We had 16 boats competing today on Leesville lake in a one stop mart Leesville lake tournament Trail tournament. 1st place – Tim Goff / Larry Witt – 5 fish – 17.31 lbs
2nd place – Russ Nixon – 5 fish – 16.57 lbs
3rd place – Jerry Rice – 5 fish – 14.23 lbs
Big fish of the day – Jerry Rice – a 6.44 lb largemouth
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Christie Continues Hot Streak to Advance to Championship Round
on Alabama’s Smith Lake
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MLF Pro Brent Chapman swung aboard a scoreable bass with just seconds remaining in time for it to count and put him in the Championship Round on Sunday. (Click to enlarge/download)
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MICHIGAN’S NELSON MOVES INTO LEAD AT FLW TOUR AT LAKE CHICKAMAUGA PRESENTED BY EVINRUDE
Rookie Seeks First Tour Win, Brings 14-ounce Lead into Final Day
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DAYTON, Tenn. (May 4, 2019) – FLW Tour rookie Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan, caught four big largemouth late in the day Saturday to anchor his 25-pound, 15-ounce limit and jump to the top of the leaderboard after Day Three of the FLW Tour at Lake Chickamauga presented by Evinrude in Dayton, Tennessee. Nelson’s five-bass limit was one of just four brought to the scale Saturday that weighed in excess of 20 pounds, telling when you consider that the lake had pumped out 19, 20+ pound limits in the first two days of competition.
Nelson (15 bass, 65-0) will now bring a 14-ounce lead over second-place angler Yamamoto Baits pro Matt Greenblatt of Port St. Lucie, Florida, (15 bass, 64-2) – who led the tournament after Day Two – into Championship Sunday. Also in striking distance in third place, is Berkley pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, (15 bass, 62-9), local favorite Buddy Gross of Chickamauga, Georgia, (15 bass, 62-2) and Polaris pro David Dudley of Lynchburg, Virginia, (15 bass, 60-4).
“I feel honored to be here,” said Nelson, who, although a Tour rookie, has three career tournament wins in Costa FLW Series competition. “I had no idea that I had 25 pounds. I had a real slow day and just stuck with it and stuck with it and it started snowballing real quick at the end of the day.
“I’d been running around like Buddy (Gross), burning gas,” Nelson continued. “I was way down the lake and (FLW cameraman) Jody (White) showed up around 1:30 or 2. I caught a big one and was going to leave, then I caught another big one. So I’m getting ready to leave, then I catch another big one. Then I left and came back up the lake and I caught another big one up here. It was truly a blessing.”
Nelson’s four late-in-the-day largemouth came from similar water, but his last kicker came on a different bait. Nelson declined to mention any specifics, but did say that he was catching fish on “a couple of different baits.”
“I’m excited, but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself,” Nelson said. “Yesterday I dropped the ball and only had 14 pounds. I just don’t know what will happen tomorrow. I may go out and catch 12 pounds, or I could catch 35. I’m just going to keep an open mind and work hard all day. I’ll be looking for a big bag tomorrow.”
