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Robert Henderson & Kendal Harvey Win CATT Potomac River, VA March 26, 2022

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Robert Henderson & Kendal Harvey Win CATT Potomac River, VA March 26, 2022

Next Potomac River CATT is April 16 at Hope Springs Marina!

To view the Potomac River Spring Points go to the Potomac River Division page and scroll down!

Robert Henderson & Kendal Harvey win the Potomac River with 5 bass weighing 25.97 lbs and the BF at 7.62 lbs!!!!

Buck Covington & Jesepth Hughes take 2nd with 19.78 lbs!

Team BF Weight Winnings Points
Robert Henderson – Kendal Harvey 7.62 25.97 $570.00 110
Buck Covington – Jesepth Hughes 4.75 19.78 $120.00 109
David Hooker – Kenny Henderson 0.00 15.04 108
Ron Jennings – Steve Renner 0.00 11.94 107
Mike Kruse – Kevin Linza 0.00 0.00 97
Sterling Jennings – Tyler Johnson 0.00 0.00 97
Scottie Melton 0.00 0.00 97
Total Entrys $840.00
BONUS $ $0.00
Total Paid At Ramp $690.00
2022 Potomac River Spring Final Fund $150.00
2022 CATT Championship/Phantom Fund $0.00
2022 Potomac River Spring Final Fund Total $150.00

Santee Cooper Set to Host MLF Toyota Series Southern Division Tournament

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Santee Cooper Set to Host MLF Toyota Series Southern Division Tournament

SUMMERTON, S.C. (March 31, 2022) –Major League Fishing (MLF) is set to return to Summerton and Clarendon County, South Carolina, for a tournament next week, April 7-9, with the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at Santee Cooper. The three-day tournament, hosted by the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce, is the second event of the season for the Toyota Series Southern Division.

The tournament will feature the region’s best bass-fishing pros and Strike King co-anglers casting for a top prize package of up to $75,000 in the pro division and a new Phoenix 518 pro boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor, in the co-angler division.

“This is going to be a fun event to follow,” said Bass Pro Tour angler Anthony Gagliardi, who resides in Prosperity, South Carolina. “Santee is always a little bit ahead of Lake Murray when it comes to the spawn, but I expect we’ll see fish in all three phases. Whether or not the postspawn fish play– meaning targeting the shad spawn – will likely depend on the weather. But it’s a really good fishery and they’re going to catch a lot of big fish down there next week.”

Gagliardi said that although there are certain areas of the lake that are historically good, he expects the majority of the field to be pretty spread out.

“With the two lakes in play – and each are really big – there is a lot of fishable water for sure,” Gagliardi said. “I think we’ll see guys get back into the backwater ponds and some swampy areas up the river, but some will target the big flats on the lower end. The fish also are known to get out into those stump fields as well. Guys are really going to have a lot of options available to them.”

When asked what baits he would be throwing if he was competing in this event, Gagliardi offered a trio of options that he expects to play a role for competitors.

“I’d definitely have a spinnerbait tied on, that’s really good here this time of year. I’d have a frog or some sort of topwater bait, and I’d have a wacky-rig ready to go – something for bed fishing, because there are definitely going to be some spawners caught in this one.”

Anglers will take off each day at 7 a.m. CT from John C. Lane III Landing, located at 4404 Greenall Road in Summerton, South Carolina. Weigh-ins will also be held at the landing, beginning at 3 p.m. on the first two days of competition – Thursday and Friday – and 4 p.m. on Championship Saturday. Fans are welcome to attend and encouraged to follow the event online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

After one event in the Toyota Series Southern Division, Robert Branagh of Malabar, Florida, leads the Pro Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 260 points, while Brent Jones of Okeana, Ohio, leads the Strike King Co-Angler Division AOY race with 260 points.

In Toyota Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and scaling down for every boat below 160. With a 160-boat field, pros fish for a top prize of $40,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of $65,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard (valued at $33,500) plus $5,000 cash.

The 2022 Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions and finish in the top 25 – or the top 12 from the Wild Card division – will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 cash. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2022 Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. Championship will be held Nov. 3-5 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, and is hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. 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, Outlaw Ordnance, 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 MLF Toyota Series on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Gerald Beck & Rodney Sorrell Win CATT Kerr Lake, VA March 27, 2022

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Gerald Beck & Rodney Sorrell Win CATT Kerr Lake, VA March 27, 2022

Next Kerr Lake Qualifier is April 10 at Ivy Hill!

May 21-22 at Kerr! CATT Championship weekend! A minimum of $10,000.00 1st Place! BE THERE!

Gerald Beck & Rodney Sorrell claimed 1st place on a cold, windy day on Kerr Lake with 5 bass weighing 16.91 lbs! worth $2,100.00!

Alden Patterson & Zach Smith finished 2nd with 16.79 lbs!

