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East Carolina University Wins MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Tournament on Smith Mountain Lake

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June 6, 2022

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HUDDLESTON, Va. (June 6, 2022) – The East Carolina University duo of Bryce Fowler of Clayton, North Carolina, and Austin Woody of Burlington, North Carolina, won the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Smith Mountain Lake Friday with a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 8 ounces. The victory earned the Pirates’ bass club $2,000 and a slot in the 2023 MLF College Fishing National Championship.

“We came into this with no practice,” Fowler said. “We talked about it, and we just wanted to come into it and see what happened. We knew how to fish it and knew what they were going to be doing; we just had to make it all come together.

“We fished around a bit, and about noon we had a limit of 12 or 13 pounds,” Fowler added. “We were able to throw a topwater on rock piles to catch four fish over 4 pounds.“

Fowler said the team focused on rocky banks and rock piles around the Blackwater River area and caught about 30 fish during the day, 15 of which were keepers.

“This feels pretty incredible,” Fowler said. “To do it as seniors and leave a legacy for our team is special.”

The top 10 teams that advanced to the 2023 College Fishing National Championship are:

1st: East Carolina University – Bryce Fowler of Clayton, N.C., and Austin Woody of Burlington, N.C., five bass, 20-8, $2,000
2nd: Adrian College – Matthew Davis, Saint Joseph, Mich., and Sam Shoemaker, Martinsville, Ind., five bass, 19-3, $1,000
3rd: Erskine College – Jeremy Dellinger, Denver, N.C., and Adam Seagle, Lincolnton, N.C., five bass, 17-1, $500
4th: King University – Tyler Altizer, Abingdon, Va., and Dylan Thomson, Shady Valley, Tenn., five bass, 16-11, $500
5th: Adrian College – Russel Buffa, Fenton, Mich., and Matt Mosby, Dryden, Mich., five bass, 15-9, $500
6th: Penn State University – Eric Wawrzyniak, Lebanon, Pa., and Jason Zubris, Plains, Pa., five bass, 15-0
7th: Virginia Tech – Ryan Feehan, Haymarket, Va., and Daniel Weber, Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 14-14
8th: Radford University – Ruth Caudle, Pulaski, Va., and Alex Moss, Lambsburg, Va., five bass, 14-13
9th: Western Michigan University – Kurt Antonowitsch, Kalamazoo, Mich., and Cole Zagrzebski, Steven’s Point, Wis., five bass, 14-11
10th: Liberty University – Wyatt Kelley, Altavista, Va., and Broderick Luckey, Roanoke, Va., five bass, 14-8

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

The Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Smith Mountain Lake was hosted by Destination Bedford. It was the second of three regular-season tournaments for Northern Conference anglers. The next event for College Fishing anglers will be the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on the Mississippi River July 29 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

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. The 2022 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship Presented by Lowrance will be held on Fort Gibson Lake in Wagoner, Oklahoma, March 29-31, and is hosted by the Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce.

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.

Best Sunglasses for Bass Fishing by Hobie Eyewear

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June 6, 2022

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Best Sunglasses for Bass Fishing

Bass fishing’s hottest stick Hank Cherry talks about his new collection from Hobie Eyewear

OCEANSIDE, Calif. (June 6, 2022) – Repurposing is the name of the game in sunglasses. Buy a pair and hope they’ll perform as well in the boat as on the ski slope or driving to the grocery store. Makes sense…mostly. But what makes even more sense for anglers is owning an outrageously affordable pair that was critically conceived by Hobie Eyewear – with input from Hank Cherry – and engineered specifically for the demands of bass fishing: Hank Cherry Champions Collection.

Hobie Eyewear’s premium polarized lenses allow you to see deeper into the water and their floating technology protects your investment. Hank Cherry puts it in his own words…

Bluefin Float Hank Cherry Champions Edition

Mojo Float Hank Cherry Champions Edition

SATIN BLACK & RED / SIGHTMASTER+ available in both models.

MSRP for all models in the Hank Cherry Champions collection retail for a modest $99.99, and each comes with a micro-fiber cloth for cleaning, plus a Hobie hard eyeglass case with a carbineer clip on the outside.

