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Spring normally means dealing with cold muddy water, Mark Menedez explains how he tricks out his Strike King spinnerbaits. Try this trick the next time your faced with cold muddy water in the spring.
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Canada’s Johnston Wins FLW Tour at Harris Chain of Lakes
LEESBURG, Fla. (Feb. 25, 2018) – Canadian pro angler Chris Johnston of Peterborough, Ontario, brought a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 6 ounces, to the scale Sunday to win the FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Lowrance with a four-day total of 20 bass weighing 79 pounds, 6 ounces. Johnston’s cumulative weight was enough for him to edge second-place pro and fellow Canadian Jeff Gustafson of Keewatin, Ontario, to earn his first FLW Tour win and a check for $125,000.
“You couldn’t ask for anything better – two Canadians up here (on the weigh-in stage),” said Johnston, who is now leading the 2018 FLW Tour Angler of the Year standings after posting two strong finishes to open the FLW Tour season. “We’re buddies. We’re going to go home happy and back to some snow and ice. It’s a vacation down here, coming to Florida, and for us to finish one and two, what more could you ask for?”
Johnston’s first stop on Sunday was a 12-foot-deep, 100-yard indentation along a weed edge on Lake Harris. A key location for him this week, Johnston used a jerkbait and ½-ounce gold-colored lipless crankbait to lure fish feeding around a shad spawn.
“I went there first thing in the morning, but was a little nervous because the bite was getting shorter each day I visited it,” said Johnston. “I couldn’t catch them there reeling. I’d let the crankbait go to the bottom and then yo-yo it to make it look like a dying shad. I’d do that after they quit chasing the jerkbait.”
Johnston weighed a tournament-best 25 pounds, 7 ounces, from the area Friday, but could only catch one useful fish Sunday – a 3-pounder.
“I moved on to my secondary area, which was near Gussy (Gustafson),” said Johnston. “It was another hydrilla flat, about a mile from the takeoff ramp. Those fish were on top, so I switched to a (white) vibrating jig with a Jackall Rhythm Wave swimbait and casted over it.”
Johnston said he hit a small flurry, but ultimately decided to leave and try other areas. After two hours with no bites, he returned to the flat and was able to cap off his limit.
“I stopped a ways out from where I’d hit the first flurry, and just as I put the trolling motor down I saw a big swirl about 50 yards away,” said Johnston. “I fired my vibrating jig out, made a couple cranks and the bass knocked it like 2 feet. It was my biggest fish today – a 4 pounder. In 15 minutes I caught around 10 bass, including a couple of 3-pounders. That last flurry was what sealed the deal for me.”
The top 10 pros on the Harris Chain of Lakes finished:
1st: Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, 20 bass, 79-6, $125,200
2nd: Jeff Gustafson, Keewatin, Ontario, 20 bass, 77-0, $30,100
3rd: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 20 bass, 75-13, $25,000
4th: Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., 20 bass, 73-15, $20,000
5th: Buddy Gross, Chickamauga, Ga., 20 bass, 69-15, $19,000
6th: Yamamoto Baits pro Matt Greenblatt, Port St. Lucie, Fla., 20 bass, 69-1, $18,000
7th: Tony Dumitras, Winston, Ga., 17 bass, 68-8, $17,000
8th: Kurt Dove, Del Rio, Texas, 20 bass, 67-0, $16,000
9th: Jared McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla., 20 bass, 66-5, $15,000
10th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 20 bass, 65-1, $14,000
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 47 bass weighing 141 pounds, 10 ounces, caught by the final 10 pros Sunday. The catch included nine five-bass limits.
Ryan Eckman of Okeechobee, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 35 pounds even, followed by Robert Kimbrough of Vero Beach, Florida, who finished in second place with 10 bass totaling 34-14, worth $7,600.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Lowrance was more than $930,000, including $10,000 through 60th place in the Pro Division. The tournament was hosted by Lake County, Florida. The next event for FLW Tour anglers will be the FLW Tour at Lake Lanier presented by Ranger, March 8-11 in Gainesville, Georgia, hosted by Gainesville Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Lowrance will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) April 11 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.
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 368 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.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2018 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 10-12 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
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.
Canada’s Johnston Maintains Lead after Day Three of FLW Tour
LEESBURG, Fla. (Feb. 24, 2018) – Canadian pro angler Chris Johnston of Peterborough, Ontario, held his lead after Day Three of the FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Lowrance after bringing a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 12 ounces, to the scale. Johnston brings a slim 14-ounce advantage over second-place pro Tony Dumitras of Winston, Georgia, heading into championship Sunday when the final 10 anglers will compete for the top prize of up to $125,000.
Johnston started his day in the same area he caught the bulk of his weight Friday – a 12-foot-deep weed edge with a long indentation on Lake Harris. He said he used two baits to catch the majority of his fish – a jerkbait and a lipless crankbait.
“It started out with a bang. By 8:15 (a.m.) I pretty much had all of my weight,” said Johnston, who is seeking his first career win on the FLW Tour. “The fish were right where they were supposed to be.”
