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Virginia’s Bryson Peed Posts Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Kerr Lake

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March 20, 2023

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Virginia’s Bryson Peed Posts Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Kerr Lake

Boater Bryson Peed of Clarksville, Virginia, and Strike-King co-angler Thomas Driscoll of Annandale, Virginia.

Todd Faircloth Grabs Early Group B Lead at MLF U.S. Air Force Stage Two

Brian Carter

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March 20, 2023

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Todd Faircloth Grabs Early Group B Lead at MLF U.S. Air Force Stage Two

exas Pro Scrapes Together a Five-Fish Limit Weighing 14 Pounds, 7 Ounces on Douglas Lake to Lead by 3 Ounces After Day 1 for Group B – Group A Resumes Competition Monday in the Race for $100,000

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. (March 19, 2023) – It was an even colder start to the day for the professional anglers in Group B on Sunday at the Major League Fishing (MLF) U.S. Air Force Stage Two Presented by Power-Pole on Douglas Lake, with pros deicing their rods and guides well into the afternoon. Battling through the frigid temps, pro Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, managed to put together a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds, 7 ounces to take the lead in Period 2 and narrowly maintain that lead through the end of the competition day.

Link to HD Video – Fish-Catch Highlights of Group B Qualifying Round Day 1 on Douglas Lake
Link to Photo Gallery of Group B’s Day 1 Qualifying Round Afternoon Highlights

Despite never weighing a fish in the third period, Faircloth will bring a slim lead into Group B’s second day of competition Tuesday, with a mere 3-ounce advantage over pro Josh Butler of Hayden, Alabama, who went on a third period flurry to finish the day in second place with a five-bass limit totaling 14-4. Pro Mitch Crane of Columbus, Mississippi, caught a 4-11 kicker fish in Period 3 to end the day in third place, with a limit weighing 14-4, while General Tire pro Mark Rose of Wynne, Arkansas, ended the day in fourth place with a limit totaling 13-15. Lorena, Texas pro Alton Jones, Sr., rounded out the top five with a limit weighing 13-14. Kicker fish were key on Douglas Lake on Sunday, as every pro in the top 5 scored a fish well over 4 pounds.

The six-day event, hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism Sports Commission, showcases 80 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of more than $805,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters All-Star event and REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship.

“Today has exceeded my expectations, that’s for sure,” said Faircloth. “We started down the lake a little ways, in an area where I had some bites in practice, around some bait out in the middle of the pocket, but there just wasn’t much bait there this morning. I ended up catching one fish in there, then moved around a little bit and tried a couple spots.

“I ran to my second spot to fish a stretch I’d found in practice, and the guy that was leading at the time was sitting on that spot,” continued Faircloth. “So, I made another little move and started catching some fish. I caught one 5-pounder and a 3-pound smallmouth in the second period that pushed me to the top of the leaderboard.”

Despite a difficult practice and battling ice and snow flurries throughout the day, Faircloth said he was able to figure out a pattern that worked for him.

“Practice was tough for me here and it wasn’t like you could just go down the bank and catch them,” said Faircloth. “They were on key spots, but they are so hard to get to bite right now. For some reason, I cannot catch anything dragging bait on the bottom. They want something above them, and particularly either cranking or throwing a jerkbait.

“It was a little aggravating, because I can see them with my Lowrance Active Target, but they are so hard to catch,” Faircloth continued. “I noticed the start of the shad die-off in practice, and whenever that happens it gets especially hard to catch fish, because they basically have a buffet in front of them all the time.”

Shad die-off generally happens because water temps have gone up, then dropped dramatically. In this case, water temps had been pushing the 60’s on Douglas Lake, so the extreme 10- to 12-degree plunge over the last several days threw the shad into shock. Largemouth and smallmouth can adjust to the sharp downward swing, but smaller baitfish typically cannot handle that extreme change in water temperatures.

“I caught the majority of my fish on a sexy shad-colored Strike King KVD Elite 300 Jerkbait,” said Faircloth. “The water is a little stained on Douglas this week, so the white shows up real good in the water, and that coupled with the shad die-off made this a key bait for me today.”

The 40 anglers in Group B will now have an off day from competition Monday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group A will wrap up their two-day Qualifying Round. Group B will resume competition on Monday.

