Dennis Burdette & Cody Jackson Win BassQuest Claytor Lake Nov 2nd 2019
What a beautiful afternoon on Claytor lake for the final BassQuest event of 2019. Forty nine boats competed in the days event with half of the field weighing in on this tough day with cool temps the morning of & the wind howeling. One team was ale to find the winning bag as well as the days linker Dennis Brudette & Cody Jackson with five fish weighing 14.91 lbs & their 4.52 lb Lunker
OKLAHOMA’S UPSHAW WINS COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE CUMBERLAND
OKLAHOMA’S UPSHAW WINS COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE CUMBERLAND
Missouri’s Chad Allison Claims Co-angler Title, $35k Prize Package
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BURNSIDE, Ky. (Nov. 2, 2019) – Strike King pro Andrew Upshaw of Tulsa, Oklahoma, brought a five-bass limit to the stage weighing 12 pounds, 15 ounces, Saturday to claim the title of 2019 FLW Series Champion at the Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Cumberland. Upshaw, with a three-day total of 15 bass for 42 pounds, 15 ounces, won by a 1-pound, 10-ounce margin over second-place angler Rob Burns of Plano, Texas, who caught a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 41-5. Upshaw led the championship tournament on the final two days of competition and took home the top prize of $50,000 plus a $2,500 Mercury Marine contingency bonus.
Saturday’s final weigh-in marked the finale of the 2019 FLW Series, which featured thousands of anglers from across the globe competing in 15 events across three divisions.
Upshaw said that his main pattern that he figured out was targeting main-lake transition bluffs that, “Had to have the river-channel swing on it. Not just a transition, but a swing.” He had found 15 different spots, from Conley Bottom down.
“This lake is absolutely full of smallmouth and I’ve always said that if you’re not catching them consistently, then you’re not doing the right thing,” Upshaw said. “So, during practice, I’d just run around and find areas where I was consistently finding a bunch of bites. I had about 15 spots – some of them didn’t ever fire like they did in practice, but some did better.”
Upshaw mentioned four baits as catching most of his fish this week. He caught a couple of bass each on a buzzbait, a football-head jig and a Ned rig – a Strike King Ned Ocho worm (green-pumpkin) with a 1/8-ounce Gene Larew Ned Rig Pighead. He said the majority of his keepers came on a 3/8- and 1/2-ounce Strike King Bitsy Flip Jig with a Strike King Baby Rage Craw (green-pumpkin).
“The first day they were eating it on the drop,” Upshaw said. “As soon as you flipped it up there they were just swimming off with it, right on the bank. Yesterday they kind of shifted out a little bit, and today they were even deeper.
“I was fishing the jig anywhere between 5 and 14 feet. I’d let it free fall on slack line and then let it just gradually fall down the bluff. I feathered it all the way down and that’s when they’d eat it. It was a timing deal – anytime between 10 (a.m.) and 3 (p.m.) is when they would really bite.
“I love catching fish, and I absolutely love these Kentucky and Tennessee smallmouth,” Upshaw went on to say. “They are the best, and they’ve made me a lot of money this year. I’ve been to Lake Cumberland a couple of times on Tour and fell in love with it. I couldn’t be happier to win again, on this lake.”
The top 10 pros at the 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Cumberland finished:
1st: Strike King pro Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., 15 bass, 42-15, $52,500
2nd: Rob Burns, Plano, Texas, 15 bass, 41-5, $25,200
3rd: Matt Pangrac, Broken Arrow, Okla., 14 bass, 38-6, $20,100
4th: Luke Plunkett, Pinson, Ala., 15 bass, 36-9, $15,000
5th: Travis Manson, Conshohocken, Pa., 14 bass, 35-1, $10,000
6th: Rusty Salewske, Alpine, Calif., 13 bass, 33-10, $8,000
7th: Laramy Strickland, Bushnell, Fla., 11 bass, 31-6, $7,000
8th: Steve Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 13 bass, 30-6, $8,000
9th: Brent Algeo, Ozark, Mo., 12 bass, 28-7, $5,000
10th: David Valdivia, Norwalk, Calif., nine bass, 24-1, $4,500
Full results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Co-angler Chad Allison of Carl Junction, Missouri, weighed in four bass totaling 11 pounds, 3 ounces, Saturday to win the top co-angler prize of $30,200, including a new Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard, with a three-day total of nine bass weighing 24-10. Second place went to co-angler Mason Roach of Conroe, Texas, who weighed in a three-day total of nine bass weighing 21-5, good for $12,650.