Between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., it was a different story. Johnston said he stayed on Lake Harris, but managed to catch only a few short fish in other hydrilla-filled areas.
“With 20 minutes left in the day I got into some fish and upgraded my weight by a quarter-pound,” said Johnston. “There were a lot of fish and some shad in the area, and they were chewing. I wish I’d had another half hour out there because I think I could’ve gotten a big one.”
Johnston said his game plan for Sunday will be similar to what he’s done for the past two days.
“After the morning spot I’m hoping they will be where I left them biting today,” said Johnston. “If fish aren’t in my starting spot, I’m going to be in some trouble.”
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition at the Harris Chain of Lakes are:
1st: Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, 15 bass, 62-0
2nd: Tony Dumitras, Winston, Ga., 15 bass, 61-2
3rd: Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., 15 bass, 58-15
4th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 15 bass, 57-13
5th: Jeff Gustafson, Keewatin, Ontario, Canada, 15 bass, 55-13
6th: Buddy Gross, Chickamauga, Ga., 15 bass, 55-6
7th: Jared McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla., 15 bass, 55-4
8th: Yamamoto Baits pro Matt Greenblatt, Port St. Lucie, Fla., 15 bass, 55-0
9th: Kurt Dove, Del Rio, Texas, 15 bass, 54-15
10th: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 15 bass, 54-2
Finishing 11th through 30th are:
11th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 15 bass, 53-11, $12,000
12th: Koby Kreiger, Bokeelia, Fla., 15 bass, 52-5, $12,000
13th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 52-3, $12,000
14th: Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn., 15 bass, 51-13, $12,000
15th: Yamamoto Baits pro Larry Nixon, Bee Branch, Ark., 15 bass, 49-1, $12,000
16th: Ronald Young, Lake Wales, Fla., 15 bass, 48-14, $12,000
17th: Shawn Murphy, Nicholasville, Ky., 15 bass, 48-5, $12,000
18th: Braxton Setzer, Montgomery, Ala., 15 bass, 48-3, $12,000
19th: Bob Morin, Seymour, Tenn., 14 bass, 47-14, $12,000
20th: Boo Woods, London, Ky., 15 bass, 47-8, $12,000
21st: Jamie Horton, Centreville, Ala., 15 bass, 44-12, $10,000
22nd: John Devere, Berea, Ky., 15 bass, 44-11, $10,500
23rd: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 15 bass, 44-11, $10,000
24th: Jordan Osborne, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 44-7, $10,000
25th: Matt Reed, Madisonville, Texas, 15 bass, 44-0, $10,000
26th: Johnny McCombs, Morris, Ala., 15 bass, 43-0, $10,000
27th: Brandon Cobb, Greenwood, S.C., 15 bass, 42-12, $10,000
28th: Josh Douglas, Isle, Minn., 15 bass, 41-4, $10,000
29th: Greg Bohannan, Bentonville, Ark., 15 bass, 38-1, $10,000
30th: Harry Moore, Valley, Ala., 11 bass, 35-7, $10,000
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 145 bass weighing 427 pounds, 8 ounces, caught by the 30 pros Saturday. The catch included 28 five-bass limits.
Ryan Eckman of Okeechobee, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and $20,000 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 35 pounds even, followed by Robert Kimbrough of Vero Beach, Florida, who finished in second place with 10 bass totaling 34-14, worth $7,600.
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 368 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 now 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 the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Lowrance is more than $930,000, including $10,000 through 60th place in the Pro Division. The tournament is hosted by Lake County, Florida.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2018 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 10-12 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
The final 10 anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EST Sunday from the Venetian Gardens boat ramp, located at 201 E. Lake Harris Drive in Leesburg. Sunday’s final weigh-in will also be held at the Venetian Gardens, and will begin at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-in Sunday, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the Venetian Gardens from noon to 4 p.m. The Expo is the perfect opportunity for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Lowrance will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) April 11 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.
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.
Horton Leads Day One of FLW Tour at Harris Chain of Lakes
LEESBURG, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2018) – Pro Jamie Horton of Centreville, Alabama, grabbed the early lead at the FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Lowrance Thursday with five bass weighing 24 pounds, 13 ounces. Horton will bring a 1-ounce advantage over second-place pro Koby Kreiger of Bokeelia, Florida, into Day Two of the event that features 368 of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals and co-anglers casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the Pro Division and up to $25,000 cash in the Co-angler Division.
“I didn’t really have much of a game plan coming into today – things just kind of worked out,” said Horton, a third-year FLW Tour pro who is seeking his first win on the circuit. “I made a lot of bad decisions out there, but I also made five good ones. I didn’t get complacent – I changed areas and kept moving.”
Horton said he fished two lakes today, and that he split his time between bass feeding on shad and bass that were spawning. He said he ended up weighing two from the shad pattern and three from the beds.
“I knew I could catch a limit because I knew where enough bucks were on beds,” said Horton. “I didn’t catch many, but I caught a big one late.”
The Alabama pro said he hopes he can piece together another solid day Friday and make the top 30 cut Saturday.
“Can I catch another bag like this one tomorrow? I’m pretty sure I won’t,” said Horton. “But if I can catch a big one and a limit, then maybe I can hang around.”
