We had 15 boats competing today on Leesville lake in a one stop mart Leesville lake tournament Trail tournament. 1st place – Bryant Copley / Jerry Rice – 5 fish – 19.18 lbs
2nd place – Steven Costa / Jesse Dalton – 5 fish – 15.00 lbs
3rd place – mitch Camden / Dante villa – 5 fish – 12.29 lbs
Big fish of the day – Bryant Copley / jerry rice a 7.69 lb largemouth
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Next Yadkin CATT is at Tuckertown April 6 out of Flat Rock!
Use this code PHANTOMCATT15 at check out and receive 15% off your next order!
Jonathan Phillips & James Blankenship bring in a HUGE bag of High Rock bass weighing up at 33.50 lbs with a BF at 8.05 lbs! Great job guys!
2nd place with another fat bag at 26.42 lb was the team of RM Parker & Corey Gibson! 2nd BF 7.40 lbs!
Dan Funderburke & Butch Drew claimed 3rd with 22.57 lbs!
4th Place Roger Hoover with 19.82 lbs!
Eric Myers & Michael Smith received a $50 Wacky Riggers Gift Card for their finish 1 place out of the money!
| Big | Total | Total | ||
| 23 Teams | Fish | Weight | Winnings | Points |
| Jonathan Phillips – James Blankinship | 8.05 | 33.50 | $1,061.00 | 110 |
| RM Parker – Corey Gibson | 7.40 | 26.42 | $469.00 | 109 |
| Dan Funderburke – Butch Drew | 4.96 | 22.57 | $200.00 | 108 |
| Roger Hoover | 7.39 | 19.82 | $120.00 | 107 |
| Eric Myers – Michael Smith | 6.92 | 18.93 | 106 | |
| Tom File – Hunter Harwell | 5.42 | 18.90 | 105 | |
| Jarred Albright | 6.19 | 18.63 | 104 | |
| Mike Love – Josh Love | 5.95 | 16.73 | 103 | |
| Dakota Roberts – Dustin Holt | 6.49 | 14.93 | 102 | |
| Scott Faulkner – Tony Brewer | 6.43 | 12.87 | 101 | |
| Mike Kiser – David Cheek | 0.00 | 12.23 | 100 | |
| Todd Barbee – Scott Wyatt | 7.17 | 11.44 | 99 | |
| Brian File – Wayne File | 6.72 | 10.69 | 98 | |
| Scott Henley – Robert Mixon | 0.00 | 7.93 | 97 | |
| Andrew Wallace – Derek Livingston | 5.81 | 7.89 | 96 | |
| John Ritchie – Bryant Gobble | 0.00 | 0.00 | 95 | |
| Greg Deal – Chris Wagner | 0.00 | 0.00 | 95 | |
| Bryon Brush – Byron Brush Sr | 0.00 | 0.00 | 95 | |
| Dwayne Hughes – Mike Gibson | 0.00 | 0.00 | 95 | |
| Steven Gawthrope | 0.00 | 0.00 | 95 | |
| Phillip Hedrick – Lucas Hedrick | 0.00 | 0.00 | 95 | |
| John Lancaster – Thomas Carroll | 0.00 | 0.00 | 95 | |
| Mike Ray – Orlando Giles | 0.00 | 0.00 | 95 | |
| Total Entrys | $1,840.00 | |||
| BONUS $ | $475.00 | |||
| Total Paid At Ramp | $1,850.00 | |||
| Yadkin Spring 2019 Final Fund | $385.00 | |||
| 2019 CATT Championship Fund | $50.00 | |||
| 2019 Yadkin Spring Final Fund Total | $1,005.00 | |||
| 2019 CATT Championship Fund Total | $4,080.00 |
Next Cooper River CATT is April 6 at Cypress Gardens!
Use this code PHANTOMCATT15 at check out and receive 15% off your next order!
Will Thompson & Doug Robertson weigh in 4 bass @ 19.48 lbs to take 1st Place on the Cooper River! They weighed on the BF at 8.86 lbs!
2nd Place Dave & Dylan McConnell!
