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KISSIMMEE, Fla. (Aug. 12, 2024) – The 2024 Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops event that took place in May on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Kissimmee, Florida, is one of six event finalists nominated for the 2024 SportsTravel Award in the category of Best Professional Sports Event.
The SportsTravel Awards honor the best events, venues and hosts in the sports-event industry. Winners of the awards will be announced at TEAMS ’24, September 23–26, in Anaheim.
MLF is asking for fan votes to help earn this honor. This is an opportunity to demonstrate the passion of the fishing and outdoors audiences for the sports world to see. The General Tire Heavy Hitters event is competing against other major professional events including the NFL Draft in Detroit, Michigan, the International Surfing Association World Games, and the X Games.
The star-studded General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops was hosted by Experience Kissimmee and featured 30 anglers who qualified from MLF’s Bass Pro Tour. This one of kind tournament format set a new MLF record of more than 21 million minutes viewed on MLF platforms, passing the previous record set in 2023. The event, held on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, yielded more than 840,000 video views and 9.8 million social media impressions – a 42% increase over the prior year.
Fans are encouraged to cast their vote through Monday, August 19 by clicking here.
MLF also asks you to share this with your family and friends to help celebrate this exciting event in bass fishing and professional sports.
Nominees for Best Professional Sports Event 2023 MLS/Liga MX Leagues Cup, Various Sites The tournament was staged by both Major League Soccer and Liga MX, the professional soccer league in Mexico. Led by Lionel Messi, Inter Miami won the tournament by defeating Nashville SC at Geodis Park in Nashville. The event featured 77 matches across the U.S. and Canada, attended by more than 1.3 million.
2024 International Surfing Association World Games, San Juan, Puerto Rico The event held in Puerto Rico created an exceptional impact on the global surfing community and the local economy. The event attracted top surfers from over 40 countries, showcasing a high level of athletic performance and sportsmanship.
2024 Major League Fishing General Tire Heavy Hitters, Kissimmee, FL The event set a new MLF record of more than 21 million minutes viewed on MLF platforms, passing the previous record set in 2023. The event yielded more than 840,000 video views and 9.8 million social media impressions, a 42 percent increase over the prior year.
2024 NFL Draft, Detroit, MI The NFL Draft held in downtown Detroit drew an estimated record 775,000 people and generated an estimated $213 million economic impact, including $161 million from visitors coming to Michigan. Hotel occupancy hit a high of 92 percent on the Friday night of the draft with 30 percent traveling more than 100 miles to attend.
2024 Serie del Caribe, Miami, FL The Serie del Caribe baseball tournament was a celebration of Latin American culture, sportsmanship and community spirit. Throughout the 25 games played at loanDepot Park, over 220,000 people enjoyed the best of professional baseball from top Caribbean teams. It also served as a catalyst for promoting cross-cultural understanding and collaboration, highlighting the positive impact of sports in bridging communities.
2024 X Games Ventura, Ventura, CA The X Games Ventura returned to the California coastline featuring the world’s leading skateboard, BMX and moto X athletes and an appearance by Tony Hawk. The city of Ventura partnered on the event that included a variety of community events that served to engage fans and spectators at the event including concerts by Wiz Khalifa and Kaskade.
Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2024 Presented by Bass Pro Shops premiered on Discovery on Saturday, Aug. 10, with new two-hour episodes from the event premiering each Saturday at 7 a.m. ET through Sept. 14.
Proud sponsors of General Tire Heavy Hitters 2024 Presented by Bass Pro Shops at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Barbasol, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Star brite, Toyota, U.S. Air Force and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
Winning against a stacked Michigan Division field is always a challenge. What makes it even more impressive for van Dike is that this is his first BFL season, and the Detroit River tournament was only his third BFL event.
“I got into them through a friend,” van Dike said. “I fished through MLF in college, so I just decided to jump in them this year, and it’s gone pretty well for me so far.
“It feels great (to win). I put in a lot of work, and all the stuff I’ve been through with boats lately and everything, it feels amazing to win.”
Van Dike is off to a hot start overall. He’s made two top-10 finishes already and currently sits fourth in the Fishing Clash Michigan Division Angler of the Year race.
According to van Dike, the biggest key to the win was braving wind and nasty weather to get in a good practice on Lake St. Clair, which is where he spent the tournament. The trials continued during the tournament, when the waves were big enough that van Dike reported taking a few over the transom while he was on the front deck using the trolling motor.
“The weather changed some things,” he added. “The fish weren’t up suspended like they normally have been. I just shortened my drop-shot quite a bit. I found that they would eat it better if it wasn’t way above their head.”
The drop-shot did most of the damage for van Dike. He rigged it with a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flatnose Minnow. He also weighed one keeper caught on a River Rock Custom Baits Tube.
“I was on the bait pattern,” van Dike said. “I was following the balls of bait wherever I could find them where they stacked up in an area, and the big ones were hanging out right around the bait. I just put my trolling motor on 10 and followed the bait until I could find a ball. And not far from a ball of bait was a big fish.”
In practice, van Dike used his big motor and his electronics to locate areas with higher concentrations of bait. Then he got up on the trolling motor and used forward-facing sonar to find the bait balls.
“They (the bait balls) are about 20 feet long, and they go almost all the way from the surface down to the bottom,” he added. “They look like tornadoes on your LiveScope.”
To help make his lures stand out from the natural bait, van Dike mixed in some brighter colors, including chartreuse with brown back.
