The Bass Cast Kayak Bass Series Championship Weekend
Texas’ Kyle Hall Wins Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 on Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (Aug. 1, 2022) – The anticipation was palpable at the weigh-in on Championship Monday, with anglers, their families and fishing fans on the edge of their seats after the final day of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X in Plattsburgh, New York. When the MLF NOW! livestream concluded, the unofficial results showed three pros tied at the top of the leaderboard with 21 pounds even – Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, Jon Canada of Helena, Alabama and Kyle Hall of Granbury, Texas – all in the race and in solid contention for the top payout of up to $135,000.
In typical fashion, Chris Jones – the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit emcee – called for the pros’ bass one at a time, among murmurs and exclamation from the crowd in attendance, as brown, foot-ball sized Champlain smallmouths were placed on the scales. As the scales settled, a multitude of expressions crossed the anglers’ faces, but it was Hall who came out on top, narrowly edging out Canada by 1-ounce to take home his first MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit win and earn the top payout of $135,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus.
Link to Video of Day 4 Championship Weigh-In from Covercraft Stop 6
Link to Video of Fish Catch Highlights from Day 4 of Covercraft Stop 6
Hall, who led three of the four days of competition, weighed in 21 pounds, 6 ounces on the final day, giving him a 1-ounce margin over Canada, who brought a limit to the scales weighing 21-5, good for second place. Ebare, long-time friend and traveling companion of Hall, finished the day in third place with a limit weighing 21-1.
“Out on the water, my scales said I had a pound less than I actually had, so I didn’t think I had enough to beat those guys,” said Hall. “I had seen some of their fish and knew Jon had a 5-pounder. Dakota said he had 21 pounds, so I figured I was out of it for sure.”
Hall and Ebare began traveling to tournaments together in 2016 and said they have become more like brothers over the years. Hall said the two friends spent 59 days together on northern fisheries, including Lake Champlain, in 2018, just to be on the water and learn to fish for smallmouths.
“Dakota and I spent every day on the water that we could during those two months, and it’s that time on the water that I credit to this win and the other successful tournaments I’ve had up here,” Hall said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have a win on the Toyota Series before, and I know how close Dakota has come, so many times, so it was a little gut-wrenching to be in that tight of contention with him. I would have been just as happy for him to win one, but I was kicking myself in the weigh-in line for some of the decisions I’d made through the day.”
Hall said he spent the day haunting one of the same spots he’d been on all week, drop-shotting and throwing a Strike King 3X ElazTech Baby Z Too Soft Jerkbait, but said what varied in the Championship Round was his approach.
“I’d been hitting another area early and getting a quick limit, but I started today on a deep spot that has been playing well in the afternoons and caught a 4-pounder pretty quick. After that I drifted down the ledge a couple miles, but all I really did was waste time,” Hall laughed. “I fired up my engine about 12:30 and ran back to where I caught the 4-pounder and I was catching fish on every drop, as fast as I could. All I could think when I was sitting in that weigh-in line was how much time I wasted drifting away from the winning spot, and how that had cost me the win.”
But it didn’t cost Hall the win, or the coveted trophy, or the $135,000 paycheck and his hard work, positive mindset and perseverance paid off.
“I’ve been disappointed all year because I was having a terrible season, but I came here with the specific goal of winning this event and knowing I have what it takes to do well on this fishery, so to get it done feels great.”
The top 10 pros at the Covercraft Stop 6 on Lake Champlain finished:
2nd: Jon Canada of Helena, Ala., five bass, 21-5, $30,000
3rd: Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 21-1, $25,000
4th: Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., five bass, 18-13, $20,000
5th: Andy Newcomb of Camdenton, Mo., five bass, 18-7, $19,000
6th: Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Ark., five bass, 18-7, $18,000
7th: Kurt Mitchell of Milford, Del., five bass, 16-6, $17,000
8th: Kyle Cortiana of Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 12-0, $16,000
9th: Alex Davis of Albertville, Ala., five bass, 11-12, $15,000
10th: Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., zero bass, 0-0, $14,000
Overall, there were 45 bass weighing 159 pounds, 9 ounces caught by 9 pros Monday. The catch included nine five-bass limits.
Reese experienced mechanical issues on the way back to the weigh-in, resulting in a late check-in and the disqualification of his weight on Championship Monday. The General Tire pro finished the event in 10th place and earned a payout of $14,000.
The four-day Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X was hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau. The event will premiere September 3 on the CBS Sports Network.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 154 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advanced to Sunday, then only the top 10 pros, based on cumulative weight from the first three days, continued competition on Championship Monday, where weights were zeroed, and the winner was determined by the heaviest weight from the final day of competition.
The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 on Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X marked the sixth and final regular-season event of the year for the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me.
Pro Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, clinched the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Angler of the Year title Sunday, after finishing the event in 15th place. Neal will receive his entry fees paid for the entire 2023 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit season for his win.
Pro Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tennessee, clinched the Polaris 2022 Rookie of the Year (ROY) award on Saturday, which is awarded to the rookie pro angler who finishes the season with the highest point total. For his efforts, Hatfield won a Polaris Ranger 1000.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2022 TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York on Aug. 16-21, and is hosted by the Town of Massena.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Fuel Me, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
University of Nebraska Wins MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Tournament on the Mississippi River
LA CROSSE, Wis. (Aug. 1, 2022) – The University of Nebraska-Lincoln duo of Logan Russell of Clarks, Nebraska, and Trevor Schleich of Lincoln, Nebraska, won the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on the Mississippi River Friday with a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces. The victory earned the Cornhuskers’ bass club $2,000 and a slot in the 2023 MLF College Fishing National Championship.
“We hit our first hole and didn’t have any bites, so we moved to an area that was in some backwater that had current,” Schleich said. “We caught two pretty good ones there and left that spot to go to another backwater area, and fished some hydrilla that had some current as well. And that turned out to be the pattern we found – we needed to be in current, or at least have it nearby.”
Schleich said the team caught 10 fish during the course of the day, six of which were keepers. He said the pair used a variety of baits, but the largest bass came on flipping jigs and football-head jigs fished in seven to eight feet of water. The pair threw what Schleich described as “Junk Fishing 101” – a mixture of square-bill crankbaits, frogs, Fluke-style baits, Texas-rigs and drop-shot rigs to fill their limit.
