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Major League Fishing Revises Rules for the 2020 Bass Pro Tour
January 21, 2020 (Tulsa, Okla.) Major League Fishing (MLF) recently announced notable rule changes for the Bass Pro Tour 2020 season including a variable weight minimum for each fishery and automatic championship berths for Qualifying Round winners. Under rules approved earlier this month by the Major League Fishing Angler Association (MLFAA) and drafted into the official rulebook, MLF will introduce a variable minimum weight system for the Bass Pro Tour competition waters in 2020. In addition, the winners of the Qualifying Round (formerly the Shotgun and Elimination Rounds) will automatically advance to the Championship Round, which guarantees them paycheck of $12,000 to $100,000.
Championship Berth
The six-day competition for the Bass Pro Tour begins with four days of Qualifying Rounds between two groups -A and B- of 40 anglers. Each group competes for two days (Group A on days one and three, Group B on days two and four) in a catch, weigh, and immediately release format in which every fish over that lake’s variable minimum weight counts toward each Round’s total. Under the 2020 rule changes, the winners of each group in the Qualifying Round automatically advance to the Championship Round (day six), while places 2 through 20 from each group (40 anglers total) advance to the Knockout Round on day five. The eight anglers with the highest weight totals from the Knockout Round join the winners of the Qualifying Round to compete in the Championship Round and the chance to win $100,000.
Initial 2020 Angler Groups are based on the final standings from the 2019 season points. A random drawing placed MLF Rookies Bryan Thrift and David Dudley. The Bass Pro Tour opens February 7th on Lake Eufaula (Ala.) with the following groups:
| Group A | Group B |
| Jeff Sprague (2nd) | Edwin Evers (1st) |
| Brent Ehrler (3rd) | Jacob Wheeler (4th) |
| Todd Faircloth (6th) | Michael Neal (5th) |
| Jordan Lee (7th) | Dustin Connell (8th) |
| Mark Rose (10th) | Bobby Lane (9th) |
| Andy Morgan (11th) | Mike Iaconelli (12th) |
| Aaron Martens (14th) | Casey Ashley (13th) |
| Andy Montgomery (15th) | Ott DeFoe (16th) |
| Jared Lintner (18th) | Wesley Strader (17th) |
| Greg Hackney (19th) | Fred Roumbanis (20th) |
| Stephen Browning (22nd) | Bradley Roy (21st) |
| Jacob Powroznik (23rd) | Zack Birge (24th) |
| Greg Vinson (26th) | Takahiro Omori (25th) |
| Mark Daniels Jr. (28th) | Cody Meyer (29th) |
| Randy Howell (31st) | Randall Tharp (30th) |
| Anthony Gagliardi (32nd) | Jason Christie (33rd) |
| Alton Jones Jr. (35th) | Fletcher Shryock (34th) |
| Gary Klein (36th) | Adrian Avena (37th) |
| Alton Jones (39th) | Dave Lefebre (38th) |
| Cliff Pace (40th) | Luke Clausen (41st) |
| Marty Robinson (44th) | Gerald Spohrer (43rd) |
| Brent Chapman (45th) | Justin Lucas (46th) |
| Josh Bertrand (48th) | Mark Davis (47th) |
| Terry Scroggins (49th) | Kevin VanDam (50th) |
| Chris Lane (52nd) | Jesse Wiggins (51st) |
| Matt Lee (53rd) | Jonathon VanDam (54th) |
| Scott Suggs (56th) | Russ Lane (55th) |
| Jeff Kriet (57th) | Keith Poche (58th) |
| John Murray (60th) | Justin Atkins (59th) |
| James Elam (61st) | Skeet Reese (62nd) |
| Shin Fukae (64th) | James Watson (63rd) |
| Boyd Duckett (65th) | Ish Monroe (66th) |
| Timmy Horton (68th) | David Walker (67th) |
| Dean Rojas (69th) | Brett Hite (70th) |
| Tommy Biffle (72nd) | Cliff Crochet (71st) |
| Brandon Coulter (73rd) | Kelly Jordan (74th) |
| Roy Hawk (76th) | Shaw Grigsby (75th) |
| Britt Myers (77th) | Mike McClelland (78th) |
| Paul Elias (80th) | Jason Lambert (79th) |
| Bryan Thrift (N/A) | David Dudley (N/A) |
According to Major League Fishing rules, Group A becomes B and vice versa for Stage Two. New angler groups will be established after each two Stages based on the standings from the previous two Stages.