The top 10 co-anglers at the 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Cumberland finished:
1st: Chad Allison, Carl Junction, Mo., nine bass, 24-10, Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard
2nd: Mason Roach, Conroe, Texas, nine bass, 21-5, $12,650
3rd: Justin Leet, Bartlett, Tenn., eight bass, 19-0, $10,500
4th: Jason Clark, Bixby, Okla., eight bass, 17-11, $7,500
5th: Scotty Walton, Yukon, Okla., seven bass, 16-14, $5,000
6th: Michael Catt, Jacksonville, Fla., seven bass, 16-12, $4,000
7th: Dustin Robinson, Glendale, Ariz., seven bass, 15-12, $3,500
8th: Josh Lockard, Somerset, Ky., seven bass, 15-7, $3,000
9th: Zack Freeman, Russellville, Ark., six bass, 14-9, $2,550
10th: Brian Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, six bass, 14-0, $2,250
The 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship at Lake Cumberland was hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission. The three-day, no entry fee tournament featured a field of 386 boaters and co-anglers from across the five U.S. FLW Series divisions and multiple international anglers from countries that compete in the FLW Series.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
UPSHAW LEADS AT DAY TWO OF COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE CUMBERLAND
UPSHAW LEADS AT DAY TWO OF COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE CUMBERLAND
Texan Rob Burns Just 1-pound, 13 Ounces Back Going Into Final Day
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BURNSIDE, Ky. (Nov. 1, 2019) – Strike King pro Andrew Upshaw of Tulsa, Oklahoma, crossed the stage Friday with a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 1 ounce, for a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 30 pounds even, to lead after Day Two of the Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Cumberland. Upshaw now holds a 1-pound, 13-ounce lead over pro Rob Burns of Plano, Texas, who weighed five bass totaling 14-10 – for a two-day total of 10 bass for 28-3 – in the FLW Series championship event that featured 193 boaters and co-anglers competing a top cash award of up to $100,000 on the pro side, including the keys to a new Ranger Z518L boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.
The field is now cut to just the top 10 boaters and co-anglers for the final day of competition in the no-entry fee bass-fishing championship, hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission, that featured the top 40 professionals and top 40 co-anglers from each of five U.S. FLW Series divisions, plus two pros and two co-anglers from each international country that competes in the FLW Series.
“I love smallmouth and I love fishing these types of Kentucky reservoirs – Lake Cumberland and Lake Cherokee,” said Upshaw, who earned the first FLW Tour victory of his career earlier this season on Lake Cherokee. “I feel like I have a pretty good understanding right now on how the fish are set up on cover, and that is helping me a lot.”
Upshaw said that he caught around 18 keepers today, with his first bite coming around 9:45 a.m.
“I knew that the first hour and a half was going to be slow,” Upshaw said. “The way I’m fishing, it’s a timing thing. I had to be there at the exact right time. It’s not necessarily a spot, though. I’m running a pattern. I found three or four other areas today that had them on it.”
Although Upshaw did not mention any specific baits that he threw on Day Two, he did say that he caught them Thursday on a buzzbait, a Ned rig and a jig. He thinks that the fish are actually already moving into their wintertime patterns.
“The way the fish are setting up, it’s almost more of a wintertime pattern than fall,” he said. “I’m fishing really slowly and thoroughly and that is a big key. I’m just keeping a couple of rods in my hand and just going fishing. I have a lot of confidence from how they’re setting up.
“I don’t think I’m going to have any problems tomorrow,” Upshaw went on to say. “If I can just go out there and put my head down and go fishing, I think I’ll be fine.”
The top 10 pros that advanced to the final day of competition on Lake Cumberland are:
1st: Strike King pro Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., 10 bass, 30-0
2nd: Rob Burns, Plano, Texas, 10 bass, 28-3
3rd: Matt Pangrac, Broken Arrow, Okla., 10 bass, 26-8
4th: Steve Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 25-11
5th: Rusty Salewske, Alpine, Calif., 10 bass, 25-7
6th: Laramy Strickland, Bushnell, Fla., nine bass, 24-13
7th: Luke Plunkett, Pinson, Ala., 10 bass, 24-11
7th: Brent Algeo, Ozark, Mo., nine bass, 24-10
9th: Travis Manson, Conshohocken, Pa., 10 bass, 24-8
10th: David Valdivia, Norwalk, Calif., nine bass, 24-1
Full results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Mason Roach of Conroe, Texas, added to his lead in the co-angler division with four bass weighing 8 pounds, 2 ounces. His two-day total of nine bass totaling 21-5 gives him a strong 4-pound, 10-ounce lead over Jason Clark of Bixby, Oklahoma, who has weighed eight bass totaling 17-11, good for second place. Co-anglers are casting for a top prize of $35,000, including a new Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard.
