2019 Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville

to say it's a popular place for bass fishing well that would be a wild understatement this is it legendary Lake Guntersville it's the six stop of the year the Bassmaster Elite Series 2019 it's a stop we can never wait to get to because it offers us so much let's start with our official unlock the Lake Yamaha unlock the Lake shows us Lake Guntersville here in the northeast part of Alabama on the Tennessee River system lying there between Lake Nikki Jack and Lake wheeler situated here at the bottom most part of the Appalachian Mountains there are the facts and figures about at 70,000 acres seventy-five miles long of course full of grass all sorts of vegetation in this water all sorts of life in it and a fish population that despite incredible pressure just never seems to go away it seems to get stronger in fact with each and every year it is a well fish place mark zona and every holds the community whole but that doesn't matter it is definitely a pick your poison Lake whether you want to be up shallow fishing boat docks and grass or out on the legends that if you look at our leaderboard right there Paul Muller Matt airy Brandon Lester Chris Johnston all of them fishing offshore after they want well offshore of course is what you would think for the Tennessee River this time of year in Brandon Lester and some others as we'll find out our situated on is a roadbed where the bass are coming because the bait are going every time were at Lake Guntersville and comes down to kind of being left alone where there's not a lot of pressure on your area well Brandon Lester on day one he mind this road bed down in Browns Creek for haul up was worth but a couple hundred yards away was Matt airy from North Carolina and here's the best way to put it these guys have throttled this road bed it's not a matter of how many they're catching it's a matter of how many big ones they're putting in the boat absolutely and they say when that wind blows out of Browns Creek debate going without the win it's not going to happen so they are making hay while the Sun shines there's your leader after two days of fishing 101 pounds six ounces on day number two North Carolina's Matt Airy exactly right Tommy if you look at how the weights have stacked up at the top of the leaderboard well one thing's for sure coming into this tournament a lot of people said Guntersville well it's a little bit off that is not the case this time around well mark zona I don't think anyone can look at the first two days we just saw there and say it's a Guntersville just like when you go there in April or or May or something like well it's definitely you know this Guntersville is fishing a lot different this time around but if you look at the weights it's the same old Guntersville you had better catch them and really the story of this tournament right now is first place and second place fishing right next to each other can that spot sustain well let's take a look at first place Matt Airy headed to his spot ready to get day three started it's gonna be fun day I hope we're probably gonna be starting the same place as Boat number two and it ought to be interesting we've already talked about it we've already discussed it so we work well together and we'll see what happens well I think what both anglers are wondering here on day number three will this spot hold up you take a look at Matt Arry and Brandon Lester you're gonna get a very very good glimpse from above how close these guys are fishing together the other way to really look at this spot it's not a mile long it's a couple hundred yards with little ki sweet spots and on day two of this tournament these guys throttle this area the only question is will it hold up going into the final day masters on the juice before I caught my Bengals yesterday where he's sitting [Music] [Applause] like it more like it maybe we can activate them I'm starting to think maybe two baits is better than one anyway he chased it all the way to the boat he ate it right at the boat what not something I mean I was whining at the end and he literally ate it right at the boat two and a half well I always be watching always be watching your bait when you're winding it in and don't reel it in too fast and I'm guilty of that all the time but I can tell you how many fish I've had try to eat a bait right at the boat Matt arey Brandon Lester obviously occupying the Marky spot on all of Lake Guntersville this week but we've got some other spots that have paid off Kelly Jay the Alabaman did not show us much on day number one but he got it cranked up on day number two and to no one's surprise course Kelly Jay getting it done with a jerk bait yeah now we got a problem well obviously the one great thing about a jerkbait is they have a lot of hooks and one of the bad things right there is a jerkbait has a lot of hooks and here early on day number three Kelly J in a world of trouble and we mean at a funky angle any kind of bready to work well I don't think it's gonna come out I'll get it if not they call you to paramedic saying that dangler I don't think that's going yeah you're going to call pyramid because there's no way to you can't get to anything