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Three days ago, at the end of Tuesday’s long practice day, Matt Arey said he’d be shocked if this tourney was not won ‘out deep’ – but also added fans might be surprised at the number of big 6 and 7 pound bluegill-eating bass that would be caught up shallow.

At a fast glance, that statement seems to be a bit contradictory. But actually it’s a precise reflection of the fact Arey was absolutely dialed-in to the reality this would not just be a deep-water derby, like so many thought it would.

Instead, it’s proving to be a tournament tied to deeper post spawners, with plenty of fat toads being caught from the shallows too. When Arey slapped nearly 23 pounds on the scales Day 2 to take the lead, his predictions became profoundly validated. And the 6-pounder he caught shallow put a punctuation mark on it.

Obviously, his eyes allow him to find the shallow honey holes dotted with the best visible habitat such as water willow and boat docks. But he’s been hugely dependent on his electronics to identify the best depth zones away from the bank.

“The custom color shading option on my Lowrance units have been really key this week, because I can color the precise depths around the lake on my map where most of my brushpile fish are coming from. That makes those exact depths easier to find at a fast glance,” explains Arey, who earned a degree in Agriculture Business from NC State.

When Arey says precise, he means it. He literally has the best brushpile depths identified down to about a five-foot zone he described as being colored a shade of maroon on his Lowrance units. Anything deeper or shallower than that magical maroon range seldom gets a look.

“Eufaula is fishing unbelievable. It’s gotten amazingly better the last 7 or 8 years. I’ll say right now it would give Lake Fork a run for its money. Eufaula has got to be one of the best bass lakes in the country,” says Arey.

Given the number of 5-bass limits over 20-pounds caught the past two days, it’d be hard to argue with him.

And perhaps the coolest part of this history rich 45,000-acre impoundment right now is the mix of each day’s biggest bass being caught on everything from giant flutter spoons out deep, to frogs in a foot or two of water.

Just as Arey predicted.

The post Arey’s Magical Maroon Zone appeared first on Bass365.com.

June 11, 2020 (Kissimmee, Fla.) Major League Fishing (MLF) Pro Mark Rose won the Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo Knockout Round today in a nine-hour, action-packed, slug fest that logged over 818 pounds of scorable bass into SCORETRACKER®. In a “buzzer-beater” moment, 24^th-place finisher Michael Neal knocked out Jordan Lee’s biggest catch of the day by only one ounce to win $50,000.  The top eight finishers from today’s field of 38 will join Qualifying Round Winners Zack Birge and Skeet Reese in Friday’s Championship Round and compete for their share of the $325,000 remaining from this week’s $753,000 purse, including $100,000 for Friday’s Berkley Big Bass.

MLF Pro Michael Neal knocked out Jordan Lee by only one ounce to win $50,000 with this eight-pound, 15 ounce largemouth with only 20 minutes left in regulation in the Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo Knockout Round.

Rose ended the day with 52 pounds, five ounces and a comfortable seven-pound, nine-ounce lead over Dustin Connell. The General Tire pro caught 13 scorable fish today including the fifth largest bass of the day weighing seven pounds, 12 ounces. With no money on the line for winning the Round, Rose elected to stop fishing and head back to the ramp with ten minutes remaining in regulation.

“I feel good about making the top eight,” Rose relayed to MLFNOW! viewers as he traversed Lake Toho. “It’s good to be back (fishing the Bass Pro Tour). I feel blessed to have had a great day. Yesterday I lost a few; today I caught a few. I love this (MLF) format! I’m going to try to get a good night’s rest and a good meal and get up tomorrow to make a run for it.”

Favorite Fishing pro Dustin Connell ended the day in second place with 44 pounds, 12 ounces on 16 fish, the most scorable bass caught in the Knockout Round. Connell’s largest catch was four pounds, 10 ounces. He hustled throughout the day at the mouth of a creek on the Kissimmee Chain bouncing between a jerkbait and jig.