Variable Weight Minimums
The 2020 season will open on Lake Eufaula (Feb. 7-12) where a two-pound minimum will be in effect for scorable bass. Minimum weights are determined for each competition water based on the productivity, bass population, and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery. The 2-pound minimum for Eufaula significantly raises the average scoring requirement above the 12- to 15-inch minimums mandated by most state fisheries managers (and used for traditional tournament scoring). According to extensive nationwide research compiled by bass biologist Steven Bardin, an average 12-inch largemouth in good health weighs 0.9 pounds (14 ounces); an average 15-inch largemouth weighs 1 pound, 13 ounces.
The Lake Eufaula 14-inch minimum mandated by Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries – the standard used by tournament organizations as the minimum size allowed in a tournament weigh-in on the Alabama/Georgia border lake – translates to a 1-pound, 8-ounce bass (25 percent smaller on average than the 2-pound Bass Pro Tour minimum).
“We’re going to show up at one of the best fisheries in the country at Eufaula and ask these guys to fish for a minimum weight standard that’s the highest in the history of our sport. We know they’re going to catch big ones,” said Marty Stone, MLFNOW! Analyst, “but raising the bar to a 2-pound minimum resets the playing field. I’ll be interested to see how that affects the game.”
The Major League Fishing will announce the weight minimum to the anglers 30 days in advance of each Stage of the Bass Pro Tour. The variable minimum weight will not be incorporated into MLF Cup competitions or the World Championship.
The 2020 Bass Pro Tour
The Bass Pro Tour features 80 of the best professional anglers in the world competing head-to-head in a fast-paced, catch, weigh, and immediately release format. The previously announced 2020 schedule includes:
| Stage | Date | Lake | City | Community Host |
| One | Feb. 7-12 | Lake Eufaula | Eufaula, Ala. | Eufaula Barbour Chamber of Commerce |
| Two | Feb. 21-26 | Lake Okeechobee | Okeechobee, Fla. | Okeechobee County Tourism Development Council |
| Three | Mar. 13-18 | Lake Fork | Emory, Texas | Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Four | Apr. 3-8 | Jordan Lake, Falls Lake, and Shearon Harris Reservoir | Raleigh, N.C. | Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance |
| Five | Apr. 24-29 | Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees | Grove, Okla. | City of Grove |
| Special Event | May 16-20 | Kissimmee Chain | Kissimmee, Fla. | Experience Kissimmee |
| Six | Jun. 5-10 | Lake Winnebago, Lake Butte des Morts, and Green Lake | Neenah, Wis. | Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau |
| Seven | Jun. 26-Jul. 1 | St. Lawrence River | Ogdensburg, N.Y. | St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce and the City of Ogdensburg |
| Eight | Jul. 21-26 | Lake Champlain | Burlington, Vt. | Experience Vermont |
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.
Major League Fishing showcases each fishery 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 will air on Discovery Network beginning in July 2020 and Sportsman Channel in early 2021.
“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.
MLF recently announced an agreement to acquire Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), which expands their portfolio to include the largest grassroots fishing organization, including the strongest five-fish format professional bass fishing tour, the FLW Pro Circuit (formerly FLW Tour), as well as the FLW Series, FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL), and high school and college tournament circuits.
For more information on the league and anglers, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com and follow MLF on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Sam Rayburn Reservoir Readies for 2020 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Opener
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: BROOKELAND, TEXAS (Jan. 21, 2020) – FLW (Fishing League Worldwide) is set to kick off the new 2020 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, professional bass fishing’s premier five-fish limit tournament series, this week, Jan. 23-26 with the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Hosted by the Jasper County Development District, the tournament will feature 155 bass-fishing professionals from around the world competing for a top award of up to $135,000 and valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2020 FLW TITLE, the Pro Circuit Championship.
It’s been a year since FLW’s top level has been to Rayburn, and things should look a lot different this time around. Heavy rains in 2019 left the lake flooded for the majority of the season, including when FLW came to town last January. Because of that, the fish were stacked in certain ditches near whatever hydrilla could still be found, making it tough on much of the field. Pro Terry Bolton cranked two ditches to win with 91 pounds, 3 ounces total, but his day-two catch of 33-9 really helped carry him through the weekend.
Recently, the first Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine event of 2020 took place on Rayburn earlier this month. Boater Kevin Lasyone took home the title with a weight of 20-8. Lasyone took advantage of sunny conditions and spent his time shallow near vegetation, catching his fish with a Rat-L-Trap and a V&M Thunder Shad swimbait with a Lazyman weighted swimbait hook.
