THE LATEST NEWS
Lucas Tackles Bass Pro Tour Trifecta with 205-Pound, Two-Day Total
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 12, 2020 (Sturgeon Bay, Wisc.) Major League Fishing (MLF) Pro Justin Lucas crushed a third MLF record to win the day and secure an automatic berth into Wednesday’s Championship Round. Eight anglers in Group A scored over 100 pounds in the two-day Qualifying Round, including David Dudley who leapt from 37th place after Friday to finish in 4thplace with a 100-pound day. Bass Pro Tour 2020 Season Points contender Jacob Wheeler moved 15 places up SCORETRACKER® to finish in 12th place and Bass Fishing Hall of Famer Gary Klein landed nearly 70 pounds for the day to move from 39th place to 18th place and secure a spot in the Knockout Round.
MLF Pro Justin Lucas, the winner of Qualifying Round Group A, shows off a catch to MLFNOW! viewers. Lucas earned an automatic berth into Wednesday’s Championship Round. Photo credit: Garrett Dixon/Major League Fishing
20 anglers fell below the Elimination Line concluding their 2020 Bass Pro Tour seasons. Fletcher Shryock fell short, which ended his run for the Bass Pro Tour 2020 Season Points Champion. Aaron Martens, who returned to the Tour after undergoing treatment for brain cancer, fell from 12th place to 24th place missing the chance to advance to the Knockout Round by nine pounds.
Covercraft Stage Five presented by Abu Garcia continues Monday when Group B returns for their final day of Qualifying Round. Keith Poche will start the day 23 pounds over second place.
Berkley Pro Justin Lucas set his third record in two days of competition with a two-day weight record of 205 pounds, six ounces. The 34-year-old set the record for most weight in a single day on Friday with 141 pounds, nine ounces as well as the most weight in a Period with 78 pounds, 12 ounces. With a 45-pound lead over second place finisher Scott Suggs, Lucas won the Group A Qualifying Round, earning him the first of 10 spots in Wednesday’s Championship Round. With his lead locked, Lucas stopped fishing 30 minutes before lines out to search for waypoints he can use Wednesday.
“What an incredible couple of days,” Lucas said. “The Berkley MaxScent Flat worm caught Every … Single … Fish. I can’t wait for Wednesday; I get a couple days off and look forward to getting back out here to fish for the Championship.”
Arkansas-resident Scott Suggs leveraged his 119-pound Day-One weight to maintain his second-place finish with an additional 12 scorable bass for 41 pounds, three ounces. Today’s catch brought Suggs to a two-day total of 160 pounds, seven ounces. Suggs was one of eight anglers who exceeded 100 pounds in their two-day total: Lucas, Suggs, Josh Bertrand (132-03), David Dudley (111-15), Mark Rose (102-03), Randall Tharp (102-03), Fred Roumbanis (102-00), and James Elam (101-05).
Virginia-resident David Dudley, who caught 102 pounds, four ounces today– the only Pro to exceed the century mark in Sunday’s competition –finished in 4th place. Dudley fought back from 37th place after only catching nine pounds on Friday. The 2019 FLW Angler of the Year reflected on the significance of today’s competition for him as a professional angler.
“Today was a really big day for me,” said Dudley. “I made REDCREST; I caught a 4-10 to secure my spot in Heavy Hitters 2021; I passed the two-day ‘Century’ mark and then finally caught 100 pounds in a single day. Today secured a lot of payouts for me in the future and did a lot for my professional career.”
After Dudley, Jacob Wheeler caught the second-highest single-day total at 71 pounds, five ounces, which allowed him to climb from below the Elimination Line at 27th place to finish in 12th place. Wheeler, who came into Stage Five in third place for 2020 Bass Pro Tour Season Points Champion, will advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round furthering his effort toward 2020 Points Champ.
Bass Pro Hall of Famer Gary Klein climbed above the Elimination Line today with 69 pounds, 12 ounces, the third highest in single-day weight of the day. Klein finished Day One in 39th place – next to last – after catching only three fish for eight pounds, four ounces.