Team BF Weight Winnings Points
Rodney Sorrell – Gerald Beck 0.00 16.91 $2,100.00 110
Alden Patterson – Zack Smith 4.72 16.79 $1,170.00 109
Bryan Roberts 5.13 15.07 $852.00 108
Matt Powers – Maurice Oakes 0.00 13.73 $310.00 107
Tyler Trent – Ricky Trent 0.00 13.71 $225.00 106
Aaron Falwell – Johnathan Kraus 0.00 13.55 $155.00 105
Lonnie Whitfield – Philip Smith 0.00 13.35 $125.00 104
Pete Church – Tony Tombs 3.47 12.38 103
Randy Waterman – Paul Worthington 0.00 11.49 102
Josh Barnes – Jay Rignay 0.00 11.40 101
Mathew Little – Derek Bowden 4.96 11.15 $108.00 100
Justin Rhew – Mike Rhew 0.00 10.17 99
Tyler Purcell – Keith Wray 0.00 10.03 98
Keith Joyce – Mark Robertson 0.00 9.97 97
Paul Smith – Jason Lloyd 0.00 9.97 96
Daniel Jenkins – Logan Thornton 0.00 8.47 95
Johnny Wilder – Michael Harris 0.00 7.84 94
Drew Mathews – Alden Kerrlin 0.00 7.63 93
Brian Cantrell – Brandon Cantrell 0.00 6.91 92
Kevin Sheppard – Jerry Sheppard 0.00 6.90 91
Michael Dikum – Jenny Li 0.00 2.40 90
Tom Wilkerson – Brandon Curtis 0.00 0.00 80
Dylan Gauldin – Ron Blackstock 0.00 0.00 80
Cody Lucy – Chris Bowan 0.00 0.00 80
Jay Fogleman – Doug Stallings 0.00 0.00 80
Billy Orr – John Parson 0.00 0.00 80
Michael Garner – Billy Shelton 0.00 0.00 80
Brian Calloway – Marty Warren 0.00 0.00 80
David Farrington – Chuck Morton 0.00 0.00 80
Kenny Wilson 0.00 0.00 80
Wayne Andrews – Tim Tait 0.00 0.00 80
Don Gregg – Trey Gregg 0.00 0.00 80
Gray Williams – Derrick Durrin 0.00 0.00 80
Joey Talbott – Curtis Talbott 0.00 0.00 80
Tyler Calloway – Ben Dalton 0.00 0.00 80
Michael Stewart 0.00 0.00 80
Total Entrys $4,320.00
BONUS $ $1,250.00
Total Paid At Ramp $5,045.00
Kerr 2022 Spring Final Fund $400.00
2022 CATT Championship/Phantom Fund $75.00
2022 Kerr Spring Final Fund Total $1,740.00

Healing Our Veterans: New Name Same Mission

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Healing Our Veterans: New Name Same Mission

 

Healing Our Veterans: New Name Same Mission

Operation Outdoor Freedom Foundation is now Operation Healing Heroes Foundation

BARTLETT, Ill. (March 31, 2022) – Even as COVID-19 loosens its grip, Americans doing their best to enjoy a return to pre-pandemic normalcy are being hit with all-new threats. Inflation is at a 40-year high and fears surrounding America’s role in an escalating Eurasian war are real.

Life’s challenges will always keep coming, and while a lot of people are well equipped to face them head on, the shockingly high number of veterans returning from service to our nation with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental and physical wounds aren’t as fortunate. They need help – help coping, help adjusting, help staying positive, and help healing.

It’s been proven that fishing – through mental relaxation, low-impact exercise and social camaraderie – can help alleviate the effects of PTSD. Take a Vet Fishing is a registered 501 (c) (3) non-profit charitable organization, created in 2011 to provide emotional support and rehabilitation to those who serve our great nation every day. The mission is simple, to show these men and women how much they mean to us and support them and their families emotionally with fishing outings and trips.

Similarly, the newly rebranded non-profit Operation Healing Heroes Foundation (formerly Operation Outdoor Freedom Foundation) is dedicated to documenting the lives of US Military Veterans through a unique television program. Take a Vet Fishing and Operation Healing Heroes Foundation Executive Director, Rich Belanger, says the organization is going through a rebranding process. “Formerly the Operation Outdoor Freedom Foundation, Operation Healing Heroes Foundation will be the new name of the new 501c3 organization moving forward as of April, 2022,” he reports, “but our mission remains the same. Operation Healing Heroes is expanding upon the groundwork created by Operation Outdoor Freedom to help bring healing to an even wider range of veterans and Gold Star Families suffering from PTSD,” Belanger says. “Our TV show will continue to document the heroic lives of our US Military veterans, but we’re opening more doors to recovery through camping, kayaking, and other healing outdoor activities, as well as providing support for other treatments.”

Both Take a Vet Fishing and Operation Healing Heroes exist for the sole purpose of improving the lives and health of our nation’s heroes. Since 2015, the organizations have combined to treat nearly 1,000 U.S. Veterans from all eras of service to high-quality outdoors experiences intended to promote psychological healing; taken over 500 children of fallen soldiers fishing; and documented the heroic stories of over 50 Veterans on their Operation: Outdoor Freedom Foundation television show on Discovery Channel and other regional and national networks. Additionally, Take a Vet Fishing and Operation Outdoor Freedom have arranged and paid for PTSD treatment for over 100 individual Veterans since 2019.

