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Casey Ashley Working Toward First Hit of 2016 At Unique Elite Series Tournament
Casey Ashley walked out of a cozy cabin near the shores of Bull Shoals Reservoir and prepared for the last, long, rainy day of practice at one of the most unique events of his illustrious young career.
Instead of competing on a single body of water – this week’s tournament kicks off at Lake Norfork on Thursday, then goes to Bull Shoals on Friday and Saturday, with the final day back at Norfork on Sunday.
No surprise, Ashley was singing the first words to “Lucky Old Sun” which begins, “Up in the morning. Out on the job. Work like the devil for my pay.” His voice so soft in the Ozark predawn that only an avid Kenny Chesney fan could have recognized his song choice to begin the day.
Nobody knows better than the 2015 Bassmaster Classic Champion that the time is now to cut a hit single on Norfork and Bulls Shoals if he’s to have any chance at climbing out of a very unfamiliar place near the bottom of the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points standings.
The good news is Ashley notched a Top 12 finish on the Elite Series’ last trip to Bull Shoals in 2013 by firing a Shaky Head worm around with a Quantum spinning reel. The bad news is that conditions are very different than three years ago.
“It’s the same time of year, but the water is about 10 degrees warmer than in 2013, plus it’s 5’ higher, and the fish are way more scattered,” says Ashley. “Not to mention, we were only dealing with one lake, instead of trying to figure out two.”
“Hard work is the only way I know how to approach it,” says Ashley. “I got up at 4:00 a.m. on the first day of practice, drove 45 minutes to Norfork, fished until nearly dark, then drove 45 minutes back to the cabin – and pretty much did the same exact thing on the second day of practice.”
Ashley spent most of his 12-hour practice days fishing Bull Shoals, but knows Norfork will be tougher. “You have to at least catch a limit on Day 1 at Norfork, and that may not be easy, but if you don’t catch a good limit at Bull Shoals on Day Two, there’s no way you can make the cut going into Saturday,” he says.
“Bull Shoals has bigger fish, so a 15 or 16 pound limit is realistic, but at Norfork we may have to grind to catch a 12 pound limit in order to survive the first day,” he forecasts.
He’s also estimating that 70-percent of the field will try to catch spawning bass, but hopes he’s in the 30-percent minority that can nearly ignore bedding fish to instead catch pre-spawners.
When asked what three lures would get the most work among the entire field, the South Carolina native listed a creature bait, a shaky head worm, and a soft plastic swimbait – but you can count on him to mix jerkbaits, and his beloved Classic winning Casey’s Classic Runner Head trimmed with a Zoom Super Fluke Jr., into the mix too.
Two Lakes. Four potential days of competition. A mix of lures. And only one direction to go for Ashley in the Toyota Angler of the Year Points. Hopefully hard work will leverage his first big hit of the season.
“Up in the morning. Out on the job. Work like the devil for my pay. But that lucky old sun ain’t got nothing to do but roll around heaven all day.” – Kenny Chesney with Willie Nelson
Randy Howell Talks Hydrowave
Randy Howell talks about the Hydrowave and his experience at the 2016 Bassmaster Classic.
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Canterbury Wins Walmart FLW Tour on Beaver Lake
ROGERS, Ark. (April 17, 2016) – In one of the most dramatic finishes in FLW history, Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury of Springville, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 17 pounds even to win the Walmart FLW Tour at Beaver Lake presented by Jack Link’s Sunday and the top prize of $125,000.
Canterbury’s four-day total of 62 pounds, 7 ounces narrowly edged out day two leader Darrel Robertson (61-4) who finished second and Keystone Light pro Jeff Sprague (60-13) in third place.
“Beaver Lake has been pretty special this week,” said Canterbury, who earned the first FLW Tour win of his career and surpassed $1 million dollars in career earnings with FLW. “This lake is fishing so good right now, and the best anglers in the world were right behind me. I knew that I was going to have to catch 15 pounds today to even have a shot, and to go out and catch 17 – I have truly been blessed.”