3rd Place Randall & Ryan Drew
Johnny Brinson & James White 4th Place!
| Big | Total | Total | ||
| 20 Teams | Fish | Weight | Winnings | Points |
| Will Thompson – Doug Robertson | 8.86 | 19.48 | $940.00 | 110 |
| Dave McConnell – Dylan Mcconnell | 0.00 | 14.86 | $215.00 | 109 |
| Ryan Drew -Randall Drew | 0.00 | 14.69 | $110.00 | 108 |
| Johnny Brinson James White | 0.00 | 14.03 | $60.00 | 107 |
| Joseph Giampa Gene Youngs | 0.00 | 13.34 | 106 | |
| Matt Baker Andrew Baker | 0.00 | 11.94 | 105 | |
| Jimmy Mccants Kevin Powell | 0.00 | 11.00 | 104 | |
| Dale Lovelace John Wood | 0.00 | 10.80 | 103 | |
| Bubba Dennis Randy Gibson | 0.00 | 10.73 | 102 | |
| Jimmy Bihlear James Bihlear Sr. | 0.00 | 10.26 | 101 | |
| Travis Gatlin Grant Powell | 0.00 | 8.94 | 100 | |
| Wayne Clifton Kyle Welch | 0.00 | 8.89 | 99 | |
| Casey Leach Charlene Leach | 0.00 | 8.86 | 98 | |
| Winky Winkey Watford | 0.00 | 8.84 | 97 | |
| Bill Lawshe – Jeremy Hewitt | 0.00 | 7.55 | 96 | |
| Benjamin Smith Jimmy Hall | 0.00 | 7.42 | 95 | |
| James Roy Jr Robison William Gregory | 0.00 | 6.31 | 94 | |
| John Campbell Grace Campbell | 0.00 | 3.73 | 93 | |
| Brent Bartman Jazlyn Darling | 0.00 | 0.00 | 92 | |
| Jeff Moyers – James Holloway | 0.00 | 0.00 | 92 | |
| Total Entrys | $1,000.00 | |||
| BONUS $ | $450.00 | |||
| Total Paid At Ramp | $1,325.00 | |||
| Cooper River 2019 Spring Final Fund | $105.00 | |||
| 2019 CATT Championship Fund | $10.00 | |||
| Cooper River 2019 Spring Final Fund Total | $205.00 | |||
| 2019 CATT Championship Fund | $3,955.00 |
Next Wateree CATT is March 30th and is a GOLD!
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Dustin Compton & Johnathan Strickland took home $1,918.00 with a 5 bass limit weighing 21.49 lbs! They also weighed in the 1st BF and received a $25 Academy Gift Card! Wateree is still warming up so the best is coming up!
2nd Place went to Greg Atkinson & James Brinson with 16.22 lbs!
3rd went to Trent McLaughlin & Dearal Rodgers! 16.14 lbs!
Mike Ware & Bryan Holmes finished 4th with 16.04 lbs!
| Big | Total | Total | ||
| 25 Teams | Fish | Weight | Winnings | Points |
| Dustin Compton – Jonathan Strickland | 6.27 | 21.49 | $1,918.00 | 110 |
| Greg Atkinson – James Brinson | 5.06 | 16.22 | $550.00 | 109 |
| Trent McLaughlin – Dearal Rodgers | 3.74 | 16.14 | $250.00 | 108 |
| Mike Ware – Bryan Holmes | 4.03 | 16.04 | $190.00 | 107 |
| Max Price – Brent Neal | 4.03 | 15.32 | $140.00 | 106 |
| Chad Rabon – Walt Almond | 4.53 | 15.13 | 105 | |
| Chad Gainey – Jeffrey Furr | 4.04 | 14.14 | 104 | |
| Mark Healon – Ella Healon | 0.00 | 14.13 | 103 | |
| Jeff Reynolds – Lee Royson | 5.06 | 12.87 | 102 | |
| Dean Benfield – Sonny Beam | 5.51 | 12.55 | $72.00 | 101 |
| Jason Quinn – John Paul George | 4.85 | 11.95 | 100 | |
| Mike King – Lewis Thompson | 2.62 | 11.12 | 99 | |
| Greg Sigmon | 4.03 | 10.00 | 98 | |
| Bubba Jackson – Wesley Jackson | 0.00 | 9.67 | 97 | |
| Scott Williams – Robbie English | 3.92 | 9.12 | 96 | |
| Brad Petway – Jerry Freezon | 4.19 | 7.95 | 95 | |
| Donald Wells – Paul Wells | 2.99 | 7.66 | 94 | |
| Allan Fletcher – Tanner Fletcher | 0.00 | 7.21 | 93 | |
| Sam Dowey – Tommy Moak | 0.00 | 7.10 | 92 | |
| Skeebo Kelly – Zane Ross | 3.91 | 7.09 | 91 | |
| David L Canupp – David F Canupp | 0.00 | 6.45 | 90 | |
| David Ethridge – Butch Williams | 5.14 | 5.14 | 89 | |
| Scott Floyd – Greg Corvin | 2.66 | 2.66 | 88 | |
| Tim Haven – Craig Haven | 2.30 | 2.30 | 87 | |
| Johnny Allen | 0.00 | 0.00 | 86 | |
| Total Entrys | $3,000.00 | |||
| BONUS $ | $575.00 | |||
| Total Paid At Ramp | $3,120.00 | |||
| Wateree 2019 Spring Final Fund | $370.00 | |||
| 2019 CATT Championship Fund | $85.00 | |||
| 2019 Wateree Spring Final Fund Total | $1,725.00 | |||
| 2019 CATT Championship Fund Total | $3,945.00 |
Damien Willis and Tyler Kiker Win 2019 Alabama Bass Trail Wheeler Lake
by Dan O’Sullivan
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March 23, 2019 – Jasper, Ala. – The one thing a tournament angler does not want heading into a big event is change. Changes in conditions can take a sure thing fishing pattern, and in the matter of an afternoon can turn it into a crap shoot.