The top 10 co-anglers that will fish the final day on Lake Cumberland are:
1st: Mason Roach, Conroe, Texas, nine bass, 21-5
2nd: Jason Clark, Bixby, Okla., eight bass, 17-11
3rd: Scotty Walton, Yukon, Okla., seven bass, 16-14
4th: Justin Leet, Bartlett, Tenn., seven bass, 16-6
5th: Dustin Robinson, Glendale, Ariz., seven bass, 15-12
6th: Josh Lockard, Somerset, Ky., seven bass, 15-7
7th: Michael Catt, Jacksonville, Fla., six bass, 14-13
8th: Zack Freeman, Russellville, Ark., six bass, 14-9
9th: Brian Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, six bass, 14-0
10th: Chad Allison, Carl Junction, Mo., five bass, 13-7
The final 10 boaters and co-anglers will take off from General Burnside Island State Park, located at 8801 S. Hwy. 27 in Burnside, at 8 a.m. EDT Saturday. Saturday’s Championship weigh-in will be held at the State Park beginning at 4 p.m. All takeoff and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air on Saturday featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by four-time FLW Tour Angler of the Year, Polaris pro David Dudley 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 Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Major League Fishing on Discovery Returns Impressive Initial Ratings
Major League Fishing on Discovery Returns Impressive Initial Ratings
Friday, November 1, 2019 (Tulsa, Okla.) Major League Fishing (MLF) announced a 22% increase in viewers week-over-week of the Bass Pro Tour on Discovery. Episode one, B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole, premiered on October 5th and reported 171,000 viewers. Episode Two, HUK Stage Two presented by Favorite Fishing, aired on October 12th and reported 209,000 viewers. Bass Pro Tour on Discovery is averaging 190,000 viewers after two weeks, which is a 21% increase over Major League Fishing on Discovery from Q3.
“Following an incredible live broadcast earlier this year with more than 6 million live stream views during the 2019 Bass Pro Tour, we always knew the best was yet to come once our linear broadcast aired on Discovery,” exclaimed Jim Wilburn, President and CEO of Major League Fishing. “Our fast-paced format appeals to both lifelong fisherman and new-to-the-sport fans and we’re seeing that reflected in these early numbers.”
MLF Bass Pro Tour features 13, two-hour episodes covering the final day of competition during each of the eight stages and all five days of the Tour championship, REDCREST presented by Venmo. This top-level, competitive circuit brings together all 80 MLF anglers, including Kevin VanDam, Brandon Palaniuk, Edwin Evers, Jacob Wheeler, Jordan Lee, Ott DeFoe, and Aaron Martens, to name a few, who compete over four days culminating in a final championship field of ten.
Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour on Discovery focuses on the athletes and stories on that final day. The action unfolds through the catch, weigh, release format in which every fish, weighing at least 16 ounces, counts and culminates to a three-period, one-day weight total. Using SCORETRACKER LIVE™ fans and anglers alike keep track of the changing field as each fish changes the leader board in real time until time runs out at the end of Period 3. Viewers can follow the Inaugural Bass Pro Tour season every Saturday morning 7:00-9:00am ET through December 28, 2019, when the REDCREST Champion takes the Tour title.
Source: Nielsen Marketbreaks; Period (3Q’19 through 10/26/19); Data shown is both Live and Live +7
Peter Horne & Darren Cook Win CATT Waccamaw River, SC Oct 19, 2019
Tournament Results Waccamaw River, SC Oct 19, 2019 Peter Horne & Darren Cook Top the 20 Boat Field With 12.87 lbs!
Next Waccamaw River Fall Qualifier is November 16th at Bucksport!
Peter Horne & Darren Cook weigh in 12.87 lbs to take 1st Place Saturday at Bucksport!
Ed Owens & Chris Jones 2nd with 11.97 lbs!
Wesley Howell & Johnny Johnson 3rd!
Ran Inman & Jennifer Floyd took 4th!
Mark Johnson shows off a fine Bass!
