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Austin’s Jeremy Johnson Chucks A-Rig to Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division Opener at Lake Monroe

Boater Jeremy Johnson of Austin, Indiana and Strike-King co-angler Kyle Taylor of Sullivan, Indiana.
Sullivan’s Taylor Takes Strike King Co-Angler Division

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (April 24, 2023) – Boater Jeremy Johnson of Austin, Indiana, weighed in four bass totaling 12 pounds even Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Monroe . The tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Hoosier Division. Johnson earned $4,498 for his victory.

“I fished at the causeway to start out, and I didn’t get bit at all. Then I ran some bushes and didn’t get bit at all, so I had to go to Plan C. I ran all the way up to the dam and threw an umbrella rig for five hours and ended up catching four big ones on the A-rig,” Johnson said.

“All of my fish came on the A-rig,” Johnson continued. “I tried flipping bushes and throwing tubes and shaky-head rigs on the causeway, but no luck there. I knew they were pulling the water a little bit, so going up the river would not be ideal. So, I did the complete opposite, and I ran all the way up to the dam. I feel like those fish there don’t get affected as much.

“I think just having multiple plans on opposite sides of the spectrum was the key. If the shallow bite doesn’t work, then go completely to the other end and launch a big bait.”

The win was Johnson’s first victory of his BFL career and also his first event as a boater after competing last season as a Strike King co-angler.

“This feels good. My brother (Jeff) has won a BFL before, and my good buddy Richard Ison has won one. So it’s good to be with them in that group.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:1st:          Jeremy Johnson, Austin, Ind., four bass, 12-0, $4,498
2nd:        Mike Quinlin, Mooresville, Ind., five bass, 11-4, $3,519
3rd:        Ethan Hill, Columbus, Ind., four bass, 10-3, $1,498
4th:         Travis Spivey, Union, Ky., three bass, 8-3, $1,050
5th:         John Melton, Corydon, Ind., four bass, 7-8, $1,100
6th:         Jared Robinson, Medora, Ind., two bass, 6-14, $787
6th:         Caleb Perkins, Santa Claus, Ind., one bass, 6-14, $1,432
8th:         Mark Dove, North Vernon, Ind., three bass, 6-8, $675
9th:         Lee Mills, Columbus, Ind., two bass, 6-4, $600
10th:      Richard Hardebeck, Elwood, Ind., two bass, 6-3, $525Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Perkins caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $645.



Kyle Taylor of Sullivan, Indiana, won the Strike King co-angler division and a total of $2,571 Saturday, after bringing two bass to the scale that totaled 7 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished: 1st:          Kyle Taylor, Sullivan, Ind., two bass, 7-1, $2,571
2nd:        Zion Dunaway, Campbellsburg, Ind., two bass, 5-8, $1,125
3rd:        Wayne Fackler, Scottsburg, Ind., one bass, 5-2, $752
4th:         Andrew Matuszak, Washington, Ind., two bass, 4-15, $525
5th:         Jason Thornton, Corydon, Ind., one bass, 4-5, $450
5th:         Nathaniel Hester, Indianapolis, Ind., one bass, 4-2, $412
7th:         Rodney Bolte, Bloomington, Ind., one bass, 4-0, $375
8th:         Joe Gorham, Indianapolis, Ind., one bass, 3-14, $337
9th:         Dylan Grace, Scottsburg, Ind., one bass, 3-12, $300
10th:      Mark Goodridge, Burlington, Ky., one bass, 3-10, $249
10th:      Brian Liming, Dillsboro, Ind., one bass, 3-10, $249Taylor also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $322, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional tournament on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2023 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2023 All-American event will take place May 31-June 2, on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. The event is hosted by Visit Oconee SC.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, General Tire, Grundéns, Gill, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Simpson University Earns Victory at MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Tournament on California Delta Presented by Tackle Warehouse

OAKLEY, Calif. (April 24, 2023) – The Simpson University team of Ryan Beaty of Martinez, California, and Nathan Phillips of Kelseyville, California, brought a five-bass limit across the stage Friday weighing 14 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on the California Delta presented by Tackle Warehouse . The victory earned the Red Hawk’s bass club a qualification into the 2024 MLF College Fishing National Championship.

The top 10 finishing teams on the California Delta were:

1st: Simpson University – Ryan Beaty, Martinez, Calif., and Nathan Phillips, Kelseyville, Calif., five bass, 14-7
2nd: Oregon State University – Jake Gerrard, Drain, Ore., and Luke Van Norman, Roseburg, Ore., four bass, 13-11
3rd: Fresno State University – Kent Moua and Seth Moua, both of Fresno, Calif., five bass, 11-11
4th: Chico State University – Jared Defremery, Brentwood, Calif., and Miles Kaneko, Berkely, Calif., five bass, 11-1
5th: Chico State University – Jack Gillaspie, Chico, Calif., and Brandon Huse, Gualala, Calif., five bass, 9-5
6th: Simpson University – Michael Bray, Merced, Calif., and Brennan Osborn, Beaverton, Ore., five bass, 8-7
7th: Simpson University – James Hawkinson, Granite Bay, Calif., and Ty Manterola, Pasco, Wash., five bass, 7-12
8th: Fresno State University – Liam Cornell, Redwood City, Calif., and Brendan Holden, Clovis, Calif., five bass, 7-12
9th: Sonoma State University – Ari Forman, Westlake Village, Calif., and Cody Wyatt, Rohnert Park, Calif., five bass, 7-10
10th: Simpson University – Jacob Greene, American Canyon, Calif., and Austin Rojas, Oakley, Calif., four bass, 7-4

Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The next event for College Fishing anglers will be the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event at Lake Guntersville Presented by Crock-O-Gator, April 28 in Guntersville, Alabama.

The 2023 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI features college teams from across the country competing in nine regular-season tournaments. The top 12 percent of teams from each regular-season tournament advance to the 2024 Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Black Rifle Coffee Company, E3, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Grundens, Lawless Lures, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Wiley X and YETI.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular College Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Bo Grosvenor & Ray Arms Win HillCity Bassmasters Leesville Lake

First, we want to thank all of our anglers, even those that weren’t able to attend yesterday! I know that we changed things up last minute due to weather and we truly appreciate your patience!
Yesterday was a great turnout, with 18 boats!


First Place: Bo Grosvenor and Ray Armes with 5 fish weighing 14.36 lbs


Second Place: Steven Costa and Matt Atkins with 5 fish weighing 13.25 lbs

Third Place: Zach Miller and Ethan Craft with 5 fish weighing 13.16 lbs


Third Place: Zach Miller and Ethan Craft with 5 fish weighing 13.16 lbs

We look forward to seeing you all at our next tournament on Saturday, May 13 at Monacan Park, blast off at 7:00 am!

Jake Lawrence Leads Wire-to-Wire with Smallmouth, Wins MLF Toyota Series at Kentucky and Barkley Lakes Presented by Jenko Fishing

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (April 24, 2023) – Toyota Series pro Jake Lawrence of Paris, Tennessee, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 9 ounces, to lead wire-to-wire and win the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Kentucky and Barkley Lakes Presented by Jenko Fishing and earn the top prize payout of $44,000. Lawrence’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 57-5 earned him the victory by a 1-pound, 6-ounce margin over second-place angler Adam Bartusek of Cokato, Minnesota, who weighed in 15 bass totaling 55-15 to earn $17,000.

Lawrence has fished the lake for years with great success, including a triumph at the 2018 Toyota Series event on Barkley Lake. However, he did something a little different this time, as he primarily targeted smallmouth with the help of his forward-facing sonar.

“This one is special. I know you say that for every win, but that one was on my home turf down by Paris,” Lawrence said. “I knew every nook and cranny down there and felt like that win was 15 years in the making. This one was different because I was doing something totally different, something I’d never done. I don’t know that I’ve ever caught one in the places I’ve fished this week. It was like a brand new lake to me.”

What he was doing was also unique, targeting spawning smallmouth with the help of his Garmin LiveScope and fishing the northern end of the massive fishery.

“This lake is so big that I hardly ever make it up this far,” he said of his areas that roughly stretched from takeoff at Kentucky Dam Marina to Jonathan Creek. “I was catching spawning fish or fish that were staging before or after they spawned, but they were in the same areas. I could tell on LiveScope if the bass were spawning based on how they acted because they’d hang around if they were on a bed.”

One key for his areas was having shallow water with quick access to deeper water. This was true for his smallmouth and the bonus 6-1 largemouth from the first day.

