Tennessee Rookie Tops Group B Qualifying Round, Field of 40 Set for Saturday’s Knockout Round
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (May 19, 2023) – Bass Pro Tour rookie Matt Becker of Ten Mile, Tennessee, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 4 ounces, to maintain his lead throughout the day and win the Qualifying Round for Group B Friday at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Four at Lake Guntersville Presented by Bass Cat Boats . Over two days, Becker caught 10 bass weighing 46 pounds, 13 ounces to earn the first Qualifying Round victory of his career and advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round.
Link to HD Video – Fish-Catch Highlights of Group B Qualifying Round Day 2 on Lake Guntersville
Link to Photo Gallery of Group B’s Day 2 Qualifying Round Afternoon Highlights
“I’m definitely happy to win the Qualifying Round, but I realize this is just the beginning,” Becker said in his post-game interview. “It’s going to be an absolute slugfest here this weekend, and it’s going to take some serious weight. Hopefully we’ve found enough, but I’m not sure. I’m not feeling too good about it after this afternoon – those guys behind me were catching some big fish.”
Although Becker didn’t come close to matching his 30-pound total from the first day of competition Friday, he also did not fish his best areas. He spent his day covering new water with a Carolina rig, trying to find more options for the weekend.
“I didn’t go to my best stuff today – there really was no reason for me to,” Becker said. “I was pretty much moving on to the Knockout Round no matter what, today, so I drove past some of it to look, but I didn’t go there.
“It’s probably going to be a boat race to the areas with a couple of guys tomorrow,” Becker continued. “It’s kind of a community hole, so we’re really going to have to lighten up the boat and get ready to race in the morning.”
Becker had no problem finding fish, but he struggled to get any bites until he switched to a bait that he doesn’t typically throw – a Carolina rig.
“Today, it was all about the Carolina rig, which if you know me you know that is not me at all,” Becker said. “That was the only thing that I could really get them to bite today. I used a ½-ounce Epic Tungsten Carolina-rig weight, tied to a swivel with a couple of beads, and then running that down to a Trokar TK100 5/0 standard worm hook. I’m throwing it on 15-pound Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon line with a Favorite (Fishing) Hex 7-foot, 6-inch heavy rod.
“Just dragging that around today I was able to catch a couple of fish, which was cool, but I really don’t feel very confident going into the Championship Round,” Becker went on to say. “I kind of beat up the fish that I’d been fishing for, and these guys behind me are catching a lot of big ones. It’ll take some serious weight to move onto the Championship round, so I’m going to have to adjust and hopefully find some new ones tomorrow.”
Reigning Bally Bet Angler of the Year (AOY) Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 43-7 to finish the round in second place, while Lynchburg, Virginia pro David Dudley ended the round in third place with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 42-12. Brent Ehrler of Redlands, California, caught 10 bass weighing 42-10 to land in fourth, while Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, will advance to the Knockout Round with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 41 pounds, 8 ounces to round out the top five.
The remaining 40 anglers – the top 20 from each group – now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round, where weights are zeroed, and the anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round on Sunday. Weights will carry over from the Knockout Round into the Championship Round, which will feature the final 10 anglers competing for the heaviest two-day cumulative total and the top prize of $100,000.
The top 20 pros from Group A that now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on Lake Guntersville are:
1st: Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 10 bass, 46-13
2nd: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 43-7
3rd: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 42-12
4th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 10 bass, 42-10
5th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 41-8
6th: Shin Fukae, Osaka, Japan, 10 bass, 40-8
7th: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 40-5
8th: Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 10 bass, 40-0
9th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 10 bass, 36-15
10th: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 10 bass, 36-13
11th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., 10 bass, 36-10
12th: Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 10 bass, 36-2
13th: Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Ala., 10 bass, 35-5
14th: Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 35-4
15th: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., 10 bass, 34-14
16th: Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., 10 bass, 34-0
17th: Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 33-15
18th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 10 bass, 33-14
19th: Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., 10 bass, 33-12
20th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., 10 bass, 33-5
Eliminated from competition are:
21st: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 10 bass, 33-2
22nd: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 10 bass, 32-3
23rd: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., nine bass, 32-1
24th: Alton Jones, Sr., Lorena, Texas, 10 bass, 31-13
25th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 10 bass, 30-6
26th: Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 30-3
27th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 30-3
28th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., 10 bass, 29-4
29th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 10 bass, 29-3
30th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 10 bass, 28-3
31st: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., 10 bass, 27-8
32nd: Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., eight bass, 26-12
33rd: Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., eight bass, 26-5
34th: Jeff Kriet, Ardmore, Okla., 10 bass, 25-7
35th: Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., 10 bass, 23-11
36th: John Murray, Spring City, Tenn., 10 bass, 22-15
37th: Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., eight bass, 21-14
38th: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., nine bass, 21-14
39th: Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, seven bass, 16-1
40th: Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, Okla., four bass, 8-0
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 323 scorable bass weighing 943 pounds, 3 ounces caught by the 40 pros Friday, which included 15 5-pounders, one 6-pounder and two 7-pounders.
Friday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award was awarded to pro David Dudley, who weighed in a 7-pound, 9-ounce largemouth which bit his signature Perfection Lures Wacky Worm in Period 2. 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 event, hosted by Marshall County Tourism & Sports, showcases 80 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of more than $805,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters All-Star event and REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. Now that each two-day qualifying round is complete, the top 20 anglers from each group advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 40 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In Sunday’s final day Championship Round, weight carries over from the Knockout Round and the angler with the heaviest two-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. CT each day from the Guntersville Civitan Park, located at 1130 Sunset Drive in Guntersville. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the launch locations, 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 MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
As part of the event, on Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21 the MLF Fan Experience will be taking place at Civitan Park in Guntersville from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF will welcome fans of all ages to celebrate fishing and the outdoors with concerts in the park, hosted by Explore Lake Guntersville, featuring JUICE on Saturday and Jackson Chase on Sunday. Food and drinks will be available from local food trucks and fans can check out the latest gear and offerings from MLF and MLF sponsors including Toyota, Favorite Fishing, Kubota, U.S. Air Force, and The Fallen Outdoors. On Sunday, fans can hang out and watch the pros live on the MLF NOW! big screen during the MLF Watch Party. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, and take selfies.
The Toro Stage Four at Lake Guntersville Presented by Bass Cat Boats will feature pros competing using the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, with each angler’s five (5) heaviest bass per day tallied as their day’s weight. Anglers strive to catch their heaviest five fish each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the live scoring SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, fishing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship, held March 13-17, 2024, on Lay Lake in Birmingham, Alabama.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone 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. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the Toro Stage Four at Lake Guntersville Presented by Bass Cat Boats will air as two, two-hour episodes starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 7 and Saturday, Oct. 14 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on the Outdoor Channel.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, Ark Fishing, ATG + Wrangler, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, Daiwa, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Grundéns, Humminbird, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Power-Pole, Rapala, Star tron, T-H Marine, TORO, Toyota, U.S. Air Force, Yellowstone Bourbon, Yo-Zuri and Zoom Baits.
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, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Becker Wins Group B Qualifying Round at MLF Bass Pro TourToro Stage Four on Lake Guntersville
May Baits for Catching Big Bass by Bruce Callis Jr
May is one of the best months for catching bass. Why? Simple, the bass are feeding up from the spawn and they are just about everywhere. And of course, there is the herring spawn, the shad spawn, and the bluegill spawn going on as well. So, where do we start and what do we use. So many options are available, and so much fun!
The shad spawn is basically an early morning bite. They love to spawn around marinas, docks, rocks, rip rap, and even shallow grass. A good bait to use for this would be a swimming jig. I prefer a Missile Baits Ike’s Mini Swimming jig in like Bone, White or a shad imitating color. As to size, a 3/16 is my basic set up for keeping it higher in the water column, but I will go to a 5/16 or 7/16 to keep it down in the water column. You can work it in a variety of ways. A pump and go to a slow steady retrieve, let the bass tell you what they want. You can use either braid or fluorocarbon line. The object is to cover a lot of water.
For me, a drop shot is a must have tied on. This is a bait that can be used around laydowns, docks, grass, lily pads and other structure. I have two choices I really like here. A Missile Baits Magic Worm and a Missile Baits Mini Magic Worm. I like to work them both on 10-20 lb Seaguar Smackdown braid with a leader of fluorocarbon, which is generally Seaguar Red Label. Depending on what I am around, I will usually use an 8 or 10 pound leader and a DropZone Rattle Shot weight. I try to use the lightest weight I can get away with and usually a foot below the hook. If the grass is taller, I can always go longer so I can keep my bait just above the grass. Don’t be afraid to get up close to cover, the line is strong enough to help turn them from going into the nasty stuff. Of course, this is not made for the really nasty stuff.
For the grass mats and lily pads, I like to have a Missile Baits D Bomb rigged up on a flipping hook and 65 pound Seaguar Smackdown braid. Depending on how think the grass may be, I will use anything from a 3/8 ounce WOO Tungsten Flipping weight pegged to my hook. I don’t want the weight to go through and the bait to be stuck on top of the grass. If it’s just the lily pads or around structure, I will go with a much lighter weight and switch over to a Baby Destroyer or a Magic Worm, but still use the same 65 pound line so I can get them out, especially if there is a lot of brush down there.
And one way I really find productive is a Wacky Rig. This will vary as sometimes the Magic Worm is the perfect bait, but sometimes it’s the Missile Baits 48 or Mini Magic Work. Usually I will switch over to my spinning rod and use the basic same set up as I do for a drop shot, but instead use an octopus hook or a wacky hook, and sometimes a weedless wacky hook. This can be worked anywhere the dropshot is worked. I do like to use a bright colored line so that I can watch my line as the bait sinks to the bottom.
A jig is always on my deck, as it is a know big bass catcher. Here I like the Missile Baits Ike’s Flip Out or Mini Flip jig. I like to pair it with 3 different baits. A Baby D Bomb, a Chunky D or a Mini D Chunk. And I will switch it up to a D Bomb for a bigger profile with a little action. Here I like to use 20 pound Seaguar Red Label fluorocarbon or a 30 pound Smackdown braid on a at least 7 foot to 7’6” medium heavy rod and I prefer a 7.0:1 gear ratio reel or higher.
