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Alexander’s Ray Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Greers Ferry Lake

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Alexander’s Ray Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Greers Ferry Lake
Boater Josh Ray of Alexander, Arkansas and Strike-King co-angler Brian Choate of Conway, Arkansas.
Conway’s Choate Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

GREERS FERRY, Ark. (April 11, 2022) – Boater Josh Ray of Alexander, Arkansas, caught five bass Saturday weighing 13 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Greers Ferry Lake . The tournament was the third event for the Bass Fishing League Arkie Division. Ray earned $13,024, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

“It took all day to grind them out,” Ray said. “I found the fish in practice, but I only caught nine or 10 keepers all day.

“I’m somewhat familiar with Greers Ferry,” Ray added. “I’ve been coming up here pretty regularly for tournaments.”

Ray said his fish fell for a shaky-head tipped with a green-pumpkin trick worm in 20 to 25 feet of water. He said he focused on deep brush in the mid-lake area.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Josh Ray, Alexander, Ark., five bass, 13-8, $13,024 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd:        Chuck Hamby, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 13-4, $2,093
2nd:        Brian Bean, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 13-4, $2,093
4th:         Justin Hake, Conway, Ark., five bass, 13-1, $1,947
5th:         Bradley McDaniel, Wynne, Ark., five bass, 10-11, $1,005
6th:         Terry Cordum, Cotter, Ark., five bass, 10-10, $921
7th:         Cody Davis, Higden, Ark., five bass, 10-9, $837
8th:         Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 10-8, $754
9th:         Kevin Brown, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 10-5, $1,028
9th:         Jamey Black, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 10-5, $628
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Hake had a largemouth that weighed 5 pounds, 7 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $775.

Brian Choate of Conway, Arkansas, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,512 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:          Brian Choate, Conway, Ark., five bass, 12-4, $2,512
2nd:        Dustin Forsythe, Amity, Ark., five bass, 11-3, $1,256
3rd:        Randy Allen, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 10-11, $1,038
4th:         Joseph Aguilar, Bauxite, Ark., five bass, 9-10, $586
5th:         Jody Jones, Harvey, Ark., five bass, 9-6, $602
6th:         Jonathan Dotson, Dover, Ark., five bass, 9-2, $461
7th:         Rusty Allen, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 8-14, $398
7th:         Kyle Huneycutt, Malvern, Ark., five bass, 8-14, $398
9th:         Terry Owens, Danville, Ark., five bass, 8-11, $335
10th:      Kelby Humble, Rogersville, Mo., five bass, 8-9, $293
Clay Hardin of McGehee, Arkansas, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 3 pounds, 10 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $387.

After three events, Brian Bean of Hot Springs, Arkansas, leads the Bass Fishing League Arkie Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 742 points, while Jonathan Simms of Hot Springs, Arkansas, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 735 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 20-22 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, 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, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Shane Cantley & Michael Richardson Win CATT Lake Wateree, SC OPEN April 9, 2022

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Shane Cantley & Michael Richardson Win CATT Lake Wateree, SC OPEN April 9, 2022

Next Lake Wateree Open is this Saturday April 16th at Dutchman Creek!

Shane Cantley & Michael Richardson weighed up 5 at 17.01 taking 1st Place at the Lake Wateree Open!

Darrell Fenton took 2nd with 15.69 lbs!

Team BF Weight Winnings Points
Shane Cantley & Michael Richardson 3.96 17.01 $550.00 110
Darrell Fenton 3.89 15.69 $140.00 109
Robbie English & Scott Williams 4.30 12.07 $24.00 108
Chad Gainey & Mack Kitchens 3.44 11.34 107
Butch Williams & Sonny Beam 3.04 11.01 106
Greg Sigmon & Tracey Pope 3.67 10.24 105
Steve Funderburk 0.00 9.63 104
Paul Wells & Craig Haven 4.34 8.33 $56.00 103
Donald Hinson & John Cowart 0.00 0.00 93
2022 Wateree Open Points $465.00
2022 Wateree Open Final $700.00

Trinity’s Johnson Claims Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event Title on Wheeler Lake

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Trinity’s Johnson Claims Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event Title on Wheeler Lake
Boater James Johnson of Trinity, Alabama, and Strike-King co-angler Paul Lamon of Trinity, Alabama.
Trinity’s Lamon Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division

DECATUR, Ala. (April 11, 2022) – Boater James Johnson of Trinity, Alabama, caught five bass Sunday weighing 24 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Wheeler Lake. The tournament, hosted by Decatur Morgan County Tourism, was the third event for the Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division. Johnson earned $4,963 for his victory.