Belanger says Take a Vet Fishing will host nine events for veterans in 2022 in Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and that Season 7 of Operation Healing Heroes TV presented by Great Clips will begin filming in April, 2022.

There are numerous ways individuals can help support veterans through the important work of Operation Healing Heroes. “Currently there are multiple opportunities to support the organization through our website, and we have additional creative ways for people to get involved in our mission. Any donation, regardless of the amount, goes a long way towards our goal of helping our nation’s heroes.”

Big Largemouth Expected At The Scales For Bassmaster Elite At Chickamauga Lake

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Big Largemouth Expected At The Scales For Bassmaster Elite At Chickamauga Lake

Dayton, Tenn., will host the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Chickamauga Lake April 7-10, 2022. 

Photo by Dalton Tumblin/B.A.S.S.

March 31, 2022

Big Largemouth Expected At The Scales For Bassmaster Elite At Chickamauga Lake

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DAYTON, Tenn. — One of Buddy Gross’s biggest sponsors is Fish Lake Chickamauga.

The Chattanooga resident has long considered the world-famous largemouth factory his home waters.

So, when Gross makes a bold statement about the upcoming Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Chickamauga Lake, the world should perk up and take notice.

“There are going to be some giants brought to the scales,” said Gross, who has two Elite Series victories to his credit. “They’re gonna be big, fat and healthy — and if a few people can find several of those kind of fish, you could see another event like we just had at Santee Cooper, Century Belts included.”

Competition days will be April 7-10, with takeoffs each day at 7 a.m. ET from Dayton Boat Dock and daily weigh-ins at 3 p.m. at Point Park/Dayton Boat Dock. A full field of 94 pros will fish the first two days, with the field being cut to 47 for Semifinal Saturday and to 10 for Championship Sunday as the anglers compete for a $100,000 first-place prize.

Gross said a recent one-day local event was won on Chickamauga with a five-bass limit that weighed more than 37 pounds, including a 12 1/2-pound largemouth kicker.

“Think about that,” he said. “That means they had four other fish that weighed 25 pounds by themselves. That’s the kind of potential this lake has.”

Gross said he expects the water level to be falling on the 36,240-acre Tennessee River fishery — and that could help because it will force fish into smaller and smaller areas each day. That’s the good news.

The bad news is they could be in transition between prespawn and spawning areas — and that could make them harder to find in bunches. He said that could play into the hands of someone who specializes in reading forward-facing electronics.

“Fishing has changed so much the last two years, and the forward-facing sonar gives us the ability to find those roamer fish that are the really big ones,” he said. “That’s what’s going to play. The competitors I’m scared of are the ones who can go out there with a single bait and find those single giants swimming around.”

Gross said jerkbaits — a common choice for forward-facing sonar experts — will likely factor in heavily, along with lipless crankbaits and bladed jigs. More than anything, though, he said flexibility will likely be a part of the winning angler’s game plan.

As a historic producer of giant largemouth, Chickamauga is a destination site for avid bass anglers from across the United States. The lake gets major fishing traffic — and because of that, there are few bass in its waters that haven’t seen traditional presentations over and over again.

“The lake gets pressured a lot, and a lot of these guys who drive 18 hours to Chickamauga to catch a giant, they’re not gonna slow down,” he said. “You can’t fault anyone for that. You just have to get in there and work with everybody.

“Somebody with an open mind will be the one to watch for in our field. Somebody who figures out something a little different that hasn’t gotten beat up is going to be the key.”

While he believes another Century Belt performance — a four-day limit of 100 pounds or more — is possible, Gross believes it will take a little less than that to win.

“Unless somebody really, really finds that magic spot, 100 pounds is going to be tough,” he said. “It can happen; I think a man could catch four days of 30 pounds pretty easy, but it will take the absolute perfect storm. I’m still going to go with mid- to upper 80s for my prediction as a winning weight.”

Heading into the fourth stop on the 2022 Elite Series schedule, Florida pro John Cox leads the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 285 points. He is followed by Tennessee pro David Mullins (265), Arkansas pro Stetson Blaylock (257), Idaho pro Brandon Palaniuk (254) and Georgia pro Drew Cook (248).

During B.A.S.S.’s three most recent trips to Chickamauga, Cox earned two victories — in the 2017 Bassmaster Southern Open and the 2019 Bassmaster Eastern Open. Texas pro Lee Livesay won the other event, a 2020 Elite Series tournament that was moved to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wisconsin pro Jay Przekurat leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race with 232 points, followed by Alabama pro Joseph Webster (183), Pennsylvania pro Jonathan Kelley (167), Japanese pro Masayuki Matsushita (150) and Missouri pro Cody Huff (131).

Full coverage from all four days of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Chickamauga Lake will be available on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will also broadcast live with the tournament leaders on Saturday and Sunday, April 9-10 beginning at 8 a.m. ET.

The tournament is being hosted by the Rhea County Economic Development & Tourism Council.

2022 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2022 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2022 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon, Strike King, Triton Boats, VMC
2022 Bassmaster Conservation Partners: AFTCO, Yamaha Rightwaters

 

East Texas Baptist University Extends Lead at 2022 Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship Presented by Lowrance

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East Texas Baptist University Extends Lead at 2022 Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship Presented by Lowrance
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WAGONER, Okla. (March 30, 2022) – After another brutal day on the water, the East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) duo of Kaden Proffitt of Pittsburg, Texas and Cason Ragsdale of Winnsboro, Texas, extended their lead Wednesday after Day Two of the 2022 Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship Presented by Lowrance at Fort Gibson Lake.

