| Arizona Pro Breaks the Century Mark, Boating Two-Day Total of 42 Bass Weighing 100 Pounds, 7 Ounces to Advance Directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round, 19 Anglers Advance to Knockout Round
[print_link] LEESBURG, Fla. (May 23, 2021) – It turns out Brett Hite could have taken the day off. After catching a whopping 34 bass weighing 83 pounds, 5 ounces on Friday, the Phoenix, Arizona pro added eight more bass totaling 17 pounds, 2 ounces Sunday to coast to an easy victory in the Qualifying Group A round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain of Lakes with a two-day total of 42 bass for 100 pounds, 7 ounces. Hite earned the win by a 25-pound, 4-ounce margin over second place and now advances directly into the Championship Round of competition, set for Wednesday. The six-day tournament, hosted by Lake County, is being live-streamed online and filmed for television broadcast on the Discovery Channel and the Outdoor Channel later this year. Toro pro Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kansas, caught a two-day total of 29 bass weighing 75-3 to start and end the day in second place. Jasper, Texas pro Todd Faircloth, boated a two-day total of 28 bass weighing 70-7 to end the round in third place. After starting the day in 26th place, pro Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Arizona , was the big mover of the day Sunday, catching 17 bass weighing 44 pounds, 4 ounces to vault into fourth with a two-day total of 24 bass for 57-13. Rounding out the top five is pro Boyd Duckett of Guntersville, Alabama, who caught a two-day total of 22 bass weighing 54-10. The top 20 anglers from Group A will now enjoy an off day, while the 40 anglers in Qualifying Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition on Monday. The Knockout Round, featuring 38 anglers competing to finish in the top eight, will take place on Tuesday. Wednesday’s Championship Round will feature Hite, Monday’s Group B winner, and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000. “All of the hard work that we put in pays off every once in a while, and it’s been a really good couple of days for me so far,” said Hite, who has five career wins and 33 top-10 finishes in MLF competition. “Today, it was almost like those fish were kind of in shock because the wind had been blowing 20 to 30 (miles per hour) every day for the last week and today it was dead, slick calm. I guess if I am going to have a bad execution day, it’s nice to have a 40-pound lead when I do it. I’m looking forward to a couple of days off – my shoulder needs it after what seems like 1,000 casts a day.” Like Friday, Hite relied mainly on a Z-Man Jackhammer and an EverGreen Grass Ripper swimjig to catch his fish. “The bread and butter bait for me today was the (Z-Man) Jackhammer StealthBlade (green pumpkin shad) with a Yamamoto Zako trailer,” Hite said. “We designed this bait – EverGreen, myself and Morizo Shimizu – for days like this. In the slick calm conditions, those fish are just real finicky, and the StealthBlade just doesn’t vibrate quite as hard as the regular Jackhammer. I threw it with 14 or 16-pound Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon line and that’s what I caught most of my fish on today. “I also caught some key fish on an original ½-ounce (Z-Man) Jackhammer (green shad), also with a Yamamoto Zako (sight flash) with 20-pound Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon,” Hite continued. “I threw it on a 7-foot, 3-inch heavy-action EverGreen Combat Stick with a 6:3:1 Daiwa Tatula Elite reel. And I let the cat out of the bag this week on our new swimjig. I worked on this thing for about a year and it’s going to be coming out in a couple of weeks – the new EverGreen Grass Ripper swimjig. I fished that with a Yamamoto Zako Paddletail Swimbait (sight flash) with 20-pound Sunline fluorocarbon line and a Daiwa Tatula Elite with a 7:1 gear ratio. “I’m super excited to advance into the Championship Round on Wednesday,” Hite went on to say. “I’ve got a good game plan, and we’re going to let those fish rest and hopefully have a shot to win this thing.” Tuskegee, Alabama pro Mark Daniels Jr. felt the pressure of the SCORETRACKER leaderboard on Sunday. After starting the day in 10th place, Daniels found himself sitting in 21st place, outside the Toro Cut Line, with just six minutes left in the day. Luckily for Daniels, he caught a 1-pound, 8-ounce largemouth as the clock ticked down to overtake pro Randy Howell by just 5 ounces and advance to the Knockout round in the final spot. “Oh my gosh, that was one of the most stressful days of my entire career,” a relieved Daniels said in his post-game interview. “I don’t have any gray hairs yet, but I think I might have gotten a couple after today. I was trying to fish the conditions, but nothing was working. I had to fall back on what got me here, a Z-Man ChatterBait with a Z-Man RaZor ShadZ trailer. And golly, I can’t believe it was a 1-8. Literally the fish that I needed. He could have been a 1-7 and I wouldn’t be here. Unreal. I’m so, so happy that I’m going to get another opportunity in the Knockout Round.” The top 20 pros from Qualifying Group A that now advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round on the Harris Chain of Lakes are: 1st: Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 42 bass, 100-7 A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Overall, there were 327 bass weighing 776 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 38 pros on Sunday. Elam won Sunday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, weighing in a 9-pound, 1-ounce largemouth on a squarebill crankbait during Period 1. Berkley will award $1,000 to the angler that weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament. The MLF Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three at the Harris Chain Presented by Bass Cat Boats is hosted by Lake County. The 40 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day qualifying round on Friday and Sunday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Saturday and Monday. 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, while the 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. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins. Full breakdown of the format can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. Anglers will take off from the Venetian Gardens Ski Beach Boat Ramp, located at 201 E. Lake Harris Drive, in Leesburg, at 6:30 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the Gardens, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend, but encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com. The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 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 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app. Television coverage of the Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain of Lakes will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 25 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition. For complete details and updated information on 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. |
Hite Coasts to Group A Qualifying Round Win at Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour – Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at Harris Chain
Kuphall Closes Wire-To-Wire Win At Bassmaster Elite Event On Guntersville
Caleb Kuphall, of Mukwonago, Wis., has won the 2021 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville with a four-day total of 85 pounds, 14 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
May 23, 2021
Kuphall Closes Wire-To-Wire Win At Bassmaster Elite Event On Guntersville
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SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — An Elite angler’s “walk-up” music has no bearing on tournament performance, but Caleb Kuphall’s could not have been more fitting for his dominant wire-to-wire victory in the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville, where he tallied a four-day total weight of 85 pounds, 14 ounces.
The second-year pro from Mukwonago, Wis., enters the weigh-in stage each day to the Beach Boys’ Catch a Wave. The opening verse perfectly mirrors the eye-popping Day 1 performance that gave Kuphall nearly a 6 1/2-pound lead and positioned him to ride out the slower periods and end up surging across the finish line by a huge margin.
