THE LATEST NEWS
Bassmaster Elite Series 2015 Schedule Released
The Bassmaster Elite Series released their 2015 schedule moments ago. Here is a run down of the lakes and what they had to say about them:
Feb 20-22 Lake Hartwell Greenville, S.C.
Mar 19-22 Sabine River Orange, Texas
Apr 9-12 Lake Guntersville Guntersville, Ala.
Apr 30 – May 3 Sacramento River Sacramento, Calif.
May 7-10 Lake Havasu Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
June 3-7 BASS Fest Ky Lake Paris, Tenn.
July 30-Aug 2 St. Lawrence River Waddington, N.Y.
Aug 13-16 Chesapeake Bay Cecil County, Md.
Sep 24-27 Lake St. Clair Detroit, Mich.
In 2015, B.A.S.S. celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Bassmaster Elite Series with a schedule that commemorates some of the greatest events in bass fishing history. Six of the sites have hosted Elite tournaments in the past decade, and all eight fisheries are among the finest venues the sport has to offer for the best anglers in the business.
“It’s fitting that the 10th Elite Series season features such prominent and important fisheries,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin in announcing the 2015 schedule. “The schedule spans the country from coast to coast and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, and it includes some of the very best bass lakes and rivers in the country — and some of the most challenging.”
The season begins March 19-22 in Orange, Texas, at the Sabine River, site of one of the most popular Elite tournaments in history. At that 2013 event, a new Bassmaster Elite Series attendance record was set with more than 33,000 visitors during the four-day tournament. While some Elite anglers struggled to fill out limits in the Sabine’s backwaters, Todd Faircloth caught almost 50 pounds of bass to earn his fourth Elite victory.
From the Sabine, the best bass anglers in the world head east to Alabama and Lake Guntersville,April 9-12, the site of 22 previous professional tournaments, including four Elite events and the 2014 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro, won by Randy Howell. It took more than 100 pounds to win each of the last two Elites here, and weights should be high again next spring.
“Lake Guntersville is a perennial bass fishing powerhouse,” said Bassmaster Magazine Editor James Hall. “It has never ranked below fifth on the annual rankings of Bassmaster’s 100 Best Bass Lakes list.”
Later in the month, the Elite Series reconvenes in California at the Sacramento River, April 30-May 3. The river may appear to be new to the B.A.S.S. schedule, but it’s a tributary of the legendary California Delta, and it’s a sure bet that many of the pros will make the run to the Delta for their catches. The birthplace of the “flippin’” technique, the Delta has hosted two previous Elite tournaments; they were won by Aaron Martens and John Crews.
The California Delta produced the heaviest bass in Bassmaster tournament history, a 14-pound, 9-ounce largemouth caught by Mark Tyler in 1999. Big bass like that make the fishery one of the best in the country (13th on 100 Best Bass Lakes list). If the weather’s right, it will take more than 100 pounds over four days of competition to have a chance to win.
Upon leaving Sacramento, the Elite pros will travel approximately 600 miles to Lake Havasu City, host of the fourth Elite event of the season, to be held May 7-10 on Lake Havasu. The Colorado River fishery, which is ranked 20th on the list of best bass lakes, has been the site of three previous B.A.S.S. events, but none since the Elite Series debuted in 2006.
At 19,300 acres, it’s one of the smallest venues on the slate. That means the 100 or more Elite anglers could be fishing in a crowd on one of the finest impoundments in the West. That just might give Elite pro Dean Rojas, who lives in Lake Havasu City, a real home-water advantage.
Fishing fans will be glad to learn that BASSfest is back in 2015, and this time it’s on Kentucky Lake, June 3-7, out of Paris, Tenn. The seminars, photo and autograph sessions and fan-friendly format that made this special event such a hit in 2014 should be hugely popular on a lake that has already hosted four Elite tournaments, two of which required more than 90 pounds to win.
Kentucky Lake is one of the most consistent bass fishing destinations in the country, which led to its ranking of 18th by Bassmaster Magazine. The century mark is certainly within reach on Kentucky Lake in June. And watch out for Kevin VanDam to regain his winning form — he’s already won two Elite tournaments here.
After a summer hiatus, the Elites are back in action on the St. Lawrence River, July 30-Aug. 2, out of Waddington, N.Y. The St. Lawrence has been a frequent stop on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail, hosting 16 previous tournaments, including the 1980 Bassmaster Classic and an Elite contest. In 2013, the Waddington event broke the Elite Series attendance record set months earlier in Orange, Texas, with more than 34,000 fans participating over the four-day event.
The St. Lawrence is a world-class smallmouth fishery and ranked 11th among the 100 best fisheries in America. Brandon Palaniuk earned his blue Elite trophy in 2013 with 88 pounds, 12 ounces of smallmouth bass, an average of 4.4 pounds per fish.
