THE LATEST NEWS

Hartman Hauls Home Toyota Bonus Bucks

by admin | Apr 10, 2019 | Industry News | 0 Comments

Jamie Hartman loves his current job as a “part-time truck driver” far more than the 10-years he spent hauling paper products around Central New York near his home waters of Oneida Lake.

Now, as a full time Bassmaster Elite Series pro, Hartman still drives a truck 40,000 miles a year, but it’s a Toyota Tundra, not an 18-wheeler, and pro angling is actually his full time profession.

“Let me be honest, there was absolutely nothing great about being a truck driver except they agreed to give me all the time off I needed to go fishing. Which pretty much meant if I wasn’t driving truck, I wasn’t getting paid,” says Hartman, who loves the towing power of his Tundra.

Hartman made one of the most daring and documented career moves in modern day pro angling history when he resigned his trucking job, put everything he owned in a storage facility, and went all-in on a career as a Bassmaster pro.

Things are working out just fine.

He’s won prize money in 75-percent of the B.A.S.S. tournaments he’s fished, and just cashed-in on Toyota Bonus Bucks for his 8th place finish at the Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Hartwell. Because like all Bonus Bucks sanctioned events – you don’t have to win the tournament to win the Bonus Bucks, you simply have to be the highest finishing registered participant.

You also don’t have to be a pro to cash in on Toyota Bonus Bucks. You just have to drive a 2015 or newer Toyota Truck, sign up Free for Bonus Bucks, and like Hartman, be the highest finishing registered participant in one of the dozens of local and regional tournaments supported by the program.

To learn more, please visit www.toyotafishing.com, or call (918) 742-6424 and ask for Kendell or Jarrett and they will help you get signed-up.

Lawyer Loads Up on Cover Cash at Grand Lake

by admin | Apr 9, 2019 | Industry News | 0 Comments

While Grand Lake provided Jeremy Lawyer with the 1st FLW Tour win of his career, the friendly pro from Sarcoxie, MO is no stranger to hoisting a first place trophy. In the last three years alone, Lawyer has added a BFL All American (2016) and an FLW Costa Series (2018) win to his impressive list of accolades.

Lawyer has also become well acquainted with earning bonus money through contingency programs like Leer “Cover Cash” and Toyota “Bonus Bucks” the last few years. Pocketing another $500 from Leer and $2000 via Toyota for his finish on Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees. These two programs, among others, have been especially kind to Lawyer throughout his career.

“I’ve owned several Toyota Tundras and gosh I’d guess at least 5 Leer truck caps or tonneau covers in my career,” Lawyer proudly claimed. “Both companies make great products, support the fishing industry, and have awesome rewards programs for us anglers. To me, it’s really a no brainer when it comes time to purchase a new truck or truck bed cover.”

Anglers don’t need to be Tour level pros to take advantage of these programs, and you don’t even need to finish in 1st place like Lawyer to earn extra cash. You simply have to be the highest placing registered participant in either Leer Cover Cash or Toyota Bonus Bucks. These programs are available for a myriad of tournaments; from FLW Tour events, to T-H Marine BFLs, several Team Tournament trails and a whole host of others.

Cody Meyer Talks Power Poles

by admin | Apr 8, 2019 | Fishing Tips | 0 Comments

Cody Meyer talks about why Power Poles are so important to him and why they make him a better angler.

Follow Cody on Facebook

Instagram: @codymeyerangler

See the full Power pole line up here.

Cobb Puts Finishing Touches On Wire-To-Wire Victory In Bassmaster Elite At Lake Hartwell

by admin | Apr 8, 2019 | Tournament News | 0 Comments

ANDERSON, S.C. — Many anglers have led the first three rounds of a Bassmaster Elite Series event, only to have the title slip through their hands on the final day.

More times than not, pressure was the culprit.

But if South Carolina pro Brandon Cobb felt pressure a single time during this week’s Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell, he certainly hid it well.

South Carolina’s Brandon Cobb goes wire-to-wire in the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell with a four-day total of 72 pounds, 4 ounc

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

Cobb, who lives in nearby Greenwood, S.C., took the lead on Day 1 of the event and never relinquished it, slamming the door on his first Elite Series victory with a final-day catch of 16 pounds, 14 ounces on Championship Sunday. His four-day winning weight of 72-4 earned him a $100,000 paycheck and the iconic blue trophy that goes to every Elite Series winner.

“Staying calm definitely made the difference for me,” said Cobb, who stayed at his own house and made the 50-minute drive to Lake Hartwell each day. “I don’t do well if I get flustered. I start running around a lot, and it just doesn’t go well for me.

“Being on my home lake helped, too. I literally never ran out of places where I felt like I was going to catch one.”

