apex bass tour 2023 schedule

FOLSOM LAKE WELCOMES APEX PRO TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY BRIDGFORD FOODS AND VISITFOLSOM.COM

By Jody Only 2/13/2023

FOLSOM, Calif. – The APEX Pro Tour Championship, Presented by Bridgford Foods and Visit Folsom , is slated for a Folsom Lake blast-off February 17-19. Qualifying APEX anglers will compete in the three-day bass battle on the Northern California fishery by invite only. The televised event brings camera crews and media for an enhanced APEX opportunity and atmosphere with a limited field that includes only half of the original 2022 APEX anglers – determined by the Angler of the Year (AOY) points race.

Mick Karshner is looking forward to his debut as the APEX Pro Tour emcee at the Championship event.

“There are some big largemouth in Folsom, but the bite could be tough with the guys weighing in a lot of spotted bass on Day One and Two,” said Karshner. “I feel like the winner will have to find a couple of those big largemouth on that final day.”

Two of the competing APEX Pro tour anglers call Folsom Lake their home water.

“It’s up in the air how the lake will fish with the water management strategies that have fluctuated the lake after the large influx of water from the storms,” said Folsom local Luke Johns . “If the level is going up or steady, the fish are okay; if the water is dropping, that will shut ‘em down.

“Even with all those crazy factors involved, there is the potential for a solid early spring bite; but then there is also a chance for a curveball that this is will be one of the toughest APEX tournaments.”

Fellow APEX Pro Tour angler Austin Wilson of Citrus Heights, Calif., has similar thoughts about a stabilized water level enhancing the fish-catching potential. “With how it is now, I don’t think it will be wide-open, but I definitely think there will be some big bass caught,” said Wilson.

Johns believes the ability to track fish will be the most significant factor and anticipates a mix of reaction and finesse techniques to play a part. “Typically, it is a finesse lake; but there is always the potential for reaction fish to be caught on Folsom,” he explained.

Wilson agreed, saying, “Folsom is all about a person’s style and how they want to fish it.”

Deep and shallow bass factor into both of the angler’s expectations. “There are a lot of trees that are blooming, the days are getting longer and warmer, so there will be some fish pushing to the bank and others out in 40- to 50-feet,” said Wilson.

Johns’ depth mixture was deep fish in 25 to 35 and the big ones in 10 or less.

Wilson would like to see some wind; Johns would not. “My ideal setup would be for the lake to fish as tough as it can because I know the lake, and the tougher it gets, the harder it will be for the guys that don’t know the lake,” Johns shared. “Normally, I would like a little wind, but in this tournament, I want flat calm, and bluebird skies, making it as hard as possible for the others to catch ‘em.”

The two shared the sentiment of Folsom being a “tricky fishery.”

“It’s one of those places where you catch ‘em, and the next day you can fish the same thing in the same conditions, and they disappear – 20-pounds one day and only two fish the next,” explained Wilson.

“Folsom is in its own category like that,” agreed Johns.

Planning for the final day field cut, Johns is looking for 28- to 30-pounds to lead, with 23.5 to make the top-five, “I think keeper count will have to be in the high 20s,” he added.

Wilson thinks it will take more. “Fourteen-pounds and 12 to 15 keepers per day just to make the top-five, but it could be really good and take even more than that,” he concluded.

For the win, Johns predicted 14-pounds and Wilson 17.

To ready himself, Johns is tying up Yamamoto Baits , and Picasso Lures with Sunline on Owner Hooks . Wilson is P-Line contingent ready with a Wicked Willow Underspin and other undisclosed baits rigged with Wicked Weights Tungsten .

With the Championship only days away, Johns expressed his excitement. “We’re finally going to Folsom Lake. It’s a fun place. More tournaments should go there, and I get to fish, then sleep in my own bed.”

Wilson advised all anglers of the floating debris present from the recent rainfall and thanked his community sponsor Folsom Lake Asphalt. “They are making this possible for me,” he said.”

The APEX Pro Tour Championship will weigh in on the APEX stage all three days beginning at 3:00 p.m. Friends, family, and fans are invited to attend. SuperClean , and Duo Realis will provide product giveaways. A Garmin booth will be onsite.

Follow the media coverage at the APEX Pro Tour website and Wild West Bass Trail social media pages.