“Later in the day, we had our limit and only had about an hour and a half left, so we went back to the main river and our first spot, and we caught our last fish – a 5-pounder,” Schleich said. “That culled our smallest fish and punched our ticket to finish as strong as we did.
“We just went out and had a good time, and really, this win feels pretty dang good,” Schleich added.
The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2023 College Fishing National Championship are:
1st: University of Nebraska-Lincoln – Logan Russell, Clarks, Neb., and Trevor Schleich, Lincoln, Neb., five bass, 16-9, $2,000
2nd: Adrian College – Griffin Fernandes, McCordsville, Ind., and Hayden Scott, Ann Arbor, Mich., five bass, 16-0, $1,000
3rd: Northeastern State University-Tahlequah – Levi Juby and Cooper Park both of Sperry, Okla., five bass, 15-9, $500
4th: University of Montevallo – Logan Plueger, Augusta, Ga., and Charlie Wright, Becker, Minn., five bass, 15-7, $500
5th: University of Missouri – Brett Hurst, Helena, Mont., and Hayden Moore, Sapulpa, Okla., five bass, 14-4, $500
6th: University of Iowa – Gannon Courtright, Fairfield, Iowa, and Pierce Knarr, Markesan, Wis., five bass, 13-15
7th: University of Iowa – Eli Johnson, McGregor, Iowa, and Ryan Lowe, Grinnell, Iowa, five bass, 13-14
8th: Illinois Central College – Brady Barth, Bartonville, Ill., and Nicholas Howell, Peoria, Ill., five bass, 13-14
9th: Emmanuel College – Easton Lindus, Woodville, Wis., and Matthew Zdrazil, Crawfordville, Fla., five bass, 13-12
10th: University of Wisconsin-Stout – Bryce Dallas, Fall Creek, Wis., and Camden Trautlein, Eau Claire, Wis., five bass, 13-5
MLF also advances one additional team to the National Championship for every 10 teams over 100 that compete. A total of 124 teams participated in this event, so also advancing to the 2023 College Fishing National Championship are:
11th: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Nate Boenning, Waukesha, Wis., and Nathan Krause, Phelps, Wis., five bass, 13-5
12th: McKendree University – Kyle Hopping, Lake St. Louis, Mo., and Evan Sutton, Highland, Ill., five bass, 13-3
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on the Mississippi River was hosted by the La Crosse County Convention & Visitors Bureau. It was the second of three regular-season tournaments for Central Conference anglers. The next event for College Fishing anglers will be the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Lake Erie, Sept. 9 in Sandusky, Ohio.
MLF College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top 10 teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual Abu Garcia College Fishing Open will advance to the following season’s National Championship.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular College Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
Jeremy Hewitt & Bennett Lawshe Win CATT Phantom Outdoors Invitational Waccamaw River, SC July 30, 2022
We had 53 teams enter the Phantom Outdoors Invitational on the Waccamaw River launching from Bucksport Marina! We have set a tentative date for the 2023 July 29th at Bucksport! Come join us! Tap on the Phantom Caps below and use PHANTOMCATT15 at check out and earn 15% off your order!
Jeremy Hewitt & Bennett Lawshe weighed in 5 bass at 21.58 lbs taking the top spot at the Waccamaw River! They also weighed in the 1st Academy BF at 7.49 lbs! They earned $5,000.00 for 1st Place, $2,800.00 1st Place in all 3 BONUS spots, 1st Place BF was worth $350.00 and $5,000.00 from the Skeeter Real Money Program! Alos they received 2 – $100 Lews/Strike King Gift Cards & 2-$25 Academy Gift Cards! All total they left Bucksport Saturday with Cash & Prizes totaling up to $13,400.00!

Mark Curry & Bill Moore took 2nd Place with 5 bass weighing 17.84 lbs & they climed the 2nd BF at 7 lbs even! They earned $2,000.00 for 2nd, $170 for the 2nd BF and $1,600.00 2nd Place BONUS $ in all 3 Bonus spots!

3rd Place Garrett Taylor & Jess White with 17.70 lbs! They earned $1,000.00 for 3rd and $650.00 for 3rd in the $100 & $50 Bonus categories!

Andrew Vereen & Ron Cannon 4th with 16.13 lbs worth $650.00!

We paid back 8 Places and 1st Team out of the money received 2-$50 Lews/Strike King Gift Cards!
Total Payback in Cash & Prizes – $20,820.00!
| Team | BF | Weight | Winnings |
| Jeremy Hewitt – Bennett Lawshe | 7.49 | 21.58 | $13,400.00 |
| Mark Curry – Bill Moore | 7.00 | 17.84 | $3,770.00 |
| Jess White – Garrett Taylor | 5.60 | 17.70 | $1,650.00 |
| Andrew Vereen – Ron Cannon | 4.42 | 16.13 | $650.00 |
| Caleb Cox – Mike Ard | 4.31 | 14.65 | $500.00 |
| Ron Poston – Jordan Cook | 4.24 | 14.17 | $300.00 |
| Will McQuirt – Travis Spivey | 5.59 | 13.72 | $250.00 |
| Nick Gant – Craig McFadden | 5.80 | 13.31 | $200.00 |
| Mark Johnson – David Thornell | 4.09 | 13.16 | $100.00 |
| Mathew Goheen – Yates Goheen | 3.54 | 12.93 | |
| Avery Williams | 3.39 | 12.92 | |
| Shawn Todd – Keaton Harrison | 3.50 | 12.90 | |
| Alex Cribb – Roddy Cross | 4.19 | 12.75 | |
| Timmy Squires – Casey Warren | 3.21 | 12.37 | |
| Gary Pope – Brian Howard | 3.57 | 12.27 | |
| Jason Farrend – Stephen Todd | 6.42 | 12.17 | |
| Marion Humphrey – James Odom | 4.56 | 12.06 | |
| Danny McLean – Caleb McLean | 3.06 | 11.92 | |
| Charlie Johnson – Charles Fryer | 3.27 | 11.89 | |
| Timmy Williamson – Wesley Williamson | 0.00 | 11.84 | |
| John Proctor – Johnny Duarte | 4.61 | 11.41 | |
| Dylan McConnell – Trey Cribb | 3.10 | 11.38 | |
| Stuart Ricks – Heith Hatchel | 3.11 | 11.37 | |
| Houston Spivey – Jordan Manning | 2.52 | 10.91 | |
| Charles Proctor | 2.89 | 10.67 | |
| Ron Terwilliger – Kevin Owens | 4.39 | 10.42 | |
| Shawn Benton – Logan Benton | 0.00 | 9.92 | |
| Scott McLellan – Greg Benton | 0.00 | 9.25 | |
| Danny Allen – Adam Lewis | 3.38 | 9.24 | |
| Scott Spittle – Brandon Spittle | 0.00 | 8.82 | |
| Thomas Collins – Tommy Collins | 2.12 | 7.06 | |
| Shane Thomas – Jerry Robinson | 0.00 | 5.58 | |
| Trent Williams – Brett Norris | 0.00 | 4.88 | |
| Scotty Mixon – Daphine Mixon | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Ryan Thompson – Dalton Warren | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Chris Jones – Ed Owens | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Terry Goheen – Keith Gurganus | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Rod Wren – Simie Wrenn | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Robbie Byrum – Eric Cox | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| DJ Hucks – Gunner Hucker | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Andrew Young | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| John Eagen – Amanda Eagen | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Jesse Harrold – Keith Harrold | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Steve Thomas – Josh Henderson | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| William Baxley – Ray Marlow | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Mike Phipps – Bill Lawshe | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Chad Williams – Jamie Cook | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Britt Brown – Danny Martin | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Jacob Barfield | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Mike Gerald – Jesse Norris | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Patrick Cook – Wade Cook | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Coby Ard – Justin Laine | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Marshall Sasser – George Gore | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Minnesota’s Dover-Eyota High School Wins MLF High School Fishing Open on the Mississippi River
LA CROSSE, Wis. (Aug. 1, 2022) – The Dover-Eyota High School team of Brady Grupa of La Crescent, Minnesota, and Treyton Thesing of Eyota, Minnesota, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open at the Mississippi River.
