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Mark Daniels Jr. Cashes In At Bassmaster Elite At Lake Oahe
PIERRE, S.D. — For the first time in four days, the wind and waves were calm on mighty Lake Oahe. Mark Daniels Jr. was not. The Alabama pro started Championship Monday with a lead of more than 6 pounds over the rest of the field.
However, he struggled to get bites from the bigger bass he needed, and it seemed the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe presented by Abu Garcia was slipping through his hands.
Former Bassmaster Classic winner Casey Ashley was reported on Bassmaster.com to have caught up to Daniels. However, when the scales settled, Daniels’ last-round 13-pound, 3-ounce limit was enough to take home the big blue trophy. His final tally was 69-9, besting Ashley, the runner up, by more than 3 pounds.
“This is a special place in South Dakota! Beautiful place, beautiful people and an awesome fishery. There is nothing you can complain about here,” Daniels said before getting emotional over his very first Elite Series win. “I have literally dedicated my life to this sport. And I never gave up. And let me say one thing, if anyone out there has something they love, pursue it. I’m living proof you can live your dream if you are willing to work for it.”
And Daniels worked hard for it this week. He found an area where postspawn bass were congregating after the spawn, and he used finesse techniques to catch them. “I was fishing deep points adjacent to shallow flats. The fish were pretty finicky, so I relied heavily on a Finesse TRD soft-plastic bait by Z-Man with the mushroom head (Ned rig), and drop shotting a Z-Man Finesse WormZ,” Daniels explained.
Although the majority of the field was drop shotting, he believes he was doing something a little different. “Instead of using the worm in a traditional manner, I was wacky rigging it on the drop shot. Plus, I was able to scan around my boat with my Garmin Panoptix. This allowed me to see fish 60 feet away and then cast to them. That was crazy important as the event went on because I wouldn’t spook the bass by getting too close.”
Daniels’ victory was especially meaningful to him because it came a week after veteran Elite Series angler Ish Monroe captured the Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River presented by Go RVing. It is the first time African-American anglers have won back-to-back Elite Series events.
“Following up Ish’s win with a win here for me is monumental. Historic. As a black man representing this sport, I feel overwhelmed at the moment. I hope this inspires more people in the black community to get involved in the sport that has made my dreams come true,” Daniels said.
Ashley made a serious run at the title, bringing 16-9 to the scales today for a total of 66-5. The biggest limit of the day, however, was weighed in by Clifford Pirch. His epic comeback from 87th place on the first day of the event to a third-place finish was emphasized by the 20-pound, 11-ounce limit of bass he weighed in on Championship Monday. His monster catch included the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day, a 4-9 smallmouth. The $1,500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass bonus of the tournament, however, goes to Fred Roumbanis, who weighed in a 5-6 smallmouth on Saturday.
Not only did Daniels win the event, but he also claimed the Toyota Bonus Bucks Award of $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the program. The second highest-placing eligible entrant, Casey Ashley, received $2,000. Ashley also won the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash award of $1,000 for being the highest-placing angler who is registered and eligible and uses a client-approved product on his boat.
Bradley Roy, who chalked up a solid sixth-place finish on Oahe, climbed to the top of the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race. He was awarded $1,000 for taking over the top spot.
The Oahe event was the seventh of nine regular-season tournaments on the prestigious Bassmaster Elite Series, and it marks the first time in B.A.S.S.’s 50-year history for the organization to hold a professional tournament on the 370,000-acre impoundment.
Next up is the Huk Bassmaster Elite at Upper Chesapeake Bay presented by Mossy Oak Fishing. The event is July 26-29 in Harford County, Md.