That is the situation that Alabama Bass Trail Northern Division anglers faced when they arrived for takeoff Saturday morning. With the region being pummeled by constant rain over the past several weeks, the Tennessee River had been running strong with high volume, dirty water. Over the past week, the current flows slowed by more than half, and the system started to clear.
In those conditions, savvy anglers make adjustments, and when the moves are right, they can reconnect with their prey. The team of Damien Willis and Tyler Kiker did precisely that on Saturday. Their adjustments resulted in a winning, mixed bag stringer of smallmouth and largemouth that weighed 22.70 pounds to claim victory, and the $10,000 winning purse at the ABT Wheeler Lake event.
The pair said they found their fish a week prior, and had to adjust to clearing water. “We found a ditch in practice that we caught a couple really good ones in on Sunday; we caught them on crankbaits,” they reported. “We got there today, and the water had cleared, so we switched to finesse swimbaits to catch our fish early, then filled in a couple through the afternoon on the crankbaits; we had a great day.”
The lures they chose were a shad colored Keitech 2.8 Swing Impact swimbait thrown on a jighead, and washed with the current, and they filled in a few keepers on a “crawdad colored Rapala DT10 crankbait.
They were understandably please with the outcome. “It’s been a couple of years since we fish ABT, and to win one of these is a great accomplishment,” they said. “We couldn’t be happier, or prouder with how this day turned out.”
The second place team of Blake Hall and Triston Crowder led for most of the weigh-in, before getting edged out by the winners. Their 21.98-pound limit of smallmouth and spotted bass was good enough for the runner-up spot, and the $5,000 purse. They reported catching their fish on upriver current breaks with “OxyContin Scottsboro Tackle Company swimbaits on 1/2-ounce jigheads.
Their response to the outcome was somewhat muted. “It’s hard to put together a strong day in tough conditions and get beaten by less than a pound,” they said. “We did everything we could today, and even went looking for a kicker largemouth in the afternoon; it just didn’t happen for us. It’s a good day, but a tough outcome, we’ll just have to move forward.”
The team of Lance Whitaker and Jeremy Briscoe finished the day in third place; taking home $4,000 with 21.98 pounds. Their creel was anchored by a 6.44-pound smallmouth bass that earned the $500 Mountain Dew Big Bass bonus as the largest fish of the tournament.
The Top 10 Standings are below, for complete standings, visit: https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/wl-results/
| Place | Team | Weight | Big Fish | Winnings |
| 1 | Damien Willis / Tyler Kiker | 22.70 | 5.34 | $10,000 |
| 2 | Blake Hall / Triston Crowder | 21.98 | 5.70 | $5,000 |
| 3 | Lance Whitaker / Jeremy Briscoe | 21.18 | 6.44 | $4,000 |
| 4 | Joel Green / Jody Evans | 19.83 | 5.71 | $3,000 |
| 5 | Logan Johnson / Jeremy Christian | 18.21 | 5.65 | $2,000 |
| 6 | David Kyle / Scott Callahan | 17.78 | 5.14 | $1,500 |
| 7 | Craig Daniel / Jackie Flack | 17.35 | $1,100 | |
| 8 | Sam Long / Jason Atkins | 17.01 | 4.61 | $1,100 |
| 9 | Michael Lane / Jason Jones | 16.60 | $1,100 | |
| 10 | Michael Hood / Randy Wiggins | 15.87 | 5.46 | $1,100 |
The sponsors of the 2019 Alabama Bass Trail include; Phoenix Bass Boats, Bill Penney Toyota, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, America’s First Federal Credit Union, Sweet Home Alabama, Alabama Tourism Department, Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, Buffalo Rock, Mountain Dew, Jack’s, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Alabama Power Company, Lew’s Fishing, AFTCO, YETI, Power Pole, Big Bite Bait Company and E3 Apparel.
