Floyd/Morgan and Gill/Stefan Advance after Day 1 Elimination Round at General Tire Team Series B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup Presented by Toyota
Four teams compete in Erie’s Presque Isle Bay, Team REDCON1 (Floyd/Morgan) catches 34 largemouth weighing 49 pounds, 6 ounces to pace field
ERIE, Pa. (Aug. 25, 2024) – It was an exciting first day of competition on Erie’s Presque Isle Bay for both the anglers competing on the water and the fans watching a professional fishing team event live for the first time ever at the season-opening event for the 2024 General Tire Team Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops.
When Erie, Pennsylvania, was announced to the anglers as the host destination for the first event of the year, many expected smallmouth bass to be a prominent factor throughout the tournament. If Sunday’s first day of competition at the B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup Presented by Toyota is any indicator, the largemouth are going to reign supreme this week.
Link to HD Video Clip of Day 1 Elimination Round Highlights
Link to Photo Gallery of Day 1 Elimination Round Morning On-The-Water Highlights
Team REDCON1, made up of pros Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee, and Cole Floyd of Leesburg, Ohio, led the way, Sunday, catching 34 largemouth bass weighing 49 pounds, 6 ounces, to earn the win after the Day 1 Elimination Round. For the win, Team REDCON1 will now advance to the Elimination Round, along with second-place finishing Team Coign – pros Matthew Stefan of Junction City, Wisconsin, and Drew Gill of Mount Carmel, Illinois – who caught 32 bass weighing 43-15 to finish in second.
The REDCON1 team caught the majority of their weight on the west side of Presque Isle Bay, flipping grass with a variety of soft plastics. The duo started shallow with their flipping sticks, but after a slow start to the day they moved out deeper – about 8 to 9 feet deep – and found some fish holding on clean milfoil that had a hard edge. Knowing what to look for, the REDCON1 team covered water and vaulted into the lead midway through the second period and never looked back.
“We had a freaking blast, today,” said Morgan, who caught the most bass and the most weight on the day. “This is how we got started and what I love about bass fishing – team tournaments. And when you have a good fisherman in the boat with you like Cole, that just makes it all the much better. I was so happy when Cole picked me as his teammate. He and his dad Steven used to kick butt in team tournaments back in the day, so I knew he’d be a great team partner.”
“This was a whole different concept for me,” Floyd said. “It was so much fun. And we got to catch them Andy Morgan-style – on big line, with a big rod. Man, that bite is so addicting.”
They fished the way Morgan is known for – flipping and pitching various soft plastics in all sorts of colors. And they used Floyd’s old team tournament partner’s secret stash.
“We used a dozen different baits today – everything from a Zoom Z Craw to a Strike King Rage Bug,” Morgan said. “Cole actually got his dad’s big bulk bag of soft plastics and brought them for the Team Series. We dipped into Steve’s free baits today and used every color in the bag. Color really didn’t matter though – if you got it around bass, they bit it.”
Morgan’s flipping setup was a 7-foot, 11-inch flipping stick with a Lew’s Pro SP Skipping & Pitching Baitcast Reel, spooled with 65-pound braided line, a 4/0 Hayabusa hook and a ¾ ounce Strike King tungsten weight.
“We didn’t need but two rods, today,” Floyd went on to say.
With just over an hour remaining in the final period of the day, Team Coign pros Matt Stefan and Drew Gill rallied from fourth place into second after finding an area that held a decent population of largemouth. They caught 24 of their 32 bass total in the third period to overtake Team Wix and Team Ferguson and advance in the final spot.
“The Great Lakes are known for having very spot-specific largemouth, and we happened to fall into an area and caught a pile of fish,” said Stefan, who caught 13 keepers.
Despite only catching three bass in the first two periods, Gill added 16 scorable largemouth in the third period alone.
“I’ve never been out here before, so it took us a bit to find our groove. We were chasing something that I don’t think ever developed,” Gill added. “We found a spot that had sand, rock, a little bit of grass, adjacent to a backwater – everything we needed to make a comeback that we did. What a great final period.”
The results from the Day 1 Elimination Round at the B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup Presented by Toyota are:
1st: Team REDCON1, 36 bass, 52-0
Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 23 bass, 34-6
Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 13 bass, 17-10
2nd: Team Coign, 32 bass, 43-15
Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 19 bass, 26-1
Matt Stefan, Junction City, Wis, 13 bass, 17-14
3rd: Team Ferguson, 15 bass, 26-6
Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., nine bass, 15-13
Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., six bass, 10-9
4th: Team WIX Filters, 15 bass, 23-15
Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 11 bass, 16-11
Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., four bass, 7-4
Complete results from throughout the week can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 98 bass weighing 146 pounds, 4 ounces caught by the four teams during the Day 1 Elimination Round on Presque Isle Bay. Team Ferguson pro Nick LeBrun caught the Berkley Big Bass of the day – a largemouth weighing 3 pounds, 3 ounces.
The B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup Presented by Toyota is hosted by VisitErie and takes place over six days in Erie, Pennsylvania. The competition water for each day is top-secret and is only revealed to the anglers after they arrive at the host hotel each morning.
Anglers depart the host hotel in Erie each morning at 4:30 a.m. ET. They are driven directly to the day’s competition area launch ramp by their officials. Competition begins on the water at 7:45 a.m.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live every day of competition from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET. MLFNOW!® is live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.
The Challenge Cup features 12 two-man teams, divided into three groups as they enter the one-day Elimination Rounds. Each of the three Elimination Rounds will feature four new teams, with the top two teams from each of the Elimination Rounds advancing to the Knockout Rounds on Days 4 & 5. In the Knockout Rounds, three teams will compete each day, with the top two teams from each Knockout Round moving on to the Championship Round on Day 6. In Friday’s Day 6 Championship Round, the final four teams will compete in a one-day shootout to determine which team will win the 2024 B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup Presented by Toyota.
The 2024 General Tire Team Series is comprised of four events – Challenge Cup, Heritage Cup, Patriot Cup and Summit Cup – featuring two-man teams of MLF Bass Pro Tour pros competing from the same boat. Each event features a roster of 24 anglers, teamed up and working together to claim part of a season purse of more than $720,000. Teams were formed through a selection process, where 48 team captains – based on Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) standings throughout the 2024 Bass Pro Tour season – selected a teammate. Teams will compete throughout the fall of 2024.
Television coverage of the B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup Presented by Toyota will premiere on Outdoor Channel as six two-hour episodes starting in January 2025. New MLF General Tire Team Series episodes will premiere each Saturday morning on Outdoor Channel and posted to MOTV.
Proud sponsors of the MLF General Tire Team Series include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Barbasol, Bass Boat Technologies, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Builders FirstSource, C-MAP, Coign, Epic Baits, Ferguson, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Knighten Industries, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Nitro Boats, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala Baits, REDCON1, Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff, Star brite, Toyota, USAA, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the General Tire Team Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
Victor Angler Casey Smith Wins MLF Toyota Series at St. Lawrence River Presented by FX Custom Rods
MASSENA, N.Y. (Aug. 24, 2024) – Pro Casey Smith of Victor, New York, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 26 pounds, 4 ounces to win the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at St. Lawrence River Presented by FX Custom Rods and earn the top payout of $39,750.
Taking off from Massena Intake Boat Launch on Championship Saturday within reach of both a win on the St. Lawrence River and the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year title for the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Northern Division, Smith admitted he felt a bit jittery. He had plenty of time to stew on the ramifications of his performance, too, making a 70-plus mile run upriver to his fishing spot.
But once he arrived, it didn’t take long to settle his nerves.
Within 5 minutes, Smith boated a smallmouth bass that weighed 5 3/4 pounds. That started an epic flurry that saw the New York native put more than 25 pounds in his livewell during his first hour of fishing. He went on to make one afternoon cull, bringing his limit to 26-4 — easily the biggest bag of the final day.
That boosted Smith’s three-day total to 72-1, vaulting him from seventh place to the winner’s circle. Smith topped Oklahoma’s Kyle Cortiana by 1 pound, 2 ounces. While Cortiana still edged him by a single point at the top of the AOY standings, a second Toyota Series trophy and the $39,750 payday more than made up for it.
“Today was unbelievable,” Smith said. “Within 5 minutes, I had a 5 3/4, and I had the bulk of that weight within an hour. So, that settled me down and put me in a groove, and I just built it from there.”
In the weeks prior to the event, Smith grappled with the decision of where to fish on the massive St. Lawrence. While Lake Ontario was off-limits to competitors, the waters near the lake have typically produced a better class of bass than the rest of the river in recent years. The catch is, with the field launching from Massena, the runs to and from that area could eat up nearly half the competition day, and Smith had typically struggled in the past when making a long run and fishing in a hurry.
However, when he watched the broadcast of one of the recent national-level events contested on the St. Lawrence, Smith heard a comment about how anglers needed to commit to the long run if they wanted to have a chance to win. That stuck with him as he took a win-or-bust mindset into this event, running between 140 and 180 miles round-trip each day.
“It’s a long way, man,” Smith said with a chuckle. “I’m tired, I’m exhausted, I’m out of gas money.
“Running a long distance like that for me has always been an Achilles (heel),” he added. “I’ve never managed time well. So, that’s where this one is special, I overcame that weakness. I mean, I was running 3 hours a day — an hour and a half down and an hour and a half back — so I was only fishing 5 hours. To overcome that Achilles of the time management, that’s where this one is special.”
After making the long run each morning, Smith targeted his fish a bit differently than most in the field. He found three offshore shoals where, particularly early in the day, schools of smallmouth were suspended chasing bait. Smith targeted them with a Deps Sakamata Shad on a jighead.
“There was a ton of bait in the area, and I was using a minnow, a Sakamata Shad,” he said. “As the day went on, that bite would go away, and then I would resort to drifting with a Ned rig or a football jig. But the bulk of it came early every morning from fish that were up in the bait.”
While the jighead minnow has dominated events across the country in the past couple years, the strong current on the St. Lawrence typically forces fish to remain bottom-oriented, making drop-shots, Ned rigs, jigs and the like more popular. The 39-year-old Smith said he was proud of his ability to not only find the unique bite but target the schoolers with forward-facing sonar, noting he spotted every fish he caught with Garmin LiveScope.
“You don’t need to be 18 years old to do that,” he said. “I don’t know how I got to be an older dude, but I’m representing the experienced group here with this win and showing that we can hang with the electronics, too.”
During practice, Smith knew he’d found an area loaded with bass. But he underestimated just how good it could be.
Prior to the start of the event, Smith predicted that it would take “22 and change” per day to win. So, when he hit the 22-pound mark on Day 1, he left his main area, hoping to save those fish for later in the event. When 18 pros weighed in 23 pounds or more that afternoon, he thought he might have blown his chances at hoisting the trophy.
“I left my area after 2 and a half hours because I was trying to conserve, and when I came in and saw that, I thought I made a major mistake,” he said. “I had to absolutely put the gas on down there the last two days, and I wasn’t sure how much was left after I burned on it yesterday. I did not have any clue it was going to take this average to win this tournament.”
Luckily for Smith, his area produced more weight each day. He followed up his 22-1 total on Day 1 with 23-12 on Day 2. His 26-4 bag on Saturday represented the second-heaviest limit of the week.
“Today, I started on one (shoal), and it just went nuts,” he said. “I thought it was the best one numbers wise. I didn’t realize it was the best one size wise too.”
Smith’s three-day weight puts him in rare company. Since the Toyota Series went to three days of competition in 2009, only once during the 11 events held on the St. Lawrence River has the winner totaled more than his 72-1. That was Chris Johnston with 77-15 in 2021, and he amassed almost all that weight in Lake Ontario. Even without the lake in play, this marked the first Toyota Series event ever on the fishery that three anglers have hit the 70-pound mark in three days.
The win also cements Smith as one of the most accomplished tournament anglers in the Northeast — and maybe the best not to fish for a living. Smith has now won three multi-day events on three different fisheries, adding his St. Lawrence triumph to a resume that includes a 2016 Toyota Series win on the Potomac River and a 2022 Bassmaster Open victory on Oneida Lake.
In the moments after lifting the trophy alongside his son Travis, Smith’s voice caught as he reflected on the hard work that went into his latest triumph.
“I don’t even know how to describe it,” he said. “I’m not sure why I’ve been lucky enough or blessed enough to have that happen to me. I work hard, I love fishing, but I’ve got a job. I have to go to work every Monday. And I show up and I fish as hard as I can, I do as much research as I can, and I guess it’s just a function of that mentality, how much I love it and how much I work for it. It feels unbelievably rewarding.”
The top 10 pros on the St. Lawrence River finished:
1st: Casey Smith, Victor, N.Y., 15 bass, 72-1, $39,750
2nd: Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., 15 bass, 70-15, $15,403
3rd: Dante Piraino, Baldwinsville, N.Y., 15 bass, 70-0, $11,925
4th: Colby Miller, Elmer, La., 15 bass, 68-7, $10,938
5th: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., 15 bass, 68-1, $8,944
6th: Adam Howell, Embrun, Ontario, 15 bass, 67-10, $7,950
7th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 67-4, $6,956
8th: Mitchell Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 15 bass, 66-8, $5,963
9th: Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 15 bass, 66-3, $4,969
10th: Lane Olson, Forest Grove, Ore., 15 bass, 66-0, $3,975
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Pro Juan Darte of Middle River, Maryland, won the $500 Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Thursday with a bass weighing 6 pounds, 8 ounces. On Friday, pro Rich Nelson of Smithville, Ontario, earned the $500 Berkley Big Bass prize after bringing a 7-pound, 3-ounce bass to the scale.
