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Fujita becomes third leader in three days at Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Murray

Brian Carter
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Fujita becomes third leader in three days at Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Murray

Kyoya Fujita of Minamitsuru, Japan, is leading after Day 3 of the Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray with a three-day total of 65 pounds, 8 ounces.  

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

April 22, 2023

Fujita becomes third leader in three days at Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Murray

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Kyoya Fujita has been a star in Japan for several years, winning four Angler of the Year titles in his home country. Now, the 27-year-old is starting to make a name for himself here in the United States.

Fujita caught 20 pounds, 12 ounces on Day 3 of the Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray — and with a three-day total of 65-8, he became the event’s third leader. He also guaranteed his second-straight Top 10 finish after a second-place showing at Lake Seminole in February.

After catching 22-6 each of the first two days, Fujita is now the only angler to top the 20-pound mark each day this week. Tennessee pro Hunter Shryock is in second with 64-3 and South Carolina’s Patrick Walters is third with 62-8.

While the rain and storms were not as heavy as expected, clouds and wind were more prominent Saturday morning than they were on Days 1 and 2. As Semifinal Saturday wore on, the clouds cleared and sunny skies prevailed. That led to a great day of bass fishing, as 48 of the 50 anglers competing caught limits.

With several different LiveScope transducers, Fujita has been picking out bass that are suspended in open water near a creek channel in 6 to 18 feet. He said he has been using one bait primarily, a Jackall RV DriftFry with a 1/8-ounce Keitech jighead.

“The LiveScope wasn’t showing me fish,” said Fujita, who added through an interpreter that he will not make a cast unless there is a fish on the screen. He said he is also seeing a lot of stripers swimming around his area. He can tell the difference between the two if they are sitting still, but if the fish is swimming he cannot tell which species he is seeing.

“I am still figuring out the difference,” he said.

Fujita was hampered by boat problems to start the morning and the fishing wasn’t stellar when he got to his first spot. Although he caught one over 5 pounds around 8:30 a.m., he was not seeing a lot of activity on his Garmin LiveScope and changed areas.

He then caught a 3-pounder shortly after 11 a.m. before catching three bass between 1 and 2:15 p.m., including another bass over 5 pounds. The area he fished Saturday afternoon was the same one that produced for him Friday.

The fishing is getting tougher, however, and he believes he may need to find a new area to fish for Championship Sunday.

“I’m not sure if I can catch them or not,” Fujita said. “Morning, (I will start) in the same area.”

With bags of 22-9 and 23-5 the first two days, Shryock caught his lightest bag of the tournament so far, adding 18-5 on Saturday to land in second for the second day in a row. He said he caught a quality bass about every hour to fill his limit by about 11 a.m.

“It was more consistent today than yesterday, but it was still a grind,” he said. “I feel like we had the same amount of big bites we have had the last two days, we just didn’t capitalize on two of them and that made all of the difference in my bag. I’m pretty sure I lost a 5 and a 6, but I had a lot of things go right this week to get us to this point.” 

Shryock thought the bigger bass would bite better with the wind blowing, but that did not happen. He caught more bass Saturday than he has any day this week, but some were barely keepers.

He said those big bass are likely still in the area, but he couldn’t see them as well with the ripple on the water.

“Conditions today really hurt what I was trying to do,” he said. “I could only do one thing at that point and once I realized it, I pushed it in the window they are biting and then it shut off. After that, I was just wasting my time.”

Shryock’s best area is a mile-long stretch of shoreline where he is seeing 3- or 4-inch baitfish, which he feels are blueback herring that are trying to spawn. His best times to catch bass there have been between 10 a.m. and noon.

“When I don’t see that, I’m not catching big fish,” he said. “But when I’m around them, I’m catching better quality.”

He used three different baits, including a Berkley Choppo and a finesse presentation.

Walters has caught bags of 22-11, 20-9 and 19-4. While he wasn’t able to catch a big bass Saturday, he feels his pattern is getting better as the tournament progresses.

“They are starting to eat now. In practice, I couldn’t get them to bite,” Walters said. “I caught 35 fish today. I didn’t get a big bite, but they are starting to bite. If I can find schools tomorrow that have big ones in them, 20 pounds shouldn’t be a problem.”

He has fished new water every day, including some of the spots he used to win a college national championship. Walters’ deck is littered with rods and he said he used about every one of them on Day 3. He is primarily fishing shallow for postspawn largemouth that are feeding on blueback herring.

When the bass weren’t actively schooling, he used a Carolina rig to generate bites.

“I want to go find the fish that are biting at the time. I keep running until I run into them,” Walters said.

Matt Arey from Shelby, N.C., caught a 7-11 largemouth on Day 3, earning him Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day honors and $1,000. That is also currently the Big Bass of the Tournament.

Bernie Schultz and Drew Cook both caught 26-1 on Day 3, which vaulted them into the Top 10 and into a tie for the VMC Monster Bag of the Tournament award.

Greenwood, S.C., pro Brandon Cobb leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 283 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 is fifth with 268.

Fujita leads the Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race with 233 points, followed by Alabama anglers Will Davis Jr. with 231 points and David Gaston with 206.

The Top 10 will launch from Dreher Island State Park beginning at 7 a.m. ET Sunday and return for the final weigh-in at 3 p.m. The winner will earn a $100,000 first-place prize. FS1 will broadcast live from 8 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. before live coverage transitions to Bassmaster.com.

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

2023 Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray 4/20-4/23
Lake Murray, Columbia  SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3

   Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Kyoya Fujita           Minamitsuru, Yamanashi  15  65-08  104
  Day 1: 5   22-06     Day 2: 5   22-06     Day 3: 5   20-12   
2.  Hunter Shryock         Ooltewah, TN            15  64-03  103
  Day 1: 5   22-09     Day 2: 5   23-05     Day 3: 5   18-05   
3.  Patrick Walters        Summerville, SC         15  62-08  102
  Day 1: 5   22-11     Day 2: 5   20-09     Day 3: 5   19-04   
4.  Kenta Kimura           Osaka JAPAN             15  61-08  101
  Day 1: 5   15-03     Day 2: 5   24-09     Day 3: 5   21-12   
5.  John Cox               DeBary, FL              15  61-08  100
  Day 1: 5   18-13     Day 2: 5   21-02     Day 3: 5   21-09   
6.  Drew Cook              Cairo, GA               15  61-03   99
  Day 1: 5   19-05     Day 2: 5   15-13     Day 3: 5   26-01   
7.  Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL         15  60-11   98
  Day 1: 5   18-10     Day 2: 5   16-00     Day 3: 5   26-01   
8.  Jason Williamson       Aiken, SC               15  60-11   97
  Day 1: 5   19-06     Day 2: 5   24-04     Day 3: 5   17-01   
9.  Brandon Cobb           Greenwood, SC           15  60-11   96
  Day 1: 5   20-09     Day 2: 5   20-07     Day 3: 5   19-11   
10. Drew Benton            Panama City, FL         15  60-09   95
  Day 1: 5   23-00     Day 2: 5   23-09     Day 3: 5   14-00   
11. Michael Iaconelli      Pittsgrove, NJ          15  59-03   94  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-06     Day 2: 5   20-02     Day 3: 5   20-11   
12. Bryant Smith           Roseville, CA           15  58-15   93  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   16-12     Day 2: 5   22-08     Day 3: 5   19-11   
13. Lee Livesay            Longview, TX            15  58-14   92  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   17-02     Day 2: 5   20-07     Day 3: 5   21-05   
14. Shane LeHew            Catawba, NC             15  58-13   91  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   20-05     Day 2: 5   15-05     Day 3: 5   23-03   
15. Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS        15  58-09   90  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   20-10     Day 2: 5   19-15     Day 3: 5   18-00   
16. Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA            15  58-00   89  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-04     Day 2: 5   18-10     Day 3: 5   21-02   
17. Austin Felix           Eden Prairie, MN        15  57-10   88  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   21-04     Day 2: 5   18-02     Day 3: 5   18-04   
18. Kyle Welcher           Opelika, AL             15  57-10   87  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-13     Day 2: 5   20-15     Day 3: 5   17-14   
19. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        15  55-15   86  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   22-00     Day 2: 5   14-12     Day 3: 5   19-03   
20. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL              15  55-09   85  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   17-10     Day 2: 5   18-05     Day 3: 5   19-10   
21. Masayuki Matsushita    Tokoname-Aichi JAPAN    15  55-08   84  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-14     Day 2: 5   15-10     Day 3: 5   21-00   
22. Cody Huff              Ava, MO                 15  55-07   83  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 5   16-01     Day 3: 5   20-14   
23. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland AUSTRALIA    15  55-04   82  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-00     Day 2: 5   19-07     Day 3: 5   17-13   
24. Seth Feider            New Market, MN          15  55-01   81  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   19-04     Day 2: 5   20-03     Day 3: 5   15-10   
25. Matt Arey              Shelby, NC              15  55-00   80  $11,000.00
  Day 1: 5   16-09     Day 2: 5   18-00     Day 3: 5   20-07   
26. Scott Martin           Clewiston, FL           15  55-00   79  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   16-13     Day 2: 5   19-04     Day 3: 5   18-15   
27. Brandon Card           Salisbury, NC           15  54-14   78  $11,000.00
  Day 1: 5   11-15     Day 2: 5   22-10     Day 3: 5   20-05   
28. Joseph Webster         Hamilton, AL            15  54-06   77  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   20-05     Day 2: 5   14-06     Day 3: 5   19-11   
29. Matt Robertson         Kuttawa, KY             15  54-05   76  $11,000.00
  Day 1: 5   25-08     Day 2: 5   14-15     Day 3: 5   13-14   
30. Tyler Rivet            Raceland, LA            15  54-04   75  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   20-05     Day 2: 5   17-08     Day 3: 5   16-07   
31. David Gaston           Sylacauga, AL           15  53-00   74  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-06     Day 2: 5   19-09     Day 3: 5   15-01   
32. Todd Auten             Lake Wylie, SC          15  53-00   73  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   19-05     Day 2: 5   17-08     Day 3: 5   16-03   
33. Bryan Schmitt          Deale, MD               15  52-14   72  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   16-14     Day 2: 5   19-04     Day 3: 5   16-12   
34. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN           15  52-11   71  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   19-13     Day 2: 5   16-03     Day 3: 5   16-11   
35. Jake Whitaker          Hendersonville, NC      14  52-06   70  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   20-00     Day 2: 5   21-04     Day 3: 4   11-02   
36. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, ID            15  52-05   69  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   19-13     Day 2: 5   16-07     Day 3: 5   16-01   
37. Derek Hudnall          Zachary, LA             15  52-03   68  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   20-07     Day 2: 5   15-10     Day 3: 5   16-02   
38. Stetson Blaylock       Benton, AR              15  51-15   67  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   19-00     Day 2: 5   16-06     Day 3: 5   16-09   
39. Jay Przekurat          Stevens Point, WI       15  51-14   66  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   17-15     Day 2: 5   16-04     Day 3: 5   17-11   
40. Matty Wong             Honolulu, HI            15  51-10   65  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   15-10     Day 2: 5   19-07     Day 3: 5   16-09   
41. Cory Johnston          Cavan CANADA            15  51-02   64  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   17-07     Day 2: 5   18-00     Day 3: 5   15-11   
42. Clark Wendlandt        Leander, TX             15  51-00   63  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-14     Day 2: 5   16-04     Day 3: 5   15-14   
43. Ray Hanselman Jr       Del Rio, TX             15  50-04   62  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-00     Day 2: 5   16-07     Day 3: 5   15-13   
44. Will Davis Jr          Sylacauga, AL           15  50-00   61  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   16-02     Day 2: 5   19-05     Day 3: 5   14-09   
45. Scott Canterbury       Odenville, AL           15  49-13   60  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   19-06     Day 2: 5   18-06     Day 3: 5   12-01   
46. Jonathan Kelley        Old Forge, PA           14  49-07   59  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 5   17-14     Day 3: 4   13-01   
47. Jacob Powroznik        North Prince George, VA 15  49-06   58  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   19-03     Day 2: 5   15-08     Day 3: 5   14-11   
48. Wes Logan              Springville, AL         15  47-10   57  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   17-07     Day 2: 5   18-11     Day 3: 5   11-08   
49. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ              15  46-15   56  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   20-05     Day 2: 5   15-14     Day 3: 5   10-12   
50. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL             15  46-01   55  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   19-10     Day 2: 5   15-07     Day 3: 5   11-00   
———————————————————————–

