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Powroznik Storms Back To Win Bassmaster Central Open On Lewis Smith Lake
JASPER, Ala. — Jacob Powroznik had one goal in mind when he signed up for the entire 2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens schedule: requalify for the Bassmaster Elite Series.
Jacob Powroznik, of North Prince George, Va.., has won the 2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open at Lewis Smith Lake with a three-day total of 37 pounds, 9 ounces.
Photo by Dalton Tumblin/B.A.S.S.
Saturday was another major step toward accomplishing that goal, as Powroznik rallied in the final round to win the second Central Open of the season, on Alabama’s Lewis Smith Lake, with a three-day total of 37 pounds, 9 ounces.
After catching 11-12 on Day 1 and 11-8 on the second day, the North Prince George, Va., native landed 14-5 of spotted bass on the final day, propelling him past Days 1 and 2 leader Nick LeBrun, who caught just three keeper bass on the final day to finish with a three-day total of 33-6.
Not only does Powroznik maintain his lead in the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year standings, but he also punches his ticket to the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk at Lake Hartwell. The win is his fifth in Bassmaster competition.
“It is a dream come true. That is what you fish for,” Powroznik said. “My best friend Hank (Cherry) has won it two years in a row, so now I’ve got something to shoot for. I put myself in to requalify for the Elite Series, and then to be able to come here and win this tournament is a blessing.
“It all kind of came together and I can’t wait to get to Hartwell. God is good and I love bass fishing.”
Powroznik’s pattern all week centered around standing timber in deep water areas where suspended spotted bass were feeding on blueback herring. Some of the trees he was fishing were in over 100 feet of water, but the bass were suspended only 20 feet deep.
“I was fishing in ditches that run into pockets and they had to have standing timber that was taller than anything else,” he said. “The thermocline was at about 35 feet this week, so those bass would never go below that.”
After experimenting with several techniques in practice, Powroznik settled on a V&M Drop Shad rigged on a 3/16- or 1/4-ounce jighead paired with a Quantum Smoke spinning outfit and 10-pound High Seas braid and an 8-pound fluorocarbon leader. He added his Lowrance Active Target units were essential as he could watch how the bass reacted to the bait as it fell to them.
“The technique is called tight-lining,” he said. “When I know it is going to fall right to them, I’ll hold my rod and it will pendulum down. It looks like a dying shad or a herring, whatever they are after. They didn’t want anything with a paddletail, they wanted it kind of clean and one of them was going to get it.”
Powroznik noticed distinct feeding windows for the spotted bass.
“They would bite right off the bat and then there would be an hour or two lull,” he said. “Once it got to be around noon, that’s when they clustered around those trees a whole lot better. And then they would slack off toward the end.”
While there had been a couple of striper fishing boats in his areas throughout the tournament, Powroznik didn’t have very much fishing pressure around him throughout the week. When he arrived at his spot Saturday, there were a few more boats, but he was able to find success.
“I don’t ever say this, but I told my buddy that I might have found the winning bag of fish,” Powroznik said. “I ended up catching a big one right off the bat and then I caught another one. I am never sitting still, so I moved around and ended up catching another big one. They were bigger than the ones I had been catching all week.
“Being around the striper fisherman, they know what is in there and the stripers feed on herring and so do the big spots.”
After leading through the first two days with 15-2 on Day 1 and 12-13 on Day 2, LeBrun weighed in just three bass for 5-7 to drop into second place.
“It was a great week,” LeBrun said. “Something changed with those suspended fish. It was tough to get bites and when they did they were small and I hadn’t had that problem all week. It seemed like the bait was up at the surface a lot more and I think that was due to the lack of boat traffic. When the fish were busting, I couldn’t catch them.”
Hometown favorite Jesse Wiggins finished in third with 33-3, jumping up from fifth place with a Day 3 bag that weighed 10-10.
“Overall, I’m not satisfied but I’m pleased,” Wiggins said. “It could have been a lot worse. I know how fickle it is and it could have been a really bad deal. I’m excited to be in the Top 10. It was a tough week and this lake doesn’t handle boat pressure really well, especially during a tough time of year.”
