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This week marks the first time Carhartt pro Chris Zaldain has ever competed on Lake Eufaula. But after three long days of practice on the famed reservoir, he says he’s fired up to get started, and shares a few things fans can look forward to keeping their eyes on as competition unfolds Wednesday through Saturday on ESPN2, ESPN3 and Bassmaster.com.

Q: You’ve never been here before, what are your impressions of this history rich reservoir after three days of practice?
CZ: It’s for sure the original “OG” of ledge lakes that everybody says it is. The river channel is super defined, and more importantly, the channel is filled with twists and turns that break current and set these bass up to feed along the ledge.

Q: What percentage of all the fish weighed-in this week will be caught deeper than 10-feet of water?
CZ: I’ll say 75%, but there are bluegill spawning, so there’s definitely going to be a number of good fish caught shallow that are up there picking-off spawning bluegills.

Q: Give fans a heads-up on something to look for that might surprise them.
CZ: I think there’s a chance this big reservoir is going to fish pretty small and put a lot of anglers in a few select concentrated areas.

Q: Speaking of other anglers, who should fans have on their Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing team?
CZ: Caleb Sumrall because he’s so comfortable picking apart shallow vegetation, and there’s a ton of that here. And on the opposite end of the spectrum, Keith Combs, because he’s one of the best deep crankbait anglers on the planet.

Q: This place has plenty of alligators swimming in it, what’s the biggest one you’ve seen in practice?
CZ: I’ll guess around 9-feet long.

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Jordan Lee may have been the final boat to leave Big Toho Marina this morning for his second competition day on the Kissimmee Chain, but that didn’t stop him from lighting up the SCORETRACKER early and often. An impressive morning flurry in “Thump City” helped Lee finish Group A’s Qualifying Round(s) in 3rd place and qualify for Thursday’s Knockout Round in Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo.

“Thump City” is an offshore area on Lake Toho and Lee jokingly explained its name was derived from the aggressive “thump” his swimbait commonly receives when he visits this spot in the early mornings.

“I had a feeling (the spot) could end up being a special place,” Lee said. “In practice I found the area by idling and staring at my Lowrance units. I made a cast in there and immediately hook a two-pounder, but when I reeled that fish in I watched one about six-pounds try to take the bait from the little one’s mouth. That sorta thing doesn’t happen too often, so I knew it had the chance to be really good.”

Realistically, finding a special place or two seems to be somewhat common for Lee in Bass Pro Tour competition. On top of winning 2019’s inaugural BPT event, which was held on the Kissimmee Chain, Lee has amassed four more top tens and only missed qualifying for the Knockout Round twice in thirteen Bass Pro Tour tournaments. Pretty strong for an angler yet to celebrate their 30th birthday.

Many have speculated on what makes Lee so dynamic on the water; does he think like a fish, is it a God given talent, his tireless work ethic, or as MLF color analyst Marty Stone pointed out on today’s coverage could it have something to do with Lee’s cool and calm demeanor?

In reality Lee’s success is likely due to a combination of all these things, but there is certainly something to be said for Lee’s cool-as-a-cucumber disposition. If you tuned into today’s live stream, you witnessed a perfect example to the upside of Lee’s even-keeled nature.

After leaving Big Toho Marina as boat 40 and leaning on a group of fish inhabiting “Thump City”, Lee experienced battery issues. Even though it was minor, the issue forced Lee to run his Yamaha Outboards powered Ranger Boat to the service crew back at the marina, costing him about an hour of fishing time.

Losing precious competition time is something we’ve seen spin out even the most veteran professional angler, but Lee seemed absolutely un-phased. Lee sat on the front deck and calmly waited while service techs worked on his boat. Upon returning to the water Lee bypassed “Thump City”, ran to a completely different area and promptly caught a five-pound bass. Unbe-Lee-vable.

“I try to avoid letting myself get too high or too low,” Lee explained. “Whether we like it or not, mechanical issues and things we can’t control are going to happen every so often. Throwing a fit doesn’t help anything. To be honest my personality has always been pretty even-keeled… I think it definitely helps in our sport.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 9, 2020 (Kissimmee, Fla.) Major League Fishing (MLF) Pro Zack Birge won the Qualifying Round, Group A on Kissimmee Chain in the inaugural Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo. Birge will advance directly to Friday’s Championship Round for a chance to win $200,000. California Pro Brent Ehrler won $25,000 for this Round’s Heavy Hitters big bass bonus with an eight-pound, six-ounce catch on Sunday, the first day of the competition.  Matt Lee caught the most weight on Tuesday with 26 pounds, five ounces, which moved him into fifth place for this Round. 20 anglers fell below the Elimination Line and will head home with their $4,000 consolation prizes. Each angler’s score resets to zero as the top 20 Pros top advance. Competition continues tomorrow when Group B takes to the water for their second day of the Qualifying Round.