The full qualifying roster of the 2023 APEX Pro Tour competitors:

Austin Bonjour
Austin Wilson
Bill O’Shinn
David Swenseid
Earl Dalton III
Gregory Troughton
Jason Austin
Kevin Johnson
Mark Lassagne
Marty Lawrence
Matthew Nadeau
Nick Cloutier
Nick Salvucci
Randy Mcabee
Scott Hellesen
Stan Lafever
Thomas Kanemoto
Tony Franceschi
William Ponting
Zack Thompson

With the Wild West Bass Trail (WWBT) entering its 8th year in 2023, the formidable circuit attracts the highest-level anglers to compete in Pro/Am, Teams, Kayak, and Youth Series events.

WWBT also operates the APEX Pro Tour, the highest-qualified level of professional bass competition on the West Coast. The televised events are broadcast on the Pursuit Channel, capable of reaching 47 million households nationwide.

Truly unique from the traditional five-fish limit, the APEX Pro Tour format includes the following:

A Hybrid top -10 Format with the top-five most scorable bass and the top-five highest weight after two days
A final day field cut to advance to the top-10 with weights zeroed-out
30 Days Off Limits
No Information Rule
No Practice Periods
Live leaderboard During Event via TourneyX

In 2023 APEX Pro tour regular season stops, anglers will compete to qualify for the 2024 APEX Pro Tour Championship, which will award the winning angler a Bass Cat boat and a Mercury Marine Outboard engine valued at $60,000.00.

About Westernbass.com

championship
visitfolsomcom

WesternBass

Bass Cast Radio
Let’s Work Together
Weather at the Home Base: Updated 24/7
Bass News From Around The Globe
Join The Share Team
April Giveaway Entry Form

[print_link]

TULSA, Okla. (Sept. 23, 2022) – Major League Fishing (MLF) announced Friday the schedule for the 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour. The fifth season of professional bass fishing’s most prestigious circuit will showcase 80 of the top bass anglers in the world competing in seven regular-season tournaments around the country for millions of dollars, valuable points in the Bally Bet Angler of the Year race, and to qualify for REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship, and the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event.

The 2023 Bass Pro Tour kicks off with Stage One on the Kissimmee Chain, in Kissimmee, Florida, Feb. 13-18. Giant largemouth are always a possibility on these famed Florida fisheries, and this event will mark the Bass Pro Tour’s third time to compete on Lake Toho and the Kissimmee Chain. The venue hosted the circuit’s first ever event in early 2019.

Already announced earlier this year, REDCREST 2023 will take place March 8-12 on Lake Norman in Charlotte, North Carolina. The five-day championship will feature the top 40 anglers from the 2022 Bass Pro Tour season competing for the REDCREST Championship trophy and the sport’s top prize of $300,000. In addition to the championship event, the MLF Outdoor Sports Expo featuring hundreds of exhibitors and activities for fishing fans of all ages will be held March 10-12 at The Park Expo & Conference Center in Charlotte.

In March, the Bass Pro Tour regular season continues in Jefferson County, Tennessee, for Stage Two at Cherokee and Douglas Lakes, March 18-23. Bass Pro Tour anglers should expect a strong prespawn bite as they compete on Cherokee Lake for the Qualifying Round, Douglas Lake for the Knockout Round, then back to Cherokee Lake for the Championship Round showdown.

Stage Three will take place April 2-7, on the “Jewel of South Carolina”, Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, host to numerous major bass fishing tournaments and championships over the years. Stage Three will mark the Bass Pro Tour’s first foray onto the 50,000-acre reservoir. Fans can expect to see some classic late spring patterns in play. Bass will likely be caught in all three phases of the spawn. Bream beds, the shad spawn and fry guarders are all expected to play a role on Lake Murray in early April.

After an extremely successful event in 2022 that showcased the Northern Louisiana fisheries to a global audience, the Bass Pro Tour returns to Caney Creek Reservoir and the Bussey Brake Wildlife Management area in Monroe, Louisiana, April 24-29, for the fourth annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event. Numerous Bass Pro Tour records were set at the venue in 2022, including Randy Howell weighing in the largest bass ever caught in Bass Pro Tour competition – a 12-pound, 14-ounce giant. Although this event will be held during the postspawn, it’s a safe bet that fans will still see a few behemoths weighed in on the MLF NOW! livestream.