“Once you’re around the bait, you’re picking off the fish that are chasing those bait balls. It doesn’t have to be a specific fish (that you target with forward-facing sonar), but if you get your cast into the bait ball, usually those fish will go find that bait that looks different than the rest.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Drake van Dike, Livonia, Mich., five bass, 22-2, $3,505 2nd: Pat Upthagrove, Monroe, Mich., five bass, 21-0, $2,053 3rd: Mark Flick, Delton, Mich., five bass, 20-15, $1,169 4th: Wilson Burton, Findlay, Ohio, five bass, 20-8, $1,318 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Continency Bonus) 5th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 20-3, $701 6th: Nolan Mandel, Harrison Township, Mich., five bass, 20-2, $643 7th: Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., five bass, 19-1, $584 8th: Aaron Limber, Northwood, Ohio, five bass, 18-14, $496 8th: Noah Stauffer, Gowen, Mich., five bass, 18-14, $496 10th: Mike Trombly, Belleville, Mich., five bass, 18-10, $849
Mike Trombly of Belleville, Michigan, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $440.
Lane Clark of Anderson, South Carolina, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,753 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 18 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Lane Clark, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 18-10, $1,753 2nd: Steve Ward, Trenton, Mich., five bass, 16-11, $730 2nd: Brian Townley, Wyoming, Mich., five bass, 16-11, $950 4th: Todd Layne, Poca, W.Va., five bass, 16-8, $559 5th: Ryan Crider, Kettering, Ohio, five bass, 16-5, $351 6th: Jason Klingaman, Howe, Ind., five bass, 15-15, $321 7th: Scott Davis, Morenci, Mich., five bass, 15-14, $292 8th: JD Marcum, Catlettsburg, Ky., five bass, 15-5, $363 9th: David Roche, Centerline, Mich., five bass, 14-10, $234 10th: Cullan Parker, Lorain, Ohio, five bass, 14-9, $204
Brian Townley of Wyoming, Michigan, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $220, catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After three events, Nolan Mandel of Harrison Township, Michigan, leads the Fishing Clash Michigan Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 743 points, while Scott Davis of Morenci, Michigan, leads the Fishing Clash Michigan Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 735 points.
The next event for BFL Michigan Division anglers will be held Aug. 24, at the Detroit River in Trenton, Michigan. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on Pools 13-17 of the Mississippi River in Quad Cities, Illinois. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Dayton, Tennessee pro catches 28 bass weighing 88-14 to clinch victory and earn $100,000 top prize
MASSENA, N.Y. (Aug. 11, 2024) – The mighty St. Lawrence River provided a fitting end to the 2024 Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour season at Minn Kota Stage Seven Presented by Humminbird – a season full of drama and excitement, new winners and superstars adding to their résumés. Ultimately, after a back-and-forth third-period slugfest between pros Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, and Shelbyville, Kentucky’s John Hunter, Neal sealed the deal with 28 bass for 88 pounds, 14 ounces. His margin of victory over Hunter was 15-3, but the final day was much closer than the final SCORETRACKER® would indicate.
Hunter led for much of the day, trading blows and the lead with Neal before Neal hit another gear. The final hour saw the eventual winner catch six bass for 17-2 to put it away. The win marks Neal’s first since the 2021 season finale on Lake St. Clair and comes after many close calls, including two runner-up finishes this season.
Neal finished the year strong with the win and joined the exclusive list of two-time Bass Pro Tour winners. Both of his victories came on famed northern smallmouth fisheries and both were Stage Seven events.
With 15 regular season Bass Pro Tour Top 10s (second only to three-time Angler of the Year Jacob Wheeler), it’s surprising that this is only Neal’s second win. The Championship Round experience paid off as he sealed the victory, and Neal was as relieved as anyone.
“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “Today was starting to feel like the Chowan River (at Stage Five), where I got out to a big lead, and it slipped away from me. I’ve had a ton of seconds in my career and felt like I was on that path again. When I won the last event in 2021, I won the first event of the 2022 season on the [Tackle Warehouse] Invitationals, and hopefully I can get on another hot streak like that.”
This win here is special to Neal as he was able to clinch his first major title, the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Angler of the Year, on these same waters. It also cements him as a certified smallmouth specialist after claiming his previous win on Michigan’s Lake St. Clair.
“I won my first AOY title right here on the same spot,” he said on the MLFNOW! broadcast. “This place will always be special to me. Growing up on Lake Chickamauga, if I caught a smallmouth, it was by accident. I’ve never considered myself a smallmouth fisherman, and I never thought I’d win a smallmouth tournament once, let alone twice.”
Neal spent much of his time in deeper water than many competitors. He stuck with the tried-and-true drop-shot rig with a slight twist while also mixing in a finesse jig.
“I primarily stayed in the 40 to 60 feet depth range keying on rock, but my biggest fish on the last day was in 65 feet of water,” he said. “I don’t think depth mattered a lot, and the current was the main thing, and the fish, especially the bigger ones, were on sharper drops. The fish were either on the up-current side or down current, using the breaks as current drops. Most of my weight this week came from one stretch where the bottom was wavy looking with a bunch of rolling ups and downs.”
Instead of rigging up a standard drop-shot worm, Neal improvised and went with the current trend of soft plastics with protruding silicone skirting material. His version was homemade, with a Big Bite Baits Scentsation Quarantine Craw serving as the plastic.
“I went to Walmart and bought some sewing needles and cut a banded skirt in half,” he said. “I threaded eight stands into each one, so the bait had 16 strands coming out of the bait. They were green pumpkin baits with some green pumpkin purple skirt materials, and they looked just like the gobies the bass were spitting out. I was fishing around guys all week and felt like that got me more bites.”