The duo grabbed the early lead on Day One by a slim one-ounce margin and narrowly maintained that lead on Day Two, bringing only four bass to the scale weighing 11 pounds, 14 ounces. Their two-day total of 29 pounds, 7 ounces gives them a mere one-ounce lead over the second-place team from Stephen F. Austin – Austin Anderson of Nacogdoches, Texas and Cal Cameron of Coppell, Texas – who brought a limit to the scale weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces, to bring their two-day total to 29 pounds, 6 ounces.

“The conditions definitely changed today,” said Ragsdale. “We started off in the morning expecting the fish to do something different with the rain we got last night. I didn’t know if the lake would come up, but knew there would be water running in, so we decided to run the backs of creeks.

“There weren’t as many fish there as we thought there would be, but we ended up catching a 4 ½-5 pounder in one of them,” continued the senior business administration major. “We tried to duplicate that up the lake, but it just didn’t work out. We ended up catching a few fish out of the same areas as we did on Day One, but overall, it was just a tougher day.”

The duo said once they realized the creeks weren’t going to deliver like they had expected, they ended up fishing transition banks again on Day Two.

“Our baits have been pretty different each day,” said Proffitt. “Day One we mostly caught our fish on a crankbait, but today we caught them on several different baits, just fishing the conditions.”

The Tiger team said they expect the conditions to change once again tomorrow but are optimistic that they can find what it takes to win out on Fort Gibson Lake.

“We’re around quality fish and believe we can go out there and catch another bag tomorrow, if we can just get the right bites,” said Ragsdale. “If we can get another 5-pounder tomorrow, that would go a long way – if we could just get a couple more keepers to go with it. I expect tomorrow to get even more difficult if the sun comes out and the wind dies down like is forecasted, but if it’s difficult for us, that means it will be difficult for everyone, so we’ll see what happens.”

The ETBU bass-fishing team is one of the best in the country – previously earning the 2020 Tackle Warehouse School of the Year title – but has yet to win a national title.

“Winning this event would mean everything,” said Proffitt, who is also a senior business administration major. “It would be our school’s first national championship and our first team win in our collegiate series, so it would be huge for us and for the program.”

The full field of 176 teams competed on Tuesday and Wednesday, with only the top-10 – based on two-day cumulative weight – advancing to Championship Thursday. The National Champions will be crowned Thursday based on the cumulative three-day weight total.

The top 10 teams that now advance to Championship Thursday on Fort Gibson Lake are:

1st:           East Texas Baptist University – Kaden Proffitt, Pittsburg, Texas and Cason Ragsdale, Winnsboro, Texas, nine bass, 29-7
2nd:          Stephen F. Austin – Austin Anderson, Nacogdoches, Texas and Cal Cameron, Coppell, Texas, nine bass, 29-6
3rd:          Kentucky Christian University – Lafe and Matt Messer, both of Warfield, Ky., nine bass, 29-5
4th:           McKendree University – Bailey Bleser, Burlington, Wis., and Nathan Doty, Decatur, Ill., 10 bass, 27-7
5th:           Illinois State University – Justin and Austin Carr, both of Bloomington, Ill., nine bass, 26-6
6th:           Murray State University – Kayden Effinger of Westfield, Ind., and David Wisler of Noblesville, Ind., eight bass, 26-4
7th:           East Texas Baptist University – Cannon Bird of Marshall, Texas, and Jacob Keith, Jefferson, Texas, 10 bass, 25-13
8th:           King University – Donavan Carson of Bluff City, Tenn., and Landon Lawson of Jonesborough, Tenn., nine bass, 25-10
9th:           Drury University – Cole Breeden of Eldridge, Mo., and Cameron Smith of Nixa, Mo., six bass, 24-1
10th:        Texas A&M – Dawson Cassidy of Gainesville, Texas and Augustus McLarry of Caddo Mills, Texas, eight bass, 23-12

For a full list of results, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 285 bass weighing 823 pounds, 3 ounces caught by 115 teams Wednesday. The catch included 13 five-bass limits.

The final 10 teams will launch Championship Thursday from Taylor’s Ferry North, located on Dock Road in Wagoner at 7 a.m. CT each day of competition. Thursday’s championship weigh-in will be held at Taylor’s Ferry North starting at 3 p.m. and will be livestreamed. Fans are welcome to attend the event or tune in to the weigh-in and follow the online coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com .

The 13th annual College Fishing National Championship is a three-day event – hosted by the Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Wagoner – featuring the top 176 college bass fishing teams from across the nation competing in an internationally televised, no-entry fee tournament for a $33,500 prize package, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard.

In addition to the boat package, both members of the winning team and the runners-up at the 2022 Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship will advance to the 2022 Toyota Series Championship where they will compete as pros for a top prize of up to $235,000. Both members of the third-place team will advance to the 2022 Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers for a shot at winning a $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard.

Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual Abu Garcia College Fishing Open advance to the following year’s Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI 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 information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI on MLF’s social media outlets at  Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram and YouTube.

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, the Discovery Channel, the Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, the World Fishing Network, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. In 2019, MLF expanded its portfolio of catch, weigh, and immediately release events to include the sport’s strongest five-biggest-fish format tournament circuits. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement, and fish care.

Major League Fishing – WE ARE Bass Fishing™

Finding Them Hawgs: My April Fishing Baits by Bruce Callis Jr

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Finding Them Hawgs: My April Fishing Baits by Bruce Callis Jr

Finding Them Hawgs:
My April Fishing Baits

by Bruce Callis Jr

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April can be a difficult time for bass fishing. So much can come to play. The largemouth bass can be in pre-spawn, spawn, and even some post spawn, depending on the water you are fishing. Where do you start and what do you throw? The questions that everyone wants the answers to.

The first thing I like to do is look at my maps. I like the old school paper maps because I can mark on them and put notes. But with Google Maps and Google Earth Pro, you have so many options. An in addition is the mapping on our fish finders. They can vary and not all of us have those top end models that offer shading on the shallows, or along a certain depth. But Google Earth Pro is an awesome tool to add to your research. You can actually look back at a lake or pond and see, if available, when it was down. You can find things that can offer some extra hiding places for bass. No matter what, it offers us another tool in our hunt for big bass.

But where do we start this month and what are we looking for. First we need to find where the bass are going to spawn. While we all think the back of the pockets and coves, especially those with shallow flats, we need to remember that not all the bass are going to move back there. Some will stay out on the smaller flats off the main lake. For the most part, these may be the biggest bass. They like to stay closer to the deeper water and it’s safety. But in general, the flats are where the majority of the bass will be moving to. And it is where we will be looking first.

As we enter the late stages of prespawn, there are a variety of baits we can use. Depending on the water clarity, we may not always see the beds being made by the young males, so what do we throw? For me, if I am looking shallow, I will use a crankbait to cover water and to entice a reaction bite. The SPRO Fat John 60 is my first choice. With it’s running depth of 1-3 feet and it’s hunting action, it makes a perfect choice. One of my favorite choices is the Spring Craw color or the Matte Shad followed by the Chartreuse Black Back depending on the water clarity.

If I need to cover a little deeper, I either throw the Little John 50 or the Hunter 65 SB. The Hunter dives to 3-5 feet and has a great hunting action. The Little John 50 also dives to 3-5 feet and has a tighter wobble to it. Both are great choices, but offer a little something different also.

While the crankbait can cover just about everything, there are going to be certain conditions that it just isn’t the best option. For instance, around laydowns. You can work the crankbait around them, but sometimes there may be something you need to throw behind, like a log. For these, I like to throw a Power Team Lures Craw D’oeuvre or a Mauler with a light weight, like a 3/16 WOO Tungeston Never Chip worm weight. It allows a slower fall and a better feel of the structure. The Craw D’oeuvre is a smaller profile at 3.5 inches with it’s smaller claws and and has less action to it, while the Mauler has a larger profile at 3.8 inches and it’s larger claws and offers more action.

One bait I will always have tied on is the lipless crankbait by SPRO, an Aruku Shad. I can work it across the flats and along the drop off into deeper water. It is very versatile and has proven to be a big bass catcher as well as a numbers catcher. Chrome with Blue Back is my prime choice, but I will switch it up with a Blue Gill or Purple Rain as conditions change.
A suspending jerkbait will always be tied on as well, and I like the SPRO McStick 100 for this. It also has a running depth of 5-7 feet, but with an upgrade to 12 pound test fluorocarbon, and using upward twitches I can work it higher in the water column.The McStick 95 is slightly smaller and suspends in 3-5 feet of water and make a great choice also.


I will always keep a spinnerbait and a chatterbait tied on, as these are also great baits and can play a huge roll in getting my limit. And I will also keep a jig tied on and ready. We all know they work and are know for big bass.

April is the time to catch those big females that are moving up to spawn and we need to be ready for them on every cast. Knowing how they are moving and to where offers us the best chance to find them. Having the right baits tied on to cover as many situations as possible, is a real key. Are these everything you will need? Only the bass can tell you. Are these all I will have rigged? By no means. You got to have some finesse ready too. Now go out there and find that new personal best!

B.A.S.S. Names Top Student Athletes To 2022 Bassmaster High School All-State Fishing Team

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March 30, 2022

B.A.S.S. Names Top Student Athletes To 2022 Bassmaster High School All-State Fishing Team

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Fifty-three of the most outstanding high school anglers from across the country have been named to the 2022 Bassmaster High School All-State Fishing Team presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors.

The students were selected for the honor based on their success in bass tournament competition, academic achievement and leadership in conservation and community service.

To be considered for the All-State Fishing Team, a student must have been nominated by a parent, coach, teacher or other school official. Students enrolled in grades 10-12 with a current-year grade point average of 2.5 or higher were eligible.

B.A.S.S. received nearly 400 nominations from across the nation. From these, judges selected 53 student anglers from 34 states to make the All-State Fishing Team. In addition, 40 students received Honorable Mentions recognizing them for their tournament success as well as community service and academic achievement.