The field of 40 Pros caught 453 scorable (2 pounds or greater) bass for a single day total weight of 1,401 pounds, seven ounces in this event hosted by Destination Sturgeon Bay. Randall Tharp caught the Berkley Big Bass of the day weighing in five pounds, two ounces.
The Top Ten of Day One, Qualifying Group A finished as follows:
| Place | Angler | Two-Day Total | Two-Day Total | Largest Fish over Two-Day Round |
| 1 | Justin Lucas | 205-06 | 71 | 4-06 |
| 2 | Scott Suggs | 160-07 | 45 | 5-06 |
| 3 | Josh Bertrand | 132-03 | 43 | 4-07 |
| 4 | David Dudley | 111-15 | 41 | 4-10 |
| 5 | Mark Rose | 102-03 | 33 | 4-11 |
| 5 | Randall Tharp | 102-03 | 31 | 5-02 |
| 7 | Fred Roumbanis | 102-00 | 31 | 4-15 |
| 8 | James Elam | 101-05 | 33 | 4-10 |
| 9 | Jonathon VanDam | 98-12 | 32 | 4-10 |
| 10 | Brent Chapman | 97-00 | 32 | 4-06 |
For complete results, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com, Bass Pro Tour, Results.
The competition continues Saturday when Group B takes to the water for the second day of their Qualifying Round, including current Season Points leader Jordan Lee and current Group B leader Keith Poche who enters Day Two with a 23-pound lead over Alton Jones Jr.
Pending no weather delays, the day begins at Sawyer Park Boat Launch, Sturgeon Bay, Wisc., 6:15 a.m. CT when the field reports to pick-up their MLF Official and camera operators before trailering to the ramp of his choice. With lines in at 8:00 a.m. CT, the competition consists of three, 150-minute periods.
Fans can catch all the action every day of competition (July 10-15) on MLFNOW! livestream on MajorLeagueFishing.com or download the MLF App for your Apple or GooglePlay device or on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
About the Bass Pro Tour:
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-release format, where every bass over a variable minimum weight, which is two pounds on Lake Fork for Stage Three, toward a cumulative weight total for the day. Variable minimum weights are determined by fishery, akin to a golf course handicap. The field of 80 anglers is divided into two groups of 40 (Groups A and B) to compete on days one through four for the Qualifying Round. The winners of each Group earn an automatic berth the Championship Round. The anglers finishing in places 2-20 from each group in the Qualifying Round (40 total) advance to the Knockout Round on day five (Tuesday), which determines who will compete on that final day, the Championship Round (Wednesday), for the Stage title and $100,000.
Each Stage of the Bass Pro Tour has the following payout schedule: 1st $100,000; 2nd $42,000; 3rd $30,000; 4th $24,000; 5th$18,000; 6th $16,800; 7th $15,600; 8th $14,400; 9th $13,200; 10th $12,000; 11th – 40th $6,000; Big Bass Daily $1,000; Big Bass Overall $1,000.
In addition to the economic impact for the host community, Destination Sturgeon Bay / Door County, 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 air on Discovery Network beginning in July 2020 and Sportsman Channel in early 2021. Covercraft Stage Five presented by Abu Garcia will premiere as two, two-hour episodes on Discovery Channel October 3 and 4, 7 – 9 a.m. ET/PT.
“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,”
About Major League Fishing
Founded in 2011, Major League Fishing (MLF) brings the high-intensity sport of competitive bass fishing into America’s living rooms on Outdoor Channel, Discovery, CBS, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, Sportsman Channel, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). The Bass Pro Tour consists of eight events and a championship streamed live on www.MajorLeagueFishing.com and MOTV.
In late 2019 MLF acquired FLW, which expands their portfolio to include the world’s largest grassroots fishing organization, including the strongest five-fish format professional bass fishing tour, the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, as well as the Toyota Series, Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine, and Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI, and High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing.
The post Lucas Tackles Bass Pro Tour Trifecta with 205-Pound, Two-Day Total appeared first on Bass365.com.
A Record Breaker at Sturgeon Bay
Justin Lucas crushed the Bass Pro Tour 2 day weight total with an impressive 71 smallmouth that weighed in at 205.06 pounds he also broke the one day total weight record as well as the most weight in a single period.
Thanks for watching.
