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8 . TACKLE WAREHOUSE PRO CIRCUIT PRESENTED BY BAD BOY MOWERS GOOGAN BAITS STOP 3 Lake Murray Presented by Favorite Fishing April 22-25
Sometimes going for broke just happens to be the right decision , as it was for Matt Becker in securing his first Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit victory in April at Lake Murray .
Becker fully intended to sight fish and run a dock pattern throughout the tournament , but a planned detour on Day 1 turned the Finleyville , Pennsylvania pro onto a high-risk , high-reward strategy that involved exploiting a herringspawn pattern predicated almost entirely on timing . Too early or too late and a $ 137,500 check turns to dust .
Fortunately for Becker , his timing was impeccable throughout the event , and he hit point after point ( many housing big schools of bass feeding up on herring ) with various plastics , including a Googan Baits Dart that did most of the heavy lifting .
The result : 76-5 over four days and a cushy 2-pound , 8-ounce margin of victory over second-place finisher Anthony Gagliardi .
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9 . ABU GARCIA COLLEGE FISHING PRESENTED BY YETI WILEY X COLLEGE FACEOFF Lake Guntersville April 24
After coming up just short in the Open on Chickamauga a few weeks prior , Conner DiMauro and Cole Sands got their redemption in the Wiley X College Faceoff by virtue of six fish for 16 pounds , 15 ounces in the MLF catch , weigh , immediate-release format . That included a 2-1 with just three minutes left that sealed the deal and gave them the top spot ahead of Aaron Cherry and Chandler Holt of Montevallo University ( 13-15 ), who won the Southern Division regional event the day prior .
10 . TOYOTA SERIES PRESENTED BY A . R . E . SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION Sam Rayburn Reservoir Presented by Berkley April 28-30
“ Wire to wire ” was a theme of the spring Toyota Series contests , and the event on Sam Rayburn was no exception . The beneficiary this time was Keith Combs , who put a total of 63-3 on the scales to bring home the $ 36,764 winner ’ s check .
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Combs ran away with the victory ( winning by 8 pounds , 10 ounces ), but you might not have guessed that result based on his day-by-day totals . He weighed in just 10-15 on the final day , though it doesn ’ t take much when you ’ ve already weighed in 22-9 and 29-11 on Days 1 and 2 , respectively .
On Days 1 and 2 , Combs did what he does best : He fished deep . A crankbait , spinnerbait and swimbait got the call until , with a weathershortened Day 3 and a 17-plus-pound cushion , he opted for schooling fish on a gravel bar to fill out his limit and guarantee the victory .
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11 . BASS PRO TOUR BERKLEY STAGE TWO PRESENTED BY MERCURY Lake Travis , Texas
April 30-May 5
Jacob Wheeler added yet another champion ’ s trophy to his rapidly expanding collection in early May with a dominating performance on Lake Travis , an impoundment of the Colorado River . Even though the Tennessee pro ’ s margin of victory was a scant 2 ounces over Bobby Lane , Wheeler seemed in control from the minute he caught his first fish .
Starting the six-day derby with a 4-pound , 15-ounce largemouth ,
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Wheeler consistently landed a higher grade of bass than the rest of the 80-man field , finishing his first qualifying day with a 3-5 average . He maintained the bigger-fish mojo in the Knockout Round , catching a 4-2 and a 5-4 in the first hour and averaging 3-9 per fish .
Wheeler focused his time on a series of docks in an 8-mile stretch of the river , casting and pitching a bladed jig , swim jig and plopper-style topwater to precise spots around the docks and focusing on just the top 5 to 7 feet of the water column .
The win was Wheeler ’ s third on the Bass Pro Tour in 15 regular-season events .
12 . TOYOTA SERIES PRESENTED BY A . R . E . SOUTHERN DIVISION Lake Seminole May 6-8
Nick Thliveros officially stepped out of his father ’ s shadow in 2019 , as the son of the great “ Peter T ” locked up his first Toyota Series victory on Lake Okeechobee . Since then , Nick cashed just one check in seven events until early May on Lake Seminole .
Weighing in the largest bag of Day 3 with 21-13 , Nick surged from third to first to lock up a $ 37,809 payday proving once again that he has
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