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition Sunday on Lake Chickamauga are:
1st: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 65-0
2nd: Yamamoto Baits pro Matt Greenblatt, Port St. Lucie, Fla., 15 bass, 64-2
3rd: Berkley pro John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 62-9
4th: Buddy Gross, Chickamauga, Ga., 15 bass, 62-2
5th: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 60-4
6th: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 15 bass, 58-2
7th: Ramie Colson Jr., Cadiz, Ky., 15 bass, 57-0
8th: Lowrance pro Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn., 15 bass, 55-5
9th: Strike King pro Jared McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla., 15 bass, 55-3
10th: David Williams, Maiden, N.C., 15 bass, 54-2
Finishing in 11th through 30th are:
11th: Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, Ark., 15 bass, 52-8, $12,000
12th: Bass Pro Shops pro James Niggemeyer, Van, Texas, 15 bass, 52-0, $12,000
13th: Charlie Ingram, Centerville, Tenn., 15 bass, 50-15, $12,000
14th: Tim Frederick, Leesburg, Fla., 15 bass, 50-10, $12,000
15th: Chris Whitson, Louisville, Tenn., 15 bass, 50-5, $12,000
16th: T-H Marine pro Luke Dunkin, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., 15 bass, 49-8, $11,500
17th: Barry Wilson, Birmingham, Ala., 15 bass, 49-4, $11,500
18th: Glenn Chappelear, Acworth, Ga., 15 bass, 49-2, $11,500
19th: Aaron Britt, Yuba City, Calif., 12 bass, 48-7, $11,500
20th: Dicky Newberry, Houston, Texas, 15 bass, 47-12, $11,500
21st: Strike King pro Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., 15 bass, 47-8, $10,500
22nd: Kyle Weisenburger, Ottawa, Ohio, 15 bass, 47-5, $10,500
23rd: Bradford Beavers, Summerville, S.C., 15 bass, 47-5, $10,500
24th: Sam George, Athens, Ala., 15 bass, 47-1, $10,500
25th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 15 bass, 46-1, $10,500
26th: David Gaston, Sylacauga, Ala., 15 bass, 44-0, $10,500
27th: Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, 15 bass, 42-15, $10,500
28th: Miles Howe, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., 14 bass, 42-11, $10,500
29th: Rapala pro Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., 13 bass, 39-11, $10,500
30th: Clark Reehm, Elm Grove, La., 13 bass, 36-3, $10,500
Full results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 145 bass weighing 462 pounds, 2 ounces, caught by pros Saturday. Of the final 30 pros, 27 of them were able to bring a five-bass limit to the scale.
In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 165 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to fish on Saturday. Now, only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Chickamauga presented by Evinrude is more than $860,000. The tournament is hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic Tourism Council.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2019 FLW Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2019 FLW Cup will be on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
The final 10 anglers will take off at 7 a.m. ET Sunday from the Dayton Boat Dock, located at 175 Lakeshore St., in Dayton. Sunday’s championship weigh-in will also be held at the Dayton Boat Dock, beginning at 4 p.m.
In conjunction with the weigh-ins, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the Dayton Boat Dock from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Chickamauga presented by Evinrude will premiere in 2019. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show airs each Saturday night at 7 p.m. EST and is broadcast to more than 63 million cable, satellite and telecommunications households in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean on the World Fishing Network (WFN), the leading entertainment destination and digital resource for anglers throughout North America. FLW television is also distributed internationally to FLW partner countries, including Canada, China, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and South Africa.
The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air Sunday, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by FLW Tour veteran Peter Thliveros 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 sport’s top anglers on the FLW Tour on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagra
The 2019 class of Bassmaster High School All-Americans presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors pose with a group of Elite Series pros who not only accompanied them at a shopping event at a local Academy Sports + Outdoors, but also spent the day fishing with them on local Lake Quitman.
May 4, 2019
Cory, Jocumsen Team Up To Win Bassmaster High School All-American Tournament
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LAKE FORK, Texas — For Tyler Cory, everything was indeed bigger in Texas.
The high school junior from Amherst, Wisc., caught a 6-pound, 11-ounce largemouth — the biggest bass he’s ever caught — during Saturday’s Bassmaster High School All-American presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors tournament.
All 12 members of the Bassmaster All-American Fishing Team presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors were randomly paired with a pro from the Bassmaster Elite Series. Both the pros and the All-Americans were allowed to weigh their biggest fish of the day.
Cory drew Australian pro Carl Jocumsen, who caught a 5-11 — and the pair took first place in the event with a two-fish total of 12-6.
At 6-foot-8, Cory was also the biggest All-American in the field.
“There was a little bit of a shad spawn going on this morning,” Cory said. “I think because of that, the frog bite was just nuts. It was a great day.”
The tournament, which was held in conjunction with Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, was held on 814-acre Lake Quitman. The weigh-in took place back at the Sabine River Authority facility on the banks of Lake Fork atop the same stage where the Elite Series pros have been weighing in.
Jocumsen said he had every bit as much fun as the youngster who was sharing his boat.
“I’m having a tough season,” said Jocumsen. “I had a tough day Friday and didn’t make the cut for the semifinal round. But that’s the thing about fishing — there’s always another day.
“I got to go out today and fish a frog with a very impressive young man.”
The weight placed them just ahead of Elite Series pro Shane Lineberger of North Carolina and All-American Parker Guy of Ocilla, Ga., who had two fish for a total of 11-8. Lineberger’s fish weighed 6-6, and Guy’s bass weighed 5-2.
