Archive for December 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 12, 2019  Jelinek And Reinkemeyer Keep Classic Dreams Alive At Bassmaster Team Championship   ANDERSON, S.C. — Brad Jelinek and Brock Reinkemeyer found a “magic spot” on Lake Hartwell during practice for the Bassmaster Team Championship and they maximized its potential in the final tournament of the 2019 B.A.S.S. season.  Jelinek and Reinkemeyer, who compete on the Joe Bass Team Trail in Missouri, caught a two-day total of 10 bass that weighed 38 pounds, 10 ounces. Their 23-10 haul was the second-heaviest bag weighed on Thursday, and it propelled them from fourth place on Day 1 to the top of the standings at the conclusion of the Team Championship portion of the event. The win earned Jelinek and Reinkemeyer a $20,000 Nitro/Mercury cash prize they’ll split. But more importantly, they each have a 1-in-6 chance to fish in the 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk when it’s held on Lake Guntersville and in Birmingham, Ala. on March 6-8. The Top 3 tandems in the Team Championship advanced to fish in the Classic Fish-Off, which will be held Friday and Saturday on Lake Hartwell. All weights have been zeroed and the six remaining anglers will fish individually for two more days. The angler with the heaviest two-day total then will earn the 53rd and final berth in the Classic. In all, 165 duos from 30 different states and two foreign countries competed in the Team Championship.  The top 33 teams split a cash purse of $87,000.  Jelinek, 25, and Reinkemeyer, 27, were the most impressive tandem during the team portion. They put themselves in the thick of the title hunt on Wednesday with a 15-pound limit, but a few minor adjustments to their strategy supercharged their fortunes a day later.  “We tried to fish for spotted bass on Day 1 and we figured out we shouldn’t be doing that,” Reinkemeyer said. “We had to go for largemouth, and it was all largemouth in the bag today. The biggest was 5-13 and we had a 5-3, too.” “We got several really good bites today,” Jelinek said. “My partner here executed, and I got a big bite at about 2 o’clock. At that point, I knew we just had to go back in and make sure we were there on time.” The “magic spot” was vital to their cause, too. “From the second we put the trolling motor down, we knew it was a magic spot,” Jelinek said. “We knew it was the winning spot.” “We expanded on it today,” Reinkemeyer added. “We fished it all day. We knew those fish were there.”  Timothy Penhollow and KC Choosakul of the Carolina Bass Trail caught the big bag on Thursday — a 26-8 limit of five bass that dwarfed the 8-13 total they weighed on Wednesday. They were tied for 96th after Day 1, but zoomed to second overall with 35-5 and will fish in the Classic Fish-Off. The dramatic upsize in the catch came when they downsized their lures Thursday morning. “We found them in practice, and then we found them again yesterday afternoon, but they were really hard to get to bite,” Penhollow said. “They’re eating minnows that are an inch long, and we just went with it.”  “Honestly, we tied on some crappie jigs,” Choosakul said. Penhollow and Choosakul had five largemouth on Thursday, the heaviest two weighing 5-12 and 5-10. They bagged three others in the 5-pound range, but missed a pair of kickers, one of which they said weighed 7 pounds or more. Catching bass that heavy on finesse equipment was tricky, they said. But they think they’ll give the method another go in the Classic Fish-Off. “A lot goes through your mind when you’re fishing with a little-bitty hook and 8-pound test line,” Penhollow said. “But the bigger fish are there.” Josh Busby and Timothy Taylor of the Ozark Mountain Team Trail in Missouri placed third overall with 10 bass weighing 31-14. They moved from 16th place to third and kept the dream of fishing in the Bassmaster Classic alive. “The wind was the difference for us today,” Taylor said. Anglers fished under cloudy skies with temperatures in the upper 40s on Thursday, but the weather is expected to deteriorate overnight. Rain is in the forecast beginning late Thursday and continuing through the final day of the Fish-Off on Saturday. Temperatures are expected to stick near 40 degrees during fishing hours, too. Raymond Archer and Kirk Albrecht of the Centennial Bass Club Team Trail in Colorado won $500 for catching a 6-11 bass, the heaviest on Thursday. Adam Smith and Jayme Rampey of South Carolina’s Palmetto Boat Center Team Trail won $500 on Wednesday for their 5-14 largemouth. Takeoffs are scheduled for 7:15 a.m. ET from Green Pond Landing in Anderson Friday and Saturday. Weigh-ins will take place beginning at 3:15 p.m. Visit Anderson is sponsoring the event.  Follow all the action on Bassmaster.com.  2019 Bassmaster Team Championship Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Yamaha 2019 Bassmaster Team Championship Supporting Sponsors:  Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt, Mossy Oak Fishing, T-H Marine About B.A.S.S. B.A.S.S. 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 510,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2 and The Pursuit Channel), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), 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, new Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX presented by Abu Garcia and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.-30- Media Contact: Emily Harley, B.A.S.S. Communications Manager, 205-313-0945 (office), eharley@bassmaster.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 11, 2019