“Congratulations to all 53 anglers on being selected to be a part of the 2022 Bassmaster High School All-State Fishing team or Honorable Mention,” said Glenn Cale, B.A.S.S. Nation Tournament Manager — College, High School and Junior. “It’s always impressive to see the accolades of each applicant. Every parent and angler should be very proud of joining the team.”

A second panel of judges will review the nominations of the 53 All-State team members and select the 12 members of the 2022 Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors. As in All-State judging, criteria include success in high school fishing tournaments, involvement in conservation efforts and other community service activities.

The 12 finalists will compete in a one-day Bassmaster High School All-American Bass Tournament presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, which will be held during the 2022 Simms Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork, scheduled to take place May 19-22 in Quitman, Texas.

Elite Series anglers will serve as teammates and “coaches” of the student anglers in the tournament. The high school standouts will be honored on the main stage at the weigh-in.

Below is the list of the 53 All-State anglers and 40 Honorable Mentions, in order by state:

Alabama

Hudson Choquette, Headland

Braxton Hopper, Chelsea

Barclay Butler, Scottsboro (Honorable Mention)

Dixie Morris, Valley (Honorable Mention)

James Quinlivan, Headland (Honorable Mention)

Benjamin Travis, Birmingham (Honorable Mention)

Arizona

Zachary VerBrugge, Lake Havasu City

Arkansas

Austin Rose, Mena

Brady Horton, Clinton (Honorable Mention)

Jackson Smith, Fayetteville (Honorable Mention)

Florida

Bryce DiMauro, Longwood

Tyson Verkaik, Eustis

Drew Bradstreet, Lutz (Honorable Mention)

Nick Claussen, Dover (Honorable Mention)

Evan Newell, Lakeland (Honorable Mention)

Cole Rountree, Clermont (Honorable Mention)

Georgia

Gabriel Clark, Ellerslie

Gage Sellars, Bainbridge

Henry Garrett, Evans (Honorable Mention)

Jacob Hodge, Evans (Honorable Mention)

Cohen Smith, Williamson (Honorable Mention)

Illinois

Szymon Piton, Orland Park

Laindree Richardson, Benton

Andrew Kay, Shorewood (Honorable Mention)

Hunter Petrovic, Minooka (Honorable Mention)

Indiana

Cole Berry, Terre Haute

Dylan May, Brownsburg

Iowa

Kolby Angell, Grand Junction

Tyler Loudon, Creston

Caleb Neu, Johnston (Honorable Mention)

Jackson Toale, Independence (Honorable Mention)

Kansas

Colton Hutchinson, Bonner Springs

Kentucky

Evan Fields, Shelbyville

Jaydon Coggins, Burnside (Honorable Mention)

Louisiana

Levi Thibodaux, Thibodaux

Jase White, Haughton

Evan Howe, Keatchie (Honorable Mention)

Wade Roberts, Lake Charles (Honorable Mention)

Maine

Colby Carrier, Skowhegan

Maryland

Grayden Scibilia, Hagerstown

Massachusetts

Nicholas Frumkin, Lincoln

Michigan

Brayden Ruckman, Freeland

Henri Sturm, Fenton

Minnesota

Jacob Panichi, Cook

Matt Boerboom, Inver Grove Heights (Honorable Mention)

Lance Nelson, Rosemount (Honorable Mention)

Noah Wells, Esko (Honorable Mention)

Mississippi

Wes Bailey, Brandon

Parker O’Bryan, Brandon

Missouri

Brock Rogers, Bradleyville

Nebraska

Logan Greeno, Kearney

Nevada

Carter Doren, Las Vegas

New Hampshire

Cole Moulton, Enfield

Cameron Yates, New Durham

Alex Gross, Jefferson (Honorable Mention)

New Jersey

Nicholas DellaPorta, Pequannock

New York

Rein Golubjatnikov, Pittsford

Tyler Mahood, Briarcliff Manor (Honorable Mention)

Christian Misciagna, Syracuse (Honorable Mention)

North Carolina

Harrison McCall, Salisbury

Drake Sturgill, Lincolnton

Hunter Alexander, China Grove (Honorable Mention)

Kaden Buchmann, Mooresville (Honorable Mention)

Ohio

Kyle Johnson, Helena

Braden McNamara, Delaware

Mike Abbott Jr., Plain City (Honorable Mention)

Oklahoma

Zack Cooper, Tahlequah

River Eubanks, Wilson

Pennsylvania

Trenton Carey, York Springs

Luke Rokavec, Mifflinburg

Carson Forrester, Chambersburg (Honorable Mention)

Ty Stroup, Mifflinburg (Honorable Mention)

South Carolina

Hunter Dill, Travelers Rest

Peyton Sorrow, Abbeville

Zachary McCraw, Gaffney (Honorable Mention)

Tennessee

Nathan Reynolds, Nashville

Banks Shaw, Harrison

Wayland Adkisson, Franklin (Honorable Mention)

Riley Faulkner, Jacksboro (Honorable Mention)

Carter Nutt, Nashville (Honorable Mention)

