Huntsville’s Barnett Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Indian Lake

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June 9, 2020

Huntsville’s Barnett Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Indian Lake

Okeana’s Jones Wins Co-angler Division

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LAKEVIEW, Ohio (June 8, 2020) – Boater John Barnett of Huntsville, Ohio, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 13 pounds even to win the 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event at Indian Lake in Lakeview, Ohio. For his victory, Barnett earned a total of $4,872.

The tournament was the first of five events in

the Buckeye Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.

“I fished on the north end of the lake, by Long Island,” said Barnett, who earned his first career FLW win. “I was punching a mixture of grass – a lot of coon tails – keying in on patches that had deeper water around it. I got most of my good bites around 3½- to 4-foot-deep, which on this lake is relatively deep.”

Although he didn’t divulge any specifics, Barnett said he punched with both beaver- and craw-type baits with ¾- and 1¼-ounce weights, cycling through different setups to see what the bass wanted.

“I found those fish two weeks ago and pretty much just expanded on my area,” Barnett went on to say. “I had a set game plan of what I wanted to do in this tournament, and everything worked out for me.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1^st: John Barnett of Huntsville, Ohio., five bass, 13-0, $4,872

2^nd: Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, five bass, 12-13, $2,436

3^rd: Benjamin Quisno of Maineville, Ohio, five bass, 11-4, $1,623

4^th: Gaige Hennon of New Hampshire, Ohio, five bass, 11-3, $1,137

5^th: Robert Grosse of Thornville, Ohio, five bass, 11-0, $1,474

6^th: Douglas Lyon of Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 10-10, $893

7^th: Todd Miller of Hamilton, Ohio, five bass, 10-8, $812

8^th: Ronald Nutter of Newark, Ohio, five bass, 10-5, $731

9^th: Michael Nesbitt of St. Paris, Ohio, five bass, 10-3, $609

9^th: Brandon Cline of Wheelersburg, Ohio, five bass, 10-3, $609

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

William Redmond of Sciotoville, Ohio, claimed the day’s Boater Big Bass Award of $735 after bringing a 4-pound bass to the scale.

Grosse was the highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Brent Jones of Okeana, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division and $2,436 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 9 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1^st: Brent Jones of Okeana, Ohio, five bass, 9-4, $2,436

2^nd: Eric Wild of Brooklyn, Mich., five bass, 8-12, $1,383

2^nd: Jefferey Shields of Covington, Ohio, five bass, 8-12, $1,016

4^th: John McKenzie of Athens, Ohio, five bass, 8-8, $568

5^th: Aaron Stahley of Batavia, Ohio, five bass, 8-7, $487

6^th: Joel Berelsman of Minster, Ohio, five bass, 7-15, $447

7^th: James Mayle of Newark, Ohio, four bass, 7-10, $406

8^th: Chris McCusker of Beaver Falls, Pa., four bass, 7-9, $345

8^th: Steve Sorrell of Beavercreek, Ohio, five bass, 7-9, $345

10^th: Jeff Gauspohl of Dayton, Ky., four bass, 7-8, $284

Wild caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 3 pounds, 11 ounces. The catch added to his winnings as he earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $367.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Buckeye Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 16-18 Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Cherokee Lake in Jefferson City, Tennessee, hosted by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2020 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 co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments 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 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American will be held Nov. 11-13 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina and is hosted by Visit Anderson. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers plus tournament winners from each Phoenix Bass Fishing League division earn priority entry into the FLW Series, the pathway to the FLW Pro Circuit and ultimately the MLF Bass Pro Tour, where top pros compete with no entry fees.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, FLW and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Zimbabwe.

FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show while Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. Acquired by Major League Fishing in late 2019, FLW is expanding its programming in 2020 to the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel as well as on-demand at MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).

David Buchanan & Brian Richardson Win CATT Tidewater May 30, 2020

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June 8, 2020

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David Buchanan & Brian Richardson Win CATT Tidewater May 30, 2020

Next Tidewater CATT is June 14 at North River – Waterlilly Ramp

Visit Blake Ford of Franklin, VA! Click on the Blake Ford logo and check out their Fords in stock! Click on the Ford Truck to view!

Finally we get to start up! David Buchanan & Brian Richardson brought in 5 bass weighing 20.01 lbs topping the 25 boat field! They collected $1,200.00!

Charlie Reed & Tommy Houlroyd finished 2nd with 17.07 lbs! They weighed in the 2nd BF at 6.08 lbs and took home the BONUS $All total they collected $975.00!

