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Arey Asked to be Involved with High School Fishing Team
Imagine Philip Rivers or Trevor Lawrence calling to ask how they can help with your kid’s high school football team.
Well, that’s pretty much what happened when top pro angler Matt Arey reached out to Barry Self and Keith Latham to ask how he could help with the brand-new high school fishing team they were organizing for students near Arey’s home in Cleveland County, NC.
Arey’s daughters are still too young to be on the team, but his heart simply felt a desire to give back to the sport he loves.
“I saw something about a brand new high school fishing team being formed in Cleveland County on Facebook, and knew I wanted to help. So, I sent them a message, and now I’m getting the satisfaction of providing some mentorship and helping them gain sponsor support to offset travel costs,” says Arey.
Barry Self, whose son Coleman is on the team, says Arey’s genuine desire to help will forever be unbelievably admirable.
“I’d never even met Matt. I knew of him because he’s a well-known pro. So, when he called and said he wanted to help, it kind of blew our minds. We didn’t call him. Matt called us,” says Self.
Self and Latham say perhaps the greatest asset Arey brings to their new B.A.S.S. affiliated Cleveland County Bass Anglers high school team is credibility.
Students and parents who are fans of the sport accurately perceive that if Matt Arey is involved, there’s likely a lot of goodness in the fibers of the new team’s fabric. Just months old at this point, there are already 16 teams with boats actively participating, so 32 students, and more young anglers are asking to be involved with each passing month.
Self’s son Coleman, age 16, wearing the blue shirt in the accompanying photos, says he loves High Rock Lake, and Arey has already helped him understand Lowrance’s Active Target sonar technology. His 12-year-old teammate Luke Rochester learned about the importance of rigging a stinger hook to a flutter spoon during a recent visit to Arey’s “man cave.”
“I love how fast this club is growing, and there’s no doubt in my mind some of these kids are going to be absolute hammers by the time they get into the Bassmaster College Series,” says Arey.
In the short term, Self and Latham take pride in the openness of the club for kids from all over Cleveland County to be part of one unified team on the water. Whether they attend public school, a charter school, or are home-schooled, all are welcome.
“Kids that would otherwise be rivals in traditional stick and ball sports like baseball, football or soccer are often sharing the same boat, working as a team. So instead of rivaling each other, they’re sharing fellowship and building friendships that may last a lifetime,” concludes Self.
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Chris Johnston Hammers 27-6, Wins in a Blowout at the St. Lawrence
MASSENA, N.Y. – Getting the monkey off his back in style, Chris Johnston plopped 27 pounds, 6 ounces on the scale on the final day of the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Northern Division event on the St. Lawrence River for the win. With a 77-15 total, Chris Johnston lead wire-to-wire and beat his brother Cory Johnston by more than 7 pounds. Taking home $39,048, he also qualified for this fall’s Toyota Series Championship on Pickwick Lake.
Though he’s an FLW Tour and B.A.S.S. Elite Series champion, Chris Johnston has been foiled by Toyota Series events on the St. Lawrence and the associated waters too many times over the last several years. After running hundreds of miles over the last three days, going from Massena to Lake Ontario each day, he finally got it done.
“I was thinking about it running back up the river, thinking ‘If I get back, I’ve finally got this off my back,’” Chris Johnston said. “It’s pretty good. I’ve obviously won tournaments, but this place is special to me. To win this one here, it means a lot. They’ve bit me in the ass too many times, always something has gone wrong. Today I jumped off a 6 before I had a good one in the boat, and my co-angler had like three good ones. Then, I broke a 6 ½ off, I was like ‘Oh no, this is gonna happen again.’ Then I finally got some in the boat, but it was going through my mind, I was sweating a little bit today.”
Catching 25-pound bags each of the first two days, Chris Johnston mixed in a river bass or two both times. On Day 3, he sent it straight to the lake to close things in style.
“It was good, but I didn’t have a lot of time,” he said. “People think it’s easy to go out there and catch a big bag, but it’s really not. I don’t have a spot that’s loaded, I only hit two spots today, but they’re not loaded, I had to work for them. I needed all four hours to catch them. Today, my starting spot never had a bass on it. On Day 2, I hit two that were dry. That’s what’s scary, when you’re making that run, if you hit two spots in a row that don’t have them, you don’t have enough time to be running around.”