Florida Tandem Takes Day 1 Team Championship Lead At Hartwell
 
ANDERSON, S.C. — Kris Lockard and Michael Morse said they knew next to nothing about Lake Hartwell heading into the Bassmaster Team Championship, but they made it look like their local favorite spot on Wednesday.

Lockard and Morse, who compete on the Lakeland (Fla.) Bassmaster Team Trail, caught a five-bass limit that weighed 17 pounds, 15 ounces to take the lead on Day 1 of the final event of the 2019 season.

The Florida anglers said they weren’t sure which strategy to employ on Hartwell, so they went “junk fishing” on Wednesday. Their limit (four largemouth and one spotted bass) was heavy enough for a 15-ounce lead over Adam Smith and Jayme Rampey, who live only minutes from Lake Hartwell and know it as well as any tandem in the tournament.

In all, 165 duos from 30 different states and two foreign countries are competing for a total cash purse of $87,200 in the two-day Team Championship portion of this event. The duo with the heaviest two-day total will earn a $20,000 Nitro/Mercury cash prize.

Lockard and Morse put themselves in good position to claim that cash. Their catches were spread throughout the day and covered ample water to entice their bites. That was the case for many teams, who scooted across Hartwell Wednesday, when skies were sunny and temperatures hovered near 50 degrees all day.

“We got lucky fishing this cold and deep water,” Morse said. “We’re from Florida, and there are no buggy whips or lily pads for us to flip here like we have back home. But we found some backwater spots that looked decent and were holding a little bait. We were able to get five good bites.”

The biggest of those was a 5-9 largemouth Morse caught while he was trying to help Lockard free his jig from a Hartwell rockpile.

“(Lockard) was hung up on some rocks, and I was spinning the boat around so he could get loose,” Morse said. “I threw a crankbait down a rock line. There was no reason for that fish to be there. I thought it was a striper. He was digging and shaking hard.”

Lockard, 53, is an operations manager for a fabrication machine shop, and Morse, 45, is a saltwater fishing guide. They’ve competed together in team-trail events for three years, and they qualified for last year’s championship on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes. They know that fishery very well, but they finished 101stof 196 tandems in the tournament.

The irony, faring much better so far on the unfamiliar water of Lake Hartwell, is not lost on either angler.

“Too much history,” Lockard said. “We know (the Harris Chain) too well.”

“We’re just going fishing here,” Morse said. “Not knowing much was OK today.”

Smith and Rampey, who compete on the Palmetto Boat Center Team Trail, caught a 17-0 limit and had the heaviest bass of the day (a 5-14 Rampey hooked early Wednesday morning.) They won a $500 cash prize for that catch, and another $500 big bass award will be presented to the team with the heaviest bass on Thursday.

Rampey said he’s not sure how Hartwell will fish on Day 2 of the Championship, but he’s hoping for more quality bites like Wednesday’s big bass.

“That deep bite (for the 5-14) was really good, but (overall) it wasn’t very good today,” he said. “Hopefully that changes up tomorrow. That’s what we’re hoping for.”

Chris Noffsinger and Micheal Ebach of the West Michigan Bassmasters are in third place with 15-4.

