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Statement from MLF Executive Vice President Don Rucks
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (Aug. 4, 2021) – The following statement was released today by Major League Fishing (MLF) Executive Vice President & General Manager Don Rucks regarding the Toyota Stage Six at Lake Champlain Presented by Googan Baits event that starts Thursday:
We have had some unique circumstances this week for our Bass Pro Tour Toyota Stage Six event at Lake Champlain.
At this time, the following anglers will not be participating in competition on Lake Champlain this week:
Luke Clausen
Dustin Connell
Mark Daniels Jr.
Anthony Gagliardi
Randy Howell
Chris Lane
Fletcher Shryock
Due to privacy protocols, we are unable to divulge the exact reasonings for each angler’s absence. We do look forward to welcoming all of them back for the upcoming Carparts.com Stage Seven at Lake St. Clair Presented by Covercraft next month, Sept. 10-15.
Because the angler starting groups were set going into Stage Five, and now flipped for Stage Six, we will not be changing the starting groups. If an angler is unable to fish, for any reason, that group will simply be smaller. All other rules will remain the same this week – the two group winners will advance directly to the Championship Round, while the top 19 from each group will compete in the Day 5 Knockout Round to determine who fishes in the final 10 on Championship Tuesday.
As a result of this situation, and after consulting with our Bass Pro Tour angler advisory board, MLF has made the decision to allow each angler to drop one (1) event from this year in the following manner:
We will finish the 2021 season with the current points system and crown our 2021 Angler of the Year (AOY).
After the 2021 season has ended and the AOY has been crowned, each angler will drop one (1) 2021 BPT event of his choosing.
After everyone has dropped the event of their choosing, a new 2021 points structure based on each angler’s remaining six (6) events will be used for angler requalification, REDCREST 2022 qualification, and the 2022 General Tire Heavy Hitters event qualification.
We believe this is ultimately the fairest solution for all of our Bass Pro Tour competitors across the board.
I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome back Bass Pro Tour angler Aaron Martens, who has made the trip to Plattsburgh, New York and will be competing on Lake Champlain this week. His ongoing health battles have been well-documented, and we are thrilled that Aaron is feeling well enough to compete this week. It truly shows his grit, toughness, and love for the sport that we all admire him for.
We look forward to a fantastic event on the water this week at Lake Champlain. Don’t forget to tune in to the MLF NOW! livestream each day from 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET.
Sincerely,
Don Rucks
Executive Vice President & General Manager, MLF
About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, the Discovery Channel, the Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, the World Fishing Network, the Sportsman Channel and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. In 2019 MLF acquired FLW and rebranded it as MLF BIG5, which expanded its portfolio of catch, weigh and immediate release events to include the sport’s strongest five-biggest-fish format tournament circuits. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams, and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
Major League Fishing – WE ARE Bass Fishing
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Virginia Rookie Cody Pike Claims Victory at Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Stop 6 Presented by Abu Garcia at St. Lawrence River
MASSENA, N.Y. (Aug. 1, 2021) – Rookie Cody Pike of Powhatan, Virginia brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 22 pounds, 3 ounces to win the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Savage Arms Stop 6 Presented by Abu Garcia at the St. Lawrence River. Pike’s four-day total of 20 bass weighing 82 pounds, 12 ounces earned him the win by a 1-pound, 12-ounce margin over pro Matthew Stefan of Junction City, Wisconsin, and the top prize of $135,000, including a lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus.
Powhatan, Virginia Rookie Grabs First Major Win of His Career, Takes Home Top Prize of $135,000
“You don’t do this sport for the money, you do it because you love it,” said a very emotional Pike after earning the win. “This is awesome – it’s like a dream. I’ve tried to make it here for so many years.
“I qualified [for the Pro Circuit] through the Toyota Series last year,” continued Pike. “You aren’t guaranteed the opportunity to make it and fish these professional circuits every year, so I went ahead and jumped on the opportunity and I’m loving it.”
Pike said he came into the final qualifying event of the Pro Circuit with just the hope of qualifying for the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where anglers have the opportunity to compete for up to $235,000.
“Things happened this week that made no sense – things that weren’t supposed to happen and there was no explanation to it,” said Pike. “I had one main area that I was fishing today, with 15 to 20 good spots along it. I just kept making circles through those areas and kept getting bites.