“For the past couple of weeks my fish had been staying out on the river channel,” Johnson said. “I had several shell beds that they were on, but I couldn’t get them to bite. I threw a shaky-head rig just to try to get a bite, and I caught one close to 3 pounds, and then one that was 6 pounds, 12 ounces, so I just didn’t put the shaky-head down.”

Johnson said he caught 14 fish – all keepers – on flats near Decatur during the course of the tournament, which Johnson described as “very slow.” His biggest five, however, provided him with a sought-after win.

“I’ve had four or five top top-five finishes in BFL and Toyota Series tournaments, but I never could get the win,” Johnson said.

“I don’t typically get nervous at the scales, but during weigh-in I went out to the parking lot and stayed away from the stage,” Johnson continued. “I kind of knew I had a chance. And I ended up finally getting that trophy that says ‘Champion.’ To get this win was special to me.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:        James Johnson, Trinity, Ala., five bass, 24-2, $4,963
2nd:       Mickey Beck, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 20-0, $1,981
3rd:       Casey Martin, Brownsboro, Ala., five bass, 19-8, $1,322
4th:        Chad Hall, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 19-2, $925
5th:        Chris Webb, Decatur, Ala., five bass, 18-6, $793
6th:        Hunter Brewer, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., five bass, 18-4, $927
7th:        Brad Vice, Tanner, Ala., five bass, 17-12, $660
8th:        Mason Smith, Danville, Ala., five bass, 17-10, $594
9th:        Lavoyd Lemmond, Decatur, Ala., five bass, 17-5, $528
10th:     Shawn Diehl, Harvest, Ala., five bass, 16-12, $462

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Mitchell Gowen of Decatur, Ala., had a largemouth that weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $535.

Paul Lamon of Trinity, Alabama, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,248 Sunday after catching five bass weighing 18 pounds, 10 ounces.


The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were:

1st:        Paul Lamon, Trinity, Ala., five bass, 18-10, $2,248
2nd:       Alex Gault, Flintville, Tenn., five bass, 15-10, $991
3rd:       Jason Bladow, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 15-2, $662
4th:        Briar Terry, Moulton, Ala., four bass, 13-9, $462
5th:        Justin Stephenson, Jasper, Ala., five bass, 13-7, $396
6th:        Chase Owens, Elkmont, Ala., five bass, 12-6, $363
7th:        Bradley Mealer, Columbia, Tenn., five bass, 11-15, $330
8th:        Donald Cawthon, Auburn, Ala., five bass, 11-14, $297
9th:        Jerry Armstrong, Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 11-13, $264
10th:     Matt Cameron, Southside, Ala., five bass, 10-15, $231

Lamon caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 7 pounds even. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $267.

After three events, Mickey Beck of Lebanon, Tennessee, leads the Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division Boater Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 739 points, while Craig Johnson of Trinity, Alabama, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 716 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 6-8 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Murray in Prosperity, South Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The 2022 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six Regional Championships where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The 2022 All-American will be held June 2-4 at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division will also earn priority entry into the MLF Toyota Series, the pathway to the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, 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, Revital Outdoors, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X, YETI and Yo-Zuri.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Parnell / Hagerty Win Castaway Anglers with 18.65 lbs at Buggs Island

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Parnell / Hagerty Win Castaway Anglers with 18.65 lbs at Buggs Island

Today castaway anglers had our second tournament of the year. We had a great turnout with 20 boats where 1st place was Parnell/Hagerty with 18.65, 2nd was Klunder/Wyatt with 18.10 and 3rd was Crist/Grosvenor with 15.40. Mr. Jordan had big fish while fishing solo with a 4.90. Congratulations to everyone that fished today.

Click the photo to see larger version

Michael & Jason Bateman Win CATT Lake Monticiello, SC April 9, 2022

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Michael & Jason Bateman Win CATT Lake Monticiello, SC April 9, 2022

Next Lake Monticello CATT is this coming weekend April 16th! This will be the last of the Spring Qualifiers!