The top 20 pros in Group B after Day 1 on Douglas Lake are:

1^st:           Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, five bass, 14-7
2^nd:          Josh Butler, Hayden, Ala., five bass, 14-4
3^rd:          Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 14-4
4^th:           Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., five bass, 13-15
5^th:           Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, five bass, 13-14
6^th:           Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 13-2
7^th:           Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 13-1
8^th:           Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 12-15
9^th:           David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 12-6
10^th:        Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., five bass, 12-4
11^th:        Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 12-4
12^th:        Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., five bass, 11-15
13^th:        Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 11-13
14^th:        Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 11-12
15^th:        Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., five bass, 11-9
16^th:        Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 11-8
17^th:        Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, four bass, 11-1
18^th:        James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 10-13
19^th:        Josh Bertrand, Queen City, Ariz., five bass, 10-4
20^th:        Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., five bass, 9-5

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Butler caught a 5-pound, 1-ounce largemouth on a jerkbait in Period 2 that was the biggest fish of the day, earning him the first $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award of the event. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and another $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the top 20 anglers from each group advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 40 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weight carries over from the Knockout Round and the angler with the heaviest two-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

Anglers will launch Monday and Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. ET from Dandridge Ramp, located at 100 Public Drive in Dandridge and Wednesday and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET from the TVA Boat Launch on Renfro Road in Jefferson City. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the respective launch locations above, beginning at 5 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

On Championship Thursday, March 23, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., MLF will welcome fans of all ages to come in to celebrate the top 10 and crown the Stage 2 Champion at the Trophy Presentation. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies. The celebration will take place at the TVA Boat Launch on Renfro Road in Jefferson City, Tennessee.

The U.S. Air Force Stage Two on Cherokee and Douglas Lakes Presented by Power-Pole features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 6-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable on Douglas Lake and a 1-pound, 12-ounce minimum weight for scorable bass on Cherokee Lake. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, fishing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship, held March 13-17, 2024, on Lay Lake in Birmingham, Alabama.

The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on all six days of competition from 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Television coverage of the U.S. Air Force Stage Two on Cherokee and Douglas Lakes Presented by Power-Pole will air as two, two-hour episodes starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, September 16 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with re-airings on the Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, Ark Fishing, ATG + Wrangler, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, Daiwa, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Grundéns, Humminbird, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Power-Pole, Rapala, Star tron, T-H Marine, TORO, Toyota, U.S. Air Force, Yellowstone Bourbon, Yo-Zuri and Zoom Baits.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Charlie Davis & Scotty Howard Win CATT SML with 22.24 lbs

Brian Carter

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March 20, 2023

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Charlie Davis & Scotty Howard Win CATT SML with 22.24 lbs

With less then half the filed weighing in the cold front put a big snap to a lot of anglers bags. But congratulations to Charlie Dais & Scotty Howard on finding the winning bag.

Covered by Alicia Matherly

CLICK HERE TO SEE FINAL RESULTS

Atascadero’s Nick Salvucci Goes Wire-to-Wire, Wins MLF Toyota Series at California Delta Presented by Psycho Tuna

Brian Carter

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March 19, 2023

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Atascadero’s Nick Salvucci Goes Wire-to-Wire, Wins MLF Toyota Series at California Delta Presented by Psycho Tuna" title="Atascadero’s Nick Salvucci Goes Wire-to-Wire, Wins MLF Toyota Series at California Delta Presented by Psycho Tuna" />

BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. (March 19, 2023) – Pro Nick Salvucci of Atascadero, California, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Friday weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces to win the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at the California Delta Presented by Psycho Tuna and earn the top payout of $24,795. Salvucci’s three day total of 15 bass weighing 54-10 earned him the victory over Elk Grove, California pro Ken Mah, who weighed in 15 bass totaling 51-12 to finish second and earn $9,608.

Salvucci overcame tough fishing conditions to get the win. An influx of cold, muddy water made large portions of the Delta unfishable and put the bass in a funk. Some pre-tournament chatter predicted the winning three-day weight would fall in the mid-40s. While Salvucci easily surpassed that mark, he thinks the slow bite actually worked to his advantage. He believes it suited his stubborn nature.

“I like tough bites, because I can go hours without getting a bite throwing the same lure,” he said.

That’s what he did this week. Salvucci said every one of the bass he weighed in ate a spinnerbait with double Colorado blades and a 4.3-inch Keitech swimbait trailer. He did his damage on the southern end of the Delta — an area he said he has rarely fished in the past. But by covering a ton of water during the two-day practice period (he estimates he burned 80 gallons of fuel total) Salvucci found a few stretches of cleaner water with submerged hydrilla patches near riprap banks and tules.