to jerk if you go cutting now it's gonna be hard to get out hey trip I'm not here beside Kelly he's got a hook dug way in his hand further than I can get it okay all right hey dig go to the dock you're gonna you're gonna have the local guy come get it I will give me that give me that bait where you going I think I'm gonna lay down so know who it is you'll see that music tells us we got a situation building up out here could be a countywide emergency yes the team is on it and Kelly J probably getting a little more attention than is necessary all the vitals stable find out what happened Kelly came back come back the Academy sports and outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville is brought to you by talents mercury [Music] night rowboats and by Abu Garcia [Music] oday number three Lake Guntersville don't take your eyes off this things are popping out there Kelly J probably at the peak of his momentum in the tournament buries a hook deep in his hand have to take a timeout head to the local hospital the extraction was a success and so Kelly back in the ambulance I guess to take him back to the ramp so he can get in his boat yeah he hasn't dropped too much he's still hanging in there in sixth place we got some other guys working very very hard to be on top of this leaderboard by the end of the day Kelly's got to play some catch-up I can't get out there fast enough I can't I can't no I don't got kidding Cass I'll definitely little frustrating for Kelly J right there early on this day three of competition and right around the corner see a little frustration building with Matt heron he has pounded him every morning of this event but the biggest key he's had to refine them every day been a grind man we just had you know every evening we have some kind of a gust front come through with thunderstorms and stuff last night was no different we had thunder and lightning and wind blew gosh I love till about ten o'clock them it's camper it blew really hard and it's just like every day these fish are getting closer and closer Oh God come here boom [Music] I know I've been slacking you know now we're getting somewhere big ugly headed bank well despite having to relocate him each and every morning he looks like Matt Heron is off to another fantastic morning here Lake Guntersville for the third day in a row he's having a fantastic season look at that night Antonio - Bassmaster Angler of the year points this 11th year on the Elite Series for the Alabama native Matt heron Matt heron has got it going here we look above it cent fighter also having a good tournament here we skip up to bill Lowen definitely part of the mix as his Corey Johnston Alabama native Scott Canterbury and drew cook who took over that lead is hanging on to it having a fantastic year the rookie on top and there is a lot of time left for that angler of the year racing somebody that we're gonna keep our eye on the rest of the year especially this event making big moves here on day number three Chris Seldane from Texas and really here's been the biggest key besides the baits that we're gonna break down he has been left alone on this very small sweet spot the entire week and it's loaded with big ones that's going to be the Skeeter boat taste the bait early in the morning throwing an eco rig worm and then transitioning to that giant spoon the benefit of that spoon it catches the Giants mimicking gizzard shad the negative of that spoon it will lose big fish oh gosh big and stay on there stay on there yes I had a feeling about that spoon man I ate it something different in their big that's a giant real big oh I tried how much both fifty please down I need you so bad I need you don't come on don't come off don't come on yes baby I've got the spot I've got the spot to win this tournament dear I'm telling you right now made that adjustment right there I had to ask you ski Miyazaki thanks buddy from one of those spoons I saw that spoon on social media and I asked him for him and he gave me a couple yesterday thank you you ski yes tit for tat baby yes yes let me get off this spot what an adjustment dude on the bait well there you go Chris Haldane sort of reminiscent of the Geico Bassmaster Classic we're on the second day they're the next to last day there he got on to something that brought the big fish can he sustain that Matt arey the guy who was sustaining really well on that special spot that he and Brandon Lester are fishing out there near the mouth of Browns Creek but we got a lot more yet to come the results right there arrey on top of Chris Alvin and Matt heron Lee Livesey brandon Lester slipping just a little bit where's all of our top ten within about seven pounds we've got plenty more coming up the final day get started when we return oh my god oh my god I can't breathe dude I need oxygen right now final day championship day of this Academy sports and outdoors Bassmaster Elite stop number 6 for 2019 for the Bassmaster Elite Series legendary Lake Guntersville it has really been playing big-time there's the rules of the game four days eight hours to fish we're down to ten anglers on this final day and really if you look at our anglers five of them fishing shallow five of them fishing offshore and the