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

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
 1        97       506      1710-05
 2       100       507      1679-02
 3        48       248       882-04
———————————-
         245      1261      4271-11

Phoenix’s Conrad Demecs Wins MLF Toyota Series Western Division Finale at California Delta 

Brian Carter
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Phoenix’s Conrad Demecs Wins MLF Toyota Series Western Division Finale at California Delta 

BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. (April 22, 2023) – An old adage in tournament bass fishing is ‘consistency is key’, and that was certainly the case this week in the final MLF Toyota Series Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse event of the year. Phoenix, Arizona, pro Conrad Demecs brought a five-bass limit to the scale Friday weighing 19 pounds, 1 ounce – his third straight 19+ pound limit of the event – to win the Toyota Series at the California Delta Presented by Psycho Tuna and earn the top payout of $25,819. Demecs’ three-day total of 15 bass weighing 57-6 earned him the victory by a 2-pound, 6-ounce margin over second-place angler Christian Ostrander of Turlock, California, who weighed in 15 bass totaling 55-0 to earn $9,346.  

“I figured I needed at least another 19 pounds today, and I knew all the guys behind me are hammers with the potential to catch 20 pounds,” Demecs said. “I had to be consistent to pull it off.”

Demecs entered the final day just 1-pound, 4-ounces ahead of Ostrander. Demecs said he stuck with the same basic plan that worked the first two days, eventually burning more than 30 gallons of fuel each day en route to his win.

“I got two big ones pretty early and got a 5-pounder on my last cast,” Demecs said.

Demecs’ win came on a 3/8- and a ½-ounce vibrating jig, as well as punching with a beaver-style bait and throwing a frog. He primarily targeted areas in the mid- to southern part of the Delta, which offered warmer water and better grass.

“I just ran around a lot,” Demecs said. “If you want to win these events, you (usually) have to go punching but I couldn’t get much going punching. I caught fish this week on a spinnerbait, some punching, a few on a (Yamamoto) Senko, some on a frog. I think the warmer water is why I was able to generate the frog bite that I did, today. I caught it at 1:30 p.m. when it was like 80 degrees.”

The top 10 pros on the California Delta finished:

1st:          Conrad Demecs, Phoenix, Ariz., 15 bass, 57-6, $25,819
2nd:         Christian Ostrander, Turlock, Calif., 15 bass, 55-0, $9,346
3rd:         Adam Deakin, Windsor, Colo., 15 bass, 53-2, $8,236 (includes $1,000 Phoenix Bonus)
4th:         Cody Crist, Ramona, Calif., 15 bass, 48-0, $6,030
5th:         Beau Joudrey, Oakley, Calif., 15 bass, 45-15, $5,427
6th:         Patrick Touey, Santa Maria, Calif., 15 bass, 43-14, $4,824
7th:         Hunter Schlander, Modesto, Calif., 15 bass, 43-7, $4,221
8th:         Ken Phillips, Concord, Calif., 15 bass, 43-7, $3,618
9th:         Bill Oshinn, Granite Bay, Calif., 15 bass, 43-3, $3,015
10th:       Ty Faber, Pagosa Springs, Colo., 15 bass, 41-3, $2,412

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Mark Lassagne of Dixon, California, won the $500 Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Wednesday with a bass weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces. On Thursday, J.D. Blackamore of Yorba Linda, California, earned the $500 Berkley Big Bass prize with a mammoth largemouth weighing in at 12 pounds even – the largest fish weighed in MLF competition this year.

Steve Wey of Salida, California, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Friday with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 34 pounds, 2 ounces. Wey took home the top co-angler prize of $33,650, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on the California Delta finished:

1st:          Steve Wey, Salida, Calif., 14 bass, 34-2, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd:         Tyson Christman, Glendale, Ariz., 12 bass, 32-3, $3,155
3rd:         Kirk Marshall, Discovery Bay, Calif., nine bass, 28-13, $2,524
4th:         David Zavvar, Concord, Calif., 14 bass, 28-12, $2,208
5th:         Jonathan Green, San Pablo, Calif., 11 bass, 28-1, $1,893
6th:         Micheal Klemm, Oroville, Calif., 13 bass, 28-0, $1,577
7th:         Ty Crofts, Cedar City, Utah, 14 bass, 27-2, $1,412
8th:         Blaine Christiansen, San Jose, Calif., 13 bass, 26-8, $1,104
9th:         Chad Roorda, Palm Desert, Calif., 12 bass, 26-7, $1,096
10th:       Scott Bern, San Rafael, Calif., 14 bass, 26-4, $989

Chad Roorda of Palm Desert, California, earned Wednesday’s $150 Berkley Big Bass award after weighing in a 7-pound, 6-ounce bass, while the Day 2 $150 award went to co-angler winner Steve Wey, who brought a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass to the scale.

With the three regular-season events in the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Western Division presented by Tackle Warehouse now complete, pro David Valdivia of Riverside, California, was crowned the 2023 Western Division Pro Angler of the Year (AOY) and earned the $5,000 AOY bonus with a total of 754 points. Bruce Harris of Oakdale, California, won the 2023 Western Division Strike King Co-angler AOY race and the $2,000 AOY bonus with 755 points.

The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at the California Delta Presented by Psycho Tuna was hosted by the City of Oakley. It was the third and final regular-season event for the Toyota Series Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse. The next event for the top 25 anglers in the Toyota Series Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse AOY standings will be the Toyota Series Championship at Table Rock Lake, Nov. 2-4, in Branson, 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 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, 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.

Adams Takes Over in Texarkana

Brian Carter
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Adams Takes Over in Texarkana

Starting day two with a nice kicker, Barron Adams charges to the lead in Texarkana.

Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons

With two keepers early to calm him down including a 6-pounder, Barron Adams added 18-pounds, 10 ounces to his day one bag to take the lead going into a showdown Saturday with a total weight of 36-pounds, 2 ounces. Although it looks good on paper, his solid performance could have been stellar with a few key missed opportunities.

“I should have had a really good day but they were biting weird and some good ones pulled off on me,” said Adams. “Once I made a move to my second spot, the wind had dirtied the place up and was blown out.”

