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Pennsylvania’s Gray Earns First Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Potomac River

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May 20, 2024

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Pennsylvania’s Gray Earns First Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Potomac River

Boater Daniel Gray of Butler, Pennsylvania and Strike-King co-angler Kevin Jones of Mount Holly, New Jersey.

Trim Gets Win No. 4 at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at the Mississippi River in La Crosse

Brian Carter

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May 20, 2024

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Trim Gets Win No. 4 at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at the Mississippi River in La Crosse

Boater Nick Trim of Galesville, Wisconsin and Strike-King co-angler Cade Luebben of West Concord, Minnesota.

Billy Dunn & Eddie Glasscock Win 2024 CATT Championship with 29.69lbs

Brian Carter

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May 20, 2024

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Billy Dunn & Eddie Glasscock Win 2024 CATT Championship with 29.69lbs

CLICK TO SEE RESULTS

If you thought day one of the 2024 CATT Championship was thrilling, just wait until you see the final weights and interviews from our winners! Billy Dunn and Eddie Glasscock took the crown, but let’s not forget the close competition from the father-and-son team, Ryan and Wayne Mace, who finished in second place.

This year has brought one of the tightest finishes we’ve seen in a while at the CATT Championship. The 2024 CATT Championship will definitely be remembered as one of the best. Billy Dunn and Eddie Glasscock displayed some incredible skills and strategy to secure their win as you can hear in the video. Meanwhile, Ryan and Wayne Mace’s close finish (.17) added a touch of family spirit and teamwork to the event. We extend a massive thank you to everyone who participated and made this weekend a special one.

To capture these memorable moments, we have photos and interviews lined up below – so scroll down and relive the excitement! We hope you enjoy the highlights and can’t wait to see you all again in 2025. Until then, happy fishing!

Siddiqi commits to offshore bite to score big Bassmaster Kayak Series win at Guntersville

Brian Carter

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May 20, 2024

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Siddiqi commits to offshore bite to score big Bassmaster Kayak Series win at Guntersville

Ohio’s Eric Siddiqi has won the Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series scored by TourneyX on Lake Guntersville.

Photo by Mark Cisneros/B.A.S.S.

May 19, 2024

Siddiqi commits to offshore bite to score big Bassmaster Kayak Series win at Guntersville

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — By committing to an offshore area of Lake Guntersville, Eric Siddiqi claimed his second career Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series scored by TourneyX trophy with a two-day total of 189.5 inches, earning $11,500 in the process.

The Cincinnati, Ohio, angler landed 96.25 inches on Day 1 before adding 93.25 inches to his total on Day 2, enough to outlast South Carolina’s Barry Davis in second (187 inches) and Connecticut’s Ryan Nye in third (186.75 inches).

“I love ledge fishing,” Siddiqi said. “So, I decided to go out and give that a shot. I caught some big ones out there in practice and had a couple spots.”

Siddiqi’s first Bassmaster victory came in 2022 when he won the National Championship on Richard B. Russell Lake on the South Carolina/Georgia border. This win at Guntersville, he said, means just as much.

“I was starting to feel like I forgot how to fish this year,” Siddiqi said. “My father passed away at the beginning of last year and the last year and a half has been tough for me. This is as big as (winning) the Championship for me.”

This week didn’t start particularly smoothly for Siddiqi. After installing a new Garmin LiveScope system to his kayak at Dugout Bait and Tackle in Georgia, Siddiqi’s truck experienced mechanical issues, delaying the start to his practice.

Once he did hit the water, however, he found two viable patterns he could fish, one offshore pattern and one shallow pattern. With Kentucky Lake ledge experience, Siddiqi elected to fish offshore and split time between two structural elements of a “community hole” on Lake Guntersville.

“The shallow spot I had, I’ve fished before in tournaments and I know there are big fish in there. But sometimes it is tough to get five of them especially if there is more than one other person in there with you,” he explained. “I was thinking about going there the morning of the first day and then moving, but the other spot was a 40-minute drive. I really didn’t make the final decision on where I wanted to fish until I got to the end of the road (on tournament morning) and needed to turn right or left.”

Each morning, Siddiqi started on a long point that was 3 feet deep on top with grass and eventually dropped into 30 feet of water. Once the point dropped to 6 feet or deeper, the point had a harder bottom that bass were relating to.

In the afternoons, he would move off the point to a subtle hump that started in 30 feet of water and rose to 28 feet. It also featured hard-bottom.

A Neko-rigged Berkley MaxScent Hit Worm with a heavier nail weight and a No. 1 VMC Redline hook was a key presentation in both areas.

“A lot of times I was having to dead stick it and I never really felt any of the bass bite, especially the big ones. Whenever I twitched or moved it nothing was happening,” he explained.

He caught just six bass each day, but the ones he landed were the right size.

On Day 1, Siddiqi saw fish schooling on the point. Most of them were white bass, but he was able to coax a couple of quality largemouth bass into biting his Neko rig, including a 20.25-inch lunker. He also got a key bite with a Megabass topwater bait.

