Boater Josh Womack of Gallatin, Tennessee, and Strike-King co-angler Ricky England of Sparta, Tennessee.
Sparta’s England Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division
GALLATIN, Tenn. (June 17, 2024) – Boater Josh Womack of Gallatin, Tennessee, caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces, Sunday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Old Hickory Lake . Hosted by Sumner County Tourism, the tournament was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Music City Division. This was a makeup event for the tournament originally scheduled for May 11 at Center Hill Lake, which had to be cancelled due to unsafe boating conditions. Womack earned $2,748 for his victory.
When asked to break it down to the most important key for him on Old Hickory, Womack kept it simple: “Covering a lot of water.”
He spent Sunday running and gunning in the mid-lake area.
“I was fishing a mixture of brush piles and grass,” he said. “Just a jig and a crankbait in brush piles and a ChatterBait in grass. The brush piles were offshore a little deeper. The grass was shallow, like 1 to 3 feet.”
In Saturday’s Old Hickory tournament, Womack finished 25th and spent most of the day trying to “make a deep bite work.” He didn’t make that same mistake on Sunday.
“At the end of the day yesterday (Saturday) I went up shallow and caught a few,” he said. “And it kind of clued me in that the fish were not as deep as I tried to make them be. I spent a lot more time up shallow today (Sunday).”
Womack started the day shallow, then worked some deeper brush. Then Womack went back shallow to the grass and made a couple key culls. Later in the day, he culled a couple more times from the brush.
That back-and-forth, shallow-to-deep-to-shallow approach got him over the hump and into the winner’s circle for a Father’s Day victory.
Womack’s go-to lure up shallow was a white Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammer. His main brush pile bait was a homemade 3/8-ounce jig with a green pumpkin skirt with some blue mixed in.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Josh Womack, Gallatin, Tenn., five bass, 16-9, $2,748 2nd: Jacob Woods, Loudon, Tenn., five bass, 14-15, $1,374 3rd: Josh Tramel, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 14-0, $916 4th: Jeremy Walker, Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 13-12, $1,141 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus) 5th: Tim Messer, Hendersonville, Tenn., five bass, 13-9, $550 6th: Anthony Guffie, Lafayette, Tenn., five bass, 13-3, $504 7th: Joey Mallicoat, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 12-10, $458 8th: Willie McMullen, Covington, Ga., five bass, 12-4, $412 9th: Mickey Beck, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 11-15, $366 10th: Brady Duncan, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 11-12, $321
Jay Melton of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $305.
Ricky England of Sparta, Tennessee, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,370 Sunday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 11 pounds, 3 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Ricky England, Sparta, Tenn., five bass, 11-3, $1,370 2nd: Barry McEntire, Lebanon, Tenn., four bass, 9-14, $832 3rd: Ike Gillentine, Quebeck, Tenn., five bass, 9-5, $457 4th: Roderick Green, Columbia, Tenn., five bass, 9-2, $320 5th: Alex Roberts, Franklin, Tenn., four bass, 9-1, $274 6th: Earl Ross Jr., Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., five bass, 9-0, $251 7th: Kyle Pillars, Ashland City, Tenn., five bass, 8-6, $228 8th: Taylor McMullen, Oxford, Ga., three bass, 7-13, $206 9th: Adam Radovic, Brecksville, Ohio, four bass, 7-10, $183 10th: Rodney Powell, Many, La., four bass, 7-3, $160
Barry McEntire of Lebanon, Tennessee, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $147, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 4 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After four events, Jacob Woods of Loudon, Tennessee, leads the Fishing Clash Music City Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 971 points, while Wayne Crouch of Jamestown, Tennessee, leads the Fishing Clash Music City Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 975 points.
The next event for BFL Music City Division anglers will be held Sept. 7-8, at Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional tournament on Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Georgia. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American.
For Timms, it was a last-minute decision to enter the tournament. And even though he’s a recent transplant to Tennessee from Connecticut, he had some good background to go on during the tournament.
“I got into the tournament like three days ago,” he said on Saturday. “I signed up just to do something on the weekend. I never even practiced, which probably helped me for once.
“I fished a benefit tournament two weeks ago and took second place,” Timms added. “I went to that same spot (that he fished in the benefit tournament) and it was loaded. They were there.”
The key spot was a point in the back of a creek arm.
“There was some milfoil that sits off the point in 4 to 5 feet of water,” he said. “It drops off to 8 to 10 feet. I could see on my (Lowrance) ActiveTarget that the fish were moving in and out, and there’s a lot of bait in the area. They were feeding on the bait. I started throwing a ChatterBait up on the point and bringing it out, and those fish were coming up and just crushing it.”
While Timms could see fish on his ActiveTarget unit, he was primarily fan-casting across the point instead of casting to specific fish. He caught his limit using a white and chartreuse Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait Jack Hammer with a 4-inch Keitech Easy Shiner trailer in the sexy shad color.
Timms was pretty well done by about 10 a.m. – his winning weight anchored by a 5-pound, 9-ounce fish that earned the Berkley Big Bass award among boaters.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Robert Timms, Clarksville, Tenn., five bass, 14-11, $3,526 2nd: Jacob Hudson, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 14-3, $1,578 3rd: Michael Stout, Gallatin, Tenn., five bass, 12-12, $894 3rd: Nathan Reynolds, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 12-12, $894 5th: Terry Steele, Sparta, Tenn., five bass, 12-9, $605 5th: Cody Mackie, McMinnville, Tenn., five bass, 12-9, $605 7th: Matt Underhill, Lascassas, Tenn., five bass, 12-3, $999 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus) 7th: Jason Dies, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 12-3, $499 9th: Brady Duncan, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 12-2, $421 10th: Brent Sain, Manchester, Tenn., five bass, 12-0, $368
Timms caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 9 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $370.
