PHOTO BY KYLE WOOD PHOTO BY JODY WHITE
JOEY CIFUENTES
Clinton , AR Championship Round weight : 18-9
The man known for his signature cowboy hat sure isn ’ t too bad at catching fish .
After finishing fourth and sixth , respectively , in 2015 and 2016 as a Pro Circuit coangler , Joey Cifuentes made the jump to fishing from the front of the boat , and save for finishing 104th in points in 2018 , really hasn ’ t had a bad pro season to date . In 2020 , Cifuentes finished 32nd in AOY points and added $ 40,500 in winnings to boost his FLW career total to over $ 287,000 .
It looked like Cifuentes was in line for a massive payday at the TITLE when he won the Group B Qualifying Round and finished second behind Spencer Shuffield in the Knockout Round ( those Arkansas boys sure love catching smallmouth ). The Championship Round wasn ’ t as kind to Cifuentes , though , as the fish he found in the afternoon of the Knockout Round moved on him and left him scrambling to find some more .
After catching three scorable bass in the first hour and a half of competition , Cifuentes spent the rest of the Championship Round in search mode , landing just three more scorable over the final seven hours .
As disappointing as that final day probably was for Cifuentes , the $ 16,000 payday may have helped ease the pain .
PHOTO BY CHARLES WALDORF
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CASEY SCANLON
Eldon , MO Championship Round weight : 0-0
With his win in the 2019 Pro Circuit event on Lake Champlain , Casey Scanlon established his credentials as an Ozark pro who has no trouble catching bunches of Northern smallies . It comes as no surprise , then , that the Missouri hammer managed to weigh 153-5 worth of smallmouth in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds en route to a Championship Round appearance .
While Scanlon ’ s consistency ( third in Qualifying Round and fifth in Knockout Round ) didn ’ t translate to a great final day on Sturgeon Bay , just making the top 10 in a stacked TITLE field is one heck of an accomplishment .
Scanlon now boasts three championship tournament appearances in four years on the Pro Circuit with over $ 300,000 in career earnings .
EVAN BARNES
Hot Springs , AR Championship Round weight : 0-0
Yet another Arkansas pro to make the Championship Round , Evan Barnes crushed ‘ em in his first three days on the water during the TITLE , weighing 61-10 on day one and another 48-10 in the Knockout Round . While he just snuck in above the cut line on day five with that 48-10 , Barnes still managed to catch the fifth-most scorable bass of the day amongst the 20-angler field .
Like Scanlon , Barnes wasn ’ t able to translate his early-tournament success into a strong Championship Round showing , but he still cashed a $ 14,500 check for his efforts . Not bad for a no-entry-fee championship event .
Barnes experienced a bit of a career resurgence in 2020 , posting his first top-25 showing in the AOY points race , despite finishing the regular season far from home with a couple Northern derbies that could have sunk his season . Luckily for Barnes , he ’ ll be able to build on his 2020 experience up north when the Pro Circuit finishes the regular season on the St . Lawrence River in 2021 .
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2020 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | FLWFISHING . COM 33