For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit http://www.alabamabasstrail.org.
VONORE’S BUTLER WINS COSTA FLW SERIES TOURNAMENT ON LAKE CHICKAMAUGA PRESENTED BY T-H MARINE
Anchored by a 37-pound limit of bass on Day Two – the fifth-largest weighed in Costa FLW Series history – pro angler Brent Butler wins at Lake Chickamauga
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DAYTON, Tenn. (March 23, 2019) – Fishing in his sixth event with Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), pro Brent Butler of Vonore, Tennessee, caught a five-bass limit Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the Costa FLW Series at Lake Chickamauga presented by T-H Marine. Butler’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 68 pounds, 8 ounces, was enough to earn him the victory at the Southeastern Division tournament and a check for $45,800.
In route to victory, Butler posted an above-average start to the tournament Thursday, catching 14 pounds of bass to sit in 40th place. He said he put together his limit fishing shallow bars and shell beds mid-lake, with a ½-ounce, chrome-colored Strike King Red Eye Shad crankbait.
Heading into Friday, Butler said he knew he needed more weight to have a shot at winning. He switched patterns completely, fishing seven new areas near major creek mouths, and produced a 37-pound, 5-ounce haul – the fifth-largest limit in FLW Series history.
“All I was catching [Thursday] was buck bass, and with 14 [pounds] and change, I knew I needed to swing for the fences,” said Butler, who earned his first win in FLW competition. “I started looking for staging areas for both prespawn and postspawn females. I went offshore, and honestly, I got my timing down and saw what the bait was doing – how it was hanging out off of ledges and things of that nature. I just kept paying attention to it and the wind direction and I would occasionally see them on the graph and knew they were in the area. They were following gizzard shad. I sat in 30 feet and caught them out of 15 feet of water.
“I think they were heading in [prespawn], but the two big ones – two 10-plus pounders – were postspawn,” continued Butler. “I caught them almost on back-to-back casts.”
Butler said he had seven bites Friday. He said he used a custom Super G Lures umbrella rig with 4.3-inch, shad-colored Keitech swimbaits to catch three of the monster limit and a chartreuse and shad-colored Lucky Craft Flash Pointer 100 jerkbait for the other two.
On Saturday, Butler didn’t catch nearly as much weight as he did Friday, but was able to put together the right bites at the end of the day.
“I ran those areas again today, and I saw the bait down in the creek and river channels. I only saw one school of gizzard shad come up under my graph in 15 of water and I could see two [bass] following it, but I couldn’t get them to cooperate. That was the only school I saw out of all those areas.”
With only one small bass in the boat at 1 [p.m.], Butler again made a change, running 32 miles to fish shallow ledges with stumps between the Highway 60 bridge and Mud Creek. He caught a couple more fish on the umbrella rig, one on the Red Eye Shad and three on the Lucky Craft jerkbait.
The top 10 pros on Lake Chickamauga finished:
1st: Brent Butler, Vonore, Tenn., 15 bass, 68-8, $45,800
2nd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 63-0, $17,200
3rd: Derek Hicks, Rocky Face, Ga., 15 bass, 61-0, $12,850
4th: Cody Nichols, Fayette, Ala., 15 bass, 57-11, $10,750
5th: David Gaston, Sylacauga, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-13, $9,750
6th: Rusty White, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 52-10, $8,675
7th: Dustin Evans, Eads, Tenn., 15 bass, 49-8, $7,300
8th: Brandon Stanley, Johnson City, Tenn., 12 bass, 48-12, $6,300
9th: Buddy Gross, Chickamauga, Ga., 14 bass, 48-3, $5,300
10th: Steve Stanfill, Dawsonville, Ga., 10 bass, 38-14, $4,200
A complete list of results will be posted at FLWFishing.com.
One of Butler’s giants on Friday weighed 11 pounds, 10 ounces, and was the biggest of the tournament in the Pro Division. For his catch, Butler also earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $300.
Scott Ostmann of Cincinnati, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division with a three-day total catch of 15 bass weighing 54 pounds, 12 ounces. For his win, Ostmann took home a prize package including a Ranger Z175 with a 115-horsepower outboard motor and $5,000.
