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Find Out How to Catch Bigger Bass During the Shad Spawn
As the shad spawn moves into full swing around most of the country, Lucky Craft Pro Skeet Reese shares a trick he uses to catch a few more big fish each morning!
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FLW Set for Return to Competition with Toyota Series Tournament on Pickwick Lake
FLORENCE, Ala. (May 21, 2020) – FLW is set to return to tournament competition next week in Florence, Alabama, with the three-day Toyota Series event at Pickwick Lake, May 28-30. Hosted by Florence/Lauderdale Tourism, the event will feature a return to action for the region’s best bass-fishing pros and co-anglers.
The event will be the first FLW tournament held since the organization paused all competition in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament will be held under an abundance of caution, with limited attendance to anglers and essential tournament staff only. Fans are encouraged to forgo daily takeoffs and weigh-ins and follow the event online through “FLW Live” weigh-in broadcasts and coverage at FLWFishing.com.
“It’s definitely going to be an offshore deal, and it’s going to be a slugfest,” said Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit rookie Cole Floyd.
Floyd said that on Kentucky Lake, the fishing has been a little behind this year, but he thinks that only makes the timing better at Pickwick.
“I’ll usually start finding fish out on mid-range stuff now, or a week before now (mid-May),” said Floyd of the offshore bite. “It’s kind of behind here (at Kentucky Lake). We haven’t had a shad spawn yet, and usually it’s going on now. I’ve heard that it hasn’t quite happened yet there (at Pickwick), but I think this tournament will hit it right on the nail.”
For catching offshore fish, Floyd thinks that cranking will be clutch, as that’s usually one of the best early producers offshore on the Tennessee River. Other traditional ledge-fishing baits will work as well, including football jigs and other dragging baits. Swimbaits, hair jigs and fluke-style baits on Scrounger-style heads could also produce, and they have a history of success in the summer on Pickwick.
For the shallow-water stuff, Floyd said that big spinnerbaits can be very good around spawning shad. Big, shallow-running crankbaits may also be a good bet to catch the better-than-average largemouth that are shallow and gorging on big gizzard shad.
“I bet it’s going to be crazy. There will also be guys that catch them out of shallower stuff, too. They will be tough to beat if they find that stuff,” Floyd went on to say. “I bet the weights will be crazy. I’d say it’ll take high 60s to win over three days.”
Anglers will take off from McFarland Park, located at 200 Jim Spain Drive, in Florence at 6 a.m. CDT each day of competition. The weigh-ins will be broadcast at FLWFishing.com each day from McFarland Park, beginning at 2 p.m.
In Toyota Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and scaling down for every boat below 160. With a 160-boat field, pros fish for a top prize of $40,000, plus an extra $35,000 if FLW PHOENIX BONUS qualified. Co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of $65,000, plus an extra $35,000 if FLW PHOENIX BONUS qualified. Co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard (valued at $33,500) plus $5,000 cash.
The Toyota Series consists of eight divisions – Central, Eastern, Northern, Plains, Southeastern, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division. Anglers who fish all three qualifiers in any of the eight divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 cash, including a $35,000 FLW PHOENIX Bonus for qualified anglers. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2020 Toyota Series Championship will be held Dec. 3-5 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky, and is hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Toyota Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, FLW 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.
FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show while Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. Acquired by Major League Fishing in late 2019, FLW is expanding its programming in 2020 to the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel as well as on-demand at MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
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Booming Interest In Bassmaster Opens Brings First Live Coverage
When the Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series resumes on the Arkansas River in June, fans will enjoy real-time leaderboard updates as well as on-the-water live coverage for the first time. Photo by B.A.S.S.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The excitement of sportfishing kicks off again in June with seven tournaments remaining in the hotly contested Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series. With fan interest at an all-time high and a stacked field of anglers that includes some of the sport’s biggest names, B.A.S.S. officials announced plans today to expand live coverage and make it easier for additional pro anglers to compete in the Opens.
