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Oklahoma’s Carper Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Florida’s St. John’s River

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Oklahoma’s Carper Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Florida’s St. John’s River

Oklahoma’s Carper Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Florida’s St. John’s River

Boater Eddie Carper Weighs 26-Pound Limit, Wins $12,415

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: PALATKA, FLA. (Jan. 13, 2020) – The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine continued competition Saturday at the St. John’s River in Palatka, Florida – the first time that the Gator Division presented by A.R.E. has opened their season on the St. John’s River – and featured a major return on investment for the winner.

Boater Eddie Carper of Valliant, Oklahoma, caught the largest five-bass limit of the day (weighing 26 pounds even) to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Gator division presented by A.R.E. opener and earn the top prize – a total of $12,415 after collecting his $7,000 FLW PHOENIX Bonus contingency award. The victory was the first win of Carper’s FLW career.

“I travel a lot for work, so I don’t really get to practice or fish in my home region very much,” the Oklahoman said. “Getting the opportunity to come to a place like Florida and the St. John’s River and earning the win after never having been here in my life is pretty humbling. I’ve been chasing one of these for a long time, and it feels absolutely awesome to finally win one.

“I caught one fish early on a War Eagle Finesse Spinnerbait, but the rest of my fish came on a junebug-colored Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Worm,” Carper continued. “I was fishing in Lake George, and the key was definitely staying in that one area. I caught every one of my fish from one 30-by-30-yard area.

“They were biting good and I definitely had the confidence that they were there – especially after I caught the big one,” Carper said of his 9-pound, 15-ounce kicker, the largest bass of the tournament. “I had to drag my worm extremely slow, and they seemed to shut down when it got cloudy. But once the sun would come back out they’d feed again.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

1st:       Eddie Carper of Valliant, Okla., five bass, 26-0, $5,415 + $7,000 FLW PHOENIX BONUS

2nd:      Yoan Alvarez of Miami, Fla., five bass, 21-14, $2,360

3rd:       Jerry Stalvey Jr. of Palatka, Fla., five bass, 19-12, $1,574

4th:       Mike Jackson of San Mateo, Fla., five bass, 19-5, $1,101

5th:       Terry Fisher of Jacksonville, Fla., five bass, 16-4, $944

6th:       Trevor Brown of Deltona, Fla., five bass, 14-8, $865

7th:       Kyle Walters of Grant Valkaria, Fla., five bass, 13-13, $787

8th:       Dawayne Burke of Cross City, Fla., five bass, 13-10, $708

9th:       John Mobley of Macclenny, Fla., five bass, 13-4, $629

10th:     Jason Reed of Hollister, Fla., five bass, 13-1, $551

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Carper’s 9-pound, 15-ounce largemouth was also good for the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $695.

Carper took home an extra $7,000 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. 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.

Randy Paquette of Sarasota, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and $2,360 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

1st:       Randy Paquette of Sarasota, Fla., five bass, 16-5, $2,360

2nd:      Theron Asbery of Fort Pierce, Fla., five bass, 12-0, $1,180

3rd:       Kyle Gelles of Pingree, Idaho, three bass, 11-15, $1,284

4th:       Scott Farnham of Port St. Lucie, Fla., five bass, 11-5, $551

5th:       Richard Dunham of Palm Harbor, Fla., three bass, 8-14, $472

6th:       Aaron Gengler of Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 8-2, $433

7th:       Jerry Meece of Lufkin, Texas, four bass, 7-7, $493

8th:       Spencer Howerton of Melbourne Beach, Fla., four bass, 6-6, $354

9th:       Tim Kidwell of Crittenden, Ky., three bass, 6-2, $315

10th:     Jason Gonzalez of Loxahatchee, Fla., three bass, 5-15, $275

Gelles caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 6 pounds, 11 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $347.

The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on the St. John’s River was hosted by the Putnam County Tourist Development Council.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Gator Division presented by A.R.E. based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 22-24 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia hosted by the Gainesville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower 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 April 30 through May 2 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.

Why Adding Scent To Your Baits This Winter Can Make A Big Difference

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Why Adding Scent To Your Baits This Winter Can Make A Big Difference

Why Adding Scent To Your Baits This Winter Can Make A Big Difference

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Scenting baits for more wintertime bites. Live bait is hard to beat most of the time when angling for a variety of gamefish.

Winter is one of those times when I never use live bait because the cold makes it tough to handle some live baits such as minnows and some live baits lose their liveliness in the cold water. A better alternative for me during the winter is to use artificial lures enhanced with some sort of spray or gel scent or scented baits and pastes such as the various Berkley Power Baits.

adding fishing scent
Anise single-use scent from a past Mystery Tackle Box.