Instead of the extremely high, dirty and cool water the field dealt with last year, Rayburn is currently about 2 feet below full pool and clear, with relatively high water temperatures. From a fishing standpoint, things should be pretty good, according to pro Jim Tutt, a 22-year FLW veteran.
“It’s going to be a lot different than last year, including water level,” said Tutt, who has nine career top-10 finishes on Sam Rayburn in FLW competition. “I think overall we’ll see more mid-range limits, like in the 15-pound range. I’m going to go out on a limb and say there won’t be as many big limits as we saw last year, but the fishing will be better overall. There are too many good anglers to not have a giant weighed.”
Tutt also expects quite the variety when it comes to tactics.
“The water’s been clear, and there isn’t a ton of hydrilla, so that could make the grass fish small, relatively speaking,” Tutt said. “We’ll see guys catching them anywhere from super shallow on the bank out to 40 feet. Last year there were areas where lots of fish were grouped in a small spot, but this year it’ll be more about running a pattern and having different areas. Both arms of the lake have been fishing good, and it should open the whole lake up and help spread people out. Everyone should have the opportunity to fish their strengths.”
Anglers will take off at 7:30 a.m. CST each day from the Umphrey Family Pavilion, located at 5438 Sam Rayburn Parkway, in Brookeland. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins, Jan. 23-24, will be held at the pavilion beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, Jan. 25-26, will also be held at the pavilion, but will begin at 4 p.m.
Television coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Sam Rayburn Reservoir will premiere in 2020. The 2020 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit will have 156 two-hour airings on network television, including 26 consecutive weeks of Friday night primetime airing on Outdoor Channel and 130 airings on Sportsman Channel for a total of 312 hours of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit programming.
The popular FLW Live on-the-water broadcast will air on Days Three and Four of the event, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros each day. Host Travis Moran is joined by former FLW pro Todd Hollowell to break down the extended action each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On-the-water broadcasts will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.
For youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at the pavilion on Saturday, Jan. 25 from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. The event is hosted by Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit anglers, and is free and open to anyone under the age of 18 and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. The 1st and 2nd place anglers that catch the biggest fish will be recognized Saturday on the FLW Pro Circuit stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 155 pro anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2020 FLW TITLE, the Pro Circuit Championship. The 2020 FLW TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York, Aug. 8-13 and is hosted by the Town of Massena.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit 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).
For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
New Core Colors and More from MISSILE Baits!
Salem, Va. – January 16, 2020 – The new decade comes in with a bang for Missile Baits. The bass fishing lure company, started in 2012, is adding 6 new core shot colors in their very popular Ned Bomb, which is a lure made for fishing on a Ned Rig. Missile Baits also has a totally new and redesigned web site. The 2020 Missile Baits No Entry Fee Tournaments have sign ups available now on the new web site.
John Crews, Missile Baits owner and pro bass angler, said, “The new core shot colors in the Ned Bomb are so cool. These type colors have never been done on Ned Rig baits. We have also been working hard for a while on this new web site to help educate anglers better and let them navigate the site easy. The free 2-day shipping on orders over $68 is new and a big deal! The third part is our tournament sign ups being live on the new site too.”
The Ned Bomb was released at the 2019 Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville. With a very successful launch, Missile Baits added 6 tail colors at the 2019 ICAST show. The addition of 6 core shot colors will continue to push the options for Ned Rig anglers around the world. The new colors include Purple Smoke Core, Bluetonium Green Pumpkin Core, Watermelon Red Core, Silver Flash Core, Orange Green Pumpkin Core, and Golden Shiner Core.
The internet is the reason for 2020 continuing the information age so Missile Baits wanted to be able to relay more and better information to anglers. The simpler, cleaner look is easy to navigate. Missile added a Blog page and Learning Hub, which will both be constantly added to going forward. Easier shopping, updated videos, new bait pictures, and having a log in are all additional features for a better shopping experience. Orders over $68 dollars will now receive free 2-day shipping anywhere in the US.
Building on the two no entry fee Missile Baits Tournaments conducted in 2019, Missile Baits will hold two more tournaments in 2020. The one day, team tournaments will feature an increased, guaranteed $4,000 total payout with the winning team taking home $2,000. The tournaments will take place on Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia on March 22 and on Lake Guntersville, Alabama on May 9th. The teams competing will only be allowed to have Missile Baits soft plastics and Missile Jigs skirted jigs in their boats, but any brand terminal tackle will be allowed. See the link below for sign up.
https://missilebaits.store/pages/missile-baits-tournament-trail
MISSILE BAITS is a small company dedicated to creating SERIOUS soft plastic baits to help anglers catch more fish. The designs are straight off the top-level professional bass tour. Based in Salem, Virginia, MISSILE BAITS works relentlessly to make the best baits, show their customers how to use them, and stay on the cutting edge of bass fishing. Founded in January 2012, new products and videos will continue to be launched. Log onto www.MISSILEBAITS.com for videos, tips, and more.