Third place went to the team of Elite Series pro Brian Snowden of Missouri and All-American Dylan Fogarty of Mechanicsburg, Pa., with 10-14. Lineberger had a 3-10, and Fogarty caught a 7-4 — another fish that ranked as the angler’s personal best.
B.A.S.S. received more than 400 nominations for the 2019 High School All-American team from all over the country. Judges first worked to select members of the All-State teams and then whittled the list down to choose 12 All-Americans.
The Day’s Results
| Chad Pipkens amasses another 30-plus-pound limit of bass on Day 2 of the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at Lake Fork for a combined two-day total of 62-14.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
May 3, 2019 |
Pipkens Stretches Lead To More Than 11 Pounds At Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest
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LAKE FORK, Texas — After two days of competition at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the anglers will take a break from fishing Saturday.
Chad Pipkens said he will welcome the break — and with the cushion he has in the standings, he should rest easy.
Pipkens’ five biggest bass during today’s second round weighed 30 pounds, 15 ounces — his second straight day with more than 30 pounds — and he maintained his overall lead in the event with a massive, two-day total of 62-14.
That means he’ll have a gigantic cushion of 11-4 over his closest competitor when fishing resumes Sunday morning.
“I had probably the best hour and a half of fishing I’ve ever had — and I got to have it on the right day,” said Pipkens, a Michigan resident who is fishing just two months after breaking his collarbone while playing ice hockey. “I’ve seen it like that before, but it happened on the wrong day when I had to let up on them.
“We have an off day tomorrow. So today, I was able to just keep hammering them.”
Unlike Thursday’s first round when Pipkens struggled early, he got off to a fast start today, exploiting an early-morning shad-spawn bite in shallow water. He caught a nice-size largemouth off his first spot and then moved to another spot where things got as good for him as they’ve ever been.
During Texas Fest, bass are caught, weighed and released immediately. Then they’re entered into the BASSTrakk leaderboard, leaving a perfect log of when each catch took place.
According to BASSTrakk, between 8:26 and 8:47 a.m., Pipkens caught a 5-15, an 8-11, a 5-6 and a 4-7. He finished his five-bass limit at 10:13 a.m. with a 6-8.
“It was just on fire,” Pipkens said. “It was happening. It doesn’t happen like that very often, but when it does, it’s pretty special.”
While many anglers have been tightlipped about the baits they’re using this week, Pipkens openly said he’s using a Damiki DC 300 crankbait.
“They’re eating it,” Pipkens said. “They’re getting the front hook and the back hook. They’re almost swallowing it.
“The 8-11 that I caught came up and the bait was just gone, which is exactly what you want with a big fish like that.”
Pipkens’ mentioning the bait on Bassmaster LIVE — and demonstrating how much bass like it — resulted in a rush on the lure. A check of three major online stores that carry Damiki crankbaits showed that the lure was sold out by noon in several colors resembling Pipkens’ choice.
Though some anglers were lamenting Saturday’s off day, Pipkens said he needs the rest — and not necessarily for his surgically repaired collarbone.
“These bass are so strong,” Pipkens said. “They just dig and dig, and my forearms are killing me. Hopefully the fish will rest up a little bit, too. Maybe they’ll even group up some more.”
Despite Pipkens’ sizeable cushion, Lake Fork has the kind of gigantic fish that can help an angler make up ground quickly.
There were 15 limits that weighed 20 or more pounds today, and the Top 10 biggest bass all weighed 7-5 or better, including Pipkens’ 8-11 that ranked as the largest of the day. Oklahoma pro Luke Palmer and South Carolina’s Brandon Cobb are still tied for the lead for Toyota Tundra Big Bass of the Week with the twin 8-12s they caught Thursday. The winner of the prize gets a new San Antonio-built Toyota Tundra.
The angler closest to Pipkens in the overall standings is Florida pro Drew Cook, who caught 25-14 Friday to push his two-day total to 51-10. He moved from seventh to second in the standings.
“My main area wasn’t panning out first thing this morning,” Cook said. “So I went to my second area and caught a 6-pounder right away. Then I went to a place where I’ve been sharing water with (fellow Florida pro) Drew Benton and caught some more.
Benton is keying on shallow shellbars where bass are feeding heavily on spawning shad. He said he spent most of his time in three or four areas, making the same cast repetitively.
