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Lester: Clowns, Big Waves, Not Plastic Spiders
According to his mom, Team Toyota’s Brandon Lester always wanted to be a clown for Halloween. “But get this, he was scared to death of clowns. We took him to the circus, sat in the front row, and when the clowns came to see him, he screamed bloody murder,” says Lester’s mom, Kim.
It’s not just clowns. Lester’s wife says he hates haunted houses too. And while huge plastic spiders don’t scare him, big waves on large bodies of water like St. Clair, Erie, and Toledo Bend rival clowns and spooky houses for the good natured pro from the Tennessee-Alabama border.
“The scariest thing about Lake St. Clair is absolutely 100-percent the wind and the big waves,” says Lester. “I’ve been a full time pro for six years, and big waves still scare the heck out of me.”
Unfortunately, practice is playing out like a bad combination of “Poltergeist” and “The Conjuring” this week on St. Clair, as winds screamed up to 30 mph from the southwest on Wednesday, and switched to 20 mph from the west on Thursday.
“I hide in the St. Clair River,” grins Lester. “It’s obviously way more protected than the main lake, and it’s a place where winning stringers of smallmouth live. Chris Lane proved that in 2013, and other guys caught ‘em good in the river too.”
Lester sits 6th overall in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points, so he’s a lock for the 2020 Bassmaster Classic. And while it’d take a small miracle for him to steal the AOY title this week, he can pretty much just relax and fish freely with hopes of earning a slightly fatter paycheck.
When asked if he takes any extra precautions for riding big waves, Lester says he only adds extra rod straps to prevent his custom Mud Hole sticks from jumping overboard, but he doesn’t carry an extra bilge pump like some anglers do.
“I took a big wave over the bow on Toledo Bend one time that filled the boat up with water. Because down there, you pretty much have to stay in the buoyed boat lanes to avoid hitting underwater timber. So you’re really restricted on your ability to drive the direction you need to in order to avoid the big waves – and that lake can get nasty!” warns Lester.
“The thing that really frustrates me is it always seems like the guys who are daring enough to make those long runs in big waves like St. Clair and Erie, are the ones who win or do really well. And man, I just can’t make myself do that,” says Lester shaking his head.
Turkey hunting, custom rod building, beach trips with family, or a big plate of spaghetti – Lester loves that stuff. Plastic spiders are okay too. Just don’t ask him to hang out with a scary clown at a haunted house or to run his trusty Phoenix through ocean like waves.
Cliff Prince on the Bubble with a Heavy Heart
If you’re thinking about becoming a professional bass angler, you might want to talk to Palatka, Florida’s kind-hearted Cliff Prince first.
The longtime Toyota Bonus Bucks member has been a full time pro for eight years. He’s made a couple of Bassmaster Classics, and won some good money along the way. But this week on Lake St. Clair is the kind that confronts a grown man’s soul and puts tear drops atop his spinning reel as he battles non-stop 20 mph winds from sunrise till dark.
Prince is one of this week’s “bubble guys” at the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship. The projected cut to make the 2020 Bassmaster Classic is around 42nd in the Angler of the Year points – and he currently sits 40th. By his estimation, he really needs to finish 25th or better on St. Clair to make sure he earns a ticket to his third big dance.
That ain’t easy, and to put a little more pressure in the cooker, his 78-year-old dad, who battles Parkinson’s disease, is hospitalized with a fever, and fighting for his life 15 hours away in a Gainesville, Florida hospital.
“I drove from the last Elite Series event at Tenkiller, OK to Detroit. Left my truck and boat here at St. Clair, and jumped on a flight home to see Dad. But I missed a connection in Atlanta, so I rented a car and drove from Atlanta to Gainesville and spent all the time I could with him. Then I flew back up here to grab my boat and get ready for practice this week,” says Prince. “And I’m not going to lie … I cried more than once today thinking about him while I was practicing.”