While a lot of people have kind of moved away from them, I really love to throw a spinnerbait. Here, I like the Death Shimmer spinnerbait because of it’s unique vibration from the unique bends in it’s arm. I like to pair it with a Missile Baits Spunk Shad, but will also switch over to a Shockwave for a little kick. This bait is great for working the shallows, around cover, and out over points and dropoffs. It is a proven bass catcher, and a big bass catcher too. I generally work it on 12 pound Red Label fluorocarbon and a medium heavy 7 foot rod and a 6.3:1 reel.
A jerkbait can be a great bait at this time also. It can cover a lot of water and great over submerged grass. It is also great on the outside edges of grass, lily pads, laydowns, around spawning beds, the drop offs and points. The SPRO McStick 110 is my go to choice on 10 pound Seaguar Red Label fluorocarbon. I prefer a 7 foot medium action rod so that I can work it just right.
The object is to get to where the bass are. And make sure you have the right equipment to get them out. So get out there and make it happen. It’s a great time to be on the water or on the bank! Have fun, be safe, and live to fish another day!
Why Lithium Batteries Should Be In Your Boat
| Why Lithium Batteries Should Be In Your Boat |
| Longevity, reliability, reduced weight, and real-time monitoring are just a few features that make today’s lithium marine batteries the best choice |
| New Hope, Minn. (May 19, 2023) – Many early adopters of lithium marine batteries have strong opinions. It’s true—a lot of the first products to hit the market were prone to failure, offered questionable performance, and were very expensive compared to lead acid, AGM, and gel cell alternatives. Despite these growing pains, it seems the entire world has gone the way of lithium battery power. It’s all around us, from inside the computers and phones we rely on every day to medical devices implanted in the human body. Power tools, lawnmowers, snowblowers, generators, and anything you might have in the garage that once took fuel or AC/DC can now be efficiently and safely powered by lithium batteries. With chemistries changing for the better over the past couple years, lithium batteries are not only being used in our homes, they are the backbone to many mission-critical industries—from medical devices to aerospace. And it looks like the marine electronics/boating markets are next…If lithium batteries are so great, then why aren’t more anglers and boaters using them?Many anglers—even guides and pros—have only a limited understanding of how lithium battery technology works and its many benefits. First, potential customers shy away from the price tag, having no idea that it’s actually more cost-effective to operate lithium in the long-run. Amortized over 10 to 12 years, the cost of running lithium is actually less than having to replace a boat’s lead acid battery banks every two to three years. Another issue? A lot of anglers are still living in the past, and rigging their boats each season like they did ten years ago. Problem is, power consumption on your typical fishing boat has drastically increased as fish-finder screens have grown larger, brighter, and like technological leaps in personal computing, now operate with faster but power-consuming processors. Same goes for the progression we’ve experienced with trolling motors, electronic shallow-water anchors, forward-facing sonar, and other imaging technologies and their requisite power requirements. Not only do these technologies require a lot of power—they need a clean source of power with steady voltage for optimum screen resolution, brightness, and on-screen fish/structure imaging. Compare the imaging on a graph being powered with lithium versus lead acid; the difference in picture quality is very noticeable. Yes, running today’s fishing electronics requires a lot of juice—and you better have it or you’re destined for compromised performance, short days on the water, and sad songs back at the dock. |
| Battery Types ExplainedFirst, let’s walk through the three major types of marine batteries so we can compare the benefits of lithium to what’s traditionally been used for onboard, marine power.12-volt marine batteries fall into three main categories: Starting (aka “cranking”) batteries, deep-cycle batteries, and dual-purpose batteries.Hence the name, starting batteries are designed to start the main boat outboard; deep-cycle batteries are intended to power accessories, electronics, and trolling motors; and lastly, dual-purpose batteries will power both outboard engines and accessories/fishing electronics. Marine starting batteries allow quick bursts of power via cold-cranking amps (CCA) to turn over an outboard; then, when the engine is running, they provide power for accessories, with battery power constantly replenished by the outboard’s alternator.A starting battery does not work well in a deep cycle application because of the internal arrangement of the plates and its inherent design.Deep-cycle batteries—as opposed to starting or “cranking” batteries—are designed to provide lower amp draws over a longer period of time to marine accessories like fishing electronics, trolling motors, livewell and bilge pumps, radios, etc.*Note: Your outboard does not need to be running for deep-cycle batteries to do their job. They are not replenished in any way by an outboard’s alternator.In terms of construction, a deep cycle battery has fewer bulky and thick lead plates than a lead acid starting battery. A starting battery has thinner plates but more of them. Operation-wise, starting batteries require ample surface area through which to release more current in a short amount of time—what is required when starting an outboard.A dual-purpose battery has a mixture of both starter and deep cycle battery plates, and, as is true with most products intended to serve double-duty, the dual purpose battery makes a serviceable starting or deep cycle battery in a pinch but isn’t perfectly designed for either application. The attraction to some anglers to the dual-purpose battery is thinking that, if they need to start their outboard in a pinch, they could start their big motor with a dual-purpose battery that is primarily used to power accessories. |
| Lead Acid BatteriesLead acid batteries are the marine standard and have been used by anglers for countless decades. Design-wise, lead acid batteries are composed of big, heavy lead plates that are surrounded by acid which is the medium through which the charge travels from one plate to the next. Prior to AGM, gel cell, and lithium, lead acid was the only game in town. The drawbacks? Limited longevity/charge-discharge cycles, weight, and outdated technology for producing DC current. But the major drawback with your average lead acid battery is you can’t use it to its full capacity, something most anglers and boaters are completely unaware of. While big, heavy lead acid batteries may give a boater or angler the impression they have a significant power supply, the reality is you can only utilize about 50% of the capacity before you start damaging a lead acid battery. Frequently discharge your lead acid battery beyond 50% of the capacity and the damage occurs rapidly–and the damage is permanent.The result? Before long, if you’re fishing long and hard, you’ve got a battery that needs replacement. The average life of a lead acid battery for an angler who fishes long days is just under two years. Toward the end of its life, a lead acid battery is apt to only provide 5 or 6 hours of on-the-water runtime, which is unacceptable to most serious anglers. Lead acid batteries’ power curve – how they discharge current – exhibits a huge voltage drop when you apply a load. The voltage will go from 13 volts into the low 12s, even with small loads, in a very short amount of time. Thus, the battery you started with at the beginning of the day is not the battery you end up utilizing in your boat by lunchtime. Depending on how you use the lead acid battery—like if you’re powering lights—you’ll notice that the lights dim and aren’t as bright over time. You also see that a lot with trolling motors. As that voltage curve drops, the trolling motor power head and prop will start to slow down so the user experience—even fairly early in the day—is already starting to suffer. Fish-finder screen brightness and image clarity also diminishes as lead acid voltages drop. Of course, the other big drawback to lead acid batteries is weight. Average marine lead acid batteries weigh between 50 and 65 pounds, while a comparable lithium battery weighs between 22 or 25 pounds. Absorbed Glass Mat Battery (AGM) BatteriesAGM batteries are an improvement over standard lead acid batteries. They are non-spillable, maintenance-free, and feature separators made of fine fiber Boron-Silicate glass mats between the internal plates. Most AGMs are pretty hardy and will not leak acid if broken and feature a much longer lifespan. However, the lifespan is still only measured in hundreds of discharge cycles, much like a lead acid battery. AGM batteries also feature low internal resistance so the battery doesn’t overheat even under heavy charge and discharge currents. An improvement over standard lead-acid batteries, AGMs offer a low self-discharge rate, which allows for storing the batteries without a maintainer or charger. On the downside, AGM batteries are heavy—and they’re not “smart”—so if you’re not careful you can over-discharge and destroy an AGM battery and essentially discharge it to the point that it will not accept a charge of any kind no matter the charger used. It is simply dead and beyond resurrection and you’re off to the battery store to spend good money to replace another AGM battery rendered useless after being accidentally over-discharged.Gel Cell BatteriesIn terms of construction, gel cell batteries are an improvement over both standard lead acid and AGM batteries. Like it sounds, gel cell batteries feature an internal gel within the electrolyte that reduces movement inside the battery case, making its non-spillable design more suitable for vibrations-prone environments. On the downside, gel cell batteries must be charged at a lower voltage than standard lead acid and AGM batteries. Many gel cells have been destroyed through charging at too high of a voltage with typical automotive-style garage chargers. While AGM and gel cell marine batteries offer slight improvements over lead acid, there’s a jump in cost. An AGM of similar voltage and amperage of a comparable lead acid is double to triple the cost—and you still haven’t really solved many of the problems with lead acid batteries. When you then compare the cost of AGM or gel cell to lithium the answer is pretty simple. Don’t make incremental steps in solving problems. Solve it right when you buy the boat. Start with a set of lithium batteries and you’ll find they probably outlast the life of your boat. |
| Why Lithium Batteries Make SenseWhile trolling motors, fishing electronics, and outboards get all the press, it’s the quality and reliability of your boat’s batteries that make all the fun stuff happen on the water. Think that’s an exaggeration? How much fun is that shiny 250 horsepower outboard when you turn the key and, instead of being greeted by the growl of an outboard roaring to life, you are left with nothing but the disappointing “click” of a starter starved of the amps it needs to bring those 250 ponies to life? In that moment, the boat ramp or tournament weigh in has never felt further away, while your boat has never felt smaller due to those uncomfortable stares coming from your fishing partner.And what role do quality, reliable lithium batteries play in making all the advancements in sonar technology possible? As all too many anglers have experienced after they’ve made the investment to upgrade their boat’s electronics, if you overlook how they’ll be powered on the water, you’re in for a very disappointing first trip putting all that fancy sonar to use. Fact is: You cannot power three big graphs at full brightness all day with a lead acid battery and avoid the dreaded low-voltage alarms popping up time and time again on your sonar screens. Sorry, ain’t gonna work. Collectively, those big screens simply draw too many amps for even the largest lead acid battery to handle and, if you add in MEGA Live, LiveScope, or Active Target, you can tell your wife when you leave in the morning that you’ll be home for lunch and actually keep that promise, albeit reluctantly.NORSK Lithium CMO, James Holst, remarks: “With our LifePO4 chemistry, we guarantee 80% percent capacity will remain after 4000 discharge cycles. You’d have to be a retired person who fishes every hour of every day for over a decade to get to those numbers. To get that out of lead acid batteries you’d be looking at replacing your batteries 8 to 10 times.”“Who wants to spend that much money on a boat and fish-finders so you can fish for half a day? Personally, I want to control my experience completely on the water. Cutting yourself short by choosing subpar batteries as foundational power is ridiculous. After a lot of bad experiences on the water, a lot of anglers are waking up to that and moving to lithium.”Holst continues: “I’ve used the same set of NORSK lithium batteries in my past four boats: two Skeeters, a Lowe jet boat, and now a Warrior 238, and they still pull like a tractor. I have not seen any reduction in capacity over this time. I fish long and hard days, deeply discharge my batteries, and there’s no chance I’d be able to say the same thing about a set of lead acid, AGM, or gel-cell batteries. I would have plowed through numerous sets in that span of time and had multiple days on the water ruined due to batteries that were no longer up to the task at hand.”An additional and often overlooked advantage of lithium is the voltage discharge curve of a lithium battery is very flat, ensuring that your first 10% of discharge will be almost the same as the last 10% of the discharge cycle.Why does this matter? A flat voltage discharge curve means the trolling motor head and blades will turn at the same speed at the end of the day that they did at the start of it, giving you the control and speed you expect from your expensive bow-mount trolling motor.NORSK Lithium founder and Engineering Director, Derek A., interjects: “With lead acid batteries, as soon as the second and third year of operation you aren’t getting full utility out of your boat because your batteries are only running half as long as they did the year before.”Derek continues: “It’s amazing how disabling but predictable lead acid batteries are. If you’re fishing like I do and constantly discharging them below 50% and recharging them back up, you probably need to change them annually. That adds up year after year. That’s precisely why I founded NORSK Lithium. As an angler, I knew there had to be something better. So I—along with a very knowledgeable team of other engineers and anglers—designed it.” |
