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Noted Conservationist, ‘Modern ERA’ Journalist, ‘Set the Standard’ Tournament Director Inducted in BFHOF 2021 Class
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – For Immediate Release – 4.19.21 – As part of its mission to celebrate those who have made major contributions to the sport, the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Board of Directors has announced the induction class of 2021, which includes three deserving individuals – Gene Gilliland, Jason Lucas and Trip Weldon. The trio will be honored on Thursday, September 30 at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium at a special reception within the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame venue, followed by the Hall’s annual dinner and induction activities.
“On behalf of our entire Board, we’re thrilled that we’ll be able to honor Gene Gilliland and Trip Weldon in person, along with Jason Lucas posthumously, when the bass fishing world comes together to celebrate in Springfield this fall,” said BFHOF Board President John Mazurkiewicz. “Each of them has made lasting contributions to the sport and we’re excited to see them take their rightful place in the Hall of Fame.”
The three members of the 2021 class distinguished themselves in various facets of the sport – spanning conservation, media and tournament operations.
Gilliland is known for his extensive work in fisheries management and bass conservation efforts and continues that involvement as conservation director for B.A.S.S. He is a tireless advocate for bass fishing on numerous national boards and councils.
Lucas, the former fishing editor for Sports Afield, is considered one of the modern era’s ‘fathers of bass fishing.’ His book Lucas on Bass Fishing, published in 1947, was one of the first bass fishing how-to books and helped ignite the popularity of the sport. He later wrote about bass fishing for Sports Illustrated, providing the sport with meaningful exposure in the mainstream sports world. Lucas passed away in 1975.
While he enjoyed competing in bass tournaments, including top-5 finishes in Red Man All-American events, Weldon set the standard for tournament directors during his nearly 20 years presiding over B.A.S.S events. Known among professional bass anglers for his fairness and strict adherence to the rule book, he became one of the most respected tournament directors in the history of the sport. Weldon retired from B.A.S.S. in 2020.
In overseeing the induction process for the BFHOF Board, nominations committee chairman Todd Hammill said, “We appreciate the involvement of our past inductees and supporters of the Hall in nominating worthy individuals for this honor, and especially our 30-member selection panel for their transparent efforts in identifying the qualified nominees who deserve a place in the Hall.”
The annual Bass Fishing Hall of Fame induction banquet continues to be a must-attend event. While the spotlight will shine on Gilliland, Lucas and Weldon, the Hall’s 2020 class, which included Steve Bowman, Bryan Kerchal, James Heddon, Ron Lindner and Jay Yelas, will also be recognized. Last year’s induction celebration was canceled due to the worldwide pandemic.
“We do thank all who supported our online auction last year that helped the Board function through the pandemic and with projects such as our conservation grants,” said BFHOF Board Vice President Tim Carini. “We look forward to September 30 in Springfield when the bass fishing world comes together to help us celebrate, promote and preserve our sport.”
Tickets to the induction dinner and information about the Hall of Fame and its mission are available at www.Bassfishinghof.com.
About the Class of 2021
Gene Gilliland — During his 32-year career as a research biologist, fisheries management supervisor and Assistant Chief of Fisheries for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Gilliland developed a national reputation as an advocate for angler involvement in fisheries decision-making. It earned him prestigious national awards from the American Fisheries Society and induction into its Fisheries Management Hall of Fame. Throughout his career, he was actively involved with B.A.S.S. Conservation and was a regular contributor on black bass biology and management for B.A.S.S. Times magazine and other fishing publications. He co-authored (with Dr. Hal Schramm) the booklet
Jason Lucas — Born in Yorkshire, England in 1894, Lucas was instrumental in popularizing bass fishing through his writings for Sports Afield and later Sports Illustrated. Initially a fiction writer, Lucas wrote several western novels in the 1930s before he established himself as an authority on bass fishing at a time when trout were still considered the prized gamefish among anglers. His writings were based on experiences from spending countless days on the water. At one point, he claimed to have fished eight hours per day for 365 consecutive days. In 1947, he published Lucas on Bass Fishing, one of the first how-to books devoted to the pursuit of bass. It was later updated and reprinted twice, adding information about other freshwater species. In the book’s introduction, Ted Kesting, then the editorial director at Sports Afield, wrote, “When I first heard about a fisherman by the name of Jason Lucas, I put him down as another one of those piscatorial experts who are handier with conversation in a bar room than they are with a casting rod in a boat. … Then one day an associate of mine asked Lucas to write an article about bass. I read it and was amazed. This man really knew something about fishing.” Later, Kesting assigned Lucas a series of articles on his new angling techniques. The resulting reader response was overwhelmingly positive, and Lucas was then hired as the magazine’s angling editor, a position he held for more than 20 years.