From Louisiana, the Bass Pro Tour travels on to Alabama’s Lake Guntersville for Stage Four out of Guntersville, Alabama, May 16-21. Alabama’s largest lake – 75 miles long and covering more than 69,100 acres – is no stranger to major bass tournaments as the venue hosts hundreds of tournaments each year and has for decades been considered one of the best largemouth lakes in the United States. An emergence of eelgrass in recent years has replaced a lot of the milfoil and hydrilla the fishery was once known for, but with bass so spread out viewers can expect to see numerous different tactics in play.

For Stage Five, the Bass Pro Tour will return to Union Springs, New York, and Cayuga Lake, June 6-11, for a historic occurrence – the first major professional bass fishing tournament ever held prior to the traditional start of bass fishing season. The unique Bass Pro Tour format of catch, weigh, photograph and immediate-release fits within the definition of catch-and-release angling season for black bass in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regulations and guidelines and has been approved by the DEC. Though traditional bass season doesn’t officially start until June 15, catch and release season runs from Dec. 1-June 14. Like the 2022 Bass Pro Tour event on Cayuga Lake, expect huge quantities of both largemouth and smallmouth bass to be caught at Stage Five, as the tournament could be won on either species – or a mixture of the two.

The Bass Pro Tour wraps up the 2023 season on big waters – first with Stage Six at Lake St. Clair in Harrison Township, Michigan, June 24-29. The Bass Pro Tour visited Lake St. Clair in 2021, when pro Michael Neal set numerous Bass Pro Tour records, including the heaviest two-day Qualifying Round total ever weighed and the heaviest Championship Round total ever weighed. Although that event was held a little later in the year, fans can still anticipate excellent fishing in this June event. Most of the bass will be postspawn and well into their summertime patterns, but a few stragglers could still be found on beds. Four-, 5- and 6-pound smallmouth bass are seemingly everywhere, making Lake St. Clair one of the best bronzeback fisheries in the world.

The 2023 Bass Pro Tour season finale will take place Aug. 1-6, with Stage Seven at Saginaw Bay in Bay City, Michigan. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass will be in play for Bass Pro Tour anglers, as the Michigan fishery is known for trophy-sized specimen of both species. The fishery remains a bit of a mystery to a lot of fans and anglers alike, as MLF does not have any tournament history on this bay and tributary of Lake Huron. With valuable end-of-year Bally Bet Angler of the Year points, and REDCREST and General Tire Heavy Hitters qualifications up for grabs, expect to see the most stressful, intense competition of the season.

“We are proud to announce our 2023 Bass Pro Tour schedule, bringing these top-level events to new fisheries and returning to a few venues that have hosted some of the greatest events in our Bass Pro Tour history,” said MLF Vice President of Strategic Planning, Michael Mulone. “The success of the Bass Pro Tour is due in large part to an incredible host organization and sponsorship base, which allows us to provide a stellar tournament schedule year in and year out. We appreciate their support and expect that 2023 will be the most competitive and fun season that we have ever had.”

2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour Schedule:

Feb. 13-18 Stage One at Kissimmee Chain Kissimmee, Fla. Hosted by the Kissimmee Sports Commission

March 8-12 REDCREST 2024 at Lake Norman Charlotte, N.C. Hosted by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority

March 18-23 Stage Two at Lake Cherokee & Douglas Lake Jefferson County, Tenn. Hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism

April 2-7 Stage Three at Lake Murray Columbia, S.C. Hosted by the Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board

April 24-29 General Tire Heavy Hitters All-Star Event Monroe, La. Caney Creek Reservoir & Bussey Brake Wildlife Management Area Hosted by Discover Monroe-West Monroe and the Louisiana Office of Tourism

May 16-21 Stage Four at Lake Guntersville Guntersville, Ala. Hosted by Marshall County Tourism & Sports

June 6-11 Stage Five at Lake Cayuga Union Springs, N.Y. Hosted by the Union Springs/Springport Chamber, Village of Union Springs, and Cayuga County

June 24-29 Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Harrison Township, Mich. Hosted by the Detroit Sports Commission, Macomb County, Michigan, and Lake St. Clair Metro Parks

Aug. 1-6 Stage Seven at Saginaw Bay Bay City, Mich. Hosted by Bay City, Michigan

Each stage of the 2023 Bass Pro Tour will feature six days of competition using the catch, weigh, immediate-release format, broadcast live on MLF NOW! and streamed to the Major League Fishing app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), and at MajorLeagueFishing.com .

The 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour will air on Discovery Channel beginning in July 2023.

