Grover Takes Home $156,000 U.S. Open Bounty |
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Once again, the final day theme of the 2023 Bass Cat / Mercury WON BASS U.S. Open presented by Laughlin Tourism Commission and Visit Laughlin turned out to be change. While the weather remained warm as it had been the first two days of competition, the field was treated to stiff breezes that spun the speed gauges up to 25 miles per hour.Wind can be an angler’s friend, or in the case of precision casting with Forward Facing Sonar and finesse tactics, it can be a massive frustration. With many of the leaders using those type of tactics, the anxiety level of said anglers was elevated with concern of being able to present light lures to their prey. As day three commenced, the anglers atop the leaderboard were separated by less than five pounds and day two leader Kyle Grover of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif, and second place pro Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark. had a scant .51 pounds as their margin as the day began. With such a tight grouping atop the leaderboard, it really was possible for anyone in the top five to take the victory. It almost happened.
When fifth place pro Patrick Touey of Santa Maria, Calif. weighed 19.93 pounds to take the lead with four anglers remaining, the story got really interesting. Garrett Howard of Riverside, Calif. fell short with 13.18 pounds. Roseville, Calif. pro Bryant Smith just missed the mark with 17.98 pounds and Shuffield had an atypical off day with 11.98 pounds leaving only Grover to erase Touey’s Cinderella story. Feeling he had fallen short himself, Grover needed 16.25 pounds to tie Touey, but when the scales bottomed out to 16.49 pounds, Grover erupted in celebration and Touey emotionally left the stage after the pair embraced. Grover won the 2023 WON Bass U.S. Open in wire-to-wire fashion with a three-day total weight of 56.75 pounds, with a .24-pound winning margin over runner up Touey. Smith retained his third-place position with a total weight of 55.36 pounds. Shuffield finished fourth with 51.73 pounds and Howard rounded out the top five with 50.01 pounds. For his efforts, Grover earned the keys to a 2024 Bass Cat Cougar FTD, Mercury 250 ProXS combo from Bass Cat Boats’ president Rick Pierce, that when rigged with Lithium Pro batteries and charger, a Power-Pole Total Boat Control 8’ Blade, trolling motor and electronics will be valued at $82,000. He also earned a cash prize of $74,000, bringing the Champion’s purse to $156,000. Get more details here.
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Tragedy Strikes College Fishing World |
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The Association of Collegiate Anglers is saddened to learn of the passing of Travis Ely. Ely was a Junior at Purdue University and a member of the school’s bass fishing club. Ely and fellow bass fishing club teammate Hunter Heckman were involved in a car accident on the south side of Indianapolis, IN early Monday morning. On behalf of the Purdue University Bass Fishing Club and the ACA, copied below is information regarding the memorial service and a link to contribute to the Travis Ely Scholarship Fund: A Celebration of Travis’ Life will be conducted by Pastors Tim Bond and Kendall Yeaton on Saturday, October 21st at 10 a.m. at the Nashville Christian Church, 140 S. Van Buren Street. Friends and family are invited to a visitation from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, October 20th at Meredith-Clark Funeral Home Cremation & Personalization Center, 179 E. Mulberry Street in Morgantown. Burial will be at Weeping Willow Cemetery in Bean Blossom. Memorial contributions can be made in honor of Travis to the Travis Ely Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 308, Morgantown, IN 46160 or the Purdue University Fishing Team, and/or Do Something Inc. P.O. Box 2022 Nashville, IN 47448
Expressions of caring and kindness may be sent to the Ely family at
Obituary:
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2024 Bass Pro Tour To See Big Changes |
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Major League Fishing, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, today announced long-term plans for the Bass Pro Tour, including an investment in increased livestreaming of MLF competition, a return to the “every fish counts” scoring format, and an exclusive roster of 50 anglers for the Bass Pro Tour in 2025 to increase visibility and showcase top performers. Read more about all of the changes here. |
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Combining dog-walking action with popping acoustics as it skates across the surface, the Nories Zag Bug Topwater Walking Bait delivers big sliding side-to-side movement and splashes water for the perfect balance of strength and appeal. Built for the high-pressured lakes of today with a compact and less intimidating profile, the Zag Bug creates a synergistic rattling sound that makes it great for anglers who want to cover a lot of water to locate a school of fish.