Parker Burgess of Rickman, Tennessee, won the Strike King co-angler division and $1,535 Saturday, after bringing five bass to the scale that totaled 10 pounds, 15 ounces.
The top 11 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Parker Burgess, Rickman, Tenn., five bass, 10-15, $1,535 2nd: Gary Haraguchi, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 9-5, $768 3rd: Douglas Gibbons, Dunlap, Tenn., two bass, 9-0, $513 4th: Taylor McMullen, Oxford, Ga., five bass, 8-2, $332 4th: Jason Barr, Fort Campbell, Ky., four bass, 8-2, $432 6th: Trenton Webb, Goodlettsville, Tenn., five bass, 7-9, $281 7th: Jenn Nolan, Hitchcock, Tenn., four bass, 7-6, $256 8th: Daniel Nolen, Lexington, N.C., four bass, 7-5, $230 9th: Wayne Crouch, Jamestown, Tenn., three bass, 7-2, $181 9th: Teddy Baggett, Nashville, Tenn., three bass, 7-2, $181 9th: Barry McEntire, Lebanon, Tenn., two bass, 7-2, $361
Barry McEntire of Lebanon, Tennessee, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $180, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 14 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
Music City Division anglers competed again on Old Hickory Lake on Sunday in an event that was originally scheduled for May 11 on Center Hill Lake but had to be cancelled due to high water. Sunday’s tournament was the division’s fourth event this season. Jacob Woods of Loudon, Tennessee, now leads the Fishing Clash Music City Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 971 points, while Wayne Crouch of Jamestown, Tennessee, leads the Fishing Clash Music City Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 975 points.
The next event for BFL Music City Division anglers will be held Sept. 7-8, at Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional tournament on Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Georgia. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Inclement Weather Forces MLF to Cancel Day 3, Walker Earns Victory and $80,000 Top Prize
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 17, 2024) – It wasn’t a total shock when the final day of Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 5 Presented by 7 Brew on Lake Champlain was called off Monday morning. With a lot of wind at takeoff and more in the forecast, it was setting up to be a pretty rough day on the lake. With a 2-pound margin on his competition, Springville, Alabama pro Jacob Walker hoisted the trophy in the parking lot at the Plattsburgh City Marina around 8 o’clock Monday morning, while gulls wheeled overhead and most folks were clocking in or starting their morning coffee.
With a two-day total of 42 pounds, 5 ounces, Walker caught over 21 pounds each day of the event to win handily. In second, pro Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tennessee, had 40-5, and local favorite Alec Morrison of Peru, New York, weighed 40-4 for third. For the win, which is his first with MLF, Walker pocketed $80,000 and locked up a trip to REDCREST 2025 next year in his home state of Alabama.
Well-schooled with a jig and a minnow, Walker was a first-timer to Champlain, but he was in his element as far as the fishing goes. Perhaps the biggest thing that set him apart this week was his location. Walker fished in the Alburg Passage and could pick and choose what he caught with little competition.
“The first day of practice, I wanted to try to find some spawners to get an idea of what stage the fish were in,” he said. “I was running through the Alburg Pass, and the wind was blowing, and it was a little calmer in there.
“I pulled over and I cruised down the bank for 15 minutes and saw probably 30 empty beds. I had a feeling that those fish had probably spawned before we got there – I knew they couldn’t be far. I was on the phone with my buddy Mark [Condron], told him I saw some beds, and I was on the phone and I trolled out there, off the flat into that channel. As I trolled out, I saw a smallmouth sitting on that break – made a cast, and it was a 3½-pounder. I could tell by how she acted, there had to be a lot of them around, to be so aggressive and eat so easily.”
Walker could have cranked his Mercury to leave. Instead, he trolled and looked at the screen. The rest is history.
“I cruised around for a second, saw another, caught it, and it was a 3-15,” he said. “They were both fat, so I knew there had to be some bait around. I put my rod down, trolled around for a second and saw some bait and some groups in the bait and I left. I was in there no more than 10 minutes.”
After re-checking the area on the final day of practice, Walker was feeling pretty good.
“I knew it was a safe bet I could catch five in there and probably guarantee myself a check,” Walker said. “I had no clue it would be like that. I had no clue that bigger-than-average fish would be in there. Now it makes sense now that I’ve spent so much time in there – if I wanted to, I could catch over 100 fish per day.”
Throwing a 5- or 6-inch Deps Sakamata Shad in the sliver shiner color on mostly a 3/16-ounce Owner Range Roller head, Walker whooped up on the bass every day he went fishing.
“It’s identical to the alewives, and it looks like the smelt,” said Walker of his bait. “I could have gone through 100 of them a day if I wanted to. I caught an alewife yesterday [that] I showed the camera man. It’s incredible how similar it really is – it’s identical.”
Using 16-pound-test mainline and a 10-pound-test fluoro leader, Walker went with a G. Loomis GLX 863 rod, which he thought was the perfect rod for the task.
“It’s a medium-heavy, but it’s extremely parabolic,” he said. “So, I have the backbone to carry that big bait, make a good cast with it and pin the fish. But it’s very parabolic, so I don’t lose them. If you see in pictures, a lot of that rod is bending, but it’s still strong enough to where I can pin them and put a hook in them, especially those real big ones.”