“I couldn’t really get them to eat anything but that, but I wanted to have something with a good hookup ratio. I don’t throw it often, but it seemed like a good thing to throw,” he said.

Later in the day, he landed two more bass over 20 inches around the offshore hump.

“Day 2 followed a similar script, as Siddiqi opened his day by catching a 19-inch spotted bass, followed by several limit fillers. His one misstep came about midday, when he lost a bass that was well over 21 inches.

“I was reeling it and trying to keep up with it. When I got it to the boat, I went to net it and it came up and shook off. That one hurt for a long time. I was pretty sure that fish lost it for me.”

After a three-hour lull, Siddiqi landed a 22.25 largemouth before a giant patch of eelgrass covered up his casting lane.

Davis, meanwhile, landed in 19th with 90.25 inches on Day 1 before jumping into the runner-up position on Day 2 with a limit measuring 96.75 inches.

“It was a good time of year to have a Guntersville tournament,” he said. “I had a lot of bites. I fished some stuff I had never fished before. I actually did some offshore fishing, which isn’t me. I found bass everywhere I went.”

Two different bites played out for Davis. On Day 1, he launched from the Goose Pond area of Guntersville and focused on bream beds located close to shell as well as hydrilla beds. His bigger bites came in 6 to 7 feet of water. With clouds most of the day, Davis was able to catch the majority of his bass on a True South V Twin buzzbait with a 3.8 FIVE Bass Tackle paddletail swimbait trailer.

On Day 2, he decided to fish an offshore ditch where he lost a big one at the end of the first day and caught several bass to start the morning. The particular spot had a grass edge in 5 to 6 feet of water that then dropped off into 12 feet. Most of his bass were caught with a FIVE Bass Tackle football jig paired with a FIVE Bass Tackle Clutch Craw trailer.

“You would pull up some grass with the jig, but you could usually pull it loose from the hydrilla and that is when I got a lot of my bites,” he said.

Nye was consistent throughout the event, landing 92 inches on Day 1 before catching 94.75 inches on the final day. The majority of his time was spent in an area he found in practice he believed to hold a good population of bass. He used a Martins Custom Baits bladed jig and a wakebait.

Pennsylvania’s Alex Miller landed the Big Bass of the Tournament, a 22.50-inch largemouth he caught on the final day.

The Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce hosted the tournament.

A full list of results from the Yamama Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series at Lake Guntersville scored by TourneyX can be found here.

Lee Charges to Early Group B Lead at Major League Fishing’s General Tire Heavy Hitters on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes

Brian Carter

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May 19, 2024

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Lee Charges to Early Group B Lead at Major League Fishing’s General Tire Heavy Hitters on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes

2020 Heavy Hitters Champion catches 18 bass weighing 63 pounds, 4 ounces to lead Day 1 of Qualifying Round for Group B, 15 anglers in Group A to wrap their Qualifying Round Monday

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (May 19, 2023) – As he wrapped up practice for General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops, pro Jordan Lee of Guntersville, Alabama, felt confident. Believe it or not, despite his track record of success on national tours as a whole and on Florida’s Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in particular, Lee said that’s not common. The last time he remembers feeling that way entering an event was the last time Heavy Hitters took place on the Kissimmee Chain, an event he won in June of 2020.

But even Lee didn’t envision what unfolded Sunday.

On a Kissimmee Chain that has proven stingy for many of the 30 anglers in the field, Lee authored one of the most memorable days of his decorated career. He stacked 18 bass totaling 63 pounds, 4 ounces onto SCORETRACKER® during the opening day of qualifying for Group B, and he did it despite easing off the throttle for the third and final period. Lee, who had topped 50 pounds by the end of the second stanza, leads Kevin VanDam by 22-12.

As if that wasn’t enough, Lee also earned $10,000 in Berkley big bass cash for catching the biggest fish of the day, a 7-14 stud. Like most of his fish, the lunker ate a Berkley Swamp Lord frog in matted hydrilla in Lake Toho.

“What an awesome day on the water,” Lee said. “It really doesn’t get much better. I can’t remember the last time it was that much fun just as far as the strikes and getting bit.”

Link to Photo Gallery of Group B Day 1 Highlights
Link to Video of Fish-Catch Highlights from Group B Day 1 of Heavy Hitters on the Kissimmee Chain

Lee’s track record on the Kissimmee Chain made him one of the favorites before he ever made a cast this week. He won the first ever Bass Pro Tour event in 2019 on the fishery as well as the aforementioned Heavy Hitters event.

But instead of leaning on the same staples that have won him $319,000 across three prior BPT events on the chain, Lee turned Sunday to a technique he’s honed fishing matted grass during the fall on Lake Guntersville in his home state of Alabama.

