5 Alive/ STATE CONSTRUCTION Fall Trail Tournament #1 Mayo Lake – 9/21/2024
Last Saturday marked the 1st Tournament of the STATE CONSTRUCTION Fall Trail. Weather was perfect and the fish were biting but the good ones were hard to come by. We’ll for most of us!!
As always in Tournament fishing there will be a few that figures out where the good ones are.
As the weigh in was in mid swing and a consistent 9 to 11 pound bags was coming through Dylan Gee & Sean Gunter walked up to the scales. You can usually tell when a team knows they have a good bag when both of them come to the scales toting the bag. First fish they pulled out was a 6.41 pound bass ( which by the way Won them Big Fish for the tournament) and then the rest hit the sink. I knew as I was looking at them that this was the biggest bag we have weighed in at Mayo this year. They had a 5 fish limit weighing 22.62 pounds topping the 32 boat field and carrying home the 1st
WIN
of the 2024 STATE CONSTRUCTION Fall Trail. They Won everything they could Win for the day. Tournament WIN, 1st place TWT and Big Fish for the tournament. When it was all said and done they carried home
$1470.00
for the day! Great job guys on a great bag and a great tournament WIN!
They were followed by the team of Donnie Wyatt & Matt Tuttle. They had a good 5 fish limit weighing 17.15 pounds earning them a total of
$675.00
for 2nd place in the tournament.
Big Congratulations to everyone who placed in the money!
Next up for the STATE CONSTRUCTION Fall Trail is Kerr Lake- Ivy Hill Boat Ramp in 10/5/2024
If anyone wants to pre register or have any questions please contact me Kevin Sheppard at 336-264-8416.
Thanks again for everyone that fished and a BIG THANK YOU to STATE CONSTRUCTION for sponsoring the trail. See yall in a couple of weeks!!
Results. 1st Gee & Gunter – 22.62 pounds- $1470.00 – Big – TWT 2nd. Wyatt & Tuttle -17.15 pounds- $675.00 TWT 3rd. Jeff Wolfe – 16.93 pounds- $450.00 TWT 4th. Wray & Walker – 14.91 pounds- $300.00 5th. Moore & Moore – 14.67 pounds- $225.00 6th. Barn& Fox – 12.89 pounds- $110.00 7th. Edward’s & St Laurent – 12.23 pounds 8th. C. Mullins & J. Mullins – 12.14 pounds 9th. Cobb & Rose – 11.91 pounds 10th. Faust & Rimmer – 11.72 pounds
With the severe weather building in the Gulf of Mexico, this week’s event on the St. Johns River has been canceled.
DELAND, Fla. — The National Professional Fishing League and the West Volusia Visitor Center have canceled Stop #5 of the 2024 NPFL season on the St. Johns River out of DeLand, Florida, due to potential dangerous weather conditions.
The decision was made after tournament, state and local officials consulted with the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center and determined that imminent weather conditions are likely to make boating and travel unsafe.
“Our commitment is to the safety and well-being of our anglers,” said NPFL president Brad Fuller. “We take that commitment very seriously and believe that the forecasted weather presents a threat that’s too great to risk.”
Georgia Turner, Executive Director of the West Volusia Visitor Center, local host for the event, agreed adding, “We look forward to hosting the NPFL under more favorable conditions in the future. It’s not often that weather threatens our activities here, but when it does, we take it very seriously. Canceling the tournament is in the best interest of all concerned.”
B.A.S.S. LLC names Phillip Johnson Chief Operating Officer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — B.A.S.S., the world’s largest fishing organization, today announced the promotion of Executive Vice President Phillip Johnson to Chief Operating Officer. For the past two years, Johnson has steered the organization’s content strategy, advertising, events, marketing and communications. Now, he will also assume management responsibilities of the Bassmaster Tournament operations as well as focus on new processes to improve and expand total business operations.
“I am pleased to announce the promotion of Phillip Johnson to Chief Operating Officer, B.A.S.S. LLC,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson. “I have known and worked with Phillip for well over a decade. He has been a trusted executive for the Anderson Companies for 17 years, at one time leading a department of more than 7,000 associates. I have been very impressed with Phillip’s work at B.A.S.S. as he has spearheaded the reorganization of business operations.