Equipped with an internal reflective strip and available in a range of detailed color patterns, as the body rolls with each twitch of the rod tip, the Zag Bug emits an enticing flashing effect that attracts fish from great distances. Armed with three razor-sharp treble hooks to ensure your success with short-striking predators, the Nories Zag Bug Topwater Walking Bait is designed to expand your topwater possibilities in a variety of conditions including deep and muddy waters. Check out the full lineup here.
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Bassmaster Elite Series pro Gerald Swindle has risen to the top of professional fishing as one of the most popular anglers on Tour. This video outlines the three biggest mistakes he sees young anglers make and how they can avoid them to benefit their fishing careers. Check out the full video here. |
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Photo Courtesy Of Major League Fishing
Bass Pro Tour angler Adrian Avena sponsors include TackleDirect, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Suzuki, Grundens, BassCat, and Lowrance just to name a few.
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NPAA Conference Dates Set |
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The NPAA’s annual conference is just around the corner, taking place in Fort Myers, Florida on January 5-7th at the Crowne Plaza Gulf Coast, just 5 minutes away from the Southwest Florida Regional Airport. This one-of-a-kind event is open to all anglers who have taken the step from angling as a passion to angling as a profession, whether full or part time. The event starts on Friday with two 2.5 hour works shops, the annual NPAA business meeting, breakout sessions given by NPAA Gold partners, and a welcome party sponsored by Worldwide Marine Insurance. Saturday is a huge day that includes breakouts on numerous business-related topics along with the sessions from featured speakers including Justin Lucas, Eric Naig, Keith Kavajecz and American Sportfishing Assoc. Government Affairs vice president, Mike Leonard. The event is capped off on Friday night with a banquet presented by Yamaha to support the Future Angler Foundation. Registration is $300 for non-members and includes all meals, refreshments, and access to all sessions. Seating is limited to 200 on a first served basis. Registration for the conference will open on October 19th at www.npaa.net. |
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AFTCO Bass Boot Camp Is Back |
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AFTCO is on the hunt for the next B.A.S.S. Opens EQ angler to feature in their YouTube series Bass Boot Camp. This opportunity is open to all registered 2024 B.A.S.S. Opens EQ anglers. If selected, AFTCO will pay your B.A.S.S. Opens EQ entry fees and provide a full product sponsorship. Tournament bass fishing fans can follow your behind-the-scenes journey in a 9-episode vlog series on the AFTCO YouTube channel. To be eligible for the 2024 AFTCO Bass Boot Camp, simply fill out the application form and produce a 5-minute video telling us why you should be the next Bass Boot Camp recruit. Be creative, unique, and yourself. Show us what sets you apart from the roster and why you should represent AFTCO throughout the 2024 B.A.S.S. Opens EQ tournament season. The application period is open from Oct 15, 2023 to December 31, 2023. The winner will be selected January 17th, 2024. Applicants must be registered to fish the 2024 B.A.S.S. Opens EQ in their own boat and be able to film, edit, and create their own videos. Video and basic editing skills are a requirement. Apply here: www.aftco.com/bootcamp Also, any angler registered to fish the entire Bassmaster Opens in 2024 can sign up for the Best On Tour Buck$ Contingency Program to gain eligibility for a contingency bonus check of $1,000 that will be paid to the top registered angler after each Opens EQ tournament. Even if you don’t get selected as the 2024 AFTCO Bass Boot Camp recruit, you still have an opportunity to get an additional $1,000 payday from Best On Tour. Best On Tour Buck$ Contingency Program: https://bestontour.net/contingency/
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