“I was using a soft jerkbait and then I was using a bandito bug made by Googan baits,” said Connell. “I was fishing current and the mouth of the creek, where fish were schooling. I fish currents at home in Alabama; I can’t stand fishing stagnant water, so I had to find moving water. I was right at home all day.”

Third place finisher Jordan Lee caught 44 pounds, nine ounces for the day, only three ounces shy of Connell, on 14 fish. Lee’s most exciting moment came midway through Period 2 at 11:20 a.m., when an eight-pound, 14-ounce lunker nearly pulled him off his boat as he set the hook. This catch put him in the lead for today’s $50,000 big fish bonus. Lee hung onto that lead for four hours, a timeline that included a 50-minute weather delay, giving him plenty of opportunity to get excited about winning the Berkley Big Bass. Michael Neal, the other 28-year-old on the Bass Pro Tour, landed an eight-pound, 15-ounce largemouth to knock Lee out of the running with only 20 minutes remaining on the clock.

“I’m pretty bummed that right there at the end there, Michael Neal beat me by one ounce,” said Lee. “All day I thought I was going to win it. Hats off to him; that’s just how it goes (in competitive bass fishing). I had a good day and I’m pretty stoked to get to be moving on. Hopefully I saved some fishing spots for the Championship Round.”

Big Bites Baits pro Neal, who finished second on Lake Okeechobee in the Favorite Fishing Stage Two presented by BassCat this past February, ended the day with three scorable bass weighing 15 pounds, 14 ounces. After a slow morning and a 50-minute weather delay, Neal landed the winning fish to earn $50,000 at 3:25 p.m. ET. MLF Official Dean Cox presented Neal with the trophy before the pair returned to the ramp.

“Thank you,” said Neal. “It was definitely a grind today, no doubt. I will gladly take this. I had four bites all day, all in the third period, including this one. I caught this on a ½-ounce vibrating jig that has a lot of miles on it. As long as one today was an 8-15, Heavy Hitters fish worth $50,000, I will take a day like this every day.”

Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo concludes Friday with the Championship Round where the top eight finishers from today’s Knockout Round will join Qualifying Round Group A winner Zack Birge and Group B winner Skeet Reese for their share of the remaining $325,000 of prize money.

The Top eight of the Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo Knockout Round finished as follows:

For complete results, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com, Bass Pro Tour, Results.

In addition to the traditional payout schedule based on finishing order, Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo bonuses the angler for the biggest bass caught in each Group. The two-day Qualifying Rounds (June 7-10) will pay a $25,000 big bass bonus ($50,000 total), which were won by Mark Rose and Brent Ehrler respectively. The Knockout Round on day five (June 11), will feature a $50,000 big bass bonus, won today by Neal, and the Championship Round (June 12) will feature a $100,000 big bass bonus, on top of the Stage Title $100,000 prize.

In response to the shortened season, MLF revised the payout schedule for Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo to include all 80 anglers: 1^st $100,000; 2^nd $40,000; 3^rd $15,000; 4^th $13,000; 5^th $12,000; 6^th $11,000; 7^th $10,000; 8^th $9,000; 9^th $8,000; 10^th$7,000; 11^th – 20^th $6,000; 21^st – 40^th $5,000; 41^st – 80^th $4,000. Each competitor is guaranteed a $4,000 check.

Pending no weather delays, the Championship Day begins with launch at Big Toho Marina, Kissimmee, Fla., 6:15 a.m. ET before lines-in at 7:00 a.m. Period 1 ends at 9:30 a.m. Period 2 spans 9:45 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. Period 3 begins at 12:30 p.m. and lasts until day’s end at 3:00 p.m. The General Tire Takeout show airs approximately 3 – 4 p.m. ET from the water. Fans can catch all the action on MLFNOW! livestream on MajorLeagueFishing.com or download the MLF App for their Apple or GooglePlaydevice or on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).

Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo on the Kissimmee Chain will air on Discovery Channel as six, two-hour original episodes beginning August 15. For additional details, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com/tv-schedule.

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 Rose Wins; Neal Knocks Out Lee for $50,000 Major League Fishing Heavy Hitters Field Set for Friday’s $325,000 Championship appeared first on Bass365.com.

The beautiful Kissimmee Chain of Lakes served as the playing field for Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo this week. Some scratched their heads when they saw a Florida tournament scheduled for June, but it has proven to be the perfect fishery to host this big bass bonanza.

Florida fisheries poise a unique challenge to bass anglers, as they are truly different from any other lakes in the country. Team Toyota pro Terry “Big Show” Scroggins has called the Sunshine State home for 43 years and knows Florida bass fishing as well as anyone.

Unfortunately Scroggins didn’t have the finish he hoped for this week, but “Big Show” graciously allowed us to pick his brain on a few widely accepted Florida fishing realities that aren’t always true.

Florida is all heavy line and power fishing

When anglers envision Florida bass fishing they usually think heavy braided line, punching with a big weight, or some other power fishing technique. While these can be and often are the case, Scroggins is quick to defend finesse fishing in the sunshine state.

“It’s not all power fishing down here hammer,” Scroggins grinned. “I’ve caught a pile of fish with light line and a spinning rod in Florida throughout my career. Just like any other fishery, you have to fish the conditions and not get married to any one technique or pattern. I always have a few finesse setups at the ready. ”

Drop shots, shakey heads, neko rigs, and a split shot are a few of Scroggins’ favorite finesse techniques to have rigged in Florida. Need proof? Look no further than Mark Rose’s 9-pound 2-ounce giant he caught on a drop shot in his Qualifying Round of Heavy Hitters this week; earning himself a $25,000 Big Bass Bonus in the process.

Florida is ALL about grass

Florida bass fishing and grass are practically synonymous. It’s safe to say these lakes have as much aquatic vegetation per acre as anywhere in the world. The vastness and diversity of grass species can be overwhelming to say the least, but many anglers feel they have to target patterns in and around grass to catch bass down here.

Scroggins agrees that Florida’s famous aquatic plants are a great place for an angler to start, but 100% discounts that fishing grass is a necessity to catch bass.

“Grass is always a focal point but bass get on hard structure here, too,” Scroggins explained. “Things like shell bars, brush set by anglers, or debris blown in from hurricanes absolutely concentrates bass in Florida. I’ve won a pile of money fishing shell bars down here and guys targeting offshore brush piles are dominating Heavy Hitters this week. Never say never… even in Florida!”

The spawn is the best time to visit Florida

A final fallacy Scroggins hears from his fishing peers revolves around the ideal time for an angler to visit the Sunshine State. Usually the months of January to April – I.E. the spawn – are sought after for traveling bass fisherman.

“The spawn is a great time to catch a giant but the weather is super inconsistent that time of year,” Scroggins said. “Florida bass are extremely sensitive to the weather, and cold fronts are common around the spawn. If the weather and moon phase don’t line up just right it can get tougher than you could imagine. Florida around the spawn can be the best trip of your life, or the worst. ”

If you can stand the heat, Scroggins advises die-hard bass anglers to plan a trip in May or June. The weather is much more stable and as the Bass Pro Tour pros have proven throughout Toyota Heavy Hitters, there are plenty of eight-plus-pound bass to be caught here this time of year, too.

The post Big Show’s Florida Fishing Fallacies appeared first on Bass365.com.

EUFAULA, Ala. — For the first two days of the DEWALT Bassmaster Elite at Lake Eufaula, the burning question has been, “Should I fish shallow or should I fish deep?”

At least for now, the answer seems to be, “Both.”

North Carolina pro Matt Arey caught five bass during Thursday’s second round that weighed 22 pounds, 15 ounces. Combined with his Wednesday catch of 20-6, he now has a two-day total of 43-5 and less than a 2-pound lead over his closest competition.

