It didn ’ t take long for the gamble to pay off : with a few hours still to fish , Hatfield literally turned to the camera in his Phoenix and called “ game .”
Hatfield sacked up 20-11 on Day 3 , the biggest bag of the tournament , to win by more than 5 pounds . Virtually all of that weight came from a few patches of bream beds that he discovered during the final day . Hatfield used a variety of baits to fool bass that were preying on the bluegill , including a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senko and a pair of topwaters . The victory earned him a berth in REDCREST 2024 and has him in contention to qualify for the Bass Pro Tour .
5 . HIGH SCHOOL FISHING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Mississippi River
June 21-23
Despite mechanical trouble that forced them to swap boats with a camera crew , Zachary Piescher and Cole Semler erased a final-day deficit and bested the nation ’ s top high school anglers on the Upper Mississippi River . The duo from
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Minnesota ’ s Isanti-Cambridge High School initially thought they wouldn ’ t be able to make their planned run from takeoff in Pool 7 to Pool 8 on Day 3 due to a broken fuel pump , but camera boat driver Brad Wessling came to the rescue . Fishing out of Wessling ’ s boat , Piescher and Semler caught a three-bass limit of 10-12 , which boosted their total weight to 32-7 . That proved to be enough to edge JD McBroom and Carter Pjesky of Illinois ’ Kaneland High School by 6 ounces .
For their win , Piescher and Semler each earned $ 5,000 in scholarship money plus qualified to compete as co-anglers in the 2023 Toyota Series Championship .
6 . TOYOTA SERIES PRESENTED BY PHOENIX BOATS NORTHERN DIVISION PRESENTED BY RABID BAITS Lake Champlain June 22-24
Ryan Carnright was already regarded as one of the top Lake Champlain locals , especially when it
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comes to catching spawning smallmouth . So it ’ s not a shock that , with the weather cooperating and a wave of brown fish hitting the beds during the first Northern Division event of the year , Carnright was able to capitalize .
With strong winds moving dirty water around the northern end of the lake , conditions weren ’ t ideal for sight-fishing . But that actually helped Carnright . He had marked a plethora of beds prior to the event , and the water conditions kept other competitors from finding them . While the reduced visibility meant he had to use a flogger and forwardfacing sonar to catch several of his fish , Carnright still managed to boat 59-11 across three days using a drop-shot and a finesse swimbait . That was enough to edge Ryan Latinville , Carnright ’ s cousin , by 11 ounces .
FOR ALL THE MOST RECENT TOURNAMENT HIGHLIGHTS , ACTION AND RESULTS , VISIT MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM
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7 . BASS PRO TOUR GENERAL TIRE STAGE SIX PRESENTED BY JOHN DEERE UTILITY VEHICLES Lake St . Clair
June 24-29
Even though he knew he couldn ’ t make a cast , Jordan Lee made up his mind that he would spend his practice searching the Canadian waters of Lake St . Clair , where bass season didn ’ t open until the first day of competition . The gamble paid off in the form of Lee ’ s first BPT win since 2020 . Lee located a grass line that featured a few bare spots postspawn smallmouth were using to feed . He mimicked their primary forage , perch , by drop-shotting a Berkley Flatnose Jerk Shad .
Putting the right bait in the right places allowed Lee to catch a different caliber of fish than the rest of the field . He boated the Berkley Big Bass during each of the four days he took the water , as well as the biggest fish of the event . Lee ’ s 24-9 bag led the way during the Knockout Round , then he sealed the championship with 23-4 .
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