On this episode of Let’s Talk Fantasy fishing we welcome you to our all new podcast & give you a look at what you can expects as well as our picks for the 1st Elite event on the St. Johns River.
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Boater Tater Reynolds of Florien, Louisiana and Strike King co-angler Quincy Lafleur of Ville Platte, Louisiana.
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Ville Platte’s Lafleur Wins Strike King Co-Angler Division
ZWOLLE, La. (Feb. 7, 2022) – Boater Tater Reynolds of Florien, Louisiana, caught five bass Saturday weighing 27 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Toledo Bend Reservoir. Reynolds earned $4,541 for his victory. “I made a long 25-minute run to fish the south end and it was cold,” Reynolds said. “I caught my first fish in the first 30 minutes, but then things slowed down. At 10:30 a.m. I only had two fish. Thankfully I pulled out a 7-pounder later in the day.” Reynolds said he caught his fish on an Alabama rig and was just trying to catch his limit but ended up culling out with a 3¾-pound fish. A 7-pounder at 2:50 p.m. finished his final weight, only giving him an additional 30 minutes to fish before beginning his long ride back to the weigh-in. “I caught 25 fish throughout the day and probably 12 were keepers,” Reynolds said. “It was different. I was fishing under the boat and then throwing out. “I was just fortunate and got the right bites at the right time,” Reynolds continued. “Usually, a good day for me here is 40 to 60 fish. I didn’t catch as many as I wanted, but they ended up being the right ones.” The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in: 1st: Tater Reynolds, Florien, La., five bass, 27-14, $4,541 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Chance Burton of Brock, Texas, had a 7-pound, 12-ounce largemouth that was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $660. 
Quincy Lafleur of Ville Platte, Louisiana, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $2,270 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 2 ounces. The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were: 1st: Quincy Lafleur, Ville Platte, La., five bass, 12-2, $2,270 David Sherer of Elm Grove, Texas, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 2 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $330. 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 Aug. 27-28 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Brookeland, Texas. 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. |
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Boater Casey Martin of Brownsboro, Alabama and Strike King co-angler Luke Salvail of Huntsville, Alabama.
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Huntsville’s Salvail Wins Strike King Co-Angler DivisionSCOTTSBORO, Ala. (Feb. 7, 2022) – Boater Casey Martin of Brownsboro, Alabama, caught five bass Saturday weighing 26 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Guntersville. Martin earned $6,000 for his victory.
“I started off close and got three keepers in the livewell early,” Martin said. “They came on a Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap. I made a run and ended up catching a limit and started culling. About noon I caught two 6-pounders, so I kept fishing that area.” Martin said he caught seven to 10 keepers, with a total of 12 fish caught. “I was just covering a lot of water and hitting a lot of spots,” Martin said. “When it’s that cold in the morning it’s just a matter of finding the right spot that hasn’t been hit hard or guys haven’t picked off.” Martin said he fished the Rat-L-Trap in varying retrieves to understand what the fish were doing and the color of bait he chose varied with the color of the water. Martin said he would go to a shad-colored-bait when the water was clearer, fishing it hard when they were actively biting and slowing his retrieve as the bite slowed. “It just worked out for me,” Martin said. The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in: 1st: Casey Martin, Brownsboro, Ala., five bass, 26-14, $6,000 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Leary’s 7-pound, 8-ounce largemouth was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division and earned the day’s Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $1,000.