Help us reach 9000 subs! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqiCtUQGu-oRc6KyjfhwDlw?view_as=subscriber
Read the full story here. https://bass365.com/33090-2/
You can follow us here
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bass_365/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/365bass/
Download the BASS 365 LIVE app for free!
It’s in the store
Tags
#Majorleaguefishing #bass365 #bassfishingtips #fishingtips #realfishing #reelfishing #bassfishing #fishingrod #fishinglure #finesse #swimbait
The post A Record Breaker at Sturgeon Bay appeared first on Bass365.com.
*NEW* Boom Boom
The Fred Roumbanis Weedless Papa Boom Boom Swimbait features a quivering head action, tight body roll and thumping tail kick. It is designed to be fished slowly around cover with a weighted screw lock swimbait hook, where its “panic action” entices lurking fish into committing to strike the bait.
Find out more about the NEW Papa Boom here.
Thanks for watching.
Help us reach 9000 subs! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqiC…
You can follow us here Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bass_365/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/365bass/
See the full Optimum Baits line up here http://www.optimumbaits.com/
Keep up to date with everything going on in the fishing world http://bass365.com/
Download the BASS 365 LIVE app for free! It’s in the APP store.
Tags #Majorleaguefishing #bass365 #bassfishingtips #fishingtips #realfishing #reelfishing #bassfishing #fishingrod #fishinglure #finesse #swimbait #boomboom
The post *NEW* Boom Boom appeared first on Bass365.com.
MLF Pros Field 1765 Pounds, a Bass Pro Tour Record, from Sturgeon Bay
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 11, 2020 (Sturgeon Bay, Wisc.) The Bass Pro Tour returned to Sturgeon Bay today for Day One of the Covercraft Stage Five presented by Abu Garcia Group B Qualifying Round bringing in a collective 1,765 pounds on 593 bass. Berkley Pro Keith Poche dominated the second and third Periods to finish the day in first place with 112 pounds, nine ounces. Alton Jones Jr. marched up the score tracker into second place after catching only one fish in the first four hours of competition. Season Points leader Jordan Lee pivoted early to end up in third place. Mike Iaconelli led early in the day’s competition and returned to finish fourth. Group B is off tomorrow, Sunday; Group A returns for the second day of their Qualifying Round where one will win an automatic berth to Wednesday’s Championship Round and 20 anglers will be sent home.
In this event hosted by Destination Sturgeon Bay, the field of 40 Pros secured two Bass Pro Tour records: the most scorable bass in one day and the most weight in one day. Collectively Group B caught 593 scorable (2 pounds or greater) bass, 40 more over Group A’s first-day count, for 1,765 pounds.
Louisiana-resident Keith Poche caught 51 pounds in the third Period alone to secure his 23-pound lead over second place and the fourth Pro of this tournament to cross the century mark (100+ pounds) in one day. After catching a modest six fish in Period one, Poche pivoted in Period two and never looked back, catching the most scorable bass for the day at 44 on a Berkley MaxScent flat worm.
“Today was one of those day’s you’re thankful to have had and thankful that it all worked out,” said Poche as the clock wound down to zero. “I ended up with over 100 pounds and the Berkley MaxScent flat worm has been the absolute deal for me. I found a group and it worked out today; what a day!”
A Louisiana-native and former college football player, Poche’s largest catch came in Period 2 with a four-pound, three-ounce smallmouth. Despite starting this event in 61st place in Season Points, today’s run could position Poche as a REDCREST qualifier (top 40) if he’s able to maintain his lead.
“I have a day off and hopefully will get back Monday and win the round,” Poche told fans during the General Tire Takeout show. “With a win (Monday) I’ll get into the top 10 Championship Round and a get chance to qualify for REDCREST 2021.”
Alton Jones Jr. ended the day in second place with 89 pounds, seven ounces despite a disappointing first Period. Jones Jr. worked through his waypoints on his Garmin to ultimately find a spot that had not been very productive in practice but a change in wind direction had pushed the fish in his direction. The Texas-native capitalized on it, catching an average of one fish every eight minutes to finish the day with 31 scorable bass.