With two fish short of a solid limit, Adams made a move at 2 PM that saved his tournament and propelled him into the lead.

“I went into an area and caught two fish back-to-back,” he added. “Those fish saved my day and the way I am fishing; I can get behind guys and catch them. Tomorrow, I feel like I can catch limit fish but to win, I need those bigger bites.”

Sheldon Collings

Sheldon Collings had a slow day two, but his 14-pound, 5 ounces was enough to slide him into the second spot with a two-day weight of 34 pounds, 12 ounces. Collings has been targeting a shad spawn to start his mornings, but the wind and waves put a damper on his plans this morning.

“I don’t know if those shad and bass were gone, or the wind scattered them,” said Collings. “I had to go for plan B today.”

Collings only landed five keeper bites on the day and missed out on another 18 to 20-pounds that missed his topwater frog. When one misses, on a couple of occasions he could get a bass to commit with a follow-up bait.

“That’s how I caught my biggest bass today; I missed one and told myself I was going to flip in and see if it would bite,” he added. “As soon as the bait hit the water, he smoked it and I got him in the boat.”

Collings is focused on winning this event, and knows if he can get the bites in the boat, he will have a shot.

Timmy Reams

Day one leader Timmy Reams opted to save his main area for the afternoon bite on day one, and on day two that plan was much more difficult. Reams junk fished his way to an 11-pound, 15-ounce limit and a two-day total of 34 pounds, 2 ounces.

“I started the same today, but the wind was affecting a lot of what I wanted to do,” said Reams. “I lost several key fish today and they were hitting the bait differently; not committing to it.”

Reams scratched and clawed his way around some of his areas, and has one clean water area for day three.

“I’m going to start in that clean water and continue my reaction bait deal,” he added. “I have nothing to lose but stick with what got me here.”

Michael Yoder

Local angler Michael Yoder junk-fished his way back into the tournament on day two with the day’s biggest bag of 18 pounds, 11 ounces. With a two-day total of 33 pounds, 12 ounces, Yoder goes into Showdown Saturday in the fourth-place spot. 

Despite plans to settle in and not run around as much, Yoder moved around with muddy conditions and kept his bait in high percentage areas until he found fish willing to bite.

“I definitely moved more than I planned, but I am back in this event and look forward to getting out there tomorrow.”

Todd Goade

With 15 pounds, 8 ounces on day two, Todd Goade moves into the second-place spot with a two-day total weight of 32 pounds, 9 ounces. With the water muddying and the water column full of sediment in some areas, Goade expanded on his “decent” practice and put himself in the top five after two days of fishing.

“I had four fish at one and slipped into an area I had been saving,” said Goade. “I caught that 5-pounder right off and culled four more times. Those fish turned my day around.”

Goade still had not touched two areas from practice and hoped his swim jig bite will hold up for one more day.

“I am focusing on key bushes, and key-looking water, and skipping that jig as far back as I can up to where the bass are sitting; It is super fun,” he concluded.

Rest of the best:
Ryan Satterfield 31-11
Brad Staley 30-7
Keith Carson 29-14
Jesse Wise 29-8
Louis Fernades 28-11

DAY TWO LEADERBOARD

Drew Benton claims Day 2 lead in Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Murray

Brian Carter
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Drew Benton claims Day 2 lead in Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Murray

Drew Benton of Panama City, Fla., is leading after Day 2 of the Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray with a two-day total of 46 pounds, 9 ounces.  

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

April 21, 2023

Drew Benton claims Day 2 lead in Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Murray

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Drew Benton had never fished a tournament on Lake Murray before this week, but the conditions are making him feel right at home.

With the bass right in the middle of their spawning cycle, Benton has fished his strengths and took the lead Friday in the Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray with a two-day total of 46 pounds, 9 ounces. After landing in second with 23-0 on Day 1, the Panama City, Fla., pro added 23-9 on Day 2 and holds a slim lead over Tennessee angler Hunter Shryock, who is second with 45-14.

“If I spent time on (a bedding bass), I caught it today,” said Benton, who earned his only career Elite Series victory on Lake Travis in Texas in 2018. “Yesterday I spent a lot of time on a couple I didn’t get to catch. You have to find them in the right mood. It isn’t just, go down the bank and you see one and catch it. A lot goes into it, and I was really fortunate today.”

Anglers once again fished under warm and sunny conditions on Friday, with winds picking up as the afternoon progressed. That allowed several of the competitors to see the cruising bass they were targeting.

Though there was also plenty of schooling activity across the lake, Benton has ignored schoolers for the most part this week. Instead, he’s cruising around the shallows looking for bass that are locked on bed. According to BassTrakk, he caught 11 total bass and made important culls throughout the day.

Around 1:20 p.m., Benton landed his biggest bass of the day, a 6-9 largemouth. Then with about 30 minutes to go, he caught a 4 1/2-pounder that lifted him to his final tally.

It was an efficient day for Benton, who never spent more than 30 minutes on one bass. The 6-9 took the longest — and the only reason for that, Benton said, was because the male bit four times before he coaxed the female into biting.

“It would have been a lot easier to catch that female if I could have kept the male, but I already had five in the livewell,” Benton said. “The male I kept catching was about a 1/2-pound smaller than the smallest fish in my limit, and I seriously considered releasing my fifth keeper just to get that male out of the way.

“Fortunately, I managed to catch that female without doing that.”

The area of the lake where Benton is fishing is about 3 degrees colder than the rest of the lake. He hasn’t found his spawners in a specific depth range, but he thinks more bass are coming in to spawn.

“They have to be. There were three new ones (today) that weren’t there yesterday,” Benton said. “I have got to stay in that zone of the lake because it is the only place I am getting new fish. Up here where it is 75 degrees, it isn’t enticing them to come up.”

A cold front is expected to move through the area overnight and into Saturday morning, bringing with it a chance of rain, wind and storms. Benton feels he will need to adjust to keep his lead.

“I am going to have to make some of those fish bite that I am seeing up on the points,” he said. “With the conditions, I feel like they will bite better. If a man ever figures out how to catch the ones that are just up there swimming around, he will walk away with this thing. Tomorrow will be the day for that to happen.”

Shryock is also fishing shallow, but he abandoned his sight-fishing strategy on Day 2 and caught 23-5 to add to his Day 1 mark of 22-9.

“It wouldn’t have surprised me if we had caught 25 to 27 pounds today,” Shryock said. “But it also wouldn’t have surprised me if I caught 12. That is just the way this place is. As soon as we went off Bassmaster LIVE, I caught a 5 1/2. I also had a 6 or 7 try to eat my topwater. It chased after it and boiled on it. If I catch that one, we are at 25 1/2.

“There are 27 pounds swimming all around. It is that crazy.”

On Day 1, Shryock had all of his weight in about an hour. On Friday, he opened the day with a 5-pounder and slowly made his way to a limit by 11 a.m.

The only bass from that limit that made his final bag was that 5-pounder. After 11, he made four upgrades with four different baits.

“I got bites doing other things today that I didn’t do yesterday,” he said. “So that gave me a lot of confidence going into tomorrow. Getting that rotation down — where to be at the right time — I feel like I was a little early knowing this is what I needed to be doing. I kind of rushed and tomorrow we will try to pinpoint that.”

Shryock is seeing plenty of bass that are bigger than what he has put in the livewell. Making them bite has been a challenge and he is hoping that in the next two days, he can get a couple of them to eat.

“I’m talking, they are as long as your leg,” Shryock said. “And they live in the same places. I come back through again and they are still there. One of these times I am going to catch one and that is going to make all the difference.”

With a two-day total of 44-12, Japanese pro Kyoya Fujita jumped into third place on Friday. He has caught 22-6 both days of the event and anchored his Day 2 bag with a largemouth that was about 6 pounds.

Fujita has been fishing offshore for his bass this week, in anywhere from 6 to 18 feet of water. He said the deep, clear nature of Lake Murray reminds him of his home lakes.

This morning, the Japanese pro struggled with execution. But by noon, the bass started biting consistently. He has been rotating through several areas, using mostly one bait to catch his bass.

“They were biting morning and afternoon,” he said. “(I have) many spots. Low light has been best.”

Brandon Card had the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day Friday with a 6-14 largemouth — an accomplishment worth $1,000. He is tied with Matt Robertson’s Day 1 6-14 for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament.

Robertson also holds the VMC Monster Bag of the Tournament with the 25-8 limit that earned him the lead on Day 1.

The Top 50 remaining anglers will launch from Dreher Island State Park beginning at 7 a.m. ET Saturday and return for weigh-in at 3 p.m. The Top 10 after Saturday’s weigh-in will compete on Championship Sunday for a $100,000 first-place prize and the coveted blue trophy. FS1 will broadcast live with the tournament leaders on Saturday from 8-10:30 a.m. Live coverage will transition to Bassmaster.com afterward.