Michael & Jason Bateman win Monticello with 5 bass weighing 19.99 lbs and BF at 6.21 lbs!

Team BF Weight Winnings Points
Jason Bateman – Michael Bateman 6.21 19.99 $645.00 110
Travis Robinson – Randy Rose 5.03 16.66 109
Bryar Moore – Brad Moore 0.00 15.26 108
Louis Rosborough jr – Louis Rosborough II 0.00 13.94 107
Anthony Heaton – Robert Heaton 0.00 9.64 106
Joe Fowler – Jerry Hambright 0.00 7.65 105
Charlie Hendricks 0.00 0.00 95
Total Entrys $700.00
BONUS $$ $125.00
Total Paid At Ramp $645.00
2022 Monticello Final Fund $335.00
2022 CATT Championship Fund $50.00
2022 Monticello Spring Final Fund $335.00

DeFoe Coasts to Qualifying Round Win, Roy’s Big Bass Holds on For $25K at General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops Event on Lake Palestine

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DeFoe Coasts to Qualifying Round Win, Roy’s Big Bass Holds on For $25K at General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops Event on Lake Palestine

Tennessee Pro Advances Straight into Thursday’s Championship Round, Group B to Conclude Qualifying Round Tuesday

TYLER, Texas (April 11, 2022) – After jumping out to an early lead on Saturday, pro Ott DeFoe of Blaine, Tennessee, put the pedal down and ran away with the Qualifying Round victory Monday for Group A at the General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops on Lake Palestine. DeFoe caught seven scorable bass weighing 21 pounds, 7 ounces – both high totals among the 16 anglers competing Monday – to earn the Qualifying Round win and advance directly to Thursday’s final-day Championship Round.

DeFoe’s two day total of 18 bass weighing 57 pounds even earned him the win by a 14-pound, 15-ounce margin over pro Takahiro Omori of Tokyo, Japan, who finished second in the round with 13 scorable bass good for 42 pounds, 1 ounce. Reigning REDCREST 2022 Champion Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Florida, rounded out the top three with a two-day total of 12 scorable bass for 36-13.

Link to Hi-Res Photo of Qualifying Round Group A Winner Ott DeFoe
Link to Photo of Bradley Roy’s Group A $25,000 Big Bass – 6 Pounds, 9 Ounces
Link to Photo Gallery of Qualifying Round Group A Day 2 Highlights
Link to Video of Fish-Catch Highlights from Qualifying Round Group A Day 2 on Lake Palestine

Lancaster, Kentucky pro Bradley Roy, caught the heaviest bass of the Group A Qualifying Round on Saturday – a healthy 6-pound, 9-ounce largemouth – to win the Group A Qualifying Round Berkley Big Bass Bonus of $25,000. Another $25,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus will be awarded Tuesday to the heaviest bass weighed by Group B in their Qualifying Round, and prizes of $50,000 and $100,000 will be awarded for the single biggest fish in the Knockout and Championship rounds.

The eight anglers advancing from Group A will have a day off Tuesday, while the 16 anglers in Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition. The Knockout Round, featuring 14 anglers competing to finish in the top eight, will take place on Wednesday. Thursday’s Championship Round will feature DeFoe, Tuesday’s Group B winner, and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000 along with the $100,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus. The six-day all-star event showcases the 32 pros that qualified from the Bass Pro Tour competing in the no-entry fee event for a purse of more than $500,000.

“Coming out today the goal was to hang onto the top spot and advance, and it feels pretty good to get that automatic bid to the Championship Round,” DeFoe said. “I had to adapt a little bit this morning – I wasn’t able to catch anything on the shad spawn. But I was able to catch some off of the beds – some I could see, some that I couldn’t – and there are a lot more fish up today than there were two days ago. So that’s really exciting.”

DeFoe said he was a “one-rod Todd” Monday, sight fishing with just one setup.