A field of 44 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Stoddard Park in Stoddard, Wisconsin. In MLF and The Bass Federation (TBF) High School Fishing competition, the top 10% of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top four teams that advanced to the 2022 High School Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Dover-Eyota High School, Eyota, Minn. – Brady Grupa, La Crescent, Minn., and Treyton Thesing, Eyota, Minn., five bass, 14-5
2nd: Kaneland High School, Maple Park, Ill. – J.D. McBroom, Saint Charles, Ill., and Carter Pjesky, Sugar Grove, Ill., five bass, 12-3
3rd: Northeast Wisconsin Bass Club – Charlie Klug, Stevens Point, Wis., and John Kriz, Neenah, Wis., five bass, 11-9
4th: Oregon High School, Oregon, Wis. – Cameron Gates and Nick Schaefer, both of Oregon, Wis., five bass, 11-0
Rounding out the top 10 teams are:
5th: Century High School, Bismarck, N.D. – Ryan Bullinger and Logan Bullinger, both of Bismarck, N.D., four bass, 10-13
6th: Anacoco High School, Anacoco, La. – Caleb Taylor and Chase Taylor, both of Anacoco, La., five bass, 9-12
7th: McCracken County High School, Paducah, Ky. – Camden Baker and Harley Valerius, both of Paducah, Ky., four bass, 9-9
8th: Caledonia High School, Caledonia, Minn. – Kody Schroeder and Eric Welscher, both of Caledonia, Minn., five bass, 9-2
9th: Bangor High School, Bangor, Wis. – Mason Buehler, Bangor, Wis,. and Bradyn Glasspoole, Rockland, Wis., four bass, 7-12
10th: Broken Bow High School, Broken Bow, Okla. – Jace Anderson, Broken Bow, Okla., and Ty Downs, Newkirk, Okla., four bass, 7-3
Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open at the Mississippi River was hosted by the La Crosse County Convention & Visitors Bureau. The next event for High School Fishing anglers will be the MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open on Lake Erie, Sept. 10 in Sandusky, Ohio.
MLF High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and TBF Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10% of teams at each Open event, along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships, will advance to the 2023 High School Fishing National Championship. The 2023 MLF High School Fishing National Championship will be held in La Crosse on the Mississippi River, June 20-24, 2023, and is also hosted by the La Crosse County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Registration For 2022 Bassmaster High School Fishing Combine Ends Friday
The 2022 Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Combine presented by Skeeter will be held in Decatur, Ala., Sept. 16-18, giving high school anglers an opportunity to showcase their skills to college fishing coaches.
Photo by Kyle Jessie/B.A.S.S.
August 1, 2022
Registration For 2022 Bassmaster High School Fishing Combine Ends Friday

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — High school students interested in pursuing fishing at the college level have until Friday, August 5 to register for the 2022 Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Combine presented by Skeeter.
The Combine returns to Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., Sept. 16-18 for a weekend combining skills challenges and recruiting visits in hopes of reeling in college fishing scholarship money. The first Combine generated more than $2.6 million in scholarship offers.
“These high school anglers represent some of the finest athletes in the country, and it took the same drive and commitment to get here as it does to excel in any sport,” said Abu Garcia Vice President of Marketing Communications Marc Kemper. “They truly represent the ethos of Abu Garcia — Fish to Win.”
Only schools offering bass fishing scholarships were invited to the inaugural High School Combine, and coaches from 19 colleges attended. The experience offered young anglers and college coaches a chance to leverage rare face time to find the best fit for students ready to further both their education and their fishing at the next level.
“The Combine has given me the opportunity to meet and recruit anglers that I would’ve never been able to evaluate otherwise,” said Campbellsville University coach Tony Miracle. “It also gives kids the opportunity to meet and talk to universities and coaches that they never would’ve had the chance to meet. It’s an unbelievable opportunity for both sides.
“I signed two anglers from last year’s Bassmaster High School Combine and am excited to get them on campus and start their journey. I’m also recruiting several high school juniors for next year. I absolutely will be back this year. I wouldn’t miss it!”
The Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Combine presented by Skeeter will be a three-day event where anglers will perform multiple tasks to showcase their skills not only on the water but also display their knowledge of the sport as a whole. Each of the disciplines will operate on a point system and will be timed by an official judge. Each angler will accumulate points to determine an overall winner.
After the first day, colleges will have the opportunity to select anglers for a “second look” where they can further explore everything that angler has to offer and see if they would be the perfect fit for their fishing program.
Fifty-seven scholarship offers came out of the first-ever High School Combine, with many students signing with a university on-site. Overall winner Levi Thibodaux of Thibodaux, La., inked an offer to fish for the Louisiana State University-Shreveport Pilots and Coach Charles Thompson, while Justin Frey of Landisburg, Pa., took home the victory in Casting Accuracy as well as an offer to fish for Bethel University.