Dylan Nutt, Nashville (Honorable Mention)

Texas

Connor Dunn, Lucas

Jared Mizell, Pearland

Justin James, Orange (Honorable Mention)

Breckett Long, Livingston (Honorable Mention)

Kaden Mueck, Livingston (Honorable Mention)

Vermont

Brendan Vinton, Braintree

Gordon Willey, White River Junction

Virginia

Ryan Lachniet, Gum Spring

Shelby Rigney, Axton

Logan Buttolph, Doswell (Honorable Mention)

Washington

Hayden Nerland, Puyallup

Wisconsin

Reece Keeney, Hortonville

About Academy Sports + Outdoors
Academy is a leading full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer in the United States. Originally founded in 1938 as a family business in Texas, Academy has grown to 259 stores across 16 contiguous states. Academy’s mission is to provide “Fun for All” and Academy fulfills this mission with a localized merchandising strategy and value proposition that strongly connects with a broad range of consumers. Academy’s product assortment focuses on key categories of outdoor, apparel, footwear and sports & recreation through both leading national brands and a portfolio of 20 private label brands, which go well beyond traditional sporting goods and apparel offerings. For more information, visit www.academy.com.

AFTCO And Yamaha Rightwaters™ Partner With B.A.S.S. On Three Clean-Up Challenges

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March 30, 2022

AFTCO And Yamaha Rightwaters™ Partner With B.A.S.S. On Three Clean-Up Challenges

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Volunteers, community organizations and Bassmaster anglers will come together at three venues to help make a positive impact on Elite Series fisheries thanks to the Lake Clean-Up Challenge sponsored by AFTCO and Yamaha Rightwaters™. The events will be held April 6 in Dayton, Tenn., June 4 in Counce, Tenn., and August 27 in La Crosse, Wis.

Conservation efforts are a cornerstone of the B.A.S.S. tradition, and leading efforts to collect litter can have a sizable impact on the waterways the organization and its fans frequent.

“B.A.S.S. was founded on three things: tournament fishing competition, youth participation and conservation,” B.A.S.S. Conservation Director Gene Gilliland said. “We’re thrilled to partner with AFTCO, Yamaha Rightwaters and the communities we’ll be visiting for Elite events on Chickamauga Lake, Pickwick Lake and the Upper Mississippi River for these Clean-Up Challenges. One of the things that we want to try to do is to improve the resource anytime we have a chance.

“An event like this builds camaraderie between those participating. It builds goodwill with the communities that host our events. Most importantly, it helps us leave the venue better than we found it.”

At each event, participants will receive a gift package from AFTCO and Yamaha Rightwaters. Plus, registered volunteer organizations participating in the Lake Clean-Up Challenges will be eligible for conservation grants from AFTCO and Yamaha Rightwaters. The brands will select the conservations grants — totaling over $25,000 for 2022 — based on their participation in the Lake Clean-Up Challenges and the group’s overall conservation or public service mission.

“Clean water is vitally important to the health of fisheries, and we’re excited to partner with Yahama Rightwaters and B.A.S.S in rewarding local groups for participating in the type of collective action needed to keep our waterways clean,” said AFTCO President Casey Shedd. “We hope that these clean-up challenges will also bring further awareness to the need for single-use plastic reduction and more careful waste disposal consideration.”

“Marine conservation is at the heart of the Yamaha Rightwaters mission and every community clean-up effort can make a major difference in our nation’s waterways,” said John O’Keefe, Senior Specialist, Government Relations, Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit. “We proudly join forces with B.A.S.S., AFTCO, a great league of pro anglers and community volunteers to help preserve these great fisheries for today’s competitors as well as future generations of anglers.”

The three Lake Clean-Up Challenges are timed so that Bassmaster Elite Series pros are able to join volunteers to protect the fisheries where they compete. This is particularly important to these pros, who recognize the opportunity to make an even bigger impact on the river and our sport by showing how important it is to help these environments thrive.

“At every stop we make, it seems like there is a lack of education about the harm leaving trash behind does to the environment,” said Bassmaster Elite Series pro Carl Jocumsen. “We want to do our part to change it.”

In order to participate, volunteers and groups must preregister by contacting Gene Gilliland, B.A.S.S. Conservation Director, at [email protected].

“Whether they’re part of a junior Bassmaster club, fishing team, church group, Scout troop or a group of civic-minded friends, anyone who wants our waters to be clean and free of trash is welcome to join us lake-side for these events,” said Gilliland.

For full details, visit Bassmaster.com/Conservation-News.

About AFTCO
AFTCO is a 60-plus-year-old family owned and operated business known for everything from Performance Fishing Shirts & Saltwater Fishing Tackle to the Best Fishing Rain Gear. Through AFTCO’s Pledge to Protect and Conserve, 10% of company profits are donated to efforts that support fishing conservation and angler rights.