“I don’t have a whole lot of history up here, but from the history I do have, the fish here move a lot. The wind currents make the fish up and vanish,” said Jones Jr. “I practiced with a south wind and had some good success; but the north wind made my spot a ghost town. I ended up in a place that I had caught a bass or two in practice but with the wind, the fish showed up by the hundreds. There’s a good chance I could go out on Monday and they will all be gone.”
Bass Pro Seasons Points leader Jordan Lee wasted no time in an unproductive spot at the start of the day and his move paid off as he climbed his way into third place with 71 pounds, 12 ounces. Currently 40 pounds, 13 ounces off Poche’s lead, Lee told fans that he is pleased with where he sits going into Monday’s final day of this round.
“I had a great day on the water today, drop-shotting this Berkley flat worm in green pumpkin,” said Lee. “The key for me was finding the bigger rock and milking a spot when I caught a fish. I’m looking forward to Monday; hoping for a good spot but I know (the fish) will move around.”
After an early lead, Mike Iaconelli finished in fourth with 67 pounds, nine ounces just ahead of Skeet Reese (67-03) and Bobby Lane (67-00). Adrian Avena, who finished in 12th place, landed the Berkley Big Bas of the Day with a five-pound, nine-ounce smallmouth as his first scorable bass of the day. Stephen Browning and Zack Birge straddle the elimination line in 20th and 21stplaces respectively. 64 pounds, seven ounces spreads the field from first to 20th place.
Group B will return to the water on Monday for the final day of their Qualifying Round. The winner of Group B will receive an automatic berth into Wednesday’s Championship Round and the bottom 20 will be eliminated based on their two-day total weight.
The Top Ten of Day One, Qualifying Group B finished as follows:
| Place | Angler | Total Weight | Total Fish | Largest Fish |
| 1 | Keith Poche | 112-09 | 44 | 4-03 |
| 2 | Alton Jones Jr. | 89-07 | 31 | 4-14 |
| 3 | Jordan Lee | 71-12 | 24 | 4-10 |
| 4 | Mike Iaconelli | 67-09 | 23 | 4-10 |
| 5 | Skeet Reese | 67-03 | 22 | 4-08 |
| 6 | Bobby Lane | 67-00 | 21 | 4-09 |
| 7 | Cliff Pace | 66-07 | 23 | 4-03 |
| 8 | Todd Faircloth | 64-05 | 23 | 3-12 |
| 9 | Edwin Evers | 62-00 | 24 | 3-10 |
| 10 | Cody Meyer | 60-11 | 10 | 4-07 |
For complete results, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com, Bass Pro Tour, Results.
The competition continues Sunday when Group A returns to the water for the second day of their Qualifying Round, including Josh Bertrand, Fletcher Shryock, Aaron Martens, and current leader Justin Lucas. The winner of Group A will earn an automatic berth into Wednesday’s Championship Round and places 2-20 will advance into Tuesday’s Knockout Round.
Pending no weather delays, the day begins at Sawyer Park Boat Launch, Sturgeon Bay, Wisc., 6:15 a.m. CT when the field reports to pick-up their MLF Official and camera operators before trailering to the ramp of his choice. With lines in at 8:00 a.m. CT, the competition consists of three, 150-minute periods.
Fans can catch all the action every day of competition (July 10-15) on MLFNOW! livestream on MajorLeagueFishing.com or download the MLF App for your Apple or GooglePlay device or on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
About the Bass Pro Tour:
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-release format, where every bass over a variable minimum weight, which is two pounds on Lake Fork for Stage Three, toward a cumulative weight total for the day. Variable minimum weights are determined by fishery, akin to a golf course handicap. The field of 80 anglers is divided into two groups of 40 (Groups A and B) to compete on days one through four for the Qualifying Round. The winners of each Group earn an automatic berth the Championship Round. The anglers finishing in places 2-20 from each group in the Qualifying Round (40 total) advance to the Knockout Round on day five (Tuesday), which determines who will compete on that final day, the Championship Round (Wednesday), for the Stage title and $100,000.
Each Stage of the Bass Pro Tour has the following payout schedule: 1st $100,000; 2nd $42,000; 3rd $30,000; 4th $24,000; 5th$18,000; 6th $16,800; 7th $15,600; 8th $14,400; 9th $13,200; 10th $12,000; 11th – 40th $6,000; Big Bass Daily $1,000; Big Bass Overall $1,000.