“It’s a really shallow shellbar,” Cook said. “But it seems like the shad are spawning on it all day — and I didn’t know that until today.
“On Thursday, I caught about 20 pounds doing that and then left and went sight fishing. Today, I stayed with it all day and they bit all day.”
Michigan pro Garrett Paquette is in third with 47-13, followed by Tennessee veteran Brandon Card (46-15) and Benton (46-5).
Competition will pause Saturday for an Outdoors Expo with a packed schedule of events at Sabine Rive Authority in Quitman. The Expo will feature free demo boat rides, prize giveaways, meet-and-greet sessions with the Elite Series pros, fishing seminars and a live concert, part of the Mercury Concert Series, by country music star Chris Knight at 4:15 p.m.
The Expo, which will also be held Sunday, opens at 10 a.m. and is free to attend.
The 12 members of the recently selected 2019 High School All-American presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors Team. will also hold a special exhibition tournament Saturday, with a weigh-in scheduled for 3 p.m. at Sabine River Authority. Each All-American will be paired with an Elite Series pro.
Also Saturday, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will offer fans and fishing enthusiasts a variety of activities, including casting and fly-tying instruction, fish art, and an aquarium and multiple children’s activities. TPWD will also be honoring five Toyota ShareLunker Legacy Anglers who caught and donated bass that weighed 13 pounds or more to the organization’s selective breeding program in 2019.
Get Hooked on Fishing presented by Toyota, Shakespeare and TakeMeFishing.org will provide an interactive fishing experience for children with casting lessons, a fishing pond and a chance to meet the pros.
And TPWD will also induct Alan Haynes of Tyler, former CEO and president of The Sportster Inc. retail sporting goods chain, into the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in ceremonies Saturday at Texas Fest.
2019 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department 5/2-5/6
Lake Fork, Emory TX.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 10 62-14 100
Day 1: 5 31-15 Day 2: 5 30-15
2. Drew Cook Midway, FL 10 51-10 99
Day 1: 5 25-12 Day 2: 5 25-14
3. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 10 47-13 98
Day 1: 5 28-12 Day 2: 5 19-01
4. Brandon Card Knoxville, TN 10 46-15 97
Day 1: 5 25-11 Day 2: 5 21-04
5. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 10 46-05 96
Day 1: 5 21-08 Day 2: 5 24-13
6. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 10 46-02 95
Day 1: 5 31-11 Day 2: 5 14-07
7. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 9 44-13 94
Day 1: 4 18-08 Day 2: 5 26-05
8. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 9 44-11 93
Day 1: 5 30-10 Day 2: 4 14-01
9. Derek Hudnall Baton Rouge, LA 10 43-10 92
Day 1: 5 21-02 Day 2: 5 22-08
10. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 10 43-04 91
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 25-06
11. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 10 42-13 90
Day 1: 5 26-14 Day 2: 5 15-15
12. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 10 42-12 89
Day 1: 5 22-13 Day 2: 5 19-15
13. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 10 41-06 88
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 20-06
14. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 10 40-11 87
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 24-12
15. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 10 40-11 86
Day 1: 5 19-11 Day 2: 5 21-00
16. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 40-02 85
Day 1: 5 27-01 Day 2: 5 13-01
17. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 10 40-02 84
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 23-02
18. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 38-07 83
Day 1: 5 20-10 Day 2: 5 17-13
19. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 10 37-13 82
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 22-11
20. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 10 37-10 81
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 23-04
21. Jay Yelas Lincoln City, OR 10 36-02 80
Day 1: 5 22-05 Day 2: 5 13-13
22. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 10 35-12 79
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 22-08
23. Mike Huff Corbin, KY 8 35-12 78
Day 1: 3 13-14 Day 2: 5 21-14
24. Seth Feider New Market, MN 10 35-08 77
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 18-04
25. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 10 34-15 76
Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 15-13
26. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 10 34-07 75
Day 1: 5 20-13 Day 2: 5 13-10
27. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 33-10 74
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 16-13
28. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 33-05 73
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 20-01
29. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 10 32-15 72
Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 15-08
30. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 8 32-14 71
Day 1: 3 14-03 Day 2: 5 18-11
31. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 10 32-05 70
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 20-02
32. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 10 32-03 69
Day 1: 5 20-06 Day 2: 5 11-13
33. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 10 31-13 68
Day 1: 5 15-05 Day 2: 5 16-08
34. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 10 31-12 67
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 18-14
35. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 8 31-09 66
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 3 12-01
36. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 9 31-06 65 $8,500.00
Day 1: 4 12-03 Day 2: 5 19-03
37. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 31-03 64 $8,500.00
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 11-02
38. Jesse Tacoronte Kissimmee, FL 10 31-03 63 $8,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 13-06
39. Lee Livesay Gladewater, TX 9 31-01 62 $8,500.00
Day 1: 5 22-10 Day 2: 4 08-07
40. Chris Johnston Peterborough Ontario CA 10 30-11 61 $8,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 16-08
41. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 10 30-04 60 $8,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 18-14
42. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 10 29-12 59 $8,500.00
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 5 20-08
43. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 10 29-05 58 $8,500.00
Day 1: 5 20-05 Day 2: 5 09-00
44. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 10 29-05 57 $8,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 13-08
45. Greg DiPalma Millville, NJ 8 29-01 56 $8,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 3 10-04
46. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 10 28-13 55 $8,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 13-04
47. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 10 28-00 54 $8,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 12-00
48. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 8 27-14 53 $8,500.00
Day 1: 4 12-02 Day 2: 4 15-12
49. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 10 27-02 52 $8,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 12-11
50. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 10 26-15 51 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 11-08
51. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 10 26-09 50 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 10-07
52. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 10 26-07 49 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 17-09
53. Frank Talley Temple, TX 10 26-07 48 $8,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 14-09
54. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 9 26-05 47 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 4 11-07
55. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 10 25-11 46 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 09-09
56. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 10 25-10 45 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 12-00
57. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 10 25-05 44 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 16-03
58. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 10 25-05 43 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 14-04
59. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 9 25-04 42 $5,500.00
Day 1: 4 16-02 Day 2: 5 09-02
60. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 10 25-03 41 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 11-14
61. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 8 25-00 40 $5,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 3 11-03
62. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 8 24-01 39 $5,000.00
Day 1: 4 15-07 Day 2: 4 08-10
63. Randy Pierson Oakdale, CA 10 23-04 38 $5,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 10-05
64. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 10 23-04 37 $5,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 12-03
65. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 10 22-11 36 $5,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 10-05
66. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 8 22-04 35 $4,500.00
Day 1: 4 11-03 Day 2: 4 11-01
67. Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 8 22-00 34 $4,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 3 10-11
68. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 9 21-07 33 $4,500.00
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 4 12-05
69. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 9 20-12 32 $4,500.00
Day 1: 5 09-04 Day 2: 4 11-08
70. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 8 20-03 31 $4,500.00
Day 1: 4 06-07 Day 2: 4 13-12
71. Rob Digh Denver, NC 7 18-06 30 $3,500.00
Day 1: 3 08-06 Day 2: 4 10-00
72. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 7 18-00 29 $3,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 2 07-03
73. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 6 14-03 28 $3,500.00
Day 1: 2 05-08 Day 2: 4 08-11
74. Quentin Cappo Prairieville, LA 3 09-00 27 $3,500.00
Day 1: 1 05-10 Day 2: 2 03-06
75. David Fritts Lexington, NC 4 08-05 26 $3,500.00
Day 1: 4 08-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
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FLORIDA’S GREENBLATT TAKES LEAD ON DAY TWO OF FLW TOUR AT LAKE CHICKAMAUGA PRESENTED BY EVINRUDE
Day One Leader John Cox Just 8 Ounces Back
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DAYTON, Tenn. (May 3, 2019) – Yamamoto Baits pro Matt Greenblatt of Port St. Lucie, Florida, brought a five-bass limit of largemouth to the Dayton Boat Dock scale Friday weighing 19 pounds, 13 ounces, to vault into the lead after Day Two of the FLW Tour at Lake Chickamauga presented by Evinrude in Dayton, Tennessee. Greenblatt’s two-day total of 10 bass weighing 43 pounds, 2 ounces gives him a slim 8-ounce advantage heading into Day Three of the four-day competition that features 165 of the world’s best bass-fishing anglers competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
Berkley pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, who led after Day One, fell to second place, just 8 ounces behind Greenblatt with 42-10. Former FLW Cup champion and three-time Angler of the Year Polaris pro David Dudley of Lynchburg, Virginia, is just 15 ounces behind Greenblatt in third place with 42-3. The field is now cut to 30 for Saturday’s competition with only the top 10 anglers advancing to championship Sunday.