“I connected with two universities during the combine that both have fantastic programs at an elite level,” said Frey. “What separated them the most in my mind was that both coaches were awesome, caring individuals. I was ecstatic and very blessed to sign with an athletic scholarship from Bethel University thanks to Coach Garry Mason … it’s been a dream come true.”
Prior to the combine, Frey was not being recruited by Bethel University, which was the first college in America to offer bass fishing scholarships and has claimed 11 national titles.
“B.A.S.S. is constantly looking for ways to grow the High School and College platforms and give young anglers opportunities to excel not only in the sport, but also in the industry,” said Glenn Cale, B.A.S.S. Nation tournament manager — College, High School and Junior. “The inaugural Bassmaster High School Combine was a great success, and we’re looking forward to growing this experience for both these high school anglers and the coaches who attend.”
Registration for the Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Combine presented by Skeeter closes Friday, August 5. The $500 registration fee includes accommodations for two nights and all meals for the weekend.
2022 Bassmaster High School
2022 Bassmaster High School
2022 Bassmaster High School
Texas’ Kyle Hall Paces Final 10, Neal Clinches Second Consecutive AOY Title at MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 on Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 31, 2022) – Chasing the first major title of his career, pro Kyle Hall of Granbury, Texas, regained his lead on Day 3 of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X on Sunday. Hall weighed in 19 pounds, 14 ounces to move his three-day total to 61 pounds, 9 ounces, giving him a 10-ounce lead over B&W Trailer Hitches pro Kyle Cortiana of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, who ended the day in second place with a three-day total of 60 pounds, 15 ounces.
Lake Champlain continues to show out for anglers across the board, including pro Andy Newcomb of Camdenton, Missouri, who maintained his third-place position with a limit weighing 19-4, good for a three-day total of 60-15. Favorite Fishing pro Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pennsylvania, finished the day in fourth place with a limit weighing 20-3 to bring his three-day total to 60-13, while pro Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, brought a limit to the stage weighing 20-4 for a three-day total of 60-4 to round out the top five.
The top prize of up to $135,000 is ripe for the picking as the final 10 anglers resume competition tomorrow on Championship Monday, where weights are zeroed and the angler that catches the heaviest five-fish weight will be crowned the champion of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X.
Hall, who was the 2020 Pro Circuit Polaris Rookie of the Year, said he knew from the moment he saw the 2022 schedule that he would be hunting smallmouths on Lake Champlain, but the Texan never expected he would be leading the Top 10 into the Championship Round.
“I’ve had a terrible year, so it feels great to be sitting in first place going into the final day,” said Hall, who is going into his first Championship Round this season on the Pro Circuit. “If you had told me I’d be in first place after the third day of competition, I wouldn’t have believed you. I knew I had what it took, and I knew what to do and where to do it, but sometimes I’m a little stubborn.”
Hall said the difference this event is that he is forcing himself to sit and cover a lot of water on the trolling motor, instead of firing up his outboard and running to various areas across the lake.
“I’ve really only hit two spots this entire tournament, which is unusual for me,” Hall said. “I’m normally running and gunning but knew I couldn’t do that successfully at this event.
“I was going for 20 pounds today and caught 18 pounds pretty quick this morning, But, by 9 a.m., I couldn’t get another bite. I stayed on that spot until 12:30 – over three hours without a single bite – before running to my other area where I had success the first day. I fished there for 15 minutes and caught a 4½-pounder and three more that didn’t help, but that kicker fish made all the difference.”
While Hall said he plans to start the final day in the same location, he has several other places to fall back on if his primary spot dries up.
“My game plan tomorrow is to go stick it out on that spot because there are obviously big fish there and with the number of fish I saw today, compared to how many were there Friday, they are definitely loading up. I’ve just got to hunker down and sit on it like I’ve done on the other spot the last three days.”
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition Monday on Lake Champlain are:
2nd: Kyle Cortiana of Broken Arrow, Okla., 15 bass, 60-15
3rd: Andy Newcomb of Camdenton, Mo., 15 bass, 60-15
4th: Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., 15 bass, 60-13
5th: Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, 15 bass, 60-4
6th: Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., 15 bass, 59-13
7th: Kurt Mitchell of Milford, Del., 15 bass, 58-9
8th: Alex Davis of Albertville, Ala., 15 bass, 57-12
9th: Jon Canada of Helena, Ala., 15 bass, 57-9
10th: Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Ark., 15 bass, 57-8
12th: Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Va., 15 bass, 56-7, $11,000
13th: Cole Floyd of Leesburg, Ohio, 15 bass, 56-4, $11,000
14th: Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 55-13, $11,000
15th: Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 55-6, $11,000
16th: Evan Barnes of Dardanelle, Ark., 15 bass, 55-2, $11,000
17th: Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tenn., 15 bass, 54-14, $11,000
18th: Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Mich., 15 bass, 54-10, $11,000
19th: Casey Scanlon of Eldon, Mo., 15 bass, 54-9, $11,000
20th: Nick Lebrun of Bossier City, La., 15 bass, 54-5, $11,000
21st: Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 54-4, $10,500
22nd: Cody Pike of Powhatan, Va., 15 bass, 54-4, $10,500
23rd: Lane Olson of Forest Grove, Ore., 15 bass, 53-12, $10,500
24th: Troy Stokes of Trenton, Mich., 15 bass, 53-12, $10,500
25th: Jim Moynagh of Shakopee, Minn., 15 bass, 53-8, $10,500
26th: David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-7, $10,500
27th: Billy Hines of Vacaville, Calif., 15 bass, 53-1, $10,500
28th: Mark Rose of Wynne, Ark., 15 bass, 52-14, $10,500
29th: Jared McMillan of Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 52-13, $10,500
30th: Chris Lane of Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 52-9, $10,500
31st: Terry Bolton of Benton, Ky., 15 bass, 52-6, $10,000
32nd: Grae Buck of Green Lane, Pa., 15 bass, 52-6, $10,000
33rd: Larry Nixon of Quitman, Ark., 15 bass, 52-4, $10,000
34th: Steve Lopez of Oconomowoc, Wis., 15 bass, 52-3, $10,000
35th: Tyler Stewart of Dubach, La., 15 bass, 52-0, $10,000
36th: Randy Howell of Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 51-15, $10,000
37th: Justin Cooper of Zwolle, La., 15 bass, 51-8, $10,000
38th: John Hunter of Shelbyville, Ky., 15 bass, 51-8, $10,000
39th: Corey Neece of Bristol, Tenn., 15 bass, 51-6, $10,000
40th: Jacob Wall of New Hope, Ala., 15 bass, 51-6, $10,000
41st: Chase Serafin of White Lake, Mich., 15 bass, 51-0, $10,000
42nd: Keith Carson of DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 50-15, $10,000
43rd: Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho, 15 bass, 50-15, $10,000
44th: Matt Greenblatt of Port St. Lucie, Fla., 15 bass, 50-13, $10,000
45th: Miles Burghoff of Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 50-12, $10,000
46th: Jason Reyes of Huffman, Texas, 15 bass, 50-12, $10,000
47th: John Voyles of Petersburg, Ind., 15 bass, 50-10, $10,000
48th: Shonn Goodwin of Moore, Okla., 15 bass, 50-6, $10,000
49th: Braxton Setzer of Wetumpka, Ala., 15 bass, 47-5, $10,000
50th: Tim Frederick of Leesburg, Fla., 15 bass, 46-14, $10,000
Reigning AOY Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, once again clinched the 2022 Pro Circuit AOY title Sunday, after ending the event in 15th place. Neal overtook Josh Butler of Hayden, Alabama, who had a 14-point lead coming into the event, and now becomes the third pro in Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit history to win the AOY in consecutive years, joining Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tennessee (2013, 2014) and David Dudley of Lynchburg, Virginia (2011, 2012). Neal will receive his entry fees paid for the entire 2023 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit season for his win.