“That setup was key for me, and I didn’t break off a fish all week,” he said. “I also caught some fish on a 1/2-ounce Beast Coast OW Sniper Jig and used that same rod but modified to be a casting model. I had a guy back home turn that blank into a casting rod by changing the handle and the first couple of guides. It’s the perfect rod for fighting big smallmouth with a lot of line out because you had to let a lot of line out to keep it on the bottom. And when you’d hook one, there’d be 100 feet of line out there, and you can still land them with that rod.”
As much thought as Neal put into his setups for Stage Seven, it begs the question: How did he transform into a smallmouth guru? Neal said a change in thinking and a better understanding of the species are likely the culprits.
“I think it’s all because I knew nothing about them,” he admitted. “I’ve learned that you must have an open mind when smallmouth fishing because they move so much daily. Largemouth are always going to be right on some cover, and smallmouth will always just be around something. That took me a while to figure out. I’m still not sure I like smallmouth fishing, but it seems to suit me.”
Hard to argue. He now has two BPT wins to show for it.
The top 10 pros from the Minn Kota Stage Seven Presented by Humminbird at the St. Lawrence River are:
Overall, there were 170 bass weighing 535 pounds, 9 ounces caught by the 20 pros Sunday, which included one 6-pounder, two 5-pounders, and 25 4-pounders.
Pro Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tennessee, earned Sunday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award with a smallmouth bass weighing in at 6 pounds even that he caught during Period 3. The $3,000 prize for heaviest bass of the tournament went to Louisiana’s Cliff Crochet, who caught a largemouth weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces on Day 2 of Group A competition.
Harrison, Tennessee, pro Jacob Wheeler, clinched the 2024 Fishing Clash Angler of the Year honors and the $100,000 payout on Friday – Wheeler’s third AOY title in the last four years.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.
The Minn Kota Stage Seven at the St. Lawrence River Presented by Humminbird featured anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The six-day tournament, hosted by the Town of Massena, showcased 78 of the best professional anglers in the world competing for a purse of more than $805,000, with a top prize of $100,000 going to the winner.
Television coverage of the Minn Kota Stage Seven at the St. Lawrence River Presented by Humminbird will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Nov. 16 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
The 2024 Bass Pro Tour featured a field of 78 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship, set for April 3-6, 2025, on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, Rapala, REDCON1, Star brite, Suzuki, Toyota, WIX Filters and U.S. Air Force.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X , Instagram and YouTube.
Virginia’s Ed Loughran III takes the Day 3 lead at the Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain with a three-day total of 63 pounds, 14 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
Aug. 11, 2024
Largemouth lead Loughran to Day 3 lead at Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Distance makes the heart grow fonder. That was certainly the case for Ed Loughran III, who missed the previous two Bassmaster Elite Series events due to medical issues.
Loughran has returned with a vengeance this week at the Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain as the soon-to-be 54-year-old from Richmond, Va., claimed the Day 3 lead with a three-day total measuring 63 pounds, 14 ounces.
After landing a 19-1 mixed bag on Day 1, finishing the day in 38th, Loughran jumped into second with a 22-15 limit of largemouth before landing his 21-14 Day 3 limit of green fish.
“It was very painful to sit there and watch everyone fish at Wheeler and Smith Lake,” he said. “You never know how much you miss something until you aren’t able to be there. I’m happy to be back in good shape and hopefully tomorrow I’ll do the same as I did today.”
Mother Nature continues to throw curveballs at the Elite pros this week. Anglers enjoyed sunny conditions on Day 1 before the remnants of Hurricane Debby brought heavy rain and wind to the area, delaying the start of Day 2 until Saturday morning.
Clouds and south winds moved into the area once again on Sunday, creating challenging fishing conditions. While weights were not as impressive as the previous two days, all 50 anglers landed a limit of bass.
Loughran has been making a run to the southern section of the lake to an area where he hasn’t seen many of his other competitors. There, he is fishing several different sweet spots in 5 to 10 feet of water that are located on a shallow rock ridge with grass on top. He has caught both smallmouth and largemouth each day, but the largemouth have been the heavier species for Loughran this week.
A homemade jig paired with a Missile Baits Craw Father trailer and a ChatterBait have produced most of his bites this week.
“It’s just a northern thing. You can do it on Oneida or any other northern lake. It is just some high spots with grass,” Loughran said. “You don’t know what you are going to catch on any given cast.”
The wind, along with a mudline and an increase in local fishing pressure created less-than-ideal conditions in Loughran’s area on Day 3.
“It started pretty slow. They were not biting my ChatterBait at all,” he said. “It was a total grind. But I know the area I’m fishing, and I know the little sweet spots. I had to share it with some locals which made it a little more difficult to try and figure out where I was going.
“I had all kinds of things going on.”
Despite the slow start, the Virginia pro slowly began adding bass to his livewell. Once a local angler moved away from one of his spots and the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, Loughran was able to line up the cast he wanted and caught his biggest bass of the day, a 5-12 largemouth.
“The wind was blowing today in a direction that is difficult for this spot,” he said. “I was rarely in the good, controlled position that I wanted to be. Right before I caught that fish I happened to get into a really good spot. The place I wanted to cast was 45 feet away, and the wind had died down, so I put my poles down and the first cast out to the sweet spot, that bass hit.
“It was a huge cull.”
As the day progressed, Loughran landed two more key bass and expanded on his area. He thinks he will need another 20-pound bag to claim his first blue trophy. Sunny conditions improve his bite, but tomorrow’s forecast calls for more clouds.
“I think they are reloading and hopefully tomorrow there is another 20- or 22-pound bag in there and hopefully I can catch it. If I catch anything less than 20 pounds, someone is going to catch me,” Loughran said. “I really need sun and I’m not going to have it tomorrow. But who knows, the weather will come and go up here.”