“It seemed like most of the fish were in that 4- to 7-foot range and on flatter banks, but they had to have a secondary creek channel running close to them,” he said. “It couldn’t be a 100-yard flat; everything was a couple of yards away from deeper water in the creek channel. Those fish want to do their deal and then pull back out. That big largemouth I caught the first day was the same thing and was one of the deepest fish I caught all week.”

Lawrence used a tube and a swimbait to catch his fish, with the 3.25-inch Jenko Booty Shaker Swimbait in blueback on a ¼-ounce ball head jig. He caught some fish with the swimbait, but it was mainly a search tool and smallmouth agitator. His tube was a Strike King Coffee Tube in green pumpkin, but he utilized a 1/8-ounce Jenko Trick Tube Jig Head to fish the tube on a “Stupid Rig.”

“The head was really important because rigging it that way doesn’t hang up as much and that jig head has a great hook, so you land more of those fish,” he said. “I’d throw the swimbait on them to get them excited and then if they didn’t bite, I’d turn around and cast the tube in and get them.”

After the win, Lawrence hinted at a run at top-level professional fishing, and this victory may help speed up the process.

“It was already in the works before this, but we still need to hammer out some details,” he said. “This week, I purposely limited my practice to help me prepare for that. Instead of practicing for a week, I only spent two-and-a-half days. I want to push myself to get into that frame of mind. I’m more proud that I could do that than for winning it even.”

The top 10 pros on Kentucky and Barkley lakes finished:

1st:          Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn., 15 bass, 57-5, $44,000
2nd:         Adam Bartusek, Cokato, Minn., 15 bass, 55-15, $17,000
3rd:         Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 15 bass, 51-1, $12,750
4th:         Ethan Fields, Breese, Ill., 15 bass, 48-6, $10,750
5th:         Harbor Lovin, New Concord, Ky., 15 bass, 45-7, $9,750
6th:         Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 15 bass, 44-10, $9,375
7th:         Steve Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 15 bass, 44-4, $7,800
8th:         Matt Stanley, Alexandria, Tenn., 14 bass, 44-1, $6,300
9th:         Clint Knight, Lewisburg, Ky., 14 bass, 43-12, $5,500
10th:       Brad Jelinek, Lincoln, Mo., 13 bass, 40-6, $4,200

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Stephen Whitesell of Grove, Oklahoma, won the $500 Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Thursday with a bass weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces. On Friday, pro Steve Floyd of Leesburg, Ohio earned the $500 Berkley Big Bass prize with a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass.

Scott Parsons of Rogers, Arkansas, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 13 bass weighing 34 pounds, 5 ounces. Parsons took home the top co-angler prize of $34,000, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on Kentucky and Barkley lakes finished:

1st:          Scott Parsons, Rogers, Ark., 13 bass, 34-5, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard + $500
2nd:         Roger Hughes, Bartlesville, Okla., 12 bass, 29-15, $5,375
3rd:         Ken Coats, Tulsa, Okla., 15 bass, 26-12, $4,300
4th:         Carter Wijangco, Napierville, Ill., 15 bass, 26-11, $3,650
5th:         James Burns, Nancy, Ky., 14 bass, 26-8, $3,150
6th:         Alan Woodford, Winslow, Ind., 15 bass, 26-0, $2,650
7th:         Jason Swanson, Waterloo, Iowa, 14 bass, 25-12, $2,150
8th:         Pop Catalin, Cookeville, Tenn., 13 bass, 24-10, $1,825
9th:         Jason Sandidge, Centerton, Ark., 12 bass, 24-3, $1,530
10th:       C.J. Holbrook, Smithville, Miss., 12 bass, 24-3, $1,290

Taylor Surly of Bella Vista, Arkansas, earned Thursday’s $150 Berkley Big Bass award after weighing in a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass, while the Day 2 $150 award went to Mark King of Gurdon, Arkansas, with a 6-pound, 12-ounce bass.

With two regular-season events in the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Plains Division now complete, pro Brad Jelinek of Lincoln, Missouri, leads the Plains Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 509 points, while Jason Sandidge of Centerton, Arkansas, leads the Strike King Co-angler Division AOY race with 512 points.

The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Kentucky and Barkley Lakes Presented by Jenko Fishing was hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau. It was the second of three regular-season events for the Toyota Series Plains Division. The next event for Toyota Series Plains Division anglers will be the Toyota Series at Lake of the Ozarks, Sept. 28-30, in Osage Beach, Missouri. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2023 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 2024. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2023 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 2-4 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, and is hosted by ExploreBranson.com.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Toyota Series include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Black Rifle Coffee Company, E3, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Gill, Grundéns, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Next Gen Lithium, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Wiley X and YETI.

For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Toyota Series updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

MLF General Tire Team Series Named No. 1 Show on Outdoor Channel 

Major League Fishing Tops Outdoor Channel Programming for Eighth Straight Year – Bass Pro Tour ranked #2, and MLF All Angles ranked #6

BENTON, Ky. (April 20, 2023) – Major League Fishing (MLF) and the new General Tire Team Series topped Outdoor Channel rankings in five coveted ratings demographics – overall viewing households, Adults 25-45, Adults 35-64, Men 18-49 and Men 25-54. MLF programming, which premieres new episodes on Outdoor Channel every Saturday afternoon (2-4 p.m. ET), has been the top-ranked programming on Outdoor Channel for eight straight years.

The MLF Bass Pro Tour re-airs, which are broadcast prior to the General Tire Team Series on Saturday afternoons, finished second in those same demos. MLF All Angles, a 30-minute behind-the-scenes recap show which analyzes each day of competition from the anglers’ own viewpoints, finished sixth.

“We are so proud to be the number one rated show on Outdoor Channel for the eighth consecutive year,” MLF President of Sales Jim Wilburn said. “Transitioning from our extremely successful MLF Cup events into the new General Tire Team Series was a bit of a gamble, but we knew the Team Series was an innovative and exciting concept that would produce amazing television programming never seen before in professional bass fishing.

“Our gamble has paid off in spades,” Wilburn added. “The latest numbers released by Outdoor Channel speak volumes. Our loyal audience has embraced the General Tire Team Series and we look forward to producing many more exciting seasons to come.”

Highlights:

·     The MLF General Tire Team Series is the No. 1 show, and the MLF Bass Pro Tour re-airs are No. 2 (2023-to-date) on Outdoor Channel* among:

oTotal Viewers

oTotal Male Viewers

oMen 18-49

oMen 25-54

oP18-49

oP25-54

oP35-64

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular programming updates, television schedules, tournament coverage and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, TwitterInstagram, and YouTube.

Source:  *Star Media Multitrak, Nielsen Media Reports, Outdoor Channel, Live+7, 1Q 2023

Benton battles back to win action-packed Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Murray

Drew Benton of Panama City, Fla., has won the Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray with a four-day total of 87 pounds.  

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

April 23, 2023

Benton battles back to win action-packed Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Murray

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The night leading up to Championship Sunday at the Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray, Drew Benton was angry. He could hardly sleep.

After claiming the Day 2 lead with back-to-back bags over 23 pounds, Benton barely made the cut for the final day after catching just 14 pounds on Semifinal Saturday.

He felt like he had cost himself a potential win. But in his restlessness, Benton had a revelation.

“I woke up four times last night just mad,” he said. “I woke up and I looked at the weights and I was about 5 pounds back. Someone weighed in 26 pounds this week. That was my goal weight, 25 or 26.”

Benton accomplished that goal Sunday, landing a five-bass limit that weighed 26 pounds, 7 ounces coming from behind to win with a four-day total of 87-0. He earned his second career blue trophy and a $100,000 first-place prize.

“I started to — not doubt myself — but wonder if it was ever going to happen again,” said Benton, who earned his first Elite Series victory five years ago on Lake Travis in Texas. “I finished second in an Elite; finished second in an Open I should have won. Am I snakebit? Can I close the deal anymore? So, this feels great.”

Benton’s strategy this week revolved around sight fishing for spawning bass. After seeing 30 pounds of bass on bed the first day of practice, he caught bags of 23-0 and 23-9 the first two days of the tournament.

His primary area not far from takeoff had water temperatures that maxed out around 70 degrees, several degrees cooler than the rest of the lake. That set up perfectly for him to target largemouth with a Texas-rigged watermelon red/green pumpkin laminate Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog rigged with a 5/16-ounce Elite Tungsten sinker and a 4/0 Owner Wide Gap worm hook.