| Gain Boat SpeedGiven the decrease in weight from lead acid or AGM, anglers/boaters who have switched over to lithium batteries report an average boat speed increase in the neighborhood of 2 to 5 mph. Do we recommend you buy lithium batteries for a couple more MPH? We conceded that likely shouldn’t be your primary motivation. But going fast is fun and, given all the other foundational benefits lithium batteries provide, who’s going to turn up their nose at being able to walk away from the competition at the next shotgun start?Lithium: Lighter and More Compact Lithium is also very light in comparison to lead acid, AGM, and gel cell batteries—what typically amounts to about 45% less weight than the similar size group size lead acid or AGM.For example, a NORSK Lithium 100AH battery weighs approximately 25 pounds. A comparable battery would be a 31 series lead acid deep cycle that weighs approximately 60 pounds.Lithium batteries often have a smaller footprint, too, which makes installation in a lot of boats easier. With NORSK’s new advances in starting/deep cycle lithium battery combinations, finding a spot in your boat for a fifth battery (frequently referred to as a “house” battery), is no longer required.NORSK Lithium has done significant testing to design the ultimate starting/deep cycle lithium battery.Company founder and Director of Engineering, Derek A., remarks: “We’ve figured out which cells can deliver that big, quick burst of energy in the shortest period of time to turn over very large outboard engines. We’ve also made sure the internal wiring as well as all the conductive cells can handle that current. Lithium batteries sold as starting batteries up to this point have had significant issues. If you don’t have the proper internal wiring to carry high current, that power surge can melt the terminals right off the top of the battery. It all comes down to managing the resistance, something we’ve been able to do with our new dual-purpose NORSK Lithium starting/deep cycle battery design.”Holst interjects: “We took Mercury’s requirements for a starting battery—the specs that spelled out their stringent guidelines and warranty expectations—and used that as a starting point. We have the absolute best starting battery on the market in our 180Ah Starting + House battery and we added a lot of extra capacity to it so an angler struggling to find space for a “house” battery to power their sonar units doesn’t have to tear their boat apart and give up valuable storage space looking for room for yet another battery. Our 180Ah Starting + House battery performs both roles beautifully and frees up anglers to stop worrying about battery capacity and runtime and just focus on fishing!”Holst continued: “With NORSK Lithium, anglers can uncomplicate things a bit and, in the case of a traditional 36V setup, pare down to three 12V batteries rigged in series for the 36V trolling motor set-up and one dedicated “Starting + House” battery for both your outboard engine and electronics. Our new design has plenty of capacity to run everything all day long. It meets and exceeds Mercury’s warranty requirements for starting batteries, offers up to 1200 cold cranking amps (CCA) and is going to last a long time—10 plus years, easy—or a minimum of 4000-plus discharge cycles. It’s a great solution. Solves two problems with one battery.” |
Rookie Jacob Wall Coasts to Qualifying Round Win at MLF Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Four on Lake Guntersville
New Hope, Alabama Pro Catches Two-Day Total of 10 Bass Weighing 47-13 to Win Group A Qualifying Round, Top 20 Anglers Advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (May 18, 2023) – Bass Pro Tour Rookie Jacob Wall of New Hope, Alabama, launched his boat Thursday morning with a 2-pound, 12-ounce lead, and he never looked back. Wall boated 12 scorable bass Thursday, with his best five weighing 21 pounds, 5 ounces, to easily win the Qualifying Round for Group A at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Four at Lake Guntersville Presented by Bass Cat Boats.
Link to HD Video – Fish-Catch Highlights of Group A Qualifying Round Day 2 on Lake Guntersville
Link to Photo Gallery of Group A’s Day 2 Qualifying Round Afternoon Highlights
Wall’s two-day total of 10 bass weighing 47 pounds, 13 ounces earned him the win by a 5-pound, 9-ounce margin over Addison, Alabama pro Jesse Wiggins, who finished the round in second place with a two-day catch of 10 bass totaling 42-4. Pro Zack Birge of Blanchard, Oklahoma, boated a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 41-9 to end the round in third place, while Berkley pro Adrian Avena of Vineland, New Jersey , finished in fourth place with a two-day total of 10 bass for 39-13. General Tire Heavy Hitters Champion Alton Jones, Jr., of Waco, Texas, rounded out the top five with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 39-10.
The top 20 anglers advancing from Group A will now have an off day from competition Friday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round. The top 20 anglers from each group advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 40 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In Sunday’s final day Championship Round, weight carries over from the Knockout Round and the angler with the heaviest two-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
“What an awesome day,” Wall said in his post-game interview. “Winning today isn’t giving me anything extra or any sort of advantage, but it is an awesome feeling to be atop this phenomenal group of 40 anglers after two days of fishing on such a world-famous fishery. I have put in a lot of time out here over the last 4½ years since I moved here, and to be here on top amongst not only these really great names, but a lot of phenomenal local anglers – Ryan Salzman, Josh Butler, Chris Lane – a bunch of really big names. And to be on top right now – I’m just. so happy, and so thankful.”
Like Day 1, Wall spent the day targeting fish offshore early with a Nichols Lures Ben Parker Magnum Spoon. He said he pretty much stopped fishing at noon each day, spending the rest of his time scouting locations for the next day of competition.
“I did it again, today, on the spoons,” Wall said. “That has definitely been the key bait for me over the last couple of days, and hopefully they will be for the next couple of days going into the Knockout and Championship rounds.
“I’m throwing two different sizes,” Wall continued. “I’m throwing a big spoon on a little bit bigger, 8-foot Phenix M1 rod, and throwing the little bit smaller spoon on a 7-foot 8-inch medium-heavy Phenix M1. That rod is so versatile – I throw the spoons on it, but I also use it for a lot of other offshore baits this time of the year in the summer. The spoon has definitely been the deal for me this week, though.
“I’ve learned some cool stuff over the last couple of days that has me excited to go out and lay the hammer down on them Saturday in the Knockout Round, because I’ve been holding back the last two days around 11:30 to noon because I didn’t want to burn up too many fish,” Wall went on to say. “I’m excited to get back out there and see what I can catch.”
The top 20 pros from Group A that now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on Lake Guntersville are:
1st: Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., 10 bass, 47-13
2nd: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 10 bass, 42-4
3rd: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 10 bass, 41-9
4th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 10 bass, 39-13
5th: Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, 10 bass, 39-10
6th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 38-11
7th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 36-8
8th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 36-4
9th: Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 10 bass, 36-3
10th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., nine bass, 35-11
11th: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., 10 bass, 35-8
12th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 10 bass, 35-0
13th: Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 10 bass, 33-13
14th: Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., nine bass, 33-9
15th: James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 10 bass, 33-7
16th: Josh Butler, Hayden, Ala., 10 bass, 33-5
17th: Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., 10 bass, 32-14
18th: Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., 10 bass, 32-13
19th: Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, 10 bass, 32-9
20th: Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 32-1
Eliminated from competition are:
21st: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 10 bass, 31-12
22nd: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 10 bass, 31-8
23rd: Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 10 bass, 31-8
24th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., nine bass, 30-14
25th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 30-5
26th: Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss., 10 bass, 29-13
27th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 29-4
28th: Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., 10 bass, 29-0
29th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-15
30th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., nine bass, 28-4
31st: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., 10 bass, 28-4
32nd: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 10 bass, 28-3
33rd: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 10 bass, 27-7
34th: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 10 bass, 27-6
35th: Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., eight bass, 26-1
36th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 10 bass, 25-0
37th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., eight bass, 23-10
38th: Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala., six bass, 21-5
39th: Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., eight bass, 20-3
40th: Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., six bass, 15-15
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 311 scorable bass weighing 929 pounds, 9 ounces caught by the 40 pros Thursday, which included 11 5-pounders and one 6-pounder.
Pro Ott DeFoe of Blaine, Tennessee, caught the most weight for the day – 24 pounds, 15 ounces – and he also earned Thursday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award with a 6-pound, 10-ounce largemouth bass that he caught fishing a medium-diving crankbait late in Period 3. 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 Marshall County Tourism & Sports, showcases 80 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of more than $805,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters All-Star event and REDCREST 2024 at Birmingham, Alabama’s Lay Lake, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the top 20 anglers from each group advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 40 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In Sunday’s final day Championship Round, weight carries over from the Knockout Round and the angler with the heaviest two-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
Anglers will launch each morning at 7:30 a.m. CT each day from the Guntersville Civitan Park, located at 1130 Sunset Drive in Guntersville. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the launch locations, 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 MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
As part of the event, on Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21 the MLF Fan Experience will be taking place at Civitan Park in Guntersville from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF will welcome fans of all ages to celebrate fishing and the outdoors with concerts in the park, hosted by Explore Lake Guntersville, featuring JUICE on Saturday and Jackson Chase on Sunday. Food and drinks will be available from local food trucks and fans can check out the latest gear and offerings from MLF and MLF sponsors including Toyota, Favorite Fishing, Kubota, U.S. Air Force, and The Fallen Outdoors. On Sunday, fans can hang out and watch the pros live on the MLF NOW! big screen during the MLF Watch Party. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, and take selfies.