Luke Salvail of Huntsville, Alabama, won the Strike King Co-angler Division and $3,000 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 19 pounds, 5 ounces. The top 10 Strike King co-anglers were: 1st: Luke Salvail, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 19-5, $3,000 Roger Barnette, of Elkmont, Alabama, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 9 pounds, 11 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Berkley Big Bass Co-angler award of $500. 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 Sept. 24-25 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama. 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. 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. |
California Pro Throws Neko Rig to Catch 20 Pounds, 12 Ounces and Win Second Challenge Cup Title of Career
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ROCK HILL, S.C. (Feb. 7, 2022) – Ten years ago, California pro Brent Ehrler rolled into the first ever Major League Fishing (MLF) Cup Event – the 2012 MLF Challenge Cup on Texas’ Lake Amistad – rocking Converse Chuck Taylors and no one knew what to expect. Ehrler walked away the victor that week, topping 23 other anglers and winning the first of what everyone thought would be many Major League Fishing titles. Fast forward 10 years later, and Ehrler has done it again.
In an episode that premiered Saturday on the Outdoor Channel and Monday on the MyOutdoorTV app, Ehrler caught 12 bass weighing 20 pounds, 12 ounces, to narrowly win the second Challenge Cup of his career at the 2022 Lucas Oil Challenge Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches in York County, South Carolina.
“I’ve got goosebumps right now – it’s about fricking time,” said an emotional Ehrler on the water after he learned he had clinched his second career Challenge Cup win. “Man, I’m speechless. It’s been a long time since I won… and it’s been eating away at me.
“This group of guys – they’re so good, they’re so tough to beat, and they keep getting better every year,” Ehrler continued. “I’ve had some close calls the last few years, but this has been a longtime coming for sure. And it’s great that it happened on the 10-year anniversary of my last one.”
Ehrler’s key bait in the Championship Round on Lake Wylie was a Neko rig, which he skipped round boat docks.
“I was very excited after the first two rounds – I won both of them and really felt like I had things pretty dialed in,” Ehrler went on to say. “I had some momentum and felt like I was doing the right things. Everything just felt right, and sometime that’s what it takes to win.”
The final eight anglers at the 2022 Lucas Oil Challenge Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches in York County, South Carolina, finished:
1st: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 12 bass, 20-12
2nd: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 13 bass, 18-3
3rd: Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., eight bass, 15-11
4th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 13-14
5th: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., nine bass, 11-15
6th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., six bass, 11-7
7th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., eight bass, 10-5
8th: Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., three bass, 5-0
Complete results along with photos from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
DeFoe caught the Championship Round Berkley Big Bass – a solid 3-pound, 14-ounce largemouth that bit his Creature Craw during Period 3.
Overall, there were 69 bass weighing 107 pounds, 3 ounces caught by the final eight pros during the Championship Round of competition on Lake Wylie.
The 2021 Lucas Oil Challenge Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches was hosted by Visit York County and premiered on the Outdoor Channel as six, two-hour original episodes each Saturday afternoon debuting on Jan. 1, 2022, and running through Feb. 5, 2022.
The event was shot over six days in September in York County, South Carolina, and featured 23 MLF pro anglers visiting the Rock Hill area to compete on two different fisheries across the region, Lake Wateree and Lake Wylie. The fisheries were unknown to the anglers – they did not learn where they were competing until they arrived to the launch ramp each morning of competition.
All six episodes of the event are now available for viewing on the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) streaming app. The full television schedule can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the MLF Cup events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
February 7, 2022
AFTCO Sponsors Elite Event On St. Johns River For Third Year
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — For the third consecutive year, AFTCO has signed on as title sponsor for the premier event of the Bassmaster Elite Series season. The 2022 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River will be held Feb. 10-13 in Palatka, Fla.
Additionally, AFTCO will continue its long-standing partnership with B.A.S.S. as a conservation partner and supporting sponsor for the six circuits of the Bassmaster Tournament Trail as well as outfitting all staff and marshals with performance fishing clothing for these events.
“For the third year in a row, AFTCO is pumped to kick off the Bassmaster Elite Series season as the title sponsor at the St. Johns River,” said AFTCO Marketing Director Matt Florentino. “We’re also sponsoring the upcoming B.A.S.S. Conservation Summit and cannot wait to get to work with the entire B.A.S.S. Nation! Bassmaster’s continued commitment to the sport and their audience of die-hard fans keeps us coming back year after year.”