Miller took home an extra $1,000 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Lenny Baird of Stafford, Virginia, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 58 pounds, 10 ounces. Baird took home the top prize package worth $33,900, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on the St. Lawrence River finished:
1st: Lenny Baird, Stafford, Virginia, 15 bass, 58-10, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp outboard
2nd: Ken Golub, Pittsford, N.Y., 15 bass, 54-11, $4,969
3rd: Sakae Ushio, Tonawanda, N.Y., 15 bass, 52-14, $3,975
4th: Steven Schantz, Alexandria, Va., 13 bass, 50-10, $3,478
5th: Gary Marean, Manassas, Va., 15 bass, 49-14, $2,981
6th: Jimmy Schaffer, Oak Ridge, N.J., 13 bass, 49-12, $2,484
7th: Hunter Navari, Colchester, Vt., 15 bass, 49-11, $1,987
8th: Barry Hooper, Monticello, Ga., 13 bass, 48-14, $1,739
9th: Taylor Wisniewski, Lexington, Ky., 15 bass, 47-5, $1,491
10th: Chris Hurley, Carlisle, Penn., 14 bass, 45-15, $1,242
David Paszkiewicz of Kearny, New Jersey, was the Berkley Big Bass $150 award winner in the Strike King co-angler division, Thursday, with a 6-pound, 12-ounce bass, while the Day 2 $150 award was split between Neil Keilen of Frederick, Maryland, and Cornell Badra of Clarksburg, Maryland, who each caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 14 ounces to tie for the Berkley Big Bass.
With all three regular-season events in the Toyota Series Northern Division now complete, pro Kyle Cortiana of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was crowned the Fishing Clash Northern Division Angler of the Year (AOY), earning the AOY payout of $5,000 with 506 points, while Tim McGlenn of Welcome, Maryland, was named the Strike King Co-angler of the year with 500 points, taking home the $2,000 prize.
The Toyota Series at St. Lawrence River Presented by FX Custom Rods was hosted by the Town of Massena, and was the third and final of three regular-season events for the Toyota Series Northern Division. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will be the Toyota Series at Santee Cooper Lakes Presented by Suzuki Marine, Sept. 12-14 in Summerton, South Carolina. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2024 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST 2025. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2024 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 7-9 on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama, and is hosted by the Huntsville Sports Commission.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, FX Custom Rods, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Simms, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Toyota Series, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitational updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook , Instagram and YouTube.
Fothergill chases home-water smallmouth for win at St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake
Minnesota’s Easton Fothergill wins the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN with 49 pounds, 13 ounces.
Photo by Andy Crawford/B.A.S.S.
August 24, 2024
Fothergill chases home-water smallmouth for win at St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake
WALKER, Minn. — The major storyline heading into the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN was that the global bass-fishing community would get its first look at what’s heralded as one of the sport’s best, yet relatively unknown, fisheries.
Everyone watching, meanwhile, already knew that Easton Fothergill is one of the best young anglers on the water today.
The two forces collided during a spectacular two-day derby in northern Minnesota this week, and both shined under pressure — Leech as host of its first B.A.S.S. tournament and Fothergill as the young prodigy looking to make hay on home water.
The 22-year-old Fothergill, a Grand Rapids, Minn., native who grew up 30 minutes from Leech Lake, bagged a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 49 pounds, 13 ounces and clinched the tournament championship Saturday at Walker Public Dock. He collected $45,936 cash with the win, part of a $300,034 purse split among the Top 45 of 203 pros competing at Leech this week.
The victory at Leech continued a hot streak not often seen at any level of professional fishing. In the past 10 months and change, Fothergill won the 2023 Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Lew’s on Kansas’ Milford Lake last October, finished 16th of 56 anglers in the 2024 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in March, and followed with his first St. Croix Bassmaster Opens win of the year in June on Lake Eufaula, also in the Sooner State.
Leech was Fothergill’s second victory in an Open tournament this year, making him only the third angler to accomplish the feat (Terry Scroggins did it in 2007 as did Randall Tharp in 2008).
The young angler had to search for the right words to describe what he was feeling.
“It’s crazy to be in the company of those two great names,” Fothergill said. “I had no idea.”
What Fothergill did know is that he was anticipating this tournament as much as any other this year.
“I absolutely circled this one on the calendar,” he said. “Being 30 minutes away (from home) and the first time B.A.S.S. has come to Leech Lake and Walker, Minnesota … I’ve spent so much time out here through my childhood … It means the world to me to pull off the win on my home lake.”
Fothergill and the rest of the field would have to wait an extra day to start the tournament as high winds canceled Thursday’s competition. That made this a two-day derby, which despite a full field fishing both days, likely favored Fothergill, whose deep knowledge of Leech belies his young age.
This week, Fothergill favored the chunky smallmouth bass that stay near rockpiles in the main lake each summer. He amassed some 60 waypoints across this 112,000-acre gem and crisscrossed what felt like every inch of it both days of the tournament. He used his electronics to locate sizable smallies and threw soft plastics to spark bites.
“My main bait is called a Dice (a smoky soft plastic bait made in Japan),” he said. “It’s a super finesse-style bait, and with the wind really being calm the last two days it allowed me to really fish to my strength.”
Fothergill said the Dice’s color resembled one type of crawfish Leech’s smallmouth bass love to eat. But because there are so many crawfish in the lake, the fish are well fed and sparking bites can be tricky.
“You get one cast on these fish and then they’re screwed up,” he continued. “They come to the boat and they’re not on their structure anymore. The reason I was running around so much was because I wanted to throw at a fresh fish every time.”
The frenetic pace paid dividends.
Fothergill jumped to the top of Friday’s leaderboard with a 26-10 limit, including a 6-4 monster smallmouth that was the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament. He was just as smooth on Saturday, closing with a 23-3 limit that sealed the victory.
The past year has been a full-circle turn of events for Fothergill. He underwent emergency brain surgery last year and rebounded remarkably, if not unfathomably, well.
“There was a while there where I didn’t know if I would see another sunrise,” he said. “Every tournament takeoff is really meaningful to me now, whether I catch a fish or not. I really think that’s why I’m having so much success. I just appreciate everything so much more.”
The winner of each of the nine 2024 Bassmaster Opens earns a spot in the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors, which is scheduled for March 21-23 at Lake Ray Roberts in Fort Worth, Texas. But because Fothergill already qualified for the Classic with his win at Eufaula, the berth from the Leech Lake Open falls to the Elite angler on the bubble of the 2024 Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. That lucky pro is Australia’s Carl Jocumsen, who finished 44th in the Elite points race this year.
Others in the Top 5 at Leech Lake are second, Wisconsin’s Jay Przekurat, 43-8, $18,074; third, Virginia’s Chase Clarke, 42-12, $13,556; fourth, Idaho’s Cody Meyer, 42-0, $13,152; and fifth, Mississippi’s Brett Cannon, 41-8, $11,748.
Anglers who compete in each of the nine Opens and finish among the Top 9 in the Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers (EQ) standings, will qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series in 2025.
Also, on Saturday at Leech Lake, Tennessee’s Gary Haraguchi won the non-boater division with a two-day total of six bass weighing 17-9. He won $11,560, as well, part of a $39,923 cash purse divvied among the Top 40 of the 102 competing non-boaters. Minnesota’s Jim Nordlund also caught 17-9 at Leech, but Haraguchi won the tiebreaker (having the biggest bag on Day 1). Nordlund won $2,720. Fellow Minnesotan Curt Blomquist placed third with 17-2, good for $2,040.
Jeff Somers, of Crystal, Minn., won the Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award among non-boaters with a 4-11 on Saturday.
The Leech Lake Area Chamber of Commerce hosted the event.
2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN 8/23-8/24
Leech Lake, Walker MN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Easton Fothergill Grand Rapids , MN 10 49-13 200 $45,936.00
Day 1: 5 26-10 Day 2: 5 23-03
2. Jay Przekurat Plover, WI 10 43-08 199 $18,074.00
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 23-15
3. Chase Clarke Virginia Beach, VA 10 42-12 198 $13,556.00
Day 1: 5 22-13 Day 2: 5 19-15
4. Cody Meyer Eagle, ID 10 42-00 197 $13,152.00
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 5 24-01
5. Brett Cannon Kiln, MS 9 41-08 196 $11,748.00
Day 1: 5 25-01 Day 2: 4 16-07
6. Tristan McCormick Burns, TN 10 41-02 195 $10,845.00
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 20-11
7. Emil Wagner Marietta, GA 10 40-15 194 $9,941.00
Day 1: 5 22-02 Day 2: 5 18-13
8. Jack Dice Lynchburg, VA 10 40-06 193 $9,037.00
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 22-13
9. Matt Pangrac Shawnee, OK 9 40-01 192 $9,037.00
Day 1: 4 16-07 Day 2: 5 23-10
10. Jamie Bruce Kenora Ontario CANADA 10 39-06 191 $9,037.00
Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 20-04
———————————————————————–
BIG BASS OF TOURNAMENT
Easton Fothergill Grand Rapids , MN 06-04 $0.00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 102 748 2455-15
2 65 595 1946-00
2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN 8/23-8/24
Leech Lake, Walker MN.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Gary Haraguchi Murfreesboro, TN 6 17-09 200 $11,560.00
Day 1: 3 10-12 Day 2: 3 06-13
2. Jim Nordlund Stacy, MN 6 17-09 199 $2,720.00
Day 1: 3 09-05 Day 2: 3 08-04
3. Curt Blomquist Wright, MN 6 17-02 198 $2,040.00
Day 1: 3 09-11 Day 2: 3 07-07
4. Ty Kenyon Dodgeville, WI 5 16-02 197 $1,530.00
Day 1: 2 06-00 Day 2: 3 10-02
5. Wilfred Raeker-Rebek St.Paul, MN 5 14-04 196 $1,428.00
Day 1: 3 09-01 Day 2: 2 05-03
6. Brian Brecka Alma, WI 5 14-02 195 $1,360.00
Day 1: 3 09-04 Day 2: 2 04-14
7. Robert Vander Kooi Mesa, AZ 5 13-11 194 $1,292.00
Day 1: 3 07-09 Day 2: 2 06-02
8. Willie Meyer North Mankato, MN 4 13-05 193 $1,224.00
Day 1: 2 06-00 Day 2: 2 07-05
9. Maggie Carsello Stoughton, WI 5 13-04 192 $1,122.00
Day 1: 2 05-12 Day 2: 3 07-08
10. Troy Jutting Savage, MN 5 13-01 191 $1,020.00
Day 1: 2 04-05 Day 2: 3 08-12
11. Eric Naig Bemidji, MN 4 12-15 190 $952.00
Day 1: 3 09-09 Day 2: 1 03-06
12. Chase Traeger Lino Lakes, MN 4 12-08 189 $884.00
Day 1: 3 08-09 Day 2: 1 03-15
13. Wyatt Peterson Excelsior, MN 4 12-01 188 $748.00
Day 1: 2 06-05 Day 2: 2 05-12
14. Justin Oppegard Eagan, MN 4 11-15 187 $680.00
Day 1: 3 08-02 Day 2: 1 03-13
15. Greg Poetz Winsted, MN 4 11-10 186 $612.00
Day 1: 3 07-15 Day 2: 1 03-11
16. Richard Conrad Arcadia, WI 4 11-07 185 $544.00
Day 1: 1 02-15 Day 2: 3 08-08
17. Asher Schmidt Saint Paul, MN 4 11-05 184 $510.00
Day 1: 2 05-04 Day 2: 2 06-01
18. Cason Hiers St. Paul, MN 3 11-02 183 $510.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 11-02
19. Brad Goetz Waunakee, WI 3 11-00 182 $510.00
Day 1: 2 08-06 Day 2: 1 02-10
20. Kevin Yeska Madison, WI 4 10-10 181 $510.00
Day 1: 3 08-00 Day 2: 1 02-10
21. Jason Barber Gun Barrel City, TX 3 10-00 180 $476.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 10-00
22. Jeff Somers Crystal, MN 2 09-10 179 $726.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 09-10
23. Scott Dondlinger Scottsboro, AL 3 09-05 178 $476.00
Day 1: 1 02-09 Day 2: 2 06-12
24. Troy Simpson Moline, IL 3 08-14 177 $476.00
Day 1: 3 08-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
25. Alex Grimbos Innisfil CANADA 3 08-11 176 $476.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 08-11
26. Sean Ruegemer Bloomington, MN 3 08-11 175 $408.00
Day 1: 1 02-08 Day 2: 2 06-03
27. Andrew Tweten Fargo, ND 3 08-07 174 $408.00
Day 1: 2 06-09 Day 2: 1 01-14
28. Erik Gaffron Hanover, MN 3 07-15 173 $408.00
Day 1: 1 03-06 Day 2: 2 04-09
29. Greg Spaid Brainerd, MN 3 07-14 172 $408.00
Day 1: 1 03-03 Day 2: 2 04-11
30. Matt Kelley Detroit, MI 3 07-12 171 $408.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 07-12
31. Jimmy Obrien Southampton, NY 3 07-02 170 $374.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 07-02
32. Hoser Melgaard Elk Mound, WI 3 07-00 169 $374.00
Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 1 02-07
33. Belle Kusske Carver, MN 2 06-13 168 $374.00
Day 1: 2 06-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
34. Jason Anakkala Brainerd, MN 2 06-09 167 $374.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 06-09
34. Roy Biwer Shakopee, MN 2 06-09 167 $374.00
Day 1: 2 06-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
36. Daniel Vasquez Boynton Beach, FL 2 06-08 165 $374.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 06-08
37. Bob Harper Lombard, IL 2 06-04 164 $374.00
Day 1: 1 03-04 Day 2: 1 03-00
38. Chris Stelter Chisago City, MN 2 06-00 163 $374.00
Day 1: 1 02-10 Day 2: 1 03-06
39. Niko Romero Coldspring, TX 2 05-08 162 $374.00
Day 1: 2 05-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
40. Towa Yoshikawa Kitakatsuragi-Gun JAPAN 2 05-07 161 $374.00
Day 1: 2 05-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
41. Jimmy Fellegy Mustang, OK 2 05-01 160
Day 1: 2 05-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
42. Darren Gates Macon, IL 2 05-01 159
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 1 02-12
43. Joel Erickson Alexandria, MN 2 04-14 158
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-14
43. Paul Schlotfeldt Saint Paul, MN 2 04-14 158
Day 1: 2 04-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
45. Brent Peterson Excelsior, MN 2 04-13 156
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 1 02-11
46. Mike Fischer Stacy, MN 2 04-12 155
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-12
47. Mark Cowart Kearney, MO 1 04-10 154
Day 1: 1 04-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
47. Mack Traynor Hanover, MN 1 04-10 154
Day 1: 1 04-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
49. Harrison Barton Sun Prairie, WI 2 04-09 152
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 04-09
49. David Waack Cary, NC 2 04-09 152
Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
51. Tom Lyskawka Arlington Heights , IL 2 04-08 150
Day 1: 2 04-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
52. Kristine Fischer Weeping Water, NE 1 04-08 149
Day 1: 1 04-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
52. Bradley Pierce Gretna, NE 1 04-08 149
Day 1: 1 04-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