Of course, the odds of a Johnston hitting two spots in a row anywhere within about 300 miles of Ottawa are incredibly long, and the two have a finely tuned system for Great Lakes success. This week, an unidentified prototype worm on a drop-shot was the main player – which you’ll have better odds of learning more about once the B.A.S.S. Open out of Clayton wraps up. For the rest of his tackle, Chris Johnston used a Daiwa Certate LT 2500, a 7-foot, 1-inch Daiwa Tatula Elite spinning rod, 10-pound Seaguar Smackdown with an 8-pound Seaguar Gold Label leader, a No. 2 Gamakatsu TGW Drop Shot Hook and a 3/8-ounce drop-shot weight.
In the river, he fished one spot that was about 16 feet deep.
“I had a river spot that I was counting on Day 1,” he said.. “I caught three good ones off it. It’s just a break that they get on, and when its sunny and calm I can see them, that’s how I found them. They’re hard to catch though, they knew the gig was up, I only got two the next day.”
In the lake, Chris Johnston mostly fished deep rock, usually piles or stretches of it in general areas. Mostly in 20 to 40 feet of water, he fished small enough sections that he wouldn’t get too bogged down.
“I could roll up to a spot, fish it 10 or 15 minutes, and you’d know,” he said.
After the Open at Clayton, Cory’s season will start wrapping up. But, Chris will have to keep his rods out for the $200,000 championship.
“I haven’t thought that far ahead, that’s deer season,” he said. “It’ll be good fishing, but 16-hour drives are killing me. Pickwick is fun, I guess I’m gonna have to make a road trip.”
Top 10 Pros
1. Chris Johnston – 77 – 15 (15) – $39,048
2. Cory Johnston – 71 – 10 (15) – $14,550
3. Justin Atkins – 70 – 07 (15) – $11,265
4. Brent Anderson – 64 – 07 (15) – $10,387
5. Jonathan Robla – 62 – 06 (15) – $8,448
6. Brent Crow – 61 – 12 (15) – $7,510
7. Charlie Hartley – 59 – 11 (15) – $6,571
8. Jesse Spellicy – 58 – 10 (15) – $5,632
9. Scott Cooke – 57 – 15 (15) – $4,694
10. Marty Robinson – 57 – 01 (15) – $3,755
Complete Results
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3 Keys to Success
By now you have certainly heard about Jimmy Washam winning the 2021 MLF BIG 5 TITLE Championship on the Mississippi River. Take a look at 3 keys to his success, it has been said when it’s your time, “it’s your time” but having the right equipment plays a huge part in making it happen! Congrats Jimmy!
Everything needs to work perfectly to claim a Championship! Here is key #1 to Jimmy Washam’s success and victory on the Mississippi River.
Another key to Jimmy Washam’s victory in the Mississippi River…. Power Poles. Here is how the Champ used them last week at the MLF Big 5 TITLE Championship.
Lowrance mapping played a huge part in Jimmy Washam’s success on the Mississippi River. Find out how he used it and why it’s so important!
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Hw WON it All!
He found the perfect spot and won it all! Listen to how Jimmy Washam became the 2021 MLF BIG5 Tackle Warehouse Title Champion on the Mississippi River.
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Jimmy Washam Wins MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE
LA CROSSE, Wis. (Aug. 22, 2021) – Pro Jimmy Washam of Covington, Tennessee brought a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 15 ounces to the stage on Sunday to win $200,000 and the TITLE belt at the second annual Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers – on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Washam won by a 1-pound, 3-ounce margin over Berkley pro Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Florida who weighed a limit of 17-15, good for second place and $50,000. Favorite Fishing pro Zack Birge of Blanchard, Oklahoma rounded out the top three, weighing a five-bass limit of 15-6 and taking home $30,000.
Tennessee Pro Weighs Five-Bass Limit of 17 Pounds, 15 Ounces to Win TITLE Belt and $200,000
Sunday’s final day of competition marked the finale of the six-day Tackle Warehouse TITLE, which featured the top 48 pros in the 2021 Pro Circuit standings, along with last year’s reigning TITLE champion and reigning Angler of the Year – all competing for a purse of nearly $900,000.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers was hosted by Explore La Crosse.