“It really reminded me of Guntersville,” Lee said. “It’s fishing just like it, and with all the grass out there, I just feel real comfortable doing it. We don’t really fish a lot of lakes with this much grass, and I feel like I’ve learned a lot over the years just fishing at home a lot in the fall. It kind of translates into fishing down here.”

While Florida lakes are synonymous with vegetation, the Kissimmee Chain isn’t typically regarded as a frogging hot spot, particularly at this time of year. However, a boom in hydrilla growth in Toho combined with low water levels have produced a swath of grass that is topped out but not too thick — the perfect environment for throwing a frog, as illustrated by the fact that Group A leader Brandon Coulter employed the same approach as Lee.

Lee stumbled upon the pattern on the second day of what had been a challenging practice.

“I was flipping in practice, and I was just fishing around,” he said. “I was struggling; I wasn’t getting bit. And I thought I saw some blowholes in the mat — that’s what we call them, where the fish blow through the mat and make holes out there. But I was like, eh, I really don’t know. And I fired a frog out there, and one came up on it, another one came up on it, and another one came up on it. Then I started doing it and started getting bit like crazy.”

Lee’s frog of choice, the Swamp Lord, has been the biggest star of the first two MLFNOW! broadcasts. Lee noted that the bait’s larger profile and weight make it ideal for fishing through mats. He threw it on a 7-foot-6, heavy Jordan Lee rod from Abu Garcia paired with an 8.1:1 gear ratio Abu Garcia Revo STX reel spooled with 50-pound Berkley X5 braid.

“It’s a heavy frog and weighs down in the mat,” Lee said of the Swamp Lord. “When you’re fishing that hydrilla, it’s thick, and it’s hard for the fish to bust through, so if you’re throwing a real lightweight frog, you’re not going to get as many bites.”

The biggest of Lee’s bites came in the first hour of competition. While he said he didn’t think it would retain Berkley Big Bass honors all day, Lee was never particularly close to losing his grip on the $10,000 prize being handed out each day during the Qualifying Round. In fact, underscoring the dominance of his performance, Lee also caught the second-biggest bass of the day, a 6-13.

“I would have took absolutely nothing for an almost 8-pounder on a frog,” he said. “But I got paid for it. I got $10,000 for the biggest fish of the day, which, man, that’s awesome.

Given that no other anglers in Group B ventured into the grass mats, Lee remains confident that he can ride his frog bite all the way through Thursday’s Championship Round. He has a feeling he’ll have some more company as the tournament progresses, but his comfortable cushion over the cut line gives him an entire day to explore the mats in search of fresh groups of fish during Group B’s second day of qualifying on Tuesday.

“I’m pretty confident,” he said. “Normally, I wouldn’t be, but it just depends on the number of guys that kind of catch on. There wasn’t anybody today, but I know how it goes, it’s pretty obvious. But, I feel confident it can win the tournament if I play my cards right and find the right schools of them.”

The standings for the 15 pros from Group B after Day 1 of the Qualifying Round on the Kissimmee Chain are:

1st:        Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., 18 bass, 63-4
2nd:       Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 13 bass, 40-8
3rd:       Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 13 bass, 40-6
4th:        Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 11 bass, 32-13
5th:        Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, 10 bass, 26-13
6th:        Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, eight bass, 24-9
7th:        Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., six bass, 18-9
8th:        Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., five bass, 15-6
9th:        Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., four bass, 14-3
10th:     Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., five bass, 13-9
11th:     Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., three bass, 13-4
12th:     Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., four bass, 13-0
13th:     Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 7-6
14th:     Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., two bass, 4-10
15th:     Randall Tharp, Port St. Joe, Fla., one bass, 2-10

Full results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 106 bass weighing 330 pounds, 14 ounces caught by the 15 pros on Sunday, which included one 7-pounder, one 6-pounder and six 5-pounders caught from the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.

The General Tire Heavy Hitters at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Presented by Bass Pro Shops features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. A bass must meet the 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, but for the final day Championship Round a bass must weigh at least 3 pounds to be deemed scorable.

The 15 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 15 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the top eight anglers from both groups advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round weights are zeroed, and the remaining 16 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In Thursday’s final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

In addition to the tournament, Big Bass Bonuses are awarded in each day of competition with payouts of $10,000, $30,000 and $100,000 awarded to the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.

Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. ET from Big Toho Marina located at 69 Lakeview Drive in Kissimmee. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the park, 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.

To qualify for General Tire Heavy Hitters, the weight of an angler’s single-largest bass from each event of the seven 2023 Bass Pro Tour events was recorded. The 30 anglers with the heaviest total from those seven bass qualified to compete in this event.

The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on all six days of competition 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.

Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2024 Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Aug. 10 and running each Saturday through Sept. 14 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on the Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops 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.

Twin kickers lift Hamblin and Brown to Bassmaster High School Series win at Sam Rayburn

Brian Carter

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May 19, 2024

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Twin kickers lift Hamblin and Brown to Bassmaster High School Series win at Sam Rayburn

Aiden Hamblin and Austin Brown of the Pilot Point Bearcats Bass Team have won the 2024 Strike King Bassmaster High School Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir with a total of 18 pounds, 2 ounces.