The Toro Stage Four at Lake Guntersville Presented by Bass Cat Boats features pros competing using the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, with each angler’s five (5) heaviest bass per day tallied as their day’s weight. Anglers strive to catch their heaviest five fish each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the live scoring SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, fishing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship, held March 13-17, 2024, on Lay Lake in Birmingham, Alabama.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone 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. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the Toro Stage Four at Lake Guntersville Presented by Bass Cat Boats will air as two, two-hour episodes starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 7 and Saturday, Oct. 14 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on the Outdoor Channel.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, Ark Fishing, ATG + Wrangler, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, Daiwa, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Grundéns, Humminbird, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Power-Pole, Rapala, Star tron, T-H Marine, TORO, Toyota, U.S. Air Force, Yellowstone Bourbon, Yo-Zuri and Zoom Baits.
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, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
McKinney hunts down the lead at Bassmaster Open on Wheeler Lake
Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill., is leading after Day 1 of the 2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Wheeler Lake with 21 pounds, 15 ounces.
Photo by Andy Crawford/B.A.S.S.
May 18, 2023
McKinney hunts down the lead at Bassmaster Open on Wheeler Lake
DECATUR, Ala. — Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill., had no problem finding fish, but making sure he found the right ones proved essential to sacking up a limit of 21 pounds, 15 ounces and leading Day 1 of the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Wheeler Lake.
Currently sixth in the Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifier standings, McKinney divided his time among a few key areas, including the Decatur Flats, where he got bit in practice. Working specific spots within larger areas, he utilized his forward-facing sonar skills to discern bass from other Tennessee River dwellers.
“You have so many drum and catfish on this river, so if they’re not relating to cover, it’s hard to tell (the species),” McKinney explained. “I looked for fish relating to something. If you put several bass in a swimming pool and you put one rock in there, 90% of them are going to relate to that.
“On the flats, it’s the same thing — there’s so much flat bottom. So anytime you get an isolated piece of cover, it’s a high-percentage area. I was looking for stumps, rocks — anything that’s out of the ordinary. I was just covering as much water as I could with my Garmin LiveScope and looking for the right dots.”
After taking off in one of the middle flights, McKinney looked for an early shad spawn. But by the time he reached his area, this overnight/early morning frenzy had subsided. Once he realized that opportunity had fizzled, he transitioned to search mode.
“The shad spawn happens quickly when it does and, today, I really didn’t get it going,” he said. “I started on a spot where I thought I would do it, but the shad spawn is just kinda iffy.
“I might have missed it because I didn’t get there early enough, but they just hang out in the same area. I just put my trolling motor on 5 or 6 and hunted.”
McKinney caught a couple of keepers on a Strike King jig, but he tempted most of his bass on a finesse worm wacky rigged on a 2/0 Gamakatsu G-Finesse hook. He found the action of his 7-foot medium St. Croix Legend X spinning rod ideal for precise casts to submerged targets.
“I don’t know if my weights are going to be consistent for the next day because hunting is one of those things — if you come across them, you come across them,” McKinney said. “It’s not a guaranteed thing. But hopefully, I can get back in that area and see what I can make happen.
“I think they’re in that postspawn funk right now. They’re very inactive. Hopefully, I can see the right dots tomorrow and it can go. If not, we’ll just have to scrounge it out.”
Logan Johnson of Jasper, Ala., is in second place with 20-11. Boat traffic prevented him from starting where he had originally planned, but persistence served him well, as he eventually got into a rhythm of efficiently rotating through areas.
“I was just fishing ledges, hard spots and typical Tennessee River stuff,” Johnson said. “I caught fish from 10 feet out to deeper than that and all over the board.
“I caught fish on a mix of baits. The typical ledge stuff — crankbait, big worm, big bladed jig on the shallower spots. It seemed like you’d pull up on one of those ledges and you’d have to fire a full rotation (of baits) until you finally got one of them to bite.”
Johnson said he never got his ledge fish to fire up. Hot weather, high fishing pressure and low current flow were all likely contributors. As for Day 2, Johnson said he’ll be looking for early opportunities.
“I was boat 197, so I didn’t get any of the shad spawn today,” he said. “I’ll have an earlier boat number tomorrow so hopefully I’ll get some of it.”
Josh Bragg of Fayetteville, Ga., is in third place with 20-4. Fishing offshore ledges and getting off to a quick start, Bragg steadily caught fish throughout the day and eventually worked his way into a solid opening effort.
“I caught quite a few fish early and I had a small limit of 12 to 13 pounds,” Bragg said. “Periodically throughout the day, I just picked up one here and there. The shad spawn is fading away for me. I’m just starting on places where I saw shad spawning in practice. I think the fish are still hanging around.”
Bragg said he started with slower presentations and mostly stuck with that all day. As he noted, intense fishing pressure has the bass extremely wary, so he did best with dragging-style baits.
Bobby Lanham of Eddyville, Ky., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 6-14.
Tommy Wood of Sippy Downs, Australia, leads the co-angler division with 10-1.
Ashton Smith of Lake Helen, Fla., and Travis Turcotte of Pembroke, Canada, are tied for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead among co-anglers with a 4-13.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6 a.m. CT from Ingalls Harbor. The weigh-in will be held back at Ingalls Harbor at 2 p.m. Full coverage will be available on Bassmaster.com.
The St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Wheeler Lake is being hosted by Decatur Morgan County Tourism.
Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Wheeler Lake 5/18-5/20
Wheeler Lake, Decatur AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 5 21-15 200
Day 1: 5 21-15
2. Logan Johnson Jasper, AL 5 20-11 199
Day 1: 5 20-11
3. Josh Bragg Fayetteville, GA 5 20-04 198
Day 1: 5 20-04
4. Kurt Mitchell Milford, DE 5 19-14 197
Day 1: 5 19-14
5. Clark Reehm Elm Grove, LA 5 19-12 196
Day 1: 5 19-12
6. Joey Nania Cropwell, AL 5 19-11 195
Day 1: 5 19-11
7. Adam Rasmussen Sturgeon Bay, WI 5 19-02 194
Day 1: 5 19-02
8. Brayden Rakes Winston Salem, NC 5 18-13 193
Day 1: 5 18-13
9. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 5 18-10 192
Day 1: 5 18-10
10. Austin Cranford Norman, OK 5 18-09 191
Day 1: 5 18-09
11. John Garrett Union City, TN 5 18-08 190
Day 1: 5 18-08
12. Allen Johnson Trinity, AL 5 18-05 189
Day 1: 5 18-05
13. Ben Milliken New Caney, TX 5 18-04 188
Day 1: 5 18-04
14. JT Russell Mc Calla, AL 5 17-11 187
Day 1: 5 17-11
15. Derek Lehtonen Woodruff, SC 5 17-09 186
Day 1: 5 17-09
16. Sam George Athens, AL 5 17-07 185
Day 1: 5 17-07
17. Julius Mazy Phoenix, AZ 5 17-02 184
Day 1: 5 17-02
18. Logan Anderson Catawba, NC 5 16-12 183
Day 1: 5 16-12
19. Hunter Sales Blaine, TN 5 16-11 182
Day 1: 5 16-11
20. Justin Kimmel Athens, GA 5 16-08 181
Day 1: 5 16-08
21. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 5 16-07 180
Day 1: 5 16-07
22. Andrew Upshaw Hemphill, TX 5 16-06 179
Day 1: 5 16-06
23. Chris Blanchette Edisto Island, SC 5 16-05 178
Day 1: 5 16-05
24. Daisuke Kita Ostu Shiga JAPAN 5 16-04 177
Day 1: 5 16-04
25. Trevor Fitzgerald Belleview, FL 5 16-03 176
Day 1: 5 16-03
26. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 5 15-14 175
Day 1: 5 15-14
26. Blake Sylvester Plaquemine, LA 5 15-14 175