Bryan New Wins Bassmaster Eastern Open On Kissimmee Chain
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Knowing when to adjust proved essential for Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., who admits he employed a disjointed fishing regimen to win the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open on Florida’s Kissimmee Chain with a three-day total weight of 49 pounds, 8 ounces, cementing a spot in the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk..
“I’ve said it all week, I haven’t been dialed in to one thing, it was junk fishing at its best,” said New, who earned $52,500 and claimed the early lead in the race for the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year award. “I’ve fished a lot in Florida and I’ve never been able to junk fish. But you have five lakes in this chain, and I junk fished three of them (Toho, Cypress and Kissimmee).”
New kept himself in the hunt from start to finish. He caught 21-0 on Day 1 to place second and backed that up with a Day 2 limit of 13-7 that put him in third. Catching the heaviest bag of Day 3 — a five-bass limit that weighed 15-1 — pushed him across the finish line with a winning margin of 4-6.
New spent part of Day 3 working the offshore hydrilla spot in Lake Toho where he caught part of his big Day 1 catch. The first day saw him locking down to Lake Kissimmee. But when that failed to produce anything significant for him, he decided to maximize his fishing time by spending the next two days in Toho.
The junk-fishing mentality came into play when he realized his offshore spot was not going to be enough. From there, he went shallow and bounced from spot to spot in an effort to establish consistency.
New caught his bass on a Texas-rigged green pumpkin magic Damiki Stinger, a 1/2-ounce green pumpkin Z-Man ChatterBait with a green pumpkin Zoom Speed Craw and a Greenfish Tackle G2 squarebill in High Rock shad. The latter, he said, proved to be his biggest producer.
“That G2 is a balsa bait that floats a lot higher than all the plastic baits, and it’s awesome for cranking this grass,” New said. “I know a lot of people throw (lipless baits) around the grass, and I actually found my main spot by throwing a (lipless bait). But once I switched to that squarebill, I started catching bigger fish.”
After two days of warm, stable conditions, Day 3 brought cooler temperatures and blustery winds of up to 20 mph, which muddied the Kissimmee Chain. Before the big winds picked up mid-morning, New got his final day off to a strong start by catching a 6-1 around 7:18 a.m.
From there, he said keeping his head down and focusing on productivity dominated his thoughts.
“I knew it was a good start, but honestly, I had no idea how big it was,” he said. “I caught it, put it in the livewell and made another cast. It didn’t matter at the time because I knew it wasn’t enough.
“I filled my limit about 10 minutes after that and it took me a little while, but I finally culled the 12-incher that was my first fish. After that, I said let’s go try to bust the dirty-30 (a 30-pound limit), but we didn’t do that.”
Joshua Stracner of Vandiver, Ala., placed second with 45-2. After placing third on Day 1 with 19-5, Stracner added 12-10 on Day 2 and slipped to seventh. He boosted his performance in the Championship round by adding 13-3.
“I had one offshore place — a 50-yard stretch of hydrilla in Lake Toho — and I could only catch them in the first hour or two,” Stracner said. “I’d catch a few of my better fish on a ChatterBait out there and after that, they’d shut down.
“They’d start back up later in the day, so in between, I’d go to the bank and punch mats with a junebug Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver and a 1 1/2-ounce weight.”
Greg Alexander of Hebron, Md., finished third with 45-2. (Ties are broken by heaviest single day catch.) His was the biggest comeback of the Top 12, as he rebounded from a 34th-place effort on Day 1 and reached the final day in sixth. Alexander turned in daily weights of 13-7, 19-1 and 12-10.
“I tried to focus on stuff that didn’t look like everything else,” Alexander said. “There are miles of lily pads, miles of Kissimmee grass, miles of gator grass, big piles of bulrushes, big piles of reeds. So, if I saw a bunch of the same, I’d just keep on going.
“I was trying to pinpoint those areas that had a uniqueness to them, or had a really good blend of different vegetation. Then, I’d try to pick out the most isolated cover in that spot.”
