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Alabama’s Lay Lake To Host Three 2020 Bassmaster High School And College Events

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February 24, 2020

Alabama’s Lay Lake To Host Three 2020 Bassmaster High School And College Events

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Lay Lake, the same storied fishery that has hosted four Bassmaster Classics, will host three high school and college tournaments with Classic implications in 2020.

Young anglers in the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Classic presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors and Carhartt Bassmaster College Classic presented by Bass Pro Shops will weigh-in on the big stage in front of thousands as part of the festivities at the 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk. The high school teams weigh in on Saturday, March 7, while college anglers will be highlighted on Sunday, March 8.

These exhibition tournaments feature college fishing’s top names and rising stars from 2019 competition. College national champions Carter McNeil and Cole Floyd of Bethel University, college Team of the Year KJ Queen and Dax Ewart of Bethel University and top junior team Braden McNamara and Mike Abbott of Hartley’s Hawgs will be joined by top finishers from each regular season high school and college derby.

The Top 10 teams from the College Series tournament being held on nearby Smith Lake Feb. 27-29 and Top 2 teams from the High School Series event on March 1, also on Smith Lake, will determine the remainder of the High School and College Classic fields.

Fall will see the best anglers from the college ranks back on Lay Lake for the 2020 College Classic Bracket, which will be held Sept. 15-17. The Top 4 teams from the College Series National Championship will compete individually in a head-to-head format with a coveted invitation to the 2021 Bassmaster Classic going to the winner.

Bethel’s Cody Huff won the 2019 College Classic Bracket, and continued his hot-streak leading up to the Bassmaster Classic with a team win in January at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at Toledo Bend presented by Bass Pro Shops.

Best known for its spotted and largemouth bass fishing, Lay Lake, a 12,000-acre Southern Company reservoir, is a top choice for anglers year-round.

All events are being hosted by Discover Shelby County.

 

Takahiro Omori Climbs Leaderboard to Winand Advance to the Championship Round:

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Takahiro Omori Climbs Leaderboard to Winand Advance to the Championship Round:

Zack Birge Surges 31 Places after a Scoreless First Day

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February 23, 2020 (Okeechobee, Fla.) The Bass Pro Tour continued on Lake Okeechobee Sunday for the third day of the Favorite Fishing Stage Two presented by Bass Cat. Anglers in Group A found some relief with less wind and warmer temperatures when compared to Friday’s start to the Qualifying Round. Takahiro Omori rose seven places to win the Qualifying Round for Group A securing an automatic berth in the Championship Round. Wesley Strader doubled his Friday catch to secure second place with a two-day total of 28 pounds even. Zach Birge rose 31 places after a scoreless first day by catching 27 pounds, three ounces today. Group B, currently led by Dean Rojas with 20 pounds, five ounces, will return to the water on Monday to determine the remaining 20 anglers to advance.

Ranger Boats Pro Omori opened his day with an eight-pound-four-ounce bass in the second half of the first period. He then sealed his first-place position throughout the day with a steady pace of two-pound catches. By winning “Group A” of the Qualifying Round with a two-day total of 33 pounds, nine ounces, Omori skips the Knockout Round and advances directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round. This guarantees him a minimum payout of $12,000.

Tennessee-resident Strader moved from 14th place on Friday to 2nd place today. He caught six of seven before noon and said he found a rhythm that didn’t necessarily align with his original plan.

“Today was about having an open mind,” said Strader. “I had to go into today doing things that are not usual to Florida fishing but rather getting back to how I like to fish. I found an area that wasn’t exactly my original plan, but I stayed and figured a few more things out.”

Zack Birge credits fellow MLF Pro Mike Iaconelli with inspiring him to go into today with a winning attitude despite a scoreless first day on Friday. Iaconelli ended his first day of the 2020 Bass Pro Tour without a catch and then surged forward in day two of the B&W Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole Qualifying Round with a one-day total of 23 pounds, three ounces to make the Knockout Round.

“You’re never out of it in this game,” said Birge. “I thought about how Ike caught nothing on the first day in Eufaula and then came back with a ‘big bag’ on the second day. I got a little momentum this morning and then (Ike’s success) kept me motivated.”

After finishing 78th out of 80 anglers in 2019 – the first season with the Bass Pro Tour, Mike McClelland continued his 2020 renaissance today by earning a second top-twenty finish. He caught 19 pounds, three ounces Sunday – the third highest weight of the day behind Strader and Omori. McClelland finished seventh overall with a two-day total of 25 pounds, two ounces. One of the first anglers to join MLF, McClelland expressed his enthusiasm for both the MLF format and the variable minimum weight rule change in 2020 as energizing to him as well as the sport of competitive bass fishing.