“I honestly couldn’t ask for more,” continued Pike. “To qualify for the TITLE, then fish in the Top 10, find myself in contention for the win – then take home the win, all in my rookie season – it’s just unbelievable.”
Pike said he loves catching smallmouth but would not consider himself a smallmouth angler. Add his lack of experience fishing rivers to that and his expectations for this event were low.
“I could understand figuring out fish that I was more comfortable with, but to do this on a smallmouth fishery is just incredible,” said Pike. “I usually get my tail kicked in smallmouth tournaments.
“I mostly fished shoals and rock piles the size of my boat this week. If I didn’t get bit on the first cast, I just moved to the next one. I probably had 40 to 50 spots that I found during the tournament. Once I knew I had a solid bag each day, I could just go fish and look around. That helped a lot.”
Pike said he caught most of his fish this week drop-shotting a green-pumpkin Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm with a 1/2-ounce Eco Pro Tungsten weight and 6- and 7-pound-test Gamma Touch fluorocarbon line.
“I had no idea what I needed to do to catch Joey [Cifuentes] going into today. He had such a strong lead, I just didn’t think it was going to happen,” said Pike. “I still can’t believe it.
“This trophy means a lot. People work their whole lives for this and don’t ever get one. I got lucky and everything lined up just right to go home with one my rookie year – that doesn’t happen often.”
The top 10 pros at the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Savage Arms Stop 6 on the St. Lawrence River finished:
1st: Cody Pike of Powhatan, Va., 20 bass, 82-12, $135,000
2nd: Matthew Stefan of Junction City, Wis., 20 bass, 81-0, $30,000
3rd: Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Ark., 20 bass, 79-10, $25,000
4th: Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Mich., 20 bass, 78-6, $20,000
5th: Jon Canada of Helena, Ala., 20 bass, 76-11, $19,000
6th: John Cox of DeBary, Fla., 18 bass, 76-8, $18,000
7th: Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., 20 bass, 76-6, $17,000
8th: Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 20 bass, 75-8, $16,000
9th: Justin Cooper of Zwolle, La., 20 bass, 73-7, $15,000
10th: Aaron Britt of Yuba City, Calif., 20 bass, 71-9, $14,000
Full results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 50 bass weighing 183 pounds, 4 ounces caught by the final 10 pros Sunday. All of the final 10 pros brought a five-bass limit to the scales.
The four top performers who now qualify to compete in the MLF Bass Pro Tour Carparts.com Stage Seven at Lake St. Clair Presented by Covercraft in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, Sept. 10-15, are Cody Pike, Matthew Stefan, Joey Cifuentes and Scott Dobson.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Savage Arms Stop 6 Presented by Abu Garcia at the St. Lawrence River will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, Sept. 1 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Savage Arms Stop 6 Presented by Abu Garcia at the St. Lawrence River was hosted by the Town of Massena.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advanced to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continued competition on Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Pro Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, clinched the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Angler of the Year title Saturday, after finishing the event in 11th place. Neal will receive his entry fees paid for the entire 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit season for his win.
Pro Clabion Johns of Social Circle, Georgia, clinched the Polaris 2021 Rookie of the Year (ROY) award on Friday, which is awarded to the rookie pro angler who finishes the season with the highest point total. For his efforts, Johns won a Polaris Ranger 1000.
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.
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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Brandon Lester on Big Summer Worms
If you’re near the white sandy beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama and see a guy wearing a well-groomed beard under a sun-shielding booney hat with a pair of Costa fantail frames on his face, there’s a good chance it’s Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brandon Lester.
A “beach rat” at heart, the Tennessee pro with one of bass fishing’s highest check-cashing percentages loves to chase Gulf of Mexico’s grouper and snapper. But when it’s time to catch a largemouth bass during summer’s sweltering temps, Lester leans on long plastic worms.
“When it’s super-hot outside, and lake temps in the south are in the 80s, there are two worms I have the most confidence in, and you can rig them three different ways,” says Lester.