Those wishing to check out a pair at ICAST can stop by booth #4458 or check out the Hobie display at On The Water Day. Either way, you’ll catch a break on all four models with special show pricing, and incentives. Follow @hobieeyewear on Instagram or visit www.hobieeyewear.com for details.

To make an ICAST business appointment, contact Evie Ksenopoulos, Director of Sales and Service, [email protected].

California’s Oakdale High School Wins MLF High School Fishing Open on the California Delta

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June 6, 2022

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BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. (June 6, 2022) – The Oakdale High School team of Troy Cox and Zane Ravalin, both of Oakdale, California, brought five bass to the scale Sunday weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open at the California Delta.

A field of 34 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Russo’s Marina in Bethel Island, Calif. 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 three teams that advanced to the 2022 High School Fishing National Championship are:

1st: Oakdale High School, Oakdale, Calif. – Troy Cox and Zane Ravalin, both of Oakdale, Calif., five bass, 22-8
2nd: Lake County High School Fishing Club – Tyler Bryant and Joey Gentle, both of Kelseyville, Calif., five bass, 21-4
3rd: Delta Saints Bass Team – Hunter Binns and Guy Laackman, both of West Sacramento, Calif., five bass, 20-2

Rounding out the top 10 teams were:

4th: Delta Teen Team – Maxwell Kaneko, Berkeley, Calif., and Sam Shimabukuro, Alameda, Calif., five bass, 20-1
5th: Lake County High School Fishing Club – Payton Lyndall, Kelseyville, Calif., and Fisher Perkins, Rocklin, Calif., five bass, 16-12
6th: Delta Saints Bass Team – Jax Soto, Courtland, Calif., and Nathan Tritt, West Sacramento, Calif., five bass, 16-10
7th: Liberty High School, Brentwood, Calif. – Adrian Guillen, Brentwood, Calif., and Josh Stanchina, five bass, 14-3
8th: Vista Del Lago High School, Folsom, Calif. – Brian Mackinnon and Bryce White, both of El Dorado Hills, Calif., five bass, 13-0
9th: Lodi High School, Lodi, Calif. – Maverick Lahman and Kyle Mann, both of Lodi, Calif., five bass, 12-14
10th: Grizzly Bass Masters – Sam Houston, Georgetown, Calif., and Clay Smith, Greenwood, Calif., five bass, 12-3

Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The next event for High School Fishing anglers will be the 2022 MLF High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick and Wilson Lakes in Florence, Alabama, June 22-25.

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 2022 High School Fishing National Championship. The 2022 MLF High School Fishing National Championship will be held on Pickwick and Wilson Lakes in Florence, Alabama, June 22-25, and is hosted by the Florence-Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The High School Fishing National Champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2022 MLF Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers.

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.

Lowrance Pro Angler Brandon Lester Wins Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake

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June 6, 2022

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Lowrance Pro Angler Brandon Lester Wins Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake

Tulsa, Okla. – Lowrance^®, a world-leader in fishing electronics since 1957, is pleased to congratulate Lowrance pro angler Brandon Lester on his victory at the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee, June 2-5, 2022.

The Tennessee native’s boat is equipped with four Lowrance HDS LIVE 12 displays, Active Imaging™ and ActiveTarget® Live Sonar, which helped him catch a four-day total of 20 bass for 86 pounds, 1ounce and bring home the $100,000 grand prize.

“Anytime you’re fishing, you better have Lowrance products on your boat,” said Lester. “This week my DownScan and SideScan were crucial – I found the winning school of fish on SideScan. It was a shallower school than most and I was able to see the school 60 feet out to my right. My Lowrance electronics were the perfect combination this week and I’m glad to bring home the blue trophy.”

The victory is Lester’s first Elite Series tournament win in nine seasons on tour.

For more information on Lowrance and its tournament-winning fishfinding technology, please visit www.lowrance.com.

Keith Roberts & Rob Johnson Win Leesville Lake Tourney Trail

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June 6, 2022

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Keith Roberts & Rob Johnson Win Leesville Lake Tourney Trail

We had 13 boats today competing on Leesville Lake. 1st place – Keith Roberts & Rob Johnson with 11.96lbs.

2nd place – Matt & Chris Atkins with 11.86lbs. They also Won Big Bass with an 4.26lb. Lunker

3rd place – Ryan Reynolds & Lee White with 11.55lbs.