“I was looking for hydrilla grass clumps up against tules and up against the riprap,” he said. “A lot of them were right where the tules went to the riprap, it made that ambush point. That’s where I’d catch them.”

After declaring on Thursday evening that he would do something different on the tournament’s final day, Salvucci set out to do just that, throwing a double-bladed buzzbait in search of a big bite in the morning. Eventually, though, he returned to the area where he’d had success on Day 1, when he landed a 22-5 limit.

The first fish that bit his spinnerbait wrapped his line around “the one standing stick” in the area and came unhooked. He didn’t get another bite until about 9:30 a.m., he said, before catching three fish in less than an hour, including two over 3 pounds. When noon arrived with no more bites, he returned to the spot where he’d missed the big fish and caught his largest bass of the day, a 4½-pound largemouth. He credited fellow competitor and former Bass Pro Tour angler Ish Monroe for helping put that fish in the boat.

“I didn’t do any trailer hooks, and then I was talking to Ish last night, and he was throwing a spinnerbait, and he told me he caught two 4-pounders on his trailer hook,” Salvucci explained. “So I put a trailer hook on last night, and I ended up catching my big one on the trailer hook.”

Salvucci added another fish over 2 pounds to his livewell shortly thereafter, which improved his bag by about half a pound. But, he still believed he needed another big bite to take first place. His goal for the day, after all, was 22 pounds. So he spent the final hour of the day punching mats, to no avail. Salvucci returned to the boat ramp discouraged.

“I said, well, I blew my chance,” Salvucci said. “Came in with my 15 pounds thinking I was going to get my butt kicked. And I guess it was a tougher day than I expected.”

The top 10 pros on the California Delta finished:

1^st:          Nick Salvucci, Atascadero, Calif., 15 bass, 54-10, $24,795
2^nd:         Ken Mah, Elk Grove, Calif., 15 bass, 51-12, $9,608
3^rd:         Nicholas Cloutier, Oakley, Calif., 14 bass, 48-14, $7,438
4^th:         Ty Faber, Pagosa Springs, Colo., 15 bass, 47-3, $6,199
5^th:         Nick Nourot, Benicia, Calif., 13 bass, 46-9, $5,579
6^th:         Mark Lassagne, Dixon, Calif., 11 bass, 42-10, $5,759
7^th:         Hunter Schlander, Modesto, Calif., 15 bass, 42-7, $4,339
8^th:         Ish Monroe, Oakdale, Calif., 12 bass, 39-1, $3,719
9^th:         David Valdivia, Riverside, Calif., 13 bass, 38-3, $3,099
10^th:       Kyle Grover, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., 15 bass, 38-2, $2,479

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Patrick Touey of Santa Maria, California, won the $500 Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Wednesday with a bass weighing 8 pounds, 14 ounces. On Thursday, Lassagne earned the $500 Berkley Big Bass prize after bringing a monster 10-pound, 10-ounce largemouth bass to the scale.

Casey Dunn of North Highlands, California, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Friday with a three-day total of 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 11 ounces. Dunn took home the top co-angler prize of 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:

1^st:          Casey Dunn, North Highlands, Calif., 10 bass, 35-11, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2^nd:         Tom White, Tustin, Calif., 10 bass, 25-7, $3,218
3^rd:         Turner Mason, Windsor, Colo., nine bass, 22-11, $2,574
4^th:         Rachel Uribe, San Diego, Calif., five bass, 21-9, $2,327
5^th:         Anthony Delgado, Cerritos, Calif., 10 bass, 20-12, $1,931
6^th:         Matthew Greene, Amherst, Va., nine bass, 19-9, $1,609
7^th:         Bruce Harris, Oakdale, Calif., eight bass, 19-2, $1,287
8^th:         Jordan Padilla, Concord, Calif., six bass, 19-2, $1,126
9^th:         Marcus Maestre, Santa Clara, Calif., six bass, 18-10, $1,040
10^th:       Kevin Gross, Redding, Calif., seven bass, 18-2, $804

Uribe and Maestre each earned a share of Wednesday’s $150 Berkley Big Bass award as both weighed in 6-pound, 10-ounce bass to split the prize, while the Day 2 $150 award went to winner Casey Dunn with a 7-pound, 11-ounce fish.

With two regular-season events in the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse now complete, Nick Salvucci of Atascadero, California, leads the Western Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 508 points, while Bruce Harris of Oakdale, California, leads the Strike King Co-angler Division AOY race with 509 points.