Let it be known, Lester has no soft plastics sponsor, so his transparent picks in the ‘big worm’ category are completely candid. He selects Zoom’s Ol’ Monster, as well as their Magnum Trick Worm. He deploys the Ol’ Monster in traditional Texas rig fashion but rigs the Magnum Trick Worm on both a heavy shaky head and Neko rig.
Ol’ Monster – “I’ve caught ‘em on this worm with a ½-ounce bullet weight on ledges in 25-feet of water, and I’ve also caught ‘em on it with a really light 1/8-ounce weight, swimming it through shallow submerged vegetation,” says Lester.
His choice dagger for this iconic worm is a Mustad 4/0 Grip Pin Big Bite soft plastics hook tied to 17-pound Vicious fluorocarbon.
Magnum Trick Worm – “This is the worm I was dragging at Guntersville when Matt Arey and I both scored a Top 10 fishing near each other in the 2019 Elite Series event,” smiles Lester.
“I had it rigged on a big 5/8-ounce shaky head with a screw lock keeper on it. It stands up really good and allows you to feel every little piece of cover as you drag it deep,” he explains.
When summer’s bass have seen more ribbontail worms than the Flora- Bama beach bar sees Bushwacker drinkers, Lester gives them a different look by rigging his Magnum Trick worm Neko style, and throws it on lighter line with a spinning rod.
Neko rigging simply involves running a size 2 Mustad TitanX weedless wacky Neko hook through the worm’s midsection, and inserting a Mustad tungsten Neko screw into the head of the worm.
“I pull the Neko rig across the bottom on 10-pound line and it pulses with a really cool action that fish don’t see from the Texas-rigged worms they’ve been hammered with all summer,” says Lester.
And as for the bag of David sunflower seeds in the photo, “Those keep my mind busy to keep me awake on long drives home from a tournament, or during the seven-hour haul back home after a great week on the Gulf Coast,” concludes Lester with a grin.
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Cifuentes Extends Lead, Neal Clinches AOY Title at Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Stop 6 Presented by Abu Garcia at St. Lawrence River
MASSENA, N.Y. (July 31, 2021) – On the hunt for his first major title of his career, pro Joey “Cowboy” Cifuentes of Clinton, Arkansas, extended his lead on Day 3 of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Savage Arms Stop 6 Presented by Abu Garcia at the St. Lawrence River on Saturday. Dropping his second 24-pound-plus bag of the event on the scales on Day 3, Cifuentes weighed in 24 pounds, 2 ounces, to move his three-day total to 67 pounds, 5 ounces – a staggering 6-pound, 12-ounce lead over pro Cody Pike of Powhatan, Virginia, who ended the day in second place with a three-day total of 60 pounds, 9 ounces.
Day 1 leader Berkley pro John Cox of DeBary, Florida, moved from 15th place into 7th to secure his spot in the Top 10 after Day 3, while General Tire pro Skeet Reese of Auburn, California made the biggest jump from 30th place into 5th, weighing 24 pounds even, to bring his total to 58 pounds, 8 ounces going into Championship Sunday.
“This is unbelievable,” said Cifuentes. “I don’t even know what to say. I’m in hog heaven as we say in Arkansas.”
Cifuentes said surprisingly enough, he didn’t make a single cast where he caught his weight the previous two days. While he had been fishing deep humps near Frontenac, Cifuentes said he decided to expand into some new water near Clayton – the first spot produced a 6-pound smallmouth and his day took off from there.
“I hadn’t fished shallow all week, but after that big one I decided to try it and went to a shallow spot I’d found in practice,” said Cifuentes. “I caught a pair of 5-pounders, then went back out deep and caught a 3-pounder and a 2.5-pounder.”
Having a solid limit, Cifuentes said he gassed up to run back toward check-in, leaving him plenty of time to fish his way back. He was rewarded near takeoff with 4- and 3-pounders to pad his lead even more.
After a solid day where both shallow and deep fishing worked across the river, Cifuentes said he is eager going into Championship Sunday.
“I’m so excited but I’m also nervous,” said Cifuentes. “I’ve never been in this situation before, where I am leading going into the final day. The 6-12 lead is a nice cushion for error if I struggle. But I just plan to go out and go fishing. Whatever happens, happens. I’ve had a blast.”
