THE LATEST NEWS
Scroggins and the Lee Brothers preview Lake St. Clair Elite
The Advance Auto Parts Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair begins Thursday near Carhartt’s longtime headquarters in the Detroit metro.
The 128-year-old manufacturer of quality clothing for hard working people graciously hosted the Wednesday Elite Series angler meeting, and fed all pros and ride-along Marshals a great dinner.
Between bites of BBQ chicken, we caught up with Terry “Big Show” Scroggins, along with Jordan and Matt Lee, to learn what to expect from the fabulous fishery this week.
What will be the toughest challenge of this week’s tournament on Lake St. Clair?
Jordan Lee: Staying in productive areas, because the smallmouth don’t seem to be as grouped-up as I wish they were.
Matt Lee: Getting around schools versus single fish here and there.
Scroggins: The wind. It’s been big time rough water out there in practice.
What do you love most about Lake St. Clair?
Jordan Lee: The weather up here is awesome compared to the Deep South in late August.
Matt Lee: The number of fish per surface acre is as good or better than anywhere I’ve ever competed. It’s a pretty awesome fishery.
Scroggins: The number of fish in this lake is pretty phenomenal.
Name three lures fans at home can expect to see pros use the most this week.
Jordan Lee: Drop shot, tube, and a Strike King 5XD
Matt Lee: Tube, drop shot, and a 5XD
Scroggins: Drop shot, tube, and a jerkbait
How much weight will a pro need to average each day in order to make the final Top 12 cut?
Jordan Lee: 18 pounds
Matt Lee: 18 pounds
Scroggins: 20 pounds
We’re in Carhartt’s backyard this week. Name one piece of Carhartt clothing you never leave home without.
Jordan Lee: Carhartt Force Extremes Shoreline Angler rainsuit
Matt Lee: Carhartt Force Extremes Shoreline Angler rainsuit
Scroggins: Carhartt Force Extremes pocket t-shirts
FLW Announces 2018 Costa FLW Series Schedule
MINNEAPOLIS (Aug. 22, 2017) – Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today the 2018 Costa FLW Series schedule, which will consist of three events in each of the five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the no-entry-fee Costa FLW Series Championship to be held on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama.
The top 40 pros and co-anglers in the final point standings in each division after three qualifying tournaments will advance to the 2018 Costa FLW Series Championship, provided they fished all three qualifiers in a division.
The highest finishing pro from each of the five Costa FLW Series divisions based on final results at the 2018 Costa FLW Series Championship qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup, along with the highest finishing pro from the championship’s international division. A total of six Costa FLW Series pros will advance to the 2019 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of professional bass fishing.
Complete rules and entry dates will be announced soon.
2018 Costa FLW Series Season Schedule:
Central Division Fishery City Local Host
- April 19-21 Table Rock Lake Branson, Mo. ExploreBranson.com
- June 7-9 Lake Barkley Cadiz, Ky. Cadiz-Trigg County Tourism
- Oct. 11-13 Lake of the Ozarks Osage Beach, Mo. Tri-County Lodging Association
Northern Division
- June 21-23 Lake Champlain Plattsburgh, N.Y. City of Plattsburgh
- July 26-28 Lake Erie Buffalo, N.Y. Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission
- Sept. 6-8 1000 Islands Clayton, N.Y. Clayton Chamber of Commerce
Southeastern Division
- Jan. 4-6 Lake Okeechobee Okeechobee, Fla. Okeechobee County Tourism Development Council
- March 1-3 Lake Seminole Bainbridge, Ga. Bainbridge Convention and Visitors Bureau
- April 5-7 Santee Cooper Summerton, S.C. Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce
Southwestern Division
- Feb. 15-17 Sam Rayburn Reservoir Jasper, Texas Jasper-Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce
- March 22-24 Grand Lake Grove, Okla. City of Grove
- Oct. 4-6 Fort Gibson Lake Wagoner, Okla. Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce
Western Division
- Feb. 8-10 Lake Havasu Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Lake Havasu City Convention and Visitors Bureau
- May 10-12 Clear Lake Lakeport, Calif. Konocti Vista Casino Resort and Marina
- Sept. 27-29 California Delta Bethel Island, Calif. Russo’s Marina
Costa FLW Series Championship
- Nov. 1-3 Lake Guntersville Guntersville, Ala. Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau
The full schedule and details for each fishery can be found at FLWFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
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 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 258 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. 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.
