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The 2015 Oakley Big Bass Tour will feature ten events in ten states with stops at some of the nations best bass fisheries.  The series begins its 2015 campaign on February 28^th in Florida at the Harris Chain of Lakes and from there will visit Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Alabama.

Each event will feature thousands in guaranteed hourly cash payouts and a $30,000 Nitro Z7 powered by Mercury to the overall big bass winner.  The tournament series will be open to amateur anglers only. One-day entry fees are $110 per angler and two-day entry fees are $160 per angler. Anglers may visit www.oakleybigbass.com for all registration, rules and payout information.

“We are excited to kick off our sixth season,” says Scott Gordon with Oakley Big Bass Tour. “This promises to be a big year for the Tour and I’m sure we will see some big fish cross the stage throughout the 2015 series.” added Gordon.

The Oakley Big Bass Tour is the nation’s premier amateur big bass tournament series. We provide anglers of all skill levels with an exciting tournament format and event experience on some of the nation’s best bass fisheries. Established in 2010 our tour is focused on the promotion of bass fishing and bass conservation at the grass roots level through our tournament events. For more information regarding tour events please visit www.oakleybigbass.com or call (877) 958-TOUR (8687).

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (Jan. 16) — With a cash finish from the Bassmaster Southern Open No. 1 in hand, Cabela’s/GEICO For Your Boat pro David Walker now turns his sights to the GEICO Bassmaster Classic.

Walker didn’t bag enough fish Friday to reach the top 12 and advance to the final day on Lake Tohopekaliga, but his 30th-place finish did earn him a paycheck.

“It didn’t go as I was hoping,” Walker said. “I guess it could’ve been worse, but it should’ve been better.

“It is nice to get a start here and have a good finish. That’s a little victory, but the Classic is a tournament unlike one of these Opens.”

Walker stood 19th after Thursday’s first day, but like a lot of anglers in this tournament he was unable to match that total on Friday. And that has the veteran angler scratching his head a little bit.

“I had a solid finish; I’ll finish in the money,” Walker said. “I was hoping to do a lot better, but the weights were down quite a bit today. There were a few stringers and a few guys who had good days who didn’t yesterday, but all the guys who had good stringers yesterday had trouble today.”

Walker bagged five fish weighing 9 pounds, 12 ounces Friday to bring his two-day total to 23 pounds, 12 ounces.

“I don’t know what to attribute it to,” Walker said of the drop-off of so many pros. “There were no failures, as far as lost fish or broken lines. There just weren’t enough bites to make up the ground I needed.”

But Walker won’t fret, especially when reminded that the GEICO Bassmaster Classic is up next. That tournament, on Lake Hartwell in Greenville, S.C., on Feb. 20-22, is the biggest for pro anglers.

“I love that tournament,” Walker said. “It’s such a good tournament. It is a career-making event. It’s that important of an event. You want to win it just to get into the next one.”

Walker has high hopes for the Classic, where he finished 19th a year ago and will be making his 11th appearance.

“We’ll see when we get there,” Walker said. “Weather is going to be a big factor there. Plus, it is the Classic, so there are a lot of things going on, a lot of hoopla, and it’s easy to get wrapped up in that. But I’m looking forward to it.”

Cabela’s/GEICO For Your Boat pro angler David Walker posted a cash finish at the Bassmaster Southern Open No. 1 thanks to a two-day total haul of 23 pounds, 12 ounces.

Brandon McMillan of Clewiston, Fla., lead on Day 2 of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open #1 presented by Allstate held on Lake Tohopekaliga out of Kissimmee, Fla. McMillan brought 13 pounds, 15 ounces to the scales at Friday’s weigh-in for a two-day total of 38-8. Photo by Shaye Baker/Bassmaster

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Florida’s fickle bass not only played with the heads of the first-round leaders in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open presented by AllState, but they also scrambled the leaderboard.

On a day when the sun shined and the fish were supposed to bite, big bags were few and far between. That was just fine for Brandon McMillan of Clewiston, Fla., whose 13-pound, 15-ounce limit gave him a two-day total of 38-8, good enough to move him from third to first.

To illustrate how goofy fishing was Friday, New York’s Andrew Slegona – who caught 31 pounds to lead the event after the first day, only had two small bass Friday but fell no further than fourth (34-9).