After a tough Day 1, Wiggins went all in on a largemouth pattern on Day 2 to catch 12-6 to get to the final day.
“The water cleaned up a little and I was able to grind out 10 pounds on Day 1,” Wiggins said. “I started on my river stuff Day 2 and they were biting. I caught them all on a Jackall Firecracker Buzzbait and then one on a squarebill.
“Today I went back up there and caught a few on a buzzbait and a couple on a shaky head and my second biggest one on a squarebill.”
With a 5-15 largemouth on Day 1, Brandon Ackerson won the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament and earned $750.
With 1,371 points, Powroznik leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year standings. Tommy Williams is second with 1,301 and Daisuke Aoki is third with 1,269.
Joseph Webster leads the Central Opens standings with 381 points while Jay Przekurat and Brandon Lester are tied for second with 378.
The final Central Open is scheduled for Grand Lake in Grove, Okla., Oct. 21-23. The final three Central Opens Elite Series invites will be awarded at the conclusion of that tournament as well as the invites from the overall Opens standings.
The Chamber of Commerce of Walker County hosted the event.
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Basspro.com
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon, Rapala
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, 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, Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
The post Powroznik Storms Back To Win Bassmaster Central Open On Lewis Smith Lake appeared first on Bass365.com.
Big Morning Lifts Hollen And Clark To Bassmaster Junior Championship Win
HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — A double dose of early excitement set Bo Hollen and Ari Clark of the Mon Valley Bassmasters on course to winning the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior National Championship on Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake. They had a two-day total of 19 pounds, 11 ounces.
Bo Hollen and Ari Clark, of West Virginia’s Mon Valley Bassmasters, have won the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior National Championship at Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake with a two-day total of 19 pounds, 11 ounces. Photo by Emily Hand/B.A.S.S
Starting their day on a windward mid-lake point that went from about 7 to 25 feet, the anglers threw Carolina rigs with 1-ounce weights, 3-foot leaders and green pumpkin Strike King Space Monkey baits.
“We caught our first big one (an 8-pounder) around 7:20,” Clark said. “Then the 5-pounder was at 7:45, so they were near each other. We knew we’d get in the Top 10, but I told myself ‘We need to catch another one at least 4 pounds if we’re going to get first.’
“We tried; we didn’t get it, but we still won.”
After placing 28th on Day 1 with a four-fish bag of 3-8, the anglers from West Virginia more than quadrupled their productivity by turning in a final-round limit of 16-3 — the event’s heaviest catch. For their efforts, Hollen and Clark will split a $2,000 scholarship.
Hollen said the point they fished was a place they had visited during a previous Bassmaster Junior National Championship event. Patient presentations were the key.
“We made long casts and reeled it kind of slow,” Hollen said.
Hollen and Clark caught a few fish — including their first keeper of the day — on a drop shot. They fished this finesse rig with 4- and 6-inch Roboworms in the morning dawn color.
Hollen, who had plenty to say on stage, was nearly speechless when he lifted his trophy. Clark shared the enthusiasm and noted that catching a pair of kickers sweetens the experience.
“I’m shocked because I don’t get to see bass that big a lot,” he said. “The fact that I got to see an 8- and 5-pounder just blows my mind.”
Clayburn Reed and Gavin Gooding of Academy at the Farm finished second with 16-7. After placing 11th on Day 1 with a 5-pound limit, the Florida anglers added a four-fish bag of 11-7, which included a 6-12. Reed and Gooding earned a $1,000 scholarship.
“We changed things up today after we figured something out yesterday,” Reed said. “Today, we figured we should fish topwaters shallow in the morning. We were mostly fishing offshore yesterday, but we saw some bigger fish moving up shallow.
“This morning, we went to a cove and fished shallow and caught (that big fish) on a Yo-Zuri Pencil Popper in a translucent shad color.”