When fishing gets tough for wintertime trout, I switch from fishing with jigs and jerkbaits to either salmon eggs or the various Berkley Power Baits. I like to fish the urban lakes in St. Louis that are stocked with trout by the Missouri Department of Conservation and in some of the lakes you can use only unscented artificial lures during a catch-and-release period from November to Feb. 1. However after Feb. 1 the lakes are open to keeping the trout and any baits, including live baits, can be used then.

When the lakes are open to live bait fishing, it’s a lot tougher to fool trout with the fake or unscented stuff so I switch to the Berkley Power Baits paste and the Power Baits salmon eggs or trout worms. I use a split shot rig with a small circle hook for the salmon eggs or a small treble hook for the paste. The key to this rig is to use a split shot heavy enough to cast the rig several feet yet the weight needs to be light enough for the trout to pick up the bait without feeling much resistance when it tries to swim off with its meal. Grocery baits that work well for trout during the winter include canned corn, Velveeta cheese and marshmallows.

Spike It Double Marker

Scents have also helped me catch more wintertime bass when the fish tend to ignore my jig offerings. One of my favorite lures for adding scented gels is the Gene Larew Biffle Bug because it has a body cavity and ribs that are ideal for holding scent additives. I enhance my Biffle Bug by squirting gel into the body cavity until the gel starts oozing out of the hole. I also slather the lure’s ribs with plenty of gel. Bass that were short striking the lure seems to suck in the bait better and hold onto it longer when I heavily scent the Bug. This trick will work on a variety of soft plastic lures with cavities and ribs such as tube baits, ringworms, and beaver-style baits.

Spray scents have also worked for me on a variety of jigs and plastic trailers. I soak both the jig and trailer with the spray and will apply more spray after about five or 10 casts. Spray scents are available in a variety of flavors but for wintertime fishing, I just rely on the shad and crayfish flavors.

Scented dyes are another great lure-enhancer to coax finicky bass into biting. If I am fishing in stained to murky water, I like to dip the tails of my jig’s plastic trailer in a chartreuse scented dye. Adding the dye makes it easier for bass to see the chartreuse tail and the scent emits a positive smell so the fish will hold onto the bait longer, which gives you the advantage of getting a better hook set. Garlic and anise are the scents most often used with scented dyes. The only drawback I have with using garlic scented dyes is that I get a craving for garlic bread when I’m fishing.

Powerbait, Gulp, and other brands provide anglers with good scented options.

Crappie can by picky eaters during the winter and I have watched them with my underwater camera come up to my lure, nip at its tail and turn away from the bait. When crappie short strike my jig like that I add one or two Berkley Gulp Crappie Nibbles on the bend of my jig hook to trigger harder strikes. I prefer using white or chartreuse Nibbles when fishing in clear water and opt for orange or pink Nibbles for fishing in stained to murky water. Another artificial fish food I have added to my jig’s hook to trigger more bites is Stubby Steve’s, which has a sustained-release fish food odor.

Scented gels such as the Bobby Garland Mo Glo Slab Jam also enhance my crappie jigs and improve my hookups. I prefer the gel over a scent spray because it clings to the lure better and stays on the jig longer than the spray. Applying a generous amount of gel on the soft plastic bait from its head to tail will last for several casts before you have to apply another coating.

Lip Ripperz Fishing Scent
Bass Dynasty’s bottle is easy to use and helps keeps your scent secure.

A 1/16-ounce bullet-shaped jig with a scented worm has been a productive shaky head tactic for me to catch wintertime crappie. The scented worms that have worked best for me are the Eagle Claw Nitro Trailers Crappie Bait and the Berkley Power Bait Atomic Teasers, but any scented trout worm will also work.

Lake Fork Guy Just Posted A Really Good Video On Fishing Soft Plastic Swimbaits

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Lake Fork Guy Just Posted A Really Good Video On Fishing Soft Plastic Swimbaits

Lake Fork Guy Just Posted A Really Good Video On Fishing Soft Plastic Swimbaits

I came home last night after work and jumped on YouTube as I was warming dinner (leftover tacos).

The first video I saw was from Lake Fork Guy, and I instantly double-clicked. Mainly for two reasons.

1) Lake Fork Guy is fishing STUD and also my favorite Googan (Sorry, Peric).

2) Shallow water swimbait fishing is a ridiculously fun way to catch bass.

I’m about two months away from a good shallow water bite here in Chicago. But man, it felt good to watch Lake Fork Guy lean into a few largemouth on the trusty old swimbait.