The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at the California Delta Presented by Psycho Tuna was hosted by the City Oakley. It was the second of three regular-season events for the Toyota Series Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will be the Toyota Series at Lewis Smith Lake, March 21-23, in Cullman, Alabama. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2023 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST 2024. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2023 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 2-4 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, and is hosted by ExploreBranson.com.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Toyota Series include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Black Rifle Coffee Company, E3, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Gill, Grundéns, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, 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.

Muskogee’s Capps Catches 22½-pound Limit Saturday to Win MLF Toyota Series Plains Division Opener at Grand Lake

Brian Carter

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March 19, 2023

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Muskogee’s Capps Catches 22½-pound Limit Saturday to Win MLF Toyota Series Plains Division Opener at Grand Lake" title="Muskogee’s Capps Catches 22½-pound Limit Saturday to Win MLF Toyota Series Plains Division Opener at Grand Lake" />

GROVE, Okla. (March 19, 2023) – Starting the final day in fourth place, nearly 4 pounds behind tournament leader Chad Warren, pro Blake Capps knew he needed to have a big day. And that’s exactly what the Muskogee, Oklahoma, pro did on Saturday. Capps caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces, to vault to the top of the leaderboard and win the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Grand Lake and earn the top payout of $87,000. Over the three days of competition Capps’ catch of 15 bass totaling 59-6 earned him the win by a 7-pound, 2-ounce margin over pro Michael Harlin of Sunrise Beach, Missouri, who finished runner-up with a three-day total of 52-4, good for $20,000.

“I think you can guess I’m feeling pretty good right now,” Capps said with a laugh after the weigh-in. “I had full confidence going into today.”

It showed early on Day 3, as Capps got off to a hot start in the morning. The Muskogee, Oklahoma angler busted what he estimated to be roughly 18 pounds in the first two hours of the morning. He then got to work bouncing from spot to spot, hunting for upgrades.

“I culled one at about 11 that was a 2.75 for a 3.75,” he said, “I thought I had a little shot at it at that point. But it was the 5-pounder I caught in the last hour that made me think I really had a shot.”

The key 5-pounder came on a bank he hadn’t visited in over two years, but after co-angler champion Jason Sandidge caught keepers on back-to-back casts, Capps knew he had to double back through the area.

“Once he caught his fish then we turned around and went back up that bank,” he said. “There was a little brush pile in 8 feet of water and in it was my 5-pounder. All my fish this week came in 10 feet of water or less.”

The bank itself held a lot of the same characteristics as many of the areas Capps focused on this week. Capps primarily targeted banks and points with larger rock piles and brush piles holding limited, but larger-than-average fish he found in practice. He located his fish during practice on a bladed jig and a flat-sided squarebill. But, come gameday, the weather and blustery cold conditions told Capps to fall in line with the other umbrella rig slingers that dominated the field.

“I had that 19-11 on Day 1 and I was done fishing at 10:45 in my area. I didn’t want to burn anything knowing it was a three-day tournament. On Day 2 I had all my fish by 11 o’clock for the most part. I didn’t have a big fish on Day 2. I weighed a 3-pounder I really needed to get rid of.”

Capps, who blasted his way to a 7-pound victory, credits years of experience and solid equipment as major factors in getting him through a tough week at Grand. He says it made a huge difference for him as he and the field faced adverse conditions all week.

“I’m really fortunate to have proper tools to compete at this level,” he said. “My Phoenix was important for getting me to my fish and back to weigh-in in the crazy winds we had the last few days. I also used a Falcon Cara “Big Bait” rod for my A-rig, and that was key for throwing it all day.”

The top 10 pros on Grand Lake finished:

1^st:          Blake Capps, Muskogee, Okla., 15 bass, 59-6, $87,000 (includes $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus)
2^nd:         Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., 15 bass, 52-4, $20,000
3^rd:         Brad Jelinek, Lincoln, Mo., 14 bass, 51-11, $14,250
4^th:         Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., 12 bass, 45-13, $12,250
5^th:         Austin Culbertson, Moberly, Mo., 12 bass, 43-9, $11,250
6^th:         Cole Breeden, Lebanon, Mo., 11 bass, 43-4, $9,125
7^th:         Billy Lemon, Sand Springs, Okla., 13 bass, 42-15, $7,900
8^th:         Mike McClelland, Blue Eye, Mo., 14 bass, 42-13, $6,900
9^th:         Kevin Miller, Shell Knob, Mo., 12 bass, 42-5, $6,400
10^th:       Preston Cook, Miami, Okla., 13 bass, 39-13, $4,500

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Jeremy Davis of Imperial, Missouri, took home the $500 Day 1 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Thursday with a largemouth weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces. On Friday, pro Kevin Miller of Shell Knob, Missouri, earned the $500 Berkley Big Bass prize after bringing a 6-pound, 13-ounce bass to the scale.