A combination of shallow and deep fishing has led to Arey’s success.

“I’ve started shallow both days, but I’m bouncing back and forth between the two,” he said. “That works for me. I’ve never really had a ‘strength,’ so to speak. When I started fishing professionally, I wanted to learn a little bit of everything.”

Of the 10 bass he has weighed in so far, Arey said seven came from shallow water and three came deep. Those three deeper fish bit for him Thursday, but his biggest bass during the second round — a 6-5 largemouth — came from shallow grass.

“I rolled into a spot and saw some bream instantly, and I saw this bass cruising,” Arey said. “I couldn’t tell how big it was because it was pretty far down the bank.

“But I threw my frog in there, and it got hung on a piece of grass.”

Things got better from there.

“The bass turned immediately when it heard the frog touch the water, and I twitched it really fast to get it out of that grass,” he said. “It grabbed the actual legs of the frog, pulled it down and then just sucked it right in.

“If I hadn’t been able to see the fish, I would have jerked when the frog first disappeared and probably missed it.”

Arey said it’s no real secret that his deeper fish are coming off the brushpiles that seem to dot Lake Eufaula by the thousands. But rising water — the lake is up more than 1 1/2 feet — and an abundance of shallow cover are making it hard right now to leave the shoreline.

He said he’ll likely continue bouncing back and forth for the remainder of the tournament.

“I don’t have much experience here,” he said. “But obviously, you look around the bank and you see a lot of good stuff. It can draw a man to the bank pretty easily — and with the water up like it is right now, it’s hard to resist.”

Another North Carolina pro, former Elite Series Rookie of the Year Jake Whitaker, caught 20-8 Thursday and now sits in second place with 41-10. Unlike Arey, Whitaker spent all of his time shallow Thursday — and he didn’t seem sure he’d have enough fish left to keep his momentum rolling.

“Today, I caught these fish in places where I didn’t even practice,” Whitaker said. “Three or four of the fish that I weighed in today came out of one creek. Yesterday it was the same way, but it was another creek.”

Whitaker said the creeks were similar because they were both a little deeper than surrounding tributaries.

“I’m really catching them from about a foot to 8 feet,” he said. “Brush and grass are key.

“I feel like I can find more stuff that looks like that. But I could honestly come in with nothing tomorrow and not be shocked.”

Reigning Bassmaster Angler of the Year Scott Canterbury — the Alabama angler who rooms with Arey — is in third place after catching 20-12 Wednesday and 20-13 Thursday for a total of 41-9.

Canterbury, who has vast experience on Lake Eufaula, came into the event planning to fish the lake’s famed offshore ledges. And while he’s spent much of his time offshore this week, he, too, was lured to the shallows during the latter stages of Thursday’s round.

“I haven’t been shallow during practice or during the tournament until the last hour today,” Canterbury said. “Since I know the shallow part of the lake, I spent most of practice just idling and looking offshore.

“But today, I saw a shallow place that just looked so good I thought I should try it. That’s where two of the fish I weighed in today came from — and that gives me some confidence about fishing shallow because I might have figured something out.”

Texas pro Chris Zaldain caught 17-7 and slipped from third place to 10th with 39-9. But he took the lead in the race for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week with a 7-5 largemouth.

After two days, it took 31-10 to make the Top 40 semifinal cut. Tennessee pro Brandon Card was the final angler to make the field.

Competition resumes Friday with the Top 40 remaining anglers taking off at 5:25 a.m. CST from Lakepoint State Park. The weigh-in will be back at the park at 2 p.m., with only the Top 10 advancing to Championship Saturday for a chance to win the $100,000 first-place prize.

Live coverage of the event will be available from 7-10 a.m. and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Bassmaster Live at Bassmaster.com with simulcasts on ESPN2 and ESPN3. Check local listings for ESPN2 times.