Among the AFTCO-aligned pro anglers ready to kick off the 2022 season is Bryan New, who took a victory at the 2021 Elite event on the St. Johns River. With a four-day total of 79 pounds, 7 ounces, New climbed from sixth place on Championship Sunday to claim his first Elite event after winning the Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year title.
“I cannot say enough about the support AFTCO gives to anglers,” said New. “They’ve stepped up to partner with many of my fellow Elite pros, but AFTCO is also dedicated to supporting competitive fishing at all levels and working to ensure the future of fishing with their 10% pledge to protect and conserve fisheries.
“We’re all looking forward to the season, and it would be great to kick off 2022 with another win at the St. Johns!”
This will mark the fourth-straight year the Elite Series has held its season-opener on the St. Johns River — a quintessential Florida fishery that features vast shoreline cover, big Florida-strain largemouth and breathtaking scenery with Spanish moss-covered trees, alligators and manatees.
Full coverage from all four days of the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River 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, Feb. 12-13 beginning at 8 a.m. ET.
About AFTCO
AFTCO is a 60+ 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.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series powered by TourneyX, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
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Garrett Morgan of Conway, Ark., has won the 2022 Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series powered by TourneyX at Lake Fork with a two-day total measuring 201.75 inches.
Photo by Mark Cisneros/B.A.S.S.
February 6, 2022
Morgan Targets Trees To Win 2022 Bassmaster Kayak Series Opener At Lake Fork
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ALBA, Texas — Specific targeting discipline and strategic presentations paid off for Garrett Morgan of Conway, Ark., who tallied a two-day total of 201.75 inches to win the Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series powered by TourneyX at Lake Fork.
The only competitor in the 150-boat field to break the 200-inch mark, Morgan took the Day 1 lead with 102.5 inches — the event’s second-largest single-day total. Morgan’s first-round lengths were 22, 21.75, 20, 19.5 and 19.25 inches.
On Sunday, Morgan added 99.25 inches, with his five best fish measuring 21.5, 20.75, 20, 18.5 and 18.5. For his win, Morgan earned $7,500.
Fishing from a 10 1/2-foot Old Town PDL, Morgan focused most of his efforts on main-lake standing timber in about 7 feet. When the sun was higher in the sky, he also caught a few fish on small residential concrete boat ramps near main channel swings.
“What I was able to figure out in practice, and it held true to the event, was that it wasn’t the isolated timber I was catching my fish on — it had to be two trees that were about 4 feet or so apart where you could work a jig between the two trees or around the base of the two trees,” Morgan said. “I would face the kayak into the wind and come up from behind the trees, throw it past the trees and work it back.
“A lot of times, I find those fish set up facing the wind, so that tended to be the key.”
Morgan caught his bass on a 1/2-ounce JP Custom Baits jig in a custom color. He paired that with a Strike King Rage Bug in green pumpkin orange. With a total of seven bass on Day 2, Morgan said he fared best in the morning hours.
“The main difference between the two days was that on Day 2, the wind died,” Morgan said. “Both mornings the wind was about 7 mph out of the south or so; a little heavier today.
“In my practice, that didn’t really hurt me too much, but today, I noticed when that wind died around 12:30, my bite died. I caught a few short fish, but I never caught another keeper.”
Chris Longshore of Hastings, Neb., placed second with 197 inches. He placed third on Day 1 with 97 inches and added 100 on Sunday.
Fishing out of a 12-foot, 9-inch Hobie Outback, Longshore spent his tournament in Birch Creek, where he targeted prespawn staging fish that were relating to larger stumps in 7 to 8 feet of water. Longshore caught his bass on a Rapala DT6 crankbait in a white and purple pattern.
“You had to throw it pretty far past the stump and reel it down and you had to hit the stump too,” he said. “I fished 100-yard stretches and there were three of them within a mile.”