The full 80-angler roster will be officially announced later this fall.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com . For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube .

Grove’s Malone Overcomes Tough Conditions to Win Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Fort Gibson Lake

Micah jones and matthew rosenbaum win bigmouth bassmasters on sml, south carolina’s crossland targets prespawn bass to earn the win at phoenix bass fishing league event at kerr lake.

Sign in for exclusive content

Please enter your details.

Your BASS member number is the 9-digit number that appears on your Bassmaster Magazine label. See the example magazine labels below.

Phone 877-BASS USA if you are still unable to find your member number.

Not a member yet? Join Now

We cannot find an active B.A.S.S. Membership for the information you have provided. Please renew your membership here . We cannot find an active B.A.S.S. Membership for the information you have provided. Please try again. Scheduled maintenance. We'll be back shortly. If you continue to have trouble please contact customer service at 877-BASS-USA.

B.A.S.S. announces 2023 Elite Series schedule

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — With the 2022 Bassmaster Elite Series season barely in the history books, B.A.S.S. is already getting primed for another go-round as the 2023 Elite Series slate was announced today.

The schedule includes nine regular-season events in seven states with a healthy mix of familiar fisheries from recent schedules and some that B.A.S.S. hasn’t visited in a while. Along the tournament trail, these talented anglers will battle each other — and big bass — for the prestigious titles of Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Falcon Rods Rookie of the Year and Elite Series champion.

B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson lauded the schedule as another great opportunity for the best professional anglers in the world to showcase their talents on diverse and exceptional fisheries.

“The 2023 Elite Series schedule allows us to visit multiple regions — including fisheries where we haven’t been in many years — to celebrate fishing fans and our great sport,” Anderson said. “Anglers are tested in a variety of environments, truly battling for the right to call themselves the Angler of the Year or Rookie of the Year.

“And, of course, for approximately 40 of those anglers, the nine Elite Series tournaments are the pathway to fulfill a dream and compete on the biggest stage in sportfishing — the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic.”

The usual February Southern swing will have a slightly different flavor this year. After starting the season the past four years on the St. Johns River, the 2023 slate will open on world-famous Lake Okeechobee in Okeechobee, Fla., Feb. 16-19.

The massive Florida waterway has a drainage basin of approximately 2.8 million acres and is the second-largest natural freshwater lake contained entirely within the contiguous 48 states. B.A.S.S. has an extensive history on the “Big O,” having visited there 22 times since 1980, but this will be the organization’s first trip there since 2017.

“We are thrilled to welcome the Bassmaster Elite Series back to Lake Okeechobee to kick off their 2023 season,” said Terry Burroughs, chairman of the Okeechobee Board of County Commissioners . “Lake Okeechobee offers the best freshwater fishery in Florida paired with a down-home community that offers a unique experience both on and off the water. We look forward to welcoming everyone with the Bassmaster Elite family!”

From Florida, the Elites will move slightly to the north to fish another venue that was once a familiar stop on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail — Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Ga. B.A.S.S. has visited the 37,500-acre Chattahoochee River reservoir 15 times since 1968, but not since 2015.

The lake has historically been known for some of the best sight fishing for bedding largemouth in the country, and the timing of the event — Feb. 23-26 — could play right into that storyline.

The regular season will pause in late March for the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic , which is scheduled for March 24-26 in Knoxville, Tenn., with competition on the Tennessee River. The 2019 Classic held in Knoxville drew a then-record crowd of 153,809 spectators for all associated events, and similar crowds are expected for a Classic that will this time be held one week later in the year.

Once the regular season resumes, the Elites will set up shop in South Carolina with back-to-back events on Lake Murray (April 20-23, Columbia, S.C.) and Santee Cooper Lakes (April 27-30, Clarendon County, S.C.). B.A.S.S. has visited Lake Murray nine times for major events since 1991, but its most recent trip to the 50,000-acre Saluda River fishery was in 2011.

Santee Cooper Lakes has been the site of 12 major B.A.S.S. events, including the slugfest won by Georgia pro Drew Cook back in March with a Century Club catch of 105 pounds, 5 ounces. Second-place finisher Caleb Kuphall of Wisconsin also earned a Century Belt in that event with 103-1, and the Santee Cooper Lakes now ranks third for the most Century Belts produced with eight. The lake also ranked 10th on Bassmaster Magazine’s recent list of 100 Best Bass Lakes.