The top 10 co-anglers on Lake Chickamauga finished:
1st: Scott Ostmann, Cincinnati, Ohio, 15 bass, 54-12, $32,800
2nd: Doug Iorio II, Kennerdell, Pa., 14 bass, 41-15, $5,375
3rd: Kevin Gordon, Aiken, S.C., 12 bass, 40-9, $4,350
4th: Alan Hults, Gautier, Miss., 13 bass, 38-14, $3,900
5th: Josh Womack, Gallatin, Tenn., 14 bass, 35-8, $3,150
6th: Don Lewis, Jacksonville, Fla., 10 bass, 32-15, $2,650
7th: Michael Leach, The Woodlands, Texas, 10 bass, 32-0, $2,150
8th: Stephen Kocell, Waxhaw, N.C., nine bass, 25-15, $1,925
9th: Josh Lockard, Somerset, Ky., 10 bass, 22-10, $1,530
10th: Tony Prince, Pulaski, Tenn., nine bass, 22-7, $1,290
Scott Towry of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Friday, a behemoth largemouth weighing 11 pounds, 2 ounces. For his catch, Towry earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $200.
The Costa FLW Series on Lake Chickamauga presented by T-H Marine was hosted by Fish Dayton. It was the second of three Southeastern Division tournaments of the 2019 regular season. The next tournament for FLW Series anglers will be the Costa FLW Series at Kentucky Lake presented by Lowrance, held April 4 – 6 in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the International division. Each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 31 – Nov. 2 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky.
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, Instagra
Lucas Murphy and Mitchell Gunn of Grand Valley State University win the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at Smith Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops out of Cullman, Ala., with a three-day total of 52 pounds, 7 ounces.
March 23, 2019
Grand Valley State Duo Wins Bassmaster College Series Event On Alabama’s Smith Lake
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CULLMAN, Ala. — When the Smith Lake bass began transitioning into spawning stage earlier this week, many of the teams competing in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series tournament presented by Bass Pro Shops switched their fishing tactics hoping to keep pace.
Lucas Murphy and Mitchell Gunn of Michigan’s Grand Valley State University, however, stuck to their original plan, which was to throw swimbaits underneath docks hoping to land prespawn spotted bass.
It was a risky move, especially as the weather steadily grew warmer and bass headed for the shorelines to spawn. But Murphy and Gunn were consistent through all three days of the tournament, and that was enough to win on this 21,000-acre fishery here in north central Alabama.
The duo caught 15 bass in three days for a total weight of 52 pounds, 7 ounces. They were in second place heading into Saturday’s final day of fishing, but an 18-2 limit vaulted them past Day 2 leaders JT Russell and Porter James of the University of Montevallo, which is located about 90 minutes south of Smith Lake.
The Grand Valley State team was a bit stunned to win the event. Their aim was only to qualify for the College Series Championship, which they failed to do following a poor showing on North Carolina’s Lake Norman last month in the first college event of 2019.
“The goal was to get 15 (pounds a day here), which we figured would be good enough to do get us into nationals,” Murphy said. “But we had absolutely no idea it would be enough to win it. So this is completely surprising.”
Ten of the 12 tandems competing Saturday caught a five-bass limit, which highlighted how active Smith Lake became as practice days gave way to competition. Some anglers suspected the super moon on Wednesday had a positive effect on the bass bite.
Whatever was happening, it worried Murphy and Gunn.
“We were keeping an eye on the water temperature,” Murphy said. “It kept getting cold at night, which excited us, but then the water would warm up close to 60 during the day. It made us think they wouldn’t stay under those docks eating. We were catching them in water anywhere from 56 to 59 (degrees.)”
Murphy and Gunn seized the Day 1 lead with an 18-13 limit, but fell to second on Friday when they caught a 15-8 limit. Russell and James stormed to the top of the leaderboard with a 20-9 limit that day, which was the second heaviest total of the tournament. The Grand Valley State duo bounced back on Saturday, however, when Russell and James struggled and only put 10-10 in their livewell.
“We missed a few chances today,” Russell said after his team fell to third overall. “We missed three fish and they all were at least three pounds.”
Murphy and Gunn took advantage. They used spinning rods to swim 3.3-inch and 3.8-inch Keitech baits in 5 feet of water underneath docks. Tennessee shad, pro blue and bluegill flash were all effective color patterns, they said.
The other key was covering nearly every inch of Smith Lake’s 21,000 acres.
“I don’t think we took the lifejackets off much,” Gunn said. “We’d fish for a minute, catch one, then move on.”
This was Murphy’s second win in a Bassmaster College Series event. He teamed with Nolan Hitt to win the Eastern Regional last May on Cherokee Lake in Tennessee.
Exactly 250 teams began the tournament on Thursday and 12 survived the cut to fish on Saturday.