Gooding said he and his partner caught the other three keepers on a Texas-rigged pink stickworm. They fished that bait around shallow trees and offshore grass.
Brooks Hibbit and Grant Buzard of the Hartley’s Hawgs Youth Fishing Club finished third with 16-3. Catching an 8-1 gave them a big Day 1 lead with a 12-1 limit. Today, they could manage only 4 fish for 4-2.
“If we hadn’t caught that big fish (on Friday), we probably would have had only 8 pounds (total),” Hibbit said. “We weren’t on them today. It kind of started like it did on Day 1; about two hours in, no fish.
“But we got three fish in like 10 to 15 minutes. It was probably 10 casts, but that was the only hot action we had. We probably moved back and forth across the lake three or four times, just looking for spots, but it didn’t work that well.”
Sticking with their Day 1 strategy, Hibbit and Buzard slow-rolled Carolina-rigged green pumpkin Venom Trench Hogs. They used 4-foot leaders to allow the bait to float up as the weight impacted bottom structure.
For their third-place finish, Hibbit and Buzard won a $500 scholarship. They also took home the $200 Big Bass scholarship for their 8-1.
The Bassmaster Junior Series National Championship was hosted by the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce.
2021 Bassmaster Junior Series Title Sponsor: Mossy Oak Fishing
2021 Bassmaster Junior Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2021 Bassmaster Junior Series Premier Sponsors: Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2021 Bassmaster Junior Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon, Rapala, TNT Fireworks
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, 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, Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
The post Big Morning Lifts Hollen And Clark To Bassmaster Junior Championship Win appeared first on Bass365.com.
LeBrun Maintains Lead At Bassmaster Central Open On Lewis Smith Lake
JASPER, Ala. — Nick LeBrun has been using Lowrance Active Target for nearly a year to target crappie in deep water back in his home state of Louisiana. During that time, he has learned he often has one opportunity to make the perfect cast and lead those fish to the bait.
LeBrun has used that same mindset to catch quality spotted bass this week and lead both days of the 2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open at Lewis Smith Lake. He caught 12 pounds, 13 ounces Friday to increase his total weight to 27-15.
“I fished a pro circuit event here in February and had the bites to do really well and couldn’t get them in the boat and kind of stubbed my toe,” said LeBrun, a Bossier City resident. “It feels good to come back here when it is tough against so many top-notch anglers and catch them two days in a row.”
After weighing a mixed bag of 15-2 Thursday, LeBrun’s Friday bag contained all spotted bass that he saw using his Active Target units. Using a Damiki rig — a Hayabusa Ball Head jig rigged with a V&M Drop Shad — he caught all the spotted bass suspended over 50 feet of water.
The main difference between his crappie tactics and his spotted bass approach was when the bass would eat his bait.
“You have one shot to make one perfect cast and then you marry the fish and the bait on screen,” LeBrun said. “But every one I caught today, while the bait was falling 10 feet above their head, they would come up and smoke it.
“If it gets down to them, they won’t eat it. But if you can get them to come up at it, that increases your chances.”
LeBrun said the larger groups of fish were more likely to eat the bait while little packs of four or five would only look at it.
While there was a short period of fog early, sunny skies soon prevailed and LeBrun said that shut down his largemouth bite.
“The lack of cloud cover hurt me on the power fishing thing and on my largemouth tactic,” he said. “I only caught one short doing that and I know I reeled that bait on some good banks and behind some good docks. I just could never get a bite on it. The lack of clouds shut them down.”
Tom Frink of Cedartown, Ga., jumped from fourth to second with a 13-6 limit on Day 2 after securing 14-2 on the first day. With a two-day total of 27-8, he trails LeBrun by only 7 ounces heading into the final day.
With a later boat draw Friday, Frink decided to stay close to the ramp to take advantage of the morning bite and it paid off with three keepers in the first hour. From there, Frink weeded through several nonkeeper bass before filling his limit around noon.
“Thirty minutes later I caught a 2 3/4-pounder and culled a 2-pounder,” he said. “I think I caught eight keepers and around 25 fish today. This afternoon they just started biting kind of funny.”