Jade Keeton and Adam Brown Win ABT 100 on Neely Henry with 17.23 By Jason Duran

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June 6, 2022

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Jade Keeton and Adam Brown Win ABT 100 on Neely Henry with 17.23

By Jason Duran

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The second stop of three Alabama Bass Trail 100 tournaments made its way to Neely Henry Lake where one hundred teams competed for a total payout of $100,000. A smaller field than the normal ABT allows teams to spread out a little more and often find areas where other teams aren’t fishing. Add a bigger pay day, and it makes for an exciting day of bass fishing.

Jade Keeton and Adam Brown caught 17.23 pounds but were unsure if that was enough to win until the scales closed on Saturday. Adam “has fished this lake for 30 years and placed second way more than first. When you get in that 17-pound range, it’s kind of tricky because somebody will usually come in with 20 pounds.” The team made a run of a little over an hour to fish an area called the dead river. This area of the lake is shallow and difficult to navigate, and the lake level dropped some overnight making it even more difficult to access the areas the team wanted to fish. Adam “probably wouldn’t have even risked it today if it wasn’t for a tournament of this caliber. That area is difficult to get to and things can change, and you might not get back out once you get in there.” The team used a tunnel hull boat that Adam has been tweaking on for a couple years.

After making the run, they quickly went to work “catching several early and a limit in about an hour and a half of 11-12 pounds. Then we had a lull of about an hour and discussed leaving but made the decision to stay. We felt like if we left the area, we would only just run in to other boat traffic. We had more water to ourselves in this area and quality fish; we just needed to catch them. We decided to stay and around 11:30 we had two culls back-to-back that helped us. We also lost a couple that would have made that hour and a half ride back easier; we really needed to cull out a 2-pounder.” They took a team approach to bait selection and used baits that complemented their style of fishing. Adam used a “Stan Sloan spinner bait in chartreuse and white with a modified arm and a Colorado blade and a #5 willow blade. Jade used a “Scotty Johnston ¼ oz swim jig in black and blue.” They took the risk of making the long run to skinny water, and it made the difference! They cashed a $25,000 check for their work.

The second-place team of Kris Colley and Adam Bain spent about a day and a half practicing and said, “we just came here to fish this weekend. It was basically just the normal Neely Henry pattern for us.” They spent the day “swimming a custom-made LC Swim Jig with the key being to cover shallow water areas and spend the day basically junk fishing. There wasn’t any rhyme or reason to where we caught our fish; we just caught them wherever we ran across one. We probably fished 30 different areas and caught 12 -15 fish throughout the day. We were surprised we didn’t really catch fish first thing in the morning when we have normally been catching them.” Kris and Adam have fished the ABT in both the north and south divisions, so when the opportunity for the ABT 100 came along, they figured why not just fish this one too. They cashed a 12.500 ABT 100 payday and added a few bonuses including a $500 Garmin Bonus and a $1000 AmFirst Bonus. Their final weight was 16.68 pounds.

David Par and Jimmy Mason claimed third place with 16.29 and $10,000. “Practice for us was tough and eliminated a lot of water. We had a couple decent periods of fish catching learning the end of the day was a little better than the morning yesterday. Today, we started out upriver then moved down river. Most of our fish were caught swimming a Jig. We ended up catching a few swimming a jig around the grass, but most of them came from swimming a jig around the docks that had the most Mayflies around them. There was a Mayfly hatch everywhere, so a lot of them were around the docks. The water depth was less than five feet, and we noticed when we would swim the jig around the docks, we would bump laydowns and bunches of bluegills would come up. We started out swimming a BOOYAH Mobster Swim Jig in white but didn’t get very many bites on it. When we made the switch to the black and blue jig and green pumpkin jig, that made the difference for us. We matched up with a YUM Spine Craw Trailer.” The team is really looking forward to the final stop at Pickwick Lake and expect there to be some really good fishing the final event.

For a complete list of standings please visit:

https://www.alabamabasstrail100.org/neely-henry-lake-results/

Download and listen to the ABT Podcast on your favorite Podcast app by searching for “Alabama Bass Trail Podcast.” The Podcast is released each week on Tuesday.