“I pretty much did the same exact thing that I did Thursday – same spot, same bait, same everything,” said Greenblatt, a six-year FLW Tour veteran with one career FLW Cup appearance. “I thought I had milked it for everything it was worth yesterday, but it replenished overnight. Hopefully there is two more days of bass in there, but I really don’t know what it has left.”
Greenblatt described his key area as a slope, in 8 to 12 feet of water.
“I don’t know why the fish are setting up there. There really is nothing there,” Greenblatt said. “Thursday I caught the heck out of them, all day long. Today it slowed down a lot – I think because of the pressure and we had a little different conditions. I’m catching fish on three different baits, and there seems to be a lot of bait in the area so hopefully it keeps them where they are.”
Greenblatt declined to name his main two baits, but did divulge that a Yamamoto Senko has also been a key piece of his arsenal this week.
“There is definitely a shallow Senko bite that is developing,” he said. “Wacky-rigged seems to be best, but I’ve got them rigged up four different ways. I’m dyeing the tail a little bit, giving them a little more to see.
“Hopefully tomorrow my area is not all blown out,” Greenblatt went on to say. “I’m going to get everything I can there and see what happens. If it’s not happening by noon I’m going to drop back, punt, and go to the dock pattern.”
The top 30 pros that made the cut and will fish Saturday on Lake Chickamauga are:
1st: Yamamoto Baits pro Matt Greenblatt, Port St. Lucie, Fla., 10 bass, 43-2
2nd: Berkley pro John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 42-10
3rd: Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 42-3
4th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 39-1
5th: Jared McMillan, Belle Glade, Mich., 10 bass, 39-1
6th: Lowrance pro Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn., 10 bass, 38-15
7th: Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, Ark., 10 bass, 38-14
8th: Ramie Colson Jr., Cadiz, Ky., 10 bass, 38-10
9th: Buddy Gross, Chickamauga, Ga., 10 bass, 38-6
10th: Clark Reehm, Elm Grove, La., 10 bass, 36-3
11th: Aaron Britt, Yuba City, Calif., 10 bass, 35-15
12th: Bass Pro Shops pro James Niggemeyer, Van, Texas, 10 bass, 35-9
13th: Tim Frederick, Leesburg, Fla., 10 bass, 35-6
14th: Strike King pro Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., 10 bass, 35-1
15th: Dicky Newberry, Houston, Texas, 10 bass, 35-1
16th: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 10 bass, 34-13
17th: David Williams, Maiden, N.C., 10 bass, 34-11
18th: T-H Marine pro Sam George, Athens, Ala., 10 bass, 34-11
19th: Charlie Ingram, Centerville, Tenn., 10 bass, 34-4
20th: Miles Howe, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., 10 bass, 34-1
21st: Glenn Chappelear, Acworth, Ga., 10 bass, 33-11
22nd: Kyle Weisenburger, Ottawa, Ohio, 10 bass, 33-4
23rd: Chris Whitson, Louisville, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-12
24th: Rapala pro Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., 10 bass, 32-11
25th: David Gaston, Sylacauga, Ala., 10 bass, 32-9
26th: Barry Wilson, Birmingham, Ala., 10 bass, 32-8
27th: Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, 10 bass, 32-6
28th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 10 bass, 32-4
29th: T-H Marine pro Luke Dunkin, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-3
30th: Bradford Beavers, Summerville, S.C., 10 bass, 32-1
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Ingram won the Big Bass Award and the $500 prize on the pro side Friday with a largemouth weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces.
Overall there were 765 bass weighing 2,171 pounds, 8 ounces caught by 162 pros Friday. The catch included 138 five-bass limits.
In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 165 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight now advance 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.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake Chickamauga presented by Evinrude is more than $860,000. The tournament is hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic Tourism Council.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2019 FLW Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2019 FLW Cup will be on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. ET Saturday and Sunday from the Dayton Boat Dock, located at 175 Lakeshore St., in Dayton. Weigh-ins will also be held at the Dayton Boat Dock, beginning at 4 p.m.
