THE LATEST NEWS

MINNEAPOLIS, Ark. (March 11, 2016) – Walmart FLW Tour pro Gary Yamamoto of Palestine, Texas, informed FLW today that he is withdrawing from next week’s Walmart FLW Tour event at Lake Hartwell due to severe neck and back pain caused by a compressed disc in his back. Yamamoto plans to return for the third Tour event of the season next month at Beaver Lake. A tournament field of 169 boats will compete in next week’s event, March 17-20 on Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina.

Yamamoto, a 15-year veteran of the FLW Tour, has fished 128 tournaments in FLW competition logging eight career top-10 finishes and more than $490,000 in career earnings. The legendary founder of Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits was inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame last week, along with Billy Murray and the 41^st president of the United States, George H.W. Bush.

In FLW Tour competition, anglers are also vying 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.

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.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — “Because of unsafe conditions on Toledo and upon the advice of local authorities Thursday morning, we have decided to postpone the Costa Bassmaster High School Series Central Open on Toledo Bend,” said Hank Weldon, senior tournament manager at B.A.S.S.

The tournament was to begin Saturday. Participants were being notified of the postponement Thursday morning. It will be rescheduled at a later date.

Weldon said he was in constant communication with the tournament hosts and local authorities throughout Wednesday, when predictions were that the rains would end and the lake level would subside enough to permit fishing this weekend. Instead, rainstorms continued, dumping as much as 24 inches of rain in less than 24 hours, he said, leading to flooding of historic proportions.

In addition, major roads leading to the reservoir on the Louisiana-Texas border have been closed, Weldon noted, making it difficult for anglers and tournament staff to reach the lake.

“We have monitored weather conditions since Tuesday, and through Wednesday, we felt that road conditions and lake conditions were safe,” reported Linda Curtis-Sparks, director of the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission. “Additional rainfall through Thursday morning has created road closures across the state. Additional inflow to the lake has also changed lake conditions so that we have concerns. Louisiana has been declared in a state of emergency.”

“We regret having to postpone the High School Central Open,” Weldon said. “There were 150 teams registered for the event, a dramatic increase over the 117 teams that participated on Toledo Bend last year. In addition, the fishing on Toledo Bend was shaping up to be incredibly good for the tournament — until the floods came.” Toledo Bend is currently ranked the No. 1 fishery in America on Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes.

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.

Bassmaster Elite Series pro Chris Lane will be one of 111 competitors at the Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels out of Palatka, Fla., March 17-20. Lane took home top honors in 2014 when he won his second Elite event on the same fishery with a four-day total of 90 pounds, 13 ounces. Photo by Seigo Saito/Bassmaster
PALATKA, Fla. — Big shallow-water bass will be targeted by 111 anglers at the Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels in Palatka, Fla., March 17-20.

The 2016 season kicks off with a return to the tidal river in northeastern Florida, which will pay $100,000 to the angler with the heaviest four-day weight.

The Elite Series has visited the St. Johns River three times in the past five years, and with the number of big bass weighed in each day at those events, it’s easy to see why fan attendance has increased with each visit.

March has been the magical month on the St. Johns — for fans and anglers alike.

The reigning Bassmaster Classic champion, Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., won the St. Johns Elite in 2011 with 77 pounds, 1 ounce. Alton Jones of Lorena, Texas, won in 2012 with 75-9; and Chris Lane of Guntersville, Ala., won in 2014 with a whopping catch of 90-13.

In 2011, 9,310 fans attended the event. In 2012, attendance increased to 10,225. And in 2014, more than 11,000 fans were in attendance throughout the entire event.

The bass fishing is likely to be especially exciting during the early spring because the fish can be easily seen from the front deck of a boat and caught while guarding their spawning beds. This technique is referred to as sight fishing, and it has been known to connect anglers to some of the largest fish in the system.

While currently an Alabama resident, Lane is originally from central Florida, and he knows how productive the fishery can be during the spring months.

“It’s been hot recently, and I really think the water temperatures will position the fish near the eelgrass,” said Lane, the 2012 Bassmaster Classic champion. “The timing is right to find fish in all phases of the spawn. I’m sure we’ll see new fish moving in shallow, preparing to spawn, and at the same time, we’ll find bass that just finished spawning. And then some fish in between.”

Lane says to finish in the Top 50 and remain in contention for a paycheck, an angler will need to weigh 11 to 13 pounds per day. He thinks the winner, however, will need to bring in 19 to 21 pounds each day to take home top honors.

“I love Florida this time of year,” he continued. “The weather is usually very comfortable, and the fishing is great. Right now the weather looks perfect, but you never know for sure until you’re there. Regardless how Mother Nature treats us, I expect it to be a fantastic tournament, like each time we’ve fished there.”

According to Lane, there will be an opportunity to catch bass by flipping a heavy jig into dense grass mats, a technique known as punching. He said the majority of the anglers would likely be targeting spawning bass sitting on beds.

Veteran Elite Series angler Bernie Schultz of Gainesville, Fla., is looking forward to returning to the St. Johns.

“It’s a fabulous fishery,” said Schultz. “There will be a lot of limits caught, and some large, impressive bass weighed in each day. The weather and water conditions have been stable recently, and that will play to the anglers’ favor. If it gets windy or a big storm system moves through, the daily weights could be affected.”

Schultz agreed with Lane’s estimation on the required daily weights to remain in contention for a Top 50 finish, or the championship title.

“The St. Johns River is an expansive system,” he said. “There is no shortage of good water to fish, but I won’t be surprised to find large groups of anglers clumped together as they fish over spawning flats. That will be the most popular way to catch bass during this event. And, it’s a fun way to fish.”

Schultz said there are thousands of docks, an abundance of cypress trees and laydowns, sandbars and plenty of lily pads and eelgrass that offer bass the necessary security needed to spawn and feed. There are plenty of canals and several lakes, including Crescent Lake, Little Lake George and Lake George that will appeal to the field of Elite Series anglers.

Launches are scheduled for 7:15 a.m. ET each day at Palatka City Dock, and weigh-ins will take place at 3:30 p.m. ET at Palatka Riverfront Park.

A total purse of $638,000 will be paid to the Top 50 anglers. Those anglers will also earn points toward the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title and qualification for the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic.

2016 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Toyota, Berkley, GoPro, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha

2016 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Academy Sports + Outdoors, A.R.E. Truck Caps, Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rapala, Shell Rotella, Shimano

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.