one thing to note a lot of these guys have not pressed their areas they've caught their fish and they've got off of their key spots today they could spend the entire afternoon on them good to be here happy to be here on Lake Guntersville I love this place you know I'm about 5 pounds back today but anything can happen this weather coming in what I was doing like Thursday Friday it should happen today with that you know I haven't caught him like that you know chatter bait and stuff but I'm hoping it goes down today and it could could have it's anybody's game like I'm three pounds behind but on this Lake that can be made up and to fish so I'm looking forward to getting out there and getting this thing going I've been flipping real shallow and any time you're flipping you need Sun the kind of position those fish I think we're gonna lose that today but we're gonna go out there adjust the conditions and hook try to put the five biggest fish in the boat that we can and try to win this thing just gonna be a grind for me it's not gonna be easy but I'm ready to go we've got some weather coming in hard south wind and they're pulling current so it's gonna be rough out there I got a chance you know I'm three pounds back but somebody's gonna go out this morning to catch a six or seven pounders gonna change this thing up shake it up got a lot of stuff running through my brain and where to where to go and what to do how to adjust this weather or you know in the lake very well it's kind of tough it's tight man all these these ten guys on these dots here they've got a legit shot to win you catch it in two bites few guys stumble we can move up and potentially win so that's this mentality going out with just going away and that's it I feel brother excited anxious to get going we've got a little letter coming in today so it's gonna be interesting I hope it just doesn't pile in here at 10 or 11 o'clock this morning let's hope the weather men are right for once the leader Matt airy on his way he mentioned it the other guys are watching the weather today got some unstable air moving in in fact we're expecting storms for later on in the day as we watch them spread out throughout this tournament spirit very wide distribution among all the anglers now down to ten anglers and still fairly widely distributed mark zone it is but really the the three key areas have been Browns Creek from Sebald up to waterfront and then around our takeoff from goose pond that's exactly where we're gonna find Jamie Hartman coming to this final day in 10th place and virtually nobody really watching him starting out on a main river grass line right here but that stretch of Lake Guntersville so much history of tournaments that have been dominated right there and you take a look at his daily catches it's been bunkering into this well called about a 300 yard stretch and on this final day of competition jamie Hartman had set his boat down on the mother lode catching him steady but bear in mind he's coming from 10th place he's comes and he's straight behind me as soon as the he was like gone I got to make sure how they're good they're hooked before I could even think swinging them in man I lost the giant on day two I fought her all the way to the boat just popped out we're out there so take it easy with them they'll come in there's some bigs in here boy I know there's some bigs in here oh god that's a big oh my god [Music] there's the five pounder baby whoo come on get you a face full of that how about that I told you there were some bigs in here boy whoo mmm she wasn't coming off either this is how I wanted to start it whoo that's a five baby starting to write we're starting to write this is the way I wanted to start today this is what kept me up all darn night long god I love this sport cool ain't nothing like it man Jamie are you're right he's landed on the other load mark zona and he has erased that seven pound two ounce deficit in short order right now moving up one spot has been Matt heron he to find into the success early today game-changer game-changer good one right there for Matt herons been fishing alone predominantly all week long a little special magical milk oil bed here on Lake Guntersville right outside of our takeoff there at goose pond we're gonna head back down Lake to Browns Creek and check in with Brandon Lester and Matt airy and well here on the final day of competition both of them finding will they have leaned on this spot and possibly have run out of fish on their key roadbed it's been me it's been beat up pretty bad needless to say you know I expect you to be a little slower today but uh you know Lester I don't think he's better to fish yet and you know that's a little cause for concern because yesterday we we started catching since we got here there's still fish here no doubt they're just getting a little more educated by the day I don't know what I got it bit hard yeah that's a little better one that's a better one well you put two fishermen the magnitude of Lester and airy right here whom are watching it on a spot like this and you got to think about it a roadbed really is very very narrow very very small and specific it's destined not to hold up right mark zone and really what we're seeing