Justin Weaver with a good un!
| 20 Teams | BF | Weight | Winnings | Points |
| Peter Horne & Darren Cook | 5.40 | 12.87 | $633.00 | 110 |
| Ed Owens & Chris Jones | 3.75 | 11.97 | $660.00 | 109 |
| Wesley Howell & Johnny Johnson | 3.19 | 10.68 | $125.00 | 108 |
| Ray Inman & Jennifer Floyd | 2.41 | 10.44 | $100.00 | 107 |
| Eric Freeman & Kevin Bazen | 2.99 | 10.27 | 106 | |
| Andrew Vereen & Jordan Weaver | 3.71 | 10.20 | 105 | |
| Brad Suggs & Chris Waters | 2.39 | 9.62 | 104 | |
| Robby Byrum & Eric Cox | 2.50 | 9.58 | 103 | |
| Charles Fryer & English Glover | 2.97 | 9.45 | 102 | |
| Gary Pope & Mark Johnson | 3.55 | 9.14 | 101 | |
| Timmy Squirers | 2.01 | 9.07 | 100 | |
| Danny Martin | 2.07 | 9.04 | 99 | |
| Timmy & Joel Barfield | 2.04 | 8.70 | 98 | |
| Tony & BART Gore | 2.07 | 7.88 | 97 | |
| Shawn Todd | 1.76 | 7.57 | 96 | |
| Lee Turberville & Cameron Jordan | 0.00 | 0.00 | 95 | |
| Tommy Collins & Avery Williams | 0.00 | 0.00 | 95 | |
| Don McLaud | 0.00 | 0.00 | 95 | |
| Freddy Mincey | 0.00 | 0.00 | 95 | |
| Casey & Dalton Warren | 0.00 | 0.00 | 95 | |
| Total Entrys | $1,600.00 | |||
| BONUS $ | $325.00 | |||
| Total Paid At Ramp | $1,520.00 | |||
| 2019 Waccamaw River Fall Final Fund | $320.00 | |||
| 2019 CATT Championship/Phantom Fund | $50.00 | |||
| 2019 Waccamaw River Final Fund Total | $750.00 | |||
| 2019 CATT Championship/Phantom Fund Total | $1,115.00 |
Major League Fishing Announces the 2020 Bass Pro Tour Schedule
Major League Fishing Announces
the 2020 Bass Pro Tour Schedule
[print_link]
October 31, 2019 (Tulsa, Okla.) Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today the 2020 Bass Pro Tour schedule and locations. A collection of eight Stages, the Bass Pro Tour 2020 season will begin Feb. 7 on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Ala. and conclude on Jul. 26 on Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vt.
| Stage | Date | Lake | City | Community Host |
| One | Feb. 7-12 | Lake Eufaula | Eufaula, Ala. | Eufaula Barbour Chamber of Commerce |
| Two | Feb. 21-26 | Lake Okeechobee | Okeechobee, Fla. | Okeechobee County Tourism Development Council |
| Three | Mar. 13-18 | Lake Fork | Emory, Texas | Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Four | Apr. 3-8 | Jordan Lake, Falls Lake, and Shearon Harris Reservoir | Raleigh, N.C. | Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance |
| Five | May 15-20 | Kissimmee Chain | Kissimmee, Fla. | Experience Kissimmee |
| Six | Jun. 5-10 | Lake Winnebago, Lake Butte des Morts, and Green Lake | Neenah, Wis. | Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau |
| Seven | Jun. 26-Jul. 1 | St. Lawrence River | Ogdensburg, N.Y. | St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce and the City of Ogdensburg |
| Eight | Jul. 21-26 | Lake Champlain | Burlington, Vt. | Experience Vermont |
“This schedule is stocked with great fisheries and destinations,” remarked Michael Mulone, Senior Director of Events of Major League Fishing. “Working with the MLF angler advisory board and these outstanding community hosts, we have built an exciting 2020 schedule that will most benefit our fans.”
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-
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,”
ZIMBABWE ANGLER COUSENS LEADS DAY ONE OF COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE CUMBERLAND
ZIMBABWE ANGLER COUSENS LEADS DAY ONE OF COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE CUMBERLAND
Sacramento’s Nakatomi Just 3 Ounces Behind in Second Place
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BURNSIDE, Ky. (Oct. 31, 2019) – A tournament field of 193 boats – each featuring a pro and a co-angler – began their three-day competition for a top cash award of $100,000 at the Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake Cumberland, in Burnside, Kentucky, Thursday. The no-entry fee bass-fishing championship, hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission, features the top 40 professionals and top 40 co-anglers from each of five U.S. FLW Series divisions, plus two pros and two co-anglers from each international country that competes in the FLW Series.
