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1 . BASS PRO TOUR BASS PRO SHOPS REDCREST 2022 PRESENTED BY COSTA Grand Lake O ’ the Cherokees March 23 – 27
Florida pro Bobby Lane earned the moniker “ Big Fish Bobby ” thanks to a career full of bragging-size bass . But in the waning moments of Bass Pro Shops REDCREST 2022 Presented by Costa , Lane ascended to a new nickname befitting a champion : “ Big Time Bobby ” has a nice ring to it , and it ’ s accurate .
With time running out in the final period of the Bass Pro Tour championship on Grand Lake and Jacob Wheeler clinging to a precarious lead , Lane connected with a 2- pound largemouth that pushed him past Wheeler and Luke Clausen for a $ 300,000 payday and the title of REDCREST champion .
Lane found himself in position to capitalize on the moment only after a savvy adjustment . He had spent the bulk of three competition days cranking
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an HD brown Berkley Frittside 5 around bluffs and points , but picked up on a subtle change in the Championship Round as fish started to slap at the Frittside and his cranking bite faded . Out came a light flipping rod armed with a green pumpkin jig and a Berkley PowerBait Meaty Chunk Jr . as Lane made a beeline for isolated pieces of cover and individual docks in the backs of pockets .
Lane entered the final period of the Championship Round with an 11- pound deficit but ended the day with a 1-3 cushion over Clausen , 1-10 over Wheeler and the REDCREST championship . Now that ’ s big time .
2 . ABU GARCIA COLLEGE FISHING CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY LOWRANCE Fort Gibson Lake March 29 – 31
Earning East Texas Baptist University its first-ever fishing national championship among a storied history of success for the program
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, the duo of Kaden Proffitt and Cason Ragsdale brought three quality limits to the scale over three days at Fort Gibson , making all the right adjustments to fish clean and squeeze as much as they could out of a stingy fishery .
Despite not having a single keeper at 10:30 on the final day , Proffitt and Ragsdale held it together enough to know they needed to slow down due to the cold , snowy conditions . Instead of continuing with ChatterBaits and squarebill crankbaits , they leaned more on soaking jigs in key areas where they knew fish were moving up to spawn . They were meticulous throughout the event , sometimes sitting on onecast spots for 30 minutes or more to avoid missing out on a fish that could win them a championship .
Ultimately , 43-8 over three days was 3 pounds , 4 ounces more than they needed to lock up the prestigious title , berths to the 2022 Toyota Series Championship and a Phoenix boat worth $ 33,500 .
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3 . TOYOTA SERIES PRESENTED BY A . R . E . CENTRAL DIVISION Dale Hollow Lake March 31 – April 2
Jack Daniel Williams was a model of consistency over three days on Dale Hollow during the penultimate event of the Central Division schedule . A rookie to the Toyota Series , Williams weighed in three bags of 21-plus pounds to notch the win and a $ 71,500 check by less than two pounds over Cleveland , Tennessee ’ s runner-up , Kevin Drake .
Williams relied on forward-facing sonar to do most of his damage throughout the three-day tournament , using his electronics to key in on schools of bait that held in various depths ( depending on the weather ) around points and steep drops . To catch his winning fish , Williams employed a Dale Hollow staple : a 3 1 / 2-inch swimbait on a 1 / 4-ounce swimbait head .
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