In conjunction with the weigh-ins, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the Dayton Boat Dock from 2 to 6 p.m. each day. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at the Dayton Boat Dock on Saturday, May 4, from Noon-2 p.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to anyone under the age of 18 and Special Olympics athletes. 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 Tour stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake Chickamauga presented by Evinrude will premiere in 2019. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show airs each Saturday night at 7 p.m. EST and is broadcast to more than 63 million cable, satellite and telecommunications households in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean on the World Fishing Network (WFN), the leading entertainment destination and digital resource for anglers throughout North America. FLW television is also distributed internationally to FLW partner countries, including Canada, China, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and South Africa.
The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air on Saturday and Sunday, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined by FLW Tour veteran Peter Thliveros 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 sport’s top anglers on the FLW Tour on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagra
Bass Edge Radio interviews 2019 MLF/Bass Pro Tour Anger Keith Poche as the featured angler on the latest podcast presented by Megaware KeelGuard. Show hosts Aaron Martin and Kurt Dove discuss with Keith why fsihing backwaters can be effective year-round.
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Saturday, April 27, 2019 the ABA Triton 100% Plus Team Tour held its second tournament of the regular season that launched from Flippers Bait and Tackle on Old Hickory located in Gallatin, TN. Sixty-nine teams went to battle in sunny weather conditions to try and win the 2019 Triton 17TX powered by a 60HP Mercury four-stroke with Garmin Echo-map plus 93SV valued at 20K. With just under a 1/2-pound lead over 2nd place. Daniel Johnson and Drew Boggs took the victory weighing in 5 fish for a total weight of 16.91 pounds. The team also earned a check for $1300 for taking 1st place in the High Stakes Option Pot.
“We caught our fish flippin in about 1 to 3 foot of water. We used a creature weight my buddy created a few years ago, we also used a vapor top bait. We fished in the upper portion of the lake.” said Johnson and Boggs.
Second place team Tyler Patton and John Grissam brought 5-fish to the scales weighing 16.46 pounds. They earned a check for $2300.00 for their catch.
“We caught our fish on a Jackson slew guide weight. We fished shallow and only lost 1 fish. We went out and took a left and went upriver.” said Patton and Grissam.
Coming in 3rd place was the team of William Merrick and Brandon Edel bringing 5-fish to the scales weighing 16.33 pounds. They earned a check for $1600.00 for their 5 bass.
“We caught our fish flipping shallow in about 1 to 3 foot of water. We broke one fish off that may have made a difference. We used a beaver bait and a swim jig to catch our fish today.” said Merrick and Edel.
Finishing 4th was the team of Dustin Hinkle and Kenny Christensen weighing in 5-fish at 16.24 lbs. Earning a check for $1100.00 for their efforts. Rounding out the top 5 was the team of Stacy Newman and Matt Brake weighing in 5-fish for 15.61lbs. They earned a check for $1000.00 for the work they put in.
Coming in 6th place was Tom Holder and Mike Russelburg. They weigh 5 bass weighing 14.88 pounds with a 5.66 pounds big bass. They weighed in pretty early and a lot of teams attempted to take down their big bass, but none succeeded. They earned a $670.00 check for their big bass.
“We caught our big bass fishing a wood cover. We were somewhere up river and not really sure where. We caught it with a Berkley Chigger Craw.” Said Holder and Russelburg.
The next Tennessee/Kentucky Triton Plus 100% Team Tour Tournament will be on Kentucky Lake going out of the Kentucky Dam Village located at 113 Administration Drive, Gilbertsville, KY 42044.
For more information on this tournament, call Shelby McElyea, tournament manager, at 256-230-5633 or ABA at 256-232-0406. On line, see www.americanbassanglers.com
About the American Bass Anglers – American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler while offering an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and all their bass tournament trails visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
American Bass Anglers is sponsored by: Bass Pro Shops, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Tracker Boats, MotorGuide, Garmin, T-H Marine, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Engel Coolers, Four Roses Bourbon, Lucas Oil, Maui Jim, Optima Batteries and Power-Pole. Mailing address: American Bass Anglers, Inc, PO Box 475, Athens, AL 35612 PH (256) 232-0406.