In addition to the economic impact for the host community, Destination Sturgeon Bay / Door County, 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 air on Discovery Network beginning in July 2020 and Sportsman Channel in early 2021. Covercraft Stage Five presented by Abu Garcia will premiere as two, two-hour episodes on Discovery Channel October 3 and 4, 7 – 9 a.m. ET/PT.
“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,”
About Major League Fishing
Founded in 2011, Major League Fishing (MLF) brings the high-intensity sport of competitive bass fishing into America’s living rooms on Outdoor Channel, Discovery, CBS, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, Sportsman Channel, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). The Bass Pro Tour consists of eight events and a championship streamed live on www.MajorLeagueFishing.com and MOTV.
In late 2019 MLF acquired FLW, which expands their portfolio to include the world’s largest grassroots fishing organization, including the strongest five-fish format professional bass fishing tour, the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, as well as the Toyota Series, Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine, and Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI, and High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing.
For more information on the league and anglers, visit www.MajorLeagueFishing.com and follow MLF on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The post MLF Pros Field 1765 Pounds, a Bass Pro Tour Record, from Sturgeon Bay appeared first on Bass365.com.
Jacob Wheeler on Trailering – Safety and Strategy
Wind and waves have been a big part of the conversation for the Covercraft Stage 5 Presented by Abu Garcia, as they are anytime professional bass fishing meets The Great Lakes. Fortunately for the Bass Pro Tour competitors, officials, and media members MLF has implemented a special trailering policy for this week’s competition.
Anglers can launch at any public boat launch within the massive tournament boundaries on Sturgeon Bay, Green Bay and Lake Michigan, and can also put their boat back on the trailer and drive to a different boat ramp during competition hours if they so choose. BPT pros were informed of this policy before practice began and formed their game plans accordingly.
Team Toyota pro Jacob Wheeler is one of many anglers who appreciates the policy for several reasons, namely for saving his equipment and body from the waves abusive toll. The wind has been steady and at times howling from the North throughout practice and the start of Stage 5 competition.
“The reality is bass boats aren’t made for the Great Lakes,” Wheeler laughed. “I love my Triton and I’m thankful to have it out there; it handles big water as good as any bass boat. But make no mistake, I’d much rather drive 30 miles in my Tundra than in my boat when we’re talking big water. It’s easier on my equipment and so much more comfortable for me.”
Safety is paramount but it isn’t the only thing Wheeler likes about the trailering policy; he also appreciates the extra wrinkle in strategy it creates. The Indiana pro is currently in the middle of an incredible hot streak that includes dominating wins at both the Bass Pro Tour and FLW Super Tournament level in 2020.
Wheeler has experienced mind-boggling success throughout his young career and many would attribute that to his detailed understanding of strategy within tournament fishing, along with his tireless work ethic.
“Having the ability to trailer to different ramps throughout the day absolutely adds to my strategy,” Wheeler explained. “Usually when we are fishing big water we have to pick an area and we’re pretty much limited to that decision. The Great Lakes are just too big and too rough to be running around on all day. But trailering gives us the ability to sample different sections of the fishery throughout the day.”
Wheeler is one of many anglers who took advantage of this policy during the Qualifying Round, trailering to a second ramp in the middle of Day 1 of competition in hopes of colliding with a school of ever-elusive smallmouth he found during practice.
The tournament boundaries are so extensive for this event that anglers like Wheeler are still somewhat married to a region of the fishery based upon which boat ramp they initially launch from. But instead of a potential two+ hour brutal boat ride to check another area, Wheeler can make a comfortable twenty-minute drive in his Tundra.
“Just having the option to trailer does good things for our mindset out here,” Wheeler said. “You see us on camera fishing in big waves, but I don’t think most people realize how damaging running big water can be. It pounds our bodies, our equipment, and absolutely affects our decision making on the water. The trailering policy allows us to fish with a clear-mind… it’s the deal.”
The post Jacob Wheeler on Trailering – Safety and Strategy appeared first on Bass365.com.