Clarks Hill shows out FEB . 28 – MARCH 2
Prior to 2023 , MLF had never hosted a tour-level tournament on Clarks Hill . The Savannah River reservoir proved that it ’ s worthy of a return trip when the Invitationals visited last spring . Ebare won the event with 58-10 across three days ( including the biggest bass of the event , an 8-2 largemouth ), and he was far from the only pro to smash ‘ em . Travis Harriman nearly ran Ebare down with a 23-14 megabag on the final day , boosting his total to 58-0 . Those two were part of a loaded leaderboard , which also included eventual Invitationals Angler of the Year winner Ron Nelson , Bass Pro Tour AOY Matt Becker and fellow BPT pro Spencer Shuffield within the top seven . In all , five limits over 20 pounds were weighed in , including three over 22 . Eleven pros topped 48 pounds for the event .
Thrift + Lake Norman = a REDCREST trophy MARCH 12
Entering almost every tournament , a local favorite or two generates lots of buzz . It ’ s far less common that said angler actually goes on to win , especially when competing against the caliber of field that comprised REDCREST 2023 . But Bryan Thrift leaned on his lifetime of Lake Norman knowledge to rise to the pressure of being the homestate favorite . Thrift ’ s championship win added to his decorated history on Norman , where he had previously won two FLW Tour events — including his first victory as a touring pro — and earned more than $ 500,000 . He leaned on that history to catch bigger than average bass from offshore drains during the first three days , then to protect his lead when that pattern fizzled , running upriver to an area he discovered a year prior . Thrift ’ s five-day Norman master class landed him a $ 300,000 payday and the REDCREST trophy that narrowly eluded him in 2021 . poche goes ‘ off the grid ’ to win MARCH 23
Entering the 2023 season , Keith Poche took a risk . Despite forwardfacing sonar continuing to dominate the tournament trail , Poche went all in on his skinny-water style by opting to fish BPT events out of an 18- foot aluminum boat . The decision paid off in a big way at U . S . Air Force Stage Two Presented by Power- Pole , when Poche ran up a tributary of Cherokee Lake to a spillway that no one else in the field could access . The honey hole produced a mixed bag of smallmouth and largemouth that weighed 35-6 across two days . Poche had committed to the spot even before making a cast . Having discovered it during a Bassmaster Open in 2022 , he dedicated all of his practice time to Douglas Lake , which hosted the Qualifying Rounds , knowing the spillway would be his destination if he advanced to Cherokee . Safe to say Poche ’ s plan came together perfectly .
gagliardi ’ s home cooking leads to murray win april 7
Speaking of local favorites conquering the pressure that accompanies fishing a national event on one ’ s home body of water , Anthony Gagliardi came through with a massive final day at Lake Murray , which earned him a victory at Fox Rent A Car Stage Three Presented by Mercury . Given that he lives on the lake and has won more than $ 700,000 there during his career , Gagliardi ’ s win didn ’ t come as a surprise . Yet he pulled it off not by fishing history but bucking traditional springtime patterns . Gagliardi eschewed the shallow bedding bite , focusing on points where bass chased spawning herring . Instead of using a fluke or other baitfish imitator , he stuck with a 6-inch finesse worm on a drop-shot . The bait produced a limit of 26-13 during the Championship Round , including an 8- pound kicker — the biggest bass of the event — further bolstering his reputation as the angler to beat any time he ’ s competing on Murray .
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON PHOTO BY CHARLES WALDORF
DECEMBER-JANUARY 2024 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 39