Photo by Tommy Sendek/B.A.S.S.

May 19, 2024

Twin kickers lift Hamblin and Brown to Bassmaster High School Series win at Sam Rayburn

JASPER, Texas — Typically, anglers strive for something unique en route to tournament success, but for Aiden Hamblin and Austin Brown, a shameless dose of redundancy delivered victory in the Strike King Bassmaster High School Series at Sam Rayburn Reservoir.

Sacking up a five-bass limit of 18 pounds, 2 ounces, the seniors representing the Pilot Point Bearcats Bass Team edged their nearest competitors, Ridge Mabile and Evan Aucoin of the Assumption Mustangs Bass Club by a margin of 2-1.

Earning the $2,214 team prize, Hamblin and Brown claimed their spot in the Strike King Bassmaster High School Series Championship scheduled for Chickamauga Lake, Aug. 1-3.

“This means the world to us,” Brown said. “We’ve been at this for four years and we’ve had some really close finishes, but we’ve never been able to secure the win.

“Especially on one of the greatest lakes in the country, to come out here in May — the best time to fish Rayburn — and win, that means a lot to us and our team.”

Hamblin said he and Brown stayed on the lake’s west side and fished coves in Caney Creek. They rotated through three main spots and targeted flooded bushes, trees and stumps.

“We fished another event on Rayburn in March and it was 6 feet low at that time,” Hamblin said. “We finished fifth in that event and we figured out what was going to be under water (when the lake rose), so that helped us.”

Noting that he and his partner caught all of their fish in 5 to 8 feet, Hamblin said they fished a Texas-rigged black/blue Strike King Rage Menace on a 3/0 Gamakatsu straight-shank hook with a pegged 3/16-ounce weight, wacky-rigged 5- and 6-inch Yum Dingers (black/blue and junebug, respectively) and a Spro Bronzeye Popping Frog.

The latter produced their best bites, including a pair of 5-pound, 7-ounce kickers. Brown said the bait’s color pattern — black body with chartreuse legs — played a key role in tempting big bites.

“The bluegill the bass were feeding on had bright (chartreuse) tips on their tails, so that frog imitated them really well — it stood out on top of the water,” Brown said. “You had to get it really shallow and in the shade and then you had to pop it really slow. They would pop it after the pause.”

As Hamblin explained, he and Brown would switch to the plastics in the less dense cover. The wacky rig ultimately out-performed the Texas rig.

“I was skipping the wacky rig under branches and popping it,” Hamblin said. “It was hit or miss. Sometimes, they’d hit it after I’d pop it. Sometimes, they’d hit it after a long pause.”

The winners had their limit by 7:30 a.m. and culled throughout the day until finishing their weight at 1:30 p.m. Brown caught the two 5-7s on the frog — one at 11 and the other at 1:30.

“The first 5-pounder that I caught, the reel wasn’t connected to the rod very well and when I set the hook, the reel exploded off the rod,” Brown said. “I had to hold the reel and fight the fish at the same time. It was (nearly) a catastrophic event.”

Amplifying the day’s drama, Brown said their second kicker was nearly identical to the first.

“The two 5-7s were on the same tree about 2 1/2 hours apart,” he said. “It was right at the end of the day and we were like, ‘Let’s just roll back to that tree where we caught that first big fish.’

“I cast the same frog and the strike was identical to our first big fish. That tree won it for us, for sure.”

Mabile and Aucoin finished second with 16-1.

Connor Crawford and Brody Beam of the Liberty County Anglers won the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for their 6-12. Crawford and Beam finished 11th with 14-7.

The Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce and Jasper County hosted the event.

Oklahoma Angler Chris Jones Wins MLF Toyota Series at Lake Eufaula

Brian Carter

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May 19, 2024

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Oklahoma Angler Chris Jones Wins MLF Toyota Series at Lake Eufaula

EUFAULA, Okla. (May 19, 2024) – An Oklahoma native with more success than just about anyone on the state’s largest lake, Chris Jones of Bokoshe, Oklahoma, leaned on his Lake Eufaula experience to find the out-of-the-way area that produced all his keepers during the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats stop on the reservoir.

But it was keen observation and a clutch decision during the competition that ultimately allowed Jones to add a second Toyota Series trophy and another win on Eufaula to his collection.

Noticing that his biggest bites during the first two days had come on a BOOYAH Poppin’ Pad Crasher, Jones committed himself to throwing the frog Saturday morning. The decision paid off in the form of a 6-pound, 8-ounce kicker. The lunker anchored a 17-6 limit — the heaviest bag of the day and second-best all week — which vaulted him from second place after Days 1 and 2 to first. Jones’ three-day total of 46-7 topped Eli Brumnett of Wagoner, Oklahoma, by 2-11.