From South Carolina, the Elites will travel May 11-14 to Lay Lake in Shelby County, Ala. — a 12,000-acre Coosa River impoundment that holds the distinction of being the major fishery located closest to the B.A.S.S. offices in Birmingham. Four of B.A.S.S.’s five trips to Lay have been for Bassmaster Classics (1996, 2002, 2007, 2010), and the most recent trip to the central Alabama spotted bass haven was in 2020 for an Eastern Open.

“We are very excited to welcome the Bassmaster Elite Series to Shelby County,” said Kendall Williams, manager of tourism and events for Shelby County. “Lay Lake has some of the best bass fishing in the country, and hosting events of this caliber reminds us how thankful we are to have this resource in our backyard.

“Plus, we love that the Elite Series draws anglers and visitors from all across the U.S. who will get to experience the exceptional community of support by local restaurants, stores and other businesses.”

B.A.S.S.’s annual trip to Texas will visit the Sabine River in Orange, Texas on June 1-4. The organization has visited the Sabine River five times for major events since 2013, including a 2021 Elite stop won by Oklahoma pro Jason Christie .

Anglers’ skills will be on display for enthusiastic fans as they weigh in among a festival-like atmosphere featuring some of the largest crowds the Elite Series has ever seen. During that 2021 visit to Orange, an Elite Series record crowd of 40,107 fans attended the four-day event while generating more than $2.5 million in revenue for local businesses.

With the temperatures likely sweltering in the South, the Elite Series will turn North on July 27-30 with a trip to Lake St. Clair in Macomb County, Mich. B.A.S.S. visited the 275,200-acre smallmouth bass paradise three times from 1994 to 2001 and then took a hiatus from the fishery before visiting five more times from 2014 to 2020. St. Clair recently ranked No. 4 on Bassmaster Magazine’s annual list of 100 Best Bass Lakes

A New York swing has been a staple on the Elite Series schedule the past several years — and in 2023, it will be the stretch run for the season.

On Aug. 17-20, the Elites will fish Lake Champlain from Plattsburgh, N.Y. It will be the 15th major B.A.S.S. event held on the 271,000-acre fishery on the New York/Vermont border, including the most recent one which was won by Maryland pro Bryan Schmitt in 2021.

The season will culminate on the 1000 Islands region of the St. Lawrence River in Clayton, N.Y., Aug. 24-27. The fishery recently earned the No. 1 ranking on Bassmaster Magazine’s list of 100 Best Bass Lakes — and anyone who followed the Elite Series’ most recent trip there knows why.

Wisconsin rookie Jay Przekurat won the event with a Century Club catch of 102-9, and Canadian pro Cory Johnston placed second with a Century Club entry of his own at 100-5, each hitting the 100-pound mark with solely smallmouth, a first-time feat in B.A.S.S. competition. The entire Top 10 cracked the 90-pound mark, and it was widely regarded as the top smallmouth event in B.A.S.S. history.

“I can honestly think of no better place to cap off the Elite Series season than on maybe the best smallmouth fishery on the planet,” said Chris Bowes, vice president of tournaments for B.A.S.S. “That event would be the center of the bass fishing world no matter when it was held. But to think it will help decide Angler of the Year and who makes the Bassmaster Classic — that’ll make for an amazing week for our sport.”

In 2022, Elite Series anglers earned eight Century Belts and 2023 has the potential to add more huge catches to the record book.

“I’m excited about the 2023 schedule and the opportunities to see huge bags and close finishes,” said Lisa Talmadge, tournament director for the Elite Series. “What a way to kick off our season by going back-to-back to big bass factories with the potential to produce a Century Belt before heading to Santee Cooper and the 1000 Islands, which both produced multiple Century Belts in 2022! Add in locations that’ve had record crowds or tight finishes plus fisheries where we haven’t competed in years, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch for all of us.”

More than 12.5 million viewers watched Bassmaster coverage on the FOX networks and, once again, fans can catch all nine Bassmaster Elite Series events as well as Bassmaster Classic live television coverage on the FOX Sports platforms.

For complete coverage of the Elite Series, visit Bassmaster.com .