Watch and learn how to target BIG ONES with a swimbait, just Like LFG
Target Areas
Lake Fork Guy likes to target shallow grass and lilly pad stems with his swimbaits. The streamline body help this bait slip in and out of vegetation.
Ideal Equipment For Fishing The Saucy Swimmer
Pairing your swimbait with the right equipment is crucial. Lake Fork Guy uses a medium-heavy rod, fast action casting reel, and strong fluorocarbon fishing line.
The Size Of Your Saucy Swimmer Should All Depend On…..
The Googan Baits Saucy Swimmer is available in 3 tasty size options. Match your Saucy Swimmer as closely as possible to the forage in your lake.
Swim Jigs For The Win Yet Again
The Googan swimjig and swimbait are a saucy combo!
The Proof Is In The Pudding Saucy Swimmer
When jig bite turned off, the swimbait turned on for Lunkers and Lake Fork Guy.
Giving Them Something They Just Can’t Refuse
Pairing the Saucy Swimmer with the Googan Squad Swimjig is a deadly combo.

How To Gear Up For Swimbait Season

SHOP GOOGAN SQUAD GRASS HERO
SHOP GOOGAN SQUAD SAUCY SWIMMER

Giant Limits Could Be Caught During Bassmaster Eastern Open On Kissimmee Chain

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Giant Limits Could Be Caught During Bassmaster Eastern Open On Kissimmee Chain

Florida’s Kissimmee Chain of Lakes will host the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open Jan. 15-17.

Photo by B.A.S.S.

January 10, 2020

Giant Limits Could Be Caught During Bassmaster Eastern Open On Kissimmee Chain

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KISSIMMEE, Fla. — When the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open kicks off Jan. 15-17 on Florida’s renowned Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, these Central Florida waters, which are a short hop from Disney World, will offer a magic kingdom of rod-bending potential.

Daily takeoffs will be at 7 a.m. ET from Big Toho Marina at Kissimmee Lakefront Park, and weigh-ins the first two days will be held at 3 p.m. at the marina, while Saturday’s championship weigh-in will be held at 4 p.m. at the Bass Pro Shops in Orlando.

Elite pro Jesse Tacoronte has been making the short trip from his Orlando home to explore tournament waters, and he’s expecting mostly a prespawn event. The Sunshine State can see spawning activity as early as December, but speaking 10 days prior to the event, Tacoronte said he had yet to see solid evidence of a shoreward movement.

“There were a lot of empty beds when I was out there last,” he said. “There were no bucks (male bass) or anything, and then the cold front we got stalled them even more.”

Beginning in downtown Kissimmee, the namesake chain includes four major lakes — Toho (22,700 acres), Cypress (4,097), Hatchineha (6,559) and Kissimmee (34,948) — all linked via canals. The Kissimmee River, headwaters of the Florida Everglades, runs through the chain and into Lake Okeechobee.

Within tournament waters, anglers will find plenty of fishable habitat including hydrilla, pad stems, reeds, Kissimmee grass and trash mats. Laydowns, stumps and open-water shellbeds enhance these vegetation-centric lakes.

Without any major rains in recent weeks, water clarity should be fairly good. However, windy conditions could change that. All of the Kissimmee Chain lakes are relatively shallow (approximately 13 feet maximum), and strong winds easily stir the bottom sediment.

While some might prefer bedding bass, as this brings sight fishing into the picture, Tacoronte knows that prespawn typically means aggressive fish with liberal appetites.

“It’s wide open right now, from ChatterBaits to Texas-rigged Senkos to Rat-L-Traps, jerkbaits and frogs; it’s crazy right now,” Tacoronte said. “When they’re all over, you can catch them any way you want.”

In addition to bait diversity, the Kissimmee Chain’s geographic range also presents options. Plenty of competitive fish live in Toho, but some anglers prefer distancing themselves from crowds. The Kissimmee Chain offers lots of room, but running time vs. fishing time remains a strategic calculation.

Those who choose to fish below Toho will need to watch the clock, both in terms of overall distances and the locking process. For prudent time management, Tacoronte suggests allowing an extra hour each way.

If history is any indication, several anglers should break 20 pounds, with a 30-pound bag a serious possibility. Recent early-season Florida events saw anglers exceed that 30-pound mark, including last year’s Eastern Open on the Harris Chain of Lakes when Whitney Stephens opened with a Day 1 limit of 32-12 en route to victory.

Tacoronte believes 15 pounds a day will earn a Top 10 finish. Another 30-plus bag is completely realistic, he said.

“I had almost 30 pounds during practice,” Tacoronte said.

Weather is likely to play a major role in this event, as the year’s first quarter can prove particularly fickle. Florida bass grow big, but they have pitifully low tolerance for meteorological change.