Capps earned an extra $35,000 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Jason Sandidge of Centerton, Arkansas, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 10 bass weighing 22 pounds, 2 ounces. Sandidge took home the top prize package worth $34,750, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.

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

1^st:          Jason Sandidge, Centerton, Ark., 10 bass, 22-2, $34,750 incl. Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2^nd:         Anthony Scoma, Spring Hill, Kan., five bass, 19-14, $6,275
3^rd:         Alan Bernicky, Joliet, Ill., nine bass, 19-2, $5,250
4^th:         Kyle Wilcox, Littleton, Colo., six bass, 17-6, $3,950
5^th:         Jeff Moss, Oronogo, Mo., seven bass, 16-8, $3,450
6^th:         David Matual, Chicago, Ill., five bass, 15-11, $2,950
7^th:         Justin Tye, Westville, Okla., five bass, 15-5, $2,450
8^th:         Dan Bowman, Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 15-4, $1,975
9^th:         Travis Snyder, Westville, Okla., four bass, 14-11, $1,590
10^th:       Mason Chambers, Galena, Mo., four bass, 11-10, $1,350

Scott Neiheisel of Cincinnati, Ohio, was the Berkley Big Bass $150 award winner in the Strike King co-angler division, Thursday, weighing in a 7-pounder. Thursday’s Day 2 $150 award went to Scoma with a 6-pound, 8-ounce bass.

With one regular-season event in the Toyota Series Plains Division now complete, Capps leads the Plains Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 260 points, while Sandidge leads the Strike King Co-angler Division AOY race with 260 points.

The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Grand Lake, hosted by the City of Grove, was the first of three regular-season events for the Toyota Series Plains Division. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will be the Toyota Series at Lewis Smith Lake, March 21-23, in Cullman, Alabama. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2023 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST 2024. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2023 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 2-4 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, and is hosted by ExploreBranson.com.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Toyota Series include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Black Rifle Coffee Company, E3, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Gill, Grundéns, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, 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.

Jonathan Graham Wins Bass Cast Kayak Series event on Leesville Lake with 78.25″

Brian Carter

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March 19, 2023

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Jonathan Graham Wins Bass Cast Kayak Series event on Leesville Lake with 78.25″

Leesville Tournament

The Bass Cast Kayak Bass Series kicked off our season with 29 anglers braving a chilly and windy event on Leesville Lake.

It was a rough day for some of our anglers, but a great day for our winner, Jonathan Graham, who took home $260.00 with 78.25”. Robert Clements took second place with 75.25”, and Chris Poe was in third with 73.00”. Adam Flint caught the largest bass of the day at 23.75”, and took home the $130 Big Bass pot.

The awards ceremony was well attended, and was a great opportunity to meet some of our new anglers and catch up with old friends. We are looking forward to seeing everyone on April 15 to do it all again!

CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS

Chad Green & Johnny Martin Win Anglers Choice SML March 18th 2023 with 26.32 lbs

Brian Carter

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March 19, 2023

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Chad Green & Johnny Martin Win Anglers Choice SML March 18th 2023 with 26.32 lbs

Stop #1 of the VA Division kicked off Saturday on SML with a cold & windy day with 96 teams braving the weather for there chance to take home over $4,000. Congratulations to everyone that cashed a check & we will see you at the next one on Buggs Island.

CLICK HERE TO SEE FINAL RESULTS

Randy Howell Jumps to Early Lead at MLF U.S. Air Force Stage Two Presented by Power-Pole

Brian Carter

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March 19, 2023

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Randy Howell Jumps to Early Lead at MLF U.S. Air Force Stage Two Presented by Power-Pole" title="Randy Howell Jumps to Early Lead at MLF U.S. Air Force Stage Two Presented by Power-Pole" />

Alabama Pro Scores a Five-Fish Limit Weighing 15 Pounds, 2 Ounces to Lead by 7 Ounces After Day 1 for Group A – Group B Begins Competition Sunday

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. (March 18, 2023) – After a slow, chilly start to the morning, Major League Fishing (MLF) pros at the U.S. Air Force Stage Two on Cherokee and Douglas Lakes Presented by Power-Pole were greeted with a little sunshine and a fired-up fishery half-way through Period 1. While the top spot on the leaderboard saw several names throughout the morning, Mercury pro Randy Howell of Guntersville, Alabama caught a 5-pound, 14-ounce whopper mid-way through Period 2 to take over and maintain the lead, despite several hard-charging pros.