2023 Bassmaster Elite Series Schedule

Feb. 16-19 , Okeechobee, Fla., Lake Okeechobee

Feb. 23-26 , Bainbridge, Ga., Lake Seminole

March 24-26 , Knoxville, Tenn., Tennessee River

April 20-23 , Columbia, S.C., Lake Murray

April 27-30 , Clarendon County, S.C., Santee Cooper Lakes

May 11-14 , Shelby County, Ala., Lay Lake

June 1-4 , Orange, Texas, Sabine River

July 27-30 , Macomb County, Mich., Lake St. Clair

Aug. 17-20 , Plattsburgh, N.Y., Lake Champlain

Aug. 24-27 , Clayton, N.Y., St. Lawrence River

The camping life

Day on the lake: jacob foutz, hangin’ with the boys, harris chain ended my top 50 streak.

Fishing Tournaments

Austin Wilson Wins WWBT APEX Cup at Lake Almanor

While his day included a brief stop near the dam, Wilson spent most of his time in the mid-lake region. Here, he targeted 4- to 8-foot flats with bigger chunk rock and stumps.

“I believe the fish were feeding on pond smelt and that Easy Shiner was the exact size and shape,” Wilson said. “The way I rig the bait, it kind of fishes like a spy bait. You throw it out, count it down 5-10 seconds and then slowly wind it back.”

The bait proved enticing to smallmouth, but not all of the bites connected. After losing a few fish, Wilson knew he had to make an adjustment.

“I said ‘I can’t have this happen; I can’t be missing fish,’” he said. “So I added a treble hook to that EWG on the belly of the bait and then I never missed another fish.”

Around midday, Wilson gave his main area a rest and ran down to the dam where he fished flats with 5-7 feet of water and scattered stumps. This area produced one of his keepers.

Wilson worked the dam area with a finesse wire Alabama rig. He used 3-inch Keitech Easy Shiners in smallmouth magic on the teasers, 3.5-inch Keitech Easy Shiners in electric shad on the side hooks and a 4-inch Keitech Easy Shiner, also in electric shad, in the center position.

“I was using light (swimbait heads) because I was fishing that A-rig pretty shallow,” Wilson said. “I usually like to keep all my baits the same color, but I didn’t have the same color in the smaller baits, so I used smallmouth magic for my teasers.”

Nick Salvucci of Paso Robles, Calif. finished second with 16.80. He fished the lake’s east side and targeted flatter banks where he attempted to sight fish spawners. When he found those fish uncooperative, Salvucci refocused his effort on prespawn areas.

“The fish weren’t biting very good today, they were just swiping at it. I only had them barely hooked. They weren’t aggressive, so I had to make repeated casts.”

Wood stayed in the lake’s south end to avoid the day’s strongest winds. With better clarity in the region, he presented his Ned rig across long, flat tapering points with chunk rock adjacent to spawning areas.

“The fish didn’t seem to be as scattered out; they weren’t roaming around as much, they were pretty concentrated,” Wood said. “I don’t know if the fish were up there eating crawdads or if the pond smelt were moving through there, but everything I caught came off of chunk rock points.”

Travis Huckaby , of Modesto, Calif. finished fourth with 14.15. He spent his day fishing the west side of the main lake peninsula where he targeted prespawn fish on a ledge next to a spawning flat.

“I was fishing scattered boulders in 5-10 feet of water,” Huckaby said. “There were four boulders right on the edge; they were up on the flat and there was deep water next to the boulders.

“The fish were staging there to move up on the flat to spawn. That was the nice thing — it kept reloading all three days.”

After two days of full-field competition, the top-10 anglers advanced to Sunday’s Championship round. The final field comprised the top-5 anglers with the Most Keepers and the top-5 anglers with the highest Total Weight. Total days weight and keeper count from days 1 and 2 were accumulated. In the final round, weights and keeper count were zeroed.

About Wild West Bass Trail/APEX Pro Tour

The Wild West Bass Trail (WWBT) is the first and only exclusive west coast Pro level Tournament series to be televised in its entirety. WWBT delivers multiple opportunities to showcase the talents of western anglers on a professional platform, all while providing the highest payback in the industry.

As WWBT continues to provide and refine a platform of elite events for competitive anglers, it simultaneously creates a logical avenue for sponsors to have direct contact with customers. Wild West is dedicated to creating a complete package of advertising opportunities including on-site activation, internet/social media, and television series that reach a large number of viewers each day.

Tournament events include Televised APEX PRO TOUR events, opens, college teams, pro teams, pro/ams, and the new Pro Cup format. Televised Pro/Am Championship can be viewed on the Pursuit Channel, Outdoor Action TV and YouTube . Learn more about WWBT and APEX PRO TOUR at Wild West Bass Trail.com Facebook , Apexprotour.com, Twitter , and Instagram .