For the win, Jones earned $30,031 and a trip to the Toyota Series Championship on Wheeler Lake.

Minutes before catching the 6-8, Jones almost gave up on his frog bite. Dissecting flooded willow bushes on the south end of the lake, he had promised himself he would keep the Pad Crasher in his hands until at least 9 a.m.
At 8:57, he hadn’t yet gotten a bite. But he decided to hit one more stretch of bushes before changing tactics. His patience paid off with the biggest bass of the tournament.

“I was fixing to put (the frog) down, and I came around a point of willows and threw it underneath there and caught that big one,” Jones said. “And I knew I had a chance.”

After Day 1, Jones felt confident he was around the winning fish. Making a 33-mile run to the area where he also won a 2011 Phoenix Bass Fishing League event, Jones sacked up 17-0 on the opening day, which placed him in second.

A self-described member of the “muddy water mob,” he embraced the dirty water in that portion of the lake, which he believes is the reason he never saw another competitor. With falling water levels making the bite tough on Eufaula, having his fish to himself proved key.

“It was just past experience and knowing that area, and it set up right,” he said. “I really wanted to stay away from the area where they (Bass Pro Tour anglers) fished, and that was the clean areas. And I knew if I could get bit down there that I wouldn’t see another boat, and I didn’t see another boat for three days.”

Jones’ bite faltered a bit on Day 2. Enduring two long stretches without a bite, he weighed in just 12-1. He was able to fill out his limit flipping a junebug YUM Spine Craw and throwing a BOOYAH Mobster swim jig , but the quality he’d caught on Day 1 eluded him. That prompted him to dedicate himself to throwing the frog to start Day 3.

“I had several fish just come up and swipe at my swim jig, but whenever I’d get a frog bite, they’d inhale it,” he explained. “So, I was just committed to it. I knew if I could get around enough of them, that I could get the right bites on the frog.”

Jones caught the rest of his keepers Saturday flipping the Spine Craw. Added to his kicker, they proved enough to earn him a fifth MLF win with a throng of friends and family present to celebrate his coronation. His youngest son joined him on the stage at weigh-in, where he shouted out a litany of supporters in the audience. Having them on hand made this victory particularly sweet.

“It means the world to me,” Jones said. “You never know when the last one is going to be, so it’s kind of emotional.”

The top 10 pros on Lake Eufaula finished:

1st:          Chris Jones, Bokoshe, Okla., 15 bass, 46-7, $30,031
2nd:        Eli Brumnett, Wagoner, Okla., 15 bass, 43-12, $12,637 (includes $1,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus)
3rd:        Jeff Lugar, Princeton, Texas, 15 bass, 42-1, $9,009
4th:         Zane Parker, Kingwood, Texas, 15 bass, 40-13, $7,508
5th:         Ty Faber, Pagosa Springs, Colorado, 15 bass, 40-4, $7,257
6th:         Phillip Lunceford, Stigler, Okla., 15 bass, 39-14, $6,006
7th:         Blake Schroeder, Whitehouse, Texas, 15 bass, 39-1, $5,255
8th:         Levi Thibodaux, Thibodaux, La., 15 bass, 38-13, $4,505
9th:         Lance Crawford, Broken Bow, Okla., 14 bass, 34-15, $3,754
10th:      Charley Slaton, Valliant, Okla., 13 bass, 34-14, $3,003

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Shonn Goodwin of Moore, Oklahoma, won the $500 Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Thursday with a bass weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces. On Friday, pro Ty Faber of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, earned the $500 Berkley Big Bass prize after bringing a bass weighing 5 pounds, 2 ounces to the scale.

Brumnett 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.

Dillon Saffle of Eureka, Missouri, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 13 bass weighing 28 pounds, 2 ounces. Saffle took home the top prize package worth $33,500, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on Lake Eufaula finished:

1st:          Dillon Saffle, Eureka, Mo., 13 bass, 28-2, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd:        Scott Parsons, Rogers, Ark., 11 bass, 27-3, $3,843
3rd:        Mike Cassanova, Frisco, Texas, 10 bass, 26-3, $3,074
4th:         Joe Lee, Midlothian, Texas, 11 bass, 25-14, $2,690
5th:         Leavitt Hamilton, Gonzales, La., 10 bass, 24-11, $2,456
6th:         Brian Strickland, Yantis, Texas, nine bass, 22-3, $1,921
7th:         Albert Rayborn, Hammond, La., nine bass, 21-5, $1,537
8th:         Justin Overstreet, Brookeland, Texas, eight bass, 20-13, $1,345
9th:         Tony Burnham, Lincoln, Neb., 10 bass, 19-13, $1,153
10th:      Tommy Sikes, Como, Texas, nine bass, 19-4, $961

Dewey Larson of Fayetteville, Arkansas, was the Berkley Big Bass $150 award winner in the Strike King co-angler division Thursday, with a 7-pound, 3-ounce bass, while the Day 2 $150 award on Friday went to Dakotah Edwards of Talala, Oklahoma, with a 4-pound, 7-ounce bass.