2020 DEWALT Bassmaster Elite At Lake Eufaula Title Sponsor: DEWALT

2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Yamaha

2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Carhartt, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Mossy Oak Fishing, Rapala

2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Conservation Partners: Huk, AFTCO

2020 DEWALT Bassmaster Elite At Lake Eufaula Local Host: Eufaula Barbour Chamber of Commerce
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2 and The Pursuit Channel), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, new Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX presented by Abu Garcia and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic.

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MUSKOGEE, Okla. — When the Basspro.com Bassmaster Open Series visits the Arkansas River June 18-20, anglers fishing this Central Division opener may fare well by following a simple strategy: Go with the flow.

The Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series visits Oklahoma’s Arkansas River June 18-20 for 2020’s first Central Division tournament. Photo by B.A.S.S.

At 1,469 miles, the Arkansas River is the nation’s sixth-longest and the second-longest tributary in the Mississippi–Missouri system. With its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains, the Arkansas River originates in snowmelt, but its course affords plenty of opportunity to collect rainwater. Lately, that’s been a significant volume.

“All local lakes feeding into the Arkansas River in our area (northern Oklahoma) are full; they’re at flood stage,” said Bassmaster Elite Series pro Dale Hightower, who lives in Mannford, Okla. “We’ve had a lot of rain, so [the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers] has been keeping the river pretty high.

“If we don’t get any more rain by the time the tournament starts, it may stabilize a little bit, but I still think we’re looking at higher than normal conditions. I think fishing is going to be really good.”

Daily takeoffs will be at 6 a.m. CST from Three Forks Harbor and weigh-ins on Days 1 and 2 will be held at the same location at 1 p.m. The Day 3 weigh-in will also be held at Three Forks Harbor, but with a later start time of 2 p.m.

Noting that he expects 18 to 20 pounds a day to be a winning average, Hightower bases his optimism on the fact that high water extends the backwaters that almost always play a significant role on this fishery. With the river pushing deeper into shallow cover that’s normally inaccessible, fish and fishermen will undoubtedly capitalize on the opportunities.

Seasonally speaking, Hightower said he expects Arkansas River bass to have transitioned out of their postspawn stage. The fish, he said, should be healed up and feeding well; a scenario that should make for a good tournament showcasing early summer patterns.

“Anglers will be fishing laydowns, hyacinths, matted vegetation, water willow and some rock jetties,” Hightower said. “You’ll see a mix of frog fishing, squarebills, flipping creature baits; power fishing will be the deal — it always is.

“You don’t have to fish deep to catch them. You seldom have to fish over 6 feet; and that’s actually pretty deep on the river.”

With the entire Arkansas River, along with its tributaries open to competitors, time management will be one of the key considerations. Locking to adjacent pools may offer worthwhile opportunity, but river rules could toss the proverbial monkey wrench into one’s plans.

“Barges always take precedence over fishermen, so you lock at your own risk,” Hightower said. “Guys will have to take this into consideration.”

That being said, Hightower said the river’s current water level could create a scenario worth exploring. As he explained, the frequent locking activity common during a tournament week — practice included — can drop the water level in the narrow upper pools and render some areas unfishable. However, the greater volume of water in the system may create a favorably different scenario.

“That upper end in the Wagoner-Afton Pool might actually be a player this time,” Hightower said. “Normally, these tournaments are later in the year, so there’s not as much water flowing in. When they start locking, the water level falls and there’s nothing to replenish it. This time, we have a lot more water in the system.”

The event is being hosted by the Greater Muskogee Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism.

2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Basspro.com

2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Yamaha

2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Carhartt, Huk Performance Fishing, Mossy Oak Fishing, Rapala

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2 and The Pursuit Channel), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, new Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX presented by Abu Garcia and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic.

The post Water Flow To Play Significant Role In Bassmaster Central Open On Arkansas River appeared first on Bass365.com.