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition Sunday on the St. Lawrence River are:
1st: Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Ark., 15 bass, 67-5
2nd: Cody Pike of Powhatan, Va., 15 bass, 60-9
3rd: Matthew Stefan of Junction City, Wis., 15 bass, 60-6
4th: Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 59-6
5th: Skeet Reese of Auburn, California, 15 bass, 58-8
6th: Scott Dobson of Clarkston, Mich., 15 bass, 57-13
7th: John Cox of DeBary, Fla., 13 bass, 56-11
8th: Jon Canada of Helena, Ala., 15 bass, 56-9
9th: Justin Cooper of Zwolle, La., 15 bass, 55-14
10th: Aaron Britt of Yuba City, Calif., 15 bass, 55-8
Anglers finishing 11th through 20th are:
11th: Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 55-3, $11,000
12th: Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla., 15 bass, 55-1, $11,000
13th: Kurt Mitchell of Milford, Del., 15 bass, 54-8, $11,000
14th: Todd Walters of Kernersville, N.C., 15 bass, 54-6, $11,000
15th: Zack Birge of Blanchard, Okla., 15 bass, 53-13, $11,000
16th: Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, 15 bass, 53-12, $11,000
17th: Billy Hines of Vacaville, Calif., 15 bass, 53-9, $11,000
18th: Miles Howe of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., 15 bass, 53-4, $11,000
19th: Grae Buck of Green Lane, Pa., 15 bass, 53-4, $11,000
20th: Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn., 15 bass, 53-3, $11,000
For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Anglers were also vying for the prestigious 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Angler of the Year (AOY) title that is determined by the most points accumulated over the six Pro Circuit events in 2021.
Pro Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, clinched the 2021 AOY title Saturday, after bringing in a limit of 18-8 and ending the day in 11th place. Neal held a 21-point lead over General Tire pro Skeet Reese of Auburn, California coming into the event, so despite Reese weighing 24 pounds Saturday to make the Top 10, Neal will bring the coveted trophy back to East Tennessee. Neal will receive his entry fees paid for the entire 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit season for his win.
Pro Clabion Johns of Social Circle, Georgia, clinched the Polaris 2021 Rookie of the Year (ROY) award on Friday, which is awarded to the rookie pro angler who finishes the season with the highest point total. For his efforts, Johns won a Polaris Ranger 1000.
Overall, there were 232 bass weighing 777 pounds even caught by 50 pros Saturday. The catch included 39 five-bass limits.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Savage Arms Stop 6 Presented by Abu Garcia at the St. Lawrence River is hosted by the Town of Massena.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The field was cut to 50 anglers on Saturday. Now, the top 10 pros based on their three-day cumulative weight advance to Sunday where the winner will be determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all 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.
The final 10 anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. ET on Sunday from the Massena Intake Boat Launch located at 1415 State Highway 131 in Massena. Weigh-ins will also be held at the boat launch Sunday at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or 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, Savage Arms Stop 6 Presented by Abu Garcia at the St. Lawrence River will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, Sept. 1 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall. Weigh-in will be streamed and fans can catch live on-the-water action all day Sunday, August 1 on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. ET 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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Sale Creek Secures Bassmaster High School National Championship On Chickamauga
DAYTON, Tenn. — Gage King and Banks Shaw of Sale Creek High School defended their home-lake advantage Saturday, landing three bass that weighed 20-11 to win the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors with a three-day total of 45-6.
Banks Shaw and Gage King, of Sale Creek High School, have won the 2021 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors with 45 pounds, 6 ounces. Photo by Emily Hand/B.A.S.S.
Shaw and King earned a $5,000 scholarship as well as the $2,000 Hunter Owens Big Bag of the Tournament scholarship presented by the parents of Hunter Owens, a former high school angler who died in a car crash. Drury University, Bryan College and Bethel University also presented the winners with scholarship opportunities to their respective schools.
Hayes White and Tiger Manuel from Sulphur High School in Louisiana finished second with 39-5, and the Backwoods Bassin’ team of John Nutt and Carter Nutt earned third with 37-9.
“This is the best thing that has ever happened to me, to be honest with you,” King said. “People don’t understand how hard fishing really is until you get out here and do it and do it all year. On our home lake, we had to put it together and figure it out. We know the fish that are there, it’s just timing when you can get them to bite.”