“Catch a wave and you’re sitting on top of the world.”
“Having as much of a lead as I did, it was very nerve wracking, because you don’t want to blow it,” Kuphall said. “You’re like ‘I’ve got this lead and if I blow it, it’s a catastrophic train wreck.’ I kinda just rode that wave.”
Earning his first Elite trophy and becoming the first Wisconsin angler to do so, Kuphall set the bar high with a Day 1 catch of 27-10. With a windy Day 2 creating position and presentation challenges, his productivity dipped to 15-10, but Kuphall retained the top spot by a 4-9 margin.
Day 3 saw him getting back on track with a 23-9 limit that pushed his lead to 11 1/2 pounds. On Championship Sunday, Kuphall started slow, picked up steady momentum and sacked up the biggest bag of the final round — 19-1 — to collect a $100,000 top prize.
Notably, Kuphall’s 17-14 margin of victory is the second largest in Bassmaster Elite Series history (behind South Carolina pro Patrick Walter’s 29-10 margin last year at Lake Fork). Kuphall is only the 11th Elite angler to win by a double-digit margin.
Kuphall caught all of his bass flipping and punching shallow vegetation. In a tournament that saw competitors trying a wide range of spring tactics, he kept it simple and stuck to a fundamentally sound game plan that helped steady his nerves.
“I don’t generally get really nervous when I’m out fishing,” he said. “Throughout today, I felt totally calm because I just had two areas, so I didn’t really have a lot of decisions to make. I wasn’t going to do anything crazy and luckily it worked out.”
Kuphall fished two main areas. The first was a vast milfoil field just outside the take-off site at Goose Pond. Here, he mostly flipped a Texas-rigged Zoom Z Hog in the green pumpkin and California 420 colors on a 4/0 extra-wide gap hook with a 3/4-ounce tungsten weight. Saturday and Sunday, he also flipped a 1-ounce Dirty Jigs No Jack Punchin’ Jig with a forktail trailer.
When his first area slowed, Kuphall ran uplake to the east side of an island just below the B.B. Comer Bridge (State Route 35). That second spot comprised two large sections of matted grass, with scattered patches of floating weeds.
Targeting isolated clumps of the thicker mats proved most productive, but Kuphall said the uplake spot was likely bolstered by a fresh supply of hefty forage.
“Area is everything and on that secondary spot, I had a lot of fish moving to me,” he said. “I didn’t go up really shallow in that area during practice, but (second-place finisher) Wes Logan did and he told me there was a ton of bream beds.
“I think what happened was when all of those bluegill got done spawning, they moved out to the mats. Every day I’d hear bluegill going nuts (eating insects) in the mats and I’d see bass blowing up on them. Those bass just stayed under those mats and ate bluegill all day.”
Reflecting on his first career Elite Series victory, Kuphall said winning against a field peppered with anglers he’s admired for years made the victory especially rewarding.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” he said. “To beat this caliber of anglers is unreal. I’ve looked up to a lot of those guys like Jason Christie and Greg Hackney (also Top 10 finishers) over the years and to fish against those guys is crazy to begin with. To hold a blue trophy — I never thought it would happen this early in my career.”
Hailing from Springville, Ala., Logan made a big comeback after placing 43rd on Day 1 with 14-1. The next two days saw him add 20-12 and 20-8 to climb into sixth, then second place. His final-round limit of 12-11 gave him a second-place total of 68-0.
Logan spent his tournament between the Goose Pond area and just above the B.B. Comer Bridge and targeted a mix of shallow scenarios. He caught fish on a ChatterBait with a Zoom Super Fluke trailer and flipped a Zoom Z Craw on 3/4- and 1-ounce tungsten weights. He also tricked a 6 1/2-pounder on Day 2 with a wacky-rigged worm.
“I caught all of my fish today flipping,” Logan said. “I was targeting little stretches of grass where it was topped out a little bit, but not completely matted out.”
Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., finished third with 67-3. His daily weights were 16-2, 17-13, 16-8 and 16-12
Hackney caught most of his bass by punching a Strike King Rage Rodent around shallow vegetation. He also caught fish on a Strike King KVD Sexy Frog and a Strike King Hack Attack swim jig with a Rage Craw trailer.
“I used the swim jig early when it was still (low light) and the frog would be during the day while I was punching,” Hackney said. “I would either get around a bream bed or I would see one move in the mat.”
Caleb Sumrall of New Iberia, La., won the $1,000 Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 7-6 largemouth.
Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., came into the event with a big lead in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, and he did nothing to hurt his strong run at professional fishing’s biggest season-long accomplishment.
After finishing 24th this week, Feider leads the AOY race with 602 points, followed by Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., with 554, Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., with 550, Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Ontario, Canada, with 541 and Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, with 541
Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., leads the Rookie of the Year standings with 457 points.
Fourth-place finisher Christie took home an additional $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, and Chris Zaldain of Fort Worth, Texas, earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Logan earned $2,500 for being the highest-placing entrant, while Christie claimed an additional $1,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
The tournament was hosted by the City of Scottsboro.
2021 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville 5/20-5/23
Lake Guntersville, Scottsboro AL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 20 85-14 100 $102,000.00
Day 1: 5 27-10 Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 5 23-09 Day 4: 5 19-01
2. Wes Logan Springville, AL 20 68-00 99 $35,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 20-12 Day 3: 5 20-08 Day 4: 5 12-11
3. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 20 67-03 98 $30,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 17-13 Day 3: 5 16-08 Day 4: 5 16-12
4. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 20 66-09 97 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 16-08 Day 4: 5 14-06
5. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 20 65-03 96 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 20-04 Day 3: 5 19-04 Day 4: 5 15-07
6. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 20 64-13 95 $19,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 18-04 Day 3: 5 17-15 Day 4: 5 16-12
7. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 20 64-10 94 $18,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 5 16-07 Day 4: 5 15-06
8. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 20 64-08 93 $17,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 19-07 Day 3: 5 12-02 Day 4: 5 15-03
9. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 20 63-12 92 $16,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 19-10 Day 3: 5 13-09 Day 4: 5 11-08
10. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 20 63-10 91 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 16-02 Day 3: 5 19-13 Day 4: 5 13-12
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PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 07-06 $1,000.00
2 Bill Weidler Helena, AL 06-11 $1,000.00
3 Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 05-13 $1,000.00
4 Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 04-14 $1,000.00
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PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 07-06 $1,000.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 85 469 1319-11
2 83 454 1296-15
3 41 222 649-03
4 10 50 150-14
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219 1195 3416-11
Bobby Lane Leads Group B at Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour – Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain
Florida Pro Catches 25 Bass Weighing 68 Pounds, 4 Ounces to Grab Early Lead for Group B, Group A to Complete Two-Day Qualifying Round Sunday
Link to Video of Fish Catch Highlights from Day 1, Qualifying Group B
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LEESBURG, Fla. (May 22, 2021) – After a back-and-forth battle at the top of the leaderboard during Period 1, Berkley pro Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Florida, surged ahead in Period 2 of the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three at the Harris Chain Presented by Bass Cat Boats event in Leesburg, Florida. Lane caught a total of 25 bass on Saturday – including a pair of 6-pounders and several 4-pounders – to lead Qualifying Group B with 68 pounds, 4 ounces.