Longshore said his better bites came in the morning hours when the temperatures were cooler. Once the day warmed, the smaller fish became more active. Longshore earned $3,250.
James Busch of Carrsville, Va., finished third with 183 inches. With daily totals of 93.25 and 89.75, Busch improved from seventh place on Day 1 and earned $2,250.
Competing out of a 14-foot Hobie Pro Angler 360, Busch fished a main-lake creek near the Lake Fork Dam. He targeted isolated brushpiles on a point and found his bass in shallower brushpiles on Day 1. But on Sunday, he had to move from those 8-foot spots to 11 feet.
“I don’t know if it was the colder night, but the bite was slower this morning than it was (on Saturday),” Busch said.
Busch caught his Day 1 fish on a 3/8-ounce jig with a green pumpkin Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Meaty Chunk. But he had to switch to a bone colored Berkley Stunna jerkbait to coax his second-round bites, working the lure through the tops of the brush.
Rolando Nanin of San Antonio, Texas, earned the $500 Big Bass award for his 24.5-inch largemouth. After placing second on Day 1 with 99.5 inches, Nanin added 64.5 on Sunday and finished fourth with 164.
Lake Fork Marina hosted the event.
2022 Bassmaster Kayak Series Title Sponsor: Yamaha Rightwaters
2022 Bassmaster Kayak Series Partners: Old Town, MotorGuide
Covington, Georgia Pro Catches 11 Bass Totaling 33 Pounds, 2 Ounces to Lead Big Early for Group B – Group A to Conclude Qualifying Round Monday
Link to Photo Gallery of Qualifying Group B Highlights
MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (Feb. 6, 2022) – Fishing what he called a “Bubba Shot”, pro Jared Lintner of Covington, Georgia, weighed in 11 scorable bass on Lake D’Arbonne Sunday totaling 33 pounds, 2 ounces, to take a commanding lead on Day 1 for Group B at the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole in Monroe-West Monroe, Louisiana.
Lintner grabbed the lead around 11 a.m. and never relinquished control, increasing his lead by another 10 pounds in this third period alone. He will bring a 14½-pound lead into Tuesday’s Qualifying Round finale for Group B. Gonzales, Louisiana pro Gerald Spohrer ended the day in second place, catching six bass for 18-11, while David Dudley of Lynchburg, Virginia, boated seven scorable bass totaling 16-6 for third place. Covercraft pro Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Kentucky, also weighed in 16-6, but sits in fourth place due to tiebreaker rules, and Favorite Fishing pro Jonathon VanDam of Kalamazoo, Michigan, rounds out the top five with eight bass for 16-1.
The 40 anglers in Group B will now have an off day on Monday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group A will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition. Group B will conclude their Qualifying Round on Tuesday. The six-day event, hosted by Discover Monroe-West Monroe, showcases 80 of the top professional bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.
“Today was a good day,” said Lintner, a California native who recently moved east to Georgia. “I assumed it was going to be tough, and it was. I threw crankbaits and flipping jigs and vibrating jigs – at one point I even broke out a buzzbait – but I never had any bites on anything other than my Bubba Shot.
“It’s basically a drop-shot rig with heavier line,” Lintner continued. “I’m using 16-pound Sunline Shooter with a Roboworm, Aaron’s Madness-colored, and just making a lot of casts. It ended up being a really great day.”
Lintner threw his Bubba Shot around boat docks and brush near docks. He fished it painstakingly slow and would often make multiple casts and presentations to the same spots. He threw his Bubba Shot rig on a 7-foot, 3-inch medium-heavy Daiwa Tatula Elite rod with a Daiwa Zillion TW HD reel. His Bubba Shot consisted of a 3/0 Trokar hook, an Eco Pro Tungsten Full Contact Drop Shot weight, 16-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon line, and a Marten’s Madness-colored Roboworm, dipped in Pautzke Fire Gel bait scent.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back out here and fishing again on Tuesday,” Lintner went on to say. “This is a neat lake, and the people out here are awesome.”