International angler Roger Cousens of Harare, Zimbabwe, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 2 ounces to take the early lead after Day One of the three day event. Cousens now holds a slim 3-ounce, lead over pro Robert Nakatomi of Sacramento, California, who caught five bass weighing 16 pounds, 15 ounces, good for second place.
Cousens competed in the U.S. a few times in the 1990s, but the Evinrude and Mercury outboard technician has never fished a pro-level event with as much on the line as this one. Cousens’ limit that he weighed in Thursday included a mix bag of largemouths and smallmouths.
“It feels fantastic right now,” Cousens said. “It’s pretty hard to believe that I’m leading a tournament of this caliber with this number of anglers. It’s pretty amazing.”
Cousens said he’s a big-bass specialist, which he’s proven in his last two FLW events. To qualify for this week’s championship, he weighed in more than 100 pounds in three days of fishing at the FLW Zimbabwe Championship.
Thursday, despite miserable, rainy, windy weather, he caught a better quality of bass than many of his competitors.
“I fish for big fish back home,” Cousens said. “My game plan is not to go and catch five little fish. I go and throw big baits, and I want to catch five big fish. I fish a lot of tournaments back home, and it’s paid off over the years; just going for big fish.
“A bass is a bass,” he continued. “I brought my style of fishing from home. When I was preparing to come here, I looked at the lake on Google Earth and spent a lot of time studying it. I purposely did not look at any sort of fishing hints. I just wanted to come here with a totally open mind and just do my own thing. My practice was tough, but I caught a couple of nice fish and left the areas immediately. As soon as I’d catch a fish I’d leave. I went back to those areas today, and they panned out.”
Though he caught most of his fish in one area today, Cousens said he does have a pattern that’s working. He was able to get a couple of key bites on the way back to the ramp in the afternoon. He’s admittedly uncertain of what to expect from Cumberland tomorrow, when wind and rain will be replaced with sunshine, slick-calm water and temperatures that might dip below freezing in the morning, but he’s still confident in his ability to get big bites.
The top 20 pros after Day One on Lake Cumberland are:
1st : Roger Cousens, Harare, Zimbabwe, five bass, 17-2
2nd: Robert Nakamoti, Sacramento, Calif., five bass, 16-15
3rd: Shawn Kowal, Linn Creek, Mo., five bass, 15-7
4th: Mike Casada, Stearns, Ky., five bass, 15-0
5th: Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 14-15
6th: Steve Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 14-13
7th: Bass Pro Shops pro Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., five bass, 14-5
7th: Luke Plunkett, Pinson, Ala., five bass, 14-5
9th: Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., Sarcoxie, Mo., five bass, 14-2
10th: Michael Wooley, Booneville, Miss., five bass, 14-1
11th: Dakota Ebare, Denham Springs, La., five bass, 14-0
11th: Brennon McCord, West Frankfort, Ill., five bass, 14-0
13th: David Valdivia, Norwalk, Calif., five bass, 13-12
14th: Costa pro Todd Castledine, Nacogdoches, Texas, five bass, 13-9
14th: Rob Burns, Plano, Texas, five bass, 13-9
14th: Bradley Hallman, Norman, Okla., five bass, 13-9
17th: Rusty Salewske, Alpine, Calif., five bass, 13-8
18th: Daniel Urbino, Bliss, N.Y., five bass, 13-7
19th: Andrew Loberg, Rocklin, Calif., five bass, 13-5
20th: Jason Vance, Battle Ground, Ind., five bass, 13-3
For a full list of results visitFLWFishing.com.
Mason Roach of Conroe, Texas, leads the co-angler division with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 3 ounces, followed by Zack Freeman of Russellville, Arkansas, who weighed five bass totaling 12-12, good for second place. Co-anglers are casting for a top prize of $35,000, including a new Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard.