54. Tanner Johnson Bemidji, MN 1 03-13 147
Day 1: 1 03-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
55. Steven Hiemenz Clear Lake, MN 1 03-12 146
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-12
56. Richard Greene Ocala, FL 1 03-09 145
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-09
57. Brian Forcier Akron, IA 1 03-07 144
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-07
58. Don Kimmel Fishers, IN 1 03-06 143
Day 1: 1 03-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
59. Patrick Bartley Waconia, MN 1 03-01 142
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-01
60. Rich Bleser Burlington, WI 1 03-00 141
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-00
61. David Slonaker Howard, OH 1 02-15 140
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-15
62. Brett Brandstrom Shoreview, MN 1 02-14 139
Day 1: 1 02-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
62. Shane Kuehn Bennington, NE 1 02-14 139
Day 1: 1 02-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
64. Jimmy Brumfield Madison, MS 1 02-13 137
Day 1: 1 02-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
65. Ryan Hastie Selkirk CANADA 1 02-12 136
Day 1: 1 02-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
66. Dennis Duffy Westmont, IL 1 02-11 135
Day 1: 1 02-11 Day 2: 0 00-00
67. Mike Steckel Las Vegas, NV 1 02-08 134
Day 1: 1 02-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
68. David Riggs Highland, IL 1 02-07 133
Day 1: 1 02-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
69. Matt Commerford Wendell, MN 1 02-06 132
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
69. Adam Omlid Grand Forks, ND 1 02-06 132
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-06
71. Evan Cady St.Paul, MN 1 02-05 130
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-05
71. Kevin Deering Isanti, MN 1 02-05 130
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
73. Brian Bottenfield Mound, MN 1 01-09 128
Day 1: 1 01-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Kent Booth Hackensack, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Andrew Brandstrom Shoreview, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Eric Breitkreutz Sheboygan, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Dan Brown Groveland , FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Kurt Chelminiak Delafield, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Jacob Collins Hillsboro, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Bobby Cowan Stephenville, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Gabie Dandurand Detroit Lakes, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Dale Dobbins Maiden, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Mat Eichinger Chippewa Fls, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Scott Gobeil Fort Frances CANADA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Tanner Horton Pine Island, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Albert Jones Jr Covington, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Klaus Kuester Forest Park, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Sean Lofgren Forest Lake, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Christopher Majerle Trenton, MI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Danny Mancini Necedah, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Art Monteil Shawnee, KS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Eddie Payne Tomball, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Jesse Piontek Elk Mound, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Mark Schill Plymouth, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Dalon Schmidt White Bear Lake, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Jeffrey Shaw Anoka, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Hayden Spradling Gilbert, AZ 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Chad Stahl Barnesville, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Kenny Stelter Forest Lake, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Martin Terveer Otsego, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Brad Thieman Sioux City, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
74. Levi Warner Hilbert, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 12 95 278-10
2 12 88 257-01
———————————-
24 183 535-11
———————————-
167 1343 4401-15
Huge bag lifts Smith and Blanton to Bassmaster College National Championship win at Lake Hartwell
Garrett Smith and Andrew Blanton of Lander University win the 2024 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Lake Hartwell.
Photo by Tyler Bridges/B.A.S.S.
August 24, 2024
Huge bag lifts Smith and Blanton to Bassmaster College National Championship win at Lake Hartwell
ANDERSON, S.C. — After a decent start, Garrett Smith and Andrew Blanton of Lander University saved the best for last by smashing a huge Day 3 limit and tallying a three-day total of 49 pounds to win the Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Lake Hartwell.
After placing 22nd with an opening weight of 12-6, Smith and Blanton added 16-1 on Day 2 and moved into third. Championship Saturday saw them weigh 20-9 — the event’s heaviest bag — and edge Day 2 leaders Parker Guy and Tyler Campbell of Emmanuel University by 1-3.
“Fishing on this level has been a dream of mine since I was a little boy, and Garrett and I have dedicated our lives to it,” Blanton said. “Being the first to win a National Championship for Lander is amazing. I’m so happy that we get to cherish it with all (our teammates) that were at the weigh in.
“The Lord has blessed me and (Smith) beyond measure. I can’t believe this. It’s great.”
Smith added: “This all came down to making good decisions and executing. We just want to thank our parents and our school for putting us in position to do this.”
While many of their competitors, including Guy and Campbell, targeted the bass that were following blueback herring on the main lake, Smith and Blanton took a dramatically different approach.
“We focused on the Tugaloo River and the Seneca River, because we wanted to fish shallow and chase fish that would be feeding on bream,” Smith said. “We spent all of our practice in those areas.
“We chose to go to the bank and fish the way we were most comfortable, because we felt it was almost impossible for us to go out there and beat the (more experienced) herring guys. So, we chose to go give ourselves a chance to win it our way.”
Blanton said he and his partner fished in 5 feet or less and saw most of their fish before they bit.
“We had to be around steeper pockets more so than just flat pockets,” he said. “That was weird for us because we fish here a good bit in the summer and we usually fish flatter pockets and flatter banks for shallow cruisers and bream eaters.
“This week, the water continued to drop, so we had to fish in steeper pockets and a lot of them had bream beds. The key for us is the areas we were fishing — whether we were throwing at the bream beds or not — had to have a big population of bream.”
Smith, who’s pursuing a master’s degree in business administration, and Blanton, a junior majoring in business, fished reaction and finesse baits.
“We caught 90% of our fish on a buzzbait, but we also threw a wacky rig and we caught a key Day 1 fish on a prop bait,” Blanton said. “We beat the bank all week. We had a great time today.”
The winners caught about 15 keepers on Day 3, including a 6-1. Biting a wacky rig around 1:30, that fish gave them the cull that pushed them over the edge — but not without a double dose of drama.
“Today was one of those days when everything just went right,” Blanton said. “Once we got that big one in the boat, I felt like it was our time, because you don’t have things happen like what happened today unless it’s your time.
“As soon as Garrett hooked that big one, it wrapped him up in a brushpile under a dock twice. It came out and jumped a bunch. Any other day, I feel like we wouldn’t have gotten that fish in the boat, but we were able to get it to come out of that brushpile and catch it.”
Smith and Blanton earned the $5,000 first-place cash prize, along with $10,000 in Minn Kota/Humminbird merchandise. Also, the winners advance to the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Lew’s. This head-to-head style competition will send the winner to the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors March 21-23 on Texas’ Lake Ray Roberts.
Guy and Campbell finished second with 47-13. Their daily weights were 16-6, 15-2 and 16-5.
Sticking with the game plan that produced all week, Campbell and Guy committed themselves to a run-and-gun strategy that took them all over the lake. With the lake in drought condition and current generation minimal until later in the afternoon, the morning bite proved most productive.
Targeting brushpiles and cane piles in 15 to 30 feet, Campbell and Guy hit approximately 300 spots. Guy and Campbell caught their fish on a variety of topwater presentations, including a Berkley Krej waking bait and unweighted Texas-rigged Zoom Super Flukes.
Campbell, who guides on Hartwell, said he wouldn’t change anything about his team’s decision. He also said the final field of 12 teams proved advantageous.
“No regrets about the week; everything went perfectly, execution was good and they bit better today than they have all week due to less pressure on the lake,” Campbell said. “The only thing I didn’t account for was somebody catching 20 1/2 pounds.”
Lane Clark and Tallis Morrison of Erskine College placed third with 45-3. They caught limits of 13-11, 15-1 and 16-7.
Clark said he and Morrison fished the lake’s lower end, where they expected to find Hartwell’s bigger fish, along with the largest population of blueback herring. They fished cane piles, brushpiles and timber in depths of 20 to 70 feet.
“We caught our fish on chartreuse and white Zoom Super Flukes and buzzbaits,” Clark said. “We were running and gunning and putting our bait in front of as many fish as possible.”
Dylan Akins and Chase Carey of Emmanuel University won the Strike King Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year honors. Finishing fifth in the tournament, Akins and Carey received $2,500 cash, $5,000 of Minn Kota/Humminbird merchandise and a spot in the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Lew’s.
Smith and Blanton won big bass honors for Day 3 with their 6-1.
2024 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops 8/22-8/24
Lake Hartwell, Anderson SC.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Garrett Smith – Andrew Blanton Lander University 250
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 16-01 Day 3: 5 20-09 Total: 15 49-00
2. Parker Guy – Tyler Campbell Emmanuel University 249
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 16-05 Total: 15 47-13
3. Lane Clark – Tallis Morrison Erskine College 248
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 15-01 Day 3: 5 16-07 Total: 15 45-03
4. Bryson O’ Steen – Seth Jones Florida Gateway College 247
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 14-11 Day 3: 5 15-14 Total: 15 42-09
5. Dylan Akins – Chase Carey Emmanuel University 246
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 12-00 Day 3: 5 15-01 Total: 15 41-12
6. Drake Hemby – Ewing Minor Carson-Newman University 245
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 11-14 Day 3: 5 11-15 Total: 15 38-09
7. Nathan Reynolds – Banks Shaw University of North Alabama 244
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 10-11 Total: 15 37-04
8. Lane Stephens – Ethan Fields Mckendree University 243
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 5 11-01 Total: 15 37-04
9. Brantley Anders – Reece Keeney Kentucky Christian University 242
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 13-10 Day 3: 5 06-11 Total: 15 34-10
10. Andrew Oswalt – Evan Mabrey University of Montevallo 241
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 12-01 Day 3: 5 07-14 Total: 15 33-07
11. Merrick Diaz – Cade Hayford Campbellsville University 240
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 11-12 Day 3: 4 05-04 Total: 14 32-02
12. Hampton Shull – Lander University 239
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 08-10 Day 3: 5 06-05 Total: 15 31-15
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 139 789 1479-10
2 138 757 1424-08
3 11 59 144-01
———————————-
288 1605 3048-03
Mobility puts Guy and Campbell atop Bassmaster College National Championship at Lake Hartwell
Parker Guy and Tyler Campbell of Emmanuel University take the Day 2 lead at the 2024 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Lake Hartwell.
Photo by Tyler Bridges/B.A.S.S.
August 23, 2024
Mobility puts Guy and Campbell atop Bassmaster College National Championship at Lake Hartwell
ANDERSON, S.C. — Staying mobile and maximizing their peak period allowed Parker Guy and Tyler Campbell to amass a two-day total of 31 pounds, 8 ounces to lead Day 2 of the Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Lake Hartwell.
Placing second on Day 1 with a limit of 16-6, Guy and Campbell entered the second round 10 ounces off the lead. Adding a Day 2 limit of 15-2, the recent Emmanuel University graduates surged into the top spot and head into Championship Saturday with a lead of 2-12 over Lane Clark and Tallis Morrison of Erskine College.
“The key is hitting as many spots as possible — typical herring fishing,” Campbell said, in reference to the fast-paced nature of bass fixated on the lake’s nomadic blueback herring. “Once you get that school to fire, whether you catch one or not, that spot is done.
“So, once we caught one, we were cranking up and going to the next spot.”
Guy and Campbell fished from Green Pond Landing to the lake’s lower end and then back again. They targeted brushpiles and cane piles with a variety of topwater presentations, including a Berkley Krej waking bait and unweighted Texas-rigged Zoom Super Flukes.
Noting that he and his partner hit approximately 200 spots, Campbell, who guides on Hartwell, said the first couple of hours delivered their greatest opportunity.
“The morning bite is absolutely critical to our success,” Campbell said. “I don’t think we boated a keeper after 11. We caught seven and culled twice.”
Campbell said he and Guy had their limit by 9 a.m. and made their last cull around 11. Day 1 offered a faster start, which delivered their total bag by 8 a.m.
As Campbell explained, the first morning’s cloud cover kept the fish active longer. Day 2 brought sunnier skies, so they had to work a little harder to round up their fish.
“Because the lake is in a drought condition, the (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) is not generating much power until later in the day,” Campbell said of this Savannah River reservoir. “There’s a big lull from about 9 to 1, and then there’s an afternoon bite when that current increases, but we’re missing that afternoon bite because we’re checking in before it starts.”
The leaders weighed three spotted bass and two largemouth. Their biggest, a 4 1/2-pound largemouth, bit around daylight at their first stop.
“We actually hung around that area for a while because we knew what quality was there,” Campbell said. “We caught another good one there before leaving.”
Hartwell’s water level sits about 4.69 feet below the full pool mark of 660. Guy said this had them fishing shallower than they normally would prefer.
“Some of our spots are in 15 feet, but the majority of the ones with the bigger fish are 20 and deeper,” Guy said. “We’re running around a lot, but we do have some better spots, so when we get to one of those, we’re sitting there longer.”