Unlike Lintner who mainly targeted docks, second-place pro Gerald Spohrer did most of his damage cranking around riprap on the lower end of the lake.
“It was very hard for me to get fish to bite, but the ones that did for me came on a Nomad squarebill crankbait, and that was the key,” Spohrer said. “I fished it with a very slow retrieve, letting it tick off of every single rock. Sometimes I had to make six or seven casts in a row to get a fish to bite it. But that’s what it took to trigger those fish. They didn’t want to chase anything, they wanted it right across their mouth.”
The top 20 pros in Group B after Day 1 on Lake D’Arbonne are:
1st: Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., 11 bass, 33-2
2nd: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., six bass, 18-11
3rd: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., seven bass, 16-6
4th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., seven bass, 16-6
5th: Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., eight bass, 16-1
6th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., six bass, 14-9
7th: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 13-4
8th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., six bass, 12-4
9th: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, five bass, 12-4
10th: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., three bass, 12-3
11th: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 11-3
12th: Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., four bass, 8-7
13th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., four bass, 7-7
14th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., two bass, 6-7
15th: Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, three bass, 6-0
16th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., one bass, 5-2
17th: Paul Elias, Laurel, Miss., one bass, 4-10
18th: Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., one bass, 4-3
19th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., two bass, 3-15
20th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., two bass, 3-15
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
There were 102 scorable bass weighing 253 pounds, 13 ounces caught Sunday by 32 pros.
Montgomery boated a 5-pound, 12-ounce largemouth in Period 1 – the largest of the day – to earn Sunday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award. The fish came on a jig. 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 Lake D’Arbonne 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 Tuesday’s Knockout Round on Caney Creek Reservoir, while the winner of each group advances directly to Wednesday’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 on Bussey Brake. In the final day Championship Round weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
In the four-day opening Qualifying Rounds, anglers will launch at 8:30 a.m. from the Lake D’Arbonne State Park, located at 3628 Evergreen Road in Farmerville, Louisiana. The Knockout Round will launch Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. from the Caney Creek Hooks Marina, located at 400 Spillway Road in Chatham, Louisiana. Thursday’s final day Championship Round on Bussey Brake will launch at 8:30 a.m. from Bonner Ferry Road, five miles northwest of Bastrop off of Hwy 593.
Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the respective launch ramps, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all takeoff and takeout ceremonies and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement on Lake D’Arbonne, and a 2-pound minimum weight requirement on Caney Creek and Bussey Brake 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 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole will premiere at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 3 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, John Deere Gator UTVs, 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.
SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
February 2022
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.us
February is usually a great month to start fishing. Most species of fish will start to feed heavily in preparation for the spawn. This is a good time of year to catch a large fish. Water temperature will be in the 40s to low 50s.
Largemouth bass
Fishing for largemouth bass has been good. Best lures will be Alabama rigs, jerk baits, jigs, spinner baits, spoons, blade baits and crank baits. Main channel points, brush piles, rocky areas, ledges and deep docks will be the best areas to try. Best depths will be from 3 to 30 feet. Bass fishing will improve as the water temperature rises. Crawfish are a big part of their diet during the early spring. Baitfish will start to move to shallow water as the water temperature rises. Practice catch and release.
Smallmouth bass
February is a good month to catch a huge smallmouth bass. Best areas will be ledges, humps and rocky points. Best lures will be tubes, jig and pig, hair jigs, drop shots, blade baits, floating-fly-rigs, Ned rigs and medium running crank baits. Best areas will be in the mid- to lower sections of the lake. Look for isolated rock piles near deep water and areas with rocks and ledges close to deep water. Smallmouth bass feed on crawfish this time of year and will also suspend around schools of baitfish.