3rd went to Mike Evans & Brian Cooper with a limit weighing 17.o3 lbs for a 250.00 payday!

Matt Greschak & Dustin Alley claimed 4th with 16.11 lbs!

TE Jones & Trey Jones with a nice bag!

Tom Foster & David Gardner brought in 5!

Brad Higginbotham Nathan Barber with another limit!

Jeremy Gatewood & Jared Albritte received a $100 cash award by drawing sponsored by MOTORTECH Sales & Service! Click on the logo for more info!

25 Teams

BF

Weight

Winnings

Points

David Buchanan Brian Richardson

0.00

20.01

$1,200.00

110

Charlie Reed Tommy Houlroyd

6.08

17.07

$975.00

109

Brian Cooper Mike Evans

0.00

17.03

$250.00

108

Matt Greschak Dustin Alley

0.00

16.11

$200.00

107

Jaff Hayden Benny Cannon

8.01

16.09

$295.00

106

Keith Jennings Jerry Murray

0.00

16.07

105

Tom Foster David Gardner

0.00

16.03

104

Joe Glazebrook Chris Carmell

0.00

14.00

103

Jim Dick Greg Dick

0.00

12.14

102

TE Jones Trey Young

0.00

12.07

101

Brad Higginbotham Nathan Barber

0.00

12.04

100

Matt Jennings Mark London

0.00

12.04

99

Scott Shaffer

0.00

12.02

98

Ken Kipler Shawn Dunlap

0.00

11.15

97

Travis Badgett Derek Smith

0.00

11.06

96

Scott Rock Cliff Hoggard

0.00

11.00

95

Mike Scott JP Scott

0.00

10.01

94

Chris Turner Quinton Chappell

0.00

2.03

93

Jeff Knapp Ben Knapp

0.00

92

Stacy Light Paul Harris

0.00

92

Jeremy Gatewood Jared Albritten

0.00

92

Benny Hendricks Ronnie Ketchum

0.00

92

Charles Wethersbee Michael Hinson

0.00

92

Russell Gammon John Lane

0.00

92

Luke Nickert Andrew Bass

0.00

92

Total Entrys

$3,000.00

BONUS $

$350.00

Total Paid At Ramp

$2,920.00

2019 Tidewater Final Fund

$330.00

2019 CATT Championship Fund

$50.00

2019 Tidewater Final Fund Total

$330.00

2019 CATT Championship Fund Total

$3,300.00

Matt Powers & Luke Mitchell Win CATT Smith Mountain Lake June 7th 2020

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June 8, 2020

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Matt Powers & Luke Mitchell Win CATT Smith Mountain Lake June 7th 2020

Twenty five teams competed in the CATT Smith Mountain Lake event on June 7th. With 3 bags coming in at over 20lbs the one team of Mike Powers & Luke Mitchellwere able to take the win with their 5 fish limit weighing 21.58 lbs. Thank you to Alicia Matherly for the photos.

CLICK HERE TO SEE RESULTS

Major League Fishing Resumes Live Competition: 29YO Birge Buries the Field

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June 8, 2020

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Major League Fishing Resumes Live Competition: 29YO Birge Buries the Field

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 7, 2020 (Kissimmee, Fla.) Major League Fishing (MLF) returned to live sports with their biggest event yet, Sunday on the Kissimmee Chain. Favorite Fishing pro Zack Birge leads Group A after the first day of the Qualifying Round in the inaugural Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo, which boasts $753,000 in payouts. Brent Ehrler leads Group A for the Heavy Hitters big-fish bonus with an eight-pound, six-ounce largemouth. The remaining 39 Pros (Group B) including current Bass Pro Tour leader Ott DeFoe and Florida-favorite Bobby Lane, take to the water Monday morning. The competition continues daily through Friday.

MLF resumed the 2020 Bass Pro Tour season after an 80-day, mid-season pause to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Due to the socially distant nature of competitive bass fishing and the unique MLF format, MLF moved forward with live competition while other professional sports remain paused. The MLF format, which features catch-weigh-and immediately release, eliminates a traditional weigh-in by weighing the fish on the boat and recording the cumulative weight in the proprietary SCORETRACKER® over the nine-hour day.

29-year-old Zack Birge led the field nearly the entire day after catching his first of 17 scoreable bass in the first 11 minutes of regulation. Birge finished the day with 53 pounds, seven ounces and a substantial, 17-pound lead over second place, which he said was his goal going into the round.

