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Gerald Swindle Wins Second Angler Of The Year Title At Mille Lacs Bassmaster Championship
Gerald Swindle of Guntersville, Ala., wins the 2016 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year at Mille Lacs Lake held out of Onamia, Minn., Sunday. - Photo by James Overstreet/Bassmaster
ONAMIA, Minn. — Gerald Swindle of Guntersville, Ala., clinched his second Angler of the Year title since 2004 at the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota.
A total purse of $1 million was paid out to the Top 50 Bassmaster Elite Series pros, along with berths to the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro. Swindle collected $100,000, and the remaining 49 anglers earned shares of the remaining $900,000.
The Top 39 anglers at this event will be competing in the Classic next March on Lake Conroe near Houston, Texas.
Swindle, a 15-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, struggled to catch competitive limits on Mille Lacs Lake during the first two days of the championship, but he figured out the fish on the final day of the championship today, bringing in a five-fish limit of smallmouth bass that weighed 22 pounds.
“The last thing I wanted was to win this title without catching the kind of fish that Mille Lacs is known for producing,” Swindle said. “I left the docks this morning with the full intention of going out and catching them how I wanted to catch them. I threw a jerkbait and a vibrating jig and had an awesome day. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut.”
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Swindle Still On Top At Angler Of The Year At Mille Lacs Bassmaster Championship
ONAMIA, Minn. — Another impressive day of hefty smallmouth astonished fans during the second round of the $1 million Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship at Minnesota’s famed Mille Lacs Lake.
On Thursday, the Top 50 qualifiers from the Bassmaster Elite Series produced 23 limits exceeding the 20-pound mark. Today’s field did one better by bringing 24 limits to the scales exceeding 20 pounds.
While that’s an impressive turnout yet again, the angler who catches the heaviest three-day limit of bass does not win this tournament; rather points are the key to victory this week.
Gerald Swindle of Guntersville, Ala., held onto his Angler of the Year lead after weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces, which brought his two-day total to 25-6. He improved on Thursday’s performance, but Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas, is within 28 points of Swindle in the AOY race.
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Jake and Stephanie Lisenko
Jake and Stephanie Lisenko
Jake and Stephanie Lisenko (South Bend) had five keepers totaling 10.03 pounds to win the Casting Couples tournament on Lake of the Woods in Decatur, Mich.
The winners ($250) also took home big-bass honors ($65) with a 3.83-pound largemouth. They fished Native Pride jigs in 8-12 foot of water.
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(Provided by R&B)
Winners Jim Wheeler and Ray Smith
Winners Jim Wheeler and Ray Smith
Jim Wheeler (Portage) and Ray Smith (Valparaiso) won their second consecutive R&B Circuit event with an 11.14-pound limit caught on Lake James in a West Division tournament.
The winners ($508) also won the big bass pot ($208) with a 3.78-pound largemouth. They used a combination of homemade jigs and frogs around docks, boats, and lily pads to catch their fish.
Darwin "Bear" Griva (Angola) and Mike Klavinski (Hudson, Ind.) used weightless worms in shallow water to bag a 10.44-pound limit to finish second ($311).
Third-place finishers ($203) Doyle Randol (Sturgis) and Joe Miller (Lagrange) also stayed in shallow water to put together the only other limit of the tournament, 8.59 pounds, fooled by Zoom Double Ringers and Fish Doctors baits. Both were rigged wacky style.
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(Provided by BASS)
BASS Adds New Events and Schedule Shake-Up for 2017 Elites
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series schedule features more exciting twists and changes than the world's premier tournament circuit has seen in its storied 11-year history.
This year, Bassmaster has added a new stop on the circuit, the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest. The event, which will replace and build upon Toyota Texas Bass Classic's decade-long legacy, is scheduled for May 17-21 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, one of the hottest big-bass lakes in the United States.
"Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest will combine the best features of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic and our own BASSfest tournament - both of which have become immensely popular among anglers and fishing fans," said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. "Texas Fest will host a special Fan Appreciation Day offering anglers and their families opportunities to meet, greet and learn from the world's best professional anglers."
The Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest will emphasize best practices in fishing conservation, including a catch, weigh and immediate release format. The event will also continue to benefit the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD), which has been instrumental in introducing fishing conservation guidelines that have influenced fishing tournaments throughout the United States.