ways to catch them.
“The lake is located on the Coosa River which means competitors will be picking apart current breaks in larger areas,” said Canterbury. “It’s all about power fishing on the Coosa, so I’d bet there will be a lot of anglers flipping a big jig or throwing a spinnerbait in those locations.
“On the lower end of the lake, the patterns will be different,” Canterbury continued. “We’ll likely see anglers flipping or swimming a jig near grass – especially since the lake levels has remained steady. Flipping a jig to docks could also be a player, but I’d imagine they will have heavy boat traffic. If those areas aren’t firing, there are many seawalls and brush piles to focus on as well.”
Canterbury predicted a three-day catch nearing 50 pounds should be enough to win the event.
“I don’t think that everyone will catch big limits, but there will definitely be some impressive stringers brought to the scale,” said Canterbury.
Anglers will take off from Coosa Landing located at 200 Lake St. in Gadsden at 7 a.m. CST each day. Weigh-ins on Thursday and Friday will be held at the landing beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at Walmart, located at 340 E. Meighan Blvd. in Gadsden at 3:45 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The BFL Regional Championship event on Neely Henry Lake is being hosted by the City of Gadsden.
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 Walmart BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac 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.

2016 Bassmaster Opens Schedule Announced

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2016 Bassmaster Opens Schedule Announced
The 2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series tournament season kicks off on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Kissimmee, Fla., Jan. 28–30. At this same fishery in January of 2015, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Chad Morgenthaler earned his second B.A.S.S. win by bringing 52 pounds, 7 ounces to the scales.
Photo by Shaye Baker/Bassmaster

Oct. 13, 2015

2016 Bassmaster Opens Schedule Announced

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Some of America’s best bass fishing waters will play host to competitors in the 2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series. The series will span 10 months, visit seven states and offer nine invitations to the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing — the Bassmaster Classic.

B.A.S.S. announced the three-division, nine-tournament Opens schedule today, noting that it kicks off with the Jan. 28-30 Southern Open No. 1 on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Kissimmee, Fla., and concludes Sept. 29-Oct. 1 with the final Central Open on the Red River out of Shreveport/Bossier City, La.

“The 2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens schedule offers a diverse group of fisheries,” said Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “Natural lakes, reservoirs, rivers and tidal waters all have a place on this schedule. It should challenge anglers and reward those who are the most skilled and proficient at adapting to the various fisheries and conditions.”

Anglers will compete for a portion of more than $250,000 awarded at each Open event, including a boat-and-motor package to the winners. And the winning pro, if he or she competes in all three events within a division, will earn a berth in the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic.

“I look forward to seeing all the competitors and watching the season unfold,” said Chris Bowes, B.A.S.S. senior tournament manager. “I have the unique opportunity to watch firsthand as dreams come true and B.A.S.S. history is made.”

Competitors earn performance points at each tournament, and the Top 5 in each division are invited to join the Elite Series — the most prestigious bass fishing circuit in the sport — the following year. In recent years, nearly all who received Elite bids have joined the tour.

“More than half of the current Elite Series field has qualified through the Bassmaster Opens,” Bowes said. “I’m excited to see who the additions from the 2016 Opens will be.”

Weigh-ins will be held lakeside during the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday of each tournament week. The 12 finalists who earn the right to fish on Saturday will weigh their catches in at nearby Bass Pro Shops stores, except for the Lake Champlain event which will remain at the original location.

Registration for B.A.S.S. Nation and Life members begins online on Nov. 17. Other details and complete registration information will be posted on Bassmaster.com.

Southern Opens

No. 1 — Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, Kissimmee, Fla., Jan. 28–30

The Kissimmee Chain of Lakes including Lake Tohopekaliga has been a popular venue for Bassmaster tournaments for more than 40 years. The fishery has hosted 22 Bassmaster events including the 1977 and 2006 Bassmaster Classics. Chad Morgenthaler was the lastest to win there, claiming a 2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open title with 52 pounds, 7 ounces. The local host for the event is Visit Kissimmee and the Central Florida Sports Commission.