With all three regular-season events in the Toyota Series Southwestern Division now complete, pro Cole Moore of Anacoco, Louisiana, was crowned the Fishing Clash Southwestern Division Angler of the Year (AOY) and earned the AOY payout of $5,000 with 755 points, while Justin Overstreet of Brookeland, Texas, is the Strike King Co-angler of the Year with 754 points and took home the $2,000 prize.

The Toyota Series at Lake Eufaula, hosted by Vision Eufaula, was the third and final regular-season event for the Toyota Series Southwestern Division. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will be the Toyota Series at Potomac River , June 5-7, in Marbury, Maryland. 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, 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 tournament updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook , Instagram and YouTube.

Corbishley Concours Lake Hartwell

Brian Carter

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May 19, 2024

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North Carolina angler Mike Corbishley wins stop number two of the NPFL season on Lake Hartwell with a three-day total of 44 pounds, 1 ounce, taking home the NPFL Shield and the $100,000 top prize.

Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons

With a three-day total weight of 44 pounds, 1 ounce, Mike Corbishley takes the victory at stop number two of the NPFL season at Lake Hartwell, hosted by Anderson County. Corbishley had his toughest day of the week with 12 pounds, 9 ounces on day one, added 17 pounds, 7 ounces on day two, and 14 pounds, 1 ounce on the final day to earn the NPFL shield and the $100,000 top prize.

Embracing a run and gun style on Lake Hartwell for three days, Corbishley got stronger as the event went on and made hay when the sun was behind the clouds later this afternoon.

“It was fairly bright out there until 3 pm and I was exhausted from running around, sitting down, standing up, over and over,” he said. “When the storms rolled in, I caught a second wind and went hard in the paint. I had 9 pounds at that time, and culled up three times in the last couple hours.”

Corbishley fished a mix of herring patterns and brush piles throughout the event, but on the final day, he dedicated his efforts to his “best brush” and burned 40 gallons of gas running circles around Hartwell.

“I had a mix of piles,” he added. “On day one, I caught some on a herring pattern and some on brush/rock. On day two, it was mostly the piles. My practice was horrible; in the past, when I had a bad practice and could not get things going, I like to run and mark as much good stuff as I can and revisit it throughout the event with Lowrance Active Target 2, and it works out.”

When the action picked up in the afternoon, Corbishley’s first cull was a 3-pounder. On the very next pile, he hooked a 5-pound largemouth and lost it 10 feet from the boat. His hopes of finally getting it done diminished, but he stayed put and made two crucial culls before check-in.

“I thought I blew it; I thought that was how it was going to end and I was going to come up short again,” he added. “When I was in the weigh-in line, I weighed my fish; I knew what I had. When Big Al told me what I needed, I knew it was going to be super close. It was unbelievable to finally make it happen after being so close so many times.”

With the victory, Corbishley takes home the NPFL Shield and a cool $100,000 payday for his efforts. Now, what will he do with the money?

“It’s life-changing,” he concluded. “My wife and I have been talking about buying land to build a house and this will make it possible. I want to give a big shout-out to my wife and my sponsors, without them and their support, I would never be able to do this – I don’t know what to say. Lowrance, Mercury Marine, Phoenix Boats, BoatLogix, Victaulic, Power-Pole, Dirty Jigs, Nichols Lures, National Coatings and Supplies, Hatterasman, Bajio Sunglasses, 13 Fishing and Cashion Rods – thank you.”

Hunter Sales

After a tough start to his tournament with 9 pounds, 10 ounces on day one, Hunter Sales added 16 pounds, 9 ounces on day two and 17 pounds, 5 ounces on the final day to to finish in the second-place spot with a three-day total weight of 43 pounds, 8 ounces on Lake Hartwell.

Despite a tough day one, Sales made a huge comeback this week with some of the biggest bags of each of the final two days. Staying versatile and adapting as things changed was key to getting his event back on track.

“Any time you have a tough day, it’s easy to look back and think about things you could have done differently,” he said. “You just have to roll with it; god has a plan for everyone. I found a topwater bite late on day one and I wish I could have gotten on it sooner, but it was staying open to change that turned things around.

On day two, Sales fully expected to catch fish on top water, but after a few bites early, it faded and he had to make a change yet again.

“I threw a fluke on day one and it did not work, but later on day two, they got on it. Today, I caught almost everything on a fluke and weighed one fish on a Neko rig. Hartwell is one of those lakes you have to adapt and sometimes it seems like it’s hour by hour.”

One of his best finishes in a tour-level tournament, Sales was disappointed by the second-place finish but is going to use it as fuel to get back to the top the rest of the season.