Striped bass
Striper fishing will improve this month. Stripers will be caught in various areas of the lake this month. Best lures will be swim baits, buck tails, spoons, Alabama rigs and Zoom flukes fished on 1/4- to 3/4-ounce lead heads. The best times to fish are cloudy days, early mornings and late afternoons. Night fishing will start to improve. The best depths will be from 2 to 40 feet. Live bait fished on down lines and planer boards will work well. Trolling is also a good method this month. Striper will constantly be on the move. Look for seagulls diving to help in locating schools of stripers feeding on baitfish.
Crappie
Fishing for crappie will be good this month. The best depths will be 5 to 15 feet. Crappie will be found around deep docks, brush piles and fallen trees. Docks with brush piles are usually good areas to find crappie. Small live minnows and 1½- to 2-inch tubes or shad-shaped plastic lures fished on 1/16- to 1/8-ounce lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month. Best areas are the main creeks and the upper sections of both rivers.
Tips of the month
The blueback herring has changed the feeding habits of the stripers and the bass. They stay suspended and deeper than most other species of baitfish. Warmer lake temperatures will move the baitfish to shallow water.
Wear a life jacket and never fish alone at night or during the winter. Keep running lights on after dark. Remember to practice catch and release and take a kid fishing.
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CLEWISTON, Fla. (Feb. 5, 2022) – Although numerous bigger limits were weighed in by anglers throughout the week at Lake Okeechobee, no one could match the consistency of pro Rob Branagh of Malabar, Florida. Branagh brought a final-day total of five bass weighing 19 pounds, 11 ounces to the scale Saturday to win the season-opening Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. event at Lake Okeechobee . Branagh’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 51-5 earned him the win by a 9-ounce margin over second-pro Nicholas Hoinig of Port Saint Lucie, Florida, and earned Branagh the top payout of $66,500 in the first tournament of the 2022 Toyota Series Southern Division.
“I knew I could catch a 12-to-15-pound limit every day, and I figured that would be okay on Day 1, but on Day 2 I thought I was going to get smoked by the guys that were bed fishing, because those fish were coming in,” said Branagh, who earned his first career victory in MLF competition. “But I wasn’t going to bank on that. It was a gamble, and I made the right gamble at the right time. I just fished where there was a bunch of fish and hoped I could get the right bites, and this morning I did.”
Branagh said that he fished on the south end of the lake, near Rita Island. He targeted clean water, keying in on underwater cattail stops with a Texas-rigged Netbait Big Bopper.
“It was a muck bottom,” Branagh said. “I used a 1/8-ounce weight so I could roll it slow. My plan was to catch five baits on the Big Bopper and then switch to a bigger bait to catch bigger fish, but the fish just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger on that Bopper, so I never put it down all weekend.”
When asked what he planned to do with his winnings, Branagh said that he plans to help his daughter.
“My daughter has two kids and works her butt off. I’m so proud of her, I’m probably going to buy her a car,” Branagh went on to say.
The top 10 pros on Lake Okeechobee finished:
1st: Robert Branagh, Malabar, Fla., 15 bass, 51-5, $66,500
2nd: Nicholas Hoinig, Port Saint Lucie, Fla., 15 bass, 50-12, $27,500
3rd: Lance Pemble, Leesburg, Fla., 15 bass, 50-6, $18,000
4th: Chris McBeath, Bradenton, Fla., 13 bass, 49-6, $16,000
5th: Brandon Medlock, Lake Placid, Fla., 15 bass, 48-10, $15,000
6th: Lee Stalvey, Palatka, Fla., 15 bass, 48-10, $11,500
7th: Bryan Honnerlaw, Moore Haven, Fla., 15 bass, 47-10, $10,000
8th: Frank Kitchens III, Oxford, Ga., 15 bass, 47-8, $9,500 (includes $1,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus)
9th: Willy Dennison, Willoughby Hills, Ohio, 15 bass, 47-4, $7,500
10th: Terry Olinger, Louisa, Va., 14 bass, 47-1, $5,500
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Pro Mike Jackson of San Mateo, Florida, won the $500 Day One Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division Thursday with a bass weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces. Hoinig won Friday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass award, bringing a 9-pound, 5-ounce bass to the scale.
