Toledo Bend Reservoir
TODAY www.tbrtoday.com APRIL 2018
Gulett & Rivers tops a tough crowd on Toledo Bend at Bass Champs
Bass Champs winners Benjamin Gulett and Dustin Rivers cashed in on the guaranteed 1st place $20,000 check! By Patty Lenderman
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ough crowds, savvy anglers, Mother Nature and ticking clocks were just a few of the elements in the air February 17, 2018 at Cypress Bend Marina on Toledo Bend. Bass Champs held the second East Region event with over 500 anglers, making 279 teams and a total tournament purse of more than $76,000. Weather delays helped some and hindered others, but in the end Benjamin Gulett and Dustin Rivers came out on top to win the guaranteed 1st place purse of $20,000. As morning began to dawn, a thick blanket of fog enveloped the area, preventing a safe launch for the contenders. “It was hard to make out anything, just feet away,” Chad Potts recalled. “The safety of everyone is paramount. In a situation like this, especially with so many boats and people involved, it is imperaSee Bass Champs, page 5
Complimentary Issue INSIDE
B.A.S.S. Nation Regional Championship .........1, 6 Bass Champs ............................................................. 1, 5 Tournament Schedule ...............................................2 TBLA 16th Annual Banquet .....................................3 Country Roads & Fishing Holes............................. 4 Texas Bass Couples .....................................................7 Haynesville Shale Bass Tournament .................... 8 Bassin’ Facts & Trends ............................................... 9 Fishing Report ..................................................... 10, 20 SETX Ford Championship Series....................11, 16 Lake Records ..........................................................12, 13 Schedule of Events .................................................... 13 Soil Culture ........................................................... 14, 15 TBLA Lunker Program......................17, 18, 19, 22, 23 Toledo Bend Map ................................................20, 21
Louisiana claims team title in B.A.S.S. Nation Regional Bass Championship
Photo by Andy Canulette/B.A.S.S.
The Louisiana B.A.S.S. Nation wins the team competition Thursday with 379 pounds, 2 ounces at the Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional presented by Magellan Outdoors on Toledo Bend Reservoir. Bob Blumenstein of Illinois is leading the individual competition with a two-day total weight of 42-11.
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he Louisiana B.A.S.S. Nation team defended its home water in grand fashion today in the Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Central Regional presented by Magellan Outdoors. The Bayou State squad, which is composed of 10 boaters and 10 nonboaters, caught 135 bass over two days for a cumulative weight of 379 pounds, 2 ounces. That was more than 11 pounds heavier than Team Arkansas, which actually caught more weight than Louisiana today, but finished second overall with 135 bass for 367-13. Making the victory event sweeter for the home team is that the team championship came on Toledo Bend Reservoir — one of the most hallowed bass fisheries in the U.S. The majority of Team Louisiana’s anglers hail from south Louisiana, however, so while they are familiar with Toledo Bend, they don’t fish it every day like they do the bass fisheries
south of Interstate 10. “To come here and compete with the competition that was here this week in this event is a feat,” said Louisiana B.A.S.S. Nation President Kevin Gaubert, who fished as a nonboater in the regional. “When you get to this level, it’s all the top anglers in your state. You come here and do your best, put your time in and hope everything works out in your favor. It did today. I think this is our fifth or six team win in B.A.S.S. Nation.” The team won a Triton/Mercury boat/motor package valued at $40,000 with the win. Gaubert said a Nation member is interested in purchasing it, and the money they gain will go to good use in helping stage tournaments throughout the state. See more of the B.A.S.S. Nation Regional Bass Championship on page 6.