Day 1: 5 15-14
28. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 5 15-13 173
Day 1: 5 15-13
29. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 15-11 172
Day 1: 5 15-11
30. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 15-10 171
Day 1: 5 15-10
31. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 5 15-09 170
Day 1: 5 15-09
32. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 5 15-08 169
Day 1: 5 15-08
33. Matt Henry Milledgeville, GA 5 15-07 168
Day 1: 5 15-07
33. Jeff Magee Simpson Co., MS 5 15-07 168
Day 1: 5 15-07
33. Keith Tuma Brainerd, MN 5 15-07 168
Day 1: 5 15-07
36. Danny McGarry Newcastle CANADA 5 15-04 165
Day 1: 5 15-04
37. Brandon Tallhamer Parkersburg, WV 5 15-03 164
Day 1: 5 15-03
38. Evan Barnes Dardanelle, AR 5 15-01 163
Day 1: 5 15-01
39. Harry Peyton Guntersville, AL 5 15-01 162
Day 1: 5 15-01
40. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 5 15-00 161
Day 1: 5 15-00
41. Jaxon Sullivan Reagan, TN 5 14-15 160
Day 1: 5 14-15
42. Bryan New Saluda, SC 5 14-13 159
Day 1: 5 14-13
42. Jimmy Washam Stantonville, TN 5 14-13 159
Day 1: 5 14-13
44. Marc Schilling Carrollton, TX 5 14-12 157
Day 1: 5 14-12
45. Daniel Valois Gomez Caracas FL VENEZUELA 5 14-11 156
Day 1: 5 14-11
46. Alex Murray Lake Charles, LA 5 14-09 155
Day 1: 5 14-09
46. Trey Swindle Cleveland, AL 5 14-09 155
Day 1: 5 14-09
48. Ty Faber Pagosa Springs, CO 5 14-08 153
Day 1: 5 14-08
49. Andrew Hargrove Moody, TX 5 14-07 152
Day 1: 5 14-07
49. Christian Shoda Homosassa, FL 5 14-07 152
Day 1: 5 14-07
51. Jamie Bruce Kenora Ontario CANADA 5 14-05 150
Day 1: 5 14-05
51. Steve Morella Townshend, VT 5 14-05 150
Day 1: 5 14-05
51. Tyler Williams Belgrade, ME 5 14-05 150
Day 1: 5 14-05
54. Griffin Phillips Mount Olive, AL 5 14-01 147
Day 1: 5 14-01
55. Bronk Mcdaniel Alexandria, LA 5 14-00 146
Day 1: 5 14-00
56. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 14-00 145
Day 1: 5 14-00
57. Scout Echols Monticello, AR 5 13-15 144
Day 1: 5 13-15
57. Robert Gee Knoxville, TN 5 13-15 144
Day 1: 5 13-15
59. Cody Stahl Barnsville, GA 5 13-14 142
Day 1: 5 13-14
60. Paul Browning Pecos, TX 5 13-14 141
Day 1: 5 13-14
60. Tucker Smith Shoal Creek, AL 5 13-14 141
Day 1: 5 13-14
62. Kyle Austin Ridgeville, SC 5 13-12 139
Day 1: 5 13-12
62. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 5 13-12 139
Day 1: 5 13-12
64. Kyle Goltz Cornell, WI 5 13-11 137
Day 1: 5 13-11
65. Jacob Bigelow Cecil, WI 5 13-10 136
Day 1: 5 13-10
66. Danny Ramsey Trinidad, TX 5 13-08 135
Day 1: 5 13-08
67. Timmy Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 13-06 134
Day 1: 5 13-06
68. Buck Mallory Lawton, MI 5 13-04 133
Day 1: 5 13-04
68. Trevor McKinney Benton, IL 5 13-04 133
Day 1: 5 13-04
70. Greg Bohannan Bentonville, AR 5 13-04 131
Day 1: 5 13-04
71. Bailey Boutries Springfield, MO 5 13-03 130
Day 1: 5 13-03
72. Darrell Davis Dover, FL 5 13-02 129
Day 1: 5 13-02
73. Tommy Williams Shepherdsville, KY 5 13-00 128
Day 1: 5 13-00
74. Bobby Lanham Eddyville, KY 4 13-00 127
Day 1: 4 13-00
75. Mike Oncale Port Allen, LA 5 12-14 126
Day 1: 5 12-14
76. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 5 12-13 125
Day 1: 5 12-13
77. Zeke Gossett Pell City, AL 5 12-13 124
Day 1: 5 12-13
78. Takayuki Koike Otsu-City JAPAN 5 12-12 123
Day 1: 5 12-12
79. Keith Bardolf Abbeville, AL 5 12-11 122
Day 1: 5 12-11
79. Miles Burghoff Dayton, TN 5 12-11 122
Day 1: 5 12-11
79. Christopher Simmons Decatur, AL 5 12-11 122
Day 1: 5 12-11
79. David Wootton Collierville, TN 5 12-11 122
Day 1: 5 12-11
83. Lafe Messer Warfield, KY 5 12-10 118
Day 1: 5 12-10
84. Jamie Horton Centerville, AL 5 12-08 117
Day 1: 5 12-08
84. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 12-08 117
Day 1: 5 12-08
86. Frank Talley Temple, TX 5 12-06 115
Day 1: 5 12-06
87. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 12-05 114
Day 1: 5 12-05
88. Destin DeMarion Harborcreek, PA 5 12-05 113
Day 1: 5 12-05
88. Cole Drummond Effingham, SC 5 12-05 113
Day 1: 5 12-05
90. Mark Cook Guntersville, AL 5 12-04 111
Day 1: 5 12-04
90. Jimmy Steed Zapata, TX 5 12-04 111
Day 1: 5 12-04
92. Jonathan Dietz Corry, PA 5 12-04 109
Day 1: 5 12-04
93. Michael Johnson Talking Rock, GA 5 12-03 108
Day 1: 5 12-03
94. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 5 12-03 107
Day 1: 5 12-03
95. Jake Maddux Birmingham, AL 5 12-02 106
Day 1: 5 12-02
96. Clayton Batts Butler, GA 5 12-01 105
Day 1: 5 12-01
96. B.J. Usie Bourg, LA 5 12-01 105
Day 1: 5 12-01
98. Brock Belik Orchard, NE 5 12-00 103
Day 1: 5 12-00
99. Shaine Campbell Brookeland, TX 5 11-15 102
Day 1: 5 11-15
99. Bart Stanisz Austin, TX 5 11-15 102
Day 1: 5 11-15
101. Steve Tennison Lexington, OK 5 11-14 100
Day 1: 5 11-14
102. Tim Frederick Leesburg, FL 5 11-13 99
Day 1: 5 11-13
102. Bo Thomas Edwardsburg, MI 5 11-13 99
Day 1: 5 11-13
104. Chase Clarke Virginia Beach, VA 5 11-12 97
Day 1: 5 11-12
105. Tim Arnold Crane Hill, AL 5 11-11 96
Day 1: 5 11-11
106. Sterling Bougher Mannford, OK 5 11-10 95
Day 1: 5 11-10
106. Josh Hubbard Dunnellon, FL 5 11-10 95
Day 1: 5 11-10
106. Chad Prough Chipley, FL 5 11-10 95
Day 1: 5 11-10
106. Tucker Veronee Gilbert, SC 5 11-10 95
Day 1: 5 11-10
110. Erik Brztowski Lemont, IL 5 11-09 91
Day 1: 5 11-09
111. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 11-07 90
Day 1: 5 11-07
111. Mike Surman Boca Raton, FL 5 11-07 90
Day 1: 5 11-07
113. Paul Bouvier Kingston CANADA 5 11-06 88
Day 1: 5 11-06
113. Billy McDonald Greenwood, IN 5 11-06 88
Day 1: 5 11-06
115. Evan Kung Pickering Ontario CANAD 5 11-06 86
Day 1: 5 11-06
116. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 5 11-05 85
Day 1: 5 11-05
117. Steve Sennikoff Edgewood, TX 5 11-03 84
Day 1: 5 11-03
118. Kenny Mittelstaedt Minnetonka, MN 4 11-03 83
Day 1: 4 11-03
119. Ron Ryals Jr Live Oak, FL 5 11-02 82
Day 1: 5 11-02
120. David Kilgore Jasper, AL 5 11-00 81
Day 1: 5 11-00
120. Rick Mitchell Naples, FL 5 11-00 81
Day 1: 5 11-00
122. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 5 10-15 79
Day 1: 5 10-15
122. Jack York Emory, TX 5 10-15 79
Day 1: 5 10-15
124. Keith Brumfield Vicksburg, MS 5 10-15 77
Day 1: 5 10-15
125. Matt Pangrac Shawnee, OK 5 10-14 76
Day 1: 5 10-14
126. Jon Canada Helena, AL 5 10-12 75
Day 1: 5 10-12
126. James Meers Rome, GA 5 10-12 75
Day 1: 5 10-12
126. Jack Tindel III Orange, TX 5 10-12 75
Day 1: 5 10-12
129. Jess Beihoffer Soddy Daisy, TN 5 10-11 72
Day 1: 5 10-11
129. Alex Heintze Denham Springs, LA 5 10-11 72
Day 1: 5 10-11
129. Brian Post Janesville, WI 5 10-11 72
Day 1: 5 10-11
129. Caiden Sinclair Logan, AL 5 10-11 72
Day 1: 5 10-11
133. David Perdue Wirtz, VA 5 10-11 68
Day 1: 5 10-11
134. Justin Barnes Ellaville, GA 5 10-08 67
Day 1: 5 10-08
134. Blake Smith Lakeland, FL 5 10-08 67
Day 1: 5 10-08
136. Jacob Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 10-08 65
Day 1: 5 10-08
137. Hugh Cosculluela Spring, TX 5 10-06 64
Day 1: 5 10-06
137. Casey Scanlon Eldon, MO 5 10-06 64
Day 1: 5 10-06
137. Chancy Walters West Des Moines, IA 5 10-06 64
Day 1: 5 10-06
140. Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 5 10-05 61
Day 1: 5 10-05
141. Cliff Overstreet Dothan, AL 4 10-04 60
Day 1: 4 10-04
142. A.J. Menssen Bloomington, IL 3 10-02 59
Day 1: 3 10-02
143. Hunter Bland Williston, FL 5 10-00 58
Day 1: 5 10-00
143. Briana Tucker Trinity, AL 5 10-00 58
Day 1: 5 10-00
145. Tom Frink Southside, AL 5 10-00 56
Day 1: 5 10-00
145. Kyle Gelles Pingree, ID 5 10-00 56
Day 1: 5 10-00
147. Brett Cannon Willis, TX 5 09-15 54
Day 1: 5 09-15
147. Reece Tremaglio Dunkirk, MD 5 09-15 54
Day 1: 5 09-15
149. Jason Lambert Savannah, TN 4 09-15 52
Day 1: 4 09-15
150. Brandon McMillan Clewiston, FL 5 09-11 51
Day 1: 5 09-11
150. Ish Monroe Oakdale, CA 5 09-11 51
Day 1: 5 09-11
152. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 09-08 49
Day 1: 5 09-08
152. Chad Warren Sand Springs, OK 5 09-08 49
Day 1: 5 09-08
154. Jim Dillard West Monroe, LA 5 09-07 47
Day 1: 5 09-07
154. Andrew Harp Linden, TX 5 09-07 47
Day 1: 5 09-07
156. Jack Dice Lynchburg, VA 5 09-07 45
Day 1: 5 09-07
157. Brady Vernon Sterrett, AL 5 09-06 44
Day 1: 5 09-06
158. Bo Collins Robbinsville, NC 4 09-06 43
Day 1: 4 09-06
159. Derek Hicks Rocky Face, GA 5 09-04 42
Day 1: 5 09-04
159. Jerry Lawler Athens, AL 5 09-04 42
Day 1: 5 09-04
159. Dave Turner Citrus Springs, FL 5 09-04 42
Day 1: 5 09-04
162. Chris Keeble Lenoir City, TN 5 09-04 39
Day 1: 5 09-04
163. Keith Nemcek St Charles, IL 4 09-04 38
Day 1: 4 09-04
164. Caleb Gibson Locust Grove, OK 4 09-04 37
Day 1: 4 09-04
165. Jerry Riddle Jr Summit, MS 5 09-03 36