Trailing Murphy and Gunn were, second place, Derek Freeman/Caleb Allgood, Clemson, 49-9; third, Russell/James, Montevallo (Ala.), 49-4; fourth, Aaron Denny/Williams Mathews, Grand Valley State, 47-7; and fifth, Trevor McKinney/Ethan Jones, McKendree (Ill.), 45-15.
The dozen teams that fished Saturday split a pool of $8,500 cash for their respective school bass fishing programs. Murphy and Gunn won the top prize of $2,500 for Grand Valley State.
Seventy-four different schools and 28 states were represented in the full field. The Top 25 teams in the tournament standings after Friday’s weigh-in automatically qualified for the Bassmaster College Series Championship, which will be held later this year on a yet to be disclosed fishery.
Murphy and Gunn won the tournament, but it was another Grand Valley State duo that weighed the Nitro Bass Pro Big Bag of the Tournament. Denny and Mathews caught a 21-4 limit on Saturday to take the honors. Russell and James had the Carhartt Big Bass, a 6-7 largemouth that anchored their bag on Friday.
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Bass Edge Radio interviews 2019 FLW Tour Sam Rayburn Champion Terry Bolton as the featured angler on the latest podcast presented by Megaware KeelGuard. Show hosts Aaron Martin and Kurt Dove discuss with Terry cold water deep cranking, tournament practice scenarios, decision making and deep tactics in regards to TVA waterways vs. impoundments.
Our 2nd tournament of the season started with an amazing meeting at Palestine Baptist Church, They served an awesome meal for our anglers. We had Chris Wells the BASS Champlain speak at our Friday night meeting and it was amazing. we had two folks indicate they prayed to accept Christ as there saviour. Thats a testiment to the message God provided Chris to speak. We are so blssed to have him assoicated with the Fishers of Men. God bless you Chris and we will definetly be excited to ask you to come back and speak in the future.
Our tournament blasted off at safe light which was around 7:30 am on Saturday so we extended the fishing hours to 3:30pm to assure everyone got 8 hours in for the day. at the end of the day Tony McCraw and Penny McCraw brought home the win with 15.47 in 4 fish. These two won here thre years ago on this exact weekend. It seems March is good to these two. Rounding out our money winners were Taft Durr and Jacob Stevers with 14.05lbs, good enough for 2nd place, Tyler Meadows and Zach Meadows with 13.86lbs for 3rd place, Harold Black and Lacy Burnette with 12.46 for 4th place and Nathan Alt and Jeff Camp had 12.19lbs which was good enough for 5th place. Congratulations to all the money winners on a tough day of transitioning bass. The team just out of the money who took home the two Rio Rods were Stephen Bishp and Richard Alley.
Big Bass winner for he tournament was Brian Lindamood with a 5.19lb large mouth.
Cast for cash winners were 1st place cast for cash Taft Durr and Jacob Stevers and 2nd place cast for cash was Stephen Bishop and Richard Alley.
JT Russell and Porter James of the University of Montevallo take the lead on Day 2 of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at Smith Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops out of Cullman, Ala., with a two-day total of 38 pounds, 10 ounces.
March 22, 2019
Alabama Team Moves Into Lead In Bassmaster College Series Shootout On Smith Lake
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CULLMAN, Ala. — JT Russell and Porter James aren’t catching many bass on Lewis Smith Lake this week during the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series tournament presented by Bass Pro Shops.
But the duo from the University of Montevallo (Ala.) is proving that success must be judged by the quality, and not necessarily the quantity, of the catch.
Russell and James caught a five-bass limit today that weighed a tournament-high 20 pounds, 9 ounces, which gave them a two-day total of 38-10 and more than a 4-pound cushion over the other 11 duos that survived today’s cut from 249 to 12 teams.
It’s a fairly remarkable total, given that Russell and James only caught seven keeper bass today. They had a similar output Thursday, on Day 1 of the tournament, when they weighed an 18-1 limit despite going more than three hours before catching their first bass.
“It’s not like we’re catching a bunch,” Russell said. “We’re having to work for everything we get. But it’s worked out so far because, when we get bit, it’s generally been a big one.”
Smith Lake is just more than an hour’s drive north of Montevallo, so Russell and James are familiar with the fishery. They apparently haven’t found a honey hole of note, however, as they’ve crisscrossed the 21,000-acre lake numerous times in search of the best bites.
Russell said he and James are “junk fishing,” and they had as many as 15 rods on the deck at one point today. That’s fitting, given that many anglers report having to change fishing techniques at least once as Smith Lake bass apparently are beginning to spawn.