The top 10 pros after day one on the Harris Chain of Lakes are:
1st: Jamie Horton, Centreville, Ala., five bass, 24-13
2nd: Koby Kreiger, Bokeelia, Fla., five bass, 24-12
3rd: John Devere, Berea, Ky., five bass, 24-4
4th: Jordan Osborne, Longview, Texas, five bass, 24-1
5th: Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn., five bass, 22-8
5th: Harry Moore, Valley, Ala., five bass, 22-8
7th: Anthony Gagliard, Prosperity, S.C., five bass, 22-7
8th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., five bass, 21-13
9th: Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., five bass, 21-3
10th: Kerry Milner, Bono, Ark., five bass, 21-1
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Devere earned the day’s $500 Simms Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 9-pound, 9-ounce largemouth.
Kreiger received a 2-pound penalty on Day One after he was found to be in violation of FLW Tour Rule No. 9, which states that all persons must be seated and a driver must be behind the steering wheel in full control of the boat whenever it is on plane or the combustion engine is running and in gear.
Overall there were 902 bass weighing 2,245 pounds, 11 ounces, caught by 183 pros Thursday. The catch included 176 five-bass limits.
Ryan Eckman of Okeechobee, Florida, leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 24 pounds, 1 ounce, followed by George Kapiton of Inverness, Florida, who weighed five bass totaling 21-7, good for second place.
The top 10 co-anglers after day one on the Harris Chain of Lakes are:
1st: Ryan Eckman, Okeechobee, Fla., five bass, 24-1
2nd: George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., five bass, 21-9
3rd: Eddie Bussard, Sanford, Fla., five bass, 21-7
4th: J.P. Sims, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 20-4,
5th: Daniel Weaver, Macon, Ga., five bass, 19-15
6th: Fred Rigdon, Belleview, Fla., five bass, 19-10
7th: Timothy Sisk, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 18-5
8th: Kevin Medine, Port Allen, La., five bass, 17-10
9th: Johnny Douglas, Liberty, Ky., five bass, 16-12
10th: Joel Willert, Lakeville, Minn., five bass, 16-4
Kevin Gordon of Aiken, South Carolina, earned $250 for the Simms Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division with a 8-pound, 15-ounce largemouth.
Overall there were 673 bass weighing 1,367 pounds, 1 ounce, caught by 175 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 91 five-bass limits.
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 368 anglers competes in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Lowrance is more than $930,000, including $10,000 through 60th place in the Pro Division. The tournament is hosted by Lake County, Florida.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing. The 2018 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug. 10-12 and is hosted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Visit Hot Springs.
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. EST each day from the Venetian Gardens boat ramp, located at 201 E. Lake Harris Drive in Leesburg. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the Venetian Gardens beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, Feb. 24-25, will also be held at the Venetian Gardens, but will begin at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 24-25, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the Venetian Gardens from noon to 4 p.m. each day. The Expo is the perfect opportunity for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at the Venetian Gardens on Saturday, Feb. 24 from 9-11 a.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to youth (18 and under) and Special Olympics athletes (all ages). Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. The 1st and 2nd place anglers that catch the biggest fish will be recognized Saturday on the FLW Tour stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at the Harris Chain of Lakes presented by Lowrance will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) April 11 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.
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.
Missile Baits Adds Bryan Schmitt
Salem, Va. – February 21, 2018 – Missile Baits is proud to announce the addition of Bryan Schmitt, of Deale, Maryland, to their Pro Staff. Bryan is a 10-time event winner with FLW Outdoors, racking up over $750,000 in earnings and 2 FLW Cup appearances. Missile Baits will fit in great with Schmitt and his shallow water, power fishing strength.
John Crews, company owner and pro angler, said, “I have known and followed Bryan for a while. He is a fantastic angler and really excels at shallow power fishing techniques. Now being armed with Missile Baits, the guys on FLW better watch out even more for Bryan.”
Bryan Schmitt added, “I’m super excited and blessed to be on the Missile Baits team and to be using proven tournament winning baits. With John as the owner and also being a top-level tournament angler, there is no doubt that I will have an advantage fishing Missile Baits. I am joining a super talented team and it will just up my game.”
Bryan finished 2nd in the first FLW Tour event last month and 4th in the first Costa Series of 2018. Schmitt will fish all the FLW Tour events in pursuit of his 3rd FLW Cup appearance. He will also fish the rest of the Coast Series in the Southeastern Division. In addition to fishing professional tournaments, Bryan is a U.S.C.G. Captain and guides for Rockfish and Stripers on the Chesapeake Bay. Go to https://www.loosenupcharters.com/ for more information on his guide business.
MISSILE BAITS is a small company dedicated to creating SERIOUS soft plastic baits to help anglers catch more fish. The designs are straight off the top-level professional bass tour. Based in Salem, Virginia, MISSILE BAITS works relentlessly to make the best baits, show their customers how to use them, and stay on the cutting edge of bass fishing. Founded in January 2012, new products and videos will continue to be launched. Log onto www.MISSILEBAITS.com for videos, tips, and more.