transpire here on this final day of competition is guys that are left alone guys that are really bunkered into an area without other competition rising to the top and we're starting to see Jamie Harmon make an enormous move oh my god it was a 5 oh my god I got oh my god that's bigger than the last one oh my lord stay on there big girl please stay on there that's bigger than the last one I can't breathe dude I need oxygen right now don't do it don't do it oh my god oh my god dude did you see the first one that bit it that was a 5 this 6 pounder come after that first one did it choke Zilla that's making an adjustment right there did I throw this bait nope the weather calls for it let's shake that leaderboard up shall we dude I'm in 10th place and I'm shaking like this it's just like there's nothing like it there's nothing like this feeling and would you look at how every one of those baths is getting that back literally all of them have t-bone when you jerk it away from a five founders 15 feet away and a 6 pounder grabs it I think it might just be your day mark zona Jaime Hartman on top by a big margin we are living right the Academy sports and outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville is brought to you by Berkeley [Music] Triton votes Toyota [Music] and by Yamaha welcome back we're well into a championship date on Lake Guntersville and there is the scene of big changes that have happened to get this day started mark zona a community hall if you will very familiar to people who know Guntersville but very very important so far today exactly right Tommy Sanders and really if you watch what has transpired early here on championship Monday with well Jamie Hartman it's easy to say right now that is gonna be the mercury move no you know what let's call it the mercury moves of the tournament there is a major story that's transpired with Jamie Hartman number one if you look at this area on Days one and two this was not his primary area he would start here maybe stay for about 45 minutes then traditionally go out deep like a lot of our leaders but throughout the event he's kind of bunkered in here punching that heavier grass and the beautiful thing on this final day look a lot of these big bass in Guntersville they are after stuff like this big gizzard shad and that's exactly what that top water bait mimics and the other side is whenever you're on Guntersville you have a shot for a giant stringer to make up ground and that's exactly if you look at his weights well he's obviously off to an incredible start now working with the weather definitely changed on this day has hurt some of these anglers obviously a huge help for Jamie art here's the best way to put it he basically moved areas he changed his baits and he's gone up the leaderboard like I said it's plural moves of the term there you go Jamie Hartman getting it done oh my god oh my god it's a freaking giant no no no no no no stay down stay down you know what yeah oh ho we are living right we are living right as long as I don't get one of these treble hooks in me oh my my for this exact set up is the same one from Lake Fork it's been in the box since Lake Fork I have not touched it since then it's had a cover on the bait the whole time and just come across my mind this morning I best throw it every fish this morning to come on that so far I want to go flipping but there's no way I can do it in this wind anything that I know is all windblown right now so we're gonna run this stretch we're gonna come back to my hot stretch we're gonna try it again and then we're gonna roll from there I mean we're gonna wing it the rest of the day I need a big bite you know one or two big bites and we might put this thing away so pens all the guys do what an incredible bait adjustment for Jamie Hartman looking at that footage so far this smoking 21 pounds plus and most of its come from a place at ten yards square just unbelievable our first look at Caleb some roll on a final championship day the second-year man from Louisiana [Music] oh goodness the ones we need right there baby Oh keep plugging away you see how she miss it the first time that's why I keep a second punch rig ready at all times that fish completely took my bait and had another one ready to flip in there and she ate it the second he went in there always be ready we'll follow up on tree I've been ignoring this mat all week this is a little bit out of the way and I said today we're not leaving nothing left alone and paid off some real worried this morning that the lack of sunshine might hurt his flipping bita that's a good sign right there meanwhile Matt Airy started the day with the lead has now moved from that road bed outside of Browns Creek begging begging I think yep Megan good stay down sweetie stay down cause she's barely hooked come here yes yeah shaking that's the problem but if you don't shake when you catch one like that when there's $100,000 on line something wrong one look at that look at that that's it I changed the hooks on that crankbait last night la slower here on this final day a competition format Airy but finds himself still in the lead able to run down the streaking Jaime Hartman so right now the whole complexion of our leaderboard