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Mexico Set To Sign FLW International Sanctioning Agreement At Forrest Wood Cup
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Martens Leads By Less Than A Pound In Bassmaster Elite At Chesapeake Bay
Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., takes the lead on Day 2 of the Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Cheseapeake Bay bringing 15 pounds to the scales for a two-day total weight of 32 pounds, 8 ounces. Photo by Seigo Saito/Bassmaster
NORTH EAST, Md. – Aaron Martens took another step toward his second victory of the season Friday, weighing in five bass that weighed 15 pounds in the Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Chesapeake Bay. read more…
Top Bass Lake, Toledo Bend, Earns Spot On 2016 Elite Series Schedule
The Bassmaster Elite Series will make a stop at Bassmaster Magazine’s top fishery on the 100 Best Bass Lakes list — Toledo Bend. Big fish like the one Bobby Lane caught at the 2014 event are just one reason Toledo Bend is such a popular fishery. The event will be held out of Many, La., May 12-15, 2016. Photo by Seigo Saito/Bassmaster
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Bassmaster Elite Series will once again return to the renowned fishery Toledo Bend Reservoir on the Louisiana-Texas border.
B.A.S.S. announced the selection today in conjunction with the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission’s celebration of the lake earning the top spot on Bassmaster’s 100 Best Bass Lakes list.
“We are thrilled to have been selected for a Bassmaster Elite tournament in 2016,” said Linda Curtis Sparks, director of the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission. “Toledo Bend’s designation as the No. 1 bass fishing lake in the nation by Bassmaster Magazine will have lots of eyes focused on what the pros can produce from Toledo Bend. It will be exciting to see.”
The top professional bass anglers and their fans will head to Many, La., May 12-15, 2016, for four days of competition.
“When you combine the best fishery in the country and a host community that has always rolled out the red carpet for our anglers, fans and sponsors, you are certain to have a fantastic event,” said Michael Mulone, B.A.S.S. director of event partnerships. “We are grateful for our continued partnership with Many, Louisiana, and look forward to another successful tournament.”
The 185,000-acre fishery earned the coveted top spot on Bassmaster’s 2015 100 Best Bass Lakes list based on current fishing reports and input from state fisheries departments, the B.A.S.S. Nation leadership and a blue ribbon panel of judges.
“When a lake certifies 80 bass that weigh over 10 pounds in a 12-month time frame, it’s pretty easy to name it the best bass lake in the nation,” said Bassmaster Magazine Editor James Hall. “That’s exactly what happened at Toledo Bend. Plus, it typically takes well over 25 pounds to win a tournament there during any season.
“The lake is simply full of big bass. And to put an exclamation point on the lake’s ranking, an event held there just after Bassmaster’s 100 Best Bass Lakes were announced saw a 38.22-pound five-fish winning limit. The lake is simply on fire right now!”
“Putting the Bassmaster Elite Series anglers — the best fishermen in the world — on the hottest lake in the nation, will be a perfect storm,” added Bruce Akin, B.A.S.S. CEO. “It is sure to be a ‘slugfest,’ and the real winner will be the bass fishing fan base.” He predicted that the Toledo Bend Elite will qualify one or more anglers for the exclusive Century Club, open only to anglers who weigh in more than 100 pounds of bass in a single Elite event.
B.A.S.S. will announce its full schedule for 2016 in early September.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. 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 presented by Allstate, Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series presented by TNT Fireworks, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.
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Ken Cook’s 1991 Bassmaster Classic Victory Taught Iaconelli to Look for Lively Fishing Spots
Practice reports from most pros indicated that perhaps the Upper Chesapeake Bay should be renamed the Dead Sea, but Mike Iaconelli knows certain spots of this massive waterway are alive and well, and Ken Cook’s Bassmaster Classic victory here 24 summers ago taught him the critical importance of finding those particular hot spots.
“The 1991 Classic was the first Classic that was super close to where I grew up, so I paid really careful attention to it, and the thing I remember most is how Ken Cook found an area that seemed to have more activity in it than most,” says Iaconelli.
Many pros reported having less than five bites throughout three long days of practice this week. Iaconelli had 37.
“I had 15 bites on Monday, 13 on Tuesday, and 9 on Wednesday. They might not all have been bass – but here’s the deal – even if they’re catfish or striped bass – those bites are signs of the circle of life being alive in those areas where I’m getting bites – and that tells me bass are in that area too,” says Iaconelli.
“The circle of life,” grins Iaconelli. “Sounds weird, but really man, you’re looking for places where there’s healthy vegetation that attracts the little microscopic plankton that baitfish and bluegills like to eat, which in turn draws predator fish like stripers, catfish and bass.”
If Iaconelli sounds like a freshman biology student, there’s good reason for it. First, the animated pro graduated college with honors, but mostly he remains a sponge for every small historical detail of the places and patterns that lead to victory in previous B.A.S.S. events over the past 25 years.
“I still carry folders with me filled with maps and old Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times articles that tell the winning patterns and locations of tournaments from years ago like the ’91 Classic,” says Iaconelli. “I have a folder with me this week filled with articles about the Upper Chesapeake, and there’s a lot of nights, around 9:00, just before bed, when I’ll sit and just pore over that stuff.”
“The spot Ken Cook won on is just around Turkey Point. It’s only a 10 – 15 minute boat ride from this launch. I have no plans to fish there today, but it still produces bass,” says Iaconelli.
“Ken found a spot that was alive,” concluded Ike.
If the disproportionate number of bites Iaconelli had in practice is any indication, apparently Ike has found a few very lively areas too.
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Day 1 Launch Videos
Here are few videos straight from the the launch here at the Chesapeake Bay.
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