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JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. (April 13, 2019) – Pro Andrew Upshaw of Tulsa, Oklahoma, maintained his lead Saturday at the FLW Tour at the Cherokee Lake presented by Lowrance after catching five bass weighing 16 pounds even. Upshaw’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 52-4 will lead the final 10 pros into the fourth and final day of the event, where he and his peers will cast for a top prize of up to $125,000.

After starting the day in eight place, Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor of La Crosse, Wisconsin, made a leap up the leaderboard with a limit weighing 17-6 to sit within striking distance of Upshaw in second place with a three-day cumulative total of 50-10, while Dylan Hays of El Dorado, Arkansas, sits in third with 50 pounds, 1 ounce. The stage is set for an exciting final day of competition with only 4 pounds, 15 ounces, separating 10^th place from first.

Upshaw said he spent the day targeting main-lake spawning fish, a pattern he’s followed all week. He said his day started out slower than his first two mornings, which he admitted threw him off mentally.

“I pulled up to where I wanted to start and I caught a non-keeper immediately, and that’s only my second non-keeper of the week,” said Upshaw, who is seeking his first career victory in FLW Tour competition. “Then, a few minutes later, I caught another non-keeper, then another, and it really started spinning me out a little bit. Not necessarily the missed fish. But when you’re just catching little, little ones, it threw me off a little bit.

“Once I caught my first couple of decent ones, I kind of got this calming feeling,” Upshaw continued. “I really focused and got a little talkative – I got to where I was having fun. I caught a 4-pounder and I was really having fun – I know how big 4-pounders are going to be here.”

Upshaw said his plan for Championship Sunday is to try and eliminate the slow morning by going for a limit at a secondary area he’s been saving.

“What I’m trying to do is get that stress off of my back. I can pull up to this spot, and maybe not catch a bunch of fish, but I feel like I can catch two, three, maybe a limit fairly quick,” said Upshaw. “It’s actually a bigger area. It’s reloading and it’s got a ton of fish in it.”

The Oklahoma pro went on to say that he’s definitely feeling the pressure to finish strong after leading the event for three days, but with his secondary area set to potentially ease the stress of getting an initial limit, he has confidence that he can find his groove once again.

“As far as nerves go, I’ve dealt with high-stress situations before. Not just in tournament fishing, but in other sports like football and basketball and everything like that. Tomorrow I get to go have fun and I’ve got my family here to calm me down, so everything should be fine.”

The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition Sunday on Cherokee Lake are:

1^st:          Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., 15 bass, 52-4

2^nd:         Yamamoto Baits pro Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 15 bass, 50-10

3^rd:          Dylan Hays, El Dorado, Ark., 15 bass, 50-1

4^th:          Grae Buck, Harleysville, Pa., 15 bass, 49-4

5^th:          Andy Young, Isle, Minn., 15 bass, 49-0

6^th:          Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., 15 bass, 48-13

7^th:          Tim Frederick, Leesburg, Fla., 15 bass, 48-3

8^th:          Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, 15 bass, 48-3

9^th:          Derrick Snavely, Piney Flats, Tenn., 15 bass, 48-2

10^th:        Tim Cales, Sandstone, W. Va., 15 bass, 47-5

Finishing 11^th through 30^th are:

11^th:        Lowrance pro Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn., 15 bass, 47-4, $12,000

12^th:        Polaris pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 47-2, $12,000

13^th:        J. Todd Tucker, Moultrie, Ga., 15 bass, 46-14, $12,000

14^th:        Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 46-11, $12,000

15^th:        Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 46-11, $12,000

16^th:        Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 46-9, $11,500

17^th:        Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 15 bass, 46-8, $11,500