“It’s the best finish of my career, biggest payday and I am tickled to death,” he added. “Second stings, especially after my tough day one, but god takes care of his people, and he took care of me this week – I am blessed. I was almost not going to be able to fish this year but a lot of my sponsors stepped up to get me on the water – Yamaha Motors, Morristown Marine, Seaguar Line, SaltX, Thompson Truck Group, Z-Man, National Kennel Club, and more, the list goes on and on.”

Kyle Welcher

With a three-day total weight of 42 pounds, 9 ounces, Kyle Welcher finished the event on Lake Hartwell in third place. Welcher caught 16 pounds, 11 ounces on day one, had his toughest day on day two with 9 pounds, 10 ounces, and added 16 pounds, 2 ounces on the final day to wrap up an excellent week.

Knowing he needed a big bag to make up for his slip-up on day two, Welcher started his day ensuring he was going to get paid. With a double-digit limit, he set off to find something new, where he may find something to give him a chance at winning.

“I fished free today, running around and looking at new stuff,” he said. “If I did what I had done, I had no shot to win. I caught a 4.5-pound fish off a bed, and the rest of my fish came on traditional herring-type deals.”

While finishing in third place wraps up a solid week, Welcher had a mental blunder on day two that cost him the win this week.

“On day two, I tied on a hook for soft plastics, one I hate throwing, but I knew it worked out here. A lot of people had caught fish on it and I gave it a shot,” he added. “It cost me big – I lost three big fish on that before swapping hooks, but those bites were why I only had 9 pounds yesterday. That is fishing, I made a mental mistake.”

Will Harkins

Will Harkins caught a three-day total weight of 42 pounds, 4 ounces to finish stop number two of the NPFL season in fourth place. Despite a costly penalty on day two, where he had to release his limit of fish at the midpoint of the day, he salvaged his day with 9 pounds, 14 ounces. Harkins had a weight of 16 pounds, 4 ounces on day one and 16 pounds, 2 ounces on day three.

Richard Kee

Richard Kee started on day one with 14 pounds, 7 ounces, added 11 pounds, 7 ounces on day two, and 15 pounds, 15 ounces on day three to finish in the fifth-place spot with a total weight of 41 pounds, 13 ounces.

Rest of the Best:
Jason Burroughs 41-13
Trent Palmer 41-11
Drew Cook 41-9
John Cox 41-5
Bailey Gay 41-4

Pro Brandon Coulter Paces Group A on Day 1 of Major League Fishing’s General Tire Heavy Hitters on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes

Brian Carter

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May 18, 2024

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Pro Brandon Coulter Paces Group A on Day 1 of Major League Fishing’s General Tire Heavy Hitters on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (May 18, 2023) – While the bite on the first day of General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops was feast or famine for much of the 15-angler field, Florida’s Kissimmee Chain of Lakes served up everything a bass angler could ask for. Kissimmee produced quality bites on a diverse mix of techniques and surrendered a 9-pound Florida stud for the first Heavy Hitters big-bass bonus of the event.

Knoxville, Tennessee pro Brandon Coulter led the group after catching 12 bass for 39 pounds, 3 ounces, a near 7-pound lead over Brent Ehrler of Redlands, California, who weighed 10 scorable bass totaling 32-1 to end the day in second place.

With tight weights, every angler still has a legitimate chance to advance to the Knockout Round, where the stakes are raised and the big bass payout increases to $30,000.

Link to Photo Gallery of Day 1 Highlights
Link to Video of Fish-Catch Highlights from Day 1 of Heavy Hitters on the Kissimmee Chain

Huntsville, Alabama pro Ryan Salzman, who finished the day in third place, caught the heaviest bass of the day Saturday right at the end of Period 1 – a largemouth that weighed in at 9 pounds, 3 ounces. The fish came on Z-Man ChatterBait Jack Hammer with a Houdini-colored Z-Man RaZor Shadz trailer. For the lunker, Salzman will take home a $10,000 Big Bass Bonus. Big Bass Bonuses are awarded each day throughout the competition, with payouts of $10,000, $30,000 and $100,000 being awarded for the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.

The 15 anglers in Group A will now have the day off Sunday, while the 15 anglers in Group B will begin their Day 1 Qualifying Round. Group A will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition on Monday.

After a slow start to the day, where he failed to catch a scoreable bass for the first two hours, Coulter caught fire for the rest of the day. He estimates catching well over 60 bass, with a dozen reaching this round’s 2-pound variable minimum weight. Coulter is also right on the mark for his goal weight and shouldn’t have to catch many more fish to advance when his group returns to the water on Monday.

“It was a heck of a day, and I barely missed my goal – I was hoping for 40 pounds and came up a little short,” he said. “The first period, I didn’t have anything going until right before the period ended. What a day it turned into after that, once I figured out the bite.”

Coulter surmised that switching from a punching pattern to a frog was the key.

“I didn’t even have a bite on a frog in practice and was catching them in the hydrilla punching,” he said. “Toward the end of practice, I noticed I was getting bites as soon as the bait came through the mat, which told me they were higher in the water column, so I threw a few frogs in the boat.”