Long before he took on pro angling, Prince was an accomplished regional rodeo cowboy, and this year has been as up and down as a steer-roping contest. He started the year with a strong 17th place finish on the St. Johns River in his hometown, and book-ended it with a late season Top 10 at Cayuga, NY last month. But Lake Lanier in February is the one he’d like to have back.
“I’m super frustrated that I’m on the bubble here at the end of the year. I zeroed the first day at Lake Lanier, and what makes it hurt even worse is that on the second day at Lanier I caught one of the biggest bags of the day throwing a shallow crankbait. I should have done what I knew to do the first day, and not second guessed myself,” he laments.
Consistency will be hugely important for Prince this week on St. Clair too. In 2015 and 2017, he finished right in the middle of the pack here. And he blames it on inconsistency.
“These guys I’m competing against are too good. You can’t have a 17-pound day here. That’s a bad day on St. Clair, and it’ll kill you. You have to have 19, 20, 21 pound bags every day here. I’ve done that many times. I just haven’t done it three or four days in a row here. And that’s what it takes,” says Prince, who loves sharing life with his bride Kelley and their two children.
He wishes he could be sharing time with family this week too. But instead, he’s 1,100 miles away trying to end up on the right side of the bubble. Fighting to make his third Bassmaster Classic. Fishing through alligator tears and a boatload of emotions, all in an effort to lasso a dream and make his dad proud.
Virginia’s Vaughan Wins Costa FLW Series Tournament on St. Lawrence River
MASSENA, N.Y. (Sept. 21, 2019) – Pro Wayne Vaughan of Chester, Virginia, caught a five-bass limit Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the three-day Costa FLW Series on the St. Lawrence River presented by Realtree Fishing.
Vaughan’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 63 pounds, 5 ounces was enough to earn him the victory by a 1-pound, 9-ounce margin over second-place pro Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Michigan, and earn him $83,340, including a new Ranger Z518L boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard. The tournament was the third and final regular-season tournament of the year for anglers competing in the Costa FLW Series Northern Division presented by Gajo Baits.
“I caught a few fish this week on a tube, but every fish that I weighed in came drop-shotting a Redbone-colored Z-Man Jerk Shadz,” said Vaughan, who earned his first career victory in FLW competition. “I fished basically from takeoff all the way down to Clayton, hitting 20 to 25 spots each day.
“The first day my numbers were not that great – I think I only caught 10 fish,” Vaughan continued. “On the second day I caught around 25, and today I only caught 10. I was fishing around the ends of points – I caught them all in 35- to 55-feet-of-water. Yesterday the current was moving really well, so it had the fish up a little higher – around 35 feet. Today, I couldn’t get them that shallow and had to go real deep. I caught one down 55 feet.”
When asked what he felt was the key to his victory, Vaughan was honest and blunt with his answer – “luck.”
“I had no keys,” Vaughan joked. “I think my key was luck. I had caught a couple of fish in practice, but the last day I caught a 6-pounder way out deep. I told myself, ‘That is definitely where the big ones live, and I’m committing myself to this.’ It was a grind – I was only getting one or two fish on each of those spots.
“It’s been a great year, and to win at the last event of the year is just a great way to end the season,” Vaughan went on to say.
The top 10 pros on the St. Lawrence River finished:
1st: Wayne Vaughan, Chester, Va., 15 bass, 63-5, $83,340
2nd: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., 15 bass, 61-12, $14,199
3rd: A.J. Slegona, Pine Bush, N.Y., 15 bass, 59-7, $11,115
4th: Casey Smith, Macedon, N.Y., 15 bass, 58-12, $9,096
5th: Jason Burger, Bridgeton, N.J., 14 bass, 54-10, $8,186
6th: Neil Deleeuw, Fenwick, Ontario, Canada, 15 bass, 54-4, $7,277
7th: Ken Golub, Pittsford, N.Y., 14 bass, 54-1, $7,967
8th: Brian Hughes, Barrie, Ontario, Canada, 15 bass, 53-8, $5,458
9th: Jonathan Kelley, Old Forge, Penn., 15 bass, 50-4, $5,548
10th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 50-0, $3,638
A complete list of results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Vaughan weighed in a 6-pound, 5-ounce bass Friday – the heaviest of the tournament in the Pro Division – and also earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $256.