Considering the success they’ve experienced thus far, Guy said he and Campbell do not foresee any changes to their game plan.
“On Day 3, we’re going to do the same thing we’ve been doing,” Guy said. “We’re going to put our bait in front of as many fish as we can.”
Clark and Morrison are second place with 28-12. They have turned in daily limits of 13-11 and 15-1.
Garrett Smith and Andrew Blanton of Lander University are in third place with 28-07. Their daily weights were 12-06 and 16-01.
Bryson O’Steen and Seth Jones of Florida Gateway College are in the lead for big bass honors with their 6-5. O’Steen and Jones placed seventh.
After two days of full-field competition, the Top 12 teams compete on Championship Saturday.
Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. ET at Green Pond Landing and Event Center. The weigh-in will be held at the same location at 2:30 p.m.
2024 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops 8/22-8/24
Lake Hartwell, Anderson SC.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Parker Guy – Tyler Campbell Emmanuel University 250
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 15-02 Total: 10 31-08
2. Lane Clark – Tallis Morrison Erskine College 249
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 15-01 Total: 10 28-12
3. Garrett Smith – Andrew Blanton Lander University 248
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 16-01 Total: 10 28-07
4. Brantley Anders – Reece Keeney Kentucky Christian University 247
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 13-10 Total: 10 27-15
5. Merrick Diaz – Cade Hayford Campbellsville University 246
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 11-12 Total: 10 26-14
6. Dylan Akins – Chase Carey Emmanuel College 245
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 12-00 Total: 10 26-11
7. Bryson O’ Steen – Seth Jones Florida Gateway College 244
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 14-11 Total: 10 26-11
8. Drake Hemby – Ewing Minor Carson-Newman University 243
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 11-14 Total: 10 26-10
9. Nathan Reynolds – Banks Shaw University of North Alabama 242
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 12-11 Total: 10 26-09
10. Lane Stephens – Ethan Fields Mckendree University 241
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 13-03 Total: 10 26-03
11. Hampton Shull – Lander University 240
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 08-10 Total: 10 25-10
12. Andrew Oswalt – Evan Mabrey University of Montevallo 239
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 12-01 Total: 10 25-09
13. Andrew Rickman – Ty Manterola Dallas Baptist University 238
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 13-11 Total: 10 25-03
14. Brooks Anderson – Max Heaton Emmanuel College 237
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 13-14 Total: 10 25-00
15. Dalton Phelps – Gannon Stork Wabash Valley College 236
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 11-08 Total: 10 25-00
16. Dillon Robertshaw – Robert Hunt Missouri State University 235
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 12-06 Total: 10 24-14
17. Robert Miller – John Michael Ortman Emmanuel College 234
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 11-07 Total: 10 24-11
18. Peyton Harris – Dalton Head University of Montevallo 233
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 10 24-04
19. Carter Nutt – Dylan Nutt University of North Alabama 232
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 12-10 Total: 10 24-03
20. Luke Davis – Chance Schwartz University of Montevallo 231
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 12-00 Total: 10 24-00
21. Preston Kolisek – Smith McGregor University of North Alabama 230
Day 1: 4 10-02 Day 2: 5 13-13 Total: 9 23-15
22. Braylon Eggerding – Lucas Washburn Adrian College 229
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 11-06 Total: 10 23-15
23. Eli Jaime – Jack Hay Southwestern Michigan College 228
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 13-03 Total: 10 23-09
24. Cameron Yates – Harrison McCall Lander University 227
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 13-02 Total: 10 23-06
25. Peyton Sorrow – Garrett Ring University of Montevallo 226
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 07-10 Total: 10 23-04
26. Miles Smith – Levi Thibodaux LSU Shreveport 225
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 08-13 Total: 10 23-04
27. Hunter Odom – Brenton Godwin University of Montevallo 224
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 11-01 Total: 10 23-02
28. Blake Milligan – Carson Maddux Auburn University 223
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 06-15 Total: 10 22-10
29. Alex Standerfer – Tyler Gunter Catawba Valley Community College 222
Day 1: 5 09-14 Day 2: 5 12-12 Total: 10 22-10
30. Slade Davis – Trace Antunes III University Of Montevallo 221
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 09-12 Total: 10 22-08
31. Hunter Barrow – Caleb Dugger King University 220
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 12-07 Total: 10 22-08
32. Harmon Marien – Maxwell Trotter Mckendree University 219
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 11-05 Total: 10 22-06
33. Tyler Combes – James Gillis Clarkson University 218
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 10 22-06
34. Tanner Hadden – Caleb Hudson University of South Carolina – U 217
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 12-02 Total: 10 22-05
35. Landon Robbins – Will Eriksson University of Tennessee 216
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 11-08 Total: 10 21-13
36. Wyatt Pearman – Ridge Rutledge Campbellsville University 215
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 11-05 Total: 10 21-12
37. Trevor Easter – Clayton Easter Tarleton State University 214
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 10-11 Total: 10 21-12
38. Caden Pearson – Nathan Kallstrand Wabash Valley College 213
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 10-05 Total: 10 21-10
39. Chase Milholen – Koltyn Harbin Bethel University 212
Day 1: 5 08-02 Day 2: 5 13-07 Total: 10 21-09
40. Dylan May – Evan Newell Carson-Newman University 211
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 09-13 Total: 10 21-05
41. Anderson Jones – Lander University 210
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 08-08 Total: 10 21-04
42. Evan Fields – Noah Dabney Campbellsville University 209
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 11-00 Total: 10 21-02
43. Hayden Gaddis – Ben Cully Carson-Newman University 208
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 5 11-14 Total: 10 21-01
44. Nick Seitz – Paxton Giem Adrian College 207
Day 1: 5 08-00 Day 2: 5 12-14 Total: 10 20-14
45. Hunter Sandschafer – Blake Beckmann Wabash Valley College 206
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 10-15 Total: 10 20-14
46. Brendan Vinton – Jacob Vanscoik Catawba Valley Community College 205
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 10-12 Total: 10 20-12
47. Aaron Jagdfeld – Elliot Wielgopolski Adrian College 204
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 11-13 Total: 10 20-11
48. Brayden Nichols – William Tew LSU Shreveport 203
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 09-06 Total: 10 20-10
49. Dalton Mollenkopf – Derek Rodriguez Jr. Adrian College 202
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 11-01 Total: 10 20-10
50. Harrison Heins – Hunter Slone Tennessee Tech University 201
Day 1: 5 07-15 Day 2: 5 12-08 Total: 10 20-07
51. Luke Wenger – Braxon Hightower Dallas Baptist University 200
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 11-00 Total: 10 20-04
52. Mitch Straffon – Owen Januszewski Adrian College 199
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 11-12 Total: 10 20-03
53. Hayden Short – Kentucky Christian University 198
Day 1: 5 08-05 Day 2: 5 11-10 Total: 10 19-15
53. Aric Szambelan – Alex Wood Missouri State University 198
Day 1: 5 08-05 Day 2: 5 11-10 Total: 10 19-15
55. Aiden Clark – Jackson Kulijof Murray State University 196
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 08-14 Total: 10 19-15
56. Lawson Blake – Bailey Mckinney Marshall University 195
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 09-14 Total: 10 19-15
57. Jared West – Gus McLarry Texas A&M Commerce Fishing Club 194
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 3 07-07 Total: 8 19-14
58. Brady Metzger – Mason Bohland Purdue University 193
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 09-14 Total: 10 19-14
59. Andrew Ready – Trey Garrett Southeastern University 192
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 10-06 Total: 10 19-12
60. Jason Qualich – Jack Stephens Mckendree University 191
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 5 10-01 Total: 10 19-12
61. Will Harris – Cole Rankin Carson-Newman University 190
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 09-07 Total: 10 19-10
62. Andrew Turner – Stevie Mills Carson-Newman University 189
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 10-03 Total: 10 19-09
63. Grant Dohle – Jake Mantovani Missouri State University 188
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 5 10-03 Total: 10 19-06
64. Cade Lipham – Caleb Coleman Drury University 187
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 08-12 Total: 10 19-04
65. Tyler Cory – Nick Dumke University of Montevallo 186
Day 1: 5 07-12 Day 2: 5 11-07 Total: 10 19-03
66. Cody Monlezun – Caden Denny Texas A&M University 185
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 5 10-06 Total: 10 19-03
67. Tripp Berlinsky – Bryce Dimauro Bryan College 184
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 10-02 Total: 10 19-00
68. Hunter Fillmore – Dylan Fogarty Bethel University 183
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 09-08 Total: 10 18-14
69. Peyton Rose – Brogan Gregg Wabash Valley College 182
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 08-10 Total: 10 18-13
70. Connor Dunn – Cade Johnson Texas A&M University 181
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 08-10 Total: 10 18-11
71. Noah Lieberman – Colin Wolinski Missouri State University 180
Day 1: 5 06-09 Day 2: 5 11-14 Total: 10 18-07
72. Brayden Stoker – Tucker Kendall Tarleton State University 179
Day 1: 4 09-01 Day 2: 5 09-03 Total: 9 18-04
73. Hudson Choquette – Brooks Parker University of Montevallo 178
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 09-04 Total: 10 18-03
74. Hunter Keller – Garrett Christy Catawba Valley Community College 177
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 07-01 Total: 10 17-13
75. Kai Barnett – Parker Welch Mckendree University 176
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 07-04 Total: 10 17-13
76. Nick Owens – Quade Lobo Adrian College 175
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 08-02 Total: 10 17-11
77. Hunter Russell – Benny Blank Wabash Valley College 174
Day 1: 5 08-06 Day 2: 5 09-05 Total: 10 17-11
78. Trevor Young – Maxwell Schweikert Grand Valley State University 173
Day 1: 5 06-15 Day 2: 5 10-11 Total: 10 17-10
79. Blair Erickson – Jackson Pontius University of Montevallo 172
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 07-09 Total: 10 17-10
80. Trace Loe – Levi Loe Southern Arkansas University 171
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 5 10-00 Total: 10 17-08
81. Jerry Brumbaugh Jr. – Brady Pinwar Adrian College 170
Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 5 09-00 Total: 10 17-08
82. Emery Burnett – Drake Axon Georgia Southern University 169
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 09-00 Total: 10 17-07
83. Hagan Marlin – Chris Fallon University of Montevallo 168
Day 1: 5 08-11 Day 2: 5 08-11 Total: 10 17-06
84. Riley Faulkner – Szymon Piton Carson-Newman University 167
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 08-00 Total: 10 17-04
85. Kaden Buchmann – Chase Wodzinski Lander University 166
Day 1: 5 07-05 Day 2: 5 09-13 Total: 10 17-02
86. Callaway Robinson – Tucker Pearson Georgia College 165
Day 1: 5 06-05 Day 2: 5 10-11 Total: 10 17-00
87. Avery Padgett – Kasen Pemberton Troy University 164
Day 1: 4 09-00 Day 2: 5 08-00 Total: 9 17-00
88. Xander Patton – Stephen Brooks Emmanuel College 163
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 5 08-04 Total: 10 16-13
89. Billy Erdakos – Davis Klimczak Southwestern Michigan College 162
Day 1: 5 05-03 Day 2: 5 11-09 Total: 10 16-12
90. Kolten Goolsby – Landon Oconnor Stephen F Austin State Universit 161
Day 1: 5 07-01 Day 2: 5 09-11 Total: 10 16-12
91. Michael Avery – Peyton Dunn Emmanuel College 160
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 06-04 Total: 10 16-11
92. Cameron Smith – Thomas Phillips Ohio State University 159
Day 1: 5 05-11 Day 2: 5 10-15 Total: 10 16-10
93. Blake Bullock – John Mark Berry Blue Mountain Christian Universi 158
Day 1: 5 06-11 Day 2: 5 09-15 Total: 10 16-10
94. Bryant Martin – Luke Batts LSU Shreveport 157
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 07-07 Total: 10 16-08
95. Elijah Kelley – Chris Baker Kentucky Christian University 156
Day 1: 5 08-04 Day 2: 5 08-03 Total: 10 16-07
96. James Willoughby – Phillip Herring University of Montevallo 155
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 3 04-09 Total: 8 16-06
97. Hunter Hamilton – Tyler Morris LSU Shreveport 154
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 06-05 Total: 10 16-06
98. Blake Wheat – Zachary Helton Carson-Newman University 153
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 07-07 Total: 10 16-06
99. Ben Burns – Riley Aebi Stephen F Austin State Universit 152
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 08-13 Total: 10 16-06
100. Adrian Urso – Corbin Templon Murray State University 151
Day 1: 5 09-08 Day 2: 5 06-11 Total: 10 16-03
101. Storm Cline – Gabe Fishlock Carson-Newman University 150
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 5 08-11 Total: 10 16-03