“I did catch one early on a Tokyo rig, but it was pretty much all about one rod for me, today,” DeFoe said. “Same thing I was throwing on Day 1 – a Texas-rigged Bass Pro Magnum Fin-Eke Worm. I used Sooner Run color – kind of a dark watermelon with red fleck – and fished it on my favorite setup, a Johnny Morris Platinum rod and reel with 40-pound braided line and a 17-pound (Bass Pro Shops) XPS fluorocarbon leader.

“I actually saw Alton (Jones) Jr. today in the same area, and I feel like I was catching more fish than him because I was throwing the Texas rig. I tried throwing a wacky rig, with that same exact worm, and they just don’t like that for whatever reason right now. And that’s what it looked like he was throwing. For some reason that Texas rig is absolutely getting it done. We are in Texas, so… when in Texas, right?”

Not only did Kentucky pro Bradley Roy take home the $25,000 Berkley Big Bass Award for Group A, he also had the second best day of the 16 anglers on the water to vault up inside the top 8 after starting the day in 10th place and advance with seven bass weighing 18-15.

“It was a super good day for me – I jumped inside the cut, which was the most important thing, and earned $25,000 for the big bass,” Roy said. “This event is all about big bass. That’s what got us here, and that’s what this tournament is all about this week. I’m super thankful that my big fish from Day 1 held up.”

The top eight pros from Qualifying Group A that now advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round on Lake Palestine are:

1st:          Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 18 bass, 57-0
2nd:         Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 13 bass, 42-1
3rd:         Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 12 bass, 36-13
4th:         Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., 11 bass, 35-10
5th:         Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 33-3
6th:         Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., nine bass, 28-10
7th:         Ish Monroe, Oakdale, Calif., nine bass, 25-13
8th:         Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, nine bass, 25-12

Finishing in 9th through 20th in the Group A Qualifying Round are:

9th:         Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., seven bass, 23-6
10th:       Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., seven bass, 22-10
11th:       James Watson, Lampe, Mo., six bass, 19-15
12th:       Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., seven bass, 18-5
13th:       James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 14-13
14th:       Matt Lee, Cullman, Ala., four bass, 13-9
15th:       Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., four bass, 9-14
16th:       Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., three bass, 8-2

Full results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 66 scorable bass weighing 197 pounds, 14 ounces caught by the 16 pros Monday.

Anglers will depart at 7 a.m. from the Villages Marina, located at Big Eddy Road in Flint, Texas. Anglers are allowed to trailer to any boat ramp of their choosing on Lake Palestine, but competition begins with “lines in” at 8 a.m. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the Marina, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Fans are encouraged to come out and celebrate with the professional anglers from the Bass Pro Tour on Thursday, April 14, starting at 3:30 p.m. at the Villages Marina in Flint, Texas, as they crown the champion of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2022 Presented by Bass Pro Shops. The first 50 children at the event will receive a free Dora the Explorer rod and reel, and the first 50 High School Fishing anglers will receive a free Abu Garcia rod and reel combo, valued at $100. Free food will be provided for all, and the Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand to meet and greet fans, sign autographs, take selfies and participate in tackle giveaways.

The General Tire Heavy Hitters 2022 features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, but for the final day Championship Round a bass must weigh at least 3 pounds 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.

To qualify for the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2022 event, the weight of an angler’s single-largest bass from each event of the seven 2021 Bass Pro Tour events was recorded. The 32 anglers with the heaviest five big-fish totals from those seven events qualified to compete in this event.

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

Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters 2022 Event will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, July 16 and running each Saturday through August 20 on the Discovery Channel. A one-hour special episode of MLF Inside Heavy Hitters will also air on CBS in late 2022. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Event include: Abu Garcia, B&W Hitches, Bally Bet, Bass Cat Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Builders First Source, Covercraft, Ferguson, FuelMe, GEICO, General Tire, Guaranteed Rate, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, NITRO Boats, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Plano, Power-Pole, Power Stop Brakes, Shore Lunch, Sonic, StarBrite, Sqwincher, T-H Marine, Toyota, United States Airforce, Wiley X, Yellowstone Bourbon, and YETI.

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.

Drury University Wins MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Tournament on Table Rock Lake

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BRANSON, Mo. (April 11, 2022) – The Drury University duo of Clay Henderson of Purdy, Missouri, and Zachery Ward of Cabot, Arkansas, won the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event Table Rock Lake Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 4 ounces. The victory earned the Panthers’ bass club $2,000 and a slot in the 2023 MLF College Fishing National Championship.