Noah Winslow of Naugatuck, Connecticut, won the Co-angler Division with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 50 pounds, 11 ounces. For his win, Winslow took home the top prize package of a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor, worth $27,100.
The top 10 co-anglers on the St. Lawrence River finished:
1st: Noah Winslow, Naugatuck, Conn., 15 bass, 50-11, $27,100
2nd: Dexter Andrews, King George, Va., 15 bass, 50-3, $4,874
3rd: Grant Loney, Beamsville, Ontario, Canada, 14 bass, 49-2, $3,723
4th: Jeff Zeisner, Arva, Ontario, Canada, 15 bass, 49-1, $3,258
5th: Gary Haraguchi, Antioch, Calif., 14 bass, 48-6, $3,042
6th: Michael Sciacca, Augusta, N.J., 14 bass, 43-2, $2,327
7th: Will Litchfield, London, Ontario, Canada, 14 bass, 40-13, $1,862
8th: Joshua Hertzog, Ephrata, Penn., 14 bass, 39-0, $1,729
9th: Jeff Melsop, East Liberty, Ohio, 12 bass, 38-12, $1,396
10th: D. Brett Walker, Kansas City, Mo., 11 bass, 33-1, $1,163
Henry McKee of Haddon Heights, New Jersey, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Friday, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces. He earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $170.
The Costa FLW Series on the St. Lawrence River presented by Realtree Fishing was hosted by the Town of Massena. It was the third and final tournament in the 2019 regular season for Northern Division presented by Gajo Baits anglers. The next tournament for FLW Series anglers will also be in the Western Division, the Costa FLW Series at the California Delta presented by Power-Pole, held Sept. 26-28 in Bethel Island, California. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the International division. Each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 31 – Nov. 2 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW 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 in 2019 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their 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 FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Australian Pro Jocumsen Scores Bassmaster Elite Series Victory On Tenkiller
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Relentless determination and commitment to his game plan paid off big for Carl Jocumsen, who turned in a catch of 19 pounds, 12 ounces on Championship Sunday and scored a career-defining victory at the Cherokee Casino Tahlequah Bassmaster Elite at Lake Tenkiller.
Queensland, Australia native Carl Jocumsen won the Cherokee Casino Tahlequah Bassmaster Elite at Lake Tenkiller with a total of 54 pounds, 15 ounces. Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
His four-day total weight of 54-15 was worth $100,000 and made a nice birthday gift for the Queensland, Australia angler, who turned 35 Sunday.
Jocumsen said his first Elite win — which is also the first by an Aussie — has been a lifelong dream.
“Since I was four years old, I’ve loved fishing and I’ve dreamed of the day I would do this,” Jocumsen said. “Today is that day. This is a lifetime of work; a lifetime of passion and loving this sport with every ounce of my body.”
Yesterday, after placing third and trailing leader Kyle Monti by 4-8, Jocumsen boldly stated that he believed he was on the fish to win. He predicted he needed five keepers to have a legitimate shot, and he blew away that expectation with a limit of 19-12 that ranked as the tournament’s heaviest single-day catch.
Jocumsen’s winning program stood out from much of the field, in that he committed his tournament to fishing offshore. Relying heavily on his electronics to break down the lake and identify the most promising spots, he targeted six different offshore drop-offs with brush and other cover.
Day 3 revealed a particularly productive piece of cover that delivered his final-round magic.