18^th:        Dakota Ebare, Denham Springs, La., 15 bass, 46-4, $11,500

19^th:        Berkley pro Joey Cifuentes, Clinton, Ark., 15 bass, 45-14, $11,500

20^th:        Johnny McCombs, Morris, Ala., 15 bass, 45-14, $11,500

21^st:        Kerry Milner, Bono, Ark., 15 bass, 45-12, $10,500

22^nd:       Josh Douglas, Isle, Minn., 15 bass, 45-7, $10,500

23^rd:        A.J. Slegona, Pine Bush, N.Y., 15 bass, 45-6, $10,500

24^th:        Jon Englund, Farwell, Minn., 15 bass, 44-13, $10,500

25^th:        Yamamoto Baits pro Larry Nixon, Quitman, Ark., 15 bass, 43-5, $10,500

26^th:        Brandon McMillan, Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 42-14, $10,500

27^th:        Jason Meninger, Saint Augustine, Fla., 15 bass, 42-14, $10,500

28^th:        Evan Barnes, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 42-10, $10,500

29^th:        Matthew Stefan, Junction City, Wis., 15 bass, 42-10, $10,500

30^th:        Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., 15 bass, 42-1, $10,500

For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.

Overall, there were 150 bass weighing 436 pounds, 13 ounces, caught by pros Saturday. All 30 pros were able to bring five-bass limits to the scale.

In FLW Tour competition, the full field of 164 pro anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Saturday. Now, only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.

The total purse for the FLW Tour at Cherokee Lake presented by Lowrance is more than $860,000. The tournament is hosted by the Economic Development Alliance, Jefferson County.

Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2019 FLW Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2019 FLW Cup will be on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 9-11 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.

Anglers will take off for the final day of competition at 7 a.m. EST Sunday from the TVA Dam Boat Launch, located at 2805 N. Highway 92, in Jefferson City. Sunday’s Championship weigh-in will be held near the launch beginning at 4 p.m.

In conjunction with the weigh-ins, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the TVA Dam Boat Launch from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday. The Expo is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, as well as learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.

Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Cherokee Lake presented by Lowrance will premiere in 2019. The exact air-date will be announced soon. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show airs each Saturday night at 7 p.m. EST and is broadcast to more than 63 million cable, satellite and telecommunications households in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean on the World Fishing Network (WFN), the leading entertainment destination and digital resource for anglers throughout North America. FLW television is also distributed internationally to FLW partner countries, including Canada, China, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and South Africa.

The popular FLW Live on-the-water program will air on Sunday, featuring live action from the boats of the tournament’s top pros. Host Travis Moran will be joined by veteran FLW Tour pro Todd Hollowell to break down the extended action 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 complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the sport’s top anglers on the FLW Tour 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, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. 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.

GEORGETOWN, S.C. —  Committing his day to a deeper pocket off the Waccamaw River, Arkansas angler Stetson Blaylock caught the largest five-bass limit of the week, weighing 17 pounds, 15 ounces, and took over the lead at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay with a three-day total of 41-12.

Blaylock said his selected area provided bass with a comfortable habitat beyond the spawn. He admitted he started the day concerned that he was running out of fish, but his persistence was rewarded with a day of steady productivity.

“I really thought that it was drying up, and I was almost to the point of thinking, ‘Okay, I’m going to end up catching five 12-inchers and wherever it happens, it happens,’” Blaylock said. “I caught that first big one — a 4-pounder at 9:50 — and that let me know that things were happening there that I wasn’t aware of.

“I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that (the pocket) is so deep out in the middle, those fish have an opportunity to keep moving up and keep moving up. I don’t think you can fish it out.”

Blaylock caught his fish by flipping a Texas-rigged YUM Christie Craw and skipping a wacky-rigged YUM Dinger. He added a nail weight to the latter for a strategic presentation.

“I think that’s the difference between me and a lot of the guys; everyone’s probably throwing weightless wacky rigs, but it seems that putting that nail weight in it gets it down faster and maybe triggers a strike or two that a slow fall won’t,” he said.

Tides proved critical in two aspects of Blaylock’s success. First, the morning’s falling tide facilitated his skipping presentations by creating an increasingly wider gap between the water’s surface and overhanging limbs. Toward the end of his day, rising water ushered bedding female bass back into a catchable position.

Blaylock’s biggest bass, a 5-pounder, had dropped nearly out of sight when he spotted the bed during low water. Returning when there was more water over the spot allowed him to tempt his day-maker.