“Phillip’s leadership and collaborative approach to working with our associates and customers is taking our company to a new level,” Anderson added. “Phillip’s new expanded role will give him management responsibilities over our operations, and I’m confident we will continue to evolve with an ‘outside-in’ culture and maintain our position of strength and leadership in our industry.”
Johnson’s 25 years of experience in sales and operations management will prove vital to B.A.S.S., as the organization continues to focus on growing the sport and more completely engaging current participants and fans. He will continue to play a crucial part of ad and sponsorship sales, events and content, and has also played a vital role in building the organization’s relationship with FOX Sports, which recently led to a contract renewal with increased coverage that has the potential to deliver the biggest audience the sport has ever seen.
It’s been a banner season for Mandel, to put it lightly. He finished in the top 10 in all five Michigan Division events, including wins in the opener and the Super Tournament. Between his regular tournament winnings and Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus dollars, Mandel earned more than $25,000 just in Michigan Division tournaments this season. He also won the Fishing Clash Michigan Division Angler of the Year title in a stacked division of big-water smallmouth anglers.
Of course, what you don’t see in the stats are the unique challenges tournament anglers face. For Mandel, a bad case of food poisoning derailed most of his plans to dissect the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair during Super Tournament practice. Thankfully, he didn’t need much practice time on Friday to figure out where to start the tournament.
“I was fishing and saw a lot of perch fishermen in this section of the lake called the dumping grounds,” he said. “I thought, I’m just going to go try out there because there’s all these perch fishermen, and that’s a pretty good sign. I went out there and took one cast with a jerkbait on a hump and caught a 5-pounder.”
In the tournament, Mandel ran to his starting area and began trying to put together a bag using live sonar. It became clear very quickly that he needed to make an adjustment.
“I wasn’t seeing anything, so I started using heavier weighted Ned rigs and heavier weighted drop-shots. I used 1/2 and 5/8 ounce to get down in the grass. I started catching them doing that.”
Mandel’s go-to baits were a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General and a Z-Man Scented TRD . If he did mark fish on live sonar, he threw a small swimbait at them. But mostly he used the heavy drop-shot and Ned rigs to pitch to holes in the grass or thicker clumps of grass. The clumps were spots where he knew he wouldn’t be able to see fish on live sonar, but where they might be set up.
“I fished two spots,” Mandel said. “One was anywhere from like 16 to 18 feet deep, and then the other area was around 12 foot but had humps that came up to 8 feet of water. I probably covered two miles of water, but I had like four or five different humps that were either thick grass or bald that I would kind of rotate through.”
Cody Kelley of Plainwell, Michigan, caught a bass that weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $637.
Terry Bucciarelli of Ypsilanti, Michigan, won the Strike King co-angler division and $3,082 Sunday, after bringing a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale that weighed 39 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Terry Bucciarelli, Ypsilanti, Mich., 10 bass, 39-6, $3,082 2nd: Tommy Pritchard, Bargersville, Ind., eight bass, 36-14, $1,266 3rd: Craig Fanning, Elwood, Ill., 10 bass, 36-2, $846 4th: Dayton Land, Coatesville, Ind., 10 bass, 33-6, $591 5th: Michael Sitko, Pinckney, Mich., 10 bass, 33-0, $506 6th: John Wall, Western Springs, Ill., nine bass, 32-13, $464 7th: Ashten Lynch, Waynesville, Ohio, 10 bass, 32-9, $422 8th: Brian Townley, Wyoming, Mich., nine bass, 31-4, $380 9th: Daniel Dumais, Trenton, Mich., 10 bass, 30-5, $338 10th: Kendra Mueller, Fowlerville, Mich., eight bass, 27-13, $295
Jon Angstmann of St. Marys, Ohio, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $311, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 12 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the tournament.