Today, Russell caught the biggest bass of the event so far — a 6-7 largemouth that leads the Carhartt Big Bass standings. That fish followed a 6-pound largemouth James boated on Thursday. They’ve caught two of the tournament’s three heaviest bass.
“That big one today bit about 5 feet from the boat,” Russell said. “I set the hook, and all I could do then was scream, ‘Get the net!’ I ended up boat flipping it because it was right there before I even knew it.”
After catching a mixed bag of spotted and largemouth bass Thursday, Russell and James caught all largemouth today. Feeling no lead is big enough, the Montevallo tandem said they plan to go for broke on the third and final day of the tournament.
“We’re at the point that it’s either zero or hero,” James said. “We’re going to swing for the fences.”
Day 1 leaders Lucas Murphy and Mitchell Gunn of Michigan’s Grand Valley State University dropped to second place overall with a 34-5 two-day total. They held a 12-ounce lead on Russell and James Thursday, but fell behind with a 15-8 limit on Friday.
Trevor McKinney and Ethan Jones of McKendree University in Illinois are in third place (32-0 overall;) and Derek Freeman and Caleb Allgood of Clemson University are fourth with 31-5.
Cal Culpepper and Mason Waddell, who also fish for Montevallo, had the second heaviest bag of the day — a 20-5 limit that was anchored by a 6-6 largemouth. That bag vaulted them into fifth place with 30 pounds through two days. They were the biggest movers of the day after being in 97th place following Thursday’s weigh-in.
Rounding out the Top 12 teams that will fish Saturday are, Dax Ewart/KJ Queen, Bethel University, Tenn., sixth with 27-12; Jason Felter/Joseph McClosky, Bethel University, seventh with 27-8; Luke Lamb/Wilson Smith, Bethel University, eighth with 27-6; Nolan Minor/Casey Lanier, West Virginia, ninth with 27-3; Joshua Gruen/Riley Blair, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, 10th with 26-12; Trevor St. John/Bailey Fain, Bryan College, Tenn., 11th with 26-11; and Aaron Denny/Williams Mathews, Grand Valley State, 12th with 26-3.
The 12 remaining teams will take off from Smith Lake Park at 7 a.m. Saturday. Teams will check in at the park at 3 p.m. with final weigh-in taking place at nearby Wallace State Community College. Live coverage will begin at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Bassmaster.com.
The dozen remaining teams will split a pool of $8,500 cash for their respective bass fishing teams. The winning duo will earn $2,500 for their school’s squad.
Teams from 74 different schools and 28 states began the tournament Thursday. The Top 25 teams in the tournament standings after today automatically qualified for the Bassmaster College Series Championship, which will be held this year on a fishery to be disclosed later.
The tournament on Smith Lake is being hosted by the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce.
Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at Smith Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops 3/21/2019 – 3/23/2019 Smith Lake – Smith Lake Park – Cullman, AL
| Place | Name | Total Fish / Weight |
Day 1 Fish / Weight |
Day 2 Fish / Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J T Russell – Porter James University of Montevallo |
10 / 38 – 10 | 5 / 18 – 1 | 5 / 20 – 9 |
| 2 | Lucas Murphy – Mitchell Gunn Grand Valley State University |
10 / 34 – 5 | 5 / 18 – 13 | 5 / 15 – 8 |
| 3 | Trevor McKinney – Ethan Jones McKendree University |