“I came into the year with the goal of winning AOY again, and while the reality of that didn’t seem very possible, you’ve always got to have those types of goals in mind,” Neal said. “However, to actually win it and to be in the company of the other anglers that have achieved that goal – that’s pretty special.”
The Tennessee pro said he is ecstatic for the win but has no intention of letting up on the gas, and plans to finish out the season strong at the Pro Circuit TITLE on the St. Lawrence River next month in Massena, New York.
“A championship win is what my career is lacking at this point,” Neal continued. “I had a good finish on the St. Lawrence River at the TITLE last year and I’m starting to figure out smallmouth a little better, so I’m looking forward to that as well.”
Overall, there were 250 bass weighing 857 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 50 pros Saturday. All 50 competitors brought a five-bass limit to the scale.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X is hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau and features a total purse of more than $850,000.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 154 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advanced to Sunday. Now, only the top 10 pros, based on cumulative weight from the first three days, will continue competition on Championship Monday, where weights will be zeroed and anglers will compete in a one-day shootout for the grand prize of up to $135,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2022 TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York on Aug. 16-21, and is hosted by the Town of Massena.
The final 10 anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. ET Monday from the Plattsburgh Waterfront, located at 5 Dock Street in Plattsburgh. Monday’s Championship weigh-in will also be held at the waterfront at 2:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to attend the event or follow the live on-the-water action all four days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere September 3 on the CBS Sports Network.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Fuel Me, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Chris & Bill Zimmer Win Leesville Lake Tournament Trail
We had 21 boats today competing on Leesville Lake. 1st place – Chris & Bill Zimmer with 13.39lbs. They also had Big Bass with a 5.28 Lunker
2nd place – Greg & Ben Dawson with 12.24lbs.
3rd place – Matt & Chris Atkins with 12.18lbs.
4th place – Dennis Stump & Steve Crist with 11.47lbs.
Oklahoma’s Cortiana Overtakes Lead on Day 2 of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 on Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (July 30, 2022) – The top of the leaderboard was stacked with 20-pound bags once again Saturday after Day 2 of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X in Plattsburgh, New York, where 154 professional anglers are competing for a top prize of up to $135,000.
While 12 pros busted 20 pounds on the second day of competition, pro Kyle Cortiana of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, brought a limit weighing 22 pounds, 2 ounces to the scales Saturday to vault to the lead. Cortiana’s two-day total of 10 bass weighing 42-10 gives him a 15-ounce advantage over Phoenix pro Kyle Hall of Granbury, Texas, who led after Day 1 of the event. Hall brought a limit weighing 19-14 to the scales Saturday for a two-day total of 41-11, good for second place.
Pro Andy Newcomb of Camdenton, Missouri, finished the day in third place with 10 bass weighing 41-11, while Favorite Fishing pro Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pennsylvania, moved into fourth with a two-day total of 40-10. Milford, Delaware’s Kurt Mitchell finished the day with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 40-1 to round out the top five.
Link to photo of Day 2 leader Kyle Cortiana
Despite coming in an hour early due to livewell issues, Cortiana managed to catch enough to sit atop the leaderboard after two days of competition.
“Today was awesome and the Lord blessed me,” Cortiana said. “He puts it on my heart to throw a bait or to move from one place to another, so it’s truly Him that did it and not me.
“My dad got to fly up here and experience all of this with me for the first time, so that’s been amazing,” he continued. “He’s got such a big heart, so it’s been awesome to see his response to all of this and his excitement for me. It’s made me even more excited during this event because I know he’s able to watch and experience it all first-hand.”
Saturday marked the first time in his career that Cortiana has led a Pro Circuit event, making the experience all the more exhilarating for the Oklahoma pro, who has yet to make a championship round this year.
“I started on a spot where I caught them on Day 1, dragging a Carolina rig with a Yum Christie Craw on it and caught 18 pounds pretty quick before running new water,” Cortiana said. “I hit a few of the same areas because I knew there were multiple fish there, but for the most part my game plan is to get the weight I need to maintain my position and keep running new water to prep for the weights zeroing on Monday in the Championship Round.”
With several career-altering opportunities up for grabs this week – including the Bally Bet Angler of the Year (AOY) title, Polaris Rookie of the Year (ROY) title, qualification for the TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, and the opportunity to advance to the MLF Bass Pro Tour – the pursuit for valuable points is on and the event is shaping up to be one of the tightest races in the history of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit.
After ending Day 2 in 24th place, rookie pro Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tennessee solidified his position Saturday to win the Polaris ROY and take home the coveted hardware.
“This has been a great year,” Hatfield said. “I was already thrilled to have qualified for the Pro Circuit through the Toyota Series last year, but when the schedule came out, I got even more excited because it really fit my strengths. I think that has played a big part in being able to achieve this goal and I feel super blessed.”