College Freshman Qualifies For The 2018 Bassmaster Classic
Jacob Foutz of Bryan College won the 2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shops earning a berth in the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods to be held on Lake Hartwell out of Greenville/Anderson, S.C.
Photo by Ronnie Moore/B.A.S.S.
DEERWOOD, Minn. — All season long, as teammates on Bryan College’s bass fishing team, Jacob Foutz and Jake Lee worked well together. The college freshmen finished ninth in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Eastern Regional presented by Bass Pro Shops at Cherokee Lake, Tennessee.
Last week they really clicked, claiming the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops on Lake Bemidji in Minnesota. And this week, when the teammates were split up and battled their way through separate sides of the College Series Bracket on Serpent Lake, each dominated their matchups to make it to today’s finals.
There, it was each young man for himself as they competed for a single invitation to the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods on Lake Hartwell, South Carolina.
Foutz turned in the top performance of the bracket week, putting together a limit of 16 pounds, 5 ounces and easily defeating his teammate, Lee, who had 10-12.
Foutz showed his versatile fishing skills beginning with the National Championship on Lake Bemidji, where he and Lee fished shallow for largemouth bass. In the bracket competition on Serpent Lake, however, he focused his attention strictly on smallmouth. That decision proved to be a wise choice as he stayed consistent over three days of action. He defeated Bethel University’s Brian Pahl in the first round of competition with 14-1 and then Chico State’s Chad Sweitzer with 13-6. He saved his best for last as his 16-5 pushed him over teammate Lee, and now he is the newest angler to notch a berth in the 2018 Bassmaster Classic.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling, one that is hard to describe unless you live it,” Foutz said. “I’ve been fishing ever since I could crawl, and as long as I can remember I wanted to fish the Bassmaster Classic. I’m fortunate enough to have fulfilled a lifelong dream.”
The 19-year-old freshman (he turns 20 on June 9, 2018) just completed his first year of college and will now compete against the best anglers in the world, including his favorite angler Greg Hackney, in the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing.
“There are a bunch of unbelievable anglers at Bryan College,” Foutz said. “They push Jake (Lee) and myself to be the best we can be. I look forward to representing college fishing this next year.”
A turning point in the final day of competition happened when Foutz caught a 4-pound smallmouth, which tied for the biggest bass of the bracketed competition. He started slow, but after catching a 3-15 and then a 4-0, Foutz began to see the writing on the wall.
“When I caught that 4-0 I felt like I gave myself a shot to win,” Foutz said. “I kept culling up throughout the day and when I hit the 16-pound mark I was pretty certain I won.”
Foutz concentrated on smallmouth by drop shotting a Gary Yamamoto Shad Shape worm on offshore humps that varied in depth. The shallower humps were in 12- to 15-feet of water, but his best areas were deeper than 20 feet.
He is the first National Championship winner to also take home the College Classic Bracket championship since this format was created in 2012. He and partner Lee are the third set of teammates to make it through the entire bracket and face off in the finals. Auburn University teammates Matt Lee and his brother Jordan did so in 2012 with Matt winning and punching his ticket to the 2013 Classic. The next year Jordan Lee was matched against his teammate, Shane Powell. Lee won and made it to the 2014 Classic at Lake Guntersville.
“My great-grandma is my biggest fan, she sends me a text every night before a tournament,” Foutz said. “This is something I wanted to do for her.”
With his win, Foutz will be given the use of a fully rigged and wrapped Toyota Tundra and Nitro Z20 bass boat with a 225 Mercury Pro XS equipped with Power-Pole shallow-water anchors, Humminbird electronics and a Minn Kota trolling motor. Carhartt awarded him with $7,500 in prize money to help with travel as he also gained entry into not only the 2018 Classic, but also all nine Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens in 2018.
2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Carhartt
2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Presenting Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Premier Sponsors: Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Huk, Skeeter Boats, Humminbird, Mercury, Shell Rotella, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, Minn Kota
2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance, Costa, Shimano, St. Croix Rods, ABU Garcia, Advance Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Livingston Lures, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels
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 more than 45 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 presented by Magellan Outdoors, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
Bryan College Teammates To Face Each Other In Bassmaster College Classic Bracket Finals
Jacob Foutz (left) and Jake Lee, both of Bryan College, will move on to the final day of the 2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Classic Bracket presented by Bass Pro Shops. At stake is a berth in the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods to be held on Lake Hartwell out of Greenville/Anderson, S.C.