Shaw and King started the tournament with a disappointing 8-2, but they battled back on Day 2 and caught 16-9 to jump into fourth place and secure their spot in the championship round.
“We went home beating our heads in, thinking, ‘We are overthinking this. We just have to go fish,’” King said. “We tried something new and it ended up working for us.”
Along with some grassy areas, the Sale Creek team targeted springs on Chickamauga, using a jig, drop shot and a magnum spoon to trigger bites. Most of their weight on Day 2 and their 6-pounder on Day 3 were caught on the spoon.
“It’s something you can get to that is a little more sneaky,” Shaw said. “The fish load in it, and a lot of times there’s a lot bigger fish. They don’t get as much pressure as they do on ledges. It is something I have always done and you can go there and get bit quick.”
Shaw added that without Garmin LiveScope, the team wouldn’t have weighed in most of the bass they caught this week.
“It was one of those deals where he was watching them and I was right there with the net and as soon as he stuck one, I was right there,” King said.
When Shaw arrived at Dayton Boat Dock on Championship Saturday, however, he said he had a ‘gut feeling’ that he and King needed to try a spot they hadn’t fished all week.
“It’s so tough right now and hard to stay consistent,” Shaw said. “You need to run new water. We started on a place we hadn’t fished all week. We caught an 8-5 and caught our third-biggest one.
“That got the momentum going for sure. At that moment, I knew if we could put two more 3-pounders in the boat we had a good shot. I had already beaten my goal for the day.”
From there, Shaw and King moved through several different grassy areas of the lake, filling their limit and catching multiple 4-pound fish, none of which helped their cause. Toward the end of the day, however, they moved back to the spring where they caught several big fish Friday and landed a 6-13 largemouth, pushing their bag over 20 pounds.
White and Manuel jumped from seventh to second on the final day thanks to a 16-pound bag, the second largest of Championship Saturday. Although they normally spend their time fishing shallow on their home lakes of Toledo Bend and the Sabine River, the Sulphur High duo fished out of their comfort zone this week, focusing their efforts on a hump around a bluff wall they found on the first day.
“We tried to start with topwater, but when the sun came up we went and fished a deep bluff bank,” Manuel said. “We were fishing the bank and we looked down at the graph and there was a school of big ones there. We had 12 pounds the first day from that.”
Once they located the school, they fished it every day of the tournament, mainly using a drop shot, a technique they seldom use back home. Those bass were also relating to the current and once that current kicked up, Manuel said the fish would move to the top of the hump.
On the final day, they went to their primary spot and did not catch a fish for several hours. Once the current increased, however, White and Manual landed a 5-pounder and a 7-12 largemouth. After that, the spot did not produce.
“I knew that spot had to fall apart sometime. We fished it all week and tried not to fish it out,” White said. “We had looked at some stuff yesterday before we came in and caught one that kept.”
Manuel upgraded one more time right before check-in by throwing a spoon around a marina, a technique he had never tried.
After not finding a big bite on Day 1, Carter and John caught 12-10 on Day 2 to sneak into the cut and then 15-8 on the final day to finish in third place. The duo caught around 15 bass total on the final day.
“We fished the same stuff and lucked into a big bite today and yesterday,” John said. “We had one the first day but we just didn’t get it in the boat. I’m just happy we were able to make it as far as we did.”
Whether it was in a creek or on the main lake, Carter said they were targeting schools of bass with a drop shot, a spoon and a football jig.
Along with their finish at this event, John and Carter won a state championship on Chickamauga a month ago and used their experience from that event to help them this week.
Connor Mason and Archer Reese from Meigs County High School secured Big Bass of the Tournament honors with the 8-11 largemouth they caught on Day 1, earning a $200 scholarship.
The Bassmaster High School Series National Championship tournament was hosted by the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council, Bryan College and Fish Dayton.
2021 Bassmaster High School Series Title Sponsor: Mossy Oak Fishing
2021 Bassmaster High School Series Presenting Sponsor: Academy Sports + Outdoors
2021 Bassmaster High School Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2021 Bassmaster High School Series Premier Sponsors: Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2021 Bassmaster High School Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon, Rapala, TNT Fireworks
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, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
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