At the conclusion of the tournament, Mandel was crowned the Fishing Clash Michigan Division Angler of the Year (AOY) with 1,364 points to take home the $1,000 payout, while Scott Davis of Morenci, Michigan, won the Fishing Clash Michigan Division Co-angler of the Year race with 1,339 points and earned the $500 prize.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, have qualified for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on Pools 13-17 of the Mississippi River in Quad Cities, Illinois. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Nutt is a great example of a collegiate angler making the most of his opportunities. The junior at the University of North Alabama (UNA) started the year by winning an Abu Garcia College Fishing tournament on the Harris Chain of Lakes. Now, he’s shown what he can do against the best weekend anglers by winning the BFL Super Tournament on Pickwick. To further illustrate the quality of the UNA bass fishing program, Nutt finished just 10 ounces ahead of Banks Shaw, a fellow UNA angler and Nutt’s own roommate.
To get it done on Pickwick, Nutt had a two-part pattern.
“In practice, I located a few schools of fish, and I had one pretty good topwater spot in the morning that was big,” he said. “I caught big ones off it both mornings. Other than that, I caught all my fish on a Scottsboro Tackle Co. Sniper Shad on a Damiki rig and also a Scottsboro Tackle Co. 3/4-ounce football jig.
“Saturday, I caught ’em pretty quick. I had most of my weight by about 8 o’clock, but Sunday was kind of slower. I caught fish throughout the day, but it was definitely better in the afternoon.”
Nutt targeted a couple keys schools of ledge fish as well as a few spots that, as a local, he knew he could rely on if needed. While he caught some of the fish using forward-facing sonar, Nutt found the jig to be more productive for getting bigger bites.
“It really just depended,” he said. “It seemed like I could throw a Damiki rig in there with that Sniper Shad and catch one or two, then I’d have to throw a jig in there. It would just be slow. That’s what I had a lot of my better bites on.”
Nutt and Skip Howell of Okolona, Mississippi, split the Berkley Big Bass Boater award, each taking home $251 for catching a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 4 ounces.
Isiah Kelly of Memphis, Tennessee, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,162 Sunday, after bringing a two-day total of six bass to the scale that weighed 13 pounds, 11 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Isiah Kelly, Memphis, Tenn., six bass, 13-11, $2,162 2nd: Brandon Mast, Mathiston, Miss., five bass, 10-13, $1,081 3rd: Jeffery Reece, Guys, Tenn., four bass, 10-10, $723 4th: Christopher Daughdrill, Foxworth, Miss., four bass, 10-9, $505 5th: Troy Ladner, Bay Saint Louis, Miss., four bass, 8-12, $532 6th: Bobby McKee, Cedar Bluff, Miss., three bass, 8-11, $396 7th: Brent Willey, Anderson, S.C., three bass, 7-15, $360 8th: Reggie Thornton, Columbus, Miss., three bass, 6-12, $324 9th: Anthony Rasberry, New Albany, Miss., three bass, 6-12, $288 10th: John Bates, Hartselle, Ala., two bass, 6-10, $492
John Bates of Hartselle, Alabama, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $240, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 12 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the tournament.
At the conclusion of the tournament, Dakota Fleming of Oak Grove, Louisiana, was crowned the Fishing Clash Mississippi Division Angler of the Year (AOY) with 1,337 points to earn the $1,000 AOY payout, while Thomas Smith of Brandon, Mississippi, won the Fishing Clash Mississippi Division Co-angler of the Year race with 1,338 points and earned the $500 award.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, have qualified for the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional tournament on Wright Patman Lake in Texarkana, Texas. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
According to Conley, fall experienced a false start around Lake Oconee, and that has the fish in a bit of a funk.
“Right now, being fall of the year, the temperature normally starts dropping on the water, but the weather is kind of backed up a little bit,” he said. “We’ve had some cooler weather the last couple weeks to drop the water temperature some, and all the sudden in the last week it has gotten extremely hot.”
Last weekend, when he was pre-practicing for the tournament, Conley saw water temps around 74 degrees on Oconee. When he finished the tournament on Sunday afternoon, the water temperature was 88.
That sudden turnaround halted the fall transition, at least for now.
“The fish just kind of slammed on the brakes from moving up shallow, and then they started kind of backing out, from what I could tell.”
Conley basically went with them. Oconee is full of docks and seawalls. Once he realized the fish weren’t making their push shallow into creeks, Conley backed off and targeted the deeper docks on the main lake, in areas where the water had a little bit of stain. He also stuck to one area to maximize his fishing time.