102. Nicholas Dellaporta – Drew Pitts Carson-Newman University 149
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 05-00 Total: 10 16-01
103. Cy Lambert – Austin King University of North Alabama 148
Day 1: 4 09-00 Day 2: 5 07-00 Total: 9 16-00
104. Tyler Chmelar – Kase Kramer Tarleton State University 147
Day 1: 5 05-12 Day 2: 5 10-02 Total: 10 15-14
105. Tyler Leachman – Mark Bixler Murray State University 146
Day 1: 5 08-07 Day 2: 5 07-07 Total: 10 15-14
106. Kade Hillestad – John Kyle Pearce University of Louisiana Monroe 145
Day 1: 5 07-15 Day 2: 5 07-15 Total: 10 15-14
107. Luke McGuffin – Rylan Green Erskine College 144
Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 5 08-07 Total: 10 15-10
108. Jackson Paden – Joey Bissing University of Tennessee 143
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 4 06-00 Total: 9 15-07
109. Kane Weekley – Connor Koch Southeastern University 142
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 06-04 Total: 10 15-06
110. Justin Latham – Blaine Mattingly Campbellsville University 141
Day 1: 4 07-04 Day 2: 5 08-02 Total: 9 15-06
111. Louis VerBrugge – Mohave Community College 140
Day 1: 2 04-02 Day 2: 5 11-03 Total: 7 15-05
112. Jared Hubbard – Riley Hendricks Lander University 139
Day 1: 5 08-01 Day 2: 5 07-04 Total: 10 15-05
113. Hayden Marbut – Auburn University 138
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 5 05-13 Total: 10 15-04
114. Clay Henderson – Brant Rowland Drury University 137
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 5 06-11 Total: 10 15-04
115. Clay Taylor – Lander University 136
Day 1: 4 07-15 Day 2: 5 07-05 Total: 9 15-04
116. Trevor Johnston – Ashton Hehr Texas A&M University 135
Day 1: 5 08-03 Day 2: 5 06-15 Total: 10 15-02
117. Easton Lindus – Seth Jenkins Emmanuel College 134
Day 1: 4 05-07 Day 2: 5 09-07 Total: 9 14-14
118. Braden Cox – Joel Berelsman Ohio State University 133
Day 1: 5 07-04 Day 2: 4 07-10 Total: 9 14-14
119. Dawson Lynch – Sonny Mann Tarleton State University 132
Day 1: 5 07-07 Day 2: 5 07-07 Total: 10 14-14
120. Blair Cox – Zach Adamec Missouri State University 131
Day 1: 2 02-07 Day 2: 5 12-06 Total: 7 14-13
121. Corey Morris – Brayden Mercer East Texas Baptist University 130
Day 1: 5 08-02 Day 2: 5 06-11 Total: 10 14-13
122. Jeremy Monda – Will Boyd Jr Florida Gateway College 129
Day 1: 5 06-12 Day 2: 5 08-01 Total: 10 14-13
123. Kaiya Ziga – Hunter Petrovic Southwestern Michigan College 128
Day 1: 5 07-00 Day 2: 5 07-13 Total: 10 14-13
124. Nathan Fideldy – Laindree Richardson Drury University 127
Day 1: 5 07-00 Day 2: 5 07-12 Total: 10 14-12
125. Logan Greeno – Matthew Nichols University of Nebraska – Lincoln 126
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 5 06-02 Total: 10 14-11
126. Cole Moulton – Kaleb Brown Lander University 125
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 4 03-13 Total: 9 14-08
127. Branden Burrill – Jack Simpson Western Michigan University 124
Day 1: 5 07-06 Day 2: 5 07-00 Total: 10 14-06
128. Zion Dunaway – Casey Cornelius Purdue University 123
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 05-05 Total: 10 14-05
129. Stone Smith – Drake Wadsworth Northwestern State University 122
Day 1: 5 06-02 Day 2: 5 08-02 Total: 10 14-04
130. Parker Lambert – Aaron Shumaker Lander University 121
Day 1: 5 08-12 Day 2: 4 05-05 Total: 9 14-01
131. Jeffrey Jones – Coleman Bingham Bethel University 120
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 06-08 Total: 10 14-01
132. TJ Edwards Jr – Sawyer Brady Blue Mountain Christian Universi 119
Day 1: 5 08-04 Day 2: 5 05-08 Total: 10 13-12
133. Ty Mundhenke – Matthew Welcher Auburn University 118
Day 1: 5 06-07 Day 2: 5 07-05 Total: 10 13-12
134. Logan East – Conner Giles Bryan College 117
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 4 04-01 Total: 9 13-07
135. Nathan Preston – Auburn University 116
Day 1: 5 06-15 Day 2: 5 06-07 Total: 10 13-06
136. Tripp Bowman – Matthew Nesbit LSU Shreveport 115
Day 1: 5 05-12 Day 2: 5 07-05 Total: 10 13-01
137. Grayson Ball – Sellers Odom Calhoun Community College 114
Day 1: 5 05-05 Day 2: 5 07-11 Total: 10 13-00
138. Kobe Thompson – Cole Carr Adrian College 113
Day 1: 5 08-01 Day 2: 4 04-11 Total: 9 12-12
139. Brayden Ruckman – Cason Price Carson-Newman University 112
Day 1: 5 06-09 Day 2: 5 06-03 Total: 10 12-12
140. Cross Campbell – Dylan Armstrong East Texas Baptist University 111
Day 1: 5 06-09 Day 2: 4 06-00 Total: 9 12-09
141. Jonah Barrow – Logan Russell University of Nebraska – Lincoln 110
Day 1: 4 05-05 Day 2: 5 06-06 Total: 9 11-11
142. Trey McMeen – Braydon Kelley East Texas Baptist University 109
Day 1: 4 04-10 Day 2: 5 06-14 Total: 9 11-08
143. Delaney Platt – Ryan Olsen Southwestern Michigan College 108
Day 1: 4 03-07 Day 2: 5 08-00 Total: 9 11-07
144. Kaleb Butts – Chase Rogers University of South Carolina – U 107
Day 1: 4 04-15 Day 2: 5 06-08 Total: 9 11-07
145. Benjamin Travis – Brendin Simich Auburn University 106
Day 1: 5 05-06 Day 2: 5 05-15 Total: 10 11-05
146. Hank Sturm – Matt Mosby Adrian College 105
Day 1: 2 02-09 Day 2: 5 08-07 Total: 7 11-00
147. Elijah Jackson – University Of Alabama 104
Day 1: 3 03-01 Day 2: 5 07-07 Total: 8 10-08
148. Bryce Balentine – Giancarlo Russo Florida Gateway College 103
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 2 01-08 Total: 7 10-07
149. Lake Norsworthy – Calup Williams Blue Mountain Christian Universi 102
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 09-13
150. Alec Poland – Jack Grushecky West Virginia University 101
Day 1: 5 07-10 Day 2: 2 02-02 Total: 7 09-12
151. Ryan Thomas – Jack Alexander University of Montevallo 100
Day 1: 5 07-05 Day 2: 2 02-02 Total: 7 09-07
152. Logan Plueger – Charlie Wright University of Montevallo 99
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 09-03
153. Scott Sledge – University of Montevallo 98
Day 1: 3 03-15 Day 2: 3 04-15 Total: 6 08-14
154. Colby Carrier – Justin Frey Bethel University 97
Day 1: 4 05-05 Day 2: 2 03-07 Total: 6 08-12
155. Caden Cardoza – Judd Morgan University of Tennessee 96
Day 1: 3 04-09 Day 2: 2 04-01 Total: 5 08-10
156. Tucker Cory – Michael Witherup University of Montevallo 95
Day 1: 2 03-00 Day 2: 4 05-07 Total: 6 08-07
157. Alex Gore – Colby Reece Carson-Newman University 94
Day 1: 4 03-14 Day 2: 3 04-08 Total: 7 08-06
158. Michael Canonica – Seth Proctor University of Tennessee 93
Day 1: 3 03-07 Day 2: 3 04-02 Total: 6 07-09
159. Carty Shoen – Jake Peck Auburn University 92
Day 1: 4 03-14 Day 2: 3 03-05 Total: 7 07-03
160. Caden Canaday – Virginia Tech 91
Day 1: 4 06-05 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 4 06-05
161. Peter Radulski Jr – Lane Gerbers Clemson University 90
Day 1: 5 06-04 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 06-04
162. Hunter Jenkins – Dallas Baptist University 89
Day 1: 4 06-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 4 06-00
163. Matthew Echols – Christian Stewart Virginia Tech 88
Day 1: 4 05-11 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 4 05-11
164. Stetson Southard – Walker Wilburn Tarleton State University 87
Day 1: 5 05-06 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 05-06
165. Colton Combs – Corbin Joyner Northeast State University 86
Day 1: 3 04-00 Day 2: 1 01-00 Total: 4 05-00
166. Evan Ludlow – Drake Heath Southwestern Michigan College 85
Day 1: 1 00-15 Day 2: 4 03-12 Total: 5 04-11
167. Sean Ferguson – Kansas State University 84
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 01-14 Total: 2 01-14
168. Scott Balas – Samuel Gremban University of Wisconsin- Madison 83
Day 1: 2 01-07 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 01-07
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 139 789 1479-10
2 138 757 1424-08
———————————-
277 1546 2904-02
Fothergill runs home water, takes Day 1 lead at St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake
Minnesota’s Easton Fothergill takes the Day 1 lead at the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN with five bass weighing 26 pounds, 10 ounces.
Photo by Andy Crawford/B.A.S.S.
August 23, 2024
Fothergill runs home water, takes Day 1 lead at St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake
WALKER, Minn. — It took a day longer than expected for many bass fishing fans around the globe to get their first glimpse of Leech Lake.
Easton Fothergill wasn’t one of them.
The 22-year-old Grand Rapids, Minn., native is one of the hottest young sticks today and he’s fished Leech for most of his young life. He used that intimate knowledge of the fishery to take the lead on Day 1 of the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN.
Fothergill weighed a limit of five smallmouth bass on Friday totaling 26 pounds, 10 ounces. The haul included the heaviest catch of the day — a 6-4 lunker that buoyed his big bag. That’s an impressive showing by any standards, no matter the lake or location.
Still, Fothergill was surprised by his total. By his count, he “only had about 25 pounds” in his livewell heading to Friday’s weigh-in at Walker Public Dock, about an hour west of his hometown of Grand Rapids. Not surprisingly, the bass fishing prodigy was met with boisterous cheering when he climbed atop the leaderboard with authority.
“With all the pressure (to perform well at home), to pull that off today was incredible,” he said. “It was definitely unexpected.”
Fothergill said he has dozens of waypoints to target on Leech and that he didn’t hit more than half of them on Day 1. With the three-day tournament shortened to a two-day derby following high winds on Thursday, that leaves him with at least another 30 seemingly productive spots he could exploit Saturday.
“I probably have five gallons (of fuel) left in my boat. That’s how much running I did today,” he said, adding he relied on three primary baits Friday, fishing rockpiles in anywhere from 5 to 20 feet of water.
“The game plan is the same tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll just run every corner of the lake and see if I can find five big ones again.”
Fothergill has already proved his has the chops to close a tournament. He won the 2023 Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Lew’s last October on Kansas’ Milford Lake to earn a spot in the 2024 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors. He finished 16th of 56 anglers in the Classic on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees in March and won the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Eufaula presented by SEVIIN, also in the Sooner State, in June.
Now, Fothergill is fishing on home water and from the pole position.
He knows that’s a favorable vantage point, but he’s taking absolutely nothing for granted, even though Friday’s 26-10 was the biggest bag he’s caught in one of his many competitions on Leech Lake.
Still, he can’t help being confident — and rightfully so.
“I just have so many places to hit,” he said. “I know that if I pull up on one and there’s nothing happening, I can come back three, four, five times, and there eventually will be one there. It’s actually very mentally trying. You just have to keep in the game and know your bites will eventually come if you keep working.”
The tournament marks the first time a B.A.S.S. event at any level has been held on Leech Lake — a 112,000-acre jewel located in remote northern Minnesota. And Leech didn’t disappoint in its coming-out party, with 79 of the 203 pro anglers in the field weighing at least 15 pounds on Friday. The competitors hail from 36 different states and two foreign countries.
Brett Cannon, a 40-year-old pro living in Kiln, Miss., is in second place with a 25-1 limit. Cannon said he didn’t expect to catch 25 pounds either, but he discovered a lure that eventually sparked his smallmouth bite.
“When you catch a smallmouth here, it’s a big one, but they’re really hard to get to bite,” he said.
“So, I messed around and tied everything on … I found the right bait and wound up catching about 12 (bass). I threw back a 4½ pounder, a 4 pounder … Every fish I kept was right at 5 pounds. And if … today wasn’t a fluke, I think I can catch 25 again tomorrow.”
Rounding out the Top 5 on Friday are third, Virginia’s Chase Clark, 22-13; fourth, Georgia’s Emil Wagner, 22-2; and fifth, Tennessee’s Jimmy Washam, 21-12.
With the tournament limited to two days, there’s a smaller margin for error for the many pros fighting for points in the Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers (EQ) standings. The top nine anglers who fish in each of this year’s nine Opens tournaments will qualify for the Elite Series in 2025. Those nine anglers won’t be determined, however, until the final Open of the year which is scheduled Oct. 10-12 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, S.C.
A total cash purse of $300,034 will be split among the Top 45 pros fishing at Leech this week. The winner will claim $45,186 in cash, as well as a berth in the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors when it’s held March 21-23 at Lake Ray Roberts in Fort Worth, Texas.
Not be forgotten are the 102 non-boaters competing at Leech this week, too. The Top 40 will divvy up a total of $39,916 in prize money when the tournament concludes Saturday.
Tennessee’s Gary Haraguchi leads that bracket with a limit of three bass for 10-12. Minnesota’s Curt Blomquist is second with 9-11, and fellow Minnesotan Eric Naig is third with 9-9. Missouri’s Mark Cowart, Wisconsin’s Brad Goetz and Minnesota’s Mack Trayner all caught a 4-10 Friday and share the big bass lead among non-boaters.
The second and final takeoff of the tournament will begin at 6:30 a.m. CT from the Walker Public Dock. Weigh-in is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
Coverage of the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN will air on FS1 on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET. Bassmaster LIVE will be streaming on Bassmaster.com.
The Leech Lake Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting the event.