Robertson has gone all-in on a largemouth-only pattern that has produced bags of 20-13, 20-13 and 20-2 for a three-day total of 61-12. The Kuttawa, Ky., native has fished around shallow docks with a big Berkley flipping jighead and a hand-tied black rubber skirt. A Chigger Craw is his trailer of choice, but he has caught some using different trailers as well.
“It’s as old school as it gets,” Robertson said. “The trailer doesn’t matter. You get it in there and the first one that sees it will bite it. These fish aren’t used to seeing a jig that big.”
There hasn’t been a particular rhyme or reason as to when Robertson gets a bigger-than-average bite. Some of the smaller bass he’s caught have been in some of the backwater areas, but he also landed a 5-pounder in that same area on Day 3.
“I’m fishing what’s in front of me,” Robertson said. “I had some docks where I got bit and shook a few fish off and I caught those. I keep forgetting about some of them, because toward the end of the day I remembered I got a bite (on a particular dock). I slid that big jig under there and caught a 5-pounder.”
After landing 20-0 and 21-14 the first two days of the tournament, the wind hampered Johnston slightly on Day 3 as the Canadian caught 19-8 on Semifinal Sunday.
“I started the day decently,” he said. “I was looking to get a couple 4-pounders in the first hour and I was just getting some 3s. I grinded away and never got that kicker. The wind blew up and I couldn’t present my bait right. I did lose one or two great big ones. They weren’t biting nearly as well today as they were yesterday.”
Johnston has specifically targeted smallmouth in deep water with a jighead minnow, varying the head size on the bait depending on the depth. He has used his forward-facing sonar to watch the smallmouth move up and down in the water column to feed on perch.
“There aren’t any big groups like last year, but you’ll get in an area, and you’ll go 200 yards and see seven or eight individual fish. But not any big wolf packs,” he explained. “They are gorging on perch. They’ll be 15 feet below the surface and then go down to 50 feet where all the perch are and come back up. It’s kind of different because normally when you catch a fish in 50 feet of water you’ll have to fizz them, but they go up and down so much they are used to it.”
Ashville, Ala., pro Matt Herren earned Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day honors on Day 3 as he caught a largemouth weighing 5-15 while New York rookie Kyle Patrick holds Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament honors with a 6-2 largemouth he caught on Day 1.
Patrick also claimed the $1,000 BassTrakk Contingency bonus for accurate weight recording.
Day 1 leader Seth Feider holds the CrushCity Monster Bag of the Tournament with his 23-11 limit of largemouth from Thursday.
The Top 10 anglers will launch from the Plattsburgh City Dock beginning at 7 a.m. ET and return for weigh-in at 3 p.m. The winner will earn the $100,000 first-place prize and a coveted blue trophy. Bassmaster LIVE will be available on Bassmaster.com from 8 a.m. ET until the start of weigh-in at 3 p.m. Weigh-in will begin shortly after and will also be streamed on Bassmaster.com.
2024 Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain 8/8-8/12 Lake Champlain, Plattsburg NY. (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 15 63-14 0 $333.00 Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 22-15 Day 3: 5 21-14 2. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 15 61-12 102 Day 1: 5 20-13 Day 2: 5 20-13 Day 3: 5 20-02 3. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 15 61-06 101 Day 1: 5 20-00 Day 2: 5 21-14 Day 3: 5 19-08 4. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 15 61-04 100 Day 1: 5 21-01 Day 2: 5 21-07 Day 3: 5 18-12 5. Robert Gee Knoxville, TN 15 60-13 99 Day 1: 5 21-01 Day 2: 5 19-15 Day 3: 5 19-13 6. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 15 60-06 98 Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 20-11 Day 3: 5 18-07 7. Patrick Walters Eutawville, SC 15 60-03 97 Day 1: 5 21-10 Day 2: 5 18-03 Day 3: 5 20-06 8. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 15 59-13 96 Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 20-09 Day 3: 5 18-05 9. Cory Johnston Otonabee CANADA 15 59-12 95 Day 1: 5 19-12 Day 2: 5 20-01 Day 3: 5 19-15 10. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 15 59-03 94 Day 1: 5 22-11 Day 2: 5 18-15 Day 3: 5 17-09 11. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 15 58-15 93 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 21-08 Day 2: 5 19-07 Day 3: 5 18-00 12. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 15 58-11 92 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 20-03 Day 3: 5 18-07 13. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 15 58-07 91 $10,333.00 Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 21-11 Day 3: 5 17-05 14. Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 15 58-04 90 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 21-01 Day 2: 5 20-06 Day 3: 5 16-13 15. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 15 58-04 89 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 5 20-03 Day 3: 5 17-09 16. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 15 57-15 88 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 20-13 Day 2: 5 18-12 Day 3: 5 18-06 17. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 15 57-13 87 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 5 21-07 Day 3: 5 17-12 18. Jason Christie Dry Creek, OK 15 57-13 86 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 19-15 Day 3: 5 18-07 19. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 15 57-06 85 $11,000.00 Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 16-11 Day 3: 5 19-11 20. Jay Przekurat Plover, WI 15 57-05 84 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 20-09 Day 2: 5 17-15 Day 3: 5 18-13 21. Cooper Gallant Bowmanville Ontario CAN 15 57-04 83 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 18-00 Day 3: 5 19-06 22. Seth Feider New Market, MN 15 57-03 82 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 23-11 Day 2: 5 17-01 Day 3: 5 16-07 23. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 15 57-03 81 $11,000.00 Day 1: 5 21-11 Day 2: 5 17-08 Day 3: 5 18-00 24. Tyler Williams Belgrade, ME 15 57-01 80 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-12 Day 2: 5 20-02 Day 3: 5 17-03 25. Ben Milliken New Caney, TX 15 56-14 79 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 19-06 Day 3: 5 19-03 26. Jordan Lee Cullman, AL 15 56-13 78 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 19-07 Day 3: 5 19-10 27. John Cox Debary, FL 15 56-12 77 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 20-00 28. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 15 56-11 76 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 19-11 Day 3: 5 17-05 29. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 15 56-09 75 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 19-12 Day 3: 5 18-06 30. Taku Ito Dalton GA JAPAN 15 56-07 74 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 19-05 Day 3: 5 18-02 31. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 15 56-06 73 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 19-05 Day 3: 5 17-07 32. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 15 56-05 72 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 18-01 Day 3: 5 19-08 33. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 15 56-03 71 $10,333.00 Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 20-05 Day 3: 5 18-12 34. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 15 56-00 70 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 20-02 Day 3: 5 17-05 35. John Garrett Union City, TN 15 55-14 69 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 5 18-13 36. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 15 55-11 68 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 20-14 Day 2: 5 18-03 Day 3: 5 16-10 37. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 15 55-11 67 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 17-10 Day 3: 5 18-04 38. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 15 55-11 66 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 18-03 Day 3: 5 17-13 39. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 15 55-10 65 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 17-15 Day 3: 5 18-01 40. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 15 55-10 64 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 18-01 Day 3: 5 18-08 41. Kyle Norsetter Cottage Grove, WI 15 55-02 63 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 18-13 Day 3: 5 17-12 42. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 15 55-01 62 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-15 Day 2: 5 20-03 Day 3: 5 14-15 43. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 15 55-00 61 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 18-11 Day 3: 5 17-08 44. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 15 54-12 60 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 18-10 Day 3: 5 17-01 45. Cody Huff Ava, MO 15 54-11 59 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-15 Day 2: 5 18-07 Day 3: 5 16-05 46. Kyoya Fujita Yamanashi CA JAPAN 15 54-10 58 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 19-09 Day 3: 5 17-01 47. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 15 54-05 0 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 18-04 Day 3: 5 17-11 48. Cole Sands Calhoun , TN 15 53-14 56 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 19-02 Day 3: 5 16-14 49. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 15 53-11 55 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 18-15 Day 3: 5 16-09 50. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 15 52-11 54 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 20-06 Day 2: 5 17-14 Day 3: 5 14-07 ———————————————————————–
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS Day 1 Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 06-02 $1,000.00 2 Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 05-07 $333.33 2 Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 05-07 $333.33 2 Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 05-07 $333.33 3 Matt Herren Ashville, AL 05-15 $1,000.00
Let’s all CONGRATULATE the long time Lake Anna duo of Mark Mitchell & Steve Rose on their IMPRESSIVE 22.64 pound bag anchored with the BIG FISH of the tournament, weighing 5.76 pounds!
RESULTS……
8-11-2024 31 Boats 11 Places Paid
1st- 5 fish 22.64 pounds Mark Mitchell/Steve Rose
2nd- 5 fish 14.72 pounds Chris Stanley Jr/Hunter Stanley
3rd- 5 fish 13.23 pounds John Hutchins/Grace Jeffries
4th- 5 fish 12.18 pounds Jarvis Raynor/Perry Stevenson
5th- 5 fish 12.09 pounds Dan Weber/Mitch McCotter
6th- 5 fish 11.71 pounds Matt Seale/Mickey Wilson
7th- 5 fish 11.57 pounds Scott Conners/Troy Perry
8th- 5 fish 10.44 pounds Clayton Gatewood/Ross Smith
9th- 5 fish 10.05 pounds Jeff Miskell
10th- 5 fish 9.97 pounds Mike Wandell/Mike Webster
The Fort Worth, Texas, pro applied his big-bass style of fishing to near perfection on Day 2, landing 21 pounds 7 ounces to take the lead at Lake Champlain with a two-day total of 42-8. He holds a slim lead over Ed Loughran III in second with 42-0 and third-place Jacob Foutz with 41-15.
Zaldain opened the tournament in seventh place with 21-1 and now finds himself in prime position to win his first Elite Series trophy, a title he almost claimed at this lake in 2021.
“It felt great. This place has been good to me in the past,” he said. “How do you catch bigger-than-average fish? Simply put, you have to fish for them. I’m definitely in my comfort zone.
“These fish set up just like (they did) in California where I grew up,” Zaldain continued. “They set up on the most obvious stuff,” Zaldain explained. “That single sailboat in the middle of the cove, a bridge piling, pillars, rock openings, the real obvious stuff, but that stuff gets absolutely hammered. So, you have to throw something different in there.”
The remnants of Hurricane Debby pushed through New York Friday, bringing heavy rains and wind to the area and ultimately forcing the postponement of Day 2. Mostly sunny skies prevailed today, and the Elite pros continued to put on a bass-fishing clinic, catching 100 limits and 1,789-3 total pounds.
“This place is setting up really nice after the rain we’ve had,” he said. “Rising water and moving water sets the largemouth up like no other.”
Zaldain has attacked Champlain with a two-pronged approach this week. The eight-time Classic qualifier started each day by catching 17 to 18 pounds of smallmouth in one specific area before searching for kicker largemouth later in the day. His two limits have each featured three smallmouth and two largemouth.
The smallmouth he has located are between 10 and 18 feet of water. Zaldain has mixed some “old school” smallmouth fishing with some “new school,” utilizing several dragging baits while also picking a couple of smallies off with his forward-facing sonar. Most of them are under 4 pounds, however.