After about 2 p.m., Frink decided to scout some new water in hopes of finding some areas that might produce on Championship Saturday.
Covering as much water as possible has been important for Frink this week. Each day he has found new water to fish as well and caught most of his weight in areas where he hadn’t previously made a cast.
Despite landing only four keepers for 10-2, Wisconsin native and two-time Bassmaster Open co-angler winner Jay Przekurat moved into third place with a two-day total of 23-5. After landing in sixth place on Day 1 with 13-3, Przekurat struggled to find bites Friday, landing his first keeper largemouth around 9:30 a.m.
He did not land another keeper until he hit an early-afternoon flurry when he landed a 3-pound spotted bass, a 2-pounder and another keeper. His fifth bite never came.
“Today was way tougher. The blue-bird skies and the post-front conditions absolutely shut down the fishing,” he said. “I hardly saw any fish busting or anything. It’s not a great day and you can tell by the weights.”
Although he battled tough conditions on Day 2, Przekurat said he is excited to head back to the water Saturday for a chance to potentially win his first trophy on the boater side after a 17th-place finish at the first Central Open earlier this year at Pickwick Lake.
“Anytime you are fishing on the final day, you have a chance at a big bag,” he said. “This is my first Top 10 as a pro in my first year as a pro. This is great.”
Although he stumbled on Day 2, Brandon Ackerson still holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the tournament on the boater side, a 5-15 largemouth he landed on Day 1.
Kelly Townson of Hartselle, Ala., took home the nonboater title and just over $16,000. He landed 5-0 on Day 2 to increase his two-day total to 11-13, edging out second-place Justin Stephenson by over a pound.
Townson said he used a buzzbait and a shaky head primarily on Day 1, while the shaky head was the biggest producer on the final day.
Jeffrey Jennings of Lanett, Ala., took home the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament on the co-angler side with a 4-9 he caught on Day 2, earning $250.
With a two-day total of 23-4, Jacob Powroznik jumped into the Top 10 cut, maintaining his lead in the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year standings with 1,368 points. Tommy Williams is second with 1,301 and Daisuke Aoki is third with 1,269.
In the Central Open standings, Przekurat jumped into the top spot with 382 points. He leads second-place Joseph Webster (381) by just one point while Brandon Lester is third with 378.
The Top 10 boaters earned a spot to compete on Championship Saturday and will takeoff from Smith Lake Public Boat Ramp starting at 6:30 a.m. CT and return for check-in at 2:30 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Bass Pro Shops in Leeds, Ala., and is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. CT.
Full coverage of the event will be available at Bassmaster.com.
The Chamber of Commerce of Walker County is hosting the event.
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Basspro.com
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon, Rapala
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, 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, Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
The post LeBrun Maintains Lead At Bassmaster Central Open On Lewis Smith Lake appeared first on Bass365.com.
Huge Kicker Lifts Hibbit And Buzard To Bassmaster Junior Championship Lead
HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — Brooks Hibbit and Grant Buzard of the Hartley’s Hawgs Youth Fishing Club used an 8-pound, 1-ounce kicker largemouth to anchor a five-bass limit of 12-1 that leads the opening round of the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior National Championship on Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake.
Ohio’s Grant Buzard and Brooks Hibbit, of the Hartley’s Hawgs Youth Fishing Club, are leading after Day 1 of the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior National Championship at Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake with 12 pounds, 1 ounce. Photo by Emily Hand/B.A.S.S.
“That was our first fish of the day,” Hibbit said of his big catch. “We were about two hours into our day and we weren’t off to a great start. We pulled up to a new spot and I caught it on the fifth cast.
“I thought I was snagged on something at first, but then it started moving and fighting back. It swam under the boat and jumped on the other side.”
The only team with a double-digit weight, Hibbit and Buzard caught their fish on finesse baits. As Hibbit explained, their day turned out much differently than they had anticipated.