The sponsors of the 2022 Alabama Bass Trail 100 include; Phoenix Bass Boats, Bill Penney Automotive Group, Banjio Sunglasses, Garmin, America’s First Federal Credit Union, Sweet Home Alabama, Alabama Tourism Department, Buck n’ Bass, TH Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, Big Bite Bait Company, Black Rifle Coffee Company, Anheuser – Busch, Inc., fishalabama.org, and American Baitworks, Lew’s Fishing and Strike King.

Bryan Thrift Leads Group B at MLF Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft

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June 6, 2022

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Bryan Thrift Leads Group B at MLF Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft

North Carolina Pro Leads Group B after Day 1 by 6 Ounces, Group A Resumes Competition Monday

Link to Video Highlights of Group B Qualifying Round Day 1

SPRING CITY, Tenn. (June 5, 2022) – It was a fight to the finish on Sunday – with a mere 1-pound, 12-ounce separation between the top five pros as the competition day concluded – yet Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, persevered to grab the early lead for Group B on Day 1 of the General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft in Spring City, Tennessee.

Thrift will bring a slim lead into Group B’s second day of competition on Tuesday, with a 6-ounce advantage over second place pro Ish Monroe of Oakdale, California, who caught eight bass totaling 23-7. Power-Pole pro Chris Lane of Guntersville, Alabama chased the mayfly hatch to end the day in third place, catching 10 bass weighing 23-6, while Toro pro Jeff Sprague of Wills Point, Texas, ended the day in fourth place with 11 bass totaling 22-2. Tennessee pro David Walker of Sevierville rounded out the top five with 10 bass weighing 22-1.

Water was pulled from the fishery late in the day, creating a stronger current that enhanced the afternoon bite and produced a third period flurry for several anglers. Favorite Fishing pro Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama made the biggest afternoon waves on SCORETRACKER ®, starting the final period in 38^th place before catching 10 bass weighing 19-13 in Period 3 to finish the day in sixth place.

The 40 anglers in Group B will now have an off day, while the 40 anglers competing in Group A will fish their second day of competition Monday, battling it out for the top 20 spots. Group B will resume competition on Tuesday.

The fifth stop on the 2022 Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour features 80 of the top professional bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a total purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner. The six-day event, hosted by Fish Dayton, the Rhea County Economic Tourism Council and Spring City, Tennessee, is livestreamed each day at MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MOTV app and filmed for broadcast later this fall on the Discovery Channel.

Thrift said he found his original starting point during the 30-minute ride through, not far from the takeoff ramp, and spent the day throwing a variety of baits to small, isolated targets – rock piles, brush piles and grass – where fish were set up and ready to bite.

“Today was a good day,” Thrift said. “Kind of tough fishing, but this is my favorite thing to do – fishing isolated targets like I’ve done all day today.

“My only worry is that I don’t have enough locations,” he continued. “I’ve only got about 15 to 20 spots and I probably need 50 to 60 to continue to compete with this field, so hopefully today bought us a little wiggle room and we can go find some more spots when we get back out there.”

Thrift was the leader going into the final period and held off several hard-charging anglers to maintain that lead going into the second day of competition for Group B anglers on Tuesday.

“I caught the majority of my fish on a shaky head and a Texas rig with some BaitFuel Fish Attractant Gel. I also caught two scorable bass on a crankbait today,” Thrift said. “I threw those baits on my signature series Fitzgerald Tournament Shaky Head Rod, with P-Line XTCB Braid and a 10-pound P-Line Spin-X Fluorocarbon Leader with a 1/8-ounce shaky head.

“I ended up catching 12 scorable bass today with that setup,” Thrift continued. “That will be the plan going into Day 2 and hopefully we make it on to the next round.”

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

1^st:           Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 12 bass, 23-13
2^nd:          Ish Monroe, Oakdale, Calif., eight bass, 23-7
3^rd:          Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 23-6
4^th:           Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 11 bass, 22-2
5^th:           David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 10 bass, 22-1
6^th:           Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 11 bass, 21-10
7^th:           Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 11 bass, 20-3
8^th:           Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., nine bass, 19-10
9^th:           Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., seven bass, 17-3
10^th:        Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, six bass, 15-12
11^th:        Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., eight bass, 15-9
12^th:        Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., eight bass, 14-0
13^th:        Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., seven bass, 13-1
14^th:        Clabion Johns, Social Circle, Ga., seven bass, 12-10
15^th:        Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., seven bass, 12-5
16^th:        Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., six bass, 11-6
17^th:        Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss., six bass, 11-5
18^th:        Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, five bass, 11-0
19^th:        Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., four bass, 10-2
20^th:        Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., five bass, 10-0

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

Overall, there were 226 scorable bass weighing 460 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 40 pros Sunday.