Media / Advertising Contact [email protected] or [email protected]

How To Choose the Right Gear Ratio for Bass Fishing

Cox and boyette win 10k at lay lake, related posts, the bam trail heads to lake oroville for stop #2 of the pro-am series., matthew nadeau: trail blazer from nevada city ca triumphs in competitive fishing, wild west bass – covid 19 fishing tournament rules.

Mark Lassagne

Professional Bass Angler

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE and RESULTS

Journey to Moscow

Welcome to Moscow - the capital of Russia, its political, scientific, historical, architectural and business centre, from which power and might of the Russian state developed.

FLEET FOXES

Southern Fishing on Facebook
Southern Fishing on Twitter
Southern Fishing on Google+
Southern Fishing RSS Feed

MLF Unveils Schedule, Details for 2023 Bass Pro Tour

Posted: Oct 14, 2022 by Southern Fishing News

TULSA, Okla. – Major League Fishing announced Friday the schedule for the 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour.

Image for MLF Unveils Schedule, Details for 2023 Bass Pro Tour

The fifth season of professional bass fishing’s most prestigious circuit will showcase 80 of the top bass anglers in the world competing in seven regular-season tournaments around the country for millions of dollars, valuable points in the Bally Bet Angler of the Year race, and qualify for REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship, and the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event.

The 2023 Bass Pro Tour kicks off with Stage One on the Kissimmee Chain, in Kissimmee, Florida, Feb. 13-18. Giant largemouth is always a possibility on these famed Florida fisheries, and this event will mark the Bass Pro Tour’s third time competing on Lake Toho and the Kissimmee Chain. The venue hosted the circuit’s first-ever event in early 2019.

Already announced earlier this year, REDCREST IV will take place March 8-12 on Lake Norman in Charlotte, North Carolina. The five-day championship will feature the Top 40 anglers from the 2022 Bass Pro Tour season competing for the REDCREST Championship trophy and the sport’s top prize of $300,000. In addition to the championship event, the MLF Outdoor Sports Expo featuring hundreds of exhibitors and activities for fishing fans of all ages will be held March 10-12 at The Park Expo & Conference Center in Charlotte.

In March, the Bass Pro Tour regular season continues in Jefferson County, Tennessee, for Stage Two at Cherokee and Douglas Lakes, March 18-23. Bass Pro Tour anglers should expect a strong pre-spawn bite as they compete on Cherokee Lake for the Qualifying Round, Douglas Lake for the Knockout Round, then back to Cherokee Lake for the Championship Round showdown.

Stage Three will take place April 2-7, on the “Jewel of South Carolina,” Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, host to numerous major bass fishing tournaments and championships over the years. Stage Three will mark the Bass Pro Tour’s first foray onto the 50,000-acre reservoir. Fans can expect to see some classic late-spring patterns in play. Bass will likely be caught in all three phases of the spawn. Bream beds, the shad spawn, and fry guarders are all expected to play a role on Lake Murray in early April.

After an extremely successful event in 2022 that showcased the Northern Louisiana fisheries to a global audience, the Bass Pro Tour returns to Caney Creek Reservoir and the Bussey Brake Wildlife Management area in Monroe, Louisiana, April 24-29, for the fourth annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event. Numerous Bass Pro Tour records were set at the venue in 2022, including Randy Howell weighing in the largest bass ever caught in Bass Pro Tour competition – a 12-pound, 14-ounce giant. Although this event will be held during the post-spawn, it’s a safe bet that fans will still see a few behemoths weighed in on the MLF NOW! livestream.

From Louisiana, the Bass Pro Tour travels on to Alabama’s Lake Guntersville for Stage Four out of Guntersville, Alabama, May 16-21. Alabama’s largest lake – 75 miles long and covering more than 69,100 acres – is no stranger to major bass tournaments as the venue hosts hundreds of tournaments each year and has for decades been considered one of the best largemouth lakes in the United States. An emergence of eelgrass in recent years has replaced a lot of the milfoil and hydrilla the fishery was once known for, but with bass so spread out, viewers can expect to see numerous different tactics in play.