“A cold front could come in a make those fish abandon everything they’ve been doing,” Tacoronte said. “If they’ve been up in the pads on a prespawn deal, a cold front could send them right back out and put them under (deeper) mats.

“But if you get a warm spell, they could be up on the beds spawning. So, weather could really change it. In Florida, it could be cold in the morning and hot in the afternoon. This time of the year is so fun because it’s a constant challenge.”

Exact game plans will probably be defined the night before competition commences, but those who fare best will be the ones who choose the right lake and react best to the week’s weather.

Based on a field of 150 boats, the winning angler in the pro division will earn $35,000. The winning co-angler will earn $17,000. Payouts are adjusted based on field size.

The event is being hosted by the Kissimmee Sports Commission.

2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Basspro.com

2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Triton Boats, Yamaha

2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Carhartt, HUK Performance Fishing, Mossy Oak Fishing, Rapala

Lowrance Announces New Hook Reveal Fishfinder/Charterers

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Lowrance Announces New Hook Reveal Fishfinder/Charterers

Lowrance Announces New Hook Reveal Fishfinder/Charterers
Tulsa, Okla. – Lowrance®, a world-leader in fishing electronics since 1957, announced today the launch of HOOK Reveal, the latest in the HOOK Series of fishfinder/ chartplotters.

The all-new HOOK Reveal makes fishing easier, delivering powerful performance with proven fish-finding tools including, Autotuning Sonar, SideScan and DownScan Imaging™ and now FishReveal™, which makes fish easier to see by combining the benefits of Lowrance CHIRP sonar and DownScan Imaging on one screen. Whether fishing a local spot or unfamiliar water, find the best fishing areas with preloaded US Inland mapping or map uncharted water – in real time – with Genesis Live.

“HOOK Reveal brings a new level of fish-finding performance to the HOOK series. We are confident game-changing features like FishReveal and Genesis Live will help HOOK Reveal anglers have more success on the water.” – Knut Frostad, CEO, Navico

Available in 9-, 7- and 5-inch models, HOOK Reveal includes one of Lowrance’s most popular features, FishReveal and its live-mapping solution, Genesis Live.

Anglers will have an easier time seeing fish with FishReveal, which combines on one screen the proven target separation of Lowrance CHIRP sonar and the high-resolution images of fish-holding structure from DownScan Imaging.

Genesis Live gives anglers the capability to create custom 1⁄2-foot contour maps of their local lake or uncharted water – in real time – on the screen of HOOK Reveal displays. Genesis Live maps can also be created and saved on HOOK Reveal non-mapping GPS plotters by placing a blank microSD card into the card slot.

A simple interface and HOOK exclusive Autotuning sonar make HOOK Reveal easy to use. Anglers will spend more time fishing and less time reworking sonar settings with Autotuning sonar, which delivers the best sonar image every time by automatically adjusting settings as fishing conditions change.

Whether fishing a local lake or unfamiliar water, HOOK Reveal makes it easy to pinpoint key fishing areas like humps, drop-offs and ditches, with a built-in, high-detail C-MAP US Inland fishing map with 1-foot contours on nearly 4,000 lakes. Optional chart upgrades include C-MAP, C-MAP Genesis, Navionics® and more.

With HOOK Reveal, anglers can choose their preferred combination of display size, sonar type and navigation from TripleShot (High CHIRP, SideScan and DownScan Imaging) or SplitShot (High CHIRP and DownScan Imaging) transducers and mapping chartplotters or non-mapping GPS plotters.

Ranging in price from $299 to $799, HOOK Reveal started shipping in late December 2019. For more information on HOOK Reveal or other Lowrance products, visit www.lowrance.com.

Find the right vegetation for monster sized Florida Bass By Dustin Catrett

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Find the right vegetation for monster sized Florida Bass By Dustin Catrett

Find the right vegetation for monster sized Florida bass

Kissimmee Chain of Lakes

Floating Mats

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“During fall and throughout winter on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Central Florida, punching mats is one of the top ways to catch a trophy bass,” said Pro Angler Rich Howes, while bombing another creature bait through a dense mat of water hyacinth. “I target areas of hydrilla where its thick and topped out and canopied with some form of floating vegetation like water-hyacinths or water-lettuce. That’s the basic structure of a mat. I also look for what other types of plants are intertwined with it such as duckweed, water meal, dollar weed, cow lily, bulrush, and maidencane which are all productive plants to target when found in conjunction with a mat.” During summer, Howes approach begins at the outer edge of each mat until fall and winter when he changes its center. “During summer, I’ll start by dropping baits in a circular pattern, slowly working around its edge towards the center as a lot of fish will stage in the shade on its outer edge. By winter, fish gravitate towards the middle because that’s where the majority of heat is stored and they’ll hold tight underneath.”