“I used my Humminbird 360, side imaging and mapping to break down this lake in two and a half days. I stayed out here from daylight until dark,” Jocumsen said. “Yesterday afternoon, I found this one tree off this island. It was one late in the day, and I caught one keeper. But I said, ‘I want to hit this early on the final day to see if they’re biting.’”
His intuition was spot-on, and Jocumsen experienced a phenomenal morning that saw him catch four quality largemouth by 8:30, including three in span of approximately seven minutes. Jocumsen would suffer through a long dry spell before completing his five-fish limit, but the 4-pound smallmouth that sealed his fate gave Bassmaster LIVE viewers a look at pure bass fishing emotion.
“I’ve waited my life to catch that fish,” said a visibly emotional Jocumsen. “I had gone three hours without a bite and I said, ‘It can’t go down this way. I have to finish it.’ When I caught that smallmouth, the weight of the world came off my shoulders.”
Adding a 5-pound largemouth late in the day increased Jocumsen’s total and gave him a 3-pound, 10-ounce margin of victory.
Jocumsen, who will marry fiancee Kayla Palaniuk in two weeks, caught all of his bass on a 3/4-ounce Molix football jig with a green pumpkin Strike King Rage Craw trailer. He made a couple of brief visits to fish the bank, mostly to let his offshore sites rest, but did all of his heavy lifting offshore.
In second, Day 2 leader Chris Zaldain of Fort Worth, Texas, switched tactics Sunday and caught a limit of 14-7 to finish with 51-5. After focusing mostly on running shallow points for smallmouth the first three days, Zaldain spent the first half of the final day throwing a 1/2-ounce Santone wobblehead jig with a green pumpkin creature bait trailer.
“I caught two 16-inch-plus largemouth in the morning, and that kind of relaxed me to go fish all new water and search out those smallmouth,” he said.
Zaldain added three smallmouth to his final bag. He caught those with a Megabass Spark Shad swimbait on a 1/8-ounce Megabass Okashira Screw Head.
Cory Johnston of Cavan, Cananda, finished third with 48-6. For the first three days, he spent most of his time working covered boat docks with jigging spoons and a Neko rig. But today’s conditions kept the fish from positioning in predictable spots, so Johnston switched to his backup pattern.
“With the cloudy skies, the fish didn’t position on the boat slips like I needed them to, so I ended up cranking rock banks with squarebills,” Johnston said. “I caught one in a boat slip on the Neko rig and the rest came on squarebills.”
In the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Race, Scott Canterbury took the lead with 761 points. Canterbury finished 19th this week, but maintained a slim advantage in the points race, which will be decided next week at the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship on Lake St. Clair.
Zaldain follows closely in second with 752, while Johnston is third with 747. Stetson Blaylock of Benton, Ark., is fourth with 741 and Drew Cook of Midway, Fla., is fifth with 733.
Cook also leads the DICK’S Sporting Goods Rookie of the Year race.
2019 Bassmaster Elite at Lake Tenkiller Title Sponsor: Cherokee Casino Tahlequah
2019 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2019 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2019 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Carhartt, Lowrance, Mossy Oak Fishing, T-H Marine, Academy Sports + Outdoors
2019 Cherokee Casino Tahlequah Bassmaster Elite At Lake Tenkiller Host: Cherokee Nation Entertainment, LLC
About Cherokee Nation Entertainment
Cherokee Nation Entertainment is the wholly owned gaming, hospitality, retail and tourism entity of the Cherokee Nation, the largest tribal government in the United States. The company currently operates Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa; nine Cherokee Casinos, including a horse racing track; three hotels; three golf courses; and other retail operations. For more information, visit www.cherokeecasino.com.
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 510,000-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 and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic.