Fishing was slow in the mornings for Conley, but as they say, he made hay while the sun was shining.
“When the sun got up, they’d hold tight on certain docks. I did not have a keeper fish in the boat at 10 o’clock yesterday (Saturday),” he said. “I caught my first fish at 10, and I had a limit by 11:30. Once I got dialed into how they were sitting on the docks, I had a limit in an hour and a half.”
Conley made the most of the midday, but eventually culled out three of those keepers between 1 and 3 p.m. in what turned out to be the peak window of activity. On day two, he fished the same areas, but changed up his timing so that he was hitting the docks with the best quality bass within that key afternoon window. That move produced a 5-pound fish that helped seal the win.
Making accurate casts was another key for Conley. The Bainbridge boater caught fish on a mix of soft-plastic lures, including a Zoom Brush Hog, Zoom Trick Worm and Yamamoto Senko, but the lure was less important than the presentation.
“It really didn’t seem to matter (which bait),” he said. “I caught a 5-pounder on a Senko. My co-angler one dock later caught one over 5 on a Trick Worm. It was just a matter of hitting them on the face. You had to hit them in the head. And when they bit it, you couldn’t really feel it. They were just there. They were not aggressive at all.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Michael Conley, Bainbridge, Ga., 10 bass, 25-10, $4,869 2nd: David Lowery, Milledgeville, Ga., 10 bass, 24-14, $2,934 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus) 3rd: Mike Cleveland, Jackson, Ga., 10 bass, 24-12, $1,623 4th: Grant Kelly, Milledgeville, Ga., 10 bass, 24-2, $1,436 5th: Emil Wagner, Marietta, Ga., 10 bass, 22-8, $974 6th: Michael Wilder, Lizella, Ga., 10 bass, 22-1, $893 7th: Mark Burns, Good Hope, Ga., 10 bass, 21-11, $811 8th: Brooks Anderson, Marietta, Ga., 10 bass, 21-2, $730 9th: Matt O’Connell, Brooks, Ga., 10 bass, 20-15, $774 10th: Joe Eubanks, Marietta, Ga., seven bass, 20-7, $1,153
Joe Eubanks of Marietta, Georgia, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $585.
Joseph Chilcott of Williamson, Georgia, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,434 Sunday, after bringing a two-day total of eight bass to the scale that weighed 19 pounds, 2 ounces.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Joseph Chilcott, Williamson, Ga., eight bass, 19-2, $2,434 2nd: Richard Causey, Perry, Ga., eight bass, 15-10, $1,217 3rd: Chandler White, Covington, Ga., six bass, 14-10, $1,105 4th: Jackson Riddle, Watkinsville, Ga., six bass, 14-2, $568 5th: Steven King, Cumming, Ga., seven bass, 12-8, $487 6th: Tim Greene, Loganville, Ga., six bass, 12-3, $446 7th: Brad Mullinax, Lula, Ga., four bass, 11-14, $406 8th: Ben Brisbois, Jefferson, Ga., six bass, 10-9, $365 9th: Patrick Watson, Newnan, Ga., six bass, 9-0, $325 10th: John Battle, Gillville, Ga., four bass, 8-4, $284
Chandler White of Covington, Georgia, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $292, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the tournament.
At the conclusion of the tournament, Michael Wilder of Lizella, Georgia, was crowned the Fishing Clash Bulldog Division Angler of the Year (AOY) with 1,297 points to earn the $1,000 payout, while Steven King of Cumming, Georgia, won the Fishing Clash Bulldog Division Co-angler of the Year race with 1,280 points and earned the $500 prize.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, have qualified for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on Santee Cooper Lakes in Clarendon County, South Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
No one has had a bigger year in BFL competition than Brummett. Just check the standings. It’s remarkable.
Brummett earned seven top-10 finishes in Shenandoah Division and Piedmont Division competition in 2024. He won the Shenandoah opener on Smith Mountain in April. He won again at the Piedmont Division tournament on the James River in August. Then he wrapped up the Piedmont Division by going back to back with his win at Kerr Lake.