Hatfield began fishing with MLF in 2013, coming up through the Abu Garcia College Fishing program, before making his way through the Phoenix Bass Fishing League and the Toyota Series to advance to the Pro Circuit.
“It’s all a process and I’ve dreamed of doing this since before I was in high school, so to be out here doing it and to see some success in my very first year as a pro, is pretty cool,” Hatfield said.
Although he is happy with the win, Hatfield said he wasn’t satisfied to stay where he is now.
“This isn’t it for me,” he continued. “I want to keep learning and keep moving up – I want to be one of the top dogs around here, so I’ve still got some work to do to make that happen.”
The top 50 pros that made the cut after Day 2 and will fish Sunday on Lake Champlain are:
2nd: Kyle Hall of Granbury, Texas, 10 bass, 41-11
3rd: Andy Newcomb of Camdenton, Mo., 10 bass, 41-11
4th: Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., 10 bass, 40-10
5th: Kurt Mitchell of Milford, Del., 10 bass, 40-1
6th: Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, 10 bass, 40-0
7th: Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., 10 bass, 39-7
8th: Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 39-3
9th: Casey Scanlon of Eldon, Mo., 10 bass, 39-1
10th: Tyler Stewart of Dubach, La., 10 bass, 38-7
11th: Lane Olson of Forest Grove, Ore., 10 bass, 38-2
12th: Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 38-1
13th: Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 38-1
14th: Alex Davis of Albertville, Ala., 10 bass, 38-1
15th: Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 37-12
16th: Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Ark., 10 bass, 37-11
17th: Cole Floyd of Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 37-8
18th: Cody Pike of Powhatan, Va., 10 bass, 37-8
19th: Jim Moynagh of Shakopee, Minn., 10 bass, 37-5
20th: Mark Rose of Wynne, Ark., 10 bass, 37-4
21st: Jon Canada of Helena, Ala., 10 bass, 37-4
22nd: Shonn Goodwin of Moore, Okla., 10 bass, 36-15
23rd: Martin Villa of Charlottesville, Va., 10 bass, 36-15
24th: Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tenn., 10 bass, 36-13
25th: Evan Barnes of Dardanelle, Ark., 10 bass, 36-12
26th: Steve Lopez of Oconomowoc, Wis., 10 bass, 36-9
27th: Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Mich., 10 bass, 36-5
28th: Billy Hines of Vacaville, Calif., 10 bass, 36-5
29th: Jared McMillan of Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 36-4
30th: Matt Greenblatt of Port St. Lucie, Fla., 10 bass, 36-4
31st: Chase Serafin of White Lake, Mich., 10 bass, 36-3
32nd: Nick Lebrun of Bossier City, La., 10 bass, 35-13
33rd: David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-12
34th: Corey Neece of Bristol, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-11
35th: John Voyles of Petersburg, Ind., 10 bass, 35-9
36th: Chris Lane of Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 35-7
37th: Troy Stokes of Trenton, Mich., 10 bass, 35-6
38th: Justin Cooper of Zwolle, La., 10 bass, 35-1
39th: Keith Carson of DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 35-0
40th: John Hunter of Shelbyville, Ky., 10 bass, 35-0
41st: Terry Bolton of Benton, Ky., 10 bass, 35-0
42nd: Randy Howell of Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 34-15
43rd: Braxton Setzer of Wetumpka, Ala., 10 bass, 34-12
44th: Miles Burghoff of Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 34-11
45th: Jason Reyes of Huffman, Texas, 10 bass, 34-9
46th: Larry Nixon of Quitman, Ark., 10 bass, 34-7
47th: Grae Buck of Green Lane, Pa., 10 bass, 34-7
48th: Tim Frederick of Leesburg, Fla., 10 bass, 34-4
49th: Jacob Wall of New Hope, Ala., 10 bass, 34-4
50th: Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho, 10 bass, 34-4
For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.Buck brought a bass weighing 5 pounds, 10 ounces to the scale on Saturday to win the day’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award.
Overall, there were 761 bass weighing 2,421 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 153 pros Saturday. The catch included 152 five-bass limits.
The event, hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau, marks the sixth and final regular-season event of the year for the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday. Now, the top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advance to Sunday. Only the top 10 pros, based on cumulative weight from the first three days, will continue competition on Championship Monday, where weights will be zeroed, and anglers will compete in a one-day shootout for the grand prize of up to $135,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2022 TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York on Aug. 16-21, and is hosted by the Town of Massena.
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. ET each day from the Plattsburgh Waterfront, located at 5 Dock Street in Plattsburgh. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park daily at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the live on-the-water action all four days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere September 3 on the CBS Sports Network.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Fuel Me, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Cerja And Richardson Win Bassmaster Junior National Championship
July 30, 2022
Cerja And Richardson Win Bassmaster Junior National Championship
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HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — Victories are not always dramatic and glamorous, but Mark Cerja Jr. and Gus Richardson of the Lone Star Junior Bassmasters were proud of their gritty, gutsy effort.
Grinding through a stingy final round, they tallied a two-day total of 18 pounds, 5 ounces and won the Bassmaster Junior National Championship at the Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake.
A Day 1 limit of 10-7 put Cerja and Richardson in second place. Catching another limit of 7-14 in the final round, they claimed the top award — a $2,000 scholarship they’ll split.
“I’ve been fishing since I was 2, and I was taught to fish hard and grind and never give up,” Cerja said. “Today was a tough, tough bite; we didn’t get our limit until about noon, whereas yesterday, we were culling at 10 a.m.
“It’s just an exciting feeling to go home national champions. I’ll sleep well tonight.”
After capitalizing on the barometric fluctuation of Friday’s passing storm system, which triggered aggressive feeding, Cerja and Richardson found the bass less active on the final day.
“I think it was pretty hard on the fish because they had just been fished,” Richardson said. “This is a pretty small lake and 65 teams were hitting the same spots (multiple times).”
As Cerja explained, their winning strategy was pure persistence, with a good dose of mobility.
“We started fishing War Eagle Creek but only had two in the box, so we went over to Jaguar Creek and caught one that was about 12 1/2 (inches),” Cerja said. “We said ‘We need a couple of big ones if we really want to win this.’
“So, we went to Rocket Creek — that’s where I caught a 4 and (Richardson) caught a 2 1/2.”