He pitched that bait to beds with a 7-foot-3 extra heavy Phenix Rods MBX and an unnamed baitcaster spooled with 20-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon.

“It was the same general area, but I would rotate through new pockets and new creeks,” he explained. “New ones were trickling in I feel like, but I didn’t want to burn up the same water. It is a mental thing for me. I needed to be in a new place looking.”

Wind, rain and clouds entered the area on Day 3, and Benton found it difficult to see any bass on bed in areas he had already picked through the previous day.

On Championship Sunday, with the skies cleared and the winds calmed, Benton started on several sections of riprap bank that Mississippi pro Brock Mosely had described to him before the end of Saturday’s weigh-in. Shad were spawning on these sections, but the key was shade. If the bank had a shade line, Benton could crank a squarebill and catch quality bass.

“I was running from place to place and every time I would hit a place, I would come back and catch one more out of the shade,” he said. “I wasn’t catching a bunch. I had a milk run and I culled up to like 22 pounds or so.”

He started with an olive shad-colored Bagley Pro Sunny B squarebill, but when he hooked a keeper in the side of the face, he switched to a Strike King KVD 1.5 squarebill with a green back and clearer body.

He said one of those crankbait fish he had hooked in the top of the head — but still managed to coax into the boat — reminded him of one of his Lake Travis bass.

“I thought, ‘If I can get this fish in, it might happen.’ And it did,” he said.

At about 11, the shade began to slide away from the bank and Benton decided to go back to sight fishing, but in a different pocket than where he caught his bags in the first two days. It paid off in a big way, with a 6-pounder biting a Big Bite Baits Cliff Hanger worm rigged on a drop shot and a 5-pounder taking the Fighting Frog.

The 5-pounder revealed itself when it followed a topwater bait out of the shade.

“I wouldn’t have seen it if it hadn’t followed my topwater out,” he said.

Hunter Shryock finished second with a four-day total of 85-7. The Ohio native turned Tennessean was in contention the entire tournament, starting off in fourth place after Day 1 with 22-9 before landing in second on Day 2 with 23-5 and third on Saturday with 18-5.

“I didn’t have a whole lot and I evolved during the tournament,” Shryock said. “I gave myself a shot and Drew won the event. I am good with that. I caught everything today and did exactly what I wanted to do. I executed every fish catch.”

After sight fishing most of Day 1, Shryock pivoted and started fishing shallow points he felt the blueback herring were using to spawn. Those points had riprap and rock, and about midmorning, the shade lines got closer to the bank and that was usually when the bass started to feed on the herring. He caught most of his bass on the final day around docks.

A white Berkley Choppo and a green pumpkin Berkley The General rigged wacky style were his best two baits, along with a jig with a Berkley Creature Hawg trailer.

His final-day bag wouldn’t have been possible without some crafty rod maneuvering and good fortune. Shryock’s biggest bass of the day, a 6-14 that earned him Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day, wrapped his line under a dock. To get it out, he had to lay on his belly on the front deck of his boat with his backside pinned against his graph, unwrap his line by putting his rod under the dock and around a post before snapping a couple of vines to get the bass moving toward the boat. Once freed, the largemouth came calmly into Shryock’s outstretched hand.

“I didn’t realize how big the fish actually was,” he said. “I saw her flash and the hole she went through was not very big. She was only in about a foot of water. There were rocks and the post and she was below the crossbeam and out. I feel like I kept my cool pretty well in that situation.

“If I had to do that 100 times over, I couldn’t do it again. When I caught that one, I thought we were only two bites away from winning this thing.”

From there, it was another grind of a day, as he filled his limit around noon and then upgraded with a 3-pounder just before 2 p.m. But he would fall just short of his first Elite Series title.

Benton took home an additional $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program while Florida’s John Cox earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.

As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, South Carolina’s Patrick Walters earned an additional $2,500 as the highest-placing entrant and Georgia pro Drew Cook claimed an additional $1,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant. 

With his final-day catch of 26-7, Benton also won the VMC Monster Bag of the Tournament award and earned a $2,000 bonus.

Matt Arey won $2,000 for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament with the 7-11 largemouth he caught on Day 3; however, South Carolina angler Brandon Cobb’s 8-12 at Lake Okeechobee is still leading the field for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Year honors. 

Along with his eighth-place performance, veteran pro Bernie Schultz of Florida won the $1,000 BassTrakk contingency award for the most accurate weight reporting.

With his Top 10 this week, Cobb took the lead in the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year race with 286 points. Tyler Rivet from Raceland, La., is second with 281 points, followed by Australia’s Carl Jocumsen with 275, Alabamian Kyle Welcher with 269 and Cook with 267.

Alabama pro Will Davis Jr. and Japanese standout Kyoya Fujita are tied for the Bassmaster Rookie of the Year lead with 231 points, followed by Alabama’s David Gaston with 206.

The Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board hosted the tournament.

2023 Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray 4/20-4/23
Lake Murray, Columbia  SC.

(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4    Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$ 1.  Drew Benton            Panama City, FL         20  87-00  104 $102,000.00
  Day 1: 5   23-00     Day 2: 5   23-09     Day 3: 5   14-00     Day 4: 5   26-07   
2.  Hunter Shryock         Ooltewah, TN            20  85-07  103  $36,000.00
  Day 1: 5   22-09     Day 2: 5   23-05     Day 3: 5   18-05     Day 4: 5   21-04   
3.  Kyoya Fujita           Minamitsuru, Yamanashi  20  83-14  102  $30,000.00
  Day 1: 5   22-06     Day 2: 5   22-06     Day 3: 5   20-12     Day 4: 5   18-06   
4.  Patrick Walters        Summerville, SC         20  83-09  101  $25,000.00
  Day 1: 5   22-11     Day 2: 5   20-09     Day 3: 5   19-04     Day 4: 5   21-01   
5.  John Cox               DeBary, FL              20  81-13  100  $20,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-13     Day 2: 5   21-02     Day 3: 5   21-09     Day 4: 5   20-05   
6.  Brandon Cobb           Greenwood, SC           20  81-13   99  $20,000.00
  Day 1: 5   20-09     Day 2: 5   20-07     Day 3: 5   19-11     Day 4: 5   21-02   
7.  Drew Cook              Cairo, GA               20  81-07   98  $18,000.00
  Day 1: 5   19-05     Day 2: 5   15-13     Day 3: 5   26-01     Day 4: 5   20-04   
8.  Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL         20  80-09   97  $18,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-10     Day 2: 5   16-00     Day 3: 5   26-01     Day 4: 5   19-14   
9.  Jason Williamson       Aiken, SC               20  80-01   96  $16,000.00
  Day 1: 5   19-06     Day 2: 5   24-04     Day 3: 5   17-01     Day 4: 5   19-06   
10. Kenta Kimura           Osaka JAPAN             20  78-10   95  $15,000.00
  Day 1: 5   15-03     Day 2: 5   24-09     Day 3: 5   21-12     Day 4: 5   17-02   
———————————————————————– PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS 
Day
 1   Matt Robertson           Kuttawa, KY         06-14      $1,000.00
 2   Brandon Card             Salisbury, NC       06-14      $1,000.00
 3   Matt Arey                Shelby, NC          07-11      $1,000.00
 4   Hunter Shryock           Ooltewah, TN        06-14      $1,000.00 ———————————————————————–
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
     Matt Arey                Shelby, NC          07-11      $2,000.00
VMC MONSTER BAG
     Drew Benton              Panama City, FL     26-07      $2,000.00 ———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
 1        97       506      1710-05
 2       100       507      1679-02
 3        48       248       882-04
 4        10        50       205-03
———————————-
         255      1311      4476-14

Satterfield Smashes Them on Wright Patman

Satterfield Smashes Them on Wright Patman
Texarkana angler Ryan Satterfield wins first career NPFL tournament on home water.
Ryan Satterfield


With a three-day total of 50 pounds, 4 ounces, local angler Ryan Satterfield caught 18 pounds, 9 ounces on the final day to take his first career NPFL victory, on his home body of water. Focusing on bass up the river on Wright Patman, he started off the event on day one with a 16-pound, 2-ounces, and followed it up with a 15-pound, 9-ounces on day two.


After a tough practice, Satterfield stuck to his guns on the first two days patiently waiting for the bigger fish to arrive. Today, he arrived to find that the bigger females were pushing back in to spawn and he capitalized with his biggest bag of the week.