“In practice, we found a spot where we caught fish, but it didn’t seem to work today,” he said. “Then we fished another spot where we only caught a 1 1/2-pounder in practice. We thought there would be a bunch of people on it, but there was no one there.
“We sat there and fished for probably 2 1/2 hours. We actually got our limit there.”
Noting that he and Buzard caught their bass in 15 to 25 feet of water, Hibbit said knowing when to abandon an unproductive effort was key to his team’s performance.
“The fish are pretty much in their fall pattern, but (not many) are coming up shallow, they’re still hanging deep,” Hibbit said. “We thought they’d be pretty shallow because it’s still pretty warm out, but they’re not. We had to switch up and fish deeper water.
“We were marking bait on the fish finder, so we tried throwing crankbaits. It didn’t seem like crankbaits were working, so we switched to finesse and started catching fish.”
With stocked Florida-strain largemouth swimming its waters, the Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake has a reputation for producing impressive catches. Hibbit said he was thrilled the lake saved its quality for when it mattered.
“At the registration meeting last night, we heard that the lake has verified 10-pounders,” he said. “In practice, the biggest thing we caught was 1 1/2, so we thought that we were going to have maybe 6 pounds today.
“That big fish shook us up a little bit. I had to take a 10-minute break to cool down. I was getting jumpy and setting hooks on logs. I took a break and then got back to it and in the next hour and a half, we had a limit.”
Nolan Holloway and Jackson Fanning of Morgan County Middle School are in second place with 9-8. The anglers initially tried throwing reaction baits but ended up getting all their bites on slower presentations.
“We came into this event thinking a moving bite was going to work for fish that were pushing shad up, but we really couldn’t find a pattern on that, so we just moved back and forth from deep to shallow all day,” Holloway said. “We were fishing 1/4-ounce War Eagle shaky heads with Zoom Trick worms around deep brushpiles. We caught our biggest shallow fish on a Texas-rigged Zoom Old Monster worm.”
Fanning said that remaining diligent was their formula for success.
Parker Adair and Jackson Miller of the Arkansas Youth Anglers team are in third place with 9-5. While they weighed only two bass, one of them was Adair’s personal best — a 7-14 that ranked as the event’s second-heaviest bass.
Adair caught the big fish around noon by fishing a soft plastic bait with a slow presentation.
“I had just changed from a reaction bait to this slower technique,” he said. “I caught that fish in about 4 feet of water. It was close to wood and sandy bank.
“I didn’t think it was a 7-pounder, I thought it was more like a 2-pounder. But when it got up and jumped, it was like ‘Oh man, we gotta get that one.’”
Miller added: “We were on the trolling motor most of the day; we didn’t really use the big motor much. Once we got that fish, we tried to find a similar pattern. If the conditions are the same tomorrow, we’re hoping to do the same thing.”
Hibbit and Buzard are in the lead for Big Bass honors with their 8-1.
Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. CT at the Carroll County Lake Launch. The weigh-in will be held in downtown Huntingdonat 19463 West Main Street at 3:30 p.m.
Tournament coverage will be available on Bassmaster.com.
The Bassmaster Junior Series National Championship is being hosted by the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce.