The top 20 co-anglers after Day One on Lake Cumberland are:
1st: Mason Roach, Conroe, Texas, five bass, 13-3
2nd: Zack Freeman, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 12-12
3rd: Joe Tucker, Osceola, Mo., four bass, 9-7
4th: Mike Power, Conroe, Texas, four bass, 9-2
5th: Spencer Sato, Warner Robins, Ga., five bass, 8-15
6th: Jim Hippensteel, Rochester, Ind., three bass, 8-13
7th: Zach Barnes, Chickamauga, Ga., five bass, 8-9
8th: William Puduski, Portsmouth, N.H., five bass, 8-8
9th: Chad Allison, Carl Junction, Mo., three bass, 8-6
10th: Casey Dunn, North Highlands, Calif., three bass, 8-0
11th: Jason Clark, Bixby, Okla., four bass, 7-13
12th: Robert Derr, Hawkins, Texas, four bass, 7-10
13th: James Lamons, Thomasville, Ga., three bass, 7-6
14th: Erick Fernengel, Lake Waukomis, Mo., four bass, 7-4
14th: Jim Short, Ocean Pines, Md., three bass, 7-4
14th: Wes Proctor, Manhattan, Kan., three bass, 7-4
17th: Dustin Robinson, Glendale, Ariz., three bass, 7-2
17th: Brandon Jones, London, Ky., three bass, 7-2
17th: Austin Archer, Anniston, Ala., two bass, 7-2
17th: Leo Reiter, Greenup, Ill., four bass, 7-2
Anglers will take off from the General Burnside Island State Park, located at 8801 S. Hwy. 27 in Burnside, at 8 a.m. EDT each morning. Each day’s weigh-in will be held at the State Park beginning at 4 p.m. All takeoff and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air on Friday and Saturday – Days Two and Three of the event – featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by four-time FLW Tour Angler of the Year, Polaris pro David Dudley to break down the extended action each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed onFLWFishing.com , the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.
For complete details and updated information visitFLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram andYouTube.
November 2019 Smith Mountain Lake Fishing Report by Captain Dale Wilson
SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
November 2019
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.us
[print_link]
OVERVIEW: Fishing should be good the next few weeks. Water temperature has been above normal. Most species of fish will become more active as the water temperature cools. Look for striper fishing to continue to improve! Water temperature will be in the 50’s to low 60’s. The bait fish has started to move to the creeks and to shallow water this month.
Largemouth Bass- Fishing will improve this month. Best lures will be drop shot rigs, crank baits, shaky heads, spoons, spinner baits, Carolina rigs and plastic worms. Most largemouth bass will be caught on points, rock piles, brush piles and docks. Best depths will be from the surface to 25 feet deep. Bass will be caught both deep and shallow. Points, rocks, stumps and brush are a key factor to finding bass this month. Please practice catch and release.
Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be good. Best areas will be rocks, ledges, humps and main channel points. Best lures will be Ned rigs, hair jigs, drop shot rigs, crank baits and Carolina rigs. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Small mouth bass will feed on crawfish this month. Cloudy days are good times to try your luck! Light line will increase your chances to catch smallmouth bass. Night fishing will be fair.
Striped Bass- Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught in the mid to upper sections of the lake and in the larger creeks. Best lures will be swim baits, jigging spoons and Zoom flukes fished on 1/4 to 1/2 oz. lead heads. The best depths will be from near the surface to 60 feet deep. Vertical jigging is a good method to catch stripers this month. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish. Fishing at night will be fair this month. Some schools of stripers will surface early morning and late afternoon this month. Live bait fished on planner boards and down lines are also good methods this month.
Crappie- Fishing for crappie will be good this month. They will be found 5 to 15 feet deep. Best areas will be in the main creeks around docks, fallen trees, stumps and brush piles in the mid to upper parts of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 ½ to 2 inch tubes or shad shaped plastic lures fished on 1/32 to 1/16 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month.
TIP OF THE Month: Fishing can be tough this month! Warm water temps and clear water can make for slow fishing. Fishing during the early morning, late afternoon and night is usually the best time to fish. Try fishing at night! Make sure you wear your life jacket and never fish alone at night! Make sure your running lights are on after dark! You can never be too careful when boating. Remember to please practice catch and release! PLEASE TAKE A KID FISHING!