While most of the field again made the long run south from the takeoff spot to the Cooper River, Blaylock said he refused to let thoughts of what others might be doing distract him or diminish his confidence.

“These fisheries can hurt you and burn you so bad that I try not to worry about what’s going on and try to concentrate on the next bite,” he said “That first big one I caught surprised me. I had already thoroughly fished that area the first two days, and she was just sitting up there fresh and ready to go. That means there are more fish in there than I’d thought.”

Noting that fellow angler Koby Kreiger had also fished the same area, Blaylock said he’s comfortable returning to the spot for the final round.

“I don’t know if it will be easy to catch five big ones again, but the opportunity is there,” he said. “I’m past worrying about it. I’m just going to go in there and fish like I’m the only guy in there and hope I can get five more good bites.”

In second place, Canadian Cory Johnston ran to the Cooper River and found the day’s second largest bag, a limit of 17-6 that gave him a total weight of 40-4. Noting that he threw reaction baits and soft plastics, Johnston said he quickly dialed into what the bass were doing, and he was happy to discover that more bass are moving into the areas each day.

“Today, I feel that a lot more big fish have moved in. I probably caught 25 fish today,” he said. “We had a good tide today and not a lot of wind, so it was a ‘true’ tide, and that really helped. It’s a big area but there are three specific spots within the area. They’re hard-bottom spots, and there are a lot of fish on them.”

In third place, Alabama’s Clent Davis also had his biggest day of the week. His Day 3 limit of 16-6 gave him a total weight of 38-6. Fishing in the Waccamaw River, Davis fished reeds and trees on high tide and switched to arrowhead pads during low tide.

“I fished a Nichols Saber swim jig in the shad spawn color with a white Mister Twister Buzz Bug trailer all day,” Davis said. “I just have a lot of confidence in that bait. The last time we were here, I caught a pretty good bag on it. I’ve caught 15 keepers on it every day.”

Rounding out the Top 5 are Koby Kreiger with 36-10 and John Crews with 36-5.

Crews caught a 6-7 today to anchor his catch, but Jason Williamson of Wagener, S.C., leads the $1,500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award with a 6-10 he caught in the first  round of competition.

Takeoff on Championship Sunday will be at 7 a.m. ET out of Carroll Ashmore Campbell Marine Complex, and the final weigh-in is scheduled at the same location beginning at 3:15 p.m.

2019 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2019 Bassmaster Elite At Winyah Bay Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops

2019 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors:  Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Abu Garcia, Berkley

2019 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Carhartt, Lowrance, Mossy Oak Fishing, T-H Marine, Academy Sports + Outdoors

Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay Host Sponsor: Georgetown County

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), 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 Open 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 presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

                    2019 Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay 4/11-4/14
                             Winyah Bay, Georgetown  SC.
                           (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3

   Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Stetson Blaylock       Benton, AR              15  41-12  100
  Day 1: 5   11-06     Day 2: 5   12-07     Day 3: 5   17-15
2.  Cory Johnston          Cavan CANADA            15  40-04   99
  Day 1: 5   11-02     Day 2: 5   11-12     Day 3: 5   17-06
3.  Clent Davis            Montevallo, AL          15  38-06   98
  Day 1: 5   12-14     Day 2: 5   09-02     Day 3: 5   16-06
4.  Koby Kreiger           Alva, FL                15  36-10   97
  Day 1: 5   08-11     Day 2: 5   12-11     Day 3: 5   15-04
5.  John Crews Jr          Salem, VA               15  36-05   96
  Day 1: 5   11-13     Day 2: 5   08-15     Day 3: 5   15-09
6.  Luke Palmer            Coalgate, OK            15  35-13   95
  Day 1: 5   14-02     Day 2: 5   12-06     Day 3: 5   09-05
7.  Jason Williamson       Wagener, SC             15  35-03   94
  Day 1: 5   15-11     Day 2: 5   08-11     Day 3: 5   10-13
8.  Scott Canterbury       Odenville, AL           15  34-04   93
  Day 1: 5   11-15     Day 2: 5   07-01     Day 3: 5   15-04
9.  Jesse Tacoronte        Kissimmee, FL           15  33-14   92
  Day 1: 5   10-14     Day 2: 5   13-07     Day 3: 5   09-09
10. Patrick Walters        Summerville, SC         15  33-12   91
  Day 1: 5   11-04     Day 2: 5   10-00     Day 3: 5   12-08
11. Caleb Sumrall          New Iberia, LA          15  33-04   90  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   07-11     Day 2: 5   13-07     Day 3: 5   12-02
12. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          14  32-06   89  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 5   13-15     Day 3: 4   05-03
13. Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS        15  31-15   88  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   09-11     Day 2: 5   11-15     Day 3: 5   10-05
14. Rob Digh               Denver, NC              15  31-14   87  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   09-13     Day 2: 5   11-01     Day 3: 5   11-00
15. Jake Whitaker          Fairview, NC            15  31-13   86  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   10-14     Day 2: 5   10-00     Day 3: 5   10-15
16. Lee Livesay            Gladewater, TX          15  31-08   85  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   07-11     Day 2: 5   17-03     Day 3: 5   06-10
17. Tyler Rivet            Raceland, LA            15  31-02   84  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   09-15     Day 2: 5   10-08     Day 3: 5   10-11
18. Matt Herren            Ashville, AL            15  30-14   83  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   09-10     Day 2: 5   12-01     Day 3: 5   09-03
19. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ              15  30-12   82  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 5   12-06     Day 2: 5   10-06     Day 3: 5   08-00
20. Shane LeHew            Catawba, NC             14  30-06   81  $10,000.00
  Day 1: 4   07-05     Day 2: 5   11-11     Day 3: 5   11-06
21. Bill Weidler           Helena, AL              12  30-05   80   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 4   08-10     Day 2: 5   14-10     Day 3: 3   07-01
22. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY             15  29-15   79   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   08-10     Day 2: 5   11-01     Day 3: 5   10-04
23. Jamie Hartman          Newport, NY             15  29-14   78   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   10-09     Day 2: 5   09-10     Day 3: 5   09-11
24. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL             15  29-09   77   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   10-09     Day 2: 5   07-08     Day 3: 5   11-08
25. Hunter Shryock         Newcomerstown, OH       10  29-02   76   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   15-08     Day 2: 3   08-01     Day 3: 2   05-09
26. Chris Johnston         Peterborough Ontario CA 15  29-00   75   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   07-01     Day 2: 5   13-04     Day 3: 5   08-11
27. Yusuke Miyazaki        Forney, TX              15  28-06   74   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   12-01     Day 2: 5   07-07     Day 3: 5   08-14
28. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        15  28-06   73   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   10-07     Day 2: 5   08-00     Day 3: 5   09-15
29. Garrett Paquette       Canton, MI              12  28-00   72   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   12-08     Day 2: 2   05-07     Day 3: 5   10-01
30. Brandon Card           Knoxville, TN           14  27-02   71   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   09-09     Day 2: 5   08-06     Day 3: 4   09-03
31. Dale Hightower         Mannford, OK            14  26-05   70   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   09-05     Day 2: 5   09-02     Day 3: 4   07-14
32. Mike Huff              Corbin, KY              15  25-15   69   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   07-06     Day 2: 5   11-09     Day 3: 5   07-00
33. Ray Hanselman Jr       Del Rio, TX             15  24-04   68   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   10-11     Day 2: 5   07-05     Day 3: 5   06-04
34. Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, MO        12  22-08   67   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 5   07-05     Day 2: 5   12-12     Day 3: 2   02-07
35. Todd Auten             Lake Wylie, SC           6  18-11   66   $7,500.00
  Day 1: 1   03-01     Day 2: 5   15-10     Day 3: 0   00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
 1        62       342       631-04
 2        60       347       674-12
 3        28       159       349-12
----------------------------------
         150       848      1655-12