Day 1: 5 09-03
166. Cody Detweiler Guntersville, AL 4 09-03 35
Day 1: 4 09-03
166. Nikki Jo Hatten Clanton, AL 4 09-03 35
Day 1: 4 09-03
166. Lance Owen Greer, SC 4 09-03 35
Day 1: 4 09-03
169. Chad Grigsby Maple Grove, MN 5 09-02 32
Day 1: 5 09-02
170. Parker Mott Winter Garden, FL 5 09-00 31
Day 1: 5 09-00
171. Scott Gibbs Rome, GA 5 08-15 30
Day 1: 5 08-15
171. Taylor Watkins Clinton, TN 5 08-15 30
Day 1: 5 08-15
173. Joey Hanna Corsicana, TX 5 08-14 28
Day 1: 5 08-14
174. Ryan Clark Whitby Ontario CANADA 5 08-13 27
Day 1: 5 08-13
174. Jason Meninger Yulee, FL 5 08-13 27
Day 1: 5 08-13
176. Scott Kerslake Okeechobee, FL 5 08-12 25
Day 1: 5 08-12
177. Frank Ramsey Spring Grove, IL 5 08-12 24
Day 1: 5 08-12
178. Jason Tibbetts Centreville, VA 5 08-11 23
Day 1: 5 08-11
179. Allen Brooks Canton, GA 5 08-09 22
Day 1: 5 08-09
180. Dalton Dowdy Newberry, SC 5 08-04 21
Day 1: 5 08-04
180. Michael Wooten White House, TN 5 08-04 21
Day 1: 5 08-04
182. Clayton Barnes Clanton, AL 5 08-04 19
Day 1: 5 08-04
183. Chris Kingree Inverness, FL 4 08-04 18
Day 1: 4 08-04
184. Brad Leuthner Victoria, MN 5 08-03 17
Day 1: 5 08-03
185. Joe Labarbera Montrose, PA 5 08-02 16
Day 1: 5 08-02
186. Wil Dieffenbauch III Hundred, WV 5 08-02 15
Day 1: 5 08-02
187. Allan Nail Sand Springs, OK 5 08-01 14
Day 1: 5 08-01
188. Jason Abram Piney Flats, TN 5 07-15 13
Day 1: 5 07-15
189. Danny Hardy Cantonment, FL 4 07-15 12
Day 1: 4 07-15
190. Phil Killian Solomon, AZ 4 07-13 11
Day 1: 4 07-13
191. Jason Carpenter Castle Pines, CO 5 07-10 10
Day 1: 5 07-10
192. Clay Dyer Fayetteville, TN 5 07-05 9
Day 1: 5 07-05
193. Scott Isaacs Ladonia, TX 4 07-02 8
Day 1: 4 07-02
194. Louis Monetti Brielle, NJ 5 07-00 7
Day 1: 5 07-00
195. Chris Beaudrie Princeton, KY 5 06-14 6
Day 1: 5 06-14
196. Tripp Noojin Bryant, AL 3 06-14 5
Day 1: 3 06-14
197. Kenji Yamada Hixson, TN 4 06-12 4
Day 1: 4 06-12
198. Mike Mayo Athens, TX 3 06-12 3
Day 1: 3 06-12
199. Daniel Rogers Morriston, FL 3 06-11 2
Day 1: 3 06-11
200. Scott Allgood Fair Play, SC 5 06-07 1
Day 1: 5 06-07
201. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 4 06-06 0
Day 1: 4 06-06
202. Craig Chambers Midland, NC 4 05-11 0
Day 1: 4 05-11
203. Frank Williams Mountain Home, AR 3 05-06 0
Day 1: 3 05-06
204. Randall Carter Maplesville, AL 3 05-00 0
Day 1: 3 05-00
205. Paul Tabisz Whitmore Lake, MI 3 04-14 0
Day 1: 3 04-14
206. Destry Ford Tuscaloosa, AL 2 04-13 0
Day 1: 2 04-13
206. Tyler Lubbat Wheeling, IL 2 04-13 0
Day 1: 2 04-13
208. Brian Mullaney Ijamsville, MD 3 04-07 0
Day 1: 3 04-07
209. Matt Messer Warfield, KY 4 04-06 0
Day 1: 4 04-06
210. Gary Caruso Baton Rouge, LA 3 04-06 0
Day 1: 3 04-06
211. Willy Dennison Willoughby Hills, OH 2 03-05 0
Day 1: 2 03-05
212. Jeremy Bogard Wilkesboro, NC 2 03-04 0
Day 1: 2 03-04
213. Colby Robertson Summerfield, FL 2 02-15 0
Day 1: 2 02-15
214. Seiji Kato Outsu Shiga JAPAN 1 02-12 0
Day 1: 1 02-12
215. Teb Jones Yalaha, MS 1 01-14 0
Day 1: 1 01-14
216. Cody Bertrand Dyer, IN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
216. Tony Dumitras Winston, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
216. Guy Eaker Cherryville, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
216. Denny Fiedler Wabasha, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
216. Currey Holley Madison, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
216. Matt Mollohan Batesburg, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 181 1016 2513-09
———————————-
181 1016 2513-09
2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Wheeler Lake 5/18-5/20
Wheeler Lake, Decatur AL.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Tommy Wood Sippy Downs AUSTRALIA 3 10-01 200
Day 1: 3 10-01
2. Barney Boutries Mobile, AL 3 09-11 199
Day 1: 3 09-11
3. Jeremy Duke Gautier, MS 3 09-04 198
Day 1: 3 09-04
3. Ray Hill Lake City, FL 3 09-04 198
Day 1: 3 09-04
3. Dusty Wood Belton, SC 3 09-04 198
Day 1: 3 09-04
6. Mike Spears Jasper, AL 3 08-15 195
Day 1: 3 08-15
7. David Booth Erin, TN 3 08-10 194
Day 1: 3 08-10
7. Jimmy Brumfield Madison, MS 3 08-10 194
Day 1: 3 08-10
9. Ashton Smith Lake Helen, FL 3 08-07 192
Day 1: 3 08-07
10. Mark Hughes Saegertown, PA 3 08-02 191
Day 1: 3 08-02
11. Elliott Malone Tanner, AL 3 07-15 190
Day 1: 3 07-15
12. Johnnie Garrett Union City, TN 3 07-09 189
Day 1: 3 07-09
12. Ryan Shriber Franklin, TN 3 07-09 189
Day 1: 3 07-09
14. Ralph Gibson Locust Grove, OK 3 07-08 187
Day 1: 3 07-08
15. Byron Hill Miami, FL 3 07-07 186
Day 1: 3 07-07
15. Kyle Tonione Earleton, FL 3 07-07 186
Day 1: 3 07-07
17. Skyler Anderson Harlem, GA 3 07-06 184
Day 1: 3 07-06
18. Bobby Williams Salisbury, NC 3 07-05 183
Day 1: 3 07-05
19. Jon Jezierski Troy, MI 3 07-03 182
Day 1: 3 07-03
20. Greg Sloan Chipley, FL 3 07-01 181
Day 1: 3 07-01
21. Ronald Young New Braunfels, TX 3 07-00 180
Day 1: 3 07-00
22. Lynn Hoeffer Chesapeake, VA 3 06-14 179
Day 1: 3 06-14
22. Joe Tucker Osceola, MO 3 06-14 179
Day 1: 3 06-14
24. Donney Rorie Rienzi, MS 3 06-12 177
Day 1: 3 06-12
25. John Goul Philadelphia, MS 3 06-10 176
Day 1: 3 06-10
26. Brad Goetz Waunakee, WI 3 06-08 175
Day 1: 3 06-08
26. Todd Lee Jasper, AL 3 06-08 175
Day 1: 3 06-08
26. Chad Stahl Barnesville, GA 3 06-08 175
Day 1: 3 06-08
29. Christopher Dirgo Athens , AL 3 06-06 172
Day 1: 3 06-06
29. Eric Melton Flowood, MS 3 06-06 172
Day 1: 3 06-06
29. Chas Mobbs Decatur, AL 3 06-06 172
Day 1: 3 06-06
29. Bob Morin Seymour, TN 3 06-06 172
Day 1: 3 06-06
33. Steven Doolittle Chelsea, OK 3 06-03 168
Day 1: 3 06-03
34. Tristan Bramblett Tiger, GA 3 06-02 167
Day 1: 3 06-02
34. Allen Heston Pittsburg, TX 3 06-02 167
Day 1: 3 06-02
36. Steven Fischer Pace, FL 2 06-01 165
Day 1: 2 06-01
36. Troy Mims Suwanee, GA 2 06-01 165
Day 1: 2 06-01
38. Clyde Roberts Marshall, NC 3 05-15 163
Day 1: 3 05-15
39. Kris Mccarter Pheba, MS 3 05-15 162
Day 1: 3 05-15
40. Perry See Rochester, MN 3 05-14 161
Day 1: 3 05-14
41. Steven Smith Logan, OH 3 05-13 160
Day 1: 3 05-13
42. Wes Kinard Fosters, AL 3 05-12 159
Day 1: 3 05-12
42. Daniel Myers Harvest, AL 3 05-12 159
Day 1: 3 05-12
44. Gary Haraguchi Murfreesboro, TN 3 05-11 157
Day 1: 3 05-11
45. Sakae Ushio Tonawanda, NY 3 05-09 156
Day 1: 3 05-09
46. Dawson Wisner Palatka, FL 2 05-08 155
Day 1: 2 05-08
47. Nick Richey Aledo, TX 3 05-06 154
Day 1: 3 05-06
48. Mark Moore Freeport, FL 2 05-03 153
Day 1: 2 05-03
49. Jonathan Barnette Jasper, AL 3 05-02 152
Day 1: 3 05-02
49. John Higginbotham Slaughter, LA 3 05-02 152
Day 1: 3 05-02
51. Charles Reed Batesville, MS 3 05-02 150
Day 1: 3 05-02
52. Jordan McDonald Jackson, GA 3 05-01 149
Day 1: 3 05-01
52. Hiro Yasumoto Higasikagawashi, Kagawa 3 05-01 149
Day 1: 3 05-01
54. Corey Yaden Grovetown, GA 3 04-15 147
Day 1: 3 04-15
55. Rick Cheatham Carterville, IL 3 04-13 146
Day 1: 3 04-13
56. Louie Parkman Jr Brandon, MS 2 04-13 145
Day 1: 2 04-13
57. Travis Turcotte Pembroke CANADA 1 04-13 144
Day 1: 1 04-13
58. Dehn Ganey Bonneau, SC 3 04-12 143
Day 1: 3 04-12
59. Darrell Hille Springfield, TN 2 04-12 142
Day 1: 2 04-12
60. WK Luckett Jr Ridgeland, MS 3 04-11 141
Day 1: 3 04-11
61. Randy Lawrence Pensacola, FL 1 04-11 140
Day 1: 1 04-11
62. Philip Morris Jr Raleigh, NC 3 04-09 139
Day 1: 3 04-09
63. Michael Leach Shenandoah, TX 3 04-07 138
Day 1: 3 04-07
64. Thomas Crosswhite Hartwell, GA 2 04-07 137
Day 1: 2 04-07
65. Kenneth Ott Manahawkin, NJ 3 04-02 136
Day 1: 3 04-02
66. Matthew Rogers Chiefland, FL 2 04-02 135
Day 1: 2 04-02
66. Chad Sims Brownsburg, IN 2 04-02 135
Day 1: 2 04-02
68. Bradley Mealer Columbia, TN 2 04-01 133
Day 1: 2 04-01
69. John Gaivin Decatur, AL 2 04-00 132
Day 1: 2 04-00
70. Bill Hutchison Jr. Bessemer, AL 2 03-15 131
Day 1: 2 03-15
70. Billy Limerick Chandler, TX 2 03-15 131
Day 1: 2 03-15
72. Dylan Mayo Athens, TX 3 03-14 129
Day 1: 3 03-14
73. David Fischer Broken Arrow, OK 2 03-13 128
Day 1: 2 03-13
73. Cole Johnson Seymour, IN 2 03-13 128
Day 1: 2 03-13
73. David Stout Fair Play, SC 2 03-13 128
Day 1: 2 03-13
76. Byong Lee Stedman, NC 2 03-09 125
Day 1: 2 03-09
77. Jim Williams Winter Springs, GA 1 03-08 124
Day 1: 1 03-08
78. Joe Stokes Kentwood, LA 2 03-07 123
Day 1: 2 03-07
79. Marrell Deering Rome, GA 2 03-05 122
Day 1: 2 03-05
80. AJ Jones Lutz, FL 2 03-00 121
Day 1: 2 03-00
81. Austin Howard Granby, CO 1 03-00 120
Day 1: 1 03-00
82. Randy Tallhamer Brandenton, FL 1 02-13 119
Day 1: 1 02-13
83. Wesley Klees Huntsville, AL 1 02-09 118
Day 1: 1 02-09
84. Cody Richardson Gautier, MS 1 02-07 117
Day 1: 1 02-07
85. Avery Williams Murrells Inlt, SC 2 02-05 116
Day 1: 2 02-05
