Co-Anglers of the Year toyota series
Hopkins said . “ And I ’ m thinking , I guess . I didn ’ t know that 10 pounds was a good bag here .”
After tinkering with bait selection , Hopkins caught most of his Day 1 keepers on a blade bait . The second day proved to be more of a grind , but two fish for 4-9 kept him in the mix . Fishing shallower on Day 3 , he had to switch tactics , but he once again unlocked the tricky bite . Using a football jig and a tube , he sacked up 10-14 , the biggest bag of the day by nearly 5 pounds .
After returning home , Hopkins celebrated his win with 75- year-old Ray Bowling . Bowling gave a young Hopkins his first tournament fishing experience , offering him a spot in his boat for local derbies . Now , Hopkins is excited to return the favor . He ’ s also planning to return to Toyota Series competition in 2024 , this time as a boater .
“ I ’ m probably going to fish two or three divisions and just make a run for it ,” Hopkins said . “ To be honest , all this did was leave me hungry , so I want more of it now . I want to get over on the boater side and play that ballgame . I ’ ve never taken the time to do it , but I think I ’ m going to take a couple years and just try to put my head down and see what we can come up with .”
Larry Taylor
Taylor , an occasional tournament angler who qualified for the All-American via The Bass Federation National Championship , knew right away what to do with his winnings . He used his $ 50,000 prize to help his brother , who had lost his job while hospitalized for five months with COVID-19 , start his own welding and fabrication business .
“ I told myself if I won this tournament , I was going to back him and get him on his feet , get him anything he needed , and get in there and get his business started , get his people working ,” Taylor said . “ So far , it ’ s going good .”
2023 Strike King
Co-Anglers of the Year toyota series
Presented by Phoenix Boats
Central Alan Hults
Northern Cooper Jett
Plains Alan Bernicky
Southern Stephen Draghi
Southwestern Cedric Jackson
Western Bruce Harris
Wild Card Alan Woodford
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PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA
taylor rallies from ninth to win all-american
Entering the final day of the All-American in ninth place , Delaware native Larry Taylor figured he didn ’ t have a shot at winning . That didn ’ t really bother him , though . Paired with fellow Northeasterner and longtime friend Brian LaClair , he simply had fun fishing alongside a buddy .
Even after catching onto LaClair ’ s program plying Lake Hartwell ’ s bridge pilings with a micro jig and boating a 10-1 limit , Taylor didn ’ t like his chances . But with just one of the eight anglers who started the day ahead of him catching five keepers and none topping 8 pounds , Taylor ’ s stringer proved enough to vault him to the top of the standings , 1-4 ahead of Gary Haraguchi .
“ We just went fishing ,” Taylor said . “ I was happy with what I caught . I really wasn ’ t expecting to pull it off .”
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PHOENIX BASS FISHING LEAGUE
Presented by T-H Marine
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Arkie Blake Defoor
Bama Chad Macks
Buckeye Steve Sorrell
Bulldog Tyler Mangum
Choo Choo Justin Stephenson
Cowboy JJ Matzke
Gator Tyler Nekolny
Great Lakes Hertz Skaer
Hoosier Joe Gorham
Illini Aaron Arning
LBL Sean O ’ Brien
Michigan Gavin Weted
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Mississippi Hunter Averett
Mountain Allen Neal
Music City Rocky Williams
North Carolina Wes House
Northeast Michael Bahnweg
Okie Danny Giacomo
Ozark Adler Odle
Piedmont Robert Wedding
Savannah River Chris Bensel
Shenandoah David Deciucis
South Carolina Wesley Mullins
Volunteer Lenny Bays
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DECEMBER – JANUARY 2024 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 73