2019 Cherokee Casino Tahlequah Bassmaster Elite at Lake Tenkiller 9/19-9/22 Lake Tenkiller, Tahlequah OK. (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 19 54-15 100 $100,000.00 Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 4 06-04 Day 3: 5 15-04 Day 4: 5 19-12 2. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 20 51-05 99 $25,000.00 Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 13-15 Day 3: 5 11-14 Day 4: 5 14-07 3. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 20 48-06 98 $20,000.00 Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 09-14 Day 3: 5 11-11 Day 4: 5 13-09 4. Brandon Card Knoxville, TN 20 47-03 97 $15,000.00 Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 10-01 Day 4: 5 12-07 5. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 17 46-09 96 $15,000.00 Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 4 08-14 Day 3: 5 16-09 Day 4: 3 06-14 6. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 20 45-10 95 $15,000.00 Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 08-08 Day 3: 5 12-07 Day 4: 5 13-12 7. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 20 45-08 94 $15,000.00 Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 10-04 Day 3: 5 13-06 Day 4: 5 11-12 8. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 20 42-05 93 $15,000.00 Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 07-09 Day 3: 5 10-03 Day 4: 5 09-00 9. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 16 38-06 92 $15,000.00 Day 1: 4 06-01 Day 2: 5 13-10 Day 3: 5 14-13 Day 4: 2 03-14 10. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 19 34-02 91 $15,000.00 Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 08-08 Day 3: 5 10-10 Day 4: 4 04-01 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 05-07 $1,500.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 42 291 571-06 2 39 298 573-08 3 21 144 298-03 4 7 44 109-08 ---------------------------------- 109 777 1552-09
Blaylock Grinds His Way To Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Tenkiller
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Stetson Blaylock loves a tough tournament, and pushing through Thursday’s tough conditions delivered a 15-pound, 9-ounce limit that leads Day 1 of the Cherokee Casino Tahlequah Bassmaster Elite at Lake Tenkiller.
| Stetson Blaylock of Benton, Ark., is leading after Day 1 of the Cherokee Casino Tahlequah Bassmaster Elite at Lake Tenkiller with 15 pounds, 9 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
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Daytime highs reached into the 90s, while a declining lake level, which has lost about a foot and a half since practice, left fish displaced and finicky. Fishing the mid- to lower lake, Blaylock caught a mixed bag of largemouth, spotted bass and smallmouth bass. His catch, which included a 4-pound smallmouth, was a welcome performance, considering his expectations.
“Everybody said practice was bad, but I literally caught six keepers the entire practice,” the Benton, Ark., angler said. “I just like this style of lake. When they pulled that water down, it didn’t help the bite, but I was able to slow down and not think about whether I need to flip bushes because I knew the water was falling out of there. So, I just went out with no care and threw.
“I knew if I just caught a bass, that I would be in (the Bassmaster Classic) easy. My very first cast, I caught a 12-inch spotted bass and I was like ‘Well, my day’s made.’ So I just slowed down.”
Blaylock demonstrated his toughness earlier this season with a hard-fought win at the Winyah Bay Bassmaster Elite Series event in April. Acknowledging the similarities, he notes two major differences: First, he stayed in a much smaller area on the South Carolina tidal fishery; moreover, his 2020 Classic berth was far from secure at Winyah.
“Coming into this tournament, I knew I was in sixth, so I feel like that freed me up a lot,” he said.
Blaylock used a mix of reaction and slow baits. Noting that he’s fishing a little deeper than most around him, Blaylock said that keeping an open mind served him well.
“Bites are tough right now, so you want to capitalize on every one of them,” he said. “I’m not afraid to do things that I did not catch bass on in practice. Every bass I caught today came on baits I did not throw in practice.”
Tomorrow’s forecast calls for clouds, more wind, cooler temperatures and the likelihood of showers. Blaylock said he’ll probably need to change his game plan for Day 2, but believes he’s positioned himself well for whatever unfolds.
“I don’t think what I did today will work tomorrow because we’ve had sun and high heat for the past several days,” he said. “I think they’ll bite a little bit better, so it feels really good to have a 1-pound cushion.”
