The FLW Tour’s Finest

August 27, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment

Michael Bennett, FLW Forrest Wood Cup Champion Michael Bennett frog fished his way to a $1 million win in the Forrest Wood Cup with the same Snag Proof frog that won Fred Roumbanis a Bassmaster Elite victory on the same body of water earlier in the season. And while Fred was happy to share his frogs and his favorite spots, Bennett found his own unique pattern comprised of docks, shade, and grass to twitch his way to the biggest win of his life. He’ll talk about the tackle, the technique, and mindset that made him this year’s million-dollar man on the FLW Tour.

But first we hear from the FLW Tour Rookie of the Year, Scott Canterbury. Scott lays out his long road to the FLW Tour and talks about how important winning ROY is for him. He also shares the fundamentals of his success as he explains the value of fishing your strengths, growing your confidence, and catching limits.

After Scott, we get the straight story on deep crankbait fishing from FLW Tour Angler of the Year David Dudley. Dudley credits the technique for his tour win this season and for moving him up the leaderboard in several other events. In this interview, he busts some myths about cranking in his own pull-no-punches style that perfectly mirrors his cast-far and crank-fast style of fishing.

Click Here For Direct Download

Filed Under: Podcast Episodes
Tagged: angler of the year, bass fishing, David Dudley, FLW Tour, Forrest Wood Cup Champion, Michael Bennett, Rookie of the Year, Scott Canterbury

Jerkbait Fishing for Fall

August 25, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment

By Scott Suggs

Scott Suggs, FLW Tour Professional Angler There are many ways to target bass during the late summer and the fall transition. Recently, I’ve been spending a lot of time acquainting myself with the Berkley Gulp! 5-inch Jerk Shad. While this bait isn’t the newest bait on the market, I’ve been trying to work it into my repertoire. During this season I was able to figure out some great ways to catch bass in the spring and summer with the Gulp! Jerk Shad. Now that fall is around the corner, I’ve come up with two more applications.

Filed Under: Bass Fishing Techniques
Tagged: bass fishing, fall bass fishing, jerkbait fishing, scott suggs

Bennet New FLW Millionaire

August 17, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment

Michael Bennett, Forrest Wood Cup Champion and $1 Million Winner

Team Duracell pro Michael Bennett of Lincoln, Calif., caught a two-day total of nine bass weighing 24 pounds, 15 ounces to win $1 million in the Forrest Wood Cup presented by BP and Castrol on Lake Murray on Sunday. Bennett is the youngest champion in the history of the Forrest Wood Cup and topped his closest rival, Team Kellogg’s pro Dave Lefebre of Union City, Penn., by more than five pounds to become the sport’s second instant millionaire.

“This hasn’t sunk in at all,” said Bennett, who became the youngest angler to reach $1 million in career earnings and has banked $1.4 million in FLW Outdoors events. “I mean, I’m excited and have an unbelievable feeling inside, but overall it hasn’t sunk in. It’s incredible.”

Bennett said he had a solid pattern targeted in practice, but heavy rains before the tournament began changed his approach. Bennett said he decided to start the tournament by fishing shallow.

Bennett admitted to “junk fishing,” or fishing without a pattern, although he said he fine tuned his approach to fit the situation. Bennett said he targeted clear, shallow water with a patient retrieve, but was not afraid to speed the retrieve if his method didn’t produce. The last two days of competition Bennett said he refined his junk fishing and targeted specific midlake spots featuring structure or grass.

Bennett’s bait of choice for the week was a Snag Proof Fred Frog Custom Color. Bennett said Saturday he was nervous going into the last day of competition because he had run out of new water to fish and was going to have to repeat some water he had already covered.

“I really thought I was going to need at least 10 pounds today to win,” Bennett said. “It was a struggle today and it started to get to me a little bit.”

Bennett said he hadn’t made plans for the $1 million first-place cash prize. He said he had more pressing things on his mind.

“I’ve got to get some food,” Bennett said. “I’m starving. Eat, take a shower, say hello to friends, celebrate a little and get to bed whenever it happens is what I have planned.”

Lefebre caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 19-12 to claim second place and $100,000.

“I’m happy I came in second,” said Lefebre, who has amassed more than $833,000 while recording four wins and 30 top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors competition. “I wanted to win more than anybody, but I’m proud of Michael. He earned it.”

Lefebre said he could have made the event a lot closer than it was as he lost a five-pounder in the last few minutes of competition.

“It’ll make good video,” Lefebre said of his lost fish. “It wouldn’t have put me over the top, though. That’s all I kept saying after I broke down and quit crying like a baby.”

Lefebre said he caught every fish he weighed in during the tournament on a 6-inch Berkley PowerBait Flippin’Tail Worm. He rigged the worm with a 3/16-ounce weight and a 3/0 hook.

“I just wanted one bait that would let me fish everything,” Lefebre said. “Today I was skipping it in the river around bushes and docks.