“Man, hard to believe that I could stay in the Top 5 with a day like that on a lake like this,” Slegona marveled.

Meanwhile, Todd Auten of South Carolina jumped from 13th to second (36-8), Bobby Lane of Florida moved from 18th to third (34-13) and Gerald Swindle of Alabama climbed from 17th to fifth (34-3). Only 4 pounds, 5 ounces separate the Top 5 who will join seven other anglers in Saturday’s final.

In the co-angler division, Floridian Alan Agnoli stunned the crowd with three bass weighing 17-11 to take the lead with 24-15. Other Floridians in the Top 5 among co-anglers include Steve Jarrett (18-2), Robbie Anderson (17-13), Terry Law (17-10) and Daniel Lanier (17-9).

McMillan admits he was just “scrounging round” to catch the fish that put him in the lead Friday.

“I knew I couldn’t duplicate what I did yesterday because I beat on them pretty hard,” he noted. “So today I was doing a little bit of everything from flipping to swimming a jig to catch what I caught.”

Lane, who calls the Kissimmee Chain his home waters, said the water temperature dropped 5 degrees after Thursday night’s cool-off and rain, and that left the bass in a tizzy. His 20-pound, 6-ounce sack Friday was one of the biggest and was anchored by a 9-8.

“It really helps knowing the lake and how these fish react when you get fishing conditions like this,” said Lane. “The fish really want to spawn, but the water just hasn’t been right for them to get it going.”

McMillan’s second-day leadership earned him the $250 Livingston Lures Leader Award. Agnoli captured the same title among co-anglers, pocketing a Livingston Lures gift pack worth $250.

Ohioan Charlie Hartley recovered from a bad first day to win the Allstate Good Hands, Great Day award ($250) for moving from 158th place to 17th, thanks to a 20-pound, 15-ounce limit, the largest in the pro division.

Among co-anglers, Mike Spears of Jasper, Ala., moved from 115th to 30th to garner $150 from Allstate.

The tournament takeoff on Saturday is at 7 a.m. ET at Big Toho Marina. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Bass Pro Shops in Orlando at 4 p.m.

2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops

2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Presenting Sponsor: Allstate

2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Berkley, Evan Williams, GoPro, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha

2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Huk Performance Fishing, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rigid Industries, 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. 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, Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (Jan. 15) — Cabela’s/GEICO For Your Boat pro David Walker is within striking distance of advancing to the final day of the Bassmaster Southern Open No. 1 at Lake Tohopekaliga.

With the top 12 advancing to Saturday’s final day, Walker sits 19th out of the 200 anglers who took to the Central Florida lake on Thursday. Walker bagged five fish weighing 14 pounds, meaning he’s less than three pounds out of 12th place.

“It’s a long race, and the first one out of the gate doesn’t normally win,” Walker said. “We’ll see. Andrew Slegona got quite a lead, but now it’s our turn to try and catch him.”

Tournament leader Slegona, an infrequent Bassmaster competitor, caught more than 31 pounds of fish Thursday and leads by more than six pounds. But Walker said the first-day leader of this tournament is often an answer to a “trivia question” by the final day.

“It’s probably a long shot to win it, but I’m definitely not out of it,” Walker said. “The main goal is to make that top 12 on Saturday.”

Walker was one of the final anglers on the water Thursday, and his weigh-in happened after sunset. That means Friday will be an earlier day, and that’s OK with him.

“Tomorrow is a much shorter day, but that’s not so bad,” Walker said. “I caught most of what I caught before noon today anyway. I don’t look for that to change.

“You’ve got to make sure you don’t rush things because the clock is ticking a little faster. So I have to take my time and make sure I land what bites.”

There have been plenty of big fish in Lake Tohopekaliga this week, so the standings can change quickly. Many tournaments aren’t that way, so Walker has to keep an eye out for the lunkers.

“There have been enough eight- to 10-pounders weighed in today that can be difference-makers,” Walker said. “You’ve got to anticipate that the next cast might be a 10-pounder. You’ve got to keep that in your mind. It would be easy to talk yourself out of that, but the reality is that there are enough big fish in here that you could really make a rebound.”

Cabela’s/GEICO For Your Boat pro David Walker is within striking distance of advancing to the final day of the Bassmaster Southern Open No. 1 at Lake Tohopekaliga.