Kitchens took home an extra $1,000 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Brent Jones of Okeana, Ohio, won the Strike King Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 13 bass weighing 37 pounds, 3 ounces. Jones took home the top prize package worth $38,700, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor and $5,000 cash.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on Lake Okeechobee finished:
1st: Brent Jones, Okeana, Ohio, 13 bass, 37-3, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard + $5,000
2nd: Mason Chapman, Lenexa, Kan., 15 bass, 37-1, $8,000
3rd: John Stahl, Land O’ Lakes, Fla., 11bass, 34-2, $6,500
4th: Jason Cooper, Shelbyville, Tenn., 14 bass, 33-12, $5,000
5th: Alan Hults, Gautier, Miss., 15 bass, 32-13, $4,650
6th: Jeff Turner, Plainfield, Ill., 15 bass, 32-3, $3,750
7th: Joseph Solenski, West Palm Beach, Fla., 15 bass, 32-2, $3,250
8th: Andy Niles, Ocean Springs, Miss., 13 bass, 31-13, $2,500
9th: Art Burgess, Delray, Fla., 11 bass, 31-12, $1,800
10th: Stephen Draghi, Sparrowbush, N.Y., 14 bass, 29-0, $1,600
The Day One Berkley Big Bass $150 award winner in the Strike King co-angler division, was Stephen Toth of Alachua, Florida, with an 8-pound, 1-ounce bass, while the Day Two $150 award went to Hults with a 9-pound, 7-ounce largemouth.
The Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at Lake Okeechobee was hosted by the Hendry County Tourism Development Council. It was the first regular-season Toyota Series event of 2022 and the first tournament in the Southern Division. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will take place on Feb. 10-12 – the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E on Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Brookeland, Texas, hosted by the Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Chamber of Commerce. For a complete schedule, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
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 Ordinance, 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.
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™
Mercury Pro Boats Six Bass Totaling 21 Pounds, 2 Ounces to Lead Day 1 for Group A – Group B to Fish Sunday
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MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (Feb. 5, 2022) – Chilly temperatures in the mid-20s greeted the 40 Bass Pro Tour anglers in Group A competing on Lake D’Arbonne Saturday morning. It was a cold, tough day on the water for most, but a few 5-, 6- and 7-pound D’Arbonne largemouth still made their national debuts on the MLF NOW! livestream.
After the final bass had been tallied, Hot Springs, Arkansas, pro “The Puma” Stephen Browning caught six bass weighing 21 pounds, 2 ounces, to grab the early lead for Group A on Day 1 of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole in Monroe-West Monroe, Louisiana.
The six-day event, hosted by Discover Monroe-West Monroe, showcases 80 of the top professional bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a 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 also being filmed for broadcast later this fall on the Discovery Channel.
Browning will bring a 3-pound, 4-ounce, lead into Monday’s second day of competition for Group A. In second place on the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard is Favorite Fishing pro Mark Daniels Jr. of Tuskegee, Alabama, who caught eight bass totaling 17-14. Shelby, North Carolina’s Bryan Thrift, sits in third place with eight bass weighing 17-1. Rounding out the top five are pro Cody Meyer of Star, Idaho , who caught four bass for 14-9 and Bass Pro Tour newcomer Jeremy Lawyer of Sarcoxie, Missouri, who weighed in four bass totaling 13 pounds even.
The 40 anglers in Group A will now have an off day from competition Sunday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group B will begin their first day of competition. Group A will resume competition on Monday.
Browning had a tough morning, catching only one bass for 2½ pounds in the first period. He added two more in the second period, then three in the third period – including a 6-pound, 4-ounce brute and a solid 4-pound, 4-ounce scorable bass – to catapult to the top of the leaderboard.