All those top finishes helped Brummett win the Angler of the Year title in both the Piedmont and Shenandoah divisions, qualifying him for two regional tournaments and two opportunities to make his first BFL All-American.
“Unbelievable,” Brummett said. “It’s crazy. It was not expected, but I did start the year off pretty good in both divisions, which is why I continued to keep up with both divisions. When you’re doing well, it’s hard to give that up.”
Indeed, good finishes build momentum, and momentum leads to bigger and better things. But what’s most remarkable about Brummett’s season isn’t just how well he’s been catching fish. It’s what he’s been fishing for.
“I had one of my best friends in the world pass away in February,” said Brummett, referring to his friend Rick Tilley. “We traveled together. We did a lot of fishing together, and we kept no secrets. His spots are my spots. I’ve been fishing a lot of his spots. I’ve been fishing a lot of my spots as well, obviously, but that’s kind of been my driving force is just fishing for both of us. He actually fished the Toyota Series Championship last year with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
“It’s definitely more special. I feel like it’s a lot of pressure, but I honestly feel like things have happened this year that shouldn’t have happened. Everything has kind of fallen in place. I’m fishing beyond what I should be fishing.”
The way Brummett tells it, Tilley was a home run hitter. He swung for the fences in zero-or-hero style. Brummett, by contrast, was a plodder. He fished for points and for consistency. He’d won some derbies in the past, but he was more focused on being consistently good than momentarily great.
This season, it seems as though Tilley’s in-it-to-win-it attitude has rubbed off on Brummett and helped fuel his success.
“I was always more consistent, and this year I’ve been more consistent, but it’s been consistent at a whole new level,” Brummett said.
Tilley’s influence was felt again on Kerr Lake. In practice, Brummett was on about 12 pounds per day running as many deep spots a day as he could, which is his preferred way to fish the lake.
“And then Saturday, the first day of the tournament, there was a boat dock that Rick always started on,” Brummett said. “So the national anthem was playing, and I told myself I’m going to go hit that boat dock. It’s the first stop he made every tournament.”
Brummett didn’t catch any on Tilley’s dock. Yet, the decision worked out in a different way.
“When I left the boat dock, there’s a shoal sitting out there that you have to ride right by to get in this pocket, but I typically don’t fish it. I’d fished it before but never really caught any fish on it. But something was telling me to fish that shoal. Within 10 casts, I had a limit of fish. It wasn’t a big limit, but that 10 to 12 pounds gave me the confidence first thing in the morning that I had a limit and could just go fishing and kind of swing for the fences at that point.”
From there, Brummett ran his deep pattern. He eventually added a 5-pound, 5-ounce fish that earned him the tournament’s Berkley Big Bass award of $457. Within 20 minutes, he had another 4-pounder in the boat, which gave him a lead of almost 3 pounds on day one.
Day two started much slower. Brummett caught a few on his starting spot then sat on three fish until about 10:30, when he caught two more keepers on a deep point. He ran around fishing history after that to upgrade to about 11 pounds. It wasn’t until about 1:30 that he finally put a 4-pound kicker in the boat. That fish put the tournament away, but Brummett added another 4-pounder with 30 minutes left to bump his winning margin to 4 1/2 pounds.
Brummett caught most of his fish with a hand-poured green-pumpkin worm and a topwater lure. More important than how he caught them is where this win positions him. A dual AOY. A three-time winner in 2024. A bass angler eyeing two regionals and fishing for one more opportunity on behalf of a late dear friend.
“I really wanna qualify for an All-American,” Brummett added. “That would be the cherry on top.”
Sean Tobatto of Greensboro, North Carolina, won the Strike King co-angler division and $2,027 Sunday, after bringing a two-day total of eight bass to the scale that weighed 17 pounds.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers finished:
1st: Sean Tobatto, Greensboro, N.C., eight bass, 17-0, $2,027 2nd: Daniel Litwin, Bentonville, Va., six bass, 15-14, $1,126 3rd: Dustin Wilhelm, Buena Vista, Va., five bass, 12-5, $676 4th: Shaquille Freeman, Farmville, Va., six bass, 12-4, $473 5th: Jason Hinger, Timberlake, N.C., five bass, 12-2, $655 6th: Michael Garrett, Buena Vista, Va., five bass, 11-11, $484 7th: Phillip Ragland Jr., Rustburg, Va., six bass, 11-6, $338 8th: Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., five bass, 9-7, $304 9th: Robert Green, Whitsett, N.C., four bass, 8-7, $270 10th: Chuck Willis, Dayton, Ohio, two bass, 5-3, $236
Michael Garrett of Buena Vista, Virginia, and Daniel Litwin of Bentonville, Virginia, tied for the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award by each catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 11 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the tournament. They each took home $112 for their share of the prize.