Chesapeake Bay out of Cecil County, Md., is big water with an impressive B.A.S.S. history. It was the site of the 1991 Bassmaster Classic, which was held in mid-August and won by former fisheries biologist Ken Cook with 15 bass weighing 33-2. Exactly 24 years later, on Aug. 13-16, 2015, it will help set the stage for the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race and dozens of Classic berths.
The 2015 Elite Series regular season wraps up in Detroit, Mich., on Lake St. Clair Sept. 24-27. St. Clair has hosted several Bassmaster events in recent years, including the 2013 regular season Elite finale won by Chris Lane. One of the best smallmouth lakes in the country, it ranked 16th onBassmaster’s 100 Best Bass Lakes this year. It was No. 1 in the nation in 2013.
Once again, the season will culminate in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship tournament, to be held at a time and place to be announced later. The Top 50 pros in final standings for the regular season will battle for the Angler of the Year title, berths in the 2016 Bassmaster Classic and shares of the $1 million AOY prize fund.
Qualifiers for the exclusive Elite Series won’t be known until later this year, but anglers who would like to spend two to three days on the water learning valuable tips and techniques from the world’s best bass anglers can register to become Bassmaster Elite Series Marshals. Enrollment for B.A.S.S. Nation and Life members begins Oct. 7 online and Oct. 9 by telephone. Registration for other B.A.S.S. members begins online Oct. 14 and by phone Oct. 16. All entries start at 9 a.m. CT.
Biwaa Baits
Coming to a tackle shop near you… the new Biwaa line up caught our eye this year at ICAST. This new company produces some highest quality baits we have seen in a while. Here is a sneak peak.
Meet the Squeaky Lover
Michael Iaconelli introduces the new Squeaky Lover, a tweaked out in-line buzzbait from Molix. Ike explains a few of the features that set this bait apart.
FLW College Fishing Central Conference Invitational Set for Kentucky Lake
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 3, 2014) – FLW College Fishing is headed to Kentucky Lake September 13-14 for the Central Conference Invitational tournament. Forty-five college teams have qualified for this event and will be competing for a top award of $4,000 and a berth in the 2015 College Fishing National Championship.
“The fishing has been tough because the fish are scattered, but I think that by tournament time it should pick up and get good,” said George Foreman pro Dan Morehead, a 14-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier. “The fish are in a transition stage, and starting to move shallow and back into the bays because the bait is starting its fall migration.
“There should be some topwater action around bait, and you can fish spinnerbaits on windy banks and on transitional areas,” said the Paducah, Ky. native. “There will be some fish on offshore ledges too, but they won’t be deep. They will be on shallower ledges that are 6- to 8-feet deep on top and have wood or shell beds on them. The fish will be shallow and spread out, so you can’t find them with (Lowrance) Structure Scan. You’ll have to cover a lot of water to find them.”
Morehead, who has earned 11 top-10 finishes in FLW competition on Kentucky Lake, said that moving around and adjusting each day would be critical because of how closely the bass tend to follow the baitfish in the fall. He said that though he prefers to power-fish and throw moving baits in the fall period, a jig and a worm on ledges where a team has located fish wouldn’t be out of place.
“If they hit the weather right and it isn’t too windy, it could take anywhere from 40 to 43 pounds to win,” said Morehead. “If they don’t, I think it could still take 36 pounds to win.”
Anglers will take off from Moors Resort and Marina located at 570 Moors Road in Gilbertsville at 6:30 a.m each day. Weigh-in will be held at the takeoff location starting at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and at Walmart located at 310 W. 5th St. in Benton, Ky., at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Schools competing in the Kentucky Lake tournament, which is hosted by the Marshall County Tourist Commission, include:
Eastern Kentucky University – Kyle Raymer, Brandenburg, Ky., and Ethan Snyder, Vine Grove, Ky.
Eastern Kentucky University – Travis Spivey, Trenton, Ohio, and Billy French, Hamilton, Ohio
Georgetown College – John Hunter, Georgetown, Ky., and Mike Huff, Corbin, Ky.
Illinois State University – Bryce Wegman and Carlos Thomas, both of Normal, Ill.
Indiana State University – Mason Clarey, Perrysville, Ind., and Robert Nero, Carlisle, Ind.
Indiana University – Brody McWilliams, Greenwood, Ind., and Derrick Hoffman, South Elgin, Ill.
Iowa State University – Andrew Paulsen, Ames, Iowa, and Dustin Kroening, McHenry, Ill.
Iowa State University – McKinley Geiger, Ames, Iowa, and Shane Weinberg, Plainfield, Iowa
Kansas State University – Nathan Kozlowski, Junction City, Kan., and Lance Maldonado, Chapman, Kan.