2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN 8/23-8/24
Leech Lake, Walker MN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Easton Fothergill Grand Rapids , MN 5 26-10 200
Day 1: 5 26-10
2. Brett Cannon Kiln, MS 5 25-01 199
Day 1: 5 25-01
3. Chase Clarke Virginia Beach, VA 5 22-13 198
Day 1: 5 22-13
4. Emil Wagner Marietta, GA 5 22-02 197
Day 1: 5 22-02
5. Jimmy Washam Stantonville, TN 5 21-12 196
Day 1: 5 21-12
6. Billy Gilbert Hamburg, NY 5 21-05 195
Day 1: 5 21-05
7. Dakota Ebare Brookeland, TX 5 21-00 194
Day 1: 5 21-00
8. Austin Cranford Norman, OK 5 20-11 193
Day 1: 5 20-11
9. Tristan McCormick Burns, TN 5 20-07 192
Day 1: 5 20-07
10. Kenny Mittelstaedt Minnetonka, MN 5 20-02 191
Day 1: 5 20-02
11. Paul Marks Cumming, GA 5 19-13 190
Day 1: 5 19-13
12. Trey Schroeder Theodosia, MO 5 19-10 189
Day 1: 5 19-10
13. Jay Przekurat Plover, WI 5 19-09 188
Day 1: 5 19-09
14. Elijah Benson Dahlonega, GA 5 19-08 187
Day 1: 5 19-08
15. Connor Jacob Auburn, AL 5 19-07 186
Day 1: 5 19-07
15. Jack York Emory, TX 5 19-07 186
Day 1: 5 19-07
17. Kevin Dritschler Prosper, TX 5 19-06 184
Day 1: 5 19-06
17. Lucas Murphy West Columbia, MI 5 19-06 184
Day 1: 5 19-06
19. Mike McClelland Blue Eye, MO 5 19-05 182
Day 1: 5 19-05
20. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 5 19-04 181
Day 1: 5 19-04
20. Daisuke Kita Ostu Shiga JAPAN 5 19-04 181
Day 1: 5 19-04
22. Evan Kung Pickering Ontario CANAD 5 19-03 179
Day 1: 5 19-03
23. Jamie Bruce Kenora Ontario CANADA 5 19-02 178
Day 1: 5 19-02
23. Garrett Warren Scottsboro, AL 5 19-02 178
Day 1: 5 19-02
25. Fernando Lobato Sparta, WI 5 18-12 176
Day 1: 5 18-12
25. Cody Stahl Barnsville, GA 5 18-12 176
Day 1: 5 18-12
27. Beau Browning Hot Springs National Pa 5 18-11 174
Day 1: 5 18-11
28. Tim Frederick Leesburg, FL 5 18-10 173
Day 1: 5 18-10
28. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 5 18-10 173
Day 1: 5 18-10
30. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 5 18-07 171
Day 1: 5 18-07
31. Andrew Harp Linden, TX 5 18-03 170
Day 1: 5 18-03
32. Paul Browning Monahans, TX 5 18-01 169
Day 1: 5 18-01
32. Darold Gleason Many, LA 5 18-01 169
Day 1: 5 18-01
32. Logan Johnson Jasper, AL 5 18-01 169
Day 1: 5 18-01
35. Cody Meyer Eagle, ID 5 17-15 166
Day 1: 5 17-15
36. Dan Welsh Elko New Mrkt, MN 5 17-14 165
Day 1: 5 17-14
37. Lance Keene Manistee, MI 5 17-13 164
Day 1: 5 17-13
38. Laker Howell Guntersville, AL 5 17-12 163
Day 1: 5 17-12
39. Andrew Loberg Grant, AL 5 17-11 162
Day 1: 5 17-11
40. Kollin Crawford Broken Bow, OK 5 17-11 161
Day 1: 5 17-11
41. Matt Messer Warfield, KY 5 17-10 160
Day 1: 5 17-10
42. Jack Dice Lynchburg, VA 5 17-09 159
Day 1: 5 17-09
43. Randall Tharp Port St. Joe, FL 5 17-06 158
Day 1: 5 17-06
44. Brian Post Janesville, WI 5 17-05 157
Day 1: 5 17-05
44. Kyle Weisenburger Columbus Grv, OH 5 17-05 157
Day 1: 5 17-05
46. Chris Hellebuyck White Lake, MI 5 17-03 155
Day 1: 5 17-03
46. Jacob Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 17-03 155
Day 1: 5 17-03
48. Casey Scanlon Eldon, MO 5 17-02 153
Day 1: 5 17-02
49. Kyle Minke Lindsrom, MN 5 16-15 152
Day 1: 5 16-15
50. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 16-13 151
Day 1: 5 16-13
51. Tommy Parker Delano, MN 4 16-13 150
Day 1: 4 16-13
52. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 5 16-11 149
Day 1: 5 16-11
53. Seth Feider New Market, MN 5 16-09 148
Day 1: 5 16-09
53. Andy Hribar Lakeville, MN 5 16-09 148
Day 1: 5 16-09
55. Tyler Lubbat Wheeling, IL 5 16-08 146
Day 1: 5 16-08
55. Joe Wieberg Freeburg, MO 5 16-08 146
Day 1: 5 16-08
57. Kyle Palmer Winchester, TN 5 16-07 144
Day 1: 5 16-07
58. Matt Pangrac Shawnee, OK 4 16-07 143
Day 1: 4 16-07
59. Masayuki Matsushita Porter TX JAPAN 5 16-04 142
Day 1: 5 16-04
59. Christian Ostrander Turlock, CA 5 16-04 142
Day 1: 5 16-04
61. Jeff Johnson Bemidji, MN 5 16-02 140
Day 1: 5 16-02
62. Brian Bengtson Bloomington, MN 5 16-01 139
Day 1: 5 16-01
63. Lafe Messer Warfield, KY 5 15-15 138
Day 1: 5 15-15
64. Derek Lehtonen Woodruff, SC 5 15-14 137
Day 1: 5 15-14
65. Jim Moynagh Remer, MN 5 15-13 136
Day 1: 5 15-13
66. Cody Steckel Las Vegas, NV 4 15-12 135
Day 1: 4 15-12
67. Jacob Bigelow Cecil, WI 5 15-10 134
Day 1: 5 15-10
68. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 5 15-09 133
Day 1: 5 15-09
68. Jason Lambert Savannah, TN 5 15-09 133
Day 1: 5 15-09
70. Tucker Smith Birmingham, AL 5 15-06 131
Day 1: 5 15-06
70. James Watson Lampe, MO 5 15-06 131
Day 1: 5 15-06
72. Josh Butler Hayden, AL 4 15-06 129
Day 1: 4 15-06
73. Lance Crawford Broken Bow, OK 5 15-05 128
Day 1: 5 15-05
74. Scott Kerslake Okeechobee, FL 5 15-03 127
Day 1: 5 15-03
74. Brent Shores Boise, ID 5 15-03 127
Day 1: 5 15-03
76. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 5 15-02 125
Day 1: 5 15-02
76. Andrew Julson Stoughton, WI 5 15-02 125
Day 1: 5 15-02
78. Freddy Palmer Estill Springs, TN 5 15-01 123
Day 1: 5 15-01
79. Rich Lindgren Lakeville, MN 5 15-00 122
Day 1: 5 15-00
80. Joey Nania Cropwell, AL 5 14-15 121
Day 1: 5 14-15
81. Nathan Whiting Forest Lake, MN 4 14-15 120
Day 1: 4 14-15
82. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 14-13 119
Day 1: 5 14-13
82. Nick Trim Galesville, WI 5 14-13 119
Day 1: 5 14-13
84. Josh Wiesner Fon du Lac, WI 5 14-12 117
Day 1: 5 14-12
85. Adam Bartusek Clearwater, MN 4 14-10 116
Day 1: 4 14-10
86. Kyoya Fujita Yamanashi CA JAPAN 4 14-09 115
Day 1: 4 14-09
87. Cody Salzmann Southgate, MI 5 14-02 114
Day 1: 5 14-02
88. Yui Aoki Minamitsurugun JAPAN 4 14-01 113
Day 1: 4 14-01
89. Chris Miller Spirit Lake, IA 5 14-00 112
Day 1: 5 14-00
90. John Voyles Petersburg, IN 5 13-15 111
Day 1: 5 13-15
91. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 4 13-15 110
Day 1: 4 13-15
92. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 5 13-14 109
Day 1: 5 13-14
93. Chris Blanchette Edisto Island, SC 5 13-13 108
Day 1: 5 13-13
93. Brady Vernon Sterrett, AL 5 13-13 108
Day 1: 5 13-13
95. Brandon McMillan Clewiston, FL 5 13-13 106
Day 1: 5 13-13
96. Tai Au Glendale, AZ 5 13-12 105
Day 1: 5 13-12
97. Tim Tyndell Mineola, TX 5 13-11 104
Day 1: 5 13-11
98. Vue Thao Madison, WI 4 13-10 103
Day 1: 4 13-10
99. Jackson Swisher Lake City, FL 5 13-07 102
Day 1: 5 13-07
100. Sam Hanggi Knoxville, TN 4 13-07 101
Day 1: 4 13-07
101. Andy Newcomb Camdenton, MO 5 13-06 100
Day 1: 5 13-06
102. Brad Leuthner Victoria, MN 5 13-04 99
Day 1: 5 13-04
102. Richard Lowitzki Fort Myers, FL 5 13-04 99
Day 1: 5 13-04
104. Allan Nail Sand Springs, OK 5 13-01 97
Day 1: 5 13-01
105. Cody Bird Granbury, TX 5 13-01 96
Day 1: 5 13-01
106. Ish Monroe Oakdale, CA 5 12-13 95
Day 1: 5 12-13
107. David Bromenshenkel Sauk Centre, MN 4 12-13 94
Day 1: 4 12-13
107. Sean Clayton Seneca, SC 4 12-13 94
Day 1: 4 12-13
107. Cliff Pace Ovett, MS 4 12-13 94
Day 1: 4 12-13
110. Avery Williams Murrells Inlt, SC 5 12-11 91
Day 1: 5 12-11
111. Greg Bohannan Bentonville, AR 5 12-10 90
Day 1: 5 12-10
112. Randy Ramsey Burlington, MI 5 12-09 89
Day 1: 5 12-09
113. Steve Lee Crystal, MN 4 12-02 88
Day 1: 4 12-02
114. Tommy Dunaway Havana, FL 5 11-15 87
Day 1: 5 11-15
115. Tom Monsoor La Crosse, WI 4 11-14 86
Day 1: 4 11-14
116. Matt Thompson Stacy, MN 5 11-13 85
Day 1: 5 11-13
117. Bryan Partak Marseilles, IL 4 11-13 84
Day 1: 4 11-13
118. Blake Schroeder Whitehouse, TX 4 11-12 83
Day 1: 4 11-12
119. Andy Dassow Medford, WI 4 11-07 82
Day 1: 4 11-07
120. Josh Leeseberg Bemidji, MN 3 11-01 81
Day 1: 3 11-01
120. Danny Ramsey Trinidad, TX 3 11-01 81
Day 1: 3 11-01
122. Chancy Walters West Des Moines, IA 3 11-00 79
Day 1: 3 11-00
123. Bobby Bakewell Orlando, FL 4 10-15 78
Day 1: 4 10-15
124. Chris Beaudrie Princeton, KY 3 10-15 77
Day 1: 3 10-15
125. Jordan Knutson Saint Croix Falls, WI 5 10-14 76
Day 1: 5 10-14
126. Kevin Rogers Pleasant Hill, MO 3 10-11 75
Day 1: 3 10-11
127. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 4 10-09 74
Day 1: 4 10-09
128. Adam Rasmussen Sturgeon Bay, WI 3 10-03 73
Day 1: 3 10-03
129. Philip Roesener Choctaw, OK 5 10-01 72
Day 1: 5 10-01
130. Gunnar Meger Otsego, MN 4 10-01 71
Day 1: 4 10-01
131. Cole Zagrzebski Stevens Point, WI 3 10-00 70
Day 1: 3 10-00
132. Ty Faber Pagosa Springs, CO 3 09-13 69
Day 1: 3 09-13
133. Cody Detweiler Guntersville, AL 3 09-09 68
Day 1: 3 09-09
134. Dale Salzmann Hazel Green, WI 4 09-08 67
Day 1: 4 09-08
135. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 3 09-00 66
Day 1: 3 09-00
135. Brayden Rakes Winston Salem, NC 3 09-00 66
Day 1: 3 09-00
137. Trey Swindle Cleveland, AL 2 09-00 64
Day 1: 2 09-00
138. Steven Caldwell Whitesboro, TX 4 08-15 63
Day 1: 4 08-15
139. Joseph Titus Bemidji, MN 3 08-12 62
Day 1: 3 08-12
140. Ed Czerwinski Crown Point, IN 3 08-11 61
Day 1: 3 08-11
140. Cole Drummond Effingham, SC 3 08-11 61
Day 1: 3 08-11
142. Parker Knudsen Minnetonka, MN 2 08-11 59
Day 1: 2 08-11
143. Dave Parsons Yantis, TX 3 08-10 58
Day 1: 3 08-10
144. Kyle Austin Ridgeville, SC 3 08-09 57
Day 1: 3 08-09
144. Samuel Moore Ramsey, MN 3 08-09 57
Day 1: 3 08-09
146. Bryan Finch Belton, TX 4 08-07 55
Day 1: 4 08-07
147. Matt Adams Oxford, AL 2 08-04 54
Day 1: 2 08-04
148. Gary Hall Wardville, OK 3 08-03 53
Day 1: 3 08-03
149. Bailey Bleser Burlington, WI 2 08-01 52
Day 1: 2 08-01
150. Cade Laufenberg Onalaska, WI 3 07-15 51
Day 1: 3 07-15
151. Teb Jones Yalaha, MS 2 07-11 50
Day 1: 2 07-11
151. Dalton Smith Taylorsville, KY 2 07-11 50
Day 1: 2 07-11
153. Paul Bouvier Kingston CANADA 3 07-09 48
Day 1: 3 07-09
154. Danny McGarry Newcastle CANADA 2 07-09 47
Day 1: 2 07-09
155. Ethen Preston Tower City, ND 3 07-07 46
Day 1: 3 07-07
156. Brady Hanna Silvis, IL 3 07-06 45
Day 1: 3 07-06
157. Bo Thomas Edwardsburg, MI 2 07-06 44
Day 1: 2 07-06
158. Scout Echols Monticello, AR 2 07-02 43
Day 1: 2 07-02
