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Milner Leads Day One of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on Lewis Smith Lake
CULLMAN, Ala. (March. 11, 2021) – Bass fishing professionals from around the world set out on Lewis Smith Lake Thursday to begin their four-day competition for a shot to win up to $135,000 at the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Covercraft Stop 2 – Lewis Smith Lake. Pro Kerry Milner of Fisher, Arkansas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds even, to take the early lead after Day One. Milner holds a mere 5-ounce lead over pro Joseph Webster of Winfield, Alabama , who caught five bass weighing 17-11, good for second place.
Milner brought five spotted bass to the scale but said he boated a whopping 20 keepers on the tough day.
“I’m seeing a lot of people fishing the same stuff I’m fishing, but having different results,” said Milner. “I’ve been able to go right in behind people and catch them.”
Milner said he has two spots on the main lake with schools of fish that he feels are especially good because of the herring in the area.
“I’m seeing herring float up, watching them on the graph and seeing fish spit them up when I catch them,” said Milner. “There are multiple fish in those areas – you can just sit there and catch them all day.”
When asked if he thought his bait was the difference-maker, Milner was guarded, but said he believed it was the total technique.
“I’m doing something a little different than everyone else and I think the other guys are missing them on the depth by just a bit,” said Milner. “I figured out what I was going to do in practice – I instantly went to a spot that sets up like these two areas, and caught a 3-pounder. I tried a few other things, then came back to this same technique and was able to shake off fish in five different spots on the lake. At that point, I knew what I needed to do and let the fish and the areas rest until competition day. That’s what I plan to do until those fish abandon me.”
It was refreshing for Milner to start out with a bang on Day One of the competition, as he said his prior two trips to Lewis Smith Lake didn’t go nearly as well.
“The other times we were at Lewis Smith, it was a little bit too early for the technique I’m using,” Milner continued cryptically. “I had a pretty good first day of practice one year, that set up just like this, but they left and got on beds. It’s still a bit too cold for that though, so I don’t think they are going to move up this week.”
Milner would only say that he was “fishing the way he wants to fish” and said it was very familiar and the way he typically fishes on Arkansas’ Norfork Lake, Lake Dardanelle and other fisheries.
“This is what I look for everywhere I go,” said Milner. “ My fans and followers back home know exactly what I’m doing.”
Perhaps if the spots hold and the technique continues, Milner will clue us in on his technique and what worked so well for him on Thursday.
The top 10 pros after Day One on Lewis Smith Lake are:
1st: Kerry Milner, Fisher, Ark., five bass, 18-0
2nd: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., five bass. 17-11
3rd: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., five bass, 17-4
4th: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., five bass, 16-13
5th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 16-2
6th: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 15-15
7th: Corey Neece, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 15-3
8th: Tai Au, Glendale, Ariz., five bass, 14-15
9th: Ricky Robinson, Greenback, Tenn., five bass, 14-13
10th: Kyle Cortiana, Coweta, Okla., five bass, 14-8
For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Cox won the day’s $500 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division, bringing home a bass weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces to the scale.
Overall, there were 544 bass weighing 1,273 pounds, 10 ounces caught by 163 pros on Thursday, which included 65 five-bass limits.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Covercraft Stop 2 – Lewis Smith Lake is hosted by the Cullman Area Local Organizing Committee.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of 163 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition on Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2021 TITLE will be on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Aug. 17-22, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse.
Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. CT Thursday through Sunday from Smith Lake Park, located at 403 County Rd 386 in Cullman. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park Thursday and Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 4 p.m. Attendance is limited to competing anglers, family, essential staff and media covering the event. Fans are encouraged to follow the action online through the MLF NOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com .
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Covercraft Stop 2 – Lewis Smith Lake will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, July 18 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall. Weigh-ins will be streamed daily and fans can catch live on-the-water action all day Saturday and Sunday, March 13-14 on MLF NOW! beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
About MLF BIG5
MLF BIG5 is part of MLF, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization. It provides anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits featuring a five-biggest-fish format. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, MLF and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.
MLF tournaments are broadcast on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, MyOutdoorTV, Discovery and CBS Sports while MLF Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros to the world’s most avid bass anglers.
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Missile Baits Holding No Entry Fee Tournament on Smith Mountain Lake
Salem, Va. – March 9, 2021 – After having to postpone the 2020 Missile Baits No Entry Fee Tournament on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia, Missile Baits is proud to announce a new date of May 14, 2021. The tournament will be held out of Parkway Marina on the Friday before the Angler’s Choice Marine Tournaments on that Saturday and Sunday. Using only Missile Baits soft plastics and Missile Jigs skirted jigs, anglers will be competing for a guaranteed $4,000 total payout with the winning team taking home a guaranteed $2,000.
John Crews, company owner and pro angler, said, “We had really good participation in our tournaments in 2019 but then the COVID put the kibosh on holding our events in 2020. We loved the interaction with our customers and giving people a reason to bass fish. Smith Mountain is in our backyard, so we had to up the payout!”