Lindsey Wilson College – Austin Grigsby, Stanford, Ky., and Shade Jacobs, Lexington, Ky.
McKendree University – Austin Chapman, Blue Mound, Ill., and Brian McClanahan, Elkville, Ill.
McKendree University – Phillip Germagliotti, Highland, Ill., and Dustin Pendegraft, Summerfield, Ill.
Missouri State University – Nick King, St. Louis, Mo., and Kyle Doherty, Chesterfield, Mo.
Murray State University – Cody Santel, Petersburg, Ill., and Justin Berger, Freeburg, Ill.
Murray State University – Justin Graben, Murray, Ky. and Dan Schult, Millstadt, Ill.
Murray State University – Lance Freeman, Eddyville, Ky., and Seth Brock, Cedar Hill, Tenn.
Northern Kentucky University – Brandon Houston, Burlington, Ky., and Zach Dressman, Morning View, Ky.
Northwest Missouri State University – Andrew Nordbye, St. Joseph, Mo., and Emily Porter, Kearny, Mo.
Purdue University-Fort Wayne – Parker Watts and Joseph Sittler, both of Fort Wayne, Ind.
St. Cloud State University – Troy Switajewski, St. Cloud, Minn., and Souvan Yang, St. Paul, Minn.
Southeast Missouri State – Tim Randell, St. Charles, Mo., and Russell Vandiver, Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Southern Illinois University – Kyle Schingoethe, Itasca, Ill., and Dominick Dinovo, Oak Lawn, Ill.
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville – Dalton Wesley, Worden, Ill., and Dan Calcaterra, Edwardsville, Ill.
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville – Zach Hartnagel, Edwardsville, Ill., and Colten Hunter, Brownstown, Ill.
University of Dubuque – Austin Brimeyer, Dubuque, Iowa, and Anthony Riesberg, Dyersville, Iowa
University of Dubuque – Brandon Feldman, Sherrill, Iowa, and Eric Nie, Jesup, Iowa
University of Evansville – Nick Uebelhor, and Eric Kieffner, both of Jasper, Ind.
University of Iowa – Mark Krutzfield, Iowa City, Iowa, and Tony Mehrl, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
University of Kentucky – Ryan Collins, Lebanon, Ohio, and Andrew Day, Versailles, Ky.
University of Minnesota – Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn., and Chris Burgan, Rhinelander, Wis.
University of Minnesota-Duluth – James Chapman, South Haven, Minn., and Erik Gaffron, Maple Grove, Minn.
University of Minnesota-Duluth – Joseph Miller, White Bear Lake, Minn., and Jill Erickson, Sandstone, Minn.
University of Missouri – Ben Verhoef, Osage Beach, Mo., and Christian Ponzetti, Excelsior, Minn.
University of Nebraska – William McCabe, Lincoln, Neb., and Jon Bash, Grayslake, Ill.
University of Saint Thomas – Michaela Anderson, Lino Lakes, Minn., and Bryan Billeadeau, Circle Pines, Minn.
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse – Sig Finley, Wonder Lake, Ill., and Pat Bowers, Hudson, Wis.
University of Wisconsin-Platteville – Ryan Gilbert, Sterling, Ill., and Brett Daggett, Cottage Grove, Wis.
University of Wisconsin-Platteville – Jered Lex, Cottage Grove, Wis., and Evan Chambers, St. Charles, Ill.
University of Wisconsin-Steven Point – Matt Feiten, Stevens Point, Wis., and Kyle Casper, Itasca, Ill.
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Cody Hahner, Wausau, Wis., and Mark Hugus, Stevens Point, Wis.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater – Jared Mataczynski, Wausau, Wis., and Steve Nebel, Whitewater, Wis.
Western Illinois University – Travis Wilson, La Harpe, Ill., and Caleb Shoemaker, Blandinsville, Ill.
Western Illinois University – Jackson Grabeel, Taylor Ridge, Ill., and Craig Wise, Cary, Ill.
Western Kentucky University – Ryan Coleman, Utica, Ky., and Stephen Compton, Brandenburg, Ky.
Winona State University – Cade Laufenberg, Stoddard, Wis., and Wyatt Stout, Winona, Minn.
FLW College Fishing teams compete in three qualifying events in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top 15 teams from each regular-season tournament will qualify for one of five conference invitational tournaments. The top 10 teams from each conference invitational tournament will advance to the 2015 FLW College Fishing National Championship.
College Fishing is free to enter. All participants must be registered, full-time undergraduate students at a four-year college or university and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing. Visit CollegeFishing.com to sign up or to start a club at your school.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2014 over the course of 229 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. For more information about FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Johnny Bass Astrology
Here is a little Wednesday humor to help break up your week. Our buddy Johnny Bass talks about fishing, astrology and life in general.