“This is the most stressful, intense, and exciting format I’ve ever fished,” said McClelland. “When we started MLF where every fish counts and no limits, we raised the bar for competitive fishing and now with a two-pound minimum on Lake Okeechobee our fans get to see the best pros in the world compete at the highest level in the history of bass fishing.”

Pennsylvania native Dave Lefebre landed today’s big bass weighing in at nine pounds. He ended the day in 11th place and will advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round. This catch will also improve his position to qualify for Heavy Hitters when added with the four-pound-nine-ounce bass from Stage One in Eufaula. MLF Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo brings together the 30 anglers with the heaviest “virtual bags” after five Stages of the Bass Pro Tour. Anglers will compete for over $750,000 in prizes including a Berkley Big Bass payout ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 per day. Heavy Hitters takes place on the Kissimmee Chain (Fla.) May 16-20, 2020.

The Top Ten of the Qualifying Round, Group A finished day two as follows:

Place Angler Total 2-Day Weight Day Two Weight Total Largest Fish over Qualifying Round
1 Takahiro Omori 33-09 19-13 8-04
2 Wesley Strader 28-00 18-11 3-09
3 Zack Birge 27-03 27-03 5-13
4 Ott DeFoe 25-13 5-09 5-07
5 Cody Meyer 25-13 4-14 6-03
6 Michael Neal 25-09 0-00 4-09
7 Mike McClelland 25-02 19-03 3-11
8 Ish Monroe 23-02 18-15 3-01
9 Shaw Grigsby 23-00 15-13 4-10
10 Dustin Connell 23-00 10-11 3-03

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

Group B will return to the water Monday morning for their second day of the Qualifying Round. Take-off begins at C. Scott Driver Park in Okeechobee, Fla. at 7-7:30 a.m. ET with lines-in at 8:00 a.m. ET. Forecasts indicate the weather will continue to improve after the group’s dismal first day on Saturday when high winds and rough conditions resulted in nine anglers ending Day One scoreless.

Tuesday’s Knockout Round begins with launch 7-7:30 a.m. before lines-in at 8:00 a.m. Period 1 ends at 10:30 a.m. Period 2 spans 10:45 a.m. until 1:15 p.m. Period 3 begins at 1:30 p.m. and lasts until day’s end at 4:00 p.m. The General Tire Takeout show airs approximately 4:15 – 5:15 p.m. as anglers return to the ramp.

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 GooglePlay device or on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).

About the Bass Pro Tour:

The Bass Pro Tour began in 2019 and features 80 of the best professional anglers in the world, including Kevin VanDam, Edwin Evers, Aaron Martens, Mike Iaconelli, Jordan Lee, and Skeet Reese. Each stage includes six days of competition using the Major League Fishing, catch-weigh-and-immediately-release format, where every bass over a variable minimum weight, which is two pounds on Lake Eufaula for Stage One, toward a cumulative weight total for the day.  Variable minimum weights are determined by


fishery akin to a golf course handicap. The field of 80 anglers is divided into two Groups (A and B) of 40 to compete in the Qualifying Round for a two-day total. The winners of Group A and B advance directly to the Championship Round while places 2-20 join together and advance to the Knockout Round on day five, which determines the final eight who will compete in the field of 10 on that final day, the Championship Round, for the Stage title and $100,000.

Each of Eight Stages of the Bass Pro Tour have the following payout schedule: 1st $100,000; 2nd $42,000; 3rd $30,000; 4th$24,000; 5th $18,000; 6th $16,800; 7th $15,600; 8th $14,400; 9th $13,200; 10th $12,000; 11th – 40th $6,000; Big Bass Daily $1,000; Big Bass Overall $1,000.

In addition to the economic impact on a host community, Major League Fishing showcases the region through their award-winning, live and linear programming. Each Stage of the Bass Pro Tour is broadcast live on the Major League Fishing app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), and majorleaguefishing.com, totaling more than 325 hours of original programming. Fans can follow the fast-paced nature of the MLF format as it unfolds on the live leaderboard through “SCORETRACKER® updates.” Highlights from each Stage of the 2020 Bass Pro Tour will air on Discovery Network beginning in July 2020 and Sportsman Channel in early 2021.

“MLF offers the strongest broadcast presence in the industry to fans and sponsors,” said Jim Wilburn, President and CEO of Major League Fishing. “And with these lakes planned for this coming Bass Pro Tour, we know 2020 will be our best year yet as we continue to capture a broad audience of both longtime fishing fans and those new to the sport, thanks to our fast-paced, fan-friendly format,”

About Major League Fishing   
Founded in 2011, Major League Fishing (MLF) brings the high-intensity sport of competitive bass fishing into America’s living rooms on Outdoor Channel, Discovery, CBS, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, Sportsman Channel, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). The Bass Pro Tour consists of eight events and a championship streamed live on www.MajorLeagueFishing.com and MOTV.