As far as catching the fish, Walker had his boat in 20 to 35 feet most of the time but caught fish throughout the water column. A big part of his success was making very precise presentations, and sometimes trying to wait for bigger fish to show themselves or become available.
“I run my (Garmin) LiveScope at 80 feet because I can really see a fish and really decipher where the fish is,” Walker explained. “It’s a big deal with how you present a bait. A lot of times, I think if your bait is too close to them, and you come over their backs, it spooks them. The real big ones, the smart ones, if you spook them, you might catch some but a lot of times they’ll spin around and they’ll look at it but they know it’s not natural.
“How many times does a bologna sandwich hit you in the face? It never happens. Most of the time, I try to present my bait first, very high, and get an initial reaction to get them to come up and eat it. If it’s too high, and they don’t see it, I’ll make a cast closer to them, but maybe 5 or 10 feet to their left or right. I’m very patient – I don’t just see a fish and bomb on it.”
To hear him tell it, Walker could have been burning through 100 bass a day, but he took a more considered approach.
“At some point, I had to stop,” he said. “I would sit on a group of fish and wait until I knew I could get a good cast on a 4-pounder. When my trolling motor was in the water, very rarely was I not looking at fish. I had to really be patient and understand that if there’s a group, there’s a big one in there, and I had to watch them and try to pick them out.”
With the wind whipping at takeoff and a trophy in hand, Walker was adamant that he wanted to win it all the way.
“It’s a big move; it’s a very big deal,” he said. “It’s not real yet. When I get back home to reality it’ll probably set in. It’ll set in eventually, but I just want to go do it again. I love bass fishing.”
The top 30 pros at the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 5 on Lake Champlain Presented by 7 Brew finished:
The three-day tournament, hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau, featured a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000. The final Tackle Warehouse Invitational event of the 2024 season will take place next month, July 26-28 at the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 6 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches on the Detroit River in Trenton, Michigan .
In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Saturday and Sunday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advanced to the final round on Championship Monday. The winner of the weather-shortened Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 5 at Lake Champlain Presented by 7 Brew was be determined by the heaviest two-day cumulative weight and now receives an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.
Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 5 at Lake Champlain Presented by 7 Brew will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Nov. 2 on CBS Sports Network.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitational updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
A big thank you to everyone who came out and participated in our tournament yesterday! We had an amazing turnout and some fantastic catches. Over 80 fish were brought in to be weighed! We’re excited to announce that we paid out prizes for the top 4 places:
🏆 1st Place: Jacob Stephens and Jeff Swain with 5 fish weighing 7.18 lbs 🥈 2nd Place: Dakota Amos and Patrick Mayberry with 5 fish weighing 5.94 lbs 🥉 3rd Place: Chris Kimbrough and Brian Myers with 5 fish weighing 5.83 lbs 🏅 4th Place: Aaron and Easton Falwell with 5 fish weighing 5.53 lbs.
Congratulations to all our winners! Your hard work truly paid off.
Mark your calendars! Our next event is the Benefit Tournament, which will be held on Saturday, August 10, 2024 at Monacan Park. We look forward to seeing everyone there and making it another memorable day on the water.
Alabama pro brings 2-pound lead into Monday’s final day of competition
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 16, 2024) – Through two days, pro Jacob Walker of Springville, Alabama, has been in command on Lake Champlain. Sacking up over 21 pounds on Day 1 and 21-1 on Day 2 for a 42-5 total, the first-year Invitationals pro is handily leading Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 5 Presented by 7 Brew Coffee.
Leading the way with LiveScope and smallmouth bass, Walker has an impressive cast in pursuit. Also ‘Scoping for smallmouth, pro Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tennessee, and local favorite Alec Morrison of Peru, New York, are both over the 40-pound mark and on his heels. In fourth with 39-1, Milford, Delaware’s Kurt Mitchell is relying on largemouth from docks and rocks, and there are some other notable largemouth anglers in the hunt as well (plus the usual cadre of folks looking at screens). Day 2 on Champlain did put one pattern pretty much to bed – it looks like the smallmouth spawn is about wrapped up.
Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, now advance to Championship Monday. The three-day tournament, hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau, featured a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025.
Over the last few years, with the development of the open water bite on Champlain, fishing with company has become more common than ever before on the big lake. It makes sense – you can see a long way, and smallmouth are not sneaky about being hooked. But it might make finding something new – or an untapped area – all the more valuable. This week, Walker has been able to fish in relative peace and quiet, and he seems to have a lot of fish at his disposal.
“It was a little slower start than I expected,” said Walker, who works for a tackle shop in Alabama. “I wasn’t nervous, I was just excited. I was kind of rushing myself, I think. I lost a couple. On one particular rod, I had the drag at a certain point, and then I changed it last night – I think that’s why I was losing them. It was too loose, and they were eating it, and I would swing on them and it would peel. I tightened the drag down and hit ‘em with it hard, I lost a few more, but I caught a lot more.
“I don’t know at what point I had 20 (pounds), I feel like it was probably pretty early, 10 o’clock or so,” he added. “Today was a game of numbers, I swung on a lot more today, to try to catch as much as I could – I caught at least 60 today. The last place I found, I caught at least 25, and they were all over 3 pounds. But, I was trying to catch one over 4, to make a big difference, and I did, eventually.”