Punching is a fairly simple technique albeit physically demanding as flipping heavy hunks of tungsten weight with a glorified pool cue can wear your forearm out in a hurry. Rigged with a monster sized hook and a very diminutive soft plastic creature bait, the heavy pointed shape of the punching weight allows it to penetrate the mat and descend to the bottom. It sometimes takes a little finesse of the rod to get it to work through if it didn’t slide down on the first try, but once you feel the bottom, you just lift the rod tip up and yo-yo the bait a few times within the open cavities then let it back down slowly. Usually within the first few seconds you’ll feel the take, if not there’s probably nobody home and time to move a few yards away and punch again.

 

Punching Gear

For battling big fish out of extremely dense vegetation, Howes uses a Fitzgerald Classic 7’10 Mat Flipping Rod, matched with a Daiwa TATULA-R100XS Hyper Speed 8:1 bait casting reel. “For this type of fishing, you need a reel with a high gear ratio and a strong rod that loads fast. “It’s really a numbers game once you’ve eliminated unproductive water and start catching fish, so try not to waste too much time on unproductive mats. If the fish are there, they’ll strike out of reaction pretty quick. If not, keep moving until you find them.” For extracting fish from heavy roots and pad-stems Howes prefers green 65 lb. braided PowerPro line that’s tied using a Snell knot to a 4/0 Strike King Hack Attack Flipping Hook. Lure choice is a Gambler Lures BB Cricket craw bait, or Tightlines UV Whisker beaver. “On the Kissimmee Chain, I prefer dark color combinations such as June bug or Okeechobee craw. For clear water I use green pumpkin candy.” Depending on the density and thickness of each mat Howes varies his punching weight accordingly by using a 2 ounce Bass Pro Shops XPS tungsten flipping weight that’s pegged with a pair of bobber stoppers. “I put one bobber stop on top of the weight to keep it from sliding up, and the other between the weight and the hook to protect the knot from the wear caused by the weight slamming against it.”

Lake Okeechobee Kissimmee Grass

With over seven hundred square miles of surface area, Okeechobee’s shallow littoral shelf contains thousands of acres of Kissimmee grass, bulrush, and submersed vegetation like peppergrass and hydrilla. During spring, Captain Ed Zyak focuses on the Kissimmee grass lines and bulrush stands home to the chizzywink fly hatch which attracts hordes of bass feast that feast on the bream and bluegill that in turn are drawn to the flies. By summer the shad spawn is in full swing and schools of baitfish become a crucial forage for bass during early mornings when large masses migrate into the grass lines. “With so much area to explore, I try to eliminate unproductive water by riding and observing until I see fish blowing up on the outer lines of the Kissimmee grass,” said Zyak. “This works best on early mornings throughout summer and fall.”

Topwater Gear

Once he locates feeding fish on the surface, Zyak uses a weedless topwater lure capable of snaking through the overlaying stems and sheaths of Kissimmee grass, which have a tendency to grab conventional plugs trying to slide through. “I use the DOA PT-7 topwater in either glowdini or gold glitter / black back. It has the right size and profile to mimic the shad and shiner forage for this lake and being a soft plastic it walks through the grass with no hang-ups. It’s also rigged with a single extra heavy screw lock worm hook which increases your chance of extracting a big fish out of the thick grass verses a smaller treble hooked lure.” For muscling big Okeechobee bass out of the thick grass, Zyak uses a Shimano Chronarch MGL bait casting reel spooled with 50 pound PowerPro braided line, matched with a 6’8 Medium Heavy Shimano Expride rod. “This combo is ultralight in weight, it can cast the lure a mile, and the rod has the power to set the hook and get a big fish’s head above the grass where it can’t bury down.”

End

Story & Photos by Dustin Catrett

St. Croix Rod Expands Marketing Team

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St. Croix Rod Expands Marketing Team

St. Croix Rod Expands Marketing Team

Stephen Kornacki onboarded as Digital Marketing Manager

Park Falls, WI (January 9, 2019) – St. Croix Rod, makers of the Best Rods on Earth®, announce the hiring of Stephen Kornacki as Digital Marketing Manager.

St. Croix Director of Marketing, Jesse Simpkins, says the new position was primarily created to strengthen St. Croix’s ongoing contact and interaction with anglers. “Talking with anglers at shows, through email and on the phone will always be very important to us, but digital interactions via social media and our website are increasing rapidly,” Simpkins says. “We created this position, largely, to make sure we are giving our anglers the best possible online experience – whether that means a fully optimized website or giving anglers fast and helpful information on social media.”