In late 2019 MLF acquired FLW, which expands their portfolio to include the world’s largest grassroots fishing organization, including the strongest five-fish format professional bass fishing tour, the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, as well as the Toyota Series, Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine, and Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI, and High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing.

For more information on the league and anglers, visit www.MajorLeagueFishing.com and follow MLF on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Local Rookie Strickland Wins Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Bad Boy Mowers

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Local Rookie Strickland Wins Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Bad Boy Mowers

BF/FLW High School Fishing 2015 Florida State Champion Claims First Career Pro Victory, Wins $100,000

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LEESBURG, Fla. (Feb. 23, 2020) – Pro Laramy Strickland of Bushnell, Florida, brought five bass to the scale weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Bad Boy Mowers Sunday. Strickland’s three-day total of 15 bass totaling 61 pounds, 4 ounces gave him the win by a 4-pound, 6-ounce margin over second place angler Jimmy Washam of Covington, Tennessee. For his victory, Strickland took home a top prize of $100,000.

The tournament, originally scheduled for four days, was shortened to three after strong winds forced a postponement of competition on Friday. The full field of 154 anglers competed on Thursday and Saturday and only the top 30 anglers advanced to Championship Sunday.

“This is unbelievable – just as awesome as I always dreamed it was going to be,” said Strickland, a former FLW/TBF High School Fishing Florida State Champion fishing in just his second event as a professional on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit. “If I was going to win just one, ever, in my whole career, I would have wanted it to be right here. There was so much family and friends here, the crowd was humongous. This still doesn’t even feel real.”

Strickland caught his fish this week fishing an area in Lake Griffin called the marsh. He described the marsh as “a 500- to 600-acre duck marsh, with hydrilla everywhere and full of cattails and hyacinth mats.” As a local angler he knew that big fish had been in there for months, and when he went there during the official practice period the big fish were still there.

“I caught them this week flipping mats with a Reaction Innovations Spicy Beaver (Tramp Stamp), but also added two big ones on a (Reaction Innovations) Machete Worm,” Strickland said. “Those were the only two baits I used all week – just flipped and threw that worm. I caught 12 fish on the first day. On the second day, I caught 8. Today I caught around 8 as well – they were just the right bites.”

Strickland said he threw the Spicy Beaver on a 7-foot, 6-inch Fitzgerald Rods hydrilla rod with a Shimano reel and 70-pound-test Fitzgerald Vursa braided line. He threw the worm on a new all-purpose 7-foot, 6-inch medium-heavy Fitzgerald rod, with 17-pound-test Fitzgerald Vursa fluorocarbon line and pegged with a 1/16-ounce weight.

“I fished fairly clean all week. I lost a couple that I really thought were going to haunt me, but my fish held up,” Strickland said. “I just kind of stuck in that area and luckily I had it all to myself this week.

“Two years ago, when the Pro Circuit was here, the boat that I won out of today was sitting in the parking lot as the demo boat for Ranger,” Strickland went on to say. “I bought that boat and here we are two years later. I’m on the big stage, and I won. I don’t even know what else to say. This has been surreal.”

The top 10 pros on the Harris Chain of Lakes finished:

1st:       Laramy Strickland of Bushnell, Fla., 15 bass, 61-4, $100,000
2nd:      Jimmy Washam of Covington, Tenn., 15 bass, 56-14, $30,000
3rd:       Hunter Freeman of Monroe, La., 13 bass, 54-6, $25,000
4th:       Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho, 14 bass, 52-11, $20,000
5th:       Matthew Stefan of Junction City, Wis., 15 bass, 51-15, $19,000
6th:       Miles Burghoff of Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., 15 bass, 51-5, $18,000
7th:       Jared McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla., 15 bass, 50-5, $17,000
8th:       Chad Warren of Sand Springs, Okla., 15 bass, 50-0, $16,000
9th:       Casey Scanlon of Lake Ozark, Mo., 15 bass, 49-7, $15,000
10th:     Brandon McMillan of Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 49-7, $14,000

Complete results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Overall there were 145 bass weighing 366 pounds, 9 ounces, caught by the pros Sunday. Of the final 30 pros, 27 of them were able to bring a five-bass limit to the scale.

Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Harris Chain of Lakes will premiere in 2020. The 2020 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit will have 156 two-hour airings on network television, including 26 consecutive weeks of Friday night primetime airing on Outdoor Channel and 130 airings on Sportsman Channel for a total of 312 hours of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit programming.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Bad Boy Mowers was hosted by Lake County, Florida. The next event for Pro Circuit anglers will be the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Martin, March 19-22, in Alexander City, Alabama. The tournament will be hosted by the Alexander City Chamber.

In normal Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 154 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition. After Friday’s weather postponement the format was changed to a three-day event, the full field fished the first two days of competition (Thursday and Saturday) and the top 30 pros advanced to Sunday, the final day of competition.

Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2020 FLW TITLE, the Pro Circuit Championship. The 2020 FLW TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York, Aug. 8-13 and is hosted by the Town of Massena.

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

About FLW

Tackle Box Organization: How To Really Store Your Fishing Gear – MTB

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Tackle Box Organization: How To Really Store Your Fishing Gear – MTB

Tackle Box Organization: How To Really Store Your Fishing Gear

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Tackle box organization is essential for any serious angler. Whenever I got the chance to fish with one of the touring bass pros I always liked to take a sneak peak in the pros’ boat storage compartments to see what lures they used and how they organized their tackle.

The pros know that time is of the essence when they are on the water, so tackle organization is critical. Knowing exactly where a particular lure or hook is in their boat prevents them from wasting valuable time searching for that item. I have also visited some of the pros at their homes and have noticed how organized their tackle is in their garage or workshop.

The pros have taught me the importance of keeping the same tackle organizing regimen whether you are at home or in your boat. Over the years I have accumulated enough lures and tackle to open a small bait-and-tackle shop so I have developed a system for organizing items in my house that extends into my boat.

Divide And Conquer

Tackle Box Organization

I separate surplus lures by lure types, such as crankbaits, suspending stickbaits, jigs, spinnerbaits, etc., into cardboard boxes and label the boxes with the lure type to store in my office closet. I also put extra fishing line, hooks, sinkers and fish attractant gels and sprays in separate boxes.

Tackle Box Organization: Separating Soft Plastics

Tackle Box Organization

My soft plastic lures are kept in their original packages and stored in plastic tubs that are stacked along my office walls. I have separate tubs for swimbaits, plastic tubes, creatures, beavers, plastic worms, Senkos, plastic lizards and plastic craws and chunks.

Home Fishing Headquarters

Tackle Box Organization

The lures I intend to use throughout the year are stored by lure types in Plano 3700 boxes and are also kept in another area of my closet. I have about 30 of those boxes filled with lures and tackle ranging from topwater baits to worm weights. The boxes are even divided into specific categories of lure types such as boxes for topwater prop baits, topwater chuggers, deep-diving crankbaits, medium-diving crankbaits and square bill crankbaits. My closet also contains a smaller Plano 3600 box filled with snaps, split rings and swivels and Plano 3600 boxes filled with components for drop shot and Neko rigs.

Tackle Box Organization: Take What You Need

Storing all this tackle in my boat would severely test my bass boat’s floatation system, so I lighten the load by carrying seasonal tackle on the water. I determine which lures I will need for the seasonal patterns I will be fishing and carry a tackle bag capable of holding four 3600 boxes for my hard plastic baits. The soft plastics I intend to store in my boat for the season are taken from my plastic tubs in the house and transferred into Ziploc bags. Each bag will contain packages of a particular lure in four or five different colors. By employing the same tackle organization system from home to boat I know exactly where to find my lures without wasting time.

Local pro Strickland Catches Mega Limit, Takes Lead at Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Bad Boy Mowers

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Local pro Strickland Catches Mega Limit, Takes Lead at Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Bad Boy Mowers

LEESBURG, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2020) – Local pro angler Laramy Strickland of Bushnell, Florida, caught a five-bass limit Saturday weighing 31 pounds, 6 ounces, to vault to the top of the leaderboard at the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Bad Boy Mowers. His two-day total of 10 bass weighing 46 pounds even will give him a 4-pound, 3-ounce lead over second place pro Jimmy Washam of Covington, Tennessee (41-13) and more than a 6½-pound advantage over third place pro Hunter Freeman of Monroe, Louisiana (39-6).

The tournament, originally scheduled for four days, was shortened to three after strong winds forced a postponement of competition on Friday. With a top prize of up to $135,000 on the line, the full field of 154 anglers competed on Thursday and Saturday and now only the top 30 anglers advance to Championship Sunday.

While a 4+ pound lead would be very substantial on most bodies of water, the giant bass that lurk at the Harris Chain of Lakes mean that Strickland’s lead is by no means safe and many anglers remain in contention to take home the top prize. However, what is perhaps most interesting about Strickland’s magical day on Saturday is that the Florida pro thinks he might be able to duplicate it on Sunday.

“On Thursday I only caught 14 pounds, but I had three swimmers and I lost two or three giants,” said Strickland, a rookie who is fishing his second tournament at FLW’s top level. “Today, I caught my giants and was out of there by 10 (a.m.). I really laid off my fish – there is so much there that I haven’t fished yet.

“I’m really excited because I know what’s happening, and I believe it’s going to hold for at least another day. We’re just going to go fishing tomorrow and see if I can catch a dirty 30 again.”

Although Strickland was tight-lipped about his specific details and presentations, he did mention that he has caught all of his fish this week – except one that he weighed today – on just one bait. He said he was flipping and casting.