2018 Bassmaster Elite At Lake Oahe Title Sponsor: Berkley
2018 Bassmaster Elite At Lake Oahe Presenting Sponsor: Abu Garcia
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Huk, Hummingbird, Mercury
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, T-H Marine, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Elite Partner: Black Velvet Canadian Whisky
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 500,000-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 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, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Series presented by Magellan Outdoors, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
2018 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe presented by Abu Garcia 6/29-7/2
Lake Oahe, Pierre SD.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 20 69-09 110 $100,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 20-04 Day 3: 5 17-06 Day 4: 5 13-03
2. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 20 66-05 109 $26,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 20-06 Day 3: 5 12-06 Day 4: 5 16-09
3. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 20 66-02 108 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 07-10 Day 2: 5 18-04 Day 3: 5 19-09 Day 4: 5 20-11
4. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 20 64-11 107 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 17-02 Day 3: 5 16-06 Day 4: 5 14-10
5. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 20 63-04 106 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 5 17-06 Day 4: 5 18-04
6. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 20 63-01 105 $14,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 5 17-15 Day 4: 5 13-10
7. Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN 20 62-01 104 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 14-02 Day 4: 5 17-01
8. Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 20 61-12 103 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 14-11 Day 3: 5 15-05 Day 4: 5 13-04
9. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 20 58-03 102 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 15-09 Day 3: 5 09-08 Day 4: 5 15-13
10. Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA 20 56-06 101 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 13-07 Day 3: 5 13-06 Day 4: 5 14-13
11. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 20 53-10 100 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 13-14 Day 3: 5 09-10 Day 4: 5 11-09
12. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 20 53-10 99 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 11-14 Day 3: 5 14-07 Day 4: 5 11-10
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Fred Roumbanis Russellville, AR 05-06 $1,500.00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 93 515 1130-08
2 64 432 895-05
3 41 224 526-06
4 12 60 181-01
———————————-
210 1231 2733-04
Smallmouth with Andy Montgomery
Andy Montgomery is known as a dock skipper…. don’t be fooled he can fish deep for northern smallmouth too. Having the right gear and choosing the right baits can make all the difference in the world.
See the full Strike King line up here.
Pipkins’ Combat Frog
Elite Series pro Chad Pipkins talks about the Lunkerhunt Combat Frog and explains how he used it at the Mississippi River Elite Tournament.
Mark Daniels Expands Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake Oahe
Mark Daniels Jr. of Tuskegee, Ala., maintains the lead on the third day of the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe presented by Abu Garcia, with a three-day total weight of 56 pounds, 6 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
PIERRE, S.D. — Alabama’s Mark Daniels Jr., who vaulted to the lead in the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe presented by Abu Garcia Saturday, distanced himself from the rest of the field today. The second-year Elite Series pro brought 17 pounds, 6 ounces to the scales for a three-day total of 56-6, which gives him a nearly 5 1/2-pound cushion going into Championship Monday.
“Man, it was tougher today. I need to get more bites,” Daniels said. “There is fishing pressure in the area, and I think the bass are starting to get hip to what’s going on. I had a lot of fish swim up and look at my bait and not bite today. The first day they would come eat it while it was sinking.”
Daniels is concerned that his school is almost fished out, so his impressive cushion does not make him overconfident. “Tomorrow, I’m going to expand on my area and probably try some new water. I need those 4-pound bites, and I feel like they will be pretty hard to come by if I stay where I’m at.”
Boyd Duckett made a huge surge to second place on the strength of a 16-pound, 6-ounce limit of smallmouth on Day 3. This pushed his total to 50-1. The Alabama pro and former Bassmaster Classic champion credits his success to fish management.
“During practice, I had found three schools of fish,” he said. “One was a community hole that a lot of guys found. One was a little less obvious. And my third was a little hidey hole that I was hoping nobody found.
“I started the first day on the community hole and then went and caught a couple on my second place. Yesterday I just fished my second spot and it had one other angler on it. Today, I finished out my limit on the hidey hole and nobody was on it. So, I feel good about starting there tomorrow.”
Like the majority of the field, Duckett is focusing on postspawn bass.
“These fish are pretty beat up from the spawn and just are not biting like smallmouth usually bite,” he noted. “But, there should be more fish coming to these areas. I just need one of these Oahe 5-pounders to bite.”
Casey Ashley, who smashed the biggest limit of the tournament Saturday, struggled to match the efforts of his first two days. Still, the 12-6 he caught today was enough to hold on to third with a total of 49-12.