“The water came up faster in the river than it did the lake,” said Satterfield. “That higher water allowed me to capitalize on the bigger fish moving back in to spawn.”


Growing up on Wright Patman, Satterfield knows the lake and knew coming in he wanted to get away from the crowd. Throughout practice, he got enough bites on a frog to make it an easy decision to fish how he is most comfortable.


“I had two stretched of bank and I was focusing on the root systems of certain types of bushes,” he added. “I was afraid it would be off, but there was enough bass to keep me in it. On the final day, I really thought I would get up there and catch a limit of males, but to my surprise, the females moved in and it was a fun day; frog fishing is my favorite way to catch them, and I kept my mind right and went to work.”
Winning angler Barron Adams has been disqualified from the event for failure to produce a valid fishing license for the State of Texas.


“It makes me sick for him,” said Satterfield. “Barron had a great week out here; I don’t wish what happened to anybody. We all work so hard out here that it just makes me sick for him.”


Bait WrX Key Baits Satterfield fished his popping frog on a Brad’s Custom Rods 7’3” extra-heavy rod with a Shimano reel spooled with a 60-pound braid. For a follow-up for fish that miss the bait, he would flip a Texas-rigged Strike King Rage Bug in black/blue color, and a ¼-ounce Jig Shack flipping weight.
Brad Staley


Making a big move on day three, Brad Staley caught 19 pounds, 8 ounces to move into the second-place spot at Wright Patman. Combined with his day one weight of 18 pounds, 5 ounces, and day two bag of 12 pounds, 2 ounces, he worked a finesse pattern on isolated root balls to catch a three-day total weight of 49 pounds, 15 ounces.


“It’s no secret I was fishing a Senko this week, wacky rig, and fishing anything that looked good,” said Staley. “While I did catch fish on a bunch of stuff, the key to getting some of those bigger bites was finding the bigger root systems of the bigger bushes.”


Staley had a tough go on day three until beyond the mid-day point with only one keeper to show at 1 pm. After a decision to back to one of his starting places, his luck quickly changed.
“By 1:20 pm I had four fish, and then culled a few times,” he added. “I skipped up next to a tree and caught the big female, and the next cast caught the male.”


The key to his program this week was finding clean water. With the water falling early and rising with mud coming down from the river, clean water was tough to find.


“I was running out of places to fish because the mud was getting everywhere. I was worried about catching a few fish and getting a check, so finishing in the top five is awesome.
BaitWrX Key Baits
taley kept a wacky rigged Daves Salty Slinky stick bait in green pumpkin color in his hand all week and fished it with a VMC Neko Rig Hook. His rod of choice was a Cashion 7-foot medium-heavy rod and he fished a 10-pound braid and a 12-pound fluorocarbon leader on a Lew’s Hypermag Spinning Reel.


Timmy Reams
The day one leader Timmy Reams followed his 22-pounds, 3-ounce opening bag with 11 pounds, 15 ounces on two, and 14 pounds, 2 ounces on day three. His total weight of 48 pounds, 4 ounces was enough to finish in the third-place spot this week and another solid finish to start the season.
“It got tough on me as the event went on,” said Reams. “My big fish area got super dirty from the rain and I just never could catch a big fish after that; you have to have a big bite or two to win in Texas.”
Reams was fishing a one-two punch rotating between a couple of different spinnerbaits depending on water clarity, and a swim jig. He opted for a double willow when it was cleaner, and a double Colorado when the water was muddy.


“Although it didn’t work out for me, I had figured out in practice I could get bigger bites fishing as far back into the bushes as possible – super shallow, while most guys were fishing the edges,” he added. “I am looking forward to Santee Cooper and I am thinking it will be a bit tougher than most people think.”


Keith Carson
With 16-pounds, 5 ounces on day one, 13 pounds, 9 ounces on day two, and a final day weight of 16-pounds, 15 ounces, 2021 Wright Patman champion Keith Carson finished the event in the fourth-place spot with a total weight of 46 pounds, 13 ounces.


Carson took the victory two years ago by focusing on shallow fish staging in the flooding bushes. This goes around, with the water lower, he was still able to flip bushes on days one and two, but a last-second decision this morning kept him in the top five for the event.
“We had a cold night last night, a front came through,” said Carson. “I got here this morning and said I am going to go crank rock, and that’s what I did.”


The Florida angler started strong on his first stop but was plagued with small fish. As he was about to abandon the crankbait, he decided last second to go and fish the main point once more.
“I got to that point and caught a keeper. On my next cast, I caught another decent fish, followed by losing two of the bigger bites I had all day, and then it shut off.”


Carson ran different water several times and would return to his rocky point and pick up a solid fish each trip back. He threw his Berkley Frittside 5 Crankbait on an Abu Garcia Pro Series Crankbait rod, and his flipping bait of choice was a Berkley Creature Hawg, fish on a 7’ 6” Abu Garcia Fantasista X rod.
“I did the best I could with two days of practice,” he added. “I wouldn’t say I didn’t win because of missing one day, but like everyone, I lost some quality fish this week.”

TOURNAMENT UPDATE: WINNING ANGLER DISQUALIFIED

NPFL Angler Barron Adams is Disqualified from Wright Patman Due to Rules Infraction.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Winning angler Barron Adams has his tournament weight disqualified for failing to produce a valid fishing license for the tournament waters.

TEXARKANA, TX (Apr 23, 2022) — The National Professional Fishing League (NPFL) announces that Wright Patman winning angler Barron Adams has had his weight over three days deemed ineligible for the tournament due to failure to produce a valid fishing license for the State of Texas.

“During the post tournament verification process, it was discovered that Barron Adams had competed in the event without valid fishing license,” said Brad Fuller of the NPFL. “In reference to NPFL Official Rules section 3 (referenced below), this resulted in his disqualification for the event.”

3. PAYBACK & PARTICIPATION – Payback is based on the full field of up to 130 anglers. Participation is open only to members of THE NATIONAL PFL. Any person’s participation in any tournament is at the sole discretion of THE NATIONAL PFL officials. All pros must have a valid fishing license for the waters they fish. Failure to provide proof of a valid fishing license within a reasonable amount of time when requested by the tournament director will result in disqualification for that day and any preceding days in which the license was required for the tournament.

“The League is confident that this was an inadvertent and unintentional rules violation on Barron’s behalf, and this is in no way a reflection of his integrity as an angler,” added Fuller. “Barron is a great person and a phenomenal angler, and we are proud to have him as a competitor in the National Professional Fishing League.”

About the National Professional Fishing League

The NPFL was designed to bring simplicity back to professional bass fishing – one lake, the full field fishing all three days, and the heaviest combined three-day weight winning. The goal of the NPFL is to put the anglers first and build a trail that gets back to what the founders of bass fishing intended it to be.

Montevallo’s Willoughby and Pfundt leverage current for Bassmaster College Series win at James River

James Willoughby and Jacob Pfundt from the University of Montevallo have won the Strike King Bassmaster College Series at James River presented by Bass Pro Shops with a two-day total of 40 pounds, 9 ounces. 

Photo by Grant Moxley/B.A.S.S.

April 22, 2023

Montevallo’s Willoughby and Pfundt leverage current for Bassmaster College Series win at James River

RICHMOND, Va. — James Willoughby and Jacob Pfundt of the University of Montevallo got the right breaks, literally and figuratively, to win the Strike King Bassmaster College Series at James River presented by Bass Pro Shops with a two-day total of 40 pounds, 9 ounces.

After placing eighth on Day 1 with 17-1, the winners added 23-8 and finished 2 1/4 pounds ahead of Day 1 leaders Jake Monti and Samuel Dunson of UNC Charlotte, who set the high mark with their opening-round limit of 24-5.

For their efforts, Willoughby and Pfundt each won $1,825. The top 19 teams qualified for the Bassmaster College Series National Championship. Dates and location for that event will be announced later.

“It’s been a long time coming; it’s my senior year and his too,” said Willoughby, a past member of the Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors. “Pretty late in the day, it became obvious something special was happening.”

Key areas

Willoughby said he and Pfundt spent their day within 10 miles of the take-off site at Osborne Landing. They started their day in The Pits — manmade shoreline indentions created mostly to accommodate barges.

“We were targeting spawning fish with drop shots,” Pfundt said. “We caught some of our fish on Day 1 this way, but we didn’t catch any (in the final round).”

Once they pulled the plug on their early strategy, Willoughby and Pfundt spent the rest of their day focusing on current breaks.