The Top 3 teams after Thursday’s weigh-in will have their weights zeroed and those six anglers will fish individually in the Classic Fish-Off on Friday and Saturday. The angler with the heaviest two-day total in the fish-off will claim the 53rd and final spot in the 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.

The historic 50th staging of the Bassmaster Classic will be held March 6-8 on Lake Guntersville in Alabama. Weigh-ins will take place daily at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in downtown Birmingham.

Daily take-offs for the Bassmaster Team Championship and ensuing Classic Fish-Off are scheduled for 7:15 a.m. ET from Green Pond Landing in Anderson. Weigh-ins will take place beginning at 3:15 p.m. at the same location.

Visit Anderson is sponsoring the event.

Follow all the action on Bassmaster.com.

2019 Bassmaster Team Championship Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Yamaha

2019 Bassmaster Team Championship Supporting Sponsors:  Academy Sports + Outdoors, Carhartt, Mossy Oak Fishing, T-H Marine

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. 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 510,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2 and The Pursuit Channel), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), 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, new Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX presented by Abu Garcia and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.

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Media Contact: Emily Harley, B.A.S.S. Communications Manager, 205-313-0945 (office), eharley@bassmaster.com

ANDERSON, S.C. — The Bassmaster Team Championship is obviously one of the most important tournaments on the schedule each year because a pair of anglers will be crowned the top team after a year’s worth of team trail events from around the world.

But what truly makes the Team Championship such a hotly contested derby is that one angler is going to grab the last spot in the 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.

The race for the 53rd and final spot in the 2020 Bassmaster Classic begins Dec. 11 on Lake Hartwell in the northwest corner of South Carolina, and bass fishing fans can expect the finest team trail anglers in the country to be gunning for glory during full days on one of America’s foremost fisheries.

The team portion of the event will be held Dec. 11-12 and will feature anglers from 30 states and several foreign countries. The winning duo will win a $20,000 Nitro/Mercury cash prize and handsome trophies to commemorate the accomplishment, but they’ll also lead the charge into the Classic Fish-Off which will take place Dec. 13-14.

The top three teams through Day 2 — six anglers in all — will have their weights zeroed and then compete individually in the Fish-Off. The competitor with the heaviest two-day total of the group will nab the final coveted berth in the historic 50th Bassmaster Classic, which will be held March 6-8, 2020 on Lake Guntersville in Alabama. Weigh-ins will take place daily at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex in downtown Birmingham.

B.A.S.S. Nation Director Jon Stewart said any tournament that has a spot in the Classic on the line is a big event. But the chance to fish in the 50th installment of what has is known as the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing” brings added luster.

“That whole Classic week next March is going to be a celebration of our sport and all of its history,” Stewart said. “It’s going to be amazing. For anyone to be a part of that is going to be really, really special. I’m sure it’s going to be on the minds of many of the anglers competing on Lake Hartwell in the Bassmaster Team Championship. The Classic is what everyone shoots for, and they’ll have a chance to get there if they do well.”

The tandems set to battle on Hartwell have been tested through a series of qualifying tournaments on their respective team trails from around the globe. Stewart said there were between 10,000 and 11,000 anglers vying for a spot in the Team Championship, which is a record number for B.A.S.S.

“The way these anglers are qualifying through the trails, it’s impressive,” Stewart said. “The grass roots of our sport is excelling. It’s as strong as ever before.”

William Samples of South Boston, Va., and Charles Purcell of Townsville, N.C., teamed to win the 2018 Bassmaster Team Championship on Florida’ Harris Chain of Lakes last December. Matthew Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., won the Classic Fish-Off and finished 47th of 52 anglers competing in the 49th Bassmaster Classic on the Tennessee River in Knoxville, Tenn.

Daily take-offs and weigh-ins during the Bassmaster Team Championship will be held at Green Pond Landing in Anderson, S.C.

The event is sponsored by Visit Anderson.

Article Link: https://www.bassmaster.com/news/team-championship-next-week-will-set-final-classic-spot

Media Contact:   

Neil Paul, Executive Director

Visit Anderson

O. (864)716-3660 M. (864)353-9819 

neil@visitanderson.com