has changed it looks like a battle now between airy and artment with remaining hours of fishing on Lake Guntersville 50 years of bas s of the Bassmasters and conservation always been a big part of the equation for all of those years here's an effort right now going on at Lake Guntersville while will tournament is on bass nation cleanup with our high school fishing teams the Tennessee Valley Authority organized this effort right here and get a lot of great work done on the shoreline of this irreplaceable resource we know as Lake Guntersville hats off to these kids and the TVA for making it happen let's check in with champions havin himself a great year great last tournament especially the first two days on Lake Fork at started the day in seventh place this looks like a big upgrade here yeah something that's a beauty I mean just break some stuff first five pounder that's one big upgrade right there for Chad Pipkins and another angler keeping our eye on this week from North Carolina hang cheering he's one of those anglers that has lived shallow all week really he has survived shallow this entire tournament Bergin make sherry an eighth place the former s Master Elite Series Rookie of the Year speaking of Bassmaster Rookie of the Year the Dick's Sporting Goods Bassmasters Rookie of the Year race is on right now drew cook Patrick Walters neither of those guys made the cut to the final day but they remain on top of that leaderboard also big names are Luke Palmer did great in South Carolina Garrett Kent at Lake Fork but Lee liver see have to know him very well at the first event of the year the st. Johns River and we knew him based mainly on the incredible improbable landing of a giant fast down there but Lee Libous II has been solid all year long and definitely in the race for Dick's Sporting Goods Rookie of the Year and in its a day a Guntersville there we go took me all day but I finally got one first one of the days are good close to three good one right there for Lee live a scene we're gonna head back down Lake right now right outside of the town of Guntersville with matt area who well he it hasn't been the best final day but Matt arey finds himself still in the lead that might be a good one yeah that'll help that'll help Oh stupid not a giant but three pounder this place has been a thorn in my side I lost that one a bit off the bacon here yesterday I hung one earlier that was definitely not a baby I had my hand on that feast too it looked like it was hooked good stuff like that usually doesn't hold me until after the tournament losing one right at the vote like that there's never a good time for that but especially hurtful when it's the last day of a championship and you're trying to scratch and claw and hang on to a lead so Matt arey will have to shake that off let's check back in with Caleb Sumrall started the day in sixth place remains there right now but he's catching him steady enough he's trying to hold on yes no goodness du chí the hook wasn't even in her mouth they probably gave in her giving her a second slice she'd have been off Wow Wow Wow shaking so bad [Laughter] that's why we do this well Caleb Summerall was worried about the cloud cover all the fronts that were coming in on his final day a competition and he has been flawless all morning long from there we're gonna check in with Jamie Hartman the the big morning with his top water bait really that was a window bite that fight lasted for about an hour Jimmy Hartman is starting to make comments he knows he is one solid bite away from potentially winning this tournament for making a bait change and moving from his primary area he little come on there's bigger fish down there than that dude oh wait he's not that little he grew up bro oh yeah he did coming back come back oh oh I told you there's big marks down there oh that's the ones we're after out there buddy that's the ones we're after I know they're down there I seen him days big Jimmy Hartman has done everything he could to claw his way back up the leaderboard in this tournament and if you think about it that is the magic of Lake Guntersville literally you're never out of it here 46 place after day number one couldn't find those schools do that he just relocated right here this is his day where he has got it going right Chris Salle Dame 23 pounds 10 ounces on day number three but today well the lack of sunshine has not helped him at all he has had an exceptionally slow start of course that was fish have to see that spoon and having the Sun glinting off of it really helps he just does not had the sunshine today as he abandoned the spoon that's a big one dude jump jump oh yeah stay on their five pounder Oh God ah big loss for Chris al Dane but he said he needs Sun and it will set this area up it'll really tighten that school up literally this is the last 15 minutes of competition God he came off - Josh being it another big one mm sick my stomach right now man got them big one oh my gosh it's huge stay on there stay on there stay on there gosh stay on there please stay on there please stay on it Oh Sal hooked but I'll take it slapped at it I'll take it any way I could get it when I jumped off was bigger than that one fired up after waiting all day the