“We practiced in the Chickahominy River (a major James River tributary with vast habitat), but we didn’t want to burn time making that 60 to 70-mile run,” Willoughby said. “The weather had a lot to do with our decision. It was blowing 20 knots with gusts of 30.”

Water movement

Virginia’s longest river, the 340-mile James empties into the Chesapeake Bay, so daily tides influence even the purely freshwater reaches where the tournament was held. The winners used these tidal dynamics to their benefit.

“We knew that some of our upriver stuff would be better when the tide was falling, which kind of set up well for this tournament because it pretty much fell all day,” Willoughby said. “We started on The Pits to let the tide get rolling, because it was pretty much dead high when we started this morning.

“We killed 45 minutes and even though it didn’t pan out, it was worth going to see because you never know.”

Once the water started moving, Willoughby and Pfundt used the falling tide’s influence to their advantage by staking out logical ambush feeding spots.

“We fished pretty much any current break in the river,” Willoughby said. “We fished a lot of the industrial (structures); the big concrete and steel things. We also fished laydowns. It didn’t matter what it was; just something to break current.”

With the afternoon tide switch occurring after their check-in time, the winners fished only the outgoing cycle. Falling water typically bodes well for bass anglers, as these opportunistic predators take advantage of the food-delivery dynamics.

“I personally prefer the outgoing tide because it positions them more predictably on cover,” Willoughby said.

Best baits

Willoughby and Pfundt caught their bass on a mix of Megabass Magdraft swimbaits, Megabass Vision OneTen jerkbaits and a glidebait.

“They probably would have bitten any color, but we used brighter colors due to the water clarity,” Willoughby said.

As Pfundt noted, persistence was essential.

“There’s not a lot of real current breaks, so it was important to make repetitive casts to the same target,” he said. “We had two or three current breaks where we felt comfortable fishing (multiple times).”

Pfundt said he and his partner experienced a fast final-round start that contrasted Day 1.

“Yesterday, it was really tough in the morning, but today we had 15 pounds by 8 o’clock,” he said. “Then we had a slower period where we caught some fish but weren’t able to cull.

“Toward the end of the day, from 12:30 to 1:30, we had a spurt and culled twice. At that point, we both had a meant-to-be kinda feeling.”

Second and third

Finishing second, Monti and Dunson experienced a tougher day and weighed a 14-pound Day 2 limit. Their tournament total was 38-5.

Monti said they started their day downriver about 2 miles above the Chickahominy and caught a limit of 12 pounds, which included 4-pounder. Flipping Texas-rigged 5-inch Bizz Baits Sassy Sticks in junebug with a 1/4-ounce Queen Tackle weight accounted for most of their weight. A chartreuse/black back balsa squarebill produced their kicker.

After securing their limit, Monti and Dunson came back upriver and focused on bedding bass in backwaters. They upgraded with a 3-pounder that ate a Bizz Baits Cutter Craw on a Queen Tackle Hammer Shake (rattling shaky head).

“Downsizing tackle was key,” Monti said. “On Days 1 and 2, we had key fish on wacky-rigged Sassy Sticks on spinning tackle. Whenever the bite would get tough on the Texas rig, we’d switch to the wacky rig.

Sam Hanggi and Sam Hoesley of Auburn University finished third with 36-9. Placing second on Day 1 with 22-4, Hanggi and Hoesley caught a final-round limit of 14-5.

Fishing mostly from the take-off area and a few miles south, Hanggi and Hoesley targeted spawning fish around rock and wood. They caught their bass on Megabass Magdraft swimbaits and Rapala DT 6 crankbaits.

Carson Palmer and Dylan May of Carson-Newman University won Big Bass honors with the 8-1 largemouth they caught on Day 1. Palmer and May placed 18th with 27-14.

Visit Richmond and Henrico County, Va., hosted the event.

2023 Strike King Bassmaster College Series at James River presented by Bass Pro Shops 4/21-4/22
James River, Richmond  VA.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2

    Angler                                       Club/School                       Pts