Kornacki will work closely with Simpkins and the rest of the St. Croix Team in his new role. Primary duties include identifying and implementing strategic improvements to the St. Croix website, day-to-day management of the website, digital and social media strategy, and management and curation of video, photo and other digital marketing assets.

A Wisconsin native, active hunter and angler, Kornacki brings a unique mix of creative skills and industry experience to his new job at St. Croix. “I’ve worked with a number of companies in the outdoors industry over the past few years doing photography, social media content creation and management, and tradeshow representation,” says Kornacki, “I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to successfully market a brand, and the biggest part of that is having great products that people want and trust. St. Croix makes those products.”

Like many others within the walls of St. Croix’s Park Falls, Wisconsin factory and headquarters, Kornacki has a family connection to his job. “My wife is from Park Falls, so I’ve known about St. Croix Rod – its special blend of people, pride and products – for a long time,” he says. “It’s been a dream of mine to work at St. Croix since I met her ten years ago.”

Kornacki began his work with St. Croix Rod on November 1, so he’s had a couple months to acclimate. “There’s a great team in place here,” he says. “And that team includes not just St. Croix employees, but also the talented pro-staff and agencies we work with on a daily basis. Most importantly, it also includes the passionate anglers we serve. They’re the reason why everyone here works as hard and conscientiously as we do. It’s about giving anglers the upper hand in any situation.”

Alabama Bass Trail Expands in 2021

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Alabama Bass Trail Expands in 2021

Alabama Bass Trail Expands in 2021

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Decatur, Ala. (January 9, 2020) – The Alabama Bass Trail (ABT) held a news conference today to unveil a new addition to its tackle box. The Alabama Bass Trail 100 Series will make its debut in January 2021 and will be held on three of the Alabama Bass Trail lakes. Attracting professional and amateur anglers from across the United States, the new three tournament series features a $25,000 first place prize and pays 20 places totaling $100,000.

The ABT 100 Series is open to professional and amateur anglers and features three tournaments. The maximum number of boats for each tournament is 100. Entry fee for each event is $1,000 and teams must fish in all three tournaments. (No single entries allowed.)

“The Alabama Bass Trail is excited to introduce this new series. Our team has worked tirelessly to put together another team trail that checks off many of the boxes on our anglers’ wish list. Hopefully, this new trail satisfies some of the cravings anglers have expressed to us while fulfilling the desires our sponsors have to continue to grow the sport of bass fishing,” said ABT Program Director Kay Donaldson.

Tournament dates and locations for 2021 Alabama Bass Trail 100 Series:

January 9, 2021           Lay Lake / hosted by Shelby County Commission

June 5, 2021                Lake Eufaula / hosted by Eufaula-Barbour Chamber of Commerce

November 20, 2021    Lake Guntersville / hosted by Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau

“Lake Guntersville is honored to be chosen as one of three sites for the ABT 100 Series. Recently named the #2 bass lake in America, Lake Guntersville is a challenging and exciting fishery for anglers of all levels. Competitive fishing is what we do best, and we are pleased to play host to this new tournament series,” said Katy Norton, president of the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Each tournament features a $25,000 guaranteed first place prize and pays 20 places plus a $1,000 big fish totaling $100,000.

Payout Schedule:

First place                               $25,000

Second place                           $12,500

Third place                              $10,000

Fourth place                            $ 9,000

Fifth place                               $ 7,500

Sixth place                              $ 6,000

Seventh place                          $ 5,000

Eighth place                            $ 4,000

Ninth place                             $ 3,000

Tenth place                             $ 2,000

11th – 20th                              $  1,500 each

Big Fish                                  $ 1,000

The ABT 100 Series will be televised on Fox Sports Southeast later in 2021. The weigh-in and Live Leaderboard will be streamed live on www.AlabamaBassTrail100.org and on Facebook at Alabama Bass Trail 100 Series.

The entry fee for each event is $1,000 per team. Each team may choose to pay a $1500 nonrefundable deposit to hold the team’s spot. The balance of $1500 must be paid by December 1, 2020. Registration is limited to 100 boats and will open to the public on June 1, 2020, at www.AlabamBassTrail100.org.

“The Alabama Bass Trail 100 Series provides another opportunity to attract anglers to our state in hopes they leave a little bit of tourism dollars in these communities,” added Donaldson. “In recent years, the Alabama Bass Trail has generated an economic impact that eclipses $3 million annually. We look forward to seeing that number climb with the addition of the 100 Series.”

ABT 100 Series sponsors include Phoenix Bass Boats, FishAlabama.org, America’s First Federal Credit Union, T-H Marine Supplies, Inc., Wedowee Marine, Garmin and Jack’s.