Washam said he began fishing MLF tournaments in the Phoenix Bass Fishing League in 2012, before moving up to the Toyota Series in 2017. He qualified for the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers through the Toyota Series Central Division in 2019 and has made TITLE appearances in both ’20 and ’21. When he’s not fishing, Washam is a deputy sheriff sergeant in Tennessee
“All the glory goes to God,” Washam said of the win. “This is so amazing, but it’s His work above, I promise you. Five years ago, I bought my first fiberglass boat and decided I’d fish the [Phoenix Bass Fishing League] as a boater. Now I’m standing here with a TITLE belt on my shoulder.”
Moving up through the ranks hasn’t been easy for Washam, who took a big financial risk in 2020 and again in 2021 to follow his passion.
“I’m 34 years old and I didn’t start as young as I wish I would have, but I had to earn a living and work, so it was a slow progression to step up to this level,” said Washam. “After last year I knew that I could hang, and this year has been an absolutely incredible year. It’s humbling to know the group of anglers I just joined.”
Washam said he was contemplating going back to the Black River on the final day, having found a few places where he could pull up and catch a limit in a few casts, but he decided to make a change.
“I got to thinking, it’s Sunday and there are a lot of guys out fishing,” said Washam. “I’ve got a place that likely has the winning bag on it. Why in the world would I not go there first? Literally, as I pulled up, there was a guy in a Jon boat that was slinging a topwater and he was only half a cast away from my fish. I don’t think he knew what was there, but he was really close to finding out.
“He was a total class act,” Washam continued. “I pulled up and said, ‘Good morning.’ Of course, I was going to ask him as politely as I could if he minded giving me a little space for a couple hours, but I didn’t even have to ask. He picked up the trolling motor and left, then came back later as a spectator. Turns out he works at the sheriff’s office in La Crosse.”
Nerves didn’t seem to be a factor for Washam going into the Championship Round, even with $200,000 on the line.
“I was confident going into the final day,” said Washam. “Any time you find something like that and you’re able to leave it for Championship Sunday it’s great. But I’ve played this game long enough to know that there are so many variables. When I made the first cast and didn’t get a bite the wheels started turning. Then, when I made the second cast and caught a 3-pounder I was pumped.”
The top 10 pros at the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE on the Mississippi River are:
1st: Jimmy Washam, Covington, Tenn., five bass, 17-15, $200,000
2nd: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 16-12, $50,000
3rd: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., five bass, 15-6, $30,000
4th: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 13-5, $25,000
5th: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., five bass, 13-2, $19,000
6th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., five bass, 13-2, $18,000
7th: Miles Burghoff, Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., five bass, 12-8, $17,000
8th: Jimmy Reese, Witter Springs, Calif., five bass, 11-14, $16,000
9th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 11-3, $15,000
10th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., five bass, 11-1, $14,000
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 50 bass weighing 136 pounds, 4 ounces caught by the 10 pros on Saturday with 10 five-bass limits.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury – the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers featured a hybrid tournament format. All 50 anglers were seeded into two groups of 25 – Group A & Group B, based on points earned in 2021 qualifying events – where they competed in Qualifying Rounds over the first four days of the tournament. The top 10 anglers in each group moved on to the Knockout Round on Day 5, with zeroed weights, to compete for the chance to fish on the final day. The top 10 anglers from the Knockout Round then advanced to Championship Sunday, where weights were again zeroed as anglers competed for the $235,000 prize. Winners were determined by the heaviest five-bass limit of each round.
Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury event will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, Oct. 10 on the Outdoor Channel. Episodes premiere Sunday mornings on the Outdoor Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition. Episodes will run through Nov. 14.
The 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers featured a field of 163 of the top professional anglers in the world competing at six regular-season events around the country. The top 50 anglers in the Angler of the Year (AOY) standings after the six events qualified to compete in the Tackle Warehouse TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, Presented by Bad Boy Mowers.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook , Twitter, Instagram and YouTube .
About MLF BIG5
MLF BIG5 is part of MLF, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization. It provides anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits featuring a five-biggest-fish format. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, MLF and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.
MLF tournaments are broadcast on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, MyOutdoorTV, Discovery and CBS Sports while MLF Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros to the world’s most avid bass anglers.
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