At the conclusion of the tournament, Brummett was crowned the Fishing Clash Piedmont Division Angler of the Year (AOY) with 1,331 points and earned the $1,000 award, while Mekye Barnes of Knightdale, North Carolina, won the Fishing Clash Piedmont Division Co-angler of the Year race with 1,315 points to take home the $500 prize.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, have qualified for the Oct. 17-19 BFL Regional tournament on Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Georgia. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $50,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.
The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying event winners, will advance to one of six BFL 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 BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
The 2024 Brett’s Big ‘Ol Bass Event brought 141 boats to Claytor Lake, all eager for a shot at the $10,000 grand prize on what is infamously one of Virginia’s toughest fishing waters. As expected, the lake was stingy, but some local fishing veterans managed to reel in impressive bags. Notably, Zach Peaslee and Jason Adams, runners-up for the second year in a row, presented a respectable 13.65 lbs. Meanwhile, KJ Queen and Jacob Smith journeyed up from North Carolina and seized the victory with a solid 14.90 lbs, achieved with minimal practice on the lake.
The final hour of the event, however, unfolded into an unprecedented spectacle. As an angler triumphantly weighed in an astonishing 18 lb bag, another competitor from the crowd confronted him with heated accusations of cheating. Tempers flared, and a punch was thrown, prompting the intervention of the Conservation Police. This eruption of aggression at a friendly fishing tournament was jarring, raising questions about the integrity and sportsmanship within the bass fishing community.
While no one likes to be accused of cheating, violence and hostility have no place at any event, regardless of the stakes. In the aftermath, we find ourselves reflecting on the values that underpin tournament fishing. Conversations on Bass Cast Radio often touch upon the direction of the sport at various levels, and witnessing such behavior at a local event was undeniably disturbing. Thankfully, due to the Big ‘Ol Bass event’s strict protocol, including lie detector tests, we are confident that any potential foul play would have been uncovered.
Upon passing the stringent lie detector tests themselves, KJ Queen and Jacob Smith were officially awarded the grand prize, validating their hard work and practice. Despite the earlier drama, the atmosphere slowly returned to one of celebration. In the end, the 2024 Brett’s Big ‘Ol Bass Event highlighted the need for maintaining fairness and camaraderie in the sport. The incident was a stark reminder of the challenges that can arise and the importance of upholding the values that keep the sport meaningful and enjoyable for everyone.
Las Vegas, Nev. – September 20, 2024 –– Blue skies, light breezes and unusually cool conditions were the conditions for the first two competition days of the 2024 WON Bass Lake Mead Open presented by Ranger Boats and Mercury. The morning launch of Championship Friday was more of the same, if not more pleasant. While those conditions were ideal for a serene day on the water, they often are not ideal for fishing success.
On Lake Mead, those types of conditions can mean downright difficult fishing as the clear water allows the lake’s largemouth and smallmouth bass population to get too good a look at the anglers’ offerings. Following his 19.80-pound performance on day two, leader Julius Mazy opened the day .74 pounds ahead of second place pro Shane Edgar, but with such calm conditions at the beginning of the day, who knew how the pivotal final eight hours of competition would proceed.
While he wasn’t able to match his monster bag from day two, however he watched with nervous excitement as Tournament Director Bill Egan’s scales hit 13.52 pounds, bringing the Phoenix, Arizona pro’s total weight to 45.24 pounds, earning his first WON Bass Open Series trophy, the keys to a 2024 Ranger Boats 518 from Bass Pro Shops powered by a 200HP Mercury ProXS four Stroke valued at $55,000 and an additional $10,000 cash.