Birge grew his lead to 22 pounds to end the day in first place with a two-day total of 74 pounds, three ounces. Birge caught 20 pounds 12 ounces today, which meant that seven anglers caught more scorable weight than him, including Matt Lee, who caught themost Tuesday with 26 pounds, five ounces.  Birge will advance directly to Friday’s Championship Round where he will compete against nine other anglers for the $100,000 Heavy Hitters Title and an additional $100,000 big bass bonus.

“Thank goodness; I’m advancing directly to the Final,” said Birge at the conclusion of Tuesday’s competition. “Today was a trying day start to finish. I didn’t really get on like I wanted this morning. But I get to advance directly to the Championship (Round), which was my goal.”

Despite an otherwise slow day, Daiwa Pro Brent Ehrler held his lead in the race for biggest fish caught in the two-day Qualifying Round for Group A with the eight-pound, six-ounce largemouth he landed on Sunday. The lunker scored him a $25,000 big-fish bonus. Ehrler finished in 12^th place with a two-day total of 29 pounds, 15 ounces and will advance to Thursday’s Knockout Round. Upon receiving the trophy for the first Heavy Hitters bonus, Ehrler said he’s grateful and looking forward to trying for another big fish on Thursday.

“Oh, I love it!” exclaimed Ehrler when he received the trophy from MLF on-the-water correspondent Rob Newell. “I was scared all day that someone was going to catch a bigger fish, but I’m so happy for this and I can’t wait to fish the Knockout Round for a chance to win $50,000.”

Carhartt Pro Matt Lee tallied the most weight Tuesday moving him from 12^th place to finish fifth with 43 pounds, seven ounces over the two-day Qualifying Round, including his biggest fish of the Round, which weighed in at five pounds, five ounces.

“Today started really slow with only two, non-scorable catches in the first Period,” recalled Lee. “I thought I could make more happen with a moving bait, but I focused on the changing conditions and adapted my strategy, which led to six fish in a row in Period 2. I’m really happy with how it ended up.”

Abu Garcia Pro Scott Suggs fell just below the Elimination Line in 21^st place after catching no fish on Sunday’s first day of competition and rallying 21 pounds today, including a five-pound, eight-ounce bass midday. With only one fish caught in the third Period, Randy Howell landed a four-pound, 13-ounce largemouth with only 32 minutes left in regulation pushing Suggs out. When asked what he changed to go from zero to the seventh highest weight of the day, Suggs says he didn’t make a change in his game, the conditions changed around him.

“You can ask my (MLF) Official,” said Suggs after he returned to the ramp. “I went to the exact same place, threw the exact same thing – speed worm and magnum finesse worm in June bug – as I was at on Sunday where I caught a lot but no keepers. Today, I caught fewer fish but more quality. Luckily, I got a couple bites early, which led me to stick with it. I got some good points for the year, which is my saving grace.”

Suggs started Stage Four Heavy Hitters in 39^th Place for the overall 2020 Bass Pro Tour. His finish today will help his standings in points to qualify for REDCREST, the MLF Championship, which is scheduled for February 2021 in Tulsa, Okla.

The Top Five, Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo Qualifying Round, Group A finished as follows:

Kelly Jordon, John Murray, Kevin VanDam, Michael Neal, Gerald Spohrer, Casey Ashley, Brent Ehrler, Anthony Gagliardi, Wesley Strader, Justin Lucas, Jared Lintner, Jacob Wheeler, Randy Howell, Dustin Connell, and Fred Roumbanis will join Thrift, J. Lee, Klein, and M. Lee in Thursday’s Knockout Round. Group B Qualifying Round concludes Wednesday, which will round out the Knockout Round to a field of 38 Pros.

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). The Knockout Round on day five (June 11), will feature a $50,000 big bass bonus, while the Championship Round (June 12) will feature a $100,000 big bass bonus, on top of the Stage Title $100,000 prize. Despite Mark Daniels Jr. holding the lead much of the day with a 7-15, Rose’s 9-2 late in Period 3 landed him in the lead for the $25,0000 “Heavy Hitter” big fish bonus for Qualifying Round, Group B, which concludes on Wednesday.

The competition continues Wednesday when Group B returns for their second and last day of the Qualifying Round. The anglers who finish in 21-40^th place in Group A will be eliminated, which the top 20 will advance to the Knockout Round on Thursday. The winner of Group B will earn an automatic berth to Friday’s Championship Round or the opportunity to fish in the Knockout Round and a chance to land the $50,000 big bass bonus. Major League Fishing rules indicate that if the Qualifying Round Group winner chooses to fish Knockout Round, they forfeit their automatic berth and will need to secure a top-ten finish in the Knockout Round to advance to the Championship. General Tire Pro Skeet Resse leads Group B by nearly five pounds. Mark Rose leads the $25,000 Heavy Hitters bonus with a nine-pound, two-ounce largemouth.