Sun has come out with Sal Dame special spot from yesterday has fired up again but the problem now literally just minutes until he has to pack up head back to the weigh-in can he get it done in that short period of time that's a giant Oh stay there I'll stick stick giant stay please stay please the Academy sports and outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville is brought to you by Skeeter boats power pole hummingbird [Music] and by minn kota well we had opportunities we did not execute we did not put the fish all our bites in a boat I think we made the right decisions because we put ourselves in position it was not my turn so hopefully we'll have another opportunity to give it all we had the day we definitely gave it all we had day one killed me day one got me Hartman and airy not feeling so good about their efforts today No both of them have checked in and just a few miles away Chris eldane still fishing he'll push the clock but his school has definitely fired another big one mmm sick my stomach right now man I could have won the term in the last 10 minutes guy that came off cardi came off are you kidding me gosh I can't get the break Oh hooked another big one yep look at that scale right there gosh dang it go stay on there stay on there no no no stay stay stay stay please say please stay on there yes it's a nice one come on baby let's do this you got like seven minutes left they're fired up down there push it to the very end guys just give me a couple more opportunities please we got two minutes got them at the big stay on there please stay on there girl please stay on there please that's a giant Oh stay there and I'll stay stay giant stay please stay please yeah yeah yeah I could have won the tournament here no doubt no doubt I screwed up guys had lost them I freaking lost them haha come on one more dude I could catch one more I might be late but I'm gonna catch one more dude I hooked all I hope so many big ones in there ah its 206 dude I'm gonna haul butt back it's four point seven miles back to the back to the ramp one more come on come on please please please please one more one more fish please I'm not out of time guys oh boy I'm gonna haul butt what time is it 7:00 come on one more oh dude I could have won the freaking tournament right here lost how many do I lose three four there's one stay on there please stay on there that's the winning fit no he came off he came off oh ho my gosh that was the winner god they're huge and they're biting right now oh please I just need ten minutes and I don't have it that is sickening we got to go I'm gonna be late I just lost the tournament dude Sal Dain with an unbelievable last 20 minutes from critical losses to critical catches and literally he was on the winning fish the last 30 minutes of this event as you said that is a powerful powerful bait for big fish the drawback is fish come off of that baton where the wrong fish came off at the wrong time and out of time for Chris Sal Dain I just made a four point seven mile run I gave myself five minutes my last five casts of the day I'd either hooked one or got a piece of one or caught one I lost the tournament in the last 10 minutes hands down lost the five pounder on a worm to on a three-four on a spoon oh dude I'm not even kidding I could puke right now sure man like that little transition there that was a great transition okay uh you could say that yeah I mean it it hooked Manny I had four of those like that that was a good transition time it was those kids were watching Bassmaster Live oh man what a heartbreaking final hour of the day for Chris Haldane but somebody is going to celebrate our very first angler all the way from Newport New York are you ready five fish for Jamie the hammer Hartmann here on championship Monday 23 any way you look at it that is a jaw-dropping way in a jaw-dropping result right there how improbable it is to come from tenth place out of a ten angler field on the final day seven pounds plus back but Jamie Hartman makes the right decisions at the right time laid the groundwork for this victory very very tight at the end and just a just a complete complete inspiring day for Jamie Hart if you really look at that final day of all the final days that we have covered I hate to say we really didn't see this one coming at all I mean he landed on the mother lode in the first hour of competition on championship Monday and then out of nowhere the last few minutes chris Aldean loses it had to be the perfect storm for Hartman to win and the other side is we looked at him as you know we hear he's a deep-water Clearwater fisherman that guy cut his teeth fishing shallow water vegetation in New York just like he won here today third year on the Bassmaster Elite Series really not even a complete third year he had to set out a lot of last year but Jamie Hartman a lot of people say and he's do well he's not do anymore he's got at that first Elite Series trophy we'll see you next time on the Bassmaster Elite Series you

Channel: Bassmaster

Views: 272,886

Rating: 4.7363896 out of 5

Keywords: BASS, B.A.S.S., Fishing, bass fishing, Bassmaster

Id: zxGvKk8TRJg

Length: 45min 33sec (2733 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 14 2019