2021 Bassmaster Junior Series Title Sponsor: Mossy Oak Fishing
2021 Bassmaster Junior Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2021 Bassmaster Junior Series Premier Sponsors: Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2021 Bassmaster Junior Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon, Rapala, TNT Fireworks
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, 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, Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
2021 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior National Championship 10/8-10/9
Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake, Huntington TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Grant Buzard – Brooks Hibbit Hartleys Hawgs Youth Fishing Clu 0
Day 1: 5 12-01 Total: 5 12-01
2. Nolan Holloway – Jackson Fanning Morgan County Middle School 0
Day 1: 5 09-08 Total: 5 09-08
3. Parker Adair – Jackson Miller Arkansas Youth Anglers 0
Day 1: 2 09-05 Total: 2 09-05
4. Dominic Bianchi – Ethan Haley Rochester Bassmaster 0
Day 1: 5 08-15 Total: 5 08-15
5. Nolan Savage – Jake Paradis LA Jr Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 5 08-04 Total: 5 08-04
6. Charles Klug – Brock Huebner PJ Jacobs Junior High 0
Day 1: 1 06-13 Total: 1 06-13
7. Connor Kennedy – Hayden Johns Mulberry High School 0
Day 1: 5 06-08 Total: 5 06-08
8. Chase Black – Cayden Collins South side middle 0
Day 1: 5 05-10 Total: 5 05-10
9. James Barkley – Tanner Moulton New Hampshire Junior Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 5 05-08 Total: 5 05-08
10. Alex Meland – Carter Michalek Eastern Iowa Jr Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 5 05-03 Total: 5 05-03
11. Clayburn Reed – Gavin Gooding Academy at the Farm 0
Day 1: 5 05-00 Total: 5 05-00
12. Trey Richardson Iii – Reid Luckett Free State Bass 0
Day 1: 5 04-15 Total: 5 04-15
13. Luke Stewart – Austin Craze Clay Co Middle School and Clay C 0
Day 1: 5 04-14 Total: 5 04-14
14. Ty Magargle – Quintin Bergey Wildcat Fishing 0
Day 1: 5 04-12 Total: 5 04-12
15. Drew Lee – Cole Mcausland American Christian Academy 0
Day 1: 5 04-09 Total: 5 04-09
16. Caleb Hildenbrand – Ethan Denu Port City Jr. Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 5 04-08 Total: 5 04-08
16. Jase Johnson – Keaton Coe Anoka Ramsey Jr Bassers 0
Day 1: 5 04-08 Total: 5 04-08
16. Jackson Rogers – Caden Sellers Jr. Southwest Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 5 04-08 Total: 5 04-08
19. Cole Bowen – Tate Bowen Mecklenburg 0
Day 1: 5 04-06 Total: 5 04-06
20. Presley Lannom – Preston Maddux Mt Juliet Fishing 0
Day 1: 5 04-05 Total: 5 04-05
20. Cameron Prokop – Tom Shumowsky New Age Bass Fishing Club 0
Day 1: 5 04-05 Total: 5 04-05
22. Wyatt Massey – Leland Pageler Phoenix Junior Bass Masters 0
Day 1: 5 04-01 Total: 5 04-01
23. Justin Waggener – Eli Pauley Burgin Independent School 0
Day 1: 3 03-14 Total: 3 03-14
24. Terryn Boland – Wyatt Becker West Salem 0
Day 1: 5 03-13 Total: 5 03-13
25. Lucas D’angelo – Drew Hinzman Elkins 0
Day 1: 4 03-10 Total: 4 03-10
26. Parker Eubanks – Garrett Evans Plainview Jr. Bass Club 0
Day 1: 5 03-09 Total: 5 03-09
26. Rhiauna Switzer – Abigail Panak Pretty Water Junior Bass Club 0
Day 1: 5 03-09 Total: 5 03-09
28. Bo Hollen – Ari Clark Mon Valley Bassmaster’s 0
Day 1: 4 03-08 Total: 4 03-08
29. Tate Reynolds – Blane Smith Russell County High School 0
Day 1: 4 03-04 Total: 4 03-04
30. Kent Falls – Colby Falls York Middle School 0
Day 1: 4 03-01 Total: 4 03-01
31. Milam Mcillwain – Landon Lewis CREEKWOOD FISHING 0
Day 1: 3 03-01 Total: 3 03-01
32. Princeton Jordan – Peyton Jordan Marshfield Blue Jays 0
Day 1: 3 02-11 Total: 3 02-11
32. Troy Watson – Shockley Hiatt Mount Airy Middle School – Maybe 0
Day 1: 3 02-11 Total: 3 02-11
34. Lainie Holbert – Sarah Swindle Riverside Bass Team 0