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 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. from the water. Fans can catch all the action every day of competition on MLFNOW! livestream on MajorLeagueFishing.com or download the MLF App for your 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.

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Obviously, you would think the first thing 2-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Gerald Swindle would talk about in reference to Lake Eufaula would be fishing related. But in fact, Swindle’s mind quickly drifted back to his days as a framing carpenter when asked what he loves most about Lake Eufaula.

“You know man, the thing that really captures me every time I come down here is all the old homes and mansions that line the streets,” says Swindle. “I’ve traveled all over this country, and I’ve never seen any place that looks like this. You can’t help but be impressed by the master craftsmanship that went into building so many of the big old homes in this town, especially when you think about the fact they were built long before power tools came along.”

He’s right. Eufaula is famous for its Grand Antebellum and Victorian mansions that were mostly built in the 1800s by planters and town merchants when cotton was king. Not only do dozens of eye-capturing homes line streets canopied in huge live oak trees, there are roughly 700 total structures in this famous bass tournament town listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

While Eufaula is nearly a 4-hour drive from where Swindle grew up, he’s got some history here too. Fond memories actually, from simpler times when he was still framing houses and fishing the old Red Man tournament trail on a really tight budget.

“Believe it or not, my favorite memory of this place was in the early 1990s when my buddy Bradley Duke and I came down here for a Red Man tournament, piled about six of us in one cheap hotel room, and I caught 25 pounds on a buzzbait, but lost to a real good angler named Don Hogue by two ounces,” says Swindle.

Don’t be shocked if Swindle slings a buzzbait around this week too. He’s as good with the topwater known for attracting big bites as anybody in America. But like most of the 87 Elite Series anglers, he’ll focus mainly on getting the deeper offshore post-spawn bites the next few days.

“My favorite lures this week will likely be a 3/4-ounce Buckeye Ballin’ Out jig, a big Zoom Ol’ Monster worm, a Zoom Magnum Trick Worm, and a 5” Zoom swimbait on a 3/8 once head,” shares the longtime Team Toyota pro.

Oh, and one more of Swindle’s favorite things about Eufaula … alligators.

“Not only do I love the look of all the old houses in this town, but when you’re on the water here, along with the cool looking flooded cypress trees, this place offers one of the biggest populations of gators I’ve ever seen. Eufaula is just a cool place on and off the water,” smiles Swindle.

The post Swindle’s Eufaula Favorites appeared first on Bass365.com.

Other than the pressure to find more offshore mega-schools than 86 other top pros, perhaps the biggest challenge during practice at the DEWALT Bassmaster Elite Series tournament at Lake Eufaula is packing enough food in the boat cooler to fuel a 14-hour practice day.

“I cooked kielbasa last night for Jay Yelas, Scott Canterbury, Wes Logan and myself, and I’ve been eating the leftovers most of the day. But here it is nearly 6 o’clock in the evening, I’ve been on the water 13 hours so far, and I’m down to eating Smucker’s Uncrustables,” said Matt Arey, late Monday afternoon, near the end of the second consecutive 14-hour day of practice.

The official sunrise in Eufaula, Alabama this week is right around 5:30 a.m., but there’s plenty of casting light long before that. So this bunch of hyper-competitive pros are launching around 5:00 a.m. – and roughly 14 hours later – at about 7:00 p.m. – they’re finally loading it back on the trailer.

Eufaula has hosted 16 previous B.A.S.S. events, but it’s been awhile since the last one, 14 years to be exact — and this legendary 45,000-acre reservoir that’s home to Humminbird and Mann’s Bait Company, has gotten real healthy since then.

“I think you’ll need to average 14-pounds a day just to make the Top 40 cut after two days,” says Arey. “And I also think fans are going to be pretty surprised to see 6 and 7-pounders caught shallow here. Maybe not a ton of those, but you can bet they’ll be a few of those random giants roaming shallow and eating bluegill that get caught this week.”

Fans can also count on 20-pound limits being the necessary average for the guy who eventually claims the $100,000 on Saturday afternoon, and Arey says he’ll be shocked if it’s not won away from the bank around deeper post-spawn locations.

“I’ll have spent 28 hours on the water after the first two days of practice – and 20 of those hours were spent never making a cast while riding around looking at my Lowrance units for offshore sweet spots and getting the tops of my knees sunburned,” grins Arey.

As far as lures … count on seeing plenty of big crankbaits, long plastic worms, swimbaits, and magnum-sized 6 to 8” flutter spoons being cast during Live coverage of the event on ESPN2 several hours each day beginning Wednesday at 8:00 EST/7:00 CST.

But on Tuesday, count on Arey packing plenty of Uncrustables and raingear for another long day of practice. The kielbasa is long gone.

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