East Texas Baptist University Grabs Early Lead at 2022 Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship Presented by Lowrance

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East Texas Baptist University Grabs Early Lead at 2022 Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship Presented by Lowrance

WAGONER, Okla. (March 29, 2022) – The East Texas Baptist University duo of Kaden Proffitt of Pittsburg, Texas and Cason Ragsdale of Winnsboro, Texas, grabbed the early lead Tuesday after Day One of the 2022 Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship Presented by Lowrance at Fort Gibson Lake. The Tigers team brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 17 pounds, 9 ounces, giving them a mere 1-ounce lead over the second-place Kentucky Christian University team of brothers Lafe and Matt Messer of Warfield, Kentucky.

After a blustery start to the day, competition on Day One was shortened by an hour due to high winds in the forecast; however, that didn’t seem to put much of a damper on the outcome for the young anglers in the top position.

“The numbers on the scales made it seem like we smashed them, but it was pretty tough,” said Ragsdale. “It was a grind, and the wind blew us around a lot. I think the key difference is that we were able to get out of the wind, then just stayed in one area and really pounded it. It took us 20 to 40 minutes sometimes, making the same cast over and over again, just to get a bite. There were some fish here and there that just happened to be the right ones today.”

“We fished a lot of transition banks, where there were fish that wanted to move up but with the water and weather changing, they don’t know really where they want to be,” said Proffitt. “They are kind of staging in areas in front of where they are going to be spawning.”

The pair started the morning on the south end of the lake, where they caught two fish, before spending the rest of the day down in Long Bay. As for experience on the fishery, Ragsdale said he’d only fished on Fort Gibson Lake once before, in the summertime, under completely different conditions.

“When I was younger, I spent a little time fishing on Lake Texoma, and this lake feels a lot like that, so I’ve used a few things that I learned there,” continued Ragsdale. “Mostly though, we are just fishing things that make sense, areas where fish can sit and be comfortable, whether the water is going up or down, and the water isn’t going to run off of them – steeper banks, things like that.”

The senior business administration majors said they only caught five keepers today, landing the last one only 35 minutes before they had to check in, but they were thankful those five had the numbers to keep them on the top of the leaderboard.

When asked their expectations for tomorrow, Ragsdale responded, “I think we can duplicate what we did today, but we could also zero. It’s one of those weeks that if we get the bites, we get them, but it probably won’t be a slugfest.”

“I think most of the fish we are around are good quality fish, so if we are fortunate enough to get five bites again, there’s a good shot that we’ll have another good bag in the 12- to 14-pound range,” said Proffitt.

The 13th annual College Fishing National Championship is a three-day event – hosted by the Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Wagoner – featuring the top 176 college bass fishing teams from across the nation competing in an internationally televised, no-entry fee tournament for a $33,500 prize package, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard.

In addition to the boat package, both members of the winning team and the runners-up at the 2022 Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship will advance to the 2022 Toyota Series Championship where they will compete as pros for a top prize of up to $235,000. Both members of the third-place team will advance to the 2022 Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers for a shot at winning a $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard.

The full field of 176 teams compete on Tuesday and Wednesday, with only the top-10 – based on two-day cumulative weight – advancing to Championship Thursday. The National Champions will be crowned Thursday based on the cumulative three-day weight total.

The top 10 teams after Day One on Fort Gibson Lake are:

1st:           East Texas Baptist University – Kaden Proffitt, Pittsburg, Texas and Cason Ragsdale, Winnsboro, Texas, five bass, 17-9
2nd:          Kentucky Christian University – Lafe and Matt Messer, both of Warfield, Ky., five bass, 17-8
3rd:          Missouri Western State University – Gaige Blanton and Kody Mazur, both of Saint Joseph, Mo., four bass, 14-4
4th:           University of Louisiana Monroe – Jacob Andrews and Connor Nimrod, both of Monroe, La., five bass, 14-0
5th:           McKendree University – Kyle Hopping, Lake St. Louis, Mo., and Lane Stephens, Grove, Okla., five bass, 13-15
6th:           McKendree University – Bailey Bleser, Burlington, Wis., and Nathan Doty, Decatur, Ill., five bass, 13-9
7th:           Stephen F. Austin – Austin Anderson, Nacogdoches, Texas and Cal Cameron, Coppell, Texas, four bass, 13-0
8th:           Carson Newman University – Caz Anderson, Haysville, N.C., and Lee Rose Koza, Marietta, Ga., five bass, 12-15
9th:           Bethel University – Chase Milholen, Lexington, Tenn., and Levi Mullins, Nineveh, Ind., four bass, 12-12
10th:        Stephen F. Austin – River Lee, Nacogdoches, Texas, and Hunter Muncrief, Pineland, Texas, four bass, 12-11
10th:        Dallas Baptist University – Reece Martin, Lindale, Texas, and Jacob Witkowski, Dallas, Texas, four bass, 12-11

For a full list of results, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 298 bass weighing 813 pounds, 4 ounces caught by 131 teams Tuesday. The catch included 10 five-bass limits.

Anglers will take off from Taylor’s Ferry North, located on Dock Road in Wagoner at 7 a.m. CT each day of competition. Weigh-ins will be held at Taylor’s Ferry North starting at 3 p.m. and will be livestreamed daily. Fans are welcome to attend the event or tune in to the weigh-in and follow the online coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com .

Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual Abu Garcia College Fishing Open advance to the following year’s Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI 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 information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI on MLF’s social media outlets at  Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram and YouTube.

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