Cerja said he and his partner caught their fish in 8 to 10 feet of water. Docks with grass and brushpiles were best, but they also fished the backs of shallow creek channels.
On Day 1, Richardson caught a 4-7 on a white fluke. The winners caught their other fish on 4-inch plum finesse worms, 7-inch Berkley Power Worms in blue fleck and Zoom U-Tale Worms in tequila green flake. The latter produced their largest Day 2 catch — the 4-pounder.
“We thought it was better just twitching it pretty slowly and making sure we paid attention to the action — just making it look like something a bass would want to eat,” Richardson said.
Owen Ray and Camdyn Cranfill of the Rhea County Eagle Anglers finished second with 17-3. After placing third on Day 1 with a limit of 10-3, they added a three-fish bag of 7 pounds.
Repeating their Day 1 game plan, Ray and Cranfill again targeted deeper docks. Unfortunately, the bass were less cooperative the second time around.
“It was a lot slower bite today; our offshore stuff where we could get a limit (on Friday) did not work today,” Cranfill said. “We threw a glide bait around docks and ended up with two decent ones. We caught one small one on a drop shot.”
Ray said the day’s cloudy conditions limited their opportunities. As he explained, they needed more sunshine to position bass on the docks.
Ander Cowan and Alex Fitzpatrick of the PA Bassin Juniors finished third with 17-2. Day 1 saw them place seventh with four bass that weighed 7 pounds, but they gained four spots by adding 10-2 during the final round.
Cowan and Fitzpatrick also missed their final-round limit by one fish, but anchoring their bag with Cowan’s 7-1 made their day. The fish bit a 1/4-ounce shaky head with a trick worm in the bruised banana color.
The bite, Cowan said, was pretty subtle — he simply lifted his rod and felt pressure. The most memorable part of the story was the utter fiasco that occurred during the netting process.
“The net got tangled with one of our poles and we actually netted that fish with the pole still in the net,” Cowan said. “That was a very good comeback; I was definitely not expecting that.”
Fitzpatrick said the key to his team’s success was fishing deep.
“A lot of the lake’s docks had been overfished,” he said. “We were sitting in about 18 feet of water and fishing in 20.”
Landon Gabby and Carson Bruner of Marion, Ill., won the Big Bass award with their 8-3.
The Bassmaster Junior Series National Championship was hosted by the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce.
2022 Bassmaster Junior National Championship – Carroll County Lake 7/29-7/30
Carroll County One Thousand Acre Recreational Lake, Huntingdon TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Mark Cerja Jr – Gus Richardson Lone Star Jr Bassmasters TX 0
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 07-14 Total: 10 18-05
2. Owen Ray – Camdyn Cranfill Rhea County Eagle Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 3 07-00 Total: 8 17-03
3. Ander Cowan – Alex Fitzpatrick PA Bassin Juniors 0
Day 1: 4 07-00 Day 2: 4 10-02 Total: 8 17-02
4. Rooksby Gordon – Fisher Deason American Christian Academy – AL 0
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 05-04 Total: 10 16-11
5. Caden Strawn – Drew Turner Sand Springs Clyde Boyd OK 0
Day 1: 3 02-06 Day 2: 3 13-15 Total: 6 16-05
6. Caleb Logue – Hayden Reynolds Three Rivers Bassmasters GA 0
Day 1: 5 04-14 Day 2: 4 09-13 Total: 9 14-11
7. Nic Sitton – Dawson Cooper Melbourne AR 0
Day 1: 5 05-02 Day 2: 5 09-08 Total: 10 14-10
8. Hayden Mallory – Archer Dill Ohio 0
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 05-00 Total: 10 14-09
9. Vegas Iaconelli – Maxsim Hughen Youth Division – NJ 0
Day 1: 5 06-10 Day 2: 5 07-15 Total: 10 14-09
10. Kieran Stephenson – Grady Stanley Fuquay Varina Middle School NC 0
Day 1: 5 05-00 Day 2: 5 09-05 Total: 10 14-05
11. Hunter Harrison – Austin Moreland Magnet Cove AR 0
Day 1: 2 01-05 Day 2: 5 12-13 Total: 7 14-02
12. River Huffman – Rob Barter Chatuge Anglers GA 0
Day 1: 5 03-15 Day 2: 5 09-12 Total: 10 13-11
13. Karson Dick – Kipton Dick Wayne Middle WV 0
Day 1: 5 04-03 Day 2: 5 09-02 Total: 10 13-05
14. Jaylin White – Colden Baker Lugoff-Elgin Middle SC 0
Day 1: 5 04-11 Day 2: 5 07-13 Total: 10 12-08
15. Sullivan Kraft – Beckett Kraft Horseheads NY 0
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 4 03-10 Total: 9 12-03
16. Judd Byrd – Samuel Nicholas Oak Grove MS 0
Day 1: 5 04-05 Day 2: 4 07-13 Total: 9 12-02
17. Brody Kellum – Carson Thompson Franklin County Middle School – 0
Day 1: 5 08-05 Day 2: 4 03-06 Total: 9 11-11
18. Camden Randall – Peyton Davidson Mount Pleasant TN 0
Day 1: 5 08-04 Day 2: 2 03-06 Total: 7 11-10
19. Landon Gabby – Carson Bruner Southern Illinois Future Anglers 0
Day 1: 3 02-07 Day 2: 1 08-03 Total: 4 10-10
20. Mitchell Henderson – Joseph Frierson Laurence Manning Academy SC 0
Day 1: 5 05-04 Day 2: 3 05-01 Total: 8 10-05
21. Bryce Rhody – Gavin Brubaker Susquehanna Valley Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 1 00-14 Day 2: 5 09-05 Total: 6 10-03