Alexander caught his bass on a watermelon/green fleck Senko and a junebug Zoom Speed Worm.
Jerrod Albright of Kissimmee, Fla., won Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 10-3 largemouth.
Don Harvey of Franklin, Tenn., won the co-angler division with 28-2. Entering the Championship round in third place, Harvey added a limit of 8-12.
“I was fortunate, I got to do the same thing with my pros each day,” Harvey said. “Every fish I weighed in, I caught on a Megabass 110 Magnum.”
Harvey believes the larger profile tempted bigger bites, but he also made sure he was using an effective retrieve.
“It was a jerk-jerk-pause,” Harvey said. “Some of the people I was fishing with were really fishing (their baits) fast; I just wanted the fish to have an opportunity to see my bait.”
Jeff Queen won the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award among co-anglers with his 8-6.
The event was hosted by the Kissimmee Sports Commission.
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, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Triton Boats, 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 presented by Huk.
2020 Basspro.com Eastern Open at Kissimmee Chain Of Lakes 1/15-1/17
Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, Kissimmee FL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Bryan New Belmont, NC 15 49-08 200 $52,500.00
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 13-07 Day 3: 5 15-01
2. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 15 45-02 199 $25,500.00
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 5 12-10 Day 3: 5 13-03
3. Greg Alexander Hebron, MD 15 45-02 198 $18,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 19-01 Day 3: 5 12-10
4. Keith Carson Debary, FL 15 41-08 197 $15,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 5 16-04 Day 3: 5 11-00
5. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 13 41-01 196 $13,050.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 19-14 Day 3: 3 09-14
6. Jason Casteel Winter Garden, FL 12 40-04 195 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 22-05 Day 3: 2 03-12
7. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 15 39-12 194 $11,250.00
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 18-02 Day 3: 5 08-15
8. Cody Detweiler Orlando, FL 15 38-03 193 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 20-15 Day 3: 5 07-11
9. John Hunter Jr Simpsonville, KY 11 37-15 192 $8,250.00
Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 18-13 Day 3: 1 00-12
10. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 15 37-13 191 $6,750.00
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 19-08 Day 3: 5 07-11
11. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 13 36-03 190 $6,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-04 Day 2: 5 11-06 Day 3: 3 03-09
12. Wyatt Burkhalter Coker, AL 12 36-03 189 $5,250.00
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 16-03 Day 3: 2 03-01
———————————————————————–
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Jerrod Albright Kissimmee, FL 10-03 $750.00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 163 968 2072-08
2 161 954 2083-11
3 7 46 97-03
———————————-
331 1968 4253-06
2020 Basspro.com Eastern Open at Kissimmee Chain Of Lakes 1/15-1/17
Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, Kissimmee FL.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Don Harvey Franklin, TN 9 28-02 200 $25,500.00
Day 1: 3 08-08 Day 2: 3 10-14 Day 3: 3 08-12
2. Harry Linsinbigler IV Dover, FL 9 27-09 199 $6,000.00
Day 1: 3 12-00 Day 2: 3 04-11 Day 3: 3 10-14
3. Jeff Queen Catawba, NC 9 27-00 198 $4,750.00
Day 1: 3 04-07 Day 2: 3 16-05 Day 3: 3 06-04
4. Cody Stahl Griffin, GA 9 26-09 197 $3,375.00
Day 1: 3 06-05 Day 2: 3 10-08 Day 3: 3 09-12
5. Nic Rand Kalamazoo, MI 8 26-08 196 $3,150.00
Day 1: 3 08-03 Day 2: 3 10-07 Day 3: 2 07-14
6. Mike Spears Jasper, AL 9 24-03 195 $3,000.00
Day 1: 3 09-09 Day 2: 3 08-03 Day 3: 3 06-07
7. Alexandre Jelev Petawawa CANADA 9 23-08 194 $3,050.00
Day 1: 3 15-07 Day 2: 3 05-02 Day 3: 3 02-15
8. Russell Phillips Guilford, VT 9 21-09 193 $2,700.00
Day 1: 3 05-04 Day 2: 3 12-11 Day 3: 3 03-10
9. Jarvis Ellis Albany, GA 9 20-11 192 $2,475.00
Day 1: 3 07-14 Day 2: 3 09-08 Day 3: 3 03-05
10. Nicholas Wink Mohrsville, PA 7 20-05 191 $2,250.00
Day 1: 3 14-00 Day 2: 1 02-11 Day 3: 3 03-10
11. Jeffrey Worthy Jr Lakeland, FL 8 20-03 190 $2,100.00
Day 1: 3 13-00 Day 2: 3 04-01 Day 3: 2 03-02
12. Erik Tilson Auburndale, FL 7 20-00 189 $1,950.00
Day 1: 3 09-06 Day 2: 3 09-03 Day 3: 1 01-07
———————————————————————–
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Jeff Queen Catawba, NC 08-06 $250.00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 123 462 947-15
2 121 461 948-00
3 9 32 68-00
———————————-
253 955 1963-15
Hunter Moves Into Lead At Bassmaster Eastern Open On Kissimmee Chain
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Consistency was in John Hunter’s favor, as the Simpsonville, Ky., pro added 18 pounds, 13 ounces to the 18-6 he weighed on Wednesday to total 37-3 and take the Day 2 lead at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open on Florida’s Kissimmee Chain.