Day 1: 3 02-06 Total: 3 02-06
35. Jack Meiser – Blake Meiser Eureka 0
Day 1: 3 02-03 Total: 3 02-03
36. Jonathan Jarvis – Tanner Trawick Seminole Co. Middle High School 0
Day 1: 2 02-03 Total: 2 02-03
37. Lucas Sheafer – Steele Smith Louisburg Middle School 0
Day 1: 2 02-02 Total: 2 02-02
38. Brayden Vallie – Easton Fett Fruitport 0
Day 1: 2 01-15 Total: 2 01-15
38. Wes Warnock – Ryan Seitz Southeastern Bass Anglers 0
Day 1: 2 01-15 Total: 2 01-15
40. Cason Redwine – Bo Helms Bear Creek Anglers 0
Day 1: 1 01-14 Total: 1 01-14
41. Beau McQuade – Elijah Ambrose Jr. Potomac River Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 01-12 Total: 2 01-12
42. Caleb Moore – Joseph Siegel Off The Hook IL Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 01-09 Total: 2 01-09
43. Nathan Chiasson – Evan Breaux Lafourche Junior Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 2 01-07 Total: 2 01-07
44. Cameron Mcdonel – Trenton Zoellner Swatara and CD Middle 0
Day 1: 1 01-00 Total: 1 01-00
44. Nicholas Syrett – Landon Homrich Howell Highlander Way Middle Sch 0
Day 1: 1 01-00 Total: 1 01-00
46. Boots Burleson – Brady Mikes Texas Bass Nation 0
Day 1: 1 00-15 Total: 1 00-15
47. Aiden King – Dillyn Dill Shelby County Jr Anglers 0
Day 1: 1 00-13 Total: 1 00-13
48. Murphy Childers – Ryder Colee 0
Day 1: 1 00-12 Total: 1 00-12
49. Grant Rees – Keegan Carnicle West Delaware 0
Day 1: 1 00-11 Total: 1 00-11
49. Cassidy Sawyer – Vaughn Mckay L A Junior Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 1 00-11 Total: 1 00-11
51. Avery Bowen – Laiken Emanuel Jefferson West High School 0
Day 1: 1 00-10 Total: 1 00-10
52. Connor Krech – Landon Bizal Anoka Ramsey 0
Day 1: 1 00-09 Total: 1 00-09
53. Tyler Camp – Kason Carmichiel Pine Grove 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
53. Austin Evans – Trevor Wallace Mecklenburg Youth Bass Masters 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
53. Nikolas Foster – Massachusetts BASS Nation 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
53. Carter Gaines – Charlie Brekke Poudre School District 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
53. Kaleb Harris – Dakota Power Ark-La-Tex Bassmaster 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
53. Mackenzie Muntz – Jacob Muntz Gibsonburg 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
53. John Pharr – Collin Pharr 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
53. Levi Sowell – Maggie Miller Broaddus 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
53. Alexander Tyler – Briley West McKeel Junior Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
53. Leo Yonkman – Drew Wagner Southside Junior Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 23 176 195-08
———————————-
23 176 195-08
The post Huge Kicker Lifts Hibbit And Buzard To Bassmaster Junior Championship Lead appeared first on Bass365.com.
Mixed Bag Lifts LeBrun To Day 1 Lead In Bassmaster Central Open At Lewis Smith Lake
JASPER, Ala. — While the bites were hard to come by, Louisiana angler Nick LeBrun caught 15 pounds, 2 ounces of spotted and largemouth bass Thursday to take the Day 1 lead of the 2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Open at Lewis Smith Lake.
After a practice filled with thunderstorms and drenching rains that brought the lake up several feet, Mother Nature threw one more curveball Thursday morning as the Day 1 takeoff was delayed nearly two hours by fog.
“I didn’t start fishing until after 9 o’clock and that was kind of in my head a little bit,” said LeBrun, who leads Cody Bird by 8 ounces and Brandon Ackerson by 15 ounces. “I was rushing and really wasn’t seeing much on the graph and I changed things up and caught a 3 1/2 about 10 o’clock. That got the momentum going.”
From there, LeBrun was able to add quality spotted bass and largemouth to his bag.