1.  James Willoughby – Jacob Pfundt              University of Montevallo            250
  Day 1: 5   17-01     Day 2: 5   23-08   Total:  10  40-09
2.  Jake Monti – Samuel Dunson                   UNC Charlotte                       249
  Day 1: 5   24-05     Day 2: 5   14-00   Total:  10  38-05
3.  Sam Hanggi – Sam Hoesley                     Auburn University                   248
  Day 1: 5   22-04     Day 2: 5   14-05   Total:  10  36-09
4.  Trevor Easter – Clayton Easter               Tarleton State University           247
  Day 1: 5   15-10     Day 2: 5   20-08   Total:  10  36-02
5.  Easton Fothergill – Nick Dumke               University of Montevallo            246
  Day 1: 5   16-10     Day 2: 5   18-10   Total:  10  35-04
6.  Caleb Barrow – Corey Yaden                   Brewton-Parker College              245
  Day 1: 5   17-11     Day 2: 5   16-08   Total:  10  34-03
7.  Garrett Walters – Reese Walters              University of Alabama               244
  Day 1: 5   18-02     Day 2: 5   14-10   Total:  10  32-12
8.  Hayden Marbut – Tucker Smith                 Auburn University                   243
  Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 5   19-06   Total:  10  32-10
9.  Blake Bullock – John Mark Berry              Blue Mountain College               242
  Day 1: 5   12-01     Day 2: 5   18-04   Total:  10  30-05
10. Drake Sturgill – Beau Browning               University of Montevallo            241
  Day 1: 5   14-14     Day 2: 5   15-06   Total:  10  30-04
11. Clay Oberman – Ryan Lachniet                 Campbellsville University           240
  Day 1: 5   15-11     Day 2: 5   14-06   Total:  10  30-01
12. Eric Wawrzyniak – Dylan Crystaloski          Penn State University               239
  Day 1: 5   08-15     Day 2: 5   20-15   Total:  10  29-14
13. Brady Duncan – Stevie Mills                  Carson-Newman University            238
  Day 1: 5   13-00     Day 2: 5   16-07   Total:  10  29-07
14. Evan Sutton – Grant Olsen                    McKendree University                237
  Day 1: 5   10-14     Day 2: 5   18-08   Total:  10  29-06
15. Peyton Harris – Dalton Head                  University of Montevallo            236
  Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 5   15-07   Total:  10  29-06
16. Cal Culpepper – Ryan Thomas                  University of Montevallo            235
  Day 1: 5   15-03     Day 2: 5   13-01   Total:  10  28-04
17. Kyle Workman – Evan Barker                   Campbellsville University           234
  Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 5   14-11   Total:  10  27-15
18. Carson Palmer – Dylan May                    Carson-Newman University            233
  Day 1: 5   18-00     Day 2: 5   09-14   Total:  10  27-14
19. Brody Robison – Jack Alexander               University of Montevallo            232
  Day 1: 5   17-15     Day 2: 5   09-10   Total:  10  27-09
20. Tyler Cory – Scott Sledge                    University of Montevallo            231
  Day 1: 5   15-09     Day 2: 5   11-15   Total:  10  27-08
21. Aaron Jagdfeld – Elliot Wielgopolski         Adrian College                      230
  Day 1: 5   11-10     Day 2: 5   15-10   Total:  10  27-04
22. Nate Triplett – Cy Lambert                   University of North Alabama         229
  Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   14-11   Total:  10  27-04
23. Hayden Pirman – Luke Chaddock                West Virginia University            228
  Day 1: 5   13-11     Day 2: 5   13-05   Total:  10  27-00
24. Morgan Miracle – Jake Thornbury              Campbellsville University           227
  Day 1: 5   14-06     Day 2: 5   12-09   Total:  10  26-15
25. Jacob Butts – Mark Kershaw-Klara             USC Union                           226
  Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   13-10   Total:  10  26-15
26. Ben Brockwell – Justice Gayhart              Kentucky Christian University       225
  Day 1: 5   10-03     Day 2: 5   16-09   Total:  10  26-12
27. Landon Surrett – Hampton Shull               Lander University                   224
  Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   13-07   Total:  10  26-12
28. Colby Carrier – Justin Frey                  Bethel University                   223
  Day 1: 5   15-03     Day 2: 5   11-08   Total:  10  26-11
29. Ryan Park – Sam Niemeyer                     Murray State University             222
  Day 1: 5   11-05     Day 2: 5   15-05   Total:  10  26-10
30. Matthew Benson – Spencer Bargfrede           Emmanuel College                    221
  Day 1: 5   13-06     Day 2: 5   13-02   Total:  10  26-08
31. Kaden Proffitt – Cason Ragsdale              East Texas Baptist University       220
  Day 1: 5   12-04     Day 2: 5   14-02   Total:  10  26-06
32. Hunter Fillmore – Dylan Fogarty              Bethel University                   219
  Day 1: 5   15-00     Day 2: 4   11-03   Total:   9  26-03
33. Carson Kamien – Tyson Verkaik                University of Florida               218
  Day 1: 5   15-14     Day 2: 5   10-01   Total:  10  25-15
34. Colton White – Brooks Parker                 University of Montevallo            217
  Day 1: 5   11-02     Day 2: 5   14-12   Total:  10  25-14
35. Charles Baird – Lee Lambrecht                Drury University                    216
  Day 1: 5   11-05     Day 2: 5   14-06   Total:  10  25-11
36. Brycen Williamson – Trevor Gorman            Erskine College                     215
  Day 1: 5   11-12     Day 2: 5   13-15   Total:  10  25-11
37. Laindree Richardson – Carter Smith           Wabash Valley College               214
  Day 1: 5   09-10     Day 2: 5   15-15   Total:  10  25-09
38. Connor Hicks – Chad Sentell                  University of Tennessee             213
  Day 1: 5   14-11     Day 2: 5   10-12   Total:  10  25-07
39. Justin Botts – Tim Herrmann                  Bryan College                       212
  Day 1: 5   15-03     Day 2: 5   10-03   Total:  10  25-06
40. Jackson Paden – Joey Bissing                 University of Tennessee             211
  Day 1: 5   18-01     Day 2: 4   06-12   Total:   9  24-13
41. Connor Jacob – Sam Smith                     Auburn University                   210
  Day 1: 5   09-09     Day 2: 5   14-14   Total:  10  24-07
42. Brock Bila – Dylan Chambers                  Drury University                    209
  Day 1: 5   09-04     Day 2: 5   15-01   Total:  10  24-05
43. Christian Turner – John Gray                 Coastal Carolina University         208
  Day 1: 5   11-15     Day 2: 5   12-06   Total:  10  24-05
44. Cole Moulton – Riley Hendricks               Lander University                   207
  Day 1: 5   16-07     Day 2: 5   07-08   Total:  10  23-15
45. Evan Thomas – Holden Zinda                   Liberty University                  206
  Day 1: 5   16-01     Day 2: 3   07-13   Total:   8  23-14
46. Hunter Keller – Grant Harris                 Catawba Valley Community College    205
  Day 1: 5   10-06     Day 2: 5   13-08   Total:  10  23-14
47. Garrett Thompson – Ethan Perry               West Virginia University            204
  Day 1: 5   12-14     Day 2: 5   11-00   Total:  10  23-14
48. Tucker Dottley – Jordan Hampton              Bethel University                   203
  Day 1: 5   15-03     Day 2: 5   08-07   Total:  10  23-10
49. Kaden Buchmann – Jared Hubbard               Lander University                   202
  Day 1: 5   12-11     Day 2: 5   10-15   Total:  10  23-10
50. Caleb Bridges – Matthew Dopp                 Bryan College                       201
  Day 1: 5   14-02     Day 2: 5   09-07   Total:  10  23-09
51. Brody Luckey – Tommy Steffen                 Liberty University                  200
  Day 1: 5   12-06     Day 2: 5   11-03   Total:  10  23-09
52. Aric Szambelan – Tyler Flacke                Missouri State University           199
  Day 1: 5   11-04     Day 2: 5   12-04   Total:  10  23-08
53. Max Heaton – Brooks Anderson                 Emmanuel College                    198
  Day 1: 5   10-12     Day 2: 5   12-10   Total:  10  23-06
54. Seth Slanker – Jackson Swisher               Florida Gateway College             197
  Day 1: 5   11-03     Day 2: 5   12-03   Total:  10  23-06
55. Nathan Reynolds – Banks Shaw                 University of North Alabama         196
  Day 1: 5   12-02     Day 2: 5   11-01   Total:  10  23-03
56. Taylor McMullen –                            Emmanuel College                    195
  Day 1: 5   09-12     Day 2: 5   13-03   Total:  10  22-15
57. Harmon Marien – Jack Stephens                McKendree University                194
  Day 1: 5   12-11     Day 2: 5   09-15   Total:  10  22-10
58. Jonathan Hanna – Tallis Morrison             Erskine College                     193
  Day 1: 5   10-10     Day 2: 5   12-00   Total:  10  22-10
59. Tyler Altizer – Dylan Thomson                King University                     192
  Day 1: 5   09-14     Day 2: 5   12-10   Total:  10  22-08
60. Trey Dickert III – Andrew Thompson           University of Montevallo            191
  Day 1: 5   11-03     Day 2: 5   11-03   Total:  10  22-06
61. Hunter Starling – William Vickery            Georgia Southern University         190
  Day 1: 5   11-05     Day 2: 5   11-00   Total:  10  22-05
62. Matthew Zdrazil – Easton Lindus              Emmanuel College                    189
  Day 1: 5   09-11     Day 2: 5   12-09   Total:  10  22-04
63. Hayden Scott – Jerry Brumbaugh Jr.           Adrian College                      188
  Day 1: 5   11-13     Day 2: 5   10-04   Total:  10  22-01
64. Brennan Berglund – Blair Erickson            University of Montevallo            187
  Day 1: 5   11-13     Day 2: 5   10-02   Total:  10  21-15
65. Carter Ball – Austin Tapley                  Adrian College                      186
  Day 1: 5   08-15     Day 2: 5   12-15   Total:  10  21-14
66. Kayden Tanner –                              Tarleton State University           185
  Day 1: 3   07-00     Day 2: 5   14-13   Total:   8  21-13
67. Andrew Ready – Harley Collins                Webber International University     184
  Day 1: 5   12-15     Day 2: 5   08-14   Total:  10  21-13