Fishing a few areas in a couple of miles of water, Walker isn’t doing anything groundbreaking from a technique standpoint. But, he’s doing it well, and he’s on the cusp of a huge win.
“I still don’t feel like I’m leading,” he said. “It’s really hard to get excited when I catch one, because they’re all pretty close, and I can’t really tell how big they are. If I knew it was a 4½ (pounder), I’d probably be screaming. I’m not anxious or nervous or anything like that, but I still have to catch them. They’re going to catch them even if I don’t – the job’s not done, so I’m not fired up yet.”
Walker has finished runner-up in a Bassmaster Open on Lay Lake – his home fishery – and he’s had a lot of success this season, including some close calls along the way. Now, he’s a day away from his first high-level W.
“Not that I doubt myself, or that anyone doubts me, but it’d prove it – to myself and everybody,” he said. “It would be a big deal for sure, but, I don’t know what’d it’d mean – I hope I can tell you tomorrow.”
The top 30 pros now advancing to the final day of competition on Lake Champlain are:
Pro Taylor Parker of Lake View, Alabama, was the recipient of Sunday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award, as he brought a bass to the scale that weighed in at 6 pounds, 3 ounces to earn the prize.
Overall, there were 625 bass weighing 2,047 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 127 pros Sunday. The catch included 124 five-bass limits.
In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Saturday and Sunday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advance to the final round on Championship Monday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 5 at Lake Champlain Presented by 7 Brew will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.
The final 30 anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. ET Monday from the Plattsburgh City Marina, located at 5 Dock St. in Plattsburgh. Monday’s Championship weigh-in will also be held at the marina and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live on Championship Monday from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. ET. MLFNOW! will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) and Rumble apps.
Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 5 at Lake Champlain Presented by 7 Brew will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Nov. 2 on CBS Sports Network.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitational updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Cliff Prince of Palatka, Fla., wins the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Wheeler Lake with a four-day total of 20 bass for 80 pounds, 15 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
June 16, 2024
Florida flair helps Prince win his first Bassmaster Elite Series trophy at Wheeler Lake
DECATUR, Ala. — Cliff Prince has suffered several difficult defeats in his 12-year career on the Bassmaster Elite Series, but this week he made sure he wasn’t going to beat himself.
By catching 15 pounds, 2 ounces on Championship Sunday, Prince collected his first Elite Series victory at the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Wheeler Lake with a four-day total of 80-15. He survived a hard charge from Ray Hanselman Jr. on the final day to hoist the blue trophy and earn a $100,000 payday.
“I’ve been close several times and I let it slip through my fingers,” Prince said. “I told myself, ‘I’m not going to beat myself this week. If I’m going to get beat, it is going to be by somebody else, not me.’ I think I did that. I accomplished what I set out to do once I saw that I had a chance to win.”
Throughout his career, Prince admittedly does not have a great track record on the Tennessee River, including a 105th-place finish on this particular lake when the Elites last visited in 2016. With that in mind, Prince wanted to come into this event with a clean slate and did not study for Wheeler before arriving.
“I was hoping to survive,” Prince said. “I know how to ledge fish, and this time of year I do well at home. But this is way different than at home. I don’t have all the secret hidey holes.
“To beat these guys outside of your own state that means you got it done.”
All week, Prince maximized one main-lake sweet spot on the Decatur Flats. That spot featured two prominent hard spots surrounded by submergent grass. While a 4-pound smallmouth on Day 1 came specifically out of the grass, the rest of his bites came from those hard spots.
To get to those bass, Prince needed to incorporate his Florida flair. He tossed a white/chartreuse Z-Man Evergreen JackHammer with a snow storm-colored Bass Assassin Little Boss trailer and reeled it slowly through the grass and over the hard spots.
His casting setup was a 7-foot-3 medium Fitzgerald baitcasting rod, a 7:4 gear ratio Shimano reel and 17-pound Seagaur Tatsu fluorocarbon.
“That’s kind of what we do at home. It was right up my alley,” he said. “The slower you could fish it the better. If you could keep it on the bottom with a slight wobble, that is when they would eat it. Sometimes they would eat it on the fall for whatever reason. If you threw it and started cranking, they would not eat it. You had to let it hit the bottom.”
He also mixed in a 7-inch green pumpkin Bass Assassin Tapout worm on a 1/8-ounce Texas Rig from time to time, landing several key bass with it. He fished that bait on a 6-10 Fitzgerald medium-heavy spinning rod with 20-pound Seaguar Smackdown braid and a 15-pound Tatsu fluorocarbon leader.
The first three days, Prince caught early limits of 19-4, 20-7 and then a remarkable 26-2, which stood as the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of the Tournament. Championship Sunday was no different, as Prince landed his biggest bass of Day 4, a 4-pounder, just seven minutes after leaving takeoff at Ingalls Harbor at 6 a.m.
He filled his limit at 6:32 a.m. and 20 minutes later, he capitalized on another flurry and culled twice. Prince added a 2 1/2-pounder close to 8:30, but the following hours were agonizing, as he did not hook another bass before 2 p.m.
“Obviously they didn’t bite as well as they did the days before,” he said. “For whatever reason they didn’t bite when the wind was blowing. It blew pretty much all day. Yesterday when I really crushed them, it was slick calm.”
The wait was well worth it, as the “Prince of Palatka” landed a 4-pounder as his family watched from a pontoon boat.
“That fish was obviously a pound upgrade, and a pound in this tournament is a lot,” Prince said. “They were all whooping and hollering. That bass right there, I went from 13 1/2 to 15.”