No. 2 — Smith Lake, Jasper Ala., March 31-April 2

A clear, deep lake near Birmingham, Smith Lake is noted for its huge spotted bass and outstanding topwater action. One of the Alabama Bass Trail Lakes, Smith has hosted seven Bassmaster events, including three Southern Opens. The local host for the event is the Walker County Chamber of Commerce.

No. 3 — Douglas Lake, Dandridge, Tenn., May 19-21

Douglas Lake will host its fourth Bassmaster Open and ninth Bassmaster event when the Opens Series returns here in May. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Ott DeFoe of nearby Knoxville qualified for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic by winning the 2014 Open on Douglas Lake. The local host for the event is the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce.

Central Opens

No. 1 — Atchafalaya Basin, Morgan City, La., Feb. 18-20
A picturesque, swampy fishery in southern Louisiana, the Atchafalaya Basin’s maze of bayous and natural lakes is included in Bassmaster Magazine’s 2015 Best Bass Lakes list. The basin has hosted five previous Bassmaster events, including the 2009 Central Open in which Oklahoma pro Edwin Evers earned his second Opens victory in a fourth-day fish-off tiebreaker. The local host for the event is the Cajun Coast Visitors Bureau.

No. 2 — Arkansas River, Muskogee, Okla., June 2-4

The second Central Open of the year will mark the third time the Bassmaster Opens Series has visited the Arkansas River out of Muskogee, Okla. In 2014, local angler Mark Tyler earned an Open win on the Arkansas River after weighing in 42 pounds, 14 ounces. The local host is the Muskogee Chamber of Commerce.

No. 3 — Red River, Shreveport/Bossier City, La., Sept. 29-Oct. 1

The Red River, recently rated among the Top 100 lakes in America by Bassmaster Magazine, has hosted 17 Bassmaster events, including two enormously popular Classics in 2009 and 2012. Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., won in 2009, and Chris Lane of Guntersville, Ala., earned the 2012 Classic victory here. The local host for the event is the Shreveport Sports Commission.

Northern Opens

No. 1 — Oneida Lake, Syracuse, N.Y., June 30–July 2

Oneida Lake has hosted 12 Bassmaster events. Boyd Duckett won the 2012 Elite Series finale on Oneida with 62-6, edging Randy Howell by just 6 ounces. Howell got his revenge this year, when he won the Northern Open over Duckett and nearly 200 other anglers in early August. Bassmaster ranked Oneida 40th among the nation’s top bass fisheries in 2015. It spans more than 50,000 acres. The local host for the event is the Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau.

No. 2 — James River, Richmond, Va., Aug. 18-20

The historic James River has hosted 11 Bassmaster tournaments, including Classics in 1988, 1989 and 1990. Rick Clunn won his fourth Classic on the James in 1990. In 2013, Alabama’s Randy Howell won an Open on the James to qualify for the 2014 Classic on Lake Guntersville — which he won. The local host for the event is Visit Richmond.

No. 3 — Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh, N.Y., Sept. 22-24

One of the pros’ favorite bass fisheries, Lake Champlain will be the site of its fifth Open event in 2016. The giant lake on the New York-Vermont border was recently ranked No. 14 on Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes list of 2015. The final Northern Open will mark the 15th B.A.S.S. event held on Champlain. The local host is the Adirondacks Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Jeff Lugar & Larry Witt Win Bass Nation of VA 2016 State Team Fish Off

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Jeff Lugar & Larry Witt Win Bass Nation of VA 2016 State Team Fish Off

 

Click Here To See Day One Results
Click Here To see Final Results

 

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CastAway Anglers Open Tournaments October 24th (SAT) & November 7th (SAT) Smith Mt. Lake State Park Ramp

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CastAway Anglers Open Tournaments October 24th (SAT) & November 7th (SAT) Smith Mt. Lake State Park Ramp

CastAway Anglers
Open Tournaments

October 24th (SAT) &
November 7th (SAT)
Smith Mt. Lake
State Park Ramp

Time: 7 AM – 4 PM
Registration: 6:10 – 6:50 AM
Entry Fee: $60 A Boat (team or single)
Big Fish – $10 a boat (part of entry fee)
80% Payback/ 1 place every 6 Boats (3 places max)

Five fish Limit
3 – 14” and 2 – 12”
For more information call
Jimmy Thomas – 258-4231

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