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Hamilton Hammers Down Central Open Win
Skylar Hamilton of Dandridge, Tenn., wins the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open #1 held on the Arkansas River out of Muskogee, Okla. Hamilton brought 12 pounds, 6 ounces to Saturday’s weigh-in, giving him a three-day total of 45-6.
Photo by James Overstreet/Bassmaster
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Tennessee angler Skylar Hamilton won the pro division of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open on the Arkansas River by the slimmest margin possible.
The 21-year-old Douglas Lake guide bested Hattiesburg, Miss., angler Teb Jones by 1 ounce to win his first Open and qualify for the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic contingent upon his fishing the remaining two Central Opens.
Hamilton’s winning total of 45 pounds, 6 ounces earned him the grand prize of a $45,000 Triton 19TRX/Mercury 200 Pro XS rig and $8,277 in cash.
After catching a 19-pound, 4-ounce limit Friday, Hamilton found the fishing tougher in his primary area today.
“I did the same thing as I did (Friday), but the weather was a lot different this morning,” he said. “We had some storms roll through.”
His primary spot was a backwater area where he flipped to reeds. The area featured baby blackbirds falling in the water and a mayfly hatch, which triggered bluegill into eating the insects and bass feeding on the sunfish, he related.
“My fish were still there today, but they were smaller,” Hamilton said. “I don’t know if I wore them out, but there was another guy in there with me. We planned on fishing there together and everything worked out well.”
Hamilton managed to catch a small limit there by about 10 a.m. and then left for his second spot close to the Three Forks Harbor, where he fished around current breaks.
“I would just flip into those eddies that I knew had fish in them because they had nowhere else to go,” Hamilton said. “They weren’t going to be out there swimming around in that current.”
He was able to cull out some fish at that stop and finished the day with a 12-6 limit.
The Tennessee angler spent all three days flipping a Texas rigged Berkley Havoc Pit Boss in the Okeechobee craw color with a 1/4-ounce weight and a 4/0 Gamakatsu Heavy Cover Flipping Hook.
Runner-up Jones did “the exact same thing” as he did the two previous days to catch his 13-9 limit today.
“I fished eddies and slack water around gravel bars and upstream and downstream of islands,” said Jones, who finished the week with 45-5.
His main lures included a Strike King Shadalicious hollow body swimbait on a 1/2-ounce jighead, a V&M swim jig with a plastic craw trailer and Texas-rigged V&M Baby Swamp Hog.
“All of my big fish this week came on the swimbait and the rest came about equally on the swim jig and the Swamp Hog.”
Finishing in the Top 5 of the pro division were Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla., third with 45-3; Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., fourth, 43-5; and Lee Livesay, Longview, Texas, fifth, 42-6.
Fishing in his first Open, Joe Nance of Pearland, Texas, won the co-angler division and the top prize of a $30,000 Triton 179 TRX/Mercury 115ELPT Four Stroke package with a three-day total of 21-3. The 58-year-old retired Houston firefighter caught some of his bass on a spinnerbait but the majority bit a Texas rigged black-and-blue Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver that he flipped to reeds and shallow bushes.
The Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award of $750 went to Mark Goines of Shady Point, Okla., with a 6-1 largemouth. Vernon Sliver of Boutte, La., weighed in 5-12 largemouth to earn the Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award on the co-angler side worth $250.
Hamilton also received the Livingston Lures Leader Award of $250 for finishing as the top pro on Day 2. Finishing as the Day 2 leader on the co-angler side, Robert Fortner, Conway, Ark., received a Livingston Lures gift pack worth $250.
Hamilton earned the A.R.E. Top Angler Award of $500 for being the highest-finishing angler using A.R.E. products.
Gerald Spohrer of Gonzales, La., earned the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash award of $500.
2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha, Berkley, GoPro, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats
2016 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Shell Rotella, Shimano, A.R.E. Truck Caps, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rapala
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), 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, B.A.S.S. Nation, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.
Hog Farmer – Tremoring Hog Ties
This bait just catches big bass. The rocking wobble and the tied bucktail combined seem to be a recipe for big bites like this 6lbs ledge hammer!
Combining HogFarmer’s unequalled craftsmanship with a vibration-packed tremoring bill, the HogFarmer Baits Tremoring Hog Ties deliver a hybrid design that will keep your lines tight. Fitted with a durable rubber bill, the HogFarmer Baits Tremoring Hog Ties provide a heavy pulsation that you can feel running all the way up the line and into the palm of your hand.
On the backside, the HogFarmer Baits Tremoring Hog Ties are fitted with a combination of hair, feather, and flash that generates a flowing attraction with any variation of retrieve. Backed by a super-sharp Mustad needle point hook, the HogFarmer Baits Tremoring Hog Ties offer the ultimate combination of time-tested materials and hard-thumping attraction.