“I thought I would maybe catch around 20 pounds today, but the bigguns bit for me,” Strickland said. “I caught six fish today and left it. Just fishing around I caught a couple of little dinks, but I never caught anything else that could help.

“Things are lining up to get good again, and I think tomorrow I’m going to either hero or zero,” Strickland went on to say. “I’m just going to go fishing and do what I know how to do to catch them.”

The top 30 pros advancing to the final day of competition Sunday on the Harris Chain of Lakes are:

1st:       Laramy Strickland of Bushnell, Fla., 10 bass, 46-0
2nd:      Jimmy Washam of Covington, Tenn., 10 bass, 41-13
3rd:       Hunter Freeman of Monroe, La., 10 bass, 39-6
4th:       Miles Burghoff of Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., 10 bass, 38-15
5th:       Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho, 10 bass, 36-12
6th:       Jared McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla., 10 bass, 35-15
7th:       Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 35-11
8th:       Casey Scanlon of Lake Ozark, Mo., 10 bass, 35-4
9th:       Rusty Salewske of Alpine, Calif., 10 bass, 34-3
10th:     Chad Warren of Sand Springs, Okla., 10 bass, 34-1
11th:     John Cox of DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 33-13
12th:     Brandon McMillan of Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 33-4
13th:     Matthew Stefan of Junction City, Wis., 10 bass, 33-3
14th:     Jacob Wall of New Hope, Ala., 10 bass, 32-13
15th:     Bill McDonald of Greenwood, Ind., 10 bass, 32-10
16th:     Lance Crawford of Broken Bow, Okla., nine bass, 32-9
17th:     James Niggemeyer of Van, Texas, 10 bass, 32-6
18th:     Erik Luzak of Fenelon Falls, Ontario, Canada, 10 bass, 32-4
19th:     Chad Grigsby of Maple Grove, Minn., 10 bass, 31-12
20th:     Tim Frederick of Leesburg, Fla., 10 bass, 31-10
21st:     Jon Canada of Helena, Ala., 10 bass, 30-15
22nd:    Dylan Hays of El Dorado, Ark., 10 bass, 30-10
23rd:     Robert Nakatomi of Sacramento, Calif., 10 bass, 30-5
24th:     Grae Buck of Green Lane, Pa., 10 bass, 29-15
25th:     Terry Bolton of Benton, Ky., 10 bass, 29-11
26th:     Joshua Weaver of Macon, Ga., 10 bass, 29-8
27th:     Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., 10 bass, 28-7
28th:     Dakota Ebare of Denham Springs, La., 10 bass, 28-4
29th:     Mike Surman of Boca Raton, Fla., 10 bass, 28-3
30th:     Tyler Woolcott of Port Orange, Fla., 10 bass, 28-1

Full results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Strickland’s biggest bass of the day – a 9-pound, 4-ounce largemouth – also claimed the day’s $500 Berkley Big Bass award.

Overall there were 696 bass weighing 1,608 pounds, 2 ounces caught by 153 pros Saturday. The catch included 122 five-bass limits.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Bad Boy Mowers is hosted by Lake County, Florida.

In normal Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 154 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition. After Friday’s weather postponement the format was changed to a three-day event, with the full field fishing the first two days of competition (Thursday and Saturday) and the top 30 pros advancing to Sunday, the final day of competition.

The final 10 anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EST Sunday from the Venetian Gardens, located at 201 E. Lake Harris Drive, in Leesburg. Sunday’s Championship weigh-in will be held at the Gardens, beginning at 4 p.m.

Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Harris Chain of Lakes will premiere in 2020. The 2020 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit will have 156 two-hour airings on network television, including 26 consecutive weeks of Friday night primetime airing on Outdoor Channel and 130 airings on Sportsman Channel for a total of 312 hours of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit programming.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water broadcast will air Sunday, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran is joined by Toyota Series pro Todd Hollowell to break down the extended action from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.

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

Cast & Blast Spring Gobblers and Largemouth Bass in the Heart of Texas

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Cast & Blast Spring Gobblers and Largemouth Bass in the Heart of Texas

Cast & Blast
Spring Gobblers and Largemouth Bass in the Heart of Texas

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Under the cover of darkness, my guide Keith and I slowly crept along a moonlit path under the silhouette of a large oak tree. “Hold up,” he whispered, reaching into his vest for a call. Hoo-hoooooo boomed the kazoo-like owl hoot chopping the morning calm. Seconds pass as we strain our ears but only the faint twittering of a few waking songbirds reply. “Let’s keep going,” he said, as we continued on the trail of what I hoped would become my first Rio Grande gobbler. Eventually we arrived at a clearing surrounded by prickly pear cactus where Keith placed our chairs against a mesquite bush. A light bead of sweat formed under my hat as I rested my shotgun at my side to don my face netting. Yeeep yeeep he began again, this time with a soft yelp from his mouth call that transitioned into a fly-down cackle. Again we wait with high expectation but after several minutes there was only silence. Then suddenly a raucous gobble exploded from the brush behind us causing the hair on my neck to stand up. “Get ready,” said Keith, as the boisterous Tom’s gobbles grew louder. But for whatever reason it turned and eventually faded off in the distance, and after several pleas from Keith’s calling the wily Rio never appeared.