The Lakeland pro ended the day with a 24-pound advantage over second-place pro David Walker of Sevierville, Tennessee, who caught 14 bass weighing 44 pounds, 4 ounces. Pro Keith Poche of Pike Road, Alabama , sits 3 pounds, 12 ounces behind Walker, ending the day in third place with 15 bass weighing 40-8.
The 40 anglers in Group B will have the day off on Sunday, while the 40 anglers in Group A will complete their two-day Qualifying Round of competition. Group B will conclude their Qualifying Round on Monday. The six-day event, hosted by Lake County, features 80 of the top professional anglers from around the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.
Ending Period 1 in second place behind Poche, Lane caught a 4-pounder in the middle of Period 2 that moved him to the top of the leaderboard – and he never looked back.
“Today was a lot of hooksets and a lot of fun,” said Lane, 2016 Challenge Cup Champion on the Harris Chain of Lakes. “The wind was my friend and I basically had the whole entire South side of Lake Harris to myself.”
Lane, who never went more than an hour without padding his lead with a scoreable bass, said he caught almost all his fish flipping a Berkley PowerBait Power Hawg with a ½-ounce weight and a 4/0 Berkley Fusion19 hook along grass lines.
“This was one of the best days of flipping I’ve had in a while and the windy conditions were a huge benefit today,” said Lane. “The Berkley Power Hawg is perfect for the grass I’m flipping in and I tied on a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General as a back-up when my Power Hawg got hung up.”
Lane said he expects the conditions to change by Monday but he’s excited to have won the first round and to go back out on the water with the security of a 24-pound lead.
“My goal is to get into that Championship Round and I’m going to do whatever I can to make that happen,” said Lane. “If the water is slick and calm like I anticipate, I plan to focus on finding really thick clumps of grass where the fish are hiding in the shade. I may even venture over to the other side of Lake Harris.”
Location didn’t seem to matter much for Walker, who racked up several 4-pounders throughout the day in different areas across the lake.
“The way things were going during that second period had me a little worried, but thankfully I did well in the first and third period,” said Walker. “We’re still in it and we’re doing good – looking forward to getting back out there on Monday.”
The top 20 pros in Qualifying Group B after Day 1 on the Harris Chain of Lakes are:
1st: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 25 bass, 68-4
2nd: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 14 bass, 44-4
3rd: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 15 bass, 40-8
4th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 14 bass, 36-1
5th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 16 bass, 35-10
6th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 31-4
7th: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., seven bass, 28-2
8th: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 12 bass, 27-5
9th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 11 bass, 27-3
10th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., nine bass, 27-2
11th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 11 bass, 26-10
12th: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., nine bass, 23-15
13th: Tai Au, Glendale, Ariz., eight bass, 21-0
14th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 10 bass, 20-6
15th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., eight bass, 20-1
16th: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., four bass, 17-14
17th: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., six bass, 17-0
18th: Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., eight bass, 16-8
19th: Mike McClelland, Blue Eye, Mo., eight bass, 15-12
20th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., eight bass, 15-6
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 290 bass weighing 747 pounds, 3 ounces caught by the 40 pros on Saturday.
Shryock won Saturday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, weighing in an 8-pound, 6-ounce largemouth on a creature bait during Period 3. Berkley will award $1,000 to the angler that weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.
The MLF Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three at the Harris Chain Presented by Bass Cat Boats is hosted by Lake County.
The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Friday and Sunday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Saturday and Monday. 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, while the 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. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins. Full breakdown of the format can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Anglers will take off from the Venetian Gardens Ski Beach Boat Ramp, located at 201 E. Lake Harris Drive, in Leesburg, at 6:30 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the Gardens, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend, but encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 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 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain of Lakes will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 25 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
For complete details and updated information on 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.
Kuphall Extends Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake Guntersville
May 22, 2021
Kuphall Extends Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake Guntersville
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SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — Knowing when to shift gears rewarded Caleb Kuphall with a five-bass limit of 23 pounds, 9 ounces, which helped him extend his lead in the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville with a three-day total weight of 66 pounds, 13 ounces.
Holding the top spot since Day 1, the pro from Mukwonago, Wis., set the pace with a first-round limit of 27-10 — the tournament’s biggest bag — and followed with 15-10. After the first two days found Kuphall with leads of 6-7 and 4-9, he enters Championship Sunday 11 1/2 pounds ahead of Alabama pro Wes Logan.
“The more the better,” Kuphall said of his numerical advantage. “If you’re going to lead, you might as well lead big, I guess. I don’t know; I’ve never been in this position before.
“It feels great to be in the lead, but I’m going to be nervous tonight.”
As he has done the past two days, Kuphall began on a large milfoil bed close to takeoff. The area yielded much of his weight on Days 1 and 2, but intense fishing pressure — from him and other anglers — has steadily decreased the area’s productivity.
Kuphall had been Texas-rigging a Zoom Z Hog in the California 420 color on a 4/0 extra-wide gap hook with a 3/4-ounce tungsten weight, but today he switched to a 1-ounce Dirty Jigs No Jack Punchin’ Jig with a forktail trailer.
“I was just trying to show them something different,” Kuphall said of his bait change. “They started taking my (Texas rig) really lightly and I was missing a couple.
“Generally, with that jig, if they get it, you’re gonna get them. It’s just a better hookup percentage.”
Around 9 a.m., Kuphall had four fish for approximately 10 1/2 pounds, so he pulled the plug and relocated to his secondary spot — a large milfoil bed near the B.B. Comer Bridge (State Route 35). Expansive cover with lots of sunfish and big gizzard shad presented a promising scenario.