“It’s been a good day – you can’t complain when you’re in the lead against this crew of anglers,” Browning said. “I’m up in the D’Arbonne Bayou area of Lake D’Arbonne, fishing shallow flats – future spawning areas for these fish. It was tough, but I’ve got confidence in my bait, confidence in my equipment and confidence in my area. That is a big key to success in these grinder-tournaments.”
Browning said that he targeted standing timber and trees – specifically cypress trees that were still alive with green leaves – in 4 to 6 feet of water.
“If I fished any shallower than that, I didn’t get bit,” Browning said. “My key bait was a 3/8-ounce black and blue jig, with a 7-foot, 4-inch St. Croix Legend Elite and a Lew’s Tournament Pro 8:3:1 reel, with 20-pound Gamma Fluorocarbon Edge line. It’s a combination that I’ve got a lot of confidence in, and we put it to work today.
“Overall, it’s a good start to the 2022 season and that is a big deal,” Browning went on to say. “Momentum is very important – we saw what Michael Neal did last week at Sam Rayburn. I had a good day, and now I am looking forward to the challenge of Day 2. I don’t want to go to the Knockout Round on Caney – I want to go straight to Bussey Brake.”
The top 20 pros in Group A after Day 1 on Lake D’Arbonne are:
1st: Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., six bass, 21-2
2nd: Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., eight bass, 17-14
3rd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., eight bass, 17-1
4th: Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, four bass, 14-9
5th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., four bass, 13-0
6th: Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, five bass, 11-7
7th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., two bass, 11-6
8th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., four bass, 10-13
9th: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., three bass, 10-6
10th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., four bass, 9-10
11th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., four bass, 9-8
12th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., three bass, 9-5
13th: Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, two bass, 8-12
14th: Shinichi Fukae, Osaka, Japan, three bass, 8-10
15th: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, three bass, 7-15
16th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., three bass, 7-8
17th: Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., four bass, 6-15
18th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., three bass, 6-13
19th: Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., two bass, 6-2
20th: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., two bass, 5-9
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 101 scorable bass weighing 269 pounds, 6 ounces caught by 37 pros on Saturday.
Cody Meyer earned the first $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award of the season Saturday, weighing a 7-pound, 8-ounce largemouth that bit his squarebill crankbait during Period 3 to earn the award. 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 Lake D’Arbonne 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 Tuesday’s Knockout Round on Caney Creek Reservoir, while the winner of each group advances directly to Wednesday’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 on Bussey Brake. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
In the four-day opening Qualifying Rounds, anglers will launch at 8:30 a.m. from the Lake D’Arbonne State Park, located at 3628 Evergreen Road in Farmerville, Louisiana. The Knockout Round will launch Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. from the Caney Creek Hooks Marina, located at 400 Spillway Road in Chatham, Louisiana. Thursday’s final day Championship Round on Bussey Brake will launch at 8:30 a.m. from Bonner Ferry Road, five miles northwest of Bastrop off of Hwy 593.
Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the respective launch ramps, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all takeoff and takeout ceremonies and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
As part of the event, fans will also have the opportunity to come out take part in the Major League Fishing Festival, part of the North Delta Boat & Outdoor Show at the Monroe Civic on Sun. Feb. 6, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival is a chance for fishing fans to meet pro anglers, register for the “Pick ‘Til You Win” game with a top prize of a 2022 Toyota Tundra or a 70-inch 4K UHD Smart TV, visit the MLF Kids Zone and the fishing pond, meet characters from the PAW Patrol courtesy of Kid Casters, and enjoy live concerts from local musicians each day. For more information on the Major League Fishing Festival and the North Delta Boat & Outdoor Show, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement on Lake D’Arbonne, and a 2-pound minimum weight requirement on Caney Creek and Bussey Brake 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 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole will premiere at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 3 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, John Deere Gator UTVs, 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.