For more information, call Donaldson at 855.934.7425 or visit online at www.AlabamaBassTrail100.org, on Facebook at Alabama Bass Trail 100 Series and on Instagram at albasstrail100.

About Alabama Bass Trail

The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association. Its mission is to promote Alabama as a year-round fishing destination, to preserve natural resources for generations to come, and to educate high school and college-aged students to be good stewards of natural resources. The 13 bass fishing lakes consist of Lake Guntersville, Wheeler Lake, Pickwick Lake, Lewis Smith Lake, Neely Henry Lake, Weiss Lake, Lake Martin, Lay Lake, Logan Martin Lake, Lake Jordan, Alabama River, Lake Eufaula, and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. For more information, visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.

Nominations Open For Inaugural C.A.S.T. For Kids B.A.S.S. Humanitarian Award

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Nominations Open For Inaugural C.A.S.T. For Kids B.A.S.S. Humanitarian Award

Bassmaster Elite Series pro Scott Canterbury poses for a photo at a recent C.A.S.T. for Kids event. B.A.S.S. members of any age are eligible for the inaugural C.A.S.T. for Kids B.A.S.S. Humanitarian Award, which will honor someone who has demonstrated a commitment to serving fragile populations. 

Photo courtesy of C.A.S.T. for Kids 

January 8, 2020

Nominations Open For Inaugural C.A.S.T. For Kids B.A.S.S. Humanitarian Award

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — B.A.S.S., the world’s largest fishing organization, and the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation are accepting nominations for their inaugural humanitarian award recognizing the important work being done by many anglers to support fragile populations. The C.A.S.T. for Kids B.A.S.S. Humanitarian Award will honor one B.A.S.S. member who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to serving groups such as children with special needs, veterans, abuse survivors or any people who need extra help and support.

“We are proud to collaborate with the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation to honor the many volunteers in both of our organizations who make such a positive impact in their communities,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “While only one person will receive this inaugural award, we hope it will spotlight the incredible work being done by so many of our members across the country.”

To be considered for the award, a B.A.S.S. member must be nominated by January 31, 2020. Any member doing exemplary community service will be considered. The nomination form can be found at bassmaster.com/award.

The Executive Director of the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation is Bassmaster Elite Series pro Jay Yelas, who is one of the most decorated anglers in the sport. After serving on the Foundation’s Board of Directors for 10 years, Yelas took over as Executive Director in 2015.

“My passion for people and for sharing the great sport of fishing with others, especially with children, is why I love C.A.S.T. for Kids,” said Yelas. “I’m excited to partner with B.A.S.S. on this award, and to hear more stories about how my fellow anglers pour their heart into people who need to feel their love and support.”

Judges from both B.A.S.S. and the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundations will review all nominations as well as verify the humanitarian work of the honoree. It is important to note that, while C.A.S.T. for Kids focuses on giving special needs kids fishing opportunities, the nominations are open to B.A.S.S. members doing any form of good work to help a fragile population.

The winner of the inaugural C.A.S.T. for Kids B.A.S.S. Humanitarian Award will be honored onstage at the 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.

Earlier during Classic Week festivities, on Saturday, Feb. 29, B.A.S.S. will host a special Classic C.A.S.T. for Kids event for as many as 40 children on the campus of nearby Wallace State Community College.

About C.A.S.T. for Kids
The C.A.S.T. for Kids program has been proven to enrich the lives of children with special needs by hosting events that prove children with disabilities can accomplish anything. These events allow them to enjoy a unique fishing and boating event, one where they can leave their cares on shore and feel “normal” for a day. The events have many lasting benefits. The kids feel genuinely loved, valued and accepted by their community, and are celebrated as winners at an awards ceremony. The Foundation has seen tremendous positive improvements in growing the kids’ social skills and overcoming behavioral issues through their interactions at events with community volunteers and children of similar disabilities. Encouraging the kids with a team-oriented approach, the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation has enhanced the lives of over 120,000 kids over the last three decades. To learn more, visit castforkids.org.

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2 and The Pursuit Channel), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, new Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX presented by Abu Garcia and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.

Z-Man® Signs Multitalented Bass Fishing Prodigy Grae Buck 

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Z-Man® Signs Multitalented Bass Fishing Prodigy Grae Buck 

New Z-Man pro Grae Buck hoists a mammoth ChatterBait bass.

Hockey Star Turns Bass Head

Z-Man® Signs Multitalented Bass Fishing Prodigy Grae Buck

Ladson, SC (January 8, 2020) – You have to admit, Grae Buck is a pretty cool name for a man who makes his living in the outdoors. It might have just as easily been an interesting autograph for an NHL hockey player, had the 30-year-old Buck gone pro. Actually, he did, albeit in a game of casting baits for bass rather than slapping pucks at nets.