Bill Brown, from Grand Junction, Colorado had a 13.83-pound limit of his own on day three, rising one spot to finish in second place with 41.67 pounds. Jeff Baird from Washington, Utah had 13.17 pounds to finish third for the event with 38.34 pounds, while two-time U.S. Open Champion and WON Bass Hall of Fame inductee John Murray from Spring City, Tenn. finished fourth with 37.71 pounds and another past U.S. Open Champion Justin Patti from Peoria, Ariz. rounded out the top five with 37.35 pounds.
Mazy said that he was able to continue his topwater / Livescope approach from day two despite the slick conditions. “I was really targeting pelagic largemouth and smallmouth that were feeding on larger shad around schooling striper in Temple Bar and the Virgin Basin,” he said. “I could catch some on topwater and my jighead minnow but when the striper got too excited by the faster baits, I would dropshot an OSP Dice lure and let it slowly fall under the school; I caught five really key fish on that that made a huge difference.”
Mazy has been chasing the premier events in the West for at least 10 years, he has also competed on the national stage in the Bassmaster Opens; this is his first major win. “I have been close on Lake Mead before and had a bad day two that cost me the win,” he said. “To win this week on a lake that means so much to me, in front of my family and friends is something I just can’t put into words; it is absolutely amazing.”
Brown also fished in the Temple Bar and Virgin Basin areas however, he targeted brush filled ditches from the bank 10 feet deep. “I found the better fish in practice fishing a topwater, but with the exception of a couple that I caught on a buzzbait or Reaction Innovations Vixen and my AAA caught on a topwater, all of my fish came on a Pepper Custom Baits Jig,” he said. “I worked my 1/2-ounce Bill’s Gill jig and color number 953 Yamamoto Baits Flapping Hog through the brush to catch 95-percent of my fish.
“I would have obviously loved to win, but Julius is a great guy and a good friend of mine, so I’m happy for him,” he said. “It’s been a good year, it’s my third top 10 in the WON Bass Opens in a row, so I’m having a year I can be proud of.”
James Scott from Lancaster, Calif. claimed the AAA Division title with 36.88 pounds. He was followed in second place by Huntington Beach, Calif. angler Geoff Peterson with 36.35 pounds. Third place went to Dale Roesener of Las Vegas, Nev. with 36.26 pounds and fourth place AAA went to former U.S. Open Champion Nick Salvucci from Paso Robles, Calif. with 36.20 pounds and Todd Holverson of San Diego, Calif. rounded out the top five with 35.83 pounds.
That concludes the 2024 WON Bass Lake Mead Open presented by Ranger Boats and Mercury, next up will be the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open on Lake Mohave October 14 – 16, 2024.
The winner of the 2024 WON Bass Lake Mead Open earned the Ranger Boats / Mercury Motor prize boat, and the Golden Tickets to the 2025 Bassmaster BASS Nation National Championship will be awarded to the top five Pro and AAA anglers and will further develop the season long competition to see who will receive guaranteed slots into the 2025 Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifiers.
The 2024 WON Bass Western Opens Series of events Consisting of five events in California, Arizona and Nevada moves next to the Lake Mead Open September 18 to 20, 2024. The series will culminate with the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mohave in October. The full schedule of the five event dates are as follows:
Jan. 31–Feb. 2, Lake Shasta – Champion Nick Wood – 47.42 pounds
April 17-19, Clear Lake – Austin Bonjour – 83.28 pounds
May 15-17, Lake Havasu – Joe Uribe Jr. – 57.31 pounds
Sept. 18-20, Lake Mead – Julius Mazy – 45.24 pounds
The 2024 WON Bass Northern California Lake Mead Open is brought to you by Bass Pro Shops, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Triton Boats, Bridgford Foods, Phenix Rods, Yamamoto Baits, Bill Lewis Lures, Buckeye Lures, Steel Shad, Bioenno Power, DD26 Fishing, SOG Knives, Cold Steel Knives, Gamma Line, Power Pole, Lowrance, Daiwa, AFTCO, Costa, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Anderson Toyota, A&M Graphics, Anglers Marine and Signature Gates.
Local presenting sponsors are Callville Bay Marina, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce and Boulder City Tackle