“We made a bit of a long run because I felt the majority of the field was going to fish from the dam to the Kimberling City area,” said Henderson, a Drury freshman. “I grew up on Table Rock, so I ran up past Kimberling City and went to an area I was familiar with.”

Henderson said the morning action was slower than he expected, and the team had only two keepers at 1 p.m., so he changed areas to try to fill their limit. The anglers relocated to a spot Henderson had caught fish on a couple of weeks prior to the tournament. The duo used a Garmin Panoptix LiveScope System to locate a school of fish feeding on shad and filled out their limit in 30 minutes.

Henderson said the morning bite was triggered by a 2.8-inch Keitech Swing Impact FAT Swimbait in Rainbow Shad  and Sexy Shad colors and a 2.8-inch Rainbow Shad-colored Berkley Powerbait Power Swimmer Swimbait. The team’s afternoon baits of choice were a 4-inch Sexy Shad-colored Storm Largo Shad as well as the 2.8-inch Keitech swimbait. Henderson said the team caught 25 short fish and eight keepers during the course of the day.

“If we weren’t looking at the fish on the LiveScope we were targeting pea gravel flats in anywhere from 15 to 20 feet of water,” Henderson said. “We were just scrubbing the bottom. Then when we threw it through schools of fish, it just depended on how deep the bait was; the fish were directly under them. It varied from 5 to 15 feet deep.

“Growing up on Table Rock, I’ve seen how tough that lake can be in post-front conditions,” Henderson added. “To catch 20 pounds on a lake I know and love feels great – especially to do it my freshman year. This feels great.”

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

1st: Drury University – Clay Henderson, Purdy, Mo., and Zachery Ward, Cabot, Ark., five bass, 20-4, $2,000
2nd: McKendree University – Devon Rathbun, Springfield, Mo., and Lane Stephens, Grove, Okla., five bass, 18-6, $1,000
3rd: University of Missouri – Evan Japlon, Columbia, Mo., and Brian Walkup, Eureka, Mo., five bass, 18-4, $500
4th: University of Missouri – Cale McCandless, Wentzville, Mo., and Nick Trusso, Columbia, Mo., five bass, 16-15, $500
5th: Campbellsville University – Dustin Bauer, Louisville, Ky., and Wyatt Pearman, Hodgenville, Ky., five bass, 15-12, $500
6th: University of Nebraska – Cade Ludwig, Lincoln, Neb., and Hunter Suchsland, Kearney, Neb., five bass, 15-7
7th: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Nate Boenning, Waukesha, Wis., and Reed Kochan, Middleton, Wis., five bass, 15-5
8th: Missouri State University – Blair Cox, Branson, Mo., and Ryder Parkhill, Ozark, Mo., five bass, 15-3
9th: Drury University – Stanislav Sedletskii, Springfield, Mo., and Brycen Soliday, Noble, Okla., five bass, 14-14
10th: Campbellsville University – Cade Hayford, Blissfield, Mich., and Wil Rigdon, Campbellsville, Ky., five bass, 14-8

MLF also advances one additional team to the National Championship for every 10 teams over 100 that compete. A total of 149 teams participated in this event, so also advancing to the 2023 College Fishing National Championship in 11th through 14th place are:

11th: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Brock Lederman, Deforest, Wis., and Kyle Schwibinger, Plymouth, Wis., five bass, 14-0
12th: University of Missouri – Payton Sapp, Osage Beach, Mo., and Max Valkner, Columbia, Mo., five bass, 13-13
13th: Arkansas Tech University – Cole Lamb, Melbourne, Ark., and Tristan Weaver, Sage, Ark., five bass, 13-13
14th: Arkansas Tech University – John Foster Case, Clarksville, Ark., and Mat Higby, Lamar, Ark., five bass, 13-7

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

The Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Table Rock Lake was hosted by Explore Branson. It was the first 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 Smith Mountain Lake, April 29, in Huddleston, Virginia.

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.