Monroe caught a 4-pound, 5-ounce largemouth in the first period that earned him the second $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award of the event. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Saturday and Monday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Sunday and Tuesday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 38 anglers compete to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

Anglers will launch each day at 7:30 a.m. ET from the Spring City Boat Ramp, located at 417 Toestring Valley Road in Spring City, Tennessee. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the ramp, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome and encouraged to attend all launch and takeout events and to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2023 championship.

The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Television coverage of the General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft will premiere at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 29 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, BallyBet, Bass Cat, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Covercraft, Favorite Fishing, Garmin, General Tire, Googan Baits, Grundéns, Guaranteed Rate, Humminbird, Lowrance, Luminox, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Nitro Performance Boats, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Power Stop, Rapala, Starbrite, Toro, Toyota, Wrangler, Yellowstone Bourbon and Zoom.

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

Lester Saves His Best For Last, Slams Door On Bassmaster Elite Series Win At Pickwick Lake

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June 6, 2022

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Lester Saves His Best For Last, Slams Door On Bassmaster Elite Series Win At Pickwick Lake

Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., has won the 2022 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake with a four-day total of 86 pounds, 1 ounce.

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

June 5, 2022

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Lester Saves His Best For Last, Slams Door On Bassmaster Elite Series Win At Pickwick Lake

COUNCE, Tenn. — At long last, Brandon Lester has his trophy.

A veteran pro at only 34 years old, the Tennessee angler slammed the door Sunday in the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake, winning his first Elite Series tournament in nine seasons on tour.

Entering Championship Sunday with a 3 1/2-pound lead, Lester didn’t let up, catching 22 pounds, 14 ounces, which was the VMC Monster Bag of the tournament. That gave him a four-day total of 20 bass for 86-1, almost 6 pounds more than any of the nine other pros who made the final-day cut.

Lester competed in more than 110 Bassmaster tournaments before he won his first one in February — the St. Croix Bassmaster Southern Open on Florida’s Kissimmee Chain of Lakes presented by Mossy Oak Fishing. But as sweet as that win was, it wasn’t a notch in his Elite Series belt like this week’s big victory on Pickwick, only two hours from his home in Fayetteville, Tenn.

“This is unreal,” he said. “That Open win, I was super proud of it. It’s a stacked field in the Opens. But an Elite Series win is next level. I guess it’s between an Opens win and a Classic win. That’s the only thing that can top it. These are the greatest bass fishermen in the world. I believe that. If they’re not, they won’t last long.”

The $100,000 first-place prize pushed Lester’s career Bassmaster earnings past $1 million — a sign of not only his longevity in the sport but his undeniable success.

He was head and shoulders above the 91-boat field this week, competing on a lake he’s fished regularly the past few years, but never in an Elite event on Pickwick when ledges were dominant. He said being on familiar water narrowed his focus and raised his confidence.

“I would never tell anybody ‘Hey, I’m on the fish to win,’” Lester said. “I’ve been in that position before and it didn’t work out. But I knew if I made the right decisions and did my job this week that I could win this tournament.”

Lester found a special spot during practice that replenished daily and provided the bulk of his catch.

“It was shellbed, and where the current rolled up on that bar, from 8 feet to 4 feet, there was a hard spot,” he said. “The fish were sitting up on that spot. It was small, maybe three times the size of my boat. It was a typical Tennessee River feeding spot, right off the main river. There was a ton of bait in there — gizzard shad, threadfin shad.

“It was the perfect combination.”

He found the spot pretty much by accident. Lester saw bass there on his side scanners while motoring through the area during practice. Had he gone over the top of the fish, they likely wouldn’t have shown on his down scan in such shallow water.