Anglers will only be able to sign up on the Missile Baits web site for the No Entry Fee Tournament and optional side pot. The tournament weigh in will be streamed live on YouTube and the top 5 finishers will be interviewed for future videos. Anglers may participate in an optional side pot to increase their potential winnings. Participants will not be allowed to have any other brand soft plastics or skirted jigs, bladed jigs, or hard baits in their boat and be subject to random boat searches.
Please read all the rules on the Missile Baits website. Due to evolving COVID regulations in Virginia, Missile Baits will have certain safety procedures to follow. Watch Missile Baits website and social media for updates, more tournament details, and other information as May 14th gets closer.
MISSILE BAITS is a small company dedicated to creating SERIOUS soft plastic baits to help anglers catch more fish. The designs are straight off the top-level professional bass tour. Based in Salem, Virginia, MISSILE BAITS works relentlessly to make the best baits, show their customers how to use them, and stay on the cutting edge of bass fishing. Founded in January 2012, new products and videos will continue to be launched. Log onto www.MISSILEBAITS.com for videos, tips, and more.
For information: www.MISSILEBAITS.com, or
Contact: Byron Childers at
byron@missilebaits.com
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Hite Hangs on to Pliers and a Spinnerbait for Perspective
If you think Davy Hite began his Bass Fishing Hall of Fame career in a fully-rigged fiberglass bass boat you should have been there when he was a kid growing up in a home without a telephone or central heat and air, catching catfish from an aluminum boat to sell for additional income.
Hite was raised largely by his grandparents, and while they were by no means poor, they were products of America’s Greatest Generation. They lived through the Great Depression, and his grandfather fought in World War II.
“We never lacked for food, and my bed always had clean sheets, but that generation didn’t waste a thing, and spent very little money on anything they had learned to live without. To this day, I still get upset when my wife leaves a light on in a room because it’s a waste of electricity, and we’ve been married 35 years,” grins Hite.
The crazy thing is, Hite grew up in the 70s, but because he was raised by folks from a much earlier generation, not even an electric or natural gas furnace existed in their lakeside home. Instead, his grandma would rise early to build a fire to heat the home while cooking young Davy’s breakfast every morning.
The simple life left a sentimental mark on the 8-time B.A.S.S. tournament winner and ’99 Classic Champ, and a pair of needle nose pliers along with an old Zorro spinnerbait are always in his Yamaha powered Phoenix to remind him of his childhood and keep his life’s ground wire firmly plugged in.
“My granddaddy was a pretty special man. I’ve seen pictures of him sleeping in a pup tent in Italy during WW II, and when he took me running trot lines when I was 11 or 12, these exact yellow handled needle nose pliers were always with us – not only to unhook fish, but in case one of us accidentally got hooked, or you had to cut a line or whatever,” recalls Hite.
But Davy’s granddaddy wasn’t just a catfisherman. His knowledge of bass fishing was pretty dang strong and detailed too. To the point he knew to tell Davy to tie on a double Colorado spinnerbait with hammered copper blades anytime the water got high and off-colored on Lake Murray.
“This packaged Zorro spinnerbait I carry in my boat is a replica of the one I used to catch my very first bass on a spinnerbait when I was a kid. And then amazingly, I used the same exact bait to win my very first B.A.S.S. event at Lake Eufaula, Alabama in 1994,” recalls Hite.
So while Hite was likely the only kid in the Saluda, South Carolina Class of ’83 who had to drive four miles to use a payphone, you can also be certain the values instilled in him by two members of America’s Greatest Generation went far in molding him into a 2-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
“Honestly, for my story to come true, considering where I came from, is proof you can come from a house heated by a wood stove, catching catfish from a 14-foot Jon boat and still make it,” concludes the always classy Hite.
The Zorro spinnerbait and a pair of needle nose pliers he chooses to keep in his boat remind him often of exactly where he came from, and to live a life that honors the granddaddy who built its foundation.
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Bassmaster Elite At Sabine River Back On For April
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River, which was rescheduled for August, will return to its originally scheduled dates April 8-11 after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott rescinded mandates that would have dramatically reduced the number of fans permitted on-site.
Previous Elite events in Orange, Texas have drawn record-breaking crowds — in three previous visits, the crowds totaled more than 96,000.
Despite the rollback of previous COVID-related mandates, officials from both B.A.S.S. and Orange County have cautioned that fans should still exercise caution in large gatherings and encourage measures such as social distancing and frequent hand-washing or use of sanitizer to reduce the risk of spreading germs.
“We’re happy to work with officials in Orange to get this event back on April’s schedule,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “These unprecedented times have truly emphasized the need to work with great partners, and the flexibility from officials and our hosts at the Greater Orange County Chamber of Commerce is deeply appreciated.
“Our priority is offering an event that is responsibly operated and safe for everyone involved while still being fun and competitive.”
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.
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Brent Ehrler’s Spring Choices
Brent Ehrler shares a few tips to improve your chances this spring. Bright red and 3 bait choices are key for Ehrler’s early season success.
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