Canterbury won the tournament by covering new water each day in pockets and coves up the White River.
“Every tournament here for the past three months has been won on the lower end of the lake, in the dirtiest water,” Canterbury said. “I fished down there a bit on the first day, but I’m more comfortable with where I’ve fished the last eight times that I have been here and that is up the river.
“I went up there after lunch on day one and caught a couple of decent fish, so I decided to put all of my eggs in that basket,” Canterbury continued. “There wasn’t as much pressure there, and the key to Beaver Lake is being able to run new water each day.”
Canterbury said that 19 of the 20 fish that he weighed in came via flipping and pitching a Dirty Jigs Tackle Scott Canterbury Flippin’ Jig with a NetBait Paca Chunk and a Dirty Jigs Tackle Luke Clausen Compact Pitchin’ Jig with a NetBait Paca Slim. He boated one keeper off of a bed with a Texas-rigged NetBait Paca Craw.
“I started this season with one of the worst tournaments of my career at Lake Okeechobee, and my goal here was to battle back and earn some solid points towards qualifying for the Forrest Wood Cup in my home state,” Canterbury went on to say. “To finally win one of these is unreal.”
The top 10 pros finished the tournament:
1st: Quaker State pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 20 bass, 62-7, $125,000
2nd: Darrel Robertson, Jay, Okla., 20 bass, 61-4, $30,500
3rd: Keystone Light pro Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 20 bass, 60-13, $25,000
4th: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 20 bass, 59-8, $20,000
5th: J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 20 bass, 57-15, $19,500
6th: Livingston Lures pro Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 20 bass, 57-12, $18,000
7th: Quaker State pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., 20 bass, 55-1, $17,000
8th: Chris Whitson, Louisville, Tennessee, 20 bass, 53-4, $16,000
9th: Livingston Lures pro Stetson Blaylock, Benton, Ark., 20 bass, 51-4, $15,000
10th: Andrew Upshaw, Sapulpa, Okla., 20 bass, 51-1, $14,000
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.
Overall there were 50 bass weighing 141 pounds, 9 ounces caught by pros Sunday. All of the final 10 pros weighed in five-bass limits.
Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Arkansas, won the co-angler division and $25,000 Friday with a two-day total of nine bass weighing 25 pounds, 12 ounces, followed by Mike Devere of Berea, Kentucky, who finished in second place with 10 bass weighing 23 pounds, 6 ounces worth $7,500.
In addition to 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, anglers are also competing for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2016 Forrest Wood Cup will be in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 4-7 on Wheeler Lake.
Coverage of the Beaver Lake tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) September 14 from 1 p.m.-2 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, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
The Walmart FLW Tour at Beaver Lake presented by Jack Link’s was hosted by Visit Rogers. The next event for FLW Tour anglers will be the Walmart FLW Tour at Pickwick Lake presented by Quaker State.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us 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 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico 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 Periscope: @FLWFishing.
Georgia’s Evans High School Wins High School Fishing National Championship
ROGERS, Ark. (April 18, 2016) – Georgia’s Evans High School duo of Tyler Matthews and Blake Stephenson brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 15 pounds, 6 ounces to win the 2016 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship on Table Rock Lake. The win earned the team trophies, the title of national champions and a $10,000 scholarship to their college of choice.
Twelve teams competed in the two-day event, which launched from Kimberling City in Missouri. The Evans High School duo’s two-day total of nine bass totaling 27-1 gave them a narrow 1-pound, 11-ounce edge over Arkansas’ Chase Meyers of Cabot, and Cole Swede of Little Rock, who represent the Anvil Jaw Bass Club.
Matthews and Stephenson reported catching their entire limit both days using shaky heads rigged with green pumpkin craw imitators.
“I used a Buckeye Lures Sled rigged with a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw the entire tournament,” Matthews said. “Nothing else I threw would catch the bigger fish.”
Stephenson utilized the same Speed Craw in green pumpkin but opted for a different jighead.