Within 30 minutes of arriving, Kuphall experienced a flurry that started with a 6-pounder and followed with two in the 4-pound class. Adding two more quality fish later in the day, Kuphall culled all the fish he’d caught on his starting spot.
“I knew the big fish were there,” he said. “I just got on a good stretch and conditions were just right today.
“The sun was positioning the fish in those mats and the wind was so light it wasn’t affecting my ability to fish the mats. Everything just set up perfectly to go in there and do damage.”
On Day 2, Kuphall found the stronger wind was compacting the mats and making presentations more difficult. Also, he had to use higher trolling motor power, which likely spooked the fish. Today’s conditions allowed him to leisurely work isolated grass clumps on the mat’s perimeter.
“I was looking for the thickest stuff available; the thicker the better,” Kuphall said. “You’d flip in there and they’d destroy the bait as soon as it gets through.
“I was using a Z Hog with an ounce weight. I try to go as light as possible because I miss a lot of fish if you go too heavy on the weight.”
Looking ahead to Championship Sunday, Kuphall said he’ll give his first spot a chance to produce, but unless he finds a big bite, he’ll transition to his spot near the B.B. Comer Bridge much earlier.
“By the way my first area’s going, I’m thinking I’m going to spend a lot of time in (the second spot) tomorrow,” he said.
Hailing from Springville, Ala., Logan bolstered his first two limits of 14-1 and 20-12 with a third-round bag of 20-8 and tallied 55-5. Fresh off his win at the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Neely Henry Lake, Logan caught all of his bass by flipping milfoil mats in the same general area where Kuphall spent most of his day.
“There’s so much floating eelgrass that it’ll get blown into a milfoil mat and make a canopy that they’ll get under,” Logan said. “I’m flipping three or four different baits and a couple of them have different actions. I’m in really thick cover, I threw a beaver-style bait and in the open stuff, I’m flipping a Zoom Z Craw.
Logan said he’s optimistic about Championship Sunday because, in addition to his mat pattern, he noticed an increase in shoreline activity — big bass staking out bream beds.
“I saw a lot of fish this afternoon that weren’t there this morning or yesterday,” Logan said. “They may be flooding offshore, but there’s a lot of them that aren’t leaving the bank.”
Canadian pro Chris Johnston is in third with 52-4. He entered Day 3 in second place, but fell one spot after a slower bite added 13-9 to his previous weights of 19-1 and 19-10.
Johnston started his day targeting an offshore hard spot in about 10 feet where he caught fish on a drop shot with a Roboworm in the morning dawn color. He returned to the pad field that yielded a couple of big bites on a Spro Popping Frog on Day 2, but could not get that pattern going.
“My starting spot has gotten a lot of pressure and I just didn’t get the big ones to bite today,” Johnston said. “There’s tons of fish there; you can see them (on the graph), but it’s very tough to get bites now.”
After his frog pattern fizzled, Johnston tried a few different areas and ultimately caught a couple of small keepers off beds.
Caleb Sumrall of New Iberia, La., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 7-6 largemouth.
Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., leads the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 602 points. Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., is second with 554, followed by Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., with 550, Johnston with 547 and Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, with 541.
Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., leads the Rookie of the Year standings with 457 points.
The Top 10 remaining anglers will take off at 5:30 a.m. CT on Championship Sunday from Scottsboro’s Goose Pond Colony Resort Marina. The weigh-in will be held back at Goose Pond at 2 p.m., with $100,000 going to the winner.
Live coverage of the event can be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will also broadcast the action live with the leaders beginning at 7 a.m.
The tournament is being hosted by the City of Scottsboro.
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Harrell Sacks Up 22.20 Pounds to Win ABA on Lake Gaston
ATHENS, Al. – Ryan Harrell of Roanoke Rapids NC, won the Bass Pro Shops Open Series event held on Lake Gaston on 5/15/21. Running out of Holly Grove Marina in Bracey VA, Harrell weighed in a five bass limit weighing 22.20 pounds. His limit was anchored by a bass weighing 5.05 pounds which was the largest bass weighed in by a boater. Harrell took home $2500.00 for the win and $530.00 for boater big bass.
“I caught a bunch of fish today,” said Harrell. “Of the fish I weighed in, I caught two off the bed, two on docks and one out of the grass. I caught them on jigs, lizards and senkos.”
Taking second for the boaters, Danny Moss of Macon NC, weighed in a five bass limit
weighing 16.11 pounds.
“I caught all of my fish today off the beds,” said Moss. “I caught seven total culling up a couple of times.”
Taking third for the boaters Shawn Hammack of Gasburg VA, weighed in five bass weighing 14.23 pounds.
“I caught seven or eight today all off the beds. There were a couple I would have liked to have had but they wouldn’t bite today,” said Hammack.
In fourth place for the boaters, Ralph Ray of Youngsville NC, weighed in five bass weighing 13.96 pounds and rounding out the top five Tyler Dix of Bracey VA, weighed in five bass weighing 13.50 pounds.
In the co-angler division Dean Majors of Knightdale NC, weighed in three bass weighing 10.21 pounds to take the win. His limit was anchored by a bass weighing 4.39 pounds which was the largest bass weighed in by a co-angler. Majors took home $875.00 for his win.
“I caught three bass today all off of wood with a worm,” said Majors.
In second place for the co-anglers, Jeff Bradley of Clayton NC, weighed in a three bass limit weighing 7.19 pounds.
“I caught my fish today on a shaky head, catching six total and culling up a couple of times,” said Bradley.
Taking third for the co-anglers, Don Porter of Camden NC, weighed in three bass weighing 6.96 pounds.
“My boater Carl put me around the fish and I caught them today on a worm,” said Porter.
Taking fourth for the co-anglers Chad Cleckner of Spring Lake NC, weighed in three bass weighing 6.81 pounds and rounding out the top five, Donald West of Apex NC, weighed in three bass weighing 6.39 pounds.
Slated for 9/11/12 2021 the next event will be the area championship on Kerr Lake running out of Nutbush Park in Henderson NC.
About American Bass Anglers – American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler while offering an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and all their bass tournament trails visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
American Bass Anglers is sponsored by: Bass Pro Shops, Triton Boats, Nitro Boats, Tracker boats, Mercury Marine, MotorGuide, Monster Energy drinks, Garmin, T-H Marine, ABU Garcia, Berkley, Engle Coolers, REKS Sunglasses, Power Pole and Hotel Planner.com.