“I got to my spot first thing this morning, and it was really strange. Current was flowing through the area spinning my boat in circles. Once I finally figured out how to position my boat to make the right cast, I caught a 4 1/2-pounder and thought it was going to be on. I was wrong.”
Ashley said he was still marking fish on his sonar unit, but he couldn’t make them bite. “Man, I threw a drop shot, a swimbait … every ‘cricket’ I had in my boat, and they just wouldn’t eat. Hopefully they will be in a better mood tomorrow.”
The biggest jump of the day went to Bradley Roy, the current leader for the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title. The Kentucky pro wowed the crowd with a 17-15 limit of smallmouth, giving him a total of 49-7, and jumped all the way to fourth place.
“This lake was new to me, and I had a bad practice. But I found a little spot and decided to dedicate my tournament to the area,” Roy said.
That spot just happened to be the same area both Daniels and Ashley are fishing. Knowing that Daniels had a chance to win, he decided to give him that spot and find new water. That decision paid off. “It’s weird. It’s like random collisions with these fish. They are hanging around the structure, but they are not on the bottom. Most of the fish I’m catching are suspended in the middle of the water column. If you stay on a spot long enough, you’ll eventually see one and hopefully catch it.”
The field was cut to the Top 12 anglers for Monday’s Championship round. Other top anglers qualifying for the finals and a chance at the $100,000 first prize are Josh Bertrand, 48-8; Clifford Pirch, 45-7; Dean Rojas, 45-0; Jacob Wheeler, 45-0; Justin Lucas, 42-6; Jordan Lee, 42-1; Edwin Evers 42-0; and Brent Ehrler, 41-9.
Edwin Evers caught a 4-15, which was the Phoenix Big Bass of the day. Yesterday’s 5-6 smallmouth landed by Fred Roumbanis still holds on to the first-place spot for the tournament, and will give him a $1,500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass bonus if it stands.
Daily takeoff is scheduled for 6 a.m. CT from the Spring Creek Resort & Marina, and the final weigh-in will be held at Steamboat Park in Pierre at 3:45 p.m.
2018 Bassmaster Elite At Lake Oahe Title Sponsor: Berkley
2018 Bassmaster Elite At Lake Oahe Presenting Sponsor: Abu Garcia
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Carhartt, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, T-H Marine, Academy Sports + Outdoors
2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Elite Partner: Black Velvet Canadian Whisky
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 500,000-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 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, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Series presented by Magellan Outdoors, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
2018 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Oahe presented by Abu Garcia 6/29-7/2
Lake Oahe, Pierre SD.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Mark Daniels Jr. Tuskegee, AL 15 56-06 110
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 20-04 Day 3: 5 17-06
2. Boyd Duckett Guntersville, AL 15 50-01 109
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 17-02 Day 3: 5 16-06
3. Casey Ashley Donalds, SC 15 49-12 108
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 20-06 Day 3: 5 12-06
4. Bradley Roy Lancaster, KY 15 49-07 107
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 5 17-15
5. Josh Bertrand San Tan Valley, AZ 15 48-08 106
Day 1: 5 18-08 Day 2: 5 14-11 Day 3: 5 15-05
6. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 15 45-07 105
Day 1: 5 07-10 Day 2: 5 18-04 Day 3: 5 19-09
7. Dean Rojas Lake Havasu City, AZ 15 45-00 104
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 5 17-06
8. Jacob Wheeler Harrison, TN 15 45-00 103
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 14-02
9. Justin Lucas Guntersville, AL 15 42-06 102
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 15-09 Day 3: 5 09-08
10. Jordan Lee Grant, AL 15 42-01 101
Day 1: 5 18-09 Day 2: 5 13-14 Day 3: 5 09-10
11. Edwin Evers Talala, OK 15 42-00 100
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 11-14 Day 3: 5 14-07
12. Brent Ehrler Redlands, CA 15 41-09 99
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 13-07 Day 3: 5 13-06
13. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 14 39-11 98 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 4 11-06 Day 3: 5 11-10
14. David Fritts Lexington, NC 11 39-04 97 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 5 18-01 Day 3: 1 01-12
15. Adrian Avena Vineland, NJ 15 39-01 96 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 10-15 Day 3: 5 11-11
16. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 15 38-07 95 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 08-10 Day 3: 5 18-05
17. Todd Faircloth Jasper, TX 15 37-08 94 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 13-07 Day 3: 5 12-15