For Stage Five, the Bass Pro Tour will return to Union Springs, New York, and Cayuga Lake, June 6-11, for a historic occurrence – the first major professional bass fishing tournament ever held prior to the traditional start of the bass fishing season. The unique Bass Pro Tour format of catch, weigh, photograph and immediate-release fits within the definition of catch-and-release angling season for black bass in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regulations and guidelines and has been approved by the DEC. Though traditional bass season doesn’t officially start until June 15, the catch and release season runs from Dec. 1 through June 14. Like the 2022 Bass Pro Tour event on Cayuga Lake, expect huge quantities of both largemouth and smallmouth bass to be caught at Stage Five, as the tournament could be won on either species – or a mixture of the two.

The Bass Pro Tour wraps up the 2023 season on big waters – first with Stage Six at Lake St. Clair in Harrison Township, Michigan, June 24-29. The Bass Pro Tour visited Lake St. Clair in 2021 when pro Michael Neal set numerous Bass Pro Tour records, including the heaviest two-day Qualifying Round total ever weighed and the heaviest Championship Round total ever weighed. Although that event was held a little later in the year, fans can still anticipate excellent fishing in this June event. Most of the bass will be post-spawn and well into their summertime patterns, but a few stragglers could still be found on beds. Four-, 5- and 6-pound smallmouth bass are seemingly everywhere, making Lake St. Clair one of the best bronzeback fisheries in the world.

The 2023 Bass Pro Tour season finale will take place Aug. 1-6, with Stage Seven at Saginaw Bay in Bay City, Michigan. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass will be in play for Bass Pro Tour anglers, as the Michigan fishery is known for a trophy-sized specimen of both species. The fishery remains a bit of a mystery to a lot of fans and anglers alike, as MLF does not have any tournament history on this bay and tributary of Lake Huron. With valuable end-of-year Bally Bet Angler of the Year points, and REDCREST and General Tire Heavy Hitters qualifications up for grabs, expect to see the most stressful, intense competition of the season.

2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour Schedule:

Kissimmee, Fla.
Hosted by the Kissimmee Sports Commission
Charlotte, N.C.
Hosted by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
Jefferson County, Tenn .
Hosted by the Jefferson County Department of Tourism
Columbia, S.C.
Hosted by the Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board
Monroe, La.
Caney Creek Reservoir & Bussey Brake Wildlife Management Area
Hosted by Discover Monroe-West Monroe and the Louisiana Office of Tourism
Guntersville, Ala.
Hosted by Marshall County Tourism & Sports
Union Springs, N.Y.
Hosted by the Union Springs/Springport Chamber, Village of Union Springs, and Cayuga County
Harrison Township, Mich.
Hosted by the Detroit Sports Commission, Macomb County, Michigan, and Lake St. Clair Metro Parks
Bay City, Mich.
Hosted by Bay City, Michigan

The 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour will air on Discovery Channel beginning in July 2023.

The full 80-angler roster will be officially announced later this fall.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com . For regular updates, photos, tournament news, and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube .

Comments are closed.

« Previous Article

About Southern Fishing News

Southern Fishing News publishes bass fishing news articles, tackle tips, tournament info and angler photos to an established readership of dedicated, fishing enthusiasts.

Our center of publication and local coverage is the north Alabama region. Our online news carries on the tradition of Southern Fishing dating back to the late 1970's with the Southern Fishing Television Show, then the print publication Southern Fishing.

Slider Fishing Tackle
Neese Waterfront Realty
Daiichi Fishing Hooks
West End Outdoors
Alabama B.A.S.S Federation Nation
Bass Assassin Lures
Strike King
EGO Fishing
Motley Fishing
Tonic Eyewear
Tennessee Rivers Tackle
Cooks Tackle
BlueWaterLED
Bass Minder Lure Selection Guides, Line Selection Guides, Line Reminder Stickers and Tackle Minder Labels
Hammer Fishing Rods
Davis Bait Company
NewPro Products
Fliptail Lures
Lary the Lizard Custom Baits
Johnston Lures
Fishing with Steve D
Steddie Pole

design & development by pixelflips

MLF Announces 2023 Bass Pro Tour Schedule

Mlf communications.

Sep 23, 2022

Major League Fishing (MLF) announced Friday the schedule for the 2023 MLF Bass Pro Tour. The fifth season of professional bass fishing’s most prestigious circuit will showcase 80 of the top bass anglers in the world competing in seven regular-season tournaments around the country for millions of dollars, valuable points in the Bally Bet Angler of the Year race, and to qualify for REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship, and the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event.