Brett Hite Jumps Out to Early Lead at Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour – Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain
Phoenix, Arizona Pro Leads After Day 1 of Qualifying Round Group A with 34 Bass Weighing 83 Pounds, 5 Ounces – Group B to Compete Saturday
Link to Video of Fish Catch Highlights from Day 1, Qualifying Group A
LEESBURG, Fla. (May 21, 2021) – Pro Brett Hite of Phoenix, Arizona, dominated the field on Friday, catching 34 bass totaling a staggering 83 pounds, 5 ounces, to grab the early lead in Qualifying Group A on Day 1 of the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three at the Harris Chain Presented by Bass Cat Boats event. The six-day tournament, hosted by Lake County, features 80 of the top professional anglers from around the world competing for a purse of $805,000, including a top cash prize of $100,000 to the winner.
Hite will bring a commanding 40-pound, 9-ounce, lead into the second day of competition for Group A on Sunday, nearly doubling the weight of the second-place angler. Toro pro Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kansas, who ran neck-in-neck with Hite during Period 1, caught 16 bass weighing 42-12 to end the day in second place, while Alabama pro Boyd Duckett of Guntersville sits in third place, 3 pounds back of Chapman with 16 bass weighing 39-12.
The 40 anglers in Group A will now enjoy a day off Saturday, while the 40 anglers in Group B will begin their first day of competition. Group A resumes competition on Sunday.
Hite was in the same general area throughout the day as several other pros, yet he put on a ChatterBait clinic, shooting ahead on the SCORETRACKER® early in Period 2.
“I’m in awe of the day – this is one of the type of days that you dream about,” said Hite. “I found a massive area with a lot of fish during practice. I’m fishing the way I love to fish, catching plenty of fish and a bunch of big ones.
“It really came down to two different ChatterBait Jack Hammers that were the bread and butter for me,” continued Hite. “A BHite Delight-colored ½-ounce with a metal blade and a green pumpkin-colored Yamamoto Zako as well as a ½-ounce Jack Hammer StealthBlade with a Yamamoto Zako trailer.”
Hite said both baits had seen their fair share of action throughout the day.
“This bait looks like it should after a full day – all beat up, with teeth marks and paint coming off – that’s the mark of a good day,” said Hite. “I caught a lot of fish, and an 8-pounder on that ChatterBait. I’m really looking forward to going fishing on Sunday and hopefully making that Championship Round.”
Hite credited his sweet setup of an Evergreen rod, a Daiwa Tatula Elite reel and 20-pound Sunline fluorocarbon for his exceptional start to the event.
Chapman was also thrilled with his Day 1 results, taking advantage of his lead later in the day to practice and learn more about the water he’s fishing. That practice resulted in three additional fish in the third and final period and a second-place finish.
“To catch that many scoreable bass in a day is just phenomenal,” said Chapman. “I’m familiar with this fishery, but not at this time of year, so I wasn’t really sure how it would fish. I’m really happy with how my practice went this week and it really paid off today.”
The top 20 pros in Group A after Day 1 on the Harris Chain of Lakes are:
1st: Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 34 bass, 83-5
2nd: Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., 16 bass, 42-12
3rd: Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., 16 bass, 39-12
4th: Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, 15 bass, 37-15
5th: Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, 12 bass, 32-14
6th: Paul Elias, Laurel, Miss., 13 bass, 32-13
7th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 15 bass, 32-7
8th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 13 bass, 31-11
9th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 13 bass, 30-0
10th: Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., 11 bass, 28-12
11th: Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 13 bass, 26-6
12th: Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., 11 bass, 25-8
13th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., seven bass, 25-0
14th: Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., eight bass, 24-3
15th: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 10 bass, 24-0
16th: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 10 bass, 22-0
17th: Shin Fukae, Thomson, Ga., 10 bass, 20-0
18th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., nine bass, 19-4
19th: Jared Lintner, Arroyo Grande, Calif., eight bass, 17-5
20th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., seven bass, 15-12
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 332 bass weighing 797 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 38 pros on Friday.
Britt Myers won Friday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, weighing in a 9-pound, 8-ounce largemouth on a bladed jig during Period 2. Berkley will award $1,000 to the angler that weighs the biggest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.
The MLF Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three at the Harris Chain Presented by Bass Cat Boats is hosted by Lake County.
The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Friday and Sunday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Saturday and Monday. 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, 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. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins. Full breakdown of the format can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Anglers will take off from the Venetian Gardens Ski Beach Boat Ramp, located at 201 E. Lake Harris Drive, in Leesburg, at 6:30 a.m. ET each day of competition. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will also be held at the Gardens, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend, but encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 76 of the top professional anglers in the world – joined at each event by 4 pros that qualify from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit – competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2022 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 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats at the Harris Chain of Lakes will be showcased across two two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Sept. 25 on the Discovery Channel. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
For complete details and updated information on 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.
Kuphall Maintains Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake Guntersville
May 21, 2021
Kuphall Maintains Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake Guntersville
[print_link]
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — On Thursday, Caleb Kuphall said he was concerned he’d exhausted his Day 1 hot spot, but the area still held enough quality fish to help him maintain his lead at the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville with a two-day total of 43 pounds, 4 ounces.
Sacking up a Day 1 limit of 27-10 — the tournament’s biggest bag so far — the pro from Mukwonago, Wis., carried a lead of 6-7 into Friday’s competition. Adding 15-10, Kuphall heads into Saturday’s semifinal round with a 4-9 margin over Canadian Chris Johnston.
Starting both days on a large milfoil bed not far from takeoff, Kuphall has done most of his work in a relatively small area within this sprawling habitat. Other boats were fishing around him, but Kuphall has dialed in a particular sweet spot.
“There’s a lot of pressure in that spot; today, there was another two boats in there and another one came in later on,” Kuphall said. “There’s still a lot of fish there; I got bit pretty much up until I left around 9:30. I just don’t think I can get another two days out of it.”
Kuphall is catching his bass on a Zoom Z-Hog in the California 420 color. He’s rigging the bait on a 4/0 extra-wide gap hook with a 3/4-ounce tungsten weight.
Once his starting spot fizzled, Kuphall ran about 15 minutes uplake to fish a matted milfoil bed. This area holds scattered pads, but he said the secondary habitat isn’t factoring into his game plan.
“You have the mat line, and what I’m fishing is out from that,” he said. “It’s a little deeper water and the isolated grass clumps are key to getting my bites. I really haven’t gotten any bites fishing the line.
“I’m using the Z-Hog here too, but I’m using a 1-ounce weight. If the wind blows again tomorrow, I may have to go to an ounce and a quarter or an ounce and a half.”
