THE TOURNAMENT REPORT
1.
2.
1. MLF BASS PRO TOUR B&W
TRAILER HITCHES STAGE ONE
PRESENTED BY POWER-POLE
Lake Eufaula
Feb. 7-12, 2020
Decision-making wins
major tournaments, as Jacob
Wheeler’s second career
Bass Pro Tour victory illus-
trates. At Lake Eufaula, the
Tennessee pro qualified for
the Championship Round by
targeting offshore brush with
Rapala DT14 and DT16
crankbaits in Caribbean
shad and a 1/2-ounce black
and blue jig with a Googan
Baits Bandito Bug trailer, but
he knew a change was in
order when he encountered
falling, much dirtier water
the final day. Rather than
flee his offshore brush like
many other competitors did,
Wheeler stuck with that pat-
tern, moved a little tighter to
the bank, and traded out his
crankbaits and jig for a big
thumping 1-ounce Accent
Fishing Products Jacob
64
3.
Wheeler River Special Select
Series spinnerbait in the
spot remover color.
It turned out to be the
perfect play call for the con-
ditions, as Wheeler went on a
tear midday and accumulat-
ed a dominant winning mar-
gin of more than 27 pounds.
2. MLF BASS PRO TOUR
FAVORITE FISHING STAGE TWO
PRESENTED BY BASS CAT
Lake Okeechobee
Feb. 21-26, 2020
A Period 3 charge during
the Championship Round in
which Jacob Powroznik
landed eight bass for nearly
30 pounds was the differ-
ence-maker at Lake
Okeechobee, earning the
Virginia pro his second Bass
Pro Tour victory. He weighed
a total of 15 bass for 49-11
and was more than 11
pounds ahead by day’s end.
Powroznik ground out the
win from a 300-yard-long
stretch nicknamed “the pass”
near Buckhead Ridge. Bass
were spawning within holes
in eelgrass beds with a suit-
able hard bottom substrate.
Staying back from bul-
rushes was a key, says
Powroznik. The eelgrass
near the rushes was too
“choked up” and thick for
his presentation, which was
a classic in Florida: winding
swimming worms (from four
brands mostly in junebug)
rigged on a 6/0 Mustad
Extra Wide Gap hook and a
3/16-ounce Elite Tungsten
weight.
3. MLF BASS PRO TOUR
GENERAL TIRE STAGE THREE
PRESENTED BY TRUETIMBER
Lake Fork/Lake Athens
March 13-18, 2020
In the final hour of the
Championship Round on
Lake Athens, Ott DeFoe
rocketed from fifth place to
first place and a 28-pound
margin of victory in one of
the more impressive finishes
in Bass Pro Tour history.
DeFoe located the even-
tual winning spot under a
bridge using side-view elec-
tronics. Getting the fish to
bite at first was difficult, but
once he caught one, the
school ignited and it was
lights out for his competition.
The Tennessee pro scored
bass on a variety of baits,
including a jerkbait, topwater
and bucktail jig, but a Rapala
DT10 in a soon-to-be-
released color called Bigg’s
shad is what sealed the deal,
also producing a 9-pound, 6-
ounce bass.
In the earlier rounds,
which were held at Lake
Fork, DeFoe targeted
spawners by sight-fishing or
blind-casting with a bubble
gum Bass Pro Shops Fin-
Eke Worm on a VMC
Weedless Neko Hook or a
5-inch swimbait on a 5/0
VMC Tokyo Rig with a 1/4-
ounce Swagger Tungsten
sinker.
FLWFISHING.COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | APRIL-MAY 2020