Catching bags of 15-8, 17-12 and 20-7 the first three days and entering the final day with a 12-pound deficit, Hanselman made a heroic comeback in the final round by landing 23-5 Sunday.
During the first hour of the day, the veteran pro from Del Rio, Texas, landed two bass over 5 pounds and filled his limit by 7 a.m. A half hour later, he caught another 5-pounder and added several more key bass by 9:30 a.m. to secure his best finish as an Elite Series angler.
“I had a feeling they were going to be there,” Hanselman said. “I just started out catching them. I wanted them to get going fast and furious with a moving bait like a big squarebill, but the first one that nipped it, I reeled it in reel fast and picked up a worm and hammered on them.”
Most of Hanselman’s bass were caught off a shellbar he stumbled on during Day 1 as he was targeting isolated stumps. He started on that spot the final three days of the tournament, catching numerous quality bass using several 6th Sense presentations including a Crush 50X squarebill, a prototype crankbait, a 6th Sense Flock Hair Jig and a 6th Sense Boosa ribbontail worm on a 3/8-ounce Texas rig.
“I was radio silent all week. No forward-facing sonar, just my map and a big worm,” Hanselman said.
As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Hanselman earned an additional $4,000.
With bags of 22-2, 12-11, 17-12 and 17-15, Florida’s John Cox finished third with a total of 70-8. It is the first Top 10 of the season for an angler known for always plying the shallows. He also earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program.
“We made the most of it,” he said. “I was super fortunate with the weather and how the bass were really holding tight to the milfoil. It helped tremendously. I don’t know how it would have played out if the weather would have been different.”
Cox spent most of his tournament inside a backwater pond on Wheeler Lake that featured a big milfoil mat. A shad-colored Berkley Swamp Lord frog was his weapon of choice.
“I couldn’t move the trolling motor because it seemed like anytime I did, it seemed to throw the whole area off,” he explained. “I would just drift in and Power Pole down.”
Prince and Louisiana pro Greg Hackney tied for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament honors after both anglers landed 7-9 largemouth, Hackney on Day 1 and Prince on Day 3. Prince also earned a $3,000 bonus for being the highest-finishing angler in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program.
Hawaiian pro Matty Wong earned the $1,000 BassTrakk contingency prize for accurate reporting during the first two days of the tournament.
2024 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Wheeler Lake 6/13-6/16 Wheeler Lake, Decatur AL. (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 20 80-15 103 $104,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-04 Day 2: 5 20-07 Day 3: 5 26-02 Day 4: 5 15-02 2. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 20 77-00 102 $36,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 17-12 Day 3: 5 20-07 Day 4: 5 23-05 3. John Cox Debary, FL 20 70-08 101 $30,000.00 Day 1: 5 22-02 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 17-12 Day 4: 5 17-15 4. John Garrett Union City, TN 20 68-09 100 $25,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 14-06 Day 3: 5 17-13 Day 4: 5 16-15 5. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 20 66-13 99 $20,000.00 Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 5 17-08 Day 4: 5 17-11 6. Jay Przekurat Plover, WI 20 64-09 98 $19,000.00 Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 18-01 Day 3: 5 16-12 Day 4: 5 16-04 7. Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 20 62-14 97 $19,000.00 Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 16-09 Day 4: 5 13-10 8. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 20 62-11 96 $17,000.00 Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 17-08 Day 4: 5 15-12 9. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 20 58-10 95 $16,000.00 Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 20-08 Day 3: 5 10-02 Day 4: 5 11-05 10. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 20 57-12 94 $15,000.00 Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 19-08 Day 3: 5 16-03 Day 4: 5 08-06 ———————————————————————–
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS Day 1 Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 07-09 $1,000.00 2 Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 05-13 $1,000.00 3 Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 07-09 $1,000.00 4 Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 05-03 $1,000.00
———————————————————————– PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 07-09 $1,000.00 Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 07-09 $1,000.00 CRUSHCITY MONSTER BAG
The term “Gray Area” has been thrown around a lot in the bass tournament world the past few years. In fact, this past year seems to have been the worst in recent memory. Whether it be anglers taking advantage of gaps in the rules or organizations holding anglers to different levels of accountability, this year has had no shortage of topics for conversation. So, what really is this so called “Gray Area” and why has it become such a prevalent topic?
From our very core, anglers are competitive by nature. From Tuesday evening shootouts to regional championships and all the way up to the Bassmaster Classic, it’s always about making sure your bag is heavier than the guy next to you. Like any organized sport, rules must be set in place to set clear cut boundaries to what anglers can and cannot do. As competitors, it is our responsibility to understand and to adhere to said rules prior to competition. While this all may seem pretty agreeable at first, there are certain “unwritten rules” that spark more controversy.
Those who fish know that there are things that can be done on the water that although are not explicitly against the written rules, are frowned upon by their colleagues. I’m sure we can all recall a few events where someone who was near the top of the leaderboard had an altercation with a lower standing competitor for fishing their water. Kevin VanDam’s famous “You’re not part of the community” or Randy Hayne’s “I’m finna go to the house” are a few famous one- liners that standout from moments of heated competition. While all anglers are given access to the same playing field, it is often understood to give the leader their space during closing periods of competition.