“When it’s tough conditions, PowerBait is hard to argue with,” Lefebre said. “The Flippin’Tail has a huge tail that fluttered down like a Colorado blade and it just looked a little different.”

Rounding out the top 10 pros were Terry Bolton of Jonesboro, Ark., (10 bass, 19-09, $75,000): Team Snickers pro Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, N.C., (nine bass, 16-09, $60,000); Team Berkley pro Kevin Vida of Clare, Mich., (nine bass, 15-14, $50,000); Team Chevy pro Dion Hibdon of Stover, Mo., (eight bass, 13-08, $45,000); Team National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., (seven bass, 13-03, $40,000); Brian Travis of Conover, N.C., (five bass, 11-01, $35,000); Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., (six bass, 10-00, $30,000) and Jay Yelas of Corvallis, Ore., (five bass, 6-10, $25,000).

The field of 77 professional anglers consisted of qualifiers from the 2008 Walmart FLW Tour, the 2007 Walmart FLW Series, the 2008 Walmart BFL All-American, 2008 TBF National Championship and 2007 Stren Series Championship. Five of the final top 10 anglers qualified through the 2007 Walmart FLW Series, four qualified through the 2008 Walmart FLW Tour and Travis qualified through the 2008 TBF National Championship.

David Hudson of Jasper, Ala., won the Co-angler Division and $50,000 Saturday with four bass weighing 7 pounds, 15 ounces followed by Brian Tidwell of Seneca, S.C., in second place with four bass weighing 7-03 worth $10,000.

“This feels great,” said Hudson, who also won as a co-angler at the National Guard Open at Charlotte, N.C., in April. “Words can’t express it really. I get emotional just thinking about it.

“I won at Charlotte, but this is really a big deal,” Hudson added. “I’ve made a few top-10s and this is my first championship, but this is a big deal.”

Hudson relied on a spinning rig and a Red Crawler Berkley Power Finesse Worm Hand Pour. Hudson said he caught fish on the finesse worm in both shallow and deep water.

“That’s what I’m known for,” Hudson said. “I just try to keep it simple and just catch keepers. That’s what I try to do all year long.

“I was targeting shade,” Hudson added. “But fishing behind other guys, it’s not always available.”

Hudson opened the tournament in seventh place Thursday with five bass weighing 6-10 while fishing with Team Walmart pro George Cochran of Hot Springs, Ark. On Friday he jumped into fifth place on the strength of a four-bass catch weighing 6-03 while fishing with Team Chevy pro Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Ark. Hudson sealed the deal Saturday when he fished with Travis.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were Chris Hults of Vancleave, Miss. (two bass, 6-07, $9,000); Pat Wilson of Penngrove, Calif. (three bass, 5-14, $8,000); Brandon Hunter of Benton, Ky. (three bass, 4-04, $7,000); Doug Weiser of Springdale, Ark. (two bass, 3-12, $6,000); Todd Lee of Jasper, Ala. (one bass, 3-00, $5,000); Andy Scholz of Reno, Nev. (one bass, 1-05, $4,000); Bill Scharton of Oakdale, Calif. (one bass, 1-02, $3,500) and Teddy Bradley of Mishawaka, Ind. (one bass, 1-00, $3,000).

The full field competed in the opening round for 10 slots in Saturday’s competition based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights were cleared for day three, and co-angler competition concluded following Saturday’s weigh-in. The top 10 pros will continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.

In Forrest Wood Cup competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers.

Coverage of the Forrest Wood Cup will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program airing Sept. 28 and Oct. 5. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast in Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia and the Middle East through a distribution agreement with Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. The program airs Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. Eastern time in most markets. Check local listings for times in your area.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest prizes and cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FantasyFishing.com.

Filed Under: FLW Tour
Tagged: $1 Million Winner, bass fishing, FLW Tour, Forrest Wood Cup Champion, Michael Bennett

Bennett Junk Fishes For Lead

August 15, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment

Michael Bennett, FLW Tour Professional Angler The 2008 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray is quickly turning into professional bass fishing’s version of Junkyard Wars. All afternoon the words “junk-fishing” have been the primary vernacular to describe the type of fishing that seems to be allowing pros to climb to the top of the leader board.

Essentially, junk-fishing is not so much of a pattern as it is a lack of a pattern. It’s almost as if the idea is to avoid attaching too much significance to any fish caught during the day because doing so might just lead an angler astray.

The terms “covering new water” and “keeping an open mind” have been uttered a lot as well.

Leading the Forrest Wood Cup after day two is Duracell pro Michael Bennett of Lincoln, Calif.

Bennett sacked up 15 pounds, 5 ounces today to add to his 11 pounds, 15 ounces yesterday to lead with a two-day total of 27 pounds, 4 ounces.

And as you might have already guessed, Bennett is referring to his fishing as junk-fishing.

“I started the day by fishing some of the stuff I fished yesterday and it didn’t work out so at about 9 o’clock I gave up everything I was doing and just completely started over,” Bennett said. “I hit one little stretch, put three decent fish in the boat and finished out a limit by noon. From there I just drove around the lake looking for new stuff to fish.”