Z-Man® baits dominate all phases of the Pan American Bass Championship
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Bass Buddies in the Same Boat |
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Z-Man® baits dominate all phases of the Pan American Bass Championship [print_link] |
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Ladson, SC (October 30, 2019) – Best buddies Mark Daniels Jr. and Brian “B. Lat” Latimer rarely get to hop into the same boat, let alone fish for a common cause. But when they do, the ace bass men apparently make a pretty powerful angling team. At the first annual Pan American Bass Fishing Championship, October 18, Daniels and B. Lat grabbed the gold medal in the team competition. The longtime friends and professional fishermen bagged an impressive 45.08-pounds of St. Lawrence River smallmouth bass, edging the legendary Roland and Scott Martin by mere ounces. The overall gold—awarded to the nation’s team with the highest average weight— went to Canada. Team USA earned the silver medal, trailing by an infinitesimal margin of .01-pounds. Between eight teams representing each country, Canada averaged 38.98-pounds to USA’s 38.97. Making its own statement, both the Team and Nations golds were attributed to two divergent bait styles by the same rising-star lure company, Z-Man Fishing. |
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MDJ and B. Lat hoist St. Lawrence River bronze on their way to the gold. (Photo by FLW) |
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Hosted by the Canadian Sportfishing Association at Cornwall, Ontario, the Pan Am Bass Championship features Olympic-style fishing. Twenty-six total teams represented the USA, Canada, Mexico and First Nations, each vying for gold medals in lieu of mega bucks. “This is a pretty special moment,” said Latimer. “It isn’t about a payout or a big check. It’s bigger than that. There’s pride in your country. Pride in our sport. And a sense of accomplishment for making it to this level and moment in your career.” “It’s a big deal, no doubt,” added Daniels, known as MDJ. “But when you get to win an event like this while fishing with your best friend, who you never get to fish with, that’s pretty cool, too.” |
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Z-Man’s Finesse TRD / Finesse ShroomZ jig, the preeminent Ned Rig combination today. |
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Another common bond among the anglers could be found within each of their respective tackle bags. “At a place like this, you don’t want to be without Z-Man soft plastics,” affirmed Daniels, who alongside Latimer, boated numerous whopper smalljaws using Ned-, wacky- and dropshot-rigged ElaZtech finesse baits. “Really, you can’t fish for smallmouth bass anywhere in the country—any country— without bringing the ElaZtech. Coming in to this event, I knew we would be throwing a lot of TRDs and Finesse WormZ. And as expected, those baits were golden.” After foul weather cancelled competition on Day 1, Daniels, Latimer and the rest of the field hit the water on Friday for a split fishing session. They weighed 21.16 pounds in the morning followed up with a tournament-best 23.92 pounds in the afternoon. The team keyed on milfoil flats and isolated holes with rock and sand—essentially a well-known late fall staging zone that attracted several other teams. But to help set them apart, MDJ and B. Lat made three key adjustments: First, they identified and placed casts in smaller, less obvious holes within the vegetation. Second, as the day progressed, the anglers nudged out toward slightly deeper 8- to 12-foot edges and holes. Finally, Latimer suggested that extra-long casts induced more bites from the schools of harried smallmouths. |
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Daniels and Latimer alternated between two bait styles. A Green Pumpkin-pattern Finesse TRD rode a 1/5-ounce black Finesse ShroomZ jighead, Ned Rig style. “Both a Green Pumpkin and EZ Money-colored Finesse WormZ produced good bites on a ¼-ounce dropshot,” added Latimer. While USA’s top team skillfully picked apart the cover and finessed their way to the gold, several top Canadian teams chose a power-fishing approach. Renowned Canadian angler David Chong called Z-Man ChatterBaits® a “huge factor in the gold medal win for Team Canada.” |
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A trifecta of Z-Man ChatterBaits led Team Canada to the overall gold medal. |
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Chong threw a ChatterBait JackHammer™, which put several critical bass in his boat. After boating a pair of 5-pounders on a ChatterBait Freedom™, Robert Greenberg and Matt Massey shared a few of the baits with fellow Team Canada members Jason Gramada and Nicolas Gendron. The unique swivel-head bladed jig proved to be a valuable spinnerbait alternative, capturing enough big bass— including the tournament-best 6.26-pound smallmouth— to secure an overall 4th place finish. Gramada and Gendron’s monster bass and others ate a ½-ounce Bluegill-pattern ChatterBait Freedom dressed with a Jackall Rhythm Wave swimbait. |
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A collaborative effort between Freedom Tackle and Z-Man, two radical ChatterBait Bladed Jig designs feature a free-swinging jighead. The newly-minted ChatterBait Freedom™ CFL features a pivoting football head and special bottom-hugging elements that excel in deeper water presentations. The aforementioned high-action ChatterBait Freedom remains something of an under-the-radar tournament bait, often overshadowed by the JackHammer, but with several captivating attributes. The lure’s articulated head-to-hook connection plays off the vibration of the adjacent ChatterBlade®, producing a third dimension of undulation in the skirt and soft plastic trailer. Massey also noted that the free-swinging ChatterBait head prevented bass from gaining leverage and throwing the hook—another major key to the lure’s success. |
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Z-Man Finesse WormZ in EZ Money pattern, wacky-rigged on a dropshot. |
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At the Pan Am gold medal ceremony, B. Lat reflected on the enormity of the occasion. “I started out fishing because that’s what I always wanted to do, what I was born to do. Never thought my passion for fishing—skipping work to go fishing, spending all my time and money on fishing—could lead to this: representing my country with a fishing rod.” Years ago, Daniels and Latimer competed against each other on the FLW circuit. Today, they’re gold medal winners, best buds and representatives of the same team and country. That both men throw the same style baits just makes sense. “Back when B. Lat first turned me on to Z-Man finesse baits, it changed my world,” admits Daniels. “What can you say when a single bait can catch dozens of bass and keep on ticking? Or when those same baits catch big bass regardless of what country you’re in? Gold, man. Pure gold.” |
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Photo courtesy of FLW |
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B.A.S.S. Nation Championship Returning To Lake Hartwell
Lake Hartwell will host the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship Nov. 6-8.