Link to HD Video – Fish-Catch Highlights of Group A Qualifying Round Day 1 on Douglas Lake
Link to Photo Gallery of Group A’s Day 1 Qualifying Round Afternoon Highlights

The six-day event, hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism Sports Commission, showcases 80 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of more than $805,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters All-Star event and REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship.

“We are thrilled to be hosting Stage 2 of the 2023 Bass Pro Tour in Jefferson County,” said Lauren Hurdle, Jefferson County Director of Tourism. “Douglas and Cherokee Lakes are in full blown Spring patterns, showcasing how incredible both tournament fisheries truly are. Douglas and Cherokee Lakes have hosted numerous Major League Fishing events, and it will be fascinating to see what each professional angler is able to produce on these waters.”

The weights are stacked at the top of the leaderboard after Day 1, with Howell bringing a modest lead into Monday’s second day of competition for Group A. The Alabama pro finished the day with a mere 7-ounce margin over second place angler and Favorite Fishing pro Adrian Avena of Vineland, New Jersey, who weighed a five-bass limit totaling 14-11. Abu Garcia pro Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Alabama sits in third place, with a five-bass limit weighing 14-5, while local pro Brandon Coulter of Knoxville, Tennessee finished the day in fourth place with a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 14 ounces. General Tire pro Edwin Evers of Talala, Oklahoma finished the day with 5 bass weighing 13-11 to round out the top five.

The 40 anglers in Group A will now have an off day from competition on Sunday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group B will begin their first day of competition. Group A will resume competition on Monday.

While the temperature never got above 47 degrees, that was enough to see some big moves, especially in the second and third periods of the day. The one-hour delay in competition times for this event proved to be key for many of the pros, as the afternoon bite shook up most of the Top 10 in the final period. Avena was among the big movers in Period 3, sliding from 22^nd into 2^nd, while Coulter moved from 25^th into 4^th and Power-Pole pro Chris Lane of Guntersville, Alabama slid from 11^th into 6^th. Kalamazoo, Michigan’s Kevin VanDam moved from 21^st into the 8^th spot, but the biggest move of the day was Evers, who catapulted from 32^nd place into 5^th.

Of the top 6 pros, 5 caught fish over 4 pounds and every angler within the top 13 caught a fish weighing more than 3 pounds.

“That one 5-pound, 14-ounce fish saved me today and made a huge difference between me having a decent 12- to 13-pound bag and leading the day,” said Howell. “It’s not been an easy day, but that big largemouth really got me over the hump and got my confidence up.

“I caught a 3-pounder before that, then closed out my limit, culling once or twice, but the key today was just keeping a bunch of small crankbaits in my hand,” continued Howell. “Coming into Day 1, I thought without a big bite, catching 12 pounds a day would make the cut pretty easily, but after today I’m starting to think 10 pounds per day will do it.”

Howell said he caught most of his fish on a Livingston Howeller DMC Jr., a Jerkmaster Jr. and a Yamamoto Senko.

“The Livingston Jerkmaster Jr. is one of the baits that performed well in practice,” said Howell. “I didn’t do as much on it today but the Howeller Jr. – a smaller version of my bigger Howeller bait – was definitely a key bait today. I rotated back and forth between crawfish and shad-colored, throwing them on my Daiwa Tatula Elite 7’ Medium Light Shallow Cranking Rod, with 12-pound Daiwa J-Fluoro Samurai Line.

“Everything’s worked good for us today and the Lord has really blessed me,” Howell continued. “I’m so thankful for what we’ve got and looking forward to getting back out there Monday morning and getting this cut locked down so we can head to Cherokee Lake for the Knockout Round on Wednesday and have a chance at Thursday’s Championship Round.”