10 / 32 – 0 | 5 / 17 – 1 | 5 / 14 – 15 |
| 4 | Derek Freeman – Caleb Allgood Clemson University |
10 / 31 – 5 | 5 / 14 – 11 | 5 / 16 – 10 |
| 5 | Cal Culpepper – Mason Waddell University of Montevallo |
10 / 30 – 0 | 5 / 9 – 11 | 5 / 20 – 5 |
| 6 | Dax Ewart – KJ Queen Bethel University |
10 / 27 – 12 | 5 / 13 – 14 | 5 / 13 – 14 |
| 7 | Jason Felter – Joseph McClosky Bethel University |
10 / 27 – 8 | 5 / 14 – 14 | 5 / 12 – 10 |
| 8 | Luke Lamb – Wilson Smith Bethel University |
10 / 27 – 6 | 5 / 15 – 15 | 5 / 11 – 7 |
| 9 | Nolan Minor – Casey Lanier West Virginia University |
10 / 27 – 3 | 5 / 14 – 3 | 5 / 13 – 0 |
| 10 | Joshua Gruen – Riley Blair University of Wisconsin- Platteville |
10 / 26 – 12 | 5 / 11 – 12 | 5 / 15 – 0 |
| 11 | Trevor St. John – Bailey Fain Bryan College |
10 / 26 – 11 | 5 / 13 – 8 | 5 / 13 – 3 |
| 12 | Aaron Denny – William Mathews Grand Valley State University |
10 / 26 – 3 | 5 / 11 – 11 | 5 / 14 – 8 |
| 13 | Jared Turnbloom – Thomas Milstead University of Alabama |
10 / 26 – 1 | 5 / 14 – 7 | 5 / 11 – 10 |
| 14 | Miller Spivey – Trey Dickert University of Montevallo |
10 / 25 – 15 | 5 / 11 – 3 | 5 / 14 – 12 |
| 15 | Tristan McCormick – Dakota Pierce Bethel University |
10 / 25 – 11 | 5 / 13 – 2 | 5 / 12 – 9 |
| 16 | Nicholas Inzeo – Nick Montilino Murray State University |
10 / 25 – 10 | 5 / 13 – 5 | 5 / 12 – 5 |
| 17 | JP Kimbrough – Ryan Antee LSU- Shreveport |
10 / 25 – 7 | 5 / 12 – 3 | 5 / 13 – 4 |
| 18 | Logan Parks – Lucas Lindsay Auburn University |
10 / 25 – 4 | 5 / 12 – 14 | 5 / 12 – 6 |
| 19 | Logan Tate – Chase Chastain Jacksonville State University |
10 / 25 – 2 | 5 / 12 – 8 | 5 / 12 – 10 |
| 20 | Liam West – Brady Waits Clemson University |
9 / 25 – 2 | 5 / 12 – 9 | 4 / 12 – 9 |
| 21 | Jacob Louis – Nathan Doty McKendree University |
10 / 25 – 1 | 5 / 14 – 4 | 5 / 10 – 13 |
| 22 | Thad Simerly – Ethan Shaw Bryan College |
10 / 25 – 0 | 5 / 14 – 8 | 5 / 10 – 8 |
| 23 | Payton Morgan – Heath Alread Kennesaw State University |
10 / 24 – 14 | 5 / 11 – 8 | 5 / 13 – 6 |
| 24 | Grant Ehlenfeldt – Seth Korb University of Wisconsin- Platteville |
10 / 24 – 13 | 5 / 11 – 3 | 5 / 13 – 10 |
| 25 | David Dueland – Cameron Glasscock University of Montevallo |
9 / 24 – 11 | 5 / 15 – 14 | 4 / 8 – 13 |
| 26 | Cole Sands – Conner Dimauro Bryan College |
10 / 24 – 10 | 5 / 10 – 7 | 5 / 14 – 3 |
| 27 | Tyler Price – Preston Kendrick Bryan College |
10 / 24 – 5 | 5 / 9 – 0 | 5 / 15 – 5 |
| 28 | Tyler Lubbat – Harold Wells University of Alabama |
10 / 24 – 3 | 5 / 10 – 8 | 5 / 13 – 11 |
| 29 | Peyton McCord – Cole Burdeshaw Auburn University |
10 / 24 – 1 | 5 / 12 – 4 | 5 / 11 – 13 |
| 30 | Griffin Fernandes – Gunner Wilson Adrian College |
10 / 23 – 15 | 5 / 11 – 13 | 5 / 12 – 2 |
| 31 | Justin Carr – Austin Carr Illinois State University |
10 / 23 – 14 | 5 / 13 – 5 | 5 / 10 – 9 |
| 32 | Brady Harp – Jordan McCaleb Auburn University |
10 / 23 – 12 | 5 / 10 – 0 | 5 / 13 – 12 |
| 33 | Anthony Fazio – Luke Jasper Illinois State |
10 / 23 – 12 | 5 / 12 – 7 | 5 / 11 – 5 |
| 34 | Zeke Gossett – Hayden Bartee Jacksonville State University |
9 / 23 – 7 | 5 / 14 – 3 | 4 / 9 – 4 |
| 35 | Jake Lee – Dalton Price Bryan College |
10 / 23 – 4 | 5 / 12 – 8 | 5 / 10 – 12 |
| 36 | Parker Nesbit – Joe Bardill Murray State University |
9 / 23 – 3 | 5 / 13 – 11 | 4 / 9 – 8 |
| 37 | Dillon Bryant – Dustin Wagner Patrick Henry Community College |
10 / 23 – 3 | 5 / 10 – 8 | 5 / 12 – 11 |
| 38 | Blake Albertson – Boris Moskoff Murray State University |
10 / 23 – 2 | 5 / 13 – 6 |