Lester started strong on Sunday, catching 17 pounds in the first 20 to 30 minutes. He made a couple of culls later in the morning, but a 6-pounder just after 1 p.m. provided cushion. He caught the big bass on a secondary spot he found several years ago (a main-river ledge that dropped from 14 to 21 feet.)

“I’ve not caught a fish on a Scrounger all week, and I threw a 3/4-ounce Scrounger head (with a 5-inch Castaic Jerky J) out there and caught that 6-pounder,” he said. “That’s the most memorable fish of my life. I’ll never forget that catch. I pretty much knew (I had won) at that point.”

Most of Lester’s Pickwick bass were caught on a Strike King 4.0 crankbait (chartreuse shad), though the 6-13 largemouth he hooked on Day 3 came on a football jig. He also used a Berkley MaxScent Magnum Hit Worm (plum apple) with a 1/8-ounce Mustad tungsten nail weight in the head.

The familiarity with the lake and knowing what to throw was a winning recipe. He’s been waiting nine years for the feast.

“I can’t even put this into words,” he said. “It’s just a lot of hard work coming to fruition. People don’t realize how much work we put into this. I spent countless hours here from 2015 to 2020. I’d come over seven or eight times a year, and it’s a two-hour drive from my house. I was getting up at 4 a.m., fishing all day and driving back home.

“When I first started my career, I would have told you my weakness was ledge fishing,” Lester said. “So, I knew it was a gap I needed to fill.”

What started as only a modest 3 1/2-pound lead turned into a runaway as Lester defeated second-place angler Cody Huff of Ava, Mo. (80-5) by almost 6 pounds. Texas pro Chris Zaldain (77-15) finished third, followed by Tennessee rookie Jacob Foutz (77-3) and veteran Florida pro John Cox (70-0).

Lester won the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award with the 6-13 he caught Saturday.
Huff took home $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, and Zaldain earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.

As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Zaldain earned an additional $2,500 as the highest-placing entrant and Idaho’s Brandon Palaniuk claimed an additional $1,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant.

Canada’s Cory Johnston won the $1,000 BassTrakk Contingency award for the most accurate weight reporting.

With the solid finish, Cox stayed right on the heels of Palaniuk in the race for Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year. Palaniuk has 536 points, while Cox has 518. They are followed by Tennessee pro David Mullins with 486 and Lester with 477.

For Foutz, it was his second Top 5 finish in three events — and it moved him into second place in the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings with 370 points, just three points behind leader Joseph Webster of Alabama.

The Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake was hosted by Tour Hardin County.

2022 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake 6/2-6/5
Pickwick Lake, Counce TN.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4

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

1. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 20 86-01 100 $104,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-06 Day 2: 5 20-07 Day 3: 5 21-06 Day 4: 5 22-14
2. Cody Huff Ava, MO 20 80-05 99 $35,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 22-03 Day 3: 5 19-05 Day 4: 5 20-08
3. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 20 77-15 98 $31,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-08 Day 2: 5 16-02 Day 3: 5 22-08 Day 4: 5 21-13
4. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 20 77-03 97 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 18-00 Day 3: 5 21-04 Day 4: 5 18-14
5. John Cox Debary, FL 20 70-00 96 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 22-03 Day 3: 5 18-09 Day 4: 5 13-10
6. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 20 69-00 95 $19,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-05 Day 2: 5 17-12 Day 3: 5 18-13 Day 4: 5 12-02
7. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 20 68-00 94 $19,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 14-11 Day 3: 5 18-01 Day 4: 5 13-07
8. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 20 65-13 93 $17,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 14-00 Day 3: 5 20-14 Day 4: 5 12-09
9. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 19 64-15 92 $16,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-06 Day 2: 4 10-11 Day 3: 5 20-07 Day 4: 5 11-07
10. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 18 60-13 91 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 17-13 Day 3: 5 18-03 Day 4: 3 07-08
———————————————————————–

PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 06-09 $1,000.00
2 Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 07-15 $1,000.00
3 Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 06-13 $1,000.00
4 Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 06-01 $1,000.00

———————————————————————–
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 07-15 $1,000.00
VMC MONSTER BAG
Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 22-14 $2,000.00

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 76 425 1258-11
2 76 421 1220-10
3 42 224 697-02
4 9 48 154-12
———————————-
203 1118 3331-03