86. Eric Kingery Chillicothe, OH 1 02-05 115
Day 1: 1 02-05
87. Carl Hunter Snellville, GA 1 02-04 114
Day 1: 1 02-04
87. Kevin Mallow Kansas, OK 1 02-04 114
Day 1: 1 02-04
89. Eric Camarote The Villages, FL 1 02-00 112
Day 1: 1 02-00
89. Cody Koehler Acworth, GA 1 02-00 112
Day 1: 1 02-00
91. Chris Earles Lady Lake, FL 1 01-15 110
Day 1: 1 01-15
91. Archie Eslinger Paris, IL 1 01-15 110
Day 1: 1 01-15
93. Samuel Sharp Hillsboro, AL 1 01-14 108
Day 1: 1 01-14
94. Eric White Vinemont, AL 1 01-12 107
Day 1: 1 01-12
95. Clifford Wagner Huntsville, AL 1 01-08 106
Day 1: 1 01-08
96. Gary Bates Athens, AL 1 01-07 105
Day 1: 1 01-07
97. Austin Nelson Apopka, FL 1 01-05 104
Day 1: 1 01-05
98. Thomas Abraham Winchester, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
98. Bill Bruce Hendersonville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
98. Steve Deyton Forest City, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
98. George Dirgo Rosamond, CA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
98. Shawn Martin Weirsdale, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
98. Larry Mcneil Meridianville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
98. Jim O’Connell Jr Castle Rock, CO 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
98. Landon Smith Decatur, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
98. Johnny Ward Jr Ludowici, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
98. Matthew Williams Westminster, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 57 232 510-00
———————————-
57 232 510-00
B.A.S.S. Nation Southeast Regional takes on Douglas Lake
Jefferson County, Tenn., will host the 2023 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Southeast Regional at Douglas Lake May 24-26.
Photo by Andy Crawford/B.A.S.S.
May 18, 2023
B.A.S.S. Nation Southeast Regional takes on Douglas Lake
Jefferson County, Tenn. —Teams from 10 states across the Southeast will converge in east Tennessee May 24-26 for the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Southeast Regional at Douglas Lake, and Bassmaster Elite Series pro Skylar Hamilton believes plenty of bass will be caught.
“You can catch 12 pounds in 30 feet of water or catch 12 pounds flipping shallow or fishing up the river. Whatever you want to do, you can catch 12 pounds,” the Dandridge, Tenn., native said. “A 4-pounder is like gold on Douglas. It will be a fun but frustrating time of year. You will catch a lot of fish, but size will (be hard to come by).”
Nestled in the hills of Jefferson County, Douglas Lake provides the opportunity to catch quality largemouth and spotted bass. Douglas has played host to several B.A.S.S. events, most recently the 2021 St. Croix Bassmaster Southern Open won by Daisuke Aoki with 43 pounds, 13 ounces.
The Southeast Regional will feature teams from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Anglers will launch out of the Dandridge Dock Boat Ramp each day at 6:30 a.m. ET, returning to the harbor at 2:30 p.m. for weigh-in. The full field will compete on Days 1 and 2, while Day 3 will feature the Top 16 boaters and nonboaters along with the top two boaters and nonboaters from each state if they are not already in the Top 16. Full coverage will be available on Bassmaster.com.
Smallmouth and largemouth bass are the showcase species at Douglas Lake, and both will likely play a big role. The bass will be targeting gizzard and threadfin shad, as well as bluegill and crawfish.
The end of May historically is the time a lot of the bass will make their move to their offshore areas, Hamilton said. Both largemouth and smallmouth will congregate in these areas, which are long points that have slate and gravel patches, brushpiles and rockpiles as well as ledges and dropoffs.
“It’s when the females that just got done spawning are recuperating offshore,” Hamilton said. “That is prime time. The good thing about Douglas is, they don’t have far to swim. There isn’t a big migration. They are up in a bush one day, and the next day they can be out on the ledge in 25 feet of water.”
These bass can be caught with the regular assortment of offshore techniques like deep-diving crankbaits, football jigs, spoons and big worms. Finesse presentations have also become popular choices on Douglas. With limited amounts of cover, forward-facing sonar will likely play a big role.
“Those fish get pressured so fast,” Hamilton added. “It will be (whoever) finds a group of fish that isn’t as pressured or rotates as many spots as they can.”
At the same time, there are plenty of bass that stay shallow as well. What those fish will be on will be determined by the water level, which will still be rising up to summer pool. A big rain event could send the water into the bushes, which will provide more cover and opportunity for ambush points.
“The way things are now, you can fish shallow on Douglas and do just as well if not better than someone who is offshore,” Hamilton said. “Anything on Douglas that is shallow can hold a fish. We don’t have any grass, so if there is something in the water up shallow there will likely be a fish next to it.”
It will be the angler’s choice on how they want to catch these shallow bass. Topwaters, squarebills and spinnerbaits will likely play a role, as well as swimbaits.
The top-finishing boater and co-angler from each state represented in this tournament will earn a spot in the 2023 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship on legendary Lake Hartwell Oct. 18-20.
The tournament is being hosted by the Jefferson County, Tenn., Department of Tourism.
Matt Becker Smacks 30½-Pound Limit to Lead Group B at MLF Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Four on Lake Guntersville
Ten Mile, Tennessee Pro Catches 30-9 To Lead Big Early for Group B, Group A Anglers to Wrap Qualifying Round Thursday
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (May 17, 2023) – For the second day in a row, the young talent on the Bass Pro Tour is shining bright. After rookie pro Jacob Wall of New Hope, Alabama, took the lead for Group A on Tuesday, fellow Bass Pro Tour rookie Matt Becker of Ten Mile, Tennessee, followed suit on Wednesday. Becker caught 15 scorable bass Wednesday, with his top five weighing 30 pounds, 9 ounces, to jump out to the early lead for Qualifying Group B at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Toro Stage Four at Lake Guntersville Presented by Bass Cat Boats. Becker will bring a comfortable 7-pound, 15-ounce advantage into Day 2 of competition on Friday over second-place angler Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, South Carolina, who weighed in five bass totaling 22-10 to end the day in second place.
The six-day event, hosted by Marshall County Tourism & Sports, showcases 80 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of more than $805,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters All-Star event and REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
Link to HD Video – Fish-Catch Highlights of Group B Qualifying Round Day 1 on Lake Guntersville
Link to Photo Gallery of Group B’s Day 1 Qualifying Round Afternoon Highlights
The 40 anglers in Group B will now have an off day on Thursday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group A will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition. Group B will conclude their Qualifying Round on Friday.
“That was the biggest bag of fish that I have ever caught in my life,” Becker said in his post-game interview. “I can’t believe that happened. That was just incredible. The Lord is so good, and he blessed me so much today. He put me to the test this morning – he really tested my patience. I could not get them to bite. I was looking at them on the graph and I could see them there, but they weren’t biting. Then I broke a couple of off… he was just testing me and putting me through it. And then he gave me a half hour towards the end of the day that was absolutely incredible.”
Becker said he struggled for the majority of the day before his exciting afternoon.
“I struggled pretty much all day,” he said. “I caught a limit in the first period for like 13 pounds, and then just very slowly upgraded. And then at 2:45 I caught a 6-pounder, and that’s when the magic started happening.
“I caught a 6-pounder and it got me to like 18 pounds, and then I decided I’m going to pull the trolling motor and go somewhere else. I ran down to this other spot, and it was mayhem for about 5 minutes. That got me up to 30 pounds, and it was absolutely incredible.”
