Congratulations to BASS Elite Series angler and Evan Williams Pro, Russ Lane and his new bride Jill (Fowler) Lane. They were wed on July 21 during a sunset ceremony on Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. The two met at an Evan Williams publicity event. 
     http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/news/story?page=b_BTL_3_05_08

   The schedule has just been released, but here are my initial thoughts after looking over the 2009 & 2010 Elite Series schedule for the first time.
   Gas prices seem to effecting not only the anglers, but BASS as well. There are an awful lot of tournaments scheduled to take place in Alabama as well as very near Classics for the next three years.
   Many locations on the schedule are seemingly becoming too repetitive. There are a handful of guys who are becoming extremely familiar with some of the particular bodies of water. What will be interesting is to see how …read more

     For the first time, BASS has simultaneously released their Elite Series schedules for the next 2 seasons. Earlier this year (February) they announced the sites for the next three Bassmasters Classics.  ”This reaffirms our commitment to the anglers, fans and sponsors,” said Tom Ricks, vice president and general manager, BASS. “We appreciate the support of our outstanding communities to deliver these top-notch schedules.”
2009
Lake Amistad, TX                   Mar 12-15
Lake Dardanelle, AR               Mar 26-29
Wheeler Lake, AL                    Apr 2-5
Smith Mnt. Lake, VA               Apr 23-26
Lake Guntersville, AL             May 7-10
Pickwick Lake, AL                    May 14-17
Kentucky Lake, TN                  Jun 3-6
Mississippi River, IA                Jun 11-14
Big & Little Bay de Noc, MI     Jul 23-26
Lake …read more

                                    
                                      *photo credited: BASS Communications  
     Skeet Reese, 2007 Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year, has received one of five nominations for the Best Outdoor Athlete ESPY. He will be hanging out in Los Angeles with some of the world’s best athletes on July 20th.
     When Skeet was asked how he felt about the nomination he said, “Every time one of us anglers gets nominated or win, it says that we are finally getting recognition as professional athletes and we deserve that”. Skeet will be up against: dog musher Lance Mackey, marathon swimmer Skip Storch, mountain climber Scott Smiley, and mountain …read more

                       
                    *photo credited: BASS Communications/Seigo Saito 
     “It’s been long and it’s been hard”, said Kevin Wirth after being asked about his 14 year dry spell by BASS emcee Keith Allen. Wirth, the former Kentucky Derby jockey, won the Tennessee Triumph on Old Hickory Lake with a 4 day total of 55-10 lbs after leading all 4 days of the event. The victory was good for a $100,000 payday.
     The emotional Wirth was soon all smiles after confirming that this win has made his struggles all worht it. His fish were caught this week with a buzz bait and shallow flipping baby brush hogs. …read more

KJ & I backstage at the Elite Series Capitol Clash on the Potomac River.    
     Few of us still throw spoons as a primary tool and even more of us had forgotten that they were in our tackle box. That was until Kelly Jordan re-opened our eyes last year on the TV show, Ultimate Match Fishing when he used his convented Joe Spaits Spoon to quickly fill the box within minutes. If that’s not proof enough, try the century mark (100 lbs.) with a 10 fish limit over two days on Lake Fork. That’s what KJ did with the same spoon. …read more

*photo credited: eltonlucejr.com    
     There are many people doing incredible things in the fishing industry. Many of which deserve recognition, but are done through contributions by anglers who expect no return for their efforts. One of those people is BASS Elite Series pro, Elton Luce Jr. who is a 40+ yr. veteran in the fishing industry. Elton currently has a son serving in the armed forces and a veteran of the Iraq war. With that being said, he and his family know a thing or two about sacrifice and the costs it comes with.
     Elton has teamed with the Armed Forces Foundation in Washington D.C. to …read more

      
   Derek Remitz ‘07 ROY                                        Bobby Lane leading ‘08 ROY Race
   *photos credited: ESPN/BASS 
     Every year, the 110 Elite Series Angler field competes for various positions in the standings. Angler of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Bassmaster Classic cut, and even the top 87 cut to re-qualify for next years Elite series. So every year there are a number of anglers who drop-out or loose their seat and have to regain their qualification the following year. On that same note, new Rookies are then introduced to the Elite series level who have qualified to compete through other various …read more

Two legends shake hands as Kevin Vandam (right) led a charging Rick Clunn (left) before the final day. Clunn struggled on day 4 dropping him to 10th.
*photo credited: ESPN/BASS    
     Kevin VanDam came back with a vengeance this past weekend winning his 4th Elite Series event and 2nd of the season with just under a 1 lb. margin beating out a surging Timmy Horton. KVD led all four days of the event. His 4th win came only one week after being called out by Elite Series pro Jeremy Starks at the Southern Challenge on Wheeler Lake in Alabama.
     In a tournament where many of the pros where expressing difficulties and frustrations …read more

     As speculated, BASS has been forced to move the ‘River Rumble’ in Fort Madison, Iowa on the Mississippi River to Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The event name has also changed to the ‘Tennessee Triumph’. The good news for the anglers is that they will not have to drive very far from Lake Kentucky to get to the event which starts in two weeks on June 26-29.
     Tournament waters will be off limits for the event until the official practice period with the launch taking place out of Sanders Ferry Park in Hendersonville, Tenn.
     To read the official release, click here