“Right now, it is hard to catch a brown one over 4 pounds. I’m catching a lot between 3.65 and 3.90. But when you get a largemouth bite, they are all over 4 pounds.”
All of Zaldain’s green fish have come out of grass in 10 feet of water or less in one of four sweet spots, and the amount of current moving through the area plays an important role in how the largemouth set up in the grass. A swimbait has produced many of his larger bites.
“I’m constantly looking at the current,” Zaldain said. “I’m fishing on top of the grass as well as the edges and holes. I’m not using forward-facing sonar. I’m just reading water, reading current and reading wind.”
Zaldain filled out his limit within the first couple of hours of Day 2 before moving to his largemouth area. There, he landed a 4-pound largemouth and a 5-pounder, his two biggest bass of the day.
“That was awesome. The wind was howling on this little spot, and I had caught a couple flipping in the area,” he said. “I caught one that was a 3-pound largemouth that had a 5-pounder and a 4-pounder with it. I kept flipping and (didn’t catch anything), so I picked up my swimbait and I think I caught those two.”
While he’s caught over 21 pounds each day, Zaldain has lost several big bass — including one he believed to be close to 6 pounds today — that could have given him some separation over the field.
“I executed kind of poorly these last few days. I feel like I should be leading this thing by a lot,” he said.
After missing the last two tournaments due to health issues, Loughran finds himself in contention for his first Elite Series title. He opened the tournament in 38th with a 19-1 mixed bag before landing a 22-15 limit of largemouth on Day 2, his biggest bag ever at Lake Champlain.
“Traditionally when I come up here, it is easy for me to catch some decent smallmouth and I really struggled this week,” he said. “I’m a drop-shotter, I’m not a minnow-pinger. I caught some of those drop-shot fish on Day 1 and thought it was going to be good until Day 1.”
On Saturday, Loughran stayed in a small area of the lake with shallow vegetation where he had found both largemouth and smallmouth. The majority of his bites have come between 5 and 10 feet of water. After a little flurry early on, the bite slowed down, but a key bait change helped Loughran cull up to his final tally.
“I changed up a little and just started catching them,” he said. “I’ve got a couple other little spots close by and I haven’t touched them. So hopefully there are bass there, too.”
With bags of 21-4 and 20-11, Foutz jumped from sixth to third on Day 2. The Tennessee angler finished eighth at Lake Champlain last year and is looking to improve that showing this time around.
Foutz has been targeting pelagic smallmouth between 20 and 60 feet of water. Many of the smallmouth are in groups — some groups as small as 3 and some schools as big as 20 and 30.
“If they are grouped up, you are pretty much guaranteed a bite,” he said. “The singles are bigger ones, but they are the hardest to catch. I think I have a bait deal figured out to help trigger the bigger ones in the group to bite instead of having to weed through 3-pounders.”
After landing the majority of his weight within the first 10 minutes of Day 1, the second day started much slower for Foutz, but as the day wore on, he was able to locate several groups of smallmouth.
“I knew the fish had changed and that the wind probably moved them around,” Foutz said. “I went to an area I found late on Day 1 and trolled around and picked a nice one off here and there.”
Greg Hackney, Loughran and Caleb Sumrall split Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day honors on Day 2 as each caught a bass weighing 5-7 while New York rookie Kyle Patrick holds Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament honors with a 6-2 largemouth he caught on Day 1.
Day 1 leader Seth Feider holds the CrushCity Monster Bag of the Tournament with his 23-11 limit of largemouth from Thursday.
The Top 50 anglers will launch from the Plattsburgh City Dock beginning at 7 a.m. ET Sunday and return for weigh-in at 3 p.m. The Top 10 anglers take center stage on Championship Monday.
Coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain will air on FS1 on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. Bassmaster LIVE will be streaming on Bassmaster.com each day.
2024 Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain 8/8-8/12 Lake Champlain, Plattsburg NY. (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 10 42-08 103 Day 1: 5 21-01 Day 2: 5 21-07 2. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 10 42-00 0 $333.00 Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 22-15 3. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 10 41-15 101 Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 20-11 4. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 10 41-14 100 Day 1: 5 20-00 Day 2: 5 21-14 5. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 10 41-10 99 Day 1: 5 22-11 Day 2: 5 18-15 6. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 10 41-10 98 Day 1: 5 20-13 Day 2: 5 20-13 7. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 10 41-08 97 Day 1: 5 20-15 Day 2: 5 20-09 8. Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 10 41-07 96 Day 1: 5 21-01 Day 2: 5 20-06 9. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 10 41-02 95 $333.00 Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 21-11 10. Robert Gee Knoxville, TN 10 41-00 94 Day 1: 5 21-01 Day 2: 5 19-15 11. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 40-15 93 Day 1: 5 21-08 Day 2: 5 19-07 12. Seth Feider New Market, MN 10 40-12 92 Day 1: 5 23-11 Day 2: 5 17-01 13. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 10 40-11 91 Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 5 20-03 14. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 10 40-04 90 Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 20-03 15. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 10 40-02 89 Day 1: 5 19-15 Day 2: 5 20-03 16. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 10 40-01 88 Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 5 21-07 17. Tyler Williams Belgrade, ME 10 39-14 87 Day 1: 5 19-12 Day 2: 5 20-02 18. Patrick Walters Eutawville, SC 10 39-13 86 Day 1: 5 21-10 Day 2: 5 18-03 19. Cory Johnston Otonabee CANADA 10 39-13 85 Day 1: 5 19-12 Day 2: 5 20-01 20. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 10 39-09 84 Day 1: 5 20-13 Day 2: 5 18-12 21. Jason Christie Dry Creek, OK 10 39-06 83 Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 19-15 22. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 10 39-06 82 Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 19-11 23. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 10 39-03 81 $1,000.00 Day 1: 5 21-11 Day 2: 5 17-08 24. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 10 39-01 80 Day 1: 5 20-14 Day 2: 5 18-03 25. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 10 38-15 79 Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 19-05 26. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 38-11 78 Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 20-02 27. Jay Przekurat Plover, WI 10 38-08 77 Day 1: 5 20-09 Day 2: 5 17-15 28. Cody Huff Ava, MO 10 38-06 76 Day 1: 5 19-15 Day 2: 5 18-07 29. Taku Ito Dalton GA JAPAN 10 38-05 75 Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 19-05 30. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 10 38-04 74 Day 1: 5 20-06 Day 2: 5 17-14 31. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 10 38-03 73 Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 19-12 32. Cooper Gallant Bowmanville Ontario CAN 10 37-14 72 Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 18-00 33. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 10 37-14 71 Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 18-03 34. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 10 37-11 70 Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 16-11 35. Ben Milliken New Caney, TX 10 37-11 69 Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 19-06 36. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 10 37-11 68 Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 18-10 37. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 10 37-09 67 Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 17-15 38. Kyoya Fujita Yamanashi CA JAPAN 10 37-09 66 Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 19-09 39. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 10 37-08 65 Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 18-11 40. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 37-07 64 $333.00 Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 20-05 41. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 10 37-07 63 Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 17-10 42. Kyle Norsetter Cottage Grove, WI 10 37-06 62 Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 18-13 43. Jordan Lee Cullman, AL 10 37-03 61 Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 19-07 44. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 10 37-02 60 Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 18-01 45. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 10 37-02 59 Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 18-15 46. John Garrett Union City, TN 10 37-01 58 Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 17-00 47. Cole Sands Calhoun , TN 10 37-00 57 Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 19-02 48. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 10 36-13 56 Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 18-01 49. John Cox Debary, FL 10 36-12 55 Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 16-05 50. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 10 36-10 0 Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 18-04 51. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 10 36-09 53 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 19-02 52. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 36-09 52 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 18-09 53. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 10 36-07 51 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 19-09 54. Jeff Gustafson Kenora, ON Ontario CANA 10 36-06 50 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 19-13 Day 2: 5 16-09 55. Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 10 36-05 49 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 5 18-04 56. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 10 36-03 48 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 5 18-02 57. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 10 36-00 47 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 20-00 58. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 10 35-14 46 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 5 17-03 59. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 10 35-14 45 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 5 17-04 60. Wes Logan Springville, AL 10 35-13 44 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 20-00 Day 2: 5 15-13 61. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 10 35-12 43 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 19-07 62. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 10 35-11 42 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 5 17-10 63. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 35-10 41 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 18-00 64. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 10 35-09 40 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 18-04 65. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 10 35-07 39 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 16-08 66. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 10 35-07 38 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 17-05 67. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 10 35-03 37 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 16-10 68. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 10 35-00 36 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 18-08 69. Timothy Dube Nashua , NH 10 34-15 35 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 16-10 70. Bryan New Leesville, SC 10 34-12 34 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 16-12 71. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 10 34-10 33 $2,500.00 Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 16-03 72. Mike Huff London, KY 10 34-08 32 Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 16-12 73. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 34-06 31 Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 18-10 74. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 10 34-02 30 Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 15-10 75. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 10 34-01 29 Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 15-10 76. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 10 34-01 28 Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 5 16-02 77. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 10 34-01 27 Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 17-03 78. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 10 33-13 26 Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 17-03 79. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 10 33-10 25 Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 14-13 80. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 10 33-07 24 Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 17-10 81. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 10 33-05 23 Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 15-05 82. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 10 33-03 22 Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 15-06 83. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 10 33-02 21 Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 15-06 84. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 10 32-14 20 Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 15-02 85. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 10 32-12 19 Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 15-15 86. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 10 32-10 18 Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 14-05 87. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 10 32-05 17 Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 15-13 88. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 32-02 16 Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 16-06 89. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 10 32-01 15 Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 19-00 90. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 10 31-13 14 Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 13-08 91. Kenta Kimura Osaka OK JAPAN 10 31-12 13 Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 14-12 92. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 10 31-06 12 Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 13-14 93. John Soukup Sapulpa, OK 10 31-03 11 Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 17-03 94. Todd Auten Clover, SC 10 30-05 10 Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 15-00 95. Joseph Webster Hamilton, AL 10 29-11 9 Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 14-08 96. Frank Talley Belton, TX 10 29-04 8 Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 11-04 97. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 10 28-08 7 Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 14-04 98. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 9 27-15 6 Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 4 10-03 99. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 27-15 5 Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 10-13 100. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 10 26-09 4 Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 11-10 101. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 8 23-14 3 Day 1: 3 08-00 Day 2: 5 15-14 ———————————————————————–
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS Day 1 Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 06-02 $1,000.00 2 Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 05-07 $333.33 2 Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 05-07 $333.33 2 Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 05-07 $333.33
Dayton, Tennessee pro catches 27 bass weighing 83-11 to lead Saturday’s Knockout Round, 10 Anglers Set for Sunday’s Final Day Championship Round
MASSENA, N.Y. (Aug. 10, 2024) – The 20 anglers contesting the Knockout Round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Minn Kota Stage Seven Presented by Humminbird got the full St. Lawrence River experience on Saturday — gusty wind, turbulent waters and smallmouth bass by the bunches.