“I started off a little slow, but I ended strong,” said Birge. “I had two goals coming into today’s round: I wanted to have a little cushion and get some good points toward my REDCREST qualification. The only thing I missed was a big fish; but I caught a 5-8 so that’s good. It was a good day.”

Birge caught the majority of scorable fish on a Yo-Zuri 3DB Series 1.5 squarebill crankbait in gizzard shad, including his biggest fish of the day, which weighed in at 5 pounds, 8 ounces. As the day wound down on MLFNOW!, MLF sports commentator JT Kenney highlighted his surprise that Birge was one of the only anglers to focus on the creeks and currents around the lake. When asked about his strategy, Birge says he goes against the grain by following the current and his roots.

“Many people from out of state, when they fish Florida, follow what they read or hear as the ‘right thing to do in Florida,” commented Birge, who lives in Oklahoma. “But for me, since I started fishing Florida in 2015, I bring what I do in Oklahoma to Florida and that seems to work. Fish love current, so I go to the current and it worked again.”

MLF Rookie Bryan Thrift marched his way to second place finish with 12 fish totaling 36 pounds, seven ounces. Sticking with an offshore, vegetation strategy, Thrift changed up the bait to keep the fish biting racking up six on a worm in the third period alone.

“I was hoping they would bite a moving bait, something I could cover a lot of water with,” reflected Thrift. “It was about midway through the second period, I stopped being hard-headed and put the worm in the water, which resulted in quite of few bites.”

In addition to the traditional payout schedule based on finishing order, Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo bonuses the angler for the biggest bass caught in each Group. The two-day Qualifying Rounds (June 7-10) will pay a $25,000 big bass bonus ($50,000 total). The Knockout Round on day five (June 11), will feature a $50,000 big bass bonus, while the Championship Round (June 12) will feature a $100,000 big bass bonus, on top of the Stage Title $100,000 prize. California Pro Brent Ehrler leads the Group A race for the biggest bass with an eight-pound-six-ounce largemouth. Ehrler caught the lunker on a six-inch Senko bait by Gary Yamamoto in black and blue color.

The Top Ten of Day One, Qualifying Group A finished as follows:

Place	Angler	Total Weight	Total Fish	Largest Fish
1	Zack Birge	52-07	17	5-08
2	Bryan Thrift	36-07	12	3-13
3	Gary Klein	31-06	11	4-02
4	John Murray	29-06	6	7-13
5	Jordan Lee	25-05	6	6-13
6	Justin Lucas	20-05	4	8-03
7	Jacob Wheeler	19-10	5	5-11
8	Casey Ashley	19-06	5	6-11
9	Kelly Jordon	17-15	7	3-02
10	Boyd Duckett	17-11	6	5-00

For complete results, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com, Bass Pro Tour, Results.

The competition continues Monday when Group B takes to the water for the first day of their Qualifying Round, which includes Florida Pros Bobby Lane and Terry Scroggins, alongside the 2020 Bass Pro Tour Points leader Ott DeFoe. MLF Pro Aaron Martens remains sidelined due to ongoing cancer treatment and will not compete, which renders the Heavy Hitters field at 79 Pros. While he will not earn points toward the 2020 Bass Pro Tour Points race, Martens’ fellow anglers did vote that he will receive an 80^th place prize, $4,000.

In response to the shortened season, MLF revised the payout schedule for Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo to include all 80 anglers: 1^st $100,000; 2^nd $40,000; 3^rd $15,000; 4^th $13,000; 5^th $12,000; 6^th $11,000; 7^th $10,000; 8^th $9,000; 9^th $8,000; 10^th$7,000; 11^th – 20^th $6,000; 21^st – 40^th $5,000; 41^st – 80^th $4,000. Each competitor is guaranteed a $4,000 check.

Pending no weather delays, the day begins with launch at Big Toho Marina, Kissimmee, Fla., 6:15 a.m. ET before lines-in at 7:00 a.m. Period 1 ends at 9:30 a.m. Period 2 spans 9:45 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. Period 3 begins at 12:30 p.m. and lasts until day’s end at 3:00 p.m. The General Tire Takeout show airs approximately 3 – 4 p.m. from the water. Fans can catch all the action every day of competition on MLFNOW! livestream on MajorLeagueFishing.com or download the MLF App for your Apple or GooglePlaydevice or on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).

Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo on the Kissimmee Chain will air on Discovery Channel as six, two-hour original episodes beginning August 15. For additional details, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com/tv-schedule.

Stephen Costa & Jacob East Win Leesville Lake One Stop Mart Tourney

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June 8, 2020

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Stephen Costa & Jacob East Win Leesville Lake One Stop Mart Tourney

We had 12 boats competing today On Leesville Lake in a One Stop Mart Leesville Lake Tournament Trail Tournament. 1st place – Stephen Costa & Jacob East – 13.39 lbs.

2nd place – Jesse Cofflin & Brain Hall – 11.37 lbs.

3rd place Jesse Dalton & Josh Shelton – 10.93 lbs.

Big Fish of the Day went to Ben Burnett & Hayden Moon – 4.51 lbs

Here Are The 3 Best Places To Look For Post Spawn Bass

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June 7, 2020

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Here Are The 3 Best Places To Look For Post Spawn Bass

Bass have endured the rigors of spawning and are now ready to take a break to recuperate from their annual chores of procreating.

The fishing seemed a lot easier during the spawn when bass aggressively attacked anything that ventured into the nests. However, the early postspawn period tends to frustrate the average angler because the fish become sluggish and want to rest for a while. Post spawn male bass remain aggressive though to protect fry and hunger triggers a recuperating female bass to ambush any prey that enters her resting spot.

On many reservoirs, a bass migrates from the spawning bank to its summertime haunt along a basic route. In most of the lakes the spawning banks will consist of pea gravel or hard mud bottom along shallow flats or pockets in coves. Here’s a look at three rest areas bass frequent on their migration from the shallows to their deeper summertime homes.

Post Spawn Bass In Pockets And Flats

Immediately following the spawn, bass will spend a short time on these spawning banks in the coves with the males guarding fry close to any available shallow cover and the females recuperating around docks, brush piles or weed beds in the 8- to 10-foot depth range. On my home waters of Lake of the Ozarks I throw topwater lures to catch bigger bass suspended along the deep ends of boat docks

Look Inside At Secondary Points

After their short respite on the spawning banks, bass will travel along a depression (ditch or creek channel) to the first major drop-off (usually a secondary point) where the fish set up ambush points around some type of cover such as pole timber, boulders or docks.

Post spawn bass will stay on this structure for about three or four weeks and suspend 8 to 20 feet deep in standing timber or under boat docks. A shad spawn usually occurs during this time so bass will move to the rocky shallows of the secondary points early in the morning to feed on the spawning baitfish.

Post Spawners On Main Lake Points

While some bass stay on the secondary points or channel drops throughout the summer others migrate to the long, tapering points on the main lake to feed before setting up on deeper structure for the summer. These points provide bass a multitude of depths for feeding, recuperating from the spawn and gradually retreating to their summertime haunts. Postspawn bass can feed in the shallows during the early morning, and then follow baitfish to the mid-depth ranges for a brief brunch. The point’s drop-off serves as an afternoon resting spot for these weary fish.

3 Scissor Tackle Tweaks for More Bass By Luke Stoner

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June 7, 2020

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3 Scissor Tackle Tweaks for More Bass By Luke Stoner

Every bass angler’s tackle box should include scissors. Whether you invest a few dollars to ensure you own a quality pair that’ll hold up to the elements or you go through a cheap dollar store set each year doesn’t matter too much, as long as scissors are in the boat or with your fishing equipment.

Sure scissors are great for cutting fishing line, ropes or maybe even a piece of clothing an errant treble hook snags, but scissors are a tool to help you catch more bass, too. In bass fishing we are continually looking for ways to give ourselves an advantage over other anglers or tweaks that’ll up our chances of fooling more fish into biting.

There are surely more out there, but we’ve nailed down three easy tackle tweaks you can perform with a simple pair of scissors to give your bait a different look than similar baits pulled right from the package. These subtle changes help set your offering apart and provide the ever-elusive edge for which anglers are always searching.

Trevis Towe & Danny Towe win CATT Smith Mountain Lake June 6,2020 with 20.95lbs

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June 7, 2020

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Trevis Towe & Danny Towe win CATT Smith Mountain Lake June 6,2020 with 20.95lbs

What a finish at the CATT Smith Mountain Lake June 6th event. 1oz separated 1st & 2nd place. Congratulations to the wieners Trevis & Danny Towe. 2nd place with 20.94 lbs David Mills & Shane Mills. Congratulations everyone.