68. Adrian Urso – Corbin Templon                 Murray State University             183
  Day 1: 5   10-06     Day 2: 5   11-07   Total:  10  21-13
69. Wyatt Pearman – Dustin Bauer                 Campbellsville University           182
  Day 1: 5   10-07     Day 2: 5   11-06   Total:  10  21-13
70. Kyle Zainitzer – Avery Whitwell              University of North Alabama         181
  Day 1: 5   11-06     Day 2: 5   10-05   Total:  10  21-11
71. Dustin Weinberg – Sawyer Brady               Blue Mountain Christian Universi    180
  Day 1: 5   10-00     Day 2: 5   11-10   Total:  10  21-10
72. Cody Domingos – Luka Strepacki               University of Tennessee             179
  Day 1: 5   13-08     Day 2: 5   08-01   Total:  10  21-09
73. Matthew Dettling – Austin Wadzinski          University of Tennessee             178
  Day 1: 5   11-04     Day 2: 5   10-04   Total:  10  21-08
74. Seth Elkins – Dale Hansard                   Jacksonville State University       177
  Day 1: 5   10-04     Day 2: 5   11-04   Total:  10  21-08
75. Chase Carey – Dylan Akins                    Emmanuel College                    176
  Day 1: 5   10-08     Day 2: 5   11-00   Total:  10  21-08
76. Bryson O’steen – Ty Jackson                  Florida Gateway College             175
  Day 1: 5   12-12     Day 2: 5   08-11   Total:  10  21-07
77. Colten Drawdy – Hunter Shelton               Bethel University                   174
  Day 1: 5   12-15     Day 2: 5   08-07   Total:  10  21-06
78. Levi Mullins – Matthew Cummings              Bethel University                   173
  Day 1: 5   09-05     Day 2: 5   12-01   Total:  10  21-06
79. Owen Wheeler – Tyler Dubois                  Bethel University                   172
  Day 1: 5   11-06     Day 2: 5   10-00   Total:  10  21-06
80. Brycen Hendriks – Keaton Granja              UNC Charlotte                       171
  Day 1: 5   10-09     Day 2: 5   10-13   Total:  10  21-06
81. Colton Hill – Tomas Matual                   McKendree University                170
  Day 1: 5   11-00     Day 2: 5   10-05   Total:  10  21-05
82. Rees Williams – Walker Sahagun               University of North Alabama         169
  Day 1: 5   08-01     Day 2: 5   13-02   Total:  10  21-03
83. Parker Lambert – Aaron Shumaker              Lander University                   168
  Day 1: 5   12-00     Day 2: 5   09-03   Total:  10  21-03
84. Trey Schroeder – Lane Stephens               McKendree University                167
  Day 1: 5   10-07     Day 2: 5   10-11   Total:  10  21-02
85. Russel Buffa – Dalton Mollenkopf             Adrian College                      166
  Day 1: 5   09-01     Day 2: 5   11-14   Total:  10  20-15
86. Jordan Pennington – Andrew Oswalt            University of Montevallo            165
  Day 1: 5   11-03     Day 2: 5   09-12   Total:  10  20-15
87. Zach McNary – Mason Phillpotts               Grand Valley State University       164
  Day 1: 5   10-11     Day 2: 5   10-03   Total:  10  20-14
88. Hunter Palmer – Eli Stevenson                Bryan College                       163
  Day 1: 5   10-08     Day 2: 5   10-06   Total:  10  20-14
89. TJ Davis –                                   Webber International University     162
  Day 1: 5   08-10     Day 2: 5   12-00   Total:  10  20-10
90. Derek Rodriguez Jr. – Mathias Dahline        Adrian College                      161
  Day 1: 5   10-14     Day 2: 5   09-08   Total:  10  20-06
91. Trent Buchholz – Dakota Posey                Lamar State College Orange          160
  Day 1: 5   12-03     Day 2: 5   08-02   Total:  10  20-05
92. Chase Hubble – Brent May                     University of Florida               159
  Day 1: 5   09-05     Day 2: 5   10-13   Total:  10  20-02
93. Connor Lacy – Levi Kohl                      Murray State University             158
  Day 1: 5   12-04     Day 2: 5   07-11   Total:  10  19-15
94. Kaleb Brown –                                Lander University                   157
  Day 1: 5   11-08     Day 2: 5   08-06   Total:  10  19-14
95. Brayden Batchelor – Alex Belin               Georgia Southern University         156
  Day 1: 5   11-05     Day 2: 2   08-08   Total:   7  19-13
96. Kyle Knoll – Luke Morgan                     Southern Union State Community C    155
  Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 3   05-04   Total:   8  19-11
97. Trey Ernest – Kade MacDonald                 University of Wisconsin-Whitewat    154
  Day 1: 5   09-14     Day 2: 5   09-12   Total:  10  19-10
98. Hunter Townsend – Jonathan Wehner Jr         James Madison University            153
  Day 1: 5   12-05     Day 2: 4   07-04   Total:   9  19-09
99. Fischer Barber – Tucker Jordan               Troy University                     152
  Day 1: 5   07-06     Day 2: 5   12-03   Total:  10  19-09
100. Cy Casey – Tanner Hadden                     Emmanuel College                    151
  Day 1: 5   08-15     Day 2: 5   10-10   Total:  10  19-09
101. Giancarlo Russo – Remington Potter           Florida Gateway College             150
  Day 1: 5   11-02     Day 2: 4   08-06   Total:   9  19-08
102. Chris Baker – Elijah Kelley                  Kentucky Christian University       149
  Day 1: 5   09-04     Day 2: 5   10-04   Total:  10  19-08
103. Brantley Anders – Cameron Dials              Kentucky Christian University       148
  Day 1: 5   08-08     Day 2: 5   10-14   Total:  10  19-06
104. David Ackerman V – Mackenzie Sanders         Erskine College                     147
  Day 1: 5   10-11     Day 2: 5   08-09   Total:  10  19-04
105. Sawyer McCullough – Hunter Bettner           Troy University                     146
  Day 1: 5   09-11     Day 2: 5   09-06   Total:  10  19-01
106. Jacob Highley – Will Rooker                  Kentucky Christian University       145
  Day 1: 5   11-06     Day 2: 5   07-08   Total:  10  18-14
107. Lane Clark – Adam Seagle                     Erskine College                     144
  Day 1: 5   12-13     Day 2: 5   06-00   Total:  10  18-13
108. Cooper McLemore – Carson Dyer                Georgia College                     143
  Day 1: 4   06-09     Day 2: 4   12-04   Total:   8  18-13
109. Reece Keeney –                               Kentucky Christian University       142
  Day 1: 4   07-13     Day 2: 5   10-15   Total:   9  18-12
110. William Travis – Victor Alford               Bryan College                       141
  Day 1: 5   08-12     Day 2: 5   09-14   Total:  10  18-10
110. Hunter Waldrop – Reese Melven                University of South Carolina        141
  Day 1: 5   09-14     Day 2: 5   08-12   Total:  10  18-10
112. Ethan Chase – Luke Fletcher                  Eastern Kentucky University         139
  Day 1: 5   10-10     Day 2: 5   07-15   Total:  10  18-09
113. Gus McLarry – Jared West                     Texas A & M Commerce                138
  Day 1: 5   09-08     Day 2: 5   09-01   Total:  10  18-09
114. Seth Jenkins – TJ McKenzie                   Emmanuel College                    137
  Day 1: 5   09-06     Day 2: 5   09-02   Total:  10  18-08
115. Max Pierlott – Mike Pierlott                 UNC Charlotte                       136
  Day 1: 5   09-03     Day 2: 5   09-03   Total:  10  18-06
116. Hayden Mare –                                High Point University               135
  Day 1: 5   10-04     Day 2: 5   07-15   Total:  10  18-03
117. Michael Zawicki – Carson Tucker              University of Wisconsin-Whitewat    134
  Day 1: 5   10-01     Day 2: 5   08-01   Total:  10  18-02
118. Andrew Vereen – Connor Cartmell              Coastal Carolina University         133
  Day 1: 5   08-07     Day 2: 5   09-11   Total:  10  18-02
119. Brock Blazier – Benjamin Blank               Wabash Valley College               132
  Day 1: 5   15-00     Day 2: 2   03-01   Total:   7  18-01
120. Brendan Vinton – Dalton Eury                 Catawba Valley Community College    131
  Day 1: 5   08-04     Day 2: 5   09-12   Total:  10  18-00
121. Brett Jolley Jr. – Cade Nettles              East Texas Baptist University       130
  Day 1: 5   10-08     Day 2: 4   07-06   Total:   9  17-14
122. Spencer Brister – Roeh Burton                Lamar State College Orange          129
  Day 1: 5   07-07     Day 2: 4   10-05   Total:   9  17-12
123. Storm Cline – Robbie Linginfelter            Carson-Newman University            128
  Day 1: 5   09-00     Day 2: 5   08-12   Total:  10  17-12
124. Jeremy Dellinger – Garrett Smith             Lander University                   127
  Day 1: 5   09-09     Day 2: 5   08-02   Total:  10  17-11
125. Solomon Glenn – Briggs Alavezos              University of Montevallo            126
  Day 1: 5   06-15     Day 2: 5   10-10   Total:  10  17-09
126. Austin Parr – Hunter White                   Erskine College                     125
  Day 1: 5   09-04     Day 2: 5   08-05   Total:  10  17-09
127. Matt Short Jr – Pruitt Lansdale              Eastern Kentucky University         124
  Day 1: 5   09-11     Day 2: 5   07-10   Total:  10  17-05
128. Gunner Whitaker – Mitch Johnson              Kentucky Christian University       123
  Day 1: 5   09-10     Day 2: 5   07-10   Total:  10  17-04
129. Carson Calvert – Austin Thomas               University of North Alabama         122
  Day 1: 5   10-06     Day 2: 5   06-11   Total:  10  17-01
130. Tommy Dunaway – Seth Jones                   Florida Gateway College             121
  Day 1: 5   11-03     Day 2: 4   05-11   Total:   9  16-14
131. Caleb Dachenhaus – Sam Shoemaker             Adrian College                      120
  Day 1: 5   11-11     Day 2: 3   05-01   Total:   8  16-12
132. Hayden Gaddis – Ben Cully                    Carson-Newman University            119
  Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 3   03-06   Total:   8  16-11
133. Turner Hart – Summer Dees                    Bryan College                       118
  Day 1: 5   07-12     Day 2: 5   08-14   Total:  10  16-10
134. Riley Lawson – Dawson Burton                 Kentucky Christian University       117
  Day 1: 5   09-11     Day 2: 5   06-12   Total:  10  16-07