With the vast majority of the field targeting the smallmouth synonymous with the fishery and the bass eager to oblige, anglers lit up SCORETRACKER® early and often. After a handful of competitors traded the top spots throughout the afternoon, Michael Neal wound up atop the leaderboard with 83 pounds, 11 ounces on 27 scorable bass. He finished 15 ounces clear of John Hunter, with Matt Becker just 1-6 back of him.
While Saturday ended with Neal atop SCORETRACKER®, his day got off to a disastrous start long before he thought about making a cast.
Shortly after midnight, a rescue squad knocked on the door of his rental house. Due to the torrential rain from Hurricane Debby, a nearby river had risen 6 to 8 feet, its waters starting to lap on the front porch of the house. The rescue squad told Neal and roommate, fellow Dayton, Tennessee, pro Andy Morgan that it might be wise to seek shelter elsewhere.
With nowhere else to stay, Neal drove to the Massena Intake Boat Launch, where anglers check in and pick up their boat officials each morning before driving to their launch ramp of choice. He tried (unsuccessfully) to sleep in his truck.
“I slept about 30 minutes, maybe,” Neal said.
While he didn’t blame the lack of sleep, once his competition day finally started, Neal struggled to get into a groove. However, he made a move in the second period and caught fire. In the span of 1 hour, 15 minutes, he stacked nine smallmouth totaling 27-10 onto SCORETRACKER®, taking the lead for the first time.
Neal’s key adjustment was focusing more on structure that created current breaks, as the wind blowing in the same direction of the current made it stronger.
“Once I started focusing on the more current-driven areas, I started getting bit a lot more consistently,” he said.
While quite a few anglers have had success targeting smallmouth in water shallow enough to see the bottom, Neal is plying deeper habitat, fishing rock anywhere from 30 to 60 feet deep. Wielding a Big Bite Baits Quarantine Craw on 7-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon, he said he’s rigging the soft plastic “a little bit different.”
“I’ll get into that a little bit more tomorrow, but it seems to make a difference,” Neal said. “I’ve fished around several guys this week, seemed like I’m getting a few more bites.”
As the wind increased in strength throughout the day, Neal said it actually helped his bite — to an extent. When blowing with the current, it positions the fish more predictably. That said, it can also make for an uncomfortable day on the water and cause challenges in accurately presenting a bait, especially on light line. With winds once again forecast to blow out of the southwest and reach the teens on Championship Sunday, conditions should be similar.
Neal thinks he could have continued to fish all his spots amid Saturday’s conditions, but once he’d built a safe advantage over the cut line, he looked for some more protected water. Turns out, he found the bite just as good there, too.
“It got easy this afternoon,” Neal said. “Like, I could call my shot. When I ran back to the American side, I caught four, I think, in the last 30 minutes, and it was the first drift every time.”
Set to compete in his fifth Championship Round of 2024 and third in as many events, Neal will finish in the Top 10 for the 20th time in his Bass Pro Tour career — second only to Jacob Wheeler. He feels overdue to add a second career victory. He believes he’ll be around the fish to win, but given the number of strong smallmouth anglers in the remaining field and the number of bass in the fishery, he knows it’ll take a nearly flawless day to hoist the trophy.
“I’ll definitely be around enough, 100 percent,” he said. “How many of them I’ll get to bite, I don’t know. Where I really started catching them in the second period, I think I’ve just made two drifts there and caught them really good, and there’s way more fish there than what I’ve caught.
“The whole Top 10, anybody can win it. All it takes is landing on one stretch, one current seam that’s just loaded up that you can go back and forth all day on.”
The top 10 pros from Saturday’s Knockout Round that now advance to the final day of competition on the St. Lawrence River are:
1st: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 27 bass, 83-11 2nd: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 26 bass, 81-12 3rd: Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 26 bass, 80-6 4th: Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 24 bass, 74-5 5th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 22 bass, 69-7 6th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 23 bass, 66-12 7th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 19 bass, 60-11 8th: Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., 19 bass, 59-5 9th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 18 bass, 57-14 10th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 19 bass, 55-10
Overall, there were 353 bass weighing 1,080 pounds even caught by the 20 pros Saturday. The catch included 10 5-pounders, 37 4-pounders and 115 3-pounders.
Pro Justin Cooper earned Saturday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award with a largemouth weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
The six-day tournament, hosted by the Town of Massena, showcases 78 of the best professional anglers in the world competing for a purse of more than $805,000, with a top prize of $100,000 going to the winner.
The 39 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day Qualifying Round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 39 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After the two-day Qualifying Round was complete, the anglers that finished first through 10th from both groups advanced to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights were zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers competed to finish in the top 10 to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. Sunday, in the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
The final 10 anglers will depart at 6:45 a.m. ET Sunday from the Massena Intake Boat Launch, located at 1415 State Highway 131 in Massena. Anglers are allowed to trailer to any ramp of their choosing within the fishing boundaries, and competition will begin on the water at 7:30 a.m. The General Tire Takeout will be held at Massena Intake Boat Launch, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com .
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on Championship Sunday from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.
On Sunday, Aug. 11, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit the Massena Intake Boat Launch for the MLF Watch Party. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. Live music will begin at 4 p.m. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing, and the final 10 Bass Pro Tour anglers competing in the Championship Round will be on hand to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.
The Minn Kota Stage Seven at the St. Lawrence River Presented by Humminbird features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The 2024 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 78 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship, set for April 3-6, 2025, on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.
Television coverage of the Minn Kota Stage Seven at the St. Lawrence River Presented by Humminbird will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Nov. 16 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, Rapala, REDCON1, Star brite, Suzuki, Toyota, WIX Filters and U.S. Air Force.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X , Instagram and YouTube.