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

2023 Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray 4/20-4/23
Lake Murray, Columbia  SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

   Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Drew Benton            Panama City, FL         10  46-09  104
  Day 1: 5   23-00     Day 2: 5   23-09   
2.  Hunter Shryock         Ooltewah, TN            10  45-14  103
  Day 1: 5   22-09     Day 2: 5   23-05   
3.  Kyoya Fujita           Minamitsuru, Yamanashi  10  44-12  102
  Day 1: 5   22-06     Day 2: 5   22-06   
4.  Jason Williamson       Aiken, SC               10  43-10  101
  Day 1: 5   19-06     Day 2: 5   24-04   
5.  Patrick Walters        Summerville, SC         10  43-04  100
  Day 1: 5   22-11     Day 2: 5   20-09   
6.  Jake Whitaker          Hendersonville, NC      10  41-04   99
  Day 1: 5   20-00     Day 2: 5   21-04   
7.  Brandon Cobb           Greenwood, SC           10  41-00   98
  Day 1: 5   20-09     Day 2: 5   20-07   
8.  Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS        10  40-09   97
  Day 1: 5   20-10     Day 2: 5   19-15   
9.  Matt Robertson         Kuttawa, KY             10  40-07   96   $1,000.00
  Day 1: 5   25-08     Day 2: 5   14-15   
10. John Cox               DeBary, FL              10  39-15   95
  Day 1: 5   18-13     Day 2: 5   21-02   
11. Kenta Kimura           Osaka JAPAN             10  39-12   94
  Day 1: 5   15-03     Day 2: 5   24-09   
12. Kyle Welcher           Opelika, AL             10  39-12   93
  Day 1: 5   18-13     Day 2: 5   20-15   
13. Seth Feider            New Market, MN          10  39-07   92
  Day 1: 5   19-04     Day 2: 5   20-03   
14. Austin Felix           Eden Prairie, MN        10  39-06   91
  Day 1: 5   21-04     Day 2: 5   18-02   
15. Bryant Smith           Roseville, CA           10  39-04   90
  Day 1: 5   16-12     Day 2: 5   22-08   
16. Michael Iaconelli      Pittsgrove, NJ          10  38-08   89
  Day 1: 5   18-06     Day 2: 5   20-02   
17. David Gaston           Sylacauga, AL           10  37-15   88
  Day 1: 5   18-06     Day 2: 5   19-09   
18. Tyler Rivet            Raceland, LA            10  37-13   87
  Day 1: 5   20-05     Day 2: 5   17-08   
19. Scott Canterbury       Odenville, AL           10  37-12   86
  Day 1: 5   19-06     Day 2: 5   18-06   
20. Lee Livesay            Longview, TX            10  37-09   85
  Day 1: 5   17-02     Day 2: 5   20-07   
21. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland AUSTRALIA    10  37-07   84
  Day 1: 5   18-00     Day 2: 5   19-07   
22. Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA            10  36-14   83
  Day 1: 5   18-04     Day 2: 5   18-10   
23. Todd Auten             Lake Wylie, SC          10  36-13   82
  Day 1: 5   19-05     Day 2: 5   17-08   
24. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        10  36-12   81
  Day 1: 5   22-00     Day 2: 5   14-12   
25. Jonathan Kelley        Old Forge, PA           10  36-06   80
  Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 5   17-14   
26. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, ID            10  36-04   79
  Day 1: 5   19-13     Day 2: 5   16-07   
27. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ              10  36-03   78
  Day 1: 5   20-05     Day 2: 5   15-14   
28. Bryan Schmitt          Deale, MD               10  36-02   77
  Day 1: 5   16-14     Day 2: 5   19-04   
29. Wes Logan              Springville, AL         10  36-02   76
  Day 1: 5   17-07     Day 2: 5   18-11   
30. Derek Hudnall          Zachary, LA             10  36-01   75
  Day 1: 5   20-07     Day 2: 5   15-10   
31. Scott Martin           Clewiston, FL           10  36-01   74
  Day 1: 5   16-13     Day 2: 5   19-04   
32. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN           10  36-00   73
  Day 1: 5   19-13     Day 2: 5   16-03   
33. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL              10  35-15   72
  Day 1: 5   17-10     Day 2: 5   18-05   
34. Shane LeHew            Catawba, NC             10  35-10   71
  Day 1: 5   20-05     Day 2: 5   15-05   
35. Will Davis Jr          Sylacauga, AL           10  35-07   70
  Day 1: 5   16-02     Day 2: 5   19-05   
36. Cory Johnston          Cavan CANADA            10  35-07   69
  Day 1: 5   17-07     Day 2: 5   18-00   
37. Stetson Blaylock       Benton, AR              10  35-06   68
  Day 1: 5   19-00     Day 2: 5   16-06   
38. Drew Cook              Cairo, GA               10  35-02   67
  Day 1: 5   19-05     Day 2: 5   15-13   
39. Clark Wendlandt        Leander, TX             10  35-02   66
  Day 1: 5   18-14     Day 2: 5   16-04   
40. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL             10  35-01   65
  Day 1: 5   19-10     Day 2: 5   15-07   
41. Matty Wong             Honolulu, HI            10  35-01   64
  Day 1: 5   15-10     Day 2: 5   19-07   
42. Joseph Webster         Hamilton, AL            10  34-11   63
  Day 1: 5   20-05     Day 2: 5   14-06   
43. Jacob Powroznik        North Prince George, VA 10  34-11   62
  Day 1: 5   19-03     Day 2: 5   15-08   
44. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL         10  34-10   61
  Day 1: 5   18-10     Day 2: 5   16-00   
45. Brandon Card           Salisbury, NC           10  34-09   60   $1,000.00
  Day 1: 5   11-15     Day 2: 5   22-10   
46. Cody Huff              Ava, MO                 10  34-09   59
  Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 5   16-01   
47. Matt Arey              Shelby, NC              10  34-09   58
  Day 1: 5   16-09     Day 2: 5   18-00   
48. Masayuki Matsushita    Tokoname-Aichi, JAPAN   10  34-08   57
  Day 1: 5   18-14     Day 2: 5   15-10   
49. Ray Hanselman Jr       Del Rio, TX             10  34-07   56
  Day 1: 5   18-00     Day 2: 5   16-07   
50. Jay Przekurat          Stevens Point, WI       10  34-03   55
  Day 1: 5   17-15     Day 2: 5   16-04   
51. Luke Palmer            Coalgate, OK            10  34-03   54   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   17-05     Day 2: 5   16-14   
52. Koby Kreiger           Alva, FL                10  34-01   53   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   17-00     Day 2: 5   17-01   
53. Pat Schlapper          Eleva, WI               10  33-15   52   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   18-11     Day 2: 5   15-04   
54. Chad Pipkens           DeWitt, MI              10  33-14   51   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   15-05     Day 2: 5   18-09   
55. Marc Frazier           Newnan, GA              10  33-13   50   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   17-13   
56. Darold Gleason         Many, LA                10  33-10   49   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   21-00     Day 2: 5   12-10   
57. Gregory DiPalma        Millville, NJ           10  33-08   48   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   17-15     Day 2: 5   15-09   
58. Cooper Gallant         Bowmanville Ontario CAN 10  33-06   47   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   19-01     Day 2: 5   14-05   
59. Jeff Gustafson         Kenora, Ontario CANADA  10  33-03   46   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   18-12   
60. Justin Hamner          Northport, AL           10  33-03   45   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   18-06     Day 2: 5   14-13   
61. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX          10  33-02   44   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-01     Day 2: 5   20-01   
62. Jamie Hartman          Newport, NY             10  32-14   43   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   16-12     Day 2: 5   16-02   
63. Chris Johnston         Otonabee Ontario CANADA 10  32-09   42   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   15-11     Day 2: 5   16-14   
64. Jason Christie         Dry Creek, OK           10  32-07   41   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   14-02     Day 2: 5   18-05   
65. Alex Redwine           Blue Ash, OH            10  32-02   40   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 5   18-03   
66. Chris Zaldain          Fort Worth, TX          10  31-13   39   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   12-15     Day 2: 5   18-14   
67. David Fritts           Lexington, NC           10  31-08   38   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-08     Day 2: 5   18-00   
68. Jacob Foutz            Charleston, TN          10  31-02   37   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   16-07     Day 2: 5   14-11   
69. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA               10  30-08   36   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   17-10     Day 2: 5   12-14   
70. Frank Talley           Temple, TX              10  30-07   35   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   14-15     Day 2: 5   15-08   
71. John Soukup            Sapulpa, OK             10  30-01   34   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   17-02     Day 2: 5   12-15   
72. Buddy Gross            Chattanooga, TN         10  29-10   33   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   15-08     Day 2: 5   14-02   
73. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY             10  29-08   32   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   15-02     Day 2: 5   14-06   
74. Alex Wetherell         Middletown, CT          10  29-06   31   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   14-06     Day 2: 5   15-00   
75. Gerald Swindle         Guntersville, AL        10  29-03   30   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   14-09     Day 2: 5   14-10   
76. Justin Atkins          Florence, AL            10  29-02   29   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   16-03     Day 2: 5   12-15   
77. Bob Downey             Detroit Lakes, MN       10  28-14   28   $2,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   15-09   
78. Hank Cherry Jr         Lincolnton, NC          10  28-11   27
  Day 1: 5   14-14     Day 2: 5   13-13   
79. Taku Ito               Chiba, JAPAN            10  28-10   26
  Day 1: 5   16-02     Day 2: 5   12-08   
80. Micah Frazier          Newnan, GA              10  28-09   25
  Day 1: 5   17-15     Day 2: 5   10-10   
81. Bradley Hallman        Edmond, OK               9  28-07   24
  Day 1: 4   12-05     Day 2: 5   16-02   
82. Cole Sands             Calhoun, TN             10  28-05   23
  Day 1: 5   15-14     Day 2: 5   12-07   
83. Caleb Sumrall          New Iberia, LA          10  28-00   22
  Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   15-07   
84. Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT           10  28-00   21
  Day 1: 5   14-01     Day 2: 5   13-15   
85. Logan Latuso           Gonzales, LA             9  27-13   20
  Day 1: 4   09-14     Day 2: 5   17-15   
86. Josh Douglas           Isle, MN                10  27-13   19
  Day 1: 5   12-13     Day 2: 5   15-00   
87. Bryan New              Saluda, SC              10  27-01   18
  Day 1: 5   14-01     Day 2: 5   13-00   
88. Joshua Stracner        Vandiver, AL            10  27-00   17
  Day 1: 5   14-15     Day 2: 5   12-01   
89. Caleb Kuphall          Mukwonago, WI           10  26-08   16
  Day 1: 5   17-15     Day 2: 5   08-09   
90. Skylar Hamilton        Jefferson, TN           10  26-02   15
  Day 1: 5   13-01     Day 2: 5   13-01   
91. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          10  25-14   14
  Day 1: 5   11-11     Day 2: 5   14-03   
92. Joey Cifuentes III     Clinton, AR             10  25-05   13
  Day 1: 5   12-10     Day 2: 5   12-11   
93. Brad Whatley           Bivins, TX               9  25-03   12
  Day 1: 4   11-04     Day 2: 5   13-15   
94. KJ Queen               Conover, NC             10  24-12   11
  Day 1: 5   12-11     Day 2: 5   12-01   
95. Kyle Norsetter         Cottage Grove, WI       10  24-00   10
  Day 1: 5   13-01     Day 2: 5   10-15   
96. Ed Loughran III        Richmond, VA            10  23-11    9
  Day 1: 5   10-12     Day 2: 5   12-15   
97. Clent Davis            Montevallo, AL          10  23-08    8
  Day 1: 5   10-07     Day 2: 5   13-01   
98. Larry Nixon            Bee Branch, AR           9  22-15    7
  Day 1: 4   07-15     Day 2: 5   15-00   
99. Matt Herren            Ashville, AL             8  21-15    6
  Day 1: 3   06-12     Day 2: 5   15-03   
100. Mike Huff              London, KY               9  20-14    5
  Day 1: 5   12-12     Day 2: 4   08-02   
101. Gary Clouse            Winchester, TN           7  17-15    4
  Day 1: 5   14-01     Day 2: 2   03-14   
102. Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                  7  15-11    3
  Day 1: 2   03-15     Day 2: 5   11-12   
103. David Williams         Newton, NC               6  15-06    2
  Day 1: 5   13-14     Day 2: 1   01-08   
104. Keith Poche            Cecil, AL                0  00-00    0
  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00    
———————————————————————–