158. Kenta Kimura Osaka OK JAPAN 2 07-02 43
Day 1: 2 07-02
160. Nathan Thompson Eagan, MN 2 07-01 41
Day 1: 2 07-01
161. Derrick Sadlowski Monaca, PA 2 06-10 40
Day 1: 2 06-10
162. Phillip Kroll Otego, NY 3 06-07 39
Day 1: 3 06-07
163. Zack Williams Shell Knob, MO 2 06-06 38
Day 1: 2 06-06
164. Jeremy Radford Huntly, VA 2 06-03 37
Day 1: 2 06-03
165. Mark Tonjum Spencer, IA 2 05-14 36
Day 1: 2 05-14
166. Keith Brumfield Vicksburg, MS 2 05-13 35
Day 1: 2 05-13
167. Tadd Johnson Lakeville, MN 2 05-10 34
Day 1: 2 05-10
168. Austin Anderson Ashley, IN 2 05-07 33
Day 1: 2 05-07
169. Alexander Welter Onalaska, WI 2 05-04 32
Day 1: 2 05-04
170. Tripp Noojin Bryant, AL 2 05-03 31
Day 1: 2 05-03
171. Mike Mayo Athens, TX 2 05-01 30
Day 1: 2 05-01
172. Joey Hanna Corsicana, TX 2 04-13 29
Day 1: 2 04-13
173. Jody Gardner Tippecanoe, OH 2 04-12 28
Day 1: 2 04-12
173. Al Trapp Inverness, FL 2 04-12 28
Day 1: 2 04-12
175. Billy McDonald Greenwood, IN 2 04-11 26
Day 1: 2 04-11
176. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 2 04-10 25
Day 1: 2 04-10
177. Brock Belik Orchard, NE 1 04-08 24
Day 1: 1 04-08
178. Kevin Ledoux Choctaw, OK 2 04-07 23
Day 1: 2 04-07
178. Kelvin Wilcox Hazlehurst, GA 2 04-07 23
Day 1: 2 04-07
180. Zach Goutremout Chaumont, NY 1 04-07 21
Day 1: 1 04-07
181. Scott Isaacs Ladonia, TX 2 04-05 20
Day 1: 2 04-05
181. Manny Sciberras Liberty Twp, OH 2 04-05 20
Day 1: 2 04-05
183. A.J. Menssen Bloomington, IL 1 03-12 18
Day 1: 1 03-12
184. Dylan Mayo Athens, TX 1 03-09 17
Day 1: 1 03-09
185. Andrew Hargrove Moody, TX 1 03-07 16
Day 1: 1 03-07
185. Trevor McKinney Noble, IL 1 03-07 16
Day 1: 1 03-07
187. Caden Cowan Stephenville, TX 1 03-05 14
Day 1: 1 03-05
188. Lance Owen Greer, SC 1 03-02 13
Day 1: 1 03-02
189. Daniel Larson Onamia, MN 1 02-15 12
Day 1: 1 02-15
189. Clint Leonard Jr Saint Cloud, FL 1 02-15 12
Day 1: 1 02-15
191. Andrew Behnke Fond Du Lac, WI 1 02-10 10
Day 1: 1 02-10
192. Chris Kingree Inverness, FL 1 02-04 9
Day 1: 1 02-04
193. Mitchell Jacobs Prior Lake, MN 1 02-03 8
Day 1: 1 02-03
194. Dustin Bliss Brooklyn Park, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
194. Tony Dumitras Winston, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
194. Jason Elliott Warsaw, IN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
194. Ken Quilt Prior Lake, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
194. Brady Schran Zumbrota, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
194. Andrew Smith Chesterfield, MI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
194. Blake Smith Lakeland, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
194. Bart Stanisz Austin, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
194. Jack Tindel III Orange, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
194. Keith Tuma Brainerd, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 102 752 2466-00
———————————-
102 752 2466-00
2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN 8/23-8/24
Leech Lake, Walker MN.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Gary Haraguchi Murfreesboro, TN 3 10-12 200
Day 1: 3 10-12
2. Curt Blomquist Wright, MN 3 09-11 199
Day 1: 3 09-11
3. Eric Naig Bemidji, MN 3 09-09 198
Day 1: 3 09-09
4. Jim Nordlund Stacy, MN 3 09-05 197
Day 1: 3 09-05
5. Brian Brecka Alma, WI 3 09-04 196
Day 1: 3 09-04
6. Wilfred Raeker-Rebek St.Paul, MN 3 09-01 195
Day 1: 3 09-01
7. Troy Simpson Moline, IL 3 08-14 194
Day 1: 3 08-14
8. Chase Traeger Lino Lakes, MN 3 08-09 193
Day 1: 3 08-09
9. Brad Goetz Waunakee, WI 2 08-06 192
Day 1: 2 08-06
10. Justin Oppegard Eagan, MN 3 08-02 191
Day 1: 3 08-02
11. Kevin Yeska Madison, WI 3 08-00 190
Day 1: 3 08-00
12. Greg Poetz Winsted, MN 3 07-15 189
Day 1: 3 07-15
13. Robert Vander Kooi Mesa, AZ 3 07-09 188
Day 1: 3 07-09
14. Belle Kusske Carver, MN 2 06-13 187
Day 1: 2 06-13
15. Roy Biwer Shakopee, MN 2 06-09 186
Day 1: 2 06-09
15. Andrew Tweten Fargo, ND 2 06-09 186
Day 1: 2 06-09
17. Wyatt Peterson Excelsior, MN 2 06-05 184
Day 1: 2 06-05
18. Ty Kenyon Dodgeville, WI 2 06-00 183
Day 1: 2 06-00
18. Willie Meyer North Mankato, MN 2 06-00 183
Day 1: 2 06-00
20. Maggie Carsello Stoughton, WI 2 05-12 181
Day 1: 2 05-12
21. Niko Romero Coldspring, TX 2 05-08 180
Day 1: 2 05-08
22. Towa Yoshikawa Kitakatsuragi-Gun JAPAN 2 05-07 179
Day 1: 2 05-07
23. Asher Schmidt Saint Paul, MN 2 05-04 178
Day 1: 2 05-04
24. Jimmy Fellegy Mustang, OK 2 05-01 177
Day 1: 2 05-01
25. Paul Schlotfeldt Saint Paul, MN 2 04-14 176
Day 1: 2 04-14
26. Mark Cowart Kearney, MO 1 04-10 175
Day 1: 1 04-10
26. Mack Traynor Hanover, MN 1 04-10 175
Day 1: 1 04-10
28. Hoser Melgaard Elk Mound, WI 2 04-09 173
Day 1: 2 04-09
28. David Waack Cary, NC 2 04-09 173
Day 1: 2 04-09
30. Tom Lyskawka Arlington Heights , IL 2 04-08 171
Day 1: 2 04-08
31. Kristine Fischer Weeping Water, NE 1 04-08 170
Day 1: 1 04-08
31. Bradley Pierce Gretna, NE 1 04-08 170
Day 1: 1 04-08
33. Troy Jutting Savage, MN 2 04-05 168
Day 1: 2 04-05
34. Tanner Johnson Bemidji, MN 1 03-13 167
Day 1: 1 03-13
35. Erik Gaffron Hanover, MN 1 03-06 166
Day 1: 1 03-06
35. Don Kimmel Fishers, IN 1 03-06 166
Day 1: 1 03-06
37. Bob Harper Lombard, IL 1 03-04 164
Day 1: 1 03-04
38. Greg Spaid Brainerd, MN 1 03-03 163
Day 1: 1 03-03
39. Richard Conrad Arcadia, WI 1 02-15 162
Day 1: 1 02-15
40. Brett Brandstrom Shoreview, MN 1 02-14 161
Day 1: 1 02-14
40. Shane Kuehn Bennington, NE 1 02-14 161
Day 1: 1 02-14
42. Jimmy Brumfield Madison, MS 1 02-13 159
Day 1: 1 02-13
43. Ryan Hastie Selkirk CANADA 1 02-12 158
Day 1: 1 02-12
44. Dennis Duffy Westmont, IL 1 02-11 157
Day 1: 1 02-11
45. Chris Stelter Chisago City, MN 1 02-10 156
Day 1: 1 02-10
46. Scott Dondlinger Scottsboro, AL 1 02-09 155
Day 1: 1 02-09
47. Sean Ruegemer Bloomington, MN 1 02-08 154
Day 1: 1 02-08
47. Mike Steckel Las Vegas, NV 1 02-08 154
Day 1: 1 02-08
47. Levi Warner Hilbert, WI 1 02-08 154
Day 1: 1 02-08
50. David Riggs Highland, IL 1 02-07 151
Day 1: 1 02-07
51. Matt Commerford Wendell, MN 1 02-06 150
Day 1: 1 02-06
52. Kevin Deering Isanti, MN 1 02-05 149
Day 1: 1 02-05
52. Darren Gates Macon, IL 1 02-05 149
Day 1: 1 02-05
54. Brent Peterson Excelsior, MN 1 02-02 147
Day 1: 1 02-02
55. Brian Bottenfield Mound, MN 1 01-09 146
Day 1: 1 01-09
56. Jason Anakkala Brainerd, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Jason Barber Gun Barrel City, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Patrick Bartley Waconia, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Harrison Barton Sun Prairie, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Rich Bleser Burlington, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Kent Booth Hackensack, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Andrew Brandstrom Shoreview, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Eric Breitkreutz Sheboygan, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Dan Brown Groveland , FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Evan Cady St.Paul, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Kurt Chelminiak Delafield, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Jacob Collins Hillsboro, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Bobby Cowan Stephenville, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Gabie Dandurand Detroit Lakes, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Dale Dobbins Maiden, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Mat Eichinger Chippewa Fls, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Joel Erickson Alexandria, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Mike Fischer Stacy, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Brian Forcier Akron, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Scott Gobeil Fort Frances CANADA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Richard Greene Ocala, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Alex Grimbos Innisfil CANADA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Steven Hiemenz Clear Lake, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Cason Hiers St. Paul, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Tanner Horton Pine Island, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Albert Jones Jr Covington, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Matt Kelley Detroit, MI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Klaus Kuester Forest Park, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Sean Lofgren Forest Lake, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Christopher Majerle Trenton, MI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Danny Mancini Necedah, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Art Monteil Shawnee, KS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Jimmy Obrien Southampton, NY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Adam Omlid Grand Forks, ND 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Eddie Payne Tomball, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Jesse Piontek Elk Mound, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Mark Schill Plymouth, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Dalon Schmidt White Bear Lake, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Jeffrey Shaw Anoka, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. David Slonaker Howard, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Jeff Somers Crystal, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Hayden Spradling Gilbert, AZ 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Chad Stahl Barnesville, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Kenny Stelter Forest Lake, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
56. Martin Terveer
Fishing Dams in the Summer for More Bass!