“Our anglers, fans and sponsors are excited to get back to the fun and excitement of tournament fishing when the season resumes this summer,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “The 2020 Bassmaster Opens has set up to be among the most competitive in history, and we were thrilled to get the season rescheduled.
“While it was disappointing to postpone events, our team worked diligently during the unexpected downtime to improve Opens Series coverage options and implement additional technology that fans and anglers alike are sure to love. Now we just have to wait and see what these talented anglers catch!”
Over the course of January’s Bassmaster Eastern Open at Harris Chain, the leaderboard was visited an astounding 392,000 times as fans tuned in to follow the progress of their favorite anglers! Now, fishing fans will have two new options for following the on-the-water action. Beginning June 18 with the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open at Arkansas River, both boaters and co-anglers will use BASSTrakk for real-time updates. Plus, fans can follow the final-day drama by streaming Nationwide Bassmaster Opens LIVE presented by Grizzly as camera boats provide coverage of the leaders.
But it is not just fans who will have more access to on-the-water action. More anglers will also have an opportunity to compete for the coveted Falcon Rods Angler of the Year title!
While Opens tournaments have traditionally seen a pro angler and co-angler competing from the same boat, new rules going into place when the season restarts on the Arkansas River in June will allow for some pros to compete without a co-angler on one of the first two full-field days of the tournament on a random basis. Those pro anglers currently on the waiting list for tournaments will be added to the field. Registration for the first Bassmaster Central Open on the Arkansas River has been extended through May 29, 2020 and all late fees will be waived. Registration information can be found at Bassmaster.com/Opens.
“In these unprecedented times, it’s understandable that fewer co-anglers may want to commit to a tournament and be in close proximity to others,” said Chris Bowes, Tournament Director for the Opens Series. “But we wanted to ensure that pro anglers still have an opportunity to compete and collect valuable points toward the Falcon Rods Angler of the Year race as well as qualify for a spot on the Elite Series.”
Adding to the drama of the 2020 Bassmaster Opens, the new Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year title awards $10,000 to the overall points winner in the pro division. The top co-angler will have the pro division entry fees into the 2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens division of his or her choice paid for — a value of approximately $7,200!
The 2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens features four events in two divisions — Eastern and Central — with the winners of each event earning an automatic berth into the 2021 Bassmaster Classic, provided he or she has fished all four events in that division. The Top 4 anglers from each division’s final points standings will receive an invitation to fish the 2021 Bassmaster Elite Series. As a new addition, Elite Series invitations will also be extended to the Top 4 anglers from the cumulative standings for both divisions for a total of 12 invitations.
Among those fighting for those coveted Elite Series invitations are 46 anglers who have registered to fish all eight Opens Series tournaments plus two current Elite pros, Brandon Palaniuk and Gerald Swindle, who are fishing the entire season to help ensure they requalify for the Series.
Daisuke Aoki, Minamitsurugun, Japan
Cody Bertrand, Dyer, Ind.
Randy Blaukat, Joplin, Mo.
Wyatt Burkhalter, Coker, Ala.
Todd Castledine, Nacogdoches, Texas
Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla.
Josh Douglas, Isle, Minn.
Anthony Dumitras, Winston, Ga.
Denny Fiedler, Wabasha, Minn.
Marc Frazier, Newnan, Ga.
John Garrett, Union City, Tenn.
Caleb Gibson, Locust Grove, Okla.
Cody Hahner, Wausau, Wis.
Bradley Hallman, Norman, Okla.
Charlie Hartley, Grove City, Ohio
Andy Hribar, Lakeville, Minn.
Cody Huff, Ava, Mo.
John Hunter Jr., Simpsonville, Ky.
Ken Iyobe, Tokoname, Japan
Rex Jaeger, Fairfield Township, Ohio
Teb Jones, Hattiesburg, Miss.
Seiji Kato, Outsu Shiga, Japan
Kenta Kimura, Osaka, Japan
Brad Knight, Lancing, Tenn.
Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C.
Greg Mansfield, Olathe, Kan.
Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla.
Kenny Mittelstaedt, Minnetonka, Minn.
Bryan New, Belmont, N.C.
Brandon Palaniuk, Rathdrum, Idaho
Scott Pellegrin, Chippewa Falls, Wis.
Luke Plunkett, Pinson, Ala.
KJ Queen, Catawba, N.C.
Chad Randles, Elkhorn, Neb.
Dustin Reneau, Mckinney, Texas
Matthew Robertson, Kuttawa, Ky.
Garrett Rose, Pipecreek, Texas
Jake Rossi, Columbus, Ohio
Steve Sennikoff, Edgewood, Texas
Scott Siller, Milwaukee, Wis.
Bryant Smith, Roseville, Calif.
Chandler Stewart, Waco, Texas
Gerald Swindle, Guntersville, Ala.
Andrew Thomasson, Dublin, Va.
Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla.
Joel Willert, Prior Lake, Minn.
Tommy Williams, Shepherdsville, Ky.
Trait Zaldain, Fort Worth, Texas
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 presented by Huk.
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Brett Hite’s Go-To Crankbait
Spring can be a magical time, adding the right bait to the mix. Find out wht Brett Hite relies on the Flat Force.
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Go “All-In”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, May 17, 2020 (Tulsa, Okla.) Kevin VanDam, the winningest angler of all times, joined hundreds professional athletes and celebrities from across the country to raise $100 million support the All-In Challenge benefitting Feeding America, Meals on Wheels, World Central Kitchen and No Kid Hungry. In response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Executive Chairman of Fanatics Michael Rubin called on businesses and sports figures to raise money for those on the front lines of the current health and economic crisis.
In response to the Challenge, VanDam reached out to fellow MLF angler Boyd Duckett and NASCAR Cup Champion Martin Truex Jr., as well as his sponsors Team Toyota and Bass Pro Shops, to build a once-in-a-lifetime outdoor adventure at Big Cedar Lodge. To date the package has raised $30,000 and bidding closes Wednesday, May 19, 10:30 ET.
“None of us could have dreamed how this virus would affect our lives but a lot of people have been hit really hard,” said MLF Pro Kevin VanDam in his video accepting the Challenge. “They have lost their jobs; they don’t know where their next meal will come from and I think everyone needs to step-up and do their part.”
The auction winner and two friends will travel in style via private jet and Toyota vehicles for a three-day, two-night adventure at luxury resort Big Cedar Lodge in the Ozark Mountains. The winner and two friends will dine, golf, skeet shoot, and fish in friendly competitions with VanDam, Truex, and Duckett. The three pro athletes may come from different sports, but their shared love of the Outdoors brought them together to support those in need.
“I’m a little worried about the fishing competition, but I’m excited about it too,” said Truex Jr. “I spend a lot of time on the water, but it will be great to be out there fishing, competing against two Pros.”
“A lot of people didn’t know that Martin loves to fish and, like me, has spent a lot of time at Big Cedar,” said VanDam. “Big Cedar is a world-class luxury resort hidden in the Ozarks – it’s a really special place and we’re going to have the experience of a lifetime with 100% of the proceeds going to feed people in need.”
Complete details about the auction item, including terms and conditions, can be found online at: https://bit.ly/majorleaguefishingexperience. The auction item closes to bidders at approximately 10:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 20, 2020.
About Kevin VanDam
Over the last 25 years, Kevin VanDam has dominated the sport of competitive bass fishing. To date, his stats are stunning: 7 BASS Angler of the Year (AOY) Titles; an FLW AOY title; 4 Bassmaster Classic wins; 25 total BASS wins, and 3 MLF Cup wins. KVD has competed in over 320 events and owns 121 top-10 finishes. More recently, VanDam was inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2018 and successfully was instrumental in the launch the MLF Bass Pro Tour in 2019. With over $6 million in career earnings, KVD is the winningest angler of all time.
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 http://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.
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