Seth Ellis & Doug Stallings Win CATT Phantom Outdoors Invitational Falls Lake, NC April 9, 2022

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Seth Ellis & Doug Stallings Win CATT Phantom Outdoors Invitational Falls Lake, NC April 9, 2022

Next Phantom Outdoors Invitational is at Jordan Lake April 30th! Come on out guys! As you can see you can win a huge amount of cash for the number of boats entered!

Seth Ellis & Doug Stallings win the Falls Lake Phantom Outdoors Invitational with 5 bass weighing 26.53 lbs! Their bag was anchored by a 10.13 lb hawg! All total Seth & Doug took home $3,300.00!

Team BF Weight Winnings
Seth Ellis – Doug Stallings* 10.13 26.53 $3,300.00
Dale Delaney – Mike Salguero* 0.00 19.95 $1,000.00
John McClelland – Eric Schell* 0.00 18.96 $800.00
Thomas Scheffer – Ken Mcneill* 5.34 18.56 $50.00
Stump Bledsoe – Glenn Elliott* 5.27 17.25
Jay Fogleman – John Gause  * 0.00 15.44
Brian Benish – Terry Hobbs* 4.71 13.46
Todd Sumner – Rich Szczerbala* 0.00 12.42
Charles Stewart – Chuck Stewart* 0.00 11.82
David Farmer – Matt Deese * 0.00 11.54
Steven Lasher – Chad Fara* 4.84 11.15
Justin Rhew – Jonathon Rhew * 0.00 10.81
Bud Whitt – Spencer Moody* 0.00 10.65
John Mitchenfelder – Daniel Love* 0.00 9.69
Hunter Petty – Ricky Petty * 0.00 7.82
Clay Ausley* 0.00 5.39
Billy Bledsoe – Brian McDonald * 0.00 4.40
Stacy Vassor – Steve Webb* 0.00 0.00

William Hubbard & Jeff Newman Win CATT SML Spring Finale with 23.22 lbs

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William Hubbard & Jeff Newman Win CATT SML Spring Finale with 23.22 lbs

Some of the best sticks to fish smith mountain lake fished the CATT Spring finale. Congratulations to the winner two anglers that are on fire this month William Hubbard & Jeff Newman.

A speccial thank you to Alicia Matherly for covering the CATT series.

CLICK HERE TO SEE RESULTS

Brian Stiffler and Wesley Gore Win Alabama Bass Trail South Division on Alabama River- Cooter’s Pond

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Brian Stiffler and Wesley Gore Win Alabama Bass Trail South Division on Alabama River- Cooter’s Pond

Brian Stiffler and Wesley Gore catch 20.19 pounds in 24 minutes to claim victory

By Jason Duran

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Prattville, Ala  April 9 – The South Division reached the midway point at the Alabama River- Cooter’s Pond. The river system has seen an abundance in water and current from recent rains. The banks were overflowing with water and pushed many fish into the back water areas and to areas normally not reachable by boat. Anglers made long runs and found non-typical areas to find the fish needed to win this event.

Brian Stiffler and Wesley Gore reeled in 20.19 pounds, a record weight in the ABT South Division for Alabama River, to claim first place and 10,000 plus bonuses and contingency money.  The goal for them today was just to survive and collect some points. “Before this event we were doing well in the points, and we just wanted to keep adding to that. We had a good practice on Friday and found a spot that was holding some fish, so we hoped it would be there come tournament day.”

Each day of practice they paid close attention to the water levels. Recent rains caused the water to rise to flood levels. They noticed how the water was rising on the docks at the ramp and used that as an indicator for where levels were. They knew the water level needed to be high to reach the spot they had found. Wesley said he did some “really extensive google map study to locate these back water areas. “If you looked at the trails on our electronics for this event you would think we were fishing in the woods.” He noted this was an unmapped area, but it held water and was only accessible when the water is high. It was a risk, but it was something they were willing to give it a shot.

 

On tournament morning they noticed for the first time in the week the water had fallen over night. This did cause them some concern as to whether they were going to be able to get to their fishing spot. They decided to make the run and give it their best shot. Ryan describes this spot as “a ditch about the size of the front of his truck just stacked with fish. When the water fell overnight, it concentrated even more fish in the area.” They made it to the magical spot and quickly went to work using four key baits. A Zman 5/8 CrossEyez black and blue flipping jig, Megabass Magdraft 6 inch swimbait, Crusher lures swimbait head with a 3.8 rage swimmer and a Dirty Jig Canterbury crush jig. Time was not on their side. When they arrived at the spot the key to them was making the right cast. It was difficult to fish because of how specific the cast needed to be.