Photos Taken By Alicia Matherly

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL RESULTS

Vandiver’s Stracner Wins Toyota Series Tournament at Lake Eufaula

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June 7, 2020

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Vandiver’s Stracner Wins Toyota Series Tournament at Lake Eufaula

EUFAULA, Ala. (June 6, 2020) – Alabama boater Josh Stracner of Vandiver, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 22 pounds, 3 ounces to win the three-day Toyota Series at Lake Eufaula tournament in Eufaula, Alabama. Stracner’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 64-15 earned him the win by a 2-pound, 2-ounce margin over second-place angler Ryan Ingram of Phenix City, Alabama, and earned Stracner the top payout of $29,034 in the first tournament of the 2020 Toyota Series Southeastern Division.

This is Stracner’s fourth FLW win on Lake Eufaula – first on the Toyota Series – but midway through the day, it didn’t look like he was going to be able to pull off the come-from-behind victory after starting the day in third place.

Stracner started the day doing what he’d done the previous two days of competition – fishing deep ledges in the mid-lake area. But today, it just wasn’t happening. With 13 to 14 pounds in the livewell and a few hours left to fish, Stracner knew he needed to change up. Eventually, he shifted to fishing shallow brush – in this case 12 to 15 feet deep – which quickly proved to be the right move.

“I did not even think about it moving shallow until about 12 o’clock, and the deep stuff wasn’t working,” Stracner said. “So I went shallow and started catching a few. I caught enough that I just stayed with it the rest of the day. And right before this storm came through, I caught three good ones on back-to-back stops.”

Stracner said that he used about a half-dozen baits throughout the week to catch the winning fish. His main ledge baits on the first two days of competition were a Strike King 10XD and 6-inch Scottsboro Tackle Co. Swimbait on a Scottsboro Recon Head. Saturday, fishing brush, he caught some on a Reaction Innovations Fat Flirt Worm, and a Z-Man ChatterBait.

“I can’t believe it,” Stracner went on to say. “I never really thought I could’ve won it. I was just hoping to stay in second or third. I just had to work real hard this week. You’ve got to be on the right stuff at the right time. Everything’s got to go right, and today was just my day. That’s really all I can say. I feel very fortunate right now.”

The top 10 pros on Lake Eufaula finished:

1^st: Josh Stracner of Vandiver, Ala., 15 bass, 64-15, $29,034

2^nd: Ryan Ingram of Phenix City, Ala., 15 bass, 62-13, $10,669

3^rd: Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., 15 bass, 61-8, $8,260

4^th: Michael M. Smith, Andalusia, Ala., 15 bass, 61-2, $6,883

5^th: Shane Powell of Dothan, Ala., 15 bass, 61-0, $6,195

6^th: Josh Butler of Hayden, Ala., 15 bass, 58-0, $6,507

7^th: Scott Montgomery of Eufaula, Ala., 15 bass, 56-8, $4,899

8^th: Dustin Smith of Grand Island, Fla., 15 bass, 54-13, $4,130

9^th: Austin Lang of Kinsey, Ala., 15 bass, 53-12, $3,442

10^th: Kacy Mims of Randolph, Ala., 15 bass, 53-11, $2,753

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

Butler took home an extra $1,000 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX 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 FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Hank Golden of Tallassee, Alabama, brought a 6-pound, 12-ounce largemouth bass to the scale Friday – the largest fish weighed by a boater in the event – to earn the day’s Big Bass award of $81.

Blake Lewis of Pace, Florida, won the Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 44 pounds, 4 ounces. Lewis took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.

The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Eufaula finished:

1^st: Blake Lewis of Pace, Fla., 15 bass, 44-4, Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat w/115-hp outboard

2^nd: Cal Culpepper of Hamilton, Ga., 15 bass, 43-9, $3,544

3^rd: Bryce Goff of Haines City, Fla., 15 bass, 40-14, $2,836

4^th: Chuck Laslie of Havana, Fla., 15 bass, 39-7, $2,481

5^th: Joseph Chilcott of Crestview, Fla., 13 bass, 39-1, $2,127

6^th: Daniel Corkern of Florence, Miss., 15 bass, 38-14, $1,772

7^th: Todd Beaver of Richland, Ga., 15 bass, 38-0, $1,418

8^th: Tony Muina of Wewahitchka, Fla., 13 bass, 37-8, $1,241

9^th: Alan Ray of Georgetown, Ga., 12 bass, 37-1, $1,117

10^th: Ronald Harris of Jefferson, Ga., 14 bass, 33-5, $886

Rob Lyerly of Smyrna, Georgia, weighed in the largest bass in the co-angler division on Thursday, bringing a 6-pound, 7-ounce bass to the stage. He earned the days Co-angler Big Bass award of $54.