Trip Weldon — Weldon has become known as the standard for tournament directors. He has served as tournament director for B.A.S.S. since 2002 and worked within the tournament department at the organization since 1990. His appointment as tournament director in 2002 was welcomed by the competing anglers. At his first meeting with them, they gave him a standing ovation. During his tenure he presided over the first female and first college angler to compete in a Bassmaster Classic. He had a front row seat as anglers like Kevin VanDam rose to the forefront of the sport, but still rendered tough decisions based on the rules. He was integral to the creation of the Bassmaster Elite Series and helped steer the organization into the digital age of bass fishing tournaments. Innovations such as BassTrakk and the influx of information from blogs and social media created a new mix of issues within the tournament scene, but Weldon stayed on top of them, embracing them as a way to grow the sport. Weldon’s personal fishing accomplishments include two top-5 finishes in Red Man All-American events at Lake Havasu and the Arkansas River. He also won an EverStart on Lake Martin.
About the BFHOF — The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization led by a volunteer board of directors and is dedicated to celebrating, promoting and preserving the sport of bass fishing. Since 2017, the Hall’s inductees and memorabilia representing the history of bass fishing is showcased in Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri, where it has rapidly become a popular destination.
For more information about the Hall, its mission, and to become a supporting member,
visit www.BassFishingHOF.com,
or contact BFHOF executive director Barbara Bowman at [email protected].
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New Buzzbait
MLF Pro Cody Meyer introduces a new offering From EVERGREEN International. Cody gives us a look at this new offering and explains a few features that set this buzzbait apart from others.
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Aoki Claims Razor-Thin Victory At Bassmaster Southern Open On Douglas Lake
DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — Daisuke Aoki has claimed numerous accolades in his homeland, but the Japanese standout secured his grandest objective Saturday by topping a stout field at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Southern Open on Douglas Lake with a three-day total of 43 pounds, 13 ounces.
Daisuke Aoki, of Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi, Japan, has won the 2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Southern Open at Douglas Lake with a three-day total of 43 pounds, 13 ounces. Photo by Andy Crawford/B.A.S.S.
Hailing from Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi, Japan, Aoki kept himself in contention all week. He placed fourth on Day 1 with 15-13 and held that position a day later with a second-round limit of 13-5. On Championship Saturday, Aoki added 14-11 and edged Bassmaster Elite Drew Benton by an ounce.
With an impressive resume including the 2015 Japan Bass Top 50 Angler of the Year and the Basser Allstar Classic title, also 2015, Aoki has had his sights set on the sport’s most prestigious event.
“The Bassmaster Classic is my dream,” Aoki said as he removed his sunglasses and wiped his eyes. “This is a dream come true.”
Along with his $51,833 first-place prize, Aoki earned a spot in the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk on Lake Hartwell. He achieved his long-awaited dream by applying techniques he commonly uses back home.
“Every day, I study American bass fishing,” Aoki said. “Fishing on Douglas Lake is very similar to Japanese finesse fishing.”
Aoki spent all of his time in about 5 feet of water, where he targeted prespawn and spawning fish with wacky rigs. He fished a pink DStyle finesse worm unweighted on a Hayabusa hook and a green pumpkin/blue flake Yamamoto Senko on a 1/16-ounce wacky jig.
“I used the Senko for bed fish,” Aoki said. “I used (rapid rod twitches) to swim the bait across the bottom.
“I used the 4-inch Senko when I could not see a bed. When I could see a bed, I used the 3-inch Senko.”
Aoki said he used the unweighted wacky rig to cover water between likely bedding areas. He fished this bait higher in the water column.
“It was cast, cast, cast — many spots,” Aoki said of his thorough coverage strategy.
Aoki said he fished the upper end of Douglas on Day 1, switched to the lower lake on Day 2 and split Day 3 between both sections. The upper end produced his best Championship Saturday bites.
After raising the first-place trophy, Aoki captured his obvious emotion by shouting the Bassmaster slogan: “Big Bass. Big Stage. Big Dreams.”
Benton, who makes his home in Blakely, Ga., tallied a second-place total of 43-12, which included a 4-ounce dead-fish penalty. He placed fifth on Day 1 with 15-12, slipped a spot to sixth by adding 13-1 on Friday and finished his run with 14-15.