John Hunter, of Simpsonville, Ky., is leading after Day 2 of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at Kissimmee Chain of Lakes with a two-day total of 37 pounds, 3 ounces.
Photo by James Overstreet/B.A.S.S.
Hunter attributed his success to one special spot he described as a thinner area within a large, dense grassbed in 6 to 7 feet. The spot produced his weight both days, but Hunter said the Day 2 mood was significantly different from that of Day 1.
“Yesterday, it was just average; I only caught a couple of good ones there in the morning and I went back later and caught a couple of good ones,” he said. “This morning, it was absolute chaos.
“My first two fish were 4 1/2-pounders and then I lost two 5-pounders right after that, which was heartbreaking. But they stayed fired up and I was able to catch the rest of my weight in the next 20 minutes.”
A mix of reaction baits and dragging-style baits produced Hunter’s catch, but the former carried most of the weight.
Noting that most of the fish he was catching in practice were prespawner bass, Hunter said Day 1 delivered a mix of prespawn fish and some that were thin for their size — likely postspawners. His Day 2 catch was mostly postspawners.
“That’s what I like about this spot — I have a chance of catching a fat prespawner coming in, and it’s a good stopping place for a postspawner to gang up,” he said. “This is a good place for them to set up, feel safe and feed before they go in and out (of the spawning flat).”
Hunter said he’s cautiously optimistic about returning to the magical spot on Day 3. He said he leaned on the spot hard today, but seeing it reload significantly from Day 1 was encouraging.
“I’m a little concerned that it’s running thin, but hopefully, it will reload again, so fingers crossed,” he said. “That’s one of the only things I have working right now. Tomorrow, with fewer people on the lake, it will be a lot more open. I’ll have some room to move around on some other things that I’ve found on practice but I haven’t been able to fish well because there were so many boats there.”
Losing a 6-pounder and a 5-pounder on Day 1 was not the way Jason Casteel of Winter Garden, Fla., wanted his first Bassmaster Eastern Open to begin. Losing his front depthfinder and dumping another 5-pounder on Day 2 didn’t help, but relying on his faith and keeping his cool allowed him to fish his way into second place with 36-8.
Today’s limit of 22-5, which included an 8-14, bolstered the 14-3 he weighed on Day 1. Casteel found his fish in a deeper spawning area with hard bottom surrounded by grass in about 8 feet.
Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., is in third place with 34-7. He remained in Lake Toho all day and found all of his bass on the same offshore hydrilla spot he fished on Day 1. Mixing it up with a squarebill and a Zoom Old Monster worm, New added 13-7 to his 21 pounds on Day 1.
“This morning, it was lights-out; my co-angler and I caught them on almost every cast until 9:15 and then it was like a light switch,” New said. “I’d catch one 45 minutes later and never got another bite. After that, I ran around and culled up about half a pound once.”
Jerrod Albright of Kissimmee, Fla., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 10-3.
Jeff Queen of Catawba, N.C., leads the co-angler division with 20-12. Boating an 8-6 kicker two hours into his morning anchored a limit that went 16-5 and moved Queen up from 112th place on Day 1.
“I was just casting my 1/2-ounce Queen Tackle tungsten jig with a big 5/0 hook, so when I hooked that big one, it felt good,” Queen said. “We saw that fish on the Humminbird 360 three times. It swam around the boat three times and hit my bait.”
Queen holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead among co-anglers with his 8-6.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at Big Toho Marina at Kissimmee Lakefront Park. The championship weigh-in will be held at Bass Pro Shops in Orlando.
The event is being hosted by the Kissimmee Sports Commission.
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, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Carhartt, HUK Performance Fishing, Mossy Oak Fishing, Rapala
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