The only common denominator Bennett can seem to find is not to stay in an area too long after he has caught fish there. Common logic would dictate staying in areas where fish have been caught, but not for Bennett.

“Every time I catch a fish or two off a spot, it’s done,” Bennett continued. “I’m slowly learning that there is no reason to return to places where I have caught fish. I can find consistency in fishing new water, so that’s what I’m going to continue to do.

“The patterns seem to change every day and the only way I can adapt to that is to fish each hour with an open mind, even if that means completely starting over every couple of hours.”

Rose second

After sacking up 20 pounds, 2 ounces yesterday, Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., Day-one leader Mark Rose punted and finished the opening round in second place.returned to his honey hole today and struggled just to get two bites.

He eventually ended the day with four bass weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces which gives him a two-day total of 26 pounds, 6 ounces for second place.

“I went to the spot that produced the big bass yesterday, fished for two hours and only caught two keepers,” Rose said. “From there I ran way up the river and caught two more.”

Rose, too, is on a junk-fishing war path, fishing anything that gets in his way.

“I’m going to return to my best spot tomorrow and camp,” he added. “I know there are some big fish in there and all I want is just three bites from that place.”

As for why he likes the area, Rose noted that it features deeper bank grass than he has found in other parts of the lake.

Ehrler third

National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., coaxed five bass from Lake Murray today weighing 14 pounds, 12 ounces to move into third with a two-day total of 26 pounds, 1 ounce.National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., coaxed five bass from Lake Murray today weighing 14 pounds, 12 ounces to move into third with a two-day total of 26 pounds, 1 ounce.

Ehrler is a previous Forrest Wood Cup winner and he seems to only get calmer and more focused with each passing minute of mounting pressure.

And here’s the shocker: Ehrler is – you guessed it – junk fishing.

“I caught 7 or 8 keepers today,” Ehrler said. “I’m fishing both shallow and deep, but the better fish seem to be coming shallow. I’ve had a 4-pounder each day, which is why I’m in the top 10.”

“I’m probably hitting about 10 to 30 spots per day,” he continued. “Some of the stretches I’ve caught fish off of before; others are just random new places I’m not familiar with.

“I came here in pre-practice, fished four days of practice and I still have nothing solid to key in on. I honestly have no idea when or where my next bite is going to happen.”

Bolton fourth

Terry Bolton of Jonesboro, Ark., brought in the biggest limit of day two weighing Terry Bolton of Jonesboro, Ark., brought in the biggest limit of day two weighing 15 pounds, 12 ounces to put him in fourth place with 25 pounds, 10 ounces.15 pounds, 12 ounces to put him in fourth place with 25 pounds, 10 ounces.

Instead of calling it junk-fishing, Bolton refers to his fishing as “still practicing.”

“I fished deep for 90 percent of practice and it was terrible,” Bolton explained. “So when the tournament started yesterday, I just went shallow and treated it like another day of practice. And the way I look at it, I’m still practicing – just fishing whatever looks good.”

Bolton did reveal that he spent most of day two with a topwater in his hand.

“I’m burning a lot of gas and covering a lot of water,” he continued. “So far the only key for me has been to fish new water. Now that I’ve caught a few fish off some spots, those little gremlins in my head are starting to tell me to go back to those places. But I’m not so sure that I would not be better off to keep fishing all new stuff because that’s been the best.”

Travis fifth

TBF Champion Brian Travis of Conover, N.C., grabbed the fifth position on day two with a two-day total of 23 pounds, 1 ounce.

Travis has fished Murray before, but noted that his experience on Lakes Norman and Wylie near his home is coming into play now.

“There’s not much consistency to what I’m doing,” Travis said. “It’s like the patterns change drastically from day to day. I could not catch a fish the way I caught them yesterday so I changed up to a topwater and just went fishing.”

“I did key in on a special kind of grass today,” remarked. “It’s that same kind of bank grass that’s all over the lake, but what I’m looking for has to do with where the grass is positioned along a bank. The only problem is I have only found that unique combination in a couple of very select areas so duplicating it is tough.”

“But who knows?” Travis added. “The way this lake is fishing, I’ll be doing something completely different tomorrow.”

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top-10 pros in the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray after day two:

6th: Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, N.C., two-day total of 23-0
7th: Dave Lefebre of Union City, Pa., two-day total of 23-0
8th: Jay Yelas of Corvallis, Ore., two-day total of 22-12
9th: Kevin Vida of Clare, Mich., two-day total of 22-11
10th: Dion Hibdon of Stover, Mo., two-day total of 22-1

Day three of the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray will begin Saturday at 7 a.m. from Lake Murray Marina and Yacht Club located at 1600 Marina Road in Irmo, S.C.

Filed Under: FLW Tour
Tagged: bass fishing, FLW Tour, Forrest Wood Cup, Michael Bennett