18. Shin Fukae Palestine TX JAPAN 15 37-05 93 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 10-12
19. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 15 36-13 92 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 12-00 Day 3: 5 13-07
20. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 15 35-14 91 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 07-11 Day 3: 5 16-03
21. Brandon Palaniuk Hayden, ID 15 35-13 90 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 11-03 Day 3: 5 08-14
22. Andy Montgomery Blacksburg, SC 12 34-00 89 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 2 04-02
23. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 15 33-14 88 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-01 Day 2: 5 15-14 Day 3: 5 09-15
24. Dustin Connell Clanton, AL 15 33-14 87 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 11-04
25. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 15 33-13 86 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 09-11 Day 3: 5 10-10
26. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 13 33-11 85 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 16-04 Day 3: 3 08-01
27. Bobby Lane Jr. Lakeland, FL 15 33-09 84 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-05 Day 2: 5 13-04 Day 3: 5 12-00
28. Chad Pipkens Lansing, MI 15 33-06 83 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 10-00 Day 3: 5 08-05
29. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 15 32-14 82 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 11-11 Day 3: 5 09-11
30. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 13 32-08 81 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 3 03-05 Day 3: 5 14-03
31. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 15 32-08 80 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 09-14 Day 3: 5 12-00
32. Brandon Card Knoxville, TN 13 32-00 79 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 3 03-06 Day 3: 5 12-06
33. Alton Jones Jr. Waco, TX 15 31-13 78 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 09-10 Day 3: 5 08-10
34. Ott DeFoe Blaine, TN 15 31-12 77 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 05-11 Day 3: 5 13-03
35. Dave Lefebre Erie, PA 15 31-09 76 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 5 13-15 Day 3: 5 08-07
36. Jesse Wiggins Cullman, AL 10 30-09 75 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 3 09-01 Day 3: 2 06-13
37. Seth Feider Bloomington, MN 15 30-07 74 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 09-07 Day 3: 5 09-04
38. Jeff Kriet Ardmore, OK 15 28-03 73 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 07-13 Day 3: 5 08-13
39. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 13 28-00 72 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 08-10 Day 2: 4 09-10 Day 3: 5 09-12
40. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 15 27-12 71 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 5 09-03 Day 3: 5 08-05
41. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 10 27-08 70 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 10-07 Day 2: 3 08-12 Day 3: 3 08-05
42. Marty Robinson Lyman, SC 15 27-02 69 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 07-00 Day 3: 5 08-12
43. Mike McClelland Bentonville, AR 15 27-02 68 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 5 09-05 Day 3: 5 08-01
44. Brandon Coulter Knoxville, TN 12 27-00 67 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-13 Day 2: 4 08-01 Day 3: 3 04-02
45. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 12 26-06 66 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 11-05 Day 3: 2 03-04
46. James Elam Tulsa, OK 15 26-03 65 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 08-01 Day 3: 5 06-13
47. Fletcher Shryock Dennison, OH 15 25-14 64 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 5 07-02 Day 3: 5 06-02
48. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 11 25-09 63 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-01 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 1 02-15
49. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 15 25-06 62 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 08-06 Day 2: 5 10-08 Day 3: 5 06-08
50. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 12 23-02 61 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 07-01 Day 3: 2 02-13
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 93 515 1130-08
2 64 432 895-05
3 41 224 526-06
———————————-
198 1171 2552-03
Grigsby Finishes Strong To Win FLW Tour on Lake St. Clair
DETROIT, Mich. (July 1, 2018) – FLW Tour pro Chad Grigsby of Maple Grove, Minnesota, brought a five-bass limit of smallmouth weighing 26 pounds, 4 ounces to the scale Sunday to win the FLW Tour at Lake St. Clair presented by Mercury and the top prize of $125,000 – his second-career FLW Tour win. Grigsby’s four-day total of 20 bass weighing 97-8 gave him the win by a 2-pound, 3-ounce margin over second-place angler Costa pro Dylan Hays of Sheridan, Arkansas, who weighed 20 bass for 95-5 to finish second and earn $30,200.