Louisiana pro Caleb Sumrall delivered some late-day heroics to land in second place with a catch of 14-9. With four keepers in his livewell 15 minutes before he had to leave for check-in, Sumrall made a key decision to leave the shallow pattern he’d been running and fish offshore. The payoff was a 5-7 largemouth that completed his limit and now leads the race for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week.
“That kind of fish is a day-maker,” Sumrall said. “Everything I had going wasn’t working out, so I just took off from the ramp and fished what looked good. I fished from the top of the river to the dam.
“I had 12 rods on my deck and five where my marshal would have been sitting. It was junk fishing 101. I caught my five fish on four different baits. That’s what’s scary about a lake like this. But with the changing conditions, you have to keep an open mind to everything.”
In third place, Kyle Monti committed to what he feels is an overlooked habitat feature that produced a limit of 14-4. The Florida pro was lean on details, but said he was pleased to discover that the spot he’d found in practice was even more productive than he had initially thought.
He caught a couple of bass on a topwater bait and then slowed down to pick apart the spot with dragging presentations.
“I feel like I found something that’s pretty special,” Monti said. “Today, I pulled in and they came up schooling, and that made me slow down and stay in the area. I think there’s enough there where I can catch another 10 to 12 pounds for sure.”
The tournament will resume Friday with takeoff at 7 a.m. CT from Chicken Creek Ramp in Cookson, Okla. Weigh-in on Day 2 will be held at the launch site a 3 p.m. Weigh-ins on Days 3 and 4 will move to the Cherokee Casino Tahlequah in Tahlequah, Okla., at 4 p.m.
2019 Bassmaster Elite at Lake Tenkiller Title Sponsor: Cherokee Casino Tahlequah
2019 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2019 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2019 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Carhartt, Lowrance, Mossy Oak Fishing, T-H Marine, Academy Sports + Outdoors
2019 Cherokee Casino Tahlequah Bassmaster Elite At Lake Tenkiller Host: Cherokee Nation Entertainment, LLC
About Cherokee Nation Entertainment
Cherokee Nation Entertainment is the wholly owned gaming, hospitality, retail and tourism entity of the Cherokee Nation, the largest tribal government in the United States. The company currently operates Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa; nine Cherokee Casinos, including a horse racing track; three hotels; three golf courses; and other retail operations. For more information, visit www.cherokeecasino.com.
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 510,000-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 and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic.
2019 Cherokee Casino Tahlequah Bassmaster Elite at Lake Tenkiller 9/19-9/22 Lake Tenkiller, Tahlequah OK. (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 15-09 100 Day 1: 5 15-09 2. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 5 14-09 99 Day 1: 5 14-09 3. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 5 14-04 98 Day 1: 5 14-04 4. Jesse Tacoronte Kissimmee, FL 5 14-03 97 Day 1: 5 14-03 5. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TX AUSTRALIA 5 13-11 96 Day 1: 5 13-11 6. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 5 13-04 95 Day 1: 5 13-04 7. Brandon Card Knoxville, TN 5 12-12 94 Day 1: 5 12-12 8. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 5 12-03 93 Day 1: 5 12-03 9. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 5 12-03 92 Day 1: 5 12-03 10. Quentin Cappo Prairieville, LA 5 12-01 91 Day 1: 5 12-01 11. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 12-00 90 Day 1: 5 12-00 12. Lee Livesay Gladewater, TX 5 11-06 89 Day 1: 5 11-06 13. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 5 11-01 88 Day 1: 5 11-01 14. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 10-15 87 Day 1: 5 10-15 14. Hunter Shryock Newcomerstown, OH 5 10-15 87 Day 1: 5 10-15 16. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 10-14 85 Day 1: 5 10-14 17. Mike Huff Corbin, KY 5 10-13 84 Day 1: 5 10-13 18. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 5 10-11 83 Day 1: 5 10-11 18. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 5 10-11 83 Day 1: 5 10-11 20. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 4 10-09 81 Day 1: 4 10-09 21. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 10-02 80 Day 1: 5 10-02 22. Greg DiPalma Millville, NJ 5 09-15 79 Day 1: 5 09-15 23. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 5 09-14 78 Day 1: 5 09-14 24. Drew Cook Midway, FL 5 09-14 77 Day 1: 5 09-14 25. Seth Feider New Market, MN 5 09-11 76 Day 1: 5 09-11 25. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 09-11 76 Day 1: 5 09-11 27. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 5 09-11 74 Day 1: 5 09-11 28. Chris Johnston Peterborough Ontario CA 5 09-08 73 Day 1: 5 09-08 29. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 5 09-06 72 Day 1: 5 09-06 30. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 5 08-15 71 Day 1: 5 08-15 31. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 4 08-12 70 Day 1: 4 08-12 32. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 5 08-11 69 Day 1: 5 08-11 32. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 08-11 69 Day 1: 5 08-11 34. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 5 08-02 67 Day 1: 5 08-02 35. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 5 08-00 66 Day 1: 5 08-00 36. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 4 08-00 65 Day 1: 4 08-00 37. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 5 07-12 64 Day 1: 5 07-12 38. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 3 07-10 63 Day 1: 3 07-10 39. Clent Davis Montevallo, AL 5 07-07 62 Day 1: 5 07-07 40. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 07-05 61 Day 1: 5 07-05 41. Derek Hudnall Baton Rouge, LA 5 07-04 60 Day 1: 5 07-04 42. Frank Talley Temple, TX 4 07-03 59 Day 1: 4 07-03 43. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 4 07-02 58 Day 1: 4 07-02 44. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 07-01 57 Day 1: 5 07-01 45. Rob Digh Denver, NC 4 07-00 56 Day 1: 4 07-00 46. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 3 06-13 55 Day 1: 3 06-13 47. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 5 06-12 54 Day 1: 5 06-12 48. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 06-09 53 Day 1: 5 06-09 49. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 06-08 52 Day 1: 5 06-08 50. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 3 06-02 51 Day 1: 3 06-02 51. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 4 06-01 50 Day 1: 4 06-01 52. David Fritts Lexington, NC 3 05-09 49 Day 1: 3 05-09 53. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 3 05-08 48 Day 1: 3 05-08 54. Brett Preuett Monroe, LA 2 05-06 47 Day 1: 2 05-06 55. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 3 05-00 46 Day 1: 3 05-00 56. Rick Morris Lake Gaston, VA 2 04-15 45 Day 1: 2 04-15 57. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 04-13 44 Day 1: 5 04-13 58. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 1 04-06 43 Day 1: 1 04-06 59. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 4 04-03 42 Day 1: 4 04-03 60. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 4 03-15 41 Day 1: 4 03-15 61. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 3 03-10 40 Day 1: 3 03-10 62. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 1 03-04 39 Day 1: 1 03-04 63. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 2 03-02 38 Day 1: 2 03-02 64. Jay Yelas Lincoln City, OR 2 02-14 37 Day 1: 2 02-14 65. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 1 02-14 36 Day 1: 1 02-14 66. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 2 02-08 35 Day 1: 2 02-08 67. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 1 02-05 34 Day 1: 1 02-05 68. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 2 02-04 33 Day 1: 2 02-04 69. Tyler Carriere Youngsville, LA 2 02-01 32 Day 1: 2 02-01 69. Randy Pierson Oakdale, CA 2 02-01 32 Day 1: 2 02-01 71. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 2 02-00 30 Day 1: 2 02-00 72. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 1 01-09 29 Day 1: 1 01-09 73. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 1 01-01 28 Day 1: 1 01-01 74. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 0 00-00 0 Day 1: 0 00-00 74. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 0 00-00 0 Day 1: 0 00-00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 42 291 571-06 ---------------------------------- 42 291 571-06