Of the five fish that Becker scored Wednesday, three came on a crankbait and two came on a white hair jig.
“I had a ton of rods on my deck, and threw a bunch of different baits,” Becker said. “The key bait for me today, though, was the hair jig – a ledge staple and one of my favorite ways to catch them. It’s so much fun when they load up on the hair jig. I was throwing it on my Favorite Signature MDJ Hex rod – it’s a pretty big rod for big fish, 7-foot, 8-inch, heavy – with 15-pound Seaguar Invisx Fluorocarbon line and an 8.1:1 gear ratio reel.
“I’m very excited to have the lead, but I know that the work isn’t done,” Becker went on to say. “There is a lot of work left to do on Friday. Hopefully we can make the Knockout Round and go from there.”
The standings for the 40 pros in Group B after Day 1 on Lake Guntersville are:
1st: Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., five bass, 30-9
2nd: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., five bass, 22-10
3rd: Shin Fukae, Osaka, Japan, five bass, 22-6
4th: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., five bass, 21-14
5th: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 21-4
6th: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 20-15
7th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 20-15
8th: Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., five bass, 20-14
9th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 19-14
10th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., three bass, 19-6
11th: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 19-1
12th: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., five bass, 18-9
13th: Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Ala., five bass, 18-9
14th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., five bass, 18-6
15th: Alton Jones, Sr., Lorena, Texas, five bass, 17-10
16th: Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., five bass, 17-4
17th: Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 16-14
18th: Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., five bass, 16-10
19th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., five bass, 16-1
20th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 15-15
21st: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 15-15
22nd: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 15-14
23rd: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., five bass, 15-11
24th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., five bass, 15-8
25th: Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 15-2
26th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., five bass, 14-11
27th: Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., five bass, 14-5
28th: Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 13-10
29th: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., three bass, 13-5
30th: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 12-14
31st: Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 12-11
32nd: Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 12-8
33rd: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., five bass, 11-9
34th: Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, five bass, 11-9
35th: Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 11-2
36th: John Murray, Spring City, Tenn., five bass, 11-1
37th: Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., three bass, 10-15
38th: Jeff Kriet, Ardmore, Okla., five bass, 10-10
39th: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., four bass, 10-1
40th: Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, Okla., three bass, 5-11
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 344 scorable bass weighing 993 pounds, 10 ounces caught by the 40 pros Wednesday, which included 16 5-pounders and six 6-pounders.
Becker and pro Brett Hite of Phoenix, Arizona, shared Wednesday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, as each weighed in a bass totaling 6-pounds, 13-ounces to split the daily prize. 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 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the top 20 anglers from each group advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 40 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In Sunday’s final day Championship Round, weight carries over from the Knockout Round and the angler with the heaviest two-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. CT each day from the Guntersville Civitan Park, located at 1130 Sunset Drive in Guntersville. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the launch locations, 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 MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
As part of the event, on Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21 the MLF Fan Experience will be taking place at Civitan Park in Guntersville from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF will welcome fans of all ages to celebrate fishing and the outdoors with concerts in the park, hosted by Explore Lake Guntersville, featuring JUICE on Saturday and Jackson Chase on Sunday. Food and drinks will be available from local food trucks and fans can check out the latest gear and offerings from MLF and MLF sponsors including Toyota, Favorite Fishing, Kubota, U.S. Air Force, and The Fallen Outdoors. On Sunday, fans can hang out and watch the pros live on the MLF NOW! big screen during the MLF Watch Party. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, and take selfies.
The Toro Stage Four at Lake Guntersville Presented by Bass Cat Boats will feature pros competing using the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, with each angler’s five (5) heaviest bass per day tallied as their day’s weight. Anglers strive to catch their heaviest five fish each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the live scoring SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, fishing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship, held March 13-17, 2024, on Lay Lake in Birmingham, Alabama.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone 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. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the Toro Stage Four at Lake Guntersville Presented by Bass Cat Boats will air as two, two-hour episodes starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 7 and Saturday, Oct. 14 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on the Outdoor Channel.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, Ark Fishing, ATG + Wrangler, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, Daiwa, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Grundéns, Humminbird, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Power-Pole, Rapala, Star tron, T-H Marine, TORO, Toyota, U.S. Air Force, Yellowstone Bourbon, Yo-Zuri and Zoom Baits.
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, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Max Price & Butch Williams Win CATT Lake Wateree, SC May 13, 2023
Next Lake Wateree Summer Qualifier is June 3rd at Clearwater Cove Marina!
Max Price & Butch Williams win Wateree with 5 bass weighing 18.66 lbs!
William & Chad Gainey 2nd with 15.79 lbs!
Jesse & Claire Williams 3rd with 15.12 lbs!
Matt Nettles & RB Blackmon 4th Place 15.03 lbs! They also weighed the 1st Academy BF at 5.05 lbs and received a $25 Academy Gift Card!
5th Place Paul Wells & Craig Haven 13.89 lbs! Plus a $40 Anglers Headquarters Gift Card!
Chad Fara & Steven Lasher win CATT Old North Jordan Lake Qualifier with 5 bass weighing 21.45
Next up is the last 2023 Spring CATT Old North Qualifier at Falls Lake June 3rd! If you need 1 more Qualifier to make your 4 Qualifiers to be eligible to enter the Old North Final June 3rd at Falls is your last chance!
Old North Spring Final $8,000 1st Place GUARANTEED!
Must enter 4 Old North Spring Qualifiers to be eligible to enter the Old North Spring Final! To view the Old North Points go to the Old North Division page and scroll down to the bottom of the Division page!
We are a few days away from the 2023 CATT Academy Championship on Kerr Lake May 20-21! $10,000 GUARANTEED to 1st Place but your winnings can be a lot more! 2020 Winners took home $24,000.00! 2021 Winners took home $17,00.00! 2022 Winners took home $29,000.00! Tap on the link to view details!
2023 CATT Academy Championship – Carolina Anglers Team Trail (cattteamtrail.com)
Chad Fara & Steven Lasher win the Old North Jordan Lake Qualifier with 5 bass weighing 21.45 lbs! They took home $2,310.00!
Richard & Alec Lower 2nd with 19.36 lbs!
Lucas Lobaugh & Jeremy Moody 3rd with 18.42 lbs!
Dennis Reedy & Scott Smith 4th with 17.96 lbs and the 1st Academy BF at 7.25 lbs!
Mike Marchant and Braxton Marchant 5th with 16.76 lbs!
Keith Johnson & Jason Bowman 6th with 15.37 lbs!
Rodney & Danny Bowen Win 5 Alive Team Trail/Caswell Glass Heritage Trail Qualifier #5 May Lake
5 Alive Team Trail/Caswell Glass Heritage Trail Qualifier #5
Mayo Lake 5/13/2023
We had our 5th Qualifier last Saturday at the small but plentiful with bass Mayo Lake. The weather was perfect. Not to hot and not to cold. Wasn’t really sure how to react to that. We’re used to massive cold fronts coming in on the day of all of the 5 Alive tournaments.
We had 76 boats show up Saturday to try to take home the money. Lots of solid bags weighed in on Saturday but it seems the days of the 27 to 28 pound bags at Mayo are about gone. Them big fish are hard to come by. When the smoke cleared after the weigh in it was the always tough at Mayo Team of Rodney Bowen and Danny Bowen that topped the 76 boat feild. They had a winning 5 fish limit weighing 19.24 pounds. That earned them a total of $2255.00 with TWT. If you know the Bowen boys then you know they’re about as good of people as your ever going to meet and they’re ones to beat every time at Mayo. GOOD JOB GUYS!! Well deserved!!!
They were followed by our young guns team. These two young men’s age don’t even add up to my age combined.
The team of Chris Glosson ( AKA Squirrel) and J.D. Talley rolled in with a bag weighing 19.17 pounds. That earned them a total of $ 1100.00 with TWT. They weren’t done tho. They also won the Caswell Glass Heritage Trail with that bag winning them other things. We will get to that! This is starting to become a trend. Our winners of the Heritage Trail at Jordan Lake also won the 5 Alive Team Trail Qualifier. Thought we might get to see it again. That young team has been solid all year and when you see the points posted you will see what I’m talking about. By the way did I mention they beat their Dad and their protégé Dan Glosson and Scottie Morris ? I may or may not be riding them guys for that!!
Big fish was won by the team of Bailey & Bailey with a 5.91 pound chunk worth $760.00
On to the Caswell Glass Heritage Trail. As I said earlier the young guns team came in on a mission and topped the feild with that 19.17 pound bag. That earned them two Favorite Fishing rods, plaques , two $50.00 Bass Pro Shops gift cards donated by Tarheel Flooring and two hats. I’d say all of that and a $1100.00 check for finishing 2nd in the 5 Alive Trail made for a pretty good day for them boys!
They were followed by a Grandfather and Grandson team that have fished every Heritage Trail event we have ever had. The team of Will Carver & JD Carver had a bag weighing 13.42 pounds. That earned them two $25.00 Bobcats Bait and Tackle Gift Cards. Glad to see them two get on the board this year!
Our NC Marine Sales Caymas Money was won by the team of Aiden & Fine worth $300.00.
Want to give a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to everyone that placed in the money! We also want to Thank everyone that came out to fish with us!
Our next and final Qualifier will be at Kerr Lake – Occoneechee Ramp on 6/3/2023. We will crown our 2023- 5 Alive Team Trail Points Champions
2023- Caswell Glass Heritage Trail Points Champions
2023 – Countryside Service Center FAT 5 Champions &
2023 – Big Bass of the year on that Day. It’s going to be a good one!!!
Yall come check us out!
RESULTS.
1st. Bowen & Bowen- 19.24 pounds- $2255.00 TWT
2nd. Glosson & Talley- 19.17 pounds- $1100.00 TWT
3rd. Bailey & Bailey- 19.11 pounds-$1370.00 Big Fish
4th. Keith Wray- 18.62 pounds-$685.00 TWT
5th. Strickland & Cook- 18.17 pounds-$330.00
6th. Woolard & Woolard- 18.01 pounds-$295.00
7th. Adam Bass – 17.89 pounds-$275.00
8th.Seate & Williams- 17.62 pounds-$195.00
9th. Mullins & Mullins- 17.57 pounds-$150.00
10th. Woody & Dillon- 17.44 pounds-$100.00
BIG Fish.
Bailey & Bailey- 5.91 pounds -$760.00