Since his mat-punching pattern was so strong in practice, he stuck with it until switching to a bone Berkley Swamp Lord frog at the end of the first period.

“My first bite was a 4-15 and she choked it,” Coulter said. “We started counting and it was 62 bass on that same frog, which was brand new out of the package earlier in the day. A lot of the fish were around 1-12, and I don’t care who you are; that’s still fun to catch a bunch of fish that size in the slop.”

Coulter fished his frog on a 7-foot, 5-inch extra-heavy Fenwick World Class rod with an 8.3:1 Abu Garcia Zenon X reel and 65-pound Berkley X5 braided line. Another key was reading the grass and finding the right areas.

“It’s the same thing I do on Guntersville and Chickamauga, and when you find the right grass mix, it becomes much easier,” he said. “It was an absolutely perfect day for frog fishing since many people haven’t gotten on the bite yet. It’s like when the fish first get out on the ledges and haven’t been harassed yet.”

Coulter is thrilled with his catch, but looking ahead knows that things will change when he returns to Kissimmee on Friday.

“The conditions are going to be different, and I know I’m going to do some different stuff,” he said. “I’ll treat Monday as a practice day to expand and try my best to catch the biggest bass of the day.”

The standings for the 15 pros from Qualifying Group A after Day 1 on the Kissimmee Chain are:

1st:        Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., 12 bass, 39-3
2nd:       Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 10 bass, 32-1
3rd:       Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., six bass, 29-15
4th:        Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., seven bass, 22-1
5th:        Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., six bass, 21-10
6th:        Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., four bass, 18-11
7th:        Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, four bass, 10-8
8th:        Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., three bass, 10-4
9th:        Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., four bass, 9-15
10th:     Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., four bass, 9-13
11th:     David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., three bass, 8-13
12th:     Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., two bass, 8-9
13th:     Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, three bass, 8-5
14th:     Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., two bass, 7-1
15th:     Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., one bass, 2-9

Full results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 71 bass weighing 239 pounds, 6 ounces caught by the 15 pros on Saturday, which included one 9-pounder, one 7-pounder and four 6-pounders caught from the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.

The General Tire Heavy Hitters at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Presented by Bass Pro Shops features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. A bass must meet the 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, but for the final day Championship Round a bass must weigh at least 3 pounds to be deemed scorable.

The 15 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 15 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the top eight anglers from both groups advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round weights are zeroed, and the remaining 16 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In Thursday’s final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

In addition to the tournament, Big Bass Bonuses are awarded in each round of competition with payouts of $10,000, $30,000 and $100,000 awarded to the single biggest fish in the Group A and B Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.

Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. ET from Big Toho Marina located at 69 Lakeview Drive in Kissimmee. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the park, 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.

On Day 2 of the event, Sunday, May 19, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF will welcome fans of all ages to visit Big Toho Marina located at 69 Lakeview Drive in Kissimmee, to watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing. Heavy Hitters competitors will cross the stage at 4:30 p.m. following lines out and will be available to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.

To qualify for General Tire Heavy Hitters, the weight of an angler’s single-largest bass from each event of the seven 2023 Bass Pro Tour events was recorded. The 30 anglers with the heaviest total from those seven bass qualified to compete in this event.

The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on all six days of competition 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.

Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2024 Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Aug. 10 and running each Saturday through Sept. 14 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on the Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops 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.

Michael Tony & Eric Frazier Lead Day 1 of the CATT Championship on Kerr Lake with 17.88lbs

Brian Carter

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May 18, 2024

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Michael Tony & Eric Frazier Lead Day 1 of the CATT Championship on Kerr Lake with 17.88lbs

Day 1 Recap of the CATT Championship: A Scenic Start with Tough Competition Greetings, fishing enthusiasts and followers of the CATT Championship! Day 1 has officially wrapped up, and what a day it turned out to be. With 216 dedicated anglers hitting the waters, the stakes couldn’t be higher as they vie for a boatload of prize money and the honor of being crowned champion.

The weather played along beautifully, offering a picture-perfect afternoon that made for an Instagram-worthy setting. However, Mother Nature threw in some challenges with the fishing proving to be tough and water levels creeping into the bushes. These conditions tested even the most seasoned anglers, making every catch a hard-earned victory. One of the fascinating aspects of the CATT Championship is its consistency over the years. Based on past history, we all have our eyes on the magic number: 13 pounds. This has been the average weight that has often dictated success in previous tournaments, and it will be interesting to see if it holds true this year as well.

Will Day 2 see more anglers breaking that benchmark? Only time will tell. As we wrap up Day 1, we extend our best wishes to everyone competing tomorrow. Stay tuned as we continue to bring you updates and highlights from Day 2 of the CATT Championship. Tight lines, everyone!

— Feel free to share your thoughts and predictions in the comments below. Who do you think will come out on top? What strategies do you think will win this year? Let’s get the conversation started!

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