The top 20 pros in Group A after Day 1 on Douglas Lake are:

1^st:           Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 15-2
2^nd:          Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., five bass, 14-11
3^rd:          Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 14-5
4^th:           Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 13-14
5^th:           Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., five bass, 13-11
6^th:           Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 13-10
7^th:           Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., five bass, 13-6
8^th:           Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 13-0
9^th:           Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 12-15
10^th:        Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 12-9
11^th:        Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss., five bass, 12-8
12^th:        Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., five bass, 12-2
13^th:        Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, five bass, 11-14
14^th:        Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., five bass, 11-12
15^th:        Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 11-11
16^th:        Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., five bass, 11-10
17^th:        Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., five bass, 11-3
18^th:        Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 10-13
19^th:        Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., five bass, 10-12
20^th:        Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., five bass, 10-9

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Howell’s 5-pound, 14-ounce largemouth that locked onto his shallow-diving crankbait in Period 2 was also the biggest fish of the day, earning him the first $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award of the event. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and another $1,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the top 20 anglers from each group advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 40 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weight carries over from the Knockout Round and the angler with the heaviest two-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

Anglers will launch Sunday-Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. ET from Dandridge Ramp, located at 100 Public Drive in Dandridge and Wednesday and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET from the TVA Boat Launch on Renfro Road in Jefferson City. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the respective launch locations above, beginning at 5 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

On Championship Thursday, March 14, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., MLF will welcome fans of all ages to come in to celebrate the top 10 and crown the Stage 2 Champion at the Trophy Presentation. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies. The celebration will take place at the TVA Boat Launch on Renfro Road in Jefferson City, Tennessee.

The U.S. Air Force Stage Two on Cherokee and Douglas Lakes Presented by Power-Pole features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 6-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable on Douglas Lake and a 1-pound, 12-ounce minimum weight for scorable bass on Cherokee Lake. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, fishing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship, held March 13-17, 2024, on Lay Lake in Birmingham, Alabama.

The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on all six days of competition from 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Television coverage of the U.S. Air Force Stage Two on Cherokee and Douglas Lakes Presented by Power-Pole will air as two, two-hour episodes starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, September 16 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with re-airings on the Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, Ark Fishing, ATG + Wrangler, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, Daiwa, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Ferguson, Fox Rent A Car, General Tire, Grundéns, Humminbird, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Power-Pole, Rapala, Star tron, T-H Marine, TORO, Toyota, U.S. Air Force, Yellowstone Bourbon, Yo-Zuri and Zoom Baits.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Dennis Stump & Steve Crist Win Fishers of Men VA West

Brian Carter

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March 18, 2023

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Dennis Stump & Steve Crist Win Fishers of Men VA West

Had a great 1st meeting and tournament of the year.
The Blue Eagle Credit Union Tournament at Smith Mountain Lake is in the Books and the team of Steve Crist and Dennis Stump took home the big check with 23.9!
2nd place was the team of Ralph and Justin Hicks with 22.85!
3rd place was Taft William Durr and Jon Simmons with 21.75
4th was Christopher Atkins and Matt Atkins
With 20.45
5th was Chad Green and Johnny Martin with 17.32 and rounding out the money was the 6th place team of Robert Jason Lee and AJ Smith with 17.31
Big fish was Greg Stallings wit a 9.0!!
The team of Ricky Grant and Greg Stallings also o received the just out of the money rods.
We was to thank Laurissa Thompson and Becca Dawn from Blue Eagle Credit Union for helping us have such a great event!
Full rundown will be online in the next few days.
Thanks for all that fished with us today and see ya’ll April 8th!

Brandon Perkins Goes Wire-To-Wire and dominates Pickwick Lake

Brian Carter

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March 17, 2023

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Brandon Perkins Goes Wire-To-Wire and dominates Pickwick Lake

A solid 3-day performance turns into a $100,000 payday for the local favorite.

Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons

With a 9-pound lead going in, Brandon Perkins caught 24-pounds, 4-ounces on the final day to secure the second NPFL victory of his career, both on Pickwick Lake. Perkins started out with 24-pounds, 9-ounces on day one, added 17-pounds, 6-ounces on day two, and with high winds on Friday, he scrapped together a five bass limit giving him a three-day total of 66-pounds, 10-ounces.

Perkins spent the majority of the first two days fishing down the river and targeted shallow bars with key isolated irregularities. On day three, with high winds projected, he knew the run was more than he wanted to deal with, and started close by the takeoff. It didn’t take long to realize the current flow had been cut back, and he made a key adjustment as the day progressed to locate some bigger quality smallmouth, rounding out his limit and giving him a 13-pound, 10-ounce margin of victory on his home body of water.