Cast
Centered smack dab in the heart of Texas is the Champion Ranch. Located just north of the Town of Brady, this 8,000 acre 5 star hunting resort is like no other, offering everything from big game hunting for North American whitetail to African wildebeest, wing shooting, jeep safaris, long range shooting school, and what may be their best package – the Spring Cast & Blast for Rio Grande turkey and unlimited bass fishing. “So what do you think?” asked owner Joel Swan later that morning as I scoffed down a big Texas style breakfast consisting of eggs ranchero and biscuits and gravy in the main dining room of the lodge. “Amazing,” I answered, taking in the opulent castle like décor and myriad of full-sized taxidermy pieces from at least a half-dozen continents. “Well good luck out there guys, and Dustin if you need anything just let us know.”


Most of the day was filled with bass fishing on the Ranch’s 18 acre lake that was filled with aggressive pure Florida strain largemouth bass. Ranch guides Keith Sallin, Geoff Walker, and I wore our forearms out setting the hook into what must have been fifty fish using wacky rigged 5” blue fleck Stanley Mudpuppies, and DOA PT-7 topwater lures. By noon the bite was still going strong when a herd of elk appeared out of nowhere along the water’s edge. “Don’t see that every day,” I said, as a swirl exploded under my lure. “Nope, can’t say I have,” grunted Geoff, setting the hook again.

 

Blast
After a quick nap in my private casita furnished with two flat screen TVs, leather furniture and fully stocked refrigerator, Keith and I were back out that afternoon sitting near the large roosting oak. A welcomed breeze swirled through the mesquite flat that cooled my sweaty shirt as he struck the first note on his slate call. With several faint gobbles replying off in the distance, the calm of midday had slowly lulled me into a daydream just before Keith hissed: “Gobbler!” And without a sound an old tom had already snuck its way into the clearing. Its long beard swayed with each step occasionally craning its neck to investigate our camouflaged shapes tucked behind the mesquite branches. “Slowly raise your gun up to your shoulder when it walks behind the next branch,” whispered Keith. Carefully I lifted my shotgun and clicked the safety off when suddenly the giant bird galloped out of sight causing my heart to sink. “Just wait,” Keith encouraged as I sat trembling with excitement, shoulders burning under the strain to keep my gun up. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, the curious bird returned. Boom! My twelve gauge roared, dropping it in place. “Congratulations on your first Rio!” said Keith after we ran over to retrieve it. “And even better it’s got inch and-a-quarter spurs!”


After pictures and a celebratory shot of Fireball, the festivities continued that evening over beers and a delicious beef tenderloin entrée served on a bed of Au gratin potatoes with roasted asparagus. Afterward walking along the lit gravel path lined with manicured shrubbery from the main lodge back to my casita, I took note of my thumb completely chafed of skin from lipping largemouth bass all day and had to smile knowing tomorrow would be another day just like this one.

Champion Ranch is currently accepting early bookings for the upcoming spring 2020 Cast and Blast package
Contact
Champion Ranch
Joel Swan
[email protected]
http://www.championranch.com
1-806-787-9950

End
Dustin Catrett

Day Two of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Bad Boy Mowers Postponed Due to High Winds

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Day Two of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Bad Boy Mowers Postponed Due to High Winds

Day Two of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Bad Boy Mowers Postponed Due to High Winds

LEESBURG, Fla. (Feb. 21, 2020) – Day Two of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Bad Boy Mowers has been canceled due to inclement weather. With a lake wind advisory in effect from 10 a.m. ET until later this evening, conditions on the lake were deemed unsafe by Daniel Fennel, FLW Senior Director of Tournament Operations.

“With the present and forecasted conditions, we have deemed it unsafe for our anglers to head out today,” Fennel said. “Safety is our main priority. Everyone will stay in today and get back after it again Saturday.”

The tournament will resume Saturday with the full field of 154 pros competing. Following Saturday’s weigh-in, the top 30 pros will continue competition on Championship Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the three days of competition.

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EST each day from the Venetian Gardens, located at 201 E. Lake Harris Drive, in Leesburg. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the Gardens, beginning at 4 p.m.

The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Bad Boy Mowers is hosted by Lake County, Florida.

Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2020 FLW TITLE, the Pro Circuit Championship. The 2020 FLW TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York, Aug. 8-13 and is hosted by the Town of Massena.