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

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
 1        97       506      1710-05
 2       100       507      1679-02
———————————-
         197      1013      3389-07


UNC Charlotte’s Monti and Dunson ride the tide for Bassmaster College Series lead at James River

Brian Carter
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UNC Charlotte’s Monti and Dunson ride the tide for Bassmaster College Series lead at James River

Jake Monti and Samuel Dunson of UNC Charlotte are leading after Day 1 of the Strike King Bassmaster College Series at James River presented by Bass Pro Shops with 24 pounds, 5 ounces. 

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

April 21, 2023

UNC Charlotte’s Monti and Dunson ride the tide for Bassmaster College Series lead at James River

RICHMOND, Va. — Jake Monti and Samuel Dunson of UNC Charlotte had high hopes for low water and leveraging that premise delivered a Day 1 limit of 24 pounds, 5 ounces that leads the Strike King Bassmaster College Series event at James River presented by Bass Pro Shops.

As Monti explained, he and Dunson fished a large stretch from the mouth of the Chickahominy River, upstream to the confluence of the James and the Appomattox rivers. Hitting approximately 15 spots, the leaders earned their bites by moving with the tide.

“We let the tide dictate where we fished,” Monti said. “We wanted the lowest water possible, either going out toward low tide or the start of the incoming tide.

“It was outgoing most of the day until about 1:30 and then it came in at the end of the day.”

While the habitat-rich Chickahominy typically hosts a large percentage of tournament fields — especially during the spring — Dunson said he and his partner intentionally avoided the congestion.

“We stayed out of there just to get away from the crowded area,” he said.

Monti and Dunson caught all their bass by flipping black and blue creature baits. Monti said they found wood was most productive on the lower and the incoming tide stages, while spatterdock seemed to ignite as the water rose high enough to flood this emergent vegetation.

“They were tight to the cover, but they were moving around on the cover based on the tide direction,” Monti said. “The key was slowing down across the board. We were being methodical and picking everything apart.

“We were flipping with 25-pound Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon to make sure we didn’t get broken off.”

Dunson said he and Monti got 10 keeper bites. They got bit early, but their action was spread throughout the day.

“We got our limit by 8:30, then we continued catching them into the afternoon,” Monti said. “We culled twice in the last 30 minutes. A lot of times, the beginning of the incoming can be really good.”

Carrying a 2-pound lead into the final day, Monti and Dunson are making no assumptions, other than their expectation for what a final-round wrap-up will require. With big Florida-strain largemouth roaming the James River, one cast could make their day — or that of a competing team.

“It was a whole bunch of work today and it won’t be easy tomorrow because we’re not sure how much we have left,” Monti said. “We think we’ll need another 18 pounds and we’ll have to work hard to get that.

“I think we’re going to have to make a pretty good adjustment to get bites.”

Sam Hanggi and Sam Hoesley of Auburn University are in second place with 22-4. Staying close to takeoff, they maximized their fishing time, wrapped up their limit by about 1 p.m. and spent the rest of their day practicing for Saturday’s final round.

“It started off pretty slow and at the end of the day, it started picking up when the water was low,” Hanggi said. “We caught a couple of 4 1/2-pounders late in the day on back-to-back casts.”

Hanggi and Hoesley caught all of their bass on the same reaction bait. Staying off the bank 10 to 15 feet was key to their productivity, while confidence in their presentations kept their options open.

“We weren’t afraid to fish behind people,” Hanggi said. “We knew we had the best presentation for the situation.”

Garrett Walters and Reese Walters of the University of Alabama are in third place with 18-2. The brothers began their day with a long run downriver to the Wards Creek area, where they caught a 3 1/2-pounder on a frog, but left when they determined the tide was too low.

“We ran back up to (the take-off area) and went into a creek,” Garrett said. “We picked up a frog and they started eating. The tide was going out so they were pulled off to the edges of the wood where they were easier to catch.

“We had planned to start in that creek. But when we took off, the tide was still too high. When we got there, it was perfect.”

Throwing a Spro Bronzeye Shad 65 in the killer gill and spooky shad colors, the Walters team anchored their bag with a 6-pounder.

Carson Palmer and Dylan May of Carson-Newman University are in the lead for Big Bass honors with their 8-1 largemouth. Palmer and May are currently in fifth in the overall standings.

Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:10 a.m. ET from Osborne Landing. The final weigh-in will be held at the landing at 2:10 p.m. Full coverage will be available on Bassmaster.com.

Visit Richmond and Henrico County, Va., are hosting 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 1

    Angler                                       Club/School                       Pts

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

Spring diversity on tap for Bassmaster Elite Series event at Santee Cooper Lakes

Brian Carter
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0
Spring diversity on tap for Bassmaster Elite Series event at Santee Cooper Lakes

2022 Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes champion Drew Cook earned a century belt last year and will be among the field when the Elites return to Clarendon County for the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes April 27-30. 

Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.

April 21, 2023

Spring diversity on tap for Bassmaster Elite Series event at Santee Cooper Lakes

CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — Whenever a tournament returns to a fishery in consecutive years, comparison is inevitable. This notion certainly applies to the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes, but despite a later time frame than last year’s event, local pro Patrick Walters has no doubt this Palmetto State powerhouse will again deliver the goods.

Competition days will be April 27-30 with daily takeoffs from John C. Land III Sport Fishing Facility at 7 a.m. ET and weigh-ins at the same spot each day at 3 p.m. Full coverage will be available on Bassmaster.com. 

With stocked Florida-strain bass living alongside native Northern largemouth, Santee Cooper holds the potential for impressive quantity and quality. Double-digit giants live in these lakes and, as Walters notes, the event’s timing brings the Elite field to town when some of the fishery’s biggest bass are most accessible.

“There’s already been a couple good waves of fish spawn, but there’s still a lot to come — and that’s the good thing,” Walters said. “We had a cold front (two weeks before the event) and it was 42 degrees in the morning. That kept a lot of them from spawning. They’ll spawn all the way into May on Santee Cooper, so it’s going to progress the fish.

“The first fish to the bank are bass, but now the bream are coming to spawn, the shad are going to be spawning and the (bass) stay up there once they spawn, because of all the forage. The bite only gets better.”

With this year’s tournament scheduled a month later than the 2022 event, it’s likely anglers will find bass in a mix of prespawn, spawn and postspawn positions. This scenario, Walters said, will widen the options and spread the field.

“It’s setting up great; we couldn’t ask for a better scenario,” he said. “You can catch them any way you want and everyone will have fish. With a mix of all three stages, you can catch them doing anything. Guys are going to be able to fish their strengths.