Albino – A blend of white on white, silver accent, with 8 white hackles.
Herringback – A gray on white, silver and “Herring Back” Krystal Flash accents, with gray and white hackles.
LemonBerry – A white with light gray hair, chartreuse and purple Krystal Flash accents, with gray, chartreuse, and white hackles
Mad Boar – Like the Albino, but with red accents and a red thread collar.
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2016 Bass Bracket Competition Kicks off Wednesday AM
The 2nd annual Bass Brackets competition kicks off this week at the BASSFest tournament on Lake Texoma. With 9 prizes valued over $100 – It’s worth signing up (for free) to take your shot at winning some great gear from Daiwa, MonsterFishingTackle.com, Deps, Ima, Reins, Optimum and Evergreen.
How do you play? If you’ve ever played March Madness brackets for college basketball – it’s exactly the same. You fill out your bracket based on who you think will win each head to head matchup. Winner advance, loser are out of the competition. Each round is one real Bassmaster Elite Series tournament. For round 1 – the angler who places higher in the Lake Texoma event will advance to round 2. Round 2 pits anglers head to head during the Cayuga Lake event, Round 3 is the Potomac River event, and Round 4 the Mississippi River. The final four will all go head to head at the Mille Lacs Lake event with the angler placing highest out of the four taking the championship.
One thing to note: YOU MUST PICK ALL THE ROUNDS by WEDNESDAY June 8 at 8:00 AM CST. Do not just pick the first round – you must fill out the complete full bracket prior to the start of round 1 – just like the college basketball bracket madness!
The top four seeds in this years brackets are Aaron Martens, Greg Hackney, Edwin Evers and Kevin VanDam. Last years winner was Dean Rojas, who started as a 10 seed, so we’ve kept him as a 10 seeds… maybe it’s good luck for him.
There are 64 total anglers in Bass Brackets, but 109(ish) anglers on the Elite Series, so you may or may not find your favorite angler among the bracket challenge.
Pick the most winners, and you can win some great prizes. Sign up now at BassBrackets.com.
Chris Lane Hosts “Reeling in Future Pros” Fish Camp and Foodland Bass Team Tournament
Guntersville, AL – June 3, 2016 – For the past nine years, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Chris Lane and his family have hosted a kids fishing camp that is designed to help kids enjoy the sport of fishing and learn some skills along the way. Last year, Foodland Supermarket and its parent company, Mitchell Grocery Corp., decided to join in the festivities and added the Foodland Bass Team Tournament to the outing.
This past weekend, the ninth annual “Reeling in Future Pros” fish camp and second annual Foodland Bass Team Tournament were held at Bucky Howe Park on the shores of beautiful Lake Guntersville, in the city of Guntersville, AL. The festivities kicked off Friday night with a team meeting and rib dinner presented by Bryan Meats, the flavor of the South. The 400 participants of the tournament, and other guests, reviewed the tournament rules from Lane and enjoyed a rib dinner while listening to live music from local musician James Miller.
The two-day event is showcased by the “Reeling in Future Pros” fish camp and a 200 boat, three fish limit bass tournament on Saturday. The kid’s camp features five stations where kids get to decorate lures, learn to tie knots, practice casting techniques, take boat rides and fish off the pier at Bucky Howe Park. The bass tournament features a first place payback of $10,000 along with a 100% registration payback to anglers.
In Saturday’s Foodland Bass Team Tournament, the team of Bryan Gregory and Marshall Deakins of Rainsville, AL and Dunlap, TN took home the $10,000 first prize with a three fish limit weighing 20.92 pounds, anchored by an 8-pound largemouth bass that was the day’s big bass!
The team reported catching their fish two ways. “We used jigs and Scottsboro Tackle Swimbaits,” said Gregory and Deakins. “This was really a lot of fun, we’ve been doing this together for a long time, and it’s been a while since we’ve won something this big; it really was a great time.”
Event host Chris Lane said that the event is something designed to give back to the sport of fishing and to highlight the wonderful Guntersville community. “This event is all about food, family, fun and fishing,” said Lane. “This is a way for all of us to help kids experience the sport of fishing, show off our community and one of the best lakes in the country, and help fund high school fishing and sports along the way.” In the end, the event raised a total of $3,400 for the Arab, DAR and Guntersville High School fishing teams.
While the teams were slugging it out on the water, approximately150 kids attended the “Reeling in Future Pros” fish camp. Along with Lane’s family and friends, there were Foodland volunteers, community volunteers, local high school anglers, and fellow Elite Series pros Matt and Jordan Lee, to help with the kids camp activities. Each child who registered and attended the event was presented with prizes from Lane’s sponsors. They received rod and reel combos and gift cards from Bass Pro Shops, along with products from Power Pole, Mustang Survival, Stren, Luck-E-Strike, Costa, Frogg Toggs and Eagle Claw TroKar. At lunchtime, everyone was treated to delicious foods prepared by Tony Chachere; who came from Louisiana to cook for the crowd.