Cobb caught 19-9, 17-8, 18-5 and 16-14 in four days — and he did most of his damage with two baits. He used a green pumpkin Zoom Fluke Stick when he was moving through shallow areas where he thought spawning beds were present and a 1/8-ounce Greenfish Tackle shaky head with a green pumpkin Zoom Trick Worm when he was stopped, fishing for bass he could actually see on bed.

“I was going down spawning areas throwing that Fluke Stick at anything that even looked like a bed, hoping to catch them before I got there,” Cobb said. “If the fish didn’t bite before I got up there, I’d Power-Pole down, pick up a shaky head with a Trick Worm and fish for him until I caught him.”

Unlike many anglers who were forced to devote large chunks of time to a single bedding fish throughout the week, Cobb caught his bedding bass quickly — and that helped him make the most of his time on the water.

“Probably 10 minutes was about the longest I spent on one fish this week,” said Cobb, who was fishing just his 14th major event with B.A.S.S. “Today, I caught three fish off one bed, and that probably took me about 15 minutes.

“I think I only saw two fish this week that I didn’t catch, and that’s because they were spawning, rolling together — and you can’t do anything with them when they’re doing that.”

Though it’s Cobb’s first season on the Elite Series, the 29-year-old pro is not considered a rookie because he won more than $400,000 in 105 events with FLW Fishing. He won two BFL events with FLW, but never managed to claim a Tour-level championship.

“Basically, everything went exactly the way I wanted it to go this week,” Cobb said. “I don’t think I lost a single fish all week — and if I did lose one, I caught it again in just a few minutes.

“I’ve been so close so many times to winning tournaments like this and just never quite been able to put it together. But it all came together this week.”

Though Cobb struggled early Sunday morning while trying to exploit a blueback herring spawn that has just begun on Lake Hartwell, he said he always knew he could go and catch a good limit of bass doing the same things he’d been doing all week.

Once he finally started putting bass in the boat, his victory seemed like a foregone conclusion. His closest competition came from Arkansas pro Stetson Blaylock who finished second with 68-11. Georgia pro Micah Frazier finished third with 63-6 and Florida angler Drew Cook took fourth with 63-4.

Cook’s performance was enough to put him in first place in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings and the race for DICK’S Sporting Goods Rookie of the Year.

Blaylock took home the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award worth $1,500 with a 5-15 largemouth he caught during Saturday’s semifinal round.

Florida rookie Drew Cook claimed the lead in both the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year and the DICK`S Sporting Goods Rookie of Year race, after three events, earning $1,000 for AOY and $500 for ROY. Cook’s impressive rookie campaign includes three Top 20 finishes, including a fourth place finish at Lake Hartwell. The highest-scoring rookie at the end of the 10-event Elite season will collect the $10,000 ROY prize.

The two highest finishing anglers eligible for Toyota Bonus Bucks were Jamie Hartman and Chad Pipkens. Hartman finished 8th and added $3,000 to his purse, while Pipkens finished 9th earning a $2,000 bonus.

2019 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

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

2019 Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell Host Sponsor: Visit Anderson

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 Lake Hartwell 4/4-4/7
                                   Lake Hartwell, Anderson  SC.
                                 (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4

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

1.  Brandon Cobb           Greenwood, SC           20  72-04  100 $100,000.00
  Day 1: 5   19-09     Day 2: 5   17-08     Day 3: 5   18-05     Day 4: 5   16-14
2.  Stetson Blaylock       Benton, AR              20  68-11   99  $26,500.00
  Day 1: 5   13-10     Day 2: 5   16-13     Day 3: 5   19-03     Day 4: 5   19-01
3.  Micah Frazier          Newnan, GA              20  63-06   98  $20,000.00
  Day 1: 5   17-09     Day 2: 5   18-03     Day 3: 5   14-00     Day 4: 5   13-10
4.  Drew Cook              Midway, FL              20  63-04   97  $16,500.00
  Day 1: 5   14-04     Day 2: 5   20-06     Day 3: 5   14-13     Day 4: 5   13-13
5.  Shane LeHew            Catawba, NC             20  61-15   96  $15,000.00
  Day 1: 5   14-10     Day 2: 5   13-06     Day 3: 5   19-08     Day 4: 5   14-07
6.  Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY             20  61-10   95  $15,000.00
  Day 1: 5   13-01     Day 2: 5   15-09     Day 3: 5   17-00     Day 4: 5   16-00
7.  Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          20  60-15   94  $15,000.00
  Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   18-03     Day 3: 5   14-14     Day 4: 5   11-14
8.  Jamie Hartman          Newport, NY             20  59-06   93  $15,000.00
  Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 5   16-03     Day 3: 5   16-04     Day 4: 5   13-00
9.  Chad Pipkens           Lansing, MI             20  58-02   92  $15,000.00
  Day 1: 5   14-10     Day 2: 5   15-03     Day 3: 5   16-01     Day 4: 5   12-04
10. Hank Cherry Jr         Lincolnton, NC          20  56-08   91  $15,000.00
  Day 1: 5   17-09     Day 2: 5   13-15     Day 3: 5   14-11     Day 4: 5   10-05
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
     Stetson Blaylock         Benton, AR          05-15      $1,500.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
 1        72       367       970-13
 2        69       359       893-04
 3        35       175       506-03
 4        10        50       141-04
----------------------------------
         186       951      2511-08