“April is my favorite month because you can catch them just fishing. You can catch them anywhere on the bank; you don’t have to catch them on one tree.”

Common search baits for pre- and postspawners include spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, frogs, swim jigs and bladed jigs. For bed fishing, a mix of Texas-rigged creature baits, finesse worms and jigs handle most of the work.

“The early morning shad spawn is the bite that will be going on the best,” Walters said. “You’re (probably) not going to be able to catch a five-fish limit bed fishing, but if you catch 17 to 18 pounds in the shad spawn, you’ll be able to go catch one big one bed fishing. That’s how you’ll get over the 23- to 24-pound mark.”

The playing field comprises the 110,000-acre Lake Marion and 60,000-acre Lake Moultrie, with a 6 1/2-mile canal linking the two. While Moultrie’s mostly known for its offshore brushpiles, Marion holds docks, lily pads, stumps, grass and its signature feature known as the “The Swamp” — vast cypress habitat at the upper end’s riverine section.

The second-largest river on the eastern U.S. coast, the Santee originates at the confluence of the Congaree and Wateree rivers and exits Marion’s east side through the 8-mile-long Santee Dam before winding its way to the coast and splitting into North and South rivers, southwest of Georgetown Inlet. Originating in Moultrie, the Cooper River flows through the Pinopolis Hydroelectric Dam at the lake’s south end and concludes in Charleston Harbor.

“Both the lakes are in really good shape right now,” Walters said. “The water level is up and it has a good color to it. The water’s not gin clear.”

Walters said the entire fishery could be in play, but most spring tournaments tend to favor Marion’s expansive shallow-water habitat. Typically, a significant portion of the field disperses throughout The Swamp and seeks out the unique features like drains and high spots that make particular sections stand out from the masses.

Given the event’s later seasonality, Walters expects slightly lower weights than last year’s heavily spawn-centered event. His prediction: 16 to 17 pounds a day to make the Semifinal Saturday Top 50 cut, with 90 pounds being a likely target for the win.

Another key measurement of a tournament’s productivity, the Century Club recognizes anglers who amass 100 pounds or more over four days. Last year’s tournament produced two Century Club belts — winner Drew Cook (105-5) and second-place Caleb Kuphall (103-1).

“I don’t think we’ll see 100 pounds this time, just because more of the fish will be postspawn than prespawn, so the average (fish) weight will be lower,” Walters said. “We might see one, possibly two, but it’s less likely this time.”

That being said, Walters has no doubt that the field will stay busy with multiple options.

Success, he said, will require versatility and adaptation.

“It will be about doing something different every day,” Walters said. “You’re not going to be able to get keyed in on one thing or one spot this time.

“You’ll have to stay on your toes and fish the conditions of that day.”

New for 2023, fans can enjoy predictions, conditions and live hits from the lake as part of the LIVE Preview show streaming on Bassmaster.com Wednesday, April 26 at 9 a.m. ET. Bassmaster LIVE kicks off tournament coverage Thursday and Friday mornings at 8 a.m. on Bassmaster.com, Tubi and the FOX Sports platforms while FS1 will broadcast live with the tournament leaders on Saturday and Sunday.

The Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce is hosting the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes.

Reams Wrecks ‘Em on Wright Patman

Brian Carter
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0
Reams Wrecks ‘Em on Wright Patman

Timmy Reams puts together a solid bag on day one to take the lead on Wright Patman Lake.

Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons

When the NPFL visited Wright Patman in 2021, Timmy Reams finished in the 20th spot and left a lot of weight on the table with some misfortune. This year, the tables have turned and Reams connected with a nice 6-pounder to anchor his 22-pound, 3-ounce day-one leading weight. 

After a decent practice, Reams figured out on day two a few areas he could get some quality bites later in the day. He spent the morning fishing some new water and things started slow for the West Virginia angler.

“My best bites in practice were in the afternoon so today I left that stuff alone for a while,” said Reams. “Once I got in the area, things were on fire and I was able to get four big bites in my spot pretty quickly, and I even had a 2-pounder in my bag at the end of the day.”

Reams focused on similar places as his previous trip to Texarkana but noted that several things are “new” this time around. He has his area to himself today and is looking forward to getting back out on day two.

“There was nobody where I was at and certainly not anyone doing the same type of thing,” he added. “Tomorrow, I am thinking I will run some new water again in the morning and try to expand on changing water, and then get back and go to work on my main areas.”

Sheldon Collings

Finishing third in 2021, Oklahoma anger Sheldon Collings picked up where he left off and brought a 20-pound, 7-ounce bag of Wright Patman bass to the scales to finish day one of 2023 in the third-place spot as well. Anchored by a 6-pound, 7-ounce kicker. Like others, Collings found the changing conditions more challenging this go around throughout practice and made a day-one adjustment to catch his weight.

“It was tough for me this week,” said Collings. I ran a lot of new water today that I have never fished, in 2021 or practice. I caught a lot of fish and had a small limit before culling everything out in about 30 minutes this afternoon. I don’t know if it was timing or the area, but I will see what happens tomorrow.”

Brad Staley

With 18 pounds, 5 ounces on the day, North Carolina angler Brad Staley overcame a tough practice and lower water to finish the day in the third-place spot. 

“I had two tough days of practice and one decent day,” said Staley. “My game plan today was to expand on that good day and I was fortunate that it worked out. With everything changing, the water level, and the weather we have, I will keep on bobbing and weaving to stay with the fish.”

After watching the event from home in 2021, Staley had hoped the bushes would play, but when practice began, he knew he has to change his approach.

“I figured out a few key things in practice and I learned where some of the fish were sitting and I am thinking more will be moving to me as the week goes along,” he added.

Louis Fernandes

After a tough go in 2021, Louis Fernandes made the right adjustments using his day as a practice day in an effort to conserve his main areas. His weight of 18 pounds, 4 ounces was enough to put him in fourth place after the first day of competition. 

“I made some key adjustments in practice and knew the fish were mostly done spawning,” said Fernandes. “I am playing some chess this week and basically left my best spots alone today and just went fishing.”

His goal was to “junk” fish his way to a limit and then try and expand on his learnings from practice while gearing up for increased pressure the next two days.

“The fish are going to get pressured hard and the fishing will get super tough. For that reason, I left things alone and it’s working out even better for me as I found some new stuff today that I can fish tomorrow,” he added. “I am fishing around, chasing bait balls, fishing some brush, and whatever looks good.”

Nick Brown

Rounding out the top five, Texas angler Nick Brown expanded on his practice period to put together a limit that weighed 18 pounds, 1 ounce on the day. Brown learned a few key details on the final day of practice and executed them while fishing around several other anglers.

“I figured out more about what is going on out here on the final practice of practice and it went well today,” said Brown. “I had guys around me and I was able to get some key bites, and caught multiple limits of bass.” 

Brown is focusing on a variety of shallow covers and noted key subtleties in the cover and water clarity that lead to his day one success. 

Rest of the best:
Marc Schilling 17-15
Brian Hatfield 17-12
Barron Adams 17-8
Quentin Cappo 17-2

Check out the Day One Leaderboard, here!

How to Watch

Tune in tomorrow and Saturday to watch daily action from Wright Patman, with Live Coverage here and on the FREE PHYX TV App from 8 AM to 1 PM. 

Follow along and watch the daily LIVE Leaderboard, LIVE Blog, and on-the-water photo galleries and blogs of the anglers on Wright Patman.

Under the Go Live Tab, choose LIVE Broadcast or check out the real-time leaderboard on the Weigh Live Tracker with estimated weights entered by the anglers on the water and join us for the LIVE Weigh-ins, here!

DAY ONE LEADERBOARD

Afternoon rally lifts Robertson to Day 1 lead at Bassmaster Elite on Lake Murray

Brian Carter
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0
Afternoon rally lifts Robertson to Day 1 lead at Bassmaster Elite on Lake Murray

Matt Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., is leading after Day 1 of the Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray with 25 pounds, 8 ounces.  

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

April 20, 2023

Afternoon rally lifts Robertson to Day 1 lead at Bassmaster Elite on Lake Murray

COLUMBIA, S.C. — At mid-morning, things were far from perfect for Matt Robertson.

With three little bass in his livewell, the Kuttawa, Ky., pro was back at the ramp at Dreher Island State Park trying to work out some motor issues and calm more than a few frustrations.

Fortunately, he was able to get them fixed and had one of his best days on the water this season, catching 25 pounds, 8 ounces. That has him leading the Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray with a 2-8 advantage over second-place angler Drew Benton.

Robertson’s five-bass limit was anchored by the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day, a 6-14 largemouth.

“You know what? I’m happy my boat broke down,” he said. “Because if it hadn’t, I probably wouldn’t have caught those fish. Some things just happen for a reason.

‘I’m telling you, I can take a lot of credit for a lot (of stuff), but today wasn’t me. It was something else. We’ll just roll with it.”

As many anticipated, Lake Murray is showing out so far. The weather was almost as good as the fishing, with 16 bags over 20 pounds hitting the scales on the warm, calm April day. Of the 103 anglers competing, 97 limits were recorded and every angler caught at least two bass.

Robertson has spent some time on the central South Carolina reservoir in the past, but most of those days were in winter.