“Today was testy, man,” said Perkins. “I know this end of the lake but it is not my comfortable zone. I checked these areas (by the dam) in practice and both days of the tournament without any luck. I ran into Mike Corbishley and he had just run back up the river and told me how rough it was – it was an easy decision to stay. Once I figured out the 20 to 30-yard stretch where they were sitting and it was hotter than a fire cracker all day.”

Throughout the event, Perkins fished a mix of reaction style baits to target fish staging on the river channel. By the dam, he rotated through a few others to get those bigger smallmouths to bite.

“I fished a whole lot of Bill Lewis this week – a Rattle Trap, MR6 and MR12 – and when I moved around, I swapped to a swimbait and a Buckeye Lures Jig. I threw everything on Rockohl Rods, different models, and today was about the 8-foot cranking rod,” he added.

“I came back to the NPFL for this event and the increased payouts. I have had some really tough times this time of year and those days helped prepare me for events like this. I was about to catch my goal weight of 66-pounds and I have some awesome sponsors to thank – The Outpost at Pickwick, South East Auto District, Prym1 Camo and Family Clinic at the Lake – I could not do this without them.”

Timmy Reams

Timmy Reams overcame a slow day one to finish the event in second place. He stacked bags of 16-pounds, 10-ounces on day two and the biggest bag of the tournament on day three weighing 24-pounds, 10-ounces. His three-day total of 52-pounds, 6-ounces gave him a 6-pound, 3-ounce margin over third place.

Reams had his best days of practice fishing in Wilson Lake, and decided on day one to sample an area near the tailrace where he had gotten a big bite, a decision that saved his event.

“This is a good start to the season, for sure,” said Reams. Day one was a struggle, but opting out of the lock and staying close by was a big blessing due to the issues others had. I found a little seam and was able to catch some good weights on the next two days.”

Reams made a switch on day two to a lighter action rod and lighter swimbait hook and was able to put more fish in the boat, something that hurt him on day one.

“I got there yesterday and it was loaded,” he added. “Same thing today, it was super fun. I could see them sitting there and they wanted to bite. I have to thank Dan at Fishermans Central for bringing me some baits this week and my sponsors Henny Rods and High Mountain Off-Road.”

Mike Corbishley

After a slow start on day one, Mike Corbishley caught bags of 19-pounds, 12-ounces on day two and 18-pounds, 4-ounces on day three to finish in the third-place spot with a total weight of 45-pounds, 13-ounces. Dealing with more than just fishing this week, Corbishley located a key area at the end of the first day and went to work early and often the next two days.

“I lost two other good fish on day one that hurt me, but finding that load of fish saved my event,” said Corbishley. “I went back on day two and caught them super quick and then caught a 6-pounder later in the day.”

Day three was more of the same. He could locate the packs of smallmouth roaming the shallow bars with two Lowrance Active Target 2 transducers, one in scout mode, and one in forward. The precise casts with a swimbait were key to getting them to bite.

“The C-Mapping from Lowrance and HDS Pro units allowed me to pull up and find those sweet spots and catching them early on was key,” he added. Today, the wind blew my area out in two hours and I never relocated them fish.”

Off the water, he was dealing with his social media being hacked and had to shout out his fiancé and mother for helping to handle the fiasco.

“A big shout out to them for helping me take down the hackers,” laughed Corbishley. “Without the support at home, I could not do any of this, so they are really appreciated.”

Corbishley mainly fished a swimbait with a Cashion 7” 4” multi-purpose rod and a 13 Fishing Concept A 6.8:1 ratio reel.

Tim Cales

Tim Cales worked the current seams of the Wilson Dam tailwater all three days to finish in fourth place with a total weight of 45-pounds, 10-ounces. His biggest bag of 18-pounds, 8-ounces on day one carried him through as he dealt with battery issues that took away precious fishing time both day two and three.

“My main deal was flipping that little Big Daddy Swim Jig on my FX Rods up in those breaks where they were sitting,” said Cales. “My water today had dropped two foot overnight and my targets were out of the water. And, I do have to thank Dan Blackert for loaning me his boat this afternoon when my batteries died.”

Jason Wilson

With back-to-back 13-pound, 13-ounce bags on days one and two, Jason Wilson upped his total to 16-pounds, 11-ounces on day three to finish in the fifth-place spot with a total weight of 44-pounds, 5-ounces.

Rest of the Best
Patrick Walters 44-2
Jesse Wise 43-12
Brian Hatfield 41-12
Louis Fernandes 41-8
Todd Goade 41-5

FINAL LEADERBOARD

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