The bass he is targeting are chasing bait over deep water — as deep as 80 feet — but are suspended in the 10- to 20-foot zone. A Damiki rig on 12-pound Sunline SX1 braid with a Sunline FC Sniper 8-pound leader was his most productive bait.
Later in the day, LeBrun said he was able to also find a shallow bite that helped him make a few key culls. He added that some of the areas he’s been fishing got better with the rising water levels.
“I was using ActiveTarget most of the day,” he said. “Nine out of 10 fish that looked like they were good size would dart up at (my bait) and stare at it and follow it. But every once in a while, you’d find one that acted like it hadn’t seen a bait before.
“There wasn’t any getting it away from it. But the key is covering enough water and finding those active fish.”
Of his seven keepers, LeBrun landed four spotted bass and three largemouth. While he has one particular pattern going to target largemouth, the spotted bass aren’t that far away.
“If you point that transducer out there while you are fishing, you can stumble on some schools,” LeBrun said. “I’m being intentional about largemouth fishing, but every once in a while, I need to stop and look around out there. The spots are out there on that bait.”
Meanwhile, Bird also found a pattern centered around largemouth bass, securing 14-10 to land in second.
The winner of the 2020 Central Open on Alabama’s Neely Henry Lake and a qualifier for the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, Bird said many of the areas he found in practice were dirtier than expected after the heavy rains. He didn’t land a keeper until around 1 p.m.
“During practice, I only caught two 3-pounders,” Bird said. “This is the best day I’ve had since Friday. I stayed shallow and decided not to chase those herring fish.”
While a weather delay messed with his mindset during the Classic, a later boat draw and check-in time Thursday helped the Texas native stay focused.
In his years of experience on Lewis Smith Lake, Bird knows the largemouth bite can be finicky and that makes him unsure how the rest of the tournament will go.
“I may not catch one tomorrow,” he said. “I’ve got some other stuff, but when you run around you waste so much time and I have a short day tomorrow. I’m going to have to stick it to them earlier tomorrow.”
He added that he has caught keeper spotted bass in practice and was surprised he didn’t land any Thursday.
Ackerson caught 14-3 and anchored his bag with a 5-15 largemouth, which leads the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament standings.
“I thought I was hung up in a brushpile,” the Oklahoma native said. “I knew I had a bite and I set the hook and it didn’t move. Then I felt the head shake, and then it came free and still didn’t come up. And I said, ‘I’m in trouble.’ I cranked hard on it and never stopped and brought it right over the gunnel and right in the boat.”
While Ackerson had quality bites, they were few and far between. His first stop was in an area where he caught fish on a topwater bait in practice, but he was unable to get those fish to commit. From there, he moved close to 40 times throughout the day.
“The zones I was targeting were pretty specific. It was hit it and move,” Ackerson said. “I had a good first day of practice but it progressively got worse every day. I was pretty limited to what I thought was good, so I stuck with that and never put it down. I knew I wasn’t going to get a lot of bites, but I thought I could get five.”
On the co-angler side, Kelly Townson of Hartselle, Ala., leads with 6-13 followed by Levi Allgeier with 6-11 and Ruben Arevalos with 6-7. Curtis King of Plaquemine, La., caught the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day on the co-angler side with a 3-15.
After landing in 11th with 11-12 on Day 1, Jacob Powroznik from North Prince George, Va., maintained his lead in the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year standings with 1,361 points. Tommy Williams is second with 1,315, followed by Sam George with 1,240.
John Garrett leads the Central Opens standings with 387 points, while Brandon Lester and Jay Przekurat are tied for second with 379.
The full field will launch from Smith Lake Public Boat Ramp Friday at 6:30 a.m. CT and will return for weigh-in at 2:30 p.m. The nonboater champion will be crowned at the conclusion of weigh-in, while the Top 10 boaters will compete on Championship Saturday. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Bass Pro Shops in Leeds, Ala. Full coverage of the event will be available at Bassmaster.com.
The Chamber of Commerce of Walker County is hosting the event.
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Basspro.com
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon, Rapala
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, 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, Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
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