“I love this lake and today was one of those days that was just incredible,” said Grigsby, a five-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier. “I’m at a loss for words on how good the lake is fishing. Michigan is my home state, and I’ve been fishing here for 20 years. I’ve never seen it so good. The fishing has been phenomenal – it’s been a really special week.”
Grigsby caught his bass this week fishing an area he estimated as 1/8 of a mile stretch on the southern Canadian side of St. Clair that he had all to himself.
“I found this group of fish during practice and I knew after the first day that this was a really special spot,” Grigsby said. “It had all of the right ingredients – a ton of bait, grass patches, sand, and it was deep. It was loaded with fish. I was so disappointed yesterday when I only weighed in 21 pounds, and that’s just ridiculous.”
Grigsby credited three baits as being key for him this week – a Duo Realis Spinbait 80 spybait, a 4-inch green pumpkin and gold-colored Venom Lures Tube on a ¾ ounce Venom jig head, and a ¼-ounce black marabou hair jig.
“I only weighed in two fish on the hair jig, but they were key fish for me on Day Two when they weren’t biting the spybait,” Grigsby said. “The key for me was being able to adjust with the conditions. I couldn’t get bit on the spybait if it was rough, and I couldn’t get bit on a tube when it was slick. I had a combination of different baits for the conditions.”
Grigsby’s win highlights a season which saw his return to the FLW Tour and qualification for his first Forrest Wood Cup appearance since 2010 after a two-year stint on the Bassmaster Elite Series.
“To get this win is just awesome,” said Grigsby. “I’ve had to overcome a lot of my own demons. I’ve had such a bad last two years I didn’t even feel comfortable fishing anymore. I had no confidence. Coming back to the Tour – especially these last four events – I finally feel relaxed, comfortable and confident in my abilities as an angler. And now winning here just blows everything out of the water.”
The top 10 pros on Lake St. Clair finished:
1st: Chad Grigsby, Maple Grove, Minn., 20 bass, 97-8, $125,000
2nd: Costa pro Dylan Hays, Sheridan, Ark., 20 bass, 95-5, $30,200
3rd: Brad Knight, Lancing, Tenn., 20 bass, 92-5, $25,100
4th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., 20 bass, 89-11, $20,000
5th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 20 bass, 87-13, $19,000
6th: Todd Castledine, Nacogdoches, Texas, 20 bass, 85-1, $18,000
7th: Cody Hahner, Wausau, Wis., 20 bass, 84-11, $17,000
8th: Bass Pro Shops pro Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 20 bass, 82-14, $16,000
9th: Ryan Chandler, Hebron, Ind., 20 bass, 82-6, $15,500
10th: Joey Cifuentes, Clinton, Ark., 20 bass, 82-3, $14,000
Complete results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 50 bass weighing 211 pounds, 9 ounces caught by pros Sunday. All of the final 10 pros weighed in five-bass limits.
Mark Myers of Cedar Falls, Iowa, won the Co-angler Division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 42 pounds, 4 ounces, followed by Billy Messer of Spartanburg, South Carolina, who finished in second place with 10 bass totaling 41-4, worth $7,550.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lake St. Clair presented by Mercury will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) Aug. 8 from Noon-1 p.m. EST. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lake St. Clair presented by Mercury was more than $930,000. The tournament was hosted by the Detroit Sports Commission, Macomb County, the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Authority and the Sterling Heights Regional Chamber of Commerce. The next event for FLW Tour anglers will be the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 10-12 hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of 360 anglers competed in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concluded following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continued competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
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, YouTube and Snapchat.
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 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 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, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, 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, YouTube and Snapchat.