 

When they started making the right cast, the fish quickly came, and for 24 minutes they caught fish cast after cast and probably caught 20 fish. They culled up to what they felt like was a solid 19 pounds of fish then decided time was not on their side. They needed to leave because the water was falling fast, and they risked not being able to get out of the back water area if they didn’t leave quickly. Thankfully they made it back to the river and decided to head back to the ramp early. They made this decision because they didn’t want to risk tearing up their equipment and not making it back to the ramp to weigh in. When they arrived back around 9 am, they decided to order pizza and spend the remainder of the tournament resting in the shade. It was a long wait for the scales to open so they could weigh their limit. They not only held on to their points, but they moved up to second place in the standings just 14 points behind the leaders.

 

The second and third place teams made the long run to fish the Jordan Dam. This area is normally extremely shallow year-round and prevents boats from traveling as far as they did. This is a rocky area and can be seen from the bridges just how dangerously rocky is it at a lower river level. However, when the water rises it sends lots of spotted bass that love the current to feed. The rocks and high water make for some very strong current and causes fish to group up just out of the current and wait for the bait to flow by.

Adam Bain and Kris Colley weighed 19.27 pounds to claim second place and $5,000. This morning our main concern was “how low the water is going to be when we go upriver, we don’t know a lot about this place. We have only been here a few times, but everyone says they really bite up there when the flood gates turn on. We got just a couple bites in practice, and we felt it was our best shot to go upriver.” Throughout the day the team had to make changes and adjust to the flowing current conditions. “When we made changes, we caught fish. We really didn’t have fish particularly located so we had to move a lot. We worked an area of about a mile long and within sight of Jordan Dam.” When they found a good-looking spot,

they “made casts that were really close to the boat in the current seams.” The key for them were baits that could be fished in the current to create flash for the bass to see. “We use 1oz spinner bait with willow leaf blades, and we also used a 1 oz jig to flip to the current seam and let current pull the bait back to the boat just past the fish.” They said it was difficult to navigate the river up there. “We didn’t know much about the terrain up there other than what we have seen from the bridge when the water is down.” They caught two large spotted bass- one over 5 pounds at 5.10 and one just blow 5 pounds. Those two fish were the key to their second-place weight. “We really needed to cull one more fish to win today, but we are happy with our day.” They are currently sitting in seventh place in AOY Points for the year after this event.

James White Eugene Davis claimed third place with 18.61 pounds and $4000. The team shared they know this lake well. “Our experience on this river dates back 30 years.” Their practice was productive very early in the week and then it seemed to fade. “The bite has been tough in recent weeks. We spent a lot of time in practice last week and located a group of fish. However, the last couple days of practice the fish just seemed to go away.” Like the second-place team they made the long run up to the Jordan Dam to fish the areas they had located in practice. “Thankfully today the fish returned.” The team spent their day using a ¾ oz jig all day fishing current breaks and rock eddies. They shared, “this area is a really tough area to navigate, and it is easy to tear up your equipment in the rocks and rough current.” They looked for a couple key indicators when navigating, “real high waves are great indicators for where the rocks are. It’s important to steer away from the rocks and go between them.” We caught all our fish in a 50-yard stretch behind the rocks and current breaks. The water was so high it pushed water back into the woods, so we couldn’t reach where the water touched the bank.” They stuck with the plan of fishing the rocks and it paid off.

The Top 10 places are below for a complete list of standings visit: https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/alabama-river-cooters-pond/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 include: Phoenix Boats, Academy Sports, Alabama Power, America’s First Federal Credit Union, American Trailer Rental Group, BAJIO, Berkley, Big Bite Baits, Bill Penny Automotive, Black Rife Coffee Company, Buck N’ Bass, Anheuser – Bush, Inc., E3 Sports Apparel, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Garmin, Jack’s, Lew’s, Mountain Dew, Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, Power-Pole, Strike King, Sweet Home Alabama, T-H Marine, Wedowee Marine, Yamaha, Navionics and YETI Coolers.

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