On Day 1, Kuphall’s second spot yielded two sizable culls, but on Friday it afforded only a 1/4-pound upgrade. He noted that Friday’s wind impeded his efficiency on his uplake area.
“The wind was coming right up the gut and I had my trolling motor on 80 to 100% just to hold in that area,” he said. “When you’re shallow like that in the mats, I think I was spooking a lot of fish before I was getting to them.”
Assessing his day, Kuphall said he’s pleased with his position but thankful for a huge first round, which buoyed his weight. Overall, Friday proved considerably more challenging.
“One of my areas is drying up on me and the other one … I just didn’t catch them today,” he said. “I think I’m going to have to look for something else to do because I don’t see that first spot holding up another two days.
“It was a grind today. I only caught about 10 fish today. I was hoping I’d get some bigger bites, but I didn’t get them. But tomorrow’s another day.”
Kuphall said he plans on giving his starting spot another look Saturday, but he won’t burn much time there unless he finds a big bite early.
“I have a couple of other areas that I haven’t touched yet,” he said. “They’re (mostly) keeper areas; just limit areas. If I get into trouble, I can go and get a couple of bites.”
Hailing from Peterborough, Ontario, Johnston added 19-10 to the 19-1 he caught Thursday and gained three spots from fifth with a total weight of 38-11.
Johnston caught three of his limit fish by throwing a bream-colored Spro Poppin’ Frog over pads. He caught the other two while fishing a drop shot with a Roboworm in the morning dawn color over an offshore hard spot in about 10 feet.
“I didn’t go to my frog area on Day 1 because I had two 3-pounders blow up on it in practice and I was saving it in case I needed it,” Johnston said. “Luckily, it worked out today and there were more fish there than I thought. I wasn’t expecting to get those big ones and that many.”
Luke Palmer of Coalgate, Okla., is in third with 37-3. After placing eighth on Day 1 with 17-12, Palmer added a limit of 19-7, which included a 5 1/2-pounder.
Palmer divided his day between throwing a Zara Spook in shallow water and rotating through a drop shot, jerkbait and rattlebait in deeper grass.
“I’m just mixing it up and trying to figure out what the fish want,” Palmer said. “You’re liable to go down one stretch, turn around and come back with another bait and just wreck them.”
Caleb Sumrall of New Iberia, La., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 7-6.
Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., leads the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 612 points. Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, is in second with 557, followed by Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., with 554, Johnston with 548 and Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., with 541
Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., leads the Rookie of the Year standings with 463 points.
Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 5:30 a.m. CT from Scottsboro’s Goose Pond Colony Resort Marina. The weigh-in will be held back at Goose Pond at 2 p.m. After Saturday’s weigh-in, only the Top 10 remaining anglers will advance to Championship Sunday with a chance at the $100,000 first-place prize.
Live coverage of the event can be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will also broadcast the action live with the leaders beginning at 7 a.m.
The tournament is being hosted by the City of Scottsboro.
2021 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville 5/20-5/23
Lake Guntersville, Scottsboro AL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 10 43-04 100
Day 1: 5 27-10 Day 2: 5 15-10
2. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 10 38-11 99
Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 19-10
3. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 10 37-03 98
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 5 19-07
4. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 10 35-11 97
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 16-15
5. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 35-05 96
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 21-05
6. Wes Logan Springville, AL 10 34-13 95
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 20-12
6. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 10 34-13 95
Day 1: 5 20-12 Day 2: 5 14-01
8. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 10 33-15 93
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 17-13
9. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 10 33-12 92
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 17-12
10. Bryan New Belmont, NC 10 33-00 91
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 18-01
11. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 10 32-13 90
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 17-03
12. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 10 31-15 89
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 14-05
13. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 10 31-13 88
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 15-00
14. Seth Feider New Market, MN 10 31-11 87
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 15-15
15. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 31-05 86
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 12-00
16. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 10 31-00 85
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 13-10
17. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 10 31-00 84
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 16-15
18. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 10 31-00 83
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 16-12
19. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 10 30-15 82
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 5 09-12
20. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 10 30-13 81
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 13-15
21. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 10 30-09 80
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 15-02
22. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 10 30-08 79
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 20-04
23. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 10 30-08 78
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 14-06
24. Derek Hudnall Denham Springs, LA 10 30-06 77
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 14-01
25. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 10 30-06 76
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 14-07
26. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 10 30-05 75
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 14-03
27. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 10 30-04 74
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 19-11
28. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 10 30-02 73
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 18-04
29. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 30-02 72
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 16-11
30. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 10 30-01 71
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 16-02
30. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 10 30-01 71
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 13-15
32. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 10 29-15 69
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 19-09
33. John Cox Debary, FL 10 29-13 68
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 15-03
34. Buddy Gross Chickamauga, GA 10 29-12 67
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 15-07
35. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 10 29-06 66
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 16-01
36. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 10 29-02 65
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 13-02
37. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 10 28-12 64
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 13-09
38. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 10 28-11 63
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 17-15
39. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 10 28-08 62
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 13-02
40. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 10 28-08 61
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 14-10
41. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 10 28-06 60
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 15-14
42. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 10 28-02 59
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 15-09
43. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 10 28-01 58
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 13-12
44. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 10 28-00 57
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 11-00
45. Jay Yelas Lincoln City, OR 10 27-14 56
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 13-12
46. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 10 27-08 55
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 14-09
47. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 27-06 54
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 14-07
48. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 10 27-05 53
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 12-11
49. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 9 27-05 52 $6,000.00
Day 1: 4 14-04 Day 2: 5 13-01
50. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 9 27-04 51 $5,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 4 11-13
51. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 10 27-04 50 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 12-00
52. Bob Downey Hudson, WI 10 27-01 49 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 5 12-04
53. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 10 27-01 48 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 13-11
54. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 10 26-15 47 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 12-06
55. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 10 26-11 46 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 10-12
56. Mike Huff Corbin, KY 10 26-10 45 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 13-12
57. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 10 26-04 44 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 11-05
58. Randy Pierson Oakdale, CA 10 26-02 43 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 11-13
59. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 10 26-00 42 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 12-01
60. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 10 25-12 41 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 14-04
61. Darold Gleason Many, LA 10 25-12 40 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 13-10
62. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 25-12 39 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 12-09
63. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 8 25-10 38 $2,500.00
Day 1: 3 07-03 Day 2: 5 18-07
64. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 8 25-05 37 $3,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 3 12-07
65. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 10 25-00 36 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 12-01
66. Quentin Cappo Prairieville, LA 9 24-12 35 $2,500.00
Day 1: 4 08-06 Day 2: 5 16-06
67. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 10 24-07 34 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 11-06
68. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 10 24-04 33 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-02 Day 2: 5 12-02
69. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 9 24-02 32 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 4 10-07
70. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 23-15 31 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 10-08
71. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 8 23-10 30 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-12 Day 2: 3 09-14
72. Destin DeMarion Grove City, PA 10 23-10 29 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 11-07
73. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 10 23-10 28 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 11-14
74. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 8 23-09 27 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 3 06-13
75. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 10 23-04 26 $2,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 12-03
76. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 10 23-02 25
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 11-10
77. David Fritts Lexington, NC 9 23-00 24
Day 1: 4 07-15 Day 2: 5 15-01
78. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 23-00 23
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 12-07
79. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 8 22-08 22
Day 1: 3 07-01 Day 2: 5 15-07
80. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 7 22-06 21
Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 2 04-00
81. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 10 22-06 20
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 10-14
82. Rob Digh Denver, NC 8 22-04 19
Day 1: 3 08-00 Day 2: 5 14-04
83. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 9 21-13 18
Day 1: 4 07-13 Day 2: 5 14-00
84. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 9 20-13 17
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 4 08-07
85. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 10 20-13 16
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 10-13
86. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 9 20-10 15
Day 1: 4 08-08 Day 2: 5 12-02
87. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 8 20-09 14
Day 1: 3 05-13 Day 2: 5 14-12
88. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 10 19-06 13
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 5 08-10
89. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 7 17-11 12
Day 1: 4 10-03 Day 2: 3 07-08
90. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 7 17-09 11
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 2 05-11
91. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 8 17-09 10
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 3 07-05
92. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 8 17-09 9
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 3 08-00
93. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 9 17-08 8
Day 1: 4 07-12 Day 2: 5 09-12
94. Frank Talley Temple, TX 7 16-03 7
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 2 03-14
95. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 7 15-05 6
Day 1: 2 03-15 Day 2: 5 11-06
96. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 7 14-15 5
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 2 03-13
97. Cody Hollen Beaverton, OR 6 13-04 4
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 1 01-12
98. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 2 06-07 3
Day 1: 2 06-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
——————————
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 07-06 $1,000.00
2 Bill Weidler Helena, AL 06-11 $1,000.00
——————————
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 85 469 1319-11
2 83 454 1296-15
——————————
168 923 2616-10
Kuphall Builds Hefty Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Guntersville
Caleb Kuphall, of Mukwonago, Wis., is leading after Day 1 of the 2021 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville with 27 pounds, 10 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
May 20, 2021
Kuphall Builds Hefty Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Guntersville
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SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — A fast start plus two afternoon upgrades yielded a five-bass limit of 27 pounds, 10 ounces for Caleb Kuphall of Mukwonago, Wis., who leads Day 1 of the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville.
Heading into Day 2, Kuphall holds a lead of 6-7 over veteran South Carolina pro Todd Auten.
According to BassTrakk’s unofficial standings, Kuphall had secured a limit of approximately 19-4 by 6:58 a.m. Registering his first keeper — a 2-12 — 24 minutes after the 5:30 takeoff, Kuphall quickly added four more keepers, including two over 5 pounds.
About 30 minutes after securing the day’s first limit, Kuphall upgraded to 21-12. Several hours passed without further improvement, but shortly after noon, he added a 4-8 and followed with a 5-8 just before 1 p.m.
Noting that he fished two different areas, Kuphall described his primary spot as a classic postspawn staging area. Located in a large spawning cove, the area he targeted provided a natural stopping point for bass on their way out toward summer habitat.
“It was a point with a big mat of milfoil going out to the main lake,” he said. “I got back-to-back bites — in the morning, I caught a 6- and a 5 1/2-pounder on the very next cast.
“I kind of had two things going today, and the first one was a supershallow deal. I caught two of my weigh-in fish in about 3 feet of water, and the rest of them came in about 6 feet.”
Kuphall kept his bait details guarded, but he noted that a bottom-oriented presentation tempted all of his bites. He used multiple colors, but he said the appearance is less important than the presentation.
“It’s a reaction bite; a fast-fall kind of deal,” he said.
Kuphall said he ended up having to fish his area out, as a fellow competitor was showing interest. He’s hopeful that a few quality fish remain, so he’ll explore it again on Day 2.
“I hit it pretty hard, I don’t think there’s much left there,” he said. “I’m going to give it a go tomorrow and hopefully get a few bites off of it.
“It’s not something that’s going to hold up for multiple days. It’s pretty much a one-and-done deal.”
In second place, Auten sacked up a limit that weighed 21-3. His morning also started quickly, but it took a few hours for him to dial in the quality bites.
“About 9:30, I had one fish — a 7-pounder — but I pulled into a little place and caught a couple of good ones, messed around and caught another good one,” Auten said. “That was about it on the big fish and then I caught a couple more 2-pounders.
“I struggled, really. I just got lucky and got a couple of good bites. It might be the area. I’ll have to go back in there tomorrow and see.”
Auten described his most productive area as a windblown point where prespawn and postspawn fish were staging. A crankbait and spinnerbait produced all of his weight, with the 7-pounder biting the latter.
Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, is in third with 20-12. One week after winning the Basspro.com Bassmaster Northern Open at James River, Palaniuk took a mobile approach to tracking down Guntersville’s transitioning bass.
Having gone through about 35 baits Thursday, Palaniuk said he caught all of his weight on two reaction baits. One of them was a Storm Arashi Glide Bait in the black silver shad color.
“I saw a piece of cover and said, ‘I have to stop and throw a glide on that,’” he said. “I caught a 3-pounder and one that was about 5 1/2.
“I was just trying to cover water. I feel like these fish are moving so much, you have to stay on top of them.”
Caleb Sumrall of New Iberia, La., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 7-6.
Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., maintained his lead in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 602 points. Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., is in second with 574, followed by Palaniuk with 560, Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., with 552 and Chris Johnston of Peterborough, Canada, with 545.
KJ Queen of Catawba, N.C., leads the Rookie of the Year standings with 451 points.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 5:30 a.m. CT from Goose Pond Landing. The weigh-in will be held at Goose Pond at 2 p.m. Only the Top 48 anglers will advance after Friday’s weigh-in to fish the semifinal round on Saturday.
Live coverage of the event can be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms.
The tournament is being hosted by the City of Scottsboro.