135. Caleb Jacob – Dillon Schmidt                 Illinois State University           116
  Day 1: 4   06-02     Day 2: 4   10-02   Total:   8  16-04
136. Cole Holloway – Brandon Martin               Emmanuel College                    115
  Day 1: 5   07-15     Day 2: 5   08-04   Total:  10  16-03
137. Drew Fromm – Jonah Potts                     Wabash Valley College               114
  Day 1: 5   09-10     Day 2: 2   06-04   Total:   7  15-14
138. Michael Witherup – Matt Boerboom             University of Montevallo            113
  Day 1: 4   06-04     Day 2: 5   09-09   Total:   9  15-13
139. Landon Howe – John Sells                     Georgia Southern University         112
  Day 1: 5   09-03     Day 2: 3   06-07   Total:   8  15-10
140. Jacob Autry – Will Niebrugge                 Murray State University             111
  Day 1: 5   06-12     Day 2: 5   08-12   Total:  10  15-08
141. Tyler Campbell – Parker Guy                  Emmanuel College                    110
  Day 1: 4   06-12     Day 2: 5   08-09   Total:   9  15-05
142. Grant Dohle – Alex Wood                      Missouri State University           109
  Day 1: 3   05-04     Day 2: 5   09-15   Total:   8  15-03
143. Hunter McClaskey – Landon Lawson             King University                     108
  Day 1: 5   09-12     Day 2: 2   05-07   Total:   7  15-03
144. Gabe Brown – Evan Eckstrom                   University of South Carolina        107
  Day 1: 5   07-00     Day 2: 5   08-01   Total:  10  15-01
145. Carson Aarup –                               UNC Charlotte                       106
  Day 1: 5   10-08     Day 2: 3   04-08   Total:   8  15-00
146. Logan Dillow – Oakley Powers                 King University                     105
  Day 1: 5   07-07     Day 2: 5   07-08   Total:  10  14-15
147. Luke Dardeen – Dalton Phelps                 Wabash Valley College               104
  Day 1: 5   08-07     Day 2: 4   06-06   Total:   9  14-13
148. Ridge Rutledge – Ryan Daugherty              Campbellsville University           103
  Day 1: 5   10-00     Day 2: 3   04-11   Total:   8  14-11
149. Dalton Coleman – Joe Bob Burchett            Kentucky Christian University       102
  Day 1: 5   07-11     Day 2: 5   06-11   Total:  10  14-06
150. Mason Gross – Braden Thompson                Wabash Valley College               101
  Day 1: 4   07-01     Day 2: 5   07-05   Total:   9  14-06
151. Logan East – Rob Lindsey                     Bryan College                       100
  Day 1: 5   07-03     Day 2: 4   07-00   Total:   9  14-03
152. Austin Smith – Jaden Purkey                  Carson-Newman University             99
  Day 1: 4   06-06     Day 2: 3   07-05   Total:   7  13-11
153. Cross Campbell – Ethan Thurston              East Texas Baptist University        98
  Day 1: 5   08-06     Day 2: 3   05-01   Total:   8  13-07
154. Hank Sturm – Mitch Straffon                  Adrian College                       97
  Day 1: 5   09-04     Day 2: 3   04-00   Total:   8  13-04
155. Stephen Botek – Anthony Riello               Penn State University                96
  Day 1: 3   07-08     Day 2: 3   05-07   Total:   6  12-15
156. Matt Brault – Dylan Mclaughlin               Erskine College                      95
  Day 1: 5   09-06     Day 2: 2   03-01   Total:   7  12-07
157. Zane Odomirok – Brandon Sales                Roane State Community College        94
  Day 1: 5   12-01     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   5  12-01
158. Matthew Kauffung – Nick Baumer               Ohio State University                93
  Day 1: 4   08-08     Day 2: 2   02-12   Total:   6  11-04
159. Lane Bailey – Justin Eggers                  Catawba Valley Community College     92
  Day 1: 3   03-12     Day 2: 5   07-08   Total:   8  11-04
160. Miller Kieran –                              James Madison University             91
  Day 1: 3   04-10     Day 2: 3   06-03   Total:   6  10-13
161. Brendon Brones – Ethan Tant                  Lamar State College Orange           90
  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 5   10-12   Total:   5  10-12
162. Will Gordon – Grant Meisenhelter             Murray State University              89
  Day 1: 5   10-04     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   5  10-04
162. Nick Pemberton – Will Holloway               University of Montevallo             89
  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 5   10-04   Total:   5  10-04
162. Nick Staub – Lake Norsworthy                 Blue Mountain College                89
  Day 1: 5   10-04     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   5  10-04
165. Teddy Peznola –                              University of Tennessee              86
  Day 1: 2   05-12     Day 2: 3   03-08   Total:   5  09-04
166. Wyatt Montle – Noah Lieberman                Missouri State University            85
  Day 1: 1   01-05     Day 2: 5   07-14   Total:   6  09-03
167. Colton Kentopp –                             UNC Charlotte                        84
  Day 1: 2   03-00     Day 2: 4   05-09   Total:   6  08-09
168. Nick Mallmann Conto – Nick Harenda           University of Wisconsin-Whitewat     83
  Day 1: 5   08-03     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   5  08-03
169. Troy Gibson –                                University of Louisville             82
  Day 1: 4   06-11     Day 2: 1   01-02   Total:   5  07-13
170. Braden Cox – Joel Berelsman                  Ohio State University                81
  Day 1: 5   07-11     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   5  07-11
170. Callaway Robinson – Tucker Pearson           Georgia College                      81
  Day 1: 5   07-11     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   5  07-11
172. Spencer Knight – Brandon Oakes               Ohio State University                79
  Day 1: 2   04-03     Day 2: 2   03-04   Total:   4  07-07
173. Doug Kelly – Robert Campbell                 Mississippi State University         78
  Day 1: 3   06-12     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   3  06-12
174. Cody Clifton –                               Missouri State University            77
  Day 1: 2   06-11     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   2  06-11
175. Zachary Bowen – Harrison Terry               Bethel University                    76
  Day 1: 3   05-08     Day 2: 1   00-14   Total:   4  06-06
176. Austin Paulus – Andrew Berger                Ohio State University                75
  Day 1: 4   06-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   4  06-00
177. Aidan Gordinier – Jonathan Craddock          Penn State University                74
  Day 1: 4   05-15     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   4  05-15
178. Jeremy Monda –                               Florida Gateway College              73
  Day 1: 3   05-10     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   3  05-10
179. Luke Iles –                                  Northwestern State University        72
  Day 1: 2   04-12     Day 2: 1   00-13   Total:   3  05-09
180. Archer Smith – Hunter Holguin                Murray State University              71
  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 3   05-06   Total:   3  05-06
181. Tanner Herndon –                             Bryan College                        70
  Day 1: 1   01-14     Day 2: 2   02-15   Total:   3  04-13
182. Will Mullin – Leo Romano                     James Madison University             69
  Day 1: 1   01-05     Day 2: 2   03-02   Total:   3  04-07
183. Jacob Panichi – William Serrano              St. Cloud State University           68
  Day 1: 2   02-01     Day 2: 2   02-03   Total:   4  04-04
184. Braiden Koerber – Cole Hadlock               Murray State University              67
  Day 1: 2   02-09     Day 2: 1   01-09   Total:   3  04-02
185. Conner Giles – Christian Wright              Bryan College                        66
  Day 1: 1   01-03     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   1  01-03
186. Tanner Brockman – Aidan Kolb                 Murray State University               0
  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
186. Jonathan Fraley – Jonathan Fitch             Kentucky Christian University         0
  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
186. Logan Hopper – Austin Owen                   Clemson University                    0
  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
186. Jacob Lauterbach – Jack Hammond              High Point University                 0
  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
186. Jacob – Maddy Phipps                         King University                       0
  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
186. Blake Milligan – Matthew Parrish             Auburn University                     0
  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
186. Colton Odom –                                Auburn University                     0
  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
186. Thomas Shockey – Jackson Davies              Penn State University                 0
  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
186. Cameron Smith – Thomas Phillips              Ohio State University                 0
  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
———————————————————————–
BIG BASS OF TOURN
     Carson Palmer            Richfield, NC       08-01          $0.00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
 1       152       846      1899-09
 2       133       779      1730-01
———————————-
         285      1625      3629-10

Trevis Towe Wins Stop #2 Bass Cast Tourney Trail on SML with 20.58lbs

We would like to thank the 36 teams that come out & fish stop #2 of the Bass Cast Tourney trail on Smith Mountain lake. With weather moving in & storms all around us this did not hurt the fishing at all. Over half the field weighed in fish with a lot of 15lb bags. But one angler found the winning bag Trevis Towe.

CLICK THE LINK TO SEE RESULTS

CLICK HERE TO SEE POINTS STANDINGS