“When I fish a shaky head, the only one I use is a Green Fish Tackle Creeper Head,” he said.
Matthews competed in his final event as a high school angler. He qualified last year for this event prior to graduating in June from Clarks High School in Evans, Ga. Matthews is making plans to attend college in the fall of 2016 but has yet to decide on a school. When not working, he spends his free time pursuing his passion for fishing.
Stephenson will complete eighth grade this year in Evans. When he finds free time from his studies, he enjoys being outdoors and fishing.
The top five teams on Table Rock Lake finished:
1st: Evans High School, Evans, Ga. – Tyler Matthews and Blake Stephenson, nine bass, 27-1, $10,000 Scholarship
2nd: Arkansas Anvil Jaw Bass Club – Chase Myers, Cabot, Ark., and Cole Swede, Little Rock, Ark., 10 bass, 25-6
3rd: Alabama Student Angler Federation. – Zeke Gossett, Pell City HS, and Ryan Shields, Hazelgreen HS, nine bass, 19-14
4th: Colerain High School, Cincinnati, Ohio – Daniel Hechler and Cole Wessner, eight bass, 19-7
5th: Abbeville High School, Abbeville, S.C. – Daelyn Whaley and Carter McNeil, five bass, 13-14
Complete results for the remaining teams and photos from the event will be posted at HighSchoolFishing.org.
The 2016 TBF/FLW High School Fishing National Championship was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12. The top 10 percent from each TBF/FLW state championship field advanced to a High School Fishing conference championship tournament along with the top three teams from each of the seven TBF/FLW High School Fishing Opens held last season. The top 10 percent of each conference championship field then advanced to the High School Fishing National Championship, coinciding with the TBF National Championship on Table Rock Lake and the Walmart FLW Tour at Beaver Lake. The High School Fishing national champions each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2016 High School Fishing World Finals. At the 2015 World Finals more than $20,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded. Visit HighSchoolFishing.org for details.
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 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico 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 Periscope: @FLWFishing.
About The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2007 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
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Jordan Lee Says Check Your Pockets for Springtime Bass
When water temps hit the 60s, former Bassmaster Carhartt College Series Champion, turned successful young Elite Series pro, Jordan Lee, looks for spawn-oriented largemouth inside shoreline indention ‘pockets’ formed by tiny tributaries on nearly every major reservoir in America.
Pockets can be located along main lake shorelines, typically where large natural drainage ditches are located – or, as is more commonly the case – inside the major creeks of a reservoir, where a minor stream originally ran into the main creek prior to the reservoir’s dam construction.
“Pockets are kind of a shortcut to finding bass around the time of the spawn because bass are eventually going to be in them, it’s just a matter of when, and what phase of the spawn they’re in on the day you’re fishing,” says the Guntersville, Alabama pro.
Most of the pockets Lee searches harbor water from 1 to 10-feet deep.
“The cool thing is you can fish a ton of them fast, versus searching miles of shoreline on the main lake,” says the 24-year-old pro. “I may fish 20 different pockets a day, and maybe only five of those will have catchable fish in them, but still those are decent odds, and it’s an easy way to find bass in the springtime, and it only takes a few minutes to fish each pocket.”
Lee takes a two-lure approach to pockets based on watercolor.
“If the water inside a pocket is clear enough to look for spawning beds, I’ll cast a wacky rigged finesse worm on a little size #1 Decoy brand hook with a weedguard,” he explains. “That’s a great light line presentation on a size 30 Quantum spinning reel if bass are roaming, or fully locked down on spawning beds I can see.”
“If the water is too dirty to look for beds, I pick up a baitcasting reel and pitch a Texas rigged 4” Strike King Game Hawg on 20-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon around wood,” adds the Carhartt pro.
“Pockets are easy to locate, it doesn’t take long to fish any single one of them, and if you fish enough of them in a day’s time during the spring, you’re probably gonna catch fish,” concludes Lee.
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