Fresh off a prodigious win at the 2019 Bassmaster Eastern Open on Oneida Lake, New York, Buck inked a new sponsorship deal with all-star tackle company, Z-Man Fishing. “The opportunity to work with the people at Z-Man is really exciting because I’ve been throwing their ElaZtech® baits and ChatterBaits®—and have actually won lots of money on them—for years,” said Buck, a native of Harleysville, Pennsylvania.

Grae Buck and his wife Jess have fished tournaments together since their college days at Penn State University.

In 2012, Buck graduated from Penn State University, where he played left wing for the Nittany Lions hockey team. “Hockey is my first passion,” affirms the multitalented angler. “I’ve been skating since I was about 4 years old.

“But the other reason I chose Penn State was because they had a college fishing team. I got my start in fishing early on, when my grandpa took me out on the local creeks and rivers. When I was 16, a friend took me out on Chesapeake Bay in his boat. The scope of that fishery really opened my eyes. From then on, I knew fishing was going to be big in my life.”

“We’re thrilled to be working with Grae,” says Joey Prochazka, Pro Staff and Promotions Manager for Z-Man Fishing. “He’s a really likeable guy and an awesome fit for our Z-Man crew. Like our other pros, Grae is a talented, super tenacious angler with a tremendous work ethic. His knowledge of Northeastern fisheries will be invaluable as we expand the popularity of Z-Man baits in this region.”

While fishing for Penn State, Buck met his wife, Jessica. Not only did the couple fish together on the collegiate competitive bass team, they also graduated with matching degrees in environmental resource management. After graduation, Buck went to work for a pond and lake management company—a vocation that proved a perfect fit for the up-and-coming bass angler.

A Z-Man Finesse TRD earned the assist for Buck’s win at the 2019 Bassmaster Eastern Open.

“It was a great opportunity to take what I learned in college and apply it to fishing, doing fisheries assessments and working to enhance fish populations in different lakes and ponds,” he says. All the while, Buck continued stacking up tournament cash, winning multiple regional contests and FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) events. Many of the victories occurred on Buck’s home waters, such as Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River. In 2017, he qualified for the FLW Pro Circuit; this past year he finished 2nd at Cherokee Lake, Tennessee, thanks largely to a Ned Rigged Z-Man Finesse TRD™. This past fall, Buck also qualified for the 2020 Bassmaster Classic by winning the Bassmaster Eastern Open.

“I’d actually just won a BFL event on Oneida a month before the Bassmaster Open,” Buck recounts. “I grew up fishing this lake; it’s where I fell in love with smallmouth fishing. Actually, I fished the same shallow pattern in 6 to 9 feet of water with a Finesse TRD in both tournaments. That tells you everything you need to know about the fish-catching appeal of these baits.”

While Buck remains a big fan of finesse tactics such as Ned and dropshot rigging, a totally different Z-Man lure has accounted for the biggest bass of his career. “The ChatterBait JackHammer™ is absolutely my favorite lure for big largemouths and smallmouths,” he notes. “Seven of the ten biggest bass I’ve ever caught ate a JackHammer.”

Buck says the ChatterBait JackHammer is an underrated bait for big smallmouth bass.

Interestingly, while the renowned Z-Man bladed jig has become known as a hero bait for whopper largemouths, the lure’s attraction for big smallmouths has remained something of a secret. “On a lot of famous lakes, such as Champlain, anglers tend to throw a spinnerbait when they’re chasing smallmouths. Those are my favorite places to cast a JackHammer. Rig it with a RaZor ShadZ™, which has a nice thin profile and swims with mad action. Particularly white-patterned combos often out-fish a spinnerbait, and almost always score my biggest bites.”

Buck, who’s working toward a strong showing at his first Bassmaster Classic, believes the ChatterBait could play a major role for prespawn bass at Lake Guntersville, Alabama, March 6 to 8, 2020. “Qualifying for a Classic via Bassmaster Opens is a big statement,” says Prochazka. “It’s something even a lot of the Elite anglers aren’t able to do. Just proves Grae’s abilities as an angler and a tenacious competitor. He’s got an exciting career ahead of him, no doubt.”

“Z-Man is one of the great fishing companies,” asserts Buck. “I’m honored to work with them and help spread the legend of ElaZtech and all their exceptional fish-catching lures for years to come.”

The man with the cool fishing name, Grae Buck, has long relied on Z-Man Ned rigs and ChatterBait bladed jigs.
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