While the day couldn’t have started much worse for Robertson, he got into a rhythm when he was able to return to the water after midday. Every bass he brought back to weigh-in was caught after 12:50 p.m. according to BassTrakk.

“I just kind of went with it and went fishing,” he said. “I just assumed I was going to weigh in three for 6 pounds. I’ve been caring too much and today I stopped.”

Robertson’s practice period did not go particularly well either. He had only one decent day on the water and decided to run some new water when the tournament began. His afternoon rally went down on a couple of different spots.

There were several other competitors in the area, but they filtered out as the day wore on.

“I caught all of the big ones on one bait mostly,” he said. “These places have big ones. I think I just got lucky.

“I hope I can be as lucky tomorrow as I was today.”

Benton, meanwhile, has felt right at home on Lake Murray. The Panama City, Fla., pro caught 23-0 on Day 1 cruising around the shallows looking for spawning largemouth.

“I had some things go my way today,” Benton said. “I went and caught bed fish early. Went to one that was probably done and it was 20 or 30 feet off the bed. I pitched a wacky worm to it as I was going up there and got it to bite. That was my biggest one. If stuff like that doesn’t happen today, then I (would have) had 18 pounds.”

Benton found one section of the lake in practice where the water is a little cooler, and that is where he has been focusing much of his attention. The warmest water he has seen in that area is 70 degrees.

With his trolling motor on high, he has been cruising around looking for beds. In between spawners, Benton said he picked up a few bonus fish by throwing a moving bait.

Along with the bedding bass he found in practice, he found several new ones Thursday. Others he found were completely gone.

He spent an hour on a big female and thought it was going to bite. But just when he thought it was going to bite, it vanished.

“I think we are right in the middle of the spawn, moving toward the end,” he said. “There are some that are yet to spawn. Some of them are done, obviously. This place is kind of odd. They move up and do it really fast and get gone really fast.”

Benton added that he tried to find bass that were keying on blueback herring, but couldn’t find anything consistent.

Patrick Walters has plenty of history of Lake Murray and that helped him locate and catch 22-11 on Day 1. The Summerville, S.C., native bounced around several areas and caught bass doing just about everything.

“I did what I needed to do today,” Walters said. “The goal today was to survive. I’m thinking my bite is going to get better as the week goes. I’m catching some spawning fish. I’m catching some fish that are moving around. My goal was to be consistent every day.”

An assortment of baits played for Walters in two sections of the lake — one of which was better than the other.

Since the herring spawn is not progressing as quickly as Walters thought it might, a lot of the bass he is catching are roaming.

“I’m just looking for as many fish as I can possibly find,” he said. “You aren’t going to catch them until they are ready to bite. So, it is about being in the right place at the right time.”

Louisiana pro Tyler Rivet, who is in 12th place after Day 1 with 20-5, continues to lead the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year race with 299 points. He is followed by South Carolina’s Brandon Cobb with 282 points, North Carolina’s Shane LeHew with 260, Australian pro Carl Jocumsen with 258 and Alabamian Kyle Welcher with 257.

Japanese rookie Kyoya Fujita leads the Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings with 229 points, followed by Canadian Cooper Gallant with 227 points and Alabamian Will Davis Jr. with 214.

The full field will launch from Dreher Island State Park beginning at 7 a.m. ET Friday morning and return for weigh-in at 3 p.m. The field will be cut to the Top 50 anglers after the Day 2 weigh-in. Bassmaster LIVE coverage begins at 8 a.m. on Bassmaster.com, Tubi and the FOX Sports platforms. 

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

2023 Marathon Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray 4/20-4/23
Lake Murray, Columbia  SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1

   Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Matt Robertson         Kuttawa, KY              5  25-08  104   $1,000.00
  Day 1: 5   25-08   
2.  Drew Benton            Panama City, FL          5  23-00  103
  Day 1: 5   23-00   
3.  Patrick Walters        Eutawville, SC           5  22-11  102
  Day 1: 5   22-11   
4.  Hunter Shryock         Ooltewah, TN             5  22-09  101
  Day 1: 5   22-09   
5.  Kyoya Fujita           Minamitsuru, Yamanashi   5  22-06  100
  Day 1: 5   22-06   
6.  Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN         5  22-00   99
  Day 1: 5   22-00   
7.  Austin Felix           Eden Prairie, MN         5  21-04   98
  Day 1: 5   21-04   
8.  Darold Gleason         Many, LA                 5  21-00   97
  Day 1: 5   21-00   
9.  Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS         5  20-10   96
  Day 1: 5   20-10   
10. Brandon Cobb           Greenwood, SC            5  20-09   95
  Day 1: 5   20-09   
11. Derek Hudnall          Zachary, LA              5  20-07   94
  Day 1: 5   20-07   
12. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ               5  20-05   93
  Day 1: 5   20-05   
12. Tyler Rivet            Raceland, LA             5  20-05   93
  Day 1: 5   20-05   
12. Joseph Webster         Hamilton, AL             5  20-05   93
  Day 1: 5   20-05   
15. Shane LeHew            Catawba, NC              5  20-05   90
  Day 1: 5   20-05   
16. Jake Whitaker          Hendersonville, NC       5  20-00   89
  Day 1: 5   20-00   
17. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN            5  19-13   88
  Day 1: 5   19-13   
17. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, ID             5  19-13   88
  Day 1: 5   19-13   
19. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL              5  19-10   86
  Day 1: 5   19-10   
20. Scott Canterbury       Odenville, AL            5  19-06   85
  Day 1: 5   19-06   
20. Jason Williamson       Aiken, SC                5  19-06   85
  Day 1: 5   19-06   
22. Todd Auten             Lake Wylie, SC           5  19-05   83
  Day 1: 5   19-05   
22. Drew Cook              Cairo, GA                5  19-05   83
  Day 1: 5   19-05   
24. Seth Feider            New Market, MN           5  19-04   81
  Day 1: 5   19-04   
25. Jacob Powroznik        North Prince George, VA  5  19-03   80
  Day 1: 5   19-03   
26. Cooper Gallant         Bowmanville Ontario CAN  5  19-01   79
  Day 1: 5   19-01   
27. Stetson Blaylock       Benton, AR               5  19-00   78
  Day 1: 5   19-00   
28. Masayuki Matsushita    Tokoname-Aichi, JAPAN    5  18-14   77
  Day 1: 5   18-14   
28. Clark Wendlandt        Leander, TX              5  18-14   77
  Day 1: 5   18-14   
30. John Cox               DeBary, FL               5  18-13   75
  Day 1: 5   18-13   
30. Kyle Welcher           Opelika, AL              5  18-13   75
  Day 1: 5   18-13   
32. Pat Schlapper          Eleva, WI                5  18-11   73
  Day 1: 5   18-11   
33. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL          5  18-10   72
  Day 1: 5   18-10   
34. Cody Huff              Ava, MO                  5  18-08   71
  Day 1: 5   18-08   
34. Jonathan Kelley        Old Forge, PA            5  18-08   71
  Day 1: 5   18-08   
36. David Gaston           Sylacauga, AL            5  18-06   69
  Day 1: 5   18-06   
36. Justin Hamner          Northport, AL            5  18-06   69
  Day 1: 5   18-06   
36. Michael Iaconelli      Pittsgrove, NJ           5  18-06   69
  Day 1: 5   18-06   
39. Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA             5  18-04   66
  Day 1: 5   18-04   
40. Ray Hanselman Jr       Del Rio, TX              5  18-00   65
  Day 1: 5   18-00   
40. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland AUSTRALIA     5  18-00   65
  Day 1: 5   18-00   
42. Gregory DiPalma        Millville, NJ            5  17-15   63
  Day 1: 5   17-15   
42. Micah Frazier          Newnan, GA               5  17-15   63
  Day 1: 5   17-15   
42. Caleb Kuphall          Mukwonago, WI            5  17-15   63
  Day 1: 5   17-15   
42. Jay Przekurat          Stevens Point, WI        5  17-15   63
  Day 1: 5   17-15   
46. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA                5  17-10   59
  Day 1: 5   17-10   
46. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL               5  17-10   59
  Day 1: 5   17-10   
48. Cory Johnston          Cavan CANADA             5  17-07   57
  Day 1: 5   17-07   
48. Wes Logan              Springville, AL          5  17-07   57
  Day 1: 5   17-07   
50. Luke Palmer            Coalgate, OK             5  17-05   55
  Day 1: 5   17-05   
51. Lee Livesay            Longview, TX             5  17-02   54
  Day 1: 5   17-02   
51. John Soukup            Sapulpa, OK              5  17-02   54
  Day 1: 5   17-02   
53. Koby Kreiger           Alva, FL                 5  17-00   52
  Day 1: 5   17-00   
54. Bryan Schmitt          Deale, MD                5  16-14   51
  Day 1: 5   16-14   
55. Scott Martin           Clewiston, FL            5  16-13   50
  Day 1: 5   16-13   
56. Jamie Hartman          Newport, NY              5  16-12   49
  Day 1: 5   16-12   
56. Bryant Smith           Roseville, CA            5  16-12   49
  Day 1: 5   16-12   
58. Matt Arey              Shelby, NC               5  16-09   47
  Day 1: 5   16-09   
59. Jacob Foutz            Charleston, TN           5  16-07   46
  Day 1: 5   16-07   
60. Justin Atkins          Florence, AL             5  16-03   45
  Day 1: 5   16-03   
61. Will Davis Jr          Sylacauga, AL            5  16-02   44
  Day 1: 5   16-02   
61. Taku Ito               Chiba, JAPAN             5  16-02   44
  Day 1: 5   16-02   
63. Marc Frazier           Newnan, GA               5  16-00   42
  Day 1: 5   16-00   
64. Cole Sands             Calhoun, TN              5  15-14   41
  Day 1: 5   15-14   
65. Chris Johnston         Otonabee Ontario CANADA  5  15-11   40
  Day 1: 5   15-11   
66. Matty Wong             Honolulu, HI             5  15-10   39
  Day 1: 5   15-10   
67. Buddy Gross            Chattanooga, TN          5  15-08   38
  Day 1: 5   15-08   
68. Chad Pipkens           Dewitt, MI               5  15-05   37
  Day 1: 5   15-05   
69. Kenta Kimura           Osaka JAPAN              5  15-03   36
  Day 1: 5   15-03   
70. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY              5  15-02   35
  Day 1: 5   15-02   
71. Joshua Stracner        Vandiver, AL             5  14-15   34
  Day 1: 5   14-15   
71. Frank Talley           Temple, TX               5  14-15   34
  Day 1: 5   14-15   
73. Hank Cherry Jr         Lincolnton, NC           5  14-14   32
  Day 1: 5   14-14   
74. Gerald Swindle         Guntersville, AL         5  14-09   31
  Day 1: 5   14-09   
75. Jeff Gustafson         Kenora, Ontario CANADA   5  14-07   30
  Day 1: 5   14-07   
76. Alex Wetherell         Middletown, CT           5  14-06   29
  Day 1: 5   14-06   
77. Jason Christie         Dry Creek, OK            5  14-02   28
  Day 1: 5   14-02   
78. Gary Clouse            Winchester, TN           5  14-01   27
  Day 1: 5   14-01   
78. Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT            5  14-01   27
  Day 1: 5   14-01   
78. Bryan New              Saluda, SC               5  14-01   27
  Day 1: 5   14-01   
81. Alex Redwine           Blue Ash, OH             5  13-15   24
  Day 1: 5   13-15   
82. David Williams         Newton, NC               5  13-14   23
  Day 1: 5   13-14   
83. David Fritts           Lexington, NC            5  13-08   22
  Day 1: 5   13-08   
84. Bob Downey             Detroit Lakes, MN        5  13-05   21
  Day 1: 5   13-05   
85. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX           5  13-01   20
  Day 1: 5   13-01   
85. Skylar Hamilton        Jefferson, TN            5  13-01   20
  Day 1: 5   13-01   
85. Kyle Norsetter         Cottage Grove, WI        5  13-01   20
  Day 1: 5   13-01   
88. Chris Zaldain          Fort Worth, TX           5  12-15   17
  Day 1: 5   12-15   
89. Josh Douglas           Isle, MN                 5  12-13   16
  Day 1: 5   12-13   
90. Mike Huff              London, KY               5  12-12   15
  Day 1: 5   12-12   
91. KJ Queen               Conover, NC              5  12-11   14
  Day 1: 5   12-11   
92. Joey Cifuentes III     Clinton, AR              5  12-10   13
  Day 1: 5   12-10   
93. Caleb Sumrall          New Iberia, LA           5  12-09   12
  Day 1: 5   12-09   
94. Bradley Hallman        Edmond, OK               4  12-05   11
  Day 1: 4   12-05   
95. Brandon Card           Salisbury, NC            5  11-15   10
  Day 1: 5   11-15   
96. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN           5  11-11    9
  Day 1: 5   11-11   
97. Brad Whatley           Bivins, TX               4  11-04    8
  Day 1: 4   11-04   
98. Ed Loughran III        Richmond, VA             5  10-12    7
  Day 1: 5   10-12   
99. Clent Davis            Montevallo, AL           5  10-07    6
  Day 1: 5   10-07   
100. Logan Latuso          Gonzales, LA             4  09-14    5
  Day 1: 4   09-14   
101. Larry Nixon           Bee Branch, AR           4  07-15    4
  Day 1: 4   07-15   
102. Matt Herren           Ashville, AL             3  06-12    3
  Day 1: 3   06-12   
103. Rick Clunn            Ava, MO                  2  03-15    2
  Day 1: 2   03-15   
104. Keith Poche           Cecil, AL                0  00-00    0
  Day 1: 0   00-00   
———————————————————————–

PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS 
Day
 1   Matt Robertson           Kuttawa, KY         06-14      $1,000.00

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
 1        97       506      1710-05
———————————-
          97       506      1710-05
 

Bassmaster Classic generates more than $35 million for Knoxville

Brian Carter
-
0
Bassmaster Classic generates more than $35 million for Knoxville

The 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota drew record crowds to venues across Knoxville, Tenn., helping to generate an economic impact of more than $35 million. 

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

April 20, 2023

Bassmaster Classic generates more than $35 million for Knoxville

BassmasterClassicLogo2023.png

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota has not only been credited with shattering attendance and viewership records, but now the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing has proven itself as one of the best investments in sports.

According to numbers released by Visit Knoxville, the Bassmaster Classic generated an economic windfall of more than $35.5 million for the community, which welcomed a staggering crowd of 163,914 fans to Classic Week activities.

“Knoxville as a destination is the perfect fit for events like the Bassmaster Classic,” said Kim Bumpas, president of Visit Knoxville. “From natural resources like the Tennessee River and surrounding lakes to the multiple venues hosting various events throughout the weekend, fans from all over the world enjoy an experience like no other here in Knoxville.”

Fans traveling from across the nation and as far away as Australia and Japan not only packed Thompson-Boling Arena for weigh-ins and the Knoxville Convention Center and World’s Fair Exhibition Hall — which hosted the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by the U.S. Army — but those same visitors accounted for 31,525 room nights at hotels across Knox County.

“We’ve had an excellent relationship with B.A.S.S. since hosting the Elite Series in 2017 (at Cherokee Lake),” said Chad Culver, Sr., director of the Visit Knoxville Sports Commission and Convention Sales. “Our partnership successfully continues with hosting the Bassmaster Classic in 2019, another Elite Series (event) in 2021 and the Classic once again this year in 2023 — the highest attended Classic to date.”

When the Classic was first hosted in Knoxville just four years ago, the event created an economic impact of $32.2 million. That tournament earned recognition as a 2019 Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism (Mid-Market Division) by Sports Destination Management. 

In addition to producing more than $2.85 million in state and local tax revenue, including taxes on sales, restaurant purchases and lodging, the 2023 Bassmaster Classic and associated activities supported a total of 12,698 jobs, according to a report from the local host.

“I grew up fishing the Tennessee River and was excited at the opportunity to spotlight Knoxville, the Tennessee River and the passionate fishing community found in east Tennessee,” said Chase Anderson, CEO of B.A.S.S. “We were thrilled at the enormous reception from people across the region had to the Bassmaster Classic, allowing us to break all previous attendance records. I can’t thank our partners at Visit Knoxville and the entire community enough.

“It has been proven time and time again that fishing and the outdoor industry strengthen local economies. It’s our hope that through media coverage of our exciting tournaments and by attracting our signature large, passionate crowds, every Bassmaster tournament can be an economic win for our host cities.”

The Bassmaster Classic heads west to Oklahoma for 2024. For the first time since 2016, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota will be held in Tulsa March 22-24.

2023 Bassmaster Classic Title Sponsor: Academy Sports + Outdoors
2023 Bassmaster Classic Presenting Sponsor: Toyota 

2023 Bassmaster Classic Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha

2023 Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo Presenting Sponsor: U.S. Army

2023 Bassmaster Classic Local Partners: Calhoun’s, Lithium Pros, Tennessee Tourism, TNT Fireworks, TVA
2023 Bassmaster Classic Host: Visit Knoxville

Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

Chad Gainey & Jeffrey Furr Win CATT Lake Wateree, SC Open April 15, 2023

Brian Carter
-
0
Chad Gainey & Jeffrey Furr Win CATT Lake Wateree, SC Open April 15, 2023

Next Lake Wateree Open is April 29th!

Chad Gainey & Jeffrey Furr 1st Place with 20.89 lbs!

Jeff Norris & Jacob Norris 2nd with 20.48 lbs!

Dustin Compton & Gary Michaud 3rd with 17.69 lbs!

TeamBFWeightWinningsPionts
Chad Gainey & Jeffrey Furr4.4320.89$728.00110
Jeff Norris & Jacob Norris  4.8620.48$277.00109
Dustin Compton & Gary Michaud4.3117.69108
Robbie English & Scott Williams3.9215.32107
Donald Hinson & Shannon Tidwell3.1112.58106
Butch Williams & Sonny Beam3.7211.81105
Walter Knotts & Walt Coker2.5110.36104
Darrell Fenton & Robert Jackson3.269.82103
Paul Wells & Craig Haven3.488.53102
Bob Weaver & Scott Floyd2.597.16101
Dylan Griggs & Branden Lewis2.043.76100
Gabe Hopkins0.000.0090
2023 Wateree Open Points$675.00
2023 Wateree Open Final$400.00
1...344345346...1,532Page 345 of 1,532

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