“I came here right after (last week’s Elite event on the Sabine River) and I only had a day and a half of practice, so I really didn’t figure anything out until the first day of the tournament,” Benton said. “I just rolled with it and figured a little more out each day and put it together.”
Benton caught most of his fish on swimbaits. Around laydowns, he threw a 7-inch Big Bite Baits Suicide Shad on a belly-weighted Owner Beast Hook. On rockier banks, a 6-inch Scottsboro line-through swimbait got the call.
“They were completely choking those swimbaits,” Benton said. “When I’d come to a laydown I wanted to pitch, I’d throw a Texas-rigged Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog.
“I fished clean, never lost anything. I just didn’t get (enough) big bites.”
Josh Douglas of Isle, Minn., finished third with 42-3. Spending most of his time offshore, Douglas placed second on Day 1 with 16-9, but dipped to 10th after a slower Day 2 yielded only 11-4. Adding 14-6 in the final round boosted his performance.
“When I first got here over the weekend, it seemed like there were a lot of fish up shallow, but I just couldn’t get a lot of big ones that way,” Douglas said. “I figured I could wing it in the tournament, so I idled for two and a half days and found 10 or 12 schools in 15 to 20 feet.”
Douglas caught his fish on a Strike King 6XD, a Rapala DT-20 and an Outkast Tackle hair jig.
Day 1 leader Jackson Swisher of Lake City, Fla., won the $750 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award with his 5-10.
Aoki won the $500 Garmin Tournament Rewards.
Jacob Foutz of Charleston, Tenn., leads the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Open Angler of the Year standings with 387 points. David Williams of Newton, N.C., is second with 380, followed by Blake Smith of Lakeland, Fla., with 369, Keith Poche of Pike Road, Ala., with 365 and Scott Ashmore of Broken Arrow, Okla., with 360.
Visit Jefferson County and the Town of Dandridge hosted the event.
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Basspro.com
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon, Rapala
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, 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 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 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, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Open at Douglas Lake 4/15-4/17
Douglas Lake, Jefferson County, TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Daisuke Aoki Minamitsurugun Yamanash 15 43-13 200 $51,833.00
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 14-11
2. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 15 43-12 199 $24,933.00
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 13-01 Day 3: 5 14-15
3. Josh Douglas Isle, MN 15 42-03 198 $17,600.00
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 11-04 Day 3: 5 14-06
4. David Williams Newton, NC 15 41-15 197 $14,667.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 5 11-09
5. Josh Herren Ashville, AL 15 41-06 196 $12,760.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 13-06 Day 3: 5 13-05
6. Jackson Swisher LAKE CITY, FL 15 40-15 195 $12,483.00
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 5 11-00
7. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 15 40-00 194 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 5 12-02
8. Drew Boggs Lebanon, TN 15 38-06 193 $10,267.00
Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 08-02
9. Billy McCaghren Jr Mayflower, AR 15 38-03 192 $8,067.00
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 13-12 Day 3: 5 09-05
10. Jeff Bauler Santee, CA 15 37-06 191 $6,600.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 5 09-01
———————————————————————–
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Jackson Swisher LAKE CITY, FL 05-10 $750.00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 209 1077 2430-07
2 204 1036 2213-01
3 10 50 118-08
———————————-
423 2163 4762-00
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It’s Misunderstood
John Murray talks about a misunderstood bait, the River2Sea Rukus is a killer spring offering. John explains the unlimited options of this bait and how he makes the most of it.
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Alton Jones Wins MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters
RALEIGH, N.C. (April 14, 2021) – It was a sight-fishing clinic on Shearon Harris Reservoir in Raleigh on Wednesday, and pro Alton Jones of Woodway, Texas, was the professor. The Texas angler boated 12 bass weighing 45 pounds, 9 ounces to dominate the final-day Championship Round and win the top prize of $100,000 at the Major League Fishing (MLF) General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops in North Carolina. Jones won by a 15-pound, 5-ounce margin over pro Jeff Sprague of Point, Texas, who caught eight bass totaling 30-4. Sprague, however, was not disappointed in his finish as he earned the top Big Bass Bonus of $100,000 with a 5-pound, 3-ounce largemouth.
Texas pro Dominates Final Day, Catches 12 Bass Totaling 45 Pounds, 9 Ounces to Win Heavy Hitters Title and $100,000 Top Prize, Fellow Texas pro Jeff Sprague Catches 5-pound, 3-ounce Fish to Earn $100,000 Big Bass Bonus
Link to Photo of Heavy Hitters Champion Alton Jones
Link to Photo of Heavy Hitters $100,000 Big Bass Winner Jeff Sprague
Link to Video of Jones’ Championship Belt Presentation
Link to Video of Fish Catch Highlights from Jones’ Final Day
Just 23 minutes into Period 2, Jones caught a 3-pound, 3-ounce bass to move into the top position on the leaderboard and he never relinquished it. The tall Texan showed MLF NOW! viewers why he has long been considered one of the top sight-fishing anglers in the game.