2021 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville 5/20-5/23
Lake Guntersville, Scottsboro AL.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 5 27-10 100
Day 1: 5 27-10
2. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 5 21-03 99
Day 1: 5 21-03
3. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 20-12 98
Day 1: 5 20-12
4. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 19-05 97
Day 1: 5 19-05
5. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 5 19-01 96
Day 1: 5 19-01
6. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 18-12 95
Day 1: 5 18-12
7. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 5 18-06 94
Day 1: 5 18-06
8. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 5 17-12 93
Day 1: 5 17-12
9. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 5 17-10 92
Day 1: 5 17-10
10. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 5 17-06 91
Day 1: 5 17-06
11. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 5 17-00 90
Day 1: 5 17-00
12. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 5 16-14 89
Day 1: 5 16-14
13. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 5 16-13 88
Day 1: 5 16-13
14. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 16-12 87
Day 1: 5 16-12
15. Derek Hudnall Denham Springs, LA 5 16-05 86
Day 1: 5 16-05
16. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 5 16-02 85
Day 1: 5 16-02
16. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 16-02 85
Day 1: 5 16-02
16. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 5 16-02 85
Day 1: 5 16-02
16. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 5 16-02 85
Day 1: 5 16-02
20. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 5 16-00 81
Day 1: 5 16-00
20. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 5 16-00 81
Day 1: 5 16-00
22. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 5 15-15 79
Day 1: 5 15-15
22. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 5 15-15 79
Day 1: 5 15-15
24. Seth Feider New Market, MN 5 15-12 77
Day 1: 5 15-12
25. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 5 15-10 76
Day 1: 5 15-10
26. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 5 15-07 75
Day 1: 5 15-07
26. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 15-07 75
Day 1: 5 15-07
28. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 15-06 73
Day 1: 5 15-06
29. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 5 15-04 72
Day 1: 5 15-04
30. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 5 15-03 71
Day 1: 5 15-03
31. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 5 14-15 70
Day 1: 5 14-15
31. Bryan New Belmont, NC 5 14-15 70
Day 1: 5 14-15
33. Bob Downey Hudson, WI 5 14-13 68
Day 1: 5 14-13
34. John Cox Debary, FL 5 14-10 67
Day 1: 5 14-10
34. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 14-10 67
Day 1: 5 14-10
36. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 14-09 65
Day 1: 5 14-09
37. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 5 14-05 64
Day 1: 5 14-05
37. Buddy Gross Chickamauga, GA 5 14-05 64
Day 1: 5 14-05
37. Randy Pierson Oakdale, CA 5 14-05 64
Day 1: 5 14-05
40. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 5 14-04 61
Day 1: 5 14-04
41. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 4 14-04 60 $1,000.00
Day 1: 4 14-04
42. Jay Yelas Lincoln City, OR 5 14-02 59
Day 1: 5 14-02
43. Wes Logan Springville, AL 5 14-01 58
Day 1: 5 14-01
43. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 5 14-01 58
Day 1: 5 14-01
45. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 14-00 56
Day 1: 5 14-00
46. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 5 13-15 55
Day 1: 5 13-15
47. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 5 13-15 54
Day 1: 5 13-15
48. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 5 13-14 53
Day 1: 5 13-14
49. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 5 13-12 52
Day 1: 5 13-12
50. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 5 13-11 51
Day 1: 5 13-11
51. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 13-07 50
Day 1: 5 13-07
51. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 13-07 50
Day 1: 5 13-07
53. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 5 13-06 48
Day 1: 5 13-06
54. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 5 13-05 47
Day 1: 5 13-05
55. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 13-03 46
Day 1: 5 13-03
56. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 13-01 45
Day 1: 5 13-01
57. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 12-15 44
Day 1: 5 12-15
57. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 5 12-15 44
Day 1: 5 12-15
57. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 5 12-15 44
Day 1: 5 12-15
60. Mike Huff Corbin, KY 5 12-14 41
Day 1: 5 12-14
60. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 5 12-14 41
Day 1: 5 12-14
62. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 12-09 39
Day 1: 5 12-09
63. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 12-08 38
Day 1: 5 12-08
64. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 5 12-06 37
Day 1: 5 12-06
65. Frank Talley Temple, TX 5 12-05 36
Day 1: 5 12-05
66. Destin DeMarion Grove City, PA 5 12-03 35
Day 1: 5 12-03
67. Darold Gleason Many, LA 5 12-02 34
Day 1: 5 12-02
67. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 12-02 34
Day 1: 5 12-02
69. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 5 11-14 32
Day 1: 5 11-14
69. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 5 11-14 32
Day 1: 5 11-14
71. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 5 11-12 30
Day 1: 5 11-12
72. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 11-08 29
Day 1: 5 11-08
72. Cody Hollen Beaverton, OR 5 11-08 29
Day 1: 5 11-08
72. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 5 11-08 29
Day 1: 5 11-08
75. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 5 11-08 26
Day 1: 5 11-08
76. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 5 11-02 25
Day 1: 5 11-02
77. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 5 11-01 24
Day 1: 5 11-01
78. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 5 10-12 23
Day 1: 5 10-12
79. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 10-12 22
Day 1: 5 10-12
80. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 5 10-09 21
Day 1: 5 10-09
81. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 10-09 20
Day 1: 5 10-09
82. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 5 10-06 19
Day 1: 5 10-06
83. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 10-04 18
Day 1: 5 10-04
83. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 5 10-04 18
Day 1: 5 10-04
85. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 4 10-03 16
Day 1: 4 10-03
86. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 5 10-00 15
Day 1: 5 10-00
87. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 5 09-09 14
Day 1: 5 09-09
88. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 4 08-08 13
Day 1: 4 08-08
89. Quentin Cappo Prairieville, LA 4 08-06 12
Day 1: 4 08-06
90. Rob Digh Denver, NC 3 08-00 11
Day 1: 3 08-00
91. David Fritts Lexington, NC 4 07-15 10
Day 1: 4 07-15
92. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 4 07-13 9
Day 1: 4 07-13
93. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 4 07-12 8
Day 1: 4 07-12
94. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 3 07-03 7
Day 1: 3 07-03
95. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 3 07-01 6
Day 1: 3 07-01
96. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 2 06-07 5
Day 1: 2 06-07
97. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 3 05-13 4
Day 1: 3 05-13
98. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 2 03-15 3
Day 1: 2 03-15
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PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 07-06 $1,000.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 85 469 1319-11
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85 469 1319-11