| During the summer, water released from dams is significantly cooler than the surface water in reservoirs. This temperature difference, often around 10 degrees cooler, plays a crucial role in determining bass behavior. The cooler water, combined with the current in rivers below dams, keeps the bass in much shallower areas, making them more accessible to anglers. Unlike in lakes, where bass retreat to deeper, harder-to-reach waters, river bass remain in relatively shallow zones. Understanding this behavior allows anglers to target these shallower areas for more successful fishing during the hot summer months. The cooler water enhances oxygen levels, which keeps bass more active and willing to strike. The consistent flow of water from the dam creates a special type of environment where bass are less likely to experience thermal stress, allowing them to feed more aggressively. As a result, anglers can use a variety of techniques, including soft plastic baits, to effectively target bass in these conditions. Recognizing the influence of water temperature and current can also help anglers identify prime fishing spots, such as eddies and current breaks, where bass are likely to moveThe new FreshBaitz Lizards deliver a realistic profile that excels in both power and finesse techniques. Act fact, we just released new Hot Sauce, MidNight, Ghost and 10w30 Syntheic Lizard designs! The unique forward-facing leg design creates drag that holds it in the strike zone longer or produces wild flapping action with every pull of the rod. Additionally, its slightly ribbed solid body and large head hold your hook in place and provide much better weedless performance making it the ideal bait to use in any condition. Water clarity always plays a super big role in color selection but in any season year-round, you can’t miss when using colors such as Watermelon Red, Black & Blue, or Green Pumpkin. Its flexible tail design ensures added movement, tempting even the most cautious fish. The superior 5.5-inch profile stretches to a whole 7 inches which is perfect for predatory fish including bass year round. Made from long-lasting durable high-grade non-salted plastic for total and maximum attention-grabbing action underwater. |
| Popular fishing spots near dams can become crowded, especially on weekends when both anglers and recreational boaters flock to the water. To avoid these crowds and increase the chances of a successful fishing trip, it’s beneficial to explore areas farther down the river. In such locations, shallow gravel bars may be present, making them difficult to access with standard boats, but ideal for those with jet-driven boats. These less-trafficked areas offer a more peaceful environment and can be prime spots for catching bass. By venturing into these quieter zones, anglers can enjoy a more productive and serene fishing experience. Moving away from the crowds reduces competition for prime fishing spots, allowing for a more strategic and relaxed approach. The quieter areas also tend to see less fishing pressure, which can result in bass that are less wary and more likely to strike. Exploring can lead to discovering hidden gems where bass are abundant and more cooperative. The reduced boat traffic in these areas helps maintain the natural behavior of the fish, increasing the likelihood of successful catches. Navigating to these remote locations can offer rewarding fishing success.We use our Fresh Scorpion because it closely imitates a crawfish. Our newest 10w30 Synthetic, Slimer Green, and Barbie Pink Scorpion colors work wonders. The Scorpion is a revolutionary new look to soft plastics. Its intricate detailing and texture mimic the nuances of a real crawfish, making it hard for bass to resist. Of course, water clarity always plays a role in color selection but in any season, you can’t miss using colors such as Green Pumpkin Seed, Brown Bark, Magneto. This bait not only appears natural to fish but gives them something to become curious about. The Scorpion paired with a stand-up jig is deadly because the jig actually sits the bait upright in a defensive stance. The subtle color variations across the bait further enhance its appeal, mimicking the natural color shifts found in live prey. Each Fresh Scorpion has a unique and exclusive 3-axis tail design that is engineered like no other soft plastic bait. Our Scorpions are made by anglers from high-grade non-salt plastic to provide superior life-like action-triggering strikes! |
| Soft plastics can be highly effective during the early morning or in shaded areas of the river. When worked just below the surface or along the bottom, often attract bass that are actively feeding. Matching the action of these soft plastics to the bass’s behavior is crucial. Slow and deliberate movements can entice less active fish, while more aggressive retrieves might trigger strikes from bass that are in a feeding frenzy. Learning how to vary your retrieve speed and presentation based on the bass’s mood can lead to more consistent and successful catches. Soft plastics are versatile and can be rigged in various ways, such as Texas, Carolina, or drop shot rigs, to target bass in different environments. The lifelike action of soft plastic baits make them particularly effective in clear water. Incorporating pauses and subtle twitches in your retrieve can make the bait appear more natural, increasing its appeal to wary fish. Soft plastics also allow anglers to fish around heavy cover without the risk of snagging, making them ideal for targeting bass hiding in dense vegetation or around submerged structures. Experimenting with different rigging and retrievals can significantly improve your fishing.Our Fresh HellaMite is designed to imitate a major aquatic food source, delivering a realistic profile of an insect larva that fish can’t resist. Scented for complete and total attraction underwater along with being made in the USA by real fishermen just like you. Grab our newest Hot Sauce, MidNight, Glow, 10w30 Synthetic, Slimer Green, and Barbie Pink HellaMite colors. Act quickly, these new colors won’t stay in stock for long. We also recently restocked our Ghost, Red Bug, Purple Rain, Brown Bug, Electric Chicken, and Goby Wan colors. The HellaMite’s solid body and hyperactive ribbed tail design produce a life-like quivering action with every twitch of the rod. Additionally, its unique flat underbelly detail enables this bait to be fished as a drop shot, Ned rig, neko rig, and even a small Carolina-rig, making it the ideal bait in any condition year-round. When the water is clear, the fish can see the bait and look like real food, causing strikes. Each cast becomes an opportunity for an exhilarating catch, thanks to the HellaMite’s superior performance and versatility |
| The interplay of light and current is a key factor in river fishing, especially during the heat of summer. Early in the day, when the sun is low, fishing in shaded areas can yield good results, as bass are often drawn to these cooler spots. As the day progresses and the sun rises higher, these shady areas disappear, prompting a shift to deeper water where logs and other structures provide cover. Current breaks are also critical, as they create pockets of slower water where bass often lie in wait for prey. Positioning your boat to take advantage of these current breaks and adjusting your fishing strategy as the light changes can make a significant change in your catch rate. By learning how light penetration affects water clarity can help in selecting the right lure color and presentation style. As light levels increase, bass may become more cautious, requiring a more subtle and natural-looking bait presentation. In lower light conditions, you can often get away with more aggressive techniques that create a lot of movement and noise. Monitoring changes in the current, such as increased flow from dam releases, can also help you anticipate where bass might move throughout the day.Our Fresh Beetle delivers ultimate versatility in a soft plastic bait. Its slim yet wide body design and four claws are engineered to naturally glide and wobble as it moves through the water. This design ensures they remain enticingly active longer than conventional baits. Its unique texture also provides a realistic feel, making bass hold on longer once they bite. Water clarity plays a big role in color selection but year-round you can’t miss when using go-to colors such as Chocolate Mint, Ox Blood, or 10w30 Synthetic beetles. The hyper-active swimming claws are designed thin with long-lasting durable non-salt plastic to make them come alive with the slightest movement. The Fresh Beetle offers an enticing 4-inch profile and is scented for complete and total attraction! You can rig these Beetles as a Jig/ Chatter Trailer, Flippin/ Punching, Texas Rig, Swing Jig, and Carolina Rig. Making the beetle beyond perfect in any weather condition year-round! |
| When bass are not responding, more subtle presentations are perfect for enticing bass that are less aggressive and more reluctant to strike. Flipping different soft plastics lures along structures like logs, rocks, and other cover can often trigger bites in otherwise challenging conditions. Working these baits slowly and deliberately through potential bass-holding areas allows you to thoroughly cover the water and locate where the fish are hiding. By keeping a variety of soft plastics and techniques in your arsenal, you can adapt to the bass’s mood and continue to catch fish, even when they’re being picky. Experimenting with different rigging methods, such as Texas or Carolina rigs, can help you present these baits in the most effective way for the given conditions. Varying the weight and size of your soft plastics can also be crucial in matching the local forage and appealing to bass that are feeding on specific prey. Soft plastics are versatile enough to be fished in a range of depths, from shallow cover to deep drop-offs, allowing you to target bass no matter where they are holding. Paying close attention to the subtleties of how bass react to different soft plastic presentations can help you fine-tune your approach.Using a stick-styled worm is the most tried and true ways to catch fish. We have a variety of 5-inch Worms to choose from but we just added new MidNight, Glow, and Ghost Worms! You can also experience our new wacky rigging kit while it’s ON SALE! The WACKY Pack offers our most popular colors and essential tools for wacky rigging. If you’re fast enough you might be able to grab the limited-release Pumpkin Spice Worm before it’s completely sold out along with some of our newest colors including the Brown Worm, Electic Chicken Worm, and Goby Wan Worm colors. The high-grade non-salt plastic they’re made from provides positive buoyancy and it even floats underwater! We also released new 6-inch Worms including Charmeleon, Rainbow TRT, Bone, Chocolate Mint, and Fire TGR are all available in 5 and 6-inch. We’ve also recently released new 8-count packs of worms available in Watermelon Red, Black & Blue, and Green Pumpkin. We also offer worms that have the unique ability to shift from one color to another. Scented for total attraction underwater. |
| Water flow from dams significantly influences bass behavior and fishing conditions. During summer, a moderate flow rate is often ideal, as it provides oxygenated, cooler water that bass seek out. Too much flow can create strong currents that make fishing difficult, while too little flow may reduce oxygen levels and make bass less active. By understanding and monitoring the flow rates, anglers can position themselves in the best areas of the river, where bass are more likely to be active. Targeting areas with moderate current and avoiding heavy flows can enhance your chances of a successful fishing trip. Flow rates dictate where bass are likely to hold, such as behind current breaks or near slower-moving water, making it easier to predict their behavior. Anglers should also consider the time of day, as water releases from dams often vary throughout the day, affecting the fish’s location and activity level. Adapting your strategy based on these conditions can lead to more consistent catches. Learning to read the water and recognizing subtle changes in current can give you an edge in locating and targeting bass in various flow conditions. Observing these changes will help refine your approach.Our newest FreshBaitz Mandingo Trick Worm is the ultimate game-changer for anglers with a passion! Engineered for the angler who knows SIZE does matter, this lure is designed to attract only the BIGGEST bass with a penchant for the larger bait. The Mandingo Trick Worm boasts a solid 7-inch body enhanced with a hyperactive ribbed design, ensuring irresistible mouth-watering action for those trophy bass. Officially available in a vibrant array of 8 colors. Each worm is made from durable, high-grade Non-Salted plastic for lifelike action and unparalleled durability. Perfectly balanced for a variety of rigging options and scented for total and maximum attraction, the Mandingo Trick Worm promises year-round effectiveness in lakes, rivers, and streams. Whether you’re rigging it on a Shakey Head, Drop Shot, Texas Rig, or Carolina Rig, these worms are your ticket to landing the big ones. Proudly made in the USA by real anglers to help elevate your fishing experience and catch more bass year-round! |
| Despite the presence of deep holes in rivers, bass often remain in relatively shallow water during the summer. These shallow zones, usually less than 15 feet deep, are where bass can find cooler temperatures and ample food. Understanding this behavior is crucial, as it allows anglers to focus their efforts on these more accessible areas rather than wasting time probing deep, less productive waters. Fishing in shallower water also makes it easier to present lures effectively, increasing the chances of a strike. By targeting these shallow spots, you can improve your catch rate and make the most of your time on the water. Shallow water fishing often allows for more precise and controlled presentations, which can be crucial for enticing wary bass. Observing water clarity and structure in these shallower areas can further enhance your chances, as bass are more likely to be active and visible. Utilizing techniques like slow retrieves or bouncing lures off the bottom can also be particularly effective in these settings. Finally, adapting your approach based on the specific conditions of the shallow water will help you stay in tune with behavior and increase your success.We have a wide variety of terminal tackle to choose. For creature baits, we love to use the Stand-Up Jig because it sits your bait up-right in a defensive stance! Mosquito Hooks work for drop-shotting and perfectly accommodates a wide range of soft plastics. The popular All Purpose Hooks are built with an extra-wide gap and are made to accommodate a wide range of soft plastics. The Block Head Jig is perfect for ned rigging the HellaMite with its mushroom-style head that seamlessly matches a wide variety of soft plastics. The Offset Block Head Jig, offers the same mushroom-style head with a unique offset hook, making it a go-to for weedless Ned Rig applications. The Shakey Ultrahead can permanently secure baits by inserting the pin in the center and screwing the twist lock coil spring for perfect rigging every time! The Ultrahead Wacky Jig features precise weight positioning and hook orientation for the ultimate wacky presentations. For fast Texas rigging, we use the Bullet-Type Rig which has an attached weight saving you pressure time when fishing cover. The 4x Jungle Flippin Hook is designed for big fish and the toughest conditions. The Range Roller Jig Head is crafted for precision with its high center axis design, perfect for hover-strolling and mid to bottom strolling with forward facing sonar, ensuring an enticing rolling action. |
MLF General Tire Team Series B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup Presented by Toyota to Premiere Live on Sunday
WHAT:
The first event of the 2024 Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Team Series will premiere Sunday, with every minute of competition livestreamed from Erie, Pennsylvania.
The star-studded event, hosted by VisitErie, features two-man teams of Bass Pro Tour pros competing from the same boat, and working together to claim a piece of a season purse of more than $720,000.
For the first time ever, the General Tire Team Series will be livestreamed daily, meaning every cast and every catch will be covered live and fans can watch teammates work together to break down a brand new body of water in real time. The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live all six days of competition at the Challenge Cup.
WHEN:
Sunday, Aug. 25 – Friday, Aug. 30, 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET
WHERE:
MLFNOW!® is livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) apps and on Rumble.
NOTES:
The B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup Presented by Toyota in Erie is the first of the four-event series.
In keeping with traditional MLF Cup protocols, Erie, Pennsylvania, was not revealed to Team Series anglers until 30 days prior to the start of the tournament. All fishable waters within 60 miles of Erie then went off limits to anglers, and the competitors will discover exactly where they’re competing only after arriving at the boat ramp on the morning of competition. Fans watching the MLFNOW! livestream will find out the fishery right along with the anglers and watch all the action unfold live as teams work together and share their knowledge to break down each fishery in real time.
The 12 teams that will compete in the General Tire Team Series B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup Presented by Toyota in Erie, Pennsylvania are:
Team 7 Brew Drive Thru Coffee:
Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J.
Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala.
Team B&W Trailer Hitches:
Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn.
Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark.
Team Builders FirstSource:
Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn.
Team Coign:
Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill.
Matt Stefan, Junction City, Wis.
Team Ferguson:
Nick Lebrun, Bossier City, La.
Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La.
Team Knighten Industries:
Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn.
Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark.
Team Kubota:
Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn.
Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala.
Team REDCON1:
Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio
Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn.
Team Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff & Pouches:
Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash.
John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky.
Team Star Tron:
Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala.
Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla.
Team U.S. Air Force:
Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C.
Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark.
Team WIX Filters:
Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich.
Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla.
For complete details and updated information on the General Tire Team Series visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
Shane Doughtie & Evan White Win CATT Lake Gaston, NC Aug 17, 2024
Next Lake Gaston CATT Fall Qualifier is Sept 7 at Summit Landing!
Evan White & Shane Doughtie win Lake Gaston with 5 bass weighing 16.90 lbs!
| Team | BF | Weight | Winnings | Points |
| Shane Doughtie Evan White | 0.00 | 16.90 | $950.00 | 110 |
| Curt Poggenpohl | 3.84 | 14.18 | $150.00 | 109 |
| Jake Murdock John Murdock | 3.32 | 13.62 | 108 | |
| Ryan Harrell Ryan Brown | 0.00 | 13.60 | 107 | |
| James Joyner Chris McDaniel | 3.24 | 12.94 | 106 | |
| John Edwards Jr Land Weaver | 3.94 | 12.72 | $80.00 | 105 |
| Rick Morris Peter Hamiwka | 3.14 | 11.98 | 104 | |
| Michael Garner Billy Shelton | 0.00 | 11.26 | 103 | |
| Francis Draper | 4.80 | 9.94 | 102 | |
| Total Entries | $960.00 | |||
| BONUS $ | $450.00 | |||
| Total Paid At Ramp | $1,180.00 | |||
| 2024 Gaston Fall Final | $130.00 | |||
| CATT | $50.00 | |||
| 2025 CATT Championship Fund | $50.00 | |||
| 2024 Gaston Fall Final Total | $460.00 | |||