During last year’s Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour Event on Cayuga Lake, we saw anglers catching spawning smallmouth and weighing the same fish in multiple times during competition. Although it can be assumed that the fish returned to its nest, as long as the angler was not actively looking at the fish, the catch was accepted. Additionally, during the 2024 Bassmaster Elite Series event on the St. John’s River, Champion Cory Johnston weighed in a fish that was hooked outside the mouth off of a bed. While the rules state that when sight fishing all fish must be hooked inside the mouth, Johnston was using his forward-facing sonar and was able to legally weigh the fish. In the Elite Series event on the Harris Chain, rookie Trey McKinney was given permission by the lockmaster to fish inside the lock. In doing this, many veteran anglers questioned the legality because fishing inside the locks has been restricted in years prior. A gap in both MLF and B.A.S.S.’s rule books allowed the area of questioning known as the “gray”.
Another hot topic recently has been rookies bartering for and accepting information about tournament venues prior to accepting an Elite Series bid. Elite Series anglers are not allowed to access any information once the schedule has been released, but because the Bassmaster Elite Qualifier (EQ) season had not ended yet, this year’s rookie class had not been invited to the Elite Series therefore did not have to adhere to those rules. To combat this, Bassmaster recently announced that they will be amending the EQ rules so that the Elite Series rules apply for all EQ anglers.
This brings me to my main point of this article, with all the “gray” in the bass fishing world, how can we make things more black and white? I think it is up to the tournament organizations to create a more cohesive set of rules that anglers must agree and abide by. I would suggest a good mix of veterans and young anglers (from each respective tour) should provide angler insight on what rules should be added or amended before each season. A thorough set of guidelines will limit discretion and uncertainty amongst anglers. As technology continues to advance and participation of the sport continues to increase, a more proactive examination of the rules needs to be put in place.
The ever-evolving landscape of tournament bass will always spark new ways in which anglers try to gain a competitive advantage. A more comprehensive set of rules will help uphold angler integrity and limit the debate of what is right or wrong. With that, anglers that are in violation of a rule need to be held accountable in order to preserve the integral values of our sport. Who would have thought a sport stemming from weighing your five heaviest bass would require so many amendments in its short lifespan? I suppose it is a testament to the growth and progress we have seen thus far. I am curious to see how the rest of this busy season shakes out and hope we can see less “gray” in the future.
Cliff Prince of Palatka, Fla., extends the lead on Day 3 at the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Wheeler Lake with 15 bass for 65 pounds, 13 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
June 15, 2024
Prince increases lead, eyes first career Bassmaster Elite Series victory at Wheeler Lake
DECATUR, Ala. — For each of the first two days of the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Wheeler Lake, Florida pro Cliff Prince secured heavy limits within the opening hours of competition. On Semifinal Saturday, “The Prince of Palatka” enjoyed his best morning yet.
By taking the lead for Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of the tournament on Day 3 with a 26-pound, 2-ounce limit of largemouth, Prince increased his lead at Wheeler with a three-day total of 65-13. He now holds a 12-2 advantage over second-place Ray Hanselman Jr. (53-11) heading into Championship Sunday.
“We are going to go catch five tomorrow and let the chips fall where they may,” said Prince, a three-time qualifier for the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors. “It is everybody’s dream to beat these guys. This is the toughest crowd I’ve ever fished against and to beat them, you’ve done something.”
Not only did Prince catch the biggest bag caught this week at Wheeler Lake on Saturday, he anchored that bag with a 7-9 largemouth, tying Greg Hackney for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament.
Prince has been close to victory before, notably finishing third at Lake Okeechobee in 2017 and notching several top finishes on the St. Johns River where he calls home. With a substantial lead heading into the final day at Wheeler, Prince knows simply catching a limit will be crucial in achieving a victory.
Most of his weight so far has been caught off one hard spot near the takeoff spot at Ingalls Park. That hard spot is surrounded by grass, and Prince has had to work his baits through that grass to get to it.
For the most part, Prince has kept his depthfinders turned off. During the afternoon hours of Day 3, however, he powered them on just long enough to see a plethora of baitfish in his area, including gizzard shad.
“I don’t know if it is shell or if it is rock, but it is hard and they are relating to it for whatever reason,” he said. “You can’t look down at the (Garmin) Perspective mode and not see a school of bait. That tells me why they are there.”
Prince’s special spot, which yielded bags of 19-4 and 20-7 the first two days, continued to produce early and often on Day 3. Despite losing a couple of bigger bass in the flurry, he landed a limit weighing around 18 pounds by 6:30 a.m. using a moving bait as well as a Texas-rigged Bass Assassin stickbait.
“I told myself if I catch 15, I’m still going to be in contention,” Prince said. “At about that time, I figured I had 17 or 18 pounds. I was pretty much done, but the locals were coming in and I decided to circle around. I got a different angle on the spot. Then I caught a giant.”
He said the beast was a gift, considering it came after he had almost decided to let the spot rest.
“I casted up to the juice and I got four bites in one cast,” he explained. “The one that finally ate it was that 7-plus. When I set the hook, I knew it was a good one, but it didn’t really pull that hard. Then when I got it up by the side of the boat, it was a giant.
“It was pretty much torture not to throw back up there when I caught that one.”
While all of his bites have come in the morning hours, mostly because he has stopped fishing, Prince is confident his bite will last all day if needed. It comes in waves, he said, and he’s seen bass school every afternoon as he is trolling around.
“I feel like there are more left there and if they do what they have been doing, we’ll be good,” Prince said. “They came up schooling a little after 1 p.m. today. And when I found them (in practice), it was after 1. If you notice on BassTrakk, I’ll catch three and then have a lull.