For youth, the FLW Foundation’s Youth Fishing Derby will be held at the Venetian Gardens on Saturday, Feb. 22 from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. The event is hosted by Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit anglers and is free and open to any youth 14 and under. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. The 1st and 2nd place anglers that catch the biggest fish will be recognized Saturday on the FLW Pro Circuit stage, just prior to the pros weighing in. The first 50 youth registered will receive a free goodie bag. Youth can register on-site or pre-register by emailing [email protected].

Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at the Harris Chain of Lakes will premiere in 2020. The 2020 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit will have 156 two-hour airings on network television, including 26 consecutive weeks of Friday night primetime airing on Outdoor Channel and 130 airings on Sportsman Channel for a total of 312 hours of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit programming.

The FLW Live on-the-water broadcast will air on Days Three and Four of the event, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran is joined by Toyota Series pro Todd Hollowell to break down the extended action each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.

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

Fitzgerald Win’s Big on the St. johns River @ FLW Toyota Series

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Fitzgerald Win’s Big on the St. johns River @ FLW Toyota Series

Trevor Fitzgerald gives us a look back at his big 7 plus plus pound victory on the St. Johns River winning the FLW Toyota Series Tournament. Plus come out & say hello at the Bassmaster Classic & see what’s going on at Fitzgerald rods.

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A special thanks to our Title Sponsor Ledge Hog Fishing


2 Late Winter Bass Lures You NEED To Be Fishing – MTB

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2 Late Winter Bass Lures You NEED To Be Fishing – MTB

2 Late Winter Bass Lures You NEED To Be Fishing

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A bass’ metabolism slows way down in the winter, so the fish can go a few days without eating if it gulps down one big baitfish.

As winter progresses and the water gets colder, big baitfish are hardy enough to survive the cold water, but smaller baitfish such as threadfin shad and young gizzard shad start succumbing to the frigid water. During this shad die-off, a bass’ diet changes as the fish start targeting the easier meals of smaller shad that struggle to keep swimming. Matching the size of the dying baitfish becomes a key to catching bass during this time, so I downsize my lures to trigger more bites.

late winter lures

The lakes around my home are usually clear during the winter which is another reason to downsize my lures and tackle. The lakes also rarely freeze over so there are winter tournaments just about every weekend and some of the tournament competitors are even practicing throughout the week. This added fishing pressure makes winter bass even more finicky and prompts many anglers to downsize their baits.

Winter weather also calls for downsizing baits to coax lethargic bass into biting. After a winter storm passes through, the ensuing cold front featuring bluebird sky days and frigid, calm weather causes bass to suspend over winter sanctuaries and wait for a warming trend to start feeding again. Small lures that suspend or slowly sink are the best bet for tempting these inactive fish.

Here are two lures I recommend for downsizing when bass are keying on smaller baitfish in clear water.

Suspending Jerkbaits Crush

late winter lures
SHOP JERKBAITS

These lures are my all-time favorites for catching wintertime bass because the baits suspend at about the same depth as the fish are positioned in the water column. When the stickbait reaches its maximum depth, I can let it sit there in front of a bass for as long as 30 seconds to a minute. A couple of subtle twitches of the lure imitates a shad struggling to swim, which is an easy meal for a bass to capture.

Throughout most of the winter I favor a 4 1/2- or 5-inch suspending jerkbait I throw on baitcasting gear with 8- to 10-pound fluorocarbon line. When the winter drawdown drops the water level to its lowest point on my home lake of Lake of the Ozarks, the water is also close to the freezing point and there is usually ice in some of the coves. Bass become extremely sluggish then and tend to ignore my larger stickbaits so I downsize to 3-inch models, especially on the calm, sunny days after a cold front.

The short, lightweight stickbait is difficult to throw with baitcast gear so I tie the small lure on 8-pound monofilament and cast with spinning tackle. I prefer monofilament for my spinning reel because it flows off the spool slowly and smoothly whereas fluorocarbon line tends to jump off the spinning reel spool too quickly and creates too many line tangles. The short stickbait has a long bill that allows it to dive to the same depths as the larger models. After cranking the lure down to its maximum depth, I pause it and then try either a twitch-twitch-pause retrieve or slowly sweep the lure and pause it to trigger strikes from suspended bass.

Underspin For The Win

late winter lures
SHOP JIGHEADS

A heavyweight football or casting jig works great for bottom-hugging bass but these lures fall too fast through the strike zone of suspended bass. Combining a 5- or 6-inch swimbait and a 1/4-ounce underspin jig is an effective way to catch suspended wintertime bass, but when the water turns extremely cold savvy anglers downsize their baits. Some of the Table Rock Lake guides I know scale down to 1/8- or 1/16-ounce Roadrunners or other horsehead jigs to catch inactive wintertime spotted bass. They use either a horsehead jig with a marabou body or match the small underspin jig with a curly-tail plastic grub or 2- to 3-inch swimbait. During a recent trip with Table Rock Lake guide Pete Wenners, we caught suspended spotted bass on his home waters with a 1/8-ounce jighead and a 3-inch swimbait that we let slowly fall through the fish.