Coulter Jumps to Early Lead at MLF Bass Pro Tour General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft

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June 5, 2022

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Tennessee Pro Boats 12 Scorable Bass Weighing 30 Pounds, 6 Ounces to Lead by 11 Ounces After Day 1 for Group A – Group B Begins Competition Sunday

Link to Photo of Qualifying Group A Leader Brandon Coulter
Link to Video Highlights of Group A Qualifying Round Day 1

SPRING CITY, Tenn. (June 4, 2022) – Despite only catching one bass in the third and final period of the day, pro Brandon Coulter of Knoxville, Tennessee managed to stay atop the leaderboard and grab the early lead for Group A on Day 1 of the General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft in Spring City, Tennessee.

The six-day event, hosted by Rhea County Tourism and Fish Spring City, features 80 of the top professional bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a total event purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner. The tournament is livestreamed each day at MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MOTV app and filmed for broadcast later this fall on the Discovery Channel.

Coulter brings a modest lead into Monday’s second day of competition for Group A, with a mere 11-ounce margin over second place angler Takahiro Omori of Tokyo, Japan, who caught 13 bass totaling 29-11. Port St. Joe, Florida, pro Randall Tharp sits in third place, with a total of 11 bass weighing 24-9. After leading at the end of the first period, Bass Pro Shops pro Timmy Horton of Muscle Shoals, Alabama , finished the day in fourth place with 11 bass for a total of 22-7, while General Tire pro Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, South Carolina finished the day with 11 bass weighing 21-11 to round out the top five.

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

“Well, that was unexpected. I mean, I do have a house here on Watts Bar Lake, but I don’t fish here nearly as often as some of these other guys, so this was really unexpected,” Coulter said. “I thought I had a good game plan – it’s a Saturday and there was a big team tournament out there today – but I had a good plan and I stuck to it.

“We really had a blast today, just bounced around,” Coulter continued. “There were a lot of boats on the water, but we just fished little ditch places until we finally landed on them – and when we did, man was it fun.”

Coulter said he left his main spot after 30 minutes when he had only caught one fish. But after catching a few more in some brush piles, he decided to hit it one more time before leaving the area.

“I’d caught a four-pounder there during practice – so I ran back to it, and it was lights out,” Coulter continued. “You’ve really got to have a place that will fire on the Tennessee River, and we had that today.”

Coulter said he credits his big fish today – including the 6-pound, 8-ounce largemouth he boated during Period 2 – to a deep-diving crankbait with Savage Gear Savage Grip treble hooks on a 7’4” Medium Heavy Savage Gear Battletek Crankbait Rod with a 6:1 Savage Gear Reel and 12-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon Line .

“The biggest player for me today was the Savage Gear Savage Grip Treble Hooks,” Coulter said. “It’s basically a triple-grip treble with braid instead of a traditional loop. I didn’t lose a single fish today, thanks to those hooks – and reeling in that 6-8 – that was incredible.

“Not sure if we will find it again on Monday, but we survived today and have a shot to win our Qualifying Round and go on to the Championship Round, so that’s what we’re working towards. It was a great day, all in all,” Coulter finished.

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

1^st:           Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., 12 bass, 30-6
2^nd:          Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 13 bass, 29-11
3^rd:          Randall Tharp, Port St. Joe, Fla., 11 bass, 24-9
4^th:           Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., 11 bass, 22-7
5^th:           Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 11 bass, 21-11
6^th:           Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., nine bass, 21-3
7^th:           Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., seven bass, 20-12
8^th:           Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., nine bass, 20-6
9^th:           Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., nine bass, 18-5
10^th:        Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, 10 bass, 18-3
11^th:        Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, seven bass, 17-2
12^th:        Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., nine bass, 15-12
13^th:        Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., seven bass, 15-11
14^th:        Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., six bass, 14-11
15^th:        Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., eight bass, 14-4
16^th:        Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., seven bass, 14-2
17^th:        Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., seven bass, 14-1
18^th:        Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., six bass, 12-14
19^th:        Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 12-9
20^th:        Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 11-9

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

Overall, there were 232 scorable bass weighing 500 pounds, 3 ounces caught by 38 pros Saturday.

Coulter caught a 6-pound, 8-ounce bass that earned him the first $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award of the event. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.