22. Luke Stewart – Austin Craze Southern WV Jr Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 5 05-08 Day 2: 5 04-10 Total: 10 10-02
23. Zac Arnold – Ross Clark Good Hope Fishing Team AL 0
Day 1: 5 04-11 Day 2: 5 05-04 Total: 10 09-15
24. Christopher Volpe – Brayden Rivest Off the Hook Bassmasters IL 0
Day 1: 5 06-07 Day 2: 4 03-03 Total: 9 09-10
25. Camdon Fauver – Thomas Newman Frederick County BASS VA 0
Day 1: 5 04-07 Day 2: 5 05-02 Total: 10 09-09
26. Turner Tharpe – Blake James Rhea County Eagle Anglers TN 0
Day 1: 3 03-02 Day 2: 5 06-06 Total: 8 09-08
27. Tristan Stewart – DJ Johnson III Mount Pleasant TN 0
Day 1: 5 06-00 Day 2: 4 03-02 Total: 9 09-02
28. Cameron Prokop – Tommy Shumowsky New Age Bass Fishing Club IL 0
Day 1: 5 04-10 Day 2: 5 04-08 Total: 10 09-02
29. Nolan Savage – Jake Paradis LA Jr Bassmasters ME 0
Day 1: 5 04-06 Day 2: 5 04-11 Total: 10 09-01
30. Landon Pierce – Korbin Neat Casey County – KY 0
Day 1: 5 03-14 Day 2: 5 04-15 Total: 10 08-13
31. Anderson Mesplay – Kelby Conrady Mid-Kansas Kastmasters 0
Day 1: 3 06-06 Day 2: 2 02-06 Total: 5 08-12
32. Clayton Barry – Tanner Sikes Columbia High School FL 0
Day 1: 5 04-00 Day 2: 5 04-10 Total: 10 08-10
33. Caden Stevens – Hunter Crittenden Franklin County Jr. Bass Team TN 0
Day 1: 5 04-10 Day 2: 5 04-00 Total: 10 08-10
34. Oliver Neumann – Grayden Neumann Zimmerman MN 0
Day 1: 5 04-02 Day 2: 5 04-04 Total: 10 08-06
35. Tugger McCuistion – 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 08-03 Total: 3 08-03
36. Jesse Lancaster – Fisher Lancaster Lancaster Academy NC 0
Day 1: 4 03-12 Day 2: 5 04-06 Total: 9 08-02
36. Conner McClellan – Drew Mcclellan Indiana Jr Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 5 04-06 Day 2: 4 03-12 Total: 9 08-02
38. Mason Samson – NH Junior Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 4 04-03 Day 2: 5 03-15 Total: 9 08-02
39. Caleb Jackson – Evrett Hunter Nassau Christian Bass Club FL 0
Day 1: 5 04-10 Day 2: 4 03-00 Total: 9 07-10
40. Maverick Hardebeck – Carson Tithof Grand Haven Lakeshore Middle Sch 0
Day 1: 4 03-08 Day 2: 4 03-09 Total: 8 07-01
41. Wyatt Reynolds – Peyton Roland Foothills Youth Anglers VA 0
Day 1: 5 05-14 Day 2: 1 00-14 Total: 6 06-12
42. Sawyer Knickerbocker – Grant Williams SWLA Jr Anglers LA 0
Day 1: 5 03-11 Day 2: 4 03-01 Total: 9 06-12
43. Beau McQuade – Kahl Cordell Jr. Potomac River Bassmasters PA 0
Day 1: 5 03-09 Day 2: 3 03-03 Total: 8 06-12
44. Jack Varnado – Dylan Johnson Jr. Southwest Bassmasters of Den 0
Day 1: 5 04-13 Day 2: 2 01-12 Total: 7 06-09
45. Parker Terrell – Port City Jr. Bassmasters NY 0
Day 1: 3 03-01 Day 2: 4 03-07 Total: 7 06-08
46. Ty Cooper – Landen Mclauchlin Central Florida Youth Anglers 0
Day 1: 2 01-08 Day 2: 5 04-15 Total: 7 06-07
47. Boone Baxter – Hunter Stewart Fort Jennings Crestview OH 0
Day 1: 5 06-00 Day 2: 5 00-06 Total: 10 06-06
48. Elijah Ambrose – Landon Hinkle Jr. Potomac River Bassmasters PA 0
Day 1: 5 04-10 Day 2: 2 01-11 Total: 7 06-05
49. Foster Hall – Caden Hall Hall Academy KY 0
Day 1: 5 05-02 Day 2: 1 01-01 Total: 6 06-03
50. Tucker Randolph – Kaleb Smarr Warrensburg Middle School MO 0
Day 1: 4 04-01 Day 2: 2 01-11 Total: 6 05-12
51. Andy Stewart – Trenton Wells Pisgah MS 0
Day 1: 4 03-14 Day 2: 2 01-13 Total: 6 05-11
52. James Barkley – Nikolas Foster New Hampshire Junior Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 5 03-03 Day 2: 2 02-08 Total: 7 05-11
53. Bo Hollen – Ari Clark Mon Valley Bassmaster’s WV 0
Day 1: 5 04-01 Day 2: 1 01-01 Total: 6 05-02
54. Will Oberhoffer – Max Droessler Roosevelt Middle School IA 0
Day 1: 3 02-08 Day 2: 3 02-09 Total: 6 05-01
55. Lawson Gamble – Gray Hardy Headland Bass Team AL 0
Day 1: 2 01-13 Day 2: 4 03-03 Total: 6 05-00
56. Jonas Lawler-White – Cale Denney Lansing Middle School – Bobcat B 0
Day 1: 3 02-03 Day 2: 3 02-04 Total: 6 04-07
57. Bryce Cast – Ayden Cast St. Louis Area Bassmasters IL 0
Day 1: 4 03-05 Day 2: 1 01-01 Total: 5 04-06
58. Jaxton Collier – Reece Roberts South Side Anglers IN 0
Day 1: 3 02-05 Day 2: 3 02-01 Total: 6 04-06
59. Charlie Brekke – Michael Putman Fighting Fishsticks Jr Club CO 0
Day 1: 2 01-09 Day 2: 3 02-09 Total: 5 04-02
60. Peter Mcdonald – Preston Hartzell Rocky Mountain High School – CO 0
Day 1: 4 03-03 Day 2: 1 00-12 Total: 5 03-15
61. Dylan Frickey – Reid Scott Ontario Juniors 0
Day 1: 4 03-12 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 4 03-12
62. Brady Harrison – Bryce Blackmon Cayuga – TX 0
Day 1: 1 00-06 Day 2: 2 01-14 Total: 3 02-04
63. Dillyn Dill – Andrew Knight Shelby County Jr Anglers AL 0
Day 1: 2 00-00 Day 2: 3 02-02 Total: 5 02-02
64. Bradie Talaski – Carter Osantowski Bad Axe Junior – MI 0
Day 1: 2 01-09 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 01-09
65. Liam Northway – Eastern Iowa Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
——————————
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 38 264 283-06
2 25 229 295-12
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63 493 579-02