“So I feel like if I leave them alone for a while and then go back to the juice, I can catch a fish or two. I feel like I can catch five.”
Hanselman brought in the second-biggest bag of the day — a 20-7 sack anchored by a 6-8 largemouth — increasing his three-day total to 53-11 and jumping him into second place. It is the two-time Classic qualifier’s seventh Top 10 in Bassmaster competition.
Hailing from Del Rio, Texas, Hanselman has taken advantage of two patterns this week. On Day 1, he started by fishing stretches of eelgrass with milfoil and little patches of hydrilla mixed in before stumbling upon a shellbed in 5 feet of water that was loaded with bass. There are also isolated stumps close to the shellbed that Hanselman has caught fish around.
“I think the gizzard shad are up there spawning and that is what is holding the bass there,” he explained. “A couple of those bass have puked up 8-inch gizzard shad. There is definitely something going on down there.”
After switching from treble-hook baits to a 6th Sense Flock hair jig and a Texas-rigged 6th Sense Boosa ribbon tail worm Saturday morning, Hanselman stopped missing bites and began landing quality bass. He worked his way to 20 pounds, landing his biggest bass around 7:30 a.m.
John Cox remains in third place with a three-day total of 52-9. The DeBary, Fla., pro landed 17-12 on Day 3 to complement his first two limits of 22-2 and 12-11. Most of the week, Cox has picked apart milfoil mats with a Berkley Swamp Lord in a backwater pond. After falling a couple inches on Day 2, the water rose just enough on Day 3 to make the frog bite more effective. Some of the gizzard shad Cox saw on Day 1 also returned.
“I think it came up about 2 inches. It was just enough to loosen the mats up a little bit. Yesterday they were really packed. Today, I knew as soon as I got to the ramp I felt good. My mood changed from, ‘Okay, let’s get as many points as I can,’ to, ‘I’m going to make my first Top 10 of the year.’”
The Top 10 remaining pros will launch from Ingalls Harbor at 6 a.m. CT Sunday and return for weigh-in at 2 p.m. The winner will earn the $100,000 top prize and a coveted blue trophy.
Bassmaster LIVE coverage begins at 9 a.m. ET Saturday on FS1 and runs through noon before moving to Fox from noon until weigh-in at 2 p.m. LIVE coverage will continue on Bassmaster.com at 2 p.m. and conclude at 3 p.m.
2024 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Wheeler Lake 6/13-6/16 Wheeler Lake, Decatur AL. (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 15 65-13 103 $1,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-04 Day 2: 5 20-07 Day 3: 5 26-02 2. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 15 53-11 102 Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 5 17-12 Day 3: 5 20-07 3. John Cox Debary, FL 15 52-09 101 Day 1: 5 22-02 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 17-12 4. John Garrett Union City, TN 15 51-10 100 Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 14-06 Day 3: 5 17-13 5. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 15 49-06 99 Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 19-08 Day 3: 5 16-03 6. Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 15 49-04 98 $1,000.00 Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 16-09 7. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 15 49-02 97 Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 5 17-08 8. Jay Przekurat Plover, WI 15 48-05 96 Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 18-01 Day 3: 5 16-12 9. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 15 47-05 95 Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 20-08 Day 3: 5 10-02 10. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 15 46-15 94 Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 17-08 11. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 15 45-05 93 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 15-05 Day 3: 5 15-10 12. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 15 45-00 92 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 13-12 Day 3: 5 16-00 13. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 15 43-02 91 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 5 10-09 Day 3: 5 13-03 14. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 15 42-10 90 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 5 14-01 15. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 15 42-09 89 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 15-11 Day 3: 5 12-15 16. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 15 42-03 88 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 5 15-01 17. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 15 42-01 87 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 13-02 Day 3: 5 13-03 18. Patrick Walters Eutawville, SC 15 42-01 86 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 12-14 Day 3: 5 15-03 19. Cole Sands Calhoun , TN 15 41-09 85 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 16-03 Day 3: 5 11-04 20. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 15 41-06 84 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 16-06 Day 3: 5 06-14 21. Seth Feider New Market, MN 15 41-03 83 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-14 Day 2: 5 15-03 Day 3: 5 10-02 22. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 15 41-03 82 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 5 13-12 23. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 15 40-12 81 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 15-03 Day 3: 5 12-11 24. Wes Logan Springville, AL 15 40-05 80 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 14-12 Day 3: 5 10-13 25. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 15 40-04 79 $11,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 10-00 26. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 15 40-02 78 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 10-04 27. Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 15 39-15 77 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 11-05 Day 3: 5 13-04 28. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 15 39-10 76 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 5 09-12 Day 3: 5 11-14 29. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 15 39-10 75 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 12-09 Day 3: 5 11-10 30. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 15 39-07 74 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 12-14 Day 3: 5 10-09 31. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 14 39-05 73 $10,000.00 Day 1: 4 11-03 Day 2: 5 13-14 Day 3: 5 14-04 32. Cooper Gallant Bowmanville Ontario CAN 15 39-03 72 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 12-05 Day 3: 5 11-05 33. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 15 38-13 71 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 11-13 Day 3: 5 10-07 34. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 15 38-10 70 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 16-11 Day 3: 5 09-14 35. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 15 37-15 69 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 13-14 Day 3: 5 13-01 36. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 15 37-11 68 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 15-09 Day 3: 5 09-13 37. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 15 37-11 67 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 12-10 Day 3: 5 10-12 38. Frank Talley Belton, TX 15 37-08 66 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 12-13 Day 3: 5 10-13 39. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 15 36-15 65 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 5 11-14 40. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 15 35-14 64 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 08-03 Day 2: 5 16-00 Day 3: 5 11-11 41. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 15 35-11 63 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 5 08-09 42. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 15 35-08 62 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 14-12 Day 3: 5 10-12 43. Cody Huff Ava, MO 15 35-06 61 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 13-11 Day 3: 5 08-15 44. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 15 34-02 60 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 13-02 Day 3: 5 09-02 45. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 14 34-00 59 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 4 05-15 46. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 15 33-13 58 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 14-04 Day 3: 5 09-02 47. Tyler Williams Belgrade, ME 14 33-05 57 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 4 07-06 48. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 15 33-02 56 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 12-00 Day 3: 5 06-14 49. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 15 31-07 55 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 09-08 Day 3: 5 07-05 50. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 13 28-02 54 $10,000.00 Day 1: 5 16-10 Day 2: 5 07-10 Day 3: 3 03-14 ———————————————————————–
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS Day 1 Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 07-09 $1,000.00 2 Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 05-13 $1,000.00 3 Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 07-09 $1,000.00
Lake Champlain kicks out 12 limits in excess of 19 Pounds on windy day of fishing
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 15, 2024) –So far, so good at Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 5 Presented by 7 Brew on Lake Champlain. Day 1 of the event was windy, so much that few ventured very far south of Malletts Bay, but the results showed that the bass on Champlain are alive and well. Though the smallmouth spawn was not as major a factor as it theoretically should be, the pros proved that there are plenty of ways to catch a bass. Notably, though not the case for the leader, quite a few largemouth hit the scale. With good weather for a run to Ticonderoga in the forecast for tomorrow, those numbers could increase tomorrow.
In the lead, pro Jacob Walker of Springville, Alabama, sacked up 21 pounds, 4 ounces, fishing for exclusively smallmouth. Behind him, Milford, Delaware’s Kurt Mitchell and Aspen Martin of White, Georgia, both crossed into 20-pound territory, and nine others caught something in the 19-pound range. So, the rest of the way looks like a horse race.
The full field of 150 anglers will conclude the two-day opening round on Sunday, with only the top 30 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advancing to Championship Sunday. The three-day tournament, hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau, features a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025.
Raised on flipping a jig in Alabama, Walker is no slouch with forward-facing sonar, and he made it work to perfection today. Beaming up a big limit quickly, Walker looked like a local in his first trip to Champlain.
“It was very fun,” said Walker. “I caught a lot of big bass and I’m ready to go catch more big bass tomorrow.”
According to Walker, practice was good, but 21 pounds wasn’t on the menu – things really went well today.
“I was confident that I could catch 18 pounds today. I didn’t really fish my areas super hard, but I knew I could catch at least 18, which, I would have been happy with,” he said. “I was fortunate today to catch the bigger than average fish – hopefully tomorrow it’s like that again. I don’t think 20 pounds will be a problem, and I know I can catch 18. I can survive tomorrow for sure.”
Fishing without too much competition around, Walker has been able to trigger fish to bite consistently, which not everyone can say.
“A bigger bait, a bigger profile, is part of it,” he said. “And I think I’m just around the right quality. They just weigh a little bit more than the average in the couple areas I’m fishing.”
With calmer water and live cameras with all the leaders, we’ll have a much better read on trends tomorrow. Today, the fishing was a blast, and Champlain appears to be living up to the hype as usual.
The top 20 pros after Day 1 on Lake Champlain are:
1st: Jacob Walker, Springville, Ala., five bass, 21-4 2nd: Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., five bass, 20-7 3rd: Aspen Martin, White, Ga., five bass, 20-2 4th: Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., five bass, 19-14 5th: Troy Stokes, Trenton, Mich., five bass, 19-7 5th: Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 19-7 5th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., five bass, 19-7 5th: Brett Carnright, Plattsburgh, N.Y., five bass, 19-7 9th: Evan Barnes, Dardanelle, Ark., five bass, 19-6 9th: Jack Daniel Williams, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 19-6 11th: Ryan Latinville, Plattsburgh, N.Y., five bass, 19-3 12th: Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., five bass, 19-2 13th: Flint Davis, Leesburg, Ga., five bass, 18-15 14th: Colby Miller, Elmer, La., five bass, 18-14 14th: Ken Thompson, Roaring Springs, Pa., five bass, 18-14 16th: Hunter Eubanks, Landrum, S.C., five bass, 18-12 16th: Chad Mrazek, Montgomery, Texas, five bass, 18-12 18th: Jason Carpenter, Castle Pines, Colo., five bass, 18-11 18th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 18-11 18th: Britt Myers, Jr., Lake Wylie, S.C., five bass, 18-11 18th: Mitchell Robinson, Landrum, S.C., five bass, 18-11
Mitchell earned the Day 1 $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award Saturday with a largemouth bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces.
Overall, there were 701 bass weighing 2,233 pounds even ounces caught by 143 pros Saturday. The catch included 136 five-bass limits.
In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Saturday and Sunday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advance to the final round on Championship Monday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 5 at Lake Champlain Presented by 7 Brew will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.
Anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. ET each day from the Plattsburgh City Marina, located at 5 Dock St. in Plattsburgh. Weigh-ins will also be held at the marina and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live each day of competition from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. ET. MLFNOW! will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) and Rumble apps.
Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 5 at Lake Champlain Presented by 7 Brew will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Nov. 2 on CBS Sports Network.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitational updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