B.A.S.S. Nation Championship Returning To Lake Hartwell
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ANDERSON, S.C. — Lake Hartwell will host its fourth B.A.S.S. championship event in the last four years with the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship scheduled for Nov. 6-8.
The 56,000-acre lake situated along the South Carolina/Georgia border was the site of the 2015 and 2018 Bassmaster Classics and the 2017 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.
“It is a great fishery and it should be good that time of the year,” B.A.S.S. Nation Director Jon Stewart said. “The biggest thing, though, is it has great facilities and a community that is a big B.A.S.S. supporter and wants us to be there.”
The championship field includes the top boater and nonboater from each state — determined by three regional championships — along with qualifiers from 11 foreign countries affiliated with the B.A.S.S. Nation.
The full field will fish the first two days, and a nonboater champion will be crowned after the second-day weigh-in. Fishing on the final day will be the Top 10 boaters and the nonboater champion, along with the Top 2 boaters from each region who failed to make the Top 10 and any nonboater who had enough weight to have finished in the Top 10 on the boater’s side.
The Top 3 finishers from the Nation Championship earn berths in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk to be held March 6-8, 2020, weigh-ins in Birmingham and fishing at Lake Guntersville. The overall winner of the Nation Championship will also receive an invitation to fish the 2020 Bassmaster Elite Series.
Nation Championship contenders can expect to catch Hartwell bass a variety of ways, according to Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brandon Cobb.
“Early November is kind of a strange time at Hartwell,” Cobb said. “Bass should be biting decent, but it is kind of the time of the year anything you want to do can work. It is just a matter of getting the right bites.”
Warmer-than-usual fall weather has kept Hartwell bass from following their typical fall routines.
“Normally, we are looking at a lot of fish getting bait-oriented, moving off the bank and following the bait around. But it has been so hot this year everything is a little hung up,” Cobb said.
The South Carolina pro predicts lots of bass will still be shallow in the creeks, so power lures such as spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and crankbaits will be productive.
“I think there will be a lot of guys junk fishing, just covering water down the bank catching largemouth,” Cobb said.
Nation contenders can also try a deep pattern, especially if cold weather arrives before the Championship. Cobb suggests they can catch a mixed bag of spotted and largemouth bass in clear water drop shotting finesse worms.
“I actually look for spots to play more if it gets colder,” he said. “The biggest spotted bass will be in depths of 20 to 30 feet.”
The best spotted bass fishing will be from the mid-section of the lake to the dam area, while largemouth bass can be caught anywhere at Hartwell. “One good thing about Hartwell that I truly believe is if somebody can put a pattern together, they could win on any part of the lake,” Cobb said.
The lake level has been dropping the last couple months, which Cobb considers good news for the Nation contenders. Cobb notices bass are easier to target when Hartwell is low, so he expects better weights for the championship.
“Hartwell has a lot of 3- to 3 1/2-pound fish but it is not a true giant fish lake,” said Cobb, who estimates the winning weight will be around 45 to 47 pounds.
Visit Anderson will be the host for this year’s Nation Championship.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to partner with our friends at B.A.S.S. and host the Nation Championship again in our community, which will generate a significant economic impact for Anderson County, Green Pond Landing and Lake Hartwell,” said Neil Paul, Visit Anderson executive director. “When you consider that this grass-roots event will feature anglers from 47 states and 11 foreign nations, the Nation Championship provides the ultimate platform for anglers to pursue the biggest bass on the biggest stage and to realize the biggest dream of competing in the Bassmaster Classic.”
2019 B.A.S.S. Nation Title Sponsor: TNT Fireworks
2019 B.A.S.S. Nation Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2019 B.A.S.S. Nation Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2019 B.A.S.S. Nation Supporting Sponsors: Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt, Lowrance, Mossy Oak Fishing, Nationwide, T-H Marine
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 510,000-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 and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Out