DEERWOOD, Minn. — Since the 2017 season started on January 26, thousands of college anglers began battling for a chance at a single berth in the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. The dust settled today, two anglers stand atop the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series and will compete for seven final hours to determine a bracket champion.
And those two anglers are teammates on the Bryan College bass fishing team: Jacob Foutz and Jake Lee. The two Tennessee anglers survived through opposite sides of the bracket to face each other in Wednesday’s finale.
Foutz outfought Chad Sweitzer of Chico State University during the semi-final round. After a good start for both anglers that had them close at halftime, Foutz prevailed with 13 pounds, 6 ounces by the end of the day. Most of his weight came because of a trio of important 3-pounders.
“I went through a flurry and put three good fish in the boat at the same spot,” Foutz said. “I’ve stayed with a drop shot in my hand and stuck it out with that technique.”
Sweitzer’s limit wasn’t enough to eclipse Foutz’ original weight. His main technique included flipping docks with a jig, which he relied on for quality bites.
Foutz has been consistent with his technique of drop shotting in deep water. His Round 1 total of 14-1 put him into the semifinals. No matter the weather that hits Serpent Lake on Wednesday, Foutz thinks his strategy will pay off.
“I’m not sure how the weather might impact my pattern, but I’m only going to worry about the things I can control,” Foutz said. “I’m just going fishing like every day at this lake, if I need to adjust with the conditions, I’ll try my best to do so.”
Although they seem to be catching good weight from Serpent Lake, these anglers are still learning this fishery day by day. On the other side of the bracket was Foutz’ teammate Jake Lee and Bethel University’s Cole Floyd.
Floyd led the entire field in weight Monday as he caught 16-1, but the second day of competition offered different conditions. The clouds and wind disappeared and blue bird skies with slick conditions hurt his pattern. He did his best to prolong the topwater bite he had found as he caught two quick keepers, but Jake Lee overtook him soon afterward and put together a solid 12-pound plus limit.
Floyd finally filled his limit at the midday break and was within striking distance. He fell short and Lee took that matchup with 13-4 to Floyd’s 12-0.
A freshman at Bryan College, Lee was a member of the inaugural Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team in 2015, and now he is one day away from college bass fishing’s biggest championship.
“We said from the beginning that if we had to lose to someone we would want it to be one of us,” Lee said. “We both want to win it bad, but neither one of us is going to be too sad since one of us will win. We will still be partners next year if Coach lets us.”
For the first time since the Bracket’s creation, a college freshman will qualify for a Bassmaster Classic. Although they won’t compete until the middle of their sophomore year, it is unprecedented for two freshmen to be in this position.
They are also the third set of teammates to make it through the eight-angler bracket and meet in the championship round. Matt Lee and Jordan Lee of Auburn did so in the 2012 bracket, while Jordan Lee and Shane Powell followed it up again in 2013. The Lee brothers currently are Bassmaster Elite Series pros, and Jordan is the reigning Bassmaster Classic champion.
Another first for the bracket format is that a member of a National Championship winning duo will take home the individual bracket honor. Andrew Upshaw did so in 2011, but that was before the 8-person bracket was implemented.
In addition to the Classic berth, also at stake in Wednesday’s final matchup is paid entry into all nine Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens next year. Foutz and Lee will fish from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. CT before stopping at midday for an hour. Then they will compete from noon to 3 p.m., after which one will be awarded the honor of representing the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series for the 2018 season.
2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Carhartt
2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Presenting Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Premier Sponsors: Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Huk, Skeeter Boats, Humminbird, Mercury, Shell Rotella, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley
2017 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Supporting Sponsors: Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Lowrance, Costa, Shimano, St. Croix Rods, ABU Garcia, Advance Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Livingston Lures
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 more than 45 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 presented by Magellan Outdoors, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
The New Center Flash 1.5 with Skeet Reese
If your in to square bill crank baits the NEW Center Flash 1.5 from Lucky Craft is going to be a must have. Watch as Skeet Reese explains why you need Center Flash.