“This feels so, so good. It’s been a while since I’ve won a Tour-level event like this, and it was a very special day,” said an emotional Jones when he came off of the water. “After my practice time, I knew that I had found several key areas that had the potential to be really special for this event, if I could just make the final rounds.
“When we did our morning ride-through this morning and I got on the trolling motor, I found about 10 3-pounders in my first pass through the cove, and I thought to myself, ‘you know what, this could actually happen.’ I didn’t know if they were going to bite, but if they did I was going to have a chance. And sure enough, here I am. I still can’t believe that I’m the Heavy Hitters Champion.”
Jones saw the majority of the fish that he caught on Wednesday on beds, and managed to boat a dozen keepers flipping an “old-school” Texas-rigged Canyon Plastics Gitzit tube (green-pumpkin with purple and black metal flake).
“I really like throwing a tube during the spawn – it’s a bait that will catch a 2-pounder, a 3-pounder, but it will also catch a 10-pounder,” Jones said. “So, it’s good bait to fish for numbers and size. My Kistler rods were also very important – I used a Kistler Z Bone. That rod is super-light, super-sensitive, and super-strong and helped me out a lot today.”
Jones also shared some of his sight-fishing prowess with the crowd gathered at the takeout ramp.
“Every fish that I caught today was an individual,” Jones said. “I had to figure out what each fish was doing, and how to work that particular fish. That’s one of the things that I love about sight fishing – you treat every fish as an individual. What makes one fish hot, the other fish will ignore. So, it’s kind of a thinking man’s game. It’s a stealthy game, because you can see them, but they can also see you. I try to hide from the fish, and I’ve got a few other little tricks that I like to pull and today, it all worked out for me.”
Second-place angler Jeff Sprague was also emotional and exhausted after a long week of competition.
“I scratched by every day this week,” Sprague said. “The first day at Lake Jordan was great – I caught so many fish and had a phenomenal day. The second day, we literally scratched by and barely made it into the Knockout Round. Then, in the Knockout Round, to tie for the last position in and to get through via a tiebreaker. And now, on Championship Day, to catch the big bass and win 100 grand and finish second overall, this has just been a stellar week.”
The top 10 pros from the General Tire Heavy Hitters event in Raleigh, North Carolina, finished:
1st: Alton Jones, Woodway, Texas, 12 bass, 45-9, $100,000
2nd: Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, eight bass, 30-4, $25,000 + $100,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus
3rd: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., seven bass, 26-8, $20,000 + $50,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus
4th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., six bass, 22-12, $18,000
5th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., six bass, 22-8, $15,000
6th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 18-7, $14,500
7th: Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., five bass, 17-15, $13,500 + $25,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus
8th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., four bass, 14-2, $12,500 + $25,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus
9th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., three bass, 9-14, $11,000
10th: Ish Monroe, Oakdale, Calif., one bass, 3-11, $8,000
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 57 bass weighing 211 pounds, 10 ounces, caught by the final 10 pros on Wednesday, which included two 5-pounders, 13 4-pounders, and 42 3-pounders caught from Shearon Harris Reservoir.
The MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops was hosted by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.
Television coverage of the General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops will be showcased across six two-hour episodes, premiering at 7 a.m. ET, July 17 on the Discovery Channel. A one-hour special episode of MLF Inside Heavy Hitters will also air on CBS in late 2021. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-airings on the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour long reality-based episode goes in-depth to break down each day of competition.
For complete details and updated information on General Tire Heavy Hitters, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Major League Fishing
Founded in 2011, Major League Fishing (MLF) brings the high-intensity sport of competitive bass fishing into America’s living rooms on Outdoor Channel, Discovery, CBS, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, Sportsman Channel, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). According to Nielsen ratings, Major League Fishing remains the number one series on Outdoor Channel for five years and MLF premiered as the number one outdoor show in their time slot on Discovery in 2019.
In 2019 MLF acquired FLW, which expands their portfolio to include the world’s largest grassroots-fishing organization, including the strongest five-biggest-fish format professional bass fishing tour, the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers, as well as the MLF Toyota Series, MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine, MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI, and MLF U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing.
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