Brandon Cobb In Position For Wire-To-Wire Victory In Bassmaster Elite At Lake Hartwell

by admin | Apr 6, 2019 | Tournament News | 0 Comments

ANDERSON, S.C. — For three days, the field has been waiting for Brandon Cobb to stumble.

It hasn’t happened yet — and now, they’re almost out of time.

Cobb caught five bass today that weighed 18 pounds, 5 ounces and held on to the lead for the third straight day in the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell. His three-day total of 55-6 gives him more than a 5-pound cushion over his closest competitors going into Championship Sunday and a chance at a rare wire-to-wire victory in an Elite Series event.

South Carolina’s Brandon Cobb leads going into Championship Sunday of the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell with a three-day total of 55 pounds, 6 ounces.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

“I don’t know how many fish I went through today that weighed from about 2-4 to 2-11,” said Cobb, whose thumbs were red and raw from handling bass today. “I caught so many fish, but I just couldn’t find any big ones in the area I had been fishing.

“That’s why I finally decided to change areas.”

Cobb went to an area that he said was “new for this tournament, but certainly not new” to him as a bass angler on Lake Hartwell. He grew up fishing the lake and was actually a member of the bass fishing team for Clemson University, which is positioned on the banks of Hartwell.

Once he changed locations, he quickly caught his biggest fish of the day — a largemouth in the 5-pound range.

“I actually caught two pretty good ones out of that area,” Cobb said. “So, I might just change things up and spend all day in there tomorrow or at least go there a little earlier.”

Coming into the week, Cobb was afraid his history on the lake would serve as a detriment because a string of unusually cold nights and a steadily falling lake level has had the fish behaving strangely.

But he survived Thursday’s first round with a catch of 19-9 and maintained the lead with 17-8 Friday. Now, he believes the conditions are normalizing on Hartwell — and he thinks that could play into his hands as he tries to become the first wire-to-wire winner on the Elite Series since 2016.

“In practice, the fish weren’t doing anything like they would normally do this time of year,” Cobb said. “So, I was really worried that my history here would hurt me — or at least not help me very much.

“But as the week has gone on, the fish have started acting exactly like they’re supposed to. Since they didn’t do it all week in practice, a lot of people aren’t ready for it — but I feel like I am.”

If Cobb is to complete the start-to-finish win, he’ll have to hold off a logjam of anglers with weights in the 49-pound range. Micah Frazier (49-12), Stetson Blaylock (49-10), Drew Cook (49-7) and Bill Lowen (49-1) are all within relatively easy striking distance of Cobb if he finally stumbles.

Blaylock, a third-year Elite Series pro from Benton, Ark., was the biggest mover Saturday, bringing in five bass that weighed 19-3 to rise from 10th place into third. His catch was anchored by a 5-15 largemouth that gave him the lead in the race for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award.

“I thought that biggest fish would weigh better than 6 pounds when I was fishing for it,” Blaylock said. “But that’s been the story all week — they all look bigger in the water than they do when you catch them.

“I’ve spent a lot of time on fish this week that I thought were 3-pounders and they didn’t even help me. I can’t understand how they can be so long, but then be so skinny.”

Since warm conditions have settled into the region, Blaylock said big things are possible Sunday.

“I feel like the areas that I’m fishing should be running out and I should be disappointed,” he said. “But in the back of my mind, I keep thinking that they’re showing up.

“So I’m just gonna let it unfold, and hopefully they’ll keep showing up some more.”

The Top 10 remaining pros will fish on Championship Sunday with takeoff scheduled for 7 a.m. ET from Green Pond Landing and Event Center. The weigh-in will be held back at the same site at 3:15 p.m., with the winning pro earning a $100,000 first-place prize.

A special expo will also be held Sunday at Green Pond Landing with demo rides of a Nitro, Skeeter and Triton boats, prizes from Toyota and Academy Sports + Outdoors, fun activities at the Berkley/Abu Garcia Experience trailer and more.

Sunday is also B.A.S.S. Member Appreciation Day. Fans who show their B.A.S.S. member cards at the B.A.S.S. Merchandise booth will receive a free Bassmaster hat.

Sunday will also feature the Elite LIVE Watch Party from noon-2 p.m. Fans can watch Bassmaster LIVE and hang out with special guests and possibly have a chance to be on the show.