Foodland’s Kirk Clark said that the company is extremely pleased with the result. “We are all encouraged by the turnout from the anglers, the kids, and the community of Guntersville and surrounding areas,” said Clark. “We started this to give something back to our area, and it is truly turning into a premier event that people look forward to.”
Like any event of this sort, it takes a lot of people to execute it well, and Clark had a lot of thanks for those who helped. “As with any event of this magnitude, there are many moving parts,” said Clark. “We can’t thank all of them enough starting with Chris (Lane) and his family, our employees and friends, and most importantly the sponsors who helped make it happen. Thank you for helping us do something great in our community.”
The 2016 Foodland Bass Tournament was sponsored by Bryan Meats; the flavor of the South, Jack Links Protein Snacks, Frito Lay, Borden Cheese and Gatorade.
Chris Lane Fishing also wanted to thank its sponsors for making the event possible over the years and especially to TH Marine for providing G Juice to all 400 anglers and Stren for providing fishing line to all competitors.
The top ten finishers in the Foodland Bass Team Tournament are posted below and the rest of the standings are posted on the event website; view them by visiting – http://foodlandbass.com/results/2016-results/.
Photos attached – (Foodland Kids) – Chris Lane with a group of campers | (Foodland winners) – Left to right Chris Lane, David Bethune (Guntersville Foodland store mgr.), Bryan Gregory, Marshall Deakins, Jerry Nydam, Jay Mitchell. Photo credit Chris Lane Fishing.
| Place | Team | Big Fish | Weight |
| 1 | Bryan Gregory / Marshall Deakins | 8.00 (1st) | 20.92 |
| 2 | Justin Aaron / Terry Prior | 7.58 | 20.77 |
| 3 | Ryan Salzman / Phillip Hand | 20.00 | |
| 4 | Brian Shook / Randy Tolbert | 7.85 | 19.16 |
| 5 | Tracy Robinson / Michael Carter | 18.36 | |
| 6 | Lake Blasingame / Triston Crowd | 18.31 | |
| 7 | Allen Bass / Randy Blankensopp | 6.39 | 17.86 |
| 8 | Rickey Campbell / Trey Swindle | 17.49 | |
| 9 | Jesse Rigsby / Scott Rigsby | 16.96 | |
| 10 | Michael Stevens Jr. / Paul Arnold | 16.80 |
Co-Anglers Collect with LEER
Several anglers, from a myriad of tournament trails have earned themselves extra dollars with LEER “Cover Cash”. Cover Cash is a contingency program offered to anglers who fish sanctioned bass or walleye tournaments and own an eligible LEER cap or tonneau cover. (Qualified Pace Edwards products, too)
Supported tournament trails range from the Bassmaster Elite Series and the FLW Tour to BFLs and team tournament circuits. The contingency money isn’t only offered to boaters either; select payouts for co-anglers are also available.
Just ask Alex Peric, a young tournament angler who currently attends the University of Alabama and has cashed in with “Cover Cash” in several Bassmaster Open tournaments from the back of the boat.
“My LEER has been hugely important to me even before I started earning money from Cover Cash,” Peric said. “As a co-angler, it’s imperative to stay as organized as possible, since I am constantly swapping my rods and tackle from one boat to the next. My LEER cap helps me keep everything secure and organized.”
Even though Peric has only fished five Bassmaster Open derbies as a co-angler, he has won “Cover Cash” in three of the five tournaments. Earning him an extra $150 each time.
It doesn’t matter if you’re in the front of the boat or the back of the boat; it pays to be covered with LEER!
“Since I don’t have a boat when I travel to these events, my LEER cap is the only storage I have for all my fishing gear,” Peric stated. “I really don’t even know how I would bring all of my equipment without it. The fact that my LEER earns me extra money when I am the highest placing finisher is just icing on the cake.”
Whether you’re a boater, co-angler, or just an outdoorsman who needs more storage on your vehicle head to leer.com and find the cap or tonneau cover that makes sense for you.
There is currently a special coupon offer available to anglers at leercovercash.com for up to $150 off select LEER products. The coupons are only usable until August 1st (8/1), so get to your local LEER dealer and purchase your truck cap or tonneau cover. Then go get yourself signed up for LEER “Cover Cash”.
For a full list of eligible tournaments under, or for more information on the LEER “Cover Cash” Program head to leercovercash.com. If you’d rather pick up the phone, just give Kristie a call at (918) 742-6424 and she’ll help get you signed up.