Match the lightweight underspin jig with a medium-action spinning rod and a reel filled with 6- to 8-pound line. The danger of a big bass breaking the light line is minimized when targeting suspended fish because you are usually fishing in open water and the sluggish fish usually have less fight in them. Make sure you set your drag loose enough to allow the fish to pull out some line if it surges to prevent line breakage.

Cast the underspin jig to bluffs where bass will be suspended 10 to 25 feet deep. Count down the lure as it falls to the depth you determine bass are suspending and then reel in the jig at a slow, steady pace.

B.A.S.S. Elite Pro Chooses Gill to Stay Dry and Comfortable on the Trail

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B.A.S.S. Elite Pro Chooses Gill to Stay Dry and Comfortable on the Trail

Gill Pro Angler Profile: Jason Williamson

B.A.S.S. Elite Pro Chooses Gill to Stay Dry and Comfortable on the Trail

Buford, GA (February 20, 2020) – Jason Williamson joins Gill’s diverse team of pro bass anglers representing the B.A.S.S. Elite Series, FLW, and Major League Fishing (MLF). The South Carolina native has fished a total of 161 tournaments with 93 finishes in the money, including three Bassmaster Classic appearances. Now preparing for the upcoming Bassmaster Classic, Williamson is excited to be working with GILL.

“The thing that comes to mind when someone mentions Gill is quality. These days there are a lot of options for foul weather gear, but when you make your living like we do as fishermen out in whatever elements Mother Nature decides to throw you, you have to have quality gear and you need people who take pride in what they manufacture,” says Williamson. “My Gill wear performs when it’s cold and wet, and they also offer apparel that’s ideal for when it’s hot.”

“Speaking to when it’s hot on the water, I’ve always been a fan of their Expedition Shorts. They’re very comfortable and forgiving and keep you super cool. Another one of my favorites is the UV Tech Hoody. It definitely protects you from the sun. Skin cancer is something that you think about as a pro angler with so much exposure to the sun. The design of the UV Performance Tech Hoody is very comfortable, and it has features like thumb holes which hold your sleeves down. It features a great hood and it’s made from materials that are super breathable and keep you cool.”

Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.

“My most utilized piece of equipment has been the Pro Tournament 3L Jacket. In my opinion, it’s far superior to any other rain gear on the market. From a standpoint of keeping you dry, comfortable, and being able to move around with ease, it’s top-notch. It’s got everything else beat by a mile.”

Looking forward to the Classic—and dependent on the weather—Williamson will be wearing a Gill thermal base layer underneath the Pro Tournament 3L Jacket and the Tournament Bib.

“One thing I really like about the jacket is the Vortex hood, which keeps me super dry and stays over my hat when I’m running down the lake. A lot of aerodynamics went into that design, and it performs better than anything else I’ve ever worn. It’s a really sweet design that does a great job of not blocking your side vision, either.”

GILL is proud to announce that the Pro Tournament 3L, Tournament Jacket, and Active Jacket are all currently available at www.gillfishing.com and will be on display at the Bassmaster Classic.

“The Pro Tournament 3L is a really great design and I anticipate if it’s really cold at Guntersville, I’ll put on the OS Thermal Zip Neck top and OS Thermal Leggings underneath,” adds Williamson.

“Guntersville has always been at the top of the list as pro anglers’ favorite fisheries. It’s one of those lakes that has the potential to set records. It’s going to be exciting. From a fishing standpoint, I think we have a good chance of it being really good . But there’s always that chance of the first week of March being and icy and snowing in that part of the country. That’s kind of in the back of my mind.”

“But if we see some type of warming trend leading up to the event and decent weather for the event, I think the fishing will be phenomenal. It’s going to be interesting to see if the high muddy water gets back down, stabilizes and cleans up. Guntersville is a lake that’s full of vegetation so it will probably clear up quick. So it’s definitely going to be interesting.”

“Jason is just one of those pro’s that are ideal to work with,” says Tim Golden, U.S. National Sales Manager, Gill Fishing. “He offers great product feedback, is constantly helping us promote and is very active with social media exposure. It’s been great following him on the trail, too, and watching him perform at such a highly competitive level. Again, he’s exactly the kind of product ambassador we’re proud to be working with.”

To learn more about Gill’s fishing rainwear and additional apparel, visit www.gillfishing.com.

Jason Williamson sports the new Gill Pro Tournament 3L jacket during takeoff at the recent Bassmaster Elite Series event at St. Johns River.
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