The Toyota Series at Lake Eufaula was hosted by the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce. It was the first of three regular-season tournaments in 2020 for Southeastern Division anglers. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.

The Toyota Series consists of eight divisions – Central, Eastern, Northern, Plains, Southeastern, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division. Anglers who fish all three qualifiers in any of the eight divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 cash, including a $35,000 FLW PHOENIX Bonus for qualified anglers. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2020 Toyota Series Championship will be held Dec. 3-5 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky, and is hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Toyota Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

How to Be a Better Angler Learning and Dreaming by Bruce Callis

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June 4, 2020

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How to Be a Better Angler Learning and Dreaming

by Bruce Callis

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How do you become a better angler? You ask a number of people and the answer will vary. While the biggest and best answer is time on the water, just being on the water is not enough. You may have a talent for finding fish or you might just be lucky enough to happen on them, but to improve and become a better angler is a lot more complicated.

Today, unlike years when I was growing up, there is so many options on how you can improve. Years ago, back before computers and the internet, we had to attend trade shows and listen to the professionals as they talked about what they did and how to do it. We lived for the monthly issue of Bassmaster, Outdoor Life, Sports Afield or another magazine to arrive. We talked to our friends who fished to learn more. We didn’t have a ton of fishing shows to watch. Baits we bought often had instruction sheets or it was printed on the package on how to use the bait. Time on the water was very important then, and it still is.

But with so much information readily available to us today, it is so easy to watch videos on how to fish. And we can now see those anglers we came to the shows back then give an in-depth lesson on how to use his favorite or sponsor baits. And we also have on demand television shows that talk about sponsor baits and their presentations. Not to mention YouTube and the growing list of anglers who are willing to show us anything we want.

How do you become better? First, you can’t decide that one lure is better than any other until you have personally tried it. Just like our gear, all the rod and reel choices are a matter of preference, your preference. Is SPRO better than Strike King, Berkley, or any other brand? Yes to some and no to others. I like SPRO and I use them, they are my preference. But if they do not have a bait that does what I want, you have to remember that even the pros will use whatever it takes to land the bass they need to win.

You have to understand the baits you are using and what they are intended to do. You also have to understand what size line you use and other factors like speed of retrieve and rod choice can make any bait perform differently in the users hand. These are the tricks that the pros use. And these are perfected by time on the water, using the bait and figuring out how to make it work for you. A crankbait can be thrown out and retrieved at a steady pace, and it will catch bass. But by learning to make it do something different, can land you even more and bigger bass.

Soft plastics today are made by so many companies, from the big guys like Strike King, Missile Baits, Yum, and Zoom, to name a few, to the small companies like Bass Munitions, Power Team Lures, Zee Bait Company and Vertical, to name a few. They all make great baits, and each makes some special lures. I can’t say this one is the only soft plastic to use, as I have my preference. Again, it is getting to use them, finding out what works for you. Sometimes we use more than one company. If they don’t make a special bait that we like, we have no choice if we want to use that style of bait. Missile Baits makes some awesome baits, but they don’t make everything. Why? Because why should they make a bait like all the other companies. If you want a big soft plastic swimbait, you get the best on the market. They don’t make something just to have it, they make baits that are unique. Find what works for you and practice.

With so many new techniques hitting the market, YouTube is the best place to learn how to use it. Don’t limit yourself to only one angler or one review. By listening to and watch a handful of anglers talking about it and how they use it, you will find out so much more. But it is how you use it that matters and only you can figure that out by getting on the water and using it.

How do you become a better angler is really complicated but yet so easy. Study, listen, read and then practice. You can not watch a video on cranking deep ledges and expect to be an expert at it on your first attempt. You can’t go buy the latest fish finder and expect to be an expert at using it the first time out because you watched a video. Time on the water is needed in addition to our study. Some of us are lucky and get it right away, but for most of us, it’s not so simple. Practice makes us better. You weren’t born potty trained and walking around, what makes you think being an Elite Angler would be any easier. Practice and keep dreaming of winning the Bassmaster Classic, I am.

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